Ask Coruscant Sinister Nights

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC

The smoke languidly curled and floated up to disperse into the cold night. The stench was almost overwhelmingly repulsive, but he had long since learned to adapt to it. The others were already getting to work in setting up the perimeter and blocking off access. Sirens echoed nearby, a bit louder than usual for his sensitive ears.

“It's not them, is it? They won't tear us all apart like crazy infected dogs?” He could hear someone say in what was meant to be a whisper in the distance.

He closed his eyes and took another drag before turning to look, exhaling a cloud of smoke. His sharp, black eyes locked onto the mustached man that had said the words. He looked suddenly terrified, his jaw trembling just the slightest bit as he clawed at his words.

“Them?” The smoker mused. “You mean one of...them?” He cocked a brow. It was enough to make the Coruscant Police Officer cock two brows. “C’mon, partner, AMS has yet to come to town,” the Ranger shrugged while blowing a cloud. “Judging by the surgical precision of the flaying, the way the skin has been separated from the body, I'd say we're dealing with something a little more sophisticated than AMS.”

The older man looked over at the other cop on the scene, adjusting his own badge so it was a visible reminder to the mustached officer that he, too, was a uniformed member of the force. Just of the Sector Rangers, that is.

“She has been dead for four hours,” he said curtly as he made his way back to where he was standing originally. “The killer hid the trail well but shouldn’t have gotten far,” he said as he looked down at the grotesque remains of the woman’s body on the ground.

The night was still young.

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Theme​

Trys hadn’t done a proper crime scene in a while. She had been on the tail of the Flower Killer for years, and each lead always ended up nowhere. It was with Talak that she discovered that the man was a Sith, but he eluded them in the end. While she hadn’t abandoned the search, her absence from the force had certainly set her back a bit.

She had been apprehensive about taking an assignment like this, but she was convinced her mind was back to normal by now. Trys wore a black leather jacket over her usual uniform, jutting her chin towards her hip where her badge was clipped before she stepped into the scene.

Trys hadn’t worked with Zad before and she hoped he wasn’t one of those that heard the rumors about her criminal background origins. The Ranger walked over to the man, two cups of caf in hand. Despite it being night, she had a feeling this one would be a doozy.

She extended a caf to him, giving him a nod, “Ranger Ruzed,” She said simply, “Trys Aran,” Trys glanced over towards the body. She caught the tail end of what he had said about the estimated time of death.

Trys took a moment to look over the gruesome way the woman had been killed. Nothing about it screamed Flower Killer to her, and there was no obvious memento left behind as was his signature. She took a sip from her caf, “Is this the only one that turned up like this? Any links to any prior cold cases at all?”

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Zad was glad this crime had taken place in the open alley of a cold night. Right, not glad about the crime, just that it had not occurred in some stale apartment with closed windows. The stench of flesh would have been nauseating, even for a Ranger who had seen his fair share of flesh. What he had seen less of was Lieutenant Trys Aran.

Her arrival tonight had been expected but the coffee had not been. Zad accepted it with a silent thanks, taking a few sips while collecting his thoughts. The man and woman were certainly dressed the part in their black leather jackets; the other woman on the ground before them was not wearing anything. Just a patch of skin.

“First one I know of,” Zad shook his head. “Worth checking the database for any potential links though.” Instead of taking that upon himself, he tilted his head at the body.

She lay face up, eyes glued to the sky; blue gems amid red muscle and blood. Her face, yet, had not been flayed; the only item untouched. It was locked in a scream, the kind that would give your average beat cop nightmares.

“Whoever skinned this poor woman...made sure she could feel it.”

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys exhaled as she looked at the body, having guessed what Zad said before he uttered the words. For all the time she had been a Ranger, for all the times she had seen gruesome scenes, it never got any easier.

“This was deliberate. She knew something on our killer,” She said as she began to walk around the scene. There were a few tagged spaces, one that had a footprint, “Looks about size 11 or so. Maybe a bigger guy,” Trys crouched down to inspect the footprint, “Smooth bottom, potentially dress shoe,” She took another sip from her caf before she stood up.

“The flaying job is perfect,” Trys said as she looked back towards the body, “Someone in the medical profession. They took great care in what they did. They wanted to make a statement,” She pulled up her datapad.

“He’s long gone,” She said after a while, “This isn’t the kind of guy that leaves a trail. We have to start unearthing what she knew, who she ran around with and why our guy hated her so much.”

Trys looked over at the forensics team, "Get me the details on the shoe. Wanna know how fancy it is."

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Zad cocked a brow at his partner’s assessment. It was entirely plausible that the victim was connected with the killer in some fashion. All the same, it could just as easily be some wackjob who got off on dumping random corpses for the fuzz to play tag with. Of course, this early in, both Rangers knew it could be one scenario or another.

He watched Trys as she paced, curious what the Lieutenant might find. Even with her memory wipe this was still the same woman Zad had met that time ago in one spaceport. Back then, he had pursued her as she pursued the Sith holding her son. Fast forward from then to now, well, things sure did have a way of changing with the times... Shoe sizes, not so much.

Trys had found a footprint. Zad shifted his own feet her way. Her next assessment about the surgical precision was right on par with his own. While the datapad came up with one Ranger’s hands, the other Ranger came down with his eyes. Despite the frozen howl, the dead woman had a very pretty face. She was no longer Zad’s type but he wondered if that was worth noting or not.

“Well, we can ID the body by the body alone but facial recognition will be easy enough.” Zad sipped from his coffee as Forensics marched off with their marching orders. He snapped his fingers at another cop. “Gonna need the whole nine yards on this area; residences, clubs, shops. We’re in an alley—what are the buildings beside it? Oh, and nearest medical facilities. Need those too."

The two lawmen nodded at each other before Zad turned to his partner who was in fact his superior officer. The crime scene was as grave as could be but two Rangers like these could afford a minor moment that one of them had just ticketed.

“So...how you holding up, El Tee?”

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys glanced over at Ruzed when he spoke. There was something about the tone, the way he looked at her, his demeanor. All of it seemed somewhat familiar. The Ranger’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at him, and it was evident she was looking beyond him. Her mind had been a structure that had a storm blow right through it. She was left wandering around picking up whatever debris she could find to slowly reconstruct everything.

“I’ve met you before..” She said vaguely, her words tapering and trailing off like the smoke of his cigarra. Trys shook her head, exhaling to anchor herself back to the present, “I’m all right. Alive, I suppose,” She shrugged as she sipped from her caf and looked away again.

Her datapad beeped and she looked down, “All right, Alaina Krost,” She read off, “Third year student in Galactic City Level 2000 Medical School,” Her gaze flicked up towards Ruzed, “Was in foster homes and aced it when she was in public schools. Impressive resume.”

Why her? She wasn’t some posh rich girl. Trys sighed and lowered the datapad, “Thinking the school is a good place to start. We can question people she knew.”

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

What began as a simple question simply turned into a complication. Trys looked like someone who was trying to remember what rotation it was or how many rotations had passed since she had last had a good night’s sleep. Zad had no idea what any of that meant and reckoned that was the point. She’s still trying to figure out what everything means…

“Yeah…” Zad measured with a casual nod and a flick of his cigarette. “We’ve met.” Just then, her datapad beeped. Just like that, the two Rangers snapped to attention as though they were in Douglas Hudson’s briefing room all over again.

“Alaina Krost…” The name hit no notes as he repeated it out loud, but it helped him to familiarize with the letters and the meaning, considering that name meant enough to the owner for her to go out of existence screaming. “Clearly a connect between med school and whatever mad doctor did this to her.”

The coffee burned his throat as he took too deep a chug. His stomach was suddenly on fire. Then he realized what was burning was the fiber of his being. Alaina Krost… Student… The hell she do to go out like this?

“Hey!” Zad called to that cop. “Show me what you got.” The latter lifted his own datapad so that both Rangers could view the area. “GCMS...few blocks away…” Zad retrieved the data before dismissing the cop and leveling his gaze with his lieutenant.

“Looks like we got ourselves a lead, El Tee.” With that, he took another gulp from his coffee. This time it was as warm as hope. “Lead the way.”

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys never got used to operating at the higher levels of Coruscant. She had been born in a very low level in a poverty stricken red light district. For a while she had a glimpse of a nicer life with a townhome with her son. That townhome was destroyed during the attacks on the HQ and she was back to square one. But she never had to go back to those seedy lower levels from her origins.

Massive inter-level repulsorlifts connected the levels. These spots were usually very crowded with food stalls and speeders set up all around. As they walked, various merchants attempted to sell them their wares or offer samples of food. Trys ignored it for now, though the smells were delicious.

A short ride took them up to level 2000. Her datapad suggested that the school was down just a block or two. Trys cast a sideways glance at Ruzed, “You on homicide often?” Rangers were being rotated all over the place nowadays due to the sudden need to fight AMS and Sith activities.

Her origins had been homicide, but somehow that warped into direct Sith engagement. Trys despised how often she was recognized here and there ever since she had gone on Holonet regarding the Sith.

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC

“Often enough, I reckon,” Zad answered with a shrug. A part of him wondered how open he should be with his lieutenant, but more than that Lieutenant Trys Aran. He might yet remember more than she did regarding her past. True, Zad was a Ranger who made it a point and purpose to keep on the rim, keeping himself on the Rim, but it was hard to ignore reports that were fed to you by so many channels.

“But not often enough to look away from a flayed corpse like it means nothing…” He looked away, listened to the lift, and didn’t have much more to say regardless of what Trys might say to him.



GCMS was the kind of school that stayed awake even at night. There were dormitories amid classrooms, so campus grounds for students to sleep safe and sound. Or not. Zad breathed that reality as he inhaled smoke.

“You blind?” The receptionist queried. “See that sign?” Zad saw that sign. “No smoking. No exceptions.”

With a sigh, the Ranger put his cig out. He had only just sparked it up so there was plenty to save as he popped it back into the pack. “Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Name’s Zad. Zad Ruzed.” Like clockwork, he reached into his jacket to pull out his badge.

Spoiler

“Nice...smile?” The middle-aged woman blinked from the other side of the counter. “And what about you, honey?” She nodded toward Trys. “You a Ranger too or this guy’s guardian?”

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys placed her hands in her pockets, “You never get used to it,” She stated quietly while glancing ahead of herself. She had been doing homicide for years, and it never became easier to see cut up and mutilated bodies of others. It was even more difficult when they were girls and boys that had so much ahead of them.

She remained quiet through the receptionist’s chiding and Zad’s introduction. Her patience was beginning to run thin and she flashed her badge.

Spoiler

The Receptionist did a double when she saw the ID and then looked back up at her, “No way! Are you the-”

“We don’t have time for this, m’am,” Trys cut in icily, “We are investigating a homicide. We need information on Alaina Krost immediately,” She put her badge away, instead flashing the datapad with the girl’s picture on it.

“R-Right away,” The woman turned pale as she turned to her terminal and began to pull up information.

“Want information on her dorm room, her class schedule, anything you can give us.”

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Zad took a breath of reassurance at his partner’s barging in. It was a barge that was not so diplomatic and therefore everything it should have been. Was this receptionist a ditz or so fed up with her job that she was willing to be less than hasty with two Sector Rangers and one of them more famous than the other?

“Let’s see…” The receptionist trailed off as she typed away. “Ah! Alaina Krost, Human, age nineteen… Enrolled in MEDED 628 Anatomy, MEDED 623 Biochemistry, MEDED 614 Pharmacology . . . ” The receptionist droned on. If Trys heard anything of note then Zad probably had not. It all sounded like medical mumbojumbo to him, beyond the galactic basics of course.

“ . . . Staying in Dormitory Ward 47, East Wing, with one Zabrak female, Letha Aloth… Hmm...that’s odd…” Receptionist blinked. “Alaina has been exceptional student, has attended every class and seminar except for one: “Anatomy: Musculoskeletal and Integumentary Systems” by Professor Zhin Salwor.”

“And when was that?” Zad asked.

“Three days ago.”

Both Rangers exchanged a look just then.

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys nodded and glanced over at Ruzed, “She didn’t have her comlink on her, did she?”

For a young med school student to not have her comlink or a datapd on her was very strange. The Ranger took a printout of the girl’s schedule, “We’re gonna need the keys to get into her room,” The receptionist cooperated immediately, sliding over a key card.

Trys stepped away from the desk and turned to look at Ruzed, “Let’s go check out her room. Can you send in a data pull request to HQ to see what we can dig up on this professor?”

Trys led the way towards the upper levels of the dormitories. She walked down the hall and used the keycard to get in. The room looked as if it had been used not too long ago, the bedsheets messy and lots of papers and books strewn about. The lieutenant switched on the lights and put on some gloves before rummaging around to look.

She kept searching and came up empty. Trys sighed and looked up at Ruzed, “Anything on the professor?” Hopefully that angle would be more helpful.

Dice: 4/20 for clues.

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Professor Zhin Salwor turned out to be the son of a Human father and a Pantoran mother. His record was impeccable, having transferred to GCMS from a university closer to the other side of the planet. He specialized in xenobiology, especially the integumentary systems. There was a single quote from the Professor that stood out in his report within the SR database as transcribed from a seminar:

“There is no greater barrier, nothing so more elegantly external, than the cutaneous membrane. Most know it simply as skin, but it is simply so much more! The touch, the feel, smooth or coarse, with layers upon layers from epidermis to subcutis, namely in Human skin. Is it not beautiful? Is it not something worth...preserving?”

Maybe that spiel had sounded sensible in the seminar. Out of context it sounded creepy as hell and Zad Ruzed had made sure to relay it all to his partner on their way to the students’ dormitory. He further elaborated that Zhin Salwor had no criminal offense to his name, which wasn’t surprising given his university assignments, though one item of note was how he had lost his only daughter five years ago—one year before transferring to GCMS.

In the room that a Human and Zabrak female shared, the Rangers scoured the place as carefully as they could. Zad gloved his way beneath beds, between cushions, opened cupboards and cabinets, spotted a cigarra halfway burnt in an ashtray; but there was no need to ID these girls. They needed to ID the monster that had murdered just one of them.

“Lieutenant,” the lower-ranked Ranger gestured toward his superior. “Might be something on that computer. Maybe she kept a journal?” It was probably passcoded. Was Trys the type to keep a kit that Zad would? The latter was not so much by the book and had since come to terms with that being a big reason why he did not share the rank of his counterpart.

“What’s this?” He drifted elsewhere, rummaging in the pockets of a jacket strewn on the bed to pull out a letter. After reading it he passed it over. It was timestamped and dated and sounded as promising as not.

“Dear Alaina,

I wanted to thank you for meeting me for lunch the other day to discuss your grades. You are making exceptional progress in your class, Alaina. Anatomy is not for the faint of heart but you show such promise in understanding it!

I can only hope that you continue to improve. I know I said as much at The Five Spades, where you ordered that crab sandwich and I watched you eat, but I wanted to take the time to write to you those same words.

You are a very special person, Alaina. Never let anyone tell you different. You make me...very proud...and I want to show my thanks by treating you to dinner at my place. Note the address at the top of this letter.

Meet me tomorrow night, 8:00 PM, and don’t be late! I have to leave home an hour after and won’t be back until the morning.

Remember Cara? I mentioned her at the restaurant, about how she ran away from home and I took her in, so lovingly. She will be joining us. She doesn’t talk much and is no longer capable of feeding herself but I know that you will help me. We shall share spoons as much as forks and knives!

Yours sincerely,
Zhin Salwor

P.S.: Please don’t call me "Professor". We are too familiar for that!

Dice: 20/20 for clues.

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys grimaced as she read the transcription from the seminar, “What a creep,” She muttered under her breath. The information from HQ was proving to be quite interesting, and she scrolled through it while he continued to search the room. The mention of the computer caused her to glance up briefly. Trys ran her fingers through her hair as she looked at the laptop.

“...No word about this to HQ, yeah?” She said simply before she pulled out a kit she carried with her at all times. Though they could have sent this over to forensics, it would take days. While the murder had already been committed, she had a nagging feeling this wasn’t the only crime they would have to solve for.

After a moment, there were a series of beeps and she was able to access the laptop. Trys searched through it for a while and found a folder titled ‘evidence’. She clicked into it and found pictures of what looked like trinkets and belongings of a girl.

This was right as Ruzed read off the note. Trys glanced over, “Come here, look at these photos,” She pointed out details in the hastily taken photos of the interior of a home. It was obvious they were taken discreetly. The little trinkets were in what appeared to be a study and looked out of place.

“Think this is the professor’s house?” Trys looked up at Ruzed again, “We may have enough here to get a warrant to check it out and confirm. Let’s send these pictures to HQ and see if we find a match on the trinkets. This charm necklace definitely wouldn't have belonged to this guy.”

She was beginning to get a sick feeling at the pit of her stomach.

@Die Shize

 

[Zad Ruzed]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Despite the frantic photography the house looked ordinary enough from what was shown: desk and chair, bookshelf and book, a medical mannequin with a body from head to toe and where a whole lot of skin should have been.

It was as normal as it was not for a medical professor, but stood out like a sore thumb beside a pale, faceless statue of a bodiless head with a woman’s wig atop it, a charm necklace below.

Over here a lamp whose spine was quite literally a spine. Over there an umbrella, not closed but opened, stretched about in dark red and pale pink. Was that a storage trunk in the corner? Were there letters scrawled above the lock? '—My—iful—ters—' Enhanced imaging sensors would know.

If Zad spotted all of this, well, Trys sure as hell had too, so there was not much more to say or do when it came to the mercy of the photos at hand. So Zad nodded the Lieutenant’s way. “This lost girl, this Alaina...looks and sounds like she didn’t have a warrant to end up wherever she did…”

He bit his lip, leaning in toward the computer beside his partner, somehow unable to look away. That professor’s study was more haunting than it ought to be, even for a Ranger as rugged as this one. “We won’t make that same mistake, L.T. Leave it to me.”

Time later and SR HQ chimed back. The charm necklace, zoomed in, showed a golden heart, a silver coin, a flower, a sapphire—all so beautiful on their own—and a skull, a teardrop like blood, a dagger, a stone as black as black.

The flower matched the brooch of one Alaina Krost who had enrolled with it pinned to her shirt, while the golden heart was identical to a young woman from the Professor's former college.

The rest..? No less pleasant...perhaps worse...

@Sreeya