EPILOGUE - The Aegis

[tomcat]

Sam maneuvered around the two jedi - both dark and light - keeping his blaster trained on the one in the black hood. The hole into the hangar bay was not far away, and he need only turn and go, but something held him back. This was an ally. A friend. Sam pondered the thoughts that were racing through his circuitry. It was not feelings that he was experiencing, but what could it be that made him want to stay. To not abandon a friend in need. Again the droid wondered at his own processor and the new things that he was experiencing.

It was Ulric that spoke, "GO NOW! YOU ALL MUST GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!" And then in each of their minds he spoke, "Otherwise the meeting with Organa was in vain. Quickly! Stormtroopers are coming!"

Sam continued to watch the melee as saber sparked against saber - the green of Ulric's blade flaring as it parried the crimson darksider's. Shade lifted his lightsaber in a two-handed grip and and brought it down hard, slashing at Ulric's defense. The man was caught off guard and went to a knee, his own lightsaber poised over his head in defense as Shade hacked and hacked at him. On the third slam from the dark-sider, Ulric spun his body, his leg kicking out and he tripped Shade. The evil jedi fell on his back hard and Ulric quickly stood up to gain the advantage, but fate was against him. As he stood and moved forward, Shade, lying on his back, twisted his body and held his lightsaber before him with both hands - like a spear seated to receive a charge. The crimson blade entered Ulric's torso just above the right leg, exiting through his backside. Sam watched from his distant position and knew the man had taken a grievous, if not fatal blow. The droid's processor diagnosed the human anatomy to conclude that Ulric's liver, and most likely his kidney, was destroyed.

Ulric stared in horror at the lightsaber stuck in his gut. Reacting with seeming involuntary reflex, he stretched out his hand and unleashed a blast of Force energy. Shade was struck and flung backwards into the smoke and debris of the ruined street. The jedi straightened while deactivating Shade's lightsaber that was still in him. Sam ran forward to catch him as he fell to his knees. Ulric looked at the droid, and with hesitant breaths and a pained expression set his deactivated lightsaber in Sam's hand.

"Take it..." he said, his words coming in hissed agony. "Give it to the Rodian in your party... he too is sensitive to the Force. He must survive... there are too few of us left. Tell him... it is the blade of my master... Korif..."

To Sam's right, Shade's fallen lightsaber quivered where it lay and then flew into the smokey haze. The droid heard the snap-hiss and saw it now glowing within.

"GO! Quickly..." said Ulric, his breath now coming in short gasps.

In the hangar, the rest of the companions were now gathered and watching as Kara slowly lowered the Aegis down so that the open landing ramp could easily be mounted. Britton still stood ready, his blaster poised to fire at any that might come through the hole unless it were Sam or Ulric.

Caden was holding his arm across his chest. There was tremendous pain where he had hit the speeder's front seat when it slammed into the wall. He hoped that there were no broken ribs. His ship was a beautiful sight to see and he wanted to get everyone aboard so that once more they could run from danger. He gestured for those before him to climb on board when he noticed the stranger that now stood amongst their group. The man had assisted them with blaster fire when Sallo had appeared... but now what?



for all intents and purposes, the battle is over. Sam may continue the conflict with Shade if he wishes - or you all can, I should say. Sallo is pretty much down and out. Kaida's parting shot was a hit with some good damage, but he is not dead. Fett is gone, or is he? 

If you all want to finish this, let me know via dialogue in this thread and I will start a new series of rounds. Remember though, the stormtroopers garrisoned here are finally getting through the caved in ceilings that Hacks had caused.

[Callowmoryne]

Logar'Dan put on his best smile and holstered his heavy blaster pistol. "Stray rockets make strange bedfellows. Im called Logar, and id like a ride off this rock before the empires lackies show in force. I can help with your wounds on board, so whaddaya say, can i catch a lift?" He shifted the heavy duffel off his back and surveyed the party, making eye contact with each.

[donimator]

The thrill of battle ran easily through Sam's circuits. He was heavily modified from the original B2 models, but that programming and those conduits were easy to fall back to. The nanoseconds ticked away as Sam considered the possibilities. Could he finish off those who were pursuing them? Could this be a chance to be free of threats for awhile? No, the Aegis was waiting. He could not draw this out. Keeping to cover, Sam moved to the hanger door and on to the Aegis...The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life.

[watanabe]

"Get on, get on, get on, get on, get on, get on, get on, get on, get on, get on, get on..." Kara kept muttering under her breath, some of the habits of a junkie were hard to break and her leg was bouncing rapidly as she waited for the signal that everyone was on board so that she could floor it and get the hell of of the station.

[Jingo]

Logar'Dan put on his best smile and holstered his heavy blaster pistol. "Stray rockets make strange bedfellows. Im called Logar, and id like a ride off this rock before the empires lackies show in force. I can help with your wounds on board, so whaddaya say, can i catch a lift?" He shifted the heavy duffel off his back and surveyed the party, making eye contact with each.

"Right," Kaida rolled her eyes at the delay as she tried to cover the hole in the door behind him with her pistol, trying not to wave it in the newcomer's face. "So, look, uhh, you know, the imps are out there, and we're terribly anxious to leave, so..." and she grabbed him by the elbow and hustled him up the ramp, "...lets get a move on, if you please, and you can discuss payment and everything else once we're space-borne. I'm sure Caden would LOVE to have another passenger." She smiled at Caden sweetly. They'd have to sort it all out later. The stormies were surely getting closer.

Once everyone was on the ramp, she took one last look into the hangar and then hit the button to raise the ramp, giving the go-ahead to Kara.

[ZehnWaters]

"Kaida, are you alright?" Britton asked once aboard the ship.  The crash had been incredible (in a bad sorta way) and he was really concerned.  "Who's this guy?"  Britton glowered at Logar

[Jingo]

"Kaida, are you alright?" Britton asked once aboard the ship.  The crash had been incredible (in a bad sorta way) and he was really concerned.  "Who's this guy?"  Britton glowered at Logar

Kaida sighed wearily, and fingered a few tears in the fabric of her short cape and winced as she touched a bruise on her cheekbone. "I'm fine. Glad to see you bade it out of that alright."

She turned to Logar'Dan. "This gentlemen?" She shook her head. It had all happened too quickly, blaster fire, exploding rockets, and she wasn't sure who he was or what his role was in all of this. She looked at the newcomer. "Well, who are you? And can you handle a gun turret?" She asked, as she walked quickly toward one of the turrets... just in case.

She was anxious about pursuing Imperials. But hopefully there was enough confusion and traffic fleeing the station that they'd be able to sleep away unnoticed.

[sdrotar]

Logar'Dan put on his best smile and holstered his heavy blaster pistol. "Stray rockets make strange bedfellows. Im called Logar, and id like a ride off this rock before the empires lackies show in force. I can help with your wounds on board, so whaddaya say, can i catch a lift?" He shifted the heavy duffel off his back and surveyed the party, making eye contact with each.

"Right," Kaida rolled her eyes at the delay as she tried to cover the hole in the door behind him with her pistol, trying not to wave it in the newcomer's face. "So, look, uhh, you know, the imps are out there, and we're terribly anxious to leave, so..." and she grabbed him by the elbow and hustled him up the ramp, "...lets get a move on, if you please, and you can discuss payment and everything else once we're space-borne. I'm sure Caden would LOVE to have another passenger." She smiled at Caden sweetly.

Putting his arms to his side in an exasperated expression, Caden stared blankly as yet another free-loader tromped on board his ship.
It was official - the Aegis had turned into a galaxy-hopping hostel.

As Sam finally came up the ramp, Caden thumped him on what would be the droid's shoulder, resulting in a oddly-comforting clanking sound. He was happy to see him in one piece. At least something was constant.

That, and he was high-tailing it out of yet another port. What else was new?

"Buckle up," he called to no one in particular, as he jogged toward the cockpit.

[Callowmoryne]

What an interesting group Logar thought as he unlimbered his duffel and backpack. "No need for the theatrics people. I think you'll find me usefull in any number of ways" He smiled at each in turn, remembering to wink knowingly when his eyes met Kaidas, and moved toward a turret himself.

Ok not sure what skills are required to fire a turret so lol hes either gonna emberrass the shit out of himself or prove his worth if hes forced to use it, but if he cant fire one, hes not gonna come right out and say so, you know what i meen

[watanabe]

"CAN WE LEAVE YET?" Kara yelled, her leg was bouncing at a hundred lightyears a second and she wanted off of this station, her interaction with the bounty hunter was not going to be something such took lightly.  She also wondered what had happened to her, she took up with this new crew not too long ago and her life went from scoring jobs and scoring drugs, to being a freighter pilot constantly running from trouble, the law, and sometimes both.

[sdrotar]

"CAN WE LEAVE YET?" Kara yelled...

Caden had seen Sam carrying a lightsaber - Ulric's, he surmised.
Realizing the Jedi had fallen in battle protecting them all, Caden's resolve had firmed a bit since first meeting with Senator Organa. They had a job to do.

"We're going," he said icily as he reached the cockpit. "We drop off the cargo in our hold - the destination's in the navicomp - get paid, and then..."
He paused. Explaining what came next to Kara - and deciding whether she should play a part in it - was going to be difficult.

"I'll explain everything on the way. Let's get the hell out of here."

[watanabe]

Kara nodded, waiting for the Captain to sit down and buckle in.  She didn't give any warning, and accelerated the ship to exit the space station.

"Good to have you back Captain." she said as she tried to vector the ship out of the station and towards coordinates that would take her away from where they were at.  "I assume something happened back there, I had some bounty hunter try and get on board and go after..." she paused and looked over her shoulder.  "I think Kaida may be trouble, and that is coming from someone who has run spice before."

[Jingo]

Kaida jogged to the other turret and flounced down into the controls, buckling in. Running again, she frowned. And again and again. It was always the same. Would they always be running? Or would there come a time when the Empire would run? When freedom would rise up and eradicate tyranny from the galaxy? But it didn't matter. They would hit back in small ways. Ways the Empire would eventually feel. Word would get out that a movement was afoot then things would happen. It might not happen in her lifetime, but she would do her part.

How do you eat a bantha? One bite a time. She powered on the targeting display.

[tomcat]

With Caden's order, Kara hit the ship's boosters and it rocketed forward through the environmental screen and out into space. To show off her prowess at the controls, Kara barrel-rolled the Aegis as it exited Jovan, causing Caden's breath to hiss through his teeth. Once clear, the Bestinian turned to the nav-computer with a shake of the head, and started plotting a jump to Taris. They would have a few days with the cargo run which would allow them to recover from their current battle on Jovan and to plan their attack on Tantau II. It would also give Caden a chance to sort out what he was going to do with everyone aboard his ship. The new addition created concerns for him. They didn't know him and they certainly could not reveal their plans of attacking an Imperial installation... could they?

Sam moved into the ship and made his way to Brim. The droid handed the Rodian the lightsaber that had been given to him by the dying Jedi. Once done, he went to the Aegis' sensor station and began scanning the space around them to make sure that no enemies approached.

Logar'Dan watched as Kaida climbed into the belly turret seat. He also could feel the staring eyes of Britton. He gave an easy smile to those around him, but he could tell by the moods that things weren't good. Maybe this wasn't the best ship to hop a ride on, or maybe they just needed some time to get to know him. In any case, he just watched them be engaged by three pretty tough looking individuals, so he could understand why the mood was a bit tense at the moment.

Logar decided to take her instructions and moved to the other weapon's command seat. He activated the system and the reticule spun up giving him eyes of the Aegis' upper turret. The soldier traversed it left and then right to get a good view of any potential danger.

From her view, Kaida could see nothing following them out of Jovan. The huge spacestation slowly began to shrink as the distance between it and the Aegis increased. A few minutes later, Caden's voice came over the ship's intercom, "Prepare to jump."

Stars stretched. There was a brilliant light as the hyperdrive engines accelerated the loronar explorer to lightspeed, and then she was gone. At supra-luminal speeds, the Aegis flashed through space along the Gordian Reach space lane. It would maintain that course until it reached the Hydian Way, and then to Taris.

They had two days travel to their drop-off put things together.

[tomcat]

John, as you are new to my PbP games, but not my gaming, I wanted to let you know that this is a cut-scene. It is provided for story flavor, but not for character use... at least not until any threads of this scene meet up with your characters - and then you as a player know where it is coming from. Make sense?

Anyway, it is here to enjoy.


On Jovan station, the Imperial garrison had finally cut its way through the fallen structural debris and had secured the area in front of Hangar Bay 12D. Medical teams moved about aiding the injured, while stormtroopers collected and separated the dead. There were quite a few civillian deaths from the explosions, the fallen debris, and the blasters that had been fired in the chamber.

Among the official presence in the chamber was an Imperial Security Bureau Officer - the new investigation and surveillance branch of the New Order that put everyone on guard and struck fear in ally and enemy alike. They were the literal eyes and ears of Palpatine and at times, with the authority they possessed, acted on their own cognisance and made their own judgements. On backwater planets, some of the worst ISB officers acted as judge, jury and executioner. People were beginning to fear them more than the presence of the white-armored stormtroopers... at least you knew who the soldiers were. And it wasn't just the common folk. It was also military officials and political officials - no one was safe from the ISB, and the Emperor showed no sign of a desire to rein them in.

The ISB officer looked down at the two men laying on the ground. Sallo and Ulric had both survived and were now stabilized by the emergency medical teams that had finally made it into the chamber. The officer could see that Corbin's armor was all torn up, blaster scored, and his leg looked, if not broken, at least destroyed to the point where the man would need to learn to walk again. But it was the other injury that intrigued him more - Ulric lay there sedated with a wound that could only be caused by a lightsaber. An agent approached his commmand officer to report, "Sir, we have witnesses in both chambers that have corroborated the following information: a group of individuals commenced a gun fight after the initial three explosions occurred. Two explosions were apparently set to cause this area to be cut off from the general station at either end, and the third brought down the mech scaffolding. It would also seem that the station's alert system had been compromised and an environmental breach alert had been signalled causing the environmental door to seal. It effectively contained this area for a good amount of time... at least enough time to allow for this small battle to occur."

The ISB officer nodded as he looked around, "What else?"

"Well, sir, it seems that there were also two lightsaber wielding individuals - one with a red saber and one with green. The witnesses state that the two fought here in the center of the chamber, but we have found no trace of either one dead."

The officer smiled, "Yes but we have a man here with a lightsaber wound through his torso. Did you find any weapons?"

"Only a few blasters, primarily attached or laying near that one there." The officer pointed at Sallo, "And we have identified this one through one of the guilds - he is Corbin Sallo."

"The bounty hunter... yes, I have heard of him," said the ISB commander. "And who is he?" The officer pointed to another man, one dead laying amongst the others, still dressed in his clone armor.

The agent replied to his commander, "Sir, the only thing I can think is he is a wars veteran. One of the original clones that were produced and then riffed when they were no longer needed, or genetically had decayed. By his insignias, he was a special ops soldier in the electronics and demolitions field."

"So he was the one that caused all this... but for who? Him?" The ISB officer was only thinking out loud, while he pointed to Sallo, but his agent replied, "I do not know, sir. Maybe. Lastly, as you can see, the EHD has a hole in it cut by a lightsaber, someone either escaped through, or came in from the hangar. We do have witnesses confirming that a Loronar-explorer class vessel blasted its way out of the hangar shortly after everything began. The ship's identification led us to a Correllian freighter that had been destroyed during the war, so we do not know anything about it."

The officer scratched his cheek, "Check the videos of the hangar. Certainly the station has monitoring systems. Also, search the holonet to see if there are any other reports of rogue Loronars." The officer then bent to one knee beside Ulric. "Who are you?" he whispered to no one in particular.

Since the attack in 12D, the rest of Jovan had been in lock down and so Fett sat in his ship, on the opposite side of Jovan, waiting for the time that he could leave. The longer it took, the further his opportunity to capture Kaida Katan moved away from him. Suddenly, a silent proximity alarm chimed and he quickly grabbed his helmet. Placing it on his head and grabbing his blaster rifle, Fett moved off of the Slave I's flight deck and down into the hold where the landing ramp lay extended. The shadow stood in the entrance blocking out the light of the bay outside.

"What do you want?" Fett asked.

"You left in a hurry?" whispered Shade. "Perhaps the encounter could have resolved itself more in our favor if you had stayed."

"The encounter wasn't my interest," Fett replied matter-of-factly. "In fact, that debacle was all your doing and maybe you should have planned it better. I only wanted the girl. You wanted the rest. Once they made it to the hangar and to their ship, I saw no more purpose in staying."

Shade felt the anger in him welling up at what he deemed Boba Fett's insolence. "Perhaps you'd prefer taking this outside!" Shade hissed through his teeth, his anger at the entire situation coursing through him.

He reached for his belt where hung his lightsaber. Fett quickly brought up his blaster and fired, the shot being deflected into the ship's hull by Shade's now lit weapon. But what the darksider had not seen or felt was Fett activating, and firing in unison with his blaster, a saber dart from his wrist gauntlet. It struck Shade in the neck. Normally, the Kaminoan saber dart would be coated with deadly poison, but Boba had them prepared with a sedative - it was to be his means for taking down Kaida. The toxin quickly entered Shade's bloodstream and the darksider swooned.

It was also a paralytic and though Shade could see around him, his limbs no longer responded to his commands. He fell over to the floor and Fett was on top of him, the blaster rifle muzzle now pressed against the darksider's forehead. "I have kind of had it with all of you frakking Force-users!" hissed the bounty hunter. "With all your fancy tricks, you all seem to miss the obvious... you're a dying breed! Now, I don't give a damn about your issues with these people. I don't give a damn that you are now being hunted by the Black Sun for your failures. All I care about is my business, and that is the noblewoman. So... you are going to get off my ship now and if you come near it again, I will blow your frakkin' head off." Fett ended his words with a quick flip of his rifle and then its butt to Shade's head. For the darksider, all went black.