Limits of trust (IV)

She quickly unloaded her belongings from the escape pod. Just one small bag.

It didn't take long to carry it to the nearest residential module. Over the years, she had learned many things, including piloting and operating escape pods. That's why her landing had brought her close to the old camp's boundaries.

Despite the time that had passed since leaving the base, there was no sign that anyone—animal or human—had been here: locked warehouses, sealed residential modules, and a poorly stretched camouflage net—everything was as they had left it.

Jade carefully examined the entrance door to one of the storage modules. There were no signs of forced entry. Excellent. No evidence of any traps, like mines or tripwires, either. Also good.

Whatever brought the Imperials back to this planet, they hadn't come here.

She keyed in the code she knew, quickly stepping aside to avoid a possible surprise, like a rapid-fire automatic blaster set to mischief.

Silence. It seemed there really was no one here.

Jade entered the module, tossing her bag onto a shelf. She glanced around. Containers, crates, and various markings—but their contents were the least of her concerns.

Hours passed before the frail-looking redhead managed to rearrange the large rectangular crates to seal off the far end of the module from the entrance. If necessary, this barricade would delay any attackers for a while. She opened a box labeled "Camping Equipment" and pulled out its contents.

She spent a few more minutes setting up her sleeping area, warming it up against the cool night air. She unpacked a few rations and decided on her dinner menu. Only then did she move to the door that divided the warehouse, with its semicircular roof, into two sections.

The second part also had containers, and she spent time rearranging them to make it difficult for anyone to approach from the opposite entrance door. If someone intended to attack, taking her in a pincer movement, they'd have to work for it.

After securing her lair and ensuring its safety, she left the module with a blaster and a light snack.

She activated devices to repel insects and other creatures, powered up the stationary base generator for constant energy, and tampered with the living modules to make it appear as though someone was inside. Of course, this wouldn't fool scanners, but it would require reliable reconnaissance to cross the base's perimeter, and she would be alerted in advance.

Using a residential module as intended would be foolish. Any sensible person attacking an empty base would head there first. That's why she settled in the warehouse—they'd be the last to loot or occupy after dealing with the presumed occupants of the base. This meant she would have time to react and escape if needed.

Later, she'd check if any missile boats were left in the camouflaged forest parking lots—her route for retreat. Meanwhile, she'd place several wireless holocams and set up broadcasts to one of the decks she found. This way, she could monitor everything within and near the base perimeter without even leaving the warehouse.

Dusk was falling. It was time to return to her hideout.

But first, Mara wandered around the base, collecting all the beacons she found—small devices resembling metal discs. She needed a soundboard, a comlink, and a portable power source. After gathering everything in her lair, she rolled in a small barrel of water, enough to last several weeks if used sparingly. Only then, in complete silence, did she begin to work, having locked the doors first.

Karrde had used her and discarded her like an unnecessary tool. It was hard to blame him, especially in their chaotic world. She held no grudge and had no intention of seeking revenge.

She dismantled all the beacons, using a small coil of wire to connect the spy devices to the network and attach the power source.

Whoever was monitoring Myrkr—because someone definitely was; Thrawn wouldn't just let things slide—would notice the sudden deactivation of several beacons. But then, one of them resumed its operation after a while, though now it transmitted a new set of codes.

Along with the coordinates indicating the beacon's location, the new message included words not previously provided by the manufacturer. At first glance, they seemed random, but there was a hidden sequence that any Imperial onboard computer could easily decipher. Soon after, a ship would arrive—most likely the Chimera. It was unlikely the Grand Admiral would share its secret with anyone. The Emperor's Hand was not a category of assets to parade around. They didn't inform every subordinate about this.

Was she right to consider returning to the Empire? It wasn't the same state she had served under Palpatine. For all his strengths and weaknesses, Thrawn was not the Emperor. Not even close.

The Chiss was a warlord, a commander, but not a politician. He lacked Palpatine's charm, charisma, and political acumen. That's why Palpatine had sent him to the Unknown Regions—to shield him from the court's political games, which could have cost Thrawn not just his career but his life.

However, his words about restoring the Empire—one more just and efficient than Palpatine's—had resonated with her.

She had nothing left to lose.

Everything that could be lost was already gone. But she wasn't going to drag out a miserable existence. Nor was she going to continue seeking herself in the world of smugglers. Karrde hadn't just kicked her out of his organization—soon, his suspicions would spread throughout the smuggling community. Her path to that world was closed.

Mara replayed her conversation with Karrde in her mind. This time, she focused on his admission that he had Imperial property left in his vaults.

Valuable information. If it wasn't a trap.

She remembered his nod to Aves. Karrde's remark that her belongings had been packed during their conversation. He knew in advance he would part ways with her, yet he spoke about Thrawn possibly continuing the hunt for him... Or had he left a false trail to mislead Thrawn into searching for property rather than unknown warships Karrde continued to hide?

But she shouldn't dwell on these questions now. There was plenty of time to consider what in Karrde's words was true and what wasn't.

After placing her comlink far from her sleeping area, she checked the signal traps she had set up around the perimeter, ensured the surveillance systems were functioning as needed, and then finally drifted into a light sleep.