Juragga growled his opinion on the idea of being sent off to do anything other than rescue the Colonel.  It was basically unprintable.

He warbled the hope that the items he'd requested would be included in their gear - explosives, and drugs for the Colonel.

And lastly, he expressed typical Wookiee impatience for all this standing around gabbing.  He wanted to be on their way, and of course, shoot something.

"Maybe he was referring to personal equipment." Reldan Jalt has finished his conversation with the other pilots, and comes up behind the group while they are talking, "I know it'll come as a shock, but not everybody wears their blasters and body armour around the base.  So people need to make sure they have theirs, then get given the rest of the stuff they need by the Major.  Like Dak there... I bet the Quartermaster's got nothing like what he's scraped together himself."

Jalt grins cheerfully.  "You need to get a move on though, or all the good missions and pilots will be gone.  You don't want to be stuck doing the paperwork for the team that's sent to rescue the Colonel."

"Me, I have an interesting job to do, but I don't know which team'll be assigned to it yet.  Bantha's never seen the inside of an Imperial hangar before, and it'll be fun shooting up the place from the inside."

"Void, Jalt, it's good to see you." Shard grabs his forearm.  "You're right, we need to run.  But you, if that's the plan you'd better keep yourself safe.  I want to see you and the Bantha again." Her eyes sharpen for a moment as her voice drops.  "Stay alive," Shard hisses.

Then she's moving for the door.  "Catch you when it's done, Jalt.  We'll grab a drink, all of us."

Rhijans shrugged.  There was more than a hint of a smile when Jalt spoke about shooting up an Imperial hangar...but whether that was anticipation for the pilot or reliving some memory of his own (since he had wrought considerable damage on an Imperial installation or two), no one could say for certain...probably not even him.

"You're right.  Let's go see about our special requests.  I can go pester them about wanting to go after Kourene, the rest of you see what you can scare up in the way of armaments and rescue gear.  Explosives with remote detonators would be a good option, as well...even better if they can be set for either timer or remote trigger."  He looked to the protocol droid.

"You-Why, your choice...you can go arm-twisting with me to see if we can land the prime mission, or you can help the others chase down gear."  He paused and looked at the rest of the group for a beat.

"That is, if everyone's okay with proceeding in that direction."  His tone made it clear that he felt it was the best way to go...but he also seemed, whether by expression or by body language, to convey that he didn't want to be a dictator on the subject.

Haarmon nods. "Yeah, yeah. That sounds like the thing. Division of labour and all that. In fact, I'll go with you and Golden Undies over there. To help with the arm-wrestling. You're a scary guy, Rhijans but this might just call for some high-pitched wheedling. And I'm fine for gear so long as I can drop by my quarters before we go. And Rags and Shard both know better then me what's needed anyway."

He looks up at Juragga and Shard, reading the weather in the faces there. He didn't want either of them to think he was bailing, or giving orders. Rags because he was his best bestie. Shard for more complicated reasons. And then to Rhjans to make sure the invincible tech ninja did't mind the punk kid inviting himself along to his party.

"That cool? You guys good chasing swag?"

Jalt nods sd he is greeted by various individuals, then says, "You might be pushed for thermal detonators and demo charges - I've got some people loading a couple of cases of each onto the Bantha.  That's why I'm over here, they got fed up with me telling them to be careful every three seconds and had an officer ask me to leave.  Whichever team gets assigned to the Bantha will be going out loaded for rancor."

Moving out in ones and twos, the team goes off to gather whatever they can for the mission...

Rhijans got a calculating look in his eye at the statement, but said nothing.  There were, as far as he could tell, two options for getting in...go in yard and fast and hope to bowl over any Imperial forces before they got a chance to fully mobilize, or sneak in on a captured Imperial vessel and THEN have the heat applied to create chaos for the retrieval team.

If the Alliance forces didn't have an old Imperial ship handy, that meant they were stuck with Option A.  But if there was a B option, he didn't want to miss being on the retrieval team.  "Let's go find out what they've got in mind for us...and make our case, if it's not what we want."

The hangar is even busier than usual.  Ships are having supplies loaded, and groups of field operatives are looking around for the transports that will carry them to Orakanin.  Some of them are involved in heated discussions with Trinoko's people regarding the missions and ships they've assigned.

"You want us to what?"

"Why can't we go after the Colonel instead of doing this?"

"You're mad if you think we'll sit by while those nerf-herders take the real objective!"

One of Trinoko's subordinates approaches Rhijans and the others, a datapad in hand.  He checks their names against a list, with a nod.  "You've been assigned to Dancing Bantha, with Redan Jalt.  Follow me please."

Jalt is leaning against the landing gear as they approach, and gives them a grin, as the officer continues, "As Captain Jalt already knows, this is going to be a diversionary mission.  The goal is to keep the imperials at Orakanin so busy that they won't realise that anybody is making a move on the Colonel until its too late."

"Captain Jalt will attempt to... fly suspiciously... " a broad smile from both Jalt and the officer, "and get his ship captured, with you concealed aboard."

"Once at an Imperial ship or other facility, your job will be to cause as much damage and general mayhem as possible, up to and including the destruction of the Imperial vessel or base, before making your escape.

"We have provided a supply of demolition charges and thermal detonators to aid in this objective.  As a secondary objective, you are to access the local computer network and obtain whatever data you can on Imperial deployment at Orakanin and, if possible, the Colonel's whereabouts."

"Captain Jalt knows what needs to be done with that data, and his astromech unit will assist you in completing your mission objectives."

The Wookiee complains.  Loudly.

Rhijans' face darkened for a moment...but he didn't know many of the other operatives that were available.  And he also knew his team.  Chaos and destruction, they were good at.  Information retrieval?  One of their strong points.

And Jalt was just crazy enough that, if they found the information and were in the right position, he'd potentially fly them in to help with the extraction.

He understood Juragga's tone, if not the specifics of the complaints, but he put a hand on the Wookiee's arm.  "We'd hoped for the retrieval mission, of course."  He was speaking to their escort, but he turned to face the rest of the group.  "But this is what we do best."  His voice was firm, confident.

He turned back to the security officer giving them their assignment.  "Don't suppose you thought to include anything to help us blend in when we get into whatever Imperial location?  Trooper armor, officers' uniforms, maintenance crew outfits?  Anything?  Running around and blowing stuff up was one thing...but it was so much easier if the enemy couldn't recognize you on first sight.  Even better if you could hide right in the middle of them and use their movements to mask your own.

It wasn't as if they hadn't brought such gear back from previous missions, after all...

Shard, having agreed with Haarmon and Rhijans, has headed off to see what she can dig up at the Quartermaster's.  Arriving, she puts in a request for demolition charges, time-delay and remote fuses, First Aid gear, basic armor...blaster carbines...

OOC - It's a short post, but I'm running late here and I'm not sure what I'll find.  The original plan was for Shard (and possibly Juragga, though not necessary) to go to the Quartermaster's.

I'm pretty sure I'll find lineups around the block, so I'm waiting for GM comment on it.  :)

Basically looking for helmets (+1 Armor with no penalty?  I'll take it!), basic armor (if possible) for those who want it, blaster carbines for everyone but Juragga, the demo charges, first aid kits...well, it's mostly up there, right?  :D
This message was last edited by the player at 13:22, Mon 11 Jan 2016.

The security officer nods, smiling.  "We've included Imperial Fleet uniforms, techs mostly, with the other supplies, though we don't have anything that'll fit him." and he nods in Juragga's direction.  "Then agaim, I'm not sure that putting a Wook in an Imperial uniform would be that good a disguise."

In the Quartermaster's Stores, there are a lot of people shouting.  Mostly at the two clerks trying to run the place, though a few seem to be threatening each other.  Behind the clerks, the shelves are, very obviously, mostly empty.

When Shard finally makes it to the desk, the clerk looks at her and shakes his head.  "Can't help you.  Some security types came in and requisitioned everything worth having for this big mission.  They're handing it all out themselves, over in the hangar, and only to people who need it for whatever task they've been assigned."

"E...everything?"  Somehow Shard holds in a volley of expletives; it's hardly this man's fault, and she's absolutely certain he's been hollered at all morning. "Thanks.  Appreciate the information." She manages a strained smile.  "Keep your head down."

Then she's on her way back toward the hanger, flicking her team comm as she walks.

+ Everyone, I sure hope that you're getting something at the ship, because the Stores are empty.  This place is the Void, now. +

Rhijans nodded.  "We've had to find our ways of making him fit in with the group when we're operating behind the lines...we'll manage."  He paused, and then added, totally deadpan, "Besides, I'm not sure anyone would survive trying to put Imperial clothing on him."

His commlink chirped, with Shard's message, and he was quick to respond.

+  All good.  Jalt's our ride...it's not the mission we wanted, but it's a good alternative.  Meet us at the Dancing Bantha and we'll bring you up to speed.

Juragga quieted, but looked surly.  Basically, he was sulking.

"You'll also find spare power cells for your weapons, and we want you to use this, if you get a chance."  The officer holds out a roughly fist sized cube, with a number of different connectors and adapters attached to one side.

"Basically, if you plug this into an Imperial computer after you've got what you want out of it, it will disrupt the entire network, and leave traces that will point to Hutt involvement."

At that, Rhijans did break into a smile...an unpleasant one that hinted at being pleased for a variety of dark reasons.  "Oh, you can bet we'll make sure we get a chance to use that," he said.  Even if it ended up being a last gesture of defiance if everything went wrong...

The smile faded as he turned to Dak.  "Good enough for you?" he asked.  He knew Juragga wasn't thrilled with the mission...he wasn't, himself, but it did seem to fit pretty well with their typical operating style.  Shard, he figured, would also be dismayed, or annoyed, or otherwise upset that they weren't the team going after the Colonel...but he also figured that she, like he, would figure that if they carried out their primary mission in a timely fashion, they could maybe get in on the action in the actual rescue.

So, that left Haarmon.  And, in a lot of ways, their success all hinged on him.  Rhijans could wreak all kinds of chaos...Juragga, as well...but when it came down to information retrieval, Dak was The Man.  And Rhijans would do whatever he could to make sure The Man was happy with his materials for the job.

+ I...Okay.  Will do.  Out. +

It's a struggle, but somehow she manages to keep her words from matching her name: broken and sharp-edged.  Flicking off her comm, Shard breaks into a jog, uncaring of her dignity.  At least these days she won't show up gasping, sweating, and smelling like a distillery; her recent exercising (some quite recent, in fact) means her stamina has improved.

Not a great deal, mind, but it's a start.

All the while, her mind follows the drumbeat of her feet with its own, alternating rhythm: Wrong-mis-sion-wrong-mis-sion-wrong-mis-sion.

Shard arrives at the Dancing Bantha to find Rhijans, Haarmon and Juragga in conversation with Reldan Jalt, while You-Why is discussing something with R2-O0 in Binary.

Jalt is explaining, "It should be easy enough for me to get us stopped by an Imperial patrol.  There's a few things that everybody knows you shouldn't do anywhere near an Impy ship."

"The tricky part will be judging it just right, so that they try to arrest us, instead of just blasting us out of space.  I think I have an idea for that though."

"Captain Jalt." You-Why interrupts, "Artoo says that your ship is in danger of suffering a massive coolant leak from its main power core, and that you have refused to allow him to repair it."

"Take it easy.  That's part of my plan."

"Sir, are you aware that the odds of surviving a... "

"Three hundred to one.  Yes, I know.  I've gambled on worse odds than that, and won."  Jalt grins at the droid.  "In a Hutt casino."

Haarmon was dismayed and angry that they'd drawn some chump errand while some other bantha-herders got the plum assignment. Not that they couldn't do it. No. In fact, if Haarmon had to name four people capable of wreaking more havoc than the four of them, well.... he couldn't name four such people.

We wreak like bosses when we're not even supposed to! Imagine us trying!

He was still angry. But he had to admit that this was, in fact, right smack-dab in the middle of their collective bailiwick.

He inspected the cube. He'd used a few of these in his time and he knew a solid piece of work when he saw one.

He nodded at Rhijans. "Yeah. Good enough and then some. Let's so sow some chaos. I just need ten minutes to get my stuff."

I'm not sure what the time frame looks like here, but if I've got a few minutes I want to go grab my terminal, and if I have a few MORE minutes, I want to make sure my terminal is loaded with all the programs and viruses and things I'll need for accessing and destroying an Imperial network.

Rhijans nodded.  "Get what you need.  We do this right, we'll have time to help someone else with their mission, too."  He didn't offer more explanation than that...but the almost-grin that followed the statement actually showed teeth, for a few moments.

He glanced over at Jalt.  "Good to have your excuses in proper order before you go waving them in front of the Empire, isn't it?" he quipped, in what passed for a light tone, coming from him.

Okay, so she's a touch winded.  But nothing more, and that's an improvement.  Breathing a touch heavily, Shard slows to a walk and ambles up to the group, currently knotted together beneath the looming ship.  "Nothing worth speaking of at the Quartermasters - at all.  Hope we have all of the armor, carbines, and what-not here, because my hands are empty."

Aaaaaand...there's the pain in her knees, right on schedule.  Void.  Now I remember why I stopped running up and down stairs.

"Jalt, seems we are working with you again." That with a smile; then she grows more serious, turning to Rhijans.  "I'm curious to hear what you consider a good alternative." There's no challenge in her voice, though; she's probing for information.

Rhijans turned to her, his whole body assuming the all-too-familiar mode of total pragmatism...everything from his face to his body language.  "The quick-and-dirty of it is, Jalt flies in, does something to get taken by the Imperials...he's got something in mind already.  We're concealed aboard the Bantha, they've left us a pretty good selection of explosives, grenades, and other chaos-makers, along with some Imperial uniforms...mostly maintenance stuff.  We cause whatever disturbance we can, to buy Dak time to slice into the Imperial 'net, find the information about the Colonel's location and status, and then dumps a spike into their system to further amplify the mess we've been making.  We pass the info along to the rescue team and get out however we can."

There was the slightest pause, followed by a ghost of a smile that only really settled around his eyes and never made it to his lips.  "If we're really lucky, whoever takes us in is also holding the Colonel...or we get in, get the info, and get out with enough time to go help get him.  Regardless, our part is crucial...even if we can't locate info on Kourene's whereabouts, the spike they gave Haarmon is the best bet for getting any of our command personnel out of there safely.  If they can't coordinate their response, they'll have all kinds of trouble cutting us off."

He gave a small hint of a shrug, concluding, "So, yeah.  I think our part of the operation is pretty important."

Haarmon goes off to collect his gear, while Rhijans explains their mission to Shard.  At the end, Jalt nods, "Yep, that's about the size of it.  Chaos, disruption, and a better than even chance of leaving the Imperials with ganza egg on their faces.  What more could anyone asks?"

He turns and starts up the ramp, calling back over his shoulder, "Looks like the loading's finished.  I'll go warm up the Bantha.  Come aboard when you're ready."

As he disappears into the ship, another freighter lifts, retracts its landing gear, and starts to edge towards the hangar exit...

Shard listens in silence, taking in the information Rhijans proffers.  Efficient, structured...cold, but that's his way.  It behooves her to answer efficiency with its equal.  She does catch the smile, or almost-smile; time spent observing has finally allowed her to pick up on these nascent expressions he adopts.

"Concur," she finally replies when he finishes. "It'll do, anyway.  So I'm up for it."  Turning after Jalt, she offers a fast wave. "There soon, Jalt, once Haarmon gets back!"  Rocking back and forth on her feet, she surveys the bounty-hunter and Wookie with a steady stare.  "I just hope it's not Nimadda," Shard finally blurts out.  "Seems to be right up her alley, from what I know of her."

With a sigh and a flick of the hand, she banishes that concern. "Nothing we can do if it is," the older woman whispers. "Just try to deal with it."