Edge of the Empire: Opulence and Obligation

[Lycan 01]

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...




Edge of the Empire:
Opulence and Obligation

It is a time of great turmoil and upheaval for the Galactic Empire. Reeling from the destruction of the Death Star at the hands of the Rebel Alliance, the Empire has tightened its grip on the star systems under its control, enforcing its laws and hunting down rebels and criminals alike with brutal efficiency, while also trying to salvage its image and pacify the social forces behind the unrest. It is a time of great conflict, as the powers that be struggle to return chaos and discord to law and order.

But outside the Empire...

Across the galaxy far and wide, countless individuals live on the fringes of society, law, and order, doing whatever it takes to make a living or reach their goals. Paragons, renegades, law-breakers, law-bringers, and many other sorts dwell outside the Empire's laws and influence, thriving in the shadows or bringing light to the darkness. These individuals must contend with competitors and criminals, organizations that seek to help or hinder them, potential friends and allies, possible betrayals, retribution, revenge, victory, defeat, and sometimes, whether they know it or not, the will and whispers of the Force...

The edge of the Empire brings great opportunity for some, and countless misfortunes for others. Some are there by choice; others have never had a choice. Some individuals, be it through their own actions, events beyond their control, or the will of the Force, find themselves presented opportunities. Opportunities which can bring great fortune, or bring about damnation. And in the amber clouds of Bespin, such an opportunity has chosen to prevent itself to three individuals...





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The trip to Bespin was uneventful. The rides were nice too - not first class by any means, but riding coach on a transport certainly beats being herded into a cold cargo hold on a seedy smuggler freighter. As the transport's passenger shuttle descended through the atmosphere of the gas world, the passengers were treated to a magnificent view of the sunrise through the wispy vapors and billowing clouds that made up the upper layers of the world itself. Crimson, amber, violet, and other vibrant hues painted themselves across the sky. A Rodian in a mechanic jumpsuit made a quip about the whole world looking like a drug trip; he received a round of chuckles and chortles from the other working-class passengers, while the more afluent and well-dressed retinues either ignored him or glared scornfully.

It wasn't long before the passenger shuttle reached it's destination -the Eternal Sunrise, a luxury spa and resort, nestled away in the clouds of Bespin. It's tall white and gold towers spear into the sky, like monuments to opulence and wealth itself, with several branching wings and platforms equipped with sports courts, swimming pools, landing pads, or other structures. As the shuttle drew closer, a pair of small cloud-skimmers soon joined the it in its flight, their bright orange double-fuselage forms standing out sharply against the clouds around them. An armed escort, no doubt to either encourage a feeling of security, or drive off uninvited interlopers.

Moments later, the shuttle touched down on one of the resort's landing pads, and its passengers disembarked. Workers and new employees were met by foremen and overseers, while customers and guests were met by uniformed porters to carry their baggage, or scantily clad guides offering to show them around.

Three passengers in particular -a Twi'lek, a Bothan, and a human - found themselves rounded up by a silver-plated protocol droid, it's eyes glowing bright neon blue as it shuffled up to them, awkwardly waving an arm in gesture for them approach. "Welcome welcome welcome," it cheerfully chimed in a feminine voice. "If my information is correct, and it is, then you are the three who have received special invitation to our lovely resort. If you will just follow me, Miss 'Zula will see to you shortly."

Miss 'Zula being the owner of the resort, Garzula the Hutt. Highly eccentric and highly influential, the Hutt - at least by all official and public accounts - eschewed the criminal tendencies of her kind to instead deal in respectable business and luxury. Despite rumors constantly swirling around her in regards to her eccentric tendencies and possible - but unproven - criminal dealings, she is considered one of the richest and most influential businesswomen in the sector. And the trio had each received a personal invitation from her - and an offer. An opportunity for employment and an exchange of favors, mutually beneficial to both parties. They had not been told the details of said exchange, but such an offer from Garzula the Hutt was no easily ignored, especially for individuals in such dire straights as these three.

"Please follow closely, would you kindly?"

The protocol droid quickly turned to shuffle away, and lead the trio through the high-vaulted lobbies with gilded arches, marble floors, alabaster walls, and decor that varied from priceless paintings to precious gems set into the walls and ceiling. The trio saw many patrons as they were led along. A gaudily-clad Quarren noble sharing a politically incorrect joke with his Mon Calamari retinue, oblivious to their awkward looks and clearly forced laughter. A pair of Imperial soldiers in crisp grey uniforms, the medals on their chests clearly showing them to be war heroes of immeasurable valor, blushing and stammering as a pair of purple Twi'lek masseuses flirtatiously offered their services. And a very young and very beautiful human woman dressed in an exotic fur coat, breathlessly berating a porter who had accidentally dropped her ~priceless~ handbag full of ~simply irreplaceable~ perfumes, all while her two armored Trandoshan bodyguards both exchanged glances and rolled their eyes in mutual exasperation.

Soon, the three found themselves in a nice waiting room, with two luxurious red sofas, a pair of comfy blue chairs, two gold-and-glass coffee tables covered in magazines and snacks, a pict-screen showing some melodramatic stellar soap opera, a drink-vending device in the corner that offered everything from invigorating coffees to exotic teas, and some rather pricey paintings of nebulas, jungle-shrouded waterfalls, and other breathtaking sights of intergalactic beauty.

"Please make yourselves comfortable. I will inform Miss 'Zula that you have arrived. She will see you shortly," the protocol droid nodded to them politely, before she turned to shuffle away through a wide, gold-plated pneumatic door, disappearing into the darkness beyond before the portal once more slid shut with a hiss.

It seemed that introductions were in order. Especially since the pict-screen remote seemed to be misplaced...

[Talkkno]

Rann
A young human male with neatly cut black hair enters the room, wearing a ratty jumpsuit as if he had just emerged out a maintenance pit, with a backpack filled near to bursting slung over his back. He is an average height for a human, his deep brown eyes took a look at the people around him for a second, ignoring the pict-screen, before he decided to sit down on one of the sofas, slouching a bit. He didn't say a word on his way here, and the silence unnerved him a bit, as Rann wonders what he might be in before this time, this wasn't his first time meeting Garzula the Hutt, he owed her a loan that kept him out prison. A high risk job perhaps to pay it in full perhaps, was the only thing that came to mind as he mutters to the strangers, wondering if they were in similar straights.

"You two owe Garzula money?"

[Benson]

The young Twi'lek of the trio that had walked in and was now comfortably sitting in one of the chairs, glanced up and smiled at the person in the waiting room. She was a Twi'lek of a pale blue color with tones of soft yellows under her arms, neck, and legs. Yellow were her eyes as well, which just gave the image of a mischievous cat into one's mind, especially when she smiled. Like most of the females of her race, she was easy on the eyes, her lekku bound together at their tips with leather straps, as other leather straps adorned her tentacles as well.


"That's one way to say 'hello'," She lazily chuckled, her eyes falling on the new human. "From your words....I'm going to assume you owe the Hutt money eh?" There was a playfulness to her demeanor, a sort of relaxed casualness which meant she could be either fearless or really really stupid, especially for one who herself owes quite a debt.

[Talkkno]

Rann nodded in affirmation, as he scratches his forehead for a moment, replying
"Yeah, it was either that or prison, not sure why I've been called up though, been making my payments on time. Name's Rann." as he extends an open palm for a handshake.

[TheAmishPirate]

The Bothan opts to settle into one of the remaining chairs, folding his hands neatly across his lap as he waits. From his pressed and obviously-tailored clothes, to the polished metal beads keeping his brown-blond hair in check, he shares nothing with the other two unfortunate souls other than waiting in the same room for the same enigmatic Hutt. At a glance, he looked far more like the patrons they passed on the way in; this affluent and decadent world belongs to his kind. And yet, he is not at home. He sits a touch too stiff and straight, finding little comfort in the plush chair. He watches the door not with fear or excitement, but with calm reservation, as one who knows full well the risks ahead, yet drives forward regardless of the danger.


He shakes his head at the human, offering up a sympathetic, if polite, smile. "No, I'm afraid not. Though I wish you the best with your...loan negotiations." His voice is measured, gentle, and only slightly on edge. He offers his own hand to shake. "Conrad Ste'ele. I'm a...metalworker, of sorts."


He is a guest in a world he was never meant to enter.


Best to step lightly, and ensure he'd get the chance to leave someday.

[Talkkno]

Rann turns to face the Bothan, shaking his hand firmly, as he asks with a hint of curiosity.
"Know what your here for?"

[Lycan 01]

As the trio make their introductions, the protocol droid... still hasn't returned yet. They'd better hurry, though. The pict-screen soap opera is getting kinda awkward. The really furry alien is whispering sweet nothings to the writhing mass of tentacles in some incomprehensible language as they admire the stars. For better or worse, the subtitles are not on right now.



Finding the remote will require a Perception test. If you don't have Perception trained, roll 1 green Ability die per rank of Cunning you have. If you have ranks in Perception, upgrade a green Ability die to a yellow Skill die per rank. So if you have Cunning 3 and Perception 2, you'll roll 2 yellow and 1 green.

Finding the remote will also be an Average Difficulty task, so add 2 Purple Difficulty dice to your check, and also a single black setback die due to unfamiliar surroundings and the distracting pict-screen. So if you had Cunning 3 and Perception 2, you're doll 2 yellow, 1 green, 1 black, and 2 purple dice.

[Benson]

Shak'ti moved to shake the human's hand, but the Bothan beat her to it, so she just played it off as flexing her fingers a little. She listened to the two chat a bit, keeping quiet but keeping an ear out for significant details as she half watched the soap opera.

"Oh my.....things are getting all kinds hot and heavy....dang...where are the subtitles when you need them," Shak'ti playfully smirked as she turned her head to look for the remote.

http://i43.tinypic.com/a48k8l.jpg

[TheAmishPirate]

"The invitation didn't explain much of anything." Conrad shakes his head, catching a tiny glimpse of the pict-screen as he did. And one look was all it took for the terrible show to seize his attention for good. He tries in vain to ignore the heated, alien exchange and continue with his polite conversation. "I would...guess that she needs some specialized work...done, and must have heard of my...of my..."

The Twi'lek's remark seals it; something must be done before he learns far more about alien courtship rituals than he ever cared to know. "Yes; let's get that muted. Please," he agrees with her, getting up to quickly scan the room.

[Cunning 3, no Perception. Rolled 3 Green die, 2 Purple die, and one Black die.

Result: 1 Success, 1 Threat, same as Benson.]

[Talkkno]

"I'd have to agree" Rann remarks in agreement with the Bothan as he takes a look around the couch he's sitting on in search of the remote.


Two advantages, two threats, one successes, one failure, so nothing

[Lycan 01]

The Bothan and the Twilek both spot the remote! It's under the sofa, the corner barely visible from beneath the piece of furniture! That's not going to be easy to get to, especially since it's right under where Rann is sitting, oblivious to its existence.

It also doesn't help that Conrad and Shak'ti have different desires for the remote...


Feel free to try getting to the remote through any means necessary. Skullduggery (Cunning) to deftly grab the remote, Athletics (Brawn) to get there first, or Brawn to flip the sofa with poor Rann on it. :smalltongue:

Mods for getting the remote are 1 Purple for it being stuck, and 1 Black for the awkward positioning.

[Benson]

It was all kinds of dramatic for Shak'ti as for a moment time stopped as she became aware that both she and Conrad were in prime position for the fabled remote of pervy destiny. To turn up the smut! Or to deny the smut of its presence on the pict-screen!

Shak'ti stopped, keeping her eyes locked on the fuzzy Bothan, her mouth curled into a smile, the tips of her head tails faintly flicked. "Come on Mister Conrad....Don't be such a prude....haha heh....Let a girl watch her soaps eh?...Such a distinguished fella like yourself, with a nice beard to boot, will be a gentleman."

The gal is trying to charm Conrad into just letting her have the remote
http://i41.tinypic.com/1etj61.jpg

[Talkkno]

"Did you find the remote?" Rann asks Shak'ti with a hint of suspicion, as he straightens his posture.

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad keeps his own eyes locked with the beautiful Shak'ti's. Waving lekku, enticing, innocent smile, and a soothing, placating voice; a mighty aresenal of charms are leveled against him. And they would have blindsided his defenses were it not for one factor the Twi'lek had failed to account for;

Conrad really, really did not want to hear the pict-screen.

"Yes, I think I have." Cool and quick, Conrad swipes the remote from underneath the cushion without once taking his eyes off of Shak'ti. A quick search turns up a mute button, which soon brings sweet, blessed silence to the waiting room. However, the pict-screen remains noticeably on. Conrad turns back to Shak'ti with an apologetic smile. "As a gentleman, I'll turn the subtitles on for you if you'd like," he offers. Just keep that boat un-rocked for a little longer...

[Rolled 2 Yellow Die, got two Successes and a Triumph. Figures I use up my luck on a meaningless roll. XDX]

[Benson]

Shak'ti mentally cursed though a faint smile she kept on her face as she kept her gaze on the Bothan.

"Very well, I accept this truce hahah heh.." Her smile shifted into a crooked one as she nodded her head in agreement. "Can't blame a girl for trying ta...well..you know." She winked, her hands at her hips.

[TheAmishPirate]

Shak'ti mentally cursed though a faint smile she kept on her face as she kept her gaze on the Bothan.

"Very well, I accept this truce hahah heh.." Her smile shifted into a crooked one as she nodded her head in agreement. "Can't blame a girl for trying ta...well..you know." She winked, her hands at her hips.

With a quick press of a button, Conrad flips on Shak'ti's precious subtitles. "Of course not; everybody relaxes differently, no?" For instance, I choose to relax by not watching alien pornography. he thinks to himself as he sat down with his back to the pict-screen. At least nobody left angry, and they could soon all go about their businesses and never see each other again.

The remote he keeps close at hand, resting beside him on his chair. :smalltongue:

"Where were we? Debts owed and favors asked?" The Bothan tries to keep the conversation moving, and relaxes in his seat. Marginally.

[Talkkno]

Rann shakes at head upon hearing the exchange, acceding to the Conrad request, as he heads to vending machine to get some water, he remarks off handily.
"Yeah, you've got to be pretty desperate to work for a Hutt, whats your stories?"

[Benson]

Shak'ti hummed to herself as she watched the contents on the pict-screen, relaxing in her chair with a lazy smile on her face.

"Oh you know...rackin' up debts....getting said debt bought from certain wealthy and influential...individuals....basically I sold my soul over to Garzula the Hutt and now I'm her bitch, in a way," She casually said, still watching that...soap opera. "If...working for her keeps me relatively...not behind bars...then if asked to jump, I shall ask 'how high?'"

[Talkkno]

Rann cracks open a bottle of water, pleasantly surprised that the vending machine dispensed free drinks, turning to face the Twi'lek nodding agreement, replying with a sigh.
"Same here, want anything? The machine dispenses free drinks"

[Lycan 01]

Unfortunately, free drinks and steamy alien porn will have to wait, as the door suddenly hisses open and the protocol droid waddles back into the room. "Miss 'Zula will see you now. Right this way." The droid turns and heads back through the dark portal, expecting the trio to follow...


The door leads down a dark passage, lit only by the occasional glow lamp hanging from the ceiling. Intentional ambiance to create an atmosphere of ominous oppression and dread? Or just an attempt to save on lighting and interior design? Possibly both.

They also feel an occasional tingle or itch of static as they walk along. No doubt some sort of scanners, ensuring they're not smuggling any unexpected weapons or surprises. No alarms go off, though. Or at least, not audibly...


The hallway opens into a large circular chamber, with a high walls and a vaulted ceiling of elegantly carved marble, lit by oil lamps mounted on wall sconces. A few large doorways are set at certain points in the walls, and there are also several large paintings, exotic plants, and a very large-screen pict-viewers. There are also several sofas, lounge chairs, ottomans, and other pieces of furniture. And in the center of the chamber, resting atop a large palette of fine-thread blankets, expensive pillows, luxurious cushions, and rare furs, is Garzula the Hutt.

The large slug-like alien looks most of her kind - very rotund and wrinkly, bulbous amber eyes, wide mouth slobbery, stubby arms and fingers, and slit-like nostrils. However, her manner of dress is most certainly very un-Hutt-like. She's shrouded in a highly expensive robe of deep purple with gold trim, and is wearing a multitude of gold rings, bracelets, necklaces, and broaches encrusted with the finest of precious stones. She also seems to be wearing makeup, with pale blue eye shadow and red lipstick sharply contrasting with her dark green-brown hide. And most strikingly of all, she appears to be wearing an extravagant platinum-blonde wig.

The Hutt's eyes widen upon seeing the trio enter her chamber, her toad-like mouth curling into a wide, happy grin. A deep, booming laugh echoes up from her throat, her hearty Hutt voice slightly tinged by a hint of femininity. She then begins to speak in Huttese, her speech slightly accented, as her words roll and flow a bit more smoothly and suavely than the typical harsh, imposing Hutt-speak.

A large silver box on the floor next to her lights up, its speakers quickly regurgitating her words in easily-comprehensible Basic. The voice of the translation sounds like an exuberant, vivacious woman of some age, with a classy, somewhat melodramatic accent.

"Oh my darlings! Miss 'Zula is so happy to see you! Come and have a seat, we've much to discuss!" the device quickly translates, as Garzula enthusiastically gestures with a stubby hand for them to come join her. "Please, make yourselves comfortable, dears! I hope your trip has been good thus far, hmmm?"

[Talkkno]

Rann is take aback by the presence of the Hutt, definitely not what he expected, about the opposite really. Taking a deep breath, he decides to let the others speak first, while taking a sip from his water bottle, as the size of the room and its apparent vacancy at the moment, he wonders if the room is always this empty, taking a quick glace around the room before returning to attention.

One success.

[Lycan 01]

Rann will notice that the room isn't too vacant, thanks to all the various bits of decor and pict-screens. The screens are showing a few various things, including current stock prices in Cloud City, the latest updates on intergalactic news, and what looks like another cheesy interstellar soap opera. Nothing too interesting, really.

This seems like more of a meeting place than an actual office, though...

[Benson]

Shak'ti indeed made herself comfortable after making a courteous bow to the Hutt, she took a seat on one of the sofas and looked towards the Hutt.

"Oh, love what you did with your hair, so opulently blonde," She flattered. "Oh the trip was alright for me, got a little ship lag in my legs but other than, twas alright, comfortable." She lazily smiled and nodded.

[TheAmishPirate]

Rann shakes at head upon hearing the exchange, acceding to the Conrad request, as he heads to vending machine to get some water, he remarks off handily.
"Yeah, you've got to be pretty desperate to work for a Hutt, what's your stories?"


Shak'ti hummed to herself as she watched the contents on the pict-screen, relaxing in her chair with a lazy smile on her face.

"Oh you know...rackin' up debts....getting said debt bought from certain wealthy and influential...individuals....basically I sold my soul over to Garzula the Hutt and now I'm her bitch, in a way," She casually said, still watching that...soap opera. "If...working for her keeps me relatively...not behind bars...then if asked to jump, I shall ask 'how high?'"

Conrad listened attentively to the talk of the other two, but offered up no meaningful words of his own. The odd nod here, the assent there, the polite wince over there, he remained the picture of collected cool. Staring down a soap-hungry Twi'lek took an awful lot of nerve, after all. Life stories could wait until later.


Like maybe when he was alone again, and these two - possible thugs? - were far away on their errands.


Thankfully, the arrival of the protocol droid hastened the conversation to a close. Conrad walked in step, steeling himself for what might be the greatest match of wits he'd ever experienced; facing down a...a made-up, wig-clad Hutt?


Every filmmaker, author, and artist in the galaxy couldn't have dreamed this up. He mused to himself, taken aback. On the outside, he bowed respectfully and chose a seat. "Miss Garzula the Hutt! What a pleasure it is to make your acquaintance. The trip was truly a pleasant surprise; your spa knows how to live up to a reputation." A little much? Maybe a little much. The line between excessive flattery and boot-licking blurred at times, but one could rarely go wrong with a little praise here and there.


Besides, this Hutt had no boots to lick. Safe!

[Lycan 01]

The Hutt gives another deep laugh, translated into a lofty, girlish chuckle. She begins to speak in accented Huttese again, waving a hand at Shak'ti and Conrad. "I am glad to hear your trips went to well, and your kind words are quite a delight to hear! Amicable associates are always so pleasant to have."

She then turns her head a bit, her toad-like face cracking a wry grin at Rann. "Come now, don't be so shy, my dear!" she implores, giving an encouraging wave of her hand. "I am not like those other Hutts; I neither bite nor brutalize, and I greatly desire to get to know each and every prospective employee not as a tool, but as a friend!" The cheerful translations from the device contrast slightly with the naturally intimidating appearance and speech of the Hutt. "So please, feel free to speak up and speak freely, darling!"

[Talkkno]

What have I got myself into this time? First a top secret starfighter and now this... Rann thought as Garzula asked him to introduce himself, he gulped replied in a half joking manner, taking a cue from the others.
"Sorry Miss Garzula, guess I've watched a bit too many pict-movies, heh. My trip was fine, don't suffer from ship lag too much, you get used to it after a while working as a astrogator. My thanks for the free drinks in the waiting room." He finishes, as he takes another sip from the water bottle as he takes a seat.

[Lycan 01]

The Hutt gives a burbling laugh, and waves her stubby, jewelry-encrusted hand dismissively. "Oh, think nothing of it, darling! Free water is the least of what I'm willing to offer," she cheerfully says via translator.

"On that note, dearies, I suppose we should get on down to business, yes?" she asks, grinning widely and narrowing her eyes excitedly with the three guests seated before her.

"I understand all three of you have recently fallen upon hard times. Debts, difficulty finding work, unpleasant marring of your records and reputation, so on and so forth..." The Hutt gives a melodramatic sigh. "Such a shame, such a shame. But!" She perks up, and waves her hands excitedly. "There's where I come iiiiiiin~"

Garzula reclines back a bit on her mound of pillows and cushions, her deep chuckles translated to bubbly giggling by the translator beside her. "You see, darlings, I'm always looking for qualified individuals to employ. And you three each possess skills and potential that I would ~hate~ to see go to waste. So, I have a job proposition for you. Well, technically, each of you have a choice of two jobs."

"The first job would be a group affair," she explains. "I have some business that needs to be taken care of off-world, and I think you three would be ~perfect~ for handling it. I can't really give you the details unless you agree to it, but it's nothing too troublesome or dangerous. Just a simple package retrieval and payment delivery, and I'd be provided your ship, of course," she cheerfully tells them. "Now, if you're not interested, darlings, that's ~totally~ understandable. I won't fault you for it, and as I said, I have other employment opportunities for you if you want to pass. If you do this job for me, though, I'll have no qualms with giving you bigger and better assignments to do, with handsome rewards of course."

"Now, as I said, if you don't want to do the delivery, that's fine!" she tells them with a large grin. "I have plenty of openings here in the resort for repulsorlift technicians, clinic staff, and hostesses," she explains, with a nod to Rann, Conrad, and Shak'ti respectively.

"Now," she narrows her eyes with gleeful anticipation, "Which would you like to hear more about? The delivery job, or standard employment here at the resort?"

[Talkkno]

Rann takes a small glance at Conrad with raised eyes as Garzula mentions his occupation before getting up and takes a step forward, straightening his posture as he replies to the offer.
"I'm up for the delivery job, how much would be getting paid for it?"

He doubted it would as easy as the Hutt made it out to be, but anything is better then the grunt work he's been doing in the past months and hopefully a quick payout he mused, as he turns around says confidently to the Conrad and Shak'ti.

"Ain't need to worry about hitting any asteroids as long I'm there, like I said before, I've worked as a astrogator, and nothing with Old Reliable here and the right parts" Rann stopped mid sentence as he patted his backpack gently, the slight clanging of tools can heard before continuing "that I can't fix."

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad's fur ripples involuntarily in shock when the Hutt so casually blurts out his profession. He'd suspected she knew something about him - why else would he receive an invitation out of the blue? - but he'd been truly hoping his cover story would hold for more than a few moments.


The thought that he might be working closely with these two scoundrel-looking types deals yet another shocking surprise. Worse still comes when Rann all but jumps at "delivery service" option. Countless late-night crime thrillers all sprang to mind, offering a stunning variety of definitions for the phrase. Conrad felt his throat go dry. "Both of those are very generous offers," he agrees, talking to buy himself time. "But I have to ask; is this a group decision, or a personal one?"


...if it's the former, I sincerely hope this Twi'lek isn't the spiteful type.

[Benson]

"As much of an...engaging hostess I would be..." Her lips curled into a playful smile, she rested her cheek on a balled fist. "....I find myself more interested in the...delivery job...and...such line of work....I'm rather familiar in, heh."

[TheAmishPirate]

"As much of an...engaging hostess I would be..." Her lips curled into a playful smile, she rested her cheek on a balled fist. "....I find myself more interested in the...delivery job...and...such line of work....I'm rather familiar in, heh."

The Bothan's warm smile remained firmly in place.

Oh, son of a...

[Lycan 01]

Garzula gives another lofty laugh via the translator. "Payment? Well, that depends on a few things, specifically whether or not you three all agree to take the job or not," she says with a knowing look in her amphibious eyes. "After all, the job is a bit of a sensitive matter, and I'd rather not go discussing the details yet if some of you are not actually going to be involved in it."

"On that note," she turns her gaze to Conrad, "It is an individual choice, my dear. Just because these two may wish to take the job does not mean you are required to do so. However, and I do not mean to flatter, but I believe a man of your wit, intellect, and restraint would be very useful on a job such as this," she says coyly, giving a dainty little wave at the Bothan. "I'd much rather have someone such as yourself set upon the task, since my only other choices for your position are less capable and a bit more... brusque... than I'd like," she says with a small roll of her eyes.

"But like I said, the choice is yours. I can have a spot in the clinic open for you before you even get back to the lobby, if you so prefer," Garzula offers. She looks around at Shak'ti and Rann. "Also, if after the job you feel that such a line of work is not to your tastes, the other job openings I mentioned will still be available. Nothing is set in stone, my dears..."

[Talkkno]

"Fair enough, appreciate the offer." Rann replies a bit more at ease as he nods, going back to the seat on the same couch Shak'ti is sitting. He drinks from his water bottle, as he keeps an eye on Conrad with a small frown as he observes the proceedings.

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad ignores the looks of his potential companions, averting his eyes down as he silently mulls over the offer. A pleased smile betrays at least a few of his thoughts; the Bothan enjoyed what boosts his ego could get these days.

"...I have one last question," he finally says. He raises his eyes to look straight at Garzula. "How much does the clinic position pay?"

[Lycan 01]

Garzula doesn't laugh or giggle this time. She actually narrows her eyes a bit, her toad-like grin tightening a bit as she studies the Bothan closely. After a moment, she speaks, her voice slow and more measured, rather than the typical bubbly tones she's been using. It would seem she's revealing a hint of the true professionalism and power she actually possesses under all that eccentricity. "You would make a fair wage. Nothing extraordinary, especially since you're a new hire, but it would allow you to live comfortable. It would also come with modest accommodations, though for a pay cut, you can have much nicer housing, on par with some of our guests. And who knows, perhaps an affluent guest will take an interest in procuring your services and hiring you into their personal entourage. But for the time being, your salary wouldn't be as much as some of your prior employment offered, I'm afraid. Not to start with, at least."

[Benson]

Shak'ti just listened, she herself was set on the delivery, the bigger risk, but it came with a bigger reward, and that brought her closer to taking care of her debt.

For the moment she was going to keep her silence and let Conrad and Garzula have their dialogue exchange.

[TheAmishPirate]

Garzula doesn't laugh or giggle this time. She actually narrows her eyes a bit, her toad-like grin tightening a bit as she studies the Bothan closely. After a moment, she speaks, her voice slow and more measured, rather than the typical bubbly tones she's been using. It would seem she's revealing a hint of the true professionalism and power she actually possesses under all that eccentricity. "You would make a fair wage. Nothing extraordinary, especially since you're a new hire, but it would allow you to live comfortable. It would also come with modest accommodations, though for a pay cut, you can have much nicer housing, on par with some of our guests. And who knows, perhaps an affluent guest will take an interest in procuring your services and hiring you into their personal entourage. But for the time being, your salary wouldn't be as much as some of your prior employment offered, I'm afraid. Not to start with, at least."

The Bothan's fur ripples faintly.

"With such offers as these," he continues, a touch too warmly. "I don't have any reason to take the clinic job, do I?" He bows his head, ever courteous and now, submissive. "I accept your offer of employment for your...'delivery service.' You will have your full crew."

[Talkkno]

Rann watches the proceedings with a slight amusement as he whispers to Shak'ti.
"Looks like the Bothan is a berk."


Berk: A fool, someone whose getting into something they have no idea what they are getting into.

[Benson]

Shak'ti chuckled at Rann's comment, looking over at Conrad, her lips curling into a smirk.

"Well...he still would be good to have around..." She cleared her throat and looked at the Hutt.

"Whelp....you got your crew, now....about the details of the mission...heh."

[TheAmishPirate]

Rann watches the proceedings with a slight amusement as he whispers to Shak'ti.
"Looks like the Bothan is a berk."


Berk: A fool, someone whose getting into something they have no idea what they are getting into.


Shak'ti chuckled at Rann's comment, looking over at Conrad, her lips curling into a smirk.

"Well...he still would be good to have around..." She cleared her throat and looked at the Hutt.

"Whelp....you got your crew, now....about the details of the mission...heh."

Conrad remains blissfully unaware that his future associates are talking about him. And blissfully ignorant of what a "berk" is.

He nods along with Shak'ti's question. "For starters, are we three the only...employees of yours that you're sending? Or will we have some manner of backup with us?"

[Lycan 01]

Garzula gives another lofty laugh. "No my dear, you three will be the only ones I send. Too many individuals on a simple job like this would draw far too much attention. Subtle and low-key are how we operate, sweeties."

"Now, on to the details," she says with a giddy grin. "You're going to be retrieving a package for me from one of my subordinates. Your pay will be one thousand credits each upon your return, assuming the package is still in proper condition. I may throw in a bonus if you do a really good job on this, though," she says with a gleeful smile.

"All you have to do is go to the planet of Dakonga, a beautiful, verdant jungle-world that has become a burgeoning center of trade and shipping. You'll be meeting with one of my contacts, a Mister Zeed. He's not the most public fellow, considering his line of work and the fact that he's one of those dashing Bothan scoundrel sorts, so you'll likely have to ask around a bit to find out where he's lurking whenever you arrive. Discreetly, of course," she says, narrowing her eyes a bit. "Mister Zeed will provide you the package, or tell you which of his delivery boys you need to meet with to retrieve it. Once you have the package, just come back to me, hand it over, and you get paid. It's really as simple as that, darlings."

[Talkkno]

"...Guessing the package is fragile then?" Rann asks carefully with slightly raised eyes, after Garzula finishes explaining the job.

[Benson]

Shak'ti leaned back against the couch, her arms crossed over her chest, a lazy smirk in place as she lightly nodded her head.

"Hmm, simple eh?......Well let's hope so...heh.."

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad takes in a slow, deep breath. "...not bad pay for a delivery job," he readily admits. Miles better than clinic pay, and much quicker. Provided a blaster shot or knife between the ribs didn't end things even sooner. "Should we expect any trouble? Have you heard reports of anybody with the uncontrollable urge to shoot often and murderously at the sight of clandestine couriers?" Though he smiled disarmingly, his little joke carried a very real tone of concern.

[Lycan 01]

"Not exactly fragile," Garzula replies thoughtfully. "It's environmentally sealed, so it should be able to handle a little roughness. But it would be most preferable if it were handled as delicately as possible, and treated with the utmost care," she states, a hint of warning in her tone. "It's not that large either, so it should be easy to place in a satchel or protective case, for further security."

She then turns her gaze over to Conrad, and giggles a bit. "Oh heavens no. As far as I'm aware, the planet is rather safe, so long as you stay within the cities. My contact Mister Zeed runs a tight ship, so you shouldn't run into any trouble while you're on his turf. Outside the settled areas, though, the world is untamed jungle, full of wild creatures and unimaginable danger. I hear some of the local 'swoop clubs' race through the surrounding jungles as part of their initiation rites. So exciting!" she squeals with a little wave of her stubby hands, clearly enamored with the idea of dashing rogues dodging certain death on a roaring swoop bike.

[Talkkno]

"Got it. Just one last question, what kind of ship is going to be provided for the delivery? " Rann replies with a nod of his head, as he takes note of Conrad's nervousness with a small sigh.

[TheAmishPirate]

"We'll be quite sure to remain civilized until the package is delivered safely." Conrad deadpans, his voice leveling. Every hair on his body told him Garzula couldn't possibly be telling them everything, but those hairs also told him there was little he could - or should, for that matter - do to pry more information from her jowls.

He settles into his seat, nodding along with the ship question. "Yes, and what facilities might we expect onboard?" If he didn't have to convert half of his quarters to a med-bay, then that would be a plus in his book.

[Rolling to try and get a read on Garzula, see if she's sugarcoating things. Rolled 2 Yellow, 1 Green, 3 Purple, and 1 Black.

...I got 4 Successes, and 2 Threat. Methinks Conrad will be regretting this course of action sooner as opposed to later.]

[Lycan 01]

"Ah yes, the ship," Garzula chimes with a grin. "I will be lending you three a vessel for the duration of this job. I'll be expecting it back in the same condition I lent it to you in, of course," she nods. "The ship in question is a... gently used.... YT-1300 freighter. Nothing attention grabbing, reliable and rugged, and it's modestly armed should you run afoul any pirates or other unexpected issues," she muses. "Facilities are your stock-standard for such a ship. Cockpit, crew cabins, storage bays, small medbay, small kitchen, engine room, central compartment... Not much else of note, really."


Conrad:

Garzula is definitely not as flighty and eccentric as she acts. She plays up her oddity a bit so she won't be taken too seriously by the authorities or seen as a threat by her rivals. However, she is sincere about some things. She really is quite enthusiastic and exuberant, she really does think the trio's job will be easy, and she really does love swoop racing.

Though, something about the way she talked about swoop racing rubs Conrad the wrong way. Is she expecting them to take part in a swoop race? Clearly she would have mentioned that if it was part of the job. Maybe they'll get paid more if they take part in a swoop race, or bring her a nice bike? It's hard to tell, but OBVIOUSLY there's more to this swoop stuff than her just being a fan...

[Talkkno]

Rann gets off the coach, stretching his right arm, giving a quick nod as he replies confidently. "Sounds good, I'm ready to start."

[TheAmishPirate]

"Ah yes, the ship," Garzula chimes with a grin. "I will be lending you three a vessel for the duration of this job. I'll be expecting it back in the same condition I lent it to you in, of course," she nods. "The ship in question is a... gently used.... YT-1300 freighter. Nothing attention grabbing, reliable and rugged, and it's modestly armed should you run afoul any pirates or other unexpected issues," she muses. "Facilities are your stock-standard for such a ship. Cockpit, crew cabins, storage bays, small medbay, small kitchen, engine room, central compartment... Not much else of note, really."


Conrad:

Garzula is definitely not as flighty and eccentric as she acts. She plays up her oddity a bit so she won't be taken too seriously by the authorities or seen as a threat by her rivals. However, she is sincere about some things. She really is quite enthusiastic and exuberant, she really does think the trio's job will be easy, and she really does love swoop racing.

Though, something about the way she talked about swoop racing rubs Conrad the wrong way. Is she expecting them to take part in a swoop race? Clearly she would have mentioned that if it was part of the job. Maybe they'll get paid more if they take part in a swoop race, or bring her a nice bike? It's hard to tell, but OBVIOUSLY there's more to this swoop stuff than her just being a fan...


A curious look passes over Conrad's face, but it is soon swept away in a congenial smile. "A gracious loan; we'll have your package and ship delivered safely home as soon as we can, Miss Garzula the Hutt." He stands with Rann and politely bows.

[Benson]

"Well then, if there isn't anything else we need to know about the mission, let us make headway," Shak'ti lazily smirked, standing up as well and bowing to the Hutt. She found herself looking more forward to piloting.

[Lycan 01]

"Nope, I believe that's everything!" the Hutt cheerfully replies. "While I'd prefer you back soon, there's no major rush. So if you should happen upon some interesting business opportunities while on Dakonga that may be beneficial to us, please, by all means, take your time to explore them. Or hurry back. Whatever works, darlings!"

She gestures to the protocol droid, and the silver robot in turn waves for the trio to follow it. Assuming they get up and follow it out, Garzula waves her stubby fingers in a dainty manner as they go. "Toodles!"

They are soon led down a few corridors and maintenance passages, before approaching a large doorway. "Ah, here we are," the droid says cheerfully, before turning to bow courteously to the trio. "Beyond this door is the landing pad with your mode of transportation." The droid then holds up a data-slate for them to take. "This holds all the pertinent information you will need. Launch and landing codes for the Eternal Sunrise, which spaceport to use on Dakonga, clearance codes to allow docking, and other technical information you may need. Thank you kindly for taking on this job for Miss 'Zula; we look forward to your safe return."

The door opens, revealing another passage. The droid ushers them on through, before closing the door behind them.

Looks like the trio have a moment to talk amongst themselves, as they head off towards where "their" ship awaits. Supposedly.

[Talkkno]

As soon as the door closes behind them, Rann turns to face Conrad, giving him a hard look as his eyes narrow, as he says tersely.
"Whats with the lying earlier?"

[TheAmishPirate]

As soon as the door closes behind them, Rann turns to face Conrad, giving him a hard look as his eyes narrow, as he says tersely.
"Whats with the lying earlier?"

Conrad takes a short step back - not much room to maneuver in the cramped space - and averts his eyes down, appearing ashamed. "I'll...have to beg both your pardons. For the lie about my occupation."

He squares his shoulders, and stands with no small amount of pride in his vocation. "Yes, I'm a doctor; the only metal I've ever worked is bending a stubborn needle straight again. I felt it...unwise to advertise myself as such. A trained doctor holds more value than a common metalworker, and more valuable people get more attention." He wrinkles his muzzle-like snout. "Attention in a place like this sounds more dangerous than helpful."

(Benson has given permission for Conrad and Rann to have some more back-and-forth for now.)

[Talkkno]

Rann gives Conrad some space, as he takes a deep breath, relaxing his expression as he starches his forehead for a moment.

"I getcha, well as long you don't lie like that again, I think we'll get along fine. I'll make sure whatever ritchity ship keeps going in one piece and you keep patch the rest of us whenever we find blaster bolts coming our way. I appreciate honesty, you've owned up to it, so let's put that behind us. " He replies, with a small smile, holding out his hand with an open palm for a handshake.

[TheAmishPirate]

Rann gives Conrad some space, as he takes a deep breath, relaxing his expression as he starches his forehead for a moment.

"I getcha, well as long you don't lie like that again, I think we'll get along fine. I'll make sure whatever ritchity ship keeps going in one piece and you keep patch the rest of us whenever we find blaster bolts coming our way. I appreciate honesty, you've owned up to it, so let's put that behind us. " He replies, with a small smile, holding out his hand with an open palm for a handshake.

Conrad holds in a sigh of relief and quiets the nagging, cautioning voices in his head as he shakes the human's hand firmly. "Agreed, and I appreciate your understanding. Let's hope neither ship or crew will need work, but I'll see to it we all pull through should the worst happen." Which hopefully meant they would take pains to ensure he lived long enough to stitch them back together and discourage any notions of backstabbing. If this delivery run remained simply that, then he could return a happy Bothan.

[Talkkno]

Rann shakes back firmly in return, nodding. "Agreed." He still had some lingering doubts about the Bothan, still seemed like a berk, but he put that aside when he asked.

"Know anything about flying a starship? I can do so in a pinch, but fixing stuff and astrogation is more my turf." He states a matter of factually, as he takes a quick glance at Shak'ti, the question directed at her as well.

I wonder what Garzula had in mind when she got a doc for a delivery job... He mused, the fact a doctor was assigned had him think that this job might be a lot more complicated then she made it seemed.

[TheAmishPirate]

Rann shakes back firmly in return, nodding. "Agreed." He still had some lingering doubts about the Bothan, still seemed like a berk, but he put that aside when he asked.

"Know anything about flying a starship? I can do so in a pinch, but fixing stuff and astrogation is more my turf." He states a matter of factually, as he takes a quick glance at Shak'ti, the question directed at her as well.

I wonder what Garzula had in mind when she got a doc for a delivery job... He mused, the fact a doctor was assigned had him think that this job might be a lot more complicated then she made it seemed.

"Nothing as complicated as a starship, no." Conrad shook his head. Anything he'd flown before certainly wasn't meant to leave atmosphere. At least not for very long, anyway.

[Benson]

She listened to their conversation but opted not to comment on Conrad's little deception of his occupation. But she was glad for a doctor aboard instead, gods know how often she'll probably need his services.

"Well....I don't like to brag....except when I do....but..." She stretched her arms behind her, her back slightly curving inwardly. "I know a thing or two or three about piloting ships."

[TheAmishPirate]

She listened to their conversation but opted not to comment on Conrad's little deception of his occupation. But she was glad for a doctor aboard instead, gods know how often she'll probably need his services.

"Well....I don't like to brag....except when I do....but..." She stretched her arms behind her, her back slightly curving inwardly. "I know a thing or two or three about piloting ships."

For some reason, Conrad suspected he'd hear a lot more bragging in his near future. And possibly soap operas.

"That's at least three more than I know." Conrad offers her the datapad of ship information, picked up from the protocol droid simply by virtue of being closest when it was given. "Here; I think you'll be needing these."

[Talkkno]

"Looks like we're all prepped to go." Rann remarks as he walks threw the passage to the landing pad. He was glad at least someone else in the group seemed to be experienced, giving a small nod to as she speaks of her piloting skill.

[Lycan 01]

The group continues down the corridor, as well as a few small sets of stairs. They soon step through another hissing door - and find themselves out in the open air, the clouds of Bespin filling the skies around them, as the breeze gently whistles across the windswept catwalk that leads towards the landing pad up ahead. A YT-1300 rests upon the pad, and it does indeed look "gently used." One piece of landing gear looks different, likely a junkyard replacement, there are some very obvious welding marks where a bulkhead or two had to be patched or replaced, and most of the ship is covered in a film of ash and grime. The previous owners either didn't take the best care of this poor vessel, or they just had abysmal luck with it.

The inside of the ship is slightly better. Everything appears to be in working order, at least. But things could certainly be better. Some systems need to be overhauled, or simply replaced entirely in order to be functioning back at optimal capacity. And the kitchen and med-bay could be stand to have their stock improved.



Due to the various issues and shoddy quality of the ship's systems, all checks made to use ship-related items or systems will have a single Setback (black) Die penalty. The systems can be improved and repaired, but it will not be easy, and each system - engines, hyperdrive, weapons, sensors, etc - must be worked on individually.

[Talkkno]

"...so to sum it up, it pretty much held together with mesh tape. But it'll fly." Rann explains the ship to the group, after taking doing a basic check up on the vessel, with an exasperated sigh. He takes a seat as copilot as he makes sure the navicomputer's data is up to date.

[TheAmishPirate]

"The med-bay is...adequate." Conrad graciously summarized. "Would we have credits to spare, I'd suggest a restocking of the more vital supplies, but between the ship's stores and my own stock I have enough to treat the odd bump, scrape, and broken arm. Just be careful, and know our medicines are not limitless," he cautioned.

[Talkkno]

"You intending to run a clinc out the ship if were in this for the long haul, doc? I'm sure we'll be fine." Rann replied off handily as he double checked the the navicomputer's data with the data from the Eternal Sunrise's starport.

[TheAmishPirate]

"I'm only intending to heal what patients I get," Conrad lightly corrects. "And an amply-stocked medbay always helps. Still, you're right; we should be fine provided nobody makes a habit of grievous injuries." He concedes.

[Lycan 01]

The whole ship isn't held together by mesh tape. Though the pilot's seat certainly is. Shak'ti will find the cockpit to be an odd mix of comfortable and uncomfortable. It's not entirely stock standard, since the seat has been adjusted to make the pilot more comfortable, and more than a few lights, buttons, and display panels have been replaced to make them easier to read or more comfortable to work with. Unfortunately, they were replaced with the previous owner in mind, not a roguish Twi'lek gal, so she may find the seating arrangements and control panel modifications to not be to her taste or liking.

Also, there's a little toy Twi'lek dancer on the dashboard. Quaint.

Meanwhile, Rann's attempts to examine the Navicomputer turn up both good news and bad news. The good news is, Dakonga and its coordinates are on file in the system. The bad news is, the star charts are several months out of date, and the system itself seems to have some issues. Corrupted data, laggy computing algorithms, flickering information display... It's better than nothing, but whoever is doing the route computing for this trek had best know what they're doing.


Beep beep. Beep beep.


The comm system in the cockpit is lighting up. It seems somebody is hailing the ship already, before the engines have even been ignited. Strange...



Feel free to talk or act a bit before actually answering the comm. It's not meant to be an interruption - just something to get to when you get a chance.


As for the Astrogation check, it would normally be two purple Difficulty Dice due to the default difficulty and the outdated charts, plus a single black Setback die due to the shoddy systems aboard the ship.

HOWEVER.

I, your loving and awesome GM, have chosen to spend a Dark Side Point to upgrade one of the dice. So one of those purple Difficulty dice just became a red Challenge die, to represent the heightened chance of something going wrong with the calculations, a problem with the shoddy hyperdrive system itself, or just simple back luck. :smallamused:

So yeah, total dice pool for the Astrogation check will be whatever the PC's normal Astrogation pool would be, plus a purple, a black, and a red die.

But hey, at least you folks get a Light Side Point out of the deal! :smallbiggrin:

Good luck. :smallwink:

[Benson]

Shak'ti let a low whistle as she took a gander at the interior of the ship they would be using for this mission. "OOof....hahah...wow.........she's a fixer upper but...she'll do....she'll do...hmmm yea...before we go...maybe we should stock up on some more med supplies.........and food." She casually commented walking past them.

She was set on checking out the cockpit right now. Her perma-smirk fell as she entered and stared, tight lipped, hands at her waist. "Wow...uhm...." She furrowed her brows and let out a small hiss of air between her teeth. She walked around, flicked the twi'lek to have it bob and stared at the seat.

She loudly cupped her hands and hmmm'd. "Okay...so...she's uh...the word higher...or lower depending on your point of view, of the word 'fixer upper'."

[TheAmishPirate]

"Garzula didn't mention anything to you about covering necessary expenses, did she?" Conrad asks Shak'ti, following her to the cockpit. "Between restocking and repairs...I make no presumptions of your own finances, but my wallet isn't quite well-fed-"

Further comments were stymied at the sight of the cockpit. Even with no flying experience, the patchwork repairs - and classless decor - stood out like sore, swollen, bruised thumbs. "That...does mean that it will still fly straight, I hope?" he asks their pilot, a pit of dread growing in his stomach.

[Talkkno]

Rann replies to Conrad's question, giving a short quick quip, as he frowns at the state of the astrogation equipment on the ship.
"Haven't gotten the chance to give it a good look over, but as a ballfield estimate, I'd say the cost to fix up everything to be around 10,000 credits. Looks like we're going to in for a rough ride though, the navicomputer ain't working too well. I'll see what I can do, don't want to end up stranded."
Rann shrugs, opening up his backpack for his toolkit, pulling out an hydrospanner to unscrew the bolts and straps on some goggles as he takes a look inside the navicomputer and does he can with some fine tuning.


2 failures, one advantage, one threat, and one triumph
One triumph and one failure.

[Lycan 01]

Bzzzt krrrrk bzzt!

Rann's poking and prodding at the Navicomputer produces a burst of static and a few stray sparks. The screen flickers a bit, before turning blue, several lines of white text quickly scrolling across it and flickering a few times, before it powers off.

The system then reboots itself. It won't take long for Rann to figure out that the system is still a bit scrambled, with flickering displays and warnings about corrupted data. However, it seems to be running noticeably faster and smoother now, in terms of data processing. While the system may still be unstable and a bit unreliable, its computing abilities have certainly been improved. For the moment, at least...


Rann failed to fix the navicomputer system, BUT, his triumph temporarily improved its processing ability. So while it still has those same penalty dice as before, it ALSO adds a single, temporary blue Boost die to the next Astrogation test! Nice work. :smallcool:


Should the crew further explore the ship, they'll discover the cruddy conditions and "classless decor" are not limited to the cockpit. The crew cabins are pretty bog standard, with uncomfortable cots and spartan furnishing. One room, no doubt the de facto "Captain's Quarters," sports a few small modifications, in the form of a slightly more comfortable bed, a cheap holo-vid screen, a well-worn dart board, and a lingering smell of sweat and alcohol. Cozy...

On the plus side, there's a battered but intact Dejarik table in the central compartment of the ship. So at least the crew won't be entirely bored during the trip, provided they know how to play the popular but somewhat complex board game...

[Talkkno]

"Well, I've done the best I can do. Replaced some of the wiring, but going to need more then I've got in my pack to fix it. Should be able to get to Dakonga though." Rann says as he shakes his head and wiping the dust off his face from working inside the navicomputer.

[Benson]

"I'm slightly fretful about being able to get back from Dakonga..." Shak'ti murmured after Rann poked around with the Navicomputer.

She lightly sucked air between her teeth and continued to look around, eventually making her way to the sleeping quarters.

"Whelp...I'm totally claiming the Captain's Quarters...a lady is owed some privacy amongst a crew of men." She winked as her nose wrinkled a little from the smell. "Mmm...wonder if I can buy air freshener somewhere.."

[Talkkno]

"Its not like were going the Kessel Run, its a well traveled hyperroute, I wouldn't worry too much. Lets see whose been calling." Rann replies as he pushes the button to answer the comm system.

[Lycan 01]

"Yoooohooooooooo~" the exuberantly translated voice of Garzula the Hutt sing-songs through the comm system, her deep, true Huttese reverberating in the background. "I was just calling to wish you three luck. And as I said before, while you shouldn't dally too much, you're not in any sort of rush. I understand the trip there will likely take a day or two itself. I'll be waiting for you when you get back, dearies. Toodles~"

[Talkkno]

Satisfied with the work he's done with the navicomputer, Rann inputs the coordinates for Dakonga into the navicomputer, as he makes the necessary calculations for the hyperspace jump, raising his eyes a bit as he hears Garzula's voice threw the comm system.

"Doing the calculations for the hyperdrive, soon as we're far enough from Bespin, I'll make the jump" Rann mutters, his attention focused on the navicomputer as streams of numbers roll down the screen.


Using a destiny point.
One successes, two advantages, one failure, one threat,
Two advantages

[TheAmishPirate]

"I'm slightly fretful about being able to get back from Dakonga..." Shak'ti murmured after Rann poked around with the Navicomputer.

Conrad couldn't quite catch what it was Shak'ti mumured to herself, but judging by her oddly absent smirk it wasn't going to be anything pleasant for anybody. Another note in the "things I probably ought to worry about soon" column.


She lightly sucked air between her teeth and continued to look around, eventually making her way to the sleeping quarters.

"Whelp...I'm totally claiming the Captain's Quarters...a lady is owed some privacy amongst a crew of men." She winked as her nose wrinkled a little from the smell. "Mmm...wonder if I can buy air freshener somewhere.."

Conrad hastily intercepted his own objection and shut his mouth tightly, suddenly finding a nice stain on the wall to occupy his attentions. The very picture of a person's most selfish plans foiled by kindly, irrefutable logic.

He could only hope Rann didn't snore. Too loudly.


"Yoooohooooooooo~" the exuberantly translated voice of Garzula the Hutt sing-songs through the comm system, her deep, true Huttese reverberating in the background. "I was just calling to wish you three luck. And as I said before, while you shouldn't dally too much, you're not in any sort of rush. I understand the trip there will likely take a day or two itself. I'll be waiting for you when you get back, dearies. Toodles~"

Fortunately, the comm system provided a more productive distraction than the wall. Conrad fiddled for the speaker button on their end. "There we are...yes, much appreciated, Miss Garzula. The next time you hear from us, it may well be a hail for our return docking." Funny; he'd never quite imagined how useful bedside manner would be in sidestepping the unfortunate odds when talking with a (possible) crime lord.

[Talkkno]

"You two need anything before we set off? I'd guess we could stop by Cloud City for anything we can't get at the resort." Rann remarks off handily as he studiously looks at the navicomputer screen, rubbing his forehead.

[Benson]

Shak'ti gave her own toodles to Garzula before addressing Rann. "Well, I wouldn't mind getting a bit more in food and medical supplies ya know?"

[TheAmishPirate]

(Sorry, forgot it was my turn here. >_<)

"I don't mean to sound so grave, but how many credits do we actually have? I've spent most of my fluid credits...preparing for this meeting with Miss Garzula." Conrad patted his own pockets with a grim frown.

[Talkkno]

"I've got a few hundred credits on me." Rann replies somewhat distracted as his attention was focused on the navicomputer.

[Benson]

"I have a whopping fifty credits on me...so...we could get ourselves some good stuffs," Shak'ti said with her hands at her hips.

[TheAmishPirate]

On the lam with potential criminals running a job for a potential crime lord and said criminals possessing potentially several times his credits; Conrad started to wonder where in life he'd gone so wrong.

"Ah. Nothing to worry about, then." Conrad folded his hands casually. "Cloud City would have a wider selection compared to a resort; especially for medicine. And a much lower chance of surprise price hikes."

[Talkkno]

Rann raises his eyes as the others mention there lack of funds, as he replies with some trepidation.

"...I guess I'd be shelling out for it then?"

[Benson]

"While it would amazing of you to do so Rann...don't fret....I'll shell out as much as I can myself..." Shak'ti said with a smile and patted Rann's back.

[Lycan 01]

~A few hours later~

The trip to Cloud City was relatively uneventful. A thorough scrounging of the ship turned up a few useless bits of junk and spare parts that the trio were able to sell or barter in exchange for what they needed. Their pantry was soon properly supplied, their ship full fueled for the trip, and their medical supplies sufficiently stocked.

The ship was soon able to ascend the amber skies of Bespin, breaking through the atmosphere with ease thanks to Shak'ti's expert piloting skills. With Rann's calculations already in place, it was easy to guide the ship into proper position and allow the ship's navigational systems to take over there. Once all the data was processed and Shak'ti hit the go-ahead, the ship gave a sharp jolt, and the stars around them streaked and warped as the vessel entered hyperspace.

Smooth sailing from here. The trip would take about two days, give or take a few hours. The crew would have plenty of time to talk amongst themselves and get to know each other better, swapping stories, telling jokes, and playing games.

Or they could keep to their quarters like antisocial hermits. That works too.

[Talkkno]

"It'll take two days or so for us to get there." Rann remarks confidently after taking a quick glance at the navicomputer, stretching his arms as he got up from the co-pilots chair, as he turns to Conrad asking.

"Conrad, do you know how to play Dejark?"

[Benson]

If any one needed Shak'ti, she would be in her quarters, kicking back on her bed with a bottle of alcohol in one hand watching a certain soft core erotica interstellar romance show.

"Oh Jarkul...mmmmMmm you so fine...you can do better than that wench Lukraj.." She said softly to the screen.

[TheAmishPirate]

"It'll take two days or so for us to get there." Rann remarks confidently after taking a quick glance at the navicomputer, stretching his arms as he got up from the co-pilots chair, as he turns to Conrad asking.

"Conrad, do you know how to play Dejark?"

Conrad had spent their initial take-off time organizing the medbay, and filing away all the supplies they'd just picked up. That had consumed the first hour of their journey, leaving the remaining forty-seven conspicuously free.

Thankfully, a diversion presented itself, and said diversion involved exactly zero alien soap operas. "From time to time; never could find the time to play it often." He glances out the viewport at the blackness surrounding them, and chuckles grimly. "And just look what it took to clear my schedule."

[Talkkno]

"We could make it a bit more interesting, have any credits your willing to gamble? The Dejark table can also play sabacc." Rann replies as he makes his way towards the well worn table. As he mused from Conrad's reaction during their meeting with Garzula, didn't think he would have a good sabacc face.

[TheAmishPirate]

"We could make it a bit more interesting, have any credits your willing to gamble? The Dejark table can also play sabacc." Rann replies as he makes his way towards the well worn table. As he mused from Conrad's reaction during their meeting with Garzula, didn't think he would have a good sabacc face.

"A few, a few," Conrad replies as he gets comfortable at the table. "We've plenty of time to play both until we're sick of them; why not start with a game of Dejark? I could do well with not having any stakes at all for a few minutes."

[Talkkno]

"Sounds good." Rann remarks in kind as he takes a seat, booting up the Dejark module, giving Conrad a small nod as the game begins in earnest.


Opposed Cunning
Two successes, two advantages

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad sits back and studies the board intently. For a few precious minutes, the problems of life melt away and are replaced by the fates of imaginary creatures.

Opposed Cunning, I suppose. Though with this system, methinks that player-opposed rolls aren't usually the best idea.

3 Successes, 2 Advantages.

Plus, we'll use up all good rolls on stuff like this. :smalltongue:

Though Rann puts up a good match, Conrad ultimately proves the natural cunning of his race still runs strong, even in a berk. "A good match; where did you learn to play?" The bothan asks as he makes his final move. "I wouldn't think a mechanic's shop would have many Dejark tables lying around, apart from the odd victim of a sore loser's tantrum."

[Talkkno]

Rann rubs his forehead in face of his loss, replying with a small chuckle as the board resets itself.
"Guess your not as much as a berk as I thought, good game. You'd be right about that, but I've also done a lot of astrogation, and on trips like these; Dejark is a good way to past the time. How'd you learn to play it?"

[TheAmishPirate]

Rann rubs his forehead in face of his loss, replying with a small chuckle as the board resets itself.
"Guess your not as much as a berk as I thought, good game. You'd be right about that, but I've also done a lot of astrogation, and on trips like these; Dejark is a good way to past the time. How'd you learn to play it?"

A...berk?

Conrad put on a congenial smile to hide his momentary confusion. That wasn't a reference to his race, was it? If it was, it was certainly a new one on him. "A hobby, really. Something to take the mind off of blood and bones and bruises. Turned out to be a good way to build trust in my patients. Sitting down and playing a game with your doctor brings him down from a godlike figure of death to the ordinary person he is."

"Unless he's very good at Dejark. Then they might suspect you're a mind reader."

[Talkkno]

"A fool, when we at the resort, seemed like one to me, guess I judged you wrong." Rann clarifies cordially, as he inquires

"A lot of blood and bones huh, are you a surgeon?"

[TheAmishPirate]

"A fool, when we at the resort, seemed like one to me, guess I judged you wrong." Rann clarifies cordially, as he inquires

"A lot of blood and bones huh, are you a surgeon?"

"...yes, I guess you did." Conrad responds neutrally, gaze flashing back down to the Dejark board. Maybe I should've started with sabaac, I could've made back a few credits. Certainly worth more than an apology...

"Ah, yes; surgery and internals are my specialty." Back into the friendly conversation he dove, abiding the insult for now. "Though I am studied enough to be a general practitioner. I shouldn't need to lop an arm off if one of you catches a fever."

[Talkkno]

"Internals? Rann asks curiously, his eyes raising a bit, as he turns off the Dejark table, the holographic figures that were battling away evaporating, leaving an empty board.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Internals? Rann asks curiously, his eyes raising a bit, as he turns off the Dejark table, the holographic figures that were battling away evaporating, leaving an empty board.

"Internal organs. Guts. Your stomach, liver, and both intestines, for example." Conrad explained. "I spent most of my schooling studying the various ways they can get infected, diseased, rearranged inexpertly, severed, clogged, and every other way the universe at large invented to cause them harm, and how to fix them afterwards."

(Now, this is where I make a great deal of assumptions about how medicine works in the future, and just handwave a lot of it with, "Better tools and tech means that doctors can reasonably study a much broader range of subjects.")

[Talkkno]

Rann nods, at Conrad's explanation, as he asks, with a hint of sensationalism.
"Ever seen anything particularly nasty? I've heard about stuff like being passed around catinia's if you don't take care to clean your ship at port, you could catch parasites that devour organs."

[TheAmishPirate]

Rann nods, at Conrad's explanation, as he asks, with a hint of sensationalism.
"Ever seen anything particularly nasty? I've heard about stuff like being passed around catinia's if you don't take care to clean your ship at port, you could catch parasites that devour organs."

"I...try to keep patient confidentiality. Professional standards, after all." Conrad started, uneasily. "That said, vague details never identified anybody. And this one was common enough at the time that it really could have been any one of a dozen ships..."

The Bothan's fur rippled in excitement; a good yarn was coming. "Let me tell you about a little incident that will have you double-cleaning your ship on every docking..."

[Lycan 01]

And so the journey through hyperspace continues, with Rann and Conrad enjoying many a game and many a (potentially traumatizing) medical story, while Shak'ti enjoys the tranquility of her cabin and her questionable soap operas.

However, about halfway through the trip, during the night-cycle aboard the ship...



Beeeeeep! Beeeeeep! Beeeeeeeep!

A shrill, keening alarm begins to sound off aboard the ship, with a particularly loud klaxon blaring in the cockpit.

Shakti and Rann should both be experienced enough with piloting systems to know that the hyperdrive system is sounding an alarm. The ship is about to make an emergency drop out of hyperspace!

[Talkkno]

The moment the alarm sounds, Rann gets up and rushes to the copilot seat, yelling as he moves across the ship.
"Shat'ki, I'm going to try to get the ship is as far away as the mass shadow as possible, need you at the cockpit to avoid slamming right into it!" Rann exclaims, as he starts to configure the navicomputer for a safe drop out of hyperspace, a sweat drop coming his face while he programs at a furious pace, his eyes narrowing at the data on the screen.

2 Successes, 2 failures, 2 advantages, one threat.

Total: One advantage

[Benson]

Shak'ti had been rather absorbed with her HBO/STARZ/SHOWTIME-ish soaps, her bottom lip being bit on as again the program had jumped to some questionable content.

She practically fell out of the bed when the alarm went off. "Ow..ah ow...sonnaof----" And it was just getting good in her show, but well, certain things took priority. She ran out of her quarters to find the boys when she just caught Rann's words to her from the cockpit. She promptly dashed towards the cockpit, making a sharp turn in there and firmly planting her bum in the pilot's seat.

She grabbed the wheel, flipped some switches, pushed buttons, looked at super serious and stuff. "Come on baby, we can't have ourselves a bad start!" The twi'lek bobble, bobbled in the background.

<Shak'ti is trying to pilot the ship to avoid obstacles before they drop out of hyper space>

http://i41.tinypic.com/256yb1w.jpg

[TheAmishPirate]

As Rann rushes out the door, a Bothan-shaped bundle of blankets falls out of one of the other bunks. Conrad frantically scurries to disentangle himself and get dressed; a tricky task when an alarm is blaring doom and death into one's ears.

Eventually, the harried doctor - his clothes all but thrown on - stumbles into the hallway outside the cockpit. "What's happening?!" he manages to shout over the alarm, but seeing his crewmates hunched over the controls tells enough of a story for him. He tries to brace himself for whatever might happen next...

[Lycan 01]

What's happening?

Well, the freighter just dropped out of hyperspace, right into... nothingness. It seems they're still in deep space. Immediately, Shak'ti guns the engine and veers the ship wildly, pitching it up and sideways to send the vessel into a violent - but controlled - roll. If there were any imminent threats, the YT-1300 would have deftly went sidewinding around them with speed and grace that a TIE Interceptor ace would envy. However, it would seem there were no immediate dangers or threats, or even objects, so Shak'ti's amazing evasive maneuvers are sadly wasted.

They also send the inhabitants of the vessel tumbling around a bit. Hopefully they were strapped in, because otherwise, trying to stand up in a barrel-rolling starship is going to be an interesting experience.


There are no objects in immediate view. Rann managed to drop the ship back to realspace a bit further out from the object that trigger the sensors than the ship's automatic systems would have done. As such, they'll have to rely on keen eyesight or the ship's sensors to pick out anything beyond distant stars and colorful nebulas in the pitch black void encompassing them...

[TheAmishPirate]

Those not strapped in, sadly, includes only one hapless Bothan just barely waking up.

To his credit, he didn't fall over immediately. Only when the ship fully turned wrong-side-down did his fingers slip and he tumbled down what used to be the floor. Luckily, the ship righted itself as he fell, the artificial gravity slowing him slightly before he hit the opposite wall. Still stung like no tomorrow, but at least nothing was broken.

"Urghh...I'm alright!" He calls out as he pulls himself to his feet. "I'm going to find someplace to strap in!" With that, he hurries down the corridor, searching for a safe place to buckle in before Shak'ti pulled any more crazy maneuvers.

[Rolled 2 Agility vs. 1 Difficulty to stay upright, got 0 Successes and 1 Advantage.]

[Talkkno]

"Nice flying there, Shat'ki, doesn't seem to anything out there though." Rann replies a bit shaken from the evasive maneuvers, as giving the Twi'lek a nod, and he says more loudly for Conrad's benefit as he orients the sensors forward.

"Don't worry about it, seems like a false alarm, going to a quick check before jumping back into hyperspace to make sure."

Computers

Proficiency Die: Blank, Proficiency Die: One successes, Ability Die: 2 successes Difficultly One Threat, One failure, Setback Die: Blank

Two successes, one threat

[Benson]

Shak'ti thankfully patted the strap across her bosom and let out a relieved sigh, though that relief would soon begot a frown as she remembered her capless drink her in her quarters. And damn, it was a good year.

"Crap...everyone alright? No one broke anything? The doctor doesn't need a doctor right?" She asked aloud after Conrad popped up in the bridge, I guess that's what it would be.

"Damn....****...where are we?''

[Lycan 01]

They are, as it turns out, in the depths of deep space, about halfway to their destination. No major stellar bodies or outposts around for miles. Why would they have dropped out of hyperspace?

The sensors reveal why, once Rann performs a scan. It would seem there's a ship quite a bit ahead of them. About the size of a small freighter or transport, it doesn't seem to be giving off much of an energy signature. In fact, it appears to be drifting, barely moving through the void.

It's also giving off a weak signal of some sort. It appears to be a distress beacon - an outdated model, in fact, on a very faint signal. It likely registered on the YT's sensors, though the ship should have only alerted the crew, not performed an auto-drop back into realspace. No doubt a technical glitch or a problem with the hyperdrive or navicomputer's programming.

Also, Rann's sensor signal isn't quite as subtle as he intended it to be, so if something else is out there scanning for them, he likely just gave away the crew's position.

[Talkkno]

Rann narrows his eyes, focusing on the sensor readings, as he answers Shat'Ki's question.
"Nowhere, though it looks like a derelict up ahead, judging from the distress signal I'm getting." Shouldn't have dropped us out of hyperspace though, dang this hunk of junk." Rann mutters last part, shaking his head, as he turns to face the others.

"Seems like there some people in need of help. Think we should we check it out?" He says matter of factually to the other crew members, as he attempts to discern the model of the distress beacon the signal is emanating from.

Computers

Proficiency Die: Blank Proficiency Die: Triumph, Ability Die: Advantage, Difficultly Die: Empty, Difficultly Die: Two threats, Diffcutly Die: One Threat,
Setback Die: Blank.

Triumph(also counts as success), two threats.

[TheAmishPirate]

Hearing Rann's assurance from the cockpit, Conrad turns around and heads back. "A few bruises; nothing serious," he answers Shak'ti, appearing in the doorway to the bridge and watching through the front window. "If there's people out there calling for help and we didn't at least offer, I'm not certain I'd be getting any more sleep the rest of this trip." He strains his eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ship in the distance. "I say it's worth our time. Garzula won't fault us a few hours delay."

[Lycan 01]

Rann boosts power to the sensors, and does his best to get a better reading on the distress signal itself.


Rann's knowledge of starship sub-systems is clearly a force to be reckoned with.

He is quickly able to discern that the distress signal is a Czerka Corp Delta-Class T-57. The specific system model is outdated by several decades, and judging from the weakness of the signal compared to the distance of the craft, Rann can precisely calculate that the system must must have resorted to reserve power at least fifteen years ago. In theory, the vessel could have been floating around since the Clone Wars, when this type of distress beacon was most widely produced and used. But the Delta-Class of T-57s were a civilian model rather than any sort of military class, so it's doubtful the ship would have been involved in the conflict. Directly, at least.

However, Rann's boosting of power comes with a cost, and-

A few sparks and puffs of smoke burst up from the sensor console. It would seem Rann's power boost has shorted out the already haggard and likely jury-rigged system. The scanners will need a bit of work and a hard reset before it can be used again.

Oops.

[Talkkno]

Rann takes a deep breath as the system shorts out.
"Well I'm going to need fix that later." He murmurs, shaking his head.

"...I managed to figure out what kind of distress signal we've been getting, its been coasting around deep space for years, doubt they'll be anyone still alive in there." He remarks with an exacerbated sigh, as he opens his backpack to get a hydrospanner.

[Benson]

"Ya know...I can't help but think about the 'whys' on giving this special education ship to use....I feel like its almost like our dear employer wanted something like this to happen. I mean they have tons of money for something nicer..." Shak'ti heavily sighed and rubbed her temples with her thumbs. She put the thought aside.


"Hmmm, well, even if there aren't any survivors, that ship could still be good for salvaging from eh?"

[Talkkno]

Rann rolls his eyes at Shat'Ki, as he replies derisively
"If you want explore a wreck that been floating out here probably since the Clone Wars, then be my guest." sighing before continuing "I guess it couldn't hurt to take a closer look though. Give me a few minutes while I'll get the sensors back up and running. Rann finishes, as he ducks under the copiloits board with his hydrospanner and opening a panel with his backpack by his side and straps on some goggles.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Ya know...I can't help but think about the 'whys' on giving this special education ship to use....I feel like its almost like our dear employer wanted something like this to happen. I mean they have tons of money for something nicer..." Shak'ti heavily sighed and rubbed her temples with her thumbs. She put the thought aside.

"That's been weighing on my mind too. Why use such an old, worn ship for a mission Garzula obviously wants to succeed?" Conrad mused aloud, drumming his fingers idly on the doorframe.


Rann rolls his eyes at Shat'Ki, as he replies derisively
"If you want explore a wreck that been floating out here probably since the Clone Wars, then be my guest." sighing before continuing "I guess it couldn't hurt to take a closer look though. Give me a few minutes while I'll get the sensors back up and running. Rann finishes, as he ducks under the copiloits board with his hydrospanner and opening a panel with his backpack by his side and straps on some goggles.

"I wonder...do you think that ship might have some parts that would fit ours? Take the place of some of our own broken components? If nobody's come to claim it for this long, I say that makes anything useful we find fair game."

[Talkkno]

"That's been weighing on my mind too. Why use such an old, worn ship for a mission Garzula obviously wants to succeed?" Conrad mused aloud, drumming his fingers idly on the doorframe.
"Easy, we're disposable, and so is this ship, I doubt we're going to run into much trouble on this job." Rann says he explores the innards of the communication system.



"I wonder...do you think that ship might have some parts that would fit ours? Take the place of some of our own broken components? If nobody's come to claim it for this long, I say that makes anything useful we find fair game."
"Yeah, but how would we move it? Starship parts aren't exactly man portable." Rann replies, his voice echoing threw the panel.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Yeah, but how would we move it? Starship parts aren't exactly man portable." Rann replies, his voice echoing threw the panel.

"True, but smaller components - computer guts and the like - tend to be much smaller. If nothing else, we might be able to find some useful scrap we could sell for parts we need." Conrad had no honest idea what he was talking about, but it made enough sense to him.

[Talkkno]

"True, but smaller components - computer guts and the like - tend to be much smaller. If nothing else, we might be able to find some useful scrap we could sell for parts we need." Conrad had no honest idea what he was talking about, but it made enough sense to him.
"Look, I'm not exactly eager to go in digging in the guts of a ship that's been floating there for decades. We'll check it out and figure it out then." Rann replies irritably as he goes to his backpack to fetch another tool, shaking off the dust accumulated on his body.

[Benson]

Shak't put on a faint smile and walked over to Rann and out her hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, I do appreciate it Rann," She said flashing a kind smile, trying to dissuade his irritable aura, she didn't want there to be any ill feelings considering she took notice of his irritability.

[TheAmishPirate]

Thin ice!

Pull back!

Before he could decide on the most diplomatic way to proceed, Shak'ti stepped in with a kind word of thanks. Conrad thanked his good fortune for the Twi'lek; maybe she wasn't such an insensitive sort after all, at least when she wasn't trying to push alien pornography on them. "And, ah, I'll go prepare my bag. If there is anything still alive there, they'll need all the help they can get." Excusing himself quickly, Conrad hustled down towards the medbay to pack.

[Talkkno]

"Its fine, the comm system fritizing just getting on my nerves. Almost done." Rann replies to Shat'Ki with a shrug, as he goes back threw the open panel, finishing the repairs.

Proficiency Die: One successes, One advantage. Proficiency Die: One advantage, Ability Die: blank, Difficultly die: One failure, setback die: One threat
Gearhead

Two advantages

[Lycan 01]

Unfortuntely, Rann doesn't managed to fix the sensors. In fact, the screen is still black.

However, a few lights on the comm system suddenly glow brighter. Looks like he must have improved its power supply while crossing a few wrong wires somewhere in there. At least he fixed something?



Sensors are still down, but the Comm system no longer suffers a setback die or range penalties. :smallbiggrin:

[Talkkno]

"...Nevermind, its going to take a few hours, need to take a look at the whole bit by bit I guess." Rann remarks, staring at the empty screen for a moment as he ducks under the desk and fastens his googles, taking a deep breath before attempting to fix the system once again.


Proficiency Die: Two advantages Proficiency Die: Two successes Ability Die: One successes Boost: One Advantage Difficultly Die: One threat.

3 successes, 2 advantages

[Lycan 01]

Assuming the others don't object, Rann is able to take an hour or so to fully disassemble and reassemble the sensory system, replacing what he can and jury-rigging what he can't.

Eventually, he attempts to reboot the system, and...

The sensors come back up! The displays are much more sharp and precise than they were before, in fact. It would seem he's managed to, for the time being at least, get the system back up to almost full functionality. That should make it much easier for Shak'ti to maneuver the ship into position, should they attempt to dock with the other vessel directly, and allow them to scan the ship for other details that may be relevant to boarding actions.

Hopefully these delays won't come back to bite the group further down the line.

[TheAmishPirate]

[Medbay]

Conrad had failed to correctly estimate how long he'd have to pack. The Bothan sat idly by, drumming his fingers on his desk and mentally reviewing the supplies he'd packed for the fifth time. Medcines, bandages, emergency supplies, blaster; all there. Nothing left to do but wait. Down here. Away from everybody else. So their mechanic could work in peace-

He winced, feeling a sudden stinging in his chest, and he gingerly rubbed an area just below his left shoulder. The bouncing around the hall must've agitated it...I should apply fresh bandages before going back to bed later...

[Benson]

[Medbay]

During the hour that Rann would have spent working on the ship's systems, Shak'ti would have made herself an audience with their medic.

She rapped her knuckles on the door into the medbay to get Conrad's attention.

[TheAmishPirate]

[Medbay]

Conrad thrust his hand back down to his side, hopefully before his guest could see. "Come in, the door's op-ah, Shak'ti." He stood up, and gestured to the examination bed. "Sorry for the lack of seating; the bed will have to do until we can budget for some proper chairs. Now then, how may I help you? Anything need examining before we go aboard?"

[Benson]

[Medbay]


She pondered that second question, a smirk playing on her lips, so many naughty possibilities for answers. But alas, she took a different route.

"Well...there is...heh...nevermind, no, no, I'm fine, everything is accounted for, I just wanted to say hello, get to know my crew mate, get to know one that I hope will have my back." She winked and took a seat on the edge of the examination bed.

"How are you doing yourself so far?"

[Talkkno]

Rann emerges from the from the depths of the comm system, his face caked his dust and goggles obscured with a layer of lint, before delving into once again, double checking this time.

[TheAmishPirate]

[Medbay]

Conrad blinks in momentary surprise, before re-seating himself with a wan smile. In all of years as a legitimate doctor, he couldn't recall the last time a patient dropped into his clinic simply out of concern for his well-being. First day on the job for a criminal boss, and here they were. "Well, all circumstances considered. Played a few games of Dejark and Sebacc with our mechanic earlier; missed out on a chance to earn a few credits, at that. No complaints thus far." He replies quickly, but cordially.

[Benson]

[Medbay]

Conrad blinks in momentary surprise, before re-seating himself with a wan smile. In all of years as a legitimate doctor, he couldn't recall the last time a patient dropped into his clinic simply out of concern for his well-being. First day on the job for a criminal boss, and here they were. "Well, all circumstances considered. Played a few games of Dejark and Sebacc with our mechanic earlier; missed out on a chance to earn a few credits, at that. No complaints thus far." He replies quickly, but cordially.

"That's good....well except the chance to earn a few credits haha." She chuckled and lopsidedly grinned.

"So...your thoughts on this little mission?"

[TheAmishPirate]

"That's good....well except the chance to earn a few credits haha." She chuckled and lopsidedly grinned.

"So...your thoughts on this little mission?"

Conrad sits back in his chair, hands folded and eyes half-closed in thought. He looked more like the doctor reading off a diagnosis than a Bothan talking to a crewmate. "The pay is...enticing. Moreso than the other jobs Garzula offered us, but I'm beginning to suspect that was entirely on purpose." He grimaces, thinking back to the dealings on Bespin. "She knew we all needed lots of credits, fast. So she offers us a safe job with little pay to force our hands. Anything from here on out is our responsibility; after all, she merely offered. We chose ourselves."

"I'm reasonably concerned about the mission itself, but I'm withholding any further judgement until we get to our destination." Translated from sugar-coated doctor-speak; things don't look good, and there's a sizable chance they're about to get worse.

[Benson]

Conrad sits back in his chair, hands folded and eyes half-closed in thought. He looked more like the doctor reading off a diagnosis than a Bothan talking to a crewmate. "The pay is...enticing. Moreso than the other jobs Garzula offered us, but I'm beginning to suspect that was entirely on purpose." He grimaces, thinking back to the dealings on Bespin. "She knew we all needed lots of credits, fast. So she offers us a safe job with little pay to force our hands. Anything from here on out is our responsibility; after all, she merely offered. We chose ourselves."

"I'm reasonably concerned about the mission itself, but I'm withholding any further judgement until we get to our destination." Translated from sugar-coated doctor-speak; things don't look good, and there's a sizable chance they're about to get worse.

"Yea...yea, I get ya....fair enough heh," She let out a soft sigh, her mouth still in a smirk.

"Well hopefully things go...decently heh," Saying good sounded like too high of an expectation to her.


(Talkkno, amish and I have decided to cut their convo short, where they are at right now in their short talk seems appropriate enough)

[Talkkno]

"All done over here. We're ready to check out the ship" Rann says loudly, shaking his head, and he closes the panel to the comm system with his hydrospanner, as he takes a deep sigh musing his frustration with the ship's many complications.

[TheAmishPirate]

[Medbay]

The sound of Rann's voice signals the end to this little moment of honesty. "We'll see, we'll see." Conrad sighs and shoulders his bag, medicine bottles clinking as they settle. "For now, the ship awaits us. And possibly a few more hours of rest after that." He yawns and rubs the sleep from his eyes, before adding, "We can chat more then, if you'd like."

He stands by the door and graciously gestures for her to go first. Just as expected of a gentleman, of course. :smallwink:

[Benson]

"Well thank you Mister Conrad," She said with a small smirk as she got off the patient bed and headed out the door. "I look forward to more conversation."

==

A moment later she would appear with the two after taking a moment to retrieve any gear she felt she might need.

"Yo."

[Talkkno]

Rann sits solidy on the copiliot's seat "Well we're ready to go." He remarks with a hint of irritation as he gestures his arm to the pilot's seat.

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad decided it would be best for everybody involved if he waited silently by the airlock. Seated and buckled in, just in case there were more emergency maneuvers. He drummed his fingers idly on his pack, awaiting docking...

[Lycan 01]

The other ship continues to hang lazily in space, offering no protest as Shak'ti brings the transport towards it. As it comes into view, the vessel appears to be shaped like an oblong box, slightly smaller than the YT-1300 transport. It looks to be gunmetal gray without viewports along its side, without any distinguishing marks or features. The three engines at the stern are inactive, and the bow is wedge shaped, with the cockpit set in the front like a beak.

It also soon becomes apparent that the cockpit has sustained some serious damage - the viewports are missing, leaving the cabin exposed to the black void of space. It's too dark to see inside the cockpit, though, and tell what sort of damage it may have sustained. There also seems to be a strange symbol on the nose, just under the cockpit - a blue diamond with white borders, and with what looks to be a red teardrop in the center of it.


Conrad, if he sees the emblem, will recognize it as an outdated symbol for a Life Flight Trauma transport. Ships like this are often used to transport grievously wounded individuals from backwater or frontier planets back to more capable medical facilities. The blood drop on the blue diamond symbol, though, hasn't been used since the Clone Wars...

Getting near the other ship won't be any challenge at all, but to actually dock alongside the other vessel will be quite challenging. A space walk could also be an option, but it would seem there is only one space suit aboard the ship, which Shak'ti purchased back on Bespin.


No challenge to fly over to the other ship.

However, actually docking with the ship? That'll be a pretty tough Piloting (Space) check. Specifically, one red Challenge and two purple Difficulty dice, since there's a lot of room for stuff to go wrong. The black die has been removed from this check, assuming Shak'ti is the one making it, because her Triumph earlier on allowed her to familiarize herself with the controls and handling of the ship to make up for its issues.

A space walk would be one red Challenge and one purple Difficulty dice.

Also, scanning the other ship for relevant info like life signs or atmospheric conditions would be a Computers check with two purple Challenge dice. No black die, due to Rann's good work on the repairs.

[Benson]

Shak'ti sharply exhaled as her hands lightly palmed the controls of the ship. "....There is a chance I could try to dock with the ship.....not gonna be an easy thing I will admit..." She let out a low whistle, it only was a /little/ pressure going on right now. One wrong error in her piloting, and galoshes knows what can happen, well, aside from slight chance of dooming them all.

"Got any suggestions or alternative ideas? The forum is open heh."

[Talkkno]

"If I had to guess, I'd say its a blockade runner that got unlucky and was intercepted." Rann remarks the others as he shook his head, as he turned his attention to the sensor systems and tried to get a better read on the ship now that they were closer, the screens no longer flickering after his little tune up.

"I could help guide your way in as copilot." Rann suggets to Shak'ti as he waits for the sensor readings, nodding his head.


Proficiency Die: One successes Proficiency Die: One successes, one advantage
Ability Die: One advantage. Difficultly die: One failure. Difficultly die: Two failures.

One failure, two advantages.

[Lycan 01]

Rann scans the ship! Readings start to come up! Lots of readings...

It would seem the ship is in surprisingly good condition, with a fully breathable atmosphere. There are also life signs on board! Three of them, in fact. One near the airlock, and two in the... cockpit?

Oh. It would seem Rann scanned the wrong ship. Better luck next time? At least he knows the scanners are pretty accurate now.

[Talkkno]

Rann waves his right hand in disgust, obscuring the view of the sensor panel.

"...Nevermind the sensors." He murmurs, as he takes a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling audibly. This becoming more trouble then its worth

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad sets his bag gently on the floor, then slowly - taking great care not to stand up too quickly and have the blood rush to his head - walks over to the tiny porthole nearby. He leans over, straining to get a second glimpse of the ship before it sails completely out of view. One check of his pulse and a pinch later, and he convinces himself he's not suffering some deep-space induced hallucination. And if that's the case...then what in the blazes does it mean?! Leaving his bag behind, he rushes off towards the bridge...

[Bridge]

"Life Flight Trauma transport."

The Bothan pauses to catch his breath after his sudden appearance and declaration. "That ship; think of it as an intergalactic ambulance. Doctor on the Outer Rim sees a patient above his pay grade and in dire need of care, he sends them to better facilities on one of those. Standard practice. Only that emblem," he points to the blood drop on blue diamond. "Pre-dates the Clone Wars. By several decades, at the least. They switched markings once the Separatists were destroyed."

He holds a hand over his mouth, possibilities racing through his head. "That ship has been drifting for nearly a century, carrying some manner of grievously ill patient on-board. And you said the distress beacon was activated?" It takes every inch of his composure to keep a straight face. "Oh dear..."

[Talkkno]

Rann turns to face Conrad, his eyes go wide at his explanation.
"Yup. Guess its older then I thought. Think it might be a bad idea to go inside? Who knows what we might catch while were in there." He replies with a shudder, recalling the story he told him while they were playing Dejark.

[Benson]

"Uuuh..." Shak'ti sported a slightly derped expression. "Eeh....yea...now I don't know if I want to do this anymore...the cons are outweighing the pros by a wide margin..." She wrinkled her nose and shook her head slightly.

[TheAmishPirate]

"On the contrary; far worse idea not to go." A strange, peaceful dread takes hold of Conrad, and he hears his own voice speak from far away. "Question isn't what we might catch. Spacesuits would insulate, act as hazard suits. No risk if we're careful. Bigger question is what a planet might catch should the ship drift on. Life Flight Trauma transport, drifting past a spaceport with an active distress beacon? One scout ship, one tug into port, then planet-wide pandemic. Losses...catastrophic. At best."

The doctor shakes his head gravely, fur slowly rippling in apprehension. "We may be the only living beings to see this ship before that happens. I cannot pretend I did not see it. Far too much risk. I will go aboard."

[Talkkno]

Rann rolls his eyes at Conrad's dramatic statement, shaking his head.
"Chill doc, you sound like your in a holovid or something. Can't say I disagree though now I think about it though. What are you going to do once your inside?" He asks cautiously with a serious expression.

[Benson]

"Oh!...Perhaps disengage the distress signal? To prevent Mister Conrad's wild predictions....and then we exit and blow up the sucker eh?" The Twi'lek laughed.

[Talkkno]

"Instead of blowing it up though, how about I'll mark it on the navicomputer for us to salvage later? There are companies out there that could do the towing, could make a decent number of credits down the line." Rann replies to Shak'ti while he rubs his forehead.

[Benson]

"Twas a joke Rann, a poorly worded one, but a joke none the less, considering my position on salvaging n' scrougin', earlier," Shak'ti flashed him a smile.

[Talkkno]

"Ah." Rann replies in stride as he turns back to the copilot's controls before continuing. "Well are you up for docking with the other ship, or are we going to do a space walk?"

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad rolls his own eyes as the two pilots bickered. In his expert opinion, possible planetary pandemics were well worth some strong language. Also in his expert opinion, squabbling over unrelated details rarely helped matters. So by the time either of them looked his way, he'd stowed the backtalk for good. "As I said; spacewalk would be safer. Docking risks contamination of our own ship. Though does raise the question of what we do with the spacesuits when we're finished..." Conrad shakes his head. "More importantly, we need information. The attending doctor on board should have been keeping notes. Patient condition, developing symptoms, anything to aid the specialists upon their arrival. Should narrow down possibilities. Not many pathogens can survive in a vacuum. Especially for this long." He gazes out at the ship, as if he could pierce its hull if he strained his eyes hard enough. "Could be an accident, and we're worried for nothing. I expect I'll find out when I get there."

[Talkkno]

"Well, do you know to handle a space walk? Maneuvering over to the cockpit could be a bit tricky." Rann replies as he glances at the shattered viewports on the other ship.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Do you have any better ideas for getting me across?" Conrad retorts without a hint of cynicism. "A lifeline would ensure I reach it eventually. I'd prefer a more reliable option, not to mention a safer one, but we may be short on choices."

[Talkkno]

"Well one of us could go there first and tie the lifeline there and you can just follow along it, be a lot easier then maneuvering unaided. I've a space suit as well." Rann replies as he rubs his forehead, considering their options.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Safer, and it would allow us to pass any additional supplies I needed from our ship to the wreckage; not a bad idea. Much better than going alone." Conrad strokes his chin, and eyes Shak'ti and Rann. "The next obvious question is do either of you have any spacewalking experience?"

[Benson]

"Well...I can't say I have the experience of someone who does it on a regular basis as part of their job, but, I am willing to go first, and get the lifeline tied," Shak'ti said, placing a hand over her chest.

[Talkkno]

"Sounds good, my space suit should be in my locker." Rann remarks as he nods towards Conrad as he turns back to the copilot panels.
"I'll stay behind on the ship then?"

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad steeples his fingers, and runs through the plan out loud for all their sakes. "Then Shak'ti and I will handle the spacewalk. Rann, you will be responsible for fetching supplies we need and placing them in the airlock. Shak'ti, you will attach the lifeline and retrieve supplies from the airlock as needed. It is important that as little as possible comes in direct contact with that ship's interior until we have cleared it. I will assist Shak'ti in attaching the lifeline, and then board the ship. I will find the attending doctor's logs, and try to piece together what's happened here. Oh, and I will shut off the distress beacon. Keep out unwanted company while we work. "


A solid plan. No immediate risk of death, stopping a pandemic in potentia, and both of his crewmates were completely in favor of it.


At least one surprise there.


"If there are no more objections; Shak'ti, I'll meet you in the airlock after I fetch Rann's spacesuit. I'll keep you both informed on my progress via radio." Over the course of his little speech, a marked change had stolen over the Bothan. Completely gone was the timid, out-of-his-depth berk that Garzula had danced circles around. In its place stood a commanding, focused professional, completely in his element. This ship, nay, this operation belonged to him, and nobody else. The surgeon dipped his head to his two assistants in gratitude. "Thank you, and good luck to the both of you."


If there were no more objections, he would turn to leave and grab Rann's spacesuit.

[Talkkno]

"Will do, good luck. " Rann replies, nodding in affirmation, as he gets up from his seat,straps on his backpack and heads out of the room.

[Benson]

A moment later


"Hey, do I like fat in this?" She jokingly asked as she stepped into the airlock. She was suited up in her somewhat clunky envirosuit, the clear dome fitted over her head, everything secured and sealed.

"Whelp, ready as I will ever be heh."

[TheAmishPirate]

"As a surgeon, I am not qualified to comment on matters of alien obesity." Conrad states matter-of-factly, checking his spacesuit for any loose clasps or fasteners. "If you have any serious concerns, I know many dietitians who could sit down and discuss your health with you. Twi'lek, human, Bothan, whatever would be most comfortable for you. And besides," He pulled tight the last strap. "A gentleman never comments on a lady's weight."

Impressive, that he said all that with a straight face.

"Now then, the lifeline; we'll both remain attached to the ship by the same line, though I'll be remaining behind to help reel you in if necessary. Pay attention now, this is vitally important." He hands her the free end of the lifeline, expression gravely serious. "When you are across, attach this somewhere to the exterior of the ship. Under no circumstances are you to touch the ship's interior. Better that one suit should stay uncontaminated. Makes the operation and cleanup easier. If I need any supplies, you are to attach them to the lifeline, and let them float across to me, understand? A handoff could risk contamination. Better we don't touch unless absolutely necessary." Short, simple, and hopefully communicating the real danger involved; perfect instructions for the medically uneducated helper.

[Benson]

"As a surgeon, I am not qualified to comment on matters of alien obesity." Conrad states matter-of-factly, checking his spacesuit for any loose clasps or fasteners. "If you have any serious concerns, I know many dietitians who could sit down and discuss your health with you. Twi'lek, human, Bothan, whatever would be most comfortable for you. And besides," He pulled tight the last strap. "A gentleman never comments on a lady's weight."

Impressive, that he said all that with a straight face.

She playfully rolled her eyes and smirked. "Twas a joke my fuzzy sir."


"Now then, the lifeline; we'll both remain attached to the ship by the same line, though I'll be remaining behind to help reel you in if necessary. Pay attention now, this is vitally important." He hands her the free end of the lifeline, expression gravely serious. "When you are across, attach this somewhere to the exterior of the ship. Under no circumstances are you to touch the ship's interior. Better that one suit should stay uncontaminated. Makes the operation and cleanup easier. If I need any supplies, you are to attach them to the lifeline, and let them float across to me, understand? A handoff could risk contamination. Better we don't touch unless absolutely necessary." Short, simple, and hopefully communicating the real danger involved; perfect instructions for the medically uneducated helper.

Taking the free end of the lifeline she donned a grim expression. He was just so serious and sure about a possible contamination on the derelict ship, though she did wonder how a virus or bacteria could survive in space, from what it seemed, the life support systems were dead. But then again, she wasn't savvy in this subject so she doubted her own self on it.

"Right, I will be careful, let just get her done, doctor." She gave him a salute as she waited in the airlock.

[Lycan 01]

Once everyone is ready and everything is prepared, the command is entered...

...and the airlock doors open. There's a dull hiss, followed by dead silence, as the airlock becomes part of the great vacuum of the void. Shak'ti is free to make her way across, though she'd best be careful. Even for something as simple as ship-hopping, there are always ways things can go wrong...


The spacewalk is Piloting (Space), with an opposed dice-pool of one red Challenge and one purple Difficulty dice.

[Benson]

Shak'ti found herself with a weary and grim expression as she found herself weightless in the void of space. Eeeeeeeeeeh....second thoughts.... But before her brain could catch up with her psychical movements, she was already using the jetpack on her suit's back to thrust herself towards the derelict ship..


One Advantage

[Lycan 01]

Bonk.

Shak'ti's brain should have kept up better, as she smacks her helmet on the rim of the airlock door, the bulkhead stopping her dead in her tracks. For the most part. Her upper body stays still, but her lower body continues forward, causing her to tilt backwards! She starts to go into a slow spin!

On the plus side, most of her is still inside the airlock, so it shouldn't be too hard for her to grab onto something, or get grabbed by Conrad.



Agility test to grab onto something! Base Agility dice (green) vs 1 red challenge die!

[TheAmishPirate]

"Hold still, I've got you..." Conrad took a moment to eyeball the distances, and gave himself an experimental push. Find the straight line, avoid unnecessary rotation, and he should go where he needed to.

At least, that's what he hoped.

Rolled 2 Agility against 1 Challenge, got 1 Failure and 3 Advantages.

[Benson]

"Oh sonna-ova-Bantha...." Shak'ti gritted her teeth as she found herself spinning helpless in space. She tried to grab for the rim of the air lock door as she slowly spun.


2 advantages, 2 threats

[Lycan 01]

Shak'ti tries to grab onto something! Anything! But she starts to drift out the airlock, on the verge of tumbling into the black void!

However, Conrad lunges to grab onto her and drag her back in, and in his heroic haste-

Accidentally cops a feel. Whoops!

The drifting Twi'lek slips from his clumsy grasp just as quickly as he grabs her. However, his uncoordinated attempt at dragging her back inside reverse her tumbling, and she finds herself hurtling back towards the interior wall of the airlock, smacking into it before starting to bounce around the small chamber!

Hopefully she can manage to grab onto something in the confined space before she goes bouncing right back out into the void. Or she can try her luck at flying towards the other ship as she tumbles out. She'd better think fast, though!



Shak'ti can either:

Try to grab something and halt herself before trying the jump again. (Agility vs 1 red challenge die + 1 blue boost die)

or

Let herself tumble out and then try to pilot herself over to the ship. (Piloting (Space) vs 1 red challenge, 1 purple difficulty, and 1 black hindrance die.)

[TheAmishPirate]

It was one of those moments frozen in time; Shak'ti inching closer to the black void of space and Conrad straining, reaching with all his might for his shipmate. All thoughts banished from his mind other than saving his newfound comrade. Closer, closer, just a little bit more and...


His hand gripped something solid. Perhaps the spacesuit was built thinner there, or perhaps his imagination chose that moment to run away from him, but he swore his fingers squished into something soft and pliable. And no matter how many times he replayed the scene later in his mind, he never could tell if she actually slipped out of his grip, or he let her go. Quickly.


Fortunately, his unfortunate grab sent her twirling back into the airlock. Conrad watched with bated breath and flushed cheeks as he clutched his hand close to his side. Maybe...maybe this time he should let her grab on to something herself. That seemed wise.

[Benson]

An immediate soft gasp escaped Shak'ti's mouth as Conrad grabbed and yoinked at one of her lekku. Her helmet designed with 'side sleeves' so that her lekku could fit inside comfortably without being cramped inside her helmet. They were sensitive darn it!

"Damn....that kinda hurt..." She winced. She again tried to grab a hold something, anything, something stable, something not Conrad's wandering suited up hand.

omgosh yay...2 successes and one advantage....of course I end up using up good rolls for something derpy like this xD

[Lycan 01]

Shak'ti finally manages to catch herself, grabbing onto the doorframe of the airlock just before hurtling out into the void. She's able to halt her tumble, and comes to a proper stop. Crisis averted! For now, at least.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Do you have a clear shot to the ship?" Conrad calls out, glossing over those last few moments of slapstick-like failure.

[Benson]

Shak'ti was rather relieved at catching herself and took a moment to breath.

"Uhm...I'm not sure....as amusing as that....whatever you want to call it was, twas a little frightening I admit haha heh.." She held on to the doorframe and tried to make out a decent path from here to the ship to answer Conrad's question.

[TheAmishPirate]

"You're doing wonderfully, Shak'ti." Conrad reassured her, his voice turning soft even through the tinny spacesuit radio. A crewmate nearly tumbling into the void of space, a troubled intern poised to make their first surgical cut, both needed a little genuine support to keep them going. "I have the other end of the lifeline right here; if there is any danger, I will pull you back to solid ground. Metaphorically speaking." The Twi'lek might see a little glimmer of a wink through Conrad's helmet. "Take your time, and jump whenever you are ready."

[Benson]

It occurred to Shak'ti why the two just hadn't used the lifeline to reel her in when she was spinning around before the moment he mentioned the bit about the lifeline. Double Derp! Oh well, too late now..

Shak'ti took a deep breath and deeply exhaled. "Alright....and thanks." She faintly smiled, not that he would see it. Counting to three in her head, she powered up the jet pack apparatus and tried again.

1 success 1 advantage

[Lycan 01]

Shak'ti sets off, launching herself in the cold, dark void.

There is no sound. No light, beyond the faint twinkle of countless stars, and the freighter's spotlights dimly illuminating the forsaken vessel before her. The thrusters do their job of keeping her on course, though, as the Twi'lek steers herself towards the old derelict.

A short moment later, though it likely felt like an eternity in the empty abyss, she reaches the ship, halting her approach with the suit's thrusters enough that her boots impacting the ship do little to affect its momentum.

Shak'ti has made it! Now she just has to decide how to get in. The ruined cockpit at the front, or the secure airlock nearby on the side of the ship?

[Benson]

Shak'ti took a moment as she made her way to the derelict ship to enjoy the tranquility, it was ethereal, dream like, frightening at the same time, conflicting with the peacefulness of the moment. Contradictory feelings really. Anyways, she would then jettison herself towards the secured airlock to have a looksie there.

[Lycan 01]

The airlock looks secure, alright. Still sealed, and locked tight. She'll either need to cut or blast through it, somehow, or find a way to over-ride the locking mechanisms. Unfortunately, to get proper access to the wiring and such, she'd probably have to be inside the ship...

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad lets out a breath as Shak'ti makes it safely across. "Do you see anyplace to hook onto?" he asks over the radio.

[Benson]

Static. "Uh...no...can't say I do, shut tight. I am going to try the ruined cockpit up front, see what I see there, maybe there's an entrance if its busted up in the way I'm hopin'," Shak'ti said as she began to jettison herself around towards the ruined cockpit.

[TheAmishPirate]

A sigh comes from the other end of the radio. "Be careful. Hook onto a bit of the front viewport if you can. You can go inside if you must, but I'd prefer if that were a last resort."

[Lycan 01]

Shak'ti clambers around to the front of the ship, her space suit's small spotlights soon illuminating the broken, charred framework of the cockpit's viewport. The framework itself looks to be intact, and secure enough to attach a cable to.

A cursory look inside reveals that the interior is in about as good condition as the viewport. Everything appears to be burnt or charred, as though some sort of explosion or intense fire swept through the compartment. The pilot's seat is empty, though there's a patch of intact leather that hasn't been scored or scorched, in the perfect shape of a humanoid figure. Looks like the pilot was still at the helm when whatever happened took place. As for the body... no doubt lost to the void when the viewport gave way.

Lovely.

[Benson]

Shak'ti furrowed a brow as she took in the scene. "Yeesh...eh this...hmm," She let out a low whistle. "Alright....gonna attach the cable now on the front viewpoint like ya suggested." She said though her eyes seemed stuck on area around the pilot seat, a funky feeling in her belly.

She then began to slowly attach the cable.

[Lycan 01]

Taking her time, Shak'ti is able to attach the cable to the warped metal frame of the viewport. It holds taught, sturdy and secure.


No further need for tests to go back and forth across the ships while holding on to the cable. Between the small amount of risk and the massive amount of boosts and benefits from the cable, the chances of anything going wrong are statistically negligible; rolling dice now would just be a waste of time. :smalltongue:

[Benson]

"Alright, cable is secured, copy," Shak'ti declared into her comm. She sighed a small breath of relief, the hard step was over.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Excellent work. Hold on, I'm coming over." A few moments later, Conrad comes floating along, held on course by the lifeline, and stops just outside the cockpit. He takes a deep breath as he surveys the charred wreckage. "Goodness...considerably more damage than I was expecting. Could mean good news for us. Viruses typically cannot survive fire and a vacuum. This might've been an extreme method of decon-"

Halfway through his hypothesizing, Conrad notices Shak'ti's silence. And where her gaze was locked on. Within his spacesuit, the good doctor winces painfully. "Which is to say, I'll save my theories until I find those logs. You'd better head back to the airlock; we can't expect Rann to hurl our supplies across, can we?" He gives her a reassuring, suited thumbs-up.

[Benson]

"Right," She said returning a thumbs up under her suit, though hers seemed less sure. She would then travel using the life line back to the ship to fetch supplies, and check in with Rann as well.

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad watches her make the journey back to her ship. Note to self: Initiate mental wellness check on Shak'ti when we return. And prescribe an ointment to prevent lekku bruising. Self-administered, of course.

Once she was safely across, the good doctor takes a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever may lie ahead. "Conrad reporting; I'm entering the cockpit, and proceeding into the ship. Standby." He carefully climbs into the cockpit - taking care not to step in the pilot-shaped patch of unburnt chair - and maneuvers his way inside the ship...

[Lycan 01]

Shak'ti makes it back across safe and sound!

Conrad maneuvers into the cockpit! It's not too hard to squeeze in, and inch around the old pilot seat. The cockpit would have been kinda spacious and cozy back when it was in its prime. As for getting further into the ship...

The blast-door to get into the next cabin appears to be sealed. It may still be electronically locked, or it may just be stuck. The display panel next to it is unlit and burnt out - looks like it won't be useable. Conrad could try rewiring one of the nearby consoles, or attempt to force it open with brute strength.


Either a Brawn check with 1 purple and 1 black die, or a Computers check with 2 purple.

[TheAmishPirate]

Blast. Quite literally, in this case.

"The blast door's been sealed, I can't reach the next cabin," he reports over the radio. His eyes fell on a console, still faintly lit with some traces of power. With the panel burnt out, perhaps he could make one himself. The heroes did it all the time in the vids, didn't they?

Of course, the vids failed to mention the tangle of unlabled, multicolored wires awaiting him underneath the screen.

"I'm going to try hotwiring one of the consoles. Rann, you may wish to fetch a crowbar, just in case." Conrad packages up all the information he's ever learned about the harms inflicted by electric shock, and stuffs it unceremoniously into his mental back pocket. All he needed to know was what wire went where, and which one was most likely to open the door. After a few minutes of careful tracing and guesswork, his list of candidates narrows from "countless" to "a few." Weighing his chances, he picks his most likely candidates, and begins to carefully cross the wires...

[Lycan 01]

Krr-krr-krrrch. Oh hey, sparks look really pretty in space...

The door suddenly slides open!

And a large cloud of smoke and soot billows out! It seems that it has been lazily hanging in the cabin for who knows how long, since there's no gravity to help it settle, and the opening of the door allows some of it to come filtering out. And beyond the smoke and ash pouring from the doorway? Only darkness...

Fwooooosh~

Thankfully, Conrad's suit has headlamps built into it, so he should be able to see around inside the pitch black vessel. Minus the obscuring haze, of course. Stepping into the ship, Conrad will find his view rather hindered by the lingering soot and countless pieces of small debris floating around in the gravity-lacking cabin. What he can see, though, doesn't paint a pretty picture. From wall to wall, floor to ceiling, everything is completely scorched and blackened. And, unpleasantly enough, it doesn't take long for Conrad to catch a glimpse of the charred, skeletal remains of a crew member lazily floating near the ceiling, immolated beyond all recognition.

Definitely no survivors, barring some miracle or violation of the laws of probability...

Still, Conrad should probably be careful not to bump into anything, and watch where he's going.


Perception (Cunning) check! Two purple's and a black!

[TheAmishPirate]

With a spark and a whirr, the doors spring to life! Educated guesses are better than blind guesses after all!

"Hold off on that crowbar; the wiring did it." A minute swell of pride flows through the radio. "The door's opening, I should be able to-ngah!" The voice cuts out, drowned out by a sudden woosh of static and pattering impacts.

"*kshhhhhhhhh*-right! I'm alright! Repeat, I am fine!" The doctor's voice shouts over the background noise. A short fumble and click later, and the headlamps come on. "The whole inside's covered in smoke. Blast door must have been keeping it contained. It's thinning out some, I should be able to...navigate it." A brief, unexplained pause as a bit of skeletal remains floats ominously back into the dark. "The entire inside is burnt. Positive; fireball and vaccum make for a powerful decontaminate. Risk of contagion practically zero. I'm heading inside to confirm the logs and shut down the distress beacon. Shouldn't be long now..."

His suit scraped and scuffed the ash from the walls as he carefully navigated into the depths of the burnt-out wreckage...

[Talkkno]

As Shat'ki enters back into the ship, Rann waves hand.
"Didn't have any trouble it seems? Seems like the ship is in worse shape then I thought, wonder what caused all those flames." He remarks.

[Lycan 01]

Conrad continues on, keeping a close eye on his surroundings! Hey, what's that? A lockbox is lazily floating nearby. Though scorched, it looks like it's still intact, or at least hasn't broken open and disgorged its contents into the void. And beneath the ash and soot, Conrad can just barely make out an emblem of some sort. It... looks like a symbol of the Galactic Republic? From the Clone Wars? Maybe the crew picked it up cheap after the war ended. Or maybe-

A blackened, skeletal hand suddenly clonks lazily against Conrad's helmet, as the burninated remains of crewmember lazily bump into the intruding Bothan.

[TheAmishPirate]

"I think...yes, I can see a lockbox. Still sealed. That may hold the answers we're-"

*clonk!*

Nothing can disturb a train of thought quite like an unexpected encounter with a skeleton.

"-ngh!" A startled, involuntary gasp is soon followed by a clattering of bones. The Bothan swats the hand from his mask and hurriedly shoves the remains away. Even through the suit's thick material, he can feel the ridges on the dried, ragged bones. If it wouldn't drown him, he'd fill his suit with water and wash the sensation away.

[Lycan 01]

The skeleton is flung! It cartwheels through the cabin, swishing the ash clouds around and creating various swirls and patterns in the airborne soot.

Though he can't hear the clatter and snapping of bones, Conrad can easily see the skeleton smash into something and fall apart, a few charred fragments of flesh and bone pirouetting off into the vacuum. Strangely, though, it didn't hit a wall. Instead, it looks more like the skeleton smacked into some sort of object in the middle of the room....

Perhaps Conrad should investigate? Or he could keep moving towards the engine room, to find the distress beacon or data recordings. His call.

[Benson]

As Shat'ki enters back into the ship, Rann waves hand.
"Didn't have any trouble it seems? Seems like the ship is in worse shape then I thought, wonder what caused all those flames." He remarks.

"Uhm...not too many issues," She lied. "Right, Conrad would like those supplies...You have a comm link right? I don't really feel like playing messager-"


"I think...yes, I can see a lockbox. Still sealed. That may hold the answers we're-"

*clonk!*

Nothing can disturb a train of thought quite like an unexpected encounter with a skeleton.

"-ngh!" A startled, involuntary gasp is soon followed by a clattering of bones. The Bothan swats the hand from his mask and hurriedly shoves the remains away. Even through the suit's thick material, he can feel the ridges on the dried, ragged bones. If it wouldn't drown him, he'd fill his suit with water and wash the sensation away.

Hearing silence after Conrad's words through the comm link seemed to bork out, she quickly reached for the comm and pressed a button so that she could talk back to Conrad.

"Hey hey..Conrad!...What happened? You there? You cut off! Report back in!"

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad watches the skeleton break apart, captivated by macabre fascination. A fearful buzzing over the radio snaps him out of his daze, and he fumbles for his radio. "Ah, reporting! Reporting all clear here. I repeat, reporting all clear. There was a...figure in the smoke cloud, but it was nothing. Just a shadow. Will try to keep future exclamations significantly more informative." No need to traumatize the entire crew on account of his unprofessional behavior.

He grabs the lockbox and slips it into his pack, or underneath his arm if his spacesuit has no storage. "I've collected the lockbox, will attempt to open momentarily. There's some sort of object in the center of this room, I can't make it out through the smoke. Will investigate closer, then move on to the engine room."

"No supplies needed yet, but look for a crowbar of sorts; something to jimmy open this box if I can't get it open." He added. Taking care to watch for more intruding skeletons, Conrad slowly approaches whatever object lies up ahead.

[Lycan 01]

The lockbox is more the size of a small footlocker. Able to be stored under Conrad's arm, but not in any sort of carrying compartment.

The Bothan approaches the strange object! Through the smokey haze, his searchlamps slowly reveal what lies before him.

What would seem like a black casket to some is quite the opposite to Conrad's trained eyes. He immediately recognizes the oblong box before him as a Stasis Trauma Module, designed to preserve a severely wounded individual in suspended animation, keeping their wounds and condition from worsening until they can be given proper medical care. Though generally intended to keep the patient preserved for short hyper-space flights, they can keep their guest "in the deep freeze" for months or even years, in the case of having to wait for certain medical procedures or breakthroughs to be available. On their own, the power supply for a STM can last for years. Hooked up to a proper energy source like a power grid or starship engine, an STM could theoretically preserve their patient indefinitely. According to the manufacturers, at least...

There should be an access panel somewhere in the back to check the patient's lifesigns. Assuming the STM currently has somebody or something inside it. From the outside, it's impossible for Conrad to tell without checking the data. Or cracking it open.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Wait, I recognize this; it looks just like a modern...stasis pod. For freezing dying patients," Conrad reports in disbelief. "I can't see if it's occupied. If it was plugged in to the ship's power, then there's a chance...just a minute, I have to check its data." He inches around the pod, searching for the access panel.

[Talkkno]

"Sure opening its a good idea? No guarantee you'll be able to close it afterwards?" Rann replies threw the commlink.

[TheAmishPirate]

"I'm not planning on opening it; not yet." Conrad replies, fumbling with the panel. "The data should tell us if this pod's still occupied and operational. The logs should tell us what was wrong with this patient. If the pod still has power, and the patient's case simple enough for modern medicine, then there's a chance - understand, a small chance - we could have a survivor on our hands."

[Lycan 01]

Unfortunately, Conrad won't be able to find that out just yet. He's unable to get the panel open; it seems to be stuck. There's nothing stopping him from further attempts to open it, though the dark vacuum and awkward positioning of the Stasis Unit near the back wall of the cabin will continue to make it difficult for him to access it.

[TheAmishPirate]

"...which we could figure out quicker...*nghh*...if they didn't put the data panel...*hhgnn*...in the most inconvenient place possible!" No good; no matter how hard Conrad tries, he can't open the panel from this angle. He could maneuver himself to a better spot, but it'd be a tight fit, and tricky in zero-G. He takes a moment to stop, breath, and re-examine the situation. "If the pod is empty, or the power's been cut, then reaching the panel won't matter; there would either be no patient, or a dead patient. The logs and engine room might be easier to reach than this panel."

Oh, and while he has a moment, he starts to fiddle with the footlocker. If it's empty, or full of useless trinkets, then there's little point in letting it burden him the rest of his search.

[Benson]

"You know, why are we letting the medic do the dangerous work?" Shak'ti shook her head and sighed. She would take a moment to grab requested supplies and head back to the airlock in order to begin crossing with the life line.

[Lycan 01]

The lockbox is, shockingly, locked. It looks like it has a combination lock, and it isn't into too great of shape, either. The box will either need to be cracked open with brute force, or someone with locking mechanism know-how will need to take a look at it and try to work their magic.

Shak'ti, meanwhile, begins her trip across! Nothing eventful happens. She'll be able to wiggle into the cockpit and soon join Conrad inside the smoke-filled starship. Mind the bodies, though...


To open the lockbox, you'll need to test Brawn vs 3 purple and 1 blue dice, or Skullduggery vs 2 purple and 1 black dice.

Also, Shak'ti needs to make a Cool test to not be disturbed by the brutally scorched corpses eerily floating around. That'll be 1 yellow and 1 green, vs 1 red and 1 black.

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad, oblivious to the approach of his crewmate, fiddles with the lock. Surely it couldn't be that difficult to jimmy open, could it?

[Rolling to pick the lock. Results: 2 Advantage.]

[Lycan 01]

[According to Benson, Shak'ti rolled 1 failure, 2 advantages, and 1 Despair. :smalleek:]


Conrad tries to jimmy the lock! But with the bulky gloves of his suit, his attempt is unfortunately rather clumsy. He doesn't make any progress on getting it open, but at least he manages to wipe a lot of the char off of the metal, leaving it nice and shiny. That's gotta count for something, right?

Unfortunately, his attempts to get the lock open are interrupted by a loud, horrified shriek tearing through the comm-link.

Shak'ti, upon finding herself in the macabre embrace of a crispy fried crew member, immediately begins to scream in terror, frozen in place as her mind is completely overwhelmed with fear and panic. Thankfully, she's too terrified to flail about and accidentally hit anything or damage her suit.


Shak'ti is Stunned for 1 Round as she's overwhelmed with terror, and takes 1 Strain.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Shak'ti!" Conrad sweeps his headlamps around the room, and catches a glimpse of her silhouette back by the door. With a muttered curse, he pushes the locker against the floor and takes off. "Hold on, I'm coming!" He gingerly navigates the cloud of ash, straining to see in the darkness, until both Twi'lek and her new acquaintance spring to view. Fighting the urge to gag, he grabs at the skeleton's midsection and shoves it aside.

[Benson]

Well Shak'ti was stunned, she would be spotted standing stiffly there, frozen in some weird sudden moment of irrational fear.

[Talkkno]

"Whats happening in there?" Rann inquires cautiously the commlink.

[Lycan 01]

[Conrad got a failure and three advantages]

Good news and bad news.

The bad news? The skeleton is still a bit tangled up on Shak'ti.

The good news? Shak'ti can't see the skeleton, because Conrad is now all up in her personal space. His helmet is nearly pressed up against hers, so all she can see is the Bothan's visor obstructing her vision. It may help snap her out of her terror, or at least give her some comfort to know Conrad is right there with her.

Or she may freak out worse. But hopefully that won't happen!

[Benson]

"Ack!" Shak'ti was extra doubly startled with Conrad suddenly appearing up in her view space..area...thing. Its touching her...well not Conrad, but the skeleton, well Conrad kinda too. Ack! Bleck! Wagh! Out of instinct she pushed shoved Conrad away.

[TheAmishPirate]

Rann receives no reply over the commlink, save for the sound of a short struggle.

In his haste to aid Shak'ti, Conrad horribly miscalculates his approach and ends up smack in his ally's face, miraculously wedged between skeleton and Twi'lek. Not...quite what he'd planned on. Before he can explain himself or offer up any calming words, the panicked pilot shoves him away and knocks the air from his lungs. With the skeleton tangled up behind him, he grabs at the walls and ceiling in a desperate bid to keep from crashing into anything.

[Lycan 01]

Shak'ti still has a skeleton all up in her personal space. Conrad is kinda bouncing along the ceiling, though he should be able to regain his balance easily enough.

Rann, meanwhile, gets to hear all this on the comm channel! He could always try to use the ship's scanners to get an idea of what's going on...

[Talkkno]

"What is happening down there?" Rann repeats himself clearly, as takes a deep breath, turning to the console that controlled the scanners and attempted to get a sense of what was happening inside the ship, as he hopes it doesn't turn out as badly as his last attempt.


One Proficiency Die: One successes, Proficiency Die: blank Ability Die: advantage Difficulty Die: Failure, Difficultly Die: failure and disadvantage

One failure

[Benson]

'Ack...get this thing off me please aaach!" Shak'ti yelled trying to disentangle herself from the skeleton that was being just too clingy.

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad stops his ceiling adventures with a well-timed push. Head spinning, questions and cries for help competing for his attention; add in some blood and a scalpel, and this floating wreck would feel just like home.

"Little bother with the previous occupants, hold tight," he hurries to explain over the commlink before lining up another push. "Shak'ti, hold still!" he shouts, before jumping from the ceiling on another course for the treacherous skeleton.

[Making yet another roll to deal with this punk.]

[Lycan 01]

The good news is, Conrad gets the skeleton and Shak'ti separated and far apart from each other.

The bad news is, he does this by accidentally tackling Shak'ti instead, and the two end up tumbling across the cabin before thudding against the wall in an awkward embrace, safe and well away from the toasty bones of the long-dead crewmember.

Meanwhile, Rann tries to check the sensors again!

The screen flickers with static. Something's interfering; must be all that ash and chaff inside the ship. Maybe he could try a different setting and strength...

[TheAmishPirate]

A sense of deja vu washes over the good doctor.

"Wait! Don't! It's me!" pleads Conrad earnestly. He fumbles to get his arms free, but in the close quarters and zero-G environment, it's far easier said than done. His gut clenches, bracing for impact...

[Talkkno]

"Need any help in there?" Rann inquires, confused about what was happening, as he murmurs to himself about replacing the sensor systems.

[Benson]

A sense of deja vu washes over the good doctor.

"Wait! Don't! It's me!" pleads Conrad earnestly. He fumbles to get his arms free, but in the close quarters and zero-G environment, it's far easier said than done. His gut clenches, bracing for impact...

Amusingly, and extra out of character as we are past OOC for ol Shak'ti, her leeku, somehow, managed to blush. I don't even. She stares at Conrad and puts on an awkward smile over clenched teeth.

Conrad does not get punch-shoved.

A moment of awkward silence happens until it is broken by Rann's inquiry via the comm. "Hrrm...this is...damn awkward....weeeell sh** heh.." Out came a forced hollow laugh.

[TheAmishPirate]

Ah, awkward silences; just about the only thing in the galaxy less preferable than gut-punches.

Conrad takes the opportunity to get his arms free, but fails accomplish much else productive other than staring awkwardly back at Shak'ti. A thousand apologies are spun up and promptly discarded, and another thousand are spared the same fate by the timely hail from Rann. "Yyyyyno. No, we're fine. We're all fine here, thank you. Just a...ah, loose piece of debris caught us by surprise..." He glances back down at his shaken crewmate, and an idea blooms. "...which mercifully inflicted no harm. Good reflexes, Shak'ti. You saved me from a fine set of bruises."

He gives her a bulky, suited thumbs-up, and a twinkle of a wink behind his visor.

[Talkkno]

"Ah, was getting a bit worried, sensors still aren't working on my end, any luck finding the logs or distress beacon." Rann replies, as he turns away from the consoles.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Ah, was getting a bit worried, sensors still aren't working on my end, any luck finding the logs or distress beacon." Rann replies, as he turns away from the consoles.

Conrad eyes the door to the engine room warily. "No, not yet. Give us a few more minutes and we should have them."

[Benson]

"Sorry 'bout all that though...I am not really sure what got over me there...I had a...moment I suppose," She wanly smiled and glanced at Conrad before focusing her line of sight elsewhere.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Then let's not spend any longer on this wreck than we have to. I think both of us could use less 'moments.'" He gingerly pats his stomach, then disappears into the ash cloud. He re-emerges moments later, a lockbox held under his arm. "Here; can you get this open? I'm going to check near the engine room for those logs."

[Lycan 01]

Onwards to the engine room! Assuming Conrad has some idea of what he's doing (and Rann can probably guide him through it if he doesn't), it shouldn't be too hard for him to open the charred hatch that houses the distress beacon system, though much of the interior is covered in black soot and burn damage.

Turning off the beacon would require a bit of fine dexterity to properly unhook the right cables or flip the right failsafes... or Conrad can just smash it with the nearest blunt object until Rann no longer picks up the signal. Whatever works!

As for downloading the logs... The system's data stores are also located nearby. They appear to be relatively undamaged, but... getting the info out may be a bit tricky. There's no telling how corrupted the data has become overtime, or what sort of errors or glitches could result from the external or internal damage the databanks may have received. Downloading the info could present any number of risks, from accidental file wipes, to a catastrophic overload.

But hey, no risk, no reward...


Turning off the distress beacon is a 1 Purple Brawn or Mechanics check.

Downloading the files will require either a datapad or some sort of data-chip, or another electronic storage device. If your character has one in their inventory, you can say they brought it along. If nobody owns one, then a handy dandy Force Point can always be used to Deus Ex Machina small items like datapads or rebreather masks into existence, with your character "suddenly remembering" they brought one along or something.

The test itself? Computers, vs 1 purple, 1 red, and 1 black.

Good luuuuuuck. :smallamused:

[Benson]

"Alright....you just be careful alright? And if you need anything, let me know," She said as he jetpacked away. She would then take to the locked box Conrad asked for her to try to open it.

<Using Brawn, 1 failure, 1 advantage>

[Lycan 01]

Shak'ti tries to open the lockbox! She fails! But hey, at least it didn't go floating out of her grasp or anything. That would have been awkward.

[Talkkno]

"...Looks like your in the right place. Perhaps it might be a better idea to remove the memory core for me to take a look at it?" Rann suggests over the commlink.

[TheAmishPirate]

"Alright....you just be careful alright? And if you need anything, let me know," She said as he jetpacked away.

Conrad gave her a thumb's up, and silently jetted to the engine room...


Onwards to the engine room! Assuming Conrad has some idea of what he's doing (and Rann can probably guide him through it if he doesn't), it shouldn't be too hard for him to open the charred hatch that houses the distress beacon system, though much of the interior is covered in black soot and burn damage.

Turning off the beacon would require a bit of fine dexterity to properly unhook the right cables or flip the right failsafes... or Conrad can just smash it with the nearest blunt object until Rann no longer picks up the signal. Whatever works!

As for downloading the logs... The system's data stores are also located nearby. They appear to be relatively undamaged, but... getting the info out may be a bit tricky. There's no telling how corrupted the data has become overtime, or what sort of errors or glitches could result from the external or internal damage the databanks may have received. Downloading the info could present any number of risks, from accidental file wipes, to a catastrophic overload.

But hey, no risk, no reward...


Turning off the distress beacon is a 1 Purple Brawn or Mechanics check.

Downloading the files will require either a datapad or some sort of data-chip, or another electronic storage device. If your character has one in their inventory, you can say they brought it along. If nobody owns one, then a handy dandy Force Point can always be used to Deus Ex Machina small items like datapads or rebreather masks into existence, with your character "suddenly remembering" they brought one along or something.

The test itself? Computers, vs 1 purple, 1 red, and 1 black.

Good luuuuuuck. :smallamused:


Conrad stood before the data stores. Finally, the answers they sought were almost theirs. A few key presses, a little downloading, navigating an ancient computing system, avoiding any critical accidents that could lose the data forever, hoping that the external damage left some of the files readable, and they'd be set.

Conrad decided to shut off the distress beacon first.

(What stat relates to Mechanics? Rolled Intellect vs. 1 Purple, got 2 Successes and 2 Advantages)


"...Looks like your in the right place. Perhaps it might be a better idea to remove the memory core for me to take a look at it?" Rann suggests over the commlink.

"That...may be wise." He searches around the datastores for the aforementioned memory core. "Would that damage it?"

(Searching for the memory core, presumably with Rann's instructions.)

[Lycan 01]

The distress beacon is turned off! Quickly and easily, in fact, without any sort of trouble, and leaving the system fully intact!

As for the memory core, it's not too difficult to find, since it's a part of the ship's data stores. Getting it out won't be easy, since it's no doubt buried down inside the blocks of processors and wiring. Any mistakes while removing it could be problematic - perhaps even catastrophic. But getting it out intact would allow much easier recovery of info later on...


Removing the data core itself is the same difficulty as downloading the files. Mechanics (Int) vs 1 Purple, 1 Red, and 1 Black die.

[TheAmishPirate]

"...Looks like your in the right place. Perhaps it might be a better idea to remove the memory core for me to take a look at it?" Rann suggests over the commlink.

The memory core winks teasingly at Conrad from its nest of scorched, melted wires. In spite of the coolant systems in his suit, a bead of sweat rolls down Conrad's forehead. "No good; the core's wedged deep down within the system. I'd just as likely break it as if I tried to download it."

He pauses, weighing his own curiosity against his sensible paranoia.

"...given the ship's been roasted and exposed to a vacuum, it's safe to assume any pathogens are long dead. If anything survived in here, it'd be contaminating space itself. Slightly bigger problem than a planet-wide pandemic." He chuckles to himself. "Ah, sorry. Gallows humor. What it means is, Shak'ti, you may cross back with the lockbox and attempt to open it aboard our ship. Rann, you take her suit, and help me with this computer. We have to find out what poor soul might still be in this pod."

[Benson]

"Got it captain," Shak'ti grinned and chuckled. She held the box under her arm, rather disappointed with her attempt to try to open it, perhaps a second attempt would yield results, but for now...

She would return to their ship and flag down Rann and would remove herself out of her suit in a safe area.

[Lycan 01]

It doesn't take long for Shakti to get back aboard the freighter with the lockbox. Of course, once they're back aboard the ship and artificial gravity reasserts itself, the box suddenly gets quite heavy, its contents clunking and clanking as she sets it down. Sounds bulky, whatever it is in there.

[Talkkno]

"Need any help with that before I go?" Rann asks Shat'Ki curiously, as he starts to strap on his backpack.

[Benson]

Shak'ti took a moment to catch her breath. "Urrk...naw...I will be fine...go quickly to Conrad, but thank you anyway Rann." She flashed him a weary smile.

[Talkkno]

"Gotcha, good luck with that." Rann replies with a nod as he dons Shat'ki spacesuit with little difficultly, making his way to the deperict ship along the line. He joins Conrad in engine room, shaking his head as he examines the data stores, asking, as he lays down his backpack and starts to search for tools.

"Well I could try interfacing here and getting the information on my datapad or I can try to pull out the memory core, what do you reckon is the best plan?"

[TheAmishPirate]

Rann would find Conrad waiting patiently by the databanks, touching as little as possible. "Whichever you think stands us the best chance of getting that data out undamaged." he replies, taking a step back. "I'm a doctor, not a computer scientist; I'll help if I can, but I'm better equipped to take shrapnel out of people instead of files."

[Talkkno]

Rann mulls over his options for a moment, deciding to slice the computers in lieu of taking out the memory core, he mutters.
"Fair enough doc, going to try my hand at hand slicing the data, the worst that could happen is that I'm denied accesses rather then damaging the core if I went and tried to take it out."
At first, it just seems Rann just pulls out an oversized datapad, but inside it was far more then simply that, a potent tool for overcoming all manner of codes and firewalls, fumbling a bit due the gloves, as he finds an outlet to plug it in, and soon after scrolls of numbers start rolling down the screen.


Computers
2 Proficiency die, one ability Die.
Proficiency Die: One Successes Proficiency Die: Blank Ability Die: Advantage Challenge Die: Failure. Difficultly Die: Failure Setback Die: Failure.
2 Failures, One advantage

[Lycan 01]

"ACCESS DENIED."

Oh hey, looks like it's encrypted. Heavily encrypted...

The good news, though, is that Rann doesn't cause any sort of damage or trigger any sort of contingencies, like a self-destruct feature. So there's that, at least.


Huh. Those encryptions look a lot like the sort you'd see on old Republic hardware from the Clone Wars...

[Talkkno]

Rann forgets he is wearing a spacesuit for a moment as he is denied acess, as he spits in front his helmet.
"No good, its heavily encrypted, going to pry out the core now." Rann remarks with a hint of annoyance, as he pulls out his hydrospanner and carefully attempts to retrieve the memory core from the tangled wires.

One setback die removed due to Gearhead.
Proficiency Die: One advantage. Proficiency Die: 2 Advantages Ability Die: two successes. Challenge Die: One threat, one failure, Difficultly Die: One threat, one failure. Conrad assistance: Boost Die: Blank.

Total: One advantage

[Lycan 01]

Spitting into his helmet was a bad idea, as Rann soon discover he can't really see what he's doing as well as he needs to thanks to the spittle on the visor! Uh oh! But hey, at least he managed to get a few restraining bolts and protective coverings out of the way.


If Conrad makes a check to take it out, it'll just be 1 purple and 1 red. The black die has been nullified by Rann removing some of the obstructions.

He can either try to carefully take it out with Mechanics, or because some of its restraints have been removed, he can try to use brute force to just yank it loose with Brawn.

[Talkkno]

"Blast! Looks like its stuck in there for good." Rann mutters, shaking his head, as he turns to Conrad asking, offering his hydrospanner.

"Do you want to give a shot?"

[TheAmishPirate]

Conrad swallows hard, taking the spanner with trepidation. "I suppose I do have steady hands. Never quite got the chance to operate in zero-G before," he lightly jokes.

Though really, was it so different from surgery? The guts of the computer were laid out before him, and the foreign object lay nestled amidst them. True, he lacked his usual set of tools, but he still had his imagination. And a hyrdospanner to boot. With a deep breath to calm his nerves, he slowly reached for the core...

(Using a Force Point to downgrade that red to a purple. Rolling 3 Green for Intellect + 1 Boost for Rann helping vs. 2 Purple. And I get...4 Advantage.

Gosh dang it Conrad succeed at something for once. XDX)