DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Hall of Fame - Latest Top 10 completed games CFH: A Call For Heroes CFH11s: Rescue and Retrieval

GM

The operating base. Liquid metal rain lashes the landing pad as the ionised dust storm skirts the mountain range.

The sky is violent, the landscape bathed in a yellow sodium-like light.

GH-531 may have been built by the Empire but it is now a First Order facility.

The Station Chief stands smartly despite the weather. Her cap and grey uniform are pristine beneath a transparent plastech rain poncho.

She also wears a respirator against the planet's toxic atmosphere and flanking her are two Jet Troopers, one either side.

The screech of TIE Fighters carries on the wind, and a shadow falls across them.

The heavily-armed Echelon assault shuttle touches down on the landing pad, its escort fighters peeling off.

The belly-ramp lowers with a hiss of gas and a squad of First Order Stormtroopers march out and cordon off the landing pad, their armour gleaming white.

Behind them come two TIE pilots in black flightsuits with red stripes on their helmets. Special Forces.

The most senior of the two pilots approaches the Station Chief. They salute each other and the Station Chief gets straight to business.

"Group Captain Talkar," she says, sounding vexed, "I feel this personal visit is unnecessary. As you were told over comms, all is well here."

Rain runs down Talkar's black helmet. The black lenses give nothing away but his posture is relaxed.

"With all due respect, I don't think Admiral Avaric cares about your feelings, Station Chief. We tracked a ship here through hyperspace. A ship that may be carrying Resistance operatives, possibly the Scavenger herself."

Behind her respirator, the Station Chief huffs derisively.

"Preposterous. This planet is located in the Unknown Regions, so-called for the reason it cannot be charted. How would the Resistance know where we are? The insurgent we caught didn't even know where here was."

Group Captain Talkar's hands move to rest on his belt.

"You have a Resistance prisoner here, at this base?" Question.

"Um, yes, but he's secure and under interrogation." The Station Chief answers awkwardly, adding, "His gear was swept for transmitters, not that such weak signals could penetrate through these storms. As I said, all is well."

Talkar nods to his co-pilot, who runs off to board the Echelon. Talkar says to the Station Chief, "If these operatives have a Jedi with them, you wouldn't know if all was well or not."

"Group Captain, if Jedi are as powerful as they say, a couple of TIE Special Forces won't stop them."

Talkar turns back to the assault shuttle. Its repulsorlift thrums as it kicks in.

"We won't." He says and inside the shuttle's dark interior two pairs of round red eyes power up.

"Droids!?" Wonders the Station Chief.

Talkar nods.

"We can't find the ship until the weather clears but a team will check on the hyperwave. And you had better take us to this prisoner."

GM

In basement of the garrison building, Bastian clips on the white flak vest over his red flightsuit, before picking up his helmet.

He's on his feet and in rude health considering his torture. First Order interrogator droids rely on applying constant pain. That will cause rapid physical deterioration in most Sentients, so the droids repair the damage they cause as they go.

With that pain eliminated, Bastian is bouncing back quickly but Smoke Team have now acquired a rescue mission.

Would you have done anything with the carnage in the interrogation room?

Will you give Bastian a weapon? There are two SE-44C unfired blaster pistols going spare.

And what the hell is a Resistance starfighter pilot doing here? Do you ask Bastian?

Sirra


“The final order shall have no dominion.”

She says, somewhat harshly to the memory of the dying man.

She looks over at Winta.

“A lengthy reunion may be touching and sweet, but I have a feeling that we do not want to linger too long here. Call it my gut, but trouble will likely come find us first unless we keep moving and bring trouble to others. I am still disturbed by those elite ties.”

Preach

He put away his Saber and recovered the pistols. It wouldn't do to leave them. Besides an escaped prisoner will be noticed sooner or later. He handed off one or both weapons to the pilot. Armed is better if it comes to that.

He nodded agreement to Sirra's wise words. They did need to keep moving.

He didn't interrupt their conversation but he was quite curious as to how the pilot got here.

Winta

She gave the prisoner a nod of acknowledgement.
"We can't stop to chat. we have things to do."

"But as it may impact our mission, why are _you_ here?"

As she asked the question, she reached out with the force to feel for any lies in the other's response.

GM

Bastian takes both blaster pistols, nodding gratefully to Preach and stuffing them into his vest.

When Winta asks him what he's doing on GH-531, he straightens up and salutes.

"Sorry ma'am. Lieutenant TC Bastian.

"After Starkiller Base, I was assigned to Task Force Andor by Admiral Ackbar, under Tsano Brana..."

Tsano Brana, mercenary commander and experienced pirate-hunter who had mostly worked as a contractor for the New Republic. Mirror Team didn't know she had joined the Resistance.

"Ackbar wanted us to locate the First Order's reserve force. Our mole told us that it was under the command of an old Imperial officer called Enric Pryde, sitting in low power cycle in the Unknown Regions, around where the Yashuvhu System was said to be."

Yashuvhu. A treasure planet. A fable. But it was said to be somewhere in this sector of space.

"The plan was to hit the reserve forces in dock but everything went wrong. Hyperspace out here is brutal. We didn't find the reserve, we ended up lost, busted up, making small test jumps to get anywhere. We couldn't even contact D'Qar.

"Brana finally called a halt at an ice field and sent us X-Wings to scout a route out.

"I found this place, got pegged by ground fire and well, it's been a laugh a minute until you guys showed up."

Bastian looks at your team. Winta's a well-known Resistance officer, but Sirra's in a commando thinsuit and Preach in armoured robes like some Jedi of legend.

"Exactly who are you guys? I'm guessing you ain't here to rescue me?"

Kylo Ren has joined up with the reserve forces after the Battle of Crait. Pryde is now the Allegiant General and overseeing the integration of First Order and Sith Eternal forces.

Task Force Andor had failed then but at least it isn't destroyed as previously thought.

Although Winta wasn't privvy to the details of Task Force Andor or its mission, she does know that Brana commanded a Free Virgillia-class corvette and flight of MG-100 StarFortress bombers. Could be useful in coming battles.

Winta

She walked across to retrieve the comlink she had cast away. Winta picked it up and turned the volume to 'low' before tucking it away near her ear.


"I can't tell you the bigger picture," she replied to Lt Bastian as she moved about the room. "But you are correct. We did not know you were here."

She checked the bodies for security code cylinders. pocketing any she found.

"Our ideal outcome is that this entire facility gets trashed and that we walk out unscathed. We are still at the reconnaissance phase: trying to find out exactly what we are up against."

Sirra

“I get people in places and out of places and break things.”

The voice had obvious ‘first order pedigree’, even old ‘empire pedigree’ if one judged on accent.

She too did a quick scan for anything useful.

GM

There's nothing else of use in the room. The dead First Order personnel are searched, their code cylinders and handheld comlinks retained.

Bastian smiles brightly in reply to Sirra and doesn't seem phased by her accent.

"Well I'm glad you broke me out. What do I call you guys?" He says, asking Sirra and Preach. He obviously knows Winta and recognised her.

All three of Smoke Team have a creepy feeling though, like danger is imminent. It's like smelling a gas leak or hearing a footstep behind. It's neither. It might even be the Force.

Bastian checks out. He's legit. But perhaps the situation on the base has changed. Have they been detected somehow?

Winta

"Ok," she said. "We have set the clock running now. At some point someone is going to try to contact these two - " she indicated the bodies " - and their lack of response will provoke something: investigation, higher alert levels, full deployment of the garrison - whatever."

"So, let's continue onwards."

She moved back out into the corridor to continue.

Preach

"I am known by the moniker of Preach," he offers.

He nodded in agreement. Trouble was definitely coming. A sprung prisoner will certainly add to whatever was beginning to boil. He hoped they could keep the pot from boiling over and scalding them prematurely.

Sirra:

“Call me Revenant. Any other identity I might have is irrelevant.”

She looks at the new addition.

“If you are any good with those blasters, take my left flank and cover the other side.”

GM

Moving quickly but cautiously out into the corridor, Smoke Team keep the angles covered as they assess their next move.

Winta and Bastian have blaster pistols, Sirra has her disruptor rifle. Winta and Preach also have lightsabers, Sirra vibro-daggers.

"I can work with that." Says Bastian to Preach and Sirra, aiming both blasters down the corridor in the direction of the shooting range.

The sound of blaster fire can still be heard. A good sign. Situation normal.

"What is 'onwards', Captain?" Bastian asks Winta, "If you can tell me what you're looking for, maybe I can help?"

Suddenly the sound of blaster fire ceases.

Winta

She noted the silence coming from the gun range. "I have a bad feeling about this ...." she said quietly.


Turning to Bastian, she replied, "Well, the immediate plan was to grab some uniforms and blend in..."
She shrugged.
"But I suspect that that plan is going to be toast - what with an escaped prisoner loose in the facility."

"Ok - our absolute 'must do' is to trash the comms, and for that we were going to take out the power supply in the shield generator. Our secondary objective is to get some inertial compensator arrays from the hanger, or we are not getting back off this rock."

"I think that we back out of here and try for the shield generator. Thoughts? Comments?" she asked the others in the team.

GM

Bastian may not be Force sensitive but he looks like he gets the same bad feeling.

"Well I can tell you that the turbolaser turret works. I came in over the ridge and boom, X-Wing down. It'd mess up that shield generator if you can over-ride the controls."

The XX-10 turbolaser turret is attached to the garrison building (the building the team are in currently), and one of the reasons it was chosen as the first target.

Spare parts for starships will most likely be found in the hangar next to the landing pad. At least with Bastian tagging along identifying arrays for inertial compensators should be easier.

Winta

"I don't suppose you had a chance to get your bearings when you were lead here?" she asked Bastian.

"Whilst I would like to get to that turbolaser, I really don't fancy our chances of going through the whole garrison to get there ..."

GM

Bastian beams a white smile. A bold gesture considering their predicament.

"You bet I was looking out for it when they dragged me in here, ma'am.

"The turret access is on this level and as you can see, not so busy down here."

In fact, from what Smoke Team have seen so far they might suspect this ground level isn't being used at all. With no natural light and low ceilings, the First Order garrison must have restricted their refurbishments to the upper levels of the building. Who can blame them?

"Want me to lead the way?" Bastian asks.

Preach

He wasn't the mind mover that Winta was, but he watched the man to determine if he could tell if it were a fabrication or not? He was willing to go with the man if nothing else they would learn something, which was the point of being here. The longer they stayed alive and avoided detection the better off they were, but at some point, things would have to change.

“You can lead the way side by side with me.”

Says Sirra, looking to Winta for confirmation.

“This is my speciality after all.”

GM

Preach lays his mind against the Force, feeling its natural vibrations and searching for a path to Bastian's mind.

Bastian has impressively tight control over his emotions but that's to be expected from a starfighter pilot, one that Poe Dameron trusted as a wingman.

Bastian's excitement and eagerness are obvious, as is his desire to protect Winta, Preach and Sirra. It's a feeling that Preach might be familiar with from the Resistance; a sort of selfless kindred.

Assuming Winta's in agreement, the pilot nods to Sirra, letting her take point, him one step behind.

"No problem, Revenant. I got your back."

With his senses extended, Preach gets the sudden feeling that someone... no several... no quite a number are coming this way from the shooting range.

Winta

With a slight nod, she replied to Sirra, "Lead on."

She took position at the rear of the group: her eyes and the force keeping a watch for danger.

Preach

He frowns and offers quickly. "There are several coming from the direction of the shooting range. We must go now. Soon our surprise will be over."

Winta

She nodded at Preach's comment.
"I think we now need speed more than stealth," she told the others.

GM

Sirra leads with a Nexu-like gait, Bastian directing in a low voice.

Behind are Preach and Winta.

Soon they're pressed against the wall either side of the entrance to a security corridor.

The corridor is maybe 10 metres long with heptagonal cross-section, shiny black walls and amber floor lights. A Stormtrooper could only stand up straight in the very centre of the corridor and there is no cover.

At the far end Smoke Team can see a more open, circular room and the corners of two gunnery control stations therein. But the team have no angle on the technicians sat at the stations. The room must be the bottom level of the turbolaser turret.

The corridor itself is designed to allow one gunnery technician with a light repeating blaster pistol to hold against attack, and there are emergency blast doors (currently retracted) either end.

If Smoke Team are caught halfway along the corridor they'll be like gorgs in a barrel.

They don't have much time though, they're expecting the alarm to be raised any minute. But do they risk rushing the technicians (have to be single file at full sprint) or try sneaking up behind them?

[ooc - not quite sure of the description - are the two gunnery stations facing into the corridor, one on each side? Or does the corridor lead to the back of the gunnery stations that are protecting the way into the turret from the outside?
Does the corridor lead to an open area - visible from the corridor - that any (inattentive) technicians might meet to converse?]

[I've beefed up the original post with more description.

The gunnery stations are like sci-fi workstations/desks basically. Beyond the corridor is a room, in this room are two of these stations. The team can see the corners of them but no more, so they can't just shoot the gunners operating them from the opposite end of the corridor.

If it was a floorplan, it would look kind of like a banjo. The corridor is the neck, the room containing the gunnery stations is the body.]

[OOC: So they are sitting ducks in the access corridor. Stepping into the main room they will have technicians on either side. Basically? Then I suggest that they get out of the shooting gallery and pick one side. They can sneak up on it, and if all goes well, they will only be shot at from the far side. ]

[They haven't entered the corridor yet, so are standing in another more standard, wider, higher corridor.

The trick is to get along the 10 metre shooting gallery corridor before the gunners in the room beyond can activate the blast doors or start shooting.

Because of the corridor's defensively-designed cross-section, you can only walk/run single-file.

So the two obvious options are to either charge (single-file) and aim to get combatants into the room before the technicians can respond.

Or, send one stealth operative into the room first to occupy the gunners, allowing the rest to charge in.

Something like that.]

[OOC: Ah so to use your banjo analogy, they are in the tuning portion of the banjo. The neck is the approach, the bottom is where the the technicians are. I get it now.]

Ooc: hmm. I think we have a stealth operative

[So Sirra in first, tangle with the gunners, then enter Winta, Bastian and Preach?]

[Ooc yes - but Winta will get the technicians to concentrate on the outside]

[ooc Sounds like we have a plan]

GM

Sirra pulls the sling taut on her disruptor rifle, freeing her hands for Clip-Point vibrodaggers.

Covered by Winta and Bastian's blaster pistols, she stalks along the 10 metres of the security corridor whilst Preach stands guard in the main corridor, sensing that all hell's about to break loose.

When Sirra's about halfway along a petty officer strolls across the opening at the end. Clad in black uniform and staring at a datapad, he stops, turns and looks with some confusion straight at Sirra.

Sirra is focused on stealth though, light bending around her Force cloak. She is but a blur, a smudge of low quality optics. The officer grumbles and rubs his eyes, moving on and allowing Sirra to continue...

...until finally she steps down into the square room at the end.

The gunnery control stations are active, lit up, with gunners sat at them. One for targeting, one for spotting. The petty officer is the third enemy in the room.

She made it undetected. What will she do next?

So what is the size of the room and approximate distance to its occupants?

[All considered Short Range as per range band rules.

This diagram of an Imperial turbolaser turret might give you some idea of what you're getting into. The security corridor isn't shown but enters internally from the left into the bottom room, labelled 19.]

Sirra moves in right next to the petty officer and tries to take him out in one swift motion from behind, then use his body as a shield to take a weapon and fire at the one t the gunnery controls.

[ooc: that link to the diagram doesn't work for me.]

As soon as Sirra made her move on the petty officer, Winta ran down the corridor after her to give her backup, drawing and igniting her light sabre as she went.

[Weird! Try now, Angr.]

[OOC: I can see it now, thanks. It's not very sharp though - I can't read txt or numbers

this works though]

[Something broken about Wookieepedia's image resizing on that one. But I found a similar diagram on Tumblr and linked it instead.]

Winta

She left Sirra to finish off this level of the tower, drew her pistol (set to stun) and force jumped up, intending to jump upwards quickly from level to level, to identify and stun any other personel in the tower that may have heard the shooting.

Preach

A guardian standing by the wayside didn't do any good. He followed Winta moving as quickly and quietly as possible. He waited to ignite his saber. He could do it easily when he needed it.

GM

The petty officer wears only a hat with his black uniform whereas the gunners' faces are hidden beneath shiny black salet helmets.

Sirra pounches on the petty officer, sinking the blade of her dagger to the hilt in the man's ear. As he croaks and spasms, Sirra uses the handle of the dagger as a lever, steering the officer around to face the gunners.

Panicked, one of the gunners lunges for the alarm button, one goes for his sidearm. The officer's own sidearm is tucked into his holster with a thumb break and belt lanyard too...

Too much faff, too little time, instead Sirra throws her second vibrodagger. The vibrating ultrasonic edge needs only the slightest force to pierce the gunner's padding, flesh and bones, thunking into the ribcage under the armpit. The gunner spills out of his chair in shock.

The other gunner squeezes off a wild shot at Sirra, the red bolt hitting his officer in the hip before Bastian hurtles over the console like a charging Reek, tackling the gunner messily to the ground.

A gust of wind as the Force catapults Winta up the metal companionway to the next level of the tower.

There she sees a computer technician. Grey coveralls, orange tool vest, yellow visor. He's eating lunch whilst running a codepatch on some Imperial-era terminal...

Winta's blaster pistol fires a white stun pulse: The man spits out his crisp-munchy and slumps over the terminal.

Below, Preach is the last member of Smoke Team into the turret's tower. His Force-attuned senses compel him to turn, a reflex. At the opposite end of the corridor appears a TIE pilot, black helmet, red stripes. Special Forces. A grey-uniformed officer and squad of Mountain Troopers back him up. Preach is igniting his lightsaber as the TIE pilot draws and fires an auto-burst from his SE-44C. Five shots in one second.

Preach deflects most of the shots. One rebounds back at the TIE pilot but he dodges and it hits a Mountain Trooper in the chest. Another shot hits Preach in his shoulder, his armour absorbing most of the impact if not all of plasma's heat.

The Mountain Troopers react slower than the TIE pilot but their blaster rifles come to bear.

Preach stands in defence at the end of the corridor, violet blade spinning, humming. In the room behind him, Bastian wrestles with the second gunner. Sirra's body shield goes slack. Winta has a stunned technician to secure on the upper level.

And red strobes on the walls light up as an alarm siren is triggered.

Preach

The sirens beginning the flashing wasn't what the old guardian wanted to see. But they were in it now. He wondered how the troopers would do in the face of a jedi knight. Only one way to find out. He charged. Screaming and using his Saber to the best effect as he is able. It wouldn't do the get cut down before he was able to scare the foes. His goal was to keep them off balance and to kill the more seasoned pilot.

Winta

She bounced her way upwards, level to level to the top to check that there was no-one else above them, before returning back to the technician

[Would Preach leave the security corridor? I ask because someone else might activate the blast doors to seal it both ends.

Returning to the technician, he's out cold, does Winta tie him up?]

Winta


She stilled her light sabre, holstered her pistol and tied up the technician.

"All secured above you," she commented into her com link, "How are we doing?"

[OOC My intention was to get Preach to join the others without being trapped on the wrong side of the door. But... then he got shot at. I suppose he could not charge. It was kinda spur of the moment. ]

[Ghosted for Art in the Blood.]

Sirra

She'd bought the team a few vital seconds, gotten them into the turbolaser turret. Now they must secure it.

They need to seal the blast doors, but if Preach charges off on a counter-attack that will complicate things.

If Bastian needs help, she lends it, otherwise she throws the officer off of her vibroblade and lunges for the big red button: The one that will seal the blast doors.

"Preach, fall back! Sealing blast doors in five-four...."

Winta

*Come to me now!* she called to Preach using the force.

Preach

It was clear that he hadn't thought they would gain control of the blast doors so quickly. He had intended to buy them some more time.

Realizing that was an error, he slipped and slid reversing his way back the way he had just started. He used his saber to the best of his ability preventing any additional blaster shots.

He was working with a team and he had to remember that.

GM

The green Tibanna gas giant Kril'dor, at the fringe of the Western Reaches.

Orbiting the planet is a space station, looking like a grey alloy spike. Colossus.

It is surrounded by an armada of starships, starfighters, freighters, frigates.

The Millennium Falcon drops out of hyperspace and banks into a circuit of the space station.

In the cockpit, Lando Calrissian whistles in awe of the assembled citizens' fleet.

"Would you look at that!" He says to Chewbacca in the co-pilot seat.

Like Lando, Chewbacca peers out at the ships though seems less impressed, grumbling to himself.

"Every pirate, smuggler, every bounty hunter and rebel without a cause in the Western Reaches!" Lando notes as they pass an old VCX-100 light freighter he recognises.

Chewie grumbles louder this time, turning to Lando. The old Socorran gambler smirks, saying "Well that was below the belt." to which the Wookiee chuckles.

On their starboard, a yellow chopshop fighter pulls alongside. It looks like an X-Wing collided with a Z-75 Headhunter. A fresh young voice hails them.

«Millennium Falcon, this is Kaz Xiono of Colossus Aces Squadron. I hope you have some news for us, Lando, because people here are getting fired up.»

Lando and Chewie swap an awkward look.

"Sorry Kaz." Replies Lando, "I got the Mining Guild to join us but... no co-ordinates yet."

Kaz sounds disappointed, afraid, «I don't know how much longer we can hold this thing together.»

Chewie sighs, sharing Kaz's concern but Lando hides any doubts he has.

"Rey will come through for us, Kaz," he says, "trust me."

Lando knows that the Resistance, the Free Galaxy, are relying on more than Rey and her team. Somewhere amongst the stars, a team of Force Awakened are trying to destroy the First Order's most insidious weapon and unsilence hypercomms. So much depends on the Ghidrah mission that only Resistance Command are aware of it.

Since returning from Pasaana, that number includes Lando Calrissian. But he has a very good Sabacc face and redirects.

"Is this everyone?" He asks Kaz.

«The navies of Mon Cala and Hynestia are on standby in other systems, though hypercomms are a mudscuffer. We even have a Guavian Death Fleet waiting for the greenlight.»

"Guavians!? How'd you drag those Gank-killers into this?" Says Lando, grinning.

«I kinda just told them I'd be at the fight and after that they were keen to be there.»

"Hah, you got some nerve---"

Chewie interrupts with a growl, adjusting his headset and dialling in a knob on the console.

Lando looks excited, "What?"

Outside in the yellow starfighter, Fireball, Kaz mutes the comlink to the Millennium Falcon as his Astromech droid starts jabbering in excitement.

"What is it, Ceebee? Um, I should get ready to be impressed!?"

Teal and orange CB-23 relays the message coming in over hypercomm, Kaz reading it aloud as it scrolls across the ticker in the cockpit.

"'Make all speed to the destination. Be prepared for battle on arrival. Everyone's existence depends upon it. The Resistance cannot be silenced'---

"Stars!" Kaz gasps, "This is the package. Co-ordinates, vectors, the shortcut to Exegol--- Lando!!"

In the Millennium Falcon Lando and Chewie are already cheering and laughing.

"We got the message, Kaz..." Lando says into the comlink, catching his breath.

Chewie woofs and nods to the portside. Every ship in the citizens' fleet is adjusting angle to the new astrogation co-ordinates.

Lando grins, all white teeth and moustache.

"Everyone got the message."

Pressing buttons, he loads the data package into the ship's navicomputer and gives it an affectionate pat. If Vuffi's still in there, they'll need her tenacity for this next jump!

That done, Lando looks to Chewbacca.

"If Han could see us now, hey, Chewie?"

The Wookiee nods silently, still feeling loss, anger.

"That Emperor better have another life up his sleeve; it's our turn to strike back." Says Lando.

Chewbacca growls in fierce agreement, twisting a lever to vent tachyons in preparation for the jump to lightspeed.

The hypercomms work; they've been patchy for years. Lando spares a thought for the Resistance team who've slain Ghidrah, praying aloud: "Let's hope the team who got the message out get themselves out."

He opens a channel to his fleet:

"Citizens' fleet, this is the Millennium Falcon. Synchronise rate at one and follow me in. Have your finger on the trigger and may the Force be with us."

The Millennium Falcon zooms into hyperspace.

The Fireball jumps.

Thousands of starships, of all shapes and sizes and allegiances jump.

The Battle of Exegol awaits.

[I'll post in your storyline tomorrow hopefully and we'll find out if Smoke Team can hold the turbolaser turret... and what they're going to shoot with it!]

GM

Bastian and the gunner butt helmets, grappling on the floor until Sirra steps in and strikes the gunner across the base of the neck with an Echani chop.

"Dank Farrik!" Swears Bastian, straightening his helmet and dragging himself to his feet, "They didn't design flight helmets for hand-to-hand combat."

Red plasma bolts zip into the room from the security corridor, punching holes in the wall.

Winta sends an impulse to Preach using the Force, Sirra just shouts. The message is the same: Pull back!

Preach tags another Mountain Trooper with deflected blaster fire but the Special Forces pilot is too fast. Supernaturally so... Preach can sense the Force reacting to the pilot's subconcious control. A Force Awakened!?

As the old Jedhan man stops advancing, the First Order stop shooting. At the same time, they back away from the end of the corridor as if intimidated by Preach and his humming violet blade.

But it's not just Preach they're scared of. A long-limbed, red combat droid steps into the opening, fixing Preach with a pair of goggle-like red eyes.

The hiss of energy through kyber crystals and the droid ignites two glowing red lightsabers, one in each hand.

Preach has heard stories from Professor Huyang. Of a lightsaber duel between Master Anakin Skywalker and a red combat droid, the EG-5 Jedi Hunter. It fought Skywalker to a standstill and the Jedi General had to use Force powers to hamper and kill it.

It charges just as Preach Force-jumps backwards into the gunnery; Sirra hits the emergency lockdown and the blast doors slam shut.

Preach is safe inside with the rest of Smoke Team. Although the corner of his robe is trapped in the blast doors. A little too close!

"Thanks for the assist." Bastian says to Sirra with a glad smile, binding the KO'ed gunner's wrists behind his back. Without looking up, Bastian asks, "How long will those doors hold 'em?"

As if in answer, a spot on the blast doors starts to glow red than yellow hot. The droid's cutting through.

They have maybe 10 minutes.

Having finished binding the technician on the upper floor, Winta can drop down and join the others.

Gain control of the turbolaser turret. Objective complete.

Next objective, select priority target in the operating base and destroy with turbolaser.

Secondary objective: Access Imperial hypercomms terminal using code cylinder from junior officer in interrogation room. Find information on Lt Col Relnard of the First Order for J.B..

Although Smoke Team are sealed inside the XX-10 turbolaser turret, there is an external hatch on the upper floor. That could be an escate route. It could also be an entry point for Jet Troopers.

Preach

He nodded in thanks for the assistance with the doors. If they had closed them while he was outside. He shuddered in contemplation. He was not the Master Jedi or the General nor Skywalker.

He attempted to extract his robe from the heavy blast doors. If it wouldn't come he would have to use his already humming violet blade. Either way getting away from the heating metal seemed prudent.

Objective is partially complete. He asks the obvious question "what shall we shoot?"

Winta

"Not the hanger - there's stuff we need in there."

"But we could start by toasting any tie fighters outside."

Sirra

“While you figure out what to shoot I’ve got a bit of a data dive to do. Then we’ve got to jet before more guests join the party.”

Winta

"Bastian?" She enquired. "Can you make this shoot?" She indicated the turret gun.

"I'd like to take out the tie fighters."

"Preach, can you watch the door? There may be an opportunity to counterattack through the cut already made."

Preach

He nods and moves into position to ambush the glowing spot on the door. Soon enough he will have an opportunity.

GM

Bastian salutes, "Yes, ma'am!" and hustles into the gunner's seat, reaching down to grab the dead petty officer's code cylinder.

"First shot should smoke one TIE but after that this turret'll never be able to track 'em.

"So what target second? The comms relay?" Bastian asks Winta.

The red tip of the droid's lightsaber emerges from the blast doors, molten metal dripping from its wake. Might this be the first time Preach has faced a lightsaber outside of training, despite his old age?

Meanwhile, upper level. Sirra steps over the stunned, inert form of a First Order technician, hands bound behind his back with bonding tape.

The old Imperial terminal has been uplinked to the current era's HoloNets, including the First Order's internal HoloNet.

A light grid scans Sirra's face to ensure she's not a droid and inserting the junior officer's code cylinder gives her First Order clearance.

First of all though, she's surprised to see breaking news flashing on Galaxy Beacon channel. The planet Kijimi has been destroyed by the Final Order but where are the Resistance? The channel even replays the Resistance distress signal from the Battle of Crait.

Under Ghidrah's control, a newsflash like this would never be received intact all the way out in the Unknown Regions.

Does this mean...?

Smoke Teams' comlinks crackle to life. The reception is weak, probably bounced off of the Bargon Flit to avoid passing through the length of the mountain range.

It's Mirror Team. Amos's voice:

«Mirror Team calling Smoke. Mission Accomplished. Bug out!»

winta

"OK, Bastian, toast the ties. Everyone, we're bugging out via the hatch upstairs. We'll space ourselves out and throw Bastian up level by level for speed."

Preach

"Communication will hamper their attempts to coordinate as well. But Ties are definitely a priority."

Turning he considers the droid coming through the door. He hadn't fought with a lightsaber as a jedi since the awakening. He put those thoughts out of his mind, he felt the force that would be his ally in the coming conflict.

GM

Sirra searches the First Order's HoloNet for information on J.B.'s colonel.

Nothing in the feeds so she checks logs using a shortcut she knows from back in the day.

If she can find a mention of the name, she can backtrack from there, and in short order Sirra's serving up a

In short order, Sirra's dug up a repulsorsled of info and probably wishing 2BB-2 was with her to store some of it.

Lieutenal Colonel M.J. Relnard was an officer in the First Order. He commanded the special operations group supplying illicit arms to the enemies of the New Republic during the Amaxine Warrior Crisis.

Relnard's Maxima-A heavy cruiser was eventually located by the Resistance and destroyed in deep space. He survived in an escape pod; later recovered by a Starlight freighter piloted by a female Lethan Twi'lek (name omitted).

The record is hazy on this next point but the escape pod's transponder led the First Order Security Bureau to Ryloth where they discovered Relnard alive and consorting with the Twi'lek that had saved him.

This was not only a dereliction of duty but also proscribed by the First Order's High Human dogma. Stormtroopers attempted to arrest Relnard resulting in a violent confrontation at a bath-house.

A grenade was detonated by blaster fire, Relnard knocked unconscious and captured.

Unlike the Empire, the First Order doesn't stage trials. Relnard was mind probed then scheduled for ceremonial beheading by laser axe. He was spared by special request of one Admiral Avaric.

She was recruiting agents to infiltrate corporations in the Nubus System but they must not be squeemish around aliens.

Relnard's deviancy made him perfect for the job. Following re-education aboard the Supremacy, he was despatched to the Nubus System and is now a senior executive at Industrial Automaton.

Sirra even has the address of his cloud apartment.

Meanwhile, Bastian checks the scopes and steers the turret.

Outside, two TIE/sf fighters come screaming through the mountains on combat patrol. The XX-10 turbolaser turret turns smoothly on its blockish tower, muzzles tracking the fighters.

There's a flash of high-grade green plasma and one of the TIEs is obliterated, falling from the yellow sky in a shower of smoking debris.

More green plasma bolts threaten the second TIE but it accelerates and drops to the nape of the earth, evading.

Inside, Bastian growls in frustration, adjusting the skew on the targeting computer.

"Too damn fast! You want me to keep on it or line up something else." He asks without looking up.

He might not receive an immediate answer.

The Jedi Hunter is still cutting. Preach calming his mind, preparing his defence.

Sirra is concentrating on her search, so it's Winta who hears a noise at the external hatch on the upper level. A clang. Is someone outside, trying to get it?

Bastian still needs an answer, "Anyone?"

And what about Mirror Team? Will you confirm their message received, send a sitrep?

Preach

"Communications is my vote, less coordination," he offers even though he still has his eyes closed staying prepared for the upcoming confrontation. His mind wandered though he wondered if they should make a run for it, almost in time with the clang on the hatch.

Turning his attention towards the clang he wondered if he could sense anyone he knew outside?

Winta

"Thanks, Preach," she replied.

"Trash the comms next please Bastian," she called out to him. "Then we are off."


«Mirror Team, this is Smoke. Roger. We'll see if we can manage that.»

«You are not on the outside of the gun tower by any chance?» She asked.

[Ghosted for Art in the Blood]

Sirra

"Done!" She calls out.

J.B. has been a naughty girl; seducing poor, innocent First Order colonels with her Twi'lek wiles!

Good for her. Still, Sirra wonders how emotionally attached J.B. is to this Relnard and what state of mind he'll be in after his re-education aboard the Supremacy.

That ship... dark memories. Sirra's glad Holdo fragged it.

The big news is that they've completed their mission though.

"Mirror Team got the message out!" She says, quitting out of the terminal and considering destroying it to cover her tracks.

GM

Smoke Team gets no solid reply from Mirror Team. Over comlink they hear blaster fire, incoherent shouts and unnerving, animalistic shrieks.

Wherever Mirror Team are, it's safe to assume they aren't outside the tower's exterior hatch.

Although Sirra's uncovered a lot of information for J.B., she needn't remember it all. Relnard's apartment address should suffice.

Winta appears besides Sirra on the upper level and they can both focus on the exterior hatch as its seals blow. A blue mag-field powers up, screening the opening to retain the atmosphere as two grimy Jet Troopers step inside, G125 launchers at the ready.

Meanwhile outside, the XX-10 turbolaser rotates on its tower, muzzles declining until they point across the operating base at the nerve centre, the communications relay.

"Relay this." Says Bastian, squeezing the trigger.

Plasma bolts thump into the dorsal antenna and track down, blasting dish sensors off of the roof and punching through armoured viewports.

Bastian strangles the trigger, as dust and debris explode from the relay and the whole thing starts to collapse on one side like an uncontrolled demolition.

Preach might ignite his lightsaber. The droid will be through in less than a minute. It's time for Smoke Team to vamoose so they might want to contact Bek, but will Preach fight a rearguard action?

Preach

He hears the door seals blow above and knows that they don't have an easy way out. He relaxes into a comfortable stance knowing that this may well be the most taxing fight he has ever had with a lightsaber. He knows that The Force does more than just connect things, so he doesn't fear falling in battle, he just isn't planning on it.

The violet blade sparks to life as he prepares to do what is necessary to keep the rest of the team alive.

Winta

She force pushes one trooper back out the hatch whilst igniting her sabre to cut down the other trooper.

Drawing her ‘big gun’ she is no longer worried about being quiet, so a Sirra tries to help clear the field.

“If I don’t make it out of here and you do, remember this address for Jaybe.”(she gives the address)

GM

It's an address on Planet Nubia, the headquarters of several major technologic corporations. Coincidentally, also Lieutenant Bastian's home world.

No time to elaborate as the first Jet Trooper charges his launcher. Winta shoves her hand palm-out and across the room the Jet Trooper is flung back out of the hatch. Yelping, he misfires and a high-energy shell shoots from the launcher on a plume of smoke, hitting the ceiling.

The fiery blast reverberates through the interior, knocking Winta, Sirra and the second Jet Trooper to the floor.

The impact somehow reactivates Sirra's damaged cyber-eye. It starts flooding her optic nerve with prismatic light, and she realises she'll have to rip the eye out or be debilitated.

The impact also awakens the stunned technician, lying facedown and tied up with bonding tape. Deafened, he starts to scream loud and incoherently.

The second Jet Trooper slaps the side of his helmet to stabilise its optic processor but gets to his feet at about the same time as Winta.

The level below, the perfect circle of metal cut by the droid in suddenly propelled from the door. Kicked. It nearly crashes through the gunnery station and Bastian, but Preach is able to grab it mid-air with the Force and concerted effort.

"Need ten more seconds, Preach." He yells, sweat flicking from his nose as he dials in another target, "AT-AT's on the move!"

Acrid smoke rises from the burning metal hole in the door. Though it two red lightsaber blades appear and two glowing red eyes.

Preach

Having grasped the flying chunk of blast door with the force, he tries to hang on to it long enough for the droid to make an entry. Then he returns the plate back at it with as much effort as he can muster.

He then presents his lightsaber to fight a delaying action to protect the team and possibly deal with the droid.

Winta


Keeping her blade ahead of her to deflect any fire that comes her way whilst she does so, she force pushes the second trooper out of the door too, intending to follow up and get out of the hatch to give Sirra time to recover.

Sirra grits her teeth and tenses, barely, however making a sound ... then reaches up to her face, grasps, and with a quick jerk rips out the implanted eye.

“Blasted thing was giving me a headache anyway.”

She niches the wall, punches her thigh, then stands up again.

GM

Winta raises her hand again but instead of a Force push, a torrent of blood rushes from her nose.

Focusing, she realises her visor is cracked and she's deaf in one ear. The overpressure from the Jet Trooper's high-energy shell.

The remaining Jet Trooper fires the central barrel of his G125. Standard blaster.

Winta blocks the first bolt unsteadily with her lightsaber but the second hits her in the chest.

She's thrown backwards by the impact and the Jet Trooper lines up on Sirra, just as she's lining up on him with her disruptor.

The DXR-6B is classed as a terror weapon in most systems. No Bacta tank's gonna reconstitute you after being hit by a disruptor.

The sizzling blue bolt explodes the Jet Trooper's head like someone had stuck a flash grenade in a can of Joppa stew.

And then Sirra finally torques the cyber-eye out of her eye socket. It was giving her a headache anyway.

The heavy thermo-shock padding in Winta's assault armour has a black, smoking hole in it but the woman beneath doesn't. She's alive, ribs bruised maybe cracked, maybe more serious organ damage. But alive.

Below them, the lower level. Bastian fires on the First Order AT-AT as it's departing for the Ghidrah bunker. The AT-AT trades fire using its head-mounted heavy laser cannons. The turret shakes but the turbolaser penetrates the AT-AT's armour first, gutting its troop-transporting belly. First Order troopers bail out, burning and screaming.

Cheering, Bastian jumps to his feet just as a round hunk of blast door flies by, propelled by the Force.

Preach's aim is good. Though the EG-5 ducks under the lethal projectile with inhuman agility, a Mountain Trooper behind it is crushed.

The droid attacks with its two Sith lightsabers, each a whirring circle of death. Preach parries parries dodges with a low counter. His blade glances off of the droid's chromed thigh and he realises its plated with some lightsaber-resistant alloy. Beskar?

Bastian draws both blaster pistols, yelling to Preach "All done!" as he riddles the turret's controls with autofire.

Preach

He would love to smile with the success of the flying metal plate, but he is concentrating too hard on the fight of his life.

Bastian's words come at the right moment. Using his skill and ability he leaps away from the droid, keeping his violet blade up and parrying as best as he is able to protect the team, himself included.

Winta

She tried hard to get her head back together as the troopers head exploded.
'Neat!' She thought.

She opened her comm-link to Mirror Team.

"Just to let you know, guys, we may not get out of the gun tower in one piece."


"We won't think any the worse of you all if you take the opportunity of our distraction to make good your escape."

She looked over to Sirra.

"Are you okay?"

She made her way to cover the entrance whilst checking herself over.
"I think I'm okay."

Sirra

“As hard to look at as usual.”

She says drily.

“And still functional.”

That eye had be bringing screaming pain to rip it out like that. One could probably almost feel it standing nearby.

“Now let’s get you guys out of here, right?”

She moves and ducks her head through the hatch, takes aim and pops off a shot at the droid.

Winta

"I'll cover this door," she told Sirra. "You go and stop Preach from being a martyr."

Sirra’s brief statement as she ducks through the door.

“That’s happening even if I have to take his place.”

Amos

The comm unit crackles and she can bearly hear Amos's voice over the noise.

«Same here. See you on the other side sir.»

GM

Mountain Troopers struggle through the hole cut by the droid, unused to fighting in close confines and carrying cumbersome double-barrelled E-22 blasters.

Bastian chucks his pistols and jumps at the companionway with both hands, scrambling up as fast as he can whilst Preach frustrates the Jedi Hunter with a stalwart Soresu defence.

"I joined the Starfighter Corp, I'm an X-Wing ace, and I'm still gonna get killed by a laser sword." He rambles to himself as he climbs.

Until he comes nose to nose with Sirra's disruptor rifle.

"Pfassk!" He blurts, ducking.

She squeezes off a shot. The disruptor bolt hits the droid in the head, blistering the red paintjob but ricocheting off the Beskar alloy underneath.

It hits a mainframe on the wall, blowing it to scrap. The milisecond distraction is all Preach needs to disengage, launching himself up the companionway with the Force. Bastian is up and clear, Preach lands on his feet beside him, sweaty, robes shredded, unhurt.

From a duelling point of view, Preach has discerned no obvious weaknesses in the droid. It's even proven capable of recklessness, taking advantage of its Beskar plating.

Instead of assaulting the companionway, the droid crosses its lightsabers and energy pulse down its forearms into the hilts. Sirra sees it. Accelerated charged particle induction, using the kyber crystals to focus a laser beam.

That's how the Imps did it on the Death Stars. The droid is charging up a devastating ranged attack.

Meanwhile, Winta leans out of the hatch on the upper level. She's half through the magcon field so her breath mask is up.

Wind and rain tear at her, the yellow sky engulfed by a terrifying ionised dust storm. Sweeping the angles over the sights of her Glie-44 blaster, Winta sees no sign of the other Jet Trooper.

The ladder down the side of the tower is clear.

Inside, Bastian grabs a G125 launcher.

"Shouldn't we be calling for extraction? We are getting extracted, right?" He asks.

Sirra:

She pulls back up, the eye socket still sparking lightly, and speaks in a very clipped and efficient voice.

“You guys need to get out of here now. Right now. That thing is about to fire off a shot no one is surviving.”

Odd that she was using ‘you’ rather than ‘we’. Possibly an unconscious thing.

Winta

"Ok - the route looks clear - let's bug out," she called to the others on the comm channel.

Once she got herself clear of the tower she jumped off and did a force landing on reaching the ground, alert for any threat above below or all round.

"I've reached the ground," she stated.

Preach

"If I can't be a martyr, neither can you be," he says to Sirra. "Time we all got out of here." He looked like he just might jump back down to get her out if she didn't come along quietly.

Sirra:

“Some lives, Preach, are worth more in the balance than others.”

Nonetheless she starts moving.

GM

Smoke Team hustle out of the hatch. Behind them the EG-5 fires its kyber-focused laser, cutting through the deck at their feet and exploding against the armoured casement.

Last to leave, the blast propels Sirra out of the hatch but as she tumbles she finds her equilibrium and cushions her landing with the Force. Her thinsuit is torn in places but she's otherwise uninjured.

Force users Winta and Preach are already on the ground, on guard, as Bastian hurries down the ladder. When he's low enough, he jumps off, rolls, and comes up to a kneel. Like the rest of Smoke Team, his breath mask is clipped over his mouth and nose.

Looking back, the outside of the turbolaser turret is scored and blackened by the AT-AT's heavy laser cannons. Flames gout from the hatch halfway up.

Looking around, the communication relay is still obscured by haze after its collapse, though most of the dust cloud has been tamped or blown away by the storm.

Visibility is poor.

Preach starts coughing and realises his breath mask is damaged, sucking in contaminants from the planet's toxic atmosphere. The mask's scrubbers struggle but compensate for now.

Winta's been shot; there's a smoking black crater in her chest padding. She's felt better but would've been feeling a lot worse without armour.

It seems the team have earned a moment's respite.

Where to next?

Will they call in Bek?

Sirra:

“I must look a sight.”

She quips.

“Face not even my mother would love and looking like I’ve been crawling in the ductwork of a garbage scow.”