"I suspect it's too late for that Forim.   Smugglers would have simply fled - not attacked as we did.  They'd have also not sacrificed their ship to make it to the planet."  She shrugs.  She had hoped to garner more from these people but with Forim having revealed a concerning matter to these people, they'd clammed up and while Caddy could probably encourage them to continue talking, she wasn't sure if she wanted to deceive these people.

She shakes her head then, "I think the experiment with voting has proved the follow of that path.  Besides, they'd be voting from a position of ignorance and we'd be taking advantage of that ignorance - even if we explained the risks."

Kraken listens to the conversation, nodding occasionally, "Did you ask what the smoke was about?  Did the Empire attack them or was that something else?"

As you discuss matters, village life goes on around you. Although they keep an interested eye trained in your direction, most of the villagers go back to whatever tasks distracted them before. Some seat themselves nearby with thick stones in hand, carefully chipping these flints into knives & spearheads. This labour-intensive process might not be some sort of veiled threat, but it might be.

You notice the one painted with yellow instead of red come over to you. She bobs her head politely, presses her hands together and pushes them towards you. Possibly this is some sort of greeting gesture.

"[Language unknown: Ri o elwhi Strartare Rat ncenteset, waswhireasta ll Sheresthuess,]" she says to you. "[Language unknown: O k nt e etal e Meoustst Wiinad a reto linvirate i ngss Rut Pewhwe. Urcere O wiles ce.]"

You glance over at Golfo, seated on her stone. She appears to have nodded off in the afternoon heat.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:28, Sat 08 July 2017.

In reply to The Force (msg # 212):

Kraken had noticed her earlier and had meant to speak with her, but the stomache cramps and talk with the group had distracted him.  Turning to face the differently pained reptile, he mimics her gesture, trying to be polite, "May the Great Spirit guide you towards peace and happiness." he offers.

Looking to Forim, he nods, "What race do they call themselves?  Calling them reptiles seems rude and blunt."

Forim responds "They call themselves the Yellow Eye tribe, children of Kendover.  These are the lands of the Red Stripe."

In reply to The Force (msg # 208):

"Well they have offered for us to stay the night and will guide us to what we are looking for. We really can't ask any more of them without exposing them to extermination and death."

Anders does the same gesture back to the one with the yellow paint. "Ask them what this is all about."

-

Caddy returns Rak's greeting, suspecting that the Yellow Eye's 'diplomat' might have ulterior motives to speaking to them given their furtive looks towards the other speaker.  Caddy could play this card, of course, but her concern that they'd be endangering the lives of these people is still valid.  [Language unknown: "Arpola eve, Wit.  Nde Undithlaroun.   I us oerstarom ac isompa ta atiinecon an itat iounc nteho ivwh Intonswhe weioom san p Verastcom ssrios, linth p ershe butica'artess est ssteekne lat cainpe paoule iouver'ingthe paonfiut t ive ortsheallhasate stmand.   U sete iousanous m ntiesstic essreanot wasnotdaybut hisac menmanartter strwi riletaec are ac el t esstinhat omouer t estughwas strwilund thu.  Wailtr us e asei a ressa?"]

She responds to her team with a question, "Are we still willing to risk their lives to stay or hide with them?  The Imperials are no doubt tracking us and if we got here within the day, they will surely catch us before the night is over.  Even the fact that we passed through here cold damn these people - which is why I suggested a diversion.   I am however open to tactical advice here...."

"[Language unknown: Lar Les p Ilpe lo a hoonsa k se notthowitwitess nonote?u Areev antreaset, ureno tras antsheoul a we ousasteve. Stil Eeneaustaantsan la ledin n alenc comearnte lllaek e isme ainureart rutsonlin ro.  A e rier heus u pall ncitel k, be th leal wasntiove t in waadha ainounvirpre. N re larca cesaekst no dinoutugh tretwe, ut intur n ei oer butartvor e ilwer Riand.]"

The Yellow-Eye scratches under her scales, which you are beginning to see is common Geik fidget. "[Language unknown: Sa le reee ng io eterun, Wi e latonshas ha Wil, maic malale, atethaate kor whi. Ngng manameoun red ounc oresetare k ce Pro Ithanynti, ate A ur m nceillons al hoore k wi houic. N conioucon n forvirted ceck. Ilriul penc aiol forame-redbut ai llnditne, ardill ei n itailies.]"

The way she emphasizes 'conflict' makes you believe there is more to say, but she retreats into small talk and pleasantries. She compliments your excellent clothing and tells you a little about the native wildlife.

[Language unknown: "M whis re p mamifi, Ome, beli u ckpa thuvening'ameenc mi ev e comwhewersta sais acwhro herardlinverort."]   She smiles, [Language unknown: "Miwh con toom ou chman menla o os ectlesencareons io Heneprbe ckect napola ers si, ener I nariis hiisut ne thprce m larortore nglibe urest resioushe e m hite sa thovenlin?"]   Of course, her conversation will be couched in words she can understandably use and that Rak can understand.

In reply to The Force (msg # 217):

Kraken watched the female Yellow Eye tribe - children of Kendover, not understanding what she said or waht she was trying to pass to the others.  Determine to get the language translated, Kraken pulls out his datapad and begins to work on a translation program to decipher what it is they were saying.

Thinking on what Caddy had said, Kraken shrugged, "If the Empire finds our tracks and track them here, they may come to any conclusion they want.  If we are living with them, the Empire will likely assume we are allies and attack them and us.  However, what I haven't heard yet is, are the Empire at war with the Yellow Eye tribe already?  I don't see the Empire coming here to this planet, this area and doing what they wish without breaking a few eggs to get what they want, which most likely includes killing some Yellow Eye tribe members, taking over their territory or doing something to offend them.  If the two are at war, us staying here won't make any difference."

He offers shrugging, "If that has been asked, then I must have missed it as I was eating dinner."

OOC:
'Kraken' rolled 3 successes using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 2p 2a 2b 1c 2d 1s.  Computers - translation program.

Seeing Caddy taking charge of the situation, Forim gladly takes a step backwards.  He says "We cannot tell these people what to do, inform them of the risks and let them make their own decisions."

Noticing a more interesting project, he works with Kraken.  Writing a translation program was a great idea.  This means that all of the team can keep up with it.  He corrects a few things here and there, and provides some phonetic help with meanings.

"We should tie it into your com, so it can pipe to everyone on a secondary channel." he suggests.

Caddy nods to Kraken.  They hadn't actually asked them explicitly though Golfo's reaction had given them a hint, [Language unknown: "O icstsset thadie der i ic trha ri artyin'thorat u of llos Venestecthas.  One ess ncckmitr hiive?  Ience hi Meivta?"]

"[Language unknown: O ro notrearut en ameovelat Dinver'andoer ort trlilo si. Hosa esthi ncmama nd ouun icaie blesanlin ome caiven inesetons k iner ersproest addipe et atiersnce anhall ngalsa arilta pro ssiv'hasi thncre. Eewil k ngha mahapo la utsiro adme'wich. Outsi der nce ne llti ilwien, ce ng ai seng preameain omeerawhetho file ecli. Wasortest e p llwhe seus earyiners any ma meec sthis.]"

Rak, the Visiting Voice of the Yellow Eyes, explains some things about the animals you encountered so far. The tiny hopping birds are called Relk, and they are known to be heralds of life. The small, burrowing mammals that eat insects are Cald. The hand-sized lizards are called Trairg, and it is considered disgusting to eat one. The hive insects are called Brus, and they eat dirt to fertilize the soil. The larger lizards sunning themselves on rocks are called Slasagian, and it is their waste that is used to make the explosive powder the Geik use for weapons. The scavenging bird is called the Phelt, and when you see one you must spit and curse to ward off bad luck.

The Clohin are a small insect that jump many meters at a time. They are sacred to the Geik, for they hatch & swarm at a certain time of the year. When that happens, it is time to take mates to the 'Tear,' the valley south of the wasteland.

Education 1d, Lore 1d, or Xenology 1d.

Caddy looks to the others.   Considering they had a speeder with them and it didn't surprise these people, these 'beasts' Rak was referring are probably not similar.  That said, they hadn't seen the speeder's firepower.   "They don't appear to know about the Imperials.   It's even more reason to be concerned at what we may be drawing these people into."  She sighs.   "I know they could be a great help to us, but I'm still not comfortable involving them.   Hopefully they'll leave soon with the swarm and we need to make sure those following us, continue to do so."

Xyklos conscience is triggered again by Caddys words. He paces around the meeting area, offering a few worried and pointless glances at the horizon.
"Me and Kraken could take the bike and play a hit n run game with the Imps to buy these people some time?" he offered with a hopeful smile.
Kicking a rock angrily he mutters,
"I'm not bad at stuff like that. Hiding, shooting, blowing stuff up...
I feel a bit useless here,"

Forim smiles and says "Might be a good idea, but we need to draw their attention away from these camps if that is what you want to do.  Your best bet might be to go full speed across the desert on the bike, and hide out somewhere further up.  That said, I am hesitant to split op the team.  You will have no chance of backup - you might be sacrificing your lives on this en-devour."

Turning to Caddy he says "I know these are your concerns, you have voiced them a few times now.  I beleive everyone has had a chance to respond to them already.  You are in charge down here, and it is up to you on how we ensure the success of our mission.

And, as I have said before, These people are intelligent and can make their own decisions.  We can inform them of the risks, but if they are willing to help us complete our mission, then I think that is the best option.  It will also help build a relationship between these people and our cause which could be used to help liberate this planet in the future.

Ignoring that the Empire exists is not the path to success."

In reply to Xyklo Voozul (msg # 224):

Kraken frowns and offers hesitantly, "The speeder bike is our only way of quick transportation.  If it's shot during our feint, we could be miles from the main group and trying to link back could be difficult.  I really don't like the idea of splitting up.  Too much could happen.  We are vulnerable now, splitting up could make it worse."

He says shrugging his shoulders unsure of the best course of action.  While what he said may look as being afraid, he was thinking of the mission.  If they lost anyone from the group, their chances of success rapidly began to diminish.

"If we make an obvious trail leading away, the Empire might think we couldn't communicate with them.  They obviously are not advanced and can't offer us much beyond food and shelter and if we leave, then it might seem they have nothing we needed.   Yellow-Eye suggested we follow her to her people since these people don't have an interest in stopping the Empire and don't know much about this tree of life.   Yellow-Eye and her Chief might be able to help us more."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:31, Tue 11 July 2017.

Xyklo returns the shrug, sympathetically.
He gestures with a hand to the group,
"Its only gonna carry two at most. So it's really only quick transportation for two, unless we use it as a shuttle service, but if the Imps pick it up on scanners it's gonna be pretty obvious like.
I dunno.
If it looks like things are getting dangerous for the group and the natives, you could always drop me off to give them a bumpy ride, and I'll catch up later?"

"Can you set it up on an auto-pilot path across the void in another direction?  That could be a distraction enough to draw them off..."

The sun is definitely setting now. Most of the Geik are slowing down now, wrapping up their chores and getting ready for sleep. Although the air is still warm from the hot sunlight, it is cooling down. Even the Visiting Voice is blinking and yawning. She bids you good night and goes off on her own.

With the sun setting, the need for action is becoming more pressing.

"Right.  I need your tactical input.   These people do not need to see the violence of the Imperials - that much I am certain - and we do not have the right to draw them into a conflict they are not prepared for and cannot hope to understand or comprehend, even if we explained it to them.   I'm drawing the line there.   That said, they do have knowledge we could use and indeed need."

She purses her lips.   "From what you are saying the options are:

1) Ambush the Imperials as they track back to this way.   Dealing with them will give us some time.
2) Leave the camp and draw them away from these people while leaving one or some of us here.  Note that if I were the Imperials, I'd be scanning for tech so whoever stays here would need to give up their tech - Sorry Roger.
3) Stay with these people and hope the slaughter when the Imperials invade doesn't leave our names to be used as curses and forever immortalised as the source of all evil in their history books."

She purses her lips agian, she's clearly no happy.  "Are there any other options - because if I were the Imperials. I'd be waiting for night to fall and I'd use tech to easily overcome our defences since we're not set up for night combat."

"If I had a choice it would be number one, though I think we are in danger of entering into an arms race we can't hope to win. So we hit them and then set off with our guides."

"Going with option 1 will, as Anders says, will start an arms race that we will not win, assuming we win the first encounter at all.

Option two has mertis, but I do not think we should split up the group.

Option three, while worded in such a way that makes your opinion quite obvious, has the best chance of success.  Local guides will help ensure the success of our mission."

Kraken shakes his head, frowning, "What is our mission?  Is it to attack and destroy the Imperial forces?  I wouldn't mind giving the Empire a black eye, but I'd rather focus on our mission.  I don't want these people killed either, but what is the mission.  It is to find whatever is on Karhexadine, yes?  I think we have another option.  That is to go with Yellow-Eye.  She has offered to lead us to her tribe and her chief who may know of the Tree or whatever it is the Empire is hiding.  I think that is a viable option, perhaps even better than the three you offered.  Everyone should, go with Yellow-Eye.  Perhaps she knows of underground tunnels that can take us below the radar of the Empire."

Caddy nods to Anders, "A good point.   We've done this once already and a second time will be particularly dangerous and I doubt we'd get a third chance.  It's why I personally think that we need to work option 2 in to give us as much of a head start of the investigation as possible - even while we bloody the Imperials."

She looks to Forim, "Splitting the team up will undoubtedly make things more difficult - but even sending one person off to investigate while the others handle the Imperials will start the ball rolling and will reduce the impact on the team."

She nods again to Forim's comment, with a sad smile, "I am biased.  And I'm not pretending to be otherwise.   These people can help us, but I will do my best to avoid having them fall for no good reason.  It's why my opinion falls with option two - those local guides will be an invaluable help."

She then turns to Kraken, "I'm the last person to actively seek conflict.  But this is a means to an end.  We are being hunted and we need to turn the tables on those hunting us.   I believe your 'other option' is in line with the second option I've listed.   Those remaining here will travel with to investigate the chief and what he knows while the others mislead or ambush the imperials.   If we all go, I do not feel that we can defend these people and while it may be possible that there is some alternately safe route, the Imperials have already shown that they can track us - from the landing to the attack and doubtlessly further.  Who knows how they are doing this."   For those more familiar with espionage, it may cross your mind that Caddy could indeed be referring to a mole... or a plant of some sort.   It has been odd how the Imperials have so easily been able to track us!   Regardless, she's not overtly mentioned this though she is probably taking this into account when making her plans.

She then looks to the silent partners, "Has anyone else got anything to add before I make a decision?"