How had he ended up here?

The question was rhetorical of course.  The chain of events leading Lieutenant Arin Branden, the young TIE pilot to be standing in twenty kilos of stormtrooper armour, leading a squad of troops who didn't want him there in a raid that he was having trouble justifying, were clear.  It had been a wake-up call in the anti-alien bias in the New Order.

The raid had seemed so innocent in the briefing.  A group of terrorists had been located in a small warehouse in one of the manufacturing districts of the city.  The squad's duty was to go in and neutralise the threat.

Despite sounding so simple, Arin had got his first inkling of suspicion when he'd asked questions in the briefing.  Questions like what were the rules of engagement, and why they weren't being supplied with a transport to ferry prisoners back to base.  Questions about the terrorists' supposed crimes also failed to elicit a response and in the end, most of the briefing was given to Sergeant Tarrin, squad commander of Stormtrooper Squad P1-6547.  That suited the Sergeant just fine.  It had been clear from the start he resented having the Lieutenant along, a flyboy at that.

Arin had felt positively worthless most of the trip.  He'd watched the troopers quickly and efficiently don their armour and weapons while he clumsily got into his.  He stood silently as the Sergeant quickly issued orders to his men, deigning to mention that the Lieutenant had 'command'.  There was no snickering or any other sign of the derision the stormtroopers must have felt, stormtroopers were far too well trained for that.   But he knew it was there.

On the way over, the Lieutenant felt a little put out that the Sergeant and his Corporal planned the raid without him, only submitting the plan to him afterwards for his 'approval' which was undoubtedly just a courtesy.  Still, he had to admit their plan was sound.  The squad would break into three, three-man elements.  Element 1 led by the Sergeant would assault the main entrance. Element 2, led by the Corporal would breach the side door.  Element 3 would be under the Lieutenant's command and would provide perimeter security.  Given there was only one exit through the fence, this was more formality.

Arin also had tactical overview, he'd been given a tactical datapad that recorded the movements of the troopers in real-time.  It allowed him to redeploy forces if it became necessary during the battle.  Part of him wondered if the troopers would obey his commands, but he remembered that despite their clear disdain for non-troopers they were loyal soldiers.

Things seemed to run like clockwork initially.  The command vehicle pulled up and the troops unloaded.  Arin worked to study a datapad through his stormtrooper helmet.  By the time he'd got use to the various data feeding through his helmet visor, the outer gate had been breached and the three elements were moving to breach positions.  Feeling a little sheepish, Arin moved to his position with Element Three.

"Explosives set.  Breach on my mark. . .Mark!"

Two small explosions went off simultaneously but were so quiet Arin didn't hear them.  On his tactical map he saw Element 2 had entered the building but Element 1 was slightly delayed by the huge double doors which were old and rusty.

Then everything went bad. . .

"Contact right!  Incoming fire.  Six is hit!  Got one, moving forward!  Four is down!"

The commlink built into Arin's helmet was awash with reports.  There was not a hint of panic in the stormtrooper's voices, just grim professionalism as they engaged an enemy.  Arin had to admire them for that.  He was barely managing to keep track of things on his datapad.  Already he noticed that only two of the stormtroopers seemed to be moving.

"Lead this is six."  Arin jumped slightly.  He'd been given the callsign 'Lead' for this mission.  Up until now it had been said with a context that he needed to be led around, now there was nothing but crisp professionalism.

"Ambush at main door.  One trooper down, ambushers dead.  More hostiles inside, being dealt with." the sounds of screams and panic over the comm suggested to Arin these new 'hostiles' were anything but.  The comm cut out for a second as a grenade went off and the Sergeants audio dampers kicked in.  "Hostiles attempting to escape through tunnel.  Heading 257 degrees.  Request support from Element 1.  Leave one trooper on sentry."



OOC:  For this mission you would have been outfitted with standard stormtrooper officer gear (i.e. stormtrooper armour, e-11 blaster rifle, 2 frag grenades, 2 stun, grappling hook, integrated helmet commlink and a tactical datapad).

Currently you and Element 3 consisting of 3 troopers and yourself are at the entrance to the warehouse property which is surrounded by a 2 metre chainlink fence topped by barbed wire.  There is only one entrance through the fence and your speeder is parked out front of it.

The sergeant is requesting support from 3 men, leaving one to guard the entrance.  I'd suggest you be one of the three who goes in.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:12, Mon 09 July 2012.

Arin listened to the things unfold through his tactical comm interface and could not help but be awestruck once again by the ruthless professionalism, the stormtroopers handled their operations. The efficiency was one thing, but he also felt the constantly growing unease about the everchanging doctrines. In less than two years, he had noted a steep change in the treatment of the civilians of the Galactic Empire, supported by what could by most part be considered propaganda.

"Six, this is Command. Affirmative. Support enroute." Arin turned slightly to face the three stormtroopers. "TI-9782, you stand guard here and keep me posted. The rest of us are going in."

Arin slid the datapad in to a holster on the belt and drew his blaster carbine. He felt the pre-combat rush tingling in his veins - he had received the full tactical training and been deployed on a couple of operations before not to mention all the flying he had done, shooting down pirates while patrolling a system on the fringe. Still, while he knew partially what was to be expected but he also knew, the stormtroopers had been ambushed and there was the possibility, there would still be plenty of the so-called terrorists inside. It did still make him wonder, if the reports of terrorist activity would be true after all.

He made his way through the yard over to the main doors in a fast pace with the two stormtroopers in tow. "Six, this is lead. We're coming in."

By the time Arin and his team rush the doors, the shooting has largely died down.  Rushing inside, the young Lieutenant is greeted by a sea of dead.  A single stormtrooper lay dead.  Around him were three aliens of various species armed with hand blasters, and a couple of pipes.

The main room was awash with death.  At least 15 aliens lay around.  All had been shot down, many in the back.  Arin did not see a single weapon among them.  Most had been clutching bags or belongings, which were now sprawled across the floor and soaked in their blood.

The two troopers were kicking the body of a deal alien as they approached.  Arin didn't recognise the species.  It looked like an overgrown frog and it sported a huge hole in it's chest where it had sustained multiple blaster hits.  Interestingly in it's hands was a stormtrooper standard issue E-11 blaster rifle.

The Sergeant, hearing Arin approach, turned and saluted.  "Threats neutralised sir.  Four troopers dead, one wounded.  Rest are believed to be escaping through the tunnel.  I'm sending two troopers through the tunnel to follow and two to cut them off in the speeder when we know their exit point.  We leave one man here and call in a clean up crew."

"More hostiles." called a trooper from Element three.  Arin and the others turned.  Sure enough, in a concealed niche, huddled behind a table were six aliens.  Arin could see no weapons among them.

Sergeant Tarrin wasted no time.  "Five, Nine, into the tunnel.  Eight, lets finish those terrorists."

The two troopers assigned immediately rush to the tunnel entrance and begin to climb down.  The sergeant and his remaining trooper begin to flank the table, rifles at the ready.

One of the aliens screams and cowers.  One alien, a female Arin guessed, stands, her hands held high.  Her skin was a dark orange with white pigmentations around her eyes and greyish lips.  She had two long head tails, similar to that of a Twi'lek but she also had two horns protruding upwards.  The horns and head-tails were adorned with white stripes.

"I am in charge here.  We are unarmed and offer no resistance.  Please spare their lives."  the alien said simply in accented basic.

"Prepare to fire." Tarrin said on the comm, ignoring the alien.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:18, Sun 24 June 2012.

Arin studied the aliens over quickly. Unarmed and looking relatively harmless, they posed no real threat. He was not going to allow killing innocent and unarmed civilians. Turning on the external speaker he said, "Sergeant, you will stand down. These people are unarmed. They will not be harmed." He trusted the sergeant to listen - Arin was the ranking officer, after all.

Arin looked at the dead aliens. They had fought well to take down so many stormtroopers with such armament. He could not but wonder, how that one alien could have gotten its hands on the standard issue blaster of the Imperial forces, but there was probably some kind of an explanation.

He decided to make sure, there'd be no more casualties. "All units, this is lead. Rules of engagement change. You will fire only if fired upon. If you encounter the terrorists, you will take them alive."

The pair who were dropping into the tunnel had already disappeared from sight.  The pair flanking the aliens continued to do so, showing no obvious acknowledgement of the Lieutenant's order.  However, even once in position, neither trooper fired.

Sergeant Tarrin broke the silence, speaking over his comm.  "With respect sir, our orders were clear.  Neutralise all terrorists.  Four of my men are dead, they planned an ambush.  We have no means to detain or transport prisoners."

Neither trooper has fired, clearly not about to disobey an order from an officer.  Not yet anyway.

"Sergeant, you leave worrying about the transportation for the prisoners to me. You and your men are to stand down and secure the ones alive as prisoners. We don't shoot unarmed civilians." Arin kept using the external speaker on his helmet instead of using the comlink, just to keep the aliens informed of the potential turn of events and the higher echelon out of the loop, should they be listening to the transmissions.

The feel of uneasiness was constantly growing within. If the sergeant chose to disregard a direct order, Arin would have a problem. He was currently outnumbered by the stormtroopers two to one and there was one on the outside of the compound as well as two more in the tunnel.

There was barely a two second pause, but that was like a lifetime when it was a stormtrooper responding to orders.  Normally there was absolutely no hesitation, no question.

"Understood sir.  All units use non-lethal methods unless fired upon."

Four single comm clicks indicated the other troopers had heard and were complying.  Less than ten seconds later, a trooper came on the comm.

"Nine reporting.  Tunnel ends approximately fifty metres ahead, bearing three-one-four.  Six terrorists spotted, two on stretchers.  They are trying to lift their wounded up a shaft, but it's difficult for them.  We haven't been spotted yet."

Tarrin contacts Arin on a private comm channel.  "You can triangulate the exit point on your tacmap sir.  Then we can cut them off before they flee.  What are your orders?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:43, Sun 24 June 2012.

Arin picked up his tactical datapad from its holster on the utility belt and activated the screen. He traced the map with the armored finger of his gauntlet, looking for the most probable exit for the tunnel. There, it had to be around there. Now he'd just have to get the stormtroopers in to position.

"Sergeant", he said, this time on the comlink, "you both head there and cut them off. I believe, I can keep these civilians covered. I want prisoners alive." He pointed out the location to the sergeant on the map.

The stormtrooper 'nine' comes on the comm.  "We've been spotted.  Single target, appears to be armed.  Range too long for stun settings.  Permission to engage."

The sergeant's voice comes back.  "Lead, we haven't found their position yet."

On his tactical map, Arin can see that Sergeant Tarrin is about a block from the estimated exit point.  Problem is there are several buildings that could hold the exit point and it may take time to find the right one.

Before him the captured aliens sit quietly on the floor.  Most of the aliens look down, dejected in their capture, overcome with grief for the deaths of their friends and family.  Only the one who had identified herself as in charge looked directly at him.  Her gaze was even, not challenging, but neither afraid.  Finally she spoke.

"What are you planning to do with us. . .Sergeant?" she guessed, not knowing his rank or designation.

"Nine, this is Lead. Close in. Lethal setting is authorized only if fired upon. I want live prisoners", Arin said on the comms. Of course, he would not know, if the stormtroopers had been fired upon, so he'd have to take their word for it. "Keep on their tracks and capture them when they get back on to the top."

Arin turned to the alien, switching to external speakers. "I need you to answer some questions. Why are you here? Why were my troopers fired upon?" It would be hard for the alien to tell anything about Arin's mood as the external speakers didn't exactly convey emotions too well. However, Arin lowered his weapon a bit in a non-threatening way.

The alien looks at him incredulously.  "We were here because we live here.  Some of our people volunteered to sacrifice their lives holding off your men so others could escape.  It's not like your squad of thugs came here for tea and cookies."

Arin's comm suddenly blurted to life.  "Contact!  Under fire.  Engaging." came Nine's voice.  The sound of blaster fire could be heard over the open comm.

"Still pinpointing the location.  Keep them contained.  Only engage hostiles as per the Lead's instructions." came Sergeant Tarrin's voice.


OOC: Certainly seems that while the Sergeant doesn't agree with your RoE changes, he plans to obey them.  Not really surprising with stormtroopers.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:38, Sun 24 June 2012.

"This is Lead. Close in under cover and capture if possible", Arin said through the comlink. Then he switched back to the external speaker. "Firing upon the troopers has made things relatively difficult. Had you not done that, I might have been able to help you get away. Now, however, things are different. Much depends on your friends - whether they get away or not."

Arin glanced at the tactical display, worried. The mission, even if he had had worries about the agenda in the beginning, it had taken a turn to much worse.

The alien continued to look shocked at the stormtrooper's comments.

"So what you are telling me is you came here with a full squad of stormtroopers, blew the doors open and came in blasters firing. . .and you were only here to let us go?  You must excuse me if I find it difficult to believe you."
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:59, Tue 26 June 2012.

"If I saw nothing that is in violation of the law, yes. The problem is, your people chose to ambush us and that leaves me with my hands tied. The best thing that can happen for you is that your companions get away, but I can not help with that. There is nothing to implicate you with the ambush and I advice you to keep it that way."

The alien glared at him.  "I am not a fool trooper so please don't treat me as one.  You had extermination orders when you came here.  It's not the first one I've survived.  You say you want to help, but you don't call off your hounds and let them escape?  You words are as empty as your soul Imperial."

Arin sighed inside his white armored carapace. "I believe, we have a problem", he said through the speaker, "I received no orders to exterminate anyone, though I suspect, the sergeant has received orders I have not. I was simply told, there were terrorists in this building, but I had my suspicions about the whole thing to begin with. I already altered the rules of engagement to keep you alive. Now there's only the problem, I can not guarantee that will be enough afterwards."

Looking down to his tactical display, Arin tried to figure where the tunnel would lead. If he could divert the sergeant away from the other end, he could help the ones atill on the run to escape, but to what price? He was an officer, under oath to protect the interests of the Empire and its citizens. Who were these people, after all?

"You speak of having survived extermination orders before. We don't have much time, but I need you to tell me about it. I am not sure, if I can get you out, regardless, but if there's an opening..."

The alien eyed him curiously then began to speak of previous Imperial encounters.  Her words were simple, clearly not intended to elicit sympathy or anger.  She spoke as if Arin wasn't even there.  Her words were simple and rang with the truth.  She spoke of the stormtrooper raid that killed her parents, random shootings of her friends and family by the Imperials.

Arin was distracted as his commlink flared to life.  "Nine is hit, nine is hit.  Advancing, under fire, requesting arrrrgh. . ." his commlink went silent post a gasp that Arin had heard before in the cockpit.  The sound of someone in the last second of life before their TIE had exploded around them.  It seemed the two troops he had sent into the tunnel were dead.

Sergeant Tarrin clearly thought so too.  His voice came over the comm.  "We think we have their position Lead.  Will be there in under a minute.  Watch yourself, they may try to double back."

Unaware and uncaring that Arin was not listening to her, she continued to speak of Imperial atrocities.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:21, Mon 02 July 2012.

"This is lead. Advance with caution."

Arin switched back to external speaker. "I hate to interupt, but if you have a way contacting your friends in the tunnel, tell them to fall back here. There's two more stormtroopers closing in from the other end of the tunnel. And tell them not to shoot at me."

"I have no means to communicate with them." the prisoner responded flatly.  "My people ran with the clothes on their backs nothing more.  Even if I could call them, do you honestly expect me to call them back here, back into the jaws of your trap?"

"Then all you can do is hope, they can take out the two coming for them. I can not call them off or send them anywhere else without knowing where the tunnel ends up. If you know, where, I can try to send them the other way."

Arin wasn't too enthusiastic about the odds.

The alien shrugged and fell silent.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:39, Wed 27 June 2012.

Oh, shit, here goes nothing.

"This is Lead. All, move to the northwestern corner of the compound. The tunnel exit is there. Cut them off." And now, let's just hope it isn't there.

Arin switched to external speakers again. "I'm going to get confirmation about the stormtroopers following my orders which should leave the front gate unmanned and send all of them to the northwestern corner of the compound. If one of you is a quick runner, I suggest you send him in to the tunnel and tell your people there to double back. Meanwhile, the rest of you will get ready to leave through the front gate and escape. And you know what happens if you get caught? It will be my ass on the line."

There was a silence for a moment then a voice on the comm.  "Lead, this is one.  Do you want me to go as well?  You left orders for me to hold the gate."

"Belay that." came the Sergeant's voice.  "Lead, I have the aliens in sight.  They're boarding a small cargo speeder in an alley just south of the co-ordinates.  We've blocked off the road so they may double back.  We're preparing to engage."

Unaware of the comm conversation, the alien looked at him curiously.  "Your sentiment is noble but foolish.  We are clearly not human.  How long do you think a group of us walking the streets would last?  We can't just book a hotel or walk into a grocery store without being noticed.  Another stormtrooper squad would hunt us down and we'd be dead.  You'd get yourself killed or at least courtmartialled for nothing, a futile gesture."

Out of the corner of his eye, Arin noticed one of the aliens, a Rodian female, kept looking off to his left.  Following her gaze he noticed she kept staring at the dead frog-like alien.  He couldn't tell why, the thing was clearly dead, a hole blown in his chest, but something kept getting her attention.

Seeing Arin was watching she looked away, guilt all over her face.


OOC: Just a reminder, you still have 3 stormtroopers in your squad, one manning the front gate and the two in the speeder.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:00, Thu 28 June 2012.

"This is Lead. Affirmative. Approach with caution." Arin let out a sigh and swapped to externals again.

"Your friends have been cornered by two stormtroopers. They are getting in to a cargo speeder. And as for you, I'm certain, you could have slipped away and hid somewhere, had you left here in time. Now, however, you might want to ask your rodian fiend, what is she so keenly looking at."

The alien looks to the Rodian and converses in a language Arin doesn't understand.  The Rodian speaks quickly and meekly to the leader who just nods and looks back to the stormtrooper, saying nothing.

Arin kneeled next to the carbine, examining the weapon without touching it. If something was going on, he wanted to know. Then again, he couldn't rule out a ruse either - that wasn't exactly what he was hoping for, but if the people there were still planning on something for him, he needed to know. He adjusted the audio augmentations inside his helmet to get a better vocal input.

Arin couldn't initially see what was going on with the alien, until he turned up his audio input.  Then he heard it, very faint voice chatter coming from the alien.  On closer examination, he noticed the alien had an earpiece comm which had partly fallen out of his ear.  Arin was no expert but it looked quite advanced, possibly security or military grade.  Far too advanced for a group of civilian refugees.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:16, Fri 29 June 2012.

Arin kneeled down and picked up the comlink. This was either a very good or an extremely bad idea, but he had to do it regardless. Crossreferencing the tactical data on the pad, he said in to the comlink, "You are about to be ambushed by two stormtroopers. There is one more at the front gate and someone, who has a couple of your friends stowed away and is waiting a lift out of here with them. I advice caution. They are approaching you from ..."

A male voice comes over the comm almost immediately.  "All teams check your positions, report. Unknown voice identify yourself."

Arin had to reconsider the scope of what was going on.  The way the person spoke bespoke multiple teams.  Was it an Imperial force, unlikely with an alien.  More terrorist cells?  A paramilitary force perhaps?

"You can call me a friend for now. I know some of your people are moving away from a warehouse in an underground tunnel and they are about to be attacked by two stormtroopers. Third stormtrooper guards the compound main gate. I am looking at some of your friends, you left behind, including a rodian female and a lady with white-striped horns and head-tails. And please, do tell your people not to shoot at me. I don't think, that would be a good way to start a friendship. I'll hand this communicator over to those with me in the room."

Arin walked over to the one who had done the talking and pushed the communicator in her hands. "Your time to do the talking to them. Feel free to say what you want, I'll be making sure, we're not going to be attacked by the stormtroopers."

Arin lobbed his helmet back on. This had every possibility of landing him to the spice mines of Kessel and he knew that too well.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:53, Fri 29 June 2012.

The alien accepted the commlink, stared at it then put it in her ear.

"My name is Raana.  Aryan is dead.  He died defending me and my people from a stormtrooper attack.  His colleague escaped with about a dozen of my friends, the rest were gunned down by the troopers.  Your friend is trying to evacuate the other survivors in a cargo speeder but apparently some of the stormtroopers are giving chase.  The person who says he wants to help you is the leader of those troopers."

She pauses for a few moments then speaks again.  "No.  No he hasn't."

She seems to listen intently for a little while then nods and holds the comm out to Arin.  "They want to talk to you."


On his stormtroopet comm, Arin hears Tarrin talk.

"Speeder is closing sir, they're trying to break past. . .GRENADE! Cover!"

There's a grunt and the sound of plasteel hitting duracrete then silence for a few seconds.

"Driver hurled a grenade at us, no injuries.  She's escaped past us in a small cargo speeder.  We are pursuing.  Recommend you call local police help to cut them off."
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:00, Sat 30 June 2012.

"I will handle that, sergeant", Arin said in to the comm and removed his helmet, picking up the comlink from the alien's hands. "Yes?"

The situation would require careful maneuvering, if he was going to het away with this stunt. Either he'd need to hitch a ride with the people he was helping or manage to remove any indication of him helping them. Either way, there was a risk of being captured by the Imperial Intelligence, though Arin wasn't sure, which alternative would pose the greater threat.

Arin listened to the earpiece comm.

The original male voice spoke, quiet but authorative.  "Troop leader, call me Alpha, please state your intentions."

It was quickly followed by a female voice,  "Trooper, as a gesture of your good intentions please address Alpha's query and also state what your orders were for your current mission, and the reason you are currently disobeying those orders.  All others, please restrict priority comms to private channels until further notice."


OOC:  On your tactical datapad you can see that Sergeant Tarrin and one of the troopers are moving at speed away from the area.  You can track the chase via the datapad (or you can comm your troops of course).  According to the pad your final trooper is still on duty at the fence where you left him.

"It is pretty certain, my days in the service of the Empire are over, thanks to the help, I've already rendered to you. The orders were to kill a terrorist cell, which I can not say, I would consider innocent civilians to be. I can help you shake the stormtroopers and save the rest of those, who are with me, but I ask that you help me to get out of here as well in return. I understand, you might not trust me, but I can track the movements of each stormtrooper on a tactical display I have with me. Two of them are in pursuit of the speeder while one is at the compound gate, guarding it an the speeder that brought us here. Any ideas? For now, they have no confirmation of me going rogue."

Arin looked at the datapad. "The two troopers in pursuit, can you shake them? If we take out the remaining trooper somehow, we can take the speeder that brought me and the squad here. I can also distract them for a while on the Imperial comms."

  "A terrorist cell.  Then either Imperial Intelligence is phenomenally stupid or they have lied to you.  I wish I were surprised.  Trooper, please contact your men and ask them to back off and follow at a distance, under the premise of tailing the 'terrorists' to see if they lead your forces to another 'terrorist cell'."

"I can understand your sympathies to innocents so we'll work on the trust issue. For the moment please relay the information as suggested to the troopers following my friend."

"If it comes down to it, are you also willing to help take out the two in pursuit and not only the one by the gate?"

"I will not fire upon the men under my command. I want you people to understand that clearly. I can, however, walk the one by the gate in to the building and disarm him or send him after the two with our speeder and tell them to tail you from a safe distance, but I will not purposedly fire upon them, despite whatever they stand for. I am sure you understand. As for Imperial Intelligence, it is an oxymoron."

"Troop Leader, please confirm you've slowed your troopers down!"  Her tone is gentle but firm.

"Moment", Arin said to the comm and put his helmet back on. He sighed, switched to the internal comm but kept the external speakers on as well and begun giving orders. "Sergeant, I want you to slow down enough to make them feel safe. We don't want them running people over on the streets. Keep on their tails and see where they are going - we're going to get them at their base of operations."

"TI-9782, come in to the building. I have a task for you." He'd send the stormtrooper guarding the compound gate in to the tunnels to check on the two stormtroopers, who had fallen in there. That way the coast would be clear for them to make a run for it.

Sergeant Tarrin's reply was crisp.  "Roger sir, falling back.  Might I suggest you task an aerial drone?  Our vehicle is quite conspicuous sir."

A moment later trooper TI-9872 arrived and came to attention before Arin.

"I understand not firing on your men. You will need to disarm and remove the comm of the trooper still left with you when directed however. Agreed?"


**GM Note:  You only hear this if you kept the comm in your ear when you put the helmet back on.**
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:16, Tue 03 July 2012.

Arin turned at the stormtrooper. "Advance in to the tunnel and locate the fallen members of our squad. Inform me of their status, once you reach them." Then he swapped to his Imperial comms. "Sergeant, you will have to do with the speeder for now. How you achieve that, it is up to you. I need you to track them to their base."

Arin closed the broadcast on the Imperial comms and the external speaker. "Alpha, if I can knock him out somehow, I can agree to that."

Trooper TI-9872 immediately moved to the tunnel entrance and climbed down.  About thirty seconds later his voice came over the comm.

"Sir, I have found five and nine.  Both are dead, looks like small arms fire.  They've been stripped of all gear except their armour.  I see four dead terrorists.  Most near the tunnel entrance from shrapnel wounds.  Tunnel is otherwise empty.  Do you want me to head out the other end sir?"

After a while the female's voice can be heard.  It is still quite calm.  "Troop lead, I suggest you terminate the trooper there; distasteful to you or not it is still the most sensible option.  If he is spared and your betrayal is known to the Empire then they will hunt you right across the Galaxy.  Your loyalty to your troops is admirable but flawed, and your position as a defector is precarious at best."

Sergeant Tarrin comes over the comm.  "Sir, the speeder has stopped on a small side road, approximately two hundred metres east of my position.  A couple of terrorists have moved out on foot.  The bulk of the terrorists are still with the speeder.  Request permission to engage."

"We can only suggest a plan Troop leader, the decision will have to be yours. As has been pointed out however, defecting has a high price if discovered."

"No, 9872, come to the back to check on the dead hostiles at this end of the tunnel."

Arir shifted a pair of stun grenades from the belt of the dead stormtrooper and handed it over to the aliens. Switching from his comms to external speakers he said, "when he comes to the bottom of the ladder, drop those at his feet, both of them. If the stays up, we are in trouble."

Keeping up with the comms was a hassle, but Arin had no choice. He swapped over to the rebel comm, because there was little time to waste. "The two stormtroopers following you escaping team are requesting permission to engage. Are ypu going to ambush them now, or shall I wave them off?"

"Alpha, are they in position?  If they are not, Troop Lead should order them to advance and engage with the intent of capture.  Stun blasts only work at short range but they may also have stun grenades, so watch out."

"The stormtroopers do have stun grenades. I advice caution", Arin said in to the rebel comlink. "Alpha, do you have a plan for getting us out of here?"

Sergeant Tarrin's voice comes over helmet comm almost simultaneously with Alpha.

"With respect sir, these terrorists have killed more than half my team, are clearly armed and tried to kill me and my partner with a grenade.  If you wish us to use non-lethal tactics, I request we wait for the reinforcements you ordered to arrive."
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:27, Fri 06 July 2012.

"Troop leader, get them to advance with intent to capture as back up for interrogation if the ones you have prove too fragile. When you hear my call, subdue the trooper with you quickly. The plan for getting out of this depends on the next few minutes."

"Sergeant, are you afraid of a couple feeble rebels? I want them captured alive so they can be tried and executed for shooting our men", Arin said in to the comlink, doing his best to sound angry. He had both lines open, so Alpha and the unnamed female on the comms would know the order had been issued. Then he silenced the Imperial comm's microphone and continued to Alpha, "the last remaining stormtrooper at the compound is on his way back to the warehouse and will be hailed by two stun grenades when he reaches the base of the ladder."

"Yes sir." came back the Sergeant's voice.  There was no admonishment in it, just crisp professionalism.

Back in the warehouse, Raana stood in surprise, holding the two stun grenades Arin had handed her.  When she heard the sound of the stormtrooper was heard below, she dropped both grenades down the hole.  There was a gasp from below, a loud explosion and rush of air up the pipe that knocked Raana off her feet.

Arin's audio dampeners covered most of the noise.  He heard the trooper gasp, either dive or be flung to the side, then a few moments silence.  Arin was about to think it had worked when he heard TI-9872 on the comm, his voice a little shaky.

"Sir?  Sir, are you all right.  What happened?"



OOC: Afraid the trooper made his saves.  Rolled a 22 and a 23!  The dice roller likes him!

When the trooper below came online, Arin gasped. He didn't want to kill the trooper, but he might actually be forced to do that, if he could not remedy the situation. He listened to the sounds in the tunnel for approximate location of the remaining trooper.  He picked the two stun grenades off his own belt and dropped them in to the tunnel. Next one would be a fragmentation grenade, if they didn't work.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:33, Sat 07 July 2012.

Arin dropped his grenades, heard a gasp from the trooper as the stormtrooper saw the grenades fall and then was temporarily deaf and blind as his helmet's dampeners kicked in.  When it cleared he could hear nothing from his trooper so peered down the hole.  The stormtrooper had been knocked against the wall and was lying there unmoving.


OOC: Just a reminder that stun weapons have very short durations
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:12, Sun 08 July 2012.

"Get down there with two of your friends, remove the trooper's helmet, tie him with his grappling hook and remove his equipment belt and blaster", Arin said to Raana, "and grab that blaster along for insurance. Use stun-setting, if necessary."

Arin posted himself at the edge of the tunnel opening, blaster readied on stun. If the trooper was going to show signs of waking up, he'd need to put him back under.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 09:28, Sun 08 July 2012.

Raana says something in a language Arin doesn't understand.  Two of the aliens with her jump up and slide down the hole.  One immediately begins stripping the trooper of his gear while the other picks up the troopers fallen rifle and put a stun bolt into him for good measure.  The pair then expertly strip off the man's armour and time him securely with his own rope.  Finally they wrap a piece of cloth around his head so he can't see.

Raana remained at the top.  She had collected a fallen trooper's rifle and moved over to guard the top of the ladder with Arin.  Once the trooper was secured she looked over to Arin.

"What's your plan?" she asked.

"I will obtain us transportation from Alpha and we'll hopefully get out of here. If your companions need arms, the two fallen stormtroopers in the tunnels should have several grenades and their blasters. I suggest, they get them as well as their equipment belts. And from now on, do not speak as if I was still here - I want the Imperials to think, I was abducted for the sake of my family", Arin said in a low voice.

He switched to the rebel comms. "Alpha, the lone trooper has been disabled and bound. How do we proceed? The refugees are being armed for their own protection as we speak."

Raana spoke quickly to the remaining aliens with her and they rushed off to grab weapons from the fallen troops.  Soon all four aliens upstairs were sporting rifles, a couple carried spares for their colleagues.  A few sported frag grenades and extra power packs.  One or two had even pulled on stormtrooper chest armour.  The two downstairs climbed back up, dragging the unconscious trooper with them.  One of the aliens at a word from Raana ran off and came back with a bulky hood that he tied around the stormtroopers head at the neck.  It was thick and would prevent sight, but would allow the trooper to breathe.

Leaving one alien to guard the trooper, Raana gestured Arin to another part of the warehouse where they could talk quietly.  The other five aliens gathered around eager to hear.

"So who is this Alpha?  How will he or she get us out of here?" Raana enquired.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:34, Sun 08 July 2012.

"I believe Alpha is the commander of the people you were rendezvouing with. Who he really is, I don't know - I'm still waiting for him to inform me of how we're getting out of here."

Arin spoke in a low voice in order to keep the still alive trooper from hearing him.

"Troop Leader,  Alpha is about to get in a firefight, presuming the ambush is going according to plan. He is unlikely to respond. Call me Remote; I will assist as appropriate in the meanwhile." She pauses, and then speaks again. "Be aware the refugees may bear you some hostility, considering many of their friends were just slaughtered. Reassure them that once the troopers have been neutralised we can provide assistance but there may be a better alternative." Another pause. "How many refugees are left?"

Arin sighed. "I can understand their sentiment, but I think, I have established a connection with the one that spoke with you on the comlink. We have also disabled the last trooper at the compound, which could be just enough for them to realize, I am on their side - especially since I disabled him personally. I am worried about the two troopers about to be ambushed, though - the other one is the sergeant of the team and he is a very capable soldier. If given a chance, he will probably bypass the command hierarchy on me and ask for support, if he needs it - be adviced."

Arin quickly counted the refugees. "Six refugees remain alive."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:40, Sun 08 July 2012.

"All right.  Alpha, if you can hear, terminate the sergeant with extreme prejudice.  Troop Leader, I suggest again that you put that last trooper down rather than leaving him stunned as he will be able to positively identify the refugees we are attempting to rescue - not to mention yourself."  Without much of a pause she continues, "May I speak to their leader again, please?"

"Remote, I am not going to kill him nor am I going to allow the refugees kill hm either, unless there is no other choice, is that clear. He has a bag over his head and he has been muffled, so he can not visually identify us for now and he does not know I was the one to drop the grenades on him. As far as I know, he probably thinks I've been overpowered by the refugees and I sincerily doubt, he'd be able to tell any of them apart. But, as you wish, I'll put you in contact with the leader of the refugees."

Arin felt frustrated. He wasn't going to murder an unarmed, helpless trooper. The trooper was subdued and that had to be enough, he reasoned. He removed his helmet briefly and took off the rebel comm, passing it to Raana without a word. Then the white helmet slid back on.

Raana accepts the comm from Arin and puts it in her ear.  "Yes"

The conversation is mostly one sided as Raana only seems to listen, speaking occasionally.  Arin doesn't hear any of it as Raana walks off as she talks and even vanishes upstairs for a few minutes.  Finally she returns and holds out the comm.

"She wants to talk to you."

Off in another corner of the warehouse, the hooded stormtrooper prisoner has awoken and is struggling with his bonds.

Sergeant Tarrin's voice came on the comm.  "Sir, it's an ambush.  My partner is down, hemmed in on three sides, wont't arrrgh!. . . ."

The comm went dead.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:31, Tue 10 July 2012.

Remote's voice can faintly be heard on the earpiece comm as Raana holds it out.

Arin can hear Alpha's voice faintly, and then Remote responds.  Raana holds the earpiece comm out still.

Arin sighed inside his helmet. While he had not pulled the trigger, he could just as well have done it. The sergeant, though a product of a corrupt, evil system, had been under his command and he had let him down - or rather, had sent him deliberately in to an ambush, knowing full well what waited there. He removed his helmet, picked up the comm from Raana, placed it on his head and replaced the helmet back over it to keep the last trooper in his squad from hearing his voice.

"Yes", he asked in a questioning tone.

"Troop Leader, I have taken the liberty of directing Raana in regards to extracting herself and her remaining fellows from the warehouse.  They will move down the tunnel into the shed and be extracted from there.  I ask that you do not go with them; the driver picking them up would almost certainly refuse to help you and it will be more... prudent for their safety if no Imperials know who is picking them up or in which direction they are headed.  If you are concerned they may harm your colleague, however, I would suggest that you accompany them down the tunnel as far as the trooper to ensure he comes to no further harm."

After a pause she adds, "Please stand by for further instructions.  I have given Alpha my recommendations; he will determine the best course of action to extract you, as well as the body of our fallen comrade."

OOC Note:  The stormtrooper prisoner is not in the tunnel, he's in the warehouse near the tunnel.  Remote would assume he's in the tunnel as that's where he was when you subdued him and nobody told her he'd been moved.  Just thought I'd clarify in case you were confused about that.

"I will comply with these instructions, but I suggest you make this quick because the Imperial Intelligence might be listening to the comms of the squad I was leading and if all communications cease, they might send more troops to investigate. Also, the trooper is not in the tunnel but in the warehouse."

The more he talked with 'Remote', the more concerned Arin felt himself. If the Imperials were ruthless, so was she. So far, she had suggested, he should kill his last remaining trooper. It made Arin wonder, what he was getting himself in to, but if he disappeared without a trace, the Imperials might think, he was abducted. Better to look like incompetent than a traitor. And their own fault putting a pilot in charge of an assault team. The thought made Arin grin a little behind the white face of his helmet.

"Then staying away from the tunnel will be particularly easy for you," Remote replies in the same calm tone.  "Thank you for your cooperation.  If you wish your last trooper to cease being a threat I suggest you think of a way of convincing him you've been captured or killed."  Her tone doesn't suggest annoyance at his refusal to slay the man.

"Heis blindfolded so whoever is going to extract me can use that to play him in to believing, I have been captured."

"Fair enough.  Then that is between you and Alpha."

"I'll be here when he is available."

"Troop Leader, can you confirm whether your troop speeder has tracing equipment that your command might track it with?"

"I have absolutely no information about that. All I know, I wasn't really given much of a briefing about the mission and as far as I am concerned, I wouldn't put it past the Imperial Intelligence to slip a tracker on the speeder, just in case."

"Understood, Troop Leader."

Arin beckoned Raana over and removed his helmet. He lowered his voice to a whisper when speaking to her, to keep the remaining stormtrooper from hearing his voice. "I'm asking you to do me a favor. When you leave, speak about taking the stormtrooper leader - that is, me - with you as an insurance against the Imperials. It won't change things for you as you are already marked by the Imperials as rebel dissidents most probably. I'm asking you to do this so I can get away from the Imperials myself. I do not wish to serve anyone, who is conspiring to murder unarmed civilians. If you do this, I will be in your debt, and if you need help, you can just track me down. The name is Arin Branden."

Raana stares at the trooper then nods.  "As you wish.  Good luck.  We need to go."

She gathers up her fellow aliens and heads into the tunnel, talking loudly about their 'stormtrooper prisoner'.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:13, Sun 15 July 2012.

As Arin watches the aliens head for the tunnel, his commlink crackles to life.  His helmet display shows it's Imperial Command.

An authoritative voice says.  "Trooper TJ-8157.  Operation AM114 is fifteen minutes overdue.  Sit-rep over."




OOC:  TJ-9157 is Arin's temporary stormtrooper designation.

Arin opens the line to the rebels. "The imperials are inquiring about the state of the mission as it is already 15 minutes overdue. The refugees have left the warehouse, leaving me with the last stormtrooper and I fear, the Imperials might send a team to investigate, if I do not reply. However, the refugees planted an idea of abducting me in to the mind of that last stormtrooper, so all we need is to evac me and stun him again, so it should look like I was really abducted."

"Troop leader, Alpha, am heading your way to evac you. Plan noted with your remaining trooper. If you can put off the imperials questioning for a little bit we'll have you out of there."



OOC:  On your tacpad you can see your two stormtroopers signals are returning to your location.  You'd estimate they'll take about 10 minutes to get there.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:41, Sun 15 July 2012.

"Affirmative, Alpha. I'll cook something up."

Arin switched to the Imperial comm. "Command, this is TJ-8157. Resistance at the warehouse proved more severe than estimated. We are doing final sweep on the compound and the mission should be over with all hostiles terminated in approximately 20 minutes."

Arin hoped his explanation was bought by the Command - otherwise they'd send in reinforcements and that he could not have.

The comm was dead for a few moments then resumed.

"TJ-8157 squawk clearance code and update sitrep.  Your mission was to engage terrorists, clear and sanitise.  Reinforcements are now being scrambled."



OOC:  You made an excellent bluff roll, natural 18, unfortunately the dice roller liked the controller too.  Given bluff is not a skill you have ranks in you would have been lucky to win this roll!

One problem is that twenty minutes was a bit unbelievable.  If you are 'finishing your sweep' of a single warehouse you should have needed five minutes tops, possibly as little as two!  The whole mission was supposed to take less than 10!

Better think quick or you might have extra guests to the party!

Arin cursed in his mind. "Command, clearance code Alpha-one-nine-three Black. There is a tunnel leading out of the warehouse. I have troopers clearing it up. No need for reinforcements at this time. How copy?"

Swapping to Rebel comms, he warned his evac team. "Alpha, we have a problem. The Imperial C&C did not buy my explanation. I'll try to stall them, but can not promise it'll stop them from sending reinforcements. How do we proceed?"

"Talon Leader, can you provide a likely ETA of the reinforcements' arrival?"  She sounds as calm as always.

"Code Verified.  This mission is already fifteen minutes over time.  Neutralise the threat and sanitise the site.  You have five minutes.  You will have some explaining to do at debrief.  Get it done.  Out."
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:07, Mon 16 July 2012.

"Command, affirmative. I'll make sure, we'll get out of here in five minutes."

Arin closed the Imperial line microphone and sighed. That had been a close call. He swapped to the rebel comms.

"I have been informed by the Imperial Command, my team has five minutes to finish the mission and be on our way back. Can you arrange a pick up before that timeframe expires?"

"Whilst Alpha would have a better idea of their time frame for arrival, Troop Leader, I - rather predictably - have a suggestion for securing a little more time.  If Imperial Command has given you five minutes then perhaps it would be salient to contact them after four, state your mission is complete and that you are returning to base with a realistic ETA; you'd be best placed to know how long it would take you to travel from the warehouse to your base.  That will extend the time frame to four minutes plus your ETA, yes?"

"Yes, I will do that. Alpha, keep to the speed limits and do not attract attention. If you have any way of telling whether there is a tracker onboard the speeder, I suggest you check for it or we're going to face a very short ride before were gunned down by a TIE."

Arin looked around. He would need a contingency plan. He looked around him for anything useful. The dead alien who had taken down two stormtroopers probably had useful gear. Another thing was getting the armor's transponder changed and that would be accomplished by swapping the helmet at an opportune moment for someone already dead - the armor provided much needed anonymity as no-one but the Imperials would probably going to approach a stormtrooper, if they saw him. In a tight spot, he could ditch the armor, but he'd need something to disguise himself with, if he did that.

A thought of destroying the warehouse and all the evidence in it did cross Arin's mind, but he'd need to get the tied up stormtrooper out of harms way before blowing the place up. There was bound to be something flammable in the building and a grenade would probably set the place ablaze.

Four minutes after the last Imperial comm, Arin opened the Imperial frequency again. "Command, this it TJ-8157. Mission accomplished, gathering troops to rally point - we are returning to base, ETA 20 minutes."Come on, fall for it, will you.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:34, Mon 16 July 2012.

"Understood.  Out." came back the voice from Imperial Command.

A quick search of the dead alien revealed no items of any note.  A vibrodagger was sheathed on his hip and he was clasping an E-11 blaster rifle which was clearly from one of the troopers.  Either this alien had discarded his gear, or he'd taken on three trained stormtroopers with nothing but a blade. . .and won!

His searching is interrupted as he does one of his frequent glances at his tacpad.  The speeder was about to pull up outside.

OOC:  There are plenty of stormtrooper helmets to choose from.  Six upstairs and two down the tunnel.  There's two more in the speeder coming back to you.

Just a note, if you plan to take your helmet off to meet the Talons, might want to change your portrait picture, no need if you leave your helmet on.

This message was last edited by the GM at 10:11, Wed 18 July 2012.

Arin picked up the vibrodagger with its sheath and the least damaged helmet. He was going to swap the helmet upon leaving the compound. Now there was not much more to be done but wait.

Arin didn't need to check his tacpad to know the speeder had pulled up outside, he could hear it.  He could see an unfamiliar man behind the wheel.  Nobody sat beside him but there could be untold number of people in the back.  Still, he'd gambled on these guys and it was time to see if his hand was a winner or a bust.