Sarnai Sunstrider took a gentle sip of Spiran caf as she sat in the passenger seat of a Coruscant Security Force airspeeder. Normally she would drive herself to crime scenes, but her speeder bike was in the shop receiving routine maintenance. It worked out well for her, however, as it gave her time to wake up and drink something before the night shift began. Sarnai worked the day shift, but many of the local detectives in her precinct were coming down with illnesses recently. Such short staffed situations inevitably forced everyone else to work later and longer. Of course, Sarnai was no exception.
"You feel me?"
"Mhm."
"Exactly! Those bastards just don't understand how hard we work. Honestly we deserve a raise. I'm gonna ask again, those cheapskates can cough over a few more credits for all this nonsense, I mean-"
Sarnai wasn't listening. Her driver, a lovely human named Dak Brast, simply didn't understand when to shut up. But his droning complaints weren't so bothersome that Sarnai felt the need to purposefully drive a wedge in their relationship. She found that simply letting people air their grievances was more than enough to get on her subordinates good sides. Patting her man on the shoulder, Sarnai remarked.
"Make sure you don your helm once more before we set the vessel down. I would be filled with regret if my next mission would be to deliver most unfortunate news to your wife and young boy."
"Ah, yes ma'am. We are almost there too, let me set us down."
A shudder shook the old air speeder as it settled on the ground; it's cockpit glass pulling back with a sharp hiss. Effortlessly, Sarnai leapt out of the vehicle and landed on the cold durasteel below. Her overcoat fluttered briefly in the wind as the red headed woman scanned the scene laid out before her. A body. Half dozen cops. Crime scene tape everywhere. A standard scene for Sarnai and a spectacle for the locals gathered around. Striding over towards the body, a local officer snapped to attention and saluted her. Waving him down, she kneeled beside the body.
A short, balding man made his way through the yellow tape and, after receiving a similar salute, waved the officer down as well. His tone was stressed and annoyed, but not angry as his words might suggest.
"Sunstrider! We have been waiting nearly an hour here for you, what's been the hold up?"
"My apologies Lieutenant, my speeder is in the shop."
"Oh, yes, of course. Thank you for coming. How soon will you be able to tell, uh, or rather. You know, do that thing you do?"
Sarnai had reached the rank of detective in the Coruscant Security Force relatively quickly, in fact, she was one of the fastest promotions in Coruscant history once news of her unique ability reached the higher ups. It was still barely understood by those around her, and great effort had been made on Sarnai's part to convince her peers that she was no Jedi, nor a Sith. Sarnai was a Kiffar, and among her species a rare ability persisted through their Force Sensitives. Psychometry, or seeing the history of objects through the Force. She possessed this ability, and in instances like this, it proved invaluable.
"If you would be so kind, inform me as to the information we have acquired so far, Lieutenant?"
"Oh, uh, yes." The man wiped his brow once more. A blood sugar issue, Sarnai thought, he should get that checked out. "We don't have a lot, sadly. We think someone got to the body before us and stole his ID. Or it was a robbery gone wrong. We know he wasn't killed here in the street though, someone in a nearby alley shot him and he drug himself out here before bleeding out. The local Jogan fruit stand across the street says he saw what happened, but doesn't remember what the killer looked like or what he was wearing. No snitching I suppose, damn these locals. How are we supposed to keep them safe when they don't work with us?"
"Do not allow it to upset your constitution, Lieutenant, we do our work because it is right. The greatest of achievements are often thankless efforts in the galaxy, after all."
Sarnai's voice and tone were distant as she reassured her peer. Her eyes were focused on the corpse before her. It was an older Devaronian, missing a horn on his left temple and more than a few teeth out of his mouth. His clothes weren't particularly fancy, but nor were they rags. An average Coruscanti citizen by all accounts. Reaching out, she gently touched the hem of his coat and focused through the Force.
She saw struggling. Two men shouting. Suddenly, BAM! She could tell what the other was wearing, but not what he looked like. Brushing her hands on her coat and standing up, she shook her head.
"Not enough info on the body, we need something else from him. Check the alleyway again, there must be something better connected to, ah, the scene-"
Sarnai's voice trailed off as she spoke, looking down the cornered off alleyway. She couldn't see anyone down there, but she felt a presence. Someone was down there, she was sure of it.
"You feel me?"
"Mhm."
"Exactly! Those bastards just don't understand how hard we work. Honestly we deserve a raise. I'm gonna ask again, those cheapskates can cough over a few more credits for all this nonsense, I mean-"
Sarnai wasn't listening. Her driver, a lovely human named Dak Brast, simply didn't understand when to shut up. But his droning complaints weren't so bothersome that Sarnai felt the need to purposefully drive a wedge in their relationship. She found that simply letting people air their grievances was more than enough to get on her subordinates good sides. Patting her man on the shoulder, Sarnai remarked.
"Make sure you don your helm once more before we set the vessel down. I would be filled with regret if my next mission would be to deliver most unfortunate news to your wife and young boy."
"Ah, yes ma'am. We are almost there too, let me set us down."
A shudder shook the old air speeder as it settled on the ground; it's cockpit glass pulling back with a sharp hiss. Effortlessly, Sarnai leapt out of the vehicle and landed on the cold durasteel below. Her overcoat fluttered briefly in the wind as the red headed woman scanned the scene laid out before her. A body. Half dozen cops. Crime scene tape everywhere. A standard scene for Sarnai and a spectacle for the locals gathered around. Striding over towards the body, a local officer snapped to attention and saluted her. Waving him down, she kneeled beside the body.
A short, balding man made his way through the yellow tape and, after receiving a similar salute, waved the officer down as well. His tone was stressed and annoyed, but not angry as his words might suggest.
"Sunstrider! We have been waiting nearly an hour here for you, what's been the hold up?"
"My apologies Lieutenant, my speeder is in the shop."
"Oh, yes, of course. Thank you for coming. How soon will you be able to tell, uh, or rather. You know, do that thing you do?"
Sarnai had reached the rank of detective in the Coruscant Security Force relatively quickly, in fact, she was one of the fastest promotions in Coruscant history once news of her unique ability reached the higher ups. It was still barely understood by those around her, and great effort had been made on Sarnai's part to convince her peers that she was no Jedi, nor a Sith. Sarnai was a Kiffar, and among her species a rare ability persisted through their Force Sensitives. Psychometry, or seeing the history of objects through the Force. She possessed this ability, and in instances like this, it proved invaluable.
"If you would be so kind, inform me as to the information we have acquired so far, Lieutenant?"
"Oh, uh, yes." The man wiped his brow once more. A blood sugar issue, Sarnai thought, he should get that checked out. "We don't have a lot, sadly. We think someone got to the body before us and stole his ID. Or it was a robbery gone wrong. We know he wasn't killed here in the street though, someone in a nearby alley shot him and he drug himself out here before bleeding out. The local Jogan fruit stand across the street says he saw what happened, but doesn't remember what the killer looked like or what he was wearing. No snitching I suppose, damn these locals. How are we supposed to keep them safe when they don't work with us?"
"Do not allow it to upset your constitution, Lieutenant, we do our work because it is right. The greatest of achievements are often thankless efforts in the galaxy, after all."
Sarnai's voice and tone were distant as she reassured her peer. Her eyes were focused on the corpse before her. It was an older Devaronian, missing a horn on his left temple and more than a few teeth out of his mouth. His clothes weren't particularly fancy, but nor were they rags. An average Coruscanti citizen by all accounts. Reaching out, she gently touched the hem of his coat and focused through the Force.
She saw struggling. Two men shouting. Suddenly, BAM! She could tell what the other was wearing, but not what he looked like. Brushing her hands on her coat and standing up, she shook her head.
"Not enough info on the body, we need something else from him. Check the alleyway again, there must be something better connected to, ah, the scene-"
Sarnai's voice trailed off as she spoke, looking down the cornered off alleyway. She couldn't see anyone down there, but she felt a presence. Someone was down there, she was sure of it.
