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Epireus

Edna- you are awake. You wish you weren't.

You are suffering from a vicious migraine that pulses and beats inside your head. You've been having little headaches lately- you think you are taking a while to adjust to the atmosphere of this world. It's a high-pressure world; Epireus base is up a mountain where the atmosphere is more suitable but even so; there's something about this place that your biology is taking time to adjust to. You've not dared been down the mountain to the surrounding jungle yet, where the Epirean tribes dwell.

Boredom is gnawing at you also. Problem is, there's not much to do here. Days just go by- safe... but pointless. Every plan these people have is so slow, and you just have to wait and wait.

For someone reason your headache is much worse this morning; your vision almost swims as you haul yourself out of bed. You want to sleep more, but an irritating rattling sound from one of the nearby quarters makes it impossible.

Several others of you are in the base. Rand is at the control room, where he can monitor the base systems and external transmissions. All is quiet. No sign of Adelmo, or those pirates, or even any pursuers from Selene. Transmission wise, you are watching various comments on your assassination of the Emperor, which has made you guys outlaws-of-the-moment in the outer regions. You had a brief scare yesterday when you picked uo a Bureau signal about tracking Dark Siders, but you soon worked out the source was plotting a course nowhere near you. Some other poor sod on the wrong end of the neurowhips. Nope, all is fine here... so you can afford another glass of wine. You are only slightly disturbed by the odd transmission from Dak, who vents his anger at the world when you tell him you are still seeing a red light on his system.

Dak is on systems maintenance, and is checking out some faults that are showing on the fault checker. The thing with the fault checker is that it finds faults well enough, but if Doon had away of knowing how to fix them from the checker, he didn't leave an instruction manual around. It's also not portable; it is built into the central control panel so you keep having to call Rand. You've narrowed the problem down to the lighting controls- they've failed before- so you have been replacing parts. You've now run out of good parts, and are using second-hand spares. Yesterday you had to choose between the damaged circuit link that might not work properly or the wrong type of circuit link that might blow the system. You tried the damaged one, which promptly blew the system. You've not been in a good mood since. With enough work all day today, you might just get back to where you were at the start of yesterday, Gah. Relle runs past your ladder, from where you are poking around at ceiling electronics, perfectly content with the world. You add her to the hate list.

Relle is exercising, as she often does. The outer ring of the base makes a good running circuit- wide corridors and so on, though you had better get it done before evening comes because if Dak doesn't repair the lighting system it will be pretty dangerous running around in the dark, though maybe a good test of the Force. Your ears pick up the sounds of an argument, and you shift course to get closer to the source. That brings you by the workshop- that'll be Azarl and Xaviuer arguing again. Just as they were yesterday. Smiling more, you run on by.

Whilst J7''s head recites some spectacularly long lost language, the rest of his body is in bits all over a work surface. And, you are fairly sure Azarl, one of his servo motors is now inside Xavier's half-complete hover speeder. That man has no idea of organisation or boundaries- heck, he can't even agree with himself, let alone other people. From there, the argument has moved onto which one of you gets to use the only decent circuit scanner you have, essential for checking whether you have connected complicated circuits correctly. You had this argument yesterday about the micro cutter. The problem is, you guys have no way of settling things randomly. If you toss a coin, it's merely a question of HOW you cheat, not if. Do you use the Force to predict the result, or alter it? Xavier, meanwhile, is stuck with an internal monologue about whether it best suits him to keep friendly with Azarl so that it may benefit him in future, or forcing the issue to a sabre duel in order to assert his authority. If only your sabres could no delicate micro-cutting work, the argument yesterday would never have happened...

The rest of you are not on the base. Galder has been out talking with Firak, the tribal Epirean leader friendly to your rule. Many of your leading Epireans are still recovering from their injuries on Selene and you are worried about organised security. Gallador has been out and about in the jungles listening out for rumours about Ogros. Con has gone with him- though not always literally side by side- and any new players that are joining now are following Con's lead. He can explain to them what the deal is with Ogros. Rianna was out there killing randoms in the jungle for fun. So she said- actually, she's found the lack of contact in the jungle very handy for focussing on her developing force skills, but she's embarrassed to tell people that.

That's now changed- you all met up yesterday, Ogros has attacked and annihilated one of Firak's villages. He;s grown bold, but a strike makes him vulnerable. He's fled back into the jungle but he must be in the area, or at least a lot of his followers. This is a chance to pick up his trail, and no matter how dense the jungle is, it is not Force-proof. Galder, Gallador, Con and any new guys are leading an expedition of Epireans into the denser jungle. Rianna has been sent back to the areas around the mountain to raise more forces from the loyal tribespeople there; she is nearing the mountain.

And so we begin... just play on as you feel appropriate, and we shall see how things unfold. Nothing major will happen until after the weekend, to give everyone a chance to see we've started and ask any questions.

Hey! Who says Rianna's embarrassed? She just wants to be able to surprise people with her new abilities

(also trying to concentrate around that bunch of idiots is an exercise in futility)

Dak fiddles with the loose wires forming a nest around his head, grumpily tugging one long one out of the multicolored knot and jamming it into what he's pretty sure is the connector for the circuit link. "I swear, if she comes near this ladder one more time I'm killing her..." he mutters, looking his work over. The damaged link may have been of some help, since he can now spend hours and hours modifying the connections to hopefully work with the wrong circuit link he has left.

"I should be in the comm room and Rand should be up here... maybe he'd fry himself..." The lizard's stomach growls in protest of the extended time he's already spent on this task.

Rianna will be making her way through the jungles around the mountain, mentally grumbling to herself about this - she doesn't like dealing with other people much, let alone Epireans, and would really rather be doing other things with her time right now. Though it's always nice to be able to escape the base...

Come on let's just push the little bugger out of here. Maybe cut of his leg to teach him a lesson.

As Azral continues to disagree with Xavier he starts to rub his head with two of his fingers.

Between Azral's squeaking and the voice in his head Xavier has not been having a good couple of days. It isn't like J6 was really using it's parts to begin with.

"Do we have to keep doing this," he grumbles to no one in particular.
Focusing on Azral and in the peppiest voice he can must he tells Azral, "If you let us have the circuit scanner we'll build J6 back for you afterwards. Better than he was. You're not even that good fixing things you're as likely to break him... even more than he already is."

Galder will be meeting with Firak regarding the recent attack by Ogros, mainly to show his support and start to ingratiate himself as a respected figure with Firak and the Epireans that follow him.

"My sympathies on those lost in the attack, Firak," Galder says. "I assure you that my accomplices are doing everything they can to track down the attackers, if not Ogros himself. He is a fool to move against someone who has pledged their firm allegiance to us."

Galder obviously is secretly more concerned about the security of the mountain base. He thinks he can handle it himself, really, being the phenomenal warrior that he is and having practiced a great deal with Kuylen's lightsaber lately, trying to mirror Kuylen's more refined style.

Firak doesn't care about the casualties. There are always more to find.

"I knew this would happen," he said. "Ogros is too proud. He could not wait and do nothing; he would lose all his so-called respect. Now he's been forced to move and we have our chance."

"A prospect I have no doubt you're excited about," Galder says. "As are we, especially after that stunt he pulled during the Games. I fully intend to capture him alive and let you do the honors..."

"Your generosity is appreciated," says Firak. "His followers as slaves would be also."

Azarl is distracted enough with all the things that J6 spews out of his harddrives while he tinkers with the droid's innards, he doesn't need Xavier causing him problems as well.

"You're no better than I am," Azarl says, in a forced and heavy Basic that he has adapted from his guttural native tongue. "And frankly, J6 is more useful than your little buggy here. I'm surprised that thing even made it off of Selene."

"Consider it done, though if we find anyone that we particularly want, we may have to haggle," Galder says with a smirk. "Otherwise, the majority will be your slaves for the whipping."

"We should try not to kill too many., With Ogros dead, they will no longer have a cause."

Onto the harder question. Firak is loyal and commands well but his complete lack of initiative or imagination are good points for control but bad for devolved decision making, He'l just send his men en masse into the jungle and blunder around. If you want to find Ogros, you'll need to plan it yourselves.

Relle will have been working on her reconstructed lightsaber, tweaking it to fit her specifications, before going on this run. She now carries the hilt around with her, a longer double-edged design to compliment her controlled acrobatic style.

She smirks as she hears Dak curse about something while she runs around the base, content to at least be able to exercise to circumvent her boredom.

Edana curses loudly to herself then the pain in her head from her own voice makes her regret that and she curses quietly to herslef again. This bloody planet!

Gradually Edana staggers across the room feeling very dizzy and heads off in search of the cause of that infuriating rattling. I swear to god if Gallador is rearrangng his ancient manuscript collection again, I'll shove those things so far up his backside he'll be shitting jedi-lore for the next millenium!

Rand sips his wine and periodically checks in with Dak, informing him if he has succeeded in doing anything besides mess around pointlessly with the circuits and parts and all that he is working on.

"Perhaps we should consider conducting a raid for technical parts," Rand says. "Find somewhere out of the way, outside of the Republic, that would have what we need. It would be a simple task, really. And perhaps we should invest in some technical droids to assist with maintenance... something we can also steal."

Rand swirls the wine around in his glass, first by moving the glass, then keeping the motion of the wine going with the Force.

When Dak is off the line, he'll peruse for any other Galactic news.

Still very much a red light for Dak, Rand. Also a slow news day.

Relle, you are gong to have to consider what to do on your next circuit, going past Dak...

Dak, meanwhile, has to decide whether to try and fix the problem or yank it all out and start over.

Edna- the noise is from a few rooms down,. It is Eller's room.

"Yes, because that went so well on Newhaven, didn't it," Dak responds to Rand, snarling as something gets caught in the wires. He jams the remaining circuit link into place and reroutes power to it, hoping that his quick fix will make it compatible.

Those damned pebbles! Edana's fury lightens however with the realisation that Gallador is not the cause of today's irritation. She pokes her head into Eller's quarters and gives an awkward smile, visibly fighting the pain. "I don't suppose those pebbles have told you I have a migrain have they?"

The floor of her room is covered with stones, which she is picking up, dropping, turning over, re-arranging...

"Why would I check for something so specific?" she asks.

Relle will consider changing her route, then. She will start practicing her quickdraw talents as she runs, switching quickly between holding her lightsaber staff and her pistols in rapid twirling movements. She'll start running backwards too.

"Newhaven was in the Republic and everything about that was turned against us," Rand says to Dak over the comm.

Rand will see if he can pick up any newspieces about the Katai capture, as Ascar notified them about it.

"It was a joke" Edana sjakes her head, then regrets it. "Never mind"

She frowns at the rock garden in Eller's room. "Is something troubling you? This looks sort of ... frenzied!"

Originally posted by General Zink
"Newhaven was in the Republic and everything about that was turned against us," Rand says to Dak over the comm.

Rand will see if he can pick up any newspieces about the Katai capture, as Ascar notified them about it.
"You really think we'd fare any better just because we'd be stealing from fellow thieves? I bet it's something to do with our leadership, or rather lack of it..." he snipes at Rand, checking the conductivity of various components.

"It is difficult to select a leader when few stable options exist," Rand says, keeping any bitterness out of his voice. He knows that he needs to prove himself before they acknowledge his power.

So Gallador is leading the expedition.... do the Epireans with us know the surroundings so we don`t get lost? Our piority is to capture some of Ogro's men to learn where his hidden base is.

"One leader of primitives cannot oppose us for long, we deal with him and this world is ours...unless he could see reason and stop his defiance. He is very exceptional Epirean, worth much more than the likes of Firak" - He comments to Con and others with him.

Gallador took his bodyguard, Torvus, since he was on the Rivas fight.

The planet's atmosphere was thick. Uncomfortable for most living things... most. Not for a skakoan, whose homeworld was among the few places in the galaxy where they could breathe freely, without their armored pressurized suits. Especially not for a skakoan who had died once before.

Vic Tatlo was a new member of this cadre of dark Jedi, having joined them recently out of convenience in ensuring a more stable survival under the radar. He currently kept quiet and to himself as the others in his group were seeking out some tribal creature named Ogros. He had little to say of the matter, for now.

Originally posted by Lord Melkor
So Gallador is leading the expedition.... do the Epireans with us know the surroundings so we don`t get lost? Our piority is to capture some of Ogro's men to learn where his hidden base is.

"One leader of primitives cannot oppose us for long, we deal with him and this world is ours...unless he could see reason and stop his defiance. He is very exceptional Epirean, worth much more than the likes of Firak" - He comments to Con and others with him.

Gallador took his bodyguard, Torvus, since he was on the Rivas fight.

They know them better than you, but not as well as Ogros.

Mayhaps someone should tell Vic about the deal with this Ogros chap?

"I'm sure my allies will be able to set up the appropriate ambush," Galder claims. "If we can pull it off correctly, we'll kill or capture Ogros and his group will surrender."

Rianna's getting bored and irritated with what she's doing, so she's going to contact Galder on their comlinks.

"Any luck where you are? I'm really getting sick of this...Rand should be the one out here getting them to help us..." she says, clearing her path through the trees with her lightsaber.

"We don't need him for that," Galder will respond. "I can handle this."

Originally posted by REXXXX
"I'm sure my allies will be able to set up the appropriate ambush," Galder claims. "If we can pull it off correctly, we'll kill or capture Ogros and his group will surrender."

Hard to ambush someone you are chasing! A plan is needed to locate him.

Well, we know the general vicinity that they were in if they attacked Firak's encampment. We can probably chart out the routes they could have taken. They don't have transportation so at the most they're using rideable animals to get as far away as possible. So that at least narrows it down.

Galder could do flyovers in his fighter, but that'd probably alert them that they're being hunted as well as have difficulties seeing through the canopy.

Damn difficult to ride through the denser parts of the jungle- you reckon they are on foot. And indeed, one of the reasons he uses the jungle is that aerial surveillance doesn't work. You are having to do this the old fashioned way!

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Damn difficult to ride through the denser parts of the jungle- you reckon they are on foot. And indeed, one of the reasons he uses the jungle is that aerial surveillance doesn't work. You are having to do this the old fashioned way!

"Ogros is one daring and cunning Epirean leader, he tried to rally the tribes against us, but we managed to gain majority support through the mix of fear and promises of technology and expansion and he was forced to abandom his land ang go into hiding. Yet he didn`t cease to defy us, during last gladiatorial competition we hold for the criminals brough to us by the tribes, he managed to free some of them and set our base on fire. He is still a thorn in our side".

Hmm, would relying on Force for guiding help find him? Are we able to find any traces of the passing, like broken branches, footsteps? Maybe Torvus is good at tracking, being a thiefing type?"

I wonder about making an ambush, like sending few Epireans ahead and giving them communicator so they can call us. Ogros is not used to advance technology, right?

Yes, you could try to use the Force to guide you. But an ambush is very hard as they are moving away from you. This is a chase.

They understand the idea of technology.

So if Azral doesn't reply to Xavier after today can we just say Xavier won the argument

For the benefit of Vic but also as a reminder to others, the Epireans are bronze age not stone age. Think early Egyptian. They don't live in caves, they ride chariots in battle and their largest settlements are decent enough towns with agriculture and the like.

However, they are clearly not the sort of species that are going to fully exploit their environment; this jungle is being left alone it it is very dense, and warm, and hard for you guys to cope with, pressure wise. It will be Strength rolls to avoid penalties whilst down here. The Epireans themselves are fine, of course; the higher gravity is one reason for their size and strength. Good labourers.

What strikes you, Vic, that as ambushes go, the bigger likelihood is them ambushing you, not the other way around...

-

Rianna, you've arrived at one of Firak's outlying settlements; you should be able to find a dozen or so guys here.

Gah... it's empty though. They must be off hunting. Also, youe've wandered into one of the comms blackspots that are dotted around the mountain area. Great.

You'll have to find another one, closer to the mountain.

-

Eller speaks, though she does not raise her head.

"I am making a complex calculation about this place and all within it, trying to find all your possible futures. It is not simple."

-

Well the outer circle is the only clear route, Relle; you'll have to run through some of the areas in use else. You could run through the control room and poke at Rand, you suppose. Or maybe head outside, though it's a pretty warm, even up the mountain. The air conditioning is still working, thankfully.

-

Ok Dak, you don;t want anyone to panic. But you are sensing a small fire somewhere. That'll be an electrical fire, as a result of the circuit malfunction, and depending where it is it might not remain small for long. Two problems if it gets larger- it could wreck the whole system, and you'll have to ask others for help.

-

Xavier and Azarl- the door to the workshop just made a weird sound of the 'I am not working very well' variety'.

-

Ah, great, Rand, now there are two red lights on the display. Dak seems to be making things worse, not better.

Xavier hears the noise and let's out a sigh towards Azral's direction, "To be continues."

He then walks over and sees what is going on with the door.

There's a red light flashing by the 'open' button- a circuit fault.

Who the hell is on maintenance? Oh, it's Dak...

Dak will reach out (and smell for it), moving to locate the fire quickly, and bringing his ladder with him.

"Great..." Rianna mutters, irritated at both the empty settlement and the sudden cut-out of her comms.

(How very convenient that is!)

She'll head back towards the mountain to see if she can either locate the missing Epireans or another settlement. Can she sense anything unusual or off? For that matter, can she tell if the ones that were supposed to be there are even still in the area?

The lizard dog thing is gonna burn down the base.

Xavier puts his hand to his face, "Can this day get any better."

Xavier will look over the panel to see if he can hotwire the door to open. If not he's gonna take out his lightsaber and cut the thing open.

Nah, if the circuit is buggered then the system itself is down' hotwiring won;t help.

There's an emergency system by each door- basically a pump that builds up pressure to open it. It's slow and needs strength but it does stop anyone becoming entombed; it's also electric free so it can't fail in the way the other systems can.

-

Dak- if the fire s a circuit fire, it means it's in the circuitry. You'll have to crawl into the conduits and find it in there. Alternatively, find what corridor the burning circuity is above and then get to it from underneath, though dropping a fire on your head might be too direct a way of finding it even for you.

-

Hmm. Well only one thing seems off, Rianna- Epirean females might be indistinguishable from the males to you guys, but they don't actually go hunting. You'd have thought one or two would be here.

Fine then Xavier will use the emergency room door to open considering he's not that short on strength.

After that Holocron debacle, Dak can handle a little circuit fire if things go wrong. He'll take the up-from-under route.

Hmm, that is quite odd...and no sign of where they all could have gone? No tracks or anything?

She's going to quickly check out the immediate area before heading back closer to the mountain to visit the next settlement.

We could try dropping off our guys ahead of their possible route via starship, once we figure out a direction that they may have moved in. Perhaps by checking for any sign of disturbance in the jungle around Firak's ruined village.

Galder, have you thought that making yourself particularly ambushable might in fact be the best way to find Ogros' men?

The lizard makes a good point...

Originally posted by Ushgarak

Eller speaks, though she does not raise her head.

"I am making a complex calculation about this place and all within it, trying to find all your possible futures. It is not simple."


Edana watches the seer for a while as she flits about the room, trying to spot some pattern in what she is doing and finds it oddly hypnotising. Feeling suddenly dizzy from the sight and her migraine, she takes a seat on the floor to rest her head in her hands. "Ok so I have to ask; why are you doing this calculation? Are you expecting something to happen?"

Ah, the old ambush-bluff, eh? Works well if they don't kill you.

-

Xavier- you do know that if you spend your time pumping, Azarl is going to nab all the parts he wants...

-

Ok, Dak, how do you intend to find the fire from underneath?

-

Galder- trying to land a ship in the jungle is a good way to lose the ship! If you don;t crash on getting down, you sink into a swamp or get tangled in vines...

-

Rianna- how's your Survival?

-

"Things are always happening," says Eller. "Many I want to sense. I see... old friends and enemies. Maybe both at once, or the same. I see danger... opportunity."

She turns over another rock.

"And men who come to this world to kill you."

Search for the smell, feel through the Force, come across any angry people stuck with non-working systems, ask Rand if there's another warning indicator... the fire can't be too far, if it was actually caused by his efforts.

Non-existent!

I have a mediocre Observation score, though?

Rand will report the warning indicator to Dak and see if he can find the problem on his end.

"Do you need assistance, Kaliero?" Rand asks over the comm. "I'm sure I can bother Xavier and Azarl to get out of the workshop and help with the problem..."

"I'm sure I can deal with it, thank you," Dak replies icily as he searches.

Relle will just continue her running path inside, along the same route. She's confident she can handle Dak if he decides to create an issue.

(Curse Azral)

Fine Xavier is gonna keep his focus on Azral until he decides to come with Xavier.

Hmmmm abandoned settlements of hostile indigenies ..... sound a little game of thrones esque to anyone else?

---------------------

Edana listens to Eller fortelling their futures. Enemies....danger....opportunities... yup all sounds like an average day with this. Wait a minute, men come to kill us?

"What was that last one? Men come to kill us or men come to kill me specifically?"

Vic, after much time staying silent and following his companions into the thick jungle, decides to speak up as their chase proves fruitless.

"... it seems to me, that we are the ones at a disadvantage, here. We're on their ground, and they're leading us by the nose", he said with his resonating mechanical voice. He adjusts some of the knobs and dials on his armored suit accordingly as he speaks.

"Perhaps... it may be more pertinent to allow them to continue to think that way? These creatures are simple. Primitive. Even in droves, we could cut them all down with ease, correct?", he continues saying as he levitates over the underbrush and weeds.

"Let them ambush us. They will come to us, and when they do, they will find that ambushing those strong in the Force is quite the ridiculous notion. Then we will kill them all, and save ourselves this wretched zoorif chase", he finishes with another adjustment of his dials. He then falls silent as he awaits the opinions of his compatriots on the matter.

I was thinking of doing it dropship style, have someone rapel us in and then fly back to the mountain. No landing involved, and it gives the position away if we decided to do an ambush-bluff.

Originally posted by Peach
Non-existent!

I have a mediocre Observation score, though?

Which you used to watch the programme you saw about tracking once, which is as much as you know about following people that way. The ground isn't sand.

-

Ok, then it's Force rolls from Dak! No luck yet... and oh, here comes Relle again. She's going to wonder what you are doing, staring at the ceiling like that.

-

"Both are true," says the Seer. "They come to kill all of you, but not just because you are here. They would hunt you anyway."

Great.

Well, press on, then.

"Relle, do you... smell something burning?" Dak will continue to study the ceiling, trying not to let the slight hint of worry show.

"The Bureau are coming here? Do you know when?"

"No," says Eller. "They have nothing against you themselves. They are sent by another."

"Are you certain you have it under control?" Rand asks Dak. "I'm sure everyone will be displeased if you burn down the base..."

Rand rubs a finger over the intercom to the workshop.

"Perhaps you could just tell me which system your little red light indicates, squid," Dak growls, irritatedly. "I'm sure everyone will be displeased if you allow the base to burn down..." he mocks.

"Ok you are gonna have to slow down a bit - my head is spinning. Who has been sent? And by whom?"

Azarl chitters a little when Xavier contemplates the door.

"Shall we do this together?" Azarl asks. "Neither of us can snatch the parts if we're working together. We can discuss it when we get back from figuring out whatever Dak has ruined."

"Ah, but I'm not on maintenance," Rand says. "The maintenance lights I have on right now are..."

Rand will tell Dak which ones they are.

"Are you sure you don't need help? I'm not asking to taunt you, I just want to make sure things are working."

"Fine," Dak says, "Call them. At the very least maybe they can get burned and not me..." he mutters.

Yeah, third light along, second row. That one.

-

"The men sent are warriors. It is another that wishes you harm. A leader of men... a king? No. A general."

General? Edana racks her brain but is pretty sure she doesn't know any generals. Maybe one of the others will know what on earth Eller is talking about.

"Do you know when they are coming? We'll have to warn the others"

"Sounds good to us," Xavier says to Azral.

He will work with him to get the door open, and go see what is wrong.

Relle can sense that Dak is perturbed and considers whether or not she should bug him. She knows he's on maintenance and knows that she probably won't help much. But then Dak addresses her and she pauses in her workout.

"Burning?" Relle sighs. "What did you do?"

She'll reach out with her senses and try to pinpoint the crackling fire that Dak started.

Rand will radio Xavier and Azarl over the base's intercom, though if that isn't working he'll call them via comlink.

"I need you to assist Dak," Rand says. "We're having a slight technical issue and I want you two to help him settle the matter. There is a small electrical fire that he is trying to put out."

Rand sips his wine.

"And don't mock him, please. He's in a rather... unpleasant mood. Just get it done."

Xavier answers Rand back, "Already ahead of you we're getting ready to go down there now."

Xavier pauses then asks Rand, "Did you say an electrical fire? Just great and what are you doing right now?"

"Doesn't matter," Azarl says curtly. "We can handle this."

Azarl will start pumping the hydraulic hatch on the door, hopefully with help from Xavier.

Originally posted by Herr Rob
Vic, after much time staying silent and following his companions into the thick jungle, decides to speak up as their chase proves fruitless.

"... it seems to me, that we are the ones at a disadvantage, here. We're on their ground, and they're leading us by the nose", he said with his resonating mechanical voice. He adjusts some of the knobs and dials on his armored suit accordingly as he speaks.

"Perhaps... it may be more pertinent to allow them to continue to think that way? These creatures are simple. Primitive. Even in droves, we could cut them all down with ease, correct?", he continues saying as he levitates over the underbrush and weeds.

"Let them ambush us. They will come to us, and when they do, they will find that ambushing those strong in the Force is quite the ridiculous notion. Then we will kill them all, and save ourselves this wretched zoorif chase", he finishes with another adjustment of his dials. He then falls silent as he awaits the opinions of his compatriots on the matter.


"Indeed, what we really want is to deal with Ogros, his men are worth nothing without his lead.... though I would like to have a bit of talk with him. not just simply kill him".

Indeed Xavier will be helping Azral get the door open.

Originally posted by REXXXX
I was thinking of doing it dropship style, have someone rapel us in and then fly back to the mountain. No landing involved, and it gives the position away if we decided to do an ambush-bluff.

That's a highly dangerous manoeuvre and you could not bring the Epirean troops with you.

Originally posted by Lord Melkor
"Indeed, what we really want is to deal with Ogros, his men are worth nothing without his lead.... though I would like to have a bit of talk with him. not just simply kill him".

Ok, so, if we are going for fake ambushing, let's hear your pitch. Who is the patsy? What's the trap?

Ok, Dak and Relle- you think you have found the area of the fire. But there's no ceiling access point here.

-

Azarl and Xavier- the workshop doors are some of the largest and thickest in the base, and it takes a lot of pressure build-up to start shifting them. Xaviers very fit but you are huffing and panting by the time it is done, Azarl.

But for some reason, you have a very bad feeling about breathing.

-

Rand- the workshop has thick metal walls; bad for remote comms. You'll have to use the internal link... oh. There's a light flashing there as well- circuit fault at the workshop. That won;t amuse them. At least you know where some of the fallout from Dak's work has turned up.

-

"Soon," says Eller. She scatters another stone and stares at the pattern. "No... they are already here..."

That.... doesn't sound good

"Already here? Where? Surely our sensors would have detected something if they were already here"

She shakes her head.

"The stones do not lie."

So the doors are open does Xavier see anything outside?

No, just the corridor.

"They may not lie, but they are not exactly explicit right? Are they refering to the Epirean Ogros and his tribe that Galder and the others are trying to hunt down or someone else from off-planet?"

Is it ok assume Azral let Xavier in on his bad feeling about breathing?

If there's an access point close enough, Dak will use that. If not, he'll make one with a few deft strikes of his lightsaber. Getting to the fire is more critical than preserving the circuitry here.

Rianna's going to be grumbling about Epireans vanishing from where they're supposed to be, and what good are they when they just disappear when we need them, as she makes her way closer to the mountain.

If Gallador is going to organize something, Galder can be the cavalry and rally some of Firak's men to charge into battle with him.

Vic has pitched his idea. He's just wanting to know everyone else's input on the matter IC.

Not that Galder is presently beside Vic, but I'll contribute.

Maybe one of you go off alone, feign splitting up, so that someone looks particularly vulnerable? Then the others just show up after and join the fight.

So Gallador or Vic can volunteer for that, since Rianna and Galder are organizing other things for this.

You're all together with the Epirean force except Rianna who went to find more men.

Make sure you organise it right, because feigned weakness can very quickly become real weakness. You have a hundred Epireans with you; Ogros probably has similar numbers.

Galder wouldn't mind playing the patsy, then. If anyone can handle being in serious trouble, it's him.

And the trap? Where are the others? How does it get sprung? Ogros is capable, remember.

Galder could use his tracking abilities (Survival) to try picking up on Ogros' trail and scout ahead with a few Epireans. He will order the rest of his forces to stay behind a little ways, so that Galder can spring the trap and then lure Ogros' forces back to the loyal Epireans.

If he ends up getting trapped in a trap of Ogros' design, he can alert his allies of his position and have the cavalry charge in by shooting his blaster in the air.

Survival is damn helpful!

Ok, s how many Epireans are you taking, and what steps will the others take to be unnoticed?

Galder will take ten.

That leaves Gallador, Vic and (if around) Con with the other 90. Galder's plan is to 'blunder' into an ambush. What's their plan?

Could the other Eperians wait in the trees for Orgos men to come chasing after them then bombard them from above with rocks and spears?

And could Con and Vic and Gallador be waiting to cut down some trees behind Orgos group to prevent retreat?

You are making large assumptions there. Why are Ogros' forces 'chasing' anyone? They are doing the ambush. If you are 'blundering', there'll be no running away; the group will be surrounded.

Again, remember- Ogros is competent.

Maybe Gallador and Vic should lead the blunder mission.

Cause couldn't Galder use his Leadership skills and Survival skills to lead the rest of the force silently and far enough behind that Orgos won't know they are there.

Then when Orgos attacks team blunder Galder can launch another attack on Orgos directly trying to kill him as quickly as possible?

That's not unreasonable- those skills do give Galder a good basis to lead troops through a jungle.

Galder leading people? Scary...

Shush.

I like the sound of that, Xavier. That way while Ogros' men are assaulting Gallador and Vic, Galder can lead the rest in and attack them when they're not expecting it.

Yeah and if you could think of a clever way of using the sneak to launch some kind of attack that could really hurt their numbers really quickly that would be nice as well.

Like dropping trees on them or something.

I'd say "drop from the trees on them" but I doubt Epireans would be much good at that sort of thing.

Ok then we pretty much have a plan- but to be fair, I should get the assent of Gallador and Vic!

Originally posted by Peach
I'd say "drop from the trees on them" but I doubt Epireans would be much good at that sort of thing.

This gave me the image of Galder yelling charge and jumping from his tree landing in a cool pose while all our Eperian forces land face first around him.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Ok then we pretty much have a plan- but to be fair, I should get the assent of Gallador and Vic!

Gallador is okay with this.

Gallador and Vic will take around 1/5th of their force and use force (both are good at it) and Con's good observation if he is around, to go towards the general direction of Ogros. Galder will skillfully follow them in a way so he isn`t noticed by Ogros.

Actually, let the "blundering" party forcibly and loudly make their way though the jungle, doing stuff like cutting the plants with sabres etc., so they bring attention to themselves - Ogros knows we are mostly arrogant psychos, right? Gallador may even shout for Ogros to show himself since he so powerless before our powers that he stands no chance and should akcnowledge our dominion.

It's Survival to track in the jungle rather than Observation.

Actually, Gallador, you think being that blatant would probably just make Ogros wary.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
It's Survival to track in the jungle rather than Observation.

Actually, Gallador, you think being that blatant would probably just make Ogros wary.

Right let's just look for him.

Vic would rather be part of the ambush than part of the bait. He hates direct combat, and is not the handiest fellow with a sword. Plus the whole "I died once already" puts him on edge when danger abounds.

And yes, dropping trees on people and blocking escapes sounds like a good plan.

You're actually pretty darn handy with a sword...

But your preference is noted. Gallador being ambushed it is!

Azarl will try to hold his breath, despite being in need of air after working at the door. He'll try to figure out what the problem is.

Ok, Gallador, you are leading 'Operation Certain Death' into the jungle, using the Force to guide you as requested! And indeed, you are getting instincts about the best way to go...

(Btw, if yoiu capture Ogros yourself, you will immediately lose your 'Loss of Confidence' penalty).

The rest of you are hanging back. Galder- you should radio in to the base to let everyone knows what's up. Rianna's dropped out the comms- not uncommon near the mountain- but she might be able to relay contact through the base.

-

Rianna, increasingly grumpy, you have come to one of Firak;s main settlements near the base of the mountain. You came through here on your way out a few days back.

It is also empty.

-

"They have come from far away," says Eller.

-

Azarl- well, now you are just feeling light headed. And a little silly.

-

Relle- Dak is attacking the ceiling with his sabre! Raaar!

You cut a neat hole, Dak. At this point, the ceiling panel gives way, and a bunch of twisted, black- and for that matter, still burning- circuitry falls on you.

Relle... must... not... laugh....

-

Rand- that circuit fault has gone from red (error) to black (non-existent). Dak has not improved the situation.

Dak steps back as the circuitry falls, growling as he pushes the clump of plastic and metal away and stamping it out with his boot once it hits the floor. "Well... at least it's not burning any more." He'll check the ceiling gap to make sure of that.

Xavier looks at Azral holding his breath, then decides to walk out into the corridor.

"They're all gone, too?" Rianna comments to herself incredulously.

This time she's going to poke around the settlement itself to see if she can locate any clues. And see if she can sense if there's anyone nearby.

You can't sense anyone.

There are signs they left in a hurry.

Huh. Unusual. Why would they just get up and leave?

I'm assuming that Rianna's comms still aren't working where she is?

Any signs of which direction they left when they took off, or does that fall under "well, if you had Survival..."?

"Gas leak," Azarl says to Xavier quickly before holding his breath again.

Azarl will try to get away from wherever the gas leak is coming from, out of the workshop and into the corridor beyond.

No, you are light headed as you have held your breath, Azarl. There's nothing wrong.

-

No they aren't, Rianna.

Well that's odd. This never used to be a blind spot.

Vaguely towards the mountain, you think. As if heading for you guys.

Hrmm...

Rianna will smack her comm a few times to see if she can get it to work, before continuing on towards the mountain...

Xavier will take a quick breath to see if he smells any gas if not then he keeps going to see what Dak has broken

Galder will try to radio Rand and Rianna, to tell them what is going on with Ogros.

Is Firak still around?

Yes, he's with the main force!

You're through to Rand.

How am I to capture Orgos if he has several times more man and is in better tactical position due to ambush...

Gallador is not above trying to reason with him, though. We never had a chance to meet him face to face, right?

What does my assistant Torvus think about this situation?

Didn't say it would be easy!

He thinks you should be wary- Ogros never shows his strength all at once; he is known for his deception.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Didn't say it would be easy!

He thinks you should be wary- Ogros never shows his strength all at once; he is known for his deception.

Hmm, so maybe we have to defeat his preliminary force without our main force arrving... what does he think of my idea to try negotiating or even surrendering?

"Is that what the others wanted?" he asks.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
"IS that what the others wanted?" he asks. [/QUOTE

"What matters is the result, we are improvising anyway. If it goes bad, we will kim anyway".

"He'll make you hand your weapon over."

Originally posted by Ushgarak
"He'll make you hand your weapon over."

"Well, we might still be able to escape and I think it would be a waste not to try that aproach. If I managed to reach an agreement with Ogros, it would benefit us all and me in particular."

By the way, Gallador's advise to friendly Epirean leaders is largely about advancing to more centralized goverment and more urban way of life.

Can Gallador call Vic or Con to tell them about his idea?

Indeed you may.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Indeed you may.


Okay, so the new plan is that Gallador will try negotiating and the ambush group will only attack if he calls for help. He gets initiative as the brave man at the spot.

Or Galaldor makes sure Orogos comes out in hiding and then we kill him anyways. The guy has already proven bothersome and hit us. An example needs to be made of him

Ogros will not come out until he is certain you have been made harmless. Once more - not an idiot.

He's also not going to threaten first; he;ll just start killing you so you;d take causalties before you surrendered.

Galder will inform Rand of the situation.

"Gallador is baiting Ogros into attacking so that we can pinpoint his main force," Galder states in his message to Rand. "I'm going to hang back with Firak's warriors and wait for Gallador's signal. Vic's with me. Shouldn't be too much trouble."

What are you saying to Gallador, Galder?

Do I have a comlink on me? Can I talk directly to Galder and co or do I need to relay a message through Rand?

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Ogros will not come out until he is certain you have been made harmless. Once more - not an idiot.

He's also not going to threaten first; he;ll just start killing you so you;d take causalties before you surrendered.

Lifes of non-named Epireans are meaningless.

Yes you have a comlink, but Galder's out the base and long range comms work better through the control room.

-

And if he doesn't accept the surrender, Gallador?: Then you may be dead before anyone else gets there.

Btw, Galder, you hate Gallador's plan; your entire purpose was for Ogros' people to be distracted fighting when you got there.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Yes you have a comlink, but Galder's out the base and long range comms work better through the control room.

-

And if he doesn't accept the surrender, Gallador?: Then you may be dead before anyone else gets there.

Btw, Galder, you hate Gallador's plan; your entire purpose was for Ogros' people to be distracted fighting when you got there.

Hmm, I think he would be too curious not to accept it. It is an opportunity to take a powerful and alien enemy alive.


Alternative would be to try to reason with him during the battle, or take him alive.

By the way, do we declare usage of predictive force powers now?

Ok then I am going to com Rand to contact the other.

"Rand you need to warn the others. I think they are facing more out there than Ogros and his tribes. Eller has seen something in her stones. As ever it is cryptic but in essence some warriors have been sent here with the sole purpose of killing us. I think may will find Ogros is being guided or controlled by someone else. Any attempts at negotiation would clearly be futile in that case. You need to warn them about what they might be facing."

Edana thinks on that a little more "Of course the threat that Eller has seen might instead be completely unrelated and we could come under attack at the base instead."

Edana walks back over to Eller "If you know they are already here what else are you looking for?"

Rand is unfortunately already in a comms convo and you are getting the equivalent of an engaged tone; you'll have to go see him.

Eller only just found all that out.