Star Wars
Episode IV
Edge of Rebellion
It is a period of civil war.
With the destruction of the evil
Galactic Empire's secret weapon,
the Death Star, military forces
have been consolidated to protect
the most important worlds, and
now dozens of loyal planets have
been left to fend for themselves.
The planet Tarawa has too little
strategic value to be noticed by
the Empire or Rebellion, and now
its inhabitants suffer under a
blockade by the feared pirate
CAPTAIN VANGAR.
With nowhere left to turn, a
group must now decide how far
they are willing to go to
protect their home....
A green planet hung in the sky amid endless stars. On rapid approach was a starship, long and flat, with a saucer-shaped front end segmented into rectangular cargo compartments behind it, until the blocky engine pumped bright light into space. A pair of turreted blaster cannons fired out in all directions as three much smaller ships, starfighters, circled and stung at it like raptor-wasps. Two well-placed shots tore one of the fighters apart, leaving a streak of debris in the space where it had been. The deflector shields' thin barrier glowed and warbled, eventually giving out entirely. The starfighters fired on the ship's engine, bringing the vessel slowing to a stop, and then they backed off, returning to their larger cruiser, waiting patiently out of weapons range. The battle was over. From the distance, another vessel, this one shaped like a triangle with two prongs at the front approached. It was more than double the size of the freighter it latched onto, and painted in red and black, rather than the Imperial White a Customs corvette comes in.
"Captain Vangar! We've secured the freighter, but lost one of our fighters in the scuffle." A thick growl responded to the crewman, a sound like blood burbling up from a throat.
"They dared to shoot down onna my ships? These spineless worms need to be taught some respect." There was a moment of introspective breathing, of a heavy claw tapping against the plated scales on the side of the captain's reptilian face. Then he came to a decision.
"Space everyone but the cargo crew. They get the honor of detaching the cargo for us. Then we'll let 'em go."
"Aye, sir!"
In a few short minutes, small shapes floated away from the Space Master freighter, the extraneous members of the crew. A few minutes more, and the cargo pods of the freighter were attached to the corvette. The larger ship detached. Both ships drifted apart. Vangar's mouth tilted upward in a toothy grin. The corvette's many blaster turrets glowed green with turbolaser fire, chewing the freighter into little chunks of hull. When it was over, the corvette turned away from the planet below and sped off into hyperspace, leaving just bodies, debris, and a pirate cruiser waiting for another victim.
Down on the planet, things have gone poorly. Officer Bryce Fines, with permission from Police Chief Dempsey, had freed Captain Jalmac's jailed crewmembers as a token of goodwill and a down payment on transit offworld. The three of them had gone to meet with the captain, only to find he'd sold his crew to the Fines family as slaves! They'd barely made it away from the hired muscle the family employed and into a nearby pub. Those thugs were still hot on their heels.
A bar on the left side of the room sat a few patrons, with a bar droid and a duros woman serving drinks. To the right were round booths for seating groups, a few with two or three people of various sorts in them. On the wide floor were a few sound tables, big enough to seat two or three, evidenced by the two at one table and three at another, leaving a couple more empty. At the far end was a stage with a band of three rodians playing a song involving a quiet melody and a steady chirping beat. A few eyes, including the organic bartender, turned to face the three who just barged in, while most of the patrons ignored them.
On the other side of the bar was one doorway, and another over near the stage. Near that back door was another non-human, carefully watching some display as she bobbed her head to the music. If the wires leading from her control panel were any indication, she was the band's sound person. She was also right in the way of the doorway behind her.
There were only a few seconds before the family's enforcers came in looking for them. Not long to decide what to do.
[Welcome to the game! Bryce, Bril, and Iaarkahr, you now have the situation as it's been displayed. If you have questions, let me have them. If not, let me know what you're planning and we'll go from there.]