IC: SW Saga: Empire-In-Exile, Chp. II - Hope's Gambit

[Felhammer]

--- The Moving Version Of The Crawl (http://www.starwars.com/play/online-activities/crawl-creator/index.jsp?cs=kqdeb743nwx) ---

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/Starwars1.png


This is the first time in nearly a year that five of you have been assigned to a mission together. There is a certain joyousness in the air that many of you felt had been lacking in your lives since the Endor Mission. You currently find yourselves aboard the Red Dawn, a Curich-class shuttle that was heavily modified by the Sith prior to its liberation. The accommodations are spartan but acceptable.

You have been assigned to go to the Wheel, a Space Station renown for its casino and its neutrality. You have been ordered to make contact with Moff Callron's agents. Callron has stated that his agents will bet low at high roller sabaac tables as well as order Corellian Brandy with a touch of mint. You have been instructed to negotiate the initial terms of the alliance. The Emperor has asked that the Empire-in-Exile be allowed to refuel and resupply at the recently reconstructed facilities of Ord Sedra. If this cannot be attained immediately, then he would like a concrete list of all Moffs currently serving in the Sith Empire.

You are currently in hyperspace and are fifteen minutes away from the Wheel.

Accommodations have been purchased for you, as well as fake ID's. No weapons are allowed onto or inside the Wheel. To be caught with a weapon, means you will be forcibly shoved off the station, without without a ship. Having said that, an Imperial Agent has snuck a small crate past security, this crate contains three blaster rifles, three blaster pistols and a dismantled lightsaber. Your normal equipment can be safely housed aboard the Red Dawn.

Fake ID's:

Graff is Krafn Lapidus, an over worked shuttle pilot from Corellia who just wants to be left alone.

Lilly is Tuljei Burke, a happening gal from Zeltros who just completed her medical doctorate! She is looking to win it big and meet her future husband!

Ice is Oek, a former spice runner whose down on his luck and looking for something to believe in.

Jarik is Yidsa Jarrah, a grizzled mercenary who's seen a lot of action in recent years. He's here looking for a job.

Staen is Kajc Shephard, is the lone survivor of a shuttle that crashed on a nameless forest moon out in the Outer Rim. He lived out in the wild for months before being rescued by a mining consortium's scouting patrol. He is here to relax.

Kel is Donsdem Vaidd Hume, a former militiaman on Taris, he has a menial job that involves clicking buttons all day. He's here to have fun and live a little.

The Red Dawn has been given the code name Galactic 815.

MAP! (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqwAHuAvhXiqdFZnd1laVldvTE41cFZ1LVc4V05Be kE#gid=0)

[Major]

Inside his room, Kelaeon was running through various work outs as he waited for the ship to arrive at their destination. As sweat dripped from his face with each push up his mind raced through various missions and failures. Between the injury that had taken him out of commission against Darth Zairon and then nearly being killed by the Ithorian and the human with the damaged face, he was starting to wonder what was going on with him.

The knight allowed his body to do its exercises through muscle memory as he focused on replaying each fight in his head trying to figure out how he could do better. The Jedi were undisciplined, wild, and lacked proper combat skills, yet both times he had fallen it had been a Jedi that had succeeded. The thought that these monks could do better than a representative of the Emperor hurt and with each failure came more doubt.

Perhaps the reason why the Emperor was sending him mostly on mission drops and this diplomacy run was a lack of faith in him. Had his failures caused the Emperor to just view him as a messenger? With this thought in mind he pushed himself harder, ignoring the pain in his arms as he continued the push-ups. It wasn't his combat skills since he was unable to use a weapon. And without his armor and being undercover he wasn't a representative of the Emperor. He stopped the push-ups and looked up at his armor on the bed. He was on a mission without his armor, his gauntlet, his lightsaber, or anything that made him an Imperial Knight. I'm just a grunt... He thought softly before getting up and wiping the sweat with an undershirt. But I won't be for long...I'll get my liege's faith back. He swore to himself before grabbing a clean shirt and throwing it on and heading out his room.

Regardless of his doubts about the faith in him, he still needed to get to know the rest of the team. Most of them already knew each other since they had worked together before, and Kel had heard of the amazing feat they'd pulled off before he was a part of the them.

As he exited the hallway he glanced around wondering who he should talk with first.

[Lucretia]

Lillian's hair had grown long in the interim year, since that kriffing supernova of accidents had created a spiral of events that'd ended with... success, maybe? She shook her head and stretched, looking around the room. Her stealth suit was hanging in the wardrobe underneath a very poofy dress, hidden. A backless ensemble was laid out on the bed, a black number that was designed to fit the persona she'd been assigned. Dr. Tuljei Burke. Someone bubbly. It went against the default setting she had inside, but Lillian didn't mind. Letting her hair down -- literally and figuratively -- would prove interesting, while allowing her to further the True Emperor's goals.

And naturally, her cover would give her ample opportunities to hit on the sergeant.

About an hour later, right as the fifteen minute mark was reached, Dr. Burke left her room. Heels, make-up, back-length hair, just enough order to the chaos to insinuate someone with borderline OCD but not so much as to be rigid. An attempt by the doctor to restrain her wild side. Tuljei wondered whether or not she ought to bring the Viceroy in the hidden holster, but the risk outweighed the reward. Besides, if fighting broke out Burke wasn't going to be fighting. She'd be running and ducking and generally trying not to die.

Looking around the Red Dawn's hallway, Tuljei saw someone new and waved at him, a smile reaching from ear to ear. "Hi there!" Burke said with a Coruscanti accent, "I'm not entirely sure we've met, and I hate to ask, but do you know when we'll be arriving at the casino? I simply cannot wait to see it -- it's so nice to be out of college, you know?" Giving the man a glance from head to toe, she inhaled sharply and stumbled over her next few words. "O-or perhaps you don't. Not that there's anything wrong w-with that sort of -- ahem. I mean, it's lovely to meet you. I'm Doctor Tuljei Burke."

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)
One of the deckplates lifts up and moves aside seemingly of its own accord. From out of the blackness crawls Ice, a small bird-like creature with mostly gray feathers covering his blue scales, except for a a ring of scarlet about his crown. He is dressed in miniature leather dusters, as if he was a colonist on some backwater pre-industrial world, complete with empty leather holster. In one hand he carries a hydrospanner, and in the other he carries a Photon Fizzler canned drink.

He places the hydrospanner into the weapon holster and pours some of the sugary drink down his gullet.
"Howdy y'all, my name's Oek, rhymes with Poke," he drawls, "Nice to meet ya."

He winks one wide yellow-green eye at Lilly.

"I'm a spice runner now, how'm I doing?" he whispers.

He stumbles slightly, hiccups, then takes another swig.

[Binks]

Staen takes one final look at this disguise for this mission in the reflection of the cockpit windows. A few small scars cross his face and his hair is grown out 3 and a half inches past military standard, though still well trimmed. His outfit is loose and casual, extremely poor for hiding weapons in (just one of the many reasons both of his weapons are currently tucked away in his room) but excellent for relaxation, his persona's stated reason for this visit.

Nodding to Graff as the pilot operates the ship Staen steps out of the cockpit to see if the others are prepared for this mission. Spotting Ice, Lillian and Kelaeon already out and about Staen moves closer to the three of them.

"You're doing fine Oek." he says to the Mrlssi. "Just remember to stay in character on the Wheel, with a station like this you never know who's watching or listening."

Offering a friendly smile to Kelaeon Staen offers his hand for a handshake. "I apologize for not speaking much with you earlier, preparations for this mission have taken a great deal of my time. It's good to know we'll have a Knight with us for this, I have the utmost confidence that your unique skill set will prove invaluable."

"And Dr. Burke, I see you're already ready to go and enjoying your role." Staen says with a chuckle to Lillian.

[Noedig]

Sergeant-Major Jarik Corrino. Damn but that had a nice ring to it. He sent the last of his messages via datapad knocked back another glass of the excellent whiskey he'd won in that officer's bet. That had been a fun little confrontation. Three grand worth of cred, a fine whiskey and he'd beaten the tar out of that kriffing whippid cadet. The official reprimand had been worth it, mainly because all he'd really wanted was the fight and the whiskey. The money he sent to the families of Ghoul Squad, along with his most sincere condolences and vow to make a mountain out of Sith corpses when he had an opportunity.

He heard voices in the hall and stepped out to see who it was, vaguely remembering that he was supposed to be some old merc named Yidsa. Kriffing stupid name, but there was no helping it.

In the hall he saw a familiar slicer and an equally familiar assassin. He barked a laugh and approached behind them, slurring his words just for fun, because it took a lot more than three glasses of whiskey to put Crash back on his heels.

"Keep it down tiny. This old merc is trying to get drunk, don't you know. And hello to you little missy. My but you're looking lovely today. Sith me, what's it been? A year? How the kark are you two?"

[Major]

As Kelaeon saw the woman enter he nodded, trying to push down his emotions. While he normally might have enjoyed seeing such an attractive woman, after Licia's betrayal seeing an attractive woman only brought about suspicion and anger. He didn't know this woman other than what he'd read and treating her poorly due to the actions of an unrelated person would be both wrong and a violation of his code. As such, despite the nagging in the back of his head he merely nodded, "If things are on schedule it's fifteen minutes." He replied keeping his comments short. "A pleasure, doctor." He said though his tone didn't indicate it was a 'pleasure.'

When the bird climbed up, he tensed up, but recognizing the figure from the team he stopped and nodded. The creature had surprised him when it came out the floor. Upon being asked how he was, the man simply replied with a short, "Fine."

Next came Staen and Kelaeon took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "It's fine, sir. Setting up for the mission is more important and I don't blame you." He says with a nod though he refrained from addressing the knight comment. Knight...right... He thought to himself.

When the final man walked in, Kel didn't speak as the man had said nothing to him and as such he had nothing to say.

[Philistine]

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot speaking," comes a bored drawl over the ship's tannoy. "I'm pleased to say we'll be reverting to realspace momentarily, and docking at The Wheel in just under fifteen more minutes - well ahead of schedule thanks to some favorable hyperspace conditions. Please switch off any datapads and comlinks, securely fasten all seatbelts, and return your seatback trays to their upright and locked position. From the entire crew of the Red Dawn, thank you for traveling Fel Spaceways. Please enjoy your stay." Graff switches off the intercom with a satisfied smirk. It was good to be back at the controls of a ship again, even a blind, lumbering bantha like this. In fairness, the modifications Ice had made to the ship during the intervening year helped. Some.

But flying anything was better than what Intelligence had set him to doing after Endor. Surveillance! It had been a complete waste of his talents, as if they'd just had no idea what to do with him. And then of course that Sith Lord from Endor had shown up… Graff had to wonder how the Darth had found him, whether the mission had been a trap all along. Thank the Force Lilly had made her appearance when she did, because trapped in a confined space, alone with a seriously angry, vindictive Sith Lord was no place to be. The subsequent stint in Training Command hadn't been much more exciting than the months-long stakeout, though there had been certain compensations. Like being able to spend time with Rina when she wasn't out on a run, or Lilly prettying up the scenery the rest of the time.

All water under the bridge now that he was back where he belonged, though, and with most of the same team that had gone to Endor. Well, hopefully this mission would go better.

[Noedig]

"Cap is here too? Hell now all we need Rho and we'll be ready to break out of another I-S-D. For old times sake."

Jarik offered Staen a hand and gave the new member a quick once over. Brute of a lad reminded him of Drang, minus the sense of humor.

"What's your name meatwad?"

[Lucretia]

The man of uncertain education made a comment about this meeting being a pleasure, but didn't offer his name. Rude. "Well then, sir, thank you for the information. Please do enjoy your stay on The Wheel." Her tone had turned prickly.

Ice popped out of the floor of the Dawn, and made some mention of being a spice-runner. Tuljei raised an eyebrow at the Mrlssi's comment. "Oh my-- I, um, hadn't expected sordid company. Especially men--" or birds, the doctor added mentally, "-- of... um, 'questionable' repute. But so long as you don't provoke any injuries with your profession of choice, it'll be our little secret." She gave the birdman a half smile.

The Captain made a comment about roles, and Burke nodded thoughtfully. "I'm hoping my rolls turn out alright, being able to pay off medical school not even two months after leaving it would not hurt my feelings. Still, my reasons for being here aren't purely for the sake of gambling. I'd like to conserve my luck for a different activity."

The Sergeant-Major stepped into the hall, affecting the slightly lilting gait and slur of a man on his fourth stiff drink. He made a comment concerning Lillian, but Tuljei would have none of it. "A year? I'd be remiss to lie and say I remember you -- surely you didn't visit the Zagrafey University, Medical Wing? If so, it's terrible that I didn't memorize you. Still, if you're going to The Wheel as well, it'll give us time to catch up for the lapse in time you recall. I can think of a few less enjoyable activities to perform while on board the space station." She laughed and smiled towards Jarik. Burke was after a husband, after all.

Graff's voice over the intercom made the doctor smirk. Speaking to the unnamed man, she added, "and now I'm doubly sorry for disturbing you, sir. Had I had patience, I might have determined the time before docking without interrupting you."

Jarik asked the unnamed man for his name, and Tuljei listened for the answer, interested in what to call this fellow.

One of Lillian's flaws is that she morphs her personality and such to the task at hand, sometimes to the point of excess. I imagine it to be something like Daniel Day Lewis, or other character actors. Thus the things you see now. Sorry! :smallredface:

[Major]

With a sigh Kelaeon replied, "Donsdem Hume, from Taris." He answers, "Here to have 'fun and relax'." He replied when asked his name. He hadn't felt the need to mention it or ask anyone's name due to the file, but since they were supposed to be acting the part he figured they were right in how they were acting.

He turns to look back at the 'Doctor', "And it's no trouble ma'am, I wasn't doing anything except waiting to arrive. Glad to help." He replies, his voice sounding forced. After a moment of silence he adds in his first genuine sounding tone, "I apologize for any appearances of rudeness."

[Felhammer]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/Wheel.png


The Red Dawn slowly drops out of hyperspace, before you is the Wheel. The massive cylinder that lay at the center of the station's mass was impressive. Few space stations of this size were constructed for purely civilian purposes. The central cylinder was connected to the gargantuan ring by four mighty spokes. A veritable maze of airflow car tubes crisscrossed the entire structure like veins and arteries. The Central ring houses the bulk of the population, as well as the galaxy-renown casinos, including the infamous Crimson Casino (where the wealthy played) and the Grand Casino (where the exorbitantly rich won and lost whole fortunes).

You have been briefed about the Wheel's security forces, which are led by Master-Com, a highly intelligent computer that is capable of projecting its consciousness into security droids. Master-Com keeps tabs on every individual within the Wheel, and ensures nothing goes awry. Beyond Master-Com, there is a whole legion of Wheel Security Force personnel, who wear distinctive green and yellow attire. They are the only beings on the station allowed weaponry, which often includes blasters and force/stun pikes. Most of the time, they serve as escorts for those lucky few who win it big in the casinos.

The Emperor has given each of you 20,000 credits to utilize on the mission, mostly so you can actually give monetary credence to your adopted personae.

The Red Dawn, cover name Galactic Flight 815 of Fel Spaceways, arrives at the wheel without incidence. This is a busy time of the year for the Wheel, the ship flies past hundreds of off-station docking buoys, that serve as places where the poor can park. Galactic Flight 815 is not poor, in fact the 10,000 credit fee to dock inside the Wheel was paid for in advance of your arrival. With that steep price tag, one might think the Docking Bay would be clad in gold however, to your disappointment, the bay is rather ho-hum - boltgun metal walls, shiny black floors and 30 armed Wheel Security Force officers standing with blasters at the ready. Their leader, a Commander Blake, walks up to you. Through the transparent helmet, you can see the disdain in his eyes - he obviously does not see any of you as worthy of entering his station.

"Right, right. I need to see a passenger manifest for this... Tub."

[Noedig]

Jarik gave Lilly a wink and a smile before stepping back into his room and reemerged carrying an old rucksack slung over one shoulder and wearing a grungy shirt and a pair of worn fatigues.

"My mistake Doc. I get a few in me and I start to get forgetful. Nice to meet you Don, name's Yidsa. See you on the Wheel maybe. I'll be in the cantina."

[Philistine]

"What, did you lose it? Already?" Graff steps forward, looking tired, as the security commander approaches. "I transmitted all that to Approach Control when we came out of hyper. Please don't tell me you yahoos misfiled it and now I gotta go dig up the hardcopy," he goes on, sounding weary andvery put-upon. "Could you check it again, please? It's Galactic 815, that's Eight-One-Five."

[Felhammer]

The human man throws his nose up in the air, "Yeah, yeah. I've heard it all before. You poor people think you can come here and demand entry to one of the..."

The man's datapad beeps several times.

Blake's face sours, "Ah, well you have been cleared. Weapons are prohibited on the Wheel. We must search each of you for weapons."

Six soldiers walk up with metal detector wands and another 6 walk up with gloves on.

"We shall scan you and pat you down. If you have any weapons, we shall fling you out of this airlock. So please, please have weapons on your person."

[Philistine]

"I know just what you mean - how dare we demand to be allowed to land at the docking bay where we paid to land?" Graff replies blandly, then stifles a yawn. Turning back toward the others for a moment, he calls back to them with a slight edge in his voice, "Line up, folks, so the yokels can check you over," then faces the Commander again and continues as mildly as before. "You might wanna keep in mind, our money spends as good as anybody's. I'm sure your bosses are keeping that in mind. So your name's what? Blake? Great. Lookin' forward to seein' you again, Blake." Graff smiles pleasantly.

[Major]

Kelaeon refrains from glaring at the man. His cover story had him do menial work as a button pusher and it was unlikely such a figure would pick a fight. Especially since the Emperor needed this mission to succeed and ruining it would just cause faith in him to drop even more. As such, despite his strong desire to teach the man some respect, he got in line. While his lightsaber and armor were back on the ship, there was one weapon he always had and that was the Force.

[Lucretia]

Dr. Burke came down the exit ramp in full regalia, with an added fur-lined cloak over the cocktail dress. A small emerald fastener held the cloak in place -- all of this, Tuljei thought, had come directly from Lilly's closet. Sometimes it paid to have exorbitantly wealthy and connected parents.

She stood with her arms crossed, waiting for the men to instruct her on what to do. If the man speaking to the pilot decided to give her any grief, well, she'd file an extremely well worded and absurdly long complaint with those in charge. And then she'd go back on the Dawn, suit up, and stuff a miniaturized radiation grenade down his throat.

Tuljei smiled as she waited. Such thoughts tickled her.

[Binks]

Staen steps down the Dawn's ramp and simply becomes Kajc Shephard. Years of playing roles, deceiving his enemies, and an upbringing in politics makes it easy for the Chiss to step into his role. The fact that his story of survival in the wilderness is one Staen can easily relate to, having been in quite a few jungle deployments in the past, just makes the role that much easier to assume.

Kajc Shephard steps down the ramp of Galactic 815 with a big smile on his face. His casual clothing and expression mark him clearly as a tourist here for a good time. He stops where told and adopts as serious an expression as he can while he is scanned to avoid looking foolish. As soon as the scans clear him, however, he lets out a relieved sigh and smiles again, ready to get some much needed relaxation in.

[Noedig]

Jarik kept his mouth shut, despite having a truly hilarious insult. Let the security chief piss and moan all he wanted, as long as it didn't interfere with mission. He bore the search with a smile and a wink to the guard who was patting him down. He had to have a little fun after all.

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)
Ice saunters down the ramp, Photon Fizzler in hand with a spare in his otherwise empty weapon holster, and takes his spot in line.
"Name's Oek, rhymes with Poke, but that don't mean you can get any funny ideas while you're giving me the rubdown," he says.

[Felhammer]

Completely ignoring Graff, Blake orders his men in.

The guards frisk each of you in turn. Blake personally pats Graff down three or four times, just to make sure. One of the scrutiny personnel, a dashing Zabrak male, lets his lands linger on Lilly's body. With a wink, he slips her a small card with his comlink frequency under her bracelet.

After seeing all six of you pass the test, Blake contorts his face and spits, "Get out of my docking bay."

The exit of the docking bay leads to seven different airflow car tubes, each leading to different locations.

Tube A: Goes to the far side of the Wheel, which are slums
Tube B: Goes to the central tower where the Gladiatorial Arena is located
Tube C: Goes to the old (Palpatine-era) Imperial Dockyard
Tube D: Goes to the affluent section of the Wheel, where the Crimson and Grand Casinos are located.
Tube E: Goes to the Promenade, where lots of luxury shops are located.
Tube F: Goes to the Outer Docking Buoys.
Tube G: Goes to "Wasted Youth Alley" a section devoted to reckless, rowdy drinking.

Feel free to split up! :smallsmile:

[Lucretia]

Burke winked at the Zabrak and, as she approached the airflow car tube , turned around to wave at him. In an hour or two she'd give him a ring, see if he was off-duty. The Promenade seemed like the place to go, although heading to the casino might be interesting as well...

She took Tube E, holding the door in case anyone else wished to accompany her.

[Major]

As the security guard pattered Kelaeon down he had to resist the urge to beat the man down out of reflex. He rarely allowed hostile targets to touch him and it bothered him. Still, once they were done he glanced around as if confused. "Huh...didn't realize I docked at Blake's Docking Bay...thought it was one I helped pay for..." He mumbled as he walked toward the airflow car tubes.

He quickly scanned the location of each. A part of him wanted to head to the casino, but he didn't want to be seen peaking around and watching things until it was time. A man wandering around would look suspicious and with little experience gambling he didn't want to blow the credits he had been given and then have no excuse to be there. With that in mind only two places looked appealing, the gladiator arena and the promenade which would allow him to wander around and just look without drawing attention. Had it been an actual vacation he'd have settled on the arena, but he had a mission and the promenade fit best.

As he looked down though he saw the female was in Tube E. He let out a sigh, but moved to enter it giving a nod of thanks for holding it as he slipped in.

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)
"I'm heading to the Gladiator Arena, gonna catch me some violent entertainment, woo!" Ice says.

He adds a few chirps as he zigzags his way over to tube B.

[Binks]

Kajc can't contain his relief at making it past the inspection. Stepping past the guards and offering their commander a friendly smile he stops at the turbolift area and spends a bit longer than the others looking at the list of destinations before stepping in Tube E with the doctor and the other gentleman. Giving them both a small smile he comments, "I guess the promenade must be a popular destination." he says with a hint of amusement.

Staen runs through his mental 'how to look like an inexperienced traveler' checklist as he moves.
Always seem a little nervous, most travelers worry about security even if they have no reason to.
Spend too much time thinking about where to go, better to appear unprepared than to look like you have a plan.
People with lots of nervous energy tend to joke about stupid things, make sure to throw one in. The less interesting your jokes, the less interesting you seem, and the less attention that will be paid to you.

I fully intend to split up after hitting the promenade, but it's the most reasonable first destination for my cover. Never a good idea to hit the casinos straight off a shuttle, especially when you have a bit of a shuttle phobia from a horrible accident years ago.

[Noedig]

Jarik made a beeline for tube G. If he was here looking for a job, the cantinas were a good place to start. He tossed a wave to the others and stepped into the tube, and was zipped off to Wasted Youth Alley.

[Felhammer]

Promenade: http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/4/48064/919001-airflow_car_large.jpg

The car is furnished with neon orange leather seats and a transparent canopy. The car blasts off with great speed. The tunnel leads out into space, the warm orange-yellow glow of Besh Gorgon caresses your skin. The ride along the exterior of the Wheel continues for several minutes before dipping back inside at your destination. As you step out of the car, the pleasant smell of a thousand perfumes wafts towards you. This is the Promenade, the best shopping district on the Station. The shops take many forms, from large department stores to smaller niche stores to kiosks to wandering salesmen. The corridors are filled to the brim with people of all shapes, sizes and species. Oddly, an inordinate amount of Defel, all of who's ghost-like fur is draped in bright, rainbow-colored fabrics.

A store is Sdralid is seeing a lot of traffic, especially from the Defel. The shop specializes in candles and wind chimes, of all things. Hordes of people are leaving with smiles on their faces and bronze coins.

Across from Sdralid is a small noodle shop called Ohp that is also seeing a high volume of traffic. People seem to be trading the bronze coins for cups of noodles.

Arena
http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/4/48064/919001-airflow_car_large.jpg

The car is furnished with neon orange leather seats and a transparent canopy. The car blasts off with great speed. The tunnel leads out into space, the warm orange-yellow glow of Besh Gorgon caresses your skin. The car follows a zig-zag pattern across the wheel portion of the station until arriving at one of the four spokes connecting the wheel to the central pillar. As you round the corner, the car ducks deep inside the station. The car speeds up, going faster and faster. Other cars sip by going in the opposite direction, you distinctly make out a fat slob of a Hutt crammed into a car, his girth spanning window to window.

The car slows as it nears the bowels of the central column. As you step outside the car, you are greeted by several smarmy, obsidian-colored Sakiyan creep over to you. One licks his lips and whisper, "You want to bet? Yes? Boosy can make that happen, no?"

The second throws his arms in the air, "No! Koosy can make that happen! Koosy make good deal for little bird man!"

Boosy takes offense, "BOOSY SAW BIRD MAN FIRST! Boosy give good spread! How long do you think Jeedai to last? 1 minute? 2?"

Koosy slaps Boosy and yells, "KOOSY give better spread! 3 minute bets mark!"



Alley

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/4/48064/919001-airflow_car_large.jpg

The car is furnished with neon orange leather seats and a transparent canopy. The car blasts off with great speed. The tunnel leads out into space, the warm orange-yellow glow of Besh Gorgon caresses your skin. The ride to the alleyway is very fast as it is close by where you docked. As you step out of the car, you are confronted by a hulking Wookiee who reaks of alcohol and something else you can't quite place. As your eyes slowly traverse up his immense frame, you spot yellow chunks of what you quickly realize is his puke. He looms over you and growls loudly, calling over two of his Wookiee friends who look just as shabby. The first Wookiee holds out a credit chip reader.

The general populous behind the wookies seem to be giving them - and you - a wide berth, preferring to not get involved.

[Binks]

Kajc steps out of the car with a nod to his travelling companions, having spent the entire trip trying his best to ignore any strange sounds that might be indicative of problems with the vehicle. Stepping into the promenade he takes a deep breath and a look around for long enough that the others from the car have plenty of time to pass him. Noting the large number of people heading to the wind chime shop he moves to join them and see what's going on in the shop.

Step 1. Establish cover and investigate any local happenings that might pertain to the mission. Staen thinks to himself as he moves.

[Noedig]

Jarik pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit up. He put on a thoughtful look and puffed twice before addressing the lead wookiee.

"Damn shame I don't speak your tongue big guy otherwise we might be able to swap drinking stories. I suppose you want me to pay you? Otherwise your friends wipe the floor with me and then pull my arms off, right? "

[Philistine]

Passengers offloaded, Graff ignores Blake's impatience long enough to seal up the Red Dawn again. Once he's satisfied, he throws the security commander a mocking salute and heads for Tube C.

[Major]

As Kelaeon stepped out of the car he was surprised by the amount of Defel hanging around the area. At first his mind raced as he wondered if something was going on. However, nobody seemed to be attacking or paying much attention.

The Knight drew on the force as he scanned the area for anything that seemed abnormal and would explain the numbers while also making sure that nobody was watching him or his teammates any more than normal.


Swift Action: Use the Force to 'Sense Surroundings' so that cover isn't a problem. DC 15, DC 20 to ignore total cover
[roll0]

Perception: [roll1]

[Lucretia]

So clearly drugs were legal here.

Tuljei wandered through the Promenade, careful to keep her distance from the various passers-by. Her credit-chit was firmly in her hand, under her cloak, in order to further deter theft. The Chiss was moving towards that windchime place, where the bronze coins were being passed out. Very likely to be some sort of station-wide currency system in order to muddy the exchange rate and further bilk citizens out of their currency. The noodles were most likely laced with a narcotic, judging by their popularity.

Dr. Burke moved to look for clothing stores, anything that sold either jewelry or fancy clothing. Windchimes simply didn't do it for her, and noodles were... suspect when they drew that much attention. And she could determine what the bronze coins were in other venues, hopefully without attracting as much attention as the windchime store.

[Felhammer]

Staen: The shop is fairly ordinary. Racks with chimes and chimes hanging down from the ceiling. Most people seem to ignore the chimes and go straight for the counter. The shop-keep is an attractive Zeltron male with the iconic trapezoidal smile. He greets everyone with a smile, asks them to swipe their credit chip and after the transaction is approved, hands them a bronze coin from underneath the counter.

Lilly: You wander around a bit, taking in the sights. A medium sized shop selling tiny, silken skirts catches your eye. Many Zeltron females and Twi'Leks are inside. Many of them seem to know one another, asking each other if this skirt or that shirt would look good on them. Every few minutes, a Defel would skulk into the shop and head right to the counter, where they would quickly swipe their cred chip. The Shop-Keep, a plucky Saurian, would hand them a thin bolt of pink cloth. The Defel would then power walk out of the store.



Kel: You sense a lot of duplicity in the area, as would be expected. Around a nearby corner, someone is hawking "gently used gold bracelets". Nothing too out of the ordinary for that except lots of people seem to be buying the "bracelets."

You also spy a Givin watching Staen from across the street.

AlleyThe first wookiee nods his head menacingly. He then holds three matted fingers up as his other hand taps a button his vox box that says, "thousand."

Promenade: http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/4/48064/919001-airflow_car_large.jpg

The car is furnished with neon orange leather seats and a transparent canopy. The car blasts off with great speed. The tunnel leads out into space, the warm orange-yellow glow of Besh Gorgon caresses your skin. The ride along the exterior of the Wheel continues for several minutes before you turn a corner and travel along one of the massive spokes. As you do the sun is bisected by the monumental column. The car shoots straight up the central tower quickly racing around the outer wall. As you near the peak, the tube ducks inside.

You are let out in a very large hall, obviously designed to accommodate hundreds, if not thousands, of people at once. The hall is dark and cold, as if the heat had been set to the lowest possible for a human to survive. You hear something hit the ground in the far distance...

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)
"Who makes a bet without knowing the odds? What's the Jedi up against and how tough is he? What's his name, have I heard of him? Can't be that tough if he got caught and thrown into an arena. Does he get to use a lightsaber? Can I see?" Ice asks rapid-fire like as he walks, legs blurring, pushing forward towards the arena.

[Felhammer]

Ice: The Sakiyan close ranks and prevent you from walking any further.

Boosy says, "Yes, yes, you want information? Boosy provide that, for 10 credits!"

Koosy yells, "Koosy sell it for 5!"

Boosy just blurts out, "She is a teen human! captured by the Sith when they destroyed Osis!"

"Koosy agree. Yes, yes. Lami Katarn was captured! Now she is gladiator! She is on a winning streak, 70 matches in a row! No one can beat her!"

Boosy yells, "Boosy think you could take her, no? 100,000 credit reward for her head, yes? You want to fight?"

"Koosy can make that happen!"

[Binks]

Staen looks about at several of the wind chimes, somewhat impressed by their quality but mostly using the time as a distraction to survey the building without attracting too much suspicion. After a suitable length of time he stops someone heading for the counter to ask them what's going on.

Kajc has a slightly embarrassed smile on his face as he interrupts someone on their way to the counter. "Uhh. Scuse me, but what's with the coins? I'm new, just got in." he says, acting every bit the confused tourist trying to cover up for not knowing anything.

Not sure if you'd prefer Gather Information, Deception or Persuasion, or maybe some combination thereof. I'll roll all 3 and let you decide how to use them, or if I need them at all.

Deception: [roll0]
Gather Information: [roll1]
Persuasion: [roll2]

[Felhammer]

Staen: Staen stops an unassuming Zabrak male. He looks blown away by what he feels is an idiotic question, "The coins are for the soup, duh. Sheesh, where were you born? Tatooine? Don't be such a fool! Buy a coin, get some soup, eat the soup. Heh, bathroom is down the street and 'round the corner." He then runs over to the counter and buys a coin.

[Major]

Kelaeon watched the Givin for a moment wondering why the man was watching Staen. He reaches out with the force to try and see if he can sense anything from the man. He glances over at Staen for a moment before looking back to the Givin.


Use the Force to try and sense any negative emotions or hostile intent Not sure if they'd count as 'Search your feelings' or not: [roll0]

[Noedig]

Jarik's eyes narrowed and he scratched at his beard.

"A thousand. Really. To do what? Buy more of that cheap swill you've been chugging? No can't be that, not when you're drinking bantha piss. I bet this is protection money you're collecting. Well you picked a bad mark cause I ain't got a thousand."

[Felhammer]

Kel: As you use the force to sense anything from the Givin, he looks directly over at you. Though his species is incapable of smiling, you get the distinct feeling he is quite happy.

Jarik: The Wookiee sighs. He then shoves his paw close to your face, with three fingers showing, he then hits the vox again, "Thousand."

[Felhammer]

Presto bango - make my post re-appear!

[Major]

Kelaeon keeps eye contact even when the Givin looks right at him. For a moment, Kelaeon started to wonder if this man had sensed him trying to get a read. The timing for his turn to look was too strange.

Deciding that no harm could come of approaching the man since he'd already been seen looking at him, Kelaeon walks over. "Hello there." He says as he moves next to the man, "See anything exciting?" He ask in a soft tone.

[Felhammer]

Kel The Givin states, "Tall, muscular build, well groomed hair, handsome by human standards. Hmm, air of authority. Moderate aptitude with the Force. Obviously prefers the Lightsaber. Lack of robes, tattoos or armor means covert mission. Hmm, does not make demands, not aggressive enough to be Sith yet too militant to be a Jedi. Specimen must be an Imperial Knight. Yes, all coming together now." The Givin ponders for a moment, "But why come to the Wheel? Lack of armor means covert mission. Lack of saber means he is without protection, yet his calm demeanor means someone must have smuggled one on board for him. Hmm, smugglers too unreliable, Hutts untrustworthy, Wheel personnel paid too well. Pirates, only option. Not a well known pirate, so not Skala but not unknown either. Hm, yes must be Turza, always willing to help the Emperor. Where would she stash the saber? Hm, entering from Tube E means Docking Bay 62. Weapons must be close. No, came here on covert mission. Probably stashed far away yet still easily attained. Old Imperial Docks. Yes. Few go there, always dark, perfect hiding place. Specimen is curious? No doubt new to the Force. No, just ill-trained. Always thinks with his brawn, like all Imperial Knights. Did not realize I too use the Force. Shock and awe. Yes, Specimen is very brawn-centric."

[Major]

As the man makes his comment Kelaeon frowns before looking confused and then surprised. This alien had figured out he was an Imperial Knight just by looking at him, that was a threat to the mission. Had he floundered somewhere. Confusion crossed his face though he felt a bit better about the part about stashing a weapon since he hadn't planned that as far as he knew. Had he missed a part of the briefing? He quickly shook his head, here he was letting this person who barely knew him try and make him question if he was forgetting something. It was silly and he frowned as he focused on the creature.

When the Givin finished, Kelaeon reached for his belt and clenched his fist remembering he had no weapon, "Well Mr. Force User, why don't we talk about this somewhere more private." He says through clenched teeth, "Since if you were right it'd be 'covert'." A part of him wanted to straggle the Givin here and now, but drawing attention was the last thing the group needed.

[Felhammer]

Kel The givin leans his head to the left, "Anger? Jealousy? Rage? Confusion mixed with anger. Understandable. No one heard us, I am actively turning people's attention else where. Your secret is safe. No need to go any where. Let me ask, why have you come to the Wheel? Hmm, he will not answer. Covert mission. Ask to help? No, he will refuse. Want to help but help not desired. Understandable. Not an insider, I am unknown. Hmm."

The Givin turns his attention to you, "I am Kal Isen. I was trained by Jedi long ago before the Clone Wars but was sealed in Carbonite until 13 years ago. When I awoke, the Jedi were different, I did not approve of the changes. I am now a wanderer. Aiding people where ever I go."

The Givin flashes a thumbs up, "I am one of the good guys." Kal ponders for a moment, "Hand gesture may have over sold proposition."

[Major]

"Yeah, and you don't want to aid me in working on my fushioncutter skills?" Kelaeon ask glancing around, "Regardless of if you think you can divert everyone's attention this is still a very public place that isn't good for talking about details. What help do you think you can provide and why should I trust a Jedi"

[Felhammer]

Kel "Still untrusting. Desires discrete location. Best to hide in a crowd but not in street, more intimate. Casino? Hotel? Ship? Cantina. Not too busy but not empty. Red Dragon? Golden Swoop? Iron Gauntlet. Meet me in the Iron Gauntlet Cantina in 2 hours. Hmm, needs more reasons. I do not like the Sith. You do not like the Sith. You are in need. I know of secret tunnels and access points. I am adept at finding people. I can help you."

[Major]

Kelaeon nodded and started to turn, "If it is convenient and I have nothing better to do I will see you there." He stopped for a moment, "Oh, and where are these Old Imperial Docks? I'm almost curious to check them out in the meantime."


Were we given a time to meet Moff Callron's agents. Or just keep an eye out for them?

Also was smuggling our weapons ever mentioned or was it just something the Givin guessed/suspected?

Finally would I recognize the name Turza?

[Felhammer]

Kel

"Agreement. Good. Meet you there." The Givin then wanders off into the crowd and off into an alley a few blocks down.

Just to look out for them, he did not want to risk setting up a specific time.

Yes a crate of weapons was mentioned in the first post. :)

You, and you alone (unless someone rolls an amazing knowledge check) know of her. Last year you carried a message to one of the ships in her pirate fleet - the Redsail. The captain of the ship was paid a sizable sum of money to smuggle an Imperial Missionary into Nal Hutta.

[Major]

Wow...I somehow totally derped really hard and missed that. And I have no idea how O.o I mean a crate specifically detailed with contents and how it got smuggled...yeah I herpa derped

After the man left, Kelaeon clenched his fist annoyed. Here was another situation of a Jedi showing up and trying to do his job while figuring out everything and doing too good a job. He couldn't understand how a group of peace lovely monks could do the things they did. Imperial Knights were true Force users, trained in the best of combat and with the best of gear. They learn discipline and fought for the personification of the Force in the Emperor, as opposed to be random undisciplined weak idiots.

At the same time, this Jedi knew too much and if he had all those secret tunnels like he claimed the man was probably armed despite the laws on the Wheel. For a moment, Kelaeon considered tipping off Security, but with the Jedi's advantage of knowledge he didn't want the man to tip them off in vengeance. With little options left, Kelaeon knew he would have to at least indulge the man for now until he figured out a way to deal with this Jedi or neutralize him as a threat. With his prediction that the Jedi was armed, Kelaeon knew his best bet was to arm himself, or at the very least grab the pieces he would need to arm himself when the time came. And so the Imperial Knight headed toward the Old Imperial Docks as he tried to figure out what to do.

He glanced down at his comlink debating if he should contact the rest of the group, however he decided to wait. With the security on the Wheel he didn't want anyone picking it up. He'd have to find a more subtle way.

As he walked through the promenade he looked around for the others that had come this way. If he sees them he sends a quick message in the Force:

Use the Force: Telepath aspect to send 'Trouble'
[roll0] Not sure if I'd be able to see anyone on my way to the Old Imperial Docks since they went inside shops.

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)
"Look at me, I'm not even three feet tall, think I got a death wish, fighting a Jedi?" Ice laughs.

"Nope, think I just want a good seat to watch the action, got any of those?" he asks.

[Binks]

"Of course, silly me!" Kajc says with a smile as the Zabrak heads off to buy a coin.

Strange... Staen thinks as he looks around wondering if the circumstances seem to point to this being worth investigating further or he should move on.

Can I try a check of some kind to see if the impression Staen's getting is that this is a mystery worth solving, or something worth leaving be? Maybe a knowledge or gather information or pure intelligence?

Roll: [roll0]
I have a +5 int, +9 to knowledge, +14 if that knowledge is bureaucracy or galactic lore, +19 if that knowledge is tactics, and a +12 gather information.

[Philistine]

Graff flinches at the blast of cold air, then closes up the seals on his flight suit with a thin smile. If it's this cold, then nobody must come up here. Fine by me. While working with a team certainly had its advantages, he'd had years to get used to the idea of working alone. The chance to slip off alone - really alone, from the looks of this area! - was welcome. That made the sudden noise in the distance even more startling. Setting his jaw determinedly, he sets off to investigate.

Stealth: [roll0]
Let's see if Graff can sneak up on the noisy whatever. I think his Stealth modifier is +12; please adjust accordingly if I'm misremembering.

[Felhammer]

Kel: Your message does go out BUT I want to let the other characters stories progress a little before you send the message. We got into a flurry of posts last night. :smallsmile:

Ice: "Boosy thinks you are wily, like Boosy! We give you Mandalorian Armor? No puny Force power can bust it, guaranteed!"

"Koosy agrees! You would do great things!"

"Boosy write you in for later today, yes?"

"Koosy agree, later today is better. That way Jeedai is warn out!"

"Boosy thinks the spread should be 3 to 1 against Birdy!"

"3 to 1? More like 4 to 1!"

"Unless we give him a rocket launcher...!"

"Koosy couldn't agree more!"

"Boosy is penciling you in for 3 hours from now. Best of luck Birdy."

Graff: You duck behind some old, dusty crates and keep an eye out for danger. You begin to hear loud thuds, like someone is walking in heavy armor... The sound gets closer and closer. The dim light provided by the Airflow tube barely shines far enough to see the distinct outline of...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/Mando.png

[Felhammer]

Staen: You get the feeling this is interesting and could lead to something important but it isn't, at least on the face of it, related directly to your mission.

[Noedig]

Jarik sighed and pulled out the bottle he'd won in a bet last year. He held it so that the wookiees could read the lable. As he did so, he looked about to see if anyone was watching.

"Can I pass if I share? Believe me it's really good and worth way more than three thousand."

Perception check and persuasion check if that is the correct one to make. Ill go ahead and roll deception as well if that is more appropriate. Id rather not murderer the wookiees but they are trying to extort money from me under the threat of violence. No es bueno.

Perception: [roll0]
Persuasion: [roll1]
Deception: [roll2]

[Philistine]

Graff pulls back behind the crates again, holding his breath and edging away from the corner where he expects the armored figure to appear.

Stealth: [roll0]

Obviously I recognize KotOR-era Mandalorian armor (Crusader? Neo-Crusader? Whatever), but the question is, does Graff? I suppose that'd be an untrained Galactic Lore check?
GL: [roll1]

[Felhammer]

Jarik: All three Wookiees' eyes grow wide, as if they are having a religious experience. They howl with joy! The lead Wookiee gives you a big bear hug, then lifts you up onto his shoulders (like dads do with their young children). The Wookiees then begin to sing a song... Apparently. Though you do not understand their tongue, you get the distinct feeling they are singing off key. They take you to a dive of a Cantina called the "Last Stop Before Home." Almost everyone in the bar looks downtrodden and without hope. As the Wookiees walk in, the drunks slowly rouse. A half-drunk Bith stumbles up on stage and kicks his band droid. Suddenly, the bar comes alive with experimental Bith rock music. The wookiees set you down on the cleanest chair in the cantina, they each then retrieve a wookiee-sized shot glass from deep within their matted fur and slam them down on the table in unison.

[Felhammer]

Graff: The Mandalorian hits his com and begins talking in Mando'a. He looks annoyed and ready for a fight, his left hand resting on his custom blaster carbine.

Graff heard rumors of a Mandalorian claiming to be Mandalore the Impervious who has been gathering true Mandos to his cause over the course of the last year. They all wear armor from their glorious Neo-Crusader past.

[Noedig]

Jarik hadn't expected to be released from the wookiee's crushing grip and had been trying to fish out his lighter when he was lifted into the air. When he realized they weren't going to have to try and murderer each other he started to laugh. When they reached the table he reverently uncapped the bottle and gave it a sniff. He poured their shots expertly and lifted his flask in toast.

"Gentlemen, to the language of universal peace; liquor. Drink!"

[Philistine]

Graff carefully weighs his options. It doesn't take long, because there aren't very many - and the ones he does have aren't very good. Trying to fight this guy clearly isn't going to go well; talking to him might very well end up with Graff having to try to fight him. Could try to withdraw, but that risks being heard... So 'hold position, observe and report' it is, and Graff remains in cover behind the crates.

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)
"I'm no good in a fight, look at me, I can't even hold my comlink and my soda at the same time," Ice replies, "The crowd would be so unhappy they'd think the match was fixed and that wouldn't be good, but I tell you what, I bet you could find some good contenders in Wasted Youth Alley, I heard there's a DestroyerBall! team here to have some fun after winning something or other."

Ice talks as he continues to attempt to find a way past the two goons.


take 10 persuasion DC 28

[Felhammer]

Jarik: The Wookiees pat you on the back and howl with pleasure. One of them even points at you and taps his vox, "Friend."

Other patrons saunter up and call you the Wookiee Slayer. Apparently, the Wookiees had strong armed everyone that came to the Alley today, you were the first one who took them out, as it were.

Graff: Obviously very upset, the Mando hisses in Trandoshan before slinging his comm on the ground and smashing it under the weight of his durasteel boot. Surprisingly, the Mando begins to chat with himself in basic, "I am not a thief. I should be killing worthy enemies! I want to fight the best, not sit here and steal a karking shipment of spice! I signed up for adventure, not this...


Ice: Boosy agree. Your arms too slim and your head too large."

"Koosy say no, no to you. You go away and bother someone else!"

Finally away from those two weirdos, Ice is able to take in the full experience of the... Dark, dank alley way he finds himself in. The alley is filled with scum of the worst variety, most hawking bets. Off in the distance, Ice spots two massive, 20 meter tall doors that literally loom over the alleyway. Suddenly, the two doors light up with the scenes of a Gladiatorial Battle. Obviously someone is filming the fight and projecting it here for the world to see! Ice makes his way through crowds of villainous-types to get a front row seat.

The current fight is a 2v2 match, staring two up and coming Gamoreans called the Razorback Brothers, who are facing off against two scary looking Tarcs (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tarc). The latter have a huge advantage as their massive claws have utterly destroyed the Gamoreans' weaponry. With one mighty thrust, a blood thirsty Tarc snips the head off one of the Razorback Borthers. Running in fear, the second Gamorean tries to escape his brutal fate. The crowd around Ice roars with anticipation of the kill. The Tarcs stalk their prey like crazed hunters. Suddenly one lunges for pig-man but comes up short. Cries of foul play echo around Ice. Amazingly, the second Tarc jumps off an embankment and body slams the Gamorean, who sequels in fear. The Tarc looks to the Arena's Grandmaster, who signals --- death! The crowd goes wild as they watch the Tarc eviscerate the pinned Gamorean.

As quickly as the commotion started, it ends.

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)
"I... don't think I can imagine anything grosser than that," he mutters.

Ice will look around for a schedule or a computer terminal, he wants to find out information on the Jedi and when he or she fights next.

[Felhammer]

Ice Ice spies a Holovid screen showing bios and match times.

According to the bio, Lami Katarn was born on Ossus, and is descended from the infamous Kyle Katarn. She is head strong and always ready for a fight. She wields a stun saber in combat and uses it to great effect. Since being purchased by Pog the Hutt, Lami has seen 70-match win streak.

Her next match is later tonight against a Manalorian Neo-Crusader named Nim Janeb, who is a rising star in both melee and ranged combat.

[Noedig]

Jarik pours another round and leaned back to enjoy his drink and puff lazily on his cigarette. After a few sips he leaned forward again and addressed the soberest of the three wookiees.

"So where can an old merc like me find some work? You boys know any one who needs a hired gun with almost twenty standard years of combat experience?"

[Felhammer]

Jarik The Wookiee pulls out a data pad and types some information, then hands the pad to you.

Mandalore the Impervious will be in town tomorrow morning. Prove yourself by winning a Gladiatorial match and you'll be guaranteed a spot in his Neo-Crusader army. If Mandos aren't your schtick, Pog the Hutt is looking for mercs to fight in the arena, pays good too. Beyond that, Turza Redsail is also looking for experienced mercs to serve in her Redsail fleet.

[Noedig]

"Well well, lots of big wigs stompin around the Wheel. Security is gonna brown their pants if they figure out Mando's are coming to play. Hutts are a good time, especially if they're the type to keep harems of slave girls. Heh, just between you and me boys, that's how ol' Yidsa lost his last job; got caught tangled up in a few of the boss's Twileks. HA!"

[Lucretia]

Adjusting her veridicator to Saurian -- disguised as rubbing her wrist -- Tuljei approached the Saurian with a smile. "Hi there! I am so sorry to bother you, but I had a quick question. I just got off my shuttle and for the life of me cannot find my hotel! So here I am, wandering around, looking at all the shops and trying to find someone who I could ask about where to find my shop and I see all these beautiful people with their coins, and my interest gets piqued, right? But everyone's taking them to some noodle shop, and I'm on a diet, so no noodles for me. So while I'm looking for my hotel, I'm also saying to myself, I could really go for a corset, but naturally a corset without a matching outfit is just tacky, right? So, faced with a problem, I decided to come in to this little boutique and see such a lovely venue with beautiful fabrics and designs!"

She continued without stopping to let the Saurian respond. Dr. Burke liked to talk.

"So then I thought to myself, how lovely would it be to get myself a skirt! But they don't have any of the colors I was looking for. That's you, by the way, the they in that sentence. So, of course, I'm looking around and one of those atrocious little hairmonsters with their unfashionable little ears comes up and takes the only color I am interested in. The nerve of those things!" Apparently the doctor was also somewhat racist. "So I was also hoping you might be able to show me one of those lovely bolts of cloth, because I bet I could find a tailor on the Promenade while I'm looking for my hotel who could make such a beautiful piece of negligee in that color!"

Still powering on without letting the Saurian speak, the doctor turned to look at the people in the boutique.

"And it's not like you've got bad taste in customers. Beautiful women shopping for beautiful clothing. You've really outdone yourself. Do you make all of this yourself? I bet you do -- you've got the look of a tailor to you. You've certainly got an eye, and I bet you don't mind the result either! As in, I bet you enjoy seeing your wares on women. Or maybe men? Although I don't think I'd enjoy seeing a man in a miniskirt. Or maybe... well, no. I like my men more rugged! But not, you know, not like a rug, rugged. But like, mountain man, rugged. Right? Of course you know. You've got a worldly look to you!

"So I'm looking for my hotel, wherever that may be, trying to figure out what those little bronze coins are for, hoping you've got another of those bolts of cloth in your inventory, and that's when it struck me, right? You probably know where the best venues for jewelry are on the Promenade! Do they only accept those bronze coins, though? Be honest, it's probably something promotional, isn't it? Like, shop for a windchime, get a bowl of noodles? And is there a tattoo parlour on the Promenade? I was thinking of getting one on my back, maybe, or my thigh. Oh, or a piercing! Do they have a piercing parlour here? That would be fabulous if they did. But really, anywhere that'll have corsets on display would be beautiful. I wonder if my hotel has corsets and the like nearby? Or if it's even on the Presidium! What if it isn't? I'd have been wandering around for an hour without any reason!

"So can you help me?" She flashed the Saurian a smile and waited for the response.

[Felhammer]

Jarik: The Wookie slaps you on your back and gives you a thumbs up. Another Wookiee types on the data pad and hands it to you.

Twi'Lek women are too, how shall I say, small for Wookiee physiology. You see we Wookiees have a very large endowment between our legs. Even our smallest runts have a you-know-what that's the size of your forearm. I myself have one that's as thick as your thigh and as long as your whole leg! The wookiee women chortle with glee when they see me strut by.

Lilly: The Saurian woman stares at you with a look of utter bewilderment. After a few moments of gawking/thinking she hisses, "The Hotel is up two levels. The Bronze coins are traded for noodle soup. The soup cup is traded for a fizzy green soda near the bathroom. The combination of the fizzy soda and the noodles causes you to vomit. There are special bags in the bathroom that you puke in. Take the bag to a man in the slums. He will extract a chemical called Frankenspice from the vomit. Based on how much he is able to extract (and the chemical's purity), you can earn any where from 10 to 1,000+ credits. The Frankenspice has many unique properties, the most important of which is involved in the creation of the cloth you like so much. See, whole bricks of the chemical are taken to the silk wyrm farm on a ship out in the buoys. They feed the frankenspice to the wyrms, who in turn produce a beautiful silk fabric." She holds up a bolt of the popular pink cloth, "this silk, in fact."

The woman gently replaces the bolt back on the rack. "This cloth is supposed to look amazing in ultraviolet light, which is why the Dafel purchase so much. I sell both apparel made out of the cloth as well as bolts. Not only is it quite the lucrative luxury item, it also stimulates a lot of the local business and drives a lot of traffic into the area. Sadly I sold out of all my female undergarments an hour ago... Regardless, you may purchase a bolt of cloth. 10,000 credits."

[Thundercracker]

Ice purchases a ticket (if necessary) to the match, and then heads to the Promenade.

[Felhammer]

Ice: The tickets cost 10, 20,40, 70, 100 or 300 credits. The more you spend, the closer to ring side you will be.

[Thundercracker]

Ice purchases a 100 credit ticket, assuming he'll be able to see from the angle of the seat.

[Philistine]

Graff freezes in place, as all the reasons he'd previously had for not talking to the Mandalorian have just been dialed up to eleven. Not only is the guy armed and angry, he's currently or about to be committing a crime - meaning he's probably jumpy, and very unlikely to be forgiving of a bystander who might have chanced to overhear.

But maybe there's a way to take advantage of the guy's nerves. Grabbing a discarded tool from the floor next to the crates, he flings it behind the Mandalorian's back, past him, and as far as he can across the cavernous docking bay. Then he freezes again, ready to immediately retreat if the Mandalorian moves to investigate the sound.

[Binks]

Staen considers whether to continue his investigation or not. One one hand there's no such thing as useless information, and even if the majority of the hundreds of possibilities racing through his mind don't have anything to do with his mission at hand the Empire-In-Exile can always use more information. On the other hand it could potentially jeopardize his cover or expose him to unnecessary danger...

Kajc shrugs and walks out of the store, proceeding further into the promenade and looking around for any other strange happenings.

Any chance I got Kel's telepathic message from a while ago?

[Felhammer]

Graff: The Madalorian flips around, draws his carbine and starts attacking the darkness, "WHO EVER YOU ARE I WILL BLAST YOU UNTIL YOU GO DOWN THEN I WILL GUT YOU LIKE A NERF!"

Suddenly, a spider-shaped droid jumps off the ceiling and pins the Madalorian, "WEAPONS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE WHEEL. YOU HAVE BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF VIOLATING THIS LAW! I SHALL RESTRAIN YOU UNTIL SECURITY ARRIVES."






EveryoneSuddenly, you hear a telepathic message in your head - Kel says "trouble."

[Noedig]

For a moment Jarik wasn't entirely sure if he'd heard something or if he was drunk. Their newest member was a Knight though, so chances were good it had come from him, which meant the meatwad had either gotten trouble or was causing it.

He sighed and lit another cigarette as he stood from the table.

"Well boys, I'm headin' up to the Promenade. Saw a cute little thing get off the shuttle with me, might get lucky and find her. Go ahead and finish off that bottle for me. I'll probably be back down here in a few hours, who knows. Thanks for the information. I'll keep it in mind."

With that, Jarik stepped away from his new drinking buddies and exited the cantina, stumbling just a touch. A wookiee could drink almost anyone under the table and he had been drinking with three. He made his way to a transport heading for the Promenade and got on. He'd have a word with this Knight if he'd interrupted his drinking for no reason.

[Major]

After sending the message, Kelaeon looks around for anyone near him as he makes his way towards the Old Imperial Docks. He hoped to find at least one of member of the group to give them a rundown before heading away from the promenade and so he looked around for the Zeltron female or the ship's captain as he moved. He couldn't wait too long since he'd need time to assemble his lightsaber and meet with the Jedi.

[Lucretia]

"Oh... that sure is expensive..." Tuljei looked around the store and bit her lower lip. "Are you sure you wouldn't be able to lower it? I'd really love to use this cloth for some of my side projects, like a shawl or perhaps some sort of something like what you've got around here. It's all so pretty... I'd hate to leave without something like this at home, you know?"

Attempt to improve disposition, presuming Unfriendly.

[roll0] + 18 v. Will Defense

Attempt to haggle, presuming Indifferent.

[roll1] + 18 v. 25

If she was Indifferent before, then the first roll gets +23 instead of +18, and the second roll (presuming the first worked) is v. DC 20. Yay zeltron bonus to persuasion to improve moods! Now watch as I fail to roll above a 3 for either of those! :smallwink:

The telepathic message came through. It was bizarre. That man's voice from the ship. 'Trouble.' Hmm. After she was done with her business with the Saurian she'd need to investigate that further.

EDIT: Huh. I'm hoping that was successful. If so, only 5,000 for the bolt of cloth!

[Felhammer]

LillyThe Saurian seems to take a shine to you, "I can sell it to you whole sale for 6,500 but don't tell anyone, ok?"

Unfortunately, you can never haggle below the cost that it takes the person to acquire the items.

Ice: Ice is on his way to the Promenade. The Airflow car takes a few minutes but he arrives without incident. The Promenade is full of people and shops, the aroma of perfumes waft in the air. You see an awful lot of Defel walking about with Pink clothing.

Kel: Kel hits up the Airflow car. The journey is speedy and enjoyable. When you arrive at the docks, you are confronted by a sight of Graff hiding behind some crates. There is little light in the old docks and the air is cold, as if they turned the temperature to barely sustainable. Off in the dark ness, you see the vague outline of a gigantic mechanical spider pinning a Mandalorian to the ground.

[Lucretia]

Dr. Burke smiled and nodded, taking out her credit chit and holding it out for the Saurian to access.

I'm not used to people selling things for less than twice what it takes to make it, but that's fine.

After the Saurian took her money and gave her the cloth, the doctor would take back her credit chit, take the bolt of cloth under one arm and put her cloak back so that it obscured the cloth, and then went into the Promenade to look for the source of the telepathic disturbance. She toyed with using her comm unit to talk to someone from the Dawn, but it wasn't important enough yet. Besides, she was a doctor -- doctors didn't fight!

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)
I could have sworn half of the crew went to the Promenade, now where is everyone?

Ice wanders about the Promenade, window shopping, keeping his eyes open for members of the team or anyone drinking the code-drink. If he finds a bar, he will order one for himself.

[Binks]

Trouble? Staen thinks as he briefly pauses. Having worked a few times with Knights before he's received telepathic messages occassionally, but nowhere near often enough to be used to it.

Staen starts moving down the promenade quickly, keeping an eye out for Kel. He focuses his thoughts on the Knight, hoping that perhaps he'll be able to guide Staen as to where to go or something.

[Felhammer]

Ice, Lilly and Staen bump into one another near the Noddle Shop.

[Major]

Kelaeon is surprised to see Gaff and the mandalorian, but quietly moves up beside him. "It's me." He says to not startle the man. "What's up?" He ask quietly, confused by the mandalorian being pinned.

In order to help himself be found he quickly tries to send another short message, wishing that telepathy allowed conversations.


Not sure if 'Old Imperial Docks' is simpler enough for telepathy, or just Imperial Docks. But that's what I'm trying to convey is to meet at our smuggled weapons for both privacy and help.

[roll0]

[Noedig]

Jarik detected the scent food wafting out of a a nearby stand made his way there, albeit slowly. The liquor was truly starting to affect him now and having food in his stomach would help counteract his mild drunkenness. He stepped up to the counter and placed his order. While he waited he scanned the crowd for familiar faces and was delighted to find that he'd staggered directly passed Staen and Lilly.

"Shepard, Dr. Bruke. Fancy meeting you here. Ah, where are my manners? The name is Yidsa Jarrah, we rode here together on that red tub. How's the Wheel treatin' ya?"

[Lucretia]

Is he at the point that his breath is flammable? :smalltongue:

"It's lovely to see you again, Mr. Jarrah, Mr. Shepard. Isn't this place absolutely darling? Don't eat the noodles, they're used in some sort of vomit-material production, not entirely sure what the anatomical ramifications would be. Have to run tests, but I doubt I've got time to rent out a surgical theatre and then convince someone to consent to exploratory surgery..." She pouted but shrugged.

"I think luck has it that we're staying in the same hotel, right? I know I booked mine with the Red Dawn, bundled the costs for a great deal! Did either of you as well? If not you really missed out. But if you two wouldn't mind accompanying me to my hotel, I wouldn't mind having a bit of protection and neither of you stole from me during the flight, so.... what do you say?" Tuljei gave them both a dazzling smile. There wasn't any reason to give their enemies any reason to doubt their stories.

[Noedig]

"Sure! Hired muscle is what I do best Doc. And my services are fairly cheap right now, so all it will cost you is a decent meal. If a doctor doesn't trust the food here, neither do I. You comin' with Shep?"

[Felhammer]

Suddenly, you hear a telepathic message saying "Imperial Docks".

[Lucretia]

"A helpful Saurian said the hotel section was nearer to the docks, although I'm not sure if those're the right hotels... but if I have two handsome men to escort me, surely nothing could go wrong! After all, weapons aren't allowed on the station, so surely no one will accost us!" She smiled at them both before quickly turning and covering her mouth, sneezing.

"Oh good. Now my allergies. Goddess only knows what's causing them..." Tuljei mumbled darkly, looking around the crowded Promenade.

[Noedig]

"Docks it is. Lead the way Doc. Ha!"

[Felhammer]

You crowd into an airflow car and race off to the docks. The air is frigid, the bare minimum amount of heat is being supplied to this section. You see Graff and Kel hiding behind some crates. Off in the shadowy distance, you can see a mechanical spider droid pinning a mandalorian Neo-Crusader.

The spider-droid states, "YOU HAVE VIOLATED THE LAW. The authorities will be here momentarily to arrest you."

Suddenly, from deep in the darkness (far beyond even where Lilly can see) seven bolts blast the spider droid. It malfunctions for a moment before collapsing on its side.

The Neo-Crusader gets up, dusts himself off and yells, "Thanks Greedo! Always knew I could count on you!"

A person responds in Rodese.

"Yeah, I agree this ain't work for Mandos but whatchya goin' ta do, eh?"


For those that speak Rodian: "No problem. I hate this job."

[Noedig]

Dammit I need a gun.

He tapped Staen and signed to him.

Orders sir?

[Lucretia]

Tuljei slipped into Lillian, and Lillian shifted her weight towards the balls of her feet and away from the heels. Glancing around the darkness, she noted the various happenings and began to slowly move towards the crates where her compatriots were, hoping the thick velvet would aid her as an impromptu stealth suit.

[roll0] + 16. Perhaps the situation gives a beneficial modifier? And I believe total concealment gives me a +10 -- well, no, it makes the guy checking for me take -10. And for every 10 squares (15 meters) I am from the guy, he'll take a -5 to his roll.

Presuming she got there without the Neo-Crusader making any actions that indicated he'd heard or seen something, the Zeltron would duck down behind the crates and speak softly, hoping not to startle Graff or the new fellow. She hoped Graff would recognize the scent of her pheromones.

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)
Just as he was about to pull out his comlink and call Staen, Ice spots Jarik in the Promenade.

Well howdy there," he says, walking up to him, "What's happenin?"

Ice immediately ducks down behind any cover he can find.

No weapons allowed, my tail feathers...

[Binks]

Staen arrives at the docks alongside the others from the Promenade. Seeing the mando fighting with a spider droid he moves into cover and surveys the situation, trying to get an idea of what's going on.

Any chance I might recognize a clan insignia or something? Was I given any information on who the imperial agent who snuck the weapons aboard was? Basically trying to see if I have any reason to think they might be friendly before I head in.

And of course, of the ridiculous number of languages I speak, Rodese isn't one of them :smalltongue:.

[Major]

Kelaeon is quiet as he watches the incident. He didn't honestly care who these people were, but he had wanted a private place to talk as well as a chance to get his weapons. He looked over everything and wished he was better with telekinesis so he could just push the guy over.

When the woman arrived he tensed up, but the Force hadn't alerted him to danger so he didn't react right away. Then again, it hadn't alerted him before Licia had betrayed him either.


I assume they are between us and our weapons?

[Felhammer]

Staen spots the symbol of Mandalore the Impervious' Neo-Crusaders on the Mando's arm. The green stripe symbolizes Duty, the Orange Stripe a lust for life, the blue globe reliability and the black skull Justice for all Mandaolrian people. Mandalore the Impervious appeared out of no where roughly one year ago and has been steadily increasing his power base, attracting thousands to his cause. Mandalore the Impervious wishes to bring the Mandalorians back to their glorious past, hence the return to the Neo-Crusader armor. These Mandalorians stand in opposition to the Mandalorians under the rule of Mandalore Auchs, who betrayed the previous Mandalore and have remained out of politics since the end of the Sith-Imperial War. Mandalore the Impervious has established a small empire in the Outer-Rim.

All of you were briefed that the crate housing your weapons would be marked "Experimental Laboratory Equipment, Crate 801777-B-1A-009-LL9." The Agent who placed the crate said it would be near the Airflow car tubes.

Forgot to include the Mondo's symbol:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/Imperviousarmsymbol.png

[Felhammer]

I have made a map! (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqwAHuAvhXiqdG9iSXJaOFZOLVlTbnZLYzBnOHFRW nc#gid=0)

[Major]

After watching for a bit, Kelaeon moves away and back towards the airflow car tubes and starts looking around for the crate.

[Binks]

Continuing to survey the room as best he can with no light enhancement technology at his disposal Staen signs back to Jarik. Caution. Search for Weapons. he signs quickly, assuming that Jarik will understand his intended meaning.

Staen moves over to the team's Imperial Knight, trying to keep some obstacles between himself and the mando and moving slowing so as not to startle the Knight. Once close enough he taps Kel on the shoulder and whispers to him. "Status?"

[Major]

Making sure to be quiet to avoid anyone other than the group overhearing, Kelaeon nods at Staen and starts describing why he had messaged them, "I saw a Givin spying on you back at the promenade. Given the way he was watching you I suspected something strange and approached him. Before I could say anything, he identified me as an Imperial Knight and also stated we had weapons at the Old Imperial Docks and even identified the person who smuggled them here. While he didn't know why we were here, he did know everything else." Kelaeon says annoyed, "He wanted to help and claims he is a Jedi that doesn't care much for the Jedi. I tried to get him somewhere more private to talk and possibly eliminate him. Unfortunately his idea of private and another meeting was a cantina called the Iron Gauntlet Cantina in two hours. I figured I'd grab my stuff and meet with him. If possible try and get him somewhere alone. While I am all for help, this man knows too much in my opinion. However, I wanted to give everyone a heads up as well as gather your opinions." He stops then chuckles, "Sorry for the long explanation, but better to know too much then too little."

[Felhammer]

None of you find the crate you are looking for in the immediate area. Many of the crates have the labels facing away from your point of view, thus forcing you to either pop them up or sneak around for a better view.

Additionally, you notice Kel is talking a bit loudly.

[Noedig]

Jarik flashed a thumbs up to Staen and began checking the labels of the crates. He did his best to be as stealthy as possible, but he was quite sure he was failing.

Stealth (-1 for being drunk):
Perception: [roll]1d20+12

[Felhammer]

As Jarik stumbles around, his foot kicks one of the metal crates. A loud thud echoes throughout the formerly quiet Docks.

The Mando flips around points his gun in your direction and yells, "Karking Droids! I will kill you!" He then fires a stream of red bolts across the bay, shattering the canopy on the middle Airflow car and riddling the body with holes.


Jarik did not find the right crate.

[Lucretia]

Lillian made a face. She was standing near Graff, about to speak, when those morons began kicking things. Kel had moved by her -- had he even noticed her? -- without any worry or care, and then started talking about givins and givens and goddess knows what else. Now the Neo-Crusader was shooting blindly at what he thought were droids.

Well. That wasn't the best way to approach things.

How did the stupid Mandalorian even get weapons on here in the first place? That was the issue with the notion of gun control, the law abiding civilians who'd actually follow the dumbass rule weren't the ones who the law was meant to impact, and yet ultimately, they were the only ones impacted. Those who wish to find a way to shoot others will find that way, regardless of local law enforcement. She really hoped the Emperor didn't want this Moff alive, he needed to be shot for this glaring oversight in law. Preferably somewhere like Tatooine. When he himself had no weapon, and everyone else did.

So Lillian decided to go the route she wasn't accustomed to. The truth. First she knelt down behind cover, moving her face up so that her voice wouldn't be muffled by the wall.

"Holy kriffing wampas, who are you trying to shoot here?!" she shouted, hoping the others wouldn't give away their existence any more than they seemed willing to do already. "And Mando'a always wonder why there're stereotypes against your people! I'm not a droid! Let's not keep with the shooting, okay?! I'm lost, I'm cold, I'm pretty sure you just made glass go in my back, and that means I'm bleeding, so let's just, let's NOT keep doing what we were just doing, okay? How does that sound, Mr. Mandalorian?"

[roll0] + 18, I doubt he's near enough for pheromones to apply. Not sure if I'll take the hostile modifier once he hears what I've said. Hell, not sure if that roll is necessary or not, nothing there's a gigantic lie except for the glass bit.

[Felhammer]

The Mando snorts through his helmet, "I don't care about you or your wounds. If you aren't strong enough to withstand such a blind barrage, then you don't deserve to live. Go back to your casinos, where loose morals and credits are all that matter. This is a warriors world up here."

[Lucretia]

"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks. I was looking for my hotel. This clearly isn't it. But you just shot the thing I was using to get around the station, so you're sort of put me in a terrible position, Mr. Rude-face. Also, it's sort of silly for a warrior to be boasting about his position when he's armed and the woman he's talking to isn't. Really super stuff there." It was a measured statement. Either he'd shoot more wildly -- hopefully the others wouldn't just stand around and take to cover -- or he'd respond by 'leveling' the playing field, allowing for a concentrated attack by everyone. Or maybe he'd approach, expecting to execute her, and then get mobbed in the dark.

Hopefully something would work.

When they got out of this, Lillian was going to tear the new addition in half. What the hell was he thinking, getting everyone to come here without any weaponry? Ugh. Every time a Force user talked to her mentally, it always caused situations wherein she wished they hadn't. Her standing decision, Lillian affirmed, was to simply ignore them. They could make things happen with their minds. They could take care of themselves.

[Major]

"Well, you tried. And he's being hostile and we need to be able to get our weapons and talk without this idiot blocking us or attacking us." Kelaeon mumbles as he tries to get a look at the man. If he succeeds at seeing him he decides to distract the man. He draws on the Force to try and remove the man's glowrod from his belt and make it attack the back of his head, hopefully causing the man to think he was being attacked from behind so that none of them would be randomly fired at.


Use the Force (assuming I can get within line of sight) 'Move Light Object' Standard action to use as a 1d6 weapon.
[roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Move action to get back behind cover/out of line of sight behind a crate.

Edit: Clarification-the reason I listed 'move action to get back behind cover/out of line of sight' was my way of saying the move light object is only if I can see him from my spot.

[Lucretia]

Lilly closed her eyes as he spoke, noting only the one who had never worked with her before wasn't willing to trust her methods. She weighed springing out of the darkness to try and snap his neck without anyone seeing, but ultimately that was detrimental to the True Emperor's plan.

Hopefully the Mandalorian would reply before this Knight could do something to completely shatter the illusion.

[Felhammer]

Before he can respond to Lilly, the Manodo's glow rod magically levitates itself, swings around the man's body and whacks him in the back of the head. The Mando doesn't even budge. "Silly Jedi tricks. You would have attacked me with a saber by now if you were worthy. You are obviously unarmed and helpless. You are not worth my time. Leave here Jedi, let the warriors go about their business unburdened by your foolishness."

[Major]

Taking the lack of blaster shots as a good sign, Kelaeon decides that they had at least avoided combat due to the Zeltron woman's actions, most likely, since they definitely weren't due to his. He goes back to looking around for the crate wondering where the hell the agent had put them. They were supposed to be right near here.

He sighs and decides not to make it look like the woman had made the attack, as that would be cowardly. "Nothing to do with worth, I have little reason to harm you since you have stopped firing. I did not realize someone was down here." He said no longer hiding his presence as he went back to looking. "I will leave you be."


Perception: [roll0]

Natural 20!

[Lucretia]

A special part of Lillian's conscious mind, partitioned off from the rest, began a long string of curses. They were creative and in a myriad languages. Well, fine. She'd just sit here and let the Imperial Knight do whatever he felt was best. Clearly this was his area of expertise.

There were crates everywhere. She'd try to open the crates as quietly as she could, but at this point didn't care. In her position it'd be extremely difficult for her to get shot -- and even as she opened the crates, it would be possible to leverage her strength without standing up. But no... this was a terrible idea. There was something she could do....

First she whispered to those around her, "Captain, I hope you still have your earcomm with you...."

Loudly she screamed, "fine, but my Order will remember this insult!" Lillian said, moving towards an undamaged air thing in order to return to where the Red Dawn was. "I will return, and then we shall see who is the warrior!" With that, she'd try to slip into the air car.

Her hope was that the Mandalorian would think she was alone, and let the others develop a sound strategy while she returned to the ship to get her armament. This being at a gigantic disadvantage was not on her list of things to do.

Nope.

He had opened his mouth. Lillian boiled with anger. She moved to the transport and got in it, moving back to the Red Dawn. Being near the knight was a kriffing suicidal move. No. No. She refused to be near that... just no.

[Felhammer]

The Mando holsters his blaster pistol, "I will not interfere with your plans if you do not interfere with mine. However, know this Jedi, the Mandalorians are back. We will soon begin a Crusade the likes of which the Galaxy has not seen in four thousand years. Steel your heart Jedi, your end will come if you ever oppose the Neo-Crusaders."

As the Crusader turns his back to you, "By the way, your weapons are located in a crate halfway between where you are and where I am. It is red, you cannot miss it."

[Major]

"Thank you, sir." Kelaeon nods, "I have no intents in interfering with your plans, as you put it, unless you interfere with mine. I believe we are of like mind and forming unnecessary enemies is stupid and foolish. I'll keep it in mind not to oppose you then." He states with a shrug. He disliked being called Jedi, but wasn't going to correct the man on a secret mission like this, "Thank you again." He said slowly and cautiously moving towards the crate.


Ready Action to dive for cover if he fires, but otherwise moving towards the crate.

[Felhammer]

Lilly takes one of the speeders back to the Red Dawn while the others grab their weapons. The Mando does not budge an inch.

[Major]

Grateful to finally have a weapon, Kelaeon takes the disassembled parts and places them in different pockets in his utility belt. He didn't want to risk being caught with a weapon yet and would assemble and disassemble it as need be.

He keeps an eye on the mandalorian so that nobody is harmed as they get their weapons. "So...should someone bring the Doctor her weapon since she left? I can probably get it to her before meeting the Jedi." He ask. He makes sure not to go anywhere until he gets Staen's opinion on what to do with the Jedi who knew too much.

It was asked in the ooc, but I added it as an edit, so it might have gotten missed. How long would you say it would take to assemble/disassemble this lightsaber? I'd assume it wouldn't take the normal 24-hrs since 1) it was meant to arm me. 2) Imperial Knights aren't as fancy and prone to ceremony as Jedi are

[Lucretia]

Lillian dialed the number of the Zabrak who had searched her before, hoping he was off duty. Frustration boiled within her. Where there had been cohesion, there was chaos. Where there had been purpose, there was... what was this? She ground her teeth together for a moment before slipping back into Tuljei.

Tuljei wasn't all that upset. She wanted to see what the fuss was about this fabric. The vomit fabric. Hopefully not the marketing name for it.

[Felhammer]

Kel: It won't take 24 hours, you aren't building it from scratch. It will take you about 10 minutes to reassemble it. You do not need to spend a force point to attune it if you do not wish to. The saber is unique however. To help maintain the disguise - as the Emperor doesn't want anyone knowing his Imperial agents are here - the saber left in the crate is modeled after Darth Vader's. It should dissuade anyone from believing you are a Knight, since they use standardized blades. Be warned, there is a high bounty on all Jedi. The saber will mark you a Jedi (or at least some other force using tradition), so if you are discovered Bounty Hunters will begin to look for you.

Lilly: The Zabrak's familiar voice comes over the line, "Hello, this is Bao."

[Lucretia]

"Hi there, Officer Bao! This is Dr. Tuljei Burke, we met briefly earlier today? I was wondering if you were off-duty now? If not, that's totally fine, I can call back later." She once again spoke with the Coruscanti affectation, watching through the windows of the air cab thing.

[Felhammer]

Lilly "You... You actually called me?" The man is shocked, dumbfounded even, "But you were so beautiful and... Amazing." Gaining a bit of confidence, he continues, 'yeah I'm off duty. Do you want to go to dinner? I know a place that serves the best Kaminoan Crab this side of Kamino!"

[Lucretia]

"I need to drop something off on the ship I came in on, I really don't want this getting stolen, can't believe I was wearing it... could you come by the hanger? I'd love to have dinner with you afterwards, and an escort would make me feel safer. There was this Mandalorian, and all these scary, hairy things." Tuljei made a noise of disgust and shivered, racist disgust moving through her.

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)

The Mrlssi pops up from behind a crate, hands in the air.

"Well, how can we avoid getting in your way if we have no idea what your mission is? Ice asks.

"Nice pistol, by the way, custom dura-synth grip, right? I use 'em myself... Give us a clue, at least," he adds.


Assuming the Mandalorian's pistol is modified somehow and Ice is able to recgonize it.
take 10 change attitude, DC 28 without modifiers.

[Felhammer]

Lilly I can definitely swing by your ship, no problem. I'll meet you there in about five minutes." Suddenly realizing you mentioned a Mando, "You said there was a Mandalorian? Did he do anything to you? Threaten or intimidate you? If so, give me his last known location and I will send a full detail of security forces there and arrest him."




Ice: The Mando grunts, "Ye got it right. It is a custom weapon. Good eye. However, you don't need to know what my mission is. Just steer clear of this place and you will be fine.

[Lucretia]

Tuljei shook her head. Although her comm was holocapable, it appeared his wasn't. "I don't know where I was. I was just trying to f-find my h-hotel a-a-and then there was a droid and it was saying things to a mercenary down a hallway a-and I-I----" She broke off, Burke's voice on the edge of tears. Sniffing, she shook her head again. "I j-just want to drop something off and go have a nice d-dinner, put the whole thing behind me. W-we can talk about it when I see you in person. I-I don't want anyone listening to my comms o-or anything. They can do that, right? I saw it in the spy holos. Th-they can listen and find you and send hunter k-killer droids after you and set you on fire and pour your remains into a canister and shoot the canister i-into space and then set the c-canister on fire a-and I don't wanna be on fire, Bao! I don't want to be on fire!"

[Felhammer]

Lilly In a very calm and caring voice Bao responds, "I'm leaving right now. I'll probably get to the ship before you. Don't worry, you'll be safe with me, I'll protect you from all the evil this rotten galaxy can throw at us."

[Lucretia]

"I-I'll see you there?" she asked in a soft voice, still on the edge of tears.

[Felhammer]

Lilly Lilly's airflow car races around the outside of the station. The air seems a bit slower than before. You check your watch and see that it is nearing dinner time, obviously more people are using public transportation. The tube gently ducks into the station, your car comes to a halt in the docking bay from whence you arrived. Almost immediately you spot Bao standing beside the Red Dawn. He's wearing a tailored white shirt with a black vest and black pants, his horns look polished. His eyes light up as he sees you. He rushes over and helps you out of the car. As he does so, he whispers, "Tuljei, is everything alright?"

[Felhammer]

Lilly Lilly's airflow car races around the outside of the station. The air seems a bit slower than before. You check your watch and see that it is nearing dinner time, obviously more people are using public transportation. The tube gently ducks into the station, your car comes to a halt in the docking bay from whence you arrived. Almost immediately you spot Bao standing beside the Red Dawn. He's wearing a tailored white shirt with a black vest and black pants, his horns look polished. His eyes light up as he sees you. He rushes over and helps you out of the car. As he does so, he whispers, "Tuljei, is everything alright?"

[Felhammer]

Lilly Lilly's airflow car races around the outside of the station. The air seems a bit slower than before. You check your watch and see that it is nearing dinner time, obviously more people are using public transportation. The tube gently ducks into the station, your car comes to a halt in the docking bay from whence you arrived. Almost immediately you spot Bao standing beside the Red Dawn. He's wearing a tailored white shirt with a black vest and black pants, his horns look polished. His eyes light up as he sees you. He rushes over and helps you out of the car. As he does so, he whispers, "Tuljei, is everything alright?"

[Lucretia]

While in transit, Lilly sent an encrypted message to Staen's earcomm. "You may have to entertain guests soon. Get in and out." Afterwards, she sat down and waited. When Bao helped her out and asked her a question, Tuljei nodded and smiled at him, her eyes a little glassy.

"I just... need to go to the ship for a minute. I'm wearing my mother's necklace, and I don't want it getting stolen. Will you wait for me? It will only take a moment, and then we can go get something to eat." And perhaps sneak the Viceroy away. Depends on whether Bao can vouch for her.

She began to move towards the Red Dawn. Getting the bolt of cloth out of her hands for the time being would be useful, and she could come back later to run analysis on it and determine if there was more to it than met the eye. And during dinner, she could investigate what Bao knew -- while flattering the man. Having security on her side would definitely be a boon, although it was unlikely Bao had any level of authority that could work out in her favor. Of course, getting the Mandalorian and his Rodian companion stopped now could be seen as a benefit to the Moff, if the Mandalorian was working against his interests. And that would ultimately further the True Emperor's plans.

She'd leave the others to the shooting. Lillian could be just as effective in a ballroom as she could in the field.

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)

"Deal, y'all have a nice day now," Ice replies. He then heads to the transportation car, leaving his weapon behind.


Someone else feel free to take Ice's pistol from the crate

[Binks]

"Well..." Staen says as he moves to retrieve his weapon from the crate. Leaving the sonic pistol behind Staen grabs his hold-out and stashes it on his person as well hidden as he can.

Moving back towards the aircars Staen debates recalling Lillian but decides that she's fully capable of taking care of herself for the time being. Staen pulls everyone in close and whispers to them, trying to avoid the mando hearing what they are discussing.

"Grab what you can carry stealthily, leave the rest for now. Continue establishing your cover. We'll hit the casino tomorrow. Ice, check if you can find a table where someone's betting how our friend was supposed to bet. Lillian, myself and Graff will be on the floor. Jarik and Kel will be on overwatch." Staen says to the group.

"Kel, I need to talk to you before you head out." Staen says, waving the Knight over to a semi-secluded corner and then heading over there himself.

Stealth to hide the hold-out on my person. I'll take 20 if I can, else take 10 to hide it, too much of a risk to roll it. The weapon is 4 sizes smaller than me (tiny weapon) and has a built in +5 to stealth to hide it. So it's a net +18 to hide it. Probably wouldn't have been enough to sneak it off the ship but it should be enough to hide it from casual glances.

Stealth to cover up my voice. [roll0]

[Felhammer]

Lilly Take your time Tuljei, I'll be here when you get out.




Staen, Ice, Jarik, Graff and Kel You pop open the crate and find 3 blaster pistols, three blaster rifles and a disassembled lightsaber.

[Major]

Kelaeon follows Staen as he stuffs the various dismantled pieces in his utility belt pockets.

[Philistine]

Placeholder for what Graff's been up to all this time.

"Rifles. Really. Because they're so easy to conceal, while you're running a covert op," Graff mutters. "As expected. So, let's see what's in the next one." Graff looks up at Staen and the rest and grins. "Buddy of mine is supposed to have slipped some extra goodies on the requisition 'by mistake.' Sometimes it really is who you know." Moving the crate aside, he reveals a smaller case beneath it and quickly pops the seal to reveal a quartet of hold-out blasters. "Remember you only get six shots with one of these before you need to reload. And they're not especially accurate or powerful, either," he instructs as he passes the smaller weapons around. He takes one for himself, tucking it into the top of his boot. "We're not gonna take down Station security with these. In a pinch, though, they'll do to give us an edge against most anyone else."

[Lucretia]

Burke set the cloth down and took her necklace off, replacing it with some other necklace. Changing her dress to something longer that covered her feet, Tuljei put on her concealed ankle holster and put the Viceroy in as well. With any luck, the various upgrades and miniaturization would prevent anyone from knowing it was there. Tuljei nodded to herself. Something told her taking a weapon would be suicide, although at the same time killing everyone on the station was something she thought about fondly.

Putting back on her velvet article of clothing, Burke returned to the boarding ramp and Bao, smiling at him.

"Sorry about the wait. The new necklace didn't work with the my last dress, so..."

[Binks]

"Good work Graff." Staen says as Graff reveals the smaller weapons. Grabbing one and hiding it on his person Staen waves everybody back towards the aircars before he pulls Kel aside to question the Knight about precisely what has been happening.

Just mainly using this as an excuse for Staen to get more caught up on what Kel found out, beyond the hurried explanation he gave. I don't really have anything more for Staen to do before hitting the casino, so he'll just be wandering around for a while then hitting his room, unless something unusual happens.

[Major]

Kelaeon proceeds to give a more detailed explanation including trying to quote the Jedi as much as possible. He list his reasons for disliking the fact that this guy knows so much and ask Staen's opinion on the matter and if he should find a way to subtly off the Jedi.

[Binks]

Staen shakes his head when Kel questions whether the Jedi should be killed. "Murder draws attention, attention this mission can ill afford." he offers as explanation before listening to the rest of Kel's tale. At the end Staen nods a few times before speaking. "You did well to bring this information to our attention. The presence of the jedi and him," he says, tilting his head towards the area the mando had been, "complicates our mission somewhat. For now you should try to learn whatever you can about this jedi but avoid getting wrapped up in whatever he's up to. We'll work around his plans as best we can to avoid any extra issues but the mission overrides any requests he might have."

"Oh, and I would recommend staying away from Lillian for a while. She's obviously not that pleased with your handling of the situation. Best to leave it for now, I trust that both of you will be able to separate your feelings from your duty for this mission. We can resolve inter-personal conflicts when we have accomplished the mission. Just some advice." Staen offers before turning to board an aircar back to the promenade, feeling much better now that he's armed.

[Major]

"If you say so, you know her better than me." Kelaeon says putting the blaster back in the crate, assembling the tiny wimpy girly saber and heading to the air car. He disliked the thought of keeping the Jedi alive, but wasn't going to kill him when the others disagreed. As such, he headed toward the Iron Gauntlet Cantina, unsure how to handle things.

He didn't care much for the small weapon, but he also knew that if a fight broke out with it he had better be useful with it. As such as he sat in the air car he closed his eyes and focused on connecting with the lightsaber.

-1 force point, attuned.

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)
Ice dutifully heads to the high roller tables as instructed. Only upon entering the casino does he remember he wanted to tell the others about the Jedi in the gladiator ring. Mandalorians spraying blaster fire everywhere tended to distract. Well... he'd have to mention it if he saw any of his teammates.

[Felhammer]

Lilly: Bao's eyes light up and his mouth hits the deck. After a few moments of gawking he gathers the wherewithal enough to say, "You look beautiful, madam. He takes your hand to help you down the boarding ramp - Bao is nothing if not a gentleman.

He walks with Lilly to the guard post. One of the grizzled Goatal guards saunters up, lifting his baggy pants as he does so. His voice is deep and gruff, "Oiy, where you think you're goin' pretty little lady? You need to be searched!"

Bao slides in between the goat-like man and Lilly, "I've already cleared her Barry. She's clean. "

"Boss ain't gunna like it."

"Well he can go to karking Tatooine for all I care."

"Well it won't be my head that's rolling just so you can get a bit of..."

The Goatal is interrupted as Bao takes his first and rams it into Barry's face. The Goatal drops to the ground in pain.

"Never insult my friends."

Bao takes you hand and whisks you away to the airflow car.

With a smile Bao is the first to talk, "Sorry about that. Barry is a low life scum."

[Noedig]

Jarik waited quietly behind a crate while the others converged on the weapons. He'd purposely stayed out of Staen's little briefing, and let the others reveal themselves. He'd stayed put and if all went well, he'd get an opportunity to speak with the Mandalorian alone. Yidsa still needed a job after all.

[Major]

After a little bit of killing time, Kelaeon heads to the Iron Fist Cantina hoping to arrive a little early to scout out the area before the Jedi got there.

[Philistine]

Pistol tucked safely out of sight, Graff nods his understanding and heads for the transit tubes. He boards a less-shot-up car and heads for the casino district.

Stealth Check: [roll0], plus applicable bonuses for item size, to conceal the pistol.

[Noedig]

Once the others had left, Jarik waited a solid minute before peaking out to see if the Mandalorian was still there. If the Mandalorians intended to make a comeback, it could be either a very good, or very bad thing. If they sided with the GA, Roan Fel's empire would fall, and if they sided with the Sith the whole galaxy could kiss peace goodbye. If they could somehow be convinced to fight for Fel, well things would get interesting.

He put the 'ifs' aside for the time being and began coming up with a plan. Thankfully, being shot at had given him a nice little burst of adrenaline and it was doing an admirable job of suppressing the effects of his drinking. He would need a relatively clear head for this.

Jarik peaked above the crate a second time and scanned the dock for the Mandalorian.

[Felhammer]

Kel: The Iron Gauntlet Cantina is a large, round building. The cantina's bright pink and green neon sign lights up the otherwise dark street. There's a large line outside, lots of hopefuls trying to gain entry. As you pass by the Herglic bouncer, he spots you and says "I want to let you inside." He ushers you in over the rousing protest of those outside.


The Cantina is divided into four sections. The first (the section nearest the door) is a dance hall. Lots of young people gyrating to obnoxiously loud Bith dance music. This section leads to a central bar area, where youthful, well-dressed men gawk at all the pretty females, who all wear low cut skits.

From the bar, you can see the other two sections, one a betting area with lots of holo vids airing of sporting matches. The people inside look like the lowest scum imaginable. The other section is filled with tables, where people can get a bite to eat, something to drink and relax.

As you near the seating area a telepathic message comes to you, "back". As you look around, you spot your man, sitting in the back near a window. You walk over, take a seat. He greets you, "Welcome. Good to see you made it. Glad you came. Down to business. I propose an Alliance between you and me."


Ice, Graff and Staen: You decide to go to the Grand Casio, one of the ritziest casinos in town. The ride there is fast and smooth. The car lets you out right across the street from the Casino. As you look around there are a veritable horde of ornery looking Herglic, Wookiee, Trandoshan and Defel guards. They surround the Casino and are actively telling most people to go away but allowing a small handful inside. After watching the specticle for a time you realize two facts, 1) They are only letting those who are wearing finely made tuxedos and dresses inside and 2) Each and every person going in is paying the bouncers off.

None of you are wearing what any respectable person would call "fancy outfits."



JarikThe Mado is standing off in the distance, as stoic as ever. He has not moved since shooing the rest of your companions away.

[Philistine]

"Looks like way too much work just to get a drink around here," Graff grumbles sourly. He looks up and down the street, looking for a… more egalitarian establishment.

[Major]

Kelaeon glances around the room trying to get a rough estimate of the people that could see him. He wasn't going to kill the Jedi despite his desire to keep it simple, but it was still good to be aware of your surroundings.

"Alright," Kelaeon said as he sat down. "Why should I trust you? You yourself said this was a covert mission. It isn't very covert if I give details to everyone. What do you hope to gain by this alliance?"

[Binks]

"Agreed..." Staen says after a pause of consideration. "There's got to be a simpler establishment that can cater to people more like us around here." he says, looking around as well.

[Noedig]

Jarik rose and headed toward the crate holding the guns, not really trying to be quiet or stay hidden. He nonchalantly pulled out a cigarette and lit up as he reached the crate and tossed the Mando a wave.

"Sith me they were loud as kark. Dumb sleamos left behind most of their kit, and picked those weak holdouts." He sighed as he pulled out his flask and took a swig. "They don't make soldiers like the used to. Hell I wouldn't really call them soldiers, would you? A pretty girl, a bird, and a couple smugglers playing soldier. What's the galaxy coming to? Hey you want a swig of this, soldier? I know your on the job and all but it's Corellian whiskey."

[Lucretia]

Burke smiled and got closer to Bao, leaning against him and holding on a bit. "So, Bao, where would you care to eat tonight?"

[Felhammer]

kel "I know influential people. I know secret passages. I know much. I could aid you greatly."

Lilly: Bao smiles, "We're going some place special. Down in the bottom tower. There's a restaurant down there that serves some amazing food." He checks his watch, "Good, we'll make it there before sunrise."

Ice, Graff and Staen: You search around and hear there is a nice casino geared towards tourists called the Old Bantha. There's another geared towards upper middle class tourists called the Swooping Hawk. There's also the Crimson Casino, which does not have the same rules about clothing but it is a very high roller environment. Your creds won't last long unless you pool resources.




Jarik: The mando doesn't budge from his sentry position. His voice is course and stoic, "They were fools. They should have taken the blaster rifles and hid them in backpacks. The security here is incompetent. I walked on board with with my blaster in my hip holster. I intimidated the dock workers without saying a word. This place is a hive of foolish children playing games."

[Major]

"That doesn't answer why?" Kelaeon says, "Everyone has a motive and nobody just offers things for free unless they are a liar and trying to trick you."

[Felhammer]

Kel: "Desire a motive. Motive is simple, basal even. I know the Emperor did not wish a war. I hold no grudge against you or your Emperor . The Sith slew my friends, my family and my brothers. Helping the Emperor in Exile aids my own cause of seeing the galaxy wrestled from the Sith's grasp.

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)
"Let's mosey on over to the Crimson Casino," Ice says, "can't stay long though, I've got tickets to see a Jedi fight in the arena, they say she's won seventy straight matches!"

[Major]

Kelaeon is silent for a minute as he thinks. On one hand, the man made a logical point. The Jedi weren't friends of the Sith and any actions against the Sith helped him. It seemed like the basic tenant of revenge. However, the very fact that it was revenge, while logical, also gave him second thoughts. Weren't Jedi against that kind of thing? What if this man was a Sith in disguise?

Kelaeon rested his head in his chin as he looked the man up and down. Sith would have sold out the mission to the Wheel Security or attacked already. As such it seemed unlikely that the man was a Sith, but unlikely and impossible where too separate things and he wasn't going to endanger the mission with a maybe.

Drawing on the Force, Kelaeon searched his feelings and tried to get a feel to see if their would be negative consequences for trusting this man. He knew that even if he didn't sense anything, automatic trust still wouldn't be given, but if something negative came up at the very least that ruled that out.


Use the Force: Search Feelings: DC 15, 'Will working with this man be a bad thing?'
[roll0]

[Noedig]

"Ha! Well beskar'gam has that effect on civies. I know, I served with a Mandalorian who wore it and he sent all the non-combatants running for cover whenever we were ground side. Great kid, little fidgety though. Helluva drinking buddy. His armor was black an' red. Said his dad helped him build it, so the red makes sense. Yours is blue, unless I'm getting so old I can't tell color. Good color. Solid, dependable."

Jarik took another pull on his cigarette and continued to approach, though he stopped several meters away and leaned up against a crate. He kept a smile on his face and his hands visible.

"Sith me, here I am jawin' at ya and you're working. You on a job for the Mandalore? I hear he's going to be on the Wheel tomorrow. Also hear he's going to be looking for recruits. You know anything about that?"

[Felhammer]

Ice, Graff and Staen: Holding off to see if the other two want to go there or some where else.

Ice, you currently have 1 hour before the fight begins.

Kel: You sense working with him will lead to Favorable results.

Jarik: "Civies disgust me. They have no honor, no sense of what really gives life meaning. Being on the front line, it shows you all that matters in life are your weapons, your armor and your conviction towards victory." His voice grows a bit jovial, as if he he reliving events in his mind's eye.

"Mandalore is coming tomorrow. He's coming her to free that Jedi they have down in the arena. He wants to recruit her for she has a honor and drive about her that the Mandalore admires. Of course the Sith are already making plans to assassinate him. Heard a rumor they even planted a few Sith on board. My Rodian ally and I fought one earlier today. His hood obscured his face but he definitely wasn't human. He was real quick too. Dodged our attacks with ease. He was a real warrior. I plan on looking for him after this job is done."

He pauses for a moment then continues, "You want to join up with the Mandalorians? It's a tough life, you sure you got the moxie for it? Ah who am I kidding? You sauntered up here with no fear. Your friends ran off scared but here you are, talking to me, drinking and smoking. You are as calm as a river. You have the true heart of a warrior. To wear the Neo-Crusader armor you must prove yourself worthy. If you complete the task, I shall welcome you like a brother. If you fail, you will die. Do you still wish to become a Mandalorian?"

[Noedig]

"Ha! Do I have the moxie? You bet your blue armored arse I do. Been soldiering for almost twenty years now, there ain't a whole helluva lot that will shake me. Though I did have to face down three drunk wookiees earlier, and being unarmed and all, I was a little put off. Thought I was going to have to waste my whiskey on a Nar Shaddaa cocktail, if you follow me."

He took another pull and flicked the stub of the cigarette away, suddenly serious.

"Sith are bad news. Tangled with a real charmer last year. Sleamo ran after he got a couple rounds put in him. Ain't no worthier enemy though. You're spoilin' for a fight, the Sith will give it to you. Real piss poor employers though. Karking Sith killed my parents, so I prefer to kill 'em. GA ain't much better as far as employment goes. They're weak, can't make the hard calls, won't hit the real juicy targets. They play at war. Fel's Empire though? They're an interesting bunch. But hell you ain't interested in merc work, you were talkin' about a job for ol' Yidsa. Whaddya got?"

[Felhammer]

Jarik: "Wookiees you say? They are a dangerous people. Strong as a Bantha and as crafty as a Sith. Saw a man get his arms ripped off by a raging Mad Claw once. I've learned to shoot first and ask questions later when a wookiee comes at me.

The Mando pauses, "Fel's Empire. He lost his right to rule when he allowed the Moffs to ally with the Sith. Might makes right in this Galaxy. If he's still alive I hope he can challenge the Sith, though given their tight grip over the Galaxy, it isn't likely. The only thing that can beat the Sith Empire are the Mandalorians and the Galactic Alliance, seeing as how they toppled a Sith with a ragtag fleet and a single Jedi not 130-ish years ago."

"If you want to prove yourself worthy, you need to defeat something impressive in the gladiatorial arena. I won't dictate what you fight, just that the bigger, meaner and more of them there are, the better off you'll be. Mandalore wants the best of the best, not weaklings. I don't want to hear about you killing some Duro civie or one of them Ewoks those Trandoshan Slavers keep shoving out there."

[Felhammer]

Ice, Graff and Staen: You make your way over to the Crimson Casino. The casino is similarly adored with loads of bouncers and private security, this time focusing on a mixture of Humans, Trandoshans and Vong Hunter droids. The Casino's entrance is opulent, covered in marble with cascading waterfalls every 3 meters. The Bouncers Ice a once over but let him in on account of "Chiss have lots of money. Let his friend in, the Chiss will spend more at the tables if we do."

The casino is as opulent outside as it is inside. Marble statues of famous individuals from galactic history, from Zane Carrick, to Revan, to Lord Hoth, to Yoda, to Palpatine, to Darth Vader, to Luke Skywalker, to Jacen Solo, to Darth Krayt. Each of the statues' pedestals have miniature holo vids, showing re-enactments of important moments in each persons' life. The walls and impressively large dome of the casino are bright pink with massive globular balls that float about like air bubbles in a bottle filled with a liquid. Lining the walls, spaced about every 8 meters, is a massive, hulking Mandallian Giant. Each surveys the casino to ensure nothing goes awry.

Suddenly the whole casino comes alive with the hoots and hollers of a handful of people watching holovids. Some of them are yelling, "uou can do it, you can do it!", while others are screaming "GO! GO! GO! GO!" Almost instantaneously, walls switch from their normal display to showing a pod racer zooming about a course of Nar Shadaa. He cuts right then left, comes to a straight away and hits the accelerator. He's smoking the competition. They say he's going for a record! He's on the final hurdle, just one more hard turn before the finish line.... HE MAKES IT! The crowd goes wild as he crosses the finish line! He set a new record, beating out the old one by nearly 2 full seconds! The camera zooms in on the rider himself as he takes a victory lap. To your amazement it is... It's ROOSHA!


The whole casino is abuzz with excitement. Apparently the odds of him winning were 500 to 1!

As you look around you see that there are Lugjack machines, sabacc tables, Denebian Holochess boards and holo vids. There are also four bars, each with a different theme, "Nightlife" resembled a dance house, "Cantina" resembled a traditional watering hole complete with Both music, "Tropical" which resembles a beach side resort (complete with half naked Zeltron and Twi'Lek women), and "Discourse" which was full of private, walled off booths.

[Major]

After the moment of silence, Kelaeon sighed, "Alright, you said you know influential people and secret passageways. Let's start with that. If you desire to help all you need to do is trust me, I don't need to reveal much. Who do you know and where do these passageways go?" Kelaeon ask, "Are you armed and able to fight if we have to? Finally, who knows these 'secret' passages?"

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)
"Still think it'd be better if they had blasters on the pods," he mutters.

Ice wanders over to the sabaac tables and orders a Corellian Brandy, so he knows what he's looking for.

[Noedig]

"Alright, I'm game. They allow personal kit in the arena? I prefer to fight with weapons I trust, and that list is only two items long."

[Binks]

Staen stares at the screen with dull surprise for a moment as Roosha is shown winning the race. After a moment he walks over to another Sabaac table and takes a seat, ordering a Coruscant Cooler after looking to see what everyone else at the table has ordered to see if any could be their contact.

Kajc gives the others at the table a big smile as he waits for his cards. "How's everyone doing? Isn't this place great? Stuff to do everywhere!" he says with the enthusiasm of someone having a great time.

[Felhammer]

My post didn't post!!! And here I thought we were just having a quiet day!

Kel Who do I know? Security? Bounty Hunters? Administrators. Secret Passages? Hidden Airflow tubes. Complete secret to populace. Select few have knowledge. Weapons? Pistols? Rifles? Bazookas. Hidden around station.

Ice: you find a table with a Wookiee, a Devronian and a Caamisi. You hoist yourself up into the chair and get a lusty human female to fetch you your drink.

The Devronian speaks first, "You wish to play?" He cackles, "I will beat you and take all your money. Too late to change tables. You play here." He cackles again.

The Wookiee roars at the Dev, obviously annoyed.

The Caamisi softly whispers, "No needs for violence friends. Just a peaceful game of Sabacc here.

The Protocol Droid deals some cards. Please place your bets.

We'll be using the official rules for Gambling from the Core Rule Book. Thus each time you are dealt a hand, you will bet X amount of credits and roll a wisdom check. If you roll highest, then you win the Hand. If you loose, then you compare your result to the winner's roll and deduct an amount from your bet based on how far away you were from the winner's total.

Special rule: If you roll a nat 20 AND win, you automatically win the Sabacc pot (bonus cash for having an amazing hand) which we'll say is however much you would have won x10.

The Dev laughs, "I bet 5,000!"

The Wookiee Grunts as he shoves 3,000 creds worth of chips over.

The Caamisi tentatively places 7,000 into the kitty.

The Droid Dealer looks to you, "Your bet sir."


Staen: You spy a human slowly leaving a table, his shoulders are slouched and his face holding back tears. He obviously lost it all.

All the other tables are full, so you saunter on up. The Protocol Droid Dealer acknowledges your arrival, "Welcome to Table 23- the High roller Table."

Seated around you are the droid dealer, a shifty looking male human, a beautiful Twi'Lek female, a Quarren male and an attractive Nikto female.

The Twi'lek looks you over, slowly going from top to bottom, "Oomph, sugar you are a sight to behold! All those muscles and shimmering red eyes..." She bites her lower lip seductively, "They're enough to make a girl fall in love."

The Nikto quickly responds, "Leave it to the whore to whore this place up. He needs a REAL woman, not some dolled up harlot for the slums." The Nikto woman gives you a wink.

The Quarren looks agitated, "Are we here to pair off and kark or are we here to play Sabacc? I mean really ladies, you're both no good for this here Chiss. They only like beautiful women and you two ain't beautiful."

Before the women can respond the Human taps the table, the intragalactic symbol that he wants his cards. The Dealer agrees and deals out two cards to everyone. "Please make your bets now."


We'll be using the official rules for Gambling from the Core Rule Book. Thus each time you are dealt a hand, you will bet X amount of credits and roll a wisdom check. If you roll highest, then you win the Hand. If you loose, then you compare your result to the winner's roll and deduct an amount from your bet based on how far away you were from the winner's total.

Special rule: If you roll a nat 20 AND win, you automatically win the Sabacc pot (bonus cash for having an amazing hand) which we'll say is however much you would have won x10.

The Twi'Lek shoves 10,000 credit chips to the center of the board. As she reaches over the table, she ensures you get a full look at her ample, half-naked bosom.

The Nikto grunts and pushes 7k over to the center. She goes for the wink again.

The Quarren puts 12k out, while the Human sets a mere 6k in the center.

The Droid pipes up, "What's your bet sir?"

[Major]

"I see." Kelaeon says with a nod, "Well let's start with a tour of these hidden passageways and weapons."

[Philistine]

Graff barely looks at the screens. With a nod to Staen and Ice, he peels off almost immediately after they cross the threshold and makes his way toward Discourse. There he orders a Correllian brandy with mint and slides into an empty booth.

[Binks]

Kajc smiles in appreciation of the warm welcome of his fellow players. When his bet comes up he pushes a small stack of chips, 7K, into the center. "This should be fun, been too long since I got to play Sabaac." he says with a smile.

Wisdom: [roll0]

Is there a min/max bet at this table? And can I do any kind of appraisal of my fellow players? A min of 5K and the human betting 6 is a lot more interesting than a min of 1K and the human betting 6.

[Noedig]

When the Mandolorian didn't answer immediately, Jarik got the distinct impression he was being smirked at from under the helmet.
"Heh, I'll take that as a no. Just as well I guess. Wouldn't be any fun otherwise. I'll head over to the Coliseum and see about getin' a match set up. See ya round, soldier."

Jarik turned and headed back to the aircar, tossing a farewell wave to the Mandalorian as he did so. He plugged in the coordinates for the coliseum and pulled out his comlink as the car took off.

"Shep? This is Yidsa. You somewhere private? We need to talk."

[Thundercracker]

Ice (Oek)

Ice glances around at the competition quickly, then antes up a thousand credits.

"Here's to dumb luck," he says.

[Lucretia]

Tuljei nodded and followed Bao's lead. "Does something special happen at sunrise?" she asked with genuine curiosity. If it was something that could be used to further the mission, she'd love to know. "And this place we're going, it wouldn't happen to be in a casino, would it? Those are always so loud, and I've got a serial streak of unluckiness."

[Felhammer]

Kel: Hidden Passages. East side? North Side? Right below you. Chose this seat for specific reason. Small hatch, leads to service tunnel, leads to secret Airflow car.

Staen: Minimum 5k bet.

The Droid says, "New player shows hand first. You reveal a so-so hand.

The Twi'Lek throws her cards down in disgust, "Stoopa game."

The silent human casually sets his cards down, revealing a slightly better hand than Staen's.

The Quarren laughs, "HA! You karking karks! I won! Ha!"

"Not so fast big boy!" The Nikto leans over, trying to flash off her moderately sized bosom to Staen, "I have a much better hand! I WON! YES!"

The Quarren throws his cards at the droid dealer, "You got lucky poodoo!"

The Nikto glares at the Quarren as she collects her winnings.

You lost by 9, so you loose half your stake.

"New hand, please place bets."

The Nikto female says, "The name's Winner, hun." as she winks at Staen. "I'll be 10k!"

The Twi'Lek shoves 12k into the kitty, Obviously not to be outdone, the Twi'lek shoves 12k creds into the kitty and says, "Call me Kala, cutie."

The Quarren groans as he puts 5k up, the Human bets 6k again.





Ice
You roll a nat 20!!!

The droid asks to see your hand first and you reveal a stellar hand. The other 3 groan as they simply chuck their cards at the dealer.

The Dealer tallies up the totals and says, "You have won 55,000 credits."

The Dev yells, "YOU PLAY AGAIN! I want that money!" The Wookiee grunts in agreement.

"I too would like a chance to recoup some of my losses, good sir."


Jarik:
As you leave the Mando calls back, "Go to your ship, arm yourself and go to the Gladiatorial arena. The guards will not stop you."

Where are you going in the car?

Graff: The Discourse bar is very crowded. As you peer through the glass windows, you see most of the people look jovial. No one is at the bar, the Human barkeep is busy cleaning glasses. You spy a handsome Zeltron drinking by himself.He looks slightly depressed.

Lilly:Bao takes the wheel and begins to drive. You'll like this restaurant good food, good vibe and immaculate sunrises once every rotation. So..." He hesitates before beginning, "You want to tell me about the Mando?"

[Lucretia]

She gulped and looked around. "The Promenade had so many people, I was swept up, right, like I was back on Zeltros, because we're always so swamped with people, yeah, and then I was looking for the way to my hotel, because this Saurian told me where to go, but I got in the wrong tube, because there were this ugly furry beasts in my way and I couldn't breathe with all their dandruff hanging in the air like a miasma, naturally, so I was trying to get into a tube, and this Rodian pushed me out of the way, probably trying to pick my pockets or cop a feel or something, and I was so distraught that I took the first thing in front of me, which wasn't to the hotel at all, right, it was to this stupid place that was really dark and I was really scared but there was this droid, and it was all 'you are under arrest' and then the Mando was all 'oh yeah, eat blaster sleemo,' excuse my language, and so I was all watching and then he turned and he shot at me in the dark but he missed and hit the glass of the tube so I got out of there because getting shot is not part of the vacation plan and do you know how hard it is to find a boyfriend if you've got a hole in your face?" She paused to take a few breaths.

"And I have no idea where I was but I was thinking maybe you could trace where I was but I don't know if your security system works that way, because that would be really useful for a place like this and then maybe you could find the Mandalorian and punch him in his stupid face until he was all bleeding because Mandalorians are a bunch of reckless louts." She exhaled sharply and nodded, having completed her story. Tuljei was fond of speaking in large bursts, it would seem.

"But on a happier note, I'm very excited to see this restaurant. But I can't take your money for the meal, we've only just met and you're already doing me such a favor, showing me around. It would be so rude!"

[Major]

"Any thing that will get us from the docking bays to the casino with the High Roller Sabaac tables?" Kelaeon ask.

Backreading don't see a name for the docking bay so not sure what to call it.

[Noedig]

After deciding he didn't give a kark about whether or not gladiators could use personal gear, Jarik changed coordinates mid flight and had the car swing by where the Red Dawn was parked. He stepped out of the car and swept his gazenacross the bay, looking for the Dawn and a mechanic or two.

[Thundercracker]

Ice
Ice fluffs up his feathers even has he inwardly groans.

"Surely can boys, but I gots me a date with a gladiator match in forty five minutes, so that's how long y'all got," he says.

Ice matches the highest bet of the other players until he loses half his winnings or forty minutes passes.

[Felhammer]

Lilly As you complete your gigantic, massive, small-moon-sized run-on sentence Bao slams hard on the accelerator, whips out his com and yells, "This is a CODE RED! I repeat CODE RED! We have an armed Mandalorian inside the station He has shot at civilians, repeat, he has shot at civilians. He was last seen in the old Imperial Docks. I want a commando team up there, stat. I also want security checks at the entrances and exists of all Casinos AND when ever people hop on or off the airflow cars!"

A cackled, slightly distorted woman responds, "Sir, can you repeat? A Code Red?"

"Yes I said Code Red. We have a murderer, or at least a potential murderer on board."

Bao removes the comm and tosses it in the backseat, "Sorry you had to see that my dear. Security is very tight at the moment. We're expecting an influential guest tomorrow and I don't want any unwanted incidents to mar his visit. I hope you understand. We'll get this sleemo and make sure he pays for putting you in harms way."


KelDocking Bay 64 to the big casinos. No direct connection. Secret Airflow Tunnel marked Alpha 28 does travel within 20 meters both locations.

Jarik: As you walk into Docking Bay 64, you are immediately beset by 12 powerful looking droids. They stare down at you in ominous silence. A small Goatal, from well behind the Droids calls out, "Sir, we're currently under a Code Red Alert. No one is allowed to go to their ships for any reason. Apparently, there's a Mandalorian murderer on board and the higher ups want to ensure he is captured before tomorrow morning. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Ice You participate in 20 more hands of sabacc. You prove quite lucky and successful. You win the Sabacc pot once and managed to fleece the Caamisi for about 20 grand in just 1 hand. So frustrated and angry was the Dev that he actually yelled, "I WILL KILL YOU!" His comments were overheard by 3 Mandallian Giants, who promptly drag the Devronian outside and beat the tar out of him.

[Major]

Kelaeon nodded, "That's even better." He says with a smirk. It would allow movement without giving away the objectives. "Let me see that tunnel first."

[Thundercracker]

Ice
"Better luck next time boys," Ice says as he gathers up his chips and drops the dealer a 500 credit tip, "I'll be here for another two weeks if y'all wanna have another go," he says.

Before he leaves the table, he'll signal to a pit boss (or whatever the equivalent is at the casino).

"Does this here establishment have any extra security? I've had a grand ol' time, but that fella back there just threatened to kill me, and I'm a bit worried 'bout my safety, bein' a tiny critter and all," he says.

Later, when he arrives at the arena, he will seek to upgrade his ticket from a 100 credit to 300 credit variety.

[Noedig]

Jarik threw up his hands in annoyance.

"Karking brilliant. Can't get my kit, and I ain't fighting with someone else's. Guess my gladiatorial debut will have to wait. Fantastic. Sith spawned Mandos. 'Scuse me while I go find and throttle him."

He did a heel turn and hopped back into the air car. He punched in the coordinates for the Docks and headed back that way full speed. With luck he'd reach the docks first.

[Felhammer]

Jarik: As you walk off, the Gotal sulks up to you, "You said you want to be a Gladiator but you need your kit? I could make that happen if you, ah, make it worth my while..."

Ice: The short, dopey Snivvian pitboss calls over two azure blue VH-series battle droids (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/YVH-series_battle_droid). These here Droids will-ah see you out of this place Mr. Oek. They'll provide security for you for the next 12 hours, at which time you will have to rent their services for continued protection.

KelYour new companion bends down near your feet. He pops a magnetic seal and opens a hatch. He jumps down into a dark and cold service tunnel. You look around the catina and, quite to your surprise, no one seems to be taking note of such an odd occurrence. "Tunnel designed for Maintenance. Almost complete forgotten over the last 100 years." You walk together for nearly 100 meters before bumping into the outer edge of an Airflow tube. "This is the secret tube."

[Thundercracker]

Ice
"Whoa! I mean uhh... thankee kindly," Ice replies.

"How much is the rental fee?" he asks, packing away his chips.

[Felhammer]

Ice: Fer both of 'em... I'd say about 500 an hour or 5 thousand for 12 hours. I have some Herglics that are much cheaper, three of 'em would cost you just 1k for 24 hour protection.

[Thundercracker]

Ice
"Okay, we'll talk in about 12 hours then, Ice replies. He exchanges comm IDs with the pit boss and converts his chips to credits, then makes his way to the arena.

[Major]

Kelaeon looks at the airflow tube impressed, "And what's to stop people from noticing me popping out of walls and floors? Won't that attract attention?" He ask stepping into the airflow car. "Let's head to the casino."

[Binks]

Kajc slides a slightly smaller pile of chips into the table with a chuckle, 6K in total. "Congratulations." he says to the winner before turning to address the whole table. "Soo...what brings all of you to this fine station?"

Wisdom: [roll0]

[Noedig]

"Fine. How much? I don't intend to make a scene or nothin'. Just need to get a couple of bags and take them to the Coliseum."

[Felhammer]

Kel: You sneak aboard the secret airflow car and jet off to the casino. You climb out of the tube, walk through a service tunnel and pop out onto the street through a hidden hatch. "We have arrived." The streets are full of imposing security officials, armed with batons and raw brawn. They appear to be securing the area. As per usual, the Givin clouds the weak minds of those around you, allowing you to walk around unimpeded.

Staen: The women laugh and say "Credits" in unison. The others around the table nod in agreement. Each places a bet, the Quarren cakcles as he reveals a stellar hand! The Nikto gets up and snags 2 Corellian Sunrises from the bar. She sits down and slides one over to you, with a smile she says, "It reminded me of you. Deep, emotional, beautiful."

The Twi'Lek groans as she puts up 6k for the next bet. The Quarren 20k, the Human 6k and the Nikto 7k.

Jarik, The Snivian looks around before whipsering, "7k will get you to your ship. 7k will get you out without an inspection."

Ice: As you arrive at the Arena, you see a riotous crowd out front the entrance. Above the crowd, on a giant holo projector, is the Administrator of the Wheel is saying that all matches have been canceled due to the security breech. He also says a 20k reward has been placed on a Mandalorian's head.

[Lucretia]

Dr. Burke looked shocked. "Wait, I was in an old shipyard?! We can't go to dinner, I need to go to a hospital immediately, do you know where the nearest one is? And do you know how many contaminants there are in shipyards? All the thermal plating can create asbestos dust, you can have silicate fibers floating in the air, the dust can be full of corrosive agents that can just lie dormant for ages, like, how old was this shipyard?! We'll have to miss the sunrise, I already feel faint, has my color deepened, am I a darker red? Or perhaps I've turned purple? If it's purple it's a blood disorder, those are very bad, it would be a lack of oxygen because the fibers in my lungs are constricting air flow and not allowing the hemoglobin in me to actually bond, and if I'm a deeper red then that's probably an iron overload caused by particulates in the air, which would naturally mean that I've only got hours to live, hours unless I can filter out my blood completely, and that would require a proper vacuuming system and a droid to inject clean blood in -- and that's presuming my lungs don't explode because of the thick particulates inducing a pleural effusion!

"Oh my goddess, and if I've got an orange tint to me my liver is shutting down and that means one of the corrosive agents has already acted on my hepatic vein, which would show as jaundice, are my eyes yellowing? Why didn't you tell me I was in an old shipyard earlier! Oh my goddess, you haven't reacted, it's bad isn't it, I'm turning brown! That can only mean one thing, I've got a rare contagion, probably something some swarthy sailorman had on a ship from some rare planet, probably from sampling local prostitutes because that's why sailormen do, they go and they have prostitutes on places like Verpine and Geonosis and Naboo and then they cough and they sneeze and there's a paper on the mildly mutagenic properties of hyperspace and oh my goddess if I weren't dying I could get this published!"

Tuljei took a moment to pant, eyes wide, one hand gripping whatever handle she could, the other clenched on Bao's arm. "Deep breaths, Tuljei, if it's a blood disease, increased pulmonary and cardiac activity will hasten your death, we need to calm down, slow the heart rate, Bao's going to take care of us, just breathe damnit!"

Lillian waited to see how Bao reacted -- probably with panic, that was a proper response to that sort of string -- but also to see what his answer was concerning how he knew she was at the old Imperial shipyards. She'd warned Staen, or at least she'd tried to, so with any luck the rest of the team wouldn't get caught in the crossfire, but if there was a security system in place that could simultaneously track all the hundred thousand plus civilians on board, this would be the sort of thing everyone would need to know about. Stealth was a lot harder when you couldn't hide.

[Thundercracker]

Ice
Ice sighs at the cancelled match; he really wanted to see the Jedi in action. He'll send an audio recording of the announcement to the others via comlink. Once that's complete, he'll attempt to find a clothing store to purchase some formal wear with the intent of returning to the Grand Casino.

A smart looking tux and a pair of security droids ought to improve his chances...

[Major]

Kelaeon frowns as he watches the Givin. The Jedi was actually useful which meant that he wouldn't be able to just dump the guy and do things without him. "Can you sense loyalties and intents too? I need to find specific people." He ask casually.

[Philistine]

Graff turns and surveys the interior of the bar with a frown. He'd been drawn here by the quiet, but if there's no place to sit down- maybe the Cantina? Or the beach place, even.

[Binks]

Staen smiles as the drink is placed in front of him and takes a sip politely. "Delightful." he says as he pushes his next bet into the center of the table, 7K again.

How much did I lose from the last hand?
Wisdom: [roll0]

[Felhammer]

Lilly: -33

Bao stops the car and pulls off to the side of the tube. He looks into your eyes. His tanned skin is a bit flush, his pupils dilated in the dim light of the tube. He says, "The Station's computer has an advanced AI that allows it to track thousands of people at once. I put a tracer on you, if only to ensure you were getting along ok. I know you aren't who you say you are. You obviously work for some large corporation, perhaps Czerka or Industrial Automaton. Your name is obviously not Ms. Burke. But, you know what? I don't care. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met and I will do everything in my power to help you."

Bao turns the car back on and begins to drive again.

Ice: 00

You find a nice little shop owned by an old Rodian tailor. The shop is filled with all different kinds of clothing, from formal wear to casual wear. All of the fabrics look expensive. He greets you warmly with a nod and a smile (or at least what passes as a Rodian smile), "Greetings good sir. How may this humble tailor aid you?"

Staen: -30

You lost half your stake.

The human slides 6k to the center of the board.

The Twi'Lek sighs, "Gotta go find some rich idiot to fleece some extra creds off. Catch you later Chissy."

The Nikto slides closer to you, "My name is Cala Ferron, I'm from Ord Sedra. Where are you from big buy?"

She then nudges 5k towards the dealer.

The Quarren plops 10k worth of credits in the center of the table, laughing maniacally as he does so.

Ord Sedra is a planet in the Clacis sector, the sector that Moff Callron (whose agents you are to meet here on the wheel) governs.




Graff: -30

A very attractive blue Twi'Lek female wearing a skimpy black dress walks up to you. She grasps and snuggles your arm and says, "Let's get a drink, hunk."

[Felhammer]

Kel -25

The Givin looks at you square in the face, "Difficult but not impossible. Should I find the one you seek?"

[Lucretia]

"Of course I'm not Ms. Burke, I'm Dr. Burke. Deep breath Tuljei." Breathing through her nose, Tuljei's lungs stuttered in and out, the perfect picture of barely contained fear. "We can t-talk about your mistrust a-after you answer a few diagn-nostic questions. W-what color is my skin, a-at the moment?"

A tracer? This outfit didn't have pockets so she hadn't anticipated needing to check -- she'd do a once-over of the cloak later, but if it had been on her dress before, switching them out should have sufficed. She made a mental note to check her first dress before they took off.

Why did he think she was from Czerka or Industrial Automation? Perhaps it was something to do with the cloth, or this advanced AI thing. Still, if it required a tracer to identify specific individuals... Lillian thoroughly wished she'd been informed of an omniscient droid controller before the mission had commenced. There were stealth systems that could scramble electronic means of viewing and identifying, which she doubted would be on the Wheel (for obvious reasons). She had a surveillance detector, but that didn't prevent cameras from seeing you -- just allowed you to see them.

She waited for Bao to speak, weighing her options and determining her next move accordingly.

[Felhammer]

Lilly-32

Dr. Burke?" He laughs, "I'm sorry but you are not a doctor, or at least that's not your main job. There's no way a spaceline would send such a heavily armed ship. You are a corporate spy or at least an agent. You're definitely here on a covert mission. You know Czerka is gearing up to sell arms to the Alliance. You have to be here for that, why else would such an amazing woman such as yourself come to the Wheel. You have to be careful Dr. Burke. There's a war coming to this station. I want, no, I need you to be safe..."

[Lucretia]

"I can show you my doctorate after you answer my questions so that I stop thinking my lungs or heart are about to explode! If you need me to be safe then you could at least give me, like, a mirror or something so I can answer the questions you're unwilling to!"

[Felhammer]

Lilly -32

Sounding a note of caution, Bao says "There's a mirror in the glove compartment."

[Lucretia]

Tuljei opened the glove compartment to take out the mirror, lifting her eyelids and checking the vein color and width, investigating her skin tone, looking into her mouth to determine the color and size of her tongue.

Czerka is preparing to arm the Alliance, are they? Hmm... if Darth Krayt knew that, the One Sith might crush Czerka on behalf of the True Empire, using the strength of one foe against the other. She needed to speak with the rest of the team before she could begin to consider that, however -- acting in this manner, in a way that was potentially treasonous, needed some sort of safety net. Lillian's devotion was still to the True Emperor. No one could question that successfully.

"And if you must know, I'm technically a sociologist, but I do have a medical degree as well," she added with a slightly sour look on her face. "It doesn't appear I'm exhibiting any advanced signs of rapid cell death or pulmonary embolism, those signs being my being dead, and my skin hasn't changed color. I fear I'm running a slight fever, but that should be treatable without any extensive surgery, thank the goddess." Exhaling and rubbing her eyes, she 'punched' Bao in the arm, nothing more than a playful tap. "You should have told me my mascara was getting a little runny, though! Goddess, I look like a mess now."

[Felhammer]

Lilly-32

Bao smiles, "Well now that the crisis has been averted, I say you tell me who you really are and what Czerka needs. Sith agents litter this station. They know the deal is going to be made tomorrow. I want to help the Alliance. Tell me what I can do to help you."

[Lucretia]

"Bao, let's say I was a member of the Alliance, here to make sure the prototype missile Czerka's prepared and the crates of materiel they've been preparing on the station are transferred safely. How would I know to trust you? You've already admitted to planting a tracer on me, you keep questioning my abilities as a doctor, you just said there are Sith agents everywhere, so...?"

[Felhammer]

Lilly-32

Bao's eyes light up as you reveal a portion of your plan, You can trust me Dr. Burke. I traced you by lacing my card with a unique pheromone the computer was able to track. There's an old secret Airflow tunnel that goes from the Old Imperial Docks to the large freighter Docking Bay. You could use the tunnel to smuggle the missiles to the Alliance with ease. The Sith are every where but not in the Security Forces. We're clean."

[Lucretia]

Tuljei rubbed her eyes and sighed. "I'm not saying I'm an Alliance member, mind you. That's entirely speculation at this point. But after we stop by the hospital and get me a round of antibiotics, would dinner still be out of the question? I think that sunrise might be a really nice thing to witness. Seems... auspicious, if that makes sense."

[Felhammer]

Lilly: -32

Bao smiles, "There's a small urgent care clinic up the way. Tell them I sent you and they will put you at the front of the line."

The car comes to a stop near a large building with the picture of a Bacta tank emblazoned on it. The streets are mostly quiet, with the occasional security droid marching about.

"I will wait out here."

[Lucretia]

She smiled and got out, moving towards the urgent care. Once inside she'd tell whoever was manning the desk that Bao had sent her, and that she was under the impression she'd be running a fever shortly, and that she'd need a dose of anti-biotic in order to stymie the affliction early on.

[Thundercracker]

Ice

"I'm lookin' to get into the Grand Casino, but they're a turnin' everyone away what ain't wearing fancy threads," Ice replies, "I'm thinkin' you can help me with my problem, and if things go well, then there just might be some repeat business in it for you. I got lotsa friends."

haggle down the price if it's over 800 credits

[Philistine]

Graff looks down with a smile. "Well, whaddya know? I was just lookin' for a drink. What's your poison?" He raps his knuckles on the bar to draw the bartender over. "I should tell ya, though, I got a girl back in Crescent City. You know how fiery Corellian girls are? Well, she probably won't kill me for sharing a couple of drinks and some friendly conversation with a pretty lady such as yourself," he pauses, raising an eyebrow for emphasis. "Probably. But I'm afraid anything else would put my Rina to the trouble of figuring out how to dump my body, and that'd be awfully rude of me, doncha think?"

[Major]

Kelaeon nods, "I'm seeking someone who bets low at the high roller tables. Someone who is mostly here for a meeting not to win. They probably will lack concern for the game."

[Binks]

Did my fake id come with a fake homeworld? If so assume I said that instead of the following.
Staen nods politely to the departing Twi'lek before turning to the Nikto who has moved closer. "Kajc Shepard, born and raised on Csilla. Nice place if a bit stuffy, and I'm not talking about the weather." he says with a smile and a chuckle as he goes through the motions of playing the hand of Sabaac.

Ord Sedra. Clacis sector. Moff Callron's territory. And he's betting relatively low at a high roller table...most interesting. Perhaps we won't need to wait until tomorrow morning to find our contact after all...

[Noedig]

Jarik shook his head.

"Sorry pal. Fourteen thousand cred kills my paycheck for this fight. I'll call my manager and I'll just have to reschedule. Karking Mando. You guys found him yet?"

[Felhammer]

Really busy today, sorry for the shorter than average posts.

Lilly: -29 You walk in, tell the urgent care center, tell the receptionist that you are here with Bao and they immediately usher you into a treatment room. The room is full of medical supplies, a small bacta tank and a medical droid.

"How are you this morning sentient? How may I assist you?"

Ice+1

The old man looks you over, "I think I have some exotic fabrics from the Chiss Homeworld. I could whip you up a nice suit for 5 thousand. If that is too ritzy, I could get you the latest fashion from Coruscant for 800.

Jarik: -15

The Snivian laughs, "Too pricy, eh? How about 7k total?"

Graff -25

The Twilek snuggles you arm, firmly pressing her ample bosom against your bicep, "Honey, your girl back home will never hear of me as long as you don't mention me. I'm here on vacation from Ryl. I want to have some fun with the hunkiest man in the casino. And you," She bites her lower lip, "are perfect."

The Bartender walks over and the Twi'Lek says, "I'll have a big twin pronged Muja Wine, heavy on the extra Muja"


Kel-23

The Givin calms himself as he uses the force to search out the local area for the person you are looking for. "Ah, she is inside the Crimson Casino. She is currently flirting... There emotions of the people inside are over whelming. I cannot give your more unless we go inside.

Staen: -25
Cala looks into your eyes and smiles, "I've been to your homeworld. Too cold for my tastes. I like to just spread out in the sun. The cold is not comfortable. If I had a big strong man to hold me... I think I could get used to it..."

The dealer hands out the cards. Cala takes a peak at your hand and says, "Looks like you won baby."

You look at your cards and realize you have a great hand.

The other players groan.

The dealer slides 10 thousand credits over to you.

[Major]

With a roll of his eyes he nods, "Ugh, alright, fine." Kelaeon says, "Really? She's flirting?" He ask wondering what the Moff's agent was doing.

[Binks]

"I suppose it's just a matter of adapting. I doubt I'd be that comfortable there at this point, I've been away for quite a while." Staen says with a smile as he collects his credits and slides a bet into the table for the next hand, 6.5K credits.

Turning to the Nikto Staen casually speaks, even as his mind races inside.. "Ord Sedra...that's Clacis sector right? I think I might have made a run out there once...been a while so I could be mistaken. What's the place like again?" he says, trying to figure out a means of determining securely if the Nikto is the contact.

If we get to the next hand: Wisdom [roll0]
Can I try a perception check on the Nikto to see if he's giving any indications he might be the contact, or that he might want to speak somewhere else?
Perception: [roll1]

[Noedig]

Jarik gave the Snivian a wolfish grin.

"Well I'm glad you're willing to negotiate. I can swing seven, but what's to say I won't be spaced as soon as I leave the hangar? I'd need temporary authorization to carry weapons to the coliseum or something, else I'm karked."

[Thundercracker]

Ice
"Latest fashion should do," Ice replies, "I'm hopin' these here droids will do the rest of the convincin'."

He gestures to the two security droids standing behind him.

[Felhammer]

Kel: -20

The casino is as opulent outside as it is inside. Marble statues of famous individuals from galactic history, from Zane Carrick, to Revan, to Lord Hoth, to Yoda, to Palpatine, to Darth Vader, to Luke Skywalker, to Jacen Solo, to Darth Krayt. Each of the statues' pedestals have miniature holo vids, showing re-enactments of important moments in each persons' life. The walls and impressively large dome of the casino are bright pink with massive globular balls that float about like air bubbles in a bottle filled with a liquid. Lining the walls, spaced about every 8 meters, is a massive, hulking Mandallian Giant. Each surveys the casino to ensure nothing goes awry.


As you look around you see that there are Lugjack machines, sabacc tables, Denebian Holochess boards and holo vids. There are also four bars, each with a different theme, "Nightlife" resembled a dance house, "Cantina" resembled a traditional watering hole complete with Both music, "Tropical" which resembles a beach side resort (complete with half naked Zeltron and Twi'Lek women), and "Discourse" which was full of private, walled off booths.

You immediately spot Staen cozying up to a woman at a Sabaac table while Graff and Ice are no where to be seen. The Given walks around a bit but lingers in front of the statue of Darth Krayt for a moment before continuing his walk. He then turns to you and says, "Female Nikto next to the Chiss Male is whom you seek."


Staen: -20

Ord Sedra? Eh, it's a planet that was conquered by the Vong, then liverated by the Imperial Remnant. It used to be one of the great port world out in that area of space before the Vong. Before the Sith war, the Imperials were pumping money into rehabilitating the world and making it a prosperous port once again. Lots of new construction. It's becoming quite the valuable little world."


Jarik: -14

The Snivian laughs, "No promises but you can watch me send the other guards off on some wild batha egg chase if you want. I'm not going to stop a wealthy man like yourself from doing what he likes. Far be it for me to question what you want to do with weapons and armor. So long as I get paid in advance, I couldn't care less."

Ice: +2

The tailor motions for a hover droid to float over and scan you, "Just need to get your measurements. A blue light cascades across your body as the hover droid slowly measures every inch of your frame. The droid dings, indicating that it is done.

The tailor pulls up the info on his datapad. Looking it over he says, "We don't get many people with your build and shape in here. Mostly humans, sadly. It will take me 20 minutes to create your outfit.

[Thundercracker]

Ice
Once the outfit is complete, Ice will change and hand the bag containing his old clothes to one of the droids, then make his way to the Grand Casino.

[Major]

Kelaeon nods as he moves closer trying to see if the woman had a drink yet and if so what.

[Felhammer]

Ice: You make your way to the Grand Casino, there is a sprawling cros out front that's gathered to witness a man. It takes you a few minutes to maneuver your way through the bustling crowd. As you near the front steaps of the Casino, you see a Sith - the same Sith whom you fought on the Broadsword - hoisting a Besalisk's decapitated head into the air and declaring, "THE SITH DO NOT SUFFER SPIES, TRAITORS OR REBELS! THIS MAN WAS FOUND GUILTY OF BEING ALL THREE." Two stormtroppers kick the headless body down the steps, the fat, giggling, four armed corpse comes to rest a few meters away from you. The cooked meat smell of cauterized flesh wafts in the air. "WE WILL KILL ANY AND ALL WHO ARE LIKE THIS... BEAST!"

Kel: The Nikto female is just finishing off a Corellian Sunrise.

[Philistine]

"Perfect, huh? That's always nice to hear," Graff says, smile widening slightly. "I suppose there's no harm in sitting down for a drink and a chat. And if it comes to that, Rina can only kill me once, right? It's not like she's a Sith or something - even if I never can seem to keep anything secret from her. You know, if we were to make this a trip worth dyin' for," he finishes with a wink.

[Noedig]

Jarik scratched under his chin and though the matter over for a moment.

"A bantha chase might be worth watching. How long of a walk is it from the aircar to where the fighters bunk? I assume it's attached to the Coliseum? The fight was scheduled before I got on the Wheel, and this is my first time here."

[Major]

"Thanks, stay here and watch for trouble..." Kelaeon says moving over to the table the Nikto was at. "Mind if I join in?" He ask as he looks for a server and request a Corellian Brandy with mint. After he makes his order he tries to make eye contact with the Nikto female.

[Thundercracker]

Ice
Ice stops dead for a moment, at least three thoughts smashing into each other in his head. He then pulls out his holorecorder and starts filming, beginning with the body, then panning up to Mastigo to capture the rest of his monologue. He will stick with the crowd so as not to stand out too much.

[Binks]

"Sounds like a nice place." Staen says as he goes through the motions of finishing the current hand.

No indication of recognition that someone's interested in what sector they're from. Most likely a coincidence, but worth following up on later. he thinks as he waits for the hand to finish.

[Felhammer]

Kel + Staen: An annoyed look crosses the Nikto's face as the dashing young Human - known secretly as Kel - stands about, "Ugh, I hate guys like that. He's looking to see what I'm drinking so he can but me the same thing. Little does he know Humans hold no interest for me. Yet I attract them like Trandoshan Flies."

As Kel walks up, she groans.

The Droid Dealer states unequivocally, "You may join sir."

The Nikto rolls her eyes as she downs the last of her drink.



Graff: You don't need to worry about that little girl you left on Corellia. A real woman will take care of you tonight. She leans her head in and hangs her lips in front of yours for a few agonizing moments, "I always wished my name was Star. For tonight, you can call me that." Her breath is as intoxicating as her beauty. She shift her head and kisses you on the cheek as the Bartender delivers you drinks. Star takes a seductive sip and waits for a reply.

Ice: The Sith stands atop the stairs and proclaims, "All of you know full well, the great pains I've always taken never to be too strict, too rigid with the application of our laws. As a consequence, have we not learned to live together in relative peace and harmony? And this day's lawlessness is how you repay my leniency. Well you leave me with little choice. An assault on the Sith's soldiers is the same as an assault on the Darth Krayt himself. Forty Five people in this crowd will be culled as a fitting punishment for the insult this spy and coward has inflicted upon the One Sith."

Before the crowd can react, Darth Mastigo flings a cylinder into the mass of people. Suddenly, a Red Blade emerges from the Hilt. Using the force, Mastigo wills the blade around in a circle and tosses it about. Hordes of people lose limbs, unlucky few are sliced in half, or worse, are decapitated. The crowd tries to run away but the saber keeps pace. Ice distinctly sees some people trip, fall to the ground and are trampled by the mass of panicking people. Hundreds are injured, many die, all the while Darth Mastigo smiles like a child in a toy store.



Jarik: The Snivvian smiles, The tube goes directly to the arena. No one will question a fully armed man down there. It will take 10 minutes to get there. These paltry, weak minded, foolish men will be long gone by the time you emerge from your ship. Now, where's my money?"

[Major]

Kelaeon nods at the droid as he takes a spot at the table. He wasn't a fan of gambling, but it was his cover. He slides six thousand credits across the table and waits for the cards to be passed out.

As he glances around at the table, he was surprised to see Staen, but he made sure to not allow his face to show any recognition.


Gamble: [roll0]

[Thundercracker]

Ice
Ice scampers with the crowd, filming all the while and making sure to get a few shots of the body parts and of Mastigo grinning. As soon as he's away from the carnage, he'll find a nook somewhere and make a copy of the holorecording onto his datapad, then look for a computer terminal.

[Noedig]

Jarik grinned as he reached for his credit chit.

"Seven thousand, as agreed. Pleasure doing business. Send your buddies on that chase and we can get this over with. My gear is packed already, so I just need to collect it."

[Philistine]

""Star" you'll be, then, for tonight," Graff grins. "My friends mostly call me "Acklay" - my old callsign from the service. Let's grab a booth, sweet Star. I just docked, and I need to sit a minute and get myself in the right frame of mind to properly enjoy this evening."

[Felhammer]

Kel+ Staen: The quiet human sitting slouched in his chair with large oval sunglasses slides 6k into the center of the board. The Nikto, (named Cala) gives a wink to Staen as she pushes 5k - the minimum bet - to the center.

Kel: You hear a telepathic message, "Givins too good at math. Casinos don't like us. Say we cheat. Compared to humans, we do. Going to step outside to avoid unwanted attention. Rest assured, female Nikto is target. Send me a message when you leave.


Jarik: The Snivvian taps his comm and says, "I just heard a rumor that the Mandalorian is in section Alpha Pie Gamma 88-C-01!" He then looks over to the security forces in the docking bay, "I want all of you to go there. NOW! Kill this karking poodoo so I can go home and get some sleep, will ya?" The guards hustle out of to the end of the bay and pile into several cars, leaving the surrounding area completely unguarded save for the Snivvian.

He looks up to you and demands, "Money. Now."



Ice: The carnage is visceral and horrifying. A severed limb even drops onto your head. As you bob and weave through the crowd, you see a Givin standing in an adjoining alleyway. He motions for you to come.

Graff: Well, Acklay, you intrigue me. Most men I've met can't even talk straight when," she brushes her breast against your chest. It's warm, soft and very lovely, "I do that." She laughs. You are a good find. I am going to enjoy our, drink. She leans her head in close to your's; you almost loose yourself in her light brown/hazel eyes, "What do you say we go upstairs? I booked the penthouse. The balcony of the room is actually outside the station, enclosed in a bubble of glass. At this time of day, we'd see an amazing sunrise, or at least that's what I've been told." She smiles seductively, "Why don't I give you my key and you can meet me up there in, say, five minutes?"

She slides her key card into your pants pocket. As she does, she bites her lower lip and leans in, once again brushing her bosom against your chest.

She walks off to the elevator, not once looking back.

[Binks]

Staen smiles back at the Nikto as he pushes his bet into the table and nods to the newcomer, hiding any trace of recognition from his face.

"Welcome to the table." he says simply before glancing over to the Nikto's glass and briefly considering offering to get a replacement drink. Thinking over possible excuses and the current situation he elects to wait and see what happens for the moment and hold that possibility in reserve for the moment.

I'm assuming this is the same hand from earlier, so 6.5K cr and a 5 for Wisdom to gamble.

[Thundercracker]

Ice
"Lucky I'm short,"Ice thinks as the severed limb slides off his head.

He ducks into the alleyway with the Givin, panting for breath.

[Noedig]

Jarik transferred the funds over to the guard and gave him a sloppy salute as he walked to the Dawn. He made a beeline for his bunk where his gear was stashed in two black duffle bags. Their weight was familiar and comforting. He hurried back out of the Dawn and jogged to the aircar, giving the snivian a nod as he passed. Once inside the car he punched in his destination and waited for takeoff.

[Lucretia]

Tuljei informed the droid that she would require ten milligrams of an antibiotic, giving the long scientific name for an OTC, in addition to an antihistamine. She asks for them in a pill form, and then lists off the symptoms she has. Afterwards, she leans against the wall, careful not to slip in her high heels.

[Felhammer]

Staen + Kel The Dealer asks for a call. The Human reveals a poor hand, as do Kel and Staen. Cala, the pretty Nikto, reveals her hand with a coy grin, "Looks like I win again boys!"

She looks over at Staen, "So tell me Chissy, where are you headed after you leave this place?"

Both Kel and Staen do not loose any money.

Ice: The Givin ushers you deeper into the darkness of the alleyway, "Mrlssi. Avian species from the Tapani Sector. Renown thinkers and scholars. This specimen is not. Skills directed towards subterfuge and sabotage. Running from Sith. Filming Sith. Not with Sith. Species not known for being political. Did not join Alliance. Air of sophistication with clothing. Purchased recently. On station. Does not wear clothing well. Given or won money to afford it. Specimen is a working man. Very smart. Intriguing. Do you know Kel? Yes. Specimen works for Emperor in Exile. I am in alliance with Kel. We are allies. Mutual enemy in the Sith."

Jarik: As you hop into the car, you hear a horse female voice patch into your comm, "You found your armor easily. Did not expect the bribe. Not exactly the Mandalorian way but it was creative. I'm Jen. We've never met but I've had my eye on you since you chatted with my friend. The Arena has been shut down. Someone tipped the higher ups off that there was an armed Mando on board. You want to prove yourself to Mandalore, well I have a mission for you. See we have a problem with a few Stormtroopers. Be warned, they are alien stormies, lots of big hulking guys and gals - Talz, Trandoshans, Saurians, even a Herglic. Kill all of them, and take their helmets as proof of your victory."

Lilly: The medical droid fetches the medicines you need. And returns promptly, "Here is the medicine you requested Doctor. Please be careful, those shoes are not safe for long term use."

[Major]

Kelaeon nodded before the Givin left as he barely broke even with his cards. Gambling was definitely not his forte and based on how the lady and Staen were interacting he figured he might as well just watch for now. As he slide his money across the table again he tried to get a feel for the woman in the Force. He didn't trust Jedi and while she seemed like his target he wasn't going to risk giving anything away to someone else.


Use the Force: Search your feelings: Would this woman knowing who we were be a danger to the mission? (Sadly it can only detect danger so I gotta word it just right :P) [roll0]

Gamble: 6000 credits again
[roll1]

[Felhammer]

Kel: You get the feeling that she would not endanger your mission.

[Binks]

"Well that's a good question, I hadn't much considered it. Probably one of the restaurants, haven't eaten since I got in and the shuttle trip was pretty long. Any recommendations?" Staen asks as he leans back and smiles at the victory of the Nikto.

[Felhammer]

Kel + Ice "Well" She sheepishly looks at her winnings, then up to you, "How about we go find a quiet place and... You know."

[Thundercracker]

Ice
"Uh... sure, why not," he mutters, and follows the Givin.


Perception (sense motive): [roll0]

[Felhammer]

Ice: You get the feeling that he is telling the truth.

[Philistine]

That was fast. Very fast. Graff tosses back his drink as he watches "Star" go, then turns to the bartender. "Another Corellian brandy with mint for me, and another of those muja-whatever the lady had," he says, still smiling. "Hey, I don't suppose you know that gal? Like, is she a regular here, or a fresh face?" He taps a credit chip against the top of the bar.

[Major]

Kelaeon chuckled amused to himself though he didn't say anything. It looked like Staen had found the target and gotten to know her before he did. As such he had little else to do except go meet with the Givin and discuss other routes to make sure that if things got rough he could help his group. He wanted to assist with Staen of course, but knew that it would be suspicious and creepy if he got up and followed them.

Still, he wanted to be positive so he felt her out in the Force one final time as he played his hand.


Use the Force: Search Feelings (Final check, 'Will Staen be in danger if he leaves with her?')
[roll0]

[Lucretia]

Burke smiled and thanked the droid before heading back outside to Bao. Presuming he was there, Tuljei would wave and move to get back into the vehicle. "And now, dinner. Any word on the Mandalorian? To my knowledge they aren't particularly aligned with anyone that I might think is a worthwhile association, so making sure there aren't any hiccups would be most appreciated. But if you can't tell me, I understand -- I'm a measly doctor, after all!" She'd shoot him a smile as well.

"Thank you for your assistance in everything, Bao. You're a credit to the galaxy."

[Noedig]

A smile lit up Jarik's face when the woman's voice crackled over the comm. He'd get to have fun on this mission after all.

"I would've prefered to feed the little karker a kilo of detonite, but we don't always get what we want. So you want some stormies dead? I'm game, especially if they're Sith. I swore I'd make a mountain out of them, and it's time I got started. Where are they at?"