As Lamar began to restore gravity and power to the starship it became apparent that running was going to be incredibly difficult. The pirates enormous ship was projecting an artificial gravity field, jumping to hyperspace would be impossible!

OOC Bacta bandage, do you mean a medpac? Make a Treat Injury roll DC 15, You gain hit points equal to character level, +1 for every point the check result exceeds the DC. Using a medical kit grants a +2, administer on yourself -5 penalty.

OOC: Lyla already treated Lamar, in msg #90. My mention of a bacta bandage was just a cosmetic description as part of using my medpac. My Treat Injury 25 healed Lamar by your level + 10 hp.

No power, no gravity, no life support, no escape, no hope. Lyla was beginning to wonder what the whole goddess-damned point of all this, when it seemed like fate and the Force and the entire universe conspired against them. This whole mission, since at least Dega, had been a shitshow. 'Cruk it. Let's just play dead. I mean, we are dead in space, so it shouldn't be too hard. Maybe we'll get lucky and get something working by the time they worry about us. So, how can I help?'

"Help me restore the power and get gravity back first. Then we can fix things in the propulsion system. Damn droid really did a number on us." Lamar said grumpily.

Okay but does it (the healing I received) help offset the three injury levels I have? I'm at -10 to everything right now.

'Right.' Lyla agreed, ready to work, then looked around. 'What do I do?' Cruk, she wished she'd had time to learn all this stuff, medicing and mechanics and all the rest, to be in all places and do all things like she always seemed to need to be.

She looked again at Lamar and how badly hurt and weary he still was. Before they could fix the ship, they needed to fix the mechanic. 'Listen, you rest there a tick, get your strength and breath back. Let me be your hands, tell me what to do. I might not know how to fix this, but I can follow orders.'


OOC: No, it's just regular healing with a medpac and my (barely trained) Treat Injury skill. To move up your Condition Track, the only normal way is to rest a bit, by spending three swift actions (or two if you have Shake it Off like I do) to remove one level. Sounds like you need 4 rounds, and Lyla's Treat Injury took up one of them.

I'm untrained in Mechanics, but I'll try an Aid Another anyway. Just scraped through and contributing a +2 to Lamar.
10:58, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 11 using 1d20+5. Aid Another.

Lamar began telling her what to look for and when finding the fault how to fix it. When necessary he would move himself over to examine anything questionable. Both knew they were on limited time, but one of their two saving graces was space was big. Time might be limited, but they did have some of it. The second was, even injured, Lamar was still a hell of a mechanic.

22:40, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 22 using 1d20+10.  mechanics.
Normally +13, with a +2 from assist, +15, injury -5 = +10
This message was last edited by the player at 06:44, Fri 25 Nov 2022.

When all seemed lost and no action however desperate would allow them to escape then a huge serpentine body suddenly appeared behind the Impasse. The serpent flapped its gossamer wings and opened its mouth wide and breathed a huge cone of superheated gas on the ship’s unshielded flank. Star Wing nodded its huge head toward the Rebel’s ships. The Star Dragon’s attack has disabled the gravity well projector, at least temporarily.

Keeping in mind the old saying 'more haste, less speed', Lyla worked slowly and carefully, yet still as bloody fast as she could, to follow Lamar's instructions and get the ship working before the pirates arrived. It was still one of the tensest, most time-sensitive moments of her usually hectic life. But she connected one gadget to another widget, saw some lights come on, and felt a little relief. Step by baby step... 'Good job.' she told Lamar encouragingly.

She was glancing around at the monitor to check the pirates' progress when she was stunned to see the Star Dragon make a sudden reappearance. Not that she was questioning their rare good fortune, as Star Wing took care of the gravity well projector. 'By the goddess. Looks like aiding a fellow traveller paid off... How's the ship looking? With that interdiction field down, we can make a getaway now, but if we have a shot at destroying it completely, we should take it.'

"I can drive or shoot, which do you want. I'm hurt either way, so may not be as effective, though I'm a better pilot than gunner. When it comes to ship weapons that is." He said tiredly.

Depending on what Lyla says he will head to either the gunner seat, or pilot seat. Just let me know which I need to roll.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:21, Thu 01 Dec 2022.

'You drive, I shoot.' Lyla confirmed quickly, throwing herself into the gunner's seat. Flicking switches, she activated the targeting systems and powered up the quad laser cannon. 'I can't fly worth a damn, but I can sure as hell shoot anything. At this range, hopefully we can surprise them... And don't forget, you've got a twin laser cannon there.' She drew the crosshairs over the container ship and fired, hoping to wipe it from space while she still had the chance.


OOC: Initiative 20
Targeting the Impasse.
Using quad laser cannon, attack 20, damage 26 × 4 = 104
With Far Shot, my range category is reduced by one at short, medium, or long range. And if they're within point-blank range, Point Blank Shot gives me +1 attack and 4 damage.

Lamar wasn't quick, but he did get to the pilot's chair as fast as he could. strapping in painfully he fired up the engines and began to move them away from the imperials and the pirates. He also flicked on the recorders and made a log of the presence of the pirates and the imperials for use by the rebel propaganda department. "Imperial navy helping pirates!" He could see the headlines now. Not that the Imps would let such things out on their broadcasts. But the scream sheets that the rebels put out would be able to get some of the info out.

"Not going to stick around, but our trajectory will give you one pass at the ship. Take your shot but don't expect me to stick around." He said with a pained voice. I'm gonna need a bacta tank when we get back. He thought to himself.

As he was piloting past he hoped he got some good shots of the Imps not firing on the pirates. And his skill hopefully even injured would be enough... Doing the calculations for hyperspeed were tough without a computer, but he was injured. As he reached for the switch for hyperspeed, he hesitated for a sec. were his calculations right? Steeling his nerves he flipped the switch...

14:39, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 18 using 1d20+4.  pilot.

Strapped into the gunners seat Lyla watched space fly by as she opened fire on the disabled ship. Lasers spat from the cannons raking across the hull of the unshielded pirate ship. The Imperials gave chase on the Rebel ships, not firing on the pirates. In working in concert with them.

Injured and weary Lamar flew the ship on an escape trajectory. On their flank came the Wayfarer a salvo of proton torpedoes unleashed upon the pirates then both Rebel ships made the jump into hyperspace and away. The fate of the pirate ship and Imperial ship unknown.

OOC Destination?

OOC: A nearby safe system, to regroup and hopefully get someone onboard not injured. Then back to base. Where we will decide on the next step.

As the Alabak's Gold hyperspace jumped away, Lyla could only cross her tails and hope that, between her quad laser blasts and the Wayfarer's torpedoes, they'd put paid to the Impasse. She did not want to have to encounter that thing again. Once she was sure they were in the free and clear, she switched off the lasers and rejoined Lamar at the co-pilot's seat. 'That was way too close.' she said, 'Closer than usual, anyway. Now, let's meet the others at the rendezvous co-ordinates, make sure we're not in imminent danger of blowing up or being followed, then head back to Elrood to report to Radell, resupply, get patched up, and get new intel. People need to know the Imperials have Aluuvia.'


OOC: Yeah, what Lamar said.

Still looking pale, Lamar nodded. "If we can I'd like someone to take over piloting at  the rendezvous. I need sleep and a bacta tank. Think we'll be sent back LT? To free Aluuvia?"

Lyla yawned and rubbed her eyes, then slid her hands up over her head to pull on her tails to try to keep herself awake and alert. Cruk, when was the last time she'd slept? Not including the time she was drugged, of course. She probably still had that cephalopod venom and seaweed poison combo kicking around her system, slowing her reactions and her wits. They all needed time to recover. 'Right, we'll get Rynn or Klyn to take over. And... yeah, I think they'll want us to. Rebels and Radell want that damn planet. Don't know when we became corporate troubleshooters, but that's how it is. Hopefully, they'll at least send us a cultural advisor or Ithorian liaison to deal with the locals. Not sure I could stand to again.'

The Rebel ships were on the far side of the Drift was their initial jump to hyperspace was only a short one. The immense stellar dust cloud was beautiful to view but difficult to pass through. Able to follow the same path through as they came the Rebels made ten more small jumps before they reached the Elrood-Derilyn trade route and was only three hours from Elrood.

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 13:52, Tue 13 Dec 2022.

After their rendezvous, Lyla ordered Lamar to go rest in his cabin and had Rynn take over piloting. Fortunately, they seemed to have made their getaway, even if not necessarily a clean one. During the journey back to Elrood, Lyla rested and reviewed her mission notes, deciding o the next course of action. That action was heading back to Isis for R&R, but with that off the table... 'I'm thinking our next stop should be Shondra Del, our contact here.' Lyla suggested at their next meeting. 'The Imps will be all over Radell looking for us because I dropped their name to them, and Radell will just be shirty at us for not getting them their planet. We were supposed to contact Del at the close of the mission or if we got into trouble, and I'd say we've done both.'

With the others' approval Lyla transmitted a short message to Gwynn Dispatch. 'Hi. We're looking to get in touch with Captain Shondra Del of the Stars of Elrood. Tell her we're former business partners from Keyorin.' That last bit was the passphrase that should hopefully gain them Del's trust.

Once Rynn took over, Lamar headed to his bunk and passed out. (For the next 14 hours he's just unconscious.) He was not feeling well and had grubbed a bucket to put next to his bunk in case he needed to vomit. While asleep, he dreamed of his wife and child. Reliving the nightmare he experienced so often...

In response to Lyla message Gwynn replied “Shondra hasn’t stopped by but a freighter captain brought in a datadisk. I’ll send you the message” she explained and began sending over the details of a coded transmission.

Lyla furrowed her brow in a frown of concern, and then pursed her lips in thought, not liking any deviation from the plan. She had all kinds of worries about where Del was, what the message said, and what could go terribly wrong next. 'Okay, thanks, just let Shondra know we said hi.' Downloading the message, she tried to decrypt it with Rebel ciphers and opened it to read it. Please be good news... she begged the universe for a break.

When Lyla clicked the play button the holomessage appeared, Shondra Del was dressed in spacer clothing.

“Whoever intercepts this message, please deliver it to Gwynn Dispatch, a shipping business in Elrooden, on Elrood” tell the woman that this message is from Shondra.

“Gwynn, I must get this message to my old trading partners. You know where they’re from. Don’t give this message to anyone else” the message abruptly ended.

Five seconds later, the screen reactivated. There was a second message. The cursor blinked, whilst the computer waited for the password to the entered.

Lyla typed in ‘Keyorin’. Shondra’s image reappeared but this time she’s dressed in a Rebel flight suit. She’s in the cockpit of a Y-wing fighter, with a look of deep concentration on her face. Through the viewports several explosions can be seen, she was in the middle of a battle!

“Imperial shipping is taking a beating out here! This group of pirates has become a powerful force in the sector and they just roasted another mining shipment. They heard about me and want to meet to discuss terms of truce and mutual assistance, I don’t trust pirates, but they’d make powerful allies. They want me to meet with them on Korad. I’m putting down there. Meet me there as soon as you can!”

“What follows is the frequency for my Y-wing’s homing beacon. If you broadcast a message on the frequency you’ll activate the beacon and you can home in on me”

“If I’m not there, I’ll leave you a message. Use my decryption program. My Artoo unit will know where I went.”

“If you’re going by Bodrin system there’s someone there you might want to pick up, a Jedi in hiding in the mines during the winter shutdown. A Cathar by the name of Sylvar Kazat. They need to get off planet before the mines re-open. If you can help them out they might be of some use to you.”

“Shondra Del out”

The message ended and was followed by two long sets of numbers.

OOC As Lyla had already quoted the password in the last message I’ve assumed she ended the password when the prompt appeared.

Lyla played the message once, frowned, and then again, muttered 'Wait, what?' and then swore. 'She's gone to crukking Korad?!' She played the message a third time just to make sure she had heard it right. She groaned loudly, feeling just exasperated by the cosmos, and stomped about the cockpit. 'Korad. The dump planet in the paw of our squib mate Slythor, the Highest Exalted Ruler of Korad. That Korad. Cruk. If he's betraying her like he betrayed us, we've got to rescue her. From Slythor, or these pirates, or the Imperials, or all three. Cruk!' She thumped the bulkhead wall to expend her frustrations, then slumped down into a seat to fume some more.

'I don't like the Alliance getting in bed with pirates. Better if we can set pirates on pirates or pirates on Imperials, and keep out hands clean, but it's too late for ethics now. But at least we know what to expect on Korad, and don't need to activate that beacon until we need to, so we can stay quiet. Which is good because I plan to shoot that rat bastard Slythor on sight.'

'So, if the ship is good to go, I reckon we swing by Bodrin and pick up this so-called Jedi for some more muscle, then head back to Korad to clean up this mess. How does that sound?' she put her proposal to the team.

OOC: Knowing about Bodrin
15:22, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 12 using 1d20+10.  Knowledge (galactic lore).
Who are these new pirates?
15:25, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 22 using 1d20+10.  Knowledge (galactic lore).

The hyperspace jump to Bodrin will only take about four hours. Lamar’s recovery looks like it will take longer than that. So that left Lyla alone in the cockpit to do her research as the multi-coloured lines of hyperspace whizzed passed.

Lyla knew Bodrin was a rocky mountainous planet. It’s poor inhabitants working for the Elrood Quarry Corporation, another industrially owned planet!

Of the pirates Lyla recognised them at as a band known as ‘Khuiumin Survivors’, a band of cutthroats operating as mercenaries only taking jobs to kill Imperials.

It wasn't often that Lyla had a chance to be alone aboard the Alabak's Gold, so she made the most of it by putting her feet up and some music on – traditional twi'lek dance music, filling the room with bass electronic beats and siren whistling. It kept her awake and alert while she did her research. 'Another corp-owned planet? Sometimes I wonder if we can't just rebel against the corporations too.'

Of the pirates, she recognised the name with a happy laugh. 'Khoo-ee-oo-ee-oomin Survivors? Oh cruk, that worked?' She remembered the communiqué they'd found in the Scourge's computers on Dega, and how she'd responded...



Thank the goddess for forethought, Lyla thought. The Khuiumin hated the Empire, and the Scourge were in cahoots with them, so they weren't likely to work together unless Chalmer kept his allegiance quiet. But if she had sabotaged all prospect for an alliance between the pirates, then the Rebels may just have some friends here after all. It was one bit of good news lately. Well, it could be anyway...
This message was last edited by the player at 07:40, Mon 23 Jan 2023.

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