Ask Coruscant Unrelenting Pursuit

Talak Rand

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The trip to Coruscant hadn't exactly been peaceful, but he and Crix seemed to have come to some sort of an understanding of one another. At least temporarily. As always, however, that was far less important to either of them than what had brought them together: finding Trys.

Talak's call to Nerth at the Sector Ranger headquarters had gotten him what he needed in regards to finding out where Trys had last been and who she had been with. That made the next stop on the investigation train the Rangers who had last seen her. He desperately hoped that they had some sort of a lead as to what happened, though the pieces were slowly being put together.

En route, Talak had messaged Max and Hannibal as well, hoping that they might be available if this whole thing went sideways. The odds that this ended with a strike team landing somewhere and raiding something seemed... ever increasing.

Crix, we're coming up on Coruscant! Talak shouted back into the ship. Voices carried just fine down the metallic corridors and he had no doubt Crix would hear him.

The Nomad dropped out of hyperspace only a few minutes later, and the garbled surface of Coruscant came into view. Talak guided the ship down in the direction the Rangers had given him of the previous deployment.

Want to see if you can raise them on the comm? Number should be in the console, he said, motioning to the communication console next to Crix.

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Crix Aran

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The one thing he had managed to piece together outside of his burning desire to make sure that his mom was ok? Talak Rand was an incredibly shitty roadtrip buddy. Like seriously, they'd barely spoken in the several hours it had taken to get to Coruscant - the droid had actually spoken to Crix more than the Goth-looking Space Wizard had done.

Ugh, he was going to be a Space Wizard one day soon so he should probably stop using the term he supposed. He finished sharpening the sword's edge (because hey, why not?) and made sure to strap the rest of his equipment into place. His blaster pistol had been un-modded so now it could shoot lethal rounds as well.

He wasn't going to be sharing that information with the Rangers.

"Comin!"


Wandering down the halls, he sat down in the seat behind Talak and gave the little droid a quick salute before strapping himself in. He was trying very, very fecking hard to not let the realities of the situation get to him but the fact that they were one step closer to finding her was helping a lot. Even something as simple as making a call was fine because it gave him something to do. Checking the name on the number, he raised an eyebrow before dialing it in as the ship came down.

"Ranger Corran Velt come in please - this is Crix Aran and Talak"
- He didn't actually know the dude's last name - "On the Nomad. We need to meet to discuss the whereabouts of my... of Trys Aran."

Not his mom.

If he mentioned that she was his mom to someone else his tentative self-control would evaporate he just knew it. Besides, it was better to use her full name because that was what these guys would know her by. She could be his mom later but right now he needed her to be Trys Aran, hardest woman in the Galaxy bar none.


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Corran Velt

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Searching for Lieutenant Trys Aran on Coruscant on their own had led to nothing. With the destruction of Sector Ranger Headquarters, any easily accessible records were destroyed along with the smoldering tower. Previous cases, behavioral analysis, even her official address were all gone. Corran didn't even know the famous Sith Hunter all that well, so he couldn't truly rely on gut instinct of what he knew about her. Since her disappearance, the blond ranger had scoured Coruscant to no avail. He could spend the next 100 years searching every level of Coruscant and never find a trace of Lt. Aran. The wayward Lieutenant Ranger may not even be on Coruscant. There was a lucky break in the search, mercifully enough. A being named 'Nerth' had reached out to Corran to make contact with some private investigators who were also looking for Trys. He hoped they had more information than he did. Trys' abandoned comm was anxiously turned in his hand over and over. It had become something of a lucky charm. A conduit that helped keep the faith. Still, it was all he had to offer these other investigators.

Corran's own comm chirped to life. They must have entered atmosphere. He pressed it to his ear and eyes went wide as dinner plates. Crix Aran? A relative of hers? The name Talak sounded familiar but it was just a first name. Plenty of Talak's in the galaxy. Crix, though, that was a sure sign of progress. Maybe instead of talking one step at a time, the search could finally start sprinting. Attempting to overcome his shock, the blond ranger pressed the reply button on his comm. “Crix A-Aran? Ahem. This is Lieutenant Velt of the Sector Rangers. I read you. I’m sending you grid coordinates for a landing pad. I’ll meet you there. Over.”

With a few taps, Crix would get a location not too far off from where Trys was last seen - the starport bar where she clobbered a Mandalorian bounty hunter and then vanished. If these two knew her better, maybe they would divine what caused her to evaporate into thin air. When the Nomad descended to the platform, they would be greeted by the sight of a man standing with his hands on his hips. Dressed more like a cadet fresh out of boot camp more than some frontier gunslinger. Jacket buttoned up to the collar and pants tucked into his boots; the only odd thing was the handle of a sword sticking out over his left shoulder. That and the scar diagonally across his nose and up to his right eyebrow. As the ship set down on its landing struts, the Lieutenant Ranger glanced at his comrade nearby. Soon they’d get to see what kind of people they were dealing with.


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Crix Aran

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Did the dude on the other end of the com have a stutter about the letter A or something? Was it bad that he didn't think that a Lieutenant in the Sector Rangers would have a stutter? It was probably bad that he thought that - people with stutters could be awesome Rangers as well as people who didn't. Probably made reading people their rights a bit awkward... and he was right back into the territory of being a bad person.

He'd apologize to the dude if it turned out he did, actually, have a stutter.

"See you planetside Lieutenant Velt."


Turning off the com line for conversation, he picked up the message with the co-ordinates and shared them to Talak's screen as the main pilot.

"Co-ordinates shared."
he reported like he was some kind of ship jockey from one of the holonet shows he used to watch, "You heard of Lieutenant Velt? I've not heard of him before - mom..."

... stupid throat.

Why you have to croak and clam up? It was just a word and mom was Fine.

She was going to be just fine.

"Mom never mentioned him. Guess he's either nobody important or it's a trap."


He said the last bit like he was joking but, um, he kind of got the feeling that Talak wouldn't think it was a joke.


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Figured it made sense to do a short post out of order to get us closer to actually interacting in person.
 

Zad Ruzed

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It wasn’t the first time that he had opened doors and smashed windows, upturned boxes and lifted barrels, shook hands with lawmen and broke the hands of the lawless, only to come up and out empty-handed after flicking a finished cigarette into the puddle. All for one target. One name. One person. It wasn’t just one person, though—it was Trys Aran, the kind of Ranger that maybe he ought to have become; a living symbol of the badge they both had pressed to their chests—and he wasn’t finished looking for her just yet. So if Zad Ruzed, a simple gunslinger of the wild rim, had not given up on this woman then Corran Velt had not given up on her either. Heck, maybe when the stars go out. Maybe.

“You’re not alone, Trys…” he spoke to himself, blowing smoke toward the sky to watch its wisps disappear. His hands came up, one to sip from a flask and feel the burn, the other clutching a gold star not so bright. The Ranger’s badge was hardly polished; a dull and scratched thing whose age reflected his face. I take better care of my gun. Still, that star would not be going out anytime soon, not as long as he had a say in it. Worn out, scarred and dirty, that badge, the Rangers’ name and the Ranger’s name all still meant something to him. I don’t really know you, and that’s too bad, but I know of you. That’s enough.

They would find her. It was only a matter of time. Just like a flash of lightning, then, a familiar voice came over his comlink. It was Corran. A moment later and Zad had heard all he needed. He closed the comm, screwed the cap, flicked the cig, checked his gun and whipped a long leather coat over his arms, pausing to look up. The sky waited for him and space waited beyond—that untamed expanse that kept reminding the galaxy why it needed gunslingers like him; galactic deputies and drifters and those who dared to dance with danger. Rangers.

The word stuck with him all the way to the rendezvous point, keeping it plural as he set the Iron Justice down, watching that blond head and scarred face from the window with a smile. Zad straightened his collar as he approached his partner and, of course, his superior. Though, no salute had been given, no handshake, not even “Howdy”. In fact, the two said nothing as they stood side by side, if a little divided. One Ranger was dressed more like a frontier gunslinger than some cadet fresh out of boot camp, if without a cigarette between his lips. For now.



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Talak Rand

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Talak continued to guide the Nomad in, glancing over at the coordinates Crix had transferred to his console.

Got it, heading there. Might want to strap in, he said with a nod to Crix. The reason for saying that wasn't because he was going to be overly paternalistic. It was a genuine warning. Talak wasn't here to waste time and the landing wasn't going to be slow or smooth just like it hadn't been on Corellia.

The ship came down fast, pushing the limit of what he should have been doing inside proper city airspace, but nothing went wrong. It was fine.

Nerth didn't seem worried about them, he said, not picking up whatsoever on the fact that Crix was not being entirely serious about this being a trap. Talak didn't trust many people, but Nerth - the crime scene technician that he'd met through Trys - had proven reliable and helpful on a couple of different occasions.

Talak set the ship down on the landing pad and once again the ship's ramp was already going down before Talak was totally out of his seat. Don't be demanding things of these guys, you need them on your side, he reminded himself. Though he half-expected that Crix would do all the demanding for both of them.

Talak was heading down the ramp only a few seconds later, heading to meet the pair of Rangers, probably alongside Crix who would no doubt be as eager as Talak.

And what an interesting pair they were greeted by. Fine, so a Jedi and a teenager probably shouldn't have been thinking that another duo looked odd, but the comparison of one person who looked like he was straight out of the academy and another who looked like he'd hunted and shot criminals the galaxy over were quite interesting.

Rangers Ruzed and Velt? Talak asked as he drew closer. He didn't know either of the men, but that wasn't shocking. Despite having worked with the Rangers on a couple of occasions, he didn't do it often. Although Talak wore his lightsaber near his 4 o'clock on his belt, it wasn't exactly hidden and would quickly tell the Rangers precisely what he did for a living and might help piece together why he was here. Talak's exact relationship to Trys... probably didn't need to be brought up.

I'm Talak, he said, and glanced over to Crix. He was sure the young Aran would introduce himself... if he needed an introduction at all.

We were told you were on deployment with Try... Lieutenant Aran when she went missing? he asked. Pleasantries still weren't his specialty, particularly when time was of the essence. He didn't anticipate the Rangers would expect him to waste time anyway.

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Crix Aran

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He appreciated the warning but Crix was already strapped in and had been since the warning lights had come on telling them that they were emerging from hyperspace. Crix hadn't been with Talak long but it was long enough to know that the guy gave precisely zero shits about a rough landing... or a smooth flight... or even a vaguely polite flying style either. Maybe he was different when someone he cared about wasn't at risk but Crix doubted it somewhat.

Made him feel ever so slightly better to know that being a decent pilot wasn't an expectation of the Jedi - because if it was, he knew he'd flunk in a week.

"Nerth?" he smiles ever so slightly as he remembers what his mom had mentioned of the man before, "Well if we're sure."

Crix actually beat Talak out of his seat and out of the cockpit cus he didn't actually have any part in actually landing the damned thing. Of course Talak managed to get off the ship first cus Crix had, momentarily, forgotten which corridors it was off from the main common area. The ship had too many corridors for something that had relatively few rooms.

Following in silence with Talak, Crix took in his surroundings while Talak focused on the two Rangers. He didn't bother focusing on the Rangers first for two reasons; One was that Talak was doing that and Two was that he'd never bloody heard of them so he didn't exactly hold them in high regard. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he stood there, tension beginning to build as he eyed the two people who had last been there with his mom.

"Crix Aran." he introduced himself with a barring of his teeth, "So tell us - how the f*** did you manage to lose my mom? Must be quite the kriffing story how two highly trained Rangers managed to mess this shite up."

Diplomacy was a skill he had yet to bother learning.


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Corran Velt

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Sound of an approaching ship heralded the arrival of the Nomad long before it came into view. The screeching echoes of fast-burning thrusters indicated that they were likely going much faster than airspace regulations allowed. Nevertheless, the craft was deftly brought down on the landing page with noticeable experience. A little bracing against the force of the landing was necessary, but nothing too dramatic. If it was any other situation, I’d write a citation. The ramp of the ship descended on its hydraulic struts but no one was immediately visible. Corran glanced out of the corner of his eye at his fellow Ranger. What kind of people were they dealing with?

That answer soon became obvious. The young lieutenant wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting, but the two who came down the ramp were about as furthest from what one might have guessed. The younger of the two was Zabrak of some kind, though with noticeable human-like features. The other was entirely human, tall, dark, and already a problem. A lightsaber dangled from the man’s belt and the blond ranger instinctively clenched his fist. A Force cultist. Always sticking their noses in Sector Ranger business. This was all their fault – dragging normal people into their endless religious schism. If they had to work together, it was tolerable. For now.

At mention of his name, Corran nodded to confirm he was indeed Ranger Velt. Though the badge on his chest likely gave that away. Talak provided a calm greeting while Crix unleashed a tirade of accusation. The lieutenant ranger’s face was granite. Years of discipline and petty insults from criminals had hardened his patience against such things. After the outburst, he gave them both a courtesy greeting, “Talak, Crix, nice to meet you both.” Best to not indulge that fiery temper. It was sort of shocking how young Crix was. A teenager, surely, but would that make him Lt. Aran’s… son? Must have been a well-kept secret if that was the case.

It was time to get to work, regardless. The Force-user was quick to get down to business. Corran appreciated that. The sooner they got they got to the meat of their cooperation, the sooner they found Trys Aran. “That’s right,” the lieutenant began, “We were in that starport bar over there during Chief Hudson’s speech.” He swiveled at the hip and pointed to the small building that was mostly meant for layovers on the crowded world of Coruscant. “She disarmed a bounty hunter who was too aggressive for core world tastes, but then grew pale as a ghost after looking at a message on this.” Corran raised his hand to hold up Trys’ comm device. They hadn’t been able to unlock it because they didn’t know Lt. Aran’s personal code. Sector Ranger HQ had plenty of options to cracking open secure devices, but that building and many of its experts were now gone or at least disorganized to be currently unavailable. “She didn’t say a word. Vacated the bar immediately and disappeared into the morning rush. Ranger Ruzed found the comm discarded in a trash bin.” The blond ranger offered the comm device to the two newcomers.

Once they had taken the object from him, Corran continued his methodical report. “We tried searching for Lt. Aran, myself taking as much of Coruscant as possible, but as I’m sure you both realize… the Rangers are a bit scattered at the moment. Marshaling resources to locate her has been a challenge.” A gutkurr breaking his ribs felt better than admitting that out loud. It was a truth; shameful, but the truth. All the rangers could do was hope that these two eccentrics were the lucky break they needed.

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Zad Ruzed

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The light freighter that flew from the sky more or less fell from it instead, raising Zad’s brow just as he caught the eye of his partner. The look they shared had not paved the way for any words even then, but it was clear that either man had read the other's mind to see if their scenarios synced up. A couple of hard-hitting vigilantes, maybe? Instead, they turned out to be what might have been a Jedi and his padawin (the word was slipping). That was the best guess, given that he did not appear to be playing on the dark team and there was an iron hilt on the man’s belt. Corran had caught it too as Zad watched his CO tense up. All was fine. As the Nomad had earlier dropped down, the wind had played with Zad’s coat and there was another kind of iron not so subtly hanging from a belt. Against a lightsaber, though…

“Zad’s good,” he chimed in on the introductions, keeping casual even as his compatriot looked like the weight of their missing commander was being weighed against their newly dubbed allies. That kid from the latter had quite a mouth, and maybe on another occasion it might have been closed, but this was no simple kid. As Corran kept quiet, Zad narrowed his eyes at the Zabrak boy, such as he was.

“So she’s your mom, huh?” He blew through his lips as though smoke should have drifted between them. “Sorry…” Just a teen whose mother went missing. I'd be swearing too, and so much more. “But, kid, your mom has a face to make the stars around us shine, so if we were the last ones who saw her then she doesn’t want to be found.”

Unlike Zad if no one else, Trys Aran kept more than a pistol or a lightsaber on her belt; she held upon and beneath it the deeds and feats that had made her known in the Inner Rim. There was a whole array of variables as to how she had gone missing but no birds were chirping so close to Coruscant, and just then Corran piped up to carry that message across. As the Lieutenant relayed their last encounter with his fellow officer, Zad watched the two guys standing before the other two guys, and especially the face of one Crix Aran. There was no telling how many stories he had heard of how his mother had disarmed aggressive bounty hunters, and then some.

“I did what I could down here,” Zad piggybacked on Corran’s report. “Left the rest to my partner and I went up. Flew perimeter, hailed a few ships, stretched for the Rim…” He shook his head and sucked his lips in regret like he had lost his own badge and couldn’t find it, yet one symbol was worth much more than the other. “Nothing.”


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Talak Rand

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Depending on how you looked at it, the good or bad thing about being a Jedi was that it was surprisingly easy to tell what someone thought of you. He gained the distinct impression that the Rangers didn't care for him. If only they knew the full story, they'd be tackling him to the ground and throwing him in prison.

Well, we won't be telling them the full story, he thought to himself. But more than that, he didn't need them to like him or vice versa. They shared a common goal. Once again, the impression of being back in the Sith stung at the back of his mind. He didn't like the memories.

As Talak half expected, Crix took a more... direct approach than Talak. And that was saying something coming from a guy with all the subtlety of a pregnant bantha.

To their credit, the Rangers took it in stride and Talak listened to them recount their story. He appreciated that it was truncated as time was of the essence, but the thing that really caught his attention was the comlink. That was a lead, even if they couldn't get it open... yet.

Good! he said, almost excited at the prospect of an actual lead. Though it did explain why he hadn't been able to get through to Trys. He half-expected to see the 7 missed calls from him on the opening screen.

Can you get it open? he asked Crix. The question was two faceted. First, he may well have known the comm's access code. It wasn't at all unheard of for family members to know such things. Second, if he didn't know the code, Mr. "I erase my friends' criminal records" might be able to simply slice his way inside.

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Crix Aran

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Neither of them held his anger against him but neither of them had anything immediately useful for the pursuit either. Usually Crix wouldn’t bother holding any anger about that – they’d tried their best and they didn’t do anything on purpose. His mom was better at slipping away undetected than they were as detecting people. Yet another example of how badass his mom was (and how it totally meant she was going to be Fine) but it felt different.

It hit different this time.

The anger he had been feeling stayed even if he didn’t snarl or snap at the two Rangers like he had before. Instead it just sat there, deep in his gut, and twisted and swirled. It warmed him and he clung to it almost possessively because he really wanted to focus on something, anything, other than the quiet dread that was waiting for him. Still, there were things to be focused on other than the Rangers and if keeping the anger inside of him was a good thing.

Taking the comlink, Crix scowled as his right hand shook slightly, forcing it to be steady through sheer force of will. He refused to look weak in front of two guys he’d never met before and his mom’s… friend.

Gross.

He brushed his thumb over his mom’s comlink for a second, just holding it. If he thought about it really hard he could almost hear her voice… smell the perfume she occasionally wore and the ridiculous products she put in her hair that he teased her about since the first time he’d caught her buying them. But it was just his imagination and it was time to open the damned thing and get a solid lead.

“I know it.”


He knew how to open it.

Crix entered the code he thought it was and blinked once when it vibrated in his hand to confirm he had gotten it wrong. He frowned and looked around at Talak and the Rangers, a flush threatening to emerge on his cheeks.

“Give me a second…”


He tried the same code, slowly, to make sure he hadn’t typed it wrong and got the same response. Hurriedly, he typed in another three codes that he knew she used around the house and… none of them worked. His cheeks flushed despite himself and despite his earlier anger.

If the ground could swallow him up right now, that’d be great.

Instead he pulled out his multi-tool and sighed a little bit as he started fiddling with it. He said he could get in and he would get in – even if slicing his mom’s com-link in full view of two Rangers and a Jedi was probably normally a bad thing. A bit of messing around for a few seconds managed to get what he wanted.

Despite himself he checked the notes section, looking for a hint about the passcode. Obviously the passcode itself wasn’t there but some hints were… he stared at the notes before scowling. It was a mixture of his name as numbers and the date she’d first met Talak. What the heck was that bullshit? What the hell was that scruffy bastard doing involved like that?

He closed the notes app with a couple button presses that were much harder than necessary. Handing it to Talak without actually looking at him, he glared at the floor for a moment as he put his multi-tool away.

“Unknown number, obviously, but it wasn’t from Coruscant so it’d bounce off one of them centers.”
He said with a small frown, “Bet you my last Credit it’s not Core, Inner Rim or Mid Rim either…”

He turned back to the Rangers.

“Can you get us to the last place you saw her? We can find the local com station from there.”



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Corran Velt

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How quickly bravado gave way. When Crix took the comm device, the blond ranger fully expected for the access code to cease being an obstacle and the message that turned Trys Aran stark white would be revealed. Things didn't go as smoothly as that. At the first failed entry, Corran thought nothing of it. A slip of the thumb happened to everyone. At the second, he clocked a blond eyebrow. At the third, he actually turned his head and looked at something in the distance; doing his best to provide something akin privacy to the teenager. Nobody like feeling embarrassed and being watched over while one worked made it worse.

Only the flash of a multi-tool recaptured the lieutenant's attention. With furrowed brow, Corran watched as the son of Trys tinkered with the communication device. Pretty skilled with slicing for someone so young. Not the best, no, that fell to Ranger Darmus Onn, but impressive nonetheless. Did Lt. Aran teach him that or did Crix pick it up on his own? Hopefully not running with the wrong crowd. Though a famous law enforcement officer for a parent made that unlikely. When the screen lit up and the boy was clearly scrolling through files, the blond ranger waited patiently for a few moments before leaning forward a bit to try and see what was going on just over the lip of the commlink. Nothing easily in view, he stood back up to full height. By the look on the young slicer's face, the smoking blaster wasn't there.

So any record of what caused the Sith Hunter's blood to run cold had been deleted. A dead end. Or it would have been if not for some technical wisdom provided by Crix. Clever kid, thinking the next level up the communications chain. Compared to prying open a comm device and triangulating some com station locale, taking the Jedi and a teenager to a starport bar was piece of cake. "Sure thing. It's not far from here." That was one of the prime reasons why Corran had chosen this landing pad as their meeting location after all. "Ranger Ruzed, care to lead the way?" The lieutenant gestured to the rough-and-tumble comrade.


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Zad Ruzed

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Well, butter my biscuits, the kid knows the code. Crix looked frustrated as he then began playing at the comlink like a guitar whose strings would not cast notes. Okay, so, the lad didn’t actually know the code but he did know how to work his way inside his own mother’s comlink; clearly a trick he had learned somewhere else but, well, Zad would leave that piece of intrigue for Corran to query with Trys if he was zealous enough. Then again, she probably already knew. Like mother, like son. Moments of guitar-string-fingers later and Zad had a hunch that he’d lose his own credit if he bet against the boy.

“Can you get us to the last place you saw her? We can find the local com station from there.”

"Sure thing. It's not far from here."
"Ranger Ruzed, care to lead the way?"

“Wilco, Lieutenant,” Zad nodded, scanning the other two faces before lingering on one. It was only an instant of observation but the kid, Crix Aran, his bit in this business was as naked as the crack of dawn. The man, though, that Talak—Who are you, anyway? He tabled the thought for now, banking on finding out later. Rough-and-tumble Ranger Ruzed might be but he still had his wits. Else, well, he wouldn’t have survived long enough to be standing here today.

“Follow me.”


With that, the group of four searchers all but saddled their steeds and cantered their way to the starport. Arriving a distance outside it, Zad didn’t see an immediate need to enter unless the posse wanted to visit a rubbish bin or knock back a shot for the road (blue milk for the boy, perhaps).

“She left the port from main entrance but we lost her outside—crowd and all. I thought I saw her disappear by that alley, but she could have just as easily walked past it as entered it.” He shrugged. This was ultimately supplementary intel given that they weren’t looking to tag the duracrete so much as find their quarry. “Found the Mando bounty hunter and his prize down there but nothing else. Trail was cold, I gave Buddy Blond the com, and here we are.” Affording the moment, Zad reached into his coat and came out with a lit cigarette, the smoke offering some clarity even as he stared through a haze.


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Talak Rand

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When Crix said that he knew the passcode, Talak once again was thankful that the Force seemed to be on their side this time. It was another "lucky" break that could potentially buy them more time in their pursuit.

And then he punched it in without success... multiple times. Fine, so maybe not quite such a lucky break, but hopefully Crix could still slice his way in and the Rangers wouldn't care. By the time that Crix had finally managed to get it open, Talak could sense that there was a whole new wave of anger coming from Crix. He didn't know what that was about, but he took the comlink and began to thumb through it.

Talak looked at the message history and was disappointed - though not shocked - that the message was deleted. Perhaps there was a way to recover it, but that was certainly outside of Talak's skill set at least.

Moments later they were off toward the last place that Trys was seen. He didn't have much expectations of finding clues there that the Rangers hadn't already found, but one could never be sure. What the trip did was allow him more time to consider the next steps. Tracking people down was a skill he had developed over the years, and he knew how to go about doing it for friends as well as foes.

The alley was... an alley. Dumpster and all, there didn't seem to be much here of interest. The key reason that Talak had wanted to come here or at least know the location was for the closest comm relay tower.

He pulled out his datapad and began searching for the closest broadcast station that he could reach. Here was the kicker: he didn't want to take two Sector Rangers and his girlfriend's teenage son to break into a relay station and perform some questionably legal actions. Maybe it wouldn't come to that. Right, like Talak believed that.

Talak slipped away the datapad and closed his eyes, reaching out to the Force and drank in the area. He knew Trys and knew her impression in the Force. Amidst the blacks of malice and browns of desperation and despair that marked this particular area of town, he caught the purples of Trys's love for her family and blue of her dedication to her job. Just above that, though were streaks of red that told the story of fear that were no doubt brought on by the message. He tried to sense any residual echoes that might be helpful. Often he found things he didn't expect. Magenta?

The mix of love for family and fear for family? That was interesting and seemed to confirm the suspicions that Crix's run-in with the Sith was somehow related to Trys's disappearance.

After a moment, his eyes opened again.

I'm almost certain the Sith are behind this, he said. While on the surface it may have not seemed profound, with the number of criminal enemies the Rangers had, narrowing it down specifically to the Sith was actually a great benefit. It also meant that Sith space was likely to be their next best target.

Crix and I can ask around at the relay station, he said and held up the comlink to the Rangers. Now that this is unlocked, is there anyone in the Ranger's cyber department that can recover the message? he asked. Investigating multiple leads seemed to Talak to be the best way to go about this. One - or both - was bound to pay off and pooled resources were better than either party working alone.

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Crix Aran

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Thank the Force no one was enough of a dick to comment on the fact that he obviously didn't know his mom's com-link password like he thought. They'd all been teenage boys at one point so he was betting that they all knew the embarrassment well enough that they weren't in a hurry to make it any worse. Still, the embarrassment alone was bad enough but knowing that everyone around him knew exactly how it felt? It was both strangely comforting and also really even more embarrassing because it meant that they knew how he felt.

Bad enough Talak was a Jedi trained enough to tell his mood without two Rangers he'd never heard of managing to figure it out to. Ugh his nerves were beginning to get to him again. The anger came in ebbs and flows but when it wasn't there as strongly, he felt the dread coiling ever tighter in the pit of his stomach.

They all headed off and Crix tried not to feel the dread or the nostalgia that came from being back on Coruscant. He and his friends hadn't been gone more than a few weeks and already he felt like a different person since leaving. He chalked it up to 'growing up' and tried to ignore the feelings as best as he could. Hearing that they didn't actually get any new leads from the alleyway wasn't surprising in the slightest but it still put him on edge.

He looked at Zad as he lit up a cigarette.

"Can I get one of those?"


Crix didn't smoke but he was beginning to envy people who did for how it 'calmed them' or whatever. He could do with some more of that calm in his life right now. Hearing that the Sith were definitely behind it? The pit of his stomach seemed to grow ten sizes and all of it was full of dread and loathing and guilt all of a sudden. So quick a change that he was actually unsteady on his feet for a second.

Because it was all his fault.

If anything happened to his mom it would all be because he didn't get away from the Sith witch before she could take everything from him. He swallowed thickly, Crix tapped at his own com-link, searching the holonet quickly for a distraction that was helpful...

"I... I know the nearest station. I mean... I know where it is."



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Corran Velt

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Decorum and professionalism continued to escape Zad Ruzed. 'Buddy Blond'? When it was just them two on a mission, sure, fine, whatever. But in front of two civilians? One of them a Jedi, for that matter. Corran felt a mixture of frustration and embarrassment but kept it locked down tight behind the durasteel discipline from his youth. A faint glow of a sig, red and black, mirrored much of what the young lieutenant was feeling. With an annoyed fanning, 'Buddy Blond' swatted away the smoke that trailed from the tobacco. He hated the stuff along with a great deal of other vices. When Crix asked for a cig of his own, Corran shot a subtle commanding gaze at Ranger Ruzed. Don't. Blue eyes ordered. A annoying nickname was tolerable, but he would brook no cigs to underage teens.

As annoying as that exchange was, the Force user had closed his eyes and was meditating or something stupid. That was more annoying. So Corran was forced to pace around the area that Zad had guided them to. To his own inspection, there was nothing here and it was starting to feel like a waste of time. If it all came down to whatever the Jedi 'sensed', this case was worse than cold. Can you even imagine how that evidence would hold up in court? Exhibit A, this religious wacko had a 'feeling.' Preposterous. Talak's eyes soon opened and his first declaration was that Sith were involved.

Lt. Velt wheeled around immediately. Of course. It always came back to this. Jedi and Sith. The endless, eternal struggle between two cults that left thousands of innocents dead. Trys Aran had possibly been kidnapped as pawn in their perpetual conflict and the Order only sent Talak to help? Jedi do the scryin', Sector Rangers do the dyin'. That little joke was becoming more insulting by the day.

Regardless, Corran wasn't one to lose his cool while on the job. It wasn't professional. Besides, Talak had presented something of a next step for the investigation. Forward was better than nothing and this was a chance to get some much wanted payback on the Sith terrorists. The lieutenant ranger raised his hand to speak first, "I know a Ranger who is pretty good with that type of stuff. Darmus Onn. Baring him, I think we could scrounge up another from the Tech department." If there were any left. The fireball that had consumed headquarters had consumed a lot of their talented personnel along with it.

"Oh, and uh, a Ranger badge can get you a lot of places for official business on Coruscant. Like a relay station without needing to ask. By the way." The blond youth rested his hands on his hips with a slight smirk on his face. Their authority held some sway in the Core worlds that granted them such oversight. But it wasn't really about that. It was a tiny victory over Jedi who didn't have such authority in many places. If Talak could sense smugness, he would.

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Zad Ruzed

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Here we go, was all Zad thought as he watched the Jedi do his Jedi thing with those profoundly closed eyes. The Ranger didn’t quite share in the reservations of his superior when it came to the Order, or really Force-users in general. Sure, they were powerful and mysterious, definitely different, big with baggage and came with collateral, and there was a bad bunch of them wreaking havoc in the galaxy, but in his experience you didn’t need to have a gift for levitating burgers toward your teeth to be any of the above. Jedi were people, and people made mistakes, but he had shaken hands with some who were pretty decent folk. So had Corran, for that matter. Gutkurrs… Buddy Blond had been healed firsthand by the hand of one Jedi after succumbing to broken ribs. Now here one was performing in the presence of both Rangers once again.

"Can I get one of those?"

“Hm?” Cig between lips, Zad blinked between Crix and Corran, the ranking Ranger suddenly granting his subordinate some self-awareness as to how he had taken “Buddy Blond” and how he was taking the cigarette. Still, Zad didn’t need a commanding officer to tell him not to teach minors how to poison their lungs—he would keep one from doing thus on his own accord. “Sorry, kid,” he half-frowned toward Crix. “A bad mouth is one thing but this is one habit you don’t wanna pick up. Besides, your mum might beat us both.” He shrugged. He didn’t really know how Trys might feel about it but he knew what a fist felt like.

I'm almost certain the Sith are behind this

Druk. Where were Zad’s thoughts only moments ago? Oh, that’s right, they were lingering on Force-sensies, the good ones and the bad ones, and you never even needed to meet one to know that the Sith were bad business. In all his outer escapades, Ranger Ruzed had more or less been spared the spades of digging with the Sith and their crazy crusades—not like the Sith Hunter by any mark or mile—but if Talak was right then that would soon change. Sith… No wonder she looked as pale as a ghost.

When Talak suggested splitting up, Zad wondered what kind of questioning the pair of them would do. He looked at Crix as the kid tapped away, imagining his approach. “Got a cigarette?” Then at Talak. “You don’t need to see my identification. Move along, move along.” It seemed a bad idea for some reason but Corran piped up just then, calling on a Ranger’s name that Zad certainly recalled. Guy knows how to slice. Horns here could learn a thing or two. Probably a bad idea too. As Corran’s hands went to his hips and a corner of his lips curled skyward, you didn’t need to be a Forcey to read him right, if maybe just a little in tune with his Jedi-Ranger rivalry.

Zad rolled his eyes away from the Lieutenant to crawl them over the even odder pair, dismissing smoke toward that same sky. “That same badge is also what gets you in with Darmus, or Tech for that matter.” He was no Jedi but he hoped that his senses were in order as far as where Corran was going with this. “And it doesn’t take two badges for either. Might not be a bad idea if one of you tags with one of us.” Ultimately, any combination could work, as long as they didn’t play musical chairs trying to figure out the roster.




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Talak Rand

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Talak was entirely unsold on the idea, but the Rangers seemed interested in not letting the pair go anywhere alone and Talak didn't fancy arguing with them. Plus there was always the possibility that Velt was right. Maybe the Ranger badge might get them through the front door, Talak only hoped that it didn't mean there would be an associated wad of red tape and technical procedures with it. "I'm sorry but you don't have jurisdiction/warrant/something else stupid to access those records." No point in worrying about the what-ifs, though.

Talak didn't need to be a Jedi to be able to tell that he could barely contain his resentment toward Talak. Considering they all had a common goal and none of them knew each other, Talak was getting a bit tired of being outright detested by two of the people here. Talak understood the tension between he and Crix and the gunslinger seemed a bit more pragmatic, but this Lieutenant? Why did he hate Talak so much.

Fine, then how do you propose we split this up? he asked. Depending on how the Lieutenant opted to split things up, it was certainly possible that a tense discussion may yet unfold.

But at this point, the only thing Talak cared about was not losing another moment in the pursuit. Each second they wasted was critical. @Die Shize @Nefieslab @TerranSteel
 

Crix Aran

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What the feck? They weren't going to raise an objection to him going on the hunt after the Sith who had pushed his mom to go on the lamb but they were gonna stand their ground over a cigarette? He was beginning to suspect there was some dissonence with their values here. Crix scoffed at the response he got and scowled a little bit.

"Whatever."


He'd just wanted one to take the edge off his nerves but feck it. They were expensive and he wasn't going to waste credits on them just to test to see if they actually worked on him. Instead he just stood there and watched as the Rangers, all of a sudden, seemed to decide that this was suddenly their investigation and he and Talak needed them to accompany them. He shot Talak a look that was clearly visible and easy to read.

'You believe these asshats?'


He might have thought that thought REALLY hard just in case the stories about Jedi being able to read minds actually had any truth to them. Still, he was beginning to get annoyed that they were STILL HERE talking about doing something rather than, actually, doing the thing they all acknowledged needed doing. So Crix just stared at the grouping for a bit before deciding he'd had enough.

"I'm getting a smoke."


Wandering away from the alleyway and the Rangers, he hoped the meeting would take at least a few minutes longer because what he was about to do wasn't technically legal... because it was actually hella illegal. Moving to a stand of speeder bikes, Crix pulled out his multi-tool and started the process of hacking the activation panel of the vehicle. He wanted to get fecking moving and he was going to do it himself while the Ranger in charge tried to waste time measuring his dick against Talak's.


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Corran Velt

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Maybe this officer thing wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Almost immediately everyone deferred to his judgement, although not everyone was happy about it. Clear as day Crix Aran was immediately annoyed by the change of events. One would think the son of the most famous Sector Ranger alive today would be a bit more friendly. At least not show such deference to the Jedi over them. On the other hand, was Corran any different at his age?

No.

They were more alike than Crix likely knew.

With said teenager vacating the current meetings of the minds, the fresh lieutenant decided to take decisive action. His personal battle with Force-based religions would have to wait until this was over. "Ranger Ruzed, you'll accompany Jedi Talak to the relay station. They'll likely bow to an official investigation. I'll take Crix to Ranger Onn or another Tech Agent. If one of us finishes before the other, rendezvous at their location." Anticipating a counter, Corran offered an assurance to the Jedi. "You'll be able to reach him anytime by commlink. We'll keep our heads down and out of trouble." That was more of a hope than a promise. More likely that the aggravated teen broke some rules than a Sith kidnapping. If there weren't any major concerns, the young ranger officer would give a crisp and respectful nod to both Zad and Talak as a farewell. Better to go find the kid before he actually found some smokes.

Wandering in the general direction the young Zabrak would have left Corran looking for awhile if not for the metallic tinkering sounds. Regardless if Crix had finished his slicing attempt or not, the lieutenant ranger would clear his throat loudly enough for him to hear. "Ahem. Crix, you're with me. We're going to go meet a slicer who really knows their stuff." Corran flashed Trys' comm device. "We might even be able to hear the message before Lt. Aran disappeared and who sent it." Hopefully that was enough of a bribe to entice the headstrong teenager. A chance to see professionals in action and get to hear what his mom heard before all this went down.

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