Just in time too, because it is when you are programming it that the Jedi arrive.
We have a highly confused 15 seconds of action as the Jedi scream out of hyerpsace, get their bearings, so you guys trying to flee, and open fire.
Hoping against hope, the Dark Siders make their shot... and vanish away...
---
Some time later, the Dark Siders emerge from hyperspace- into the near blackness of one of the nebulae that Galder was looking at earlier- the idea must have stuck in Gallador's mind. It;'s a sensor dead zone; it's near-impossible to get anything other than short-range, local readings.
But alas! Xavier's ship took over its damage allocation in the fight earlier. The stress of the random hyperspace jump is the final straw. As it emerges, a part of the rear section groans, gives way... and messily detaches. Debris spills out all over; there is a pressure breach on the ship and a major power failure. The auto-sealers are not working, and the fires are getting worse.
Eller has retrieved her stones.
-
As for the Jedi- obviously, their escape again is aggravating. And a random jump is nearly impossible to follow! And you can't even get a signal read any more, so they must have jumped into a dead zone.
And yet- the energy signatures on that bigger ship were looking seriously wony. You doubt it;s going anywhere any more. And the nebulae deadzones nearby only stretch so far. As soon as they break cover, the network will pick tem up again.
Could be a little while though.
Galder prepares to relax for a moment after dropping into the nebula, then notices the New Beginning spew flame and debris into space.
"Uh oh..." Galder says, then gets on the comms. "Xavier, I don't think you're going anywhere any time soon. You've sprung a leak."
Neither Azarl nor Galder possess ships that could fit the four aboard Xavier's ship into their own, as far as I know. Maybe now we have time to call someone for a pick-up.
Xavier is pleased that his ship didn't tear apart during the jump.
Xavier talks with an unfamiliar jovial tone when he answers Galder, "A leak you say Galder... I hardly noticed."
He looks over to Eller and with continues his euphoric talking , "Thank you for your help Eller. You're amazing."
"Gallador and Relle you should probably start fighting fires again. We made it though guys."
Xavier will wait to see if Eller has anything else she wishes to discuss with him before beginning to make repairs/stabilize the ship if he can.
Instinctively guessing what the dark siders programmed is a bit of a no-no- you'd need to know them to get a good read there.
As for anomalies- yes, they must be in a nebula of some description that interferes with signals, but those nebulae span light years.
You could search the nearby nebulae, but that could take days or more. It's not impossible; just time consuming.
Well, without a drydock, definitely faster than that, yes.
But do remember you are on a broader time limit, story-wise.
You have other contacts nearby- the Bureau is starting to respond majorly to this incident. They're going to deploy large search vessels.
-
Galder and Azarl, you are checking out the damage from your vantage points. The ship has super-structure cracks running all along it. Engines are dead and you reckon the main powerplant is dying. It's not going anywhere.
Oh, and there's also a big ship on your sensors, which you didn't notice until it was nearly on top of you due to the nebula.
-
"There's only one system left worth using on this ship," says Eller.
Gallador- the good news is, the fires are going out in some parts of the ship. The bad news is that is due to depressurisation. A problem if it spreads- even a Force User cannot live in a vacuum.
Additional question. From a nebula, that they could have reasonably jumped to, could they jump directly out of Republic space?
Basically, what I mean is this. We have a track on their signatures right? We leave that with the Bureau and continue our mission. Let them do their job of tracking these guys down. Then they call us and we come flying in.
Also maybe we can see what they were after and why they so blatantly attacked the planet.
When the large ship appears on sensors, Galder whip the ship around- probably without warning, jostling Rand in the jumper seat- to get a visual. He gets ready to trust his instincts, as he has so often today, in case the nebula fuzzes up his computerized targeting system.
"How could they have found us so quickly?!" Galder roars. "Azarl, prepare to defend Xavier..."
Xeth thinks it best to let the Bureau handle the search, then, based on their time constraints.
"We should get back to Coruscant, as planned," Xeth says over comms to Roan, and any other Jedi listening in. "I want to catch Galder just as much as you do, but we'd be wasting our time searching the nebulae. And we don't have much."
Xeth is very frustrated by the whole near-miss.
Originally posted by Tptmanno1
Also maybe we can see what they were after and why they so blatantly attacked the planet.
You certainly can.
Those of you who remember the end of the last story may remember that these Dark Siders were caught on video mentioning the Syphar n Kalar. Now you've found them deep within Republic territory, which they must have known was a huge risk.