Troubleshooter

[Clovis Torcularis]

Coruscant --- 0805 Hours




My recent change in families had gone smoothly, leaving me to pursue my life-long dream of becoming a very powerful and dominating Sith. I proudly walked under the banner of the One Sith, taking their enemies as my own, which seemed to be in abundance. It would be false of me to say that this lot was misunderstood, because clearly since the formation of the first Sith Empire their intentions where clearly shout out across the known galaxy. War and chaos seemed to be the driving force for most of my sisters and brothers, but for me there was a different path laid out. The path of an Inquisitor.

So to test my loyalty to my new family, I had been dispatched to Coruscant's underbelly to look into a potential matter of civil unrest being brewed by some secretive group calling themselves the The New Breed. There wasn't much information on them in the Sith databases, because up until now they pretty much stayed off the radar. However, my superiors deemed it necessary that someone looked into the troubling reports being sent up the food chain by one of the garrisons here on the planet, and thus that was where I came in.

I arrived to Coruscant shortly after 0800 hours, quickly making all the proper arrangements that would make my time in the underworld easy and secure until I found it was time to bring in the heavy hitters. I'm just a newborn in the Inquisition ranks, so it was my duty to observe and report, avoiding any hostilities unless it landed on my front step. I entered the garrison and was ushered to the office of one Captain Johansen, the garrison's commander.

"Welcome Acolyte Torcularis," he said nodding to the empty seat across from him.

"My apologies that we do not have much information pertaining to these scumbags, but as you will see for yourself the underworld citizens tend to stick together," he added when I occupied the empty seat.

"Any information you have will serve me far better than none-at-all," I replied sending an eerie echo of my droid-like voice through the commander's office. "First, tell me what you do know about this New Breed."

The commander told me that at first they started off making small public demonstrations in a vain attempt to garner support against the Sith. Through this, they somehow managed to swell their ranks with those that shared their beliefs. Deemed not a potential threat at the time, Captain Johansen mentioned they were pretty much overlooked until a small patrol had been attacked. Luckily, none of the soldiers had been killed. When they came back with a much stronger show of force, it seemed that this group where nothing more than ghosts and whispers, the people of the underworld tightening their lips. By the fourth hit-and-run attack, the good Captain felt it was time to bring in the Sith Order.

"Why did you wait until the fourth attack to request assistance," I asked angrily.

"We try not to disrupt the lives of the citizens here, nor do we wish to bring such knowledge to those that dwell on the surface. If the citizens that lived up here caught wind of what was going on up here, you can imagine the panic it would cause."

"And you either wanted to quell this yourself for some sort of promotion or glory but when you failed in that attempt you then sought out some measure to save face with your superiors."

I sensed and saw the good Captain squirm under my words. "Yes. Now, as you will see, they have gone dark."

"Fear not Captain, I will drag them out of the dark so they will face swift justice," I spat rising from my chair. "And how do you propose to do that?"

I stopped at the closed door and said over my shoulder, "That is not your concern. Your concern is to be ready to act when I call for you."

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

Coruscant --- 0945 Hours


Before heading down into the seedy underbelly, I stopped at the garrison's archives to familiarize myself with the layout of the underworld. I assumed most of the inhabitants knew each other either by name, face, or both and since I was going to be a new name and face, I felt it best to know every inch I could about the area down there. I wasn't going there seeking trouble, but only a fool would think trouble wouldn't seek them out, especially in such a down trodden and unfriendly place like that. By the conversation I had with the good Captain, most of the citizens down there held no love for the Sith. So warm hugs, free mugs of ale, and hearty handshakes where out of the question. It was a dog-eat-dog world down there.

I finished up my research, downloading some of the more frequent establishments that could house someone that might point me in the right direction. I held no delusions that people would open up to me, especially when they see the two dangling hilts from my belt. I'm might even paint myself as a high profile target with these weapons, but that was a risk I was more than willing to take. I needed to find these piles of refuse, and find them fast. But as I stated earlier, I wasn't here seeking violence, only observe and report. If there was some way for me to earn their trust, perhaps they would invite me into their ranks. Yeah, right! That was never gong to happen.

While I rode a tram to the surface below, I scrolled through the names of potential associates the good Captain gave me. If I could manage to hunt these people down and interrogate them, secretly, then with a little luck I would be able to begin uploading information to the Captain, who in return would kick it up to my superiors. But to do that, I needed to tread carefully. I couldn't afford to draw unwanted attention to me, being a new name and face would no doubt bring an amount of attention I didn't thoroughly need. And if somehow I acted carelessly in my investigation, I could either tip of The New Breed that I was looking for them and they would react violently, or they could simply vanish all together; ruining any chances of ever catching them.

I stepped out of the tram and was assaulted by an overwhelming sense of desperation.

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

Coruscant (Underworld) --- 1117 Hours



I walked around the nearest neighborhood getting a sense of my surroundings, while doing my my best to fit in and ignore the unwelcoming stares I was being rewarded for playing the role of outsider. My height and get-up, mainly my mask, didn't do much in the way of concealing my presence here. I stuck out like a bantha! I turned down an alleyway and was greeted by the welcoming committee, a group of ragged dressed humans, whose eyes gleamed with delight in the prospect of shaking me down. Boy did they choose the wrong mark.

"Look what we got here boys," one of the men said, "Fresh meat." The other three men in the group began to laugh as the foursome moved toward me. "Asking if you are lost would be a waste of all our time. So, mister, your credits and any other valuables you maybe carrying." I knew deep down in my blackened heart that these four stood no real chance against me, especially since they were unarmed and thinking the numbers game favored them.

"Credits? Valuables? Sorry boys, but today is just not your day," I replied pulling back the folds on my robes to allow me not only to retrieve my hilts more efficiently but to let them know just what kind of disaster they were heading for. Unfortunately for the foursome, common sense was not their strong suit. Upon seeing my hilts, I could practically hear their mouths water at the prospect of the credits they would receive for selling them.

My mission was to observe and report, but this was the kind of trouble I knew that would plop down on my doorstep. Despite having the Dark Side of the Force coursing through me, I was no Knight or Lord but just an Acolyte still growing into his skin. So what options I had in terms of relying on the Force were limited, hence the decision to carry two lightsabers with me. Calling on the Force, I grabbed a medium sized dumpster and flung it at them. Ok, it was more like I rolled it at them with great speed and force. The assault wasn't meant to defeat them, but to distract them and split the group up.

Reaching deep down into my anger and hatred, emotions that have always served me well, I charged the two nearest vagabonds igniting both my blades simultaneously. With two precise slashes I cut them down. Not waiting to see what my handiwork had achieved, I turned my focus on the next closest man, and like before, cut him down; leaving the last man to face me. Alone. I could sense the fear growing inside him from watching his comrades meet an unexpected end. So he did the one thing that came natural when fear overrode your senses, he tried to flee.

With the guidance of the Force, I reached out and gripped him, slamming him hard to the ground. I placed one foot on his chest and pointed both tips of my searing blades in the direction of his unprotected face. "Know this, you will die. But before I kill you, perhaps you can be of some assistance to me." I began dropping names of the people on the list Captain Johansen had given me, and with each name the man shook his head left to right. "Such a tragedy that even in the face of death you could not be of any use."

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

Coruscant (Underworld) --- 1434 Hours


By a stroke of luck, or maybe it was the Force, I had stumbled upon one of the names on my list. When I saw her, Lil'ti Tr'buin, step away from one of the market kiosks, I almost made my move then. But patience and the driving desire to succeed kept me in check. So I followed her at a cautious pace, observing her mannerisms and habits while hoping to find a suitable place to conduct my interrogation away from the prying eyes and ears of the citizens. Unfortunately no suitable accommodations presented itself, so I followed her into a "less than desirable" cantina. The sights, smells, atmosphere, and the inhabitants seemed to mesh together perfectly, creating one cesspool of an establishment.

I watched her briefly as she took up residence at a table with two others, a male Rodian and a male Ithorian, before occupying my own table. Due to my mask, I can't really indulge in the traditional style of drinking, but for appearances only I ordered a drink from a well-designed Twi'lek girl. The sight of the girl reminded me of my dear, sweet Leena Tabyi, whom I hadn't seen or spoken to for a few weeks. My heart's desire was on a mission of her own, or she would have been my running mate in this expedition.

I continued to scan my surroundings, hoping for some kind of way to get me alone with Miss Tr'buin. When none came, it was time to create my own. When my Twi'lek waitress came back around to check on me, I told her I would like to buy the man with the eye-patch a drink. By the third drink, I had made a "friend". I watched him stumble and stagger his way over to me, and nearly laughed when I witnessed him struggle with the simple act of sitting down.

"Thanks, mister, for the drinks," he said with heavy slurring words. I leaned further back in my chair, folding my hands over my chest, and asked him to indulge me with stories of his life. I needed to kill time, and I needed to calculate a way to get to my target. I was hoping this drunk one-eyed man would provide me with an opening.

"And because of that buck-toothed moron, my wife was left with a medical condition that we can't afford to fix," he concluded before taking a pull from his drink, and me raising the metaphoric eyebrow. That was my opening! Leaning forward I asked, "How much would it cost to fix your wife?" My new, drunk friend slowly put his mug down and replied, "Two-thousand credits."

"Well I'm a sucker for helping people out, and you have provided me with great company," I said with a polite nod. "I'm here looking for someone and that certain someone is trying to avoid me by hanging out with some less than desirable people. So here's the deal, friend. You cause a scene, a great big scene, and when I have whom I'm looking for in my possession, meet me outside in the back alley and I will see that you and your wife receive those two-thousand credits."

"Sure! What kind of scene did you have in mind?"

"See that table over there? Yeah, the one with the two aliens and human female. The female I need, her two companions will be the source of your scene."

"I karking hate aliens! Consider it done," he said getting up.

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

Coruscant (Underworld) --- 1515 Hours



My new "friend" was true to his word. The moment he stopped at the table, all hell broke loose. First he began insulting the aliens, then when he managed to get them riled up, fists began to fly from both sides, which to my surprise infected the rest of the patrons because a good old fashion bar fight broke out. I jumped from my seat and made a calculated straight line to my female target, pushing and shoving patrons out of my way. I didn't want to risk getting caught in a fist fight and lose my advantage, for the vixen herself seemed to be thrilled to be involved in the melee.

When I drew close to her, I snatched her by the back of her jacket, catching her by surprise, and dragged her out the side door and into the alleyway. "What the kark?! Who the kark are you?! And why are you....," she was saying until I Forced pushed her into opposite building's wall, silencing her unladylike vocabulary. "Stop talking," I commanded, then added, "I pose the questions and you relay your answers. That is how this works!" I saw that glorious fear glaze over her eyes, and felt a moment of triumph to witness her body tremble before me. "Question. What do you know of the New Breed?"

She opened her mouth to speak, prompting me to raise a hand and say, "Lying will only complicate your predicament." She closed her mouth to re-evaluate her response, while behind us in the cantina the sounds of something big breaking washed over into the alleyway. After gathering herself she replied, "Honestly, not much. From time to time they call upon me to deliver some highly classified information to certain spots. I rarely deal with them face-to-face." I sensed no deceit in her response, so I said, "So if you never dealt with them personally, then how do they contact you?"

"Through encrypted holomail. And before you ask, after I read the message it is deleted on their end."

"So you have no knowledge of names or places for me that can tie you to the New Breed?"

"No."

"Well that is most unfortunate."

The door opened up and my "friend" came staggering out, looking worse than when this whole business started. "I did as you asked," he said turning his eyes to the female, adding, "And it looks like you have found what you came for. So my reward." He was right, I did owe him a reward, in the form of two-thousand credits. Sadly, I did not have two-thousand credits. I nodded my head and in the next instance one of my ignited blades dug deep into his chest.

"You killed him," the female said hysterically.

"A fate you will share," I said reaching out through the Force to slowly choke the life from her.

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

Coruscant (Underworld) --- 1530 Hours



I left the two dead bodies to be consumed by spider-roaches and other dead flesh eating vermin, or if the two corpses were lucky they would be discovered quickly and properly dealt with. I did feel a sense of defeat as I parted company with the alleyway. I hoped that my first contact would provide me with more information to work with, but all it did was waste my precious time. I did learn that the New Breed were cautious and organized enough to cover their tracks, which didn't really bode well for my investigation. I began to consider the idea that this troublesome group was going to make my time here extremely difficult.

I checked the next name on my list and the information of his known haunts. It seemed he enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh, frequently indulging in the services of those that traded their bodies for credits. So I was headed to a brothel in the red-light district of the underworld. I entered the brothel, which contained thick smells of sweat, sex, and death-sticks. This was a place that tugged on my nerves. I'm no morality angel, but I strongly felt places like this held no place in the galaxy, especially on the planet of Coruscant, capital world of the One Sith. I was not here to shut or burn down the place, even though that idea kept reoccurring in my mind.

"I'm looking for someone," I began as I stopped at the front desk. The female Twi'lek smiled at me then replied, "Then you have come to the right place. What is your greatest desire? Single action? Threesomes? Foursomes? Bondage? Roleplaying? What ever you can afford, we can make your dreams come true." For one moment I was shocked, I mean if I was one of those types that would gladly trade credits to indulge in my baser needs, I would have jumped right in, leaving the lifejacket behind. But I wasn't one of those types and my heart, dark and cold as it was, already belonged to another, and it didn't cost me anything to indulge myself with her.

"There seems to be a lack of understanding between us. I'm looking for this man," I told her showing a picture of him to the Twi'lek, and then quickly added, "And not in the way your tainted mind thinks!" The woman slowly peeled her eyes from me to place them on the holoimage I was showing her. She leaned back in her chair returning her gaze to me and said, "I'm sorry sir, but we do not give out information pertaining to our clients. Policy and all." I leaned closer to her and replied, "I care nothing for your policy, your clients, your working staff, your bosses, or you." For added effect, I dipped into the Force and struck at her mind, planting a small image of her burning in her chair. I'm no master of Force Fear, but I do have the knowledge to make it successful against less willed individuals.

Watching her shake slightly, I added, "If you won't give me the information, I can simply rip it from you. And lady, up until meeting me, you've yet to feel real pain." The receptionist righted herself and whispered to me, "He was here but he left over an hour ago. But he does spend alot of time with the girls here." I put my device away and handed her a joint-connected comlink. "If he returns, notify me at once. He is dangerous and a potential threat to the girls and this establishment," I told her, naturally lying about the last part.

"Dangerous? If he comes back I will contact you at once."

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

Coruscant (Underworld) --- 1654 Hours


I wandered the area all revved up with no place to go, waiting for the call that I hoped would break this case wide open. Instead I found myself indulged in a conversation about politics with two young boys. I was not surprised at all that they held strong convictions about the Sith Empire, for their concerns and beliefs where imprinted upon them by their parents. Brainwashing was a concept that danced a jig on both sides of the wall, but it was my duty to make these boys dance properly on the side of the wall I lived.

"Yes, the Sith are known to adopt stances and policies most of the galaxy would render historically monstrous, but to cast an uneducated judgement that all Sith are created equal, well, that is just blind thinking," I responded sitting down next to them. "Propaganda is a monster, or disease, that when left unchecked by individuals who question what is right and what is wrong without fact finding answers for themselves leads to chaos, despair, and misery."

The two boys looked at one another, then following my suit sat down opposite me. "But the Sith kill," one of the boys said to me. "True, we do," I replied handing one of the boys one of my lightsabers, taking solace in watching his eyes glow with delight. "But Sith kill out of preservation of their own lives. The Sith are known to kill because the Jedi, and those that support them, have been bred to think this way for centuries. Those that don't understand us are quick to condemn. What if I told you the Jedi are responsible for more death than the Sith?"

One of the boys leaned forward, the other trying to push him back with an arm, only to have his arm swatted away. "How so," he inquired. "The Jedi are oppressors, wanting everyone to fall in line with their thinking. They preach peace, yet wage war. They preach emotional attachments are forbidden, yet cast those that find true love as outcasts, or better put, persons that fall to the Dark Side."

The boy that tried to restrain his friend looked at me, then asked, "So if I became a Jedi I wouldn't be able to love?" I patted the boy on his head as I answered, "No. You would be restricted to love those people, those objects, and those toys that could danger you." Both boys looked at one another, then at me as one of the boys said, "I'm confused."

"Understandable. What is your name," I asked the boy that recently questioned me.

"Kierk"

"Kierk, imagine you possessed a toy that nobody in your neighbor had, a toy you loved and a toy you only wanted for yourself. Now say another boy wanted your toy, and made it apparent he wanted it, what would you do?"

"Protect my toy," he answered.

"And why is that?"

"Because it's mine! It's my toy not theirs!"

"And would you do anything to protect what your heart feels is rightfully yours?"

"Yes!"

I took back my lightsaber and said, "This is my toy, should I do whatever to keep it since it is rightfully mine?"

"Yes," both boys said in unison.

"And that is what it means to be Sith!"

My comlink pinged, followed by a message from the girl at the brothel. Smiling behind my mask, I stood up and said, "Then let us go see truth, happiness, and our protection of toys in person."

 

[Clovis Torcularis]

I led the two boys toward the brothel, a place I felt was not right for them, but I was an eager boy once so I completely understood the need to see the flesh of my opposite gender alignment. We entered the unholy place, called by those that felt holy enough to deem it as such, and immediately one of the boys raised his fists in a fighting stance and yelled, "Dar'hm!" The display had caught me unawares, but when I noticed his anger was focused toward the female Twi'lek secretary, I turned an anger face toward her myself. I'm a killer through and through, but when it comes to the injustices of children, then I'm a saint among saints.

Dar'hm quickly reached under her desk, prompting me to spend Force energy to grip her throat, holding her tight and secure. "You know this woman," I asked the boy in a soothing voice. Dropping his fists, he said, "Yes! She and some man kidnapped girls from my neighborhood, including my sister, for something I don't understand!"

"Really, you don't say?," I replied applying more force to my choke hold.

"Please masked man, help my sister!"

I looked over at this Dar'hm, feeling her anxiety grow in the Force. "There are two subjects I hate more than Jedi," I bellowed. "Liars and kidnappers of children, and it seems you are both!"

Before I could make a justifiable killing, I needed to hear the testimony of the condemned. Releasing my hold slightly I posed two questions to her. "First question, are you working with my target, or better yet, have you tipped him off?" She nooded 'yes'. Growling I asked the second question, "Did you take this boy's sister?" Again she nodded 'yes'. Growling again I asked a follow up question. "Is she dead?"

The second she nodded her head 'yes', I snapped her neck.

While I basked in the killing of this Twi'lek, the boy said, "I know the man that killed my sister, but for me to get solace in my sister's death, you need to help me."

"You know where this man is?"

"I do!"

"Then take me to him!"