Umgul City

*The journey to Umgul City was spent attempting to adjust to the misty atmosphere, which wasn't easy... The mistiest place she had seen before had been the valley behind the Felucian village, and while that was quite misty, her vision still hadn't been completely obscured. Here though... it was really thick. Hard to see through, but they would have to learn how if they were going to carry out this investigation properly.

If they truly could learn to see through this wit ease, she could hardly imagine how well her vision would be once they were back home out of the mists...

Lokay spent the trip on her lap; at first, he had been perturbed by the speeder's movement, as though fearful they were about to take flight, but when the speeder remained on the ground, he settled a little. She idly stroked his scales and the backs of his wings as they drew closer to the city, the scene of the crime...

A real investigation. It had been quite some time since she had been on one, so long, in fact, that she had been more of a tagalong than a participant. This time, though, she was to be actively involved... She had taken several steeling breaths, mentally preparing herself for all this, ready to put her skills and her mind to the test. A murder, an attempted framing of an innocent individual, and mysterious culprits who may or may not have been close to the family... It was very intricate, and Morgan was eager to get to the bottom of this, clearing a good man's name...

They arrived at the precinct. She ushered Lokay up to her shoulder before exiting the speeder, attempting to peer through the mists. She could see a little better she supposed, but she would have felt better if she could have just blown all the mist away wherever she went. Maybe if she focused and tried to use the Force to help her see through it better—*

"Woah!" *she gasped softly, as the lines of energy appeared before her, spreading through the mists. She recognized the phenomenon as shatterpoint, but there were no fissures here; made sense to her, as you couldn't exactly break mist. But the lines seemed to be links... Shatterpoints weren't just weaknesses to destroy physical materials, but weak points in an overall bigger picture, such as an important stronghold in a war, or a person someone held dear...

Atlantis mentioned being able to track someone through the mist somehow. So essentially, the entire mist of Umgul was a shatterpoint, comprised of people's everyday lives and passageway through it in their daily activities...

Now if only she could learn that trick of Atlantis's...

Suddenly she realized she had trailed behind her party, so she quickly made to catch up to them, entering the precinct and standing beside her daddy. Atlantis met them and greeted them, and Morgan smiled and greeted him back. As for whether they had a good night's sleep... Well, yes, Morgan did, when she actually fell asleep that was; she had trouble actually falling asleep at first, but she didn't want anyone to worry about her, so she only nodded in response.

Then a ranger appeared—Madieke Aninh, Atlantis introduced—and she didn't seem happy to see Atlantis, or any of them. Morgan almost felt a little offended, and also wondered if they believed Andros was innocent... She hoped not. But why else would she seem displeased by Atlantis's presence, and apparently by their own as well? Finally her daddy spoke, offering their services with a bow and expressing their desire to uncover the truth. Then he put in a good word for Michelle and herself, and, after Michelle spoke some words of enthusiasm, Morgan offered a grin.*

"Yeah! I'm little, but I'm dangerous!" *She giggled at her paraphrasing of something she heard her daddy say one time. Hopefully the woman would cheer up a little, but she probably had a lot of hard work with this investigation and all. Still, Morgan didn't like feeling like she was unwelcome...*

Appearances. The same brush. Hold back. Clean slate.

Madieke's expression remains unchanged as she nods in response to Atlantis' apology, the fact he chooses to do so in front of an audience making the gesture seem an empty one to her, more for the benefit of keeping up appearances in front of his cohorts than sincerely intended. Clucking her tongue softly when Atlantis explains that he hadn't chosen to share the majority of the details of the investigation's progress thusfar, Madieke doesn't find that surprising in the least, nor does she appear impressed in the least by the rationalization that Atlantis' decision had been made to keep his cohorts free from bias since, in her opinion, evidence and facts could easily have shared without biasing them, and would have made integrating them into the investigation more easily accomplished, and would not require her to spend time briefing them that could have been spent actively investigating.

Turning her attention to the Jedi Atlantis has enlisted, the chill in her gaze absent and revealing that it had been inspired by Atlantis alone, Madieke listens as they each make a nice little speech that, if nothing else, might reveal a little about them to her. Calmcacil and Roma both seem to carry and conduct themselves more like the Jedi Madieke has worked with in the past, and their calm, cool and collected fronts not possessed of the furtive air that she had begun to note in Atlantis and Vos the longer she worked alongside them. Madieke has just finished reminding herself that she should probably not paint all Jedi with the same brush after her less than inspiring experience with Atlantis and Vos when the two younger Jedi chirp up and remind her not to get her hopes up too high, the eagerness of one seeming misplaced given the crimes they are here to help investigate, and the giggly declaration of the other that she is dangerous seeming profoundly un-Jedi-like to Madieke. Reminding herself that the two girls are young, and prone to the lapses in form that come along with it, Madieke decides to reserve judgement until she has seen how they acquit themselves in other situations, well aware of the fact that she herself is probably not making the best of first impressions given the impact Atlantis has on her mood.

Professionalism replacing the frost that had characterized her interaction with Atlantis, Madieke offers a stiff half-bow to the Jedi after they have all spoken, saying less tersely than she otherwise might to avoid sounding as brusque as she knows she often can, "On behalf of the Sector Rangers and the UPD, I thank you all for your offer to assist in the investigation. Rising from the half-bow, Madieke says, If you'll give me a moment to let the surveillance team I was on my way to join know that I'll be delayed, I'll fill you in on what we've learned so far. Ice returning to her tone, Madieke returns her attention to Atlantis and, gathering from what he said that he won't be sticking around, says, Atlantis," by way of farewell, giving him an almost imperceptible nod to let him know that she has not forgotten their agreement to keep certain things out of the investigation that he had expressed a desire to hold back.

Motioning for the Jedi to follow, Madieke heads towards the rear of the station as she explains, "The other members of the investigating team, two UPD detectives and a fellow Sector Ranger, are currently out on assignments, so I will need to introduce you all to them later. Lifting a finger to excuse herself as they continue walking towards the conference room they have been given to use as a command center, Madieke comms the members of the surveillance team she was on her way to join when Atlantis and his cohorts arrived to let them know she will be later than anticipated. Reaching the conference room, an unremarkable space including the requisite round table and large board upon which a timeline of the crimes being investigated has been assembled, Madieke nods towards the chairs around the table and says, Make yourselves comfortable. Walking towards the also apparently mandatory stim-caf maker, Madieke pours herself a cup while asking the two adult Jedi, Stim-caf? Glancing towards the younger Jedi, Madieke even almost, but not quite, manages a smile as she asks, Get you two anything to drink, eat? Once the drinks or snacks issue has been handled, Madieke sits on the edge of the table with her back facing the board so that she can use it during her briefing, and to avoid wasting anyone's time by repeating what they already know, asks, What all do you know so far?" Atlantis said that the group is a clean slate, but Madieke finds that unlikely since he would have told them some things when asking for their help, and they may also have done their own research.

*Aerandir's smile grew faintly wider at Morgan's declaration, recognizing the line she'd paraphrased, successfully resisting a chuckle given the situation. Face reverting to a little more stern, he then nodded as Serrin spoke to Ranger Aninh to reaffirm her words, noting that the ranger was clearly not annoyed by the rest of the Jedi. Well, maybe ever so slightly, but not because of them. Her relationship with Atlantis must have been... interesting, to say the least.

Ranger Aninh returned their bow and thanked them for their offer, becoming as professional as her job no doubt required. After asking them to wait a moment, she bid Atlantis farewell, coolly once more... Interesting indeed. As she turned, Atlantis gave them a nod of the head and bid them all farewell, a gesture Aerandir and Michelle returned, though of the two, only Aerandir replied, dropping the formality from his tone.* "Take care, see you tonight I suppose."

*He and Michelle both took a moment to note his exit up a flight of stairs instead of towards the main entrance... No doubt attempting to keep a low profile still. They then turned to follow Ranger Aninh as she beckoned, explaining that they would meet the other investigators later; said investigators were a fellow ranger and a pair of detectives. He nodded, then, when they reached the conference room, took a seat as offered. He took in his surroundings briefly, not too concerned about surveillance equipment, though definitely was interested in the writings on the board. He kept his eyes to himself for the moment, politely declining the offer of drinks, as did Michelle, saying she had a big breakfast.

Then at last Ranger Aninh asked them what they knew. Aerandir leaned back in his chair, interlocking his fingers and setting them on his lap.* "A knuckle-guarded lightsaber with a synthetic crystal, most likely wielded by a left-handed Makashi practitioner, killed multiple victims—I was not told the number—including who is believed to be the leader of a criminal organization." *He paused briefly to recall the previous day's discussions; he had meant to take down notes but Bruce's call had put that out of his mind. Nodding to himself, he sat up and concluded with,* "Everything else I've been told is mere speculation, which is useless to me until I glean more facts. Until I arrived here, Atlantis is the only resident of the world I and mine have met face-to-face."

*Michelle had sat up straight in her seat the entire time, watching her brother curiously. Admittedly she wasn't entirely sure what info she would have given, if any of the speculation would have been useful, or just the facts. She took note of what he said and how he said it, though felt she probably would have given similar information. But his attention turned to someone else, Master Roma, and Michelle looked toward her as well as he said,* "Master Roma, as I understand, knows a touch more than I do."

23rd Precinct

From the difference between the Sector Ranger's comportment and tone when speaking with me and the Calmcacils and when speaking to Atlantis, I think it is safe to conclude that the woman's earlier less than enthusiastic response was due in large part, if not entirely, to something between them; something that I can hope, given the differences in her attitude, she will not be permitting to bleed over into the working relationship between her team and the Calmcacils and I.

Nodding when Atlantis makes his farewell, I smile and say, "Until later," as I am fairly certain that we will be able to join him and the others after the Sector Ranger has briefed us; unless, of course, she feels we might be of more immediate use.

Following the Sector Ranger into the room in which she has set up her command center, I take a seat when invited to do so, my lekku coiling up to flip over my shoulders so they are not behind my back when I sit, and then lift a hand with a shake of my head to decline the offer of stim-caf. While I can well understand the Sector Ranger's desire to avoid repeating things we have already heard, I also know that what we have heard - consisting almost solely of those things, in my case at any rate, that have been reported in the media - is not likely to be complete or even necessarily accurate given how law enforcement often omits details to eliminate false confessions, and so after Aerandir suggests that I might know more than he has summarized when answering Madieke, I purse my lips in thought briefly before saying, "I'm not sure that I know any more actually. I'm familiar with what has been covered in the media, which is to say what the UPD made public in their statement, and what the attorney representing the two survivors of the assault on the primary victim's estate alleged in his statement. Lifting a hand, palm upwards, with an apologetic smile, I suggest to Madieke, It might be quite beneficial for us to hear your account of the investigation in chronological order, free from the need to make things more . . . palatable for the media?"

*Morgan's squeaked word hadn't gone unnoticed by either Calmcacil sibling, though as she did not continue that thought, the conversation had continued on. Aerandir noticed her seeming somewhat distressed before attempting to calm herself, mouthing words while blushing slightly... She had seemed upset at something Aerandir said, or perhaps didn't say? Perhaps he'd ask her later.

After Serrin briefly explained what little more she knows, she requested a full briefing. The Calmcacils listened, Aerandir taking out his datapad and opening his notes file on the case, tapping out the highlights and amending some areas, such as the name of the most important victim and his species now that it was before him, as well as the number of victims. The new information was incredibly enlightening and Aerandir continued tapping out notes, abridging many due to the sheer number and speed of the breakdown, and he didn't wish to hold up the ranger any further by asking her to slow down; his writing speed was efficient enough to keep cliffnotes.

More information came, including information that corroborated not only with the details Atlantis had told them, but speculation of his own. Aerandir nodded when she noted they would know more about how the ability Atlantis used to track the perpetrator worked, but it was a vague nod; yes, Aerandir could potentially piece together an explanation for the ability, but it was an ability he had not heard of before and had yet to fully understand. He also took note of her apparent interest in someone who could better understand and explain Force abilities; well, not that he needed to point that out, but the four of them were here for that now, so hopefully their expertise could come in handy in some ways.

Aerandir was starting to piece together a clearer picture now thanks to all the information, and a single glance told him that Michelle had done the same. He looked upon Morgan out of the corner of his eyes; she was sitting quietly, deep in thought, cheek slightly sunken in. Chewing on it, no doubt, as she often did when contemplating something. As the briefing concluded and Ranger Aninh opened the floor to questions, Aerandir brought a hand to his mouth and perused his notes again, humming contemplatively.

He felt Michelle's gaze upon him; when he looked at her, she seemed to be quietly asking for permission to proceed. He didn't think she needed the permission, but he nodded regardless. The blond twelve-year-old then looked at the ranger and asked,* "Does the Vice Governor have a political rival? I know he says he doesn't know anyone who would try to frame him like this, but it could be someone else who doesn't agree with him maybe..."

*Aerandir folded his hands in front of his mouth as he contemplated this. He could see the logic in a rival criminal organization ordering the attack, take out a notorious crime lord and put the remaining organizations in fear while they took over and dominated the market. But a political rival made plenty of sense as well... Many politicians were just as shady as criminals after all.

He'd also considered asking whether they had certainty that the assassin wasn't hired by Andros, but then why would an assassin pose as the Vice Governor he was working for? Not likely. That, and it seemed that, whatever her relationship with them, the ranger fully trusted the Vyridian brothers. It was good that, emotionally, they were on the side of the brothers. But now they had to find all the evidence to back it up physically as well...

Briefly he glanced at Morgan again, who was only listening intently, while Lokay the tailring seemed disinterested by the whole scenario, peeking this way and that and occasionally seeking affection from his owner. Aerandir was confident at some point in this discussion she would be able to confidently contribute, but not quite yet it seemed...*

23rd Precinct

Folding my hands together beneath my chin, I listen to Madieke's briefing attentively, arranging the facts in my mind as they are presented as though putting together a puzzle; a puzzle that, it soon becomes readily apparent, is missing quite a few pieces as yet. Madieke's briefing is thorough, or as thorough as possible given what has been learned, and I find myself agreeing with her implied conclusion that a clear course of investigation may not be possible until the unidentified perpetrator acts again; their next move ideally presenting us with other pieces of the puzzle to be added, and perhaps beginning to present a more complete picture of what the ultimate aim of the killings might be. I find myself in agreement with the strategy of watching the criminal organizations, as it seems highly likely they are either directly involved in what is happening or they are pawns or targets of the killer.

Aerandir's question is a good one, and Madieke's answer somewhat illuminating even though it, too, sheds no further light on the possible identity of the killer. As there is little that can be done about the press, I turn my attention towards endeavoring to acquire additional pieces to the puzzle, asking Madieke, "What can you tell us about Sike's organization, and of the other criminal organizations you mentioned? Are there any that were competing with Sike?" I ask, thinking that a struggle for control of criminal activity is a possible motive for the killings.

*Lots of words. It wasn't like Morgan hadn't sat through long lectures or lessons before, but this briefing, it felt different somehow. The closest she could compare it to was when her daddy would take her on missions, but those were always straightforward, the game plan concise, not very wordy. Here... there was so much to take in and remember and piece together. And here, there wasn't even a clear objective! Well, other than to find out who was doing this. So not only were they here to take on a mission... they also had to figure that mission out first.

She was going to ask for her daddy's notes first thing when they were out of here...

Regardless, she didn't laze about and remained attentive, doing her best to soak in all the info and keep it in her mind. A lot of it Atlantis had talked about before, which was good. The rest... it was a lot. Michelle asked a question about political rivals, which led to even more in-depth explanation about the world's government, some of which she wasn't sure she understood. But Daddy was still taking notes, so she would have those to fall back on... She had a feeling she would have a lot of studying to do after this... Ugh. Homework.*

"Jedi," *she whispered softly, chiding herself. Again, she mouthed along with her thoughts,* "Control myself. We gotta do this stuff."

*Now if all of this was going down on Felucia, she'd know everything and would be able to jump right in! But now she had to learn a lot just to be competent in this investigation. But she knew it was going to be tough, and she'd practically demanded to be brought along, so she had to stop complaining and get used to it. So she'd sit, be attentive, and keep tabs of everything said... and review it later. She was here to be a help, not a hindrance.*

23rd Precinct

Mulling over what Madieke tells us of the other figures included among Umgul's unsavory criminal element, I do not feel as though any other pieces of the puzzle have definitively revealed themselves so much as though possible pieces have bet tossed on the proverbial table to be turned this way and that in an effort to learn whether or not they are a part of the puzzle or mere distracting elements. If nothing else, Madieke's briefing has convinced me that the investigators seem to have done all that they can for now with what has been learned from the killer's actions.

There is only one possible angle I feel might have been overlooked, or so it seems, and so I ask, "Have you considered that Andros, or his brother, might be the true target or targets? The choice to impersonate Andros may have been an attempt to draw him, or his brother, out, or to besmirch their reputations, perhaps even both. While I have little doubt that Andros and Atlantis believe that they are perfectly capable of protecting themselves and those close to them, I also know that overconfidence has been the end of many that thought the same, and so I ask, Have you considered that it might be worthwhile to have some kind of protective surveillance over the Vyridians and those close to them? It could prove unnecessary, I admit, but if the killer is ultimately intent on harming the twins, he or she might also move next against the twins directly or through those close to them."

*Aerandir continued the note-taking, writing down the small description of the Furgan outfit and the Rodian's name, with a "check spelling" tag beside it along with the other names he had written down whose spelling he wasn't entirely sure on. He made note that the second organization was less known, as well as putting down what other information was known, of course. As to be expected, this only left more questions, more possibilities... As he was sure the police had already done, they would have to start with the most likely scenario. Couldn't hurt to ask what theirs was, if they were to cooperate...

Serrin suggested setting up protection for the Vyridian brothers and those close to them, that the killer may have been after them as the true targets and trying to draw them into the open. This possibility Aerandir had not considered, and it was a good one as well...

Waiting for Ranger Aninh to give her response to Serrin, Aerandir remained quiet until asked if they had more questions.* "Just one, to better put us on the same page, then I'll be satisfied," *he began.* "What's the most likely theory being pursued right now?"