Star Wars: Dark Future

The presence of the cuffed and unconscious Bpfasshi, as well as the mother/daughter ex-hostages just now regaining consciousness, only seemed to upset them further, but it was IG-1 that really had them on edge and about to blow.

Given the Blockade and ensuing Invasion, though, it wasn't hard to understand why the woman and the older of the two male constables were looking at the droid like they expected him to begin a violent rampage at any moment.

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A fact that was only underscored by the first statement actually put to me, "A woman is dead, Knight Skywalker, and two of our people appear to have been assaulted. I'm afraid we're going to need a considerably more detailed explanation of what went on here, or any explanation as to what happened, for that matter." This was said by the older Naboo man I guessed to be in his mid-fifties.

His lined and deeply tanned face was full of controlled tension, while the serious yet detached manner he was affecting spoke of a man practiced at keeping his feelings firmly under control while working. His dark eyes met and held my own gaze, as he waited expectantly for that explanation.

The female constable had her blaster in hand at this point, and she seemed genuinely angered by IG-1's presence. Every time her gaze returned to the droid, her frown deepened a little more, and she clutched the grip of her weapon tighter and tighter, until she was holding it in an almost white-knuckled grip.

The other man in uniform seemed content to let the senior constable take the lead, because he'd simply moved over to the recovering women to offer them his assistance and reassurance. Every several seconds he glanced in the direction of our party, but for the most part he wasn't really involved in what was going on here.

Fortunately, Padme stepped in at that moment, as smoothly as if we had planned it, "Constable, Kiheeri is it? I want to thank you and your fellow officers for your admirable response-time. We were only set upon by the deceased, her two accomplices presently in the binders, and an unidentified shooter perhaps four or five minutes ago, all told."

Before the older constable Padme had just addressed could respond, the female constable, who'd been giving Ravara's corpse a cursory examination whenever she wasn't glaring at IG-1, called out in a challenging tone, "This woman's wounds weren't caused by an energy weapon. I count four distinct instances of penetrating trauma in the chest and abdomen, but the blood spatter is all wrong for even the briefest close-quarters exchange of blows.

It's like something bigger than a man snatched the victim off her feet, pounded a number of rapid-fire holes into her until she died, then discarded her like a broken toy."

All three constables turned to eye the two meter-plus now mostly silver and gray droid watching them with blue photoreceptors, until I could almost feel them examining IG-1's limbs for the slightest trace of red. This scrutiny continued for a solid ten seconds, until the high-strung female constable turned her attention my way to demandingly ask, "This thing doesn't have a restraining bolt. Is it going to attack me, if I approach to examine it more closely with a forensics scanner?"

I was a bit offended on IG-1's behalf, but I allowed the anger to pass through me without resistance, then calmly replied, "IG-1 wouldn't attack you if you shot him, Constable. I wouldn't have brought him to Naboo, if I wasn't absolutely certain he was ready for field work. He's actually the one who resolved the hostage situation in a manner that left perpetrators and captives both unharmed."

Left unsaid was the fact that IG-1 wouldn't feel a need to respond to being struck by the charge of a blaster pistol, because the only part of him vulnerable to the constable's weapon were the full-spectrum photoreceptors in his cranial unit. The constable seemed twitchy enough already.

She definitely didn't need to know the war-droid was perceptive enough to detect her finger beginning to tighten on the trigger, fast enough to dodge before she could track him with the barrel, and tough enough besides to tank everything the city constabulary could likely throw his way.

Mercy was the gift of the strong, and I'd made sure IG-1 could almost always afford to be merciful. You couldn't build a Jedi, but I'd certainly given my all to refurbishing the next best thing.

Looking like she was tiptoeing through an active minefield toward a starving Vornskr, the constable tentatively approached an unmoving IG-1. The wand-like scanner now in her hand slowly passed up and down his long-limbed frame, before giving off a dull sound I assumed from her surprised and frustrated expression meant a negative result.

When she unnecessarily announced a few moments later, "No significant traces of blood or viscera, but I'm detecting high levels of energetic particles. This droid fired, or was in extremely close proximity to a powerful blaster as it was discharged very recently," I made sure to school my own expression to the grave seriousness others would no doubt expect of a Jedi under these circumstances.

Ever since my Knighting, I'd been learning bit by bit that it was one thing to be an unusually competent devotee of the Force and its ways for my age, but quite another to be a Jedi Knight. It seemed to me, especially at times like this, to be very much like a trite saying dimly recalled from my first life.

You faked it, until, one day, you found you'd made it. If that did turn out to be the way of this thing I aspired to become, then I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that today was not the day of my making.

Again, thankfully, Padme reasserted control over the conversation by reasonably replying, "From what I observed, IG-1 used the blasters built into his arms to stun the hostages and their captors.

I couldn't see much of the actual takedown due to a sudden increase in the density of the fog surrounding us at the time, but it's my understanding the fog isn't an impediment to the droid. Knight Skywalker simply played for time by feigning his surrender, waited for one of the regular increases in the fog's thickness to completely obscure both our groups from each other's members, then cued his very capable droid retainer to leap over our party to stun hostages and captors alike."

Padme, I noted with some interest, chose not to mention what Ravara was doing here, or Crissayel's role in these events.

The slender brunette constable now had a mulish look of frustration on her moderately attractive face at her failure to link IG-1 to any wrongdoing, but the senior officer seemed to have studied the exchanges to date and come to a decision.

Fixing a stern and pointed look on his younger comrade for a couple of seconds that did an excellent job of immediately conveying his wish that she shut up, he turned his attention back to Pame with a genial look that held just a little bit of awe as well. When he finally spoke up again, his tone actually seemed apologetic, as he asked the obvious question in a politely roundabout sort of way.

"Ma'am, Senator, we still need to determine how the Cathar woman died. If you could just give us some idea of how she came to be killed during the recent confrontation, we can postpone, possible even forego, all of you needing to come in to provide formal statements. Knight Skywalker's exemption documentation alluded to your being on the Queen's business, so we certainly don't want our investigation to become an impediment to whatever it is you're doing for the Crown."

Turning to look at me, Padme's words were for the constable, as she replied, "I think Knight Skywalker could provide you with a more complete rundown of what transpired. His Jedi abilities allow him to perceive people and events in progress well beyond the range of our more conventional senses. This makes twice now he's detected a distant sniper before they could fire, for example."

Constable Kiherri turned his attention back to me, so I replied, "The Cathar woman's name is, was, Ravara Zi Venn. She was one of a number of extremely dangerous prisoners broken out of a maximum-security prison about a year ago, by a CIS taskforce.

I believe she was here to advance one of the Separatists goals, but there's something you need to understand, Constable. Whatever else Ravara was, and whatever agenda she was pursuing for the CIS, she was a serial killer. Someone who derived a sick satisfaction from stalking, abducting, torturing, and finally killing attractive young women who'd achieved a degree of success in their lives."

Allowing his mask of professionalism to slip, the middle-aged man frowned as he very pointedly told me in a tone thick with disapproval, "With all due respect, Master Jedi, I hope that wasn't your roundabout way of telling me we should ignore a clear-cut case of murder in our city, because the victim happened to be a horrible person in life."

Padme seemed very interest in what reply I intended to make, but I wasn't going to pretend I gave a damn about a monster like Ravara being killed for anyone.

Giving a slight shrug to emphasize my indifference, I replied in a flatly dispassionate tone, "I wasn't suggesting you ignore the fact a murder was committed, Constable. I was suggesting there is nothing you can actually do about it.

Short of the perpetrator walking into one of your stations and confessing to the crime, there is no conceivable way to winnow through all the many hundreds or even thousands of people with good reason to want Ravara Zi Venn dead.

Not and find the one individual who did more than fantasize about destroying the monster who caused them and their loved ones so much pain. Fark, there are so many people who'd love to dance on Ravara's grave, I could easily believe that simple coincidence could have caused more than one such person to be in this city, on this day, at this time."

I paused just long enough for Constable Kiherri to open his mouth in preparation to offer some rebuttal, then continued in a cool, matter of fact sort of way by asking, "A college freshman auditing their first pre-law class could raise enough reasonable doubt to secure an acquittal in anything resembling a fair trial, Constable. You know this as well as I do, so why are you trying to start an argument with me over an impossibility?"

Looking mutinous and yes, more than a little argumentative, the cop exclaimed, "But, you're a Jedi! You were right there! There's just no way you didn't see, or, or sense what happened! The Senator was just saying you knew about some sniper pulling a trigger from who knows where. You can't tell me you didn't get a look at the person who killed this woman."

Nodding slowly, as if only grudgingly admitting the truth of the man's words, I confirmed in an even tone, "Ravara's killer stood approximately two point five meters tall, weighed about two hundred thirty kilos, and was generally humanoid in appearance.

The alien's skin was an unrelieved matte black, they had four long bone spikes placed in two parallel rows rather than arms, and the body was shaped for all the world like an oversized gundark. The last time I saw said being, they were loping due west, before disappearing into the fog.

I'd been calling on the Force to the point that many Jedi Knights more experienced than myself would have been completely exhausted, so I elected not to use up my remaining strength trying to keep track of the killer.

I didn't see the actual killing, but the immediate aftermath left no doubt in my mind that the fatal injuries were caused by those spike-limbs. I was coordinating with IG-1 to take down the Bpfasshi hostage takers when she was killed, so that's really everything I can tell you about the moments leading up to Ravara's death."

Glancing from me to Padme to Ahsoka, the constable was confronted by one confirming nod after another. Padme did, however, add with some confidence, "I can't imagine something so attention-getting in appearance could go very far in a city the size of Moenia.

Not without sightings of such an alien generating a massive number of calls to the constabulary by frightened citizens, anyways. It's simply not possible that such a being could lumber into the city, lope back out, and go entirely unremarked while traveling in either direction.

If I were you, Constable, I'd be asking myself how such a dangerous looking alien managed to avoid being seen for what it was by anyone else. Answer that question, and I think you'll be a great deal closer to figuring out exactly what happened."

Now it was the older cop's turn to slowly nod his acceptance of Padme's impeccably reasoned statements. He still looked more than a little frustrated, but the nebulous suspicion that had been growing in the dark-haired, dark eyed man prior to the slender brunette speaking up had now begun to noticeably ebb. A fact I took as my cue to try and get our group back on track.

"I don't mean to be abrupt, Constable, but we've been expected lakeside for some time now. If you aren't yet satisfied with our collective accounting, could we at least continue this interview as we walk?" My question was asked as politely as I knew how, but it was Padme rather than me the officer looked to before finally nodding.

I was so thankful to be back on the move at last, I almost forgot the strange pendants both Bpfasshi had been wearing. Calling the necklaces to me garnered a surprised yelp from the female constable, but I only flashed her a brief but apologetic smile, then strode to catch up with the group.

"Ashla, what's going to be next?" I found myself thinking more than a little dourly.

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