The team split up. Lyla led Lamar and Rynn to the Wayfarer the battered Mu-class shuttle didn't look like much but Lamar showed off his skills getting her into orbit to wait for the rendezvous with the Alabak's Gold.

It took Tera and Klyn a short journey on the monorail to Elrooden Starport. The monorail, the city and the starport were all surprisingly clean. This was a civilised planet, however neither felt safe when they saw a squad of Stormtroopers marching through the city, rumours followed the squad, was the Star Destroyer in orbit going to stay there long?

The Alabak's Gold was as they left her and despite flying single-handed Klyn had her into orbit easily. The modified Calamarian jumpship matched the Lambda-C in dents, carbon scoring and other damage.

Dangerous and threatening the Star Destroyer Brazen dominated the viewport of every ship in orbit of Elrooden. Making the initial jump into hyperspace and putting some distance between it and them was a relief. They left the Elrood sector and entered the Kidron system with hitch. They were on the edge of the drift. A swirling mass of stellar dust loomed ominously across their viewscreens.

The Drift was an immense stellar dust cloud. Mostly unexplored due to the navigational hazard it represents. The nature of the cloud scrambled starship sensors. A single hyperspace jump was a risky manoeuvre, safe navigation was by completion in a series of very short jumps. Klyn had Tera help him watch the scanners and plot a route, likewise whilst Lamar was piloting he had the help of Rynn. Commander Rahn may have been charge of the mission but her skills did not lie in starships or space travel.

Analysis of the datapad handed to them by Jameth  provided coordinates for a series of ten jumps through the Drift. To reach the coordinates for the first jump would require travel by sublight drives for ten hours.

OOC I have assumed roles based on my perceived skills and abilities of the characters, if people want to switch let me know. For reference I have Klyn, Rynn and Lyla as proficient with starship weapons.

Let me know what plans you have for the sublight flight and I need a Use Computer - Astrogate check from each starship when you ready to jump into the Drift.

Once she was aboard the Wayfarer, Lyla had a hunt around, searching the ship from stem to stern for anything out of the ordinary. What the ordinary was, though, she wasn't sure, but figured she'd know it when she saw it. There'd been enough sabotage of RMC buildings that she wouldn't be surprised to find a bug, tracker, or bomb on the shuttle. Annoyed, but not surprised.

The rest of the time, Lyla familiarised herself with the shuttle's weapons, so she could be ready for the inevitable pirate battle.

'Double-check those coordinates and courses, if you can.' Lyla advised Lamar and Rynn early on in the flight. 'Maybe someone's supplying RMC with bad data, I don't know, but I don't want to take the chance.'


OOC: That works for me. Lyla will spend her time in a search, taking 20, for Perception 29, if that's okay. Lyla will also get familiarised with the shuttle's starship weapons.

There was plenty of time for Lyla to search the Wayfarer. The ship's hold was well supplied with emergency gear and the weapon armaments were impressive with laser cannons and proton torpedo launchers. The firepower was impressive but the ship itself was less so, it was built for function and well used. The Alabak's Gold was a home this was an office.

On the Alabak's Gold Klyn did some quick calculations, double checked them and punched them in. He estimated it was going to be slow going, each jump taking on average eighteen hours of hyperspace followed by a sublight flight then and another jump, then repeat and repeat until they reached their destination.

OOC Let me know when everyone is ready to start jumping.

Rynn sat in the nose of the shuttle with Lamar, happy to let the other man take the controls, and his commander was off exploring. He'd watched the other man as he went through the launch routine, and was satisfied that the other rebel knew his way around a pilots seat. "I'm just going to settle back and let you do your thing." the ubese said from his seat where he was buckled in. "Let me know if you want me to do anything."  he offered, his voice-amplifier's volume dialed in to be heard, but not loudly.

As Lamar was beginning the prelaunce sequence he said, "Well, you could go over the check list with me if you want to. I would always take a second pair of eyes to spot anything I might have missed." Though confident he wouldn't have any problem he knew there were bold pilots and old pilots, and very, very few, old bold pilots. So paying attention to details was key, and being willing to ask for help was one of the tricks to surviving the bitch that was space.

Returning from her search of the ship, Lyla waited outside the cockpit for a few moments, not wanting to interrupt the pilots while they were working and wanting to hear how the new team-mates were getting on. Lamar had seemed prickly at first, but now he seemed to be settling in and cooperating well, and she was relieved about that.

'Hey.' Lyla announced, stepping in. 'I've been over, around, and under every square decimetre of this ship, and couldn't find anything that looks like a bomb or bug, at least to me. We should be good... How are you two going?'

"Five by five L.T." Lamar responded. "She flies like a pregnant Alteasin whale, but what do you expect, she's a freighter. Still she will do."

Lamar didn't seem very confident in the ship's ability to fight or run it's way out of an ambush if jumped by pirates, but that wasn't really the plan anyway.

"L.T. what exactly is the plan if and when we are attacked by these pirates? Are we just to give up? Or pretend to run, and then let them take us?"

Lyla shook her head, tails swaying. 'No. We fight like hell and run away. If we succeed, we'll have gotten eyes on our enemy. If we fail, which seems to be inevitable in our job, then they'll capture us to take our cargo and the Gold will track them at a safe distance, while we escape and take them down somehow... It's in the hands of the goddess.'

Lamar smiled and then said, "Then, take the stick for a second." When she did he quickly retrieved  his bag and began searching it one handed looking for a device. "Where are you you little sith spawn..." He muttered. After a few minutes he found what he was looking for and pulled a small electronic device up. "Ha!" He exclaimed animatedly. "This little beauty will do nicely. I just need to modify her and attach her to our long range transmitter when we stop at our next leg of the journey. Then she will send a coded hyperpulse beacon to us every time she comes out of hyperdrive until I send a special code, or the device is removed, which will be difficult, as I'm gonna make it very hard to find."

Lyla peered curiously at the device, but the scout was already left a bit lost by it. 'Coded hyperpulse...? I'll take your word for it, but good work. Will you need a hand installing it, or will it need an EVA?'

The short hyperspace jumps and sublight flights gave both crews plenty of downtime. Lamar set up a tracking device on the Wayfarer. There was less to do on the Alabak's Gold but that was home so it easier to relax and let the time flow.

After four mundane hyperspace jumps the two starships emerged in a dense cloud of stellar gas. The astronavigational calculations predicted a sixteen hour sublight flight through a cluster of gravitational fluctuations before the next safe hyperspace jump would possible. After engaging the sublight drive both ship's computers set off their proximity alarms. The wail of the alarms echoed throughout the starships, disturbing everyone whether they were resting or working. The stellar gas cloud hid almost everything from the ship's sensors but they could detect a large object up ahead. The sensor's showed that the object was moving very slowly.

After the first jump, Rynn had decided the completely trust the pilot not to get them killed as they made their way through hyperspace. And so he closed his eyes, hidden by his skinsuits visor and took himself a little nap. Strapped in to the seat kept him sitting upright, but a perceptive person would notice the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. "What the Cruk." he said, shaken by the alarms out of his reverie. Glancing at the screen showed that whatever it was, was big. "Moving to the torpedo launcher controls. Let me know if you get anymore info." he said, unstrapping himself and moving to the gunner's controls.

Klyn stayed 'out of view' - which was not that hard in that area - in case the trap was sprung.

He waited for more information on the slow object, trying to gather the little data they had to see what it could be. Big rock, dead ship... or trouble.

Lamar straightened up in the seat where he had been relaxed while piloting as the klaxons began warning of the object ahead. Quickly silencing the alert so he could think he began maneuvering the ship so the shuttle could maintain it's distance from the object until they could decide what to do about it. "L.T> You better get up here!" he sent over the ship comms.

'What have we got?' Lyla asked urgently soon after, coming into the cockpit behind them and rolling her tank-top down her midriff. Not needed to pilot or for much else on board, Lyla had retreated to a small bare cabin for a nap, a nap that had been cut too short with the sudden scream of alarms. She'd risen in a flash, and dressed on the way. 'Is it our pirates?'

After a moment of action the crew of the Wayfarer were prepared. Rynn sat at the control for the torpedo launched, he was primed and ready for battle, however all he could see through the viewport was thick, billowing yellow and white gas clouds. Lamar prepared for evasive manoeuvres. Lyla somewhat half dressed made herself look decent as she took command of the situation.

On the other starship, the Alabak's Gold Klyn slowed the engines and began to drift, his eyes on the sensors. Klyn scanned the object, his analysis reported that the object was eighty metres, at least twice as long as either of their starships. The objects movement was slow and erratic. Its metal content was extremely low, it appeared to be made mostly of carbon compounds and water, and there appeared to be a small energy source at its centre.

"I'm not sure what it is L.T. It looks like, from the readings I'm getting it's an asteroid of some sort, but it's showing a power source as well. Asteroids don't normally do that,so I'm not sure..." Lamar said as he worked to keep the ship from getting any closer to the anomaly.

Trying to wake herself up in a hurry, and without the benefit of caf, Lyla tugged on her tails until she felt it. 'Could it be a ship? Parek said the pirates used Skipray Blastboats, a space barge, and some kind of huge container ship... Can we get an image of it?' Hardly waiting, she went to the sensor array, trying to access a visual image of the thing, or at least a silhouette. 'Is there a Jayne's Starships?'


OOC: Perception 15, Use Computer (untrained) 12

From the sensor readings Lamar could not discern what manner of thing the object was. Staring into the billowing gas clouds Lyla tried to perceive what the thing was but also to no avail.

Then slowly after many moments the large object emerged from the gas clouds, no more than two hundred metres from the front of the ships. It was amazing to see, the object appeared to be a huge serpentine body perhaps eight metres long. It was a creature of some sort, with a sinuous, many-segmented body and a huge pair of gossamer wings stretching from its back. One of the wings had a small tear. The serpent's eyes were open, but glassy. Once it had emerged the creature hung limply in front of the ships, unmoving.

Peering into the nebulae, Lyla had expected to see a ship, an asteroid, or anything. But she had not expected to see that. 'That's no ship.' she breathed, eyes widening and tails raised in amazement. She knew some lifeforms were able to survive in space, in vacuum, intense cold, and radiation, from mynocks to Givins, but she hadn't expected to see something so big, so majestic, and so right here. 'Wow... First, let's see what you are...' she began, searching through her datapad.


OOC: Knowledge checks: Galactic Lore 21, Life Sciences 14

"Well... that's unexpected" commented Klyn.

As a space traveler he had heard of strange creature living in space - not really knowing how, by the way - but it was the first time he actually saw that one.

"Any idea of what it is?" he asked Terra " It appears to be either wounded and tired or somehow comatose?

If it's dead - or dying, we don't know how to heal such a thing - maybe there are things of value we can get from its body."

Her own expansive knowledge and a search of the datapad has Lyla stunned to identify the object as a living creature, a Duinuogwuin or Star Dragon. Widely believed to be mythical a creature, a dead or nearly dead specimen floated aimlessly in the space before them.

On examination it's scales on its underbelly were silver and those on its back were pale blue.

'By the Goddess...' She'd not wanted to believe it; she'd wanted to be sceptical, to be practical and not get carried away with space legends. Yet she couldn't deny it, and she double-checked it—the more reliable pictures and details she found matched the creature off the Wayfarer's bow too well. 'It's a Star Dragon!' she gasped in awe, hardly believing she'd ever see a creature so majestic. 'A Duinuogwuin. They're ancient, almost mythical.'

She peered again at the Duinuogwuin, noting the torn wing, blank eyes, and immobility. 'Looks a bit sick though...' She activated the communications system, contacting the Gold. 'Klyn, Tera, bring the Gold in closer. I have a very strange patient for you...'

"I've heard tales, but I didn't think they were real. Just scary stories pirates tell their child captives... but here it is." Rynn said through the comms. "I'm prepped if it lashes out Boss. Kyln, you guys be careful."

Lamar sat stunned, a single tear rolling down his cheek at the sight. Even his cold persona couldn't be unmoved at this sight, it was just too beautiful. Though he was angered to see it injured. "Why is it injured?" He asked.

'Evasive only, we don't want to risk making it worse.' Lyla advised Rynn, though she was sure he had the same idea. It might be a giant space dragon, but she was treating it the same as any injured beast she encountered while out on the trail during her scouting days, and was keenly aware of the risks. With deep respect for nature, she'd always tried to take good care of them. When she didn't eat them, anyway.

'No clue. Could be an accident, a fight, something else. We don't know enough about how they live.' Until Tera arrived to give a second, better opinion, Lyla donned her medical interface visor, peered at the screen and tried to assess the star dragon's health, though she might be too far away and too separated by screens and cameras for the visor to help much.


OOC: Treat Injury 18

The crews of both ships looked at the massive star dragon with fascination. The creature floated toward them as lifeless as space junk. It was a surprise to all of them when like a faint whisper in the back of they minds they felt emotions form at the edge of consciousness. They suddenly all felt hunger and weakness, a closeness to death. All knew with certainty that this creature was dying from starvation and that it's mind was somehow connected to theirs.

Klyn moved the Gold, hoping no-one was around to catch the com exchange or it would ruin their plan.

When the creature's mind somehow connected to theirs, all thoughts of possible profit from parts of the legendary being vanished.

"So... what does something so huge eat in the vaccum of space? And how much?"

"Ships? Asteroids? Planetoids? Your guess is as good as mine." Lamar said as he scanned the creature with every sensor that the ship had, which admittedly wasn't as many as he would have liked. "Are there any other space borne creatures that exist?" He wasn't a space jockey, he didn't usually live among the stars, so he wouldn't know.

Overcome with the unexpected emotions, Lyla rocked back on her heels and her head-tails drooped. 'Woah! Does anyone else feel really hungry suddenly?' she said in surprise, touching a hand to the base of her lek-tchun and trying to massage out the mild headache. 'And... dying?' She looked up at the Star Dragon on screen, whispering in amazement 'It's you, isn't it?' And with that somehow she had her answer. That Force thing she'd never quite believed seemed a little less unbelievable then and there.

'Ah, no one knows what they eat.' she answered at last. 'Well, I guess they know, but no one else has ever examined their biology... But there are a number of space-dwelling creatures: mynocks, exogorths, space plankton, feeding on each other and organic gases and radiation – enough to support an ecosystem.' she explained. 'But as for what a Star Dragon eats, your guess is as good as mine... Well, almost as good.'

Wondering if the communication could worth both ways, Lyla fixed her eyes on the Duinuogwuin, asking aloud 'What do you need?'

The attempt of telepathic communication by Lyla may have been primitive in comparison to the sophisticated mind of the Star Dragon but it was enough to gain a response.

Fleetingly and weakly Lyla sensed the word oxygen in her mind.

Oxygen. Lyla blinked, confused and wondering. What was that? A random memory, a wild guess, or information inserted into her brain? She shook her head, her tails looping around her. It was hard to know which thoughts were her own, and which were of something else entirely. 'Okay, I'm not sure where this is from, but – oxygen.' She opened a communication to the Alabak's Gold so they could collaborate. 'Can we give it any oxygen? Maybe from medical, atmospheric stores, welding equipment?'


OOC: Did we get any cargo from RMC to help our ruse?

Lamar had been analyzing his readouts and exclaimed in a moment of excitement. "R'iia's shorts!" He looked at Lyla and grinned. This was so different it was a bit unnerving. He then said, "The nebula is predominantly ice!"

Lyla was less enthused, mainly because she was approaching this problem like a scout, focusing on the practicalities. Solving a problem was as much about the journey as the destination. 'Is it? I thought the Drift was all dust and gases?' she queried, checking the sensors. 'And how can we split the water molecules? Electrolysis won't work, we can't run a current through vacuum. Maybe radiation or heat? Can we even make enough?' She was asking questions, raising problems, trying to prompt the team toward a solution.

"Well, our atmospheric converters and water processors basically do the job, just in reverse. we just need to build up something similar. It's basic engineering." Lamar said. "The only limiting factors are time and parts and do we want to include the Gold? Since the gold interacting with us could tip our hand if anyone spots us."

"Good idea" added Klyn on the com.

"I dare say this situation is exceptional enough to join forces. And it would reduce the time we stay here, so less chances of being spotted."

'Basic?' Lyla echoed, doubting it would be basic engineering to her. Still, she understood the basic science, and it was a plan, or looked like one anyway.

'A Star Dragon interacting with us will tip our hand if anyone's spots us.' she repeated with emphasis to Lamar. 'We're past worrying about our cover now... Klyn, bring the Gold in.' she added on the comms. 'Let's get to work. I'll try to figure out how friend out there intends to ingest this stuff.' Just because the Duinuogwuin wanted oxygen didn't necessarily mean it breathed the stuff. It might eat it, drink it, snort it, or absorb it through pores in its hide. Anything was possible with a space-borne lifeform.


OOC:
15:46, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 27 using 1d20+10. knowledge: life sciences.

A search of the cargo bay on the Wayfarer revealed it was empty. Lamar was quick to seize on the idea of using the life support systems onboard the Wayfarer to juryrig some oxygen generating tech. The principle was to split the carbon dioxide within the icy water particles to gain the valuable life-saving oxygen.

 

The plan involved the two starships getting into position and extending a docking tube and the attached life support systems so that the star dragon could feed off the oxygen. It all took time and thankfully there was no interruptions. Was it quick enough to save the odd creature however?

 

In position and with oxygen being created and then fed to the star dragon they waited. After a few minutes the eyes on the creature cleared and it raised it’s head. In a deep and majestic voice it rumbled “thank you, kind travellers. My name is Star Wing. I live on the far side of this dust cloud and was trying to cross it, but I was slowly starving from lack of oxygen. You have saved my life”

“Allow me to breathe in the oxygen for a few moments more, my throat is dry and I must breathe slowly.”

Klyn liked working on something very 'mundane' and mechanical.
He was still not over the strange communication with the creature when it spoke.

It spoke!

He had never heard something so big could do that!

What he thought was some kind of huge, wonderful space whale proved to be an incredible sentient being.

He was a loss for words.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:00, Wed 28 Oct 2020.

While Lamar and Klyn worked on the mechanics of producing and supplying oxygen, Lyla focused on how it would get into the Duinuogwuin, by examining what she could of its exotic anatomy and biology. So little was known about Duinuogwuins, this information would be invaluable to galactic science – if she wasn't a self-taught street-kid working in secret from within the Rebel Alliance. Maybe, one day, when the war was over and the Empire gone, she could return to her old life as a ranger and tell everything she'd learned. Well, she could dream.

But the problem with scientific examination of a legend was that it became a little less legendary. With factual knowledge, some of the wonder rubbed off, the Star Dragon became just a Duinuogwuin, a different kind of creature in a different kind of environment. But Lyla didn't need Star Dragons and Force magic to appreciate the galaxy around her; natural beauty and the adaptability of nature were wondrous in their own right.

At last, the oxygen was flowing, and Lyla waited anxiously, hoping this had worked, hoping they weren't too late and hadn't made some fatal mistake. Then, as this Star Wing spoke, somehow, Lyla breathed a deep sigh of relief. 'Ah, sure. Take what you need, we can wait.' she offered. She had a lot of questions, but didn't want to pressure it. Creatures in vacuum probably weren't used to pressure.

Lyla turned to Lamar and the communicator to Klyn. 'Good work, both of you.' She'd had her problems with Lamar earlier, but he'd prove himself in her eyes now.

Revived Star Wing took a few further moments to breathe in the oxygen and drink the water offered by Lyla. When it’s thirst was sated the Star Wing released the docking tube and stretched its wings. One of the wings was badly damaged but Star Wing made no mention of the handicap.

 

”Many thanks to you all. I would have perished had you not stopped to aid me. I am in your favour and perhaps our paths will cross again. I must now go look for a planet so that I may rest” the voice of the Duinuogwuin was deep and clear despite the space between them, there was much that was a mystery regarding the legendary creature.

The Star Dragons were legendary and mysterious, and Lyla had so many questions – how did they live and think, where did they roam, what else did they eat or drink or breathe? But, right here and now, all she could think of were the practical needs of life and death and the Rebellion. 'Wait! Do you know about this region of space? Have you seen ships attacking other ships?'


OOC: If needed, Persuasion 12.

"My home is light years away. I have come here to explore. Unfortunately I am a stranger to this region of space and can not repay your kindness with knowledge"

'Okay, not a problem.' Lyla accepted. That was probably to be expected, and it had been a long shot anyway. In any case, she could maybe help out Star Wing some more. 'It's just that there are some space pirates attacking shipping around here that we're trying to stop. You should watch out for them.'

Lamar stood at the entrance to the dock and puzzled at the Star Dragon. It was a large creature, but it was intelligent and lived in space. It had the ability to speak of a sorts. Nothing about it made sense. All the other space born creatures were no more than animals. Why was the Star Dragon sentient. It seemed a lonely existence when there were so few to speak to. And even fewer of it's own kind to speak to. So why had it developed the ability to talk? He didn't know ant this was frustrating to him. Since he could usually puzzle out these things.

Still not fully wrapping his head around all that, Klyn couldn't help but to ask
"What happened to your wing?"

'I'm talking with a huge sentient space creature of legends... never expected that when I enlisted in the rebellion'

”My thanks for your warning. I am tired and must rest. I will search for a planet where I may sleep, I will be careful to avoid any pirates on my way there” the dragon answered Lyla, then turning to leave Star Wing was stalled by Klyn’s question “ah, I am not sure. I thought I had the stamina to cross The Drift but when I knew my breath was running out I placed myself in a hibernation trance. I must have taken the injury whilst I was sleeping, perhaps an asteroid or another creature. The wound will slow me down but not stop me. It should heal with rest” the dragon, tired looking was then ready to depart.

 

OOC Let me know if there’s more you want to do with Star Dragon otherwise he will go to find somewhere to sleep.

Lyla around at the faces of her team, both here in the Wayfarer cockpit and via the comms screen on the Alabak's Gold. When it seemed like no one had anything new to say, and Star Wing really want to go away and rest, Lyla answered 'Oh, good. Well, we hope you have a safe trip and a good rest. Get well soon!' It sounded like rubbish, but what did you say to a mythical space dragon? Star Wing didn't seem like a pompous legendary creature anyway. She waved a farewell to the screen, wondering if the gesture had any meaning either.

While the dragon slowly flew away, Klyn used the scanners to check for anything he could have left. Maybe some scale, or some frozen blood.

He wanted to have a little something to remember the incredible meeting. He had, of course, taken some pictures and filmed a few things. But it was not the same.

Lamar waved at the dragon and then moved off to the cockpit. He still needed to get things ready for their, probably now blown, operation. As he sat in the pilot's seat, he checked the readouts for damage, as they had just docked with a rather large creature and had no docking clamps to do so. So while he was sure there was no major damage, minor things could have happened during the procedure, and minor problems became major problems when you don't take care of them.

After aiding Star Wing the Rebels continued their journey. The Wanderer jumped into hyperspace then it was followed by the Alabak's Gold. Both ships successful completed another small hyperspace jump and began their second.

All was going well. Lamar and Rynn had the Wayfarer under control then suddenly mid-hyperspace jump the ship shook violently and shuddered with a loud thump. The hyperdrive alarm alerted the crew to urgent action. The ship had begun to rock as unsecured objects where hurled about. The starlines of hyperspace abruptly shifted to revert to the pinpoints of stars as the starship returned unexpectedly into realspace. The Wayfarer pitched to the left uncontrollably as the ship reverberated.

Outside, seen in the viewports, a huge container vessel fled into a stellar gas cloud. A smaller ship, a space barge lingered in the distance, whilst four Skipray blastboats raced in at top speed. The Wayfarer was still out of control when they began to open fire.

For Klyn onboard the Alabak's Gold following behind, the ship's computer alerted him to a hyperspace anomaly, a huge unexpected gravity mass ahead, the computer cautioned Klyn to alter the course immediately to evade any danger.

OOC Entering space combat for the crew of the Wayfarer. For the Alabak's Gold its time to evade the trap or fly blindly into it.

'Show time!' Lyla shouted as all hell broke loose, the entirely expected ambush still something of a surprise when they didn't know the when and the where. She grabbed hold of whatever and tried not to get thrown over and bang her tails.

When she recovered enough, she ran over fallen junk and got into the gunnery seat, powering up and trying to get lined up. 'It's that container ship! One left the scene of the last attack too.'


OOC: Can we still communicate with the Gold? Or would that give them away?

OOC Whilst the Alabak's Gold is in hyperspace you won't be able to communicate with them through technology, other means may be possible.

The plan was to 'let them be caught and follow'.
So when the alarm started screaming,Klyn did his best to allow a new point of exit not too far from the supposed trap location.

Close enough they could intervene should things get dire, but far enough not to be noticed (or at least not too quickly).

"Interdiction field!" Lamar shouted as they transitioned to real space. "But I don't see the Interdictor." He said a minute later. "Do you think it's inside the container ship? Those suckers are really big, I think it would be too big for that ship."

Lamar hadn't been idle while talking though, he had been quickly getting the ship set for maneuvers. Checking that being ripped out of hyperspace hadn't destroyed anything, and generally getting ready for the attack.

Though he didn't show it his fear had spiked. Interdiction fields were never seen outside of Imperial control, and that was a sure sign that this was really an Imperial operation. Going against a simple pirate crew was one thing, but if these weren't pirates, they would be Imp Special Services. And those guys were not a simple job.

"LT. This may be harder than we thought." He said with a worried tone.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 16:50, Tue 10 Nov 2020.

To make an emergency exit from hyperspace into realspace was a difficult manoeuvre and one that required complicated astronavigation mathematics. It wouldn't be so big a problem if Klyn hadn't been in a rush with the ship's klaxon's alerting him to the danger. Klyn punched in the coordinates and with a judder the Alabak's Gold dropped out of hyperspace, in fact only a short distance from the Wayfarer.

The blastboats were closing in fast with the Wayfarer. Lamar quickly identified the cause of the trap, an artificial gravity well projector. Something that Lamar estimated could have been carried on the huge container vessel.

OOC Roll Initiative. Pirates rolled 16. Higher than 16 and you can act first. Remember Wayfarer has -8 Initiative modifier. Alabak's Gold -9.

Range from Wayfarer is

Blastboats at range 20 sq

Barge at range 50 sq

Gas Cloud 100 sq

(Alabak's Gold is an additional 30 squares away)

'It's big when you wrap a Star Destroyer around it. Could be just a component?' Lyla shrugged, having neither the knowledge nor the time to get into the engineering of it. Right now, it was tactics. 'But it's no coincidence, it's got to be something onboard – they're leaving to protect it! So let's hit 'em where it hurts! Can we pursue that container ship?' she asked, eager to take the lead on the enemy for once.

'And it's always harder than we thought.' she added grimly, before firing off a proton torpedo at the blastboats. She missed, but with a torpedo blast, she hoped she didn't need to be accurate for once.


OOC: Initiative 9
Fire torpedo!
Attack 3, damage 80, 4-square splash
Far Shot: reduce long range to medium range for torpedos, -5 attack
This message was last edited by the player at 08:24, Thu 12 Nov 2020.

Klyn went back into normal space closer than he had planned, but judging by the situation, it might be for the best.

"Get ready for battle Tera !"
init 13

Lamar was trying to bring the shields up and get the ship maneuvering, but the flying brick it was was taking too long to respond. "Get your ass moving girl!" He cursed at the ship.


20:00, Today: Lamar Danar rolled -1 using 1d20-3.  initiative. +5(personal) -8(Wayfarer) = -3 (total modifier)
20:05, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 15 using 1d20+9.  pilot.
20:05, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 16 using 1d20+13.  Use computer.

The four blastboats were a fearsome sight. Designed by Sienar Fleet Systems the 'Skipray' were as dangerous and deadly as any squadron of TIE fighters. The four blastboats, bristling with weapons discharged their ion cannons at the Wayfarer as this long range it was more a show of power, not enough to disable the starship. Two of the blasts hit the Wayfarer's shields.

Klaxon's rang loudly onboard however as shield power began to fail. They were outgunned. Lyla responded with the firing of a proton torpedo but the missile went wide.

OOC Lyla's torpedo missed, to hit with an area attack you need to roll 10 or over.

Range to Blastboats is now 16 sq

Wayfarer's SR has been lowered to SR20 from the ion blasts. No damage has been taken by the hull.

Next actions.

Hearing Lamar's cry behind her, Lyla called back in mock indignation 'I beg your pardon?' Well, a little humour ought to lighten the mood, she figured. She checked the results of the proton torpedo – a complete miss, but at least she knew how the thing worked now. Updating her target, she fired off another, more accurate and more powerful, she hoped. If they could take out these blastboats, they might have a chance to last long enough for the Gold to show up.


OOC:
Torpedo launcher
Attack 14, damage 114, 4-square splash
Far Shot: reduce long range to medium range for torpedos, -5 attack included

Well, since the ships were using ion cannons, it was most certainly the pirates.

And it doesn't seem they will destroy their prey.

So Klyn hoped they had not seen him, or would suppose it was a collateral victim of their trap who fled as soon as possible.

With a silent prayer for all the crew to be fine, he started working on the Gold to erase his existence from their sensors.

The Drift was a chaotic and dangerous region of space. Klyn took full advantage of it in trying to keep the Alabak's Gold hidden, his prayers to the Force were highly effective. The pirates ship's continued to focus all their weapons on the Wayfarer.

Onboard the Wayfarer Lyla launched another torpedo at the incoming attackers. This time were aim was closer to the mark, the torpedo exploded close to two of the patrol craft. The success of a near hit was unfulfilling at the ships shields clearly absorbed the brunt if not all of the damage.

OOC The Alabak's Gold is Colossal so -20 modifier to hide it. However the Blastboats have -5 modifiers to Use Computer for every 5 squares so -25 modifier at current range. To offer some suggestions, Klyn can retreat to stay out of sensor range or can power down to help hide his energy signature. Powering down will give -5 modifier to the Blastboats. Klyn will need to roll another Hide check as the Blastboats move to closer range.

I will wait for Lamar to post before continuing any further.

Rynn lined up a shot on one of the blastboats, and loosed a torpedo of his own trying to take the ships out. If they started loosing, he fully expected them to cut their losses and switch to a more direct manner of attack. "We need to be quick about this Commander."


10:31, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 48 using 9d10.  torpedo damage.

10:31, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 17 using 1d20.  attack, torpedo launcher, -5 for med range.

"I'm talking to the ship!" Lamar shot back to Lyla. He then concentrated on trying to maneuver out of the way of the ion blasts. Hoping he could convincingly look like someone would who was trying to escape, though he was not seriously wanting to succeed.
"So I'm trying to make this look good, and I know we want to fail, but what's the end play? Escape pods?" He asked Lyla.

10:36, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 23 using 1d20+9.  pilot.
10:36, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 4 using 1d20+3.  initiative -5 = -1

Pirates were well known to Rynn and the Ubese put the knowledge to well use. Rynn fired off a torpedo, a direct hit against the Skipray Blastboat. Again it was too early to celebrate, the starship's sturdy shields soaked up the blast and didn't look scratched. The same could not be said for the Wayfarer another salvo of ion blasts streaked across space to the ship. Only one blast managed to hit but it was enough for the shields to weaken further and more alarms on board the ship to go off. When they closed their range they would surely incapacitate the Wayfarer, was it time to prepare to repel boarders?

OOC I've taken Lamar's attempt to fool the attackers as meaning he will not be trying to fly out of weapon range or flee toward the hidden Alabak's Gold. As such the range to Blastboats is now closer at 12 sq.

Shield's reduced to SR 15 and 30 damage to the hull.

Lyla shook her head, tails flying behind her as she kept looking around and out the starboard viewer. 'Uh-uh. We don't want to fail, we're just prepared to fail. That was your plan: we fight like frack until the Gold comes to our aid. Worst-case scenario, it doesn't, the pirates kill us. Second-worst, they take us for ransom like the last lot, and the Gold follows. But we're not going down without a fight.' As the tactical information updated, she selected a new target, adjusting for vector, velocity, and blue-shift, then fired another proton torpedo into the midst the blastboats, satisfied to see an accurate attack at them.


OOC:
Torpedo launcher
Attack 18, damage 82, 4-square splash
Far Shot: reduce medium range to short range for torpedos, -2 attack included

"Remember that we have the tracking device installed, so we could escape as long as the ship is taken." Lamar said while trying to dodge the blasts. Unfortunately the beast of a ship was as slow to maneuver as a sarlac. "I just wish this ship was more maneuverable!" He lamented.

'Right! If we lose this fight, we'll get in the pods.' Lyla agreed grimly. After the way their missions usually went, this team had gotten good at planning to fail. 'Hopefully the pirates will leave us alone and Klyn can pick us up.'

Picking up on Lamar's complaints about manoeuvrability, Lyla called back 'What about speed? Can we just run for it?'

Rynn was shaken by the sudden drops in power, the blaring claxons making it hard to focus as he attempted to line up another ship against the blastboat he'd struck before.






11:06, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 57 using 9d10.  Damage (If needed) .

11:06, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 6 using 1d20.  Attack roll w/o Mods .

The pirates continued to close the distance between them. The Skipray Blastboats fired ion blasts in every direction but failed to hit the Wayfarer. Retaliating proton torpedoes struck the attacking ships but the Sienar Fleet ships were especially well built and hardy vehicles, capable of absorbing a considerably large amount of damage.

OOC Range to Blastboats is now down to 8 squares.

Getting the hang of this now, Lyla painted a target on the lead blastboat and launched another proton torpedo to chase it. It rocketed off, and right into the Skipray's face. Lyla whooped a Twi'lek cheer. 'Suck on that!'


OOC:
Far Shot: reduce medium range to short range for torpedos, -2 attack included
Attack 23, rolled a 20, critical hit! Automatic hit.
Damage 46, critical damage 39, totaled and doubled to 170 damage
11:06, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 23 using 1d20+3.  attack, torpedo launcher, -2 for short range.
11:08, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 46 using 9d10. torpedo damage.
11:09, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 39 using 9d10. torpedo damage, critical.

The Wayfarer was surrounded, the four attackers bunched up around them, an ideal target for Lyla who fired another proton torpedo which when it exploded sent sudders through two of the ships and both of the ship's shields flickered and lost power as well as causing damage to their hulls.

OOC Nice shot! Although technically in the errata Critical hits with Area attacks don't do double damage I will allow it this time.

2 of the Blastboats take 81 damage each and move -1 step down the condition track.

I'll wait for the others to post before any update.

Rynn tried to capitalize on the amazing shooting his commander was doing, but was struggling against a sluggishly responding gunner system. He tried to line up a shot on one of the ships whose shield was down, and let fire.



10:38, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 58 using 9d10.  Damage (If needed) .

10:36, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 2 using 1d20.  Attack roll w/o Mods.

Klyn spotted the battle and wondered if he should intervene...

But the Gold was ill equipped for fighting such ships.
By the time he would be in reach to fire, the ion blasts would have paralyzed all systems.

"Tera? Get to one of the blasters, we might join the fight."

If they managed to get rid of one or two of the ships....

Or maybe he could distract some by firing to allow the rest of to destroy some... and even the odds.

If one or more of the assailants are destroyed, Klyn will 'run' toward the Wayfarer to attract some attention.

11:36, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 28 using 1d20+9.  pilot.

Finally the Wayfarer began to maneuver, and he felt like they had a chance to pull off this thing, as he was able to jink at the last second and avoid a fresh blast of ion bolts. His glance at the shield readout though was a splash of cold water. Were the shields really that low?

Now in short range the blastboats unleashed their ion cannons. The pirates cannons were accurate and the burst of electrostatic energy disabled the Wayfarer. Their task complete the blastboats turned around headed toward the stellar gas cloud.

The space barge then advanced. It locked the Wayfarer in its tractor beam and began to close in preparation to dock.

OOC The Wayfarer received 120 points of damage and is incapacitated.

Just as he is about to engage, Klyn notices the end of the battle.

The only way he can help the rest of the team now is to stay hidden, all system asleep, and hope the blastboats won't notice him.

Then he might go against the barge, gain enough time for them to reboot the systems, maybe... Or plan something else depending on the situation.

As the controls went utterly unresponsive, Lyla swore and slammed her hands down on the panel in frustration. Sure, it was the fail they'd planned for, but it still hurt to lose like this, with barely a bruise on their enemy. 'That's it, the party's over. Now, do we stay and fight, or do we get in the pods and head for the hills?' she asked the others as she returned to the cockpit. 'Now, I'm guessing these pirates won't expect a strong opposition, but they did take an Alliance scout team, so they're tough... Also, this ship has six detonite charges we could have some fun with.'

Suddenly the ship completely stopped responding as all power went out. "Sithspawn. WE'RE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN!" He yelled through the ship since comms were down as well. "Brace for boarding."

He reached down and pulled his blaster rifle out so he could defend himself but then once he had that he began putting on a space suit. The easiest way to deal with a hostile crew is to space them. Hence the suit.

The crew began to prepare for the pirates. The space barge slowly moved into position and extended their docking tube. The Wayfarer's door controls put up little resistance as klaxons alerted the Rebels that the ship was about to be boarded.



OOC The pirates are not rushing so you have time to prepare whatever plans you have for this encounter.

Following Lamar's lead, Lyla hurriedly stuffed herself into her space suit. However, she left her helmet off for the time being, because she'd need to cram her head-tails, which it wasn't nearly as comfortable as it might seem. After that, she ripped open the emergency locker and yanked out some detonite and fuses. 'Lamar, you're trained in demolitions – think we can throw a Life Day gift in for our guests?'

Lamar looked at her as if she was crazy. "I can... If you want to destroy the ship and kill us. In this small of a space, any explosion big enough to kill them would also kill us from the concussion. Not to mention damaging the ship greatly." He examined the area, and looked for the airlock. "Let me think." He pondered.

"You know, if they don't hull us, we could lower the ramp and vent ourselves to suck them out. It probably wouldn't kill all or maybe any of them, depending on if they wear suits, but it could remove them from the fight long enough for us to possibly take their ship. And if they are foolish enough to not wear suits and can't close the airlocks fast enough we might get lucky."

Could you indicate on the map where the airlock is? I see the ramp, but it's not the likely way they will enter.

'I figured we could toss the bomb into their ship and shut the airlock on 'em,' Lyla clarified, a little defensively because she needed to be on the defensive right now. But she shook her head, loose tails swinging. 'Just a thought. Anyway, I've got a frag grenade. Should be smaller.'

She thought over Lamar's plan, and was almost as doubtful. 'We're never lucky. And these pirates are well-organised and equipped – if they've got an interdiction device, they're not skimping on suits... Anyway, try it, try everything.'

The ship's entrance was just below the steps to the cockpit. Other entry points were along the bottom of the ship where cargo could be loaded and unloaded. The pirated had extended and linked a docking tube to the main entrance. The docking tube would create an airlock and they would be able enter into the centre of the ship.

"If we want we could threaten to blow the ship and destroy the cargo, but it would be a bluff, since I don't intend to die for this ship." He said while attempting to keep track of the approaching ship that would board them.

The pirate ship floated nearby and with its tractor beam pulled the Wayfarer into docking position. The ships were keel to keel. The pirates then extended a docking bay tube to create an airlock between them. The ship's computer announced that against protocol the entry bay door was about to open.

OOC Okay let me know where you are on the ship and what you have done to prepare.

From what I've read Lamar is in a spacesuit, Rynn is in his environmental suit, Lyla has put on a suit but without helmet.

Leaving the frag grenade as strictly a Plan C thing, Lyla spent some frantic moments carrying crates and tool boxes up the stairs to the cockpit area, where the team would make their stand. While it was tempting to try to channel, trap, or barricade the pirates, it would also serve to give them cover in a shoot-out, and she wanted that cover for her team. As it was, the airlock and stairs were an adequate channel; after that, the pirates should have nowhere to hide. She left the heaviest crate atop the airlock itself, figuring it would fall on someone's head if she was lucky.

At the last moment, she pulled on her helmet, taking care to arrange her tails safely inside. Then she took up a position behind the barricade, leaning down to present a low profile and small target, with her DC-17m ICWS blaster rifle charged and aimed at the airlock. 'We've got height, them on stairs, a barricade, and a shooting gallery. We've got the advantage, we've got the skills, we've got the need. Now let's get these bastards.'


OOC: Assuming the pirates are emerging G10, Lyla will stack crates to form a wide barricade across G8, and leave one on G10 so it falls in on them. I propose we all stand in Column 7 behind the barricade and get ready to start shooting.

Lyla puts her helmet on now.

I'll use my custom Commander ability in the first round to give everyone a +2 bonus on attack rolls (hence the speech now).

OOC Aye you have it right, the pirates will enter at G10. I'll give Rynn and Lamar a moment to set up their position then I will continue

Rynn checked the seals on his suit, and readied his blaster for the inevitable rush. He thought about killing the gravity on board but that would effect Lyla and Lamar as much as their enemies. "I'm as ready as I can be..." He said through his voice amplifier. "See you guys on the other side."

Rynn pretty much stays were he is.

Lamar moved to the position directly ahead off the airlock, (G7) and kneeled behind the cover they had created. As he did he leveled his blaster rifle, and aimed just above the lock. "This might get us killed, just so you know."

The intention is to shoot as soon as the first pirate sticks his head up through the airlock. Unless Lyla says otherwise.

As the Rebels waited the pirated worked their way along the docking tube. The boarding ramp of the Wayfarer lowered and the pirates began to scramble aboard. The pirated entered the ship and many more could be seen waiting in the docking tube. The pirates were in space suits and held blaster pistols.



OOC Roll Initiative! As pirate prepared to defend themselves order of initiative will determine who acts first. The pirates rolled 16, anyone rolling higher can act before they do.

CN             F  R  W    HP   Second Wind FP DP  Notes

Lyla           22 22 19   58/58  1/1  (+14) 8  5
Lamar          17 19 15   47/47  1/1  (+14) 7  4
Rynn           16 18 15   30/30  1/1  (+10) 8  3

Pirate         11 14 11     0

CN = Character Name
F = Fortitude
R = Reflex
W = Will
HP = Hit Points (Max/Current) or for GM controlled characters hits taken
Second Wind = Second Winds (Max/Current) (+Value)
FP = Force Points
DP = Destiny Points
Loc = Location on map
Notes = Notes

Pirates 16
Lyla
Rynn
Lamar

As the first pirate stuck it's head up, Lamar fired. Hitting the pirate as the mans shoulders raised up over the lip of the hole. As the man screamed in pain Lamar readied another shot...

08:08, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 22 using 1d20+2.  initiative.
08:10, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 25 using 1d20+6.  ranged attack.
08:12, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 14 using 3d8.  BR damage.

The commander reacted before anyone. 'Fire!' she roared over their private comms, locking the sights of her DC-17m ICWS blaster rifle on the first of the pirates and shooting, all in one swift action. But distracted by her order, her shot was a glancing hit at best.


OOC:
Initiative 26, rolled a natural 20 – Fringe Savant, gain 1 free temporary FP
Commander ability: +2 bonus on attack rolls to allies
Point Blank Shot +1/+1
Attack 12, assumed +2 for 14
Damage 14

If I can't used the +2 bonus for myself, then I'll use my temporary FP and get +4 instead.

Quick to react Lyla ordered the defence of the Wayfarer as she fired upon the invading pirates. Her shot glanced off the pirates spacesuit, enough to slow the pirate but not incapacitate them. Lamar shot and knocked a pirate down, their spot was soon filled by another. The pirates were surprised by the resistance but managed to fire back, their pistols set on stun.

OOC Lyla commander bonus is for allies and will not apply to her. Lyla can use her temporary FP to score a hit. Lamar does +2 damage due to his level so incapacitates a pirate.

Everyone can act, post your actions.

CN             F  R  W    HP   Second Wind FP DP  Notes

Lyla           22 22 19   58/58  1/1  (+14) 8  5  Low cover +5 Ref
Lamar          17 19 15   47/47  1/1  (+14) 7  4  Low cover +5 Ref
Rynn           16 18 15   30/30  1/1  (+10) 8  3  Low cover +5 Ref

Pirate         11 14 11     14                    -1 step
Pirate         11 14 11     16                    Unconscious
Pirate         11 14 11
Pirate         11 14 11
Pirate         14 14 11

CN = Character Name
F = Fortitude
R = Reflex
W = Will
HP = Hit Points (Max/Current) or for GM controlled characters hits taken
Second Wind = Second Winds (Max/Current) (+Value)
FP = Force Points
DP = Destiny Points
Loc = Location on map
Notes = Notes

Lyla 26
Lamar  22
Pirates 16
Rynn 15

Ducking a shot, Lyla switched to a new target and fired back, satisfied to see a more solid hit against the pirate. Their blasters might be set to stun, but hers was set to kill. Yet she wasn't aiming to finish them off, not yet. The one Lamar had shot down had been replaced pretty quickly – there might be a horde behind them, but only limited places in the airlock, and she'd rather have those places occupied by wounded pirates. 'We're in for a long-haul, not a sprint. Share your shots around, keep them weak and distracted, then we mop them up.'


OOC: Shoot Pirate #3
Point Blank Shot +1/+1
Attack 17
Damage 15

Rynn braced himself against the corner he was in, lining up his heavy blaster pistol. The shots flew between his comrades and the pirates before Rynn fired the heavy pistol, point blank into the target rich field of view. "Roger, Commander." the Ubese said in response.




14:23, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 11 using 3d8.  Damage .

14:21, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 27 using 1d20+8.  Attack .

Lamar didn't agree with that sentiment, as only wounding the enemy meant they learned from their mistakes and the next time you faced them they were more formidable. But Lyla was the Lt. so he said, "Aye, aye, LT." The next shot was for the pirates shoulder...

Take two swift actions to aim. With Point blank shot and Careful Shot that's a +2 to the shot and ignore cover. I tried to find rules on targeting a body part, but couldn't find one, so I'll leave it up to you to determine. One rule that you might consider was disarming an opponent. Instead of making the shot harder, it gave a +10 to their reflex defense. Since weapons are smaller than the shoulder I'm shooting it might be less of a bonus. Though I leave the decision to you.

06:47, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 18 using 1d20+8.  ranged attack.
06:48, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 18 using 3d8+2.  blaster rifle damage.

The Rebels followed Lyla's orders to weaken the pirates.  The three of them heavily out numbered but with a defensive position shot to injure. All three of them hitting their targets. The pirates unaccustomed to resistance didn't fare well with even Lamar's carefully aimed shoulder shot knocking the pirate flat on the deck.

More rushed aboard to claim their prize, they counter attacked with more stun shots but were unable to penetrate the Rebels barricade. Three more pirates could be seen ready to board then they would rush the Rebels to defeat them with greater numbers.

OOC Despite everyone's attempts at doing less damage you are hitting them too hard. Two more are knocked unconscious, two more are injured and are about to fall!

Everyone can act, post your actions.

CN             F  R  W    HP   Second Wind FP DP  Notes

Lyla           22 22 19   58/58  1/1  (+14) 8  5  Low cover +5 Ref
Lamar          17 19 15   47/47  1/1  (+14) 7  4  Low cover +5 Ref
Rynn           16 18 15   30/30  1/1  (+10) 8  3  Low cover +5 Ref

Pirate         11 14 11     14                    -1 step
Pirate         11 14 11     16                    Unconscious
Pirate         11 14 11     18                    Unconscious
Pirate         11 14 11     15                    Unconscious
Pirate         11 14 11     14                    -1 step
Pirate         11 14 11
Pirate         11 14 11
Pirate         11 14 11
Pirate         11 14 11
Pirate         11 14 11

CN = Character Name
F = Fortitude
R = Reflex
W = Will
HP = Hit Points (Max/Current) or for GM controlled characters hits taken
Second Wind = Second Winds (Max/Current) (+Value)
FP = Force Points
DP = Destiny Points
Loc = Location on map
Notes = Notes

Lyla 26
Lamar  22
Pirates 16
Rynn 15

OOC: I didn't mean to do less damage (like, why would I possibly want that?). I meant to distribute the shots so we have more −1 step than fresh pirates so they're less likely to hit us. But it looks like we're got five extra pirates anyway,

Seeing more pirates surge in, and more on the way, Lyla realised this was as good a time as any, or even the only good time, to hit them back in force. 'Now! Autofire!' she snapped at her team, forcefully switching her DC-17m ICWS rifle to autofire mode and spraying a hail of shots into the close-pressed pirates. The weapon got away from her a bit, but she trusted her team to catch what she missed.


OOC: Swift: switch to auto-fire
Point Blank Shot +1/+1
Attack 9, misses Reflex defense
Damage 20, halved to 10 for all pirates in a 2-by-2 square
20:53, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 20 using 3d8+4. blaster rifle damage, PBS +1.
20:51, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 9 using 1d20+4. blaster rifle attack, PBS+1, autofire -5.

Lamar really hated autofire, as he was a specialist, and tended to hit what he shot at, but orders were orders. Growling in frustration he switched to autofire mode and began hosing the area down.

07:55, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 5 using 1d20+2.  autofire shooting. (after all modifiers)
07:56, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 22 using 3d8+2.  blaster rifle damage. Though I'm not sure it matters.

Rynn did not have a pistol with an autofire function so he started to line up a shot. The intensity from Lyla and Lamar going fully automatic caused Rynn to grit his teeth from being so near to that much discharged energy. He lined up his next shot and squeezed the trigger.




14:31, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 11 using 3d8+2.  Damage .

14:31, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 16 using 1d20+8.  Attack .

Slow to begin the assault on the Wayfarer quickened. The pirates managed after some early casualties to board the starship and rushed the bridge. Wild firing from Lyla and Lamar left carbon scoring and blaster scorches across the interior of the ship. Rynn more calmly shot one of pirates with his blaster pistol. One of the pirates managed to approach the bridge and blast Lamar with a stun blast. The strike was good but the damage minimal. The other pirates fired a salvo of stun shots, all accurate but hitting the hastily made barricade rather than the rebels.



OOC Both of the autofire attacks missed at as minimum 10 needed to hit with autofire.

Lamar takes 4 points of damage.

Everyone can act, post your actions.

CN             F  R  W    HP   Second Wind FP DP  Notes

Lyla           22 22 19   58/58  1/1  (+14) 8  5  Low cover +5 Ref
Lamar          17 19 15   43/47  1/1  (+14) 7  4  Low cover +5 Ref
Rynn           16 18 15   30/30  1/1  (+10) 8  3  Low cover +5 Ref

Pirate         11 14 11     14                    -1 step
Pirate         11 14 11     16                    Unconscious
Pirate         11 14 11     18                    Unconscious
Pirate         11 14 11     15                    Unconscious
Pirate         11 14 11     14                    -1 step
Pirate         11 14 11     11                    -1 step
Pirate         11 14 11
Pirate         11 14 11
Pirate         11 14 11
Pirate         11 14 11

CN = Character Name
F = Fortitude
R = Reflex
W = Will
HP = Hit Points (Max/Current) or for GM controlled characters hits taken
Second Wind = Second Winds (Max/Current) (+Value)
FP = Force Points
DP = Destiny Points
Loc = Location on map

Lyla 26
Lamar  22
Pirates 16
Rynn 15

Lyla's idea of softening them up and then mowing them down was starting to seem like a bad idea, not least because no pirates were mowed down. 'Damn it! Alright! Just shoot like hell!' she spat, sounding angry and frustrated, and under it, afraid. This had to work, the alternative was too terrible. Desperate, she sprayed the pirates with blaster fire again, but struggled to hit even a single one. 'Cruk!'


OOC: Stupid rassafrassing autofire. :( Sorry everyone.
20:31, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 7 using 1d20+4. blaster rifle attack, PBS+1, autofire -5.
EDIT: And with a Force Point, that's a measly 8.
14:59, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 1 using 1d6.  force point.

This message was last edited by the player at 07:01, Thu 17 Dec 2020.

Reeling from the stun blast, Lamar grimaced in pain. Luckily it had been a graze and he mostly avoided the effects. His outlook was happier as Lyla changed her orders and allowed them to fire as they saw fit. That wasn't what he said but that was how he interpenetrated it. So he grinned savagely and switched his rifle back to single shot mode.

Aiming at the one that hit him he fired... Sadly though he hit, he didn't hit cleanly instead only grazing the mans shoulder. He whispered to Lyla, "LT we're not going to win this one. The more we kill the more likely they will just shoot us."


10:57, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 16 using 1d20+6.  ranged attack.
10:58, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 13 using 3d8+2.  blaster rifle damage.

Rynn had been feeling what Lamar put to words. This situation didn't seem to be breaking their way. There was nothing for it, but to try to fight and survive. Rynn lined up another shot and fired.



16:34, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 17 using 3d8+2.  Damage .

16:34, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 21 using 1d20+8.  Attack .

The pirates continued to rush forward but Rynn and Lamar picked off two more of them. Now only five of the original ten pirates remained standing. The pirates continued to fire stun shots and Rynn was hit but shrugged off any stun effects.

OOC Rynn take 7 damage. Everyone can act, post your actions.

CN             F  R  W    HP   Second Wind FP DP  Notes

Lyla           22 22 19   58/58  1/1  (+14) 8  5  Low cover +5 Ref
Lamar          17 19 15   43/47  1/1  (+14) 7  4  Low cover +5 Ref
Rynn           16 18 15   23/30  1/1  (+10) 8  3  Low cover +5 Ref

Pirate         11 14 11     27                    Unconscious
Pirate         11 14 11     16                    Unconscious
Pirate         11 14 11     18                    Unconscious
Pirate         11 14 11     15                    Unconscious
Pirate         11 14 11     14                    -1 step
Pirate         11 14 11     11                    -1 step
Pirate         11 14 11     21                    Unconscious
Pirate         11 14 11
Pirate         11 14 11
Pirate         11 14 11

CN = Character Name
F = Fortitude
R = Reflex
W = Will
HP = Hit Points (Max/Current) or for GM controlled characters hits taken
Second Wind = Second Winds (Max/Current) (+Value)
FP = Force Points
DP = Destiny Points
Loc = Location on map

Lyla 26
Lamar  22
Pirates 16
Rynn 15

Lyla switched her rifle back to single-shot mode so hard she almost broke the lever, saying 'The more we kill,' she raised her rifle over the barricade and drilled a hole in the nearest pirate – she always was a better sniper than a sprayer, 'The less likely they are to shoot, kidnap, enslave, or violate us.' There were many good reasons for not being taken alive, in her book. 'None of them help us complete our mission. Now, five to three is better odds. I'm for not giving up.'


OOC: Swift: switch back to regular fire
Point Blank Shot +1/+1
Shoot nearest pirate, attack 21, damage 20
10:48, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 20 using 3d8+4. blaster rifle damage, PBS +1.
10:48, Today: Lyla Rahn rolled 21 using 1d20+9. blaster rifle attack, PBS+1.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:58, Fri 18 Dec 2020.

Lamar was dropping into the zone. He was ignoring, though still aware of, the conversation around him. And was focused on the task at hand. Taking aim at another pirate, (one not already injured,) He fired again, taking the pirate directly between the eyes.

14:28, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 26 using 1d20+6.  attack blaster rifle. Crit!
14:34, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 15 using 3d8+2.  blaster rifle damage. Doubled to 30

Rynn blinked to clear his eyes from the blurriness caused by the stun beam that hit him. Shaking his head to clear it, he lined up another shot, still pressing his body up against the bulkhead to provide as much protection as possible. After squeezing his trigger and waited to see the body fall before shouting "Three for me." and chose a new target.





12:33, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 14 using 3d8+2.  Damage .

12:32, Today: Rynn Culmar rolled 25 using 1d20+8.  Attack .

With the Rebels blasters lethally accurate three of the Pirates collapsed. The remaining pirates, only two injured pirates were left standing, they dropped their blasters and submitted to the three Rebels. The cargo bay of the shuttle was scarred by errant blaster fire and scattered with the bodies of the defeated pirates. The entrance ramp was open and docking bay remained attached.

Without waiting for Lyla's orders, Lamar quickly walked along the edge of the shuttle, making sure to both keep his rifle on the pirates and to stay out of the line of fire.
"On the ground now, and keep those hands on your head! They move and you die!" He ordered forcefully.

Lamar is intending to secure the prisoners before eventually securing the ship.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:54, Tue 22 Dec 2020.

Then, just like that... 'We won?' Lyla asked disbelievingly, before deciding to just accept it before they lost again, 'Well, that makes a change. Lamar— yeah, secure them. Rynn, keep an eye on the other ships. I'll check out this barge. We might've had a lucky break.' The pirate's own space barge could be very useful to them. Or a death-trap, of course

Keeping her blaster rifle fixed on the surrendered pirates, Lyla climbed the barricade and circled around them, staying well outside grabbing reach so they couldn't trying to surprise and disarm her. She passed Lamar her liquid-cable dispenser to bind them, then stood guard in case they tried anything.

After that, Lyla dropped down into the space barge, looking out for more pirates.

The defeated pirates were quickly restrained and Lyla was then able to enter the docking tube. The docking tube entered into the space barge's cargo bay.  The cargo bay was mostly empty besides a few metals crates. From the cargo bay a doorway led toward the bridge.

With rifle raised and ready, Lyla ventured toward the bridge, whilst looking around for any sign of movement and listening out for any sound. She didn't want to beat all those invading pirates only to fall to an ambush by some pilot left behind.


OOC: Moving to the bridge; Perception 27

Warily Lyla advanced in unexplored territory. She took care to watch her surroundings and kept an eye out for more pirates. The space barge looked like it was a fair shape with various modifications, the docking tube had been added alongside weapons and shields. The crates were mostly supplies and Lyla spotted a few stamped with the name Whisper.

As Lyla came closer to the bridge she heard voices, she wasn't alone on the barge.

Whisper, Lyla noted. That was the name of Parek's ship. So they had the same pirates then, not that she'd doubted it after those identical tactics. They hadn't had time to offload their stolen goods either. Otherwise, the pirates looked well-organised and prepared.

Hearing voices, Lyla halted and whispered a terse message over comms back to her team. 'Still got pirates, plural. Could do with back-up.' Yet she stole closer, trying to listen in, both to estimate how many pirates there were and to learn something about their operation, before they were dead or captured to share voluntarily.


OOC: Sneak closer and listen in, Stealth 27

Closer to the bridge Lyla was able to creep up and eavesdrop on the pilots. The Twi'lek heard two voices, from their chat she learnt of the destination, they were plotting a course for the planet Dega.

While making sure the ropes were secure, Lamar heard the comm from Lyla. "Acknowledged." He sent back. Looking at Rynn he said. "Can you watch them?" Indicating the two prisoners.

While she waited for Lamar to join her, Lyla continued eavesdropping on the pirates, hoping she could learn something more than Dega.

The prisoners secure Lamar entered the pirate's barge. The ship was in good shape with upgrades and modifications. The cargo hold was mostly empty and finding Lyla was simple, Lamar headed straight for the bridge and found her on the way.

Lyla was close to the doorway and listening to the pilots. From what she heard she learnt that the pilots would be navigating to Dega via beacon that led to a hideout. Of Dega she learnt it was a dead planet with toxic air.

Seeing Lyla crouched and hiding, Lamar dropped into a stealthy movement as he came up next to her. He had begun to hear the remaining pirates shortly after seeing Lyla, and now listened in before indicating with hand signals that he and she could get the drop on them if they moved quietly. The question was, would she understand the signals?

Dega, a beacon, a hideout... Lyla had heard what she needed to know, and if she waited any longer, they'd miss their chance to surprise these pirates. Fortunately, around then, Lamar arrived beside her. She understood the hand signals; she'd learned them in Alliance basic training, and had found them easy compared to Lekku Sign Language. She nodded, indicated Lamar should take the one on his side and she the one on hers, and chopped her hand in a countdown: three, two, one...

Rising, and resisting the urge to introduce herself with a snarky joke and give herself away, Lyla surged in silently to shoot at the nearest pirate.


OOC: Initiative 24
Point Blank Shot +1/+1
Attack 13, damage 14

Dastardly Strike: A successful attack against an opponent denied Dex to Reflex moves them -1 step on condition track.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:01, Wed 30 Dec 2020.

OOC Lyla and Lamar will have the jump on the pilots and Lamar can get an attack too. Pilots rolled Initiative 13 so beating that you can get another attack in. Then if they survive they can respond.

Rynn sat in one of the gunners seats and swiveled it back and forth as he watched over the tied up pirates. "Guys... there were 10 of you.... how did you lose?" He nudged one with his foot. "I mean really... you should feel bad. Were your past victims babies?" He swiveled a little more. "So you guys got more goons back at your hideout or what?"

Many of the pirates were comatose or worse. A couple of them groggy from injury but conscious glared at Ryan. After Rynn had goaded them one spat at his feet "most don't risk their lives for their cargo. There's plenty more of us. You're seen our ships. They'll be back. Think you're a hero, you're dead meat already just too dumb to know it! 'Cause what you've done they won't come firing stun blasts you wait an' see..." he taunted back.

"I wouldn't have been firing stun blasts after the first 2 or 3 of you dropped. It's your own faults for not taking things seriously." he said, as he moved his feet back from the spit. "Now now... no spiting or I'll have to gag you. No-body wants that right?" Rynn typed out a message on his bracer computer to the Gold Klyn, Blastboats may return, perhaps with support. Keep an eye on he monitors. Do we have any explosives on board to booby trap the barge?"

"Friends are going to come back blasting huh? Won't they care about killing you guys... the ones that are still alive I mean?"

"Its business" the pirate glowered "build up a reputation for not killing, people know its safer to handover the goods, no one gets hurt. Then folks like you turn up. What's your game anyhow?" his curiosity spiked.

"Sabacc but I'm terrible at it." Rynn said through his voice amplifier, deadpan. "Not patient enough I suspect." He wasn't going to be providing the pirates any information that could endanger his crew. "Didn't have time for a lot of games as a kid myself."

Remembering to always double-tap, Lyla fired a second time into the pirates before they could react. Her aim was hasty though, but she figured she had the advantage of surprise.

OOC:
Point Blank Shot +1/+1
Attack 14, damage 16

Dastardly Strike: A successful attack against an opponent denied Dex to Reflex moves them -1 step on condition track.

Two quick shots from Lyla and the pilot slumped unconscious over their controls.

OOC Lyla has incapacitated her target. Now waiting on Lamar.

Having quickly switched to stun Lamar shot the second pilot.

11:34, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 22 using 1d20+6.  ranged attack.
11:34, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 15 using 3d8+2.
11:35, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 12 using 1d20+5. initiative

Not as quick to shoot twice Lamar only managed to shoot his target once. The blue rings of a stun blast struck the pilot but failed to incapacitate her. The pilot swung around in surprise and shot back with her quickly grabbed blaster pistol. The burning sear of the energy blast wounded Lamar as she screamed "get off my ship".

OOC Stun damage for a blaster rifle is only 2d8 so I rerolled for 10 stun damage. The pilot then shot back for 15 damage. Lamar is up to finish the job off... Lyla will then get to act again at the beginning of the new round.

Lamar's blaster rifle wasn't a rapid firing weapon,  being more designed for sniping, but it was still able to quickly fired again. Though he had been injured, he growled at the pain, hoping he could down the woman this time.

17:06, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 17 using 1d20+6.  ranged attack.
17:07, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 7 using 2d8+2.  stun damage.

In retort to the attack Lamar shot the pirate pilot again. The ripples of the stun blast hit the pilot but she withstood the attack and was still standing.

OOC Lyla has an action before the pilot.

Seeing the pilot still standing and fighting, Lyla swiftly panned across and shot at her side. They needed to end this quickly.


OOC:
Point Blank Shot +1/+1
Attack 17, damage 14

Unaware of the second attack the pilot did not see the shot from Lyla. She collapsed and fell on to the control station.

OOC Combat over. You win.

Lyla kept her rifle coolly trained on the pilot for a good long second, before it became clear she wasn't getting up again. She stalked over and hauled her off the console, dropping her roughly onto the deck. 'I've gotta say, I'm surprised.' she told Lamar, looking the screens over. 'We don't usually get this lucky. I'm thinking we can use this ship to infiltrate the pirates.' She glanced back, and noticed he'd been hit. 'Are you okay there?'

After hearing the two shots and nothing for a while Rynn keyed over the comms. "Hope that was you guys winning and not the other way around..." he paused a moment before continuing. "If you are still alive, our friends here say their friends in the blast boats will be coming back before long."

The two pilots were dragged from their controls. The controls on the space barge were a simple affair, it was a floating box, it lacked any maneuverability or style. From the bridge the pilots were able to control the sublight engines, the hyperspace engines, the navicomputer, the twin laser cannons, the tractor beam projector and the docking tube.

While all this happened, Klyn and Terra were dying with worry and frustration.

Lamar began dragging the pilots back out of the cockpit, but shrugged at Lyla's question. "Took a graze, but not gonna die from it." He checked to see if either of the pilots were still alive.

Both of the pilots had been killed by Lyla.

Things continued to be quiet for Klyn and Tera. The Alabak's Gold's scanners were hampered by the Drift so could not reliable scan for the return of the pirates.

'That's the spirit.' Lyla deadpanned back to Lamar. She'd been shot too many times in her early days to worry much more about it.

Once she got dead pilot off the controls, she responded to Rynn over comms. 'Sorry, couldn't hear you over the sound of us winning. But we've got a basic pirate space barge all to ourselves down here. Only question is, what do we do with it? I had thought infiltration, following the pirates to their base, but if they're coming back here, they'll catch us out the first time we can't talk like a pirate at them. The other idea is sabotage, blowing this boat up in their faces when they get here. But we would be starting the fight all over again... Is the Wayfarer good to go, and do you have contact with the Gold?'

The three ships were reasonably close together so communications were possible, all the Rebels were able to discuss their next course of action.

"Damn they're both dead. Well, there goes that option." As he finished getting the bodies away, he shrugged and walked to the cockpit computer. "Let's see what this can tell us." He begins checking both the Nav computer, and the logs as well.

20:15, Today: Lamar Danar rolled 20 using 1d20+13.  Use computer.

At the pilot control's Lamar accessed the navicomputer. The hyperspace jump log history reported a series of mini jumps originating from the planet Korad. The navicomputer was programmed for another series of mini jumps, their final destination the planet Dega.

OOC Anything else in particular that Lamar is searching for?

"Okay the nav computer shows multiple routs from Korad to Dega. The likelihood is it's one of those two planets that they are basing from LT." He said after checking. "I will know more details when I get the chance to review their logs, but pirates aren't as studious at keeping logs."

Yes, as he can, he will check logs for anything else that might help in the mission. In case anyone is wondering Lamar wasn't present when the pilot mentioned Dega, so IC he doesn't know that's the destination. Plus this will confirm the statement.

'Sorry, I didn't think to switch my weapon. We still have those two upstairs anyway.' Lyla explained to Lamar. Once, she might've been disturbed at killing any sentient being. Now she was a veteran Rebel, she just took it in her stride. Did it make her practical, hardened, or a killer? From men shot to bases blown up, she wasn't even trying to keep count.

'Dega.' Lyla chose for him. 'They were plotting a course there via a beacon, and they said they have a hideout there. Since they've still got all their loot on board, that must be where they're taking it. No sensible pirate or smuggler keeps hot property for long.'

After he'd accessed the hyperspace jump history Lamar accessed the ship's log. The ship's log was full of information, much of it about the pirates operation and movement of goods. It would take a long time to read and analyse it entirely for every clue.

Hearing Lyla speak about a beacon Lamar made a search for the word beacon and revealed the frequency for the homing beacon at the hideout on Dega.

OOC I'll give you Beacon as a freebie. Any other search parameters you want to check?

"You had me fretting there" Tera mentioned once they'd gotten back into comms range. She knew that everyone else would see it as redundant, but still felt it needed to be said. "Ummm...I could try talking to one or two of your prisoners if you think it would be a good idea? Might give us a better idea of whats in store?"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:29, Tue 05 Jan 2021.

'Good to hear from you, T.' Lyla commed back, with relief clear in her voice. So, her team and the Gold were all safe, and they could have back-up at their side soon. 'You can, if you think you can get much out of them over comms. Otherwise, we've captured ourselves a pair of pirates and a shiny space barge. Lamar's extracting intel now. Beyond that, I'm looking for ideas on what to do with it: sabotage it, use it to infiltrate the pirates, or quit the Rebels and make a party space bus...'

"Galactic Party Bus sounds ideal, but perhaps not under the current circumstances. Is there any way to separate the pirates so we can talk to them without the other hearing?"" Tera wondered "It's just that if they're expecting pirates to return with some kind of haul...we might want to cut some form of a deal with one or both of them. With information they can provide we might know better if we're better turning it into some form of detonator or if they will be lax enough to let us just waltz in the front door"
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 06:52, Wed 06 Jan 2021.

Lamar spoke up at that part of the conversation. "Depending on how long the trip to Dega, I might find some of that info out in these logs I'm downloading. We shouldn't dally long since the blast-boats are still out there. So might I suggest towing the shuttle and starting on the way?"

The transfer of files from the barge to Lamar's portable computer was complete. They then needed to make the jump to hyperspace

OOC Don't forget that game map for group 0 has the hyperspace map of Elrood Sector for your reference. You can use this to plan journeys anywhere.You left the Elrood system (near the bottom of the map) and flew into the Drift. You can get out of the Drift and get on the Elrood-Derilyn Run, as mentioned in message #1 you are now near the Kidron System. The two locations mentioned in the logs are Dega System a 5 hour jump and the Korad System a 7 hour jump.

Let me know which ships you are taking, who is on which ship and when you're ready to jump.

"Glad to see you are all safe and sound.

We should at least try to know if they were suppose to report. When and how.
Do they simply get the cargo or do they tract their prey to their base?

We might get some surprise moves before they can react, and maybe destroy part of their defenses if we arrive like they won, with their ship 'towing' ours."

Lyla had heard the ideas and input of her team, and had enough to make a discussion. 'Okay. Lamar, can you pilot this space barge? Tow the Wayfarer after it, like they did the Whisper. Rynn, let the barge tow the shuttle along, but stay ready to break away. We'll see how far we get before the pirates realise something's up.' she commed to the pilot. They had three ships, three pilots; it could be an advantage, but it spread them thin, left them separated and exposed if this went bad again. 'And Klyn, stay close with the Gold, get ready to come in hard. If we get caught again, the pirates won't be shooting to disable and stun.'

'And I'll separate the pirates so they and Tera can have a little talk.'

After that, Lyla would return to the Wayfarer. She made sure the prisoners were bound and locked up some place secure, and separated from each other so Terra could interrogate them independently.