DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Hall of Fame - Latest Top 10 completed games CFH: A Call For Heroes CFH6: Race to the Resistance

[Jix has 6 Stimpacks left in her backpack, 4 doses of Nullicaine. Preach has 1 dose of Nannarium Root (upgrades any Intellect or Cunning based checks for 1 hour at the cost of 2 Strain)]

[Thanks! ]

Sirra:

“So anyone else having fun yet?” She quips.

Preach

"Just feeling my age," he offers back with a half smirk.

But then he frowned and offered "I was just meditating on the Force and felt something like I have never felt before. An over all sense of impending doom. As if life is coming to an end, all life, not just a life. I think we will need to act with haste." It didn't seem like he was joking.

Jix

Putting away her kit, checking for any shortages, she listens to Sirra and Preach.

"I do not pretend to understand this Force that you all talk about. I imagine it as being similar to a feeling that we Verpine share as part of the hive mind. Do you trust it?"

Amos

He was still sitting against the wall next to Sirra, flexing his arm to test out how functional it is. Preach's words cause him to glance over at the older man.

"Preach doesn't strike me as being someone who get dramatic. If he thinks we need to act in haste then I trust his judgment. We need to contact our transport, right?"

Sirra:

“Never viewed myself as particularly in tune with the universe, but I was of that opinion even before he spoke up, so I’ve got no arguments. “

Meanwhile she is carefully flexing her knee.

“See if I can make myself a bit more useful on the next leg of this journey.”

Winta

She nodded in response to Amos's comment. "Mhar-li? Can we contact the Bargon Flit and let them know we are going to dock with them?"

"Let's just make it sound like normal planet to space traffic in case anyone is listening."

She looked to the others. "I am reluctant to use the secure comms unless we have to - it is likely to just attract attention to ourselves."

GM

Mhar-li nods, liking Winta's idea.

"I can raise Bargon Flit on commercial comms, no problemo. But remember, anyone could be listening in." She says, turning back to the centre console and pressing clunky buttons.

The young Mantellian pilot also dials down the air-cooler and the cabin is suddenly a lot quieter.

"Bargon Flit, this is Sunstrider. Do you read? Tagging transponder code now."

Pause. Patience.

Lieutenant Bek's distinctively phlegmy voice sounds off from the speaker.

«This is Bargon Flit reading you loud and clear, Sunstrider. What can we do for you?»

Mhar-li gives Winta the thumbs up.

"OK, all yours."

Winta

"Yeah, hi," she responded casually, "I was wondering if I could sell you some spare parts, we have carefully liberated from the wrecks. We both get a better deal than we would get dealing with the homicidal gangs. Perhaps I can show you what I have?"

GM

There's another pause as Bek ponders the subtext. Asking to dock directly, so no cargo container hand-over. It's a change of plan but that's to be expected in any op.

«We are interested, Sunstrider. I will---»

The Lieutenant's voice suddenly crackles and signal is lost. A shadow falls across the cockpit.

Mhar-li curses lividly, leaning forward across the dash to look out of the canopy.

Anyone looking at the camera feeds from around the hull sees the same sight.

A First Order Star Destroyer blocking the sun as it eases into position above the Quadjumper.

About 3000 metres of battlecruiser providing a panoramic backdrop to 8 metres of space tug.

Groups of TIE Fighters patrol the vast hull and its vicinity.

You are hailed by a different voice. Crisp, haughty, ignorant.

«Sunstrider, this is the Star Destroyer Silencer. You are being detained for inspection by the First Order. Cut your engines immediately. We will bring you aboard with our tractor beam.»

Mhar-li shakes her head in fear and frustration.

"Thing about a Quadjumper, proximity sensors only. Too damn short ranged!

"What do we do?"

She turns to the team. It's their call.

The Sunstrider might have had a hyperdrive and cannons once but not anymore.

It's fast-accelerating and manoeuvrable, as you'd expect of a tug, but the same must be said for TIE Fighters.

And a full-size Star Destroyer like the Silencer might also have TIE Whispers. Hyperdrive-equipped, enhanced tracking systems, heavier weapons.

Preach

It wasn't his call as to whether or not they ran or fought. But he offered "our information is vital, we can't afford not passing it along. I really can't understate how important moment we are facing."

2BB-2

The BB-unit began trying to emit a noise *remarkably* similar to the static you might get from, say, a malfunctioning comms array. Anything to buy time when every last moment was vital, should one of those capable of speech wish to take advantage.

Winta

She released the com switch and looked to the others. "Things are about to get shitty... " she explained.


She reactivated the comms switch.
"Of course, Silencer, she replied, in her most pleasant voice.

"More than happy to be tractorred aboard."

Sirra:

Once the send is off on the coms,

“About to? I bet I’m really popular right now if I run into the wrong person on board that thing. There are new definitions of unpleasant, I think, for some of the conversations they would want to have. Officially I’m a dead traitor. If they find me a live traitor, the rectification is liable to be a much longer process. One I’ve seen before.”

All of the above is said in a conversational tone more akin to ‘Scrambled eggs and some of for breakfast, please.

“Maybe you should put a bow on me and hand me over.”

She quips.

“Maybe make someone happy enough with you to let you go.”

2BB-2

As a long-time veteran of running away from First Order Star Destroyers, it is safe to say that the noises emitted from the droid were not emblematic of pleasure or agreement.

Jix

"Could Bargon Flit provide a diversion?"

She thinks for a moment.

"Or we let them search and make sure they don't find anything?"

Winta


"Well, they are probably going to search anyway. I can't see Bargon Flit attracting attention to itself."

"Honeyed words and a warm smile' it is then."


She looked at Mhar-li. "Is there anything on board that is going to make things worse for us?" she asked.

2BB-2

The BB-unit, above the planet of Jakku, containing not only data on one of the First Order's most potent and subtle weapons but also quite a few key moments and meetings for the Resistance, wheedled.

GM

Mhar-li doesn't answer immediately, awed as she is and staring at the Star Destroyer's hull close-up.

Built by Kuat-Entralla, the Resurgent-class has over 1500 point defence turbolaser turrets to complement its orbital bombardment weaponry. The class also notably has ventral-mounted rapid-fire concussion missile systems and a rack-based launching system for TIE Fighters to counter the threat of enemy starfighters.

There are only two viable options if attempting to outrun the Silencer. 1. Return to the planet's surface, try to throw off pursuit and take a second shot at rendezvousing with the Bargon Flit in orbit. 2. Evade the tractor beams and TIE Fighters whilst completing a high speed docking manoeuvre with Bargon Flit, and once aboard jump to light speed.

An alternative is to let the Star Destroyer tractor in the Quadjumper and brazen it out. At the command of the Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, the First Order are searching for Rey. Jakku is in lockdown, all ships arriving in-system and wishing to land planetside are being inspected.

It's possible this is another such inspection, the Sunstrider having drawn attention to itself. But if the First Order are looking for Rey they won't find her.

2BB-2 must not be scanned but BB-units aren't military-grade (normally), they're usually employed on star yachts. R0 units are the current cutting edge dogfighting astromechs. What else is there aboard to arouse suspicion?

Mhar-li looks around.

"Well, we're unarmed compared to most freighters. That old rotary blaster's only useful in-atmo and won't do squat against another starship. We look shot up but that can happen on Jakku, especially if you mess with the Strus Clan.

"You gotta doubt the First Order will be interested in a feud between scavs and the local gangsters."

She rubs her head, trying hard to think of everything.

"No. I think we're cool. As long as they don't see your lightsabers or scan 2BB-2."

Of course, Mhar-li doesn't know of anyone's history with the First Order.

Sirra:

“Guys, I wasn’t joking when I said that I’m a gamble here. Wrong sort of Imperial intelligence here and they will find me, and by extension you, very interesting. I made enemies on the way out who think I’m dead and would not be happy seeing me alive.””

Winta

"Okay," she replied to Sirra, "I am not convinced my honey words will see us through."
"Are you confident you can fly us out of here without us getting blown to smithereens?"

She looked at the others. "Bluff or run?" she posed to them.

Amos

"There are too many of us aboard to be a standard crew so they are going to question that."

Preach

He waited to hear what they wanted for a plan. Getting closer to the First Order just didn't seem like a good idea even given the risks of doing it another way. He knew Jedi Masters who could convince people that they didn't see what they really did see, but he wasn't one of those masters. In fact he wasn't a master at all, more a student of the Jedi ways. He would support whatever choice was made, but he didn't see a good choice.

Jelly Bean

She had tried to sleep in the cibby corner as best she could. She knew that getting back on the Bargon Flit there would be meetings and debriefings and then the mission to take over the Ghidra node.

But sleep was fleeting and she uncurled and moved forward to survey what was happening and shook her head.

"We're kriffed... some of us are anyway, but if the First Order kriffs one of us they're gonna kriff the rest of us as well, just for knowing Sirra, or me... of if they find out you two are Jedi. That's what they do. Plus there's the whole, you're not human thing they have... and Twi'leks with red skin can't pass even under a hood."

"All of us are expendable except for Babay. And we are out of time for being boarded."

She shimmied her way forward and looked at Mhar-li. "I think I need to be sitting there again... if you don't mind."

"Any other Destroyers in system?"

"Even if we start evading them, we haven't revealed ourselves to be anything more than salvage junkers and pirates. They are monitoring all comms and probably have some info already on what went down on the surface. But with nothing else going on, they have nothing else to do except kriff with us... and you can be certain they have already pulled up the sat scans from when Bargon Flit and Sunstrider transferred a cargo container earlier."

"Everybody strap in... the only way out is through," Said Jelly bean with a tone in her voice that made it sound as if she was being literal. "Bababy is the only one of that matters...."

On that note...

"Babay... link into comms... send an encoded message to Bargon Flit..."

Operational protocol was such that what Jelly Bean was proposing would jeopardize resistance security. Using an operational code 'in the belly of the beast' would give the First Order a chance to decode it. But everything would be lost if they didn't survive this moment right here.

"Add a transpositon cipher code over the top and hope the Flit realize it's our code with a twist."

She manipulated the controls to her liking.

"Times up.... BaBay- send this message. Flit in- mass driver barrage- central con bridge- flit out- try draw them to hspace- drop- spin- jump back- pickup at 224 by 35 cross 18. Transmit that now."

"You see- we can't outrun them far enough, right- we can't withstand their point defense weapons. But we can fly inside them through their big open landing bays. In and out, weave our way like threading a needle- IF we can do it before they get that tractor on us... then it's them who will play catch up with us... The Flit jumps in, and hammers them hard- that mass driver cannon will punch serious holes. Maybe hit them hard enough to switch bridges. Then get them to chase the Flit. The Order is predictable in there reaction to anger. The Flit can fire and turn right around on a wupiupi coin for a jump back here. Even if the the Star Destroyer can drop that quickly again, it can't turn around in time to catch the Flit as it jumps back to us."

"I said strap in... here we go..."

And Jelly Bean pushed the throttle to fill and accelerated hard toward the lower hull of the Star Destroyer. Getting in close limited the number of weapons she would have to account for. Only idiots and fools and x-wing pilots engaged star destroyers at 'reach out and touch' range. Up the side of the hull and wheel the Sunstrider over and into the landing bay. The bay screens weren't true shields. They could stop energy, but mostly kept the atmo inside. Ships could pass through them. Guess what... the whirly gun will work inside the landing bay... Then down the length of the ship, in one bay and out the other, as tight to hull as possible. destroy any ships and shooters they pass along the way.Thread that needle until the Bargon Flit popped in to piss them off.

But what if the Star Destroyer didn't jump after the Bargon Flit. Well, that would suck Nerfrump, but the Sunstrider would get behind the Destroyer and they would still have to turn around as hey launched their fighters... and then it was a race to get the Flit to them before TIE fighters overwhelmed them. All of this strategy was in Jelly Bean's head and there wasn't time to explain the plan. They would just have to trust her. And she relaxed her mind and focused on herself and the ship and becoming one. Letting the Force guide her as she had been taught by Maz Kanata.

"One Mother, One Breath, One Spirit, Vahs ka Ryma’at," she whispered.