Continued from Part I...

It wasn't very difficult for transport to be found on Hoth while the base was being setup.  The initial scans had so far been proven correct, there was no real life on the planet, at least on intelligent life.  The tauntauns and the more technical vehicles were underutilized as, barring Echo Base, there was really no other place to go on this iceball

Shira and TwoOneBee were able to get a slightly damaged vanspeeder in their custody by promising to fix and test it.  No one else wanted the job and advanced droids such as medical droids often benefited from trying to repair something mechnical rather than organic.

As the two were working on the 'speeder's tendency to list to the right, a small spaceship wheezed into the vehicle bay and planted itself next to Fabled Star, seemingly resolute not to move itself again.  It was a true contradiction, a typically asymmetrical Kuat Wayfarer that had seen much better days.

"Ah," a grizzled old tech said, "That's Her Majesty, she will get you young party banthas to shore leave on Bespin."

OOC:
1. As always, apologies for the usual delay.
2. We are starting a new thread and chapter this post.
3. Go ahead and place your characters in this scene somewhere and I will weave your PCs somewhere in the plot.
4. If your characters wish to, they have free reign to explore Hoth, as Rebel Command doesn't believe there is anything on Hoth to threaten them.
5. Otherwise, this new ship is lent to your PCs for the purpose of leave.  Your first destination would be Bespin which is near enough to Hoth and beneath Imperial notice (so far, as Episode V showed).  After which, your characters can take transport to different free systems for your extended leave unless (giggle) some sudden and improbable crisis forces you to stay together....
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:27, Fri 25 Aug 2017.

By the time the debriefings were over, Celes was ready to do basically anything else. While she was getting used to the idea of reporting to these pseudo-military types, many of them either historians or farmers, the lack of formality still threw her off. On top of that, she could see that some of them simply didn't know what to do with the information they gleaned from the team's reports. It was true, these people weren't meant to be soldiers and were forced into it, but Celes couldn't help feel that the Rebellion was going to need more experienced people in its ranks, and quickly. There wasn't much she could do about that from Hoth, and leave was sounding very good.

The bounty hunter approached her team, dressed in her purple bodysuit, her only weapon being her blaster pistol. The armor she'd taken from the Forcetrooper remained on board the Fabled Star. Her green hair was, as usual when let down, an almost fashionable mess. The rush of air from the second ship's landing was actually an improvement, though Celes was unlikely to be much interested. Instead, her attention was on the captain and crew's discussion.

"Looks like our transport could use a rest. Should I dress for exploring this iceball?"

Shira enjoyed tinkering with the damaged speeder. She was moderately good at repairing things, but her enthusiasm was off the charts. Ghostlings didn't have technology nearly this good, and it was exciting to work with it.
Shira smiled up at Celes when the bounty hunter approached. "If you'd like to come with us, I'd really appreciate it, Captain Celes. I can't fly that thing. The other soldiers are pretty sure we won't find anything, but I'd like to at least take a look" Shira attacked flying with the same enthusiasm as most things, but too much enthusiasm and not enough skill made her dangerous behind the controls of a vehicle, so she wasn't allowed anymore. Not until she completed more training. "Oh, I like the purple, Captain Celes."

"Oh my! I wonder what Bespin is like? I've never been there before" she said excitedly. She admired the newly landed starship, apparently seeing something quite different than the old and battered Her Majesty.

Making his way over to Shira and Celes with his usual whirs and clanks, TwoOneBee listened quietly to their discussion.

"Oh, I am quite certain we will find something Ms Shira, Ms Celes.  There are interesting discoveries to be made everywhere.  I'm quite sure Hoth has its own unique beauty, and I for one, look forward to exploring while I can.  That is, provided it is acceptable for me to accompany you?"

Celes gave a nod, then hooked a thumb toward their own ship.

"I can get my armor and we can get going. Maybe we'll get lucky and find something useful."



As she turned to head past the speeder and collect her things, Shira's compliment gave her pause. Celes gave Shira a blank look, then glanced down at her outfit for a moment.

"Oh. Uh, thank you. I guess it does look pretty good. Never noticed."




Celes nodded to the medical droid, gesturing to Shira.

"We'd be wise to take a doctor along. No telling how the cold will affect Shira. Besides, if we do come across any life that can handle this planet, I'm sure you'd want to get a chance to study it. Those databanks may be loaded, but there's plenty in the Galaxy left to see. Maybe you could make a journal of Hoth's indigenous life, once the war's over and the base doesn't need secrecy anymore."



The older ship, Her Majesty, got a wince from Celes as she looked at it again. She'd seen vessels in poor condition, but this one didn't look like it wanted to take off again.

"I hear it's a pretty rough place to put up a settlement. Plenty of tibanna gas, but too dangerous to safely extract. S'why no one's done it before. Whatever operation's going on there now's got guts. So do we if we're gonna be flying in that."

"Acceptable? Goodness, 'Bee, I wouldn't think of going without you if you wanted to go." Shira said.

"Of course we'll find something interesting. There's something interesting everywhere!" she added cheerfully.

She smiled at Celes. "We should go clothes shopping together someday, when we're on a more civilized planet."

She turned back towards the Her Majesty. "It's a little dinged. But I'm sure it'll fly just fine."

Thuraya stopped her saber training for a moment.  The remote was lagging, starting to slowly bounce off of the ice floor lightly intermittently rather than actually float.  It was firing at her booted ankles and didn't even tickle.  She sighed which caused Eli to smile slightly despite his meditation.  "This is a hunk of junk.  I guess almost two decades protecting Ember's temple has made them obsolete." Thruaya said.

"I spent almost two decades defending Ember's temple." Eli mused without opening his eyes.

Thuraya looked away in embarrassment, "Forgive me, Master Sundancer. I simply meant..."

"You spoke the truth, young Padawan, I am older but perhaps wiser."

He pointed to the bobbing droid even with eyes closed, now firing at its own reflection on the ice floor.  "It is probably not worth repairing.  Your saber can supply the coup de grace."  Thuraya raised the saber but did not bring down after a long moment.  "Just because something is struggling doesn't make it worthless."  She deactivated the droid for the moment and thought where an astromech might be.

"We can continue testing tomorrow."  Thuraya said, bowing as she left.

After the door closed, Eli simply muttered, "You already passed."

_____________________________________________________________________________

Ali bounded into the ice chamber where her friends were.  "Queenie leaves for Bespin and debauchery tomorrow.  But we can join a exploration mission today.  There is a series of caves nearby the initial scouting mission didn't notice.  They might have potential to expand Rebel forces here at essentially no real cost in resources.  Could be fun." Fun was in short supply on Hoth, one could only have so many snowball fights.

_____________________________________________________________________________

An hour later, a caravan of tauntauns and riders approached a maw-like cave in an imposing ice cliff...

OOC:
1.  Sorry for the usual delay, folks.  I wanted to give a little limelight to the NPCs so players know what happened to them.
2. Your character's interplay is doing just fine on its own so I am setting up the scene and moving things along a little.  The side trip to the Hoth caves is completely optional.  Just write yourself into the expedition in your next post.  Otherwise, you are still at Hoth for a little bit.  You can explore Her Majesty a little bit if you like.  If you still want to continue the current scene (which is quite fine), we will consider it a kind of flashback.

Celes's appropriated armor had been given some minor adjustments for a better fit, personalizing it to herself, and then it had been repainted. Rather than the immaculate white of the Empire's forces, Celes wore her armor in orange and red. She was less concerned with stealth than with presenting the image of danger. Whatever the suit didn't scare off, the blaster could deal with. Besides, it might be nice to be visible to her team on the iceball.

She let Ali do the driving. While Celes could, only having a left hand to work with might make operating a vehicle more dangerous than was strictly necessary. In any event, she was content to focus on giving her helmet's HUD systems a rundown and watch the scenery go by. It would take time to get used to the smaller field of vision again, but it would be worth the effort spent.

"Shira, doing alright?" The helmet had her voice sounding like it was coming from a comlink.

The droid doctor watched as Ali brought them ever closer to the rather ominous looking cave, looking very much like the ice wall was opening its wide mouth to swallow them all.  For a moment he wondered if he'd made a wide decision agreeing to explore the frigid caverns of a largely unexplored world.  He glanced over at DeeJay, seeing the gleam of her optical sensors as she gazed at the view screen in obvious excitement.  Yes he told himself, whatever happened, he had made the right choice.

He had thought a great deal about what Celes had suggested; could he write a xeno-biological journal concerning some of the more unusual life forms he'd encountered in the decades he'd existed?  It certainly was an intriguing idea, one he'd never honestly considered before.  It was an appealing notion.

He didn't intend to include tauntauns though, they were surly beasts that did not seem to like droids very much.  No, they would definitely not be in journal.

"It would definitely be an rewarding if the Rebel Alliance found our data useful.  I admit, from a scientific perspective, I am intrigued."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:43, Mon 18 Sept 2017.

Shira was struggling a little with all her cold weather gear, but still giving a curious look to every interesting rock formation and landmark the speeder passes. "I'm ready to explore!" she replied to Celes.

It had been wise to include a speeder with the tauntauns.  The normally well-trained beasts were too nervous approaching the cave to trust for precise riding.  That should have been the first clue.

The speeder was guided into the cave until it thinned enough to make disembarking necessary.  Ali scanned with the dual-antenna scanner while the rest simply looked with old-fashioned eyes.  Thuraya had a slightly forceful advantage in her perceptions.

"Hey," she said idly, "are those our eyes being reflected back at us through that clear ice wall?"

OOC:
1. Hey, everyone, it is good to be back after perhaps my longest delay.  My apologies, it was really a bunch of little things all ganging up on me at once.
2. Speaking of ganging up, what is reflecting back at you through the clear ice wall are Wampas, a lot of Wampas.
3. Why?  After scanning the internet for plot ideas, it seems that Hoth is rather under developed.  This is a rarity for any element of the Star Wars Galaxy, where the most minor feature of the films has been expanded to pages and pages for hungry fans and profitable Lucasfilm and Disney.
4. It turns out that all Hoth has on this iceball is Rebels and Wampas.  And you guys are the Rebels.  Now Wampas aren't really sentient and are quite savage.  So the only plot device on Hoth is -- a Wampa swarm (clutch/exaltation/murder/flock).  Having already seen a Wampa swarm of one in Episode V, I have lots of Wampas for contrast.
5. Now this could be played as a straight combat, it is still only so fun fighting a non-sentient horde.  So it could be played as comedy, with the team just escaping a bunch of Wampas.  Prepare to attack or run like the wind and I will riff off of that...

Celes turned to face where Thuraya was looking, and cautiously took a step up to her side to peer into the glass-like ice as well. She couldn't quite make out what those were on the other side, but they were certainly not a reflection. The hunter became tense rather quickly, noticeable in her posture shifting toward the defensive.

"Back to the speeder. Nice and easy. This cave's taken."

"Oh, animals!" Shira said happily. She looked up at the reflected eyes. "Certainly not tauntauns. Does anyone know what kind?"

Her cheer vanished when Celes ordered them back to the speeder "But I..." she began, but began to creep towards the speeder anyways. She knew to trust Celes

Grev unslings his rifle, putting himself between the eyes and the group.  "Move!  Now!"  He barks, in true laconic fashion.  As the other move away, he keeps himself between them and the threat.  Not that he can fight a large herd stampeding, but behaps he can buy time, a prescipous second or two.

Thuk stepped one menacing pace towards the Wampa horde, his fur puffing up to make him look bigger. "Think they are tasty?" he asked no-one on particular. "I for one am getting tired of dead food."

Even in a dangerous situation, Shira couldn't resist replying "If you want to eat frozen food, I'm sure there's plenty at the base."

"Careful Thuk. Invading someone's home and then slaughtering them for being in the way is not how we do things. Besides, we don't know if they're sentient or not. They could be people."

Even so, Celes steadied her arm cannon with the other hand, keeping it aimed at the floor but definitely ready as she edged toward the exit. She kept herself just behind and beside Grev, the three of them creating a wall of fur and duraplast.

"Oh, how interesting- they seem to be mammalian creatures, and my preliminary scans indicate they are rather large, not to mention quite...numerous, perhaps more numerous than our own small party it would seem.  That could be an issue I suppose..."

TwoOneBee was quite curious, but he heeded Celes and Grev's advice, if somewhat reluctantly.  Then, hearing Celes admonish Thuk, he nodded his metal head in agreement.

"Quite right, Ms Celes.  It would indeed be very bad manners, not to mention ethically wrong.  We are on their doorstep, so to speak.  We should at least attempt to communicate with them...er shouldn't we?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:56, Sun 15 Oct 2017.

The weight of several dozen of these strange creatures eagerly pressing against the ice was causing tiny cracks to appear in the translucent wall.  Celes, Grev and Thuk's defensive postures were giving the others precious few seconds to get back to the battered speeder.

With a sudden CRACK, the ice wall shattered and a tsunami of giant white humanoid creatures flooded out.  Their bared fangs and ferocious lunge made their intent clear.  Blaster bolts were only slowing them down slightly.  But it was enough for all of the Rebels to get out of the cave structure and to the speeder.

The breach of the ice wall seemed to have weakened the cave in general.  The entire cave seemed to disappear in a billow of snow and crumbling ice.  Only a few battered and white furry limbs extended through the frozen rubble.

"Oh," Ali said. "We hadn't meant to do that!  Maybe we can rescue the survivors..."

The limbs suddenly started to twitch and move.  Bestial faces started to poke through the tumbling ice boulders, still showing a murderous fury towards the intruders.

"Or we could just go..." Thuraya suggested.   It seemed a wise idea.  The exploration party quickly bundled into the speeder van and were off.  A few thrown ice boulders were all the Wampas could add before they receeded into the distance.

"I guess the Hoth Tourist Board is going to have to put in some overtime." Ali said.  "So, who's for Bespin?"

OOC:
1. Hi, Folks.  It's good to be back.
2. The Wampa won't pursue, having an animal's attention span.  Take comfort that they will eat an entire company of stormtroopers in the Battle of Hoth.
3.  You can end the next post with your character's boarding 'Queenie' for the trip to Bespin.
4. Questions, just ask...

Shira screamed as the wampas crashed through the ice, mostly at the ice monster but slightly at the flying ice, which was dangerous to her. "Not friendly! Big, sharp teeth and unfriendly!" She bolted for the speeder as fast as she could.

Once they made their escape, Shira went from panicked to excited like flipping a switch. "Wow, that was way cooler than I expected when I suggested we explore! I have the best ideas." She shook the snow out of her hair. "I wonder what those sharp-tooth things were."

"Bespin, yes! I'm always up for seeing a new planet."

It took Shira a while to pack. She was fond of new clothing (except shoes), and although hardly wealthy had amassed a respectable wardrobe. The need to move her luggage kept the ghostling's excitability from moving her too quickly as she boarded the Queenie.

Queenie lurched out of Hyperspace with the same clumsiness she had entered it.  Still, there was some agility to the craft when needed.  A ship needed some basic dexterity to avoid the dreaded Hoth asteroid field.  Shira had kept the Wampa claw that had snapped off when the speeder door closed and now it formed a great pendant to show off when they landed.  Best field trip ever...

The Anoat system didn't have too much to recommend it but the gas giant Bespin shone beautifully in the sunlight, like a warm orange firelight.  It was a brief flight to Cloud City and onto landing pad 327...

OOC:
Sorry (again) it took me so long to respond.
This is a short bridging post, simply a transition of scene.
You can assume your characters escaped the Wampas with a great story to tell your grandkids (or later models).
Your characters can have different destinations but they must stay on Cloud City for a few days while seperate transports are being arranged.  Hopefully (giggle) nothing bad will happen during this layover.  You can write your characters as anywhere on Cloud City the general public could go.  Y'all are connected by comlinks so you are still together at least audibly.
Questions, just ask...

Celes wasn't used to letting someone else pilot their vessel, but she also wasn't about to ask to helm something that might fall apart under her. The Queen's captain would be more than able, as far as she was concerned. For much of the trip, she sat in what amounted to a crew lounge, sipping something vaguely alcoholic and not vaguely delicious. The shiny new armor she'd picked up on Ember had stayed behind with the Fabled Star. This was leave, after all, and that kind of trouble wasn't wanted where they were going. Naturally, Celes kept her beefed up blaster pistol at her side. No sense going completely defenseless.

Their trip on Hoth hadn't sat as well with the bounty hunter as it apparently did with Shira, though she didn't get a souvenir of her own. Still, she'd been in a sour mood since getting back. Maybe the trip to this Cloud City everyone was talking about could change that. It was a pretty name, after all.

Shira stared out the window at the cloud formations of Bespin, and she squealed with delight on seeing the flying city. "Oh wow! It just hangs there? I've never seen anything like it!" After a bit of thought, she noted "I guess it's the same principle as landspeeders, but I didn't know they could do something like this! They could probably use this sort of thing back home. Ghostlings like to live high in the air."

She adjusted her ghostling dress, rearranging the skirt. "Why don't we go shopping, Captain Celes?" she said cheerfully. "I bet there's lots more thing available here than at-" she cut off suddenly as she realized she should not say Hoth's name when they were on Bespin, even before the ship set down. "- than at home."

TwoOneBee stared out the viewport as the Queenie as the ship entered the Anoat system.  In all the many years he'd been active, he'd never been here, most likely because, aside from the mining consortium on Bespin, there wasn't much of anything here.  Still from what little data he could uncover, the Cloud City facility was quite elaborate, and there were a lot of droids needed to keep the place running; droids who might need his assistance, or have data of their own to exchange.  That definitely made it worth a visit.

The Wampas, unfortunately, did not turn out as he had hoped.  They were extremely aggressive and not interested in conversation - assuming they even could converse.  All in all it had been a most unpleasant experience.  However, it had been educational to say the least, a lesson the old doctor took very much to heart.  Sometimes forsaken places were forsaken for a reason.

So instead he monitored his associates, sharing in their delight and enthusiasm at the change of scenery.  Ms Shira, in particular, seemed quite excited by the prospects of a more settled planet.  Bespin was, at least by all available accounts, civilized; and that certainly was an improvement from Hoth.

TwoOneBee had little doubt Ms Thuraya and Ms Celes would join the Ghostling.  He wondered if DeeJay and Captain Ali would like to tour the facilities.  Perhaps it would be safer if they all stuck together however.

Cloud City seemed the Galaxy in minature.  Every decent pleasure, and perhaps a few illicit ones, seemed just a few credits or a proffered smile away.  The puffy orange clouds against pink sky seemed some species' idea of paradise.

So many newcomers were identified with mouths, or other relevant orifices, agape with wonder.  Cloud City was fortunate, on a purely Galactic scale, even the mighty gas giant of Bespin was beneath Imperial strategic notice.  Walking with her beloved crew, Ali prayed it would remain so.  As it was, Cloud City was an ideal distribution point for Rebels to come and go in the Galaxy at large.  It wasn't an oversight by the Empire, this part of the Galaxy was such a throwback it would be the last to be fought over should the Rebellion last that long.  Her comrades had chosen different destinations by as many different craft.  In a day or so, the first transport would be here and the group would scatter, not to return for at least of month.  Ali looked forward to seeing what of her clan had escaped Imperial slavery.

Looking at Thuraya, Ali felt a surge of pain and guilt.  At least she had a family.  Still the girl was progressing well under Sundancer's training, gaining that bittersweet detachment the Jedi needed from the rest of Sentience.  Shira's enthusiasm at just exploring was a tonic for all.  Even Celes didn't seem to mind being dragged from one glittering distraction to another.

TwoOneBee followed behind, taking contentment from the joy of the living around him.  A few of those strange creatures, Ughnaughts, idly watched him from the edges of corridors and alcoves.  While he didn't like to judge organic aesthetics, they seemed a most unappealing species to his photoreceptors.  It seemed, beside casually gazing at his salvage breakpoints, the creatures were barely interested in expending any effort in obtaining the proudly vintage droid.  DeeJay chuckled in a binary cant only the two of them would decipher about whether he should be relieved or insulted.

Around a curve, there was an entrance to a place of attractive sound, sights and scents called the Tibanna Sunrise.  Ali saw a Twi'lek wrapped around a young hutt on a hovercouch.  To most sentients, it would seem the lithe humanoid was joyful, or at least content, with the delicate chains around her neck.  Only a sister Twi'lek could see the scream from the girl's lekku.  I shouldn't do this.  She thought.  I can't compromise the Rebellion and its a Galaxy full of suffering anyway. What's one more slave girl under the Empire's law?

But she was already entering the cantina, saying nonchalantly, "I'm just stopping for a drink.  I will join you later."  And with that, she disappeared into the hustle and bustle of crowd, soon to be lost unless followed...

OOC:
1.  As usual, sorry for the delay, yadda, yadda...
2. Any other PC can be here with the group casually exploring or anywhere else on Bespin.  Either there are other NPC guarding Queenie or it has been left unbeinged (as seems so common in Star Wars).  Most of the crew would give kudos to the thieves that could casually get the old girl started.
3. While Ali doesn't want to involve her friends on this damn fool idealistic crusade, DeeJay can read lekku and will discreetly inform the others.  And these friends know each other, it will be easy to pick up on the fact that Ali is currently far from the casual barfly she is feigning being.
4. Your characters can also explore the cantina as well.  Perhaps your PC misses Ali's current fixation or rightly feel this Rebel agent can take care of herself.
5. Questions, just ask...

"Is this a mine or a resort?"

It was nice to be someplace where no one was trying to kill them or worse. Although she may not have looked outright happy to be going from one store to another, mostly looking for clothes while looking forward to a meal, Celes found the trip relaxing. It was good to see Shira getting to be a normal person for a while, or normal from Celes's perspective. She knew enough about Thuraya to be relieved that she was getting to unwind, too. The events that had lead her to the crew were dire, no one could forget that, but life moved on.

The Captain separated herself from the group, and her sudden attitude shift didn't go unnoticed. For a moment, Celes thought maybe Ali was feeling the weight of the job now that they had a moment to breathe.

"Alright, Captain. We'll be around," came the bounty hunter's reply, along with a vague gesture at the rest of the shopping district. She moved to keep following Shira and Thuraya's lead, but a text-only message from DeeJay popped up on her wrist-mounted comlink and stopped her. Celes turned to give the droid a quick nod over her shoulder, then turned to the younger members of the crew again.

"Hey, what about this place?" She pointed out a nearby shop that was little more than a hole in the wall, filled with darker and broodier clothes, along with a selection of music appropriate to the look. The store placard read: The End of Trend.

"Maybe there's some good finds here." Plus it's got a great view straight to the Captain. Ulterior motives kept Celes within line of sight of Ali's choice of bar. Hopefully it wouldn't cost Celes too much of her dignity.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:58, Tue 14 Nov 2017.

Grev attempts to blend in and go unnoticed, but in this crowd doesn't manage much of that.  The space is small for one of his bulk, and the store completely not his style.  Though he is certain that there are some Weren who do this scene, he does not know them.  Nor does he have any desire to.

Shira had purchased a pair of heels. As Ghostlings naturally walked on their toes, the shoes interested her, although she wasn't moving very gracefully as she didn't know how to walk properly in them. Then again, everything in cloud city seemed to interest Shira. As a child of a barely technological civilization, the floating city was amazing to her, and she stopped often to exclaim over something new. She was so happy she didn't even pester the others much, although she did try to sell Celes on trying on a particularly pretty green dress.

"Maybe we could-" she began as Ali left, but Ali was gone before she could finish and Shira could get hurt trying to push through a crowd.

"I'm not really the brooding sort" Shira said in the largest understatement of the day. But she followed Celes' lead and explored the store. "There's some things here that might suit you, Celes"

Wandering along, the medical droid kept his sensors on alert for the biological signature of the Ughnaughts.  Although they were keeping their distance, he still did not trust them.  DeeJay seemed quite amused by the entire situation, teasing him in binary cant.

"DeeJay please, those primitives wouldn't know what to do with a sophisticated feat of engineering like a TwoOneBee series.  I am very concerned they may be involved in unsavory business with other less fortunate droids.  Someone really should investigate those little vermin..."

He stopped to caution Ms Shira on the dangers of high heeled footwear, explaining in great detail how they affected the humanoid anatomy and the resulting injuries they might cause.

"...and, in conclusion, I can assure you that, while aesthetically pleasing to many humanoid species, the probability of permanent damage to your pedal extremities is most certainly not worth the risk."

He was suddenly distracted by Captain Ali, as she headed into the nearby drinking establishment.  His sensors detected the change in her metabolic statistics: elevated blood pressure, pulmonary and respiratory levels, not to mention and increase in adrenal and cognitive activity.

"Captain Ali?  Ms Celes, Ms Shira.  I am concerned about our Captain.  Her vital statistics seem to indicate she is reacting to a stressful situation of some sort.  Is something amiss?  DeeJay did the Captain explain where she was going?"

Like most well-designed cantinas, the Tibanna Sunrise was meant to lead you further in rather than back out.  There was a maze of diversions that appealed to the senses and these sometimes lead to temptations for the mind as well.

Ali quickly and expertly moved past indifferent customers and inexpert groping.  A swift kick to the first lech seemed to cow the others.  Soon she found herself facing the Hutt, its fawning entourage and the slug's prized possession, a Twi'lek like herself.  Ali made sure that she was beheld by all of them.  She was about to make a proposition.  Grev was not too far behind.  It was almost a pity that no one really noticed through their infatuation and intoxication haze just how stealthy he was.  Whatever mischief might interact with Ali, Grev would be there to interact with it.

From the End of Trend, Celes was able to still keep a watch on Ali for the most part.  The occasional moving barfly would block the view of the Captain but the vantage point was still the best overall.  The male Twi'lek proprietor seemed excited at the prospect of this small influx of customers and was rating them in his estimate from possibly lethal irriatibility to profitable excitability.  He focused on Shira who was trying to interest Celes in some improbably impractical and gauzy items for a dedicated bounty hunter.

"Miss, we have repulsor-supported footwear for the gravitationally-challenged." The manager's lekku almost flexed in anticipation, the profit margin on those miracles was a Hutt's ransom.  In slightly dodging the eager salesbeing, Shira bumped into a nice coat of ...Wampa fur?  But, as far as Shira knew, Wampas were native to Hoth alone.

"Obviously, these creatures do not know what to do with a high-level droid or they would have selected a newer protocol droid over a slightly obselete medical bot." She added gentle laughter to show she was teasing.  The truth was TwoOneBee was worth about a dozen 3PO units.  When her friend asked about the Captain, DeeJay added a distant rumble of thunder to her reply which showed concern.  <Gray>"No.  She did not convey anything verbally or with her lekku but her body language was one of sudden tenseness."</Gray>  At her binary swearing (which she trusted TwoOneBee not to reveal to the living and their limited senses), a shimmering cascade of holographic fabric flickered into existence.

Holocloth was a true vanity of the living.  Of the many species that went clothed, truly daring members might wear only holocloth.  The phantasmic fabric was a very expensive curiousity...

OOC:
1. I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!  I did.
2. As it seems like the End of Trend clothing boutique has the character's interest, I will hold back on Ali's adventure somewhat.  Although there will be something for Grev to do.
3. Sundancer and Thuraya have deliberately not be mentioned in this post.  They seem to be hanging back.  Other PCs can mention looking for them in their posts without interrupting their own actions in any real way if they wish.
4. Questions, just ask!

Celes nodded with the doctor's assessment while looking the shoes over. "That heel needs more shock absorption or you'll bruise after your first step."



"That sounds expensive. But we're standing on a repulsorlift city, so it's probably cheaper here than anywhere else. Let's see it."

Celes kept an eye on the bar, and so the Captain, while half-listening to Shira. It was an old bounty hunter job, one of the things you learned to do long before blasters even got involved in the job.



"Hey, you've got an eye for things. Pick out something for each of us and we'll have a look together. Sound good?" The couple of things Shira had pointed out looked completely ridiculous, but maybe Celes's perspective wasn't right for this one: they had no pockets, were too tight to really give freedom of movement, would likely rip before giving any protection, and certainly wouldn't blend in much of anywhere she was likely to find a job. The colors were mostly black with a few spots of dark reds and purples, but she didn't know how that looked, just that it had a theme. Judging from the patterns, the theme was "complicated". Still, no harm in trying it, since she'd dragged Shira in here without an explanation.

As it happened, Celes was also listening to TwoOneBee.



The subtlety of the situation had clearly been lost on one droid, if not the other. Then again, DeeJay was all about interpersonal relations, while TwoOneBee's social programming likely stopped after the section on bedside manner. Couldn't be helped. With another glance at the bar, Celes gave the doctor a nod.

"Something bothered her. If she wanted help, she'd ask for backup. If she gets in real danger, she'll get backup anyway. This shop has the clearest view of her situation, and that's why we're here. ...Also to get Thuraya something. I saw the window and thought of her. Maybe I could talk Grev into one of these net shirts, too. Or maybe not."

"Well, if it's on doctor's orders..." Shira sighed, not without a little pouting, and removed her shoes.

"Hmm" Shira said neutrally when the manager talked about the repulsor-supported shoes. As interesting as that sounded, Shira didn't like to think she was so helpless she needed assistance walking, even with this pesky gravity.
"Let's see it, but in one moment. First, what's this?" she asked about the "wampa" fur. If it really was Wampa fur, then Echo Base could be in serious trouble, as Hoth was not as isolated as they had believed. "It's so nice!" It was the first time Shira had been doing her duty as a rebel and shopping at the same time, and she could get used to it.

"What?" Shira had been so caught up in the wonder of Cloud City that she had not really noticed the way Ali was acting. "I didn't... I'll try to be more aware of what's going on."

Shira's eyes went wide with excitement when Celes asked her to pick out something for both of them, and she rapidly forgot what she'd said about being aware of her surrondings. She loved outfits, and now she'd been given carte blanch to indulge. "Sounds great!" She immediately started searching through nearby clothing racks at high speed.

"I don't think we should get Thuraya this sort of clothing. It's just clothes, but she doesn't need anything that would put her in a down-" -she had almost said dark, but she wouldn't say that in public- "-mood".

Grev catches Celes's eye for a moment, indicating he'd check it out.  Then steps back as Shot a attracts the attention and slips groom view.

<Orange>21:04, Today: Grev Longtooth rolled 19 using 5 dice and +1 pips with the WEG Classic system with rolls of 4,1,{Wild}3,6,4.  Stealth.<Orange>

Greg attempts to make his way unnoticed over to Captain Alli.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:32, Sun 03 Dec 2017.

TwoOneBee listened patiently as Celes the reason behind the captain's distress.  As usual, he filtered her assessment of Ali's actions through his humanoid psychology sub-routine to determine the accuracy of this new data.  Carbon units were difficult to predict, even for a medical specialist droid with ten thousand terabytes of data on their behavioural patterns stored in his memory.  It was extremely helpful to be acquainted with other carbon units who could interpret such irrational responses.  He added the information to the file he had created for Captain Ali, and also added an entry in the file for Celes as well.  After the ten microseconds it required to perform these tasks, he formulated a reply:

"Thank you, Ms Celes, that does explain Captain Ali's motivations to some extent.  It was most prudent to choose this establishment for a surveillance base; I shall render assistance as well.  My bio-sensors can easily monitor her vital statistics from this range.  If there is any change I will inform you immediately.  If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to ask.  Captain Ali is...extremely important to me."



The old medic whirred with approval.  "A well considered decision, Ms Shira.  I would assert that you are quite sufficient as you currently are.  I do understand that it is pleasing to indulge in 'fashion' from time to time.  I concur that Ms Thuraya's emotional state could benefit from participating in such an indulgence and thus recommend this activity as "doctor's orders."

His head swiveled from one side to the other as he scanned the surrounding area, then returned to its original position facing Shira, DeeJay, and Celes.

"Query: I cannot currently locate Mr Grev.  Is anyone aware of his current whereabouts?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:47, Sun 03 Dec 2017.

At the thought of possibly making a sale, the proprietor quickly nodded to one of those ill-favored Ughnaught creatures who unlocked a transparent display case.  What was brought forth was a pair of tiny slippers, each stylized like one of this city's iconic cloud cars.  It was the skill of some unsung designer that made such footwear truly elegant rather than merely gauche.  As Shira placed her delicate feet into the slippers, they lit up and Shira lifted slightly up off the floor.

"They alter their gravitic 'footprint' thousands of times a second, allowing what might seem an impossible balance and support even when on seperate extremities."  This was honest pride on the Twi'lek's lekku, even Princess Leia herself might not have a pair of these.  The shop's staff subtly crowded a little closer.  The last pair had flown out of the shop on the feet of a light-fingered (and footed) thief.  Shira continued to sort through outfits that were deliberately impractical in design, conspicuous enough to hint at the dresser droids the fabric fantasies might require to don and doff

Thuraya and Sundancer watched the shop from a corridor's span.  "Pretty." She said.   "Vanity." Sundancer corrected.  But then he sighed and said, "Go get one outfit...as an exercise in vanity."  She nodded and almost smiled.  It wasn't the strictest guidance for a Padawan but the girl had suffered enough in her short life.  Sundance sighed, the Dark Side was on each side of deprivation and decadence, the light path in the middle was thin and sometimes not even apparent.  He hoped he had done well for both his charges. There were some seeds from plants of the Galaxy he hoped Ember could absorb into Its biosphere.  If the lonely planet couldn't explore the Galaxy, maybe some of the Galaxy could come to it's largest Padawan.

Finding the Wampa fur was a bit of a crater, Hoth might not be as hidden as the Rebels might like.  TwoOneBee's sensors and decades of knowledge could not immediately discount the possibility that these furs were genuine.  More study might help but some labs couldn't have done as well in this short time as their old Doctor droid.

Celes and TwoOneBee could barely keep track of Grev, old friend that he was.  It was joked back on Hoth that he could sneak away from his own shadow.  Grev was barely noticed by the various soaked and smoked lifeforms within.  But this did have its own drawbacks for it seemed that Ali was in fact alone.

A scarred human and an uncommon alien strode up to Ali.  The man ran a finger along distracted Ali's lekku causing her to shudder in surprise.  The gesture, done well, was pleasurable. Badly, it was unpleasant.  In between, like the strangeness of a tickle.  At this moment, it was not definitively a forbidden liberty but certainly a daring presumption.  "He likes you," the human said, indicating the alien, "I like you too."

OOC:
1. Again, sorry for the delay, Yadda, yadda... (or is that, Yoda, Yoda...)  How can two shoes keep Shira stable?  It seems to work for Iron Man. :-)
2. Our heroes can roll a Moderate Perception roll to notice Grev.  It is easier for them as they know Grev and he is not hiding from them.
3. These two rakes can be a comic distraction or a true threat to Ali.  If someone writes that this gruesome twosome impress her with the fact that <b>"they have the death sentence on nine systems"<orange>, maybe their identities are a little clear (only nine systems yet?, this game is a prequel after all).
4. Questions, just ask. Other plot developments are building behind the scenes.

Grev watches Ali, certain she can take care of herself with these two.  He was not so certain about whatever had brought Ali here.  Revealing his presence too early and without need would lose him advantage. He did though breath quietly deep through his nose, spending these two.  He would give them a lesson in manners later.  Very few being a could escape him, once he'd gotten their scent.

Celes nodded to the doctor and then looked over at Grev, trading significant looks before she turned her attention to Shira. The Captain was in good hands, and more were available should things go wrong.

"She's important to all of us, 'Bee, don't worry. So what's your assessment of the repulsorlift shoes? Think she could run in them without bruising?"



The bounty hunter kept eyeing the shoes when she answered her friend's question.

"He's making sure the Captain doesn't need our help. Looks like someone else might need yours if they keep touching her, though." The tone of her voice didn't change much, nor did she move her head, but it was clear she'd begun to address the salesman.

"How long do these shoes operate before giving out? And can they work like normal shoes while off or would that damage them?"

TwoOneBee's optical sensors blinked a warm amber and he clicked, actuators humming as he bobbed his head in agreement.  He was familiar with the technology and, in fact, had studied the recent applications for repulsor lift devices in the medical field.

"Indeed, I do believe that, once Ms Shira has learned the abilities and limitations of the repulsor lift technology involved, as well as all proper controls and safety protocols, these high tech footwear would prove remarkably useful.  Once their operation is understood, they should prove less dangerous than more conventional shoes in fact, allowing her to overcome obstacles by taking advantage of their three dimensional capabilities.  If Ms Shira is willing to invest the time and credits required, these shoes could improve her mobility by as much as 75% in some circumstances, alleviating, considerably, her natural gravitic impairment; in my professional opinion."

The old doctor was comforted by the knowledge that both Celes and Grev were equally concerned for the Captain's safety, and had taken measures to monitor and offer assistance if required.  Everyone needed help now and then.



"This unit is grateful to you both for your support, Ms Celes.  Of course if anyone requires my assistance  I will happily provide it as per my primary programming."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:59, Sun 17 Dec 2017.

"I think I've seen these faces before." Ali mused to the two annoyances.  "I've certainly heard these lines before."  It might have seemed improbable that so many incompatible species were attracted to Twi'leks.  It was more like Twi'leks were a status symbol, the 'designer pet' of slave races.  To have one on your arm (or relevant appendage) was like a kind of expensive bracelet.

"I suppose I will forgive you your clumsy attempts to caress my lekku for you see..."  The two barely saw Ali move, the reflexes of a dancer familiar with managing a rowdy crowd "...I often overwhelm the sensitive centers of others as well."  Both males went down whimpering.  Doctor Evazan had a predictably male human anatomy and Ali had known a few aqualish in more than one way.  Both scuttled off, it would be several days before either would consider companionship for the evening.

Nearby and further away, Ali's companions could see she was handling the situation with her usual grace.  Shira had to aim her shoes carefully to carry her above the shoulders of her friends but not to subsequently crack her delicate head on the ceiling.  It certainly confirmed TwoOneBee's assessment of how beneficial the shoes might be to young Shira.

There was a slight crackle of static through DeeJay's approving sound of thunderous applause at Ali's actions.  This would have been totally unremarkable had Shira's shoes not then flared to life.   With a swooping arc, Shira was suddenly surfing the walls and the ceiling towards the Tibanna Sunrise nightclub.  Her course was too random to be Shira's choice but her graceful jinking was too polished to be a mere malfunction.

"No! We don't have a deposit."  The shopkeeper yelled as his inventory flew out of the store under its own power.

OOC:
Having already done Evazan and Baba before, the encounter with these two rakes loses its sting somewhat.  So I have had Ali's knees remedy the situation.   The two penitents will crawl along to some dark corners and try and salvage what dignity they can.  They won't be a further problem, even without further PC interaction.

Shira's shoes are carrying her somewhere.  Shira will have to make a Mechanical roll to have any control over their flight.  But the shoes autopilot is skillfully avoiding casual collusions with anything.  The term 'jinking' is sometimes used to describe the agility of fighter pilots but it seems apropos here.  Shira will enter the Tibanna Sunrise before anyone can stop her, but after that, a Mechanical roll from Shira or a Brawling or Climbing/Jumping (player's choice, both involve grabbing).  The rolls are fairly easy so don't waste your Force or Character points.

As usual, just ask me questions... :-)

Shira admired the repulsorlift shoes, eyes full of wonder. However, she looked a little embarrassed when she remembered she was a rebel, and didn't exactly have a lot of money. She took a few experimental steps and hovered up and down. "Lots of fun, and I can see plenty of uses for these. Umm... what sort of price are we talking? Just a general range". Please be  within dreaming range instead of just impossible.
"They're really nice. But I can walk without them" Shira said with a bit of a pout. Shira was proud to be a Ghostling, but sometimes it could be difficult.

Shira squeaked as the repulsorlift shoes flung her around. Her silver hair whipped around as she tried to get control of the shoes. "I'm really sorry! I'm not trying to!" she cried out to the shopkeeper
In spite of the danger, she let out a whoop of excitement as she glided, but still tried to regain control

02:31, Today: Shira rolled 0 (2 excluding the wild die) using 2 dice with the WEG Classic system.  Mechanical.

TwoOneBee was relieved to see the Captain dealing with her situation with her usual aplomb.  He briefly considered offering his services to the two injured miscreants, but decided it would be more educational for both to have a reminder of their mistake.  Their injuries were not life threatening, the doctor knew



Watching with alarm, the old droid called out: "MS SHIRA!  ARE YOU QUITE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING?  MS SHIRA?  Oh dear..." He tracked her with his bio sensors as she raced into the nightclub.

He swiveled swiftly around to face Celes.  "I do not believe that Ms Shira is in control of her shoes.  It is my professional opinion that we should immediately pursue to make certain she does not come to any harm...um, please of course."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:39, Sat 06 Jan 2018.

While it may not have seemed like it to observers, or perhaps even to Shira at first, the shoes did seem to have a mind of their own.  Very aware of every capricious nudge and shift of the footwear's flightpath, Shira could tell the fluctuations were tracking to the static in DeeJay's sound effects.  Perhaps it was some kind of subtle interference or even a signal picked up by the sensitive slippers.

TwoOneBee began to make his way to the Tibanna Sunrise, knowing he might be needed.  The living often got themselves damaged in the most unnecessary ways, and without warranties.  DeeJay followed, translating some choice Correllian curses into Binary.

Flailing and flapping, Shira tried to stop the shoe's strange flight.  She was successful, from a certain point of view.   The Gammorean giant stopped her flight by being crashed into.  The shoes dropped Shira gently to the ground, momentarily confused.  So was the Gammorean, who grunted angrily at Shira.

"Ah," DeeJay said, overhearing, "I believe the Gammorean gent is displeased with Shira."

OOC:
Shira has crashed into a giant Gammorean (the pig-like guards in Jabba's palace, among other places).  The Gammorean looks about to brawl with Shira.  To the alien's credit, the Gammorean is not using his axe which implies a kind of bar-brawling ettiquite, no weapons against mere fists.

Before the Gammorean will actually be able to attack Shira, the rest of the party can be in brawling range.  Ali, Thuraya and Sundancer are also heading that way as well.

The moment the shoes started taking Shira elsewhere, Celes drew a credchip from one of her belt pouches and tossed it to the salesbeing before the inevitable run after her crewmate. She quietly but hurriedly shouldered her way through the crowds, right until Shira came to a stop. On impact, Celes's eyes grew wide and her loud cry of "Shira!" was enough to get attention and part a path of people who didn't want any trouble.

In short order, Celes had arrived with TwoOneBee and the others, kneeling by Shira and breathing more quickly than she would be if in a fight.

"Bee, help her. Is she okay?" Terrified, Celes forced herself to make some space for the doctor to work, turning her eyes first to him, then to the Gamorrean. The shift from fear to fury was sudden and stark. Even so, she made no move against him yet, even if she did look like she was about ready to lash out with fists and teeth, if need be.

[I'll take last dibs on proper action, but I dig the imagery of the scene. Still feeling bad about short circuiting the fight against the Forcetroopers in the last arc, don't wanna hog everything just because I'm always available to post.]

"I don't know what I'm doing! I'm not trying to do it!" Shira wailed to 'Bee. Her silver hair whipped around her as she zoomed about.

"Uh-oh" she said in a squeak as the Gamorrean loomed up ahead of her. She folded up and turned her head away to try and protect herself in the collision.
"Ouch!" she cried out, tears coming to her eyes. Miraculously, nothing seemed broken, but she'd have bruises for a while to remind her of her brief shoe-flight.

She scrambled backwards desperately. "I'm really sorry. Really, really sorry. Honest!" Shira cried out "I didn't mean to run into you!". The Gamorrean towered over her, and a single punch from the creature could shatter Shira's bones with ease. At least Celes' cry let her know she wasn't alone.

Shira suddenly felt the full gravity of the situation and not just because the impact with the Gamorrean had finally stilled the shoes.

She didn't really need DeeJay to translate the brute's angry grunts but the droid did so anyway.  "It seems our friend is named Snork and demands a blow in recompense for your unintended impact with him.  In a way, he is being very gallant considering his culture.  He has no objection to a companion taking the blow."

Snork waited patiently, a few other Gamorreans scattered about the dim cantina were beginning to watch the scene with mild interest.

After a moment, Ali, Thuraya and Sundancer were in conversing distance.  Celes was also there, seemingly taking full stock of the situation.

Sundancer began to speak to Snork in as fair an approximation of his native language as human vocal cords could manage...

Given her slight stature and unpleasant proximity to Snork, Shira noticed what seemed a strange flower on the floor of the 'establishment'.  It couldn't have been there for very long or it would have been crushed.  But Snork didn't seem the corsage type...

OOC:
Sorry for the usual delay.
Everyone can start the next post assuming you are within talking (or punching) distance of Snork and Shira.  It seems Snork wants to punch someone back as a courtesy.  Anyone may volunteer.  But certainly this is not the only option that might be available.

The strange 'flower' won't last long on the well-stomped floor.  Shira can make a Perception (or Search) roll to learn more or a Dex roll just to pick up the weird blossom.  Other PCs can also attempt so at a higher difficulty number.

I was impressed by Celes' proformance last chapter (as well as the other players and characters).  I am planning to up my game in response this time around.

Questions, just ask. 

"Of course, Ms Celes, do not worry, I will give her a thorough examination."

With some difficulty, TwoOneBee bends over to scan the distraught Ghostling.  He is aware of DeeJay's translation of the Gamorrean's displeasure and his demand for satisfaction, but all of his resources are focused on treating Shira.  He administers a mild anesthetic, to help her deal with any discomfort she might be experiencing, and proceeds to check for any fractures or breaks.

"How are you feeling Ms Shira?  Is there any discomfort you are feeling?  How about here, or here?  Are you experiencing any headache, blurred vision, double vision or naseau?"

Grev for the moment remains concealed as he positions himself within easy striking distance of the Gamorean.  If the situation is not resolved peacefuly, he will intervene.  For now, he lets the Jedi deal with it.

Celes listened to DeeJay's explanation while staring vibrodaggers at the angry gamorrean, then stood up and nodded.

"Fine. Me. DeeJ?"

Shira made a quick grab for the flower, then scrambled backwards to Celes, taking shelter behind her. "Please tell Snork I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to do it!" she said to DeeJay She felt like a coward when Celes volunteered to take the blow, but it would almost certainly have killed Shira, or at least crippled her.
"Head definitely aching, Bee" she groaned. "And lots of discomfort". The anesthetic eased her a little.



11:22, Today: Shira rolled 10 (16 excluding the wild die) using 5 dice and 1 pips with the WEG Classic system with rolls of 4,2,3,6,{Wild}1.  Search: Learn about the flower.
11:21, Today: Shira rolled 10 using 3 dice and +2 pips with the WEG Classic system with rolls of {Wild}4,3,1.  Dex, pick up the flower.

TwoOneBee gave Shira as quick and non-invasive a scan as possible.  The young ghostling didn't seem injured, her own agility and that of the shoes had improbably protected his charge in a gravity beyond the one she was born to.  The mild sedative was well-tolerated.

Grev very quietly positioned himself between the Gammorean and any other trouble but himself.  If this turned out not to be a fair fight, he would be all of the unfair about it.

DeeJay actually did a double-take at Celes' offer but seeing the bounty hunter was serious, translated in booming grunts that must have strained her speakers.  It was met by a chorus of surprised, and then impressed, grunts from all of the gathered Gammorreans, including Snork.

The big, offended porcineoid moved to face Celes and placed his arms by his side.  As the challenged's champion, she had first punch.  If Snork was still capable thereafter, Celes would receive his blow.  Honor would then be satisfied.

Shira's pleading did not seem to be helping the situation.  With no better option presenting itself, she studied the flower and realized that it was in reality a kind of animal.   It helped her scoop up the tiny creature, which nestled and cooed in her palm.  It seemed to chitter on-and-off, in a fashion similar to Binary, the primary language of droids...

OOC:
1. Hi, folks.  Again, sorry for the long delay.
2. Grev is positioned correctly if things go Galactic South.  I will try and give him something specific to do if I can.
3. Celes gets one Brawling blow.  The roll to hit is a '1' as Snork is deliberatly not resisting.  Barring a complication, Celes will hit with an extra +1D of damage (as she has time for a haymaker).  If Snork is short of Incapcitated, he will get a similar blow on Celes.  Whatever happens, honor will be satisfied.  This is assuming everyone plays fair.  If not, let me know.  It seems Snork is playing this straight.
4. Shira would consider this 'flower' to similar to a land anenome but there may not be such a creature (and thus specific name) in the Galaxy.  She may make a Languages roll to try and understand what the creature is trying to say.  No one else gets a roll (which should make y'all suspicious).
5. TwoOneBee should make another Medicine roll.  Shira's condition may have changed slightly.
6. Questions, just ask.

The doctor leaned close, visual receptors glowing a warm amber.  Of all his charges, he expended the majority of his time and concern caring for Ms Shira.  The others were capable and only rarely needed his full attention, but the Ghostling seemed to have a knack for misadventure that required much more of the old droid.  Not that he minded in the slightest; she made him feel needed, appreciated, much as his cherished lost charge Lasna Vahl had.  He felt a jolt to his matrix as some of his most treasured data files were all unexpectedly enabled, flooding him with unbidden memories.

"I cannot find any outward signs of physical trauma, concussion, fractures or other symptoms associated with a sudden impact event.  Let me simply take a few more scans to ensure that there are no further complications.  You are responding well to the medication, your heart rate is still a little elevated, but it is improving.  Just a moment longer, I promise."

12:36, Today: TwoOneBee rolled 25 using 7 dice with the WEG Classic system with rolls of 4,2,4,3,1,{Wild}6(+1),4.  TwoOneBee scans Ms Shira Medicine roll.

Hearing DeeJay respond to the Gammorreans in their own gutteral, and rather crude in TwoOneBee's opinion, language, he was filled again with an admiration for her.  She was certainly an extraordinary example of her droid-type, resourceful and multi-talented.  Then he registered Celes response to the protocol droid and he suddenly understood what DeeJay was doing; translating Ms Celes request to engage in a ludicrously dangerous physical challenge!  Where all organics designed to be so irrational?  He wondered, not for the first time, how they had survived to build the 2-1B series at all.

"Ms Celes, I really cannot recommend this course of action.  Are you aware of the physical abilities of an average Gammorrean as compared to your own species?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:22, Sun 28 Jan 2018.

At first, TwoOneBee thought he had overmedicated Miss Shira earlier but with a moment's reflection, he realized that Shira was under the effect of what might be some other mind-altering chemical.  The tiny flower on Shira's palm pulsed and flexed contentedly.  Shira looked on happily through her slightly dilated pupils.

F-R-I-E-N-D pulsed the signals through Shira's perceptions.  Binary was a very thorough but very slow language.  Was the entreaty a request or an offer?

OOC:
A little in-between IC post while I have a little time.

It seems the wee beastie has introduced a chemical into Shira's bloodstream.  Likely a mild euphoric.  So far, Shira can act normally.  For those suspecting malice, there are poisons that would kill with a smaller dose. It doesn't look like the tiny blossom wants to harm Shira, at least not yet. :-)

The little critter is slightly stuck to Shira's palm and may not take kindly to being removed.

"Don't worry, Bee. He's not the biggest I've taken a hit from." Celes switched off power to her shock gloves (a perfectly reasonable defensive measure, for a place they weren't expected to draw blasters), then shifted into a fighting stance. Those trained in that sort of thing could see it was a Trandoshan martial art, legs low with arms high enough to be protect her head. The bounty hunter prepared for a strike at the gamorrean's center of mass. If she got it right, she could hit a bundle of nerves tucked away between the muscle and fat. If she didn't... well, he'd have a turn, and that would be the end of it.

[09:02, Today: Celes Varik rolled 15 using 4 dice and +2 pips with the WEG Classic system.  Brawling.

Wild die came up a 2. That was close.

09:03, Today: Celes Varik rolled 10 (14 excluding the wild die) using 4 dice and +2 pips with the WEG Classic system.  Boosted Brawling damage.

And that was closer. Ew. Well, so much for that.]

Shira touched the flower-creature gently. "Oooh, pretty" she sighed. "What are you, little friend?"
She blinked, trying to focus on what was happening was Celes. Captain Celes was her friend, but she found it hard to worry after what the flower had done to her. "Not to worry, 'Bee. Celes can take him" she said, unnaturally happy.

It wasn't a bad blow but a female human could only be expected to do so much against this mountain of meat.

22:05, Today: That Old Fossil, for the NPC Snork, rolled 12 using 4 dice with the WEG Classic system ((4,2,{Wild}3,3)).

Snork gave a respectful grunt as the air was knocked out of him but showed no other damage, certainly none to even match Celes' aching hand.  Instead, the Gamorrean nodded for Celes to prepare for his blow.

22:08, Today: That Old Fossil, for the NPC Snork, rolled 23 using 6 dice with the WEG Classic system ((6,1,6,3,{Wild}4,3)).
22:09, Today: That Old Fossil, for the NPC Snork, rolled 5 (12 excluding the wild die) using 4 dice with the WEG Classic system ((6,{Wild}1,2,3)).

To save time, I went ahead and rolled as if Celes stands her ground and takes the punch as 'honor' demands.  If Celes does otherwise, let me know.  Otherwise, Celes took a well-placed but anemic blow with a damage of 5 to be resisted against.

The tiny little blossom pulsed again in Binary.  It was becoming easier to understand as Shira recollection of Binary was brought to the present.  ~Friend - Test~ Then the flower painlessly separated itself from Shira and scuttled towards TwoOneBee, bowing as it approached.  It seemed to want to be picked up and possibly be scanned by TwoOneBee.

But everyone was distracted by a group of various grim-looking individuals, a selection of some of the more scum and villainy races of the Galaxy, spruced up for Cloud City.  Thus, there were certainly humans and Gamorreans in the mix.  They were moving from the cantina's entrance to Celes and seemed of a serious mind.   Grev was between the two groups and his body language was that of just another trouble-avoiding barfly.  It might give him the advantage over the preoccupied group approaching...

OOC:
By the die rolls, Celes may simply 'take' the punch offered by Snork.  At this point, honor would be satisfied.

Grev will have either a round of surprise (if combat starts) or a +1D 'aiming' bonus to any reasonable action.  Not being noticed allows Grev discretion and time.  While armed, the group does not seem to expect violence to dealt or received.

Shira is not harmed by the weed's seperation and only feels a slight, pleasant buzz (no obvious game stat changes).  The words Friend and Test are oddly punctuated by design.  The plant's communication is not yet so sophisticated as to convey which exact meaning it intends out of several possible options.  TwoOneBee can use any skill that seems appropriate.  The oddly knowing sprout will not object to any non-invasive scan (and TwoOneBee still gets full dice with a non-invasive scan and wise examination).

Questions, just ask...

"I do not understand, Ms Shira.  Where precisely would Ms Celes be taking a Gamorrean?" the doctor asked.


TwoOneBee was so completely focused on the pugilistic exchange between Celes and the Gamorrean that he had not taken much notice of the strange alien flower until he detected Shira's chemically induced euphoria.  As the tiny being detached from Shira and made its way towards him, he extended one mechanical manipulator and allowed the creature to climb up if it would.

The first thing he decided to do was to explore his data archives, hoping to uncover some information about this particular species.

20:51, Today: TwoOneBee rolled 10 (16 excluding the wild die) using 5 dice with the WEG Classic system with rolls of 4,{Wild}1,4,2,5.  TwoOneBee scans Alien Bloom Alien Races roll.

Secondly he scanned the flower being's anatomical structure to determine if perhaps it requires medical assistance and to better understand what sort of life form it is.

21:10, Today: TwoOneBee rolled 27 using 7 dice with the WEG Classic system with rolls of 5,2,{Wild}5,6,2,5,2.  TwoOneBee scans Alien Flower Medicine roll.

OO: Not sure my Alien Races roll uncovered much, but perhaps the medical bio scan yielded more purely physical scientific data.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 19:03, Thu 08 Mar 2018.

[19:38, Today: Celes Varik rolled 15 using 3 dice and +2 pips with the WEG Classic system.  Strength soak.[

Without her armor, Celes was simply a rather tough woman. Even so, she was a rather tough woman. When the gamorrean prepared for the return strike, she nodded her acknowledgement, braced herself, and closed her eyes so as not to reflexively flinch from the blow. It struck her clean, and she let out a loud huff of air and dropped to one knee for a moment. It didn't take long to draw in another breath and push herself back up to a shaky stand, facing her opponent. With another nod, she held out her hand in a show of respect.

Celes was totally oblivious to the goings on with the flower, and likewise she wasn't too concerned with the approaching group. Her focus had been the gamorrean, and keeping her internal organs functioning in the face of an oncoming slab of dense meat and bone. She was pretty satisfied with how that had gone.

"Where are you going, little friend?" Shira said dreamily as the flower-creature left.

"Oh, you know. Places." she responded to 'Bee, disoriented.

"Miss Celes? Are you okay? I'm so sorry" she said, rushing over to Celes' side. Although she was concerned, her voice still came out as dreamy and out of it in her current state.

By sheer mass and physics, some would argue that the young human should have been knocked into a nearby cluster of curious barflies.  But with a knowledge of kinesethic leverage and sheer willpower, Celes stood her ground, at least on one knee.

There was an audible gasp from the onlookers and an equivalent blast of static from an impressed DeeJay.  Snork stood back, impressed.  He nodded slowly, realizing that even some humans could understand honor.  And then Snork took Celes' hand in a heartfelt gesture between true and instant friends.  The Gammorean then motioned towards the bar, offering drinks for all concerned.  He also passed what ever strange concoction was in his giant wooden mug to Celes and her companions.  The crisis seemed over to mixed relief and disappointment from those nearby.

TwoOneBee examined the tiny blossom.  He hated being as imprecise as the organic but the alien was best described as a mobile neuron.  It exuded, and seemed to sense, incredibly varied and sophisticated pheremones.  It had injected a mild euphoric into Shira, with a seeming sudden insight into her biochemistry.  The strangest thing about the tiny creature is it seemed to have to tiny a brain for the sentience and language it was showing.

Drinks were soon brought to Grev, Shira and Ali by the many big aliens, mostly Gammorreans, that seemed to be Snork's boon companions.  Further in the back of the cantina were Sundancer and Thuraya, unnoticed thanks to a suggestion and hand-wave from Sundancer.  He had gently grabbed Thuraya's own hand, which had moved just a little too quickly to the lightsaber hidden in her pocket.  "You see, not all problems have to be solved by attacking."  Thuraya simply nodded at the Jedi Master's teaching but still narrowed her eyes in suspicion.


OOC:
1.  Celes has impressed Snork and thus his companions enough that the drinks can be refused with no penalty.  The attitude of the bruisers towards the group is friendly and the PCs can stay or go.  Sorry for the even longer than usual delay.

Quickly the doctor enveloped Celes in a thorough bio-scan, with the understanding that she would most certainly experience some discomfort and dermatological discoloration from the event. He could easily lessen the effects of such symptoms.  It was more deep tissue/skeleto-muscular damage, and other such complications from physical trauma, he was concerned about.  Early diagnosis was always the best defense when dealing with physical injuries.

Perusing his alien psychological database, however, brought him to an interesting conclusion.  From a cultural standpoint, it would be best not to be seen assisting Celes for the moment.  Her current standing among the Gammorreans depended on her ability to accept her discomfort without complaint.  So interference from her medical droid would most likely not be well received.  As difficult as it was for him to accept, he would have to wait until later to attend to her.



The blossom alien was something of an enigma.  It was difficult to discern if the diminutive being was vegetable or animal in nature, or even a strange hybrid of the two.  It was undeniably intelligent, far more so than TwoOneBee had anticipated.  It had not harmed Ms Shira, and in fact it may have been attempting to alleviate her pain.  And it was attempting to communicate with her and possibly with him as well.  It was therefor of some importance to establish a dialogue and determine what it was trying to say.  It seemed to be using some sort of basic binary code so perhaps that was the best place to start.

"DeeJay, are you able to translate what this alien flower is attempting to convey?  It seems to be using a base binary language to converse, but its actions and brain activity indicate it is far more intelligent than I first suspected.  Will you ask it what it wants or needs from us if you can, please?"



The humour in Ms Shira's statement was mostly lost on the doctor.  She did not, however, seem to be suffering, and the effects of her current euphoria would subside, given time.  He continued to monitor her condition, just to be certain she was okay.

"Ms Shira, did this alien blossom communicate with you in some way?  If so do you recall what it said?"



The canny droid happened to overhear the exchange between Master Sundancer and Ms Thuraya.  He was aware that the young lady's emotional state seemed oddly volatile of late.  Perhaps he should consider discussing these observations with the Jedi Master at a more appropriate time.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:03, Mon 12 Mar 2018.

Seeing that Captain Ali is in no further need of an unknown guards, Grev in his muscular bulk steps into sight from behind the Gamoreans friends (perhaps much to their surprise).  Taking the proffered drink, Grev sipped it slowly, nursing it.  He was not so green as to not see the danger in loosing ones senses, or the potential for the drink to be altered.  So, while almost the entire drink remained unconsumed by him, the mug itself would slowly empty.  He kept a weather eye on both Captain Ali, and Celes.

Once the apparent ritual is done with, Celes opts to have a drink with her new friends, but makes sure to keep a wary eye on Shira. She was with Bee, so likely couldn't get into too much trouble, but the team was on Cloud City to have a good time, and Celes worried what kind of time they'd have if Shira decided to have a drink too.

Still, half an hour or so to carouse wasn't too bad, and it'd let her make sure the captain was alright as well. She'd definitely want to get the punch looked at later, but this wasn't the time to show that kind of concern.

The Gammoreans were as good as their word, and it seemed the Rebels would have an unlimited tab at the bar for tonight at least.  The drinks were increasing in potency from Ghostling Sweet Tea to Lightsaber Gargle to Vader's Breath.  Still, even the biggest of their new alien friends did seem to have an inkling of human fragility and were not insistent.

The little flower seemed to tire of TwoOneBee's examination and began to slowly scuttle towards Snork.  Snork eventually turned towards the plant and held his large palm in welcome.

OOC:
As always, I am sorry for the delay.
This is a short post as things are about to happen.  I realize this scene has been a little lacking in action and direction.

As mentioned before, the characters can refuse the drinks and carousing at no penalty.  But, for this scene, characters can make a Stamina or Willpower check (their choice) to imbibe or carouse.  For this roll, success is considered an interpersonal success as the aliens are impressed by the character's gumption.  The Difficulty is a 12, failure should result in mild comic and discomfort but nothing lethal.

The tiny blossom doesn't have the strength to get to Snork if the PC's wish it.  They can simply hold on to one of its petals.  Snork doesn't seem surprised or worried by the blossom.

"It said I was his friend. Isn't that nice of him, to befriend me?" Shira replied dreamily to TwoOneBee.

"You're the best, Captain! The toughest!" Shira gushed happily. "I think you saved me life just now!" She smiled brightly at the Captain. She got herself a soda and clinked glasses with Grev. "A toast to our wonderful group!"

Grev inclines his head, his toothy, almost predatory smile there, but his attention not entirely on social interaction.

DeeJay sent silent communiques to the commlinks of the crew.  The various ships had arrived to take them to their varied destinations for shore leave.

It was now just time to wrap things up here.

The little flower crawled up to the large ear of Snork, almost as if whispering.

With that, all of the crew's new 'friends' pulled back fabric or fur to show that each had a tiny blossom somewhere on their skin.

"You are welcome to join our collective any time." They all said in unison...

OOC:
This thread is wrapping up so we can transition to the next chapter, a published module by West End Games.  I assume that the characters will part on good terms with the others and go but you can still surprise me.

The flowers are essentially a pheromone link between hosts, not quite telepathy but close enough.  The delicate flowers in gestalt are essentially the most dainty crime lord you will ever meet.  This might be a plot development for another time.

I assume that your characters will have a wonderful leave, what happens on Pleasure World stays on Pleasure World.  You can flash back when you return to duty and the first chapter of our new adventure.

Questions, just ask...