Darkest Before the Dawn (IC) (SW SAGA)

[Hydrospanner]

-->In these Dark Times, this is the dawning of the Rebellion<--

In the wake of the Emperor's rise to overwhelming power, resistance to his rule quickly began to form. The New Order works feverishly to stamp out rebellion anywhere it is found, and many of the Empire's opponents fear that a full-scale revolution will never come to pass. The most dedicated of the freedom fighters, however, realize it's often

DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN...

[Hydrospanner]

Act I
THE HEROES have all been summoned through various channels of communication to take part in a meeting of the underground resistance on BRENTAAL. Rumor has it that a figure of some importance will be proposing a plan to set up contact with other rebel groups, specifically those on Chandrila, Ralltiir, and Corellia, and agents will be needed to carry messages and documents to those groups.

Given their histories as proven opponents of the New Order, the heroes are prime candidates for this task. Each of the heroes arrived in Brentaal’s capitol of CORMUND over the course of a week, and they were finally notified of the meeting’s time and location late last night. They were to find MEGOR'S MARKET on the outskirts of the city and be there in time for the meeting at 18:30.

[Hydrospanner]

EXT. MEGOR’S MARKET, OUTSKIRTS OF CORMUND
Ceres, SID, and Silas all arrived at the designated location in the evening. Given their experience, it was unsurprising that they all chose to abandon their taxi services blocks away and make the final several minutes on foot. This district of Cormund was seedier than the gleaming city centers and plazas, but the humans and other beings making their ways down streets and alleys all kept their minds about their own business, hardly even glancing up as the strangers with offworld clothing and ambiguous baggage headed through a narrow alley, passed under an overhang, and emerged in the courtyard in front of Megor’s Market. The building was shabby but appeared of solid construction, with a plain façade and a dingy electric sign above the market’s main entryway, buzzing as it flickered “Least Processed Goods in Town.”

The sun was at a steep angle in the sky, casting long shadows off the surrounding structures. A small ship of some kind languished in the open courtyard. The courtyard must have been almost 30 meters across, with a few parked swoops and the ship occupying most of the space. In the entryway of Megor’s Market stood a slim, rugged-looking Togruta, dressed in a tailored silk shirt and white breeches, with a narrow bandolier crossing his chest. His gunbelt was fastened loosely about his waist, drooping on the side where his holstered blaster hung. Next to him, a Vultan of similar age leaned against the other side of the entryway; he wore dark pants and an open, sleeveless jacket, and he had blue tattoos arching up his muscled arms. The straps of a shoulder harness were visible beneath his jacket. As the heroes approached, the two exchanged a word between themselves and the Togruta stepped out to greet the heroes.

“How can we help you, gentlebeings? The Market is about to close; maybe you might come by again tomorrow?”

Ceres offered a smile and silently handed the Togruta a datacard. The striped alien retrieved a datapad from his belt and slotted in the chip, scanning through a file and glancing from Ceres to SID to Silas. His eyes seemed to grow a tiny bit wider. After a moment, he pulled out the datacard and returned a faint smile.

“It’s good to have you three. Let’s get inside.” He turned and ushered the three to follow him. “My name is Taavir Megor, and this is my brother, Dormel,” he said, motioning to the Vultan. “Our father runs this place. Shop up front, meetings around the side.”

INT. MEGOR’S MARKET, OUTSKIRTS OF CORMUND
Taavir led the three through the entranceway into the Market, and Dormel pulled a heavy grate down behind them, closing the entranceway. The interior of the Market was brightly lit with hanging light tubes, despite the remaining sunlight poking its rays past the other buildings outside.

Taavir led Ceres, SID, and Silas past the stands of mildly-processed foodstuffs and generic supplies, through another doorway and into a long hallway with three passages opening to the left. “The meeting is scheduled to start in less than ten minutes, but we’ll need to run some of your information to make sure we have everything cleared,” Taavir said. He spoke at an easy pace and betrayed no hint of deception. Dormel quietly brought up the rear, offering no additions to his brother’s comments, though the three visitors did not sense any ulterior motive in his body language. The facility was clean and relatively utilitarian, styled in grays and browns with paneling in Brentaalian wood.

At the third passageway they turned to the left and paused immediately around the corner, where Taavir punched a sequence into a keypad by a door. Down the hallway a few humans and a Twi’lek stood conversing outside another door, and one of them waved to Taavir, who responded with a loose salute. Then he entered a second sequence and the door slid open, revealing a small room with several computers, chairs, and a holoprojector. A pale-skinned Twi’lek sat in one of the chairs, scanning a stream of information on one of the computers. He chuckled at the group and waved them in.

“This is Sijen Megor, our third brother,” Taavir said. “He’ll have to ask you a few questions before you can go into the meeting in the dining hall. Feel free to take a seat, if you’d like,” and he motioned to the chairs in the room. “Dormel and I will make sure the Senator and his liaison have all the data feeds set up. I’ll have Romak or Barixta come fetch them in a minute or two, Taavir said to the Twi’lek. Then he and Dormel left the room and the door whooshed shut.

Sijen eyed Ceres, SID, and Silas. “Alright. Anyone carrying a datacard with that sort of encryption from the Chandrilan resistance must be the best they’ve got to send. We need to get a few specifics on each of you though. How did the three of you end up together? I assume you all know each other…”

[doko239]

Ceres isn't about to give her life story to some random meatbag she just met. She decides to play it safe... use just enough of the truth to avoid questions, but not enough to cause trouble later.

"We share a former employer." Ceres says, reclining in her chair and smiling slightly. "Things didn't work out, so we struck out on our own. We work well together... and if the creds are right, we'll work well with you too."

[Iron Victory]

SID remains standing, chairs were rarely built for quadrupeds like himself. The skeletal droid evaluates Sijen, four red lenses that form his eyes give the pale Twi-lek a sweep. His cold, durasteel fingers drum unconsciously on one of his spindly legs.

Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack.

Sid decided he did not care for this nosey Twi-lek. The Chandrilian encryption was proof enough, and in this line of work, the less others know about you, the better. If the Imperials picked these guys up, sooner or later, they would crack. That was the one thing in the galaxy SID knew beyond a doubt, everybody has a breaking point. His vocabulator hums to life as he replies in a deep, synthesized voice.

“We are siblings… is it not obvious?”

Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack.

[RandomLunatic]

Silas resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Not for the first time, he wished that he could fight the Empire without being constantly surrounded by droids.

"What they is tryin' to say is we is brothers in arms, united by a common hatred of the Empire an' everything it stands fer.

"Now how exactly is y'all brothers? Ah ain't seein' the family resemblance."

[Hydrospanner]

Sijen pressed his palms together, his elbows resting on the sides of a computer interface panel. His mood, which had previously been straightforward yet amicable, soured slightly at the replies from Ceres and SID.

Turning to Silas, he said, "True, there isn't much family resemblance between any of my brothers. Each of us was adopted by Finethwel Megor, the owner of this establishment. We all lost our parents to the Empire, one way or another; execution, kidnapping, arson..." Sijen trailed off. "So you might say we all have a particular vested interest in seeing the Empire's demise."

Sijen stood and stepped over to the holoprojector, fiddling with a control. Finally, he swiveled to face them again. "As for credits, I'm afraid we have precious few resources to be handing out. This meeting here tonight with a Corellian representative might buy us some financial leeway, but our stake in this fight has nothing to do with credits." He returned to his seat. "That being said, we support our operatives however possible, and some small stipend may be..."

Sijen trailed off once more, but this time instead of staring off into space, he seemed to be scrutinizing the computer screen where he was sitting. He tossed one of his lekku over the other shoulder and prodded the screen.

"That's strange...our comm network isn't registering. How could---"

He was interrupted by the deafening noise of an explosion somewhere incredibly close inside the structure. The walls of the small room shuddered and the ceiling lights snapped loose, dropping half a meter until they snagged on their power cables. Tiny alarms and glaring lights flared to life throughout the room. The shock wave was followed by the sounds of blaster fire, muted though they were through the walls. As SID and his compatriots steadied themselves, the door to the room opened and Dormel collapsed on the threshold, large burns searing his right side. Sijen leaped from his seat, pushing past Ceres to kneel next to Dormel, but the Vultan lay unresponsive on the floor. Then his head snapped up.

"The dining hall!" He pulled out his blaster pistol and rushed down the corridor to the left, and the sound of blaster bolts began anew.

OOC: You are all crammed into the room with the computers titled "Command Center." The door on the right-hand side of the room is standing open after Sijen ran off. We'll skip Initiative for now and let you do whatever you please, but I'll freeze the action as soon as you encounter any opposition...we'll give that a try :smallsmile: You can describe where you go either with simple directions or with an OOC reference to the square you're heading to.
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/5426/dininghallbaseforumized.jpg

[doko239]

"How rude." Ceres sighs, straightening her tunic. "Well, looks like it's time for us to go earn our keep. I'll scout this dining hall he mentioned. Silas, cover me."

With one lightning-fast flash of movement, Ceres draws her blaster pistols and heads for the door.

Ceres is going to sneak out the door to position CC:16, peeking around the crates and seeing what's in the hall. If it appears clear, she'll move forward to CC:11 and check out the dining hall.

Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

[RandomLunatic]

Silas tensed at the sound of blaster fire, his hand darting under his cloak and reappearing a moment later with a heavily cut-down DC-15S blaster. It was a custom piece he had lifted from a Clone Commando he shot on Duros and had held onto it ever since.

"Check 'im," he said to SID, gesturing sharply to the prone Vulten. Silas himself stepped up to the doorway to provide the droids with overwatch.

Basically, going to move up to the doorframe so I can look out while using the wall as cover.

Also, I am going to take a Perception check to try and get a general sense of where the blaster fire is coming from so I can be facing the right direction.
[roll0]

[RandomLunatic]

Oh wonderful. First roll of the game and it is a nat 1. Going to re-roll with Acute Senses.
[roll0]

[Iron Victory]

Already moving towards the downed Vultan, "Yes, yes, I'm on it." SID mutters as he crouches next to Dormel, retrieving a medical kit from his abdominal compartment. "This one is a bit fragile isn't he?" The droid plunges an overly large syringe into the injured man's chest, "I believe the heart of his species is 11 centimetres to the right of human standards... or was it 1.1?"

I'm going to try the "Revivify" action of the Treat Injury skill, then, if it succeeds (it fails if I don't hit a DC of 25) I'll perform "First Aid."

[can re-roll choose best result with Treat Injury]
Treat Injury: Revivify
[roll0]
[roll1] huh...

Treat Injury: First Aid
[roll2] [please consider this a 43, I stacked equipment bonuses...]
[roll3]

(Dormel heals (his character level+84) in Hit Points)

[Hydrospanner]

With one lightning-fast flash of movement, Ceres draws her blaster pistols and heads for the door.
Out in the hallway, Ceres couldn't see anyone or anything moving. Smoke was seeping from one of the doors further down the corridor on the left-hand side. As she moved past the hallway that opened to the left, she saw Sijen slumped against the wall further down that corridor, with a pair of stormtroopers sprawled at his feet.


"Check 'im," Silas said to SID, gesturing sharply to the prone Vulten. Silas himself stepped up to the doorway to provide the droids with overwatch.
Leaning against the right-hand doorjamb with a full view of the hallway, Silas watched as Ceres crept to the opening of the next corridor.


Already moving towards the downed Vultan, "Yes, yes, I'm on it." SID mutters as he crouches next to Dormel, retrieving a medical kit from his abdominal compartment. "This one is a bit fragile isn't he?" The droid plunges an overly large syringe into the injured man's chest, "I believe the heart of his species is 11 centimetres to the right of human standards... or was it 1.1?"
Dormel lay motionless for a moment, the syringe pumping into his chest. Tthen his eyes snapped open and his chest shuddered as he sucked in a great gulp of air. He tried to jerk away from the syringe, seemingly shocked to find a droid crouched over him.

"We're...we're blown...they've...they've...the meeting..." he gasped. His hands pushed at the syringe. "What're...what're you doing to me?" He tried to sit up. "I need..a blaster...where's...?"

Just to be clear, Sijen is slumped against the wall at S13.

[RandomLunatic]

"Easy," Silas said, crouching down alongside Dormel. "He's treatin' yer wound.

"Now listen; is the senator in tha dinin' hall?"

[doko239]

Silently, Ceres motions to Silas to check out Sijen's body, then moves on to the Dining Hall door.

Stealth: [roll0]

[Iron Victory]

The droid finishes applying anesthetic bacta foam to the Vultan's burned areas. There's a soft whirring noise as he retrieves his blaster pistol from its hidden compartment. Too bad it came to this... SID had never cared for guns. "You'll be fine, answer the man." he orders while peering around the corner.

Perception [Roll is in OOC]: 32

[Hydrospanner]

"Now listen; is the senator in tha dinin' hall?"

SID had never cared for guns. "You'll be fine, answer the man." he orders while peering around the corner.

With the needle out of his chest and the foam seeping into his burns, Dormel rubbed his forehead.

"Uhhh...senator? There's no...senator...just a representative from the Corellian resistance," Dormel said. "We were trying to secure some...funding," he groaned, gingerly propping himself up.

"It must have been some sort of bomb...the stormtroopers were in the room in a flash. They must be trying to clean out the room...we have to crash the systems and get out..."

MEANWHILE: Ceres reaches the door to the dining hall, which appears dented; smoke leaks from the seams at the top and sides of the door. The keypad by the door shows an error message on its tiny blue screen.

[RandomLunatic]

"How long ya need?" Silas asked, sorely wishing for a good thermal detonator or block of detonite right about now.

[doko239]

After a quick glance around to ensure she's not observed, Ceres holsters her right pistol and extends her Scomplink from her right index finger, interfacing with the doorlock mechanism.

"Open sesame"

Perception: [roll0]
Use Computer: [roll1]

[Hydrospanner]

"How long ya need?" Silas asked, sorely wishing for a good thermal detonator or block of detonite right about now.

"Uhhh....maybe a minute?" Dormel said, wincing. He hauled himself to his feet, checked himself, and set upon the computers.


SID had never cared for guns. "You'll be fine, answer the man." he orders while peering around the corner.
SID moved over to the other door in the small room, prodded the door mechanism, and the door lurched aside.

Leaning out into the hallway, to his right he saw Ceres move to the dining hall door and disappear around that corner. With a glance to his left, he saw Sijen slumped against the wall 6 or 7 meters down the corridor, facing another door into the dining hall, with the bodies of two stormtroopers sprawled at his feet. None of them appeared to move. He stepped gingerly over to the doorway diagonally across in the opposite wall, but the door was dented and sparks flashed out of the keypad several times. Around the corner, Ceres was preparing to jack into the rear door's controls.

From the direction of the marketplace, SID could hear faint noises, like armorplast striking a soft surface.


After a quick glance around to ensure she's not observed, Ceres holsters her right pistol and extends her Scomplink from her right index finger, interfacing with the doorlock mechanism.

"Open sesame"
At the door in the rear hallway, Ceres interfaced with the control pad next to the door, her internal mechanisms battling the lock parameters. Finally the screen on the keypad switched to red, blinking several times, and the servos in the wall groaned as they tugged the blasted door sideways into the wall.

So: Ceres opens the door at CC 10. SID was leaning out of the doorway at W 13, and sees Sijen against the wall at S 13; SID then moves up to the door at Y 12. Dormel is at the computer at Y 19, and Silas is leaning out of the doorway at CC 19.

As the door slides open, Ceres is met with a vision of carnage. The dining hall's curving tables were smashed apart and splintered throughout the room, and bits of red leather and metal from the various chairs littered the floor. The walls, which appeared to have been ornamented with carved wooden friezes, was scarred with blackened, charred streaks.

Centered in the room, but a bit closer to the large double door in the opposite wall, a blast mark had shaken the metal-plated permacrete floor, but most of the blast must have spread up into the room. The floor's original color was entirely burned away, and everything was seared with black. Bodies lay draped over broken segments of table and against the walls, some in more recognizable condition than others.

At the other side of the room, an Imperial officer and four stromtroopers stood over two humanoid forms; one appeared to be a Togruta and the other a human. One of the stormtroopers had his blaster rifle slung across his back and was holding one of the human's wrists, lifting him off the ground so he could strike him in the head with the other armored fist.

The other three white-clad troopers were most likely supposed to be keeping watch, but they instead seemed to focus on the two captives at their feet. The officer was shouting questions at the human, demanding to know how many contacts he had in the city. The man mumbled incoherently, and none of them seemed to notice that the door had shuddered open until it scraped its last inches into the wall. Then each of the troopers spun to face the opening, and the one even dropped the man's arm, letting him slump to the ground. The officer looked stunned to see an alluring woman standing in the doorway.

Doko, surprise round goes to you. Toss me an Initiative check and we're off to the races. The four troopers stand at Q6, R7, S7, and S8, while the officer stands at Q8, slightly behind one of his troopers. The captives lay on the ground at R8.

Basically the entire room is difficult terrain (double movt. cost), and the long curvy tables are basically where they appear on the map, but broken and sometimes overturned.

And I'd like to update the map with icons to represent everyone, but that'll definitely have to be a tomorrow thing...

[doko239]

"Now that's not very nice... pick on someone your own size."

Initiative: [roll0]

I forget what kinds of actions we have available in the surprise round, and I don't have my books handy. If possible, I'll pull my other pistol and make a full-attack on the Officer. If not, I'll make a single attack on the Officer and 5-foot step behind the wall.

[doko239]

Bah, dice roller mucked up:

Initiative: [roll0]

[doko239]

Third time's the charm :smallconfused:

Initiative: [roll0]

Edit: figures...

[doko239]

Ceres will fire off a single shot at the Officer during the surprise round:

Blaster Pistol (Rapid Shot): [roll0] for [roll1] damage.

[Iron Victory]

SID scuttles over to Sijen's body, taking time to place a blaster bolt through the helmet of each Stormtrooper. His integrated comlink crackles as he sends the team a message, "No doubt about it, it's Imps." He crouches down, checking the incapacitated Twi'lek's vitals before shots ring out from the dining hall, "Silas, go check on Ceres."


He may very well be beyond saving, but just in case he isn't:
Treat Injury: Revivify
[roll0]
[roll1]

Treat Injury: First Aid
[roll2]
[roll3]

Initiative, just in case: [roll4]

[RandomLunatic]

The officer looked stunned to see an alluring woman standing in the doorway.
"Then the most beautiful girl I've ever seen shoots me in the face-" (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Unidentified_501st_stormtrooper)

Silas drew his sonic pistol and handed it to Dormel. "Keep tha doors closed. We'll keep 'em busy." He headed out into the hallway, towards the blaster fire, and spoke into his comm. "Right. We've got ta buy one minute, guys."

Move up towards CC13 so I can start throwing shots into the dining hall.

[roll0] so they cannot hear me coming.
Also [roll1] just in case.

[Hydrospanner]

Ceres snapped off a quick pair of shots over the shoulder of one of the stormtroopers, aiming for the officer behind. The blasts grazed the officer's shoulder, causing him to recoil as the energy singed his flesh. He clutched at his shoulder for a fraction of a second, then lifted his blaster and fired off a shot at Ceres. The pain must have been hindering his ability to aim, for the shot went wide and seared into the permacrete wall of the dining hall. Giving a shout to his lackeys, the officer leaped to his left behind one of the smashed and charred sections of table, hunkering down.

The officer has moved to Q4, in cover behind the table.

MEANWHILE: Out in the hallway, SID heard the first shots echoing in the dining hall. As he inspected Sijen, he easily determined the Twi'lek's death had been caused by three blaster bolts to the abdomen and side, likely the work of shooters from several angles. SID saw Silas emerge into view at the top of the corridor, hustling to help Ceres.

Silas and then SID are up! :smallsmile:

[RandomLunatic]

Silas fell back, as he often did, on his training; deep breath, hold, line the sights up with the highest-ranking officer's head, and gently pull the trigger...

Non-action: Mark the officer.
2x Swift: Aim to ignore cover
Standard: Blast aforementioned officer.
[roll0]
[roll1] plus an extra [roll2] if he moves down the CT.

If he dies or hits he bottom of the CT, the trooper in R8 will "inherit" the Mark.

[Hydrospanner]

Silas unleashed a carefully-aimed shot at the officer's head, but the round narrowly missed, sailing past the officer's left ear. The officer shouted some sort of curse from behind the battered pieces of table.

Alright, SID...

[Iron Victory]

SID abandons Sijen's corpse and takes cover, opening the dining hall door. Identifying the enemy leader, he fires off a couple quick shots, causing the Officer to momentarily flinch out of cover.


Move to Q11, take cover and "fire" at the Officer. I'll use Aid Another so the next one to attack the Officer gets +4 on their attack roll against him. [roll0] I have to hit a "10" to succeed.

Move: Moving from S13 to Q11.
Swift: Open door.
Standard: Aid another.

[Hydrospanner]

The three armed stormtroopers lifted their rifles, took aim, and fired off shots at the two visible attackers, but all of their blasts were off the mark, lancing past Ceres and SID to strike the walls of the corridors behind them.

The fourth stormtrooper, the one who had been punching the human, whipped up his blaster and directed a shot at SID, but the shot sailed above the droid's head. The officer was still yelling at the stormtroopers, even as he hunkered down from SID's shooting. The three attackers could make out something about hauling "the Corellian back to the ship." Then the trooper stooped down and grabbed the prostrate man by the coat and appeared to want to drag the man towards the door.

Ceres, back to you

[doko239]

Ceres takes aim at the 'trooper dragging the body and unloads both weapons.

First attack: [roll0] for [roll1] damage.

Second attack: [roll2] for [roll3] damage.

"He stays here."

[Hydrospanner]

Both of Ceres's pistols flash, and the stormtrooper trying to drag the human looks up just in time to see his lenses fill with blaster fire. The trooper's helmet cracks with the combusting bolts of energy and he topples to the floor. The human, seemingly unconscious, slumps in a motionless heap once more.

The officer, seeing Ceres level the stormtrooper, fired off a shot at the woman, but again his aim was off. Then he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Finish them off, men! Reinforcements will be here in just under two minutes!"

And with that, the officer leaped up and bolted for the exit, stumbling over twisted debris, squeezing into the narrow opening between the blast doors that lead out to the courtyard in front of the Market.

The captain is now at P6, in the motion of slipping out through the partially-opened blast door...

[RandomLunatic]

"No need ta run, you'll only die tired," Silas muttered, reciting the unoffical sniper's motto as he tracked the retreating officer, and pulled the trigger again as the officer slowed to squeeze through the door.

Two swifts to aim and then shoot the officer again.
[roll0], include's SID's aid
[roll1] plus an extra [roll2] if he goes down the CT

[Hydrospanner]

The officer jolts as the blast from Silas's sidearm sears his arm, and he clutches his forearm to his body as he moves to pass through the doors...

Alrighty, SID, go for it...

[Iron Victory]

It was unusual for Silas to miss the killing shot twice, SID makes a mental note to increase the sniper's vitamin injection frequency. "Leave a trooper alive if possible, I would very much like to chat with one..." He moves out of the door's cover and pursues the fleeing Imperials, firing more suppressive shots at the officer.


Standard: (Aid Another, must get a 10): [roll0]
Success!: +4 to hit the officer.
Move: Move from Q11 to T10.
Swift: Unused

[Hydrospanner]

The remaining stormtroopers each fire off a shot at SID or Ceres, but SID's distracting fire and the retreat of their accompanying officer must have left them unsettled, for all their shots sailed wide; in perhaps a bout of panic, they all make for the exit to follow the officer, though keeping their rifles aimed at their assailants...

One of them almost got y'all that time...but they have had some atrocious rolling...

They have moved to R7, Q7, and Q8, piling up near the gap in the doors.

[doko239]

A barely-perceptible light appears in Ceres' eyes as she activates her tracking software. She moves into the room, brings a weapon to bear on the Officer, and fires.

Moving to X8 and activating Target Acquisition targeting the officer.

Blaster (Rapid Shot + Target Acquisition): [roll0] for [roll1] damage.

[Hydrospanner]

Ceres fires off a blast at the officer, but it misses the officer's head and sails out into the courtyard. The officer takes the opportunity and slips out the gap in the doorway, disappearing out of view.

[RandomLunatic]

Silas scowled as a visible reminder of why he disliked blasters scrambled out of view. He shifted his aim to one of the stormtroopers and fired again.

Aim at the Q7 trooper and fire.
[roll0]
[roll1] plus [roll2] if he moves down the CT.