Star Wars_ Darth Bane 02_ Rule of Two - Drew Karpyshyn [63]
“Information is a commodity. It can be traded, sold, and purchased. And in the end, credits are only as valuable as the secrets they can buy.”
Over the past year Bane had begun to spend the credits. Key administrative officials were bribed to gain access to classified files. Government spies and well-connected criminal figures were hired to be his agents. Using his newfound wealth, he carefully built a network of informants to be his eyes and ears across a hundred different worlds.
However, Bane never had any direct contact with any of these people. As the last of the Sith, it was vital that he remain shrouded in anonymity. Everything he’d accomplished had been through the use of a broker—the Muun who now stood before them.
“You followed my instructions exactly?” Bane asked the Muun.
“Precisely, Lord Eddels. All payments will be made through tertiary accounts, completely untraceable to the source,” the Muun assured him. “In return you will receive regular dispatches and a constant stream of legal and illegal information. Any instructions you wish to pass on to your agents will be delivered through secure messaging services. Completely anonymous.”
“And no one else knows I am involved?”
“You are well aware of my reputation,” the Muun reminded him. “I pride myself on discretion. That is why people like you come to me, Lord Eddels.”
“Then our business here is done.”
Glancing briefly down at Zannah, the Muun turned and made his way slowly across the sand toward his waiting ship. The young girl watched, eagerly anticipating the manner of his death. The idea that her Master would allow the Muun to leave this meeting alive never entered her mind. He alone knew the identity of the individual responsible for creating the galaxywide web of spies and informants. He alone had seen Bane’s face.
The Muun reached his ship without incident and climbed aboard. She continued to watch as the engines flared to life and the vessel began to climb in the sky. When it disappeared beyond the horizon unharmed, she turned to her Master in disbelief.
“You let him live?”
“He still has value to us,” Bane answered.
“But he’s seen you! He knows who you are!”
“He knows only as much as he needed to: a wealthy man using the name Lord Eddels hired him to set up an anonymous information network. He has no knowledge of who I really am or what my true purpose might be. And he has no knowledge of where or how to find me unless I contact him with a location for another meeting.”
Zannah recalled a story her Master had once shared with her about a healer on Ambria named Caleb. Bane, near death, had come across the healer and ordered the man to help him. But Caleb, sensing the power of the dark side in her Master, had refused. Ultimately Bane had compelled Caleb’s obedience by threatening the life of his daughter. Once the Dark Lord was healed, he had taken no action against the man who had dared to defy him. The healer had power, and her Master knew that the value of letting him live outweighed the risks—and petty pleasure—of ending his life.
“No purpose in his death,” Zannah muttered, chewing her lip thoughtfully.…
“Rainah can provide us with the exact times and locations of Chancellor Valorum’s schedule,” Kel explained to the rest of the small group. “When his shuttle touches down, we’ll be there waiting for him.”
“He’ll have guards,” Paak warned.
“Only his personal security detail,” Zannah countered. “Anything more would draw unwanted attention.”
“He wants to keep his arrival here secret,” Kel added. “The Senate refuses to officially acknowledge that separatist movements even exist, so his mission has been classified as a personal visit.”
“Three days is too soon,” Cyndra objected. “We need more time to prepare.”
“Everything we need is right here,” Kel replied. “We have the weapons, and we’re all trained to use them. We know where and when the Chancellor is coming. What else is there?”
“An order from Hetton,” Paak muttered.
Kel turned on him angrily. “Do we really need Hetton’s permission? Are we children? Are we incapable of acting on our