A Civil Crusade: Eleni Benacor
General Summary
Lots of reaver ships somewhere.
The Ministry of Information put us up in a relaxing atmosphere as they grilled us for information. There’s some kind of hijacking that happened and we don’t know about it and it sounds like we’re going to be in deep poodoo in short order.
SO! We are on Procopia finally, getting everything fixed and straightened out.
I gave Vanya an illuminated version of her family tree, very pretty and lots of knotwork and paint and such. She seemed happy about it, as she was going to meet with Dragomir for lunch.
{(these are ooc peanut gallery notes) They meet in the historic district, at a tea shoppe. Dragomir is being effusively bossy to the help. He is feeling “magnanimous” today because he’s embarrassed three counts already before lunch. Nope, Vanya’s buying. How forward! She tells him they are related, but he doesn’t buy it. She tries to explain, no sum up. He used the word “enlightenment”, because he has been using that word a lot lately, and he seems to enjoy it. (One might wonder what a Sith lord’s idea of Enlightenment might be). Dragomir offers to kill the offending link between them. This is going well. Ah! Her birthmother’s name was Ziva Victoria Vorharkonnen. Wow. They are actually in agreement about some things. He’s telling her about the spy network, and what she’s entitled to, like a room at the palace and a lab. She tells him about the Reaver virus’ mutation possibly be caused by some alien goo type thing. They ended up talking quite pleasantly, where Dragomir admitted to trying to kill Alys Vorpatril 9 times. He must be more than a little discombobulated. }
As for me, I spent the day with genetic manipulation and history tracking. Yeager dropped off a vial of purple goo, so I was looking into that for some of the day. Simon is doing well, not in a coma. Not super busy. Always good. Brenna’s doing fine.
I talked to Tsu and _Jenna, and Tsu was fine, while Jenna was taken aback. Tsu and Jenna were talking when I left them.
My talk with Simon Illyan and Reverend Mother Weiscz, now known as “Dad” and “Mom”, respectively, went really well, and they were happy to have a daughter. Surprised, but took it in stride. She never knew. Simon doesn’t say a lot, but he does say if he had known, he would have .. well, it hit him harder.
I left out the part about Merglin. I figure that can be told in a few days, unless Rev -… Mom looks more deeply at the information I gave her. I’m the good sister!
As for Dad, he’s actually getting better. There’s a disconnect between the passage of time and his memory. His long term memory is starting to get sorted. (he is starting to beat Yeager at chess now). He’s very sharp, but his retention of data is off.
Simon – Dad- asked if I caught Dr. Zel Genatis. I hadn't said his name yet. Interesting. Perhaps some psychic insight or.. something. He’s always known more than anyone else, but I would be surprised if he knew about Dr. G’s business in the past and let him continue with it. He said that Lev Ysadora is very much interested in Port Santiago. Simon remembers something when I mention my favorite guy with Nominal Aphasia. Looks like “that man” owes a life debt to Vanya, so he will be back. Dad- still getting used to that- knew the color of the crystals and that there were names on them. His explanation: “I am not a stranger to the games.”
The purple ooze Yeager gave me is actually alive of its own volition. It’s like a planarian – dissect it, it just becomes 2. It’s not anything remotely human. Gel electrophoresis reveals – some parts are becoming human while I am testing it. The dna was not human when I started, and then it puts itself back together after centrifugal isolation and for a moment is human, THEN it oozes over and takes over the centrifuge, making a purple goo bowl. Then it starts forming an eye, some organs, some human, Wookiee, all carbon-based. Way too much like the stuff we encountered on that Tomb World. Thank goodness for contamination fields!
Another test yields an adaptive RNA sequence – never seen that before. Genetic hooks that I have seen before. I’ve seen comparable hooks, anyway. It was in Dr. Tam’s lab that I saw them. He had been assisting the clones, trying to stop the aging process. So, I can infer that this goo has something to do with Kaminoan research. Adaptive RNA means it is adapting to anything you throw against it, but fire and heat are bad for it. When subjected to cold, it goes dormant. Into the fridge with the centrifuge of goo!
I give the Sister of the Week (It’s a new rewards program) responsibility of burning the inhabited things, and head over to show Simon Tam. He shows me something else, saying it’s disturbing. He has kept one of the worms, dissected. Yes, that is disturbing. He shows a scan of dissected worm – 95% correlation of key markers between the worm in Razak and Davish and the purple ooze. Which explains the diversity we saw on the tomb world. It certainly proves the link between Kamino and the purple goo. Simon thinks that the ooze could be the key to reversing the clones’ aging process. I tell him about the space station.
He says there was a situation at the hospital while we were gone. There was a murder nearby. Two victims – one near death. The other one – he’s in a coma and Simon’s trying to figure out how to help him. His name is Piotr Vorpinski. His cousin (who died) is Alec Vorpinkski. Piotr lost his wife to pirates, and he might need some counseling when he wakes up. Heading a task-force to round up the Straw Hat Gang pirates. They killed his wife. Simon is afraid to move him, letting him naturally recover. There are burn marks that cover much of his face, his arm was nearly severed, and is regenerating. There was also an attack that was dealt with. Some mercenaries trying to attack the palace. The Council of Counts incidents – weapons being drawn. No one was hurt. Surprisingly no one was shot. The mercenaries were dealt with. We head to lunch, because all of this exciting lab work is making us hungry, and I kinda like seeing him without the smell of bacta in the air.
{(ooc) Yeager is at a sports pub. They saved paperwork for him. He takes his daughter to lunch at the sports pub. Apparently he had a bunch of notices from his daughter’s school waiting for him when he landed. In the version of grav ball, you may block the opponent from making a goal, you may not put an opponent’s head in the goal to block the shot. Apparently Yeager’s daughter got in trouble while he was running around as Atin. She is also not allowed to formally announce a duel against her teacher. Count Vorhalas’ son had her back in the lunch room. Yeager has to have a talk with Ehlonna. He’s being fatherly. The altercations were against Vormecetti. Yeager shows her the vibro daggers that he confiscated from that trap near the furnace area. They will be a reward if she can shape up. Yeager has a bad feeling. Across the pub, A Cathar yells “Atin Quillex!” so uhoh. The cathar doesn’t believe he’s not Atin, which is bad for him. He totally calls Yeager out. Even speaks the name Vance Kerplocken. Ooh. Oh he is so mistaken. 15 million credits on Atin Quillex. Bounty was put up by Dr. G. Well, it’s on. Yeager shoots him, and Ehlonna starts throwing knives. She stabs him in the back with two knives. Poor cat guy didn’t stand a chance. GM uses the term “twilek pit bull”.
A stun bolt comes from the entryway, deflects from a table, and hits the Cathar. It’s the Vorhalas boy. Ah, young love. He says he didn’t want to wait outside and he wanted to have Ehlonna’s back, and she smiled and said she wasn’t to the point where she was going to introduce him. So cute! Yeager is awesome and invites the boy to eat with them. The bartender takes over removal of the stunned guy, which ends up getting Simon Tam paged.}
Simon looks at his pager, says “it’s just a stunning. I’m sure they can handle it,” and gets back to our lunch. We’ve not seen each other in several weeks, after all.
{(ooc) Vanya and Dragomir get to see the cathar removed as they watch from their restaurant. }
{(ooc) Danar gets a call. He’s in Impsec. He has info. It’s a video of people he recognizes. He is searching sectors of space. He’s being careful and doing this in private. A knock sounds. The police arrest him for murder – Piotr Vorpinski and Alec Vorpinski (was the captain of the pirate hunting ship that the group tangled with). He agrees to go to the station, but he must drop off information to Impsec HQ. The officers quibble over that, and he ends up arranging for a courier. He offers them refreshments. (possibly tea cakes with little fondant binders on them?) The police have DNA evidence and have confiscated his Mentat. The murder was performed by a light foil or lightsaber. He contacts his solicitor as he heads to the station in the limo. They deposit him in a cell, alone. It is a vor cell, so it’s more like a lavish sitting room with bars. A beefy Twi'lek guy waves and smiles at him. And winks. }
At our various locations, all of our comm links go off. Hologram display shows a solicitor. Oh that solicitor! Londo Mollari needs our assistance. Danar is in trouble for killing the VorPinskis. Mutilated body with a lightsaber/lightfoils. Danar would hire someone – this is not his style. Londo wants us to solve it. House Vormecetti has heard of it. They have upset Danar’s father, insinuating that House Vorpadaran has a lack of honor. Nasty people, the Vormecetti. Sounds like a plot to disgrace Danar.
Dragomir comments that the Vorpinsky’s are disgustingly honest. Yeager asks for help with the bounty in exchange for his help with Danar.
Simon and I already have our heads together about the evidence. We need to check the dna for forgery tags, among other things. Security footage is apparently in question, too.
The lightsaber has some kind of holographic disguise, perhaps to hide it from weapons scanners. Well, yeah. We’ve all seen that, but it doesn’t do what they think it does. The Council asks Vanya to contact Obi-Wan Kenobi about lightsaber construction. Vanya’s also a cool PI, so she will be super helpful. The murder took place on the edge of the historic district.
One troubling bit –Piotr identified Danar as his attacker. Possibly a Danar clone? We saw enough clones of people at the sith temple. Mollari thanks us and ends the conference call.
We get back to lunch, and Simon agrees to let me take a peek at the bodies, run some DNA, and check out Piotr’s state. Science is fun! We got to hear Yeager’s interview of the boy that Ehlonna is hanging out with, because he didn’t close the com channel.
{Vanya is going to start looking at the security info regarding the murders. Yeager heads to the jail. Before Yeager gets there, Londo visits Danar. Looks like a plot against Danar’s house by another house. You’d think these people would be so used to this kind of subterfuge that they would have better detection methods. Better science. But I guess that’s what Simon and I are fixing. }
Questions that need answers: When Piotr came in to the hospital, was he conscious? no Did he say anything to Simon? no.
We need to check him for DNA – other people’s DNA. We need to examine Alec for other people’s DNA. Trace evidence on clothing. Medical records from when they were admitted/when death was determined. Cause of death – lightsabers do specific damage. Does it resemble lightsaber burns? How many people have light foils or lightsabers around here? Way too many.
What about establishing alibi for Danar? Testing on his lightsaber.
We are now working for the Lord Solicitor (Londo Mollari). It’s all official, except we don’t get the cool badges this time. I really liked flipping mine. Oh well. Question about some of the evidence found.
{Danar gets a locator badge thingy. Neural shock if he is not sensed within 15 meters (49 feet) of either Yeager, Vanya, or myself. He can’t be armed. No swords. Maybe a weapon set on stun. He doesn’t get to keep a shield belt. They can be turned into explosives or traps. Danar has to be back at the jail every night by 1900 hours.}
We get into the morgue. To see Alec’s body. A doc owes Simon a favor, so we get to mess with the body. I mean examine it. The other doc is an older guy with glasses, always has a smile. Simon is too immersed in the body to introduce us. We have a few minutes. Alec has seen better days. Lightsaber or lightfoil. They have the body and the parts that were cut off.
I collect dna from the clothing, blood stains from clothes. I check the pockets. Nothing really in there but an id card, credits. I find a little residue on a finger. Organic-like, but almost artificially generated piece of skin. That consistency. Not sure what it is. The cuts were expert. Nerve clusters were stabbed and cauterized specifically. He died paralyzed, and slowly. I need to ask Dragomir why someone would do that, and if that matches the style of anyone he knows. I look at the toe tag – time of death – early, like 1am-ish, this morning.
I tried to do prana-bindu meditation, and it just wasn’t meant to be. Realizing someone used nerve strikes, which is horrific torture, has rattled me so I can’t concentrate. I don’t detect any smell of poison or odd coloration. Simon got a blood sample and a sample of his hair. Small scraping from under fingernails. Swabbed mouth. This was all right after the guy came in. Simon and I pack up, then head to the lab to get stuff processed, and then to talk to Piotr. I plan on using the other memory at the scene of the crime after I get the vision of cauterized stabbings out of my head.
{Yeager gets to meet Obi Wan. Wee! He has something very important to drop off for his daughter. Yeager shows ObiWan the orb, and says there are guys inside and he has talked to them. Obi Wan says “yes, I understand”, and Accepts the orb from him. Yeager gets my email about the purple goo, and tells the Roughnecks to get some info to Dr. Tam. Yeager pulls rank as Emperor's Hand on the judges that were trying the three clone troopers for drag-racing in the protected gardens. They tell ObiWan of Danar’s troubles. }
I text Yeager about the time of death, and he tells me about the clones sending some info to Simon. Maybe together, they can figure out how to reverse the aging. I understand Simon has a bro bond with these guys now, they taught him to repel down a rope and all, but even with that Simon seems very driven about this research. I get him to promise me not to mess with the goo on planet, and to stick to a systematic approach. I still have a bad feeling. There was this glint in his eye. He’s going to keep me informed, and I’m sure I can think up some excuses to visit his research facility.
{Danar was on the way home by speeder bike from a cotillion around 1am. He left the cotillion at midnight. He arrived at his place after 1am. Travel time from cotillion to murder scene was 26-30 minutes. }
((computer virus that said they were pirates happened after they left the station 1 – 1 ½ days after))
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