Writer's notes: I'm going out on a limb...I'm doing a CSI meets Tom Clancy, meets SWAT here, so I hope it works. I'm always trying to expand my writing horizons and hopefully I've made sense of the forensics. There's a bit of tongue in cheek too with the doughnuts and caffa.
Mission gets to pursue part of her dream.
Other malarkey - calf muscle strain fully healed and back to running.
The Province of Jurisprudence – Part II
The Ocean Spray Hotel
At the sound of the shots, Bastila heart jumped and she and Jolee leapt up from their seats, searching for the source of the fire, but the shots did not originate or terminate in the room. The young Padawan stopped, letting her ears tune in around her and the sound of a door being opened forceful from the hallway along with rapidly receding footsteps caught her attention. She looked over to Jolee and he had already heard it.
Bastila rushed to the door of her room and flung it open. As she entered the hall, the elevator door was just closing and she saw an open door partway down the hall. She and Jolee sped to the doorway and looked in as guests began to look into the hallway, obviously curious about the noise of weapons fire.
As Bastila entered, she saw blood was spattered on the beige carpet near the open balcony and on the glass door and the smell of it filled her nostrils. She walked carefully through the room and onto the balcony, peering over the railing; a woman's body floated in the water below. The young Padawan's mind was racing now. What just happened? Did this have anything to do with their quest? Careful not to disturb anything, she retraced her steps back to the hall as the hotel manager, Ignus, arrived.
"What's happened?" he asked, out of breath, his eyes bulging. "I was just down the hall when I heard the shots." He peered into the room and saw the blood. "Gaaah, is someone hurt?"
Bastila pursed her lips. It was probably best to let others handle this. They didn't need any unnecessary complications or attention. "There's a woman's body in the water. We best notify the authorities."
Ignus sighed and Bastila could see reluctance in his eyes. "This'll be bad for business," he moaned as he took his commlink from his belt and called the Ahto City police. The static of the commlink buzzed before Ignus spoke frantically with the authorities. As he closed the link, he sighed again. "Bad for business," he said to Bastila, "Yes, very bad."
As Jolee, Bastila, and the manager sat in the hallway, two Selkath stepped off of the elevator and came down the hall. While one popped a brown glazed, circular pastry into his toothy mouth, the other spoke. "I am Slopha, lead investigator. We will need to interview everyone here," he said in his watery voice.
Bastila stood. Despite her concerns about attention, she felt she had to find out more. A lot was at stake here. "Have you recovered the body?"
Slopha shook his head. "We had people look in the water, but it seems that the body has sunk. We will get a dive team to conduct a search. However, what can you tell me about what happened?"
Bastila and Jolee recounted their experience and the Selkath took notes on a data pad. Ignus then added, "The room was registered to a Sunry Baynum."
Jolee's jaw dropped and his eyes shot open. It looked like he had seen a ghost. "Sunry…Sunry Baynum? Oh no." Bastila caught the recognition in his voice and knew this was not going to be good. More unwanted entanglements.
Slopha turned to the old Jedi as his partner chugged a mug of caffa. "You know this…this Baynum character?" One of his fishy eyes widened as if he were sizing the man up as a suspect.
Jolee sighed and leaned against the wall. He looked old and worn out just then. He nodded slowly, almost painfully. "It's been a while, but yes, I know him. I had no idea he was here though."
The Selkath gave continued to stare at him with that calculating look and checked his data pad. "This…Sunry is a contractor for the Republic. Hmmmm…according to our Memorandum of Understanding, I've got to notify the Republic Embassy." Slopha did not seem very happy at having to do this and his voice took on an edgy tone. He took out his commlink and called his superior. By order of the MOU between Manaan and the Republic, a Republic investigator would be assigned to assist in the case.
He looked sternly at the humans, narrowing his eyes. "My partner, Shono will write up your statements and interview the other guests. Don't plan on going anywhere for now," he said and Bastila knew he meant it.
Elsewhere in the Hotel
In a room on a different floor, Aerin and Carth had sat, watching the holovid until they heard the shots. Aerin wasn't sure what to make of the sounds, but rushed out onto the balcony. As she reached the railing she saw a middle aged man limping quickly across the courtyard, away from the hotel. It was probably nothing, maybe fireworks. With a shrug, she returned to the couch and sipped more of her herbal tea until the commlink chimed; Carth answered.
"Hello. Yes, Mister Ambassador, I understand…. I'll bring her along and we'll meet with the Ahto investigators ASAP." His voice was terse. It was obviously something important...was it connected to the noise? He then hung up and stood. "There's been a murder here. Ambassador Wann has tasked us to be the Republic's presence in the investigation. It seems like the prime suspect is a Republic contractor. Looks like you're back in uniform for now."
Aerin frowned as she shut off the holovid. "So much for dinner." She was really looking forward to some time away from this mad quest. Ahto City actually held a lot of appeal for her – the amenities were nice and it seemed to have a lot of culture, which appealed to her aristocratic tastes. Not having Sith trying to kill you all the time was a big plus. Realizing that rest was not in the equation, she rose with a grunt. They took the stairs to the crime scene, which now had yellow tape over the door. Bastila and Jolee stood in the hall, talking to Investigator Shono. Mission was in the hall, bouncing around to see what was happening as T3 beeped and twirled his head. Carth walked up to the group and Investigator Slopha turned to face him.
"I'm Captain Onasi, the Republic's representative. This is Lieutenant Dakar, my assistant."
Slopha nodded and raised the tape so they could enter. Several cases of forensic equipment sat on the ground near the door. "We're going to start by processing the room. My dive team is searching for the body, but we've had no luck yet," advised the Selkath. Aerin could tell by his posture that the Republic's assistance was unwanted and that Slopha was only honoring the agreement. "Shall we get started?" the Selkath asked. "I assume you have some experience with investigations?"
Aerin nodded as she picked up a video imager. "I'm going to start with the photos. I'll need Mission and Tee Three's help to log." She poked into the hallway and motioned to the Twi'lek. Mission and the droid rushed excitedly over and Aerin filled them in on the task; they would record every image that Aerin took, every person who entered, and every piece of evidence recovered. As directed, Mission took a sheet of paper and wrote down the time, date, and place and held it up as Aerin snapped an image of it and downloaded it to T3.
Carth walked over and looked down at Mission with a serious expression, his jaw firmly set and eyes fixed on the young lady. The Twi'lek returned the stare, obviously uncomfortable. "What? Do I have something on my face?"
The captain put his hand on her shoulder gently, but with gravitas. Aerin could see that something profound was about to happen. "We have to make this official," he said, piquing everyone's interest. "Mission, I'm granting you a provisional commission in the Republic fleet…Midshipman Vao, welcome aboard."
The girl's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Was this some kind of joke? Surely, he couldn't be serious? "Wh…who me? I'm part of the Republic now?" Carth nodded and his expression slowly changed to a smile. Realization hit Mission like a ton of bricks and Aerin saw her face break into a huge grin as the girl danced around in a circle.
Carth gripped the young girl's shoulder firmly. "It'll help you get into the Academy. I know you've been talking about applying."
Aerin gave her a big smile and her eyes misted up for a second. A friend's dream was coming true…if only the Republic would survive another year. "You deserve this," she said warmly, but then knew that they'd need to focus. "Okay, Midshipman, let's get to work."
Together, they put on white Tyvek coveralls and moved slowly into the crime scene, imaging the room and its contents from door to balcony. They then took close-ups of the blood spatter using a tripod and ruler; the smell of blood and gunpowder was evident. When they were done, Aerin motioned Slopha and Carth into the room. "There are two broken glasses on the balcony and…four brass shell casings. Someone used a slugthrower."
"A slugthrower?" asked the Selkath.
"A projectile weapon that fires a lead slug using a chemical or magnetic propellant. The shell casings indicate that this one worked on powder. They're often used by assassins as they don't give off an energy signature and can be silenced," voiced Aerin as she pointed at the golden brass casings, which lay haphazardly on the balcony.
They stepped onto the balcony and Aerin switched to a macro setting on her imager to take a scale picture of the casings. T3 placed labels and a ruler next to each item as the Padawan snapped the shot. Then, she nodded and T3 extended a probe to gently recover the evidence. As the droid dropped the brass casing into a clear, plastic bag, Aerin looked up at Carth. "Nine by seventeen millimeter…. Merr Sonn Munitions by the headstamp." The base of a shell casing, known as a headstamp, could have a wealth of information: the caliber of the round, the manufacturer, and the imprint of a firing pin and extractor claw.
The Captain nodded with a knowledgeable look in his eyes. "They're one of the few that manufacture slugthrowers and ammunition. Hey, look at this," he said, pointing at a bullet hole in the wall. The duracrete was chipped around the hole and a bloody lead slug was partially buried. Aerin photographed it and T3 dug it out, dropping it into a bag.
"Jacketed hollow point…probably one hundred and twenty four grain, but the jacket is mangled…as is the rifling," complained Aerin, telling the group her speculation about the round's covering and weight. Lead slugs often had copper jackets wrapped around them to control the mushrooming effect and to decrease lead fouling in the barrel. As the round traveled down the barrel, it would grip the rifling, which would impart spin on the round for better ballistics. The rifling would help them identify the weapon that fired it, but in this case, such forensics was destroyed.
They moved on to recover the shards of broken glass and the spilled liquid. Aerin and Mission swabbed the red alcohol and placed the swabs into an airtight container. With that accomplished, they began to cut up the blood stained areas of the carpet. Mission stopped and pointed to a black, cross-like piece of metal tied to a red, black, and white ribbon. Drops of blood coated it. "Hey, what's this?" she asked.
Aerin photographed it and then took a closer look. She gasped. She recognized it from her training at the Republic Naval Academy.
"It's the Cross of Glory, the Republic's highest honor," said Carth without emotion.
The droid then scooped it up and popped it into an evidence bag. The medal was nothing more than a piece of cloth and metal to him. As T3 beeped and whirred, he ran an analysis of the spatter patterns on the carpet.
"What do you have, Tee Three?" asked Aerin as she placed the carpet samples in permeable bags for drying. She nodded as T3 beeped and booped. "Hmmm, that doesn't make any sense, Tee Three, why would the shooter take the time to move to a new firing position before finishing the woman off? Also, it does not appear that the woman was on the ground when the killing shot was fired…nor does it appear that he dragged her to the railing to throw her over. Based on the gunshot residue, spatter, and the footprints, I'd say the shooter was at the railing, the woman was near the door, and that she jumped."
"Jumped?" Slopha asked, incredulous.
"That's what the evidence would suggest," answered Aerin with a shrug. "Tee Three also says that his preliminary analysis indicates that all of the blood is consistent with an adult human female and that the loss of blood would be indicative of fatal injuries. One curious thing though…the woman was on some sort of blood medication."
"What of the carpet samples?" asked Carth.
Aerin looked at the display that T3 was showing her. "Tee Three pulled some hair and epithelial cells consistent with an adult human male. My bet is they belong to this Sunry Baynum."
At that, Carth made a call over the commlink and spoke to someone for a minute. His face took on a concerned look with brows knotted up tightly as he shut off the link. "This is very strange. I spoke to my friend Anar, the Mil-At at the Embassy, and he is telling me that I do not have access to Sunry's file beyond a basic description and the fact that he was a hero…who, by the way, won the Cross of Glory during the Sith Wars. Here's an image of him and I'm told he has a pronounced limp from an injury during the Sith Wars."
Aerin looked at the image and frowned. Parts of the equation were adding up. "I saw a man fitting that description limping from the hotel."
Slopha nodded. It looked like he was also forming an opinion. "Yes, the hotel manager, Ignus, and another guest, Firith Me, described the same man leaving the hotel after the shots were fired. They both said that Baynum received frequent visits from a human female we believe to be a reporter for an offworld network. I'm going to put out an alert on Sunry Baynum; we have probable cause for arrest."
With all of the evidence recovered and logged, the team took down the barrier tape and turned custody of the room over to Ignus, who lamented, "Look at the room! What am I going to do about the carpet?"
The Embassy of the Republic – SCIF
In the secured room within the Embassy, Ambassador Wann sat glumly alongside of Captain Holdar and Chief of Station Mertens. The Ambassador fumed while the others sat sheepishly in the shadows. "This is an unmitigated disaster! What went wrong? We have lost our droid and SMILEY within twenty-four hours. I want a full accounting of this intelligence failure ASAP and a plan to rectify it." He pointed an accusing finger at the two.
Chief Mertens loosened his jade ascot as perspiration dribbled down his neck. He was scrambling now to save his skin. "Sir, Captain Onasi and Lieutenant Dakar are investigating the SMILEY situation. I spoke with Commander Ergot earlier; he briefed me that he is aware of a traitor within the ranks of our visitors," he said, hoping this would take the negative attention off of him. "She is a Cathar onboard their ship, who was disgruntled about the destruction of her homeworld. Haman has been keeping an eye on her and thought it was contained."
"Well, it obviously wasn't contained!" raged Roland Wann, his neck and eyes bulging. "You fix this, Koloss, and you fix it now. Get rid of her." How was he going to report this to the Republic? They were on the ropes and the Sith were beating them at nearly every turn. He knew if things didn't improve soon, his career would be the least of his worries.
Mertens grunted at the chastisement and made a call to Commander Ergot, who just happened to be departing the Ocean Spray Hotel. "Do what you have to do, my boy. Just get it done." Perhaps Ergot could save their hides yet. Perhaps it wasn't too late.
Nearby, Anar Holdar sighed, unhappy that he was forced to restrict Carth's access into the program; there was so much that Onasi would need to know for his own safety. He rose and gave a nod to the other men. "Excuse me, I have other matters to attend to. I'll continue to monitor the progress of the investigation." With that, he left under a dark cloud. Things could not be gloomier in the Republic Embassy.
The Ocean Spray Hotel
Outside of the hotel, an investigator took custody of the evidence and transported the items back to the station. As the Selkath departed, Slopha spoke on his commlink, nodding. "Sunry was spotted making his way to the Swoop Track. We must hurry, I have dispatched units to cut him off."
Carth, Aerin, and Mission piled into the police speeder as Slopha leapt into the driver's seat. With sirens wailing, they sped toward Ahto East in the growing dark. Slopha drove with reckless abandon, zipping back and forth across lanes to get around traffic. As they pulled up to the Swoop Track, police speeders with flashing lights were already in place, forming a perimeter around the sports arena and floodlights cast a fierce illumination on the building. Selkath officers and enforcement droids hunkered down behind cover, awaiting the arrival of the brass. Slopha stopped the speeder abruptly, throwing his passengers forward. Aerin grunted as her face found the back of the driver's seat. The Chief Investigator leapt out of the speeder and an officer in white body armor rushed up to him.
"What's the situation?" Slopha grunted.
The officer pointed to the Swoop Track. "Chief Investigator, we've confirmed that the fugitive, Baynum, is inside. We've called for negotiators and an assault team."
Slopha shook his head. "There are a million ways out of the Track through underwater conduits. We have to go in now. Get me a team together quickly, go," he ordered the officer and then turned to Carth. "Captain Onasi, prepare yourself. As the Republic liaison, your people are on the team. We go in five minutes."
Carth nodded and checked his blaster pistols as Aerin took hold of her lightsabers. The Captain pulled the straps of his body armor tight and threw a dark balaclava over his face, as did Aerin. They then attached NVGs to their helmets and secured them to their heads. Her heart was racing in anticipation. Would Sunry resist? Would they have to kill him? She certainly hoped not.
Slopha slid on a body armor vest and grabbed a sonic carbine. This weapon would likely incapacitate a target rather than kill it. Circling his hand over his head, he brought the ad hoc assault team together. Behind cover, he knelt and took a floor map of the facility and put it on the ground as a droid shined light on it.
"I wish we had HK here," mused Aerin. Then, she thought about his lack of restraint. "On second thought, maybe not."
Stabbing the map with his green finger, Slopha pointed at the side entrance. "We'll approach the facility from here and stack at the door. On my signal, the breacher will take down the door and the number two will throw a flash bang in, stunning anyone nearby. The assault team will then penetrate and capture Baynum - I want him alive."
Slopha made a quick call to his superior. They spoke in their watery language for a minute before he closed the link. "Your droid, Tee Three has an ID on the victim; Elassa Huros, a reporter," he told Carth and Aerin. Then, the Selkath pointed toward the building. "We have a green light to the door. Stack and hold for my signal and my signal alone."
A large droid led the way, carrying a massive, black battering ram. Behind him walked Carth, holding his blaster pistol and a stun grenade, followed by Slopha and Aerin. Other droids and officers brought up the rear. With weapons covering any windows or doors, the assault team took position at either side of the main door beneath dim street lamps. The lack of hinges on the portal indicated that it opened inward. Aerin's heart pounded and she focused herself.
He's in there…with someone else. I can sense them. We must hurry.
Aerin whispered this to Slopha, who nodded his acknowledgement. He made an 'ok' sign to Carth, who was now on the other side of the door. The Captain gave the thumbs up, but Aerin could see reluctance in his eyes. She knew he wasn't happy about taking down a hero of the Republic, but she knew he would do his duty as he always did. Slopha then repeated the sign back to Aerin and she did likewise. In response, the officer behind her squeezed her leg and she passed the ready signal forward. The repeated confirmations were necessary to ensure that everyone was set and knew their job in this tense situation.
The Chief Investigator made a quick call. "We have a green light to penetrate."
The breacher droid stepped up to the door and slammed the ram just above the knob and the door flung open with a crash. On cue, Carth tossed the flash bang in and covered his ears. The resounding sonic crunch would stun nearly any sentient species if not properly prepared. Smoke and light filled the Swoop Registration room and a dark figure staggered inside. Slopha rushed in through the door, raising his sonic weapon as Aerin followed him in. Through her NVGs, she could see the yellow and orange image of a middle-aged human holding his ears as if in pain.
The muzzle of her rifle came up sharply. "Get down! Get down!" she yelled, motioning him to the ground with her left hand. She could now tell that they had their fugitive.
Weakly, Sunry dropped on his face and droids were all over him, twisting his arms painfully behind his back. Once he was secured, Aerin and a droid helped him up while the rest of the team searched for Sunry's accomplice without success. "All clear!" came the disappointing call. With a firm grip, Aerin and the droid escorted the prisoner to a waiting police speeder as flashing lights lit up the area and media cameras zoomed in. Aerin removed her helmet and balaclava and then assisted Sunry into the speeder. She felt a certain exhilaration at the collar and her face was still flushed with excitement.
"Sunry Baynum, I am Lieutenant Aerin Dakar of the Republic Navy. You are under arrest for the murder of Elassa Huros, by order of the Ahto City authorities."
The man looked at her through the speeder window and thought for a second as if trying to recall something. "You are a Jedi, are you not?"
Aerin gave him an odd, sideways look. This was disturbing. "How'd you know?" Before he could answer, the speeder pulled away leaving her to ponder the mystery.
Ahto City Police Station – Midnight
Aerin watched through a one-way mirror as Sunry Baynum sat, chained to a table in a nearly bare room under harsh lighting, his salt and pepper hair disheveled and matted in places. His rumpled clothing covered him like wrinkled skin, giving him a transient look. Above all, his hands covered his face in a look of utter defeat. She almost felt sorry for him. Standing before the beaten man, two Selkath detectives geared up for their work.
"Where's your accomplice?" raged Slopha as Investigator Shono took a swig of caffa. "It's been a long day and you're not helping yourself. The penalty here for murder is death! We are not like your coddling Republic." The venom in his voice was clear even through the translator.
Sunry did not look up. "Please notify my wife, Elora," he said without emotion. Then, he sighed. "I want to see a representative from the Republic."
Slopha pounded his fist on the utilitarian table causing Sunry to startle. "You don't get squat unless you start talking." The Selkath put his face right up to the man's ear, his slimy whiskers bristling.
With a grunt, Sunry turned slowly returned the Selkath's stare. A certain determination shone in his eyes. "Fine…fine…I'll talk, but I'll only talk to the Jedi…Aerin Dakar. I'll get a fair shake from a Jedi."
Separated by only a couple of inches, Slopha bared his teeth, but then inhaled deeply. Aerin could see that he was frustrated and would get no further. Slopha stepped back. "Very well…but you haven't earned any points yet."
The two Selkath departed and summoned Aerin in. "He's a stubborn old bastard," said Slopha. "Just get his confession and we can close this case," he added to Aerin. She wondered how she could have any impact on this man's fate, but if she could help, she would try. Still in her black coveralls, she entered and sat across from Sunry. She made eye contact and crossed her arms, daring him to talk.
"Why me? What do you want to say?"
He seemed to relax a bit and motioned her over. Suspiciously, she approached, ready to defend herself if necessary. She tried to read him through the Force, but nothing came.
"I can shield my thoughts from you normally, but I want you to read my mind now," he said.
"Why? All the evidence points to you as the shooter."
"Just do it if you want any answers."
Aerin raised an eyebrow and let the Force connect them together. He blocked her from parts of his mind, but a clear voice came through.
I am an intelligence officer with the Republic and I gave something to one of the Swoop racers…an Ithorian named Qweedle. The information is valuable to the Republic and will also prove my innocence. You must enter the Manaan Swoop Race this afternoon to recover it. You must do this! The fate of the Republic hangs in the balance.
Aerin sighed. Another damn mystery and another entanglement. She nodded her head and left the room. She felt more like a pawn then ever.
Slopha and Carth approached her as Shono popped a glazed pastry in his mouth. "What'd he say?" asked Carth.
"He says he's innocent, but the evidence can only be obtained if I win the Swoop Race today."
Slopha rolled his eyes. "He's desperate, he'll say anything at this point. His initial appearance before the Magistrate is this morning. The guy's guilty as sin."
Carth shrugged. She could see that he was trying to make a point here. "Well, if we don't investigate it, the defense will argue we didn't check out his alibi," the captain said with authority. "They'll win on appeal."
The Selkath nodded reluctantly. He really wanted this to be over. "You're right. Please run down that lead." It was obvious that he didn't want to do it himself. Let the Republic stooges defend their own.
"So, what happens to Sunry now?" asked Aerin.
"This morning, the Magistrate will assign him an Advocate and then we will either indict him via the Grand Jury or he gets a Preliminary Hearing to determine probable cause to proceed to trial. This way is more difficult and the defense can demand it if they think our evidence is weak. Then, when we find him guilty…he dies."
Aerin nodded. And…if Sunry is right, so does the Republic.
