Private Slaver Stains

[Iris Arani]

Slavers were something Iris was coming in contact with more often than she'd like. At least this time it was by choice. Nantoon had been one of many planets under the protection of the CIS, but with the fall of that galactic power came the rush of criminals trying to lay claim to everything they could while systems reeled from the sudden vacuum of power. It's what brought the Padawan here. Not far from Alliance space Iris was given the go ahead by her master to head to the world and help where she could. Provided she stayed careful and didn't end up captured again.

Which she didn't want to do anyway, so it was an easy promise to make.

Iris wandered into the small town where she'd heard reports of the slaver's activities. People being taken under the cover of night, never to be seen again. The reports were alarming, especially to the younger Padawan. But she knew all too well that it was the usual thing where Slaver's roamed. Her gaze shifted around the town from under her hood, scanning through the people. Now she just needed to find the main hall. Townhouse? .. Somewhere where the leader was.

She really should of read up on this. No time to complain. Step by step she went in deeper into the town, listening and watching the people go about their daily lives. It reminded her of home, when she was younger. Even with the threat of people going missing they did their bests to live happy lives. She smiled. Their colors were bright.

Lief

 

[Lief]

They should have been back home on Empress Teta by now.​

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They would have been, if not for their benefactor's flagrant abuse of his position. One more stop, one more stop, one more stop. Nantoon was on the other side of the Core from where they'd previously traversed, as far from their starting point as Gala had been. Gala should have been their only stop... It felt like an eternity since they'd left that world.​

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Because of this disregard for anyone other than himself, their benefactor had risked the lives of the crew. Nantoon had become quite the wretched hive of scum and villainy in recent months, even compared to some of the less policed worlds in the Outer Rim it was dangerous. And all of this had come to a head when a member of their crew had not reported back from their brief shore leave.​

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The crew of The Atale were disciplined and dedicated. It wasn't common for someone to be back late, in fact in the time they'd been traveling - and it was a lot more time than anyone had planned for - it had only happened once. Even then it was just an hour's delay. It had now been an entire day, and that was simply unheard of. It didn't happen.​

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Captain Klein had ordered several groups to the ground in search of one Delvin Jones, a petty officer who had never been anything but timely even on his previous postings. With the rumours which were spreading around of slavers and gangs it was difficult not to expect the worst; the best case scenario was he had drank too much and fallen asleep somewhere strange, the worst case? Well... Eliphas didn't wish to think about that.​

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For his part, he was tasked with searching one of the local towns alongside two security officers. His first step was to head to the local leader's premises, to find out any extra information they might have had which could help them. Areas of increased gang activity, or locations with a higher rate of disappearance.​

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Truth be told he felt a little in over his head.​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

".. Ah, yeah. I'm here to help."

By the expression on the village leader's face, it was clear this was a topic they'd already gone over a couple times. Iris was never the best at keeping track of real conversations. If everyone could speak with their minds it'd be way easier for her. Nothing could be done about it now. Iris bowed her head, trying to hide the embarrassed blush after yet again loosing track of the conversation.

"Look, you seem like a good kid. And I appreciate ya wanting to help. But.. You come across as pretty young and.. I just don't wanna see you gettin' hurt."

"I'm sorry! I just- I get distracted easily is all. You have a really nice home. Really, I'll be fine. Just tell me what's been going on."

The man raised a brow and just stared, but eventually he nodded. "If you're sure.. It started after the collapse. New people moved in close by. We didn't think anything of it till the first person went missing. My.. Son tried to see what was going on. .. He hasn't returned since." There was a resignation in his voice that had Iris frown, but she didn't say anything.

"Then more people went missing. We're just small town people. These.. Slavers, they've got ships. Tanks even. We're not equipped to handle anything like that. Everyone has just reached the point of waiting and hoping for the best." He'd continue on, but Iris's gaze had already drifted. Not because she wasn't listening. She'd put twice as much effort to keep track of the elder's words this time. She just nodded to the door.

"Were you expecting others?"

Lief

 

[Lief]

It took him a little while longer than he might care to admit to find the building in question. Most of the streets were empty, and those who saw a stranger approaching them were very quick to retreat back inside, especially when he tried to assured them he was just looking for directions. It wasn't exactly an original claim, was it? How many had been lured away under the same pretense? ​

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Just the thought made him shudder.​

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Thankfully with a little time and patience he'd gotten his answer. He climbed the few steps up to the main door, and stepped inside as it opened at his approach. Apparently the man was already preoccupied with another, a girl around his own age. He glanced between the two of them, suddenly aware of the fact that he was unintentionally interjecting himself in their conversation.​

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"Oh, I'm sorry," he spluttered, now on the spot as the man turned his sights toward him curiously. "I was here about the-- well, I suppose I can wait... Until you're done... I just, well, it's urgent."​

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"Well then, spit it out," the man said, a little perturbed but not inherently unkind.​

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"A member of our crew has gone missing... I... I heard about the slaver problem here. I... I can help, if it means finding our missing Officer." He looked from man to girl again, and gulped. Gods, would his Father be unhappy if he saw how much he was fumbling such a simple task. In that moment though it felt as though the fate of the petty officer was on his shoulders alone.​

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Which was ludicrous, since plenty of other search parties had also been sent out.​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris tilted her head, watching Lief once the boy entered the room. Well, not watching him. Her eyes drifted around his form, as if something was surrounding him. She said nothing before her gaze drifted back to the elder. Who in turn just let out a sigh. "So they're even taking travelers now..?" A rhetorical question. He just leaned back in his seat, eyes closed for a moment longer.

"I trust the Jedi. I'm not sure if I trust you."

"I do." Iris spoke up, which seemed to startle the old man. He half expected her to zone out while he was talking to Dune. The fact that wasn't the case spoke on it's own. The elder simply nodded. He pulled out a datapad from close by, handing it to her.

"This has the location of their ships. If the people taken are still there, that's where they'd be. If not, there might be a clue to where they take them?" There was a hope in his voice. That even if the people had been taken off world, there'd still be a chance to find them. Iris just smiled and nodded.

"We'll do what we can."

Then she got up and left. She gave a brief smile to Dune before passing him by. "I'll wait outside, if you have any personal questions for the Elder at least."

 

[Lief]

No trust.​

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Given his timidity he could hardly blame the Elder. He bowed his head some in humility, and was about to plead his case, when the other in the room spoke up in his defense. A Jedi... How was it he kept running into Jedi? Was this serendipity, or fate? Apparently it didn't much matter either way, because her vouching for him made the Elder change his mind.​

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Why she'd vouched he couldn't rightly say. But she had.​

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"Thank you" he mouthed at her, before the Elder began to explain what little he knew. He did have a datapad though so that was something. Eliphas bowed his head in thanks, and then watched as the Jedi left him alone with the Elder.​

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"Thank you," he said once more though louder this time and directed at the man, "The Atale is grateful for your assistance." No longer vying for the attention of the Elder, and alone in the room with him, it seemed as though the boys confidence began to return. "If there is anything we can do to repay you, don't hesitate to ask."​

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"Just bring back any of my own you can..."​

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Eliphas nodded.​

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Once outside he let out a heavy sigh. He'd almost fudged the entire assignment. That was not a good look.​

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"You vouched for me," he said, when he approached the girl, a curious expression in his eye. "Why?"​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

"You're worried about your friend and you weren't lying." Iris nodded her head once, giving Lief a simple smile. The colors were rarely wrong, and the Padawan had no reason to mistrust them here of all places. That, and.. Well. Having someone to help her stay on track would make her life sooo much easier. She knew just how easily she could get distracted better than most, especially when it came to discussions and talking.

And with slavers, well. That was a dangerous thing.

"We have a location to go. I don't trust they'll be willing to talk, though." They never seemed to, and with those captured at stake she didn't want to risk them. Her smile faded. Was that the only reason? She couldn't say herself.

"Do you have any ideas? It is your crewman that went missing too."

 

[Lief]

She had sensed his sincerity... Was this another one of those Force User things? The Elder had referred to her as a Jedi after all. With what he'd observed of Starlin Rand he supposed it wasn't that far from a possibility. What he'd seen in that magic shop too also hinted at there being far more that such beings could do. Why not sense truth or deceit?​

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Perhaps those senses could come in handy. To tell if someone was lying to them during this, uh... investigation? Is that what this was? Truth be told Eliphas just wanted to find his crewmate.​

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"Maybe they won't speak in truths, but you are apparently a good read of such... Maybe we can deduce it through their lies?"​

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Did that make sense? Eliphas wasn't even sure if that was what she had meant. Maybe he was totally misunderstanding everything. In general he was smart, academically, but this was entirely new to him.​

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He tried to think if there had been anything the crewmate had said about where he was headed... There were a few who often frequented cantinas, but none of the others were missing. "Is there a Cantina nearby?" he inquired, turning to glance around the buildings in his immediate vicinity.​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

The Keshain lie detector tilted her head curiously, watching Lief . Figure out the truth through lies? Actually, that wasn't a bad idea if she could get a read on the slavers and their potential allies. Actually. Her gaze drifted towards where the Cantina could be. Not that it was. In fact, Iris had no idea where to go in that regard, but still she joined Dune in trying to look for a path forward.

"I think so. And.. We should be careful." The apathetic stares of those who watched her get put in a collar. People who chose their own freedom at the cost of another. She'd seen it enough first hand.

"There might be some here helping the slavers."

 

[Lief]

Well she hadn't outright said it was a bad idea, so maybe it could work after all. Not that Eliphas would be of much use in that regard, he was able to deduce changes in people's outward appearance, their gestures and mannerisms, their expressions, but telling truth from lie? While that was possible for some non-Force Users, it wasn't a trick he had up his sleeve. Not without knowing someone for a long time, that was. You really had to understand someone and their typical ways of acting before you could just look at them to know if they spoke truths.​

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And they didn't have the time for such.​

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The idea that locals were helping the slavers at first seemed ludicrous. But the more he thought on it the more he realized that there was likely truth in the matter. Credits could make many men do awful things, and so could general coercion. Help or it's your family next? Yeah, Eliphas bet the majority would help in that situation. Could he blame them?​

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His gaze skimmed over a family who had not yet fled the streets, one of the kids in particular seemed to grip to their mother's sleeve as though their life depended on it.​

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No. No he couldn't blame them.​

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He followed the girl toward the Cantina in question, keeping quiet enough for now. He did pause before they entered the establishment though, realizing that they'd yet to exchange names. "I'm Eliphas, by the way, Eliphas Dune."​

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It felt wrong to go into certain danger with someone, and not even know their name.​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

Oh, they hadn't exchanged names? Iris blinked as she looked back towards Lief and nodded. It might be helpful for them to exchange names. Especially since they were going inside, right? "Iris." She flashed a brief smile before stepping through the doors. The smell of alcohol was immediate and strong. The drinkers? People who've lost family to the slavers. Several sat alone at their tables, sucking down ale or whatever else they could to forget their troubles.

The whole room was bleached in dim blues. Despair, depression.

The otherwise cheerful demeanor Iris seemed to always have faded some as she walked towards the bar. She didn't like this at all.

 

[Lief]

With names exchanged there was little else keeping them from the task at hand. The door to the cantina swooshed open, granting them a sobering view of the locals who were drowning their misery in the bottom of a glass.​

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He could sense the swelling emotions as though they were tangible entities unto themselves, the tension could be cut with a knife if needed. Truth be told it was overwhelming, and made his stomach churn. He breathed in a slow breath and tried to overcome that sensation, glancing instead to the girl at his side. Iris.​

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In the back of his mind he held her words well. Many, if not most, of them were likely going to turn them over to the slavers if it meant getting back their loved ones. But looking at them here, it was difficult to see past their misery. It would be difficult to keep his head.​

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"Where do we even start?" he mumbled, more to himself than to Iris though she'd obviously be able to hear him.​

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Iris Arani ​