Prologue

[Jingo]

( okay she'll send do the holo meet from within the Aegis if possible, since the possiblity of prying eyes/listening ears is lower, if not this takes place in the next most secure location she can find.)

Kaida waited on the edge of her seat as the holo image of her brother sprang up casting the room in a bluish tint.

Jalek.

She swallowed hard, but kept the tears in check. Barely.

It seemed ages since she had last seen her brother when the capital of Commenor was invaded by Imperial forces several months back. Jalek was only a few years older than she in his mid to late twenties. He had always been the more "interesting" of her brothers. Thinner than Delmon. Somewhat more sarcastic and brooding. But he was always the daring one. The one who took more risks, who always wanted to be at the center of the next big thing. What he did in the area of intelligence suited him and he suited it. He was intelligent and cunning.

"Jalek," she whispered smiling.

"Hello little sister," he smiled in return. "You're looking thinner than usual. Are you sure these friends of yours are feeding you enough?"

She had told him very little of Caden, Farok, BIT, and Sam (and her now deceased companions). Only that she had a team she was working with. A competent team she trusted.

In response, she only beamed happily and nodded, and made sure the threatening tears did not fall.

Jalek's blue image pieced together across the light years smiled and then broke into a frown. "Look, would love to chat sis, but I don't know how secure this is. The longer this takes, the more time someone can intercept and decode, so time is short. I need to tell you what I found out about Kilstara.

"I sent an agent to the planet Salliche to check up on the intel you had forwarded me on her last known wherabouts--an imperial re-education facility.

"My source wasn't very prolific in the details. I only received a burst transmission. I can only assume my agent...didn't survive the sending of the message or is possibly captured."

His frowned deepened and his dark eyes grew hooded. He leaned forward, hands steepled under his chin. "The tranmission stated that the facility she was at is moving twenty high--profile prisoners to out-of-the-way prisons. Kilstara is one of those twenty. The transfer will take place two weeks from when I received the burst transmission."

"How and when are they transporting them?" Kaida said anxiously when she could find her voice. This might be their chance!

"They'll be moved from the re-education camp to the spaceport in Netassa via speeder trucks. From there onto a transport."

"What about the camp itself?"

"No intel." Jalek sighed. "And before you ask me about the ground convoy or where she'll be transferred to... same answer. No intel. I'm sorry sis. I only have the date and time of the transfer. I'm sending it to you now."

The date and time floated briefly in the hologram.

"But Jalek, I need more--"

"Sorry. It's all we could get. Look be careful. I don't want to lose you like I did Delmon. Like I did father."

"Any word on mother?"

"No. Nothing yet. My sources are still searching though. We won't give up."

"I know. I know you wont," Kaida said soberly and blinked hard. "Jalek I--"

"No time. I have to go. I love you sis."

And with one last wave, the transmission flickered and died.

It left her hungering for a thousand more somethings she couldn't name. One hand reached out and then fell.

"I love you too..." Kaida breathed into the darkness then bowed her head.

Some moments later she informed all she had learned to the rest of the team.

[tomcat]

This was a perfect post, Jared. Your assumption is correct - the Aegis does have a holo-comm system. Sorry if I left you guys with too open a situation that you needed to piece together on your own. I have just been very distracted at home and work at the moment. We went through a week of computer issues at the office, then I brought in a new phone system and some new PC's and it has had my mind everywhere else but in game.

The one thing is I have been listening to my Audible Lord of the Rings, and also getting psyched up for The Hobbit, so, I think the gears of Tolkein are starting to turn again in my head. Not sure if that means anything for Star Wars right now or not, but as you all know with me, when one genre takes the fore, the others seem to regress into the back of my brain. 

I will have a post up here later tonight or tomorrow, once the kids and family are all done with the Turkey Day. 

[sdrotar]

Some moments later she informed all she had learned to the rest of the team.

"Well," Caden said simply, "looks like we've got a place to start."

[tomcat]

Let me just say, it is nice to FINALLY be able to sit down at my computer with no interruptions and feed our story! Sorry for the delays, guys. Work has been a tremendous bear (which is a good thing) and home and the holidays has been involved, too. Anyway, here we go...



The team looked at the data feed that now replaced Jalek's face on the holo. It was a basic itinerary, actually a prisoner transfer ledger, and boldly listed upon it was the name Kilstara Katan (Commenor). The details were simple - date and time, as was standard on the planet Salliche, along with the means of transit. Prisoner containment trucks would be used to move the people to a local space hub and from there they would be lifted out to destinations unknown. If they were to take Kilstara from her captors, it would have to be either a direct attack on the convoy - or maybe some other form of subterfuge - or, the team would need to intercept her transport ship after its departure. Sam was already running the numbers.

The droid spoke after the captain, "We will need to determine the strength of the Imperial garrison on Salliche. If this is to be another raid like we achieved on Tantau, it would increase the odds of success by knowing what we are dealing with. Perhaps your brother already has this information, Kaida?"

Caden looked at the time of the movement of the princess' sister - they had less than two weeks to prepare. If he could get the Aegis ready to dust off Abregado-rae by tomorrow or the next day, the whole affair would still be pinched for time. But there was little options for them - they either needed to free the woman now, or it was a big galaxy to try and find one person. He was actually impressed that they had found her at all.

They needed to get things going.

Sitting quietly to herself, listening to her companions talk, Kara mulled over the idea of another attack on an Imperial facility. She had been there on Tantau. She had felt the searing heat of the blaster bolts as they struck her body. She had watched as Britton died from an exploding grenade, fragments tearing into her as well. She had ran, leaving him behind not sure whether he was still alive or not. Then there was the attack on Malastare and the terrible hits on the Aegis by ground-based missile fire.

They were going to do it again.

Kara was a mech. A gambler. A swindler. An addict... she was no warrior. At least not in this way, not the kind that sought out combat. No, she was the kind that swaggered with a blaster on her hip just in case some son of a nerf decided to give her the wrong business - and even those kind of moments were few and very far between.

No, this was not her style of living. It was time that maybe she made a change. Only a few heard her when she said, "I need a drink."

Kara grabbed her holster and long coat and slipped from the Aegis' comm center, and then the ship altogether.



Do what you will in terms of Kara, but this maybe my precursor for removing her from play.

Let me know if there is anything you guys want to do on this planet before you leave. You are going to need the rest of this day plus half of tomorrow to get the ship ready to go. It will be a three day flight out to the Mid Rim planet of Salliche - so that is 5 days of the 11 you have available.

[Jingo]

Kaida will spend all her time until they leave getting as much information as possible from the holo nets or via secure channel with Jalek, or even gathering information in bars etc on this planet. She will cover her tracks and try her best not to per herself in danger. Some of this intel gathering will likely have to wait until they get on Salliche but she'll get what she can.

Here's the info she will cautiously try to obtain:

1) Garrison numbers at re-education camp
2) Blueprints on the vehicle type that they typically use to transport prisoners and the type(s) of typical escort vehicles. (ie she's looking for game stats--that might help us see a weakness). Also typical makeup of prisoner escort complement.
3) The distance and terrain between the re-education camp and the facility. She wants an up to date overhead terrain map of the surrounding area.
4)  Any contacts to resistance groups or dissidents on Salliche that Jalek trusts. She'll contact them to arrange a meeting to get their services.
5) Blueprints on the a likely transport ship used to take them off planet (again stats would be nice). Someone with hacking skills--BIT? Might actually be able to hack into imperial records and get the exact prisoner transfer orders and find more details.
6) Special weapon/equipment dealers here or in Salliche.
7) The overall imperial presence and current political state of Salliche.

Intel intel intel!

Anything else the team thinks we'll need?

If she has time, or if she happens to be in the bar gathering info and Kara is there, she'll talk to Kara to shore up her help as well for this next job. I'd hate to lose her. We need the extra pilot. She'll try to persuade her to stay and help (ie Persuasion) and may offer money if it comes to that.

[GandalfOfBorg]

OOC:
BIT will assist as he can for hacking for intel, he is quite eager to do so.  He also is apparently the most skilled pilot of the active players    I think we need to have our plan in place before we decide if we need anything else in terms of things, people, etc.

[Jingo]

I'm favoring hitting the imps while they're in transit to the shuttle or to disable and board their shuttle later. I don't really want to try infiltrating another prison, there's nowhere to run to if things go bad once you're inside.

At least if we're in the wilderness, urban jungle, or in  space, we have a better chance to run and hide if things go south. But I don't know if we can really plan much else until we know what we're up against.

[tomcat]

Sam knew the time frame that was before them and after the discussion, he exited the Aegis. The droid began the arduous task of 'buttoning' up the ship. Having sat in her current berth for almost half of the year, the many hatches, maintenance ducts, electrical panels, and any other sort of exterior access had been opened. The crew had been working on the ship for the better part of each day and it was easier to leave things 'open' then to have to 're-open' the access points. It would not be healthy for them to launch anytime within the next twenty-four hours unless the ship was put back into its hermetic state.

The mech droid chuckled to himself. "Who says hermetic?", he thought.

He accessed a data blueprint of the Loronar-class in his processor and highlighted every accessible port on the ship, save the two airlock landing ramps, and began to systematically check each one. It would take him well into the night for the task to be complete. No matter, the others had the planning to do and Sam thought it better that he was out of the way.

It was early in the morning as he worked quietly under the ship that he saw Kara stagger back into the hangar and stumble up the ramp.

It had hit her hard. She had been clean for months but tonight the temptation had been too great. First the liquor and the gambling had softened her resistance and then the two spacers that were hanging out until closing time had sealed the deal. Kara and her two new 'friends' had laughed and joked as they wandered aimlessly along the quiet, sleazier streets of Abregado-rae. It was no surprise to her that they would run into a shadowy dealer. Money was exchanged and stims and 'sticks were obtained. She gladly took the deathstick and let the drug do its magic.

Kara had woke up in the dark, on the cold pavement. She didn't know where she was at first, but soon had oriented herself. Her friends were gone, as was her blaster pistol and her money. She pointed her way back to the Aegis with the hope of sneaking in unobserved and being able to sleep it all off in her bunk.



Keep up the planning. I will give you a point-by-point breakdown of the info you glean from the holonet based on two things:

I need a Use Computer check to change the attitude of the system to your favor (i.e. hack some passcodes): currently it is Indifferent (-2); the computer that you are linked to and gateway-ing into the HoloNet has an Intelligence of 17 and Will Defense of...

I will get back to you guys in a few after I figure out how to determine a computer's Will defense. 

[Jingo]

Heh. BIT can do the computer stuff, because he's awesome!  Use Computer +18!!

[tomcat]

Keep up the planning. I will give you a point-by-point breakdown of the info you glean from the holonet based on two things:

Okay, so I need BIT (or whomever) to first give me a:

• Use Computer check to change the attitude of the system to your favor (i.e. hack some passcodes): currently it is Indifferent (so whomever makes the test will have a -2 modifier to their test)
• The computer that you are linked to and gateway-ing into the HoloNet has an Intelligence of 17 (+3) and Will Defense of 18.
• A Use Computer check to Access information. The level of info that can be accessed will be determined 1) by the computer's attitude, and 2) by this Use Computer roll based on the DC chart in the skill description.
• You may also make a Knowledge: Galactic Lore test DC 25.
• Finally, you may make a Gather Information check DC 20 along with 5,000 credits in bribes

Let me know what you guys are doing.

[Telcontar]

  that sounds good, lets do that.

[GandalfOfBorg]

BIT gets out his equipment and sits down to the Aegis' terminal to access the HoloNet.  It takes him a moment to get into his groove accessing protocols and breaking through firewalls but it all comes back to him like piloting a speeder.  The AI of the computer was the usual found most anywhere and he was able to easily able to negotiate passed it and to get to where he wanted to go.  Soon, the data came pouring in.


3.  A Use Computer check to Access information. The level of info that can be accessed will be determined 1) by the computer's attitude, and 2) by this Use Computer roll based on the DC chart in the skill description.

BIT's Use Computer - Roll(1d20)+16: 13,+16 Total:29
I will use a Force Point if it would help decrease the likelihood of being detected or the ability to get more/better intel.


I can also make the Galactic Lore check as well if you want.

[tomcat]

BIT has changed the attitude of the computer gateway from indifferent to friendly.

You now need to roll another Use Computer roll to see what level of info you can find:

General - DC 15
Specific - DC 20
Private - DC 25

As for the Galactic Lore roll, you can all make the roll and I can add to the notes what each of you may know.

[Telcontar]

R Farok will search his booze addled brain for fragments of useful knowledge. Galactic Lore

Rolled 1d20+11 : 12 + 11, total 23

[Telcontar]

  Sweet! With that roll I'll spend a Force Point to bump it up to Private.

Rolled 2d6 : 4, 3, total 7

pick best.

:ooc:If applicable:

As Farok pondered the mission he began to get the feeling that there were something familiar about the planet, or the prison...