NationStates Jolt Archive


The Eye's Gaze and the Inquisitor's Cross

Jagada
02-10-2006, 04:36
{Topaz, The Republic}

Tokugawa Hidenaka slung his arm over, his hand slamming down on his alarm clock silencing its continued beeping. He slowly sat in his bed and looked around at his room, the twilight of early morning only illuminating it a little. Though his room was something that didn't need to be illuminated, for there was little to be impressed with as clothes were everywhere, books opened on every one of his three desks, and his television almost completely engulfed by the every growing pile of papers around it. The room stank of mold, probably from food left in it. He fumbled around on the nightstand next to his bed until he found the object he was looking for, the remote, with a click the television in front of him slowly lit up engulfing the room in artificial light. Has was his routine, he'd awoken just in time to view the morning news and this morning was no different.

"...in other news Grand Navy vessels have left the port of Inn and are reportedly heading out to engage the invading Killian Fleet some miles off the coast. Highest Minister Kalia is calling the defense admirable and says she has full confidence. Though others, especially members of the Army and Air Force are not buying into the Highest Minister's positive attitude, and already the Army and the Air Force are calling in reserves upon the pre-text of an approaching foreign invasion..."

Tokugawa shook his head in annoyance the Army and the Air Force were destroying morale in the Navy by doing that, despite the fact that their reasoning was perfectly sound. The Grand Navy had not won a battle in close to a thousand years, why should this battle be any different? Resting his prejudices against the Navy, Tokugawa got out of bed and began his daily routine of brushing his teeth, showering, and preparing for that day's work. As he finished and prepared to walk out the door his cell phone began to chime.

"Tokugawa here," he said has he answered.

"Got a body at Trinity and Earny. Meet me there," stated the voice. Normally Tokugawa would demand for a name, but he knew the voice. It was that of his partner, Hara Masamoto. He didn't bother to say buy as the line went dead, his partner was often very serious when it came down to bodies being found. Tokugawa sighed, he knew it was because Hara's daughter had been found that way only a year ago the victim of a corrupt priest. He could shake his head at that, the position of spiritual leader be they called a priest or a preacher was the most corrupt 'job' in Jagada because it was the most respected and many just couldn't understand why someone who was suppose to be man of God could do such horrors. Tokugawa knew better than to believe that, all men sinned and priests should be the most watched for it.

Wasting no more time pondering on the failures and imperfections of his country he made his way out the door of his room, and then out the door of his house--he often questioned why he needed a house since he didn't have a family, but he couldn't bring himself to live in the crime infested apartment complexes. He exited his house and entered his small, tan colored 'Triumph' Robinson, not the best or most fashionable car but it cut down on gas due to good mileage. As he made his way down the streets of the suburbs of Topaz he couldn't but notice the almost 'run-down' feeling that loomed over the place. Crime was rising in the neighborhood and even though he was a detective there was little he could do about it. Then again it seemed Jagada had been slowly dying for forty years. He passed by one of the many almost duplicate statues of Lord Jagada which inhabited almost every street corner in the Republic. It constantly reminded people of the last time their country had pride and considering Lord Jagada left Jagada for unknown reasons, didn't help the people's present day morale. Twenty-minutes passed before he turned down the roads he needed to, Trinity and Earny. The roads were of coarse backwoods roads since they were not paved and the signs indicating the roads named didn't look much older than a few months. Tokugawa had use to do that for a living during his college years (naming signs that was) and could easily determine the age. He stopped his tan 'Triumph' about twenty years from the crime scene has the flashing lights of the Yari Samurai automobiles along with the ambulance covered him in red and blue light which were easily the dominate colors in the still twilight hours. He made his way and flashed his badge a few times to make sure he didn't get tackled by some over-zealous newbie. He made his way over to a grouping of people; one of them was tall with a shaven head and broad shoulders. It was Hara.

Tokugawa walked up and glanced in-between the various men and women standing around to see a pale body, almost naked if he had been stripped of his boxers, lying on the ground his eyes open and opened wide. Hara moved out of the way, or at least made enough room by shifting his massive bulk around to convince others to make room, Tokugawa kneeled down to examine the body more closely. He noticed the man's neck was inflamed and bloody, an indication that he was violently strangled.

"If you haven't already guessed," said one of them men, his name being Akimoto Uchiyoshi, his captain, "The cause of death is suspected to be strangulation."

"I guessed right then," said Tokugawa while continuing to examine the body, he sighed before standing back us, "Do we have an estimated time of death?"

"Doc says he has to have been dead for at least two days, maximum would be three," said Hara coldly, as was his personality or at least so since his daughter's fait. Tokugawa nodded at the answer and looked around the crime scene as various detectives and Yari Samurai examined the area. "Anything else? Evidence in the area maybe?" stated Tokugawa. To which he got only shaking heads. He shrugged, since that was usually the case, and began to search the area himself by borrowing a flashlight from one Yari Samurai. As he aimed his light towards a street he heard a vehicle barrel down the road, probably just barley in the legal speed limit. He turned around and watched the vehicle fade into the distance. He shrugged; this was a back road after all. Suddenly there was a commotion behind him back at the body and Hara immediately began calling him over. "What?" questioned Tokugawa looking over the body again? A flashlight was aimed at the earlobe of the body, which was twisted around by one of the gloved detectives to show a Cross had been carved into it. Tokugawa kneeled down and looked at it for himself, it looked like the Cross was carved over something, he leaned forward to see what it was...

"There is one carved on this side too," stated Hara pointing to try and show a Cross was carved into the other earlobe. Tokugawa shook his head in annoyance, "Great, a cult killing." Cults were something he didn't like getting involved with; beyond being dangerous they often had a lot of influence. Hara looked just as annoyed. As Tokugawa stood he realized how old the man was, he'd overlooked it when he first arrived. "Alright, who’s leading this case?" said Tokugawa, often many detectives were called to a scene to work has a semi-unit on it. Though when everyone looked at him Tokugawa threw his hands into the air, "Whoa, I hate working cultists!" Which didn't earn him anything more than some weary chuckles, he allowed his head to hang in annoyance, "Fine. Get the body ready for autopsy. I'll try to figure out who this guy is." The other smiled -- nobody liked cult duty.