In a few hours you were standing in line on the entryway to a Star Shuttle named the Bay Blade, a name more fitting for a battle cruiser than a passenger liner.

As you neared the front of the line, you saw a couple of security guards screening passengers.  They checked Britton, but with only a war sword, they just waved you through with a warning not to use it.  When they checked Kelko, they asked, "Do you have a permit for this blaster pistol?"  "Of course," Kelko replied, showing his license.  "Very well," the guards conceded,  "Just make sure not to use it."

As you continued on up the ramp, Kelko whispered to you in Rodese, "<Good thing they didn't find my Rodian throwing razor.>"  He patted his utility belt.

It didn't take you long to find your room.  When you stepped inside, you found a neat and clean room with two beds, each with a small storage locker next to them; an enclosed fresher in the corner of the room; there was also a single chair and a table that retracted into the wall.

Kelko tossed the majority of his possessions into the storage locker next to the bed he was claiming, and flopped onto the bed with his arms splayed wide, and sighed contentedly.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:37, Fri 21 Nov 2014.

Britton laughed.

"Do you think they have anything nice to eat or exciting to do here?  Not that sleeping wouldn't be nice."

"I think I read in their brochure that certain restaurants on board are included in the price of our passage," Kelko replied.  "As for any other entertainment, I suppose we'll have to wander around and find out.  Personally I'd like to get a nice long nap, but what do you want to do first?" he asked.

"Eat," Britton said.  "Then I'll fall into a food coma."

You had to walk by a few high class restaurants that would have cost extra money, but eventually you were able to find a nice fast casual dining facility and get a good meal.  "This definitely beats the chow in the mess hall," Kelko commented.

"Uh, decent nachos," Britton said.  "I think I'm in heaven.  What'd you get?"

"Crackers with tendril nuts.  Reminds me of home," Kelko commented about the Rodian root vegetables.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:29, Mon 01 Dec 2014.

You finished your meal and then returned to your room for some much needed and well deserved rest.  When you awoke there were still a few hours left before you arrived at Tatooine.  "Let's go wander around," Kelko suggested, "and see what else there is to do around here."

As you were wandering around you were suddenly bumped by a young, fit looking male Twi'lek who ran by you carrying a large box with a handle.  You heard someone behind you call out "Stop! Thief!"  When you turned around, you could see the being chasing the Twi'lek was an older middle-aged male Human with a heavier build.  He had his hand in his jacket, but when he saw you looking at him, he pulled it out.

Britton chased after the young Twi'lek.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:49, Mon 08 Dec 2014.

Kelko paused for a moment, but then followed Britton.

"Thank you boys," the Human called out after you, panting with his hands on his knees.  "I'll give you each 200 credits if you bring back my pet."

The young Twi'lek was ahead of you and had turned around a corner, but when you got to that intersection, you were able to tell which way he went.  He stayed ahead of you for a while, continually trying to turn corners to lose you, but his distance ahead of you continued to wane.  Finally, he made a wrong turn into a dead-end corridor.

"Pet?" Britton asked between breaths.  "What did he mean?" he asked the Twi'lek.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:54, Mon 16 Mar 2015.

As the Twi'lek turned around to face Britton and Kelko, you saw inside the box he was carrying, a furry, serpentine creature about a meter long, though it was curled in the box.

"The stohl is mine," the Twi'lek claimed.  "And I won't give it back."

"Okay, explain the whole story," Britton said, crossing his arms.

The Twi'lek took a deep breath and then began, "My name is Ja'tind Taks and this," he said indicating the creature in the pet carrier, "is a rare domesticated stohl.  I bought it as an investment on my home planet of Ichtor 8.  That man who was chasing me is Tanith Cordan, a violent con artist, who took the stohl from me at blasterpoint.  I knew Tanith would never let me buy the stohl back.  He would have raised the price exorbitantly high on purpose to keep me from doing so.  And I spent nearly all my money buying the stohl the first time around.  So don't you see," Ja'tind pleaded, "stealing the stohl was the only way I could think of to get it back without a fight."  His eyes looked at Britton imploringly as his lekku twitched.

Britton rubbed the bridge of his nose and searched his feelings (11 + 5 = 16).

"What do you think, Kelko?"

Britton felt that if they let Ja'tind keep the stohl they may end up in a firefight.  But if they take the stohl from him, they will definitely not end up in a firefight.

"I think I still have more questions," Kelko replied.  "Like, do you have any proof the stohl is yours?"

"Yes, yes," the Twi'lek answered eagerly.  "If you follow me to my room I can show you a certificate of ownership and a receipt of purchase."

"If you have proof, then why didn't you just go to the authorities to get your stohl back?" Kelko countered.

"Tanith didn't take the stohl until we were aboard this starliner," Ja'tind explained.  "And I wasn't sure if house security would believe my tale."  He looked down at his feet, embarrassed. "I'm not Human, after all."

"<I believe him,>" Kelko said to Britton, switching to Rodese so they could have the conversation in private while still being able to keep the Twi'lek in their sights.  "<Before we started chasing him I saw this Tanith guy reaching for something he had concealed in his jacket.  I'm not sure what it was, but I don't think it was a hankie.>"
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:58, Wed 18 Mar 2015.

<It was probably a gun,> Britton sighed.  He was starting to get a headache just like he always did when he used his 'power'.  <We let him go we get in a firefight, we keep him we don't.  I'm willing to tackle a firefight if you are.>

"<Oh.  Is this one of your 'gut feeling' things that somehow seem to always be right?>" Kelko asked.  When Britton nodded, Kelko said "<Well I think if he can prove that the stohl is his, the right thing to do is to let him have it, regardless of whether or not we end up in a firefight.  That is assuming that Ja'tind here isn't just trying to lure us to his room to attack us.  But I trust your instincts; like I said they've never been wrong before.>"

"Okay, show us your proof," Britton said, switching back to Basic.

Ja'tind took you to his bunk and pulled out from underneath his pillow two pieces of paper, one a certificate of ownership for the stohl and one a receipt.

"<Well, I guess that decides it,>" Kelko sighed.  "<Now the only question is, what do we tell Tanith?  There's no way he's going to leave Ja'tind alone if he finds out we let him keep the stohl.>"

OOC: Sorry I took control of Britton there for a minute, I just thought I would save us two back-and-forths.  If you want to spice up any of what I did for him, put it as a private message or something and I'll edit this post to include it.

OOC You're fine.

IC <We could just tell him we lost him.  It's not entirely untrue.>

"<We could tell him that.  But even if he believed us, he would just try and track Ja'tind down. and then the whole thing would just start over.>" Kelko pointed out.

<So just take this guy back to our place?> Britton asked.

"<We can always ask him," Kelko admitted.  Then in Basic, he asked the Twi'lek "Ja'tind would you like to stay with us in our room until we arrive at Tatooine?"

"I would prefer not to, but if you feel I must, I suppose I will." Ja'tind replied noncommittally.

"<Looks like we get to decide that,>" Kelko said.  "<Now what about Tanith?  Do we report him, confront him, ignore him?>"

"Perhaps we could sort this all out with him," Britton asked the Twi-lek.  "We'll be there to back you up."

"Sort things out with Tanith?" the Twi'lek asked incredulously, his lekku twitching nervously.  "No, please, don't take me to see him.  He'll hurt me!" he protested.

"Not if he values his life," Britton responded.  "We'll both be there."

OOC: Make a Persuasion check, let me know if you want it to be for Change Attitude or Intimidation.

OOC 14 roll, Change Attitude.

The Twi'lek still seemed hesitant, but he agreed to go with you.

It took some time to run down the location of Tanith's stateroom, but soon you were sounding the chime to his door.  "Who is it?" Tanith called through the intercom.

"We're the ones you sent to retrieve your pet," Kelko replied.

"Ah, very good," Tanith said, his voice cheering considerably.  He opened the door, his eyes and mouth smiling--until he noticed that Ja'tind was with you. "Oh, I see you brought the Twi'lek too.  Very well.  Come in, come in," he invited, stepping back to allow you all room to enter.  "So, Ja'tind has agreed to return me my pet?"

"He claims it's his pet and that you stole it from him," Britton replied.

As you came into the stateroom, you could see it was very nicely appointed, and more spacious than your quarters.  In the front room there was a couch and an entertainment center as well as a desk facing the door.  There were some decorative potted plants sitting on end tables around the room.  You could see a door that led to what you assumed was a bedroom.

"Why that's ridiculous!" Tanith exclaimed.  "Of course he is lying!  How could he even afford a domesticated stohl?" Tanith scoffed.

Ja'tind looked like he was about to protest, but with a glare from Tanith, he kept silent.

"He showed us proof of purchase," Kelko retorted.  "Documents."

"Hah! They're forgeries, naturally." Tanith countered.

"Can you show us proof then?" Kelko asked.

"Of course I can," Tanith answered.  "I have my documents just over here," he said as he headed to his desk.

OOC: Make a Perception check.

OOC 11 + 5 = 16

You didn't notice anything out of the ordinary...until Tanith pulled a hold-out blaster out of the desk drawer instead of papers, and shot at you.  The blast nailed you in the upper left arm

OOC: Roll for initiative.

OOC 15+7=22

OOC: Nice roll.  Okay, you get the first turn of the first normal round.

OOC How far away is he?  Could I reach him by drawing my sword, moving to his position and attacking?  Or would a blaster be better?

OOC: He's a move action away (you have at least the desk in between him and you).  So you couldn't draw your sword (a move action), move to him (also a move action) and attack in the same turn.

OOC Do I have a gun?  I don't anymore, do I?  I had to give it back.

OOC: I don't think you ever had a blaster.  Two swords, but no blaster.  (And now just one sword, because you had to give the other one back.)  In the last battle, you temporarily borrowed Kelko's blaster.

OOC Fine.  Are we all standing in the doorway?  How easy would it be to push us all out of the room and into the hall?

OOC: Sorry, this would be much easier with a map, and I usually have one, but I couldn't find a "hotel room" map.  So when you came in, Tanith closed the door behind you.  So you're within a move action of the door and opening a door is a move action.

OOC *Sigh*  Whatever.

Britton draws his sword and moves towards Tanith.

OOC Move action: Draw
Standard Action: Move.

Tanith tried to fire at Britton again as he approached, but being intimidated by the fact that Britton had been shot and had still pulled out a huge sword and was coming toward him (now angry), he couldn't track Britton fast enough.

Kelko pulled out his blaster pistol, and despite Britton's nearness to Tanith, he nailed Tanith right in the chest, nearly killing him.  Tanith was unconscious and barely hanging on to life.

Ja'tind just stood there in shock, eyes wide.

Britton sighed.

"Well, let's get him patched up enough so he's stabilized."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:44, Fri 15 May 2015.

"Do you think we should call in house security?" Kelko wondered.

"Nah, he should be good," Britton said.  "It's not like there's authorities on Tatooine to appeal to.  Let's uh...let's get out of here."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:39, Mon 18 May 2015.

Kelko got his medpac out of his utility belt and tried to help Tanith, but there wasn't much he could do for him.

Before they could leave, two male Humans in house security uniforms arrived at the door.  "What's going on here?  We had reports of shots fired."

"Thank goodness you're here," Britton lied.  "We were just trying to figure some confusion out over ownership of this pet and this man just started shooting at us!  We defended ourselves, naturally.  He was hurt and we were patching him up."

OOC: Technically, everything you said is true.  Is the part Britton's lying about is that he's glad to see them?  If so, good roleplaying.

OOC True, and yes, that he was glad to see them.

OOC: Well done then, no Deception check needed.

Of course these beings were glad to see them, the guards thought.  Who wouldn't be?  House security kept everyone safe.

"Is that what happened?" one of the guards asked Kelko.

"Yes," Kelko said simply, seeing no need to elaborate.

However, apparently Ja'tind did see a need to elaborate.  The young Twi'lek quickly ran to the side of the guards and began to extol Britton's and Kelko's deeds to them.  "You should have seen it officers, they were amazing!  They helped me get my pet back, and then they saved my life when this crazy con man started shooting at us!"  Fortunately, he didn't mention that you had put him in danger in the first place by basically forcing him to come.

"Well I think we need to get him, and you," one of the guards said, indicating Britton, "to the infirmary."  Meanwhile the other guard was busy on his comlink.

OOC: Perception check.

OOC 17+5=22

Britton could overhear the guard on the comlink describing their heroic actions to the captain.

OOC: Any reaction to this?

"Is there going to be much we'll be held up for?  We've all got things to do on Tatooine."

"Don't worry," the guard closest to Britton replied.  "I doubt your wounds will take too long to tend to.  We are still in hyperspace, so you should be ready to go by the time we reach Tatooine."

Soon a medical team arrived to take Tanith off in a hovergurney.  After asking Ja'tind a few more questions, they let him return to his bunk area.  Kelko went with Britton to the infirmary.

OOC: You may now level up to level 2.

Britton was glad to not have to use up one of his own medpacs to patch himself up.

"How you doin', buddy?" Britton asked as Kelko watched him being healed.

"I'm fine," Kelko said with a scoff.  "You're the one who's hurt, remember?"  He turned to stare out the viewport just as the ship came out of hyperspace.  "Huh, that's weird." Kelko commented.

"What's up?" Britton asked.

"I'm just wondering why there are three Star Destroyers orbiting Tatooine." Kelko replied.  Just then the ship was rocked with blaster fire.

OOC: Make an Acrobatics check.

OOC 2+3=5

Kelko and the medical attendants were able to keep on their feet, but Britton was thrown against the wall and then onto the floor by the shock waves from the blasts. 

Kelko and the medical staff helped Britton up.  "Are you okay?" Kelko asked.

Britton swore.

"I'm fine, go find out what's going on; there isn't supposed to even be an Imperial presence out here."

As Kelko turned around to do just as Britton had suggested, one of the medical staff said, "Please, stay where you are.  Let our experienced staff and crew handle this situation."

Just then the intraship comm pinged on.  "This is your captain speaking.  I'm sorry to inform you that landing may take a while.  Because there has been Rebel activity in the area recently, when the Star Destroyers saw us come out of hyperspace they followed their orders to shoot first and ask questions later.  Some repairs will need to be done before we can land, but since everyone's documentation is in order, there should be no problems after that."

OOC: Any reaction, comments?

"How keen," Britton replied.  "Thank goodness they almost killed us in order to find out."

It wasn't long before a Human male in a ship captain's uniform entered the med station.  He asked one of the medical techs "Is that them?" indicating Britton and Kelko.  The tech answered in the affirmative and the captain approached the two heroes.

"I wanted to thank the two of you personally for helping resolve that ownership dispute earlier.  But I'm afraid I must ask for your help again.  I believe you two are highly capable and willing to do what it takes to help others.  I'm afraid the damage from the Star Destroyer attack was more extensive than I let on in the public announcement.  Several sections of the ship have lost pressure.  Don't worry," he said reassuringly,"automatic hatches have sealed off the depressurized areas.  Unfortunately, this has isolated several vital locations, which are now only accessible through maintenance tunnels.  First of all, this med bay is about to be inundated with wounded from the attack.  We need more first aid supplies as well as bacta from cargo hold 3.  There's also a bleeding power coupling on the port side engine and if we don't get it locked down we're going to lose energy to life-support."  The captain put his hands up placatingly before either Britton or Kelko could object and said, "I know neither one of you may be trained in mechanical repair.  Don't worry, our maintenance chief is on his way up here.  Unfortunately he's among the wounded, so he can't make the repair himself, but he should be able to talk you through it.  Finally, I've heard nothing about the status of our VIP passenger in the deluxe stateroom, which is also sealed off by depressurized doors, and that has me worried for her safety.  And, no I don't expect you to do this all just out of the goodness of your hearts.  If you can help us, I will refund you both the cost of your ticket.  What do you say?"

"Considering not doing it could mean not just others deaths but our own, sure, I think we'll do it."

"Thank you so much," the captain said gratefully.  "Follow me please."  He led you just outside the medbay and pointed to a maintenance hatch on the wall.  "This is the tunnel that leads to cargo hold 3.  I will keep you updated on our status with this," he said handing Britton a comlink.  "Please hurry," he finished opening the hatch door.

OOC: You are going to now be participating in another skill challenge for the tasks you've been given.  So tell what action Britton wants to take to try and help the challenge along, and I'll let you know if/what roll he needs to make.  If you're not sure what to do, I can give some examples.

OOC Let's try to fix the power coupling first.

OOC: Sorry, I wasn't clear enough: The captain led you to the tunnel that goes to cargo hold 3, which is where the first aid and bacta are, so that's where he needs you to go first.  What I'm saying is what do you do to try and get those supplies back quickly?  Do you try to move quickly through the tunnels?  Or do you wait until you get there to do something, like search quickly?

Britton was careful as he maneuvered the tunnels.  Careful to keep an eye out for anything blocking his path or other potential broken things that may be in need of fixing.

OOC: Make a Perception check.

OOC 10+6=16

Britton's careful eye made sure that he and Kelko would have an easy time making it back to the medbay.

As you crawled out of the maintenance tunnel and into the crowded cargo hold, the comlink the captain had given you crackled to life.  "I hate to bother you gentlemen," you heard the captain's voice say, "but the wounded have just arrived.  Some of them are critical, and if they don't get medical attention in the next minute, they may die."

Kelko cursed in Rodese, and then started looking around, trying to identify what out of the multitude of supplies in the cargo hold were medical supplies.
After a moment of searching, Kelko recognized some medical symbols.  "Here we go," he said.  "Bacta, bandages, sanitizer, pain killers, and all the rest.  Let's load up as much as we can."

"Sounds good," Britton said.  "I hope they petition the Empire for recompense."

Kelko gave a snort.  "I doubt it would be honored, even if the Rebellion wasn't involved.  But whenever they can the Empire seems to use the Rebellion as an excuse to get away with whatever they want."

The supplies were bulky and heavy, and carrying them through the maintenance tunnels was no easy chore.

OOC 6+7=13

Even though Britton was tough, it was still difficult to carry so many supplies through a small tunnel and his progress was slow.

Kelko also had trouble, unable to move through the tunnels quickly.

OOC: You have not been able to make it back to the medbay yet.  What do you want to try now?

Britton knew he wasn't going fast enough, focusing he attempted to pick up his pace.  He hadn't honed himself all of these years to fail.  He was NOT a failure.

OOC 14+7=21 Endurance or whatever you wanna have it be fore.

Britton's sheer willpower pushed him forward and soon he and Kelko were stumbling out of the maintenance hatch near the medbay.  Medical staff were there ready to swoop in and gather up the medical supplies.

After they had cleared out, the captain approached you, "Thank you.  You made it with a little time to spare.  Now I'd like to introduce you to our maintenance chief."  He turned and a middle-aged Human male with a pot belly and receding auburn hair approached.  "I'd shake your hand," the chief offered, "but," he indicated his arm which was in a sling.  "I'm afraid that bleeding power coupling has steadily gotten worse," the captain informed them.  "According to my estimates," the chief spoke up, "we've probably got about a minute or so before life support gives out.  And it'll take you nearly half that long just to get there--unless your faster than the average maintenance tech."

"Don't worry, leave it to us," Kelko said as the captain and the chief showed them the way to the maintenance hatch that led to the port side engine.  As soon as the hatch was opened, Kelko took off, climbing through it as quickly as he could.  But the maze of tunnels and the angles of the turns kept him from being able to go too quickly.

OOC: Your turn.  Do you want to try anything to get yourself there faster or just get there in the normal time it takes?  Either way, tell me what Britton's tries next.

Britton was eager to push himself in order to help out.

OOC 6+7=13 Endurance check.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:49, Thu 04 June 2015.

Unfortunately, the previous trip the cargo hold had worn Britton out just enough that he just couldn't push himself to hurry past normal speed.
Britton and Kelko arrived in due time to the port side engine room.  "Hurry we've got to find this leak quickly," Kelko said looking around desperately.  Before Britton even had a chance to look though, Kelko said "Wait, here I've found it."  He commed the maintenance chief.  "We've found the leaking power coupling.  What do we do now?"  The maintenance chief then walked them through a repair procedure.

OOC: Make a Mechanics check.

OOC 12+2=14

"Okay, it looks good," the maintenance chief reported from his remote viewing console. "The power levels are stabilizing and life support is up and running."

"Okay, now, if you could make your way to the deluxe state room to check on our VIP, I would greatly appreciate it," Britton heard the captain chime in.

"There should be a maintenance hatch leading there at the far end of the engine room," the maintenance chief directed.

"Let's get going," Kelko said as he led the way.  It took a little longer to get to the VIP from the engine room than it did to get to the engine room from the medbay.  When they arrived at the hallway just outside the deluxe stateroom, Kelko signaled the door chime.  "Who is it?" you could hear a scared woman's voice ask weakly.

"We're with the ship's crew," Kelko replied.  "We're here to help."

"How do I know your with ship's crew?" she retorted.

OOC: Britton's turn.

"You don't," Britton replied.  "But the captain sent us to see how you were doing nonetheless.  So, are you okay?"

The woman seemed to hesitate before deciding there was no danger in telling her status.  "No, I'm not okay.  I have a head wound that's bleeding, and I think I broke my ankle."

OOC: I'll call your previous post flavor (no roll necessary), so it's still your turn.

"Do you want us to come in and patch you up or would you rather wait for the medical staff?"  Britton asked.  "They're a kinda swamped at the moment."

OOC: Make a Persuasion check.

OOC 19+1=20

There was little hesitation this time, as the VIP quickly, but weakly said "Okay, I'll let you in." Britton and Kelko could hear some beeping as she pushed the button on the control panel to open the door, they could also hear the whining and then straining of servos as they tried to open the door.  But the door did not open.  They heard the breathing of the VIP quicken as she tried again to open the door with the same result.  Then panic began to creep in.  "It won't open," she cried.

Kelko got back on the comlink with the captain and the maintenance chief.  "Umm, we've got a slight problem.  The door to the VIP's suite won't open, we can't get to her to administer first aid."

"Some piece of the door must have been damaged in the attack," the captain observed.

"We should be able to manually override it though," the maintenance chief chimed in.  He then walked Kelko through the process.  Kelko had some trouble at first, but eventually he was able to get the door open.  Now that the door was open, Britton could see that the VIP was an older woman, though beautifully dressed in a red gown with fancy jewelry.  She was sitting on the floor, her head had an eight centimeter gash on it, and her ankle was swollen and purple.

OOC: Britton's turn.

Britton got down to business to administer first aid to the poor woman.

(20+1=21)

Britton was able to patch up the woman and get her stabilized.

"Now we just have to get her back to the medbay safely," Kelko said.  Kelko tried to carry her, but after all they had gone through, he just couldn't do it.

OOC: It's Britton's turn.

Britton attempted to help the woman walk with himself on one side and Kelko on the other.

OOC: Make an Endurance check.

OOC 17+7=24

Britton's constitution brought them through, getting them back to the medbay quickly and safely, without further injuring the VIP.  As soon as they burst through the far end of the maintenance tunnel, medical staff were ready to take the lady to be treated.

As Britton and Kelko caught their breath, the captain congratulated them. "Thank you so much for helping us out.  I knew you'd be able to do it, but I'm sorry I had to put you in that situation.  I've been told by my staff that the Imperials are nearly done with their inspection of the passenger list, so if you'll just sit tight here, I'm going to the cockpit to get us planetside as soon as possible." He started to turn away, but then spun back around. "Oh, and I haven't forgotten our deal.  I have refunded the price of your tickets back to your credit chips."

"Thank you," Britton said, leaning over on his knees to catch his breath.  Britton was proud of the fact he was able to prove his worth; his hard work on his body had paid off.  He know, though, he'd need to cool down or the rigors he put himself through would be more harmful than helpful.

Britton and Kelko were able to rest well, interrupted only briefly when the Imperial Security Bureau officers from one of the Star Destroyers finally made it to the medbay.  Everyone's paperwork was in order, so the interviews did not take long.  Soon, the shuttle was docking in Bestine, the capital city of Tatooine.  As they walked down the boarding ramp, Britton and Kelko could already feel the heat pressing in, and they were still in the docking bay.  When they exited the starport, the heat was more intense, and now combined with wind to make it feel like they were in a blast furnace.

OOC: The adventure will continue in "Tatooine: The Search for Obi-Wan"...