Open Devil's Night

[Trys Aran]

Coruscant Lower Districts
0200 Hours

She hadn’t been in the habit of smoking lately, not for some time. In fact, she had been getting a little cozy during the time where the dark siders had gone quiet. The trail she had been on had gone cold, and she grew complacent. Without anything to truly drive at, she was on menial tasks, her paranoia slowly fading away.

That all went to shit as soon as she got the call about a series of murders and vandalisms across multiple districts. Trys was fast asleep, having dozed off on the couch while watching a late night rerun of Emperor’s Paradise. The show was one of her guilty pleasures, and she’d never hear the end of it if any of her colleagues ever found out.

Instead of lugging herself to bed eventually, she was out here in the middle of a street at 2 in the morning. And so, she had a cigarra hanging from the corner of her lips, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It was too early to grab a cup of caf, and she had to rely on the fix the cigarra would provide.

Emergency speeders were deployed to put out the fires in the building before her. There were reports coming in from fires and destruction of property in multiple streets, and it was difficult to say if this was a group of random individuals or something more.

Trys was called here specifically because of a similar case she had handled before. She was standing near a body that had been distorted beyond recognition. She identified it at once as lightning. Force Lightning. A trick of a darksider.

As she blew out a plume of smoke and stared at the contorted agony in the victim’s lifeless face, she knew it would be a very long night.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

A speeder slowly pulled in from beyond the mouth of the street. The driver slipped out, long limbs arranged already in the crisp lines of a professional, even despite the hour. Long white hair pulled back in a low ponytail, dressed simply in black slacks, a grey blouse and a white armored coat with the galactic insignia of a doctor enhanced as a green equal-sided cross on the back and shoulder patch. Clipped to the outside of her coat was a plastic badge: Dr. Morata, Medical Affiliate.

Heels clicked along duracrete, a bag in one hand, in the other... a four-drink tray with four styros of fresh caf, which was set on the hood, one cup taken out to carry with her. As she approached, eyes scanned the still-burning fires, now being banked, and a familiar figure whose face she only witnessed on Holo.

Ranger Trys Aran.

She hadn't had access to her report yet, but people liked to talk in hushed voices. For a moment, the woman scanned her profile, noting rubbing the eyes, the cigara, the posture... and decided now was a better time than never to give a peace offering before medical advice. Hope she didn't mind it black, Doc didn't have time to add anything special.

"Ma'am," she greeted in a low rasp, amber eyes calm. The scent of cigara smoke hovered in the air, pale against the dark, gritty landscape. "Been called in for advisement, figured at this hour something stronger than water might be needed." She held out a cup, in case she wanted it. The other three on the to-go tray were set on the hood of her speeder. If it spilled on there, it would be the least of her problems. If she took it, she'd hand it up to Trys, but if not she would set it on the ground by her own feet.

She opened up the bag, pulling on a pair of gloves and a handheld recorder.

"Permission to identify, ma'am?" she requested, cocking her head slightly to assess the female ranger. Cause of death was rather obvious, but perhaps the victim had family, and in the case of such legal... strictures... she had to comply by the higher ranking official within view. As it so happened, as a civilian consultant, she did not know the position of her but deferred because she seemed, logically, to be the higher ranking between the two of them. But truth be told, she was exhausted herself, and names and positions weren't by complete memory yet.

@Sreeya

 

[Roland Rook]

THEME​

The first alert had drawn Roland away from the workshop of his ship. He found it easier to sleep there when on Coruscant than getting a hotel. There had been several trips in recent months that brought him coreward and now he was beginning to think that was going to be coming and going from Coruscant just as frequently for the foreseeable future.

A silverlining to traveling was his body clock was not set with the common day and night cycle of the ecumonopolis. Even if it was adjussted, Roland wouldn't find much sleep this night. The swoop bike he rode to the scene was relatively new but Roland took it slow and figured testing the bike's limits would come soon enough on some other case. The built in commlink chirped again, and then again as more reports streamed in of fires. Haar'chak He was hoping this wasn't going to turn into something worse. Whomever was already onsite would have answers.

The swoop came to a slowed stop and he could guess who was already here. Putting up his hood he passed the police line and came towards where Trys stood. Sirens and activity filled the air. The roar of heated air and fire added to the cacophony. There was someone else that approached and Roland's eyes squinted until he realized who it was. "Haar'chak"

The corpse came into view quickly enough but the smell had come first. Roland didn't know what force lightening looked like but he did know what an electrical fire looked like.

"Didn't expect to see you here." His gravely tone directed towards the Arkanian. Roland's head tilted to look for any obvious surveillance that maybe nearby buildings had or people watching. The last time he had met with the Doctor was on Nar Shaddaa with a bounty hunter alias and she had handed over that force encoded tome. But it looked like she was involved in forensic work if her being here and gloves were anything to go off of. No doubt she would have questions of her own.

@Sreeya @Killa Ree

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

In the distance, a bronzium swoop bike rumbled its way to the scene. Atop it sat a helmeted young man wearing light armor in muted colours, a pair of silver-hilted lightsabers dangling from clips on the left side his belt and an RSKF-44 heavy blaster on a dangling hip holster on the right. Barely a minute behind Roland the swoop came in for a landing, the sound announcing it before it could be seen through the smoke and twisting skylanes, and thrummed to a stop. An ID-21 droid detached itself from the rear as the rider dismounted, leaving the armor's hood down behind him and removing the helmet to lay it in the driver's seat of the bike.

Green eyes swept briefly over the others present. Hannibal had met them before in a variety of situations, although he distinctly recalled the last time the Arkanian had seen him he'd been in swim trunks and brandishing a chair leg on a distant resort planet. Small galaxy. With little pause the young Jedi walked his way over to the others, stopping before the corpse. He distinctly recognized the smell of burnt flesh, having experienced it personally at the hands of Sith during the attack on the prison.

Hannibal had been called, frankly, because he was a Jedi who happened to be relatively nearby at the time and sometimes people liked to double check things regarding potential Sith involvement. They'd already caused a good bit of trouble on Coruscant, after all, and someone who could pick up things others couldn't was always useful. He didn't mind helping out the Rangers, something that by now had been made clear on a couple of occasions. However, in this instance, he looked distinctly unhappy.

His face was like stone, a small frown replacing the usual smirk. Not because he was called on, but because someone had decided to go around burning things and people. He could feel the remnants of the Dark Side floating around the place, echoes of misery and death that were still relatively fresh. Compared to his usual self he was practically thunderous.

"Lieutenant Aran," he said by way of greeting, nodding slightly in her direction, for once projecting a fairly stereotypical image of a Jedi right down to the way he stood, stock straight with his hands behind his back. "Lieutenant Rook. Ma'am," he directed at Roland and the Arkanian respectively before settling on Aran herself. "How may I be of service?" he asked, his droid already floating at an even pace around the area with an active scan. He wasn't going to touch anything without explicit directions to do so. Evidence gathering was sensitive stuff, and generally it was best not to touch things before gathering samples. He would defer to the Rangers in this situation. He was here to help, but he wasn't in charge here and he wasn't a part of their chain of command.

@Sreeya @Killa Ree @Darasuum

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys looked up when the woman approached, dressed to designate her position as a doctor. The Ranger’s eyebrows rose in surprise, “Normally forensics is lazy on the job,” She couldn’t help but grin at the welcome sight, “Good to see someone rapidly on the case,” And she brought coffee, “Aw, you’re a lifesaver,” She muttered quietly before taking the coffee. A single sip already invigorated her, and she dropped the cigarra and stomped it out.

“Yeah, go ahead,” She jutted her chin towards the body, “Though I can tell it’s by a Force user.”

The Ranger noticed Roland and Hannbibal arrive next, not surprised by their appearances. Devil’s Night was becoming an annual thing at this point, and it was almost expected that some form of debauchery would take place. Trys looked at Roland first, nodding to him in greeting.

“Heard anything about the other districts? Shit seems much worse this year than usual,” Trys wasn’t entirely surprised. It hadn’t been too long ago that the ‘Sith’ attacked quite openly and several Jedi gave their lives. Even today she felt a pang of guilt for being stuck in a hospital bed instead of putting her life on the line like others.

“Master Jedi,” She said as she glanced at Hannibal, “Looks like we’re dealing with your unruly cousins once again,” Trys said as she looked back at the body, “I don’t suppose you have any intel to offer?”

It was hard to tell just how far this incident would go. There were fires in multiple places, but it wasn’t clear if it was over. For all they knew, another attack could come any moment.

@Killa Ree @Darasuum @Mr. Teatime

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She glanced up at the female Ranger, surprised at the friendliness. Unusual, even given her occupation as a Doctor. "Well, they never had me before," she answered, a hint of a smile barely touching her lips. She was already beginning the ID, when two more people from her past made an appearance.

She glanced up at the familiar T-visor first, jaw hardening slightly. The smile was gone, replaced with clinical assessment. "Well now. Good to see you too, Ranger," she replied coolly, turning away from him to then glance at Hannibal. He had arrived just as loudly as before... and though she knew he was a Force user as well, Master Jedi? Unusual tastes to join such an acetic cult, to say the least. Nodding once in greeting, she returned to the body.

"Male, Human, mid to late thirties judging by general build, height..." she paused, shifting aside the outer layer of his jacket. "Building guard, facial focal points to match with the guard assigned here... name, Daniel Scalton. No ID or access key." She pulled her datapad out from a side pocket, pulling up a profile already. "Based on burn pattern and striation, I'd say both being shocked and burned at close range for extended time, high range voltage, meant to be a prolonged death." She paused again, putting the datapad away.

"Force user? Another assault like on HoloNews?" she paused, then frowned. "It seems likely, but... if this is a regular occurrence, surely they would do more to prove points for their cause. If past news can even be trusted," came the calm response, sighing. "Once the fires are out in the building, I request full access to the perimeter along with full scans to ascertain cause of death to any remains as well as probable cause of accelerants..." She paused, then glanced to Roland.

Then again, she had access to database files now, and medical charge papers. But people were far more fascinating than reports. If he had experience dealing with Force users... then perhaps there was more to this man than she initially assumed.

Interesting.

@Darasuum @Sreeya @Mr. Teatime

 

[Roland Rook]

The Doctor's eyes stared back at him and he could feel some of the emphasis on the title 'ranger' when she spoke. Maybe he imagined it but regardless, he didn't correct her since in the next few moments the not-bounty-hunter Jedi Master Hannibal came into view causing Roland to give him a bit more than a cursory glance. In fact it was back when he had been working on a case on Nar Shaddaa under Trys that he first met the man. It had been some time since he had seen one another. "Master Grayza." He replied in greeting.

Lieutenant Aran was first on the scene and Roland was simply here to support where it was needed. When Hannibal asked how he could help, Roland simply looked towards Trys but cocked his head to the side at what she answered with. "This year? This thing happened a year ago?" He had not been in the core last year around this time. In fact he was guessing he had been dealing with a slaver transport somewhere in the outer rim. Maybe someone would enlighten him.

The Doctor's analysis of the body was detailed and reminded him of how she had spoken when assessing his injuries. The man believed she could be great at forensics if that was what she was doing here. Roland realized the Arkanian had trailed off and was looking at him. "What?"

@Sreeya @Killa Ree @Mr. Teatime

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal looked down at the body, burned and warped by the attack. Frankly he'd mostly been working in the Outer Rim rather than the Core worlds, and was only on Coruscant at the time by coincidence. He didn't have any intel regarding dark siders operating in the Core as a result, but he did have other tools at his disposal.

The young Jedi leaned down, careful not to disturb anything, and reached a hand out toward the body. He centered himself and reached out, sinking into Living Force and the impressions left behind by the violence. He could already sense of the Dark Side of course, but psychometry often offered more specific guidance. Hannibal frowned as he concentrated, a wash of sensations and images running through him in waves. Flashes of flame, muscle spasms, and fear. He clicked his tongue and stood back up after not too long and took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Nothing specific. Almost certainly Sith, but not one I've personally met. I didn't see a face." He turned to look at Trys again. "I could probably point them out if they showed up, but I need a related object to get anything useful." Although he could technically read corpses, doing so was even riskier than reading weapons. Besides which, the emotional and physical sensations accompanying a violent death often drowned out anything particularly useful. Hannibal wasn't willing to indulge in a deeper reading of the body as a result.

"One of this guard's personal effects might work better. After samples are taken, naturally." The Force was an amazing thing when used properly, but even it couldn't really work miracles. Maybe he would get a face or something from a better reading, but psychometric impressions were tricky things. If the item was significantly damaged that might be the only thing he got out of it.

That said, every little detail could potentially be helpful, and every reading would familiarize the Jedi with what the perpetrator felt like in the Force. It also wouldn't surprise him if the Sith in question showed back up at the site to cause trouble with the Rangers, so perhaps at the very least Hannibal's would discourage further attempts to usher Trys into an early retirement.

@Sreeya @Killa Ree @Darasuum

 

[Vako Yizok]

Not everyone returned the scene of a crime. And not everyone returned the scene of a crime that was not exactly their crime to claim. But in the Syndicates every waking moment bread opportunity for the rise of one, and the fall of another. Coruscant was world rife with that opportunity a thousand fold. Every window and every speeder had some sort of predator in it, just climbing their way to the top of the highest tower to look down upon all the peasants below. And the galaxy over stared up at Coruscant at the top of the peak wishing they could get there for some action. And though the perspective of opportunity may be different for natives, it certainly did not change the minds of those that were willing to do what it took to get that leg up.

Vako Yizok had not been on Coruscant for any good reason, in fact he was in very few places for good reasons. He was a good bird, often did what he was told, and kept himself fed when he had to. He did not make waves where waves did not need to made, but he was not just wallowing around waiting to be eaten either.

Not long before that moment he had been at those residences, and not long before he was doing exactly what one needed to do to get ahead a stay ahead. Was there a dead man on the ground? Sure. Did he see what and who was the cause of death? Maybe. But what was more important was the inability for certain people to protect what was there's, and that was where Vako had come in.

He was long since over a phobia of getting hit by a speeder, and the trackers around Coruscant looked for metal born objects, not a flapping pair of wings on a gas gutted Toydarian like himself. So after making his first trip out, he found himself hungry for more, and had gone back to the place that was making him rich.

But the fires had gotten a bit more out of control... and what was worse... the authorities were there. Rangers from the look of them, and some other kind of forces he did not have a lot of experience with. Emergency vehicles were all around, and police kept the crowds of people back.

Some would stay silent and let the situation dissolve in peace... but Vako was still hungry, and authorities or not, there was more to be had.

Vako moved at low hover through the crowd, further away from the buildings, and then moved up, up, up, up, and up. He was near the siding of one, his hand touched the wall as he looked down. His rifle was unslung and in his right hand as he planned. He planned his re-entry through a window that was still open. He watched the emergency vehicles working on the lower levels, having the fire mostly under control. All he had to do was make his move.

Vako moved... zipping forward and into the building. He was on thirteenth level, but he could not be sure. And now, with the building in his area vacant... it was time to continue shopping.

@Sreeya @Killa Ree @Darasuum @Mr. Teatime

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys remained quiet as the doctor rattled off her assessment. She was rather impressive, and Trys was surprised the two hadn’t worked together in the past. The Ranger took a sip from her coffee and extended her hand out in a sweeping gesture at the request for access, “Be my guest, scene’s all yours.”

She recalled what the doctor mentioned about proving points, “What concerns me is that the single actors are getting bolder. I’m not entirely convinced that this happens every year from the same people. I think it’s more likely that this has become a sick tradition,” Trys sighed as she addressed both the doctor and Roland, “It is the anniversary of when the Jedi died from the Sith assault.”

Trys looked at Hannibal, quirking an eyebrow, “Did I ever mention how creepy that power is? Shit, you wouldn’t even have to look through a girl’s cellphone to see if she’s two-timing you,” She managed a grin before taking another long sip from the coffee.

By now, the fires from the building directly in front of them were mostly put out. Trys finished off her coffee and reached for her gun, “I’m going in.”

She glanced at the doctor, “If you’re coming in, stay in the back. I’m not convinced we won’t run into anything in there,” Trys, of course, had no idea the doctor was more than capable of handling herself.

The Ranger slowly began to make her way in, allowing the smoke to clear before she ventured deeper. It was unclear if there were more bodies or anyone trapped in there just yet.

@Killa Ree @Darasuum @Mr. Teatime @Morse

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She shook her head briefly at the Mandalorian's question, and for a second a brief, almost smug smile touched her lips. "Nothing at all. A badge suits you," she replied, but then the smile was gone. She knew she was stating the obvious, but far better to do things by the book than pretend like she was above the law.

Especially with so many badges around.

But seeing the Jedi at work... keen curiosity gleamed in amber eyes. Like the Lieutenant said, creepy... but useful. She could use a talent like that, perhaps. She would ask this Hannibal later though. But she nodded to go with the Ranger Aran, rising. "I'll follow your lead," she answered. "it can't hurt to see if there are any survivors, and to examine the crime scene."

Unlikely, but there were many things in the galaxy that were labeled impossible yet it happened. Just look at the Jedi, still in existence.

@Darasuum @Morse @Mr. Teatime @Sreeya

 

[Roland Rook]

His eyes lingered on the Doctor for a moment after her comment before turning to look towards the smoldering structure. Fire response had already arrived and had made sure the danger had first been contained. On a planet with such a dense population he could see the need for a fast emergency response. Otherwise blocks of city buildings could go up in flames or crumble to the lower levels.

Roland made no comment on psychometery. He had seen its use multiple times now though that didn't make it any less strange to observe. While some headed towards the building to check for survivors and other answers Roland remained outside a few paces from the electrified cadaver.

There was more to this attack than was meeting the eye. Stopping down, he looked towards the building where the head of the guard was pointed towards. "You weren't watching the building burn...." His helmet turned to look towards the feet placement of the body. "No badge..." He repeated to himself what Ilana had said. Standing up, the Mandalorian circled until he was at the corpse's feet. "....who were you with and why did they kill you this way?" There were no signs of electrical scoring or any burn marks anywhere in the area save for the building and the body. For a moment he wondered what it was like to have the power of lightening at one's finger tips. Many of the dark siders lost themselves to the rush of power according to the Jedi he spoke to.

"Grem." He said flatly, causing his own seeker droid to come into view. He pulled out his personav and connected it directly to the floating saucer droid. "Show me major traffic lanes of the lower levels on Coruscant." a small bluish orb was projected by the droid. Most of the traffic was mid to upper levels. At least the fast and efficient routes were. A single burning building wasn't too bad in the gran scheme of things. But there were multiple spots around the planet. They seemed timed together but not hitting specific targets for any particular reason.

"Master Grayza..." He spoke up, hoping the man was still nearby. "...wasn't the Imperial Palace here on Coruscant at one point in time a Jedi Temple?" If he remembered his history, it too had burned during the Jedi Purge before being turned into the Imperial Palace. "If I wanted to break into a highly secure location and send a message at the same time I would create a distraction that fit the bill." Lights danced off the surfaces up and down the street. "I'm going to see if we can get a patrol over there." He hoped he was wrong and this was just a rash of arsons restricted to the lower levels. Otherwise, it meant they weren't dealing with just some simple minded Force addicted vandals.

@Sreeya @Killa Ree @Mr. Teatime

 

[Vako Yizok]

The residence of Daria Vooth was a bit remarkable even at first glance. Adorning the walls were finery from many ages originating from all over the galaxy. Stone sculptures, and vasil paint art. Bronzium tomes and busts were plentiful here in a way that was more typical of a museum then it was a home. There were fine carpeting in the place, which was a luxury that not everyone immediately had. The lights were out, but the lights coming through the windows were enough to let one see the beauty of many of the pieces that were kept there.

The residence was actually two floors, a first floor which was the main room, and a second floor which was built around a circular balcony, with several rooms, including her sleeping quarters and her office. Vako had entered on that second floor of the residence, but the first floor was actually the sixth story of the building. The lift and stairs for the building both exited at a hallway that was just outside the front door of the residence.

What could not be lost on anyone was the sign of the struggle. Many of the pieces were knocked over, and shattered upon the ground, and the clear fact that at least part of the fire had burnt through there. Whether it had originated there was hard to say, but a window on the opposite from where Vako entered was burnt out and then flooded with a sort of gel intended to put out fire. A terrible shame that had transpired as it seemed to destroy most of the valuable art that was there.

Vako did not have a great understanding, let alone appreciation, for what would make those things valuable. He had pulled out some of the shiner things he could earlier to hand off to a fence. That was the lucrative part of the job. This second trip was for something simpler, but more valuable to those above rather for personal reasons.

Daria Vooth had a data terminal. That data terminal had within its circuits information that connected her to and her real dealings beyond just whatever facade she lived with from day to day. The connections to why she had a guard posted out in front of the building. And those connections led to spice... all things in the Syndicates were connected to spice.

Vako fluttered to the office, keeping the door open, and began to download the data onto his own datapad. It would not take but a moment. He held his rifle in his hand.

But then, Vako thought he heard the sound of a door sliding open downstairs. He thought it was the elevator in the hallway, but he could not be sure.

Vako levied his rifle towards the door, and slid the window the office open. He could make his escape through there if he needed to. But for now he put his hand on his datapad and waited for the download.

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal slipped from his frown smoothly into a small grin directed at Trys after he comment. She may or may not be right, but that wasn't something he'd tested as of yet. "I wouldn't have to. I'm far too pretty for that sort of thing," he replied with an air of exaggerated arrogance, her joke bringing back a little of his usual humor. The smirk stuck, though he quickly went back to looking at the smoldering buildings and returned to silence.

Then he was addressed by Roland. He turned to look at him, eyebrow raised. "That's correct, yeah. Maybe you're onto- hold on." He held up a hand, the rapid beeps and trills of his droid Ego cutting through the conversation as it approached at speed. The young Jedi's grin returned in full force as he turned and jogged towards his speeder bike. "Ego, track it. You do that, Roland. Trys, I'm tracking something on an upper level!" he shouted at Trys as she made her way inside, unintentionally switching back to casual language as he shifted focus. Oh well.

Quickly he hopped back aboard his speeder bike, Ego latching onto the back, slipped his helmet on, and rocketed upwards toward the higher floors of the building. He stretched out his senses, relying on the Force along with Ego's sensory equipment to find the correct floor. It didn't take too long, as the building was fairly devoid of life. Hannibal unclipped one of his lightsabers with his left hand a couple seconds before the swoop rumbled to a stop before an open window a few seconds after he left the ground, right hand locking the bike in place and removing the control key. He could clearly see the back of a Toydarian inside, clearly not in Ranger or Corsec uniform, rifle directed toward an opposite door with one hand on a datapad. Curious. He flipped his right leg over the bike, crouched forward facing the window, igniting his lightsaber's brilliant silver blade as he did. Announcing the presence of a Jedi sometimes did a decent job of deescalation on it's own.

"Put the weapon down and surrender," he directed through the filtered voice of his helmet, cool and calm, lightsaber presented in case the Toydarian decided to try taking on a Jedi alone with a blaster. The Force swirled around and through him in anticipation of a potential fight. Intimidation could usually work fairly well, but some people liked to push their luck. Ego floated just behind him, photo receptors and scanners actively recording the scene through the window like the good little flying camera he was. He fully intended to pursue if the Toydarian decided to flee instead of doing as Hannibal asked, but the young Jedi rather hoped he had the sense to avoid that outcome.

@Sreeya @Killa Ree @Darasuum @Morse