The Wheel has an arrangement with the Empire, which allows it an unusual amount of autonomy. It maintains its own private security, and under normal circumstances, there is no visible Imperial presence within the station proper. A small garrison is maintained at the Imperial docking bay, but otherwise you will not see uniformed troopers patrolling. There is also an ISB field office, or at least a couple officers, whom Agent Ostel would know how to contact.

The casinos and boutiques of the upper ring are invitation only, but the middle ring has its own gambling dens and cantinas, pawn shops and massage parlors. Blood sports are also a popular draw for certain crowds, and advertisements for several arenas are on display. Information kiosks can direct spacers to whatever it is they might wish to find.

"Three hours, Banshees. Civvies and sidearms only." It is doubtful that anyone will not peg them for stormtroopers, regardless, but still...

Determined not to be pegged as a Stormtrooper, Den goes his own way, and winds up at the Barbecued Dewback. Such greasy-spoon fare attracts its share of humans, of course, but there are a plethora of other species also represented. A tired-looking Togruta waitress makes her way over and gives a practiced smile before taking his order.

Briar changed from her uniform into her "off-duty" clothing, which had still been designed specially to make the wearer harder to identify. Finally a chance to walk around without going in circles. Briar thought to herself as she descended the ramp. Might as well make contact with the local ISB agents see if they have anything useful.

"Alright love, can I get a bowl of nuna gumbo, please? Just put on as much as you are allowed to give me. Thanks". He would offer the woman a slight smile as he makes the order. As she moves away he would lean back in his chair, taking time to casually listen to the patrons around him. It was tricky to keep up to date on the galaxies coming and goings when he wasn't on leave. It would be nice to learn a little before he heads back to the mission.

Den leans back, trying to take in the various conversations occurring around him in the bustling diner. The signal to noise ratio is not particularly encouraging, but any news would be more than he's had since leaving Coruscant. Snippets about a staged duel... dancing at the Krayt Pearl... then he hears something that piques his interest: "... just saw a fresh batch of 'em, straight from Kashyyyk. Gonna face off with the Gargantuan Gigoran in the ring..."

Agent Ostel dons a nondescript cloak and makes her way deeper into the station. As an ISB Analyst, cloak and dagger is not really her bailiwick; and apart from some compulsory tradecraft training, she has relatively little field experience. Briar does know the protocols for initiating contact, though, and she follows them flawlessly and discreetly. Tasia's Tapcafe... Now, she just has to wait at the designated location to see if any locals show. Half an hour passes, then a man in a dark nerfhide coat takes the seat across from her. "So sorry to have kept you waiting. How may I be of service?" The man has short reddish-brown hair, brushed back, and a two day beard.

Lieutenant Sturit is considering whether or not to get changed and Sergeant Arkmeda is planning his next mod,when they both hear a cry from one of the few private areas of the shuttle, which Agent V has claimed for herself. The experience on Coruscant has left them extra vigilant, on edge even, and they are quick to check it out.

But Veitra is apparently alone, though she seems to be experiencing some sort of seizure. Sitting cross-legged in what would otherwise seem a peaceful position, her body is twitching uncontrollably, and her eyes have rolled into the back of her head. A familiar presence reaches into Veitra's mind, and she hears the voice of her Master: "Your training is far from complete, but you are ready for this.. Or you will be.. Reach out with your senses.. and will them to hunt down that which you seek.. feel its weakness.. and exploit it.. Find this would-be queen, and end her for me.. Do not fail me in this."

V's condition lasts only a few moments, but leaves her feeling drained. Castar decides to get the frek off the ship for a bit, and goes to find some parts.

Den frowns a little as he hears mention of the wookies. Service for the empire was one thing, but sport fighting? That was not something he could approve of. As the waitress passes by Den would reach out to try and catch her attention. "Sorry, do you know where 'the ring' is?"

"The ring.. like a fighting ring? There are more than a few. If you mean The Ring , it is located in the central spire." The waitress eyes the Duros curiously. "No offense, but if you're eating here , you might find trouble getting into that zone. Takes friends in high places, lots of credits, or both."

Den would grumble to himself a little as he pokes at his food. "Alright, cheers" he would grunt in response, giving her a nod as he leans back once more. He should drop it, really this was none of his business. Something about this really rankled with him though. Was the empire selling the wookies as fighters, or had some corrupt official taking advantage of the empire? If that was the case, he could make the argument that it was his duty to look into this. Perhaps Ostell or Veitra could help. Stuffing a hand into his pocket he would produce the com he had removed from his helmet.

"Hey anyone want to pull a few strings for me? Before we head out I'd like to take a look at this place, 'the ring', some kind of fight ring. Stuffed shirts and high collars in the crowd, you know the type". He would pause as he considers that this request doesn't sound too professional. The more he thought about it he began to wonder whether the others would care about this in the first place. Sucking his teeth he opens the com channel again. "There may be a case of corruption, misuse of imperial assets going on". That should get some attention.

A few moments before Den's communication Briar was talking with the ISB agent. "I'm Agent Ostell," she replied to the agent "I was wondering if there has been a recent increase in activity on the station from groups acting in the Outer Rim, or anything else out of place in the last few weeks?" She asked thinking she knew what the answer was, but she felt obligated to check.

"There has been a slight uptick in the sale of arms. In fact, I was able to negotiate an excellent deal, by means of which the Empire was able to buy back some of its own weapons at an excellent price point. It was only a small fraction of the armaments which had been.. lost, though. Otherwise, mostly business as usual. Which reminds me..." Digging into an inside pocket of his jacket, the officer produces a credit stick and blatantly hands it across the table to Briar. "I can tell you're by-the-books, but if we're being observed, I simply cannot be seen not greasing your palms. Please enjoy your brief stay, and do reach out, if you need anything at all."

Is this how things really work in the Outer Rim, I knew that things worked differently but... Briar thought to herself and began reaching for the credit stick, then Den's call arrived. "Excuse me, for a moment." Briar said to the agent, and listed to Den's message. Reaching again towards to credit stick Briar said "Do you know anything about 'The Ring'?" she asked.

Den would shrug to himself before responding. "Aren't all those kind of places the same? Judging by the name, I guess that it isn't an imperial set up. Look, it may be nothing, but I think it's worth checking out. For the emperor and all that, right? I'll get the address and meet you there? You can throw a little bit of that agent weight around to get us inside".

"The Ring. Yes." For a few moments it seems like he may simply leave it at that, but he does continue, following a brief pause. "It is the premier arena here on The Wheel. I would advise that you tread carefully. If you must go, there are enough credits on the stick to get one of you in without documents. The right tip can probably get the rest in as security, entourage, what have you. Head to the Spoke and take the tube to reach the Spire. Once you are in, head down. You may select The Ring from the lift."

The intelligence officer rises. "I think I would prefer not to be directly involved in whatever you have planned. If that is all, I will take my leave. Good day to you, Miss Ostell."

"That is all. Thank you for the information, and good day." Briar stood as well, and started heading back to the ship, opening a comm to Den on the way. "Sergeant Luks, I think it would be better if we met back at the ship, so that a clear plan can be formed if the task force decides to investigate this." Briar said, already thinking over the situation in her mind There is almost definitely corruption here, but it is worth the time and risk. Also, this Ring sounds like it is full of outlaws and ring-leaders, not a good place to try and take on without much backup. Briar continued to think all the way back to the ship, torn between her desire to expose corruption in the Empire wherever it existed and her dedication to her current mission.

Castar found himself sorting through parts at the nearest parts merchant. He lifts a bin and winces, partially from the pain radiating from his shoulder, and partially from remembering his missed shot from point blank range. Now if I can just find something to fix that...

After picking out several parts, he is satisfied that he has what he needs.

Paying for the parts, he addresses the Zabrak shopkeeper. "By the way, you haven't seen an abnormal influx of parts, you know, something that could have fallen out of a cargo hold, if you know what I mean. I represent a party who's very interested in purchasing such inventory"

Making discrete inquiries : 1eP+2eA+2eD 1 failure, 2 advantage

"That would be illegal." The Zabrak at the parts counter replies, unamused. "I run a legitimate enterprise here, and do not appreciate the insinuation that I don't." He then sighs, as though he's been through this many times before. "Look, you want Scazio, if you are genuinely interested in procuring such goods. If you have some other motive.. I would strongly recommend you reconsider. For what it's worth. That will be 100 credits."

Meanwhile, back at the shuttle...

"The, uhh.. embassy, sir?" The stormtrooper standing watch sounds uncomfortable. "Baroness Trevanion is Ambassador, I suppose, but she keeps to the Spire. Receives special guests there. Doesn't show her face down here, at any rate."

Lieutenant Sturit takes a closer look around the docking bay, and apart from a couple TIEs and an old transport... it is entirely vacant.

Den would sigh as he pushes himself away from his table, slapping a few credits down onto the table as he walks away. "Do I have to?" he would grumble into the com. "Can't we just meet up at the place and go from there? Look, I don't know how much time w'll have if we're going to catch these guys in the act of, well, whatever it is". If the wookies were meant to be fighting some off world monster, he didn't want to wait time.

Castar narrows his eyes. "Listen, I'm sorry if I offended you, but you and I both know how this galaxy spins. I'm not some rube farmer or Core-world tourist you can fleece. I've spent decades digging parts like this out of the sand, and I know exactly what they're worth."

He straightens up from where he has been leaning casually on the counter.

"How about this, I give you the 50 credits the parts are worth, and another 10 for the tip? No harm no foul. Or..." He holds up his hands palms out. "I can take my business elsewhere and you get nothing for your trouble."

Stormtroopers... "Look I only have enough credits to get one of us into that place." Briar lowered her voice to avoid eavesdroppers. "And in case you haven't noticed the word of the Empire isn't exactly law out here, there not going to just reveal everything because a Stormtrooper, or an ISB agent shows up. Hanging around that place is going to draw suspicion, we need more credits and backup if we're going to do this." Briar finished, hoping that Den understood the dangers.

Veitra smiles as she saunters into the room. Looking around, she then sets her eyes on a group of males drinking together.

Hello boys... mind if I join you~?

"You do realize the parts are often more valuable when they haven't been buried in sand for decades?" The shopkeeper relents and extends a hand, ready for this transaction to be over. "The 60 credits will suffice."

Agent Ostell is making her way back to the docking bay, continuing to present her case to the obstinate sergeant. Discreetly checking the credit stick she had been given, Briar would be somewhat shocked to see a 10k credit balance.

"Look, if you're worried about them not responding to the badge, probably best not to turn up with 'reinforcements'. If there's only two or three of us, we can probably swing it. If worst I bet I can bully my way into a service entrance or something. Have a little faith alright? If it all gets knackered, we can hand it over to the locals to deal with. I just want to check it out, have a little look". Den really didn't want spend any longer preparing for this investigation. "Ok, do what prep you need, I'm going to head there, do a quick scout of the outside, maybe spot something useful".

Upon disembarking, Brecor makes his way to the local Imperial garrison, as he has some inquiries he'd like to make.

"The, uhh.. embassy , sir?" The stormtrooper standing watch sounds uncomfortable. "Baroness Trevanion is Ambassador, but she keeps to the Spire, doesn't show her face down here."

Lieutenant Sturit takes a closer look around the docking bay, and apart from a couple TIEs and an old transport... it is entirely vacant. As for the garrison...

"Uh.. sir? This is it." Gesturing at the transport: "Ship's defunct. Decommissioned from flight duty. It is our barracks, medbay, brig, communications array..." The trooper straightens somewhat, defensively. "Sir. We man this post day and night, but truth is, sir.. with the Wheel Security Force, and our rules of engagement here, there is not much for us to do."

Further inquiries would reveal that the two squads have split into two teams each, leaving just five stormtroopers on duty at any given time. The two pilots are "on call" but do not hang about the docking bay.

Sigh. "Fine." Briar replied to Den "Just don't do anything too reckless. I'll try to get there as fast as I can after I finish the preparations."

Agent Ostell gathers what she needs, and any task force members willing to embroil themselves in such a venture. She then heads for the Spire herself, concerned with what trouble Den might get into, left to his own devices.

The main entrance from the tube is flanked by two smartly attired guards, both human, as are the majority of faces seen passing this way. Entry to the Spire appears to be a relatively smooth process. One guard does the talking, takes and scans the provided credentials, while the other simply seems to be keeping an eye out. The nearby service entrance has a single guard in a green Wheel Security uniform, scanning badges. There is more diversity to be seen in those entering and exiting from this corridor.