Private The Thunder Rolls

[Katarine Ryiah]

3:30 in the mornin', not a soul in sight​

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple - Meeting Room 21
Objective: Meet with New Padawan and explain their mission assignment
Tags: Asher Hodesh

Master Katarine Ryiah stood at the window of the meeting room, her gaze fixed on the swirling tempest outside the Jedi Temple. The storm raged over Coruscant's skyline, thunder rumbling like distant battles and lightning streaking through the sky in jagged flashes. She could almost feel the energy crackling through the air, echoing the turbulence inside her mind.

Katarine had faced many challenges in her years as a Jedi, but this mission—this hunt—was unlike anything she had ever encountered. The Force hummed ominously within her, its currents thick with foreboding. The Order had sent her on countless assignments, but this one was personal. She was not just a seasoned Jedi Master anymore; she was a mentor, tasked with guiding her new padawan, Asher, into the shadows of a dark truth.

Her fingers brushed lightly against the cool surface of the window as she contemplated the task ahead. They were not just hunting any enemy—they were hunting a serial killer, a predator who had eluded the authorities and left a trail of death across the galaxy. The Council had deemed it necessary for the two of them to embark on this mission, the hope being that her experience and Asher's untested potential could bring an end to the carnage.

But that hope came with its own weight. Katarine knew that this would be a trial of trust. Trust in herself. Trust in her padawan. And perhaps most crucially, trust in the very tenets of the Jedi Order they were bound to uphold. Her heart was heavy, not from fear, but from the burden of the responsibility that would soon be laid on Asher's shoulders. She was ready for what lay ahead, but was he?

 

[Asher Hodesh]

Ash felt as if he had been in a whirlwind of the Whills itself as he had returned recently from his home world, many revelations rattling him and then to now finally, after what seemed an eternity, to be paired with a Master and become a Padawan Learner at last. The Young Jedi was greatly honored that Katarine Ryiah had decided to train him. They had connected well on Bespin, both having skills in detective work, making them an ideal master and apprentice. He owed her a great deal, especially when facing the Trial on Cloud City, which still haunted him. He took a deep breath before heading to where Master Ryiah was, the lift taking him up from the below levels where Intiates had dwelt. He now was a Padawan, and that meant he was to shadow his Master, and help her in all things, learning how to become a Expert Detective, which was his wish.

Exiting the lift, Ash made his way to the quarters his Master was residing in. He was unaware if this was her usual room or merely one she had requisitioned for the time being. He tried to straighten himself a little, adjusting his tunic, and checking his belt with the Praetor Hilt in its shining chrome durasteel danging from it. The weapon had served him in their last investigation. Pressing a glowing blue console outside the door, there was soft beep to notify her that he had arrived. Ash adjusting his collar once more, he was nervious. This was the first time they would be together since they were made Master and Apprentice. The door slid open and he came to window, where Master Ryiah was standing, and looking out the window at the storm that was brewing over Coruscant. She seemed lost in thought, and so he came to her side, and crossing his arms, resting them against his chest, the cuffs of his Jedi Padawan arms falling long an almost concealing his hands.

"Coruscant looks more natural in this weather to me.. it strips away the pristine efforts of the city to appear as a utopia. When we know that the planet is crawling with as much darkness as anywhere else despite our stronghold, this temple."

They knew as detectives better than most that harmony most of the time was a delusion, meant to keep things concealed. While the Jedi Code emphasized the importance of Harmony, it could not be imposed on a world like Coruscant, no, nor anywhere else...

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

The city's lookin' like a ghost town on a moonless summer night​

Location: Meeting Room 21
Objective: Meet and Discuss Case
Tags: Asher Hodesh

She was lost in though as she watched the raindrops cling to the glass and the dark atmosphere sweep over the city planet. Her thoughts drifted towards her new SIA partner Dean Walker . She found herself hoping he was safe. For a moment she considered pulling out her datapad and sending him a text, but she hesitated. If he was deep undercover she wouldn't want to blow it and expose him. She bit her lip and silently debated as she heard the door open and her new padawan enter the room, forcing her to come out of her thoughts of Dean and return to the situation at hand.

"Coruscant looks more natural in this weather to me.. it strips away the pristine efforts of the city to appear as a utopia. When we know that the planet is crawling with as much darkness as anywhere else despite our stronghold, this temple."

"It is good to recognize darkness will always exist even when we try to shine light at it." The message sounded eerily more grave with the lightening crackling in the background. Katarine turned her back on the window and let her deep green eyes fall instead on her new padawan. Hopefully Asher was adjusting to his new role well. He should be assigned a new dormitory soon to stay with other padawans and would probably be taking a few extra classes when he was not with Katarine. Most of the time however they would be together.

"Let's sit." She motioned to the large meeting table in the room, which had some water and caf if her padawan so chose to indulge. She took her own seat and reached for some files that were already laying on the table. She slid them over to Asher.

"Coruscant is not the only planet crawling with darkness. Kriselist has a serial killer in it's midst." She folded her hands and watched Asher, gauging how he reacted to the news. Serial killers were frightening creatures, and the ones Katarine was hunting were the most dangerous in the galaxy.

"There is a top secret underwater prison on Naboo called Black Marsh Prison. It was destroyed over three years ago due to a netherworld crisis the planet experienced. The inmates in this prison were the deadliest beings in the galaxy at one point or another and they were kept stored in carbonation chambers. When the crisis happened the prison was destoryed and those carbonnation chambers were released. Many of the inmates escaped. I've been hunting them for the past year. An SIA agent has been assigned to help me but he must also do his SIA work so I've decided to seek your help on this case. The monster we are hunting is Vorik Korr. There have been four murders on the planet, all with his signature."

She did not mention to Asher that she was in Black Marsh Prison as well when it was destroyed and that she was actually several centuries old, though she assumed it might come up sooner rather than latter as they worked this case.

"It will be our job to hunt him down and stop him before he hurts anybody else."

 

[Asher Hodesh]

The Padawan at the behest of his Master joined her and sat down, a file handed to him, he did not take a drink of the Caf, rather his entire attention was on what Master Katarine Ryiah was saying and skimming the files to get intel. Serial killer, that was no light matter, though it did not illicit a reaction from Ash, for what had transpired on Bespin had been enough to shake him of all shock, literally even.
"Do we know his motive for the killings? Is it a power trip, sadism, or something else?"
The Young Learner listened intently as she spoke about Black Marsh Prision, and the inmates that had escaped. Naboo, a world so serene and beautiful, and yet from it great woes often came, including the man who would create The Galatic Empire of old and enslave most of galaxy under tyranny. Ash had come to the conclusion, the more beautiful the place, the more harmonious it seemed, the greater the darkness that lurked beneath it. In some ways he would prefer to go to Korriban or even Dromand Kass, Sith Worlds, because at least they were at face value when it came to darkness, you knew to keep up your guard, rather than be beguiled by beauty and the false peace of a world like Naboo.

"You and this Dean Walker have been hunting down these inmates. Who is he? What is his role in the capture of these offenders and their cases?"
As a Padawan he trusted his Master explicitly, but he needed to know about all the players in this, the more he knew, the more he could offer his skills to help make progress in this Hunting down of scum and villiany.

"Preventing more deaths is is paramount, I understand. Though I must ask Master, I feel there is something you are concealing about all this.."
He was only recently a Padawan, but his powers of deduction had been proven on Cloud City, and he could sense it. When a Master and Padawan were paired, the Masters taught a bond was formed, that they could sense a great deal within each other, this made giving instruction from the Master easier, knowing what to address, and it gave the Apprentice an ability to glean more about their Guide in the Force, why they were instructing them thus and hopefully it became a mutual bridge between them in which they could connect. Ash had been so grateful to Master Ryiah for taking him as her Apprentice, it was a great honor, and he owed her for her intervention in the affairs on Bespin. His goal was never to question her in the sense of distrust, rather his questions were to be for benefit of their work, and their relationship as Master and Apprentice.

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Raindrops on the windshield, there's a storm movin' in​

Tags: Asher Hodesh

“He is a sadist and a need based offender. Killing is his release so he will continue to do it until he’s stopped.”

She was happy to see that Asher was already thinking about motives. Getting inside a killers mind was the first step to catching them.

“Agent Walker is my official partner in the Black Marsh Investigation. Grandmaster Noble set up a cooperative between the New Jedi Order and SIA so that he and I could work together in apprehending the criminals. I have been running this investigation for a long time by myself and Agent Walker has proved a valuable resource. However this investigation is not well known throughout the Alliance and is mostly classified, meaning when duty calls Agent Walker away he must go in order to maintain confidence. For now I am working solo on this project but as my padawan you are welcome to any information I am should I wish it. I’ve decided your skills as a detective would be useful on this case. I am also not a pilot so your ability to fly is needed.”

She hopped that answered his question about Dean and that she hadn’t blushed when speaking about the agent. She cleared her throat and nodded at her padawans other observation.

“Your feelings are correct. I was a prisoner in Black Marsh as well. I was sent there during the Clone Wars and remained until three years ago. So this investigation is very close to me. I am also responsible for many of the inmates ending up there in the first place so that makes me a target if any were to learn I was still alive. We must be careful.”

 

[Asher Hodesh]

The Padawan hearing that this killer got a cathartic high from killing meant that they answer was find them and apprehend or kill, there was not live and let be as some of the more mystical Consular Jedi preached. Leave this one alone and innocent people would die.

Most of what she said about Walker was pertaining to his involvement in SIA and this classified joint mission with The GA. Though the Master had not directly answered his question, she explained what he did in regards to SIA, and even that was rather cryptic, but she said nothing about what he was like, did she trust him, and other senses, which exposed to him that there was something there, the avoidance with which she endeavored was telling, it could easily be waved away as top secret, but that did not fly with him now being included in these investigations. No, there was more there, but out of respect to His New Master, he did not pry further, it was enough to have sense that there was more there to uncover when she was ready.

Chuckling he said,
"So I am a glorified Taxi Driver huh?"
He could have made a remark about that she was Master and unable to fly as unusual, and well how that encumbers a Detective getting to crime scenes. His mind began to wonder how much debt she had run up on transports or how many pilots from the Order did she have to request to take her hence. He was beginning to wonder if this was the real reason the Jedi Council approved of him being training, to off load them both, and make it so she had her own driver. Fair enough, all relationships were transactional to a degree. He did not begrudge it, this was his last chance, to ascend and become a knight one day, in which he would go on his own cases.

Then Master Ryiah dropped a bombshell that he did not expect. She had been prisoner on Black Marsh Prison with these escapees, and she was in the Clone Wars?! How long had she been in carbonite?! Had she been in deep cover then and sadly got put in the slab? All of these questions flooded his mind, and he wanted to ask her if she had known Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and many others, but he chose to restrain himself. There was also some other creeping thoughts, he recalled how she was not well around the dark side when they confronted the Killer on Bespin, and that she had been incarcerated. This was concerning in the least, but surly the Council knew about all this, they after all had begun a coordinated effort with SIA, and would not allow a convict to hunt down convicts would they? Would they? Ash chose not to follow this train of thought any further, he would help his Master find these escapees and glean more of the truth over time. He was not in the place to make interrogations, and he owed her for her help on Cloud City. She had helped him not fall to the dark side, so who was he to judge her past, if in fact she had one remotely close to some of the thoughts flooding his mind. A detective follows clues and facts, not conjectures and theories. Until he knew more he would leave the subject as she had chosen to give answer.

"I will do all in my power to take care Master, I know how important this is to you, to the Order, and to me. I will use my skills to help you bring these to justice."
His pledge was not half-hearted, Ash was an all in type of person, even in Pazaak, and so his zeal was genuine.

TAG: Katarine Ryiah

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

He's headin' back from somewhere that he never should have been​

Tags: Asher Hodesh

Katarine chuckled and shook her head when he mentioned being a taxi driver.

“Asher I chose you as a padawan because you showed progress as a detective and were able to resist the darkside. You are a capable Jedi and our specializations fit. If they hadn’t I would have made certain another Jedi selected you, even if they did not need a driver.”

Her tone was light but she was sincere. She wanted him to know he deserved to be a padawan and wasn’t just picked because of shallow reasons.

“We should get ready to travel. We will start by examining the bodies at the medical examiners office. That might tell us something. Then we need to figure out how the victims were selected. “

Together they made their way to the hangar, ready to begin the case.

 

[Asher Hodesh]

Her assurances that he was more than a driver for her made Ash give a slight smile, Katarine Ryiah always knew what to say. It was as if she had keen sense of what would make him feel at ease and silence that negative voice in his mind.
"Thank you Master, I am greatly honored to be your Padawan," he paused a moment, "you have given me an opportunity that has past me over for a long time. For that I cannot express my appreciation. I want you to understand I do not see you as merely a stepping stone to my potential, I believe together we make a good team, and I enjoy your company."
The last remark had no ounce of romantic sentiment, he did not feel about Kat in that way, rather it was him trying to tell her she mattered more than what instruction she could give, and that she was more than a rescuer of him from his perpetual intiate status.

"Very good, let us embark and bring those guilty to justice."
They came to hangar where an assortment of different vessels ranging from Starfighters with one seat, and others that were a great deal larger. Seeing one that looked like a Mantis, a T-6 Shuttle, the Padawan pointing said,
"I think we should take that one, it will give us ample room to do investigations, and if need be haul the criminals."

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

​

And the thunder rolls​

Tags: Asher Hodesh

Katarine was glad to hear that Asher was thankful for the opportunity to be a padawan and she appreciated that he was not just using her to further his career as a Jedi. She agreed that a larger shuttle would serve them well so they boarded and started all the pre-flight mechanics to get the mission started. Soon they were on their way, traveling towards the edge of Alliance space to their destination.

Once they were in the air and had some time to think Katarine sat curled up in her chair, once more lost in thought. Her datapad chimed and she pulled it out of her pocket, frowning at what the report said.

"There has been another victim. We should head to the dumpsite first before the locals contaminate the scene."

 

[Asher Hodesh]

Ash took the pilot chair and set the star charts, mapping the system, and then activating the thrusters. The Mantis shape ship made its way out of the hangar, and for a moment hung over the sea of speeders moving to and fro, and among the skyscrapers that almost were as teeth that were releasing this Mantis to go to the surface. Once through the stratosphere, they were in the blackness of space, and Katarine Ryiah recieved a ping with grim news, Ash responded,
"Aye Aye Master."

He made set the compresser and the view window turned to great white lines of light and they left Coruscant, and were on their way to the destination. Turning to His Master he said,
"Could you tell me more about our target? I looked over the file, but have you had personal interactions with him? Is he prone to aggressiveness or does he like to wax in some sadistic poetic speech? I see he likes to use pyrotechnics, what should I be wary of?"
The Padawan's assumption was that since his Master had been in Black Marsh Prison, she knew well these they were hunting down. The more that he knew, the better he could prepare for what await them. He had had his fill of surprises on the last Investigation they both were on. He wanted to know all he could, for knowledge was power. The one consolation was this scum was not a Sith, for a moment his mind drifted to his Mother and her great fall. It was the greatest betrayal of all...

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

And the thunder rolls​

Tags: Asher Hodesh

As her padawan asked about the criminal they were hunting Katarine thought back to the days during the Clone Wars. She'd been called off the front line to find Vorik after he had set four industrial fires on Coruscant. Several people had perished in those fires and for a while the local authorities thought the killer was a simple arsonist. After an examination of the body however the team had concluded he was a sadist who was using arson to cover his tracks. He did have an affinity for fire but it wasn't typical arson that got him off. He liked to torture his victims and arson just happened to be his method of choice.

"Vorik is a confused and impotent being. For the longest time he had authorities and maybe even himself convinced that he was an arsonist whose goal was destruction of property rather than to kill. When he set his first large fire and two men were trapped inside he realized his true release was murder and never went back. Now any fires he sets are purely to cover his tracks. He prefers men of larger builds, probably because he feels like he's not an alpha in his own life. He seeks out the strongest men he can find and then he captures them applying blunt force trauma or drugs. Once they are in his captivity he keeps them chained down and burns them over and over to assert dominance. When he's finished he kills them with fire as well. Ironically despite his need to be in control he's submissive and doesn't have the social skills to blend in well, which is why he usually hunts at night in high risk areas. He won't talk our ear off when we catch him. In fact he likely won't be able to talk to me at all. Women intimidate him. The last time I came face to face with him he had a stutter when speaking to my former master, a female. "

 

[Asher Hodesh]

Asher processing the precious intel that Master Katarine Ryiah was giving him, decided that perhaps he should be the bait.
"I do not quite fit the bill in terms of body type, but perhaps if he saw me wield The Force, and use my saber, he would consider me a candadite for her Burning Stake? Then you could swoop in and apprehend him."
The prospect of being bait was not appealing, but Asher intended to lend aid in whatever means he could to His Master in this Hunt. He wanted to show that he was willing to risk himself even to achieve their objective, though it was not a wanton decision or impulse, rather he knowing enough about this Sadist of the Flame, he could manipulate proceedings, if it came to it. An alternative was to get Vorik's preferred victim type, and convince them to help capture this fiend. That would be incredibly hard to do, and risky for the civilian. It was then that The Jedi Padawan considered,
"What if we were to augment my body, use mechanical legs, and beef up my body to make me more imposing? Then I would be attractive to hjs vicious appetites."
This seemed a more sensible course of action to him, brandishing a saber and behaving as Jedi would make them visible, and Vorik probably would go underground. He felt silly for suggesting that in the first place, he was step off his game, was it the revelation on Bespin? Had he truly recovered from learning that his Own Blood was Dark? And that they were dead, that he watched them die. No, he had to shake himself out of it and focus on the investigation and the plan of capture. His feelings about what had happened in past needed to wait, what mattered was stopping Arsadist from harming more people. That was paramount, to be protectors of those who had no one else to defend them.

Aside from his detective skills, Ash had been attracted to the Jedi because they truly were a force for good in a very broken galaxy. When other authorities could be paid off or corrupted, The Jedi stood as a light that could come into any system and dispense justice. This was the stories he had been reared on, the reality had been close to what he envisioned, but there was more bureaucracy. His progress had been stilted by being a Initiate for so long, It great hope was that now as Master Ryiah's Apprentice, he might better serve as an arbiter of justice. He would represent a law that all sentients irrespective if they believed in the Force would abide by, The Law, which said among other things, that murders must not roam free and must be put on trial, and placed in prison, if they did not comply while being apprehended, then the saber would be their end...

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Every light is burnin' in a house across town​

Tags: Asher Hodesh


"Let us hope it doesn't come to that. I would hate to put you in danger like that." It was a good idea but Katarine wanted to reserve it for a last possible scenario. She did not want to lose her padawan after they had just started training after all!

The ride there was mostly uneventful, with each of them discussing the case and possible strategies. When they landed they made their way over to the latest dump site. She took her padawan aside for a moment before the approached the body.

"As you know Asher a dump site can tell us a lot about a killer. Walk the scene and tell me what you see. Really try to get into the killers mind."

It would be his first task of their training.

((feel free to improvise details of the scene!))