Fandom Stranded on Ryloth

[Proletariat]

OOC: https://www.rpnation.com/threads/stranded-on-ryloth-ooc.351299/
CS: https://www.rpnation.com/threads/stranded-on-ryloth-cs-thread.351826/

It is late in the year 22 BBY. Techno Union foreman Wat Tambor leads the occupation of the Twi'Lek homeworld Ryloth. Only one week ago the Galactic Republic garrison at Ryloth fell. This included the destruction of the Republic fleet that was defending the planet. Without Republic supplies and under foreign occupation, the people of Twi'Lek began to starve. After a string of defeats at the hands of Tambor, the Twi'Lek resistance leader Cham Syndulla retreated his army into the mountains to prepare for a drawn out guerrilla war.

The Jedi Council member Master Yoda had a vision of the future in which the Republic fleet that attempted to liberate Ryloth was destroyed. This prompted him to convince the Council to redirect several Jedi Shadows to Ryloth in an unprecedented move. The Shadows that responded to the call were simply the closest to the planet, it was a desperate attempt to turn the odds to the Republic's favor in the reclaiming of Ryloth. 72 hours before the planned invasion, Shadow Ghoul landed on Ryloth and began preparations for his mission: To weaken ground defenses in any way possible in order to assist in the ground invasion of Ryloth.

In twenty four hours Ghoul established an FOB, silenced three droid listening posts nearby, and developed a method for intercepting enemy communications using the power of his ship, his R2 droid, and a cache of stolen tech from the droid listening posts. Although Ghoul is the senior member of the squad and designated member, he decided to wait for reinforcements before making any ambitious moves.

Note, do not post in this thread until I tell you to. Always wait for other members to post who are involved in the scenario, and always put in bold the location of your character at the top of the post.
HK Fifty Grim Wraithe Stjerna Kloudy Scavenger folclor

 

[HK Fifty]

Space Over Ryloth/The Brightlands

Argent had been in the process of destroying the last of the Seperatist occupation forces on Atraken when she received the coded message dispatching her to Ryloth. As with all her missions , she undertook it in secret , using her own personal Delta-7 Aethersprite - which she had been overjoyed to name the Shadow's Blade - and it's corresponding Hyperdrive Boost Ring to ferry her to the planet. As she exited Hyperspace she ejected her prized starfighter from the Boost Ring immediately - and it was fortunate she did , for just as she cleared the ring it was vaporized by one of the Munificent-class Frigate's turbolasers.

Most Ace pilots she knew would've looked forward to engaging the enemy so directly , but despite her status as one Argent instead grit her teeth and took the Blade through an intricate series of evasive maneuvers. As the scarlet laser bolts streaked past , her Crimson-domed R4 Astromech screeched something at her. As usual she ignored it , laser-focused on the current task. 'There's nothing wrong with the ship - though I've certainly failed at arriving undetected.' As the Shadow drew within kilometers of the small fleet , the Lucrehulk-class battleship began launching dozens of Vulture Droids to intercept the speedy Aethersprite before it could make it to the planet below.

What the Vultures lacked in intelligence and durability they more than made up for with their sheer numbers and superior armament , and in some cases even superior speeds. "Droid , channel more power to the shields. Take it from the laser cannons if you must." The Droid tootled an affirmative in response , performing her task immediately. Just as she said that the myriad fighters started spewing laser energy towards her. Her taxed engines screamed in protest as she sought to increase her speed , accelerating towards the vultures at alarming speeds. As she jinked and juked to avoid the Vultures' volley , the Miraluka fired several blasts of her own , destroying a half-dozen of the vultures and disabling another five , creating a hole large enough for the Blade's thin profile to squeeze through. The remaining 25 Vultures closed in on her tail , and though she evaded them as best she could several bolts still splashed against her shields. Finally a few bolts managed to penetrate her hull , and soon after three of the fighters launched a half-dozen homing missiles her way.

"Jettison all cargo immediately!" She'd be unable to repair her ship , and she'd have to forage for rations , but neither of those things would matter if she didn't pass the blockade. Only one of the missiles made it through the screen , locked onto her port engine. Frantically barrel-rolling to avoid it she managed to catch a few more of their lasers , disabling her thrust control and hampering her maneuverability. "R4! Reestablish thrust control!" , she shouted. But there was no response - the blasts had disabled her Droid as well. She hurtled through the atmosphere at speeds untenable for atmospheric flight , exposed portions of the Delta-7's inner workings catching fire , panels of it's hull coming loose and careening into space. To those below , she'd appear as a meteor plummeting towards the surface.

The only positive effect of this hazardous entry was that the Vulture Droids pursuing her peeled off , assuming that she wouldn't survive entry. For any normal pilot , they would've been correct - but Argent was a Jedi , a master of the Force. She focused all her energy on slowing the Aethersprite's descent , pulling against it with the Force. Despite her efforts the arid plateau , known as the 'Brightlands' by many , was approaching alarmingly fast , and without the ability to deploy landing gear - for that system , among many others , had been disintegrated by her entry - the Shadow's Blade would absorb the entirety of the impact. The dagger-shaped ship struck the ground with jarring force , causing her to hit hard on the console in front of her.

Thankfully it didn't skip off the ground , instead hitting nose-first and falling backwards onto it's aft section. The console screen in front of her was shattered , though a small portion of it flickered intermittently. Blood trailed down her forehead , it's copper-like taste pervading her mouth , but thankfully she didn't suffer any critical injuries. Though her ship was completely destroyed - most of it's systems fried , it's fore crumpled like a mere sheet of Flimsiplast - it could've been far worse - her fuel tank hadn't detonated , for one. "Thank the Force," she murmured reverentially to herself.

A moment later she threw off the Aethersprite's cockpit glass , climbing out onto the scorching Brightlands. At first Argent was sad to leave the Shadow's Blade behind , but remembering her teachings she quietly repeated the Jedi Code a few times. She still had most of what she needed for the mission - a day's concentrate rations , her encrypted Shadow's comlink , her Lightsaber , and her ability with the Force. Feeling rather secure in this knowledge , she started off in the direction of the entrances to the subterranean cities. 'If I stay out in this heat long I'll die before even an IG Lancer droid could attempt to intercept me.' After she had walked a few steps northwards a loud explosion sounded from behind her. She swiftly turned around expecting to see a horde of combat Droids , but was instead greeted with the sight of the burning , scattered remains of her Delta-7 - apparently the ship's fuel tank had detonated after all. 'That should conceal my presence , at least - they should assume I perished along with it.'

 

[Proletariat]

Approximately twenty minutes after her crash landing, the Shadow Argent received a message from an unidentified and encoded channel. At first there was only white noise emitting from her communicator, but a robotic voice eventually crackled to life. It repeated a set of numbers slowly with cardinal directions as well. It was a latitude and a longitude. The numbers were repeated one time and then the signal was cut. Without her ship or her droid, there was no way to know where she landed, or where the coordinates led to.. There was no information other than the coordinates given. No call sign or other identification that might have indicated who the sender was.

Given that the Brightlands were in perpetual daylight, the local star was of no help in navigation whatsoever. Her immediate location was an arid plateau, with no visible water source, flora, or fauna. There were deep canyons to her North and West several hundred yards away that fell steeply off of the plateau. To her south was a mountain range that stretched from the East to West with both ends turning Southward out of sight. Nothing could be heard except the wind fruitlessly scraping against the cracked surface of the Brightlands.

HK Fifty

 

[Scavenger]

Nightlands

Phantom frowned as his passive communication array picked up an urgent message using shadow encryption codes, quickly reading it his frown deepened as he looked out of the main view port. As he looked out he could see the bulk of one of the CIS's patrol fleets, the large forms of several Providence class dreadnoughts looming over the smaller munificent class frigates that moved between them. Shaking his head he quickly composed a message back to the council informing them that this patrol fleet still held the south portions of the Hydian way. Reaching back Phantom activated a few switches on a panel and a loud thump sounded as the Wraiths clamps disconnected and the landing gear retracted. Moments later a black and grey trim Skipray Blastboat shot out of a small cave on an asteroid before vanishing into hyperspace.

There was barely a flicker on any scanners as the Wraith dropped out of hyperspace in the upper atmosphere of Ryloth above the Nightlands. Phantom took a breath of relief, the journey had taken an entire day but this final jump was the one that he had been focused on, even with the accurate star charts held on board dropping out of hyperspace so close to the planet was still risky. Slowly the Wraith descended deeper into the atmosphere, its powerful jamming systems hiding it from CIS scans. Once Phantom had managed to pilot it into the mountains nearer the terminator he gently set the Wraith down on a small plateau and shut down as many systems as possible before transmitting a message using standard shadow encryption. 'Currently highly mobile, requesting specific orders'

 

[Proletariat]

Within the next five minutes a call came through on the ship's communicator with Shadow encryption. A droid's voice said in a very slow and monotonous voice, "Do not send any communications if you wish to survive. Droids are monitoring all broadcasting signals." The voice then spoke a land coordinate, which was roughly 45 miles to the northwest. "Do not bring any form of aircraft within ten miles of this location, flying is a dangerous idea in general. Be here in the next twenty four hours." The droid said. The signal then cut off abruptly. The message was scrambled and could not be traced back to its original source.

As if by clockwork, two vulture droids could be spotted to the North flying in the high atmosphere. The nearby terrain was highly mountainous with very little exception. It was impossible to see more than a few miles with mountains encircling in every direction.

Scavenger

 

[Grim Wraithe Stjerna]

Space above Ryloth / The Lonely Five near Kala'uun​

Reaver was in one of the cantinas on Smugglers Run while the crew finished loading the cargo, most legal, into the light freighter for the upcoming run to Wrea. As he settled the tab his comlink vibrated alerting him to an encrypted message waiting for him on the freighter.

After the few minutes it took to reach the hanger he was pleased to see the crew was waiting to depart, it looked like the inspectors were getting the last of "paperwork" in order for them to depart. Stepping into his cramped room and locking the door he set about decrypting the transmission. "Well dosh!" He was being sent to Ryloth. Just him.

After deleting the message and wiping the system of its record he found the Sergeant in charge. "Just got a FragOrd. I'm headed out, it's been fun." The Sergeant nodded, all too familiar with Frag Order, or the modification of an existing order. "Good luck on the new assignment." With a hearty slap to the shoulder the Sergeant smiled. "The boys aren't gonna be to happy, but they'll deal with it."

Reaver waved as he headed out to the back of hanger where the Nu-class shuttle that had just found its way to black market was awaiting its owner. Which was not Reaver, but that wasn't going to stop him from taking it. It wasn't long before he clear of the asteroids and making the jump to hyperspace.

After about a day or so the shuttle exited into normal space and was almost immediately targeted by the blockade. Which was to be expected and he had planned for it. If there had been a gunner on board he would have attempted something else, but as it was he pushed the engines to maximum and just tried to make it to the atmosphere. The droid fighters quickly swarm around the small shuttle as Reaver tries to dodge the laser fire from the larger capital ships. As he nears the outer edge of atmosphere the shields fail and the blazing energy weapons start tearing through the wings and one of the engines.

Smoke begins trailing from the damaged craft along with gouts of flame.

Inside the cockpit sparks begin jumping and panels burst as they overload, however the craft has stopped any evasive maneuvers. It has been programmed with a direct reentry course. Reaver is preparing the escape pod, knowing it will most likely draw the attention of the fighters who will likely shoot it down and then for the most part let the critically damaged shuttle crash into planet.

He slaps the launch button just as the shuttle lurched from a direct hit on the remaining engine. "Well I wasn't good at landing anyways." The escape pod cleared the shuttle just as they started the fiery descent, looking at the remaining sensors he watched as the escape pod was shot out of the sky. The shuttle, now more or less an unguided meteor, tumbled and fell through the thickening air as the fighters broke away to let the planet finish their job.

Staggering to the exit as he was in freefall and could hear parts of the damaged hull being ripped away Reaver double checked his glider pack was secured in place and ready to deploy. "This is where the fun begins." Using his lightsaber to cut an exit he was immediately pulled through into the dark rushing air. Using the Force and freefall training he cleared himself of the ship and its growing debris cloud so he could safely deploy the glider at a low enough altitude to not be picked by sensors, but high enough to not be killed by the sudden stop of hitting the planet.

As the glider settled into a steady flight the human shadow checked his bearings and made a minor course correction to get him closer to the spaceport Kala'uun. As he got closer to the mountains the wind started picking up, making it difficult to keep a direct glide path. The wind shear whimsy causing him to crash more then once, so rather then beiing forced into the mountain side he spotted a relatively flat area not far from his target and made for it.

After a rougher then planned touch down the Shadow concealed the glider for future use, just in case, and pulled out his encrypted comlink and sent a burst transmission signaling he was dirt side and moving.

 

[HK Fifty]

The Brightlands

Argent listened very carefully to the mechanized voice from her comlink. The comlink was far too encrypted for her to believe that the Seperatists could've infiltrated it , despite the voice sounding very similar to one of their Tactical Droids. She committed the coordinates to memory , though unfortunately she couldn't utilize them just yet. 'A Holomap will be the only way I can pinpoint my location here , and my onl Holomaps of Ryloth were destroyed by the Vulture Droids. I'm going to have to find a settlement and acquire a map there before I'm able to make my way towards the rendezvous point.'

Knowing that the journey very well might take longer than her single day's of rations permitted , the Miraluka took a few of the shattered remnants of her ship's hull and welded them together with careful application of her Lightsaber , utilizing her proficiency with Alter Damage to avoid destroying the fragments altogether. Attaching remnants of her crash webbing to the welded scraps , she threw it over her shoulders. Eventually she'd encounter edible plant or animal life , which she could store in her makeshift pack.

From there Argent continued her trek towards the mountains , where she hoped to find the settlement of Kala'unn - provided , of course , the mountains were of the Lonely Five mountain range.

 

[Scavenger]

The Nightlands
Phantom cursed under his breath as he watched the Vultures fly overhead, he knew that they would have some monitoring but he didn't think it would be that comprehensive. He quickly reached over flicking several switches as the form of the Skipray flickered and vanished. Immediately he swung round on his chair and began examining a detailed map of the surrounding area, his eyes were moving across the hologram with urgency because he knew that the cloak couldn't be left up for ever. Scanning around he located a deep ravine with several caves in it around 33 miles North still right on the border with the Nightlands. Moments later dust picked up as the Wraith lifted off the small plateau that it was resting on, it moved northwards keeping low and sticking to the mountains, especially after the cloak had run out almost as soon as it took off, phantom was thankful that the nightlands lack of illumination mad it very difficult to spot the black ship.

Once the Ship was secure inside one of the deeper caves with a camouflage blanket thrown over it and emergency broadcast systems set up Phantom began removing his armour and packing it into a set of saddle begs joined by two straps. Throughout this process he kept complaining about the fact that the specialised equipment in the wraith prevented it from easily carrying a speeder. Once his armour, blaster, lightsabers and two sets of civilian clothing were packed into the bags his entire form began to ripple and flow as he changed into a wolf form roughly twice the size of his normal one. With a few motions of his head the bags floated over, settling on his back before the buckles connected on his stomach. Phantom let out a huff as he took the weight of the bags before quickly trotting out the door, another head movement and it started closing.

It took around 1 hour of scrambling, leaping and a little bit of force cheating to exit the canyon, puffing he glanced down at the small display on his chest before setting off at a fast trot, at this pace it would take him around 4 hours to reach the coordinates he was given.

 

[Proletariat]

The Brightlands
From there Argent continued her trek towards the mountains , where she hoped to find the settlement of Kala'unn - provided , of course , the mountains were of the Lonely Five mountain range.

As Argent traveled towards the mountains, she noticed how utterly bleak and barren the area was. There was no flora or fauna in sight and the sun was constantly barraging the surface with radiation and heat. It was a wonder, based on this sample, that anything lived on Ryloth at all. The farther she traveled, the more the wind and sun wore her down. Although she was in peak physical condition and had the mental fortitude of a Jedi Shadow, she was still mortal. After miles of nothing but sand, rock, wind, and sun, she was beginning to feel real physical exhaustion. This coupled with the creeping panic of being lost in the desert generated a great deal of mental stress.

After about five miles of walking, Argent came across a deep ravine that nearly dropped straight off of the edge of the cliff. It looked as if a giant axe had split the planet as far as the eye could see to her left and right. The fissure was about a quarter of a mile long, and easily 200 feet deep. Argent noticed on the opposite wall of the canyon, there were narrow rock ledges that descended into the canyon. These were clearly carved out of the rock face. Argent deduced that there had to be a matching ramp on the side she was standing on. Sure enough, as she approached the edge of the cliff, she looked straight down to see a ledge sticking out roughly 15 feet below her. It was wide enough for two people to stand shoulder to shoulder. To her right the gently sloping ledge rose to the top of the cliff several hundred feet away.

 

[HK Fifty]

The Brightlands (Unknown Canyon)

The rapidly building stress prompted the ever-devoted Argent to whisper the Jedi Code under her breath , as she often did during stressful situations. Rapidly approaching panic , exhaustion and hopelessness were all shunted away by her beloved Jedi Code , replaced instead with solace and peace - the very essence of a Jedi. Still , she knew if she didn't find a source of food or , more importantly , water , the barren lands of Ryloth would be the death of her.

Thankfully , the Shadow eventually came to a ravine , where the long shadows it cast could shield her from the punishing exposure while she continued her march towards the mountains. Though climbing had never been her strongsuit she chose to carefully climb down to each ledge instead of attempting to jump down towards them , careful not to injure herself for she knew should she injure herself here no help would come. She chose to climb all 200 meters downwards instead of risking a jump across the canyon , though that would've been a far more expedient method of crossing it. Once she reached the bottom the Miraluka would pause to investigate the slice of the depths within visible range , looking for any flora , fauna or potable water she could nourish herself with. If she found nothing - or nothing found her - she'd scale the opposite cliff back towards the surface.

 

[Segue]

Hyperspace / Space over Ryloth

"Plus one."

The blue-shift blaze of hyperspace swirled around the red patterned hull of the modified Nella-342 Light Freighter, but inside Lucky Skifter's ferroceramic hull a far more homely atmosphere prevailed. Broadaxe sat on one side of a holotable that was an aftermarket addition to Skifter's main lounge. The older Weequay considered the tokens already in play before dealing another charged crystal card to the young woman across the table, issuing a chuckle. "Just the one? Sounds like someone doesn't have the courage of their convictions, eh Lakhan?" The Weequay girl gave them a complicated gesture involving both leathery forefingers twisted together and the Rodisar who was the third figure seated at the table gave a deep grunting laugh. "That spirit young one. Don't let Uncle slide you in playing old soldier! I take none."

Broadaxe (most commonly known as Cais Rirmik around the galaxy) gave a slow clap. "Bold Lakhan, his hand's got horse." The Weequay smiled good-naturedly as he took two cards for himself, and that expression didn't so much as waver under the stony gaze of the other two players. He tapped the controls on the side of the table and an extra token joined the small stack in the holofield before his seat. The Rodisar and the younger Weequay exchanged glances. "Uncle take two," Lakhan began slowly. "No way he play Aces and Eights, unless..." his voice trailed off and narrow blue eyes pivoted to the woman at the table. "Old Hat, Qokli?" She studied Broadaxe across the table, let her attention slip beyond the mundane as she attempted to sense his inner emotions. "He's lying," she said at last with certainty. "He's nowhere near as confident as he seems, but he's also disgustingly smug about something."

"How not, when I am blessed with such a talented Padawan," Broadaxe laughed. "You are right of course. My hand has gills, and short of a well timed shift I would seem to be stuck on galley-duty for the next three days." "Would seem, Master?" Qokli echoed ominously and the Weequay captain's smile broadened. "Trust in the Force young one, and it shall provide." The door to the cockpit hallway hissed open and six eyes lifted as one to the BLX droid taking short precise steps into the lounge. "Masters, Mistress," it began in an even voice. "We will emerge from hyperspace in two point one five minutes." "Thank you Balance," Broadaxe said, rising to his feet. "Game faces everyone. Lakhan, where are we fresh from?" The Rodisar shoved his hand into the interference field with a grunt before responding, "Rodia. You patron call us there, say get yum yums now while getting is good." Qokli hissed under her breath and fixed her hand in the field by her crewmate's. "Good. And Qokli, if one of our good friends and neighbours asks you to betray me while we're on-planet?" "I ask what's in it for me," she shot back with a sharp little smile and no pause. "Just the way you raised me, father."

Broadaxe grinned and slapped his palm down on her shoulder. "Very good, to our places then." Reaching out in the Force he felt for the tiny hardwired switch he had installed years before in the heart of Balance's cognitive module. Completely invisible to the outside eye, when toggled like so it completely severed all memories of Broadaxe and his crew's affiliation with the Jedi order. Until restored by fine manipulation of the Force (or partially disassembled to allow manual access to the switch), Balance would know only that his master was Cais Rirmik, feared smuggler captain and sometime pirate. Sabacc game abandoned for now, the crew moved forward and took their places on the bridge.

When Lucky Skifter appeared in realspace close to Ryloth's orbit the vessel was immediately challenged by the blockading warships there. The modified Nella-342 was more agile than she looked, but made no effort to slip past their guns. Instead she made use of Broadaxe's favorite piece of shipboard technology and hailed the Separatist fleet under open comms. "This is Captain Cais Rirmik of the Independent Trader Lucky Skifter," the message began in his gravelly voice. "I am looking to speak with whoever is in charge over there. Can you put me through?"

 

[Proletariat]

The rapidly building stress prompted the ever-devoted Argent to whisper the Jedi Code under her breath , as she often did during stressful situations. Rapidly approaching panic , exhaustion and hopelessness were all shunted away by her beloved Jedi Code , replaced instead with solace and peace - the very essence of a Jedi. Still , she knew if she didn't find a source of food or , more importantly , water , the barren lands of Ryloth would be the death of her.

Thankfully , the Shadow eventually came to a ravine , where the long shadows it cast could shield her from the punishing exposure while she continued her march towards the mountains. Though climbing had never been her strongsuit she chose to carefully climb down to each ledge instead of attempting to jump down towards them , careful not to injure herself for she knew should she injure herself here no help would come. She chose to climb all 200 meters downwards instead of risking a jump across the canyon , though that would've been a far more expedient method of crossing it. Once she reached the bottom the Miraluka would pause to investigate the slice of the depths within visible range , looking for any flora , fauna or potable water she could nourish herself with. If she found nothing - or nothing found her - she'd scale the opposite cliff back towards the surface.

When Argent reached the bottom of the canyon, she heard a soft cracking noise beneath her feet. Upon closer inspection of the soil, she noticed that just under the surface of the soil there were countless animal and.. mortal bones strewn about in a seemingly random fashion. It appeared that at one point this was a mass grave of sorts. Or a favorite suicide spot. All she could gather was that no amount of careful footing would change the fact that she was standing on top of probably hundreds-if not thousands- of skeletal remains. The ravine was otherwise bone dry and empty. It was quieter in the fissure, the wind could be heard ravaging the surface above.

In the back of the Jedi's mind, the feeling of doubt began to eek out a crawl space.

 

[HK Fifty]

The Brightlands (Unknown Canyon)

Argent's mouth fell open in horror at the revelation , her off hand quickly moving to stifle any involuntary shriek she may have uttered. 'This has to be where the Seperatists callously disposed of all those they slaughtered invading this world...' The sight of naught but untold numbers of shallow graves caused doubt to worm itm's way into her mind - not doubt in the Jedi , or doubt in the Republic , but doubt in herself. For a brief moment the doubt threatened to overtake her , visions of her lying dead on the seemingly endless desert plains unfolding in her mind , but she pushed her dark doubts away with the swift recitation of the Jedi Code.

The Force would aid her in this trial , just as it had on Muunilinst and just as it had on Atraken , mere days before. 'I'll bring all those responsible for this atrocity to the Justice they deserve! By the will of the Force , their dark corruption shall not continue unchecked!' Still chanting her revered Mantra she determinedly scaled the ridge on the opposite side , climbing far faster up it than she had down the other side. When she arrived back on the harsh surface she'd continue her trek towards the mountains , ardently determined to carry out her mission.

 

[Proletariat]

Hyperspace / Space over Ryloth
Hi
"Plus one."

The blue-shift blaze of hyperspace swirled around the red patterned hull of the modified Nella-342 Light Freighter, but inside Lucky Skifter's ferroceramic hull a far more homely atmosphere prevailed. Broadaxe sat on one side of a holotable that was an aftermarket addition to Skifter's main lounge. The older Weequay considered the tokens already in play before dealing another charged crystal card to the young woman across the table, issuing a chuckle. "Just the one? Sounds like someone doesn't have the courage of their convictions, eh Lakhan?" The Weequay girl gave them a complicated gesture involving both leathery forefingers twisted together and the Rodisar who was the third figure seated at the table gave a deep grunting laugh. "That spirit young one. Don't let Uncle slide you in playing old soldier! I take none."

Broadaxe (most commonly known as Cais Rirmik around the galaxy) gave a slow clap. "Bold Lakhan, his hand's got horse." The Weequay smiled good-naturedly as he took two cards for himself, and that expression didn't so much as waver under the stony gaze of the other two players. He tapped the controls on the side of the table and an extra token joined the small stack in the holofield before his seat. The Rodisar and the younger Weequay exchanged glances. "Uncle take two," Lakhan began slowly. "No way he play Aces and Eights, unless..." his voice trailed off and narrow blue eyes pivoted to the woman at the table. "Old Hat, Qokli?" She studied Broadaxe across the table, let her attention slip beyond the mundane as she attempted to sense his inner emotions. "He's lying," she said at last with certainty. "He's nowhere near as confident as he seems, but he's also disgustingly smug about something."

"How not, when I am blessed with such a talented Padawan," Broadaxe laughed. "You are right of course. My hand has gills, and short of a well timed shift I would seem to be stuck on galley-duty for the next three days." "Would seem, Master?" Qokli echoed ominously and the Weequay captain's smile broadened. "Trust in the Force young one, and it shall provide." The door to the cockpit hallway hissed open and six eyes lifted as one to the BLX droid taking short precise steps into the lounge. "Masters, Mistress," it began in an even voice. "We will emerge from hyperspace in two point one five minutes." "Thank you Balance," Broadaxe said, rising to his feet. "Game faces everyone. Lakhan, where are we fresh from?" The Rodisar shoved his hand into the interference field with a grunt before responding, "Rodia. You patron call us there, say get yum yums now while getting is good." Qokli hissed under her breath and fixed her hand in the field by her crewmate's. "Good. And Qokli, if one of our good friends and neighbours asks you to betray me while we're on-planet?" "I ask what's in it for me," she shot back with a sharp little smile and no pause. "Just the way you raised me, father."

Broadaxe grinned and slapped his palm down on her shoulder. "Very good, to our places then." Reaching out in the Force he felt for the tiny hardwired switch he had installed years before in the heart of Balance's cognitive module. Completely invisible to the outside eye, when toggled like so it completely severed all memories of Broadaxe and his crew's affiliation with the Jedi order. Until restored by fine manipulation of the Force (or partially disassembled to allow manual access to the switch), Balance would know only that his master was Cais Rirmik, feared smuggler captain and sometime pirate. Sabacc game abandoned for now, the crew moved forward and took their places on the bridge.

When Lucky Skifter appeared in realspace close to Ryloth's orbit the vessel was immediately challenged by the blockading warships there. The modified Nella-342 was more agile than she looked, but made no effort to slip past their guns. Instead she made use of Broadaxe's favorite piece of shipboard technology and hailed the Separatist fleet under open comms. "This is Captain Cais Rirmik of the Independent Trader Lucky Skifter," the message began in his gravelly voice. "I am looking to speak with whoever is in charge over there. Can you put me through?"

It had been all quiet aboard Captain Mar Tuuk's Lucrehulk-class Procurer for quite some time. As the Separatist fleet orbited Ryloth, the Captain spent most of his waking moment staring out the forward bridge viewing port. Although the Captain was damned confident in his abilities, he never let himself get cocky. The Neimodian tactician sat on needles. He knew the Jedi would come to "liberate" the helpless Twi'leks of Ryloth. Wat Tambor was foolish enough to believe the weakened Republic forces would not send an invasion force. Mar Tuuk was not so foolish.

"Get me the latest intelligence reports on Republic fleet locations in the outer rim!" Mar Tuuk barked at his droids. "I demand to know when the Jedi are coming! The Republic puppets shall never penetrate my blockade."

As the Captain ranted to himself, the command droid was busy transferring a complex data feed of real time intelligence updates combined with location estimates to Mar Tuuk's console. Just as the Captain began to sift through the reports, a droid on the scanner console spoke up. "Commander, an unidentified ship is coming out of hyperspace into the system. It appears to be some sort of freighter, I'm scanning for life for.."

The droid at the scanner was cut off by a droid at the communications console.

"Freighter is hailing us on open frequency sir."

Mar Tuuk squinted at the scanner feed. A lone blip drifted slowly toward the blockade. The Captain immediately suspected Jedi trickery.

"A freighter hmm? Put them through, but shoot that ship down the moment it comes into firing range. I do not take chances with the Jedi."

In half a second, Broadaxe's voice filled the bridge.

"This is Captain Cais Rirmik of the Independent Trader Lucky Skifter," the message began in his gravelly voice. "I am looking to speak with whoever is in charge over there. Can you put me through?"

"Cais Rirmik, cut your engines immediately or be destroyed. You approach Separatist space, uninvited." Mar Tuuk threatened. He paused for a moment to allow his command to be followed, or for the other ship to be destroyed. The droids in charge of the weapon consoles watched the range of their guns very carefully.

"State your business here." The Captain said plainly. Although he suspected treachery, he knew it was possible that the ship could be a scavenger or a trader. They might not have expected to meet an impressive blockade when they dropped out of hyperspace.

 

[Segue]

Hyperspace / Space over Ryloth

Broadaxe waved to his mate and directed over open channel, "Do as the nice man says, Lakhan." The Lucky Skifter slowed as her engines cut thrust and then died; only inertia carried her forward now and Broadaxe pressed the button to add video data to his signal. The image swam into view on Mar Tuuk's console, displaying Skifter's bridge and the trio in their piratical garb. Balance's sole concession to Weequay fashion was a restraining bolt carefully affixed to a spot where the BLX unit's internal motivator just as carefully had been moved from. It looked convincing though, and was clearly visible from the back of the room where the droid stood.

Standing square in the foreground, Broadaxe folded his hands behind his back and thrust his chest forward with an engaging smile. "We comply, Separatist Commander. But come, is this any way for friends and neighbours to speak with one another? I do not come to," his voice lifted in a gentle mimicry of the Neimoidian's clipped tones, "violate Separatist space, uninvited." The Weequay's voice dropped to its own basso timbre once again. "No, Cais Rirmik comes for just the reason as you said. For business!" He raised a hand, palm up-turned to the camera transmitting from the bridge console. "My patron has a voracious appetite for beauty, and in the past has been a generous customer to many of Ryloth's clans. Regrettably a small misunderstanding two years ago has led to his being denied further business with any of the head-clans here. My patron is frustrated, and does not enjoy this emotion."

The older man parted his lips in an approximation of a smile, but his leathery face did not lend itself well to the human expression and it mostly came out in his tone. "So when he heard that the Separatists were taking this world he was most excited. He called me, he said, 'Cais, go to Ryloth. Go now, because the tail-heads are under new management.'" His Patron Voice seemed to carry extra resonance. Possibly an imitation of a Hutt? Something with a large booming vocal chamber, regardless. "'The Separatists are businessmen', he said. 'Make them a deal and buy the dancers the head-clans have denied me.'" He spread his hands, all open appeal. "And so I have come, my crew with me. Are you the person I need to speak with, Commander? Or are your duties military and there is another I need to see?" Plain speaking as only a Weequay knew how. Utterly dishonest, but plausible.

Much like the bridge environment with its plush wall hangings over the corridor access.

 

[Proletariat]

The Nightlands

It took around 1 hour of scrambling, leaping and a little bit of force cheating to exit the canyon, puffing he glanced down at the small display on his chest before setting off at a fast trot, at this pace it would take him around 4 hours to reach the coordinates he was given.

Phantom took notice of the incredibly hilly terrain ahead of him. He was in the foothills of a massive mountain range practically running the border of the Brightlands and the Nightlands. The environment seemed to be confused in this place. There were stretches of completely arid, dead land, bordered immediately by thick brush and skinny trees. The closer to the Nightlands one strayed, the more temperate the climate seemed. When he did his initial calculations for travel time, he did so with the idea of a flat, straight line from point A to point B. However, there were times when Phantom realized he was traveling vertically more than anything. The steep, erratic climb of the foothills proved awkward and slow. Four hours quickly turned into six, and then six into ten. Occasionally the Shadow witnessed vulture droids streaking across the sky, their motive undetectable. With so much change in altitude all around him, his range of vision was severely limited.

His mind and body were severely tested by the traveling, he felt his joints ache and his stamina drain. Phantom felt increasing pain in places that he hadn't been aware of for a long time and the journey had no visible end. He prowled through thick dry scrub brush to the top of another of the endless hills. There was a change in the terrain that prompted the Shadow to halt and take in his surroundings. Ahead of him, the hill gently sloped down into a nearly flat field several hundred meters in length before rising into the next peak. A dirt road stretched across the field from left to right. On the road there were droids, two dozen or so, spread out in a formation recognizable to the Shadow. B-1's formed wide arcs across the road and marched at half speed, in the center of their formation were four B-2 Super Battle Droids. Phantom thought that they were either running a queer patrol route that he rarely saw, or they were looking for something. Regardless of what they were trying to accomplish, they were walking right across his path at a snail's pace.

 

[Proletariat]

Broadaxe waved to his mate and directed over open channel, "Do as the nice man says, Lakhan." The Lucky Skifter slowed as her engines cut thrust and then died; only inertia carried her forward now and Broadaxe pressed the button to add video data to his signal. The image swam into view on Mar Tuuk's console, displaying Skifter's bridge and the trio in their piratical garb. Balance's sole concession to Weequay fashion was a restraining bolt carefully affixed to a spot where the BLX unit's internal motivator just as carefully had been moved from. It looked convincing though, and was clearly visible from the back of the room where the droid stood.

Standing square in the foreground, Broadaxe folded his hands behind his back and thrust his chest forward with an engaging smile. "We comply, Separatist Commander. But come, is this any way for friends and neighbours to speak with one another? I do not come to," his voice lifted in a gentle mimicry of the Neimoidian's clipped tones, "violate Separatist space, uninvited." The Weequay's voice dropped to its own basso timbre once again. "No, Cais Rirmik comes for just the reason as you said. For business!" He raised a hand, palm up-turned to the camera transmitting from the bridge console. "My patron has a voracious appetite for beauty, and in the past has been a generous customer to many of Ryloth's clans. Regrettably a small misunderstanding two years ago has led to his being denied further business with any of the head-clans here. My patron is frustrated, and does not enjoy this emotion."

The older man parted his lips in an approximation of a smile, but his leathery face did not lend itself well to the human expression and it mostly came out in his tone. "So when he heard that the Separatists were taking this world he was most excited. He called me, he said, 'Cais, go to Ryloth. Go now, because the tail-heads are under new management.'" His Patron Voice seemed to carry extra resonance. Possibly an imitation of a Hutt? Something with a large booming vocal chamber, regardless. "'The Separatists are businessmen', he said. 'Make them a deal and buy the dancers the head-clans have denied me.'" He spread his hands, all open appeal. "And so I have come, my crew with me. Are you the person I need to speak with, Commander? Or are your duties military and there is another I need to see?" Plain speaking as only a Weequay knew how. Uttcerly dishonest, but plausible.

Much like the bridge environment with its plush wall hangings over the corridor access.

Mar Tuuk's flat, wrinkled Neimoidian face appeared on the bridge of the Lucky Skifter almost immediately after Broadaxe began his response. Although in his past life, the Captain had been a man of business, he had no appreciation for the art of sale. He was a numbers man, through and through, just like most of his Neimoidian brothers and sisters. The rhetoric used by Cais Rirmik only served to irritate the Separatist commander. He dealt with dozens of smooth talking smugglers and slavers in his day, and he saw Cais as one among thousands in the galaxy. On top of that, he was a hideous Weequay, who were known for their piracy and general treacherous behavior. By the time Cais finished his rambling, Mar Tuuk nearly had a foul taste in his mouth and was quite displeased with everything he was hearing.

After a short pause and a deep breath, the Captain switched off the microphone and covered his mouth. "Is the smuggler in range of our guns yet?" With any luck, the droids could blast the freighter into dust before Cais Rirmik could convince the Captain that he shouldn't shoot him to pieces. If the Captain killed him before he could learn about his connections, at least he could honestly plead ignorance if the smuggler worked for someone powerful or influential.

"Negative sir, at their rate of speed they won't be in range of our largest cannons for fifteen minutes. And the firing solution on a target that small is... 34% accuracy." The droid replied, with a hint of disappointment noticeable in his own mechanical voice.

"Sir, scanners show three organic life forms aboard the ship, and one droid" Said the scanner droid, who used the radio silence as an opportunity to give his report without interruption.

"Start running the ship's signatures through our databases. If we find a match send the data to my console immediately." Ordered the captain, the droid responded with a robotic "Roger, roger."

Mar Tuuk nodded slowly in disappointment of his own and switched the voice communications back on. "Mistah Rirmik.. unfortunately for you, I am exactly the person you need to be speaking with, and you are no friend of mine. I care not for your connections, your purpose, or your rhetoric. The fact of the matter is, you approach a military blockade of a besieged planet. If you want to do business, come back when the occupation is finalized and the planet is open to trade."

As he finished speaking, a readout of all the information known to the Separatists about the Lucky Skifter began feeding itself onto his console. According to the data, Cais was a known mercenary, smuggler, trader, and general galactic filth. Several times the ship had docked on Separatist worlds for business and left without conflict days later. The Weequay's rough leathery face appeared beneath the ship's information in a short dossier about Cais's involvement in Separatist business dealings. The Neimoidian internally cursed. The ship checked out, and so did the man in charge of it. The Captain still had a right to refuse him, the smuggler could have been harboring a Jedi, or carrying some sort of bomb. And Mar Tuuk was under orders not to allow any vessels to pass the blockade.

The Neimoidian stared at the screen with a look of disinterest in his eyes, knowing that his reply to the Weequay's request would not be met with immediate compliance. Smugglers always thought they could talk their way through everything, and Mar Tuuk would do his best to prove Cais wrong.

 

[Segue]

Hyperspace / Space over Ryloth

A more fearful man would have been intimidated by the Neimoidian's obvious determination not to allow anyone or anything to penetrate his blockade. A more cautious man would have come up with some way to appear as just another particle of space debris en route to burn up in the atmosphere. A more wrathful man would have brought weapons or a fleet and attacked the Separatist Captain head on - or threatened to ram him if he would not yield. But Broadaxe was none of those things. Broadaxe was Jedi; albeit one in the guise of a Weequay smuggler at present. The persona of Cais Rirmik hung on Trakk like a well-worn coat, completely masking what lay beneath and with all the frictions and chafing points long since worn smooth.

Qokli snorted, "Are Neimoidians always like this?" Broadaxe only smiled, though with steel in his voice as he rebuked her, "Silence child, the grownups are speaking." The younger woman stared daggers at his back but subsided, visible only to the command crew on the Separatist vessel. The Weequay Captain kept his eyes on the Separatist's and reached out carefully through the Force, encouraging his sense of superiority. Mar Tuuk held all the cards. Mar Tuuk had complete and absolute power in Ryloth's orbit. His blockade was impenetrable, so why concern himself with gnats like the Weequay and his crew? Cautious, he did not attempt to compel the other's submission but only to influence him towards a certain point of view. Backed of course by his words which also served as an explanation for any change of mind.

The Weequay widened his eyes in open surprise, unconcerned by the other's curt manner. "My dear Captain, you say the planet is under siege. You mean to say the tail-heads are still holding out? My patron did not say he was sending me into a war zone though truth told it would not be the first time." He put one clawed hand to his head and shook it at the perfidy of the Galaxy. "But while my patron is a sentient of great resources, one he lacks almost entirely is patience." Looking directly into Mar Tuuk's eyes, Broadaxe gave a hearty chuckle. "So, if we are not to be friends - and I am not giving up entirely on that, neighbour - let us be traders instead. You are an upright military man with no interest in credits or Aurodium? I have other trade goods. You are concerned I am a threat to your mighty blockade? Search my vessel, I have nothing to hide. What I do have is a top of the line SoroSuub Aurek-Esk 3100 sensor array taking up space in my inventory. Perhaps I could drop it off at Lessu, or wherever your main planetary base is? It couldn't hurt in tightening your already formidable blockade."

A bribe? Nothing so crude. Merely an expression of support among friends and neighbours in a troubled galaxy. The Rodisar's reaction was more interesting as he leaned in to Cais' ear to say in a hushed voice, "Captain, if you give neighbour Eyes, what Keeper say? Or Beol-" "Silence." The Weequay held up his hand. "They will understand, Lakhan." His gaze returned to the Separatist officer's on his screen. "As I say, my patron is a being with many resources... and great desires." Ones he did not appear to share. But then, this was all just business by his tone and body language. "May I dock with your vessel, or would you prefer I land at a surface base before you scan my lovely girl?" He patted the console affectionately, and his landing lights blinked on.

 

[Proletariat]

Argent's mouth fell open in horror at the revelation , her off hand quickly moving to stifle any involuntary shriek she may have uttered. 'This has to be where the Seperatists callously disposed of all those they slaughtered invading this world...' The sight of naught but untold numbers of shallow graves caused doubt to worm itm's way into her mind - not doubt in the Jedi , or doubt in the Republic , but doubt in herself. For a brief moment the doubt threatened to overtake her , visions of her lying dead on the seemingly endless desert plains unfolding in her mind , but she pushed her dark doubts away with the swift recitation of the Jedi Code.

The Force would aid her in this trial , just as it had on Muunilinst and just as it had on Atraken , mere days before. 'I'll bring all those responsible for this atrocity to the Justice they deserve! By the will of the Force , their dark corruption shall not continue unchecked!' Still chanting her revered Mantra she determinedly scaled the ridge on the opposite side , climbing far faster up it than she had down the other side. When she arrived back on the harsh surface she'd continue her trek towards the mountains , ardently determined to carry out her mission.

Blasted flat wastes slowly became blasted inclined wastes. The closer she came to the mountains, the more steep the gradient of the land became. After marching through the furnace baked Brightlands for three more hours, the mountains came more clearly into view. Instead of being vaguely pointed rock formations in the distance, she saw the more finely detailed outline of the face of the nearest peak. Although it seemed to be more uniform from afar, upon closer inspection the mountain was covered in caverns and crevices that ran between the rock face. There were dozens of cliffs visible even from two miles away, many of them had cave-like "entrances" into the mountain. Although no specific forms could be picked out, the tiny silhouettes of humanoid figures could be seen against the illuminated mountain side. From her position, the base of the mountain could still not yet be seen.

 

[HK Fifty]

The Brightlands (Unknown Mountain Range)

Argent greeted the sight of the approaching mountains with a smile. Though the ascent up the mountains would be more arduous than her trek across the plateau , at least among the numerous crags , cliffs and crevices she'd be less exposed to any Starfighters flying overhead. She was , however , much less pleased to see the outlines of humanoid figures along the mountain ridge. While there was a very small chance they could turn out to be allies , it was overwhelmingly likely that they were small patrols of battle droids or other such Seperatist units.

This would force the Miraluka to be much more careful avoiding the watchful eyes of her enemies , adding yet another hazard to her journey. 'I won't allow this to impede me! I'll bring the Seperatists to Justice for all their Dark Deeds , no matter how challenging it may be!' The Shadow devoutly whispered her mantra and started off in the direction of the mountains once again , heading for the nearest cave in hopes of finding the entrance to the city of Kala'unn , staying as out of sight as she could to avoid the sentries.

 

[Scavenger]

The Terminator

Phantom had begun mentally cursing the maps on board his ship about an hour ago, He was sure that they had not displayed this many hill along the route. Although his Wolf form made travelling for long distances much easier 10 hours of near constant jog took its toll on any being. The constantly changing environment didn't help either going for long stretches with no cover from sun and wind to suddenly entering a small forest and having to jump and move to avoid getting tangled in roots and branches. As he climbed yet another hill the only good news was that with all this travelling there could only be another hour or two and he was going to take a short break when he reached this peak. That plan was scrapped the second he skulked over the edge of the plateau and immediately hit the ground, internally he cursed but knew that he had already been lucky to not run into any separatist presence.

Hoping that the droids might just pass he concentrated on them again, only to realise that they were moving in a standard search pattern. Cursing again he realised that he would have to go around them, while he could become invisible the packs on his back could not and fighting them would require shifting back into human form and that required time and a big change like that produces noise. Phantom stayed very close to the ground and went back over the hill before moving to the side of the plateau on the sloping sides of the hill before he began moving again, slower and move carefully than before, his coat shimmered before changing from its normal black and white to brown and grey to better camouflage with the mountain side. Internally he updated his estimated time and sighed, that rest would have to wait another hour.

 

[Proletariat]

A more fearful man would have been intimidated by the Neimoidian's obvious determination not to allow anyone or anything to penetrate his blockade. A more cautious man would have come up with some way to appear as just another particle of space debris en route to burn up in the atmosphere. A more wrathful man would have brought weapons or a fleet and attacked the Separatist Captain head on - or threatened to ram him if he would not yield. But Broadaxe was none of those things. Broadaxe was Jedi; albeit one in the guise of a Weequay smuggler at present. The persona of Cais Rirmik hung on Trakk like a well-worn coat, completely masking what lay beneath and with all the frictions and chafing points long since worn smooth.

Qokli snorted, "Are Neimoidians always like this?" Broadaxe only smiled, though with steel in his voice as he rebuked her, "Silence child, the grownups are speaking." The younger woman stared daggers at his back but subsided, visible only to the command crew on the Separatist vessel. The Weequay Captain kept his eyes on the Separatist's and reached out carefully through the Force, encouraging his sense of superiority. Mar Tuuk held all the cards. Mar Tuuk had complete and absolute power in Ryloth's orbit. His blockade was impenetrable, so why concern himself with gnats like the Weequay and his crew? Cautious, he did not attempt to compel the other's submission but only to influence him towards a certain point of view. Backed of course by his words which also served as an explanation for any change of mind.

The Weequay widened his eyes in open surprise, unconcerned by the other's curt manner. "My dear Captain, you say the planet is under siege. You mean to say the tail-heads are still holding out? My patron did not say he was sending me into a war zone though truth told it would not be the first time." He put one clawed hand to his head and shook it at the perfidy of the Galaxy. "But while my patron is a sentient of great resources, one he lacks almost entirely is patience." Looking directly into Mar Tuuk's eyes, Broadaxe gave a hearty chuckle. "So, if we are not to be friends - and I am not giving up entirely on that, neighbour - let us be traders instead. You are an upright military man with no interest in credits or Aurodium? I have other trade goods. You are concerned I am a threat to your mighty blockade? Search my vessel, I have nothing to hide. What I do have is a top of the line SoroSuub Aurek-Esk 3100 sensor array taking up space in my inventory. Perhaps I could drop it off at Lessu, or wherever your main planetary base is? It couldn't hurt in tightening your already formidable blockade."

A bribe? Nothing so crude. Merely an expression of support among friends and neighbours in a troubled galaxy. The Rodisar's reaction was more interesting as he leaned in to Cais' ear to say in a hushed voice, "Captain, if you give neighbour Eyes, what Keeper say? Or Beol-" "Silence." The Weequay held up his hand. "They will understand, Lakhan." His gaze returned to the Separatist officer's on his screen. "As I say, my patron is a being with many resources... and great desires." Ones he did not appear to share. But then, this was all just business by his tone and body language. "May I dock with your vessel, or would you prefer I land at a surface base before you scan my lovely girl?" He patted the console affectionately, and his landing lights blinked on.

If he were a less disciplined man, Mar Tuuk would have been rubbing his forehead in that moment. He felt the slight pain in his cranium swell in increments as the Weequay continued to speak. 'Why of all the insignificant pests in the galaxy did it have to be a Weequay?! Smugglers give me a headache.'

The Captain listened with apathy to everything the smuggler had to say, all the while checking the range of his fleet's turbolasers. Unfortunately the situation progressed just as he imagined. After dribbling out of his mouth for so long, his words finally began to peck at Mar Tuuk's attitude of total denial. With the situation entirely under his control, the Neimoidian had so little to lose. If the smuggler was lying, then his droids would find something aboard his ship and terminate him. If the smuggler was telling the truth, then Mar Tuuk would have a brand new sensor array as well as... any other provisions he might tack on at any point of the business venture. Regardless of his growing inclination to accept the proposal, the Captain's intuition undermined his business sense. There was still a chance that the smuggler was lying, perhaps he had a mission to accomplish on the surface that Mar Tuuk had no way of discerning.. There would have to be a tight leash kept on the Weequay, especially if he was going to convince Wat Tambor that the situation was acceptable.... And then there was the pounding headache he had thinking about it all...

The Captain switched off his microphone and covered his mouth again for another order, "Hold your fire until I give the command." Mar Tuuk whispered, although there was no way for Broadaxe to hear him.

The Neimodian took the slightest sip from a glass of water before switching voice communication back online. "Mistah Rirmik..I assure you that I am not the type of authority that you are used to dealing with. I care not for your words, your gestures, or your bribes, only your intentions. And your persistence in this matter has made me rather curious as to whether or not your intentions are as you say they are. It is for this reason that you will dock with one of my frigates for inspection... and we will be confiscating your sensor array. Or, as you would say it, accepting your gift in good faith. If you have nothing to hide, I am certain the inspection will go over without issue. Once my droids have completed the search, we may further discuss the terms of your business venture, should I choose to allow it."

Mar Tuuk remained vigilant. Most traders would have turned the other way the moment they saw the wall of frigates waiting for them at Ryloth. However, the business man inside of him saw the potential for a low risk opportunity to make some credits and to earn favor with whoever Cais Rirmik was connected with. One thing was certain, this situation would proceed at the pace that he set, within the parameters that he defined.

 

[Proletariat]

The Brightlands (Unknown Mountain Range)

Three droids stood on a narrow ledge against the face of the mountain. They were sentries, keeping watch for any unwanted visitors to the mountain. The center most droid held a range finder up to its optics and scanned the surrounding wastes. Typically in a standard day -they had to use standard since it was always daytime in the brightlands- it saw nothing but dust blowing across the barren foothills. This time it noticed something different in the distance. At first it was impossible to tell just what it was it saw moving across the deserted land, but upon magnifying the range finder and clearing up the view feed, the droid saw that it was a humanoid making its way toward the mountain that his kind were deployed to guard.

"Command, do you copy, over?" The droid called over the encrypted frequency.

A droid with the exact same voice responded, "This is command, I copy, what is it sentry 5391, over?"

Sentry 5391 replied, "I've got something on the range finder, a lone humanoid approaching the mountain from sector 92, 2 klicks out, over."

"Roger, roger." Replied command. "Sending a squad of STAP's, over." The sentry's comm unit went silent, which prompted it to return to range-finding the humanoid. From its high altitude it could see the humanoid quite easily, only when it dipped into the divets between foothills did the droid lose sight of it.

Within sixty seconds five battle droids riding STAP's were scrambled in a quincunx pattern to investigate the sentry's report. They deployed from the base of the mountain and rocketed up and down the numerous little hills on the way to their destination. Some two of the droids in the back of the formation almost fell off of their STAP's as a result of going too fast up a hill, only to jettison over the peak and nearly slam into the slope of the next one. After half a mile of stumbling, the droids figured out that they had to take it slower that usual in order to stay on their vehicles. At their rate of speed it would take them less than two minutes to arrive at Argent's position.

 

[Segue]

Space over Ryloth / Separatist Blockade

Broadaxe gave a deep and magnificent bow to the camera, then straightened and replied with a gravelly dignity all his own. "Of course, Commander. I understand completely and will be only too pleased to show your scanning crews around my pride and joy." He caught Qokli staring daggers at him and amended that; "One of my prides and joys. I will see you soon Commander, and trust we can come to an arrangement. I am a great believer in mutual satisfaction, after all." He tossed off an airy salute and tapped the communicator signal off, video and audio alike. "Alright Balance, bring up shipboard power and take us in to dock with the Munificent on the left. Slowly! Qokli, keep an eye out for anything hinky. Lakhan, you're with me."

Leading the bulky Rodisar out of the bridge, the Weequay heard a rising hum as the droid carried out his instructions. Ah, if only Qokli were as agreeable. In the privacy of his innermost thoughts Broadaxe allowed himself to admit that he was concerned about his Padawan. She was learning, but she seemed to have trouble governing her passions and he reflected that his deep cover may not be helping. Once all this was over and the galaxy was at peace again he would take her on a meditation retreat and help her to reconnect with the Force's guidance. Surely the Separatists would see reason soon and a treaty would be negotiated. He returned from his thoughts as the duo reached the smuggling compartment and gave Lakhan a lopsided shrug. "Here we are my friend. Let's get the sensor equipment out of hiding; I don't want our neighbours to have any reason to look twice at these shielded hollows. If they don't find them at all I'll be even happier."

By the time the light freighter was tractored safely into the docking bay, the sensor kit sat squarely in the middle of the cargo hold area with a couple of cargo couplings laced together to hold the crates in place. The captain of course went to meet the inspection crew personally, riding the boarding lift down to give them a grandiose bow and welcome them aboard. His clear intent was to lead the inspection crew around his vessel; wherever they would like to go, but monitoring what they find and being ready to think on his feet if the situation required it.

 

[HK Fifty]

The Brightlands (Unknown Mountain Range)

Argent was making her way towards the mountain when she heard the droning of STAPs in the distance , rapidly approaching her position. The part of her devoted to destroying the Dark Side called out to her , crying out for her to vring them the Justice they deserved for the slaughter that had taken part in. With her hand placed on her Lightsaber the Miraluka had to force herself to stay hidden , knowing if she gave in to her desire the entire mission she was sent to carry out would be compromised. 'They'll get the Justice they deserve soon enough..'

Unfortunately for the Shadow , hiding herself would prove to be difficult - she had never learned the ability to camouflage herself with the Force as many of her peers had. She darted over to what looked to be a small cave carved from the wall of the crevasse facing the direction she heard the STAPs arriving from , large enough to hide herself from being spotted on their initial pass. If the droids followed usual protocol they'd fly over her location once , then circle around for a second pass as they flew back to their base. Dissapointingly , the opposite wall didn't appear to offer her the same cover. On their return pass she'd simply try to flatten herself as best she could against the opposing wall. Using the crevasse's slight overhand she should be hidden well enough to avoid detection on that pass as well.

Assuming , of course , that Argent hadn't gravely miscalculated the situation.