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."