Not the Trembling Kind

[Basca Terrix]

How could I be so short sighted, Basca thought as she stood locked in Lost’s violent embrace?

But it would be clear to anyone but her that the Detective was overworked, under-nourished, too stubborn and too single minded to have been more careful on Lithios. The dark circles under her eyes were visible on her pale, pearly-skinned face, juxtaposed so strikingly against her light blonde hair. Basca was exhausted.

And that kind of bone-tiredness makes you do stupid things.

Her mind whirled with scenarios on how to shake the slicer off of her without having a crescent moon of blood spurting out of her throat. He was what? All of a hundred pounds soaking wet?

With a canine growl she tried to force him off of her back, simultaneously twisting her body and biting his hand. Lost cried out in pain as her teeth sunk into his flesh, but as the pair tusselled, his blade caught her forearm. Bas could poignantly feel the burning ache of the wound, sizzling and raw, but she’d made enough space between them to turn around and knee Lost in the groin. As expected he fell backwards, and in a fluid movement the Detective had her blaster at his temple.

She looked to the side, eyes moving, head still facing forward. She felt like someone was watching her - maybe behind the service door. But of course the pair of them were making such a racket in the hallway that a few doors down the corridor peeked open and slammed shut again when they saw the weapons.

In a split second, Lost, now a cornered animal, kicked Bas in the shin, catching her off guard, and he pulled at her leg. She shot, but missed as she clattered down to the floor, banging her head against the wall as she did so, knocking her into blissful unconsciousness.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"It's a city of dreams and I'm a big dreamer."
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[member="Basca Terrix"] ​

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Things had gone awful for Detective Terrix.

It was pretty clear that the scrawny slicer nicknamed Lost was more than exactly that and it showed clearly during the skirmish between both, ending with the CSF Detective unconscious on the floor while the criminal stood around right next to Ar'ekk's apartment. Trouble had reached his doorstep and most likely would reach inside if he didn't intervene right away, well kept secrets were stored inside the comfort of his own home and he wouldn't allow anybody to intrude.

"Make one sudden move and I'll blow your head off." The fallen Jedi turned slicer had made use of the cloaking device built into his armor that was hidden underneath the leather jacket and popped up behind Lost with the barrel of his K-16 Blaster touching the back of the hacker's head. "What are you doing in my apartment, Lost?"

You had to know your competition on Lithios if you wanted to survive, Lost was well respected in the DarkNet but not enough to be considered a legendary netrunner unlike Ar'ekk. His reputation wasn't highly regarded as much as the fallen Jedi's but was able to snag a couple of high profile jobs for clients which made him more than a capable competitor in the underground netrunning scene.

"That looks like an awful lot like a CSF Detective laying down there, man." He inquired while revealing Basca's identity, having her file pop up in his datapad during their conversation back at Jovim's. "If I'm not killing you then she will. What are you doing here?"

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[Basca Terrix]

Things had gone so badly for Detective Terrix than when she awoke the first thing she did was curse Lithios for her headache. “Gorram, Godforsaken planet. This is the last time I ever come here…” Once she fully recovered her bearings, she heard a voice far away in her consciousness but as she blinked hard coming fully to her senses, she realized the discussion was happening in front of her.

"That looks like an awful lot like a CSF Detective laying down there, man.”

Wait. How did he know that she was CSF? It wasn’t as though Basca was wearing her badge or some kind of ID card.

Shaking her head, emerging from the cobwebs of unconsciousness, she realized it didn’t matter. She would be able to nab a criminal either way if she played her cards right. Getting Lost off the streets and back to Coruscant to justice wasn’t exactly what she had in mind, but Bas knew that her Lt. would look kindly on one less scumbag out there making trouble.

It wasn’t always about quantity but quality, still it remained to be seen just how much Lost could help the Detective bag her bigger fish.

From the floor, Bas snarled, “It’s clear he’s not doing anything helpful.” Tossing him a pair of stun cuffs, she said, “Restrain him and I’ll take him downtown.”

Where ever the feth that was on Lithios.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"It's a city of dreams and I'm a big dreamer."
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[member="Basca Terrix"] ​

​

Ar'ekk did not blame her for cursing Lithios with everything she had, especially after being slammed hard in the head. She had the right to all of things right now and cursing was just one of them except for arresting the slicer that had saved her life most likely.

"Easy there, girl." The fallen Jedi turned netrunner spoke to Basca softly, making sure she wouldn't get on her feet too quick and faint once again. Head traumas ain't nothing to be lenient about. "You received one hell of a hit by this guy right 'ere. Why are you rolling with Lost anyways? This dude's nothing but reckless news."

Despite getting himself entangled in this particular situation the man knew that he couldn't trust either of them just like one could not trust anybody on Lithios. That was the first and only rule that Ar'ekk was not willing to break now or ever and considering his home was already compromised it made things a lot more difficult. A solution would come soon but it depended on how everyone played their cards.

"Sure." The handle of the gun slammed against Lost's temple and made him fall like a log on the floor unconscious, slamming the stun cuffs on his wrists right after.

"Why are you here?"

The pistol now aimed at Basca, it was time to stop playing games. Answers were needed and sure as hell he wanted some...

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[Basca Terrix]

“Easy there, girl.”

“I’m not a horse, you Rimkin!” Basca snarled. “And what do you know about Lost?”

As she rose to her feet, the Detective felt uneasy until she saw Arekk slap the cuffs onto Lost’s skinny wrists. But the next thing she knew, the blaster was aimed at her temple.

Of course it was. Her over inflated sense of self-righteousness would not allow her to admit, even inside that she might have made a mistake. No, it was easier to blame it on sleeplessness and this blasted planet.

She wanted to say: “If you were on the right side of the law, you wouldn’t be doing that," but then again, the Detective was here, semi-invading his apartment building like some wayward commando. Looking him up and down, Basca wasn’t sure the man was even a part of her investigation. With his worn coat and five-o’clock shadow he resembled so many of the denizens of Lithios. And if he lived here, one word from the doorman would end her charade. Then suddenly...

“Hey, you’re that guy from the noodle shop, right?” She pulled out her CSF badge. “I’m not a travel agent, okay? But my assignment is classified.”

She rubbed the patch of skull where she’d hit, feeling a nice hard knob there and hoping the Lithios police department had an ice pack.

“I can take him from here. Unless you want to help me?” Yes, she wanted to learn more about the man in 339 Gentian Way. Guilty until proven innocent she liked to joke to her Lieutenant.

“Why are you sneaking around the stairwells anyway?”

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"It's a city of dreams and I'm a big dreamer."
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[member="Basca Terrix"] ​

​

"He's an idiot, that's what I know. I'm not surprised he tried to stick you up, detective."

The information obtained before meeting once again was confirmed once Basca unpinned her CSF badge and showed it to Ar'ekk, blaming himself for not being more careful when navigating through the DarkNet despite using all the security measures possible but he knew that Lost always found a way to circumvent any type of software to get his way.

After all he was the competition in the underground netrunning scene and had been holding a feud of their own for a year now.

"I know you are not a travel agent." The blaster's barrel touched Basca's temple for just a second before he pulled away and tucked it in its resspective holster. "Just wondering why a CSF agent's in my doorstep but I understand why you won't tell me."

For all he knew, this could be an opportunity to get him into handcuffs as soon as he set foot inside the police department, everyone knew him pretty well after countless of times spent locked up inside a little jail cell after a bar fight or just drunken nights after a job. Not to count his impressive prontuary that involved hundreds of slicing related charges that could make anyone think of how he could escape from being in prison though the answer was pretty obvious.

"Well, I live here. What are you doing sneaking here should be the question now, huh?" He paused for a moment, taking a good look at Basca. "If I help you, will you let me go? I saved your life."

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[Basca Terrix]

Basca was exhausted, her head ached and she could really go for some of those noodles - Jorvim’s, Joevarns? Her mind was muddled from the knock, and she couldn’t remember the name right now. “Giving up” was not in Detective Terrix’s vocabulary, but she had an idea on how to advance her goal of getting closer to the Aargau ring.

Still the kiss of the blaster against her temple - well, it was gentle which said something about the man beside her and then he lowered the gun. She chuckled but it was a short bark of a laugh as she was trying her best to not antagonize him or show any arrogance.

“I think you know why I’m here.”

When the man said, "If I help you, will you let me go? I saved your life." he all but confirmed it for her. Whether he was part of the Aargau ring or not, he was definitely a criminal of sorts.

Resisting the urge to knock him out with some kind of k'Jtari chop to the throat, she steadied herself and said, “Since we just arrested my best informant, what do you say about taking his place?”

While he could have been a kingpin for all she knew, Bas felt that he was likely more of a lower rung hacker, although her hunches had a 50/50 chance of being right. Still, she could use someone more reliable than Lost and hopefully closer to the ringleader.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"It's a city of dreams and I'm a big dreamer."
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[member="Basca Terrix"] ​

​

"Appreciate the offer, doll. But I'm not a rat."

In this line of work one could be many things but a whistleblower wasn't one of them, Ar'ekk had made good friends over the years and to see them go down because he talked about different dealings would cause him and those who he loves very much pain, much like the decision he took two years ago that ended up claiming his beloved's life and daughter to go missing alongside her.

He wouldn't accept at all, not now or ever.

"Pretty sure there's an alternative, detective." Ther was a sense of respect between the slicer and the cop despite the obvious difference in paths, the man wasn't one to underestimate his opponents. "I am not a liar either so yes, I know why you are here. But whatever you're after isn't here or anywhere anymore, I work alone."

Trust nobody but your closed ones, that was his motto. Keep everything around you hidden from those who want to harm you and pray that nothing will get to your doorstep when you're not looking, a sad experience from the past had made him learn that the hard way. He knew that Basca meant well and was only doing her job, a cop's one of course, and didn't blame her for trying to seek the truth.

"What's next then?"

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[Basca Terrix]

It was almost comical the way the two of them - Basca and Arekk - stood there as Lost languished upon the carpeted high-rise floor in handcuffs. He seemed to be nodding off, so the Detective kicked him back awake with the toe of her boot. She didn’t relish the idea of dragging him back to the Lithios police station, not to mention she had no idea where the station was in this seemingly lawless city.

Basca patted the front pockets of her trousers for her datapad and pulled up a search warrant, only enforceable in some select districts of the galaxy. She was pretty sure Lithios didn’t enforce it, but it wouldn’t hurt to check.

“No one works alone, despite what you’d like to think,” she stated. “What’s next is I search your apartment. I have identified a location related to the Aargau ring.” When she said “Aargua” she paid specific attention to Arekk’s dark, rugged features, trying to read his body language.

“This search warrant should be enough.” Her tone turned slightly more menacing, though her smile appeared non-threatening. However, her posture straightened, her own body language displaying an alertness, revealing that any concussive properties the knock on her head had given her had worn off.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"It's a city of dreams and I'm a big dreamer."
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[member="Basca Terrix"] ​

​

"Aargua ring?" His voice sounded neutral at the moment though the "reveal" made his interest become visible, at some extent of course. "No such thing here."

Three years into a life of crime you tend to pick up some really clever ideas and tricks to survive encounters with other people, ways of reading their expressions and see through the cracks to find their real intentions. There was no shortage of con artists wanting to steal your credits during a deal or maybe exchange information with some serious people only to end up with a blaster barrel pointed at your forehead, Basca would find nothing noteworthy on his body language except a very tired expression on the man's face.

"You won't find anything interesting inside, detective." Ar'ekk's index secretely touched a really small button by the door handle that would immediately hide his computer terminal and other electronic stuff inside the apartment, making it seem like any other regular spot. "If you want to go inside, you'll have to take your shoes off first. Don't make a mess out of the floor."

The door opened to reveal the slicer's massive penthouse that just reeked wealthy but not too exotic, he wasn't one to really flaunter his money around like most rich people did. He grew up in the slums of Coruscant after all and there was no excuse to do just that, everybody dreamt of getting out of the gutter at one point and he was lucky enough to keep his head somewhere not inside his bottom.

"Feel right at home."

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