The transmission passed through twelve hands before it found the right one.
A fractured packet. Orbital telemetry. A strange name—"Aurex." Accompanied by sensor anomalies: synthetic rain cycles, hidden energy bursts, a faint tremor in the Force.
Most ignored it.
One did not.
His name was Draa Vetch, and he sold whispers for more than most empires made in a year.
He didn't need the full story.
He just needed a buyer.
The buyer arrived within hours.
Encrypted signal. No name. Just a voice like carved obsidian.
"I want the data. All of it."
"Rare readings from a lost system don't come cheap," Draa said. "This one's flagged—proto-governance, weather manipulation, and... something else."
A pause.
"Force signature?"
"Minor. But enough to sniff."
"Coordinates?"
"Partial."
"Send them. I'll find the rest myself."
Draa smiled slowly.
"And your name, lovely stranger?"
A click.
A disconnect.
But the trace held just long enough for the system to tag the source:
VAL ORRIS.
Species: Human (altered)Status: Former Jedi Knight (Expelled)Affiliation: NoneKnown Alias: The Harbinger of Dust
Her ship left orbit in silence.
Destination: the jungle planet that had no name.
Yet.