Brotherly Love

[Nicair Claden]

Nicair didn't usually ask for help. He didn't normally need it, but this time was different. Hunting serial killers was a bit of a hobby for him, it was the thing he enjoyed most. This particular instance posed a special kind of hunt. This was a predator akin to Nicair, he hunted crime bosses, hitmen, and enforcers. Nicair's common lower level prey when the pickings were slim. Someone was poaching on his turf and dong it in absolutely brutal efficiency. Usually he would enjoy the competition, but this one was starting to drift into targeting the vagrants and higher risk victims. Now there are those that would pay him for doing his passion.

The locals didn't like him and he needed to focus without concerning himself with a blaster in his back. And what better way to do that than the giant canine he had chosen to assist him. What he chose not to tell his companion was that he was concerned of the species that his target was. He had seen symbols carved into the bodies of the victims. It wasn't a symbol he immediately recognized but he had a feeling he knew where it was from. Antisoch, home of the Sociph. If this was a Sociph serial killer then the trouble was only starting, and he and his companion were in danger until their quarry was taken. They had to work fast.

He stood over the body of the latest death. There was a single stabbing thrust through the throat reaching far enough to sever the spinal cord. The symbol he had been searching for was on the human's chest. This was another tally mark for his rival. He had to catch up to him.

"You smell anything?" He wasn't sure what he was expecting when he asked his partner, but his sense of smell was better than Nicair's. He needed all the help he could get.

[member="Kalb"]

 

[Kalb]

This was a good job. Go with Nicair and help him with his jobs. Easy. Kalb liked the jobs where there was either one obvious course of action, or there was someone to tell him what to do. Not too much thinking, no ethical dilemmas or moral quandaries, just find that, hit this. No problem.

Currently, they were finding whoever had caused the body in front of them to become just that, rather than one of the many busy denizens scuttling about the place. The corpse itself didn't particularly phase Kalb. He'd seen plenty like it, and while the gaping wound in the mans throat wasn't something he'd want a framed picture of, it wasn't overly shocking. Besides, if he was being honest, and in the company of those who would understand, Kalb quite liked the smell of blood. It smelled like food, and food was life. Not that he'd eat a person. No. Well. Not while there was other food available. That would be bad.

When Nicair spoke, Kalb instantly stood a little straighter, seemingly focusing every ounce of his attention on the man. He wasn't of course. Short ears continued to swivel, movement was tracked in his peripheral vision, noise brought a constant flow of information. And it was his nose Nicair intended to set to use. It was always difficult following a scent trail in a place like this. The trails were muddled every time anyone or anything passed through them. Overpowered by other more prominent scents. Like the blood that lay thickly enough it was still tacky to the touch.

But difficult was not impossible, and Kalb liked completing the tasks he was given. Obediently the monstrous canine hunkered down on all fours over the corpse, bringing his last snub nose over the sigil carved into the chest. This is where the killer would have lingered the longest. Taking care on the pattern he carved, moving the shirt aside to make sure his work could be seen. Kalb continued snuffling over the corpse, likely presenting a macabre image to any who looked their way. More like a beast bent on devouring the dead then a sentient helping to solve a murder.

A scent did linger. He took it in, acquainting himself with it. It was one thing to smell something, another to be able to recognize and follow it, but Kalb was accomplished in this field, though he'd never won any laurels for it and likely never would.

"Male. Maybe human. Humanoid at least." The difference between males and females was one of the easiest to tell. Some alien species were different sexes entirely, or a mixture of both, and there it got tricky. This one at least had more than his fair share of testosterone, or a close approximation of it, though Kalb wouldn't have been able to put it into so many words.

Standing, slightly hunched, as few were as tall as he was and it was better to scent where a being had actually been, he snuffed again, turning in a slow circle. In two spots he paused, returning to both directions several times to sniff. "Came from that way, left that way." He nodded to the directions in question. "Slow to track in a place like this, might lose him, and I won't be watchin' you as close."

He wanted to track. Scent found he wanted to find it, to catch it, to break bones in his great jaws.. But this was not his job. Not yet anyway. Nicair had asked him to smell, but before that he'd been told to protect. That was his job. He would do his job. He was a good boy. Besides, there was something about the scent that was bothering him, and he wanted to find out what it was.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

Nicair had used tracking animals before during his treks. Kalb was far more than a common beast, but he had the advantage. He could articulate what he was sensing, and that was something Nicair needed.

"Focus on following the trail, I'll keep you covered while we move. Your kind are next to nonexistant in these parts, I don't think they'll harass you but best to be sure." He took out his pistol, nicknamed "Hullcracker" for its ability to punch through the sides of ships with sustained effort. Nicair had used it once or twice on an organic, truly incredible results. In his other hand he carried his tomahawk.

The streets were dangerous these days. People were on edge, the ones that can't do anything about it, and the ones that can. Speed and caution don't usually go together, they'd have to find a balance.

[member="Kalb"]

 

[Kalb]

Kalb growled assent, ears up and forward. He moved ahead in fits and starts, sometimes spiraling out from a spot when the scent was lost or overpowered. It was hard to articulate what scent work was like to species incapable of it, but Kalb loved it. Scents painted a far more colorful and dynamic world than even sight did, and tracking was.. It was finding a scent that called to you like a siren song leading you along, but you had to work for it, and that was part of what made it good. There was joy in stumbling upon a feast and devouring it, but there was satisfaction in hunting something down yourself, even if it wound up being stringy. This scent was neither fresh nor old. It was still possible to follow, but it hid sometimes, and only the slightest hint would linger to lead him on.

Down streets, through twisting and garbage filled alleys. Through a very upset little old Atrisian womans home. She'd hit him with a broom several times, but it wasn't as if it had done any damage so Kalb simply ignored her. For near an hour, Kalb was blind to everything but the scent. Leading Nicair onward.

Eventually, they reached a building, a warehouse, which Kalb circled twice before stopping and settling back onto his haunches, attention switching to the building itself. "In there maybe. Scent goes to it, can't find it coming out. Can't track in there, too much food."

Food in this case, being meat. Semi-frozen and awaiting processing and packaging before making it's way to stores and the dinner plates of this world and maybe others.

Besides, even if the scent of so much meat wasn't overwhelming everything else, there was security at the door making sure that no free lunches walked off the premises. Were they a match for Nicair and Kalb? Almost certainly not, but neither were they an Atrisian grandmother. Kalb would attack if told, but sometimes people preferred to talk. He'd take his cues from Nicair.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

He had grown concerned as they neared the warehouse. At first Nicair had thought that Kalb had gotten distracted by the scent, when hunting sentients they will often lay food and decaying creatures to overload the tracker's senses. He was relieved when Kalb said otherwise. Leading Kalb around the corner of the building, away from the guards Nicair scanned the environment. The two of them could easily handle what passed for guards in this territory but it would be better not to invoke the ire of law enforcement. Neither of them had any kind of identification to get them access and he didn't want to lose the trail.

In his examination he noticed something that shouldn't have been there, an open window. Anything dealing with food shouldn't have such a thing exposing the contents inside to the outside world. Something could be said to the sanitation of this particular warehouse but something else piqued his interest. The smallest reflection next to the window, glinting in the flashing of a neon light that needed to be repaired. The building with the light had a roof that, with a well placed jump, could get them through the window. He used the magnifiers in his helmet to take a closer look at what was being reflected.

He froze. It was a necklace he hadn't seen in years, something he had done everything he could to purge from his mind. It had been a gift from Hutt to slave in order to signify said slave's freedom. It was in the shape of a star, much like the star Nicair had lost. He pointed out the window to Kalb.

"Once we get through, watch yourself. We're being led somewhere and I doubt either of us will like it." The two, with some convincing, were able to get onto the roof. With some doing, and a boost of Nicair's jump pack, they were both able to get through the window and land on the floor below. Nicair's instinct flashed once he realized where they had been dropped into. The slaughterhouse portion of the building. Blood dripped on the floor from numerous different species and their carcasses hung from the ceiling. This place really was archaic. At first he had no idea where to go, then he noticed the open door. He gripped both weapons tighter, his knuckles turning white underneath his armor. He motioned to Kalb to stay quiet. They only had one chance to get this right.

Using the sound of the swinging meat to hide the sound of his steps he snuck his way to the door. He gave a peek, it didn't tell him much. All he could be at least moderately sure of was that there probably wasn't any kind of deadly trap in wait, no explosives or rigged blasters. His helmet would have picked up their heat signatures. He put his tomahawk back into its sheath and switched his pistol to his dominant left hand. On his right he counted down from three. Once his count was up he pushed himself through the door, leveling his pistol. He chose to go first as his armor would be better suited to absorb anything coming in than Kalb's bare flesh. It wasn't a caring gesture, Nicair simply didn't need the almost 400lb creature toppling back on him.

There, hanging from the ceiling with a hook through its shoulder, was the corpse of the man that had turned trained all those years ago. Memories flashed in the Mandalorian's mind, dead memories long since buried. He hadn't even deemed the pitiful excuse for a human worth hunting down. He would live with the guilt of what he had done and never spend a waking moment not looking over his shoulder. That was deemed fit. Yet, here he was, the glory of his death wasn't even reserved for Nicair. He scowled beneath his helmet.

"Get anything? I doubt he's our quarry. Doesn't have the spine to kill with his own hands."

[member="Kalb"]

 

[Kalb]

Kalb did not like having to fit through windows. This was not a thing he'd been aware of before, but now he could say it with certainty. Windows should be made bigger. This was almost immediately forgotten however when confronted with the mouth watering scents and sights of all the different sorts of food. It was a very good thing someone was not waiting to ambush them, because in that moment as the drool started to flow, Kalb was not paying attention to anything else but the delicious, delectable, tantalizing food, devoid of all cooking and spices that would detract from it's flavour. Nicair had been wrong, Kalb definitely liked where they'd just been led.

Still, as Nicair motioned for silence, Kalb suppressed a whine, ears pinning back against his head and saliva still flowing as he lowered himself to all fours and crept forward, padded feet making next to no sound. Focus. Do the job. Be a good boy. Up was good for punching and throwing, for scaring. Down was good for sneaking and for leaping. He was fully prepared to rush through the door before them, snarling and ready to kill. He was aware of the chance of a trap or ambush of course, but it either was or was not, and you wouldn't find out or get the job done by waiting outside. Nicair had other ideas though, and Nicair was boss, so Kalb waited before following him in, lips pulled back to reveal fangs and claws bared.

All that was revealed however, was a corpse, which wasn't likely to put up much of a fight. With a huff, Kalb stood. At Nicairs prodding, he moved forward, snufflign this new corpse without distinction. Someone Nicair knew apparently. After a few moments he shook his large head.

"Not our prey. Covered in the scent though." Lifting him up onto the hook would have taken some doing after all. The niggling little thought in the back of his head finally fell into place. Turning to Nicair, he lowered his large head to the joint in the mans armour at his neck and snuffled before reaching a conclusion. "Smells like you. Not the same. Similar."

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

What Kalb said perturbed Nicair. The implications were something he didn't much want to think about. He put them from his mind and began inspecting the corpse. The same mark on the other victims adorned his chest. There were cuts almost covering his body, as if he had been shredded. On some the blood had begun clotting before death, others were fresher. He was tortured and it took time. His body was emaciated. The only way Nicair had been able to identify him was by a tattoo on his right wrist, a slave tattoo. Nicair had once had the same one on his own wrist, he had scraped his off with a blade. The final wound was through his chest into his heart. The blade was relatively large, about two and a half inches from one edge to the next.

He notice something inside the wound, reaching his fingers inside he pulled it out. It was a keycard to a piss-poor motel a few blocks down the street. Somebody was toying with him, and he didn't like it.

"Kalb, grab something for the trip, we're leaving." He didn't wait for his partner to respond before he was on his way out the front door. As the entryway opened and the guards jumped in surprise he summarily shot both of the without breaking stride. He was in a mood.

[member="Kalb"]

 

[Kalb]

Kalb broke into a grin, tongue lolling from his mouth. Corpse or no corpse, deviant murderer on the loss and set on tormenting his employer or not, Kalb was happy whenever there was food involved. It was the work of a moment to snatch a particularly deliciously smelly hunk of some beast or another on the way out as he followed Nicair.

Tearing into the prize he held in one hand, he tossed the now dead guards back into the warehouse with the other, closing the door behind them. They'd be found of course, but it would take a little longer, giving Nicair time to move them on before it happened.

His focus may not have been the best, but it was unlikely anyone would choose that moment to attack, between the armoured Nicair and Kalb growling happily as he tore the meat apart with no concern for appearances. You ate when you had food and you did it quickly, before you could be interrupted or anyone could try and steal it. The result was something that might put anyone else off their next meal, particularly given the bloody nature of the piece the Morling had chosen.

It was gone sooner than he would have liked, the blood still covering his muzzle and hands. It was just as well though, their target location hadn't been that far away. In a rare show of initiative Kalb spoke.

"Got a room number? Could go in a window again. Easy to watch stairs and lifts. Trap 'em. En't jumpin' again though. I'll climb. Could throw you."

He would in fact jump, if Nicair told him to, he just didn't want to.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

He gave a look at the key-card.

"Number seven. Motels in this area don't usually have windows, the ones that do are higher up with no adjacent buildings so no one can do what we did at that warehouse. This one's ground floor. Only one way it or out. Dangerous." He was sure they were being led somewhere. The thing was that he wasn't entirely sure they were in an immediately life threatening situation. If this individual knew so much about them, which he seemed to, he could have just ambushed them in the warehouse. The clues could go either way. His curiosity was getting the better of him. He needed answers. Practically storming through the entryway of the motel he advanced on the owner.

"Room seven. Who's in there?" The man behind the counter kept his composure, even after seeing the hulking figure of Kalb behind Nicair.

"You think I make any money telling random strangers that kind of drek? Get out or I'll call the police!"

"Do it then. They won't be able to put you back together after I let my companion here add your blood to his snout and claws. Then, we'll just go into the room anyway." He took another look at Kalb, Nicair couldn't see what he did, but it shifted the man's frame of mind.

"Yeah, he's there. Lanky fella too. Creeps me out. That's it, right? Don't need anything else?" Nicair grunted and turned down the hallway. The door they needed was on his right, next to the lifts.

"Picking up anything?" The electronics on his helmet were behaving strangely, he couldn't get a proper reading.

[member="Kalb"]

 

[Kalb]

As long as jumping wasn't going to be involved, Kalb didn't much mind. He briefly considered offering to go through a wall, the building didn't look all too solid, but Nicair was already on the move, and so he fell in behind the man. The Morling may not have been the smartest beast in the room, but he knew his part in the play.

He hulked naturally, rather he meant to or not, and when he meant to the sight could be rather worrying. He loomed over Nicairs shoulder, lips pulled back to present bloodstained fangs, letting loose a snarl as a single thread of drool, remnant of his feast dangled from his mouth. Flexing muscles and claws exposed and on display, Kalb gave the man at the desk a look that suggested he would in fact be very happy to eat him. From the feet up.

This seemed to do the trick, and as the man spilled what he knew, Kalb looked vaguely disappointed. He cast a last look over his shoulder at the man as they advanced into the motel.

He once more obediently snuffled at Nicairs words, moving his head up and down and from side to side as he sorted through the available scents. After a moment he shrugged. "I smell him. Recent. Maybe still here, not sure. Easier to follow, brought the scent of food on him."

Between the quarries own scent, and the scent of the slaughterhouse that clung to him, it was for the moment getting easier to track. Still unless you were in the same room, it was hard to tell how fresh a fresh scent was.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

The place was poorly maintained. That much was easy to tell. Nicair looked at his companion and pointed to the wall. The door was too obvious. If they brought down the wall at least they'd have the element of surprise. This time Nicair stacked up behind Kalb for the breach. With a heavy charge the two were through the wall and into the room.

It was empty. Confusion hit. It increased as his helmet was able to inform him, in a garbled way, that there was some form of gas in the room. His filtration system wasn't functioning as well as it could have been, but even then his body started to get heavy. He tried to form the words for "get out" but his mouth wouldn't respond. The substance was unidentified, it didn't make sense. He still had at least moderate motor function but it was fading fast. His movements were put to an immediate stop when a sharp sting hit the back of his neck, he had been injected with something. He forced out a groan before he fell to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a figure, obscured in shadow, walk around in front of his eye line. Through the rebreather on his face Nicair could make out a smile.

"Hello Nicair and friend. Glad you made it. I've been waiting."

[member="Kalb"] | [member="Jack-ei"]

 

[Kalb]

There was something immensely satisfying about going through a wall. A closed door said 'No, you cannot enter here, but I am an entrance, just not for you' a wall said 'there are no options here for you, carry on'. Going through a wall forcibly created opportunities, offering a big middle finger or various other rude gesture of your choice to the restrictions of the galaxy, and informing it that you would go where you pleased thank you very much.

That and there was a little bit of everybody that liked to destroy. Give children blocks and yes they will build, but they will also inevitably knock it over, and enjoy that part far more. A more philosophical person might see destruction then as an indelible part of most beings natures and reflect that perhaps the serial killer currently being hunted was simply an exaggerated off shoot of this.

Kalb was not a philosophical being, he just liked knocking down walls. It made him happy.

This happiness did not last long, with no filtration unit to protect him, Kalb was almost immediately affected by the paralytic gas, muscles spasming as he tried to fight it. Also almost immediately, he narrowed in on the scent he'd been following for so long, and tried to move between their quarry and Nicair, to protect as he'd been hired to do, but the massive canine fell, limbs betraying him, letting out a final angry bark that was more beast than sentient, before his vocal cords too failed him, and it was all he could do to keep breathing.

[member="Nicair Claden"] [member="Jack-ei"]

 

[Jack-ei]

He was pleased with himself. Individuals in his select organization on his planet were given "vacations" after having done more boring espionage, intelligence gathering, or assassination tasks. To put it simply Jack-ei was a spy. Being from a planet like Antisoch meant he was incredibly good at his job. Granted he wasn't usually assigned the less violent tasks that some of the others were. These vacations were, put simply, a get out of any prison in the galaxy for free card. The invisible hand of the Sociph stretched far, they had agents placed in most high and medium security prisons as well as transit between them. They knew what their operatives would do once they were turned loose. Most of them never got caught, but it's always best to be prepared. Jack-ei had been stalking Nicair for quite some time. He couldn't really explain why, it was just something he felt like he needed to do. What's more is that he had actually been asked to do so by a man more powerful than the monarch on their planet. He simply couldn't refuse.

Gracefully he stepped over the still body of the morling so that he could reach the Mandalorian. Nicair's chosen companion meant nothing to him. He had thought about killing the beast but he required the man's cooperation, not hatred. He grabbed the front of his armor and pulled him deeper into the room where the gas was thicker. He removed the man's helmet and took a long gaze into his eyes. Yes, he was right. Their faces, though similar, still had some changes. Nicair had taken more after their mother, his face was slightly fuller. Jack-ei then, was closer resembling his father, his face was thin. But their eyes were the same shade and the same intensity. It's in the eyes. He let go of his recently confirmed brother and let him fall to the floor.

"The two of you are probably wondering why I've decided to bring you here. Now, it's a very long and boring story. One I won't bother you with right now. The main point I want to get across is that, Nicair, Regor is asking for your assistance. Well, maybe asking isn't so much the right word. I'm not going to let myself get tripped up over it, though, your language is inefficient." He paused for a moment before continuing. Trying to find the correct words and phrasing that would entice his sibling.

"You must want some answer. I imagine you have many questions and concerns. I understand, believe me I do. Why, when I first thought that you and I were.. well, I'll leave that conclusion to you. Simply put.. I was surprised, and shocked you were still alive, I was. The instant I saw who we sold you to I was absolutely certain I'd never see you again and I didn't much care. You've proven far more interesting than I had anticipated. You, of course, know where to go once you regain feeling and do what I need of you. Once you get there I require you to say the words on this card." He paused once more and place the card on the shabby bed.

"Inside the closet you'll find a serial killer from Coruscant I broke out of prison and brought here. You'll find the same symbol I've chosen to carve into the chests of his supposed victims on his own. You'll find he shot himself in the head, well, I shot him. I just made it look like he did it. Poor man couldn't take the pressure of you getting so close. So, as a final act of defiance he made himself his final victim. Next to him are the blaster and knife with his fingerprints on them. He should fetch you enough of a price to get you to Antisoch and a little extra. Blink if you understand." The only thing he saw in his brother's eyes was hatred and denial. Jack-ei smiled and nodded his approval.

"The effects of the nerve agent should dissipate in about two to three hours. And Nicair, come alone. For both our sakes." He gave a wink to the man and practically pranced out of the room.

[member="Kalb"]

 

[Kalb]

Kalb was only really listening to part of this monologue. Mostly he was focusing. Breath in, breath out. His lungs wanted to be just as paralyzed as the rest of him. Besides that, he was internally berating himself. Bad. he'd done a bad job. They hadn't caught the killer and Nicair was not protected. He'd failed at both of his tasks.

The best that could be said was that he recovered slightly quicker than was estimated. Luckily the probably-sib of Nicairs had likely does his estimations based on Nicairs body weight. Kalb with his larger frame managed to flush it out of his system more quickly. It still wasn't fast, but it was something. Still staggering, limbs giving random twitches, the massive canine after a moments thought pocketed the card left on the bed and then gathered Nicair in his arms surprisingly gently. With care, looking like some monstrous mother cradling a child, he staggered out into the hallway, and down, until his nose assured him the air was pure.

This done he set Nicair down, sitting him with his back against the wall. Dropping to his own haunches, Kalb was the picture of misery, ears pinned back. A slight whine preceded his words, his eyes down and to the side.

"Sorry, sorry my fault. Didn't smell it. I will go with you yes? Tear out his throat? I will do better next time."

It was almost comical, the giant beast groveling to a still paralyzed man. But Nicair had been the boss and set the tasks and Kalb had failed. It was bad to fail. It was at this point that one of the other patrons decided to poke their head out their door to see what was going on.

Immediately Kalb was on all fours and ready to burst forward, snarling and barking, canines on full display, spittle flying. He didn't feel good and he'd failed and lord help anyone who got in his way or looked funny at Nicair right now. He really might eat them. The guest retreated and slammed the door with a speed that might have given them whiplash.

Again Kalb settled to wait. The consummate guard dog.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

Overall he was embarrassed. Confused, annoyed, slightly disturbed, but embarrassed most of all. Thing was, he knew Kalb probably felt worse. Didn't stop Nicair from screaming internally to be put down as he was being carried from the room. It wasn't that it wasn't a reasonable and logical thing to do because it was, it was a pride thing. Though he seemed fierce, Kalb was a good individual, he felt bad about things he did wrong, whether they were his fault or not, and whether they were wrong or not. All Nicair could do was close his eyes and try to slow his breathing. He had inhaled a moderate portion of the stuff through his helmet, it was the injection that did him in. Slowing down his breathing would slow the distribution of at least some of the agent. Give his metabolism time to burn it out. It wasn't a swift process, but he knew he'd be safe from anyone, threat or not, getting close. Part of him felt vulnerable, and part of him knew he wasn't.

"Cap.. caps.. capsule." His vocal cords and mouth started to regain feeling. "Probably in a capsule. No chance.. you'd smell it." Kalb's ears flicked towards him. He was beginning to be able to move his toes, his other extremities were going to be soon to follow. With any luck by the time he regained full motion the gas would have dissipated. "You aren't coming with. I don't much want to die and I don't much want to get you killed in the process of getting me killed. I've been where he's from before. I'll be fine. I.. know how they are. I don't know who he is or what he's a part of, you'd better lay low for awhile. Understand?"

[member="Kalb"]