The woman rolls her eyes. "We don't own the trading company. It's an independent coalition of shippers. They're called Singing Stars Limited, and they give us a discount on all our purchases in exchange for exclusivity."

"Normally we only service our own ships. I suppose we can help, though. What sort of modification did you have in mind?"

Underworld 3D, Outer Rim 2D 1C, or knowledge skill related to business 2D.

Forim offers a bit of advice, passing on what Kraken told him earlier.

ooc: Boost from Forim, or potentially we can use Kracken's successful roll from earlier.

Caddy nods to Forim though doesn't take her eye off the woman, "Oh really?   Interesting.   Well, would it be possible to liaise with one of these shippers?"  She purses her lips, "I've also heard good things about a certain Ardana Tao-ni.   I'd like to hire him for the job I need done."

[21:53, Today: Caddanra 'Caddy' Manitu rolled 2 successes using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 3a 3d 1b.  Underworld.]
This message was last edited by the player at 10:19, Sun 09 Apr 2017.

Caddanra has heard a large number shipping companies, construction companies, and real estate companies with solar-themed names. It is a kind of code, for those in the know: a Black Sun front company. If you own a refuse collection business and "Solar Sanitation" enters your market, it's time to sell your trucks and move away.

The woman blanches, then glances down at her datapad. She appears to be thinking quickly.

"Ardana? She's a little behind on her business rent. Pay me a thousand credits, and when you negotiate with her tell her that you already paid that much up front."

Negotiation 3d

"And you think that would make her more likely to deal with me?"   She laughs, "I think not.  I believe a small retainer for your assistance is in order."  She produces a 100 cred stick and places it on the table in front of her. "And for the assistance you'll be providing in helping us acquire a suitable cargo to deliver to our destination and papers to allow us to do so legally."  She produces another chip, this one 250 creds, and lightly taps it against her cheek before setting it on the table with the other.   "When this is done to my satisfaction, we can chat about any remainder."

[03:26, Today: Caddanra 'Caddy' Manitu rolled 2 successes, 1 threat using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1a 2p 3d 1b.  Negotiation - 1b from Forim.]
This message was last edited by the player at 10:19, Sun 09 Apr 2017.

Apparently this is acceptable. The woman snatches up the credsticks and stands up abruptly. "I'll rustle up a cargo for you," she says, before booking off. At the door, she calls back.

"Ardana Tao-ni has an office on the engineering level, one flight down from here. I'll let her know you're coming."

"I'll send word to the Shimmer to be expecting a cargo."   She smiles then as the woman suggests speaking to Ardana and adds, "No, I think I'd like to speak to her first.  But thank you for the offer."  She pauses and then looks to Forim, "Perhaps you should accompany this kind Lady to see to the ship's needs - and I'll take Kraken with me to this meeting?"

She'll leave Forim to pass on her orders.

Back on the ship, the remaining crew are gathered in the common area. They busily work on the process of dismantling the R2 unit Hypno.

So far they've opened up his chassis and taken off the dome head, and started to dismantle the droids' modular parts. This is the easy part. These are all designed to be removed for easy cleaning, maintenance, and replacement.

Hypno has apparently had a few parts replaced here and there. It's not surprising for an R2 in active service to need such maintenance. There is nothing unusual. No bombs, no transmitters, no tiny creatures operating pedals and levers.

At this point, the only further investigation to do would be to start unscrewing things and looking at the circuits and machinery itself.

2d 1c Mechanical, because you lack circuit diagrams and blueprints to tell where all the wires should be connected. Any uncountered Despair may result in Hypno's function being permanently impeded.

Caddanra heads down a level to the engineering level. Here machinery groaned and whirred. Occasionally steam hissed out. Pipes ran across the ceiling and walls, turning at right angles and joining up with others in a complicated mess of lines. Wires dangled here and there, sometimes with handwritten notes attached to them. Caution signs were pasted on everything.

The Rebels ambled along the hallway. There were many side passages, but all of them were blocked by durasteel doors, so the main trunk was the only real way. Eventually they came to a hub area. Large pipes, wider than two people could reach around, ran up & down through the ceiling and floor.

One door was open. Inside sat a twi'lek woman, who rises to meet you. "Hello. You don't look like station staff. Do you need something? I'm Ardana Tao-ni. I know, you weren't expecting a twi'lek to have a name like that. I was adopted by sullustians. What can I do for you?"

Kraken shakes his head, "I don't know.  I thought we'd have found something.  Jurell said he thought the R2 unit had spliced into the ships systems ... but he didn't say he found him doing it, only that he thought he had.  I don't think the sabatuer was Hypno.  The evidence points that he wasn't programmed and there is no other ... devices which would have caused him to.  So, who else could it have been?  I'd like to take a look at Roger's programming, see if there is anything there." the slicer mutters to Jospi.



OOC:

Forim says with a smile "She knows where we are berthed, and what we want.  I don't think we need to babysit her.  I would rather be with you when it comes to discussing how the ship will be modified."  after a short pause he says "Unless you insist of course"
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:41, Sun 09 Apr 2017.

In reply to 'Kraken' (msg # 98):

Jospi just shrugged at the lack of problems in the 'guts' of the R2 unit.  "We'll just have to dig deeper to find out what there is to see."

03:09, Thu 06 Apr: Jospi Renning rolled 5 successes, 2 threats, 1 triumph using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 2A 2P 2D. Mechanics - Dismantling.04:31, Yesterday: Jospi Renning rolled no successes, 2 advantages using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1b. Mechanics - Dismantling boost from Kraken.00:29, Today: Jospi Renning rolled no successes, 2 threats using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1c. Added difficulty to Mechanics - Dismantling check.

OOC: There is another 1c roll that happened when I duplicated the page in Google.  It was in error.

While the others deal off-ship, or with Hypno, Roger busies himself checking ship systems, monitoring passive sensors, double checking calculations, etc.

Forim clearly wasn't understanding the nuance of this conversation.  Caddy wanted Forim to escort the woman away to ensure that she didn't have a chance to contact Ardana before she herself has spoken to her.   As it stood though, Caddy wasn't going to make a big deal out of things though she'd have to have a word with Forim later though she reminded herself that while her 'suggestions' may have been taken with more weight previously... in her currently occupation, she perhaps needed to be a bit more forthright in her orders.

"Very well...."   She headed down to Ardana's 'office' in the bowels of the establishment.  It was far from pleasant and Caddy's displeasure was obvious to Forim despite her (mostly) silent passage.  Eventually though, they arrive at the hub and see the open door and are greeted by the Twilek.   (She oddly had no preconceived option of the woman based on her name but didn't suggest otherwise)  "Ah.  Please to meet Ardana.   As you rightly guessed, we are not staff.  We are here on business and I've it under good authority that you're the person I should be speaking to."  She pauses, "We're looking for some alternations to our ship.  Would you be interested in taking on the job?"

Forim, completely oblivious, is quite happy to follow Caddy to the engineer's workshop.  He checks it out in detail, always interested in seeing professionals in their element from across the galaxy.

Forim adds "Alterations to avoid recognition in various databases" to Caddy's vague description of the work to be done.

Ardana nods. She avoids asking superfluous questions like "what for?" and "what kind of databases?"

Instead she asks you, after sitting you in her office and offering you distilled water, questions that are relevant to the ship. She asks you what model your ship is, how old it is, and what modifications have been done to it. After awhile, a rodian in a greasy coverall comes in. He adds his buzzing questions to the list.

After getting sufficient information, the discussion turns to price. The rodian keeps indicating the custom work that was done to the engines to make them faster. Apparently it will be harder to rebuild the engines.

Eventually Ardana finishes with a figure written on a datapad. "3 000 credits," it reads.

Negotiation 3d. Every success will reduce the price. Every advantage and triumph will reduce the projected time.

The rest of the crew carefully takes Hypno apart, checking every loose wire and misaligned board. They reassemble it piece by piece, until finally they have created something wonderful: an all new R2 unit, created entirely from autologous donation parts. Far more than a memory wipe, this is effectively a brand new droid with a fully optimized body.

You switch it on and it beeps to life.

"[Language unknown: Olhini, reonri. N n Oncaho. Ponc arela Ou e p llofme?]"

Forim takes charge of the first parts of the negotiation, having spent many times under the hood.

He is honest about all the things he has done, and things that he has noticed that are not stock on the ship.

Recognizing the professionalism and the discretion of these men, he asks "How much to get a library of transponders installed"

If they are going to spend this kind of cash on changing the ship's profile every time it gets flagged by the empire, they will be broke quickly.  a bit easier is having a system installed that lets us change the IFF easily in the future.  Not enough to fool a deep scan, but enough for a cursory inspection.

The rodian nods and honks affirmative. "Can insztall zpoof transzponder. Included, fvive exztra zsignalsz. Won't fool imperial warzipsz, but good for lazy cuztomz inzpectorsz. Eight hundred creditz."

Interesting.   It was oddly 'congenial' though ultimately it suited Caddy to discuss matters in this way.  She was more than happy to let Forim discuss the technical elements as she watched and considered the pair and their dynamic as she 'plotted' her negotiating stance.

The suggestions that we might have a library of IDs is an interesting one.  As the Rhodian replies in his own language, Caddy does consider 'taking offence' to it as part of her negotiating stance but discards that in favour of adding, "3000 credits seems a trifle steep."  She doesn't comment about the additional cost suggested by the Rhodian considering he was rude enough not to speak in basic, "Especially considering the fact that you won't be getting an opportunity like this particularly often - and a good price now will ensure future business."


[08:14, Today: Caddanra 'Caddy' Manitu rolled 2 failures, 3 advantages using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1a 2p 1b 3d.  Negotiation - 1 Boost from Forim.

I'll use 2 adv to reduce the time and one to 'notice something important to the scene' - like, possibly, a link to a crime syndicate she is trying to hide or some such?  Possibly future leverage?]

In reply to The Force (msg # 104):

Kraken nods to the droid and looks to the others, "He said  Hello. I am R2-E3 and asked how he could be of service?  I think we have a new droid.  I don't think we'll have any more problems with him."

Turning to R2-E3 Kraken nods, "Welcome to the 'Sunset Shimmer'.  I'm Kraken and this is Jospi.  Glad to have you with us.  What are your programs and applications?  What jobs are you suited for?  I can update your programs if needed."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:38, Wed 12 Apr 2017.

The negotiations go on for an hour or so. Ardana refuses to accept Caddy's offers of future business, saying that she would prefer to have cash-in-hand now. Apparently their equipment needs to be upgraded to be able to make better offers in the future.

In the end, her rodian engineer concedes, reluctantly, that the changes and upgrades will be made within 2 days. He buzzes and shakes his head, anticipating a sleepless night or two. From a satchel, he removes a curled-up DUM-series pit droid and opens it up. He instructs it to go fetch him the blueprints for a YT-1300, and it scampers off.

"Now all we need is the money," says the twi'lek. She pats the table expectantly.

****

On the ship, the droid whirrs around the hallways. Its dome head rotates, taking in everything as if for the first time.

The droid makes use of the ship's computer screens to write its messages in Basic, so that everyone can read what it wants to say.

"I am an R2-series astromech droid, designed for general service aboard a small spacecraft. I am capable of astrogation, technical support, mechanical repair, and assisting in spaceflight. I am vacuum-ready. I have built-in repair tools, including arc-welder. Aftermarket parts include one restraining bolt, connected to chassis. Normal battery life is approximately thirty-six hours continuous operation, with six hours downtime for full recharge. Recommend routine maintenance every three hundred hours of operation. For best results, contact an expert certified by Industrial Automaton in R-series repair."

The droid reaches the cargo hold and spins around in circles. "Masters, a significant area beneath this deck has been hollowed away. Does the ship require repairs?"

Jospi listens as Kraken interprets the R2 unit's speech.  He gets up and follows the droid as it meanders through the hallways of the ship.  At it's proclamation of hollowed out areas beneath the deck of the cargo hold, he holds up a finger for silence.  Tapping a few keys below the display, he types, Where?

Xyklo, after a prolonged period of paranoid staring at the other ship at dock, finally leaves the turret to join the others. He walks in the awkward overly bouncy manner of his kind, pausing at the interaction between the droid and the engineers.

"Oh you've...   tuned him up, or just cleaned him?"

Caddy produces a cred stick, "So that's 3000 less what I paid up front upstairs.  Half now, half on completion."  She doesn't make that a question though she does place the chip on the table.   "That's 1,150 creds."  This is going to get tight real quickly....  "Gather your things and we'll take a walk back to the ship?"

[Private to The Force: Just how much were we given?  I know you said not to micromanage so I assume we have enough, but I just want to make sure we actually do have enough?]

Forim asks "Do we get any day about the new transponder id's?"

The R2 droid is indicating the space beneath the cargo hull's floor that has been carefully hollowed out for use as a smuggling compartment. Apparently it discovered it without particularly trying. It must not be as secure as it should be.

The rodian engineer hands Forim a datapad. On it is a list of ship names, each registered to a planet. There are five.

Trinity -- Subterrel
Legacy -- Toprawa
Olavia -- Kothlis
Independence -- Mygeeto
Pilgrim -- Alzoc III

Meanwhile, Caddy spots something of interest. She notes a holoframe tucked into a partially-closed drawer. It looks like a picture of a twi'lek family; an adult male and adult female, proudly standing on either side of a young girl twi'lek, on a beach.