Private The Midnight Hour

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Milagro. It was one of the few neutral manufacturing planets left in the center of the expansion region. It's neutrality and open market had made the planet prosperous, although not without cost. The planet was home to many criminal endeavors, and presumably a focal point of the spice trade. Or so she had heard decades ago. Whether that was still the case or not, was not something she concerned herself with. Not today. Not now.

Instead, the Jedi Master found herself deeply lost in thought, her mind occupied with the flow of the Living Force. It was gravely out of balance, but she could not locate the exact source of the darkness.

"We will be arriving at the final destination in a couple of minutes. Please check your luggage before you exit the vehicle." The blue droid conductor curtly announced with its monotone mechanical voice. Its bright photoreceptors were trained on the only two passengers who sat in the wagon; herself, and the Knight who accompanied her. Normally, she wouldn't have suggested to travel by public transport. But this time, they had little choice.

"Do you have the hotel's address? Sakadi conveyed to her fellow Jedi, her gaze shifting to their luggage. Because the cause of the disturbance was unknown to them, they had decided to go undercover and search the area first. It was something she suspected could take a couple of days, although that fully depended on the matter at hand.

Zemira ​

 

[Zemira]

Sat with her head propped up by her arm, Zemira watched out of the window as the world passed by as Sakadi wasn't much of a conversationalist and when she did speak it almost surprised the Knight whose gaze turned onto the Master. She was conscious of the fact that if others were around it would appear as though she was talking to herself given the unusual method Sakadi uses to communicate.

"Yeah, hold on." She replied as she reached into a zipped compartment in her bag and felt around for a moment before producing a piece of paper with the address on which she read before handing to Sakadi so she could have an idea of where they were going if Zemira's own orientation skills failed her.

Once they arrived at the final stop and were thusly informed by the droid conductor, Zemira rose from her seat and slung her bag over her shoulder. Thankfully, the minimalist nature of the Jedi meant the pair were accustomed to packing light. As they exited the train, Zemira gazed around the unfamiliar city, distracted for a moment before her eyes fixated on a sign which informed them of the street names.

It was a short walk to the hotel where they were shown to their room before being left to their own devices, away from prying eyes. The room was basic but had all the necessities: two beds, a wardrobe, a television, drawers and a desk. With no complaints to be made, Zemira set her bag down at the foot of one of the beds before sitting on the bed.

"Where do we start?" She asked Sakadi. Although both knew the reason for being there and the goal they were aiming for, she was unsure where to begin in their endeavour. "Maybe we should check local news and see what's been happening in the area?" She suggested since she couldn't pinpoint the location of the change in the Force which suggested the area could be tainted in some way.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

"I doubt local news will provide us with any new insights." She projected, placing the heavy bag on the bed closest to the window. The shared room wasn't anywhere near the level of comfort she was used to. The Temple on Commenor provided its Jedi with the bare minimum, but atleast it was clean. The same, however, could not be said about this room.

She moved her finger over the window-sill, scooping up a decent amount of dust. "But feel free to check the Holonet, if anything we might find a holomovie worth renting." She nonchalantly conveyed, her eyes focused on the lights of the landspeeders on the streets down below them. The one redeeming quality of their room was perhaps its view, which could prove to be helpful in case they needed to keep an eye open at night.

Turning back to face Zemira, Sakadi began to project her thoughts again. "I think we could best start by searching the streets." Her hand moved to her chin, as she began to pace from one side of the room to another. "If we know our terrain we'll have a better shot at finding out what exactly is going on here." The Sephi had decided to approach the scenario like the hunters she used to travel with on Shili. Know the options and behaviour of your prey, and you suddenly had a chance at slaying them.

The Master's gaze moved to the digital clock hanging on the wall. "If we leave now, we could probably be back before midnight."

Zemira ​

 

[Zemira]

"Ok." She replied with a chirping tone, undeterred by Sakadi's rejection of her idea. While having the Master's approval would certainly be nice, she wasn't desperate for it. Waiting for Sakadi's suggestion, which she expected, she watched the Master seemingly inspect the room which prompted her to momentarily do the same and it didn't take looking very hard to find a peculiar stain on the floor between the beds and a layer of dust on the nightstand. Still, it didn't faze the Knight who prior to being a Jedi had lived far from the life of luxury - such a sight was not unfamiliar.

Zemira shrugged at the suggestion, seemingly not minding either way. Although, part of her was relieved to be unburdened from the responsibility of making conversation with the Master she didn't yet know well. She turned the TV on and began flicking through the selection of films while Sakadi continued her inspection. "Do you have any money?" She asked as she flicked through, unable to settle on one where she felt both parties would enjoy.

The Knight's eyes followed Sakadi as she paced the room but she didn't otherwise move until it was required of her. "Sounds good." She agreed as she got up to join Sakadi. The pair left the hotel onto a quiet, though far from empty, street but the sound of nightlife could be heard from afar. As the superior, Zemira allowed Sakadi to take the lead and was reminded of her own time as a Padawan, though now a fully fledged member of the Order she was free to make her own choices which had never been an issue.

As they walked, Zemira could feel the light side of the Force wane around them but nothing seemed out of the ordinary and she still couldn't pinpoint a location so she hoped Sakadi would have better luck with her years of experience. The passers-by grew fewer as they reached a more suspect looking part of the town with a few dark alleyways connecting the larger streets. "I've never felt anything like this before." She remarked.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala