The torrential monsoon which had swept over the Correlian city had begun to subside as the undercover Jedi reached his apartment complex. Darkened clouds shifted away as the Coreli sun broke through them, casting its rays upon the bustling metropolis. Another wave of nervousness ripped through Siolo, agitating his typically calmed composure. The twi'lek felt as if the eyes of every single being in the city were upon him even though none knew of his true identity. Meditation upon the force was desperately needed but the more pressing matter was to secure his own safety. Until that was accomplished he could not allow himself to rest. As he ascended the stairs in front of his apartment building he passed by a trio of Ishi Tib, all three of whom ignored his presence. Though his trained ears did pick up the words they spoke, concern evident in the voice of one in particular.
"You hear there's a cruiser over the planet? They said clones are landing at the spaceport. I don't like it." One of them muttered, likely a criminal of some variety judging by the gang tattoos on his arms.
"Why do you care? You're shaking like a rat, got nothing to worry about. You ain't no Jedi." Another one replied as he leaned against the railing of the stairwell, an illegally modified blaster pistol hanging from his belt.
Siolo shifted past them without a word, instead blinking apprehensively as he continued towards the complex. As he reached the top more denizens of Coronet City were before him, many simply hanging out around the building as the storm cleared. A food merchant had wheeled out a cart nearby, the Sullustan behind it grilling some strange meat with glee. It actually smelt appetizing but the troubled twi'lek was in no frame of being to eat. As he continued towards the main elevator he paced past a tough looking group of denizens around a bench, one loudly playing some heavy isotope music. He practically felt the pulsating bassline beating at his chest as Siolo stepped into the elevator. Few paid him any mind as he slipped inside, a few other civilians crowded in beside him silently. A young boy looked at him curiously as he a friendly smile, which the young one returned.
The slow moving elevator felt as if it'd take eons to reach his level. He let out a deep breath in order to compose himself then slipped through the bystanders as the doors came open on the third floor. Siolo's eyes danced down the run down hallway, devoid of any other people besides two human men chatting it up. The complex was in a less "pleasant" part of the city, matching his undercover alias. He doubted any police had come through here, at least in uniform and judging by the tidbit he'd heard from the Ishi Tib the clones hadn't come by either. Still he was uneasy as he reached his apartment, the seventh door on the right. The hall corridor had seemed to exaggerate tenfold as he walked down it. For a second he just leaned against the door then pulled his keycard from his pocket and undid the lock. Though his heart began to race inside of his chest as he noticed it was already unlocked.
Siolo stepped back, glanced briefly around him for sight of any suspicious figures then pulled his lightsaber from the satchel on his side. He kept it tucked in front of him, unlit but at the ready in case he should face some danger inside his own apartment. The twi'lek then gently pushed open the door, his hand tensing as it slid open with a light squeak. His sparse apartment didn't lend much in the way of room. A door lead to a small bathroom while a sliding one lead to his bedroom. As Siolo entered he noted the bedroom door was wide open, sensing one figure in there unaware of his entrance. As his head swiveled he caught sight of another figure chatting on an in ear communicator, his back turned as he looked mindlessly out the window in the living room.
"There's no trace of him. Apartment is pretty empty, think he got word of the broadcast." The man stated into the communicator as he leaned one hand against the window, staring at some of the speeders passing by. He was clad in plain clothes, though a blaster was tucked into a holster on his left leg. Siolo slowly approached him from behind, having caught a break of luck on a terrible day.
"If you scream I end you. Tell me who sent you, why are you here?" The twi'lek whispered into the man's ear, putting on an intimidating show. As he wrapped his arms around the man, one limb slipped into a neck hold while the other pressed over the bearded human's mouth. The man twisted momentarily under the Jedi's superior grip but then yielded as he spoke quietly.
"The police. We got word from way above us, said a Jedi lived here. Guessing its you. You're very highly wanted, Siolo." The human stated with a mean grin, having shifted his hand to the top of the man's head.
"All of that is a lie, what the 'Emperor' said. The Jedi are heroes of the Republic, we died in hundreds to fight the separatists," Siolo whispered as his eyes shifted towards his bedroom where the other man was still unaware of the Jedi's entrance. "What is happening next? What of the clones?"
"Clones are arriving here and they'll find you, no doubt about that. Just give up, its hopeless." The undercover officer muttered, uncomfortable under the light choke by the Jedi. Instead the trained twi'lek applied increased pressure until the man's vision began to darken and breathing became far more difficult.
"I'm no monster." He mumbled into the man's ear as he knocked him out cold, holding the human's body until he felt it go limp then gingerly laid the man down on the tiled floor. Siolo inhaled gently as he started towards the doorway to his bedroom, creeping along silently until he could lean against the wall and peek through the open door.
Another police man, dressed much like the one that the Jedi had knocked out was rustling through Siolo's things. Apparently searching for any clue of his whereabouts, at the moment he was digging through some old holopads. All those contained was information on previous targets, wanted criminals on Corellia. Siolo was no fool, he left no journals or logs. That was a recipe for disaster if one of the wanted individuals he was trying to bring to justice found where he lived. As a modified speeder raced by loudly the undercover Jedi made his approach. He did the same maneuver as before, a well trained chokehold. This human put up more resistance as he clawed and hollered against Siolo's grip. The twi'lek kick the man's legs in, then dropped him to the floor as he applied more pressure until the struggling stopped.
Once he was confident this other man was out cold he rose back to his feet and wiped his brow. Siolo's next step was to run his hands across both of the unconscious police to find anything used to communicate to others. Then he forcefully stomped on the commlink and communications devices he found, until they were but shards of crushed metal. It would buy him a brief window of safety once the men woke back up. Then with intent he found his own desktop console, similarly smashing it until it was devoid of any usage including crushing the hard drive. It was a precaution as he still had his communicator on him but they'd be unable to patch into him other than that. With a grunt he retrieved his jedi robes, then bundled them into a pack along with another pair of clothes. He planned to travel very light, most of the essentials he already carried on him. There would practically be no trace of his presence here when he was done rifting through his apartment.
Once his deeds here were concluded he threw the jacket over him, then raised the hood above his head. Another piece of clothing to further mask him, he'd look like just another traveling twi'lek, a common sight on the bustling Core World. As he slipped his lightsaber back into his satchel he moved towards the door. Sadness filled him as he gave one last look at his apartment, compact and plain but it was where'd he spent his nights after doing fine work on the streets of Coronet City. Moments of relaxation he would be without for some time, as a now top fugitive in a galaxy out to get his kind. Siolo locked the door behind him, then walked back the same way he'd came. A few more faces were in the hallway though like before none paid any attention to the unremarkable looking twi'lek. Instead of taking the crowded elevator he opted for the stairs, intent on getting as far from the complex as quickly as possible, especially now that the police were trailing him. He didn't just have to look out for clones but the officers who he until this day had worked alongside to clean up the mean streets of the metropolis.
"My blue friend are you still alive? Ya' there?" A voice posed into his in-ear communicator, surprising the emotionally frantic fugitive. He briefly considered not answering but the Iktotchi may actually be of aid to him. He did after all break the news that shook his life to pieces earlier, something the merchant had no real responsibility to do.
"I am Wolron, but in a rough spot." Siolo muttered, pain evident in his tone as he paced down the stairs. A hulking devaronian giving him a mean glance as he nearly bumped into the brute.
"I'm sure you are my friend. But I can help you, not gonna leave you out to die like some schutta." The merchant replied from his location a ways from the apartment complex.
"Wolron, you'll put yourself in danger. They'll kill you too if they find out you helped someone like me." The blue skinned man muttered back, more akin to a whisper as he avoided saying 'Jedi'. The merchant was someone he did recognize as a friend, when considering how long he'd been his informant. As the twi'lek reached ground level he descended the same stairs he'd recently gone up to make his final trek to his apartment.
"You've made me a lot of money, Sio. You didn't have to do that, all those bounties you turned in and split with me. You did all the work tracking down those scum. Let me help you this last time, come to me, I can get you off this junkheap." As the words left the Iktotchi's mouth Siolo tried not to get his hopes up, but Wolron was a well connected man. The Jedi had suspicions the merchant sometimes made deals which weren't 'entirely clean', but it was not enough to investigate particularly considering how much Wolron aided him with information.
"Fine. I guess I can't stay here, I have the whole damn police force after me, plus any clones. I can't take my starfighter either, they either impounded it or have it on watch. I'll be there by tonight." The incognito force user replied, out of other options. He supposed he could've gone deeper and deeper into the roughest parts of the city then hide out. But if word got out that he was a Jedi then the gangs in the area would want to turn him in for the inevitable bounty.
"Excellent. Trust me Sio, the police and clones digging through Coronet isn't good for my business either. If I can help a friend in the process of getting heat off then all the better. I'll be waiting at my shop." Wolron said, smiling over the communicator as he ended the call leaving Siolo with the comfort of the noise of the bustling streets.
As the cloaked Jedi reached the bottom of the staircase he took a sharp turn then walked into the moving crowds filling the streets. He couldn't risk taking a cab, in case word had gotten out that a hunt was on for a blue skinned twi'lek. Master Sinube had taught him, a Jedi must often become one with their surroundings in order to succeed in investigations. As he paced behind a small group of duros he thought of his old teacher. He only hoped the wise old force user had escaped hunting, like Siolo desperately hoped Jedi across the galaxy would survive.
