Prologue - Lek

May 29, 2016 5:52 pm
The mottled clouds of hyperspace shine outside your viewport, casting dancing lights on your datapad. You have a standard 'pedia entry open about Corellia, but your mind wanders as you try to read,

Its not like this thing can tell me anything I don't already know, you think.

Your trip has been long and uneventful, and soon your transport will drop out of hyperspace above Corellia, and you will be home.

Home? you think, will I ever be able to call it that again?

A serving droid comes past offering drinks and snacks to the passengers, but you don’t feel like ordering anything right now. Your mouth is dry and your stomach feels like a lump of duracrete. You know that each time you have changed transport you have been heading deeper into Imperial territory. And you can’t get any deeper than Corellia without going to Coruscant itself. Security will be tight.
"Remember, you must each try to play to your strengths, but that won’t always be possible," the instructor had said, "in that case you will need to improvise. Always remember, the biggest mistake is inaction."

General Mirax Felidoron was a suave, handsome fellow who seemed to fill a room. His easy manner and the way he appeared to want nothing more than to become good friends with everyone he met must have been huge assets in his original career in the Imperial Senate.

He looked each of you in the eye as he was talking, his voice enunciating each point perfectly,

"But whatever other orders you get, I want you all to remember that this order over-rules everything else…"

He paused, checking that you were all listening and were aware of how important this was,

"Your cover comes first. Don’t jeopardise it."
The transport suddenly drops back to real-space and you see the planet hanging there outside your port. It sparkles in the light of Corell, glinting green and blue.

The transport banks and zooms straight down towards Coronet, the capital city. As it does you catch glimpses of the huge and numerous space stations that make up the industrial capacity of this great planet. In the distance the white arrow of an Imperial Star Destroyer sits in dry-dock, probably being refurbished. Bright drive trails dart about all around it, the whole scene a hive of activity.

Suddenly three TIE fighters come past from behind the transport in tight formation, escorting the ship to the atmosphere. Your heart beats harder in your chest, but you reassure yourself, this is all normal.

The transport joins a queue of other ships approaching Coronet spaceport, the pre-eminent hub of spacecraft in the entire galaxy. Craft of every type imaginable can be found, from sleek one-person racers to huge cargo scows, and even top-of-the-line military craft. The average Corellian is a true spacecraft fanatic, and one glance at the traffic here is enough to confirm that.

After a few minutes in the queue the transport touches down in its allotted docking bay and the passengers start gathering their belongings to disembark.

This is it. This is the point where the odds would say this is most likely to go wrong. You grin as you hoist your bag onto your shoulder,

A Corellian doesn't care about the odds!
You step off the mag-lev and into the terminal, which is clean, shiny and spacious. The crowds file through in orderly processions, following illuminated tracks on the floor. At corridor intersections and in the corners of the larger areas Imperial Stormtroopers stand conspicuously watching all who pass.

This is new, the terminal had until recently dealt with its own security, with back-up from CorSec. It would appear that despite their protests that this "rebellion" is just a few troublemakers, the Empire is starting to take some notice.
May 29, 2016 6:34 pm
Don't make eye-contact with the others. Don't look at your feet. Don't look around too much, and above anything, never...

"Travel papers?"

The voice lifted me out of my reverie. I'd been staring through a window of the terminal, trying to identify ships by their exhaust trails. Of course, most ships here were so heavily customised it was nearly impossible. But it kept my mind occupied.

"Sir?"

I turned to the voice and a young Imperial officer in his crisp dark-grey uniform had his glove-clad hand outstretched. If this were any other day I'd made sure the superior smirk on his face was replaced with one of chagrin, but not today. Lay low, think of your cover.

I took out the requested documents from my pocket and slapped them into his palm. A small show of irritation, but one expected from a gruff, older passenger like me. They would be in order. The Rebellion's best forgers had seen to that. The boy consulted a datapad and cross-referenced the number on my landing permit to what he was expecting. He nodded curtly and without looking at me handed back my docs.

"Very well, carry on. Next!"
They were all the same now, I reflected whilst I stomped along the corridor. Spotty-faced oiks - or they would be if the Imperials didn't dictate mandatory skin cleansing for all their public-facing personnel - with stick so far up their behinds it was a wonder they could turn their heads at all.

I hadn't washed in four standard days. I didn't care for mandatory skin cleansing, but being cooped up in a smelly transport with sleeping workers from one of the off-planet docks made me yearn for a bath. I hoped my bunk in the hostel came with one. I might have to fork out some credits if it didn't.

Another window, but this time it looked out over Coronet. It looked like nothing had changed but I knew better. All over that bloody city were Imperials - like that smarmy kid just now - chipping away at the foundations of what made Corellia once the greatest planet in the galaxy. And even though I left this hellhole with the smoke of blaster impacts fresh in my nostrils and the yoke of a bounty heavy around my neck, it was my hellhole dammit!

...and above anything, don't get angry!

Well, it was bloody well too late for that. I was angry and someone was going to get a good kicking for ruining my system.

I took a deep breath and remembered my one-on-one lesson with elder Furze Platt. Anger could be channelled into better things than just shouting and kicking. Anger was always there, as there was no action without some anger. But letting it out all at once was never the right way. Growl now, kick later.

So I set my pack straight on my shoulders, growled at nothing in particular and set out to find the nearest cantina. I might as well have a good drink whilst I still smelled and looked like a vagabond.
May 29, 2016 8:27 pm
Treasure Ship Row was legendary among drinkers, gamblers, criminals and addicts. It was the place to go to have a good time. The crowds were wild and the energy buzzing at any time of the day or night. Just the place for a guy to get hammered.

Lek sat on a stool in one of the quieter bars with his pack on the floor and its strap under the leg of the stool. He savoured the drink as it went down and watched the other patrons as they went about their business.

Soon after he came in a Rodian sat beside him and ordered a shot. The little alien's clothes looked in worse repair than Lek's own and he had an air of desperation about him.
May 29, 2016 9:12 pm
Might as well start getting the lay of the land. Maybe get a feel of how things are rolling in the underground as well.

I glanced over to the newcomer, nodded once and waited until he'd downed whatever his poison of choice was. Then I gestured at the barkeep.

"My friend here looks mighty thirsty. Give him some more of what he's wanting. I'll pay."

I turned fully to the guy and smiled at him.

"You look like warmed up Bantha poodoo if you don't mind me saying so. I've just come back to this..." and I took a quick look around "well, let's call it once might fine place, but I'd like to know what in the name of all space slugs has happened to Corellia whilst I've been away. How's the gleaming centre of the galaxy come to be so tattered and worn?"
May 29, 2016 9:35 pm
"Hasn't it always been like this?" the Rodian asks, "Perhaps for humans the Galaxy is a place with wonders, but the rest of us aren't so lucky."

He grabs the drink when the bartended droid sets it down, as if afraid that Lek will change his mind and take it back. He holds the glass in his hands as though it is warming them.

"Maybe you're right, though," he says after a while, "things have been getting worse. The criminals seem to be running the planet now, it's as though the Diktat doesn't even care."
May 31, 2016 5:21 pm
OOC:
Back! Extra-long bank holiday weekend! Unplanned excursions! Whee!
I took a deep pull from my drink and nodded.

"The Diktat has always just been a puppet of the businesses here. As long as they get their share they don't care about the little people. So who's running the show here now then?
May 31, 2016 6:33 pm
"If anyone is it's Zekka Thyne. 'Patches', some call him, but never to his face. He's in charge of Black Sun around here."

You're new friend suddenly looks you in the face,

"Don't go getting involved with those people, they're ruthless. A being has to have a code to live by, but they Black Sun people..." he just ends his sentence with a shudder.
May 31, 2016 8:57 pm
I nodded and emptied my glass.

"Appreciate the warning friend." - at which I shot the serving droid another glance and made the universal symbol for 'again'.

Two drinks were served up rapidly and I clinked quickly with the Rodian.

"Here's to safe homecomings."

I downed the drink and slapped the small alien on the back.

"Talking about home, I'll be finding mine for the night. Be safe yourself!"
On the walk home I pondered what the poor fellow had told me. Zekka Thyne... Where have I heard that name before?
Jun 1, 2016 7:57 am
OOC:
Can you roll an Average Core Worlds check, please?
Jun 1, 2016 11:18 am
OOC:
Hopefully doing this right...

Rolls

Knowledge: Core Worlds

2 Success, 1 Advantage, 2 Failure, 1 Threat

Jun 1, 2016 11:45 am
You know you have heard the name... somewhere. But it just isn't coming back to you right now.
OOC:
Okay, what's your next move? This being Corellia, any piloting jobs get filled very quickly. Is there some way you can prove your skill?
Jun 1, 2016 12:35 pm
Ah well, worries for another time.

I filed away the name to ask one of the others when we got together later in the week. But for now I would have to concentrate on getting a job, preferably with complementary ship.

Going back to testing ships was out of the question. Apart from the fact that my cover would be blown faster than a decompressing escape pod, actual testing jobs were few and far between with the Imperials running the show.

I decided to head over to one of the speeder race tracks in the morning. There might be some open races and possibly a team with a pilot down - somehow. I'd have to make a good impression, but not too good. I didn't want to draw too much attention.

But first: sleep. I didn't want to miss my first Corellian sunrise since I was chased off.
Jun 1, 2016 2:28 pm
As Lek watches the sun rising between the buildings from the roof of his motel, he consults his datapad to pick the best racetrack to visit. Three options present themselves:

The Zoomadrome; a large commercial track used for a mix of demolition derbys, endurance races and dragster events. It catches Lek's eye because they open the track up to the public in the mornings.

The CEC Raceway; a professional track which is one of the circuits used for the prestigious Corellian Cup. It is also home to several race teams including the Corellian Planetary Team, who were just pipped to the post in the Galactic Cup last season.

And then there is one that isn't on the datapad, but Lek had heard rumours about it. A regular race that was held by Groola the Hutt, through the streets of some of the cities of Corellia, but so far never Coronet itself. Lek knew that Groola had recently come to Corellia and owned an entertainment complex called Groola's Palace.
Jun 1, 2016 3:07 pm
Better stay on the right side of the law for this. I'll save the Hutt option if all else fails. Talking about staying legit...

Switching the datapad to my personal pages, I reviewed my cover for the hundredth time. I knew it by heart, of course, but it would be the first time it was going to be tested.

Name: Poyle Datchett
Occupation: shipping pilot


Close enough. - I reviewed the rest of the profile, mostly which ships I'd piloted and when, but it was all in order.

The Zoomadrome sounded interesting, but without a craft I'd probably not get far today.

But, the CEC Raceway... Ah, the memories. I'd not been allowed to race myself as employees were prohibited from entering - unless you knew the right people of course - but I'd been allowed to 'break in' some of the ships the teams flew.

It was so tempting to just barge in and shout that the ol' "Fireball" was back, but... No. Not a good idea.

I looked in the mirror and scratched my salt and pepper beard. It would have to do in case anyone I knew hung around the Raceway.
Jun 1, 2016 8:10 pm
The CEC Raceway gleamed in the light of Corell, it had been built more than a millennium before but still looked brand new. Some styles just don't go out of fashion.

The ticket offices were closed, but the lights at the corporate entrance twinkled invitingly.
Jun 1, 2016 8:38 pm
OOC:
Re-done the post. Removed the skill check as it was not the right thing to do. Apologies.
Well, here goes nothing...

I opened the door to the corporate hospitality lounge. It had been done up since the last time I walked through these doors. If memory served me, there was a reception to the right, just through the door.

I put on my best 'not-me' face (I smiled) and introduced myself:

"Good morning, I'm Poyle Datchett..."
Jun 1, 2016 9:05 pm
"Good morning sir," said the attractive female human behind the desk, "are you here to register for the race?"

You notice a billboard advertising the "Doaba Guerfel Run", with a glossy pic of a racy speeder thundering down a mountain pass.

But the bit that really catches your eye is the prize;

"Right off the production line, a brand-new Corellian Engineering Corporatin WUD-500 Star Yacht!"

The receptionist smiles as she sees your eyes widen,

"So are you ready to register your speeded? Applications close in two weeks time."
Jun 3, 2016 8:54 pm
We could do with one of those!

I caught myself licking my lips. I'd flown a 'WUDdy' - as we called them - and even though they didn't compare to, well, anything from the YT series to be honest, it would do nicely as a legit freighter for our operations.

"You bet I am!" I tried to add a bit more enthusiasm for racing a speeder than I felt. It'd been years since I flew anything inside an atmosphere, but I knew I still had some skill.

"What are the requirements? I might have to do some adjustments before I can enter my machine, you see."

Not to mention actually finding an actual speeder...
Jun 3, 2016 9:45 pm
"As long as it's legal it's in!" she says, then she smiles conspirationally, "Or that's the company line anyway. My opinion? Don't bother with a V-35 or the like, this is an endurance race so you need to be able to rely on your machine. Other than that you're good; it's not the speeder that wind the race, it's the driver."
Jun 3, 2016 9:50 pm
"If that's the case, I've already won" - A bit of bravado never hurt anyone. Much.

"Ok, sign me up. I'll get the speeder details to you as soon as I can."
load next

You do not have permission to post in this thread.