Chapter 4: Measured Success
|
Star Wars: |
|---|
|
Stories |
|
Characters |
|
Suggested Music: Star Wars Episode V Soundtrack - Luke's Rescue
5 Elona, 25 ABY - Leviathan - Rapsis System, Anthos Sector, Inner Rim
((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 Leviathan 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, unfortunately; 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)
Renora's eyes widened, clearly a look of concern that she has been outed as an accomplice. She scoffed at the suggestion that she knows the Chiss warrior, but it was absolutely clear to Akea that she was lying. She then abruptly tried to end the conversation. "Do what you must, your suspicions hold no merit. We should be getting back to the fleet, they are expecting us for debriefing."
Renora had turned her back and began to walk away, but stopped after Akea's response. "While my suspicions hold no merit with you, they would certainly hold merit in a court martial."
She turned to face him once again. "And if I take you up on your offer to remain on the Leviathan?"
Akea couldn't, under his own moral code, completely circumvent the NR's justice system. "I'll defer filing any allegations against her until I've heard your side of the story; and then I'll do everything I can to make sure that the courts understand your reasons."
She begrudgingly accepted Akea's offer.
Kirkland 01:15, 30 November 2009 (EST)
"Very well, then. Meet up with Allanar on the ship's lower level. I'll inform Naval Command of our departure, and I'll join the two of you shortly."
As Renora left for the medical bay, Akea watched her go for a moment before turning and making his way to bridge. Upon reaching the controls, he established a channel with the fleet line's dispatcher.
"Republic navy command, this is Akea Oahu aboard Leviathan. Allanar Onsai, Ensign Renora Cordalis, and myself are departing for Yavin IV with the Chiss intruder from the Amity -- for the time being, she is in the custody of the Jedi Order. Ensign Cordalis witnessed first-hand the events that took place today, and if command does not object, the Jedi Order would benefit from her assistance in the initial investigation."
After a few moments of radio silence, the dispatch replied.
"Leviathan, you are cleared for departure. Command has approved Ensign Cordalis's temporary re-location to Yavin IV."
Akea silently nodded to himself and punched in the pre-programmed astrogation coordinates to Yavin IV. Thinking to himself for a moment, he flipped open the extended control panel for comlink frequencies. Flicking a few switches, Akea configured the communications server aboard ship to record on all outgoing frequencies. He shut the panel and eyed the loop from which he typically hung his lightsaber. After thinking for a moment, he decided it best that the lightsaber remained with him for the present.
Before exiting the bridge, he turned his comlink dial to Allanar's personal frequency and spoke into it.
"Allanar, I'll be coming to the medical bay shortly. We'll soon be en route to Yavin IV. I've sent Renora your way - she's implicitly admitted to being involved with the ambush and has agreed to discuss her side of the story with us. I'll fill you in on the details at Yavin IV. We can't ascertain her true loyalties yet, but we should focus on determining the driving force behind her getting involved with the ambush. She may not reveal everything she knows directly, but tracing her involvement to its source or cause may shine light on the bigger picture. I have some questions prepared, but Jedi work in groups for a reason - no two individuals have the same intuitions. If any questions come to your mind, you should not hesitate to field them - recall, for now, however, that Renora has not proven herself guilty or hostile. It is quite possible she is caught up in a scheme whose depth is beyond what she was aware of."
Akea arrived at the medical bay's foyer, where Renora had arrived moments earlier. The trio gathered, and Akea offered Renora a seat, though he did not insist she take it. The Leviathan rushed into hyperspace with a familiar, audible discharge of energy, followed only by the quiet hum of hyperspace. Akea initiated the conversation; though he had resumed a more formal, less sympathetic tone when dealing with Renora, there was no aggression or hostility apparent in his voice - he did not presume yet that Renora was fully a traitor, and bore her no ill will. He only hoped to elucidate the objective truth of the situation. He did not scold Renora for her earlier lie, he simply did not acknowledge her initial denial of familiarity with the intruder.
"Your concern for the Chiss woman suggests to me the two of you were previously acquainted. How did the two of you meet?"
Dan 01:31, 3 December 2009 (EST)
((Hyperspace travel time from Rapsis III to Yavin IV - 36 hours))
She sighed, "Perhaps I should start by introducing myself. My full name is Chaf'ren'oraina," she pronounced the name in her native Cheunh language. She confirmed what the Jedi had already expected, that she was a Chiss. When converting Chiss names to Basic, they typically took the first few syllables after the family name. Renora Cordalis was surely a fake identity, but the name Renora was derived from her Chiss name. Though their eyes were normally red, she must have had some sort of mechanism to disguise them.
"She and I grew up together," she motioned to the unconscious Sith warrior on the bed. "Her name is Chaf'vay'rakkani. I haven't seen her in years. The last time I saw her, we were training for the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet."
Akea nodded, and questioned further. "What was your interest in becoming involved with this ambush? Was the intention to wipe out party leadership, or was this an explicit attempt to provoke war by interrupting an attempt to salvage the Bastion Accords?"
She shook her head, "I'm afraid I don't know the true motives. During training, I was assigned to an elite operative program within the CEDF. My assignment was to infiltrate the New Republic military and await further instructions." She took a deep breath, combating a mix of emotions: relief, shame, and anxiety. It was obvious she was uncomfortable releasing these details, but she felt it must be done. "When this conference was announced, I did what I was ordered to do. I assigned myself to the Amity, preprogrammed the hyperspace coordinates, and disabled the communications systems."
Akea continued, "Certainly you'd considered that your actions would result in a loss of innocent life, and possibly war. What cause so impassions you that you have taken it upon yourself to be an arbiter of life and death in the galaxy?"
Renora's eyes narrowed slightly, unhappy with the implication that she had a real choice in the matter. "We were taught never to question our orders, though I had plenty. I am sure you are aware of the Chiss Non-Aggression Law. If the Chiss Ascendancy were involved, then today's actions are a flagrant violation of the law, as far as I can tell. As an agent, I'm kept in the dark so much that I am not even entirely sure who I work for anymore. I'm not even sure who we were rendezvousing with at Rapsis III, and I certainly don't know of any Imperial-class Star Destroyers in the CEDF."
Allanar spoke up, "The man we made contact with while fleeing the Star Destroyer, do you know who he was?"
She shook her head. "I suspect Vayra might know. My instructions did not detail the rendezvous. I was only to facilitate getting the Amity to Rapsis III and getting Vayra onboard. That was the extent of my assignment."
Allanar asked, "When we spoke with him he mentioned operatives, you and Vayra are obviously two of them. Are there any others?"
She responded, "The CEDF surely has hundreds of operatives but on this assignment, I am not aware of any others, nor am I aware of any others assigned within the New Republic military. I don't like to speculate when so much is unknown to me, but that man on the Imperial Star Destroyer implied we were working for him, which implies he works for the CEDF. I find that tough to fathom, for the reasons I just explained."
Allanar thought back to the moment Renora hesitated to send the ship into hyperspace. "You seemed certain that they would not fire on our ship with the intruder on board, how were you certain?"
"I wasn't. I figured going to hyperspace gave Vayra fewer escape options. We were out of turbolaser range, so I knew at worst they could use their ion cannons. They probably think we went down with the Amity."
"I hope you can see now why I chose to remain here on the Leviathan. I fear a court-martial would be the end for me, no matter how much I cooperated." It seemed that each statement Renora made produced more questions than answers, but there was no doubt that she could very well be a key component in unlocking this mystery. If she was indeed being sincere, she was a lost soul and someone's pawn in a galactic-scale political game.
Before Allanar could ask about Brakiss and the Shadow Academy, the pulse monitor attached to Vayra beeped, indicating a rising level of activity. Renora looked at Vayra, then back at the pair of jedi. "Do you want me in here when she wakes up?"
Kirkland 21:20, 5 December 2009 (EST)
Akea sincerely wished that he could trust Renora's word at its face value, but these times did not permit negligence of due caution. Although he was inclined to believe her, he knew his character judgment was not flawless. As she spoke, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he reached out with the Force. He did not wish to attempt to penetrate her specific thoughts, only to ascertain the truth of the information she'd told them.
Akea probes the truth of Renora's statements with Force Telepathy. Sense (4) + Telepathy (3): 10 (wild die), 5, 4, 4, 9, 9, 1, additional roll from wild die: 1, 4 successes.
At the tail end of his probe, the chirping of Vayra's pulse monitor sparked Renora's question, to which Akea carefully thought of his reply before voicing it.
"I would like to speak with Vayra privately, if you have no objection. Allanar, if you have any other questions you'd like to field for Renora, this would be an excellent time to do so."
He nodded to them both in a dismissive, though not impolite fashion. It was not his intention to shield his questioning from Allanar, but he did mean for Allanar to escort Renora; he did not trust her alone to wander the ship. He wanted to speak with Vayra alone with the intent of exposing any trickery on the part of either Chiss, in the event that Vayra's story did not sync up with Renora's. His hope was that removing Renora from the room might obscure her presence from Vayra long enough for Akea to question her before she scanned for any information Renora might have relinquished. As the Sith began to stir slightly, Akea closed his eyes and leaned back into a meditative position, drawing the Force around him.
Akea concentrates for 18 seconds as the Sith wakes up. Hoping to catch her before she has the chance to unleash any Force potential of her own, he lunges into her mind, searching for any emotional or strategic connection to a master or superior. Sense (4) + Telepathy (3) + Concentration (3) + Willpower: 7 (wild die), 5, 6, 8, 8, 6, 5, 4, 8, 3 = 4 successes + 1 from willpower = 5 successes.
As Vayra's glowing red eyes blinked into focus, she was greeted by the stern gaze of the Dur Sabon Jedi Master. Akea did not abandon his drive for peaceful resolution, though this woman's willingness to harness the Dark Side of the Force made her inner intentions quite clear; with that in mind, Akea was much less sympathetic to this Chiss intruder.
"You have much to account for if you hope to justify your actions aboard the Amity today. Your ambush threatens not only the Bastion Accords, but the sanctity of the Non-Aggression Law as well. As the events were described to me, it is clear that you serve another, or pretend to. It seems unlikely that the CEDF would commandeer an Imperial-class Star Destroyer in any official capacity; perhaps your superior draws his authority from a darker power? I know not, but if indeed you serve a cause higher than simple bloodshed for its own sake, I suspect that any agenda can be addressed readily without any further loss of life, regardless of how antithetical it is to the current status quo. For that to happen, however, you would need to divulge the identity of the man who hailed the Amity and the message he hoped to send with today's attack. To whom do you owe your allegiance?"
Akea intentionally did not yet mention the affiliation with CEDF intelligence that Renora had indicated; the Chiss woman's initial response, if indeed she gave one, might produce a useful discrepancy.
Dan 19:16, 12 December 2009 (EST)
After using the force, Akea was confident that Renora was, in fact, telling the truth. Renora and Allanar exited the medical room, leaving only the Dur Sabon and injured Chiss.
As the Chiss awoke, both Allanar and Akea felt a general sense of danger sweep through the force. Having a Sith on board was already dangerous, but having one that was conscious was even more so.
Akea reached out with the force, probing Vayra's mind for a connection to a Sith master. Still mired in pain and coming into consciousness, her mental defenses were weakened and her thoughts betrayed her. She was, in fact, a student, a Sith apprentice. A quite alarming find, considering the last known hint of anyone studying Sith philosophy was 11 years ago, in 14 ABY, when the Disciples of Ragnos were defeated by Kyle Katarn and Jaden Korr. Kueller and Brakiss's Shadow Academy was a different brand of Dark Jedi philosophy, separate from the Sith Order, but even they were destroyed a few years ago over Yavin IV.
Vayra shifted in her bed uncomfortably, winced, and put her hand over the bandage wrapped around her wound just below the knee. It was a significant gash, but the wound had cauterized and it was not enough to make her immobile. (in game terms, -2 health levels). Her shift had put the Dur Sabon in her field of vision, and it appeared she had finally come to and realized where she was.
As Akea spoke to her, he got the impression that she was only perhaps hearing half of what he said, but he wasn't sure if it was deliberate ignorance or because she was still disoriented.
There was a moment of hesitation, as if she was deciding whether or not to respond. She remained silent, and closed her eyes once again. Akea noted on the heart monitor that her heart rate decreased slightly. He wasn't sure exactly what she was doing, be it meditating or concentrating, but she was not responding to his queries. The silence lingered as Akea pondered how to approach the situation.
Kirkland 17:53, 15 December 2009 (EST)
Allanar took what Renora had to say for what it seemed to be, nodding to Akea slightly as the intruder started to wake. He escorted Renora out of the room, trusting Akea to handle himself with the Sith intruder, certainly the master was adequately trained to take care of himself especially with her already injured state. Despite that he kept his senses on the room and its inhabitants, splitting his attention enough to be aware of hostilities should they break out.
"I sympathize with your solider perspective Renora and your drive to follow the orders of your superiors, though I wonder... Now that your mission is complete, what do you think of it? Would you consider it a success?" It seemed like it could have been a retorical question, he didn't push getting an answer out of her though he waited long enough for her to respond if she wanted.
After a brief moment he walked down the hall a few steps with Renora, folding his hands into the sleeves of his robes in front of him before he looked over to her. "I had another question for you Renora, if you wouldn't mind humoring me..." He paused for a moment as he stopped in the hall and turned to look over to her. "Have you ever heard of a man named Brakiss or a placed called The Shadow Academy?"
--FyreFly 20:31, 15 December 2009 (EST)
Allanar and Renora walked down the hall reaching the main living room of the ship. It was a small room that could seat about three or four comfortably, and it featured a square table and a few terminals along one wall. Renora took a seat as she pondered a response to Allanar's first question.
"It's an obvious failure, considering the two agents they assigned to it are now in the custody of the Jedi Order. This is just speculation, but I have to guess the objective was to capture or kill the delegation of both parties. They got the Imperials, but if that's all they were after, there were easier ways to go about that." She was looking at the floor when she spoke, obviously still uncomfortable with her current predicament but willing to talk.
"I still can't make any sense of it. This is not the work of the Chiss Ascendancy, or if it is, I want no further part in this." There was a short pause, as she continued to think. She then stood up, "I need to go back to Csilla. I need to know if this is the work of my people."
In response to Allanar's second question, Renora gave him a puzzled look. "Neither of those are familiar to me," she said.
Kirkland 14:53, 16 December 2009 (EST)
"You are Sith."
Although Akea did not make it explicitly clear that he'd pierced Vayra's thoughts, his tone suggested it. He continued speaking to her, hoping to elicit a response. He spoke slowly and even more clearly, wanting to be certain he was understood.
"Again and again, your tradition arises from the ashes of its previous upholders, spurred on by lingering spirits and ancient literature. You have chosen a life of suffering and servitude in exchange for power - power that slips further from your grasp every time you call upon it. You are calling out to your master, perhaps? By all means, I would invite the Sith lord to emerge from the shadows and greet the Jedi Order on even footing. Do you suspect your master will risk life and limb to rescue you?"
Akea continued, leaving room for her to speak up at any point she wished. Though he spoke sternly, nothing he said was in cruel jest or patronizing hyperbole - he was treating her as an equal, albeit a misguided one.
"If you are preparing an attack, I would advise against it. I do not know your skill, but I know that you are injured and outnumbered. I would sincerely regret any harm that came to anyone on board as a result."
Akea backed away from the bed slightly, placing himself far enough way to respond to any sudden actions. Though the Sith was restrained, Akea knew the ease with which Jedi (and, to follow, Sith) could escape most conventional constraints. He spoke once again, returning to the issue at hand.
"You have betrayed not only your integrity, but your people. You did not act alone today - whether or not you are truly an operative of CEDF intelligence I do not know; it is equally possible in my mind that you are attempting to place the blame on them or that you, and perhaps your master, have infiltrated their ranks. I doubt the Chiss Ascendancy would have sponsored your actions either way, had they known the full extent of the situation. The Amity was ambushed by an Imperial Star Destroyer and hailed by an anonymous male. Although Renora was not aware of his identity or his intentions, I suspect you are not similarly oblivious."
Akea let the silence linger while he closed his eyes. A few moments later, he reached out into the Force again, feeling out any power she might be attempting to call to herself.
Sense Force: Sense (4) + Awareness (3) + Concentrate (1) - 6 (wild die), 1, 10, 10, 2, 6, 5: 4 successes.
((Akea does not intend to let the silence linger longer than a minute. If the silence continues that long, Akea will take further action, although I haven't made up my mind on just what that will be yet. In short, if the Sith remains inactive for at least a minute, just confirm that and mention the results of my sense roll, and I'll continue Akea's actions.))
Dan 21:25, 17 December 2009 (EST)
Akea felt through the force that the Chiss was using a sense power.
Vayra broke her silence and opened her eyes. "So, you captured Renora as well. Impressive. I can sense your alarm. It's been how long, 10 years since the Sith have shown themselves?" There was a short pause. "Of course I don't expect my master to come rescue me. It wouldn't be worth his time. I've done my part."
"I have no interest in being detained indefinitely by the Jedi Order. If we can come to an agreement on what value of information would be required to secure my release, I would be willing to have that discussion. I can understand your reluctance in releasing a Sith acolyte, but I expect you'll find that I'm the least of your problems."
((If the opportunity presents itself we could complete this conversation over chat, it might speed it up somewhat.))
Kirkland 17:03, 19 December 2009 (EST)
Allanar took a seat in a chair in the living room of the ship across from Renora, he still kept his attention mostly on her, but allowed his senses to be extended back to the medical bay as well. He simply nodded along with her as she described her feelings on the mission she had just blindly executed, he sympathized with her confusion. He look of confusion and denial was enough, he doubted that if Brakiss was alive she would have any knowledge of him. He would have to consult Master Akea about it later.
"I understand wanting to return home and find out what is going on, however I would advise exercising a bit of patience in this matter. The quickest way back is likely through cooperation, and after all we are after the same thing. We want to figure out what happened and why."
Allanar leaned back in his chair, making it seem he intended to get comfortable and stay in this room a while. He gestured with one hand back towards the chair that Renora had stood up from. "Have a seat. Masker Akea has a tendency to be a bit chatty." He spoke with a light hearted tone, more of an invitation than a demand for her to stay. But in reality there wasn't really much else she could do unless she preferred to return to the rest of her crewmen.
--FyreFly 23:15, 20 December 2009 (EST)
((Just to clarify, the Leviathan only has the 2 Jedi and 2 Chiss aboard. The crewmen were dropped off with the NR fleet before going to hyperspace to Yavin.))
Renora sat back down at the small table. There was an awkward silence as the Jedi knight and Chiss intelligence officer sat across from each other, listening to the hum of the Leviathan's' hyperdrive. "Anything to drink?" she asked. Allanar immediately replied "Of course," and got up from his seat to fix her a drink, trying to make her feel more comfortable.
More time passed in silence as she sipped at the hot drink Allanar had prepared. Allanar was checking on the hyperspace journey on one of the screens when Renora spoke again. "Do you think I could talk to her, Vayra? She has to know what is going on, or at least know more than I do."
Renora wasn't sure if the Jedi would grant her request, but like the Jedi she had many questions that she needed answers to.
Kirkland 00:03, 22 December 2009 (EST)
Akea spoke slowly, but replied almost immediately after the Sith finished speaking. His reply was accompanied by a gentle shake of his head.
"If you do not intend to provide the information I seek without first addressing the terms of your capture, this conversation must be suspended until we reach Yavin IV. Your information could likely prevent further loss of life, and it is regrettable that you would hold those lives as a bargaining chip in the name of self-interest. I alone am neither judge nor jury, however - your fate will be collectively decided by the Jedi Order. If you should rethink your position before we arrive, do contact me."
With that, Akea turned a few dials on his comlink and called to Allanar.
"Allanar, why don't you and Renora trade me places? Perhaps Renora will be able to elicit some information from Vayra. Keep in mind, however, that the two may be able to speak with each other non-vocally. Besides, I'd like to be at the bridge for our arrival at Yavin IV."
It was Akea's implicit intention that Renora now be granted the chance to talk to Vayra, although only under Allanar's supervision, that he may monitor mental and as well as verbal communication between the two. After the pair had taken their place in the medical bay, Akea returned to the bridge.
Through the rest of the trip, Akea entered a light meditative stance and focused his energies around Vayra - he tried no further to invade her mind; his efforts were directed at sensing the Sith's Force usage.
((Essentially, if it becomes relevant, Akea is maintaining a 3-die Concentration bonus and making periodic Sense Force rolls throughout the rest of the trip. If Akea detects that she's communicating with an outside power, or if she's preparing some directly hostile Force attack, he intends to place her in an involuntary stasis with Morichiro for the duration of the trip. Finally, once they arrive at Yavin IV and Renora and Vayra have left the ship, Akea intends to check that covert recording he made of the ship's outgoing frequencies.))
Dan 19:57, 3 January 2010 (EST)
((Tony do you want me to proceed as if Allanar has no objections to the two Chiss speaking? Or do you want to post? I envision this being the last event before arriving at Yavin IV.))
Kirkland 23:28, 6 January 2010 (EST)
((Go ahead and post Brian. Allanar has no objections and would just monitor the conversation while using the force to sense mental communication or force usage.)) --FyreFly 17:56, 7 January 2010 (EST)
The Jedi switched places. Akea headed to the bridge to make final preparations before reverting to realspace, while Allanar and Renora went to the medical bay to have a short chat with their Sith prisoner.
The conversation started almost immediately, with Renora barking something in Cheunh. Her tone surprised Allanar, and he quirked an eyebrow. As he sat in the seat across from the bed, he asked politely, "Could you speak in Basic, please?"
The two ignored him, and began a heated exchange in their native Cheunh tongue. He didn't feel it to be threatening and let it continue. Renora's body language indicated she was upset, and it seemed as if she was bombarding the Sith with questions. The Sith seemed dismissive and indifferent, though occasionally snapped back in harsher tones. Allanar wasn't sure if that was an emotional indicator or just a characteristic of the spoken tongue.
When Allanar noticed Renora clench her fist, he decided it was time to end the conversation. He stood up and moved quickly toward Renora, preempting any action she had planned. "I think that's enough, why don't you join Master Akea in the cockpit? We should be arriving soon."
He guided her, somewhat forcefully, from the room and shut the door.
Chapter 4 Concluded. Experience Awarded: 4.
Your next responses will begin Chapter 5: Empire of the Hand.