Vol moved behind the Gamoreans, once thry'd cleared.  Conscidering they knew where the ship was, he headed that way.  As he got closer, he carefully blended in with the crowd and scanned the ship and the area around it seruptitiously.  He intended to avoid any ambushes, or turn them upon the would be ambushers.

Iaarkhar led Amaya and Brilk'airn away. Walking down the street got the wookiee several odd looks from passerby. It was some time before they came across anyone who actually took notice, but when they did, it was someone in a uniform they recognized. A pair of police officers stepping out of their speeder.

"Excuse me! Sirs, could we talk to you for a second? Officer Ma'thuz sent us." In general, police weren't likely to be friendly toward the group of smugglers. On the other hand, they were now technically in the employ of the police (or rather of the bounty hunter, who was in the employ of Sector Ranger Ma'thuz, who had commandeered control of local police forces), so things were complicated.

Amaya fought her normal teenage human instinct to have an opinion on everything and to then express it.   The officers wished to talk to her adult friends and Amaya knew to stay silent.
Looking further down the busy street, she thought she saw a familiar face...

OOC:  It could be that Amaya recognizes Vol (and/or that Vol will recognize his friends) if that helps get the groups together.  But if that doesn't work for any reason, Amaya will realize she is mistaken next post.

"Oh? Good! Maybe you can tell us what happened back there. Bril puffed himself up as he got in the face of the officer who'd spoken, "Because to me it felt a lot like a bunch of crooked cops looking to make some quick credits by slipping the local slavers some offworlders no one would miss."

It wasn't that Bril couldn't believe Jalmac had sold them out. He didn't know the Captain well enough to have an opinion one way or the other before this. The twi'lek was just having trouble trusting anyone that didn't have their freedom at stake same as him. Mostly he just wanted to gauge the officers' reactions. Plus it was really easy to act tough with a wookie with a vibroaxe at your back.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:57, Tue 19 Feb 2019.

Iaarkahr wasn't 100% certain how to react to this turn of events but maybe the presence of officers would be enough to deter any would-be thugs from causing any further problems.  He crossed his arms in irritation, enough to give most beings pause, before turning to the officers, "What does Ma'thuz have to say to us?"

The officer took a breath and nodded, while his compatriot stayed beside the speeder, leaning into it to use the comlink.

"Yeah, looks like things went south. I guess the Fines have a longer reach than anyone guessed. The Ranger wants you to regroup with him back at the station, get a handle on how to proceed, maybe see if we can find out which officers are still loyal to the chief. Can't fit you all in the one speeder, though. Come on, we'll wait for backup and escort you to safety." He motioned for the three of them to follow him to the police speeder.

Down the street, the hooded figure of Vol had managed to get close enough to the gamorreans he was tailing to hear their comlink activate.

"...suspects spotted at Third and Delta, requesting backup..." The thugs looked at each other, then turned around to start heading back toward the intersection where a police speeder was parked. They were headed right for Vol.

Iaarkahr heads towards the speeder with the officers.  He still keeps a wary pose and one hand on his axe.  They weren't out of trouble just yet.

Taking a cue from Iaarkahr, Bril scuttled after the officers over to their speeders. Since his group was stuck waiting for backup, Bril began looking over the police vehicles and rattling off questions, "I've never seen speeders like these before! They've gotta be fast right? What's their top speed? How do they handle? What model are they? When is the second one getting here and more importantly, can I drive one?"

The officer leading the group back to the patrol speeder glanced up the street, his eyes widening on seeing the pair of gamorreans stomping their way.

"Should be getting here any second. Pirs, watch them." While his partner nodded to him, coming out from leaning into the cabin, the officer stepped forward, holding up a hand to the thugs. Another pair of police speeders rounded a corner a few blocks down that same direction.

"Hold it right there, I'm afraid you're going to have to turn around, this part of the sidewalk is unsafe at the mo--" A stun shot from his own partner took him square in the back, dropping him to the duracrete! Officer Pirs then turned his blaster on Brilk'airn, wide-eyed and shaky.

"Nobody move! Hands where I can see them, a-and no sudden movements." He looked to be the older of the two who'd stopped the crew, but he suddenly appeared much younger. "Now just make this easy on everyone. Get cuffed. Get in the speeders. We'll be on our way and no one has to get hurt." The thugs hadn't even slowed down, and the approaching speeder cars would arrive momentarily.

[Alright folks, you have arrived at a pretty volatile situation! Unfortunately I don't have much for Zindra just yet, but I'm working on that.]

Bril's hands shot into the air the second Pirs' blaster was aimed in his direction, "Woah, woah, woah! If I can't drive all you had to do was say so."

As the least dangerous member of the group, Bril was happy to try and keep the lion's share of the corrupt officer's attention and trust the rest of his crew to bail him out. Slowly lowering his hands, Bril turned his attention toward the speeder but his mouth never stopped moving, "Don't shoot! I'll get the cuffs, I'll get the cuffs. We both want the same thing, nobody hurt."

Somewhat shakily himself, Bril began digging around in the speeder, "Where, ah, where are the cuffs?"

"Whoa!" Amaya yelped.  "Please don't shoot me.  I'm too adorable to die."  Amaya began to help Bril 'look' for the manacles.

Iaarkahr, one hand still on his axe, asks Officer Pirs in a very irritated voice, "Why did you just shoot your partner?"  He will not be standing still while anyone attempts to put handcuffs on him.

He will not initiate any kind of violence, yet, but neither will he allow anyone to place restraints on him.

Pirs looked more and more nervous as the brutes approached, and he kept glancing towards them, backing away from the car when Bril went to go searching in it rather than shooting him immediately. Overwhelmed, he skipped responding to the others to answer the big guy.

"Because I had to. You can't fight the Fines. They win, and it isn't pretty if you're on the losing side. They're what I need now, they're keeping my family. Safe. They're, they're keeping my family safe. Please, just cooperate. You don't understand what's at stake." When the gamorreans got within earshot, Pirs addressed them loudly enough to be heard.

"It's alright, I've got it under control." The gamorreans didn't react to him at all. The other speeders approached, lights on. "We'll have them rounded up and sitting in a cell... soon, hey! I'm talking to you! We don't need your help anymore!" His nervous energy turned to panic as the thugs walked right past him, clubs in hand, one heading for Brilk'airn while the other confidently moved for Iaarkahr.

"You said we wouldn't hurt anybody!"

Vol had followed the Gamoreans checking on their bounty status through his link, and when the shots rang out he quickly moved to a flanking position and raised his own blaster rifle.  He took a moment to aim, then fired on the attacking officer.  Then spoke over the noise.  I am deputy Marshal Vol.  You will surrender."


06:10, Sun 28 Oct 2018: Brilk'airn rolled 1 success, 2 advantages using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 2A 1P 2D.

In one way, this just got much simpler while in yet another way, it got somewhat more complicated.  Iaarkahr could deal with the Gamorreans but where the Gran's loyalties lay were, for the moment, unknown.  Right now, he's had enough.  He turns to glare at the officer first, "Stay where you are.  You will explain the situation after we've dealt with these Gamorreans."  He then activates his vibro-axe and proceeds to convince the Gammorean he just made a poor life choice....

12:28, Today: Iaarkahr rolled 5 successes, 1 advantage using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 3A.  coercion on Pirs. [Minus whatever results the difficulty dice produce]

12:30, Today: Iaarkahr rolled 3 successes, 2 advantages (becomes a critical hit) using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 2A 2P 2D.  Attack Gamorrean.
12:38, Today: Iaarkahr rolled 88 using 1d100+30.  critical hit (with vicious 3).

10 damage to the Gamorrean (ignores 2 points of soak) and Compromised -- Increase difficulty of all skill checks by one until end of encounter.

"We?" Bril crinkled his nose at the thought of a fight but still pulled his holdout blaster from the side holster hidden under his jacket. Turning and leveling his weapon at the second gamorrean, Bril did his best to put up a calm and intimidating facade before saying, "One more step and we'll find out how many fresh blaster holes you need to sprout before you decide we're more trouble than we're worth."

Amaya tried to control her dread.  No one was going to win this point from the young padawan's point of view.  If she was a betting soul, her credits would have been on her friends eventually besting the gammoreans and crooked cops but only after pain, blood and especially unwanted attention.  And even the porcine gammoreans were life of a kind.  She had to try and do what she could to prevent irrevocable damage.

Amaya focused her mind on the gammorean that was either closest or damaged most.  It would concentrate her feeble abilities.   She called upon the Force and sent...

OOC:  Amaya is using her single die of Force rating to gather Light and/or Dark Side Points to use with her Basic Influence skill.  She is not skilled enough to make a verbal suggestion but merely basic emotions.

23:52, Today: Amaya Moondancer rolled no successes, 1 dark force point using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1F ((1(F))).

If I have rolled this correctly, Amaya has gained one Dark Side Point which is technically good as negative emotions can only be fueled by Dark Side Points.  In order to spend the Dark Side Point for fear, Amaya will have to change one of her Light Side Destiny Points to a Dark Side Destiny Point and take some extra Strain.  This is if I understand the rules correctly.

So I ask the GM and the players (given my newbie rules understanding), should Amaya spend that Dark Side Point?  Remember that the Force is like ripples in a pond, who knows what other Force-Sensitive may be sensing nearby.

Vol's blast rang out up and down the street, causing immediate screams as dozens of people got their heads down and ran for some sort of cover! Speeders immediately began to either stop or zooooom off away from the incident! The approaching pair of police speeders swerved to a stop a few dozen meters behind Vol, a total of four officers stepping out to use the doors as cover while aiming pistols at him. They yelled some clear but very shaky orders to drop his weapon or be fired upon, and kept glancing at the situation unfolding beyond Vol with definite concern.

Pirs hit the duracrete beside Bril, a smoking hole leaving him in no position to take orders from anyone.

With all the commotion, Iaarkahr brought down his humming weapon in a stroke that cleaved clean through the pig-man's side. The gamorrean squealed in pain and fury, bringing up his club to strike back one-handed while clutching the wound with his other hand.

The second thug, meanwhile, didn't hesitate for a second at Bril's threat. It seemed the sight of a blaster pointed straight at him didn't warrant anything but a shift in the way he held his club, like he was actually going to use it for more than show.

Amaya had only seconds to focus, like her master taught her...

[Looks like it's a fight!

Vol did a good job determining range based on my shabby explanations, Medium Range was absolutely right. That means he also got a solid hit with one success. His blaster rifle deals 9 damage + successes, so that's 10 damage. The poor cop didn't stand a chance. He's way dead. Super dead-duper dead. Also, Vol is left with 2 advantage to use as he pleases. I might recommend either providing a "holy crap" bonus to one of the team or else some sort of "get-out-of-being-pumped-full-of-tibanna-gas-free card" idea to deal with those police officers you just murdered a cop in front of.

Iaarkahr, your Coercion attempt fails, even with that magnificent 5 successes. Mainly because the target is dead, and that doesn't really work out so well. Fortunately, you only rolled 1 advantage, so I don't feel too guilty about saying that roll can't have transpired, so you can't keep it. On the other hand, you absolutely can keep that attack on the gamorrean. He is looking very not okay, but also very pissed off. I'll make his attack roll once I find out what's happening with the other guy.

The other guy is about to test out his club on Brilk'airn's body. Bril has an opportunity to shoot him with his teeny tiny wee little baby blaster (it is really not going to intimidate a gamorrean, sorry, especially not in the hands of a twi'lek), and Amaya has an opportunity to use magic woo powers. Let's talk about that.

Amaya does have Influence, but doesn't have the first Control upgrade which would let you fill targets with emotions. As such, your Force point result's alignment won't really affect what you can do with the power: each point simply lets you apply 1 strain to the target's mind. You do need to flip one Light Side point to Dark Side and take 1 strain to use that Dark Side Point, however. Would you like to do that?

Destiny Pool: 3 Light, 4 Dark

Pirs - Dead
Gamorrean 1 - 7/14 Wounds
Gamorrean 2 - 0/14 Wounds]

Ignoring the ineffective swipe the Gammorrean took at him, the Wookiee brings down his massive axe on his assailant again in an attempt to finish him and move to protect his pilot and the curious girl with the bionic eyes.  He was quite successfully intimidating Pirs when he rudely dropped to the ground, dead.  Answers and an escape from their situation would have to be found elsewhere.

20:44, Today: Iaarkahr rolled 2 successes, 1 advantage using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 2A 2P 2D.  Attack Gammorean. <dealing 6 damage, after soak, and one point short of dropping him, drat!>

Iaarkahr's immediate focus was on the Gamorreans assaulting the group.  The situation between Vol and the officers would have to wait for the moment.

OOC: Ah, I misunderstood the Influence power but that would well be within the character of a young girl eager to prove herself.  A single point of Strain isn't worth tickling the Dark Side so Amaya will not use her Force results.

I will try and make Amaya more effective next round. :-)

Amaya stretches out with her feelings, trying to calm her mind in the midst of the tense situation. Then the terrified police officer pointing a blaster at her friends is killed before her very eyes, a massive slab of muscle and malice gets into a fight with her companion, police bring weapons against her friend, and the poor pilot is left with nothing but his charm and a palm-sized blaster against a very large thug. Emotions have quickly become a swirl, all the noise is pulled away, and the girl can see as clearly as though she still had her eyes. A single imprint of the moment stands before her, with darkness creeping into her vision. Instinct at once tells her to fight and to fight it. In the blink of an eye, Amaya gets to make a choice: lash out, or control herself.

The world comes crashing back into motion and out Amaya's lungs as she rejects the call of the Force. Or something like it.

[Amaya has chosen not to call on the Dark Side of the Force!]

Iaarkhar manages to evade the gamorrean's initial awkward swing, striking with his own weapon and seeing it deflected by a surprisingly quick parry from his enemy's massive club. A shoulder-check puts the wookiee off balance long enough to take a solid hit across the arm, sending him spinning away! The force of the impact doesn't help the gamorrean much when Iaarkhar simply lets his axe slip out in the middle of his swing, turning the momentum from the gamorrean's attack into a sweep that pulls the lumbering hulk's legs out from under him, giving Iaarkhar an opportunity to end the threat.

[Gamorrean 1's attack against Iaarkahr!

22:20, Today: The Force rolled 2 successes using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1A 3P 3D.  Gamorrean 1 attack.

Iaarkhar takes 8 damage, not counting soak! That's a lotta damage.

With that, Iaarkhar's response attack deals enough to bring the gamorrean up to his wound threshold. That doesn't take him out, but that advantage will give you the leverage you need to decide this fight. Now what you do with him is up to you.

Brilk'airn and Vol, you've got chances to act here. Vol, you still have Advantage to spend however you feel is most appropriate.

There is one Gamorrean left, about to engage with Bril. There are four police officers left, their attention split between Vol right in front of them and the fight going on with the rest of you.]

"Called my bluff!" Bril said, adding a quick shrug before slipping his holdout blaster back under his jacket, "That or you just don't speak Basic."

Fighting was never Bril's strong suit and the burly Gamorrean seemed like a poor choice for a learning opportunity. Instead Bril, turned and slipped himself into the pilot's seat of the now owner-less police speeder. Before Bril's butt even hit the seat, his eyes were already scanning the control console for any familiar looking buttons or switches that would let him get the machine up and running. With the arrival of the other police speeders, getting out on foot didn't seem like a viable option.

OOC: Would it be a piloting roll to get the speeder running or like skullduggery if I'm trying without keys?

Edit:
10:41, Today: Brilk'airn rolled 2 successes, 4 advantages using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 2A 2P.  Piloting (Planetary).
This message was last edited by the player at 17:42, Sun 17 Feb 2019.

Vol briefly shouts at the officers.  "Aresst that Gamorean!"  Then fires a shot at the Gamorean.

21:36, Today: Vol Miepen rolled 2 successes, 2 advantages using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1A 2P.  Heavy Ranged.

[Alright, adding 2 Difficulty and 1 Setback to Brilk'airn's roll to get that speeder speeding. The Setback is because you have a large angry gangster looking to see if your headtails have any kneecaps to break. (He is not a smart man.)

14:06, Today: The Force rolled no successes, 3 threats using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 2D 1S.  Difficulty on Bril's Piloting roll.

You succeed with 1 Advantage left over! Heck of a roll.

Now for Vol's shot, adding 2D for range.

14:08, Today: The Force rolled no successes, 3 threats using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 2D.  Vol's shot.

You succeed with 2 Successes and 1 Threat. After Soak, that comes to 6 Wounds!]

Bril's quick dive into the police speeder gives him just a split second to figure out what the ridiculous array of new switches are for and get the thing moving. The gamorrean reaches out a meaty hand to grab the considerably smaller twi'lek, only to have it slapped away by the speeder zipping off and away!

The gamorrean growled as he followed the speeder with his eyes, only to let out a squeal of pain when a blaster bolt ripped into his shoulder! Eyes ablaze with fury turned on Vol.

The second shot caused two of the officers to open fire immediately, while one turned her attention to the now-charging gamorrean, threatening him to stop immediately. Naturally, no one was listening. The final officer started calling in the stolen speeder, eyes wide and clearly not having been trained for this level of chaos.

[And two of the officers let loose on Vol!

14:18, Today: The Force rolled 1 success using the Star Wars Edge of the Empire with a dice pool of 1A 1P 1D.  Two officers attack Vol!

With one success, that comes to 7 damage before Soak!

Amaya, Iarrkhar, you're still able to act this round. After you two I'll move on to Round 3.]

Bril's foot found the throttle and the speeder lurched forward as much to his surprise as anyone else. A surprised yelp found it's way out of Bril's mouth before turning into a shout to his crew mates, "Amaya, Kahr! Let's get outta here!" That was all the attention he had to spare while he wrestled for control of the speeder.

OOC: Since it's not the next round yet I figured I'd just put up a little bit of flavor to go with the mention that the advantage on my Piloting roll gives whomever rolls next a boost die.