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Post by The Tired God on Jul 15, 2015 21:36:44 GMT -5
* A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .
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Post by The Tired God on Jul 15, 2015 21:37:44 GMT -5
STAR WARS
Episode I
ESCAPE FROM MOS SHUUTA It is a period of unrest and opportunity in the galaxy. The Galactic Empire struggles to maintain control in the midst of civil war. Meanwhile, scoundrels and smugglers, explorers and expatriates, and fringers of all types scramble for a living on the edges of galactic civilization. It is a hard life, but these renegades have more freedom and opportunity than any citizen of the Core Worlds.
On the desert world of TATOOINE, a few such renegades have run afoul of a local crime boss, TEEMO THE HUTT. Trapped in the tiny spaceport of Mos Shuuta, the renegades have no choice but to steal a starship and flee Teemo's forces. Fortunately, a suitable starship has recently docked at the landing bay: a freighter called the NIGHTHAWK, captained by a Trandoshan slaver named Trex. As they flee through the suns-baked streets, the renegades duck into the local cantina to hide from their pursuers, and plan their next move....
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Post by The Tired God on Jul 15, 2015 22:02:45 GMT -5
With haste, the Core Worlder found herself stepping down a short flight of stairs into the cantina's shadowy common room, the cool air a blessed relief from the scorching heat of Tatooine. Of all the places she had been, this likely did not make it high on her list. Behind the counter, the Devaronian bartender pauses in his chores to stare at her, his devilish features intimidating. On a stage against the far wall, a Twi'lek woman dances to recorded music. Private booths line the walls, and the cantina floor is scattered with tables and chairs.
A few patrons turned in their seats to stare at Rena, two of which she recognized. Oskara, the Twi'lek bounty hunter and mastermind of this escape plan, and her companion Sasha, the brown haired scout who had thankfully been the kindest of Teemo's lackeys to the Core Worlder.
"Ferran," started the bounty hunter, her voice caught between a hushed whisper and a sharp hiss. "Were you followed?" Honestly she had been, by squealing Gamorrean guards, whom were quite displeased that one of Teemo's guests was leaving the palace without permission. They weren't too far behind her, but luckily for the renegades they weren't nearly as fleet footed as the average human.
Having lost an important shipment for the Hutt, Rena Ferran was at the top of his watch list. So much as talking about leaving the palace would be enough to earn her a more solitary guest room, but physically leaving was an outrage that no guard would dare admit to failure from preventing.
Destiny Points: 3 Light, 2 Dark.
Strain: Suffer 2 Strain (Exhaustion and stress from running through the desert heat of Tatooine.)
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Post by Rena Ferran on Jul 15, 2015 22:26:41 GMT -5
The twists and turns of Mos Shuuta were still new enough to be confusing to the off-worlder, and between several wrong turns and the scorching suns bearing down on her even the cantina was a welcome atmosphere. Rena Ferran was from the core worlds, and even Brentaal IV's arid temperature paled before the scorching desert of Tatooine. Even so she wasn't a complete stranger to dive's like this one, several years traveling through the Outer Rim had seen an adjustment to her standards.
The woman did her best to pay the Devaronian behind the counter no mind, instead scanning the crowd until she found the pair of familiar faces. Relief was visible on her as she moved to where they were sitting, adjusting the strap of the duffel bag that was resting on her shoulder. The bag that now made up all of her possessions.
"Oskara." She said the name with a smile, her tone not so quiet as the bounty hunter's. "Honestly our hosts were kind enough to guide me through the streets, though the twists of the alley likely slowed them down. I'll admit I haven't seen my entourage in some time." Her voice dropped then, looking between her new partners. "If we move fast enough, I'm sure it will be no problem to stay one, or even three steps ahead of them. I was able to alone, and I hardly know the city as well as you two."
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Post by The Tired God on Jul 15, 2015 22:59:54 GMT -5
Oskara frowned, an expression which was quite common on the Twi'lek's face from what Rena had seen so far. At least Sasha seemed to appreciate the woman's levity, as she smiled in return and leaned forward in her seat, reaching out to take the other woman's hand in reassuring support, even if she didn't particularly need it. "Don't listen to Oskara," she said, looking across the table to their Twi'lek mastermind. "We should be just fine, and you're right, the Gamorreans aren't going to be able to keep up with us once we're on the move again."
"You're very confident for someone who has never betrayed a Hutt before," replied the cynical bounty hunter. Sasha had no immediate response to that. "We're missing someone, anyway." A brief pause and look around revealed that Pash, Teemo's prized pilot, was indeed missing from the little meet up. Late? Apprehended? "Without Pash, the whole plan goes south."
As much as they would all like to leave the cantina, they would have to wait for the human to show himself, if he was going to at all.
Destiny Points: 3 Light, 2 Dark.
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Post by Rena Ferran on Jul 15, 2015 23:32:18 GMT -5
Rena merely grinned down at Sasha's show of support. "Come now Sasha, if Oskara wasn't so cautious we wouldn't even be here." Her attention then turned to the Twi'lek as the hunter spoke, "And I share Sasha's confidence. We can handle a few Gamorreans, the only thing slower than their feet are their wits." It was her turn to give the other woman a reassuring squeeze.
"Now honestly, if Pash plans to keep us waiting, what do you both say to some drinks? It's in our interest to fit in here until we can leave, don't you think?" She'd give them both a moment to place any order they might wish before slipping into the crowd toward the bar to place the order for the drinks.
Upon arriving at the counter, she waited until she had the bartender's attention to place her drink order; something nice that would still be found in a cantina like this one for herself and either her companions orders or something simple. She kept a basic watch on the door while waiting for the drinks, slipping the barkeep some extra credits "I think my friends and I were just heading to the Dewback stables. If anyone's curious." Another smile and a wink accompanied the suggestion.
Perception (Door): No success, 3 Advantage
Charm (Bartender): 3 Success, 2 Advantage
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Post by The Tired God on Jul 15, 2015 23:45:35 GMT -5
The scout smirked in response, while the bounty hunter merely let out a disgruntled ugh. She didn't like waiting any longer than she had to, and if things continued to move off course from the plan, she'd have to start considering alternatives. Despite her frustration, she managed to mutter something about a ruby bliel, at least giving Rena her order while she gently rocked back and forth and chewed on her plasteel plated finger.
"Rummy Tonic for me," Sasha requested, leaning back into her seat and starting to mutter to Oskara by the time Rena left the table.
"Drinks?" asked the bartender, who seemed more interested in tending to his other patrons than the blue haired woman who had just squeezed her way to the counter. At the sight of extra credits, the Devaronian grinned and winked back knowingly. "Heard quite a commotion 'bout tryin' to scale down the cliffs," he said while nodding, handing the woman her platter of drinks and waving her off to her table.
By the time she returned Oskara looked a little better, but not much, and there was still no sign of Pash.
Destiny Points: 3 Light, 2 Dark.
Oskara's Cool: 1 Failure, 2 Advantage Rena's Charm: 3 Success, 1 Advantage
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Post by Rena Ferran on Jul 15, 2015 23:55:07 GMT -5
Rena gave the barkeep a nod as she took up the drinks and made her way carefully through the crowd and back toward her group. "Three drinks for three lovely and free ladies?" She set the tray down before moving to her own seat.
She pulled her own drink toward her, "This should help to pass the time. Any idea what could be keeping our wayward pilot though?" Her eyes were on Oskara, but the question was open to both of her companions. She took a sip, doing her best to appear casual and unconcerned.
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Post by The Tired God on Jul 16, 2015 0:05:55 GMT -5
Sasha nodded in thanks, while Oskara simply snatched her drink and brought it to her lips immediately. As she steeled herself against the painfully sweet taste, followed by the bitter aftertaste that left most wanting more, she opened her mouth to speak just as a group of sweaty Gamorrean's entered the cantina. She went rigid, took another swig, and focused her attention to the center of the table. Sasha did the same, trying to seem unimportant as Teemo's guards scanned the bar for their quarry.
A quick chat with the bartender had the Gamorrean's squealing and scurrying back out into the heat, headed for the Dewback Stables and the nearby cliffs.
"Well, look at that," said Sasha with an impressed tone. Oskara's mood did not lighten, but at least she seemed to physically relax some. They avoided a fight, one that would have gone in their favor to be sure, but still a fight nonetheless.
"Now we con―," she started, only to be interrupted by the sudden appearance of Pash, who was nonchalantly entering the cantina with a certain swagger that suggested he owned the place. "Pash!" she snarled, waving the pilot over to their table.
"Ladies," he began, pulling a vacant chair from a nearby table up to theirs. "Tsk tsk, drinking on the job, 'Kara?" he chided, earning a visible twitch from the Twi'lek.
Destiny Points: 3 Light, 2 Dark.
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Post by Rena Ferran on Jul 16, 2015 0:18:37 GMT -5
Rena continued to sip at her drink, eyes flitting to the Gamorrean pair as they entered before returning her attention to the table and doing her best to be nondescript. Nondescript didn't stop her from cracking an amused grin as they squealed and clattered out of the cantina again. "Here's to our hosts." She lifted her drink, taking a swig of victory.
"Well look who it is." She commented as Pash appeared at the entrance. She watched the pilot swagger up to their table with a roll of her eyes. "We're not the ones who are driving. Or flying. I assume our plan to leave involves some matter of flying?" Her attention drifted between Pash and Oskara, now that the group was assembled it was time to get answers and get moving.
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Post by The Tired God on Jul 16, 2015 0:41:10 GMT -5
Pash kept up his smug grin, in typical smuggler fashion, even if he didn't quite understand that he was legitimately late. The only real reason why he was able to leave the palace in the first place was because most of the guards were squealing about some blue haired bitch, whom he could only assume was Rena, a woman he didn't really know other than she fucked up big time and royally pissed Teemo off. Almost as much as he had.
"Enough games. We only have one chance at this, and if we fail, Teemo will do worse than kill us," Oskara started, looking down at each renegade one at a time.
"It can't be worse than the dancing girl outfit I was threatened with," interjected Pash, earning a sudden snort from Sasha, who quickly covered her mouth and ducked her head, attempting to calm herself down and to gesture for Oskara to continue with the plan.
"You are so lucky we need you to fly the ship," the Twi'lek groaned, covering her face with a hand. "On the northeastern side of town there is Landing Bay Aurek. There, an old associate of Teemo has landed to discuss the transport of a Wookiee slave, a gladiator by the name of Lowhhrick. Thanks to Sasha's preliminary scouting, as well as Pash's attendance to Teemo's last meeting, we know that this associate is a Trandoshan bounty hunter, one I've heard of as well, Trex." She paused just long enough to ensure that everyone was following her.
"From what I've heard he has a bloody record for capturing all of his bounties dead, or for beating them so close to death it's not fair to say he turned them in alive," muttered the scout, her eyes somberly glued to the table.
"I've seen him before, but more importantly I've seen his ship. CEC HWK-1000, designated callsign Nighthawk," explained the smuggler, his tone dripping of awe and wonder. "Corellian Engineering thought her up around the Clone Wars. Built to be a sleek, fast transport . . . her design was banned by the Empire for being too fast, faster than most military starfighters they said. Clerical error resulted in several hundred ships rolling off the lines, and they sold them to recoup their losses to a bunch of Outer Rim networks." He seemed like he could prattle on forever about the ship's history.
Oskara didn't give him that chance. "Trex is here with the Nighthawk for a meeting with Teemo and some repairs. He's short a part, a HMRI, and once he gets that installed on his ship he'll be out of here with his hairy cargo. We can't let that window slip away." The plan seemed simple so far. Break into a hanger and jack a ship from a vicious and dangerous bounty hunter, while the entire spaceport was on high alert looking for them.
"We're going to need that part ourselves if we're going to break aboard the Nighthawk and install it. The junk shop north of here has one―just the one―so we're going to need to figure out how to take it for ourselves." Oskara paused to listen to suggestions from the table.
"If we steal it, he's going to notice it's missing, especially when Trex comes to collect. That'll alert port security and it won't take long for them to figure out where we've gone with it," mused the scout.
Destiny Points: 3 Light, 2 Dark.
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Post by Rena Ferran on Jul 16, 2015 7:59:58 GMT -5
Rena listened to the plan carefully, the light grin on her face fading under the seriousness of their position. "So we're looking to steal from a Trandoshan hunter who rarely takes his targets alive... while Teemo's guards are all over the city looking for us... and the ship we're taking isn't even good for flight yet?" She summarized, placing her glass back on the table.
"Well. What are we waiting for?" The woman bent down to scoop up her bag, looking over the group. "Window's small, and sitting here isn't going to serve us any better."
As she rose from her seat an idea came to her. "Mos Shuuta has two spaceports right? If we can't buy the part, we can at least confuse where the part will go. I can distract the shopkeep, make it clear that we need the part for our own ship that's parked over in Landing Bay Besh? It's not the best plan, but it might buy us a few extra minutes to get out of here. I'll leave the... uh... acquisition of the part to the three of you, unless you have any suggestions of your own?" Honestly she hoped they did, hers was hardly a foolproof plan.
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Post by The Tired God on Jul 16, 2015 9:19:58 GMT -5
Oskara shook her head, gesturing for Rena to wait. "The part is already promised to Trex, but making him believe we're in port besh isn't a bad idea." At least she admitted when people had good ideas.
"We can try to convince him that we're there to pick up the part for Trex?" suggested the scout, shrugging as she did. She wasn't the best at skulduggery, compared to some of the other renegades as far as she was concerned.
"Or we can wing it and see what happens," suggested Pash, in typical rogue fashion.
"Regardless of how we get it, be it by stealth or force, that's not even the hard part." Oskara demanded attention yet again, giving each person a quick once over. "We're going to need to break into the control facility and disable the docking clamps. Luckily for us it's guarded by droids, so we can either dispatch them, or try to just play it casual," she shrugged.
"There should be a side entrance as well. We may be able to sneak in through there if we're careful." It was quite clear where each of their talents lied.
Destiny Points: 3 Light, 2 Dark.
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Post by Rena Ferran on Jul 16, 2015 9:37:40 GMT -5
Rena paused halfway to her feet, lowering back down to her seat. "So we have two jobs. Get the part from the junkyard and clear the ship for departure? Sounds pretty straightforward enough, if not exactly simple." Her fingers drum along the table, "Split up? Two of us go get the part, two of us get the ship cleared so we can get out of here immediately?"
The woman sighed, this sort of thing wasn't her specialty. Fleeing from power-mad crime lords, stealing from deadly Trandoshans. "Whatever call you make I'm game, as long as we get off this planet in one piece." She looked to Oskara for direction.
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Post by The Tired God on Jul 16, 2015 9:48:26 GMT -5
Oskara frowned, not quite happy with that last suggestion. "Splitting up in this kind of situation is never a good idea. While we're more likely to draw attention to ourselves as a large unit, we're still more likely to be able to handle ourselves if it comes to a fight." She clearly expected some sort of altercation, and a deadly one at that.
"Besides that, if one group takes longer than the other, they're left waiting and sweating slag," Sasha expressed, her concern showing. She was used to working alone, but that was out in the wilderness, where she was in her element. Stealing from bounty hunters and breaking into port authority weren't exactly her specialties.
"So no splitting up," Pash sighed, shaking his head slowly. "For what it's worth, I thought it was a good idea," he said to Rena, as if Oskara wasn't even there.
"It should be just fine," she reassured. "We'll get the part, disable the docking clamps, and hit orbit. We'll be long gone before Teemo and Trex even notice a thing." She sounded confidant, and considering how fast the Nighthawk was supposed to be, she had every right to be.
"Well, we know the plan, so let's get off our butts and get to it. I don't want to run into any pigs when they come back to complain about false information." Knowing his luck, they'd probably be at the doorway as he was stepping out.
Destiny Points: 3 Light, 2 Dark.
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