Nectaric - Blog Posts

“they  call  for  help  and  before  help  arrives,  all  that  remains  is  pieces.  no  survivors,  no  goods  taken,  only  destroyed."  she  looks  up  at  him,  well  aware  of  the  impossibility  of  what  she's  about  to  say  –  but  it  fits  her  theory  of  the  motives  not  inherently  being  political.  “what's  even  odder  is  that  they  seem  to  continue  on  their  trajectory,  moving  closer  to  their  destinations,  rather  than  turning  around  or  pausing.  these  are  merchant  ships,  they  aren't…fast.”

she  adjusts  in  her  seat,  turning  to  look  at  the  pacing  jedi  master.  for  someone  who  was  supposed  to  exemplify  patience  and  grace,  the  cracks  sure  were  showing  today.  “do  you  remember  about  seven  years  ago,  the  trouble  the  pyke  syndicate  got  into  with  their  activities  on  black  rock?  lost  a  headquarters  and  many  members,  if  i  recall  correctly." 

the  baron  grott  had  used  varl's  moon  to  breed  deadly  predators  capable  of  surviving  in  space  without  an  atmosphere  or  protection  -  the  same  creatures  that  drove  the  hutt's  out  of  their  original  star  system,  which  was  then  abandoned  by  the  pyke  syndicate  after  these  events.  the  competitive  games  turned  into  a  massacre  for  the  attendees  and  competitors  when  the  “hungry  hands”  broke  loose. 

“these  things  convince  their  prey  to  move  closer,  and  they  would  have  no  reason  to  keep  anything  if  they're  just  doing  it  for  food.  problem  is,  these  merchant  timelines  have  the  republic,  essentially,  putting  them  on  a  feeding  schedule."  she  lets  that  sink  in,  and  then  continues,  "and  another  question;  how  did  they  get  there?” 

"we do - which is why this is quite alarming." obi-wan pointedly ignored his newfound ally's demand, continuing to pace across the floor of the ship. he was missing something. his assistance in this endeavour was to put a stop to the pirates in question - but obi-wan's initial investigations had come up with nothing concrete. there was no evidence of theft, which would have been the goal of a group of marauders targeting a trade route. there was only pure destruction to be found, and splintered resources drifting through open space.

he might have expected the separatists to be involved, but there was no sign of their influence either. this attack felt entirely too... random. there was more to the situation than met the eye. he felt it. he was sure of it.

as for what it was, well - that was the rub, wasn't it? he did not know. he hoped someone like maggie might be able to help him detect the anomalies, but their slow progress grated on his nerves like water over stone, wearing away his faculties at a frustratingly steady pace.

"who else would benefit from the destruction of such valuable goods? if not pirates, or separatists, then who?"

sleek  gloved  fingers  play  with  the  stylus  of  her  data  pad  as  she  reads  through  the  trade  route  calls  for  help  from  the  republic.  the  merchants  claimed  pirates  but  maggie  was  seeing  a  different  pattern.

“that's  why  you  called  me  in,  isn't  it?”  she  asks,  voice  modulated  by  the  speaker  in  her  mask,  granting  a  small  amount  of  anonymity.  “thought  you  jedi  had  better  things  to  do  than  worrying  about  merchant  trade  routes.  this  whole  scene  is  wrong.” 

she  glances  up  at  him  from  behind  her  mask,  taking  in  his  tense  stance.  more  than  that,  the  spirals  of  light  she  can  practically  taste,  spinning  off  of  him  in  fractals  that  told  her  more  about  him  than  the  emblem  on  his  clothes.  “take  a  seat  before  you  wear  a  hole  in  the  floor.” 

"something is very wrong."