Following Alaric, Callum sighs before he begins to speak. "Well, quite a few things, I think." Another sigh. "The... ahem... gentleman mentioned Sith actually, though what he described did not really seem so. The girl was with some guy with tattoos on his face, someone she knew or wanted to get to know, judging by all the laughing and retiring to the bathroom and all. But they were accosted by hooded men, who took them both." Taking the crashed remains of a distress beacon he shows them to the others. "And I also got this."
There is a very brief pause. "Now, taking into account the somewhat... addled nature of my source, perhaps a few grains of salt are required. But that is what he said he had seen."
The next few words are spoken in a softer voice, almost a whisper. "But the Sith? I reached out with the Force, just in case. And what do you know? There is someone. Not close, about a kilometer from here. And not too shabby either. Powerful enough to trace the location without maintaining a connection."
Trevan's (or is it Hugo's?) hand goes to his hidden lightsaber, he grips the hilt at the pronouncement of the potential presence of his former comrades here in the capital of the Republic.
"Is there security footage that we can perhaps get a hold of in the area nearby to get a look at these "assailants"?
Not that following the... presence is not a solid next step but being able to identify someone with our own eyes would give us an advantage over our quarry".
"That's good work. I agree with you, Hugo. We ought to review any security camera footage and see if we can't get a better idea of who we're after. The boyfriend had tattoos, it may be your source wasn't certain on the details. Alternately, if they are Sith..." Alaric's voice trails off, and his eyes lose focus for a second as he too searches the Force for the taint of the Dark Side. "It cannot hurt to know as much as we can about them before we continue. It is unlikely they'll sense my presence, however. I doubt I can discern anything more than you did, but I'll try. Jal, can you check for security footage from the terminal? You'll have to wipe it again."
"Yeah, I'll give the security feed a once over, if I can get access. Unless they managed to slice the cameras before they made their move, we might be able to get a face, or faces, and have some more to go on." He reactivates the terminal and spends a bit seeing if he can access the club's other systems from it, or if he's going to have to go ask the manager for access. Which would probably mean flashing the whole 'Republic Ops' thing unless he transferred a chunk of credits. Not that he didn't have some leftover creds to burn, but he never trusted anyone who took bribes.
"The Sith presence needs to be investigated," Callum speaks up. "I doubt it is a coincidence all things considered frankly, but even if it is, it, or he, or she cannot be allowed to simply continue with whatever their goal is unchallenged."
Turning to Alaric, he continues. "Perhaps we split up? We can go and see what we find out about this, while the others pursue other leads. And then we can rejoin them once we are done."
"If we need to ask the manager, we have some cover. All the necessary documentation has been arranged for," Joran said to Jal as the crime boss went to work with the terminal.
Turning to the Jedi, Joran says, "Perhaps you could notify the Jedi Temple of this presence, and they could dispatch others to deal with it. We may have need of you if the presence is unrelated to the kidnapping, and we find ourselves in a tight situation."
Jal returns to the terminal to try and access the security feeds--his work still hidden thanks to his prior exploiting. This time, though, he finds himself in a tough spot, not due to security measures, but instead blocked out by the bane of computer technicians the Galaxy over: sheer disorder. He isn't sure who or what set up the pathing on this terminal, or the club's network, but it's an abomination of chaotic crosslinking and backtracking. Without knowing the system by heart, it would take hours to parse though the jumble, and a brute-force search wouldn't go much faster... assuming you didn't want to just scrap the machine and rebuild it from the ground, which is probably the smarter option, all things considered.
Tal Passik, meanwhile, cocks his head at Joran's comments. "Don't you have identification? I figured you were plainclothes, but don't you carry badges or something?"
Jal actually slams his head against the table in frustration. "I didn't realize that banthas could be trained to program computers, because I've seen children build better systems. There's no way I'm going to get anything out of this in any reasonable amount of time. I could rebuild the entire OS faster than I could get the security footage." He sighs and rubs his temples, silently reminding himself that even if unloading his blaster into the terminal would feel good, it's not going to help anything. "Let's just go talk to the manager and show off our fancy Republic credentials and see if he'll give us what we need."
"Badges aren't always enough. Most lower level Coruscant club owners are loath to hand over security footage to the authorities without the proper warrants - out of fear we will discover their illegal side hustles, no doubt. Given the nature of the girl's disappearance, we have not yet had time to secure the proper documentation. However, we do have people working on it, and they will deliver it to us here. We can ask the owner on the off-chance he is more reasonable than most, but I doubt that would be the case," Joran says in response to Tal Passik's question. That explanation should settle his mind. We'll have to take more care if he is going to accompany us.
"Jal, why don't you accompany me while we do so. The rest of you can remain here with Tal. We don't want the owner to feel we're trying to railroad or intimidate them - they may do something foolish, or prove even more obstinate."
With that, Joran will leave the room, hopefully with Jal accompanying him.
Once they are outside the room, Joran pulls out his datapad says to the Rattataki, "Ever faked official Coruscanti legal documentation?"
"Perhaps I ought to come along also. The Jedi tend not to have a reputation for caring about such side businesses as long as they don't deal with anything directly related to the Order. That might persuade them to deal with us more easily. Also, if all else fails, it's possible I could persuade him using the Force."
Joran gives Alaric a quizzical look. "I may not be a Jedi, but wouldn't you using the Force to persuade someone in this situation be against the Jedi Code?"
"As I said with Hugo once before, using the Force to manipulate a creature's mind is something all Jedi should be wary of, but it is a tool we possess nonetheless. Every Jedi has their own limits when it comes to these powers, and some might disapprove of the lengths others will go to. Assuming my doing this will not cause the man undue harm or problems in his future, I see no reason to believe it is against my sworn duty to the Order."
Hugo appears content to wait and a bit uncomfortable about the conversation taking place at the moment. He says nothing once he smooths his reaction over.
There is No Emotion. There is is peace.
On the subject of the Dark Sider he does speak, "It may be a coincidence that a presence is here and our tattletail spoke of the Sith. However, that would be one hell of a coincidence..."
"A coincidence that I doubt, heavily. I would request aid from the Jedi but with the Temple on Typhon I don't know that there are enough Jedi who could go investigate soon enough that they wouldn't have either masked their presence or moved on." He pauses for a second and looks at Hugo, and his normally hard expression softens. He takes a step toward him and puts a hand on his shoulder as he continues to speak. "My apologies for the discomfort, Hugo. I understand such ethical quandaries are... uncomfortable, given your past. Be that as it may, we must pursue the Dark Side presence. With the circumstances as they are, I think it's highly unlikely the two are unrelated. That means we need access to the security footage as soon as possible."
Hugo nods to the senior Jedi, "I understand Knight Alaric. I believe that I will wait here. Fighting the Sith does not weigh on my conscience whereas manipulating minds does. Thank you for understanding that".
Joran wasn't the most thrilled about having a Jedi along - after all, if the owner was knowingly in cahoots with the Sith, a Jedi might set him off - but he knew it would be difficult to convince him otherwise. Besides a little Force persuasion might be useful. Joran says, "Alright, let's go. We'll get a move on with it."
"Very well. Let us know if anything changes."
Tal Passik shrugs at Joran's explanation. "If that's how you boys handle things, I'll leave you to it." He glances at Vintressa and adds, "Boys and lady."
Joran, Jal, and Alaric head down to the front counter--that is, the bar--with the SIS agent and the Black Sun lieutenant spoofing some documentation on the way. When they get to the bar, there's a bit of a wait as the bartender fills up some other drinks, but he comes over soon enough. "You folks finished up there, or...?" When presented with the warrant, he cuts off and steps back. "I, uh. Listen, guys, I don't know what this is about, I only work the bar here--you'll need to talk to the manager about that. I can take you there..."
He waves a bouncer over to man the counter and wipes his hands off as he comes around. "Unless a drink can smooth this all over and get you boys on your way?" His voice doesn't sound particularly hopeful.
"Sorry to bother you, but it can't. We need to speak with the manager - now." Joran fixes the man with a not-unfriendly gaze, before saying, "Lead the way to his office, if you would."
Vintressa will ignore the talk of the force, be it dark, light or whatever and unless anything else comes up, she will wait in the room for Joran, Jal, and Alaric to return with the security footage.
Hugo turns impassively towards Vintressa, "You think there is a coincidence in finding Sith near here Vintressa?"
Vintressa shrugs at Trevan's question. "I think we have no evidence to say whether or not there is a coincidence. We can certainly say that their presence is disturbing or that their timing is suspect, but that is it for now. I certainly hope that they have nothing to do with the girl's disappeance, otherwise our job here will have gotten a lot tougher."
Hugo shrugs, "Or more satisfying, I suppose it depends on one's point of view..."
"Definitely more complicated..."
"Regardless, I does not seem we will be looking into it at the moment," Callum offers with a shrug. "Not until the others return at least." He sighs. "Eh, all in due time I suppose. Still, it does not sit well with me..."
The bartender sighs at the trio of men, and waves for them to follow him. He heads back up to the hall with private rooms, and takes them all the way to the end, where he presses a pad outside the final door. "Miss Ando? There's three men want to see you." He glances over his shoulder, and a moment later there's a buzz and hiss as the door unlocks. The man gestures for you to enter, and then retreats down the hall.
The room inside is a spacious office, although most of the furniture is pushed to one side, almost cramped. There are a few chairs positioned around a low table, and behind it is a large desk with what looks like four holovid monitors atop it. Seated behind it, in a very comfortable-looking chair, is a human woman with short-cropped auburn hair, wearing a fashionable but functional suit. She turns to regard the group as they enter, her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed in annoyance. One potential reason is obvious enough--she was clearly watching the shirtless twi'lek men who are wrestling in the empty half of the room on a tarp, their bodies gleaming with oil.
"Can I help you gentlemen?" Although her words are cordial, the woman's tone--and lack of introduction--make it clear she wants this encounter over with as soon as possible.
Notably, Ando didn't work her way up through the ranks, but rather took over from outside--the rumors say she had the old leader killed by his own lieutenant after he was caught cheating at cards. Ando took his place, and she leads with cold intelligence and ruthless efficiency. Of course, this still begs the question--what's she doing managing a club in rival territory?
The woman frowns and rises from her chair, gesturing for the three to sit down. She looks over the datapad and sighs; all the while, the twi'leks continue their grapple, with... exuberant grunting. Finally, she hands the datapad back and folds her arms. "You can go through the footage. But I stay in the room at all times to watch what you do. I won't have bumbling lawmen tampering with my system."
- - - - -
Meanwhile, in the other room, Tal Passik perks up at Hugo's question. "Wait a minute, you think there's a kriffing Sith involved here? Damn." The man blinks and gives a feral grin. "So that's why they got three of you Jedi fellas down here. I hope you'll let me take a crack at them alongside you if it comes to it. Been too long since I killed one of those bastards."
"Thank you very much. We will attempt to be out of here as quickly as possible, so as not to be too much of an imposition," Joran says, as he takes the seat. Cueing the cameras up to the time the constabulary reported the incident between Tal Passik and the false drunk, Joran begins watching the cameras, looking for the Senator's daughter.
One of Jal's eyebrows pops up when they see the manager. That was a face he hadn't been expecting to see. "You don't like lawmen hanging around at all, do you? What the hell are you doing in Baron's territory, Karva? Last time I checked, they didn't take kindly to rivals hanging around." He lets Joran go over the footage first, more interested in trying to chat with Ando. She might know significantly more than her footage could give them.
Alaric recognizes the woman but refuses to comment on it, letting Jal pursue that line of inquiry. "Thank you very much for your cooperation. We just need to look through some of your footage. We're looking for... someone specific, that's all." While he knows he's being vague, he's hoping it was subtle enough that the woman knows they are neither looking for or interested in whatever illegal activities she might be engaged in. "You see anything, Joran? Let's see if we can't learn more about these supposed Sith."
Hugo turns to the bodyguard, "It was your charge they grabbed, I would expect no less of you Tal Passik".
Hugo will Sense Motive to ascertain if he really wants a crack at Sith or just wants to tag along - Perception
When Joran and Alaric agree to Karva's terms, she waves the men over to her desk, and soon she brings up the security footage. She turns at Jal's words, though, and steps toward him, narrowing her eyes. After a moment, they widen, and one eyebrow shoots up in surprise. "I could ask you the same thing, Raxis. I could also ask what you're doing with the constabulary... But frankly, even if knowledge is power, I'm not sure I want to know. I'm sure you're aware that I steer clear of... your organization, and this"--she nods at the other two men--"has that stink all over it."
She turns her hard stare back on Jal for a moment, and he realizes she's positioned herself so the twi'leks are visible behind her; an attempt at distraction, probably, but it doesn't work. "Anyway, the old owner of this place had an unfortunate accident about a week ago. His mechanic's finger slipped while he was having his blaster repaired, poor bastard. Now he's dead, the mechanic's in prison, and I scooped up the place for a lark. Not many people know I'm in charge, yet, and I doubt the Barons do." Karva's story about the murder is an obvious twist of the truth, but she seems sincere enough about her secret takeover here--and it fits her MO.
Lyra reacts positively to the hug, spinning to embrace the man, and it looks like they have a brief, whispered conversation. The man nods to the side, Lyra nods herself, and they make their way from the bar toward the bathrooms. As they approach, however, the door to the men's opens and a pair of hulking figures step out, both wearing hooded jackets. Pausing the feed, however, you can get a good enough look at their faces in a couple frames to see that one is a tall Quarren, the other a Feeorin. You also notice that the young man with Lyra seems to notice them before she does--he looks to say something under his breath, and his arm around her tightens--but he doesn't change course.
The two pairs meet near the bathroom doors, and there's a very brief exchange between the Quarren and the human. Then the human pushes the Quarren, who stumbles back... but it doesn't look right. Maybe if the Quarren were off-balance or surprised, it could happen, but as it is the thin man doesn't look like he'd have the strength to shove the Quarren into the wall like he does. It doesn't look like a Force-powered push, either--it looks staged.
That said, the punch the Feeorin throws looks plenty real, as does the way the young man collapses onto the floor, and Lyra's startled reaction. She pulls something out of her bag--presumably the beacon--and the Quarren snatches it out of her hand; his quick recovery further cements the idea that the shove was staged, even if the rest of this wasn't. He quickly crunches it under his boot and grabs Lyra, wrapping a hand around her mouth to cut off any noise she makes. He appears to say something to his partner, who shrugs, then sticks one large finger in the Quarren's face. After a moment more, one of the Quarren's hands moves as if to draw something from inside his jacket, and he jams it in Lyra's back, prodding her through the door to the private rooms. The Feeorin scoops up the unconscious, or at least quite dazed, young man and follows.
This whole exchange lasts perhaps a dozen seconds from start to finish, and no one in the club seems to notice--no one other than a zabrak with an absurd haircut, who was carrying a drink from the bar back to a corner. This did happen at the height of the night, though, with people crammed into the club nearly as full as it could get, so a brief altercation like this could easily go unnoticed.
In the other room, Tal Passik nods at Hugo. As far as the Jedi can tell, the bodyguard isn't bluffing or putting on bravado--he seems genuinely invested both in finding Lyra and fighting a Sith if it comes to it.
Joran watches the footage, carefully observing the path of Lyra Raan. He notes the human and that she seems glad to see him. Remembering Tal Passik's description of the boyfriend, he suspects that this may be him. Tal didn't think the boyfriend's tattoos were Sith, but the footage wasn't clear enough to tell.
The SIS agent watches the boyfriend notice the two, and that he continues their path. The shove looked staged, although it could have been real if the Quarren wasn't expecting him to shove him. That quick recovery spoke of either astounding reflexes or a clear show. They would have to figure out more once they found them. He watches as Lyra is grabbed and escorted into the door with the private rooms, possibly at either blasterpoint or knifepoint. That meant they were at least armed, and the Feeorin appeared to be fairly strong. They would have to be careful in rescuing her.
Turning to Karva, Joran says, "Thank you for allowing us to check the footage. I'd like to make a copy of the relevant footage for evidence, since we found what we were looking for. I do have a couple of follow-up question. The first is whether or not there's a back door out of the section with the private rooms? The second is whether or not you keep cameras back there?"
"No, you probably don't want to know," Jal agrees. "I couldn't care less what you think of my boys, so long as you're not picking fights with them. You want to get in the Baron's hair by 'legitimately' buying a business in their territory, I wish you the best of luck." Then he frowns. "But if you're running this place, I know you're keeping an eye out for trouble. And a senator's daughter vanishing on your doorstep is very bad for business."
"Senator's daughter?" Karva's eyebrow rises and she returns to the displays to watch over the footage. "Hmm. I only recently came in for the day. I honestly don't know anything about this, but you're right. That won't be good for anyone."
The woman taps a finger on the desk several times, and then nods at Joran. "Of course. Adon!" The twi'leks almost instantly cease their grappling, which had taken them to the floor in a hold of questionable efficacy, and one of them quickly walks over. "Copy the security feed for this time frame." Karva turns back as the twi'lek nods and sets about transferring the holovid to a data card.
"To answer your questions, there aren't any real back doors, but a few have windows, for whatever reason. They could have gone out one of those. There aren't any cameras, since discretion is one of the main benefits we offer to our clients, but I do have record of when rooms were accessed..." She taps on a display for a few seconds, and nods as a list comes up. "There. Only one room was accessed at this time..." She frowns and looks up, her gaze lingering on Alaric. "The Korriban Suite. Should I be concerned?"
Joran looks at Alaric, leaving the question to be answered by him, before moving over to the side as the Adon copies the necessary footage. Unfortunate choice of naming, there. They may wish to reconsider it after this. He takes out his comlink and thumbs it on to connect to Vintressa.
"Vin, you and the others take position outside one of the private rooms - The Korriban Suite. No one goes in or out until we rendezvous with you."
"Is the Korriban Suite one of the ones with windows?"
"If there's one thing we agree on, it's the value of discretion," Jal agrees. "And the sooner the girl's safe, the sooner we can stop snooping around and causing a fuss. So let's get this done."
Karva nods as the twi'lek hands the card to Joran--thankfully free of any oils. "Yes, it had a view of the alley. I suppose a potential escape route is a decent reason to have one, if you're willing to risk peepers." She sniffs and gestures to the door. "It's the second on your right as you leave, gentlemen. And I think the feeling is mutual when I say that I very much hope not to see you again."
"By asking the question, you've already found your answer. Callum and I have felt a presence strong in the Dark Side. If it is not Sith... someone is trying very hard to make us believe that it is. I would suggest you keep your security closer than usual, for the time being. We still don't have all the pieces to this puzzle..." Alaric lets his last words linger as he looks around the room. He gives the woman a curt nod. "Thank you for your cooperation, miss. From now on, may we be better strangers." Afterward, Alaric heads out to meet up with the rest of the team and do their best to investigate the suite before heading out to track the Dark Side presence.
"You're never happy to see anyone," Jal says, pulling his coat collar up. "But maybe I'll stop by for a drink when I'm not working through this mess." He heads out with the rest of the group.
Taking their leave of Karva Ando, the three who met with her rejoin their companions outside the Korriban Suite. One of the twi'leks from Karva's office comes along, just long enough to put in a code that unlocks the door. With a curt nod, he returns to his boss, and the SOE team enter the suite.
It's pleasantly decorated, with a little more furnishing than the room in which the team spoke with Tal. It has a similar table and chair setup, suggesting use for conferences, but also expands from there, including a small kitchen and bar area--stocked, although not as well as the full bar on the main floor. There's another computer terminal here, as well as a door leading to a small washroom, and another that leads to what's likely a private room for more sensitive... discussions. Most important, however, is the window at the far end of the suite from the entrance--a window that is not only unlocked, but slightly ajar.
Blaster out, Joran looks over the empty suite with a grimace on his face. It appears they had missed the group, unless they were hidden somewhere within.
Looking about, Joran says, "Fan out. Search the room and see if they did anything with the terminal."
He then moves towards the room for 'private discussions', carefully opening the door. If empty, he'll begin searching it.
Hugo will close his eyes and concentrate on the Force. If a Dark Side user was here they may well have left an impression of their passing. It is a long shot but worth considering in his mind.
Use the Force - -
"Seems I'm the dedicated slicer," Jal says as he walks over to the terminal and boots it up. "Let's see if this machine's got anything interesting to hide."
Alaric joins Hugo in searching the Force for any residual Dark Side presence, walking about the room with his eyes shut as he feels the ebb and flow of the Force.
Unlike his Jedi peers, Callum actually moves about the room with his eyes open, looking at this or that piece of furniture. Like them though, he too reaches out into the Force for guidance, even at first glance he is simply passing the time. After all, the Dark Side presence cannot possibly be a coincidence. Can it?
The SOE begin sweeping the suite for clues, prodding and probing for information that may lead them to their target.
In the private room, Joran doesn't find much at first glance. The decor is tacky, but certainly serviceable for the room's expected purpose. There isn't much to indicate why the room might be called the Korriban Suite, beyond a vague red-and-black color scheme to the cheap tapestries and bedding. Upon closer inspection, however, there are a couple of interesting points. When he gets closer to the bed, Joran sees some slight indentations and mussing in the fabric--as though one or two people were lying on top of the bed not so long ago. As he searches around the bed further, he finds another clue: a thin wire bracelet lies on the floor, just hidden by the drape of the blanketing. It's the sort of accessory he recognizes from social get-togethers--the sort of accessory a Senator's daughter might sport...
On the terminal, meanwhile, Jal quickly accesses a backlog and discovers a hidden and partially deleted conversation. It was held over an anonymous comms server in one of the darker corners of the HoloNet, and while he can't recover all the details, or trace further data on the users involved, he recovers an important section of the exchange.
669518: Have package with courier. Meet at drop?
572029: neg drop comp
572029: lbs
572029: u at club
669518: Yes. Suite with back window like planned.
572029: go 5w 7s backup rv
572029: ll meet tonight
669518: With payment?
572029: duh
Checking the timecode on the messages, it appears they were sent roughly six hours ago--in the right time frame for the abduction. Looks like someone left a data trail...
On a less physical side of things, the Jedi reach out into the Force, searching for traces of the Dark Side. All three feel the same faint disturbance: a mere trace of shadow in the air, lingering like an odor that might dissipate at any moment. Although it's definitely a Dark presence, it's nothing like the powerful user they sensed earlier. This is at best an apprentice of the Dark Side, and judging from the wavering weakness of the sensation, it's more likely a mere sensate who's tapped into that wicked power. It's certainly not a Jedi, but what it truly is...
For his part, Tal Passik moves to the window, drawing his blaster as he goes. He peers outside, his body hidden behind the wall; a trained recon glance, surveying without revealing himself. He doesn't say anything or make a motion, though, so it's doubtful he's seeing anything important.
"Well, isn't that useful. They were nice enough to leave incriminating messages on their terminal for me. Hopefully that means we're not dealing with anyone too competent. Looks like our kidnapper was in this room though. Or communicating with whoever was."