Ask Everybody Gets Caught

System Defense Force

Planetary Defense Force
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The Gatekeeper
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interrogation-room.jpg

Within the ISC Army's base on the surface of Manaan, several rooms had been allocated for detention and interrogation. Despite what some political opponents of the ISC would have believed, they were not torture rooms and the jailors were not cruel for cruelty's sake. Instead, the detention rooms were stark white but clean and orderly with all the provisions one might need for a stay in detention of up to a few months. Anything longer than that was unheard of as the courts would have ruled on the case by that time.

Those captured by Lt. Renka of the ISC Army didn't really get to spend much time in cells - instead they were taken directly to the interrogation rooms. Or, as the PR department liked them to be referred to as, the interview rooms.

A rather basic room of duracrete walls with durasteel plating underneath, a solid door of that same durasteel and a false mirror for officers to observe as the suspects and witnesses were questioned.

As the suspect was led into the room by ISC specialists, they would remain unbound at the current time even though they had been thoroughly searched before being brought into the interrogation room - where their interrogator was waiting.

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"Aww jeez, did you have to be so rough fellas?"
the kindly older man asked as he fished around in the pockets of his faded trench coat for something, "Could have sworn... ah, do you mind leaving me and the little lady a glass of water each?"

The older man smiled, his entire face creasing with the action as he moved up to the table. Rather than taking a seat or trying to intimidate her, he immediately pulled his hand out of his pocket to reveal what he had been searching for; a small packet of painkillers.

"I heard there was an awful commotion over in the tourist centre and whenever I get involved in such a commotion I find nothing works wonders more than a little aspirin and water."
he told her as if imparting some old mannered wisdom on her, "How are you feeling sweetheart? It must have all come as a shock to you I imagine."

The glass of water for each of them had been delivered without a word and the guards filed out, locking the door behind them and leaving the two of them alone.

"Where are my manners? They tell me not to give out my full name... so you can call me Detective C."



@LadyRen
 

Celeste Stythani

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LadyRen
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Thanks to the Jedi and to Vahliri, the authorities on Manaan had taken them into custody. All three women had at least been wise enough not to show any signs of resistance after having been surrounded and confronted with a whole squad of enforcers, but the truth was, that things were still far from perfect.

It was frustrating that the first thing that had happened on Manaan had been the arrival of the annoying Jedi trio and that something had made them suspicious. Now two Sith and an ISB agent were being interrogated and Celeste assumed that they were doing it simultaneously, so all three had to play their cards right and remember all the tiniest details they had been given to get out of this somehow.

Celeste's top priority was saving herself and thus a fine idea had been formed in her head. She still knew she had to be careful about what to share and keeping her story straight to avoid any loopholes, but the transfer to the interrogation chamber had given her some time to think and prepare.

As she was finally led into the room, an older man followed inside. Despite his friendly, even charming demeanor, she stayed wary of him, as she was convinced the ISC had sent capable investigators...If he was playing the good cop, she wasn't going to let he'd guard down because of it.

However, Haleth's feature didn't mirror any of that kind of inner tension as the secretary was even a little soothed by his friendly eyes. While a hint of worry and fright lingered in the assistant's face, she managed to answer with a faint, but nervous smile as he adressed her. "Oh...yes, Sir. I'm still...trying to process how quickly our vacation was terminated". She softly shook her head in disbelief, grimacing a little.

The regular tourist would be nervous and while Celeste wasn't, Haleth definitely was. Playing different roles and keeping up appearances was Celeste's usual business, so she was no stranger to playing her role perfectly. "Thank you...my throat is still dry" a soft, nervous snicker escaped her as she reached for the glass with her shaking hand. The woman had nothing to fear or hide, yet being an interrogation chamber was scary. "Honestly Detective C...I have never been in such a situation and still can't grasp what had happened and how I ended up here..."

@Nefieslab
 

The Storyteller

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Detective C said:

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The elderly detective seemed to hum in understanding when it came to Celeste's response, as though he understood and emphathised with her completely. Whether he actually did or not was something that the disguised Sith would be able to determine - there was an undeniable gentleness to Dectective C that couldn't possibly have been faked, however.

Totally understandable that the confusion had ruined the vacation but there was something about that which touched something in the Detective's memory and he hummed slightly.

"You and your travelling companions must have been very worried - I'm sorry, the official report is only written in small font and I didn't have my glasses at the time, you see, how are you related to those other two young ladies again?"


Of course, he had read the reports but Detective C was a man who followed the older school of investigation if he did say so himself. There were crime-bots and droids who could crack cases wide open 8 times out of 10 - but Detective C was the one they called when the machines failed and you needed someone with that human touch to ease open the last two types of investigations.

Pulling out a notepad of paper (almost as old as he was at this point but with new pages added in), Detective C tried to write some notes with a pen he pulled out of a pocket but found it didn't work. Tutting a little bit to himself, he licked the tip of the pen, only for the same result to happen again - he paused them and made a show of rolling his eyes at himself... and clicking the end of the pen to deploy the nib.

"Sorry, sorry - this isn't my usual pen."
he excused himself before continuing, "No I can't imagine you can see how you got here. What a sight to see though, right? But no one can ever really see themselves being accused of being some... Force using terrorist... especially by someone you know. How could anyone ever see that coming, you know? Is your relationship with your accuser strained by any chance?"

He made some quick notes in handwriting so bad that Celeste would have a hell of a time determining if he was writing in Basic or not. Actually, he wasn't - he was writing in Old Corellian but even that was hard to make out due to his handwriting being quite so terrible. Almost as though he was having trouble seeing in fine detail, which brought up his next point.

"Now, sorry if I'm a little off track here but... ah how do you not get irritated eyes when you're wearing those contacts? My wife tells me I should try them but they just rub my eyes terribly - what's the trick?"



@LadyRen

Celeste said:
Haleth moved the glass towards her lips but didn't even nib at it as the conversation was already quickly proceeding and it seemed like there were a few things that needed to be sorted. The woman took a breath and leaned back, trying to get as comfortable as someone who got interrogated could get, but the assistant didn't even know where to start.

"I am Miss Aerin's personal secretary. I help manage her appointments" Haleth answered truthfully, keeping her gaze on the detective. The room seemed cold and sober and it was absolutely no pleasant place to be in, but it seemed like her interrogator tried his best to make her comfortable. What a ploy. Celeste remained suspicious but Haleth relaxed a little as if she bought his kind demeanor.

She watched him trying to write without paying attention to what he was actually scribbling down. She would have offered him a wonderfully smooth pen from her bag, but they had taken that away, so he was not going to experience the undeniably satisfying magic of her top tier writing tool. While the assistant usually sticked to the datapad, she always had an old-fashioned plan B, aka a little journal and a pen. "Indeed...that came to be as a full surprise, just like this...assault. In one moment I was talking to the Jedi and in the next both ladies were hurled across the room...that was as eerie as it was shocking and I have no idea why she accused me. We do not only maintain a professional relationship, but have been friends for a while and no, everything between us was fine...". She still couldn't believe Vahliri had commited such a desperate attempt. They were in much more trouble because of that and it hadn't gotten them anywhere but into more trouble.

As he suddenly moved on, however, the course of their talk changed a little. So he had at least seen one thing already. The lenses. While Celeste wasn't surprised, Haleth seemed to be caught a little off guard and slightly raised an eyebrow. "Oh...how perceptive you are! That's actually delightful" she stiffled a soft, still slightly nervous chuckle before she went on: "Good eye drops are the secret, and refrain from rubbing your eyes, because once you start, it will only get worse and worse. Our eyes are great at containing their natural fluids and keeping our pupils humid enough unless we start disrupting the moisture levels by our own touch"

If the detective was as perceptive as Haleth thought he was, he would notice the subtle changes in her voice as she added, "I wouldn't deliberately wear them all the time though...the thing just is that there are memories that are just too many painful". She swallowed, hard. She wasn't sure whether he'd dig in but he'd receive a tragic little side story if he was asking.

@Nefieslab

Detective C said:

Detective C continued to make notes, making a noise of understanding when the woman sat across from him explained her relationship to the other two currently in custody. Jotting down his notes in terribly written Old Corellian, he made sure to underline something he had written as she spoke. He patted the table near to one of her hands with his free hand - clearly under instructions not to get too close to her but also wanting to reach out and comfort her as best he could, the nearby hand more symbolic than anything else.

When she went on to explain more about how the entire thing had come as a shock to her, he nodded in understanding. It was entirely reasonable that being accused of being a Force-Terrorists was going to come as a surprise to you.

"Friends for such a long time and nothing at all the matter between you two? Well that's a crying shame."
he agreed with a sad nod, "Clearly things have gotten bad if she still tells you to call her Miss Aerin - did she not think to mention she was married now? Mrs Aegnor has a much nicer ring to it, even if it is more formal wouldn't you say?"

He tapped the back-end of his pen to his lips.

"But to accuse you of terrorism... what could have motivated that? You're sure that nothing was wrong... until the bathroom?"


Chuckling a little bit, the older man seemed to be flattered that she had complimented him on his observational skills. In reality, he had known because one of the specialists had pointed it out and he had confirmed it sitting this close to her. Waving away the compliment, he nodded.

"This old dog still has a few tricks but ah... I am going to have to ask you to remove them, miss. Painful or not, disguising yourself during an official investigation can be ground for some lawyer somewhere to start a case for obstruction of justice."


He smiled warmly.

"And we've got facial recognition software we've let have a crack at you since we took a quick mugshot - after we spoke to Mrs Aegnor & Mrs Aegnor we took a closer look at it. I gotta say I never pictured you as a brunette..."
his smile dimmed somewhat, "Or that we'd get so many hits from footage of the Galactic Senate and that nasty business with the Killiks showing up. Quite a demotion from senator to secretary, wouldn't you say Miss Stythani? How'd that happen?"

Celeste said:
The soft smile didn't fade as he accused her of ignorance about the fact that the Lady Aerin had recently married and she immediately began to shake her head. Mistakes were human, and this seemed to be a misunderstanding. "That is an old habit of mine...the 'Miss' sticked for me. But inform me? I was there at the ceremony, Sir...After all I was accompanying them on their honeymoon" she smiled warmly after the clarification. However, even Haleth, the gentle assistant, realized one thing: The detective was using every single word against her and as she had done her own research, she had to interject an important question. "Detective...may I ask for a lawyer by the way? As pleasant as this conversation was so far, I feel like an official would help...". She was serious about this request, quite convinced they wouldn't deny her one under the Consortium's law, but this little session seemed far from over...

The thing he said about the contacts made her nod understandingly and without disinfecting her hands, she dutifully removed them, which would lead to a minor infection in a worst case scenario. "Of course...there" she placed them on the table, blinking a few times as the missing lenses left a little dry sting to the watery eyes. She had no intention of arguing with him and despite not knowing where this conversation was leading to, she knew it would be more than unwise to resist, disobey or even do something stupid.

She then adressed his question by shaking her head softly again, calmly replying "No...and I can assure you I didn't do a single thing" she answered truthfully, letting out a sigh. For what it was worth, the Jedi had potentially seen her hands and might have been able to tell that she hadn't moved them or anything...maybe there had even been some footage. Neither Haleth nor Celeste had commited an act of Force-Terrorism as they called it...but there was still the thing of the identity fraud that posed an issue.

The conversation moved on and she began to realize that the Detective was pushing hard now. Her facial expressions changed from shocked to a disbelieving frown before her mouth flapped open. "Facial...recognition?" She stammered quietly. A galaxy with trillions of people...and he was telling her she looked like the senator that had gone missing over a year ago? "There must have been a mistake". But on the inside, Celeste knew she had to act right now. Especially once he kept presenting more evidence.

She had a few plans in mind but slowly began to realize that even if she would insist on sticking to her fake identity, they might still have more arguments and evidence to present. She had no idea what the others were about to say or do, but for her the easiest solution was actually the honest one. She glared at the detective before she let out another sigh.

Rolling her shoulders, she tilted her head to the side and laid both hands back on the table, open and with nothing to hide and not even the slightest hint of hostility in her demeanor. "Okay, that explains the interview". Her voice was, however, a little worried. She had followed orders and thus sticked to her roll, but it didn't matter anymore.

Why bother keeping up the charade and arguing for ages while spinning a story. It was absolutely not an easy decision to drop the facade as it bore risks of its own if they decided to excute her for the association, but then again, what purpose did it serve to hide? All she wanted was to survive and she had not commited an act of terrorism. "Well, my story might not be easy to comprehend and matters little as I'm not a significant character in anyone's game, but what matters is that I will accept the consequences of participating in identity fraud. I have done no more against the ISC though." She stated it rather plainly by admitting the truth, however knowing that if the ISB listened, they wouldn't be so pleased about the confession.

There was actually a bitter sweet, parabolic irony in this all...she now found herself in an ISC interrogation chamber after having been back with the Empire for quite some time. The last person she had met before her fall was the president Emryc Thorne himself and he had been the last person to officially speak with the senator before everything had changed for the Champion. While the outcome of this was unclear, she was wondering how this would not only play out for herself but for the others as well, but she even refrained from reaching out with the Force and checking whether anyone was close. It was just the detective and her for now, and the cards that now openly laid on the table.

@Nefieslab

Detective C said:

The detective nodded as she spoke about it being more of a habit than anything - it made a certain amount of sense and he had very little issue with jotting down some notes as to her explanation. That she had been invited along on a honeymoon was somewhat odd to him. He knew from his own experiences that as much as he loved his best friend, he wouldn't have brought him along on his own honeymoon all those years ago.

When she asked for her lawyer, he paused in his note taking for a second.

"Mmhmm."

He didn't commit to anything initially, letting her fully ask before springing the trap he didn't even know was going to be a trap for her.

"Except according to ISC law, representation is withheld until suspected force user activity has been proven false beyond a shadow of a reasonable doubt. A law that received overwhelming support from the planet you allege to be your home planet - Naboo."

It was just more evidence that she was not who she claimed to be - she was hiding her identity and she had chosen to take the identity of a member of an ISC world. Specifically Naboo. She should know well enough that lawyers were not brought in until just before trials - at the earliest - when it came to suspected Sith and Jedi culprits.

Their mental tricks were well documented.

When the game seemed to be up, she started dropping her act as a secretary and Detective C straightened up slightly before underlining something in his notebook. Going right back to jotting down notes, he nodded to her.

"Oh no, I can assure you that the interview is fairly standard practice Miss Stythani. Fairly standard when on one of the planets responsible for medical supplies for over half the Galaxy - I suppose the folks downtown like to be extra thorough."


Detective C paused once again when she admitted to identity fraud, as though that was the only crime she had committed. He set his pen down with a small sigh and pressed the button on the underside of the table, sending a call through to the Military Police who were on guard. With the notebook and pen down, the older detective looked at Celeste very seriously.

"You haven't just admitted to identity fraud, Miss Stythani. As a representative of an Imperial planet, a body at which we are currently in open warfare against, you have admitted to espionage. Now I don't know what your actual plan was with this fake identity and credentials, we'll circle back to it later, but I do know that nobody walks into a medical facility under disguise and alias just to watch the sharks."
he admitted at length, "What I don't know, and what I want to know, is just what role the other two women with you played. Were they civilians you used your Force abilities to force to go along with your story? Or do I have to conclude that a trio of enemy agents attempted to infiltrate the most important medical facility in the ISC?"

His face softened.

"Espionage can carry the death penalty in ISC space Miss Stythani... if you're not a major player, then who is? Leniency might come your way if we can prove someone else was the mastermind of this scheme."


Celeste said:
Through slightly narrowed eyes she watched his demeanor change. While he still remained friendly, he was definitely more alerted starting at the moment in which she admitted she was who he thought she was. While she had no intention in harming him or anyone else in the building, she wasn't sure whether he knew that as well though, but she assumed he was prepared for a few scenarios.

There was no need to comment on the issue about the lawyer further, but it exemplified perfectly why she wasn't as deep in as the rest. "Well Detective, that is just another inconvenience about this whole endeavor. As you can see, no one even possessed the courtesy to fill me in completely...I'm lacking details about my own alleged persona, hence I can't blame you for unveiling the truth". She let out a little sigh as she leaned back a little, back still rather straight and her legs crossed under the table. Not that the ISB was sloppy-they were actually quite capable, but surprisingly there had been a few flaws in the plans as details had been withheld from her.

"I did no such thing as espionage though. I clearly wasn't about to report back and offer inside information to the ISB as my loyalty doesn't lie with them. I got pulled into it and wasn't offered much of a chance. You've seen the footage of Ruusan. The Empire went after me and I couldn't get away quick enough". Another sigh followed as she continued in a serious tone. "I could share more details with you, but I wasn't offered too many. I was watching the two others, not yet sure how long I'd play along, but was supposed to offer support if needed. Maybe the escalation in the bathroom was a chance for me to get out...Still, I can promise I was not the one executing the blast"

The slightest tugged at the corner of her lips as she added, "and do you really need me to elaborate? I figured your specialists might have already unveiled the truth about the others...". While she herself might not be of great interest, the other who were clearly above her in the food chain of power were. Also, if they had recognized the face of a senator that went missing that long ago, they had surely made out the Sith master which was a great problem, but Celeste's loyalty laid with herself. She had weighted her loyalty between Vahl and herself and the latter obviously won, yet she wondered whether there was a chance to get the master out as well. She still wasn't planning on throwing the other two under the bus deliberately just yet, but she herself was perhaps not the important person they needed as maybe she was just a lost senator here. There would be collateral damange, and Val as an ISB agent was definitely a spicy catch as well.

"If you don't believe me, I would love to call someone, actually. What I'm about to say might endanger my life greatly and I'm afraid that if you want more details, you'd have to grant me safety somehow. Maybe this is my own chance to escape not death alone, but the system that keeps me suppressed and silent". Her gaze still lingered on the men. He needed and wanted information, details she could offer, but they'd come with a price on both sides. She wanted to survive. She might have been in a position to help him, aid the ISC, but obviously, by trying to save herself she would risk her life in another way. It was no game she was playing, but a path she was choosing: The path of self preservation resulting from the Sith within. Maybe old friends could indeed help, but for know it seemed like they needed to define this transaction.

@Nefieslab

Detective C said:

Detective C was a man of great patience but one thing was an exception to that - it was being told her was incorrect. Specially, being told he was wrong when he was actually entirely right. Being told that Celene had not committed espionage, after just finishing explaining to her that she had committed that same crime according to the letter of ISC law, was just such a situation and it was the first time that she would see the man's smile dip into a frown.

She might very well believe that this was because of her attempts to sway the power dynamic of the conversation in her favor but she would be mistaken. He didn't take up his pen any longer and instead just continued to focus entirely on the captured woman in front of him. Spreading his hands out wider, Detective C shook his head ever so slightly with a soft sigh.

"You're tying my hands here, Miss Stythani. You imply that the other two might be VIPs but you can't give me anything? No names or ranks or even departments? You claim to have been brought here against your will but even then you can't provide even a hint as to what the plan was?"


He reached up and rubbed at his temper.

"I'm sorry Miss Stythani but according to the letter of ISC law, you have committed espionage. The fact that you were caught before you could succeed does not change that fact. And without your co-operation?"
he shook his head as the door opened and a duo of ISC specialists stepped into the room, "I'm afraid I can't in good conscience recommend they go easy on you."

He had laid it all out on the line - there was leniency for information on the masterminds of the crime. Vague insinuations that the others "weren't who they said they were" was so laughably little that even the warm-hearted Detective C couldn't find it in himself to stick his neck out for the failed-spy. Because, yes, they did need her to elaborate in order to corroborate with the information they had received from the others.

And without leniency for giving up the other two in a meaningful way, the ISC would push for their harshest sentence for wartime espionage and it would be the death penalty.

The specialists would grab her roughly by the shoulders, pulling her hands behind her to handcuff her with shock-cuffs. This was the last chance she had to give them something more before the investigation focused on putting the screws to the other two and assuming that Miss Stythani knew nothing else.

Celeste said:
She started to question whether there was even a way out of it but it seemed like the detective was immediately switching to rough and direct methods. He also started talking about leniency, but was the ISC even doing such things? Maybe it didn't matter, maybe she was too mistrusting to buy any of what he said, but if there was a slight chance she'd get out of it, she'd seize it.

Maybe...there was a silver lining after all though. It were neither the attempts of him to push her further or even threat her that brought her closer to what she was about to do, but the pure thought of a potential straw convinced her. To stick to her story and to fully commit to it, there was only one obvious choice. A strong determination flicked to light in her eyes as she glared at him, before she closed her eyes while exhaling for slightly dramatic reasons before she elaborated.

"I didn't want it to come to that just now, but it seems like this is how it is. The chance I needed. I'll talk, don't worry. However I do know that the Empire would want to have my head for that". One way or another, it seemed like someone would want her dead here, unless the ISB wouldn't get to know any of that. Well...if Val didn't make it back, chances were high, weren't they?

That was truly how far she'd go...but it was apparently necessary."I was reported missing quite some time ago, because my past caught up with me. I had no choice but to obey in order to live", her voice grew somber and her expressions serious as she continued. "I left the Empire for a reason, but they put a muzzle on me and kept me on the short leash, now even forcing me to tag along on a mission that wasn't even planned throughly" she shrugged before starting to shake her head.

"I have no personal reasons to harm the ISC, that's why you're right about one thing. I can give you names. But we are both aware of what will happen to me when this information sickers through...". As she made a little pause, she leaned forward a little, considering her options one last time bebfore she said it. "but I'm curious about the tales ISB agent Vathra told you and hope the Master Kahtal didn't get you into more trouble" and then it was just out. Names at least.

"For the latter, I can even offer a simple yet effective piece of proof in case you need it...but like I said, I don't even know how I slipped into something that big after constantly being the one that needed to be supervised. I am a senator, detective. All I wanted was to be free at some point. I tried to do what I had to in order to survive, but the more I'm considering this, the more I feel like you might even be the one to set me free". She swallowed, hard as the first began to swell in her eyes. She tried to blink them away but the eyes remained watery. "These people basically held me hostage the entire time. I have no reason for not cooperating with you...".

@Nefieslab

Detective C said:

Holding up a hand, the Detective caused the guards to pause and they took a single step back on his non-verbal command. He wanted to hear what she had to say and, this time, he was not at all disappointed. Names and information as to who they actually were - an ISB agent and a Sith Master. Caught in disguise amidst one of the ISC's most important medical facilities. It almost didn't matter that Celeste didn't seem to have known what the actual plan was because it had clearly gone awry and now they had precisely what they needed.

"An ISB agent and a Sith Master? Well now I've seen everything in my time as a detective... my word..."
he mumbled, half to himself as he stood and began to slowly pace back and forth, "I would very much appreciate that last bit of proof you have alluded to Miss Stythani - just to make sure we can put her away for a long time, all the better to keep her and her people from you, of course."

There would have to be provisions put in place to keep Celeste alive - imprisoned, certainly, but alive and out of the hands of the Empire. It would, doubtlessly, go above his pay-grade but he was certain that the ISC was in no hurry to see her dead when she had been quite so useful. Pausing in his pacing, he held up a finger as he turned back to face her.

"There's just... one more thing."


There were few things sweeter to Detective C than when all the pieces fit together - when the truth became plain for everyone to see and not just those doing their level best to keep it hostage. Letting out a soft breath of air, he nodded to the Specialists and they released Celeste before opening the door. Detective C flipped to an empty page in his notebook before passing both notebook and pen to Celeste for her to use.

"Your signed confession and confirmation of what you've just told us. Give us that? And the ISC will make sure you're kept far away from the death penalty. Depending on what we can make stick to Miss Vathra and Master Kahtal? We might even be able to stretch very far indeed to be lenient to you, Miss Stythani."


With her signed confession and summary as to the identities of the other two, the guards would once again approach but far more gently this time. They would escort her to a holding cell rather than a detention cell - both because it was nicer and because the plan would be to have her shipped off-world as quickly as possible. Keep her as far from the other two as could be managed as Detective C went to place a call to his fellow Detectives.


/End Thread
 
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