Objective 3: The Price of Admission
Day ██ - Chokan Local Time
Clandestine Special Officer "Red", Ranger ███
Location: Blacksite █████, Chokan
Tags: Open
The man screamed out in pain. He thrashed in his restraints, bound to a chair. The man's voice was growing hoarse from all the screaming he was doing as electrical currents coursed through his body. On the table in front of the screaming man was a wide array of tools and weapons, all clearly there to cause pain and agony, and some of them had even been used, judging by the blood on some of them. The room the man was in was drab and bare, with the only furniture being the chair the man sat in, the table, and three chairs on the opposite side. The walls were metal, bare, and a bland grey color. A one-way mirror sat on one of the walls, showing the reflection of the room inside, while anyone in the viewing room could watch what was unfolding. Of course, the man would notice this if he wasn't currently being shocked with 2,500 volts of electricity.
Then, the electricity cut off, and the man slumped in his chair, breathing quickly and heavily, his brain still trying to comprehend the trauma it just went through. His vision was blurry, and his chest felt funny. The man, through his blurry vision, could see the silhouette of a man leaning against the wall of the room.
Red had watched the man was he had been screaming in pain from the electroshock. He had merely sat there, leaning against the wall, quietly observing. Today, Red wasn't dressed in his usual armored attire, because he wasn't going into an active warzone. No, this mission called for blending in, more-or-less. He wore standard civilian clothing, with pants, a black shirt, and a brown jacket. His hair was dyed black, too. He looked like just another smuggler coming to the space port. But that was the point of his appearance, to blend in with the local crowd.
Red walked over to the man and sat down in one of the chairs on the side of the table opposite the man. The man was still in shock from what happened.
"You know, this could all end if you admit to what the Syndicate are doing, and if you tell us where they are keeping their records and their supplies." Red told the man, calmly.
The man looked at Red. He seemed to be coming back to his senses. "Why... are you doing this?" The man asked hoarsely, still shaking.
"Perhaps you don't understand the situation. You are in no position to ask questions." Red responded.
"But... but you Jedi have rules! You have rules!" The man hoarsely shouted.
"You exploited innocent and desperate people; the rules changed." Red responded. "And besides, I'm no Jedi."
The man shook his head and chuckled, definitely starting to regain his senses. "Whatever, you won't get anything out of me. The fear of the Syndicate is more powerful than the fear of anything you will do to me. You, at least, need me alive. The Syndicate won't hesitate to end me."
Red stood up from his chair. "Oh, is that so? Very well then."
Red pulled out his commlink. "Sergeant, where's the package?"
A voice came through on his commlink. "I have the package, sir. Ready in the hallway."
Red looked back at the man. "Last chance for us to do this the easy way."
The man laughed again. "I already told you, nothing you can do will break my fear of the Syndicate!"
"Very well then," Red activated his commlink again, stepping to the side of the table. "Sergeant, bring in the package."
Then, the door slid open, and four figures stood in the doorway. "Move!" Sergeant ███████ yelled, and she and the other figure, whom Red recognized as Operative ███████, pushed and shoved the two figures in front into the room.
The man looked at the figures that entered, and upon seeing the first figures, his eyes went wide. There, being shoved into two of the chairs by Sergeant ███████ and Operative ███████, was a woman and a little girl. both of them clutching each other in fear, as if to comfort each other and themselves, as if it would keep them safe in some way.. "Vi?! Omun?!" The man said, unable to believe his eyes.
The little girl, Omun, looked at the man in the seat that called out to them. "Papa!" She cried out, still being forced into a seat by Sergeant ███████.
"Please, you don't have to do this, we are innocent!" The woman pleaded. Operative ███████ roughly shoved her into a chair.
"Be careful with them you son of a bantha!" The man shouted at them, struggling to escape from his restraints.
Red leaned on the table, looking at the man. "You wanted the gloves off? They're off." He told the man, standing back up straight.
"What did you do?" The woman, Vi, asked the man, who was obviously her husband. The man merely looked at her, despondent. "Your own daughter is here! Your own child!"
"He's got no problem with hurting children," Red said. "Isn't that right, Sergeant?"
"Hes got no problem with it. None, at all." Sergeant ███████ affirmed.
"Shut up!" The man said.
"What have you done..." Vi asked again, quietly. "You promised you would keep this away from us!"
"Captain," Operative ███████ said to Red. "I can't do this."
Red looked at him, and nodded. "You're excused." He responded. Operative ███████ then walked out the door, shutting it behind him. Red could understand why he couldn't do this, using innocent people to get the answers they wanted was... enough to put almost anyone off. A lot of Red's assignments were like this. Sometimes he had to use immoral means to achieve a moral end. That's why he did the jobs the Jedi either couldn't or wouldn't do, because they weren't prepared to do what was necessary to achieve a moral end. The Jedi wouldn't sacrifice their morals to help people. That's where Red stepped in. He was prepared to do whatever it took if it meant that someone's suffering would ease, even if it meant sacrificing his own morals. That's why Red was so effective, because he could do what the Jedi could never do: sacrifice something for someone else. Even if it meant using innocents. He knew what he was getting into, so that's why he let anyone who joined his team and couldn't take the heat be allowed to be exempt, because he knew that most people weren't like him, and they weren't ready to use immoral means to a justifiable end.
Then, Red drew two blaster pistols, and he sat one down on the table. "Pick it up, Sergeant."
Sergeant ███████ approached the table.
"Wha-... What are you going to do to us?" Vi asked, her voice full of fear.
"Don't... don't... don't..." The man pleaded.
Then, Sergeant ███████ picked up the blaster pistol.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" The man exclaimed, his voice growing more nervous.
Sergeant ███████ then aimed the blaster pistol at Vi and Omun, who were both clutching each other tightly.
"Hey, no! No! No!" The man shouted, pleading with them.
"Please..." The woman begged, her breath sharp and quick. "Please, we are not involved with any of this, I assure you..."
Red also raised his blaster, aiming it at Omun, the little girl.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Stop! Please, stop! They know nothing about any of this! Okay? Stop!" The man said, panic now starting to set in. Vi and Omun were both sobbing, clutching each other, and shaking from fear and panic.
"Do something!" Vi now pleaded with the man. "Do something, for your daughter!"
"Tell the truth! If you know the truth, tell them!" Vi continued pleading with her husband.
"TELL THEM!" Now, Vi seemed to be truly in a state of panic. Both her and Omun were still sobbing and shaking, both clutching each other even tighter now.
Then, Sergeant ███████ aimed at Vi.
"Hey, hey! Look at me!" The man yelled at them. "They have nothing to do with this! Stop!"
"You tell that to that refugee boy you beat and murdered in the shop." Red replied.
"Okay, okay! Stop! Please! Please leave them alone! Sergeant, Captain, please leave them alone, they have no information for you."
"We want access to the records, and the supplies. Where are they?" Red questioned the man.
"You cannot fix these things, nothing here will change! The Syndicate is keeping order here!"
"Do it, Sergeant, pull the trigger!"
Sergeant ███████ hesitated for a second, but then pulled the trigger on the blaster pistol.
But nothing happened.
"What the hell?" Sergeant ███████ questioned. The man chuckled in relief.
"You pulled the trigger, Sergeant, not me." He told her. Red looked back at the family. "Rest assured, I wouldn't let the Sergeant brandish a loaded weapon indoors. Unless she had too..."
"Now, last chance." Red told them. This time, however, he handed a power cell to the Sergeant. She grabbed it, and loaded it into the blaster pistol. "The records and the supplies."
"Kark you!" The man spat.
Then, Red suddenly grabbed the little girl, and dragged her out of Vi's grasp, aiming his blaster pistol at the girl.
"Hey, hey, hey! No! No! Leave her, leave her! Listen! Listen!" The man pleaded.
"No, no! Please! Leave her alone! No!" Vi cried and begged.
As Red dragged the little girl towards the side of the table, the man seemingly finally caved in.
"Listen to me, listen to me!" He said to Red. Red stopped, still holding onto the girl. "Listen: Y'Cho Holo-Theater."
Red looked at the man, then said, "Liar! Lying!"
"No, I am not! I swear to you, I'm not! The theater is just a just a front for our operations, we have a secret storehouse hidden in back with the supplies you want! I swear to you!"
"Where's the data, and your leader?" Sergeant ███████ asked.
"The data is at Tyri Business Plaza. Our leader? The Maestro? You- you're too late to stop him now. Go, Sergeant, go save some karking refugees. Chokan is already lost."
Red shoved the little girl back at Vi, who grasped the girl tightly. "We're done with him," He said to Sergeant ███████. "You take a minute." Then, Red walked over to the door, opened it, and headed into the hallway.
Sergeant ███████ looked at the man and his family. "Go, Sergeant, I've told you everything." The man said.
Sergeant ███████ then walked out the room, leaving the family in the custody of the SJC now. As she exited the room, two SJC security officers entered the room, closing the door behind them, no doubt to keep watch on the man until an official interrogator was brought in, so that the man could admit to the crimes that the Syndicate had committed.
In the hallway, Red was talking with two other Operatives. "Supplies are at Y'Cho Holo-Theater, while the data is at Tyri Business Plaza. We need to hit both. Get ready, we'll be leaving in less than 30 minutes. We'll be doing this quietly, try to keep bodies to a minimum. I'll try and put out a call for reinforcements." The two Operatives nodded and ran off to prepare for the mission, while Sergeant ███████ stayed behind with Red.
Red picked up his commlink and switched it to a more secure SJC channel. "Attention, this is Clandestine Special Officer Red. We have attained the locations of the data and the supplies. The supplies are at Y'Cho Holo-Theatre, while the data is at Tyri Business Plaza. Requesting a small force to assist us in our mission. Both targets have to be located and secured quietly. If we alert them, they'll start purging the data and burning the supplies, so we need to do this without them noticing. This mission will be done undercover. No armor, and only a light amount of weapons, so we don't draw suspicion to ourselves. We'll rendevous at the SJC Embassy. Out." He said into the commlink.
He turned to Sergeant ███████. "Well, let's go get our ride in order." He told her, then, he started walking down the hall towards the vehicle hangar bay, with Sergeant ███████ following close behind.