As Gath (and to a lesser degree, Senk) continue to cause a ruckus out near the stage, Locket takes the opportunity to some sneaking.
Behind the stage are several stage technicians who are breaking open cases and beginning to put the staging away.
You also see one of the ushers talking to who you believe is Lazlo. Lazlo seems to be getting a briefing on the stir that Gath is causing outside. You think you hear him say the following: "If he doesn't cooperate, call station security. Let them and their robots handle him. We need to clear this hangar to get the shuttle in. We have clearance to leave at 9:14 tomorrow morning. That's our window to get out of here." He then turns around and waits at the door, keeping an eye on things.
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As Gath gets up, Thak moves away from the action. He types quickly: Ms. Galvano, we found Tessa. She seems in good spirits, but we think she and others are being held against their will. Will fill you in. Can we meet tonight? He attaches copies of the photos and video, then clicks send.
Turning back to Gath and Sen, he wades into a space next to Gath, projecting his best “glad-handing voice of calm and reason” over the area and trying to not get flattened by one of the Shobad’s arms.
”The excitement of the evening’s announcement got to our friend, here. Going away to prepare — how thrilling for us all!“
Getting Gath’s face in his hands, Thak makes solid eye contact. ”Right now, it’s time for us to go. We have a lot to do on our own to prepare.“ He adds a slight emphasis to the last two words. I hope eyebrows and facial expressions get the message through, old friend.
”C’mon, big guy. Time to nip off. Let's go get our stuff.“
If so, Locket will tuck himself away and uodate the gang of his plan/what he heard via comms message.
If not, he will sneak back the way he came, update the crew before trying to find a more appropriate spot to hide away, if one exists.
Gath nods to Sen and Thak, but can't help making one last comment for the benefit of security and the onlookers.
"The girls should talk to their families. What you're doing here is not right. We will leave slowly in case the girls want to come and tell us messages for their families. "
Creeping along the side of the hangar, Locket works his way toward the backstage door. Peering between stacks of equipment, he catches sight of the prophet and his attendants passing through the doors and into a long corridor.
Following a short discussion with one of the ushers - who soon departs back toward the stage and the rising disturbance - he-who-we-believe-to-be-Lazlo remains behind at the doors, standing watch.
Locket considers what he saw and overheard, quickly looks around and weighs his options.
After the briefest of hesitation, the pahtra ducks into a nearby cubby formed by a conveniently overhanging stack of crates.
Tucked into his makeshift hidey-hole, he sets his comms to silent and quickly taps out a message to the others.
Found place to hide. Just saw prophet, Kevya n Tessa leave backstage thru door. Pretty long corridor back there. Don't know where leads.
They in hurry to break this all down to make room in hangar to bring in shuttle asap. Have clearance to launch 0914 tomorrow.
I will stay hiding n see what else can learn. Will keep in touch over comms.
PS: Lazlo(?) about to call security on Gath.
Big yellow door at the bottom is the main entrance. It's a heavy duty bulkhead door.
There is a similar door (not quite as heavy duty) to the west, also yellow.
Later in the evening Locket reports that the shuttle has entered the hangar.
There are some individual rooms along the south side of the hangar. Most of these are empty. One might have a few cargo handling items (pallet jacks, etc.). Another is full of the tables and chairs that were used earlier in the evening.
Several crates have been stacked around the hangar, possibly for loading later.
Locket does, indeed, keep his buddies updated on events inside the hangar throughout the night.
Before that, he follows up his first message with another;
P.P.S. could u pls grab my pistol on the way past. Passcode 1337
Sen drops off Gath's bicep.
"Big guy, you had BETTER know what you're doing!"
Gath cocks his head to look at the shirren. "I am staying calm and leaving like you and Thak said. I am just doing it slowly to give the girls time to change their mind and come talk to us. -- And also to show that we are not afraid of these men."
Gath deliberately turns his back on the security guards and follows his friends toward the locker room.
Elektra Galvano paces back and forth excitedly"You found her! I can't believe it. Honestly, I really didn't think you had it in you. No offense, but you're all sort of soft looking. Maybe not that shobhad, but the rest of you. So what do you need from me? Obviously you're going to break in at dawn, right? We gotta get in before they're on the ship."
Gath's head turns to track Elektra while she paces. He murmurs to Goldenarms, "She talks fast."
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"I mean, I'm a zoomboard racer, not a mercenary! Of course I'm gonna look soft compared to the big guy!" Sen replies, giving the telepathic equivalent of a stuck-out tongue. Then she gives a chittering laugh at the D.E.A.R.S. outfit, tapping on her own comm to play a small saxophone lick for emphasis.
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”No offense taken, ma’am. As Goldenarms says, we’re an unusual group with a broad and surprising array of skills.“
Thak pauses, measuring his words. ”We have a person on the inside. After the service, we“ — he nods to Gath — ”created a distraction that gave our friend a chance to get backstage and hide. He’s still there, sending us updates. He should also be able to guide us when we return. Unfortunately, he is unarmed, so we must be careful to keep him safe.“
”As you said, time is of the essence if we’re going to rescue your sister and the others. They looked unharmed, but I feel great concern for them.“ Thak closes his eyes for a moment. ”Their expressions communicated fear, as if they are being controlled and kept against their will.“
Looking to his friends, Thak asks, ”What was the last we heard from Locket? Have we gotten any more updates?“
Locket watches as the caterers and stage crew break down and pack away their equipment. Security personnel begin to move, with many turning in their jackets before departing through the main door. Within an hour, everything is packed away and the hangar cleared.
Locket keeps a close eye on the guard stations and patrol movements. About an hour later, an alarm sounds and the pahtra's heart sinks. He mutters a curse, believing himself discovered until the bay doors open and a shuttle is brought into the hangar.
He steals a moment to quickly update the others:
Hangar cleared. Most security has gone. Backstage door n shuttle each have 1 guard posted. A few others on patrol. Going to try for a closer look.
Spotting an opportunity, he slips from the room and tries to snatch up a forgotten jacket to help get him a closer look.
Elektra listens intently to Goldenarms and smiles widely. "Mr. Goldenarms...are you available to hire? I think we could use someone like you in our household." Turning to the rest of you, she continues, "you still haven't answered my question. What do you need from me to make this happen? I may be able to supply, well, let's just say, certain goods that will assist in liberating my sister and the others."
With that, she nods to one of her lackeys. He disappears for a moment, and returns carrying a crate and a couple of cases.
...
Thak pauses, measuring his words. ”We have a person on the inside. After the service, we“ — he nods to Gath — ”created a distraction ...“
Elektra listens intently to Goldenarms and smiles widely. "Mr. Goldenarms...are you available to hire? I think we could use someone like you in our household." Turning to the rest of you, she continues, "you still haven't answered my question. What do you need from me to make this happen? I may be able to supply, well, let's just say, certain goods that will assist in liberating my sister and the others."
"They had a lot of guards, " Gath ventures uncertainly.
With that, she nods to one of her lackeys. He disappears for a moment, and returns carrying a crate and a couple of cases.
Gath lumbers over to examine the crate and cases.
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"He's talkin' about you, Big Guy. You attracted a lot of attention trying to get Kevya's attention," Sen replies, nudging Gath with her elbow.
"Ms. Galvano, could I borrow your workspace get my zoomboard tuned up? It's more built for speed than for a fight, but it looks like I've stumbled onto a much more dangerous line of work than I expected..."
Dammit! Locket freezes in place as the vesk mechanic's voice rings out.
Doubling over to lean on a stack of nearby crates, he grabs the discarded jacket. He raises a hand over his lowered head to wave at the vesk.
Straightening to a standing position, he tosses the jacket over a shoulder and wipes his mouth with the back of a hand. Holding a hand to his belly, he waves toward the vesk again. "Catering was too good - think I overdid it," he offers, quickly raising a hand to over his mouth.
Gingerly holding his abdomen, Locket murmurs, "Restroom?"
In the crates and cases:
1. Enough light saps for anyone who wants one
2. Four sickybomb grenades, mk I; one Flash Grenade mk. I, and one riot grenade mk. I.
3. One compliance ray, flash .
4. One longarm: a numbing beam, tactical. .
Elektra addresses you. "We don't need blood on our hands. Just break a few kneecaps. With any luck you'll find the girls and they'll tell their story to station security, and they can take over putting these guys away for a while."
Gath looks into the crate and cases. He pulls the various items out turns them over in his hands and places them on a nearby table.
"Ooo, Locket might like this." The numbing rifle is first on the table.
The shobhad doesn't seem much interested in the "little 'lectric pistol."
"Fire crackers," is Gath's short description of the grenades.
He seems puzzled by the saps. He squeezes one, then rubs it and thumps it against a palm. Then he takes four more out of the case and tries to juggle the five saps in four hands.
He patiently picks four of them off the floor and begins again.
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Sen takes one of the saps Gath was trying to juggle and clips it to her belt. Brute force wasn't exactly her style, but she needed SOMETHING in case she was cornered.
She then takes some time to mount and connect the compliance ray to the front of her zoomboard, giving it a means to fire while she was riding, handy to clear things out of the way.
Opening the bathroom door, the pahtra slips inside and takes advantage of the moment to update his companions via message.
A short time later, he carefully cracks open the door and peers out into the hangar. When the coast is clear, he attempts to creep from the bathroom and over to the pile of crates, inspecting the contents waiting to be loaded onto the shuttle.
Locket sends another update:
How's things ur end? Only 3 on watch - 1 guard n 1 tech on shuttle, 1 guard on backdoor. Try in to find sumthin to distract em.
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Thak looks over the array of weapons and gathers up the unclaimed grenades.
”I’m not a tremendous shot, but grenades and I… we get along pretty well.“
Hearing Locket’s latest update, a mischievous smile moves across Thak’s face.
”I think we’ll be quite a distraction once we get in. Everybody ready?“
The rest of you soon find yourselves moving down the long corridor toward the heavy bulkhead doors. WHAT DO YOU DO?
Hunkered down amongst the crates, Locket snatches up the flare kit. Careful to keep well-hidden within his little hidey, the pahtra sends off another message - What the hells are they up to!?, he fumes - while he considers his options.
The group receive another message from Locket, only a few minutes after the last:
Found sum flares. Can set off just b4 u do whateva ur doing? Let me know what u want me 2 do.
Although happy with his newly acquired flare kit, Locket is not content to sit and wait. The ongoing radio silence from his companions does little to ease his nerves.
Flares in tow, he creeps out form the safety of the crates, keeping to the darker edges of the hangar as he traverses the area in search of a means of accessing the bulkhead doors.
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"Know what? Adding the compliance ray ain't gonna work on this thing. It'd draw too much power from the propulsion system," Sen thinks aloud before they begin making their way back to the compound, astride her zoomboard.
She texts Locket as they get into position.
On r way w/ Galvs, got booms n stuff.
Once the team's ready to make their move, she'll text Locket to set off the flares so they can blast their way in while they're distracted.
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With grenades bulging from pockets and his pistol strapped in place, Thak looks something like an office worker prepared for a truly hostile takeover. But somehow, he pulls off the look.
I'm starting to feel like I used to... before. He takes a deep breath. I can do this.
"Sounds good to me, Senkuviene. Let's take the party to them."
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As the party moves down the corridor, Thak suddenly stops. He looks at the gear in his pockets, then at what everyone else is holding.
”Wait… didn’t the Galvanos say something about explosives that would get us through the wall or the door? Did we forget to talk with her about that? Or are their people bringing something on their own?“
Dammit. And I was just starting to feel like I had a grip on this stuff again. Well, live and learn and get back into the swing…
"Explosives? I thought Locket would let us in?"
Once again you are caught prowling around like, well, a, uhh...cat?
The vesk mechanic, who luckily for you, is not particularly bright, yells at you. "I thought you were leaving! Security! Can you escort this rent-a-cop out of here?"
At this point, one of the guards comes toward you, takes you by the arm, and escorts you to the bulkhead door. He radios master control, "Open the main door please. We have a straggler that needs to be let out."
The door opens. There are your friends, all with a puzzled look on their face.
Suddenly, on its own, the large bulkhead door opens. Standing in the opening is Locket and a single guard. The guard at first looks puzzled, then becomes alarmed when he realizes it's the shobhad who he had an altercation with eariler.
The guard at the door looks up at Gath, then at all of you. His mouth widens in abject terror. He struggles to pull out a weapon, as the writing is on the wall...
1. Locket
2. Gath
3. Senk
4. Thak
5. Goldenarms
6. Enemy black (vesk mechanic)
7. Red security guard
8. Blue security guard
Locket's bright green eyes widen as he spies his friends through the opening bulkhead door. For a brief moment the pahtra has the sheepish look of a cat caught with a paw in the fishbowl, but is soon flowing into motion and delivering a swift kick towards the security guard's face.
Locket starts things off with a surprise kick square on the noggin' of the guard.
...
Suddenly, on its own, the large bulkhead door opens. Standing in the opening is Locket and a single guard. The guard at first looks puzzled, then becomes alarmed when he realizes it's the shobhad who he had an altercation with eariler.
...
"See? Locket let us in. Who's your new friend, Locket?"
The guard at the door looks up at Gath, then at all of you. His mouth widens in abject terror. He struggles to pull out a weapon, as the writing is on the wall...
Gath smiles, an action that reveals his upper incisors between his tusk-like lower canines.
Locket's bright green eyes widen as he spies his friends through the opening bulkhead door. For a brief moment the pahtra has the sheepish look of a cat caught with a paw in the fishbowl, but is soon flowing into motion and delivering a swift kick towards the security guard's face.
"Oh! Not a friend, then." Gath says sadly. The shobhad grabs a sap and tries to kosh Kevin James the security guard.
...
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Just as caught off-guard as the others, the Android took a step to the side to move out of the way, as Gath in action could be a bit... imposing. From the brief glance that they had gotten into the doorway, the area was large, and there was the ship that they were looking to stop.
So, there was a decision to make. Their entry would undoubtedly cause issues and make a lot of noise. Keeping things contained here would be difficult if notice were given.
Decision made, the form traceries of light and faux-data spun up from the D.E.A.R.S., much like they had before when they had come to this door. "Sen, if you would?"
A wireless link was offered in the form of a blinking access switch and a ping to Senkuviene's unit. Preventing any alarms from going off was a good goal.
"You got it, GA!" Sen replies, diving into the code to try and keep the alarms from going off.
Goldenarms and Senk, you think you were able to make a connection to a local system with vicinity. With any luck, certain alarms will not function at this time.
Meanwhile, Locket, Gath, and Thak have a 1,2,3 punch that immediately takes down this guard before he can even pull out his weapon.
Unfortunately, there are two others in the hangar.
The vesk mechanic swears loudly and moves into cover behind some crates. He brandishes a massive wrench.
The other guard can be heard yelling into his comm unit.
1. Locket
2. Gath
3. Senk
4. Thak
5. Goldenarms
6. Enemy black (vesk mechanic)
7. Red security guard (down for the count)
8. Blue security guard
"There's two more inside," Locket tells his friends. "Security to the left and a vesk mechanic straight ahead. Gonna try and talk him out of it." And with that, he dashes back into the hangar bay.
The pahtra makes a bee-line toward the shuttle before veering around to the left, trying to cut off the mechanic's retreat. "Got some friends to rescue. Don't know if it's your choice to be here. You've got one chance - toss down the wrench and..." He nods toward the bulkhead doors.
Locket kicks at the side of the vesk's knee.
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Thak steps over the guard’s body and heads toward Locket and the Vesk.
He motions toward the guard. ”Gath, he’s on comms. Take care of him, please.“
Turning on every diplomatic impulse in his toolbox, Thak addresses the Vesk.
”We have no quarrel with you. We’re here to rescue friends who are being held against their will, not to hurt innocent folks like you. Please, just put down your wrench and walk away.“