Ask Coruscant Hit the Ground Running

Nick Shaw

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Nick sat at the small desk in the corner of the open room. The bullpen was littered with the desk of Sector Rangers who came and went from the area. Tonight, he was alone. He liked it that way, the quiet made it easier to think.

He had run all over the Galaxy the last two weeks, and he didnt feel any much closer to locating the girl, but he was sure her capture would give them the key to crack the murders. He looked over his notes, there was nothing left to do but wait on the information from some informants he had paid off back on Nar Shaddaa. He hoped he didn't get fleeced at this point, he needed a break.

Nick looked up and spotted his wounded partner. He had stopped in several times of the last two weeks but she had been sleeping each time. There was a part of him that was glad, he had no idea what he would have said. "I know the Doctor's didn't clear you back for duty." he said in a disapproving tone. "You should go home and rest, Trys." he said turning back to his paperwork. He knew that was going to be an impossible battle to win, but the attempt was necessary.

It was then that his datapad buzzed, indicating a new message. He gave a sigh of relief as he looked down to begin reading the message.
 

Trys Aran

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Trys hated being out of commission. She was still in recovery technically, but she was mobile now. She wouldn’t be jumping across buildings or anything anytime soon, but she certainly could work. Trys barely got a hello out before Nick blurted about her needing rest. She scowled at him, walking over to practically slam down the caf she had picked up for them both in front of him, “Happy to see you too, ass,” Trys couldn’t help but grin.

“I see you’ve made zero progress on the girl,” She looked around on the desk, seeing similar papers and drawings from when she last looked. Trys took a sip from her caf, eyeing him as he looked down at his buzzing datapad. She had pulled up her own to sort through the notes she last collected.

“I’m worried she’s not even on Coruscant anymore,” It was a sinking feeling. Trys couldn’t help but recall all those girls she saw in Vargo the Hutt’s slave ring. Best case scenario at this point was that she was dead, worst case was that she had been trafficked.
 

Nick Shaw

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She walked over and set down a caf. It was good to hear her crack a comment. He leaned back in his chair and grinned as well, taking up the coffee. He took a sip from the cup. "Damn, that's good." he said remarking at caf, in reality, as sleep-deprived as he had been in the last weeks, any caffeine was the best.

"And do all of your work for you? Not a chance." he said motioning for her to sit down as he turned to finish reading the report he had just received. He took another sip of coffee and nodded his head after she spoke. "You are correct about that." he said pulling up a picture of an overweight balding politician by the name Renald Quay. He matched the description of the man both of them had been given on the day of Try's accident.

"I believe she is with this man, the man who had been the last one to see our murder victim alive." he said as he slid the datapad over to her. "So do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?" he asked as he leaned back in his chair.
 

Trys Aran

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“Quay?” Trys said, groaning, “Damn, I was hoping it wouldn’t be him,” She plopped down in the seat across from him, “He’s a powerful man with a ton of influence and ties,” Trys ran her fingers through her hair, thinking about how much more complicated this would get if it involved a man that could simply use credits to make a problem ‘go away’.

“He’s going to be near untouchable...tibanna tycoons usually are,” Trys explained, wondering about how the case was as good as cold. That was when he asked if she wanted good news or bad news, and she grimaced, “The culprit potentially being Quay isn’t already bad enough news?” She sighed, “All right, hit me with the bad first..”
 

Nick Shaw

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He leaned forward in his seat. She knew how difficult, if not downright impossible, it was going to be. The Sector Rangers had limited resources and relied largely on the goodwill of the FWA for any sort of authority. A little pressure from someone with enough credits could make this disappear quickly.

"So I have tracked down Quay, and I am pretty sure the girl. They were both seen in one of the Hutt Palaces on Nar Shaddaa a week ago," he said bringing up a picture of both of them. Quay stood in front, talking to a group of other tycoons of various sorts and there was there missing girl standing behind him, eyes glazed over in a drug-induced haze. "From there I am pretty sure they were heading to Naboo." he continued. "The bad news is, any evidence I have, and I have enough to make him go away, was obtained..." he paused looking up at her "..In less than reputable ways." he said with a bit of scowl.

"So we have two options." he said. "We can go now, sneak in and get the girl out without getting caught. Hopefully, she is coherent enough to give us enough information we need for proof. Or we could continue digging for evidence and make sure we have an airtight case before moving." he said.

"I think where they were heading to some sort of meeting between underground slave traders. From what I understand each person has to bring a slave from them to exchange with one another...some sort of sick ritual." he said finally sitting back in his chair.

It was her case, and her call but he felt pretty strongly about saving the girl first and putting Quay away second, but there was a lot at stake here.
 

Trys Aran

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Trys listened to his explanation, more than a little impressed that he had uncovered so much. She didn’t mention anything about the fact that she knew he had come to visit her at the hospital on various occasions in between all of that.

“We get the girl,” Trys said without hesitation barely after he finished. She was still reeling from the memories on Nar Shaddaa and the conditions she saw the girls in there. Trys had no intention of letting the young girl suffer any longer than she had to. She took a gulp of caf, “I guess we head out to Naboo.”

Trys rose up and paused, scowling as she turned to look at Nick, “Wait, am I going to have to pretend to be a slave?” She had played this role before, and it ended with her being drugged. If one of them had to play a slave, it was going to be him this time - there was plenty of demand for men in the market as well, after all.
 

Nick Shaw

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He figured she would be on board but still breathed a small sigh of relief when she agreed. He noticed that she seemed distracted, whether that was from the case or her brush with death he didn't know. He still thought it was a better idea if she stayed but he knew that was going to be a losing battle.

He downed the rest of the liquid and placed the empty cup on his desk, joining the handful of other empty coffee cups. Nick wasn't known for keeping the cleanest desks and he had spent more time here than he cared to admit recently. "Never been to Naboo before." he said as he stood as well "Heard its nice ." he said with a grin.

As they started to walk out, she stopped and turned towards him. He starred at her for a second. "Here." he said pulling out a coin. "Heads ill be the slave, and tails you be the slave." he said before flipping the coin in the air. He caught it a second later and slammed it on his arm. He lifted his hand to find it was heads up. He cursed under his breath for a moment as he looked back at Trys. "Fine." he said as he continued to walk out in a bit of a huff.

"I was already planning on heading out to Naboo, so the transport is all set up." he said as they started to make their way towards the spaceport.
 

Trys Aran

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Trys rolled her eyes, “It would’ve been you even if you got tails,” She admitted, “I ain’t playing that role again,” She blurted out. Trys gave him a glance that said ‘a story for another time’. She was still annoyed with Talak for allowing her to be drugged, and she had no intention of being in that vulnerable of a position again.

She joined him in heading to the spaceport, following him to his ship. She made a mental note of getting one for herself, always relying on crappy public transports that were always late. Trys thought about their upcoming journey to Naboo, “It’s beautiful there,” She said after a moment, “A nice break away from the concrete jungle here.”

---​

The journey was mostly uneventful, and they worked on pinning down the exact location of the meeting point. The bigger question was what Nick was going to be wearing as his slave get up. She also had to be convincing as the slaver, which would need work to sell it as she was smaller than Nick was.

The ship had landed in Theed and she grabbed her things. This time, she actually packed a lethal blaster. Time and time again she realized that a stun blaster only got her so far - most of her enemies were smartening up about the kind of armor they had.

“So,” She said as she began to walk down the exit ramp, “How did you get all the shady intel?”
 

Nick Shaw

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There was obviously a story there, but he let it go and they made their way to his ship and set off.

It was a quiet trip to Naboo, Nick had envisioned continuing to work on his cases while on the way but passed out pretty quickly, the last weeks of almost no sleep starting to catch up to him in a bad way. He woke up in enough time to ready the slave outfit he had been provided.

It didn't take long becuase there wasn't that much to it. Simple pants, a slave collar, and two metal bands that went around his wrists. He stepped out with a frown. They hadn't even provided him with shoes. He directed his scowl towards Trys as they met up and started making their way outside. "I think I liked it better when you were unconscious in a hospital bed." he said as the exit ramp opened.

He was glad to get out of the cold ship and into the warm Naboo sunlight. "Found some friend in low places and one thing just led to another. Things got...messy." he said, keeping his voice down as he looked down at the ground. He had gone undercover before on assignments but this would be the first time doing anything like that this.

"The meeting is supposed to take place in a large manor outside the city, we will need some type of speeder to get out there." he continued speaking quietly. "From there we will need to find a way to get inside, whether that's talking our way in or just sneaking in.
 

Trys Aran

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Trys simply grinned at his comment about her remaining in the hospital. She responded by tugging on the chain attached to his wrist binds. His commentary about friends in low places was striking - Nick didn’t seem the type to have any shady connections. In fact, Trys had been the one with the bad reputation because of her background and her networking circle.

She eyed his attire for a moment, shaking her head, “Such crap,” She muttered, “When I had to dress as a slave it was barely a step above a bikini, yours could pass as a regular outfit,” Oh yes, she was very much salty about that absurd attire.

“My buddy Duke hooked us up with a speeder,” She explained, having contacted him before they arrived here. It was handy to have him living on Naboo now, and his connections at the local station offered up a lot more resources.

They made their way over to said speeder and she hopped in. Trys looked through the datapad and popped in the approximate location before she began to drive, “I’m thinking I go in and trade you in to get you on the inside. After that you can probably find Lena,” She wasn’t convinced about the plan, and it was obvious, “The problem is that she might recognize me and blow our covers. I can't imagine she'll be thrilled to see me after I let her be captured."
 

Nick Shaw

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He stumbled forward a bit before catching himself. Nick let out an agitated noise that was close to a growl. "I'll be sure to voice your complaint at the next slave union meeting." he mumbled.

They quickly found their speeder she had arranged for and were off, heading deep into the countryside. He relaxed a bit when they were out of the city, sure no one would have eyes on them until they reached the manor. He clearly wasn't sold on the plan either. "Yeah, and what happens if this person your trade me too decides to just up and leave?" he asked, clearly concerned but for a different reason than hers.

"Everyone has to trade a slave, try and trade me for Lena. Do whatever you have to do to keep her quiet if she decides to cause a scene, I don't think she will though." he said looking out over the rolling hills. A flash of possible outcomes raced across his mind, he really didn't want to end up some slave if this all went south.

"If you can't do that, we will have to improvise I guess." he said. "But if this is going to work you have to look more...I don't know menacing, like a slaver' he said gesturing towards her face.

It wasn't long before that they were arriving at the manor. As they approached, Nick did his best to let the emotion drain from his face. He continued to look down as they pulled towards a valet who would take their speeder and they would be ushered inside.
 

Trys Aran

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Trys quirked an eyebrow, “No offense, but I doubt they’d trade Lena for you,” She looked Nick up and down and had to bite back from the grin that threatened to creep across her face. She felt bad for making light of the situation, but it was either that or letting it get the best of her.

When he mentioned looking more like a slaver, Trys sighed, privately agreeing. She had a more recognizable face now since being on holonet, and she hoped that could be mitigated with a wig she brought. Trys reached for the back of the speeder and pulled out a spikey hairdo wig that was bright green. She popped it on her head and looked absolutely ridiculous.

Next, she took her jacket off, which she never did around other Rangers. This revealed her full sleeve tattoos on both arms. She tilted her head to look over at Nick, “How about now?” She pulled up in front of the manor, letting the valet take the speeder away.

Trys got out of the speeder and grasped a hold of the chains, easing into the role. Her expression was cold, and she looked disgusted at the sight of her ‘slave’. Trys walked towards the double doors, coming across two guards.

“I’m here for the party,” She said, “He ain’t look like much, but is actually a prize fighter from the outer rim. Can make a lot of money in the ring,” The guards looked Nick up and down, debating whether they were convinced or not.

By then, other slavers began to show up and they would cause a line. The guards grumbled and simply opened the door, letting everyone through. Trys walked inside, taking in sight of a long corridor and marble floors. She could see a few people milling about here and there. It was an actual party before the trading began.

“Do you see here anywhere?” Trys muttered under her breath.
 

Nick Shaw

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"Ouch." he responded half-heartedly to her comment as his worth as a slave. He continued to watch as put on a pretty ridiculous wig and revealed two full sleeve tattoos. She definitely looked different, and tougher, and more ridiculous. He chuckled. "Wow. Just...wow." he said as they arrived.

As they walked inside, Nick continued to look down, shuffling with what he hoped was the look of a passable slave. Before they got too far in and he could respond to Trys, a greasy looking, thin man approached with a slave of his own. "Did I hear you say, you have brought a prized cage fighter?" he said looking over Nick like one who was sizing up a hunk of meat to purchase.

"I don't recognize him." he said scratching at his chin. "and if I don't recognize him, I doubt anyone else will either." he said looking back to Trys with beady eyes.

"I am searching for the best fighter possible to bring back to my employer." he said. "Care for a small wager?" he said "10,000 credits for a fight against our two fighters here. If your man wins, I'll pay triple what anyone else here will pay." he said as he rubbed two sweaty hands together.
 

Trys Aran

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Trys grimaced at the man that approached, “What, you think I’m gonna let you rough up the merchandise?” However, the man did have a good point about a fighter that had no merit. Trys chewed on her lip for a moment, watching as the man uttered some choice words about her loss before he turned to leave.

“Actually wait,” She said, giving Nick a quick apologetic look before turning back to the slaver, “I ain’t after credits, but if you can score me that girl,” Trys pointed to where she could make out Lena in the distance in the crowd. She looked terrified and Trys could make out some bruises on her even from here, “Then you’re on.”

The slaver followed her line of sight and grimaced, “Tall order…” He grumbled, “Especially for him,” He looked back at Nick, “But I can make it happen if he can beat my guys,” The slaver looked at Trys with a grin, “And if he loses, you spend a night with me and I keep your man anyway,” He flashed her a toothy grin.

Trys had to hold back the urge to vomit. If this was the best deal she was going to get, so be it. If Nick kriffed this up, she’d need to have an escape plan for them both. She extended her hand to shake the man’s to strike the deal.
 

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The deal was struck. A lot hinged on this fight, and while he had experienced his fair share of scuffles out in the field, he was no cage fighter.

The group was led down to basement level room that seemed to have been designed for such a purpose as this fight. There was a small cage ring in the middle of the room. Dried blood was smeared across the floor. Nick took in a few short breaths. The other slaver was going to waste no time in wrapping up their arrangement.

Nick stretched for a moment before being pushed into the ring. The floor was tacky under his bare feet which made him think of the probable countless slaves that had been beaten senseless or killed here previously.

The slaver sat next to Trys, an almost knowing grin on his face. "Lets make this interesting." he said pulling out a data pad and hitting a button. The fence of the ring electrified. Other slavers and their property were drawn towards the ring and small crowd gathered.

Nick felt the electricity in the air, and heard the crackling hum of the metal ring around them. Without any further fanfare, the fight began as his opponent took a step closer to him. The man was clearly more muscular than Nick, built like a fighter. He would just have to rely on his training and experience fighting in the streets to get him through this.

His opponent closed the gap and tried for a punch that would have likely knocked Nick out in a single blow but it was slow. Nick dodged out of the way. Nick also sidestepped the second blow that came before ducking in and delivering an uppercut to the man's jaw. His head snapped back as he stumbled backward several steps before recovering.
 

Trys Aran

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Trys felt extremely uncomfortable about this whole situation. By the time the slaver came down to sit next to her, she had already chewed off a layer of dead skin from her thumb. Anxiety was clear on her face, and she quickly had to look calm when he was next to her. She watched as the electric perimeters went up with a grimace.

“This wasn’t part of the deal…” She muttered, but the crowds around them were eating it up and the slaver wouldn’t change it. Trys watched Nick’s opponent come out and she had a sinking feeling about the fight, “Come on Shaw…” She muttered quietly her knuckles turning white from clutching onto her knees. Trys didn’t know what she would do if he were knocked out cold in a matter of minutes.

To her surprise, he effortlessly dodged the lumbering opponent’s attempts, landing the first hit. Trys lit up, smiling widely as the slaver next to her leaned forward to watch more closely. He had been in the middle of telling her all the things he was going to her, but the uppercut promptly distracted him.

The fighter wiped off his mouth and growled in frustration, circling around Nick. It was clear he was angry, and he charged directly at Nick once more shoulder first to barrel into him. However, last moment he tried to change trajectory to try and sneak a punch to NIck’s gut with the other fist.
 

Nick Shaw

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Nick remained serious, not letting himself be drawn in by the crowd. He held his hands up to defend himself but his opponent let out a snarl and charged at him.

Not wanting to let the larger man simply run him over, he moved to get out of the way but as he moved the man pivoted with speed he hadn't shown before. Nick walked right into the attack, unable to defend against the blow.

He buckled over in pain, most of the air in his lungs pushed out. He stumbled backward and luckily the man didn't press him too hard, clearly looking to let the fight drag on.

The next minute or so was a back and forth exchange of blows. Nick didn't have the stamina of the more conditioned fighter. He wouldn't be able to keep up for long, he needed to end the fight quickly.
 

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The slaver grinned as his man landed a hit and Trys groaned in frustration, “Finish it damn it!” She shouted out, getting into the fight as the audience member now. Trys completely forgot they were undercover or supposed to be Rangers - she was suddenly just like anyone else watching this throwdown. Blood was rushing and there was a sense of exhilaration and energy watching all this.

She ignored all the commentary from the slaver, focusing on Nick and cheering him on. Part of it came from wanting to see him succeed, but most of it was out of fear of the consequences if he didn’t. He needed to down him at once or risk both their fates.

Trys looked around and she could spot the man from earlier that had Lena with him. Lena looked absolutely terrified, and she had binds on her arms. She hadn’t looked over at Trys yet, and Trys ducked slightly out of sight. If Lena saw her now, Trys worried the girl would cause a scene and they’d lose their chance.

Meanwhile, the fighter was also getting tired, but he was determined to put up a front. With a grunt, he took another swing at Nick’s face, though this one was slower than his previous punches. He put his body weight behind it, however, so if this one landed it would floor Nick.
 

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Nick was breathing heavily, bruises starting to form in several spots around his body. The other fighter wasn't doing much better but likely still had more gas in the tank than Nick did.

Nick managed to slip away from the punch that would have likely marked the end of the fight if it had landed. He then sprung forward and swung with a left hook, catching the man on the jaw. His opponent's eyes lost their focus for a second, and Nick pressed in, hoping to end the fight.

He pulled the man into a knee to the stomach and then swung and connected another punch to man's face. His opponent rocked backward but didn't fall. The last attacks had taken a lot of Nick and it was beginning to be hard to even hold his arms up.

He took in long breaths, taking a step back to try and catch his breath.
 

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Trys actually looked away when Nick’s opponent began to pull back for the swing. The slaver started to snake his arm around her waist. However, there was a huge chorus of surprised reactions, and Trys looked up to see what happened. She saw Nick still standing there, his opponent flat on the ground. Trys could only stare for a moment, harshly elbowing the slaver next to her in the ribs.

She pushed the slaver to turn off all the perimeters, the crowd clapping and cheering. Nick was suddenly surrounded by people that wanted to buy him, and Trys had to remember she was technically his ‘owner’. She shoved others out of the way, pushing and making her way towards him. Trys grasped a hold of his wrist and yanked him back through the crowd, taking him off to the side.

“Holy shit!” She said with her eyes wide and looking at all the bruises he had on him, “I….I had no idea you fought,” Trys felt guilty for having put him through that, running a hand through her green hair, “We would’ve been so kriffed if I played the slave,” She added quietly and with a smile.

Trys looked up at the slaver from earlier who looked grumpy. However, he appeared to be true to his word and walked over to talk to the man that had Lena. She knew he would have to do quite a bit of smooth talking to get him to release her.

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” She asked, bringing over a bottle of water for him. His style was not what she had learned at the academy, and it looked almost...thuggish. He actually looked like a fighter in the rings.
 
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