Location: Akari City Spaceport
Sublocation: Ghtroc Hangar
Time: A bit after breakfast

The hangar at the spaceport is much as the Talons left it before the lockdown.  There are no droids guarding the entrance now, the place relying purely on spaceport security, allowing each and every Talon free access.  Nothing outside the starship has been moved - not a tool, not a swoop, not a thing.

The interior of the ship is only on half-lighting, a possible effort to conserve power but more likely a sign that the Umbaran, Cor, has been wandering about the place.  The drives are powered down and the fuel tanks full.  Mark and Zyra seem to have made sure the ship is in a fit state to leave at a moment's notice, likely so that the Talons aren't stuck paying the fuel bill.

Having reached the ship, Heigren settled into the ship's lounge and waited for the others to arrive.

Flash had remained quiet for the taxi trip over as he willed his headache to settle and his stomach to stop pulling 10G turns.  By the time the Talons had all reached the hangar and were sitting in the ship's lounge Flash was holding a large cup of strong caf he was feeling somewhat better.

"So the bosses are gone and we've got three potential recruits and some Twi'lek supplier who may be an Imperial spy to look up.  How are we handling this?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:49, Fri 29 Nov 2013.

"I could talk with the Kel Dor. He's supposed to be a former soldier, so I'll see if he has potential to join us", Arin said. He was somewhat cheerful - not to annoy Flash, but a mischievous part of him might have considered the Duro getting annoyed an added bonus. "He did work on Mika, when she crashed and we could use a doctor who is of flesh and blood."

Over the ship's speakers Cor clears her throat slightly.

"Erm...  It seems that Sheila would be a better candidate for speaking to the Kel Dor - if he is supposed to be a doctor as well as a former soldier than Sheila can cross-reference her skills with his and estimate whether we would be attaining an upgrade, a peer or merely an assistant."

"Don't you think it would be smarter to share all of what we know about the situation before people randomly volunteer for duties?  I'm no tactician but I know the boss always gave us all the facts before we started planning.  Personally I think any ex-Imperial is the last person to send but the others may disagree with me.  Cor is right that Sheila has the better background, and I believe they have a bit of a rapport already.  So maybe an ex-Imp is the right choice."

Flash tried to ignore the effects of his hangover.  Last thing he needed was a fight on his hands.  "Anyway, I think Mika and I probably know more about this Bothan and Cathar then the rest.  The Bothan seems to be very good at stealing things and going unnoticed.  She also seemed to like helping non-humans escape from Imperials tyranny.  I gave her Heigren's comm code at his request.  The Cathar, well she seemed like she hated Imps and that was all I gathered.  I know nothing really about the Kel Dor or the Twi'lek."

Mika enters in a bit behind those who arrived first, taking a few minutes to gather up her tools again. "oh, yeah, he seemed a decent guy.  Not such a pain in the butt as most docs.  He got me on my feet and then didn't make an ass of himself hovering over me and all.  The Bothan seemed to be reasonable, quick to think the worst of any Human, but reasonable.  The other one, she seemed like an explosion looking for the right human to blow up.  I think it'd be best if you non-human types take them on."

"It's not unusual for people who spend their lives on Imperial worlds to be jumpy about humans.  I learned very quickly in life there are two types of humans on Imperial worlds.  Those that think non-humans are slime and those who are 'passive disagreers'.  The latter believe non-humans should be treated equally but wont speak out.  I don't blame them, speaking out against Imperial doctrine is not just risking your own life, but your family's as well.  So us non-humans learn you can't rely on humans to help.  Wether out of ideology or fear, doesn't matter."

"However, in the case of this Dohr fellow it probably wont matter.  He's already met Arin, Sheila and Mika and had no issue with any of them.  I also know he's an honourable sort.  Wasn't willing to let me set him up with an interview with Mark because the Twi'lek Jit had already arranged a meeting on his behalf and he wouldn't renege on the deal.  My only concern would be does he hate Imperials enough to work with us?  He's a doctor so he might have qualms about taking lives, even Imperial lives."

"This Bothan Fiarr also seems to have an honour code.  She seems to believe in helping victims of Imperial regimes.  She brought a refugee to the party and then not only stood up to Mika armed but lifted her credchip.  A very gutsy move and demonstrates she has real skill.  What's more I believe when she said she was going to donate the money to the refuge.  I'm usually pretty good at detecting falsehoods.  Didn't get any from her."

"The Twi'lek Jit however is another story.  Everything about him was. . .wrong.  He played the part of a ladies man but messed up everything he did, almost too badly.  He claimed he wanted to join the Talons but the lie was so blatantly obvious a blind drunk Gamorrean could have picked up on it.  Either he's the most inept spy I've ever met or he's incredibly devious, using an aura of ineptitude to lure us in.  We should treat that one with extreme caution."

"As for the Cathar I never met her.  There were a few Cathar at the party but I didn't get to speak to any of them.  Heard one outdrank a Wookie and still walked out.  If that's our girl she's got both courage and fortitude.  Maybe she has other useful skills."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:12, Sat 30 Nov 2013.

Heigren piped up again.  "Forgot to mention, I have Dohr's comm code and he has mine.  No idea where he's staying.  With the Bothan and Cathar, we know where they are but we have no comm details for them, though they have mine.  As for the Twilek I have no idea how to find him."

"Why don't we just arrange to meet the three new guys at the hotel at a time of our choosing?  They already know we're staying there, the security is tight and we don't have to go chasing after them.  It also means we all get to meet them, or at least as many of us as we choose."

"The Twi'lek will be the harder one as we have to find him."

Mika gives a nod at Flash's suggestion.  "Good idea for the interviews, I like it.  Anyone got anything further on this Twi'lek?  Maybe we should look at that one first, if he's a threat."

"I have his address and comm details," Cor says mildly.  "He will not be difficult to find.  Though I assume that if he is this doctor's friend - or, at least, ally - that we may be able to learn something through him, even if the Twi'lek himself does not turn up."

"So we drag em all to the hotel and and have a meet an greet?" asked Devon.
"Sounds fine to me.  If we like them, they're in.  If we dont like them, they go away none the wiser.  But what happens if we decide we don't like them and they're a risk to us if we let them walk?  Something to consider."

Devon paused for a moment, and yawned.
"Also, anyone planning to buy anything for the group with their cash?  me, I think I'm going shopping for ships and droids... would love to get my hands on a couple more Astromechs."  The shipjacker grinned at Cor.
"I bet you would too."

Cor's in her room, actually, talking via the ship speakers but she probably appreciates Devon smiling at her door.

"I... have spent a portion of my money already, I must confess.  I have crates arriving soon."  Her voice sounds both evasive and cautious.  "We may have a need for more mechanic droids, especially astromechs, if we gain more ships.  But do remember that our finance officer keeps money aside for the team.  Perhaps you should speak with her and find whether she intends to purchase astromechs before buying your own.  We may soon have more astromechs than fighters if she has purchases planned."

After a pause she adds, "As for the potential recruits, if one of them proves sufficient danger we can have them followed and neutralised.  Considering our use of aliases, however, I doubt it will come to that."

"They wont know anything damaging.  Just that this is a anti-imperial resistance movement.  They wont know our group's name, or our names for that matter.  They will have nothing they can use to track us.  We can even ensure when they head off-planet they have no way to let anyone know where we've taken them."

"I'm not really worried, at least about the Bothan or Kel Dor.  I've met them both and I doubt either would betray us.  Can't speak for the Cathar as I haven't met her yet."

"And the Twi'lek?  You have met him, yes?"

"That I have.  As did Arin, albeit briefly.  I already gave my thoughts on the Twi'lek.  We should keep him separate from any recruits.  If he's a spy, potential dissidents will still fetch him a price, though not as much as our organisation would."

Flash listened with interest to Devon and Cor's talk about astromechs.  A customised droid could come in handy, especially if they ended up getting a few ships that used them like some Y-wings or even an old ARC-170.  He might have to talk to Cor about that.

"This Twi'lek.  We should just find him, beat what he knows out of him then either kill him if he's a spy or run him off he's purely seeking profit.  Happy to volunteer for this detail."

There is a buzzing 'beep' over the hangar loudspeakers (and, because they're hooked into the ship, the Ghtroc's loudspeakers as well).  Then a voice can be heard.

"Got a delivery here for, uh...  Ms. Sola Numen.  'Noumen'  'Noomen'?  Anyway, uh.  Delivery.  Authorisation code is, uh..."  There is some tapping heard.  "X9-C553Z.MSGDR-6559.  Gonna need the hangar doors open.  Yeesh, what a trip..."  This last is in a hushed, muttered tone.

Devon raises his eyebrows.
"Wow, talk about timing.  Want me to get that for you?" he asks Cor.

"I can open the doors from here," Cor answers via the speakers, "but if you could meet the courier I would appreciate it, Devon.  Thank you."  She does indeed sound thankful, the smile evident in her voice.  Being stuck in one room can get annoying sometimes.

Devon stands, stretches and ambles out of the ships lounge and to the hanger doors.
Whilst he waits for Cor to open the hanger doors, he yawns again and fiddles with his datapad.

Flash watches Devon go then turns back to the others.  "So how are we handling this?  Interviews first, spy hunting first or just have two groups?  Personally I'm for two groups and I'd volunteer for the spy group."

"Personally I'd prefer to be involved with recruiting.  I've met most of the potential applicants and they seem perfect for the job.  In fact. . ."

He cuts off as his comm pings with a new call.  He moves into the corner to answer it, speaks for a few moments then comes back.

"Talk about timing.  I've got that Bothan, Fiarr on the comm.  She's asking when we want her and Kyvarr to meet with us.  I've got her on the line, but I've muted it.  What should I tell her?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:51, Wed 04 Dec 2013.

The doors rumble open to reveal CC9 standing on guard.  There's a speeder-truck just outside the doors, a smallish one, the sort you'd normally find hauling furniture or small freight around.  Not real fast but tough and reliable.  The driver looks about about the same as his truck.  A grizzled Human in his middle years, he's a touch thick about the middle and his clothes don't fit too well.  Nonetheless he manages his truck with the skill of someone who's been doing it a couple of decades.  Moving swiftly in, giving CC9 a worried look as he passes, the driver brings his truck to a stop with the back end facing the Ghtroc and hops out.

"Hooo!  Crappy trip over.  Shoulda called in sick t'day.  You want my advice, if you're goin' out, take a good stun blaster.  Better still, stay here, spaceport security's good.  You Ms Numen's agent?  She put on the order she might have someone collectin' th'crates for 'er."  He pulls a droid remote from his pocket and clicks it; the back doors of the truck slide open and a labour droid starts moving crates out.  Quite aside from being a standard droid model this one seems to be a cannibalised custom build.  Like the truck and the man's shirt it bears a logo: 'SNOOG HAULING!!'

Heigren touched his ear as his comm started ringing with a second call.  As he walked off into the corridor he could be heard saying "Hello.  Teckla here."

In reply to Master Raiwaw (msg # 25):

Devon stands to one side as the speeder truck manoeuvres inside and nods cheerily to CC9 before ambling over to join the driver in watching the odd-job droid unload.
He glanced quickly over the truck, its driver and the droid, searching for some clue as to whether 'Snoog' was a corporate name or the drivers name - he figured that was possible if this guy was self employed.

"Yeah, she asked me to collect these.  I think your choices were me or tall, metallic and intimidating over there." he says and hikes a thumb in CC9s direction.
"Name's Rian."  Devon Rian stuck out his hand.  "Whats going on out there, anyhow?"

Mika looks at the crates with obvious interest, wanting to know what's in them. S such, she sounds distracted when she points out to Flash, "I think your read on the applicants would be key."

"What's goin' on?  Hah!"  The driver shakes 'Rian's' hand and nods toward the hangar doors.  "Some crazy stuff, I'll tell you what.  The gangs are getting restless.  Saw a dozen kids in gang gear shooting each other up around a couple of overturned speeders.  Right in the heart of Akari City!  There's always a bit of that stuff goin' on in the Claws but if it's spillin' out into the main city then bad stuff's on its way."  He waves a hand as the droid plonks down the fourth and last crate before stomping back into the truck and closing the back doors neatly.  "Coulda sworn one of 'em was going to start shooting at the truck.  It's getting mad out there, I tell ya."

The crates have small delivery slips on them; if Mika went over to check one out she'd probably find out what's on them quickly enough.

Flash looked at Mika in surprise.  "My read on the applicants?  What do I know about such things?"  He showed no real interest in the crates.

"You are the security chief, Flash," Cor points out gently over the speakers, "so your opinion on any potential recruits is somewhat important.  PK-23, please pack the crates in the hold and bring one to my room, please."

Mika moves among the boxes, checking the packing slips with an air of ensuring that she shipments were correctly delivered.  "She's right about that." Mika supports Cor's comment, not wanting to use names.  Using Flash's real name would only reinforce having used one of their real names in front of a local and calling him something else would possibly be unusual enough to draw attention.

When Mika and Devon had returned to the ship Heigren looked around.  "Uh guys, I now have Dohr on the line too.  So I've got Dohr on hold on one line, Fiarr and Kyvarr on hold on another, all asking me when and where we'd like them to come in.  What should I say?"

The crates obediently stay still so that Mika can inspect them (though one is carried away by a PK droid).

Flash shrugged at Cor's statement, oblivious to the fact she probably couldn't see it.

"Fine, whatever.  Let's just get them in then.  Once that's done we can focus on the Twi'lek and our holiday."

"Gang trouble?" Rian asked, interested.  "Where abouts?" Rian frowned and stared at the ceiling for a moment whilst PK-23 trundled past with another crate. "I wonder what set them off outside their home turf... you think maybe theres something in one of those speeders?"

"It's all over from what I seen on the news feed on the way here.  Little pockets but it's getting worse.  Something in the speeder? Nah, it just got turned over in the fighting, I guess, looked like they were just using it for cover.  Like on the trids, you know?"  He shakes his head and climbs back in his truck.  "Thanks for taking the delivery.  Screw this gang-fighting crap, y'know?  I'm just gonna clock off an' go home.  Lose the rest of my pay but screw it, I don't wanna be dead for any money."

With that he starts up his truck and, unless prevented, gets the hell outta Space-Dodge.

Heigren was getting impatient.  He'd asked twice when the Talons wanted to meet with Dohr and the others and everyone had ignored him.  He wondered if this was a taste of things to come now Mark and Zyra were gone.

He shrugged.  He'd have to take care of things then.  He clicked on Dohr's frequency once more.  He spoke loud enough so those still in the ship's lounge could hear.  "Dohr, why don't you meet us in an hour at the hotel?  Cleaning crews should be done by then."

When Dohr answered he flicked over to Fiarr's channel and repeated the offer to meet at the hotel in one hour.

He then clicked off the comm and wandered outside to see what was so incredibly interesting about a routine delivery Cor had been expecting anyway.

"I'll meet the Kel Dor with you", Arin said to Heigren. He had been somewhat pushed to the side from the original discussion, when he had offered to speak to Dohr, but now that no-one was interested in the matter, he was offering himself for the job again. "And after we meet with the doctor, I wouldn't mind checking the market for used starfighters. We might just find ourselves a bargain." The ex-Imperial officer seemed rather enthusiastic about getting new ships - enthusiastic to pay for them from his own account, if it meant getting them before someone else got in between.

Heigren shrugged.  He didn't really care what Arin did after, starfighters held no interest for him.  Luxury yachts were a different story.

"Well they'll be at the hotel in an hour, Fiarr, Kyvarr and Dohr.  Hopefully everyone can attend."

He moved outside and stood near Devon and Mika, wondering what was going on.

"Oooh, toys," Cor says over the intercom, sounding more than a little interested in her 'routine delivery'.  Her PK droid says something and audibly plonks out, after which her door swishes shut and locks again.  Then she adds, "As I understand it, then, the meeting will be in one hour at the hotel.  I still believe Sheila is the best person to meet with this Dohr character, whether Arin is involved or not.  Otherwise we will not be securing enough information about his medical capabilities.  Are you meeting all potential recruits as a single group or as individuals in separate rooms?"

Heigren flicked his Talon comm to a general channel.  That way he could answer Cor's queries as he left the ship and keep everyone involved.

"Yeah, all three of them will be at the hotel in an hour.  Wether we interview them individually or as a group doesn't bother me.  Perhaps as a group since two of them know each other anyway.  Might as well have all of them with as many of us who wish to attend."

"That sounds ideal."  Cor seems satisfied.  "I will have CC9 attend as well.  I am sure that will put everyone at their ease."

Flash chuckled.  He couldn't imagine a super battle droid putting anyone at ease.  "I just bet it will." he said into his comm.  He then stood and followed Heigren out into the hangar.  Seemed all the action was happening out there.  Besides, it seemed he needed to attend the interviews so he'd need to get to the hotel within an hour.

Mika shrugs, not sure what Cor had in mind for the shipment.  Still, not a big deal.

"I think we should do the interviews separately, at least with the doc.  That way, if one or two want to sign on and the ore one or two don't, that way we have we don't have to worry so much about confidentiality."

She did like the idea of course, doing them as a group would get them done and let her get back to her other stuff.

"Separate won't be a problem either.  Not like we don't have the room to keep them apart.  Let's go grab a taxi to the hotel, bound to be heaps of them outside the spaceport."

He looked over at Devon who was seemed to be staring after the departing delivery driver.  Since the droids were already packing the crates into the ship he assumed that was all done.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:33, Wed 11 Dec 2013.

With the hanger doors closing behind the delivery truck, Devon ambled back to the ship to rejoin the others.

"So, I overheard some of that... do we have a plan yet?" he asked cheerfully.

"The plan seems to be that Dohr, Fiarr and Kyvarr will meet us at the hotel in a little under an hour.  Kimy thinks we should interview them separately, I personally don't care on that point.  Either way, we should head back to the hotel.  Don't think there's any reason to stay here."

Flash decided to take his swoop, rather than bother with a taxi.  "Anyone want a lift?  Got room for one on the back."
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:26, Thu 12 Dec 2013.

"I'll take my own swoop", Arin said. "Once we're done with those interviews, I'm going to hit the town to see if I can find a starfighter or two for us. Anyone willing to join me on this is more than welcome."

Devon perks up a bit at the idea of riding swoops back to the hotel- for Devon, any excuse to ride his awesome bike was a good excuse.

"Good idea" he says, trailing along after Arin and Flash.  "But we might want to check the local news and traffic - see if we can steer clear of any gang trouble."
As he ambled along behind them, Devon began tapping at his datapad, checking for just the sort of trouble they would want to avoid.

Mika shrugs, "Yeah, thanks but I'll take my own."  After all, one of the main reasons to come back to the hanger was to pick up her swoop.  Of course, with the driver talking about the stuff on the street, maybe she'd have to change her plans a bit.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:26, Thu 12 Dec 2013.

Flash listened to what Devon had heard.  "Gang trouble huh?  Well I'd rather be on my swoop then in a taxi if trouble starts.  CC9, want to ride with me?  Janine can hitch a lift with someone else."

Normally he wouldn't have relished the idea of having CC9 on the back of his bike but if there was trouble brewing, having a B2 Super Battle Droid with you was far from a bad thing.


OOC: Couldn't remember if Sheila bought a swoop.  I'm assuming CC9 is coming as Cor's proxy?

Heigren looks to Devon.  "I'm guessing your bike is fastest.  Can I hitch a lift with you?  You can show me what she can do on the way."

With everyone moving in their own unique ways the Talons are well-set to get out into the world and sort out their new potential recruits.

However...

Arin, when he heads over to his swoop, finds that someone has made an... addition.  On the rear manifolds, cleverly but quite obviously fastened to the manifold struts, are what appear to be a pair of training wheels, as one might find on a primitive child's wheeled bike, the sort one would give a child before they can responsibly handle the power of a repulsorlift craft.  They are gaudy, they are obvious and they are round.

"Okay, which one of you jokers is behind this", Arin asked loudly. "I believe this is the work of a sore loser. Of course, one has to understand, it can be humiliating to lose to someone flying a swoop older than your parents. But it also tells, the guy on the older swoop knows what he is doing."

Mika chuckles, "Instead of looking for sore losers, and my losing left me feeling pretty sore, you might want to look to who had access to the hanger.  if you'll recall, most of us were not allowed in here last night.". While her tone is light, ere's still and undercurrent of annoyance for having been locked out.  From her looking about, she still didn't know why they'd been unable to return.

Flash laughed.  "Normally your attempt to divert blame would make me highly suspicious of you Kimy.  Given you spent hours alone in the hangar with the bikes yesterday.  However I think it's obvious who the culprit is.  We have two people who are prone to such acts and only one of those two is mechanically inclined.  I'm also willing to bet you probably saw the culprit in action Kimy, you barely left the bikes since we came back until you were forced to leave."

Devon chuckles at the additions to Arins bike whilst getting on his own.
"Mechanically minded." he says with a snort. "Ain't those things designed to be fitted by clueless parents?  Pretty sure any of us could fit them.".

"And if anyone DID sneak in last night, I'm betting CC9 would know.  The droids were the only ones here all night."
Devon starts the engine on his bike and revs it a few times, nodding to Heigren to mount up.

"Well, I suppose I need to catch you after I've gotten a hydrospanner and removed these from my bike. But rest assured, the one who did this will be at the receiving end of a retribution in kind", Arin said. He wasn't angry - on the contrary, the whole thing told him, people were in the process of accepting him in to the group. He headed over to the tools to get rid of the joke. Even if he was okay with it, he wasn't going to take the swoop out in public like that.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:17, Sat 14 Dec 2013.

Flash snorted.  "Not like a pair of wheels will affect your repulsorlifts but whatever. Don't be late".

Flash jumped on his swoop, waited to see if cc9 wanted a lift then headed for the hotel.

Mika opts to hang back and help Arin, or at least just keep him company during the deinstallation.

Heigren gets on the back of Devon's bike.

There's a light laugh from the comm system.  Cor's obviously been keeping track of the conversation.  "Arin has not had the chance to check his bike since he brought it back here, Mika.  And as Devon says those kits are... simplistic in their design.  It could have been any one of you prior to the lockdown - it could even have been Arin himself.  It was not, but it could have been."  There's the brief sound of excited beeping.

Arin wasn't sorry about having company even if he was certain, he would not need help in removing the training wheels. He made a mental note of asking Cor about the actual culprit as she had sounded like she knew, who was responsible for the desecration of his beloved swoop.

"So, how are you doing Mika", the ex-Imperial asked while removing the insulting objects from his bike.

Mika shrugs, " Oh, I'm doing okay I guess.  It's been a tough shore leave so far, crashing my swoop, getting the bump on my head, had the trouble at the party, having my chip boosted and getting it back, the boss locking us out of the hanger....  So, how 'bout you."

"I'm pretty much okay. After all, I don't have a hangover and so on. Kind of wonder, how will I ever fit in the team with all the stuff that has happened and who I was before I ran in to you guys. Some people still seem to think me as only a little better than the Imps. But, well, I'm trying my best to fit in." The first one of the training wheels fell off the swoop. "Sincerily, what do you think about me? I mean, I know I screwed up at the race, not reacting to your crash and all, but..."

Mika shrugs, "I don't know, we haven't had much chance to get to know each other.  But the race is history, don't sweat it.  When you crash in a swoop race, you're usually dead or majorly busted up.  Guess I'm a fluke in that I got away fairly okay.  But if I'd been busted up or dead, you couldn't have done anything anyway and being okay, there wasn't any point in swinging back.  Or the short version, I got no problems with you keeping your butt in the race.

Got to warn you though, a couple of those folk we're interviewing, they seem pretty set of damning all humans as Imperials, least ways they treated me that way."

Flash flew his swoop in a most swooplike manner, swooping his way to the hotel with Devon and Heigren.

"Well, I just hope Heigren doesn't pull the same stunt he did last night. He told the Kel Dor doctor, I'm a former Imperial pilot. I don't mind fighting, but I'd prefer to fight the real enemy, not potential recruits."

Heigren held on to Devon as they weaved through traffic.  He'd never been on a swoop before and so far he wasn't impressed.  Devon was driving like a grandma.  Bored, he flicked on his comm on an open channel to all Talons.

"So guys, how are we playing this?  We all meeting with them?  How much do we tell them.  Dohr has learned a lot already from Jit.  He knows we're some sort of anti-Imperial group but not much else.  I imagine the other two know a similar amount."

Several minutes later, amidst conversation and wheels coming off...

(PM)
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:10, Thu 19 Dec 2013.

Mika looks shocked, "He did what?  That one's got no sense at all.  First it's that damn party and then he tries to paint a target on your forehead.  He's got time, he's got credits....  Who knows what sort of trouble he'll stir up next.  Best we get going so we can keep an eye on him.  Are you ready?"

There's a sharp intake of breath over the speakers.

"Oh, shit!"  Cor's voice sounds profoundly, deeply shocked.  "The...  The hotel!  Someone has bombed the hotel!"  There's a sound of hurried tapping.

Over the Talon comms Cor's voice is urgent and tight.  "Talons, report!  Explosion at the hotel!"  She adds something in Umbaran.  [Language unknown: "Nasan, erswermen avehourom!  Virheraveour entourted!"]

Only a few seconds before Cor told them the hotel had been bombed, Arin seemed slightly woozy if only for a moment. "We better get moving, then. Don't know how much we can do to help, but it doesn't hurt to try. Cor, get all and any droids that could be of assistance on the move." The former Imperial officer seemed to go in to a crisis mode. While he still sounded polite enough, there was a tone in his voice that clearly indicated, he was assuming command for now. "Cor, you'll be our eyes and ears for now. Try to get the others on comm, if possible. We'll head out with Mika."
This message was last edited by the player at 09:02, Thu 19 Dec 2013.

Transmitted via Talon commlink:

*Traffic noises, occasional white noise*
*Roaring sound*
*Wordless yell, screaming in background, deep rumbling noise*
*Static - RAK ME!*
*Static, screaming.*
*Bike engine noise,screaming and rumbling continues - Hold on! - engine noise gets louder*
This message was last edited by the player at 10:21, Thu 19 Dec 2013.

"Yes, Arin, that is what I am doing," Cor replies, sounding distracted, as if in the middle of something and answering the Imperial in a somewhat offhand kind of manner.  "Amongst other things.  CC9 is the only droid capable of helping and he is already there.  Even he will likely be in undue danger."

Then her tone changes again.  "Wait!  It is dangerous to go alone.  Take this!"  The ship ramp lowers and two small droids buzz out, hovering around Mika and Arin.  They are little M4 messenger droids, one with a '5' stencilled on the side and the other with a '10'.

'5' hovers near Arin.  '10' hovers near Mika.

"They can serve as scouts and carry small burdens and secure messages.  They are coded to your private comm channels but cannot speak on the open channels.  Rename them if you wish, they are yours to keep."

Mika heads over to her swoop and jumps on, firing up the motor.  "Arin, let's get going."  She wanted to go check on the others.  What little she could make out from Devon's comm message didn't put her at ease, though at least he was probably not so bad off.  Still, she wasn't going to crash off alone, much as she's tempted.

As the little messenger droid hovers nearby, Mika only goes with, "Thanks."  She'd have to come up with a better name for the droid eventually, having it have the same name as her call sign seems somewhat like a breach in their security or something.  "Ten, stick close."  She's not sure if the droid can keep up with the swoop or not, but if it could not she'd have to lash it to the swoop or leave it to catch up on its own or something.

Back to Arin, "Ready?"  She has to shout to be heard over her own swoop engine.

"Thank you, Cor. Remind me to buy you a nice dress or a droid, which one you prefer more", Arin said. "Five, let's go."

The former Imperial hopped on to his swoop. "Let's be careful, shall we", he said to Mika, before he started the engines and shot off the ground at a good speed. Let's hope the others are okay.

Arin and Mika find security is tightened at the spaceport but they manage to get out after a minute or two of delays.  People are pouring in to the space station looking for a way offworld.  Whatever is happening it's a lot worse than the bombing of one hotel.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:57, Fri 20 Dec 2013.

"Ten, this is Five. From now on, all comms are to be secure. I think, we found a big pile of bantha poodoo and we're heading straight for it. We need to evac our people from this big puddle and start planning for a way out of this mess", came over the Talon comms. "Eleven, can you get a fix on CC and Three?"

The ex-Imperial was shooting through the city at the best possible speed his venerable swoop could offer, which was surprisingly well for such a vehicle. "All stations, this is Five. Report condition and location securely."

Even if Arin didn't think about it at the moment, this was a good chance for him to show his skill and capability at commanding a group of people. And if nothing else, he did sound the part in a manner, any professional officer should.

Mika takes a moment to ensure the commlink is secure.  She doesn't respond to Arin via the comlink though, just giving a raised hand.  He could see her condition and she didn't want to tie up the comms when someone else needs to report in a more timely fashion.

Meanwhile she keeps pace with Arin and tries to get a handle on things, what happened, what caused it and how wide spread it is.

"You do realise that 'poodoo' translates to fodder, yes?" Cor asks mildly over the comms.  "It means 'food', not 'fecal matter'."  Before an answer can come through Cor adds, "Reports are coming in from across the city.  Several large buildings have been destroyed and there is gang warfare in the streets, particularly the Western District.  Law enforcement has been seen firing on both gang members and civilians."

<Copied from other thread>

He clicked on his comm.  "Five, Two.  We have minimal injuries but our swoops are damaged.  We'll check out at the hotel, but you need to locate Three and CC9.  Eleven, is there any way to track their comms?  Everyone report in at five minutely intervals."

"CC9's system tracker is offline," Cor says shortly, "which means he is destroyed, deactivated or the signal is being blocked.  Considering the interference in the area I suspect the last.  I will advise if the situation changes."

"Eleven, Five. Can you give me any kind of an estimate, where CC and Three were, when they went off the grid? Or at least probable trajectory? If you can, we'll deploy the droids to scout for us and start a search pattern of our own." Arin sounded more serious than usual. It might have had to do with the fact, Sheila was the person in the Talons, he knew from before the Talons. He slowed the swoop in to a crawl slowly enough to give Mika a chance to do so as well without breaking hard.

"Two, can you still limp back to the ship or do you need assistance?" If the answer was no, then they'd need to get a vehicle to haul their personnel and the damaged swoops back to the ship. "Also, I suggest getting out of sight, in case the local law enforcement shows up."

Mika glances over at Arin now that they've slowed to a crawl.  "They've got to be pretty close to a straight line between the hanger and the hotel, at least I'd think so."

She thumbs her comlink, "Three, ten here.  You reading us?"

Glancing around, the enormity of the destruction is makes itself felt.  "What the hell caused all this?"  She asks in Arin's direction, struggling to keep the shock down to a manageable level.  There were things needing doing, and standing around gaping wasn't going to do nobody no good.

"Two, that was my plan. Just asking, so I know, what to do after we've gotten CC and Three. Try to get back to the ship in one piece."

Arin looked over to Mika. "I have not even the faintest idea, but whatever it is, we want to get offworld as soon as we've got our people gathered. Now, let's send the droids out and see if they can serve as our eyes out", he yelled across the gap between the swoops. He beckoned at his small droid to get in close. "I need you to find unit CC-9 and the organic unit number Three. When you find them, observe and report. I will advice you further then."

Mika waves her own droid over, "Ten," she was going to have to get the droids' name changed or this was just going to get complicated.  "Get up and see scan for a wrecked cab with a human and a battle droid as passengers."

To Arin, "Head straight for the hotel or do we want to shift to one side or another?  I think it best we not split up."

"We stick together. Are you armed?" Arin seemed adamant about not splitting up right now. "We find them, get them out and regroup at the ship. Once we're there, we figure out if the others still need our assistance to get to the ship." It wasn't exactly much of a plan, but the situation was constantly in motion and they needed to get things moving.

The two droids hover about the Talons briefly as they receive their orders.  Then they both buzz off on their way.

"....in?  Is any...
...can't see.  Droid's down.  Major...
...taxi's completely ruined.  I think w-..."

More static and then the comms go dead.

Hopefully that's enough for Cor to trace the signal.

<NPC'd>
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:35, Sat 21 Dec 2013.

"Arin, we'll need to continue on towards the hotel and then flair off to the sides.  You ready to move forward?". She considers the data pad information, holding the pad so that Arin can look as well.

Arin slid closer to Mika's bike in order to see the datapad for the information Cor was sending and made a mental note of getting one for himself as well. Upon seeing the data, he nodded. "No time to waste, then. We'll find them." He accelerated the swoop in to a dive towards the estimated location at the best possible speed.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:20, Sun 22 Dec 2013.

It's a shaky trip but before too long the pair reach the hotel site.  The location Cor has sent seems easy enough to find.

They've seen more than a few emergencies on the way.  The skyline of the district has completely changed - some of the tallest buildings have been torn down with explosives, the dead and injured litter the streets, smashed speeders and roaming gangs can be seen all over.  Even now the looting has started and what was a panicked populace looks to be turning riotous.

<Arin, Mika, head to the Grand Hotel thread, if you please.>

Back in the hangar, Things Happen.