The Hard-Luck was an apt name for the ship, for its crew it had bought nothing but trouble. With Captain Gregorious Fhrumpinhime at the helm it had made barely enough creds to keep the crew paid and the hutt debt collectors from the hatch. Then he had died leaving the crew stranded on Tatooine with little choice but to try to keep the creds flowing to service the  exorbitant debt thrust upon the crew.

Taking up what seemed to be a "legit" cargo run for the huts the remaining crew soon found them selves collecting stolen supplies from the an impounded transport docked at docking bay 94. This was a success and soon found the crew on it's way to the Corellian system. Only to be ambushed in by pirates collecting supplies for the rebellion. One of which had snuck on board in the guise of a passenger. Some sweet flying by Zenna and excellent gunnery by the rest of the crew you were able to survive the encounter only needing minor repairs. so you returned to Tatooine where a new crew member a Jawa came aboard after you saved him from the persecution by imperial soldiers. He was able to fix the ship and you successfully made the trip to Corillian space.

But this was not the end of it. For upon arriving in at the massive CenterPoint space station around which the twin planets Talus and Tralus orbited, you found yourselves boarded by the station security forces, lead by a special agent of the empire. They searched your ship high and low for contraband which they were sure was there, but were unable to find, thanks to the hiding skills of your Ewokian crew member.

Following this rude welcome, and some continued snooping by the crew you soon found that the whole run had been a setup to snare some unlucky smugglers. You... But backed into a corner between a Hutt and imperial jail you try to make the best of a bad situation. First opening the cargo you find a cache of illegal weapons. Making a plan you all decided to try a double cross on the contact that was selling you out.

The meet was organised for an abandoned factory on Talus. Landing the Hard-luck in a un-used warehouse a few blocks away the crew loads up the grav-sled piloted by X2 and head to the agreed meeting place. This is where it all went south. The meeting started as planned Nilo was at the abandoned factory, but he came with a whole squad of storm troopers ready to rumble.

Jett wasn't going down easy and soon an epic blaster battle ensued. Zenna went down to the blaster fire, Hex followed soon after. With 2 crew members down the rest of you decided to cut and run. Piling onto the grav-sled you all made a break for the Hard-luck. As you approach the abandoned warehouse where you have hidden the ship you see an imperial transport has landed next to the warehouse and already the stormtroopers are swarming over your ship, which is surely soon to be impounded. The bantha fodder must have been tracking the ship from the beginning! Blasted imperial scum!

It was then with no pilot or mechanic the decision just to run was made. Through the factory district you fled upon the grav-sled evading the troopers looking for you. It was pure chance that you came upon a heavily damaged storage tank in which you are able to hide for the moment to regroup and decide what is next.


This message was last edited by the GM at 22:13, Mon 30 Dec 2019.

With some ingenious camouflage and welding by X2 and Jubjub you turn the old broken tank into a workable hiding place for you to lay low, until  the storm trooper patrols subside. Here in the contaminated abandoned factory zone you have little contact with the outside world. Sooner or later you will need to know what’s going on and the chance of being discovered will outweigh continuing to hide in the old tank, but for now you’re safe. Just 2 hours away through the contaminated and abandoned factory zone the factories are still operating and 3 hours away lie one of the major megafactoryplexes that reach up to the clouds, housing millions of underpaid workers. With all the businesses and facilities needed to support them. It would be a place 4 people could lose themselves amongst the masses. But right now you are all safe and have a moment to talk freely...

"Noroway ta frack just happened? did someone order white shells and blaster siz with their side of credits on this deal?! kash are we going ota get ta ship back? enenah would they take it. Anyone know hoe these law guys work?and not ota mention zenna ta dead and fratta filthy little jawa. Brannexx, jett noroway are we going ota do?"

Says the ewok frustrastedly throwing his hands into the air after the loss of 2 crew members stomping around the tank before turning to Brannexx and Jett.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:31, Tue 31 Dec 2019.

Sitting in the Droid slot of the gravsled,  X2 scans comm traffic for any indication they have been found, while using his sensors to listen and watch for signs of trouble.
21:35, Today: X2-D9 rolled 15 using 2 dice with the WEG Classic system with rolls of {Wild}6(+6+2),1.  Computer Programing/Repair-Communications.

21:34, Today: X2-D9 rolled 2 using 1 dice with the WEG Classic system with rolls of {Wild}2.  Perception.  He is so lacking in Perception....

Water drips from above somewhere...
[Private to X2-D9: You pick up a a few scattered fragments things like. “Keep searching” and “expand the search radius!” ]

"I knew I had a bad feeling about this," Jett said, sighing.

She was glad to have a roof (however temporary) over her head — and to still have a head (however worried or wary) to shake. By now, she was accustomed to harrowing escapes, but that didn't make them any easier. As the droplets of water hit the floor, Jett nodded ruefully. "See that, even this storage shed's shedding a tear — or pouring one out for Zenna, and for Hex."

Jett drew her blaster and saluted the skies (such as they were) with it. "Rest in Power, guys."

Then she started pacing the close-quarters of the tank, twirling her blaster and furrowing her brow, as she did.

"And don't you worry your furry little face, JJ, I'll think of something. We will all be A-OK before you even realize it," she said confidently, knowing full well she was lying... maybe.

“If we knew enenah they were taking ta hardluck we could get it back. Meechoo am sure Meechoo could fly it Meechoo watched zenna heaps. Or danthee we could find e pilot on this shit hole. “

Says the Ewok looking at the others.

The viewscreen of the data panel before the Droid lights up.  Words begin to scroll across it.
It seems they are expanding the search.  If we are to stay hidden here, we are going to have to remain quiet, and power down vehicles, weapons, droids.....

as night approaches X2 you catch a garbled com chatter upon the wind,

[Private to X2-D9: *shkkkrtz* night com *bzztngrrzchrt* mutant *sherftkssssssskt* restart searc *kkkssshhhhvvvzzxct* morning *zzzzshhhhhhhccckt*]

As he sits in the pilot's socket of the gravsled, the ancient astromech plays the most recent series of comms chatter throughhis speakers.
*shkkkrtz* night com *bzztngrrzchrt* mutant *sherftkssssssskt* restart searc *kkkssshhhhvvvzzxct* morning *zzzzshhhhhhhccckt*

" I think we might have to force our way onto a ship and hijack it, to get off this sand ball." Offered Brannexx,as he clean his blaster for the umpteenth time.

Noroway did kush just warble X2? noroway do kush mean mutants? do we need ota ta leaving X2?
Says JubJub while he gestures at the droid with his “stormtrooper 1” blaster rifle.

---

Fixed by gm
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 00:36, Fri 03 Jan 2020.

Jett shook her head and almost laughed, were their circumstances not so dire at the moment. She nodded at both the warbling astromech.

"Yeah, we're getting hot under the collar here. I don't know how long we'll be able to stay cooped up. Easy for you droids to power down, but humans have to eat, sleep, and..." Jett gave her pistol a last spin before holstering it, "And dole out a little payback for our fallen friends back there."

She turned to the little Ewok, "JJ, you sure you're okay with that E-11?" then to Brannexx, "And Bran might have a point. We can try to break the Hard Luck out of lockdown — it was home after all, but who's gonna fly it, kid?" she pointed to the Ewok, "You?"

"We need to figure a way offworld, even if it's not in our old hot-rod. X2 might be able to help us find a way out. Track down a ship. If not the Hard Luck, maybe another one we can... uh, liberate more easily maybe?"
 

Realizing that his intent of letting them.hear the transmission is misunderstood, X2-D9 Powers up the gravsled and begins to slowly inch towards the entrance of the storage unit.

It wasn't until X2 started to creep close to the exit that the words Jett had heard only absent-mindedly finally registered.

"Whoa-whoa, wait. Mutant-what-now? They restarting the search for who in the morning? Us? Can you descramble that, X2?"

---

OOC: Hope this doesn't come off as meta-gaming, with X2's post above.

At least such things do happen in RL, where you hear person X say something and then it doesn't quite register until either moments later, or even much later on.

A manipulator extends from within the Droid, holding up the stolen Imperial commlink.  Chosing not to transmit the translation of his binary over their comms, the viewscreen of the sled lights up.
Our hiding place is disrupting the signals.  However, since they have called off the search, now would be the best time to go.  At least, as far as I can tell without further information on these "mutants" that have been mentioned.  And, perhaps, if we get the chance, we might see about finding me piloting programming, and a vocabulator and a tranalang module to increase my usefulness.

From somewhere out amongst the ruins you all hear a,

“Grrruuummpp whaaarrk murhur hur!”
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:53, Sat 04 Jan 2020.

Spurred by the sudden sound, and reacting out of a by-now-long-instilled reflex of shooting targets while blindfolded during her days as sharpshooter for Preigo's Traveling World of Wonder, Jett immediately draws her blaster and fires at the source of the noise. Without turning her head, the tension of their recent harrowing escape has caused her to fire first and ask questions later.

It's only after Jett has squeezed off a blaster bolt that she has a moment to hope her intended target wasn't a fellow fugitive seeking shelter. Judging from the inhuman murmur however, Jett's betting on one of that transmission's "mutants" finally showing its "face."

---

13:13, Today: Jett rolled 21 using 6 dice with the WEG Classic system with rolls of 2,5,3,6,1,{Wild}4.
Blaster: Trick-Shot, -1D multi-action (draw).

The blaster bolt blows though a rusted hole in the outer shell a flash of light streaking into the darkening light outside. The unmistakable pew of laser fire reverberates around the decrepit tank sounding like a giant bell being tolled. This sets off a howl from somewhere amongst the mangled ruins of the contaminated rundown factories that surround you.

“AAAARRROOOOOWWWAAARGGG HUHHUH GRRAAAH!”

The astromech avoids the usual audible expression of alarm usually given by his kind.  Instead, the screen of the gravsled expresses it visually.
Are you trying to get us captured!?  Blaster fire almost always attract the attention of the ISB or Stormtroopers!!  And, now, that thing, whatever it is, is definitely aware of us!!

  The blaster bolt got Brannexx’s attention. “ Great maker, Jett… If you must fire, see the target first, next time.” Said the Man in a slightly annoyed tone of voice.

 He had his own blaster pistol in  hand now.” We  might have company real soon.”

”Yikes,” Jett said to herself. She could’ve sworn the gurgling growl was coming from inside the storage tank — there inside with them! But that couldn’t be....

Was it a hallucination then? Maybe.

”I don’t know what got into me, guys. Could’ve sworn that thing was suddenly in here with us. Maybe I’m feeling more on edge than I thought.”

”But don’t worry, I’ll make it up to ya — and we won’t get caught.” Jett wanted to add “Trust me”... but said nothing else for the moment.

Instead, she pushed open the gate of the storage container *just* enough to peer out. If the coast was clear, she’d just walk out... casually.

”You heard X2. I might’ve riled up the local monsters, but there won’t be another patrol for a while yet. Now’s still the best time.”

“Sounds like e gularqu of endor kush did want ota ta zehg when they were about.”
Says Jubjub probably not adding to situation.

Jett walks out casually into the gloom. As she stands there looking about the fallen rubble she hears a,

"Garrimpdaaaaaahuuugarrrr.."

like a low rumble from her left then to her right and ahead she sees a giant shark fin moving along behind some rubble..

---

Que jaws music
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:10, Sat 11 Jan 2020.