"Certainly," Ikis replied.  "This is Connus Amersu, a businessman of sorts," he started, introducing the Twi'lek.  Connus took a slight bow and said "At your service."

"This young one is Talamon Vantika," he said indicating the one dressed like a Padawan.  "He's one of our friends on the run," Ikis said with a wink to Organa.

"Ah, I understand," Organa replied.

"And finally we have Commander Jack Shepherd, formerly of the Separatists, and then the Agamar Resistance," Ikis finished.

Jack nodded curtly.  The Senator may be opposed to the establishment now that it was the Empire, but Jack remembered firmly how Bail had supported it when it was the Republic.

"All excellent credentials, even though we may disagree philosophically," Organa responded, looking especially closely at Jack.

"And who have you brought?" Ikis asked.

"Oh, yes I had nearly forgotten."  Bail turned slightly sideways and raised his arm to point to the Kel Dor behind him.  "This is Urb'n'ploon, a recent acquaintance.  He's stealthy and resourceful, and has certain talents that I believe are relevant to our next discussion."

Urb'n glanced at the young Jedi padawan with some displeasure, but saw in Jack a possible kindred spirit.  "Quite the gathering.  The question that hasn't been answered, however, is what brings us all here today?"

"An excellent question," Organa admitted.  "I was just about to come to that.  I’ve asked you to join me today because the agents of mine that you rescued seem to think you can be trusted." Organa said, speaking to Connus, Jack and Talamon.  He took a quick look at Ikis for confirmation.  Ikis gave a slight nod of his head.

Organa continued: "Since you worked hard to help them, I believe I can put my faith in you as well. I have a task that needs to be completed, but unfortunately my status as a Senator prevents me from taking care of it myself, or even from sending someone directly associated with the Royal Family; an unfortunate lesson I learned with Maya.  By the way she is safe now, has fully recovered from her wounds, and is no longer on the station."  At this news there was an audible sigh of relief from Ikis.  "I have included Urb'n'ploon here for a more specific reason.  He's been to Felucia."

The Senator placed a portable holoprojector on the table and activated it.  "The planet Felucia was ravaged during the Clone Wars, but once the fighting was over, the Empire set up some permanent facilities on the world. This is the one that concerns me," he said, zooming in on a dot near the equator.  "Nothing large—it used to be a communications facility. Now it’s just a small garrison where they can keep prisoners out of the way.

"Some months ago, I was contacted by an Imperial Admiral who was disillusioned with the way the Empire had twisted the once-great Republic, and he began feeding me sensitive information. A little over a week ago, that communication stopped.

"My agent, who you just brought back from Brentaal, has just told me that the Admiral has been taken to Felucia, where he is being held against his will. I’d like you to learn what has become of him, and rescue him if you can.  So, what do you say?" he asked.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:17, Thu 18 June 2015.

"I'll poke the Empire in the eye and help extract this admiral," said Urb'n, "though I'd rather it was almost anywhere else than Felucia.  Seems I can't turn my back on anything today."

"Anything to hurt the Empire," Jack replied with a shrug.

"I would like to stop the Empire too," Talamon admitted.  "But how do we know this admiral can help us do that?  I mean, who is he?"

"A fair question," the Senator conceded.  "Admiral Gilder Varth is a veteran of the Clone Wars and an honorable man." He started.  He handed around a two-dimensional picture that showed a slightly overweight Human male with close-cropped gray hair and a bushy mustache.  "He commanded one of the ships at the Battle of Coruscant and was promoted for bravery," the Senator continued.  "His loyalty to the Empire seemed unwavering, but once you’ve seen what he has seen it changes you...He was present during the destruction of Caamas."

"What are we going up against?" Talamon asked.

"The Imperial presence on Felucia is light," Organa explained.  "The facility itself is a secret, so they do not advertise its presence with large numbers of troops, and it is far from other settlements. Our knowledge of the facility’s existence is our greatest advantage. Additionally, you shouldn’t be going anywhere near the planet’s major cities, so you should be able to travel largely undetected."

"I've only heard stories about Felucia from the other Jedi who had been there during the Clone Wars," Talamon said.  "What is it like?"

"Dense overgrowth, huge fungi, and massive creatures are the order of the day on Felucia. It’s a wild, untamed planet, and you should be careful to avoid much of the local wildlife.  As for any further details, I leave that to Urb'n'ploon to describe."

"I don't care to share the details of my time on Felucia.  Even so, I will warn all of you that Felucia is a truly hostile place.  Tangling with the Empire will be one thing, but the planet's native lifeforms will be especially dangerous.  The plants have adapted especially potent defenses.  The Commerce Guild utilized these plants to develop poisons and medicines.  Essentially, this is not an assignment to take lightly."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:16, Wed 27 Oct 2010.

"Well if that's the case," Connus chimed in, "that begs the question: Why are we doing this?  What's in it for us?"

"A valid concern," the Senator admitted.  "If the Admiral has as much information as I believe he does, this could be an excellent chance to strike a blow at the Galactic Empire.  For most of you that seems to be enough.  But I'm also willing to give each of you 2000 credits, and if things go well, I will guarantee more work when you return."

"Okay, I'm in," Connus said quickly.  "Now, how do we get to Felucia?"

"I’ve arranged transport aboard a vessel owned and operated by my longtime friend, Sirona Okeefe," Organa replied.  Sirona entered from the hallway.  Organa gave her a warm embrace before continuing.  "As you already know, Sirona knows her way around the galaxy. She’ll take good care of you."

The door opened again and Col entered, pointing to his chronometer.  Organa nodded. "I’m afraid my shuttle has arrived and I must go now. Thank you for your help so far, and I’ll look forward to our next meeting.  I'm afraid I have another assignment for Ikis, so he won't be accompanying you this time.  But I trust that the rest of you and Sirona can work out any other details."  And with that Organa swept quickly from the room with Ikis and Col in tow.

Sirona sighed "He's always in a rush." Then she turned back to the rest of you.  "We believe the facility where the admiral is being kept has a roof turret guarding it.  The Banshee isn’t an assault ship, and the turret will prevent our landing near the prison facility. That means you are going to have to get in and get out with the Admiral on foot."

Zooming in on the holo, Sirona pointed to a long and deep canyon that cut across reasonably close to the prison facility.

"We can enter here, out of the facility’s sensor range," she said, pointing to the far end of the canyon. Tracing the long canyon around the horizon, she said, "The canyon should hide us from their sensors on our approach. We’ll put down here, at the closest point to the prison. I’ll wait for you there."

"I'm a pilot myself," Connus said.  "Are you sure you can navigate that narrow canyon?"

"I'm pretty sure I can handle it," Sirona replied confidently.  "If there aren't any more questions, we should be on our way."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:53, Mon 07 Jan 2019.

"No questions on my part.  Everything I own is right here," Urban swept his hands over his person, "so I'm ready to go."

"I'm better at dealing with things as they come up," Jack explained.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:06, Sun 31 Oct 2010.

"Nothing from me," Connus said.

Talamon shook his head as well.

"Then let's go," Sirona said.

It didn't take long for Crash to plot a course that mostly followed the Perlemian Trade Route, which made the long journey to the Outer Rim much faster, but it was still a long journey. Though the quarters are tight, the beautiful ship was well appointed, and you were able to enjoy the few days of much needed relaxation and rest.

Urb'n decided to waste away the time by getting to know Jack a bit better.  Never one to mince words when a straight forward approach would do, he walked up to the man and said, "You fought in the Clone Wars for the Confederacy.  Where did you see action?"

In reply to Urb'n'ploon (msg #14):

"Oh, uh...there was Muunilinst and Ryloth," Jack said, rubbing the back of his neck.  "Boz Pity, there near the end.  Mostly I just stayed on Agamar."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:59, Fri 29 July 2016.

"Can't say I saw action at any of those spots.  What made you continue fighting for the Confederacy?  Didn't you find them a little sanctimonious and hypocritical?"

"The same could be said about the Republic," Jack replied.  "They claim to have had peaceable motives, yet were building an army the whole time?"

"I could not support an organization that propped up such a corrupt government as the Republic," replied Urb'n.  "That's why I abandoned the Jedi so many years ago.  I thought the Confederates were different and tossed my lot with them for a time.  Turns out they were no less corrupt.  I deserted them too when I saw the baseness of their actions used to back up their lofty rhetoric."

"It's one of the reasons I went back to Agamar," Jack replied.  "Figured I'd build up the home guard, you know?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:00, Fri 29 July 2016.

"I went and lived with the Hutts," Urb'n said with a shrug.  "Shows you what kind of impression the Confederacy left with me."  After a moment of awkward silence, Urb'n nodded curtly and went to wait out the rest of the trip quietly by himself.

The rest of the journey was relatively quiet.  However, just before coming out of hyperspace, Captain Okeefe came on the intraship comm.  "Everybody get to a battle station, just in case."

"If there aren't enough weapon systems for all of us to use, I can oversee the ship's shields," said Urb'n standing up from his seat calmly.

"Come on up, Connus is already up here with us." Captain Okeefe said.  "We'll have Jack and Talamon take the quad laser cannons."

[Continued in "Arrival at Felucia".]