Under normal circumstances the St. Denao Hispital probably rises majestically above the surrounding buildings like a mighty monument, tall and gleaming, a marvel of modern science.  It is clearly the main hospital for the entire city and is, indeed, larger than the Grand Hotel was (prior to its summary destruction).  The streets around it are intentionally wide and clear, facilitating the large volume of traffic found around any major hospital.  Had the speeder lanes been active they'd probably have seen streams of speeders elegantly flying in and out; as it is the speeders arriving and leaving, high up in the air, are like maddened bees around a threatened hive.

The buildings immediately surrounding the hospital are intact.  Not one has been touched; the place is an island amidst a sea of chaos and ruin.  Whatever the reasons, the gangs (and their mysterious controlling agents, if they have any) have chosen to leave St. Denao's free and unharmed.

The convoy finds the roads to and from the hospital blocked off by security guards armed with heavy blaster rifles.  They flag the convoy down to road level and stop the swoop bikes and the van.  They seem ready for trouble but not immediately threatening.

"You got wounded?" one of them asks.  "If you ain't got wounded you gotta go back the way you came; road's closed."

"We got wounded, a couple are critical."  Flash called pointing to the truck.

"Doc in the back said we have to get one to the hospital urgently.  He can tell you more if you need."

Heigren brushed his hair with his fingers, casually activating his comm.  He knew Devon and Dohr wouldn't be able to see what was happening.

"We've got a road block here.  Looks like security guards with some heavy armament.  Two is talking to them."

Kyvarr casually slipped Dohr's flechette pistol out of her pocket and pushed it across the seat to Heigren keeping her move hidden from view.

"If I give the order, pick that up and start blasting."

She seriously hoped it didn't come to a fight.  They were outmanned and outgunned.  She chose the weakest point in the blockade.  That's where she'd ram through if needed.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:49, Tue 21 Jan 2014.

Devon nodded in response to Heigrens message.
"Hey, talking is better than shooting.  Lets give 'em a minute and see what happens."

He looked across at Dohr.
"There's a roadblock." Devon explained.  "Looks official.  Forim is talking to them now."

Fiarr sat quietly on her swoop.  She wasn't totally sure what was happening but she could see the roadblock ahead.  She waited to follow Flash's lead.

The guard nods to the other guard, who lifts his rifle about three inches - not enough to point it at anyone but plenty to make it clear that funny business is not the kind of business one should now be trying.

On the bright side if anyone does try anything and survives the firefight the guards will probably drag them in and get someone to take them into the hospital, so... good with the bad, you know.

The first guard heads around to look into the van and speak with Dohr; without waiting he pulls the back door of the van open (not the best procedure for a guard but he is probably stressed and running on stimulants).  His eyes go wide when he sees the injured Duros.

"Priority three!" he yells to the other guard, who immediately gets out of the way.  "Take 'em through!"  Without waiting to talk to the doc he closes the door and waves the convoy in, glancing down the road now and then cautiously.  While the gangs seem to have elected to leave this place alone the security force are clearly not taking chances.

Flash gave a half-wave, half-salute to the guard, checked his map quickly then signalled the truck to get moving.

Kyvarr quickly got the speeder moving again.  The sooner they got the civilians to safety the better.  She headed straight for the emergency receiving area.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:59, Wed 22 Jan 2014.

As they arrived at the hospital, Dohr was prepared to talk their way in. He knew what to expect as he'd seen it before back at home and on other worlds too. In a time of a violent conflict, be it war or terrorist attacks, the government or in the absence of one, the officials or hospital management were often forced to build a perimeter of safety around medical facilities. If they didn't, the fighting would simply continue there even if for different reasons. No one wanted to be pushed to the end of the queue to wait for treatment, especially not the aggressive, fighting parties. The strongest would kill to be served first.

On the other hand he was somewhat surprised to see St. Denao standing undamaged as the people causing the havoc were gang members. They weren't exactly known to be the smartest of people and certainly not most organized. And more often than not, they lacked army training. So someone really had to behind it all pulling the strings. Someone with enough power and/or credits to unite the gangs under one goal. No single non-military group could've caused so much damage in such a short period.

Dohr managed to push himself up while nodding to Devon's explanation. But he had no time to reach the door before one of the guards was pulled it open. Apparently the man knew what to look for as called out to his team mates to let them through as soon as he laid his eyes on the Duros woman. Knowing Nien and Devon would be making sure the critical patient didn't roll about as the truck moved, Dohr steadied himself against the side of the compartment and was ready to jump out the second they reached the doors of the E.R. The emergency doctors and nurses would like to know what had happened, what kind of treatment and drugs he'd given her.

Fiarr continued to follow the truck.  When they parked her first priority was going to be Kyvarr.  The emergency personnel would undoubtedly help the doctor with the patients in the back of the truck but they might not think to look at the driver.  Plus the Cathar would probably be too stubborn to admit she was badly hurt.  Fiarr would ensure they knew and that she got treatment.

'Priority Three', it seems, is one of the higher priorities.  The van is escorted over the press of vehicles toward the front of the hospital, about three floors up.  There it is taken into a parking hangar full of vehicles of many sizes, though mostly large and medically-inclined.  A constant stream of speeders comes and goes; the ambulances of the entire city must be converging on the place.

As soon as it touches down the van is opened by medical staff and the patients evacuated in a remarkably short time.  Each is checked and scanned, then sorted into three groups - critically injured, severely injured, superficially injured.  Most fit into the third.  The people in the first two categories (including Kyvarr, if she lets them) are already being taken away.

"Okay, listen up!" calls a Human male in a hospital security uniform.  "We can't offer superficially injured patients any help.  You'll need to get in your speeder and leave, if you have somewhere to go, or head down through the hospital to sub-basement four.  That's the waiting and refuge section.  They'll get you sorted to try and wait this... war out.  It's still early hours and this crisis is likely to last days, if not weeks, so the whole system, frankly, is still getting set up.  If any of you can offer skills to help they'll sort all that out on that floor and tell you where you need to go.  If you have family or friends here who are being treated," he adds, as if to forestall the two panicked-looking Duros, "head down to sub-basement three.  That's the waiting area.  Move on, people, we need the space."  And then he moves off.

The relatively healthy civilians mill about briefly and then start dispersing.

Flash sighed.  It was all happening to fast, too much was happening.  He wished for the tenth time that Mark was here to take charge.  Hell at this point he'd settle for Arin.

"Uh right.  Dohr, why don't you take Kyvarr and get her patched up?  We might have to leave quickly so don't get caught up.  Give me your comm code so we can keep you updated."

"Now Vyn, why don't you and Fiarr head down to this sub-basement four.  Ask around about what's happening.  See if you can learn anything."

Once the others had their jobs, he turned to Devon.  "What do you think?  Can the spaceport hold out?  Can you sneak us in?  You've done it before.  Or do you think we should go after five and the others?"

Kyvarr nodded and hobbled over to Dohr.  She thought about warning the doctor she only wanted quick treatment, a bacta-impregnated cast or something, no bacta tanks, then she decided it was a waste of time.  Judging from the wounded about her she'd likely be waiting days for a bacta tank anyway.  Basic treatment was all she was likely to get and that suited her fine.  She suspected the Duros and Human were already planning their next move and she wanted to be ready for it.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:25, Mon 27 Jan 2014.

Heigren headed to the sub basement as instructed.

Devon slumped against the side of the speeder truck before he answered Flash

"Honestly, I dont know...  maybe we can get back in to the space port, maybe it'll hold out.  Maybe not.  We need to get in touch with Eleven - she'll have a far clearer idea of what's going on there."

Devon paused as several medical orderlies and nurses rushed past.
"We need to find out whats happened the others  though - but I dont want more of us to just disappear down that hole - we've already had three people disappear without trace, so when we go after them we need proper equipment and a plan."

Dohr nodded to Flash and headed towards the Cathar, but then he heard Devon's response. He turned back and limped to the Duros and human by the truck. "May I suggest something? Kyvarr will be in good hands in here. The medical staff has recognized her state and will take care of her leg as soon as possible. I could of course stay back in here and help out. But since some of your associates seem to be lost and may also be injured, I believe it would be best for me to get back out there looking for them with you."

There is a pause as the doctor seems to stop to consider his next words. "We would very much need to replenish our medical equipment and medicine supplies or find medkits or at least medpacs. There is a pharmacy here at St. Denao, but I fear the hospital can not afford to share or even sell any supplies before this crisis is over. One option would be stopping by at my clinic to check if it is still standing. There are plenty of supplies and gear in there to take us through the day, but there is high probability the place has been ransacked already by the gangs operating in the area. Also it may be in the wrong direction."

Dohr pulled out his datapad and brought up the map of Det Akari. "Whereabouts were your friends when you last heard from them?" A thought struck him, but he was not sure he liked it. His most treasured possession, another cane much like the one he was leaning on now though two decades older, had been held up in a customs locker for more than 18 months now. He wanted it back before they, or at least he, left the planet behind.

"A question, if you do not mind. Would you happen to have ships capable of operating in the atmosphere? A low altitude transport or assault ship? Something with enough capacity to fit us all? If the spaceport is out of operation and no longer controlled by the officials, then I am sure no one would mind a solitary ship landing without clearance codes. With luck any defense system they have may have been powered off too. Having a faster vehicle with at least some kind of heavy weaponry onboard would be most beneficial right now, would it not?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 17:45, Sat 01 Feb 2014.

"Our ship is well stocked with medical supplies.  Even has a 2-1B medical droid and some surgical equipment.  It's the only ship we have on planet and it's a basic civilian transport.  No way I'd be flying it in atmosphere in a war zone.  The gangers are well armed.  They shot down an air taxi with Janine in it and the bikes we passed on the way here had serious armament."

"As for our colleagues we only have a rough idea where they are.  Besides Five did instruct us to head to the ship.  Still, we already ignored those orders to bring the civilians here."

"We need to do something."  Flash sighed, no idea on what to actually do!

Kyvarr left Dohr to discuss plans with the human and Duros.  She hobbled off to wherever she could find someone to treat her leg.  The sooner she got it stabilised, the more use she would be.

Kyvarr is led to a stretcher and laid down.  Unlike most of the patients her ambulatory motion is impaired.  Taken swiftly into a turbolift she is taken away from the others.

The turbolift takes the patients up one level.

When the doors open Kyvarr can see the place is a mass of people.  In some places the press of medical staff, patients, orderlies and equipment is so thick it's hard to move past.  This is an emergency of epic proportions.  After an initial moment of confusion she is taken into a room that looks like someone's office, the desk cleared and prepared for treatment.

As soon as she's removed from the stretcher Kyvarr sees it taken away as a pair of nurses close in on her to tend her leg.

"Local anaesthetics only.  We'll be fixing you up enough to move you out, miss," one of the nurses - a tall male Twi'lek - tells her.  "No bed space for non-critical patients, hope you understand."

---

Seeing them standing around the man who had been speaking approaches the Talons.  "You need to move on now, folks.  We need the space for incoming patients."  Even as he says this several more vehicles - about half of them civilian and very damaged - fly in to drop off patients (and, in one case, the corpses of patients who died on the way).

Kyvarr nodded.  "Understood.  If you can get me walking I'll get out of your way and leave you to real patients."

The female nurse, a Zabrak, snorts as she numbs the broken leg with a hypersyringe.  "You are a real patient.  You're just not a really badly hurt patient.  Now lie still and let us work."  She gives the Cathar a friendly smile but it's clear she's in Serious Work Mode and is aware that she probably will be for hours yet.

"It's the only ship we have on the planet… The Duros' words confirmed Dohr's earlier thoughts. This group, according to what little he'd been able to put together from what Jit had told him, was very well resourced and not just some small band of guns for hire flying around the galaxy looking for jobs. An unarmed transport meant they probably had a cruiser waiting in the orbit or at least not too many jumps away from Det Akari. To him, it felt like a risky thing to do between systems without any weaponry for protection. But keeping Akari's neutral position in mind, it was probably a wise thing to do. No armament meant nothing of value was onboard. It kept all but the most psychopatic raiders, who shot everything that moved, away.

"The only ship" also sounded like the group had more than one ship in addition to the transport available. Fighters, perhaps? Armed transports? He didn't know and didn't like to speculate any further. Whatever the case, it had no impact on the current situation. This guy Forim was right. It would be too risky flying an unarmed transport through a warzone, shielded or not. The ship would present too big and attractive a target for a ganger carrying a missile launcher. Considering the hotel's location and guessing the three missing members of the group had been heading that way possibly from the Spaceport, it put Dohr's clinic somewhat into the wrong direction.

The doctor watched the nurses lead Kyvarr, Mack and the nameless Duros woman away and turned to face Flash and Devon. "I agree. It would be too dangerous to bring your only means of… well, escape in here. Better to keep it safe at the Spaceport." The Kel Dor looked both men in the eye, or at least probably did as it could be quite impossible to say due to the mask and goggles he was wearing. " I did a quick calculation… Assuming your people are lost somewhere between the Port and the Grand, then a side trip to my clinic would take 10-15 minutes. But there is no telling if we would hit hostiles on the way. It will be more than likely that someone will wish to… have a chat..  with us. However since we do not represent the local government or ACE, they might let us pass. Let me see if I can contact anyone in the Claws to find out what the situation is…"

Of course it would safer and quicker to head straight to wherever the three lost mercs might be, but without any medical equipment or meds left it would be a gamble too. There seemed to be no good options available.

"We may not have time for that.  We just heard the spaceport is under siege from these unknown aggressors.  Rian here was just going to check with our contact at the spaceport how bad it is before he formulated a plan."

Flash looked expectantly at Devon.

Devon nodded his understanding to the guard.
"Ok, we'll move.  You mind if we stay nearby though?  That way we can collect our friends once they've been treated and then get out of your way for good."

Devon looked round at Flash and Dohr. "lets get out of the way of these people.  How about we park up over there for now?" he pointed a few hundred meters down the road at what may have been a parking lot, now strewn with rubble. "Doc, can you handle the truck and I'll take my bike?"


Once they were underway, Devon got onto his Talon comnmlink.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:46, Mon 03 Feb 2014.

"I am afraid you may be right. We will need to manage with what we have. Oh and yes, I can drive the truck. I am not a pilot by any means, but I believe I can move it there without hitting anyone." The doctor wasn't probably joking, but once again the vocalizer makes it hard to notice if he was. He didn't really have a habit of doing so especially serious situations like this.

Dohr tossed his cane into the cockpit and climbed in after it. Before hitting the door's close button he turned to face the human heading towards his speeder bike. "What is the plan? Are we heading out to find your friends or shall we wait for Kyvarr to be fixed? Since her injury is not critical, the ER staff might not take care of it immediately. Then again they might as she is currently reserving a slot that could be needed by someone else. There is no telling where their preferences lie. Whatever the case, I really feel we should do everything possible to locate and assist your lost companions as they may be injured or threatened by the gangs."

Sitting in the driver's seat, Dohr thought whom to try and call. Two best options would be a pub owner a few blocks from his clinic, a Corellian called Don Bad. The man always made sure everyone knew his last name was pronoucend Baahd, not bad as in not-good. He was a typical Corellian smuggler: lively, talkative, but hid his true, always scheming trust-noone type self behind the facade. But the doctor had learned to appreciate Don as a good source of information about anything and everything happening in the Claws and outside of it too. Also, the gangs would not touch Don. There weren't too many people brave and bold enough to establish a place serving alcohol in the suburb. And like in Dohr's case, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement between the gangs to leave the human be.

The other contact was one of the medics at the Tracks, Alaina. The Tracks were an important source of income to the Claws District and in order to keep the races running, the Med Tent needed to have the best professionals at hand. And Alaina was one of them. She could've made a fortune at one of the numerous private hospitals on the planet, but being "a Claw" she had wanted to put her training into use helping the people of her home district. She too would know what was going on.

He considered it for a second or two while starting the engine of the trucks and decided to call the woman first.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:08, Wed 05 Feb 2014.

"Well Doc, I took your comm code and told you to go with Kyvarr so we'd know how long her treatment would be.  Our plans will be based on what Rian finds out.  If the spaceport is at risk of being overthrown we'd have to go fast.  If we have time, well then you guys can make a plan."

Dohr shrugged at Forim's comment and spoke with a calm and relax voice without a hint of irritation present. "Your friends of course, so it is your call. As for the Cathar, I am sure she will be able to use her own Comms to contact Fiarr or Vyn should she have his code available. I saw no reason for me to go down there as well, as I am of more use in here."

The voice softened down a little more. "And as for telling me to do something... My employment with your organization has not been established yet, so I would prefer you not to assume a commanding role over me before it has. I will gladly agree to do what you request me to, unless I deem some other option more worthwhile. If I will end up in the employ of the same masters as yourself, I will gladly recognize your authority should the chain of command say so."

The Kel Dor took a short breath and continued: "Please forgive me if my approach feels rude or unappreciative. I do not mean to slight you in any manner. It is just that as an ex-officer of the military, I can sometimes find it hard to accept orders from someone I do not know very well yet or has not been appointed as my superior." Dohr ended his words in a very polite bow, which unfortunately came out a little awkwardly due to him being in a seated position.

Dohr wasn't sure it was wise trying to convince Forim his choice had been correct. It might have an effect on his future relationship with the group. But the doctor trusted the Duros to be 100% professional about him like he seemed to be about everything else too. Yet the doubt might have been perceivable to anyone listening closely enough.

---

Diplomacy roll added only to describe the level and credibility of Dohr's little speech. No intention of affecting Flash in anyway of course. Not the best of rolls, but I'll save them for when it really counts. ;)

12:26, Wed 05 Feb 2014: Dohr Veen rolled 18 using 1d20+11 ((7)).

"I didn't hear any orders."  Came a voice from the back of the truck.

Fiarr dropped out of the truck and approached the others.

"Mister Forim, in my opinion, made a suggestion.  One I chose not to follow.  Vyn doesn't need my help, in fact I think I'll slow him down.  Besides, I wanted to know what your plans were."

"Dohr, I think Forim was pointing out that since he took your comm code and you didn't go with Kyvarr, we have no way of knowing how long she'll be or even where she is now.  A problem I will rectify by finding my friend, once I know our plans."

Dohr spreads his hands in surrender. "My misapprehension then."

Flash shrugged.  "You'll find out quickly that we don't give a lot of orders in our organisation.  Everyone is expected to be a specialist in their own field.  The boss tends to give us a set of objectives and leaves us to fill them.  Of course, if command is your thing, we have some officer positions going in the team.  Just tell the boss you're interested when we get off this rock."

He turned to Fiarr and recorded her comm code.  "I can't tell you the plan as we haven't got all the information yet.  Just be aware we may need to move quickly if things look bad.  Hopefully Kyvarr will be ready to go quickly.  We wont leave without you but if we comm and say we're leaving in five minutes and you turn up in five and a half, you'll be walking home."

Flash offered his encrypted comm to Dohr.  "I'm no strategist.  If you want to get on the line with Rian and our contact at the spaceport 'Eleven' then feel free.  I'll take your comm and make sure the bikes and truck are ready to go."

"Understood."

She wanders off to find Kyvarr.

Kyvarr sits quietly and says nothing unless asked something by the nurse.  She wanted her leg fixed ASAP so she didn't bother the Zabrak.

If she spots Fiarr she waves her over.

Dohr hadn't answered him but he assumed the Doctor would want to help with the planning.  He made a quick call to Cor, then put the commlink in Dohr's hands.

"Now you can help with the planning and Eleven can fill you in on the spaceport situation.  I've given you the callsign 'Doc' for now.  Rian here is known as Seven.  I'm Two if they ask for me.  Eleven says the attacks have lapsed for now but she suspects it may be a preperation for a large assault.  We need a plan guys and we need it fast.  I'll make sure the vehicles are ready to go."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:02, Sun 09 Feb 2014.

Heigren followed Flash's instructions and circulated around the sub-basement where everyone had taken shelter.  He talked to anyone who was willing finding out anything he could about this raid, be it fact, fiction or rumour.  He dutifully copied it all down like he was a reporter for a major holovid network.

The whole time he carefully monitored Talon comms.  He knew an evacuation might be ordered any second.



Bluff: 23
Gather Information: 33

The guard looks as if he's about to argue but then shakes his head and heads over to a supervisor.  The two of them talk while the Talons and their new allies do the same.

Vehicles come and go.  About half of them have some sort of damage - mostly from detonations, collisions and debris, though the tell-tale carbon scoring of a blaster bolt here and there can be seen - and eventually the guard and supervisor both come over.  The supervisor is a tough-looking Togruta, stepping up to address Devon (whom, it seems, the guard has identified as the leader of their group).

"You.  Human.  Get your crew out of this area."  He jerks his thumb toward the turbolifts.  "You've already been told - there's a waiting area downstairs.  You've got five minutes to get your damn hides off my landing bay or I'll come back with armed guards to 'escort' you out and no, I don't care if you'll 'only be a little while' or whatever the hell you've told my staff.  Go downstairs or get out of the hospital, I don't care which.  You leave now or things get ugly."

Without giving Devon - or anyone else - a chance to respond he turns on his heel and stalks away.  Even the least perceptive amongst them can see a military bearing to the Togruta; it seems that this matter isn't up for debate.

They have five minutes.

---

Fiarr heads into the turbolift but with no idea which floor her friend has been taken to she swiftly becomes lost - or rather, not 'lost' per se, but clueless as to where she should be headed.  A passing nurse directs her to the right floor ("Minor injuries?  Yes, it's just up there...") but once more, through the noise and bustle of the emergency staff and patients she has no idea which room her Cathar friend might have been taken to.

As a result it's Kyvarr, not Fiarr, that reunites the two.  Having had her leg seen to, splinted and bacta-casted, she is given a crutch to help her walk and sent on her way.  Kyvarr finds Fiarr on her way back to the turbolifts.

Flash sighed.  He pulled out the commlink he'd borrowed from Dohr.  He contacted Fiarr then Heigren.

"We're pulling out.  You have five minutes to get to the truck."

He looked to Dohr and Devon.  "Guess that means you have five minutes to decide where we're heading."

Fiarr moved to greet her friend but then received Flash's comm message.

"Good to see you up and around my friend.  Hope that leg is fixed because we have less than five minutes to get back to the truck."

She didn't offer the Cathar a hand.  She knew Kyvarr would rebuff any such help.  Instead she called up a turbolift to take them back to the main entrance.

"Well then get that damn turbolift up here so we can get out of here.  I thought I was the one with a broken leg."  Kyvarr growled in mock seriousness.  She made an effort to keep up with Fiarr.  She didn't want to be left behind.

Dohr accepted Flash's comm unit with a nod, sent a few contact details from his own to his datapad and then and handed the link to the Duros. Before he had the chance to inquire about Flash's call sign, the man seemed to read his mind and gave Dohr his and Rian's. Two and seven. He'd seen number in use before and knew them to be a very effective way to handle identities. They revealed very little about the rank and the specialization of the person in question, but were easy to remember.

"Thank you. Doc will do fine for now." He nodded his acknowledgement to the five minute call, hit the start button of the truck and had a quick look around to familiarize himself the controls. He wasn't planning on doing any stunt driving, so he felt he should be no problems in moving the vehicle. Then again Kyvarr was hopefully going to be back in a few minutes and might be able to handle the wheel again. Going through the options, Dohr considered calling Don Bad or Alaina first, but quickly decided now was not the time and tried to contact this "Eleven" instead.

"Eleven? Doc here on behalf of Two. We will bug out in five. Any new intel on your lost companions?" Dohr hadn't of course received the data sent by Cor and didn't know they already had more information available about the location of the lost trio. "The insurgents have so far ignored our truck, but looking at the other vehicles coming in, that may not be the case as we move out. We have also pretty much ran out of medical gear and resupplying will probably not be possible right now. But unless your colleagues are able to move fast on their own, I consider the truck our best option to get them to safety. Flying in an unarmed transport is not an option right now."

Dohr knew it would not be easy getting to the three mercs in one piece. Perhaps if one of the bikes took the lead as a scout and the other one watched their rear, they might be able to navigate through the smaller streets and allies relatively well out of the open and away from the most dangerous roads. However that would mean losing valuable time - a luxury they did not have. If they took too long, they might lose the window to get off the planet...

Devon watched the Togruta leave with a wounded expression.
"_{Actually, we were going to wait over there... never mind."} he muttered.

Still casting resentful glances in the Togruta direction, Devon started his bikes engine and looked around, trying to plan what needed to be done.  Devon didnt particularly like being in charge of more than himself - he didnt like the responsibility.  If anything went wrong, if anyone got left behind; it would be on his shoulders.  But Flash was making it equally clear that he wasnt going to take over...

"Hey Doc - if Kyvarr doesn't make it back in time, can you handle the truck?  Forim - can you do a headcount and make sure we get everyone we're supposed to?"
Not really wait for an answer from either of them, Devon got onto his commlink.

"Acknowledged, Eleven. During my stay on Det Akari I have had numerous dealings with many if not all of the gangs. They know me and respect my status in their… society. In normal situations they would not touch me or those with me, but this of course is quite far from being a normal situation. As for us getting to the spaceport, I would not worry overly much about the security as long as we can get past the gangers. Naturally we will need to approach their defense line very carefully and preferably without the vehicle, but if we manage to talk ourselves past the insurgents then I believe we will be fine. Perhaps if we could try to pass our truck as an emergency vehicle, we might have a chance to get through more easily."

Dohr took breath and considered the second option, which in his mind was not very wise given the equipment and manpower they had at hand. "If we had enough firepower to force the attackers to take cover for long enough for us to slip through, then attacking the gangs might be an option. But right now, I do not see any way of pulling it off without proper weapons. And I agree with seven. Our chances of getting through the security would increase significantly should you let them know we are coming."

The doctor turned to Rian and shook his head slightly. "I am afraid my truck piloting skills are not up to the task. I can drive the thing safely enough through regular traffic, but we could be in big trouble should I need to drive very fast or take evasive actions to keep us alive. Of course if that is our only option, then I will do my best not to crash the speeder."

After another pause, Dohr called Cor again making sure the others heard him as well. "I am sure you are all well aware of what happens if the insurgents take over the spaceport… or when they will. Getting off the planet on your shuttle would probably be very, very difficult, if not impossible. And all hell will break loose once the gangers get their hands on the ships. But I agree on what you said. The lapse in the attacks seems to indicate the leaders of the gangs are planning a more massive strike to punch a hole in the Sec's defense. That will give us some time to save your friends. But how long exactly, that would be very hard to estimate."

Heigren ceased his intelligence gathering and rushed back to the vehicles.  Last thing he wanted was to be left behind.

As he moved, he listened in on the conversation on comms.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:08, Mon 10 Feb 2014.

Kyvarr set as fast a pace as her cast would allow and soon she and Fiarr made it back to the vehicles.

"Good to go.  What did we miss?"

Fiarr looked around expectantly.  "You said we had to go.  Where are we heading?  The spaceport?"

Heigren clicked on his comm.  "Eleven, I believe you said you're in contact with Five.  Is he aware of the trouble at the spaceport.  We really need him and Ten to regroup with us as soon as possible.  Can you advise them?"

By the time the Talons finally make a move the parking bay has filled up to almost nine tenths of its capacity - no wonder the supervisor was sending them on.  Quite aside from being a 'brasshole' the Togruta was quite aware that there's not enough 'just over there' on the parking level to wait.

With no other goal determined yet, despite a great deal of trying to get each other to make a decision, the speeder and swoops sort of... hang in mid-air above the St Denao grounds, still within the safe zone.

Kyvarr sat in the back of the truck, her cast not letting her drive.  She leaned into the driver's compartment.

"We have a plan yet?  I say we find out where their weapon emplacements are.  Surely they have some.  Then we take one over and blast the other emplacements into atoms!"

Heigren sat in the back of the truck.  He'd switched his comm to 'speaker' so everyone could talk to each other regardless of whether they had a Talon comm or not.

"Any word on Five and the others?  Has he found Three and CC9?  Perhaps we should be helping with the search."


OOC:  Checked with Master Raiwaw and he says it's okay to make my comm like a speakerphone so we can all talk with each other and Cor!  Party chat mode engaged!

Flash shook his head.  "The spaceport should be our priority.  If Five and Ten haven't found our missing crewman by now, they should focus on the bigger problem.  If we lose the spaceport we risk losing Eleven and our ship.  It could take days to find Three and CC9, the spaceport could be lost in hours, even minutes.  Five needs to stop playing hero and get back here to help co-ordinate our plans."

"For my part," Cor's voice comes in over the speakers, "I would rather like it if the spaceport were not taken.  I doubt very much if the lifestyle of a ganger's plaything would suit my complexion.  However unless you are about to be chased out of St Denao airspace I advise no course of action until M4-3 reports back."

The Duros considered this for a moment.  "Will do.  We're a lot closer to the spaceport then five was when we lost comms so we can wait a short while."

"M4-3 advises that CC9 has been found and repaired, while Three has been taken to an unidentified medical facility by an ambulance before Ten and Five could get there.  She is critically injured and will be at a very major medical installation.  Furthermore Five is dissatisfied that you went to the hospital and intends to order you to search it for Three, then bring her back in a heavier speeder.  His plan for the spaceport appears to be 'hoping' it stays out of the hands of the gangs long enough for us to get off-world."

She pauses and a few taps can be heard.  "CC9 will contest that as soon as he hears the ship is in danger.  Both his tactical programming and his loyalty programming will compel him to place the spaceport as a higher priority, particularly as there is no way of telling how long it would take to find Three."

More taps.  "I am sending M4-3 to St Denao's to ask permission to locate Three under her registered ID.  There is less chance of them turning away a hovering messenger drone who can float above their heads, out of their way, so if they allow it acess we can leave it searching the wards for Three.  Not an ideal solution but one most likely to be accepted by the hospital staff and it means we do not have to choose one objective at the complete expense of the other."

"Good plan Eleven.  I was going to go back in with a datapad picture and a comm code to leave at the main desk but your droid will work better.  Do you have other messenger droids to send to other hospitals in the area?  There's no telling where Three might end up."
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:06, Fri 14 Feb 2014.

"None that are prepped and ready, no.  My PKs are bringing in more of the crates but it will take time to unpack them, security code them and program them.  Still, if the hospital staff are unwilling to give M4-3 access to search it will be a moot point in any case."

"Well if they wont let an unobtrusive droid search the hospitals then we have no chance.  Besides such a search would take hours, even days.  We can't afford the time but a droid can.  We can even leave the droid behind and arrange it to have Holonet access when it finds Three.  Assuming the Holonet is active by then."

Dohr switched off from the Talons' encrypted channel for the duration of the calls he made. It didn't take too long, but was time wasted anyway. Perhaps he had overestimated his value for the gangs or his level of his relationship with the three he got in contact with. He should've known better of course. The whole state of affairs on Det Akari had taken a 180 turn with the gangs running wild wreaking havoc; raiding and killing. Why would they bother with a single doc if they could soon be in charge of the whole planet including its numerous hospitals…

It would never get into a point in which all of the gangs worked together in peace of course. This messy situation was different. They could all just do pretty much whatever they wanted. But the hatred between some of the groups was too strong for them to become friends or even associates. Dohr was certain some members of certain gangs concentrated more on killing each other than on the assigment they'd been given. But looking at the bigger picture it probably didn't matter. It didn't matter if they shot civilians or ACE officers directly or simply turned the streets into their personal combat zone. It would create chaos one way or the other. Perhaps at some point two or three of the strongest groups would ally to share the seats of power. Or perhaps the ones who really were behind the whole thing would come in and take over. It didn't really matter and there was nothing Dohr could do about it.

Gehirr, a Farghul gambler and thief, was the first one Dohr called and his best hope. They'd always gotten along well from the moment he had saved Gehirr's life roughly 15 months ago and they'd even shared a few drinks at the bars on a couple of occasions. The rogue wasn't really a typical ganger, but on his line of business in the Claws it was wise to belong to one of the groups. But Gehirr hadn't been able to help him. He'd been kind enough to offer his help in any other way, but as he was preoccupied on the other side of the city, there was really nothing the Farghul could do to assist them getting through to the Spaceport . In Gehirr's mind Dohr's best option would've been to lie low and wait it out. He'd even gone far enough to offer the doctor his own home address for the purpose. Unfortunately that wouldn't have done much to help Dohr get off the planet, so he was forced to simply thank Gehirr and wish him all the best.

The other two were of even less use. A local human called Joonash stated the obvious: Head to St. Denao and stay in there until it's all over. Dohr knew the hospital staff would let him stay as long as he would agree to help them for free. But he'd already made up his mind. He would leave Det Akari behind with the band of mercs providing Vyn Teckla, Forim, Rian, Eleven and their leader would have him. Oh and the last call… It had been a desperate attempt to get in touch with someone who knew someone who was in charge of the attack against the Spaceport. It had been an utter failure. Kerrik the Rodian had simply laughed and then laughed a bit more before hanging up.

Dohr put down the communication link just in time to hear Forim speak into his. Apparently they'd found at least one of their team members already or at least believed him or her to be at St. Denao. He nodded at Vyn's commend in agreement. A droid would be a much better idea than a Duros who wasn't a part of the hospital staff - especially a droid that wouldn't cause distraction. The Kel Dor switched back to the Talons' channel and spoke briefly: "Eleven, my contacts were of no use. We will need to find someone on the ground or simply head up to the barricade… Or take some other course of action."

Closing the comms, the doctor continued: "I will move the truck now. I do not think we want Rian's new best friend to return with ten of his squaddie mates. He did not seem to have too good a sense of humor. And Vyn, I believe we should wait for the droid at the hospital. The guards will not let us back in just to pick a friend, if we leave."  Dohr picked a spot outside of the building, but still within the perimeter and yet far enough from the its guards. The security wouldn't risk leaving their post unguarded just to drive them away. He launched the speeder into a slow run and headed for the place he'd chosen.

"Actually Doctor, I think it would be quite the opposite."  Fiarr spoke from her place beside Kyvarr in the truck.  Up until now she had listened, not spoken.  It would be easy to forget she was there.

"The hospital staff are overloaded with patients.  If we were returning to take someone away, I'm sure they would gladly let us through a million times, if we took people away each time.  It's more patients arriving they don't want.  Oh, and loiterers like us."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:18, Fri 14 Feb 2014.

Dohr nodded to Fiarr. "May well be. Yet I would imagine the droid can go through St. Denao in a fairly short time, especially if it knows which ward to concentrate on." Dohr lifted his comms and called out to Flash. "Two, do we have any information about your friend's injuries?" After the Duros had replied, the doctor spoke on in the cabin: "I would still suggest we take our chances and stick around outside the arrival hall and out of anyone's way until we know for certainty whether "Three" is in there or not. I do not think the guards at the gate would risk reducing the security just to shoo us away. But both staying here or leaving will be fine by me."

Dohr turned to look at Kyvarr as he drove on very slowly. "It seems they did a good job with your leg. Would you feel strong enough to drive in case we need to leave the hospital area? I am afraid my skills are very poor compared to yours and I might not be able to pilot this thing fast enough if need arises."

"Strong enough, absolutely doc.  Unfortunately my cast is too restrictive to let me drive.  I can't work the foot pedals."

"I agree the droid will be much faster, however I don't think we have time to wait around until it's finished.  The spaceport is under attack and we need to get there as fast as possible.  The droid can comm Eleven when it's finished."

"Agreed - we loose our ride and we're going to be here for the long term."

Devon looked at the others for a moment.
"Hope like hell we don't have to blast our way through the gangers - we are not exactly well equipped here - unless anyone has a stash of heavy weapons they haven't told us about?  And we're gonna need a way to stop spaceport security shooting at us too...  really dont want to break through the attackers and get gunned down by the defenders."

The shipjacker paused for a moment, in thought.
"Actually, I think Hammer might have been on to something with her 'blast em' idea.  I'm thinking if we can help break the siege... they're gonna be happy to let us in.  Question is, how do we break the siege?"

Dohr wasn't sure what to think about what he had just heard. It wasn't the first time someone had suggested they would leave the wounded and the lost behind for now and head for the Spaceport instead. He could see why though, even if he didn't agree. The transport was after all their one and only ticket off the planet even if it was pretty much useless in helping to rescue the rest of the team. It was a tough choice to make and though he had been forced to make similar ones before, Dohr Veen could and would not make the decision this time. These were not his men or women, not yet at least. He was an outsider and did not really have a say in the matter whatever he thought of it.

"I would not feel happy about leaving behind three people - three of whom at least one is injured. They would probably be safe lying low, but there is no telling how or when we would be able to get them to safety. If at all. But if Eleven, Two and Rian so decide, I will comply. However I see us having very little say in what happens to the spaceport. We are too few in number and virtually unarmed. Even if we talk ourselves in, we will not be able to do much else but run. Unless of course I have missed something."

The Kel Dor took a deep breath and nodded to the Cathar. "Very well. I believe that means I will be doing the driving then. Unless of course you would like to take the wheel instead, Fiarr?"

Dohr opened the Talon-channel again. "Eleven. Two. Seven. Someone needs to make a decision and make it now. Shall we wait for Three and look for the other two or head over to the Spaceport right now? Or does someone have a plan?
This message was last edited by the player at 23:05, Sat 15 Feb 2014.

Kyvarr looked at Devon and grinned.  "Recon.  We need to know force strengths, numbers, armament.  Sadly my heavy weaponry is locked up in a customs locker in the spaceport."

She looked at Heigren's open comm and then spoke into it.  "Eleven.  You have access to droids.  Any chance of getting an aerial view of the situation?  I appreciate it's high risk but we need to assess the enemy strength.  Or can you gain any kind of data from the security feeds or sattelite surveillance?"

She highly doubted this group had such high tech data streams but it didn't hurt to ask.  Perhaps they'd suprise her.

She turned attention to the Kel Dor.  "We're not abandoning anyone Doc.  This Eleven said Five and Ten are okay and found this CC9 person.  Granted 'Three' is still MIA but they're clearly getting medical care.  Nothing we can do until the M4 droids find 'em.  We should make sure we have a spaceport for them to come back to."

"Hammer.  The three hovering droids that I have prepared are already engaged.  Two should come back into communication soon.  I have an R2 unit attempting to link into the security system as we speak but caution is needed.  The security team will not take kindly to visiting aliens hacking into their cameras while the spaceport is under attack.

A decision is needed.  If Three has medical care then she is no longer a priority.  Your priority is the spaceport, and I do not say that purely because I happen to be sitting in the ship.  Do you believe you can safely recon the gangs around the spaceport to assess their strengths?  In your swoops, perhaps?"

Kyvarr sighed but she wasn't really expecting it to be that easy.  "Understood Eleven.  Hammer agrees on course of action.  Without droids, swoops offer the best option for aerial recon.  But I'm not in command here."

She waited expectantly for whoever was in command to give her orders.

"Agreed. Apparently I missed a bit of important information during the calls I made. If none of your teammates are in serious danger, then the spaceport indeed must be our top priority… What sort of weaponry do we have available at the moment in addition to my FWG-5 Flechette pistol Kyvarr is carrying? My other weapons are also held up at the Customs, so they are out of the picture for now. Unfortunately I haven't had the need to find out more about the weapon stores during my stay on Akari. And I would imagine the gangers have struck the arms dealers and gunsmiths already."

The Kel Dorian fell silent for a few seconds as he thought about it while driving on. "But weapons we need… We could always ambush a small group of gangers, but would mean taking a risk of becoming wounded in the process. And if the word gets out that someone is attacking the insurgents… So we would simply have to make sure we do not get hit and let none of the bad guys get away. Or we can take our chances with the attackers armed with whatever what we have got."

"I didn't say you were in command, Hammer, you are not.  I was asking your opinion."

Then Cor speaks out again.  "Very well, priority has shifted.  Primary priority is to rendezvous with Ten, Five and CC9.  I am sending location blips to the entire team showing where Ten and Five are, based on their droids' positions.  Meet with them there.  Ten, Five, keep your droids close until the team is fully assembled."

Blips appear on any Talons' datapads showing a place a block from the hotel - two blips.

"Move out immediately and advise when you have regrouped."

Kyvarr shrugged and flexed her hand causing claws to extend.  "These are the only weapons I need doc.  You can have your gun back if you like.  Frankly I'm amazed a Doctor would carry a flechette weapon.  They're nasty wicked.  They don't burn a nice clean hole in you, they rip your guts out, leave the victim screaming in agony as his shredded intestines spill on the floor.  Never thought I'd see a healer carrying one.  You're an interesting guy."

Fiarr pulls a blaster pistol out of her pocket.  "Blastech DL-18 pistol, fully charged and a vibrodagger."

"You are very right and I can understand your wonder. The Malaxan is also a weapon causing immense pain and panic due to heavy bleeding. The flechette tends to have a demoralizing effect on whomever the pellets hit. That however doesn't mean I like it more than a blaster, but sometimes situations demand more drastic measures. In the Claws, 18 months back, I was forced to make it clear to everyone that using violence in attempt to try and force me to one's side was a foolish… a stupid idea. I quickly found out the flechette was a lot more effective than a "cleaner" weapon might ever have been."

Dohr shook his head sadly. "Not one of my proudest moments that one. But do understand, though I am a doctor - a healer by profession, I am soldier by heart. The contradictions are obvious, but in my line of work I cannot afford hesitation on either half." The doctor turned his eyes to the Cathar's claws. "Your weapons are quite similar to mine by effect, though I suspect you are much more effective with yours than I am with mine. And I am not a bad shot. So, yes, it might be a good idea for me take the FWG back. That way both of us will be armed." It was probably hard to tell, but behind his mask, the Kel Dorian Major smiled.

He heard Cor's voice on the comms, but didn't get a blip on his data pad, for obvious reasons. "Two or Seven, Doc here. Perhaps one of you should give us the coordinates as well. I will try to keep up with your bikes, but in case we get separated, it would be good for us to know the new target location. Lets move out!"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:45, Mon 17 Feb 2014.

"Five, I see you have ignored my advice to keep your M4 close to you," Cor says in an entirely calm voice, "so I am disabling its location blip to prevent the rest of the team heading in the wrong direction."  One of the blips disappears from the datapads.  The other, for now, remains steady.  "The situation at the spaceport remains unchanged - hostilities have ceased for now, though they will probably resume at some point.  Vyn, my advice to meet away from the hospital was related to hospital traffic and hospital safety.  I have no desire to cause congestion, nor to indicate to the gangs that the hospital may be a secure place for enemy forces to congregate, as that may make it a valid target."

There's the sound of Cor taking a deep breath.  "I would rather not die for the sake of a squabble.  Please move out.  Now."

Flash considered for a second then shrugged.  He wasn't sure what to do about Five and Eleven so he decided to play the middle.

"Eleven, moving out now for Five's position.  Five, will keep you updated of our route and progress."

That way if Arin wanted to meet them half way he could, else they'd arrive at the rendezvous point Eleven had chosen.  He jumped on his bike.

"Seven, why don't you take point, I'll bring up the rear.  Vyn, keep Five apprised of our route."

"Acknowledged, Two.  Once you regroup you will have the combined skillsets of almost the entire team, plus whatever our new friends can offer."  There's a frantic tapping of keys.  "Update: R2-A9 has patched into the local security network.  There is only so much I can do without alerting security to the breach but at least I can get a better view of what is going on outside.  The attack has recommenced but they are restricting themselves to light arms use - nothing heavier than a heavy blaster rifle."  She makes a thoughtful sound.  "I do not think they are trying to get in, just trying to keep the security force busy.  Which makes me wonder if they are not waiting for someone to arrive."

She continues without a pause.  "While you are travelling I will explain.  I need you all together because the timing of this will be essential.  Five, your ground coordination skills will be ideal for the task; you will be controlling the timing.  Seven and Ten, when they arrive I want the two of you to quickly assess all vehicles for damage and determine whether they can be used further or need to be replaced.  We need vehicles that can move quickly and take a few hits without exploding.  We no longer have time to negotiate with the gangs so our path must be more straightforward.  Here is what I want you to do.

"On local civilian maps there is a law enforcement station about two minutes from Ten and Five's current position.  I have no doubt it has already been attacked but I want a team to head there and find out if there is anything worth scavenging.  Explosives and long-range arms are best, particularly grenades, gas or smoke grenades if possible.  If there is nothing to find I want a team to rig up a speeder-bomb.  If you can set it to explode mostly out one side and to create the biggest smokescreen possible then all the better.  CC9, your explosives programming will help with that.

"The gangs have two main barricades from which they assault the spaceport, both on the front approach.  We will bomb them - with gas and smoke if possible, with fragmentation damage if not.  Gas and smoke take much longer to disperse than flak and will hamper the target even if they take cover.

"Once we know what we have to work with, we will know better how we can hit them and how hard.  I want both bunker points hit simultaneously, creating a thick screen to hide behind.  Once it is up I want the entire team to drive straight through the spaceport's front doors; I will let them know you are coming when the time is right so that they will retreat from the explosions and let you through."

She pauses for a moment.  Then she continues, "We do not have the arms to hold a protracted firefight with enthusiastic gang members who may or may not have grenades of their own, and I do not want even one of you neutralised so we will not give them time to use their weaponry.  Ideally the bunkers should be bombed from above and a speeder-bomb towed and released right in front of the gangs, with the non-combatant vehicles positioned to head straight into the spaceport when the chaos is at its thickest.  Even if you can only use one jury-rigged speeder-bomb it should create enough strife to get you in.

"Five, this is crucial.  I am relying on you.  They will not fall for this twice.  Everyone needs to get through into the spaceport under the one diversion so we need fast-moving vehicles that are not going to fall apart under blaster fire, even if you have to weld scrap metal to them.  Whichever swoops are bombing or towing need to be ready for a fast pass and then they need to turn around and get the hell through that spaceport gate.  We need our best pilots behind the controls of each vehicle and everybody else needs to be ready to fight if this whole thing goes belly-up."

After a pause she says, "Doc, Hammer, Knife: I do not know your skillsets.  Alert Five and Two as to your abilities and help as you see most fit.  Even if you choose not to stay with our outfit we will take you with us off-world and drop you on any nearby neutral planet you would prefer to go to."

"Yeah.  Sounds good." said Devon.  Revving his engine, he quickly took up position ahead of the truck and then slowed down to a pace that Dohr would have no trouble matching.  Whilst they travelled, he kept an eye open for anything that would help them with Cors plan.

Privately, he was more than a little relieved that Cor had taken charge.
Devon didnt like being responsible for others - never had.  Back when he'd been nothing but a career thief, the rule had been to take care of yourself first and foremost.  Devon and his associates had never really formed an organized gang - more a loose affiliation of individuals who cooperated.
The mindset he'd developed in those days was still with him even now: although he didn't mind taking orders - when the local Hutt boss sent you a polite request, smart people obeyed - he'd never grown comfortable with the idea of being in charge of anyone other than himself.

"Hey, once we're IN the spaceport, are we planning to stick around for a bit or skip town straight away?" he asked over comms.

This message was deleted by the player at 08:54, Thu 20 Feb 2014.

"You're getting ahead of yourself."  Kyvarr interrupted Devon.  "The plans sounds goon but there are so many things that can go wrong with this plan to focus on first.  Rigging a 'speeder-bomb' is harder then it sounds, and I know something about explosives.  Then we need to rig them to fly themselves and remote detonate on command.  Then we need to co-ordinate a simultaneous explosion.  We also need to arrange two speeders to slip through.  There's a lot of assumptions in this plan.  We don't even know if we can arrange the hardware."

"Hammer, the speeder-bomb can be pulled with tow ropes and released at the right moment.  We certainly do not have the resources to rig a speeder for remote control, nor did I assume we could.  As for the difficulty in making a speeder-bomb in the first place I suggest you confer with the rest of the team when you regroup because then you will know better what our skillsets are.  Until you understand what skills the team has and what resources we can scrounge the assumptions are as much yours as they are mine."
This message was last updated by the player at 09:01, Wed 19 Feb 2014.

"That was my point Eleven."  growled Kyvarr.

"Then we are thinking along similar lines, Hammer, and that is all to the better."  Cor doesn't sound in the least bit fazed but, then, she rarely does.

Dohr wasn't sure he liked everything about the plan Eleven had presented. Personally he would've preferred to take his chances with the diplomatic approach. Blasting their way through the insurgents was a quick, but dirty solution. The doctor wasn't really worried about killing or wounding the gangers as they'd chosen their own approach and would have to live with the consequences. The enemy, as he was now forced to consider the people who had been his clients not so long ago, had taken the path of terror. Dohr could no longer afford to feel bad about them getting hurt or ending up dead.
 
But the Kel Dor was worried some of his new companions might be hit - or he might even be caught in the line of fire himself. Yet he was no stranger to battle and knew now was not the time to start arguing or questioning the plan of a superior. Yes, he now knew the mercenary group didn't really have a military type chain of command in place and that Eleven wasn't really in charge. But he didn't see great wisdom in trying to walk over and talk her out of the plan.
 
However there were a few things that made him a little uneasy. The fact that they planned to jury-rig two of the speeders meant at least one of the group had to know a lot about electronics and explosives. That was of course good. But jury-rigged devices had a tendency to fail every now and then and if the speeder-bombs were to be their only source of distraction, then they had to work. Also the pilots driving the tugbikes would end up being shot at… a lot. And in order to hit even close to the mark with the bombs, the speeders could not be running at full speed. That together with the limited agility of the vehicles made them even easier targets. Should one be hit and get shot down… He didn't even wish to follow the line of thought.
 
Jury-rigging made him think of IEDs. Perhaps the demolitions experts were good enough to build some improvised bombs as well. Eleven had obviously thought of that too, so perhaps they had previous experience of this kind of guerilla warfare. Yet deploying gas and smoke meant there had to be more than one person on the speeders trying to create chaos and confusion amongst the gang members. There was no way the pilot could concentrate on driving, dropping the towed speeder and throwing about smoke grenades. But Eleven had probably saved them from too many details of her plan or hadn't even had the time to think of them yet. That could wait for now.
 
But what worried the doctor the most was that they didn't have enough information about the enemy, it's numbers, armament and defenses. And what was worse, the insurgents might have a host of armed speeders ready for an assault at the spaceport. Those speeders might be able to give Dohr, Kyvarr, Fiarr and the others a hard time chasing them to the spaceport security gates. But worrying didn't help much at the moment. What they needed now was action.

Driving on behind Rian's speeder, Dohr kept his eyes on the road and trusted the two women to keep an eye out for any trouble. "Eleven, Doc here. I fear or rather hope my skills will not be needed too much during the operation. I will not be of much use in building bombs or piloting at great speeds or welding plates of metal to the bikes for that matter. My best abilities lie more in the medical department and in diplomacy. But perhaps contradictorily I also consider myself fairly skilled in melee, light and heavy weapon combat. And like all officers in the Dorian army, I have received intensive training in military strategy."

Dohr dodged a smoking air taxi, checked Rian's position and carried on: "As for the plan, it will probably not go as nicely as you managed to make it sound, but it feels plausible and better yet, it is the only one we have. But I wonder if you would be able to give us some more details on the barricades the insurgents have set up? What are they made of? How far apart are they and what is their distance from the spaceport entrance? And most importantly, do you have any kind of an estimation about the numbers of our opposition?" Oh and since I will not personally be of much use building the bombs, I will join the looting party heading to the ACE station.

"Events rarely pan out smoothly in any aspect of life," Cor comments, "particularly not ones involving fighting.  I doubt there is an individual amongst us who is not aware of that fact.  If you are skilled in light weapons fire and military tactics then certainly you will be of use in searching the law enforcement station, thank you.

"As for the barricades...  The front of the spaceport is set on a wide multi-lane road.  The gangs have set up two barricades on the other side of that road, well in range of a decent blaster, and are using light rubble to hide behind.  There is a gap of perhaps five metres between the two barricades and the space between has been cleared, which makes me think they intend to fill that space with something large and unpleasant.

"I am uncertain how many gang members are in each barricade.  The security camera does not cover that area of ground at the right angle to be certain but I would guess between three and six in each, armed with light blasters and heavy blaster rifles.  This is why I believe a protracted firefight would be inefficient and dangerous.  Distraction and obfuscation is a better option."

"There are a large number of damaged and abandoned speeders throughout the city," CC9 states flatly over the comms.  "It may be possible to adapt speeder power cells to detonate.  They could then be dropped into the barricades from a considerable height by swoop."  There is a pause.

"It would have an additional psychological impact if the detonation devices were strapped to corpses of fallen civilians, and these dropped by swoop on their heads.  It would require team members willing to do so, however."

The hotel is an absolute mess when the convoy approaches it.  They turn and there, a block away, are two humans and a battle droid.

They have arrived.

<to Act 5.5.3 - The Grand Hotel>