10-10-2015, 09:48 PM
As the Toa and Casey neared the so-called Rat Holes, the crowds on the street became more and more dense, though the citizens of Coruscant still gave the pair of EPD hopefuls a wide berth. The dingy sky scrapers loomed up high in to the smog-filled sky until they seemed to collide directly with the false sky that was built overhead. It gave Kopaka an odd sense of claustrophobia, and the Toa would be glad to be rid of this Tier, at least for a time, once the suspect had been apprehended. Finding the Rat Holes themselves proved to be a more complicated task; the locals were rather uncooperative, and one even went so far as to expectorate on Kopaka's gleaming white chassis. It was offensive to say the least, but these minor provocations would not suffice to break his cool demeanor. Ultimately, however, the pair found what they were looking for. As they rounded the corder of another apartment super block, there stood a massive ventilation pipe that had stretched up and down, straight through the upper and lower levels of Tier 4. There were intermittent, slowly spinning fans that had to be at least forty feet in diameter protruding from the corroded and lopsided structure like cysts. Honestly, the state of the shaft's metal reminded Kopaka of an infected mask. It was really quite disconcerting.
"I suppose we should find an entrance." Kopaka murmured softly, turning back to try and locate Casey. When the Prime did so, the human was no where to be found. Kopaka's bright blue eye narrowed as he activated the Akaku, searching through the crowd (quite literally) for his partner. Nothing. Had Casey abandoned the mission? No...despite his informal nature, that didn't seem likely, based on Casey's disposition. Kopaka tapped the communicator on his wrist and spoke into it.
"Dispatch. I have lost sight of my partner, Casey. Can you locate him?"
"One moment."
There was a long pause.
"We are having trouble locating Casey. Maintain your current course of action, Kopaka. We'll try to find out more." said the female voice from the other end. Kopaka grimaced between the stolid features of his mask. It was against his own nature to abandon a teammate...but then again, it was also possible Casey had abandoned him. Again...it was unlikely, but this was a new world and Kopaka could not be sure what its people were capable of. Shaking his head, Kopaka turned back towards the immense metal pipe that was his current objective. Surely there was some secret entrance that the locals were aware of, but the Toa did not currently have the patience to draw this information out from the local populace. With a soft grunt, Kopaka once again beseeched the powers of Ice to obey his will, and cast a brilliant beam of freezing energy towards the brittle metal of the Rat Way. A great blue sheet of ice coated the exterior, which Kopaka proceeded to kick with all of his might.
WHAM.
WHAM.
WHAKRAAASH.
Kopaka sauntered into his personal entrance, the telescopic lenses of the Akaku whizzing and buzzing softly as he refocused his optics to the low lit environment. Immediately he was beset by a pack of three beggars, shouting random obscenities for breaching their home. The first was sent flying into the wall with an adroit smack from Kopaka's shield, while the next came at Kopaka with a pitiable excuse for knife. When the blade failed to penetrate the Toa's metallic skin, Kopaka grabbed the man by the scruff of his raggedy jacket and forcefully slammed him into the ground. The man immediately vomited from the force of the impact. The third squatter, seeing the fate of his erstwhile roommates, scampered off down a makeshift hallway of cardboard and sheet metal. Unabashed, Kopaka strode deeper into the vertical domicile and looked up at a flimsy ladder. Though he was nervous about whether or not the structure would support his biomechanical weight, such a pittance of fear was nothing to hold Kopaka back. With careful movements, Kopaka traversed the vertical length of the Rat Way using his Akaku to peer through the thin, dangerously poorly constructed platforms for anyone who looked like they did not fit in with the normal malnourished riffraff.
The Toa glimpsed many kinds of citizens during his long ascent...females with smaller organic that shared similar visual markers, a multitude of biological life forms who had poisoned themselves with intoxicating substances, and an even larger abundance of individuals who were sick or dying. It was truly wretched. Kopaka remembered little of his former life, but he did seem to recall that living conditions never reached this level of squalor in his native universe. The biomech would have to make sure that these people were given adequate housing once he had the influence within the Empire to do so.
Just when the Toa was sure that the Gabriel human had been lying, something caught the Toa's eyes. A group of people in purple robes a few levels higher up. They seemed to be laden with a great deal of food and medicine, at least so far as Kopaka could tell. Upon clambering up into the dimly lit level of the Rat Way. The two squatters that occupied this tier, along with the three enrobed figures all whirled around as the light from Kopaka's blazing blue eye cast a cold sheen on the entire meeting. Before the Water Brothers could even flinch, the Toa drew the Ice Sword and extended his arm so that the dual tip of the gleaming blade was but an inch from the nearest Brother's nose.
"Don't." Kopaka growled. The Water Brother looked confused, and then glimpsed the Imperial emblem on Kopaka's shoulder. His shoulders sagged in resignation, but Kopaka maintained his stern stance. The squatters made no movements.
"How can I help you, brother?" the human said softly. Kopaka narrowed his eye.
"I seek the location of Michael Valentine Smith. You will divulge this information." Kopaka said softly, quickly glancing at the other two Water Brothers. The imperiled Brother sighed.
"I am sorry...I cannot betray the trust of Michael. None of us can. Do you not see the good that we are doing he-" Kopaka rushed forwards with a snarl and held the Brother up against the corroded metal wall with a single arm. The Ice Sword maintained its close proximity to the Brother's face.
"Would Michael prefer you dead?" Kopaka said, his voice but a dangerous whisper. This genuinely seemed to catch the human off guard. He looked to his two compatriots with a pleading look. Kopaka couldn't see their nonverbal communications, but in the end, it got him the result he wanted.
"Michael is...not in Coruscant. He went away to the Pale Moors to help with the recovery from the Blight. We...we don't know where he is...but..."
The man whimpered as Kopaka tightened his grip and pressed the man harder into the pipe.
"B-b-but we know he will return in a week's time! He will return-agh...return th-through the Endless Dunes gate as part of a refugee convoy...disguised as a moisture farmer. Please! Please. You must trust me. No one needs to be harmed." the Brother said, raising his hands in resignation. Kopaka stared hard at the organic for some time longer before releasing the human from his frigid grasp. The man sank to the floor with a heavy, shuddering sigh. Kopaka turned on his heel and moved to descend the barely intact ladder.
"W-wait!" the Brother said. Kopaka turned his head back just slightly.
"No one needs to be harmed in this matter. Michael only wants peace. Please...please don't hurt anyone."
Kopaka paused for a long time, conflicting memories and ethics swirling in and around his biomechanical brain.
"That is not my decision."
The human let out a small sigh of turmoil.
"But...I will convey the extent of your cooperation. Perhaps it will help you." Kopaka said, beginning the long climb down.
"Wait! Protect just me or...?"
But it was too late. The Toa was gone.
...
Later, back in the EPD headquarters, Kopaka sat in the debriefing room as Lieutenant Brath paced back and forth, making notes on a digital pad.
"The Endless Dunes gate, you say? Interesting...I wonder if a majority of our illicit traffic passes through there. It certainly is one of our less popular gates."
Brath turned and smiled at Kopaka.
"Good work, recruit. I guess all we can do now is wait."
Kopaka tilted his head ever so slightly.
"What should I do in the mean time, sir?" he asked in his quiet voice. Brath chuckled slightly and pushed his Datapad across the slick metal desk that sat between them. Kopaka picked it up slowly and read over what was displayed on the screen.
"A Tournament? Sir, is this a good idea?" Kopaka asked, looking at the human with distinct curiosity. Brath tilted his head back and held his cap onto his bushy black hair, letting out a hearty laugh.
"Ohh no Kopaka, it is really very much a bad idea...but it might have a very large pay off for the Empire if you should win."
"The odds of that seems low." Kopaka responded folding his arms over his chest. Brath regained his composure and nodded sullenly.
"Yes...yes they are. However, you are Prime. The actual risk to you is quite low...but if you require an incentive..." Brath said, motioning to the mirrored glass behind them. Kopaka knew there was another room behind the large pane; nothing could hide from the Akaku, but the Toa decided to a lot the Lieutenant his precious mystique. What was carried into the room, however, was quite startling.
"These are..." Kopaka said, standing up and walking over, picking up the objects with reverence.
"We found them along with that exhibit you were interested in at the museum. For now you would only be borrowing them but...once you are in proper EPD employ, they and the other artifact will be yours to keep." Brath said. Kopaka looked into the human's eyes with the deepest of gratitude, a rare showing, before taking the Kanohi from the droid that had delivered them...more specifically the Kanohi Hau and the Kanohi Matatu. Such a gift was beyond extravagant. Once the Toa had absorbed the new masks, he turned to Brath and offered a crisp Imperial salute.
"I will depart at once."
"I suppose we should find an entrance." Kopaka murmured softly, turning back to try and locate Casey. When the Prime did so, the human was no where to be found. Kopaka's bright blue eye narrowed as he activated the Akaku, searching through the crowd (quite literally) for his partner. Nothing. Had Casey abandoned the mission? No...despite his informal nature, that didn't seem likely, based on Casey's disposition. Kopaka tapped the communicator on his wrist and spoke into it.
"Dispatch. I have lost sight of my partner, Casey. Can you locate him?"
"One moment."
There was a long pause.
"We are having trouble locating Casey. Maintain your current course of action, Kopaka. We'll try to find out more." said the female voice from the other end. Kopaka grimaced between the stolid features of his mask. It was against his own nature to abandon a teammate...but then again, it was also possible Casey had abandoned him. Again...it was unlikely, but this was a new world and Kopaka could not be sure what its people were capable of. Shaking his head, Kopaka turned back towards the immense metal pipe that was his current objective. Surely there was some secret entrance that the locals were aware of, but the Toa did not currently have the patience to draw this information out from the local populace. With a soft grunt, Kopaka once again beseeched the powers of Ice to obey his will, and cast a brilliant beam of freezing energy towards the brittle metal of the Rat Way. A great blue sheet of ice coated the exterior, which Kopaka proceeded to kick with all of his might.
WHAM.
WHAM.
WHAKRAAASH.
Kopaka sauntered into his personal entrance, the telescopic lenses of the Akaku whizzing and buzzing softly as he refocused his optics to the low lit environment. Immediately he was beset by a pack of three beggars, shouting random obscenities for breaching their home. The first was sent flying into the wall with an adroit smack from Kopaka's shield, while the next came at Kopaka with a pitiable excuse for knife. When the blade failed to penetrate the Toa's metallic skin, Kopaka grabbed the man by the scruff of his raggedy jacket and forcefully slammed him into the ground. The man immediately vomited from the force of the impact. The third squatter, seeing the fate of his erstwhile roommates, scampered off down a makeshift hallway of cardboard and sheet metal. Unabashed, Kopaka strode deeper into the vertical domicile and looked up at a flimsy ladder. Though he was nervous about whether or not the structure would support his biomechanical weight, such a pittance of fear was nothing to hold Kopaka back. With careful movements, Kopaka traversed the vertical length of the Rat Way using his Akaku to peer through the thin, dangerously poorly constructed platforms for anyone who looked like they did not fit in with the normal malnourished riffraff.
The Toa glimpsed many kinds of citizens during his long ascent...females with smaller organic that shared similar visual markers, a multitude of biological life forms who had poisoned themselves with intoxicating substances, and an even larger abundance of individuals who were sick or dying. It was truly wretched. Kopaka remembered little of his former life, but he did seem to recall that living conditions never reached this level of squalor in his native universe. The biomech would have to make sure that these people were given adequate housing once he had the influence within the Empire to do so.
Just when the Toa was sure that the Gabriel human had been lying, something caught the Toa's eyes. A group of people in purple robes a few levels higher up. They seemed to be laden with a great deal of food and medicine, at least so far as Kopaka could tell. Upon clambering up into the dimly lit level of the Rat Way. The two squatters that occupied this tier, along with the three enrobed figures all whirled around as the light from Kopaka's blazing blue eye cast a cold sheen on the entire meeting. Before the Water Brothers could even flinch, the Toa drew the Ice Sword and extended his arm so that the dual tip of the gleaming blade was but an inch from the nearest Brother's nose.
"Don't." Kopaka growled. The Water Brother looked confused, and then glimpsed the Imperial emblem on Kopaka's shoulder. His shoulders sagged in resignation, but Kopaka maintained his stern stance. The squatters made no movements.
"How can I help you, brother?" the human said softly. Kopaka narrowed his eye.
"I seek the location of Michael Valentine Smith. You will divulge this information." Kopaka said softly, quickly glancing at the other two Water Brothers. The imperiled Brother sighed.
"I am sorry...I cannot betray the trust of Michael. None of us can. Do you not see the good that we are doing he-" Kopaka rushed forwards with a snarl and held the Brother up against the corroded metal wall with a single arm. The Ice Sword maintained its close proximity to the Brother's face.
"Would Michael prefer you dead?" Kopaka said, his voice but a dangerous whisper. This genuinely seemed to catch the human off guard. He looked to his two compatriots with a pleading look. Kopaka couldn't see their nonverbal communications, but in the end, it got him the result he wanted.
"Michael is...not in Coruscant. He went away to the Pale Moors to help with the recovery from the Blight. We...we don't know where he is...but..."
The man whimpered as Kopaka tightened his grip and pressed the man harder into the pipe.
"B-b-but we know he will return in a week's time! He will return-agh...return th-through the Endless Dunes gate as part of a refugee convoy...disguised as a moisture farmer. Please! Please. You must trust me. No one needs to be harmed." the Brother said, raising his hands in resignation. Kopaka stared hard at the organic for some time longer before releasing the human from his frigid grasp. The man sank to the floor with a heavy, shuddering sigh. Kopaka turned on his heel and moved to descend the barely intact ladder.
"W-wait!" the Brother said. Kopaka turned his head back just slightly.
"No one needs to be harmed in this matter. Michael only wants peace. Please...please don't hurt anyone."
Kopaka paused for a long time, conflicting memories and ethics swirling in and around his biomechanical brain.
"That is not my decision."
The human let out a small sigh of turmoil.
"But...I will convey the extent of your cooperation. Perhaps it will help you." Kopaka said, beginning the long climb down.
"Wait! Protect just me or...?"
But it was too late. The Toa was gone.
...
Later, back in the EPD headquarters, Kopaka sat in the debriefing room as Lieutenant Brath paced back and forth, making notes on a digital pad.
"The Endless Dunes gate, you say? Interesting...I wonder if a majority of our illicit traffic passes through there. It certainly is one of our less popular gates."
Brath turned and smiled at Kopaka.
"Good work, recruit. I guess all we can do now is wait."
Kopaka tilted his head ever so slightly.
"What should I do in the mean time, sir?" he asked in his quiet voice. Brath chuckled slightly and pushed his Datapad across the slick metal desk that sat between them. Kopaka picked it up slowly and read over what was displayed on the screen.
"A Tournament? Sir, is this a good idea?" Kopaka asked, looking at the human with distinct curiosity. Brath tilted his head back and held his cap onto his bushy black hair, letting out a hearty laugh.
"Ohh no Kopaka, it is really very much a bad idea...but it might have a very large pay off for the Empire if you should win."
"The odds of that seems low." Kopaka responded folding his arms over his chest. Brath regained his composure and nodded sullenly.
"Yes...yes they are. However, you are Prime. The actual risk to you is quite low...but if you require an incentive..." Brath said, motioning to the mirrored glass behind them. Kopaka knew there was another room behind the large pane; nothing could hide from the Akaku, but the Toa decided to a lot the Lieutenant his precious mystique. What was carried into the room, however, was quite startling.
"These are..." Kopaka said, standing up and walking over, picking up the objects with reverence.
"We found them along with that exhibit you were interested in at the museum. For now you would only be borrowing them but...once you are in proper EPD employ, they and the other artifact will be yours to keep." Brath said. Kopaka looked into the human's eyes with the deepest of gratitude, a rare showing, before taking the Kanohi from the droid that had delivered them...more specifically the Kanohi Hau and the Kanohi Matatu. Such a gift was beyond extravagant. Once the Toa had absorbed the new masks, he turned to Brath and offered a crisp Imperial salute.
"I will depart at once."
C O L D