Cuffs, Claims, and Explosions

Cuffs, Claims, and Explosions
Date of Scene:	21 June 2025
Location:	Aklyrr Bend - Tenoo
Synopsis:	Hedicole and Weniscio are interrogated about the excavator incident that killed Dresda.
Cast of Characters:	159, Pike Windu, Navi, Cayde Alexis

---

Athena (159) has posed:
Thankfully, Rinah made quick work of her husband - within a few hours, all three of them would have received a message from Vons letting them know that Hedicole had showed up, despite how reluctant he'd been to cooperate or show himself prior.

As for Windu and Vons, they'll have discovered this much about the Dug - he did have a death mark on him after all. After some needling, he'd admitted to it, and he'll be whining quietly about how everything is so unfair when the others arrive.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike kneels by the lake in deep meditation, completely oblivious to the Dug's complaining.

Navi has posed:
"Looks like the gang's all here," Navi observes as she approaches the lake, noting the presence of Hedicole, the whining Wenisicio, Vons, and the unflappable Master Windu.

"Oh, quiet down," she admonishes the Dug softly. "You're lucky it's us talking to you and not Republic Security. I can confirm that the guy they sent out here is a colossal jerk."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde is there too, although he hangs back from the group a bit, watching them with an unreadable expression.

Athena (159) has posed:
Upon seeing Cayde, Hedicole seems a bit wary. However, upon seeing Navi he calms down a little bit. "He's not going to try to mess with my mind anymore, is he?" he asks Navi.

The Dug doesn't respond to Navi's admonishing, instead, just stares at the ground and shakes his head, muttering incomprehensibly.

Vons splashes some water onto Pike. "Wake up, old man. We're all here, so we'd better get this show into hyperspace, before Mondrian catches wind of it all."

Thaarin falls back to step into stride beside Cayde. He taps the young padawan on the shoulder gently to get his attention. "Is everything alright?"

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike finishes a mumbled mantra before rousing. In one fluid motion, the Jedi rises to his feet. "Ready."

Navi has posed:
"Anything Cayde does will be under the supervision of Master Windu, Thaarin, and myself, to prevent any more issues like what happened at the club," Navi replies to Hedicole, glancing between Cayde, Pike, and the Chadra Fan. "So you're quite safe." Thaarin gets a nod for staying with Cayde.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods at Thaarin's question, looking away when Hedicole asks if he going to mess with the Chadra Fan's mind. Maybe it would be better if he weren't here.

Athena (159) has posed:
Vons arches a brow at Pike, and motions for him to come over to where Weniscio, Hedicole, Navi, and Cayde are either standing or sitting.

"Now no one's accusing anyone of anything. Yet," the private investigator continues. "But we'd like to know--"

However, once the Dug sees Hedicole, he jerks on the cuffs securing him to Master Windu! He'll have to stand his ground firmly to keep him from lunging at the Chadra Fan, an accusatory finger pointed. "You lying sleemo!" he cries, "you're trying to peg all this on me!"

Thaarin frowns at Navi's comment, but doesn't say anything. "We can talk later," he tells Cayde gently, but then the Dug seems rather interested in attacking Hedicole!

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike is caught off guard and stumbles. Annoyance crosses his features, "Calm yourselves."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    As Weniscio suddenly starts threatening to become violent, Cayde tries to enter his mind and convince him to calm down. No one was trying to make any accusations just yet.

Navi has posed:
Navi scowls, resting a hand on the collapsible staff strapped to her medic's satchel. "You're not making a very good case for your own alleged good behavior up to this point," she admonishes the Dug. "You agreed to this. So kindly knock off the hysterics, so we can begin?"

Athena (159) has posed:
Weniscio glares at Pike, and then Navi. "Calm? Calm?! How am I supposed to stay calm when this mangy little womp rat is trying to put me behind bars for something that isn't even my fault!!" But when she tells him to knock it off, combined with Cayde's attempt at telepathic calming, he relents a little. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead and ask him. I never forced any clients on him. That was all him." he says, sneering.

Hedicole frowns. "Navi, what's going on? What's he talking about? What do you want to know from me, specifically?"

Pike Windu has posed:
    "I am a Jedi Master and I have given you my word. Cooperate and you are free to go."

Navi has posed:
"Master Windu is completely correct," Navi adds in support of Pike and Cayde's efforts. "This isn't a trial, and nobody is under arrest. We're here to find out the truth about an incident, an alleged accident, that resulted in the death of one colonist and the injury of another. That's all."

Athena (159) has posed:
Weniscio frowns, seeming skeptical of Pike's statement, but he doesn't comment. He seems even more disinclined to believe Navi. She gets a mean look.

Hedicole looks over at Navi uncertainly. "You haven't answered my question," He says, "why am I here? What do you want to know from me, that warrants Weniscio being here?"

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike does not have the questions, so allows Navi and Von to ask them.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    A silence hangs in the air as Pike doesn't answer, and Cayde...well, his gaze seems fixated on something distant, like on the other side of the lake or something. Except it's too far away to for the unaided eye to see anything over there.

Navi has posed:
"Oh... sorry. Trying to address everyone here, so I don't have to repeat myself too much," Navi says apologetically to Hedicole, ignoring Wenisicio's mean-mugging. "Mostly we need to know anything you know about that accident, anything you may have done to cause or prevent it, your reasons for doing so, and especially if anyone else is involved, whether they're citizens of this colony or not."

"Same with him," she continues, nodding at the Dug. "He's here because he's also involved, we can't get a straight answer out of him, and he's making accusations against you about the same accident. Not to mention because Xera Graf's security droids dragged him in and dumped him out right on the floor of the mess tent. So we've brought you both here to try to sort out what actually happened. Like I said, it's not a trial, and nobody's under arrest."

Athena (159) has posed:
"I didn't cause it," Hedicole immediately defends himself. "I modified a device according to Weniscio's demands. You know why, I've already explained that part," He says, "Wensicio was the one who did only light knows what with that device...!"

The Dug lunges towards the Chadra Fan again. "See!! See what he's doing!! He's blaming it all on me!" The cuffs with dig into Pike's wrists again.

the Dug points accusatorily at all of them in turn. "You're all on his side, just 'cos he's.. he's a family man and all that! Well, tell that to storeowners who got their locations trashed by the gangs whose speedbikes he serviced!"

Thaarin taps Cayde on the shoulder again to get his attention. "You can tell me anything, you know," He says softly, watching the Chadra Fan and the Dug go at it out of the corner of his eye.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike jerks on the cuffs. "Tell us what you did with the device."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde blinks when Thaarin taps him, turning to the other young man. [Thank you] he signs, his gaze going over to the argument that's about to ensue. He remembers recently reading about a technique sometimes used to resolve difficult disagreements within the Order and even outside of it at times, by creating a telepathic bridge between two parties, as tension was often created by misunderstanding. But with these two and not to mention himself, it might just be too risky.

    Right...as per usual, with anything useful he could ever do with his gifts...

Athena (159) has posed:
"I didn't...I didn't do anything other than what I was supposed t'do!" Weniscio cries desperately and defensively. "And then it blew up. We all fell down into a pit, and Dresda didn't make it. Simple as that! I didn't do nothing wrong. Just a malfunction, that's all."

He points a finger at Hedicole. "He was the last one t'look at it. He should be the one on the chopping block, not me...!"

He glares at Navi, and then Pike, in turn. "You don't know him like I do--!"

Thaarin smiles faintly at Cayde. "What are you thinking about?" he encourages gently.

Pike Windu has posed:
    The Jedi frowns at the Dug. "So tell us, what were you supposed to do that you did?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde hesitates, but eventually he pulls out one of those icons that he'd made out of the squares Thaarin had given him. This one is a simple picture of a bridge. He nods slightly toward the two of them, but then shakes his head and puts the image away.

Navi has posed:
Navi nods to Pike, glaring at Wenisicio. "Somehow I think you're not telling us everything. Tell us what you were /supposed/ to do with the device, please. And who told you to do what you were /supposed/ to do."

She looks to Hedicole. "This is why we wanted to talk to you both together. So you can clarify each other's explanations. Clearly his need a lot of clarifying."

Athena (159) has posed:
"He was the one demanding I modify it!" Hedicole chimes in. "I didn't ask why he wanted what he wanted done--"

"Dig!" Weniscio interrupts the Chadra Fan. "We were excavatin.' And that's what I was doing when the damn thing blew up."

"But you knew," The Chadra Fan says. The Dug scowls. "And you didn't? You're a lying little shit if you say otherwise!"

Hedicole doesn't reply, but he looks afraid. He glances at Navi. "You said my family would be safe," he then turns to Pike, "you said we'd be free to go if we cooperated. I've cooperated--" he starts backing away.

Thaarin glances at the two aliens, nodding at the tile. "So what gives you pause to try it?"

Pike Windu has posed:
    "Details, please. What was this device? How was it modified? What were you digging for?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde turns away from them. [Master said...I should be careful...] he answers, staring at the ground. Besides, Hedicole seemed rather averse to the idea of any further telepathy being used on him.

Navi has posed:
"That much seems to be true," Navi observes softly, regarding Wenisicio skeptically. "But I'm left wondering just why you wanted the device modified, knowing the risks of using it... I know Hedicole did favors for you from time to time."

"/Don't leave/, Hedicole," she commands the Chadra Fan, just as softly. "I promised we'd protect you and your family, and I keep my word. But we're not finished ironing this out yet, and we still need your help for that. I'd like you to tell me just how you modified that device. What kind of device it was is also welcome."

Athena (159) has posed:
Weniscio seems frustrated. "What are you, stupid?! I told you already, it's for digging. We were working on constructin' the new comms center. It wasn't getting things done fast enough so I asked Hedicole to upgrade it."

"He's lying!" the Chadra Fan says, indignantly. "He told me to remove the safety mechanism designed to immediately shut off the device if it became hotter than a certain temperature! He knew the risks, and demanded I do it anyway. I .. I didn't have a choice!"

Thaarin frowns. "We may reach a time soon where we must move past that," he murmurs softly.

Pike Windu has posed:
    "Now we are getting somewhere." The Jedi looks at Von and then Navi. "Any more questions?"

Navi has posed:
"Why did you not have a choice?" Navi asks Hedicole, more gently this time. "What would have happened if you had refused, and who would've been behind it?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    [Then let others decide] Cayde replies, shrugging when Thaarin tells him that it might become necessary. He just continues to watch the scene play out for now.

Athena (159) has posed:
"...." Hedicole starts to back away. "I just knew that if I said no, soon rather than later I'd be in trouble, with no way to get out," he says, "can I please go? I've answered every question you've had for me and I can say earnestly there's nothing else to know about the situation!"

Vons just nods at Navi, echoing her sentiment. "If I'm guilty he's just as guilty!" the Dug accuses.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike holds up his cuffed arm. "Release him if there are no more questions."

Navi has posed:
"So you modified an excavator, rather unsafely, so an impatient Dug could get a job done faster, and it behaved unsafely, resulting in a preventable accident? Just to be sure I'm clear on all of this?" Navi asks, arcing an eyebrow.

She looks to her companions, especially Vons and Master Windu. "Boy, was /this/ ever anticlimactic... even if we /were/ going to arrest them over this, I wouldn't take it to trial... or maybe I'd just sentence them to staying in this colony permanently and sharing a residence... except then Peeka and her brothers would probably start using me for a jungle gym."

"Hedicole, just who would you be in trouble /with/?" she asks the Chadra Fan. "This kind of trouble usually has a face and a name."

Athena (159) has posed:
"Yes, please," Hedicole agrees with Pike, "if there's no more--"

But then Navi starts describe the situation rather negatively, Hedicole frowns, and immediately becomes accusatory again. "He left the part out about knowing Dresda would be there! He acted recklessly, in hopes that something bad would happen that could be chalked up to just an accident! In fact, he knew that Dresda would be the one operating the drill...!"

"Liar!!" the Dug screams and lunges at the Chadra Fan for the third time now, arms extended in an attempt to strangle the smaller alien.

"Hey!" Vons says, "cut it out. Navi, that's not how justice works. Someone -died-. Murder in the first degree or involuntary manslaughter, that's not a crime no one ends up getting life in prison for."

Pike Windu has posed:
    "We know the Dug owes a lot of credits. Did someone put you up to this to clear a debt?"

Navi has posed:
"CUT THAT OUT, /NOW/!!!" Navi snaps at Wenisicio. "Mister, you're a microsecond away from catching a staff in the guts, so you can damned well behave yourself!"

"I'm not surprised. Cayde and I saw him lose big in a Sabacc game in Kublop Springs a while back, and some of the money he owed was to those masked pirates that are on-world," she adds, nodding to Pike.

She looks to Vons afterward, shaking her head. "You don't get life in prison for involuntary manslaughter... which is the most Wenisicio would get, since we can't prove he set Dresda up to use the faulty equipment while knowing it would kill him. Besides, we gave our word that he would be free to go."

Athena (159) has posed:
"What!" the Dug says, massaging the cuffed wrist. "Of- Of course not!" he growls.

Vons frowns. "It could be for him," he says softly. "On a scale of long lived to short lived with Dowutins being a ten, the Chadra Fans are probably a one or two..." His brows knit together, and his expression hardens. "You gave your word. I didn't. The law is the law. Even if Weniscio didn't mean to kill Dresda, Hedicole was complicit in modifying the device in a way that he knew would cause an accident. That's a few years, at minimum. And if Weniscio's lying..." He sighs. "It really could be life for Hedicole."

"You owed Dresda money, didn't you?" Vons says, "and you had access to the work schedules and assignments for the day. Everyone in the colony has that, for their particular role or job."

Weniscio looks away, mumbling.

He turns to Thaarin and Cayde. "We're gonna have to look into the work schedules for the comms center. Until that happens, we can't know if this was involuntary or premeditated."

Navi has posed:
Navi scowls again, looking at Wenisicio, her eyes briefly unfocused, then clear and blazing with anger. "You set Hedicole up too, didn't you? So you'd have someone to blame when the excavator malfunctioned... you could just point at him and say, 'It wasn't /my/ fault! /He/ modified the excavator!' and you might get off easy. And you knew he wouldn't turn you down, since he owed you a favor."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    [We can know] Cayde offers when Vons starts talking about work schedules, although he doesn't give further specifics.

Athena (159) has posed:
"He could have said no!" he insists, "He could have said no, there was nothing stopping him from saying no and nothing bad that would have happened to him for refusing!!" The Dug cries.

Thaarin stands, nodding. "Navi," he says gently, "please. We'll get to the bottom of this." He glances at Cayde, then Vons. "I'll get you access to the work schedules and assignments for the past sixty days," he says. "Let's go," he says to the young padawan and Sephi girl.

Navi has posed:
Navi sighs. "Do what you want with Wenisicio for now. Unless anyone else has anything more for Hedicole, I'll suggest we let him go home," she says. "But in the near future I'm going to ask you that question again about who you thought would do bad things to you and your family if you refused to help Wenisicio, and I'd be grateful if you could give me an honest and truthful answer," she adds, to the frightened Chadra Fan.

With that, she falls in line with Thaarin and Cayde.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde sighs when no one seems interested in his suggestion. Once again, he's starting to feel sort of pointless. Anyone could look at schedules, why would they need his help? He's most likely just bound to cause problems, anyway. Even as the others start to head out, he doesn't move.

Athena (159) has posed:
Hedicole shakes his head. "Everyone! You don't understand. Being poor and undocumented... you're going to get taken advantage of sooner rather than later. Cashing in favors is the best you can do in this cruel galaxy." And then he hurries off, away, back into the woods, disappearing from view.

Thaarin smiles faintly at Cayde and starts to usher him along. "I may need your slicing skills," he says, "Syra is offworld, and we'll need her admin access to look at post data."

Vons notices Cayde's downcast expression and a flicker of guilt? Crosses his. "Look," he says, "knowing is one thing, proving it is another. You can't just tell the court that 'you read the defendant's mind, and they're lying.' Anyone could say that, and it'd be impartial for them to automatically believe you just because you're a Jedi. We need evidence we can present, that lawyers will utilize in building their case." With that, he turns and starts heading for the comms center construction site.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    [I am not very good] Cayde tells Thaarin regarding slicing. He'd only learned it recently.

    Vons' words don't really seem to encourage him, either. Yes, exactly, so again he is not much use, is he? [I understand] he signs, nodding, although he doesn't look at Vons.