STAR WARS: RETROSPECTION- Trials

You cross the remaining distance, but Friste lifts his lightsaber up behind Loola, deciding to decapitate her in one swift stroke. He grins as he brings the lightsaber down...

Clash.

There a flash and a crackling sound as Friste's lightsaber collides directly into the lightsaber of Master Ko Cabas, who dropped down from a maintenance hatch just in time.

Friste is incredulous. "How... you..."

"Skill and planning, boy," Cabas says. With a flick of his lightsaber, he shoves Friste's blade to one side and performs a solid kick that knocks the curved hilt from the hand of the Dark Jedi. It clatters onto the walkway. Unarmed, Friste retreats before Cabas can swipe at him. But Cabas does not swipe; instead, with an outstretched hand, he gives Loola a gentle shove with the Force that sends her over the edge of the walkway... directly into your arms as you perform your Jump. This you were not quite expecting, so you do not reach the walkway, instead landing heavily on the banquet table.

"Xavier!" Cabas shouts down to you. "Under the table! Now!"

Xavier looks up at Master Cabas, then at Loola. For some reason he can not help it. The woman in his arms is simply looks beautiful. She is a mess and has been beaten in ways Xavier could never imagine, yet there is something about her, even in this state, that provokes a physical response in Xavier.

He could care less about her personal well being, to Xavier's mind she is only part of a mission. Like it should be, yet something like before is nagging in the back of his head.

He doesn't have time to dwell on it further as as he needs to move. Keeping Loola cradled in his arms and jumps from the table and gets under it.

He looks at Loola, "Everything will be ok, I will keep you safe."

"Blast him!" Svidrigailov roars to his bodyguards. The two raise their sonic rifles against you, letting loose a few shots, but you get underneath the table before they are able to hit.

Loola is speechless, but you can sense her great relief and gratitude.

Pirates win the iniative check this round, though Trax guns two down before they fire and Hoondan takes out another turret. They kill ten slaves, supported by the turrets for another eight kills. The slaves hit back for sixteen kills.

Friste summons his lightsaber back to his hand.

---

THE SLAVE REBELLION

Level A

Bridge Area

Svidrigailov: 0/149

Tun Pik: 0/151

Ergusno: 0/151

Pirates x10: 0/150 (cover: 6)

Right Walkways

Pirates x35: 0/150

Center Walkways

Cabas: 12/0/149

Friste: ?/0/150

Pirates x31: 0/150

Left Walkways

Pirates x35: 0/150

Right Floor

Pirates x15: 0/150 (cover: 2)

Turrets x2: 0/150 (armor: 4)

Center Floor

Xavier: 8/36/151 (cover: full)
Loola: -

Left Floor

Pirates x15: 0/150 (cover: 2)

Turrets x1: 0/150 (armor: 4)

Entrance

Trax: 21/148

Prassk: 26/150

Hoondan: 0/149

Slaves x173: 0/150 (cover: 4)

Heavies x6: 0/150 (cover: 4)

Grenadiers x16: 0/150 (cover: 4)

---

"Surrender, Friste," Cabas orders. Holding his orange lightsaber at a downward angle in his right hand, he reaches to his belt to ignite the green lightsaber of his Padawan and holds it similarly. "The Order can offer you asylum and help, or you can die here by my blade. That is my ultimatum..."

"Never!" Friste shouts, radiating hate as he reactivates his lightsaber, the blood red blade snapping back to life as he holds it pointed towards the Jedi Master.

Xavier, you notice a maintenance hatch located underneath the table.

Xavier knows Master Cabas can take care of himself. So he will take one hand away from holding Loola. His one strong arm should be able to support her.

He reaches down and open the hatch and tries to see what is in it.

The hatch leads to a maintenance chamber beneath the table, most likely to work on the machinery that works the raising and lowering of the table.

Trax lines up his heavy assault rifle and picks off three pirates with good rolls.

Hoondan uses the electron scope of his sniper rifle to place a shot in a place of a turret's armor and disintegrates it.

Prassk, seeing you come under fire briefly, gives Svidrigailov's bodyguards something to think about. He rolls 11 and 17, hitting Tun Pik for no damage and Ergusno two.

Pirates win initiative over slaves, starting off with Svidrigailov lending his enormous pistol to their firepower. He raises his unwieldy pistol and lets off three tremendous shots with a surprising amount of recoil for a blaster. Each shot strikes a slave full in the chest, sending them crashing to the ground. He laughs at the ease with which he did it. The pirates themselves take down thirteen slaves despite the heavy protection they have to blast past.

The pirates on the floor choose to break cover, storming the shields! They charge the slaves down, firing their blasters as they move. The charge is unexpected, but their shots still must deal with the shields. Only six kills, and Trax shoots down two as they slip past the shields.

One turret removes another four. The ship crew deploys another four turrets, lowering down from the ceiling near the central walkway.

On Trax's orders, the slaves continue to open fire on the walkways. Nineteen pirates are shot down. The heavies are nearly finished assembling their weapons.

Aggravated, Svidrigailov's bodyguards open fire on Prassk. He does not dodge, placing his faith in the energy shield to protect him. One misses, but the other hits for 5 damage.

---

THE SLAVE REBELLION

Level A

Bridge Area

Svidrigailov: 0/152

Tun Pik: 0/154

Ergusno: 2/154

Pirates x10: 0/153 (cover: 6)

Right Walkways

Pirates x29: 0/153

Center Walkways

Cabas: 12/0/-

Friste: ?/0/-

Pirates x21: 0/153

Turrets x4: 0/153 (armor: 4)

Left Walkways

Pirates x29: 0/153

Right Floor

Turrets x2: 0/153 (armor: 4)

Center Floor

Xavier: 8/36/154 (cover: full)
Loola: -

Left Floor

Entrance

Pirates x28: 0/154

Trax: 21/154

Prassk: 31/153

Hoondan: 0/152

Slaves x157: 0/153 (cover: 4)

Heavies x6: 0/153 (cover: 4)

Grenadiers x10: 0/153 (cover: 4)

---

As is tradition, the Dark Sider always initiates a duel.

Friste springs forwards and performs a solid slash toward Cabas' right side, bringing the red blade crackling through one of the support beams of the walkway. But it is a ruse; instead of completing the solid strike, he suddenly spins to bring his lightsaber around in a strike from the left. An outflank! It suits his style well.

But Cabas, with decades of practice, sees the faint. Without faltering, Cabas performs a simplistic but effective parry, sweeping his two lightsabers into a position that will deflect the attack and cause Friste to over-swing his target.

The parry is successful. Friste's strike is redirected and he nearly loses his balance. The Dark Jedi falls on the defensive, realizing that he will need to be more cautious with this one.

Cabas- 1, Friste- 0

Cabas to attack, Friste to defend.

Xavier will carry Loola down into the Maintenance Chamber.

The maintenance hatch leads to a small chamber where all the manual controls and monitors of the banquest table can be found. It has enough room for one person and does not lead anywhere.

"Leave me in here," Loola urges you, quietly so that she is only barely heard above the gunfire. "I will be safe. And you must fight, Master Jedi! I knew there was something about you, the way you defied the Pirates! Thank you for coming to my rescue."

She gives you a kiss on the cheek before slipping into the maintenance shaft. The hatch closes behind her.

Hoondan again blows out a turret with his high-powered disruptor rifle.

Svidrigailov pumps out his fierce shots and takes out another three slaves with ease.

Slaves win initiative! The majority continue clearing out the walkways, scoring ten kills. The rest concentrate their fire on the pirates past their shields, putting down eleven as they move in. Trax and Prassk assist, killing three between them.

The pirates on the walkways claim seven slaves, but the real threat comes from the pirates past the energy shields. They snuff out ten slaves with little trouble. Covering fire provided by the bodyguards takes out another two, and a turret takes out another four.

The Heavies have their weapons set up!

---

THE SLAVE REBELLION

Level A

Bridge Area

Svidrigailov: 0/155

Tun Pik: 0/157

Ergusno: 2/157

Pirates x10: 0/156 (cover: 6)

Right Walkways

Pirates x25: 0/156

Center Walkways

Cabas: 12/0/-

Friste: ?/0/-

Pirates x18: 0/156

Turrets x4: 0/156 (armor: 4)

Left Walkways

Pirates x25: 0/156

Right Floor

Turrets x1: 0/156 (armor: 4)

Center Floor

Xavier: 8/36/157 (cover: full)

Left Floor

Entrance

Pirates x14: 0/157

Trax: 21/157

Prassk: 31/156

Hoondan: 0/155

Slaves x139: 0/156 (cover: 4)

Heavies x6: 0/156 (cover: 4)

Grenadiers x5: 0/156 (cover: 4)

---

Cabas takes advantage of Friste's uncertainty from his last action. With superior footing and a practiced hand, the Jedi Master holds his green lightsaber in a defensive position while his own lightsaber flashes in with a series of lightning-quick thrusts, each aimed for Friste's ribcage.

Friste decides to play dirty, this time. Instead of deflecting each of the jabs in turn, he simply jumps away after the first few. His backflip carries him over and behind a pirate, whom he shoves toward Cabas as a distraction and human shield.

Friste's action is very cowardly but comes off as unexpected, which defeats the purpose of Cabas' attack as he simply skewers the pirate.

Cabas- 1, Friste- 1

Friste to attack, Cabas to defend.

Xavier puts a hand up to touch the spot where Loola kissed him. The warmth of her lips on his skin continue to produce physical reactions that buzz in the back of his mind.

Xavier pushes these things out as quickly as they came. He is going to be a Jedi. His mind is crisp focused again. He is ready to do battle. He comes from beneath the table.

Xavier sees his Master. He force jumps up to help him in the Central Walkway. Striking down the nearest Pirate that comes to him.

Defend for Defense

Coming out from underneath the banquet table, you climb atop it and leap directly onto the central platform, lightsaber at the ready. Your reappearance prompts the bodyguards to take aim with their sonic rifles, which your lightsaber is at -2 to defend against! One misses, but other fires and the sonic orb comes incredibly close, dealing 8 damage. Hoondan and Prassk fire on Tun Pik and Ergusno respectively; Hoondan narrowly misses, but Prassk unleashes a Both Guns Double-Shot, hitting with two of his four attacks for 6 damage.

Svidrigailov continues to fire on the slaves, for three kills. Pirates then win initiative, scoring ten kills. The turrets do no lasting damage.

Trax kills three of the pirates within the shields, and five more are shot down by twenty of the slaves. The rest of the slaves kills seven on the walkways. The pirates within the shields only kill two slaves.

The heavy weapons are brought out to play, this turn. The lightning gun discharges, sending an electromagnetic bolt into the left walkways. Its operators have not calibrated it correctly as it is a bizarre weapon, so the bolt only strikes a wall with a bright explosion. The heavy repeater sprays a tremendous amount of lasers into the right walkways, killing five pirates in the initial volley. The anti-armor rifle holds its fire as it recalibrates to a certain target.

---

THE SLAVE REBELLION

Level A

Bridge Area

Svidrigailov: 0/158

Tun Pik: 0/160

Ergusno: 8/160

Pirates x10: 0/159 (cover: 6)

Right Walkways

Pirates x17: 0/159

Center Walkways

Cabas: 12/0/-

Xavier: 9/44/160

Friste: ?/0/-

Pirates x17: 0/159

Turrets x4: 0/159 (armor: 4)

Left Walkways

Pirates x22: 0/159

Entrance

Pirates x6: 0/160

Trax: 21/160

Prassk: 31/159

Hoondan: 0/158

Slaves x129: 0/159 (cover: 4)

Lightning Gun x2: 0/160

Heavy Repeater x2: 0/160

Anti-Armor Rifle x2: 0/160

---

Friste decides that he wants to regain the ground he has surrendered. He presses forwards, wielding his lightsaber with one-hand as he mimics Cabas’ classic style. He performs light slashes and jabs, all easily deflected by the twin-bladed defense of Cabas. A thrust to his center is parried to the right by the right-hand blade, and a second is parried to the right with the left-hand blade as well. Friste brings his lightsaber up in a diagonal swipe that misses Cabas and severs another support beam to the walkway.

But then Friste performs his real move. Placing both hands on the lightsaber, he brings the weapon down in an overhead swing at the Jedi Master, aiming to bludgeon him into submission in order to gain back his ground and force Cabas to fall back.

It is difficult for Cabas to parry such a powerful blow, so he does not. Crossing his lightsabers, he holds them before him and intercepts the strong attack with a braced defensive stance. The red blade bangs and crackles as it collides solidly with Cabas’ lightsabers, and the Dark Jedi’s intended effect is had. Cabas steps back as another strength blow comes crashing through from the side, severing another two support beams.

“Xavier, to Svidrigailov! Apprehend him. I can handle this!” Cabas shouts back to you, Xavier, as he backpedals toward you. He tosses your green lightsaber to you as he does so, preferring to fight with his singular weapon.

Cabas- 1, Friste- 2

Cabas to attack, Friste to defend.

Xavier picks up his Lightsaber and drops the one he had been using, deciding it is better to fight with his own.

He begins to charge towards Svid.

Defend for Defense.

A dilemma for you to consider, Xavier. Defend protects you nicely against large groups of mooks... but only when they are on the same frame.

You have three incoming attacks. Svidrigailov, on frame 158, and his bodyguards, on frame 160. Defend will only work against one or the other.

Do you plan on defending from both sets of attacks? Or will you choose?

Xavier defend against Svid

A Jump will carry you over to Svidrigailov, and you spin in mid-air as the Pirate Lord raises his formidable pistol and fires at you. Unlike most blasters, this one uses energy cartridges that eject like bullet casings once the gas has been drained. It has a heavy recoil, but Svidrigailov has become accustomed to it. He rolls a 6, missing you as you land near him.

Tun Pik and Ergusno strap their sonic rifles to their backs and bring forth formidable spears, using their intense strength to lift the heavy-shafted weapons. But Prassk and Hoondan are not relenting; they deal 9 damage apiece to the heavy thugs, Prassk hitting hard with his twinned blasters and Hoondan slicing straight through his target's natural armor.

Pirates have initiative. They put down a dozen slaves.

The crew operating the ship and turrets decides to try a different tactic with the turrets this time. Instead of aiming for the slaves themselves, the turrets unleash their deadly barrage directly into the shields. The portable units cannot stand against such firepower; one of the six shields fails, leaving some of the slaves unprotected. On top of that, the crew brings out one last set of turrets, these coming up like screws from the ground.

The slaves don't take kindly to the destruction of their shields, and so they wipe out a full twenty-three pirates in their attack. The pirates that had gotten behind the shields are wiped out by Trax and a few slaves, an overkill as they are riddled with bolts.

This time, the lightning gun discharges and electrocutes five pirates with its bright bolt. The heavy repeater misses, the recoil from the previous attack having thrown off their aim. The anti-armor rifle succeeds in destroying a single turret, showering Friste and Cabas in sparks as they duel.

---

THE SLAVE REBELLION

Level A

Bridge Area

Xavier: 9/44/163

Svidrigailov: 0/161

Tun Pik: 9/163

Ergusno: 17/163

Pirates x10: 0/162 (cover: 6)

Right Walkways

Pirates x9: 0/162

Center Walkways

Cabas: 12/0/-

Friste: ?/0/-

Pirates x10: 0/162

Turrets x3: 0/162 (armor: 4)

Left Walkways

Pirates x9: 0/162

Center Floor

Turrets x4: 0/162 (armor: 4)

Entrance

Pirates x6: 0/160

Trax: 21/163

Prassk: 31/162

Hoondan: 0/161

Slaves x96: 0/162 (cover: 4)

Slaves x21: 0/162

Lightning Gun x2: 0/164

Heavy Repeater x2: 0/164

Anti-Armor Rifle x2: 0/164

---

Cabas and Friste exchange a few rapid flurries with their lightsaber, the hot blades clashing and crackling every few seconds as they try to break past each others defenses. Friste is giving ground once more, but Cabas is unable to press home. Despite Cabas' superior skill, Friste has readied himself for these moments.

Cabas decides that aiming for the upper body is not working so well for his lightning-quick jabs and classical strikes. Instead, Cabas changes his style. Appearing to ready himself for another thrust, he snaps his lightsaber up into a vertical angle, then brings it down as he drops low, the lightsaber aiming to slice across Friste's kneecap and disable him. He comes up from the blow with an upward diagonal strike and a series of jabs.

Friste tries to jump clear of the attack, relying on his own athleticism to keep him safe from the attack. He flings himself over the side of the walkway, cutting a support beam as he goes. He drops down and swings about with one hand on a pipe below the walkway, then back up onto the walkway, behind Cabas. The endeavour is highly successful and Cabas' strikes go nowhere.

Cabas- 1, Friste- 3

Friste to attack, Cabas to defend.

Xavier will use Twirl on the two bodyguards hoping to deal them some quick damage, letting the slaves take care of the other pirates.

Defend for Defense.

Just a note- I have been setting the lightsaber's base damage at 20** from the original Feng Shui system, rather than the 30** it had been set at for the newer version.

With lightsaber a-twirling, you charge into the bodyguards as Svidrigailov lets off another high-powered shot. The shot narrowly misses, ricocheting off your blade with a bit of force. But it does nothing to throw off your attacks- a 10 and an 8, for 25 and 23 damage respectively. Despite their thick hides and brute strength, they are no match for the cutting power of your lightsaber. Their pikes are divided in a few quick cuts and they follow shortly.

With his last line of defense gone, Svidrigailov drops his tremendous pistol. He smiles cruelly as he reaches across to his hip and seizes the hilt of his sword. The cutlass that he draws forth is connected to a battery pack; the metal blade of the weapon is energized and protected by an electromagnetic field. A rare weapon, to be sure.

"T'will be a pleasure watching ye die, Jedi," Svidrigailov snarls. "Ye've ruined much and I will repay in kind."

The pirates do not fire this turn; so heavily outnumbered are they that they instead opt for the retreat. But to no avail. The slaves, in their ferocity, shoot down the pirates even as they drop their weapons. Your lieutenants do not relent, either. The walkways are sprayed with dozens of bolts and the pirates drop to the walkway or topple over the sides, screaming in agony or falling silently in death. You've led a massacre, Xavier.

The turrets are not letting up, though. The lightning gun is destroyed in a brilliant explosion as twelve unprotected slaves are blown away by the ceiling guns, and those cannons on the floor take out another two sets of shields with superior rolls.

---

THE SLAVE REBELLION

Level A

Bridge Area

Xavier: 9/44/166

Svidrigailov: 0/165

Pirates x10: 0/165 (cover: 6)

Center Walkways

Cabas: 12/0/-

Friste: ?/0/-

Turrets x3: 0/165 (armor: 4)

Center Floor

Turrets x4: 0/165 (armor: 4)

Entrance

Trax: 21/166

Prassk: 31/165

Hoondan: 0/164

Slaves x57: 0/165 (cover: 4)

Slaves x48: 0/165

Heavy Repeater x2: 0/164

Anti-Armor Rifle x2: 0/164

---

Friste, now behind Cabas, launches an attack on the Jedi Master's unguarded flank. He dances in with a blow to Cabas' right shoulder. His lightsaber connects with Cabas as the Jedi Master whisks it into position to guard his flank, though he does not turn to see Friste. Almost using his lightsaber as a lever against his opponent's, Friste springs up into the air and flicks his lightsaber downwards in a series of quick strikes against Cabas' head or upper torso, spinning through the air. He touches down in front of Cabas with a final spinning slash.

Cabas deflects the swipe at his shoulder easily, relying on his steadfast classical style to defend himself. He then lowers himself into a sturdy defensive position, lowering himself out of Friste's reach and keeping his lightsaber held upwards to fend off the downward acrobatic strikes. He then rises to solidly meet Friste's last strike in the combination, followed by a twist and a shove that knocks Friste's guard out of the way. His classical style undoes Friste's athetlics once again.

Cabas- 2, Friste- 3

Cabas to attack, Friste to defend.

"Your time is over Svid, you are done." Xavier glares at Svid.

He knows he should have offered him a chance to surrender, in fact he was about to but something stops him and before he knows it his Saber strikes out at Svid.

Defend for Defense.

Oh, my bad, Xavier. Svidrigailov is actually attacking before you, being a frame ahead. And Defend is more or less useless against him, it must be said. You have superior defensive measures you can take.

Then he will use Dodge against him.

Svidrigailov swipes his cutlass at you horizontally, trying to cut across your stomach or chest. With your Dodge, you instinctually intercept the weapon with your lightsaber, a burst of blue-green sparks emanating from where the energy field of the sword connects with your lightsaber. Svidrigailov pulls his weapon back in frustration as you make your own bid.

When you attack, he attempts to Parry. But you roll a 17... a hit by four! With a powerful hit, you bring your lightsaber down in an overhead strike, forcing his sword down. You then swipe, taking away a chunk of his beard, the golden beads pattering on the ground as they drop, and singing his throat. He shouts in anger as he takes 27 damage.

Your lieutenants concern themselves with the turrets that have beset the slaves. Between the three of them, four turrets are wiped out in a single barrage. The slaves themselves have begun moving forward, beyond the shields. Eight slaves take hits as they charge against the remaining turrets, but those last three are riddled with blaster bolts from the rest of the men, destroying them too.

With that, all gunfire has ceased. The bridge, after all the fighting, is in ruins. Sections of the walls and floor are melted from blaster fire and explosions.

---

THE SLAVE REBELLION

Level A

Bridge Area

Xavier: 9/44/170

Svidrigailov: 27/169

Pirates x10: 0/165 (cover: 6)

Center Walkways

Cabas: 12/0/-

Friste: ?/0/-

Center Floor

Trax: 21/169

Prassk: 31/168

Hoondan: 0/167

Slaves x97: 0/168

Heavy Repeater x2: 0/167

Anti-Armor Rifle x2: 0/167

---

Cabas strides forwards, capitalizing upon his success in shunting aside Friste's defenses. He uses measured strokes as he tries to cut the Dark Jedi down, never straying from his refined and cautious style as he strikes at Friste. The thrusts and parries drive Friste back, but the Dark Jedi is far from finished. Instead of allowing Cabas to continue his jabs, Friste presses himself into Cabas' space and engages the Jedi Master in a test of strength, locking their lightsabers together in an attempt to shove the other back.

Friste proves to be vastly superior in this, twisting Cabas' grip as he forces the lightsabers downward, inch by inch, into one of the supports. There is a flash of sparks as the lightsabers melt through the support beam. Then, Friste gives one final shove as he suddenly twists the lightsabers back the opposite way, causing Cabas to overbalance and stumble, giving Friste the opportunity to slam his open palm into the Jedi Master's nose.

The walkway creaks.

Cabas- 2, Friste- 4

Friste to attack, Cabas to defend.

Match point to Friste.

Xavier will attack Svid again.

Dodge for Defense