“Let me try,” Avar said, and he handed her the bowl.

She sipped the liquor, a spicy, soft taste that left her tongue tingling.

“No arguments here,” she said. “That’s delicious. But go easy. We’re here to do a job.”

Elzar had one last swallow, then set the bowl down on the railing; a shining golden servitor droid promptly scooped it up and quietly withdrew, hovering not far away in case the two Jedi required anything further.

“Are your owners on the way?” Avar asked the droid. “We’ve been waiting for some time.”

“Of course, Master Jedi,” the droid replied, in a lovely chime of a voice. “Masters Marlowe and Vellis are completing some urgent business, but have notified me that they will be here momentarily. If you wish, you may take a seat while you wait.”

The droid gestured with one long, languid limb toward a seating area deeper in the lanai—plush couches and seats with various refreshments laid out on a low quartz table. She assumed this was where Elzar had gotten his drink. So much wealth on display here—just owning an estate in the Naboo lake country was out of reach for any but the richest families in the galaxy. Nonetheless, the feeling created by the décor was not one of ostentation, but of care and taste. The owners of this home were not trying to overawe—every choice was made with an eye toward simplicity and integration with the natural environment. Which, of course, was impressive in its own right.

As if to underscore the point, a gentle breeze blew across the patio, rippling through the millaflowers dangling from vines hanging from the arbors overhead. Their fragrance saturated Avar’s senses, and the song of the Force swelled with the beauty of it all.

It was easy to forget they were there to continue the investigation into the ongoing galactic emergency. She forced herself to focus. Quiet contemplation could wait for retirement—and for a moment, just one, she let herself consider the idea of spending that time with Elzar Mann—something she would never tell him; he would never let her hear the end of it.

Another Emergence, another tragedy, had happened in the Ringlite system, and several thousand people had died. Only the valiant efforts of the system’s security squads had prevented something worse. Chancellor Soh had widened the hyperspace cordon once again. Senator Noor hadn’t protested this action—the necessity was obvious—but the pressure was mounting to solve the mystery once and for all.

This meeting today could be the key.

As if they had read her mind, two men appeared at the edge of the patio and walked toward her and Elzar. Marlowe and Vellis, the scion of the San Tekka empire and his husband.