EPILOGUE - The Aegis

[watanabe]

Kara wasn't about to let Kaida get out of the engine room, and moved to stop her from leaving, grabbing her if need be.

"You got the assignment from Organa, but you have not told me why the hell there is a bounty hunter after you, who wants JUST you, not all of us, despite the fact that there should be bounties on all of us by now.  He wanted you, and was willing to pay me, when bringing me in would probably have netted him even more profit.  There is something you aren't telling me."  Kara realized she was being pushing and had a hard tone, she knew she needed to change tactics.

"I'm sorry about your family, but you have to realize that you are putting others in danger if you don't tell us what exactly is going on."  Kara looked over her shoulder towards the lounge where the new people were sitting.  "To be honest, I am worried about you, but I think that we need to keep an eye on the new soldier we just brought on board, people who admire weapons and worship them that much usually have some kind of problem, or are willing to sell out a crew if it will help pay for the newest advancement in sighting technology for their blaster rifle."

Kara sighed and ran a gloved hand over her forehead and then through her hair.

"Listen we all have problems, mine are with chemicals and the need to take them a little too often, and thus having to have run spice and run from the Hutt's, the Empire and other thugs, everyone has a story, and the Captain knows mine, if you don't tell me, at least tell him what is going on.  He's a good man, you can trust him, few people around like the Captain anymore."

[Jingo]

Kara wasn't about to let Kaida get out of the engine room, and moved to stop her from leaving, grabbing her if need be.

"You got the assignment from Organa, but you have not told me why the hell there is a bounty hunter after you, who wants JUST you, not all of us, despite the fact that there should be bounties on all of us by now.  He wanted you, and was willing to pay me, when bringing me in would probably have netted him even more profit.  There is something you aren't telling me."  Kara realized she was being pushing and had a hard tone, she knew she needed to change tactics.

"I'm sorry about your family, but you have to realize that you are putting others in danger if you don't tell us what exactly is going on."  Kara looked over her shoulder towards the lounge where the new people were sitting.  "To be honest, I am worried about you, but I think that we need to keep an eye on the new soldier we just brought on board, people who admire weapons and worship them that much usually have some kind of problem, or are willing to sell out a crew if it will help pay for the newest advancement in sighting technology for their blaster rifle."

Kara sighed and ran a gloved hand over her forehead and then through her hair.

"Listen we all have problems, mine are with chemicals and the need to take them a little too often, and thus having to have run spice and run from the Hutt's, the Empire and other thugs, everyone has a story, and the Captain knows mine, if you don't tell me, at least tell him what is going on.  He's a good man, you can trust him, few people around like the Captain anymore."

"Fine!" Kaida wrenched her arm away, her voice still in a fierce whisper. "You want to know why? I'll tell you why! Because I'm a threat. Just like any freedom-loving being is a threat to tyranny anywhere, anytime. Maybe the bounty hunters aren't after you because you're too much like them, willing to buy and to be bought, to sell your values to the highest bidder!" She knew her words were cutting, but at the moment, she didn't care.

"My father and brother were good men. Believers in freedom. In democratic representation. Commenor is full of such men and women. We fought oppression with more than just words. When system after system caved to the Empire, we did not!" Her eyes blazed with pride and she choked back her emotions.

For a long moment she just stood there, and then her voice dropped to barely above the hum of the engines, and her eyes were far away. The sadness that came through her voice was palpable. "And then they came. The Star Destroyers, the fighters, and the troop carruers. They broke through the palace defenses. There was blaster fire. Debris. Smoke. The wounded, dead and dying." She swallowed hard and her chin came up. "I wanted to stay, Kara! I wanted to stay and keep fighting at my family's side. But once my detachment of soldiers were cut down, my brother called the retreat and pulled me out. He put me on a shuttle whisking me away. That was the last I saw of him. The last I'll ever see of him and of my father. And so I ran. They said we would rendevous. That they would contact me. And I kept up hope. But my guards all died to protect me, and still I kept up hope.

I should have stayed but I ran! Running. Always running!" She swore and slammed her fist into the bulkhead. "It was Organa who told me they were dead. But because I live and because of what I stand for and will always stand for, I'm a threat. I'm sorry if I put you and your friends in danger."

[watanabe]

Kara felt bad.  She had never really fought for anything, all she had done her life was avoid and run.  She ran from home, she ran from the law, she ran from the Empire, she ran from jobs, alcohol, drugs, spice, crime, gangs, and so many other things.  It was natural for her to run, and now she met someone who had put it all on the line, someone who had done the right thing, and had run just once, and felt bad about themselves.

Kara put her hand on Kaida's shoulders.

"Kaida, everyone here is running from something, you shouldn't feel so bad about what you have done.  It is not your fault, it is the Empire that has done all of this.  I know that a drug addict and junkie like me may not be the best person to talk to about these things, but let me tell you, what you have done is not shameful, is not a dishonor.  You ran to stay alive, to keep the fight for another day, you ran for a good purpose.  It's not like you ran simply to hide from problems, you ran to stay alive, its what your family would have wanted you to do..." Kara's voice trailed off as she remembered the day she had run from home, kicked out of the local higher education institution for selling spice to other students.  "If you knew the reasons people like me run, you would feel much better about yourself." 

Kara's hand began to twitch and shake... she was getting urge again, the urge to pull out a deathstick, and let herself slip away from the problems of the world.  She stopped herself, but knew that she couldn't fully get away from the vice.

"How about we go back to my cabin and finish talking, I have a nice Corellian Whiskey that I've been hiding away."

[Jingo]

Kaida blinked at Kara. Who was this woman she had literally bumped into on Bespin, who had set her feet onto the path that led to her joining this odd-ball crew? Kara. True, she was a loud-mouth, reckless, know-it-all, and a druggie to boot. But now this was something different. Kaida had been so wrapped up in her own problems, she hadn't seen others clearly. There was a lesson somewhere there.

That hard exterior Kara built up so carefully was cast aside for a brief instant, and Kaida thought she saw the real Kara. A woman not so very much unlike herself. There was friendship offered and empathy shared.

Kaida gave a ragged sigh, and grasped Kara's hand on her shoulder. "A drink? I'd like that. A small one anyway. How about a deal?" she gave a genuine smile. One she hadn't felt in how many days? "How about we both stop running? How about we both take a stand. I'll help you if you help me."

Yeah, kinda sappy. Oh well.

[watanabe]

Kara nodded.

"I'll help you, but I think what you are running from is much different from what I run from.  You run from evil, I run because I have demons.  And if I don't get that drink in me soon, the demons are going to come calling."

Kara headed back to her bunk, where she reached under her mattress and pulled out a box, she typed in a code and opened... revealing the bottle, she pulled it out quickly hoping that Kaida wouldn't notice the deathsticks she had inside, or at least wouldn't know what they were.

She poured two small glasses and gave one to Kaida.  And saluted her with her drink raised in her right hand.

"To taking a stand!" she said somewhat bravely.



As a side thought, it might make sense to have the two ladies in the same room, especially seeing as the rest of the crew are men/robots/strange alien thingies. 

[Jingo]

"To taking a stand!"

Kaida took a tentative sip. She really wasn't much of a drinker and never had anything harder than wine. The drink burned going down, but it was only a sip so instead of gasping and wheezing, she turned the grimace into a grin and set the glass down.

Perception check to see if she sees the death sticks. If successful then... she'll say the bit below. If not, she'll just talk with Kara getting to know her, etc until the meeting in the next thread.

Rolled 1d20+9 : 13 + 9, total 22

"I promised I'd help you stop running," her smile faded but not her friendship. "Are you ready to leave those demons behind? Why don't you give me those death sticks?" She held out her hand never taking her eyes off Kara, her tone completely serious.

This is gonna be good. Kara going through withdrawls and getting the jitters right before the assault on the prison. 

[tomcat]

Kara will need to roll an opposed Stealth [Conceal Item] with the DC set to Kaida's Perception roll result.

[watanabe]

 

Stealth check (this will be a nat 20 as opposed to the actual important roll)

Stealth +11

Rolled 1d20+11 : 7 + 11, total 18

[watanabe]

"Frack" Kara said as she looked down at the deathsticks, it was all she had except the one other she had hidden away.  Once this stash was gone, they would be gone for good.  She'd have one more hit, but that would be it.

She sighed and held out the box for Kaida to take...



This may explain the whole issue on Tantau II and Kara's piloting.

[Jingo]

Kaida tossed the contents into the incinerator and beamed. She got up, patted Kara on the arm and left. Out the door she turned her head, "I'm proud of you. That's a hard first step. You'll be fine, though. Just might not want to do any precision piloting on the Aegis when the jitters hit."

[watanabe]

The moment Kaida left the room Kara poured herself a very large drink and started drinking... she was disgusted with herself, letting that much credits worth of deathsticks go.

[tomcat]

This was some very nice roleplaying guys!