Chapter 2: Amity in Peril
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Suggested Music: The Force Unleashed OST - General Kota and the Control Room Duel
5 Elona, 25 ABY - NRS Amity - Berchest System, Anthos Sector, Outer-Rim Territories
Jedi Master Akea Oahu had just dispersed recently Knighted Allanar Onsai to investigate a dark presence the pair had sensed aboard the Amity. After a brief dialogue with Grand Admiral Gillad Pallaeon, his keen danger sense, augmented by the Force, had been triggered. In particular, he sensed the beings aboard the bridge were in grave danger. At this point, Akea was certain there was foul play aboard the ship, and negotiations were no longer the top priority. He briefly focused his efforts and sent a final telepathic warning to Allanar.
Akea's voice echoed as an ephemeral voice in the back of Allanar's mind shortly after he exited the conference room, jogging down the ship's corridor.
"Allanar, go to the bridge!"
Following his message to Allanar, Akea replied earnestly to Pallaeon.
"A poignant disturbance in the Force suggests to me that not all is right aboard the Amity. I am hesitant to pass judgment on the nature of the disturbance as of now. Allanar and I will see to it that all of you are kept safe. If you do not feel comfortable beginning the negotiations, a delay in the proceedings would be understandable, given the circumstances."
Akea regretted somewhat transparently changing his stance on the issue in such a short timespan, now admitting that perhaps not all was right, but the recent spike in his senses could not be ignored; it was better to change his mind than put lives at risk. He was not entirely convinced of Pallaeon's innocence or ignorance in this matter, but for now, he chose to give the Remnant the benefit of the doubt, and was operating under the assumption that the Grand Admiral was as surprised by this affair as he was. Nevertheless, Akea was old and wise enough to account for treachery.
The serpentine Jedi Master quickly surveyed the storm troopers - even unarmed, Akea could make short work of the shock troops. The woman was a Force user herself, though she too appeared unarmed, and a contest of strength in the Force worked out more favorably for Akea than a battle of attrition fought with sabers. He also wanted to be prepared if a Sith was aboard the ship, and decided to proceed to the conference chamber - Akea suspected that he'd have more difficulty handling a Sith assassin, especially unarmed, and decided to take precautions as such. To buy the group time, he could seal the blast doors permanently, forcing the Sith to cut through with a lightsaber and giving the group inside plenty of time to prepare for an assault. With that in mind, Akea gathered his focus once again, preparing to drain the closed doors of their energy and shut them down, effectively locking them in a closed state. This was a versatile preparation, however - Akea was equally ready to turn this focus against the stormtroopers if Imperial treachery was afoot, draining the energy packs on their blaster rifles.
((OOC: My statement that the woman was unarmed is an implicit observation on my part - Akea doesn't know for a fact one way or the other, but my guess is that if there was a saber hanging from her belt or something, it would have been mentioned, so I'm assuming that at the least, she isn't visibly wearing a lightsaber, which is where the context of my post comes from. To clarify, I haven't actually cast any energy draining effects yet, but I am preparing to, and if any "shaping" sort of action is required to do this, then I'm beginning those proceedings. It's worth mentioning that technically, drain energy is a darkside Force power, but why this is, is completely beyond me. It's still the best solution for the situation, so if Akea has to get a little pissed off to save the Galactic leadership, he's cool with that.))
Dan 13:01, 18 June 2009 (EDT)
Allanar bowed silently to those within the room before he would turn and make his exit, allowing Akea to do the talking for him. It was no sooner than he started walking away from the blast doors of the conference room that he felt the presence of Akea speak to him urgently, his combat trained nerves tensing automatically. He turned back to the guards stationed outside the door of the room he had just exit, jogging towards them quickly and speaking just below a shout and just loud enough for them to hear.
"Alert the guards at the bridge to be on high alert. Stay here and keep a close eye things."
Allanar had a way of slipping back into his military training when the situation grew as tense as this, the words spoken more like a command from a higher ranking officer than from a neutral adviser. He didn't stick around to see if they listened to his advice, even though they weren't obligated to follow it. The Nebulon-B Frigate was a common enough ship that Allanar need not worry about finding his way to the bridge, instead he focused on getting there as quickly as possible without becoming susceptible to ambush. He did not forget the the jedi's presence aboard the ship was likely even more obvious than the Sith's, he or she likely already knew they were there.
He concentrated on focusing the power of the force through his body, speeding his sprint towards the bridge with the use of Force Speed. He hoped that this was not a trap or a distraction to get one of the Jedi away from the negotiations, but he trusted Akea's powers and he trusted his own to alert him if the danger from the bridge shifted to him.
((OOC: Allanar would take the quickest route to the bridge that is available, this might include repulsor lifts or something like that besides simply sprinting with Force Speed. I wasn't sure of ship layout and all that so I didn't specify in the post, assume he runs with enhanced speed when he needs to run. As for how force speed works exactly I don't know, right now its an instant power that doesn't require willpower so he could use it on each dash action to keep up the enhanced speed. I'll make a single roll and we can figure if I should roll more or just apply that roll across the actions.)
Force Speed: 10, 10, 3, 1, 1, 1. 4 Successes. ((OOC: Haha, this roll was ridiculous. Thank god 1's don't cancel.))
((OOC: We added Star Wars: Game Mechanics rules for Wild Die and Force Balance, so take a look. Go ahead and choose what you feel is the appropriate Force Balance rating for your character. For purposes of posting rolls, report the value of the wild die as the first number in the list. I posted the mechanics of Drain Energy but haven't worked out Force Speed. For purposes of this next post, Allanar used Force Speed successfully. And yes, Pellaeon's force-sensitive aide appears to be unarmed.))
Pellaeon turned his attention to Wilhelm Finwat, the representative from Talon Karrde's intelligence organization. It was this organization, after all, that was the link between two highly untrusting intelligence agencies. Now the Republic wanted direct access to Imperial dealings, attempting to bypass the organization altogether, using this crisis to their advantage to put further pressure on the Empire. Pellaeon was seemingly content with continuing the meeting despite the ambiguous warning given by the Jedi master. He asked Wilhelm, "Where is Talon Karrde? Your organization is in the hot seat over this dispute and the man running the show is nowhere to be found?"
The blue-haired Omwati responded, "He was unable to attend on such short notice. I assure you, I am fully informed and able to speak for the organization at this meeting."
Shira Tal spoke, "We do not feel there is a fault in the current intelligence agreement we have with Karrde's organization. In fact, without it, war probably would have already broken out. So please forgive Talon's absence. This will not become a meeting on how best to change what Karrde is doing. It's a meeting to reaffirm our original agreement and perhaps add some provisions in light of recent events."
The Grand Admiral wasted no time attempting to punch holes in the Republic's attempt to pressure the Empire further. "Minister, I see no need for further alterations. The system is working as intended. The recent events are both unexpected and unwanted, but you have my word when I say that the Empire in it's current form is not responsible for those events. You have Karrde's organization backing up that statement. You're making a knee-jerk reaction based on the political passions of your Senate, and frankly, that hasn't worked out well for you in the past."
Pellaeon's argument was rational and seemed honest. But Shira Tal persisted, putting on a light smile as she confronted the allegations of political gamesmanship. "Admiral, the reason for the modifications we are requesting are ones we believe you should be more than happy to comply with. You said yourself, you would like to know who's behind this just as much as we would. Working together, we can accomplish this quicker. Your refusal to agree could be seen as a signal that you are, in fact, hiding something. The New Republic refuses to let this peace agreement be a waiting period for the Empire to regroup and become a threat once again. Nor are we going to let our citizens be terrorized by renegade Imperial forces as your government continues to fall apart."
The last few words rolled rather harshly off her tongue, but Pellaeon was unfazed. Perhaps there was middle ground to be reached, but Akea had a growing suspicion that the talks may end sooner than anyone would have liked. (Rolls Sense+Divination, results hidden) His danger sense was still isolated to the bridge, but he also sensed death on that bridge.
((OOC: You can roll for your drain energy actions if you wish take them as the others are speaking.))
Allanar did not wait to see if the guard heeded his advice before he activated Force Speed and bolted down the conference corridor. This corridor was located at the top of the front column of the Nebulon-B Frigate. The bridge was located several floors below. The turbolift columns were not far, and with exceptional speed Allanar reached the row of three turbolifts. (Luck roll) A turbolift door opened as if it was expecting Allanar's arrival and he immediately ran into the empty pod and pressed the floor for the bridge.
The turbolift descended, playing a relaxing tune that did not fit the moment. Fortunately, it stopped at no other floors before arriving at the bridge. A different set of doors opened, the ones opposite the side he entered, revealing a room similar to the one he had just came from. Directly in front of him was a large set of blast doors that was the entrance to the bridge. Two guards, one on either side of the door, lay hunched over and unconscious. He heard footsteps coming from the hallway to his right, and around the corner ten more New Republic naval troopers were jogging toward the bridge in standard uniform and helmet. They had obviously been tipped off that something was amiss in the bridge, but no official warning or alert had gone off across the ship yet. Blasters drawn, they slowed down as they approached Allanar and the locked blast door.
Kirkland 01:24, 26 June 2009 (EDT)
Allanar remained calm as he waited for the elevator to lower to the bridge's level, when the doors opened he exited immediately at a brisk walk. He glance towards the footsteps of approaching reinforcements, apparently too late, drawing his lightsaber from under his Jedi robes as he walked up to the locked blast door.
"Establish communication with the bridge and get this door open, if there is no response we will have to enter forcefully. Raise an alarm throughout the ship, but there is no need to cause panic or evacuation. Contact the head of security and be sure the negotiators are secure, their safety is top priority. Quickly if you will."
He spoke to whichever of the troopers appeared to be most in charge, but figured all the troops were capable of carrying out several of the tasks. Meanwhile he crouched down over one of the fallen guards, inspecting him quickly in an attempt to determine what had caused their unconsciousness. Allowing time for only a quick investigation he straightened back to a stand, looking towards the closed door as he focused on what went on within, trying to sense if the Sith was within or if danger awaiting them inside.
"What is the status on this door trooper?"
Wits + Medicine Roll to investigate the fallen guard. 5, 5, 4, 4, 7. (1 Success.) | Sense + Divination Roll to sense within the bridge of the ship. 6, 5, 7. (1 Success.)
--FyreFly 21:41, 9 July 2009 (EDT)
Moments earlier...
The bridge door opened with a hiss, revealing the woman that was a danger to every gentlebeing on the Amity, except herself, of course, and any others she wished to spare. She stood six feet tall with an intimidating muscular build. Her skin color was a deep blue with spiraling black tattoos running down the sides of her arms. Her eyes were a piercing solid red; these two traits immediately identified her as a Chiss. Even since the days of Grand Admiral Thrawn, Chiss were a rare species outside of the Chiss Ascendency in the Unknown Regions of space. Her hair was long and colored jet black; she wore black robe, slightly tattered, with the sleeves cut off.
She activated a lightsai in each hand, the three blue blades emanating from each hand enhancing her already intimidating appearance. The NR naval troopers stationed within the bridge opened fire as fast as their reaction time allowed them. She rotated the blades in her hands as the blaster fire approached, parrying the shots with incredible ease. Two bolts were redirected back at their targets, one on each side. They struck her opponents in the upper body, causing them to fall limp to the ground. She deflected another wave of fire, this time a stray bolt striking one of the deck officers in the shoulder. During the third wave of blaster fire, she was able to deflect two simultaneous blasts with one swing of her lightsai, one bolt deflecting off each of the outer blades. These were deflected back at their sources, striking one soldier in the jaw and the other in the hand that he held the weapon with.
The reaction of the crew on the bridge was mixed. Some responded with shrieks of terror and some simply stared in stunned silence. Once the blaster fire began, many of the crew hit the deck to avoid fire. Renora Cordalis was not one of them; she remained in her seat, nervous, staring at the communications console in front of her. The captain was the slowest to react. He was gazing into space in deep thought, only to be interrupted by the intruder. He turnaround around 180 degrees to face the doorway only after the troops were already taken care of. He grabbed his throat, feeling it tighten. His facial expression turned to horror as his feet were lifted from the bridge's floor. From ten meters away, the Chiss intruder was using telekinesis to asphyxiate the captain.
She had holstered one of her lightsai and began to walk toward the front of the bridge, holding her hand out in a choking motion. The bridge door closed and locked behind her.
30 seconds later...
"Roger that," came the response from the forwardmost trooper that had approached. He began giving orders to the others. A few stood around the door, their blasters trained on it, in case it did open.
Allanar bent down and put two fingers against the jugular of the fallen soldier. He had a pulse and was still breathing. A quick examination of his head showed no indication of a major blow. Another solider tended to the other unconscious one. A third soldier began working the door's control panel. He started by raising the internal security alarm as ordered. He activated the intercom and spoke, "Bridge this is Troop Unit 137 requesting your status and request you unlock the main bridge entrance, over." He waited a few seconds, but no response. He then punched in the override code that under normal circumstances would open the door. To both his and Allanar's surprise, the door actually did open.
Just as Allanar had focused his force senses on the room, the door opened to reveal what his senses had just told him: there was danger and there were casualties. The troops readied their blasters. The bridge was illuminated by the bright tunnel of hyperspace from the viewport. There were several bodies of NR naval troopers scattered across the floor. Some officers were slumped over their consoles. A few were still alive, sitting in their charis with fearful expressions on their faces. As both the troops and Allanar scanned the room for the threat, sparks flew from a console near the front of the bridge. The tall, muscular Chiss woman at the console jumped up quickly to face the door as if startled; Allanar could tell she wasn't expecting company. She held a lightsai in each hand and stared at her new adversary with her piercing red eyes.
An eerie silence filled the conference room as the gentle hum of the Amity's hyperdrive was heard. It was faint enough for members on both sides of the table to wonder just exactly the sound was. It was clearly the sound of the hyperdrive, but such an event was unexpected and could have drastic consequences. Pellaeon looked to the Minister of State and then over to Akea, who had given the initial warning of danger. His facial expression was one of general concern and alarm. It was obvious he too picked up on the sound. "What was that?" he asked slowly.
Before anyone could answer, a warning chimed throughout the hallways of the ship, a familiar siren to everyone in the room. It wasn't the typical battle-ready klaxon that was most commonly heard; instead, it was an internal signal putting the troops at a higher level of alert. The alarm broke the tension in the room causing most members in both delegations to jump to their feet. The stormtroopers behind Pellaeon leveled their blaster rifles at the New Republic delegation and likewise the New Republic's naval troopers did the same. "What is the meaning of this?!" Pellaeon bellowed, letting his anger and anxiety overcome his diplomatic façade. His eyes were squarely on Akea Oahu; he presumed the serpent to know more than he was letting on.
Minister Shira Tal's console at her seat chirped and over the comlink came a male voice. "Minister, are you alright?" Her eyes darted to the console, then to Pellaeon, then to Akea. She didn't move a muscle, fearing that blaster fire could ensue at any moment. Even if she did, she thought, she wasn't sure how to answer that question.
Kirkland 01:50, 10 July 2009 (EDT)
The senior Dur Sabon paused. For a moment, and only so long, he closed his eyes and assumed an extremely relaxed posture. He purged all thought from his mind, opening his airways and inviting the room's current to flow freely through his labyrinthine breathing organs. It was all too often that Akea had seen even the wisest of Jedi act rashly in tense situations such as these. There was death aboard the bridge, and regrettable though it was, Akea had a more pressing matter on his hands.
Concentration: Akea waits for six seconds in his relaxed posture, and, ready to assume command, enhances his ability to negotiate a truce between the tense parties.
Just as the silence was beginning to become painful, Akea snapped into an unexpectedly authoritative posture. His central body trunk stood rigidly save for a tail segment to support his length against the ground, placing the serpent several heads above most of the room's beings, and his anterior fins flared widely, giving the Jedi Master a much more draconic appearance. He moved quickly, placing himself squarely in the crossfire line for both sets of troops. This would, at least temporarily, assure peace in the conference chamber.
The New Republic troops would not shoot Akea for the express purpose of getting to the Imperial troops, and Akea banked on the Imperial troops hesitating to gun down a Jedi Master - a certain act of war, a result that, if Pallaeon was to be believed, the Remnant did not desire. Akea raised a placating hand, turned equally to both sides. His eyes narrowed, though not angrily, and he spoke with quiet intensity.
"Your weapons are ill-turned toward the parties present. The governments represented here are not responsible for this treachery, but they are endangered by it. We will be safe, but mutual cooperation is of paramount importance. The bridge has been compromised, and it appears the ship's hyperdrive has been activated. I do not know when or where we will emerge."
Akea left no room for argument - If the Imperials had no interest in complying with an escape effort, it was likely that they were behind the attack, and Akea was confident that the New Republic troops and dignitaries would be sharp enough to recognize this and act accordingly.
"I am no tactician, and I would invite those so trained to refine or alter any steps taken in the interest of protecting the Republic and Remnant governments."
Akea turned his gaze first to the New Republic leadership, at the same time accessing the ship's control panel and quickly finding an appropriate schematic, displaying it as a hologram above the conference table.
Intelligence + Computer Use: 10, 3, 5, 8, 4, 7 - 4 successes - I'm assuming this is enough to get ship blueprints. If not, I'll alter my post.
Akea indicated a pathway to the ship's hangar bay, and spoke quickly.
"We can't stay in this room and wait for trouble to find us. Privately order an adequate number of available troops to secure the hallways that will take us to the hangar bay."
Akea then re-centered his gaze, speaking to both parties, "Once we have confirmation of safe corridors, we'll exit the room as a group. Half of the troops present will accompany the New Republic and Remnant leaders to the hangar bay - I would encourage you to recruit a number of the troops used to secure the hallways as escorts as well. While the first group moves towards the hangar bay, the other half of the troops present will accompany me. We will move to the ship's communication hardwiring."
Akea indicated the room that housed the ship's primary radar and targeting equipment on the schematic, and then continued, "Once there, I'll disable the ship's sensory abilities. I have to operate under the assumption we'll be emerging from hyperspace into hostile territory. The group in the hangar bay should have arrived there by this point - If there is fighting to be carried out before we can escape the ship, you'll make your stand there. Our odds against an opponent such as this are better in open quarters with scattered cover. Once communications are disabled, my group will send word to the hangar bay. At this point, we wait until it's feasible to depart the ship, and we launch two ships. One should be empty - a decoy. We may launch the Leviathan as a decoy, if necessary - it's likely our enemies will suspect it to be the carrier of the dignitaries present, and will be unable to scan the ship's contents with its sensors disabled. This will prevent this ship's weaponry from being turned against us, at least until repairs are made. In the meantime, we launch a second ship to provide for a safe exit of the government leaders."
Akea paused, letting the plan sink in. He continued after a moment.
"My group will rendezvous with Allanar and work to neutralize the threat present. It is my hope that we are able to secure the Amity before evacuation becomes necessary, but if the bridge has been compromised, I must assume that we are in a situation where we may no longer be the primary controllers of the vessel, and it is to our advantage to exit it. I will notify the group heading to the hangar bay if the ship becomes safe again or it becomes apparent that we are at a distinct upper hand in the conflict, at which point it is more favorable to remain aboard ship."
Negotiation + (Charisma or Composure? Doesn't matter since they're both 3, but given that it's an emergency, I could see both): 2, 5, 4, 7, 7, 9, 6 + willpower - 5 successes.
Again after just a moment of silence, Akea backed away from the schematic, opening the floor to suggestions for a brief moment. His sense of urgency, however, remained apparent in his silence.