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23:46, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den.

Posted by The ForceFor group 0
The Force
GM, 1107 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Mon 16 Mar 2020
at 22:48
  • msg #1

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

As predicted by Colonel Kourene, Vekkis Lund's Bold Gambit arrives at Mothessh the next day.

Lund immediately goes into a huddle with as many techs as he can persuade to look the ship over, and ignores a message from Kourene to report to his office.

This results in Kourene summoning the team that will be going to Ord Mantell, and leading them all to the hangar for a discussion with Lund.  The sight that greets them is not reassuring.  Bold Gambit looks rather the worse for wear, even discounting the fact that the techs are busy performing a variety of repairs across the whole hull of the YT-1300.

Karra Hedine lets out a low whistle.  "I presume this ship wasn't always in this state?"
Colonel Kourene
NPC, 46 posts
Commander of
Defiance Base.
Wed 18 Mar 2020
at 22:37
  • msg #2

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Kourene walks across to Vekkis Lund.  "What happened?"

Lund looks at him, then turns back to watch the techs.  "I'd love to know Colonel.  Something has the local Impies really stirred up.  They're shooting first, second AND third, and then, maybe, asking questions.  That's why the Gambit is a bit battered."

"Something has upset them, and they've decided they're going to take it out on everybody within reach.  I mean it.  The sector is wall-to-wall TIEs just now."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1434 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 19 Mar 2020
at 04:19
  • msg #3

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans debated commenting on the observation, given that they had a pretty good idea what it was.  Instead, he said, "Well, guess it's a good thing our next mission is outside this sector, then..."  While he was certain that Lund was in no way an Imperial sympathizer, he was also sure that wouldn't stop the pilot from giving them an earful about how much these sorts of things complicated life for tramp freighter captains, especially those who might have dubious Alliance affiliations...
Shard
player, 1480 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sun 22 Mar 2020
at 10:38
  • msg #4

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard critically pokes a laser-scar on the side of the ship, wincing when flakes of oxidized metal float away.  "Glad to see YOU got out of this one alive, Lund," she notes.  Grimacing, she considers all of their antics that might have forge the foundation for this assault on the beloved freighter.  "Fairly speaking, we've been prodding the spider's next a tad, so I guess this had to happen eventually."

But in no way is she paying for the repairs.

"Anyway, like Rhijans says, we're heading out-sector, maybe somewhere less-hot."  Probably not, but it never hurts to be a little optimistic.  "So, once we get your ship repaired, maybe better times for you?"

It never hurts to keep the pilot in a good mood.
The Force
GM, 1109 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 22 Mar 2020
at 20:49
  • msg #5

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Lund asks, without turning, "Where am I supposed to go?"

Kourene steps in.  "Anobis first.  Then on to Ord Mantell."

"Interesting."  Lund appears anything but interested.  He seems more preoccupied by a datapad that a tech handed to him.

"On Anobis you'll be picking up another ship, before taking it to Ord Mantell."

"I don't know... it looks like I have a lot of repairs to do here." Lund muses, "Not sure I can spare the time... "

The Colonel looks, for a while, as if he is about to explode, and then he smiles, and nods, "Right.  How about this... you give me a list of the parts you need, and I'll get somebody to forge you an Imperial requisition for them?  You'll be landing at an Imperial dock on Ord Mantell, and if you hand in a requisition they should be able to fill it, so the Imperials end up covering the cost of the components they damaged."

Thinking for a moment, Lund breaks into a grin, which soon develops into a laugh.  "I like it.  You have yourself a deal."

"Now, who's going with me?"
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1436 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sun 22 Mar 2020
at 21:05
  • msg #6

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans spoke up.  "The two of us, two techs, a Wookiee, all with Imperial IDs."  He turned to Kourene.

"You-Why should stay here.  Since we're not sure of the condition of his processors, we can't be sure they wouldn't fail at a critical point.  And while I'm all for anyone choosing to go out in a blaze of glory, if he fails while we're in there, the whole reason for the trip goes out the airlock.  If something fails while he's here, he can be shut down and kept safe until we get back."  While his initial pronouncement was efficiently pragmatic, there was the minutest hint of understanding, on an emotional level, as he gave his rationale for the choice.
Shard
player, 1482 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Thu 26 Mar 2020
at 15:05
  • msg #7

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard keeps quiet for the most part; then Rhijans speaks his mind regarding You-Why, and she breaks that silence.  "I concur.  You don't take a patient with you when going to rescue a doctor."  Oh, there's always the dramatic possibility of the doctor taking a mortal wound and somehow managing to treat the patient on the battlefield before expiring, but that's best left for the vids.

"Hopefully this'll go a little smoother than our trip to Alrirkr, Lund."  A sardonic smile accompanies that wish.  "But...you know."
Vekkis Lund
NPC, 16 posts
My other ship's a
star destroyer.
Thu 26 Mar 2020
at 21:48
  • msg #8

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Right.  Gambit needs some fixes before she can go anywhere." Lund states, "She just about made it here, and I'd hate for her to die half way to Anobis.  I'd say six hours' work, tops.  But that'd mean putting a lot of pressure on the team, so eight or nine is probably more reasonable."

"I have time to get the Gambit unloaded, then get cleaned up and grab something to eat.  After that I can plot a course to Anobis.  It also gives you time to collect whatever you need to take with you, feed the tooka, and get back here."

Nodding at Shard and Rhijans, Colonel Kourene agrees with their assessment of the risks inherent in taking You-Why on this mission.  "Imperials have their own droids, and none of them look or sound like You-Why.  He can wait here."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1440 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Fri 27 Mar 2020
at 06:48
  • msg #9

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The slightest hint of a smile flickered across Rhijans' face.  "Ironic, that, considering where we picked him up..." he commented drily.

"Okay, nine hours.  We need IDs, an officer's uniform, two tech uniforms, a stormtrooper uniform, whatever spike we're taking in with us, food would be advisable.  Sleep, if you need it...Lund's ship is going to be cozy with this many of us on board and depending on how well you sleep, might be tough to get rested while we're en route.  Anything else come to mind?"
The Force
GM, 1112 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 29 Mar 2020
at 21:19
  • msg #10

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Only a cover story, but that can wait until we're on our way." Lund suggests, "And the condition of the ship we'll take to Ord Mantell might play into that.  If it's in bad shape, that would give us a reason to land there.  If not... we'll need another story."

"Tools." interjects Karra Hedine, "I mean, if we're going to be techs we might as well look like we're there to work on something."

Kourene confirms the requirements for uniforms and IDs, and goes to check the how the arrangements are progressing...
Shard
player, 1483 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Mon 30 Mar 2020
at 14:40
  • msg #11

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard helplessly raises both hands.  "Don't look at me for more ideas - I think you've got it all covered.  I wear what people put me in, and do some of the talking." Her lips purse for an instant.  "Was thinking that we could have some kind of lock-box cargo that nobody could access, maybe use that in the story.  Problem would be if we bumped into someone with high enough rank to force the issue; showing them an empty box probably wouldn't help, and they probably wouldn't buy the 'it's invisible' story, either."

"Otherwise, I'm good moving on."

Juragga
player, 643 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Mon 30 Mar 2020
at 23:28
  • msg #12

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga, for his part, sat near the back, nursing a hangover...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1441 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 30 Mar 2020
at 23:38
  • msg #13

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Tell them it's a top secret delivery from our sector Moff.  They HAVE been working on shield technology and projection, after all.  And if they get pushy about it, use the ISB ID and tell them to mind their own department."

Rhijans shrugged minutely and added, "Unless they make it a confrontation in a quiet hall.  Then we just make them go away in the most expeditious manner available.  I mean, our secondary objective is to create disarray in their operations...a few missing officers should serve that end well."
The Force
GM, 1114 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 1 Apr 2020
at 22:13
  • msg #14

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Karra Hedine clears her throat, "I can come up with some technical specs that won't sound too bad if we need to answer questions, and I know where we can find a case that suits the specs.  Maybe even one with hazard markings to discourage inspections."

And then she stops, looking embarrassed, "If you don't mind my input.  I mean, you people have done this sort of thing before, right?"
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1443 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Wed 1 Apr 2020
at 22:22
  • msg #15

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans looked at Hedine for a moment.  "Infiltrating Imperial installations?  Yes, we've done that before.  A few times.  But input is always welcome, especially when it solves a problem before it becomes problematic."
He considered, briefly, explained that this wasn't even the first time they'd gone in to extract somebody...but he didn't feel like explaining their rescue of Kourene.
Shard
player, 1485 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sun 5 Apr 2020
at 10:51
  • msg #16

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Works for me," Shard mutters, rubbing her forehead.  "As long as I DO have a tech to whom I can refer for the complex explanations, I'm fine with that.  Otherwise, any cover story coming from me is going to be light on details and heavy on intimidation..."  She grimaces.  "And there's always the chance we'll bump into an Imperial officer of sufficient rank and ego to decide to press the issue, regardless."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1446 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sun 5 Apr 2020
at 17:10
  • msg #17

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans nodded.  "That's where the secondary ISB ID comes in.  That opens up some options for us...even if the other officer also turns out to be ISB."  The tone of his voice indicated he already had contingencies in mind...
The Force
GM, 1117 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 5 Apr 2020
at 18:44
  • msg #18

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Six and a half hours it takes.  Kourene assigns everybody capable of telling one end of a macrofuser from the other end of a hydrospanner to work on Bold Gambit, meaning the ship is flight ready somewhat earlier than planned.

The team, including Karra Hedine, are summoned to the hangar, where they witness their disguises being loaded, along with a large shielded crate prominently marked with radiation warnings.

Hedine nods towards the crate.  "That's ours... the reason we're going to Ord Mantell. or at least it's the cover story.  I thought we could claim that we're delivering a new prototype torpedo warhead.  Very unstable.  Needs an experienced tech team to install it."
Haarmon Dak
player, 851 posts
Are you talking to me?
Mon 6 Apr 2020
at 14:24
  • msg #19

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon came running, slightly out of breath. He'd been down in provisioning, picking up equipment, and then over to IT, grabbing the computer spike. He tried to find a few minutes to scour the local nets of any information they might find useful, but he didn't.

"Unstable sounds good," he said, just catching the tail end of the discussion, "Assuming we sell the con, it should be good for a little privacy anyway."
The Force
GM, 1118 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 12 Apr 2020
at 20:46
  • msg #20

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Bold Gambit exits the hangar and rises, swinging through a wide arc to avoid a gathering thunderstorm.  Rain pelts, briefly, against the cockpit canopy as the YT-1300 climbs, but stops as the ship moves above the cloud layer and into clear air.  The sky here is blue, but soon shifts to black.

Leaving the atmosphere, the ship accelerates.  Lund checks his nav data, and begins laying in a course for Anobis.

A short while later, Bold Gambit makes the jump to lightspeed, leaving Mothessh behind.

Vekkis Lund relaxes, but keeps an eye on the instrument panel as he sips at a mug of spice tea.

"Shouldn't take too long to get to Anobis.  So, apart from the fact that we're picking up a shuttle for the trip to Ord Mantell, and we're going in disguised as an Imperial tech team with some sort of prototype weaponry, is there anything else I should know about this?"

Hedine clears her throat.  "The crate... there's a real proton torpedo warhead in there, a MG7-A, and some mining charges."  She smiles, "And I've rigged a remote detonator for the torpedo."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1447 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 13 Apr 2020
at 05:05
  • msg #21

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans nodded at the question, and at Hedine's answer.  "Good information to have," he commented, before turning back to Lund.  "Nominally, the mission is to retrieve a tech that's been conscripted by the Empire.  Kind of a medical emergency mission...he should know how to correct the problem that's befallen the droid who's been working with us.  While we're in there, we also plan to install a computer spike in their system...the idea being to cause enough chaos to give us a chance to make an escape and for them to be stuck cleaning up for a while before they realize who's missing."

He shrugged, and added, "If it goes like most of our other forays into Imperial bases, they'll have several dead and missing personnel to sort through, as well, but the initial plan is to go in quiet and get out without creating too much fuss until after we're gone."
Shard
player, 1487 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Wed 15 Apr 2020
at 01:04
  • msg #22

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

All that sounds pretty good.  Shard sits quietly, listening to the others discuss possibilities regarding the technical aspects - ie, the explosives.  She doesn't like the sound of it - explosives are too undirected, too...random.  Too much collateral.  They're not her idea of a good thing, though the others have used them to great effect in the past.  And proton torpedo warheads?

Void.

"One thing,"
she muses aloud.  "I'm not up for 'suicide before capture'.  As long as we're alive, there's the chance of getting out, even if it takes years."  It has, in the past. "So...let's go with NOT having a last-stand full of despair that ends in a white flash."

Her eye catches Haaromn's.  "You okay for this, Haarmon?  As always, if the persuasion doesn't go according to plan, we're going to need you to step in and baffle them with Banthacrap."

He certainly has a real talent with the fast-talking.

Her eyes narrow slightly.  "And how are those exercises I gave you coming along?"
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1450 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Wed 15 Apr 2020
at 02:01
  • msg #23

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans gave a look in response to Shard's comment about possibly spending years to regain freedom that left little doubt of his distaste for that prospect.  "The plan has been and will always be getting out alive.But sometimes plans change...

Given their history, and the amount of Alliance activity in which they'd been a part, he had no doubt that, if they were captured, they would not have years of captivity...more likely, a few days of intense interrogation, followed by summary execution.  And he wasn't going to go out like that.  But he wasn't going to debate the issue at this point, either.  He'd worry about making the case in the event that capture became an imminent and unavoidable reality.
Vekkis Lund
NPC, 17 posts
My other ship's a
star destroyer.
Wed 15 Apr 2020
at 21:15
  • msg #24

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Lund nods.  "The Ord Mantell part of this sounds straightforward enough.  The explosives could probably be used as a diversion, if you really need it.  Extra options, just in case, are good."

"Main problem I can see might be Anobis.  Its a backwater agri and mining world, with its own private little civil war going on.  One faction supports the Alliance, while the other supports the Empire.  Big chunks of the terrain are booby trapped - hologram concealed pits with durasteel spikes, monofilament wire strung between trees, autoturrets, land mines, and worse."

"The Colonel gave me a set of coordinate to land at, where the shuttle is hidden, and the area should be safe - not claimed by either faction - but I wouldn't go wandering too far away from the landing site."
Juragga
player, 646 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Thu 16 Apr 2020
at 00:15
  • msg #25

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga seemed subdued, even pensive.  As the others talked plans, the only thing that perked his ears was the mention of a proton torpedo warhead and a glorious death in lieu of capture.

Of course, The Jedi didn't favor that.  And if it were anyone else, he might have argued, or been resentful.  Instead, he simply sighed and slumped his shoulders.  His thoughts were on his search for info on his enslaved family.

Instead, he let out a soft woof to Shard.

What do you need me to do?
Vekkis Lund
NPC, 18 posts
My other ship's a
star destroyer.
Sun 19 Apr 2020
at 19:26
  • msg #26

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"The area where we will land is lowland forest, with a large number of scattered farms.  The farmers are poor, but mostly support the Rebellion.  The miners in the uplands get rich selling ore and minerals to the Empire, so they lean towards the Impies." Lund explains.

"There's been a civil war going on since the rise of the Empire, but nobody wants to jump in and stop it.  Alliance is too busy, and the Empire doesn't care about a few deaths per year on an unimportant planet."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1452 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 20 Apr 2020
at 02:12
  • msg #27

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans shrugged.  "I'm all for us minding our own business while we're there.  We're racing a deadline on this and we don't know what it is, so side action has risks beyond just us."

He shrugged, and added dismissively, "Hopefully, the locals see it our way..."
Shard
player, 1489 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Tue 21 Apr 2020
at 15:58
  • msg #28

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Stepping aside, Shard moves to stand close to Juragga.  "I'm sorry, Juragga - I'm afraid we're going to need you to take on the same role you did before."  Slave-soldier, indentured muscle, second-class Imperial servant.  Disgust sickens her for a moment.

"This is why we're fighting them," she reminds herself out loud.  This and many other reasons.  She clutches Juragga's forearm...well, part of it in any case, there's no way her fingers come close to getting a grip on the huge muscle. "I'm sorry," she repeats.  "But we need you close, which means you've got to be in a disguise they expect to see."

As for the farmers?  The mission isn't everything to Shard; if she sees a bunch of innocents getting abused, it's going to be that cursed ice-planet all over again, because Shard can't walk past atrocities.
Haarmon Dak
player, 852 posts
Are you talking to me?
Wed 22 Apr 2020
at 14:09
  • msg #29

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon frowned. "Can't say I'm super excited about the whole Civil-War part. Dirt farmers aren't known for having the most robust computer systems. So I'll be little more than baggage and water-boy until we hit town."

He smirked at Rhijans' comment, "Yea, we always try to mind our own business. Trouble is, everywhere we go other people seem to want to mind it too."

He pointedly avoided Shard's question about exercises. Getting into Jedi Action Hero Star shape was hard.
Vekkis Lund
NPC, 19 posts
My other ship's a
star destroyer.
Wed 22 Apr 2020
at 20:25
  • msg #30

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Well, with any luck we won't even see any of the locals.  Forest with scattered farms means the shuttle could be half way between Nowhere and Nowhere Else, with plenty of cover.  Was maybe planning to get in, grab the shuttle, and get out before anybody notices."

Lund chuckles.  "I hope I didn't just jinx us."

"Hard to be certain until we get a real look at the terrain.  And I'm really hoping that wherever the shuttle is, there'll be enough room to drop the Gambit in beside it."
Haarmon Dak
player, 854 posts
Are you talking to me?
Wed 29 Apr 2020
at 15:24
  • msg #31

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon looked and Lund, "Yeah, no kidding. Never start a sentence 'with any luck.' Have you ever even seen a holovid? We might as well say things can't get any worse. Or say we're one day from retirement."
The Force
GM, 1122 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 29 Apr 2020
at 21:41
  • msg #32

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den


Lund looks around as an alarm chirps.  "We're coming up on Anobis."

Not long after, Bold Gambit drops out of hyperspace close to a world, and the nav-comp confirms that they are, in fact, at the right place...

Anobis is a grey-green sphere, dotted with smallish seas and large lakes that reflect the light of the reddish sun.

"We're in luck.  The landing site is on the night side just now, according to the data I'm seeing, so we should be able to get down there without being spotted.  Nothing much in orbit, as far as I can see, at least nothing that would give us trouble.  Just two moons."

Gambit moves in closer, adopting a long curved course that will sweep around the planet and terminate at the desired point on the dark side...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1456 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 30 Apr 2020
at 04:17
  • msg #33

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans sat, waiting for the ship to reach the surface.  He wasn't tense, he wasn't antsy, he wasn't slouching.  He was just...ready.  He found that mental and emotional state where he was willing to wait for events to happen for him to react to them...and maintained it.  If he had been a body of water, he would have been a pond, undisturbed by any but the minutest of ripples that were only noticeable if you were really searching to see them.

For the moment, at least, there was very little he could do.  So he would do nothing, until there was a time where he could do something.
Shard
player, 1492 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sun 3 May 2020
at 15:55
  • msg #34

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard paces.

Unlike Rhijans, she isn't placid; instead, she almost vibrates with nervous energy.  The older woman struggles to keep herself from making a snippy comment to Haarmon regarding his training, from snarking at Rhijans for his calm, from firing yet another question regarding ETA at Lund.  And worse, from quietly asking of Juragga if he happens to have a drink on him.

It's eating at her, now; the waiting, the preparation for having her team walk into danger, it's why she started drinking in the first place.  Well, that and the coming home without the team, or with it in tatters.  And now, away from the alcohol for quite some time, it's all she can think about to still the hitching in her breath, to lighten the load in her chest.

To keep her hands from seeking out the void-cursed murder-stick; cold comfort, that, but security of a vicious sort, to be sure.

Sadly, the one similarity with Rhijans' reaction is her knowledge that there's nothing to be done, not by her, not until they land.

And thus, Shard paces.
The Force
GM, 1123 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 3 May 2020
at 18:15
  • msg #35

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Bold Gambit drops into the atmosphere, amid the increasing whisper of air playing across the hull.  Flocks of colourful avians rise into the sky as the ship passes, decelerating, and Vekkis Lund studies the navigation display, currently showing a map of the terrain they are passing over.  Mostly it seems to consist of low, rolling forested hills, interspersed with marshland.

"There it is." Lund announces, and corrects the Gambit's course a little to port.

Flying over the destination reveals a small, forest covered island in the midst of a bog.

The YT-1300 lands, settling slightly into the soft ground.  A short distance away, a Lambda class shuttle can just be seen, parked among the trees, and shrouded with camouflage netting.
Haarmon Dak
player, 855 posts
Are you talking to me?
Thu 7 May 2020
at 12:12
  • msg #36

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Having grown up in a domestic environment steeped in authoritarian disapproval, Haarmon was on tenterhooks during the whole approach. He knew, logically, that Shard's whole deal had little to nothing to do with him. But the crackling energy she gave off just made him feel like he'd missed curfew. Or messed up at school. Or talked back to the babysitter or something.

So he stewed in silence, stopping only to talk to Rags a little to calm his nerves.

He thought he'd feel better once the ship landed and they could go outside again. But he was wrong.

He stepped one foot on the swampy humid forest floor and scowled. "This sucks."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1458 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 7 May 2020
at 16:44
  • msg #37

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans was, as always, pragmatic.  "Keep your eyes and ears open.  Let's not get any surprises out here...by either side."  The fact that they were grabbing an Imperial shuttle out here could be misconstrued by their own people...especially if they were searched and ISB IDs were found.

"Let's get this thing ready to fly and get out of here.  I'm sure someone watched us come down.  If it's a slow night, either side...or both...could send someone out to see where we landed and who we are.  Let's not be here when they arrive."
Shard
player, 1494 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sat 9 May 2020
at 01:34
  • msg #38

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Slipping up beside Haarmon, Shard grins.  "Yeah.  It does.  Makes walking hard."  Giving him a pat on the shoulder, she squelches through the mucky ground on her way to the ship, tension still rippling through her body.  But when Rhijans speaks, her shoulders slump, relaxing.

They're in the middle of it now; too late for tension.

"Keep your eyes peeled," she murmurs.  "And Haarmon?  Do more than that, if you get my drift."  The young man is a natural; no Child, but still showed more promise than she ever did at his age.  That thought puts a sourness into her expression for a moment.

He's lucky; has nobody to teach him to be a ice-hearted murderer.

Well, not with the Force, in any case.

Continuing on her way, she allows her mind to slip into that curious, controlled delirium between heat and cold, dark and light, fear and calm.  The Axel, as Shard thinks of it, around which all of her emotions turn.  Or perhaps just a balance point, but she dislikes considering the complexity of the universe as binary.

And she lets her senses reach out.
The Force
GM, 1124 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 10 May 2020
at 16:25
  • msg #39

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Apart from the sucking squelchiness of the ground beneath their feet, and the gentle rustling of the long tape-like leaves of the trees, the area seems quiet.  Which makes it easier to hear the almost continuous faint rumbling sound far off to the east, where the sky is lit with an equally continuous flickering red light.

Veckis Lund steps off the ramp, and curses under his breath as his feet sink into the ground.  Then he reminds everybody, again, about the locals' penchant for booby traps, as he seals the Gambit...

The distance to the shuttle isn't that great, but the going is hard, with the rebels occasionally ploughing through spots where the muck is almost knee deep.

The shuttle, luckily, sits on one of the more solid places, and looks to have been there fore some time - the netting is partly overgrown with vines...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1460 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sun 10 May 2020
at 19:09
  • msg #40

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

It was a measure of how obnoxious the swampy surface was that, by the time they reached the concealed shuttle, even Rhijans was showing visible signs of distaste and impatience.  "Let's hope we can find your ship again when we get back," he muttered as they finally found themselves on more solid ground.  He took a moment or two to scrape what muck he could from his pants and boots with a hand, just to be rid of the excess weight of it.  "This stuff is like the waste from an incontinent bantha..."

Cleaned off as best he could in a few moments with only his hands for tools, he started looking around at the netting.  "Hard to guess how long this has been here...every kind of vine I've ever seen grows fast, and in this environment, I'd guess faster than most.  But it's been a while..."

He looked at Lund.  "What do you think?  Cut or pull one side clear and toss it back over the ship?  Or are we clearing it all to put over the Gambit?"

And in the course of the question, he had slipped back into the cold professional again, aside from a slight look of distaste at the prospect of having to hike back to the Gambit to spread the netting over it, and then come back.  Not a pleasant prospect...but it was the smart move.
Shard
player, 1496 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Wed 13 May 2020
at 12:32
  • msg #41

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Well, that's a happy thought," Shard sourly muses.  "Here I was just thinking it was muck."  But then again, so is waste from an incontinent Bantha; after time in the mines, Shard is somewhat inured to disgust at such things.

It all comes off in the shower, either way.

It's interesting to see Rhijans upset, though, and more importantly showing the signs.  Fastidious; not a word Shard would have considered before, but in some ways it makes a certain amount of sense.  She can't help but smile.  The smile dies as Rhijans muses on the growth speed of the vines, a memory of a green hell bubbling up to put caution in her heart.  "I'm not feeling anything out there," said with a wave toward the verdure. "Nothing other than animals.  But animals -- and plants -- can kill."  Silverslith.  Acadi.  The void-cursed furcots. "So we should be careful with the vines, whichever way we go.  And that's on top of the booby traps Vekkis is going on about."

Stepping back, she studies the shuttle.  "How long has it been here?  Seems to be a weird place to put a cache."  Warily, the older woman moves around the shuttle, hunting for signs of danger.  "If the locals wanted to put a trap somewhere, I imagine 'On the Alien Stuff' is a number one place."
The Force
GM, 1125 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Thu 14 May 2020
at 21:37
  • msg #42

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Lund shakes his head, "The Colonel didn't say anything about that.  It's an Imperial design though, so it can't have been here more than twenty years or so."  The pilot grins.  "Probably a bit less."

"I'd say get it free, then use it to cover the Gambit."  He reaches out and grabs the net.  "It's damp though, so it's probably a bit heavy to drag about, especially across this muck."

There is a brighter white flash to the east, which causes the pilot to look in that direction.  "I wonder if there's a battle going on over there?  It doesn't really look like lightning."

A few seconds later a dull thump rolls across the area...
Haarmon Dak
player, 856 posts
Are you talking to me?
Mon 18 May 2020
at 02:17
  • msg #43

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon wasn't super excited about much of anything going on here. Not the muck. Not the vines. Even watching Shard and Rhijans play Space Forensics couldn't put a smile on his face.

"If I got inside, I could scan the logs and find out how long it's been here," he said quietly, and then winced at the dull thud, "But maybe we should go find out what's exploding?"

He didn't sound happy about either option.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1462 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 18 May 2020
at 03:34
  • msg #44

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans  shook his head.  "Whatever it was is about five kilometers off."  He looked up into the distance, toward the flash and boom, scanning the terrain in between. "Through this muck, that would be a couple of hours, each way, unless we called more attention to ourselves by flying there.  That's not our mission..."  He continued following the edge of the net, slicing vines to free the camouflage from the undergrowth, trying to stick to the more solid clumps of ground where he could.
Shard
player, 1498 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Mon 18 May 2020
at 14:25
  • msg #45

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard nods her head with Rhijans' assessment; she'd calcced it roughly the same.  "I will say, doesn't sound a lot like thunder," she muses.  "Some kind of local atmospheric anomaly?  Geo-instability?  Or...artillery?" The older woman shrugs. "Normally, I'd be haring off to see and assist, but Rhijans has the right of it; it's just too far.  We'd need to fly, and for that we need this shuttle."

"So first things first." Still keeping an eye out for any possible booby-traps - the locals would find a grounded shuttle to be a prime place to set those us - she begins to assist with stripping the camouflage from their ride.  "But I like the idea of figuring out how long this thing has been sitting here."
The Force
GM, 1126 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Thu 21 May 2020
at 18:09
  • msg #46

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Rhijans stops in his work, peering at the lower edge of the net.  A loop of thin black filament runs from the ground, over the bottom strand of the net, and back into the ground.  Had anybody simply pulled at the net, they would have yanked on the loop...

A moment later, Juragga hoots that he has found a similar filament a little further along the net.

Vekkis Lund peers at the loop.  "It could be to secure the net in place, I suppose, but given the situation here, I wouldn't want to risk it."
Juragga
player, 649 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Fri 22 May 2020
at 00:24
  • msg #47

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga slogged ahead, keeping his head down. He was playing his role. He was a slave.  He nugged ahead, seemingly defeated.

Inwardly, he was coiled.  Ready to spring.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1464 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Fri 22 May 2020
at 06:41
  • msg #48

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

To make sure no one else accidentally stumbled onto one, Rhijans called everyone's attention to the filament, gesturing for them to hold up any efforts to clear the netting.  Without pulling at the filament, Rhijans followed it as best he could, to see where it ended up...whether it was just a securing tether, or if it was a tripwire of some kind...
The Force
GM, 1128 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 24 May 2020
at 21:11
  • msg #49

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans carefully parts the undergrowth and carefully scrapes away a small area of topsoil.  Beneath the moist dirt he finds corroded metal - a disc some 5cm wide an 1cm thick.  The wire loop enters two small holes on the upper surface, and between the holes a red telltale flickers faintly and inconstantly.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1465 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 25 May 2020
at 07:56
  • msg #50

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans nodded grimly, then gestured to the device he'd located.  "I don't recognize the design...but there's a good bet that it's not intended as a friendly gesture.  Could be some kind of alarm, could be an explosive.  I'm inclined to think the latter...an alert beacon could be triggered by an animal stumbling into the net,  leading to a lot of false alarms.  A mine could just as easily be triggered... but they wouldn't feel the need to investigate every time a mine goes off."  There was no condemnation in the analysis...just a statement of why he would consider one implement superior to the other.

"Everyone step back a moment.  Let me check a little closer..."  Moving with deliberate care, he did what he could to assess whether the devices would be triggered by a release of tension, of it it was a pulling of the tripwire that would trigger them.  If the mines(?) were triggered by a pull, then they should be able to cut the tripwires as they found them,  still allowing the netting to be removed and spread over Lund's ship.
Haarmon Dak
player, 858 posts
Are you talking to me?
Sun 31 May 2020
at 15:07
  • msg #51

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon stopped dead in his tracks when Rhijans alerted them to the possible (probable) explosive booby trap. Sweet void, that thought hadn't even crossed his mind. He was once again struck by how out of his depth he was. Even with all this Jedi stuff going on, that just made him a Jedi out of his depth.

He froze. Afraid to take even a single step, imagining bombs and mines and linked planetary networks of insidious traps.

"Rhijans," he said, with a tense laugh, "I don't think we tell you how much we appreciate you often enough."
The Force
GM, 1129 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 31 May 2020
at 20:15
  • msg #52

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans carefully examines the device, tuning out the distant sounds and the flickering lights, an even ignoring the nearby forest sounds...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1466 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Tue 2 Jun 2020
at 07:34
  • msg #53

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans' gaze flickered up briefly to Haarmon.  "Well, if this works, you can tell me a bit more about it in a moment."  His voice was the dry, measured tone that could be recognized, after so much time together, as his 'working voice'.  The tension it was hiding was betrayed only by his additional comment...

"If it doesn't work, then the words won't be of much use..."  He carefully gripped the tripwire, avoiding any sort of sudden tug on it, and folded it into an open loop, into which he inserted a vibroblade...and cut the wire...
Shard
player, 1500 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Wed 3 Jun 2020
at 12:49
  • msg #54

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Void.  Hot void.  Shard stands as still as a statue, waiting for Rhijans to make his move.  Sweat slicks her forehead, while her mouth is drier than her worst hangover.  Desperately she tries to think of something she might do.

Don't be an idiot.  Fumbling around with the Force is far more likely to cause disaster.  Leave it in the hands of skill.

Or skilled hands, as the case may be.
The Force
GM, 1131 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 3 Jun 2020
at 19:05
  • msg #55

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans cuts the wire.

There is a brief moment of perfect stillness and quiet.

And then...

Another one.  And another.  Followed by more nothing happening...  The telltale doesn't even wink out.  No boom.

No boom today.  Boom tomorrow.  There's always a boom tomorrow.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1468 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 4 Jun 2020
at 04:00
  • msg #56

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans slowly let out the breath that he'd been holding, then looked around.  "Okay.  Now you can express appreciation."  The delivery was so dry and deadpan that it was impossible to tell if he was making a joke.

"Everyone make your way around the perimeter of the net...look closely for these.  DO NOT pull on them.  Shard, your lightsaber might be a safer way to cut the tripwires...virtually no chance of accidentally pulling a wire while cutting it.  But we need to get rid of these before we move the net, and we need to move the net before we get in the shuttle, unless we want to try sneaking under the net and boarding the shuttle and detonating them all at lift-off.  Since we don't know how heavy the charge is on each one, I don't recommend that."  It was the typical cold, professional assessment he typically offered, without any obvious humor or concern beyond what was readily apparent in the words.
Shard
player, 1501 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Wed 10 Jun 2020
at 15:56
  • msg #57

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Appreciation permission granted, Shard stumbles over to where Rhijans stands, facing the ship.  Carefully she puts a single arm over his shoulder from behind and squeezes.  Once.  As hugs go, it's incredibly awkward and tentative -- and slow, to ensure no uncomfortable reactions occur -- and she releases him immediately, sweat clearly standing on her brow.

"Thank you.  And thank you for living through it."

Moving back, she listens to his further instructions in silence, her breathing slowly relaxing.  Eyebrows twitch momentarily at the mention of the murderstick, and Shard's fingers fumble in her cloak. "Right." She grimaces once again as they return, small steel cylinder in their grip.  "If anyone sees another one of these -- marketplace, bodyguard, Nimadda's stiffening corpse -- we could use a second."  This said with a pointed glance toward Haarmon, and a cough to catch his attention.

For a long moment, she studies the tool in her hand: cold, impersonal, nicked and scarred by years of use.  Then with a sigh, Shard snaps the blade into life.  It doesn't change the weight one whit.

It should.

After that, it's a matter of slowly pacing around the perimeter of the ship, wiping the air with the humming blue fire, pointedly making sure to reach partly under the ship as well.  Without hitting any landing gear, of course.
The Force
GM, 1132 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 10 Jun 2020
at 20:31
  • msg #58

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

It takes less than a half hour to carefully survey the perimeter of the net and detach all of the devices.  Hopefully all...

And, as it turns out. it was all.  The net is no longer rigged to... do whatever it is the devices were designed for.

Vekkis Lund eyes the tall fins on the shuttle.  "We need a way to get the net off without it snagging up there."

Further inspection, and, "From here the shuttle looks to be in good shape,  I'd say it probably hasn't been here too long."

In the distance the sounds of battle continue...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1470 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 11 Jun 2020
at 06:08
  • msg #59

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans shrugged.  "Suppose this stuff is durable enough to climb?" he asked.  It was, of course, intended for camoflage...just it could also bear some additional weight, or it would be useless in any kind of extreme weather conditions.

"It wouldn't be fast, but I could climb up there and pull it up and over the top.  Getting down could be interesting...but if nobody's got any better ideas..."  He shrugged, then added, "We could always pull what we can loose, and whatever snags, we just cut off and then burn it off with atmospheric friction...wouldn't be as effective for covering your ship, but it would be a lot faster and safer."

Whoever had left the shuttle here had obviously had some kind of technique for getting the netting up and over the shuttle, but they hadn't left those tools behind.  His lips pursed again, as another thought hit his mind.  "Or we could use your ship...tie one side of the net to the landing struts, lift it up and over and then bring it down to untie it.  It's the most likely to get us seen, but the least likely to get any of us directly hurt.  And it would be the fastest."  He looked up in the direction of the ongoing battle, trying to gauge whether it was moving, and if so, in which direction...
Vekkis Lund
NPC, 20 posts
My other ship's a
star destroyer.
Sun 14 Jun 2020
at 19:21
  • msg #60

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Fast is good, I think." Lund agrees.  "And we can use the shuttle to haul the net over the Gambit, then move the Gambit into the place where the shuttle stands now.  It'll be a tight fit, but it should be doable."

"Then we leave, just as fast as we can."

He considers for a moment, then, "Shouldn't take too long from here to Ord Mantell, even in this Imperial tub."

And that brings a smile to Karra Hedine's face...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1471 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 15 Jun 2020
at 00:09
  • msg #61

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans nodded.  "I think I can help speed things up, if you trust me at the controls...that way you're not having to run back and forth between both craft."  It had been a while since he'd been the one in charge of the controls...but he did know a few things about flying, and while he wasn't ready to jump into a dogfight with a TIE fighter anytime soon, the stuff involved in shuffling the two ships' positions was pretty basic, routine maneuvering.
Haarmon Dak
player, 860 posts
Are you talking to me?
Mon 15 Jun 2020
at 15:00
  • msg #62

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon didn't have any bright ideas. You can't Slice in a swamp, after all. He did his due diligence in searching the perimeter of the shuttle, but he probably went slower (way slower) than anyone. He didn't really trust himself to find the damn things and he didn't want to be the guy setting one off.

As they discussed the netting, he went up the access hatch. He wanted to see if he could get in. Or if the whole thing would blow up if he tried.
Shard
player, 1503 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Wed 17 Jun 2020
at 14:26
  • msg #63

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

When finished, Shard takes some time to relax.  It's stressful business; there's always the chance she'll miss something, and that something will pop up in her face before exploding.  She's seen it before, and it wasn't pretty at the time.

Or after.

When the stress-relief is finished, the older woman marches to where Rhijans and Lund discuss take-off.  From the corner of her eye, she notes Haarmon heading for the hatch...and dismisses concerns.  She trusts he knows his business, and he's not a child; apprentice or not, best she stops treating the young man as such. "I'm no good for flying things," she admits.  "At best, I'm an inspired passenger.  So I'll leave moving the ships to the two of you."
Vekkis Lund
NPC, 21 posts
My other ship's a
star destroyer.
Wed 17 Jun 2020
at 21:01
  • msg #64

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Lund smiles, "Sounds like a good idea.  Just don't scratch her."

Haarmon, perhaps surprisingly, finds that the shuttle's hatch, while closed, is not locked.  The ramp drops and the inner hatch slides open smoothly, as interior lighting flickers to life.

A lone figure appears at the top of the ramp, a Human male, bearded and immaculately dressed in some sort of dark grey uniform.  He bows.  "Welcome aboard Captain Ansart.  I trust you will find this vessel to your satisfaction.  Oomba is, of course, awaiting his... finder's fee.  Failure to pay the agreed sum will, naturally, result in a contract being drawn up with a bounty hunter to terminate your existence."
Juragga
player, 651 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Thu 18 Jun 2020
at 17:07
  • msg #65

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga rumbled an offer to help.  He wasn't an ace pilot, but a skilled astrogator and gunner.  And he could certainly pilot a ship on basic manuevers.
Haarmon Dak
player, 861 posts
Are you talking to me?
Sun 21 Jun 2020
at 14:59
  • msg #66

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Well, that stopped Haarmon dead in his tracks. Apparently this was all for someone else. Some dude named Ansart. The only question now was, how far into this did he want to stick his foot?

"How long have you been waiting here?" he asked. That was pretty safe.
The Force
GM, 1134 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 21 Jun 2020
at 21:31
  • msg #67

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The lights flicker momentarily, and the stranger replies to Haarmon's question, though his answer seems somewhat nonsensical... "Welcome aboard Captain Ansart.  I trust you will find this vessel to your satisfaction.  Oomba is, of course, awaiting his... finder's fee.  Failure to pay the agreed sum will, naturally, result in a contract being drawn up with a bounty hunter to terminate your existence."

The lights dim again.

"Welcome aboard Captain Ansart.  I trust you will find this vessel to your satisfaction.  Oomba is, of course, awaiting his... finder's fee.  Failure to pay the agreed sum will, naturally, result in a contract being drawn up with a bounty hunter to terminate your existence."
Shard
player, 1504 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Wed 24 Jun 2020
at 13:58
  • msg #68

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Oh, void.

"Oomba."  Shard heaves a heavier sigh than normal, which takes some doing.  "Just fantastic.  Everywhere we go, we're either tripping over him, or Nimadda."  It could be, she supposes, far worse; it might be both.

Slowly walking to where Haarmon regards the holomessage, she studies it with fatalistic curiosity.  "Anyone know an Ansart?" she inquires, but her eyes flick toward Rhijans.  He's a bounty hunter; if this is old, perhaps he has heard of a contract put on Ansart's head.

"Finder's fee," she muses.  "For what?  Cargo from this world?  Something Ansart was supposed to pick up?  Who's betting we find something worrisome in the hold of this ship?"
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1472 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Wed 24 Jun 2020
at 15:44
  • msg #69

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans shrugged.  "It's a stolen Imperial shuttle...that's enough to warrant a founder's fee, all on its own," he answered, as he turned to see what had elicited the question (he had, after all, been well outside the shuttle discussing flight options with Lund).

"Leaves me wondering just how Kourene got word that this shuttle was here, though...at a guess, they captured Ansart, or he's some kind of Alliance asset.  Any other option would only mean that they knew a shuttle had been left here...they wouldn't have known that the guy who arranged for it hadn't taken it already."

He glanced at the netting that had been cut loose, and gave another shrug.  "My guess?  Ansart is, or was, an Alliance asset, this was arranged for something he was going to do, and he never made it here.  Jungles grow fast, if this had been here very long, the netting would have a lot more stuff growing through it...but it wasn't brought here for us, been sitting too long for that."

He turned back, giving Lund a wave to indicate he'd take care of the shuttle, letting Lund take care of his own ship, and turned starting up the ramp.

"Whoever he may be, Ansart isn't here now.  If he's dead, Oomba can send out all the bounty hunters he wants, he's not getting anything for his efforts.  And if he's Alliance, they'll find a way to pay Oomba's fee...they can't afford to compromise an agent with those kinds of connections."
Vekkis Lund
NPC, 22 posts
My other ship's a
star destroyer.
Wed 24 Jun 2020
at 18:54
  • msg #70

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Smuggler!" Lund says, snapping his fingers, "Ansart was a smuggler, came to see Oomba... maybe five or six years ago.  Wanted something and made a deal with the Hutt.  For two or three months Oomba had people coming to see him about that something, helping him to find it.  Finally one of them reported success.  But I don't think Ansart ever came back to see if Oomba had gotten hold of it."

"Nobody ever mentioned the topic again, not in front of Oomba or anybody who was likely to run to him."

He smiles thoughtfully, "My guess would be that this is the something, and Ansart probably died before he could get to it."
Shard
player, 1505 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sun 28 Jun 2020
at 14:33
  • msg #71

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard listens, considers, and listens some more.  "All that makes sense to me.  I'm going to suggest we search the inside of the shuttle with the same kind of pickiness we did the outside," she finally decides.  "If this thing was important, it's pretty likely its new 'owner' left behind some more toys to keep others away." 

Happy thoughts.

After a flicker of uncertainty, her visage firms up.  "So...right."  With that, Shard edges past the holo and starts a slow, careful entry of the ship, searching the area for suspicious threads, wires, or even lights.  Then she pauses.  "Probably better ways of doing this," the woman mutters.

Find the pulse.

Slipping deep within, she hunts for the balance point between her fear and her calm, searching for a stable place to stand within her own spirit.
The Force
GM, 1135 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 28 Jun 2020
at 21:02
  • msg #72

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Karra Hedine frowns.  "Ansart never came back?  This Oomba is a Hutt, right?  Why would a Hutt leave a valuable shuttle sitting all the way out here if his customer never came back to pay him for it?  That doesn't sound like the way a Hutt would run his business."

"I have a bad feeling about this."


Vekkis Lund grunts noncommitally.  "If Ansart found the ship, I would guess the first thing he would do would be to switch off that annoying message.  Speaking of which... " he disappears into the interior of the shuttle.
Juragga
player, 652 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Mon 29 Jun 2020
at 04:27
  • msg #73

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga scratched his shaggy head, trying to follow the sudden turn of events.

"Waaaarrrrrgh," he rumbled.  I can search the shuttle top to bottom.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1473 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 29 Jun 2020
at 06:25
  • msg #74

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans shrugged noncommitally.  "I'm guessing Oomba was hedging his bets.  There wasn't a whole lotta uproar at Oomba's after those Imperial ships came in-system and ended up hunting for us for a while.  Tells me Oomba's got some kind of deal with the Empire.  Wouldn't surprise me if he sold out Ansart.  Message was left here in case Ansart eluded the Empire, that way Oomba would still get payment.  Probably got the shuttle in exchange for a promise to sell out the guy looking for it."

He continued as he moved into the shuttle.  "There could be some kind of tracker on it...that would allow Oomba to turn over anyone else that took it...might even also be an Imperial tracker because they didn't trust Oomba's offer to turn Ansart over.  Or it could just have been left here...if Oomba got it as part of a deal, it didn't really cost him anything, and having an Imperial shuttle around would raise questions among a lot of the people Oomba deals with, so there wasn't much incentive to retrieve it.  And if it was part of a sell-out deal, and any of Ansart's crew got away, there's actually a vested interest in letting it disappear...the shuttle is evidence that connects Oomba and Ansart, and while the Empire might not be fused about the connection, there are smugglers and other crime organizations that might stop dealing with him completely over something like that."

He stopped, and turned to face Hedine.  "I'm not saying we shouldn't search...very thoroughly...but there's plenty of good reasons for Oomba to have lect this sitting out here for an extended period."

He gave another shrug, and added, "It's equally likely that he had nothing to do with Ansart's disappearance...in which case I'd almost guarantee some kind of tracker is on board, so he could tell when Ansart found it and started using it, and could begin arrangements if Ansart never paid up."
Haarmon Dak
player, 862 posts
Are you talking to me?
Mon 29 Jun 2020
at 13:44
  • msg #75

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon stood at the doorway, staring into the shadowy interior. "Well," he said, "If someone wants to tell me with some certainty that taking ten steps ain't gonna turn me into Bantha-burger, I can get to that terminal over there and see what I can see."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1474 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 29 Jun 2020
at 15:20
  • msg #76

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

A vague hint of a smile played across Rhijans' face.  "Well, it's no more likely to prove fatal than anything else we've done in the last couple of months."  He didn't watch to see if Haarmon moved into the ship or not, just continued inward, heading toward the cockpit.
Shard
player, 1506 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Mon 29 Jun 2020
at 15:30
  • msg #77

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard winces, rubbing her forehead.  She forgot how painfully...sharp...the sensations can be, and this came as a bitter reminder.  The voices of her companions rolls over the older woman like thunder; with some effort, she filters them away, listening instead to the dripping of water, the drone of insects...  Squinting slightly, she nods before stepping forward to deftly snag a small holoprojector from beneath a passenger seat...but not before checking over for wires and other surprises.

"Found our message.  Maybe there's something more in this, Haarmon.  Why not have a look?"  With that, the older woman proffers the device to their resident tech wizard.  "I'm going to join Juragga and have a look around for cargo...and smuggler's compartments."

Rhijans, after all, has the cockpit well in-hand.  With a wave to the Wookie, Shard indicates he should lead on.  "Let's figure out what the big deal was about this thing, hm?"
Juragga
player, 653 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Mon 29 Jun 2020
at 17:16
  • msg #78

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga nodded, shuffling forward on shaggy feet to take the lead.  He spared a concerned glance at Haarmon as he did so, hoping the kid would be okay and nobody had wired the terminal in some nefarious manner.
The Force
GM, 1136 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 1 Jul 2020
at 21:18
  • msg #79

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

In the cockpit, Lund is running diagnostics on the computer, and watching for anything that looks unusual.  As Rhijan's enters, he looks around and says, "I'm not seeing anything unusual".  In one hand he holds an access panel with the words, "Careful - Not finished checking yet" scrawled on it.

Shard and Juragga carefully search the interior of the ship.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, they find no smuggling compartments on the Imperial vessel, and no cargo.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1475 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Wed 1 Jul 2020
at 23:40
  • msg #80

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans nodded at Lund's report, leaving the pilot plenty of room to work.  Rhijans could fly these things...but he knew precious little about fixing them, and a half-competent tech would likely be able to splice a tracking device in line in such a way that Rhijans wouldn't notice that it didn't belong there.

"Any rumors about why Ansart wanted an Imperial shuttle?" he asked.  While it was military-grade equipment, a shuttle wasn't exactly the optimal vessel for smuggling...no significant cargo space, and it wouldn't be likely to outrun any fighter craft...  They, themselves, needed it for infiltration, which was it's best illicit function...
Juragga
player, 654 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Fri 3 Jul 2020
at 17:36
  • msg #81

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"GuhhhrRRAAAAAWWWwwwwrrruhhhn," Juragga commented.

I don't think Ansalt was ever here.  This tub was still waiting for him.
Vekkis Lund
NPC, 23 posts
My other ship's a
star destroyer.
Sun 5 Jul 2020
at 19:04
  • msg #82

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Not that I ever heard." Lund replies.  "I just heard that he wanted something from Oomba.  Then he never came back to see if Oomba had found it for him."

Lund replaces the cover on the control panel, and thumbs a stud.  Nothing happens.  "That's good.  No alarms.  No unexpected power usage, no signal attenuation or delay, nothing to indicate a tracker."

"Wait a minute!  Something I just remembered... Oomba called in a bounty hunter about a year after Ansart came to see him, then disappeared.  Might be connected.  Hunter's name was... let's see... ah... right!  Boba Fett!"
Juragga
player, 655 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Mon 6 Jul 2020
at 17:40
  • msg #83

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"mmmrrrrmmmmmmffff," Juragga muttered.

I have a bad feeling about this...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1476 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 6 Jul 2020
at 19:25
  • msg #84

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The expression on Rhijans' face hardened.  "If Fett went after him, Ansart's dead.  Not many get away from him the first time around...those that do, he makes it a personal matter to make sure they don't do it a second time."

He glanced over the controls, recognizing most of them...cockpit layouts tended to be fairly consistent, as far as primary flight controls, and the ones he didn't recognize, he was pretty sure he wouldn't need for the bit of ship shuffling they were about to try.  "Good news is, he's expensive, even for a Hutt, so it's not likely Oomba's kept him on retainer.  And if he's not being paid for it, and no one's made it personal, he'll stay out of it.  Oomba may have sent him after Ansart...for that matter, it's likely that he did, since the message said that he would if Ansart didn't pay up...but I doubt Oomba's feeling so expansive that he'd pay someone at Fett's level to babysit an Imperial shuttle on some backwater world in a nowhere-corner of the galaxy...especially when you factor in the extra that Fett would charge to offset having to give up business to sit around here."  He slid into one of the flight-control seats.

"We should be safe enough, in that regard.  Worst that could happen is that Oomba finds out the shuttle was still here and sends Fett to find out who took it.  And that's just way too much trouble for a relatively minor asset.  If Oomba prized this shuttle that much, he wouldn't have left it sitting out here.  I'm guessing Ansart got it through Oomba, based on the holomessage.  He did whatever he was going to do and then ditched the shuttle, thinking Oomba would write him off as lost...Oomba hires Fett to find out what happened to Ansart...either confirm he died, or get rid of him for failure to pay up.  Fett finds Ansart, does his thing, reports back to Oomba...and the rest of it is forgotten.  For now."

His eyes glittered as what could almost be considered a malicious smirk crossed his features.  "But if Oomba got the shuttle through Imperial contacts, and it shows up out of the blue at the site of some kind of serious incident, that means Oomba's gonna have to answer some very tough questions.  I know the Hutt Syndicate is powerful...but even they think twice about crossing the Empire..."
Haarmon Dak
player, 863 posts
Are you talking to me?
Tue 7 Jul 2020
at 12:42
  • msg #85

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon let out a low whistle. "Boba Fett! Even I heard of him and I lived a pretty sheltered life till I ran into you people. Doesn't sound like a dude I particularly want on my side."

After checking that the holo-projector was just standard stuff, he flicked on the nearest terminal and went to work. "Okay, little sparky, let;s see what you been up to."

Nothing too fancy just yet. Just flight logs. Registration. Where did it come from, where was it headed, that kind of thing.

OOC: Rolled a 24 for Computer Security (yay!) and 11 for Computer Investigation (Boo!)
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1477 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Tue 7 Jul 2020
at 16:55
  • msg #86

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans snorted softly.  "Better on your side than on your tail...but, no...not the kind of guy you want on your side, either.  Loyal to the credits, not the cause, and ready to sacrifice friend or foe to get the job done."  It was, quite likely, not as bad as that...reputations had a way of getting exaggerated...but he wasn't interested in finding out how much of that reputation was reality.
Shard
player, 1507 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Fri 10 Jul 2020
at 15:40
  • msg #87

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"I'd agree with Juragga - nobody ever found this thing," Shard muses before listening to the others.  She grins at Haarmon's words.  "Well, good news is we have our own deadly bounty hunter, and this one is a little more principled than this Fett character." The name isn't particularly familiar to her, but she'll take Haarmon and Rhijan's word about him.

"And more good news," she continues, moving back to where Haarmon begins work on the computer.  "If Oomba set up this situation to allow someone to get through Imperial Defenses...to sneak through Imperial Defenses...maybe it's still decent.  Hutts don't want to honk off the Empire; if they're doing something sneaky, they're going to make sure it's hard to spot."

"I'll start cleaning up," she volunteers, not having any other skills. "And if I find some smuggler's compartments, all the better."
The Force
GM, 1137 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Fri 10 Jul 2020
at 21:04
  • msg #88

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Lund nods, "I've never run into Boba Fett, but I've heard that he's not somebody I'd want to meet anyway."

"As far as I can tell, nothing has been tampered with.  It should be good to go."  The pilot stands and heads for the exit.

"I'll go and move the Gambit."

While Shard goes to look around the shuttle, and Rhijans gets ready to move it, Haarmon goes through the nav records...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1478 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Tue 14 Jul 2020
at 04:39
  • msg #89

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans took a moment, looking over the controls, running through the start-up sequence in his head before he started flipping switches and pushing buttons, bringing the engines to a 'ready' state but not adding any throttle to them.  Lund's job of getting the netting clear would not be any easier if the shuttle was rising together with the net, after all.

"Juragga," he called out, seeing as Haarmon and Shard were both occupied, "Can you and Hedine get the net tied onto the Gambit's landing struts, so Lund can lift it off of us?"  Without anyone to help from the ground, it would require Lund to snag the net with his landing gear...without bumping the shuttle.  Do-able, of course...but a less-than-optimal approach.
The Force
GM, 1138 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 15 Jul 2020
at 19:22
  • msg #90

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga's skill at climbing proves quite useful, as he manages to get into a position where he can easily hitch the net onto the Gambit's landing gear, before clambering back down to the ground.  Once there, he and Kara Hedine make sure the net doesn't snag as is lifted clear of the shuttle.

The tricky part of the operation comes after the two ships have traded places, and it requires every available pair of hands to drag the net over the mass of protrusions and irregularities that is the hull of a YT-1300.

In the end, it isn't perfect, but it would require somebody to get fairly close to spot Bold Gambit where it sits among the trees.  Probably...

Lund runs some quick checks on the controls, explaining to Rhijans, "No offence, but I always prefer to check things over myself.  It'll just take a few minutes, then we can be on our way."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1479 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 16 Jul 2020
at 05:26
  • msg #91

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

If Rhijans was at all slighted, it didn't show.  "I only said I knew how to fly.  I never claimed it as a specialty.  I'm not gonna nitpick a pro."  He remained in the co-pilot's seat, though...there was no reason to hurry to relocate to the passenger area.

At their next stop, he would need to be back in stormtrooper armor...and while he was fine with that, and even vaguely comfortable in it, that didn't mean he was in any hurry to put it on.
Haarmon Dak
player, 864 posts
Are you talking to me?
Fri 17 Jul 2020
at 14:55
  • msg #92

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon finishes up on the console and starts looking around to see if there's anything else he can do and/or anything cool he can poke until it does something interesting.

"Looks like this guy's been here for five years, and came here almost directly after being built. So hopefully it doesn't trigger any Back from the Void alerts when we try to use it. We could wind up in a documentary."
Shard
player, 1508 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sun 19 Jul 2020
at 17:26
  • msg #93

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Arriving back at the cockpit, Shard coughs out a short laugh at Haarmon's jibe. "Have enough people looking for us without that, sure," she murmurs.  Between their imitation of Nimadda and their assault on a Star Destroyer, the older woman holds a sneaking suspicions that their faces, at the least, are on every Imperial notice board.

Her voice raises slightly. "Couldn't find any compartments; either he's not a smuggler or...I couldn't find them," she finishes, somewhat lamely. "I'm not exactly an experienced customs agent, and those things are made to beat THEIR eyes."

She's in full agreement with Rhijans; when you don't have a professional, you make do, but when you happen to have a pro on-hand...listen to them.

"Should probably check the rest of the ship over for cargo and the like, or interesting special agent arsenals, but that can wait until we're in-flight."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1480 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sun 19 Jul 2020
at 17:44
  • msg #94

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans shrugged.  "It's a shuttle...they don't generally use these things for smuggling, unless it's like how we're going in.  There's no significant cargo space to speak of."  He looked back from the cockpit area.

"It's a good idea to search it, just so we know what is or isn't aboard.  But I don't think we're likely to find any smugglers' stash.  This is too high-profile to use for regular smuggling...weighs down the risk side when you start balancing risk and reward."
The Force
GM, 1139 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 19 Jul 2020
at 19:20
  • msg #95

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Lund nods, "It's an Imperial shuttle.  Navy isn't big on smuggling, and I don't think Ansart had time to make any changes to this ship before he went missing, if he even came here.  The recording suggests that he never did, at least to me."

"Anyway, we're all good."  He starts the engine, and lifts the shuttle off the ground.  "Next stop, Ord Mantell, Hedine's brother, and a cure for You-Why."

As the shuttle rises, Lund veers it towards the source of the apparent battle sounds, still grabbing altitude.  Sure enough, the vessel passes high above an upland valley where a number of fires rage below a thin blanket of smoke.  Units are not visible, but there are occasional explosions.

"I'd say it's locals fighting among themselves.  If we could tell which side was which, we could go down and help the Alliance sympathizers."

With a shrug, he pulls up the nose, and heads for space...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1481 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sun 19 Jul 2020
at 21:46
  • msg #96

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans shook his head, watching and making mental notes as he watched Lund's hands on the controls.  "Not our mission, and too risky for the detour," he opined, even as Lund pointed the shuttle's nose skyward and they accelerated out of the atmosphere.
Juragga
player, 656 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Mon 20 Jul 2020
at 04:24
  • msg #97

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAArgh," Juragga commented.

I couldn't find anything.
Shard
player, 1509 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Wed 22 Jul 2020
at 15:05
  • msg #98

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"I've known a few Imperials who weren't above smuggling myself," Shard muses, "and I was figuring it might be...modified.  But fair point.  And if Juragga didn't find anything, I guess we're clear."

From that point, she waits for the flight to begin.  It does, with dispatch, and soon they're overflying the battle zone.  "As much as I would like to drop in and assist," she says, "I'd need to agree. How long a flight is this going to be?"  The older woman jerks a thumb to indicate Haarmon. "If it's going to be long, and Haarmon isn't needed, could do with a little more study time."
Vekkis Lund
NPC, 24 posts
My other ship's a
star destroyer.
Wed 22 Jul 2020
at 20:13
  • msg #99

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Lund looks up from a display where he is calculating the best course to Ord Mantell.  "Preliminary calc would be three or four hours, but I can probably shave that down a bit.  So call it three hours, tops."

The pilot goes back to his calculation, still talking.  "Ord Mantell is pretty easy from here, even for a garbage scow like this.  Oops!  I don't want to go that way, because it means I just aimed us through a giant star... "

He grins.  "Just kidding.  We're good."

He dumps the nav data into the drive, and makes the jump to lightspeed as soon as the ship is clear of the atmosphere...
Haarmon Dak
player, 865 posts
Are you talking to me?
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 00:16
  • msg #100

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Still poking his head into access panels, ports, terminals, anything the least bit interesting, Haarmon shook his head. "What is it with pilots all thinking they're comedians? I knew a guy one time, used to use mix up his measurements to mess with people. Talked about time like it was distance and vice versa. He thought it was a hoot. Drove me crazy".
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1482 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 01:45
  • msg #101

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

If Rhijans was at all alarmed by the joke, it would never be known by looking at him.  With the ship in hyperspace, there wasn't much to piloting, and what preparations needed to be made would take maybe half an hour.  He leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes...he might have appeared asleep, but he focused on every voice, every sound, identifying what he could and mentally noting its position relative to him.  He'd never relied on that to help him in a fight...but it did help him keep his perceptions focused and his mind on guard.
Shard
player, 1510 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 15:59
  • msg #102

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Time as if it were distance, and vice versa?  You sure he didn't just get the mixed up?"*  The older woman shrugs.  "Some people..." Settling herself down, she draws out a cylinder of metal.  It's nicked, slightly dented in one area, and clearly cobbled together from a bunch of different machine parts.  The device only bears a cursory resemblance to the smooth, sleek weapons of centuries past, and yet the function remains the same.

Her lip twitches slightly, but Shard resists the urge to make a disgusted moue.

"If you have a moment, Haarmon," she slowly begins. "We have some space and privacy, soooo...might be a decent time for you to get a little experience waving one of these things around."  A heavy sigh follows.  "I'd love to say it's all instinct and 'going with the flow', but it isn't; there's skill, skill that requires practice."

* I see what you did, there.  ^_^
The Force
GM, 1140 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Mon 27 Jul 2020
at 21:03
  • msg #103

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Hedine sits near Lund.  With the ship in hyperspace, there's little for the pilot to do, beyond listening for alarms.  He flashes her a smile.

"How did you learn to fly this thing anyway?" she asks.

"Well... the one good thing about the Empire.  The only good thing.  They standardise everything.  Once you've flown one Imperial ship, you've flown all Imperial ships of that type.  The ships are designed for specific jobs, but the controls are the same.  All capital ships have the same bridge layout, no matter what class they are.  All haulers have the same bridge layout.  And all transports," he waves a hand to encompass the Lambda class shuttle, "like this one, have the same cockpit layout."

"It's a great strength, because it means you can move crews about.  But it's a great weakness too.  Once you know the layout of one ship, you can sabotage them all."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1483 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Tue 28 Jul 2020
at 00:42
  • msg #104

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Without opening his eyes, Rhijans responded, "Holds true for most Imperial equipment and installations, too...and the Empire has the weakness of arrogance.  They assume that, with enough troops and vehicles, they're invulnerable...which is why missions like this have a prayer of working.  They don't conceive of anyone having the audacity to challenge them in such fashion.  And since their installations tend to have similar layouts, it just helps us.  Long as you act like you know where you're going and have every reason in the universe to be there, you're not likely to face a serious challenge."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:43, Tue 28 July 2020.
Juragga
player, 657 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Tue 28 Jul 2020
at 03:07
  • msg #105

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga muttered something about it making searching cargo bays easier, too.

Then he went looking for a gun turret to man.
The Force
GM, 1142 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 29 Jul 2020
at 21:58
  • msg #106

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

There isn't a turret, as such.  The shuttle has numerous weapons, controlled from a gunnery position in the cockpit.  Hedine moves to let Juragga sit there... 

Lund meanwhile continues to discuss Imperial design philosophies.  As he does so, it becomes clearer that he really dislikes Imperial aesthetics.  Hedine comments on it, which brings a glare from the pilot.

"Imperial ships are ugly.  Equipment and vehicles too.  Their bases are all identical, all pressed from the same mould, all of them drab and utilitarian.  There is nothing of beauty in any Imperial structure, except when an officer steals a piece of local art for his own quarters on some conquered planet."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1484 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Fri 31 Jul 2020
at 17:47
  • msg #107

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Eyes still closed, Rhijans said, drily, "Never realized you were such a design enthusiast, Lund.  Not that I disagree..."
Juragga
player, 658 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Sat 1 Aug 2020
at 04:46
  • msg #108

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Mrrrrmmmmph," Juragga commented.  Plenty of guns, but not the best overlapping coverage... can put up a decent fight, though.
Vekkis Lund
NPC, 25 posts
My other ship's a
star destroyer.
Tue 4 Aug 2020
at 20:17
  • msg #109

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Lund glances at Juragga, "Yeah... another reason I dislike her.  Needs support in a serious fight.  Gambit only has a single turret, but a turret is flexible, and I can upgrade if I decide she needs more protection."

"Well... it is what it is.  Guess we'll just have to hope that if somebody picks a fight with us, they don't come from one of our undefended arcs.  There's a reason the Imperials give these shuttles a fighter escort if they're carrying anything important."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1485 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Wed 5 Aug 2020
at 01:52
  • msg #110

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans gave an audible exhale that might have been an amused snort of some kind.  "If we need to rely on this thing's offensive capabilities, something has gone incredibly wrong."  Things could go wrong, yes...but it had never been part of the plan, as he envisioned it, to use the shuttle for more than a cover going in.  If they had to fight their way out, he'd envisioned stealing something that was made to fight, as opposed to a nominally-armed people-mover.
The Force
GM, 1144 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 9 Aug 2020
at 21:31
  • msg #111

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The flight is short, just a couple of hours.  A couple of hours on an Imperial shuttle, designed for military operations, and lacking entertainment facilities.

Shard and Haarmon spend the time on lightsabre training.  Judging by the lack of death, maiming, and damage to the ship, the activity seems to go well...

Kara Hedine passes the time trying to learn a few simple words of Wookiee, with particular emphasis on things that might come up during the mission.  Things like "stormtroopers", "Imperials", "it's a trap!", "run for the ship!", and "we're all going to die!"

Lund and Rhijans, meanwhile, discuss plans for landing, though it soon becomes clear that if they are intending to pass themselves off as a legitimate Imperial transport, any detailed plans will rely on knowing their landing instructions from Traffic Control, an they won't know those until they are on approach.  The conclusion is obvious...  The plan is simply, "Get instructions from Control, and follow them to the letter.  Land safely."

Towards the end of the journey, disguises are donned, as necessary.

Vekkis Lund, now looking every bit an Imperial pilot announces, "Two minutes to Ord Mantell.  I hope we're all ready."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1487 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Tue 11 Aug 2020
at 03:06
  • msg #112

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans didn't bother climbing back into the copilot's seat after donning most of the stormtrooper armor.  He'd wait to put on the helmet until they were actually on the deck and ready to pop the main hatch...but the rest of the armor was cumbersome enough that trying to squeeze into the copilot chair seemed only slightly less daunting than the prospect of getting back out of it after they'd touched down.

"When all else fails, just act like you're supposed to be doing whatever you're doing.  The Empire likes to think they're efficient...but like all bureaucracies, half the time, nobody is sure what everyone else is supposed to be doing.  We're only likely to be questioned if someone on board thinks we don't know what we're doing."
Shard
player, 1515 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Fri 14 Aug 2020
at 00:11
  • msg #113

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

It fits a tad better now, Shard muses.

The uniform was a tad too tight last time.  It's not perfect now, but at least she feels somewhat more like a strict imperial officer who might be frightening to disobey.  A few adjustments, and it might actually feel comfortable.

Horrifying thought.

Buttoning up her coat over the white undershirt, she wanders back into the region of the cockpit in time to catch Rhijans' final words.  "Yeah...just like that last time," Shard muses. "Of course, I'm not likely to be picked as Ghea Nimadda on this run."  A sour expression flits across her features. "Hopefully."  She had to practically scrub herself raw in the shower to get the greasy feeling off her body.

"Harmon." A flick of the wrist extends the murderstick in the tech's direction...deactivated, of course. "I can't be carrying this, but as a tech you have all kinds of tools.  Makes for good camouflage."  Her lips tighten in a nervous smile. "If things go bad, I'm hoping you'll toss it my way rather than wave it around...but if all else fails?"  She shrugs. "You at least know how to turn it on without impaling yourself."

With the cold, steely tube handed to her sometime student, the older woman pulls out a small hairband and begins drawing her long tresses back in a tail, more appropriate for an Imperial Officer.  At one time, they were a shining obsidian waterfall cascading down her back.  Now?  The obsidian has dulled, and ice threads its darkness.

Still long, though; far too long to be gathered into a bun.
Juragga
player, 662 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Fri 14 Aug 2020
at 01:55
  • msg #114

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

As usual, Juragga adopted the slump-shouldered, defeated posture of a slave.

"GROoooowwwwwwfff," he commented.

It didn't need much translation.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1491 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Fri 14 Aug 2020
at 03:16
  • msg #115

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans looked at the Wookiee.  He didn't understand the language...but the expression, even on a Wookiee, was pretty clear.  "Next time they send us in covert, like this, and the target is NOT an Imperial?  We'll set you up as some kind of crime boss."

It was a toss-up whether the words were meant as some kind of consolation...or as a threat of sorts.  After all, the thing about being nothing more than hired (or owned) help was that nobody considered you important enough to pay close attention to you...they were usually trying to either suck up to or browbeat whoever was 'the boss'...
The Force
GM, 1147 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Fri 14 Aug 2020
at 20:22
  • msg #116

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The shuttle drops out of hyperspace, and an alarm starts chirping urgently.

Lund thumbs it off.  "Its good... just a proximity alert."  A low whistle as he looks up at the front viewport.  "And with good reason.  There's a lot of traffic out there."

He's right.  There are star destroyers, cruisers, transports... ships of all sizes and classifications.  And groups of TIEs  everywhere.  And in the midst of the swarm lies Ord Mantell...

Lund activates the comms system, "Shuttle Satazius requesting landing clearance."  The comms light goes off.  "Now we wait.  Looks like things might be busy."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1492 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sat 15 Aug 2020
at 02:22
  • msg #117

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans glanced out at the swarms of craft surrounding their destination.  "For this, busy is good. If they have enough traffic coming and going, nobody will even look at us twice."  There was quiet assurance in his voice...if he was at all disturbed by the number of ships in the area, it didn't show.
The Force
GM, 1148 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 16 Aug 2020
at 20:36
  • msg #118

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Th response is faster, perhaps, than expected.  Less than a minute after the clearance request, a calm, efficient voice asks, "Satazius, confirm your identification code."

Lund taps out the code on the comms panel.

"Clearance granted.  Transmitting landing directions now."

Lund, watches the instructions running across the display panel, and swings the shuttle onto the correct vector for the first stage of the descent.  "Fifteen minutes until we hit the field." he announces.
Shard
player, 1517 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Mon 17 Aug 2020
at 15:02
  • msg #119

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Not such a bad thing," Shard notes.  With an effort, she calms herself to the point where she won't be dripping with sweat upon arrival.  "Business as usual tends to mean we're not triggering any warning flags."

A long, internal struggle follows the optimistic assessment; finally, the field is taken by Pessimism.

"Unless they're using the time to prepare a good welcome," the older woman sighs.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1493 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 17 Aug 2020
at 17:49
  • msg #120

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans gave Shard a look, then a tight-lipped grin that showed no teeth and somehow managed to look emotionlessly amused for just a moment.  "The Empire doesn't generally do quiet and subtle very well.  Not in this kind of operation, anyway.  If we were hitting a Destab center or an ISB compound, I might be concerned.  Something like this?  If they thought there was something amiss, they'd just blow us out of the sky and be quit with it...too much traffic to tie up the resources for a baited booby-trap for that long."  If he was at all unsure of the assessment, it didn't color his voice at all...it was another dispassionate assessment on a pragmatic level.

"That said, we don't know for sure what Alliance Intel managed to slip into the fake orders...so be ready for anything."
Juragga
player, 663 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Mon 17 Aug 2020
at 17:52
  • msg #121

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga frowned and uttered a Wookiee warble.  The obligatory, I have a bad feeling about this...
The Force
GM, 1150 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 19 Aug 2020
at 21:38
  • msg #122

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Kara Hedine looks at Juragga curiously, "What does... something about the weather... have to do with anything?  Or was it a rotten tree?"  Apparently she needs more lessons in Wookiee...

Vekkis Lund spares Juragga a grin.  "A bad feeling is usually part of the plan for Alliance operations."  Then he leans forward, peering through the viewport.

"Uh oh... that's one of those Super star destroyers."  The ship in question hangs amid a group of more usual star destroyers, dwarfing them.

"I'm starting to get a bad feeling too."

Nonetheless, he holds the ship on its appointed course, doing everything within his power to not alert the sizeable military presence in the system.

After what seems like an interminable length of time, with no less than three groups of TIEs passing by very closely, but not taking any apparent interest, the shuttle enters the upper atmosphere, with a thin whispering of wind across the hull.

Below the port spreads across a hundred kilometres or more of the planet's surface, with structures stretching kilometres into the air, warning beacons flashing to warn approaching vessels of the navigation hazard.

And finally, the shuttle touches down on a docking platform attached to the side of a tower, and a hundred metres above ground level...

Lund points at the viewport.  "They're building a star destroyer over there, by the looks of it.  If we get a chance when we leave, I wouldn't mind putting a crimp in that project."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1494 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 20 Aug 2020
at 03:06
  • msg #123

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans nodded.  "The plan, such as it is, involves us creating what chaos we can to obfuscate our departure.  If you can find a way to mess with that project that doesn't involve direct action on our part, I'm all for it...but we're hoping to not end up trying to shoot our way out of here, if at all possible, for pretty obvious reasons."

He settled the stormtrooper helmet over his head, his voice taking on the tinny resonance of the helmet's mic system.  "We'll see what kind of opportunities present themselves."
The Force
GM, 1151 posts
These aren't the dice
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Mon 24 Aug 2020
at 20:02
  • msg #124

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rain patters, briefly, against the screen, causing Lund to comment, "I put her down as close to the tower as I could.  It'll just be a short dash across the platform to get to shelter.  Or cover."

Karra Hedine frowns at the view, "It might be harder than I expected to find Najdo.  I never realised how big the port would be."

Lund groans, "I was hoping you'd know where he is."
Juragga
player, 664 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Mon 24 Aug 2020
at 21:08
  • msg #125

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga gave Hedine a pained look.  "RuhhhRRRAAAgggh," he commented.  I'm not even drunk yet, I can't be that hard to understand. 
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1495 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Tue 25 Aug 2020
at 06:02
  • msg #126

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans shrugged, the motion barely visible in the armor.  "We just need a few minutes at a computer terminal, I should think.  Personnel assignments shouldn't be THAT restricted...unless he's working on some high-security program here.  But even if we can find out what department he's working in, we should be able to bluff our way in there.Getting out again could be trickier... he told himself, but didn't say anything aloud about it.  There was always a way.  You just had to look hard enough...or be willing to do something so recklessly suicidal that the Empire never thought to prepare against it.  But there was always a way.
Shard
player, 1518 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Tue 25 Aug 2020
at 14:19
  • msg #127

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Super star destroyer...don't know where their target is...the headache is already building.  Shard isn't too sanguine about taking a chance on putting a 'crimp' in the construction of yet another Star Destroyer; unless they can blow the whole thing up, it's just a slow-down on a single ship of a navy that already dwarfs the rebellion.  That's a lot of danger for very little payoff, and the point here is to get in, get the tech who can save You-Why, and get out again.

THeir companion is counting on them.

But she'll bring that up later, if need be; right now, her biggest concern is that Super Star Destroyer.  "I've only heard of a couple of people who might have access to that kind of ship," she mutters as they prepare. "Haarmon; you're up for the computer work, naturally, but word of caution: right now isn't the time to be testing the stuff you've been training in."  Her grimace speaks volumes. "Some people are sensitive enough to pick that kind of thing up.  People like Ghea Nimadda."

And worse.

She grins at Juragga.  "Maybe it's your accent; South Shore is always pretty distinctive."
Juragga
player, 665 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Tue 25 Aug 2020
at 15:51
  • msg #128

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga was frowning during the whole discussion of Star Destroyers, and even winced at the mention of Nimadda.  But at Shard's last comment he raised a brow in surprise.

"Growwwf? Ruuuurgggh!"

You can tell that?  I'm impressed!

The Force
GM, 1152 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 26 Aug 2020
at 20:16
  • msg #129

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"If it comes down to it," Lund volunteers, "you could probably connect to the yard's network from here and get the information you need."

"But that might give the Imperials access to the ship's computer, at which point they would probably realise we aren't who we say we are, so I'd prefer to leave that as a last resort."

He shrugs, "At least in a place like this there should be plenty of terminals about, so it shouldn't be a problem, especially not for a resourceful group like this.  The good news is, this is a busy port, so they probably see some strange stuff, and a group like this shouldn't draw too much attention, even with a Wookiee tagging along."

"Just keep moving, and try to look like you're too busy to stop and answer trivial questions."

Outside the shuttle a shaft of bluish sunlight, shining through a break in the fast moving clouds, sweeps across the jumbled arrays of structures and parked ships.  On another platform, some distance away, tiny figures in gleaming white armour can be seen standing guard around what looks to be a work team unloading cargo from a transport ship...

"Oh good, stormtroopers... at least we know we're in the right place." Vekkis Lund quips, with a wry smile...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1496 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 27 Aug 2020
at 05:09
  • msg #130

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"I thought the Star Destroyers had already cleared that one up," Rhijans replied...and if it was difficult to tell whether he was making a joke when he was in his normal attire, it was downright impossible with the inscrutable exterior that the stormtrooper armor presented.

"No time for sight-seeing.  We have important business to attend to."  He started off...even if he hadn't had previous experience with Imperial installations, the steady flow of people getting off shuttles and transports and heading indoors served as a pretty clear indicator of the fastest path into the building...
The Force
GM, 1153 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 30 Aug 2020
at 20:03
  • msg #131

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

From the ramp, the entrance to the tower is clearly visible, and easy to spot, surrounded by red lamps and standing open.  Just inside a security checkpoint is visible, manned by two Imperial officers, and protected by at least four stormtroopers.

The officers look bored, or maybe they're trying for "stern and busy"...

They barely glance at the shuttle, even when the hatch opens.
Shard
player, 1519 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Mon 31 Aug 2020
at 01:31
  • msg #132

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Aha.  Let's try to keep the jokes to a minimum," Shard mutters.  "For one thing, I'm pretty sure joking is against Imperial regulations.  For another, I could go into hysterical laughter." A ghost of a smile touches her lips.  "Not likely with the caliber of the humor, but everyone gets lucky once."

Her gaze flicks toward the tower and its security entrance.  "Nice of them to keep it well-lit," she muses.  "So this is the part we just walk in, spit out our orders, and keep on going?  Hopefully without any random searches or the like?"

Rhijans seems to think so; with a mental shrug and a tightening of her breath, Shard begans her own march in that direction.  All the while, she's focusing herself on finding that inner balance between acid and alkaline, between fire and frost.  Get yourself calm, Shard.  You're of no good to anyone if you're almost sick from the tension.

Which...had happened once.  Being fair, she'd also been more than tipsy.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1497 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 31 Aug 2020
at 07:57
  • msg #133

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans dropped into step, two steps behind and one to the left of Shard, the anonymity of the armor making it easy to become just another suit in the crowd, but the position nullifying that as a way of underscoring the position that Shard supposedly held...whoever she was, she was important enough to have her own personal guard.

He hoped the others picked up on that and did something similar...it would be the difference between an unknown officer arriving with a full entourage of personal staff to help with whatever assignment she had been given, and some pain-in-the-backside who'd dragged along some specialists to make her look good when they did their jobs.
The Force
GM, 1154 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 2 Sep 2020
at 19:53
  • msg #134

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon and Karra Hedine fall in behind Rhijans, as befits underlings, flanking the Wookiee "slave".  Vekkis Lund remains aboard the shuttle, like a good little Imperial pilot, ready to depart the instant his passenger demands it.

As the group approach the door, the troopers straighten up, apparently trying to appear more vigilant.

One of the desk officers glances at the newcomers, and does a double-take.  Then he too adopts a more watchful posture.  His companion, perhaps alerted by the first man's sudden movement, reacts similarly.

As the group walk into the tower, all eyes seem fixed on Juragga...

The first officer tears his gaze away and looks at Shard.  "What is your business here?" he asks, sounding slightly deferential...
Juragga
player, 666 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Thu 3 Sep 2020
at 00:21
  • msg #135

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Inwardly, he was seething.  He wanted to just lash out at the troopers, rend them with his bare hands.

With effort, though, outwardly... the meek and battered slave lowered his head and avoided eye contact.

For now.
Shard
player, 1520 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Thu 3 Sep 2020
at 01:17
  • msg #136

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard walks to the questioner's desk, her face a touch weary...but still not approachable.  "Parts and working capital -" this said with a jerk of the thumb toward Juragga "- for a subsystem.  Apparently it's fried, it's hard to reach, the parts are heavy, and they require technical knowhow.  Hence our ambulatory package."  A thin smile crosses her lips for an instant.  "Lots of hours in flight for a short work order."

A flick of her hand produces the ID. "Hopefully the whole thing won't take long," she mutters.  "I'm looking down the barrel of the return trip."
The Force
GM, 1155 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 6 Sep 2020
at 18:21
  • msg #137

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The officer glances at the ID, and his eyes widen slightly.  "Thank you Captain.  Sorry to delay you, but we were not notified of your arrival.  Do you require a guide, or do you know where you need to go?"  His tone suggests that he doesn't much care, either way, along as he doesn't have to leave his comfortable desk.

The second man, meanwhile, seems to catch on to his colleague's nervousness, and lowers his gaze as he goes bacl to... whatever he should be doing...

The stormtroopers continue to, apparently, stare at Juragga.  Something about the Wookiee appears to be making them worried.  Much to nobody's surprise...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1498 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 7 Sep 2020
at 06:18
  • msg #138

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans noticed the body language of the stormtroopers...and subtly modified his own to capitalize on it, shifting slightly so he was in a position to keep eyes on Juragga, and weapon at the half-ready...as though he expected the Wookiee to explode at any moment and his duty was to contain the damage.

It would, he figured, either reassure them that there was someone else assigned to deal with the Wookiee...or make them even more nervous that the guy who'd apparently drawn the short straw for that assignment was also nervous about it, himself.  The more tense they were, the more disjointed their actions would be...if they had to take any.
Shard
player, 1522 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Wed 9 Sep 2020
at 13:32
  • msg #139

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Minimal delays are never an issue," Shard returns in a reassuring-yet-calmly-warning fashion. "The work order gives the necessary information; I won't require that guide." Still as benign as an Imperial officer might be, she offers a subtle hint in her tone that waiting would potentially edge that 'minimal' delay into something unacceptable.

She ignores the stormtroopers' heightened unease as inconsequential...which it would be to an officer.  Rhijans, Haarmon and Juragga might have some reactions, but she's not going to turn around to check.

"Is there anything else?  Or can I release you back to your work?" The wry questions carry a third, implicit query.

'And can I get on with this without any more delay?'

All the while she's considering her ID, with some concern over why the desk-rider has become so nervous.  Did they use a name he recognized from ship gossip (not Nimadda surely, not as a 'captain' on a tech run)?  Or had some martinet walked through recently and raked them over the coals for a perceived slight?
The Force
GM, 1156 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 9 Sep 2020
at 19:37
  • msg #140

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"No, Captain, that will be all."  At the same time, the security officer keys some information into his console, then accepts a red plastic card that is ejected from a slot.  This he passes to Shard.

"That will get you past further checkpoints a bit faster, and open most secured doors in the facility."

He indicates a slot on the front edge of the desk.  "Just look for a reader, and insert the pass key when you come to a checkpoint or locked door."
Shard
player, 1524 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Mon 14 Sep 2020
at 01:10
  • msg #141

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Thank you," Shard states, and means it.  "Very helpful, officer - I'm sure it will suffice."  'Most' secure doors, but she's not going to ask for all, and anything the card won't bring them past...well, Haarmon probably can.

A nod - a little more friendly and appreciative than any kind of saluting, but still a touch remote.  Shard then twitches her fingers to the others.  "Let's go."  But before she takes another step, the woman pauses, tapping the card against her fingertips.  "Your name?" she inquires of the helpful officer.  "If someone asks for a full report, I like to include positive things, and your efficiency has been the one bright light on this..."  Her free hand waves in the air, and then she shrugs.  "Mess," Shard finally concludes.

"Thus far."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1501 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 14 Sep 2020
at 02:54
  • msg #142

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans deliberately took a half-step, as though anxious to get his assignment finished, then stopped and straightened back to attention as Shard took a moment to ask for the officer's name.  Inwardly, he nodded approval...it was just self-indulgent enough to sell as an officer used to people jumping at their beck and call, without being awkwardly friendly and risking their cover...

He half-turned his head, appearing to settle his gaze on Juragga once again, and let his hands stretch and flex on the blaster he carried, not looking at all--apparently--at any of the Imperials.  In reality, he was scanning every detail he could pick out through the limited view afforded by the helmet.
Juragga
player, 670 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Mon 14 Sep 2020
at 13:53
  • msg #143

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

It was all he could do not to leer at the Stormtroopers.  A curled lip, a show of fang, a mocking gaze.  Then he could do what he wanted, which was to wade into them with all his strength.  Maybe go down fighting.  He was never going to find his family anyway...

With an effort, he did nothing, and kept a passive demeanor.
The Force
GM, 1159 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Mon 14 Sep 2020
at 18:54
  • msg #144

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The officer almost seems to grow about ten centimetres taller.  "Lieutenant Dhienn, Captain."

As Shard turns away, the stormtroopers part to make way for the group to pass.  Lieutenant Dhienn sneers at his companion officer, who looks less than pleased, having doubtless realised that Dhienn has probably just clambered past him on the route to promotion...

The team move forward, further into the facility, and are soon out of sight of the desk.

A short while after that they find an alcove with several elevators and a terminal...
Shard
player, 1525 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Fri 18 Sep 2020
at 14:20
  • msg #145

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The sweat had sprung on her forehead the moment she finally turned away from the checkpoint.  By the time the team has arrived at the terminal, it has dried, and Shard is back fully under control.  For an instant, the urge for a drink hits her, but she brushes it away; every time, it's a little more easy.  Every time, it's a little longer before the next one.

It's good not struggling under a near-constant hangover, as well.

"All right, Haarmon," she quietly states as they arrive at the alcove.  "You're up.  Let's not look suspicious, all right?"  The older woman glances up at Juragga.  "As much as possible...let's stand out here and discuss something while Haarmon gets to work."  Leaning closer, she peers (up) into the wookie's deep eyes.  "You all right Juragga?"
Juragga
player, 671 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Fri 18 Sep 2020
at 14:23
  • msg #146

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"GrRRRRummmmf," Juragga commented.  I guess. I'd like to twist their little pointy heads off.
The Force
GM, 1160 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 20 Sep 2020
at 19:12
  • msg #147

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

While Shard an Juragga have their discussion at the entrance to the alcove, Rhijans stands guard like a good little stormtrooper.  The three of them effectively form a screen, blocking Haarmon and Karra from the view of passers-by (of which, there are quite a few, which is to be expected at a busy facility like this).

One of either Juragga or Rhijans seems to be doing a good job of keeping people moving, and nobody stops to look into the alcove.

Which is just as well... Haarmon is setting up a very non-standard looking connection between the terminal and a datapad.

After a few moments he disassembles it.  "I got us a map." he says quietly. "Detention centres and labour barracks in the dock complex."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1502 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 21 Sep 2020
at 02:36
  • msg #148

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans had drawn a few cues from the stormtroopers that had been at their previous stop, and emulated their behavior, standing and 'watching Juragga' with an apparent nervous tension.  He figured the more he looked like one of the troopers from the base, the less likely anyone was to make inquiries of the group...after all, they had an armed escort, they must be official, or so he calculated people would think.

He nodded slightly at Haarmon's announcement.  "Let's be optimistic, and head for the labor barracks.  Find another terminal there and see if we can locate our target."  His helmet shifted slightly as he tried to look around with the limited visibility of the armor.

"Less time we spend tapped into a terminal, the less likely it is someone's going to figure out we don't belong there..."
Shard
player, 1527 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Tue 22 Sep 2020
at 14:20
  • msg #149

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"I guess I understand that," Shard mutters...mostly under her breath, pitched for Juragga only.  Better to not be an Imperial Officer in conversation with a Wookie; it might raise all kinds of questions.  "If it's any consolation, we're running about fifty-fifty getting out of situations without a fight, so you stand a good chance of getting your wish."  Hopefully he'll limit himself to shooting them, if it comes to that; the vague memory of another Wookie pulling arms off and beating their former owners with the wet ends still inspires nausea in the older woman.

At Haarmon's report and Rhijans' reply, Shard twitches her head in a fractional nod.  "Sounds like a plan.  Lead the way, Haarmon, and hopefully we'll get some more detailed information soon.  Everyone else, just...keep on doing what you're doing."

One corner of her mouth tugged down. "And Haarmon?"  The young man was a natural, far moreso than Shard herself had ever been.  "If you get any funny feelings, don't hesitate to let us know."
Juragga
player, 672 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Tue 22 Sep 2020
at 17:28
  • msg #150

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga flashed a brief, subtle smile, showing a little fang, at Shaard's comment.  He seemed to like that prospect.
The Force
GM, 1162 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 23 Sep 2020
at 21:14
  • msg #151

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon hits a stud, and the elevator door slams open to reveal an open platform in a brightly lit shaft that rises high above their heads, and drops far beneath them.  Standard Imperial design - no safety rails, and just a control panel next to the door.

Another stud, a tapped in code, and the elevator drops rapidly, wind whistling around the passengers.  When the platform stops, there is still a fair distance to  go to reach the bottom of the shaft.

When the door opens, there is a large vestibule area with a transparent wall which seems to show that they are at ground level.  The room is full of Imperial officers and squads of stormtroopers, all moving about busily and looking like they have plenty to do.  The exit leads out onto a broad thoroughfare, flanked mostly by short, squat structures, with occasional towers like the one they had descended.

The map shows that the nearest barracks is about 400 metres away, so the group heads in that direction.

Karra Hedine mutters, "Depending how far apart these places are, maybe we should see if we can find some transport."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1503 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Wed 23 Sep 2020
at 22:09
  • msg #152

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Might not be a bad idea, but we've got to be careful about getting it.  The trick is to remain as commonplace as possible...if we look like everyone else, nobody's going to notice us."  He gestured slightly for Haarmon to lead, since he had the map, such as it was.

"We grab the wrong kind of transport, or take it in the wrong place, and suddenly we go from almost-invisible to highlighted with screaming alarm klaxons."
Haarmon Dak
player, 872 posts
Are you talking to me?
Thu 24 Sep 2020
at 11:44
  • msg #153

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon sighed. More running. He had Shard had been running for what felt like eons. And now, more running. It all looked so close together on the little map.

"I remember the last time I tried to commandeer a transport," Haarmon said, remembering his abortive attempt to steal a crawler on the frozen moon of Alkirk*, "It did NOT go well."

He paused. Grimaced.

"But more because it didn't go anywhere at all rather than going to the wrong place. Forget it."

He was already nervous. Being off the terminal always made him nervous.

OOC: Call back to their very first mission, link to a message in this game!
This message was last edited by the player at 11:36, Tue 29 Sept 2020.
The Force
GM, 1163 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 27 Sep 2020
at 17:21
  • msg #154

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Hedine sighs.  "That's why I'm no good at this sort of thing.  I can't think of things like that.  I can do what I'm told, but I don't always see all the wrinkles in a situation."

In this first case, at least, it's only a short walk to their objective, a secure barracks, currently locked but unguarded.  Though the group find themselves unpleasantly close to what appears to be a busy junction where two major thoroughfares cross.

There is a lot of traffic hereabouts, including large groups of stormtroopers marching towards... somewhere...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1504 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 28 Sep 2020
at 05:36
  • msg #155

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans grunted softly.  "Options and consequences...it always comes down to options and consequences.  It's a question of whether the consequences can justify the option.  And at some point, a transport is, probably, a good idea.  But right now..."  He gestured slightly with one hand.

"See anyone out there driving around in a transport?  Anyone who does is going to attract attention.  We may want attention at some point...but right now, we're just trying to look like yet another Imperial tech specialist with support staff, not important enough to warrant a transport or any kind of close attention."

He remembered Alkirk...although differently than Haarmon did, apparently, as his memories involved a lot of explosions happening because everyone assumed he was just another stormtrooper.  A lot of things had gone right for him there.

And, oddly enough, he realized, that was also where they'd picked up You Why...the whole reason for this operation.  If he believed in such things, he might consider that an omen.  But pretty much the only thing he believed, consistently, was that you made your own luck, and they were working on that right now.  "I'm guessing there should be a terminal inside the barracks with some kind of list or manifest or whatever that could tell us if your brother is stationed here or if we have to keep hunting for him..."  While he spoke in almost conspiratorial tones, his posture was upright and rigid...to a casual observer, he was either escorting the group or guarding the Wookiee.  Part of him itched, just a little bit, to start creating chaos...but it was important that things stay as calm and normal as possible until they had found their man, at least.  The more alarmed the Imperials became, the harder it would become for them to locate their guy, much less get him out.
Shard
player, 1528 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sun 4 Oct 2020
at 10:43
  • msg #156

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"All right, then."  Shard, too, remembered Alkirk.  She remembered fear, the sick implosion in her gut when she realized things had headed South.  That had kickstarted the realization that this group of mismatched individuals had become Her Team - not possessive in a leadership role, but merely Hers.  And that had changed everything.  "Rhijans makes a point; we start driving stuff around, it's going to draw eyes.  Imperials must think walking is good for morale...sorry, Haarmon, I guess we hoof it some more.  Think of it as training," she ended, trying for 'brightly' and landing solidly on 'mildly sour'.

"If it's any consolation, none of my recent attempts to garner transport have gone well.  I blame Rhijans; that bad luck started the moment we met."  That said a touch more lightly, and clearly in jest.

"Let's keep moving, and hope we find the information we need before it's bed-time.  I don't want to spend the night in an Imperial Barracks, and don't even want to think about poor Juragga."  That last is definitely not in jest.
The Force
GM, 1165 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 4 Oct 2020
at 20:34
  • msg #157

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard uses the key to open the door, and reveals a room containing a currently unmanned security checkpoint, with a console.  A metal gate, backed by a forcefield stands at the far side of the room, and beyond that is a long hall lined with sleeping shelves - three rows of them along both walls.  Hundreds of them.  All empty at the moment.

The barracks' only occupant, just now, is an Imperial droid, an R4 unit with the usual black and white colour scheme, far off down the long room, apparently repairing one of the shelves.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1505 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 5 Oct 2020
at 02:37
  • msg #158

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

If Rhijans was at all ruffled by the quip, it didn't show...especially with the expressionless frown of stormtrooper armor in front of his face.  "It's all about timing," he responded.  "You have to do it when there's so much more going on that people don't have time to ask questions about why you're in a vehicle when nobody else is."  Was there the slightest hint of sarcastic humor under the words?  It was so very hard to tell...

"And there's no reason for us to stay in a barracks.  A facility like this will be running shifts around the clock...you just stay out of sight while one beds down and then turn up again after the next is up and running...you're still just another faceless body in the crowd.  And if we're stuck here long enough to worry about getting sleep, we've done something VERY wrong."

He gestured to the console.  "I would imagine that should be a good place to get an up-to-date location on our man..."
Haarmon Dak
player, 873 posts
Are you talking to me?
Thu 8 Oct 2020
at 17:36
  • msg #159

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon nodded and went over to the terminal. "And that's about as close to snapping-fingers-snap-snap-chop-chop-my-lad-make-with-the-thing as Rhijans ever gets." He smiled a little. "I think he just figures out terminals shut me up for a few minutes."

And then, matching word to the deed, he kicked up the console and got to work, and as usual, the smart-talking mook drifted off and was replaced by Hyper-Focused Haarmon.
The Force
GM, 1166 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Fri 9 Oct 2020
at 23:15
  • msg #160

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

As suspected, the terminal is pretty well specialised for keeping track of prisoners.  A minute or so of Haarmon's magic, and a long list of names appears on the screen, shifting and growing shorter as Haarmon punches in characters.

Finally there is only one name.  Other data starts to appear...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1506 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sun 11 Oct 2020
at 05:28
  • msg #161

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

As soon as Haarmon sat down and started typing, Rhijans shifted position.  He knew enough about computers to manage basic operations...and to realize that it was pointless for him to try and keep track of what Haarmon might end up doing in order to conjure up the information that they needed.

Instead, he took up what seemed to him to be the standard guard position, trying to make it appear to a casual observer that the group was actually just a harried computer tech trying to look up a request by an officer, with a sentry on duty nearby...a scene that he imagined played out hundreds--if not thousands--of times every day in Imperial installations across the galaxy.
The Force
GM, 1167 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 11 Oct 2020
at 19:11
  • msg #162

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Karra moves in to stand behind Haarmon, looking over his shoulder.  After a few seconds her right hand creeps up to her mouth, and she starts nervously gnawing on her thumb nail...
Shard
player, 1530 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Mon 12 Oct 2020
at 15:43
  • msg #163

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Let's hope our timing is better now," Shard murmurs, waiting and watching. "Kara, don't stand too close.  If someone walks in, we don't want to be a group clustered around a terminal." Somewhat suspicious, that.

"In fact, better come over here and we'll look at...a datapad or something, together.  And talk quietly.  All right?" Not only will it seem a little more natural, but it's possible the deception might calm the woman down.  She looks almost ready to burst, and Shard worries that encountering bad news on the computer might provoke a dangerous reaction right at the wrong moment.
Juragga
player, 674 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Tue 13 Oct 2020
at 04:36
  • msg #164

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Mrrph?" Juragga queried, unsure of where The Jedi wanted him.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1507 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Tue 13 Oct 2020
at 04:46
  • msg #165

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard's words drew Rhijans' attention for a moment.  "Get your thumb away from your mouth.  I'm sure that not all Imperial personnel are supremely confident...but enough of them are that the only way to be sure to blend in is to act like you are, too.  Someone sees you chewing your fingertips, you're going to stand out, and that's what we don't want."  Despite the potential for it, his tone was calm, matter-of-fact...like he was discussing the proper alignment of a blaster component, rather than talking about possibly blowing their cover.  The only hint of urgency about it was the fact that he mentioned it at all.
Haarmon Dak
player, 874 posts
Are you talking to me?
Tue 13 Oct 2020
at 11:52
  • msg #166

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon felt like biting all of his fingertips all the time, all at once, everyday, so he sympathized. It was a wonder he made it through the day, hands intact, most of the time.

"Got it," he says, "Work orders say he's at section 142, level 57, Main Control Center, today. Here's a map." He uploads some stuff to a datapad with a nice tight red line.

He frowns. Looks up at his team.

"Uh, guys. There's.... uh.... 130,000 names in this database. 130,000 forced labourers. Which is fancy political science talk for 'slave.' I don't want to complicate an already complicated situation but... can we... can we just walk away from the other 129,999?"
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1508 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Tue 13 Oct 2020
at 17:12
  • msg #167

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans' voice might have been modulated by the helmet, but the tightness in it could still be heard.  "This isn't Alkirk.  We can't just steal a transport and get them all onboard while the base personnel try to do damage control.  We might be able to open a window for some of them to get away...but we're here to get one person, and if we fail, You-Why dies."  He half-turned his head.

"Alkirk worked because we exploited opportunities.  We'll do what we can here...but the mission is the priority.  We have to focus on that."

While he never sounded particularly happy, his words were decidedly unhappy in tone.
Juragga
player, 675 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Wed 14 Oct 2020
at 04:01
  • msg #168

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"WAAAAarrrrgh?!" Juragga growled, not quietly.

Any Wookiees?!
The Force
GM, 1169 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Thu 15 Oct 2020
at 19:56
  • msg #169

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Karra Hedine, a total novice in situations like this, follows the instructions she is given by the experts, and promises herself that she will remember to follow them in future.  But she feels like screaming.

And then there are the 130,000 slaves.  To think she waltzed in here to rescue just one, and convinced herself that doing that would make her a big damned hero.  Only now she knows that, in the grand scheme of things, her big important mission is nothing.  Not even a very small drop in the ocean.

Haarmon's map shows the appropriate building.  It looks to be some distance away.  At least a couple of hours, on foot.

But the map also shows something else.

A transport network radiates out from the Main Control Centre.  Some sort of repulsorlift  train, and there is a station a short distance from here.
Haarmon Dak
player, 876 posts
Are you talking to me?
Mon 19 Oct 2020
at 12:42
  • msg #170

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon continues tapping at the terminal. If there was one thing you could say about the Empire, their filing systems were always organized and their databases were impeccably keyworded.

"So," he said, "Good new/bad news. The building we're looking for is about two, two and half hours away on foot. But..." he keyed up a map and leaned away from the screen so everyone could see, "There's a full-on train station here, just a short hup." A wry smile. "You can go ahead and decide for yourself which is the good and which the bad."

He did some more tapping at Rags' question. His eyes widened and his mouth stretched into a thin line.

"Yeah, Rags," he said, "There are. There are some Wookies. Lots of em. 2,536 of them."

He spun in the chair and looked at his team. "Two and some odd thousand Wookies would be a real boon to the Rebellion."

Plus, if he (Rags) said he was helping Wookies, then he (Haarmon) was helping Wookies too. No matter what.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1510 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 19 Oct 2020
at 17:37
  • msg #171

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"That means we can no longer grab any old hyperspace-capable vessel to get out.  We have to start looking at vessels that have crew and cargo space to hold a couple thousand Wookiees."  While there was a warning tone in his voice, he did not, actually, reject the idea.

"Most likely scenario is that we die and nobody gets away, security gets screwed down even tighter.  But there's always chances of beating the odds."
Juragga
player, 676 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Tue 20 Oct 2020
at 04:38
  • msg #172

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"GaaaaaaaaaHurrrrrHHH," Juragga breathed.  He moved in over Haarmon's shoulder, wanting to see the data for himself.

If there was a chance, even a chance, that some of his family were here... but even if not... they were Wookiees.  He would not leave them to slavery.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:43, Tue 20 Oct 2020.
The Force
GM, 1170 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 21 Oct 2020
at 19:14
  • msg #173

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Karra nods slowly.  Thoughtfully.  "We can do this.  My brother and Juragga's people.  I don't want to leave anybody behind.  But we need to find a ship."

She pauses for a moment, "A freight transport might work.  Fill the hold with Wookiees.  Wouldn't be comfortable, but I never heard that Wookiees were delicate flowers."  She smiles up at Juragga...

The whole idea of sneaking 2,536 Wookiees aboard a ship and escaping with them surely can't be any more ridiculous than sneaking into a secure imperial facility and rescuing her brother.

After all, if anything goes wrong, the Wookiees would be a fairly effective army...
Haarmon Dak
player, 877 posts
Are you talking to me?
Thu 22 Oct 2020
at 12:40
  • msg #174

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon kept his face as impassive as he could manage, but internally he was a confusing combination of terrified and elated that they were going to try and help Rags rescue some Wookies.

"So," he said, voice even and careful, "What if we fooled the Imps into thinking the Wookies were going somewhere? Some other colony, or mines, or whatever? Get them to get them all on a ship? We go get our business done. Find whassisface. And then meet the ship?"

A pause.

"Way easier to steal a ship after the fact than to try and sneak two-thousand seven foot tall walking carpets out under our shirts or whatever."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1511 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 22 Oct 2020
at 16:35
  • msg #175

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"That could work," Rhijans responded, in remarkably even tones...neither for nor against, just...calculating.

"Forge orders from an Imperial officer of high enough rank to plausibly demand that many Wookiees, but still far enough down the chain to be just another name on a list."  He paused, thinking a moment.

"We have an ISB ID in the group.  At an appropriate time, we use it.  Tell the station commander that there's been a string of sabotage events that all trace back to this shipyard...and the Wookiees are the most likely suspects.  They all need to be taken in for interrogation."  He turned and looked at the others.  "ISB is notorious for draconian measures like that...and the whole organization is so shadowed that we can even claim we're here on higher orders but aren't allowed to divulge whose.  Personally, I like the odds of that one better."

He gave a slight shrug and turned away.  "Of course, I'm not the one who needs to maintain the masquerade."  And there might have been just the slightest suggestion of sympathy in his tone.  It was so hard to tell with the modulation of the helmet's vocal processor.
Haarmon Dak
player, 878 posts
Are you talking to me?
Thu 22 Oct 2020
at 16:46
  • msg #176

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon kept a wary on Rhijans. He was so hard to read. And just because he was sussing out the practicalities now didn't mean he was on board. He was too cautious for that.

"Or, just spit-balling here. What if there was a base-level threat and they had to evacuate the Wookies? Like, I don't, a team of rebels setting off crazy bombs or whatever. That's a little farther down our wheelhouse and Shard can take advantage easier in the chaos."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1512 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 22 Oct 2020
at 17:02
  • msg #177

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

A hint of amusement, perhaps, colored the response.  "You think we can concoct a threat big enough to make the Empire evacuate its primary shipyard?  What did you have in mind?"  And then, in a noticeably more serious tone, "How do we guarantee they don't just kill all the slaves before evacuating?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:03, Thu 22 Oct 2020.
Haarmon Dak
player, 879 posts
Are you talking to me?
Thu 22 Oct 2020
at 17:25
  • msg #178

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon shook his head. "No, no. Not the whole shipyard, just the Wookies. Look at the map, they've got them all stuffed in this one complex here. Gotta be something big we can blow up t that would set off an alert. And if Shard was on-site giving orders and being a badass, same time?"

He shrugged.

"Maybe I'm way off base. It's just that my experience with this crew is that it's easier to blow up stuff than make up stuff. Or, you know, at the very least we're better at it."
Shard
player, 1532 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Thu 22 Oct 2020
at 19:56
  • msg #179

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

“I’d rather get them all off,” Shard breathes. “But…that’s impossible.  Even if we stole a Star Destroyer, and somehow could pilot it.”  Even so, picking and choosing…  “It’s a start, and the Wookies have the best chance of getting off alive if everything goes insane.”  And when they return?  They need to mount a serious rescue operation.  Over a hundred thousand slaves…the idea sickens her soul.

She listens to the others plan, reaching out to pat Juragga’s arm.  Rhijans’ practicalities put structure to Haarmon’s ideas, and something begins to emerge, slowly taking shape, it’s validity increasing with every objection, every adjustment. “That could work,” Shard breathes.  “Enough of a localized emergency and it might take them in, where something generalized for the entire base might end up having the Imperials button up, or react in a way we don’t want.  Void, even a disease that’s going to require the Wookies to be shipped away for treatment before it jumps to other races – or disposal, sorry Juragga – something like that might work as well.   Anything to show some kind of need to move the Wookies, and just the Wookies, and right now.“
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1513 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Fri 23 Oct 2020
at 01:47
  • msg #180

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans shrugged, the gesture barely visible in the armor.  "I think you're over-estimating the value the Empire puts on slave labor," he commented...but it wasn't a dismissal.

"So what do you have in mind?"  He was aware that, when it came to initiating a chaotic panic, it was often his idea...but as he couldn't come up with an idea that he had any confidence would result in evacuating slaves instead of just letting them die, he was curious to see if different eyes saw a plan he didn't.
Juragga
player, 677 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Fri 23 Oct 2020
at 02:01
  • msg #181

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"GuuHHHRRAaaahhrr," Juragga said, softly for him.  He didn't make eye contact with Shard. "Rrrhuuunnnhhhhrr waaaaargh."

We have to save all the ones we can.  Then arm the ones we can't.  Let them die fighting.  I will be with them.

His tone was both resigned and determined.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:05, Fri 23 Oct 2020.
The Force
GM, 1171 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 25 Oct 2020
at 22:32
  • msg #182

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"We need crew for a bigger ship... well, I've heard that some Wookiees have been known to work ships.  Maybe, if we find a transport, enough of the Wookiees will know enough about ships to be able to handle it.  At least well enough to get to another system."

Hedine looks at Juragga desperately, "That's right, isn't it?  Some Wookiees know about ships?"
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1514 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Wed 28 Oct 2020
at 22:40
  • msg #183

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans' voice was as expressionless as the faceplate of the helmet.  "I've never flown anything larger than a small transport, so we better hope several of then know something about large transport operations if we actually intend for them to survive their own rescue."

He turned slightly, just enough to be able to see the group out if 5he corner of one eye (which was actually a significant turn, with the limited peripheral vision in the helmet.  "I'm still waiting for an idea that results in a Wookiee evacuation, instead of just sealing that part of the base and abandoning them to their fates."  It was unclear whether he meant he was waiting for a moment of inspiration, or for a suggestion from someone else.  Quite probably, it was both...
This message was last edited by the player at 22:41, Wed 28 Oct 2020.
Haarmon Dak
player, 881 posts
Are you talking to me?
Thu 29 Oct 2020
at 12:00
  • msg #184

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon put on his thinking face. His foot tapped the ground quickly, rhythmically, unconsciously. Rhijans was right, of course. This was all as sketchy as all get out. But this was important. It was important to his best friend and it was important to him. Void knows Rags has pulled his sorry backside from the fire enough times. He owed him this much and a whole lot more. So if they were going to walk away from this, so be it, but Haarmon was going to run it to the ground first.

"So, two step plan? Maybe? Step one, we lock the Wookie barracks down. Rebel Spy is maybe the easiest way to do that. It's worked before." He smiled a little. "We could even say that the famous, infamous, dangerous operative Juragga is there. He's already wanted for blowing up a whole Star Destroyer and springing the Colonal, yeah? And that would be the kind of thing as ISB agent might take an interest in. That shouldn't be too too hard. And I think I can knock out communications so no one can double-check our story."

A pause.

"So we get on site. Lock it down. Nothing or no one in or out. At which point we might have to improvise some depending on variables."

Another pause. Longer this time. Haarmon hated this part. He wasn't any good at it and he hated writing cheques the others were going to have to cash.

"Once we're locked down, we can find out who knows about ships. We'll be able to interrogate whoever we want because of the cover story. We find someone. SomeONES, plural, hopefully, and then we trace a path from there to whatever ship they can run that we can find here at the yards."

He didn't make eye contact with anyone. He was increasingly afraid this was stupid and dumb but he wanted to get it all out before they started laughing at him. So at least he'd get laughed at for the whole plan and not part of it.

"And that means we'll need someone at the yards to take stock and mess with stuff as needed. That will probably have to be me and Hedine. Rags and Shard and Rhijans are all going to be needed to run the Rebel-Wookie=Bluff."

"But once we have that match, we're already in lockdown, so if someone blows something up, or there's a crisis, or some idea that the Rebel scum are trying to kill Juragga the Star Destroyer Destroyer, that gives plausible deniability to quick-march them all down to the yards."

He shook his head.

"Plus or minus actually finding the guy we came looking for. Plus or minus how far it is from Wookie to ship. Plus or minus extra curious gatekeepers. Plus or minus I have to be in two places at once. Plus or minus a million other things I haven't thought of."

A took a breath. That was a lot.

He looked up.

"Whatcha think?"
Shard
player, 1534 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Thu 29 Oct 2020
at 15:06
  • msg #185

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard wracks her brain for an answer to Rhijans.  It's true that her plan might unfold along unpleasant paths rather than how she hopes, but that's an issue with any plan.  The Empire's care for their slaves is questionable, but thousands killed?  Less likely.  Less likely, she admits, but not completely out of the question.

"We're not just going to fight and die, Juragga," she whispers.  "I get where you're coming from, but we've managed some crazy rescues in the past." The Hutt's.  The ice planet.  Why not here?

"But we've also got to find Hedine's brother."

Haarmon's plan spills out in a rush, and begins to turn over and over again in Shard's head.  If she squints at it carefully enough, it's workable.  "Well, there's a solid reason not to just kill them all," she offers.  "We just need to get the story straight, THEN have the timing good.  And at the same time, find Hedine's brother." Her eyes narrow.  "Hm.  Maybe we don't need to find him; rather, maybe we don't need to find him.  Maybe your brother, Hedine, is working with the Star Destroyer Destroyer Juragga, and we need him alive.  And someone can find him for us."

Another giant con job; this, Shard considers, seems to be becoming the void-cursed norm for this group.
The Force
GM, 1173 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 1 Nov 2020
at 17:12
  • msg #186

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Karra smiles brightly.  The plan is coming together.  Reaching past Haarmon she taps at the console.  "The Wookiees look to be working in three different construction docks."  She laughs, a short, sharp bark.  "This one here... they're building a star destroyer.  Nowhere near finished yet, but might be a good target for a known saboteur like the Infamous Juragga."

Other considerations come into play.  "Najdo specialises in droids and computers, if that helps with an excuse to ask for him."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1515 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sun 1 Nov 2020
at 17:35
  • msg #187

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans nodded minutely.  "Gives us a way to isolate the Wookiees, certainly.  We have reason to suspect a known saboteur in their midst...for that story to fly, we need to know if any Wookiees have arrived since the incident with rescuing the Colonel.  Can't very well claim the saboteur is Juragga if he was somewhere else after the last shipment of Wookiees arrived.  We can claim it's an associate of Juragga, though, which makes interrogating them more plausible...if it's him we're looking for, someone's going to ask why we need ALL the Wookiees instead of just the ones who arrived recently.  Request them all being sequestered somewhere close to a dock with an adequate transport, so we don't have to take the saboteur far when we've found him.  Minimal guards, because we don't want a troop buildup to hint to any Rebel agents where he's being held...in fact, we can advise that troops be expanded throughout the rest of the base to suppress any rescue attempts or attempts at exploiting his capture to start a riot or carry out massive sabotage while everyone's looking at the Wookiees.  THEIR best course of action is to carry on as much like normal as possible, so any support personnel working with the saboteur aren't alerted that anything has changed...that keeps us from having a big mass of troopers to fight through, if the time comes."  There needed to be a way to get them onto the transport and depart without starting a firefight, because they wouldn't stand a chance of escaping all the picket ships around the shipyard...but he had faith they could work that out.

" Seems like a pretty simple story to sell, after having impersonated Nimadda..."
Juragga
player, 679 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Mon 2 Nov 2020
at 02:55
  • msg #188

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga was a walking carpet of crackling static electricity.

He nodded when asked if Wookiees were pilots.  Some were, certainly.  Of all the prisoners, he was sure they'd have enough.

Talks of ruses began, which made his head spin a bit.  He wasn't good at tracking subterfuge; he wasn't even good at lying.  Wookiee honor and all that.

To the Jedi, he said, "GrrRRAaawurrrrrrrhhHHHHaaaggh."  We cannot leave any to slavery.  We must at least let them have the choice of dying in combat.
Haarmon Dak
player, 882 posts
Are you talking to me?
Mon 2 Nov 2020
at 12:34
  • msg #189

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon winced. "Hey, Rags, I know you're a romantic at heart, but let's run down all the plans where everyone lives fighting before we start up with the dying fighting."

Inside, he was getting pretty excited. They were really going to do this. But he was also getting pretty terrified. Because they were really going to do this.
Juragga
player, 680 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Mon 2 Nov 2020
at 23:01
  • msg #190

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Romantic?  Juragga was tired.  He was weary in his soul.  He had only the barest sliver of hope left in him, and it was all that kept him going.  This turn of luck, this finding of the Wookiees... he would not have believed it.  And now he couldn't think of anything else but freeing them, one way or the other, from a fate worse than death: slavery.

"WAAAAAuuurrrrrGGGH," he commented, with a slight forced smirk.  You talk about plans where everyone lives, and you call ME a romantic?
Haarmon Dak
player, 883 posts
Are you talking to me?
Tue 3 Nov 2020
at 01:42
  • msg #191

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon shook his head.

"That's not being romantic, that's being optimistic. Possibly delusional."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1516 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Tue 3 Nov 2020
at 04:11
  • msg #192

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans had a fleeting ghost of a smirk, inside the helmet.  "If we do this right, we can take the fighting out of the equation, which improves the chances of everyone living considerably."  ISB was something out of a horror story for most Imperials, unknown figures with shadowy histories and unsavory methodologies.  Unless there was a high-ranking ISB official already on station...which was entirely possible...odds were good the one ID would be all they'd need to buy a lot of leeway.

A little persuasion, here and there, should take care of the rest...the kind of persuasion they had a proven track record of delivering.  But first things first...

"Let's not set ourselves working on too many plans at the same time.  Right now, getting the Wookiees off station, intact, is the plan.  When and if that plan starts falling apart, we can worry about staging a slave uprising and giving everyone the chance to die fighting.  Fastest way to make sure we lose a lot of people is to try and do too many different things at once."  He gave a minute shrug and added, "It's really hard to hit a target fifty meters in front of you if you're busy thinking about dodging the target thirty meters to your left."

His voice was modulated by the helmet, so it was hard to interpret the emotion behind his words as he finished, "Besides, we have to get out of here alive.  The only way this mission succeeds is if we get back to base and Hedine's brother fixes You-Why.  If we die here, he dies there.  So let's not talk about dying fighting until we know that's the only option left to us."
Shard
player, 1536 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Wed 4 Nov 2020
at 01:31
  • msg #193

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"What they're saying, Juragga."  Shard nods, agreeing.  "We've got a void-cursed fantastic track record with the Bantha crap - think about everything we've done.  Bluffing, getting things finished without big explosions, lying our way into places where we CAN have big explosions...it's what we do best.  The fighting?  Last resort."

She prods him once with a finger - surreptitiously, of course.  "I want to start with a plan where we try to get everyone off this rock.  AFTER that we start thinking about going down in a reactor meltdown."

Her lips purse.  "I'd rather get everyone off - all the void-cursed slaves.  But...I'm not sure how.  This plan, aiming for the Wookies, it's probably workable.  Better that than trying a failing to get the lot.  We know where this place is - a Rebel strikeforce might be able to hit it once we let everyone in on what's here."

A shrug follows that idea; something for another time.  "For now, let's run with the tried and  true ISB ID and lies.  Worst case, I can drop a name or two - I figure you know which one.  Not to BE that person, but for a link with them.  Verisimilitude, right?" Her thin smile disappears like morning mist. "So then...small rebel group here.  Juragga is one of them.  Another - Hedine?  Maybe more, which dovetails nicely with Rhijans idea of having the troopers move out to secure other areas.  So we locate Hedine, or have THEM locate him and bring him to us.  Why?  Because we know what he looks like.  But we need...um...Juragga here - OUR Juragga, not the Star-Destroyer-Destroyer - to identify the Juragga we're looking for.  So we need all of them in one area, locked down, close to transport.  Rhijans plan, essentially."

She squints, surveying the plan from different angles in her head.  "I admit, this is a big one," Shard confesses. "I'm hoping it's big and bold, but not big and overcomplicated, because those always fall apart.  More input?"
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1517 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Wed 4 Nov 2020
at 06:47
  • msg #194

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans spoke up.  "Might be better to NOT have anyone identify Juragga...the fake Juragga, that is.  Just identify known associates of his.  Rely on the Imperial disdain for non-humanoid species...they likely wouldn't recognize much difference between Wookiees beyond broad strokes like hair color and height.  That can give us an excuse to take a LOT of them off the station, right away...they're Juragga's associates, they can give us information on how to find him, what his habits and weaknesses are...but they need to be interrogated and we don't have the appropriate facilities here.  We could take a few more along on the premise that they MIGHT be Juragga but we don't know...so they DEFINITELY need to be interrogated."

He gave another shrug and a slight turn of his head.  "We might be able to get the whole contingent shipped out if we can convince them that we suspect there are a few others who are also Rebel agents...and clan members related to them.  Leaving no stone unturned, as it were, or taking them all to use as bait, to lure the rogue Wookiee Rebels into a trap.  Someone's going to complain about losing the labor force...but the Empire sees them as expendable assets.  If we present a firm argument that we NEED them all for specific operations...whether interrogation or bait or to reprogram and seed as counter-agents...I'm pretty sure the reputation of the ISB will do most of our work for us."

He gave a nod.  "I'd also be careful about saying anything about Hedine actually working with anyone Alliance.  If they think he's actually an agent, there's suddenly a long list of little quirks he may have that suddenly stop being a reason to give him a shove and become a reason to shoot him.  But if we say he knew Juragga before coming here, can identify him...well, then, he's not only not a threat, but he's an asset to be protected."  The devil was always in the details on something like this...and with the stakes being as high as they were, those details had to be consistent and working for them as much as possible.
The Force
GM, 1174 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 4 Nov 2020
at 22:48
  • msg #195

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

While the team discusses the plan, Karra Hedine starts playing with the console, calling up maps, charts and diagrams.  The rest are the experts on this sort of thing, after all, so she leaves them to it, listening with half an ear while she scans through screens of information, faster and faster, searching for anything interesting.

She stops and flicks back a few pages, her attention suddenly attracted by an oddity that she almost missed.

Cocking her head to one side, she looks at the oddity, lips pursed.  Behind her the discussion continues.

Finally she raises her hand slowly.  "Excuse me... the Wookiees... a lot of them have been assigned to a project that has no designation.  They're all named, or numbered, but not this one."

Haarmon Dak
player, 884 posts
Are you talking to me?
Thu 5 Nov 2020
at 01:14
  • msg #196

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon squinted at the screen. "You're right. Wow. That's.... disconcerting. But someone's gotta be calling it something. Hang on. Lemme see what I can see in here."

And so saying, he leaned forward and started typing. Within moments he was passed the utilitarian user interfaces and into the root directories. He rummaged around, and at the same time ran searches with various combinations of terms, trying to see if anyone, anywhere, referred to the project even obliquely.

"A secret project could be good for us," he muttered, not looking away from the screen. "If it's all hush hush, maybe we can get away with something."

OOC: Rolled a 23 on my Investigation roll.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1518 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 5 Nov 2020
at 03:32
  • msg #197

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans nodded.  "A secret project would be perfect for us.  We don't need anything directly connected to it...but the threat of Rebel saboteurs infiltrating it?  That gives us something to bludgeon recalcitrant command personnel with...also gives us a way to add extra credibility to our cover story, if we know about their secret project when most of the station doesn't."

He thought for a moment longer, then mused aloud, "I'm sure the Empire has hundreds of secret projects...but it would be really convenient if this one was connected with the one we messed up for them."
The Force
GM, 1175 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 8 Nov 2020
at 21:23
  • msg #198

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon starts looking through files.  Ther are a lot of them, and the first thing he discovers is that Hedine is correct - the project uses a lot of Wookiees, and doesn't have an official designation, beyond a work section identifier - WS-373.
Juragga
player, 681 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Mon 9 Nov 2020
at 00:27
  • msg #199

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga nodded as Shard agreed with the others.  He drew himself resolute.  Then he folded his arms and forced his impatience aside as the others typed and planned and plotted.

He would be ready.
Shard
player, 1538 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sat 14 Nov 2020
at 02:27
  • msg #200

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Better and better," Shard agrees, "but worse and worse.  Because now we need to figure out what the Void that 'secret project' happens to be." Nervously, she chews on a nail, then snatches it away from her mouth; ISB officers don't go in for that sort of thing.  "Knowing the Empire, it's a tad more likely to be 'New Secret Weapon of Mass Destruction' than 'Better Agricultural System." 

Her voice is flat, toneless; if it's a joke, she doesn't find it funny.

"More leverage, more risk," she mutters, turning away.  "That...seems to be our motto.  We should get it airbrushed on the side of the Bantha, or something."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1519 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sat 14 Nov 2020
at 07:32
  • msg #201

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans gave a minute grunt, that might have been an amused snort if he ever did that sort of thing.  "We're in a shipyard that makes combat vessels and weapon systems.  I think we can safely assume it's not a project intended for any kind of peaceful, benevolent activity."

His tone shifted slightly.  "We don't need to know what it is.  It would be helpful, perhaps, for them to THINK we know what it is, but we're not here to oversee the project.  We're looking for a Rebel sabotage ring.  The nature of the project they might be sabotaging is secondary."  There was the slightest hint of dark humor in his voice as he continued, "Of course, if it IS some kind of weapon system, actually sabotaging it might create the kind of chaos we wanted to get out of here."  In his normal, clinical tone, he added, "If we start our 'interrogations', we may be able to find out what it is, if Juragga can convince anyone we're talking with that we should be trusted. I wouldn't blame them if nobody said a thing."
The Force
GM, 1176 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 15 Nov 2020
at 20:21
  • msg #202

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon looks up from the display.  "Nothing much about it here.  They're getting massive shipments of heavy equipment and tibanna gas, but that's about all I can find."

"And it looks to be associated with an older project, also secret, that was designated either Stardust or DS-1, depending on the report.  The old one was apparently overseen by one of the Moffs.  The new one's overseer isn't specified, but looks to be somebody even further up the food chain than a Moff."

"Tight security could be a problem."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1520 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 16 Nov 2020
at 00:38
  • msg #203

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans' scowl could be heard in his voice.  "Tibanna gas?  It's some sort of weapons system, then, most likely.  They use that in blasters, primarily, but a few other weapon-types, as well.  If they're bringing in huge quantities of it, it's either a really big weapon, or lots and lots of smaller ones."  There was a minute grunt.

"Being Kuat, it could go either way.  If they were going to make some kind of massive weapon system, this is the place best suited for constructing it...or, at least, for making the components to make it.  They might do assembly somewhere else.  But they could also be developing some kind of weapon system upgrade for their warships..."

He lapsed into silence for a moment, then gave a shrug.  "Either way, it's prime for sabotage.  Knowing about the gas coming in, along with the name of the project, should be enough for us to bluff our way through any questions...but, yeah, if it comes right down to it, anyone asks us what it is and all we have to say is we aren't authorized to know that information, we're just here looking for infiltrating saboteurs."
Haarmon Dak
player, 885 posts
Are you talking to me?
Mon 16 Nov 2020
at 01:05
  • msg #204

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon nodded, "And everyone knows no one does infiltration like a Wookie."

He shook his head.

"I really should be able to dig up who's in charge of this sort of thing. Secret projects are notoriously hard to keep overseers' names out of. So much has to be handled manually. Who's above a Moff?"

No one good, that's for sure.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1521 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 16 Nov 2020
at 07:43
  • msg #205

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Another shrug from Rhijans.  "Grand Moffs...and the Emperor.  Probably a few others, few and far enough between that they don't necessarily have any unifying title.  Basically, anyone the Emperor likes and trusts."  A moment of thought, and he added, "For something like this, could also be a particularly high-ranking Admiral or General.  They don't have to channel this through standard governmental channels."
The Force
GM, 1177 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 18 Nov 2020
at 20:58
  • msg #206

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Hedine clears her throat, "Najdo isn't listed as working in that area, but he's a specialist, so maybe they had him in there recently, if the project required it?  Then again, even if it didn't, he's a computer expert, he might know a way to get more information."

"Tibanna is a coolant that they use in heavy weapons - turbolasers, and the like.  If they're shipping it in to this area, then I'd say that's what they're working on there, and the Wookiees being used there might point to a lot of heavy construction.  Maybe it's a new class of star destroyer or something."

Shard
player, 1539 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Thu 19 Nov 2020
at 01:48
  • msg #207

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Top ISB agents might be..." Shard wiggles her hand.  "Something a Moff wants to step lightly around.  They're somewhat outside the chain of command, and it's all about to whom you report.  If you happen to be Ghea Nimadda, well...a Moff and her would likely circle each other like uncertain predators."  She ponders the revelation regarding the potential weapon system. "We heard...rumors, if you remember.  About some kind of superweapon developed recently that the Rebellion managed to destroy.  Maybe they're working on another one - not the same kind, but the Empire doesn't do anything by halves.  Remember Osmur?"

A grim frown twists her lips. "If the Empire made one, you can bet they like have one, maybe more variants they're working on.  Because if one is good, three or four is even better.  So if we can throw a spanner in the works here at the same time as we get everyone out, it might slow down whatever they're planning...enough that the Rebellion can actually mount an attack on this place."

Now the smile returns.  "But if it's this important, any mention of saboteurs will send them into a tizzy.  We might just luck out with it - whoever is in charge will NOT want that kind of thing on their watch, and if our credentials hold up will probably give us the run of the place...or move stars and void to give us a hand finding the terrible Star Destroyer Destroyer Juragga.  Stakes are high, which is our best chance of pulling off a Big Lie.  So let's figure out where to start - plan is, we're looking for the Evil Juragga and his associates, one of whom happens to be Najdo, right?  And we need Najdo alive, because he's one of the only ones who can ID Juragga.  All this sound good?" Her lips purse. "Problem will be if he does something unwise when he sees you, Hedine."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1522 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 19 Nov 2020
at 03:51
  • msg #208

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"We need to make sure that we're specifically mentioning him as someone who can IDENTIFY Juragga, not as someone who's worked with him.  Anything we can do to keep the stormtroopers from getting too quick with their trigger fingers is good."

He shrugged slightly.  "And I wouldn't say that we're specifically looking for Juragga...just that we--that is, the ISB--have received intel that there may be Rebel saboteurs trying to infiltrate this project...and we have reason to believe Juragga may be one of them.  We need to interrogate all the Wookiees to find out if any of them have had connections to Juragga in the past."  He gave a curt nod, and added, "The trick is to present a clear threat, while not giving them anything in the way of verifiable details that could refute our story.  If we tell them we believe Juragga's behind the plan, and it may be some of his team assigned to carry it out, they have no way of knowing when any of that team may have arrived...if we say it's Juragga, and the last shipment of Wookiees arrived before Kourene's rescue...well, we all know how talented he is, but even Juragga can't be in two places at the same time.  The less specific we are, the more suspicious of anyone not Imperial they become, because that means that literally anyone here could potentially be part of his team."
Haarmon Dak
player, 886 posts
Are you talking to me?
Thu 19 Nov 2020
at 13:28
  • msg #209

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon was getting excited. He liked it when the plan started to coagulate into some actual Things to Do. He was a kinetic creature, at heart, and he loved a good list.

"I would just like to point out that Rags could totally be in two places at once if he wanted to."

Snicker.

"So, are we still thinking I head down to the docks to secure transport? You know much I love bluffing my way past Impies, but I think Shard is the one to sell this particular sack of bantha poodoo."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1523 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 19 Nov 2020
at 18:22
  • msg #210

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans nodded...she obviously didn't enjoy it, but Shard had a successful track record of playing the authoritarian bureaucrat and intimidating Imperial minions.

"Actually, if we play our cards carefully, we don't need to secure transport.  They'll give us one.  We need to demolish the shuttle...spectacularly.  And it's got to happen after Shard sells our story.  It becomes evidence that the saboteurs we're looking for are here...and trying to make sure we don't leave with whatever we find."  Inside the helmet, he gave a thin-lipped grimace as he added, "And it also leaves them with less material to examine if they ever realize who we really are.  We were already planning on acquiring a different ship to leave...so there's no good reason not to use that one as our first distraction."
Shard
player, 1540 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sun 22 Nov 2020
at 02:39
  • msg #211

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard considers this for a long moment.  Rhijans and Haarmon make many good points to slot into the plan.  There's just one with which she disagrees.  "I'm a little thin on the idea of blowing up our shuttle," she muses.  "It's a little too much - any rebel saboteurs would also know we have a surfeit of ships around to commandeer, and the Imperials could work that out.  And it feels just little too...convenient for our ship to explode and create drama, if you get my meaning.  If everyone is dead-set on it, sure; my opinion on this isn't solid.  I'm just figuring if it comes down to them examining our ship, they're already plenty suspicious and we're in trouble.  Won't matter what they find at that point."

A slow nod follows.  "Going to need you for backup, Haarmon."  A sour frown appears and disappears on her lips. "If there's any technical stuff, or just completely baffling stuff you want to throw out; I can't run this alone, as we've seen." The bitter expression fades slightly as possibilities go through her head.  'Of course there could be Rebel saboteurs here," Shard mutters, eyes half-closing.  "It's why they have security, we're telling them something they already know.  It shouldn't surprise them, and we would know that as well.  But we know specifics.  Details.  Which saboteurs..."

Her eyes snap open.  "Got it.  All right, so Juragga...THIS Juragga...is here to find the Star Destroyer Destroyer in the middle of a bunch of other Wookies, and also talk to them if need be - Imperials would believe that, those idiots can't see past the idea that 'all Wookies look alike."  She makes a disgusted sound; it's complete speciesism, of course.  "Haarmon, tech-aide.  Rhijans, bodyguard/security/weapons stormtrooperr.  Lund, pilot and further security.  Hedine...any thoughts?  Assistant to Haarmon?"
The Force
GM, 1178 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 22 Nov 2020
at 20:38
  • msg #212

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Karra raises her hand again, nervously.  "Why not just have Lund take the shuttle into orbit?  He can wait there with the other ships we saw on the way in, and if something happens and we still need the shuttle, or we need him to pilot something else then he can come down again."

"Besides, if you want to make something look like sabotage, wouldn't it be better to blow up something that didn't just arrive today?  To me it would make more sense if saboteurs carried out a plan that they had been working on for weeks.  Trash something impressive, not just a tiny shuttle."

Rhijans Thanus
player, 1524 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 23 Nov 2020
at 00:39
  • msg #213

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans gave a minute shrug.  "I wasn't intending that the shuttle be blown up right away.  Rather, sometime after we'd started questioning Wookiees...so it looked like Rebel agents on the station realized we were close and were taking steps to prevent us from getting away with whoever we found.  Our cover story plants the seed of paranoia...sacrificing the shuttle feeds it.  But there's no shortage of other targets."  It was a level, analytical explanation, neither arguing for the option nor rejecting the alternative, merely making sure that the plan was clearly understood for its potential before being accepted or rejected.

And his idea did rely heavily on whoever was in command buying into the idea that there was a Rebel infiltration, and being paranoid about that infiltration creating havoc with his project (and, thus, his personnel file).  While Rhijans considered that a likely scenario, it was by no means guaranteed.
The Force
GM, 1180 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Tue 1 Dec 2020
at 14:03
  • msg #214

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

There is a brief discussion.  The general idea for the plan looks like following what Shard suggests, with the confirmation of Hedine as a second tech - that is her speciality after all.  If she gets caught acting like a tech, then she has more than enough expertise to fake a cover story.

And talking of Hedine... she glances up from the monitor, a concerned look on her face...

"Did anybody order a delivery of 'troopers?  We have a group of them standing just outside the door."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1526 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Tue 1 Dec 2020
at 17:35
  • msg #215

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans shook his head.  "Do they look ready to come in shooting?  If not, it may just be a regular patrol.  Or someone may have noticed activity on a terminal that was supposed to be unmanned.  Unless they look ready for a fight, just act like you belong here.  This may be the point at which the ISB ID comes out."  Unless it was certain that their cover was blown, they had everything to lose and nothing to gain by treating the troopers as anything other than routine and expected.
The Force
GM, 1181 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Thu 3 Dec 2020
at 21:09
  • msg #216

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The display monitor does, indeed, show a half dozen stormtroopers standing  right outside the door.  Oddly, none of them are looking at the door.  Their attention seems directed, instead, at something off to the left.  They do look to be ready to fight though - weapons held at the ready and the troopers appear to be carefully scanning the area in the direction they are looking...
Shard
player, 1542 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sun 6 Dec 2020
at 15:09
  • msg #217

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard leans over to look at the monitor.  "That's somewhat worrisome, though it might be something we can use to our advantage.  Clearly we aren't the problem - or if we are, they aren't looking specifically for this exact group." Her lips tighten.  "We could walk out that door right now and...see about taking control of both the situation and the troopers, both.  It might help our cover."
Haarmon Dak
player, 888 posts
Are you talking to me?
Sun 6 Dec 2020
at 16:55
  • msg #218

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon's eyes snap up to Shard's and his face is pretty scared. "Sweet void above and below, Shard. We've run some stuff plays, but I don't know if I have it in me to do that. But I'll back whatever you think is best."
The Force
GM, 1182 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 6 Dec 2020
at 22:11
  • msg #219

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The stormtroopers seem fixated on something.  One of them, his orange pauldron marking  him as a squad leader, seems distracted for a moment.  Then he starts to move towards whatever is going on, at a fast walk, and the rest follow him...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1527 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 7 Dec 2020
at 01:21
  • msg #220

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans commented, drily, "You know, it could very well be that there is, in fact, some Rebel agent aboard, either to sabotage something or to steal information.  Besides us, I mean..."  If he was bothered by Shard's suggestion that they take charge of the situation, it wasn't heard at all in his voice...especially not as he continued.

"At some point, we're going to have to step out and call attention to ourselves.  A large part of the plan revolves around tricking them into helping us get what we need, and we can't very well manage that if they never see or hear anything from us.  I suppose the current time is as good as any...if we appear to be tracking whatever target they're chasing, it will certainly lend some legitimacy to our story."
Shard
player, 1543 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Tue 8 Dec 2020
at 01:53
  • msg #221

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

With a final glance around the room, Shard gives a slow nod.  It's good to hear agreement from Rhijans - he's the first to step up and point out flaws, not at all a bad habit.  "All right, then.  Popping up with a bunch of local stormtroopers to vouch for us might be just what we need." She puts one hand on Haarmon's shoulder.  "No worse than walking in and realizing we have to pretend I'm Ghea Nimadda, right?  And we've pulled that off."  Sort of. "We've got this.  You've got this."

Her lips thin; even moreso than before, the older woman can push herself into the proper mold for an ISB agent.  Recent decisions have removed the puffiness from around her eyes, sharpened the eyes themselves; she'll never be the young woman she left behind, but Shard is slowly becoming the older woman she should have been.  "Places, everyone?" Adjusting her uniform, she checks the location of her weapons before moving to the door. "Unless there's a final objection...let's step out there and see what has caught their interest."
The Force
GM, 1183 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 9 Dec 2020
at 21:30
  • msg #222

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The blast door opens, and the air is filled with the shrill shrieking of alarms, and something that smells like... smoke...

All eyes turn in the direction that the troopers went, and then past them, and upwards, to where the upper portion of a ruined tower is burning.

A repulsorlift emergency vehicle hurtles past, heading towards the fire.

There is a dull boom, and a second, more distant building seems to split in two, and burst into flame...
Shard
player, 1544 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Thu 10 Dec 2020
at 02:08
  • msg #223

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard winces at the sight.  "Yeah...good thing we didn't try to hide through this." It wouldn't have made any sense for an ISB officer on the search for a rebel saboteur to not stick their noses into this situation. "Looks like we're jumping in feet first," she grates between her teeth.  "Shall we head in that direction?  Or does someone have an on-the-spot better idea?"

The Imperials will be looking for saboteurs, now.  The choices are either try to stay ahead of the search...or become part of it, themselves.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1528 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 10 Dec 2020
at 03:54
  • msg #224

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Pretty sure they're not going to be looking for someone in uniform, coming from behind them," Rhijans commented, hefting his blaster so it appeared as though he was responding to the alarm, as well.

"Best get moving, one way or the other.  Standing here in the middle of all this will DEFINITELY attract attention."
Juragga
player, 683 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Thu 10 Dec 2020
at 04:16
  • msg #225

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"WAAAAAAAAAAArgh," Juragga agreed.
The Force
GM, 1184 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 13 Dec 2020
at 20:24
  • msg #226

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Karra Hedine stops moving for a moment, while others decide what to do.  Then, without being told, she starts towards the nearest fire.  She is notably shaking, with a look of abject terror on her face, and she is muttering under her breath, "Void!  Void!  Void!"

The reason for her concern becomes apparent a moment later, as she says, "What if Najdo is in one of those buildings?"
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1529 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 14 Dec 2020
at 01:53
  • msg #227

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans took a moment to grab her and spin her to face the emotionless exterior of his helmet.  "If he is, we'll find out.  If he isn't, and you don't pull yourself together, you're gonna blow this whole operation, because there is no reason anyone working for ISB would be concerned about someone being caught in a fire unless it was a target they were hunting down.  Get a grip before you blow our cover."  He pushed her back towards Shard...the woman was better at calming down overwrought emotional cases than he was, he was certain...his own experience with emotions was tightly controlled...there had only been one time in his life that his emotions had gotten the better of him, and that was the event that had started him on his current path.  But with so little experience dealing with extreme emotions, he had little in the way of tactics for managing them besides cold reality...and that, he had noticed, usually didn't help others very much, despite how effective he found it.
Shard
player, 1545 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Tue 15 Dec 2020
at 02:08
  • msg #228

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Catching Rhijans look - more implied by the helmet movement than anything else - Shard gives Juragga a nod and moves to stand beside the pair.  The bounty-hunter has already hit the tech with a hard dose of the truth; now it's time for something a touch softer.  "Karra - it's a big base.  He's probably not in those buildings, and if he is, it doesn't mean he's dead.  And we will find him."  She leans in close, her tone quiet and calm, even reassuring.  "You keep that in your head to guide you.  And along with it, remember what Rhijans said, because we sure as void can't find your brother if we give ourselves away."

Gripping the woman's arm, she gives a quick, light tug of reassurance.  "Stick close to Juragga."  If she looks nervous, maybe people will blame proximity to an eight-foot tall killing machine.  "And trust in us; we've done this before."

Not this, exactly...but close enough.

"Now let's move," she shoots out to everyone.  "We need to get there, and take control of the narrative."
Haarmon Dak
player, 889 posts
Are you talking to me?
Wed 16 Dec 2020
at 14:11
  • msg #229

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon turned his datapad one way, then the other. Eventually he paused with it held at a sort of diagonal. He edged over to Karra and turned to face her, holding out the datapad.

"Lookit. Here's us. Here's that building there," he points to the burning one, and then the square on the map on the datapad. "Best I can tell, Najdo is....." he traces a line with his finger, "Here. So he's safe. Well, you know not safe-safe. But... you know what I mean. He's not in the building that's burning."

He nodded at her and then hupped off to follow Shard.
The Force
GM, 1185 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 16 Dec 2020
at 22:10
  • msg #230

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Thank you." Karra says to Haarmon, her face flooding with relief.  "I'll try to keep it together."  Nonetheless, she moves closer to Juragga.

The group moves away, heading towards the fire.  As they get closer they see numerous emergency vehicles, all of which are the standard grey of Imperial military vehicles, but with high visibility markings.  The crews are wearing hazardous environment suits, but are probably military too.

There are plenty of stormtroopers about, mostly working crowd control, and a number of people in Naval uniforms, who appear to be taking charge of the situation...
Shard
player, 1546 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Thu 17 Dec 2020
at 02:07
  • msg #231

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon provides some solid relief for Karra - better that than platitudes - and the group moves forward, into the danger zone.  Shard keeps her eyes open, on the hunt for a higher-level officer...and another ISB agent.  Best case scenario, they cooperate...but worst case is that someone from the department has the best odds of spotting a fake.

Seeking out one of the officers - preferably one standing there looking command-y while the others yell at troops - she paces in that direction.  "Commander!" the older woman shouts, approaching the officer.  She'll probably get the rank wrong, but unless it's an admiral, she's likely given them a promotion and they will hardly be offended. "What happened here?"
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1530 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 17 Dec 2020
at 03:20
  • msg #232

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans began moving around the area, looking as though he was searching for something/someone specific, stepping into action as Shard made her initial contact with the officer she'd selected.  He'd be busy for a few moments, as least, but when he returned, his actions would have laid the groundwork for either presenting their cover or reinforcing it, depending on whether or not Shard got to it before he came back.

It also, incidentally, gave him a quick once over of the troops in the area...not just the stormtroopers, but any other personnel...just in case there was something noteworthy...
Juragga
player, 684 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Thu 17 Dec 2020
at 16:12
  • msg #233

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga gnashed his teeth and kept his head down.  He wanted to loom menacingly at the stormtroopers, but that was the last thing he should do now.

He did keep close to Karra, though, hoping his presence was comforting.
The Force
GM, 1186 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 20 Dec 2020
at 19:53
  • msg #234

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The officer, a mere captain by his insignia, gives Shard a withering look, which changes to one of mixed fear and loathing as he suddenly realises that the only people of her rank who would speak to him are, under the circumstances, probably ISB.  He decides to play it safe.

"Series of explosions reported, here and in Sections Four, Seventeen and Twenty.  Seventeen is, of course, adjacent to this Section, while Four and Twenty are further removed.  Eleven explosions reported so far, spread around the globe.  Command has activated all stormtrooper units, and fielded damage control units in the affected Sections.  Damage control in currently unaffected Sections has been place on standby.  Sir."

Karra and Haarmon both stood close to Juragga, the young woman doing her best to look casually interested in the fire, which appears to be spreading up the tower.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1531 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sun 20 Dec 2020
at 20:53
  • msg #235

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans returned, snapping a salute at Shard (and all but ignoring the Captain completely.  "As best I can ascertain, this isn't directly connected to our mission.  But with our target's reputation, I can't rule it out."  It was a cold, critical analysis...calculated to both reassure the captain that he wasn't the target of an ISB operation and terrify him that something worthy of ISB attention had popped up under his command.
Shard
player, 1547 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Mon 21 Dec 2020
at 01:48
  • msg #236

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"That many?"  Shard's eyebrows rise.  There's no need to state the obvious - this is a well-planned, well-managed attack.

Perfect.

Her eyes flick to Rhijans as the 'stormtrooper' gives his report. "We have eleven explosions, here. If they're not Juragga's work," she muses, "they're at least connected to his presence."

With that, she returns her gaze to the captain.  "Eleven.  Detonations.  What did you say your name was, captain?" Without waiting for that information, she continues.  "You - no, we have a serious problem, here." That bone thrown, the older woman gestures toward the columns of smoke.  "Bad as this is, my information puts a rebel saboteur - a very specific saboteur - here.  Now.  His last attempt against the Empire brought down a Star Destroyer."  Her voice tenses on the last two words.  "A very important Star Destroyer."

She leans close, her face grim.  "I can assure you, captain, as bad as this may seem, if Juragga is involved it will only become worse.  This?" She draws herself upright.  "Is a pittance by comparison, but may - may! - be connected.  Where is your commanding officer?"
Haarmon Dak
player, 890 posts
Are you talking to me?
Wed 23 Dec 2020
at 01:53
  • msg #237

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Standing quietly in the background, Haarmon called up Juragga's official rap sheet on his datapad and, with a small cough, handed it to the captain. "Just in case you're not up on current events. This is what we're dealing with. So. You know. Chop chop."

And he took a full step back to show that he was politically hiding behind Shard.
The Force
GM, 1188 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Mon 28 Dec 2020
at 18:36
  • msg #238

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The Captain's eyes scan the list, and his brows lift even as the rest of his expression falls.  He glances at the nearby Wookiee, then back to Shard.

"Captain Danal, Sir.  Admiral Hreckas is in charge of this sub-quadrant, Sir.  He travelled to Section Seventeen when the first attacks were reported there, almost an hour ago.  To my knowledge, he is still there.  Captain Tondash and myself were left in joint command here, in the Admiral's absence."

A bead of sweat appears at the Captains hairline, and... dawdles... down his face.

"Tondash may be inside there, Sir." he gestures towards the nearest burning structure.  "A labourer reported seeing something suspicious, and Tondash went with a team of stormtroopers to investigate.  I have heard nothing from him since the explosion."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1534 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Mon 28 Dec 2020
at 19:50
  • msg #239

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Inside his helmet, Rhijsns offered a tight-lipped smile...he had no idea who was behind the attacks, but he approved of their work...as long as it was only Imperial personnel getting caught in the blast.  Sabotage was tricky, but there were some people who were far too indiscriminate in their approach...collateral damage was no problem for them.  Rhijans could be ruthless...but he tried to avoid dragging innocent bystanders into the situation.  It was one thing if they were Huttese minions or overzealous local consrabulary...but the workers here were largely conscripted labor and would gladly have chosen to be just about anywhere else in the galaxy.  They didn't deserve to be targeted...

At the moment, though, they had no idea who else may have been caught in the blasts.  "It sounds like the situation here is worse than was reported to us," he said to Shard...even with the flat modulation 9f the helmet, his voice carried a clear accusatory implication, that the command staff had been deliberately withholding information.  He'd originally intended to remain quiet and anonymous...but the Captain had apparently bitten hard on the ISB cover, and that gave them some extra room to operate.

"We need to work fast, if we're going to get ahead of him."  Again, apparently directed at Shard...but entirely aimed at securing the captain's full cooperation right away.  He was middle management, apparently unaccustomed to taking charge...his CO was occupied in another sector of the station and the fact that the other captain had gone in to investigate implied that he had been the decisive one, not the man in front of them.  If that all held true, this captain would easily relinquish in the face of an authority figure acting decisively.
The Force
GM, 1189 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 30 Dec 2020
at 21:15
  • msg #240

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Danal's eyes flick towards Rhijans, then back towards Shard as he, perhaps, sees a chance to save his career...

"Since time is of the essence in preventing further attacks, is there anything I can do to help?  Do you need more stormtroopers to assist in your search for this... " he consults the datapad, "... Juragga?"
Haarmon Dak
player, 892 posts
Are you talking to me?
Wed 30 Dec 2020
at 21:41
  • msg #241

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon shook his head. "Stormtroopers? To chase the Juragga? You use a hammer to slice your steak? Nah, nah. Huntin' and spottin' is what this freakshow is for," he jerks his thumb at the real Juragga, "What the lady officer here needs is to move quick and not spend half her time re-telling this same story to every inquiring mind that crosses her path. So while we make tracks, can you get on the horn and spread the word to the teeming multitudes to just let her get done what needs doing?"

He looked up at Shard like a spineless sycophant might, begging for a little of that sweet, sweet validation from whoever got the shiniest badge.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1535 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Wed 30 Dec 2020
at 22:22
  • msg #242

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans resisted the urge to step 9n Haarmon's foot, or kick him in the shins, or nudge his side...something to get him to stop talking.  The door had been opened wide for Shard to request detention and interrogation, the captain primed to unquestioningly agree to it...

He could only hope that Sha4d got her foot in that door before Haarmon succeeded in kicking it shut.

Externally, all that was seen was a stormtrooper looking at an officer just a little too long, with a cock of his head that indicated that even the blindly devout stormtroopers could find the outburst questionable.  But his body posture managed to convey more a mixture of disappointment and disgust than surprise.  Hopefully, the effect was more an impression of resignation for an officer that refused to follow protocol than surprise at the decidedly un-Imperial language.  They were supposedly ISB, after all...ISB didn't operate within the normal parameters of the Imperial military...
Shard
player, 1550 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Thu 31 Dec 2020
at 15:02
  • msg #243

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Sometimes, it's best to let things flow.  Shard waits and watches, stone-faced, while Haarmon rapid-fires information and Rhijans slips in some tight support.  But she doesn't miss Rhijans' 'expression' of disapproval, and figures it's time to step in.

"Hold on that," she states, raising one hand to Haarmon before facing the officer.  "Captain Tondash may or may not be alive."  Her gaze slips to the building, weighing damage.  "If they are, I doubt they are functional.  That puts you in sole charge of this sub-quadrant, Captain; I suggest you continue under that idea." 

Something of a carrot, there; a chance for the man to distinguish himself.

Her eyes narrow slightly.  "Contrary to what my subordinate states, in his own particular idiom, there happens to be something with which we require assistance.  Najdo Hedine - a technician working here.  My sources indicate he has possible connections to Juragga.  I need him detained."  Her tone hardens and she leans a touch closer.  "Alive, captain.  Alive and unharmed.  No accidental falling down a repulsorlift shaft, no cursed 'he tripped and fell'.  If by some poor choice of your people he gets his hands on a blaster, well..."  She rocks back, considering.  "That's why our soldiers wear armor," Shard finally muses.

"Otherwise?"  She shoots an exaggeratedly weary look at Haarmon. "As noted, if I can rely on you to deal with any roadblocks some functionary might throw in my path, that would be helpful.  I don't want my presence bandied about on open comm; Juragga has used highly skilled techs in the past, and they may have access to our communications." Shard's dark eyes frost over as she finishes with one of ISB's more common thoughts, one she suspects never ceases to put sweat on the brows of loyal Imperials.  "And there is, of course, the potential for spies...moles..."

"...traitors."


A thin smile cuts across her spare face, wintery but now unthreatening.  "When you detain Najdo, captain, tell me and no other; if word spreads and our quarry hears, they will not hesitate to eliminate one of their own."
Juragga
player, 685 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Fri 1 Jan 2021
at 02:01
  • msg #244

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The poor Wookiee couldn't help but cant his head from side to side at every mention of his name, trying his best to follow WTF people were talking about.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1537 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Fri 1 Jan 2021
at 02:39
  • msg #245

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans decided the time was good to grease the wheels just a little bit more.  "There is also a chance that some of the Wookiees might be able to identify him.  We should look into that angle, as well..."  While he said nothing that gave any indication of what Shard's rank might be, he adopted a deferential tone when addressing her that subtly indicated that she was very definitely a figure with great authority.
The Force
GM, 1191 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 3 Jan 2021
at 17:30
  • msg #246

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Danal looks confused, right from the moment that Haarmon starts talking.  Then Rhijans and Shard seem to contradict some of the information...  But, like any good Imperial, he knows better than to question instructions from anybody who might be connected to the ISB.  Even someone like Haarmon... who, for all he knows, could be the commanding officer's personal interrogator...

Instead, he nods, and puts the instructions into what he considers to be order of priority.  "Understood, Sir.  Najdo Hedine, unharmed, and brought to you only.  Officials to be told to give you all possible cooperation.  Wookiees, rounded up for questioning."

Of course, all the talk of spies and traitors gives him pause for thought.  "Everybody will be given the bare minimum information that will allow them to carry out their part in this operation efficiently.  All communication regarding your investigation will be carried out via courier to reduce the chance of interception."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:00, Sun 03 Jan 2021.
Haarmon Dak
player, 896 posts
Are you talking to me?
Tue 5 Jan 2021
at 14:54
  • msg #247

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon had thought he was pretty clever, finding a good in-genre reason to get everyone out of their way, but then was abashed as Rhijans gave him a withering look (he could feel the look even from inside the helmet) and Shard stomped all over his plan with a way, way better one.

Out of my depth, he thought, story of my life.

As Shard reprimanded him, his face flushed in very sincere and not-at-all faked embarrassment. And he looked at the ground and his shoulders slumped and he shut the heck up.
Shard
player, 1553 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Wed 6 Jan 2021
at 02:04
  • msg #248

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Well-summed up, Captain Danal." She offers him an appraising look.  "And well-considered.  Danal," she muses.  "Won't forget this name."  Clearly there's approval in the tone, but an ISB officer choosing not to forget a specific person might bode ill if things turn out poorly.

One might want to make sure everything that goes in the report is positive.

"If you can manage Hedine, captain," she continues, "then give us a direction for the Wookies and rendezvous with us there once you have him.  The only way we'll find Juragga is through multiple, simultaneous angles at the same time.  You can expect his plans to have layers, layers already underway." Her brows draw together slightly, in part because the older woman notes the despondent Haarmon. "Swiftly, Captain Danal."

Poor Haarmon; clearly he's kicking himself.  Shard knows the feeling well, having been there herself.  How many times has Rhijans, or Juragga, or Haarmon himself saved her from a moment of indecision or a poor choice?  She can't even begin to count.

Most of their cursed plans start with Haarmon, a fact she needs to remind him of...once the captain gives them direction.  And she's going to cursed well need him to come up with another one to help get the Wookies off this void of a planet.
The Force
GM, 1192 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 6 Jan 2021
at 20:05
  • msg #249

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"The largest contingent of Wookiees are working on a classified heavy construction project in Yard 329." Danal points, "It's about two kilometres down that service road, and on the left.  There's heavy security there, Sir, but by the time you get there the stormtroopers will have instructions to let you in if you give them the correct code."

He taps a brief string of text into the borrowed datapad, and holds it out for Shard to read, before erasing it. 

"I will go and retrieve Najdo Hedine now, Sir."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1540 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 7 Jan 2021
at 05:01
  • msg #250

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Inwardly, Rhijans nodded.  For not having any significantly solid way to broach the subject, getting information on the Wookiees...and access to them...was playing out smoothly.  Let's hear it for bureaucracy... he thought in dry irony, as he looked off in the direction the captain had pointed.  Two kilometers was a bit of a hike, especially in trooper armor...but it was doable.
Juragga
player, 687 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Fri 8 Jan 2021
at 18:25
  • msg #251

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

So focused was he on the prospect of finding and freeing Wookiee slaves... maybe even his family!... that Juragga didn't even notice Haarmon's distress. His muscles coiled and bunched beneath his pelt and he had a hard time standing still in a submissive posture.
Shard
player, 1556 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sat 9 Jan 2021
at 11:58
  • msg #252

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"As you say, Captain Danal." Shard offers him a tepid salute, clearly already focusing on other things...but still remembering his name.  She raises her hand to shoulder level and pokes a half-curled finger in the direction indicated with a twitch of her wrist.  "Let's move.  And contact Team Two, tell them to meet us there."

Marching in that direction, she shoots a quick glance around the group.  Hedine-The-Sister seems to be holding together, at least.  Rhijans is...more inscrutable in his armor, were that possible.  Haarmon appeared knotted, and as his teacher, she knew that look.  Juragga...

Knotted isn't so bad a word for him, eithe. Wookie language does depend somewhat on body language for some subtle contexts, and this one was glaringly obvious; Shard didn't need to be a linguist to read Juragga now.  Far enough away from the officer and anyone who might have heard?  Check.  "Juragga," she states, calmly but not whispering; given the chaos, he wouldn't hear anything of the sort, and a whispered to a Wookie might attract attention.  "We've got a good chance here, so let's keep it cold as the void.  No dismemberments.  Yet."

Something she has seen before; and, honestly, would rather not again.

Then Shard's eyes flick to Haarmon.  "Sorry about that, Haarmon.  Normally it's your ad-libbed idea that carry us, not mine."  Slowly, the older woman lets out a long breath.  "This whole cursed plan is easily halfway your plotting, I need to do some work."
Juragga
player, 689 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Sat 9 Jan 2021
at 17:21
  • msg #253

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

What was that sound?  Teeth grinding audibly? Almost like glaciers cracking.

Not trusting himself to reply, Juragga merely nodded fiercely.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1543 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sat 9 Jan 2021
at 17:55
  • msg #254

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans dropped into escort position...three steps behind and a half-step to the right...of Shard.  "Team Two, we're en route to Yard 329.  Rendezvous with us there.Nice touch, he thought appreciatively.  ISB was the stuff of nightmarish legend, so planting the seed of doubt that there may actually be a full operation happening right under that station leadership's noses...well, a little paranoia would play well into their hands.

Ad libbing a bit, he continued, "All other teams, continue as previously ordered."  Let them wonder just how many ISB were aboard...and what those previous orders might be.  With an inner nod of satisfaction, he stayed in step with Shard as they moved out.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:04, Mon 11 Jan 2021.
The Force
GM, 1194 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 10 Jan 2021
at 21:44
  • msg #255

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The air is rank with the stench of burning insulation, and other construction materials that aren't withstanding the fires.  The group move quickly onwards in the indicated direction.

And nobody stops them.

Part of that could be due to the ongoing emergency - everybody around them is just too busy to pay attention to them.  Or it could be due to the unusual combination of a Wookiee, a stormtrooper, and Shard's uniform - nobody who spots them knows what that might mean, and they don't want to risk finding out...

The walk towards 329 goes pretty quickly, and smoothly...
Haarmon Dak
player, 899 posts
Are you talking to me?
Mon 11 Jan 2021
at 14:53
  • msg #256

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon gave Shard a weak smile and a nod, "Sure, sure," he said, "I totally get it. Can't ride the edge without falling off now and again, you know?" But he did feel a bit better.

He stayed close to Juragga as they hupped along. "It's cool Rags, stay frosty. We're doing this. We're for realsie reals doing it."
Shard
player, 1560 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Tue 12 Jan 2021
at 18:31
  • msg #257

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon's attempt drags a strained chuckle from Shard.  "You walk so close to the edge, even for us, that you're pretty much dangling.  How you keep your balance, I have no idea," Shard finishes with a rueful shake of her head.  She doesn't miss Juragga's enamel-cracking fury, but Haarmon gets there first; he and Juragga go waaaay back. The young man is best likely to convince the Wookie to keep from doing anything that will make Shard wish for a bottle with which to drown the memories. Rhijans goes with her idea...which makes it a good one, to Shard's mind; she relaxes from 'thin-steel garrote' to 'instrument string'.

Then he takes it a step further, and Shard cannot help but smile behind one raised hand; she had considered using 'Team Five', but hadn't any idea what might be reasonable.  "All teams" left it to the knowledge -- and imagination -- of anyone listening in, which is best.

Mostly, she keeps her eyes ahead, seeking obstacles to step around (inanimate) or stare down (sentient) as they approach their goal.  And tries not to cough, the corrosive reek of burning plastics clawing at her throat.
The Force
GM, 1195 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 13 Jan 2021
at 21:50
  • msg #258

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Yard 329 displays typical Imperial subtlety.  A wall with a blast door that looks big enough to fly a stardestroyer through, and marked with the yard number in twenty metre numerals.  Cameras are located to both sides, and above the door, slowly panning back and forth.

Twenty or so stormtroopers are stationed in front of the massive door, and manage to exude an air of suspicious curiosity as they look at the newcomers.

There is a smaller door to the right of the blast door, and about ten metres above that, what looks like it could be some sort of control room juts out from the ferrosteel wall.

One of the troopers walks forward.
"You there!  This area is restricted.  No loitering."
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1545 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 14 Jan 2021
at 00:33
  • msg #259

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans stepped around Shard to intercept the trooper.  "Captain Danal directed us here.  Unless you want to explain to him why you interfered with an ISB investigation, you'll give us your full cooperation."  It was easy to sound confident...everything he was saying was easily verified with Danal.

"Feel free to verify that.  But I'd be fast about it."  He gave a half-glance over his shoulder, and lowered his voice.

"She doesn't like being delayed..." he added in a flat tone, hopefully indicating the unpleasant experience of watching her exact punishment on anyone who slowed her down.
Shard
player, 1562 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sun 17 Jan 2021
at 11:47
  • msg #260

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shard slows slightly to give Rhijans the chance to hurry forward, continuing in an implacable, tick-tock method of walking.  "Loitering?" she queries Haarmon as Rhijans confronts the trooper.  Her lips stretch slightly, into a smile that - were it more fully formed - might be qualified as 'venomous'.  Here, though, it's little more than a twitch of her lips before Shard's visage settles into a mask, brows slightly pulled downward in disapproval.  "We're loitering, apparently."
Haarmon Dak
player, 901 posts
Are you talking to me?
Sun 17 Jan 2021
at 16:22
  • msg #261

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon stifled a laugh. "So if we stop standing around and start exploding things, we can be all that guy over there told us to. Might get us out of a fine, or whatever."
The Force
GM, 1196 posts
These aren't the dice
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Sun 17 Jan 2021
at 16:59
  • msg #262

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"We were told to expect a group of visitors." the trooper replies, apparently looking straight past Rhijans, at Shard.  His weapon is held... almost casually.  Not quite pointing at anybody in particular.

"We were also told that you would have a code word to confirm your identity."
Shard
player, 1563 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Tue 19 Jan 2021
at 01:08
  • msg #263

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Shooting a wry smile at Haarmon, Shard strides forward to stand beside Rhijans.  "At ease - in this case, if there is a fault, it is mine.  The phrase you are expecting, trooper, is 'Lord Vader', and known only to me."  Her smile is now bright and cool as a winter's day, oddly fitting for her spare, razored features.  "A small word of advice, trooper - avoid comments like 'loitering' in the future when challenging people approaching your post; one never knows what their rank may be.  Some might view it as insubordination."

A small wave of the hand banishes that matter as unimportant to her.  "The gate, if you would?"
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1546 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Wed 20 Jan 2021
at 05:14
  • msg #264

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

If Rhijans was at all perturbed by the weapon being sort-of-pointed their direction or the tone of the trooper they were facing, it didn't show at all.  The lack of shift in body tension implied that his face, inside the helmet, was as impassive as the helmet's mask.

Inwardly, he was taking mental notes.  The captain might have been easily swayed by the appearance of an ISB uniform, but the troopers here didn't seem to be.  He could think of two reasons for it...and he hoped they wouldn't have much occasion to find out whether it was just that they were hyper-focused on the task assigned to them, rather than them actually being more competent at their jobs than their officers.

And the thought that most military units he'd encountered were actually run by competent non-coms humoring incompetent officers didn't make him feel any better...

But as Shard gave their password to the stormtrooper, he stood as still and ready as any of them.  He'd already intended to appear every bit the model stormtrooper, as it made sense for an ISB officer to be escorted by such...but with the apparent competence of the group here, he felt the need to be even more...any break on his part would weaken the alibi of the rest of the group, where they, being part of an organization that operated outside the norms of the military, pretty much had built-in excuses for any anomalies in their behavior.
The Force
GM, 1197 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 20 Jan 2021
at 21:04
  • msg #265

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Thank you."

The trooper looks up towards the apparent control room.  "All clear.  Open the blast door."

A siren starts to wail, while red lights strobe, and with a groan, and a loud grinding sound the blast door splits down the middle as the two halves start to slide apart.  A few moments later, a second layer of the massive door starts to open, this one split horizontally.  Then a third layer, and a fourth, and finally the door stands open.

Behind it stand another group of stormtroopers.

"You can go in."

Beyond the troopers is a huge room, filled with support cradles for starship construction, heavy machinery, and what looks to be eight large partly-completed weapon systems, much bigger than any normal turbolaser, and probably far too large for a star destroyer to use.

And there are Wookiees everywhere, moving heavy equipment about, clearing empty shipping containers, lifting parts into position for construction droids to fasten them in place.  The Wookiees are, however, outnumbered by their stormtrooper guards.

Across the bay the skeletal frame of a Lancer class frigate, lacking even its engines, sits in one of the cradles.  Nobody appears to be working on that at the moment...
Shard
player, 1564 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Sat 23 Jan 2021
at 14:41
  • msg #266

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

No further pleasantries; Shard offers a quick, moving salute and continues, her attention seemingly already falling away from the troopers behind them.  Her demeanor is not whole truthful; part of her awaits the spiteful cough of blasters.  But she's focused, her gaze forward, even as her mind struggles for calm.

It's a long moment before she understands what she's seeing, though.

Void...is that some kind of cannon?<?I>  Ground mounted?  Certainly it can't be for any kind of ship, not one that Shard has seen in any case.  It's also not what she's here for, though the older woman takes a moment to gauge the scale of the systems; she has a handy measuring-stick for comparison behind them in the form of the frigate.

Pity it's not flyable.

Moving past the second set of troopers, she glances around the massive room.  <I>That can't be all the Wookies here...
  One hand makes a small circle in the air, calling her people closer.  "Assessment," Shard snaps, while ensuring they've moved a sufficient distance past the guards that they won't be easily heard.

This is a good time for Haarmon's inspiration.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1547 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sun 24 Jan 2021
at 08:59
  • msg #267

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

In a low voice, Rhijans muttered, "Looks like they've had problems with uncooperative Wookiees, judging by the number of troopers.  Looks like they're using the Wookiees almost entirely as unskilled labor, with the droids handling the details of final assembly,  which reduces chances for sabotage.  I don't see one, but I'd imagine there's a place close by where we could take a few Wookiees at a time--for questioning, as far as the Imperials are concerned, and Juragga can hopefully convince them about who we are.  That could get us some time to find a way into their computer systems, see what trouble we can create and what options there might be to get the Wookiees out."  There were too many stormtroopers to try something overt right away...they needed time to find some fibers to weave into the loose framework of a plan.

"It would be nice if we could find a way to cook off one of those laser units...but those are way beyond anything I've dealt with.  I doubt this is something as simple as pulling a control pin and overloading a power pack...and if it is that simple, we definitely want to have out exit lined up before we do it, because one of those going up would probably obliterate everything within a dozen kilometer radius."
The Force
GM, 1198 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 24 Jan 2021
at 13:55
  • msg #268

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"As I recall," says Karra Hedin quietly, "not all the Wookiees are here, just the largest group, which is more than half those listed in the Imperial records.  So what we're seeing is the majority of the Wookiees in the docks."

"Almost sixteen hundred of them."


She looks about casually, trying not to show too much interest in anything.  "Imperial officers overseeing them, with stormtroopers for protection."

"Hmmm... wonder what type of ship would carry turbolasers that big?"

Rhijans Thanus
player, 1548 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sun 24 Jan 2021
at 22:31
  • msg #269

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans didn't even try to look at the turbolasers again.  "Maybe a new Super Star Destroyer...but unless they're planning to take them offline and retro-fit them all at once, it doesn't make sense to construct all the weapons systems in advance."

A minute shift of his helmet indicated him looking sidelong at Shard.  "But something that would require a planet-based shield projector could fit these easily enough."  They hadn't really looked into specifics of what the generator had been for...they'd been rather focused on blowing it up, and what information they'd retrieved had been handed up the chain of command.

But the scale definitely matched...
This message was last edited by the player at 18:27, Tue 26 Jan 2021.
Haarmon Dak
player, 902 posts
Are you talking to me?
Tue 26 Jan 2021
at 16:52
  • msg #270

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon was struck dumb by the spectacle of what was happening here. "It's like Osmur. You remember Osmur? That big dish they had going on? It's like that. So whatever this is, it's not just tall, it's wide, you know what I mean?"

He took a breath. "I probably can't do much about them droids. But if we suspect one of these guys is a saboteur, is that enough to call the whole shootin' match to a stop?"
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1549 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Tue 26 Jan 2021
at 18:45
  • msg #271

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"On suspicion alone?"  His tone made it clear...Rhijans found the prospect dubious.  "Probably depends on how close to their projected timeline they're running.  The closer they are to falling behind, the less likely.  The way the Empire operates, they're probably better off delivering flawed materials on time than running behind schedule."

His tone had become distracted...thought-filled...and he looked over the complex.  "But if some ACTUAL incident happened?  Especially if it's something that can't be easily traced back to any specific individual?  That might convince someone to pause production.  It demonstrates a real, viable threat, and if they don't know who did it, they can't be sure that something more vital isn't also at risk..."  His eyes began searching, surreptitiously, to see what surveillance gear was in use...and if there were any locations outside the scope of surveillance...
Shard
player, 1565 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Wed 27 Jan 2021
at 01:43
  • msg #272

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Well," Shard briskly states, "we can't just stand around and stare.  I'm fairly certain someone will notice we're not investigating."  She ponders.  "Blowing things up does have its merits, but I'm uncertain as to how that will help us keep suspicion off our movements.  The more actual terrorism that follows us, the more likely we'll be pegged as the terrorists, ISB be-cursed.  Though...I'm fine with it exploding AFTER we've gotten out of here...and if we've left no Wookies or other slaves behind
in the blast radius."


Her lips tighten.  "And yes...this does remind me of Osmur, Haarmon."  What is it with the Empire and its giant superweapons.  "Compensation," Shard mutters to herself. "Not enough women in the officers."

With one hand, she points to a nearby tower - not for any reason other than to look like she's doing something.

"I'm thinking that at least the idea of getting somewhere and having them bring a couple of Wookies in for us to speak with...sounds like a good starting point, Rhijans.  Juragga can chat with them, and it's pretty certain they'll have a decent lay of the land by now.  Maybe even have an idea for a ship we can commandeer."
The Force
GM, 1199 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Wed 27 Jan 2021
at 22:50
  • msg #273

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Hedine says quietly, "I can think of one reason they might be assembling them here, instead of on site.  What if it's something experimental, and they're worried about potential issues, and want to test things like power drain and fire control before they put everything in place and try to use it in front of some Admiral, or the Emperor, or somebody?"

"Could be embarrassingly fatal if they go to show off a new weapon system in front of the whole Empire, and it just... kind of fizzles."

Shard
player, 1566 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Thu 4 Feb 2021
at 01:09
  • msg #274

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Makes sense," Shard murmurs, slowly turning in place, one hand on her chin.  Inside, she's all knots.  "But we're not sight-seers or tourists; we need to start moving.  I like Haarmon's idea.  Go with 'one of them is Juragga' or something of that nature - sorry, Juragga, dragging your name through the mud - and start 'looking for the saboteur'.  Call production to a halt, have the Wookies assembled?  Sound good?"
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1550 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Thu 4 Feb 2021
at 07:18
  • msg #275

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans raised a couple of fingers.  " Calling a halt on ALL production might be overplaying our hand.  We start making too many demands too fast, looking at the scale of what they're doing, and there's a good chance we attract the attention of someone who IS actually ISB."

He turned his head minutely toward Shard.  "Start walking through the area...see if Juragga actually recognizes anybody, because this is gonna be a hard sell to convince the Wookiees to trust an ISB officer and her pet."  He glanced at Juragga, and added, "Just saying what it's going to look like to them.  No offense intended."

His gaze shifted back to Shard.  "If he recognizes someone, pull them out for questioning, along with four or five others.  Don't say they are, or might be, Juragga...if anyone asks, they're known former associates and we need to learn what they know of Juragga's whereabouts...maybe even see if they can identify him."

He splayed his fingers out, in a spreading motion, as he continued.  "Juragga convinces them of our real intent...finds out if there's anyone we need to be careful of...we pick out another groups, the ones we talked to start letting their buddies know what's going on, so we don't end up with an angry Wookiee trying to kill Juragga for being a collaborator.  We don't have to "find" Juragga...we just need to find Wookiees who can help us find him.  We work without major interruptions to their process here, it looks like we're in on just how important it is and might even know what it's really for...the more it looks like we're in the know, the more intimidating we become when it DOES become time to make outrageous demands."
Haarmon Dak
player, 903 posts
Are you talking to me?
Thu 4 Feb 2021
at 17:36
  • msg #276

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon nods. "Yeah, I think Rhijans has it right. Let's go rattle some cages. Small scale rattles. Make a little noise. Keeps us moving and ramps up the chaos, yeah?"

He smiled at Shard's concerns about dragging Rags through the mud. "You kidding me? The big guy loves it. Think of the street cred!"
The Force
GM, 1200 posts
These aren't the dice
rolls you're looking for.
Sun 7 Feb 2021
at 19:49
  • msg #277

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Two groups seem to be watching them.

The stormtroopers have the job of protecting this project, so any newcomers are going to draw attention from them. or there would be questions asked...

The second group are less open about their curiosity - the Wookiees may have had some lessons about not stopping work to stare at strangers, but the sight of a Wookiee being marched about by an ISB agent, a stormtrooper, and two Imperial techs is just too much for them to ignore, even if it does seem like the start of the worst bad joke of all time...  So they watch more covertly, turning a fraction more than is necessary to look at their work, and just enough to cast furtive glances towards the intruders.

Apart from the stormtroopers, the few other Imperials - Naval officers, for the most part - are studiously ignoring the group from ISB...
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1551 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Sun 7 Feb 2021
at 22:02
  • msg #278

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

The attention of the stormtroopers...and the Wookiees...didn't escape Rhijans' notice.  "Better get started...too many eyes pointed our way.  I'd suggest you start over there..." he raised a hand decisively, hopefully conveying to those watching that there had been some reason for the huddle.

"While you go scouting for Wookiee contacts, I'll poke around on my own and see if I can locate some good prospects for sabotaging the works here, to give us an excuse to evac the Wookiees somewhere."
Shard
player, 1567 posts
Most days, I'm tired.
...or drunk.
Tue 9 Feb 2021
at 01:19
  • msg #279

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

"Fair enough.  Let's move."  With a curt nod, Shard points at a few random areas, then turns away from Rhijans to face the other four. "We get to walk Juragga around looking for likely assistance while keeping our cover up." Her eyes snap up to Juragga, and she steps closer, easily within arm's length.

Ie, the dangerous area.

But while the finger prodding his chest isn't particularly polite, and her face is hard and sharp as the edge of a woodplane, Shard's voice is quiet and worried.  "Juragga...I hope you're okay with this.  Lots of your people are going to give you some hard looks at first."  She doesn't bother warning him to worry about collaborators letting the secret out, like she would with any other race.  For one thing, she's fairly sure Juragga could pick them out himself...if they existed.  For another?

Wookies, sell each other out?  If the Imperials knew anything about that people, they'd be examining her ISB credentials a little more carefully.

"Haarmon," she mutters, turning toward the nearest group of Wookies and eyeing them speculatively.  "I think...we're going to need to step up your training after this."  And get him a murderstick of his own, Shard suspects, though how they'll manage that she has no idea.
Rhijans Thanus
player, 1552 posts
Just let me do my job and
nobody else gets hurt.
Tue 9 Feb 2021
at 03:00
  • msg #280

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Rhijans did a passable snap to attention, then turned and began making a survey of the area.  Surveillance, he'd already seen, was tight...but stacks of materials created plenty of blind spots.  Without taking too long in any one area, he began moving through the stacks, assessing what was there, and looking to see where materials came in from, where finished materials were stacked, how subsystems were assembled and then stockpiled for final completion, how traffic flowed, where it naturally ebbed, where individuals went only a few at a time...

Beneath the mask, his face was nearly as inscrutable as the faceplate of the helmet as he weighed pros and cons of each location, looking for weak points to be exploited...or exploded, when the time came...and watching the movements and locations of the stormtroopers, to better blend in with their ranks if and when he needed to effectively disappear.  For now, he took it for granted that there were eyes on him, and carefully avoided anything that he thought might appear to be a tell, that he was anything other than a specially-assigned trooper checking the place on a security sweep.  The fact that he was alone was enough to keep eyes on him...but those same eyes had also seen him escort in an ISB agent, so they wouldn't necessarily be expecting him to act like a normal trooper.

Or, at least, that's how he hoped he was being perceived...
Haarmon Dak
player, 904 posts
Are you talking to me?
Tue 9 Feb 2021
at 22:00
  • msg #281

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Haarmon made a face. "Pull-ups," he said in response to Shard, "How many pull-ups can a guy do?"

But it was just nerves talking. He was feeling mighty exposed here and would give almost anything for a quiet corner and terminal.
Juragga
player, 690 posts
Wookiee Warrior
Bringing the Boom
Tue 9 Feb 2021
at 22:27
  • msg #282

Part 24 - One flew over the mynock den

Juragga nodded.  He knew this would be difficult.  There might even be a brawl later.  He'd deal with it, and take his lumps if need be.  Anything to help free his people.  Moreover, he trusted Shard and the others.
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