Private Dark Information

[Aiden Porte]

Nar Shaddaa
Spaceport
Corazona von Ascania


"I just want to start off by thanking you guys for showing up and helping me in this endeavor. The reports that I have pulled in and with things going on at the Temple its time that this is fully investigated. And the best way for us to remain safe is to find this group and dissemble them from the ground up. But to do that, we need more information on them." Aiden had detailed accounts on what had happened and events leading up to this and he had been given the okay to proceed. Given what had happened to Aveline and then at the Jedi Temple. It was more than a mere coincidence....

"We still don't know the full details, this is purely a recon and intel gathering." Aiden wasn't dressed in his normal jumpsuit but more so something fit of a smuggler type, as was the rest of them. "If you get into trouble, pull back immediately. I don't want to lose anyone, that would be the worst thing. Stick to your groups and be on guard at all times."

He took a deep breath as the meeting had come to a close as they new their jobs and positions. Aiden took a deep breath, centering himself somewhat as he looked over to Corazona.

"Thank you for joining me on this venture." Aiden said with a small smile. "Aiden Porte." The Padawan said with a small smile as he held his hand out towards his fellow Jedi. With an official greeting and such, majority of this was purely Jedi business.

He didn't want to lie, he was nervous. Just about the whole situation in general. But he couldn't let that cloud his judgement or anything else.

"I wish our meeting was under more normal circumstances."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"A pleasure to meet you, Aiden."

Cora returned Aiden's smile with an energetic grin of her own and grasped his hand for a firm shake. This mission marked her first time on Nar Shaddaa, and she didn't understand what all the fuss was about. The spaceport, while a bit crude, was hardly the picture of indecency she'd been given. Consequently, this was her first time wearing the commoner's garb. A simple shirt and trousers had been purchased for the event, topped with a dark, pocketed vest. She'd spent all night searching the holonet for an appropriate spacer's outfit, finding them delightfully utilitarian.

"Corazona von Ascania." She supplied, tone formal but doing her best to appear approachable. "However, you may address me as Cora." Perhaps shortening her name would make her look less rigid.

"To the contrary; meeting in such circumstances allows a better judgment of one's character, no?" As she spoke, Cora picked a wrinkle from the creases of her sleeve—though her outfit didn't stand out, it was far too clean to pass for a grizzled spacer.

"Where do you suggest we venture to first? Perhaps, a local gathering place?" The word she was looking for was cantina.

Aiden Porte

 

[Aiden Porte]

"Likewise, Cora." Aiden looked towards the woman. While she had the correct thoughts for sure. When put into such circumstances it did reveal a true individuals character.

"I agree with you Cora." Aiden said with a solid nod of his head, typically when placed in situations such as these that was correct. "I have only been in these situations a few times. I won't let you down." Aiden said as he showed her a respectful bow.

"Where do you suggest we venture to first? Perhaps, a local gathering place?"

"Well, those sorts of places are definitely not my forte, however I know that is where we need to go. I always seem to feel out of place when I go in the cantinas and such. But I know that is where we must venture to." Aiden held out his hand to give her a high five. "Let's do this!"

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora beamed, finding this Aiden to be most agreeable. "Very well then, let us be off!"

Only a few paces from the spaceport, a smattering of cantinas lined the street. Their intelligence had pointed to a specific building—The Rusty Lady—as the watering hole that doubled as a human trafficking operation. It still wasn't clear whether slaves were being outright sold from the facility, or if it simply served as a transit hub or hiding place. Then again, one didn't particularly have to hide slaves on Nar Shaddaa.

As they stepped through the doors, Cora and Aiden garnered a few cursory glances, followed by some lingering looks. They were young and clean, aspects which did not go unnoticed by the rougher crowd. A pang of trepidation vibrated in Cora's stomach, uneasy at seeing so many blasters brandished in plain sight. When they slid into a booth, she grimaced at the sticky surface of the seat. Backed with a thin sheet ofcheap, warped durasteel, the flat cushioning had nearly been picked clean.

"You know, Aiden," She murmured to him with a muted grin, doing her best to fit in. "I've never been to a place quite like…this before. It's like something right out of a holofilm!"

A purple Twi'lek shambled over to them, asking for their orders in a weary voice. Cora's smile faded when she turned to the waitress—she looked utterly exhausted, fatigue heavily ringing her eyes. Even her lekku looked deflated.

"Ah, yes! I will have one glass of your local "ale", please."

Maintaining polite composure as if she'd been ordering at a luxury resort, Cora observed the other patrons, noting their slouched posture. In an effort to mimic them, she placed her elbows on the table, and immediately pulled a face when she'd rested them in something sticky. "Ugh," Withdrawing her arms, she tried to subtly rub the ick off and onto the booth wall.

Aiden Porte

 

[Aiden Porte]

Aiden was eager to get started. This group that had been on his radar for a while. Granted he needed more information about them before he could request to launch a full scale move against them. He didn't want anything else to happen to his fellow Padawans. Or any other Jedi for that matter, he took this quite seriously, but for now he would need to blend in and while the cantinas and clubs were not his scene.

He would need to try extra hard to blend in.

"I've never been to a place quite like…this before. It's like something right out of a holofilm!"

"Oh, I know. I've been to a place like this twice, and i still cannot get used to such a place. It's just really not my thing to be quite honest. But if this is how we get the information we need. I will drink some ale! Maybe, not whiskey though. I just smelled that stuff and it was atrocious."

"Ugh,"

"Oh no...." Aiden voiced and he glanced around for something to use, however there was nothing. This was a cantina, he had to remind himself. "Here!" Aiden said as he reached for the sleeve of his shirt and tore off a piece of it and handed it to her. "You can use this? If it helps." Aiden said as he glanced at the table.

"Can we uh....get this table wiped down?!" Aiden said to the bartender that was coming around. "I know this ain't a five star place, but they could at least clean the table." Aiden said as he looked towards Cora. He just remembered his mission with Brandyn and he would need to play his cards right and use that same attitude and edge to get the information they would need.


Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

The Twi'lek waitress walked away from their table, making no effort to conceal her rolling eyes. She'd rightly clocked them as a pair of overzealous kids out of their element.

"Oh-!" Cora's hand fluttered to his chest as Aiden ripped the fabric from his sleeve for her to use as a rag. "You didn't...you don't have to-" It was already done, and she accepted the makeshift cloth with a sheepish smile. "Thank you, Aiden. You're kind." As Cora wiped the grime from her elbow, the bartender responded to Aiden's request by spitting at his feet.

Cora's face scrunched. "How unseemly."

Really, the holofilms made it look less...gross. The edge was there, though.

She brightened when their drinks arrived, giving the tired waitress a bright grin and a tilt of her glass in thanks.

"So, Aiden…" The blonde took a cursory sip of her ale, pulling back with a cringe. "Urgh! That is...ahem—strong. Very strong." Cora coughed, wiping her lips with the back of her hand while she composed herself. She wasn't much of a drinker, maybe consuming a single cocktail over the course of an entire gala, or some champagne at a celebratory event. Clearing her throat, she continued. "Aiden, what do you know of our...task?" Her words were vague, careful not to mention the group killing Padawans directly.

Ears were always listening in a place like this.

Aiden Porte

 

[Aiden Porte]

"How rude....." Aiden said with a slight amusement. Granted it was something he was expecting, however still as his friend put, very unseemly. She had inquired about what information he had, and he reached for his datapad and placed it in front of her, easy enough to see from her eyes but difficult for others. What information he was able to obtain, this was definitely harder than he thought.

"They are just the flunkies though, I do not know who is the real threat." Aiden whispered as he took a drink from his glass too and then coughed slightly. "Oh man...." Aiden spoke through a raspy voice and he cleared his throat a few times. "What's in this?" He inquired as he rubbed his throat slightly and pushed the glass away.

"I should really practice drinking when back on Coruscant...." Aiden said with a small chuckle. However he looked up towards her, his message going through the winds of the force, into her mind.

The group calling themselves the dark exchange should be here. We are to capture one of these individuals and bring them back for questioning.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora leaned forward against the table when Aiden passed the datapad to her side. "Hm," She scrolled through the information he'd compiled with a thoughtful hum. He'd gotten them this far—to the cantina where their target supposedly lay—and seemed to be good at collecting data. Hopefully they'd be able to expand on what he already had.

She offered him an empathetic smile when he coughed from the drink. "I did not know that drinking alcohol was something one could practice with intent." Cora laughed softly, then took a cautious sip of her own drink and winced. The unpleasantness still hadn't lessened, but at least shed been prepared for the burn.

Cora did sputter, however, when Aiden's voice drifted into her mind. The blonde stared at him with wide eyes, not having expected the telepathic message. Hairs prickled at the back of her neck at the intrusive sensation, but she had to remind herself that Aiden was an ally. If needed, she could raise a Force Shield around her mind, as Master Noble had taught her to do while they'd investigated an ancient Sith temple. Not that Cora figured she would need to fend off Aiden, but it was comforting to know what she had in her back pocket.

After shaking off the goosebumps, her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to grasp the mental tether he and created between them.

If that is our plan, then we need to get back there. Her gaze slid to a side door leading to the back room. Not only the wait staff, but some patrons seem to be going in and out.

Aiden Porte

 

[Aiden Porte]

Aiden felt bad as he noticed her unease and he couldn't help but give himself a mental kick in the head. "I'm so sorry" Aiden whispered quickly as he showed her an apologetic look. While they were both Jedi and he wouldn't do anything to ever hurt her, he knew still that people did have their privacy and chose to keep it.


"I think I have an idea...." Aiden said with a smile and he glanced around. This was definitely not his field per se, but he knew when push came to shove it was time to jump in and take action. "I'll provide a distraction....." Aiden said as he stood up and walked near the bar and towards the individual that had spit at the floor when he mentioned cleaning the table.

"Hey you...." Aiden said as he reached for his shoulder and jerked him around till he was face to face with him. "I've got something to say to you....." Aiden nodded his abruptly and then quickly reared his fist back and punched the guy right in the face.

However Aiden's prowess when it came to the lightsaber was also matched with his hand to hand combat. He didn't realize this for sure until the individual he punched, overpowered him and threw him over the bar.

It was at this point that a fight had broken out in the bar.

Aiden looked up from the floor and shook his head slightly.

"That hurt....." Aiden inquired as he started to stand up. Perhaps the distraction would give Corazona the opportunity to sneak into the back.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora offered him a gracious smile. "It...it's okay, Aiden. I was just caught off guard." Still, she was relieved that the telepathic link had dropped—she'd have to ask Master Noble about such an ability later.

The blonde watched with muted curiosity as Aiden rose from his seat and paced over to the bar. What sort of distraction did he have in mind? That question was quickly answered by his fist.

Gasping when he struck one of the barmen, Cora's hand quickly rose to cover her mouth. She hadn't expected him to resort to violence so soon, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense for a rough 'n tumble place like this.

Nobody took well to getting punched, and soon the barman had tossed Aiden clear over the counter. Several others at the bar joined in the scuffle of fists and bludgeons, some acting on old grudges and others itching for violence. Cora winced at the beating Aiden had taken, shrinking back into her seat when she witnessed a waitress break a chair over a barabel's head.

His distraction had certainly worked, and Cora inhaled sharply before slipping out of the booth. The Padawan's slight build and nimble feet managed to carry her around to the bar, quickly sidestepping flailing fists and a stray blaster bolt. A cursory look of concern was throw Aiden's way as he wrestled with the man he'd slugged earlier, and she slid through the door to the back room.

The thin walls did little to keep out the noise of the brawl, but it did muffle some of the din. Hopefully things would have been chaotic enough at this point for Aiden to slip away as well.

Back pressed to the wall, Cora examined her surroundings. She was faced with a narrow hall, flanked by two rooms on either side and one at the end. Inching along the corridor, she crept carefully into the first room and found that it was mostly occupied with cleaning supplies and busted furniture. The second was a stock room for liquor, so that only left the remaining room at the end.

Cora slinked closer, back pressed to the wall just outside the door. She could hear voices drifting from behind the door, but couldn't make out any words or patterns.

Aiden Porte

 

[Aiden Porte]

In retrospect, he probably acted to hastily or even dangerously. The placed erupted in an all out brawl, what was small threats turned into fist fights and bottles broken over heads. It was all out mayhem. Aiden couldn't rely on the force here, as he would give away who he was. While they wouldn't know him by face as he wasn't well known, he was simply a padawan. However he would be labeled has a force user and they would wonder what he was doing here.

His fast reflexes did him justice as he dodge a few bottles thrown his way but the sucker punch landed, but not as it intended to by its thrower. Aiden was able to move quickly enough however it still made contact on his cheek.

The attacker that sent that punch after he was thrown across the bar was tackled by somebody else and he managed to maneuver over the bar and began to weave through the all out brawl that had begun. He would soon be sneaking towards the back as he could see Corazona von Ascania from the hallway. He smiled slightly as he pressed his back against the wall next to Cora. "Hi!" Aiden whispered. "Have you heard anything." The Padawan asked, she would see a small cut on his lip and then his cheek was showing red already, no doubt it would be bruised by the morning.

His only regret was that he hoped he didn't put her in any danger. "You didn't get hurt did you?" Aiden inquired, yet just as he finished saying that.

He heard the word 'fight' from inside the room and they were to the left of the door as the door opened they ran straight out, not evening glancing to their right to see the Padawan duo.

The door was open, and they would be able to go in.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora turned to Aiden as he slipped next to her, pressing himself to the wall in the same fashion. Still looking towards closed door at the end of the hall, she shook her head.

"I haven't-"

Turning to Aiden as she spoke, Cora paused. Her features softened in concern at seeing the split of his injured lip and the flush of his cheek where he'd been struck.

"I'm fine, but are you okay, Aiden?" Her brow furrowed. "You didn't get hit too hard, did you? Starting that fight was pretty dumb, but it did work as a—"

The eldest of eight siblings, Cora was quick to launch into a lecture on making poor decisions. The sermon died on her lips when the door they'd been camping opened, and several men armed with blaster and crowbars rushed past. Cora froze, pressing her back against the wall as the men hurried towards the bar, either paying the pair of Padawans no mind or missing them entirely.

Cora looked to Aiden and shrugged before peeling herself away from the wall and stalking her way into the back room.

Like the rest of the bar, the interior was dimly lit. More busted furniture, a few crates, and an old folding table covered in Sabaac cards and chits. Cora paced closer to the table, noting the empty beer bottles and cigarra butts strewn about. One or two had only been put out recently, and she wrinkled her nose at the scent of cheap beer mixing with smoke.

"Disgusting," She commented, reaching a hand towards the table, then withdrawing it tentatively. Surely there had to be something important here?

Stepping around the table, her eyes swept across the folding seats—and spied a datapad.

"Oh-" Retrieving the device, she wrapped her hands around it and called out to Aiden. "Look what I've f—why is it sticky??"

Grimacing, she pulled a hand away a whipped it on the leg of her pants. Why was everything in this place sticky?

Swiping at the screen, she was prompted for a passcode. Cora stared blankly.

"I don't suppose you know how to crack one of these?"

Aiden Porte

 

[Aiden Porte]

"I'm glad you are okay!" Aiden whispered as he smiled at her a bit foolishly. Aiden always concerned with his friends and such more than anyone else. He could be near death and he'd still be asking if everyone else was okay. "I'll be okay, and yes I know." Aiden had to admit, but its like they say. "The best defense is a good offense, or something like that." That might've been a wrong philosophy but, meh, these are troubled times.

"Look what I've f—why is it sticky??"

"Gross.... what in the world is going on here?" The padawan declared as he looked at what Corazona von Ascania had grabbed. "I vote we never come back here again."

"I don't suppose you know how to crack one of these?"

"Well...." Aiden was about to say that he once hacked into the Hapan security network for security type purposes but he opted to keep that to himself. "Let me see what I can do?"

Aiden pulled out his datapad and connected the devices and began to hack into the system.

"So um...how are you?" Aiden inquired as he looked to Cora. A smile on his face. "Have you ever been to Dex's Diner, they reopened in Coco town on Coruscant. It's a good place to get some food!" The Padawan spoke trying to make casual conversation and not to mention he promised to send more business that way.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"I vote we never come back here again."

"I couldn't agree more." Cora mumbled absently, and for some reason the quietness of her voice sounded louder than expected against the backdrop of electrical humming and muffled fighting.

She watched with rapt curiosity as Aiden plugged the mysterious datapad into his own. His response made her think that he was more capable of slicing than he'd let on.

"Oh. I am well, thank you for asking." An awkward silence had settled over the pair. Despite the energy of adrenaline urging her muscles to move, there was little to be done while Aiden was doing the heavy lifting to uncover something useful. A list of names, maps, or correspondences could all be helpful to the cause.

"I'm afraid I've never been." Her head shook slowly, meeting Aiden's smile with a polite look of her own. "Do you frequent that establishment? Why were they closed?"

While Aiden worked on cracking the datapad, Cora meandered around the table to see if anything else was amiss.

Looking closer at its surface, she took note of the way the Sabaac cards had been arraigned. Her hand hovered over a pair of cards, recognizing the 10 of Staves and the Mistress of Sabers as a perfect hand adding to 23 points.

"It looks as though this fellow was about to win." She mused before suddenly pulling her hand away with a grimace. Sabaac was not a game that a noble woman should know the details of, but a favorite uncle had taught her to play.

"Or…so I've heard."

Aiden Porte