Session export: [Arx Adventures Anthology] The Hunt for PSL

A whistle, amplified as it reverberated from within a beskar helmet, sounded out from the Mandalorian leaning casually against a lamp post.

“Peeling one off from the Grand Master, you say? Somebody either has the biggest pair I have ever heard of, or a very serious deathwish.” Alex flexed his arm, the force of his shoulder against the solid metal propelling him back to a fully upright stance as one gauntleted hand skimmed through the air with fingers spread wide. “Regardless, it seems it would fall to us to educate this erstwhile interceptor on the grave nature of the mistake they have made.”

As he spoke, his boots struck lightly across the ground of the plaza, tracing a gently meandering path as he thought. “Now, I myself am not terribly talented as an investigator per se - really more of an enforcer and executioner when it comes to these sorts of things - but I do suppose a glance through the information and scene of the crime could not hurt…though I am quite sure some of the rest of you will glean far more of use from it than I will.”

Zig Kaliska leaned similarly to her Proconsul, and had already started to get her equipment out without being asked. She, too, was no detective but she did know a thing or two about droids.

She opened her datapad and started to take some pictures, pinching and rotating things on the semi holographic interface. Before Alex could ask, “No Touchy,” she said.

A small, multicolored tooka with long, literally shining metallic fur of violet, carnation and goldenrod, that had been following the sun around the steep shadow of the Ascent, like an inverted sun dial, rose to its feet and trotted over at the Deputy’s arrival. In a flash of misty, fragrant light, running water and green life, it transformed into a person, willow-thin and dressed in a simple tunic and skirt, barefoot, with satchels hung off his person. Long hair was pulled into intricate braids, and concern splashed across the Kessuryn-Fierrerro hybrid’s features at mention of the droids.

“Are the droids alright, Master Sir Violist?” he asked, sole hand ringing in his braid. “Damaged? Can anything be done for them?”

The slow turn of the head and the unblinking black hole sun stare alone were enough to make the hybrid quell as he had to his Masters for over a century. He choked back any sound of protest in the nature of trying anyway or fear, bowing deeply and retreating.

Kalen gotten somewhat hip to the groove when it came to the style scene in the Brotherhood. Instead of the Jedi robes or armor that often earned him dirty looks from many of his Plagueian brothers and sisters. He had chosen to go with his new stylish envoy threads he had picked up on his recent trip to Arx Minor.

He had oddly found himself redirected back to Arx only a few days after his last visit. He and D(3PO) stood and listened to the DGM speak, then heard the reply from the Mando and then the DGMs interactions with the barefoot person.

“Where’s the transport now boss?” Kalen asked simplistically, realizing if they were hunting down criminals, time was likely of the essence. <@185936112441622529>

“Hmmm, probably shoulda noticed that.” Kalen nodded contritely then turned to his Droid.

“Lets go have a look D, see what we can see.”

“Of course Master Joss, might I advise a cellular resonance scan, they are ever so helpful at determining identities of most humanoid species. Or perhaps a detailed sonagraphic interpolation matrix, those can also be quiet illuminating in situations such as these…” The erstwhile, chatterbox, golden 3P0 droid gazed about curiosly as he tottered along a pace or two behind his master.

“Were there organic crew?”

Iphis wasn’t skulking around in back, exactly. Her height made skulking an unrealistic proposition. But she’d been in back regardless, fainting scowling at everyone who’d spoken so far.

As Zig started to run her scan, her eyes flitted to the pale woman with the mechanical arm. Her eyes wandered, curious on multiple levels, but then something flashed on her datapad that seemed to be more exciting as her eyes narrowed and she focused in the details of the scan as she attempted to skim the local signals.

The soft chords of a seven stringed-hallikset gently echoed through the air, as a lone female rapidly approached the destination blinking on her locator. She sailed above the lights of the city atop the back of a massive Keeradak with dark scales, the wind fanning her cascade of pale pink hair over her shoulders. Her playing was interrupted by the Nexu known as Azila that nearly crawled into her lap, or at least as much as the creature could fit. Syrena extended a white gloved hand, offering the creature a gentle pat on the head.

She slung her hallikset back over one shoulder and braced, holding on firmly to Azila, as the Keeradak swiftly dipped lower and crested to a smooth landing. The Nexu leapt off in an instant, the creature’s gleaming red eyes scanning their surroundings expectantly. Syrena stepped forwards, her light silver armor shimmering in the dim light with each movement as she strode towards the group.

“I do hope I’m not too fashionably late to the party,” The Zeltron female stated with a dazzling smile and a quick wave. However, her smile faltered upon noting the recent facts of the conversation at hand. “Those poor, innocent droids…”

Ever the optimist, she drew in a breath and quickly refocused, her tone brightening as she began to recite the details of the mission she’d gathered so far. “Alrighty, then. Into the ship we go—past the droid graveyard. Perhaps a moment to pay respects if time allows, though I doubt it. And beyond that… the package, of course.“

“I assume there wasn’t any tracking device on the shipment itself, so whats the assignment? Get it back? Or just get whoever stole it?” Kalen asked as he casually scanned the surface if the ship and duracrete around. There was signs of something happening, a few blaster scorched, and the detritus of Droids, but nothing immediately popped out as odd. Could have been an inside job, or not. Could have been some pros or a bunch of hacks making a score. It was tough to know.

D trapped over a severed Droid leg “Ewww, how ghastly.” The Droid said in reference to his ‘dead’ mechanical compatriots. <@185936112441622529>

Amongst the buzz of the gathered, impromptu, investigators the familiar buzz of a Lambda-class shuttle’s engines landing didn’t even register as a distraction. There was an energy amongst the gathered beings. Whether it was to try and curry favor with the Council, with the Grand Master, credits, or just to find out what would cause such a stir drove them with nearly singular focus for the moment.

A lone figure descended the shuttle’s ramp. Clad in a velvet gray cloak the Justicar surveyed the scene. He had been brief en route by one of aids but Kamjin had always been a hands on man.

Without disturbing the investigation in progress he took in the various questions being asked and Renatus’s curt responses.

This was done by something who knew what they were after. Kamjin slowly made his way to standby the Deputy Grand Master. “Who else knew this shipment was being delivered today?”

<@185936112441622529>

Kamjin’s lips twitched as he absorbed what Renatus had shared. Stepping over to Zig who was busy with the electronics he glanced at the scrolling information. “Can you identify how the slicer got into our systems?”

At Syrena’s arrival and mention of paying respects, Rue seemed to contemplate the loophole. The Master had said they could not try to fix them; but nothing against a small rite.

Reaching into his satchel, the hybrid withdrew a few flowers, carefully picking between blooms before settling on two. He crept silently over to the droids, rounding so as to stay out of anyone’s way, and leaned near the mauled metallic forms. He placed a flower upon each, smile promising, gaze sad and very old.

“I am sorry, I do not know your names,” he began softly, though not so soft another couldn’t hear. “But you deserve to be remembered, and no one should go unnamed, so for now, this one will name you. You can be…Belladonna and Bittersweet. These are Silence and Truth. And I will remember you and your duty done. Go now and dream, safe in the arms of the Mother Moon, blessed be.”

As he spoke, Rue lifted his hand, holding it over the bodies. A faint golden glow accompanied his prayers, and the flowers he had placed suddenly began to grow, sprouting new stamens and roots from their ends that rapidly crawled over the dismembered pieces of machinery, erupting with more blooms and leaves as they went. The growth was small, but encompassing; like the a network of capillaries branching through the body, smaller than threads, breakable with a breath, greenery connected the parts, as if to make the corpses whole again, if only for a moment, to say they were alive, once, and worth the respect of burial that way.

Iphis rolled her eyes and unceremoniously stepped over the broken droids.

The vessel hadn’t had organic crew. It had been compelled to land remotely, without violence, and its droid crew likewise disabled. Yet this wasn’t a fully automated attack. As soon as she stepped into the wreck of the transport, Iphis spotted blood on a bent and jagged piece of alloy. Somebody had been here to liberate the cargo personally.

She knelt down and swept a bit of the still-liquid blood up with one finger. Then she raised the finger to her lips and licked up her prize. Underwhelming. Nothing exotic. Probably just some jackass, clumsy and not wearing thick enough pants to wander around a crash site.

The Hapan looked to Zig. “Are the droids going to tell us anything useful or do we need to host a séance for them first?”

Alex prodded at a bit of the shuttle with one of his boots, idly inspecting it. As he had said, the actual act of investigating was far from his strong suit but he could at least come up with some ideas for people better at it than he was to give a try.

“Not a bad thought,” he squatted down near the Droid pile as he spoke, “though I can only imagine someone who was meticulous enough to deconstruct them so thoroughly would have wiped their memory cores as well. Cannot hurt to take a peek, I suppose. Worst case we get a better idea of the level of professional we are dealing with here.”

The readout of the heads-up display in his helmet simply read the parts as ‘scrap’, not even managing to acknowledge that they had once been whole beings. Just one additional indignity to follow their destruction, he supposed, but of little consequence in the moment.

<@189568236201705472>

Zig didn’t look up from her datapad.

“To intercept any actual feeds, I would need to go to the source and tap directly into the node. The droids, though, received some kill command.”

She frowned. Almost offended. “And judging by the angle of the sparks and chasiss…they were dismantled after that fact. And the way they went about it…cruel? The shuttle was directed to shut down by an outside source.”

She finally looked up and realized who she was talking to. “Er, your judge-excellency…ship?”

“Cruel how?” Iphis asked, before his judge-excellencyship could respond.

Zig looked up and immediately flushed, noting the pretty pale ladies’ attention being focused on her. Fortunately her auburn cheeks hid it from being too obvious.

“Usually you don’t remove the limbs systemically, or rip out the core wiring or non-vital systems.” She pointed. “It would be like taking a humanoid organics small intestine or heart out, and then doubling back to break their kneecaps.. ”

Rue made a small, mournful meu at that. Some of the flowers grew a little bit thicker, blooming bigger on the motorized joints, as if trying to make up for the kneecaps issue.

“Kam is fine,” though the smile the Justicar gave suggested it was best not to jump to that level of familiarity immediately. “Where would the most likely location for someone to access the source code?”

Syrena observed the scene, before slinging her pure white hallikset back over her shoulder. She swiftly played a few soft chords in a short melody, the instrument’s strings softly glowing with pale silver light upon being played—a wordless, trained command. Both beasts stirred in immediate response.

The Keeradak fanned her leathery dark amethyst wings, ready to scour the ruins—until something caught her attention. Flowers. With a mirthful swoop, she darted forward, snapping blossoms between rows of fangs. She swept into a practiced flourish, landing beside Rue with surprising grace. The Keeradak bowed her horned head and presented the flowers, as though pleased with her performance.

“Veryth hasn’t done much field work. And she absolutely adores flowers… The last time she was around this many was during the Rancor Ballet…” Syrena began to explain to the group, carefully leaping across the debris of various droids.

Azila, the massive Nexu, answered the spectacle with a low, dismissive growl. Thick shoulders rolled beneath her hide as she weaved between the various fragments of metal, watching Iphis through rows of curious red eyes. She sniffed at the same blood the other female had inspected, a feline expression of a smile curving it’s way across her mouth, revealing rows of jagged fangs.

With the lash of her tail, Azila stalked ahead through the shadows. Sensing that she was on the hunt, Syrena followed silently behind her beloved beast, moving carefully with a dancer’s precision, as though to not disturb the evidence. With another growl, this one holding an upwards pitch, it was a clear indication to Syrena that her Nexu had indeed made a discovery–– The dim shine of more traces of blood, in a weaving trail that led away from the main plaza.

“Azila’s found something,” Syrena said over her shoulder. “This is our way forward.”

If Rue was distressed by the keeradak suddenly showing up and starting to eat his sepulchral offering, he did not show it. Especially as she swooped and presented them back with a distinctly ladylike fashion. Instead he accepted them and, after a pause, extended his hand in case she would accept a pat or sniff it. “Thank you, Veryth. You are magnificent.”

“I would prefer it if we could garner some clue of who or what we are pursuing before we set off, if possible. Your beastie may have caught the trail but there is little way of knowing just from that if we are chasing one hapless fool who slashed themselves open on a bit of jagged shuttle, or if said culprit has already been chastised by a group of fellows for their clumsy execution.” Alex tapped the heel of his palm against his beskar breastplate, emitting a clanking thud.

“I am not terribly concerned for my own safety, should there be one or a dozen of them, but I do like to have some idea of the sort of odds I can expect. Makes it a damn sight easier to keep the rest of you safe if I have an inkling of the amount of fire I need to draw…”

“Justi…Kam, okay, right, well,” Zig shook her head slightly. “Anyway, our best bet would be any of the Inquisitorius listening stations spread out across the planet. Their link to the A.I.N should have enough access for me to discern more information. But we’ll need to make sure the site hasn’t been compromised…and we’d need to move quick because it would be easy for a seasoned Slicer to cover their tracks…”

She glanced at her Proconsul. “Right, let the boss stand in fire and then stand behind him.”

Kamjin stared at Zig for a moment not quite sure what to make of the woman. “Looks like we’re going to a listening station then.”

With Syrena’s nexu tracking a scent and Miss Zig and Master Justikam describing a stationary visit, Rue inferred some sort of departure was soon at hand. Rising from his spot beside the keeradak and the flower-wreathed droid corpses, he skittered, one careful, single step at a time, back towards the violist.

“U-um, p-pardon, th-is one, s-Sir M-Master Violist,” the hybrid began, reaching once more into his satchel. He carefully pulled out a small, clear platisteel camtono, of the sort one might carry samples in, in which there was dark, rich soil that almost sparkled with black flecks and a rooted flowering plant of some sort. “U-um. Pardon. But. When t-this one was s-summoned and s-saw you were to be here, it thought p-perhaps, it might convey th-is to you?”

His voice was a whisper at the end, but he focused his gaze on the plant and carried on.

“The Sol'Vidas could not immediately take everything to the new farm from the Selen. Several species were left behind, or cannot survive on Kasiya, but Miss Azarea was saddened by this. I took this cutting to convey to her, as we continue to rebuild the greenhouse stock there. I thought, perhaps, as you are a visitor of Miss Lula’s, that you might be there sooner than I? And could give this to them?”

<@185936112441622529>

As the group prepared to leave, Zig navigating a course and following her Proconsul’s instructions to let him tank/lead, she casually it wasn’t casual sidled up near the Deputy Grand Master.

“Soo…” she started, ignoring his resting pleasedontsaywhatithinkyouregoingtosay face. “How’s it going with Lula? Don’t worry, I have been using a domain name service proxy filter on the backend of her…each of her devices since they tend to break…so she still doesn’t know. It’s touching.”

I’m going to get smited. This is how one gets smited. But this isn’t for me, it’s for Lula!

Iphis did not bother to disguise her interest in how it was going with ‘Lula’ and why that required a Zygerrian proxy service

“Who is cold?” Rue asked, having shriveled back humbly once the plant was accepted, but now perked. “This one can help…”

Cold.

Zig swallowed down the lump in her throat. She realized why, despite their subtle bickering, Marick and Renatus got along so well. They could have a grumpy-grunty party together over tea. But he made Lula happy, and that was what mattered. The Farmer and the Lord anthology would continue without her, which was good.

“U-understood, Deputy Grand Master,” Zig said, then bowed and retreated to pacing behind Alex and next to Kamjin.

She cast a sidelong glance at the pale woman with the mechanical arm, tilted her head, but then returned her attention to her datapad.

“Anyway, it’s only a few blocks away…and we shouldn’t have much trouble getting formal access.”

“Seems like a Justicar problem, doesn’t it?”

As they strode along the way, Alex casually juggled Glory from hand to hand occasionally pulling off a spin or twist in the air as the blaster travelled the arc through the air.

“Probably do not need to do anything particularly fancy. I daresay I imagine at least one - probably a couple - of us may just be members of the Inquisitorius.” The casualness with which the Mandalorian spoke of the secret intelligence network of the Brotherhood was not atypical for his approach to all things in life, though it was certainly the first time those familiar with him had heard it applied to such a traditionally clandestine topic.

“Or none of us are - honestly unlikely but not impossible - and then I suppose we gain access through a slightly more complicated channel.”

Sofila watched as Cole left to go to work for the day.

With a small giggle to herself, she went to her datapad, pulled up a certain blog and-

What was this!?

There was no updates on her new favorite fanfiction!?

ZIGZIZIZIZIZIIZIZIGGGGG When will you do another update on the Farmer and the Lord?! I have to know more! ZIGGGGG ANSWWEREEEERRR MEEEEEEE

Zig noticed a ping and got excited for a moment, then had a moment of panic instead.

Hey Sof-I uh, ran into a bit of delay during my uh...research into the next issue. As usual we apprecaite your patronage and don't forget to smash the like/follow button okay byeee

Kalen was at once annoyed and confused. Annoyed by D’s constant blathering, and second confused at the entire scene around him. He looks to his right and saw the Ascent, INQ HQ on Arx. Presumably one of the safest places on the planet if not in all of Brotherhood territory.

To his right he saw a group of highly placed, and presumably highly ranked fellow Brothers and Sisters, some still discussing the situation in small groups, and others moving off across the plaza, heading for the nearest secret police listening post(or so he overheard).

In Kalens mind this was either a precisely orchestrated inside job, or one of the most brazen and cocksure attacks anyone could ever attempt. It was surreal. What the fluff did they steal?

Kalen looked around the perimeter of the plaza, and then it dawned on him…this might all have been a ruse. He looked to the group of Brotherhood leaders, who all outranked him on the presumed pecking order. Maybe this had all been orchestrated to set an ambush?

At that moment he became very aware of his surroundings. He quickly, but discreetly began scanning the group’s of plain clothed agents and police who were manning, what Kalen assumed was a makeshift security cordon around the perimeter of the crime scene.

Any one of them could have been in on this. And anyone one of them could open fire or set off a bomb and kill a half dozen Council or clan Summit leaders.

With his delivery done, Rue retreated from the chatting, sensing distinctly that the Violist, like a crown-shy Avicennia germinans, would rather wither than be near so many others. Instead he heeded Syrena’s call and trotted over towards her and Azila.

“This one will accompany you,” he said, adding, softly, “it does not wish anyone to be hurt. Even those committing larceny. They should be safe and stand trial… this is the Law.”

As Kalen wandered about, getting just close enough to each group of people that he presumed were agents for long enough to sense if there was any abnormal deciet or anxiety in any of them. All he found was professional minds on duty and a bunch of curios wonderings.

“Why dont you head back to ship D, tell Karra to get her ready for launch.” Kalen was almost sure that the thieves have likely left the planet already. In the attempts to keep this situation quiet, a full shut down of the aerospace around Arx had not been conducted. So the thieves easily could habe skipped away on any ship in any direction.

He noticed the nexu seemingly catch a scent and what he assumed was its owner following it. Kalen walked over and decided to follow them.

“Hi Rue.” Kalen said as he walked up behind him. He easily recognized the guy who Corra could stop talking about recently now that she was in this ‘I need to learn about science and stuff’ phase of hers.

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“Sir Kalen,” Rue acknowledged, bowing like he had to the others. “We go to follow the scent Her Ladyship Azila has detected.”

‘Indeed. And dare I suggest haste too.’ Kalen said.

Syrena’s fingers brushed against the strings of her hallikset once more, this time no melody — only a soft harmonic whisper, a gesture of reassurance to Veryth for her flourish. A soft smile touched her lips at Rue’s acceptance of her companion. The Keeradak dipped her head forwards to Rue in a welcoming gesture, giving his hand a gentle sniff.

Noting the statement, Syrena tilted her head toward Alex, her pale pink hair catching faint light as the breeze stirred. “You are not wrong,” she said evenly, her voice calm as she spoke. “The trail alone tells us little of the hand that left it…”

She gestured lightly toward the massive Nexu, who had paused to test the air with a low, throaty rumble. “I have faith in Azila, and her tracking capabilities… As well as her ability to detect if there is danger awaiting us…”

With the gentle wave of her hand, Syrena gestured for Azila to proceed forwards. The shadowy form of the Nexu gave the impatient lash of her tail, ears pinning back in focus as she began to sniff along the trail of blood, leading them further down the path.

Syrena glanced toward Rue as he spoke, her expression softening. “Your reverence for law is honorable,” she said quietly, with a gentle smile. “If only those who broke it shared such faith… The law is just, when it protects… And yet, not when it weighs heavily upon the shoulders of those without a voice. But in any case, I seek justice on behalf of those innocent, dismantled droids.”

She paused for a moment in reflection, considering what reason someone could possibly have for daring to steal from the Grand Master himself. While Syrena did not commend thievery, in her mind she silently hoped that it was the most reasonable option— Someone down on their luck, in desperate need of credits to support their family… And yet, she was doubtful this was the case.

Azila’s sudden growl broke her thoughts. The Nexu cast a sideways glance at the shadows of the streets they walked down, dropping into a defensive crouch. Syrena’s posture shifted, composed yet prepared, as she silently scanned their surroundings. “It seems we’ve caught the eyes of a few folks around here… We are in the Capital after all. We should proceed with caution nonetheless.”

As they made their way through, Azila paused at a fork in their path, broad shoulders tense as she lowered her head to the ground. The scents were muddled — cement and steel, damp soil, the faint trace of blood and various civilians all mingled into one. Her growl rumbled low, uncertain, though her rows of red eyes narrowed with predatory focus as she sifted through each scent.

Suddenly, the air around them changed. An unnatural breeze crept down, curling towards the Nexu. It sifted through the mixed smells, pulling one thread forward — a sharper, fresher trail leading to the left. Azila’s ears flicked, and she huffed once, the decision made. She gave the gestural swish of her tail in the correct direction, prowling forwards to continue leading the way.

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Kalen leaned over towards Rue and said “Are you a little creeped out right now? I’m a little creeped out… That shift in the weather didn’t seem natural.” Kalen gazed about the path, there was a few random people here and there. All seemed more concerned with the Nexu and Kerradak then anything else.

“Thank you,” Rue murmured to Syrena’s acceptance, and inclined his head to her just intentions over the droids. While he wished for no violence, he hoped yet they could be given peace.

The group proceeded, his gaze occasionally flicking and then skittering away from various people and his companions, particularly the Mistress with the metal, fascinating skeletal arm– she exuded the same air as his former Masters and Mistresses, who had looked upon itself and his litluns with dead but interested eyes just like hers.

At the fork and the question, if Kalen looked at Rue while leaned over, he would see a faint, golden misty light seeping from the hybrid’s eyes and mouth when his lips parted to speak.

“That was me,” he whispered, not wanting to distract Azila by speaking loudly. The light faded from his countenance as he eased his connection to the atmosphere around them, not entirely breaking it, to prevent the turn of the air from shifting against them in its previously natural course. He did not force it, but communed with it, encouraging its turn, singing of its secrets, its story, from the ocean to the desert to the marshes and mountains.

<@1178915035049902120> <@607619766752116771> <@371402534973341696>

‘Wooo, thats creepy but cool as fluff’ Kalen thought to himself.

“I see… neat trick. Wanna teach me sometime?” Kalen whispered, picking up on the cue to let the animal do his work.

“This one could try, Sir,” the hybrid replied.

“Thanks, I really do need to get back to my training and meditations….” Kalen was about to ask Rue another question when he noticed the Nuxu halt.

<@607619766752116771>

The scent had faded and as they looked at where the nexu was sniffing towards. It was a local space shuttle parking garage.

The sound of a GX-1 taking off filled the sky as several other vessels and speeders were soaring overhead. It was clear the thieves were gone.

Azila growled, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth as she scraped the talons of her claws across the ground in frustration, wanting to keep on with the hunt. And yet, her signal to Syrena was clear. The trail ended here.

“Looks like they got away,” She said to Kalen and the others with the shrug of her shoulders, though a look of determination lit in her silver gaze. “I suppose now it’s time to head back.”

Syrena exchanged a knowing glance with her Nexu. As they had practiced many times before, with a moment of channeled focus, the very form of the beast began to shift into a Keeradak. Fur and claws gave way to leathery black wings and dark violet scales. The Nexu’s four eyes morphed into two, still predatory in nature, glowing red. Without waiting, the newly transformed beast unfurled her wings and sailed into the air.

Veryth, lighter purple in color than that of her newly transformed partner, lowered her head to the others as though offering a ride. Syrena carefully secured her hallikset to the creature’s harness. Once whoever accepted hopped on, Veryth soared into the sky after Azila.

Syrena cast a quick glance over her shoulder, ensuring they weren’t being followed— Other than by the shadow of Iphis.

The mechanism of her jetpack flickered. Chromatic feathers began to unfurl, each one shimmering with pure silver, extending from Syrena’s back in the forms of wings. A soft glow shimmered along the edges of the metal plumage as the jetpack pulsed to life, lifting her effortlessly from the ground. With a subtle tilt, Syrena arched into the sky, soaring after the others.

<@244244163002892288> <@1178915035049902120>

“Oh, this is a most efficient idea,” remarked Rue with a trill, and after studying the keeradak a moment before and after she took off, himself shifted forward and grew in a misty twist of light. In his place was a similar creature, though of different coloring, lilac skin and floret patterns of iridescent violet, scarlet, and golden scales. A mane ran down its spine and tail as well, the same colors, and saffron eyes blinked in is face. He lowered a shoulder towards Kalen, inviting, though he didn’t have a saddle like Veryth. Iphis merely walked on.

<@1178915035049902120>

Wide eyes, Kalen gasped for a second and then tentatively climbed on the creature/dudes back. He was a bit pensive about riding a person like this, but what choice did he have. Not to mention this was his first ‘ride’ atop any other living creature let alone a human.

“Can honestly say this is a first for me Master Rue” he said as he took a seat and grabbed hold.

The Rue-keeradak made a grumbly, *mrr*ing, screechy noise that might have been an attempt at words it couldn’t make. With much wobbling gait on only one foreleg, he darted a few feet forward and then took off in a massive flap of wings, beating steadily and mightily to lift both of them up in the air. They quickly joined Syrena, Azila, and Veryth, surpassing Iphis on foot and returning to the original scene of the crime in short order. It only made sense to go on to find their teammates, and the group headed for the post the others had gone to, the animals and Ruenimals following scents.

<@607619766752116771> <@371402534973341696>

“I mean, or we could just walk in?” Zig said, looking up from her datapad finally.

The door to the facility, which was usually guarded by plain-clothes operatives, was simply open a jar. No sentry or any kind seemed to be posted there.

“For the record, I didn’t do that,” she added. “Though, I could have.”

She glanced around. “I guess we wait for the others and…after you, boss?” she gestured at Alex. “Age before brains.”

Kalen, Syrena, and Rue came walking over to the group at the LP, with Iphis on slightly behind.

“Thanks for the lift Rue….dead end, the trail led to big a shuttle park, if the scent was from our thieves they’re definitely long gone. I suggest pulling the survellance cams from atop the Ascent on the side of the building facing that shuttle parking though. We can lineup timelines and figure out possible suspects based on which ships left shortly after our robbery” Kalen said matter of factly having thought about it on the quick flight back over to them.

Alex squinted as he approached the open door of the Inquisitorius Listening Station. On the one hand it wasn’t exactly obvious what the building was and anyone who knew would never be stupid enough to try something nefarious with it. On the other hand, if you had asked him an hour ago, he would’ve told you he’d never think somebody would be stupid enough to mess with the Grand Master’s business on Arx. Both Honor and Glory leapt to his hands as he shouldered the door further open and pushed through the entryway, sweeping angles and setting his telemetry systems scanning for anything out of place. The room appeared clear, at the very least, with no obvious signs of tampering…but also no obvious signs of where the regular staff and guards may have gone.

“Room is clear,” his voice called back through the doorway. “Too clear, as a matter of fact. These stations usually have at least one agent and one guard assigned to them, but I cannot seem to find any sign of them. Regardless, I suppose someone should get in here and see what we can find - any sort of logs from the plaza, perhaps see if we can get a further bead on the tampering signal, things along those lines.”

The twin heavy blaster pistols lowered but stayed drawn as he began to cross the room, looking to head a bit deeper into the station. “I am going to take a look around and see if I can find anything that might let us know why this place is abandoned…”

Somewhere on some planet at someone’s farm…

The last few days have been lovely. He had to leave and when he left, it felt like she was snapped out of a dream that she didn’t want to end.

Thane let out a long sigh, watching as both he and Lulaire finished readying themselves for the day. He didn’t want to go back to the facades. The false promises. Whispers like knives. Yet, he had to. At least she’d be there after it all. The tall man intercepted the Farmer just as she finished with the straps on her overalls, his thumb and finger on her chin. “Until I see my <Sunrise>,” came Thane’s lilting words, finishing in Firrerreon and a soft almost tentative kiss to her forehead. “Keep yourself safe.”

“Be safe and well, my <Moonlight.>” It took her a moment to think of a nickname and it fit when she was walking home one night. The moonlight was guidance through the darkest nights for many…

“Hm,” Lulaire mused to herself as she watched the blazing sun bidding its farewell over the horizon. The waves rushed over the shoreline, retreating back to the ocean. The winds were picking up and the waves grew alongside it.

Surfing under the stars was one of her favorite things. Lula’s eyes softened when she realized she was going home and he wouldn’t be there. Was this what people meant when home wasn’t a building? She missed his laughter and his presence-

Then she blinked.

What is happening to me? The Firrerreo sighed heavily and the thoughts were gone when she sensed a slight disturbance in the Force.

Which made her sneeze.

She had a sneaking feeling someone was talking about her. The Jedi glanced upwards to the sky. Her salty hair clung to her back as the stars were starting to come out…

Who was talking about her? Was it her Zygerrian friend?

Kamjin had stayed back, observing the discussion and exploration. Clearly whatever happened here had been done by professionals. No governmental building would ever be this pristine.

He sighed, resigned to what was probably the best course of action. Walking over to a terminal he keyed in his access codes. After a series of mechanical clicks and whirls a code cylinder ejected from the top of the console.

Turning to Zig he offered the Zygerrian the cylinder. “This will give you full access to the information within this location. It will only last for a couple hours so work quickly.” Kamjin held the cylinder a moment longer as he pressed it into her palm. “Don’t try to copy anything or create a back door…it…wouldn’t be a good idea.”

<@189568236201705472>

Kalen followed Syrena Rue and Iphis into the listening post, and as he did, he took his own advise and pulled out his Inq Datalink and began pulling the holo feeds of the security cameras on the side of the Ascent facing the shuttle park and the plaza and open ‘parkland’ that they had just trapesed through. Hoping to spot their suspects or atleast the ship type they were flying.

<@185936112441622529>

“Hey all, have a look at this.” Kalen said after cross referencing what he was finding on his datalink to a terminal in the LP. Intent on showing everyone the missing or altered holocam segments and data, Kalen waved them over.

With the Some Blood group all arriving, except for Iphis, who didn’t want to play anymore what with Daddy leaving and was protesting by trudging back on foot, the various keeradaks became nexu, Rue, and still a keeradak again. Kalen was first in to look over terminals with Zig, Alex, and maybe Kam, and Rue bid his call to come look at the screen.

Not having been asked to say anything, he blinked placidly at the others.

“What is it?” Iphis was peering over Rue’s shoulder, courtesy of the Kessurian-thing’s atrocious posture.

The voice coming from right next to him, close enough to feel the words on his skin, elicited a yelping squeak from said thing and he jolted in fright, half-climbing the nearest tall, friendly-shaped thing.

Which happened to be Zig, who, while pointy and armored, had been called a friend by Esen and Remy, and he trusted their judgement.

<@189568236201705472>

“Well, it seems someone, or multiple people have specifically altered records and cut our cam feeds that would specifically give us our target….” he glanced back and forth from his datalink to the terminal, “the altered logs and missing segments of video were too targeted to have been coincidence. I dont like saying this…but this appears to be an inside job.” Kalen said.

Zig faught hard against her base, primal instinct to make a joke about back-doors. In a moment of maturity, and understanding who she was being talked to by, she let it slide. It was a near thing, though. “Er, thank you sir. This will…definitely help open doors I couldn’t get through previously.” She forced an innocent-ish grin.

She blinked as she was…climbed by Rue? “Hello Rue, it’s okay,” she replied calmly, and if this was not anything outside of the ordinary for her daily life. Which, if you spent any amount of time on the Voidbreaker you would know was not too far off.

She continued to poke at her datapad with the “help” of the Justicar’s code cylinder. “Mixed footage of the on-duty guards…and it looks like they just let someone in. There’s traces in the code of the records trying to be scrubbed, but they only did a zero-pass method instead of multi-layer…which, rookie move honestly, and it looks like…” she squinred, crinkling her nose a bit. “The shipping manifest shows up, however, but the only trace on it seems to be the initials…‘P’, ‘S’, ‘L’…”

She glanced at the others.

Upon realizing it was “only” the terrifying Mistress that had come up behind him, Rue…didn’t detach from Zig. But the Zygerrian’s easy and accepting, calm assurance helped, and he climbed down, quickly bowing and apologizing for being a burden.

With the given information, it indeed seemed the job was done inside, as opposed to outside, given the person had come indoors. And that the guards had not stopped them at all. So…

“Perhaps they were friends?” the hybrid suggested, considering the letters. He pulled out one of many notebooks and wrote them down, already listing combinations that could have corresponded to the acronym.

“Papavar somniferum laciniatum, Plantanacae Sapindopsis magnifo*l*ia, Proteacecae Stirlingia latifolia, hmmm, no, no, it is unlikely to have anything to do with plants…Projective special linear group? Photostimulated luminescence? Oh! Perhaps the stolen goods involve x-ray equipment? Oh or they are of the sweet of heart. Sulla tells me it is a common practice to carve a romantic partner’s initials into objects unsuited for carving.”

Coming back from the far end of the outpost Alex finally holstered his blasters, having determined to his satisfaction that no threat lingered here.

“I can find neither hide nor hair of anyone that should have been here as having been here. It is quite like just nobody even bothered to show up to work this morning - rather uncharacteristic for the Inquisitorius, in my experience, most of the membership thereof being ever too eager to show up and ruin somebody’s day.” He glanced casually over Zig’s shoulder at the garbled footage, showing somebody having been let into the post.

“Whoever came here had enough authority to be let in unquestioned, give the order to remove traces of them having been here, and I can only presume even enough authority to order everyone present to vacate the facility.” As he spoke he cast a sidelong look at Rue’s notebook jotting, his own mind trying to decode possibilities for the initials. “Whatever it was that was taken, it is not only an inside job,“ he nodded toward Kalen in acknowledgement, "but a pretty damned high-level one at that. We might be looking at a high-ranking Inquisitor, or even possibly a member of the Council…”

<@244244163002892288> <@1178915035049902120>

Kalen just whistled in amazement. He tapped at the terminal and had it replay the cam footage sequence where the Inquisitor let the shadowy figure inside. It did seem like the person may have been known, or had performed some sort of mind trick to enter because there was no immediate struggle apparent on any of the footage. The holocam was also inconclusive on anything that could immediately identify the cloaked figure. It was also clear that the agent who let the person in appeared to be the only one on duty at the time. Or atleast the only one who had appeared on any footage.

“Question 1, who is that? Question 2 where are the agents who should have been on duty. Were they sent home? Because if they’re ‘missing’, I’d suggest they are prime suspects aswell as this cloaked figure.

<@185936112441622529>

“Do the initials P.S.L ring a bell to anyone?” she asked the group. She debated messaging Jax…perhaps he would know?

“Plagueis, Sith legend.” Iphis cut her eyes over to Kalen. “It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you.”

“Oh do not start with that shit,” Alex groaned.

Zig blinked, looking back and forth. “Ladies, you’re both pretty, lets focus on finding this P.S.L guy.”

She fired off a quick message to Jax, seeing if he perhaps knew anything of the acronym. <@244244163002892288>

Kalen caught the reference to his clan, but he wasn’t sure about the deeper inferences as he had only been a Plagueian for less then 2 months and wasn’t really into learning the deeper secrets even when the info was offered to him. He was too busy trying to earn credits, being in love with Corra, making friends, leasing some property and buying a DIY prefabricated dwelling kit and having it shipped to Aliso.

“Can we run a trace on who that agent is? Track him down? And get him into custody? Like now?” He asked as he looked around the room at the others “I have a feeling that might be really important.”

Zig shrugged, and tried to ascertain a trace using Kamjins aditional access and by her own ease of accessing the terminal inside.

“That was…almost concerningly easy,” Zig said as she scratched the side of her head. “Welp, looks like he’s a regular Inquisitor living in Eos City’s residential section. Carl Magnamus. Honestly, who comes up with your human names?” she asked, completely skirting over the fact that her name was not exactly “typical” of her species.

It was moments later that Zig got not a text reply, as Jax absolutely would have done because it was the acceptable social protocol here, but rather an incoming call.

When Zig answered, the holoscreen filled with the image of the large Zygerrian-Shistavanen hybrid, magnificent hair up in a protective towel. He was bare from the chest down where visible, piles of bubbles clinging to his chest and shoulders and the water he was in. Her niece, Marrien Moon, was sitting in her bath floaties in the tub, splashing at toys that had been abandoned when Jax picked up his comm in a fury. He stuck his snout right up to the camera, peeks of blue eyes wild.

“ZIGARASHE WHERE ARE YOU THAT HAS PUMPKIN SPICE ALREADY?!” he beseeched. “We have to go RIGHT NOW.”

“Puh'in,” Moo Moo contributed, her tiny face obviously confused as she heard her auntie but couldn’t smell her, big ears swiveling. “Zzeh.”

<@189568236201705472>

Zig smiled back, unable to not. But then she locked eyes with Jax and let out an audible sigh. “Of course. How could I have not realized…but you are right, the leaves on Arx haven’t even changed color yet. Anyway, that should help. You’re the best.”

“Wait wait, bring me back a–” he started to ramble off an order, and in the background, Kobign’s exasperatedly fond chuff could be heard before he saved the datapad from death in the bath. “See you, Zig. Let us know if you need anything, eh?”

In the ensuing pause, Rue asked, “What is pumpkin spice?”

Boredom, amusement, and a smug sense of superiority battled it out for control of Iphis’ expression before it settled into a bemused tedium. “I am also unfamiliar with pumpkin spice, or any spice I’d want to casually admit using in front of the Justicar,” she said.

The hybrid seemed particularly stricken by this. His ears folded down and hide eyes widened as he looked at Kamjin, then at his own pouches, as if guilty.

-# “But…but many herbs used as spices are quite useful in medical and healing properties and also symbolize many things…”

“Not that sort of spice,” Alex shook his head. “At least, not the one Jax would be interested in. It is a collection of spices, generally used in the preparation of pumpkin-based confectionaries. Warm spices mostly. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, that sort of thing. At some point extremely basic people got far too obsessed with the mix and started using it in damn near everything, even things it has no business being in.”

He looked up from the datapad he had been browsing Arcona intelligence records for anything they had on Carl Magnamus to find some confused eyes turned his way. “What? I bake. A man has to have some hobbies to pass the time.”

“So…so Sir Carl…and another…stole this pumpkin spice from the Grandest Master?”

“Stole something with the initials of P.S.L.,” he returned to looking through records on his datapad. “I do sincerely hope that all of this fuss is not over a supply of pumpkin spice lattes. …Though I have been sent on stupider missions.”

“Well, at any rate, now I want to try one.”

“My thoughts exactly. Can we get a unit to check his residence and put out a general order for any law enforcement to detain him on sight?” Kalen asked, knowing that the crucial time period was occurring right at that very minute. Instead of chatting about whatever the fluff ‘pumped kin spice’ and taking random comm calls, they should be actively pursuing the few leads they had just found.

The cam footage and missing or altered files clearly showed that this was likely and inside job, that Carl was an accomplice willing or otherwise, and they the culprits likely had left the planet already. Time was running short and the leads would dry up soon if they didnt move quickly.

Zig snorted at the pale woman’s remark but covered it with a cough into her hand.

She narrowed her eyes at the Deputy Grand Master. “You gotta be kidding me.”

“While Master Sir Violist was quite adept at handling the youngling bovids on the farm with Miss Lula, I do not believe he is at this time doing any kidding. None of the does are due to kid for another…” His eyes squinched as he thought. “…three Kasiyan planetary weeks?”

Zig fought to not run her palm down the front of her face

Kalen just shook his head and raised his comm to his lips “D, have Karracca get the ship ready to take off, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Kalen was on the scent and intended to follow it like a Uvenan bloodhound. He also pulled out his Inquisitor datalink and sent out the ‘apprehend on sight’ all point bulletin that he had reccomended himself since he didnt see anyone else jumping on it. He had only read the memo about being named an Inquisitor himself a few weeks prior, so this would be his first official act in that capacity.

Alex simply smiled, though hidden behind his helmet, as Kalen went into a flurry of rapid activity. Before the other man could make it to the door, a long, drawn-out whistle split the air from the Mandalorian. Leaning against the far wall, he held up his datapad.

“All well and good to want to get on top of things as quickly as possible, young man, but some of us tend to prefer some idea of where we are going before we barrel full-tilt toward it.” On the screen of the datapad were displayed pictures, names, addresses, just absolute scads of information. Known residence of Magnamus; photos of shops, restaurants and modes of transit he frequented; a list of known family, friends, and associates along with their addresses; what kind of toothpaste they preferred to use; a homework assignment Carl had turned in back in third grade. The Dajorra Intelligence Agency was nothing if not thorough.

“Some of us,” Alex flicked at the datapad, sending the information to those gathered for the investigation as he strode casually toward the door, “prefer to work smarter before working harder.” As he brushed past Kalen and exited the Listening Post, a casual toss sent his datapad spinning through the air before smoothly dropping into the messenger bag slung at his lower back.

If Rue had intended to inquire after Zig’s reproductive health, the moment was lost in the shuffle as Kalen went to take off and Alex slowed him. Quietly the hybrid followed the others out, though not without smiling brightly at Thane.

“I’m starting to learn that working harder and smarter aren’t mutually exclusive…and a smidgen of teamwork goes along way too.” Kalen chuckled and followed the armor clad Mando out of LP, sensing both the man’s competence and confidence.

“So, you got a name?” Kalen said as he caught up to Alex.

“Oh, about as many as there are stars in the sky,” Alex didn’t even turn toward Kalen as he spoke, instead scanning the street for a nearby transport they could use.

“To some I am called the Dark Prince, others know me as He With A Thousand Enemies. Some things I am called I cannot pronounce for they are in the tongues of species I do not speak.” Finally spotting what he was looking for, Alex flagged down a Droid-operated hovervan-for-hire and began putting in priority codes to their destination.

“Most folks around here just call me Alex.‘

Kalen picked up his pace and passed the Mando “Feel free to hop in with me then Alex. My ships parked at the shuttlepark right there” Kalen pointed at the main shuttle park across from the Ascent a few hundred yards away across the plaza.

“If we find this guy at his appartment or nearby that’d get me thinking he might just be a patsy. If his valuables are gone and hes not there, then he’s probably in on it?”

“Local transport is going to be faster than taking off in a ship and finding somewhere to put it back down near another neighborhood,” Alex finished inputting the codes and hopped into the hovervan. “This will get us pretty much right to his door, and with priority codes will get cleared lanes of traffic.” He turned back toward the Listening Post and called out. “Should be enough room for all of us…though the beasties may have to ride on top if they cannot just make it there on their own.”

Zig rolled her eyes. Then sighed. “Local transit it is…”

She wondered if she could jack the grid to make the transport arrive quicker…

“Works for me.” Kalen said before getting on his commlink and telling D to shut the ship down and to tell Karracca he can go back to his napping.

Zig waited for everyone to get into the tram. Then, with the help of the Justicar’s code cylinder, paired with her own skill, she was able to slice into the grid of the transportation hub. Fortunately, they had relatively new infrastructure which meant that while security was tighter, the actual mechanics under the hood worked sharply.

Careful not to cause any actual damage, she focused on rerouting the lines and overrode the local stops to make it a one-stop express.

She more or less tuned out everyone else as she focused on her datapad.

Rue skittered in along with the others and the animals, squeezing himself into the smallest possible space so as to take up as little as possible from others. It was quite impressive, how his already waif-like form could collapse even more, contorting in such a way that it was uncomfortable just to look at him. He was pleased with himself though, feeling confident that he was properly executing The Rules of ettiquete for public transportation.

In her hyperfocus and distraction, Zig did the opposite. She found a way to take up two seats, folding her legs and shifting in place.

“What now, Masters, Mistresses?” Rue asked, awaiting direction politely. He could have turned into any small animal or insect and gone in to inspect things, but he typically wasn’t given to offering his opinions or suggestions, particularly not in a large group of such skilled individuals.

“I got this,” Zig grinned, once again going to work on the doors keypad. It was honestly pretty rudimentary and she didn’t even need a cylinder to splice it.

She looked at everyone. “Ready? It’s open..”

“One occupant,” Iphis said without fanfare. “It reeks of fear and failure.” She walked through the threshold, paying Zig no mind.

Rue paused to knock on the door’s arch, as was The Rules, along with announcing, “Hullo, Sir Carl Magnus? We are entering the premises. Some of us are armed.” Aside to the others, he explained, “Such is a standard on Selen for criminal investigation by law enforcement. To do otherwise would be illegal without many other factors present.”

Rue glanced at Syrena and began humming along to the melody since he did not know the song or its lyrics. <@607619766752116771>

Kalen let everyone fill in before him. He knew his role, so he stood guard at the door, and pulled his pistol out of its holster…just in case.

Zig blinked, started to form a comment but then seemed to think better of it.

Seeing as the music would surely be difficult to hear over, Rue padded over to the refresher door and called louder, much more than he normally spoke, repeating, “Hullo, Sir Carl Magnus! We are entering the premises! Some of us are armed! Please finish bathing so that we can talk!”

The hybrid winced, then poked his head in, in case someone needed healing.

“Are you alright, Sir?”

“I hate everyone involved in this,” Iphis said flatly. “I just want you all to know that.” She paused for a heartbeat. “He’s not dead.” She set off in the bang’s general direction before Rue could announce her again or produce a search warrant.

“Nice to know you care enough to hate,” the amusement carried clearly in Alex’s voice, carrying through from inside the helmet. He drew Glory and followed behind Iphis, ready for any trouble.

“I have a sword and the Force,” Iphis said, her tone one you might use when explaining a concept to an unusually stupid child. “And this one,” she jerked her head to indicate Alex, behind her, “has a blaster.”

“You have eczema, bad taste in decor, and a rapidly decreasing life expectancy. We will ask the questions. Get up, put on pants, and come into the other room and answer them.”

Kalen heard the commotion from his self assigned position covering the entry way. Not being a CQB expert in any way shape or form, he was momentarily struck by a crippling sense of indecision, unsure of exactly what he should do…stay in his position? Rush in to help?

After hearing the tones and inflection of the conversation and sensing that there was no immediate danger or violence occuring in the aftermath of the initial scream, crash, boom and final fitting bang, he decided to remain at the door, blaster still in hand…just in case.

Seeing no immediate danger, Alex spun Glory around his finger as he returned it to the holster at his hip. Moving out of the way from the doorway he made his way back to the front room to await the dripping agent? suspect? accomplice? It was a little difficult to pin down exactly what Carl was at just this point, but he was confident they would figure that out quite shortly.

Rue skittered back around as well and bowed to Carl at a distance. “Would Sir like this one to tend his head wound?” His brows were furrowed, concern and pleading writ across his face.

Zig, seeing the gun-bros playing with their blasters, also posted up at the door frame, leaning casually, but twirled her hydrospanner like it was a pistol.

“We are looking for the pumpkin spice for the Grandest Master,” Rue offered, looking like a kicked puppy that Carl was choosing to stay hurt.

Iphis rolled her eyes ostentatiously. “A freighter containing a private shipment for the Grand Master was hijacked. The nearest Inquisitorius listening post was empty, its logs tampered with. You were listed as the agent on duty.”

Her eyes flicked up and down the moist moron with overt contempt. “You are not on duty. Explain.”

Rue was listening closely, even if this seemingly had nothing to do with their problem. He began picking through his satchel of flowers and other such items while Carl rambled, assembling a bouquet and encouraging the slightly rumpled stalks to bloom and grow into fullness again. Then he pulled a ribbon out of his hair and wrapped them with a bow.

“You should give her this!” he chirped, offering. “To show interest and care.”

“Truly the sword and shield of the Brotherhood. The girl’s name and the cafe.”

The audible clunk of a gauntleted hand impacting against a beskar helmet resounded through the room.

“I promise you, there is no possible way in this or any other galaxy that she is worth what you did. Given the circumstances, this will make it back to the Voice, and if anything is left of you after that happens I assure you it will not be interested or possibly even capable of dating.”

Without even waiting for response, Alex was back out the door, both heavy blaster pistols flown free into his hands with a quickness that seemed to defy physics.

“We are on the move. Local cafe, ‘Royal Dough Nuts’. Suspect is female employee, Anne Ch'onk; given the immense stupidity of what she has decided to undertake, may be covered in her own drool. We are going to need one or two people to escort any customers out, somebody to find and cover any back exits, and I am going to need at least one of you to hold me back from throttling her.”

Iphis calmly reached up and flicked Carl on the forehead. The man twitched slightly as his endocrine system went into a Force-induced fit, his eyes crossed slightly, and then he collapsed to the floor, unconscious but still breathing.

Iphis turned to the Justicar, said “Your problem,” and followed Alex out the door.

Giving a mrp at the hurried and violent manners going on, Rue paused just long enough to heal Carl’s wounds without touching or waking him before he scurried after the more bloodthirsty of their brethren.

Kalen smiled. Progress, and the Mando was right again. “I got your back Alex. A plain clothes unit is on the way to pick up our misguided romantic here sir.” He holstered his pistol momentarily and nodded to both Alex and the Justicar before he tapped out a few messages on his datalink vectoring a few nearby units to discreetly start running down any other links on this Anne Ch'onk.

Zig watched and had to quietly fan herself a bit. She otherwise was distracted by something on her datapad.

“Well, Ms. Sklerval F'argthagts, if that is in fact your real name.” Kalen had the urge to pull what he thought was a fake wig off of the doughnut shop owners otherwise quite tentacally head, but didnt.

“That employee of yours came from somewhere, and she’s works here for a little while…so we need everything you know about her…and uh, we’re gonna need that information now.”

<@185936112441622529>

“Very intimidating,” Iphis said from over the Jedi’s shoulder. “Marvelous. Now growl at her.”

Kalen had got it wrong again apparently. He was actually going for the good cop routine. He turned his head to Iphis and said, quite genuinely, “Really? You think I should? I mean wasn’t really the angle I was working, but you know, i’ll give anything a try.”

The tentacled faced women blurted out “Is this an investigation or are you 2 one of those viral streaming comedy duos from the holonets?”

“Oh no,” Iphis said casually. “You’ve lost her respect. You’d better do something to assert your authority.”

Even throught the helmet, it was clear The Look™ that Alex shot toward Iphis.

“You are not being helpful, and only making it messier for us to clean up later.” He pushed his way past Kalen to address the owner, as he did so he turned slightly toward him and spoke low enough that the others couldn’t hear. “If that is your ‘good cop’ approach, you have a vastly skewed idea of how this whole thing works.”

“I do ever so apologize for my compatriots here. They are a bit…off-kilter, as we have had an early start to our day and it has caused a bit of an imbalance in their humours. And their humor.” The tone in his voice clearly dropped with the addendum. “Now, the long and short of it is that Ms. Ch'onk has decided to involve herself in some unsavory business in opposition to some people who…well, to put it bluntly have the kind of authority to dispatch a team like ours.” There was a clink as bracered arms rested down on the counter, Alex leaning forward to look through his visor into the eyes of the owner.

“We are not looking to cause you any trouble - or more importantly get you into any. But it is vital that we find your employee as soon as possible, and retrieve the items which she has purloined. Any assistance you could offer in this endeavor would be ever so appreciated.”

Naturally

Kalen just shrugged and slinked back a bit…he had only seen two holovids where the “good cop, bad thing” was even mentioned. It was entirely possibly he had inverted the meaning of the concept in his head.

Zig’s fingers tapped, sidestepping security attempts to slow her progress. “Not a ghost, though with you people that wouldn’t be out of the running. But yeah this is classic scrubbing. She’s good, but the traces are all there. Obvious ommissions obfuscated by similar but dispirste patterns.”

She rattled off the information nonchalantly. Then she frowned.

“…oh. She was a former legionnaire that dropped out due to a severely…heavily redacted psych profile.”

Rue, mostly just being pleasant nearby and giving all the baristas and customers flowers, returned to hear this last bit. He considered ordering a cocoa. It seemed as though Anne could use it.

“To the warehouse district, then?” Zig looked up at the others.

“Naturally,” Iphis purred.

Zig supressed a chill, like a cat that had a hand dragged down their spine in an unpleasant manner. She had a strange instinct to amble slowly behind Alex to remove herself from the lady’s attention.

“Oh boy, a hot lead. Just like the holovids, sweeeeeet. Thank you sir, sorry ma'am” Kalen said to the informant and the obvious wig wearing shop owner before following the gaggle out of the place and off to the warehouse district.

Kalen overcame his excitement and quickly pulled out his datalink and comm and put out the APB, and began vectoring undercover units to start making a cordon around the warehouse district. To maintain the cover and have this appear to be unrelated to the theft near the Ascent, Kalen simple noted that Anne was a high priority fugitive and potentially armed and dangerous Legion deserter.

One scene transition later, unless someone wanted to do something else, in which another Keeradak Express was faster than the trams and provided aerial coverage of chosen, the team made it to the warehouse district. Presumably, this was fine and nothing would go wrong.

“HelloooO!” called Rue as they went, friendly again. “Mistress Anne, are you here? We have brought you flowers. Also we are here to arrest you.”

The look Iphis shot him for this, which was essentially just a mildly suffering one on her, was still enough given her vibes and his him that the hybrid quelled and looked down as if he could physically will his own eyeballs out into the ground.

Iphis, for her part, turned her baleful gaze to Kalen, then back again to Rue. She huffed softly, rolled her eyes, and then called out “We have candy!”

Zig snorted.

Iphis scowled slightly, her attention clearly focused somewhere other than Zig. “Somebody seems insufficiently worried.” With that, she set off towards the far warehouse, sword undrawn but her hand never far from the hilt.

Rue scurried to follow, having withdrawn some chocolate truffles from his Bag of Holding that were now surrendered to the suspect.

Alex followed close behind, Honor and Glory held at ready positions. The telemetry systems in his armor were set to full scan, hoping he would get a reading on the suspect before they were able to make any sort of significant move on the group.

Zig followed Alex, and grumbled behind her now-helmeted face, trying to pitch her voice higher “Somebody seems insufficiently worried”. She had her Ichor blade drawn and ready to activate.

Her scanners detected not much out of the ordinary. Which probably wasn’t great.

“I mean…I’m not really into sweets, they say its rots your teeth.” Kalen said before grabbing his lightsaber off his belt amd following the Headmistress.

Alex could sense something was wrong. The hairs on the back o his neck tingled, and his gut sunk as he felt an oppressive hostility fill the air. His head swiveled searching for the source, but it was too much and too sudden and he could not pinpoint the source - not even the rough direction of it - before the bolt of ripping hot plasma tore through the air toward the group.

Iphis’ arm — and only her arm — was a blur as it drew her sword from its shadowsheath and extended it up and to the right in one seamless cut, swatting the blaster bolt off into the sky.

“I love the part where they realize they’ve fucked up.” She advanced towards the shot’s origin, eyes scanning for the shooter.

Zigs modulated voice took on a deeper tone. “It was at that moment she knew that she had kark’d up”.

She moved, activating her wrist vambrace shield.

Rue, who had neither armor nor weapons, simply tried calling out again, even more urgent as the others advanced.

“Please come out! No more violence! No one needs to be hurt!”

Alex barely acknowledged the explosions, striding at a steady pace toward the origin of the earlier blaster bolt. The concussive force of the blasts buffeted him, but it didn’t break him for a second. Each step drove him towards the last known position of their suspect, his armor’s telemetry systems now focused and scanning for any life signs in that general area. Honor and Glory were held high, aimed at slightly separated angles for maximum coverage as he advanced. The firing studs were already pushed down to just before their trigger points, ready to unleash a torrent of plasma hell as soon as the slightest hint of a target made itself known.

“You can come out quietly and hand yourself over, or you can make me drag out whatever is left of you. I know which one we are currently heading toward, and I am fairly certain it is not the one you would prefer…”

“Yes that is why we are saying it!” Rue hollered from where he’d huddled to the ground amid explosions. His voice broke. This was considerably more volume than he normally outputted. His colorful head popped back up. “Please! I do not wish to see you hurt, Mistress Anne!”

“Merely flensed,” Iphis muttered to herself.

Honor snapped up and a bolt ripped through the air to impact a wall near Anne’s head; an intentional miss to make a point, not to injure.

“Perhaps I was unclear. Coming out is your only option. The choice is whether you do it on your own feet, or you do it via me dragging you by your ankle and aiming for every rock in the road on the way to the nearest Inquistorius station.”

The hybrid, who could hear heartbeats across the room thanks to his Kessurian genes, actually snapped, “Not flensed!”

Snapped. Squeaked. Valiantly protested despite deep terror. Etc.

Iphis slinked forward and to the side enough that Anne couldn’t cover both her and Alex with suppressing fire, at least not with enough accuracy to matter. Whatever his other defects, the Arconan was very helpful in providing plasma-based directional markers.

“Seriously? That’s your offer? We get to search that entire warehouse instead of subduing you?”

“This one will do the retrieving if Mistress Iphis does not wish to, provided Mistress Anne is unharmed,” Rue volunteered. “What is the machine?”

“Fine,” Iphis hissed. “Get the Grand Master’s caf machine. He’s not going to settle for sipping this one’s blood over his morning reports.” A beat. “I assume.”

The hybrid hesitated, clearly not convinced Iphis wouldn’t still hurt Anne. Then his jaw tightened, and his shoulders snapped back, and he pointed with his only hand at the Lyctor, focusing on what he imagined, the twist of magic and nature.

Except instead of changing him, the weave and wyld changed her.

In a flash of mist and light, it wasn’t Iphis standing there anymore, but a tiny, six-legged, tall-eared ball of limp blonde fur with abnormally shining, big green eyes. Rue scurried forward across the killing field, spilling apologies and nearly tripping in his haste.

“This one is sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry,” he repeated, snatching up the voorpak-woman and holding her by the scruff away from his body as best he could. “IM SORRY MISTRESS ANNE PLEASE BE RUNNING NOW! ALSO CARL LIKES YOU VERY MUCH AND YOU DESERVE RESPECT AT YOUR PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT GOOD BYE!”

This all was called out as he turned for the warehouse he had promised to search for Iphis. It was just going to be…with her.

As a small lagomorph.

A novel and entirely unpleasant sensation through the Force, then her body. Jade eyes widened in shock, flashing from Anne to Alex and then frantically around before settling on Rue. “You fu—” was about all she managed to get out before her vocal assembly went wrong, and the next thing Iphis knew she was being scruffed.

There was an egregious amount of hissing and swatting, though it took a few moments for the new arboreal limbs to join in, but the new body plan didn’t let her do anything useful to a limb positioned above and behind her.

Zig blinked. She was very happy, suddenly, that she had her helmet on. It hid her eyes going wide and almost sparkling. She stopped herself from saying out loud: ohmigodsocute and instead just…stared at the terrifyingly beautiful pale woman turned into a cute fuzzy ball.

This is so going in the blog. Vez won’t believe me.

A nervous, chittering shriek left the hybrid as Iphispak struggled and twisted, trying to very much maul him, malice radiating from every hair and the deep-vee of her voorpak brows, eyes promising slow dismemberment. Nonetheless, he had quite literally over a century of experience holding onto fussing or even violent infants of various stature and species, and had in the last year spent much time with voorpaks in particular, helping Ras with her pet adoptions– including finding homes for the litter his own voorpak brought home to live in his hair. He knew exactly how to hold her.

That didn’t stop her from being terrifying, but it did keep his fingers attached, for the moment.

“Apologies, apologies, apologies, Mistress Iphis, ma'am, but this one cannot allow you to hurt Mistress Anne and feels this was the best way so now we will go search, and this one will carry the Percolator for Mistress, indeed. Oh, please do not struggle so, your fur will come out.”

He sounded genuinely upset at that idea as they entered the warehouse without any trouble and found many open shipping containers. Rue headed for one of the only devices in the space, presuming it to be the compactor, looking for anything marked P.S.L.

<@185936112441622529>

Its was a successful completion to Kalen first ‘Brotherhood’ level mission. But somehow he felt like he had just phoned in the last half of it, with him mixing up his holivids roles and whatnot, he had decided to just stay in the background.

“Really?…” was all he said before getting on his commlink and having Karra and D get the ship ready for the long trip home to Aliso.

Itt seemed the Dacien – a canine, perhaps? – was back from walkies and the mission successful, which was all quite irrelevant to Rue. More relevant was Anne’s safety, and as he hoped her to be a safe distance away by now, he set the sword carefully down in one of the empty bins. Next in went a towel out of his bag, and then one of his smallest pouches.

“Now, Mistress Iphis, Mistress, this one is most apologetic, and beholden in the face of Mistress’ power and grace, her glory comparable to none other under God Himself,” it had been some time since he last chanted his canticles, but he had grown accustomed to…improvisation for Jan, who preferred originality. The hybrid adjusted his weakening hold and leaned as far over the crate as possible, suspending her just over the towel. “It expects it will be punished for this and understands. It only begs that its punishment be contained to itself. Goddess bless you, Mistress. Also this pouch contains an herb called qullemesia which my own voorpaks like very much and behaves as a euphoriant akin to catmint in tookas. May you enjoy it, ah, briefly.”

Then he set her down as gently as possible while snatching his hand back and bolting as fast as he could for the exit, much like a tooka himself.

“BLESSED NIGHT EVERYONE THANK YOU GOOD OF BYE!” he yelped as he darted past, leaping forward into mist and light. Rather than a Keeradak it was into a small bird, moments after which he was aloft and fleeing for the spaceport.

A crash, and a much clattering. Gutteral swearing and then a screeching howl of frustration. In the Force, a moment white-hot rage, then nothing.

Presently Iphis emerged from the crates, sword back in the shadowsheath unbloodied, her hair in slight disarray. The qullemesia sachet was nowhere to be found.

She slapped both hands down on the PSL box, as if to claim it. “Not one word,” she hissed.

Zig was already tapping away at her datapad.