"To the lifts then if you feel we can use them Trooper Urirawa. Time is of the essence. How about an escape plan? Can you shut down the gun and missile batteries for this station so we can get our ship down here? Is there an escape route for the Vigo all the way up there? We need a plan. I'm open to suggestions."
Urirawa will tap a few keys and scan for any reference to an emergency plan (fire, attack, structural failure, etc) for the level that the Vigo is on along with any fast connections to ships, air vehicles, or escape pods.
The Vigo has a personal airspeeder port with several vintage airspeeders stored there. It seems he is quite the collector. The regular employees have to find their way to the escape pods on each floor, but the Vigo can simply launch from the top floor.
The Vigo has a personal airspeeder port with several vintage airspeeders stored there. It seems he is quite the collector. The regular employees have to find their way to the escape pods on each floor, but the Vigo can simply launch from the top floor.
"Great work Trooper. Let's get up there now, as quickly as possible. If you can work to disable any remote camera feeds as well as indicators of the lift's functions to the top level, that would aid us in not being seen on our approach."
Sho gets ready to go by checking his equipment. He then enters the lift en route to the top floor with his comrades.
Urirawa follows Sho into the lift and works on the request in the lift.
Call is last on the lift, his rifle at the ready, so can be first off in case of trouble.
The lift opens to a palatial antechamber of marble, high glass windows, and a clear roof. The view is extraordinary, though it pales in comparison to their recent jump from the atmosphere. A protocol droid stands in front of them, its body language apparently happy to see them. "Good afternoon! Vigo Gaandar is awaiting you. I hope your trip was not too exciting." It gestures to a closed door behind it, presumably leading into the main office.
"This is it boys. I suggest we seal up the droid in the lift before we enter the main room. Everyone ready?" offers Sho, clearly ready to get this over with.
After the last couple of surprises, Urirawa isn't taking chances of things going wrong again without him being prepared.
He uses a detonator and a stick of explosive to prepare and hold behind his back in case he 'needs' it. Better prepared then dead.
The droid seems taken aback. "I believe that won't be necessary. The Vigo has instructed me to treat you as honored guests. Please, through this door." It moves over to the portal, gesturing for you to enter.
The door opens, revealing a massive, opulent office. Sitting behind a huge wooden desk is the target, the Black Sun Vigo Gaandar. In a rich, deep voice, he invites the team in. "Please, there's no need for hostilities. VB-77, you may bring some refreshments for our guests."
Call moves into the room and steps to the side of the door, rifle at the ready, watching the lift and scanning the room for the inevitable attack. Still, if diplomacy works, so be it. Talking pretty's not his strong point, but he's ready in case the poodoo hits the turbine.
Raal steps coutiously into the room, glancing about as if expecting betrayal.
"Do you know why we are here Vigo?"
The Zabrak Vigo stands to his full height. He is an imposing man, his body language showing that he is clearly used to having his way. His small horns make him appear almost human, with a skin tone that is not particularly exotic. His clothes are extraordinarily well-tailored, chosen to accentuate his best features.
"I presume that you were the team sent to disrupt the auction. We knew there would be one, of course, and adapted to the possibility." The droid comes by with some delicious looking appetizers, offering it to the squad. "I was impressed by your skill and tenacity. Our facial recognition scanners identified you as Sho Larn, Urirawa, Call Krassus, and Thrak'el Raal'orn, all of the Imperial Navy. Looking at your record and your actions today, I have a proposition for you."
He pauses for a moment for dramatic effect. "Work for me. Imagine everything you ever wanted at your fingertips. That is what I can offer you."
"Realy now." Raal says with a smirk, a bit taken back, even flattered, by the Vigo's offer. "Since you've seen our record you must know how futile your offer is then. And, you know what we are capable of and to what lengths we're willing to go."
Raal takes a step forward, now a confident smile on his face. "We're here to bring you in Vigo. Come quietly if you will but you're coming either way." As Raal talk he reaches for the Vigo's mind through the force, nudging it toward a favorable path.
"Realy now." Raal says with a smirk, a bit taken back, even flattered, by the Vigo's offer. "Since you've seen our record you must know how futile your offer is then. And, you know what we are capable of and to what lengths we're willing to go."
Raal takes a step forward, now a confident smile on his face. "We're here to bring you in Vigo. Come quietly if you will but you're coming either way." 1d20+8 As Raal talk he reaches for the Vigo's mind through the force, nudging it toward a favorable path. 1d6
Sho watches quietly, pleased with Raal's response and tact. He waits to back up his comrade in any way necessary.
The Vigo grimly smiles. For a brief moment, he looks to be experiencing a bit of trepidation. "I see you won't be persuaded. It won't matter, though. We have a research lab on Falleen that is churning out enough of the product so that you won't be able to stop it from getting to the market." He leans over and calmly hits a button under the desk. "Pity that you can't share in the profits."
Four turrets slide up from the floor, heavy gun barrels pointed directly at the squad. With an electronic hum, they begin to gear up to fire on them.
Call Krassus
Raal
Sho Larn
Urirawa
Vigo
Sho blurs into action by running forward towards the desk. As a diversion and to ensure the crime lord doesn't have any tricks up his sleeve, Sho uses the Force to scatter dust and debris at the enemy's eyes to Blind him.
Sho then grips the slippery criminal with a Force embrace and flings him directly at one of the gun emplacements.
Call calmly steps forward, braces his rifle and fires a burst at turret 1.
Burst Fire!
Damage:
His shots hit the turret and destroy it as it warms up, blowing a large carbon scored crater in the nice floor.
As the Vigo slams into the gun turret, he falls to the ground with an audible crack. He rubs his eyes, trying to regain his vision, shouting at Sho Larn. "Idiot! Don't you know who I work for, who you work for? Guns, shoot the Kensae!" Standing up, he still appears unsteady and unable to see well.
The slightest bit of fear and doubt creep into the Kel Dor Kensae, just for a moment. He hesitates for a moment at the Vigo's cryptic words.
The blaster turrets open fire on Sho Larn, spraying him with blasterfire. The blasts are in a spray pattern, designed to negate the superior speed and reflexes of a Kensae by making every block a no-win proposition as two more blaster bolts replace any blocked or dodged one.
"Sho! Remember. We want him alive, if possoble." Raal reminds his fellow kensae before calling on the force to speed his way toward the turret closedt to Sho Larn, , reaching it he uses a teqnique recently mastered to guide his lightsaber to the right spot, , and lets the force guide the blade the rest of the way, cutting through the hard armor with ease the lightsaber finds and severs a power coupling causing sparks and smoke to pour out of the now destroyed turret.
Urirawa hadn't hauled all the explosive with him just to return it to the quarter master. He was darn well going to use some.
There were few joys as a soldier but one of them was the free and uncontrolled use of highly unstable compounds.
Urirawa figured this was a perfectly 'reasonable' usage of such a compound since it was to remove a military obstacle, the turret.
Urirawa also figured that after what the Vigo had said and his little selling game there was probably someone watching.
People feared an angry wookiee with sensible reason. They often made themselves 'feel' safe by building high towers to live within.
People were terrified when they realized wookiees weren't mindless primitives and enjoyed using explosives to bring down these ivory towers to a level where the wookiees could explain the cycle of life.
The turret is covered in flame and looks like it has lost the 'new aircar' smell but it appears to be able to still function though it looked like it wouldn't fire 'true' again without a major servicing.
Half damage on a miss unless you have the Evasion talent.
-Autofire Devotee
Sho is a creature of habit. His tactics have become somewhat predictable. Being a member of the Empire and the Imperial Service, routine and standardization are the norm. He hopes the Force will see him through but worries his tactics will become too predictable and eventually become a liability.
Use the Force to batter opponents then use the Force to defend long enough to continue battering opponents. Simple. Effective. Predictible.
Sho gladly takes the brunt of the attack considering he has honed his defensive techniques. He calls on the Force instinctively, reacting to the barrage of shots. The first was a feint, leading him directly into the oncoming shot.
Sho would have dodged the second shot as well if it weren't for the intervention of the Vigo. Was he using the Force? What did he say?
Call draws a bead on Turret 4, bracing himself, then firing a short burst.
Burst fire:
Damage:
Sho leaves the remaining Turret for the Troopers. The Vigo was cagey and dangerous and needed to be neutralized.
Sho gathers tendrils of Force about the enemy and uses debris from the shattered turret to pelt him and keep him distracted.
Sho is very in tune with the Force, quickly grasping the power necessary to contain the Vigo and having enough finesse to keep the enemy contained.
"We have nothing in common! Nothing! You lie and kill for a living. You pervert the very nature of the Force. You deserve only a quick death! LIAR!"
Sho does his best to be passionate without giving in to anger. It is a fine line. A fine line indeed.
Sho continues to hold the enemy at bay - contained with the power of the Force.
The Vigo tries to maintain any semblance of equilibrium as Sho Larn picks him up with the Force. "Is that so? Uuuuugh! How many have you killed without hesitation?" He nearly wretches as he spins, but his words still sting for Sho.
The remaining blaster turrets fire away at Sho Larn, trying to pin him down. While the blasts are not profoundly accurate, there are enough that it makes it quite difficult to avoid.
Sho knew his concentration on the whirlwind would leave him vulnerable. He was hoping it would be one or fewer turrets firing, but he was prepared to counter some of them.
Sho reaches a hand out from one barrage and absorbs the energy harmlessly just before being struck from behind by another blast.
"I could use some help with those Turrets!" The strain in his voice was evident. Sho was trying to do too much for too long. He was close to reaching his breaking point.
The Vigo tries to maintain any semblance of equilibrium as Sho Larn picks him up with the Force. "Is that so? Uuuuugh! How many have you killed without hesitation?" He nearly wretches as he spins, but his words still sting for Sho.
The remaining blaster turrets fire away at Sho Larn, trying to pin him down. While the blasts are not profoundly accurate, there are enough that it makes it quite difficult to avoid.
"You must realize how futile your postition is. You have read our file and now, seen us in action. Yield. You have no other choice." Raal says calmly and without bluster as he walks toward the Vigo, spinning his lightsaber effortlessly in his hands as he does so.
Projecting self-assurance in his own and the teams abilities towadr the Vigo Raal comes to a halt just a step away from him.
The Vigo puts his hands to the air, buffeted by the Force. "Stand down, stand down!" The remaining turret, smoking from damage, retracts into the ground. The Vigo apparently sees the error of his ways, surrendering to the Imperial squad. "You're going to regret this. Just you wait… I surrender..." Very little menace or bluster remaining, he floats awkwardly in the air.
"Wise choise." Raal says calmly as he pulls a pair of binder cuffs from his belt. Waiting for Sho Larn to drop the whirlwind he gestures for the Vigo to lay down. "On the floor, hands behind your head please."
"Wise choise." Raal says calmly as he pulls a pair of binder cuffs from his belt. Waiting for Sho Larn to drop the whirlwind he gestures for the Vigo to lay down. "On the floor, hands behind your head please."
Sho will set the Vigo down once Troopers Call and Urirawa have their weapons sighted on the man. "Any sudden moves you shoot."
With that, Sho let's the Vigo down, none too gently so that Raal can secure him.
Urirawa in a mixture of disappointment and anger that he didn't get to properly blow up the last turret moves over to it and smashes it with his Ryyk blade.
Urirawa then moves over to help with the arrest of the Vigo. He pulls out some mesh tape from his utility belt and prepares to wrap up the Vigo.
The Vigo restrained, the squad begins to decide the next move. There is a deck from which they can launch, though Call's damaged jetpack poses a problem, especially with the added weight of the Vigo. Once on the ground, they can call for their ship to meet them with a rendezvous point.
'uuRu ijj kkrtt ghyyr'
'Call, tell the Vigo to shut down the batteries or order his troops to not fire as he'll be on our ship.'
'Of course, if the guns are shut down, we could take some of the Vigo's ships. If we have to leave here, might as well do it in style.'
Sho nods at Urirawa's suggestion. "I agree."
Sho then turns to Vigo and asks him to help. "You will shut down the guns, have your men stand down, and then let us fly you and our team out of here in one of your airspeeders. Nobody is to follow."
The Vigo nods in agreement. He calls out in a clear voice, "VB, we are safe now. Please enact protocols returning us to normal status. I'm going for a ride in one of the airspeeders, so obtain launch authorization." He looks back at the group, apparently unaware that anything is wrong.
The Vigo nods in agreement. He calls out in a clear voice, "VB, we are safe now. Please enact protocols returning us to normal status. I'm going for a ride in one of the airspeeders, so obtain launch authorization." He looks back at the group, apparently unaware that anything is wrong.
Sho will quickly get the team into one of the Vigo's airspeeders, rendezvous with our ship, and then escape quickly back to the Empire with the biotoxin and the Vigo.
Raal will secure tha Vigo as comfortably as he can for the voyage to Coruscant, taking care not to ask to much or make any small talk. Getting to know the prisoner could be a sure way to develop a conection, a connection too easely corrupted into willingness to help or feel compassion for the prisoner. Raal knew the Vigo had a name, he took care never to use it. He knew he was a sentient beeing with emotions and aspirations, Raal made sure he never knew either of them. Raal controled his emotuins as only a kensae could, he felt no malice, no ill-will, he focused on feeling a sence of purpose. A feeling of devotion to protecting what he knew was right, the protection of the Empire.
Urirawa sets the computer to transfer all the Vigo's mail accounts, project files, and financial accounts to his computer. He hoped there might be something useful in the data when they got back to base.
Call brings up the rear, holding guard as the speeder is loaded.
The squad, their prisoner in tow, reaches the Vigo's prized collection of airspeeders. There are dozens of well-maintained, extremely expensive vehicles ranging from the newest models of sport airspeeders to vintage, restored airspeeders dating back hundreds of years. A particularly good-looking T-13, painted cherry red, sits in the middle. The squad quickly decides to take a single airspeeder, eliminating most of the two-seaters. The Vigo, still under the effects of the mind trick, helpfully adds, "We should take the '02 Incom ZRX-29a. Only 100 made across the galaxy. I spent the better part of two years restoring it. It is truly my pride and joy." He points to a larger black airspeeder, its sleek lines a tantalizing promise of its exquisite control and precision. As the five climb into it, Sho Larn quickly reaches for the controls, but Raal grabs them instead by pointing out that Sho is carrying the biotoxin.
Hitting a button on the airspeeder's dash opens the top-level garage to the blue-and-gray sky of Ord Mantell. Pressing the controls forward, the ZRX-29a pushes forward with a sudden burst. Raal barely maintains his hold with the car so responsive, but quickly begins to adapt. Urirawa puts out the hail for their ship to meet up with them. While sailing through the skylanes, it seems that the local law enforcement veers off whenever the airspeeder comes near. It must be a perk of being a crime boss on a hopelessly corrupt planet.
Raal soars north, away from the skylanes, to meet up with their ship. Mere minutes later, they spot the vessel with its cargo hold open. Raal carefully pilots the airspeeder into it, their precious cargo (both the prisoner and the biotoxin) intact. As Krassus and Raal secure the Vigo, Urirawa and Sho set course to emerge from the atmosphere. Without so much as a hail from the locals, they make it to a hyperspace jump waypoint and plot the way back to Coruscant. The stars stretch to infinite lengths as they make hyperspace.
With the jump to hyperspace, Urirawa is happy to strip off his armour and review the damage.
The armour is a mess of blaster bolts and there is a ragged gouge on the front armour where the Madclaw had ripped through the armour and into his flesh.
He examines the claw marks on his flesh and wonders if the old stories might be true. Legends said that if a wookiee was clawed and survived a Madclaw attack that they were doomed to walk the path of the Madclaw themselves....
Call sighs and takes a moment to loosen his armor. He breaks down his rifle and cleans the parts, watching Urirawa examining his own armor.
"He wasn't like you. He was infected, didn't know what he was doing. You're not like him, brother. You're not going to become like him."
Call finishes his rifle and stares out a viewport. "I wonder, Uri, what did that Vigo mean about who he worked for? Do you think he had anything behind that stuff he said?"
Urirawa nods at his friends wisdom but something continues to gnaw at the pit of his stomach.
When he hears the question of the Vigo's thoughts his response is full soldier.
'ttuu ttuu ghytttj jttyy ui'
'ttuu ttuu (literally imitation of the sound that a species of bird makes in the Kashyyyk forests best translated as 'Bird Talk' meaning that something has no meaning) thinking on it will drive you birdy'.
{ed translation} Officer talk. Thinking on it will drive you crazy.
The return trip to Coruscant is quick, with an unit from Imperial Intelligence taking custody of the Vigo when they make their landing. A team of biohazard technicians takes custody of the biotoxin, then thoroughly scrubs them all to make sure none of it was transferred with them. After a few solid hours of debriefing, the squad is ushered into a meeting room where Lieutenant Katarn is sitting.
Katarn reads over their debriefing report, scanning it on his datapad. Once completed, he stands up and stretches. "II is interrogating your prisoner as we speak. While you had a few hiccups and injuries, your performance was exemplary. I'll put a commendation letter in each of your files, which are bound to get a little overwhelmed at this rate." He winces a little as he stretches, signs of an injury he is recovering from. "Once they know more, specifically about the possibility of more of the toxin on Falleen, you will receive your next mission. For now, though, I want you to get some rest. You've had a tough few weeks. Consider yourselves on 72-hour surface leave." With that, Katarn gestures to the door. "Go! Have a little fun! Life's not all boarding parties and parties with the Emperor."
72 Hours or the much loved 3 day pass of the soldier on Coruscant.
Coruscant was the jewel of the Empire with museums, galleries, aquariums, libraries, stores, and amusement parks to provide for every alien appetite and every budget. It was also a world with a significant number of Army and Naval personnel barracked or in-training upon the world. The merchants of the empire had a love for the soldier's and sailor's credits if not always for the soldiers and sailors.
It was sometimes joked that Coruscant had more bars then many a quadrant of the galaxy. With the mixture of nobles, staff, government officials, delegations, merchant blocks, and troops, it was often remarked that if the flow of alcohol ever stopped to Coruscant that the Empire would come apart from the largest hangover ever recorded.
Being the centre of the Empire meant that there was always an open club at some place on the planet and a few bars had reputations boasted upon how many decades or centuries it had been since they had last closed and not served a drink for an hour.
With fresh credits in his pocket, Urirawa was in more than a mood to put the last mission and the Madclaw behind several bottles of what he could find. A search of the directories allowed him to sort establishments to places that served beverages distilled from sap of the tropical Wawaatt sub-species of the Wroshyr Trees of Kashyyyk. The 'tree blood' of that sub-species had a higher sugar content and made for a sweeter drink when distilled. Urirawa was a bit of a sweet tooth when it came to drinks and disliked the 'dry wines' that many humans claimed to be the best.
Finding a suitable place to wet his fur he also looked at suitable places to go climbing.
Coruscant lacked proper trees or even mountains for climbing which left races like Wookiees without one of their normal pastimes. Many millenium ago, Coruscant had passed zoning by-laws and planetary laws to limit the outlaw free climbing of its high buildings that the races with natural climbing looked at as inviting targets. Security risks and many races reaction to a large furry creature climbing past their window had forced the laws.
Simply passing the laws hadn't curbed the problem as it would have been like passing a law forbidding dogs to sniff their butts. It was an ingrained need from the first moments of a Wookiee's life to climb and the 'climbing walls' of races like humans could not satisfy the need.
The result had been to create zones of free climbing on the planet like an urban jungle inside the city where the need to climb could be channeled if not prevented. People locating to the area knew of the rules allowing free climbing and it was discussed as part of the lease agreements in the area. Landlords even charged a premium to people recognizing races with a 'need' to climb would pay more to have the ability to open a window and go for a climb.
There were still plenty of Outlaw Free Climbers on the planet but they choose their targets and times with care to avoid the multiple layers of security that a Galactic Capital had for all the various officials and military installations it housed.