Ask Hostile Intent

[Ava Xeto]

Sernpidal

Ava stepped out of the speeder, onto the platform. Looking around, she took a few seconds to appreciate her surroundings. It had been a while since she had been somewhere like Sernpidal City.

The platform was lined with guards, clad in light blue uniforms; each with a blaster pistol at their waist. They were members of a small security force assigned to a local politician called Dax Cartho.

Dax Cartho was an up-and-coming name in politics on Sernpidal. Extremely popular, big things were expected of him. Unfortunately, in recent weeks, the well-liked figure had been subjected to death threats. Even though death threats were not uncommon, these particular threats were considered credible enough for Cartho’s security to request the help of the Jedi Order.

That’s where Ava and her fellow Jedi Knight, Elidan, came in. They had been tasked with protecting Cartho, and also investigating the threats made against him and his family.

Ava had chosen to wear her usual clothing, her lightsaber at her waist. After a short wait, the doors at the other end of the platform slid open. A balding, middle-aged man approached.

“Seems like something’s happening,” Ava said to Elidan, looking over and smiling at him.

“Greetings, Jedi. I’m sorry for the slight delay. Mr Cartho has just finished a call. I’ll take you through to him.”

@LouJoVi @Remileah

 

[Elidan]

A private spaceport in the richest part of Sernpidal city wasn’t a place that Elidan was familiar with. He preferred to work in the poorest areas, helping the people that lived here in any way that he could. It went from healing them with the Force, to teaching them to read. Well, the teaching part was done by his protocol droid. Given his mutism, he couldn’t do much by himself since no one understood sign language in these areas.

He really wanted to find other Jedi to help him with the teaching part. It would greatly help the locals that wanted to study.

Back to the moment, Elidan really felt out of place. There was too much richness for his tastes. From the guards with their perfect uniforms to the servant that was coming to meet him and Knight Ava Xeto. None of it pleased him, to the point that he had even contemplated abandoning this mission.

Playing bodyguard to a rich politician was a big no for him. These people could very well pay elite soldiers, why did they want to take the Jedi away from those that really need them?

In the end, the half-Annfyn went along with this mission. The fact that said politician was a great supporter of the Order and his family was also being threatened, including his children, was enough to make him a bit more willing to help.

He also wondered if the politician would want to fund his project of making learning centers and would ask about it later.

The half-Annfyn nodded at Ava’s comment, before following the servant. Indeed, the atmosphere around them wasn’t right. There was more there than they had revealed to the Jedi. He wondered if these threats of assassination had already turned into action.

@DMCK @Remileah

 

[The Storyteller]

Location: Sernpidal

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___In a dark basement, a young lady sat at a table with a man bound and gagged in a chair, completely immobilised. Between the two laid a Pioneer slug pistol.

___"One in the chamber."

___With a smile, the lady reached out and grabbed the pistol. She twirled it on her finger before snapping it up, pointing the barrel towards the ceiling. There was a metallic grinding as the weapon's hammer locked into place.

___"I don't know where it is. That's what makes this fun!"

___She levelled the pistol at the man, who moaned piteously through his gag as he writhed in his chair. The lady's head tilted slowly, almost unnaturally.

___"You want me to go? I'd be honoured!"

___The lady pulled the pistol back towards herself.

___Click.

___"Isn't this a riot?" she asked, tittering mellifluously as she revelled in almost sadistic glee. She pulled the hammer back again and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "Let's push the envelope further," she murmured as she pulled the trigger on herself once more.

___Click.

___The hammer drew a third time, but she aimed at him instead. He winced, squeezed his eyes shut, and turned his head away from her. Every muscle in his body tensed.

___Click.

___"Do you know the best skill in the galaxy?" the lady inquired. The man's eyes slowly cracked open, darting up to gaze into the soulless, painted eyes of the mask she wore that covered her nose and upper head. "Knowing when to act clueless," she laughed. She flipped open the pistol's drum, revealing the round's position was the next chamber. "Try to stay out of trouble," the lady requested as she stood up. Her head turned towards a security monitor hanging on the wall. There, she saw Elidan and Ava, along with their middle-aged guest.

___"Oh, is the stage already set?" she mused aloud with a thin smile. "The curtain rises," the lady chirped merrily as she turned to begin skipping towards the door.

@DMCK @LouJoVi

 

[Ava Xeto]

Ava and Elidan were led into the spacious apartment. Despite its size, the decor was minimalist. There was nothing ostentatious.

They were guided through the living room and down a hallway, to a grey door. The door slid open to reveal a small home office. Sat behind a light brown wooden desk was a man wearing what looked like a grey wool suit. Probably in his late thirties, he had a tanned complexion. His hair was neatly combed and dark brown. “Ah,” he exclaimed, as he looked up from his work.

He stood up and quickly moved to the two Jedi. “A pleasure to meet you both. My name is Dax Cartho. I’m sorry for the wait,” he said, as he offered a hand shake to Elidan and then Ava.

“Is there anything else I can help you with Dax,” the man who escorted them asked.

“No, that will be fine, thank you,” Cartho replied. “You can take a break. I need some time to speak with the Jedi.”

“I really appreciate your time. Please take a seat,” he told the two Jedi, as he circled back around his desk to sit down.

“I didn’t want to take up the Jedi Order’s time, but, given the serious nature of the threats against my family, my security felt it was necessary to ask for your help. Let me explain.”

@LouJoVi @Remileah

 

[Elidan]

Once he crossed the door, Elidan was hit by surprise. The apartment was nothing like what he expected, it was so simple. The place was large, larger than many of the rooms in the Jedi Temple. However, there was no fancy decoration. It looked pretty normal, to the point that the half-Annfyn would have never suspected that a successful politician lived here.

The two Jedi were guided through a corridor that ended in an office, which was as minimalist as the rest of the apartment. Seeing all that made Elidan feel stupid for having thought that he would know how all rich people liked to live surrounded by luxury. Or Dax Cartho was only a stranger among a pile of snobs.

The man in question was working in something at his office, but soon greeted the Jedi. The half-Annfyn shook his hand and took the seat that had been offered. “Hello! I'm Knight Elidan.” his droid translated his signs. He wondered if the politician would understand what he was signing. It would make sense, since it would approach him from his electors.

Elidan watched the servant leave the room, allowing the three to talk about the mission. Carth was the one that started it and was going to explain the details about the threats that he and his family were receiving. The half-Annfyn paid close attention to it, eager to know what they were dealing with.

@DMCK @Remileah

 

[Ava Xeto]

“Hello, Knight Elidan. Thank you for coming here,” Cartho signed in reply to Elidan. “If it’s ok, I will speak in basic, to explain things.” He gave Elidan a smile before continuing.

“It started a few weeks ago. Messages sent to my office at the Sernpidal assembly. Rather detailed, vivid descriptions of how I was going to be murdered. I didn’t pay much attention to them. Death threats are part and parcel of being a politician. I thought it was just some kook. But then, things ramped up…”

Cartho poured some water from a jug on the table. He offered some to Elidan and Ava, before continuing. Despite his attempt to maintain a calm exterior, it wasn’t difficult to sense the stress just beneath the surface.

“I started to receive pictures of my wife and children, on their daily routine. My children being dropped off at school. My wife on her way to work. The threats started to focus on them, as well as me. This all culminated in what happened a few days ago. A package was left at my wife’s place of work. The receptionist there opened it and it was a bomb. Fortunately, there was a fault in the mechanism and it didn’t go off.”

Cartho let out a heavy sigh. “Threats against me, I can take. But not my family. I’ve sent them away to a secure location. But whoever is doing this needs to be caught. I can’t have this hanging over our heads. To make matters worse, one of my advisors went missing a couple of days ago. Not a trace of him anywhere.”

@LouJoVi @Remileah

 

[Elidan]

Well, only by knowing sign language, Cartho already had Elidan’s vote. Really, it was so difficult to find someone that could understand it and even more so to find someone that could do the signs so perfectly. The half-Annfyn smiled, nodding in agreement for the politician to talk in basic.

Then, Cartho started to explain the situation. It was pretty much what Elidan expected, except for the fact that the assassin seemed to be a sadistic one. That left the half-Annfyn disgusted. Some people were real monsters by torturing others psychologically, even more when their families were involved.

“We’ll protect your family, Mr. Cartho. Whoever is doing that will not hurt any of you.” Elidan signed, giving the man a reassuring smile. With two Jedi Knights there, he was pretty sure that they would be able to stop any assassination attempt. However, he would not get cocky about it.

Something bad could always happen, even if there were two Jedi here.

@DMCK @Remileah

 

[The Storyteller]

___No sooner did Elidan finish signing than the lights in the building went out. Any screens in the room flickered and distorted into static and white noise before they flashed with various images. A red screen with a black, pixelated, low-resolution caricature of a lady with a crazed smile laughing mockingly. The image distorted, the screen flashed, and the image changed to a mask shaped like a fox head. It flashed once more, cycling to the same caricature of the lady from before, only this time, she appeared to be crying amid a fit of rage.

___The flashing screens were now the only source of light. Despite anyone's efforts, the light switches refused to work. In the hallway, the group could hear the sound of footfalls. Footfalls merrily skipped down the hallway like a child with all the world's joy.

___"Mr. Cartho," the lady's voice sang like flowers in bloom, "I was wondering if we could have a chat?"

___The sound of a pistol firing followed immediately after, not giving anyone inside the room an opportunity to respond. A slug punched through the door handle, demolishing the locking mechanism, and two more followed immediately through the door's centre. They were wild, carefree shots, clearly unconcerned about whether they would hit anybody inside. As the door's mechanisms failed, it slowly slid open, revealing the petite stature of the lady on the other side adorned in a short, sleeveless red kimono. Upon seeing the collection of people inside, her head tilted.

___"A play with the galactic stage's most recent big actors," she chuckled, the carved, painted eyes of the mask she wore staring soullessly forward as the mouth beneath the mask's lower edge moved. "I'd surrender while you still have the chance," she concluded, her lips curling up into a gleeful smile.

@DMCK @LouJoVi

 

[Ava Xeto]

Ava smiled at Cartho and she was about to speak…

Lights out

Jumping up, she looked towards the door. “Do you usually have power cuts?”

“No,” the politician replied, as he shifted nervously in his seat.

Without warning, the screens on the wall flickered back to life. A low quality image of a woman’s face appeared. The woman’s face was twisted into a demented expression, as she laughed jeeringly.

The image changed to what appeared to be a mask. A mask that looked like a fox’s head. As quickly as it had changed to that image, the screen flashed back to the woman’s face. This time her expression was one of anger, as tears ran down her cheeks.

What’s that? It sounded like footsteps. Someone skipping or hopping down the corridor. Ava took her lightsaber from her belt and ignited the blade.

“Get under the desk, Mister Cartho.”

Before she could react to the sing-song voice, shots came flying through the door. She heard a whistling sound and then the impact of the shots on the wall behind her. Too close.

Looking up, she saw a figure. A woman. She was small and clothed in a red kimono. The blank, lifeless eyes of the mask stared towards Elidan, Cartho and Ava.

Ava didn’t hesitate to act as soon as the intruder finished speaking. Quickly thrusting her left hand towards them, she unleashed a force push. It was intended to knock the masked woman off her feet.

(TLDR: Ava attempts to quickly force push the attacker.)

@LouJoVi @Remileah

 

[Elidan]

Elidan barely finished signing when the lights went out. Well, it seemed that trouble was already going to start. In the middle of the dark, the half-Annfyn was able to hear Ava and Cartho talking to each other. He focused his hearing in his surroundings. Without being able to see, his other keen sense would be able to allow him to hear if someone was approaching.

The Force also helped, because it screamed danger.

He heard footsteps approaching. Unfortunately, the dark didn’t allow Tete to see his signs and translate to the others. However, things changed when the monitors in the wall returned to life. “I can hear someone coming!” he signed, but by this point Ava was already hearing it and had ordered Cartho to hide.

When the footsteps stopped, the half-Annfyn crouched immediately. It was right on time to evade the blaster bolts that were fired by the assassin. As he had expected, the person really was a maniac. They even used a creepy mask, which became creepier with the light of the monitors casting eerie shadows over it.

The half-Annfyn saw Ava force push the assassin and would do the same, adding his strength to her attack. He hoped that it would be able to make the masked person fall.

(TLDR: Elidan tries to Force push the assassin together with Ava)

@DMCK @Remileah