Prologue: Tionne Darek

May 30, 2016 3:46 am
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 30, 2016 7:33 pm
Home.

Tionne observes the approach to Corellia with mixed feelings. If feels good to be back, but there are a lot of memories in this place, and a lot of history...some positive some negative.

Is it really home if you can't reveal who you are? What if I'm recognized coming in?

Tionne adjusts her bag on her shoulder. It is mostly full of spare machinists parts and bits of gear. She is a small figure whose gender is mostly obscured by loose clothing and strong swagger. As she exits the transport in a crowd of other passengers, she keeps her head hunched and her hood pulled forward.

When she approaches the customs gate, she hands her false credentials to the agent. The agent looks them over thoroughly, "Arliss Benf, returning from Duro on a "business trip." The man looks hard at Tionne, "What sort of business?"

Tionne does not meet the man's eyes, looking down and to the side. Rattling her bag, she says, "Parts to repair a client's speeder. Custom job, the discount was worth the trip." Her voice is low and raspy, as if she has smoked too many death sticks.

"Open the bag."

Tionne complies, holding her breath. What will I do if he wants it unpacked?

But the customs agent glances at the contents, a tangle of wires and electronic components, with bored disinterest. He stamps her passport and waves her through.

Ok, step one done. Now what about step two? Need to make some calls and find a place to crash.

Tionne takes the cheapest form of public transport to a local "hotel" near the port. Its the kind of place where you pay up front, the "rooms" are really just narrow cubbies with padded floors. Just big enough for an average humanoid to sleep in, with their bag a pillow. She unpacks the bag there. Underneath the tangle of equipment is her blaster, datapad, goggles and other gear. Oh, and a few clothing items. She changes into a set of workers coveralls, vest over these, and a loose hooded poncho over it all. Utility belt on, she is ready to hit the streets.

Time to find out about the aftermath of the raid. See if I can find any leads to the "device".
May 30, 2016 7:59 pm
Night is falling as Tionne gets out and the streets are starting to fill. The sounds and the smell are unmistakably Coronet. No other place like it. Near the hotel are three bars, each catering to its own niche of the market.

The Trusty Tom-Tom is a sports bar which has just enough of a reputation for mild depravity to keep the students and the more rabid sports crowd coming back.

Solo's is a more traditional cantina, which has a dubious boast of stocking liquors from every planet in the Empire. Their clientele of slightly older patrons are less raucous but probably more dangerous than those in the other bars.

Finally there is Zizz. Less a bar and more an ever-changing art installation, Zizz hosts the fashionista of the city. Run by a group of performance artists and tech-heads, Zizz blends experimental music and holo-casts with specially blended chemical cocktails to twist your state-of-mind.
May 30, 2016 8:17 pm
Tionne breaths in the smells of home. It's been too long. Wish I could check in with the family...too dangerous now. Better they think me dead or gone for good. Now, contacts. Need to find someone and put the word out discreetly that I'm back. That bounty is gonna make it difficult. Lets see, the TTT is no good, the Zizz...well, another night for that. Need to keep a clear head. So its Solo's.

Tionne threads the streets and crowds to Solo's, hoping to make contact with someone she can "trust" (the term being relative).
May 30, 2016 9:02 pm
Somebody has gone to a lot of trouble to get the ambiance of Solo's just right; music low enough to allow conversation but loud enough so you don't need to worry about being overheard. The lighting allows discretion but not anonymity. The layout is conducive to small, intimate groups.

As Tionne walks in she sees the usual groupings of veterans from all sorts of walks of life. The bar tender, a burly human male with rolled-up sleeves, looks up, puts down the glass he was holding and moves over to the part of the bar closest to the entrance.

"Let me guess, Trandoshan brandy with soda-ice?" he asks.
May 30, 2016 9:43 pm
Tionne grunts, says, Try Corellian Mist neat. Double. She's saying this to make it clear she's a local, not fresh off the boat and not to be taken lightly. Corellian whiskey is no joke.

Tionne sips the liquid fire and shivers with nostalgia. She turns and scans the bar for any faces she once new, chats up a few of the less inebriated patrons to see what anyone know about the aftermath of the raid.

Rolls

Perception (Cunning-2, no ranks)

1 Success, 3 Threat

Total: 1 Success, 3 Threat

Streetwise (Cunning-2, 1 rank)

1 Success, 2 Advantage, 3 Failure

Total: 2 Failure, 2 Advantage

May 31, 2016 11:48 am
After a few sips of the whiskey Tionne starts to feel right at home, and when she finds some people with more of a technical leaning she is able to start up some conversations, even learning some new information about the current players on the planet.

As Tionne scans the room she finds her eyes meeting those of an attractive lady in spacer garb, with a large blaster strapped to her hip. The woman, she notices, is staring at Tionne and takes a comlink out of her pocket and hastily talks into it. Suddenly Tionne realises that the woman is none other than Milla Typho, first mate of the Carrion Craw, a smuggling vessel which Black Sun often used to bring parts and data in for Tionne's projects.
OOC:
Let me know how you want to use your advantages in the Streetwise roll; you can either get some useful information about current players in the illegal R&D scene or you can save them for a later roll.

As for the 3 threats, well Milla Typho will have more crew nearby and Black Sun is never far away.
May 31, 2016 1:36 pm
OOC:
What I was looking for in that roll was any indication of what happened to the tech I'm supposed to recover and what happened to the rest of those involved in the lab. As for my advantages, I'd like to use them to say that Milla and Tionne know one another. Milla was one of the smugglers we used to bring goods in and out of the lab. Doesn't mean she's a friend, but ties in with what I'm about to do now...
Tionne locks eyes with Milla, and finishes off her whiskey in a quick gulp.

She pushes back her chair and walks with deliberate purpose to Milla's table, interrupting her comms conversation. "Hiya Milla, been a while, eh?" Tionne sits at Milla's table without being invited, Was hoping to keep my return a bit...quiet. After all, I'm sure there are interested parties as to what happened in the lab. Speaking of which, I seem to recall you being the last smuggler who came through before the raid. Funny coincidence that." Tionne stares down Milla, waiting for a response.
May 31, 2016 2:35 pm
Milla switches off her comm and leans back, looking thoughtfully at Tionne. Her hand brushes her blaster but she looks towards the bar and appears to think better of it.

"You know the 'Craw isn't going to be followed unless we want it to. So are you actually accusing Darro of tipping off CorSec? What's in it for him? He's been working with Zekka Thyne and Helia forever."
May 31, 2016 2:49 pm
"Heeey, Milla, c'mon. Nobody's accusing anyone. We're all friends here, right?" Tionne's voice goes hard on the last word. "Somebody tipped someone off, that's all I'm saying. That, or somebody screwed up big time." Tionne writes her comm code on a napkin. "I need a meet with Darro. I need to know what happened to everyone else in the lab. I need details. I didn't come back here without good reason. I know CorSec wants my tail."
May 31, 2016 3:22 pm
"I hear Helia put a bounty on you," Milla replies nonchalantly, "why shouldn't I just claim it and be done with this?"
OOC:
You'll need to be pretty convincing. I think this is a hard persuasion check.
May 31, 2016 6:10 pm
OOC:
I feel like I need some background here. Who are these people? I assumed Darro was the Black Sun underboss overseeing the lab, but who are the others? And why do they have a bounty out on me? I thought the bounty was Imperial? It can be whatever, but I just want to know the context so I can respond appropriately.

Also, what happens when a bounty hunter has a bounty on them? I assume I was licensed at some point. How does the "professional courtesy" work?
Last edited May 31, 2016 6:35 pm
May 31, 2016 6:30 pm
OOC:
Just realized those names were links. Sorry for any confusion.
Last edited May 31, 2016 6:30 pm
May 31, 2016 6:39 pm
"Helia. Helia is just trying to cover her own ass. Throwing me under the landing gear to take the heat off her. I'll "connect" with her in my own time.

As to why you shouldn't turn me in, well, there's a lot of 'factors' to that one."
Tionne rattles her satchel. She has one hand tucked into it. "I'm not getting taken in. My hand's on a thermal detonator in here on a dead mans switch. You or any of your slugs make a wrong move, maybe we all get vaporized."

Rolls

Deception (Presence=2, 1 rank)

3 Success, 4 Failure, 1 Threat

Total: 1 Failure, 1 Threat

May 31, 2016 6:59 pm
OOC:
I would think the more honourable bounty hunters would be reluctant to take a bounty on a fellow hunter, and if it was "dead or alive" they would prefer dead. But Black Sun would happily take on non-licensed bounty hunters.
Milla smirks,

"I thought you were some kinda brain! That the best you can come up with?"

She draws her blaster and points it at Tionne's chest,

"Thyne will probably give me my own ship for this!"

Just then the bar goes quiet. The bartender has pulled out a big bowcaster from beneath the bar and aimed it at Milla,

"You know the house rules, Typho. No blasters! Take it outside," he growls.
May 31, 2016 7:03 pm
Tionne kicks the table into Milla's face and dashes for the exit.
OOC:
Athletics? Melee?

Rolls

Athletics (Brawn-2, no ranks)

2 Success, 2 Advantage, 1 Failure

Total: 1 Success, 2 Advantage

May 31, 2016 7:27 pm
OOC:
Go with an easy athletics check (since Milla has to contend with the table).
May 31, 2016 7:41 pm
Tionne breaks through the doors into the street, slinging her bag over her back and drawing her blaster, feet pelting the pavement. She ducked down an alley and hid behind a power converter box, panting and listening closely for pursuit.

Rolls

Stealth to hide (assuming easy, add as needed)

2 Success, 3 Advantage

Total: 2 Success, 3 Advantage

Perception to hear pursuers (again, assumed easy)

4 Advantage, 1 Failure

Total: 1 Failure, 4 Advantage

May 31, 2016 8:22 pm
Tionne ducks down behind the converter, leaning on it slightly as she goes past, causing the access hatch to creak open a little.

She pants softly after her exertions, straining her ears for any sign of pursuit, but instead all she hears is the humming of the lights at the entrance to the alley.
May 31, 2016 8:29 pm
How am I gonna get out of this one? Need some cover... Tionne turns behind her and begins fiddling with the power converter, trying to disable the lights in the alley.

Rolls

Mechanics (assume Average, Int-4, 2 Ranks)

3 Success, 3 Advantage, 1 Threat

Total: 3 Success, 2 Advantage

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