RPlog:Local Law

Temporary billets had been found in the military base near Coronet's primary spaceport for the delegation from the Inquisiton. And conveniently, the base in question was located near a CorSec, no longer Corellia Security but Corellia Sector since the Empire's takeover, station. It was here that a particular trio found themselves, uniforms were worn, at least it was in Rainier's case although perhaps his boots were not shiny and his clothes not recently ironed. In his defence, the man did go out into town at odd hours and stayed for a long time. As they enter the station, one is greeted with the sight of what might be mistaken for an office, at least until one notices the weapons worn. And until one notices the welcoming committee, a pair of men in their most formal of uniforms.

In stark contrast to his usual behavior and appearance, Jonas is clad in full uniform, and it looks quite well-kept. He stands at rigid attention, though he doesn't look very comfortable doing it.

"Good afternoon, Gentlemen," the Commander greets the two who could only be here for their reception. "Thank you for meeting us so soon; I imagine you're quite busy."

"Yes, Commander.", the older of the two says and though his uniform is plain as is the case with his colleague, the man had grey hair at his temples and the look of him screamed veteran. "I am Major Peny, this is Captain Durjan.", the other one nodded briefly although he was much more reserved than his superior. "Would you like to go on a tour of the station or would you rather get straight to business?"

Rainier for his part loitered a few feet behind his two companions, his attention drawn to everything but the two CorSec officers before him. "Did you have opportunity to be in a police station such as this?", he whispers very quietly after having stepped towards Jonas.

Jonas leans over slightly to hear the lieutenant and shakes his head. "On Corellia? No," he replies, trying to conceal his talking behind the upturned collar of his jacket. He had forgone wearing the standard Imperial uniform while planetside on Corellia unless required, and wouldn't wear it unless on important official business. "But it doesn't look any different from any other police station I've seen."

"That won't be necessary, but thank you, Major." Valerius shakes his head. "I've heard that you have a team working on triangulating the origin of the pirate broadcast. What manner of progress have you made?"

Peny turns his body slightly, motionning for the others to follow him, "It is better if this matter is kept to more private locations for now." It is thus that they are led through the station, the front of it, so business-like, contradicted by the jails they pass and the armoury that is under heavy guard. Finally, they come to a small room, a bank of computers on one end and before them a handful of CorSec people. "We were able to determine that the signal was in fact not live, it was designed to appear that way, but it was placed in the system prior to it being broadcast."

Jonas snorts faintly at Rainier's insinuation. "No. You think they'd let me into the academy if I had a record?" he retorts. "I just know what police buildings look like, that's all."

"Sounds like they've got someone who understands the intricacies of covert operations," Valerius' eyes narrow. "Still, Major, if it was edited, it had to have been edited from its physical location; unless their sysadmin is the dumbest idiot of all time, those aren't accessible from the public net. Did you raid the studio, hunt through their files? Find the responsible terminal, review the security footage?"

"We did, and it led nowhere. They must have used the station itself to broadcast, but there are no traces of them, unless they accessed some master control somewhere but that raises more questions than it answers.", says Peny as he looks over the progress of his men, the computer techs for the most part focused on the task at hand. "Does this mean the Empire will take a more direct role in the investigation?", the man says, head cocked so that he can look at Valerius.

Almost as if he was bored by the whole conversation between the two superiors, Rainier paid them little attention, or so it might have seemed. "You know what they say about people who know what police stations look like without having a record? They either sing very well or they have money to spare."

Jonas seems to grow uncomfortable with the line of questioning and attempts to pay attention to what the officers are saying, but he still manages to reply. "You're prying an awful lot. For your information, I'm not a member of some noble Imperial family, okay? And I don't have a record. End of story."

"Oh, come on, don't ask questions like that." Valerius says, rolling his eyes. "We had a nice...thing going on," he adds as an afterthought, gesturing between himself and the major. "We all want the same things here. Rainier wants to find these people, I want to get them in a position they don't want to be in, and the cadet here wants to fly a mission somewhere other than around and around your shipyards. You want order and a society that isn't on the brink of collapse. The aptly-named Inquisitor here to make sure the enemies of the Empire don't go unpunished."

"Oh, come on, don't ask questions like that." Valerius says, rolling his eyes. "We had a nice...thing going on," he adds as an afterthought, gesturing between himself and the major. "We all want the same things here. Rainier wants to find these people, I want to get them in a position they don't want to be in, and the cadet here wants to fly a mission somewhere other than around and around your shipyards. You want order and a society that isn't on the brink of collapse. The aptly-named Inquisitor here to make sure the enemies of the Empire don't go unpunished."

"I'm prying?", his very way of saying that leaves little that a theatrical 'moi?!', with hand pointed to his own self would not be out of place. But Rainier had not done a good enough job to converse only with Jonas, his words having reached the Commander and by extent the other two CorSEc officers as well. "My apologies Commander, Major, it will not occur again.", there were limits to his flippancy and arrogance, even to one born on the exalted heights of Kuat. Strangely, even as he was speaking to the pilot, the man had kept his gaze on the two, more on Captain Durjan than the Major.

Speaking of the Major, he observed with something approaching great disdain the similarly-seasoned...Lieutenant, Rainier dismissed as quickly as he was noticed. "CorSec can take care of things in this system.", he answers the Commander, his hard gaze drawn back to him. "And with all due respect, COmmander, Corellia is not on the brink of collapse. There are labour disputes and then there are opportunists, let us not blow this up into an out and out rebellion. As it stands, Commander, the signal itself must have also been activated by a person at the same facility as it was planted, it was more danger for this Five WOrlds group, but at the same time it left less traces."

Jonas shuffles around behind his two senior officers, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket. Though he looks bored and disinterested, he is in fact listening intently, but he makes no comments.

"I don't share your optimistic views of the situation, Major, and, considering the fact I'm _here_, neither do the people who sent me. If your investigation doesn't start producing useful information, you're going to see just how 'directly involved' we can get." Valerius narrows his eyes at the two, his patience starting to wear thin with the two; the resources of an entire sector's police force, and they couldn't come up with anything more useful than that?

Put off initially by the rebuke, the man does not let himself show any of the discontent he is sure to be feeling, he is old enough to have been around in the original days of the Empire. When Peny speaks, it is in a calm manner although perhaps one can see that his words are slower chosen lest he lose control over his temper. "Of course, commander, you are welcome to supercede my command as is your prerogative. Mine is to spare Corellia any more bombings by this group and my methods have proven effective enough in the past. If however you believe that there is something we overlooked, my men are at your disposal." Durjan, meanwhile, did not add much to the conversation, eyes narrowing at the Imperial's strong words and the man took a few steps back and went closer to the bank of computers. "You know as we do that the signal was not live, that they accessed some master control of the system's broadcasting network, that they had someone physically activate the interuption. What do you suggest or is it that youintend to take over right away, you and your pilot?"

"Yes, yes, we already know the where and the how. I want names, Captain. I want a who. Whoever manually tripped the interruption probably has some idea about who that is. Find them."

"Commander.", this time it is not Peny that speaks up but his subordinate, Captain Durjan, the man leaning against a console, his gaze drawn to the lead of the Imperial trio although he accords the other two occasional glances. "Is it your intention to insult us or is it that you do not understand that Corellians aren't slaves for you to command as you will?" The question was asked very quietly, so quietly that perhaps the true implications might have been missed. "You bring a child-pilot who doesn't know the first thing about us and a decrepit popinjay and insult us in our own home. Are we not supposed to be allies that work for the realisation of law and order on Corellia and the galaxy as a whole?"

Jonas emits something close to an irritated grunt, apparently not liking being called a child. "Y'know, the man does kind of have a point," he mutters, his response surprisingly mature given the insult directed towards him. "Maybe we ought to be working with them instead of coercing them and bossing them around? Y'know, so that they don't go around spiting us for the heck of it and making our jobs a lot harder?"

"I'm not here for some ostentatious display of military pomposity, I'm here to ascertain the state of the civilian investigation," An exasperated, annoyed sigh escapes from the officer, the explanation offered to both Jonas and the Captain with a sidelong glance. "And if necessary, spur its progress with the available resources. I am _not_ here to be your impediment, but I do expect that you expect that you produce results."

Taking a step toward the Major, Valerius lowers his voice slightly and continues. "The Inquisitor has on board it people not as understanding of the realities of the give-and-take nature of operational command as I am, Major. People much higher up on the food chain than yours truly, and people much more anxious to have a face to attach to this disturbing new trend. I trust you understand my position."

Durjan ignores the two who spoke up in response to him, he ignores too the one who didn't, instead turning to his superior. "You see, Major.", the Major was rather upset about the lack of respect to the Imperials in his subordinate's voice, but Durjan went on. "It doesn't matter that some of them are decent beings, ultimately the whole bunch at the top is rotten and as long as that is the case, COrellia will never be safe within the Empire." Were one to pay attention to his right hand, lightly rested on the console as it was, it might be possible to notice his fingers moving and pressing a set of buttons. And even if that were missed, it would be difficult to miss the audible sound of locks engaging on the door leading up to this room. However, all is clarified as the techs who seemed absorbed in their work swivel their seats around, the blasters that were hidden lying on their laps exposed at last. "I am afraid that you will be our guest a sight longer than you believed you would be."

Jonas frowns slightly as the door locks are engaged. "...well, that can't be good," he comments somewhat unnecessarily. As soon as he sees the blasters come out, he edges backwards, suddenly flighty. "Whoa, hey. Don't go and do anything hasty now. We're just talking here." He glances to Valerius and Rainier, his expression seeming to ask 'Are we froked?'. "Well, were."

"It certainly explains a great deal," Valerius answers Jonas' comment flatly. "This is your great come-out? Unless you've got a serious hankering for a tactician, a spook, and a pilot, we're of no value to you, Durjan. As soon as the Inquisitor realizes what's happening..." he begins but trails off, leaving the rest to the imagination.

"What are you doing, Durjan? YOu are betraying your oa....", the Major's shock having quickly given way to the disgust so palpable in Peny's voice, his words are cut short by Durjan's roared "No!" His weapon was drawn at last although he had not yet pointed it to those he would take prisoner. "You will not talk to me of betraying oaths, Major. You are a good man but Corellia cannot stay under Imperial dominion. And I will make no distinction between him.", at last the weapon rises, pointed towards Valerius before Durjan trains it on his superior, the quick jerk of his index the only sign before the blaster fires and Peny falls back limp on the floor. "And you."

The sound of the blaster was a muted one, his weapon set to its lowest setting just above setting. Durjan remains rooted to the ground where he stood, staring at the man he just killed. "Very well.", after a long moment he turns back to the Imperials. "You are of no use to us and we do not target pawns such as you so when we get away, you will be released, pilot. As for you Commander, thank you for informing us of the value of your friend there, we thought he was just a political officer but he is more useful. You two will be staying with us longer. I can demonstrated that I won't hesitate at killing you if you pose a problem by shooting the pilot, or will you cooperate and not make any waves while we get out of here?"

Though the pilot is armed, his blaster resting comfortably within a holster within his jacket as opposed to his hip, he refrains from drawing it due to the disadvantage in numbers. "Gee, I feel -so- much better about you guys letting me go now," he drawls sarcastically.

"Rainier is...a man of many talents. But he shouldn't know anything that I don't, and if he does, he's in trouble... Very well, Durjan. We won't resist you," he says, holding up his hands symbolically. "Enjoy thinking you've done some good while the reality isn't quite so obvious. By the way," he adds, a knowing grin forming on his face, "Did you read the broadcast, or just write it?"

"Me? I'm just a lowly naval intelligence person, I analyze things and detect patterns, a spy is too strong a word for one such as me.", Rainier at last says something, the man rising from his slumber. "And do not worry, Officer Alsten, they will let you go as soon as they're out of this station. I doubt that their colleagues would respond well to the kidnap of a senior Imperial officer what with all that it would bring down on Corellia's head."

Durjan watches on with growing impatience, "Enough, what happens now is that we will all walk out of this room and we will go out of the station the back way. And I am a patriot, Commander, no less and no more. We will trade you for some of our imprisonned compatriots and then you will be let go, there is no need for needless heroics."

"Hostage exchange?" That ruled out anything exciting they had in mind. How classically boring. "And what will become of the venerable Major here?" Valerius gestures to the fallen officer on the floor where him and his colleague had been standing earlier; a rather odd concern, notably, for someone like him to have.

"The Major will be buried by the others, he was a good man Imperial.", the last word spat out as if it were a curse, and by Durjan's expression it was. "Never forget it, he was a good man, but plenty of good men have made bad choices." The two techs rose up from their seats, each placing himself closer to the two other Imperials in preparation for their impending departure. "Don't you try anything pilot, I know your kind is rash, but don't be stupid."

"The Major will be buried by the others, he was a good man Imperial.", the last word spat out as if it were a curse, and by Durjan's expression it was. "Never forget it, he was a good man, but plenty of good men have made bad choices." The two techs rose up from their seats, each placing himself closer to the two other Imperials in preparation for their impending departure. "Don't you try anything pilot, I know your kind is rash, but don't be stupid." The man who approached Jonas was not much older than he, his blaster loosely held as a triumphant smirk was on his face. "Eh Captain, you sure we can't kill this one, he's not important and it'll feel good to have the Imperials pay for the Corellians they killed.", as he said so, the man turned away to look at Durjan.

While Jonas initially looks as though he'll comply with whatever he's ushered to do, as soon as the officer's back is turned, he makes a grab for the man's blaster arm. "A lot of you Corellian's really like to gloat, don't you."

"Killing my men does nothing--" Valerius cuts himself off as Jonas lunges at the tech's blaster arm. He hadn't wanted them to resist; his men on the Inquisitor would have found some way of tracking the prisoner's movements after releasing them, but an opportunity is an opportunity. In the moment that everyone's head turns to track Jonas' rapid movement, the Commander copies the action, going for the blaster arm of the nearest guard with the general intention of leveraging his joints to break his grip on the weapon, drop him to the ground, and hopefully put something useful together with Jonas afterwards that results in a more favorable outcome than imprisoned in a Corellian jail.

 Valerius rolls a 12 for his MELEE COMBAT skill. An Average roll!  Rainier rolls a 29 with 5D. An Excellent roll!  Rainier rolls a 23 with 4D. An Excellent roll!  Jonas rolls a 14 for his MELEE COMBAT skill. An Average roll!  Rainier rolls a 15 with 3D. An Average roll!  Jonas rolls a 14 for his MELEE COMBAT skill. An Average roll!  Rainier rolls a 15 with 3D. An Average roll!  Rainier rolls a 22 for his BRAWLING skill. An Excellent roll!  Rainier rolls a 5 with 3D. A Very Poor roll!  Valerius rolls a 16 for his STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. A Good roll!  Valerius rolls a 12 for his MELEE COMBAT skill. An Average roll!

It was all over very quickly, Rainier's enemy was dispatched with some ease, a sudden sidestep, and a swipe upwards of his hand that raised the blaster aimed at him until it was no threat. And his would-be jailor was finished off with a punch to his throat followed by a knee to his face when the guard keeled over in pain. The blaster was appropriated and he trained it on Durjan.

Jonas was not so lucky, while he no longer had to deal with the blaster, his opponent regained his senses quickly. And while he had no chance of firing the weapon, he evaded the attack and responded with a sweep of his leg intent hoping to have Jonas fall to the ground.

The Commander's own attacks, however, were rebuffed with contemptuous ease as Durjan interjected himself on the man's trajectory and swung his blaster arm forward, the weapon's butt painfully jabbed into Valerius' stomach.  Jonas rolls a 19 for his DODGE skill. A Good roll!  Rainier rolls a 10 with 3D. A Poor roll!

Being athletic and fairly nimble, Jonas is able to use his quick reflexes to hop over the footsweep. As he lands, rather than firing the blaster, he responds by attempting to use it as a bludgeoning implement instead, aiming to catch the man at the back or side of the head and knock him out.  Jonas rolls a 29 for his MELEE COMBAT skill. An Excellent roll!  Rainier rolls a 10 with 3D. A Poor roll!

Momentarily winded by the blow, the Commander fights through the intense ache, wasting no time in getting back into fighting stance. Using the reflexive muscle memory one gains from training in such things, he executes a misdirecting spin followed by a roundhouse kick to the man's face, a bold but quick tactic, but effective and impressive when successful.

 Valerius rolls a 15 for his MELEE COMBAT skill. An Average roll! <ROLL> Rainier rolls a 14 with 4D. An Average roll!