Message in a Bottle

[Judah Dashiell]

Ceto | Evening


Judah opened the messaging center of his datapad, looking between the keys of his device and a crumbled up sheet of paper sitting on his desk. It contained the contact information of one [member="Spark Finn"] . It had cost a small fortune of credits to track down the slicer, having gone through several legal and illegal channels to find a way to contact the woman. She had caused enough trouble for him years ago at a board meeting, but word in the galaxy was there wasn't anyone else he could turn to.


Miss Finn,


We've met before. Not the greatest of circumstances. However, that is water under the bridge. I am in need of your slicing services. I received a message a short while ago that is uncharacteristic for the sender. I believe she is in danger or worse, someone sent this message for her. I was hoping you could give me more details. Device. Location. Routing. Whatever you can find, no matter how innocuous would be needed.


Substantial credits would be paid for your services. Half now, half when the job is complete - sent to any bank or drop off location of your choosing.


Please let me know your answer as soon as possible. Thank you.

-J. Dashiell

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

There was a certain darknet email location she checked occasionally. It was getting more and more difficult to check because of her current status with the Sith Triumvirate and capture and indenture to [member="Darth Adekos"]. Not to mention [member="Darth Orcus"] was dangerously close to guessing her true intentions. And she was dangerously close to blowing her cover or joining the Sith Tri with open arms.

#anarrowroadtowalk

The message sitting in the inbox was just a few days old. Blue-eyes widened in surprise at the message and the sender. Judah Dashiell. She remembered the promise she had given him awhile ago. She owed him. She was also, obviously, not at fault for anything because she never admitted to anything.

#butIstillowehim

She sent an encrypted email back.

Encrypt code 1989://

Mr. Dashiell,
I'm in. Send me the message and the information on the device it was sent to. IP address. Security. Codes.

Don't worry, I won't try anything.

I've set up a wire transfer for the credits. They're to go in the name of [member="Gabriel Sionoma"] and [member="Avalore Eden"]. Account details are in the attachment. I'll let you deem the amount for the job. Please give yourself a discount. Because reasons.

Once you send me the message details, I'll be in touch in a few weeks.

S. Finn

\\

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Part of him surprised [member="Spark Finn"] had messaged him back. There was an issue awhile back with the hacker putting a topless image of [member="Thessa Kai"] on every Salacia Consolidated dataterminal fleet wide. Some may have pondered if it was an altered image....yet....Well, lets just say it had been just as spectacular as the flesh-and-blood verison.


////////\\\\\\\\

Credit Transfer [ [member="Gabriel Sionoma"] ] Account xxxx90930-1728
Amount : 30,000cr


Credit Transfer [ [member="Avalore Eden"] ] Account xxxx87945-6811
Amount : 30,000cr


/////////\\\\\\\\\\


Miss Finn,


Payment has been transferred to both persons listed in your previous message. Credits should clear the account within eight galactic standard hours, per standard procedure. Attached is the original message with every piece of information I have available at my disposal. You will have to use your skills from there.


If you need anything else don't hesitate to ask, although I am not sure what help I can be.


-J.Dashiell

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

The slicer managed to finish up her research on Judah's job in the middle of a job with [member="Cameron Centurion"]. She was good at fake-sleeping. Still, this was a tough one. She didn't have a definitive answer to send to the business man. Just pieces.

#apuzzle

When she first took the job, a part of her was worried that Judah was trying to find someone who didn't want to be found. But the further she dug, the evidence was beginning to point more toward the man's original assumptions.

Encrypt code 1989://

Mr. Dashiell,
Whoever encrypted the message received by your comm was a professional. Very good. All that I could gather is attached. As you'll see, there are several photos of your family inside this house. Perhaps it's yours? There are also several holovids. One is with the same boy from your house at some sort of school. There's also a picture of you not looking so good. Injured? Looks like in some sort of forest or jungle with a cliff.

And the location. Looks like the last known transmission from the sender's signal to your comm was from the planet of Schesa.

I realize you're not paying me for my advice. But there are several small, size of a cred-chip, droids with cloaking devices on the market that I've had some recent, personal experience with. I'd suggest you set off a minor EMP at your residence if you can stand to live without electricity for a day. Might be surprised what you find.

I hope this helps.

S. Finn

\\

 

[Judah Dashiell]

It took awhile for [member="Spark Finn"] to get back to him with a message. Part of him had reservations about the woman taking the credits and running, but as he pulled up his messages at Salacia Consolidated one morning, her encrypted message was waiting for him, innocuously mixed in all the rest.


Part of him really didn't want to open the message. What if Thessa simply didn't want to be found and just up and left them? Yet....it didn't make sense. Then again, Judah had found her behavior odd since ever returning from some deep space assignment for the Silvers. Part of him had thought she had fallen for another but the up and leaving didn't make much sense. Not with Makai involved.


Opening the message, eyes scanned the contents. He frowned, only deepening when he scanned through the holoimages. Thessa and Makai in the backyard. A video of Makai in his PE uniform, running around with a pack of boys his age as they played some game. One of the images him sick and lost in the jungle. During the same time of period Thessa had disappeared.


They had been watched. Stalked. Thessa must have found out about it....Yet....his wife had been a fighter. Judah didn't take her as the type to ever back down. Why didn't she just take Makai to a safe spot and they all meet up together later? Or they could have hired security. Or bugged out onto some tropical island planet with a hired army and wait. In his mind, there seemed like a lot of options beyond disappear, but it was possible her back was against the wall.


The message brought him more questions than he had left with. Now he would have to set off an EMP, destroy all of their electronics. New electronics for the home was a small price to pay to know Makai would be safe and sound when he was away from time to time. Perhaps it was time for a bodyguard when he was away as well....


Miss Finn,


Thank you for your investigation into the matter. I'm sure it was difficult to find any trace of the message and its origin point.Unfortunately it has raised more questions than answers. I suppose that is the case in any investigation such as this.


I appreciate your advice. I am assuming it would be wise to set off this EMP at all of my personal properties, although I recently returned from a long vacation on Dac and see no images of that. Better safe than sorry I suppose.


If you have any information on this in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.

-J.Dashiell

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Her reply was fast, almost instantaneous.

#working #caf

Encrypt code 1989://

Mr. Dashiell,
I wish I had more to offer. Good luck with everything. And yes, I'd advise you to set off the EMPS wherever you can afford it. And please, be careful. This is high-end technology stuff. Someone who could afford to pull strings without so much as a second glance.

If I come across anything else, I'll be in touch.

S. Finn

\\