Innocence?

[tomcat]

It took a few minutes for Sam and Kara to reassemble the speeder's sensor, but once done the group climbed back inside and made the trek across town, back to Ranie's home.

They left the city limits and followed the cliffside road that they had driven a few times already, as it wound along the coastline. The forest grew up on their right side and Ranie's mansion came into view. What the group were not aware of was the shaded figure that stood some thirty-feet within the treeline, with ample view of both the road and the senator's estate.

Sam brought the speeder into the garage and everyone exited. They quickly made their way back to Ranie's office, where they had set up their own base of operation, and Brim began to unload his pockets. Kara's eyes went wide when she saw the many vials of pure, undiluted namana - 72 in all! The liquid was a narcotic, and very addictive. In its purest state and volume, it could be turned into many forms and sold on the street for a small fortune - let alone the personal use....

At the other end of the desk, Dan began to spread out the parchments, while Brim activated the datapad. One of the pages opened was a map of the city of Salis D'aar and it surrounding territories. Small circles had been made with a red ink pen at multiple locations all around the city. The other pages that Dan opened were filled with written words or religious mantra and occurrences where that mantra had been ignored. There were also patches of paragraphs of scattered thoughts, or strange sentences. All in all, it was as if the individual who had written the pages were listing their laws of faith and the sins that they had committed, but all was unconnected, as if the individual was not in a proper state of mind.

For Brim it was much easier - he pushed a button to open the data file on the pad and a list of names began to appear, along with associated addresses or locations. At the top of the list was the name Varta the Hutt, and next to it was Teth?.

[watanabe]

Kara stepped forward and picked up several of the vial'ss and looked at them.  She let out a low whistle and shook her head.

"You guys know how much this stuff is worth on the blackmarket?  You could probably buy a new ship with all of this."

Carefully she sat the vials back down.  And shook her head.

OOC:

Tomcat I'm gonna send you a pm about something.

[tomcat]

  [OOC:] Not sure what is going on... I see players are visiting daily, but posts are becoming rare, save for a few players. Again, Matt is not able to be here to play right now with his wife's ailment, so I will post for him and try to get some story dialogue going with Nick. Feel free to chime in with your own characters.

If no one is interested in continuing this story, just give me the word.



Dan looked at Kara with a question on his face, "What it's worth? I don't know what it is? Can you fill us in?"

He was a soldier and though he was not naive, he had never dabbled in the arena of drugs.

[watanabe]

Kara tilted her head to the side a bit and thought for a moment.

"I've worked on a variety of ships, and I know some of the crews use to smuggle various drugs, and I know a kilo of spice can fetch you ten's or hundred's of thousands of credit on the black market."  She looked at the vials again  "This stuff is probably in one of its purest forms and can be diluted to probably make tens or hundreds of hits.  I'd say we are sitting on a virtual goldmine."

Kara realized that she was showing a little too much knowledge about such things and caught herself.

"But I'm no expert, I'm sure the proper authorities could tell us what this is worth."

[tomcat]

"So if it's a small fortune of drugs, why would Senator Seelig have it stashed in a storage unit on the outskirts of the city?" Dan thought out loud. "Either Seelig was dealing or using... and because it is in a pure state, it is hard to say which. I have to reason that a person of Seelig's status would only want the finest, but then also, he would be able to get ahold of some fine quality stuff to make himself rich." Qinos looked down at the table, "But for all intents and purposes, Seelig's rich. So... what do you guys think? And do we bring Ranie in on this stuff, or keep it a secret for now?"

With the mention of Ranie's name, the party realized they hadn't yet seen the senator since their return. The house was quiet. Perhaps he had his business of governing to attend to.

[watanabe]

"Personally, I would just turn this stuff over to the authorities, ask for a reward and get off this rock.  I tell you bad things happen around large quantities of spice and drugs."  Kara then thought of something.  "Of course, I could always go check out the blackmarket and see what is going on in terms on the namana trade and what it is bringing, and who the big dogs are."

[GandalfOfBorg]

"Normally, I'd be with you on turning this stuff over the proper authorities but I would rather like to avoid any entanglements of the sort.  And with so much of the stuff, it might get the Empire's attention, too.  We should find the Senator and let him deal with it -- the sooner, the better," said Dan.

[tomcat]

  [OOC:] Matt, do you want me to stop filling in for Dan (and your other PC's) so much?

[watanabe]

"We are going to turn over enough drugs to keep a Hutt Crime Family happy for a year to a politician?" Kara shook her head.  "I don't know where you come from, but back on Corellia, the last person I would want with this load of drugs is a politician.  I say we give him part of the stash, and destroy or sell the rest off to the black market."

[GandalfOfBorg]

OOC: It's alright.  We have yet to get settled into a routine in regards to work, her medications, and doc appts so things are still up in the air.

[BrianM]

"No one has said anything about turning the drugs over to Senator Ranie. I believe they should go to the *proper* authorities at some point for disposal, and they will need to be secured until that time - perhaps in a location that *we* arrange so that we can be sure they are indeed secure.

But we should inform the Senator as soon as possible, as they have a definite impact on our investigation, and they implicate his friend in much more than I believe he would like to become public at this time."

[OOC sorry about lack of posts - my family was away at a cottage with no internet for the weekend and I just got back - cheers, Brian]

[tomcat]

As the others debated the way to handle the vials of substance, Brim continued to look at the datapad. It seemed that Seelig was a resourceful man but also a careful one - well, as careful as one could be when dealing in illicit  things.

The Rodian began to read through the data, seeing that it was like a diary and thus Brim was able to get into the dead man's thoughts...

JOVI 4-18854: Varta has sent an offer... seems the Hutt wants to tap into one of our planets potential resources, namana. Long has the government kept its production regulated, and the church has always used it in some of its ceremony, but it could be an untapped goldmine. If I am careful, I can at least entertain the idea of the meet.

Brim saw the Bakuran date on the first entry. He was not real familiar with the planetary calendar and so inquired of the droid, who had programmed himself with data from Senator Ranie's computer. Sam relayed that the date represented the winter month of Jovi - number two of ten thirty-one-day increments that broke up the Bakuran three-hundred and seventeen day year. The droid continued to explain that the ten months were preceded by a seven-day period at the ending/beginning of each year that was filled with great rituals of the church. The four, following the month, was the day. Sam finished by explaining the last five digit number was the number of orbital cycles that Bakura had made around its sun since the time when the indigenous life began recording such things. The orbital cycle count was three less than the current cycle.

"Three years ago they met," Brim thought out loud. He continued to read...

CARTIN 6-18856: Varta has sent some rascally alien from a planet in the Mid-rim called Rodia. I am not too much for dealing with these aliens! Anyway, his name is Puk and he is really pushy. Says that there is a timeline that Varta wants met and that we need to have production completely online by Tamao. It shouldn't be a problem, but I do not like the way this Rodian threatens... push me to far and I will pull the plug!

TAMAO 28-18856: I have to separate myself somewhat from the namana production sites. Through Puk, we have set up a network of fellows to handle the business of growing and production. It is funny... take me back three years ago and I never would have thought I could be part of this, but now the stuff is coming to market and it is sweeter than any that the government allows! The namana oil that I am able to get from my fields is brought to market 100% pure and the rewards are coming, too! Eh? Door... my lady is here. Now for a dab and a night of pure bliss!

SULIS 10-18857: Journal entry to document all affiliations that I am aware of... I do this to protect myself. Varta has threatened me! ME! A Senator and Barrister of Bakura! What could that big slug ever hope to do from Teth? Damn him and his demands... cutting me out! Cutting me from my control and from my own usage! He better be careful because all I need to do is anonymously open the door and turn this all over to security. It would be no problem to cover up any of my involvement and even bring the Imperial Governor down on the Hutt! I can close up shop with a word and that big slimebag can be left stuck with nothing, cause that is all he has... NOTHING! I control Bakura! I am going to write down my contacts here for security sake... let Varta know who has who in their pocket.

Brim reads through a list of names, and descriptors about each, that include:

Puk - a dangerous killer! I do not like any involvement in his business.
Cho - the lower city folk are desparate... Puk hired this one to put the pinch on non-payers.
Jeslo - he's my contact to the farms. Nice guy. He is in it for the money, and not much of a conscience, but not bad to deal with.
Neja - dancer from the west-side. She has no involvement in the business other than to bring buyers to the table... users too. I do not like seeing her involved. I want to get her out of this life as a dancer. She fills my every thought anymore!

The diary within the datapad has more, but it begins to break down into panicked comments from someone who has gone too deep. Seelig speaks of his abuse of namana and how he needs more and more. He struggles to keep it from his daily and public life, but his mind is frantic. The senator cannot seem to satisfy his cravings anymore and the Hutt demands more and more of the control and profits. Then Brim reads a chilling entry with no date...

I have to leave Bakura! But if I leave, I can't get to the namana anymore and I am not going to buy it off the street like the refuse that lives in the lower city! Frakkin' urchins! Last night I was cornered by two strangers... creatures, maybe! They spoke in hissed words and their eyes glowed. My life is forfeit! They will destroy the namana and remove it from the market, unless I do it myself... and if I don't I will burn with the fields! Gotta tell Varta... got to tell someone!

The datapad had no more entries, save one - there was an account number with the Intergalactic Banking Clan for an off-planet account.

[BrianM]

A low whistle escaped the lips of the Rodian. "Hmmmm ... it seems the good Senator was into the narcotics trade more deeply than we thought. He was responsible for setting up the whole business with the Hutt Varta, and he himself became quite addicted to the substance, to his own ruin ... It also appears our dear little friend Neja knows much more than she is letting on."

Brim showed the data pad to anyone interested, pointing out the final words from the Senator.

"What do you make of this last entry ... it seems he was quite desperate and feared for his life. I don't like the thought of these creatures with glowing eyes. Everyone else's role in this business I can understand, but not theirs."

[watanabe]

Kara raised an eyebrow at the comment about creatures with their eyes glowing.

"Sounds like the Senator got some bad product, or is hitting the stuff way too hard.  I don't know about you guys, but creatures with glowing eyes don't just pop out of no where and whisper things to me."  Kara thought for a moment.  "Of course, if what he is saying is somewhat true, then us sitting on top of this much namana could be potentially hazardous."

[donimator]

Sam considers the line of his next question and his understanding of the context indicates it might be classed as puzzling. To punctuate this fact he actuates his arm to move a finger against his cerebral armour plating in a scratching motion.

"Can we confirm the posts are authentic? That the info is not a plant to put us on the wrong trail. With the assistance of the Senator's computers, I might be able to run some routines to make sure the data is logged properly and has not been tampered with...I hope"

Perception +9, Use Computer +7