Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.

The Last Laugh, Landing Platform, Naadal

Well, you made it. That orbital defense system they warned you about was severely outdated. You've seen better, Kyle. Hell, Eerin, you've made better.

Naadal is not a nice place. It is a small world in a system on the edge of Republic space. Rumor has it that a civil war has been tearing up the world for centuries now. No one knows the actual length of the war, nor the body count.

Currently, the main focus of the war is an island known as the Ross Territory. The South and North governments sling their forces at it, hoping to knock each other out, but to no avail. This specific conflict has been going for twenty years.

However, you two have brought something to the North government that might be of great use in taking the territory...or making it permanently uninhabitable. Traleth the Hutt's shipment of weaponry is intended for the Northern dictator, Brejeem.

You've landed on an island in the vicinity of the Ross Territory. Brejeem and his bodyguard are ready to greet you and get their goods.

Eerin will emerge from The Last Laugh, electro-halberd at the ready. He wants to be intimidating.

"..." he mutters to Kyle as they approach the dictator.

And is this bodyguard as in one mean person or bodyguard as in a group?

A group of twelve, Eerin, all with assault carbines and clad in navy blue uniforms and blast jackets. Intimidation check says that the goons are scared shitless of you, but not Dictator Brejeem.

Brejeem has a curled black mustache and neatly combed black hair. His uniform too is navy blue, but he does not wear the blast jacket and instead is covered in military medals.

"Greetings, smugglers!" he says as you approach. "I hear you have something for me!"

Kyle rolls his eyes at actually being called a smuggler by his contact. He speaks out the side of his mouth to Eerin in a low voice. "Yeah, fun, right... Flaming idiot." (referring to Brejeem)

"Keep your voice down, idiot!" Kyle hisses at the man. "Yes we got the stuff, now let's see the payment."

Brejeem looks put off at being called an idiot, but brushes the comment aside.

"Of course," he says, looking to two of his guards, towards the back.

They come forward with an enormous crate and set it at your feet. They crack it open to reveal several dozen chromium bars. Damn, these must be worth at least a million credits...

"Traleth will be satisfied, I'm sure," Brejeem says.

"Well if anything could satisfy a Hutt, that would have to be close." Kyle responds, gesturing at the crate.
"Eerin, entertain our guestes while I go open the hold." Before heading back up the ramp, he addresses the crowd. "The way this work folks: I'll open the hold, you carry the payment in and then your stuff out. Eerin and I supervise."

"Fine by me," Brejeem says before you dash back into the ship.

The cargo hold on the Laugh is immense, Kyle. You quite like it. The Nobog Corporation expanded it for you when they customized the ship. Currently the hold is stuffed to bursting with crates.

Eerin, it must be noted...you feel uneasy with your cargo. It consists of hundreds of primitive mortar launchers, typically used to launch explosive charges. But Traleth supplied far more devastating stuff, by far! Radioactive warheads? Dioxis cannisters? If the Northern army uses this stuff on the Ross Territory, it'll be uninhabitable for decades to come due to the radiation. Not to mention that death by dioxis gas is excruciatingly painful.

Kyle, you could care less. A job is a job. You're opening the cargo hold now; the belly of the ship opens slowly.

As the hold opens, Kyle stands off to one side with his hand near his blaster. He had heard no noise, but you don't live long in this line of work without being cautious.

Eerin says nothing to Brejeem or his minions, knowing that he won't be understood. He leans on his halberd, watching them for any sudden or unexpected movements.

"?" Eerin asks Kyle, after a moment.

"Nope, just keep an eye on the crowd." Kyle responds.

Once The Last Laugh is fully opened to your buyers, Brejeem nods to his men. They start taking the crates of explosives and gas canisters first, then the launchers. It takes awhile, but they get it done relatively quickly despite the heavy load.

Brejeem nods to you. "Many thanks for..."

He is cut off in mid-sentence as a blaster bolt strikes the man beside him upside the head, frying his brain.

"Sniper!" shouts another man. "From the south!"

However, the next sniper shot comes from the east and bursts next to your head, Eerin, against the ship's hull.

Kyle snaps his blaster out of its holster even as he hits the button to close the hold doors. He yells at his partner, "Eerin! Get back in the ship!" He races out of the hold, through the ship towards the cockpit, but stops at the top of the ramp to make sure Eerin made it on. Even in the sudden emergency Kyle can't help but think one smug thought This is why I have the payment loaded first.

Eerin starts to head back to the ship, but runs back for the payment.

Can't leave without this... Eerin thinks.

That will be a Strength check, Eerin. Lugging that crate normally requires at minimum two or three people. Up for it?

Sure, why not.

You roll a 9.

Rather than impressively lugging the crate of chromium into the ship, you strain at it and manage to budge it slightly.

At this rate, it will take a bit. It is a distance of 18 frames, with the heavy load, to the Laugh's entrance ramp.

Every action, two things will happen. You can make Strength checks to move; the Outcome will be added to your frames moved. Also, a sniper or snipers will fire on you.

That okay with you? Just keep in mind that you can ditch the crate, but then you have to explain why you just gave away a bunch of overpriced weaponry without receiving payment.

Sure, start me off.

If I can dodge at least one incoming attack, I will.

Remember that even if you do not move, snipers will fire for their action. An action is three frames.

-

GET TO THE SHIP!

Landing Platform

Eerin: 0/3

???

Snipers x4: 0/3

Frames Moved: 0

-

Since you had no outcome from your Strength check, we can assume you move three frames. You then dodge the first incoming sniper attack, putting you on frame 7.

The snipers open fire from all different directions. Three rubbish shots, but the first one (which you dodged) was an 18. With his skill of 9 and your dodge of 16, that is quite an achievement for him.

But, with your Strength deducted and 3 points of armor factored in...you only take four damage.

-

GET TO THE SHIP!

Landing Platform

Eerin: 13/4/7

???

Snipers x5: 0/6

Frames Moved: 3

-

The snipers are going to fire again. Another has joined them.

Kyle, your main concern right now is that Brejeem's men have scampered off after their rapidly retreating dictator. They've left all the cargo out in the open, full of radioactive explosives, in plain view of the snipers.

You might want to leave rather soon...

Hmm...

Skip the dodge this time and make my Strength check.

Five shots against you.

Three misses, two hits at 19 and 20. The shots burst terribly close, together inflicting 15 damage.

-

GET TO THE SHIP!

Landing Platform

Eerin: 13/19/10

???

Snipers x5: 0/9

Frames Moved: 7

-

Your Strength check says an extra frame of movement for you, this turn.

(Sorry I couldn't get on last night. Wife was on WoW all evening. Not to rain on any parades, but I thought the payment was already loaded? That's why Kyle just closed up shop and ran to the door. He wouldn't leave payment (or Eerin) behind. If I misses something, sorry. Let me redo my last post to be able to help Eerin?)

It's alright, Kyle. I doubt Eerin will drop before he gets to the door! Not to mention we don't know where they are or if you can hit them with a pistol.

Probably a good idea to get the ship moving, since those stupid men we gave the weapons to left a bunch of bombs sitting in plain view of the snipers.

I will wait to see how Kyle acts before I update. It's kind of important.

(Ok, I was just waiting to see which way it actually went down, so...)

Looking down the ramp, Kyle sees Eerin struggling to haul in the payment under fire. Blaster in hand he races out of the ship to give him a hand.

(I guess we'll just try an hurry the crate up the ramp, dodging fire if necessary.)

With your combined effort, the Strength check is not an issue and you easily lug that into the ship amidst one last volley of sniper fire. Four rubbish shots and one minor hit, hitting Eerin for three more damage.

As you haul the payment into the ship, you see Brejeem and two of his men- the rest were shot down on the run- clamber into a bunker.

You also begin to notice and increasing whirring noise.

"Now what in space is that!?" Kyle yells, taking a quick look around before raising the ramp. "Eerin, you ok? Tis this crate down somewhere while I get the ship ready. We're getting out of here!"After making sure Eerin understands and is OK, Kyle runs to the cockpit to get the ship ready to fly.

"," Eerin replies, pulling the crate into the main room of the ship while Kyle races to the cockpit.

Kyle, when you get to the cockpit, you notice that there is an alert of an incoming vessel. Warnings of a Republic gunship in the area blast from your comms, which are still wired in to Brejeem's frequency.

Ah, crap. Republic gunships were donated by the Galactic Republic back in the day, to help out the Northern infantry with their lack of aircover. These things are vicious. The Last Laugh wouldn't last long against it in the atmosphere.

Kyle swore and hit the internal cship comm. "Eerin! Forget the crate, we've got company. Hang on tight, there's an old Republic Gunship heading for us." Fore-going the preflight checks, Kyle hit the repulsorlift throttle and shot the ship into the air. As soon as he clears the landing platform he swings the ship around and away from the Gunship then pours full power into the thrusters.
"Eerin, get up here as quick as you can, we're getting out of here the hard way."

The Last Laugh lifts off the platform and...you're away! The Republic gunship sends off a few parting shots with its heavy repeaters, but the anti-personnel guns only flare off your shields like bugs on a windshield (no offense, Eerin).

The gunship throws its weight into a sideways glide that carries it across the landing platform, its anti-personnel guns blazing into the doorway that Brejeem escaped through. The bigger guns, with their focused beams, start cutting away at the building with their heavier blasts.

However, it is the lone, rear-facing gun that makes the terrible mistake. Northern soldiers have begun to stream up onto the landing platform via stairways, opening fire with rockets and such.

They take cover amongst the ammunition crates you left behind.

The gunship's rear gun decides to clear their cover away and takes a shot.

BOOM!

Suddenly, The Last Laugh is rocked ferociously, a deafening rumble, and there is a very, very bright flash...as the radioactive mortars go nuclear from the gunship's blast. The entire landing platform and the surrounding buildings are engulfed in the nuclear mushroom cloud.

But you're clear.

Well, sort of. Incoming fighters blare onto your radar as you leave the atmosphere.

Kyle blinks to clear away the spots in his eyes from the explosion. He'd never seen a nuclear balt before. He didn't want to see one again. He registers the fighters coming in and Comms Eerin again, "I guess they don't take kindly to strangers, Eerin. Incoming fighters, get to the cannon."

"" Eerin asks. ""

"I'm trying to outrun them, but if we can't I want you to be ready. And they're the ones causing all the trouble; I sure didn't have the bright idea of shooting the nuclear bombs!."

"" Eerin says, proceeding to the gunnery.

Here are the ground rules for space combat.

-----

SHIPS

Ships have the following stats:

Thrust: A general measure of speed

Performance: A general measure of handling

Payload: A ship's ability to destroy large targets (e.g. with torpedoes)

Armour: In two ratings, one for Pilots and one for Aces.

Turrets: Relevant for freighters and the like

Special: Any special rules

In starship situations, Named Characters are called Aces, and Mooks are called Pilots.

--

STARFIGHTS

Starfights are when you are trying to blow the crap out of each other.

Each turn, an Ace must declare which of the following actions he is taking:

DOGFIGHT- Attack a random target on the enemy side. Dogfighting never targets Aces unless there are more Aces than Pilots- all these Pilots just get in the way!

HUNT- Attack a specific target. This makes yourself easier to hit, and it also means you lose your immunity to Dogfights. If two pilots Hunt each other, it becomes a Duel... which we shall deal with if it comes.

EVADE- Get the hell out of the way. You can change to an Evade once all other actions have been declared, but it is not as good this way.

BOMB RUN- Make an attack on a large ship. This involves patience, nerve and targetting. Bomb Runs make you easier to hit and also make you lose your immunity to Dogfights.

ESCORT- Cover any ship you choose. You get to attack any ship that attacks your charge. Escorting does not make you easier to hit, but it does remove your immunity to Dogfights.

Pilots always Dogfight by default unless inappropriate (e.g. Bomb Runs). A person in authority can get the attention of a few pilots in his local area to force them to take another action.

ESCAPE- Get out of Dodge! Can leads to a chase.


All actions in Starship combat take the same amount of time, so Initaitve really just gives people the drop.


All Combat rolls are made on Pilot. Your stats give you bonuses in various areas- for example, Thrust is very handy for Escapes. Don't forget your Pilot Schticks!


If a Pilot is hit, he is destroyed if the Outcome is twice his armour rating or more. If the Outcome is less than that, the Pilot's armour rating is reduced by one.

If an Ace is hit, his armour rating is reduced by the Outcome. The ship is going down at zero.

----

CHASES

These are different.

In Chases, we are only interesed in one value- Pep. Pep is equal to the combination of your Thrust and Performance. The person ahead in the Chase gets a bonus to his starting Pep according to how far he is ahead!

Each turn you can try and do two things:

1. Gain Pep. Do this by putitng the foot down, taking short cuts, re-routing power... whatever...

2. Cause enemy to lose pep. Do this by performing insane stunts through asteroids, or twisty manoeuvres to confound a foe. Or, if your Pep scores are close and you are appropriately equipped, shooting at him!

Anyone chasing reduced to zero pep has been lost and is out the chase.

If the person being chased goes down to zero pep, he can flee no longer and it becomes a fight.

And here are your ship's stats and those of your opponents!

As a reminder, The Last Laugh is a Large Freighter with an Armor bonus.

-

THE LAST LAUGH

Thrust: 1

Performance: 2

Armor: 60

Turrets: 2

-

NAADAL FIGHTERS

Thrust: 8

Performance: 8

Armor: 2

-

These fighters coming after you are dinky little stunt fighters; if they're hit, they're gone. You don't think much of them, but they DO have Performance advantage. You are at -2 to hit them.

Eerin, you don't have to worry about Performance, but unless Kyle flies in a straight line, you're going to be at -2 to hit them as well.

But you're better still. They are skill 7, and remember your Pilot Tricks.

When we're all set, the battle/chase will commence.

Excellent.

We should probably opt for an Escape and start off with a Chase before they get too close.

Edited the Thrust and Performance of the fighters. They were better than they were meant to be.

Originally posted by Bespin Bart
Excellent.

We should probably opt for an Escape and start off with a Chase before they get too close.

(Works for me.)

Kyle pours on all the speed his engines can give him. He has no fear of the pursuing fighters, but there is no reason to get into the fight. Their job is done, it's time to go home.
He plots a course straight out of the planet's gravity well, and starts the navicomputer calculating a jump to hyperspace.

Then we're off! You gain a small bonus for already being quite far ahead of the fighters, but they're hot on your tail.

-

PURSUIT ABOVE NAADAL

Last Laugh: 5

Fighters x 15: 16

-

As a reminder, your Thrust and Performance are added together to determine your Pep. You can either choose to gain pep or force your pursuers to lose it. If your Pep is about equal, you can take shots at them to make them lose Pep.

(Gain Pep. Does the pilot trick Speed King help here? Don't forget about Favorite Seat.)

A short pause as I get a rules clarification from Ush...

Please note that the numbers have changed in the previous post.

-

Kyle declares that he intends to gain Pep! He floors it, pouring available energy into the engines and keeping the Last Laugh ahead of the fighters. Flying at this speed is a tad difficult, due to the obstructing defense units stationed in orbit.

Kyle's Pilot skill is 14, raised to 15 by Favorite Seat. In addition, he gains a bonus of +2 from his levels in Speed King! Rolling a 13, Kyle is able to pull away five points of Pep! A mighty good start.

The pursuing fighters decide to keep up. However, they're not very skilled pilots. The orbital defense units keep getting in the way. Only one fighter gains much on you.

-

PURSUIT ABOVE NAADAL

Last Laugh: 10

Fighter x 1: 20
Fighters x 14: 16

-

That lone fighter is closing in fast! He intends to take a shot at you, to force you to lose Pep.

"Eerin, one's getting a little close for comfort, discourage him!" Kyle advises his partner, while holding the throttle full open.

Eerin will gun for that chasing pilot if he can...

Eerin fires! And misses. But so does that fighter.

Kyle rolls a 6. That is normally a terrible roll, but with his piloting skills, that very nearly gets him some Pep. Nearly.

I forgot to deduct Pep from the fighters for poor rolls, so I shall remove two points of Pep from all of them (except the one in the lead).

A lot of good rolling from the chasers...

-

PURSUIT ABOVE NAADAL

Last Laugh: 10

Fighter x 1: 20
Fighters x 2: 18
Fighters x 2: 17
Fighter x 1: 15
Fighter x 1: 14
Fighter x 2: 13
Fighters x 6: 12

-

A few additional rules for the Chase:

- When failing to gain Pep simply because of a bad roll, the most points you can lose is two.

- When the pursuing fighter(s) have double your Pep, they can fire on you to cause you to lose Pep.

- When your Pep is nearly equal to your pursuers, you can fire on them with Turrets.

---

That fighter is going to gun for you again! What's the plan?

Regardless of Kyle's action, Eerin will be shooting at that starfighter at 20 Pep.

(Plan: Go Faster)

Eerin fires again and forces that Fighter to lose five Pep as it does a barrel roll to avoid being blasted apart.

Kyle pushes the engine hard, gaining another five Pep!

-

PURSUIT ABOVE NAADAL

Last Laugh: 15

Fighter x 1: 22
Fighter x 1: 20
Fighter x 1: 19
Fighter x 1: 16
Fighter x 2: 15
Fighter x 2: 13
Fighter x 1: 12
Fighter x 1: 11
Fighter x 3: 10

-

Now that your Pep has increased, the enemy fighters cannot currently shoot at you. However, you can shoot at anyone within a point of your Pep score, Eerin.

(We'll keep running all out, so I'll try to gain more Pep. Eerin, target the ones with the most Pep, I think I'm beginning to understand the chase strategy. We're starting to outrun many of them, just have to 'discourage' the fast ones.)

Remember that they will keep chasing you if you don't actually lose them. Some may drop out due to poor luck with the dice, but some could continue to trail you, even into hyperspace.

(Yeah, but if we have to turn and fight, I want the least ammout left. Eerin, whenever you're confortable, we'll do so. I was aiming for no more than 4-5, but...)

Oh, let's shoot at the Fighter at 16 Pep...

Eerin pulls off a 14, pushing that Fighter back, while Kyle pulls off a 3. The Last Laugh loses two Pep as it tries to avoid one of the defense units...

A few good rolls on the part of the starfighters, but mostly unpleasant for them...

-

PURSUIT ABOVE NAADAL

Last Laugh: 13

Fighter x 1: 20
Fighter x 1: 19
Fighter x 1: 18
Fighter x 1: 15
Fighter x 1: 13
Fighter x 3: 11
Fighter x 1: 10
Fighter x 1: 9
Fighter x 5: 8

-

Your move.

(Gain more pep, shoot more peeps. Eerin, any better ideas?)

We might want to start making them lose Pep next turn, rather than individual shots...

This turn, Eerin will fire at the Fighter on 13 Pep.

Kyle pulls off a 16, gaining 5 Pep. Eerin fluffs his shot.

The fighters continue powering after you, taking potshots as they race after you. Four of the Fighters with higher Peps decide to lower yours, while the rest continue their acceleration.

Three of those four are unsuccessful, and even the Fighter that hits you only manages to flare your shields. No Pep lost.

The Fighters roll averagely.

-

PURSUIT ABOVE NAADAL

Last Laugh: 18

Fighter x 1: 20
Fighter x 1: 19
Fighter x 1: 18
Fighter x 2: 15
Fighter x 1: 14
Fighter x 1: 11
Fighter x 1: 10
Fighter x 1: 7
Fighter x 2: 8
Fighter x 4: 6

-

As the race continues, the orbital defenses begin to target you after you've tripped hundreds of sensors. Several networked satellites begin activating energy shields, while others bring their weapons systems online.

The difficulty of 'Floor It!' rolls increases.

(Crap, alright, let's loose 'em. How do I make everyone loose Pep?)

You roll for it, but you must describe how, exactly, you intend to shake off your pursuers...

Think Han Solo and the asteroid field, but apply it to your current environment.

(Ahhh.... I see.)

Kyle saw his tactic of a straight run wasn't panning out like he hoped. "Eerin, new plan: hang on. We're going to try to tie 'em up in their own defence network. Instead of running flat-out Kyle begins weaving through the defence network, trying to either run his pursuers into something, or get them shot at. At the very least the abrupt change should confuse them.

(Typical Rebel planning)

Damn straight.

Eerin blasts at the Fighter at 18 Pep.

Kyle's piloting value on 'Shake 'Em!' rolls is still 17, due to Favorite Seat and a Daredevil bonus of +2.

Kyle's sudden maneuvering catches the Fighters completely off-guard. Five Pep lost by all Fighters, as Kyle pulls off a 20. Eerin succeeds in dropping another five Pep from the fighter he shoots at.

Striving to pursue, the Fighters all elect to keep at their chase. With the new obstacles, it is difficult for them to keep up.

One of the Fighters is blasted apart by the defense satellites, two more collide with the energy barriers, and another two simply drop out of the race, valuing their lives.

-

PURSUIT ABOVE NAADAL

Last Laugh: 18

Fighter x 1: 14
Fighter x 1: 12
Fighter x 2: 8
Fighter x 1: 7
Fighter x 1: 6
Fighter x 1: 4
Fighter x 1: 3
Fighter x 2: 1

-

(See Melkor? Just the way I planned...)

"Haha! That's more like it, eh buddy? Let's give'em some more." Kyle yells in triumph as he jerks the control yoke to throw his ship into another crazy set of manovers.

(More of the same, mister GM.)

I will move on, as there are no targets Eerin can currently hit. He can give an additional +1 bonus to Shake 'Em rolls by putting the fighters under pressure.

This time, your piloting does not go as well as you'd hoped. As you attempt to lose them in the maze of barriers, you clip one wall of energy. The shields flare violently and shake the ship, but you maintain your current speed.

The four fighters try their luck again with slowing your vessel. Their shots flash against the energy barriers and damage a few satellites around you, but two of the Fighters manage to clip the Last Laugh. Two Pep lost.

Another Fighter drops from the chase.

-

PURSUIT ABOVE NAADAL

Last Laugh: 16

Fighter x 1: 14
Fighter x 1: 12
Fighter x 1: 9
Fighter x 2: 8
Fighter x 1: 6
Fighter x 1: 4
Fighter x 1: 2
Fighter x 1: 1

-

"If they scratched the paint I'm gonna be really mad!" Kyle shouts out loud, though not at anyone in particular. He continues to weave and jink through the maze of defences, trying to shake more fighters.

Eerin will spray randomly!

Good rolling this round, Kyle. With Eerin's bonus, your skill is 18; no contest! Five Pep off their scores. More fighters drop from the chase.

All fighters attempt to vector in and close off your routes at this point. Some good rolling on their parts. 3 Pep lost.

-

PURSUIT ABOVE NAADAL

Last Laugh: 13

Fighter x 1: 9
Fighter x 1: 7
Fighter x 1: 4
Fighter x 2: 3
Fighter x 1: 1

-

Seeing that the fighters are trying to block him in, Kyle picks the nearest open route and guns it again, trying to make for open space. "Eerin, hold on, we're making another run for it!"
(So we'll go back to another round of pouring on speed to outrun the lot of them.)

Tremendously good rolling on their part, dropping from your seven of your Pep, but you make up most of it with a sudden burst of Speed!

-

PURSUIT ABOVE NAADAL

Last Laugh: 12

Fighter x 1: 9
Fighter x 1: 7
Fighter x 1: 4
Fighter x 2: 3
Fighter x 1: 1

-

By now you're coming to the edge of the defensive system. Once you're out, you'll be able to jump into hyperspace.

However, you need to get these fighters gone. If you make the jump to hyperspace while being fired upon, you could potentially rip a hole in the shields and drain your engine in mid-jump. That would end your trip real quick...

Four turns to lose the fighters, or this becomes a Starfight against the fighters remaining.

(Ok, we'll push hard to lose as many as we can, then when we have no choice we'll nail the ones too stupid to turn around.)

Consider your tactics a success as four more fighters drop from the chase, leaving the leaders.

They both roll 20's, getting dangerously close and cutting off your routes with cannon fire.

-

PURSUIT ABOVE NAADAL

Last Laugh: 8

Fighter x 1: 4
Fighter x 1: 2

-

You can see the definitive line where the satellites stop coming up rapidly...

(Sorry for the delay, i though I posted this this morning, but...)

"Eerin, get ready, when we clear these satellites we're going to turn on the last of our pursuers here. We'll mop them up and jump out of here."

(Full out run to clear the asteroids, might as well try to shake one more. Then we'll fight whoever's left.)

No worries, Kyle. With your effective skill of 18 on Shake 'Em! rolls, you would have to roll a 4 to not get any results. As it is, you roll a 16.

On the last stretch, the Last Laugh zig-zags between the energy walls, which the last two pilots collide with. They are immediately vaporized.

You're home free!

Now to return to the Hutts with that big ol' crate of chromium...

"Alright Eerin, we're in the clear. I'm going to jump." Kyle lets the navicomputer finish it's calculations and pulls the levers that send his ship into hyperspace.
No longer needed to control his ship, Kyle sits back in his chair and sighs. "We're on our way to deliver payment to the Hutts. Remind me when we get there to have a chat about carrying nuclear weapons. We should double our fees for that sort of cargo."

"all]," Eerin responds, powering down the weapons systems and diverting power to the engines before heading up to the cockpit. "way too much effect on a war that wasn't ours]."

(Okay, I must be having problems with my computer or something. Two days in a row I've posted responses before I go in to work, see then post and then they aren't here in the afternoon. Jesus.)

"Hey, we didn't set the things off! Besides, if you're going to start gauging effects of what we carry, where is the cutoff? 1000 blasters? Two bombs? We don't decide how the things are used. Besides, it's not like weapons are all we carry. Don't sweat it." Kyle pondered it for a monent then added. "Although, I guess Nuclear bombs are a little extreme."

"."

"If I'd inhaled dioxis, we wouldn't be having this conversation, would we?" Kyle thinks about the nuclear blast they witnessed. He'd never seen anything like that before. "But alright, I'm not heartless. No more nuclear weapons. And I don't like carrying gas anyhow, always worried about leaks if the cannister get roughed up a bit. It does get bumpy in here some times." Kyle finished with a grin. Then jokes, "So, you happy now? We've oficially reduced our employability by a little bit."

"," Eerin replies, seating himself in co-pilot. "."

"Well, at least we can say you can't find another pair out there quite like us!"

( )

"," Eerin says, stabilizing the ship's flightpath through hyperspace as it had been a hastily made jump to lightspeed.

My apologies, Christmas parties and work don't mix well with updating RPGs. My bad.

If there's nothing else for you two to address, we'll push on to Nar Shaddaa, that terrible city-world that nobody likes but somehow everyone ends up there at some point in their lives. You just so happen to frequent it for work.

(I think we're good. And speaking of Christmas parties, I have my time pretty much booked from now until Christmas night. I'm sure you two have similar schedules. So since it's technically just us three in here, we might want to consider taking a break until after X-mas. But, I'll probably check in anyhow at least once a day, so just don't leave me behind.
HAppy Holidays.

Wanna press on, Rex? Surely our employer speaks fluent Geonosian...

(Oh, hey! I'm ready when you guys are... Just been a bit wrapped up in my new Guitar Hero III for my Wii. Addictive game. But, yeah; lets go pester the Hutts.)

(Wii got a We...wait, hold on...)

Dropping out of hyperspace, the Last Laugh descends to the grimey moon known as Nar Shaddaa, the Smuggler's Moon. You get through the atmosphere with no problem, then you're forced to swerve to avoid a large transport as you dive into Vertical City. Unlike Coruscant, Nar Shaddaa has no real trafficking laws...or system. For the most part, people fly about as they please. Just another reason why Nar Shaddaa is so damned shitty.

Eventually you manage to find a place to park your ship, near your usual hangout, the Rimmer's Rest. There you do your business with the Hutts' contacts, rather than with the Hutts themselves; it's better that way. Less slime. Sometimes.

The bar is very spartan and blocky. A few large glow-orbs flood the rooms with dim lighting. Every surface is made of some beat-up metal, and the walls were given a few coats of green paint a some point within the last two centuries. The actual bar itself is opposite the doorway, where the sleepy old bartender serves drinks when pestered. Behind him, the neon lighting of the bar's mascot- a green snake with three horns breathing fire- blinks lazily.

Your contact with the Hutts should be here somewhere...it's unusually crowded tonight. The Rimmer's Rest is a lesser known but cheap and decent (for Nar Shaddaa) bar, but tonight it has quite a few paying customers. Some of them are already passed out under the tables...or on the tables. Heh.

Ah, there's your man. Retter, a shaggy fellow in a tattered and torn old banthahide jacket and black pants, managed to snag a spot at the bar. He's lucky like that.

Kyle nudges his partner and points to the bar. "There's our man. Let's get this over with so we can get the space out of here."

"," Eerin says. Eerin will sit on one side of Retter, while Kyle should sit on the other. If those seats aren't available, Eerin will scare the occupants off with Intimidation.

Non-issue, Eerin. The people here recognize Hutt business when they see it, and those seats are yours.

"Ah, my friends!" Retter greets, looking back and forth between you two as you sit. "Welcome home! Looking good, gents. How'd the mission go? Traleth is eager to hear of your success."

Can Retter understand what the hell I'm saying?

Eerin gives Retter an unpleasant, buggy glare.

""

He can.

"Whoa, you did what?"

Holding up a hand to calm Retter, kyle interjects, "Wait, we didn't nuke Naadal. The nukes we were carrying, the ones we didn't know were onboard, were blown up by the other side of the civil war your people supplying. We, along with the payment," he adds pointedly, "were almost vaporized by the blast. From now on, we want to know what we're carrying. Exactly, no more 'just weapons and stuff' or whatever you told us this time. Eerin insists." he finishes, pointing at the giant menacing bug.

"Hey, hey, alright," Retter says, uncomfortable due to Eerin's friendly glare of doom. "Whatever happens on missions ain't my fault or the Hutts, you know that. Everything is up to you to make sure things go off right. If your cargo's being shot at, you obviously did something wrong. But hey, you got the payment, right? Eh?"

He seems like he's going to try elbowing Eerin in a friendly way, but then thinks better of it.

Deciding not to argue further, "Yea, we got it. It's in the ship."

"Good boy, Kyle. I'll come back to yer ship with ya, so me and my boys can nab it for our employer. But first, drinks! Gotta have drinks..."

Retter orders a Corellian ale for the both of you.

Kyle, I forget, are you Corellian?

"," Eerin says. ""

(Nope. Kyle is actually from Ela Nobog.)
"I don't know about fuzzy minds after one drink, but we really have to be going soon. Rain check on the drinks, thanks. Shall we finish our business?"

(Alrighty then.)

"Bugsy is a lightweight, apparently," Retter jokes. "But really, on to business, then, since we're so eager. If you could escort my men to your ship, Eerin, they could grab the payment and that's that. However, I wish to discuss business with Kyle. That okay?"

Kyle speaks up before Eerin can give the answer every knows he'll give. "That's fine, but you can't blame folks like us for being cautious. Especially on this rock. But Eerin's a big bug, he can take care of himself. Not that I'm helpless either, but we're staying in the bar anyway." He looks at Eerin. "No one will try anything in here. At least not anything I can't handle." He looks back to the contact. "And if Eerin isn't back in one standard hour I'll shoot you in the face. That okay?"

Eerin starts to open his mouth to protest, but Kyle cuts him off. Eerin grumbles beneath his breath while Kyle makes the deal.

"Suits me just fine," he replies, then snaps his fingers twice. From the crowd emerge six goons, all very obviously armed with blaster rifles. He speaks a few words in Huttese, basically informing them of the situation.

"Eerin, escort these fine men to your ship, will you?" Retter says, gesturing to two Grans and a Weequay. "They'll handle the payment and won't give you a hint of trouble. They know you're a tough customer."

Kyle looks at the sudden appearance of so many armed guards warily. IT wasn't the picture he had in his head when Retter mentioned 'my men'. But Kyle had stepped in it, so he thought he better follow through. Still, people in this line of work didn't make it far being stupid, so he improvised further.

"You don't take many chances with security either, I see. Well, let's get this over with. We both know how much I'm sticking our necks out doing it this way. But I'm interested in hearing more business, so there you have it." He pulls out his comlink and sets it on the table, active. Eerin'll be alright for a while," he guestures at the live link, "he's a talkative fellow. And so am I." He looks meaningfully at Eerin. It was his way of signaling 'if the link dies, so should the contact and his men'.

He turns back to Retter, "So, let's hear it."

Eerin nods, then leaves the bar to lead Retter's men to the ship.

He turns his comlink on, so as to hear Kyle's conversation with their contact.

Eerin, those three men follow you wordlessly out of the pub. They look unpleasant, but you don't think they'll give you any grief unless you give them reason to.

-

The other three guards stick with you and Retter, seating themselves in a booth nearby.

"Kyle, you DID get the money, right?" Retter asks. "Eerin isn't going to turn my men into fillet of thug?"

"Yeah, we got the payment. Although it was close. We were just finishing unloading the good when snipers opened fire on our contacts there. We grabbed the payment, slammed the door and hit the throttle. Shortly after we took off, weapon fire set off the nukes. A few seconds slower and we would have been atoms." He casts a sideways glance at their guards. "And don't worry about Eerin. He's actually a big softie, unless you make him mad. But you definitely don't want to see him mad."

"I don't doubt it," Retter says. "You might want to check the Last Laugh for radiation damage. You weren't caught in the blast, but you never know. Starship equipment is sensitive stuff."

Such an inspection could take several days.

Eerin does not say anything that might instigate conversation. Especially since most beings don't speak Geonosian. Elites, being unable to speak anything BUT Geonosian, are rarely sensitive about the issue outside of Geonosis, seeing as many of them do not leave their homeworld at any point in their lifetime. For Eerin, it was different.

"," Eerin mutters, gesturing to the ship when they arrive at the docking bay. He punches in the code to unlock the ship and lowers the ramp, heading in.

"I didn't think about the radiation. We just might have to take a look at that, thanks. Now, what business did you want to talk about?"

They follow you in, Eerin, and ask where they can find the payment.

-

Retter sits up straight, spinning his seat towards you.

"Traleth the Hutt has another shipment she would like you to take," Retter says. "It is very important. Traleth has a contact on Lok, a Feeorin drug baron, that has been rivaling her and threatening warfare for decades. However, they've come to better terms with each other. So what you're going to be carrying is a sort of peace offering..."

-

Roughly at about this time, Eerin, more thugs arrive at the Last Laugh. One of them is pushing a grav-sled, on which there are three crates. Around the grav-sled are five guards, armed with heavy blaster rifles. They come to a halt at the ship's ramp.

"Open your cargo bay!" the human in the lead shouts.

(With the comlinks open, would Kyle have heard that? Not sure how they'd really work in this situation.)

"Sounds fine so far. What's the shipment, and what's the payment?"

"" Eerin asks, ducking down the ramp cautiously, halberd in hand. "" he mutters into the comlink.

Thanks to Eerin, you have been notified.

"That would be my boys," Retter replies to Eerin's alert. "Or rather, Traleth's boys. They've brought the shipment. See, Traleth isn't going to be charging this drug baron for the shipment. It's an act of good faith and friendship, you see? So we're sending him something that'll sell really well. Are you familiar with Crude?"

(Ummm, would that be Crude as in Oil?)

"First, people don't just walk up to my ship and command my partner to 'open up'. Second, they especially don't do that before we discuss payment and details. So lay out the whole deal, then we'll 'open up'. Maybe."

Far from it. Crude comes in the form of small colorful pills, and is named solely for the way people behave after taking it. It is a psychoactive drug that alters the user's perception of themselves and others, tearing down their insecurities and causing them to react on every selfish impulse they can before the drug wears off. As with most powerful drugs, it can kill the user due to chemicals present in the pill or acts they commit.

That stuff is terrible, Kyle. It's popular amongst youths.

"Hey, I know," Retter replies. "You'll be paid handsomely, about fifty percent of what the drugs are worth, if you'll settle for that. Traleth advises it."

That's quite a lot of money, Kyle, but Retter just brought out the Hutt's 'advisement.' This means that this shipment really IS a big deal, but he's also threatened you.

Kyle narrowed his eyes a little at the implied threat Retter had saved for last. Eerin is NOT going to like this. Kyle thought to himself as he picked up his comlink. Staring hard into Retter's eyes, Kyle commanded Eerin, "Eerin, open the hold and deliver the payment, then let the men load the new cargo. I'll join you shortly."
He sets the comlink down. "I half payment up front. We're going to stop somewhere and check for radiation damage that may have been caused because of the Nukes no one told us we were carrying. Deal?" He extends his hand to Retter.

"Crude?]" Eerin asks, becoming angry. ""

Kyle ignores his partner's protest. He know what he would say later. Drugs kill people. But so do guns. Heck, in Kyle's opinion drugs were safer to the pulic. Drugs only kill the user, almost always a voluntary thing. The same can't be said about guns.
"Eerin just made a good point. I'd like to see inside the crates. After the nuclear incident, we are no longer shipping anything without verification of contents. I'm sure you won't mind."

Eerin sighs, then reaches for a lever just above the ramp. With a quick yank, the lever is flipped and the cargo bay begins to open. However, he stands in front of it, halberd at the ready.

"," he snarls. Understood or not, he will get it across that he will not allow the cargo to be deposited yet.

Retter groans, pulling out a datapad.

"Here! The manifest is on there. So's the contact information, for when you reach Lok. The drug baron won't let you near him unless you've got the crates and the proper codes."

The pirates look unsure, Eerin. They cannot understand you, but the way you are standing between them and their destination with a hefty halberd somewhat gets the point across.

Kyle, the manifest is simple. It gives the name of the item being shipped, a measurement of how much is being shipped, and the cost. The costs have been voided and the measurement is unimportant, so what we're looking at is the names of the items.

As Retter said, a great deal of crude has been packed. However, he failed to mention the glitterstim or the death sticks. Crude is non-habit forming, but glitterstim is one of the most addictive drugs in the known Galaxy. The death stick is right behind it, toxic enough to shorten your lifespan, but not enough to throw you off of it.

If the Empire caught you with it, it would be the Nobog Corporation all over again. The Hutts would disown you and you would live out the rest of your days in solitary confinement on Oovo IV.

Roughly, at this point, a few people are singing rousing spacer tunes at one side of the pub.

"See? That's what I'm talking about. It's nice to know what you're carrying. As long as our payment is half the value of the entire shipment, not just the crude, we're in."

Retter sighs. "Yeah, yeah, I'll let the Hutts know to up your payment, boy. Just don't expect them to happy about it..."

Suddenly, a gloved hand taps Retter on the shoulder. He raises an eyebrow and looks up into the face of a woman wearing a suit of light blast armor. Her skin has a slight green hue and she possesses several blue tattoos. She keeps the gloved hand clamped on Retter's shoulder.

Oh hell, Kyle, you recognize her from her reputation. She is a Mirialian bounty hunter named Rylis Tavel, known for her successful hunts and cold efficiency. Not good to see her turning up anywhere.

"Now, I have some business here, and I think it might be in your best interests to move." she says, resting her other hand on her blaster. "You do enjoy living, correct?"

"I think my business is a tad more important, lass," Retter growls, reaching for the pistol in his jacket. He gives a sharp whistle as he draws it, and three thugs emerge from the crowd, wielding blaster rifles. She's bungled into the business of a Hutt emissary. "I have to ask, do you enjoy living, dearie?"

"Actually, you're just the person I needed..." Rylis comments, looking over at you. "I just picked up a bounty for the Hutts, but no one's come to get him yet and I really can't afford to hang around here any longer. You know how it is."

"Oh." Retter raises from the stool, but doesn't call off the thugs. He swipes a hand at you behind his back, Kyle, telling you to stay quiet for a moment. "Say, you're not Rylis Tavel, are ya? I heard you were in town. Who's the bounty?"

She pulls her gaze away from you. "Helodira called Tib, he murdered someone apparently...don't really care about the details, just the money. He's locked up in my ship. I don't think he's inclined to try anything anymore."

"You sure? I don't want to send my boys in if he's going to be a problem. Helodiras are nasty bastards."

"Yeah, I've noticed...he's not quite in the greatest shape and is restrained. Just watch out for those spikes...he also doesn't seem very fond of fire."

"Got it. Yeah, he won't be too fond of three blasters on him." Retter pulls out another datapad. "So, eh, what's yer docking bay number, is your ship locked, and is Rylis Tavel the name for your account for credit transfer?"

She provides the necessary answers, then continues. "Cargo hold is unlocked from the outside. Just don't let the door close behind you else you'll be waiting until I get back to the ship."

"Gotcha. I'm Retter, by the way. Any bounties out on me?" he asks, jokingly.

He hands the datapad off to one of his thugs. "Go get the Helodira out of her ship. Don't lock yourself in or you're fired." The thugs slink off.

Kyle watched the exchange suddenly. It was never a good think for a bounty hunter to show up, whether they were interested in you or not. He looked around while she and the Hutt contact talked, marking the exits. Hopefully, Eerin was still getting the comlink transmissions, and would eb ready if things went down hill.

Content with Retter's comment on payment, Eerin steps aside and allows the men to load everything.

"Oh, if there were, I'd know about it." Rylis says. "Mind if I sit down for a quick drink? Don't get many breaks on this job, after all. What sort of business do the Hutts have you up to at the moment?"

"Oh, not much, just our usual shipments," Retter says. "If I told you anything about it, I'd have to cut your career short, eh? That or the Hutts would."

Retter gestures to the stool that Eerin had squeezed onto. "Go ahead and sit, lass. This is Kyle, one of our men. He doesn't bite."

-

Eerin, the thugs push the grav-sled into the cargo bay, push off the crates with little caution, and rendezvous with the other three thugs that had been there for the payment. They lug the crate of chromium bars down the ramp and deposit it onto the grav-sled, and then they all take their leave of you.

Scowling slightly ta being called one of 'their' men, Kyle nods politely at Rylis. Nice to meet you. Now, since our business is concluded I think I'll leave you two to chat." Kyle stands up. "See you around, folks." and he turns to leave.

"Do you think I'd still be alive in this profession if I didn't know discretion?" Rylis replies, taking Eerin's seat and looking over at you.

"Kyle, huh? Name seems vaguely familiar...you're a smuggler, I take it?"

"You may know discretion, but you don't know me. And forgive me" he says in mock civility, "but unless we have business (he points at himself and Rylis), then we have business (he points to himself and Retter.), and I must be going. Please excuse me."

I assume you start making your way out of the bar.

As you move towards the exit, something catches the corner of your eye. A man in battered travelers wear is moving slowly through the crowd.

(Towards me? Is there anything suspicious about him?)

"" Eerin asks, hearing silence on Kyle's end of the comlinks.

Towards the exit, where you are headed. The way he has not taken his eyes off of you may indicate peculiar thoughts on his end that you'd rather not hear about any time soon.

(Can Kyle beat him out the door without actually bolting?)
Kyle keeps a wary eye on the approaching stranger as he responds to his partner.
"Well, Retter and I were just accosted by Rylis Tavel, bounty hunter. The good thing is she let me go without a word. Which is wierd, because she seemed to know who I am. Bad news, there may be someone else who wants a moment of my time. Why don't you lock the ship and head back this way. Just in case."

You can, no worries.

Emerging into the warm Nar Shaddaa night, you are conscious of the man also heading out the door, keeping some distance but not enough to lose track of you.

You are presented with the walkways that lead back to the ship, or the 'streets,' which consist of walkways linking all the different shops and pubs. Plan?

(Head straight for the ship.)
Kyle notes the strange fellow still tailing him and covertly activates his comm. "Eerin, I'm being followed, pick up the pace. I'm on the way back to the ship." He again keeps the link open, for Eerin.

(Plan: Make it to Eerin, then turn and confront the stranger. Deja' vu, eh?)

Eerin complies, shutting the cargo bay and heading out to meet Kyle with his toys (halberd and sonic pistol).

Traversing the walkways takes you closer to Eerin and the docking bay, but further away from the crowds of Nar Shaddaa's nightlife. Soon, on these rusted old walkways, you are alone with your stalkers. Rylis Tavel has joined him.

Suddenly, you see the man draw a repeating pistol, a military model from the Clone Wars. He aims down the walkway at you...

"Trap!" Kyle yells into the open comm as he drops his hand to his blaster. In a much-practiced blink, Kyle draws and fires at the armed assailant.
(0 Frame draw with gunslinger. Snap shot at the man.)

Eerin will break into a run, pushing himself to move as fast as his multi-jointed legs will take him.

Reacting to the man's gesture with the practice of an outlaw, you spin on the spot and whip your pistol out of its holster.

Your observance and speed pay off, Kyle, and you get the drop on him just as he raises his pistol. The single red bolt from your snapped shot comes very close to ending it right there and then, but the man moves just in time for it to merely skim him. 9 damage.

He doesn't seem happy.

-

FIGHT ON NAR SHADDAA

Walkways

Kyle: 0/6


???: 9/5

Rylis: 0/3

-

One-handed, he means to fire a volley at you, Kyle, as he reaches into his jacket with his free hand.

He is nine frames distant, while Rylis is farther, twelve frames.

Eerin, you start off, but you won't reach Kyle until frame 18.

"You picked the wrong guy to get into a ginfight with, pal!" Kyle takes careful aim this time and fires two quick bursts a the man.

(Double shot at the stranger. Dodge Rylis if she joins in.)

A ginfight might be amusing to watch, if you get out of here alive.

Rylis draws her pistol (though not anywhere near as impressively as you). However, her marksmanship is certainly something. She matches your shot on Snith, skimming you for 11 damage as you step to the side.

The man puts out a rapid volley, but only his first shot does any harm as it bursts on the railing by you. 8 damage to you, while the other shots stray. He has drawn a second pistol, though. This one certainly isn't a repeating pistol...looks like a heavy disruptor piece.

Your shot is good, Kyle! The first shot goes nowhere, but the second hits for 8 damage in return. That'll teach him!

-

FIGHT ON NAR SHADDAA

Walkways

Kyle: 19/10


???: 9/10

Rylis: 0/8

-

Rylis advances, moving up alongside the man as they line up shots on you again. The man means to fire his disruptor pistol this time. Unpleasant, those. He charges it for a lethal shot, taking him to frame 11.

An idea hits Eerin, as the report of pistols reaches him.

"" Eerin asks.

"Whichever's faster! It's getting ugly down here!"

(Cover anywhere? I'll dodge both this time, keep shooting the guy if I can manage.)

""

Eerin will return to the ship and power up the engines. He leaves the ramp down, ignoring warning signals as he takes off, though he makes sure that the cargo bay is locked securely. Powering up the weapons, Eerin lifts off.

Rylis hops into the air and activates a jetpack! She roars towards you, pounding shots out of her pistol. An 11 is a miss, though.

Your shot is much better, catching the stranger for 7 damage.

The stranger then unleashes a charged beam from his disruptor pistol. When charged, that gun has a base damage of 15 and an additional MKP. Ahh! A 12 against you means 8 damage as it burns your arm.

-

FIGHT ON NAR SHADDAA

Walkways

Kyle: 27/15


???: 24/11

Rylis: 0/12

-

Uhoh, Kyle. Rylis is three frames away, the stranger hasn't moved, but they're both going to get a few goes at you before you can fire again. The man resorts to his repeating pistol again.

With Eerin on the way, though, you're not so worried.

Speaking of the bug, returning to the ship, lifting off, and putting yourself in a position to rescue Kyle will get you there on frame 24, Eerin.

(When it's my turn again, doubleshot at Stranger, dodge Rylis.)