Jalt sighs.  "You're right." he says glumly, "The Bantha doesn't have the fire power for something like that."  He falls silent as the group head back to the ship.

As the Dancing Bantha comes back into view the pilot stops for a moment, grinning.  "Better plan.  I need to talk to the Colonel."

He starts walking again, though now with more purpose...

"We need to steal a star destroyer... "

Juragga hooted his approval of THAT idea!

Facepalm time, but Shard holds off on it due to the gravity of the situation.  "Keeping in mind that exploding this entire town would kill a lot of..."  She trails off, glancing around.  "...potentially innocent people, maybe we want something a little more precise.  But I'm open to your plan with the Destroyer, assuming we can target effectively."

And capture one, but that's a given.

Juragga, naturally, is all for this plan.  There's that urge to facepalm again, but Shard resists.  It's not quite as farfetched as her first feeling, given they have already successfully infiltrated and escaped from a Star Destroyer.

Wait.  It is, because they'd need to get on board with sufficient crew to FLY the cursed thing, unless they can somehow persuade the Imperials.  "I don't think 'I'm Ghea Nimadda!' is going to work again," she murmurs to herself.

There's always that superweapon, of course....

The team re-enters the Dancing Bantha, to find Rhijans waiting for them.  There is much to explain on both sides...

Jalt starts things, but is less than honest.

"Dargo has agreed to let us use his repair shop, and workers, to fix the Bantha.  How were things here?  Any trouble?"

Rhijans shrugged, and a glimmer in his eye indicated he might, possibly, have been amused by the question.  "Trouble?  Not yet.  but there's a group from Nuq Clade who want to talk to you about chartering the Bantha."  He paused, assessing the reaction, if any, to the information.

Short pause. "I've nothing on them.  Him.  Her."  Shard shrugs.  Could be all three, depending on the species.  Hardly surprising Rhijans has had 'no trouble'; there hasn't been any Star Destroyer crash-landing, for example.

She shoots a glance at Jalt.  "But we have another issue.  Dargo offered parts at a low price, which...Jalt feels doesn't sit right.  Matches with what I...with what everyone knows about Hutts, to boot.  And then there's the final matter."  The older woman cocks an eyebrow. "You want to tell them, Jalt?  I can, otherwise."

Haarmon sits down in a chair off to the side. Less a sit, more a flop. That was pretty exhausting. Acting tough all the time took it out of you. He didn't know how Rags and Rhijans did it.

That's because you were acting tough, he told himself, Rhijans and Rags are tough. They'd get tired acting twitchy and socially nonconstructive.

He chuckled to himself. It was good to have friends.

"You know," he said, mostly to himself, "Stealing a Star Destroyer isn't that hard. Well, you know, it's hard. But not, like, impossible. The hard part is getting it away. It's not like the four of us could just fire it up and woo-hoo off into the stars, yeah? What's the minimum crew compliment on one of those? A bazillion? That's the hard part."

He realized he'd interrupted.

"Sorry. Anyway. Never mind."

Maybe try acting silent sometimes and see how that goes.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 13:02, Fri 22 June 2018.

Rhijans looked at Haarmon for a moment, his expression inscrutable.  "Is that part of the deal for the parts?  That would certainly explain a Hutt being willing to part with something for below market value..."  He thought for a moment, and added,"If you had enough droids with the right programming, you could maybe steal one with fifty people...assuming you could get the Imperials to vacate, and that you didn't need to fight your way out of wherever you were stealing it.  It's a little bigger operation than we're equipped to manage."  His words were analytical...no hint of disbelief.  No hint of worry, either...just an apparent acceptance of the premise and calculations of how to make it work.

"Nuq Clade?  Never heard of them specifically, but the clades tend to have a lot of complicated connections with each other.  Trouble is that could be good or bad, depending on the clade, and what they're trying to get you involved with."

"I'll talk to them though... see what they want."

Then Shard speaks, and Jalt's expression falls.

No sense trying to be coy.  Shard has pretty much told Rhijans that there is a complication, and that it's something to do with me.

Jalt sighs and gives a slow nod.  "I just found out that Dargo is responsible for the death of my brother.  I'm not planning to take it laying down."

Rhijans initial reaction to Jalt's information was visually not noticeably different than hus reaction to Haarmon.  "Do you want him to know where it's coming from, and why?  Or do you just want revenge?"  Again, the words were analytical, non-judgmental...as if it was accepted as a given that something would be done, and the next logical question was whether or not whatever act to be taken should be anonymous.

"Nuq Clade is located in that direction...told them I'd let you know they were asking, but didn't promise anything."  He gave the minutest of shrugs, and added, "Maybe their job can help with the payback.  They obviously don't want to do business with Dargo.  From the sound of things, they have credits enough...but they came here, and they were at least moderately concerned about who may have seen them."  There were plenty of possible reasons for them to have gone to someone besides Dargo...but the most likely options, in Rhijans' mind, were either that they wanted something that Dargo would frown on, or they couldn't afford what Dargo would charge...and under-cutting the Hutt's asking price would, again, be something Dargo didn't want.

Juragga nodded to Jalt, a low warble of Wookiee rumbling following.

I understand honor debts.  If you need to take care of Dargo, we can help or we can stay out of the way, as your honor demands, he said.

As to the other matter...

"GrOOOOOOWwwwwrrr," he commented.

It doesn't have to be one of the new, top-of-the-line Imperial-class ships to be effective.  An older ship, like a Victory, would do almost as well, and might be much easier to obtain.

"Thanks for the support." Jalt smiles, briefly, "Thinking about it, if we're going to grab a star destroyer, or anything else even close to that size, we're going to need more people to help fly it.  Even something like an early model Victory class needs a big crew, even if it's not going to be in a fight."

"So 'just the people in this room' isn't going to cut it.  Probably not enough people at Defiance Base even.  Might need to call in people from other Alliance bases."

He sighs, "I'll go talk to Nuq Clade first, and then I'll speak to the Colonel when I come back."

Rhijans nodded.  "I'll go with you...they've seen me up close, that should help avoid potential misunderstandings as to who you are."  He paused, his lips tightening into something akin to a grimace.  "They seemed concerned about being out in the open, worried someone might take action.  They might be edgy about strangers coming in on them, too..."  He gave a look at the others.

"Pretty sure nobody's going to tangle with a ship that's got a Wookiee on the crew, especially if he's got backup."

Haarmon was more than a little surprised that the conversation about stealing a Star Destroyer went on this long. He figured it half a joke, half an exaggeration. But certainly it seemed a lot more serious now than when they started.

"Hey, we should recruit the Clades. Round up, unify them Chosen One style, lead them to the promised land."

He was kidding.

Maybe.

This had turned out to be a very strange day.

Shard grins.  Unsurprisingly, the others are full of support for Jalt's situation and plans.  Good team....honor debts indeed.  "So we talk to this Clade --" a glance to Rhijans "-- or maybe just you and Rhijans, and Juragga?" It seems Rhijans implies it should be a small group, and Juragga would be a good deterrent.  Better than a broken-down old woman. "I can babysit the Bantha this time," she offers with a shrug.  It wouldn't be the first time.

The smile tightens.  "Then we figure out what to do about that cursed Hutt.  And how Jalt wants to play it."

Dead Hutt?  Or big writing across the sky for him to read, before he becomes dead Hutt?  Either way, Shard considers, it's going to be dead Hutt in the end.

One eyebrow quirks toward Haarmon.  "As usual, Haarmon's idea has some weight.  Might want to figure out where the Clades stand on things."

Rhijans gave a small shrug.  "I was actually thinking Juragga should stay with the ship.  The way our visitor behaved implied there are other groups out there...who might not be interested in a charter arrangement, they might just want the ship.  Pretty sure none of them will want to tangle with an angry Wookiee."  He gave Shard a steady look, one that had no judgment in it.

"But we can take him along.  I don't think Nuq Clade is intending any sort of confrontation...but they may be less likely to argue over the price of the charter with Juragga standing over Jalt's shoulder during negotiations.

Shard lets out a small sigh.  "My misunderstanding.  Well, I'm good either way." Rhijans is the person with the first-hand knowledge of this.  Jalt understands the people and place.  She'll leave it to them to decide who stays and who leaves.

"I'm not terribly imposing, is all," she offers.  Even Haarmon -- with his special rig and pistol -- looks more dangerous, Shard suspects.  And the others?  Jalt is known.  Juragga...well, no questions there.  And sane people would rather stuff their hands into an acadi nest than mess with Rhijans.

"Good idea." Jalt points at Haarmon.

"These Clades live here.  Might have access to stuff that would be useful.  And there might be some that don't really like Dargo much.  I mean, he's a Hutt... it's not like he won't have any enemies."

Considering options, he finally says, "Rhijans... you're a known face.  Nuq Clade see you, and they know that we're from this ship.  Juragga to show we mean business.  And Haarmon, because we might need to slice something, and it'd be embarrassing to have to come back to collect you."

"What do think?  Do we need You-Why for translation?"

Rhijans shrugged.  "They don't speak Basic natively, so it might not be a bad idea.  I wouldn't start off with him translating, though...he might overhear something useful if they think we don't understand what they're saying..."  He'd made his point about leaving Juragga to guard the ship...if he was the only one worried about it, he wouldn't press the point.

Haarmon pulled a sour face. "You know I got into the slicing gig to do cool things from home in my comfy pants watching holo vids and drinking energy drink. I never really accounted for so many places not being wireless. Curse of the Outer Rim I guess."

He shrugged.

"I mean, I'm not tactics here. I'm point-and-click. So whatever your call is, I'll back the play. But by my count that leaves Shard in the ship by her lone, yeah?"

He blushed a little and looked at Shard shyly.

"Which isn't to say that you can't, like, handle yourself. But it's a lot of planet out there. And what's not trying to kill us don't much care if we die."

A shrug.

"I think Shard and Rags watch the ship. The rest of us just look as mean as possible."

He thought they'd miss both of them where they were headed. But someone had to stay back. And Shard and Juragga were the two people the most important to him in the entire galaxy. He'd only ever trust one of them to watch the other.

"Well...not alone, no.  The Colonel's still there.  So's our 'guest'..."  Rhijans had never asked the captured tech's name...honestly, he didn't care.

"That does bring up a potential downside to bringing You-Why...if he's with us, and anything goes wrong, that tech has nobody watching him.  I don't think he'd make a run for it...but he could make problems for us to deal with, later."

"Good point about the tech." Jalt concedes, "And You-Why has been a bit... disturbing... recently.  I might feel better if we don't take him.  As for the rest... I've rethought this with your input."

"Haarmon, I've seen you use a blaster.  You can slice if you need to, and you're useful in a fight, if it comes down to that.  Rhijans, you should come along too.  Again you're good in a fight, and Nuq Clade have met you before."

"Shard and Juragga... you two protect my ship, and the Colonel.  And you try to keep You-Why from going all Butcher of Chrurlsarl on the prisoner.  Three of us should be enough to negotiate with a Clade."

Juragga rumbled uncomfortably and glanced to Shard.  He didn't like letting Haarmon go off without him.  Not that he didn't trust Rhijans, or Jalt...

But if there was going to be head-bashing, that was what he was around for.  All he was good for, really, he thought darkly.

Rhijans gave a grunt and a micro-shrug that could have been agreement, or just acknowledgment of the decision.  He didn't offer any detracting opinion, however...just stood there, ready to go.

Shard grins back at Haarmon, cocking her eyebrow.  "It's fine, Haarmon.  I'm not offended...and like I said, being able to take care of myself doesn't mean that trouble avoids me like it does Juragga or Rhijans."  Juragga being Wookie!, and Rhijans being death walking.  "If the group wants to leave Juragga here to baby-sit me -" the smile makes it a joke, not a bitter denunciation "- I'm not going to argue.  Myself, Juragga, and the colonel will hold down the fort, here, unless Juragga figures otherwise."

But that smile thins.  "Which means you're going to need to be EXTRA careful."  Telling that to Rhijans is like asking a Hutt to be corrupt, so this is more for Jalt (currently mainlining revenge juice) and Haarmon (who tends toward the reckless and dramatic when nervous).  "You're going into a situation that could blow up in your faces: sounding out a group about turning on the local warlord.  So..."

She shoots a glance at Jalt, then leans a touch closer to Haarmon, eyes dark with concern.  "You watch your rears.  Anything looks crooked, leg it.  Got it, student?"

A significant glance at Rhijans follows.  Rhijans being Rhijans, it's redundant to ask him to make sure they all come back.  Shard being Shard, she can't help herself.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:40, Tue 03 July 2018.