Artificial Red

[Verana]

[member="Voph"]

Prosperia. Dosuun. Cities weren't as new to Verana as they had once been. Though she missed the quietness of the forest she had grown acclimated to the constant buzz of people, vehicles and droids. There were no trees here, at least not any real ones, at least not in here. The sound of rain hitting the windows weren't even real, she could feel the plastic in the woods for every step she took. Granted she wasn't exactly at a place that ran along the most prosperous of streets in Prosperia but that didn't change anything.

The stillness in this place, artificial as it was, provided the group of investigators inside with a thin-veiled sense of ease that tried its best to penetrate their worried minds. Vera turned her attention away from the windows and back to the scene at hand. Her arrival had been debated amongst the men, loudly, for a good while before she had been allowed to come back in. She was a teenager, but she was also a jedi and a damned good tracker. Whatever they had in there was her job just as much as theirs and in the end they too had figured that one out.

"You may come in now." One of the officers said and motioned for the girl to come over. "The family is downstairs talking with the investigator. You can get more information from him later. For now just see what you can find in here."

Vera nodded her head in a thank you and stepped inside the room. She wasn't alone as a third-party in this investigation. Downstairs and in some of the other rooms there were others who had taken on the same task as her. The family afflicted was one of the more well-connected ones in the area and it was fair to assume that they had most likely pulled every single favor they could in order to find whoever did this and put them to justice.

Now, whether that meant actual justice or to kill them with their own hands was up for debate. One Vera didn't want to think on but found herself dwelling on regardless. It wouldn't do to allow such a thing to happen after all.

Inside the room the scene was dire. Signs of struggle was visible everywhere. From the knocked over shelves to the way there were evident claw markings in the floor and the panels around the window.

"I will give you some space." The officer said and ducked out of the room.

"Thank you." Vera said quietly and knelt down by the markings around the window. "You are not from around here, friend." She muttered as she let her fingers trace along the ridges. "Not at all."

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph's entrance to the building was silent, almost unnoticed. But his presence was not rejected. Be it the lightsaber at his hip, the calm yet focused demeanor he had, or his sheer physical presence, Voph was allowed access almost immediately. His hood was pulled up over his head, leaving only traces of his now white hair drifting over his black cloth blindfold. Against his black robes, his scarred jawline almost drew attention, such was the contrast against his garb.

He saw the family speaking with the security officers, but decided not to approach them yet. He would hear what they had to say last. For now, he wanted to see the room itself. To learn what secrets it might hold. He ascended the stairs quietly, head tilting as he approached the room. Someone else was here. Someone that didn't seem to be security forces.

He stepped into the room quietly, not bothering to announce himself. He looked around silently, surveying the damage. Voph turned to look at the girl inspecting the claw marks. "Likely a hound of some kind." His deep voice and crisp imperial accent was soft spoken, yet clearly audible. Might have been the stillness of the air, however. "Only creatures I've seen with claws like that, yet still small enough to make this little damage in confined spaces like this." Voph stooped to pick up a lamp that had once sat on a table, and dusted it off. "That or a humanoid pretending to be a hound."

[member="Verana"]

 

[Verana]

[member="Voph"]

The layer of plastic was no thicker than a nail or a paper sheet before the claw markings had scraped against the metal’s unmasked blue-gray surface. Imperfect ridges in the metalwork spoke of great strength and so did the rest of the markings that littered the floor. It was no ordinary beast that did this, and given the fact that it had been clever enough to both get in and out of a window of this size with a person in tow. Vera’s attention shifted from the claw markings on the wall to the ones on the floor, once more letting her finger drag against its surface as if to she tried to probe it for more information than what people had already seen.

“Humanoids are too smart to leave this kind of trail.” She said with a thick accent. Imperial did linger in it but it seemed bastardized, far simpler than the refined nature many associated it with. The girl continued to look from the trail she was knelt down over and then looked towards the window. “We put too much thought into it trying to make it seem like a beast did something when we try to hide our tracks.”

Standing up she straightened her drab jedi tunic and motioned in a circle towards the tracks left behind by the creature.

“See how the trail seems to sway back and forth?” She asked and finally turned to look at the man. “The creature was trying to either avoid something or struggled to get the captive through the window.”

“Four-legged. Used a great deal of its hind legs to push.” She knelt down to poke at the trail. “See how these trails are deeper than those over there?”

“They didn’t have a stable grip. Meaning the person was most likely already limp when the creature was dragging them away.” She gave the man another look. “It is possible someone came in here first, knocked our captive out and then had the animal drag them out.”

“Oh, and,” Vera stood up once more and gave the man a bow. “Verana Quizan. Jedi Ranger, at your service.”

 

[Kyyrk]

"Clearly you've never dealt with the more feral bipedals." Voph knelt down next to the claw marks near the window, running his fingers over them, and muttering quietly to himself. He ignored the greeting for the time being. He had work to do, formalities could be observed later. "In this instance, however, it would seem both are wrong." Voph indicated with his pinky at one claw mark. "Deep scarring, where it attempted to find purchase, gash no more than a few centimeters in length, and very small gap inbetween." Voph moved his hand to pluck something invisible from the wall, then held it up for inspection.

"Paired with hair lodged in the claw mark, smells fresh." Voph looked up at the girl, his brow furrowing slightly as if he were returning to reality. "Voph." Under the circumstances, maker only knew what kind of creature he was referring to. But the slight nod he offered suggested he was not answering a question, but introducing himself. "And our friend seems to be a Nexu." Voph pushed himself to his feet. "Likely a pygmy breed, though natural or forced I cannot tell. Our victim's alive, or was as the beast dragged him from the room. And I would wager they still are."

Voph gestured around the room. "No blood. Wild Nexu aren't that gentle. This one was trained. Would make sense, considering the victim was already incapacitated when the creature struck." Voph turned to leave the room. "I'm going down stairs to speak with the family. I feel there's little more we can find of value without gaining a better understanding of who we're dealing with."

[member="Verana"]

 

[Verana]

[member="Voph"]

He wasn’t wrong in his assessment Vera wasn’t particularly well-versed in the bipedal ferals just yet, but she had seen the aftermath of their work enough to know what he meant. The girl followed him in his observations with a reserved glance that inevitably grew into a sense of respect for the man and his ability to understand these creatures. A pygmy nexu made a lot of sense and she found herself nodding along at the man’s analysis of the situation. A pygmy nexu trained to abduct a target. If ever there was a nightmare scenario from her parents’ farm back on Kiara, that would most certainly been pretty high on the list.

“Sounds about right.” The girl said and hurried to come with the man. “I’ll come with you.”

Something in her voice made it seem like he wouldn’t really have a choice in the matter. He did have the choice, and she would probably be powerless to stop him from stopping her, but he had impressed her enough so far. At the very least she could use his actions here to help herself further down the line.

Going down the stairs the aura of worry lingered thick in the air. Vera put her gloves back on and proceeded to practice what the Order had taught her when it came to suppressing the effects of others upon her own mind. There was a peace to be found but the situation was not something you ever really got used to, or so she told herself.

“Like I told you, officer. There was someone holding the door closed. We only caught a glimpse of them as they left.” The woman of the house said, her tear-drenched cheek having run dry a long hour ago. “Red robes, dark masks and some form of… Creature.”

Vera glanced at Voph and then the man as if to gauge his reaction.

“Ah yes, here they are again. The Jedi and… Voph.” The officer said and extended his arm for the two to come closer. “Elin was just telling us about the intruders.”

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph waved down the officer as they were invited closer. "Lord, Voph, thank you." He corrected as they stepped into the room. "First day on the job? I'm sure you'll do well, rookie." Voph smiled at the man rather smugly, patting him on the shoulder. Though his words were polite enough, the venom in his tone was easy enough to hear. If only because the officer's rank marked him as one of the senior officers, and certainly one who should know better than to address someone without their title. Voph usually wasn't one for titles, but they had their uses. Particularly dealing with the rich and influential.

Voph stepped into the room, bowing stiffly towards the matron of the house. "My lady. Rest assured I do believe your son is alive. Looking over the scene, there were ample opportunities for him to have been killed, but there was hardly a speck of blood to be found." Voph folded his arms over his chest, "Unfortunately the description of his attackers means little to me. Certainly sounds as though they might be Sith, but I can't imagine they'd have much an interest in your family. Unless there's something you'd like to share?"

[member="Verana"]

 

[Verana]

[member="Voph"]

The room was well-decorated in comparison to the room upstairs. As the two Jedi, or so Vera would assume, were led into the room they were met with the lady of the house, and while Voph talked to her Vera found herself drifting off and observing the rest of the room for clues. As much as Vera would have loved to ask questions there was no doubt in her mind that it would be far too easy to put too much pressure on the matron that way. So instead she listened, looked around, and wandered.

“They-” The matron sniveled to Voph. “They took my Bernard.”

“I don’t know what more to tell you that I haven’t already told the others.” She said and swiped away a tear from her cheeks. “He was such a good boy, always very obedient and always stuck to his room.”

Vera hunched down over an end table to look at something. Eh, it was nothing.

“Oh officer,” She was almost monologuing at this point. “Why would anyone take my baby?”

He was twenty-three.

Vera passed through the room and out of the corner of her eye she caught a shimmer of something. The matron looked over in her direction as she picked the item up with a pitiful grimace-like frown to her. Vera’s eyes met with the mother’s and for a brief second she allowed herself to drop the walls and let the emotions of others seep into her mind. Thumbing over the glyph-like symbol on the metal disk in her hand Vera couldn’t help but feel the absence of actual emotion.

It was an act. Something was not right here. And where was the father in all this?

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph folded his arms over his chest, staring at the woman without saying anything. In fact, it was beginning to become uncomfortable. "Yes," he finally spoke, "Why indeed would anyone take your baby. Your precious...darling boy. Whom you love more than life itself." Voph's brow creased and his head tilted. He began to pace around the room, slowly circling the matron, looking at the decorations around the room. "This is a fine house you keep, matron. Almost fitting for a man of my station." Voph's arms uncrossed, and his hands clasped at the small of his back as he paused to look at a painting. "Of course, the Empire so desperately loved their blacks and reds. Or so I am told. My kind, of course, being unable to perceive color."

Voph lapsed into silence for a moment. He then turned half way, turning his head the rest of the way to look at the Matron. "Unlike my fellow inquisitors, I preferred a simple lifestyle. Yes. Inquisitor. I suppose you can imagine what that means I did in those days." Voph resumed pacing, no longer looking at the matron. "It was my job to determine if someone was a threat to the Empire. Which means it was my job to know when I was being lied to. But more to the point."

Voph turned to face the matron fully. "I've raised eight children. And I've buried them all. And the woman who bore them. And by some cruel twist of fate, I am still here, nearly a century later." His brow furrowed into a glare. "I know the agony of losing a child, Matron. I know it better than you would believe. I am here, asking no payment, no favors, just a desire to help your family. And there are so many more out there that I could be helping. Now, if you wish to be of anything resembling "help", then let us discuss business. Otherwise, I have more important matters to attend to." Voph's eyebrows raised and his head cocked expectantly, clearly a man who was unhappy about having his time wasted.

[member="Verana"]

 

[Verana]

[member="Voph"]

The silence that lingered in that room was unlike anything that Vera had ever seen before. The matron, Elin, looked up at the man as she quite clearly tried to hide her surprise at his statement. For a second her facade faded away to expose a bitter, resentful frown but before too long the act was on again. She turned towards the officers instead of Voph, having had better luck with them than with the former Inquisitor.

“Where is the patron of the house?” Vera asked to cut her off. “I’ve seen him in the pictures but he doesn’t seem to be around.”

The woman turned to look at Vera, the insolent child that was more trouble than she was worth at this point. The senior officer in the room stepped forth to speak, his mind racing over what he had just seen in this room.

“In confinement outside.” He said and motioned towards the backyard. “Supposedly he was the brain behind this.”

“He- he tried to introduce our boy into that cult of his!” The matron nearly shrieked. “It’s insane, do not talk to him!”

For the first time she seemed genuine, though whether the anger was towards the investigators or the husband and his supposed cult was hard for Vera to tell. The girl, for all her empathic ability, did not know how to read minds just yet. She looked at the matron with a curious glance before she pocketed the disk with the symbol on it.

“You’re better at anger and hatred than remorse, lady.” Vera spoke, her voice laced with a thick layer of doubt and suspicion. As the woman looked over at Vera again, Vera in turn glanced over at Voph. “We should speak to him and see what he has to say.”

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph arched a brow at the woman. Cult? That the father was a part of, if not the leader of? Voph turned to look at the Jedi girl as she spoke, but did not speak himself. He held up a finger towards the matron, turning to look at her. "This presumably being the same cult that kidnapped the boy. That we ought not look into because it lacks reason." Voph glanced back at the Jedi girl, and raised an eyebrow. "I agree. Speaking with the father does seem to be a reasonable course of action. And, I dare say it will be the last conversation I have on these grounds, depending on whether or not he lies to us as well."

Voph turned, and stepped over to a nearby couch, taking a seat as he pulled out his datapad. He spoke to the officers without looking up. "Bring the father inside. And I want him to be released of his restraints." He looked up as he said this, focusing his blind stare at the Matron. "We are, after all, innocent until proven guilty, and I've seen nothing to incriminate him. At the very least, I expect you to restrain our dear matron. What's good for the rancor, and all that." He smiled smugly and looked back to his datapad, waving off the security forces. "Come now, I haven't all day."

[member="Verana"]

 

[Verana]

[member="Voph"]

The man came in and Vera eyed him as he was let down into a seat by the two officers that accompanied him. Something seemed off by the way he moved. Hunched over and cradling his chest with a miserable look on his face. If Vera didn’t know any better she’d say he had been beaten, and recently too. His eyes reached out to get a look at Voph only to shift over towards Vera when there was no eyes to look into. She could see regret and remorse, almost feel it waft off him even while trying to block the torrent of emotion that drowned the room.

“I…” His voice hissed under his breath. He struggled for air. “Didn’t see them.”

“You’re lying.” Vera said and took a step forward. “She can’t hurt you, and neither can the guards.”

The man looked at the woman and then over at Voph before a hesitant, shaky inhale parted his lips into a small frown. With a slow exhale he closed his eyes and began to talk, vividly.

“That schutta is a First Order sympathizer, forcing our son into a life neither he nor his sister wanted!” He began and pointed at the matron. “She refuses to understand that they are dead, that things have changed and that we are free to make our own lives.”

“They’re not dead!” The matron exclaimed, this time showing genuine sadness at the man’s words. With a gentle wave she was quieted by Vera and slowly sat in her seat again. The man too calmed down and buried his head in his hands.

“I wanted something else for our son, to get him off this world and be with people who would care for him and who he is.” He sighed. “So we worked in secret, but Elin must have uncovered our plans and gotten the cult set on him. I don’t know who they are but they are some kind of remnants from a sect within the First Order. They take people like him, force sensitives, to brainwash them into obedient soldiers.”

“... She already sold our daughter out to them. She doesn’t even know our names anymore.” The man cracked under the pressure. Tears began to well up. “I just wanted my son to have a better future.”

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph held up a finger towards the woman at her outburst. He stood slowly when the father had finished speaking, lowering his arm just as slowly. His gaze turned towards the matron of the house, and a small tassle of hair that was not bound in the pony tail moved slightly, as though a breeze drifted through the air. Voph reached up, and pulled his hood back, revealing the full shock white mane of shoulder length hair. And allowing the woman a clear look at his scarred face. And for a moment, the room seemed to darken.

A chill crept into the air. Voph sighed quietly, slowly, a fog escaping his nostrils. His brow furrowed, in what any species could identify as a glare. His jaw was set in a grim line. And there he stood, quiet and imposing. Nearly two meters tall, and filled with the rage and sorrow of a parent who had mourned the loss of his family many times over. And for a moment, he made one thing crystal clear without saying a word: The First Order was just another nation. To a man who'd seen so many rise and fall, this one was nothing special. And certainly not worth the price of one's children.

"Officer...Escort this...sosera away." He spat, with a considerable amount of venom to his words, "I do not care where it is you take her. Arrest her, kill her...I care not." He held up a finger, pointing at the Matron to emphasize his words. "The next time our paths cross, the galaxy will be made a better place, and your children will be brought justice. Do not test my capacity for Mercy."

Then as soon as the darkness had come, it left. Voph turned to the father, and put a hand on his shoulder. He spoke in a low tone. Comforting. Father to father. "Tell me where I can find your son. If there is hope for him, we will return him to you. And...while I cannot promise anything...I may be able to help your daughter. Let me help you."

[member="Verana"]