Pushing Me Away

[Azar Torsin]

Lots of odd things had been happening on Hapes of late, and when people started disappearing and talks of "kidnapping" came up, it wasn't long before a Jedi started listening.

In this case, Azar Torsin, Jedi Knight, had been dispatched to investigate what exactly was going on here, and he was not alone. With him was Lex, the Republic Lieutenant he had began working die by side with on numerous missions. The other one was Cutter, another Lieutenant that he'd not met with before.

Hopefully they both knew how to launch an investigation because that seemed to be what they were up against here. Azar bent over the dataterminal in the Hapes police headquarters, studying the information that they had already gleaned about the mission girl: Iareth Orot. She had been a daughter in a wealthy family and recently begun dating a young man by the name of Baroth. And that was about all they knew about Baroth. No last name, no pictures, nothing, which as far as Azar was concerned, made him the primary suspect.

I think we should start by trying to find out more about this "Baroth," he said, sliding the single piece of paper across to the others. No picture, no info, and really nothing of value. Clearly we have a lot to go on, he muttered grumpily. @Sreeya @Faded Truth

 

[CUTTER]

.

Training at the academy had prepared the Chiss little for law enforcement missions. Though, he prided himself in intellectual talent, his true passions still lied with military operations and political diplomacy. However, he had grown up studying the culture of the Hapans and their usual distaste of men. He did find it peculiar that these young women were leaving their ancestral homes and a culture which appeared ingrained in them to scurry off with men they hardly even knew. As such, he volunteered to help find an answer to this dilemma, excited to meet two new operatives he had never worked with before. One was a Jedi, whom he held the order in highest regard, and the other was the talented Lex Kryst who he had heard in passing though never had the opportunity to meet.

Seated at the table with the others, Cutter was dressed in his unique ebony officer armor though hood was kept to the side allowing everyone to gaze at his blue fleshed visage. Leaning forward over the dataterminal, gloved fingers reached out for the paper that Azar slid over to him. Red eyes studying intently before passing it to Lex. Left hand came upwards to rub at his chin, pondering about what would be their next step. "I concur, perhaps we should start by searching local venues? This type of wealth, I believe we can narrow it down to a certain, selective taste."

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Lex Kyrst]

Lex had been briefed that she needed to lead all the talks on this investigation. Why? Because she was a woman and men weren’t taken too seriously on this planet. She felt uneasy at this concept, especially the part where she’d have to tell her two male comrades about this. Then again, if she wanted to be a leader, this was just another mission to lead. She smiled as she approached Azar. He was singlehandedly responsible for her slowly changing her mind about Force users, “Nice to see you again,” She followed his gaze, nodding, “I did some extra digging and pulled up some images from traffic cameras,” She reached into the folder she had with her and opened it up, spilling the contents, “Iareth was spotted in the under-cities of District 8…somewhere mommy and daddy wouldn’t be proud of,” She pointed out a picture of the girl standing with a group of people outside of a club, “Now, I can’t tell if Baroth is here somewhere, but I believe this is the last sighting of her.”

She realized she was getting ahead of herself and noticed the other lieutenant. Lex smiled and reached a hand out to shake his, “My apologies, I’m Lex Kyrst. It’s a pleasure to meet you….?” She waited for him to introduce himself before she returned to work, “I think we should make our way over to the district and ask around. If we have a picture of her, I’m sure someone will have something to say,” Lex shrugged, “We might have to bribe with credits.”

@Phoenix @Faded Truth

 

[Azar Torsin]

Azar gave a half smile and nod toward Lex as she arrived. The two of them had gotten along quite well and they had developed quite a good working relationship. You too, he said. The other lieutenant made his recommendation for where they went and he gave a nod. Combined with what Lex suggested, that was a good direction for them to take. Good. That should give us a nice start, he added with a nod.

As Lex introduced herself, he realized he hadn't done the same. I'm Azar, he said, knowing there was no point in once again declaring that he was a Jedi. I think I have a trick that can help with that, he said as she mentioned bribery. He knew that she didn't much care for Force users, and probably hated that they could mess with the minds of others, but that was the nature of the beast, and Azar was dedicated to using it for the good of other people.

Shall we? he said as he rose from the table. Talking would only get them so far, and Azar was always something of a man of action. He didn't care for the sitting and talking part of being a Jedi.

He made his way out to the speeder that was waiting to take them to the district, turning to the others as they zoomed off into the city. Something tells me that this "Baroth," if he's here, is going to have a lot of friends down here. We should tread carefully, he commented. @Faded Truth @Sreeya

 

[Lex Kyrst]

Lex grimaced as Azar mentioned having a way to help getting people talking. She knew what he meant, and it only made her uncomfortable. Despite them being on several missions together, Lex wasn’t a big fan of the kinds of powers Force users had. The ability to manipulate someone’s mind seemed unnatural, and she didn’t like that anyone could do it at any given time. For now, she said nothing on the topic, quietly making her way out with the others to the speeder.

It took them only a few minutes to arrive where they needed to, the district lively and vibrant with all kinds of activity. Lex stepped out of the speeder, looking down a long stretch of road that was littered with bars and clubs. It was extremely loud, and it was filled with Hapan women primarily. The men were tagging along behind the women at a respectable distance in a lot of cases, and it took Lex a moment to marvel at the cultural differences she spotted.

Lex looked down at the image of the club she found and she made her way over till she spotted it. There was a woman standing outside smoking that looked as if she worked there. Lex made her way over to the woman, “Hi there, GAR forces, wonder if you could answer a couple of questions.”

The woman suspiciously blew smoke through her nostrils as she looked at Cutter and Azar before answering, “What do you need?”

Lex held up the picture of the missing girl, “Wondering if you’ve seen this woman around these parts?”

There was a flash of recognition, but it was quickly gone. The girl cleared her throat and suddenly looked very annoyed, “Um no, why would she come here? This place isn’t for the likes of someone like that. She’s from a good family. I haven’t seen her,” The answers came far too quick, and even without the Force, Lex could tell she was lying through her teeth. But why?

@Phoenix @Faded Truth

 

[Azar Torsin]

Azar took in all of Hapes, and how much of a different place it was than the rest of the galaxy. He saw more than a few people shoot him sideways glances, and he was trying to determine if it was secondary to his gruff appearance or the fact that he was a man. He wouldn't have been surprised by either of them, but he didn't pay much mind to it beyond trying to remain incognito. He shrugged his cloak a bit closer around his shoulders, letting it drape more tightly around his armor. There wasn't much he could do about his hair, but at least it was pulled back into a respectable looking pony tail instead of draping haphazardly everywhere. He still didn't really looked like he belonged.

Apparently the woman Lex walked up to agreed. She was shooting daggers at both he and Cutter and he had to resist the urge to facepalm. He decided it was best to let Lex do the talking, and he stood there, intentionally avoiding making eye contact for the time being. If they could get their answers without him interfering that would be better.

And that wasn't going to work.... The woman quickly shut down, claiming she had no concept of what they were talking about and denying she knew anything. Methinks she doth protest too much, he muttered before glancing around. He didn't want everyone and their mother - ha, get it, because it was a matriarchal society - to see what he was about to do.

You'll tell us about the girl, he said, with his hand flicking just slightly at his side. He looked into her mind to see the part of her that yearned to be honest and feared being caught in a lie. He coaxed it to the surface, gently, and only just nudging her mind to his will. She scratched at her head in confusion and looked away for a moment before speaking again.

She was at a club just up the street. Knows the owner there. Its exclusive though. Won't just let anyone in, she said, pointing up the street. And they won't want to see you, she added a moment later. @Faded Truth @Sreeya

 

[CUTTER]

.

His instincts had reflected his distrust of these locals, largely because he knew that something was afoul when young women in Hapes were found missing with the only plausible explanation given was that they yearned for a more adventurous life outside of their comfort zone. Perhaps if these was a different culture and different women, he may have agreed, but not here, and not on Hapes of all places. He shook Lex's hand firmly, "Hlac'utte'raze, though I know that can be difficult to say, call me Cutter, that's what most have addressed me so far." A faint smile came to his face as they finished their discussion.

As the trio ventured to the venue, he preferred to allow Lex and the Jedi do a majority of the conversation. He didn't have his force abilities anymore, his former essence seemingly dissolved as he aged. He knew that Lex would be received far better than he, especially on these negotiations. So for the time being, he played the role of a muscular companion, perhaps if things became heated, his short temper and inherent hatred for villainy would come in handy. Either that, or it would cause an epic liability. He naturally hoped for the former.

He had kept his hood on during this time, the Republic uniform appearing both elegant and intimidating in its own right. As the woman addressed them coldly and then identified the potential first clue they sought, his attention shifted towards other establishment to which she spoke. Tilting his head to the side, "Perhaps you can help arrange a meeting with the owner? For a price of course.." He stated. He wondered if the Jedi could use his mental influence to simply coerce the woman into doing their bidding, if not, he believed that perhaps the proper coinage would be sufficient enough.

@Phoenix @Sreeya

 

[Lex Kyrst]

Lex was less than pleased at seeing Azar use Jedi tricks to get the woman to talk. However, internally she couldn’t deny how effective it was. Despite that, her first instinct was to elbow the Jedi in the ribs when he started using his tricks and it was purely out of reflex. She simply scowled at him afterwards, shaking her head. The woman’s eyes were glazed over as she revealed the information that she did and she turned to regard Cutter with an even more confused expression on her face.

“No, get out of here,” She snapped at the Chiss and quickly shuffled back inside the club. Lex sighed, realizing that it was all too easy to fall into the Jedi ways. Azar took no time in extracting information, and even offering bribery wasn’t effective out here. She looked at Cutter and shrugged, commending him for his efforts.

“Well let’s start looking for this club up the street,” She grumbled as she began walking towards it. Lex kept looking around to see which clubs looked more exclusive than others, as most of the ones on the street looked quite skeezy. After a bit of walking, she spotted one that had clearly rich clients going into it. The club was a multistoried building and looked more like an exclusive lounge than anything.

“A hundred credits that’s the place,” Lex commented as she walked towards the entrance. She knew there would be no easy way to get in, but she also didn’t exactly want to reveal her identity as a GAR in case it spooked the owners. With a sigh, she turned to look at Azar, “Go on…do your stupid thing to get us inside..” She despised even agreeing to this, but she didn’t see an alternative outside of forking over exorbitant amounts of credits they didn’t have.

@Phoenix @Faded Truth

 

[Azar Torsin]

They continued questioning the woman and just as he was about to pick at the woman's mind, she seemed to shut down completely and reject any thoughts helping them. He looked to the other two with a shrug as they continued down the street. There were more seedy streets and clubs than he needed to see, but it wasn't something he'd never seen before.

No bet, he said, indicating he agreed with her and had no interest in losing money based on a bad bet... not that he had a lot of money as a Jedi anyway. As they drew closer, he could see the very rich looking clientele that frequented the area but also the larger than average bouncers at the front. He had the faintest smirk on his face as she told him to do his stupid thing. She may not have liked it, but there was no denying just how useful it was.

Azar walked up to the man, picking the guard furthest to the side and away from the others, and spoke. My friends and I are on the list, he said, gesturing subtly with his hand and reaching out to the man's mind, clouding it with confusion. He'd seen them before, right? The boss liked them or something? Better not risk it. Uh, yeah, you're on the list, he muttered and waved them inside.

What do you know, we were on the list, he muttered to the other two with a straight face once they were out of earshot of the guard. @Sreeya @Faded Truth

 

[CUTTER]

.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't impressed with the Jedi manipulation. It would have taken Lex and he considerably longer and likely more credits to accomplish what Azar did in such a short period of time. As now their entrance had been granted, it was time to shift into an investigative mindset. The patrons in the club certainly seemed far too wealthy to be indulged in kidnapping schemes, though this was often times a clever cover up and he had learned far too many times while growing up. The chiss advanced inwards slightly behind the other two as red, piercing eyes glanced through the club in search for any apparent avenues that they could immediately approach.

The chiss claimed a nice table for him and his associates, placing himself to the edge of the sofa as he continued to survey the scene and eventually settling upon a group of privileged young men seated along red leather loungers near the VIP bar region. He believed that perhaps it would be best to not draw too much attention to themselves and make attempts at blending in before they pounced upon their selected prey. The bartender arrived shortly, Cutter sliding some coinage towards her as he whispered to the others, "First round's on me." The men's appearance and clothing reflected a certain haughty demeanor but yet the look on their faces dictated a particular vile undertone. He wasn't sure if Azar could pick it up, but he hoped that Lex would be able to share in the sentiment. They just seemed like wealthy creeps. He leaned over towards his comrades, whispering "One of those men looks awfully similar to Borath, wouldn't you agree?"

@Sreeya @Phoenix

 

[Lex Kyrst]

Lex simply shook her head as they were suddenly on the list to get in. It took willpower not to smile at how effective the Jedi tricks were. As much as she hated it, she had to admit it cut down on the amount of effort she had to put in otherwise. The inside of the lounge was quite ritzy, and she could never afford to get into a place like this on her own dime. She took it all in, noting a few celebrities she caught on Holonet. The faces were painted, there was entirely too much giggling and she realized this was the kind of place her Senator father no doubt liked to hang out in.

She followed Cutter towards a table, taking a seat and appearing inconspicuous. As he bought the first round, Lex had to grin, “Hopefully the only round. I don’t think we have time to hang out here all night,” She followed his line of sight and nodded, “I think that’s Borath,” She agreed. Lex then turned to Azar, “We need to isolate him somehow,” She spoke as their drinks arrived. Lex took a sip and rose from her seat, walking over to the group.

“I couldn’t help but notice you from across the room,” Lex grinned, “Is that a Corellian custom made suit?”

“Why yes, how’d you know? Quite the eye,” ‘Borath’ answered with a grin. It was clear he was very full of himself, and Lex intended to fully take advantage of this. She had to rely on Azar and Cutter to ensure that the men standing with him were distracted away so only Borath was left alone.

@Phoenix @Faded Truth

 

[Azar Torsin]

Azar watched and listened to the two evaluate the situation. They'd more or less hit the nail on the head and the Jedi nodded. As Lex rose and moved to seduce the man. That left the two of them to figure out how to remove him from the table... or remove the other men from the table. He thought for a moment before coming up with a solution to clear at least two of the men.

As one of the patrons reached across the table, Azar nudged his glass over with a wave of his hand, forcing the liquid out so that it would cover the men at the table in beer. It would make quite the mess in an instant and suddenly Lex and Borath were the only two at the table. They had their open window and Azar moved over toward the VIP room. With any luck, they could block anyone from coming back. After all, Azar was big enough to play a bouncer and Cutter could too. They just needed to stay out of sight of the table. Lex had her opening and they could easily get him outside for questioning now. @Sreeya @Faded Truth

 

[CUTTER]

.

Cutter was watching Lex move over to the table with the men, a slight chuckle came to his face as she attempted to seduce him. It was a clever tactic and he was glad she was willing to use her natural god-given abilities to their advantage. He nodded towards the Jedi as it appeared the two of them had similar reasoning and plan of action. If Lex were to gather any important evidence, they would need to isolate Borath from his friends. He enjoyed watching Jedi employ their abilities with the force, a little part of him still wishing that he retained that connection from his own past.

As Azor moved towards the VIP table, he followed in suit, but frowned slightly when he over-heard one of them say, "Damn, got to clean this beer off, I'll be back in a few minutes". Cutter at that point knew that they would only have limited time to act, and as Azor kept himself to secure any further entrance from the VIP room, he proceeded to follow the men into the restroom. He walked out of line of sight to the table, ensuring that Borath's attention would be solely upon the beautiful piece of rear end that was seducing him.

Cutter non-chelantly walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him as he stepped towards the two men cleaning themselves off and merely watched like a creeper. Obviously the two men wouldn't put up with such an intrusion as they approached him, "What the Kriff you looking at, you blue skinned Son of a___"

Cutter instantaneously grabbed one by the collar and brought his face quickly against his own, relying on his superior physiology as a Chiss to unleash a punishing head-butt at him. Knocked out cold, he fell to the ground motionless. The other snarled as he went to slug the Republic officer, Cutter ducking underneath the blow and wrapping a massive bicep around his throat. "Nighty..night.." He whispered to the man, gently gliding his body to the tiled floor as the sleeperhold took full effect. Taking a tissue paper, he wiped the man's saliva from his own face before crumpling it and tossing it into the waste-bin, Chiss were clean people, they didn't like to loiter.

Exiting the restroom, he borrowed the "Closed for cleaning" sign from the janitor cart and hung it on the handle; eyes shifted towards Azar and Lex, moving to a position out of Borath's line of sight as he kept a watchful gaze on any upcoming threats.

@Phoenix @Sreeya