Private On The Trail

[Dacien Zoss]

CYRILLIA​

The rain was heavy. It pelted the pavement inside the narrow alleyway, the space between buildings wide enough and uncovered, to let the water fall unhindered. Not far from the entrance were a group of individuals, locals, who stood over a form on the ground. They stood, stared, but did little else even with the uncomfortable weather. It didn't take long for someone else to arrive, a tall broad form, body and head covered in a thick hood and cloak, though in comparison to the native Cyrillians ahead the new arrival wasn't imposing. At the splash of footsteps in the water puddles, the group turned in unison and regarded the hooded person with beady reptilian eyes. One called out in a language that wasn't understood, before there was a pause and another attempt.

"Jedi?"

"Yes," The hooded man responded simply, as he approached. "Sorry I couldn't get here sooner. Landing delays and I'm not familiar with this city. Is this her? My condolences."

"Yess, thiss iss our daughter," The tallest Cyrillian said, his reptilian face turned to regard the form on the ground. The young local had been covered in a blanket, but it was obvious from the stillness that she was dead. "Sshe wass returning home from her work, and ssomebody killed her where she now lies. It hass been some hourss ssince you were to arrive, Jedi... the rains, what evidence can you hope to ssee?"

With an inhale, the hooded man crouched and lifted the blanket. It had been soaked. There had been too much rain on the young adult Cyrillian's body to get much from forensics. Even the blood had been washed away, thinned to almost nothingness in the water around. The Jedi pulled the blanket away completely, as he revealed the Cyrillian's body, and bright blue eyes regarded the situation from beneath the shadows of the hood. With a sigh, the man reached up and pulled the hood back, as long hair immediately started to mat to his head...

"Gr'uleku's necklace wass sstolen, but sshe is in her work uniform," Another of the locals said, the voice softer. Perhaps the mother. "Was thiss a ssenseless mugging? Our daughter'ss life for a trinket?"

"Those sorts of details don't really matter, not for me," Dacien said simple, as he looked up to the father and mother. "I see a single wound, to the neck. A blade. We'll know soon. Please give me a moment, and maybe some space..."

The Cyrillians stepped back, confused, with the father even displaying some anger at the response. Dacien didn't intend to sound so brutish, or short, but the sooner he was able to do what he did, the sooner they would have answers. And trying to talk through the facts, sorting through guesses and theories, was a waste of time especially when all the Jedi had to do was reach out and touch...

Gr'uleku was tired.

She had finished her shift, she had made her factory quota.

She took the short way home, through the more dangerous area, I can feel the paranoia and regret.

She saw something, a group in the alleyway further down... they were... passing credits?

Need to focus on the group. Cyrillians, some humans? There, weapon caches, I recognize those from another investigation.

She tried to leave the alleyway, but someone grabbed her from behind.

A blade, small, curved. It stabbed quickly, made her fall and she... she died.

That quickly, that simply, barely a whimper and everything was dark.

She didn't even have time to think... poor kid.
​

Dacien pulled his hand back from Gr'uleku and stood up with a clench of jaw muscles. He looked to the dead local's parents and nodded slowly. "I understand, I was able to use the Force to see her last moments," The man said simply, as though they understood the complexity of what had just happened. He knew they didn't, but no one ever questioned him when he did it. "Do you want to know the details, or should I just focus on finding those responsible?"

The Cyrillian parents looked between one another, then to the others around, before the mother stepped forward and stuck her chin out, her narrow eyes hard.

"Tell uss, Jedi."

"Very well," Dacien said. He pulled the hood back up and covered his head, before he spoke. "Your daughter was tired after a long shift, she took this alleyway to take a shortcut home, and stumbled across a weapons deal. I recognized one of the humans involved, his holo-image has cropped up before, but this confirms his involvement. He was the one who stabbed your daughter to the neck... but, she died quickly, there was no pain, and her last thoughts were of you. Her family."

The last part had been a lie. Death had been too quick. Still, the parents shifted and hugged one another, as the situation was presented, but whether it helped ease the burden or guilt or whatever other emotion they felt, who was to say. Dacien was here to do a job, and now he finally had the weapons dealer - Shorek Mal - on a murder charge. He had finally pushed things too far, and it would be his undoing. With a nod to the tall reptile locals, Dacien began to leave the alleyway, but in the opposite direction, toward where the meeting had taken place. The Jedi paused, as he glanced over his shoulder, eyebrow raised.

"You said Gr'uleku's necklace was gone?"

"Yess."

"If I find it, I'll return it to you," Dacien said. It was the least he could do. "Don't worry, I'll get the scum responsible for this."

Then, without another word, Dacien turned and continued on his way through the pelting rain. It was coming down impossibly hard, and it made the alleyway hard to see through. In fact, were it not for the Force, which gave a small warning to another ahead, the Jedi might have walked into the other individual before visual sight had been possible. Still, whoever it was didn't seem to be a threat, so Dacien resisted the urge to reach for the lightsaber hilt on his belt, as he instead walked several more meters - beyond the sight and hearing of the mourning family behind - and squared up, as he lowered his hood again and stared with bright blue eyes...

"Planning on coming out? Makes it easier if you do."

______________________________

Retired5​

 

[Retired5]

It almost seemed that the Knight was out of her element here. On a world that had so much rain, it was odd for a woman of the desert to be comfortable. Yet she had found some comfort here. A case. She was investigating a series of weapons deals and observing the various transactions. Just waiting for the opportune moment to spring the trap she was setting.

Sadly she had missed the murder of the girl but that had happened at the other end of the ally. Knowing about it after the fact was hardly an excuse but that was the case now. She had felt it happen and luckily it had been quick for the victim.

Noticing the gathering, Seo was tempted to join but withdrew more into the shadows. Pulling her veil up to cover her nose and mouth, the color of her clothes should make it difficult for anybody to notice her. What she didn't expect was an investigator to come in her direction.

When he was just a few paces away from her, he stopped. Seeing him lower his hood, he looked directly to where she was hidden and asked if she was planning on coming out. Hesitating for just a moment, she jumped down from the stairs she had been on and landed quietly.

If he had as trained of eyes and she saw within him, then he would know she was just some random street urchin.

"Makes what easier?"

As she stepped into the light nearby, then he might notice the gold threading woven into her clothes. This was the only feature that should stand out to him. Everything else was of the color of the desert. In the dark of the night, he might miss this. On her back was a bag that was a backpack and it held different pieces of gear she thought she would need on this assignment. On her belt hung a lightsaber and she made no move to reach for it.

Dacien Zoss

 

[Dacien Zoss]

Fortunately the individual in question stepped out of the shadows, as a female voice asked what was made easier. Dacien took a moment to look the sentient over, she appeared human, and was dressed in very neutral colored clothing. There wasn't too much detail to discern because of the singular light source in the alleyway, not to mention the downpour, but from what the Jedi could see he supposed the individual wasn't a threat. People rarely answered a call out, unless it was with some proclamation of attacking intent. Still, Dacien kept his eyes narrowed as he watched her move, then glanced down at the glint of metal on her belt - a lightsaber.

"Makes talking easier, of course," Dacien said in response, as he took several steps toward the unknown individual, but otherwise maintained some distance. His hand relaxed near his own lightsaber, as he didn't get a sense of danger or imminent threat from the sentient. Dacien couldn't make out much of her appearance yet. "Dacien Zoss, member of the Silver Jedi. And you are?"

Given the situation further back in the alleyway, which involved the murder, Dacien suspected he had stumbled onto another Jedi who sought to assist with some aspect of the scenario that played out. He didn't know if it was because of the dead alien, or the weapons, or something else entirely that he wasn't aware of but ultimately the Force was calm. So that meant no need to be confrontational, not yet, not unless she did something to cause Dacien to react in that way.

"I'm investigating the death of a Cyrillian girl back that way," Dacien continued, as his long wet hair flattened against his head. He didn't mind the rain, it was cool on the skin and his clothing could use a rinse anyway. "Seemed a human weapons dealer didn't take well to being interrupted. Cut her. So now I'm on his trail... how do you connect to all this?"

Now would hopefully be the part where some pieces to the puzzle were put into place...

________________________

Retired5​

 

[Retired5]

She couldn't help but admit to herself what he said was true. Talking was easier when the people were closer together. Nodding slightly as he introduced himself and explained why he was present. Keeping what thoughts she had to herself for a moment, Seo moved her hand away from the lightsaber hilt at her side. Giving a small sign of relaxing only. Not entirely though, they were still not friends. Allies for sure.

"Seo Linn, Jedi Knight."

Turning her head to look back in the direction Dacien had come from, she focused there for a moment before looking at him again.

"It is unfortunate. There was nothing I could have done to prevent it as I arrived too late. My mission has been tracking the dealer. So far we're most likely after the same man. Just one more thing on his list of crimes."

That answered his last question and placed the two of them working together. Raising a hand, she pointed to a door nearby.

"My trail ends here. The group in question went in there not long ago but there could always be another way out. I wasn't yet ready to reveal my presence nor have I pieced everything together. At least, not enough to bring them in for the black market dealings they've been doing. Nothing concrete yet."

The Jedi was very close to snaring her quarry and with the addition of murder to add to the list, this brought her that much closer.

"What's your plan, Dacien?"

With her attention on him totally, the sound of the door she had motioned to opening was lost in the fall of the rain. Only when she heard the voices coming out did she react. Reaching out to try and grab Dacien to take him into the shadows, she hid behind the crate she had been sitting on top of when he had seen her.

Lifting a finger, she suggested he keep quiet until they passed. Once they were out of earshot, she looked back at him with the expectation he had an answer.

Dacien Zoss