New faces, same places

[Nicair Claden]

Getting into the place and through any resistance didn't much require him, nor did he really expect to be needed. In an establishment like this, there was usually a mutual understanding between authorities and patrons. If one goes down, so does the other. Or in some cases, the understanding is simply: I can destroy everything you have and everything you love and there isn't a thing you can do to stop me. Nicair most often favored the latter interpretation as it was the one he found himself engaged in most often.

There weren't many inside that he recognized as being inherently dangerous individuals. A one or two burglars perhaps, but nothing more dangerous than them. As he said he would he made sure to follow Jessica's lead.

The threat she chose to level at their target wasn't necessarily one that Nicair would have chosen. Something along the lines of "Those things'll kill you, guess who else will too?" or "Those look new, you don't tell me what I want to know and you won't be able to enjoy them until your jaw is unstapled" or, as he favors at times depending on his mood, simply sitting down across from them and staring while doing nothing more than saying what you want to know. That option required one's reputation to precede them, or for Nicair, for his helmet to be off so he can fix his empty Sociph eyes square on the individual.

In this instance, however, he chose to do nothing more than tilt his head to the side. Much like a curious predator stalking its prey.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

Jessica might have gone easy on the zabrak addict, compared to the measures used by Nicair. Though, his mere armored prescense behind her was enough to add a considerable bit more to the vocal threat. Other than that, she was a cop and were supposed to keep her work within more or less grey frames. Something not all of her colleagues honored.

Val cleared his throat and stretched himself up in the seat, his artificially colored orange eyes flicked between the cop and the figure who he had not seen before but he took for some kind of bounty hunter.

''I- I- I-'' the alien begun stuttering.

Jessica raised a sharp eyebrow and eyed him while patiently waiting for what bantha poodoo would come out of the scums mouth.

''I- I can't help you anymore, sergeant Bowers... L- last time was too close, I think they sus- suspect something...'' the zabrak explained and avoided eye contact with any of them.

A chuckle left her lips as she shaked her head in a hopeless manner to him. Wrong answer, but before she said anything else she dug in a pocket of her gear vest and tossed the piece of Ablyss across the old and scratched table. It landed right in front of the alien informant and Jess turned her head back to Nicair, signaling if he wanted to add something to the conversation.

''W- what's that?'' the zabrak spoke up, failing miserably to give a trustful impression of that he did not know what it was.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

"Ablyss. Somebody gave it to you for distribution." It wasn't phrased like a question and he didn't say it like one.

"Whoever either sold it to you or gave it directly talked like this." He let his voice shift into a pseudo-Sociph accent. So few of them spoke Basic that it was challenging to determine what it would actually sound like. The ones that did speak it did so fluently and with no accent to speak of, they had to in order to blend in and do whatever it is that was required of them in the galaxy. There was a rule on Antisoch for anyone he took there, which wasn't many. If someone is speaking Basic, walk in the opposite direction. Still, using the grammar style and pronunciation of their vocabulary he could mimic something that was incredibly rare.

Nicair was banking on whoever gave the Zabrak the drugs wasn't as fluent or skilled with swinging their voice and carried some form of accent.

"Meqr e'Val (I'll kill you idiot-Val or Val you idiot). Or like that." Speaking Sociph was quickly becoming second nature to him. What one picks up if it is the only language they allow themselves to speak. Soon enough, he figured, he wouldn't have to force the accent. A social chameleon if needed, just like the rest of his people.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

The zabraks orange gaze shifted between the substance and the Antisoch derived man. His nervousness shining through like the terribly bad liar he was, one of the reasons that he was such a good and cooperative informant. Usually. Something wasn't right now, though. He hesitated on the answer and searched for some kind om sympathy in Jessicas eyes.

''Don't look at me, Val... He's not one of mine. I can't answer for what he's got in store for you... If you don't cooperate. And I certainly either want or can protect you from him if you don't spill your guts of what you know about this Ablyss. I can just back out of here and leave you two to it... Somehow, I got a feeling that won't end well for you...'' she explained with a calm and chilly voice as she leant in closer to the zabrak and then stood up straight, taking two steps back behind Nicair. Her gloved hands gesturing from her hips that she were out of options if the zabrak didn't give them the information they needed. Of course, some of it was all a game but she definately had the option to let Nicair handle this with the good mind and permission of her captain. She had a feeling that it would get messy.

''No... Please! Th- they'll kill me if I told you!'' the terrified alien uttered with a shaky voice.

''Oh, so you do know something about this? You've always been a terrible liar, Val. Stop trying that. It's embarassing.'' she replied and looked at Nicair, having quite fun with their little game.

She took a quick glance around. The bar were almost empty and the barman minded his own business cleaning glasses and went even went into the kitchen when their gazes met. It couldn't be much of a more perfect enviroment for Val to spill his guts or for Nicair to make a slight up shift in the negotiations.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

There was always a give and take in something like this. Val was scared already, right on the edge. There was a saying on Antisoch that matched very well if not verbatim with a Mandalorian phrase, "Sociph don't make threats, they make promises." For them, however, it goes a little bit further with the translation. The Sociph don't have a word that directly translates to 'promise' as it implies some form of trust. The closest they have is something along the lines of 'guarantee' or 'certainty.' But neither of those are the words used. The term used is something along the lines of 'planning violence' or 'planned retribution' though it's rough at best.

In one form or another, if the threat was made, the Sociph already know what they'll do. True to form, if Val speaks, he'll probably end up dead. Unless..

Nicair did something he often didn't do, he removed his helmet. If the Sociph assigned to deal with Val was the one he thought, there was a hazard of a chance this might work. To be fair, it was probably the most likely option. He proceeded to sit down across from the zabrak and fix his gaze dead in the eyes of the scared man. If there's one thing that numerous people say about Nicair and his brother, [member="Jack-ei"], it was that they had the same eyes. Even among Sociph who often have eyes so dark many mistake them for black pits, if Nicair fixed his gaze just right the pair had near identical eyes. It wasn't necessarily something he took pride in, but it proved useful.

"My goal isn't to kill you. I know he will. You don't talk now and you risk failing down the line where we both know death is a certainty. You might not even have to fail directly, he might just kill you for fun. Tell us, and you've got a chance of survival. There isn't an individual in this galaxy with a better chance of protecting you from him than me. You and I both know that."

Usually he'd take a more aggressive, less helpful route. But this was a special case. It wasn't a total lie he was telling, it was just that Nicair had no real intention of doing any sort of direct protection of Val. If Jack-ei got to him before Nicair got to Jack-ei, then it didn't much matter to the Mandalorian. This was all assuming, of course, that it was in fact his brother threatening Val. If he wasn't, then all Nicair could assume was that they were Sociph or working with one.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

Taking a step back and folding her arms, she gave Nicair some room to take the rudder of the conversation. Not that she could not handle this lying and nervous zabrak herself, but Nicair had more information than her about the matter and knew what more exact information they would be needing from Val. Jessica flicked her gaze from Val to Nicair when he reached up and took off his helmet. To judge of his ways so far and his appearance, she had almost solidified an idea that he was one who were determined to stay anonymus and would never remove it in front of a stranger. A faint moment of appeased curiosity came and left her. Not as far from the looks she had imagined.

''I- I don't know...'' the zabrak hesitated and his orange eyes gave away that he thought of something and knew more than he gave the bleak impression of.

''H- how do you know he spoke like the way you do?'' he continued and Jessica made a face with raised eyebrows that they waited for more. He had already begun to say A, probably alot because of the Sociphs fixed and convincing stare.

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

"Because I know the kind of people who make Ablyss. And I know you were as good as dead the moment we walked through that door whether you told us what we want to know or not. All you have to do is decide to give yourself a fighting chance. If you're going to beg and plead, best to do it to people who are genuinely capable of experiencing an emotion besides loathing and disgust in response. Now. Talk."

Perhaps it had been his time among his people that had actually softened him if only slightly. If he were alone Nicair wouldn't have hesitated in threatening all sorts of violence on the zabrak. But this was different. This time, Nicair wasn't the bigger fish. He wasn't the greater evil. This time, Nicair was the lesser. It was an unusual situation and not one he found himself in all that often. Even when questioning organized crime informants or dealers he could still get success by threatening and interrogating intelligently, keying into their insecurities and fears.

Only, he didn't expect there to be much of a possibility of scaring Val more than those he'd already had to deal with. When that happens, give the subject some measure of security. Try and play "good cop" when the "bad cop" isn't even in the room and won't hesitate to kill them.

Learning experiences are the bread and butter of life.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

While Nicair tried to explain the situation for the zabrak drug dealer, she kept an eye at the enterance and the barman. It was a perfect night for squeezing information out of types like Val. Only a few aliens that most likely did not understand a word of what they said in basic. Her belt pushed onto the bar counter as she weighted slightly back and forth on it, the stun cuffs attached to the back of the belt hitting against it. She arched her neck back and observed the addict, releasing an annoyed sigh.

''I- I get it...'' he began and Jessica focused yet again on the man. Val was slippery. She knew he could easily disapear in the vast underworld of Coruscant, and had done so a couple of times before. Much of his person was a pure theatrical act, but maybe now he had taken on himself a business that was too great for the old addict.

''The Works... you know, the old industrial sector.... There's a towering chimney in the far east end of it...'' he continued but were distracted and jumped when a glass hit the floor and broke in the kitchen. Jess swiftly reached for the blaster and turned her head around to identify the reason of the sound. Just a clumsy bartender, but it still sent an uneasy feeling up her spine.

''Not all factorys operate with the business they say they do... You'll never get out alive, Jessica...'' he stated, turned his head and looked up at her. ''I- I realy can't tell you anymore...'' he said and turned his gaze back on Nicair, flickering some with it.

Unfolding her arms, she walked over to the table again and set her hands down and leant over it.

''Leave that to us, Val.'' she stated certainly and glanced at Nicair, silently wondering if he was satisfied with the answer. Val would keep his mouth shut, he was going to kill himself and not them if he would not. And the Ablyss business was not likely to close down by itself anytime soon. Was this little hunt going into it's third step?

[member="Nicair Claden"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

Nicair kept his eyes level for a moment longer. Then another. He didn't take his eyes off Val when he spoke.

"He's telling the truth. I'm assuming you know the place."

He got to his feet and put his helmet back on at a slower than normal pace. His distorted voice followed shortly after it was back in place.

"And Val, it would be wise to consider smuggling yourself off Coruscant. Or, if you know any hole you can disappear to, dig a little deeper."

The Mandalorian turned his head in the barkeep's direction before continuing.

"You might consider closing up for real this time. Keep as many out of his way as possible."

Who this he was, Nicair left ambiguous. He gave a nod to Jessica to indicate he was finished.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

''Alright, I think we're done here...'' she stated and took her glance from Val to Nicair. She replied with a contemplating nod to his question about the location of this factory. It should not be that hard to nose up. She knew that they had some loose leads to the area in question, maybe not down to the exact building but it would explain and have a connection with it. She straightened herself up and turned to lead the way out of the bar. The words Nicair left with Val were enough of a good bye and for his own sake, she hoped he got the picture realy clear. No more words were needed at this place, instead she exchanged a gaze with the doorman before they left and yet again entered the dark streets of Coruscant.

The drone droid that emitted a faintly buzzing sound over the airspeeder kept the area under constant surveillance. Only a fool would consider touching the police vehicle when it was activated. With the tap of a button on her wrist, the droid descended and attached itself to the roof of the speeder.

''So... When do you wanna hit it?'' she asked straight out when stopping by the drivers door. The CPD sergeant felt fit enough to hit it already tonight but they could to with a few more officers and gather some more intel first, it would not hurt but she had also got the picture that the man wanted to do most of it with as less involvement from others as possible. She pondered on what answer that he would deliver and looked over at him.

[member="Nicair Claden"]