FORSAKEN - Target: Zero

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"E-5?" Syrran caressed the blaster scar on Theleema's toned abdomen while they laid in bed. He took a sip of a spice stick and passed it to her. This particular mild blend of refined ixetal cilona, extracted from the balo mushrooms, enhanced sounds, colors, and touch.

"I can't believe I got nailed by one of those kriffing metalheads." The embarrassing memory irritated Theleema. "Seen a lot of them?"

"Too many."

"What about this one?" She touched a blaster scar on his strong, left shoulder. He had yellow Kiffar tattoo on his left arm. "DL-44?"

"DX-13."

"Exotic. Who pulled the trigger?" Theleema handed him the spice stick.

"I had a disagreement with a bounty hunter. How about these ones?" He caressed three scars on her thigh.

"Baby rancor. Accidently bumped into a nest when I was hunting as a little girl. Almost lost the leg, if it wasn't for my clan's Mother healing magick. I made a nice collar with its teeth, though... and I never made that same mistake again. This one was a lightsaber, wasn't it?" Theleema ran her fingers over a long scar on Syrran's right side. "You don't see many of those. Whose?"

"Count Dooku."

The name riled her. "You crossed blades with Count Dooku and survived?"

"By the will of the Force... and a plasteel armor over armorweave. I was a Padawan in charge of protecting a senator. Ironically, she's the one who ended up saving me."

"Seems like women are bad for your health," she teased.

"A bad habit I'm unable to kick." He half-smiled at her.

Before things heated up again, the alert from the navigation computer broke the cabin's silence. Theleema rolled away from Syrran's arms and sat on the edge of the bunk, picking up her clothes from the ground. Syrran propped himself up on his elbows.

"We're here." Theleema got dressed.

Moments later, they took the lift up to the cockpit. The ship had come out of hyperspace and was flying toward an asteroid field.

"Is this the place?" Theleema checked her monitors.

"It's inside the asteroid field." Syrran looked through the viewport. "Mind if I pilot?"

"I hope you know what you're doing." She waved at the seat.

"I thought you liked to have fun." Syrran sat behind the controls and began to steer the ship among the giant rocks.

"I would, if we were being chased through it. This Dredge of yours is pretty concealed."

"It's an underground space station used by pirates and smugglers. I'm surprised you never heard of it in your line of work."

"We tend to leave Hutt Space alone." She stood next to him. "We only venture here when strictly necessary and under the Hutt's consent. Gang wars are bad for profits. How do you know about it?"

"It's a good place to lay low, repair your ship, gather information, recruit talent, fence wares, get healed—everything a scoundrel would ever need. The owner is an old friend."

"And you can find Jedi here?"

"You can find anything you want, if you have enough credits."

As the Thorn flew deeper inside the asteroid field, Theleema felt a powerful presence in the Force.

"Do you feel that?" Theleema stared into space.

"That's the Dredge." Syrran continued to focus on flying. "The station uses a large kyber crystal as a power source, keeping it operating for long stretches of time without the need of refueling. Something that is needed when you live in the middle of nowhere and want to keep a low profile."