It’s 4 AM local time and we open with an image of two towers — the two tallest buildings in the area. We see gritty marketplaces where dirty people buy dirty vegetables and speak some sinister-sounding language. A wiry thirty-ish Caucasian man enters a ground floor apartment whose bleached wood “hookers and beggars” exterior tells us it’s a seedy hotel. He enters a room, releases an electronic lock on a door inside, opens a datapad, picks up a comlink, and identifies himself as “Phin” and requests permission to log on. Permission is granted by the guy on the other end of the line, and with sweat dripping from his forehead, he uploads information. There’s a loud knock on the door, and guttural shouting in a harsh alien tongue is heard outside.
Dag
Dag gets a comm message. It?s from Nayda, who?s confirming their meeting ?tonight? (apparently, now) and the locale (her place, then on to the other places). Nayda seems to think that this is all perfectly normal and a topic Dag will be familiar with – for his part, Dag has no idea what she?s talking about or why she thinks they would be meeting.
Simon
At Senator Antilles’ chambers. Glass walls and floor length curtains and the color cream. Symbolic that all the interiors are transparent but veiled. Antilles and his staff (including Simon) are sitting out on the balcony having a late-night meeting regarding the speech for tomorrow?s nomination to the role of Supreme Chancelor.
Corvo/Keema
Corvo is watching the news on a huge screen at the Antilles Coruscant Security station. A reporter is announcing the nomination taking place that morning, where “Antilles is expected to clinch the minority nomination for Supreme Chancellor.” Illyan arrives. Everyone assembles in a conference room. Illyan announces that there is word of an assassination attempt aimed at Senator Antilles by a well-funded group from the Outer Rim. Illyan implies that a local anti-separatist group probably hired the assassins. He tells them to check the background of all of Antilles’ people (lots of new staff due to the campaign for Chancellor) and cross-check it with known terrorists.
Jedi
The Jedi have been alerted to the threat and take note of a frieghter from the Outer Rim that crashed near the poles of Coruscant while on a very non-standard flight path. Suspicions rise, and the pair are dispatched to investigate.
Dag
Dag flies back to Coruscant while agonizing over if he should go to Nayda’s, what to where if he does, and whether to call and ask Corvo for advice. Arriving at Nayda’s pad he is admitted automatically by the facial recognition software, but no one is there. He looks around, and discovers several death sticks hidden in the wet bar area, but no Nayda and no sign of her. Corvo tells Dag to check Nayda’s email.
Simon
Someone on the comm to Sen. Antilles and it’s very important. It seems that they are about to air a nasty story about Antilles and wants his comment. Antilles threatens a suit if said story is aired. Simon listens in. Antilles hangs up and refuses to talk about the call.
Corvo/Keema
Illyan asks Corvo/Keema to stay behind. Illyan proceeds to inform them confidentially that someone working for his group might be in on the assassination attempt, and they have to find out who. Illyan informs him that Sate Pestage is coming by to brief Corvo further. Sate is an agent Palpatine’s group.
Jedi
When the Jedi arrive their scans indicate only light traffic in the area. There is no sign of the damaged Light freighter or any Imperial vessels.
Dag
Dag’s comlink goes off. It’s Nayda’s husband. He’s discovered Nayda is missing and wants to know if Dag knows where she is. She left a message that said if she wasn’t back in a day or two to call ‘this number’ (Dag’s) — it’s now been two days.
Corvo/Keema
Back at ACS, Corvo is on the comm with someone from Antilles’s security team. He warns them about the assassination attempt. From Corvo’s end of the conversation, it sounds like they can’t conceive of a way to make Antilles any safer than he already is.
Corvo lets Sate Pestage in. You know Sate Pestage is evil — he?s got a goatee. Sate tells Corvo that the shooter is probably Clawdite and is arriving today. Then he hands him a chip of some sort and explains that it will help him get into any secured database so he can do a little more investigating. Corvo asks who is the source on this information. Sate refuses to tell him because it’s classified, but drops a dark hint about Antilles’s politics and how he might cut off his ties to his less-legal cohorts if he becomes Chancellor.
Jedi
The jedi land near the crash site; the area is extremely rugged. A strong winter storm passing through the area makes the approach even more hazardous. Fortunately, the crash site appears to be on the trailing edge of the front. The wind is very gusty, and it is snowing lightly. The conditions complicate flying, confound sensors, and hamper visibility.
The Golden Jewel struck and skidded along an access rail, coming to rest halfway down a narrow street. The wreckage of some kind of speeder lies near the ship. No one can be seen. Sensors don’t show any signs of life. They land within 20 meters of the crash site.
There is no one at the crash site. The jedi scour the entire crash site. (1) There was a battle at the site. Blaster and grenade damage is apparent all around the speeder, plus inside and outside the ship. The pilot most likely survived, though he might be wounded. The cargo is gone, although the damaged hold had to be cut open to remove it. (2) Many people have been in the area, leaving tracks throughout the ship and on the ground, all lightly covered by the recent snowfall. There are four medpacs and some basic tools aboard, but nothing of real value. There is little worth salvaging. The airspeeder was destroyed by weapon fire; it shows no sign of impact damage from a crash. It was a modified civilian craft, not a security transport. (3) Tracks lead to various points around the site, then disappear completely, most likely onto waiting speeders. Within the wreckage of the cockpit are two portable control pads. Both are heavily damaged, and neither seems to have anything to do with the ship. They are control pads of some sort, likely for the cargo. Neither works, though it might be possible to cannibalize parts from one to make the other operational.
Dag
Dag accesses Nayda’s computer (after getting some security help from Corvo — her email password is ?knighterrant?), which reveals correspondence hinting at Nayda’s whereabouts. Security footage shows her leaving with Dag? WTF? Dag gets Corvo to send over a forensics tech, who arrives promptly, bags up a number of things (including the three death sticks) and takes off.
Simon
Antilles is watching the shuttle crash on the news. He walks over to his Simon and asks if someone named Hollin has called yet. Nope, so Antilles tells him to fetch him when he does.
Keema
Is on the way over to Antilles? pad. When she arrives she reviews the security and chats with Simon for a bit, then they have a ‘talk’ with the Senator.
Jedi
The Jedi encounter an patrol of four bikers trying to surpise the heroes as they exit the Golden Jewel. The Jedi are victorious, though Sharess does get winged.
According to the Jedis? briefing, Rigton is the closest city to the crash site. They head that way.