USH'S STAR WARS GAME- LIGHT SIDE INTERLUDE- 'Broken Lance'

Seems Xeth is a little tied up right now- you've left a message; he will get back to you when he can.

For now, do as much as you an to pursue other leads.

Think about how you can narrow their possible targets, also.

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Roan's CorSec contacts will get back to you- Shareth the Hutt DEFINITEY runs a discrete shipping business. (It is how she moved the battle droids around). She has illicitly supplied entire star systems with good before; a pirate fleet is within her capacities.

Technically speaking CorSec is opposed to this type of thing. Of course, fact of the matter is that half the members of the Corellian Trade Association do smuggling runs for the Hutts all the time, not to mention all the independents. It's good money. Some draw the line on what they might carry, but there's not much else to stop them.

Let's get some brainy thinking in order here! The more successful routes you find 'into' the Pirates, the more successful your mission will ultimately be.

Brainy thinking is the best kind, and Jelena is the best at it!

The route we were trying was the 'getting recruited' route, in which Andro and Jelena were to infiltrate the Red Lance by becoming new members and find out things once in. Maybe more feasible once Xeth gets in on things.

Another route would be getting employed as part of Shareth's discrete shipping business, since that seems like a very likely source of the Red Lance's food and supplies since Pelloran is on good terms with the Hutt.

We could also find out more about their scouting techniques. If they are bribing someone and then relocating them, then we could set one of us up as a said someone. That requires us to know the target to start with, though.

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For finding out the target, Jelena thinks that Gallagher and D'an and Essallin should follow up on the discovery of people being relocated. Find someone who previously lived on one of the hit worlds and find them and interview them, find out why they moved.

We can also rule out systems near the systems that were hit, I think, as they will have intensified their defenses knowing that the pirates were near and it could have been them. Let's start looking at places that are a little more 'defenseless' in comparison, maybe systems with defensive spending or supplies equal to the already hit systems.

Good! Yes, they won;t hit the same system twice, and they will likely try and steer clear of areas they have hit recently. However, their MO has not been toi strike at defenceless places; it has been to strike fast enough to ignore the defences. You may wish to stat ruling things out on grounds of the type of target they want.

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If only one of you had a smuggler ally or contact! They probably would have been offered the job by Shareth.

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As for huslting as an info source- the big problem is the amount of places you would have to cover. It's impossible unless you narrow it down. After that, it will take time, people and Savoir-Faire rolls.

If anyone had Intimidation and was not put off by the methods, you could go around beating up pirates in Hutt space until they say something. Not the Jedi way, but I thought I should put it out there.

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Gallagher- you have a job!

Meanwhile, time for the other Light Side players to join!

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Denz, Jovan and Vlad- The Council is pleased with your work, though nothing official will be reported about it. The legal issue with the Trade Federation is still dragging on in the courts- a pain.

Still, you've had your time to rest- now you are back to active duty. There's a Jedi mission in the Outer Regions that needs more manpower, a large effort to break a Pirate Clan known as the Red Lance, that has recently moved to a new area of Republican space where it is causing chaos with hit and run raids for vast amounts of valuables.

You are toi head forthwith to the planet Estalia, where the Jedi Knight Gallagher will brief you on the situation.

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The other Renegade players are briefly doing their own thing, whatever that is.

Xeth- you return to the Uridian system, where your Talooran contacts are overjoyed- at your success even more than you being alive. They had hoped you might bring intelligence, maybe expose something- they never expected you might actually halt one of the massive conspiracies dead. And taken care of Cannes, one of their primary targets! They can finally close a file. Still, they have many files...

You are sure they will get back to you. But you are wondering about your purpose in life, and toying with the idea of the Jedi, And sometimes it seems the Force is making its own comment. There is a message waiting for you on Uridian.

The Jedi want your help with a mission- a mission with people you have worked with before. You are also invited to contact Estalia for details.

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(Gallagher is the main contact, but any Jedi can do the brief, during one of your return visits to Estalia during the months of this investigation)

Xeth sits at his desk, contemplating the message from Estalia.

"Why me, I wonder," Xeth ponders aloud, regardless of whether or not he is the only one in the Uridian office of the Jedi Investigation Force. He has spent the day packing the Aluran torpedoes in a warehouse he pulled some strings to get, hoping to fill it with other equipment for him and his team as time goes by. "Why me..."

Xeth will send a message back to Estalia, not sure what is going on.

"This is Xeth Tam speaking, do you copy?"

Alright, Gallagher is going to handle briefings between examinations of records of the people that Essallin discovered had moved out. He wants to find someone from the most recent hit to interview.

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When Xeth calls, Gallagher answers at the Estalia office.

"Xeth, I'm glad you could get back to me," Gallagher says. "This is Gallagher... remember, from Arminium? I helped dismantle that missing droid shipment there. I trust you've been well?"

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When Denzral and Jovan and Vlad come to Estalia, Gallagher will greet them.

"Welcome to Estalia," Gallagher says. "I am Gallagher Klinge-Faust... Vlad would know me from some past missions together, but I don't think you two would."

He offers his hand to Denzral and Jovan for shaking.

"Now, we're having some pirate trouble, as I'm sure the Council told you. It is a group called the Red Lance, led by a man named Pelloran. They used to operate in the Damagran system but have since relocated to this part of the Galaxy. They are entirely space-based, as far as we can tell. They are nomadic due to past experiences with bases being troublesome. They hit fast to avoid defenses that planets can bring to bear, and we're pretty sure they use insiders to work out the hit beforehand.

"Our mission is to completely destroy the strike force they use- both in the air and on the ground- and then find their main fleet and strike home. They've hurt a lot of people, and it needs to stop. That's why you're here. We need help."

Gallagher is going to let that settle before telling them where and how they can help.

Vera-Kin will likely be hopping around the Galaxy until Xeth calls her in to help out with the mission that Gallagher is presenting to them.

She is also working on her marksmanship, having had a talent for blasters in her youth but not having picked one up for some time.

"Greetings Gallagher. I doubt I'll be able to forget that time we worked together... It was a tough one, to say the least"

Vlad will nod his head through Gallagher's explanation.

"Pirates again, I see..." he mutters to himself. "So once we track them down to their fleet, how do we take it down?"

As it turns out, that's not the hard bit.

"Hard to forget Arminium," Gallagher says. "Hopefully that is the only war I have to go through in my time as a Jedi. I'm not cut out for it."

Gallagher chuckles when Vlad mentions that.

"Actually, that's the easy part. We need to figure out where they want to strike first, so that we can get there first, so that we can set a trap for them. When they try to rape and pillage as they normal do, we close the trap and whatever planet we are on, their defenses will do the work for us. Obviously, we're helping them with that.

"The hard part is figuring out where they want to hit and then finding out where they are. Jelena and Andro- you remember them- are working on different angles for getting 'in' with the pirates, so to speak. In the mean time, our Padawans and I have sussed that the pirates might be using insiders, since people there is a suspicious amount of movement from certain individuals. For example, a person who was at one of the hits is now living on a different planet entirely... odd, right?"

"Doesn't the fact that they have insiders mean that if we try and get a certain planet or world to cooperate with us on the trap, then the spies for these pirates might warn them of it? And how is the progress of Jelena and Andro doing?"

Wentar would have immediately returned to the Uridian system after dropping off Vera and the Jedi to where ever they needed to be at the time.

Sitting in his chair, going over files of previous investigations, Wentar will be present during Xeth's call to the Estalia office. Only partially listening to the conversation for now.

"Ah, Gallagher, nice to hear from you," Xeth says, faintly cringing at the mention of Arminium, remembering what a disaster it was. "Doing much better, thank you. Finally closed the book on something I've been working on for a long time, connected with Arminium. Good old Cannes bit the bullet. What can I do for you?"

Xeth gives Wentar a look of mild annoyance, having a feeling that Xeth has more official Jedi work for them. It is his duty to help those in need, but sometimes he'd rather stay off the record.

Wentar chuckles a little at Xeth's annoyance, rather enjoying the idea of working with the Jedi from time to time. Although he is surprised that they may be working with the Jedi again, so soon after Alura.

I'm in, for talking to Xeth also. We go way back. And I seem to not be doing much except adding to the idea pool.

I will walk into the office as Gallagher is having is conversation, and after waiting for the right moment. He finally steps into the holo-display.

"Well, I have a bit pirate problem, and it could use some of your, well, finer talents..."

Xeth light up as Roan walks into the picture.

"Gallagher, you're working with this old fossil?" Xeth asks. "Shoulda said so. Roan, you hard-ass, where've you been? I just rescued a whole goddamn planet. Again! What's your pirate problem?"

(Just a note before I also start this interlude: I suck at fighting so from time to time I'll do stupid things, don't hesitate to correct me ... or to call me names)

So far we aren't fighting anything, which is the problem!

"I hadn't thought of that," Gallagher says in response to Vlad's comment about spies tipping off the pirates as to our investigation. "See? You're already helping. As for Andro's and Jelena's progress... we're getting in touch Xeth and his friends. They have a better knack for the underworld than we do."

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"Err..." Gallagher says. "We are trying to dismantle a pirate organization known as the Red Lance. Roan mentioned you had some experience in the area and suggested we get in contact with you."

Gallagher pauses.

"You saved a planet?"

"You're damn right I did," Xeth says. "With some help, of course. Red Lance, eh? I'm guessing that you're trying to get in their good graces so that you can bust up their operation, and you're hopping around Hutt space trying to find a way in, but lack the resources to really do it well. Well, my friends, you called the right bug. I'll get my people to Estalia so we can get to work."

Xeth turns to Wentar.

"Looks like we've got a job," Xeth says.