“Neither are we secret police.”

Mann shot a glance at Stellan’s still-pristine robes. “Not wearing that you’re not.”

Stellan looked like he was about to retort and then thought better of it. Elzar Mann gave the dial another sharp twist, and the senator’s voice crackled from the comlink, Bell’s heart skipping when he heard what it said:

“Is that a lightsaber?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Above the Lake’s Rest, Lonisa City

“Is that a lightsaber?”

Ty Yorrick tried not to shift under Tia Toon’s scrutiny. First rule of negotiation: Never let them know you’re uncomfortable, even if you are—and nothing about this made her comfortable. Repairs or not, Ty should have told Mantessa where to stick her bodyguard job, especially when she found out exactly what she was expected to do. This was why she’d used the Verazeen stones for so long. The Verazeen stones had never tried to change her mind.

“Are you a member of the Order?” the senator asked when she didn’t answer right away.

Ty shook her head briskly. “I am not, sir.”

The Sullustan cocked his head, his large black eyes narrowing. “Interesting. And then where did you acquire the hilt?”

To Ty’s annoyance, Mantessa jumped in with an obvious lie. “They’re surprisingly easy to purchase, if you know who to talk to.”

“Is that so?”

The inventor nodded, only getting herself in deeper. “My own father had a large collection himself. Relics of the Sith Wars, no less. Absolutely priceless.”

“Fascinating. Do you still have them?”

Mantessa clasped her pristine hands in front of her. At least her sanitizer was safely stowed in her pocket. The unit’s constant hiss was really getting on Ty’s already fractured nerves. “Sadly not,” the Kuranu continued, using the opportunity to direct the conversation back to the reason they were here. “I sold them all to finance my work.”

The blue crate was standing behind her on the repulsorsled that Ty had pushed all the way from the Dynamo, its contents surprisingly heavy.

“Of course,” Toon said. “The reason we are here. And you developed this yourself.”

“Working with my daughter.”

“And she is …?”

“On our ship. She’s a clever girl, but nervous in crowds.”

Ty couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. She would give anything to be back on the Dynamo about now.

“Valo is particularly crowded at the moment,” Toon said, looking eagerly at the crate. “So, may we see?”

“Naturally.” Mantessa said, punching a code into the combination lock on the side of the crate. Ty couldn’t help but be intrigued as the seals clicked open. Mantessa had explained what needed to happen, but not what to expect when the case swung open. The answer, it turned out, was not much. The device inside resembled a portable comm array or maybe even a moisture vaporator, albeit one smothered in exposed wiring and flashing diodes. That was what she was guarding?