Shaantil appeared before the holo recorder, a few datapads on the table before her. She speaks formally, simply, calmly.
"Knight Shaantil, investigation report into case hereby titled 'Pocket Warship'. Evidence in this case seems sufficient for such reports, as a result of," she hesitates momentarily, "...recent events."
"A Sith Lord named Zedney is currently seeking out a cache of starship equipment, developed by an engineer, Doctor Mein Sund. Sund was arrested... approximately twenty-six years ago, by then-Knight Soldin, and convicted of aiding and abetting piracy with his equipment designs, and was killed during the sacking."
She picks up a datapad, tapping it lightly. "Intelligence obtained by SIS pointed to a prisoner held in Kaas City as being Zedney's source for this intelligence. Thanks to the..." she hesitates again, and her next words ring hollow, "...the fortuitous and heroic actions of a... defecting Imperial Citizen, Captain 'Lazy-Eye' Shaffer, the prisoner was extracted from Kaas City and... coincidentally turned over to my custody."
Shaantil taps some more on the datapad. "...the prisoner in question is Virad Fortune. Numerous warrants were out for her arrest on various worlds in Republic space, largely trivial matters whose statue of limitations have long since expired. Known aliases are V, Dara, Sunny D, Red Eye, Glassy Grin, Ball Bearing Betty-" she stops, frowning and scrolling down on her datapad. "...suffice to say, the list is extensive, her dossier will be attached to this report, but notable are her former associates, known primarily as Sammy Smiles and... Simon Dumas."
"...thanks to the efforts of Captain Jace Colton, it appears that the cache is located at a point that can only be found by combining two or three partial star-charts, that were divided between herself, Mister Smiles and Captain Dumas, however Lord Zedney appears to have Miss Fortune's chart. She also believes that... Captain Dumas did not die nearly twenty-six years ago, but faked his own death, and now may be searching for the cache himself, and thus the second star chart."
Shaantil hesitates. "...assuming what Miss Fortune says is correct, that would mean that only Mister Smiles' Star Chart is the only one unaccounted for. Captain Colton appears to have the trust of Miss Fortune, and will assist him in finding Mister Smiles, but... I do not know if I can trust her. She certainly does not trust me, after the... violence during her transfer, and is unwilling to speak to me, but this may be the only way to move forward."
((Rick Moranis: "Everybody got all that? Good!"))
Shaantil appears to look down at her own hands. "...end report." After the soft acknowledgement from her computer, she spoke again. "New log, personal use only."
"I should not be doing this. If the Jedi Order knew all the details surrounding this, that Simon Dumas and Soldin are my parents, then... first, they would expel Master Soldin from the order, and possibly myself as well, but at the very least would assign someone else to this. But who else can I trust to handle this?"
"Soldin is certain that... my father died then. Virad is certain that he did not. Perhaps a manipulation by Lord Zedney, but... so many other seem to think it is the case. That a smuggler who 'knocked up'," she says, saying the words in as uncomfortable a manner as exists, " a Jedi would fake his death to escape his responsibilities... I cannot deny that it is not impossible..."
She sighs. "...but I am still too close to this. After Virad attempted to extort credits from me in exchange for information on my father, I... I did grow angry. More than I have felt in some time. I threatened to return her to her imprisonment, where they were torturing her. When she ran, I lashed out, far harder than I wanted, and could have seriously injured her."
"...but Zedney must be stopped. The potential for these weapons is not insignificant. And who else can do this? Master Soldin would be even closer than I to this, Master Farworlder would overreact to the background, Olle, Sestra and Sasmi, while they know the background and can use the Force, cannot rely upon the resources of the Republic... and the same goes for Jace, Seiyd and Jaade. And Cordae... he would, if I asked him, I know. But his planet's neutrality must be kept paramount, and he is far too public a figure to act openly here."
She sighs. "...no, I must take this mission for myself. I only wish I knew what I was hoping for; my father alive, or my father to be the good, honorable man that my mother believes him to be."
Without another word, she ends the log, and walks away.
