Descending quietly from the stairwell, Yuuta had to duck back down the foot of the stairs before he could proceed when he heard voices somewhere to his left. Pressing himself against the wall after sneaking past the adjacent hall, the Ranger spotted a pait of Rodians conversing in their language, one of them sporting a ring with the purple gemstone on his right thumb. The pair shared a laugh about whatever they were talking about before proceeding towards the stairwell Yuuta had just been at, still joking with each other as they ascended. He waited until their voices grew fainter before stepping out of his hiding spot.
Vibrosword at the ready the Ranger proceeded down the hall the two Rodians emerged from, noting the numbered doors dotting the hall. Through the Force he could feel presences behind some of the doors, though he could tell that whoever they might be they remained unaware that Rangers had infiltrated the pub. One door caught his attention, the presence behind it emitting agitation and fear. Before he could try to open it, however, a loud whimper – voice distinctly feminine – echoed from behind closed doors, followed by cruel laughter.
Charcoal eyes narrowed with anger. nuYuuta drew the Force around him before waving his free hand, willing the door to slide open. His cold gaze was met by the sight of a Devaronian's broad back, followed by a cowering Zygerrian woman on the floor.
"Please, help!" begged the woman the moment she caught sight of an unfamiliar human stepping inside the room. The Devaronian turned on the spot and found Yuuta standing by the door. A necklace with the gemstone as a pendant hung around his neck.
Another dissenter.
The Devaronian snarled angrily at the sudden intrusion, pulling out a wicked-looking knife and rushing towards Yuuta. The Ranger stood his ground before sidestepping the attack, followed by a fluid flick of his weapon. The Devaronian's arm holding the knife dropped on the floor with a soft 'thud', and before he could scream out in pain the Ranger followed up with another wave of his free hand, sending the other male flying headfirst back into the room. The Devaronian's skull met duracrete with a sickening crunch. Belatedly Yuuta checked if the bastard was still alive, and only after confirming that the latter was did he proceed to fall on one knee beside the fallen Zygerrian woman.
She looked hurt... there were cuts on her face and arms, along with an ugly bruise that marred the left side of her face.
"I'm very sorry you have to see that," Yuuta apologized by way of greeting, extending a hand for her to take. "I'm ISC Ranger Yuuta Graves. What did he do to you?"
Her eyes were sill wide, pupils blown with terror at what she had been through. It probably didn't help that the first action her supposed savior did was to dismember her tormentor and send the bastard flying using some kind of unseen force. Her chest heaved with short but rapid breaths, one sign of a panic attack, and Yuuta only managed to calm her down when he showed her his badge and muttered one assurance after another.
"H-He caught me tryin' to sneak into the other r-rooms, tryin' to free the– the o-others they took f-from their homes for votin'– votin' in favor of the ISC's presence here in Dress– Dressel," she stammered, tears welling up her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Yuuta's eyes widened with a mixture of pity and indignation. So the dissenters weren't just hurting or killing those who were pro-ISC, they resorted to kidnapping as well. Most probably to scare those into going against the ISC, or simplu for not being able to see eye to eye with them. The Ranger helped the Zygerrian up on her feet, helping her sit on a nearby chair. He found a blanket on the cot on the corner and draped it over her shoulders.
"We're here to put a stop to all of these, me and my partner," he assured the Zygerrian woman, offering her a kind smile while attending to the unconscious Devaronian's bleeding stump. After wrapping the wound up and tying up the dissenter with a length of rope that was conveniently hanging by a nail on the wall, Yuuta plucked the stun baton hanging off his belt and pressed it into the woman's waiting hand.
"Feel free to knock him out again if he tries anything funny when he wakes up," he told her with a wink as he walked out of the room. "I passed by other doors before stopping here. Do you know..."
She swallowed before nodding once, catching where he was going with the question. "They're keepin' us all down the hall here, sayin' we're customers stayin' in as cover."
"I have a favor to ask of you, miss...?"
"Leeda. M'name's Leeda, Ranger Graves."
Yuuta smiled as the expression on Leeda's face turned into determination. "Can you round up the other kidnapped people, tell them why I'm here? Right now there are only three guards where I came from up the escape hatch on the roof. One of them's sleeping and won't alert the others of my presence. The other two are Rodians, and they're headed up there last I saw them. Can I count on you and the others to overpower them and block off that escape route?"
"Hells yeah, we can, Ranger," she assured him, rising from her seat. "Least we could do for ya lawmen."
The Zygerrian then nodded at him in thanks, holding onto the stun baton like a lifeline as they exited the room. The door closed behind them and he delved further down the hall while Leeda headed off to do what she was told. He found another stairwell, this one leading to the main gambling room according to the sign. Through the Force he could feel a familiar presence in the area, and after quietly descending he caught sight of the empty gambling hall and Shan by the entrance.
To the left of the gambling hall was the door to the private room the female Twi'lek had drawn on the map. Waving over at Shan Yuuta gestured that he would proceed to approach the room.
Before he could take a step forward the door to the private room slid open, and five people stepped out including the leader of the dissenters. The civilians' description was accurate down to the leader's scar.
"Hey, the gambling hall's not open yet," one of the dissenters told Shan, the group having seen the Tiss'Shar first. The Dresselian dissenter shifted where he stood, turning to Yuuta's direction and guessing correctly where the human had recently been. His eyes widened at the sight of the bloodstained vibrosword the human Ranger was holding. "Hey, you! Human! What are you doin' there?!"
Why didn't the Force warn me when I needed it most!
Cover blown, Yuuta dove behind a gambling table when one of the dissenters tried to shoot him, the blaster bolt missing him by a wide margin. Hell broke loose in the gambling hall after that one shot.
@Nommie
Vibrosword at the ready the Ranger proceeded down the hall the two Rodians emerged from, noting the numbered doors dotting the hall. Through the Force he could feel presences behind some of the doors, though he could tell that whoever they might be they remained unaware that Rangers had infiltrated the pub. One door caught his attention, the presence behind it emitting agitation and fear. Before he could try to open it, however, a loud whimper – voice distinctly feminine – echoed from behind closed doors, followed by cruel laughter.
Charcoal eyes narrowed with anger. nuYuuta drew the Force around him before waving his free hand, willing the door to slide open. His cold gaze was met by the sight of a Devaronian's broad back, followed by a cowering Zygerrian woman on the floor.
"Please, help!" begged the woman the moment she caught sight of an unfamiliar human stepping inside the room. The Devaronian turned on the spot and found Yuuta standing by the door. A necklace with the gemstone as a pendant hung around his neck.
Another dissenter.
The Devaronian snarled angrily at the sudden intrusion, pulling out a wicked-looking knife and rushing towards Yuuta. The Ranger stood his ground before sidestepping the attack, followed by a fluid flick of his weapon. The Devaronian's arm holding the knife dropped on the floor with a soft 'thud', and before he could scream out in pain the Ranger followed up with another wave of his free hand, sending the other male flying headfirst back into the room. The Devaronian's skull met duracrete with a sickening crunch. Belatedly Yuuta checked if the bastard was still alive, and only after confirming that the latter was did he proceed to fall on one knee beside the fallen Zygerrian woman.
She looked hurt... there were cuts on her face and arms, along with an ugly bruise that marred the left side of her face.
"I'm very sorry you have to see that," Yuuta apologized by way of greeting, extending a hand for her to take. "I'm ISC Ranger Yuuta Graves. What did he do to you?"
Her eyes were sill wide, pupils blown with terror at what she had been through. It probably didn't help that the first action her supposed savior did was to dismember her tormentor and send the bastard flying using some kind of unseen force. Her chest heaved with short but rapid breaths, one sign of a panic attack, and Yuuta only managed to calm her down when he showed her his badge and muttered one assurance after another.
"H-He caught me tryin' to sneak into the other r-rooms, tryin' to free the– the o-others they took f-from their homes for votin'– votin' in favor of the ISC's presence here in Dress– Dressel," she stammered, tears welling up her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Yuuta's eyes widened with a mixture of pity and indignation. So the dissenters weren't just hurting or killing those who were pro-ISC, they resorted to kidnapping as well. Most probably to scare those into going against the ISC, or simplu for not being able to see eye to eye with them. The Ranger helped the Zygerrian up on her feet, helping her sit on a nearby chair. He found a blanket on the cot on the corner and draped it over her shoulders.
"We're here to put a stop to all of these, me and my partner," he assured the Zygerrian woman, offering her a kind smile while attending to the unconscious Devaronian's bleeding stump. After wrapping the wound up and tying up the dissenter with a length of rope that was conveniently hanging by a nail on the wall, Yuuta plucked the stun baton hanging off his belt and pressed it into the woman's waiting hand.
"Feel free to knock him out again if he tries anything funny when he wakes up," he told her with a wink as he walked out of the room. "I passed by other doors before stopping here. Do you know..."
She swallowed before nodding once, catching where he was going with the question. "They're keepin' us all down the hall here, sayin' we're customers stayin' in as cover."
"I have a favor to ask of you, miss...?"
"Leeda. M'name's Leeda, Ranger Graves."
Yuuta smiled as the expression on Leeda's face turned into determination. "Can you round up the other kidnapped people, tell them why I'm here? Right now there are only three guards where I came from up the escape hatch on the roof. One of them's sleeping and won't alert the others of my presence. The other two are Rodians, and they're headed up there last I saw them. Can I count on you and the others to overpower them and block off that escape route?"
"Hells yeah, we can, Ranger," she assured him, rising from her seat. "Least we could do for ya lawmen."
The Zygerrian then nodded at him in thanks, holding onto the stun baton like a lifeline as they exited the room. The door closed behind them and he delved further down the hall while Leeda headed off to do what she was told. He found another stairwell, this one leading to the main gambling room according to the sign. Through the Force he could feel a familiar presence in the area, and after quietly descending he caught sight of the empty gambling hall and Shan by the entrance.
To the left of the gambling hall was the door to the private room the female Twi'lek had drawn on the map. Waving over at Shan Yuuta gestured that he would proceed to approach the room.
Before he could take a step forward the door to the private room slid open, and five people stepped out including the leader of the dissenters. The civilians' description was accurate down to the leader's scar.
"Hey, the gambling hall's not open yet," one of the dissenters told Shan, the group having seen the Tiss'Shar first. The Dresselian dissenter shifted where he stood, turning to Yuuta's direction and guessing correctly where the human had recently been. His eyes widened at the sight of the bloodstained vibrosword the human Ranger was holding. "Hey, you! Human! What are you doin' there?!"
Why didn't the Force warn me when I needed it most!
Cover blown, Yuuta dove behind a gambling table when one of the dissenters tried to shoot him, the blaster bolt missing him by a wide margin. Hell broke loose in the gambling hall after that one shot.
@Nommie
