Baniss guides the swoop nice and steady and falls into line behind Desh. "Hope this plan works."
If people generally agree, Desh roars his engine, circling north to try to break line of sight with their ship and the incoming bounty hunters.
Bolt nods his agreement, stroking his moustache thoughtfully. He opens his mouth to speak,
"..."shrugs his shoulders instead, and tugs at his fringe for a moment.
Initiative: +6 Perception: +4
Fort: 17
Reflex: 21 (14 Flat-footed / 16 Touch)
Will: 18
Current HP: 47/47 remaining
Current in Hand: Blaster Rifle +8 (3d8 +4 dmg)
Conditions in effect: n/a
Abilities: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Autofire, Brace, Lucky Shot, Battle Strike, Negate Energy.
Shots used /50:
Abilities: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Autofire, Brace, Lucky Shot, Battle Strike, Negate Energy.
Abilities: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Autofire, Brace, Lucky Shot, Battle Strike, Negate Energy.
Carefully putting several large ships between you, you seem to have evaded notice. Several other civilians seem to be going around the scene as well and you all fit right in moving towards the city gates in your overloaded swoop bikes.
Fortunately the visibility is pretty good still. The first mercenary group pulls to a stop at your ship and bail out. Sure seems like a lot of them; maybe twenty five or more.
These guys seem to be all Duros... Maybe the "Duross Brotherhood" bounty hunters?
Not very skilled individually, but they've had success in swarming their targets.
But before they've had a chance to do more than mill around the landing struts, another speeder load pulls up, disgorging eight or nine mixed race locals. The whole scene becomes very tense as they all face each other.
You recognize several of them. These guys seem to be local lone wolf types, cooperating for a big score probably.
As you approach the city gates, you can see a third vehicle come on the scene, disgorging several armored figures of a Mandalorian type.
You recognize them as renegade Mandaloreans. They call themselves "Beskagan" [Unbreakable]. They are very skilled and completely ruthless. Rumored to be the only unit to survive Malachor IV intact, they seem to take a particular delight in hunting down Mandalorian targets.
That's all you see as you enter Mos Eisley proper. The guards all distracted watching what's happening downrange and maybe taking bets among themselves...
"'The Duros Brotherhood.'" Juce says with a snort as the pass the first group of speeders. "Can't fight worth a damn, they use swarm tactics to overwhelm their target."
"Don't recognize the second group, look like locals." he says quietly, watching the scene with interest.
"Osik!*" Juce spits out as the third group arrives. "Beskagan... Unbreakable. Mandolorian thugs, ruthless, good fighters, specialize in hunting mandolorians. They say they were the only unit to survive Malachor IV intact. Let's stop. I want to see how this plays out."
If Desh stops Juce will observe the scene through the scope of his rifle.
Desh pulls his swoop to a stop near a light freighter, letting the mandalorian watch the exchange.
[b]"Should be interesting. Anyone got some binoculars I can use?[/ooc]
Jeriko whistles a single low, slow slightly warbling note - sounding not too much unlike an astromech as he does so. He continues to address Jerrn, but he speaks loud enough for everyone else to hear.
"That's a lot of folk over there that seem to have had the same idea as we did. Ha! Lucky for you we were quicker because those stoopas* look to be a little trigger happy." His lekku twitch and fidget slightly as he turns around to regard the scene back at the landing site.
He then turns to Juce, a smile evident in his voice, "You're right... ahhh... what was your name again? Cider? Anyway, you're right about that second group there. They're not too much unlike you, me, the doctor and the cathar - they're loners from the area. Seem to be cooperating for a big score. Can't fathom what would lead them to do that though."
"I say we let ‘em kill each other off. If enough of them survive to give us trouble later, we can deal with it, then."
"They won't be killing each other." Juce says scornfully as he watched through his scope. "The Beskagan will slaughter them."
"But Blue and Bruised is right about the second group. Locals, much like us." he replies to Jeriko's jape.
“And how is that our problem?” Six asks Juce. “We didn’t cause this; I don’t see how we could stop it; besides, it takes the heat off of us. Kill, slaughter, eradicate - whichever verb you prefer, I say we leave them to it and get after that Trando.”
"Oh, I'm happy to let 'em kill each other off... I just wanna hang around and watch. Maybe see if we can learn somethin' about 'em. Then we'll go find that trando."
"I want to see who comes out alive, maybe the duros or the locals will get lucky and leave one less for us to worry about. You see, Six, they won't stop hunting. We can evade, but they'll keep coming. I just want to know how many they'll be when they do."
“Fine... Can’t really argue with the logic. I just hope they do it quickly...”
Bolt stays quietly waiting, scratching his fur idly, wondering if he has missed his chance to leave Tatooine.
Tensely you wait. The figures don't move.
Then...
First one distant figure, then another break away running.
There is a burst of blasterfire, then several armored figures lift up on rocket packs while firing down on others.
Then the Beskagan vehicle opens up with some kind of heavy repeater and rocketfire.
This leaves a couple of vehicles on fire and the rest of the figures running away. Smokes obscures the scene.
Then you see a couple of figures lift out of the smoke on rocket packs and land on the upper hull of your ship. Then crouch over one of the hatches briefly, then descend into the hull.
Around you the crowd starts murmuring and dispersing, now that the action is over. The guards pay off their wagers and start to move the traffic along again.
"Well, damn... now we're gonna have to go dig those guys off our ship if we want to turn in the bounty or sell the thing." He shrugs, "Oh well, no use worrying over it this second. Either way we gotta get to that trando. I figure he's gonna die either way, it might as well benefit us, right? Whiel we're in town, we should pick up some grenades and a few rocket-packs... it'll help get those guys off our boat."
Unless someone has a reason to stay, Desh will lead the way into Mos Eisley. His voice rumbles over the comms as they ride, "So who's good at finding things in this crew? If I were our scaly friend, I'd try to go to ground immediately. One of us needs to pick up his scent. Then we can grab him."
I might be able to help with that, if we can find the right people to ask.
You proceed through the city gates and into the town of Mos Eisley proper.
The first thing the newcomers notice is the smell; actually the first three or four things. The sharp tang of the light freighters that dock here in town, the confused mess of exotic spices and foods, the large beasts of burden walking the streets, and... the Jawas. You are understandably curious about them, but not curious enough to penetrate that unique aroma surrounding them.
The suns drenched streets, the smooth duracrete exteriors of the buildings, the cries of beings hawking whatever stolen goods they can steal from other crooks, the cantina/brothel workers, the slaves, and the sight of everyone in town wearing weapons combines for an exotic scene that has you gawking like tourists.
While you are talking about what to do next, you come upon a crowd of people lined up next to a thouroughfare. Next thing you know, several vehicles roar, yowl, or chatter by the crowd at a high rate of speed, and are gone again as the crowd cheers; many waving betting chits. The sound of an announcer over a PA is lost in the noise.
Jerrn pauses his swoop, taking in the town. Nothing much has changed, except the smell now comes from different scum. He thumbs the comm: "Mos Eisley spaceport: You'll never find a more wretched hive o' scum and villainy. We must be cautious-like, ya'll."
"Everyone set your comms to 635.85 - I think our best bet is to find the swoop bike. The trando should be nearby."
"That seems like a good enough idea, Six," complements Bolt in his usual understated manner.
The big cat looks about him, hoping to see something useful.
Baniss sets his comm to the suggested frequency. Then suggests If finding this Trandoshan is your first objective then perhaps we could trawl the cantinas for information? I may know a few people friendly enough who have one foot in the information industry...
Just looking arond gets you a big nothing. There are simply too many swoop bikes in town for a big meet tomorrow, after the Pod racing series has completed.
Checking the usual information brokers gets you nothing as well. There just hasn't been enough time for a trail to develop, and the best can't be gotten ahold of until after sunsset, in ten hours or so.
You see Six stiffen, then charge across the street to a little shop that appears to be just another weapon shop; a dime a dozen here.
You see that this shop displays high-tech sniper weapons and accessories. Stuff from the core worlds. Stuff that isn't even supposed to be for civilian sale.
It occurs to you that a rival gang might have some insight as to the places and habits of a ganger.
Baniss turns to Desh and Jernn as Six move across the street. Well, seems the Trando hasn't left much of a trail yet and it's gonna be hard to spot him in all this He indicates the masses of bikes and riders milling around town. Perhaps our best bet of finding him would be to check in with a rival gang see of they'd have any insight into where a swoop ganger may hide out in this scum hole?
He thumbs the comm: "Mos Eisley spaceport: You'll never find a more wretched hive o' scum and villainy. We must be cautious-like, ya'll."
Desh nods at the Duros's words as he watches the masses of people cheering for the races. "The trandoshan's name is Bardak Trak, and he appeared to be a mechanic on the ship under a Captain Bones, if that helps in your search."
Over the comms, "Six, where you off to? We need to stick together." Noticing his destination, Desh follows, keeping his eye out for a solid blaster carbine as well as two jetpacks and a handful of frag grenades.
Stepping into the weapons shop, Six looks around, taking in the wares. "Finally - it's good to be back among civilized society. Guys, I'll catch up - I need to pick up a few things. Anyone else need to pick up some essentials?"
"I hate this place, Jern," mumbles Bolt. He scratches roughly at his mane. "Gods know I hate this place. Are any of you lot mechanically able? I do have a ship that, with enough hands, could probably get us off this dirt ball. It crashed, you see, Jern, I'm not a great pilot, but I landed The Yellow Truck fairly softly. Not as graceful as a cat landing on it's feet, but upright and still in one piece."
"The doctor is our best bet around here, he pretty much knows everyone." Juce says in support of Baniss's suggestions.
When Six heads into the weapons-dealer he steps off the swoop, taking up a position where he can observe the crowd. If I had the credits. he replies silently.
"I'm a mechanic as well Bolt. I'd thinks you'd have know that by now with all the equipment I've had to fix for Baniss. I might take a look if it would get us off this blasted sand dune. When we finish up this business that is."
Jerrn nods at the notion of crashes. "Ah ken fix most anything, given time and tools. And if it flies, Ah ken fly it."
Desh shakes his head, "The Yellow Truck? As much as I'd like to have a ship to get out of here... that doesn't sound promising."
Jeriko nods along as Desh's voice crackles through his com. "And repairs cost credits - credits we can hopefully score from an ever more complicated bounty." He sighs as he adds the last part.
Still on the swoop with Jerrn, he'll turn to the Tatooine native, "You know... ahh, what was your name again? Jerk? No that's not right. Anyway - I used to say that 'if it flies, I can fly it' too, but I don't anymore. Now I say, 'If it flies, I can fly it. Unless it's exploding. Then I can't.'" His yellow eyes narrow at the memory of his swoop exploding underneath him in the middle of a record run.
I wonder if it was the Exchange...? Kriffing Exchange!
"Yes, it will take some parts and so, Jeriko, it will cost some credits. But what it needs most is many paws working to dig it out. It doesn't look that badly damaged to me. It has lost some sublight functionality, but I'm sure it can come good."
Bolt scratches at the fur on his upper arm under his brown leather jacket as he talks.
Baniss nods his head at Juce as a way of saying 'thanks for the support'. He then asks Jerrn So what originally brought you here? This isn't exactly the tech centre of the galaxy Indicating Six and Desh shopping and if you were coming to collect that bounty you wouldn't have let the last one go.
Still on the swoop with Jerrn, he'll turn to the Tatooine native, "You know... ahh, what was your name again? Jerk? No that's not right. Anyway - I used to say that 'if it flies, I can fly it' too, but I don't anymore. Now I say, 'If it flies, I can fly it. Unless it's exploding. Then I can't.'" His yellow eyes narrow at the memory of his swoop exploding underneath him in the middle of a record run.
Jernn lets off a huge laugh. "Wall, Ah been called a lot worse. It's Jerrn. And to answer the other question: This is mah home, dirty as it is. And we're all lookin' into a casino. Seems we got a lead to follow up on."
Asking around and doing basic research leads you to the rivals of your gang; those Black Flag riders you saw when you landed.
They own (or occupy) a cantina near the swoop track.
Chances are they know something that can lead you to the last member of your gang; or you can wait until nightfall for your quality contacts to come through for you.
=========================================
Going inside the shop...
The shop is nicely laid out; the weapons and accessories are laid out by people who obviously know what they are doing.
The weapons here are mostly carbines and rifles, with a few high end pistols and accessories. No repeaters are evident.
The listed prices are exorbitant; fully 150% of normal [book] prices.
Sale of grenades and explosives are next to the gates; they'll only sell you those if you're leaving town. Hutt's orders.
Jet packs however, are sold around town at a couple of overpriced high end shops, and cheaper at some vehicle garages. Those you can find more easily.
A sullustan approaches you, nicely dressed; a prosperous merchant.
And he's also a client! Subtle clues lead you to believe that his civilian clothing is also sophisticated armor, and carefully cut; likely to conceal effective hand weapons as well.
"Thulub welcomes you great soldiers! Please me to assist!"
** spoiler omitted **** spoiler omitted ** Baniss shrugs at the mention of a Casino. I don't know much about the local Casinos. I've never had the income. I'll go find out where the local swoop gang calls home. Bolt you coming?
"Hmm? Yes, Baniss, I'll go with you," says the cathar as he scratches at the fur on his neck.
Desh looks around, immediately noticing the lack of grenades or jetpacks. He looks over at Six, "I saw a place that looked to be selling explosives down by the gates, and we'll check the local engine shops for cheap jump-packs . I"m sure between you and Farmboy, you can make the crap they sell us more than serviceable."
As the owner introduces himself, Desh puts on his best schmoozing face (which is to say his usual stoney facade turns into a slightly queasy-looking stoney facade).
"Looking for some upgrades." He touches his beat-up pulse-wave weaponry then nods to one of the racks of carbines. Then he notices the price-tags, "Farmboy was right, Six… even the businessmen are crooks here. Why are these prices so damn high?"
Upon seeing the prices, Six lets out a low whistle. Turning to the Sullustan merchant, he returns the mousy alien's greeting. "Your assistance would be appreciated, in hopes of a mutually beneficial transaction. Surely the honorable Thulub must make quite a profit by scalping the tourists out here on the rim. But also, he must be inclined to negotiate prices, when a connoisseur of these fine wares is in the market for a new long-term supplier?"
Jerrn casually joins his comrades, idly picking up things, examining them disinterestly and putting them down. All the while he opens himself to the Force and allows its influence to guide him.
>>At the shop...
Thulub engages Six in a haggling that reaches operatic scale.
Persuade:
...but he doesn't give on his prices.
He seems impressed by Six's ability though. He taps a section of the floor and another display case rises up. Carefully, he takes a gleeming brand new blaster rifle of the most modern design out and shows it to you.
"You like eh? Worth every credit, you see!"
On close inspection, you can see it's a Czerka Dynamics design.
You can tell it will do +2 damage over the usual performance of it's type.
You can tell by the serial number that this is an experimental prototype; not even on the market yet.
Because of a design weakness, this weapon will overheat and malfunction on a 1-2.
========================================
>>Outside the Cantina
Concealed down an alleyway, you have a view of the Black Flag's hangout. There must be fifty swoop bikes lined up in the parking lot, and a couple of the gang are having a vicious vibroblade fight while onlookers cheer and take bets. Real headthrobbing music bleeds out through the walls, setting your teeth on edge.
That's odd; it looked like there was a shimmering in the air in front of the curtained front doorway. You look closer, but don't see anything now.
=========================================
>>Jerrn
As your perceptions open to the Force, the feelings of the town beat down on you painfully. Mos Eisley really is a cesspit of scum and villainy; not that you ever had any doubt.
Still, the intense feelings, the thrill, of the pod racers as they shoot by give a thrill that you think will never really leave you.
Further off, but still in the city, you can feel a large presence, vastly intelligent, using his games like a master musician to control the people like they were sheep. An old familiar Hutt feel to this one.
Absentmindedly you brush by a few hunters talking about going after a rogue Wraid, and how it got some other hunters. Wraid are big lizard things, with a triceratopsian skull plate that is resistant to blasterfire, very well camouflaged, and fast over short distance sprints. Sometimes they go rogue and have to be put down, and big game hunters come from all over to challenge themselves.
It doesn't hit you for a minute, but it comes to you in the force. A certainty that what they hunt isn't a Wraid at all, but a Krayt Dragon. Those guys are gonna die.
====================================
"Well, it's certainly shiny enough. CzD is a good designer. How much?"
"Hmph. I gotta go fer a moment. Ah'll meet you at the Cantina, gotcha?" Jerrn takes off, heading toward the doomed hunters.
Jeriko watches silently as Baniss and Bolt depart for the cantina together. One of his lekku curls slightly, the equivalent of a bemused grin, as he turns his attention to Desh, Six, and Jerrn wandering into the gunshop.
He slides out of the swoop and leans lazily against one of the beat up vehicles, feigning boredom and disinterest as he keeps an eye on the swoops and area with Juce.
Deception:
Perception:
Perception (reroll - must keep):