Act 1-2: Roger the Negotiator

[Roger Smith]

Down through the tiers of Coruscant. An elevator ride, a winding drive and then another elevator ride further down. A cycle that was at once strange and somehow familiar to Roger Smith. As if he'd done it before, or something like it before, but in a place less alien and foreign to him.

Or perhaps it was the increasing familiarity and similar state of things, as he descended further down and away from the gleaming, picturesque state of the city up top. Down he went, darker it got, more filthy and unkempt. Tier 2 had been less remarkable and overwhelmingly beautiful than the topmost layer of the city, but still a marvel of splendor. Tier 3 had been more modest still. Tier 4 had looked much like some of the more upscale or intact parts of the city that Roger Smith knew and was familiar with. Tier 5, as he slowly nudged the Griffon out of the elevator...reminded him all too much of home. Of the rundown streets and areas he was so familiar with and which he had so often frequented in his work, seeking out old friends and informants who knew the city and just getting lost in when he needed a break from the surprising stresses of his negotiation role.

He was in no real hurry, as he slowly rolled along the streets. The radio signal here had grown weak and spotty, all but lost in static, and eventually it grew irritating enough for him to adjust it. Slowly he turned and tuned it, adjusting the old dial until static started to give way to something more clear. Eventually, the dim sound of music began to filter through. Faint, and still with a tinge of static to be heard, but it was better than nothing and did much to ease the edge of growing uneasiness in his gut as he made his way through the dilapidated streets.

The further he got from the elevator which had brought him down here, the worse it seemed to get. Everywhere he looked, things were still mostly intact and standing, but the state of decay and neglect was more than evident. It wasn't quite just the bare minimum being done to keep this place going, but it was close enough.

There was of course every chance he was just in a bad neighborhood, or section of the city. Paradigm had been riddled with sections and strips of evident decay and degradation, nestled in among and right next to portions which were still well-kept and maintained. Though he somehow doubted his odds of finding any such place down here, given what he had begun to formulate in his mind as the idea of how this city ran and operated...it wouldn't be so bad to hold out hope, he thought. Hope he might be pleasantly surprised, and find something worthwhile down here aside from the job he was dreading.

As he reached another intersection in the streets, he sighed and again checked the directions and coordinates on the old monitor. Almost there...just another few blocks. He could hardly wait.