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Required Listening (once the ad passes).
Episode I
THE TRAITOR’S GAMBIT
It is a dark time in the galaxy. The evil Galactic Empire has spread from the Deep Core to the Outer Rim, and everywhere the Empire’s tyranny can be felt.
Fleeing from the oppression of the Emperor’s minions, agents of Senator Bail Organa have run to a remote space station above Brentaal. Known to be a vocal opponent of the Empire, Organa may be the last hope of freedom in the galaxy.
In the hopes of stopping these dissidents before they can reach the Senator, the Empire has alerted its forces on Sel Zonn Station, where the struggle for liberty rages on, and the first sparks of rebellion have begun to burn. . . .
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Seemingly motionless among a sea of starships and satellites above the twinkling world of Brentaal, Sel Zonn Station grows larger in your view every second. A central pylon forms the bulk of the station’s mass, and three landing platforms leading to docking bays extend from the central section, equidistant from one another and jutting out into space. The dorsal side of the station features a discshaped secondary structure, on top of which blinking lights indicate the presence of a landing platform reserved for wealthy patrons.
The main commercial area of Sel Zonn Station is known as the Promenade. Filled with shops of all kinds, as well as large, open seating areas with fountains, plants, and other decorations, the Promenade is where Brentaal’s nobles and other station visitors go to enjoy themselves. Security is tight on the Promenade, and Imperial stormtroopers are on hand at all times to keep the peace. Additionally, the Empire tries to keep the area free of aliens, and as such they harass any non-Humans moving about the Promenade. Although they won’t go so far as to arrest anyone, they often try to start fights with aliens just to have an excuse to lock them up. For this reason, most non-Humans tend to stay clear of the Promenade, except on rare occasions.
- Gundark’s Cantina: Owned and operated by a gruff Human male named “Gundark” Saff, Gundark’s Cantina is a place where people from all walks of life can come to relax. Though Gundark himself shows some anti-alien bias, he does not prevent non-Humans from patronizing his establishment. As such, it is a popular meeting place for nearly anyone on the station, and it features a large number of secluded booths for
private conversations. - The Credit Chip: A local casino that attracts a wide variety of patrons, the Credit Chip is operated by a quiet and brooding Human named Cecil Vane. Vane doesn’t like what the Empire has done to the station, especially since they don’t take it too well when he cheats Imperial officers out of their money. The most popular games in the galaxy, including sabacc and pazaak, see a lot of play here.
- Delgas Medical Supplies: A corporate medical practice and pharmaceutical supplier, Delgas Medical Supplies provides care to those who can afford it. The chief doctor in the practice is talented Human woman named Byra Fenn.
- Mechanical Allies: A droid repair and sales shop, this is one of the few businesses run by a non-Human that hasn’t been shut down by the Empire. Operated by an untrustworthy Twi’lek named San, Mechanical Allies sells all manner of droid parts and reconditioned droids.
Jek had arrived at the station two days prior, on a cheap public cruiser coming in from Nar Shadaa, a planet he has no desire to revisit. He had needed a place to settle down and gather himself. After having earned his independence from Roaga the Hutt, it seemed that his dealings were one loss after another. Sel Zonn was definitely a cheaper place to spend his hiatus on than Coruscant —er, Imperial Capital.
Since his arrival he had eyed the casino, but told himself that gambling wasn’t the safest idea while all of his career looked like one big gamble from this point on. Rather, he had spent most of his ‘mornings’ surveying the area and grabbing dirty looks on the promenade, and his ‘nights’ drinking cheap lum ale at Gundark’s.
Which was where he happened to be, now, nursing his first mug, and making it last, staying in the corner and sending a flirtatious smile to every attractive woman that walks into the bar, content whether they notice him or not. Regardless, he is mostly focused on the news screen overhead, shaking his head at every mention of the new Empire.
They were going to make eking out a dishonest living difficult for him, he could tell that already.
on Sel Zonn station, like any station in the galaxy, there is always a bustle of ships, shuttles, and loaders coming and going.
On one of the docking rings, an older looking shuttle lands and people begin disembarking, among them a younger human male with shock-white hair and a backpack slung over one shoulder. He did not appear to be armed, and he began sweeping the crowd before asking one of the imperial officers for directions. Nodding and saying something to the man the white-haired man begins walking along the promenade, a clear destination in mind. As he walks, the camera begisn to follow him, and it isn't long before both are standing outside the entrance to a Casino, where flashing neon lights are everywhere.
Entering, the man walks up to the bar and says "I'm looking for someone. Can you help me please?"
The duros glances around the Promenade, trying not to be noticed while noticing everyone and everything himself is not an easy task - but Sebbik has learned to be cautious when there are Imperials around. Especially stormtroopers. He had managed to escape the planetary bombardment of Caamas after gaining a tantalizing bit of information there regarding the possibility of finding a Jedi on Brentaal, or on one of the stations in orbit around the arid planet.
He'd been searching now for more than three months, Sel Zonn Station was his last hope. If he intended to find any Jedi in this place, he would likely need to hack into one of the security computers to find any chatter among the local authorities that might give him some sort of clue. Though he would have to keep one step ahead of the Imperials to avoid arrest (or worse!) as well as to find any known or suspected Jedi before they did. The Promenade seemed the likeliest place to find such a computer, though lingering here was dangerous indeed for a non-human like himself. Sebbik smiled grimly, though the expression was nearly impossible to see with his lipless mouth and dark blue-green skin.
Scanning the crowd, he looked for a place where he might gain access to the Holonet without attracting undue attention. Nothing fancy for now, the duros slicer was patient and the trait had served him well so far. He'd had a few close brushes with the Imperials since he'd left his home on Duro a year ago, but had never yet been caught. Sebbik hoped to keep that record intact...
Entering, the man walks up to the bar and says "I'm looking for someone. Can you help me please?"
A young female Neimoidian is unobtrusively mixing with the patrons in The Credit Chip casino, listening to everything said and keeping well away from anyone who looks like an imperial official and especially a Storm Trooper.
When the human soldier announces his presence, Galatea moves closer quietly, in the hope something of interest may be said.
"It was in a sword fight with some Alderaanian noble or other," the raven-haired man says to one of the female bartenders working in Gundark's Cantina. "Fine fellow really, but for some reason he had gotten it into his head that I was... ahem, misbehaving with his wife. No idea..." The crooked smile on his lips and the nonchalant shrug are meant to be dismissive, as if such a thing could not possibly be true. "Nevertheless, he did speak about honor and all that and then challenged me to a duel. A duel!"
The story, spoken in a Corellian accent, appears to be in relation to the scar on the right side of his face, starting below his right eye and ending above it. Despite it though, the man is handsome, standing close to six feet tall, slender and athletic, with fair skin and pale blue eyes.
He is near the end of his tale -be it true or not is anybody's guess really- when one of the screens in the cantina shows yet another story about some triumph of the Empire. With a sigh he rolls his eyes; any harder and they might fall off of his head. Turning to the bartender with a thin smile, not quite so mirthful as a mere moment ago, he takes his cup of coffee and excuses himself, looking for an empty table.
The Promenade is filled with the bustle of revelry and commerce. Spilling out of the gambling halls are the sounds of victory and the moans of defeat, while the music of local bands issues from the cantinas. Only a handful of citizens mill about in the main areas of the Promenade, a few gazing out the massive windows at the planet Brentaal hovering below. Businesspeople hawk their wares to the passersby, and a few Imperial stormtroopers make their way down the main avenue of the Promenade on their usual patrol at a leisurely pace.
The bartender looks at Winter and responds, "Depends. We got a lot of people here. Who might you be looking for?"
Galatea, you take a spot just down the bar from them, where you can hear without being too close.
There are some information terminals available. They are likely locked down to limit their capabilities to basic information about the station, but if you can get past that, their connection to the central computer should allow you to find the information you seek.
The bartender shakes her head at Callum's story as she hands him his coffee, but she still seems to be smiling as she does so - he must have made at least something of a positive impression. Turning, she moves down the bar to where Jek is seated, asking, "Need a refill, hon?"
Sebbik sits down at a computer terminal that appears to be off the beaten path, offering him at least some modicum of privacy. The duros spends a few minutes on the network, looking at harmless information about the station itself. He has learned that it is good to know one's surroundings, especially when it it comes time to get out fast. Over the next few minutes he starts to get a feel for how difficult it's going to be to hack into the system. Sebbik breathes a pent-up sigh as he realizes the network is quite secure. His slicing skills are good, but this will be a challenge, and there a lot of Imperials around...
One follow up question - can I use a Force Point after I make the roll, or do I need to declare it before I make the roll? I'm guessing before, but I don't have my book handy to check. I'm hoping that if I decide to go through with this, I could use a Force Point on this Use Computer check (especially that first one)?
That sounds about right for the challenge level - it's supposed to be tricky.
The book doesn't actually say when you spend a Force Point - it just says that spending one is a free action, and it applies to a single attack roll, skill check, or ability check. You can also only spend 1 per round (or per roll).
The way I'd handle this at the table is that you can spend the Force Point after the roll but before the result is revealed. I posted much of the relevant information about DCs to you so you could make the rolls without me having to adjudicate each one. This means you already know what the results of your rolls will be, regardless.
Since this a Play-by-Post, you can spend a Force Point on the rolls if you choose to do so. Remember, failure by 5 or more can result in consequences - from as mild as the terminal locking you out to as severe as triggering an alarm.
Jek glances down at his drink, sipped the remaining contents, then smiled politely to the bartender. Indeed I would, thank you. He said, eying the human she was just speaking with, to whom he had been absentmindedly listening to. Duels, eh? He thought. You should hear about the time that I single-handedly fought off a horde of Gamoreans with nothing but a drained vibro-knife. He said to the bartender in a soft tone of voice, slipping smoothly into a coruscanti accent, keeping his tone as understated as possible, as if it was either nothing big of him, or an obvious falsehood.
Which it was.
"I'm looking for an Imperial Captain named Vischera. I've been told he comes in here somewhat often. Here's a description of him." with that, he pulls up a holo of him.
The bartender laughs at Jek's boast. "A horde of Gammoreans with a drained vibro-knife? And you're still alive after being attacked by such vicious creatures? Try to at least keep things believable." With a smile, she sets your drink down and moves on to other customers.
The bartender eyes the holo with distates, grunts and says, "Yeah I know him. Haven't seen him in a few months. Supposedly got some new assignment or something. Sorry."
He walks away to speak to other customers. As far as you can tell, he's being truthful - and genuinely does not like Captain Vischera.
Winter taps his fingers on the bar and then stands up to leave.
As she left, Jek chuckled and said, But I much prefer my myth to be wholly unbelievable. and he took a sip of his drink.
Winter taps his fingers on the bar and then stands up to leave.
A young female Neimoidian nearby at the bar speaks to Winter as her goes to leave, saying "I was just nearby and happened to hear a little of what you were saying. You are looking for someone?"
Winter's eyes light up at the Neimodian's approach and he says "Yes, I am looking for an Imperial Captain named Vischera. I have a package to deliver to him. Would you by any chance know where I could find him? I would like to get this settled up sooner rather than later."
"I can try to track him down if it is important. My name is Galatea, from Neimoidia."replies Galatea.
"You can call me Winter; I got the name because of my hair. I'm a member of the Mercenaries guild. Nice to meet you!" Winter offers a handshake.
"A pleasure. I can start looking for your Imperial Captain, it is not as if I am doing a huge amount else just now. It may take a while though. Are you sure he is on this station?"
"I've been looking for him for a while now, and it's been a merry chase through several systems. The last person I spoke to in his old unit directed me here."
"Tracking him down will take some time. I had best get your contact details Winter."
"Perhaps I could assist you? As I said, I'd like to be done with this so I can get back to other things."
Very well, let us make a start."
With that, the young Neimoidian starts making discreet enquires and tracking down local sources of news and information with a view to finding the Imperial Captain.
When he feels as though nobody is paying attention to him - especially any Imperials - Sebbik takes a deep breath and brings out his datapad then sets to work. First, he's got to spend some time hacking into the system, and force the central computer to recognize his own as a legitimate station. The duros feels that this might be his very best chance to find the information he so desperately wants, and perhaps there is some ancient and helpful energy that guides his efforts...
-10 vs hostile computer attitude
Final Result: Use Computer Check (to Gather Information) DRR 23 vs Central Computer Will Defense DC 17 = Success! Current Attitude = Unfriendly
Sebbik breathes a sigh of relief as he gets past the outer defenses. But the job isn't done. Leaning forward, he continues his work...
-5 vs hostile computer attitude
Final Result: Use Computer Check (to Gather Information) DRR 25 vs Central Computer Will Defense DC 17 = Success! Current Attitude = Indifferent
Sebbik allows himself a smile - which wouldn't be evident to others not of his race - and settles in to access the central computer data files on the known whereabouts of Jedi and anything else that might catch his eye.
If he doesn't find anything interesting on the first pass ['Take 10' for result of 23 vs DC 20 to Access Information], he will take his time and go through the files more thoroughly ['Take 20' for result of 33 vs DC 20]. He downloads the files to his datapad to have access to them at need later, if he can do so.
[ooc]Dang, hard to say if I'd have used a Force Point after rolling the dice and before knowing the DC. Those were good rolls. In any case, they were important enough to me to use them, so no worries, either way. Not sure if he's got the time to 'Take 20', but even a 'Take 10' allows him to beat the DC 20 so he'll start with that.]
The busyness of the Promenade fills the area with noise and life as Sebbik begins looking for information about the Jedi in the Brentaal system through the public terminal. A young Nemoidian female and a human male both exit the credit chip casino to begin asking about an Imperial Captain named Vischera. And in Gundark's Cantina, a blue-skinned, red-eyed alien and a Corellian pilot both sip their drinks with a view of the bustle outside.
You notice two men loitering on the Promenade who do not appear to be part of the larger crowd. Each seems to be scanning the crowd closely as though looking for someone, though they don't seem to pay attention to you.
You notice that, despite wearing normal traveling clothes, each man is carrying a hold-out blaster tucked into his jacket, and both men are wearing identical garments.
You notice that both men seem to be whispering to themselves, obviously speaking into hidden comlinks.
Galatea moves a bit closer to Winter and says "Those two. They are scanning the crowd closely as though looking for someone. They have a hold-out blaster tucked into their jackets, and they are wearing identical garments. Finally, they are whispering to themselves, obviously speaking into hidden comlinks. This is most suspicious, my guess is they are assassins."
Sebbik takes particular note of two men as he works, though as they aren't paying particular attention to him he isn't terribly concerned until he notes that each of them has a hold out blaster tucked into their identical jackets. Agents of some kind, perhaps? The duros smile at his earlier success turns into a slight frown. At least they don't seem interested in him - unless they're good at deflecting that sort of attention. Though if they were, he probably wouldn't have noticed them in the first place.
The slicer continues his work, but pays attention to the pair as much as he can.
Jek takes a quick note of the two men, sipping his Lum as he quickly processed who they could be. An avid fan of holo-dramas, his mind immediately leapt to spy dramas. If it would play out as such, they would either be Republic or Seperatist (two sides that pay quite well), but both options weren't quite as in fashion as they were when those dramas were released.
He grunted, downing the rest of his ale and debating the merits of a refill, ignoring the two figures. Whatever they were up to, it wasn't any of his business. Best not to get involved in anything that didn't promise a profit.
"Hmm...?"
At first the two men do not seem to warrant the Corellian's attention. Just two people loitering about the Promenade, albeit by themselves rather than as a part of the larger crowd. True, they appear to be looking for someone, but that is hardly out of the ordinary... much. However, what is is the fact that they are not only wearing matching clothes, but they are also carrying hold-out blasters, small enough to hide on their persons.
Taking a deep breath, the man takes one more sip from his coffee cup and then settles into his chair a little better, shifting his attention from his beverage to the two men, pale blue eyes looking intently. Maybe it is simply a hunch, maybe it is something more when the following thought passes through his mind.
'Something is about to happen...'
Jordis would have attempted to spend most of her time around Delgas Medical Supplies. Surely, there would be people that went there for treatment, only to be turned away because they could not afford the drugs. Jordis would attempt to aid those people, using her Jedi training to heal their bodies while clouding their minds and concealing her presence.
Jordis does not let her face or posture change, but inside she tenses. Surely the Force meant for her to notice these two, and she had not survived the Jedi Purge by being unable to recognize enemy agents. She could not be sure they were searching for her, and she believed the best course would be to simply act normal; after wall, what was one more Mirialan?
Jordis will try to make her way casually near the two men, blending with the crowd, to better overhear their conversation.
"I noticed them and their weapons as well. I have mine in my satchel, along with my armor, since it tends to make people uncomfortable."
Within moments of noticing the men in cloaks, you then notice a slender woman coming down the Promenade. She's dressed in the greasy clothes of a mechanic, and though she's trying to hide it, it's clear she has been wounded somehow. "Help me, please. Help. I have credits." She says, as she continues moving through the Promenade.
Sebbik reflexively starts to rise, then hesitates. He is gathering crucial data and it is best not to attract attention at the moment anyway. In fact, if attention is diverted elsewhere, so much the better. He watches the scene though, tapping in the occasional keystrokes and glancing at the incoming data as he stays on high alert - especially with regard to the two agents...
Jordis spots the woman, and there is no hesitation. Jordis begins to walk beside her.
”Stay calm. Act natural. Walk with me. We’ll find a secluded area where I can patch you up.”
Seeing the woman move down the promenade, Winter will say "Stay here if you don't want to get involved" to Galatea and then begin deliberately moving straight at the two thugs. When he gets to them, he says "Excuse me gentlemen, I'd like a moment of your time." He moves so that he is blocking their view of the direction the woman is coming from.
Jek’s eyes widen when he sees the woman. He makes a quick debate with himself before he decides to move in closer to better observe. Seeing that she is wounded and hearing that she has credits, Jek moves in her direction, ignoring the suspicious looking men, eyes falling on the Mirilian woman walking alongside her. Jek takes to the wounded woman’s other side.
Is there any way that I can be of service, ma’am? He asked. I have medpacks. He added hesitantly.
He gave the Mirilian another look. He wasn’t sure just yet if she was here to help, or if she was part of the problem. One thing was for certain; she was a beauty.
"Oh, Al'Sheret, my friend! It's so good to see you!"
Jordis smiles brilliantly, placing an affectionate hand on the Chiss's arm, acting for all the world like they're old friends. Her eyes and face stayed the same, but for a moment, her mind retreated inward as she searched her feelings, wondering if she should trust this man.
The Force, however, can be difficult to find when one is not centered, and this chaos, plus the risk of discovery, was putting Jordis off-balance. Still, he had offered to help, so she decided she would trust him.
In a quieter voice, she continued.
"Don't know who you are, friend, but this girl is being pursued, likely by those two men. They're carrying concealed blasters and are talking into comlinks. I think they're government agents. Just so you know what you're getting into."
Jordis continues to walk, shepherding the woman along with her. As she does so, she surreptitiously reaches to her belt. Her first reaction is to grab for her lightsaber, which of course is safely stowed in her utility belt. Instead she grabs her snap baton, readying herself to press the button to extend it.
After only a moment of surprise, Jek picks up on the act, smiling back like he knew her. It has been a Hutt’s age, dearest. He began. How’s Henni these days?
Perceptive. He replied to the girl just as quietly, watching as she reaches for her belt.
I do hope you’re not actually planning on killing an Imperial in a place like this. He said warily, but keeping his smile. A death mark like that only looks good until it gets you killed.
Galatea had started to move with Winter until she realises he is approaching the men with concealed weapons. She then says "I am going to observe for the moment" and moves away from Winter and takes up a position where she can see the injured woman, the pair with concealed weapons and the rest of the scene. She takes hold of her blaster with one hand, but keeps it concealed beneath her clothing.
”Oh, you know Hetti. One day she’s a ruin, she’s devastated, she’ll never love again. Then she finds another handsome Sabaac player and claims she’s found the one. Poor thing, I don’t think she’s over you yet. But who could blame her?”
Jordis actually giggled, then spoke softly.
”I’d have to swing pretty hard to take a life with this stick, and that’s not my attention, but you should know something, friend...I will never allow anyone else to be taken by the Empire. Not while I draw breath.”
Thay was one conviction she would never shake.
I certainly can’t. I am remarkable, am I not? He asked with a mopak-eating grin on his face. Luckily, she didn’t join a monastery like the last one. He bummed to himself as he considered how far he could take this. At least we parted ways on the best of terms, eh luv?
Assaulting an Imperial while alien is still a decade on Kessel. Jek said. Forgive me if I’m assuming, but you do not seem to like the Empire all that much. He shrugged. Not that I’d blame you. Insufferable humans, the lot of them.
[smaller]”I have no love for those tyrants. With any luck, this charade will buy us enough timw to get her somewhere safe.”
"Would you look at that? I was right," the Corellian says to no one in particular as he sees the blue-skinned man leave the cantina and apparently meet up with the injured woman along with a Mirialan. Rising from his own seat, he takes the unfinished coffee with him, making sure to transfer a few credits more to Gundark to replace the cup as it was decidedly not to-go.
Taking another sip of the hot beverage, he exits the establishment and moves towards the two armed men, his eyes moving from them to the trio with the wounded woman and back to them again.
"Oh, is this where the line starts? I wanted to ask about directions on how to get to the droid shop? Mechanical Supplies, I think," he starts talking, noting the white-haired man also speaking with them. He smiles at him and then smiles at them, rolling his eyes. "You have no idea how difficult it is to find a proper astromech droid. And one that does not have its own opinions about how best to fly your ship. Your ship! I cannot even begin to tell you..."
He takes a deep breath and then pauses as if remembering something. "You know, actually I can. Oh, do I have a story for you! And you do look like the types that absolutely love long winding tales," he goes on. And on. "Oh, no worries, you can give me those directions afterwards. I am in no hurry." And then he grins.
Deducing something bad is going down, Galatea turns her mind to possible routes of escape while doing as little as possible to draw attention to herself.
There are several ways off the Promenade. There's the elevator to Blue Deck, which is the nice part of Sel Zonn Station that caters primarily to aristocrats and Imperials. There's a strong Imperial Presence there.
There are routes to the lower levels of the station, although you don't know anything about them or what may be down there.
There are exits to the three hangars. One is the commercial star liner hangar, which caters exclusively to large transport ships. Another is dedicated purely to Imperial use. The final would contain private starships of those who did not dock on Blue Deck. This hangar entrance is typically guarded by a both station security and a squad of stormtroopers.
As Jek and Jordis move next to the woman, and Winter and Callum move to distract the two men, a door opens and a pair of stormtroopers emerge. One of them shouts, "Step away from that woman! She is under arrest in the name of the Emperor!" The two cloaked men push past Winter and Callum as a third identically dressed man emerges from another door, all of them drawing their hold-out blasters.
Sebbik curses in his native tongue, tucking away his datapad and rising to his feet when the stormtroopers arrive - though he is glad that at least they are not pointing at him! He hopes he managed to get enough information to suit his purposes - though perhaps he will be able to continue his search of the central computer's data records a bit later now that he's managed to bypass the security system once. At the moment, things were about to get very hot around here and Sebbik decides to get out while he still can.
The duros slips into the shadows, his hands at his side, but the slicer is ready to draw the holdout blaster he keeps tucked away in its concealed holster if there is a sudden need. He moves away from the troopers in an attempt to put the terminal between himself and them, noticing that a few others seem to have taken an interest in the fugitive they are after. The two covert agents he noticed have both drawn their concealed blasters, but the duros wonders if they are truly Imperial as he'd originally suspected or something else entirely? And now there is a third emerging from the door with a holdout blaster in his hand as well. Very interesting indeed...
"Get behind cover!"
Jordis thrusts the wounded woman into the arms of the Chiss, then makes her move. Hoping her robes still cover most of her face, she grabbed at the table near her.
She was not a fool. Jordis knew that any overt manipulation of the Force or use of a lightsaber would bring the Emperor's cruelest enforcers on her trail. It would mean going up again HIM. She was nowhere near ready for that.
Thankfully, she had always been good at improvisation.
With the hand not holding her baton, Jordis will grab the table. As she does so, she reaches out with the Force, taking hold of the object. She will "throw" the table, though her physical action will be merely for show as she uses telekinesis to hurl the projectile at the soldiers of the Empire.
Once that is done, Jordis will use her move action to move with the Chiss and the Woman, making for cover to the Northwest.