| abstract
| - Special Agent Evening Delwynn sat in her office aboard the Mally, rifling through information about Torrik Samit. It had been a long six hours since the raid on the doctor's house had occurred. As it stood now, his death was a blow to her investigation. She had wanted to question him desperately. Now, the Czerka employee was laying on a repulsorcart with a medical examiner probing his lifeless corpse. The different aspects of this case were far too elusive for her liking. During those six hours, she had made a request for the body to be picked up, Asana and Danstari had finished processing the house basement, and the loyal MR-A7 had begun scanning through the computers that were recovered to trace what was being researched along with any communications between Samit and anyone of suspicion. All the while, Master Greystone was in contact with the Jedi Order, trying to diffuse a potential situation between Grand Master m'Ord Vinka and other members of the Jedi Council. Delwynn glanced at an image of all the documents that were stacked in the cellar of the house. All of Samit's research would have to be looked at, she thought, but they would probably have to hire a scientist to analyze it. No one on the team was acutely qualified for such a task. Delwynn’s heart sank, however, thinking that all the information, about whatever scheme was afoot, was most likely already in the hands of Zranik. Avar Zranik… what an evil name. Tired of sifting through the information, the investigator stood and walked over to the holoimages on the shelf. Looking at her daughter, she let out a slow, deep breath. Not allowing her emotions to swell uncontrollably, Delwynn turned back toward the desk and grabbed the comlink and her datapad. She then walked out of the office, down the hallway and into the computer room. There, Emra was busy scanning all the files on the computer taken out of Samit's cellar for important communiqués, keys to the research, or anything else linking the doctor to the case. Delwynn watched for a moment as the droid worked dutifully. She then decided to check in with the rest of the team. Walking back into the hallway and down the port side ramp, the agent marched stoically through the high grass to the white-washed house. Entering the building, she made her way to the cellar where Asana, Shalli, and a Zabrak were working. "Agent Delwynn," the Zabrak called, flagging her down with his arms. "Agent Delwynn, I will get this body to Doctor Bimwera on Alsakan immediately. We're ready for transport now." "Thank you, Agent Aor," Delwynn replied. "What about security, since you came alone?" "I can contact headquarters and get permission to use the Protectorate's hyperspace routes, if you want." "That would be good. I prefer we take no chances." "You being out here really saved us," Asana interrupted. "Not a problem," the Zabrak replied. "We owed you guys one, anyway." Agent Aor zipped up the body bag and pushed a repulsorcart to the stairway. Depressing a button, the cart inclined to an angle and ascended the stairs in an automated progression. Once the agent and the cart were out of sight, Delwynn turned her attention to her team members. Asana was sorting papers into boxes and labeling them while Shalli was imaging the ground where the body had been. "Who was that being?" Shalli coldly chided. "Agent Aor," Delwynn calmly replied while walking toward a computer. She ignored the Omwati's apparent indignation. "So," Shalli retorted with an indignant expression. "Who was he?" Agent Delwynn was annoyed by Shalli's suspicion. Glancing at Asana, Delwynn noticed that the Twi'lek had turned her back and moved away from the Jedi. Rather than escalate the situation, Delwynn decided to quell her fear. "He's an assistant to the medical examiner in our Thyferra office," Delwynn replied. She moved over toward Asana and started glancing at the labels on the boxes. "He was on Aitrien, dropping off unclaimed bodies when I called Thyferra for assistance a few hours ago." "Oh," Shalli returned. "What's Aitrien?" Delwynn desired to no longer continue the interrogative conversation. She saw how this was progressing along with the deeply calloused nature of Shalli's suspicion. The agent glanced at Asana, who had stealthily peered over her right shoulder. "The graveyard moon in the Seswenna system," Asana interjected with a sigh, handing a note to Delwynn. "I think this is what we are looking for." Delwynn took the note and noticed it was handwritten. How archaic, she thought. Even so, hand-written pieces of paper remained the best way to communicate in secret. No electronic trace could be done on this message. The agent noticed that while the wrinkled piece of paper was unaddressed, it contained a signature. It looked as no more than a scribble upon first glance, but it was definitely a piece of evidence. The message was rather lengthy, however. Inside the four vials is a compound that seems to affect your test-subjects, but I cannot find anything that outright kills them. The formula slows their growth and stops them from feeding, but it is toxic to Humans and Twi'leks. It would have to be administered apart from them. My best conjecture is that we would have to wait for these things to kill themselves off first, although they do react strangely to some of the amirite crystals you provided me. Still, they do not appear to be indestructible once they are absorbed. The same acids that eat away flesh do eventually kill them. I advise you to reconsider some aspects of the plan because of this. This could become out of control and effect far more beings than originally hoped. "What is this supposed to mean?" Delwynn exclaimed after finishing the note. "Not sure," Asana replied. "Unless… maybe this has something to do with that evil man's plans." "Shalli," the agent called. "I want you to read this, then dig through those four stacks of paper and find any hand-written notes that seem related." Shalli sighed and said, "But, that will take…" "As long as it needs to," Delwynn interrupted. As soon as the Omwati took the note and began reading it, Delwynn turned her back to the Jedi, as if disciplining a small child. She then walked up the stairs and to the main level of the house. There, Danstari was flipping through the papers in the study. When the agent entered the room, he snapped to attention. "Still working, boss," the lieutenant replied. "Uh-huh," Delwynn responded with a small nod. "What have you learned?" "Not a whole lot. Most of his research is electronic, and it appears to be closely tied to someone within Eriadu Interstellar Enterprises. Nothing official connects them, but the dead doc has clearly communicated about some 'business deal' with at least two, maybe three people in that company." "Names?" "I'll take them down and run a search." "Now would be a good time for you to learn how to request a warrant." "What do you mean, boss?" "I'm going to show you what you have to do to get a fast-tracked warrant request. Master Greystone and Shalli are going to have to raid the EIE offices in Eriadu City for us. Once the Master gets back, that is." "Don't bother," Master Greystone said, entering the room. "What do you mean?" Delwynn inquired as she turned to see the Jedi walking toward her. "The building burned down an hour ago," the Jedi responded. My meeting with the Jedi Council was interrupted by a communiqué that just came for you about five minutes ago. The locals claim it was a gas leak, but the headquarters has been destroyed. A few injuries, but mostly the comm servers are undoubtedly beyond our ability to trace anything." "Great," the agent spat with exacerbation. "Just what we needed: the one lead we didn't follow is now burned to oblivion." "All fifty-three employees in that building escaped," Master Greystone continued. "The media is completely engrossed by this right now, and Humanocentric radicals are rioting in the streets." "You know how I feel about the media," Delwynn quipped. "Zranik probably had it burned down to hide evidence. I would put every credit I have on it." "Don't be so sure," the Jedi returned. "I sense something else… something… elsewhere." Delwynn gave her former teacher a look of anticipation, hoping that he would explain such a vague statement. "I began to sense something strange in the Force while talking with the Jedi Council," he continued. "We may be too late to prevent whatever Zranik's latest move is, but we can still anticipate anything thereafter." "Master," Delwynn sighed before turning toward the wall. She leaned against it, her forehead resting on the cold wall surface, her arms dangling lifelessly. Internally, she was frantically reviewing anything, looking for a lead. She reviewed the initial discovery of Regueny on Eriadu, the explosion in the hotel, the encounter on Denon, and each interrogation of Catiene Gallien. Then the question of motive struck her. Why would Zranik want to do any of this? Was it a simple embezzlement and smuggling rung gone amuck? Was there actually anything more sinister? Maybe these ties to Czerka, for one, were more business-related and not connected to the criminal activities. The key to this must be somewhere. "The bank robberies," the agent blurted. She stood up straight and started for the doorway. "Lieutenant," Master Greystone called. "Keep looking through these papers and then contact me in a few minutes with those names. I'm going with Agent Delwynn." Delwynn kept walking, leaving the house and tromping through the field briskly. By the time she reached the Mally, Master Greystone had caught up. The pair entered the ship and promptly walked to the computer room where Emra was working. "Emra, pull up the pictures of the bank robbery on Alsakan," she instructed. The droid paused its search through the chemical formulas and biological images of insects. Then, putting those to the side of the screen, it pulled up an image of the bank robbery on Alsakan. "I'm missing something somewhere," Delwynn chided herself. "Four beings… two outside, two inside." The agent then closed her eyes and focused on the images, fiercely blocking out those of her loved ones. She mentally reviewed the bank, the layout, the robbers, and the aftermath. The scene flooded back into her mind with ease, as if she had been standing there, within the bank itself. She had seen the holoprojections of the robbery in process and knew the bank intimately, for it had been her local branch. The scene rushed around her in her mind, elapsing in real time. Patrons hustled around her, as she stood looking toward the doorway. Suddenly, two armed men entered and rushed the counter. They fired blasts that missed the passersby who were frantically diving to the floor. As she continued to experience the scene diachronically, she placed Zranik as one of the robbers. The men lined up the staff and grabbed a Sullustan manager. They flogged him once in the chest before forcing him to open a vault. With the vault open, they executed him with a shot to the back of the skull. The robbers plugged a device into the mainframe that was in the vault, and started for the entryway. As Zranik fled the scene, he unleashed his projectile launcher. "Evening," Delwynn heard from a calm voice. "Evening…" Delwynn suddenly snapped out of her trance. "Evening," Master Greystone spoke softly, his eyes closed. "Don't retrace that next part." "I just cannot seem to see anything unexpected." "Evening, you're trying too hard." "Always the teacher." "Always a student." "I know, Master. Details are the key." Resignation filled the agent's voice. After a moment of pondering, Delwynn acquired a series of quick thoughts. Maybe the Sullustan was important. Possibly the staff on duty was notable. Perhaps the amount stolen had finally surfaced in the current affairs, and the connections between the past and present would need to be checked… again. "How much was taken in this robbery?" she asked. Emra pulled up a chart, outlining the amounts that were reported stolen from the Anaxes, Brentaal IV, Shawken, and Alsakan heists. Delwynn peered upon them, noticing that the total sum was well over seven hundred million credits. "That explains how Zranik got rich," the agent smarted. "Maybe Miss Gallien has seen some of that money." "You suspect her?" Master Greystone asked. "I have my suspicions," Delwynn answered as she moved over to a chair near the doorway. "She is certainly not as innocent as she appears. I'm just trying to keep her talking and comfortable. Maybe if she is a part of this scheme, then she would believe that I'm being soft on her." "When are you taking her to Thyferra?" "As soon as we can. I'm poking the rancor by holding her on my ship like this." "Why don't I stay with Shalli in Eriadu City for a couple of days to monitor the situation at that fire? Then, you can bring the girl to Thyferra." "I'm fine with that. I trust you." "We could stay at that base outside the city. Honestly, Evening, I'd rather not bring Shalli to where those riots are." "I can pull my connections to get you in there. There is a bigger issue, however. I have to hand this site over to the locals soon." "Why?" "Master, I'm hamstrung by Eriadu law on this." Delwynn paused as thoughts swirled into her mind. "Well, on second thought, let's make the locals find it. Zranik does not want to be traced. He would be foolish to turn in a prime murder site. I'll have Danstari and Asana set up surveillance of the house. Then, we can let it sit and see if anyone returns. It's not going to pop up on the radar of the local police since, after all, there is no body. It's sitting in a cooler on the way to the Core right now!" "At worst, Shalli and I would be about two hours away, but that is still quite a distance." "I'll take my chances." "Seems like you have it all planned out." "You know as well as I, Master, the plan rarely holds." At that moment, Danstari walked into the room, a stack of papers in hand. He smirked, leaned up against the door-frame cockily, and held out the stack. "And these are?" Delwynn quipped. "Everything you asked for," Danstari responded. "The names are on the top sheet, and underneath that is every handwritten scientific document I could find." "Good," the agent replied. "What's next, boss?" the lieutenant asked, placing the heap of papers on a desk near the doorway. "Give those names to Master Greystone to investigate. Then, check on Gallien and prepare everything for departure," Delwynn instructed. "Where are we headed?" Danstari inquired. "Thyferra," she said straightway. "On it," the lieutenant returned before handing the top paper to the Jedi Master. He then walked back into the hallway and departed out of sight. Delwynn turned back toward the stack and flipped through the side of it with her thumb. She sighed and shook her head before glancing up at the robbery statistics. Closing her eyes, she attempted to formulate a mental chart of where the money could have been spent. She envisioned some of the loot being squandered, after having been split four ways—after all, it appeared that there had been four known members involved. With the money split four ways, Zranik would only have acquired 1.75 million credits. While that amounts to a substantial total, the agent thought, that should not necessarily have been enough for him to have bought Eriadu Interstellar Enterprises outright. Of course, investigating that assumes that she could actually get access to the incorporation paperwork. "Master," Delwynn asked, turning toward the Jedi, who was sifting through the stack of documents. "I have a request for when you go to Eriadu City." "EIE documents?" Master Greystone queried. "Yes, but specifically documents about when Zranik became involved. I want to know everything about when the company was formed; who all owners are, were, and will be; a list of shareholders; and a list of facilities." "Basically, you want everything." "Almost, Master… almost." "With the fire, and Eriadu law protecting those documents, I might not be able to get my hands on things that otherwise would have been less heavily guarded. The local police are certainly involved." "I know, but that was my mistake. I let this lead slide. I just hope it doesn't cost me the case." "Acquiring those without court order would have been illegal, so you didn't do anything wrong by putting it off." "I could have had Pelmar put pressure on them to give us the documents." "Don't worry, Evening. I'll see what I can do." At that, Master Greystone turned and walked out of the room. Delwynn quietly walked over to Emra and tapped the droid on its head. The droid cooed and whirred before quickly returning to its investigation of the electronic scientific documents that it had previously been undertaking. The agent then walked back over to the stack of papers and picked them up. Walking over to the droid, she placed them on the ground. "I owe you one, Emra," she said, turning to exit the room. "I'll make it up to you." — — — Inside the house, Asana had wrapped up her work and was taking her equipment up the stairs to the main level. There, Shalli was still looking through a pile of papers. The Twi'lek passed the Omwati, carrying her bags of forensic investigative utilities, but Asana noticed something above the main doorway to the house. There, above the door, a one meter-long wood panel appeared ever-so-slightly loose. The Twi'lek set her bags down and moved a chair to the door-frame. The screeching of the chair legs along the floor caught the Omwati's attention. "What are you doing?" Shalli asked, her voice flat and distant. "I just want to see what is up here," Asana said. "What do you mean?" the Jedi continued. Asana ignored the question and pulled out a pair of gloves. Donning them, she climbed the chair and placed her hands on the panel. She gently shifted it in place and tried to put her fingers around it. After a moment of fussing with it, the Twi'lek was able to grip it with two hands. Slowly, she pulled it from the wall. Behind the panel was foam insulation with a divot. Asana jumped off the chair and grabbed her imager. Swapping the imager for the wood plank, she remounted the chair. Asana aimed the imager into the divot in the insulation and captured some images. She quickly checked them and noticed something solid and black in the viewscreen. Deciding to hunt for it, she reached her hand up and into the opening and searched with her glove-encased fingers. Nestled within the insulation was something solid, relatively flat, and square-shaped. Pulling the object out, Asana continued to capture images. The Twi'lek was satisfied and stepped off the chair. Suddenly, she noticed it was a computer chip. "What's that?" Shalli asked, walking over to the chair. Asana remained peering closely at the chip, trying to see if anything was inscribed on the object or if there were any distinctive marks. It simply appeared as a plain computer chip. "Well?" the Jedi pressed, although there was no angst in her voice. "It looks like a computer chip," the forensic expert chirped. She unleashed a wry smile. "It also looks like I have another job to do." Asana grabbed an evidence bag from her supplies and put the chip inside it. Sealing the bag, she gathered her belongings together again and headed out the door. "Where are you going?" Shalli asked, calling toward Asana. "Back to the ship," the Twi'lek replied without turning around. "I've got work to do." "What about me?" Shalli called to the exiting forensicist. Asana ignored Shalli as she kept walking. She put the thought out of her mind and focused solely on the chip in the evidence bag. First was checking it for any fingerprints or DNA traces. Next was to then plug the chip into a computer and see what was being stored. Hopefully, she thought, this could be done swiftly so that the next step Delwynn had planned could be executed.
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