Star Wars: Dregs of the Rebellion

[Reiver Party]

Star Wars
Dregs of the Rebellion

The escape pod thunders into the earth with a wrenching impact. As you hang from stark seats into crash webbing, you hear the slow beeping death of the pod's homing beacon. The beeps get quieter and longer as the computer dies. Maybe it was homing in on the Rebel base. Maybe it was tracking the space signals of Bhur City.

Those who stumble out into the crash site find it reached neither.

The pod has scarred a groove into the forested hills some four klicks west of Bhur City, putting it just over twenty klicks southeast of Kirrok Base. To the north the majestic Maw Mountains jut to the sky, a ring of mountains broken only by the mighty Mawtrack carving it's way from Bhur City to the Imperial Quarries. To the south, past several klicks of gentler hills covered in spindly trees, lie the treacherous Saltire Flats. Those mossy stones offer naught but sinkholes and grappler vines.

To the west, more forested hills undulate up and down to the horizon. The trees are spindly and the leaves small. Underfoot is as treacherous as all untamed forests, but passable. There are signs of animal and bird life, but there are none around at the moment. Possibly the screaming, fire-rimmed pod slamming into the ground frightened them off.

The view to the east is much the same, save for the sight of the great walled Bhur City. Even from here, the internal walls can be seen, divided the city into four quarters (Imperial, Civil, Temple and Alien). Several buildings clear the rooflines: the Great Temple, the City Hall, the bulberous Imperial Palace and the dread spindle of the Ion Cannon.

The pod's landing has surely been noticed and this site is not safe. Whatever is now happening in space, this is an occupied planet and there will surely be Imperial troops hunting down Rebels who escape the trap.
Kirrok Base, Bhur City and the Imperial Quarries are all places with ships to be recruited or commandeered. Whatever the choice, staying here is a very bad idea.

[RossN]

Shalanna Tir

Shalanna stumbles from the escape pod. She thinks to herself she hasn't felt so bad since the night she'd challenged a Wookie smuggler to a drinking contest in Nal Hutta.

At least I'm wearing my clothes this time. She thinks to herself woozily. Leaning one blue hand against a convienient tree, the Twi'lek smuggler looks back at the pod. 'Is everyone okay? Any injuries?'

[Ashkhar Ben]

Tromuld takes a moment to woozily stand, rearranging himself and his gear. His pale eyes meander around to the other survivors, the surrounding crash site, and the horizon in every direction. He shuffles a few steps out of the pod, squinting against the contrast of the light.

A moment after the Twi'lek speaks, he realizes her gaze has settled on him. He smiles congenially, nodding and waving the Twi'lek off. "Oh um yes quite, hm quite alright, thank you, hmm yes..." his voice trails off as he shuffles a few more steps out, hefting his pack and combat vest, strapped with weapons and various compact equipment. His gaze suddenly hardens at the site of Bhur City, and the Empire's iconic Ion Cannon. Tromuld's eyes squint as he tightens the straps of his pack and combat vest. (Perception: 8 to determine the most hidden path to take)

"Let's see what we can salvage from the pod, and get moving..." more to himself than aloud.

-----------------------

Perception Roll:
[roll0]

[drayen]

The young human male in an orange flight suit gingerly steps out of the wreckage of the escape pod. He doesn't return the twi'lek's look, but he does respond to her question. "I think I am uninjured. We need to get out of here." He reiterates the other's statement.

Pointing to towards Bhur City, he adds, "The city's over there."

[Kynwric]

Davin was unhurt, as a matter of fact since he'd strapped into the escape pods seats soon after entering it. While everyone else piled out of the pod in a hurry, Davin instead carefully unstrapped himself and straightened his clothes, ran his fingers through his hair to make sure it was its appropriately rakish mix of neat and groomed and bed-tussled and only then did he step foot out of the coffin with a booster rocket strapped to it that the Corellian Engineering Corporation called an escape pod. He glanced around at his companions making sure they were all in fine shape, taking extra moment to and shook his head at the Miraluka's suggestion of Bhur City as a destination. "I do not think that would be a wise choice, Bhur City is bound to be crawling with Imperials, we are Rebels after all." Davin pursed his lips in thought, "Perhaps we should evaluate all out options, quickly. Bhur City, about 4 clicks that way." He pointed East, towards the walls. "Which we'll have to get past the walls to enter. Or Kirrick Base, which is 20 klicks that direction." Again he indicated the direction with his outstretched finger, this time pointing Northwest. "Finally, to the North," another indication with his finger, "we have the Imperial Quarries. I don't suggest we choose that one... so it comes down to a friendly base further away that might give us transport off-world or a much closer, neutral to unfriendly city where we'll likely have to steal a ship to get off planet. Oh, and we'll likely have to skirt patrols coming from the city, if I don't miss my guess."

[Ashkhar Ben]

"What if the rebel base has been captured? Or is being monitored? Or what if we're followed? We'd be walking right into a trap, and possibly revealing the base's location to the Imperials. If, and only if, none of those are possibilities, would I wish to go that way.

"Otherwise, into Bhur would be ideal. They wouldn't expect us to head straight into the city- there we can find refuge, even a ship... per-perhaps the Alien, quarter?" Tromuld's watery pale eyes slowly turn toward the others, slightly out of sync.

[RossN]

Shalanna Tir

A flicker of relief passes across the Twi'lek's face as Davin emerges unharmed, though she hides it quickly.

Shalanna waved a slender hand in the direction of Bhur. 'Speaking as an Alien I think Bhur is the way to go. I speak Huttese and even if I don't want to breath the same air as one it's a handy language to use amongst us... shady types. I don't think getting a ship should be too difficult.' She folded her arms and smirked confidently. 'Besides I'm a city girl; better to hide there than in a ditch out here heading for a base that might already be captured.'

[Ashkhar Ben]

"That settles it..." Tromuld drawls. He starts humming quietly to himself as he cinches his equipment tighter and begins to walk to the nearest treeline due east. "We should get into cover, immediately. If either of you are mechanically inclined, would you be so kind as to salvage anything you can from the pod?"

He pulls out a blaster pistol with surprising deft, arming and examining it with rote precision and nonchalance. His small, waddling steps take him closer to the treeline, his heavy blaster holstered on a quick release at his side.

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OOC:
Once I get to the treeline, I'd like to roll to Hide, specifically to be difficult to see in the forest from the ground or from the air. Even if that means moving slowly and from tree to tree. I don't want to get too far ahead, but I'll roll it here. (19 Hide)

4d6

Edit: for some reason my roll isn't taking. I did a second post for the hide, as I think this was an edited post so rolls don't work.

[Kynwric]

Davin looked at Shalanna and shrugged, "Ah, if just every alien were as fair." He did a once over on the escape pod, as far as he was concerned the it was worthless, except for the survival bags each contained. He did duck back into the escape pod and pulled them all free. He kept one for himself and one to each of the remaining companions that would take on, he didn't force them on anyone however. Once that task was complete he stood nearby to Shalanna and watched the well-armed fellow head into the forest. "I think he's right, but I think letting him lead is a good idea too. He does have all the guns, after all."

[Ashkhar Ben]

OOC: I think since it was an edited post earlier, my roll didn't work. Here it is, rolling for hide. I'll delete this post if it doesn't work still.

[roll0]

[drayen]

Nodding mostly to himself, the fighter pilot takes a survival kit and heads towards Bhur City.

[Reiver Party]

Tromuld isn't able to spot anything useful in the wrecked pod.

It takes an hour to get to a hiding spot 1 klick from Bhur City. Apart from one terrifying moment of hearing the scream of TIE engines overhead before spotting the fighters flying out over the Saltire Flats, the journey is suspiciously free of Imperial interference.

From this vantage point, a thick copse on a hill overlooking the city, you can spy on your destination. Alien Quarter and Temple Quarter are facing you, the dividing wall almost straight-on to you from your perspective. The thin, long Ion Cannon in the Temple Quarter slowly ratchets this way and that, tracking orbital targets. The distinctive unfolding shape of a Lambda Shuttle rises above the walls and blasts into space. The thick spires of the Great Temple, home to the Holy Market, are just visible.
The slums of Alien Quarter offer no landmarks, save for seedy dive bars and speak-easies built down into the ground. A thin plume of foul black smoke rises from somewhere.

Each quarter has a gate in the wall, allowing access to outsiders. These tall, pointed steely gates are large enough for vehicles to pass through, but also have rectangular man-sized gates "cut" into them. Above each sits an open gatehouse, from which grey-uniformed Regular Army personnel usually keep an eye on the outside.

Today those gatehouses are clearly unmanned.

[Ashkhar Ben]

"Anyone have binocs?" Tromuld says, barely above a whisper. He crouches down laboriously, wincing at his arthritic knees. He stares with those wide, offset eyes at the gate houses for quite some time, his vein and pock riddled, knobby hand hovering millimeters above his pistol. (Perception Roll: 9)

"Over, under, or through?" his wrinkled neck folds as he turns to look at the rest of the Rebels behind him, a faint smile on his stubbled face.

----------

I'd like the Perception roll to see if there's a particular reason why the Gatehouses are unmanned, such as violence in the city or the sound of an alert siren, etc.

[roll0]

[Reiver Party]

From this distance, it's difficult to hear what's going on in the city. But every so often, Tromuld can faintly hear the "whumph" of heavy weapons fire.

Straining his eyes, he's pretty sure he sees the occasional red flash of blaster fire in the depths of the city. Imperial Quarter, maybe.

[Ashkhar Ben]

Tromuld considers the scene for a few moments, waiting for any of the others to comment. Various fresh recruits and hangers-on in the Republic, they could be of help, but he didn't intend to wait for them to make any decisions, certainly with his life. And now, the Imperials were engaged in battle. Maybe that trail of smoke was a downed Republic ship or escape pod, and the men from the gates were pulled in to combat the sudden threat.

"I think now is our best opportunity... those gate guards are involved in combat. Perhaps other Republic survivors, like us?" he muses. He'll have a better chance sticking with them for now, at least as a distraction until the time comes. The more damage they can do to the Empire, the better. Standing in this scrub forest wasn't going to do them or the Effort any good.

"Well...?" he looks to the others.

[RossN]

Shalanna had been keeping close to Davin. She definitely didn't trust the smuggler but she liked him which was the next best thing, and like her she knew he respected the importance of credits.

Now she looks at Tromuld thoughtfully. 'Might be a local uprising? If weapons fire is coming from the Imperial quarter the Empire boys might have there hands full. I agree we better get close enough to see what is happening; I don't want to get shot but I like to know where I stand!'

[drayen]

Jospi focuses on the distant city for a moment before responding. "There certainly aren't any ships sitting out here. Our best chance still lies in Bhur City. Let's go."

[Ashkhar Ben]

Without another word, Tromuld rises and starts walking cautiously toward the Gatehouse outside of the Alien Quarter. As he approaches, he keeps his heavy blaster pistol gripped in his hand but down by his side. He'll lead the way, moving from tree to tree until he can get close enough to the Gate to see the exact situation.

"Might have to fight or buy our way in..." he mentions quietly, each small step bringing him closer.

-------

To sneak closer to the Gatehouse, roll a Hide [roll0]
To conceal my weapons and appear as a nonthreatening if discovered, roll a Con [roll1] *

*Bear in mind my equipment was upgraded to be more concealable in exchange for my Jetpack.

[drayen]

Jospi rises and follows the older man towards the city.

[Kynwric]

Davin has little to add to the conversation about whether to proceed or not, he would like to get in the city now that they had arrived. He didn't stock out nearly so bad when other people were around.

"No guards, can't get much more lucky than that."

Davin also began moving towards the gate.

[Ashkhar Ben]

OOC: Since edited posts don't allow rolls, I'm posting my corrected Sneak up to the gate.

[roll0]