Chapter 4: Measured Success
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Suggested Music: Star Wars Episode V Soundtrack - Luke's Rescue
5 Elona, 25 ABY - Leviathan - Rapsis System, Anthos Sector, Outer-Rim Territories
((You can proceed to dock the Leviathan with the escape pod. Feel free to exchange posts between yourselves as much as needed, and I will chime in with Renora when appropriate. This will be a shorter chapter, as the characters regroup and determine what to do next, and what to do with the sith and her apparent accomplice.))
((Quick overview, there are 8 beings aboard the escape pod: Renora, the Chiss warrior, Allanar, a NR Naval trooper, and 4 other deck officers. Aboard the Leviathan are Akea and a gunner))
Akea guided the Leviathan into a position whereupon the escape pod could easily dock with the larger freighter. Before things got busier, Akea issued one more command to the gunner.
"Keep an eye on any ships that get too near ours, especially if they're Imperial. Don't fire unless fired upon, but maintain status reports."
Akea turned as he spoke, beginning to move toward the bridge's blast doors. They opened with a familiar hiss, and the serpentine Jedi Master strode on through, making his way through the ship's corridors to its docking hangar, where the escape pod had recently connected. Akea assisted the passengers with their boarding, one-by-one, briefly surveying each, finding none to be seriously injured until he turned his attention to the remaining three - Allanar, Renora, and the Chiss. Akea, stern as he could seem, could not spare a fleeting moment of sentiment.
"Allanar, it is a relief to see you well. It appears our intruder has not fared as fortunately."
Renora and Allanar remained standing over the Chiss prisoner, still strapped into her seat. Akea turned briefly back to the naval trooper and four deck officers, welcoming them aboard.
"There is ample passenger space just to the rear of the bridge - I have stocked the storage units in this room with provisions that should be satisfactory to any palate. I will tend to our other evacuees, and I will inform everyone aboard ship of our status as it changes. You should expect to rendezvous with the New Republic line shortly." Indeed, Akea had loaded the Leviathan's passenger quarters with generic New Republic rations designed to provide nourishment to a wide variety of organisms. Letting the others go about the business for the time being, Akea, leaning forward, advanced his upper torso somewhat into the escape pod's doorway, looking to the Chiss. He could tell she was visibly injured - moreso, he could sense that this disturbed Renora, perhaps more than would be outwardly logical if no prior relationship between them existed. Still, with friends and enemies unclear, prolonging pain and anxiety would do no good. Akea turned to Renora, speaking in a slower, comforting tone, a far cry from his businesslike, practiced Coruscanti speech patterns. Oahu's informal speech took on an ambient quality, his Dur Sabon accent showing through in the form of elongated vowels and slightly slurred hard consonants.
"Relax, Renora. The Leviathan is equipped to handle medical emergencies for small numbers of people; we will see to it that our passenger's condition is stabilized."
With a mutual nod between Allanar and Akea, the pair of Jedi gingerly lifted the Chiss from her restraints. Akea, though he did not fully understand Renora's worry, was conscious of it. The Dur Sabon watched Renora sympathetically as they moved the Chiss onto the Leviathan, so as to validate her concerns and assure her that the prisoner would be treated fairly and carefully, though he did so silently.
Once everyone was safely aboard the Levianthan, Akea spoke up again.
"Let's get her to the medical bay - Once she's taken care of, we'll move to reunite with the fleet line. The Chiss woman must remain with us, however - The New Republic ships here are not adequately equipped to take a Force-user into their custody."
Suspecting that there may be more to the scenario than meets the eye, Akea tried to sense any intuition Allanar would attempt to convey with his thoughts.
Sense + Telepathy: 10 (wild die) 9 8 3 4 10 7 6 - 7 successes ((I'm assuming this is sufficient to detect Allanar's suspicion of Renora)).
As the trio moved to the Leviathan's infirmary, Akea, increasingly conscious of the possibility that inside collaboration had occurred, reached into the Force and probed Renora's thoughts.
Sense + Telepathy: 9 (wild die) 8 2 4 3 7 4 - 3 successes
((I've assumed that the Chiss remains unconscious for the duration of this post (her removal from the escape pod and the walk to the medical bay). If this isn't the case, just let me know, and I can revise this as necessary.))
Dan 02:49, 4 November 2009 (EST)
The ride on the escape pod was a fairly smooth, but rather quiet afair that was thankfully rather short. They docked with The Leviathan and welcomed the site of of the serpentine Jedi Master greeting them onto his ship. Allanar unfastened his harnesses and stood slowly, smiling softly and nodding in greeting to Akea.
"Good to see you as well. Unfortunately our intruder refused to surrender peacefully, I do not believe her wounds to be life threatening, but we should take her to the medical bay."
Allanar helped Akea gather her carefully into their arms and carry her rather silently to the medical bay of Akea's ship. They set her carefully onto the bed of the medical chamber, and Allanar went about attending her wounds. He had reasonable skill at attending wounds and did so with ample care to make sure she remained stable and the wounds started to heal, though more advanced care would be available back at The Jedi Temple or with the Republic fleet line. Once the Chiss was settled, and Allanar started to attend her wounds Renora, who had followed along silently politely excused herself and returned to the section of the ship Akea had prepared for their guests.
Now safely alone with Akea in the medical bay, he felt they could communicate about the situation for the first time since the outbreak of the situation. It seemed a great deal had happened since last they were able to discuss the situation at hand.
"We find ourselves in a very delicate situation, let us hope that everyone is able to keep a cool head until this matter can be resolved. More and more I am convinced that this intruder had additional help, almost certainly from someone with the Amity's crew. I sensed a familiarity between Renora and the intruder, although I could not be certain of the nature of it... It seems she has some deep fear that stems from the intruder, beyond that which I would have expected. Furthermore I can't help but feel that the rogue Star Destroyer responsible for both these incidents is operating separately of The Imperial Remnant as well as The Republic, though I couldn't be sure of either... It seems this meeting may have clouded the situation more than it cleared it."
Allanar paused for a moment, seeming to still be in deep thought on the situation as a whole. It was tough to be certain of anything at this point. "We should rejoin the Republic fleet line as soon as we can, I'm sure the crew will be anxious to return. Perhaps a return of some of their crew will put the Prime Minister and her delegation a bit more at ease." Allanar paused briefly as he took a seat on a chair in the corner of the medical bay. "We should certainly keep the intruder with us, I don't feel the Republic or Remnant is equipped to handle her, and I feel we have an obligation to investigate the incident further."
He waited for a response from Akea, differing to him slightly at least in this situation as he trusted the Jedi Master's experience in touchy situations such as this.
--FyreFly 14:02, 8 November 2009 (EST)
((7 successes beats Allanar's MDV so Akea was able to detect his suspicion of Renora, although that's kind of moot now that he told Akea the same thing.
3 successes was not enough to overcome Renora's MDV. There is a fear that is easily detected, as it would be in any of the crew members that had just been through the rather traumatic moment, but Akea detected nothing suspicious when attempting to read Renora's thoughts.
Carry on.))
Kirkland 23:04, 8 November 2009 (EST)
Akea lowered his upper body trunk to make bring his gaze level with Allanar's. This was a gesture of respect, rather than condescension. He nodded slightly before speaking.
"The manner in which these events have transpired seems unlikely without some other internal aid to the Chiss intruder. One needs only to be observant to detect Renora's concern for the Chiss woman - certainly, such consideration would be unwarranted of an unfamiliar intruder."
Akea eyed the Chiss woman's vital signs. Noting them to be acceptable, he returned his attention to Allanar.
"It seems likely that they have some prior acquaintance, but we would yet be rash to assume she was the Chiss warrior's assistant... I suspect that if Renora was the sole inside operative, things would have gone down differently. Nevertheless, I've been wrong before."
Akea paused, changing the subject momentarily.
"I agree; we should not delay our return to the fleet line."
Akea turned two of the dials on his comlink, raising it near his mouth and speaking to the NR naval trooper aboard, manning the Leviathan's cannons.
"Gunnery Sergeant, if you would be so kind, hail the New Republic fleet command and inform them, on my behalf, that we are preparing to return, with evacuees."
Akea again turned his attention to Allanar.
"As we are preparing to return, I hope to speak with Renora. The Chiss female will remain with us, but as of now, we have no legal grounds on which to detain Renora. She remains a military officer and voluntary passenger on whichever ship she chooses to board upon our return to the fleet line. It's quite possible that our remaining time with her is short, and we may not be able to elucidate her intentions before she departs. If that is the case, I would think it prudent to keep an eye on her activities in the near future, especially if the mystery behind this situation persists."
Akea approached the blast doors to the medical bay. He turned again to face Allanar as they slid open with a hiss.
"As for the rogue Imperial ships... Certainly, this is an issue that will plague the New Republic, the Remnant, and the Order in the coming days. I'll head to the bridge to speak with Renora briefly - in the meantime, keep an eye on our ward, here. When I'm finished, I'll return to the medical bay. At that point, see if you can feel out the crew - Sentient beings have powerful instincts, and if any crew members had suspicions that something was amiss, they are likely worth investigating."
Akea gave Allanar a moment to add anything before he exited into the Leviathan's corridor.
Akea reasoned that Allanar's military background would make him a fitting confidant for the Amity's crewmen. He headed for the passenger quarters. Upon arriving there, he did not waste time, though he was not aggressive in his approach. He casually approached Renora and and lowered himself again, cautiously placing a webbed hand on her shoulder. He spoke very quietly, not intending to single her out among her military compatriots. He assumed his more casual tone again.
"Renora, might we speak privately for a moment in the corridor? You seemed rather shaken by today's events, and rightfully so. You had a front row seat for all of this, whether you cared to or not - I came at first to see how were faring. That said, I must confess to other, more pragmatic intentions - it would be of great benefit to my understanding of the events if you could give me your side of the story."
Allanar nodding along with Akea, mostly agreeing with his assessment of the situation and the approach to return to the fleet line quickly, but also to make the best of their time. He hoped that Akea would have some success in speaking directly with Renora. He folded his arms into the sleeves of his robes as he took a seat in the medical bay where he could keep watch on the Chiss as well as the door, the strategic position coming naturally from years of military training.
"It seems a continued investigation will be necessary, but we may be able to get some good information from Renora and the rest of the crew... I'll stay here with our ward until you return."
Allanar briefly checked over the Chiss intruder once again, making sure her vitals were stable and that she remained unconscious before he turned his attention to the gathered crew on board the Leviathan. He thought that they may give away a hint of their feelings when Akea went in to speak with Renora. He spent a few moments in concentration before reaching out with the force to get a feel for the thoughts of the crew.
Sense + Divination + Concentration: 2 + 2 + 3 = 2, 8, 8, 8, 6, 5, 1. 3 successes to read the state of mind of the crew and their reaction to Akea speaking with Renora, attempting to pick up any instincts or suspicions about the intruder or being betrayed.
--FyreFly 17:27, 11 November 2009 (EST)
"Sure," Renora said flatly. She walked with Akea to a quieter section of the corridor for privacy. She described her experience. "The first sign of trouble was the communications systems. The transponders, primary and backup, all failed at once. Not long after that, she bust into the room. I froze," she paused, the horror of the scene replaying in her mind. She continued, "I'm fortunate to be alive. She just started deflecting blaster fire into the crew. When Allanar arrived, that's when I met up with you. But upon returning to the bridge, I took command of the ship, not even sure if that was proper protocol or how far down the chain of command had gotten. That rogue star destroyer was in hot pursuit. It could have taken us out if it wanted. Again, we are fortunate to be alive." She managed a smile.
"The star destroyer opened a communications channel during the chase. He sounded menacing, and congratulated us on the death of the Imperial Remnant. The ISD broke off their pursuit after they started towing the Imperial shuttle in. But not before they got one last volley of ion fire out, disabling the Amity for good."
So far, she told the story like any innocent crew member would have, which caused Akea to begin to doubt his suspicion of her. She waited for Akea's response.
((This will enter social combat if you press for further information, make a Manipulation+Investigation roll (or justify a different roll with your actions) in your next response. And I haven't forgot about Allanar, will post for him soon. And see my note in Talk:Star Wars: Combat as I had a question about social combat mechanics. But I don't want it to slow down this thread.))
Kirkland 19:25, 12 November 2009 (EST)
Using the force, Allanar swept through the minds of the soldiers and crew in the other room, searching for hints of suspicion or betrayal. There was not one inkling of suspicion amongst them, not a single one of them was concerned about Akea's pulling Renora aside. She did, after all, take command of the Amity up until its final moments, and would be the most likely one of them for the Jedi to question directly.
((Upon the conclusion of the Akea/Renora conversation let me know where you want to go next (NR flagship, straight to Luke, etc.). I intend to summarize the travel or short conversational scenes for the sake of time.))
Kirkland 13:54, 18 November 2009 (EST)
Akea nodded reassuringly. "You did well, Renora -- the safety of the Amity's crew had much to do with the bravery Allanar and yourself displayed on that bridge. Although it is regrettable that we lost the ship and several crew members, the New Republic's leadership is safe, and the casualties are far fewer than they might've been had the situation been handled differently."
The Jedi Master, having been in no small number of negotiations, began slowly strolling down the corridor - Renora followed naturally as they continued to converse. This made the conversation seem considerably less urgent and intense - Akea wanted to avoid giving Renora the feeling she was being interrogated or accused. They had no legal grounds to detain her, and that aside, there was no point to create hostilities where none (as far as Akea knew) existed.
"We'll be returning to the fleet line - at that point, the naval officers will most likely be expected to meet with New Republic naval command for debriefing and reassignment. You are welcome aboard the Amity as long as you like, should you choose to remain with us."
Akea knew that he risked endangering himself and Allanar if truly the two were collaborating, but if Renora chose to stay, it would say much about her relationship with the Chiss woman, and speed the investigation into this ambush. Akea hoped that it could be resolved quickly enough to avoid large-scale conflict. Realizing his offer may have seemed like a strange one unless otherwise qualified, Akea reasoned that honesty was likely the best approach.
"Your concern for the Chiss woman was very clear when you boarded the ship. Although I can appreciate a general compassion for all living things, I can only surmise that the interest you showed goes deeper than a generality. The Chiss woman has shown herself to be a Force-user, and for the time being, she will remain in the custody of the Jedi Order. I do not know for certain of her intentions, though they were clearly hostile. Nevertheless, if you wish to remain with us during this woman's escort to Yavin IV to be assured of her well-being, I would invite you to do so. To say today's events were stressful would be a grave understatement - forgive me if I've misinterpreted your anxiety, but..."
Akea had gradually been slowing down his walking as he concentrated, and finally turned to face her. He placed the Force behind his question with all the mental might he could muster, knowing this might be his last chance alone with her.
"Do you know this woman, Renora?"
Manipulation (2) + Investigation (3) + Concentration (3) + willpower = 8 dice + 1 auto success - I don't have any d10's in Pickerington, unforunately; if someone would do me the honor of rolling this for me, I'd appreciate it.
((I gave myself three dice for Concentration - It took me about 30 seconds to read the vocal parts of my post out loud, which would amount to five concentrate actions. My Enhancement, and thus my concentration cap, is three. If non-combat Concentrate works differently (say, in long ticks), just let me know and I'll re-roll and adjust.))
((My thinking is that we can resolve Renora's response next, since Akea's next action will depend on that. From there, we'll decide whether to jump, story-wise, back to Luke or the fleet line, or wherever the Force takes us.))
Dan 02:03, 26 November 2009 (EST)