A needle in a hay stack

[Soth Nuevole]

Soth Nuevole was on a local transport ship. He liked to keep a low profile, just in case. He was heading to Rothana. The Jedi have tasked him with a mission of grave importance and also one that would help the relations between the Order and RHE. The ship came out of hyperspace. Soth looked out the viewport of the craft to see the white planet. It wasnt long until the ship touched down. A voice came over the speaker system. "Welcome to Rothana. We hope you enjoy your stay." Soth had heard that greeting many times on many different planets.

As he exited the craft, he pulled his hood over his head. The Jedi hailed a cab and was soon heading off to RHE headquarters. As the taxi stopped, Soth transfered the credits to the drivers account. With a nod, the speeder was off, leaving the Jedi standing at the steps to the RHE headquarters. The Jedi navigated his way through the building until he came to the designated area. He was informed that he was to meet with the head of the engineering dept. to be briefed on what he was getting himself into.

Soth looked over the data pad as to the latest technology that was being developed. "You dont have any tracking devise at all?" the Jedi said while still looking at the screen. "Unfortunately no. All we have are the coordinates that they decided upon for testing. Beyond that I cannot help you." Soth placed the data pad back upon the table and grabbed the other one containing the coordinates. @Ulysses​

 

[Ulysses]

Al-Ric brought the interceptor down on one of the research facility's landing pads. Opening the cockpit allowed a wave of frozen air to buffet the Jedi full in the face. He had prepared by tying his head scarf tightly around his face - the piece was light brown material and had been given to him as part of a mission in the deserts of Jakku. Although it was a nomad’s scarf for the heat, it was an effective shield against the cold. Al-Ric had prepared for the the cold temperature, but not the biting wind that rushed in, causing his eyes to start to water with irritation.

He blinked back the tears for a moment before jumping to the ground. He beckoned to his astromech: “C’mon R… K4”. The sad memory of R7 giving himself above Leth was brought back by this mechanical action. K4 whistled back, oblivious to the pang of sorrow that his cheerful response was giving.

As the droid made its way out of the ship, Al-Ric took the opportunity to centre himself; drink in the Force; and consider the task in hand. He knew little of the mission ahead, only that there were scientists missing and that their recovery was vital to the war effort. Al-Ric had grown jaded with the war after the fall of the republic - he had never been particularly belligerent, but the army was all he had known. Now, however, the order had been reformed and Al-Ric saw the ideals of the Jedi reborn. Missing war tech as neither here nor there as far as he was concerned. Missing people, on the other hand…

His thoughts were interrupted by a droid, but not K4. A protocol droid came out from the facility to greet him: “Master Jedi, come with me, the professor is with your colleague in his office.”

Professor? This is a commercial facility… why does he call himself professor?

The protocol droid showed Al-Ric and M1-K4 through sparse corridors and into a lift. Al-Ric had only been out in the cold for a few short minutes, but the warmth of the room was a welcome feeling, from his cheeks to his toes. The lift door opened into the chief engineer, sorry Professor's, office. He saw the two men talking over a datapad.

"Hello," said the figure wearing glasses, "My name is Professor Nikval. I was just explaining to your colleague where the lost men were intending to test the weapon."

"Do you know why they needed to go so far to test it?" Al-Ric asked.

 

[Soth Nuevole]

Soth still held the data-pad with the coordinates as Al-Ric entered the office. He bowed to the Jedi Knight as he approached. He had never really worked with this particular Jedi before but he was sure that this man was more than capable.

“Do you know why they needed to go so far to test it?” Soth Nuevole looked towards the scientist as he was also curious as to the answer of this question. “They had to be sure to be far enough away from civilization in order to ensure the safety of the villagers. I guess their calculations for the desination were incorrect.”

Soth sat for a moment, thinking of anything they would need to know before heading out on their mission. “Do you know what this weapon is capable of, and also is there anyone that would be interested in this technology?”
@Ulysses

 

[Ulysses]

"Well, the short answer is: they were going to find out what it was capable of on this expedition. And in theory anyone who's anyone might be interested in that rifle. The more interesting question, is who knew it existed? The answer to that one should be no-one. The tech guys may be able to help you with that one if there have been any attacks on the network."

"We will go there next, I imagine. Before we do, is there anything else we should know?"

 

[Soth Nuevole]

"Well, the short answer is: they were going to find out what it was capable of on this expedition. And in theory anyone who's anyone might be interested in that rifle. The more interesting question, is who knew it existed? The answer to that one should be no-one. The tech guys may be able to help you with that one if there have been any attacks on the network."

Soth nodded to the man after he spoke. The Jedi turned his head to hear what Al-Ric had to say. "We will go there next, I imagine. Before we do, is there anything else we should know?" The man looked at both Soth and Al-Ric, his brow furrowing in concern. "You must hurry. We can supply you with a speeder when you are ready. We will also supply you with propper snow gear so you can survive out there."

Soth nodded to the man. "Thank you." The two Jedi said their goodbye's to the man as they walked through the facility, making their way towards the room where they were instructed that the technical workers would be able to help them. The glass doors slid open revealing four men sitting at desks in a cemi-circle shape. They all looked up in unison as Soth and Al-Ric entered.

"Hello how may we help you." Soth walked forward a few paces, coming to rest on the opposite side of the desk. "Yes, we are here for information about the two workers who went missing." @Ulysses

 

[Ulysses]

The four men stiffened at Soth's words, as if he had accused them of being responsible for their disappearance.

"It's OK, what we need to know specifically is whether there has been any unusual activity on the files relating to their project: especially any unauthorised access."

"Give us a moment," the worker at the far end of the semi-circle said. The other three started to go back to what they were doing. Al-Ric walked slowly across the room to the man that addressed them. "hmm... There's something here..."

 

[Soth Nuevole]

Jedi Knight Soth Nuevole stood in front of all of the men sitting at their desks as they looked at him. He watched Al-Ric walk over to the only administrative personnel that spoke up. The man quickly hit some keys on the computer he was working at. “Give us a moment.” After a few minutes on waiting and processing, the man looked at the screen, a puzzled look upon his face. “Hmm… There’s something here…”

Soth walked around the desk so that he could see the screen. The technician pointed to a part of the screen, a red blinking light appeared. “That’s weird, that wasn’t there before.” Soth looked at the man. “What is it”. “Well” the man said, “the only people that are allowed to access these folders are the supervisor and the individuals working on this project. All we are allowed to see is the activity of the files themselves. I see here that there was one individual that tried to access the files.”

Soth looked at the screen and there was only an employee number. “Who is that?” Soth said pointing to the number. The man turned around to look at the Jedi. “That is Kolarik, our janitor.” Soth looked up as the broom hit the floor. The steel door opened up as the man ran out of the room.

Without thinking Soth took off in a dead sprint after the man. It took a couple of minutes but he finally caught up to him. The Jedi grabbed the man by the arm, not intending to hurt him. He fought Soth’s grip, but to no avail. “Let me go”. “What are you hiding, why were you trying to access those files.” Al-Ric walked up in time to hear the man. “That technology should be destroyed. This whole facility should be destroyed. You are harbingers of death. You bring destruction to the galaxy instead of trying to save it. I was trying to destroy the research.” Soth looked at Al-Ric with a concerning gaze. @Ulysses

 

[Ulysses]

Al-Ric paced measuredly after the racing Jedi. He positioned himself so as to block the man's escape. "It's OK Soth, he's no threat;" and to the man, "We aren't out to get you, we're here to find the lost scientists. How did you find out about the research and who did you tell?"

 

[Soth Nuevole]

Soth heard the words of Al-Ric and took a deep breath. "We aren't out to get you, we're here to find the lost scientists. How did you find out about the research and who did you tell?" The man eyed the two Jedi. "I told no one, I just know this war is caused by all sides, not just those of evil. I believe we are better off without this technilogical terror they were creating."
Soth let the man go and straightened out his uniform. "I am sorry if I hurt you. That was not my intention. We are just here to investigate." The man nodded. "If it helps, I placed a tracking devise on the item, so only I knew where it was." Soth's eyebrow's raised in question and in hope. "Would you be able to give us access to this tracking devise?"

 

[Ulysses]

"OK, I'll need a terminal." They made their way back they way they had come. Once in the computer run, the thief made for the terminal.

"I'll do it: that way there will be no funny business... What's the host address? And password?"

The page loaded.

"It appears they never made it out the city..."

 

[Soth Nuevole]

Jedi Knight Soth Nuevole watchd the screen as Kolarik entered the keys and put in the passcode. "It appears they never made it out of the city..." Soth looked at Al-Ric, his brow furrowed out of curiosity. He quickly turned to the janitor. "Send me those coordinates to my personal data pad." Soth started towards the door as he heard Kolarik agree to his demand.
Soth motioned for his fellow Jedi to accompany him. The two Jedi retraced their steps and finally exited the building into the snowy breeze. The sun was still high in the sky, Soth's heart was full of hope as he looked down at his data pad and the coordinates popped up on the screen.
He looked at Al-Ric. "Over this way." The two Jedi Knights made their way through the streets towards the destination they were given. Soth didn't pay much attention to the local patrons that glanced at them, wondering what they were doing here. His pace quickened as they grew closer to the blinking light on the screen.
"Here it is" Soth said as the two Jedi came to stand in front of a large house. Soth's expression was of concern as he looked at the house. "What are they doing here?" @Ulysses

 

[Ulysses]

Al-Ric looked up at the building where they came to a stop. It was an innocuous enough looking house on a residential inner city street. Property here can't come cheap from location alone, he thought. The houses on the road were all similar but not uniform. They were crisp and clean but not showy. The majority of residents were probably well to do, but private, professional people. The was nothing remarkable about the one they stood outside.

"What are they doing here?"

"We'll find out sure enough." He gave a slight wave to indicate that he would let Soth go to the door.

After Soth knocked, he would be greeted by a protocol droid half opening the door. Through the crack Al-Ric noticed a humanoid figure disappearing into a back room.

"Greetings, strangers. I'm afraid my master is on business at the moment. If you leave your names and a means of contact, he will endeavour to get back to you, I'm sure."

 

[Soth Nuevole]

"Greetings, Strangers. I'm afraid my master is on business at the moment. If you leave your names and a means of contact, he will endeavor to get back to you, I'm sure."
"I am Soth Nuevole and I am doing a story for the tribunal. Maybe I dont need your master. Maybe you can help me. Can I ask you a couple of questions?" The protocol droid nodded and scooted out the door, shutting it behind him. "Now what do you want to know?" Soth grabbed the droid by the arms, and dragged him off of the steps. The Droid started to yell, but before it became too loud and drew too much attention, the Jedi Knight shut the droid down. He looked back at Al-Ric. "Ok let's go."

Soth slowly crept upt the steps to the house, turning the knob, the front door swung open silently. He turned back and motioned for the other Jedi Knight to follow his lead. As the two Jedi entered the living area of the house, Soth hand instinctively went to his side, resting his hand upon his saber hilt. The house was dark, no light on. The back door was shrouded in shadow, the first two steps could only be seen from their vantage point. He reached out and talked to Al-Ric through the Force. 'Be mindful, We are not alone. I can feel five other signatures in the house.' @Ulysses

 

[Ulysses]

Al-Ric looked sideways at his colleague's rashness: "It's good luck he didn't lock the door behind himself," he remarked quietly on their way up the steps.

As he crossed the threshold into the darkness, he allowed his feelings to extend through the room, giving him an impression of its content and layout. There were a couple of low chairs around a table. The room and furnishings were more spartan than the comfortable exterior of the house would have suggested. He also felt the signatures of 5 others: 3 plus the scientists, I hope.

He reached inside an inner fold of his robes to bring out his lightsaber in the darkness. Without engaging the blade, he followed his colleague tentatively.

 

[Soth Nuevole]

Soth moved about the place, using his senses to feel around. Since his race allowed him to be very flexible, he easily maneuvered around the furniture, walking with caution and ease as to not alarm anyone inside of the house. As he and his fellow Jedi made their way past the living area, there was a hallway in front of them that led to the backdoor, and also a hallway to their left that led into the rest of the house. He looked at Al-Ric, motioning to follow him. As they started down the long hallway, they noticed there were three doors. One on the right and two on the left. All of the doors were closed.

The two slowly crept into the hallway heading towards the door on the right because it was the closest to them. Soth grabbed his intricate lightsaber hilt off the clip and held it in his hands, his thumb resting on the switch. As the two finally reached the door, Soth reached out with the Force, standing very close to the door. He was not picking up any signatures on the other side, he looked at Al-Ric and shook his head. He turned and started towards the next door.

They reached the second door, and Soth repeated the same process next to the door. He could feel something on the other side and he nodded towards his Jedi companion. He stepped back a few paces and then with one quick lunge he thrust his foot into the wooden door. A loud bang was heard as the door flew open and slammed against the adjacent wall.

Something was wrong, the only people in the room were the lost technitians, tied up and gagged, the object they were going to test was on the floor dismantled. There was only one man in the room with them, blaster pointed to the back of one of the technitians head. The other door opened up swiftly and the two other beings entered the hallway. With a quick press of a button, the blue lightsaber shot out from the hilt, illuminating the Mirialan's face. He stepped back into the hallway and faced the two thugs who had just entered the hallway, heavy blaster pistols in hand. @Ulysses

​

 

[Ulysses]

Al-Ric could see the three thugs from his position in the corridor. He saw in particular the man holding a gun to the technician's head. It would be too easy for him to execute his captive in a firefight. A different approach was necessary.

He ignited his lightsaber, but at the same time shouted "Wait!"

He hoped the surprise would give him a moment to start a dialogue.

"Who do you work for? What do you want?"

 

[Soth Nuevole]

As the three men entered the hallway, blasters in hand pointing them at the two Jedi with lightsabers drawn. Al-Ric shouted before anything rash happened. "Wait, who do you work for? What do you want.?" The three men looked at each other for a second before returning their gaze back to the two intruders. "We don't know. We were hired to do a job that is all we know. We don't want any trouble, we thought you might be the ones who were instructed to meet us here. We were hired to capture two technicians that were going to be testing some equipment." Soth's eyebrows raised in curiosity as he listened to the man who was talking. 'What is so important about this technology that has been invented' Soth thought to himself.

"Ok guys, lets just put the weapons down, and we will put ours down." The three men agreed and the lightsabers were retracted into the hilts, shadows once more engulfing the group. "When were you supposed to meet your contact?". "Today sometime." Soth looked at the two technicians kneeling on the floor. "Do you guys mind removing the bindings on them please." The man in the room agreed and the technicians rose to their feet. Soth looked back at Al-Ric. "Ok guys, I think I have a plan."

"Ok me and my partner here will wait in the room with you three, you guys", Soth pointed at the technicians, "You will resume your kneeling positions and keep your hands behind your back to make it look like the bindings are still on. I obviously know that you gentlemen dont have any ill will towards these men so when your contact arrives, you will conduct business as usual. Demand payment up front, and after the transfer is complete, that is when my partner and I will come into the situation. Does that sound good to everyone?" @Ulysses

 

[Ulysses]

Al-Ric was less than convinced by their story: "Why, if you thought we were your employers, did you jump us? Why hold the scientists hostage?"

"These men clearly mean more than what we're being paid. We were going to... renegotiate. When you asked who we work for, we knew you weren't who we were waiting for."

Soth outlined the plan. It made Al-Ric uneasy working with the thugs and making sure that they get paid for kidnap. As they got into position, Al-Ric spoke to Soth through the force: remember our priorities: Getting the scientists back alive; then finding out who sent the thugs; then the blaster; and last, making sure these hooligans get paid, right?

 

[Soth Nuevole]

As the men agreed with the plan of action, Soth could hear the words of hi companion enter his mind. 'Getting the scientists back alive; then finding out who sent the thugs; then the blaster; and last, making sure these hooligans get paid, right?'. Soth looked at Al-Ric. 'Yes, I want to gain the trust of the guys by letting them keep their earnings. At least that way they wont have to work for it and they are more inclined to help us out.' Soth and Al-Ric stepped back into the room behind the thugs waiting next to the door. The Jedi steadied his breathing, calming his nerves as he felt a presence getting closer by the second.

The front door to the house opened, and a man could be heard walking in. The boot heels on the hard wood floor became louder as the man made his way towards the hallway. The sound of a door handle turning and then the creak of the hinges was heard in the room where the Jedi resided. Soth nodded to the 3 thugs standing next to the door.

Opening the door swiftly and leaping out, holding blasters pointed at the newcomer. "Whoa whoa whoa, put those blasters down now." "Who are you." "I am the one who will be paying you, you half wit." A puzzled look crept across the Mirialan's face as he looked at Al-Ric. The voice sounded very familiar. "I said put your blasters down." "Money first." "Fine, here", one of the men looked down at a data pad that indicated their funds. He nodded to the other two men standing in the hallway.

The man entered the room where the technicians kneeled down. One of the thugs looked into the room where the Jedi had been waiting. He nodded, and Soth knew that was the signal. @Ulysses

 

[Ulysses]

Al-Ric stepped out into the open to confront... the professor?

He paused to gather his thoughts at this turn of events.

"If you're behind this, why get us involved?"

"You think I asked for you to be contacted?"

"But if you didn't want the blaster to be developed, why not just pull the funding?"