The speeder bearing Brim and Qinos followed traffic into a very elegant side of town. Large towers rose with colorful lighting and pads for personal craft. The architecture matched Ranie's mansion - both technologically advanced but also allowing for a graceful, natural appearance.
Swooping in over a pad, the speeder flared and then came into a hover position. The door hissed open, as the driver turned to face the team. He handed over a small access card. "That will get you in and shut down the alarm system. The police and tower security have already been informed that you are here and will be looking around. When you are done, I will be parked here, but here also is a commlink - it is linked to me and to your associates across town."
Brim took the small white communicator as he put a foot out of the speeder and onto what had to be Seelig's private landing pad. The acces card said Farlain Tower - the name of the apartment building. On it, too, was a number 290.
Dan thanks the driver and steps out of the vehicle. Waiting for Brim, he takes a look around and proceeds to enter the building with his companion.
OOC: Take 10 for Use the Force (>= 15) to Sense Surroundings.
Perception - Roll(1d20)+4: 5,+4 Total:9 to see if they were being observed by anyone out of the ordinary or expected.
Brim watched Dan survey the landing pad. Sometimes the Jedi he knew in the past would have a certain expression on their face when they were sensing things around them. Perhaps their investigation today would help Dan focus his own abilities. It was reassuring being around someone with talent in the Force, but they would have to be especially careful.
"Let's have a look around before we speak with any security personnel. If I were them, I would be embarassed that such a crime took place in my building. Their input might be ... inaccurate."
Brim used the card to access the lifts, and proceeded to the entrance to suite 290 with Dan. He examined the door for any sort of tampering before going through.
[OOC: Shall we make our own perception-type rolls? Or would you like to keep them hidden?]
[OOC:] Sorry for the delay guys... I am still reading the rules to figure out how all this shit works! (D I have purchased 5 books thus far, so I have been reading through all and have overstimulated the brain with new mechanics!
Brian, you can make your rolls for things you are doing directly, I will keep DC #'s secret at times. I also may make rolls for you when I need to, but you are fine here.
Dan and Brim took the elevator up to the 30th floor and to Senator Seelig's room. All the way up, Qinos reached out with his feelings, as he had done in the past, to try and sense any potential threats. But save for a feeling that the apartments in the building were occupied with some of the residents, nothing caused the chill that warned him of danger.
The two companions waved the access card over Seelig's door control and it swung open. Brim bent to take a close look at the controller - his sharp eyes searching to see if there were any signs of tampering. Dan stepped under the police tape and entered the apartment.
Brim was unable to see any tampering done to the access control. Whomever had opened it had been most skilled.
Dan looked around the oppulent suite. The living room was quite large and looked like it was meant more for business than for entertaining guests. Off to the left, an entrance led to a kitchen, and to the right was the bedroom. Qinos noticed this door had been blown in. Evidence of a small charger could be seen, along with the missing door handle.
"This was all very efficient and, thus, very expensive. These were professionals following orders, not fanatics, who perpetrated this," Dan said to himself. He continued on into the violated room.
The room was left in its state from the night of the murder. The bed mattress was still thrown aside and bedclothes were all strewn. Dan walked to where the window was blown open and looked out. It was high up and the city was pleasantly lit, the wind whistling softly as it blew. Qinos could see where Seelig had been strung up, only to be killed. It was quite gruesome now that he stood where it had all taken place. He turned around and looked back towards the entrance to the bedroom, mentally trying to get a fix on where the gunman must have stood to make the shot.
Suddenly Dan felt a slight bit of vertigo and staggered a moment, catching himself with a hand to the wall. In his mind he saw the unclear shapes of five people standing before him and then a bright flare of a blaster. His mind cleared.
"Are you alright, Dan?" Brim was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, watching his friend catch his balance. "Do not stand so close to the window."
The Rodian paused, and appeared to be breathing more deeply than normal, perhaps even sniffing the air. He was looking about the room as if in thought. "Hmmm ... one of my kind has been here, I am certain of it. The odor is somewhat ... 'distinctive'. I wonder if this other was a friend ... or the murderer. We must ask our patron if the Senator had any dealings with Rodians."
Brim took a closer look at the security features of the apartment, to see if any tampering was apparent, but he doubted he would find anything amiss. The attackers apparently had had relatively easy access.
Peering back into the hallway outside the door, he looked for security cameras that may provide a view of the entrance ... and perhaps a recording of anyone visiting the Senator.
Brim immediately notices the camera that monitors the main entrance door. He quickly goes to the main computer console to investigate further.
[OOC:] I am going to need a Use Computer roll DC 15 - computers attitude is Friendly since you have the access card.
"I am fine, thank you. For some reason, I got a sense of what had happened here... as if I may have been Seelig himself."
OOC: Does Dan recall if one of the figures was a Rodian?
[OOC:] Vision was not clear enough.
"The vision though wasn't clear enough for me to tell whether or not a Rodian was present at the time of the incident. Only the girl would be able to answer that I think," calls out Dan.
Quote from: tomcat on Dec 12, 2008, 06:56 PM
Brim immediately notices the camera that monitors the main entrance door. He quickly goes to the main computer console to investigate further.
[OOC:] I am going to need a Use Computer roll DC 15 - computers attitude is Friendly since you have the access card.
[OOC]
Oops ... totally overlooked this ... here's the roll ...
Roll(1d20)+3: 8,+3 Total:11
hmmm ... this thing have an on switch somewhere? ;)
[/OOC]
"Dan, I'm having some difficulty accessing video feeds for the camera that monitors the front entrance. There's likely nothing there anymore ... the perpetrators don't seem to have missed anything ... but perhaps you can give it a try."
Jogged out of his listlessness, Dan joins Brim. "Dunno how much help I can be, but I'll give it a try." Fumbling around with the controls, Dan pushes a few buttons to see what he can get.
QuoteOOC: Use Computer - (1d20)+3: 14,+3 Total:17
Dan accessed the database of video that had been taken and stored over the last three weeks. He chose the run date that immediately preceded the murder and the screen lit up with a video of the once living Seelig. The two watched as the Senator took care of day-to-day things; dealt with a few issues of his office; and then some down time resting. After about 15 minutes of the routine activities, Qinos pushed a button that advanced the video in blocks of, at first, days so that they could close on the murder date, and then by jumps of 15 minutes. At the same time, Brim changed the software settings so that all camera views were displayed on the monitor.
The day of his death, seemed to start out normal for Senator Seelig. Breakfast, work, two visitors in the afternoon that looked official, and finally, as the evening began, the arrival of young Neja. The two investigators watched the video as much as they could, but felt uncomfortable when the two lovers became intimate. It was then that all views on the monitor went to static, only to restart with a timestamp variance of 12 minutes. On the small view that showed the senator's room, Seelig could now be seen hanging dead in his window. There was no evidence of Neja's presence.
"We could so use a slicer of our own about now. Would Sam be much use recovering the lost time, do you know? Or maybe our benefactor could get us a lead? Suffice it to say, I hope our companions are faring better than us."
OOC: Is it possible to get a copy of security feeds? Would be possible to recover the feed's missing time with a copy? Also what do you mean by "no evidence of Neja's presence"? Does it mean that it looks as though she was never there or that she was gone before the feed came back online?
[OOC:] The camera/security system was shut down during the murder, so there is no data to re-capture.
As far as Neja, I meant that from the video you are watching, you cannot see her in the room.
OOC: I get it now.
Dan will continue to watch the video after the "glitch" to see what happens with Neja and such.
Qinos watched the video for another 10 minutes, seeing that nothing moved in the room. He pushed the control to advance the video and in 45 minutes, the video began to show the arrival of police officers. Finally, Neja was revealed underneath the bed by the investigators, all armed and ready.
"Hmm well that's it, isn't it? Got any better ideas?" he asks Brim.
QuoteOOC: Use the Force- Roll(1d20)+11: 18,+11 Total:29
Dan attempts to "search his feelings" to determine if leaving now without further investigation would be a bad thing. This is unconscious of course since he cannot really direct his powers without formal training.
[OOC:] I am only waiting for Matt to finish what he was doing, before I move on this thread. Brim, of course, may give me any actions or dialogue he'd like.
OOC: Sorry, done.
Quote from: GandalfOfBorg on Dec 19, 2008, 06:26 PM
"Hmm well that's it, isn't it? Got any better ideas?" he asks Brim.
"Well, I don't think there is much more to see here. I am convinced that a Rodian was involved in the murder, however. I wonder if there is some other source of security footage that might supply us with a clue. Perhaps something from the outside that our perpetrators could not tamper with."
[OOC Question - does this building have a security office/personnel which monitor common areas of the complex? I'm thinking that a Rodian entering the building would be unusual and would have been noted.]
[OOC2 Apologies for the lack of posts. I had every intention of posting here over the past week, but holiday activities have been overwhelming. Now that familial commitments are done I will be online more regularly. BTW, I hope all of you are enjoying a fine holiday season! :)]
Dan breathed out and closed his eyes. He went through all his thoughts to try and link them together so that he did not forget anything, or forget anything he yet wanted to check. There was nothing there that he and Brim hadn't done already, and Dan concluded that yes, they were finished here.
He opened his eyes and stared at the computer console desk before him. Upon the upper shelf was a potted house plant, and Qinos' hand reached out to pick it up. He had no conscious reason to, but there was the plant now in his hands. "Something's in it," he thought.
Brim watched Dan from a few feet away, his own thoughts yet unanswered. Then Qinos pulled from the plant a small code cylinder that someone might use to open a lock, or access a databank. The Rodian thought it odd that the code cylinder was kept in a plant, and knew that the hunt just widened. And Rodian's loved the hunt!
[OOC:] No problem Brian, we all have had a busy couple weeks! Also, your thoughts about the building security will still be followed up on based on the dialogue between your characters.
Matt, all the narrative above is my way to explain Dan's abilities that he is not yet aware of, but your test was a success.
Suprised at the appearance of the plant in his hands without conscious thought, he almost dropped it. His voice cracked, only a little. "Let's do a quick search again," he said clearing his throat, "this might be to some hidden safe. If not maybe the surveillance can show us something or our benefactor could explain it."
QuoteSearch: Roll(1d20)+4: 16,+4 Total:20
"So he does have the skills of the Jedi after all", thought Brim as he watched his comrade pull the key from the plant pot.
"I see there may be more to find here than we thought, my friend. I agree that we should search more throughly."
The hunt was on! Brim started looking through the small apartment with renewed vigor.
OOC: Perception - Roll(1d20)+7: 13,+7 Total:20
Both Brim and Dan were simultaneous in their discovery of the code cylinder port on Seelig's computer terminal. The small hole easily accomodated the portable storage device and the terminal screen came to life once inserted.
Data scrolled down the screen revealing an address and a simple lock access code:
Kreyvahl Storage
98A Carlathan Avenue
Unit 15
password: fulcrun
There stood two adjacent towers to Farlain Tower. The figure stood in the shadows across the street, atop one of these towers. He adjusted his night-goggles a bit, zooming in on the two occupants of the dead senator's apartment. He wondered what they found in the planter.
"Gotcha! That's more like it!" exclaimed Dan. "Let's go! I think we should meet up with the others before continuing on to this address."
Brim's eyes widened when the location and access code appeared on the screen. "Yes. This is good. Your skills have served you well, my friend. Let us proceed with the hunt!"
[OOC:] I will move this scene on, but if you guys can first let me know if you will be calling for your transport; calling your companions? Or anything like that... thanks.
Dan flips on his commlink. "Caden, we have something... we need to meet. Where would you like to?"
Dan's commlink replies, "We're at a dive called Skully's," Caden said. Noticing that a few pairs of eyes had turned his way when he had pulled out his comlink, Caden tried to look relaxed and spoke the last part far louder: "Yeah - good times down here. We're just getting started for the night; c'mon and join us for a couple-a drinks!"
[OOC:] From Caden in Wins and Losses...
A hint of disdain crept into the Rodian's voice. "A dive, is it? Well I suppose we have to meet somewhere. I've seen enough places like that to last a lifetime. It's the only way to avoid the roving eyes of our new empire." Brim was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. "It is a long shot, but perhaps the patrons of this establishment know of other Rodians in the area. There can't be that many of us around here."
"Don't be silly", thought Brim, shaking his head. "Of the billions of beings inhabiting this planet, there must be more than a few who are Rodians."
[OOC Just curious, but how sensitive would Brim's sense of smell be? From what he sensed in the room before, for example, could he recognize the same Rodian if he ever met him again?]
"Great! Have a couple waiting for us at the table so we can catch up," replied Dan, playing along. Something was amiss, he could tell, so he didn't want to blow it for Caden. He turned off his comlink. "They must have followed a lead on Neja to that place by the sound of it. We better get going."
OCC: If nothing else goes down, he'll call for the transportation that brought them and head to Skully's.
One of Senator Ranie's personal vehicles answered the call from Qinos, and the two left the apartment to quickly away. Dan gave the driver the name of the casino that Caden had told them and the speeder lifted into the main traffic lane and headed out of the more ritzy neighborhood to that of Bakura's working class.
Watching the two companions leave, the shadow atop the alternate tower zoomed in on both Qinos and Brim with his viewer, recording everything as he did. He took special notice of the Rodian... there weren't often alien races on Bakura, and Brim would stick out like a beacon.
The speeder rose into traffic and headed out of the downtown. Again the shadow recorded every detail about the transport - type, color, and identification markings. That done, the shape moved to put the camera away and pulled out a new piece of equipment. Pushing a button, the unit in his hands lit up two small repulsors and he extended to hand bars. The shadow put his backpack on, grabbed the repulsorlift and dangling below it, allowed it to lift him and then carry him across to Seelig's apartment building.
"Puk's gonna wanna know about the Rodian," was all he could think as he made the crossing.
After a fifteen minute ride, Brim watched the casino grow larger as the speeder flared into a landing.
[OOC:] You guys will now be part of the other group, but I will bring you into that thread when I determine the approximate time passage.