Silent Songs

[Palara Iscandar]

It was raining and grey when she left the landing bay, hard enough to send the beggars which usually hung by the entrances and held out their hands for the intermittent mercy and pity of passersby into the shelters they almost never slept in.

The sunlight was muted, a mottled but still bright grey that seemed to cling to the buildings with a slimy and gilded sheen that had everyone lowering their eyes to the ground.

This was Coronet, the capitol city of Corellia.

No one stopped her. Anyone who looked, saw the long cape and the hood, hiding her facial features from eyes which did not pry. She even wore gloves, keeping anything except her rough height and weight to be estimated by any curious watcher.

She continued walking, her pace quicker than those around her. It was almost military in its staccato rhythms. She only slowed and stopped in front of a large building, a number of planetary security officers setting up a barrier to isolate the crime scene.

"Who are you?"

"I am Agent Inspector Iscandar, from Imperial Intelligence," she responded. The security agent smirked cynically. She pulled a small holocard from her pocket, which carried her likeness and information. He looked at it, and at her.

"Hold on," he replied, pulling out a communication unit and speaking quickly into it. After a few moments of back and forth, he placed the unit back onto his belt and lifted the tape. "Head on up, Inspector."

Once inside, she pulled the hood from her head, and looked around the dirty lobby of the apartment building. Ignoring everyone else, she entered the turbolift, and exited a few moments later to the sight of security agents and officers everywhere.

"Who are you?" one asked. He was a taller man, with a few days' unshaved growth on his face. "This is my crime scene. No one is supposed to be in here. Fersi! Hey, Fersi! Yeah, get over here, we got someone in here."

"I am Agent Inspector Iscandar, with Imperial Intelligence, Detective Raviné. Zere are some aspects of zis case, and ozzers, zat I am to clarify for my superiors."

Detective Raviné frowned, but nodded and motioned her into the crime scene.

"I will not be disturbed while I am cataloguing ze scene. Understood? Raviné, stay 'ere. I will speak with you after."

Raviné pulled a cigarra from his pocket and nodded, his face growing as stormy and darkly obstinate as the clouds outside.

"Yeah, go ahead," he said finally. "Don't take too long, sister."