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, Inner Rim
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. By and large, he did not directly address Pallaeon's question - he suspected that attempting to would only heighten the tension.
"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 evacuation 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) + 1: 2, 5, 4, 7, 7, 9, 6, 4 + 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 quietus.
((I should note that my negotiation roll isn't an attempt to get both sides to follow my plan exactly - I'm sure military officers could improve upon it, and Akea hopes they will. That roll is simply an effort to ensure the cooperation of both sides in this effort.))
Dan 01:36, 12 July 2009 (EDT)
Allanar scanned the room quickly, looking at the fallen guards as he entered the bridge and searching for the captain of the frigate, a slight shake of his head once he spotted the suffocated captain. He settled his gaze on the Chiss woman as she raised from the console and turned to narrow her eyes at him, he took a few steps forward before stopping with some distance still between them. He held his free hand up in an open palmed gesture to stay the blaster fire of the NR Troops, for now at least. He spun the hilt of his lightsaber 360 degrees in his other hand, spinning it once out of anxious habit as he still kept it in hand at his side. He kept a calm demeanor despite the tense situation, both because of his training and because he hoped it would help keep the Republic Troops from acting rashly.
The cool head allowed Allanar to observe the situation as he prepared to deal with the worst case scenario, the woman didn’t expect them at least. That was a good start, but Allanar wasn’t brash enough to jump immediately into combat. If she wasn’t expecting him, she almost certainly didn’t know of Akea back with the negotiations. Allanar began to concentrate, focusing the force flowing through his body into his muscles.
Allanar spends a few moments in concentration to enhance his ability to use the force.
“The safety of the negotiations is still top priority. We must get the ship out of hyperspace and back to the original meeting place before evacuating the ship. I will deal with the intruder, have your unit recruit the help of the surviving bridge crew to get us back on course.”
Allanar spoke quietly to the commander of the unit, soft enough that the Chiss intruder wouldn’t be able to hear without somehow augmenting her sense of hearing, but also spoken with a confident authority. The troopers wouldn’t be much help against an opponent of this caliber, evidenced by their fallen comrades. He would need them to be able to handle getting the ship back to where it needed to be, hopefully at least some of the bridge crew kept their heads and were still alive. There was more he wanted to say to the commander, if necessary the engineering crew would need to cut the power to the hyperdrive, but time was short and he needed his attention on his opponent.
“You’ve caused enough of a disruption for this ship and it’s crew, you’ll do so no further. Surrender into my custody now and you may yet be spared from harm.”
Allanar took another few steps forward as he spoke confidently to the intruder, not expecting her to honor his request for her surrender. He shifted his weight and footing into a battle ready stance, subtly so but not hard to recognize. This hilt of his lightsaber still rested in his grip not yet ignited, a show of faith that he was at least willing to not fight if she would cooperate. Allanar knew time was of the essence however, he did not know where she was taking them but couldn’t allow her to stall. He released the concentration of the force and felt it bolster the strength and vitality of his body in case a battle was to break out between them.
After one turn of concentration Allanar uses Enhance Attribute to increase his attributes for the scene, one willpower point spent as a requirement to use this power. Control + Enhancement + Concentration: 5, 9, 7, 7, 6, 2, 1. 3 Successes. We've yet to determine exactly how this power works. I would guess that each success provides a bonus attribute dot to place into physical attributes for the scene. I would think there is a maximum equal to species max +1. We should work that out though.
--FyreFly 20:59, 12 July 2009 (EDT)
A few OOC notes
- Akea's Intelligence + Computer Use roll had a 10 on the wild die, so that die should have been rolled again for the possibility of additional successes. Regardless, the roll was enough to get the blueprints.
- Negotiation + Composure I think is the most appropriate given the circumstance.
- I agree with Tony's description of Enhance Attribute and will use it for now.
(2 hidden rolls)
The naval trooper nodded to Allanar, accepting his instructions.
The Chiss warrior walked away from the damaged navicomputer and toward the main walkway down the center of the bridge, turning to face Allanar directly as he took two steps forward. The hum of her lightsais drowned out the occasional electrical noise from the navicomputer. Renora Cordalis and the remaining crew sat in stunned silence on both sides of the aisle. The Chiss spoke, her voice unwavering, "The crew may leave," she said, in an unexpected act of humility. After a short pause, she raised her voice and spoke a phrase in Cheunh, the primary language of the Chiss. (hidden roll) Allanar identified the language by its unique sounds and unusual patterns, but did not have any idea what it meant. The troops behind Allanar began to motion to the unmoving crew for them to get up and leave. They were hesitant, but stood and slowly filed out of the room. Two humans, a Sullustan, and Renora, the blue-skinned Etti, walked cautiously to the door and to the troops behind it. This left only Allanar, the Chiss, the hum of lightsais, and the illumination of hyperspace.
Her red eyes met Allanar's, and she spoke once more as a smile crept upon her lips. "The havoc has just begun." She crouched and quickly leapt into the air toward Allanar.
Chiss Join Battle: Wits + Awareness + Sense + Divination: 7 successes
((Read my notes in Star Wars: Combat regarding long ticks. In your response, include your goals in the next minute or so of combat (one long tick). Include rolls for join battle (including Jedi Intuition), a combat roll, and any force powers that are part of your narrative for the first long tick. Regardless of whether you win join battle, you can declare your intentions.))
Akea hadn't completely eased the tension in the room before he began hashing out a plan. The troops' weapons remained trained on one another even with the Jedi Master blocking some lines of fire. Both Shira Tal and Pellaeon listened to the Jedi Master's plan. Pellaeon looked furious more than fearful; he is a man that likes to be in control, and he did not appear to be in control of this situation. When Akea paused, Pellaeon replied coldly. "Just get me to my ship, Jedi. This meeting is over. Whenever, wherever we emerge from hyperspace, we are leaving." It was clear to Pellaeon that with only a small contingent of troops he was powerless in this situation. He seemed to ignore Akea's consideration for emergence in hostile territory and his decoy plans. But perhaps it was a risk he was willing to take, or a risk that was less than that of sharing a getaway with the New Republic delegation.
"Admiral," Miat Temm, the force-sensitive female in the Imperial delegation, spoke up. "I sense a Dark Jedi aboard the bridge. You're in danger."
His facial expression was unchanged, a true show of composure in the most tumultuous of times. Once upon a time, the Sith ruled the Empire with an iron fist. It seemed ironic, yet not surprising, that they now threatened that very leadership. A slight sigh from the Admiral was the only visible cue to his uneasiness; perhaps he regretted being so rude in his previous remark or perhaps he was uncomfortable appealing to the Jedi Order for help. He looked to the towering serpent in the center of the room, "I request your escort to the hangar. I fear I may be the primary target of this attack."
Both sets of troops lowered their weapons after Pellaeon made his request. Whether or not Akea agreed to Pellaeon's escort request, he sensed they were at least on-board with his plan to get to the hangar and prepare to evacuate. The fact they were willing to cooperate at all was a success. Shira Tal pondered internally that perhaps there was hope for a renewed truce after all if they could cooperate and emerge from this crisis unharmed.
((The hangar and communications equipment are in opposite directions and approximately equidistant from the conference room. Your next post can include the troops securing corridors and the groups reaching their intended destinations, however you choose to split them with this new information. Akea's senses still indicate that the danger is isolated to the bridge, for now.))
Kirkland 02:24, 16 July 2009 (EDT)
Allanar disregarded the crew as it left the room, overall their safety would be a good thing and it might help greatly if they're able to retake control of the ship. They would need some officers to pilot it back to NR territory. He calmly met the red gaze of the Chiss, a faint frown as a sigh escaped his lips when she spoke and began to crouch.
"The havoc you have caused is already too great, I will put an end to it."
He calmed himself into an intense focus as the battle was about to break out, his lightsaber igniting at his side as she burst out of the crouch and into the air. Unfortunately he would have to leave the rest of the ship to Akea, there was no time to split his focus now. He believed that this woman was the only Sith threat aboard the ship, that would provide Akea the necessary advantage to see to the rest.
Allanar took several steps forward, putting himself on the other side of where the Chiss was aimed to land, turning as he did so he spun his lightsaber once behind his back as he raised it up in a high defensive stance in case she intended to attack while she sailed over his head. His knees bent slightly and he rocked his weight momentarily backwards, exploding forward into a lunge as she landed from her jump. He made the first attack the moment she landed upon the ground, using the moment she would be even slightly off balance in her landing as an opening and in an attempt to drive her further off balance. The strike would be strong and driving downwards, attempting to have it follow the momentum of her landing in driving her down and back. This would begin a series of seemingly offensive maneuvers, with long broad-stroked attacks driving her back and keeping her off balance. Though the attacks were deadly offensive they're true design was the opposite, Allanar was implementing a strategy in an attempt to use what obvious advantage he had over her.
Allanar's series of attacks used the obviously longer lightsaber to his advantage to keep himself out of range of her duel lightsais, while using the added leverage of the long blade and natural movements of his Strong Style fighting technique to keep her off balance and give her little chance to go on the offensive herself. He remained focused on slowly swaying the fight in his favor, patiently seeking to gain the advantage as he watched for weakness and analyzed her combat ability.
- Enhance Attribute: 3 Successes.
- +1 Stamina
- +2 Dexterity
- Join Battle: Wits + Awareness + Sense + Divination + Lightning Reflexes: 2, 3, 6, 10, 7, 6, 8, 5, 2, 3, 4, 2, 7. - 5 Successes.
- Attacking Dice Pool: Dexterity + Exotic Weapon: Lightsaber + Control = 6 + 4 + 3 = 13 - 2 (Combat Expertise) = 11 Die Accuracy Pool.
- Speed: 4
- Damage: Strength + 8L = 3 + 8 = 11L + Extra Successes.
- Defense: Dexterity + Exotic Weapon: Lightsaber + Sense = 6 + 4 + 2 = 12/2 = 6 + 1 (Combat Expertise) = 7 Base DV
- DV Penalty -1
- Attack Roll: 9, 9, 8, 8, 8, 7, 6, 6, 5, 4, 3. - 6 Successes.
--FyreFly 18:07, 24 July 2009 (EDT)
The Chiss lunged into the air, the force propelling her faster and further than a normal humanoid. Allanar watched carefully as she reached the peak of her leap and began to come back toward the ground. He stepped forward, blade over is head as she sailed just over his head, her lightsai pointed downward in an attempt to catch his shoulders. The tip of the lightsai caught Allanar's blade and the familiar sound of lightsabers clashing echoed through the bridge. Allanar spun around and went on the offensive as she landed, taking a downward stab at her as she landed. She spun around quickly just before the blade reached her and smacked it away with her two sai. Allanar pressed on with his attack; she backed down the corridor toward the entrance. She met each swing of his with a precise block.
They continued to spar, and for every three attacks by Allanar she attempted an offensive lunge of her own. Allanar was able to parry with relative ease. As they neared the bridge entrance, the Chiss warrior took an occasional glance back at the doorway. Allanar's Echani Martial Arts allowed him to recognize and predict the way she was parrying his attacks. She was clearly a Form III user, the most defensive of forms that was often useful in the deflection of blaster fire. He now understood why many of the bridge officers lay wounded or worse.
Her style and motion when parrying his attacks reminded him of someone he was much more familiar with. Someone he had a good friendship with, at one point in their lives. Someone who trained along side him. Brakiss... that thought was quickly interrupted by the Chiss leaping from her feet as she backed up near the door. The force channeling through her, she attempted to kick off the durasteel wall above the main door. Allanar took one last swipe as she kicked off the wall, catching her upper-shin near the knee. She muffled a moan of pain as her leap fell short. She tumbled to the ground, not even halfway toward her intended target.
She rolled once and came to a stop, bringing herself to stand on her knees. Her lightsai disengaged as Allanar walked up behind her, his lightsaber still glowing blue. She spoke, her back still turned. "Your fighting skills are exceptional," she said slowly, with a pause to wince at her noticeable pain. A low tone from one of the bridge consoles began beeping as she continued to speak. "But... you are running out of time."
The starlines in the cockpit faded and a small planet or moon zoomed into the picture, filling nearly half of the viewport. The surface was textured with what appeared to be a deep blue cloud cover. They had only been in hyperspace for a minute, Allanar thought, so they must still be in the Anthos Sector.
((I did not roll for each individual attack, rather I let the rolls symbolize a longer period of fighting, which is more typical of lightsaber combat. The attack you rolled for was a hit, and it dealt 5 lethal damage to the Chiss.))
- Hit for 11L + 1 extra success = 12L
- Chiss Soak 3L
- Damage Roll: 5, 8, 4, 2, 7, 8, 7, 9, 4 - 5 successes
Kirkland 03:38, 25 July 2009 (EDT)
The aging serpent eyed Miat Temm as she spoke, curious about the woman's knowledge of the Force. He was somewhat uneasy about sending her with the other group, but the group headed to the hangar would need a Force-user with them in the unfortunate event that the Sith struck. Akea also briefly considered changing roles with her and escorting the government leaders to the hangar, but was hesitant to send her deeper into the ship - Though he was certain Pallaeon was genuinely surprised, he could not fully discount unforeseen treachery yet, and hoped to keep the ship's two non-Republic Force users separated for the time being.
He resigned himself to trusting her - She at least seemed concerned enough about Pallaeon that if the Admiral were paired with the Republic Leaders, Miat would keep the group safe if she had to, especially amongst a majority share of Republic troops. Having made up his mind, he spoke, turning his attention to the Imperial leadership and, in particular, Miat Temm.
"I think it best if we send one Force sensitive individual with each group, in the event that our Dark Jedi assailant should move on past the bridge. We can't waste any time - Our journies will be safest so long as Allanar has the enemy occupied."
Akea turned to the Imperial troops - Though he'd like to split them up in the interest of caution, he knew he didn't have time to talk Pallaeon into that agreement. The Republic troops outnumbered them in total, and would have the advantage once they picked up an attache of reinforcements. There would be a brief danger period where the Imperials would match or outnumber the Republic troops, since Akea would also require a small coterie of backup. He'd hedge his bets by assuming they were in more danger than he, and do his best to leave as many of the available Republic troops as he could with the government leaders.
He continued constructing his plan, speaking as he thought. By his own figuring, Akea should be able to get by with three troops from the conference chamber - they could meet up with reinforcements closer to the communications array,and in the event they didn't, he'd need one soldier to cover the doorway, one soldier for lookout, and one soldier to operate the communications equipment to ensure it wasn't permanently damaged as Akea drained its power.
Still facing the Imperial troops, Akea vocalized, "Accompany the Grand Admiral and the Republic leadership to the hangar bay; on the way, you will be joined by the troops I've arranged to secure the relevant corridors on the way there."
His gaze shifted to the New Republic troops, and his plan continued to ferment.
"I need three of you to come with me - if anyone is a communications specialist, your expertise would be most appreciated. The rest of you should accompany the group to the hangar bay. Move quickly, but do not enter a hallway that has not been confirmed as safe by the other soldiers aboard the ship - it is easier to deal with a re-route than a hostage situation."
Akea, knowing that each passing second might mean the difference between a successful escape and an galactic disaster, left no more room for discussion. Moving with surprising swiftness for his size and age, he punched the controls on the blast doors, turning back to the crowd as they opened behind him with a hiss that, set against the three meter serpent standing proudly before them, was more hopeful than ominous.
He looked at the Prime Minister as he spoke into the comlink at his wrist, which he had set to the security core's private channel. As he began speaking, he shot a glance at the ship's schematic, double checking the syntax of the Amity's hallway nomenclature.
"This is Akea Oahu of the Jedi Order. I need as many available troops as possible to secure corridors 5L, 3N, and 6L on the path to the hangar bay. The stability of the New Republic depends on it - The security of the rest of the ship is of secondary priority. Report your status to Minister Shira Tal's attache. Additionally, if there are available troops near the communications bay, I am requesting that a squad of 5 men rendezvous with me there. Over."
Lowering his wrist, Akea looked to his left and right as the three requested Republic troops joined him. He nodded his thanks, and turned to Pallaeon, elongating to nearly his full height as he prepared to exit.
"Put your fears to rest, Grand Admiral. You are safe under the watch of the Jedi Order."
With that, he quickly about-faced and paused momentarily for his entourage to follow suit. Privately, he couldn't help but let slip an awestruck, albeit guarded smile - He'd been buried in his books and artifacts so long he'd forgotten what heroism felt like.
With that, the parties split and deployed, wasting no time in reaching their destinations.
Akea moved quickly, laying enough of his body down that he became shorter than the troops traveling with him - with so much contact muscle, the Jedi Master was able to produce a snakelike sidewinding motion across the ship's cold floor, easily matching their jogging pace. Though he was largely silent, it was because of his focus - He appeared to be singly focused in his dash to the communications bay, but his mind was quite busy. With each turn the troops took, Akea would scan the hallway ahead for danger. They were fortunate to find none. At the same time, he reached out to the group of Republic and Remnant leaders, relieved to find that their journey had been safe to this point as well. He'd feel much better when the extra troops he'd sent to the hangar bay corridors joined their ranks.
Finally, Akea reached out to Allanar, divining his peril. Realizing that Allanar engaged the Sith at this very moment, Akea was again relieved - He'd seen Allanar fight, and was hopeful that he'd dispatch of the threat before evacuation became necessary, assuming that extenuating circumstances permitted them to remain aboard the Amity (He still was not aware of their hyperspace destination, however).
He had considered paging Allanar's comlink, but did not want to interrupt his focus. Stretching his Force field so thin, he felt a dull pain in his left side as he inhaled - his sickness would have to be ignored for now. He coughed slightly, but fortunately, the pain passed, and he continued moving. When the quartet arrived at the communications bay, they were greeted by 5 New Republic soldiers. Akea heightened himself again, greeting them.
"I am Akea Oahu, and I am honored to make your acquaintances. We must work quickly - time is crucial."
Dan 19:39, 26 July 2009 (EDT)
Renora Cordalis and the other crew members that escaped the bridge were heading to the communications room with five troopers as Akea requested. She was quite familiar with the communications system, but she wondered how the Jedi knew that the system was disabled, and for that matter, why he wanted to repair it first. She needed to speak with Akea directly and warn him of a more immediate threat.
They turned the final corner, where the Dur Sabon and his small contingent of troops stood outside the communications room, having just arrived themselves. She had never seen a Dur Sabon before and was quite intimidated by the sight. His polite introduction and composure put her at ease somewhat, but her anxiety was easily detected in her voice. "Master Oahu, I'm Renora Cordalis, Amity's comm officer. The communication system experienced a cascading failure just before the attack. I saw," she paused, disengaging eye contact and looked to the floor, "I saw the assailant set the nav coordinates. It's a microjump, and we should be coming out of hyperspace any moment."
Akea's comlink chirped, and the voice of a trooper said, "This is Besh Team, we've reached the hangar."
Kirkland 22:54, 26 July 2009 (EDT)
Akea quickly assessed the crowd, finally settling his gaze on Renora Cordalis. He had not expected the communications system to be disabled already, nor had he anticipated a microjump. That meant the Amity hadn't left the star system - it wasn't impossible that the assailants had stashed their fleet nearby, ready to move in if the ambush by the Sith had failed.
His plan would need to be reformulated, but Akea was not the sort to ignore contigencies. After a brief moment of thought, reflected physically with a slight relaxation in his posture, the serpent's body trunk grew more rigid again as he spoke up.
"Renora, we need you to re-activate the ship's long-distance communications array as quickly as possible. As soon as you are able to do so, broadcast a distress signal to the New Republic fleet elsewhere in the system. Include our present coordinates if possible, and copy them to my comlink."
The Jedi Master turned his attention to the eight troopers present with him.
"Two of you should assist Renora in restoring the communications array. If any of you are communications or repair specialists, your expertise would serve our Republic well. Another two should cover the east hallway, where I came from, and another two should cover the north hallway, from whence Renora and five of you emerged. Scout the length of hallway and maintain regular status updates. Finally, the remaining two should remain here, with me, outside of the communications room. For now, we will ensure that this room is safe - we have a haven aboard this ship so long as the two of you remain. I may ask one of you to accompany me to the bridge, but that will depend on the events soon to unfold."
Akea watched as the troopers began moving to their positions and assisting Renora with the initial communications repairs. As he did so, he raised his wrist-mounted comlink to his mouth without shifting his gaze. His comlink was an ancient model, though it functioned well and Akea found its dial-based frequency alignment more comfortable for his large, webbed digits. Eyeing the dial briefly to see that it was set to Allanar's frequency, he spoke quietly into the receiver.
"Allanar, return to or remain on the bridge once the threat is neutralized. If no able officers are present, I would ask you to access the hyperspace terminal aboard the bridge. Presumably, the route on which we jumped to this point should still be clear - all interstellar movement takes place at a rate much slower than we'd move through hyperspace channels. It is possible that our opponents have brought along gravity well generators, but if we act quickly, we may be able to jump back to the fleet before we move them into position. Reverse the coordinates of the microjump and be ready to execute them. Additionally, copy these coordinates to the commander of Besh Team. They currently travel with the Republic leadership, and if it becomes necessary to evacuate them on a separate vessel, those coordinates will be of crucial importance."
With that, Akea snapped a larger dial and quickly adjusted a smaller one, whose movement was much more fluid. He raised it again to speak as he watched his companions take their posts, but suddenly, gave pause. For a moment, his gaze again rested on Renora. If their escape channels were blocked, a great deal rested on her capabilities. Sensing that their fate may lie in her hands, he lowered his arm slowly, closing his eyes. He felt the Force moving through the group as they fought for the safety of the Republic's leaders, and he hoped that the Force would with Renora in her efforts. With that, he resumed the execution of his plan, lofting his comlink near his lips once again.
"Besh Team, this Akea Oahu. Secure two ships in the hangar and prepare them for launch, but do not launch without word from the bridge. Shortly, you'll receive a set of hyperspace coordinates - these are the reverse of the microjump the ship was just put through, and if we should evacuate the ship quickly, you may be able to jump the escape vessel back to the New Republic fleet line. I will soon dispatch a distress signal with our coordinates. The threat on the bridge remains, but I am confident in Allanar's ability to address the situation. I will provide status reports immediately pending any change in the scenario; do likewise."
Akea, satisfied that the plan was moving forward, folded his hands in front of him and again closed his eyes. He stretched even further, attempting to ascertain the fate of the ship as a whole with respect to its surroundings. He knew he was pushing his limits, but he was bound by duty to protect the galaxy's most important figures, and his well being was of no consequence against theirs.
Sense Danger: Sense + Divination + Willpower + Concentration (1 die): 6 7 8 1 10 10 1 2 + willpower = 6 successes
((I wasn't sure if a new roll would be necessary, but we technically changed locales, which presents a whole new set of potential dangers, so I re-rolled. This roll is better than my first, so it ended up working out for me, but if you wouldn't have asked for a re-roll here, then apply my previous roll to your reply.))
Dan 22:55, 5 August 2009 (EDT)
Allanar approached slowly and with caution, she was still armed and she would still be able to use the force against him. He moved within striking distance of her, remaining at her back and his light saber raised steady, close enough for her to feel the heat radiating from it. He was silent for a moment after she spoke, ignoring the controls for the moment.
“Your arrogance is your weakness, it clouds the obvious truth. Cooperation is now your only hope to escape this bridge alive, drop your weapons and be quick with your answer, I’ll let you waste no more time for your plot to unravel.”
He set aside his feelings and thoughts of Brakiss, and old friend who had taken the wrong path. Once he had hoped to be able to bring him back to the light side, to make the switch as Allanar had long ago. He would hope to be able to question the woman later, but focus was necessary to ensure their survival.
Allanar looked up briefly as they exited out of hyperspace, a quick analysis given to their new location. They were not far from the meeting point, but that did not mean they avoided danger. When he looked up he also gave a brief look at the status of the controls, a quick gauge of how operable they were. The nav computer had been badly damaged by the woman before combat broke out, that might complicate things.
Allanar did not recognize the planet that the micro jump had taken them to but was relatively certain it was an uninhabited planet, there was no reason the planet should have been dangerous, but it was unknown which meant a trap could easily be sprung from here. Allanar received the chirp of his communicator and listened as the familiar voice of Master Akea sounded over the comlink.
“Akea, the threat is contained. But the nav computer has been badly damaged, I’ll try to retrieve our current coordinates, but repairs will be necessary to make the reverse jump. The micro jump took us to a planet I am not familiar with, but seems to be uninhabited. “
Assuming that the Chiss woman dropped her weapons, Allanar would move cautiously towards the nav computer to investigate its status. He remained half turned towards the woman, his light saber still active and one hand on the nav controls trying to pull up the coordinates.
Int + Planetary Systems Roll - 3 successes.
Int + Computer Use (1 Willpower) - 4 Successes.
--FyreFly 23:27, 9 August 2009 (EDT)
This Chiss released her grip on the lightsai handles she was holding and they hit the ground with a clank that echoed through the otherwise quiet bridge. Allanar backed away slightly and used the force to telekenetically pull the lightsai along the floor and over to him. He picked them up with his off-hand, then proceeded to walk toward the navicomputer console, assessing its damage and careful not to turn a blind eye to the Chiss. She remained quiet.
Allanar saw that the navigation console was damaged. The screens were off and some sparks randomly jumped from the circuitry that was pierced by the blades of the lightsai. It was clearly inoperable, but Allanar knew enough about computer systems to know that this console was not the navicomputer itself. However the customized controls equipped for examining star charts and plotting courses would have been useful, but he would have to find another way to tap into the ship's systems.
He walked over to the sensors station, a console that allowed him to face the Chiss directly. She had closed her eyes now, and remained still. Allanar began working through the screens at the terminal to access the navigation subsystem. He finally pulled up their coordinates. Rapsis III, the third planet in the Rapsis system, the screen read. This was the planet that filled the bridge viewport and its proximity grew ever closer. The screen came to life with more information. It was indeed uninhabited with any form of civilized life, but the oceans were home to a wide variety of lesser life forms. The planet was almost completely covered by water, though that water was mixed with many toxic chemicals. The atmosphere was, in general, turbulent and a breath mask required for humans.
(roll) Allanar pulled up the jump coordinates that were just executed. Something caught his eye, and he double checked to make sure he had pulled up the right coordinates. He did, but what he noticed was still rather peculiar. These coordinates may have been executed in the past few minutes, but the timestamp of their creation was 4 Enola... or yesterday.
A small warning signal began to flash at the bottom of his screen and a few of the console's buttons lit up along with an audible alarm. He pressed one of the buttons which brought up the sensor scan on another screen. An Imperial Star Destroyer had entered passive sensor range and was approaching the rear of the Amity.
The Chiss warrior opened her eyes and smiled as the sensor console continued to beep. She let out a short laugh and said, "My friends are here."
Kirkland 23:34, 10 August 2009 (EDT)
Chapter 2 Concluded. Experience Awarded: 4.
Your next responses will begin Chapter 3: Fish in a Barrel.