The Discovery
By Cody Barnett and The Second Revan

(Note: This is part four of a five part short story. You can read part one here.)

The tunnel of stars receded into distant pinpricks of light as the shuttle of the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic pulled out of lightspeed. A stark contrast against the infinite black backdrop, the blazing red shuttle streaked through the vacuum toward the world of Kalyna-ir beyond. Colonized by humans centuries before, the metropolises of Kalyna-ir literally rose from the swamps. Eventually, human expansion conquered much of the natural marshland, and now one would never guess that the sprawling cities were once pools of bubbling bacteria.

Unfortunately, the strange climate of Kalyna-ir interfered severely with outside communications. Sending a clear transmission on the world was nearly impossible. This fact continued to gnaw at Captain Kron Kevlar, who, along with Lieutenant Les "Sarge" Trent, occupied the reinforced cockpit with Finis Valorum and the Republic pilots. The remaining four Senate Guards assigned to the Chancellor's unit where stationed in the lounge, each exchanging the usual stories about the training and preparation each had respectively underwent.

Running a calloused hand through his short, gray hair, the grizzled veteran examined his compatriot closely. Captain Kevlar had never worked with any of the Senate Guardsman under his command before. Most of the men Kevlar knew died in the fiery explosion that killed Finis Valorum's predecessor.

"Tough bit of luck," Lieutenant Trent commented. As if reading Kevlar's mind, he elaborated: "The atmosphere messing with transmissions, I mean. These pirates sure know how to pick a planet to attack."

Kevlar nodded. "Like I stated before, I don't like this mission one bit," the captain muttered. "The Supreme Chancellor is in more danger that he realizes."

"Relax, gentlemen." Finis Valorum's voice commanded from the chairs ahead. Seated next to him, Byron Lujj was studying a datapad intensely. "We have nothing to fear here. Kalyna-ir is an ally of the Republic. Governor Torlo's army, coupled with my distinguished Guard," an icy edge entered the Supreme Chancellor's voice, silencing any debate Captain Kevlar of Lieutenant Trent could think to offer. "Is adequate protection."

The Captain of the Guard replied, "Yes, sir!" Slinking in his seat, Kevlar shook his head in wonderment. Apparently, the Supreme Chancellor had overheard his Guardsmen conversing. Captain Kevlar was making a great start for what was supposed to be the keystone of his career.

----

Assembled in the back lounge of the transport, four Senate Guardsmen waited in anticipation, feeling the cruiser drop out of hyperspace Kaen Korus remained in the ship's corner, carefully polishing the blaster carbine that replaced the Guard's usual ceremonial rifle. Pale in appearance, Korus was known for his solitude and the detached, gray eyes that testified to a man who had witnessed too much death to be so young. Arvul Pensh and Ios Cade, veterans of the Senate Guard, entertained Resh Holda, a newer recruit, with glorified war stories of the Guardman's past. Pesh, short in appearance - a fact rectified when the soldier dressed in his entire regalia - explained the story behind his artificial eyes, while the older Cade explained his prior service in the Republic Sector Police.

"The assassin was lucky I didn't blast his eyes out," Pensh grumbled in his clipped, Coruscanti accent. Resh's eager, blue eyes remained focused on Pensh as he continued. "Although the doctors did do a good job with the artificial eyes. You can hardly discern that they aren't real. Besides, I never could see well before, anyway."

The olive-skinned Cade clapped his comrade on the shoulder, laughing heartily. The man's slick, bald head glinted in the lounge's lighting. "You are an amusing man, Arvul Pensh. I wish my stories were as entertaining, but, sadly, I only dealt in blood and gore as a homicide detective." Ios Cade chuckled humorously. "I have a feeling we're going to get along just fine, Arvul."

----

Byron Lujj frowned disapprovingly at the message splayed across his datapad. The Senior Administrative Aide had done independent research on the Kalyna-ir situation during the transit from Coruscant to the swampy world, but little was to be found on the HoloNet. The crafty political aide quickly used backchannels that few knew existed. What he discovered, however, didn't please him. First, Lujj had checked into the pirate group terrorizing the planet, Crimson Dawn. After discovering an alias used by the organization, Byron was able to track several recent transactions between the group and an unknown benefactor. A little more digging and Byron Lujj discovered that someone was paying the pirates to attack Kalyna-ir. Now, Finis Valorum's aide-de-camp believed he had traced the money back to the source.

With the evidence staring at him, Byron Lujj believed that Senator Palpatine of Naboo was funding Crimson Dawn.

He kept the thoughts to himself. Byron Lujj hated Palpatine and would love to crush the slimy senator personally. However, given his background with the man, Lujj wasn't prepared to present such a magnanimous charge without solid evidence. Despite this, Lujj knew for certain that Senator Palpatine was responsible for this fiasco. Senator Palpatine, Lujj knew, had spearheaded the movement demanding that the new Supreme Chancellor intervene in the situation. After discovering this, Byron Lujj was immediately suspicious that he and the Nubian agreed on the issue; now, however, the Senior Administrative Aide realized Palpatine's intent was merely a ploy. The increased piracy would reflect poorly on Finis Valorum. Senator Palpatine, however, would bask in the public's approval for his 'sympathy' in the matter. Byron Lujj cursed under his breath, promising to make Senator Palpatine pay.

Captain Kron Kevlar's comlink chirped incessantly behind Byron Lujj, and the veteran answered promptly. "Kevlar."

"Captain Kevlar, Pol Haus. I'm a homicide detective for Republic Sector Police."

"Detective," the captain acknowledged, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. "You'll have to make this quick. We're about to enter the planet's atmosphere, and a clear transmission here is damn near impossible."

"Roger that." Despite the acknowledgment, Haus paused. The gravity of the situation demanded that he ponder how best to approach the primary issue. "Early this morning, a body was discovered in the Galactic City Spaceport." Again, the detective appeared at a loss for words. "The body..."

"Yes, detective?" Kevlar demanded impatiently as the ship angled to enter Kalyna-ir's atmosphere.

"We believe the body to have belonged to one of the men tasked with protecting Supreme Chancellor Valorum. We ran a DNA scan, and the results—" Static burst over the comlink, causing Kevlar to flinch and move the device away from his ear.

"Detective Haus?" Kevlar shouted. "Detective Haus? Detective Haus?!" By now, all eyes in the cockpit - save those of the pilots - were fixated on the veteran Captain.

"Bloody hell," was all Kevlar could manage to say.

To be continued...

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About the Author
Cody Barnett has been a collector of the game since its beginning in 2002. Due to lack of interest in his community, however, he did not begin playing until he joined the Rebelbasers online community in 2003. He is an avid Star Wars fan and thoroughly enjoys playing the Trading Card Game; likewise, Barnett takes pleasure in helping the continuation of the game he loves. Currently, Cody is the Card Development Chairman and a moderator on the Rebelbase community (under the alias of Grand Moff Nicodemus Fett).

Matthew started playing when he purchased two 'A New Hope' starter sets, and started collecting and playing. He stopped, due to the difficulties in getting cards, especially from the later sets. In 2008, he started playing again, joining Rebelbasers and spends time creating dream cards on Rebelbasers.