Star Wars Special Forces, Round 5.1 - DT, Biff, Wei Ping, JymmigLazerian IV, Hgarik Docking Facility, 6:05 am Monday
Alley and either side of Cargo Doors, Docking Bay 5[GM] The cargo doors of Docking Bay 5 hiss and groan ponderously as they slide slowly into the thick duracrete walls of Docking Bay 5.
Confusion dominates the face of the Rhodian cab driver, Jymmig Natowski. Then a look of comprehension dawns. He looks up at DT and whispers in Rhodian, "Oki dok." Then Jymmig takes a deep breath through his snout and shouts at the top of his reptilian lungs, "Manifest? I've got two fists right here, girlie, an' I'll show ya both of 'em if ya don't co-op-er-ate!"
Wei Ping Colter's ears are assaulted from the shrieking doors ahead and the ranting Rhodian behind. Nevertheless, she immediately recognizes "John Ford" standing in the doorway. Almost instinctively, she makes a quick visual scan of the interior of the docking bay. The only unusual object there is the jet-black ship berthed in the hangar bay: the indomitable (some say indestructible) Skipray Blastboat called the Lightwing.
There just might be someone lurking at the blastboat's rear hatch.... Immediately more alert, Colter catches a glint of metal and a diode flash. However, they aren't in any weapons configuration she recognizes and the movement is wrong for a sniper.
To add to the sensory overload, Wei Ping's comm unit suddenly crackles to life and a mechanical voice speaks: "Wei Ping Colter, I am droid designate BT-P8H. John Ford is unavailable. May I relay a message?"
Bueford "Biff" Harkenon, alias John Ford, stands just inside the doors. To his surprise, he sees Wei Ping Colter standing just outside. Biff recognizes the young woman, but had not expected to see her again until 8 am today at the Lazerian shipyards (the time and place arranged to claim the L4 Transport on which Colter has been serving as First Mate).
Behind Wei Ping is that irrepressible (some say irresponsible) tech, DT, and her cab of doom. The Rhodian cabby seems to be yelling something at her, but Biff can't make it out over the rattle of the vibrating doors.
Strangely, the sound of Betty's vocoder issuing from Wei Ping's comm unit carries clearly to the young man's ears. "Wei Ping Colter, I am droid designate BT-P8H. John Ford is unavailable. May I relay a message?"
DT, for her part, barely hears the groaning of the cargo doors over the roar of the Rhodian, and has no idea a comm call has been answered. She glances toward the docking bay entrance, but the short woman with the databoard
is positioned precisely to block DT's view of whoever it is that has appeared inside the doorway.[GM OOC: No, DT doesn't recognize Wei Ping yet either. She showed a talent for rolling a "1" on the wild die for perception rolls this round. :) Guess it's all that distracting Rhodian racket.]
Watching from the rear hatch of the Lightwing, Aeon and Vritt see a young dark-haired woman in a shipsuit standing on the far side of the doorway. It seems absurd, but for a moment Aeon feels like she's looking at him instead of John Ford.
A ragged-looking tech of indeterminate gender and race, barely visible in the alley, stands next to a cab and trailer. The echo of the doors reverberates loudly in the docking bay. As it fades, someone in the alley seems to be shouting.
Vritt beeps quietly, at least in comparison to the cacophony outside. Loosely translated, his electronic language translates to: "Boss, that trailer's what I noticed earlier. What do you think is up?"
[Biff] As the Cargo doors swing open and Wei Ping is revealed, Biff is inwardly startled for a moment. She is not who he expected to see. He sees DT behind her with THE CAB. "You are early" He quietly says to Wei Ping while brushing past her. His voice suddenly booms out "Corrilian Swamp Gas!!! That's the last time we send YOU out to get Kegs for a Party!, What did you do, Drink the bar dry first?" He stalks toward DT.
[DT] DT startles as John yells out. Her face becomes the picture of put upon innocence - betrayed only by a twinkle in her eye - and she throws her arms out to her sides. "Look, boss." The tech 'protests'. "It's not my fault. I ordered the stuff yesterday. To be delivered *yesterday*!" DT turns and glares at the Rhodian cab driver.
DT starts whinning - loudly. "YOU said I could go on shore leave after I got it taken care of. I *got* it taken care of! HONEST! It's just that this... this... Noi-ji Tat, boss! This pooda-brain delivered it on the wrong day! I SWEAR!"
[Wei Ping] Having been summarily dismissed by John Ford, she steps into the Docking Bay past the line of the now open doors, turning to the side so that she can keep an eye on John Ford, The Cab and DT as well as have the movement at the rear hatch in her peripheral view (if possible). She lifts the com unit and replies courteously, "Thank you, droid designate BT-P8H. I have found John Ford and am awaiting his attention. No relay of message is necessary."
[Wei Ping] She puts her hands in front of her hiding the fact that she has drawn her weapon and is holding it behind the clipboard. Just in case the cab with the Rodian and DT are not as inept as they appear, or the movement at the rear hatch is more than she has assumed. She takes a few deep calming breaths to prepare for action.
[GM] OOC INFO (aka dice results): Biff and DT both hear the comm exchange between Wei Ping and Betty. DT has no problem recognizing John Ford, and finally recognizes Wei Ping. Vritt and Aeon both hear John Ford's loud comment, but not the comm exchange. NO ONE notices Colter's concealed weapon.
[DT] When DT recognizes Wei Ping, she mentally kicks herself.Her thoughts dance around quickly. 'And I wasn't even drinking that much . . . well not more than usual. Okay, OKAY! - but anyway I *should* have recognized the little spook. Sh*t!'DT's bleary eyes slide over to John and little mental grin slides around in her head. 'He don't know what's up. Let's just get it over with. And maybe the pretty boy don't figure it out.' The tech wobbles a little on her feet and bunches her face up. "Uh... boss? I'm maybe not feelin' so good. Could get the kegs inside an' maybe ream me out later, K?" A couple of dry heaves shake her light frame.
[Biff] Having gotten next to DT, Biff looks down at the tech. "sick huh?" (very skeptical look on his face) "We'll talk about your 'shore leave' (sarcastic intonation) inside." Biff glances over DT to the Cab Driver "YO CABBIE - Park it inside against the wall, and watch out for the pedestrians. MOVE IT!"
[GM] "Acknowledged, Wei Ping Colter," comes the mechanical reply from Wei Ping's comm unit. "BT-P8H signing ooo...oof!" The comm connection is terminated.
[Wei Ping] What could be happening to the droid on board the ship? Malfunction? Attack? Raising the com unit she inquires, “Droid designate BT-P8H, is everything ok? You terminated prematurely.” If the ship is under attack her best course of action is to remain where she is but gather as much information as possible.
Star Wars Special Forces, Round 5.1 - Sha-Ahree, Betty, Bothis, R4
Lazerian IV, Hgarik Docking Facility, 6:05 am Monday
Aboard the Lightwing, Lower Deck Corridor[GM] As Sha-Ahree monitors DT, another comm signal comes in to the Lightwing. "This is Wei Ping Colter calling John Ford." Sha doesn't need his warrior's senses to tell him that no one else is answering the hail. The black-and-white protocol(?) unit, Betty, approaches Sha. The female-shaped droid looks at the screen, then at the Barabel.
"Master Sha-Ahree, please excuse me," she says. A thin metal finger gently touches the comm controls. "Wei Ping Colter, I am droid designate BT-P8H. John Ford is unavailable. May I relay a message?"
Before a response is heard, there is a sudden commotion in the corridor. The bipedal heap of alien that is Bothiss rushes forward, carrying an R4 droid over one "shoulder." The droid is whistling and beeping in panic. "Quiet, droid," says Bothis. "Shipsmaster tells Bothiss hurry, emergency is sounding like...."
Unfortunately, this dialogue diverts Bothiss' attention toward the droid and away from the narrow corridor, where Betty and Sha-Ahree stand directly in the barreling alien's path....
[Sha] "LOOK OUT!!.." bellows Sha, trying to get Bothiss' attention before the immpending collision. He grabs Betty and attempts to move out of the way. [To GM: If there is a convenient side passage, Sha will attempt to clear the main passage. If not, he will back down the corridor, giving Bothiss time to stop. If a collision is unavoidable, he will shield Betty as best he can and brace for the impact...][GM] Unaware of the approaching potential collision, Betty is concluding her communication with Wei Ping. "Thank you, droid designate BT-P8H," says Colter's voice from the wall comm. "I have found John Ford and am awaiting his attention. No relay of message is necessary."
"Acknowledged, Wei Ping Colter," replies Betty. "BT-P8H signing ooo..."
In the cramped corridors of the Lightwing, there are no side passages for Sha-Ahree to dodge toward. Conveiniently though, the door to the storage bay Sha was practicing earlier is just behind him to his left. Grabbing Betty in mid-sentence, the powerful Barabel easily pulls her back with him into the doorway, out of Bothiss' path.
Bothiss, meanwhile, is reacting to Sha-Ahree's shouted warning. There is a faint squishing sound and the ragtag alien comes to a complete stop beside the doorway. His grip on R4, however, is not nearly as solid as his footing. The unfortunate droid capapults from Bothiss' grasp like a shotput.
There is a loud mechanical wail as R4-D9 ballistically sails aft. The airborne droid strikes the bulkhead next to the access ladder with a deafening clang as if the lower deck of the Lightwing were a bell, and R4 the clapper.The droid then begins to slide down the wall, it's trajectory taking it straight through the lower rear access hatch. As R4 disappears through the floor, the wall comm beeps. “Droid designate BT-P8H, is everything ok? You terminated prematurely.”
[GM] Aeon and Vritt hear a shout from inside the Lightwing, then from the hatch opening just above them, a loud metallic clang. "Heads up, boss!" Whistles Vritt as he skims away from the portal.
[GM] At the cargo doors, the watchful Wei Ping Colter spies a small hovering droid -- about the size of a remote seeker -- float away from the Lightwing's rear hatch.
[Wei Ping] She is totally torn. DT seems to be stumbling and John Ford is next to her. Is this some kind of ploy to get John Ford off guard? Then there is the commotion on the ship, and now a droid moving around the rear hatch.
What to do, what to do? There being no immediate visible "threat" (just a whole lot of confusion), she waits hoping that where she as positioned herself will turn out to be the right place to be if this is a real emergency.[Sha] Setting Betty down once the immediate collision has been averted, Sha glances after the quickly disappearing R4 unit, and then turns to Bothis. "It appears R4 units do not fly very well. Continue to the cockpit as shipmaster Blackhawk ordered, I will retrieve him and bring him to the cockpit for you."
Not waiting for a response, Sha turns and quickly heads off after the droid which should be entering the terminal phase of it's ballistic trajectory momentarily. Thinking this, Sha is listening closely to the sounds emanating from the lower rear access hatch as he approaches to gain an idea of what might be the unfortunate target beneath the hatch.....[Aeon] Aeon ducks an rolls to whichever side of the hatch is easier. As he comes up puts a hand on his pulse wave blaster looking for trouble. If he sees any, he will draw....
Star Wars Special Forces, Round 5.1 - Blackhawk, Bothiss, R4, Are
Lazerian IV, Hgarik Docking Facility, 6:05 am Monday
Aboard the Lightwing, Cockpit[GM] Vann's words bite into Are's mind like venomous teeth. The sapphire energy rushes through Are like a raging tide, quickly pulsing to Are's left hand where he holds the talisman of... Joan? Haka'naar? ...where it flares into a blinding cobalt spray.
Aboard the Lightwing, Joan Blackhawk feels needles of pain stab her consciousness; an agony that recalls her Dark Master, yet is utterly different. She has found her wing-mate, but that touch is smothered by the grasp of another.
In the minds of both Jedi, the Machshayfa's words form: "Shadow-Terror, you hold no fear for me. For I swim the waters beyond darkness, and they are mine to command."
[Joan] Joan shudders as the pain scintillates across her mind. At the same time a slight smile turns her lips, followed quickly by a mental snort of disdain. Always, always the darknesses are measured... and always found wanting.
This "Machshayfa" was no Vader. And therefore, he was nothing.Joan ignores the denizen of the deeper darknesses and speaks to her wingmate. "Are." ,her voice full of her signature emotionless passion.
[Are] Are concentrates on Joan/in the winged figure of his mate. He breathes out slowly, relaxing and feeling comfortable warmth in their reunion. He concentrates on imagining himself changing to the image of a white bird entwined with the Velani raptor of Joan.
This white bird self is one with the Force-balance in the universe. Are feels the Force flow through him - one with the chorus of all that lives breathes sings and just is - the stars, as Joan helped him see them, and all else. One with his race of Batellians, that world, the people, Machshayfa, his mother, his father and brothers, his friends - Bothiss, Biff, and of course...Joan.
He imagines the white light of the Force in its balance of all wash through him and Joan and over and through Vaan/Machshayfa, then to the vortex and over it as well. The Force encompasses all. Now he starts to zoom in on just the white light purity of the Force in and of just He and Joan, isolated and limited to just them. He continues to imagine just them - now as both the joined birds and as Joan and Are back on the Lightwing.
He views them together, part of all that is the Force including the vortex/Vaan/Machshayfa, but now separated -- carried away by the Light/Force flowing through him, Joan, both of them, and separated by where in time space and in the scheme of the Force they exist.
He continues to focus on these concepts: Joan and he - the birds - their figurines on the board - them clasping hands in the Lightwing surrounded by the white pure light of the Force - Joan and he kissing and Are opening his eyes to gaze into Joan's...
Round 4 Return to Star Wars: Special Forces Home Page Round 6
