Dawn of the Jedi ~ Act I: There is no Emotion, There is Peace

[Ascension]

The dry path eventually comes to a dead end. It looks like there was once an exit here, but it has been sealed with a massive pile of stone. You might be able to clear the blockage, given time, but your pursuers are unlikely to be delayed long enough to allow you to put such a plan into action. You are trapped somewhere underground, with metaphoric hounds at your heels.

Think fast.

[Liliedhe]

Thinking fast and on his feet isn't really something that comes easy to Rover, but he tries. A dead end also protects your back...

Quickly he unties the raft from his back and hands it to the old man. "We'll go back. Stay behind me... If we make it to the river, we'll take it. If pursuit catches up before that, whoever feels capable will hold them, while you try to dig through here."

Tally... I'm sorry.

[Minchandre]

Jo

A brief bubble of rage wells up as Jo's suspicions gut instinct is proven to be correct, but there's naught to do about that now. Bearing her teeth in a primal gesture that has nothing to do with a grin or smile, she turns about and begins heading back towards the river at a quick walking pace, just on the very verge of breaking into a run.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Li curses under his breath, but does his best to take hold of the situation. "Okay, we've got to get this cleared..." He looks hard at the retreating backs of Jo and Rover as they go back to delay the guards, but turns to the matter at hand after a few moments. "Everyone, get at the blockage." He tucks his weapon into his clothing and gets to work on the rubble with his bare hands, desperately attempting to clear it before it was too late.

Spoiler

Show

Strength Check?
(1d20)[8]

[Liliedhe]

He looks at the girl for a second, but says nothing, just hurries back with her. As they near the crossroad, he holds out his hand to stop her and listens ahead... With his senses as well as the Ashla, something that starts to grow increasingly natural for him.

Perception - (1d20+6)[11]
Use the Force - (1d20+6)[20]

[Ascension]

OSG7, what is Cal doing? Is he staying to try to help clear the rubble or is he going to go try to fight the guards?

[The_Snark]

Rosa

Rosa moves after Rover and Jo, only pausing when she realizes not everyone is coming. "Come on!" she says in a hushed voice, as if afraid their pursuers are already so close they might hear them. "We have to at least try and get to the river!"

[OldSchoolGamer7]

Cal

Spoiler

Show

I'm still confused; why the hell are we splitting up? We either need everyone digging out or we need to all be running back for the waterway.

Swaying slightly, Cal seems to be taking all this in. There seems to be a great deal of group disharmony between them; something he is intimately familiar with. Why me... They had been herded into a trap very carefully...to be shot like dogs or sent back to prison to rot...

Cal shakes his head some, letting out a soft cry of desperation. "We have no time to play in the dirt; we must go!" Steeling himself, he begins to move as fast as he can to keep up with the others.

[Ascension]

Thankfully Rover feels the presence of a hostile Force sensitive before you rush headlong into the waiting jaws of the pursuing guards. The winding nature of the tunnel should allow you to get fairly close to them before they can get a shot at you, and even then the various stalagmites should provide good cover.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Li grits his teeth, about to start digging at the rubble, but seeing everyone else decide simultaneously to double back, almost raises his hand to object, remembering the ease with which they killed Bricriu with their guns, but after a moment, shrugs, and lets go. Eh, he'd had a pretty good life. Could've been better, but certainly could've been worse. Smiling, he redraws his revolver and follows the others as they make their way back.

[Liliedhe]

Rover motions for the others to get back and try to dig out the tunnel's dead end.

Then - using cover and the curve of the tunnel as much as possible - he will inch forward to a hopefully defensible position...

[Ascension]

Your pursuers have dug in between you and the river, betting that you will be forced by the blocked tunnel to come through them in order to escape. The broken terrain could also afford you good cover, though...

The standoff is quickly becoming a mutual zugzwang situation... someone will have to make the first move, and whoever makes that first move will expose himself (or herself) to the opposing side's fire.

The sticking point, though, is that your enemies can bring in reinforcements... you cannot. Given time to muster additional guards, they will summon up enough brute force to take your position no matter how much the terrain advantages you. You have no such "nuclear option."

[Liliedhe]

Under these circumstances, they can't afford to wait. So Rover lifts the pilfered weapon and fires a burst in the direction of the guards and moves forward under its cover...

Attack - (1d20+2)[10]

Spoiler

Show

Rolling just in case - Rover isn't particularly trying to hit them, just to get them to duck, so he can get closer.

[Ascension]

Your suppression fire is just accurate enough to give the guards second thoughts... you're able to cover a good bit of ground before you're pinned down behind a stalagmite again. Another such dash would bring you close enough to bring the full force of the Ashla down on the enemy.

[Liliedhe]

In that case, he would give a repeat performance, whenever appropriate (when the others did their thing, provided they want to...)

Attack - (1d20+2)[22]

[OldSchoolGamer7]

Cal

He's insane! They're all insane! We're all dead! Cal stands against a wall of the tunnel, paralyzed with sheer terror. His life has gone from bad to horrible in only a few weeks time. He has been disowned, imprisoned, roughed up, betrayed, and brought to the point of death for no reason other than, apparently, he had been on the "wrong" side. Now, with his fate staring him in the face, all he could do is stand there and watch...

No! Snap out of it, stupid! Go dig! Stop being such a sniveling coward and DO SOMETHING! You're not dead yet! With what looks like a great deal of effort, Cal moves toward the rubble. As he builds momentum and turns his fear into a desire for flight, he tears at the collapsed tunnel with wild abandon, muttering things under his breath. Maybe...just maybe...he had a future. The chance was slim, but there was a tiny light at the end of the tunnel.