She's a Killer Queen

[Crim]

​

Hapes
The Reef Fortress​

The Hapan Wavespeeder pulled into a natural, rocky lagoon. It was the only safe place to dock on the island. The coral reefs surrounding the island made it incredibly dangerous to approach the island. A massive fortress sat on the lone island, its martial design still elegant in a way only Hapans could manage.

The Hapes Consortium was a fiercely independent entity known for its isolationism. In the time of the Republic, Hapes diplomatically stonewalled the Republic every chance it got. But this was different. The Republic was gone and the Queen Mother was in danger from Sith Assassins.

With the Queen Mother largely either on her personal starship or at Fountain Palace, assassination attempts were rare. Yet, the Hapan Royal Guard remained one of the most loyal and well-trained security forces in the Galaxy. Ergo, the most recent security breach was very concerning to the Hapans.

The two Jedi were called in to investigate a security breach at one of Hapes' most secure locations. Beyond that, they had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

As the wavespeeder stopped, two royal guards approached the dock. One wore a helm, concealing his identity. The other wore simply the ceremonial armor and cape. He was an older man with greying hair and a goatee. "Welcome, Jedi. No doubt you wonder why we have summoned you here with such little information. This is Reef Fortress, one of Hapes' most carefully-guarded locations. Here, the Queen Mother and her court can rule from a defensible position in times of turmoil. We believe that time may be upon us.

The Queen Mother intended to come here with her court after concerns of an assassination plot were uncovered. During the preparations, several messages were discovered to have been transmitted from this location to a Sith courier ship. Only 14 people were on the island at the time, all of which are Hapan Royal Guards. At least one of these men is a traitor. We have attempted to discover who, but we have encountered little luck. Perhaps with two Jedi on our side, we can finally end this investigation. Each of the accused has been placed under military arrest and is awaiting questioning in the throne room.

Before I allow you to enter the Reef Fortress, I must ask for your weapon. The Consortium is breaking enough traditions by allowing Jedi at Reef Fortress. But we will not have armed guests in Her Majesty's palace. Rest assured, they will be kept safe."

@Aurius Pheonix

 

[Aurius]

Wavespeeders. What wonderful peices of technology. If only they could hover smoother...

Cecil was having a harder time than usual reaching a meditative state. Chalked up to the speeder, in addition to the noise; he had quickly relocated his attention towards their location. The Hapes Consortium was... an interesting place. And with the war looming, the independent consortium would surely be in the visors of the Emperor and his lackeys.

As the Wavespeeder docked, two royal guards approached and made themselves known. Not only did they suspect Sith involvement, one of their own was a traitor. Cecil grimaced slightly. He had woefully overdressed for the occasion, using his more regal Jedi Robes for the meeting.

"...Before I allow you to enter the Reef Fortress, I must ask for your weapon. The Consortium is breaking enough traditions by allowing Jedi at Reef Fortress. But we will not have armed guests in Her Majesty's palace. Rest assured, they will be kept safe."

Cecil smiled and unclipped his Lightsaber, handing it to the ceremonial guard with the unseemly goatee. He also unclipped his holdout pistol, handing it to the same guard. He seemed to draw surprise from the pistol, a sentiment that amused Cecil.

"Do not worry, my friend. We are Jedi. We are never unprotected. Tell me, who has the clearance to launch encrypted transmissions from this location?"
​

@Crim

 

[Crim]

The short, green Jedi stepped forth and brushed his cloak aside, gripping his lightshoto and unclipping it from his belt. He handed it to the guard, who examined both sabers before handing them off to another guard. "I, Captain Alandrix Bos, thank you both on behalf of the Hapes Consortium and Her Queen," he said. The man wagged them in the air for a second and said, "This alone... is a big step for relations between Hapes and the rest of the galaxy." He extended his left hand and motioned for the two Jedi to follow him. "Each royal guard has the permission, as a sworn protector of the Queen mother, to beam signals to better communicate in times of crises," he said, leading them up a flight of stairs carved into the stone.

There seemed to be two lines of defenses: palisades around the shore of the island and the tall walls of the Reef Fortress. The palisades mixed with natural defenses, such as palm trees and other flora that could be used as cover. In times past, Hapes was a very different planet, ruled by raiders rather than aristocrats. This island was almost certainly a battlefield. The old Jedi had seen many battlefields in his time; if this was once a battlefield, it would have been one of the most beautiful he'd seen. Waves crashed rhythmically on the white sands and a gentle breeze swept in from the ocean. As he took a deep breath of the salty air, Captain Bos began to speak up, gesturing at the walls of the Reef Fortress. "These are the original stone walls of the Reef Fortress, built centuries ago. They have been reinforced with durasteel and have seen many extensions, yet the exterior facade has always retained the same, almost archaic look. The towers, though, have been rebuilt time and again." The tops of the towers were all uniformly rounded at the top, with half-domes capping them.

The group approached the gates of the Reef Fortress, the captain held his hand up in a fist. Moments later, the metal gates began to rise from the ground, revealing the inside of the Reef Fortress. Like the towers, these buildings were opulent and sleek. The stone pathways were free of almost all debris. A cleaning droid patrolled a nearby pathway, sputtering as it went along its programmed route. In the center of it all was a large fountain with a golden statue of the Queen Mother in the center, surrounded by a gyroscopic structure of rings. Each ring rotated around the statue independently. It almost reminded the Old Jedi of the holocrons in the Tython Jedi Temple. A touch of homesickness hit him for a brief second.

"Straight ahead is the main fortification, which is where the throne room and space for the Royal Family can be found. No guards are permitted to enter the quarters of Her Majesty unless explicitly ordered by the queen herself. When the royal family is away, the quarters are sealed. I must ask that they remain undisturbed.
To our right, you will see the mechanic's shop and a landing pad for the Queen Mother's ship. On the left, we have the Royal Guard barracks," Captain Bos said, gesturing to each building as he spoke. Aside from the main fortification, the buildings here were short and squat. The main fortification extended far above the walls. Balconies lined the exterior, tropical flowers hanging from each. The center of the fortification was a tall tower itself, with a turbolaser on top. Even that appeared to have been decorated and fallen out of use. The fortification had two wings: one outcropping extending to its left and the other extending behind the tower. A massive radar dish sat atop the left wing, pointed at the sky. The Jedi made a mental note of its location.

The group approached the main fortress and the gilded doors opened automatically. The room behind those doors appeared to be a foyer, with a balcony wrapping around its second level. Light poured in through massive windows and the polished, marble floors practically glistened. "This is the main hall hall. Here, the Queen,
her court, and their families can gather for functions. At the opposite side of the hall are the quarters of the royal family. It is closed off to us, but I can tell you there is a garden just past those doors, which separates the royal wing from the rest of the fortifications," Captain Bos said, moving the tour along through a set of doors to the left. He led them into a massive hallway, with tall windows lining the sides. "This is the main wing. To our left is the dining hall and kitchen. Normally, guards are posted at each door. Obviously with our security breach, that is not the case today," he said.

Finally, he reached the door on the other side of the corridor and swung it open. It revealed the throne room. Rows of seats lined the sides of the room, with the raised throne located on the opposite side of the room. 14 people, each secured to a chair, were sitting in the center of the room. The chairs were arranged in a circular motion, with rounded headrests obscuring one person's view from another. Even then, the chairs still somehow looked comfortable in a way only Hapan furniture could. Two royal guards stood watching over them, each holding an electropike. Captain Bos stopped and turned to look at the Jedi. "These fourteen men are accused of aiding and abetting the enemy, unsanctioned communication with outsiders, treason, and conspiracy to commit murder. Aiding you will be GE3-5, a protocol droid assigned to this investigation. GE3 has decrypted what he could of the messages sent to the Sith courier," he said. In a dull voice, the protocol droid spoke up. "Hello," it said.

"These men cannot see each other, but they can hear everything. Should you wish to speak to one in private, talk to the two guards posted. They will escort the suspect to another room with you. I, of course, will also remain to aid in whatever capacity I can," Bos said. The old Jedi nodded and said, "Thank you, Captain Bos. With the Force at our side, uncover this conspiracy together we can."

@Aurius Pheonix

 

[Aurius]

"Indeed, my friend. Gentlemen. It has come to my attention that one of you is accused of treachery of the highest degree. Before we begin, I believe it is important that I state honesty will be your only saviour here."

Cecil walked around the room, gently observing the different accused here. Some seemed restless, others slightly insulted. But this wasn't what Cecil was looking for. One of the paler guards, a man with raven black hair and peircing green eyes seemed to lean back on his arm. He was calm. Cool. Another, with blonde hair, allowed his irritability to shine through his Visage, bending it to the anger and indignation within his heart. This was going to be easier than he expected.

His illusions would not come in handy for such literal situations. But, Cecil has a knack for insight. He was almost tempted to pretend that he alredy knew the traitor and simply drew out the true deceiver on the basis of fear. But that was a dark path. Too dark to do even out of necessity.

"My name is Cecil. This is my partner and fellow Jedi Knight, Yadrin. This lime of questioning will not be easy. But know that any lie will be known. And it will not help your situations."

"I do not understand why Jedi are even evolved. You have no place here. Not among us."

The Raven haired hothead spoke up quickly. He might be an issue.

​

 

[Crim]

"Involved, the Jedi become, when a failed a job has. Be here, I would not, if competent, you were. Instead, in this room, a traitor sits. Know who it is, you do not. Next to you, the traitor may be. Belong here, we do not, but neither do under-performing guards, hmm?" the Jedi said, looking at the black-haired kid. He walked closer to him and said, "Answer our questions and home, I can go." He walked around the circle of chairs, examining everyone. He watched their eyes stare at him with fervor and rage. He couldn't help but crack a smirk.

"Much rage and anger do I see in each of you. And fear. Afraid, you are. Not of me, not of the traitor, not even of your Queen. Coming, the Sith are,
in greater numbers than you can possibly defend against. Only a matter of time, it is, before your people fall like the Republic. See it in your eyes, I do. Changing, your world is. Tired of being afraid, you are. Both traitor and loyal men. Perhaps mercy, the Sith will show the traitor, he thought. Perhaps a reward he wanted. And those loyal, sit here they do, falsely accused of treason," Ganden said as he paced, looking each in their eyes before stopping at the black-haired one.


"Understand, I do. But help your people, you still can. In defiance against the Sith, you can still stand.

 

[Aurius]

"Look, all I know is that I didn't send any transmissions to the Sith..."

Three or four voices picked up and began to spin the same remarks on innocence. Gentle arguments about where they had been also erupted around the accused, with heated voices accusing others of the wrongdoing. As the arguments continued, Cecil felt his patience being tested and calmed himself slightly. Turning to his fellow Jedi, he gently spoke, so that none could hear.

"Alright. I have a less than ideal plan to end this relatively easy. We just need to thin the herd of suspects first."

Abruptly, the words "...and where exactly where you, Kol? No one saw yoy at your post for the better part of an hour!" Caught Cecil's attention. The Raven haired man had called out a muscular, blonde counterpart from across the table. Unlike his fellow guardsmen, he wasn't yelling or arguing, and did not respond to the question.

Cecil at once willed everyone in the room to silence, exerting his will through cascading waves of the Force. The mood died down softly, and the assembled guard returned their attention to the Jedi. If they could interrogate separate suspects alone, Cecil might be able to bait one into believing he was also a traitor and attempting to get them out of there. Such and act could bring a swift and decisive confession from the traitor in question.

"Kol. May we have a word with you in a private room?"

@Crim

​

 

[Crim]

"Easy, that was," Ganden said with a chuckle. "Alone, examine him. His trust, placed in you it should be. To the Droid, I will be speaking, until sufficiently relaxed Kol is. And then, together, examine him we will," he continued, stroking his beard with two clawed fingers. "Like me, he will not," he chuckled.

He walked over to the Droid, who greeted the Jedi in a monotone, almost depressed voice. "Greetings, Jedi. I am GE3-5, the Droid assigned to this investigation," it said. "The messages, play for me," the Jedi said.
"Three messages were sent:

Three weeks ago: The situation on Hapes is growing desperate. The Queen Mother hides on her ship. We know the Sith are coming. I am assigned to her guard. If the Queen Mother can be eliminated, the Sith could easily claim Hapes. I am offering my blade in exchange for amnesty and mercy. You will find my talents to be quite useful, I assure you.

Two weeks ago: Very well. I look forward to this partnership. And further compensation, you say? Excellent.

The men here are my brothers. Under no circumstances will I allow them to be harmed. I wish for the same amnesty to be granted to them.

One week ago: The Queen Mother will be coming. Now is the time to strike. I will contact you when the job is done."


@Aurius Pheonix

 

[Aurius]

As the other guards streamed out of the room, Kol seemed to grow ever more resentful. It seemed the power we weilded here did not sit well with him.

"Are you a patriot, Kol? Do you support this consortium?"

"I do. I support it and it's independence."

Cecil paused. It was time to bring a smidgen of dramatics into this interrogation, so as to quickly weed out the traitor... and use Kol to do it.

"You do realize that there is someone here that has every intention of selling the Consortium out to the Sith? Who would enslave your people and take your homes. And that person could be you."

Before he raised his voice for a reply, Cecil swiftly raised his hand to quiet him.

"Where you angry enough with the Jedi's peace negotiations to attempt communication with the Sith?"

Kol looked stunned at the accusation.

"I know there is someone here who did, but surely you don't think it was me?!"

The deed was done. His anger had been replaced with worry. Exactly what Cecil had intended.

"If it is not you, help us find the true traitor. Any information about strange behaviour or irregularities would help to solve this mystery-"

​

 

[Crim]

"Troubling, this is. A clear picture, this does not paint, but part of a whole, hmmm?" the Jedi said, stepping back from the droid. "A transcript, give me. Read it, my associate should." The droid politely nodded and said, "Of course, master Jedi." The droid handed him a datapad from the table as the old Jedi began to walk to the other room.

The door slid open and the Jedi Knight entered the room, his ears pinned back in irritation. He looked at Kol with a harsh look. With a flick of his wrist, he closed the door and walked over to Kol, handing him the datapad. "At your post, you were not, hmmm?" Ganden said, walking around the table. "If so loyal, you are, why are you not interested in protecting your Queen Mother?" He clumsily climbed on the table and said, "A big mouth, your black-haired friend has. Care for him, I do not. But bother me, lazy people do, over the loud-mouthed. A terrible crime, treason is. Capable of lifting a finger, you do not seem."

Ganden paced on the table, his tridactyl feet clacking along its surface. "What you were doing that day, tell me," he said, meeting eyes with the irresponsible youngster.

@Aurius Pheonix

 

[Aurius]

Kol seemed to stop breathing for a moment. Cecil could tell the boy was nervous, upset by accusations, and he seemed scared of the Jedi Knight before him. Cecil did not interject, allowing the elder Jedi's words to have full effect. The boy's pause was finally broken as he shook his head.

"I was seeing someone. No, I won't tell you their name. The Queen Mother had multiple better trained guards at their posts that night. I didn't think it would cause any harm for the rookie to be absent..."

Mmh. Love. How typical. Cecil understood love, actual love. This seemed to be the more foolish variation, that of infatuation. But he sensed the boy spoke true.

"...obviously I was wrong. This threat is very real. And I haven't the slightest clue who to suspect. I know Owaine, the Raven haired man who yelled at you, is probably the most loyal among us. His anger about your council's interference is well known, he believes you to be pacifistic cultists, but despite his loyalty the Queen Mother did not think twice about his warning against creating an alliance with the Jedi. Maybe that is could be a motive, as you suggested."

Cecil stroked his beard momentarily, pondering what had been told. Under normal circumstances he would elect to question each guard individually. But on this occasion, his illusionary prowess would come in handy.

"Very well, Kol. I need to ask you a favor. I am going to make an illusory bag of Imperial credits and Insignia on my person. Furthermore, I'm going to act as though I am on the side of the Sith. This should lure the traitor into believing I am here to rescue him. I need you to 'reveal my treason' and attack me. Knight Yadrin, I hope you too would attempt to further the deception, unless their is as swifter course of action I have yet to think of."​