Jack looked up.

Before any of you have a chance to do anything, a slender woman with black hair wearing a greasy blue mechanic's uniform stumbles onto the Promenade.  Though she is trying to hide it, she is clutching her midsection and has clearly been wounded and she looks disheveled.


The woman seems to see and recognize Jack and Connus and staggers toward them.  "Please help me," she calls out.  She turns to Connus and adds "There are credits in it for you, just help me!"

Then two Naval troopers burst into the area.  They raise their blasters, aiming at the woman and shout: "Step away from that woman.  She is under arrest in the name of the Emperor!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:31, Wed 28 Apr 2010.

Jack sprung into action, drawing his blaster and placing himself in between the Naval troopers and everyone else.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:47, Thu 29 Apr 2010.

Jack's military training made him the first to react.  His move put him closer to the troopers than anyone else.  His shot at the naval trooper (NT1) blasted a hole right through him, killing him instantly.

One of the men you saw with the comlinks, took cover behind some boxes stacked in the Promenade .  He then pulled out his hold-out blaster and aimed it at Maya.  But before he could fire, you saw a blur near the north entrance to the Promenade and then the man went flying through the stack of supplies he was hiding behind and landed his jaw and neck clearly broken.  He was dead.

Connus wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but he fired at the remaining naval trooper, but missed.

Maya scrambled behind the public computer access terminal, staying on the ground so as to take greatest advantage of the cover.

The remaining naval trooper fired at Jack, but Jack's armor saved him from taking any damage.

Talamon (the young man Jack had been talking to) snapped out of his melancholy.  Seeing that Jack could handle himself, he moved towards the other man with the hidden comlink and drew and activated his lightsaber.

The man with the hidden comlink was clearly worried about this, and drew his hold-out blaster and haphazardly fired at Talamon, but his shot went wide.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:06, Fri 30 Apr 2010.

When Jack realized that Connus and Maya were safe he aimed at the remaining Naval Trooper, hoping Talamon would be able to handle himself.

Jack blasted this naval trooper as well, nearly taking his head off and certainly killing him.

Connus fired at the only remaining opponent (at whom he had already been firing any way).  He shot around Talamon, who was in his way, and totally sniped the man with the hidden comlink.

Before Jack and the others knew it, they saw another blur and Talamon was suddenly hoisted off his feet and into the north hallway.  It was then that you finally saw the cause of the blur...Ikis was holding Talamon against the wall with two fists.  "Are you crazy?" he scolded him.  "What are you thinking igniting a lightsaber during these times, in a public place like this on an Imperial controlled station in the Core?"

"I, I don't..." Talamon started.  "Someone was in trouble, I was trying to help her," he said more confidently, but still defensively.

"Well you need to learn to be more subtle," Ikis cautioned.

Maya staggered over to the two of them.  "Now is not the time Ikis, we need to continue with the mission, now that you've found your disturbance in the Force."

"You're not finishing anything in your condition," Ikis admonished.

"We all need to leave *now*," Jack replied, leaning his rifle over his shoulder.  "They'll be sending reinforcements any moment."

"Jack is right," Maya said.  "We need to get off the Promenade and somewhere safe."

"Back to the ship?" Ikis suggested.

"No, it's surely being watched by now," Maya replied.  "Does anyone know anywhere else we could safely discuss a few things?"

"I might know someone," Jack said.  "Back to the Casino."

"Of course, Cecil Vane," Maya said.  "Our original contact here."

On your way there, Talamon approached Ikis.  "Were you the one following me earlier?"

"Yes," Ikis replied.  "I was watching you to see if you were a Jedi or something more sinister.  Apparently you are the former."

"Not exactly," Talamon said.  "Just a Padawan.  And what about you?  Are you a Jedi?" he asked hopefully.

"No," Ikis replied.  "I am a Warden of the Sky.  We don't usually flaunt our Force powers anyway, so it's pretty easy to stay hidden.  But Jedi were always more for the dramatic flair.  That used to be okay, but not in these times."

"Jedi were symbols, that's why they were more blatant," Jack explained.

"And if I remember correctly," Ikis pointed out, "they were a symbol you fought against."

"I didn't say I liked them, I was merely pointing out their purpose." Jack responded.

"Well, you're all going to need to work together now," Maya said confidently.

"Just as long as we get payed," Connus said.

"Don't worry about that," Maya replied.  "Our benefactor can afford to pay help when we need to."  She then had a wheezing fit and doubled over.  Ikis went over to steady her, but she pushed him away and straightened back up.  "I'm fine."

Soon you were at the casino.

"You guys know how to get to Cecil?" Jack asked.  "Last time I had to win at the cards."

"From what I understand," Maya said, "once you've made contact with him once, it's pretty easy to do so afterwards.  But..." she paused for another coughing attack.  "We do happen to have a way to contact him."  She pulled out a comlink and tapped it in a certain rhythm.

Soon Cecil Vane was before you.  "What are you doing here?" Vane said.  "I thought our meeting was compromised."

"It was," Maya explained by briefly flashing her wound.

"I see." Vane said slowly, clearly upset by the sight of the injury.  "Well I can't keep risking myself for this." He explained.

"All we want now is a private place to talk," Ikis stepped in.  "And then somewhere for Maya to recuperate."

"I suppose I can do that," Vane replied.  He led you to a private room, and before leaving said "I'll call in some favors with Dr. Fenn, the chief doctor at Delgas Medical Supplies.  She should be able to tend to Maya discreetly."

"I know you think Ikis should be able to tell you what you need to know to continue, but the truth is, the mission is so secret, only I've been entrusted with the information.  I now have to trust you."  She paused and coughed up some blood before continuing.

"You need to get to deep storage bay V14 <cough>.  There, a droid named Switch can provide you with the location of some very valuable cargo <cough>.  Switch was responsible for receiving and storing this cargo <cough> which was shipped all the way from the Deep Core.  Ikis and I were supposed to contact Switch, recover the cargo, and deliver it to <cough> Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan.  I am a member of Alderaanian Security and part of Organa's personal security detail.  Apparently the fact that I work for a vocal opponent of the Emperor <cough> is enough to flag me as a troublemaker, because I don't believe they found out what my mission was here <cough, cough>...I assure you that Senator Organa will be happy to reward you for your efforts," she said looking at Connus.  Then she moved her eyes to Jack and Talamon.  "If you help, you could save the lives of many innocent beings <cough>.    What do you say, will you help?"

"I say there's got to be something someone can do about that wound," Jack responded.  "No one has medical skills?  I thought Jedi were supposed to be able to heal this kind of stuff."

"I might be able to help a little," Talamon offered.  "But I can't relieve the fatigue she has from the wound, and it could wear me out."

Talamon touched Maya's forehead. 

Maya's bleeding stopped and her cough went away but she still looked worn , though Talamon seemed fine.

"You're still in no shape to continue with the mission," Ikis insisted, "and Vane has already sent for a doctor to give you long term care."

"I quite agree," Maya said.  "Which is why the offer still stands.  Who among you will help complete the mission?"

"I will, no charge."

Nearly everyone stared at Jack for making his generous offer.  That is until Talamon also stepped forward: "As will I.  The Jedi never take money for fighting for a good cause."

"Well I guess I'm going to be treasurer then," Connus said, "because I'll take their shares too."  There was a short pause.  "Just to make sure we have enough resources to complete the mission," Connus added as an afterthought.

"And now for some technical problems," Ikis chimed in.  "Even once we get the cargo from Switch, how do we get it off the station if the Dreamer is being watched?"

"I've arranged for other means of transportation," Maya explained.  "Just contact me when you've procured the cargo and I'll direct your ride to you.  You'll have to keep a low profile because of your recent confrontation on the Promenade.  I'm afraid I'll have to stay here until I'm fully healed.  If there are no more questions, I can upload the location of bay V14 to your datapad Connus."

No one had any questions, so Maya uploaded the directions to Connus' datapad.  As you left, a middle-aged Human woman with long brown hair, wearing a doctor's robe entered.

"Let's get going to this deep storage bay then," Talamon said eagerly.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:34, Wed 05 May 2010.

"Hmmm."

Jack explains that they needed to know more about the site they were getting into.

"Well, I could see what the station's computer system has on it," Ikis offered.  "And I could snoop around," Connus said.  "See what the scuttlebutt is."

"That'd be for the best," Jack replied.  "We shouldn't go anywhere until we know more."

"I'll go with Connus," Talamon said.  "I'm a little better at gathering info face to face than through a computer."

After one minute of typing on the nearest public access terminal, and with some suggestions from Jack of search terms and places to look, Ikis starting reporting the information:  "Well, it's definitely on a level that is off limits to non-Imperial personnel.  But look at this," he said pointing to the screen.  "That section has been quarantined for over a year and a half, yet no maintenance requests have been made for repairs to that section," he continued.  "And look at the building schematics," he said pulling up a blueprint.  "According to this, deep storage bay V14 is located along one of the station’s primary exhaust systems.  So there are exhaust conduits running right through the storage bay," he shook his head.  "This Switch is going to be an interesting character.  I mean a droid information broker?!"

"Maybe the droid is setting us up," Jack observed.  "Or someone is setting us up."

"Unfortunately, there's only one way to find out," Ikis said.  "Let's go see what the others have found out."

You had to wait around for quite a while before you the other two were done with their information gathering (nearly 3 hours actually).  "Well I hope you boys were more successful than we were," Connus said.

"I'm afraid I wasn't much help," Talamon said, disappointed in himself.

"Do you want to tell them, or should I?" Ikis asked.

"You go ahead," Jack responded.

Ikis told them what they'd find out.

"Well," Connus reported, "even though it is quarantined, the word on the street is that a large number of aliens are often seen going into that zone. Rumor has it that the aliens operate some kind of criminal organization out of that section of the station, and that a contingent of Gamorreans is always on guard near the deep storage bay."

"Going in?" Jack asked.  "Do they come back out?"

"Oh, yes," Connus answered.  "They come and go as they please."

"Well, I guess we can go then," Jack said.  "Luck favors the daring."

"Yes, but with Gamorreans guarding it, we may have to fight our way in," Connus said.

"There are alternatives to fighting," Talamon spoke, waving his hand mysteriously.

"Deep," Jack replied.  "Aren't we *supposed* to be there?"

"No, Maya is 'supposed' to be there," Ikis corrected.  "Not even I was going to accompany her to make contact with Switch."

"Besides which, Gamorreans aren't that bright," Connus said.  "Whether or not we're supposed to be there, they may pick a fight with us just because they're in the mood."

"Fine.  Just don't get us into any worse trouble."  Jack trusted Jedi about as far as he could throw them.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:55, Sat 08 May 2010.

When you finally arrived in the vicinity of deep storage bay V14, you found that you had entered a very neglected part of the station. Many of the lights had burned out, and blaster marks and carbon scoring marred the walls, ceiling, and floor. The area reeked of ozone and electrical fires, and pools of coolant littered the hallways at regular intervals. After winding your way through a near-labyrinth of decrepit corridors, you came upon bay V14, which was guarded by a pair of Gamorreans wielding vibro-axes.

"So how do we want to approach them?" Ikis asked.  "I could take one out before the other one even knew what was going on.  Then we could jump the other one."

"Or..." Connus interrupted.  "We could try to talk our way in."

"Do either of you have Jedi mind powers?" Jack asked Talamon and Ikis.

Ikis shook his head.

"I do," Talamon admitted.  "That's what I was trying to allude to earlier.  I'd rather get in without fighting."

"I might even be able to persuade them to let us in without a Mind Trick," Connus spoke up.  "But it would be good to have as backup." he admitted.

"Let's try them both then," Jack responded.  "The combination might get us through."

Connus took the lead with Talamon close behind him as you approached the Gamorreans openly.  The brutes took no hostile action and seemed concerned only with blocking the doors.

"Good evening my good friends.  We come on behalf of Maya Samaris.  We would like to speak with your boss.  Please, let us pass." 

The Gamorreans looked at each other, grunted and moved aside.

"Thank you gentlemen," Connus replied, sweeping inside.

The deep storage bay was as run-down as the hallways leading up to it, with entire metal plates missing from the floor and a huge, open exhaust shaft near the back of the room. Large crates littered the area, creating the appearance of a haphazard mess, and the air had a distinct smell of sweat and fumes that made the entire area unpleasant.  Flickering lights provided modest illumination, and a burst pipe along the ceiling leaked blue fluid down one wall.

Near the center of the room was an item that seemed very out of place—a large, finely crafted desk made of Japor ivory wood, which meant that the desk was both priceless and rare.  Sitting peacefully behind the desk was an administrative droid with shiny, transparent coverings that let you see through to its innards.  The droid’s single photoreceptor flickered slightly, as though imitating a person blinking rapidly.

At first glance, Switch, the administrative droid information broker, appeared to be the only occupant of the storage bay.  However, upon approaching the desk you also noticed a blue-and-red astromech droid beeping and burbling quietly beside Switch seemingly lost in its own world.  You also noticed a Twi’lek standing quietly off to one side, as well as two rough-looking Humans hiding behind crates scattered around the room.

"We're here to pick something up," Jack explained to the droid, subtly indicating for Connus to help out somehow.

As Connus was already standing in the front, he proceeded: "We are here on behalf of Maya Samaris," he started.

"Ah, yes," the droid replied.  Even from that simple phrase, you could tell that Switch had a male personality and a Coruscanti-Imperial accent.  He could probably fit in among Brentaal’s nobility if he were not a droid.  His voice was cheerful and light, as though his power and prestige left him without a care in the worlds.

"I'm afraid we don't have any chairs but feel free to make yourselves at home," he said, motioning for you to sit on the crates in front of the desk.  "I am Switch, an information broker here on Sel Zonn Station.  And this," he said, indicating the atromech droid, "is my most valued companion, R5-B8."  The astromech tootled a greeting.

"May I offer you something to drink?" he asked.  He then listed off his extensive collection of beverages (a few of which were non-alcoholic), and you could tell that for a droid that did not consume he had exceptionally refined tastes.

"We're here on business, not pleasure," Jack replied politely but firmly.

Switch glared at Jack with his singular "eye" as if he had given him a great insult.

"I'll have a Corellian brandy," Connus said, to cut the tension.

"Nothing for me," Talamon answered.

"I'll take Rodian ale," Ikis replied.

After Switch had his Twi'lek majordomo see to the drinks, he opened up.  "My services are available to anyone who can pay.  Please, tell me, why have you come?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:43, Fri 04 June 2010.

"Well, as we mentioned," Connus began, "we represent Maya.  She has told us, oh great informer, that you were entrusted with the great and important responsibility of receiving and storing some cargo for her.  Some valuable cargo shipped all the way from the Deep Core.  We implore you to provide us with the location of this cargo." 

"Even if I knew what you were talking about," Switch replied.  "What makes you think I would believe that you represent this 'Maya' that you speak of?"

"Switch, please, your reputation precedes you," Connus continued to praise.  "A being of your stature and standing must know everything going on in this station; you surely know our relationship with Maya."

Switch considered the green-skinned Twi'lek for a moment; what seemed like a very long moment.  "Very well, I do know of what you speak.  And I would be glad to hand over the cargo to you for the eminently reasonable sum of..." he made a dramatic pause (the fact that the droid was dramatizing spoke volumes of his independence), "...1000 credits."

Jack looked over at Connus with a dour expression and shook his head a little.

Connus took the hint.  "I'm afraid that amount would put too much of a strain on our resources," Connus replied.

"Well..." the droid hesitated.  "I might be willing to accept less if..." he trailed off.

"If what?" Ikis asked impatiently.

"If some of you agree to supplying me information on a regular basis from wherever your travels take you." Switch answered.

"I will," Connus spoke up quickly.

"There, one of us will give you information from wherever we go," Jack replied, crossing his arms.  He hoped the droid didn't expect ALL of them to give information.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:55, Sat 22 May 2010.

Ikis shrugged, but hoping it would help their situation, he also offered to provide information for Switch.  Talamon was a little confused as to what he should do, but as two of their company had already agreed, and as Jack was not particularly kind to him, he decided to go with the majority.  "I too will provide information for you during my travels," he agreed.

"Excellent," Switch declared.    "Now we may proceed.  The fee is now a trifling 400 credits."

Connus motioned for you all to 'huddle' to discuss.  "If it will make it easier, I can handle all the money for us, and when we part after this mission, I can redistribute the money based on the percentage contributed.  Agreed?"

"Agreed," Jack said.  He had no worries about remembering to get everyone's money back.

Ikis agreed reluctantly, adding "If you steal from me, I will hunt you down and make you wish you hadn't."

Connus gulped.  "Threat noted."

Talamon agreed reluctantly as well.


Connus then paid Switch the 400 credits.

"Thank you," he said, handing the credits to his Twi'lek majordomo.  "Your cargo is in the main docking bay on Blue Deck.  With your current company you may have trouble going there.  Blue Deck is in a section of the station heavily traveled by Imperial loyalists, whom as you probably know do not favor non-Humans.  However it is also one of the few places where Imperial ships dock."  Switch stopped to laugh at some private joke.  "I couldn't help it--hiding it right under their noses; best place really."

"So what is the cargo?" Talamon asked naively.

"That information is beyond my current obligation to reveal," Switch said matter-of-factly.

Connus whispered to the rest of you, "What he really means is, he won't tell us unless we pay him more."  Then he said more loudly to Switch, "What level of investment would we need to make to increase your obligation?"

"A simple 50 credits would suffice," Switch answered.

Connus whispered again, "Is it worth it guys?"

"Yes," Jack replied.  "I want to know what I'm dealing with."

"Very well," Connus conceded out loud.  "Here is the fee."  He handed over the 50 credits.

Switch gladly took the money, again handing it over to his majordomo.  "The cargo, is in fact, an Alderaanian Security agent who has been frozen in carbonite for transport from the Deep Core world of Empress Teta."

"But why is he frozen in carbonite?" Talamon asked.

"I imagine," answered Switch, "that he had himself frozen so that he could be transported as cargo rather than a passenger, reducing the chance that the Empire would find and arrest him."

"Will a carbonite block that size fit on the ship Maya has arranged for us?" Connus asked Ikis.

"It should," Ikis confirmed.  "I don't know exactly what kind of ship Maya's arranged for our transport, but she's a pretty good planner."

"Why Empress Teta?" Jack asked.

Jack felt like he was having deja vu when Switch said ""That information is beyond my current obligation to reveal."

"And oh great one, how much does this information cost," Connus asked cordially. 

The droid seemed pleased by the oblation and replied "A mere 200 credits."

Connus looked to the rest of you to see if it was agreeable.

"Well I'm not doing a job without as much information as possible," Jack explained.

"I agree," Ikis said.  "We need to know as much as possible."  Talamon silently nodded his head.

Connus handed over the money and Switch continued.  "The Alderaanian Security agent was spying on the Empire’s secret interests in the Deep Core. In the months since the rise of the Empire, hundreds of warships have sealed off the few known
trade routes into the Deep Core, only allowing wealthy Imperial loyalists in or out of that region of space. Over the last few months, the Empire has set up the Deep Core Security Zone, and Emperor Palpatine himself has overseen the transfer of large amounts of resources and nobles loyal to the Empire into the Deep Core. The frozen security agent had been scouting one of the dozens of worlds that the Empire had discovered during its recent expansion into the Deep Core."

Before any of you even had time to process this new information, you heard the Gamorreans guarding the bay's entrance letting out death squeals amid a hail of blaster bolts.  Suddenly a familiar-looking Chevin burst into the room with a handful of thugs.

"Ganga Lor?" Connus said, confused.  "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry to see you're involved in this Connus," Ganga replied shortly, then he addressed Switch.  "So you thought you could hide your deal with the offworlders from me, droid?" The way the Chevin said that last word was as derogatory as any name could sound.  "I'm tired of not getting my cut!  Turn him into scrap heap boys!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:40, Fri 04 June 2010.

"You chose the wrong day, mister," Jack said.

Switch's astromech droid companion and Twi'lek majordomo, immediately ducked for cover (the astromech getting as close to the desk as possible, and the majordomo diving to the floor).  A shot came from behind one of the stacks of crates; you hadn't seen anyone there before, but it must be one of Switch's thugs, as the shot went toward Ganga Lor and his thugs, but completely missed.

As Ganga's thugs had been planning on shooting things up anyway, most of them reacted first.  And as all of you were in between them and Switch, you took the first shots.  Ganga's first thug (GT1) fired at Jack, completely missing.  He then moved to cover behind a short stack of crates.  Another thug (GT2) fired at Talamon, and because Talamon did not have his lightsaber drawn, he hit him in the chest, nearly knocking him down.  The thug then also took cover near the first thug. A third thug (GT3) fired at Ikis, but he missed, so he sidestepped behind a pile of rubble.

Jack aimed for Ganga Lor and fired his rifle.

Jack's shot hit Ganga Lor in his right breast.  He howled, but stayed on his feet.

Talamon then stepped past Jack and used the Force to slam two of Ganga's thugs, knocking over the crates they were hiding behind and killing them.

Ganga Lor caught a second wind and fired back at Jack, hitting him in the chest as well, and nearly killing him.   He then moved behind the pile of rubble as well, and bellowed "What are you waiting for?  This is why I payed you off."  Suddenly, one of Switch's thugs fired...at Ikis.  Fortunately he missed.  Another one of Ganga's thugs also fired at Ikis, also missing.  He then moved behind the crates that Talamon had just slammed.

Ikis turned around and moved over to Switch's thug that had fired at him, punching him in the face and killing him where he stood.  Ikis then took his place behind the cover.  Unfortunately he still didn't have cover from the last of Switch's thugs; but Ikis was able to duck, and the blast missed him.

Connus fired at Ganga's thug that was hiding behind the pile of rubble because from his angle he still had a beam on him.  His shot hit the thug in the head, dropping him.  Connus then moved behind the other end of the pile of rubble so that he could have some cover.

Switch didn't seem too phased at the fact that most of his associates had turned on him.  He quickly turned around and fired at the thug closest to him, dispatching him efficiently with a shot to the heart.

Switch's remaining thug fired at Talamon from behind his cover, but he missed.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:27, Tue 08 June 2010.

Jack decided it was time to move into some kind of cover, so he moved over next to Connus.  Once relatively safe he took a deep breath in an attempt to Recover.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:58, Thu 24 June 2010.

Talamon activated his lightsaber and then went after Switch's last remaining traitorous thug.  After sidling around the corner, he swung at the thug and knocked him down for the count.

Ganga Lor didn't seem willing to risk his own hide enough to step out and fire at anybody, but his last remaining thug, who now had a relatively open shot at Switch , fired, but missed.

Ikis moved in closer to the two remaining opponents, but as he knew he could not make it to either one before they reacted, he made sure to pull up short so that Ganga would not be able to get a bead on him.

Connus peaked around the corner of the debris pile, and seeing Ganga's bulging backside, fired at him, but the Chevin was fighting defensively, and Connus missed.

Switch fired at the remaining thug, taking him out just as efficiently as he had his own thug.

Jack took a few more seconds to catch his breath, then moved around the far corner, past Connus, and stopped just short of Ganga Lor.

Jack then brought his gun up and fired.

Jack's shot took a good chunk out of Ganga's shoulder, but didn't kill him.

Talamon moved in behind Ikis.

Ganga Lor snarled a war cry and made a move for Switch.  He fired at him, hitting him square in the chassis (though apparently not damaging any internal circuits as Switch remained standing and functioning).  However, he had now let his guard down.

Ikis moved in behind him and, throttled him with a punch to the head that seemed powered by the Force.  The blow took the monstrous brute down.

"Thank you for saving my existence," Switch said, managing to sound exhausted.  "Ganga Lor seems to have brought all his cronies to the fight, as well as recruiting mine, so you shouldn't need to fear any reprisals from his organization."

Connus wiped his brow  in a sign of relief.

"Your protection of me, inspires me to offer you a special deal--an opportunity to make back some of the money you've paid me for my services, since you have access to a ship."  Switch paused for dramatic effect.  "In addition to the cargo I was holding for Maya, I also have a crate of bottles of Corellian ale that is bound for Alderaan.  I will give you 100 credits now, with the promise of 500 additional credits on delivery.  The ale is stored in the same docking bay as the frozen security officer, in a crate that can be carried by a single person, so it should be no trouble to take with you, and you should have no complications with delivery once you arrive on Alderaan."

"How will we receive the additional credits after delivery?" Connus asked.

"The credits will be sent to an account that I will set up on Alderaan, from which you can easily retrieve your payment.  So what do you say, will you do it?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:41, Fri 25 June 2010.

"Easy money?  I'm in," Jack responded.  "Though, if it's Corellian ale, I can't promise that I won't just buy it from you and drink it myself."

Switch somehow managed to look as though he were smiling, pleased that you and he now had an understanding.  "I believe it would be more profitable to sell the ale, than to consume it.  And not to doubt you're drinking abilities," he said, quickly flashing his photoreceptor as if winking, "but most Humans cannot consume that much alcohol in a short amount of time.  And were the crate not to be delivered whole, it would have to be deeply discounted.  Though I'm sure you were only joking anyway."

"Can we go now, please?" Ikis said, wanting to get on with the mission.

"Certainly, just allow me to give you the 100 credit advance, and upload the drop off details to Connus' data pad."

The exchanges were made, and then Switch's astromech came tootling up.  "What is it Arfive?"  The droid whistled.  "I see.  It seems that our only opponents who survived this attack are Ganga Lor and one of my thugs."  When Talamon looked worried, Switch added "Oh, they're quite unconscious.  And I wouldn't fret about them if I were you.  I will take care of them," he said in a sinister voice.

"Now, before you go to Blue Deck," Switch continued, "I suggest you get your wounds healed.  As an additional token of thanks, I'm willing to call in a favor to Dr. Fenn from Delgas Medical Supplies to treat you, if you'd like."
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:19, Fri 03 Apr 2020.

"It would be much appreciated," Jack replied, tenderly touching his wound.

As Switch uploaded all the information to Connus' datapad, including directions to Delgas Medical Supplies, and directions from there to the docking bay on Blue Deck, he gave another warning.  "You will probably find it difficult to reach the docking bay on Blue Deck with two non-Humans.  It would be best to disguise both Ikis and Connus."

"I have a poncho with a hood that can hide my head and face fairly well," Ikis said.

"That may work for you," Switch admitted.  "But it's a bit more difficult to disguise a green-skinned Twi'lek."

"You could stay behind," Jack suggested.  "Maybe find a good observation spot and keep us informed over the comlink."

"How can I find a good observation spot?" Connus asked.  "All the cargo is up on Blue Deck?  You can't see any part of one deck from another deck."

"But servants are allowed on that deck," Talamon pointed out.

"Yes, and unfortunately, I cannot say that I am unaccustomed to that role," Connus admitted.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:28, Mon 12 July 2010.

With everything decided, you all headed off to Delgas Medical Supplies.  Dr. Fenn treated you efficiently and effectively.


"How is Maya doing?" Ikis asked.

"She's mending well," Dr. Fenn said in a very congenial voice.  "But she'll still need at least another day of rest before she can be moved."

With nothing else, to say, you all headed up to Blue Deck.  Ikis made sure to keep his hood up, and Connus made sure to look down and seem menial.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:50, Mon 12 July 2010.

As the turbolift doors slid open and you stepped onto Blue Deck, it was like entering a wholly different space station.  Blue Deck was one of the nicest and most dangerous sections of Sel Zonn Station--at least for your group.  The floors were polished and possessed a metallic sheen, and the massive windows along one wall granted the most magnificent view of Brentaal available on the station.  It was reserved almost exclusively for Imperial loyalists and off-duty Imperial and station personnel, combining luxury with fanatical devotion to the Empire.

Everything on Blue Deck was pristine and well-maintained, with none of the technical problems seen elsewhere on the station.  Maintenance and service droids flitted about from one place to the next, keeping everything clean and ordered.

Propaganda posters for Emperor Palpatine covered the walls and the insignia of the Empire was everywhere the eye could see.

Moving about the halls of Blue Deck were large numbers of Humans, most of them wealthy by all appearances.  They seemed mostly to glare at your motley crew, and when they saw Connus, they turned up their noses at him.

It wasn't long before a pair of naval troopers approached you.  "What do you mean by bringing this Twi'lek here?" they asked Jack.

"He's my servant, he goes where I go," Jack replied.

The naval troopers didn't look too satisfied, but they let it pass and moved on.

"So what now?" Talamon asked.  "Do we just rush in?"

"I'd advise finding out as much as we can about the cargo bay before we head there," Connus said.

While Jack agreed with Connus he wasn't really up to it after long battle earlier.

As you headed toward the docking bay, you noticed a man dressed just like the two men on the Promenade with hold-out blasters and hidden comlinks that had attacked Maya.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:02, Sun 18 July 2010.

"Guys, look sharp," Jack said, indicating the man to the others.

"He looks like one of those guys in the Promenade," Talamon said.

"An Imperial informant," Connus said knowingly.

"He's not just any Imperial informant," Ikis replied.  "He was on the Promenade earlier, he just took off at the first sign of weapons being drawn."

"If he spots us, it will make things a lot more difficult," Connus said.

"Then we need to take him out quickly and quietly," Ikis answered.  "I can do it," he offered.

"But he might have some useful information for us, we should keep him conscious." Connus responded.

"Could either of you use your Mind Powers?" Jack asked the two Force-Sensitives.

"I don't have any mind powers," Ikis replied.

"I could try," Talamon said.

"But we still need to make sure the conversation takes place out of sight," Connus added.

"Maybe you could use your Mind Powers to distract him," Jack suggested.  "Then we can sneak up on him."

"All right, I'll give it a try," Talamon said.  Talamon got within 18 meters of the informant.  He waved his hand and whispered, "You need to find a secluded side hall to get away from the crowds."

Suddenly the informant changed directions and went to what seemed to be a small side hallway.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:51, Tue 20 July 2010.

"Well done," Jack said, patting Talamon on the shoulder.

Talamon gave a weak smile back.

"Quickly," Ikis said motioning to the "alley".

As you entered the alley you could see that it was a dead end.  The informant stood there staring at the wall for a moment, then turned around, to find the four of you blocking his path.  Now that you were up close, you could get a better look at him.  The informant had a mop of greasy black hair and his skin seemed to hang off his bones.  His beady eyes and over-sized nose caused him to resemble a wild womp rat eager to escape captivity--and that was exactly his first move.  He tried to run in between the four of you and back into the main causeways.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:03, Wed 21 July 2010.

Jack held out his arm to clothesline the man.

OOC Jack rolled a 16 (roll, no mods).

Jacks clothesline hit the informant in the throat, stunning him (but not knocking him prone).  Ikis quickly shoulder hooked the man and held him still.

"Relax," Connus said soothingly.  "We just want to talk."

"What makes you think I want to tell you anything?" the informant replied, still sounding more scared than defiant.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:57, Mon 26 July 2010.

"Because if you don't I'll kill you," Jack said, pointing his gun into the informants stomach.  "The painful way."

The informant audibly gulped at the sight of the blaster rifle pointing at him.  "What do you want to know?"

"That's more like it," Connus said.  "What do you know about the main docking bay?"

"Only that the Imps were recently tipped off about some contraband there," he answered quickly.  "I saw at least 3 naval troopers and an officer head in that direction, but there might be more already there.  I also saw them moving a repulsor sled into the docking bay."

The informant looked back and forth between each of your faces to see if he had done well.

"Thank you," Connus said and then made a dismissive gesture.  Ikis let the rogue go, and he quickly disappeared out of sight.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:23, Wed 28 July 2010.

"Hmmm...a repulsor sled," Ikis mumbled.  "Whatever contraband they think they're getting, they know it's big enough that it needs to be hauled.  That also means they have some heavier weapons at their disposal."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:29, Wed 28 July 2010.

"We have to hurry, but be cautious," Jack said.  "Let's move out."

Everyone followed Jack's lead to the hangar.  Before you even got to the docking bay, the massive hangar smells of exhaust fumes and spilled coolant reached your noses.

"Wait," Ikis said.  "I can probably sneak in and scout things out before we bust in.  Should I?" he asked Jack.

"Go for it," Jack said.

In the blink of an eye Ikis moved quickly, but silently into the docking bay.  And after what seemed like a while, but must have been only a minute, he came sprinting back out, with blaster bolts following him.

"Well I've got good news and bad news.  The good news is: I scouted out the room."

"And the bad news?" Connus asked as more blaster bolts sprayed out the door.

"They spotted me."

"No kidding," Connus said sarcastically.

Ikis described the layout of the docking bay: "There are crates stacked up throughout the hangar, waiting for transport down to Brentaal.  There are three doors off to the left side of the bay; the two closest to us are close together and the third one leads into a room with a transparent window overlooking the hangar, so I can only assume that's the control room.  Two naval troopers are standing by some crates off to the right and an Imperial officer is close by them.  Two more naval troopers are flanking the middle door.  There was no sign of the repulsor sled, but it's probably in the storage area that the two naval troopers on the left are guarding."

"Well," Jack said, loading his blaster.  "There's only five of them, let's go."

Ikis charged back in first, with Jack close behind.  As Jack entered he saw Ikis move blurringly fast towards one of the naval troopers near the officer (NT4).  Ikis swung and missed, and retreated back to cover behind some stacked crates.

Jack moved in to the left and headed behind the lifter.  Once secure he fired at the Officer.

Jack's shot hit but didn't do much damage, grazing the shoulder of the officer.

Talamon charged in afterwards running towards the two naval troopers and the officer.  When he got relatively close to them he splayed out his right hand and the three Imperials went flying, knocked to the ground by a telekinetic punch.  None of them would be getting back up.

Just then a repulsor sled drove out of the storage room that the other two naval troopers were guarding, pulling a block of carbonite behind it.  Upon hearing the blaster fire and seeing three of his fellows fall, the trooper driving the sled, detached the carbonite block and moved around some of the crates.  As Jack was the only one he could see with a weapon , he fired at him with the blaster cannon mounted on the sled.  The trooper made a crack shot, and not even Jack's cover could save him .

The naval trooper that had been standing on the north side of the storage room door (NT1) had gotten a better look at what had happened, and realizing that Talamon was the cause of the others' deaths, he followed the repulsor sled out, making sure to keep behind it for cover, and fired at Talamon.  Talamon was out in the open, so there was nothing he could do to dodge the blast; it hit him in the thigh.

The other naval trooper approached from the other direction, trying to catch Jack in a crossfire with the repulsor sled, but he completely missed.

Connus came in immediately after that and shot at the second trooper, but he missed just as badly.

Ikis moved around the back of the crates so as to keep cover and get closer for an attack on one of the Imperials.

Jack, though injured, fought through his pain and fired at the pilot of the Repulsor Sled.

Jack's precise shot pierced the pilot's heart, and he slumped off the sled, dead.

Talamon quickly drew his lightsaber, activated it and moved in on the trooper next to the repulsor sled.  That trooper fired at Talamon, and he took a hard one to his shoulder.

The other trooper fired at Connus (at whom he had the clearest shot).  But he completely missed.  Connus fired back at him and hit him in the head, killing him instantly.  Connus then moved to help surround the remaining trooper.

Ikis moved in as well.

Jack moved in closer, trying to get line of sight on the remaining naval trooper.  He took one crack shot that went straight through the trooper's head, killing the last of their opponents.

Ikis called Maya on the comm, letting her know that they had secured the cargo.  "Your ride will be there soon," came the reply.

"Let's not forget that crate of Corellian ale that Switch wants us to deliver," Connus spoke up.

Jack hadn't forgotten about the Corellian ale.  No way was he going to miss out on that chance!

It didn't take you long to find the crate of Corellian ale.  And a short time later a large Baudo-class Star Yacht drifted into the main docking bay and lowered its ramp.  Over the loudspeaker, a woman's voice called out to you: "If your Maya's associates looking for a ride, hop aboard."

Jack indicated for the others to board first while he took up the rear.

Connus picked up the crate of ale, and hopped on the ship, with Talamon following right behind him.  Ikis pushed the carbonite block onto the ship as well.  Fortunately there was no one for Jack to worry about, so he got on the ship as well.

With everyone aboard, the loading ramp closed, and you could feel the ship do a quick 180, then blast back out into space.

Pretty soon an RX-13 pilot droid came toodling back to greet you.  "Oh, dear, oh dear," he said as he took in the sight.  "I'm afraid this is more cargo than we intended to take on," he added, looking squarely at the crate of ale.  "Oh well, I suppose we can still fit it all in the storage area.  Follow me," he said indicating Connus and Ikis.  After stowing the frozen agent and the ale, the droid indicated where you could strap in for the jump to hyperspace.  "You may either take one of the chairs in the lounge near the rear of the ship, or follow me back to the cockpit."

"I'm going to the cockpit," Connus said.

"I'll retire to the lounge, I think," Ikis replied.

"Me too," came the chorus from Talamon.

"I'll join you," Jack said, he was a bit tired and wanted to rest in a comfortable spot.

As soon as you were strapped in, you could feel the acceleration of the jump to hyperspace.  As you got more comfortable, you could hear Connus and the captain coming back towards you, discussing piloting; the droid tootled along behind them.

"Oh boy," you heard Talamon utter.

"What is it?" Jack asked Talamon

"You'll see," Talamon replied, sliding down in his seat in an attempt to hide between Jack and Ikis.  But it didn't do much good.  As soon as Connus and the female captain rounded the corner, you saw that the captain was a beautiful middle-aged Human woman with striking white hair.  When she spotted Talamon, she yelled out "You!  What are you doing on my ship again?  When I let you go before it wasn't so you could come back."

"I'm sorry," Talamon replied sheepishly.  "I just needed a ride up to the station, and I didn't do any harm to your ship."

"I know, that's why I let you go," the captain replied.  Then she calmed.  "Well, I guess if you're a friend of Maya's..." she trailed off, but gave a sly smile.  "I suppose we should do formal introductions.  My name is Sirona Okeefe, captain of the Banshee," she said, lovingly patting her ship.  "You've already met my co-pilot, Crash, here.  He's something of a worry wart, but I like him just the same.  I've already met Connus, but who are the rest of you?  Let's start with you, stowaway."

"I'm Talamon Vantika," Talamon said, keeping it brief.

"I'm keeping my eye on you Talamon," Sirona replied.

"I'm Ikis Thanda," Ikis spoke up.  "Close associate of Maya for quite some time."
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:56, Thu 07 Oct 2010.

"I'm Commander Shephard ," Jack replied.  "Though I suppose the title doesn't mean anything anymore."

"Maybe not the title itself," Captain Okeefe admitted, "but I'm sure whatever you accomplished to deserve the title still means something.  Welcome aboard all of you.  I know you've just been through a rough fight, so please feel free to take advantage of any of the amenities I have on board.  We have a refresher just up the hallway, and just past that a medical suite with any supplies you may need to heal up.  We also have 4 passenger suites at your disposal and a fully-stocked galley.  Please, make yourselves at home."

Jack nodded, then waited the appropriate amount of time before getting up to use the medical suite.  He wasn't a weakling, but when services were being freely offered...

Continued in Rendezvous on Alderaan (Jack Shepherd).