Open Chandrila Pretty Handsome Awkward

[Carrick]

Theme​

Gods and Force and karking Chandrilans.

They liked to make the whole Galaxy think that they were whiter than white, purer than purity itself and so far above it all that they never had any issues that regular people had. He had come to this party because he had been invited to it - simple as that - but he hadn't expected it to be this kind of affair. It had been going on for hours now and he was beginning to think that the drinks had all been spiked.

Waving a hand in front of his face, he chuckled a little bit to himself as it blurred slightly. The drinks did seem to be spiked because everyone else was doing similar. It wasn't just him though so he wasn't too concerned. It wasn't likely to be someone trying to attack him when literally everyone at the party was a mix of drunk and high as a kite.

Didn't stop him taking another drink from the bartender and necking it.

There were some armoured people at the edge of the room and, for some reason, that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. A feeling inside of him (and yet also outside of him) was almost buzzing against his skin and it was getting kind of irritating. What was that feeling again? Oh... oh right was that the Force? It kind of reminded him of the Force before he'd started drinking.

Huh... that was probably a bad thing, right?

Probably.

He might not be a Jedi anymore but he wasn't one to step away from potential danger - no, he moved toward it. Of course he might have swayed a little bit more than usual but that didn't mean anything. He was still off toward dangerous like the valiant knight he had once been not too long ago! His Master would have been proud of him, just like how proud Carrick was for at least managing to walk in a straight line right now.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

One thing about being invested in business was being thrust into social situations she loathed with an intensity that could only be rivalled by being stuck with bantha breeders in Dagobah. But Chandrilans were stuck up, smart-mouthed know-it-alls that had absolutely nothing to be smug about other than their supposed peace.

She didn't drink their drinks, didn't party as they did. But the room reeked of the emotional trash along with the personal. The room hung with a miasmic cloud of drugged emotions, though one figure caught her eye across the room. A feeling that sensed as sickening as something overly sweet.

So naturally, she followed.

The weight of her stun blaster on her leg was a reassuring one for danger deterrent, at least.

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

Carrick found that the wall was his friend.

Sure, leaning against the wall had initially hurt like hell when his head had hit it harder than he had expected but it was still his friend. It was his friend because it was letting him stay upright as he walked. He was still walking toward the entrance again but he could feel that there was something working against him. What was working against his natural urge to try and walk?

Oh right yeah.

The drugs.

That made a lot more sense now that he thought about it.

There was something bugging at his senses, the Force, and it was trying to tell him that the pale woman kind of glaring at him might be a danger. He felt like patting his connection to the Force like the very good guard dog that it was. He would follow it's advice and try to avoid the pale woman!

By continuing to walk along the length of his friend, The Wall.

@Killa Ree

 

[Fidchell]

It would likely be a shock to Carrick if he were to find out his passing fancy of a thought regarding the drinks being spiked was in fact true. Of course, one would not expect such a situation to occur at this party, for it was a social gathering hosted by pharmaceutical company ChandPharma, celebrating the passing of a recent bill that to the public appeared to increase oversight on the drug industry, but in actuality the oversight body in the fine details were the pharmaceutical companies themselves, effectively hindering oversight and regulation. It was a monumental accomplishment, and many of the executives and shareholders were bound to line their pockets with profit in the coming future.

The celebration was to be expected, with such a bill passing. Many had been invited in. The predictable ones were intermediate-grade executives, politicians in bed with the pharmaceutical companies, and a select few from the medical community, particularly those with a more business stake at hand, such as Dr. Morata. The less obvious invitees were celebrities, business partners, and some people from the old crowd. The last group was the reason the Neti scientist codenamed The Doctor was on Chandrila. He was currently on a mission to acquire, correction, 'recruit politely', more Force sensitives for his experiments. The party was a tempting lure for his hunt for the ex. Jedi Knight Carrick, the former Jedi ambassador to Naboo. During his investigations, he had acquired a list of former associates in the political circles. Among them was Po Po Cyglus. The Gungan had served as Junior Senator, who had been corrupted by the pharmaceutical community. When he lost his last election, he used his accumulated wealth to join his bribers, becoming part of ChandPharma's board of directors. When the Chandrilan bill's passing into law was announced, The Doctor saw his chance. He organized a meeting with the Gungan and used the Force to persuade the former Senatorial Gungan into inviting "his old pal" Carrick to the party.

Cyglus was only the first of The Doctor's pawns for the operation. He had also kidnapped the disgruntled Barrel Vi'Fhor, who had recently been fired from ChandPharma. Officially it was because of budget-cuts, in reality he was being investigated for tax evasion, and the company sought to axe him before his crimes led an investigation into ChandPharma as well. As such, Barrel was the perfect patsy. The Doctor 'persuaded' Barrel to spike several of the drinks, leading to the inhibition of several partygoers. The compound used wouldn't knock out individuals, but rather operate as chaotic caffeine. The substance led to an increase of energy, before causing consumers to eventually crash hours later. It was selected because The Doctor, during his studies at the Arrth-Eno Prison Complex, had learned that even Jedi had difficulty combating the effects because the rush of energy didn't feel like poisoning and thus the body didn't naturally try to thwart it. By the time it went into full drive, the fall was too enriched as a consequence to be thwarted completely. Force sensitives didn't easily (but not impossibly) detect its use as readily because its effects on the body were similar to amped up caffeine, if maybe making some people a little more giddy and energetic. In theory, if Carrick drank the spiked beverages, he would party with everyone, then crash hours later when isolated, easy to capture.

Just one problem with that plan.

The blasted human hadn't consumed any of the drinks. Instead, he had latched onto the wall like a leech. The Doctor wished Cyglus hadn't left already with some 'entertainers' an hour ago, otherwise he'd brainwash the Gungan into offering a drink. Everyone was so inconsiderate. Didn't they realize how important his research was?

Thankfully The Doctor had one more pawn at his disposal: a protocol droid infected with the Dread Virus. The Dread Virus entity codenamed Balad was providing a server role at the party. It had not approached Carrick yet as per its orders, a backup if needed. However, The Doctor's hands were forced here. The Doctor - who held the disguise of an Ubese pharmacist named Dr. Valentine Corrago - walked by Balad and whispered, "Serve the gentleman by the wall, he seems lonely." He wasn't going to say Carrick's name aloud, in case he was overheard; after all, why would he know the name of the former Jedi ambassador to Naboo. To any eavesdroppers it would appear as though Dr. Corrago was hitting on the young man by the wall, not that the droid would honor that assumption. Continuing his walk, passing Dr. Morata, he advanced further into the room where he could observe unnoticed.

Balad, in the body of a protocol droid, approached Carrick, rudely ignoring Dr. Morata who was also approaching the human. Balad offered his plate of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, speaking, "Offer: We at ChandPharma thank you for coming and have several complimentary drinks for your pleasure. If I do not have anything that interests you, I can acquire it from the bartender."

Spoiler

Yes, I'm totes stealing your template lol. I don't intend to actually kidnap Carrick (at least in this thread; if we want to try something later, we can always figure it out).

I also apologize if I overstepped myself by adding these details about the party. They seemed vague, and thought I'd use that to my advantage. I can undo that if desired. For clarification, as it appears there is a miasmic/aerosal substance going into effect, I thought I'd leave it alone, to allow you to continue your own angle, as I felt it would be amusing that potentially two parties are drugging the party for different reasons, oblivious of one another. Ultimately like this would hinder the Doctor's plans, and help justify how his plan to capture Carrick fails.

@Nefieslab @Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

What an annoying little thing like the Light, shifting through the shadows. She knew nothing of the man, yet already she desired desperately to make his life acutely miserable. That, and the old fogey hovering around fouling the air with his overt appearance.

She didn't care about either of them, really. Her priority was to gain connections, and that was just what she aimed to do. But there was something oppressive to the air, something that felt foul, discordant.

Something that made her pause before accepting any drinks for the time being, but to keep a mental tab on this skulking useless man-child and on the party in full swing before them.

@Nefieslab @Dmitri

 

[Carrick]

Carrick wasn't exactly in his right mind but even then he knew not to accept drinks from strangers... of course that was a rule about people and not droids. People spent their entire lives just accepting that droids would bring their drinks and their food to them. That droids were a safe, servile, race of machines and they were of no threat.

They were there to serve so that was all they did.

So Carrick took the offered drink and downed it... and almost immediately he felt something shift. Unfortunately he wasn't really adept enough with messing with his own internal chemistry to actually do anything about it. Instead he flinched backward as a rush of energy surged into him like a shot of adrenaline and caf.

He pushed the droid away from him violently and staggered forward, through the crowd. His emotions were spiking in the Force as well and he was grasping them. Through the Force it would be clear that he was ignoring the Jedi way and latching onto frustration, anger and fear to keep him going.

Carrick burst through the main doors, tossing one of the bouncers away with the Force when they went to grab him. He... he wanted to go. He felt the suddenly, inexplicable, urge to be GONE from here and he wanted it now.

@Dmitri @Killa Ree

 

[Fidchell]

The Doctor cursed under his breath. Carrick had consumed the beverage as desired, but had reacted more harshly than expected. Had he miscalculated the dose? Something to examine later on. For now, he couldn't let his prize escape. The drug unfortunately was an energy booster, so the man kicked up on caffeine was, while erratic, bulldozing towards the exit with vigor. The Neti scientist had wanted Carrick to party, then crash when the hangover came. Hours just became seconds.

Reaching out with the Force, as subtly as he could in order to hopefully avoid detection by Carrick (unaware of the other Force sensitive present), The Doctor applied pressure on a hovercar's accelation pedal that was being parked by the valet just as the hysterical Carrick neared the vehicle. The sudden vehicular strike wouldn't seem terribly out of place, The Doctor mused, considering one wasn't bound to react well to seeing a bouncer, well, bounce in the air.