"hmm very disturbing this all is"
I take comlink and call Kellan, when I finally get her: "it seems that our friend (!) Ascar has a lightsabre! and he has a source of incom which is not yet revealed watch out, friend"
"Mah can you ask Moran for the local judicial and law records? if u dont get them without questions forget it"
"After this I suggest we hit the streets to see what we can find there"
(Gundark saw the sabre as part of his museum collection. It is part of what makes the collectioin impressive because privately-owned sabres are rare. He did pay a LOT for it!)
Mah, Moran sas he can get you that information... but he doesn't sound very happy about it!
Now, what sort of area are you going to try to find out about Ascar from, Fire? Rich area, poor area, that sort of thing... depends what sort of people you think might know about him.
Ok, you head into the rather obscure facade of the high-class dodgy areas in the capital...
You quickly discover that nearly all organised crime here is gambling related. Malastare is one of the few Republican worlds that allows gambling- but it is strictly regulated, with very firm limits on how much any one person can win or lose. Harsh penalties exist for those who try to break these limits, but a thriving underground business in such illegal gambling exists.
Many people adopt a "Jedi? Whatever it is, I didn't do it..." attitude to you when they see you, but some are easily persuaded and others just don't want trouble from the Jedi. You soon establish that yes, Ascar is a well-known name in the gambling movement, though you would be more likely to fly by flapping your arms than actually get a case against him. But gambling is where his money is from- legally and otherwise (there is a legal casino in that building of his!)
Thing is, Ascar had a bit of a gambling reputation even before he made his fortune- because apparently, he is very, very good at it... they say the money he made before he came here, which he has multiplied with his gambling business since then, was made by gambling in person. They say he won over a million credits in one night from the right hand man of a mjaor Hutt boss, high-tailed it out of Hutt space quickly and came to Malastare. He is a devastating card player, they say, and the coolest guy under pressure any of these people have ever met!
Moran's main problem is with hassling Ascar. He reminds you that Kir is a very important man around here, and has previously taken out court injunctions to stop more investigations into his affairs.
Moran will not refuse your request, of course, but he wants you to know of the hassle involved for him. Will you insist on seeing that info?
Oh, sorry Gundy, I meant the request to see Ascar's legal record. Nah, he wants YOU to handle the actually seeing Ascar stuff. I reckon Sieri will go with you, at least.
Grevor, on the other hand, will stay here. He is happy to advise but this isn;t his mission- a mission he disapproves of in any case.
Right, the legal record for Malastare shows that there have been a number of attempts over time to try and bring down Ascar on various fraud and other accouting charges, and several VERY big attempts to try and prove that his gambling profits are illegal- none of which came close to succeeding.
There have also been several considerable attempts to prove allegations against Persis, who is apparently a suspect in a major smuggling operation in a nearby system. Mainly due to Ascar's protection, these attempts have failed. It is worth noting that Persis runs his own security firm. It would appear that all the guards at Ascar's place actually work for Persis, not Ascar. The security firm is suspected in involvment in a wide range of extortion operations- though not on Malastare itself.
The most alarming thing is the suspicion of how Ascar makes his gambling profits- the file notes that there is considerable suspicion that he has high-lvel dealings with the Hutts, and the money is made in accounts in their space, where gambling is unrestricted. But to check that link out you will have to refer back to the Temple.