A Dinner and... Oh My

[Beta12]

Hallowed Halls
Bombing on Chandrila

Tonight's broadcast is brought to you by Quafe-Cola, on Holo-Net Live.
(This is a response thread to the events happening here.)

​

News sparked on Chandrila often spread like wildfire, considering its position as the Capital of the republic. This report in particular was just as sensational, and everyone in the newsroom knew it. Technology would remain the only limiting factor in getting the message across the galaxy. News would reach the Core first, and spread out along various frequencies throughout the Republic. Wherever it went from there, and how long it would take, could be anyone's guess.

"Breaking News." Began the anchorwoman, her commanding tone and stern face were cast in reaction to the solemn moment they were about to share with the Republic. "A terrorist attack has been committed outside the public rotunda of Hanna City, Chandrila." The broadcast flicked to live footage of the Grand Cafe. Chaos reigned the scene as local security forces scrambled along the pavement. A large building, with a smoking hole blown into its entrance, sat 20 feet away from the flaming wreckage of a personal transport shuttle.

"As of yet, responsibility has not been claimed, and the perpetrators remain at large." As the camera feed zoomed in on the wreckage, sudden movement erupted near the hole. The Chancellor herself, Charon Chanzot, could be spotted near the entrance of the building, charging head-long toward the wreckage as Voren Makr, CEO of the Czerka Corporation moves to stop her. A bright flash envelops the feed momentarily, before flicking away. Response teams flee in every direction as a package attached to the wrecked shuttle, emblazoned with a KDY insignia, detonates.

The ensuing fireball sends the CEO to the ground, falling on top of the Chancellor heroically as the explosion envelops the scene. The camera feed soon pulls out, panning over the area at large. Quite shockingly, the feed is interrupted by the close-up of a face. The body the face belonged to continued to tumble past the camera, causing the drone itself to be knocked off course where it would eventually crash into an adjacent building. The feed ends soon after, leaving the news room once again the focus of the broadcast. "Oh.." Was all the reporter could manage, her mouth hanging agape. "Our first reported casualty is Zeke Knenko, the Chancellor's husband.."

Note: This is filmed during the second explosion of the thread, the most recent event. The camera feed was cut short by a body hitting the drone.

 

[Loco]

The commlink buzzed and Damri snatched it from the table before the second ring.

"Yeh, I'm watchin' it. We got anyone on site yet?"

Damri pulled a dark shirt on over his head as the answer came back negative. From the sounds of it, he was the most senior investigator close enough to respond, having just wrapped up another investigation here on Chandrilla and having hoped to be able to visit the family for a few days before he moved on to the next assignment. Great.

"Alright, git me a contact down there on site and round up another Ranger to meet me down there. I'm on my way... Ok..." Darmi glanced at his wrist chrono, "Fifteen minutes... Got it... Bye."

He tossed the commlink on the hotel kitchenettes counter and stepped into the fresher. He splashed cold water across his face and ran his finger through his hair, slicking it back wet on his head. He studied the greyish stubble on his cheeks from various angles, determined that it wasn't worth the time to shave, and took a hit of minty mouth rinse. From the counter where he'd tossed the commlink the Ranger retrieved his blaster from where it sat in its smooth nerf holster, and returned it to its place at his side high on the right hip. His badge he pinned conspicuously to the heavy belt cinched tight around his narrow waist, and he hopped from foot to foot to pull on his heavy bantha hide boots. Behind him the holoprojector played and replayed scenes from the blast site as first responders began to arrive in droves, their flashing red and blue lights casting everything on the ground with an eerily lit sense of urgency in the darkness of the night. With an app on his commlink he summoned a ride, grabbed his dark grey coat from a hook on the door and so attired set out for the hotels lobby and his waiting ride.

Minutes later he stepped from the car into a scene of pandemonium. Medics had begun to triage the wounded, while several neat rows of reflective orange sheeting covered the bodies and deflected the flashing lights strangely. Sirens wailed and local officers and senate guards shouted back onlookers even as they roped off the area with holographic yellow crime scene banners. Damri adjusted his hat and brushed his back under it as he surveyed the scene.

"Well, osik..."

@Ender

 

[Aren Krass]

Aren Krass had been seated at an outdoor tapcaf and bistro, enjoying a light breakfast and cup of caf, when it happened. He hadn't watched it happened, but the shockwave from the explosion had toppled the tables at his bistro, and sent small debris flying through the air, one of which caught the side of his temple giving him a small superficial cut. He blinked several times, trying to regain his bearings and understand what had happened. He was on his back on the ground, the metal wire table sitting ontop of him. A glance to his left and right showed similar situations of everyone else that had been there this morning. His eyes glanced over and caught the sight of the flames and the shuttle and his mouth dropped open.

He quickly pushed the table off of himself and jogged towards the scene, wiping what blood he could from his face with the sleeve of his expensive suit. He saw the Chancellor, being restrained by Czerka's CEO, and approached her.

"What exactly happened?!"

 

[Beta12]

OOC Note: I didn't expect other people actually wanting to play this out with us! Very exciting! We have moved from the original ask thread to continue roleplay in this thread, since there seems to be some direct contact going on. We'll try to keep the story moving along snappy, and we hope everyone does the same! Please understand if the Chancellor is swept away soon enough, after all this is an emergency!

 

[Voren Makr]

Lancing through the sky, the Czerka Shuttle was quick to the scene, he panic button the CEO had hit after he had recovered from the impact of the first explosion having done its job well. Inside, lightly armed and armored Czerka Security Officials could be found, their basic Czerka Blasters in holsters at their side as they prepared to face the scene before them. Most of them had only gone through a few basic weeks at the Czerka Training Faculties, and most would be ex-servicemen and women themselves.

The Shuttle landed, half a Dozen of the Security pouring out, seeking out the CEO as soon as they landed, no doubt an officer of the Company would take the lead now that they had arrived. Voren on the other hand was directing the Chancellor away from the wreckage, limping heavily due to the impact of the flames. His coat burned away, leaving only a shirt, and trousers beneath.

He was visibly shaken. ''Chancellor, you must get to safety. My own people will secure me, go quickly.'' he urged.


OOC: @Taz. @Livgardist @Korvo @The Star of Chaos, whoever wants to reply to this - you can have control of the Czerka Security Personnel here. However, in the interests of keeping this thread clear, I'll award this on a first come first served basis. Objective: Get the CEO out, and back to HQ for medical attention.

 

[Ender]

(OOC: Theme)

There was a certain deliciousness in the smell of detonated ordnance, a certain sharp smell that hung around the area of an explosion for a time. Alexis was no stranger to this smell, when she was younger she'd fought in wars alongside her brothers in clan Bralor. She liked that smell, it came from simpler times. The prey were many and foolish, but she'd grown to take more difficult marks. That had lead her here, where the smell of explosives hung in the air like a specter of those lost in its conception.

It had begun to rain, lightly so, and the smell of the explosion had begun to fade. The Sector Ranger closed the door behind her, her combat boots making soft thunk thunk noises on the pavement as she approached the site of the explosion. A cigarette hung from the corner of her mouth, lit and smoldering, its cherry illuminating her face with a soft glow in the darkening street. Sirens blared, but she took no notice, pushing her way through the massive crowd of on lookers.

She approached the roped off area, taking a long drag from her cigarette and then flicking it onto the ground lazily. The patrol officer, a zeltron, raised his hands, motioning for her to stop. She raised an eyebrow, taking hold of the soft fabric of her suit jacket and flicking it aside, revealing a glint of gold attached to her standard issue combat vest.

Without saying a word, she pushed her way under the crime scene tape, and taking in the smoldering scene. Her expression remained blank as she reached into her jacket, removing another cigarette from its pack and walking up next to her boss, Damri.

"Osik is right, bombing on Chandrila?" Alexis shook her head, lighting the cigarette with a lighter seemingly pulled from nowhere, which disappeared in a similar fashion. The cherry burned bright orange as she took a drag, then dropped her hand to rest on the handle of her blaster pistol that sat rigid in its duraplast holster. "That's bad news. This far in the Republic, we can discount wannabe Sith fanaticals. This ain't Bandomeer."

(OOC @Loco )​

 

[Loco]

"Figure it's it a little early to be doin' any discountin'." Dami said with a shrug as he surveyed the damage. Even considering the death toll, the attack looked targeted to him. If it was to be an indiscriminate attack, it wouldn't have taken much more effort or material to destroy the entire establishment, or even half the rotunda for that matter. Just an early observation that Dami filed away for his own notes later. The Ranger picked his way carefully through the wreckage and debris scattered by the twin explosions, careful to avoid the paths of the various first responders gathering at the scene, knowing he could likely do little more than get in their way at this point- they all knew their jobs better than he did.

Through the lingering smoke and haze from the small, scattered fires that had been neglected, Dami could see several of the survivors who hadn't already fled the scene. The Chancellor stood amidst a quickly growing circle of henchmen as the senate guard responded to the scene, their gleaming armor standing out in the gloom as they prepared to repel any further potential attack and whisk the senate leader away. With her stood the large, easily recognizable form of Czerka Corps CEO. The way the senate guard encircled the other man accompanying the Chancellor now marked him as a politician. All people the Rangers would want to question once the scene here was secured and processed. Dami was under no illusions that any of them would be available for interview here. Too many people were panicking in the Capitol right now.

Dami shifted his weight and tucked his thumbs into his belt as he looked about the scene again and the madness encompassing it as the Czerka guards dismounted their shuttle to secure the CEO.

"Well... what do ya think?"

 

[Ender]

There were many voices around her, confused, scared voices. Voices that Alexis couldn't quite hear, but she knew were there. This was the Force's call. She was no Jedi Master, nor even a padawan. But she had long ago learned to be able to use what she had to her advantage. "I think our first order of business is to gather all available footage from the area." Alexis looked up at one of the many circling camera droids. "Two Senators, one the chancellor AND the CEO of Czerka? We may as well have the ability to go back in time and watch everything play out from the beginning." Alexis followed the Senior Ranger moving through the wreckage of what had once been a street.

Something was out of tune with the rest of the voices, but Alexis couldn't quite put her finger on it. Alexis brushed the uneasy feeling away, continuing on. "There were some high level movers and shakers here, ner vode. I suspect one of them was the intended target. We've got the Chancellor." she indicated the woman being swamped by Senate Guardsmen. "Senator Krass," Alexis gave him an appraising look, suppressing a smile. "And then." Alexis turned to look at the CEO of Czerka. "Vorn Makr."

Something was definitely wrong here, there was a voice out of tune for sure. Alexis made a note of it as she watched Makr bumble about, obviously quite shaken by the ordeal and murmured to Damri in Mandalorian and nudging him in the ribs with a smile on her face "Ori'buyce, kih'kovid" All helmet, no head. In other words, someone with an over inflated sense of authority.

Thats when it hit her, the smile vanishing. "Makr. He's not afraid, not like everyone else. Sir, he's nervous."

@Loco @Beta12 @Nor'baal @Prudence ​

 

[Beta12]

If Voren hadn't been present she would have been dead. That lone thought registered in her mind as she was tossed to the ground once more. The air was pushed from her lungs by both the shock wave and Mr. Makr's weight bearing over her. Though she was sure she could survive being body slammed by the CEO of Czerka, she was less certain she could survive an assassination attempt if someone really wanted her dead. Whoever had gone after her had been sloppy, with the monolithic amount of news the event would generate. Unless someone was keenly interested in leaving a message. Whatever that message might be was completely lost on Charon, though, as piece of gravel bit into her chin.

"Chancellor, you must get to safety. My own people will secure me, go quickly.''

That single piece of advice was all the Chancellor really had to hold onto as the world burst into motion around her. Emergency crews made their way toward the blazing wreckage of the shuttle, but there was no hope there. At the same time security personal began to quarden off the area. Sector rangers were likely already on the scene, but the Senate Guard swarming around her now only proved to block her vision. They asked her a variety of questions, mostly pertaining to her health, and all the Zeltron could do was mumble and point out her wounds.

The shock she had been in for the better part of the last five minutes began to fade. She had burnt her right elbow pretty badly when she had been sent across the cook-top, and countless cuts littered her body. If she hadn't been a Zeltron, she might have moved to cover the holes in her absolutely shredded clothing. Voren likely didn't mind, considering that his own outfit was likely in a similar state.

"What exactly happened?!"

Rust colored eyes snapped toward Senator Krass, and for the first time in her life Charon was simply out of words. The story would be broadcast across the Republic soon enough, so he could listen to it then. There would be no time to take a break, no time to register the actual loss that had just happened. Figure heads had to remain prominent, and that thought bloomed in her mind as she took notice of the security forces skulking about. She would be questioned, but she had no idea by whom.

@Aren Krass (In case you still care) @Ender @Loco

 

[Aren Krass]

Aren saw the crackling hulk of what had been a shuttle burning in the distance, and the crater that had been the building. He saw the chancellor, a usually regal and majestic woman, lying on the ground beneath him, covered in ash, dust, and blood. He couldn't put the pieces together for a moment, until he finally did. Someone had sabotaged the Chancellor's shuttle and used it in a terror attack. He saw the paramedics pulling away the remains of what had been the Chancellor's husband, and he averted his eyes.

He slowly began to walk towards the building, lost in a sort of trance. It was finally happening. The sith had struck at their heart, and the Republic had nothing to guard themselves with.

 

[Loco]

"Well, he did just get blown up." Damri said with a slight smirk. Alexis probably wasn't wrong about Makr- she was a better judge of people than Damri was- but he would reserve judgement until he met the man himself.

The obvious answer was that the Chancellor was the target, but he wouldn't be much of an investigator if he settled on the first obvious conclusion that came to mind. He eyed the drones hovering around the scene at every angle, their glassy eyes reflecting the stuttering flames. A quick subpoena to Czerka News Network would get them all the footage they could ever need or want. It would be awhile before the scene was contained and the wounded evacuated and the dead hauled off for autopsy. There was only so much the Rangers could do with such an active incident location. Better to leave it to the locals- and the Capitol Police on Chandrilla were quiet good- to get things settled here and then come back when they could peruse the scene at their leisure, now that they had seen it.

"We'll just be gettin' in the way here... You take the Chancellor, I'll take the CEO. How about it?"

The Senate and Czerka guards both were moving to secure their respective charges, and he didn't blame them nor would he interfere. An active crime scene was no place for folks like that. Better to question them elsewhere.


(@Ender, @Nor'baal, @Beta12, sorry for the wait!)

 

[Oturo Ishukone]

Somebody was almost certainly going to get fired over this, tat much was clear to the security team as the surrounded the CEO. Moving like clockwork, arguably putting the Senate Guard to shame, the Advanced Security Unit (ADU) from the Czerka HQ building former a close knit perimeter around their boss, practically dragging him into their shuttle so that they could complete their evacuation. Of course, reinforcements had been dispatched soon after the ADU had departed the building, a full dispatch team arriving just as the CEO was dragged aboard his own shuttle.

As the CEO's vessel took off, heading toward the support ship nearby - in which the CEO could seek medical attention - another group was arriving on scene. Armed and dangerous, the ADU landed in their shuttles, which in turn had been dispatched from the CZ-MCF01 Czerka Frigate, fifty of the companies finest - and rumored to be most inhumane - turning out onto the scene. At their head, Oturo Ishokune stood, instructing the men to fan out, surrounding the scene.

''Get those reporters back, you....'' he snapped at one of the troops ''Get me the local Police Boss here, now.'' he said, walking toward the Ranger as the shouted at trooper scuttled off, already on his communications unit. Batons came out, as the onsite Journalistic teams found themselves on the receiving end of a security line, which cordoned of the area with haste, pushing Cameras out of peoples hands, and forcing the Civilians away from the bomb site.

''Get the civilians away from the wreckage, Police, Senate Guard and ADU over this line only.'' snarled the man, gesturing at the ranger to get involved and help secure the area for a more thorough investigation. It appeared as if the companies Security team had taken the attempt on their bosses life very seriously, and where not to impressed with the lack of fervor shown by the local Chandrillian Authorities.


OOC: Thought I would make Czerka more involved, a bit more dickish than they are normally.

Czerka Note: @Taz. @Livgardist @Korvo as our resident Security bros, you're welcome to be part of the ADU reinforcement team. And of course @Black Noise!

 

[Loco]

Damri eyeballed Czerka's security forces as they swarmed the scene. The Chandrillan's didn't seem to amused being barked at, but they knew the game here in the capitol- look good on camera. And so they did, dropping in to work alongside the heavily armed corporate thugs without much comment. Everyone was on the same side here, and they certainly couldn't complain about the extra bodies- Czerka's men pushed the perimeter out another good fifty meters. Dam continued to walk casually about the scene, letting the professional bodyguards and beat cops do the ground work here, ignoring any yelling or inarticulate gesturing directed at him. Not his job.

He took Alexis' lack of argument as consent to go along with his idea. She seemed to be forming her own ideas about the scene, just as he was. In these early stages your head was always filling itself with theories and ideas that later you'd put to paper, throw back and forth with your partner, cross things out and add new ideas and theories, then track down leads and cross more things off your list and so on until you came down to one theory, one suspect. Then you go get him... Or her, maybe. Dam stood amidst the chaos, thumbs hooked behind his belt buckle, watching the CEO's shuttle disappear into the upper atmosphere. The Chancellor's own heavily armed shuttle and escorts weren't far behind.

"See you soon." he said to no one in particular, his eyes still skyward.

@Ender @Nor'baal @Beta12

(OOC: Unless anyone has something significant to add, I'm just going to call this and start breaking my investigation off into it's separate threads for leads- maybe I'll actually start getting something accomplished. Norbs and Beta, you may be hearing from me soon!)