The tunnel winds around to the left another thirty meters where it opens into a much larger cavern.
Valkyr turns to those following.
Tok, wait 30 seconds then make a ton of noise convincing whoever is lying in ambush here that our team is about to come through, that should give me enough time to sneak around to flank them when they reveal themselves ready to attack you!
Valkyr ghosts around the corner, making less noise than an assassin droid.
Valkyr attempts to circle around the cavern and sneak up on the hunters she assumes are lying in wait...
Peeking around the opening to the large cave, you can see a large pile of rubble to your right. The pile extends from the right hand wall out towards the center of the cave for a distance of 30 meters or so. Behind the pile are the bounty hunters, hiding in wait for someone to come into their line of fire. The Gand is with them, his blaster rifle trained on the opening.
They don't appear to have seen you peeking in, but there is no cover anywhere between here and the rubble pile...
"5"s internal chronometer ticks down with great precision and the droid tilts his head at the human, It has been exactly 30 seconds. Shall we, "act like we are coming"
Tok and '5' start up the tunnel from the cave, not bothering to mask their movements. As the noise starts, the bounty hunters behind the rubble pile grip their weapons and brace themselves, facing the opening.
They haven't seen Valkyr yet.
"OK, Five, get your disintegration device ready. The bounty hunters or the Gand surely have killed each other by now, but we still need to be wary."
Val swears slightly and hisses back to the group
They are hidden behind rubble, there's no cover between here and there we'll be sitting ducks if you walk straight out!
she mutters under her breath and you just catch the words 'should have brought grenades'...she looks up, eyebrows raised in wonder
Tok, how about you use that silver tongue of yours to trick them in to thinking we're throwing a thermal detonator at them? 5 can you rig something up that looks the part and has a flashing light? We can then throw it behind the rubble pile and as they are scrabbling to escape we can strike!
"5" scrounges around the intial camp site and attempts to put together some kind of "thermal detonator",
Rae nods, knowing that B'ura B'an is right. The decisions she had made before had already influenced those going forward Despite the years in between, she still never carried a weapon, she had never harmed anyone else. Whatever else could be said, she had learned from her mistakes, and she would keep doing so. She takes the wrench with a smile. "Let's see about getting out of here, then, yeah?"
'5' manages to scrounge something together that is roundish, has a blinking red light, and beeps threateningly. Might work...
B'ura B'an nods and hands Rae another tool.
Looks good 5, well done! Now someone with more familiarity than I with these things should throw it...Tok? You can also tell us to take cover so we don't get caught in the blast!
Valkyr grins
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"OK, 5, adjust your sensors, this will take them out with a bang." Tok "arms" the "grenade" and tosses it into the cave. It doesn't land next to the bounty hunters, but at least one drops his blaster in surprise.
"5" is sure that his blaster is deployed and lines himself up behind Tok ready for the "throw" and then ready to swing in after his allies lead the way...
Tok throws the 'thermal detonator' over the pile of rubble, trying to arc into the bounty hunter's position. The fake explosive falls short, bouncing on top of the rubble pile in front of them. Beeping wildly, the red light flashes against the cave walls for a split second while everyone freezes in place.
Then all hell breaks loose...
Blaster bolts lash out from the bounty hunters, firing wildly trying to cover themselves as they scramble away from the device. The three of you move forward to firing positions and set yourselves to take aim and return fire. One of the bounty hunters crawls up the pile of rubble on the ledge behind their original position in an attempt to find new cover. His frantic scratching and clawing starts to work at the pile, causing more and more rocks to slide down to the cave floor. Then the pile starts to shift on its own...
With a screech, a giant lylek, the apex predator of the Rylothan wastes, tears itself free from the rubble where it slept. It lashes out with its tentacles, snatching up two screaming bounty hunters and crushing them in it's grip. The third bounty hunter is impaled by one one of the lylek's spear-like legs as it lurches forward. The Gand brings his blaster rifle to bear, firing wildly at the huge beast. Like lightning, the lylek's neck snaps forward, catching him up in its jaws. The Gand is swallowed whole as the lylek tilts its head back and widens its jaws open to take him in.
Then it slowly turns its head around to face the three of you, staring in horror at the mouth of the huge cave...
I suggest a hasty retreat! "5" doesn't wait to see if the others agree, the droid moves as far and as fast as he can...
"Don't think I can do much more'n that." Rae announces, wiping grease on her pants and looking pleased at the speeder. "Probably won't get us far, but we should at least be able to limp to town..." Looking around, she cocks her head. "What do you think's taking the others so long?"
Tok's eyes go wide. "Val ...book it as fast and far as you can then provide covering fire if it follows us. Five, to the speeder and help get it ready. Now." Tok then bellows deeply and fires his blaster randomly around the cavern, in an attempt to seem too tough a fight for the beast.
That's a sound tactic!
shouts Val as she turns and runs, pounding down the rock corridor until she reaches the niche with the camp, spinning around and adopting a crouched firing stance leaning out of the simple cover and whistling shrilly to indicate she's ready.
As she stares down the sights of her rifle she crosses her fingers the beast does not pursue the team as they retreat, she mentally chastises herself again for her lack of preparedness.
Tok's eyes go wide. "Val ...book it as fast and far as you can then provide covering fire if it follows us. Five, to the speeder and help get it ready. Now." Tok then bellows deeply and fires his blaster randomly around the cavern, in an attempt to seem too tough a fight for the beast. [dice=deception]2d8+2d12+1d6
The lylek slowly turns its bulk towards Tok and lowers its head. It lets out a long screech, shaking dust loose from the cave's walls and ceilings.
A terrible screech echoes from the cave, followed by the screams of something humanoid dying horribly, accompanied by frantic blaster fire. It is silent for a moment, then another rapid burst of blaster fire followed by an even louder screech.
B'ura B'an's eyes go wide and his face turns white. He staggers back, dropping a hydro-spanner as he breathes one word..."Lylek..."
One second later, '5' comes bursting from the cave mouth, running as fast as his droid legs will carry him.
Tok runs, but at a wider angle than the others, hoping to buy enough time for the speeder to get going. Without realizing it, he screams "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"
Tok comes around the corner, screaming something out of a Corellian freighter captain's handy list of situational jargon. He sprints past Val, head down, without looking at her. The lylek appears a second later, scuttling on its six legs, closing fast.
Even knowing how dangerous the creature is, Val sticks to the plan and is about to lay down a barrage of fire at the beast before she realises there might be another option...
Wary of how quickly the beast had taken out the bounty hunters, Valkyr switches her aim to the roof ahead of her, blasting the rock in to chunks that will hopefully cause enough damage for a small cave in that will slow the creature down more successfully than her blaster alone might...
Shot fired, hoping her team have enough time to make it down the corridor back to the speeder that she prayed Rae had now fixed, Valkyr herself turns and runs, not waiting to see the result of her shot. Whether it worked or not, this was the only option now, to run.
I do so very much hope that speeder is ready Rae! R5 get loaded up or start hiding! "5" runs over to his companions and climbs into the speeder moving to pilot if Rae is not already there...
A smattering of rubble tumbles down upon the lylek's head, forcing it to back up several meters. The tunnel is filled with dust and small debris, causing Val to choke and cough as she runs.
Val comes out of the cave, headed for the speeder. Behind her, in the cave entrance, appears the lylek, covered in dust. It lets out a terrible roar when it sees you all by the speeder. It charges out, all tentacles and jaws.
huffing for breath as the creature lurks behind her, the dust covered Selonian sprints full pelt at the speeder, vaulting over the boulders and rocks before finally jumping in to the first available non-driver seat and shouting
Now would be an excellent time to leave!
Seeing the others come tearing out of the cave, Rae shouts for B'ura B'an and Hagar to get into the speeder, without taking her eyes from those running. She'd never seen 5 move so fast, and in different circumstances, it may have been funny. Then she saw the Lylek. "One more thing I don't miss about this planet." She mutters.
Realising that time is of the essence, Rae leaps into the pilot's seat, firing up the speeder and preparing to take off as soon as everyone is aboard.
Hargar and the old Twi'lek tumble into the speeder as R5 rolls up the load ramp. Once Tok and Val are aboard, breathing heavily, Rae punches it. The speeder takes off like a rocket, throwing dust and gravel as it accelerates. Looming large in front of you are the rock piles that you worked so carefully to avoid before the bounty hunter ambush.
Whether it was a slight overcompensation, or bad actuator that didn't hold up under repair, the speeder skews right and turns over on its side as Rae fights to keep from crashing into a large boulder. Once again, the speeder drives into the ground, crumpling the nose and burying the first meter of its nose into the rocky soil of Ryloth. You are ejected, forcibly, from the wreck.
3S v 2F/2T= 1S 2T
3S2A v 3F= 2A
The droid flies clumsily from the speeder but manages to land mostly intact however the dust from the impact obscures his vision. That was most regrettable.
[dice=Coordination (Agility)]2d8 - 2d8 3S v 2F/2T= 1S 2T
[dice=Perception]1d8+1d12 - 2d8 3S2A v 3F= 2A
The droid flies clumsily from the speeder but manages to land mostly intact however the dust from the impact obscures his vision. That was most regrettable.
When Tok makes it to the speeder he jumps in and starts to laugh. "Darlin, great work fixing this thing, now we can--" however, he gets cut off by the accident and thrown into the ground."This day really sucks. Anyone see that thing?"
Seeing the rocks coming up fast, Valkyr readies herself, and moments before the craft slams in to the ground she kicks off from the speeder's seat, vaulting through the air to land on top of a nearby rock pile in a combat crouch, weapon already up and surveying the surroundings.
FT so result is 2S 1T instead.
Rae comes up out of the dirt coughing and spitting. "Well. So much for that." She sighs, looking at the destroyed piece of machinery.
The dust barely has time to settle from the wreck, when a horrible screech is let out behind you. The lylek, back at the cave entrance, scuttles after you intent on another meal.
Incredibly, you only have minor scratches. B'ura B'an is not so lucky. He tries to stand, but collapses back against the wrecked speeder, holding a twisted ankle. Hargar is nowhere to be seen, but you can hear a high-pitched scream coming from behind some rocks, and fading fast. R5 lies in a dusty pile on his side, whooping softly.
Glancing rapidly between the incoming Lylek and the far horizon, Valkyr makes the best decision she can, and sprints off away from the group, deaf to anyone's attempt to call after her.
No time to speak, speaking uses air, air needed to breathe, breathing hard needed to run fast, have to run as fast as possible...
Covering the ground with the rapidity of a champion athlete, she sprints over the dusty ground dodging piles of rocks and loose gravel.
Rae watches as the Selonian sprints towards the bounty hunter's speeder, the group's only way out. She'd said she couldn't pilot, was she crazy enough to try and run away? Had she given up on the group to try and escape herself!?
The selonian stops and rips open a container, pulling out a large device and balancing it on her shoulder. With the Lylek almost on the group, Valkyr turns to face the creature...
Being a bit droid centric, "5" moves over to the waylaid R5 unit and begin to get it righted, Not the time for lying down, we need to get somewhere...
Valkyr hefts the the cumbersome missile tube to her shoulder, the 'Merr-Sonn SK44' tag emblazoned on the side. She quickly comes to the realization that this is a military-grade plasma missile launcher! Designed to take down military transports, this should do the trick...
The lylek's hunting instincts are triggered by your flight. It breaks into a dead run, straight for the group clustered around the speeder...
Whistling despite herself as she realises what she's just picked up, the Selonian grits her teeth as she tries to remember the vid she watched demonstrating it. With the Lylek bearing down on the group, understanding dawns that there is no time to think, to aim precisely... instead Valkyr relaxes, standing with feet apart in a simple martial art stance. She extends her senses, lines up the shot on gut instinct, and depresses the firing stud...
There is a staggeringly loud *fwoosh* as the missile launches from the tube, doubling its speed in scant seconds as it flies directly at Tok, Rae and 5's rock... before surging upwards at the last moment and flying straight in to the jaws of the huge beast about to reach the group...
A giant blue ball of plasma envelops the lylek's head and upper torso, much like a capital ship-sized turbo laser bolt hitting the side of a tramp freighter. The lylek screeches in pain, then the whole of its upper half explodes in a giant fireball.
Nearby, Tok and the crew are showered in a rain of dust, rock, and lylek bits.
B'ura B'an looks from where he was hiding behind the speeder. "Well, that was interesting..."