Open Hot on the Trail

[Theo Magna]

The scene of the crime, Coruscant.

Specifically the building that Emryc Thorne had been kidnapped from during a charity function. Dressed in his ISC Specialist armour, there was no missing the fact that Theo was here for the investigation. He didn't miss the hesitant looks the local police force seemed to give each other as he approached but he didn't care - he flashed them his Ranger badge and they allowed him entry. The fact that it was an ISC Ranger badge would likely need to be verified by the local PD's authorities but that would take time and he wasn't wasting time outside.

Instead he moved into the now emptied building and moved on into the bathroom that he had been abducted from.

Just the thought of it made his fist curl up in disgust and he wanted to punch something but he refrained - it was a crime scene and he might tamper with some of the evidence if he wasn't careful enough. He tapped on the comlink to command.

"I'm at the scene now." he reported, "Preparing to check the scene."

The comlink buzzed in response.

"Ranger Magna, be advised that new assets are being assigned to your investigation. Please expect their arrival shortly."

New assets?

"Copy, Command."

 

[Cyrene Nilar]

"What are you doing here, last time I checked this was new republic space, consort." A voice rang out behind the brown-haired man. she was standing behind him arms crossed

Cyrene had been asked to be involved due to her history and skill of tracking targets across multiple systems. she had seen the ISC ranger flash his badge while she was talking to a witness that was in the area. she wasn't surprised coruscant police couldn't tell difference between an NR and ISC badge but she could, she had an eye for that kind of thing.

@Nefieslab

 

[Lex Solus]

Where there was conflict, there was coin.

It was not one of his father's sayings exactly--it was one Lex had adapted himself. And it was true. For the most part.

Luckily for him, he had been working on an assignment on Coruscant when the news broke that the President of the ISC had been kidnapped. And luckily for him, the ISC works with contractors, apparently, because he'd gotten the brief less than an hour later.

And now he was arriving at the scene, decked out in full Mandalorian armor and likely scaring the shit out of some random citizens. Such is the way.

Pushing through the police line wordlessly and not stopped by the guards, he made his way over to what seemed to be commander (@Theo Magna) of this opperation just as the man was finishing a comm discussion.

"Lex Solus, reporting for duty," he declared in Basic.

@Darasuum @Nefieslab

 

[Valden Halax]

Hot on the tail of his fellow 'contractor' Valden wasted little time in introducing himself. Hidden behind his helmet, he presented a code cylinder as his identification, including his status as a member of the Bounty Hunters Guild. After all, with three-million in bounties on the kidnappers, who wouldn't be keen to get a slice of that action?

"Valden." he introduced himself in a curt manner, standing next to Lex Solus, having followed him through the police line. "You've considered that his chase might take you out of your jurisdiction yes?" he smarted, keen to access just how much these Rangers had thought this through.

He didn't trust Rangers - goody-two-shoes to the last.

"There's a bounty on the schuta who took your President, and I intend to collect. So, let's cut right to it. How much for you and your boy," he spoke to the Rangers "...to butt out, and let the Guild take it from here." Valden said bluntly, sizing the two Rangers up, and keeping his distance.

 

[Megaera]

The President of the ISC getting kidnapped was a story, so big that even a regular at the "Under a Rock" like her heard about it. Not just because of how high profile the crime was, but because of the the bounty that had gone out in its wake. Three million credits was a lot of credits, enough to keep her going for a long, long time. She would, theoretically, be set for life. No more odd jobs, no more pits in the bottom of her stomach from taking on a job she wasn't entirely comfortable with. All that could end.

So she had pulled in a few favors, which meant threatened the right people in the local police force, to get herself some credentials that would get her access to the crime scene. She wasn't here as an actual cop, she needed way more time to pull that off, but rather a private investigator working as a consultant for Coruscant PD. She was dressed to fit the role, and with the credentials on hand had no trouble getting past the cordon set up around the building.

She arrived at the scene of the crime to find a group already present, with a man in armor attempting to bribe some Rangers from the sounds of it. She suppressed a smile and pulled out another purchase she had made from her visit to the night market, an orange colored root called a carrot. The vendor claimed it was a hunter's best friend, and could be used to enthrall it's targets and lead them around on a leash. Again, she didn't really buy into it, but she had found one use for it. She stepped up behind the man and pressed the carrot against his armored back (@Nor'baal). "And how much to not shoot your insides all over your outsides? Half of your cut? All of it?"

She was sure a few of the others could see that she wasn't holding a blaster in her hand, and catching the eye of the man she assumed was in cahrge (@Nefieslab) she gave him a wink as she waited for the loud one to answer.

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex was running late. The jump from Yavin to Coruscant was not a short one. She used that time to prepare for the chaos of the investigation. Carrick had mentioned Rangers, mercenaries, and soldiers. The ISC would stop at nothing to recovery their President. She worried what that would mean. Alex bent the rules but at her heart she adhered fiercely to the Code. She would not allow wanton destruction in search of Thorne. Carrick had to have known that. Still, this was an opportunity the Order could not miss. A chance to do real good and heal the rift with the ISC. It was hard to remember the last time such an event presented itself.

As Alex hurried towards the crime scene, she felt the press on madness on her scenes. Coruscant was boiling with the kidnapping. Where in the Force was Emil? She had believed he was different, a man of action. The silence from the Senate building was deafening. Her thoughts carried her swiftly to the kidnaping site. She presented as Councilor Voran. Brown robes wooshing in her wake, armor creaking while she walked, lightsabers swing from her belt. The Jedi had no actual authority anywhere, but mysticism granted its own power. Her face recognizable and few Coruscant PD had any desire to stop a Council member. Alex walked untouched to the scene of the crime.

Of course, she found a hot mess. ISC and NR Rangers mixed with Bounty Hunters, a strange girl, and a random soldier. A hilarious mix of priorities. The Morellian Jedi was not one to sink into the drama. Already, she could feel the imprints of Thorne’s capture in the Force. The heat of the struggle, the elation of the captors. Alex sunk into the Force. Ah, that was the missing emotion…surprise. She heard the ringing of blaster fire in her ears. Her focus returned to the present.

“Two…maybe three of them took him. Somehow catching him unaware…stun bolts…almost certainly.” The words poured forth easily. “Or are we still arguing about who is in charge?”

@Nefieslab @Wit @vamp @christhebetrayer @Nor'baal

 

[Theo Magna]

Consort was a nickname he didn't much enjoy but, well kark it, he was probably going to have to endure a lot more if the tone of the ginger catwoman was anything to go by. He looked up from his datapad at her for a moment before returning to the itemized index the crime scene investigators had drawn up.

"You'll forgive me if I don't cower and back down." he responded, "My President doesn't have time for me to bicker."

The Mandalorian in full armour? Well now that was very interesting. Theo nodded to the man and greeted him in Mando'a with a nickname he had picked up for Mandos that was slightly more respectful than just 'Mando'.

"Kovid pel'gam."

Apparently it meant steel skin or strong skin - point was that it was polite for an armour-obsessed culture. He eyed the second contractor before nodding again in understanding.

"I do not accept bounties. So they'd be all yours." he assured the man before catching the eye of the woman who threatened that same contractor, "Split it three ways or decide in a trial by combat is fine by me. I'm not in it for the money."

He was doing this for Emryc.

He did, however, eye the Jedi with open hostility and suspicion. Narrowing his eyes, he wanted to force her to get the hell out of here and leave it to professionals. But the simple fact was that she had some of that weird magic Force stuff and that could be used to help find President Thorne. He ground his teeth together.

"No arguing here Jedi." he assured the Jedi bitterly, eyeing the other Ranger, "We're going to track them from here as best we can. Anyone here good at slicing? Cut into the security feed, see if we can get eyes on more than just the Captain and the Trandoshan. You all go your own ships? We're going to need to hunt them to wherever they end up. If you haven't got one, get one now while we secure enough of a lead to start looking."

@Valen Pelora @Wit @vamp @christhebetrayer @Nor'baal

 

[Yuuta Graves]

It was obvious that news of President Thorne's kidnapping had shocked Yuuta Graves. When the initial emotion receded it was quickly replaced by anger, the poison in his veins only drawn out of his heart by Marizo's gentle touch. He'd spent the next moments pacing around their humble abode's living quarters, waiting for any further information with regards to said kidnapping. When the call came from the higher-ups assigning him to the case, the dark-haired Ranger eagerly accepted the assignment and bid his lady love farewell.

"Don't do anything stupid," Marizo had reminded him, her gaze stern before softening into a warm smile as she gave him a kiss. "Be careful, mahal ko."

" 'Course I won't. And I will. Be careful, that is. S-See you later, love."

Needless to say, the jump from Lianna to Coruscant was spent with Yuuta exchanging messages with his wife – with her constantly reminding him not to push himself too much and for him to watch out for his comrades as much as he would do with them – and checking if his gear were all accounted for. He slept whenever he could, ate whatever he could, and gathered any and all information he could on the case. And then he was back to conversing with Marizo, smiling like a lovestruck fool as she talked about her daily routine while he was away and heeding every advice she sent his way.

The Ranger's face was still red from the conversation he'd had with his wife as he made his way to the scene of the crime, trying to rub the heat off of his face with one arm as he stepped into the lobby. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Yuuta reached out through the Force to better ground himself and shift his focus on the task at hand. From within the building he could sense other individuals, the snatches of emotions he could feel telling him that the assembled group must be the ones he would be working with.

Curious enough, he felt the presence of other Force-sensitives. Were there Jedi present here?

​

He swiftly made his way towards the assembled group, one hand slinging his sword bag over his shoulder. Standing before him were mercenaries, two fellow Rangers, and a Jedi. Yuuta knew that he was late to the party, catching the tail-end of the Jedi's words discussing the details about the abduction of President Thorne. The bitter tone with which his fellow ISC Ranger – Theo Magna, if he remembered correctly – almost prompted a wince out of Yuuta. He was a Force-sensitive, and while he was neither Jedi nor Sith he knew that outing himself as a Force-user (and it wasn't as if he was keeping it a secret, really) would probably earn him the same attitude from his fellow ISC Ranger.

As such, the dark-haired Ranger hung back, not involving himself from the discussion at the moment. He didn't verbally respond to Theo's question – Yuuta wasn't very good with slicing, and he had his own ship. Instead he focused on the crime scene and stepped further into the bathroom, silently wishing that he'd asked the Jedi who taught him how to wield the Force had also taught him psychometry. Would be too damn nifty to use here, if only he knew how.

His badge was out on display, hopefully to alleviate any concern about the seemingly random person who looked perpetually sleep-deprived stepping into the crime scene.

@Nefieslab @Valen Pelora @christhebetrayer @Wit @vamp @Nor'baal

 

[Pootalina]

Pootalina is approaching.​

She found the scene of the crime without much issue. She was, of course, Emryc Thorne's #1 fan so she tracked his every move.

"It seems my love disappeared after going off to the bathroom," murmured the wermal to herself as she quickly approached the building. The odd creature's thick legs brought her swiftly there, slipping past the security as she flashed a badge at them. It wasn't a real badge--well, it wasn't associated with any law enforcement agency-but it certainly was an official badge. As president of Emryc Thorne's official fanclub, she had badges produced specifically for situations like this. They read "Emergency Authorization for cases regarding Emyrc Thorne."

Pootalina arrived just in time to hear a man just a bit shorter than her ask if anyone was good at slicing. Knowing her worth, the wermal promptly joined the group and flashed her badge again.

"I have many skills regarding slicing," announced the woman loudly and proudly. Without another word she began to do whatever it took to slice into security systems. Nothing would stop her from saving her dear One True Love. Nothing.

tags: @Nefieslab @Valen Pelora @christhebetrayer @Wit @vamp @Nor'baal @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Megaera]

The Jedi's arrival, and it was obvious to her that she was a Jedi, drew Meg's attention away from the others. For a moment all she could notice was the Jedi, and whatever Jedi trick she pulled off to say what she did. It wasn't a guess, Meg was sure of that. The Force might not touch her the way it did the Jedi, but she knew with every fiber of her being that it had whispered something to the Jedi.

Psychometry.

Her mother had told her about the skill a long time ago, when warning her about the many and varied skills of the Jedi, and why she should avoid them at all costs. But now that she had seen it in action, she wasn't scared. No, what overtook her was something else. Hunger. She wanted to know how the Jedi had done that, and she wasn't know do it herself.

So lost was she in these thoughts that she missed most of what the Ranger said, it was only when a voice spoke up from behind her, that her attention was drawn back to the present. She turned around to see who had spoken, and let out a horrified scream. "Aahhh?!" The sound escaped her mouth at the same time as she tried to take a step back, but instead pushed herself into the back of the bounty hunter, as she tossed the carrot in her hand at the creature who had spoken.

"Wha..A demon! Stay back! Stay back I say!!"

@Nefieslab @Valen Pelora @christhebetrayer @Wit @vamp @Nor'baal @Forsythe Crowholde @lizziie

 

[Lex Solus]

A brief power struggle happened in front of him in the ensuing moments, which was to be expected when you threw in Syndicate scoundrels with the Sector Rangers. A Jedi arrived to "mediate" and used her magic powers to somehow see into the past. Lex scowled under his helmet and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the man saying something in Mando'a.

"Thank you, aruetii, though I doubt you understand my language," he replied, still surprised by the effort. It was nice seeing others try to learn about his culture, so long as they didn't try to meddle with it. Far too many innocent lessons had turned to artifact hunts that turned to being used as a spoil of war and promptly destroyed.

He truly didn't see the point of the Jedi hovering around getting in their way--sure she had used that power, but could that really not have been done with just a little forensics work? Still, there was no way to raise any complaints about it, so he shut his mouth. Until a new arrival came in, and his jaw dropped open.

"By the Baldness of Leandros," he cried out under his breath in Mandalorian, voice muffled by the helmet. The creature reeked though she did not seem to know it, and he could hear the thwuck of it--her?--sticky footsteps across the floor. The Mandalorian looked disgracefully at the walking health hazard, glowering from behind his mask. He wanted to tear it to pieces. Such a visceral reaction that thing had earned from him. Lex doubted he would see anything as terrible in the rest of his military career.

Rather than act on his urges, he just bounced on his heels twice and began humming a Mandalorian war song under his breath.

@Nefieslab @Valen Pelora @christhebetrayer @Wit @Wit @Nor'baal @Forsythe Crowholde @lizziie

 

[Alexandria Voran]

The room was getting uncomfortably crowded as yet another Ranger appeared. This one rang oddly in her senses. Not a Jedi, not a Sith, but trained. The tight control of the Force was unhidden and unmistakable. Maybe this one would treat her with less distain. Alex lingered on Cyrene for a moment. They had fought together on Byblos, taking Manat captive. That had to be worth something. The ISC Ranger could spit venom at her all he liked. She’d been through worse, and the simple truth was their desires were aligned. Alex was a century old, her feelings were not hurt easily.

She moved to explain she could be helpful in the security office when an odd wet sound hit her ears. Alex nearly recoiled in disgust. A hideous creature in a pink string bikini announced their arrival. Alex shook her head. That was wrong. She reminded herself the galaxy was filled with beings of all shapes and sizes. Her definition of normal did apply to the entire universe. It was wrong to disregard the creature simply because of how she looked. Still, the moisture of the thing was unnerving. It sent a chill up her spine.

The rest of the group react viscerally. Mando’a filled the room along with the young PI screeching. Alex remained tightly in control. Her voice was soft as she stepped forward. She looked directly at girl. “We should not treat someone looking to help so harshly. We are all allies.” Who knew what this ‘slicer’ was doing to the security feeds? There was no way it was helpful. “Excuse me, miss, what law enforcement agency are you with? The rest of us have introduced ourselves.” Alex reached out in the Force to feel the electricity flowing through the wires near the bikini wearer. Slowly she began to shunt power away from the terminal in hopes the creature could do no further damage. “Cyrene, maybe you could help our friend and slice in from the security room to get a read on additional cameras.” Her voice was cool and calm. No reason for anyone to freak out.

@Pootalina @Nefieslab @Wit @Forsythe Crowholde @vamp @Nor'baal @christhebetrayer

 

[Cyrene Nilar]

Ah there it was that ISC’s bravado. "Then your President certainly doesn't have time for you to be locked in a cell, you have no authority here, so play nice, or I’ll throw the book at you." she smiled at him, it was false but she had to keep the illusion civiliness. @Nefieslab

"“Your probably right about stunning him, these pirates don’t seem to be ones for subtlety" he addressed the jedi, she recognised her from Byblos she worked with to repeal the boarding party and capture a sith lord. @Valen Pelora

Great, now bounty hunters were here and the worst kind too, vultures. The ones circle a crime scene, looking for a bone to chew on. "yes, you can have the bounties, i get paid to hunt, not collect." she echoed in the same tone as the other ranger. @vamp @Nor'baal

Cyrene pinch the bridge of her nose as another person walked onto the scene, were coruscant police actual trying to do their job? “And who might you be?” he addressed the strange woman with exacerbate sigh. @Wit

But before she could answer Cyrene’s nose twitched to a scent on the air, a disgust one but it was mixed with an overwhelming scent of perfume, as if someone was tried to hide the smell, then she saw the source, the coruscant police tried to stop but were pushed back the woman’s, she presumed it was a woman, the stench allowing her to cross unopposed. She put up her mask so it could filter out the smell and save her own sense of smell. @lizziie

When Alex suggest Cyrene help this wyrmal that just walk in from the street she stared at her eye twitched "no. No. NO” that was the final straw for her. "Okay everyone, your all going to tell me who you are, why you are here, or so help the force I will have the CP come in and arrest you all for interfering with a new republic investigation, is that clear?” her voice was raised, she was done with everyone's shit and was ready to arrest the lot of them.

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Kara Zaa Fenn]

It was a fixer's job to always know what was going on on her planet. Coruscant was now her planet, so when the news of the kidnapping reached the Quick-draw Cantina and its slicer's den, the Zaa Fenn Crime Family's fixer was on the move before the first ranger could holster his service blaster and step in their little egg speeders.

As such, she had positioned herself nearby, snapping pictures of everyone that "came to investigate." Sector Rangers showed to assist the Coruscant police, much like how ranger slicers had in the past assisted in the takedown of various Five Syndicate players on the planet. Kara made sure that their faces were recognizable. Same went for those that were unmistakenly Jedi and mercenaries, both having a long history of assisting the planet against the Sith aggressors.

Kara was reminded that it hadn't been so long ago that part of the planet was bombed to oblivion. She had seen countless of memorials and posts to 'never forget' the Sith aggression that had completely obliterated the old headquarters of the Sector Rangers. With so many people living on Coruscant, no doubt the world with the most citizens per square kilometer, life was also undeniably going on. Many people walked passed the memorials, rushed between work and home and apparently didn't bother to stop a kidnapping. Kara didn't really care about this president, nor his fate, but it always helped to know the players tasked to investigate the big crimes.

Just in case they would ever come after the Zaa Fenn, or worse, after her.

 

[Theo Magna]

Theo had had enough of this already and the jurisdictional nightmare was only just beginning. So far, at least, it seemed that it was only the catwoman involved. He just raised an eyebrow at her comment about him needing to play nice. If she thought he wasn't playing nice then she was a very sheltered person - he was co-operating well.

Not his fault the local PD had their heads up their collective arses.

Of course the sheer wall of smell assaulted him with enough force that he almost missed the Mando's response. He nodded to the man even as his nose and face twisted.

There was only one person he knew who could smell like that and be this involved in the case...

"Pootalina, please your presence isn't required, honestly." he assured the president of the Emryc Thorne fan club that he was a key member of, "Oh... fine I suppose your slicing skills are top notch... might know some tricks the local PD don't."

They managed to change half of the pictures on the official wiki article of Emryc into topless fanart for at least five hours after all. Such skills turned for such a good cause too.

Of course then the local Ranger decided she'd gone too long without offending everyone not falling over themselves to defer to her.

"A New Republic investigation?" Theo repeated, turning to face Cyrene again, "I don't care who is in charge here - you can pin this medal to your chest after the President is safe. But right now the only person not actively trying to investigate is you."

He pushed past her, nodding to his fellow ISC Ranger.

"Graves - lets move to the closest spaceport to this location. Once we get some intel from this scene we can see if they left from there, get some more intel on the ship and how far it could have gotten." he glanced at Alex, "Jedi, you get any faces with your magic? Races?"

@Forsythe Crowholde @lizziie @vamp @christhebetrayer @Valen Pelora @Nor'baal @Wit

 

[Pootalina]

A stubby, three-fingered hand shot up and blocked the advancing carrot. It was deflected off to the side and rolled off into the shadowy corners of the room. The wermal stopped slicing abruptly and stood to her full height, looking down at the group with one, wide blue eye. It passed from one to another until it landed on Alexandria. Though the creature had suddenly become dangerously silent, a toothless smile flashed over her features as her circular mouth widened and her one eye managed to open even wider.

"I am Pootalina Thorne!" declared the creature as she waddled forward to clasp Alexandria's hands in her own. Her leathery, sticky skin pressed firmly down on the Morellian's as she vigorously shook the Jedi's hands. Luckily for the poor woman, Pootalina did so only for a few seconds. For anyone who would let the wermal touch them, they would be victim to the same grasping and shaking of their hands. The giant alien would then step back and clear her throat. "I am President of Emryc Thorne's OFFICIAL fanclub! It is extremely important to me that my Emy-poo is brought to safety!" It was during this introduction that a high-pitched squeal could be heard coming from behind Pootalina. It dampened in pitch until it sounded like the release of air from a pressurized enviroment, and the room was suddenly fixed with a noxious smell that could only be compared to the wet, foul muck of an algae-infested pond mixed with week-old leftovers left to rot in the trash. She did not react at all to the release of gas; in fact, she didn't even seem to hear it.

Theo then addressed her, the wermal's toothless "smile" only grew. "Top notch indeed! Indeed!" responded Pootalina cheerfully. "As you know, I am quite skilled! My blog would not be so informative if I could only access surface level information after all!"

The wermal returned to slicing. She had a look of confusion on her face, but to the humanoids it would probably appear as if she were constipated. Pootalina, whilst restarting her process, reached out into the Force and tried to push against whatever Alexandria had done to her wires. 'Nothing shall stop me! I MUST overcome for my Beloved!'

tags: @Nefieslab @Valen Pelora @christhebetrayer @Wit @vamp @Nor'baal @Forsythe Crowholde @Eccles

 

[Megaera]

Meg was no stranger to discrimination, so the Jedi's admonishment shamed her into silence. She turned her attention away from the one eyes being, and instead turned to the Jedi. She intended to apologize, and soften her up a little. There were questions she meant to ask of her. And turning away from the new arrival helped reduce the impact of her smell. Then she continued speaking, introducing herself, and Meg registered what she said.

"Wait!" She whipped around to face the once eyed slicer, Pootina as she had introduced herself. "Did you say President of the Official Emryc Thorne fan club?" She didn't wait for an answer, instead she began taking slow steps back with a haunted look on her face. "Oh no, no, no, no." She finally found a wall to block her backwards retreat and came to stop, the monologue of no's still escaping her mouth. Her thoughts went back to a few months ago, she had been going through the worst of her exile at the time, literal rock bottom. She had looked for community on the holonet, and her drunken wanderings had led her to the Emryc Thorne fan club. "No, no, no, no, no." She didn't know much about the man at the time, but she had made friends, made connections, found support. So she had donated what little she could and become a member herself. She had sent a long and impassioned letter of thanks and adoration to a member who had been particularly kind to her. Only for them to misconstrue her letter to be a profession of love, and respond with a kind yet firm refusal.

As President I cannot fraternize with members, and besides, my heart belongs to Emy-poo!

"No, no, no, no." The horror of what had happened started to dawn on her, the shame she had felt that day suddenly assaulting her afresh, now compounded a thousand times over. She dropped to the floor, and dug around in her coat till she found a candy bar and started munching on it, only for the smell to hit her and force her to gag on the mouthful.

@Nefieslab @Valen Pelora @christhebetrayer @Wit @vamp @Nor'baal @Forsythe Crowholde @lizziie @Eccles

 

[Lex Solus]

Lex was growing to regret having joined this task force, but he supposed the bounty was worth the struggle for now. He watched in silence as the Sector Ranger threatened to have them arrested, and it was only then that he broke the silence with a chuckle.

"Go ahead and try to arrest me, Ranger. Find out how a badger reacts to being treaded on." Despite the chuckle, there was no humor in his voice. The threat hung in the air for a brief moment before the wermal waddled over to the Jedi (who had funnily enough come to its defense) and shook her hand. The gears began to rotate in Lex's head.

What was it with this strange creature that seemed to be in cahoots with the Jedi? What was the stench that began emanating after their handshake? As the smell grew more and more powerful, Lex's watery eyes widened and he lifted his peacemaker and aimed two stun shots at the wermal's shapely figure with the speed of a trained marksman. Without hesitation, he'd level the blaster at the Jedi before he could be riddled with plasma.

"The wermal is clearly a Jedi weapon of war," he declared matter-of-factly, steely gaze on the Jedi from behind his helmet. "It's hard to say what effects this chemical attack will have on our bodies, but the attempt has not gone unnoticed. Explain yourself, Jedi. Why do you care for this creature so much?"

He had no more patience for games. If the Jedi moved a muscle, he was ready to stun her too.

@Nefieslab @Valen Pelora @christhebetrayer @Wit @Wit @Nor'baal @Forsythe Crowholde @lizziie

 

[Lîsabé Hanivel]

Lîsabé arrived at the crime scene with a cameraman, a male Rodian named Skebb. The police outside the building tried to stop them, but as soon as they flashed their press passes they were allowed to enter. Through the charging of some favors, the Hydian Voice was able to secure the exclusivity in covering the investigation of the kidnapping of President Thorne. As their most famous journalist, she was chosen to go there. Lîsabé was ecstatic with the opportunity, but she only wanted that her superiors had sent a less smelly cameraman.

Once inside the building, they walked to where the task force was gathered. As soon as Lîsabé approached them, the journalist was overwhelmed by one of the worst smells that she ever felt. She thought if something had died there. However, Lîsabé soon forget about the smell when she saw a Mandalorian pointing a blaster to Jedi Mater Alexandria Voran, the Chancellor's mistress, after having stunned a Wermal, that she recognized as Pootalina. "Start recording now." she whispered to Skebb. It had already started well.

"Hello, darlings! I'm Lîsabé Hanivel from the Hydian Voice! I'm here to cover the work of the task force. We have an interesting group there! I would like to know your names, please." the journalist said while waving her left hand to attract their attention. She had a fake smile in her face and a microphone in her right hand. She recognized two of them, the Jedi Mistress and Pootalina, who looked like something that crawled out from the darkness of the Maw. And smelled worse than a dead Hutt.

"Mr. Mandalorian, why are you threatening the Jedi? Is it due to something related to Chancellor Ro?" she asked to Lex, while pointing her microphone to him. Then she looked at the nauseous creature stunned in the floor "Also, dear, why did you stun the President of Emryc Thorne Official fan club? Do you think that she is behind the kidnapping of the President?"



@Nefieslab @Valen Pelora @lizziie @vamp @Wit @christhebetrayer @Nor'baal @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Yuuta Graves]

Yuuta was content with blending in the background, letting the rest of the group bicker as much as they wanted. As long as the assembled crew got the job done he wouldn't really complain. That was a lie – the dark-haired Ranger was already coming up with a list of complaints about the group's dynamic that needed to be addressed sooner rather than later. They were here to work together into solving this case and finding the kidnapped President, after all.

No use working with a machine if the cogs didn't fit, after all.

The ISC Ranger's thoughts drifted to Shan. Another quiet glance sent the group's way was more than enough for him to wish that the Tiss'Shar was here. They'd worked rather seamlessly back in Dressel, and a familiar face would work wonders on his fraying patience. Yuuta had a feeling that Shan would feel the same way he did, and the thought only served to justify the dark-haired male's lament with regards to the Tiss'Shar's absence.

At least he's spared from all these, Yuuta thought as a Wermal (@lizziie) suddenly announced their presence, claiming themselves to be the president of President Thorne's... fan club? Their arrival prompted rather... strong reactions from the Mandalorian (@vamp) and the blonde woman (@Wit). Yuuta himself wasn't spared from making one, and for a whole lot of reasons.

The Wermals he'd met before were small, but this one – all dolled up and clad in a pair of bikini, of all things – was karking massive. And having met a few in the past meant that Yuuta was somewhat used to their scent, but this one? This one seemed to find it prudent to – what? – cover up their scent by bathing in perfume. It would have probably been a nice touch but the perfume only made them smell worse.

Unconsciously, Yuuta covered the lower half of his face with the sleeve of one arm. Obviously, it didn't work.

After introducing themselves– herself, rather (Wait, Thorne? Her surname's Thorne?), Yuuta opened his mouth to offer his appreciation for her help and probably follow after Theo's advice but was effectively cut off by a high-pitched squeal coming from Miss Pootalina Thorne. The dark-haired Ranger had the mistake of taking a deep breath, and that one action alone cost him.

It cost him a lot.

He could only muster showing Theo (@Nefieslab) a "thumbs up" in response to the latter's orders about heading off to the closest spaceport before swiftly making his way to the nearest sink. Yuuta retched, and while nothing came out he still felt bad about possibly offending Miss Thorne. Making acquaintances with the sink made him miss what had transpired next though he heard the sounds of blaster fire, the blonde woman's horrified mutterings, and the Mandalorian's accusations aimed at the Jedi (@Valen Pelora). The Ranger dry-heaved again before stepping away from the sink, eyes watering.

"Dude, she's not a weapon of war!" he practically yelled at the Mando in a stangled voice. "And haven't you heard what the Jedi said earlier? She's practically asking Miss Thorne–" Maker, that was awkward to say out loud "–who she is! They don't know each other, hells' sakes!"

The arrival of the notorious Lîsabé Hanivel (@LouJoVi) made things even more complicated.Yuuta mentally groaned and wished that this day would end already when she started asking questions. He shot Theo an almost pleading look before helplessly jutting a hand towards the exit.

"Let's– Let's just go," he told his fellow ISC Ranger as he moved to step out of the bathroom. His exasperation rang clear, even more so through the Force. Then, at the rest of the group he hollered, "And don't kriffing kill each other!"

@christhebetrayer @Nor'baal