Private Up In Flames

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

It was evenings like today that had Maiev wondering what her younger self would’ve thought. If she went back in time and told her what they’d end up doing in the coming years. How would that version of herself even respond?

Guess what? You’ll be in charge of a reputable massage parlour in the next twenty plus years.

Yeah, she wouldn’t have believed it for a second. Not that teenager, one who had yet to mature and still naive about the galaxy as a whole. Back during a time when Maiev still had a spirit co-inhabiting her body since birth.

Kalax-Ra, her mentor and mother figure.

It had been years since the spirit had willingly separated herself from the witch. An act that had become necessary to ensure Maiev wouldn’t die. The trauma that caused resulted in a disruption within her connection to the Force, and her magic. Ultimately it was temporary, but the pain of losing Kalax was most definitely not.

Not to mention the remnants of her old Clan deciding to draw the spirit back into her body, by force. But that was a whole other story.

Right now, Maiev was dealing with a matter that had gone up in flames…quite literally in fact.

“Hey Alli, I know this is like my seventh call, but if you could get back to me as soon as possible, I’d appreciate it.” Maiev let the commlink click off before she let out a tired sigh. “Well so much for that. Here’s hoping this Jedi shows up soon.”

For the past several months now her establishment had been dealing with harassment. Maiev had put in numerous requests with the CSF to investigate, but they had only ever done the bare minimum. And now after this latest incident? The witch had resorted to putting in a request with the NJO. Not that she had any issues with the Jedi. But if she couldn’t get anything from those looking after Coruscant. Then what chances were there with a group whose focus was on the galaxy?

Either way, someone at the Jedi Temple had pinged her request as ‘accepted’. It seemed someone there had deemed it worthy enough to investigate. Now it was just a matter of waiting, as the witch leant against a wall across the street.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Maiev

Usually, these weren't the kinds of missions that Valery got herself involved in. Not because she believed herself to be above it, but because the Galaxy demanded her attention elsewhere. Wars were erupting everywhere, and as the NJO's leader, she needed to be at the frontlines to address them.

But even Valery had time away from the front, and this whole situation was peculiar.

At a first glance, it seemed like the typical trouble of Coruscant's lower levels, but Valery's senses told her that there was more to it. That troubling was stirring down below, and that it needed to be stopped before it could escalate. This time, someone's establishment had been burned down, but what was next?

"Hello?" Valery asked as she stepped into the building, dressed in her Jedi attire and with two lightsabers strapped to her hips. Perhaps not required for an investigation, but she wanted to play it safe.

"I'm Jedi Master Valery Noble."

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

Maiev let out a sigh as she looked over at the charred remains of her establishment. The only remnant left was the burned out neon sign hanging above the door. Maiev’s Magical Massages.

Was it a bit of a corny title? Absolutely. But it fit in with everything else around, and it certainly caught plenty of attention. Maiev wondered what her old mentor would think if she saw the state of things now.

You always did caution that tempers were easily heated. Don’t think you quite imagined it would reach this point, or so literal.

The witch shook her head, pushing herself away from the wall she was leant against. With no sign of the Jedi arriving soon, Maiev decided to check out the building one more time. Not that it would result in much. She had already dug through the debris for any potential clues, only to find nothing substantial.

Not that she didn’t have suspicions, but they were matters that needed to be investigated further, preferably not alone.

Maiev had barely set foot within the burnt building when she heard the sound of someone approaching the premises. An unfamiliar voice called out as they stepped inside. The witch turned around, eyes already cast downwards moments before. Light grey eyes lingered as she looked up. A small grin on her face, almost automatic in appreciation. Only to be swapped with a flash of surprise upon reaching the stranger’s face.

Well, I’ll be damned…

“I’ll be honest, I was expecting a couple Padawans, a Knight, maybe a Master. Certainly did not expect such a prestigious Jedi to have answered my request.” She smiled, holding out a hand for Valery to shake. “I’m Maiev, and well…welcome to what remains of my fine establishment.”

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"I believe this to be well worth my time," Valery assured her with a smile. She then took the extended hand for a shake and looked the woman in the eyes. Even without the Force, Valery had a way of understanding people. Maiev was... an interesting one at a first glance, and a quick look up and down even made the Jedi Master smirk. Valery then withdrew her hand and dipped her head in polite greeting.

"A pleasure to meet you, Maiev, and I'm sorry about the business." She looked around and frowned. The refreshing part about this assignment was that she could see how these things affected everyday citizens who threw their passion and energy into a job they enjoyed.

Their own business.

This wasn't something she could see at the frontlines, even though those battles ultimately protected the same.

"I'm hoping to start an investigation and find the people responsible. As for the damages, those will of course not be yours to cover."

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

She had always heard that the Nobles were somewhat ‘people of action’. Preferring to take action over remaining in their Council seats deliberating about the best course of action. Not in a reckless way of course, they were still Jedi after all.

Of course, for the most part that was focused towards the grander, galactic stage. With the constant threat of wars, and new enemies arising from the ashes of the fallen.

So it was nice to see it seemingly remained the same for much smaller, local issues.

“We are of the same mind then,” Maiev said, smiling. “Much as I do appreciate the assurances towards the damages, I am eager to see the culprits located and apprehended.” There was a little edge to the woman’s tone, almost indicating she wanted to do more than just ‘capture’ them. But who wouldn’t, after having their livelihood burned down, and their employees threatened?

Nonetheless, the witch soothed her emotions, casting her gaze back towards Valery.

“In fact, I do have a lead we can follow, but first however, I would like to know what you know, Valery. May I call you Valery?” She paused to let the Jedi reply. “How much do you know about these kinds of businesses, of how they work?”

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"Don't worry, that's my focus too," Valery said with a knowing smile. Insurance would cover the damages, but if the people responsible were still out there, they could come back and cause more chaos again. So, they were the first and primary problem to solve, and Valery wasn't going to rest until she had.

She had taken down the likes of Kyrel Ren — some criminals were not going to escape her.

Maiev's eyes flicked back with a newfound emotional control, and Valery offered her a smile, "Valery is fine, and I'm afraid I don't know any specifics. I'm well aware of rivalries between gangs and businesses down here, but not the kind that would target a massage parlor." Not unless this business was a lot more than it seemed to be.

But Valery felt nothing to suggest such a thing.

"Perhaps a difficult client? Or a rival looking to eliminate competition?"

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

Maiev let out a small chuckle, nodding along in confirmation. “Oh, we’ve had our fair share of difficult customers alright, and rival competitors too. But it’s all about the balancing act, dealing with such…troublemakers, and maintaining a reputation.” The witch went on to explain that establishments like her’s, especially in such a location, heavily relied on ‘word of mouth’.

“You’re not exactly going to see advertisements up on the surface levels, nor draw any customers from there, not without some discretion at least. If you do though, you know you’re doing something right.”

And Maiev’s Magical Massages certainly had its modest share of ‘upstanding’ civilians that dared venture so far below.

“Given the location here, you can imagine we’ve had a varied clientele, thus Client Confidentiality is very important.” Maiev looked around a bit, memories flashing through her mind, until the smell of burning assaulted her nose. “Let’s walk and talk, shall we?”

Once outside, Maiev took in some fresh air, albeit whatever made for that in Coruscant’s lower levels. The witch’s hands slipped in her coat pockets as they began to walk.

“As I was saying, client confidentiality is important, thus we make sure every employee is put through an extensive and thorough vetting process.” Once a client got situated and relaxed, they often got very chatty too, especially if they were in a joint session. “Again, it all comes down to reputation. Clients are putting their trust in us to not take advantage of any information that might be shared during those sessions. If we have one too many loose lips, our reputation would tank.”

“Which brings me to the aforementioned lead I have…” Maiev pulled her hands free, taking a moment to undo a couple buttons on her coat. Reaching for an internal pocket, the witch pulled out her personal datapad. A few flicks and swishes of her finger, and Maiev handed it over to Valery. On the screen was a particular employee record of a young Twi’lek woman.

“That is Alli Novaan, she’s one of my earliest hires when I took over the business.” She gave Valery a couple moments to flick through the information. “Recently one of her clients was a member of a local gang; suspected proxy for a larger syndicate. Who just a few days ago had one of their newest warehouses get raided by a rival.”

Maiev looked to Valery, watching to see if the Jedi would put the pieces together.

“She hasn’t answered a single one of my calls since yesterday.”

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"Let's," Valery said after Maiev suggested they walked and talked. She could only imagine what kind of people came down here. From thugs living and thriving in the underworld, to wealthy business owners from above looking to get away from their daily lives. Somewhere in that crowd was likely someone with malicious intent. The one responsible for burning down this establishment with all risks involved.

But it seemed that Maiev had a lead.

Valery accepted the datapad and looked through the files while she listened. The story clicked instantly, even if it was dangerous to just assume something. The lead pointed at this Alli, but conclusions couldn't be drawn yet. There was a chance that she hadn't answered because she was being threatened, rather than hiding something.

"Perhaps a good place to start would be here residence? I'm sure you have that?" Most business knew where their employees lived, so it wouldn't be too hard to find. Maybe she was still there, and if she wasn't, perhaps it could offer clues as to where she went. One way or another, they needed to find Alli.

"If you can get me that information, I'll be able to leave right away."

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

“We’ll be heading there,” Maiev said, stopping to a point and turned to look at Valery. “Reputation aside, every employee is my responsibility, especially those that I personally hired.” The witch’s expression was serious, but her lips soon twisted into a smirk. “Don’t worry if things get hairy, I can handle myself.” She flashed Valery a wink, before turning back around and resuming her walk.

With just a little bit more sway in her hips.

Turned out they had just so happened to be walking in the right direction already. Alli lived in an apartment complex a few streets away.

“One lesson the previous Madame drilled into me was to hire locally. Just as people are in need of relaxation, they’re plenty desperately in need of work. And even the most inexperienced can be taught how to be a proper masseuse.” After a short elevator ride up, the duo finally arrived at the right floor. “It should be just a few doors down.”

Maiev led the way down the hallway, stopping in front of what was presumably the young Twi’lek’s apartment. She raised her hand, taking a step forwards to knock, only for the door to suddenly slide open.

A quick glance inside revealed the entire place had been trashed.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

We?

Valery raised an eyebrow and was about to protest when Maiev shut that down as well. She could handle herself, huh? Valery's eyebrow went up a little further, but somehow, the woman's confident little wink convinced her. With a small shake of her head and a chuckle, Valery watched as she walked away, a smirk tugging at her lips while she focused on Maiev. It wasn't often that she met her match in stubborn confidence.

"Fine, but please do be careful. I doubt you'd have asked for a Jedi if you could handle it all alone, hm?" Valery teased while she followed along and listened to what Maiev told her.

They were already close.

But even before they reached the door and pushed it open, Valery felt a tremor that sent shivers down her spine. She paused, just for a moment, and held up a hand to stop Maiev from walking further, "Let me go in first." She doubted anybody was in there, but she wanted to be careful and hoped that lingering emotions or memories might call out to her.

"Maybe I can connect with the past and see what happened..." Valery said while her hands began to search for fallen objects or other items that were ravaged.

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - Alli's Apartment
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

Maiev didn’t object as Valery offered to enter the apartment first. The witch’s mind was a buzz with questions, who had done this? Where were the culprits? Where was Alli? And praying they weren’t about to find a body.

Stepping inside, it was immediately apparent someone, or multiple someones had completely ransacked the Twi’lek’s apartment. There wasn’t a piece of furniture that wasn’t turned over, from metal panels being removed from the walls, to the bed having multiple gashes across it.

Whomever was behind this had been looking for something, and they weren’t shy about being thorough about it. But Alli’s whereabouts were the biggest question on the witch’s mind.

She raised an eyebrow at Valery, hearing the Jedi talk about ‘connecting with the past’. “Well, that sounds like it would be handy, how does it work?”

Annoyance. Frustration. Impatience.

They were the emotions that could be felt, a multitude of them spread out across the apartment. But beneath that layer was a different source, one that was only there briefly before disappearing from the scene.

Fear. Scared. Terrified.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"Whenever something happens, especially something involving powerful emotions, those actions ripple through time. Some are sensitive to listening to these echoes," Valery explained while she tried to focus and allowed those very feelings she described to resonate within her mind. A scene like this always came with strong emotions, but the ones she felt seemed to contradict themselves.

Unless Alli hadn't been alone.

"I sense a mix of things here," Valery continued. "Frustration and impatience, yet also fear. A strong, intense fear," Valery said as her fingers brushed along the walls.

"Perhaps someone did this while she was here?"

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - Alli's Apartment
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

The witch frowned at the thought that Alli was terrified, she was an innocent soul, and by far didn’t deserve to be caught up in all of this. But the fact Valery could also feel frustration and impatience did paint an image of there being multiple people present.

“I think that might be the case, and not a surprising one either.” Maiev glanced around the apartment, before settling on the Jedi Master. “Unless this was some extreme coincidence done by someone else, this was done by the same people that burned down my business.”

Maiev turned away, walking around the apartment looking down at the floor. She was trying to find signs of a struggle, but it was near impossible with the amount of stuff that was now littering it. That was, until the witch caught sight of something close to the door. Granules of some kind of substance, all bundled around a single spot.

As the witch crouched down to examine it, Valery would stumble across something herself. The moment her fingers traced over a dent in a wall, her senses were drawn in.

She was being held against a wall, the barrel of a blaster a couple inches away from her forehead. The fear in her heart was palpable, she wanted to say something, to scream, but was too afraid to.

Beside her, there were four other individuals in the apartment. The immediate one was a Rodian that was restraining her against the wall. Another two, male by the rough appearance in the dim lighting, were moving back and forth through the apartment, tearing it apart. The duo were clearly frustrated.

The last individual was a Weequay, leaning against the wall by the door while seemingly smoking something, his foot impatiently tapping against the floor.

“Have you guys seriously found nothing?” the Weequay complained, before taking another drag of his smoke.

“Sorry boss, there’s literally nothing here.”

The Weequay sighed, pushing himself away from the wall. “Fine, whatever. Let’s just take the girl instead.”

Alli panicked for a moment, but her consciousness; as well as the echo, blacked out as she was struck in the head by the Rodian's weapon.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

With a gasp for air, Valery snapped from her vision and withdrew her hand from the wall. The emotions — the fear and despair as she was taken — were vivid. Almost as if Valery herself had been there in her place. She reached up to rub her temples and let out a soft groan, before turning around to face Maiev.

The witch had found something else, it seemed, but she needed to know this.

"I saw her," Valery said. "A weequay, a Rodian and two other henchmen were in the apartment with her. They were looking for something but there was nothing. So, they took her instead." Valery raised a hand up through her hair and steadied her breathing after drawing in a deeper breath.

"Are you familiar with anybody who matches that description?"

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - Alli's Apartment
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

Hearing a groan, Maiev turned her head to look towards Valery. She opened her mouth to speak, to ask if she was okay, but the Jedi beat her to it. The mention of Weequay got a look of recognition from the witch, who let out a humourless chuckle in response to Valery’s question.

“Oh, I most certainly do.” Maiev looked down at what she had found, motioning for Valery to take a look too. “Someone was smoking here, and I’m going to take a wild guess it was the weequay, right?”

The witch reached down, picking up a few of the granules. She ran it between her finger and thumb for a few seconds, before bringing it to her nose to smell.

“It’s crushed up balo mushroom. Typically it’s distilled into ixetal cilona, to make deathsticks.” Maiev shook her head as she looked up at Valery. “I was confused at first, because I couldn’t smell anything. But when you mentioned a Weequay, it all clicked.”

“My old boss had to ban him from the establishment because of his smoking. His defence was always ‘but they’re odourless, what’s the issue?’ But the Madame was firm in her refusal. When she retired, sure enough he tried it again with me…only to get the exact same result.”

The witch sighed as she stood up. “His name is Varren Falcor, he’s part of the Crimson Jackals gang. One the Under Bosses in fact.”

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"Bingo," Valery said when she mentioned the smoking. "Seems we got a strong lead then, hm?" There was still the problem that psychometry didn't provide actual evidence that could be used in a case against someone, but at least it offered a start. If they found this Weequay and confronted him, perhaps searched his place, they'd surely have what they needed to get the man and his goons arrested.

But one step at a time.

"He went this far because he was banned from the parlor?" Valery perked a brow and looked at the dented wall. "A woman kidnapped because he couldn't take his drugs with him." She sighed and looked over at Maiev again. She was quite happy to have the woman around, seeing how much she knows.

"Do you know where we can find this Varren Falcor and his gang?"

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - Alli's Apartment
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

“It’s one possibility for sure,” Maiev said, crossing her arms in thought. “But I have a feeling it’s not something as petty as that.” She certainly wouldn’t put it past Varren to do something like that, but the witch had her suspicions that it went deeper than that.

“As I mentioned earlier, a warehouse over in The Works was hit the other day. If rumour is to be believed, it was housing cargo belonging to the gang. It could be equally possible that the burning of the parlour was an order from the top. An act of revenge based on the belief we leaked the info. Or…” She looked over at Valery, suspecting the Jedi had an inkling of what this was leading to. “Varren Falcor made a mistake, and is trying to cover his ass. Using Alli as a scapegoat.”

Maiev let out a sigh, running a hand through her hair. It was obvious the witch wasn’t a particular fan of that option. Especially so if the Twi’lek was already in the gangs’ hands.

“In terms of finding Varren, it should be easy enough. The gang, well that’s a whole other matter.” Maiev’s focus seemed to drift away for a few seconds. “Want to get a drink?” She asked, her eyes glancing over at Valery to catch her reaction. “I could really do with some caf.” There was the smallest mischievous smirk on the witch’s face. “Got a feeling I’m going to need all the energy I can get by the time this is over.”

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"I wish it was," Valery said with a chuckle. "It'd probably make things easier." But alas, the situation was far more complicated. Gangs, rivalries, and business tended to be difficult matters, especially in the underworld. Maiev suspected that all of this had happened as an act of revenge, but perhaps even a mistake. A very costly one, if so, because these people now had two women coming after them who weren't going to be stopped.

It was only a matter of time.

"Whatever their motives, let's hope we can get to them before it's too late. Though... I doubt they'll actually hurt Alli. If they do, they're going to be in serious trouble." Valery seemed quite intense about that. The idea of someone innocent being caught up in all of this bothered her immensely.

They were going to-

"Want to get a drink?"

Valery blinked and turned to the woman with a look of surprise in her eyes. She cleared her throat, processed the question again, and then chuckled, "Sure, I could go for a drink if it helps you before finding Alli. Have a place in mind?"

Maiev ​

 

[Maiev]

Location: Coruscant - Streets
Outfit: Link
Tags: Valery Noble​

---

Maiev grinned at Valery’s reaction. “I know a lovely little place, just a couple streets away.” As they left Alli’s apartment, the witch made sure it was securely locked before they headed back towards the elevator.

“Back when I was just working there, myself and a few of the other girls made a bit of a ritual to go out for drinks at the end of the week.” She smiled at the memories. “These days I use it to calm my mind, and organise stuff for the following week.”

Eventually the duo made their way outside, setting foot onto the streets again, only this time they were a bit more packed. Maiev glanced around, her gaze lingering across the street. All of a sudden; and in a single swift movement, the witch turned on her heels, inched closer to Valery, and pretended to stare at the apartment building they had just left.

“Valery,” Maiev began, her tone turning serious. “Look across the street, recognize anyone?”

At first it wasn’t so apparent, given the amount of people coming and going. But once the Jedi’s eyes moved across a particular store, there was an all too familiar Rodian standing just outside it, looking towards them.

The very same one that Valery had just seen holding a blaster to Alli’s head.

Maiev didn’t budge until she got confirmation, only then did she glance back over to look at the Rodian. However the moment she did, they bolted.

“Oh no you don’t!” Maiev didn’t miss a beat as she immediately turned around and began chasing after them.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber

"Sounds like a good place to be. I'll say, though, I'm not a big drinker," Valery admitted with a chuckle. Sure, she could use the Force to cleanse alcohol from her blood, but that sort of defeated the purpose. In this case, though, it didn't. She was still on duty and they could run into trouble at any point. Alternatively, more pressing matters could summon her away without any notice. So, as much as she wanted to indulge, she needed to restrain herself a little.

"I would like to offer to pay for our drinks if you'll let me." A kind gesture, knowing her income was reduced now that her establishment had been burned down. Insurance would more than likely cover for it, but she wasn't going to assume and this felt like the right thing to do.

And Valery could be stubborn about these things.

"Maybe I'll-" she paused and blinked when Maiev suddenly turned around. The woman inched closer and Valery instantly raised her guard, as she looked around.

There he was.

The moment Maiev wanted to speak again, the Rodian turned and took off. Valery spun on her heels and without even saying a word, she exploded with the Force burning through her body. Her speed was highly unnatural, as she closed the distance fast, and so were her reflexes. She weaved through the crowd without a problem and avoided anything on her path.

This Rodian wasn't going to get very far.

Maiev ​