New faces, same places

[Jessica Bowers]

Past midnight.​

Somewhere on the northern hemisphere of Coruscant.​

The back alley of the closed shopping district were dark, except for the light that emitted from a few flickering lanterns above a couple of staff enterances. It was dead quiet too. The only exception being the, more or less, constant humming from the galactic citys countless speeder lanes high above her. The city took its deep breaths.

A dim light from otherwise shut-down the police speeder broke through its windows. Arms folded and half-sitting on the speeders left front wing, she put the paper cup filled with black caf under her nose and smelled its aromas. It was what got you fighting through the night shifts. If you knew where to buy it could be lovely, even in outside and bellow the fancier levels. She took a cautious sip of the hot beverage while keeping an eye open towards the far end of the alley. She were alone which was unusual, but it had a purpose; the police speeder only had two seats and this were where she would meet up with a... vigilante? Bounty hunter? Contact? The chief had been breviloquent when he had taken her aside and in private at the precinct. What she did knew was that this guy would be on their side. Heh, that was a good start!

Alone and in her ordinary patrol uniform, she waited. And waited. He had wished- No; demanded the spot. Not that she felt insecure. Not at all, but it got you thinking what kind of task they were up to. She took another sip of the caf, casually listening to the chatter on the police radio.

Her keen blue eyes caught movement along one of the walls, a stone throw away from her. The second after she could see that it was one of the thousands, if not tens of thousands homeless beings on the planet. A human with unkept beard that probably were much younger than he looked. They were harmless most of them and he passed by quietly with her offering him small but polite smile and a nod, thoughts being caught up on other things.

Where were this guy?

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

He hadn't been told much, nothing more than a general location to look. It was a blow to his pride, but he'd made a career out of being a hunting dog. Most of the time, though, he held his own leash, and he picked the scent. Some things just had to be done. He'd sent word to the nearest enforcement chief in the area, more often than not he would have just handled the problem alone. Coruscant was big. Too big for this, and he was in a hurry. He needed efficiency and discretion. The response he had been given was that he would get both. Nicair had trouble placing the identity of the chief himself, but there was always the chance they'd either met or worked together in the past. The man was a vagabond, and a hunter. Where prey went he followed.

These sets of alleys felt familiar, like he'd walked them before in a less than attentive state. This section of Coruscant was where waste found itself, if he'd been here before it wasn't during a period of his life that he didn't much cared how much longer he lived it. Waste can throw itself away, wasted warriors do it quicker. By the speed of his feet and the swift recollection he'd been in this area for an extended period, and gone this route frequently. He knew where to turn and when to swerve to avoid hitting the man that passed out around this time every night. Shame, Nicair was certain the elder would have found a way out of this place by now. The two had developed a small ritual when Nicair roamed this area. Every time the Sociph returned to his den he would leave the man a drink and some food. Nobody every found Nicair during this period, more than a few came looking. He made sure to continue the tradition.

There was a particular way he always went that kept him off the street while he slept, gave him a good vantage point and a near 360 degree view. Following it wasn't as seamless as it was last time, he'd put on some of the weight he lost living as "off the land" as one could get on a planet sized metropolis. The fact he was actually wearing his armor this time around as well didn't make it any smoother. When a Mandalorian wants to die they go into combat unarmored rather than commit suicide. People in this area knew his face, but not his skin. Sometimes it didn't feel that much like a part of him anymore, felt like it sat heavier on his body than it used to. Weighed him down, he pushed it aside to be psychosomatic, had to get used to the armor again.

Whether by instinct or a flare for the dramatic he found himself sneaking towards his old position, there were eyes on him. He knew that much to be sure. Once he gathered himself he pulled out the vial he'd collected from a few months earlier. It had been a similar investigation, but that time it had been with a fellow Mandalorian. She had been a kindred spirit, Keira, where she was now he didn't know, and he couldn't let it matter. She would handle what she had to. He took a look again at the vial and the symbol that decorated it. The Sociph, while subtle in certain areas, didn't bother with their narcotics. For them, and subsequently himself, it caused mild hallucinations and a feeling of euphoria. For humans and those without the proper metabolism and physiology it did... less pleasant things. What to them symbolized a deep relaxation and disconnect, to others meant profuse bleeding and sometimes exploding eye sockets before cardiac arrest. Oops.

He sat himself down and let the vial gently fall to the ground near the woman's feet, Jessica, he believed her name was. Once she looked at it enough he'd simply ask his question as concisely as he could.

"Where."

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

In the corner of her eye, she noticed yet another figure emerging from the dark parts of the alley.

Was that a mandalorian inspirated armour? It had to be him, right?

Her lips thoughtfully let go of the mug as she was right in the middle of a sip, lifting her head up and by habit resting a casual hand on the holstered blaster pistol. Precautions. Her movements were slow but steady, not wanting to seem hostile. Still with a relaxed pose, she stood quietly observing him as he approached her. He didn't stop either, sitting down just beside her on the speeders front wing. She didn't take her eyes off him. Not until he dropped a vial on the ground in front of her feet, and even then she waited a second before throwing a glance at the vial and then back at him again. Where? Well, that was fine introduction! She felt a bit of scepticism starting to grow in her but held it back in favour of the mission. She had met a considarable amount of odd jobs in her line of work. Still, the curiousity were tangible. Especially considering if they were going to work together on this.

''What is it?'' she counter-questioned shortly after a few seconds of silence, looking at the armoured character.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

"New drug making its rounds on Coruscant. Started out small, it's spreading. First hit brings a euphoria and hallucinations like nothing else, instant dependency. Every dose after that gets progressively more horrific. Larger dose gets a taste of the first high, but if the next hit doesn't surpass it... the trip is nightmarish. Street name is Ablyss. Overdoses are less than pleasant to witness, and incredibly easy to do."

The man had seen only one non-Sociph overdose on the drug, and he had administered the fatal dosage himself. The sorry scum didn't make it, and didn't deserve to. On Antisoch it was fairly popular and easy to get, seeing as there wasn't any restrictions of drug use on the planet. It was when their narcotics got into the wider galaxy that problems started to arise. Too many dealers sampling their stock, too many powerful criminals wanting more.

The Sociph didn't like that. Nicair wasn't a fan of either party, but in this case his motives and those of his people aligned.

Didn't have to be happy about it.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

She looked down at the vial while the bounty hunter or whatever he was told the short story about this Ablyss. She had heard about it before, but it had stayed low and not got a hold of Coruscant according to intelligence. Yet.

Taking a thoughtful final sip of the caf that were starting to get cold in the night, she tossed the rest out near the wall in front of the speeder and tossed the empty paper cup into a nearby garbage can. She then kneeled down and grabbed the vial with a black gloved hand, examining it slightly then looked back at the figure with a raised eyebrow.

''Sounds like a trip of rememberance...'' she said with clear sarcasm. ''But what are your interest in the Ablyss? If you don't mind me saying it, you doesn't look like a guy caring much about narcotics?'' she continued bluntly and tried to meet his gaze through that mysterious helmet.

The questions were so many right now.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

He wasn't sure what he ultimately expected, any good officer would have questions. There were very few of them he could answer, either because he didn't know or because he had been told not to. Getting help finding the Ablyss supplier was better than saying the wrong thing and getting her killed.

"I have my reasons. Narcotics are a sickness. They decay the mind and deteriorate the body. Strong men and women turned to nothing more than graveling scum at their influence, chained to the very thing that is killing them. I don't want more tedious murder cases. Killing someone for their money or their drugs is boring. The source, the power to command and control. That's where the challenge is."

It wasn't entirely a lie. He'd seen what drug use does to warriors, the entirety of his clan brought low by the grip of one substance or another. It wasn't that he cared about the safety of Coruscant or if it happened again. He had a job to do, that was it. That it co-aligned with his past mattered little.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

He wasn't sure what he ultimately expected, any good officer would have questions. There were very few of them he could answer, either because he didn't know or because he had been told not to. Getting help finding the Ablyss supplier was better than saying the wrong thing and getting her killed.

"I have my reasons. Narcotics are a sickness. They decay the mind and deteriorate the body. Strong men and women turned to nothing more than graveling scum at their influence, chained to the very thing that is killing them. I don't want more tedious murder cases. Killing someone for their money or their drugs is boring. The source, the power to command and control. That's where the challenge is."

It wasn't entirely a lie. He'd seen what drug use does to warriors, the entirety of his clan brought low by the grip of one substance or another. It wasn't that he cared about the safety of Coruscant or if it happened again. He had a job to do, that was it. That it co-aligned with his past mattered little.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

''Amen to that...'' she said before putting the vial in a pouch of her gear vest. His little comment about the matter of narcotics were quite amusing to hear, almost like he had some kind of former law enforcement experience. With a light push with her backside off the front wing, she left his side and passed around him to the drivers door of the airspeeder.

''The way you talk about it, one could think you're cop...'' she continued and offered him a sceptic face which broke into a slight smirk.

''Jump in and we'll discuss the details... I've got a few faces and places that you might be interested in, looking for this Ablyss.'' she said before opening both doors and motioned to the other side before entering herself.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

In response to her joking insinuation he gave a small grunt. Neither confirming nor denying. He removed himself from the wing of her speeder, being careful not to scrape as much as possible with his armor. It was the smallest thing he forgot about the most often. Metal tends to make noise when scraped against something. They weren't in a terribly dangerous part of Coruscant, but it was a practice he forced himself to take part in for when things got closer.

There were certain apprehensions he had on traveling in an official speeder like this, more often than not his consultation work was fairly local and he preferred to get around less conspicuously. Easier to ask questions if nobody sees you get out of a law enforcement vehicle or better yet, not to travel in one anyway. In this case, he chose to make an exception, if for efficiency of time and the gathering of information than nothing else.

"These details you mentioned, what are they?"

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

She noticed the mans slight hesitation to enter the police airspeeder, even though he wore a helmet it was easy to see he was not entirely comfortable to enter it. It was what she had though, and the walls often had ears even in an alley like this. You could never be too careful on a world like Coruscant and the patrol vehicle at least could not eavesdrop on them.

''Well, since it seems we're going to work together on this...'' she begun as he entered the speeder on the passenger side. ''... I expect the sharing of information to go for both of us. The drug you're talking about... I know a few places that we possibly could get more information about it from, suppliers, dealers...'' she stated and glanced over at the man, then out of the windshield and back again. ''What's you name, by the way?'' she asked forthright and reached for the ignition and light up the engines.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

He took a minute to get himself settled before thinking up an answer.

"Understood. You'll know what increases efficiency." She was blunt, straightforward. It was refreshing after spending the past few months trying to decipher what was lies and what was truth from a species that could say either in the exact same way in the exact same sentence.

"It's Nicair. Yours?" He always hated this part. These idle formalities. The chief wouldn't give him her name, all he'd been told was that there would be someone waiting and they were good at what they did. To be fair, it wasn't anything he needed to know and it was more than likely something he would have done himself if the roles had been reversed. So, that's why I liked the man. Good.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

''Mhm... Been patrolling these blocks long enough to know what works and what does not...'' she said as she pulled a lever on the dashboard and grabbed onto the steering wheel, letting the airspeeder steadily leave the ground and ascend upwards in the alley.

''... Running solo ain't one of them.'' she continued and glanced over at the armored passenger.

It felt a bit off not having Mathis by her side but instead a civilian onboard, to be honest. Her and Mathis were like a smooth perfectly oiled machinery when they got into the gets of things, complementing each others in everything from solving civilians everyday problems to being in the front lines of organized crime busts. Now, she was supposed to trust this... guy? It was a thought that were difficult to agree with, even if the boss and intelligence had vouched for him. However, they kind of had the same dilemma, him probably thinking the same.

The thoughts left her quiet for a moment, focusing on driving the police vehicle and headed towards the closest airspeeder lane. The traffic were sparse in this late hour and they could get in easily.

''Where did you say you were from again?'' she asked, knowing fully well he had not told her about his origins.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

"I didn't. But you knew that. I'm from the far rim. Yourself?" It was a pleasantry he didn't often engage in or feel the need to. This exchange of information on meeting someone. But he knew enough to understand it helped build trust among people who would be working closely with the other. If that improved the speed that this endeavor was through, then so be it. He'd share what answered the question.

If there was discomfort on her part by not having her usual partner with her, there was an equal amount from Nicair by having a partner in general. At least one that wasn't a Mandalorian. One he hadn't fought beside before. He'd noticed Mandalorians were different that way. They didn't really feel the need to ask these questions. Not as an introduction at least. Funny how the cultures were different.

"You've never been undercover I take it? Certainly not deep under." On rare occasions he'd felt the need to do so. The danger was expounded of course in that he didn't have any contacts. The Sociph, on the other hand; if he was to believe the stories he was told by certain agents, one of them being his brother, there were others spread out across the galaxy. Some were in the prison systems, some in the governments. What they did with the information they were getting was anyone's guess. But they rarely "came up for air" as his brother put it. More often than not they were erasing evidence or any indication that their planet existed. The Sociph weren't ready to enter the galaxy just yet. But they were getting there.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

''I'm Jessica, by the way...'' she said while trying to concentrate on taking right in a junction with oncoming traffic.

''I'm a born and raised coruscanti. One could never know the whole planet, but I know these blocks kind of well from spending a part of my life in them, and then there's the police work that makes you get to know people.'' she explained shortly. Hopefully, the man would feel a comfort in it that he had been assigned the better officer for the work.

Their journey continued in the sparesly crowded airspeeder lane, through skyscrapers and alike in the Coruscant night.

''What do you carry, anyways? In case some fool try to do anything stupid...'' she suddenly asked and glanced over at Nicair.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

For a Mandalorian he didn't have a very impressive kit. He kept things plain and simple. It was always at the back of his mind that he'd need to update it but never got around to it because he simply hadn't needed to yet. Trained his body and skills for preparedness but left his armor almost as it was, which in terms of his past 'gam was even less impressive.

His tomahawk and hand cannon were what he mainly used, one in each hand, if he absolutely needed to. If things got cramped he would switch out Hullcracker for the beskad sitting across his shoulder. It wasn't an overly impressive weapon, nothing that couldn't be found elsewhere. Most of the time he used his body and the years of vicious martial arts that had built it.

"I have options. Nothing to worry about. I'll keep the body count to a minimum, for paperwork's sake."

Did he really care how much extra she had to do? Not really. Bodies draw attention, attention draws even more bodies. No reason to make more work for themselves.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

Spoiler

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-iZgkkGuME[/youtube]

Keeping awake blue eyes on the airspeeder lane, she nodded silently without taking them off the lane. Hovering lane signs and light poles passed by and reflected onto the police airspeeders hull.

''If you want it that way... It's fine by me!'' she replied and tilted her head a bit to the man from the far rims secrecy about his loadout. Somehow, she knew she were going to get that answer, or rather lack of an answer. It was a surprise he shared his first name, to be honest. They were doing this, and somewhere along the line it was time to let the curiousness and small talk aside and concentrate on the job.

''Alright, I'm thinking of a place... A small, more or less illegal bar a few blocks down the lane here... If we're lucky, a human guy named Val is there and might have more information about the Ablyss... Key suspects attached to it and, hopefully, where it's primary inflow is to the planet. He's been providing us with information before but... He could just be... difficult, sometimes. Sounds good?'' she said, laying out a loose plan for their initial investigation and then glanced over to Nicair, to see if he was approving it.

The speeder banked slightly as she made a right turn out of the lane and headed decending towards a narrow opening between a tightly built block. She threw a glance at the clock on the dashboard - it were right his time to be there, at that bar.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

He sat quietly listening to her explain their loose plan. At the very least they had a heading and a name. It was all a good investigator really needed in the grand scheme of things. Like a hunting beast with a scent, give it one good whiff and try to keep up.

He'd limit the lengths he'd go to get the information he needed. The Sociph might not have a jurisdiction or follow most laws concerning torture and interrogation, they'd made the process almost an art form in and of itself.

But this wasn't Antisoch, and Nicair wasn't about to give the eyes watching them the satisfaction of seeing little brother turn out just like his elder. How good Nicair was at causing pain wasn't something that needed to be known.

"Understood. Difficult is good. I'll take your lead."

He'd keep himself contained. It helped that there was little emotional attachment to what he was doing, it wasn't personal in the slightest. It was work.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

She looked over at the man to see if he bought the plan, easier said than done with that helmet on but the answer were confirming enough that he did. Looking back at the airspeeder lane in front of them, her gloved hand reached for the throttle and pulled it back, slowing the speeder down as they decended towards the opening between the buildings.

''And don't worry about your legal powers. You'll go by mine. So, consider yourself deputised for the moment.'' she said, coming in to a more serious mood as they entered the narrow street. If not covered with graffiti, the signs that still hang onto the walls was worn and scratched. The few streetlights that still lit up the once newly built but now old and torn block, flickered and struggled to stay alive. One or two homeless persons noticed the police speeder slowly buzzing by but paid no more attention to it, they were not the target around here and they did rarely put up a hustle, giving no reason for the police to check them.

Straight ahead, just to the left of a t-crossing, she saw the joint they were looking for. It had a yellow neon sign with basic letters on it. As previously stated to Nicair, she had been here before. It were a good place to aquire information from. She pulled up in front of the small enterance, parking to the left of it and made sure they had a free way of retreat if it came to that, better be safe than sorry. As she turned off the engine and opened the doors, she stayed quiet figuring the deputy would open his mouth if he had any questions.

She let her calm but serious eyes take a glance around after she had climbed out of the speeder, correcting her belt and vest slightly before rounding the speeder and taking the lead to the enterance. The small red sign on the door saying ''closed'' in basic made her stop in her tracks for a second, a light chuckle left her lips and she exchanged a look with Nicair of the stupidity to have such a sign up just to avoid unwanted visitors and authorities. If he had any questions before they went in, now would be the time. for them.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

He'd never been deputized before. An interesting proposition. No matter, there was business to attend to.

"Understood." It wasn't much of a response, but it portrayed as much meaning as was required. He let his eyes wander to their surroundings in the street. In many cases the homeless populations in the area know who is and who isn't a threat. It takes time in an environment like this to show no concern at a police vehicle. Even the common individual experiences small amounts of anxiety when riding behind, next to, or in front of a law enforcement speeder. Common individuals often fear punishment, reprimands, fines, what have you. It is an unfortunate thing, but in many cases certain homeless individuals get themselves thrown in jails or prisons to get the basic necessities of survival. Not much the law can do to those who have nothing to begin with.

She picked the placement of the speeder well, open line of retreat should it be necessary. Clever, tactful thinking. He exited without a word, giving a small nod of approval at their positioning. The flashing "closed" sign was mildly annoying. He could think of more than a few ways to get around it just on his person. But he wasn't necessarily up to date on what the protocol was on breaking and entering without a warrant.

"Let's go see if anyone's home."

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

With a short nod, she entered through the sliding door and they emerged in a small and dark very dimly lit hallway. A twi'lek bouncer were about to confront them but hesitated half-way.

''We- we're closed... officer. I could get you the owner if-'' he started but was interupted mid-sentence.

''Yeah, I saw the sign. No need to. You know exactly who I'm looking for.'' she explained shortly before promptly continuing past him, leaving him no more attention than the fact that they were going in no matter what the alien said.

Coming into a smoky bar with a rather worn down interior, a place that looked like nothing to the world but the people who frequented the place were often a gold mine with information, just like Val. The barman looked like he was about to say the same thing as the bouncer but kept his mouth shut when he noticed the dark uniform of the CPD. The owner knew the authorities could shut down the place but looked through the fingers with some things to keep a healthy cooperation going. In front of the bar counter ran a narrow passage and on the other side were booths with high back rests in red fabric that had not been cleaned since long.

She took the lead through the passage and rested a hand on the blaster while searching every booth with her blue gaze, until they ended up in front of the last one. There he sat. A tan skinned zabrak in the upper forties with black face tattoos, puffing on a death stick. He jumped slightly and drew a quick last breath of the highly addictive drug before throwing it in the ash tray. Jess placed her palms on the table and leant over.

''I see you've refilled your stack of poison, Val... Shame if it would be flushed down the toilet...'' she said in a hidden threat and glanced back at Nicair once before continuing.

''We could avoid that... If you help my friend here with some information...?''

[member="Nicair Claden"]