Ask Tunnel Rats

[Eirik Sunwielder]

Lower Districts, Denon​

The festivities would and could not last forever, Eirik knew, and within short time he was back into the fray furthering the Jedi cause the best way he knew how – by destroying traces of Sith or the Dark Side wherever it reared its ugly head. It was what he knew he was best for; not diplomacy, not healing, not agriculture. Martial might defined his entire life and only continued to further his aims in pursuit of a righteous galaxy. It was a simple existence to him.

Whispers on the wind brought ill tidings to his ear. A fallen Jedi, not of Sith, but a rogue element embracing darkness and chaos, on the city-world of Denon. Beneath his diabolical yoke surged forth the rumors of cult-like activity, and after the eighth string of sudden, unexplained disappearances of high-ranking diplomatic officials within as many months, the Jedi were called in to investigate and apprehend – or eliminate – the threat.

A low growl escaped Eirik as he read over the mission data. It was woefully without much to go off, but he was noticing a pattern to the disappearances. In most cases, victims vanished after a visit to an undercity exotic artifact and antique shoppe titled Blackwards Emporium. Likely a front for a criminal organization or worse, from what he could tell this place was run by a scab who preyed on the foolish desires of the wealthy and powerful, promising them relics and rarities to outdo their social peers.

Fragments of a saint’s jawbone, modified holdout blasters trimmed with "genuine" gold, forbidden texts with swirling rumors of damning madness to those who delved too deeply into their contents… The list went on. He wondered what fool would believe the veracity of anything this place claimed.

Eirik was to be accompanied by two others of the Order: one that he had met on prior missions and at the party, and the other one that he had simply met at the party. He didn’t doubt their prowess and he was likewise grateful to be with someone familiar.

Runoff from the upper levels splattered down beside him as he leaned against a wall beside an alleyway near the Emporium. He’d given his coordinates to the other two and told them to meet up with him at an interval that suggested little else than three friends gathering to browse the place’s wares. He was certain something was occurring inside the Emporium, but they’d need a closer look, and likely a good cover story.

Eirik wasn’t much for play-acting a role, but he was sure he could improvise something. His clothing was modest, but finer than he was used to. Something believable enough to sell the idea that he was a wealthy patron seeking thrills among the dregs of society without debasing his appearance too much for the sake of the game. He looked the part of both enforcer and incognito aristocrat. Either one worked.

His vision focused past the datapad and on the puddle below him, brows furrowing in contemplation. He hated city-worlds. The stench of poverty fighting greed, of corruption smothering justice, pervaded all aspects of these societies. The rot of evil sickened him, but he would need to stomach it for a time until they were hot on the trail of this Dark Jedi. Judgement to the wicked would come, as it always did.

@Phoenix @Wit

 

[Zathria]

Zathria was spending more of her time these days looking into the worst of the Jedi. Jedi who had turned from the Light and chosen to follow a path of greed, passion, and selfishness. It was too common these days, and no one had held these people accountable. That was why Zathria had returned to join the Justicars.

And it had brought her to Denon. The planet had been ravaged by New Republic, Jedi, Sith, criminals, and radicals. The planet had become profoundly anti-Force Sensitive over the years, and perhaps that was what had led their Dark Jedi to set up his shop here.

Zathria moved through the city toward the emporium that they were supposed to meet, her clothing comfortable and practical with her lightsaber hidden away. She wondered just what they were going to be getting themselves into out here.

On the bright side, she was familiar with both of those that she would be working with today. They both seemed competent enough, and it was an opportunity for her to actually make some friends within the Order again.

She walked down the alley, dodging some filthy-looking water as she made it over to Eirik.

Hey! she said, hands plunged into the pockets of her jacket as she dodged another baby-waterfall.

Charming place, huh? Any word from our third yet? she asked. Hopefully their Padawan wasn't already getting herself into trouble down here temporarily alone.

@Painus @Wit

 

[Tahiri]

Tahiri had reached Denon before the intended meeting time, maybe a little too in advance, two days earlier to be precise. She had worked with both Eirik and Zathria, and she knew the sort of work they did, and how good they were at it. And she wanted in on that, which meant that she had to make sure to impress them. So she had showed up earlier than Eirik had requested, to do some snooping of her own, to prepare, and have something useful at hand when the time came to meet the two Knights.

Things had started well enough, she had found a trader who seemed to have dealt with someone who could be the rogue Jedi they were looking for, and had even got in on a deal that might have gotten her easy access to the emporium. What she hadn't realized was just how crazy the whole situation was. The trader wasn't interested in buying or selling anything she might have to offer, he was interested in her. Whatever was going on in the emporium, they needed bodies, and somehow Tahiri had managed to sign herself up as a volunteer. That is if you called being jumped in a dark alley and being sold into unwilling servitude volunteering. It really was not the best idea to agree to meetings in a dark alley with no witnesses.

She could have slipped away at one point or another, it would not have been particularly difficult, the fools keeping an eye on her and the other slaves were mostly regular citizens who had been drawn into whatever web their target was spinning. Not the most difficult to slip away from. But, it seemed that she was just as determined as she was stupid, and she saw this as an opportunity. It wasn't ideal, but it was an in, and it also meant that she could keep and eye on the others who had been captured.

Tahiri was trying to figure out how to contact Eirik or Zathria, but that problem seemed to solve itself as she and one of the other captives were being lead towards the Emporium, a heavy cloak draped over her to hide the shackled on her hands. They were being taken into the emporium in small groups, and she had managed to avoid getting dragged out before it was close to their meeting time. So even as Zathria was wondering about Tahiri getting into trouble, the padawan would walk past, sending a quick mental probe towards the Knight to catch her attention.

Grinning awkwardly, she raised her hand just high enough so that the heavy sleeve pulled back enough to reveal the shackle. Follow me! The simple statement was all she managed to mouth towards the Jedi before she was dragged away, towards a small food stall set into the side of emporium. As she ducked in to the back of the stall, a woman waiting inside pulled aside a carpet to reveal a trap door in the floor and gestured for the two captives to enter.

@Phoenix @Painus

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

In his periphery, a neon light to flickered frenetically. It was a garish thing flashing a barely-clothed twi’lek in compromising positions, likely a sign for a seedy strip-bar. What bothered him most was that the pattern was inconsistent and disrupted his reading, not that it was displaying a startling array of blues, pinks, and greens. Eirik turned slightly with a huff to block it from sight and took the opportunity to glance around his surroundings. Serendipity found him, for just as he looked up, Zathria approached with hands shoved in pockets.

He lifted his head in a partial up-nod to greet the Thyrsian. As if to balance out his fortune, a small dribbling of runoff spattered onto his head and doused his hair. Frustrated, Eirik shook his head doggishly to clear it and ran a gloved hand through his hair before speaking up.

”Yes… Has the slimy appeal of a Hutt’s underside,” he sighed out, ”No, I have yet… to see…”

The man trailed off, dragging his gaze away from Zathria towards a small procession marching behind her and into Blackwards. He couldn’t believe his eyes, instead sitting in stunned silence for several heartbeats as Tahiri waltzed past in shackles. Surely he thought to himself, surely I’m just drunk and this is a bad dream.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Tahiri was as real as the chains that bound her. Eirik couldn’t believe it, but a glance from one of those guarding the would-be slaves roused him from his stupor. He brought his eyes back to Zathria and coughed, lowering his voice and asking the critical question:

”I thought you were meant to watch her?”

It wasn’t accusatory. He just couldn’t believe that, between the two of them, neither of them thought to not leave the impulsive Padawan to her own devices. This complicated their plan, but they’d need to act prudently so as to not blow what element of surprise they still had and to not needlessly endanger the Padawan. He considered charging in and freeing her, but that was more likely to cut off any leads they’d get. This put him in a bind, because he rather fancied himself a hammer and his problems the nail.

”Well. Are you the interested shopper or am I?” he queried. They’d probably need to play the part of aloof shoppers searching for something a little more exotic, but he was open to suggestions on how they’d go about freeing their comrade and finding the lead on this Dark Jedi.

@Phoenix @Wit

 

[Zathria]

Yeah, he seemed about as excited about this place as she was. Not that she was expecting they'd be out of here any time soon. They still had a lot of work to do in hunting down their quarry.

Yeah, that's a... vivid description, she said, scrunching up her face slightly as she ran that mental picture through her head. Maybe we'll end up somewhere nicer after this, she said.

Her eyes followed Eirik's and she forcibly closed her mouth as it tried to hang open. She didn't want to believe that and she nearly snapped at their Padawan when she saw the chains on her wrist, but the young woman seemed entirely too pleased with herself for this to be an accident.

She blinked several times and then looked back to the other Knight. Well, this was not as planned...

I mean, after we met up I was going to watch her. I just got on-world, though, she said.

How did she manage to get captured within minutes of being here? she asked, but she supposed it didn't matter now.

Uh... go for it. Unless we're shopping for antique weapons, I'm probably going to be useless, she said. When it came to anything to do with art or antiques she was largely knowledge-less.

What if we just... snuck down the way she went? she said. She hated taking the Padawan's advice but... maybe "follow me" would really work.

Either way, Tahiri would find herself led down into an underground tunnel where rows on rows of young people were shoved into small cages and as they passed by all these individuals, Tahiri, herself, would be shoved with her fellow captive into one of the final cells on the right.

@Wit @Painus

 

[Tahiri]

The Force, it seemed, was with her. How else could she explain being able to cross paths with Eirik and Zathria as she was on her way to what was most definitely not shaping up to be a pleasant experience? And the thought that she wasn't alone gave her more hope, and allowed her to keep a clear mind as she was lead down the tunnel and shown what awaited her. Still, the sight did dampen her spirits. So many people, and she didn't even know if this was all of them. They had to do something to help them, she had to do something to help them.

She let her eyes wander, taking in whatever she could, looking for any advantage she could find. She was sure the others would follow, one way or another, but she had to find a way to help, because in her mind she was still doing alright. She was still trying to contribute, completely ignoring just how much trouble she might actually be in. Not just with her seniors, but possibly in mortal peril if things went south.

She got her opportunity when she was pushed into the cell with the other captive. While they stumbled, she kept her footing and immediately rushed back to the cage door and grabbed the shirt of the woman who had lead them to the cell and began screaming.

"I have seen it! The end is nigh! You must tell him, the end is nigh! There is no time!"

The outburst caught the guard by surprise, and she seemed at a loss for words. But it wasn't just her attention that Tahiri had caught, the captives in the other cages, and the guards scattered across the room all turned to look at the padawan.

"Please, you must tell him to hurry!" She tried to appear frantic, crazed even, and while she screamed she screamed in the Force as well. Just a sense of urgency, hoping that the others would notice and get the hint. The guard, finally recovering from her initial shock, reacted by pushing Tahiri away from her and slapping her with the back of her hand. Falling back into her cell, she turned to the guard at once, keeping up her act as she looked up at her pleadingly from her before suddenly pulling away in fear, pointing a finger at the guard. "Demon, the demons are here! We are all going to die!"

As she put on the act, drawing as much attention towards herself as she could, she just prayed that no one had seen the latest installation of the Conjuring in Space series, because she was simply re-enacting the climactic exorcism scene.

@Phoenix @Painus

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

Eirik was loathe to follow the advice of the Padawan who had just gotten herself enslaved, but Zathria had a point. The Padawan cut short their investigation in a roundabout way, eliminating the need to pose as interested buyers to figure out what the Emporium was up to. He figured he had the Force to thank for this spurt of sudden serendipity, though he would be a fool to think it would make their job any simpler. They just had a new problem to contend with.

With a shrug and a nod of agreement to Zathria, Eirik pushed off from the wall on which he leaned and hastened over towards the food stall. To nobody’s surprise, the stall wasn’t manned, and a cursory inspection revealed the carpet concealing the trapdoor. He moved it aside and opened the way, gesturing for Zathria to follow.

The stairs led downward for several meters, illuminated faintly by dimly lit lights set into the walls every few steps. Eirik hurried as quickly as he could without making too much noise, slowing his gait to a cautious creep as Tahiri’s urging through the Force echoed out. He looked over his shoulder slightly at Zathria, brows furrowed with a mix of concern and frustration. This Padawan would receive a hell of a scolding if they got out of this ordeal unharmed; he’d make sure of that.

The base of the stairs opened into a larger tunnel with rows of captives trapped in cages on either side. Weary, frightened eyes leered out from the shadows cast by pale overhead lighting, though few dared speak up as Tahiri ranted and raved. Several prisoners watched the two Jedi intently, grasping at their bars and pressing their faces into the small openings as best they could, reluctantly hopeful. A few remained languishing against the backs of their prisons – likely those catches who were less “fresh” than their more hopeful peers.

A hoggish man of a guard stood on Eirik’s left, distracted by Tahiri and the growing murmur of the other prisoners slowly being drawn into her hysteria. For all her mistakes, the Padawan sure did put on a convincing display of terror, for which the Knight was grateful. A Force-enhanced elbow to the man’s temple dropped him like a heavy sack of rocks. They still had a few more guards left in the room and he was determined to even the odds.

While their backs were turned, Eirik focused on the small padlock keeping Tahiri’s cell sealed. He reached out with the Force, wrapped it in unseen energies, and violently yanked back to snap it loose and opening her cage door. The woman who had backhanded Tahiri flinched backwards in alarm, clearly unprepared for the psycho woman’s door to open by an unseen hand.

There weren’t any demons here, fortunately, just a few Jedi, but the initial surprise of the door opening was enough to let a wave of panic wash over the room of hostiles.

@Phoenix @Wit