Ask Nar Shaddaa Kal and Zad, Anti-Crime Partners in: Arcane Revelations in Nar Shadaa

[Kal Zyn Dross]

Finally, a good chance to be on the front lines of the investigation into Suspect One. Or, as had been easy enough to find out already from the current area, The Arcanist. Kal had decided to dress in more fitting clothes for this area of Nar Shadaa, looking like a dime-a-dozen mercenary or smuggler with his weapons and badge hidden but within reach. The bar he was in had been the one that apparently most of the people involved in the events that night had appeared from, having a surprisingly good overlook of the street leading to where the explosions had happened and The Arcanist had made his presence known. There had also been some guards slain for what had been a spice lab in the building, though not all of the lab had been destroyed from what he could see from outside.

For now, though, Kal was waiting for his partner for this investigation to arrive. He hadn't worked with this Zad before, but that wouldn't be a problem for him. He trusted his fellow Rangers and had a feeling this man would be just as invested in finding out as much as they could from this hive of scum and villainy. He was nursing a sweet kind of milk drink that was popular around here for those trying not to get drunk, the Tiss'Sharl's sweet tooth quite pleased with the choice of drink. That alone might make it obvious for the other Ranger who at the bar was the person he was supposed to meet.

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Music IC

Spoiler

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Nar Shaddaa was as polluted as a bantha’s ballsack, or at least that’s what one drunken Duros had told one sober Human before puking his guts out upon the wall of Ban’s Ballroom, a cantina that was not quite as fancy as its name might have suggested. Zad hadn’t disagreed with the notably ill individual, though he had become a little self-aware as he stood there smoking a cigarette, just not so ashamed to forego flicking the butt onto the pavement. Somehow, the smoke he breathed in tasted sweeter than whatever poison permeated this moon.

Inside the cantina, faces were mostly ugly, or maybe the patrons were just so perturbed with their choices in life that they looked worse for wear. Or maybe I’m just looking at myself. They look just like I feel. Zad dismissed the thought and the faces as he walked about the bar, looking for one person in particular and finding him soon enough. A Tiss’shar had a way of standing out, and this one had a way of drinking milk. That was the way. For his part, Zad went the way of the whiskey.

“Howdy,” spoke one Ranger to the other, sipping from a glass of two rocks in amber. Beside his counterpart, Zad looked like somebody others may or may not want to mess with, dressed in grey with the exception of his black leather trench coat. It would take the pull of one side of the coat to reveal a badge and a pistol, just in case someone wanted to play the odds and mess with him anyway, and he wouldn’t put it past the patrons of a cantina on Nar Shaddaa.

“You must be Kal...Dress?” He couldn’t remember and he didn’t feel like checking his datapad. “I’m Zad. Zad Ruzed. Call me Zad.” Zad studied the raptor-like being for a moment, wondering if the milk was a personal take or if his species just didn’t take to alcohol.


@Insalius

 

[Kal Zyn Dross]

"Dross, but just Kal is fine. It's good to meet you, Zad." Kal gave the other Ranger a smile, then when asked about it he taps the glass of milk. "Oh, this? When working, I prefer not to drink alcohol. It slows my mind, and since that's my greatest skill, it's a bit counterproductive. Enjoy yours, though, I don't mind if you partake." He downed his glass, having finished anyway. Zad drinking would give him time to explain his ideas for the investigation, anyway. He'd already made sure no one was listening in, either from nearby patrons or electronic sources.

"So, to start off with, I was going to have us take a look at where the explosions started to see if there's any clues to find there. There's also some regulars that come here that might have some information. I was going to check the explosion site if you would be willing to interview those here, however you wish. We DO need to get into that lab, though, and get the footage from the cameras and see if anyone wants to give a statement. That might be more difficult, since if they know who we work for they could either run or try to kill us. For now, I'm willing to act the greedy bounty hunter chasing down sabers for profit. Sound good? Or do you have any concerns?"

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Music IC [Recurring]

Spoiler

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Zad was glad that his partner took no issue with drinking on the job, particularly since Rangers were on the job just about all the time, it seemed. With all this lightsword-lightshow something-stuff, Zad's overtime was on the rise, his travel expenses not entirely compensated for. I guess I should discount that one trip to Zeltros though… Comfortably, he shut up and listened and sipped his drink as Kal spoke. The guy was skip pleasure and straight down to business, which was well and good. In a place like this, Zad could do both.

“Sounds good,” he spoke while looking around the cantina at everyone and no one. “Bounty hunter makes sense. Settings like these don’t quite cater to our kind. I’m willing to bet that this joint played after hours to at least some of those lab rats, though I doubt any who weren’t blown up care to hang around here much more.”

He let whiskey scorch his throat as he made mental notes of the countenances all around. Suspicious Simon, Edgy Edward, Jerky Joe—some more subtle than others. Getting a few rats to squeak or squeal could be as easy as difficult, but there were ways of persuasion beyond badge and blaster.

“I’m cool with setting up shop in this den. You go do your thing. I can keep you on earpiece, and if I hear any funny stories then you can giggle to your heart’s content.”


@Insalius

 

[Kal Zyn Dross]

"Have you HEARD a Tiss'Sharl giggle? It's the same sound we make when getting shot in the lung and dying slowly. I'll spare you the return broadcast of that, I don't want you to lose any sleep." Kal grinned as he pat Zad on the shoulder, standing up and adjusting his clothing and gear. His badge was safely tucked away, weapons hanging from his belt as any enterprising Bounty Hunter would do. "Enjoy your drink and new friends. I'll message you if I find any cool souvenirs to take home." With that, he headed towards the door, flipping a credit chit over to the bartender to pay for his drink as he passed. The very image of a cocky bounty hunter, which was just as planned.

The first place to go was the first explosion, having been a dumpster at the entrance to the alleyway leading to the half-destroyed Spice Lab. Kal knelt down, looking at the scorch marks and chips to the metal. On his belt he had a pouch for bags of evidence, though for now he started by taking pictures of the destruction to look over more closely at his leisure. Something that he did bring those bags out for, though, was a collection of partially burnt blasting powder and some shards of the initial detonation device stuck in the wall. They were small, barely able to be seen, but perhaps he could find out more of the device and see if there were any signatures as to who made it. Perhaps he could find a supplier, track Suspect One down that way.

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Music OOC [Recurring]

Spoiler

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Come to think of it, Zad had not heard a Tiss’Shar giggle. Hopefully, he never would, as by the sounds of it he wouldn’t know whether to laugh with the guy or call him an ambulance. As Kal rose, Zad did not, comfortable in his seat and clearly not going anywhere anytime soon. Giving his partner a two-fingered salute, the Tiss’Shar bounty hunter went to go take care of business and Zad reckoned that he would have to do the same at least a couple of more drinks later.

For now, his eyes roved round the room, revisiting the same face more than once but making sure that he looked inconspicuous; just a lonely drinker taking in the sights of his fellow patrons and their own drinks. The Acqualish bartender lazily serving them, a Zeltron crossing one leg over the other to woo the Muftak on a stool, an Ugnaught falling off his own, two Gamorreans arm-wrestling, a Chevin, a couple of Rodians posted up on the other side of the cantina, sitting in the corner looking Zad’s way. Oh, hello. He looked back for as long as it took to sip his drink. They stared. Zad looked away first. And what game are you boys playing, I wonder?

“Hey, honey!” Spoke a particularly obese Human woman with golden hair that flowed and curled every which way. She looked like she had just entered the cantina from a costume party. That a wig?

“Hello, there,” Zad blinked up from his table.

The woman smiled down and twirled her curls. “My, ain’t you just a hunk o' meat! YEP-PERS!”

“I work out,” he smiled back with a not so modest shrug.

“Mmmmmhm. You look like a rough one, I’d say, with that black jacket and that fiercely beard. Bet you’re a bounty hunter! Stake my long locks on it!” She twirled a curl a little more fiercely then.

Well, come to think of it. “Wow, you can figure me out just from my jacket and beard, huh? I’ll be sure not to shave or take the coat off, even in bed.” Likely, it was his wink and not his words that had led the lady into a gradually more obnoxious fit of giggles, like she had just sucked helium out of a balloon and snorted a line all at once.

“Oh, you a bad boy, naughty naughty! YEP-PERS!”

“Yep…” He raised his glass to the two of them. “So, what if I am a bounty hunter? You got any bounties that need hunting?”

The woman shook her head, golden locks waving. “Nah, not me. If you’re lookin’ for work though, might wanna ask the Boonta Brothers. Ain't always the legalist of en-trep-en-eurs," she enunciated as though it were the proudest word in her vocabulary. ”But that don't seem to be a problem for a dangerous gunslinger like you, huh!?"

“Boonta Brothers, huh? Where might I find said siblings?”

She pursed her lips as though to kiss in a direction instead of point, and Zad followed her gaze till it landed on a corner where two Rodians sat staring at him. “I see…” He grinned, sat back and lit up a cigarette. “Thanks for the tip, doll.”

"Heh," she licked her lips and looked him up and down. "You can thank me by buyin' me a drink, good-lookin’! YEP-PERS!”

Well, Zad's own was getting low. The Rodians' bug-eyed gazes were not. Guess I better get a bottle. "Why settle for one?" One bout of giggles later and Zad waved the waiter over to set the board with a bottle of brown, glancing at his audience just long enough to see them whisper to themselves without looking away from him. Game on.


@Insalius

 

[Rynn Itera]

Nar Shaddaa was a kriffing dump, and the young Mandalorian frankly hated it. After the explosion and near death experience, he was looking to get off the planet as soon as possible. The few missions that he did have, he made sure to get done as quickly as possible, even opting to take a bit less in credits.

In his eyes, the sooner he was off this dump and back into the confines of his warm and clean ship, the sooner he could rest up and think about a certain wizard he fell fond with. He would move past the alley way that he had met that Arcanist fellow and his band from the wizard convention. The building was still in shambles, but what caught his eye was what appeared to be a bounty hunter who was lurking around the scene.

"If you're looking for one of those laser sticks, they took them with them." He'd cough, wheezing slightly as he held onto his knees.

 

[Kal Zyn Dross]

Kal had just finished storing some of the clues he had found when he heard the voice behind him. He somehow managed to suppress the urge to draw his weapon and spin on the man, who turned out to be a Mandalorian that...wait, could he have been one of the men at the alleyway that night? It sounded like he had some kind of familiarity with what had happened. And he looked pretty sick, too. "Oh, I figured. Still, you can't catch prey by skipping the hunt." Kal grinned as he stood up, turning to offer his hand to shake. He was still putting on the air of being a bounty hunter.

"Do you know something about what happened here? It sounds like it. There's at least two glowsticks involved, so if you've got anything I can use, I'm willing to send some credits your way." With a flick of the wrist, Kal brought out a couple of credit chits to rub together, making a total of two thousand credits. A fair portion of what would be a 10,000 credit reward for two sabers to the Hutt.

@Die Shize @TWD26

 

[Rynn Itera]

The Mandalorian paused for a moment as he thought about the man's questions, he'd peer towards the Bounty hunter, his helmet tilting slightly. It was a sign of honor to not interfere with another man's hunt, and he had seen something. He would sigh, as he leaned up against the wall, allowing his pained body some relief.

"Yeah, I was there," he'd cough, "I was working a job, and was walking to my ship. I ran into a Duros, wrapping his arm around this masked man..Which I came to find out is that Arcanist fellow," he'd sigh, "The man didn't want the drunk Duros anywhere around him, and when two fellows showed up behind us, some blasted up half face man and his young black haired sidekick, he was on the move. I walked for a bit with the Arcanist, heading to my ship when I had a wave of my sickness."

He'd pause, catching his breath, "I saw the man bend over, as I passed and all the sudden that wall blew out. He ran in there and started igniting blades and chopping everyone up in there. The two knuckleheads ran in there, and they ignited blades when I was in there..it seemed to be some sort of ancient feud or something, wizard nonsense if you ask me...But, it didn't last for long," he'd point towards the rubble, "The arcanist man, blew the whole thing and we were all forced to flee before anything could happen."

tag: @Die Shize @Insalius

 

[Kal Zyn Dross]

So, it sounded like Suspect One had been trying to pull off a sneak attack with the bombs, then was interrupted by drunks before he could start. What were the odds? "Well, sounds like a busy night. Trust those glowstick kids to make things chaotic. Here, thanks for the story." He tosses the credit chits to the Mandalorian, not trying to make the guy think fast or anything but trying to keep up the bounty hunter appearance. "Are you okay, by the way? That looks pretty bad. I'm sure you already have some place in mind, but I hear Obroa-skai has some good doctors and med centers, if you need to get checked out."

When he was done conversing with the Mandalorian, he would move on to the lab itself. It was still pretty messed up from having been half blown up and most of what was left being hastily taken away to avoid being stolen. With the valuables gone, there was nothing left to protect, so the place was abandoned. Kal would go over any evidence he could find, more explosive pieces and recording the layout of any fires or cuts from the lightsabers in the walls or floor. Then he saw the camera on the ceiling, meaning that there was probably more than one. And had been recording that night. The computer system was mostly scavenged completely...but not everything. The main console had enough parts, and the hard drive still connected to the oversized old casing, that with a bit of techno wizardry Kal hooked up his equipment to make the machine turn on. He still had to use his spike to start decrypting the information, but it was a start. If he was lucky, he'd get the recordings of what happened that night.

@TWD26 @Die Shize

 

[Rynn Itera]

The Mandalorian would shift his feet a bit as he thought about the man's comments. First he met Nara, and then he ran into the Arcanist and those Jedi. His people had fought them long ago, or so his Tribe Leader said they had, but he wasn't sure what to think of it. The credits being tossed his way almost caught him off guard, and the boy nearly fumbled them to the ground, "I don't need credits," he'd say with a bit of a cough, as he moved to hand them back to the other hunter, but remembered what he was taught--reluctantly he would put them into his pack before crossing his arms.

"I'll be fine, my..uh.." He tried to think about it, but it felt weird saying it, "My girlfriend is a doctor, so she helps me out with it," he'd say with a slight smile under his helmet. "Don't worry about it," he'd turn to head towards his ship, pausing as he looked back. "If you're going after that guy..be careful, he doesn't mess around." And with that he would turn the corner, and out of the vision of the hunter.

tag: @Die Shize @Insalius

 

[Kal Zyn Dross]

Aha, that was it. The spike's work finished, allowing Kal to download the rest of the information and decrypt it. Already making a backup, the Ranger queued up the recordings from that day. What he saw was...interesting. Suspect One, saying he was some kind of ultimate form of the Jedi...Yet another one of their number leapt up to fight him. If they had truly been together, there wouldn't have been any strife between them. The situation was confusing, yet he felt that they had just received a good clue as to what had happened. He triggered on his commlink, to tell Zad what he had found.

"Hey partner, I found some interesting holovids for us to watch back home. I know you were hoping for some comedy, but these action flicks seem pretty interesting. I'm on my way back, just let me know if you found anything good from any new friends, you know how I like a good story." With that, and all his collected evidence, Kal took his electronics and made his way back. On the way he made sure to send a copy of everything to Ranger Aran to look over, copying in the Chief as instructed. He'd analyze it better later, but he hoped he had helped the investigation, along with Zad.

/Endthread