Ask Naboo An Extra Hand

[Roland Rook]

THEME​

Naboo was Roland's favorite planet in the Mid Rim. He had wondered where he would eventually retire and had Naboo in the top five. He had recently become more acquainted with his fellow Sector Ranger, Duke Winters. The Mandalorian still felt bad about not realizing who he was on Nar Shaddaa. But now he was assisting the man in his new assignment.

Roland would not be surprised if he got transfered to Naboo. With the extra funding from the Free World Alliance there would be new outposts. Changes in station and assignment were in the works to match this. It seemed appropriate for him to become more familiar with the Sector Ranger presence there. At least he was out of the core.

"Here...brought coffee" He said as he came over the Duke. In his outstretched hand he held a coffee tray holding three coffees. A forth was held in Roland's other hand with a straw, slightly bent to fit out of sight under his helmet. "I've got a couple things we can chase down today if you feel up to it." He would set the tray down after Duke decided on a caffeinated beverage. "Unless you got something specific in mind." He picked up his datapad either way ready to jump right in.

He sat down in one of the free chairs in the local Ranger office. Roland actually felt like he was in a resort. Seven hells this is totally my vacation isn't it?...yup He was fine with that.

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

Duke sat at his table with his arms crossed and his feet on the desk, one on top of the other. He stared at the datapad on his desk, just blankly as he formulated his thoughts. The process was shattered however when Roland stopped by and brought him a coffee. "Thank you," Duke told him before taking a quick sip and letting it wake him up fully. "That hits the spot." The Mandalorian at least knew what good coffee tasted like.

He asked if there was anything he had specific in mind and the Ranger nodded at his question. "Yeah, I actually do." Duke lifted his feet from off the desk before scooting in, scooping up one file and the datapad and handing them over to Roland. "The Black Sun is making advances into Theeb. We need to stop them." He pointed at the datapad with his pen, "Over the past few days, spice trafficking has seen an uptick in the past few days. They're moving weight and they're moving it pretty quickly." Duke pulled out his jacket before slipping it on, "I say we patrol the area, for now, see if anything comes up."

Duke walked out from the station with the coffee still in hand, making his way over to the nearby police speeder and getting in the driver seat. Once Roland got in, he would start up the vehicle before pulling out into the street. They had some distance before they reached their destination and Duke had to ask a question that had been burning in his mind since he had seen Roland, "If you don't mind me asking, what made you join the Rangers? We don't get a lot of Mandos." This was the first time he had actually seen one but he heard there was possibly another in their ranks but he hadn't met him yet.

 

[Roland Rook]

Roland took the new datapad offered by Duke, replacing the one he had been holding. As the ranger spoke the Mandalorian would pick up some more of the details about the Black Sun and their operations. Trafficking of illicit cargo was rampant in the galaxy these days. Smugglers were not short on work these days. The Sector Rangers were not large enough to deter the amount of criminal activity. But with the new funding from the Free World Alliance and the publicity the Rangers were getting there was a crack down on that sort of activity.

"Where do they-" But he saw Duke was already getting up to leave. The Mandalorian had just sat down but he grunted and stood back up again. "They're moving just spice?" Spice was the only thing they had seized so far it seemed. There was no indication that arms or other contraband was being moved into Theed.

Roland started walking after Duke but stopped, turned on his heel and placed his coffee back in the tray and picked it up to carry with them. Everytime he left a ranger office he was not sure how long it would be until he came back. Changing to a trot he caught up with the man that resulted in his cloak to flutter behind him a little. Two datapads in one hand, and a tray full of coffee in the other. Most days he did not such a normal start. I should be careful what I wish for.

The Mandalorian closed the passenger side door shortly after Duke. Shortly after they were underway the man asked Roland a question not a lot of people tended to ask. He thought about it for a moment, thinking about Clan Rook and leaving them behind to strike out on his own. "Was trying my hand at bounty hunting. But I don't think it suited me." As much as it sounded like a joke it was the truth. "You ever run into a Ranger by the name of Otto Talask? Well...he's the one that gave me a chance, mentored me and probably kept me ending up dead on some backwater planet on multiple accounts." Roland basically owed the man his life. "A government paycheck and bringing some law and order to the galaxy suits me pretty well." The image of his adoptive Mandalorian father came to mind when he said that. He was the main reason he had left in the first place. Him and his criminal tendencies.

Roland realized how Duke had phrased his question and turned his helmeted head to look at him directly. "I thought I was the only one actually." He tried not to sound overly interested despite his curiosity being to the contrary. Ever since he had left his clan he had not been able to find them. They were gone from their hideout the last time he had returned. It was a personal case that he had been working since he had joined the Rangers. It was rare enough to see a Mandalorian in general. But another Mandalorian Ranger? That was like a unicorn with a horn made of beskar.

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

Duke chuckled softly, "I'm sure every Ranger has tried their share of bounty hunting here or there." Even he did so when he was younger. Anyone could carry a blaster and shoot someone or tell them to walk somewhere. "No, I haven't. I know a few Rangers but not that many. I'm usually stranded where I'm stationed." Duke again smirked at Roland's comment, "It does suit well doesn't it?" He didn't think he would prefer any other job over this one.

Duke turned his head to glance at Roland and offered him a shrug as he continued down the street, "Maybe I just heard chatter about them talking about you because of the armor or just mixed it all up entirely." Work and his personal life were starting to blur together as he dived fully into his cases. Roland was still the first Mandalorian he had ever seen in person however and he wondered if the stories lived up about them.

They weren't that far from the location and it only took a few more minutes of crossing backstreets to get there. When they arrived somewhere secluded enough, Duke placed the speeder in park across from an old but still beautiful building. "We're gonna wait here for a few minutes. See if we can get any activity." The Black Sun wasn't used to dealing with law enforcement, instead usually having them in their pocket. That made them a little more brazen when it came to their activities but they would learn the hard way today.

 

[Roland Rook]

"Better than anything else." He agreed with Duke.

His mind went over the avenues he had traveled to learn about his Clan's location. Mandalorians were rare and the chances that one had interacted with his own family were slim. But there were not a lot of leads he could go on these days. Each shot was a practically shot in the dark.

For the rest of the ride until they arrived and waited, the Mandalorian looked over the datapad he had been given earlier. Weapons and equipment peaked his curiousity. It was less because of a personal interest in the subject matter but rather because he knew that Black Sun's leader was known for capitalizing in arms dealing. But spice was a Pyke syndicate commodity. They were both among the Five Syndicates but usually they still kept to their own areas of expertise and profit. "Fine with me. I wonder if the Pykes and Black Sun are working together on this one. If not...well that will be interesting." Roland was not sure if infighting among the Five Syndicates was better or worse for the Sector Rangers.

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

Duke got comfortable in his seat, leaning back so he wasn't as cramped in his seat and was still able to see above the window. Commenting about the Pykes, he shrugged his shoulders, "Could be them trying to attract some heat to the Suns. We'll just have to see when we get inside." They had to wait there for some time before something finally happened for them to take notice. Two speeders pulled up, one after the other and neatly parked in front of the building they were watching over.

A man exited from the alley near the target building and walked nonchalantly to the speeder in the front. He glanced around before bending over, preventing the two Rangers from being able to see what he was saying or doing. Duke tried bending his neck to see if he could get any possible angle on what was happening but it was to no avail. After about a minute or even less then that, the man stood up from the speeder and turned around to walk away. He disappeared quickly back into the alley.

They could go after the man or the speeders and Duke was going to choose the latter. The man seemed more of a courier then anything and he wondered what he could have possibly given to the people inside the speeder. The two speeders eventually lifted up before shooting off into the street. Duke activated their own vehicle before quickly following them, making sure to stay a safe distance away but not too far where they couldn't see them. "Could you get anything on the guy or the speeders?"

 

[Roland Rook]

"The worst criminals are politicians." He muttered under his breath. If there was some bigger agenda in the five syndicates he hoped they found it. Not because it mattered in the grand scheme of things but because it meant the Sector Rangers could better combat the criminal enterprise that plagued the galaxy. Duke's words were just as likely as a dozen other theories. And that was what bothered him. His job was easier when the true intent of the criminal was clear. In this case it was not.

Roland did not immediatly notice the two speeders arriving. But he looked up from his datapad in time to start focusing less on the stuff he could read later and more on the immediate activity. When he saw the man bend over the mandalorian produced a set of macrobinoculars. Still, he could not make out what he was doing. "Not from this angle." He growled slightly knowing the pickle they were in. There were two leads and two Rangers. Roland was fine going off on his own but the man in the driver's seat had the lead on this one. "I could follow the guy if you want to follow the speeders." He turned his helmet to give Duke the option. Otherwise they would stay together and only follow one of the potential leads.

@Orbit