Playground Rebels IC [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Mando Knight

2017-01-04, 07:45 PM

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

Sunrider, a Rebel cruiser hidden in a nebula along the Ison Corridor

Loading droids and crewmen bustle about the hangar bay, loading equipment and supplies into the Storm Rider. Outside, an ionic storm swirls about the interstellar matter, concealing the ships from long-range scans.

As one of the last pallets of cargo is brought aboard, the flight deck officer arrives with a datapad in hand. "Here's the final cargo manifest. Captain Toval will be down here shortly, he would like to speak with you before you leave."

Most of the cargo consists of various electrical and mechanical components, including improved de-icers and thermal insulators for common Alliance equipment. There are several crates of such components specifically marked for use in Incom T-47 airspeeders.

The rest of the cargo consists of approximately a ton of herd animal fodder and care equipment.

The Alliance has recently relocated its command base to Hoth, a frozen world in the Anoat sector. However, unforeseen difficulties have lead to the base requiring an additional resupply. Because of its capabilities as a smuggling vessel, the Storm Rider is directed to meet with the cruiser Sunrider, receive the cargo, and head to Hoth. Avoid Imperial contact if possible. If contact is necessary, pose as smugglers to avoid betraying the nature of the Hoth base to the Empire.

robnar

2017-01-05, 12:07 AM

Dax greets the man courteously as he reaches out to take the datapad. "Thanks, man. Before I go inventory this, are there any special instructions on how to handle this stuff? Got any gouge on the sense of urgency behind this? Anything I can bring you back from the tropical paradise of Hoth?"

As he waits for a response, Dax quickly scrolls through the list of banal parts and even more banal bovine nutrition, looking for anything that would give an imperial inspector cause to check twice.

Dax will do an untrained gather info check seeking the gossip about this mission. if someone else wants to weigh in, could also treat this as an 'aid another'. Total roll is 10 + 3 = 13.

Philistine

2017-01-05, 01:24 AM

In the Storm Rider's cargo hold, Quastor "Cubey" Bick is keeping a watchful eye on the cargo loading. "No! Wait, wait, wait! Not there!" he shouts as a labor droid drops a pallet. He rushes over, datapad in hand showing the loading plan. "No. See? This load goes over there," he says, pointing to the far side of the hold, "Over here, the imbalance will flip the ship during the transition to repulsor lift, causing a crash that'll kill us all. And be sure to secure it properly when you get it to the right tiedown!"

The Duros calls the last over his shoulder as he stalks away to look over the rest of the operation. "I swear these droids are making a hash of the load plan just to give me hell," he mutters. It crosses his mind that maybe 67 would have more luck explaining that an unbalanced load wasn't a funny prank, and he calls out, "Six-Seven! Where are you when I need you?"

As the deck officer presents the datapad to Dax, Cubey changes direction and bustles over that way. "Don't tell me - there's a last minute change to the manifest? Fantastic, just fantastic," he scowls.

whoiam

2017-01-05, 07:14 AM

[roll0]

The final manifest also exerted it's magnetic attraction on Eponah. Truthfully, she didn't much care what they were carrying. But as the 'captain' of the freighter (as far as Imperial Authorities were concerned, anyway), she'd be expected to know what she was carrying. The summary, anyway. She wasn't about to memorise part counts or the like.

"It's all boring stuff. Insulation generally doesn't have special storage needs, and the worst you can say about all this fodder is we might have to check the cargo bay for rodents during the flight. And nothing on the list I could pretend to be smuggling, worse luck; Thankfully it's not that hard to compose tales of being too down-on-our-luck to refuse a cheap-and-easy hauling job.

Hey, Cubey, you're our expert galactic traveller: Can you find me the name of another extreme-temperature world near the Anoat sector? When they ask me where all this insulation's bound for, I don't want to have to tell the truth..."

Volthawk

2017-01-05, 08:12 AM

Six-Seven was deeper in the ship, having already assisted somewhat during the loading - Quastor had overseeing covered, and the other droids should suffice - and now doing a few checks to the rest of the ship's workings. Not strictly necessary - the cell had enough mechanical talent to make routine problems a nigh non-issue - but it helped reassure him. It all seemed functional, so he trudged outside after hearing Quastor's call. He joined the others gathered around the manifest, but merely waited and listened for now.

Thundercracker

2017-01-05, 09:23 AM

Darren Korr

Darren stood at the edge of the hangar and watched the ion storm swirl by. Something fascinated him about the power of the cosmos, he was drawn to it. He was within an arm's length of the forcefield separating him from a quick death, but maybe he liked it that way. At his side was a small pit droid, absently tossing a rubber ball against a bulkhead. His reverie was interrupted by raised voices behind him.

"Nibbler, go help Cubey with the cargo, make sure you don't break anything this time," Darren said at Bick's outburst. The little pit droid saluted and trudged off to report to the Duros.

Darren glanced at the ion storm again and then turned away. His boots clunked as he walked over to the Storm Rider. Looking over the others' shoulders, he drew a slightly deeper breath, about as close to a sigh as he ever got, as he looked over the manifest.

"Any cold weather gear for the crew, or are we not going to be there long enough?" he asked the deck officer.

Mando Knight

2017-01-05, 04:45 PM

"There should be some extras in container..." the deck officer looks at the manifest, then reaches to scroll the list a bit. "...137, 'cold weather apparel'."

As the Storm Rider's crew gathers around the shipping manifest, the hangar's turbolift doors open, and a male human carrying a black case exits the lift and walks toward the freighter. As he draws near, he calls out "I hope I didn't keep anyone waiting."

Nodding his head to dismiss the deck officer, the man addresses the crew of the Storm Rider. "I'm Captain Toval. Alliance Command wanted me to brief you on this next part personally, as this is not on the ship's manifest."

Handing his case over to Darren, he continues. "In order to maintain your cover story as smugglers, Command has authorized me to give you the three kilos of refined spice in this case. If you're stopped by an Imperial patrol, play off the spice as the ship's 'real' cargo. Any questions?"

Philistine

2017-01-05, 08:20 PM

Cubey scowls at the case. "Bad enough to be smugglers, but now we're meant to be incompetent smugglers," he growls. "May I, Skipper?" he asks as he reaches for the case, already eying its dimensions and plotting where to stow it. "Hmm. A spot conspicuous enough that the Imps won't miss it in a cursory search, but not so conspicuous that they won't believe we missed how conspicuous it was," he grumbles to himself. "And the reward if we succeed? An all-expenses paid, one-way ticket to Kessel." He shakes his head in disgust.

whoiam

2017-01-05, 08:29 PM

"Hey, could be worse... at least if we get sent there, we'll have the chance to smuggle spice for real on the way back out!

Oh, that reminds me: What type are we carrying? I, for one, don't much fancy sampling it to find out... Or 'cracking' during interrogation to tell them about our Ryll stash, only for them to find it full of Glitterstim..."

Honestly, she was thinking along the same lines as Cubey. The spice would definitely help protect the base at Hoth - at their expense. Still, she had to admit that was the better choice. And after all, if Koyi had died for these people, she could risk Kessel for them...

...Though she'd really, really prefer not to.

Mando Knight

2017-01-06, 02:01 AM

"Better to mine Kessel as an alleged smuggler than to be executed as a Rebel after leading the Empire right to the base. You don't have to be incompetent, just 'remember how to cooperate' when they accuse you of treason instead of smuggling. As to the variety of spice, Command told me it was glitterstim. Anything else?"

Volthawk

2017-01-06, 12:39 PM

67 now spoke up as he observed Cubey consider hiding the spice, an idea having hit him.

"My line of droids have storage compartments as standard - more than large enough for the spice and some other material to help hide it. Perhaps it could be stored there, as I would be acting like a regular droid and so it would just appear as if you were relying on them missing the possibility of contraband there rather than hidden on the ship itself." A moments pause for further consideration on this option. "The actually well-hidden courier compartments are also an option, if your spice-smuggling personas would be smart enough to go to those lengths - I doubt it. In any case, whatever the final plan, it seems best for me to simply play the role of a more...regular droid."

He kept quiet on the whole punishment issue the others were talking about. His potential fate would be a bit less predictable, depending on things such as any captor's decision with wiping and reprogramming and their success against his defences and backul core. Best not to keep running the eventualities through his processor.

robnar

2017-01-06, 10:26 PM

Dax stands at attention as the Captain approaches, and then assumes a more relaxed at-ease when they enter this highly informal excuse for a mission brief. The brief gives Dax a brief sense of unease - this is an elaborate setup for a fairly pedestrian cargo.

But, gut feeling aside, it's a normal supply run. Dax waits his turn, then asks: "Sir, four questions. First, how soon does the cargo need to arrive? Second, if we have to choose, what is more important, on-time delivery of the cargo or protection of the location of Echo base? Third, if we are going to miss our deadline - say, from evading the enemy - is it better to scrap the mission and come back or to try again? Fourth, once we report to Echo base with the cargo, do we return to your command or report to the base commander there for further tasks?"

Dax is relatively sure he knows that priority is protecting Echo base, but he doesn't want to assume the boss's intent. After the Captain answers, Dax confirms the cargo manifest with Cubey and returns the datapad to the flight officer.

Thundercracker

2017-01-07, 02:14 AM

Darren saluted Captain Toval and listened to the instructions, nodding as he did so.

"That's enough," he said, when Cubey started complaining, "we do our jobs right nobody's going to Kessel."

He waited for Toval's response to Dax's questions.

"Fifth question, where are we supposed to be going with the feed and the de-icers?" he asked, "smugglers wouldn't just haul that stuff around for kicks."

Once Toval's answered, Darren made sure there were no other questions from the crew.

"Alright, let's get moving, start the pre-flight sequence," he said, picking up the spice case again and striding on board, "animals don't last long without food, and who knows how bad off they are."

Determining where exactly to hide the spice could wait until they were on their way.

Philistine

2017-01-09, 01:14 AM

Cubey's scowl never slips as he continues trying to estimate where the spice case can be stashed. "Maybe if we leave the spice by the airlock, and then if we're about to get boarded we can just dump it to vacuum. Leave that until just a little too late, it'll look like we panicked..." he muses. Inside, he's satisfied that his objections were registered. And anyway, it's always bad form to let the officer types get too pleased with themselves and their oh-so-clever plans. Somebody has to keep them honest.

Once there are no further questions for Captain Toval, Cubey stalks back to the ship for a final check of their cargo against the manifest and the load plan. Having another pilot around - finally! - means he can split the pre-flight duties with Eponah, saving the cell minutes on each launch.

Mando Knight

2017-01-09, 03:17 AM

"The security of the base's location, particularly its status as a Rebel base, is your top priority. While the supplies need to be delivered as soon as possible, if you can't find a way to make the drop safely, contact the fleet so Command can reassess our options. They didn't mention attaching your team to my crew on a longer-term basis, so expect to continue taking orders from the higher-ups."

Turning back to Darren, Toval adds "Allyuen and Tokmia are other planets in the Anoat sector with similar climates, though you could pick any temperate world in the sector and claim the cargo's for a polar research station. If there's no more questions, then good luck, and may the Force be with you."

whoiam

2017-01-09, 04:25 PM

"Allyuen and Tokmia, got it." The priorities were about what she'd have expected. Making do without supplies was bad, but compared to a full scale assault by the Imperial Fleet...

Eponah couldn't help but notice Cubey stalking off, back towards the ship. She knew what that meant... Pre-Flight checks time!

She wasn't much good at them. The technical sides of operating a ship were... not beyond her, so much as beyond her original training (not many pre-flight checks required to work a local theatre, after all!). 'Natural' skill as a pilot didn't give her experience, after all.

Still, if she wanted to keep her spot as Cubey's backup pilot, she'd better learn. Which meant she couldn't stay out here gossiping while Cubey did them... Instead, she followed the Duros inside. "Where do we start?"

robnar

2017-01-09, 09:04 PM

At the captain's dismissal, Dax executes a crisp salute, about-faces, and proceeds into the ship; grabbing his footlocker and cooler on the way. After depositing them at his bunk he starts to change into his armor (an in-depth procedure for the 75 lbs of plate and cannon). By the time he finishes, he reports back to the crew bay and Darren. "Good to go, sir. Unless otherwise directed, I will man the topside turret."

The turret presents a new and unique challenge - adjusting the seat to a man who is 6'9" in boots and helmet and 320 lbs. Observers passing by the hatch will hear horrible imprecations whispered in high galactic, and an occasional loud bang and swear word.

Thundercracker

2017-01-10, 10:24 AM

Once they were airborne, Darren called a quick meeting.

"Alright, I smell something fishy, so 67, the spice goes inside your secret box," he said, "we get boarded, we don't mention it at all. Imperials have no reason to detain us if we don't have any contraband, and none of this stuff qualifies, except for the spice. "

"We're headed to Tokmia, in case anyone asks, need a volunteer to look up some info on it so we sound like we know what we're doing, just in case," he said, "any questions?"

robnar

2017-01-12, 12:26 AM

Dax participates in the crew meeting while hanging upside down out of the topside gunner's hatch - too much of a pain to try to cram back in there.

When Darren asks about Tokmia, Dax touches his nose - "Not it. I always learned my way around the galaxy by asking smarter guys. Speaking of which, Cubey over there is the best expert I know on everything galactic."

When it comes around to questions, the blood is already rushing to Dax's head, and he shakes his head no when the boss's gaze passes by.

whoiam

2017-01-13, 12:39 AM

"Tokmia, right. D'you know the place, Cubey? Oh, and while we're on the subject of our story, who here's a decent liar? I'm not." That... 'creatively honest' statement was followed by a flash of a toothy grin, before she resumed with, "I ask, because we're going to want to arrange for our better liars to do most of the talking if we do run into any... authority... along the way. Failing to sell people on what you're saying - or saying that little bit too much - are both horribly common ways of blowing your own cover - and believe me, cover's definitely not the thing that you want blown."

Philistine

2017-01-13, 03:03 AM

"Tokmia, Tokmia - where have I..." Cubey frowns in concentration, then nods sharply. "Right. Tokmia. A cruddy little iceball, primitive natives, no registered settlements," he says, heavily emphasizing "registered" as he retails a few of the bits of trivia he's picked up over his lifetime. "But look - innocent civvie cargo haulers wouldn't necessarily know much about the place, or need to. They'd just need a shipping order with a delivery destination on-planet. If we can fake up one of those, we can play as dumb as we want for anyone who asks us about it."

With a thin smile, he dips his head toward Eponah, acknowledging her point. "With CorSec, one of the things we were trained to look for was people who knew too much, or gave us too many details. When you talk to security forces, you're almost always better off keeping things as short and simple - and as close to the truth - as you can. Or just keep your mouth shut entirely."

Thundercracker

2017-01-13, 05:17 AM

"Liar," Darren said with a smirk.

"At a minimum we need to know roughly where on the snowball we're supposed to be headed," he said, "otherwise agree, silence is golden."

"I've got half a mind to dump that spice out the airlock right now, but orders are orders," he said, "any chance we can plot a course that will get us to our destination any faster?"

Philistine

2017-01-13, 02:29 PM

Cubey blinks in surprise at the commander's question. "Of course, Skipper," he replies. Didn't that usually go without saying? "Give me a few minutes to refine our course, and I should be able to shave a couple days off the transit time versus the navicomp's solution. Especially if somebody will lend me a hand on the console. Least-time route, no attempts at misdirection?"

whoiam

2017-01-13, 05:32 PM

"Liar, me? Perish the thought!" Again, Eponah appeared to be absolutely sincere. Even though she was, quite obviously by this point, playing with them. "I can work on faking up a delivery order once we're in hyperspace. To which end, unless one of you is used to helping Cubey plot, I'm happy to volunteer. That's co-pilot work, no?

For the route... We should probably check the map first. If we can just go straight there without hitting any busy systems, we should. If not... what do the rest of you think of just joining a regular trade route at a quiet point, follow the traffic most of the way, and then disappear from the trade route once no-one's watching and we've got a clear run to Hoth?"

Thundercracker

2017-01-13, 06:44 PM

Darren grunted in acknowledgement.

"Just don't fly through a star to bounce too close to a supernova," he said.

"Anyone have any concerns, you know where to find me," he said.

Mando Knight

2017-01-15, 03:55 AM

The Storm Rider departs from the Sunrider, flying into the thick, heavily ionized nebula clouds. The storm has intensified and expanded since your ship arrived, affecting your sublight engines and straining the shields. It takes a little longer than expected to get to the recommended clearance distance from the cruiser, and once you do it's already almost totally hidden by the storm.

On the bright side, the fierce energy flux should effectively erase your tracks in seconds rather than hours, and a micro-jump from the hyperdrive should get you into a clearer part of the corridor for a more solid reading from the navicomputer.

robnar

2017-01-15, 07:01 PM

Dax makes an untrained use computer check (note he has a +2 bonus to these from his background) in order to clear the area before jump. Can also take this as an aid another check if someone with better skills wants to go.

Result: [roll0]

Note: Unless we happen to see something, Dax has nothing else to do before we move on.

"Checking the area to clear for jump."

Philistine

2017-01-16, 06:08 PM

At the console, it takes all of about thirty seconds for Cubey to input desired starting and endpoints for the Storm Rider's journey to Hoth, and for the navicomputer to spit back out its preferred solution. Then the real work begins: for the next several minutes he's almost totally absorbed in massaging the computer's route, shaving safety margins along each leg of the route to the absolute minimum the ship's drives can handle, occasionally echoing the display for Eponah to double-check a particularly tricky bit of calculation. Finally he pushes back from the console and stretches. "I think that's about as good as it's gonna get," he sighs, looking over to Eponah for confirmation. "If you concur, we'll lock it in and go."

whoiam

2017-01-16, 07:01 PM

It takes Eponah about a minute to do her double-check (for obvious reasons, she wasn't going to skim this one), but she can't spot any issues.

"Either these numbers are great, or our star-charts are wrong. I guess we'll just have to risk it, won't we?" She's grinning as she says it. The thought must have amused her, anyway.

She'll wait for Cubey to make the actual jump before getting back to her feet. "Well, forgery time. I'll be in the main cabin, just give a shout if you want me to spell you in the cockpit for a while."

[roll0], then taking 10 on a perception check to see if she's screwed it up.

Eponah's forging a basic hauling contract from a 'Kirog Meffli', a Toydaran Merchant on Nar Shaddaa that she totally didn't make up on the spot. (Nar Shaddaa was chosen because it'll be nigh-impossible to prove the merchant is fictional). The contract was to be considered complete on delivery of their cargo to 'research station' Adare on Tokmia, with payment on unloading of the cargo.

If her Forgery check comes in at less than her perception checks, she'll scrap the forgery and try again. After all, she's got the entire hyperspace run to get it right...

[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

Mando Knight

2017-01-17, 07:28 PM

The path from the Corridor to Hoth is relatively short: Between the proximity of the locations and Cubey's aggressive pathing calculations, the trip is expected to take only 6 hours.

The documents are (to your estimation) absolutely perfect on the first attempt.

However, in the pensive quietness of your work, something--the air?--Something feels instinctively different.

Anyone else trying something in the short downtime?

Philistine

2017-01-17, 07:53 PM

Once the course is locked and the jump to hyperspace has been made, there's not a lot of actual piloting to do during the trip. Indeed, it's not even strictly necessary to have anyone on watch, the process is so automated. On the other hand, Cubey doesn't like to leave the cockpit completely unattended. So he compromises: leaning back in the co-pilot's seat and propping his feet up on the console, he naps for a couple of hours. They'll have plenty to do on Hoth, and from what he's heard of Echo Base he'll want to get it done quickly and be out of there as soon as possible.

Thundercracker

2017-01-17, 10:20 PM

Darren pulled out the aforementioned cold weather gear and hung it near the boarding ramp. He debated whether to leave the smuggling compartments open, and ultimately left them closed, and empty.

whoiam

2017-01-18, 07:03 AM

For a few minutes, Eponah tries to ignore that ...feeling..., but it persists. Rather stubbornly, she thought. Still, this wasn't the first time - and she'd gotten into a lot of trouble when she ignored her instincts before. But what could possibly be wrong...? Was she hearing something up with the hyperdrive that she hadn't consciously diagnosed? Worried about the atmospheric processor? Forgetting to do RX's maintenance? ...No, RX shouldn't be due another service that quickly.

"Cubey, " Eponah called, walking back to the cockpit entrance. "Can we shave a couple of seconds off the hyperspace time? I don't know why, but I've got this sudden feeling something's wrong about this trip, and... well, I'd feel a lot happier dropping back into real space at the edge of the system, instead of near Hoth itself... You know, far enough out we can do a system scan without dropping ourselves right into trouble..."

Philistine

2017-01-19, 06:41 PM

Cubey blinks sleep from his eyes at Eponah's call, twisting and stretching in his seat to shake off drowsiness. He frowns in confusion as her request percolates through the gradually awakening layers of his consciousness. "What? No. Wait, what?" he frowns as he tries to figure out exactly what the Twi'lek is asking for. "Okay. Right," he sighs, light dawning after a long, confused moment. "We can't program a new course in mid-jump. What we can do is pull the emergency override, that'll immediately revert us to sublight. That can be hard on the motor, though."

Cubey has been pulling up their projected course on the console while speaking, double-checking that his memory is correct before he goes on. "We're already set to drop hyper well out-system from the planet, on the inner edge of the asteroid belt and with a ninety degree offset. Do we need to revert farther away than that? If you know something, now'd be a good time to share," he says, turning to Eponah with a hard stare.

whoiam

2017-01-19, 07:29 PM

"Know? No, I don't know anything. It's... the feeling you get when you've just spotted the binders in the obsessive fan's pocket. Your conscious mind hasn't worked everything out yet, but your subconscious is screaming at you to get out of there and yell for security. Do pilots get that? Some weird instinct warning you about the asteroid just before it's orbit wobbles it into your path?

I've got that feeling now, and I've got it bad.

Until my conscious mind catches up on what's triggering it, I can't say for sure if it's Hoth, our Cargo, the fake contract I was just working up, the ship... " Eponah releases a resigned sigh, as just what she's going to be spending the rest of the journey doing hits her. "...and since I don't know, I'm going to end up double-checking all of them until I find it.

As for our arrival, think less 'asteroid belt', and more ... what's the name, that point where the solar wind's running out, and there's so many weird electromagnetic eddies you couldn't spot a Star Destroyer without stumbling across it on a visual scan..."

She's thinking of dropping out of hyperspace in the heliosheath, and using the natural noise out there to check out the inner system before anyone notices we've arrived.

Philistine

2017-01-19, 08:24 PM

Cubey tilts his head skeptically. "If we want to scan the inner system before moving in, don't we want to come out of hyperspace in an environment where our sensors will be able to see the inner system?" he scoffs. "Besides, the override ain't exactly a precision flight control. Depending on local conditions, pulling the override two seconds before we were scheduled to drop hyper anyway might land us on the outer edge of the asteroid belt instead of the inner - or it might drop us a couple of light-years short of the outer boundary of the system."

With a shake of his head and a deep breath, Cubey reaches for the intercom switch. "Tell ya what, let's run this by the captain, see what he wants to do. Even if he decides not to drop hyper early, he might decide that having the turrets manned and Squall warming up when we revert to sublight would be good practice for us." Turning his head to the comms panel, he thumbs the mike and addresses the ship. "Skipper to the flight deck, please," his voice repeats through every major compartment.

robnar

2017-01-19, 10:02 PM

When the Storm Rider hits hyperspace, Dax gracefully dismounts the turret and stretches, then pops his head by Darren's bunk. "I'm off the net for an hour, gonna work out. Interrupt me if we're all gonna die."

For some reason, Dax always finds hyperspace to be calming - as crew, there is so little to do aside from normal inspections, sleep, and sitting near the turret waiting. Even his workout is calm and easy, and the two-minute navy shower in the 'fresher tranquil.

Dax is strapping himself back into his armor when Cubey calls for the captain, and in lieu of anything better to do he meanders towards the cockpit, waiting to hear what's going on.

Thundercracker

2017-01-20, 12:16 AM

Darren Korr

Darren made his way up briskly and nodded to Dax before glancing over the controls as he entered.

"Trouble?" he asked.

Philistine

2017-01-20, 01:48 AM

"Maybe not, Skipper," Cubey replies. "Our new Morale Officer has a hunch that we might want to be extra careful how we approach our destination."

After a quick summary of his conversation with Eponah, Cubey concludes, "So the options I see are: ignore it and head into the system as planned; head into the system as planned but with everyone at high alert, ready to run or fight; or pull the override early so we drop out of hyperspace farther out from the planet and can see if we're getting into the middle of something."

Thundercracker

2017-01-20, 02:34 AM

Darren stroked his chin in thought for a good ten seconds.

"My gut says we go in hot, ready for a fight," he said, "squall and turrets manned and powered up, shields up as soon as we come out of hyperspace. If there's trouble we can't handle we've got enough to get away quick but if our boys need help down there we don't want to be too far away to do anything but watch."

"Any objections?" he asked.

whoiam

2017-01-20, 09:31 AM

Sounding uncannily like a rather breathy airhead: "Morale Officer? My mistake, I thought I was your Intelligence Officer! I'll toss this forged hauling contract out and begin the lap-dances immediately!"

And back to her regular tones: "Not sure how much help a freighter could be if there's trouble enough to threaten the base - I was more worried we were going to be in trouble than them, truth be told - but at least going in ready is better than going in casually. I'll double-check as much of the ship's machinery as I can before we drop back into real-space - after all, I don't know what's setting my instincts off. It might not be something about Hoth.

In the mean time, it's probably a good idea for the rest of you to glance over our 'contract', just in case. I'll leave a copy on the ship's computer.

Can anyone spot anything I've missed?"

Thundercracker

2017-01-20, 10:20 AM

Darren took a look through the contract to see if he could spot anything out of place...

Philistine

2017-01-20, 01:12 PM

"I'm still not convinced there's anything to worry about," Cubey smiles thinly. "But being ready for trouble is hardly ever a bad idea."

Cubey glances quickly over the shipping order, seeing nothing out of place. Then he takes a longer look. "If I didn't know this was faked..." he trails off, shaking his head. "That looks pretty good. I think somebody's done this before."

Eponah's Deception check beat any possible Perception check on Cubey's part to spot the forgery.

robnar

2017-01-20, 10:05 PM

Dax grins at the corner of his eyes, but exerts an effort to keep a deadpan expression when Cubey passes him the document. "It's a work of art ma'am, that none since the heyday of the Republic could equal."

Passing the document aside, he continues "If we end up having to explain ourselves, I'll hop down out of the turret and see if I can chip in. I used to know some Imcom execs and maybe we can work a deal." Nodding to Darren - "You'll have to spell me on the guns while we're negotiating."

Dax continues in his head ... or maybe they'll come in shooting and save us the jaw-jacking. Or maybe I'll just take a walk outside and go visit their captain through his bridge window...

Thundercracker

2017-01-21, 04:23 AM

"Only if you're sure it'll help," Darren replied.

"Aven, you get any other 'feelings' about the mission, make sure I know about them," he added.

whoiam

2017-01-21, 07:18 PM

"...I meant, 'have I forgotten to something I *could* have been having my feeling about', not 'could you please critique my spycraft'. Still, nice to know that being stuck on light duty hasn't dulled those skills any..."

A quick grin was directed in Cubey's direction. "'Done this before'. Did you not read my file when you had the chance? I'm a transfer over from Intelligence. Theft, Forgery, and Social Infiltration. It's tense work, but there aren't many duties you can pick and still have a quartermaster accept 'posh gown' as a legitimate business expense... Piloting's more of a hobby for me than my actual job."

Philistine

2017-01-24, 01:32 AM

Cubey stares at Eponah exasperatedly for a heartbeat, then draws a deep breath, closing his eyes on the exhale. "Fine. Yes. It's a high-quality forgery, one of the best I've seen. Professional grade or better," he says with exaggerated patience. This... could make for a long tour.

Shaking his head, Cubey turns to the captain. "Skipper, I know it's early, but I'd like to get Squall warmed up and give her systems a thorough going-over. If you can spare me here, I'll get started on that right away."

Thundercracker

2017-01-24, 04:55 AM

"Yeah dismissed," Darren said.

He'd been trying to ignore it, but something tickling in the back of his gut told him this mission wasn't going to go smooth, just a matter of time until things went pear shaped...

whoiam

2017-01-24, 05:55 AM

Eponah stares right back at Cubey, especially as he decided she needed even more (unwanted) feedback on her forging skills. Pilot/Copilot communication was clearly something they'd have to work on. Later.

With Darren's dismissal, she just shook her head and moved off in the direction of the engines. Spaceships had a lot of 'vital' systems (even more so if there's a chance you'll be in combat once you drop out of hyperspace), and she'd go over as many as she could in the hours ahead.

Taking 10 on Mechanics (for +20) and Perception (for +25) checks to spot anything broken or wrong around the ship. Not that I'm expecting to find anything, but it'll keep her busy through the timeskip. :smallsmile:

Mando Knight

2017-01-26, 12:37 AM

Your in-flight checkup for the ship systems runs smoothly for the most part. However, just before you're scheduled to exit hyperspace, one of the hyperdrive diagnostics finishes, reporting a cryptic "unknown error" in the log, with the system only suggesting the default "please return the vessel to a licensed CEC dealer for further diagnosis and repair" as a solution to the issue. On the other hand, the error didn't trip any of the hyperdrive safeties, all systems appear to be operating normally, and on top of all that the timestamp for the error log doesn't coincide with your "Bad Feeling About This."
The Squall's computer reads all systems nominal, and is ready for separation.
Hoth System

The Storm Rider jumps back into realspace between a frozen world and a perilously close and dangerously dense asteroid field. Sensors pick up no orbital activity, but the ship's comm system is signaling an incoming message.

Thundercracker

2017-01-26, 12:58 AM

Darren tapped the button to put the incoming message on audio.

whoiam

2017-01-26, 10:46 AM

Eponah was on the way up to the cockpit (with her bad news) when the jump finished and they returned to real space. But the captain had reached the console before she'd reached the captain, so she stops in the entrance to the cockpit and prepares for a spot of listening in. With the sensors not showing anyone in their immediate vicinity, she could wait a minute or two before letting them know about the hyperdrive.

Philistine

2017-01-26, 02:01 PM

Storm Rider's reversion to realspace sends Cubey into immediate action aboard Squall. He quickly scans the sensor board, looking for threats while keeping his free hand poised over the undocking control. Once satisfied that no hostile vessels are nearby, he turns his attention to the blinking light on the communications console and opens the channel.

robnar

2017-01-26, 06:51 PM

Dax is in the turret, happily ensconced in the rotating bubble and his own armor, when the Storm Rider drops back into reality. He immediately begins a sensor sweep, checking for strangers around the ship, then starts a detailed sweep of the asteroid field.

"Scanning the area", he reports over the ship comm.

Take 10 on a check to notice anything around the ship gives 10 + 6 = 16.

Taking 20 to spend 2 minutes sweeping the asteroid field gives 26.

Mando Knight

2017-01-27, 12:48 AM

The ship's computer indicates that the signal uses standard Rebel encryption. "Storm Rider, please transmit your verification codes."

The asteroid field is thick enough that even after two minutes of scanning, you're pretty sure that the Empire could send a whole fleet into that asteroid field and you'd have trouble picking them out from the rocks at this distance. On the other hand, there's enough asteroids that a fleet of Star Destroyers probably wouldn't sit still there for very long anyway.

There is no other traffic in local space.

Thundercracker

2017-01-29, 11:06 AM

Darren transmitted the verification code as requested. So far it didn't _seem_ as if anything was out of the ordinary...

whoiam

2017-01-29, 03:43 PM

In the pause between code transmission and the radio contact's reply, Eponah took care of that little problem.

"Something's wrong with the hyperdrive, " she tells Darren quietly. "Don't think it's failed entirely, or else we'd have dropped back to real-space early, but it's whining about an 'unknown error', and we may not be able to get back into hyperspace without getting it fixed. Or jury-rigging the diagnostic module to say everything's fine, and hoping it wasn't anything serious. Hopefully we can borrow one of the fleet engineering crews down on Hoth to get it seen to."

robnar

2017-01-29, 03:50 PM

"Asteroids are clear. I think we're about to get our actual mission."

Mando Knight

2017-02-01, 10:49 PM

After a pause on the other end, the flight controller responds "Codes verified, Storm Rider. Please follow the flight plan transmitted to your computer."

Another light on the ship's control panel blinks on, confirming the reception of the data from flight control. The flight plan indicates a path heading towards a mountainous region within the icy planet, and a quick scan of that area reveals signs of a well-defended Rebel base.

Thundercracker

2017-02-01, 11:09 PM

Darren nodded to Aven, acknowledging the hyperdrive.

He popped open his pet pit droid as they were on their way down to the surface.

"Snarf, head over to the hyperdrive, see if you can't find out what's giving that error. I don't want to get stranded here," he said.

The little droid saluted and marched off to its assigned task.

He opened a channel to Dax.
"Hey Dax, we've got a funny reading coming from the hyperdrive. I'm having the pit droid take a look at it but I'd appreciate your expertise, and see if you can't keep him from dismantling the whole thing, we might need to get out of here in a hurry. No blasters."

robnar

2017-02-01, 11:32 PM

Dax acknowledges Darren's order with a crisp "Wilco. Guns down."

With that, he rolls out of the gun turret, lands in the common room, and jogs after the droid.

Mechanics check to aid another: [roll0]

Philistine

2017-02-03, 01:51 AM

With the approach to Echo Base apparently going according to plan, Cubey powers down systems aboard Squall. Once that's completed, he makes his way through the lock to rejoin the rest of the crew aboard Storm Rider. "Status?" he asks, sliding into the co-pilot's seat.

Mando Knight

2017-02-13, 12:59 AM

The trip to the surface is an uneventful several minutes, though it gives you a fairly good view of the base's defenses: guarding the buried Rebel fortress is first and foremost a massive planetary defense cannon and shield generator to repel Star Destroyers, with rows of trenches and turrets enforcing a perimeter to bog down a ground attack.

The Storm Rider is ushered into one of the base's hangar bays, where workers stand ready to unload the ship's cargo into the frozen citadel.

whoiam

2017-02-13, 08:30 AM

For those who aren't British, RADA = the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, one of the better known acting schools in the UK (in that it's one of the few that non-actors, such as myself, have a chance to actually name). Obviously Eponah went to the Twi'Lek equivalent, which for ease of remembering the acronym I'm christening the Ryloth Academy of Dramatic Art.

"Back at RADA, we always used to say that graduating just about qualifies you for life as a labourer or waitress. Now I finally get to make that dream become reality!"

Eponah heads off to open the boarding ramp. Cargo first. Then she'd probably have some free time to hit whatever this place had that passed for a cantina, and try to flirt up a couple of off-duty engineers to get the hyperdrive fixed faster. Thinsuit and all-temperature-cloak or not, Eponah had grown up in a cave system under an equatorial jungle. Her Lekku were aching just at the thought of all that snow...

Thundercracker

2017-02-13, 08:42 AM

Darren descended next, and looked around for a welcoming committ e, or failing that, a deck officer.

Philistine

2017-02-13, 04:07 PM

In the cockpit, Cubey configures Storm Rider's systems to accept power and environmentals from the base, dropping the main reactor into standby mode to conserve fuel while they're dirtside. Only when that task is completed does he head for the hold, datapad in hand, to direct the unloading of the cargo.

robnar

2017-02-14, 08:39 PM

Dax stretches and trots off after Darren. He pops his head into the hold as he leaves - "Yo, cubes, you and 67 are last on the ship. I'll comm you once we figure out what's up."

Mando Knight

2017-02-20, 01:23 PM

As the Storm Rider's crew starts to step out into the cold hangar bay, one of the bundled-up Rebels (a Human male wearing the rank of Commander) comes forward to greet the disembarking crew. "Welcome to Hoth, Storm Rider. I trust your trip went smoothly?"

robnar

2017-02-20, 09:52 PM

As the nearest crewmember when the officer walks up, Dax quickly pages Darren then renders a quick salute. "Good... afternoon? ... sir. Lieutenant Oberon. Captain Korr over there is the commander. Cargo's intact and ready for offload, need to check the hyperdrive before the ship's ready again."

Gah. Hyperspace travel is hell on the body clock.

Thundercracker

2017-02-21, 06:11 AM

Darren Korr glanced around at the insides of the base. Nothing to write home about, but on the run from the Empire, it made sense to pick as out of the way place as possible.

He nodded at Dax's report, nothing really to add there. He wasn't going to bring up the "special" cargo unless their superiors did first.

"Uneventful," he said, "if you can spare a mechanic to look at the hyperdrive, we'd appreciate it. No sense getting stranded somewhere in the middle of nowhere."

He didn't crack a smile at his "joke", just handed over the manifest.

whoiam

2017-02-22, 07:32 PM

Eponah didn't pay too much attention to Darren's report. She was there for when they needed to lie to people; that's hardly a necessary skill for making routine reports to your actual allies, was it?

Still, she kept half an ear open. If they got an actual engineering crew assigned, she wouldn't need to scrounge one up herself. That would mean she could indulge one of her other pet projects tonight instead - buying a drink for every veteran of the Battle of Yavin she could find. If you found a big enough collection of rebels, there was always one or two around. She hadn't gotten any of the big names yet, though. It was always someone who'd been ground crew, or one of the freighter pilots who'd been vainly trying to evacuate base personnel before the Death Star could reach them. Was one night drinking with Han Solo really too much to ask of the galaxy?

True, knowing his reputation, she'd wake up in an unfamiliar bed with little to show for it beyond a nagging suspicion that she'd lost waaay too much on a Sabacc game the night before. But, hey, when you're a rebel, there will always be a Star Destroyer lurking somewhere tomorrow... might as well enjoy today while you can, right?

Mando Knight

2017-02-24, 01:55 AM

The deck officer nods and takes the manifest. "Unfortunately, our technicians are busy with the base defenses at the moment. If your supplies work, I'll see if I can spare anyone later tonight or in the morning."

He signals the men to start unloading the ship as he verifies the manifest, and adds "Also, Command informed me that you should have some... 'unlisted' cargo aboard, and wanted to be sure it was brought here safely."

Interestingly, the senior deck officer's name according to the mid-late 90s CCG is Tamizander Rey (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tamizander_Rey). It is, of course, unknown whether or not Commander Rey is related to TFA's heroine.

robnar

2017-02-24, 02:20 PM

An astute person would note Dax's eyes narrowing ... How many people did HQ brief into this spice shipment? Why did they tell us it was a disposable asset if the people on the other end are looking for it?

"We have all the cargo we left with. What's your authority regarding this stuff?"

Mando Knight

2017-02-25, 01:22 AM

The deck officer looks at Dax flatly. "I'm the senior deck officer, I have authority over all docking bay operations on Echo Base. More specifically, Command informed me of the addition so that I would complete the transfer personally." Turning back to Darren Korr, he pulls out a data card and adds "Here's the authorization for transfer, signed by General Rieekan."

Thundercracker

2017-02-25, 01:46 AM

Darren Korr

Darren looked over the transfer authorization.

If it doesn't explicitly list the spice:
"Ah, very nice," he said.
"What's the special cargo?" he asked, as he looked up.

If it does and Darren doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary:
"Looks like it checks out, let's get rid of this stuff," he said.

Mando Knight

2017-02-28, 02:34 AM

The document appears to be in order, including specifying the correct mass and type of the spice.

With Captain Korr's assent, the deck officer accompanies him to retrieve the spice as the rest of the docking bay crew begins to unload the regular cargo.

Thundercracker

2017-02-28, 11:11 AM

Darren left the ship to let the crews do their jobs. He wandered echo base aimlessly until he found something which caught his attention.

Until then, he enjoyed the solitude, and the sensation of frigid cold air after the sterile recycled atmosphere of the ship.

Mando Knight

2017-03-02, 03:50 AM

The deck officer takes the case of spice and leaves, presumably to the command center. He returns after a few minutes with a credit chip and pay stub (7500 credits plus fuel), and periodically checks up on the unloading process as he attends to his other duties.

It takes a few hours to unload all of the cargo from the Storm Rider, progressing from mid-late afternoon into the evening. Sentry patrols have ended their rounds and returned to the base, as the temperatures outside have begun dropping from "uncomfortably chilly" toward "frozen hellscape".

Various crew take the cargo to their destinations, though most of the parts crates don't have far to travel, with technicians opening them up in order to continue working on the base's fleet of airspeeders.

After a few moments of wandering Eponah (and any others looking for a drink or a word of gossip) finds what passes for a cantina in the frigid base, a relatively casual mess hall with some sort of pop music playing over the intercom speakers. Although fairly sparsely populated early in the evening, more people find their way to it as the patrols start turning in and other workers end their shifts.

Probing for rumors about the goings-on of Echo Base would involve Perception and/or Gather Information checks, the results depending on where you decide to listen (cantina, one of the hangar bays, etc.).

Finding someone to help with the Storm Rider's hyperdrive would involve Gather Information and Persuasion.

Or, you could perhaps decide to just turn in for the night.

robnar

2017-03-02, 10:53 AM

Dax pushes a quick comm to Darren as they disperse around the base: "Boss, I'm gonna go see if I can get us some more spacious bunks and a shower facility, and see if I can cadge a meeting for the team with the base commander."

And so he proceeds on his scroungings, looking for the executive office and facilities office and putting on his deal-making face.

15 is his roll for finding the lay of the land

Using basic roll its , using Skill Attack Modifier it's [roll]1d20+7

Thundercracker

2017-03-02, 11:09 AM

Darren Korr

Darren wanders about the base aimlessly for a whole, ending up at the bar. He gets a stiff drink or two to keep himself warm, listens for any juicy stories, and if none are to be heard by the end of the second drink, he turns in for the night.

whoiam

2017-03-02, 02:35 PM

While Eponah will flash a grin of greeting in Darren's direction when he, too, reaches the cantina, she doesn't join him. Instead she carries on with her self-appointed quest for Engineers...

Gather Information, taking 10 for a result of 20. Should be enough to find some engineers, unless they're in hiding :)
Persuasion check is made at +8, for 18 if I'm still allowed to take 10. If not, the roll is: [roll0]

Edit: ....heh!

Mando Knight

2017-03-06, 01:37 AM

After looking around a bit, it's fairly obvious that essentially all of the available quarters (insofar as there are any) are the barracks, with only the base's stationed officers having private quarters. You can get access to the shower facilities, but it's sonics-only because of the base being carved out of a glacier and kept at sub-zero temperatures.

You don't have enough pull to get a meeting with General Rieekan, at least not with your own smooth-talk alone.
Stiff drinks served straight are the order of the day here, from even a casual observation of the patrons. Of the rumors you overhear, some are expected (other Rebel cells have allegedly reported sightings of new TIE models), some are concerning (from the sound of it, one of the sentries didn't report back, and someone else rode out to look for him... but they still haven't returned, and it's after sunset...), and a few other snippets are... alarming.

Some--just a few--names are in the wrong places, the main one that sticks out is a rumor that "Skywalker" is leading the hunt for Echo Base personally?!

Please roll Knowledge: Galactic Lore.
You manage to find an engineer who is both willing to help you, yet not so drunk that he won't remember in the morning or be otherwise useless for your efforts. Based on what information you remember about the ship's hyperdrive, he says he'll look for the tech manual tonight, and should be able to take a look next morning after running final checks on the snowspeeders before they head out to look for Starkiller.

...Wait, "Starkiller"?

Thundercracker

2017-03-06, 03:20 AM

galactic lore: [roll0] edit: +2 for being level 5, derp. 16 total.

whoiam

2017-03-06, 02:31 PM

Mando Knight

2017-03-06, 03:15 PM

The only "Skywalker" that comes to mind right away is Luke Skywalker, the Rebellion's famous hero of Yavin. There's no reason why he would be heading up the Empire's search for the base, especially when he was supposed to be part of the group taking shelter here. You also remember hearing tales of another Skywalker when you were a kid... but he died at the end of the Clone Wars, didn't he?

robnar

2017-03-06, 07:22 PM

Dax, miffed about his inability to scavenge any creature comforts for the crew, stops by the cantina and grabs some sandwiches for Cubey and himself. He notes Darren and Eponah, and reports "They don't have any real showers or anything. I couldn't get in through General Rieekan's exec; maybe one of you can give it a shot. I'm going to ground my gear and bring some chow back to Cubey - did you guys find anything out?"

Do the characters all know General Rieekan's in the correct spot?

Thundercracker

2017-03-06, 08:08 PM

Darren Korr

Darren attempted to bury his face in his glass, but his curiosity niggled at him, forbidding him from enjoying his drink. He groaned inwardly.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear," he said, turning towards some of the other rebels, "what was that about Skywalker?"

Later: "Dont worry about it; worst case we can sleep on the ship... unless there's something you want to talk about with Rieekan that won't land us in more trouble than what's healthy?" he asked.

Mando Knight

2017-03-07, 01:58 AM

"That'll do nicely, thank you." Eponah doesn't particularly react to the name Starkiller... it doesn't mean anything to her, after all. But she didn't have anything urgent to do tonight, so... "I don't think I recognise the name, " she tells her new 'friend'. "Who's Starkiller? One of the pilots? One of the recon troops?"
The engineer looks at Eponah blankly. "Have you been hiding under a rock for the last three years? Starkiller's Rogue Leader, most famous for destroying the 'Death Star' with Tarkin on it?" He continues with a mutter that's just loud enough to make out: "No wonder your hyperdrive's acting up, if it's been gathering dust for the whole time..."

Darren Korr

Darren attempted to bury his face in his glass, but his curiosity niggled at him, forbidding him from enjoying his drink. He groaned inwardly.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear," he said, turning towards some of the other rebels, "what was that about Skywalker?"
"Seems the Emperor's finally gotten over Skywalker's embarrassment at Yavin, and put him back in the front lines. Even gave him one of the Super Star Destroyers for a command ship, according to the rumors."

Do the characters all know General Rieekan's in the correct spot?
Rieekan's the commanding general of the base as expected, it was on the paperwork.

Thundercracker

2017-03-07, 04:59 AM

Darren Korr

"Look, I've got some gaps, I was given, uhh, room and board, by the Empire, for a while," Darren said, taking another swig, "few years actually, got the scars to prove it, too. What the hell did I miss?"

whoiam

2017-03-07, 06:56 AM

Mando Knight

2017-03-08, 02:00 AM

An astute observer would swear Eponah's skin turns a slightly darker blue at that comment. "Less 'under a rock' and more 'in an executive suite at Kuat'. Being arm candy for one of the Drive Yards' executives. In a highly restricted, highly pro-Empire, and non-military environment - kinda hard to get the rebel weekly out there, you know? I managed to hear that Tarkin died 'heroically' in some battle that the Empire's keen not to spread around the details of... and that's about as hard as I could push without breaking cover. When I finally get extracted they assigned me to a logistics team. So, y'know, the hyperdrive was dodgy before I ever got assigned to the freighter! Anyway..." She appears to brighten up at this point - quite literally. She'd only been faking the blush, after all... "I've got the evening free and for once Imperial Intelligence won't come after me if I ask too many questions. Start with that Death Star thing, that sounds... worrying..."
The engineer chuckles at Eponah's excuse. "Right... well, for decades the Emperor has been diverting massive amounts of funds to secret projects, right? The biggest of which was something officially known to the public as a 'planetary ore extractor'. Eventually some of our spies figure out what it really is: a space station over a hundred klicks in diameter, built around a massive primary weapon. So, Bail Organa calls in a favor from Darth Veritus, who it turns out had been hiding in the Outer Rim training an apprentice since the fall of the Republic. After Veritus and his apprentice broke Bail's daughter Leia out of the station's prison facilities and helped reveal its true nature to the Galaxy, Tarkin tracked them back to our Yavin base. The apprentice, Starkiller, joined up with the fighter corps to exploit a weakness we'd found with the station's stolen plans, and turned it to stardust with just one torpedo volley. Since then, Starkiller's been one of the Princess's favorite agents."

Darren Korr

"Look, I've got some gaps, I was given, uhh, room and board, by the Empire, for a while," Darren said, taking another swig, "few years actually, got the scars to prove it, too. What the hell did I miss?"
The Rebel looks at Darren quizzically for a moment, but nods. "So, this is a big one, not sure how you didn't get news of it. Three years ago, Grand Moff Tarkin revealed his latest project, a massive space station that he called 'Stardust Station Planetary Ore Extractor'... but its 'mining laser' was a planet-busting doomsday device, so it was really more of a Death Star. We'd stolen the plans to it like the day before, and Skywalker chased Leia down and captured her just after she'd gotten hold of them. A strike team broke her out of prison and escaped to Yavin, and Tarkin and Skywalker followed them with 'Stardust' as their base of operations, and in the ensuing battle that destroyed the station, Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker, the 'best pilot in the Galaxy', is bested by a surprise attack by a spice smuggler. After Skywalker's fighter was recovered, Palpatine allegedly forced him to focus on training his students as penance."

Thundercracker

2017-03-08, 02:39 AM

Darren Korr

"Ehhh, heheheheh," Darren said, "of course I'd heard about Yavin, but that's the first time I heard about Skywalker and the spice smuggler. Ha!"

"So he's back in action and looking for us huh?" Darren took another swig, "great."

He's not nuts, his buddy is right there. Are they pulling a fast one on me? They don't even know me, and what would they even do that for? Anakin, is that the one from the clone wars? Can't remember, and this drink isn't helping.

robnar

2017-03-08, 04:53 PM

Darren Korr
"Dont worry about it; worst case we can sleep on the ship... unless there's something you want to talk about with Rieekan that won't land us in more trouble than what's healthy?" he asked.

"Nope. Just looking to see if we can cadge some better missions or information working for the old man himself."

As Dax hears the conversations rolling around between Darren and Eponah, he starts to get more and more concerned. As soon as the sandwiches slide across the counter, he asks the attendant - "Hey, I've been out in hyperspace for a while and am behind. You guys got an information terminal I can use?"

Assuming that they have some kind of information terminal, or that he can link up a datapad, Dax takes 10 for a total of 16 on a use computer check to look up basic information about the rebellion. He's looking for serious differences in what he understands versus reality here. Basic questions - who's in charge, which planets the rebellion controls, etc.; plus, history of the empire since the clone wars. Basic background info.

whoiam

2017-03-10, 02:03 PM

"...I don't suppose that spice smuggler's still around, are they? That sounds like someone I desperately owe a drink." Here's hoping this Han Solo is something like the one I heard about before. Or at least the name's accurate...

Glancing around the room, Eponah can't help but notice there's more of her crew around now. If there's nothing else interesting from the engineer, she might make her excuses and check in with the others soon.

Mando Knight

2017-03-15, 02:04 AM

"Nope. Just looking to see if we can cadge some better missions or information working for the old man himself."

As Dax hears the conversations rolling around between Darren and Eponah, he starts to get more and more concerned. As soon as the sandwiches slide across the counter, he asks the attendant - "Hey, I've been out in hyperspace for a while and am behind. You guys got an information terminal I can use?"

Assuming that they have some kind of information terminal, or that he can link up a datapad, Dax takes 10 for a total of 16 on a use computer check to look up basic information about the rebellion. He's looking for serious differences in what he understands versus reality here. Basic questions - who's in charge, which planets the rebellion controls, etc.; plus, history of the empire since the clone wars. Basic background info.
"Really, now... well, it's not much without HoloNet access, but there's a general-use terminal down the hall on your right."

"Not much" is correct. Everything that's available at your clearance level in terms of "historic documents" is really mostly (and obviously) Rebel propaganda (most of which you recognize as being different from the "real" versions that you are familiar with). The references to planets and most of the leaders of both sides seems to be the same names, but there's a lot about the alleged hypocrisy of the Emperor and "his Jedi Order" for things such as the continued existence of the Imperial fleet, the investment in certain galactic mega-corporations instead of the specific Rebel-favored entities, and the like. There's even a few completely new ones, such as one decrying Palpatine by comparing him to a "Chancellor Contispex" that would surely plunge the Galaxy into another thousand years of darkness, but the annotations on that document include an argument between the propagandist and his superior about whether or not most citizens would even get the historic reference.

A quick check of Echo Base's command structure indicates that General Rieekan and Princess Leia Organa are in charge, as expected.

"...I don't suppose that spice smuggler's still around, are they? That sounds like someone I desperately owe a drink." Here's hoping this Han Solo is something like the one I heard about before. Or at least the name's accurate...

Glancing around the room, Eponah can't help but notice there's more of her crew around now. If there's nothing else interesting from the engineer, she might make her excuses and check in with the others soon.

The Rebel talking with Darren turns to look at Eponah. "Captain Solo? I'm surprised he isn't in here right now, actually."

The engineer she had been speaking with cuts in with a reply of his own, "Word from the hangar is that he went to search for Starkiller after he didn't check in."

Thundercracker

2017-03-15, 03:32 AM

Darren Korr

Something clicked in Darren's head.

He downed his drink in one gulp and stood up.
"Thanks for the talk friends, let's have another one tomorrow," he said to the two rebels they'd been speaking with.

Then he pulled out his comlink and opened a channel to his crew.

"All crew back to the ship, double time," he said.

"C'mon kid," he said to Eponah as he dropped a few credits on the bar.

Back on the ship, once everyone is assembled, Darren closed the gangway: "okay, something's not right here and I think it might have something to do with that hyperdrive error," Darren said, attempting not to stumble over his words.

"Let's piece together what we know," he said, "the names are all wrong, seems like a guy named Starkiller blew up the Death Star, and some Jedi master named Skywalker is leading the search to find us. I remember hearing about a guy named Skywalker from when I was a kid, maybe it's the same guy, maybe not. Important thing to know is that Starkiller is out in the cold and Captain Solo is looking for him. Anyone else have any other important bits of information? Anyone know or able to find out (without looking like an idiot) if Alderaan still exists? Can we find out if this hunk of junk can fly in this climate, preferably without simply flying it out the front door and taking our chances ?"

whoiam

2017-03-15, 05:51 AM

"Kid?" Eponah can't help but feel amused at being called such by someone only barely older than she is. Still she's follow her CO's 'suggestion', and head back to the ship with the others.

Once the crew had assembled, Eponah takes on Darren's questions. "Depends how much of a hurry we're in, boss. Tomorrow's our best chance for most of those. That Engineer I invited over to help us check the hyperdrive will know what the procedure is for cold-weather testing here - I'm guessing they've probably got one hangar bay they just switch the heating off for during testing, but he'll know for sure. If we want to check up on Alderaan, there's a couple of ways to do it. Easiest is probably waiting for the search parties to return, and then asking 'Starkiller' or Solo for the Death Star story - if it got used on Alderaan, they won't keep it quiet. Alternately, since Darren and I already have ready-made alibis for not knowing what happened, we could just walk back into the cantina having a nice chat about wanting to take our holidays on Alderaan together.

That said... radical concept, I know, but we could just head into the command center and tell the General and the Princess what seems to have happened...?"

robnar

2017-03-16, 09:58 PM

"Bottom line, I think we tell the boss. Whatever's going on, if it can be replicated there's something entirely new happening, and they'll need to know in case we haven't figured out all of the side effects of this. I couldn't charm my way pass the exec, but maybe you can. In the mean time, the pit crew down here will have some ideas on winterizing this ship.

I found out one thing on the public use terminal - it said the Jedi order still exists and is working for Palpatine. Combine that with that engineer who said something about Darth whoever, and we may need to be careful to see if the sides are still the same as we understand them."