The reappearance of the red-skinned figure, and the snapping hiss of his lightsaber igniting, breaks through the calm serenity of Obi-Wan's focus. Dropping his guard, he takes a quick moment to survey the battlefield. In a snap decision, he throws his outstretched hand towards the nearest bike rider, with an accompanying mental shove, hoping to send the man flying. "Master! Hold on!"
Kyra spins when she hears the sound of two lightsaber blades crackling to life against one another. Almost on instinct her finger flicks against the trigger of her blaster rifle, sending a stream of blaster bolts toward the dark-robed Zabrak.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Sabe takes a step back from the top of the boarding ramp, concerned with the success of the barrage.
Jonjon watches the fight between jedi with some interest. Almost as an afterthought, he reaches out to the side using the force and plucks the pilot off the speeder bike by his throat.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Kyra spins when she hears the sound of two lightsaber blades crackling to life against one another. Almost on instinct her finger flicks against the trigger of her blaster rifle, sending a stream of blaster bolts toward the dark-robed Zabrak. Unfortunately, he bats the bolts away easily without letting up on his combat with Qui-Gon.
The swearing continues over the comms as Ralk's shot isn't very effective, and he swivels the gun, tracking his target. "If you put a hole my ship..." he mutters, pulling the trigger once more. Again, the distance causes the speeder to only be caught by the fringes of the blast.
The reappearance of the red-skinned figure, and the snapping hiss of his lightsaber igniting, breaks through the calm serenity of Obi-Wan's focus. Dropping his guard, he takes a quick moment to survey the battlefield. In a snap decision, he throws his outstretched hand towards the nearest bike rider, with an accompanying mental shove, hoping to send the man flying. "Master! Hold on!" The Mandalorian flies off the back of the bike as thought he'd just been punched. The bike's automatic cut off kicks in, drifting forwards until it stops.
Anakin is yanked from his daydreams by Ralk shouting over the comms. Wincing as the sound rattles around in his head, he pauses for a moment to reply. "Yeah, almost got it! Just need a few more seconds." The new power converter slides in easily, perfectly crafted for the slot where the old one was removed. Anakin moves to secure it into position, wondering what exactly is going on outside of the ship.
Jonjon watches the fight between jedi with some interest. Almost as an afterthought, he reaches out to the side using the force and plucks the pilot up from where he was knocked off the bike by his throat. The pilot hangs there, choking.
Sabe takes a step back from the top of the boarding ramp, concerned with the success of the barrage. Padme follows her.
Panaka further hunkers down prone, trying to get himself cover from the speeders, which seem to be turning their attention from the well-protected ship to the unprotected people outside it.
Qui-Gon shouts, "Obi-wan, continue protecting the others!" as he and the red-skinned figure continue fighting each other, green and red blades a blur as the two match each other.
Half damage to both
Half damage to both
The Mandalorian biker hangs in the air, choking from JonJon's grip.
The blaster cannons on the backs of the speeders fire at the people gathered outside the ship. Fortunately, they are still far enough away that the damage isn't too bad. The speeders continue their inexorable approach.
Kyra 77/114
Speeder bike 3 - 14/40, hovering, not moving
Mandalorian 3 - 12/64, -1 condition
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Ralk rolls his eyes as he sees the speeder's target change, and he continues tracking it with the docking gun. "Putting a hole in my copilot isn't any better," he grunts, sending another shot down range.
Kyra launches a barrage of fire downrange at another speeder, aiming for the one that recently fired at her. "Why don't you get a little closer so I can rip you off that bike by hand?"
Sabe moves to the maintenance hatch and calls out to Anakin, making sure she can look him in the face, "Anakin, I do not wish to add additional stress to an already challenging situation, but if you could make haste...Our enemies are growing quite near."
The whine of the speeders blaster and the jarring impact of the blast emphasize Gui-gon's instruction. Taking up a defensive stance again, Obi-wan spins his blade in a glittering arc, deflecting those bolts directed at his allies. Stepping forward to guard his allies, he takes Gui-gon's orders to heart. "Stay behind me!"
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Jonjon begrudgingly starts making his way to the ramp of the ship, prepared to Negate Energy any blaster bolts aimed at him.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Kyra launches a barrage of fire downrange at another speeder, aiming for the one that recently fired at her. "Why don't you get a little closer so I can rip you off that bike speeder by hand?" Unfortunately, it's at this exact moment that her tibanna gas canister runs out, and she finds herself forced to reload.
Ralk rolls his eyes as he sees the speeder's target change, and he continues tracking it with the docking gun. "Putting a hole in my copilot isn't any better," he grunts, sending another shot down range. This one is on target, as it slams into the speeder, causing smoke to leak from the engines.
The whine of the speeders blaster and the jarring impact of the blast emphasize Gui-gon's instruction. Taking up a defensive stance again, Obi-wan spins his blade in a glittering arc, deflecting those bolts directed at his allies. Stepping forward to guard his allies, he takes Gui-gon's orders to heart. "Stay behind me!"
The power converter looks to be properly installed to Anakin, and everything seems to be running at full capacity. They hyperdrive should be ready to go.
Power to the docking gun suddenly dies.
Sabe moves to the maintenance hatch and calls out to Anakin, making sure she can look him in the face, "Anakin, I do not wish to add additional stress to an already challenging situation, but if you could make haste...Our enemies are growing quite near." Padme accompanies her.
Jonjon drops the Mandalorian he was holding with the Force and begrudgingly starts making his way to the ramp of the ship, prepared to Negate Energy any blaster bolts aimed at him.
Panaka takes careful aim at the Mandalorian JonJon choke and fires a shot, downing the armored warrior permanently.
Oo, yay.
Minor problem
Weapons!
Half damage, so 14 each
The speeders continue firing upon those outside the ship as they advance. Obi-Wan's lightsaber work manages to protect the group from the worst of the damage, but some he is not quite able to entirely deflect the blast from the first one, although he easily handles the second.
Kyra 51/114
JonJon 67/79
Panaka 60/86
Obi-Wan 71/97
Speeder bike 3 - 14/40, hovering, not moving
Mandalorian 3 - 12/64, -1 condition
Speeder 1 - 17/50, -1 condition
"Ralk, with Kyra engaged in combat, who is going to pilot this vessel? Sabe and I have extensive pilot training if you should need assistance."
Sabe (and hopefully Padme) will make their way toward the cockpit, attempting to maintain her composure. This is certainly the hottest situation the young handmaiden/bodyguard has ever faced. She balks a bit at her role doubling the Queen, itching to get into the action.
Ralk glances over his shoulder at Sabe and frowns. "What are you talking about? I'm the pilot. Nobody flies this ship but--" Whatever he was about to say is cut off as there's an audible whine that drops in pitch from his console. The Bothan's jaw drops, and then he practically throws himself from his seat, drawing a massive blaster from under his vest.
"What kriff did you just do to my ship?" he hisses into his comms, the question carrying directly to Anakin. "I just lost the docking gun, and without that we're kriffing bantha poodoo out here!"
"But if you are the pilot, why aren't you prepared to pilot the ship? It seems like we should be ready to go as soon as the boy has finished his work. Things outside are detereorating."
Sabe's confusion is obvious.
Anakin begins to scramble out of the compartment, holding the old power converter in one hand as he does so. After all, they may still need it, and he suspects they won't be near a repair station for some time.
As he pokes his head out he comes face to face with both Sabe and Padme, looking momentarily stunned as he sees them both. Before he can think of anything clever to say, his Comms flare to life with Ralk cursing in his ears. He immediately forgets Padme and Sabe and leaps over to a terminal to begin checking diagnostics.
"Blasted thing went in fine." He mutters back to Ralk. "Give me a second... Don't, you know, get shot."
The wave of pain from the blast of the speeder's laser cannon is a distant echo, lost as Obi-wan is to the Force. Moving by instinct, he keeps himself between the vehicle and his allies, continuing to protect them with his weaving lightsaber.
Kyra curses as the cord on her rifle shorts out, and grunts again when she takes a burst of blaster fire. "Ralk, we could use some damn covering fire! Where's that docking gun at?" Once the rifle is powered again, she just fires off another burst of blaster fire despite being unable to brace the weapon. "How long until we can get out of here? Should we start making our way inside? What's that kid doing?"
Kyra curses as the cord on her rifle shorts out, and grunts again when she takes a burst of blaster fire. "Ralk, we could use some damn covering fire! Where's that docking gun at?" Once the rifle is powered again, she just fires off another burst of blaster fire despite being unable to brace the weapon. "How long until we can get out of here? Should we start making our way inside? What's that kid doing?" Her burst hits true, and speeder begins slowing as the repulsorlifts give out.
Sabe and Padme will make their way toward the cockpit, Sabe attempting to maintain her composure. This is certainly the hottest situation the young handmaiden/bodyguard has ever faced. She balks a bit at her role doubling the Queen, itching to get into the action. "Ralk, with Kyra engaged in combat, who is going to pilot this vessel? Sabe and I have extensive pilot training if you should need assistance."
Ralk glances over his shoulder at Sabe and frowns. "What are you talking about? I'm the pilot. Nobody flies this ship but--" Whatever he was about to say is cut off as there's an audible whine that drops in pitch from his console. The Bothan's jaw drops, and then he practically throws himself from his seat, drawing a massive blaster from under his vest.
"What the kriff did you just do to my ship?" he hisses into his comms, the question carrying directly to Anakin. "I just lost the docking gun, and without that we're kriffing bantha poodoo out here!"
"But if you are the pilot, why aren't you prepared to pilot the ship? It seems like we should be ready to go as soon as the boy has finished his work. Things outside are detereorating." Sabe's confusion is obvious.
Anakin begins to scramble out of the compartment, holding the old power converter in one hand as he does so. After all, they may still need it, and he suspects they won't be near a repair station for some time.
As he pokes his head out he comes face to face with both Sabe and Padme, looking momentarily stunned as he sees them both. Before he can think of anything clever to say, his Comms flare to life with Ralk cursing in his ears. He immediately forgets Padme and Sabe and leaps over to a terminal to begin checking diagnostics.
"Blasted thing went in fine." He mutters back to Ralk. "Give me a second... Don't, you know, get shot."
Running a quick diagnostic from the engineering terminal, you're able to find that the motivator doesn't seem quite up to properly controlling power flow to every aspect of the ship. With hyperdrive and engines set as the main priority, it appears that the docking gun was arbitrarily assigned the lowest priority, and consequently is drawing no power. All other systems are functional and, indeed, stable. The race to orbit and the jump to hyperspace to Coruscant will be perfectly fine and well within normal operating procedures - no issues whatsoever. However, the docking gun will be inactive until more detailed maintenance can be performed, and the motivator more properly integrated into the system.
Alternatively, you could redistribute the power to restore power to the docking gun, however, you would have to pull power from the hyperdrive setting to do it, which would result in a longer trip to Coruscant as the hyperdrive won't be as fast.
The wave of pain from the blast of the speeder's laser cannon is a distant echo, lost as Obi-wan is to the Force. Moving by instinct, he keeps himself between the vehicle and his allies, continuing to protect them with his weaving lightsaber.
JonJon continues making his way up the ramp and into the ship as Qui-Gon and the red-skinned figure continue their duel. Qui-Gon yells, "Everyone, get aboard! Quickly!"
Panaka fires at the Mandalorians disgorging from the downed speeder, though the distance is too great for his pistol with the blast going high.
The downed speeder disgorges a patrol of Mandalorians, as the other continues firing at those outside the ship. This time, though, Obi-Wan is easily able to deflect the blasts coming from the vehicle, shielding the others from harm. It then angles to one side, as though to provide cover for something.
Kyra 51/114
JonJon 67/79
Panaka 60/86
Obi-Wan 71/97
Speeder bike 3 - 14/40, hovering, not moving
Speeder 1 - 17/50, -1 condition
Kyra retreats up the boarding plank, stopping just outside the ship's entrance as she waves the others inside. "Go! Get in, I can handle this." She takes one look at the advancing speeders before she groans and again aims for the nearest speeder and fires. She looks at the Jedi Master dueling the red-skinned man, and shakes her head. "Get on the ship! I'll cover you, just get on the kriffing ship!"
Sabe stands awkwardly in the passage near the cockpit. If our pilot and co-pilot manage to get themselves killed hanging out the hatch, I hope I can fly this thing out of here. She has never flown anything quite so...clunky.
Obi-wan casts a worried glance at his master before making a hasty retreat up the boarding ramp. At the top he pauses an instant, before ceding to Kyra's demand. He stops just inside the ship, his lightsaber powering down with a whining hiss. "We should all be aboard, save Master Gui-gon."
"Yeah, that's the plan. Now get back in the ship so I don't have to save the both of you." She watches Qui-Gon's duel out of the corner of her eye as she keeps firing, forcing the speeder to swerve to try and avoid her before she takes them out.
Anakin snorts at the diagnostic results, thinking that the Bothan was whining over nothing. We don't need the gun, we need to escape, he thinks to himself. "Get inside, we're taking off!" He shouts into the comms, already running towards the cockpit to start the process if no one else is there yet.
Kyra retreats up the boarding plank, stopping just outside the ship's entrance as she waves the others inside. "Go! Get in, I can handle this." She takes one look at the advancing speeders before she groans and again aims for the nearest speeder and fires. She looks at the Jedi Master dueling the red-skinned man, and shakes her head. "Get on the ship! I'll cover you, just get on the kriffing ship!" Her barrage against the speeder seems to be working, as it turns to the side, it's blaster quiet.
Ralk, hearing the sounds of Anakin moving towards the cockpit, says, "Nobody flies my ship but me!" and turns around to run back and start the process.
Sabe and Padme stand awkwardly in the passage near the cockpit. If our pilot and co-pilot manage to get themselves killed hanging out the hatch, I hope I can fly this thing out of here. She has never flown anything quite so...clunky. Suddenly, Ralk, then Anakin both rush past her into the cockpit.
Obi-wan casts a worried glance at his master before making a hasty retreat up the boarding ramp. At the top he pauses an instant, before ceding to Kyra's demand. He stops just inside the ship, his lightsaber powering down with a whining hiss. "We should all be aboard, save Master Gui-gon."
"Yeah, that's the plan. Now get back in the ship so I don't have to save the both of you." Kyra watches Qui-Gon's duel out of the corner of her eye as she keeps firing, forcing the speeder to swerve to try and avoid her before she takes them out.
Panaka runs up the ramp behind Obi-Wan before turning and kneeling at the top and firing towards the advancing Mandalorians, who seem to be slowed by the covering fire provided by Kyra.
Qui-Gon slowly begins backing towards the ship, shouting, "Get the ship ready! I'll be along!" Jon Jon moves to strap in, readying for launch.
The second speeder, finally down, begins disgorging Mandalorian soldiers as well, who begin firing at those seeking cover in the boarding ramp. However, at this point, it's a game of cover between two factions, as Kyra's steady stream of blaster fire makes advancing further difficult.
Sabe-as-Amidala moves into the cockpit, standing between the two seats. "Thank you for joining us, gentlemen. I trust you will able to get us starside and into hyperspace, now."
Kyra shouts now, swinging her entire body around at the Jedi Master. "Get on this damn ship now, you scruffy old bastard, or I will come down there and haul you up this ramp with my bare hands!" She looks at the steadily advancing Mandalorians before shaking her head and again aiming at the red-skinned man, trying to give the Jedi a chance to escape. "I hope you can get this bird started fast, Ralk, or we're all gonna die on this sand trap." She sighs and lets loose another volley of blaster fire that whizzes past Qui-Gon and toward his assailant. "Now, you mystic jackass! Move your ass!"
Obi-wan's mouth drops open as Kyra's tirade is followed by bursts of blaster fire. Torn between the perverse desire to laugh and shock at the disrespect for his master, Obi-wan only manages a croaking grunt. With Obi-wan's instructions in mind, he moves through the ship to the cockpit, and points over Anakin's shoulder to the fuel turbine ignition switch he was frantically searching for. "That one! Ralk, we need to get out of here, and fast!"
Momentarily forgetting all about how nervous he's been around Sabe/Padme, he pushes past them and immediately begins pressing buttons and flipping switches, working with Obi-Wan and Ralk like they'd all been piloting together for years - each staying out of each other's way and still managing to be in the right place at the right time to make the takeoff smooth and rapid.
Kyra shouts now, swinging her entire body around at the Jedi Master. "Get on this damn ship now, you scruffy old bastard, or I will come down there and haul you up this ramp with my bare hands!" She looks at the steadily advancing Mandalorians before shaking her head and again aiming at the red-skinned man, trying to give the Jedi a chance to escape. "I hope you can get this bird started fast, Ralk, or we're all gonna die on this sand trap." She sighs and lets loose another volley of blaster fire that whizzes past Qui-Gon and toward his assailant. "Now, you mystic jackass! Move your ass!"
With Anakin and Obi-Wan having run an accelerated startup process, Ralk fires up the repulsorlifts and lifts the ship off the sandy surface, kicking up a swirl of dust as he does so. Qui-Gon, sensing the launch of the ship, leaps into the air with a backflip to land on the edge of the boarding ramp, allowing Kyra's bolts to pass through where he was standing for the red-skinned figure to deflect them away from him. He calmly walks past Kyra. "I said I would be along. You should have more faith in the Force, Kyra." With everyone on board, Kyra hits the button to close the boarding ramp as everyone runs to find seats for the takeoff into orbit.
Pointing the rear of the ship at the planet, Ralk guns it and flies up, heading for orbit. Though a Mandalorian cruiser is up there, and it launches fighters to intercept the Intrigue, our heroes are able to calculate their hyperspace trajectory as well as jump to lightspeed before more than a few laser barrages are exchanged. Within the confines of hyperspace and heading towards Coruscant, away from the Mandalorians, the constant pressure of the past few days feels less omnipresent.
You notice the comm light blinking - a text only message. It merely says, "Nice escape. See you on Coruscant."
- Jango
"Yeah, I'll have faith in the Force about the same time I have faith in Ralk telling someone the real story about how he got this ship." Kyra slams her fist into the button to close the boarding ramp and remains standing while the ship takes off, now used to the familiar jerks and shuddering of the Intrigue. When she gets up to the cockpit, she plops herself down in the co-pilot's chair before groaning. She rubs her recent injuries where the blaster marks scarred her skin. "That's gonna leave a mark, that's for damned sure. How long until we reach Coruscant?"
Sabe retires to the Queen's quarters to return to her handmaid appearance. She scrubs the paint from her face, visions of Anakin flashing through her mind uncontrollably. Slowly, methodically, almost like a meditation, she restores the appearance of a handmaid. She worries that someone will make an attempt on the Queen's life when they arrive on Coruscant, but the Queen is insistent that she will appear as herself, unafraid.
Sabe dawns her tactical suit, checks her weapons, makes sure everything is functional and in place. Then she shrugs he way into her handmaiden robe and pulls up the hood, happy for the anonymity and concealment. By the time she is finished, Padme has already rejoined the rest of the crew, dressed casually.
Jonjon will find the water dispenser and drink several cups of water before he plops down on a crash couch and sighs. "I'm an amphibian... that's too dry and hot for me to enjoy. Never gonna go there again." he says, to no one in particular.
Obi-wan breaths a sign of relief as the ship's accelerated start procedure goes smoothly. Once in the air, he quickly vacates his co-pilot seat and makes his way to check on his master. While surreptitiously looking over the venerable Jedi Master for injuries, he asks, "I'm glad you made it aboard, master. You cut it a bit close though, didn't you?"
Smiling wanly, he continues, "Who was that... man? He fought with a lightsaber, but no Jedi could have felt like he did. Cold... and dark. Was he..." The Jedi Padawan trails off significantly, watching his master closely.
Apart from seeming a bit winded, Qui-Gon looks to be in good shape. There are no apparent injuries. "He is a servant of the Dark Side of the Force. It is possible he may also be something else, but at the very least he is that. I could not cease my attack sooner, else he would have pursued us onto the ship. I doubt very much that you or any other aboard would have been a match for him, and he could have caused us irreversible damage, trapping us. I sense we shall see him again, and when we do, we must be ready." Looking towards the cockpit, where Ralk, Kyra, and Anakin are, Qui-Gon continues, "Now tell me, who is this young man who came back from Mos Espa with you?"
In the cockpit, Ralk says, "Should be about three days, if we can keep from killing each other until then. The Intrigue's gonna feel a lot smaller than normal, seeing as there's more people on her than normal."
Turning to Anakin, Ralk says, "Now, what did you do to my kriffing ship!? The docking gun completely lost power!"
Panaka motions Sabe and Padme off into one of the cabins, away from the others, and, once they are alone, says, "Your Highness, we are now on our way to Coruscant, and hopefully we will be able to call upon aid from the Republic. Once we arrive, I recommend that we maintain the decoy protocol until such time as you are able to address the Senate. The Mandalorians could still be after you, and they may be getting desperate enough to consider measures more extreme than kidnapping. Sabe, you agree?"
"I agree, my Queen. Once we leave this room I should remain the Queen until you make your speech to the Senate. We can make the swap in whatever anteroom they have us wait in. Until then, there are too many unknown and unusual forces involved for us to ensure your safety."
"The kid? Ask your apprentice, he's the one who decided to have him tag along. I have no idea who he is, but he's not the worst mechanic I've ever met. I don't know who he is, exactly, but Obi-Wan here seemed a little spooked when he saw him." Kyra takes a look at Ralk and waves her hand, telling the bothan to calm down. She takes a look at the diagnostic screen as she talks. "He probably just shorted the circuit, we can fix it when we land. We've got the ship's main weapons if we run into any trouble, and I doubt we'll need the docking gun on Coruscant."
Anakin stares out of the ship, more than a little stunned to finally be leaving the planet behind and be among the stars. "It's... beautiful.". Awestruck, he ignores most of the conversation around him, until Ralk grabs him by the shoulder.
Turning to Anakin, Ralk says, "Now, what did you do to my kriffing ship!? The docking gun completely lost power!"
Snapping out of the pleasant sight, he glowers back at Ralk. "Hey, we got off the ground, didn't we? You're welcome. But you're right, I should have fixed the doshing priority system. Tell you what, I'll land the ship back where we were, and then I'll divert power from the hyperspace system, even if it means they'll outrun you on the trip to Coruscant. The old guy can go back outside and fight while I take the time to rewrite your entire system. Doesn't that sound like fun? It sure does to me! I won't even charge you for it."
"Look, maybe you should just pay me and drop me ba-" He pauses and looks around the cockpit, not having thought about any of it during the scramble to get aboard. The stars whoosh by outside the ship. "We're... we're not going back, are we?"
Though glad to see his master unhurt, Obi-wan still exhales heavily as Gui-gon confirms what he had come to suspect. The Dark Side of the Force... Yoda and the other master had long warned us of its temptations but to feel one who's fallen under its sway. The young padawan remembers himself and replies to his master, "Of course, Master. I meant no criticism and I will be ready, should we see him again. As for that young man, Anakin, he was caught up in our escape. We were in his shop when we were warned of the Mandolorians search for us. He agreed to come with us to repair the ship. In truth, it strikes me as being for the best. He is... strong in the Force. Stronger then any other I have sensed before, perhaps even master Yoda. But there is something about him that nags at me. He is strong, but something is... off... about his power. I could not place it, but my intuition was that there was an element of danger, perhaps, about him. I don't know how better to describe it, Master."
Obi-wan shrugs in resignation, unclear how better to articulate the 'wrongness' he'd felt about Anakin.