Ask Coruscant For His Eyes Only

[Douglas Hudson]

Right after the briefing, Douglas Hudson returned to his office to meet with a couple Rangers who had said they had information about Suspect One. Strange how after all the fruitless investigation so far, so much information was turning up nearly all at once. He wasn't going to complain, though, as the more they knew the quicker they could catch this terrorist. He had his secretary keep the two Rangers in the waiting room as he pulled up the case information on the holotable he had towards the back of his rather spartan office, also setting it to record everything they talked about in the room. Everything would be useful and thus on the record, something that all his men and women would have come to expect from any meeting with the Chief.

Prepared, he had his secretary send them in. He sat on the edge of his desk, arms crossed and face serious even if he had somewhat of an excitement to hear what the two had to say. "Thank you both for coming. Excuse me for not conforming to ceremony, but time is short. What do the two of you have to report?" With what they had learned from Ranger Aran just minutes before, what these two men could report could give them a definitive lead in the case, or at least define their search to something less than the Outer Rim and beyond. He gestured for them to speak, giving them his full attention.

@Orbit @Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

THEME​

The booted feet of the Mandalorian tapped along the ground with each step. His armor clinked slightly since Roland was not even trying to be quiet in the office of the Sector Rangers. In his hand he held a datapad with the information he had collected. His cloak flowed over his back and behind him but stopped as he came to a halt in front of his superior's desk. Raising a hand he pushed the hood back from where it partially covered his helm. Roland had just seen and heard the meeting moments ago before joining the Chief in his office and so had not been waiting with the secretary or the Duke if that was where he had been during that time.

Roland saw Duke for the first time that day in person. Good, he's here too. Roland would brandish the datapad and hand it to Douglas to take. "During my investigation into Gurrba the Hutt's illicit activities I recovered the entire recording of events that transpired in the fighting pits owned by Gurrba on Nar Shaddaa. The feeds are from inside the socalled Pit." The Chief was welcome to take the device and hook it up to his screen or projector. It was his office.

"I've been going over the recordings on my return trip to the Core. It pieces together all the events that Durr left out of his broadcast." There was more but Roland figured to start it off a piece at a time. His cross visored helmet slowly turned to look at Duke to see what he had come to say. He was a fellow Ranger. But Roland had also seen him working together with Suspect One and another associate of the perpetrator. When it came to their own membership Roland knew Chief Hudson had the authority and would refrain from skewing anything. There was still a lot they did not know as a law enforcement agency. It was his main stress when not in a life or death situation.

@Insalius @Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

Duke had to report into the chief, it's been a while since he had seen the man and he had information vital to him. A few days ago, the Hutts released a holovid showing footage of two criminals going through one of their pits and releasing slaves, killing guards, and one of the Hutt's family. It wasn't just two criminals however, there was a third and it was a ranger, himself. He had been following the two criminals from a different location until he ran across them in the pit, intending to arrest them right there before everything got flipped over its head.

When Roland entered the room, Duke turned his head to see the newcomer. He had never met Roland before and this was his first time meeting a Mandalorian, as well as one who was also a ranger. That was an interesting combo, to say the least, but at least he was on their side. When he pulled out a datapad and offered it to Douglas, Duke arched his eyebrow in a questioning manner toward it as he wondered what it was before revealing that it was recordings of everything that happened in the pit. He turned his attention back to Douglas, figuring this was the best time to come in, "And in that footage, you'll find me in it."

Duke nodded towards the datapad, "There's a woman and a man in there. One is disguised as a Kage warrior and the other is some woman who called the warrior mentor. At first, there was a report of a break-in and with the help of an officer, we investigated the disturbance." The officer was Bo, the one that tried to kill him and Trys but that was a different story. "When we arrived, there was a bounty hunter and he offered information about the two which led me to track them down at the pit. When I went in to make an arrest against them... They suddenly drew out lightsabers." Duke paused for a moment before continuing, "They wanted something in the mainframe but the reason I assisted them was that we agreed to help each other release the slaves that were being forced to fight." It was either that or he would've gotten bisected in half and the slaves either free anyway or still in their chains.

That was pretty much all there was to the story but Duke glanced over to Roland for a second, his eyes then flicking between the datapad and the ranger.

"How'd you get that footage? I'm guessing the Hutts wouldn't have just agreed to let you have it and do whatever you please."

 

[Douglas Hudson]

Douglas carefully listened to them both, thankful that between the two Rangers some context was being given to one of the pieces of footage that they had gathered. Context would lead to clues, psych profiles for the suspects, hints at motives, all sorts of things that would make a Ranger's blood run hot with the thrill of the investigation. There WAS one matter that he had to address alongside the reports, though, as it seemed that Duke had made a judgement call in the heat of the moment. While he DID want his men and women to think independently, feedback after the fact was something he tried to provide to keep his Rangers on the right track. At least, what he felt was the right track. He wasn't a perfect man, but he hoped he was enough of a role model to inspire.

"First off, thank you both for this information. Anything that gets us closer to Suspect One and this potential group of followers or peers is appreciated. I'll want copies of these recordings and a full report from both of you about what happened in your investigations." Being Chief meant there would be a LOT of paperwork to go through and organize. While he usually left this for his secretary and the Rangers involved in the case, this was something he would try to handle personally. It wouldn't do for an intern to lose a critical piece of evidence.

"As for your actions, Ranger Winters, at the time it would have been near impossible to know this would all blow up as it did. It is what it is, though, and I'd like to hear more of your thoughts on what happened and if there's anything you would have done differently. As we can all see, sometimes the strangest or most innocuous actions can blow up to a near galaxy-wide panic. Knowing what you do now, would you say your actions created more good than harm?" His tone was not one of admonishment, more just pure curiosity to hear Duke's mind. He was also interested in the man's question to the other Ranger, though. "I figured this would come up in the report, but that's a question I'd like to hear as well, Ranger Roland. Not accusing you of anything, just if you have some kind of in or source, that could be a boon to our future cases against the Cartels."

@Orbit @Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Roland listened to Duke's words, glad he added his own side. It seemed reasonable but the Mandalorian was thinking about how the public could see this if they knew about it. Headlines would twist the story and the man did not want that. But the Chief and Duke both wanted to know how he got the information he now presented. He could not blame their curiosity. "I took it from the security center inside the Pit. Past records, prior to the incident are on there too. I'll get the tech team to look it over. There's a lot of hours of information on it. I would have continued to have a backdoor into future happenings but it seems like the bounty huntress triggered a booby trap. Then again she was accessing the network from the equivelant of a thermostat. Did she tell you it was her rooting around that nearly killed you three?" He posed the question to Duke. Maybe in the moment even she had not realized she had caused the explosions and the destruction of evedince. Roland cocked his helmet to the side a little.

The recordings he had recovered went back days and days with other data files that had been saved. Even Roland had not been able to go over everything or access all of the encrypted data. There was still possibly more evidence to uncover. "Gurrba had data saved and recordings stored for possible blackmail...among other things. Gurrba was killed in the destruction of his own arena but plenty of the galaxy's worst have attended his blood sports before and these recordings can prove it."

Roland tapped the controls on the datapad until he came to a section of the footage showing the picking up of lightsabers from the treasure trove of trinkets. "They looted the lightsabers we saw on Durr's broadcast along with what you describe, Duke. The Kage warrior, Suspect One, is not above using disguises and I neither does his associates it would seem. I don't think the appearances of these suspects are to be taken at face value though I think that's pretty obvious at this point. If what we believe is true then Suspect One also possesses other similar weapons. We can't judge based on appearances for the time being." He knew it was a bit ironic considering he was an Sector Ranger with a religion that prevented him from showing his own face.

"Chief, with your permission I would like to interview Jedi and get more information on their Order. I think it would be useful for us to know more about them. If they are not involved then they'll probably be willing to help. Maybe we will be able to get a better idea of who would want to fake being a space wizard."

@Orbit @Insalius

 

[Duke Winters]

As Roland explained the circumstances of how he acquired that footage, Duke's eyes widened slightly as he stared at him. "You were at the Pit the entire time and you didn't provide backup? You were just watching footage?" The thought of Roland just standing a floor above him while he battled guards with potentially dangerous Jedi or whatever the hell they were. It would have been nice to know he could have received some backup in that situation. "I thought you were supposed to be Mandalorian and love fighting." Duke had to explain his side either way and he turned his attention to the Chief to report.

"No, I would say my actions did create more good than harm. Before we went down into the lower levels to reach the armory, the two suspects intended on releasing rancor into the crowds in order to provide a distraction. My alternative was us to break into the armory and use their munitions against them in a controlled environment. With me being alone," He gave a quick glance to Roland, "It was the best compromise without them cutting me in half by their weapons." Roland blamed "L" for the explosions and he didn't blame her but he was still alive, "No, I did not know it was her doing but I would take rigging an explosion and accidentally killing a Hutt as a better option than releasing a rancor into crowds of people and possible into a city."

But Duke nodded towards Roland's words, "He's right though, they use disguises frequently. The woman had a mask and a full suit of armor to hide her appearance. We need to be cautious of who we trust and who we go after. These suspects aren't your average criminals to detain. They can lift objects with their mind and people if they want to." This was a different breed of suspects the Rangers would be facing. It was normally blasters but now they were dealing with blades made out of energy and ones that can deflect bolts.

@Insalius

 

[Douglas Hudson]

Interesting the kind of new details such simple questions could reveal. Douglas turned towards Roland with an eyebrow raised, yet when he spoke again it was in curiosity. He trusted all of his Rangers, as the ones that lasted this long were the ones that had proved they have the chops and moral code to really succeed in law enforcement. "Were you there at the time? If so, did you attempt to provide any support to Ranger Winters? The fact they were trying to use a Rancor as a distraction speaks for how chaotic the situation was. I'm not sure how much would have been changed, but having all the details can help to prevent issues on future assignments. No matter the answer, though, I want you both to know I appreciate the direct report of these findings."

Roland's request was in line with what he had ordered just a bit before in the briefing, so the Chief was glad that there were volunteers. "Your request is approved, Ranger Roland. I know there's a few other Rangers starting to work that angle. As I get updates, I'll send their names to you to coordinate with. I don't know if the Jedi are an enemy or ally yet, there's still too much we don't know. I hate going after a suspect with such little information, especially one so dangerous and prone to using effective disguises, so anything we can learn will be important. If it turns out that they're indeed homicidal warrior monks or some such, then we'll work on bringing them down. I don't care who it is, anyone who drives the galaxy to a panic will need to pay, to the letter of the law. And don't forget through all this that the Syndicates are still egging on violence from their little bounty. Watch out when you're checking out these Jedi, an assassin or bounty hunter could show up at any time. I don't want them to gun through any of you trying to get to a 5k credit payday. You're all worth far too much to trade for that.

@Darasuum @Orbit

 

[Roland Rook]

The Mandalorian paused a moment but understood Duke's surprise and Douglas's follow up questioning. The first part he said more directly to Duke. "I saw you yes. But actually I had not recognized you. You weren't exactly flashing your badge around and I thought you were just some other bounty hunter or hired thug at the time. I hadn't realized you were....you....until I had a chance to actually look over the footage." his tone was sincere dispite the generalization of his culture.

If he had known it was a fellow Ranger he would have probably acted differently. The cross visored helmet looked towards his superior to give a bit more explanation. "I was under the impression that we did not have much in the way of jurisdiction in Hutt space let alone Nar Shaddaa." Roland felt he had already risked a lot when he had moved on his own accord into the fighting pit building when his assignment had been reconnaissance. He had actually expended a reprimand of some sort.

Duke explained himself in turn, how he had curbed the violence. The armored man thought what he would have done in Duke's situation at the time and could not think of any solution that would have been much better. It wouldn't surprise me if she didn't even know. An accident on her part. Still doesn't help though. He couldn't imagine the Bounty Huntress, or whatever she was, would have intentionally blown up the building she had occupied.

Hearing the approval from his Chief he nodded, listening to what he had to say before responding. Not being an enemy did not automatically make people allies in the Ranger's mind. "Thanks Chief. I'll reach out to the Bounty Hunter's Guild. There might be a few people among them that may have heard some things especially if people are hunting saber jockeys and their glow sticks." The Bounty Hunter's Guild operated parallel to the law often enough and while plenty of them were just a step above the trigger happy gun thugs of the Five Syndicates there were some that valued law and order. Or maybe they prefer to not be on the bad side of a badge wearing Mandalorian.

@Insalius @Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

Thankfully, Duke's report of the situation didn't go over too bad with the Chief. He personally expected a quick thrashing from the man but he was glad he didn't. Whatever happened in the pits he did his best to control the situation to his ability. There was only so much he could with just himself but overall, at least no one got hurt that didn't deserve it. He agreed with the rest of the words from the Chief, the Syndicate still being a priority for them even with the Jedi and the Darksiders out and about.

Duke gave a nod to the two Rangers, "I recently transferred to Naboo. I'll keep eyes on the surface to make sure everything checks out accordingly. Me and Ranger Aran are pursuing leads on possible Jedi encounters as well and I'll keep you informed of those." There wasn't much to add more than that and with Roland not adding anything for Duke, he was going to take his leave and continue his work.

"I'll get back to, if any of you need me, you know how to reach me." Duke gave another nod to the two Rangers before departing from the office and heading back to Nabboo.

 

[Douglas Hudson]

Douglas knew that this meeting was about to end. He didn't want to keep these two hard working Rangers from their duties any longer than he had to. "All right, looks like I have everything I need for now. Thank you again for the report and footage, I'll get that logged in ASAP." He gave the two men a nod again, showing his appreciation. "Ranger Winters, you are dismissed. Keep up the good work, I'll be looking forward to any new reports from Naboo. I feel this whole mess is only going to get worse before it gets better, but let's see if we can keep any civilian injuries to a minimum.

Roland, though, hadn't left yet. His idea to look into the Bounty Hunter's Guild for any leads was a good one, something his Mandalorian roots could help with. He'd read of reports of Mandalorians after the fall of the second Death Star that had made names as Bounty Hunters, perhaps they were just suited for that kind of life. "Anything else, Ranger? You loo like you have something else to say, or ask. Out with it, son.

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Roland watched Duke leave wondering if he would stop by Naboo when heading back out to Nar Shaddaa. He knew he was going to have to stick around the Core worlds for a bit but Naboo was the last pit stop before hitting the outer rim.

The Chief seemed to have expected Roland to leave with Duke but was open to hearing a bit more. A single soft laugh came from the Mandalorian at heearing that he looked like he had something on his mind. "Yeah. We're meeting with the Jedi Order in a couple of days right? Well I think we should also reach out to the planet of Qaurzite. Suspect One has already been seen disguised as a Kage warrior and so has at least one cohort. If they are masquerading as other groups besides Jedi I think it would be in our interest to get in contact with the representatives of the Kage people."

Chances were that they had nothing to do with the acts of the Arcanist and his troupe of criminals and probably were motivated to seek them out. "The last thing we need is the Jedi and the Kage trying to hunt these criminals for their choice in costumes" The more Roland thought about it the more he believed that whomever the Arcanist was, he had probably planned for that to happen. "I think that's about it."

@Insalius

 

[Douglas Hudson]

Damn...Having the Hutts put out a bounty to stir up wannabe Bounty Hunters was already chaos enough out in the Outer Rim. Having the Kage thrown in as well...Hmm. Douglas frowned as he turned to look at his wall of evidence, trying to find some fact or clue that would put these very disparate puzzle pieces together in some way. His gut was telling him that there was something else to all of this, that whatever was happening with Suspect One wasn't just the work of one man. Or, at least it wasn't on behalf of one man. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Every time we learn something new, it feels like we're even farther away from the truth...If he's imitating a Kage, though, he might have had to learn about their culture and ways. Maybe he's been to the planet before, or maybe he's even someone FROM there, of being a vigilante. Your request is approved, I want Ranger Aran and myself kept apprised of anything you find out. Even if its a dead end, try to keep them from causing more chaos. The more ripples, the muddier the water gets. Dismissed, son."

/Endthread

@Darasuum