On the Trail {dorrin}

[Rugs]

The bright midday sun of Hapes was there to greet Locke as he emerged from the transport ship. Outwardly, he was calm, and unassuming; his posture was relaxed, with his hands resting easily in the pockets of the long coat he often wore over his robes. But internally, Locke was a bit of a mess. Jazen went missing some time ago, and though he didn't know much, he knew enough to draw the conclusion that it had been a kidnapping, and that the Sith were involved somehow.

The first stop he'd made, on the world of Prazhi, gained him nothing but a fight with that Sith he'd encountered the last time Jazen vanished. Normally, he might not have been so miffed about that--after all, investigations had a way of being long, slow processes most of the time--but time was against him now. He had to find Jazen, before it was too late. As he moved through the crowds of people that filled the streets of this Hapan town, Locke hoped with all that he had that it wasn't too late.

A bit little bit more digging had led him to his first clue. Several days back, he'd been approached by a veiled woman, who told him she knew of his plight. She said she had a contact on Hapes, one that Locke was supposed to meet in a small cantina on the edge of a town. And there, supposedly, he'd be able to get a bit more information into what he was looking for.

To say he didn't trust the woman would be an understatement. Everything about it was a little too convenient, too easy. But what else did he have to do? Even more, what if he turned down a real chance to save his student because he was being so suspicious? For the time being, he was searching blind; he didn't have any other real leads, and so he didn't have much of a choice. Desperation moved him down the path now, and it moved him more than he'd like to admit.

Locke arrived at the cantina a few minutes later, but a bouncer stopped him before he could go in. He was a big man, and with the too-pretty features that marked him as a Hapan, if a bit of a brutish looking one.

"No weapons," he rumbled, gesturing at the blaster pistol and lightsaber that hung on Locke's waist.

As if that'll happen, Locke thought. "You don't want to bother me," he said with a small motion of his hand, in what could only be the Jedi mind trick.

It didn't work. "Yeah I do. I said no weapons and I mean n-"

A few credits pressed into his palm shut him up, and then Locke was moving inside. He'd been told the contact would approach him, so he just went up to the bar and took a seat, away from most of the other people. Even so, he stayed alert, ready to look for any potential threats. Nothing happened, though, and so when the bartender came to him, he ordered a drink for himself and settled in to wait.

[dorrin]

Dorrin felt a rush of excitement as one of his contacts in the bar, namely the bartender, subtly sent him a signal that Locke had entered the establishment. Dorrin was not full enough to believe that Locke would not sense him if he was to enter the bar itself, thus he was a number of buildings away listening in through a bug that he had placed on his employee. Today would be the first step in the long journey to ensure that Locke, one of the poster boys of the Jedi Order, ultimately fell to the dark side.

He had originally been approached by some Sith higher-ups with the simple order to keep Locke from getting anywhere near his apprentice. Dorrin was surprised that he wasn’t simply ordered to kill Locke, though he supposed it had something to do with what would undoubtedly been a convoluted and overly complicated plan. But since his orders were vague, he decided that he could interpret them as he wished and convert his former friend to Dorrin’s new way of thinking.

The man that worked for Dorrin approached Locke. Through a combination of bribery, blackmail, and the force Dorrin had arranged for the man to wear a number of devices on his person. One was a miniature camera that would allow Dorrin to observe Locke as if he was standing right in front of him. The second was a receiver so Dorrin could hear everything that Locke was saying, and the third was a receiver in the man’s ear, so he could repeat everything that Dorrin said.

Dorrin’s plan was a long but simple one. He would use the classic formula, frustration plus confusion leads to fear which leads to anger which leads to the Dark Side. He would hold out various leads to Locke regarding his apprentice’s disappearance. He would allow those leads to be followed, making Locke think that he was coming closer and closer to finding his young pupil, only for that hope to be snatched away at the last second. Allow those events to replay enough times, and Dorrin was certain that Locke would fall.

“Hello Jedi,” Dorrin said, and waited for a minute to make sure that the man was in fact repeating his words. “I understand that you are searching for your wayward apprentice, I may be able to help you with that search for a price. But first perhaps you should tell me what you know of the details of the disappearance?”

[Rugs]

The bartender brought Locke his drink, and with it let it be known that he was the contact Locke was looking for. Locke, completely unaware that an old friend was about to attempt to play him like a fiddle, only nodded, and took a swig from his small glass. The drink was strong, and burned a bit as it went down; but it was good. Locke wouldn't drink much though, since he needed his mind to be clear. In fact, coming into this search, he hadn't been someone that drank at all, but the stresses where building, and he needed something to take the edge off every now and then. If it was the occasional drink, then so be it.

"You understand correctly," Locke said when the barkeep finished talking. "Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of details, otherwise I might have some better leads. He was taken a few days ago from Coruscant. Where, I can't say, though I have reason to believe the Sith were involved in some fashion. I went to Prazhi after he vanished, and there I encountered a Sith that knew he was missing, somehow." He spread his hands and took another swig, emptying out his glass. "And that's all I know. Next thing I knew, I was being approached by some woman that sent me here, to you."

As he spoke, Locke reached out through the Force, stretching little tendrils of his awareness toward the bartender's mind. They latched on and searched around, gently, but thoroughly, looking to see if there were any things that might raise a flag. There wasn't as far as Locke could tell. Obviously, the man didn't know everything there was to know, since he was a middleman between Locke and whoever was working the shadows. He was just doing what he was told for the time being. Locke could dig deeper, if he wished it, but there wasn't any need to. Not yet, anyway.

"Relay that to whoever you need to, will you?" said Locke as his probes withdrew. Then he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Now, about this price... What sort of thing might a man like you need from me? And how can I be sure the information you're going to give me is reliable?" He looked the man in his eyes, and his voice was flat and level. "As you can probably guess, time is against me at the moment, and, to be frank, I'd rather not spend what time I have chasing ghosts."

[dorrin]

Dorrin had debated the next step long and hard. Originally he had wanted to imprint the following words into the bartender’s mind, so he believed heart and soul in what he was saying. If Dorrin had been able to do that successfully he would have the bartender’s expression of grief and rage as weapons with which to persuade Locke of the man’s sincerity. But the risk was too great, for if he made even the tiniest mistake Locke would pick up on it. Frankly put, it was too early in the game for Dorrin to take the chance of revealing himself.

“I can’t guarantee anything,” the bartender said. “I’ve just been hired to relay some information to you, I don’t know anything beyond that. My employer has a brother by the name of Castos. Castos is a Klatoonian who runs a small informal group that rather…illegally fights against the tyranny of slavery, both the legal and illegal kind. Unfortunately the enemies they gathered finally had that group arrested, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment. My employer wants you to break out Castos and his compatriots out of the prison ship they are currently on by the name of Hammer Hold. After Castos is safely back with his brother, you’ll be sent the name and last known location of a man whose been known to traffic in the abduction of Force sensitives. If he doesn’t know something, he’ll know someone who will.”

The best part about this story was the way that the lies were tied in with layers of truth. Castos and his merry band did in fact exist, but they were simply composed of murderers, rapists, thieves, and other such scum that Locke spent his life fighting against. Once Locke found out that he helped such a band escape he would be consumed with rage and guilt. That would serve Dorrin well in his attempt to turn Locke away from the Light Side of the force. With a smile Dorrin sat back and waited for Locke to make his next move. He would have to be careful, it was possible that Locke would not agree.

[Rugs]

A prison break. Locke's jaw worked as he pondered the offer. It really wasn't something he wanted to get involved with, especially with time pressing him as hard as it was. But if it opened a path to Jazen's rescue...

"That's an... interesting offer, stranger," he said after a few moments. "I'm normally the guy that works to prevent prison breaks. But you say these men are working against slavery?" He sighed and leaned forward, letting his head rest so that his hands could rub his temples as he thought. Castos wasn't a name he'd heard before, though that was hardly a reason to refuse the answer; the Galaxy was a big place, after all, with a near endless sea of inhabitants. If they were really fighting against slavery, then what they were doing was commendable. However, something about the whole thing didn't sit right with Locke, though he couldn't put his finger on just what it was.

Normally, he would have sought out the Council, but this thing was something he'd have to do alone; Jazen couldn't afford to wait while the Council deliberated or he argued with them. That meant that the weight of the consequences of whatever happened during his search could only be placed on his shoulders, and his alone. "I..." What ends would he have to go to to do this? Would people have to die? Was he really willing to do whatever might be needed to save Jazen?

Again, it seemed desperation would be the force that moved Locke down the path. If he refused the offer, the trail might go cold before he ever even got started on it. I'm his master, he thought, trying to convince himself that the words he was about to say were the right ones. [/i]I have to do whatever it takes to be there for him. Especially now.[/i] Once more, Locke reached out into the mind of the man that was speaking to him. He found nothing. So either the man was speaking truthfully or he was very good at hiding his intentions.

"I'll do it," Locke finally said with a resigned sigh. Maybe he could negotiate some sort of release, rather than having to fight to get them out. That would probably work best for everyone. "On one condition. You tell me who's holding them. Because if it's the Republic, you need to know that if I can't negotiate some sort of release for them, they aren't getting out." And that would be his line. Slavery wasn't legal in the Republic anyway, so he didn't think it would bring him to that particular problem, but it was something that needed to be known. He would not take up arms against the entity he was sworn to protect.

[dorrin]

Dorrin sat back and pursed his lips. On the one hand he could easily arrange for Castos to be transferred to non-republican ship. Or failing that he could do the first break out himself, then put them on the second ship for Locke to break them out of. But no, if he could arrange for Locke to compromise his ethics to the point of taking on a Republican ship that would be a far more powerful blow to his psyche than a simple prison breakout.

But at the same time, Dorrin didn’t want to allow this to be resolved through negotiation. If he could somehow ensure that Locke was forced to spill the blood of the guards of a republican prison ship...Dorrin felt his pulse quicken at the image that took place in his mind. He quickly forced himself to focus, the next few minutes would be crucial in ensuring that Dorrin’s plan went as he envisioned. Not to mention, if Locke tried to negotiate he might found out who Castos really was before he was meant to.

“My employers anticipated that you might say that,” the bartender replied. “They told me to tell you that negotiation will not be possible, as one of Castos’ primary enemies is a corrupt Republican senator who traffics in slaves on the side. If you try to negotiate their release, they will disappear far ever. Now if you have a problem with that…well in the end you have to weigh your reservations with the fact that you may never see your apprentice again. Now if you excuse me,” the bartender stood clearly done with the conversation, “I have to get back to work.”

[Rugs]

Locke's shoulders slumped as the barkeep walked away. The weight of the Galaxy seemed to press down on his shoulders as he put his face into his hands and sighed. Is this what being a master was about? If he'd known that he'd have to deal with situations like the one he was in, he never would have taken Jazen under his wing; there were much wiser, stronger Jedi who could do a better job of training the boy up right, and protecting him so that these situations could be avoided altogether.

Unfortunately, he hadn't known, and Jazen had been taken. So now he was faced with a choice: he could do something he knew to be wrong for the sake of saving his student, or he could refuse, and in the process, leave Jazen in the hands of fate. Locke had heard so many stories of Jedi being broken because rescue couldn't get to them in time, or never came altogether... To his shame, he'd been a part of one, two years back, when Dorrin, a good friend from his youth, went missing. They had been reunited at Rhen Var, and it was there that Locke learned that Dorrin was a Sith now. Seeing Dorrin on the side of his enemies cut deeply, though he never told Dorrin of his own part in the failed investigation--partly because he was too ashamed to say it.

But as he stood up and called for the bartender attention again, he knew what he was going to do. And it scared him. He couldn't let the Sith have another Jedi, though, especially not his student. As Jazen's master, he'd have to do whatever it took to protect him. He'd already failed Dorrin. He couldn't fail Jazen.

"Alright," he said when the bartender returned. There was a reserved sorrow to Locke's voice, like that of a defeated man. "I'll do it. Just tell me how to get there."

Force forgive him, he was going to do it.