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Star Wars: The New Sith Empire - Episode 1: Gathered Hope


Dave ST

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It was a terrible day. The lost of Master Udo-Mal would be felt for a long time to come. He had been so much a part of preserving the Jedi order such as it was. It was with a force of will that Joram did not give in to feelings of despair, but even so it was with a very heavy heart that he jogged down to the ship where Dari's father was being cared for.

When he arrived he dispatched the two men to stand guard while he went over the ship to make sure there weren't any stowaways or other potential threats.

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To Dari's credit - or perhaps to Icei Avi's annoyance, since it came so easily - the young noblewoman looked truly devastated at the revelation. That the head of the Jedi Order had been killed was bad enough news.. that the attack against her father and the ensuing battle had been nothing more than a distraction to get to him was like a knife in the gut. She nodded softly at the Jedi woman's instructions, and after a few more words of direction to the Rebels present, she followed Jedi - Padawan, that must mean an apprentice of some sort - Joram down to her father's ship. There she waited until he'd given her the signal that the ship was clear by Joram before boarding. She made her way down the hall and knocked gently on the door of the room he was recovering in to announce her presence before opening it a moment later and slipping in.

"Father? Are you awake?"

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The urgency leaves the Jedi woman as Akira looks down at the body of the Master Udo-Mal. She does feels some sadness and regret, The last words he said to me were to chastise me and criticize me. I am sure that is not how he would wish to be remembered. She utters softly, “There is no death; only the Force.”

Realizing that the Sith assassin is long gone, Akira decides that she will stay in the infirmary and watch over the R2 unit’s recording while considering, There is something about this R2 unit. It apparently is running around without a master.

As the droid and the others continue working after the departure of Master Avi, Dari and Joram, she begins speculating aloud, “I suspected that the first assassination attempt was just a precursor. I only miscalculated when the second and apparently true attempt was made. I have much to learn yet. You about finished, …?”

She paused for a moment unclear exactly how to refer to this unusual little droid and asks, “I can see that you are an R2 unit, but I do not recognize your design. Is there a specific designation that you go by?”

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R2-FX gave a quick, affirmative chirp to Dari when she asked for a copy of his records. It would be a simple matter to download them to a ship, data card or holoprojector. He didn't say anything else, and just tried to stay out of everyone's way after that though. From what he could remember, during times like this, most biologicals required or requested silence or at least hushed tones.

He was still in a corner by the door when Master Jedi Avi brought down the Jedi security camera. This revelation sent a brief surge through FX's processors. If only they had had better security, then the majority of this could've been avoided. At their next location FX would be sure to offer his services as a security consultant. His specialty might be slicing, but that sometimes involved getting into places that he wasn't supposed to be. With time and credits he was sure that he could make their next location as safe as the Palace on Coruscant (or maybe even a little safer).

When Master Jedi Akira started talking, but not directly to him, he didn't devote much processing time to what she was saying, but once she addressed him specifically, he actually ran her words through his algorithms. When she asked for his designation, he recalled the hologram that he had given Master Jedi Joram before the fighting had broken out.

Quote:
R2-FX, slicer and technician extraordinaire, at your service master Jedi.

He left the hologram up only long enough for Akira to read it, as he was starting to process that it might be better for him to keep his skills and abilities hidden, except from a certain, chosen few. But if you couldn't trust the Jedi, who could you trust.

After he had taken down the hologram, he chirped and whirred a bit in binary. But you can actually understand me, without the projection. That is a rarity in biologicals.

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Akira smiles at the R2 unit and replies, "Yes, it might be rare, but certainly useful. I am Akira, Jedi of course, but a Padawan, definitely not a master. FX, you appear to running around without an obvious owner, do you happen to serve the Lady Telana?"

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Quote:
"Father? Are you awake?"


"I am child, come in." He was lying in bed on his side opposite the one that was injured. The Jedi had bandaged him up well. Copious amounts of gauze kept the slow release bacta-gel packs tightly in place to speed his recovery. "The battle seems to have finished..." His words were weak and he spoke softly. "How did we fare."

Master Lora, the Jedi Instructor, sat quietly in the corner upon a foldout stool. He tried to muster a smile as the lovely noble walked in, but she could see the glimmer of moisture in his eyes. It was obvious that the Force had told him the grim news of Master Udo-Mal's death. He said nothing and simply allowed her her moments with her father...
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Joram entered the room just behind Dari and stood inside the door taking up a position that no one could get past. One look told him what he already knew. Master Lora had felt it. He knew he was only an apprentice and had been engaged in battle, but he still felt guilt for not feeling the disturbance. He tried to let the guilt pass reminding himself that it would accomplish nothing. It did no good. Sadness and guilt would pass and he wouldn't let them eat at him and turn dark, but for now, for this moment he would feel them.

He gave the Master a small nod, but he couldn't summon even a slight smile under the circumstances. This might have been a victory in one sense, but it felt like ashes. The Sith had accomplished their objective here. They came to kill the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order and they succeeded.

Or had they? Master Mal was dead alright, but was their objective really worth it in the long run? They had lost a battle that had given heart to the Rebellion. And Master Mal wouldn't want the Order to collapse in his absence and it would survive. The Order was more than one man no matter how great or noble. It would live on and if anything it only made Joram's determination to see the Sith fall all the greater. He would have to be careful not to let that determination turn into obsession or anger or then the Sith would win. He and the other Jedi would have to move forward after this and it would be damned hard. Thank the Force they still had good Masters to lead them.

He remained silent and listened as the Father and Daughter reunited.

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R2-FX replied in a series of beeps, whirs and chirps.

As I told you, Master Jedi, I am at your service. I also told that to Master Jedi Joram. I am at the service of those who need me, and whom I deem necessary. I serve who I want, and I belong to no one.

He processed through his curiosity simulator if he had been a little too... aggressive or possibly 'forward'. Maybe he had rolled over the psychological 'line' that most biologicals had in regards to droids. One of the last things on his list of priorities was to alienate himself, or cause himself to be exiled from the rebellion.

Only Akira's response would tell.

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Dari sat down at the Ambassador's side and took his hand gently. The expression on her face was grim, but she managed a small smile and started with the good news, hoping to soften the blow a bit.

"The battle itself went very well Father. I wish you could have seen the way everyone rallied together.. it was inspiring. And everyone fought bravely, there were few initial injuries or deaths."

"But?"

She sighed softly, and her expression became fully somber then. She squeezed his hand softly as she spoke, as much to reassure herself to comfort him.

"It seems likely that the whole thing - the battle, probably even the attack on you - was a distraction. Sometime during the battle, a Sith slipped in amongst us. He slaughtered those he found not involved in the fighting.. women, children, and the elderly.. as well as some of the injured. And.. he killed the head of the Order. Jedi Master Udo-Mal is dead, Father."

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Akira looks at the droid with her head cocked a little to the side with some curious speculation, This unit is possibly malfunctioning. It has no restraining bolt that I can see and it appears to be running around with its own agenda, claiming to be its own master.

But despite these misgivings, she inquires pleasantly, "It would appear that you believe yourself to be sentient, yes?" Even though the young Jedi can understand the language, she doesn't have much experience with ones that roam around ownerless. Resolving to meditate on this later, she decides that sentient or not, the droid and the information it has recorded have now become very important and should not be left unprotected.

The last of the infirmary cleanup nearly complete, Akira is ready to depart the chamber and motions for the droid to accompany her if it wishes. "There is time before we are due to meet the Masters aboard our ship. I was planning to ensure that no one else needs my assistance beforehand, will you accompany me, FX?"

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If R2-FX were the type of droid that took offense, he would have at Akira's comment about 'believing' he was sentient. Lucky for her he wasn't one of those touchy battle or assassin droids. But, he decided to keep his processes to himself.

Not seeing anything else that he needed to do here, he gave Akira an affirmative chirp and followed behind her. Heading to the Jedi ship sounded like a good idea, and if anyone needed their help, all the better.

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Akira slightly puzzled that no further response was forthcoming on the sentient issue, merely shrugs and lets the issue be after thinking, The droid has proven helpful and pleasant so far. Assuming it is not dangerous, it is not my place to worry about it having faulty logic circuits or malfunctioning processors. Without more expertise in such things, I could very well be mistaken in my assessment.

Satisfied that FX will accompany her, she focuses on their current task instead.

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  • 2 months later...

An hour later...

...give or take a couple of months.

Within the meeting room of the Jedi's starship, the security holos played the footage in all it's grisly accuracy of the events that took place but an hour or so prior. The crimson lightsaber hummed as the butcher slaughtered the wounded, the women and what few children that had been been brought by their noble parents. None were spared and the scene was grizzly.

The assembled 'Masters' seemed to be repulsed by the images, save for Icei Avi, who barely batted an eyelash at the entire scene. Then, only moments before the scene was over, the culprit finally stood in some good light and the holorecorder got a look at his face...

Ranner. Layel instantly noticed the mercenary and pilot the moment his visage came into view. Joram also quickly recognized the man as well, the injured man from the jungles outside the temple not long ago, but his injuries had been severe, far too severe to have been able to move like he was moving in that holo... right?

There was an uneasy silence in the room as everyone just stared at their Master's, their 'father's', their friend's killer. "How could a Sith assassin slip in under our senses?" Master Masu-Ka, said softly, wiping a single tear from her yellow hued cheek. "And a Force-User at that?"

"What's done is done, Dabri." Master Imei, the Ithorian replied in his typical soothing tone. "Our focus should be on learning who leaked information to the Empire and strengthening our ranks within this newly formed alliance." The assembled simply nodded their agreement silently.

Click to reveal..
The PCs are free to comment. Say what you like, it's an open table. All PCs are present.
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Akira returns most of her gear back to her quarters, assuming that departure is soon to follow. She joins the others in the meeting room, taking a seat appropriate to her station. The Padawan suppresses the hints of horror and anger that threaten her calm upon seeing the sights revealed from the security footage.

As the Masters share some thoughts, Akira’s attention becomes focused at the mention of a leak or informant that revealed their location and meeting itself. She cannot help but speak her thoughts aloud.

“Perhaps this Sith assassin was the spy as well, it would appear that he was a sleeper agent of some sort. And, it could be possible that the Empire wants the Alliance to now be filled with doubt and mistrust as we look for non-existent leaks or moles.”

“However, I realize that we should not discount the threat of Imperial Agents, since we cannot ignore that possibility, ever. But, this fragile Alliance would be in jeopardy of falling apart if false accusations start being thrown about.”

“This assassin’s work was cunning and evil, not simplistic. It could be that their secondary goal, if the assault by the stormtroopers failed, was to sow the seeds of mistrust and chaos between the principle members.”

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Layel closed his eyes, and gritted his teeth as he realized what had happened. A mini-Rendallen, all over again. And now, it was blindly obvious in hindsight why Ranner acted the way he did, and Layel and everyone else had completely fell for it. Like security guards he had gotten past, ignoring the minor details as unimportant. And at their peril.

"Yes, it was Ranner. And of course, he was trying to spread doubt and confusion. And aside from your failed Force senses or whatever hoo-haw, he succeeded because we were fucking wide open."

Seeing everyone look mildly confused, he nodded and barely calmly explained. "I saw our Sith killer and spy out and about with everyone else who came to hear you and your father out, Telana. His name, what he gave, was Ranner. Met him briefly, merc and pilot, or so I thought. He was acting the pessimistic bastard, saying the effort was doomed or this or that. And then he left when people started getting convinced to fight."

"In hindsight, it all makes sense. Weaken our forces, plenty of time to easily pass news onto the Imperials, pinpoint our location. Just fake who you are and hide amongst the swarms on the floor."

Layel sighed and fixed everyone else with a firm and warning stare. "I'm not sure how I got so privileged to be here, but I might as well put in some recommendations. First off, we need some good basic test to clear anyone who might come and join us. We need a tighter security and discipline on our people, we can't let this sort of thing happen again. Second, I know some people won't like this- but we gotta- shoot the Sith we have before another massacre happens again."

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The room listened as Jedi Akira spoke, and then Layel, including the ambassador's daughter. Dari Telana watched the mercenary silently as he made his rather forceful suggestions, and only a slight twinge of her jaw indicated her displeasure. Once he had finished, she pulled her comlink out of her pocket and clicked it on, punching in the number to her father's ship's copilot and speaking into it calmly even as she kept her gaze fixed on the mercenary.

"Jaxon, are you there?"

"Yeah, just getting things loaded up. What's up, Boss's Daughter?"

It sounded like a familiar moniker, and his words gave the unmistakable impression of someone who spent too much time around nobles to be terribly impressed by them, and who did enough for them that they didn't care about the lack of formality.

"I need all the info you can get me on a mercenary who was here today - the name is Ranner."

"Sure, Dari. You need specifics? You can ask him yourself if you want, he's down here in the hangar bay getting his ship ready for departure."

She was quiet for a moment as her gaze flicked briefly around at the reactions of those at the table. After several moments of silence, her comlink crackled again slightly as Jax spoke up again.

"Dari?"

"No - no, don't get him. Just.. do me a favor and watch him. If he acts like he's about to leave, keep him occupied for a few minutes.. talk to him. Tell.. sardonic and politically incorrect yet engaging jokes, you're good at that. Knock a box over full of stuff you have to help him pick up, I don't care. Just.. don't let him leave. And don't let him know you're not letting him leave. Someone's going to be down there in a few minutes to back you up. We need him up here. Got it?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I got it, Dari."

She clicked off the comlink, her gaze still fixed cooly on Layel.

"Mr. Haete... I believe I'm safe in speaking for my father when I say that both he and I are deeply upset at what's happened here today. I would do anything possible to go back and alter the events of the evening. However, I resent the implication that the Ambassador and I weren't cautious with our selections. Admittedly, we weren't those only ones deciding upon the names here tonight, but there were only a handful of people entrusted with finding those we thought would be initially sympathetic to our cause, and those people are ones that either I or my father trust with our lives. Every person to whom an invitation was extended was researched to the best of our abilities."

She paused for a moment, long enough to draw in a deep breath and press her lips together briefly to restrain her frustration.

"Obviously.. a mistake happened somewhere along the way, and for that I will be eternally sorry. But aside from requesting the Jedi to forcefully invade the minds of every person interested in joining our rebellion, I can think of no foolproof method of making sure there are no leaks. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'm pretty sure that other idea is probably against some sort of code."

Her voice became sardonic towards the end, which those present her knew her, or who could sense her emotions (and were doing so) recognized as a bit of a defense mechanism. She was furious that this had happened, yet at the same time she couldn't think of anything more that could have been done to prevent it. She continued to speak, her voice and words serious, but still with a touch of sardonic chilliness.

"As far as the Sith goes, I agree that something needs to be done. However, if your first response is that we should shoot him in cold blood, you may have signed up for the wrong rebellion, Mr. Haete. While I realize we're going to have to do things to win this war that we may not be proud of, I would prefer we not start it off with murder if at all possible. We are, after all, trying to topple the Empire.. not become them." With that said, though she continued speaking, her gaze began to flicker around to the others in the room as she addressed them as a group instead of exclusively Layel. "As such, the captured Sith should be unconscious for several more hours at least, which leaves us with a more immediate problem downstairs in the hangar bay. We need to take this Ranner into custody. We need to get him away from everyone else and confront him with the evidence, see how he responds and what we can get out of him. Obviously I'd prefer it if we could have Jedi present for when the situation gets complicated. I'm not even working under the assumption that it won't."

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R2-FX processed the discussion through his auditory sensors. Since he was a droid, he didn't have any 'feelings' on the matter, but he did agree that they needed to beef up security.

In fact, he was about to offer to provide security for their next location of operation when it was discovered that the person that they were looking for was still here. His programing was such that FX realized this was a bad time to bring that up.

So, R2-FX waited for the que to either go and confront this Ranner or to go and interrogate their prisoners.

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Originally Posted By: Dari Telana
"Mr. Haete... I believe I'm safe in speaking for my father when I say that both he and I are deeply upset at what's happened here today. I would do anything possible to go back and alter the events of the evening. However, I resent the implication that the Ambassador and I weren't cautious with our selections. Admittedly, we weren't those only ones deciding upon the names here tonight, but there were only a handful of people entrusted with finding those we thought would be initially sympathetic to our cause, and those people are ones that either I or my father trust with our lives. Every person to whom an invitation was extended was researched to the best of our abilities."

"Obviously.. a mistake happened somewhere along the way, and for that I will be eternally sorry. But aside from requesting the Jedi to forcefully invade the minds of every person interested in joining our rebellion, I can think of no foolproof method of making sure there are no leaks. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'm pretty sure that other idea is probably against some sort of code."

"As far as the Sith goes, I agree that something needs to be done. However, if your first response is that we should shoot him in cold blood, you may have signed up for the wrong rebellion, Mr. Haete. While I realize we're going to have to do things to win this war that we may not be proud of, I would prefer we not start it off with murder if at all possible. We are, after all, trying to topple the Empire.. not become them." With that said, though she continued speaking, her gaze began to flicker around to the others in the room as she addressed them as a group instead of exclusively Layel. "As such, the captured Sith should be unconscious for several more hours at least, which leaves us with a more immediate problem downstairs in the hangar bay. We need to take this Ranner into custody. We need to get him away from everyone else and confront him with the evidence, see how he responds and what we can get out of him. Obviously I'd prefer it if we could have Jedi present for when the situation gets complicated. I'm not even working under the assumption that it won't."


"Don't tell me what the dividing line is." Layel warned in a sharp tone- tinged with regret? "I know very well what the Empire does and has done, and finishing off a foe in battle or you have no good reason to keep alive is hardly cold-blooded murder. What's the use in interrogating a Sith, or creating a fricking trial? Or holding him until he breaks out and creates another bloodbath? There's more good in the end to putting down a monster, not dilly-dallying and letting him recover."

"Dari Telana," Layel continued, in tones that suggested he was talking to a squeamish child, "you're not going to get a pure-white rebellion, and you'd better focus on the practical side of things before the idealistic."

Then suddenly he stood up and started for the door, hand on his blaster. "And I'm not fond of the idea that Ranner senses the delaying tactic and merely decides to chop your friend and leave. So let's get him and deal with him, shall we?"
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In the jungle, not far away...

The downed Lambda-type shuttle smoked and burned in the Yavin jungle. The only sounds were the pop of the heated metal and the hiss of burning greenery. The only movement was the settling of the broken trees and burning ship or the rustling plants bowing in the wind.

A panel dropped off the shuttle and thumped to the ground. It wasn’t the first piece to become dislodged but it was the first to be dislodged by a person. The man in question followed the panel to the ground, hunched under his burden. He was of average height but deceptively slim; a dancer’s body rather than a fighter’s. The drop was only three feet but with the young woman slung over his shoulders, he still landed with a pained curse. Grumbling about how such a tiny person could weigh so much, the young man weaved around burning patches of forest, getting a good distance away before he set the woman down.

“Hana?” he asked, pulling her upper body into his arms and cupping her face with his free hand. Unsure of what to do to help her, he grabbed a canteen and began to sprinkle cold water on her face and wrists.

With a gasp, she woke up and jerked away from him. “Puck?” she asked, her eyes wide. “What happened?”

“Well,” he said with a wry grin, “the ship crashed.” He settled into a more comfortable position against his tree, draping a hand lazily over his knee.

The human girl tossed blond hair streaked with ash and dirt over one shoulder and tugged her Mon Calamaari jumpsuit straight. “I got that,” she said, rolling her bright blue eyes at him. That motion made her stop and wince.

“Are you alright?” Puck asked, his expression changing from conceited to concerned.

Hana stood up and Puck rose with her, looking down at the petite teen girl. “I hit my head on something,” Hana admitted, feeling at the swelling lump on the back of her head. “I think I’m going to have a headache the size of a Hutt soon.”

“I don’t have any painkillers,” Puck said, looking worried. “I thought you might like you weapons, and I almost couldn’t reach them in time.”

“Yeah,” Hana said, glancing down at the belt on her waist. “Thanks.” They had discussed what those meant to her; it was all that she had left of her father.

Puck took a moment to orient himself and then pointed toward the temple, just visible over the trees. “I assume that the Rebels will have some medical facilities. Can you walk?”

She looked up at him and said, “Yes, I can. You know, this is going to get awkward.”

“I prefer ‘fun’,” Puck told her, his expression becoming impish. “Besides, you’re going to be there to protect me, right?” He laughed at her expression and slung an arm over her shoulders. “Come on, then! Time to meet people and make friends.”

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"Exploring our options isn't idealistic, Mr. Haete - it's intelligent."

She gestured to the Jedi as she stood, and then moved to grab her electrostaff from where she'd placed it, leaning up in a corner of the room. Her movements were calm, and it was only the sharpness of her words that indicated her irritation with the conversation.

"We have allies at our disposal who have experience dealing with such matters, and you have no idea what sort of intelligence they may be able to acquire from our enemy, nor whether they have any method of effective imprisonment for a Force user. I don't count my Blackbacks before they're hatched, Mr. Haete. I suggest you consider adopting a more long-sighted approach - impulsive decisions rarely win Rebellions, unless you have some hidden Force talent you haven't mentioned to us yet."

With that, she stepped up next to him, opening the door and turning back towards the Jedi.

"If anyone else is planning to accompany us, he's right. We should go now."

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Puck rather hated jungles. The trees were pretty, yes, but full of...things. Often stingy or fanged things. He'd traded the arm around the shoulder for a steadying handhold after the first fifteen minutes of climbing through the tangles of vines and roots.

"So," he said conversationally as he wiped a trail of sweat out of his eyes, "truth: jungle or cell, which is worse?"

Hana snorted, "I'd rather be hot and free, thanks."

He grinned unrepentantly down at her as he offered a hand up on to a ridiculously large bend of tree root, "Now, do I really have to say it?"

She caught herself before she rolled her eyes again and pulled herself up onto the root next to him. "You...you are absolutely incorrigible."

He bowed theatrically and jumped down, gallantly holding a hand out for her. "Guilty as charged. Do you suppose this rebellion might have any bug spray?"

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--- On Board the Jedi Starship ---

Originally Posted By: Dari Telana
"If anyone else is planning to accompany us, he's right. We should go now."

Akira has already tested the noble woman's mettle and observed her fury, The discussion is a fair one and she must handle it if she wishes to lead in this Alliance. Now need to listen to it again with more important issues looming.

Sparing a look to her fellow Padawan and the Jedi Masters, who are also curiously silent in this matter, she silently excuses herself as Dari and Layel begin their debate. With a gesture to indicate that she will be right back, she goes back to her stateroom to retrieve her utility belt and gear, better to be prepared rather than not.

Akira returns a few moments later, in time to see that Dari and Layel appear to be ready to confront or chase down Ranner, Justice comes for you, Sith.

"I am am ready."

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"Yes children, deal with your little assassin," Icei Avi waved the group away. "The rest of us have more important issues to tend to," Her obvious callousness towards the attempted assassination of Dari's father didn't go unnoticed by the young noble. "Like seeing this Alliance not crumble in the hands of ideological old men who've never seen a moment of combat."

"Icei, that's enough." Master Loma said sharply, scolding the powerful Jedi Guardian with an incredibly unapproving glare.

Being confrontational with Icei was pointless, and the group made a quick pace to the hangar to meet with Ranner before he escaped to some unknown start system. Dozens of starships were moored here, except one in particular Layel noticed, and through the hustle and bustle of the traffic the party made its way over to section 22-Y where Ranner's space transport was docked, an old TL-1800 freighter.

For a man who had his gut torn open by a blaster bolt not ninety minutes ago, Ranner seemed to be doing quite fine. He slammed the duraplast crate of consumables closed and motioned for a droid to come collect it and load it onto the ship. As he noticed the lovely young noble and her entourage approach he rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Ah, damnit." He complained. "Look, Lady Telana, I appreciate the offer, I do, and the skirmish was a blast, really. But I'm gettin' the hell out of here, good luck with your Alliance, and I mean that."

Hana and Puck...

Locating Massassi Temple had been relatively easy. Through the thick foliage and blasted trees the two came upon the massive entrance to the hangar. No one seemed to notice as they walked right through shimmering blue particle field and moved amongst the new Alliance and their ships... and needless to say, neither Hana nor Puck were impressed. Scruffy mercenaries, clueless nobles and an several rented space hands seemed like all they had going for them with the majority of the capable soldier having just been lost in the passing skirmish. What was left was getting hell out of Dodge, and in a hurry and what was staying behind was barely even a brute squad...

...things didn't look good.

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Puck sighed as his eyes roamed over the nearly panicked chaos. "Pity," he murmured just loud enough to Hana to hear if she strained. "I'd rather hoped for something a little more...well, a little more all around. This one will be over before it even really starts, methinks."

The two of them accidentally blended in, with their singed clothing and collection of minor scrapes and bruises; it wasn't a particularly cheering thought for the young man. He glanced at his companion, "Well, do we stay here and look about for a bit or follow the rats out?"

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Hana looked up at him, her expression somewhere between bemused and incredulous. "Well, I thought you would have wanted to leave," she said, shaking her head at him before dodging a carelessly pushed cart. The handler muttered an apology as she darted back to Puck's side, giving the man a smile of forgiveness.

Puck shrugged gracefully. "This will be far more interesting than anywhere else I can think to be at the moment." He paused a beat, grinning like a fox when Hana gave him a look that said she was waiting for the punchline. "Well, anywhere that doesn't have more booze, anyway."

Hana was nodding by the time he finished talking. "Right," she said, considering advising him to keep his head down. But that seemed like advising a Gamorrean to read more books, so she said nothing.

Hana stopped when she saw a flash of brown to their left. Grabbing Puck's shoulder, she used it as leverage to hop on top of crate so she could see. Yes, there was someone wearing Jedi robes! Smiling, she hopped off the crate and hurried after the flashes of brown ahead of her.

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Originally Posted By: Dave ST
"Ah, damnit." Ranner complained. "Look, Lady Telana, I appreciate the offer, I do, and the skirmish was a blast, really. But I'm gettin' the hell out of here, good luck with your Alliance, and I mean that."


Akira veers off obliquely as they approached Ranner, completely ignoring the man. She continues around him until she is positioned between the man and his ship, then turns to face his back side while he addresses Dari.

She waits patiently for the noble woman to speak, prepared to cut off the man's escape should he try to break for his starship.
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Dari nodded slightly, her face schooled into an expression that portrayed both dedication to a cause, and frustration that it was falling apart around her. It was the look of a woman hanging on by her fingernails but doing her best to hide it.

"Of course.. Ranner, isn't it? I understand your hesitation, and appreciate your well wishes. Before people start to leave, we're trying to ask around, see what people saw before the battle. Maybe you saw something that might help us, even if you don't realize it. You look like you're ready to leave soon, so perhaps we could start with you."

Her resolve cracked briefly, and he could see a glimmer of the stress that she was under at the moment.

"I'm just trying to figure out who made the attempt on my father."

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R2-FX, not able to speak or actually 'feel' anything about this situation stayed in the back of the pack. He made sure to keep a record of everything that happened; no telling what this would turn into.

On that note, besides tracking the motion and words of everyone in the area, he was also readying an array of offensive and defensive measures. He had a nervous trigger circuit.

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Puck spotted what Hana saw. His eyes rolled up toward the heavens and sighed. "I'm going to die in the next fifteen minutes," he foresaw with a sigh, smiling bemusedly. "Should be fun," he added as he slipped his hands in his pockets and followed her at a more sedate pace.

Hana slowed her head-long rush as she caught sight of the group. Something about their intent focus made her stop before reaching them. Holding back her impatience, she waited for the Jedi to finish their business with this man.

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"We've been cleared to leave, I travel light and only needed a refueling and simple maintenance." Ranner said calmly, to Dari's observation to his expeditious retreat from the temple. Unfortunately the Jedi's actions were less than subtle and when Akira positioned herself on an intercept course for blocking Ranner from leaving, his eyes narrowed and his expression grew cold. Ranner was an experienced mercenary, but even a five year-old on the play ground knew when the bully's friends were circling around to prevent him from running to the teachers. He was one man, and suddenly didn't appreciate the odds.

Dari's once polite inquiry was now suddenly seen as the interrogation it was meant to be. "You were there, you saw who made the attempt. The damn Sith did it, now is there a reason your glow stick swinging hound is in my droid's way or is there another stupid question you feel the need to ask me?"

Click to reveal..
Ranner's attitude went from 'Indifferent' to 'Unfriendly'
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Hana felt a firm hand on her shoulder as Puck pulled her back and put himself between her and the mounting tension in front of them; he'd just rescued the girl, it simply wouldn't do to have her get herself killed so soon afterwards.

"Easy there," he murmured to her as one hand went from his pockets to rest lightly on the weapon clipped to his belt. "Let's not be the one to shake the hornet's nest, hmn?" He motioned towards her own weapon, still speaking in a soft whisper meant just for her, "Be ready, though. I doubt this will go anywhere peaceful."

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Hana stifled a giggle at the man's 'glow-stick swinging hound', putting a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. Then Puck was pulling her back and warning her. Hana merely nodded in agreement, but her intent was very different than Puck's. He wanted to guard her; she wanted to save lives.

Besides, it'd be a shame to let such a wit die.

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A brief flicker of irritation crossed the noblewoman's face as the Jedi's actions roused Ranner's suspicions. So much for getting him out of here without incident. Her expression quickly shifted to seriousness, leaving no trace of the anxious daughter behind. Whether it had been an act or not was hard to determine, but her gaze and her voice was both level and commanding now.

"A few, as a matter of fact. Consider your clearance to leave revoked until informed otherwise, Captain. If you'll come with us, please."

The words might have been phrased in the form of a polite question, but the tone made it clear she didn't mean it as one.

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A Sith hidden in the midst of the Rebel Alliance. The few who know of him play a difficult game to lure him out of the crowds and to a place where they can deal with him. And their target was suspicious and possibly liable to start an open battle. The Force demanded heroism and a great ending like a death-stick buzzing holovid watcher.

So it chose to give a mite of help and push by aiding a young man who didn't really believe or know things about it.

Layel was unaware of this, as he slipped up to Ranner and tried to cautiously mollify him. "Relax, I think it's just some stupid little pen-pushing thing that Telana HAS to put in. Pen-pushers. So you'll be out soon enough, ignore little Prissy's seriousness. Frankly, seeing as you expected us to be dead after the first round of fighting, this is a welcome change. Well, enough that... good luck to you too." Of course, the words weren't his major focus, seeing as he was trying to find a certain something of Ranner's.

And the Force chose this moment to focus his eyes a little. Ah, damn. There it is. The lightsaber, although rather well hidden, was definitely on Ranner's person. More reason to hustle him out of here. Second step after that would be to snatch it off him, even if he noticed.

Click to reveal..

Note: A force point is going into the rolls-

Bluff/Diplomacy roll: (Not likely to succeed, but someone has to keep him calm, and it's not much truth in Layel's words, so Dave can decide what this roll counts as)

1d20=6

6+0+4 = 10.

Force Point Bonus for Bluff: 1d6=4

Spot Check (going for the lightsaber):

1d20=16

16+6+3= 25. PASSED, O JOYOUS DAY!

,,

(My Spot check would normally be +8, but that includes the equipment, which doesn't make sense in this situation wink )

Force Point Bonus for Spot: 1d6=3

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[Layel, Spot, Success!] Certainly there was a slight cylindrical bulge under Ranner's flight jacket. Layel's keen eyes had come through for him once again. As Layel moved about the 'crowd' he needed a better vantage point of his target so he could soon enough remove it. Then he notcied it and at first it did look a lot like a lightsaber hilt at first until Layel realized it was the pilot's hydrospanner.

Click to reveal..
Layel can confirm, with his successful Spot check, that Ranner isn't carrying a lightsaber.

[Layel, Diplomacy, Failure] "Great, then you go answer her questions." Ranner shot back, getting more and more irritated.

[Dari] "Look, kid, I'm sorry 'bout your pops, really." He was sincere enough, but the sincerity lost a little something beneath his attitude. "I ain't going anywhere with you, you are not the law and frankly you can't stop me from leaving, but I see where you're getting at 'Princess' and I didn't do it. I'm a mercenary, not an assassin. My work is done where the opposition can see me, kid. Now if you wanna accuse me of something, do it. If you wanna interrogate me, do it. Yer just wasting my time and yours."

He ended his rant with crossing his arms tightly across his chest in a defiant testament that he wasn't budging.

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She placed her hands on her hips for a moment, a look of irritation passing across her features briefly before she drew in a deep breath to mellow her temper. Getting pissed off at the mercenary's rudeness wasn't worth pissing him off and possibly risking the safety of people in the hangar bay. She forced the exhaustion back into her voice as she tried to will the nervous pace of her heartbeat to a slightly slower rhythm.

"Look, Ranner - I'm sorry. I've had a long day.. we all have. And I'm obviously more emotionally invested in this than you are. But I have some video footage that concerns you.. I'd like to ask you some questions about it, and it's probably something you'll want to see anyway. It shouldn't take very long. Please.. can you spare a few minutes? We beat the first round of scumbags, I don't think they've got another battalion waiting to jump us already."

There.. just enough of the truth to catch his attention, without being too specific. Hopefully that'll do it.

Click to reveal..
Diplomacy Roll: 1d20 = [3] + 2 + 5 = 10

Not the greatest. Why do I have a feeling things are about to get interesting? laugh

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2809570/

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Akira remains silent watching and waiting for Ranner to do something that confirms their suspicions. As Dari and Layel are attempting to be coercive while still being polite, she uses the opportunity to actually see if she can sense Ranner's ability to use the Force.

She believes that if he is truly the Sith Assassin, then talk will be pointless and this discussion will be resolved with weapons only. Yet she is patient to let the noblewoman try as she must, wishing her all the success the Force will allow her.

Akira suggests to the man, but her thoughts just cannot muster the flowery speech needed to be persuasive, "You should cooperate, mercenary." Unfortunately, in her dispassionate tone, the words come out too clipped to be even the slightest micron towards being persuasive.

Click to reveal..
See Force (1d20+5=15), well not great.

Diplomacy: Aid Another (1d20+1=2), sorry no help at all.

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[Akira, See Force] As her minds calms and welcomes the embrace of tranquility, Akira awakens her senses to the living Force all around her. She isn't quite sure whether she is pleased or disappointed as she gazes upon the mercenary, as he possess no Force sensitivity at all.

Click to reveal..
Ranner is not Force Sensitive and possess no levels in any Force using class.

[Akira, Diplomacy, Nat 1] "Or what? Huh?" Ranner looked to the lovely Padawan with a near challenge in his eyes. The more they talked, the less pleased her became. "You gonna make me? Only four of you? Hardly seems fair."

He smacked his fist in his glove to prep himself for a brawl, but Dari managed to calm him just enough to recapture his attention before things got too serious. "Footage?" He grumbled. "What's it gotta do with me? Let's see it then."

He crossed his arms and waited, looking at the R2 unit the party had with them.

Click to reveal..
Technically Dari failed her Diplomacy check, but she entered in information in her dialogue that Ranner would genuinely be interested in. While he can justify a scrap in a hangar, holo footage of him possibly doing something incriminating could tarnish his reputation, and for a merc, their rep is all they have.

His disposition hasn't changed, but you've managed to avoid serious conflict for the time being (no one was having very good luck with their Diplomacy checks it seemed).

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R2-FX turned his dome back and forth, looking at the different members of 'his group'. It was an uncommon situation for him to be the center of attention, and for it to happen without the time to bring up the appropriate sub-routines left him looking for someone else to take that position.

He tweedled in binary, since it had been demonstrated that at least one of the biologicals could understand it. Maybe this would be best viewed in private. It's content can have adverse effects on unprepared biologicals.

It was then that a course of action became apparent to FX. Of all the different reactions that Ranner could have taken, the ones that he chose gave FX reason to double check that they were after the right person. So, he recalled the footage to his internal memory, and compared that against the person who was standing in front of him now. He compared height, build, movement and did his best to do as comprehensive an analysis of the facial features as was possible with the data on hand.

Click to reveal..
I'm assuming that would require a computer use check. Holographic facial recognition should be better and more comprehensive than the software we have currently, plus he's trying to do the same with the entirety of the body (as detailed as possible, down to iris and fingerprint if he can (though I'm fairly certain that it won't be that detailed))

(R2-FX): Computer Use roll +16

(14:50:04) ChatBot: (R2-FX) rolls 1d20 and gets 16.

(14:50:13) (R2-FX): +16 = 32

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Akira, genuinely puzzled to find that Ranner is not a Force-User is beginning to believe that the mercenary is not the one that was seen in the footage, I suppose it is quite possible that the Sith used the likeness to confuse everyone. It makes some sense using the mercenary's face to move about in the crowd.

As the droid is doing his own thing, she asks simply, "Ranner, how are your wounds?"

Click to reveal.. (OOC)
Is Ranner wearing the same clothes as in the footage we saw? What about compared to his earlier attire?
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