I do not own anything.
Coruscant always shone brightly. Whether in the briliant light of its systems star or awash in artificial lights it shone with a light that rivaled that of a star.
Yet if one passed to the lower level you entered a land of eternal gloom, the stars light only entering through the great transport shafts that enabled movement between the city-planets layers. The further you went from these shafts the deeper the gloom till only artificial light provided any relief from the darkness threatening to engulf everything.
This permanent darkness meant that it was difficult to tell the time so one should not be surprised that the first reaction most of the planets sentient inhabitants had on waking was to check the time.
The man groaned at the early hour and rolled back in an effort to go back to sleep, a task he failed at so with a groan he slowly sat on the couch serving as a bed and dragged a hand over his bald skull and sighed wearily.
Another day on Coroscant, another of existence.
He sighed again and stood up to go to the toilet which did not take long. Space was among the most valuable commodities on Coruscant, and one that someone eaking out a living in the city-planets lower levels could not afford.
Business done he looked at the strangers face that invaded the mirror every morning, it had to be a stranger. After all he was not as pale, tired or old as the man in the mirror, he sighed again and not for the first time envied the dead.
With another sigh he left the bathroom and reached the couch before noticing a blinking light, seems somebody wanted to talk to him.
He considered ignoring the call before answering.
-'Hey bro! How are you.'
The voice was energetic drawing a groan from the man, he did not need this at this hour, before he could say so however the fuzzy face being projected sighed.
-'Don't know why I said that seeing as the only reason you'd be getting this message is if I'm dead.'
The annoyance disappeared and he sat down, paying closer attention the holo-message.
-'I know, I know my death is a long time coming and you'd think I'd have made my peace already…'
The image paused, the grin on the projected face vanishing and for a few moments no sound was heard and the man looked to the projector to make sure it hadn't crashed before the projection sighed and started talking again.
-'I'm sorry but your the only person I considered a friend and the only person I thought of to ask this favour.'
"Friend" A big word and he thought a moment, was he a friend? Maybe not but he was more than a stranger. The projection continued.
-'I'd like to ask you to look into my death and make sure those that are responsible pay for it.'
A tall order, and how was he supposed to even start doing that?
-'I'll give you the number of my associate who will tell you where to start.'
Okay, he thought but why should I even do this?
-'If you haven't turned off the message yet than I'll tell you, I have a small fortune set aside, not much but a healthy sum. Find my killer and it' s all yours.'
The image flickered and disappeared leaving the man in the darkness, only the neon lights on the streets casting any light in the room. He sat down and remembered.
Zyb. How long has it been? He remembered, differnet skies on distant worlds. No, not a friend but he wasn't a stranger either…
He looked around the small, damp room and thought again of the last bit, "a healthy sum", thought of the fact that in a few hours he'd be at work again, earning barely enough to survive and decided.
-'So you are the recipient of the trigger.'
It was a statement, not a question.
At first when he called the number given a snooty voiced twi'lek had not wanted to deal with him till he informed her who had given him the number. Her expression changed and told him to hold and left him a good minute before informing him that "Mr Dosak will speak with you."
The image flickered and changed revealing a sharp dressed twi'lek who after moments silence made his statement.
The man saw no reason to answer nor did the twi'lek expected him to do so.
-'My client has made it clear that I am to give you the information to start your investigation if that is why you have contacted me?'
He paused and looked at the man expectantly. He hesitated, this was the last chance to withdraw.
-'Yes.'
He answered, his voice still sounding alien to his ear all these years later. The twi'lek nodded.
-'Very well.'
Dosak nodded and his image flickered as if he left his seat before coming back.
-'Mr Zyb's mortal remains are awaiting recycling at this address.'
His pad beeped, signalling a new message. Dosak continued.
-'You will find all the necessary details there.'
Space was the greatest of Coruscants luxuries, a luxury the dead did not deserve.
The wealthiest had their mortal remains laid to rest off-world, many were cremated and the ashes stored by their relatives but for most they were recycled.
Officially this involved cremation, unofficially everyone knew the bodies were harvested of anything of value, cybernetics, precious metals, organs. The conspiracy nuts claimed the skin and meat were harvested as well, he had seen enough to believe there to be some truth in this.
As such it come as no surprise that the recyc center was a pleasant looking building with white walls and artificial plants outside, the automatic doors sliding open to reveal a well lit and clinical space, real potted plants lining the walls.
A droid rolled up and spoke in an annoyingly chirpy voice.
-'Greetings! Please deposit the cadavar on trolley number 1.'
-'Is the doctor in?'
-'If the cadavar is not quite dead please place it on trolley number 2.'
The droid continued as if he had not spoken. From an open door behind the counter came a voice.
-'Ignore the klanker and come in the back.'
The droid began to repeat its instructions so he followed the voice. The centers back rooms were much more utilitarian than the front. The lighting was sparse, the walls more robust, the occasional crack showing where something heavy hit it.
A short, heavy set human was washing his hands looked up at his approach.
-'Hello, what do you need?'
He looked him up and down before shrugging.
-'Liver?'
-'Apparently this is where Zyb… Mr Zyb Donost was brought.'
The doctor scratched his thick stubble for a moment before shrugging.
-'Perhaps, what do you want? I mean you don't look like a cop.'
The man hesitated a moment before shrugging.
-'I was hired to look into his death.'
The doctors eyes opened wide.
-'Really? Who the hell put out the creds? I mean the stiff doesn't exactly look like the type to...'
-'Zyb did. Dead man's switch.'
The doctor let out a whistle.
-'I was wondering what that chip in his head did.'
-'You've finished the autopsy?'
-'More or less.'
He said as he turned, a wave of the hand indicating he was to follow. They moved past several occupied trolleys into a separate room. Zyb lay on the table, he didn't look bad if one ignored the pallid skin and angry red lacerations.
-'CSF took everything on him as evidence, doubt you'll be able to access it.'
He nodded, the Coruscant Security Force were not the nicest of people, but did not take his eyes off the corpse, the doctor began to talk.
-'Bled to death. Two wounds, on the neck and on the right arm, severed arteries. Other cuts and bruises are superficial.'
-'Where was he found?'
The doctor pursed his lips.
-'Where was it? Give me a moment.'
With that said the doctor turned and left the room, followed by his guest. He moved to a small desk overflowing with old mugs in various stages of fullness and a small computer which he booted up and began looking through.
-'Here it is. A back alley in district 782-A-32.'
-'Got it. Thank you for your time doctor.'
He made to leave but stopped when the doctor made an exaggerated cough.
-'It is customary to show some gratification when someone is helpful.'
The train came to a stop and a small crowd flooded out onto the platform as another crowd waited impatiently to board. He followed the flow of people, a scowl on his face due to the crowd, the time traveled and how much lighter his wallet was.
Outside the station he paused and scanned the area with a practiced eye, it looked much the same as anywhere else in Coruscants under-city. Neon lights bathing the rockcrete in a myriad of shades of light while casting dark shadows in the alleys and in the distance beams of natural light came down the communication shafts.
For a brief moment he remembered the darkness that drowned the planet-city when the power grid failed, several times in his lifetime. He remembered the dark, the cold and red knives…
An involuntary shudder took him and he pulled up his hood as if it would somehow shield him mind from the past before choosing a direction and walking.
-'There was a murder here recently, a human male. CSF was here about it.'
The alien responded with a series a squeak and snorts. He sighed in annoyance and looked around for someone else he could talk to.
-'Pa don't talk common good.'
A smaller alien, similar to the previous one showed up, the man grunted.
-'But you do.'
He couldn't be certain but he thought the alien smiled.
-'Speak better with client.'
He sighed annoyance looked over the small shop and picked up a newspaper, an oddity that only really existed in the more primitive reaches of the galaxy. The alien scooped up the credits and started talking.
-'Last murdered human was two blocks that way, last heard CSF still there.'
-'Thanks.'
The man grunted as he scooped up the paper with nod, the alien already turning away before he finished.
The walk was uneventful, a small gang of alien youths eyed him as he passed but seemed to decide he wasn't worth starting anything, and he arrived.
The only difference was the yellow tape blocking off an alley and a bored looking cop standing nearby.
-'Crime scene sir, go around.'
He looked around but saw nobody, he assumed the second officer was in the speeder.
-'Forensics already leave?'
The officer turned his helmeted head to him with annoyance, if you spent enough time around masked men you learned to pick up these things, before growling.
-'What's it to you gramps? You lookin' for a story?'
-' Kinda, yeah.'
He held the glare of the glowing goggles for a moment before the CSF shrugged.
-'Damn, first they call us down here for some nobody and now a vulture shows up, guess the sod wasn't just nobody than.'
He paused and looked over the alley.
-'So who you writing for? Coruscant Daily?'
The man gave a noncommittal shrug and grunt which seemed the satisfy the masked cop who nodded.
-'Right, so you know how it goes then.'
He said as he extended a gloved hand, palm up, drawing a sigh from the man but nevertheless deposited some credits into the waiting limb.
-'Corpse was a "Zyb Donost". No details on who he was, nobody reported him missing. Cause of death, blood loss.'
-'Who reported the body?'
The cop scratched his masked chin, probably wondering whether he had been paid enough to say anything before shrugging.
-'Girl working at the 42.'
-'42?'
-'Drinking hole, down that way.'
The cop indicated the direction with a jab of his chin. He looked in the direction and saw more of Coruscants undercity.
-'This girl had a name?'
Another shrug.
-'Wasn't me responding, didn't care to ask, not paid enough to ask.'
The cop said pointedly leaving the man to wonder how much he had to offer, how much he needed and whether a name was worth it. Deciding that no he thought what else to ask and came up with nothing, he wasn' t a bounty hunter after all.
-'Thanks.'
He grunted and began to move away, the cop shrugging and looking away, probably forgetting the encounter before he had turned the corner. Or so it seemed before his helmeted head twisted back as the man turned the corner and the faint sound of the CSF comms actvating could be heard, if someone cared to listen.
The 42 was a rather unappealing building, near identical to every other in the area save for a neon "42" on the front.
Inside it was a bit better, cleaner for one, but also decorated in some fashion he didn't recognize but favored red, yellow and black that somehow worked well together.
-'Keep going honey!'
A droid chirped in a female voice as it rolled by so he did into a room where one wall was taken up by a bar, the other a set of booths so shrouded in shadow that he assumed it was by design.
The chronometer showed it was only just evening so as one could guess the bar was mostly empty and several eyes followed him, including that of a near-human girl behind the counter who smiled a well practiced smile at him as he stopped at the bar.
-'Heya sweety! What'r you havin'?'
He would be hard pressed to claim the girl was unattractive, despite her red skin and blue-black hair and found himself smiling in response, or his lips shifted upwards to be more precise, it had been a long time since he smiled properly.
-'Something dirty in a clean glass.'
She winked, whipped out a glass and gave it a wipe before producing a bottle she poured a half shot of a clear liquid into it.
It smelled alright so he downed it and was rewarded with a pleasent burn that slowly spread warmth through his body.
-'Anythin' else?'
-'Recently a girl working here reported a body to CSF, is she in today?'
The smile disappeared and she threw a quick glance to the side while shifting her body that had to this point been leaning on the bar giving him a pleasant view away.
-'Who's asking?'
She said and from the corner of his eye he saw something big move towards him.
-'Zyb, the body, hired me to look into his death.'
Something snorted behind him and he glanced back, a large, big eyed alien was looking at him with a cross between amusement and disbelief.
-'Zyb did?'
-'Yes.'
-'How'd he do that? I mean, he's dead ain't he?'
He turned back to the near-human.
-'A so called "Dead man's switch". When his heart stopped a message was sent.'
-'I'm more surprised he had the creds to do that, much less someone to send the message to.'
The alien snorted as he turned to resume his spot by the wall leaving the girl shaking her head.
-'So… is she in?'
He asked again. The near-human looked at him without a smile.
-'Look… what was your name?
There was a pause, most beings didn't have an issue with giving a name, but most beings weren't him.
-'Teekay.'
He finally said, the near-human nodded.
'Okay Teekay, Zyb was a regular, a regular pain. Constantly mooching off of others till their patience ran out, I dunno why you doing this but most won't be willin to help. You still wanna do this?'
No. He did not want to do this, but Zyb offered to pay and despite not being friends he wasn't someone he could just dismiss like that.
-'Yes.'
She sighed and took his glass away.
-'White was the one who called it in, she was probably the only one who actually liked Zyb. She'll be in tomorrow from the morning.'
He nodded and, having put enough creds on the bar to cover his drink and a tip left.
-'That him?'
The asked cyborg did not answer immediately, a soft whir issuing from his mechanical eyes as he focused on the older human male that had left the station, who had paused to pull up his hood before walking off.
-'That's him.'
He finally confirmed. The human that had asked grunted and began to move after the old man, the cyborg following. Their near-human colleague pressed a hand to his ear.
-'Command, this is Shiv, we have visual on the target.'
-'Understood Shiv, proceed as planned. Command out.'
They moved. Through the crowds that infested Coruscants under-city, blending in with the crowds of dejected sentients, shuffling from their home to their work or the other way around. Many had hoods up in an effort to stave off the chill and damp but the cyborgs eyes never lost their target.
The target stopped once at a store where he purchased an instant meal before heading to a rundown building, one of many tenant buildings were most of the planets inhabitants would sleep before their next day.
They took up position in an alleyway, where they could observe the building and followed the movement of their target as he climbed up a flight of stairs before cracking open a door enough to slide in.
- 'Let's give him some time to get comfy, move in after he kills the lights.'
They waited. The crowds got thinner, the damp sank into their bones and the waited. A shadow flickered occasionally showing the target to be moving around his room before finally the lights went out.
They waited some more, just to give him enough time to go to sleep before moving, gliding up the rusty stairs with barely a sound and lined up next to the door. Another pause as they listened in. Though sounds of movement and music came from the other rooms the one they were interested in was silent.
They got to work. The lock was simple taking a second to open, and they glided in, the human, hold out blaster drawn, went first, near-human next with a rope and the cyborg last.
Yes, murder drew little attention on Coruscant but suicide drew even less and the less cause they gave to some overenthusiastic CSF officer to investigate the better.
From the entrance it was one step to the living/sleeping area so it would take no time to finish their job and…
The cyborg screamed. The others turned to him and saw blue arcs of energy flash across his electronics as blood began to flow from his nose.
Movement made them turn, back to the target only the target was gone, instead the human glimpsed a flash of white before something slammed into his face, he heard more than felt his nose shatter before before being shoved back as the pain overwhelmed him.
He heard movement, a struggle and two blasts before silence. Through tears he tried to find his blaster but something slammed into his hand drawing a cry of pain from him.
-'Shut up. Look at me.'
He looked. A white figure loomed over him, soulless dark ovals where the eyes should be and a scowl dominating the mask. A moments confusion set in, the Empire was dead, dying at least so this most certainly should not be happening.
And yet there was a stormtrooper standing over him, hold-out blaster aimed at his head.
-'Let's talk.'
The TK growled.