The Spear of Akrulta: Plotting and Scheming

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Feb 23, 2017 11:31 am
Tajanna made a show of yawning, and then again addressed Nash.

"Although I am as eager to further our goals as you are to further yours, we have been out investigating in the city since we've landed here, and I quite frankly can't strategize at optimal capacity without a full night's rest. I propose that we get our refreshments, and then retire for some sleep, and continue this discussion in earnest after then."

Retiring for some rest should give all of us the opportunity to talk privately, which we sorely need before making any decisions here. And I really am quite tired, and I suspect that the rest of us are too.
Feb 23, 2017 3:27 pm
Nash gives Tajanna an appreciative look. "You know, I imagine that some rest, and a chance for all of you to catch up, might be in order." At that, he stands up, gives Lissewa his com code, and makes his way across the lounge, stopping at the door. "You know, it might be wise of you to relocate your ship. Perhaps a new hangar, on the other side of the spaceport? If 'Master' knows you're here, there's nothing to prevent him from coming back."

Expectant, Nash waited a moment, then added, "I can cover the cost, set you up for the month, assuming you'll be here awhile. Otherwise, it's 100 credits a day, or 2000 credits a month. Either way, staying in 1294-K seems like bad, potentially fatal, business." Confidence blooms on his face. "This is, by the way, one of the many ways I can facilitate your success. I urge all of you to consider what I bring to the table."

He nods politely at Tajanna, addressing her. "That is, of course, after you're all well rested, and ready to go at it again." Speaking to everyone, he finishes. "If there is nothing else, I'll take my leave. Lissewa can call me at her convenience, and I can arrange for the new hangar, once a decision has been agreed upon."

At that, Nash will exit the ship. If further efforts are made to talk with him, he'll insist that he has other business to attend to and that you should all take the time you need to hash things out. The only way you'll be able to actually stop him from leaving is the use of force.

Lissewa can, of course, call him after he leaves, if you all decide to take him up on his offer to cover the cost of a new hanger; there's no need to RP that, just let me know.

It's my last narrative post for the week, but after your narrative post, the rest of you can talk as much as you like until Monday, as it will help move the story along, potentially to the point where you're finished resting, and ready to make your next move. Of course, don't feel obligated to do so, I just thought it worth pointing out the convenient timing to do so, if you like, as this seems a point for you to talk among yourselves, and decide upon your next course of action. If we were literally at my house, at a table, this would be one of those times where I could walk away for a couple of minutes as you guys sort things out and brainstorm.

Feel free to use the OOC for any additional planning or talking you might want to do that's not in character. Much like players at an actual table, planning, figuring things out, etc can often be done out of character, and it can be much simpler to do so this way.
Feb 23, 2017 6:11 pm
Lexi watched as Nash exited the ship, holding her tongue until the hangar door beyond hissed closed.

So, Lissi, busy day for you it would seem. Now that our friend is gone, we should all catch up. As much or as little as I may trust this man, I think the advice about moving hangars may be a strategically sound measure. Let's have a meal and fill one another in on what happened and why you were comfortable enough with this contact to give so many details to him.

Moving hangars IS wise. I don't know that letting him pay for it is, but we can't likely afford to pay for one for too long without some assistance.
Feb 23, 2017 7:33 pm
With the suggestion of rest, Lissewa realized just how tired she felt. With the events that had taken place during the day, the stress was certainly starting to get to her. She didn't want to admit to the others how she felt. After all, she was specially chosen for this mission and didn't want to be seen as a burden or worse a threat to the mission's success.

She prepared herself for the conversation that would soon take place by gathering some of her favorite foods and taking a seat at the table.

"Well I for one would very much like to know what you all have seen. I assume I'm not the only one that has made progress towards achieving our goal. And we can move after we have a bit of rest. If we don't take Nash up on his offer, we can at least afford a few days in order to find a new source of funding."
Feb 23, 2017 7:48 pm
Tajanna adopted a more relaxed posture after the departure of Nash, and pulled her datapad out of her backpack, and clicked around on it while addressing her teammates.

"I found this holo-recording on one of the droids that ambushed us earlier today. Shortly after you left us, Lissi. It will explain why I was a tad startled when I first saw your new friend."

Tajanna slid her datapad towards the centre of the lounge's table, as it lit up the space above it with a holographic video.
Ezeriah says:
It's from the droid's perspective, naturally, from a perspective where the droid is standing behind what you can only assume is one of the Rodians you encountered.

Most of the audio is gone, but from what you can see from the memory fragment, the setting is poorly illuminated in pale blue light. Central to the image is a man of moderate of height and build for a human, rather well dressed, wearing a sharp business suit. Behind him it's extremely dark, and based on the lighting it seems like another room behind him, although you can't make out any details. Although there are occasional blank spots and distortions in the stored memory, from what you can see he was likely an extremely attractive man at one point. However, the left side of his face is almost completely covered with scar tissue, a fairly thorough pattern of what seem to be burn marks, starting at his chin and partially extending into his hairline, leaving a bald spot in what is otherwise a full head of black hair. His business style hair cut would look smartly styled, if it wasn't for the fact that it was parted toward the bald spot in a vein attempt to cover it up. Throughout, it is clear that the scarred man is doing the talking, and the Rodian is listening.

During the playback on Tajanna's datapad, the only audio you pick up in the middle is the scarred man saying "Just keep them--", a condescending look accompanied by "that's what the droids are for, you imbecile!". Towards the end, it's clear the Rodian had some words to say with some excited looking arm waving, but you don't pick them up. However, the last useful bit of the memory fragment gives you this, from the scarred man to the Rodian: "Remember, I don't tolerate failu-- -- ---," lips move, but there's no sound in spots. It continues, a cold glare coming from the scarred man, aimed at the Rodian. "Keep th-- in m---. If --- fee- piss star- -- ru- --wn yo-- leg. If th-- don't k--- ---, I will."

You see the Rodian nod, as the scarred man turns around and disappears into the darkness. Then the Rodian moves off screen to the left. It cuts out, black and glitchy for moments, then the last images you see are the most recent, a certain group of Sith with red lightsabers cutting their way through some droids in a dark alley.
Last edited February 23, 2017 7:49 pm
Feb 23, 2017 9:27 pm
A pity our new friend didn't want his brandy. Krosus says taking a sip of it. I was so looking forward to learning more about our new friend and his plan for us. He gives Tajanna her coffee and backs away from the table toward Hawke.

With his back turned to the group he whispers to him.
cclrbrts30 sent a note to Meribson,Ezeriah

Rolls

Secret Roll

Feb 23, 2017 10:27 pm
Lissewa watches the holo-recording lazily. Nothing she saw there really surprised her. And now they knew why he did what he did. His attitude towards the Rodian wasn't surprising either after what she had seen him be capable of. She tried not to let to much of this show on her face but it would be clear that she was simply to tired to hide her apathy towards what she saw in the video.

"I suppose that explains what happened to the four of you. Were you able to identify who your assailant was, who they were affiliated with?"
Last edited February 23, 2017 10:27 pm
Feb 24, 2017 4:25 pm
Meribson sent a note to cclrbrts30,Ezeriah
Unfortunately we were forced to avoid the authorities before we could question the surviving rodian. Interrogation would have been fun, keeping him on topic with a slap from his severed arm. Shall we continue this in the morning?
Feb 24, 2017 5:56 pm
Tajanna gave an inquiring glance to Krosus and Hawke, and then continued discussing with the group at large.

"Yeah, the recording isn't particularly informative now, given that we've had the chance to actually chat with Nash. We could ask him tomorrow for further details on the rodians if anyone's really curious, but I doubt that they were anything more than hired local street thugs. And as for switching hangers, doing so has my vote.

Tajanna paused for a moment, in order to collect her thoughts and to phrase her words properly.

"I also think that, as our only contact of any power or significance at this point, we should make the appearance of cooperating with Nash for the time being, and leave the decision of whether to ultimately follow through with his plan or to dispose of him to a later date."
OOC:
Given that Krosus and Hawke are hiding their conversation from the group at large, would it be appropriate to make a Perception (or other relevant skill) check to see if Tajanna can overhear their whispers, or would that fall under the "no PvP social checks" rule?
Feb 24, 2017 9:38 pm
Ezeriah sent a note to Tefmon
Feb 26, 2017 12:54 pm
OOC:
Once Lissewa has left the room Krosus will approach Lexi and Tajanna.
The both of you should know that Lissewa was lying to us. It's obvious something happened to her when she met Nash, because one of his thoughts i captured implied as much. I suggest we get the full story from her. As far as going along with Nash I will agree with it for the time being, but we need to get in contact with Fleshcrawler. We need his perspective on this, even if he has gone rogue. Otherwise if we are discovered helping Nash, we might become targets of our own operatives and we don't want that. With that being said, we should delay in moving to a new hanger.

Before going to sleep he would meditate on the events of the day and try to find guidance from the force. Including using the force to seek out the location of Fleshcrawler. Encase the others agree with him in there need to make contact.

Rolls

Perception

1 Success, 1 Advantage, 2 Black Force Points

Total: 1 Success, 1 Advantage

Feb 26, 2017 1:47 pm
"Hmm, if Lissewa's not being entirely honest about what she and Hash were up to, we should probably get that information out of her before we invite Nash back onto our ship. And we should probably see what's up with our so-called contact, but I wouldn't focus on that to the detriment of our actual mission. I also wouldn't delay any longer than necessary in leaving this hanger, given that its location is known."

Krosus seems awfully concerned with Fleshcrawler, given that he's essentially a non-actor in our current scenario. If he had the means and desire to interfere with our mission, he would have already done so, given that we're parked in his hanger. Unless he is somehow unaware that a freighter has landed in the hanger reserved for Veil Piercer, in which case he is horrifically incompetent. Or possibly dead.
Feb 26, 2017 2:05 pm
Lexi nodded her head as Krosus explained more about his discoveries.

I certainly agree that we should have a more pointed discussion with Lissi prior to bringing him back or contacting him again. Additionally, finding Fleshcrawler is important for the same reason that we can't let Nash just do what he would like: he knows of our presence. Those that know of our presence and true purpose must either be our puppets in this play or we must end them. It is the only acceptable thing to do. As for the hangar, I'm torn. If we stay here, it is a known location. However, if we leave to somewhere that Nash pays for, it becomes a known location for him. If we had a way to finance our own slipspace, it would be ideal as we could start from a point of mystery for all contacts.
Feb 26, 2017 10:15 pm
Lexi says:
If we had a way to finance our own slipspace, it would be ideal as we could start from a point of mystery for all contacts.
They are 100 credits a day. Each of you, or some of you, still have 100 credits. If you all split the cost evenly, it would cost each of you 20 credits a day, and must be paid in advance.
Feb 27, 2017 3:16 pm
You guys need to decide a course of action. Take as long as you like, but, until you do, all I can really do is answer any questions you might have as the squad tries to agree upon their next move.

Also, I'm moving the Group Journal and Notes to the main game page for ease of access. Good to see you're using it Tefmon, as it can only help, and it's a good place the rest of you can look to get ideas of what you would like o do next. Good idea to organize it into factions, characters, etc.

I know I'm pimping the Group Journal a lot but...

If I'm a player in this game, every time I run into a new place, organization, character, or anything that that seems important, I create a a place for it in my Group Journal post, which will help avoid hindsight errors like confusing Shank's for MechTronics** ;) I would likely even copy/paste some quotes from characters, or anything the GM said that seemed worthwhile, then jot some notes next to that as needed.

Ultimately, the Group Journal thread would be the group's most useful tool in staying organized, which is especially important in PbP, as what happened in one day of the game took right around three months in PbP, making it more difficult for all of you to remember who/what/where/why/how type stuff. And, most importantly, the Group Journal will save you some effort of going through old posts, looking for information.

**You guys haven't been to MechTronics, a corporate franchise that sells all sorts of tech/tech parts and components, which, according to Zhaff, is likely locked down and closed like every other corp business, due to the labor riots, and heavily guarded by corporate security and/or Espos).
Feb 27, 2017 9:21 pm
OOC:
Guess I will try to set the stage.
The next afternoon, Lissewa awoke grogilly from her sleep. Though she had much on her mind, her exhaustion had prevented her from thinking to much about it and she slept straight through the night and apparently most of the day. How tired was I?

She knew this day would require a group decision and she would have to do whatever she had to to get the others to go along with her plan to use Nash to get to the top. Her plan depended on it.

Beyond just deciding whether to move the ship or to help Nash, they would still need a plan of action, something she was sorely lacking at the moment. Zhaff had recommended several possible lines of inquiry but they were all called into question by Nash. If they decided to work with him, they would have to ask him more about them.

She made her way to the lounge to get something to eat and wondered when the others would awake and join her.
Last edited February 28, 2017 3:23 am
Feb 27, 2017 9:31 pm
The room is dark and the air chilled. None of this matters to him, as he follows the rythmic flow of his deep breathing. The force is flowing strong, but yet he still hasn't ever recieved any visions of future events. Krawley would tell him that sometimes the force decides when a pupil was ready for such powers, no matter how much the person desires it. It was an annoyance to him. He would continue to try though. Events on this planet are unfolding fast and furious and his instinct with the force was telling him that a shatterpoint was forming. Krawley had explained to him once that very gifted sith could look past events and circumstances and discover the very thread or event that held everything together. It was at that point that the fate of things could be determined. He was not delusional enough to believe he had this gift, but sometimes, just sometimes he could feel the force swelling around places and events and that moment was now. Do they help Nash or do they kill him or was their a middle path? Clouded the future is.

Ending his meditation and taking a few minutes to stretch out his legs from the long crossed legged position. He decides to find some breakfast and discovers Lissi already ahead of him.
Last edited February 27, 2017 9:40 pm
Feb 27, 2017 11:57 pm
Squeeks, based on the time you guys went to sleep (dawn), in conjunction with being some fairly tired individuals, I'm going to say that 'breakfast time', in this case, is actually closer to mid afternoon (let's say 3:00). Please adjust your narrative accordingly.

Of course, you could all take a day off and rest until the next morning, but that *will* allow time in the the world around your characters to progress even further, allowing other characters and organizations to act and behave accordingly.
Feb 28, 2017 1:45 am
Lexi sat in her quarters, crossed-legged, holding her lightsaber hilt in her lap.

Divine One, Progenitor. Your orders have sent me from your immediate service yet I feel pulled to you like a ship in a tractor beam. Even now we face questions and choices which were not foreseen by your generals. This Nash fellow could be useful. He has the desire and the will to take power for himself. Clearly, once we have secured our hold on Bonadan, he cannot be allowed to survive. He wants power too greatly to be useful for our work. He's as likely to turn on us if someone promising more or different power comes along and this is unacceptable. I feel we must work with him, so long as we can control him, and then he finds himself with a shaft of crimson light pouring forth from his chest one dark night. This is the way of the Sith. This is the way of power. This is your Providence.

Her eyes closed once more, she felt the balance, the ridges, the heft of the weapon. Leaving the blade extinguished she moved in the tight quarters slowly, tracing steps of her forms as best as possible. When the alarm beeped at her, she snapped her eyes open and went about getting ready for the remainder of the day.

As she walked into the Autochef area, she found both Krosus and Lissewa already there.

"I trust you both meditated well, and rested soundly?" she said, not cracking a smile before inhaling the vapors of a cup of caf.
Feb 28, 2017 2:25 am
Eyes slowly cracking open, Hawke took in the expanse of his room before pulling himself out of bed while scratching at the fur along his left pec. Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes while reaching out with a hand. Slowly, his mother's femur floated over to his outstretched hand. Looking at the bone housing his favored weapon, he thumbed the activation button for a few seconds before igniting the blade. Staring into the crimson beam of energy, he mentally recited the mantra that he was taught as a fresh acolyte to keep his psychosis under control.

Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Progenitor shall set me free.


Hawke repeated this mantra in his head for a number of minutes before deactivating his lightsaber and dressing in his armor. Armor maintenance served as an effective meditation tool as well as preparing his mind for rest. When fully dressed within his form concealing armor, he unlocked the door to his quarters and made his way to the autochef, the unofficial meeting area on the ship.

Seeing three of his crewmates already awake and moving, Hawke considered continuing the charade he began on a whim in hyperspace.

Lexiala, Krosus, Lissewa. When Tajanna joins us, we need to decide upon a course of action.
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