:ooc: Been a bit of a hiatus, and I humbly apologize, but here we go.
It turned out to be two days before the senator returned to his home - business in the city had kept him. During that time, Caden, Kara and Sam stayed on the landing platform working on the Aegis. They had dropped the sub-light drive to get inside to the leaky condenser, repairing it, and also replacing the line that had been losing pressure. The mechs also had the opportunity to make some tune ups to the ship.
Back at the house, Dan and Brim spent the time working on the namana. They had taken the vials and secured them in the senator's medilab. The technician looked into neutralizing the drugs, but thus far had little success. Brim had also become concerned because once the vials had been gathered, there were missing. The Rodian was certain that he had taken three full racks, which would have been seventy-two vials. Where the two others had gone, he could not venture a guess... at least none that he liked. Either he had dropped them, which could create a trail to them, or someone in their group had intentions of their own.
Neja had recovered well, but looked antsy to return to her own home, though she knew that that was now impossible. Kex, too, looked much better and the Naboo pilot spent time moving about the house and even going out to see the work being done on the ship.
:ooc: I know that Kara has the Tech Specialist Feat and can make improvements to tech... if you guys want to tell me something you want to upgrade the Aegis with, I will allow the work to be done. You need to give me the test rolls.
Brim counted, and then recounted the vials. At the storage facility, he had carefully removed them from the safe, knowing exactly how many there were, and he was positive that none had been lost in transit. Brim was sure he had counted them correctly as he had taken them from his pockets here at the Senator's house.
"Friend Dan, I am concerned about vials being missing. Only someone in our own group could have taken them. Our new acquaintance Kara seemed to value them greatly, and she did indicate that she wished to perform an analysis of her own. It disturbs me that she may have taken them without us knowing. After all, we know very little about her ... she could be the kind of person who would wish to profit from this drug, or perhaps she is herself addicted to it."
:ooc: Exactly how many vials are missing?
Cheers,
Brian
:ooc: Brim currently is in possession of 70 vials. :]
Crawling around the sublights for quite some time, Kara got greasy and dirty, and yet somehow this is where she was most comfortable and at her best. As she finished rewiring a few loose connections, and making sure things were patched up to the quality standards she expected of herself she climbed down and looked around the ship some more.
"This thing could use a lot more work. Especially some combat thrusters, those things will save your butt in combat nine times out of ten." Kara said as she cleaned off a hydrospanner with a rag.
"I could always head into town to see if I can scrounge something up if we don't have the credits for one." she added.
Quote from: watanabe on Jun 18, 2009, 09:26 AM
Crawling around the sublights for quite some time, Kara got greasy and dirty, and yet somehow this is where she was most comfortable and at her best. As she finished rewiring a few loose connections, and making sure things were patched up to the quality standards she expected of herself she climbed down and looked around the ship some more.
"This thing could use a lot more work. Especially some combat thrusters, those things will save your butt in combat nine times out of ten." Kara said as she cleaned off a hydrospanner with a rag.
"I could always head into town to see if I can scrounge something up if we don't have the credits for one." she added.
"Hey, hey," Caden protested. "My Princess does just fine, thank you. She's gotten me out of more than a few scraps - not a thing wrong with her!"
He poked his head into the nest of wires, cables and tubes as Kara wiped off her hydrospanner. Without turning back, he made a "hmm" noise and mumbled.
"Combat thrusters, huh? How much do those cost? Not that she, uh... needs 'em or anything."
After a little convincing, Caden thought the upgrades might be a wise move - especially with the depth of trouble they all may have gotten themselves into. Perhaps there were a few more changes that the Aegis could have done to make her even better.
With the house quiet the trio went to town to see what could be procured.
:ooc: First, the Aegis has 3 Unused Emplacement Points.
Okay, Combat thrusters are a common item and so are readily available for purchase in Salis D'aar. Because of their commonality, they will be at the base cost as stated in the book 2,000 credits x the Colossal size mod of 5 = 10,000 credits.
You may either try to haggle or purchase used hardware. If the hardware is used, I will determine the reliabilty based on the following table (all used prices listed below are available):
| COST | RELIABILITY |
| 9,000 | 90% |
| 7,000 | 70% |
| 5,000 | 50% |
What the reliabilty percentage will represent is, when the thrusters are needed, you will need to roll d100 against that Reliabilty score to see if the system will operate. If it does, the ship will be accented by the thrusters as defined. If failed, the ship does not gain the benefits and the system will also need to be serviced the next time you reach a spaceport (This is kind of like the Falcon's hyperdrive quirkiness).
It will take 2.5 days to install the hardware on the Aegis. As two days have already passed, due to my jump in time between the last thread and this, that time may be applied to the acquisition and installation. We need not RP out the install, but I do need the credits and the rolls to make it happen - from the haggling (Persuasion test) to the Mechanics tests (including Aid Another).
So here are the tests needed:
To haggle: Persuasion DC 25 (50% price reduction); DC 22 (30% price reduction); DC 20 (10% price reduction)
To install: Mechanic DC 21 (if hardware is new); DC 23 (if hardware is used - 90% rel); DC 25 (if hardware is used - 70% rel); DC 27 (if hardware is used - 50% rel)
Aid another tests may be made to assist with the install by making a Mechanic check; +2 will be granted for a roll of 10 or greater.
"I'm not sure if I recall anyone specifically near the vials, but your assumption is valid," replies Dan. Even if it is not her, he continues to think. "You make sure to stay extra vigilent from now on and I'll discreetly look into the missing vials."
OOC: Dan will keep an eye out for any behavior that would be considered abnormal or suspicious or the signs of some sort of addiction among those here.
Sam doesn't have the Persuasion chops to haggle a price down (and considering the general attitude of the planet residents towards him, he would likely make matters worse), so he remains with the ship while the parts are being acquired. He preps the ship for the installation and tries to work the operation into the ships's navigational controls...and tries to source out a shiny red button.
:ooc:Can Sam take a 10 on the Mechanics check giving him 26? That should cover it for all but the worst case where an Aid Another could push it over the top.
I am unsure of the group's current money situation, but Sam will chip in up to 1,000 credits for the cause (that Durasteel Battle armour will have to wait!)
Caden's Persuasion test (+10)
Roll(1d20)+10:15,+10 Total:25
:ooc: No freaking way - comical luck... that surely means that next time I roll to avoid getting shot, I'll drop a 1... ;)
Caden's smooth talking worked again... he was more in his element haggling than he was with blasters, and he planned on bringing a new, bright, shiny and reliable set of thrusters back to the Aegis. His problem was in admitting that Kara was right - but they would be a handy addition, and 'hey, a good deal's a good deal,' he thought.
Kara watched almost astonished as Caden was able to convince a shop to practically give him the combat thrusters. While in town, she realized that she would need to pick up some parts to do some modification on weapons and other equipment that she was going to try and make for others in the group, now that she seemed to be a member. Quickly, she tried to find a shop selling the components and electronics she needed.
OOC:
Kara will assist with the installation of the combat thrusters.
Mechanics +9 (roll 13) = 22. Crap, should have just done the straight installation myself, but someone should get a +2 to their mechanics because of this.
With a sigh, the salesman agreed to Caden's reason and price. "All right, I will have a set of thrusters brought up from storage. But you're gonna have to transport 'em outta here. I am given you the price, but my transport sleds aren't moving them."
Caden nodded, thinking that part of the deal fair. He then began to look around the shipyard parts manufacturer, seeing if there was anything else that might be worth bringing home. Sam quietly strode behind him, occassionaly offering insight as to what something was or how it would change the Aegis - for the better or worse.
Neither noticed as Kara slipped off to find a dealer of her own where she might procure what she needed.
:ooc: As you might notice, I have changed the format of this thread to accomodate the RP'ing of the upgrades - along with what Kara needs to do. I am sending you a PM, Nick, in reply to what you sent me.
I have also moved the other portion to the thread called 'Now what?', but we won't post in that one until it is time.
If there is anything else you wanna spend some money on Shawn, let me know. You should be able to find all the ship upgrades you want in the Starships of the Galaxy book I sent you. It will come down to the availability of said items, as to whether or not they are sold here... or on a blackmarket, or whatever.
Brim and Dan can RP as you please, both of you are still at the house.
Quote from: tomcat on Jun 27, 2009, 01:19 PM
:ooc: If there is anything else you wanna spend some money on Shawn, let me know. You should be able to find all the ship upgrades you want in the Starships of the Galaxy book I sent you. It will come down to the availability of said items, as to whether or not they are sold here... or on a blackmarket, or whatever.
:ooc: I think we've spent enough money today; Caden doesn't want to press his luck any further. ;)
:ooc: Cool, we can RP the thrusters being brought back to the house and the install as much as you guys want to, but I will feed Kara's thread back into this one, as soon as she has accomplished her errand.
Caden managed to hire a lifter and driver to take the parts back to the Aegis. They'd be delivered to Kal's home that afternoon and Caden looked forward to getting to work on them as soon as that night.
"Sam," he said, "think we can get these babies installed in a day or two?" He didn't want to linger on this rock any longer than he had to - and he wanted to be ready to leave even sooner than that, if necessary.
He thanked the driver and patted the side of the lifter as it drove off, and walked back to the speeder, ready to get back to the others.
Then he noticed.
"Where's Kara?!"
Caden looked to his time unit and saw that it had been 45 minutes since he had last seen the Corellian. He had gotten so involved with the buy and the lift rental that time had slipped away. He nodded for Sam to follow - it would be at least an hour before the thrusters arrived at the Ranie's manse. Maybe they'd have a look around.
:ooc: I'm going off the assumption that Caden doesn't know about the missing vials of the drug yet - it seemed to me that the narrative had Caden tinkering on the Aegis when Brim noticed they were short a couple. Is that correct?
:ooc: Yea, Shawn, you are right on there.
Sam and Caden had moved up and back, through the vendors and shops that surrounded the shipyards, but were unable to find Kara.
Time passed, and Caden's patience was slowly deteriorating. The two watched as the transport, loaded with the Aegis' new combat thrusters, pulled away and began its trek to Senator Ranie's home. The Bestinian merchant just shook his head and said idlely to his droid companion, "Damned thrusters will beat us home."
That was when Sam's visual receptors detected Kara moving through the crowds; her hands full of some new purchases.
"Here she comes. She's been...shopping???" Sam scans the crowd around her to try and see if she has attracted any attention before calling out or waving to Kara.
Kara moved up to Sam and tried to look happy.
"Well I found all the parts I need to make some weapon modifications. Who knows, might be able to even power up any weapons you have installed in you as well." Kara looked around. "I'm thinking we should get back so we can get those combat thrusters installed."
Ensuring the remaining vials of the namana were secure, Brim took some time for his workout. The Rodian loved to climb, and the cliffs outside the Senator's house provided an excellent training ground for him to perfect his skills.
For safety, Brim took a short trip to purchase some climbing gear: rope and a harness, as well as pitons and hooks. Back at the Senator's estate, he set up his new gear and repelled down the cliff, hammering in safety clips at intervals. From the bottom, the scout began the slow ascent.
As he climbed, Brim thought about the missing vials of drugs, blaming himself for not being more careful with them. He hoped that Kara had been the one to take them for analysis as she has indicated. When she returned he would ask for the vials back so that, for now, they could be kept safely within the Senator's walls. Carried away with thoughts of drugs and other bad things they had encountered on Bakura, Brim missed a footing. He crashed down a few metres, caught by the safety harness and cursing his carelessness through a mouthful of dust.
:ooc: I thought this would work as climbing is what Brim improved with the level increase. Please let me know how much a climbing kit like this would cost - thanks.
Quote from: watanabe on Jul 20, 2009, 02:23 PM
Kara moved up to Sam and tried to look happy.
"Well I found all the parts I need to make some weapon modifications. Who knows, might be able to even power up any weapons you have installed in you as well." Kara looked around. "I'm thinking we should get back so we can get those combat thrusters installed."
Caden was relieved to see Kara again, but perturbed that she had disappeared so suddenly.
"Where'd you go?" he asked. "You know, it seems to be pretty easy to get shot on this rock. Let us know before you vanish next time, OK?"
Caden absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder where he had been hit only days ago. He would be more than happy to get the new thrusters installed... he was looking forward to using them to get out of here.
"Sorry, just had to find all the right components that I need to help upgrade our equipment. Let me know if there is anything I can help you with, I've been known to make a blaster fire a little better." Kara still held a bunch of components in her arms, and looked around.
"I think we should get going, as you said, its a bit dangerous on this rock, and I have a bad feeling about this market."
Quote from: BrianM on Jul 21, 2009, 09:38 AM:ooc: I thought this would work as climbing is what Brim improved with the level increase. Please let me know how much a climbing kit like this would cost - thanks.
:ooc: Hey Brian, I am going to go with the ratio of dollar to credit as 1:1, and looking at Mountain Tools website, I'd say a start up kit would easily run about $575. Just deduct the amount from your PC sheet and write in the gear acquired.
The harness jerked hard on Brim's torso as the rope snapped taut. The Rodian breathed out a sigh of relief and a groan of pain almost simultaneously, but he was alive and thankful for it. He reached out to re-grab the rock face to begin his ascent once more. While finding new footing, Brim looked down to the craggy coastline below and noticed a great number of spindley, spiney, eight-legged crustaceans had gathered underneath where he climbed, as if waiting for him to fall.
The fact was, Brim knew very little about the flora and fauna of Bakura, and though its oceans and coastlines were as picturesque as the jungles of his own homeworld, there were numerous creatures that lived within the reefs. The crustaceans below were a voracious species that would take over lengths of coastline and prey on anything that entered their realm, no matter how large. They attacked in great numbers, stripping flesh from prey in short time.
Brim felt a chil run up his spine, as he looked at the many spider-like creatures sitting noiselessly below, waiting. He began his climb again, testing each hook to make sure they were securely in place.
Sam drove the speeder back to Ranie's mansion, the group riding in silence. The passed through the gates and drove up the long drive coming at last to the large garage. Caden smiled to see the crate already sitting there, containing his ship's new thrusters. They had a lot of work to do, and he was ready to get it done and depart.
Question is, were they done with Ranie? Had they gotten him everything he needed? When was he going to pay them the money agreed upon?
Brim felt a little queasy as he stared down at the local fauna, who seemed quite interested in having him for lunch. He hadn't noticed the creatures when he began his climb from the bottom, which was probably a good thing.
Clearing his mind and focusing on the task, the scout completed the rest of the climb and made it back to the estate without further incident. He cleaned and stowed his new gear, then showered and dressed. The others were back from their trip, and he approached Kara when he joined the group.
"Kara, could you please return the vials that you were using for the chemical analysis? I think it prudent that we keep all samples within the safe perimeter of the estate to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. By the way, what were you able to discover about the drug? Will we be able to neutralize its effects?"
Quote from: BrianM on Aug 04, 2009, 12:08 PM"Kara, could you please return the vials that you were using for the chemical analysis? I think it prudent that we keep all samples within the safe perimeter of the estate to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. By the way, what were you able to discover about the drug? Will we be able to neutralize its effects?"
:ooc: If this were an old 1940's radio show, I think there would be a pause in Brim's dialogue and we'd hear in the background...
Duh duh duh!
:ooc: lol or one of those Kirk shots where they zoom in on his face with the camera at an angle. ;D
Kara looked dead serious as she looked at Brim.
"I never took any vials, so I have yet to run a chemical analysis. I can if you want me to though, heck we could probably do it right here in front of everyone."
:ooc:
Deception: +4 (d20 roll +4) = 8... Yeah, unless he has the worst Will defense of any player in the game, I'm fracked.
IC:
Kara glanced around nervously as she failed to make eye contact.
:ooc: Well, I rolled badly, but I don't think it matters much ... I know that there is a bit of meta-gaming going on here (as I've read all the Kara posts), so let me know if I overstep the bounds in-character.
Will Defence Roll(1d20)+15: 4,+15 Total:19
[IC]
Brim stared at Kara, in that unblinking way that Rodians seem to do so well. Making sure the rest of the group took notice of the conversation, he replied, "It appears to me that you know more about the missing vials than you are telling us, Kara."
:ooc: Just so you know - Will, Reflex, and Fortitude scores do not need rolled. Anytime a character attempts to overwhelm one of your defenses through a skill, or attack, it is their skill roll against your defense score... not 1d20 + your defense score.
Okay, that said... here is perhaps a dumb question: What does Metagaming mean? (-D
[EDIT] I figured it out!
:ooc: ok sorry forgot the rules ... makes more sense anyways :)
Kara stopped in her tracks, and became somewhat defensive.
"What do you mean, I don't have the vials, and never had. Go ahead, search me."
:ooc: As you all know, Matt (GoB) has left the games. He has turned all of his characters over to me and so I will be playing Dan Qinos for now, until the character can be phased out of the story. Not sure how to do that, seeing as Senator Organa sent him to help Ranie due to his connection with the Force.
Oh well, we'll see where this story goes...
Feel free to dialogue on this thread as you'd like, but I have brought a new thread up.
Dan felt the tension building in the room. Not only could he see his companions becoming frustrated with each other, he also could feel it. Since Ranie's revelation to him that he was apparently connected to the Force, the little things he used to shrug off as quirks were now taking on new meaning. Needless to say, they did not need a quarrel between themselves, especially if there were bad people out there with worse intentions.
"All right, there won't be any need for that..." he let his voice fade. "We'll just look around here to see if maybe they were misplaced. After all, no one would really want to be using that stuff, would they?"
Dan gave Kara a piercing gaze with his last remark, trying to get a read on the woman. She had liked her alcohol, he noticed a day ago, but was she hooked on worse things? He'd watch her.