Earthen Ramparts

[Callowmoryne]

Logar nodded to himself. He liked plans that involved explosives, what he didnt like was the waiting. To long and he would get the shakes. He made his decision quickly. "Im gonna back Sam up at the snipers blind." If things were gonna get exciting that was the sharp end of the stick. Thats where Logar'Dan needed to be.

[Telcontar]

Farok didnt move from under his cowl, but heard the warriors words, "The sniper blind will put you above the fight if it comes, if your hungry for a fight grab a couple grenades and wait in the bush near where we have camped. Feel free to take my watch while your at it."

[Callowmoryne]

Logar thought farok had a point. He wasn't used to taking orders from one-armed wizards though. Again he wished his helmet didn't hide his perfect smile. "Sounds good. I'll even take your watch. You prob need your rest what with your condition and all."

[Telcontar]

Farok chuckled behind his covered face. "In four standard hours I'll be good as new and join you."

[sdrotar]

Farok chuckled behind his covered face. "In four standard hours I'll be good as new and join you."

"In four hours, I'll have had a third of the sleep I need," Caden said. "Maybe a fourth."

[tomcat]

Trevulo tried one last time, but then gave up. It was obvious that his forward sniper blind and his scout bikes had been compromised. The sun was setting on Malastare and soon it would be dark. The mercenary commander decided that he would not take the chance of losing any more people. Instead the Dug ordered his few remaining soldiers to be ready and keep an eye for any new threats. Trevulo would be ready if the trespassers came further up the valley.

Darkness settled. Sam sat down and activated his low-light vision. He scanned the tree line below for any movement that was made by something more than the small swamp creatures that moved about in pursuit of food.

At the camp, most of the companions took rest while Kaida and Logar activated their own armor visual systems and defenses. They set their own watch and waited for any threat to reveal itself.

Nothing came.

When eight Malastare hours had passed, Kaida clicked her helmet transmitter to let Sam and Logar know that she would be gathering the others to move out - or at least to plan their next move. The noblewoman moved into the camp and waked Brim, and Caden. Farok she saw was already awake, sitting quietly and puffing on a cigar. She gave a sudden questioning look to the former Jedi - Boba Fett was no where to be seen.

Sitting with his back to the wall, the man who was known only as BIT, watched as a Piatic spider descended down the length of the opposite wall of his prison. The things were deadly to most forms of life, even though they would easily sit in a grown man's palm. The poison exuded by the arachnid's fangs was a terrible hemotoxin and was delivered in large doses compaed to the creature's small size. The venom would quickly course through a victim's arteries and then begin a quick destruction of the arterial flesh. The results was awful pain, internal bleeding, and eventual death. BIT had had the terrible opportunity to see a fellow inmate die by one of the red-limbed spiders.

He watched the thing with a wary eye, but did not squash it with his boot. It was his only companion after nearly two-weeks of imprisonment. It had been awful - the humidity and heat; the terrible smell of mold and rot; very little food and water to sustain him; and the scarey little cellmate that had taken the Gran that had been caged with him.

Earlier BIT had heard the report of blaster fire. Someone had fired some big guns, too. He hoped that soon there would be an opportunity to be free from the small Dug fortification. And if so, this time he would not let them get the upper hand on him again. BIT had been hired by a Gran merchantman that resided on Malastare and had a very successful business. Still, the Gran wanted to know what the Dug 'King', known as Pugwis, was doing to supplement his own business and generating so much revenue that he could outbid any other provider. The merchant had paid handsomely for BIT to infiltrate Pugwis' facility and slice the data from his computers. BIT chose the same valley as Caden and his friends to enter the Dug facility... unfortunately, he had not anticipated the Nexu and had been captured after one of the creatures had chased him into the open.

Now BIT sat and watched the spider. It reached a position a few inches above the floor of the cell. There it flattened itself to the wall and waited for its prey - the small two-inch rodents that would scurry along the perimeter of the cell in their own search for food. The slicer felt a chill run the length of his spine and then he looked out the bars of his prison. Not ten feet away sat his pack and all of his gear. If he had any of it, he would make short work of the security system that kept him caged.

Okay, all PC's have had their stat blocks updated for the rest. It is a new day, but you guys have about two more solid hours of dark and then an hour of morning gloom.

Tell me what you guys are doing.

[Jingo]

"... so no one knows where the bounty hunter went?" With no reply forthcoming, she bit off a curse and shook her head. Hopefully Fett was just doing some recon, if not... well she and her friends had come this far. They'd see it through the rest of the way. 

She nodded to the others "Okay. It's time to move out. Fett will just have to find us."

She looked out at the eastern horizon, It was still dark. Well before dawn. She used to love to sleep in well past day break in the past, though her parents tried to discourage that side of her. She was still a sucker for the comforts she enjoyed what seemed now so long ago. Sleeping in wasn't an option anymore. Sleeping in could mean not staying one step ahead of those that tracked her. Sleeping in could mean failure and death.

Her life had certainly taken a few unforseen turns these past few months to land her on hip deep in some backwoods jungle planet doing covert ops missions. What would her father say to her now? The thought brought a rueful smile to her and she brushed at her eyes in the darkness.

"We're running out of darkness. Let's go." She checked her equipment one last time and then began leading the way up the valley. She hoped this wasn't a suicide mission.

Do the speeders need to be turned on to "float"? Or can they be pushed around quietly with their engines off. Not sure how SW tech works. But if possible, we should bring the speeders along quietly but ready to use for a quick get-away or whatever.

[tomcat]

On the Aegis, Kara lifted her head of a sudden. A beep startled her from her dozing and the mech stood up and walked from the ship's lounge to the flight deck. She took a quick glance outside and cringed at the site of the rain falling on the flight deck's canopy. It looked miserable out there and Kara was glad she opted to stay on the Aegis, with all of its creature comforts.

Getting back to what brought her to the bridge, she looked at the comm panel that was the source of the chime. It had a message light flashing. Kara tapped the console, which woke the screen up, and began to scroll through the various communications that the ship had received. Some of it was important. Some of it was just standard information transmitted by the various sensors on the Aegis that reported weather, temperature, gravitational sheer, etc.

Finally she came to a message that had triggered the alert. It was not addressed to anyone, but it showed Kaida's name within the content. Since the noblewoman had come on board, she had set up discreet postings on many public forums on the holonet to try and make contact with her family - or anyone who had survived from her entourage. Kara wasn't much interested in the bulk of the details, but apparently the princess had a response. One thing did catch the woman's eye and made her breath hiss out between her teeth... 25,000 credits!

[Jingo]

On ....Kara wasn't much interested in the bulk of the details, but apparently the princess had a response. One thing did catch the woman's eye and made her breath hiss out between her teeth... 25,000 credits!

Yay! Kaida's Wealth talent! *chaaa--ching* 

[GandalfOfBorg]

The former-military-man-turned-merc knew something was going to happen, just not when.  "I'll be prepared anyway," he thought.  Moving as far as he could from his "cell mate", he took up some calisthetics to keep his body ready and to help clear his mind.  He had studied the layout of this prison ward as best he could from his cell until it was practically memorized.  A killer by trade, he still had a code and bore these Dug no ill will for his capture, the were duing their duty.  The ill will he saved for that group of incompetants that left him behind to save their own skins.  He will get out, he will get what he came for, he will get paid, AND he will see that retribution is met upon those slime.  He index finger on his right hand began to twitch a little.

[Telcontar]

  Doug, I cant get a sense of where we are how this rampart thing is set up. Am I getting lost in the grid lines or is the rampart not on the map?

[tomcat]

I attached a new map without grid lines below that also has bullets showing locations. Let me know if you are still wondering about where you all are.

One of the things that may be causing confusion is that the party has truly not even seen the rampart yet. It is up a ways and around the corner of the valley. You and I had talked about it via IM and then your PC brought it up in story. I didn't want to bother making correction that the PC didn't even know it was there, and just let you all run with it.

Again, if you have any questions, let me know.

As for the story, if no one has any other input for dialogue, my next post will have you guys moving up the valley per Kaida's order.

Jared, as to your question - the speeders are quiet when they are floating with repulsors active, save for a light hum. It is when they are ridden and accelerated do they make a higher pitched whine from their engines. So yes, you could walk them quietly up the valley.

[Telcontar]

  Man this is like fighting our way up the death star trench or we need a rolling barrage to cut the wire and then send the Canadian Division in to make a breach.....

[tomcat]

That is if you guys decide to fight your way. There has been little talk of stealth, except Kaida wearing her shadowsuit - that could be an option, too. Those speeders you guys now have have some pretty heavy laser cannons on them that do some kick ass damage. Finally, there are a total of four soldiers (or soldier-types) in the party - Fett, Logar, Kaida, and Brim. Farok is a warrior who kicked some ass across the desert, so he shouldn't shirk this adventure, unless the bottle has really lowered his self-assurance.

Finally, as I stated above, the whole mood of this adventure and this campaign is an overwhelming bitterness of having to be thrust into doing things a PC may have never done, or would ever do. Maybe even hopelessness. Being forced into predicaments that they never chose and may not have the back bone for. Or to make alliances with bad people, because the other side is no picnic either. But that is what I think of how the Rebels are born - farmers, or businessmen, who have to pick up weapons to fight off a terrible oppressor. In the beginning it would have been awful due to supply shortages, short on skills or training, and being unsure of who you can truly trust. Worse would be the feeling that you are all alone out there fighting against something you have no hope of defeating - at least, not initially.

But again, if you guys do not like the direction that is set before you, I am fine with you guys heading back to the Aegis and launching out of there. We can do whatever you all want to do.



Logar'Dan actually was aware of where the bounty hunter had gone. In his position through the night's watch, he saw Boba Fett disappear into the jungle foliage. The Mandalorian had even given the soldier a nod as he passed, whether to prove he knew Logar was there, or out of some kind of warrior's respect, he wasn't sure. Logar liked to think it was the latter. He felt a kinship with Fett - a loner, a warrior, and a killer. There was much he saw that they had in common. When Kaida asked her question, Logar confirmed with her where the bounty hunter had gone. The goal was yet unknown.

Fett had taken good advantage of the long night hours and moved up the length of the valley. He moved to a position just south of the Dug watchtower and hunkered down to watch. He activated his low-light vision through his helmet and evaluated the threat the watchtower contained. It was three story and he could easily see the heavy E-web blaster mounted on its roof, aimed down the valley. It would need to be taken out if the party were to not achieve stealth in their approach.

Boba Fett scrolled through the readouts on his helmets HUD making sure the rocket in his backpack was ready and armed; his jetpack fuel level; and finally the other weapons' statuses. Everything was in the green. He would wait at least until sunrise for the others - otherwise, he was going through on his own.

[tomcat]

Boba Fett walked under the eyes of Sam and approached the watch on the tower... here is his stealth roll:

DC n/a Stealth +11

Rolled 1d20+11 : 20 + 11, total 31