The PROLOGUE Stinky Jawa Cantina on Vixnix a small planet on the edge of Wild Space was little more than a hole but it was no worse than other places Bazine Netal had visited during missions for her various employers Just a little less glamorous maybe The music was subpar subpar and the room was smoky but the cantina hadn't been her choice She would have to make the best of the situation and get what she needed before clearing out She adjusted her black cowl to make sure it was in place and straightened her baffleweave overcoat as she perched on a stool watching people come and go First impressions were important and until she'd completed her mission she had a part to play Hired spy No. Interested recorder of history That sounded better The message had said for Bazine to meet the contact contact in the cantina at a table in the back right corner
There'd been no description of her contact and this was the third time Bazine had ended up in some back water back water cantina on an anonymous tip She hoped this one would pan out as something more than just a bunch of farmers imagining the most famous ship in the galaxy had crashed in their field Bazine had hoped to find her contact already in place when she'd arrived but a casual stroll around the cantina cantina earlier in the day had revealed only a single Ewok drinking a pitcher of purple glandis flower juice Bazine had taken up position at the bar to watch the door for any potential marks but there she was a few minutes to the appointed time and there still hadn't been any likely candidates She didn't know whom she was supposed to meet but she knew she was the first to show up Only when Bazine doubled back to the designated corner table a woman sat there a polite smile on her face I hope you didn't have trouble finding it she said Her brown skin was unlined but gray streaked the long braids she wore Her hazel eyes demanded a second second look and the woman raised a hand in greeting not offering to shake when she noticed Bazine's fingertips She did raise an eyebrow at the Rishi ink stained digits Strange attire for an archivist the woman said Her voice rasped and Bazine frowned trying to place the accent The woman was definitely human but she spoke like Basic wasn't the language she was used to
Are you the one who has a story for me Bazine asked ignoring the comment and settling into the chair across from the woman You're looking for information on a ship are you not A Corellian freighter modified past its original intent I am Bazine said Perhaps the old woman was insane There was an air to her that Bazine had seen before mostly in travelers who spent too much time in Wild Space away from the more civilized parts of the galaxy All those stars could sometimes make people lose track of themselves Bazine half expected the woman to jump up on the table and perform some kind of heavy stomping dance in the mag-boots she wore But the old woman stayed right where she was her gold-green eyes watching Bazine in a way she found unsettling Yes Yes I can tell you about a Corellian freighter I can tell you about the Millennium Falcon Bazine straightened slightly nothing that would be obvious to an outside observer but inside she felt as though a string had been pulled taut She'd never said the name of the ship and her initial contact hadn't mentioned it in his message But there it was all the same The Millennium Falcon A ship a wreck of one from what she could tell But one that had long been whispered about the way some still whispered of the Sith Lords
