The flight to Naboo was uneventful, and they were easily granted a landing space at the Theed Spaceport.

"I'll arrange getting the ship repaired," Dane said to Master Tabret, "if you want to get these two," he poked his thumb at Jubali and Traest, "some medical attention."

"Sounds good," Sonora answered.  "We can meet back up at the entrance to the Royal Palace in a few hours."

Ranger Cardosa nodded in agreement.

Jubali admired the beautiful buildings as they traveled but knew she'd have to wait until later to get a better look.

When arriving at the hospital, they were cordially greeted and then sent to triage.  "Now that you're safely here, I'm going to go arrange our meeting with the Joint Council," Master Tabret informed Jubali.  "I will be back soon."

True to her word, by the time Jubali and Traest were moved from triage to treatment rooms, Master Tabret returned.  "I'm afraid the Council will not be able to grant us audience for two days.  It's probably just as well though, from what I've learned from the physician, it may take that long to get you back to your best.  And for Traest, it definitely will."

Soon Ranger Cardosa arrived.  "I got the Eclipse all set up for repairs.  It will be a several hours, but it sounds like we'll be here at least that long."

Jubali tried not to show her relief at being able to rest for two days in a comfortable hospital.

All too soon it was time to meet with the Naboo Joint Council.  The four heroes arrived and were introduced to each member of the Council before the meeting began.  After introductions, Queen Amidala, ruler of the Naboo, spoke.  "Honored Jedi, distinguished Rangers, tell us, why have you come?"

"In truth, we have come seeking your help," Master Tabret began.  "Some information has come into our possession that we are unable to analyze because it is written in Gunganese.  We were hoping members of this body could interpret it for us." The Joint Council members seemed to appreciate being appealed to for help rather than having answers demanded of them.

"Meesa certian we could," Boss Nass, leader of the Gungans spoke up.  "But meesa must be askin', wherun did you be gettin' dis information?"

"A valid question, Boss," Ranger Cardosa responded.  "It was retrieved by Republic Intelligence during an undercover operation."

"Be wary, though," Jubali warned.  "The person behind this seeks to sow chaos and discord.  What's written here could very well be lies designed to push apart the Gungans and the Humans."  Most of the members of the Council appeared to believe Jubali's statement.

"We'lla be the judge of that," a dignified grey Gungan, whom Jubali remembered being introduced as Minister Rish Loo, replied.  The Naboo's Assistant Minister of Internal Affairs, Ruto Graven seemed to nod his head in agreement with the Gungan, but everyone else on the Council seemed taken in by Jubali's statement.

"Meesa would be happy to translate thissa text," Representative Lyonie, a reddish, brown Gungan spoke up.  He took the datapad containing the file from Ranger Cardosa and looked over it carefully.  "Itsa says 'Naboo Operations: Mantaris, Clodhopper'."

"Aha!" Assistant Minister Graven said.  "You see now Your Majesty how the Gungans plot against us.  Planning to sabotage our new vessel and our native wildlife."

"Thatsa shows what you know," Minister Rish Loo broke in.  "Thissa word," he said, pointing to the datapad, "is Gunganese for the people of Naboo, not the planet.  Clearly, Boss Nass, this issa plot by the Naboo to discredit the Gungans."

OOC: Does Jubali have anything to say before the rest of the Council reacts.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:15, Thu 15 Oct 2015.

"There's not enough information to go off of yet," Jubali insisted.  "Remember!  The person who wrote this WANTS to sow chaos.  If there is a plot going on, HE'S the one behind it."

OOC: Make a Persuasion check.  Also, note that I forgot to put in the reactions of the Council to the first few things your party said.  I've added that in now, so I would reread that section of the first post.

OOC 19+2+2(FP)=23

"We know that is what you would like us to believe, young Jedi" Assistant Minister Graven replied in a condescending tone.  "It may even be what you believe.  But that does not make it truth."

"But meesa can say," Boss Nass chimed in, "that thissen list could not have been made by any Naboo.  None of them knowssa Gunganese thatta well," he concluded easily dismissing Minister Rish Loo's argument.

"I agree with the Padawan," Queen Amidala weighed in. "We do not have enough evidence here to conclude who is behind these 'Operations', or indeed if any are actually valid."

"It does concern me, however, Your Majesty," said Graf Zapalo, Master of Sciences for the Naboo, "that the Mantaris project is mentioned here.  Our guests may not realize this, but the Mantaris is the first joint effort between the Naboo and the Gungans.  It is a transport that is equally capable of functioning under water, in planetary atmospheres, and the frigid depths of space.  We started with the Gungans' well-tested Bongo-class submersible and had our engineers make it spaceworthy and improve the modularity of the design.  It's maiden voyage is fast-approaching.  If something were to happen to this project, it could easily set back Naboo-Gungan relations to pre-crisis levels."

"I can understand your concern Master Zapalo," Ranger Cardosa answered.  "With the Council's permission, we would be willing to investigate any leads you could give us."

"I think we may prefer to use our own investigative resources," Assistant Minister Graven retorted, clearly convinced the visitors had their own agenda.

"What my trainer means," Traest started, finally chiming in, "is that we have insight on the author of the text, so it might be helpful if we were included in the investigation."   All but the heroes' two antagonists seemed convinced that it was a good idea to at least include the four of them in the investigation, though the level of their desired involvement seemed unclear.

"And thassa 'nother problem, you have not toldda us whossa this information has come from."  Minister Rish Loo pointed out.  "How do weessa know that we shouldn't be trustin' them?"

"I apologize for neglecting to bring that information forward to you from the start," Master Tabret said.  "Some of you may remember that before the Stark Hyperspace War, the biggest nuisance in the galaxy was a group called the Army of Life, who were led by the Paladin."    At the mention of the Army of Life and the Paladin, Master Zapalo shuddered, Assistant Minister Graven sneered, and the rest looked a little bewildered.  "We believe that they have resurfaced and that they are the authors of this message."

"Your Majesty, surely you don't believe this falsehood?" Assistant Minister Graven asked incredulously.  "The Paladin is just a story."

"I'm afraid I do believe them," Queen Amidala said.  "While I am unsure about the Paladin, I know my history well enough to know the devastation the Army of Life has wreaked on the galaxy."

OOC: Does Jubali have anything to say?
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:36, Thu 15 Oct 2015.

Jubali was content to let the others handle the rest of the discussion she'd made her point and it'd been received well enough.

Before anyone else could speak a young Gungan and a young Naboo entered, both dressed in a page's attire.  They each approached their leader and indicated to them that they had a message.  Boss Nass was first in reading his message from his datapad.

"Meesa afraid meesa have bad news," he croaked.  "A Gungan technician assigned to the Mantaris project hassa disappeared."

"Youssa see Boss Nass?" Minister Rish Loo chimed in.  "Theessa Naboo have kidnapped him to prevent the project from finishing and keep us from colonizing the moon."

"I'm afraid if that is the case, then we have two factions working against each other," Queen Amidala said. "For I have just received word that one of the lead Naboo engineers for the project was found dead."

"What?" Master Zapalo exclaimed incredulously.

"Hah, and they claim we have kidnapped their technician," Graven sneered.  "More likely the technician killed our engineer and then went into hiding."

"Why, meessa never..." Rish Loo started.

"Gentlebeings, please!" Master Tabret imposed herself on the conversation, pushing with the Force ever so slightly.  "If I may offer?" After waiting for a slight nod of the head from Queen Amidala and an open, upturned palm from Boss Nass, she continued.  "As a neutral party, we would be glad to investigate these incidents."

"Your majesty, you can't possibly consider..." Graven tried to intercept the offer, but was cut off by Queen Amidala's firm hand.  "We would gladly accept your offer Master Jedi.  But I do think someone from Naboo should accompany you.  Would you mind if one of my royal guards accompanied you?"

"It would be our pleasure," Ranger Cardosa answered for the group.

"Excellent.  Boss Nass, is this acceptable to you?" Queen Amidala asked, ever the peace maker.

"Boss, no," Rish Loo objected, but Boss Nass waved him off.  "Weesa trust the Jedi and Rangers enough that one eensy weensy Naboo guard issa not going to disrupt the investigation."

"Great!" Explorer Kas'lon said, eliciting a stern look from his trainer at his over eagerness.  "I just mean, when do we start?"

"Nearly right away, let me send for my guard and I will introduce you,"  the queen replied.

OOC: Any last comments before we move on?

Jubali noted the two trying to drive the negotiations apart.

"We appreciate your trust," Jubali said, indicating both the Queen and Boss Nass.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:43, Tue 27 Oct 2015.

The members of the Joint Council stood and the Queen escorted the Jedi and Antarian Rangers out.  As soon as they left the council chambers, they were surrounded by handmaids and security guards alike--the queen's normal entourage.  "Don't worry about Assistant Minister Graven and Minister Rish Loo," Amidala said, seeming to sense the group's mistrust.  "They are usually like that.  The peace between the Naboo and the Gungans is still new and fragile.  There is still a lot of unease."

"Would you not consider removing them from the Joint Council?" Traest asked boldly, drawing a reproachful glare from his mentor.

Amidala chuckled briefly.  "No, I'm afraid not.  Though neither of them believes this alliance will work, they both can have useful insights at times."

"You don't think they could be involved in these plots?" Traest continued to press.

"If you're asking if I think they're involved with the Army of Life, the answer is no.  But I was planning on assigning a member of the Royal Security to watch Minister Graven until the Mantaris has completed its maiden voyage.  I will suggest to Boss Nass that he do the same with Minister Loo, if he has not already thought of that himself."  The group arrived at a security station, and the queen motioned for chief of security, Captain Panaka, to retrieve Royal Guard Galak.

As he approached, Jubali could see that he was dark-skinned like the captain, he had on the typical Royal Security Service combat jumpsuit (complete with hat) and blaster pistol in his holster.

As Captain Panaka introduced the group to Galak and brought Galak up to speed on the situation, one of the queen's handmaids showed her a message on a datapad.  "I believe I have good news.  I have just received word from Boss Nass that one of his Gungan scouts may have spotted their technician in the company of a rough-looking group of humans near an ancient shrine hidden in the jungle just outside of Theed.  They also sent a hand-drawn map to the site, which I can send to your datapads Rangers."

"I'm afraid this means we will need to split up," Ranger Cardosa said.  "Master Tabret and I can investigate the death of the Naboo engineer.  Explorer Kas'lon, why don't you go with Jubali to the shrine and see if you can't bring back the Gungan technician?"

"Very well, Ranger." Traest replied cheerfully, pleased with the arrangement.

OOC: Does Jubali have any comments about the mission?

"Of course," Jubali said.  She was glad to be assigned by herself but was uneasy, fearing the Paladin could be feeding them false information at anytime.

"I would like to accompany Explorer Kas'lon and Padawan Jubali, if I may," Galak spoke up.  "There is not much I can do for a dead engineer and I would like to show the Gungans that we Naboo care about their people by helping to rescue their technician."

"A good idea," Queen Amidala said.  "Very well, I will leave you to your tasks," she finished and then walked off with her retinue in tow.

"Proceed with caution, padawan," Master Tabret warned.  "We do not know why the technician has been kidnapped or what the kidnappers intend to do with him.  Comm us if you receive any new information."

"Of course," Jubali replied seriously.  Then to Galak, "Welcome to the team."

"Glad to be of assistance," Galak replied.  "After seeing what the Jedi did during the Invasion of Naboo, I'm glad I can help them in return."

*******

Galak and Traest had determined that it would be easiest to remain undetected if they made the approach to the shrine on foot.  As the group walked through the jungle, a thin mist clung to the ground and the air was heavy with the musty scent of jungle flowers.  The air was still and quiet.  According to the map, they were approaching the clearing, with the hidden shrine not far beyond it.  As they reached the clearing, Jubali could see a speeder off to the side of the trail, crudely hidden in the foliage.  She could hear a growling sound coming from the far side of the speeder.  And something was smashing into the speeder over and over again.

OOC: What does Jubali do/say?  Also, see the map.

OOC 12+3=15 Perception

IC Jubali attempted to peer through the mist and see what was apparently attacking the speeder.

Traest noticed Jubali squinting her eyes to look through the mist and asked "Do Jedi powers allow you to see through speeders?"   He chuckled before adding "We're going to have to get closer if we want to find out what it is."

"I could try but all it might tell me is that it's alive."  Jubali reached out through to Force to see what she could identify about the creature.

OOC 5+7=12

Jubali sensed only that it was a wild animal on the other side of the speeder.

Jubali rolled her eyes then kicked Traest.

"I told you all it'd do is tell me it was an animal."

"And I told you we'd need to get closer to find out what it was," Traest countered, continuing to chuckle.  "Just a minute, I'll be right back." And with that the Bothan sneaked off to get a peak around the speeder.  Galak waited silently, seeing no need to add to the conversation.

Soon Traest was returning, panting only slightly.  "It's a simian-looking creature," he reported.  "Long arms, short hind limbs; tri-tipped claws; hair on the back and chest, but hairless on the lower half of the torso.  Know what it is?" Traest asked Galak.

"Sounds like a veermok," Galak replied.  "They're pretty ferocious and powerful.  Can we just leave it alone?  Avoid the speeder?"

"Well we could," Traest said with a smirk.  "But that depends on two things."

"What are those?" Galak asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Whether or not we want it sneaking up behind us while we try to figure out how to get into the shrine.  And whether or not we think we'll find something useful in the speeder." Traest answered.  "What do you think Jubes?" Traest asked, turning to Jubali.

"I might be able to use the Force to trick it into leaving," Jubali suggested.

"If you can do it, go ahead," Traest replied, waving his hand for her to proceed.

Jubali crept forward some then reached out in the Force to crack a branch down between them and the creature, hoping to scare it off.

OOC 11+7=18

The tree branch broke and fell to the ground.

OOC 6+6(FP)+2=14

The crash of the branch caused the smashing on the other side of the vehicle to stop.  Then the group could see the veermok speeding off into the jungle.

"Well done Jubes!" Traest complimented.

"Not every situation has to end in violence," Jubali said to Traest.

"Now, shall we go see about this speeder?" Traest asked, rubbing his hands together a little too eagerly.

As they pulled the foliage off the speeder, they could see that it was a typical four-person transport.  It had no special markings, so it was probably a civilian model.  "It looks like the veermok did some damage to the electrical system," Galak commented, indicating the sputtering display on the computer screen.  "I don't suppose either of you is a whiz with computers?"

"Only with ship sensors and astrogation," Traest apologized.  "Sorry."

Galak looked to Jubali.

"Nope, sorry.  You saw the extent of my skills driving off the veermok."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:35, Tue 10 Nov 2015.

"Okay, I guess I'll take a crack at it," Galak said resignedly as he slid into the driver's seat.  He started to work the computer controls.  The screen gave an encouraging sputter, but then shut off entirely.  Galak shrugged.  "Well I guess if there was anything important on it, we're going to have to do without it."

"Well blaster bolts," Traest muttered.  "All right, let's get on to what we really came for anyway."  He started walking towards the shrine.

As the group continued into the clearing, they could start to see an ornate stone building through the thick foliage, constructed against a hill.  Vines covered the entire structure, but they could see a large door in front.  A small red light indicated a security lock bolted onto the ancient entrance, clearly a new addition.  Shrubs and trees covered the hillside, making it difficult to determine the exact size of the shrine.  However it was clearly fairly large, extending back into the hill.

OOC: What do you do?

"Nice," Jubali said in wonder.  "Anyone got slicing skills?  Looks like we've got a gate to get through."

"If we did, we'd have used it on the computer in the speeder," Traest retorted.

"Don't worry, I can take care of it," Galak spoke up, and then he pulled his blaster from his holster and shot the lock off.  "There you go."

The doorway opened into a large stone room.  Glowlamps had been bolted onto the walls to provide illumination.  Power cables ran along the ceiling and down the corridor leading from the room.  In the middle of the room there was a hologame table and a few chairs.  Four scruffy-looking men with facemasks and blasters stood near the table, their weapons ready in their hands.

OOC: What do you do?

"Does anyone see the technician?" Jubali asked, scanning the room.

OOC 9+3=12

"Uh, I'm a little preoccupied with the guys with blasters," Traest replied.

Jubali could not see the technician, but she could see power cables that ran along the ceiling and down the corridor leading from the room.

OOC: Roll for Initiative.

OOC 3+7=10  I didn't realize that they saw us.

OOC: Sorry I wasn't specific, I was trying to imply it by saying they had "their weapons ready in their hands".

Before any of the rescuers could react, two of the guards fired, both missing their marks.  Galak drew his blaster pistol and fired back, grazing the guard behind the holotable (G2) in the stomach.  That guard returned fire, his shot coming so close it singed Galak's cap.  Traest drew his pistol and fired as well, hitting the far right guard (G4) in the chest and knocking him out.

OOC: Jubali's turn.  Note the map.

Jubilee drew her lightsaber and held a defensive stance.

OOC Draw lightsaber and fight defensively this round.

Jubali's drawn lightsaber also drew attention.  Two of the guards (G1, G3) fired at Jubali as soon as they saw it.  Both shots missed Jubali entirely.

Galak took advantage of the guards' distraction, fired at the one Traest had previously injured (G2), barely missing his target and then moved behind the safety of the door frame.

The injured guard fired back at Galak, shooting where the Naboo soldier had been earlier.

Traest followed Galak's lead, firing and then ducking behind the other side of the door frame.  The only difference was, Traest hit the injured guard in the face, nearly blowing his head off and killing him instantly.

OOC: Jubali's turn.  Note the updated map.
Color Key:
Blue   = Ally (normally I use green for this, but there's a lot of green in the map)
Red    = Adversary
Yellow = Unconscious
Black  = Dead

Jubali moved in on the attacker to the left (G1) and attacked.

OOC 2+6=8 attack
15 dmg

The guard was able to back pedal out of the way of Jubali's lightsaber. Both he and the other guard fired at Jubali; the guard farther from Jubali didn't even come close to hitting her, but Jubali was barely able to deflect the shot from her immediate opponent.

Hoping that Jubali could handle the guard in front of her, Galak took a blast at the other guard.  His shot grazed the guard in the head, knocking him out.

Traest tried to fire past Jubali, at the guard attacking her, trying to protect her.  But his concern for Jubali made him fumble his blaster and he nearly shot his own foot instead.

OOC: Jubali's turn.

Jubali attacked again.

OOC 14+6=20
14 dmg

Jubali's lightsaber sliced through the last guard like a vibroknife through butter, and the battle was ended.

OOC: What does Jubali do now?

"Shoot!" Jubali said, frustrated that the encounter had ended in death.  "Let's go find the technician."

The two soldiers both silently nodded as they came into the room and the group headed into the corridor that led from the guard room.  The corridor ran for a little more than eight meters, ending in a metal door.  "I wonder if we'd be lucky enough that this door is just unlocked?" Traest wondered aloud.

"Only one way to find out," Galak answered.  Galak pressed the control button and the door whooshed open, revealing a large round room with a domed ceiling.  Ancient carvings covered the walls, and a few glow lamps had been bolted over them.  A large power generator sat humming in the middle of the room.  Long cables ran out from it in all directions.  A small computer had been set up on the far side of the generator, its lights blinking, and its screen glowing.  Two doors exited the room, one to the left and one to the right.

OOC: What does Jubali do?  Also, note updated map.

"We REALLY needed a computer expert with us," Jubali lamented.  "If we get the technician, maybe he can tell us.  Let's check the door on the left."

OOC Perception check: 7+3=10

The door was large and metallic, obviously placed here recently.  It didn't have a lock, but it was too thick to hear anything through it.

"Everyone get ready."  Jubali had her lightsaber out but unlit.  She nodded to Galak once everyone was ready.  "Open it."

Galak pressed the activation switch and when the door slid open, Jubali found herself looking into the largest chamber they'd seen yet.  It seemed to be a large section of a hollowed out hill.  It lacked the sculptures present throughout the rest of the shrine.  There were several large piles of junk near the doors, including a table with two damaged blaster rifles and some tools.  The back of the room was taken up by dozens of empty cages.  One of the cages in the far corner of the room contained a middle-aged Gungan. As Jubali looked around, a small spherical droid floated up out of the junk and flew towards her.

OOC: What does Jubali do?  Note updated map.

Jubali dropped into a defensive stance, wanting to see what the droid would do first.

The droid fired at Jubali, the shot coming no where near her.

Galak exclaimed  "What's the deal with this droid?  I thought those things were only used for training."  He fired at the droid, but the droid zipped away from his shot.

Traest fired as well, but also missed.

OOC: What would Jubali like to do now?  Also note the updated map with everyone's current location.

"Maybe it thinks we're attacking it!" Jubali said, deactivating her lightsaber but still in a defensive stance.

The two soldiers looked at Jubali with uncertainty, but then reluctantly put away their blasters.  The droid shot at Jubali again, easily missing her.

"So what now?" Galak asked.

"Whatever," Jubali scoffed, flicking her hand as she used the Force to try and toss the droid against the wall.

OOC 10+7=17

Jubali's telekinetic pull dinged the droid against the wall.  This only seemed to make the droid more angry (if a droid could get angry), and it finally got a shot through Jubali's defenses, and she could tell this thing was definitely not set to stun or sting.

Galak and Traest, realizing the droid did intend harm, redrew their weapons and fired at the pest.  Both shots came close, but the tiny droid zipped out of the way of each of the blasts.

OOC: Jubali's turn.

Jubali gasped and grasped her side where she'd be hit.  Looking back up she called upon the Force to throw the droid again.

OOC 18+7-1=24
DMG: 3+1+6+6=16
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:08, Tue 26 Jan 2016.

Jubali's Force pull was considerably stronger this time, crumpling the droid into the wall, from where it fell to the floor in a smoking heap.

"Now that that's done..." Traest let the sentence hang, moving into the room and towards the caged Gungan.

"Oh, meesa so glad to be seein' you," the Gungan exclaimed.  "Now meesa can finally get outta here."  With that the Gungan reached his long arms through the cage bars and disabled the lock keeping him in.

"Wait, you could get yourself out of that cage?" Galak asked, shocked.

"Yes," the Gungan answered simply the eyes at the top of his eye stalks blinking rapidly as if nodding.

"Then why didn't you do that earlier?" Galak continued his line of questioning.

"Every time meesa would, that mechaneek would zap meesa," the Gungan replied gesturing to the steaming training remote droid.

OOC: Does Jubali have any questions for the Gungan?

"Why were they keeping you captive?" Jubali asked.

"Meesa heard them say thatta they want to blame meesa for killing one of the Mantaris's engineers.  Theysa want to stop the Mantaris from making itssa maiden voyage," the Gungan answered, his eyes bulging.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:19, Wed 31 May 2017.

"Did they tell you anything else about this place?  How many have you seen here?"

"My afraid my no know what theyssa names are.  Meesa be thinkin' there are, mmmm, maybe five or sixa.  Meesa overheard their leader sayin' they were gonna be transportin' some sort of native creature off of Naboo.  Meesa don't think that's legal," the Gungan finished, whispering the last part behind his hand, conspiratorially.  "Meesa not sure 'bout the rest of this place.  The only place theyssa took meesa was here," he said, indicating their current location.

"Okay, we'll just explore that last room," Jubali said.  "But we could use your computer skills.  Will you come with us?"

"Sure.  Meesa go with you," the Gungan replied.  "What you need meesa to doosa?"

"Just follow us," Jubali said.  She stood and headed to the door in the other direction.

Before they headed out, Galak spoke up.  "Hey, what about these blaster rifles?" he asked, indicating the weapons lying on the table near the door.

"Oh yes, meesa noticed them when meesa was brought here," the Gungan tech replied. "These'n people don't take care of their'n weapons."

"Do you think you could fix them?" Galak wondered aloud.  "If we have more foes to face, I'd rather have greater firepower."

"Meesa can try," the tech answered.

Within a few minutes, both blasters were repaired and in the hands of Galak and Traest.  "Nice," Traest said as he patted the newly acquired piece of hardware.

OOC: Does Jubali have any comments before moving on?

OOC Nope.

As they returned to the power generator room, Traest spoke up.  "So do you want the Gungan tech to access the computer in here?" he ventured.

"Yes, go ahead, we'll keep exploring the place," Jubali said.

OOC There's still one more room, right?

OOC: Yes, there is one more room.

"But maybe what he finds on the computer will give us information about the rest of the place," Traest suggested.

"We could do that too," Jubali conceded.  "It'd be safer."

The Gungan tech moved over the computer, letting his long fingers fly over the keyboard.  Soon he announced, "Okay, here's what meesa learned that weesa no already know.  This'n other door leads to the barracks," he said pointing to the door they had not checked out yet. "The leader here is'n a mercenary named Saidle Frex.  He'sn has a personal chamber in the back of this'n shrine, beyond the barracks.  These'n smugglers are capturing veermoks and illegally selling them as guard animals.  It also be lookin' like theysa goin' to start sending out other animals and shipping them offworld, but no details on that operation yet."

OOC: Any comments from Jubali?
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:39, Tue 09 Feb 2016.

"Can you get a copy of this information so we can show it to the Nabooian leadership?" Jubali asked.  "Also, can you access their ventilation system?"

"Meesa no have my datapad with meesa, but if one of yousa be havin' a datapad, meesa can copy the information," the tech offered.

"I have a datapad," Traest offered.

As the tech transferred the information, he answered Jubali's other question.  "My afraid my cannot access the ventilation system from the computer.  Itssa only for information, not controllin'. Sorry," he finished apologetically.

"How many people are in the barracks?  Can you tell that?"

"Well, meesa already said that there are maybe five or sixa smugglers.  And youssa said youssa already took care of four.  So the only one left iss'n the leader and maybe one more.  Most likely theysa in the private chamber beyond the barracks," the Gungan answered.

"We can take two people, right?" Jubali asked the others.

"Naturally," Traest answered confidently.

"Sure," Galak agreed.

"Maybe youssa can," the Gungan spoke up.  "But meesa not cut out for dis."

"Don't worry," Traest replied.  "We'll protect you.  But we need you to stay with us, in case we can find a computer that can give us access to more information about this smuggling operation."

The Gungan hung his head with weariness, but replied, "Okee-day.  Meesa go with youssa."

"So, are we ready to go?" Traest queried.

"Always," replied Jubali.

Before the group could exit the room, one of the guards from the guard room came stumbling in, bloody and wounded.  He raised his blaster and fired at Galak.  His shot didn't even approximate the soldier's location, but Galak fired back quickly with his newly acquired blaster rifle.  The shot blasted the guard's rib cage, and the man collapsed to the ground.

"How in the world did he survive our previous encounter?" Galak asked.

"He must have only been unconscious, but he's definitely dead now," Traest answered.  "Let's get going."

OOC: Any response?
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:49, Tue 12 Apr 2016.

"Wait," Jubali said.  She was perturbed by the experience but something had morbidly piqued her curiosity.  "Do either of you have medical training?  I want to know why he survived that encounter."

"Don't look at me," Traest said holding up his hands palms out.

"Not meesa," the Gungan technician replied.

"I'm afraid not," Galak answered.

Feeling from the Force that nothing nefarious was going on, Jubali let it go and motioned for the others to head into the other room.

"Gentlemen first!"

The irony of the converse version of the classic chivalrous statement was not lost on Traest and Galak, and they took the lead with smirks on their faces.  It seemed the Gungan technician had probably never heard the phrase before, and so casually shuffled in after the other two, with Jubali bringing up the rear.

After opening the door, the group saw that the barracks was simply a small, cramped room.  A single glow lamp had been bolted to the ceiling, providing dull illumination.  Four broken statues sat in the corners of the room with sheets draped over them.  There were five cots crammed into the room, with food, clothes, and trash scattered on and under them.  There was a thick smell of stale food and sweat.  A single door at the far end of the room led onward.

OOC: What do you do?

Jubali continued on, attempting to observe anything.

OOC 4+3=7

Jubali did not notice anything out of the ordinary or useful, and the others followed her lead heading on.  The heroes found themselves standing on a ledge in front of a deep crevice. A narrow metal catwalk spanned the crevice, leading to a large open area. Many computers and consoles had been bolted to the walls. Dim glow lamps hung from the ceiling. At the far end of the room, a large, armored figure stood with his back to them, looking at one of the computer screens. Beside him was a smuggler with a large vibro-ax in his hands.

Jubali nodded in the direction of the armoured figure and the smuggler.

"Shoot!" she mouthed.

"Let me get this straight," Traest whispered.  "The Jedi is telling us to shoot people in the back?"

"You don't have to KILL them," Jubali said.  "You can STUN them!"

"Okay, okay, just checking," Traest placated.  Both he and Galak set their newly-acquired blaster rifles to stun, as the Gungan technician tried to stay back out of the way.

Galak fired first, at the armored individual, while Traest shot at the man with the vibro-ax.  Both their stun shots missed their targets.

OOC: Jubali still has time to do something before her opponents react.

OOC 3+7=10 UtF to Move Object.  Man we suck this round.

The clothes of the man with the vibro-ax shifted as if a sudden draft had blown by him.  As he started to turn around, Galak fired another stun shot.  Again his shot missed its mark.  The man ran over and took a swing at Galak with his vibro-ax, nearly slicing the Naboo security guard's arm off.

Traest exclaimed "That's it, no more Mr. Nice-Bothan," as he switched his blaster rifle back to its normal setting and fired at Galak's assailant.  His shot went wide, and he moved off the side to get some distance between himself and the group's foes.

OOC: Jubali's turn.  And yes, you do suck this round.  Note the map.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:49, Thu 21 July 2016.

Jubali moved to behind the man with the vibro-ax, flanking him then swung her lightsaber.

OOC attack 13+6=19
DMG: 7+8+1=16

As Jubali moved around him, the ax-wielder took the opportunity of her close proximity to attack her, but Jubali easily ducked under the blow.  As she came up behind him, she slashed her lightsaber along his torso.

OOC 10

Jubali's blow was just strong enough to knock her opponent off balance and into the crevice.  Jubali heard him grunt as he hit the bottom.

The armored figure still at the computer console turned around, drew his blaster pistol and took a shot at Jubali.  His shot whizzed by her arm, barely missing.

The Gungan technician skittered off to hide behind Traest again.

Galak moved off to the left, caught a second wind, and then fired back at the armored man with his blaster rifle.  His shot hit the floor in front of the man's feet.

The smuggler that Jubali had knocked into the crevice, climbed back out and took another swing at Jubali with his vibro-ax, but Jubali leaned back just enough to narrowly dodge the blade.

Traest got the smuggler in his sights and fired the blaster rifle, hitting the back thigh of the man's right leg.

OOC: Jubali's turn.  Note the updated map.

Jubali spun and flicked her blade at the smuggler.

OOC 11+6=17
2+4+1=7 dmg

The lightsaber cut a trough in the smuggler's torso, leaving him breathing heavily and a stench of burned flesh.

The armored figure fired at Jubali again.

Jubali sensed the shot and turned to Deflect.

OOC 8+7=15

Jubali could not quite bring her lightsaber around quick enough and the shot penetrated her shoulder.

Galak was still recovering, and realizing he just wasn't trained well enough with a blaster rifle, switched back to his blaster pistol.

The smuggler swiped at Jubali again with his vibro-ax; the swing was clumsy, but Jubali's weakened state allowed the blow to sneak through.

Traest desperately shot at the smuggler, trying to help Jubali, and would have missed if not for the will of the Force.  As it was, his shot hit the smuggler in the back, and the foe slumped to the ground.

OOC: Jubali's turn.  Note the slight update to the map.

Jubali took a deep breath to steady herself and regain her composure.

OOC Second wind and Recover.

The armored man fired at Traest, who had just finished his compatriot.  The shot singed the fur on the Bothan's face.

Galak finished recovering and fired at the group's remaining opponent with his blaster pistol.  The shot sailed over the man's shoulder.

Traest followed suit, trying to pin him in a crossfire.  The shot grazed the armored figure, and he looked stunned that he had been hit.

OOC: Jubali's turn.

Jubali finished recovering then moved closer to the Gungan, hoping to use her defensive skills to provide cover.

The armored man fired at Galak, who was less protected, but his shot whizzed by Galak's side.

Galak returned fire, with a similar result; so he decided to move closer to the relative safety of Jubali's lightsaber.

Traest fired as well, but also missed.

OOC: Jubali's turn.

Jubali continued to provide coverage for her friends with her lightsaber dance.

The armored man fired at Traest, but missed, the shot causing sparks to come off the wall behind him, making the Gungan shriek, and crouch down even lower.

Galak moved in right behind Jubali  and fired at their foe.  His shot missed, as did Traest's follow up shot.

OOC: Jubali's turn.

Jubali continued to play the part of defensive wall, hoping the two men with guns would eventually hit their target.

The armored man continued to target Traest, his shot barely whizzing over the Bothan's left ear.

Galak and Traest also continued to be unsuccessful with their attacks.

OOC: Jubali's turn (see PM above).

OOC Yes.

After another round of ineffective fire from both sides--though Galak's shot did make the armored figure duck--Traest asked, "Can Jedi do mind tricks mid-battle?"

"Depends on what I'm asking them to do.  What are you thinking?"

"I was thinking a simple 'Lay down your weapon and surrender' would suffice," Traest answered, right as a shot headed straight for his torso.

OOC: If you would like to try and deflect this shot, make a UtF check.

OOC 11+7=18

Jubali swung her lightsaber up to deflect the shot.

"That MIGHT work if you all stopped firing at him.  I can't trick them into doing something that might endanger their life!"

Jubali couldn't deflect the expertly aimed shot, and Traest winced as it glanced his mid-section.  "I hate to say it," he groaned.  "But I think if we stop firing at him, our lives will be in danger.  I guess we'll have to make do with no mind trick."

Traest caught a second wind and he and Galak resumed their exchange of fire with the armored figure.  Their teamwork was finally starting to wear down their opponent, so that Galak got a shot through the man's defenses, though it didn't do much damage.  Luckily it also prevented their foe's shots from injuring them.

The next volley reversed their fortunes though and Traest found another blast heading his way.

OOC: Deflection?

OOC 7+3+7 = 17

Jubali spun and flicked her lightsaber to deflect the shot.

The blaster shot went just under Jubali's lightsaber and grazed Traest's rib cage.

Galak and Traest couldn't pin down their attacker, and he got another shot through, unless Jubali could deflect it.

OOC 1+7=8  Nope.

Jubali almost stumbled in her dance and her deflection went wide.

The shot incapacitated the Bothan, but Jubali could tell he was still breathing.

Before any of the rest of them could react, a shot came from the hallway to their left, knocking their assailant off balance.  Ranger Cardosa and Master Tabret burst through the entryway.  They stopped short of the bridge, and Master Tabret demanded, "You will put down your weapon and accompany us back to Theed."

"I'll never submit to Jedi scum and their Ranger lackeys," the armored man defiantly proclaimed.

"That is an unwise decision," Master Tabret warned.

As an answer, the man fired at Master Tabret, but the Jedi easily dodged the blow.  Galak resumed his fire at their foe, but was so distracted by the appearance of their rescuers, that he missed entirely.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:50, Thu 08 Sept 2016.

Jubali was relieved to see her master but no so much that she let down her guard.

Master Tabret charged forward, slicing at the defiant man, her lightsaber slashing his torso deeply despite his armor.  He was wavering on his feet, but still tried to raise his pistol to fire point blank at the Jedi.  Ranger Cardosa fired over Sonora's shoulder, putting their enemy out of his misery.

After everyone had had a chance to catch their breath and things had settled, Master Tabret approached Jubali.  "You did not report in as you were asked," Master Tabret gently chided, tilting her head forward and raising her brow.

"Uh..." Jubali attempted to scour her memory of what her orders had been.  "We were still in the process of gathering new information."

"Wait a minute," Galak spoke up.  "If Jubali didn't report in, how did you know we needed help?"

"Because Traest reported in," Ranger Cardosa answered, as he examined his wounded apprentice.

"But I never saw or heard him comm you," Galak said.

"He was using tap code," Dane responded.  "Not a lot of details, but enough to know you guys had found the location where the Gungan technician was being held and that you had encountered hostiles."  He turned to Master Tabret and said, "He's breathing fine, but we need to get him to a medical facility."

"No need," Master Tabret countered.  She walked over to Traest, placed her thumb and pinkie on his temples and closed her eyes in concentration.  Soon Traest started to flutter his eyes and wake.

OOC: Any comments from Jubali?
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 05:39, Wed 21 Sept 2016.

"Thank you, master," Jubali said, relieved to see her comrade stabilized.  "I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner."

"Just so long as the lesson was learned," Master Tabret said gently.  "I'm afraid I did not anticipate how skilled those holding the Gungan technician would be."

"Now that everybody's healthy, let's take a look at what we can find out from this computer," Ranger Cardosa said.

The Gungan technician moved over to the machine, and started sifting through its data.  "Thissa computer contains information about something called Operation Clodhopper.  It be givin' a contact: Talbrek.  Nuttin' else."

"Interesting..." Master Tabret trailed off.  "Very well Jubali, you and Traest head back to Theed.  Get Traest healed up, and then prepare to accompany Galak and our new friend here," she said, indicating the Gungan, "on the maiden voyage of the Mantaris in a few days.  Meanwhile, Ranger Cardosa and I will investigate this contact, Talbrek."

OOC: Any questions/comments?

OOC: Okay, then while Traest is healing up, go ahead and level up Jubali to Level 4.  Note the stats I have for you under Character Details.

OOC Done

OOC: I know, it's just that his next part is going to take some thinking on my part on how I want to do it.  The next post itself may or may not be long.

Thanks to Master Tabret's healing, there wasn't much the medical center in Theed needed to do to help Traest.  So most of the next few days were spent in planning for the Mantaris's maiden voyage.  The ship itself would be escorted by two Naboo starfighters.  The on-ship security crew consisted of Jubali, Traest, and Galak.  The only other personnel on the ship would be the pilot, co-pilot and the technical crew, led by the Gungan technician they had rescued, who they had learned was named Tipler.

As the ship security and technical crew were finishing up their plans, Tipler reassured them "Doncha worry Padawan Jubi, Galak has been teachin' meesa how to use a blaster so meesa can help the next time there'ssa trouble."

"That's great," Jubali said trying not to sound as concerned as she felt.

The morning of the launch arrived, and everyone was hurrying about the hangar.  Naboo and Gungan technicians were loading cargo onto the ship, and the two Naboo royal escort pilots were prepping their starfighters.

Jubali saw Traest approaching her from the other side of the hangar.  "So, ready for a boring, run-of-the-mill intrasystem shuttle ride?"

"We should be so lucky," Jubali scoffed.  "When was the last time everything went run-of-the-mill for us?"

Traest tapped a clawed finger against his furred cheek as if in serious thought.  "I'd say, when we lifted off from Coruscant six standard months ago.  That take-off was definitely run-of-the-mill."

"Oh, well, that's true," Jubali conceded.  She pushed off of the wall she was leaning against and stretched.  "Such is our lot.  I suppose, we could leave the Order  and the Rangers.  Live a boring life."

"Nah, too young," Traest replied.  "Maybe when I'm old and tired I'll retire."  Traest then got a worried look on his face.  "You wouldn't really leave the Order would you?"

"Not out of bitterness or anger but sometimes I think about it.  What it might be like to have a normal life.  Children...a family.  I'm not saying being a Jedi isn't fulfilling, it is, but it's normal to wonder what you life could be like if things were different, isn't it?"

"I suppose.  I've often wondered what would have happened had I followed the Bothan tradition of politics and espionage."  Traest agreed.  "I suppose my height could have helped me be an imposing leader, but I'm afraid spying would have been out of the question--it's kind of hard to blend in as a tall Bothan."

"What was your family like?"

"Mom and dad were both tall, but not like me.  Dad started out a spy, like most Bothans, but got into politics after I was born.  Mom's still part of the spynet."  Traest opened up.  "They were both proud of me when I got accepted into the Rangers, if that's what you're worried about.  It's really not too much different than some of what they do.  It's just more overt."

"Well, I suppose we should get going," Jubali said.  "We live to serve, after all."

After they finished loading the last few boxes onto the Mantaris, Tipler  and Galak came by.  "Weesa need to be checkin' the systems before take off," Tipler said.  "Weesa don't want any surprises durin' oursen flight."

Tipler showed the other three around the ship, checking systems as they went.  He introduced them to the shuttle crew as well.  "Well everything looks okey dokey," Tipler commented at the end.  "I guess weesa ready."

"And I just checked with our escort," Galak said.  "They've confirmed they're ready to takeoff as well."

"Then I guess we should strap in," Tipler finished.

OOC: Any comments as you're strapping in or taking off?

OOC Nope.

As the ship lifted off, the pilots continued to check that systems were operating properly.  Everything checked out, and they headed toward the nearby moon, with their escort in tow.  They soon exited Naboo's atmosphere, and started checking space capabilities, including maneuverability.  They took the Mantaris through some tight turns and loops, and Jubali couldn't feel hardly anything, so artificial gravity was working.

About halfway to the moon, the co-pilot suddenly announced, "There's a problem with life support."

"What's the problem?" Galak asked.

"It's not functioning," the co-pilot replied.

"Then how are we still breathing?" Traest wondered aloud.

"The air in the ship will probably last us another 10 minutes," came the answer.

"And how long before we make it to the moon?" Galak queried, concern creeping into his voice.

"20 minutes," came the equally concerned response.

"But thassa impossible," Tipler said.  "Meesa checked everything before weesa took off, even the life support."  He sighed.  "Meesa go check it."  He unbuckled, stood and headed back to the engineering section.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:40, Mon 06 Feb 2017.

"Wait!" Jubilee unbuckled herself as well and darted after the Gungan.

"Wait for us," Traest said, motioning for Galak to come along as well.

When they reached the engineering section, Tipler started looking over the life support system.  It didn't take long before he announced.  "The system has definitely been tampered with.  Meesa just don't know how.  Meesa checked it after the hatch was closed, so nobody who stayed behind could have done it.  But that means..."

"That whoever did it is still on the ship." Galak finished.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Traest responded.

OOC: Any reaction from Jubali?
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:56, Wed 26 Apr 2017.

"At least we have them trapped."

"Yes, but that means he has us trapped too," Traest pointed out, his ears going flat against his head and his teeth bared; a threatened, but also threatening position.

"And whossa knows if this'n the only thing theyssa broken," Tipler said, more worry coming into his voice, his fingers fidgeting nervously.

"We need to find this saboteur and fast," Galak said, reaching for his blaster.  "Start looking around; it should only be us and the crew on board--anyone else is a suspect."

OOC: How does Jubali want to go about searching for the saboteur?

OOC Gather Information 16+6=22

OOC: Please describe Jubali's action for Gathering Information.

Jubali wished she had time to interview the crew (consisting of the pilot, the navigator, the communications officer, and the engineer, Tipler), but there wasn't any, and the crew had been within Jubali's sight the whole time--no, it couldn't be any of them.  So she asked Tipler to pull up the video records of who had gone in and out of the room.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:31, Wed 10 May 2017.

Tipler accessed the footage from the nearby engineering station.  As the feed played through, the group could see a Human enter, mess with the life support system, and then leave.


"Wait a minute," Galak said.  "I recognize him, he was part of the loading crew.  But he definitely shouldn't be on board during the flight."

"Well now that we know what he looks like, let's go find him," Traest said enthusiastically, pinning his ears down against his head, in hunting mode.  "We're running out of time."  He ran out of the engineering section at a dash.

"Meesa might be able to give us more time if meesa can fix dis'n life support system," Tipler offered.

"You do that," Galak said, heading for the exit as well.  "Are you coming with us, or staying?" Galak asked Jubali.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:59, Tue 23 May 2017.

"Tipler needs protection in case the saboteur comes back."

Galak didn't bother arguing with the Jedi, but instead immediately bolted off after Traest.

However, since Jubali's comlink line was open, she could hear any updates the two enforcers made as they went along.  "I think I'm finding his trail," came Traest's voice.  "He looks like he's heading towards the rear-facing concussion missile launcher."


Tipler, already elbow-deep in his repair of the life support system called out "Youssa need to stop him before heessa gets dere.  Heessa maybe gonna do somethin' bombad with those'n missiles."

"We're working on it," Galak said.

Tipler seemed to be having trouble repairing the life support system and Traest and Galak seemed to be having trouble locating the saboteur.


OOC: What does Jubali want to do?
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:15, Mon 05 June 2017.

Jubali knew she had to protect Tipler so she chose to have faith in her companions.  To help with the repair process Jubali knelt down and started handing Tipler tools and moving things out of the way.

OOC Aid Another?  I just roll Mechanics check right?
Mechanics 13+3=16

OOC: Yep, that works for what Jubali's doing.

Tipler continued to rewire, reconfigure, and reconnect the dismantled life support system, appreciating Jubali's help in handing him tools and keeping the area clear of any debris he created with his work.  Finally, he announced, "Meesa fixed it, meesa fixed it!"


At nearly the same time, Traest said over the comm, again whispering, "I've spotted him.  I think we have him cornered, but we might need back up.  Anyone available?"

Jubali was hesitant to leave Tipler.  What if someone circled back around to destroy the life support again?  What if he was really in on it?  She hated being paranoid.

Jubali attempted to Search Her Feelings to see if leaving Tipler was a good idea:
UtF: 17+14=31

Jubali could tell from the Force that leaving Tipler would not affect the outcome of the current situation.  As she was coming to this realization, Tipler said "Come on.  Weesa finished here, letssa go help our friends!"  And he exited the engineering area heading for the rear concussion missile launcher.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 20:52, Tue 20 June 2017.

Jubali was glad to have that situation resolved and followed Tipler.

When Jubali and Tipler caught up with Traest and Galak, they found them pinned down in the cramped missile loading section.

Traest explained the situation: "We've got him contained, but he's not going down without a fight."  As if to punctuate this, a shot from the saboteur's blaster hit a bulkhead just above them.  "And we can't really fire on anything but stun," Traest continued, "For fear of either hitting the missiles, or the explosives he's planted in the area.  But if we don't capture him soon, the explosives will go off anyway.  Any ideas?"

OOC What's the range on Mind Trick?

OOC: LOS & within 12 sq (18 m).  Jubali is within that range, so as long as she can see him, she's good.

"Stop shooting!" Jubali called to the guys.  "I'm going to try something!"

Though hesitant, Traest and Galak held their fire, while keeping their weapons aimed in the direction of the saboteur.  Their foe had no such qualms, and continued to send blaster shots at the heroes.

Jubali reached into the Force and then out into the mind of the gunner.

"We do not wish to fight, surrender, and we will take you in unharmed," Jubali called out.

OOC  16+14=30
Jubali also spends a Force Point to improve his attitude by 1 and 1 for every 5 points above their Will Defense

The blaster fire stopped immediately, and the saboteur emerged from the shadows.  He was a male human, middle-aged and of medium build, with brown hair cut short.  He began to speak in a monotone voice.  "You don't wish to fight.  If I surrender, you'll take me in unharmed."  He dropped his blaster.

"Bind him," Jubali hissed to the others.

As Traest and Galak moved out from cover, the saboteur said "Surrender?" with a puzzled look on his downcast face.  Then it seemed as though some realization dawned on him.  He lifted up his head, put a closed fist over his heart, and said "For the life!"  Jubali saw his teeth grind together, heard a slight crunch, and then the man started foaming at the mouth.

"NO!" Jubali shouted and ran forward.  "Stop him!  Do something!"

OOC Jubali doesn't know medicine, I'm assuming one of the others does?

Traest was quick enough to keep the man from hitting the ground, but his body had already stopped convulsing.  "He's dead." Traest announced after checking his vitals.

Jubali groaned.

"Search him, maybe we can get some information out of him that way."

The weapon that the saboteur had dropped was a standard blaster pistol.  He was wearing a blast helmet and vest, with a hidden insignia of a fist over a heart.  He also had some spare explosives fuses and a comlink.

While Traest had searched his body, Tipler had moved past everyone else to start defusing the bombs.  Once the others were done searching the human, Tipler announced.  "Issa okey day now.  Meesa defused theesa bombs."  He swiped his long arm across his forehead in a sign of relief.

"Someone get a shot of that insignia," Jubali said.  "We'll need it."  Then turning to Tipler.  "Thank you."

Traest got out his datapad and took a holo of the insignia on the saboteur's vest.

"No problemo," Tipler replied to Jubali's thanks.  "It was as much for meesa safety as was for youssa's."

The rest of the trip to the moon was uneventful.  Even the landing was smooth.  When everyone disembarked, there was a great celebration from the Naboo and the Gungans, including Galak and Tipler, for the success of their first joint venture together.  As celebratory drinks were passed around, Jubali and Traest were left to their own devices while waiting for their shuttle back to the planet proper.

"Another successful mission, huh?" Jubali said, shifting anxiously next to Traest.

"Yeah, just barely though," Traest said somewhat absent-mindedly as he stared at a spot on the ground about ten meters away, seemingly lost in thought.  "These Army of Life guys are popping up way too much."

"Agreed.  I hope we get a chance to take them out for good."

"Well, hopefully Ranger Cardosa and Master Tabret have turned up a lead with that contact, Talbrek," Traest offered, kicking a pebble near his feet.

"So...you got anybody back home...family...a girlfriend..."

"You mean besides my mom and dad?" Traest asked rhetorically .  "I mean I was an only child, but I had grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.  I wasn't particularly close to any one of them more than another.  As far as a relationship, I was too eager to join the Rangers to worry about that."  He paused only slightly and then added "Before."

A shuttle suddenly came swooping down forestalling any continuation to the conversation.  Its downdraft rustled the nearby flora and whipped Jubali's robes and Traest's camouflage poncho.  Once it landed, the loading ramp lowered and Master Tabret walked down.  "So anything interesting happen on the flight?" she asked.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:47, Fri 26 Jan 2018.

"Oh, you know, sabotage, Army of Life fanatic, the usual," Jubali said casually.

Master Tabret arched her eyebrow, but simply said, "I will let you give me a full debrief on the way back to Naboo."  As the Jedi Master led them up the ramp, they realized that the ship was not just an ordinary shuttle, but their beloved Eclipse.

As the three of them sat in the medbay (with Dane piloting), Jubali and Traest told Master Tabret the whole story.  At the end all Sonora could do was shake her head.  "The Paladin is involved in too much here on Naboo."  She sighed before continuing.  "Well hopefully we can end that with your new mission.  Ranger Cardosa and I looked into that contact, Talbrek.  Apparently he is a Kubaz information broker operating out of Kwilaan Spaceport.  He even gave Ranger Cardosa and I a job.  But it is not us who are going to fulfill the job, it's you two."

With a little bit of wide-eyed shock, Traest put up a mild protest.  "But won't whoever we're doing the job for realize we're not you?"

"A valid question; but no, they shouldn't."  Master Tabret explained, "Talbrek told us that our new employers are to meet us at Frundle's Cantina and to just walk in and get a table.  He said our contact would find us and identify himself with the code phrase 'Banthas breathe nothing in a vacuum.' To which we were to reply with the phrase 'Hawk-bats drink nothing in the desert.'  I believe as long as you have the correct response phrase, the contact should believe you're the right people."

OOC: Does Jubali have any questions or comments?

"I'll never understand these contact phrases," Jubali said.  "Like, I know they're supposed to be things that don't come up in a normal conversation but something this odd would be just as much of a tip off."

Master Tabret gave a little chuckle at this comment.  "It does seem a little silly, but that's the way the contact wants to ensure he has the right people."  Jubali could hear the hum of the landing sequence as the Eclipse landed back on Naboo.

As Master Tabret led you to the landing ramp, she added, "And you won't be going alone either."  As soon as the ramp finished lowering, Jubali could see Galak and Tipler approaching, Galak with his hands full.  "Queen Amidala and Boss Nass insisted that they accompany you on this mission."

"I thought I'd get us some non-descript clothing, so we don't look like a Jedi, a Ranger, and Naboo Security Forces," Galak said as he approached.  As he started handing out the plain clothing, Tipler asked "What about meesa?"  "A technician's clothing should look normal on this mission," Galak answered.

After everyone got changed aboard the Eclipse, Ranger Cardosa and Master Tabret gave them one final send off.  "Make sure to stay in com contact," Master Tabret reminded.  "We won't be far away."  "But if there are no other questions about the mission, it's off to Keren with you." Ranger Cardosa said.

"Okay," Jubali replied, glad to have friends back.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:58, Sun 08 Apr 2018.

Twilight was setting in as they walked down the streets of Keren, and vendors were starting to turn on their lighted signs.  The entrance to Frundle’s Cantina was easy to find--a steady stream of heavy foot traffic, as well as the word "FRUNDLE’S" painted on the side of the outside wall in meter-high letters was a dead giveaway. A brightly-lit notice above the door proclaimed that no one beats Frundle’s drink prices, a sure sign that virtually every bar in Keren was less expensive.

Just inside the entrance, a small vestibule awaited. A host droid--a modified auto-bartender with a humanoid torso riding on a tracked lower half--offered to seat entrants, although Jubali noticed that most of the beings going in ahead of them seemed to be ignoring the droid. The bar was busy, but not packed. Various species intermingled throughout the smoky environs, although most beings appeared Human or Gungan. The droid pointed you to three open booths: one in a darkened corner far from the entrance, one well-lit and near the bar, and a third near the entrance (and behind a booth full of noisy Gungans).

"Which table would you prefer?" the droid asked.

"Uh...a little input here, guys," Jubali pleaded.  "I've lived half my life cloistered in the Jedi temple."

After Galak and Tipler gave similar looks of uncertainty, Traest finally spoke up, whispering to the group.  "Definitely not near the noisy Gungans, they're likely already drunk.  The booth near the bar would be great if we were interested in staying here a long time and wanted quick service, but as we're just here for business, the booth in the corner allows us to see who enters and leaves, but can barely be seen from here."  Then he spoke up loudly to the host droid, "We'll take the booth in the back corner."

"Very good, gentle-beings," the droid answered.  "Follow me."  The droid led the group to the booth in the corner, and after they were seated, he made a noise similar to an organic clearing its throat, and then began rubbing its digits together in a gesture that usually indicated an expectation of money.

"Pay the droid, Galak," Jubali smiled.

Galak's eyes widened, not realizing Jubali might be joking.  "Me?" he asked incredulously.  "I don't have any credits on me."  As Galak's gaze scanned the other two, Tipler said "Don't look at meesa!"

Once again Traest came to the rescue.  He handed the host droid a ten-credit chip.  It almost sounded like the droid sniffed at the offering, but made no comment.  "What can I get each of you to drink?" the droid asked, completely ignoring the fact that both Jubali and Traest were probably under-aged.

The group looked to see if Jubali would order anything first.

"Just water," Jubali replied, waving her hand.

"The same," Traest said.

"Meesa too," Tipler added.

"I'll  have an Alderaan beer," Galak said, somewhat surprisingly.  When Traest glared at him after the droid left to get the drinks, Galak explained: "I was afraid he'd get suspicious or upset if none of us ordered anything.  Alderaan beer was the mildest thing I could think of."

When the droid came back, he gave Galak his beer first, and then proceeded to nearly dump the water cups on each of the rest of the group before scooting back towards the door.

Galak had barely taken one sip of his beer and Jubali was only halfway done with her drink when a young, nervous-looking Human male dressed in a featureless gray technician’s jumpsuit came through the door. Like most everyone else, he ignored the droid and started walking towards your table.  Without pausing, he took an open seat at the edge of your booth. After gazing intently at each of you, he finally spoke: "Banthas breathe nothing in a vacuum," he said, awaiting your response.

"Hawk-bats drink nothing in the desert."  Jubali replied dryly.

The young man visibly relaxed at having received the proper reply.  Without further introduction he dove into your instructions: "You are to proceed to docking bay 33 at Kwilaan Spaceport and take control of a ship docked there, the Majestic Gundark. This ship has been loaded with your cargo--a shipment of bio-material.  Take the cargo to the remote colony world of Stend IV. Land outside the largest settlement, unload the cargo, and release it into the environment."  He paused briefly here as his face became serious.  "Do not bother opening the crates: the locks on each one are chemically bonded, and will only open when exposed for a full minute to air that matches the exact atmospheric composition of Stend IV. You will not get paid the remainder of your fee unless the Army sees that the crates were opened on the planet for which they were intended."  He stopped, and looked at each of you to see if there were any questions.

"Sounds good," Jubali replied, looking at the others.

Nobody else seemed to have any questions yet, so the contact handed Traest a datapad.  "Directions to the docking bay as well as security lock-out code for the Majestic Gundark and hyperspace coordinates for your journey are on this datapad," the mystery man explained.  He then also pushed a credstick into Traest's paw.  "Half of your payment, as agreed.  Meet me at the 'Bent Lekku' cantina in the city of Kala'uun on Ryloth when you've finished your assignment and I'll give you the rest of your payment."

The man moved to leave, but Galak grabbed his cuff and asked, "How will we prove we were successful with our mission?"

"We'll know," the man said cryptically.  He then quickly raised his fist to his heart and quietly, but solemnly said "For the life."  He moved swiftly out the door and into the night.

Jubali was officially disturbed by the Army of Life sign but did her best to not be obvious about it.  Once their contact was gone she tried to casually contact her master and fill her in on their progress.

"Thank you for the update Jubali," Master Tabret said.  Jubali could tell that her master really did appreciate that she had learned from her last adventure.  "It seems as though things are proceeding as we expected.  For now, continue on; do what the contact asked you to do."

"Will do," Jubali replied then tucked her comm away.  She looked at the others.  "Well, let's go."

As the group exited the building and started walking up the street to head to the appointed docking bay, a group of Gungans came from around the corner.  The one in front, slightly more muscular than the rest, with brown skin that had a slight orange tint to it, called out to the four of you.  "Hey, meesa recognize youssa lot," he said in a gruff voice.  "Youssa was at Frundle's.  Youssa didn't want to sit by us.  Whassa matter?  Youssa too good for uss'n?"

Jubali turned around, subtly waving her hand.

"You must be mistaken, you've never seen us before."

OOC Mind Trick: 7+14=21

The lead Gungan threw his gangly arm at Jubali in dismissal.  "Never mind.  Weesa never seen youssa before."  He turned around and he and his gang headed off back into the shadows.

"Once again saved from an unnecessary scrape," Traest complimented Jubali.

"Youssa one bombad Jedi," Tipler added.

"Let's get going before we have another possible 'unnecessary scrape,'" Galak suggested.

OOC: Any comments?

Jubali was feeling a little bit of high at having to deftly diffusing the situation.

"Thank you," she said to Tipler.

As everyone moved on as Galak had suggested, Tipler replied to Jubali: "Meesa just glad youssa miyo palo."

Jubali laughed.  "I do my best."

The rest of the trip to the Kwilaan Spaceport was uneventful.  Docking bay 33 was easy enough to find and the entrance to the docking bay was open to the street.  As Jubali crossed the threshold into the bay, she could see that the roof was open to the sky. A Corellian YT-1300 transport rested inside, its only visible external modification an additional laser cannon on the belly turret to complement the standard one on the top turret. A small utility droid in the process of detaching a long, thick fusion generator supply hose was just completing fueling the vessel. The ship appeared locked and powered-down, and other than the heroes and the utility droid, the bay seemed to be empty.

OOC: Does Jubali want to say anything or make any checks before I proceed?

Jubali casually looked around the bay.

OOC 3+4=7 Perception

Jubali did not notice anything unusual.

Traest pulled out the datapad their contact had given them and keyed in the security code to open the ship.

"Freeze!" a voice suddenly shouted from the shadows behind the Majestic Gundark. "Spaceport security!" A uniformed guard stepped from the rear of the ship, his blaster pistol leveled at Jubali. "You’re under arrest for suspicion of smuggling." He raised his free hand and waved back toward the direction from which  he had come. "They don’t look like much trouble, boys," he said, "Let’s nab ’em."

OOC: Roll for Initiative.

OOC 4+11=15

Four more security guards came from around both sides of the Gundark .  The guards only had time to move into place before the heroes reacted.

"Jubali, we can't let them see you use your lightsaber or your powers or it might blow our cover," Traest warned.  "You could either get the ship started or take Tipler's blaster pistol and he can start the ship.  Either way we'll hold them off until the ship is ready."

Tipler looked nervous but ready.

"Make sure you have your weapons are on stun," Galak suggested.  "After all, they're just doing their jobs."

"That means we're going to have to stay in close," Traest replied.

"I know," Galak sighed.

Traest drew his blaster pistol, turned around and stunned the third security guard .  His shot hit true and the guard visibly sagged at the pain, but didn't cave.

OOC: Jubali's turn.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:53, Fri 08 Nov 2019.

Jubali snatched the pistol out of Tipler's holster and moved into close range to the guards to her left (up two, left two (I'm assuming I can move under the ship).

OOC I'm out of attack possibilities with two moves, yeah?  She is currently fighting defensively, with her Acrobatics shes at 25 reflex (Elusive target requires me to be melee fighting, yeah?)

OOC: Yes, you can move under the ship.  You are correct, you have no actions left for an attack.  Nor can you fight defensively because that is a standard action.  And yes, Elusive Target requires you to be melee fighting; and with how far you moved, you are not yet engaged in melee (see map).  Did you mean to move to a point where you would be engaged in melee?  And if you want to be in melee, you can't use the blaster pistol.  If you used the blaster pistol, you would just be within melee range, but not engaged in melee.

Tipler took the hint and moved over to the landing ramp, pushing the button that would lower it.

Galak pulled his blaster, put it on stun, and fired at the security chief, but his shot just missed.

The security chief shot a stun bolt back at Galak, but he also missed.

Both the security guards near Jubali considered her aggressive move towards them as threatening and both took a shot at her.  The first shot was a close call, nearly singeing Jubali's fur.  The other shot easily flew by.

The third security guard fired back at Traest, also barely missing.

The fourth security guard moved closer to get within stun range and then shot at Galak.  His shot went wide.


Traest continued his attack on the third security guard, hoping to take him out of the fight.  Unfortunately Traest missed.  He then moved slightly out into the main entrance area to get some cover.

OOC: Jubali's turn.

Jubali switched to stun and then fired at the guard ahead of her.

OOC SG2
Attack: 7+17-5=19

I wasn't planning on being in a Melee, just making sure.  Still fighting defensively (hence the -5)

The second security guard was visibly weakened by the stun blast, but managed to remain on his feet.

As soon as the ramp to the ship was down, Tipler hustled up, heading towards the cockpit.

Galak fired at the security guard chief again, making him shake, but not knocking him down.  Galak then followed Traest's lead and moved to cover.

The security guard chief moved over to have a clear line of the main entrance area, negating Galak's cover.  He fired another stun bolt at him, hitting Galak and causing him to sag.

The first and second security guard continued to try and pound away at Jubali, but both missed miserably.

The third and fourth security guards closed in on Traest and Galak.  Traest was hit, and though weakened, seemed to shrug it off.  When Galak got hit he seemed weighed down even more.

Traest fired back again, but he couldn't manage to find his target and he retreated further behind cover.

OOC: Jubali's turn.  Note updated map.

Realizing cover was a safer bet without her lightsaber, Jubali quickly made her way to the nearest landing gear.  Once safe she fired at the nearest guard (SG1).

OOC 14+4=20

OOC: I'm assuming you're not fighting defensively since you didn't include a -5 in your addition.  However, you're still giving yourself too high of an attack bonus for a weapon you're  not proficient in.  You only have a +1 attack bonus as I explained in our private message conversation.  So you're total attack for this turn is 14+1=15.  Not 14+4 which does not even equal 20.  Nor 14+6=20, which is what it would be if you were using a simple ranged weapon instead of a pistol.

Jubali's stun blast hit the guard , but the effect was barely noticeable.

Soon Jubali could hear the engines of the Gundark start up.  Tipler must have made it to the cockpit!

"Concentrate fire on that guard in front of the ramp!" Traest called out.  "We need to get aboard."

Galak fired the first shot at the guard, but the shot barely missed, leaving Galak scrambling to get behind cover.

The security chief moved to where he could see Traest and fired at him, but missed.

The security guard at whom Jubali had fired, fired back at her, but nearly bounced the stun blast off the pylon in front of him and back at himself.

The second security guard (SG2) moved into position to negate Jubali's cover, the shot hitting and sending shudders up Jubali's spine.  [Private to Jubali, you take 14 dmg, no CT movement; so you're down to 46 hp.]

The third security guard also moved to negate Jubali's cover, but tripped as he was firing his shot, putting the stun blast into the ground.

The fourth security guard moved closer to Traest as well, firing another stun blast into the Bothan.

Traest shuddered, but seemed to recover from the two blasts he'd taken before calling out "Make for the ramp, it's clear."  He then started running up the ramp.

OOC: What does Jubali do?  Also, see the updated map and note that you, SG2 and SG3 are under the ship, while Traest is in the ship.

Jubali forsook her attacks and decided to simply run for the ship.

OOC Run action.

Jubali was able to make it all the way to the cockpit of the ship, running past Traest on her way.

Galak ran around the two security guards near him, and up the ramp, hitting the button to close the ramp.

The security chief moved to be in line with the closing ramp and fired a stun shot at Traest that hit the bottom of the ramp.  The other security guards followed suit, and though only three of them could get in position, all three fired.  Fortunately, all three missed.  Traest considered firing back, but realized he needed to get to the cockpit to pilot the ship.  Galak followed soon afterwards.

"All right, let's get out of here," Traest announced as he pulled the ship out of the docking bay.  Outside, the security guards had switched their blasters from stun and were firing at the ship to no avail.  Soon the ship was in orbit.  "Okay Tipler, set a course for Stend IV," Traest requested.

"Okee day," Tipler responded cheerfully.  "It will take meesa about one minute to maken the calculations."

"That's fine," Traest conceded, "it'll take about that long to get to a safe distance from Naboo's gravity well."

"Uh oh!" Tipler suddenly said in alarm.

"What is it?" Galak asked.

"There's something on the sensors," Tipler answered.  "Two gargantuan ships with shields active.  Theysa within long range."

A voice came over the comm panel.  "Majestic Gundark, this is Lt. Davonn of Guardian flight. Return to port or we will be forced to shoot you down."

"What now?" Galak asked.

OOC: What does Jubali do?

"Please tell me you didn't stop calculations," Jubali said to Tipler.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:58, Thu 30 July 2020.

"Meesa didn't," Tipler replied.

"Reroute all power to the engines and shields!"  Jubali called.  "We just need a little more time."

"There are no shields!"  Tipler exclaimed   "Meesa routed power to the engines,"  he reported.  "Meesa could try to calculate hyperspace jump quicker, but meesa thinkin' that's no safe."

"And I agree," Traest said.  "Just keep going, we'll make it out fine."

As soon as Traest said this, both starfighters fired.  The first one missed by so much it almost seemed like a warning shot, but the other one hit the Gundark hard.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:36, Thu 30 July 2020.

"We can't fire back, we're not supposed to actually hurt anyone," Jubali fretted.

"I'm not sure how much it will help," Galak spoke up, "but I know that protocol for the fighters is to pursue until hull damage is taken, then to break off and call for reinforcements.  There's a small chance we could destroy one with one shot, but that's assuming we hit.  Even if we miss on purpose, it might make them pursue more carefully.  Or it could make them more aggressive."

"Or I can just fly more defensively," Traest offered.  "How long until we have jump coordinates?"

"30 seconds," Tipler answered.

The next two shots missed thanks to Traest's excellent maneuvering.

"We can't fire on them, even as a warning," Jubali exclaimed.  Unsure what else to do she tried to help Traest with his flying.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:17, Wed 06 Jan 2021.

The next shot missed again, but the second ship's shot rocked the ship.

"One more hit like that and we're done for," Galak noted.

Suddenly the two ships peeled off, heading back to Naboo.

"Uhh, whatsa just happened?" Tipler asked.

"Phew, about time!" Traest exclaimed.  "When we faced resistance at the docking bay, I updated Ranger Cardosa via tap code.  Then when these guys showed up on radar I gave him a further update.  It seems he and Master Tabret were able to get them called off."

"Now let's just hope that the Army of Life doesn't have anyone among the group they used to make that call," Galak pointed out.  "Or our cover is blown."

OOC: Any further comments/actions from Jubali before they jump to hyperspace?

Jubali bit her lip, upset that they'd had to potentially risk their cover.

Traest pulled the hyperdrive motivator lever and the stars outside streaked into the cloudy swirl of hyperspace.  "Do you think you can repair the ship?" Traest asked Tipler.

"Meesa can try," Tipler answered.

"Good," Traest responded.

"Meanwhile, we should probably check out our cargo," Galak suggested.

OOC: What does Jubali do?

Jubali nodded and followed Galak.

Traest wheezed a little as he got out of his seat to accompany the other two, reminding Jubali that he had taken the worst of the punishment in the docking bay scuffle.  He didn't complain though, and Jubali let it pass for now.  After passing the tubes leading to the gun turrets and through the engineering bay, Jubali, Galak and Traest reached the cargo hold.  In the middle of the floor were two cargo containers measuring two meters on each side.

"Alright, let's see what we're dealing with here," Galak announced, moving towards one of the containers.

"Wait a minute," Traest cautioned.  "Didn't our contact on Naboo say we shouldn't open them?"

"C'mon, what can happen?" Galak asked

Traest looked to Jubali to see what she thought.

"No, Traest is right," Jubali replied.  "We already almost lost the mission by getting blasted out of the sky.  Let's not push our luck any further."

"Fine," Galak conceded, rolling his eyes.  "Then let's see what else we can find on this ship that's useful."  He walked back out of the cargo hold.

OOC: Make a 1d20 roll for Perception to search the ship.

OOC 4+11=15

As Tipler continued his repairs on the ship, the others searched the ship.  Jubali came across a cache of 4 medpacs.

OOC: What does Jubali do?

Jubali returned to her companions.  "These should be useful."

"Definitely," Traest agreed excitedly.  "After the beating we took in the docking bay, we could use some healing.  We could start with you, if you want." Traest suggested.

Jubali reluctantly stuck to her Jedi teachings and replied "No, start with Galak and yourself."

Traest looked like he might argue with Jubali, but then thought better of it.  "Okay," he agreed.  He healed Galak first, then applied a medpac to himself.  Jubali could see the color coming back to both of their faces, though they remained slightly weak.  Finally Traest treated Jubali .

It took two days to reach Stend IV, but fortunately that allowed Traest and Galak to finish healing up.  As the Majestic Gundark pierced the atmosphere of Stend IV, a thick white cloud cover obscured much of the surface, evidence of its lush tropical climate. What could be seen of the surface was either clear blue oceans or thick green jungle.

"Tipler, can you give me a scan of the planet?" Traest asked.

"Sure," Tipler answered cheerfully.  After performing the scan, Tipler reported that the scans indicated a collection of refined metals and artificially constructed structures that could only be the capital settlement, Gev-Toosa. Other than the Gundark, there does not appear to be another ship in the entire system.

"We are supposed to land near the largest settlement and unload the cargo." Galak said.

"Well, I guess that's it," Traest replied.

Immediately after the Gundark touched down, a WHUMPF rocked the ship. As Jubali looked outside through the viewport, she could see five Gran armed with an assortment of weaponry, most of it primitive--although a large cannon of some kind was plainly visible on the shoulder of one of the aliens, smoke curling from the end of the barrel, and another seemed to be aiming an antique blaster cannon. One Gran, who appeared to be leading the rest, carried an ignited lightsaber and wore the simple robes associated with the Jedi.

OOC: What does Jubali do?

"A Jedi?" Jubali asked, she tried to remember if she knew of any Gran Jedi (OOC roll 14 for whatever check).

OOC: The only female Gran Jedi of which Jubali knew was Master Maks Leem.  But this Gran looked too young to be Master Leem.

"It's possible the Jedi Council heard about what the Army of Life is doing and sent someone to try and stop it," Traest pointed out.  "They probably don't know we're undercover because that would defeat the purpose," he added.

Jubali bit her lip and tried to Search her Feelings but her anxiety was making it hard for her to get any kind of answer.

With no guidance from the Force, Jubali was going to have to rely on input from her companions and her own intuition.

Galak chimed in.  "I think we have two options.  Either we try to do what we were hired to and get the crates into Stend IV's air and fight off these guys long enough for the crates to open or we reveal ourselves and work out a resolution."

"Hold our cover!" Jubali responded.

OOC: Roll for Initiative.

OOC 8+4=12

Just before he opened the landing ramp, Traest clarified, “We’re just setting our weapons to stun, right?”