Star Wars SAGA: Secrets of the Jedi

[Worgwood]

Bythis rubs his chin, speaking quietly. "It never hurts to have the element of surprise on your side... or to know what you're dealing with before you deal with it. Besides, I'm not much of a negotiator."

He flips up his hood and looks around for a spot he can use to surreptitiously double back behind the group's tail.

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Stealth check
(1d20+14)[25]
I have the Togruta trait Sneaky so I can reroll this if I need to, but I'm hoping that a +14 Stealth check will be one of those things I won't need to reroll.

[kreenlover]

"May the Force be with you Padawan Bythis. As for the rest of us, let us find that blind corner. Miss Alenka I want you take one side of the alley and myself the other. We shall have to find some cover to hide behind. As Padawan Dailynn stands in the middle and tries to convince them we can set up a flanking fire if the negotiations should fail.
"In the event of that I will work to direct the both of your attacks. Padawan Bythis will be too far away to communicate and coordinate effectively with, especially if I cannot see him. However, do not wait for my signal to attack. If either of you senses that negotiations are failing do not hesitate to attack.
"Should set our weapons for stun?"

[Nerd-o-rama]

After Bythis sneaks off and everyone else finds a suitable point to wait, the pursuing footsteps get louder and more distinct until five figures emerge from around the corner. Two human thugs with belted vibroblades and a pair of what appear to be stripped-down astromech droids with blasters attached follow the strange alien that Alenka immediately recognizes from the cantina earlier, who's brandishing a heavy blaster pistol in both feet.

They clearly look surprised to see three people waiting and ready for them as they come around the corner (well, the droids don't, but you know what I mean), but their leader rallies quickly and levels his pistol, trying to cover Joss, Dailynn, and Alenka all at once. "Alright, bounty hunter," he says in his harsh accent. "That's enough of whatever it is you're doing here."

His gun waves over to Joss briefly. "This must be your Republic contact. I mean no disrespect, officer, but I have to look after my business. Why don't you and your friend just let me and my friends have a chat with this merc scum, and I'll make it worth your while."

His crew - or possibly hired goons - take an intimidating stance. None of them seem aware of Bythis hiding behind the boxes behind them.

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Okay pretend this has columns labeled A-T and rows labeled 1-20. Dark gray squares are 30' high walls or 10' high boxes.


Sm is the Dug Smuggler, 1 and 2 are human thugs, 3 and 4 are modified astromech droids. You guys are your characters' initials.

Bythis can take a surprise round if he wants; everyone else should roll initiative if you attack or use a force power.

[Worgwood]

Bythis, for now, waits to see how this plays out; better to give Dailynn his chance. He readies his bow and draws an arrow, making ready to fire only if he is provoked or his allies attacked.

[kreenlover]

"I do apologize but unless your business is entirely friendly in nature we may have to decline. I need the 'merc scum' alive and well for this venture. If you like I can provide you my contact information and we can reconvene this session once we return from our trip. Does that sound amenable?
"If that is not amenable I sugges that we set our weapons to stun so that any conflict that does break out is nonlethal"
Joss readjusts his blaster to aim at the smuggler, and switches to stun.

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Persuasion
(1d20+7)[12]

[Blackdrop]

Dailynn shoots a look at the Lieutenant and gestures, subtly, for him to lower his blaster.

"Guns aren't exactly friendly, Lieutenant."

He turns his attention back to the strange alien.

"As for you chaps, I'm sure Miss Alenka meant no disrespect, but I can not allow you to delay us any further then you already have. With that in mind, I present you with two choices: You either continue to interfere in our business and my companions and I will be forced to kill or apprehend you", as he says this he retrieves his lightsaber from his belt, but does not yet ignite it, "or, surrender your weapons to us and go about your business."

Dailynn waves his hand in the distinctive fashion of the Jedi Mind Trick.

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(1d20+12)[29] for suggestion use of the Mind Trick power, which is the italicized text.

[Nerd-o-rama]

The smuggler looks quizzically at Dailynn, ignoring Joss for the moment as the suggestion takes hold in his mind. "I should really get back to business," he says, depositing his blaster on the ground and motioning the confused thugs to follow him. "Chasing bounty hunters is backwards anyway."

The thugs shrug and follow their boss, as do the droids.

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There's a bog-standard Heavy Blaster Pistol and one full power pack on the ground if anyone wants it.

[kreenlover]

As the smugglers walk away Joss holsters his pistol and walks over to pick up the smuggler's pistol.
"There is no reason to leave this here where anyone can find it. And it is always useful for the team to have an extra. Now then, if we could get on to our destination before the transport leaves that would be excellent. Lead on Miss Alenka"
He activates his comlink and speaks quietly.
"Bythis, perhaps you should follow a ways behind us to deter, or help us avoid, any further encounters like this one. Or do you think it is better to keep the group together for the moment?"

[Blackdrop]

Dailynn returns his lightsaber to his belt, relieved that the situation was solved without bloodshed.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

The bounty hunter puts her pistol back into her hilt and continues moving.

[Worgwood]

Bythis returns his drawn arrow to its quiver and slings his bow across his shoulder. When Joss addresses him, he answers with a nod.

"I think we're in the clear, but I'll lag behind a bit to make sure."

[Nerd-o-rama]

The trek through the spaceport is longish, somewhat confusing, and definitely filled with sidelong glances from astromech droids puttering about on errands, but between Alenka's sense of direction and the Force, the group makes it to the docking bay in plenty of time.

The ship waiting there is a large bulk freighter, currently in the process of being loaded with cargo containers by lumbering hauler droids. It's not exactly an attractive vessel, looking a bit like an upturned clamshell with semi-cylindrical cargo bays clinging to the bottom, but it certainly looks spaceworthy.

The only people (biological people, anyway) immediately visible in the docking bay are a human customs official and the portly human man in a flightsuit he's speaking to - clearly the captain or a crew member based on his outfit and conversational partner.

[kreenlover]

Joss approaches them, a smile on his face, then thinks better of it and steps back "Miss Alenka, you were the one who arranged the transportation, perhaps you should be the one to speak with them until the details of the trip have been sorted out"

[Worgwood]

"What a piece of junk," Bythis harumphs as he studies the clam-shaped starship.

[kreenlover]

"Please Bythis, Miss Alenka informs me that we have not in fact arranged passage on this ship yet. Please keep your disparaging comments to yourself"

He straightens his tunic and steps towards the duo and waits for a break in the conversation before speaking.

"Hello. My name is Joss Pathr. I would like to see about arranging passage for myself and my fellows aboard a starship headed to the Empress Teta system. Could you perhaps point me in the right direction to one?"

[Nerd-o-rama]

The customs official walks off with datapad in hand and the flightsuited gentleman turns a slightly fixed-looking smile at the arriving group.

"Well, Lieutenant," he begins after a quick assessment of Joss's clothing, "I do happen to be making a cargo run coreward that has a stop at Cinnagar on the itinerary. That's if my humble transport is up to your standards, of course."

Unsurprisingly, he's looking at Bythis during the last part of the statement.

"'course I don't typically carry passengers, so I don't exactly have a set fee. Did you have an offer in mind?"

[kreenlover]

"I am sure that your transport is in excellent condition. Padawan Bythis is not used to life outside the Temple yet, and has not seen many vehicles asides from the Jedi Order shuttles. Isn't that right Bythis?
"As for the fees, if you are already traveling there then how about 100 credits each? If that is not suitable then I am open to negotiation"

[Nerd-o-rama]

"A hundred creds a head is certainly reasonable," the spacer says. He's still giving Bythis the stink-eye, though. "Then again, it's bad luck to carry Jedi lately. You never know who's going to come after them. I'm afraid I'd have to charge 200 apiece for hazardous cargo."

Spoiler

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Persuasion roll to haggle him back down to 100 per, if you want.

[kreenlover]

"Be that as it may I am sure that I can find someone who will take us for 125 credits apiece if 100 is too low"

[Nerd-o-rama]

"A hundred fifty apiece, and I'll serve drinks. Not the good stuff, mind you."

He sticks out his hand to shake.

[kreenlover]

"I got used to 'not the good stuff' in the army my friend. I will gladly share anything that you have to offer. 150 credits apiece it is"
Joss smiles and clasps the man's hand.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Good to hear." He shakes Joss's hand. "Captain Garm Sakoth, at your service. This is the Star of Trallus - don't blame me, I didn't name it and it costs too much to change the registration again. I hope you all brought your creds and your luggage because we're going to be lifting off in about fifteen minutes."

[kreenlover]

"We have everything we need on our backs. Nice to meet you Captain. I'm Lieutenant Joss Pathr, currently not on active duty"

He bounces his backpack on his shoulder as he speaks, and fishes the credits out to pay the Captain with.

"If there is nothing else to do, I'll be boarding. Anywhere you want us to stay during takeoff?"

[Nerd-o-rama]

Piling aboard the Star of Trallus and lifting off goes uneventfully, although a bit quickly. Captain Sakoth's obviously on a timetable.

The ship itself is mostly a large shell over bulky, indivdually sealed cargo containers. The cockpit and engineering sections are in a small pod near the fore of the ship (relatively; the habitable section is still almost as big as a small light freighter), along with the "passenger section", which is pretty clearly an additional small cargo hold that was converted to have comfortable seating, refresher facilities, and the kind of halfhearted decor that a spacer puts in his ship when he spends most of his brainpower memorizing hyperspace routes and doing mental accounting.

The captain is apparently a solitary operator, as your needs (and the ship's) are seen to by a pair of slightly dented but friendly T3-series astromechs. After the standard hour or so it takes an honest businessman to clear Coruscant's orbital security, though, the captain heads back to the passenger section to chat.

"Coruscant to Teta isn't a long trip," he explains, "and it's even shorter when you folks have the good sense to fly with a cargo hauler instead of one of those fancy starliners. Don't have much in the way of entertainment though, 'cept a Pazaak table."

"Now that we're away from curious types, though, what exactly are you all heading Coreward for? I'd just like to know if I need to keep an eye out for anything, is all."

[kreenlover]

Joss looks at the others for a moment, his eyebrow raised in a silent question before turning back to the Captain
"I would love a game of pazaak later if you don't mind. I'm better at dejarik, and we played sabaac in the army, but I'm not bad at pazaak.
"As for why we are heading coreward we are on a, well, I guess you could say its a diplomatic mission. You'd have to ask the Padawans for the details. I'm more along to help coordinate their efforts, to be the Republic liason, and to help out with my piloting skills should they be needed"

[Blackdrop]

"Truth be told, our mission isn't terribly exciting. Simple data recovery, nothing more. Referring to it as diplomatic mission is perhaps being a bit generous."

[Worgwood]

Bythis finds a comfortable place to sit and then immediately proceeds to beckon to one of the astromechs, trying to catch its attention the way you might try to catch a cat's attention.

"It's important enough that they're sending Jedi, but not so pressing that they're sending Knights. I doubt you'll have any reason to be concerned with us on board, Captain."

[Nerd-o-rama]

The captain smirks a little at the mention of Sabacc. "Call me superstitious, but playing a game of chance with fortune-telling cards always struck me as asking for trouble. Besides, do you know how much one of those randomizers costs?"

The astromech warbles something in binary at Bythis and spins around, curious. The other one chatters at it, then goes to do something with the astrogation computer in the next room.

"Anyway," the Captain continues, "if it's all that boring, I guess I can relax. I started taking Core runs to stay away from trouble in the first place. We'll be in Hyperspace in a couple of minutes and in Cinnagar in a few hours."

[kreenlover]

"Excellent news Captain! Yes, the randomizers do cost quite a bit, but we had a custom droid with us that ran the games from its processor. I don't really know where it came from, but it hung out with our battalion"

[Worgwood]

Bythis, at this juncture, completely loses himself to the conversation. Instead he devotes his full attention to the astromech, gesturing and making faces at it like he were trying to befriend an animal.