Ask Coruscant The underworld

Manuk Gagak

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“…the underworld is never travelled alone.”
― Pollux Hax


Manuk strode the autowalk, the fact her heavy boots made no sound on the pavement was not testimony to her link to the Force but instead – of all things – her ballet training as a youth.

Speeders, swoops, and aircars roared above her in un-ending streams, the motorised circulatory system of the planet’s heart. Skyrises, bridges, lifts, and plazas covered the entire surface of Coruscant to a height of kilometres, all of it the trappings of a wealthy, decadent civilisation, a sheath that sought to hide the rot in a cocoon of duracrete and transparisteel.

But Manuk grew up here and easily smelled the decay under the veneer, and for some time had considered an act to show the galaxy the price of weakness, of complacency. She’d chosen not to participate in the train station incident. It was, for her, a menial act of thuggery. She wanted a far grander gesture of the Sith’s return to power.

She wanted it to all burn.

She would lay waste to Coruscant.

Memories floated up from the depths of he mind. She recalled a pilgrimage to Korriban, remembered the profound sense of holiness she had felt as she walked in isolation through its rocky deserts, through the dusty canyons lined with the tombs of her ancient Sith forebears. She had felt the Force everywhere, had exulted in it, and in her isolation she knew that only a truly grand gesture would be appropriate for the Sith to stamp their claim to retake control of the galaxy. The time for hiding was over – the acts of others had seen to that. But instead of mindless violence, Manuk had been planning. How to lay waste to an entire city – and one that covered a single planet.

To that end, she’d been seeking out and killing scientists and engineers. Their deaths were necessary as once she’d gained the necessary knowledge from them they had to be silenced.

Her last three murders were here, in the underworld and she was en route to her next victim. Not a scientist or an engineer, but a black-market trader. The amount of explosives she’d need wouldn’t come cheap – but credits were not an issue. But sourcing them was.

So, she strode to the cantina she’d identified as his local drinking-hole, her black cape drawn tight around her leather bodysuit, so as to ensure nobody saw her saber. For once she wore her hood up, her blonde hair too much of a beacon down here – and today she wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Crowds thronged the plaza in which she now walked, laughing, scowling, chatting. A human child, a young girl, caught Manuk’s eye when she squealed with delight and ran to the waiting arms of a dark-haired woman, presumably her mother. The girl must have felt her gaze. She looked at the Sith from over her mother’s shoulder, her small face pinched in a question – why have that woman’s eyes turned yellow? Manuk stared at the girl as she walked and the child looked away, burying her face in her mother’s neck.

Other than the girl, no one else marked Manuk’s passage. The sheer number of beings on Coruscant granted her anonymity. She walked among her potential prey, cowled, unnoticed, unknown, but steadfast in her purpose.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Brienna Lanaamer sat in a dimly lit hotel room, hand to her chin and brow furrowed in concentration, as she glazed over a mess of papers strewn on the floor around her. She had been on Coruscant for a few days, arriving to follow up on a series of murders. While normally not close to the jurisdiction of the Jedi, a Sector Ranger friend had passed along the case files to the Knight asking for her assistance. The Coruscant underworld was not unknown to crime, yet there was something noteworthy about the murders of three scientists and engineers. In linking the crimes together, Bri studied what she perceived to be some kind of larger plot, but couldn't find the right solution that satisfied the information that was collected. The Knight felt there was an element of the actions that was distinctly nefarious, and she wondered if that's why the Ranger had passed it along to her. Nefarious in their line of work often ended with a confrontation with a Dark Side user. Once again, Coruscant was no stranger to attacks perpetrated by the Sith.

Sitting crossed-legged on the floor, she flipped through page after page of evidence, attempting to sort each relevant piece in neat piles. The stacks of paper had quickly formed into a cluttered mess on first impression, yet remained clear to the organizational methods of the Jedi Knight. Bri had the information on a datapad as well, but found a greater challenge to compare notes on a single holoscreen. The hotel room she had rented in the underworld during her stay could not be described as comfortable accommodations, yet it served its purpose as a central location to where the murders had been committed. Namely, it had enough floor space for the Jedi to spread a large quantity of paper in what appeared haphazard fashion.

Sighing over one last page, Bri looked up and stared at the wall, eyes glazed with the process of internal thought. There had been no direct witnesses to any of the crimes, suggesting pre-mediation and experience. Likewise, the killing wounds were done efficiently, almost in a calculated fashion. There was some overlap in the projects that the victims had been working on, but none that immediately jumped out as obvious. The Sith had committed large scale acts of violence, individual murders didn't quite add up to their modus operandi. Even if it is the Sith. Frustrated with her own inability to find a solution, the Jedi rubbed her face with her hands, feeling the stress of an invisible clock ticking down until someone else lost their life. A life that could have been saved. She shook her head, attempting to literally remove the thought. Such lines of thinking were not productive to finding a solution.

Perhaps there was something else that she had missed at the crime scenes? Something left behind that had been forgotten? It was unlikely, yes, but still possible. Bri looked up at the clock next to the bed, noting how long she had been holed up studying the evidence. She stood up from the floor, feeling a slight tension from sitting too long on the not-comfortable carpet. Outside the dirty window, speeders and ships buzzed by, creating an almost ever present vibration of sound within the room. The Jedi stretched her arms and neck, tension once more present, and grabbed her jacket from the nearby chair. Hopefully a walk outside in the fresh air (or what qualified as fresh in the Underworld) might clear her mind. Before doing so, she tidied up all of the papers back into their associated files, locking them in a secure cabinet. Trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, Bri had ditched her normal Jedi robes, for a simple, dark colored outfit; dark tight pants in dark boots, a grey colored tank top under a dark grey jacket. Her saber was hidden inside an interior pocket of the outer layer. Taking a quick glance over her appearance in the bathroom mirror, she nodded at herself, and exited, locking the door behind her.

@Corbeau
 

Manuk Gagak

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A short alleyway off the plaza and Manuk was in the midst of the slums that comprised the lower fifty or so levels of this part of Coruscant. The narrow, twisted surface streets and ramps, and the caverns and warrens that honey-combed the subsurface in so many places. The proliferation of buildings over the centuries had reached such a congested state that the sun could hardly ever be seen. And when it was visible, its light was strained through a veil of low-lying hydrocarbon smog that turned it blood red; an overly blatant metaphor, in Manuk’s opinion, but one that appealed to her current mission.

A formless grey-green creature paused in front of her, a granite slug with two eyes protruding on gelatinous stalks as if assessing the Sith. As it moved, it scoured green sludge off the cracked duracrete alleyway, trailing thick translucent slime.

The granite slug slithered toward her. From the bottom of the slug’s underbelly, a jagged crack opened up, a quivering lipless mouth that sucked in a long hollow whistle of air. The granite slug reared until it towered over the young woman. She stared up at it, impassively, curious to see if it would attempt to attack her.

Then the granite slug seemed to deflate again, hooked its body into a broken passage to the right, and landed on the stones with a wet slapping sound.

A rustle of wind suddenly kicked up, and the granite slug churned down the side alley in alarm. Manuk looked up just in time to see the sharp manta-like wings of a hawk-bat that swooped down from high above, metallic talons outstretched.

The granite slug attempted to burrow into the rusted debris, but the hawk-bat landed on top of the wreckage, ripping and tearing at the fallen hunks of metal with its claws. Its triangular beak bobbed up and down like a piston until it had exposed the granite slug and slashed at the slimy creature. The hawk-bat flapped its broad wings again, heading toward the sky with its squirming, dripping prey.

As if nothing had happened, Manuk continued on her way – and soon her quest was at an end. She knew the man she sought frequented Daxa’s Cantina. Daxa, apparently, was a Zabrak that once owned this establishment, many centuries ago.

Even at this hour, Daxa’s was bound to be jumping. Manuk could hear the jizz band tootling away as she approached the entrance.

Inside, it was dim, and busy. She took a deep breath, scenting intoxicants from a dozen worlds. She walked down the steps, nodding at the droid bartender before seeking out an empty table in a corner, so as to be able to see as many of the occupants as possible, and wait for her contact to arrive.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri emerged from the steps of the hotel, quickly offering a look to her left and right before starting down the sidewalk to her right. The whole investigation had left her with some kind of feeling, related to her connection to the Force, but it was something that she couldn't place. Was she just being paranoid? Overthinking actions that were less perilous than they appeared? The confluence of thoughts in her mind distracted Bri from where she was heading, paying more attention to her own ideas than the sidewalk.

Sunlight struggled to filter through the mess of tall buildings, and the amount that did ended up mixing in with the smog of pollution, turning the sky a sickly red shaded color. The mess of beings that passed on either side of the Jedi kept their focus away from her, and if eye contact was made, Bri got the distinct feeling of immediate dislike. Needless to say, the population of the Coruscant underworld wasn't exactly her 'crowd.'

Before too long, the Jedi arrived at a satellite office of one of the engineers, not finding it too difficult to sneak in through a back door. First impression appeared that much of the space appeared to be abandoned, though some desks still had datapads and logins. Bri attempted an access, but it appeared that even the power had been cut and nothing would turn on. Standing up with a frown, she gave the room another once over, spotting a filing cabinet. Gaining access with a helpful assist from the Force, the Jedi pulled a small datapad from her pocket and plugged in.

The screen illuminated her face in blue and cast shadows around the room. Noticing it would take a few minutes for the data to download, Bri looked up and tilted her head, spotting a flyer pinned to the wall. It was for a local club called 'Daxa's' not too far from away. The Jedi raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

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Manuk Gagak

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Manuk knew the name of the contact – but not what he looked like. And she had been careful not to reveal too much about herself. She might need him for a while before she could silence him, and so the less he knew – the better.

She knew he had a cover. Or rather, he had a proper job that acted as a cover for his underworld activities. He was an engineer. How better to gain access to suppliers and cargo? And on a planet of this scale, with building works of this magnitude happening on a daily basis, skimming a tiny fraction of materials was never going to go amiss. Every job had waste built in and this man was not foolish enough to be greedy.

Not that she was interested in duracrete or rivets. But explosives she did want – and someone who had access to plans that would reveal the weak points to be exploited for maximum damage. Communications were here initial target and transport would be her second. Firstly, keep everyone in the dark and then stop people travelling. Then chaos would reign supreme.

She was sensible enough to appreciate that she could not burn down the planet single-handed. But if she could spark enough anarchy, the looters and low-life could storm the upper levels and effectively do it for her.

Why did she hate Coruscant so much? One reason and one reason alone. Because it held her secret and she could not access it. And if she could not find it, the planet would pay for its part in the conspiracy. For Manuk was an orphan. Left more credits than she could ever spend, she could afford anything – except for the one things she wanted…her identity.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri's blue eyes stared down at the data table in her hand, a progress bar eventually filling to completion, indicating a successful transfer. She quickly shuffled the pad back into her pocket and closed up the cabinet. Hopefully the data 'borrowed' from the engineering firm might provide better context as to what the important projects the murdered individual had been working on. Bri turned to depart, then stopped abruptly, turning her head back to the flyer on the wall. Following an inkling, the Jedi allowed a train of thought to progress in her mind. The casefiles had left her stumped, so perhaps instead of rereading the same information over and over again, doing something on a whim might yield a positive result?

The flyer had a location for the Cantina and Bri memorized it, before making sure all traces of her presence in the building couldn't be detected. It seemed unlikely, but the Jedi wasn't up for taking chances. She quietly opened the door and poked her head out slowly, making sure no one was looking, before quickly exiting and doing her best to look as nonchalant as possible on the sidewalk. The results were decidedly mixed.

Daxa's was not far away, and it only took Bri a few short minutes to make the walk over. Speeders and shuttles passed over her head, providing an ambient hum to her walk, and own internal monologue. If the engineer had frequented the cantina, then someone there was bound to know a little bit more. Right? The Jedi chewed on her lower lip slightly, thinking of ways to look inconspicuous. Unfortunately, camouflage was not an area that she excelled in. Daxa's was entirely what Bri expected it to be. A watering hole for beings of all origin to gather after a hard days work in the underworld. Some of that work probably being illegal. The door slid open for her, and the Jedi's eyes adjusted to the darker interior, the loud drum of constant conversations filling the large space. The smell of stale alcohol and smoke filtered around her unpleasantly.

Keeping her own identity as a Jedi as concealed as possible, with the assist of the Force, Bri stopped at the entrance trying to get as good of a look at the crowd as possible. Unfortunately, a Talz was trying to enter the Cantina and pushed her aside, as she had been blocking the entrance. "Oh, sorry," the Jedi muttered, yet was only met with a grunt in response. Not off to a great start. The Jedi sighed, figuring the best place to start was the bar. She pushed through a few aliens, and found a spot at the end, attempting to get the barkeeps attention.

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Manuk Gagak

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Manuk was far from being a master at manipulating the Force. She saw herself as somewhere between novice and competent. But, as she often reminded herself, the Force was not a panacea. Often it was her devotion to ballet at a young age that got her out of tight scrapes with close and personal with someone who might do her harm. And even when she used the Force, it was probably not how the textbook prescribed.

Manuk was not accomplished enough to mask her Force presence. Nor could she penetrate another’s cloak. But, as she put her mind to it, she realised she didn’t have to. When she sensed her environment, she could detect life. Organic matter showed up differently in her mental mind-map than inorganic. And over time she’d been able to extend her range. But one thing she noticed was – as the familiar phrase had it – any disturbance in the Force. Not that she could pinpoint who or where, but it was essentially the lack of clean data that showed up.

But why was this relevant? Because right now, as she scanned the room, wondering if her contact was already here, she felt it. Something felt odd and she probed more intensely – looking to see if she could pinpoint the source.

In truth she could not and – in her haste to identify the anomaly – she no doubt inadvertently revealed her probing to anyone who was Force sensitive in the room.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri was finally able to grab the bartender's attention after a few minutes of trying. I guess this is Daxa. The human was unkempt, and his apron appeared to be covered in stains of varying color. He likewise gave Bri a once over, and inquired what she wanted. The Jedi assumed that she would be more likely to pry any information away from Daxa after providing him with a few of her credits in the form of an alcoholic beverage.

"Can I get a photon fizzle?" Bri asked, slightly louder than her normal tone, ensuring the bartender heard her. He nodded in an almost understanding way, as if judging that a photon fizzle was the right drink for someone of Bri's look to be ordering. The Jedi didn't quite understand the face she was given and stared with large blue eyes blankly.

A few moments later the drink arrived and Bri exchanged a few credits. Before Daxa could return to the other patron's, Bri grabbed his attention once more, asking, "sorry, I've got a quick question."

The bartender looked intrigued by this development and raised an eyebrow, his way of allowing her to continue. "Right, thanks, I was wondering if you'd seen this man in here before?"

The Jedi took the datapad from her pocket and opened it to a photograph of the murdered engineer that had been used in the media coverage. Daxa glanced at it briefly and shrugged in a noncommittal fashion.

"Ehh I think so; came in her for drinks 'round this time," he gestured to the rest of the cantina with a nod of his head.

Bri followed up, "was he ever with anyone?"

"Maybe his work colleagues," again another shrug.

At this point, Daxa slowly broke from the general charm that Bri possessed and turned the questions back at the Jedi. "Why...? who's asking?" with narrowed eyes.

Bri hurriedly tried to get the attention away from herself. "Oh, uhh" she stammered slightly, "just a friend. no reason. Thanks for the drink,"

Daxa seemed to be appeased by Bri's response and departed to answer a cerean's request. The Jedi turned away from the bar and scanned her eyes at the rest of the patrons trying to process the limited new information. She took a sip of the drink in her hand and scrunched her face, remembering that she didn't like photon fizzles. Just as she lowered the drink, a strange feeling poked at her through the Force. Nothing so strong as to cause an immediate reaction, but something. Bri slowly turned back to the bar and forced another sip of the drink, trying to blend in. She reached out again with the Force, realization slowly dawning on her as to what had just occurred.

Another Force sensitive individual had scanned the room, and they had found the Jedi. Well, more accurately not found. Bri's own cloaking had provided a missing data point to whomever was searching. They wouldn't know where she was, but would know that something was there. As Bri slowly turned away from the bar, she could not pinpoint the exact location, but could tell it was originating from her left, where further crowds of beings were huddled, and table booths dotted the wall.

Most of the tables contained groups laughing and joking, some, however, just held single occupants. One such table contained a dark hooded figure in the corner. Bri stared in the direction of the corner longer than she knew she should have, large blue eyes focusing and then squinting somewhat, before moving on to the next. Hmm.

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Manuk Gagak

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Manuk continued to scour the room. Nobody looking like they were an engineer come black-market explosives dealer’s was evident, so she sighed audibly and sat back in her seat and took a sip of her drink. She’d chosen a bottled beer – with the cap intact. Sure, it was probably a counterfeit, but there was less chance of someone slipping someone into it between the order and the deliver. She closed her eyes momentarily…how to find someone that probably didn’t want to be found in a busy place, when you had no idea what they looked like?

Opening her eyes, Manuk looked straight into the gaze of a woman at the bar. Was she winking at her, or just squinting? The woman’s eyes moved on to the next table and Manuk wondered if this was just someone looking for someone. Like she was?

The young Sith was never fond of coincidences and permutations rattled around her brain. Was this person looking for her? Looking for the same person she was? Did she fancy Manuk? Was Manuk sitting in her usual seat?

Manuk didn’t like many, if any, of the possibilities and she focused on her growing frustration, which in turn strengthened her connection to the Force. There was a chance she might have to fight her way out of the situation. But then she let go of the connection. Maybe she was just being jumpy? She had to learn to be more patient in these circumstances.

To just about anyone in the room, this mental debate would have gone unnoticed – but to someone trained, they would surely have spotted that Manuk’s lilac irises flashed sulphur yellow for a moment before she relaxed and relinquished her link to the Force.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri's bright blue eyes kept surveying the other tables on the opposite side of the Cantina as she was. It wasn't exactly easy. Crowds of people shifted and moved, leaving her lacking a continuous unobstructed view. None of the aliens or humans she spotted generated the same kind of feeling from the hooded figure who she had first noticed in the corner. Their eyes had met for the briefest of moments, yet Bri couldn't determine whether the nebulous feeling that had been generated by the action was merely a coincidence. Or not? In past experiences, the Force usually didn't allow for coincidences to occur. Key word being 'usually.' The Jedi once again tried to act 'natural' to get another look at the hooded individual, resting her side and elbow against the bar, forcing more sips of the photon fizzle. As her eyes scanned back, so to did her feelings with the Force.

The hooded table occupier was not looking directly at her, yet should could feel something distinct around the general area. However, like a flash, she caught a glance of her eyes, which flashed a sickly yellow color before returning to soft lilac. Bri immediately choked on the liquid that was in her mouth, hunching forward with a few coughs. A few of the others seated at the bar looked over with a mixture of contempt and curiosity. After a few more coughs, the Jedi managed a reassuring smile and a hand wave, indicating she was fine. Some appeared content, while a few others had obviously taken a new disliking to the Chandrilan human.

Bri stood still, nervously fidgeting with her fingers on the base of her glass. The yellow eyes had practically eliminated the question of coincidences from her mind. There was a very small chance this was some alien who could change their eye color, or a cybernetic thing, but the color had changed when she felt another hum from the Force. The Jedi knew a certain group of individuals who possessed the rather alarming trait of yellow-amber irises, and they usually wanted to do her harm.

It was possible this presumed Sith had caught Bri's unfortunate reaction, but might not know if it was related to her realizing her identity. Instead, the Jedi figured to, discreetly as possible, watch the corner of the room, and follow, if necessary, should the individual depart. Was she about to leave from the track of the murdered engineer? Maybe? Maybe not.

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Manuk Gagak

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Manuk remained as still and as calm as she could. Every now and then she would take a sip of her drink, and used the action to mask a sweep of the bar. Few were arriving or leaving and she was sure her contact was present right now. Why he hadn’t shown himself, she had no idea.

A few moments later, her attention was drawn to the bar. Manuk’s eyes narrowed. It was possible the woman could not hold her drink – but if so, why choose a cantina like this in the Underworld? Maybe she’d just experienced her drink going down the wrong way? The young Sith’s eyes remained half-closed as she contemplated the permutations.

With mental calculations like this – at least for Manuk – it was always about clusters. No single fact or observation was taken at face value, none was considered more valid than any other. Instead, Manuk put them all into one big pot and stirred it. Then, when it settled, she considered the information holistically. And given her dislike for coincidences, she came to a conclusion. The woman at the bar was not her contact – but she was not simply another patron. Her motives were unknown, but Manuk did not feel comfortable continuing as if nothing had happened – and she had two choices: leave or confront the woman.

And given she had come too far to walk away now, Manuk did the only thing left.

So, she picked up her bottle of beer and slowly and deliberately towards the woman – keeping her eyes on her and only stopping when she was right beside her at the bar.

“It’s an old line and typically used in other scenarios, but I have to ask, what’s a woman like you doing in a bar like this?”

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Brienna Lanaamer

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For a few moments, the Jedi felt the situation calm somewhat. She managed to make glances over at the woman in the corner, without her efforts being entirely obvious. If she had noticed Bri's glances, no immediate actions were being taken, other than a few sips of her bottled drink.

If possible, the Cantina seemed to be getting more and more crowded. It was harder to tell in the dimly lit interior, and through the few grime covered windows, but it appeared the sun was setting. A much darker shade of red appeared nearly visible.

Just as Bri turned back to face the bar, a quick glance out of her periphery saw that the table in the corner was no longer occupied. Instead, the blonde haired woman who was previously occupying it was now walking towards the bar, eyes locked. The Jedi only needed one guess as to the reason why. She cursed internally, trying to keep her mind from racing to overthink all of the various permutations that may occur. In Bri's mind, the chances were equal between being stabbed by some concealed weapon or being purchased a drink.

Not completing her own preparations for how to proceed, the Jedi defaulted to feigning ignorance as the presumed-Sith approached. It was still entirely possible she didn't know Bri was a Jedi. Maybe. She offered a look of quiet surprise, which turned into a forced friendly smile as the blonde haired woman addressed her with an introductory line. Is she flirting with me? There were very few things that Bri did worse in the Galaxy, than respond well to any type of romantically linked statements or actions. She was poor at reading them, even worse at responding to them, and they always left her feeling uncomfortable.

The Jedi's mind raced quickly, coming up with an idea she deemed slightly risky, tying the questions back to her own investigation. "Oh," she smiled in a friendly manner once more, "I'm not a frequent customer here, I was just looking for a friend," she paused briefly before adding, "I know that he comes here sometimes,"

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Manuk Gagak

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The crowded nature of the bar allowed Manuk to hold the conversation in relative secrecy. Who knew where the talk would go, so anonymity should not be compromised. Plus, she reckoned, her presumptions may not be entirely accurate.

The woman’s response did not go towards making Manuk believe she had made the wrong decision – or an inaccurate assessment of the facts.

“I could have guessed you weren’t a regular and – if you don’t mind me saying – I find your excuse for being here somewhat…unbelievable. You see,” she continued, her voice remaining silky smooth and her demeanour calm and relaxed, “these people don’t have friends. They might say they do, but you could buy their allegiance for three of those,” she pointed at the woman’s part-consumed drink, “and order a hit on their best friend for two more.”

She turned to face towards the bar and took another sip of her beer. “But I believe you’re here to see someone, it’s just the who we need to ascertain.”

There was no threat in her voice or body language. If she was intimidating, it would be because she remained so calm and impassive when effectively calling out the woman to be a liar.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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She has to be toying with me. Despite the woman's calm tone and unassuming body language, she had essentially responded that Bri was lying to her about her reason for being in the Cantina. Which she was. Technically. It was also fair to say that the woman knew more about the types of people who would frequent Daxa's than Bri did. Another point for her. Despite the Jedi feeling increasingly trapped by the situation (physically and metaphorically), it was still probable the woman didn't know her identity. Bri was making sure to keep her connection to the Force as concealed as possible.

The Jedi tried to turn on her own charm in response. She smiled playfully.

"Well, you've got me on that point. Definitely more of an acquaintance, than friend, if you know what I mean." Bri replied, not knowing herself what she meant by the last statement.

Running a few quick internal probabilities, Bri judged it fair to take a risk. As she fished in her pocket for her datapad once more, the Jedi knew any reaction, or even lack of, could be further information. Bri prepared to keep her light blue eyes locked on the woman's face for any sign of note.

"I'm looking for him," she pressed a few buttons on the pad and pulled up a picture of the recently murdered engineer. " We were supposed to meet," she sighed, "but he hasn't shown up. Have you seen him around here before?"

Bri kept an earnest smile as possible, keeping her gaze fixed for any change in the woman's face.

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Manuk Gagak

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Manuk was many positive things – determined, resourceful and athletic amongst them. Appreciating she was relatively inexperienced and at the beginning of her journey in mastering the Force could not. To date, she’d never encountered another Force user of any standing (the pathetic Dark-sided cultists definitely did not count).

Maybe this counted in her favour, as she was writing credit cheques her Force abilities could not cash, but then, the woman she was speaking to possibly did not realise this. Plus it afforded her a level of confidence that was way above the stage she would be displaying if she knew the truth.

Manuk’s eyes narrowed once more. No, in truth she didn’t know what the woman said, but she believed in keeping quiet. People tended to hate silence and if nervous, filled the gap with babble that often betrayed their true feelings and thoughts.

Manuk glanced casually at the datapad and expected to see the face of the man she was here to meet herself, Somehow, it seemed right – as if fate had given her what she wanted. When she saw the image, she could not supress her surprise and an eyebrow quickly raised before she was able to put it back into place consciously.

“I can honestly say I’ve never seen him here before,” Manuk responded. This was entirely true – she’d met him at his office and killed him there – before disposing of the body nearby. “So, you’re acquaintances, yes? Seems an odd place to meet.”

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri caught something. Well, a hint of something at least. As the photo on the datapad was shown, there seemed to be a slight reaction on the woman’s face. Her eyebrow raised. It could have been in recognition, or in just a simple, human reaction to seeing someone new for the first time. I‘ll bet it’s the former.

As much as the Jedi would have liked for the presumed-Sith to blurt out that she had killed the engineer, there was still more to uncover. Her recognition of the man was just as likely to be from seeing a news report about his demise. Nevertheless, Bri intended to dig deeper to find out more. Perhaps this woman could lead to another clue.

“Ah, ok. Maybe I got stood up” the golden-haired woman nodded with a shrug and slight, sideways smile, sliding the datapad back in her pants pocket. “Yep, he suggested we meet here,” she paused and looked around again. “I think he works nearby.“

The Jedi turned back to the bar and retook her glass taking a sip, pretending her best to look like she enjoyed it. Attempting to turn the conversation somewhat, she followed up quickly, “what about you? What brings you down here?”

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Manuk Gagak

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Manuk’s smile was genuine. It this was a game of cat-and-mouse she presumed she was the hunter and the other woman the prey. Again, a sign of Manuk’s naivety. She had spent much time hiding her true presence from others, and it hadn’t occurred to her that others might do the same. Which, in turn, was no doubt linked to the fact that she had never encountered a Jedi. Yes, she’d met other Force users – and had played a part in destroying a petty Dark-sided cult – but since her new-found abilities had blossomed, she had only ever been on the front-foot.

And the woman’s answers merely fuelled her feeling of superiority. Low-life that worked nearby dd not date women like this one. And if they did, they would never stand one up – given it was entirely unlikely they would find another woman with all her own teeth, let alone such white ones! So, if Manuk was being played, she did not suspect it and continued the conversation with an ego full of pride – which as the saying had it, was poison for your soul. Oh, and that didn’t even take into account what invariably followed pride…

“Maybe he did,” Manuk said as she glanced around the room. “And if this is his idea of a date venue, you’re better off without him.” She turned to face the Jedi again. “As for me, I enjoy the atmosphere. I enjoy watching people and you get a different class in here compared to what I’m used to. I like to guess what people are here for, what their secrets are.” She allowed the final few words to sink in before she continued. “Like him,” she nodded to a Rodian with a big blaster strapped to his thigh. "He keeps looking at the door when someone new comes in and every now and then he checks his datapad. Wannabe bounty hunter, after his first kill I bet.”

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri forced an understanding and interested expression as her mind slowly compiled evidence on the woman standing before her. She was very engaged, and seemed to be genuinely enjoying their conversation. She obviously enjoyed being the pursuer, already eager to call out the Jedi on a few small lies. That might be something. The best kind of advantage to have over someone is one they don't even know about. The presumed-Sith obviously enjoyed talking, and the beginnings of a small plan slowly began to take root in Bri's thoughts.

All I have to do is keep letting this woman think she's getting ahead of me. Her statement was obviously true. No reasonable person, especially one that looked as 'kept up,' as the Jedi did would select Daxa's as a venue for a romantic liaison. Despite her attempt at trying to blend in with her more common looking clothes, the Jedi still stuck out somewhat, to her detriment. The people in the Cantina were all different, but nevertheless uniform in their consistency of general unkemptness. Surely the woman didn't actually assume that she was here for a date? Probably not. However, there was always a benefit to keeping someone talking...

The Jedi offered a short laugh and nod in response. She was decent at thinking on her feet, and guessed that her skills would need to be at their best to keep the woman reeled in just enough to guide the conversation to where she wanted it to go. "Well, that's for sure. This place doesn't exactly scream romance." Bri gave another glance around the space and added in a frown of unpleasantness. It was clear she had not confirmed or denied the date story

Bri listened intently to the woman's reason for visiting Daxa's. It was just plausible enough to be believable. Just. What she's used to? The Jedi gave another once over of the woman, getting a better look at her outfit. It was mostly covered by a cape of some sorts, but underneath appeared to be what Bri judged as a bodysuit. Made out of leather? That's got to be uncomfortable. Anyone with such an outfit was bound to have an interesting reason for being in a run down Cantina in the Coruscant Underworld. Yeah, weirdos. The Jedi turned her towards the Rodian the woman was referring to. The conclusion she provided seemed pretty logical in response to his actions. For the briefest of moments, Bri wondered if she should do something to stop another murder in the Underworld.

The Jedi nodded in agreement to the woman's statements, and picked up on a line to follow on. "What are you normally used to?" Large blue eyes looked inquisitively at the woman's face.

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Manuk Gagak

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Of course Manuk was oblivious to being played. That was the problem with her blend of naivety, overconfidence and thrill of the chase.

And the fact that the Jedi seemed to sense all of the above simply compounded things for the young Sith. An ability to connect to the Force was one thing, but a lack of true street smarts was often required and the Coruscant native spent her adolescent years pampered, privileged and somewhat isolated. Not a healthy cocktail when it came to playing social mind games with a Jedi.

Although it was fair to say that Bri’s next line made Manuk stop short. She didn’t pick it up as a threat per se, but didn’t like the fact that the conversation had shifted onto herself (regardless of how narcissistic she was). But if it served a purpose in the long run, she had no issue with continuing the line of conversation.

“Oh, you know…all sorts. I’ve spent time with princes and paupers. More time down here than you’d probably guess. I find life fascinating and when you have as little as these people have, they tend to savour every moment of vice they can lay their grubby little paws on.” She virtually licked her lips as she spoke, such was the strength of conviction in her voice. In truth, their desperation and other base emotions fed her connection to the Dark side. “But enough about me, you’re clearly not a native to these parts, what brings you to the underworld?”

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Brienna Lanaamer

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"Mmmm," the Jedi nodded her head slowly as the presumed-Sith explained what 'all sorts' meant. As she spoke, Bri almost got the sense that the woman took pleasure in the misfortune of others, spotting a glint in her eye and a real force (small f) behind her words. That, or she was an accomplished liar leading the Jedi along on a string. A quick judge of probabilities suggested the former. Nevertheless, if she was telling the truth, a picture slowly began to form in Bri's mind.

Privileged, spoiled child grows up in the skyscrapers of Coruscant, yet drifts into the Underworld to satisfy the blackness inside her. Assuming she was a Sith, it made a logical sense. Bri had never spent an extended period of time with those who took to the darkness, instead any interaction quickly devolved into a fight. Indeed, she never had the opportunity to ask someone why they would choose dark over light. Were all souls redeemable, not matter how far gone they may be? Forgiveness was a powerful illustration of emotion, yet how far could it reach? The Jedi tried to keep her own thoughts from turning cynical.

Bri juged to choose her response carefully, letting the woman feel comfortable enough in their dialogue, yet gliding around the reason for her own presence in the Underworld,

"Well, as much as I enjoy people watching like you," an obvious oversimplification of what the woman had just explained, "it's not my purpose for visiting. The man I showed you a picture of is my contact for a nearby engineering firm. I was supposed to ask him a few questions about his work,"

The Jedi looked around the Cantina once more. If she could hint at a few of the topics in her investigation, the woman might bite on something that seemed, on the surface, to be innocuous.

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