Both were pale, with blond hair and blue eyes. The similarities stopped there; Vellis’s face looked chopped from granite while Marlowe’s features were softer. They did seem a pair, though, and like their home, everything about them radiated wealth and comfort and ease.

She wondered what Marlowe’s ancestors would think of what the family had become—the San Tekka family made its fortune a century or so ago as hyperspace prospectors, rough-edged people finding routes through the wild spaces of the galaxy, like planetary explorers searching for passes through deadly mountain ranges. Hyperspace prospecting was just as dangerous; many who tried it ended up lost forever, adrift in nothingness with no way to get home. The San Tekkas seemed to have a knack for it, though, and consistently found the shortest, fastest ways to get from here to there in the galaxy. They sold those routes to traders, governments, and entrepreneurs, and in some cases set up hyperspace toll lanes, where navigational data could be downloaded for a fee. All that revenue added up. These days, the San Tekkas were among the wealthiest families in the galaxy, and their teams of prospectors—now called hypersurveyors to give the trade a sheen of respectability—continued to sniff out lucrative new paths between the stars.

The galaxy was endless, and people would always want to traverse it more quickly and safely.

“Welcome to our home,” Marlowe said, extending a hand to Avar. “It is an honor to have Jedi guests.”

She took the hand and shook it briefly. Elzar did the same with Vellis.

“Please, let’s sit,” Vellis said, gesturing to the couch. “The servitor droid tells me you’ve already sampled the attar of spinsilk—one of my favorites as well. But there’s much more you can try. Anything you like.”

“Thank you,” Avar said.

The group sat, and Avar gently reached out with the Force to sense the emotional state of their hosts. They were utterly relaxed. Not that she expected anything else. A gorgeous lakeside patio with the love of your life at your side and enough credits for a thousand lifetimes? Of course the San Tekkas were relaxed.

“Senator Noor told us you’re investigating the dreadful disasters in the Outer Rim,” Marlowe said, pouring a glass of something red and handing it to Vellis. “I’m not sure what we can do to help, but of course we’re more than happy. Izzet is an old friend, and we know he has responsibility for the Outer Rim. Anything he needs, really.”

“Not to mention all the people in the firing line,” Elzar said, a slight edge to his voice.

“Of course,” Vellis said. “We are all the Republic.”

“The Emergences are bad enough, and we’re working on a system to predict where they’re going to happen next,” Avar said.

“Oh really? That’s interesting,” Marlowe said. “How is that possible?”