Ask Dromund Kaas Muddy Mayhem

[Cheriss Ktrame]

At first glance, Kaas City was a magnificent one. Polished, crystalline skyscrapers grazed the clouds, and the colored lights of the nighttime skyline made the city feel as lively as any other. Ships and speeders buzzed through the streets as groups of pedestrians made their way down the sidewalk, the center of the bustling nightlife of Dromund Kaas.

But things were, as always, not quite what they seemed.

An imperial shuttle rested on a landing pad between the two worlds, the untamed swamp and the city. Cheriss and her partner were here today to investigate and eliminate, in one way or another, the threat of a killer, who had already struck multiple times in Kaas City and leaving behind nothing but the grisly remains of their victims. Both knew the risks, but both were determined to get this done.

“The last known sighting was around here. This should be a good place to start, if we want to find them. Or, if we want to stage a trap,” Cheriss said, looking down at her datapad outside the ship before turning to Verse. “What do you think?”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Verse Tillo]

Verse crossed her arms over her chest, staring at a point on the horizon. "I think," she said, "that a trap would be in order. Maybe give the killer a taste of their own medicine?" she said calmly, as if they weren't discussing a brutal serial killer and how to stop them.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Cheriss nodded at Verse’s response. It had been what she was thinking too, and she was glad that the other champion was on the same page. She raised her brow at her next suggestion, though.

“I doubt that would make the citizens feel much better about us, if we used their methods,” she said pointedly. Then she shrugged. It didn’t matter how the eliminated the killer, so long as they did it. “Although we have to find a way to catch them first.” Cheriss looked down at her datapad again, scrolling through the images and files of those who had been the unfortunate victims of the killer.

“It looks like they’ve primarily been targeting citizens in the lower district.” She scrolled a bit more. “No preference of sex or species. But it looks like…” She frowned. “These victims were all seen at this local diner— Bulro’s— at some point before they were murdered. Seems like a pretty popular spot, too.” She put the device back in her pocket.

“We could go there and ask around, see what the locals know. It might give us a clue.”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Verse Tillo]

Verse shrugged. "Bultro's it is, then," she replied. It sounded like a good place to start, and she wondered if the victims had been chosen from that diner for a reason, or if it was just luck. "Would it be possible to see the places where the bodies were found?" she asked, as they started to walk in that direction.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Cheriss gave Verse a nod and began heading in the direction of the diner. As she did, she couldn’t help but wonder what the motivations of the killer were. There were so many possibilities as to whom it could have been, yet she couldn’t figure out what would drive someone to kill with seemingly no motive. Perhaps the answer would be revealed in time.

To Verse’s question, she tilted her head in thought. “That could help,” she said, coming to a stop where she was. “Quite a bit, actually. How about this— why don’t we split up? I can see what I can find out in the diner, and you look over the crime scenes? It’d be more efficient that way.”

The other champion had a good point, and it could help to determine if there were any patterns at all where the crimes took place. While Verse would investigate those, Cheriss could get whatever information she could out of the locals, and hopefully they would get better of a lead.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Verse Tillo]

Verse nodded. "Splitting up sounds good," she said. "Be ready to come across the killer; they might know we are here and they will definitely put up a fight." She continued, pausing. "Where were the locations of the murders?" she pulled out her own datapad. "Send them to me," she said.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

“Of course. We’ll have to be prepared for anything,” Cheriss agreed as she sent over the locations from her datapad. She was surprised that the other champion didn’t have them already from the mission briefing, but it didn’t hurt to send them over now. Once she did, she put her device back in her pocket and gave her partner a nod.

“I’ll meet you back here once we’re done, then. If there’s trouble, we’ll let each other know,” she said, tapping on her comm. With that, she turned around and headed in the direction of the cantina, keeping her Force signature hidden as usual. The killer had chosen their victims from this place for a reason, and if they were possibly there, she didn’t want them knowing that Sith were on their tail.

The doors to the cantina slid open with a hiss, and she stepped inside, looking around the room before making her way over to the bar in the center. As expected, the place wasn’t packed, and there were only two other beings in here with her. And that was including the bartender.

“Drink?” The twi-lek put down her rag.

“Kaasi brandy.” Might as well enjoy herself why she was here, though of course she wouldn’t overindulge. When the drink was slid over to her hand, she gave the bartender a nod of appreciation and took a sip.

“Beautiful day, isn’t it? I’m liking Kaas City already,” she remarked casually as the woman turned around to clean another glass. At that, the bartender stopped and shook her head.

“You won’t— not if you’re here for long. There have been murders. The images have been horrendous. Trust me, you don’t want to know.” The woman began scrubbing vigorously, and Cheriss put down her drink.

“As a matter of fact… I do. Could you tell me more? I’m planning to stay here for a while, and I would like to know if it involves something like this.”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Verse Tillo]

Verse watched Cheriss walk towards the cantina and only until after the doors had hissed shut behind her did she turn and walk towards the coordinates the woman had sent her. She put her com in her ear and made sure it was working. She looked down at her datapad; the closest kill site to her seemed to be at the top of a building. She tugged the datapad in the back of her belt and started climbing up the building. The elevated bridge she had been walking on brought her to a height tall enough that she didn't have to climb far.

When she reached the top, she paused for a minute, letting the gentle breeze shift her hair. She knelt on the roof, placing a hand on the cold material of the building. Her eyes scanned the top, looking for clues of any kind. She saw what looked like rust, but the building wasn't metal. She placed her hand on it, and was overwhelmed with images and emotions.

The victim this time had been a couple, Verse could feel their passion for each other in their last moments. She could feel their shock; they had been caught unawares. She focused harder, trying to get something, anything, on the killer. All she felt was a patch of darkness. She opened her eyes and pulled her hand away, standing up. She turned around, looking at Kaalis City below her. The dark side seemed more present here than it had down below on the bridge. Suspicions began to form in her mind, but she tucked them away and pulled out her datapad, looking for the next coordinate.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

The twi-lek sighed, pausing her work for the moment.

“Alright. I’ll tell you what little I know, what I told the authorities.” The faucet squeaked as the water was gradually switched off, and Cheriss raised a hand to brush the hair out of her face. As she did, she quickly turned on her comm so that Verse would be able to hear everything.

The twi-lek began again, though her voice was quieter. “It started a few weeks ago. Two bodies were found on top of a building. The victims’ tongues were cut out, and their eyes were stuffed in their mouths.” She put the glass to the side and began to work on the next one as Cheriss put an elbow on the countertop.

“No one thought much of it at first. I hate to say it, but it’s normal to get a homicide here every once in a while. What made this… different was that it happened again. And again. Around the same area, but completely different victims. The only thing in common was that—” She hesitated, looking back at Cheriss as she did.

“It’s alright. I can handle it.”

The woman pursed her lips. “I don’t want to scare you, but they… all came around here. At one point or another.” She set down her second glass and winced, as if expecting Cheriss to abruptly get up and leave. Instead, the Sith didn’t bat an eye, and the woman was noticeably surprised as she turned to go back to work.

“I have a suspicion as to who it might be, but I didn’t tell the cops. They- he used to be a regular, though he would never sit down at the bar. There wasn’t much special about him— except for the fact that he stopped coming about a year back, until the day of the first murder. In fact, I hadn’t even seen him come inside, and I don’t think I would have noticed if I hadn’t been cleaning up for the day. He was sitting in the back, his old spot. Anyway, when I passed by and asked him how he’d been, he didn’t even respond, just turned his head away. Later, he-” The woman interrupted herself and sighed again. “I sound like I'm crazy, don't I? I shouldn’t be scaring away my last customer. It’s been so long since someone has come by.”

“No, you don’t sound crazy. Please, go on.” The twi-lek was just getting to the part she didn’t know, and Cheriss wanted to press her a bit more to see what else she had to offer. Hopefully Verse had found something by now, that would help to link the pieces together.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Verse Tillo]

Verse paused when the com in her ear crackled to life. She heard voices on the other end and listened carefully. Cheriss was talking to another woman, and evidently the woman knew who the killer was. The pieces started to fit together- the first murder had been the very one Verse had rediscovered. The killer was male, and that fit in with what Verse had felt. But... there was something else...

Verse had felt the dark side on this rooftop, albeit it was not strong. But that could be attributed to the fact that this was the first murder, so his presence would have faded. If the killer was able to use the Force, then he must have been particularly strong if it was still noticeable weeks later.

Verse turned, leaving her comlink on to listen to anything else that might help her. She knew to be careful- if the killer was assisted by the dark side, he would put up more of a fight. She jumped from the top of the building, using the Force to soften her fall on the bridge below her. She followed the next pair of coordinates to a building a good distance away. She opened a side door, and crept in to a dark passageway. It was short enough that she had to bend over to walk in it. Luckily, it was a short passage, and Verse came out into a storage room. She stood up straight, and surveyed her surroundings. Crates were stacked on shelves and against the walls, along with a couple of charging droids. She opened her connection to the Force, letting the dark side whisper its secrets in her ear.

There was a smear of blood between two high shelves, and it made a faint path back towards the door Verse had come through. It looked like the killer had dragged the body in here, and left the person to die. She squatted next to the stain on the floor and ran her fingers over the metal frame of the shelves. She paused when she felt a divot; and then a bunch of other small divots. Verse lay down on her side, so she was eye-level with the lowest bar of metal. She ran her fingers over it. She could tell it was some kind of writing but it was hard to read. A loose piece of metal caught her eye and she picked it up, fingering the sharp edge. Whoever had died here had scratched out this message as they died. The writing was in a language she didn't understand, so Verse shifted, pulled out her datapad, and scanned the writing. A translation popped up onto her screen and as she read it, the dark side seemed to pulse.

“Cheriss, I found something,” she whispered, pressing a finger to her com. There was a thud from the door to the storage room and Verse froze.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

“He had this ability— I don’t know what it was, if it was just me, but I could never know when he was here or not or not unless I was actively looking for him. And trust me, that’s almost never.” The twi-lek took a breath. “He was like… a shadow. Invisible, unless he wanted to be seen. Just seemed… off to me.” She paused, then took a seat as she rubbed a hand on her cheek.

“That’s why I didn’t tell the cops when they came. That’s nothing to base an accusation off of, and I have no way of knowing it was really him.” She let out a sigh.

“Then why are you telling me?”

The twi-lek shrugged. “You wanted to know, so there you have it. That’s all you’re getting from me.” That only makes it sound like you have more to say. Cheriss didn’t say it out loud, though, as Verse’s voice came through on the other end of the comms. The twi-lek went back to work, a frown etched on her face as she did.

“What is it? Is something wrong?” she asked Verse quietly, though the twi-lek obviously thought the question was for her.

“Nothing. Just— stay safe, if you can. Keep an eye out for anything strange. I can’t believe it’s gotten this bad...” The woman’s voice trailed off, and Cheriss smiled and gave her a nod in acknowledgement as she tried to listen in on Verse.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Verse Tillo]

Verse could hear Cheriss' voice over the com but couldn't say anything. She rested her hand on her saber, straining to hear the intruder. Her heart was racing but her walls prevented anyone from feeling her panic, even a trained Sith Champion would find it difficult. She stayed in her squatting position, not wanting to make any sudden movements or sounds. She could feel the presence of the dark side, like the one she had felt on the rooftop. She swallowed hard and willed herself to blend into her surroundings, hoping the killer, if that was who it was, could not feel her through the Force.

Footsteps started along the shelves, getting closer to Verse. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a plan to get out of this. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the shard of metal. it was close to her hand where she had picked it up earlier. She slowly reached down two fingers and silently picked up the piece of metal, before tossing it under the shelves, in the opposite direction the killer was walking. The footsteps paused, and she heard him turn around and walk back towards the sound. She straightened up whenever he took a step so he couldn't hear her. Through the cluttered metal frames, she could see he was dressed in a black cloak, but his back was turned to her. She fingered her curved dagger and watched as he looked down at the ground. He bent over and picked up the piece of metal she had thrown. Verse didn't let him turn around before she hurled the knife at his back.

Her aim landed true, hitting a point on his spine that would paralyze him until she removed the knife. There was a thud as he fell to the ground. Verse waited for five minutes, watching the man's still form to make sure he wasn't faking. When she was sure, she crept out and over to the man's body.

"Double that," she whispered into the com, pulling down the man's hood and feeling his pulse. "I have who I think may be the killer unconscious at my feet," she continued.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Cheriss narrowed her eyes when she didn’t hear an immediate response from her partner, and she stood up abruptly. The twi-lek turned around at the noise, giving her a questioning look.

“I’m sorry, I just realized I have something to attend to. Thank you for all you’ve told me, I’ll keep it in mind,” she said to the woman before tossing her a couple credits for her drink. With that, she gave her a curt nod of farewell and walked out of the cantina, ignoring the eyes on her from the other patron in the room.

She was halfway down the street, heading for her partner’s coordinates when Verse came back on comms. She paused and listened as the other champion spoke, blinking in surprise. She’d already found the killer? That was fast— she’d expected him to put up more of a fight. Or maybe she was just that good, who knew?

Whatever it was, Cheriss wanted to get there fast, before the man woke up. “Make sure to keep him alive. I want to find out why he’s been doing this,” she said as she walked, before switching it off again.

Soon, she’d arrived at the building that Verse was in, and she went inside to see a hallway leading to a storage room. She could sense the other champion’s presence there, and when she walked in, she found the man lying at her partner’s feet.

“Huh. Nice work,” she said, coming to a stop next to him and noting the knife directly in his spine. “Well… that’ll keep him down. We should question him when he comes to.”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Verse Tillo]

Verse glanced up when Cheriss walked in. The way she spoke, it almost sounded like she didn't think Verse could've done it. "I think he's onto us, or at least he knows someone is looking for him." she said, meeting her partner's eyes. She pulled out her datapad. "I also found this message scratched onto the metal frame where another victim was killed," she continued, holding up the translated message. It read, Long live the Jedi

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

When Verse said that the killer likely knew that someone was on his tail, Cheriss wasn’t surprised. If he’d gone to such lengths to not get caught, it was reasonable to assume that he’d be expecting someone to be looking for him sooner or later.

Although the second Cheriss took a look at the message on Verse’s datapad, she felt a little more confused. What did the Jedi have to do with all this? They hadn’t even come to mind throughout the investigation.

“That’s… strange,” she said at last, looking back at Verse. “There are no Jedi here.” Her gaze moved back to the man on the ground. Would the killer have let himself get caught so easily? She found it a little hard to believe, given his record of leaving no trace and all, and this murder in particular had been a little messy compared to the others, given the faint trail of blood she’d seen on the way here. A copycat, maybe? Or… was the killer not working alone?

“Maybe the victim was a… devoted supporter.” She pursed her lips. “What do you think? Have you found anything else?”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Verse Tillo]

Verse considered the message for the first time. She hadn't had much time to react to it other than be surprised, before the killer had entered the storage room. "Maybe the victim was a Jedi," Verse said as the thought occurred to her. "A motive for the killer, possibly?" It seemed to get more convoluted and twisted the more she thought about it.

She bent over the man and rolled his limp body over. She didn't recognize his face- it was so boring and plain that it was easy to forget. He was a stocky human male, with dull brown hair and gray eyes that stared, unseeing, at the ceiling. Verse closed his eyes with her fingers.

@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

Cheriss frowned. It still didn’t make much sense, but at least the theory explained the message.

“Maybe,” she said. “But I don’t see what any Jedi would be doing on Dromund Kaas. Or how they could be here without us knowing about it.” That could be addressed another time though. Right now, her focus was on the killer. Verse had closed his eyes, and Cheriss was just about to ask her how she’d caught him when she suddenly felt a presence nearby. It was a familiar one, but she couldn’t remember what exactly it was. Despite this, she made no move to show that she’d noticed, however, and she kept her eyes on Verse.

“Now that we have the killer, I think we should take him in for questioning,” she said, just loudly enough for whoever was watching to hear. “There’ll be no place for him to run-”

That was when she heard the whooshing noise of a lightsaber igniting behind her, and she whirled around just in time to catch the red blade on her own. Her eyes met the intruder’s for a brief moment, and she could feel his shock as she pushed him back and gathered up her strength in the Force to slam him into a metal rack, sending the now-deactivated lightsaber flying out of his hand. It landed in her palm as she drew it toward herself, and it was obvious now that the man was poorly trained in combat. He might have been good when it came to stealth, but lightsabers were another story.

Cheriss took a step toward him. “Who are you?” she demanded, pointing the tip of her lightsaber at his throat as he stared up at her in defiance. As the red light lit up his face, she realized that he looked just like the man on the floor in front of Verse. Exactly like him, in fact. What was going on here?

@Reylo4evr

 

[Verse Tillo]

Verse sensed another presence in the Force, which was strange, because the killer was at their feet. She glanced down at the unconscious man and when there was the sound of lightsabers humming to life, she whipped her head back up. Cheriss' lightsaber met the new man's, and it dropped out of his hands and skittered across the floor before Cheriss called it into her hand with the Force. Verse walked up to Cheriss' side. She noticed this man looked like the one Verse had paralyzed. She glanced between the two of them as Cheriss held the man at the tip of her saber. What the hell?


@Sicadorito

 

[Cheriss Ktrame]

The man said nothing, his gaze flicking to Verse instead as the other champion made her way over. In response, Cheriss ignited the other saber and put it over her own, forming an X in front of the man’s neck as she moved them closer. That got his attention again, and his fearful gaze switched back to her.

“The question still stands,” she said. “And I wouldn’t lie if I were you.” The man gulped, and opened his mouth to speak.

“Ennek,” he responded, wincing as he looked back and forth between Cheriss and Verse.

“And what is your relation to this man?” She tilted her head in the direction of the man on the ground.

“He’s my—” He flinched as Cheriss moved in closer. “He’s my brother. We’re twins!” She glanced at Verse. That would explain why they looked the same. But it didn’t answer the question about why this one had been following them.

“How long have you been tracking us?”

“Only since the cantina- I swear! I didn’t know you were Sith too, I thought—” She stopped him there, putting the blades so close that he immediately shut his mouth. So that was why his Force signature felt so familiar.

“You two are acolytes?” He nodded vigorously. Cheriss narrowed her eyes and lowered the sabers, turning to speak quietly to Verse instead. Ennek remained in his spot, fidgeting with his fingers.

“I sense he’s telling the truth, at least for now,” she admitted to her partner. “Is there anything else you wanted to ask him?”

@Reylo4evr

 

[Verse Tillo]

Verse considered the man. "Your victims," she asked, stepping forward. "Why did you and... your brother kill them?" she asked.

Ennek's eyes darted between the two women. Verse thought the sight was funny; a large man on the ground with a knife in his back and another large man in front of them looking as if he was about to piss himself with fear. "We- we heard they were Jedi, or supported the Jedi, but we aren't Jedi, we were trying to help-"

Verse turned away from Ennek and back to Cheriss, lowering her voice. "Maybe we should look into the victims' case files to see if they truly were Jedi or friends of the Order, or if these men were sorely mistaken. The findings can determine their punishment," she said.

@Sicadorito