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						[b]Errant Venture[/b]


Kale walked into Talon's office, wiping beads of sweat from his brow as he crossed the doorway. It had been a while since he'd used the force to heal so many people. Unfortunately many were too far gone to save. "Things are still a mess down there, but I've done what I can." Kale said, looking around the room. He hoped the man wasn't too serious about imbibing stims and booze, he'd prefer he be coherent. "So, what is this information you had to tell me?"


Karrde's office was a haze of smoke, rare antiquities and art and much more like miniature lounge than an office. The man stood pacing, a bottle of something that was potent enough to fill the room with a high octane smell. blood stained his clothing, his cape was lost on the way up, likely burning somewhere or used to drape over someone wounded. Karrde's eyes burned and when Kale entered the man tossed him a packet of credits "They were all former imperial...But it looks like they turned mercenary, black sun was behind this." At least, he thought, that was what I.I or SPIN or that bastard Kaine and his blind mutant Sith wannabe wanted them to think. "I have my doubts, could still be Republic or imp rats..or any of the dozens of other would be powers out there" he shrugged "I can't tell you anymore about the kids whereabouts, other than he's somewhere inside the Quelii Oversector, likely near the center of that pompous, sequin bedecked mamas boy. And yes, the Raptor troopers you saw down there are the bodyguards of that one eyed Mandalorian ponce who works as Zsinj's second in command..No...you cannot go an arrest him.  The Venture stays neutral, even if our guests won't respect our neutrality"


Karrde gestured towards a cushioned seat made of wood from Worshyr tree. "However, I think I know what..specifically that holocron was"
"Well..first..what do you know about those infernal things?"



"They hold information, only one gifted in the force can open them. Sometimes the will of a force adept may linger inside of one. Which is why this holocron being Sith in origin would be a problem. The last thing the galaxy needs right now is an army of Sith." Kale said.

"An army of Sith? I always wondered why there were only a handful of them, in the Galaxy during our era, then I read up on the their history. Turns out if you get more than five in a room they turn on each other faster than a bunch of spiceheads jonesing for a fix. I can't imagine the damage crazy like that would do" Part of him wanted too, though, war was good for business, peace was also good for business, but pure pandemonium as witnessed today was bad for everyone.

"That Holocron is supposed to be a false a holocron...IE less a repository of knowledge and more a gateway, Ancient Sith believed they could come back from the dead, claw their way back as phantoms and incarnate inside a living host. Granted the old lady who told me that said she was a Jedi Master, two hundred years old and a descendant of Nomi Sunrider, so she's maybe as crazy as the upjumped Sabacc table dancer pretending to be a Jedi Master on Coru" Here Karrde paused, looking down, there were other points of knowledge he'd gathered on the thing, that it might have been Rakatan in origin as opposed to Sith. "I've heard its Rakatan...If that's the case your boy could be accessing knowledge even the Sith feared. Locations to sleeping superweapons, the darkside..kriff...maybe even to the Mother itself if you believe that legend. Point is, you need to be ready. Mentally for what's in that thing, what might be inside your boy now"


Kale had a stern expression on his face. It wasn't as if he hadn't considered the worst possibilities, but hearing evidence that they may be true made it all too real. "Aren being held captive makes more sense if this is true. If they wanted to use him as a bargaining chip we would have heard something by now. But if they simply needed a force adept vessel..." Kale pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a stressed breath. Looking after the young man was his responsibility, and he'd let him be taken away right from under his nose. 

Part of him wanted to ignore Talon's warning and go straight to Zsinj's bodyguards downstairs, but little good would come from that. He needn't burn bridges that may need crossing in the future. "It appears time is more important than I'd thought. As you say it may already be too late. I am unable to even feel him through the force now."


Karrde remained silent for a time, eying the man evenly. Much of the scorn gone from his features, power began to flicker indicating engineering crew had finally gotten the power systems safely online. "Hah! Kriff, hows about that? Fatherless Nerfs managed to give us back the light without causing a meltdown" Any news not about an apocalypse was good news. Karrde remained focused on the Jedi Master. "It aint a hobby, there's an eccentric, loaded. uses me to acquire objects and artifacts at times, so I study this stuff. But my sources are pretty sparse on Holocrons, it was a crime to even utter the name in the days of the Emperor. Xendors Balls!" He roared the old smugglers curse "That wrinkled bastard made it real hard to do my job, ah well. I can say this, half the people who know about these things are conspiracy nuts, the other half are divided between two groups. Enthusiasts for history and those who claim to be former force users, of that group most are insane. Look'n like they went on a bad trip and never came back." he took a swig of the potent poison in his grip and let out a loud sigh that was almost a growl. "The others, they're different. Broken down ex Jedi who curse the force that betrayed them or Dark siders who became born again" Karrde paused, allowing Kale to realize where he was being led.

And when the Jedi declared that he could no longer sense Aren through the force he hammered it home "Might be, there's no saving this kid but putt'n said unfortunate hornblower out of his misery...Think you can do that Jedi?"


"I'll do everything I can to avoid it, I owe him that much at least. But if he really is that far gone..." Kale was silent for a moment, the sound of someone by the door caught his attention. It was Lahana.

"I'll do it. I've killed friends before, what's one more?" She was wiping blood from her hands with a towel. She wasn't exactly a medic, but she knew her way around combat wounds and had been helping as much as she could. 

"That's not something you should put yourself through." Kale said. "Though I'm not so naive to believe it can be avoided. Just remember, that is the very last option we will take should Aren... Not be himself." He turned back to Talon. "Thanks for the help again, we should really get moving as fast as possible."


"What's the customary parting for you people? May the Force be with you? Kriffing melodrama, may the force be with you two and, try not to get any of yourselves killed" Karrde waved a hand and then turned back towards the large desk situated near a portrait of a Hutt decked out in military medals and with an eyepatch. Pointing a sword gallantly forward in one of the most absurd displays of "unHutt" like behavior possible.

"Before you go, I'd ask you a pass a message along to the Republic. If I find out Mon Mothma's little pack of spies was behind this and not Blacksun the IGBC will call in all of your debts immediately" Ice was in Talon Karrde's voice at that moment. "Now kriff off"