Atton Rand

I'm not sure I'm in the best position to run an RPG at the moment. I probably don't even have the appropriate qualifications, and I do know I have a long history of bad ideas (some of which I'd be happy to share if anyone's up for a laugh). However, that hasn't stopped me from thinking of one or two ideas and I guess there's no harm in sharing them. I do have this one idea I've been thinking about for a few days, and I figured it could be worth writing down. I've recently been spending a lot of time playing Mass Effect 3, and have wondered if there would be some potential in there for a good RPG. Obviously, most of the players wouldn't be taking on the role of Shepard this time, although she may still have a role to play (I had thought the host could control Shepard, perhaps basing her on their experiences in-game). That would subsequently leave room for players to choose their species (of the several dozen that appear across the trilogy). As for the story, I'd imagine it revolving around the players taking on the roles of ordinary people struggling to survive against the Reapers. In that sense, it would be something of a survivalist game.

IC: While the Stormtrooper hadn't exactly taken her eyes off Kyra, it did appear that R9's distraction had partially drawn her attention, enough that she consciously had to avoid being struck. The was her chance. It was now or never. The Ex-Rebel lunged toward the stormtrooper, jumping and attempting to wrap her arms around her.

IC: "What are you talking about?" Kyra asked. "I'm a dockworker, okay. I don't know anything. This is Taris, people get killed senselessly all the time. I don't know any specifics. Whoever it was, they probably had it coming anyway. At least tell me why I'm being charged." R9's effort has so far proven ineffective. She had managed to make a dent in the armor, a small crack. Although it wasn't anything huge, it probably would be something the Stormie would want to get looked at as soon as possible, and which would probably get her in trouble during an inspection. R9 carefully retracted her arm. She paused for a moment. If she was going to give the stormie the appropriate distraction, she needed something else. Her tools didn't seem to be effective; either the trooper wasn't noticing or was deliberately ignoring her. R9 needed a different tactic, something the trooper wouldn't be able to ignore so easily. Getting her off-guard was the trick, it was all a matter of figuring out how to do that. The R2 unit extended her third leg and quickly turned around, rolling away from the Stormtrooper, whose attention still seemed to be preoccupied by her confrontation with the ex-rebel who appeared to her nothing more than a petty crook. A few metres away, R9 stopped and rotated her dome to face the stormtrooper. She quickly turned and began to wheel towards the trooper in a straight line. As she did, she tried to move at maximum speed. There wasn't much distance to build it up, though she was able to move quickly enough to do what she needed to do. The trooper was getting closer. R9 remained focused, rolling towards her as fast as she could. Finally, she rolled straight into the trooper's legs.

OOC: Okay, so five of my characters are engaged at the moment. I'm still waiting for responses from both Ghosthands and M31 with regards to Layna, Nadia, and Tashka. I also have to wait for Strider before carrying on with Kyra and R9. I guess that leaves Dak. IC: The stormtrooper remained by herself. Staying in the Vulkar Base was becoming increasingly tedious. It didn't do much good that there was no sign of her friends anywhere. At the moment, she was in the bedroom, though sleep was hard to come by. Her mind kept going back to those final moments in the scrapyard, when she had barely escaped. Nearby, she could hear Viseria's soft breathing as the young Miraluka slept. It hand't exactly been an easy time for any of them. For Dak, it was hard to function. She remained seated on her bed, trying to make sense of what had happened. "Are you okay?" a voice suddenly asked. Dak looked toward the bed. Viseria was stirring. The Miraluka was awake. "I'm fine," Dak said. Viseria quickly got to her feet, taking a seat next to Dak. "I know this isn't easy for you. Come on, let's go eat. I'm hungry anyway." The Miraluka stood, putting a hand on Dak's shoulder. She reluctantly stood and followed her. OOC: I guess Dak is open for interaction.

IC: Unseen by the stormtrooper, R9 had stopped her repairs, her sensor looking directly at the one pointing the rifle at Kyra. There were only three others, currently spread out. All she needed was to draw the trooper's attention long enough for Kyra to gain the upper hand. The R2 unit ran through her memory banks, trying to decide what out of her large arsenal of tools would work best. The arc welder wouldn't be much good; the stormie's armor would probably absorb the shock. The buzz saw on the other hand, that could do it. While there wouldn't be time to do much, she would be able to damage the armor and draw the stormie's attention for a second. That was all she needed. Slowly, and quietly, R9 approached the Stormtrooper, who appeared to be charging Kyra. It seemed she was wanted for her act of vigilante justice, and the troopers remained unaware of her prior association with the rebel alliance. Still, if she could have been identified and executed after her arrest. R9 wasn't about to let that happen. The droid was close to the stormtrooper now. Carefully, she extended her small metal arm, at the end of which was a round buzzsaw, normally designed for repairs. She carefully placed the saw against the white plate on the stormtrooper's left leg, and began spinning it. She produced a happy whistle.

IC: R9's "singing" was cut short as she she noticed the stormtroopers arriving at the docking bay. The droid tried to remain calm, though she was understandably nervous. It looked like there were only four of them, and they seemed to be moving to different parts of the bay; with an appropriate distraction, escape wouldn't be too hard. Fortunately, the Empire didn't seem to show much interest in old droids. Kyra was admittedly surprised to find the trooper pointing a loaded blaster at her. Either someone in the Empire really wanted her dead, or her earlier act of vigilante justice was reported faster than she expected. Based on the trooper's statement, it appeared to be the latter. "Wait what?" Kyra said. "What are you talking about?"

IC: R9 was singing. Well, more accurately, she was was displaying a variety of cheerful beeps and whistles as she worked. It was good to be doing something again, and actually working alongside the Rebel she had served with for so long. For the moment, there wasn't much activity. That didn't stop the local ports from taking anyone willing to work for them, and an extra droid was always welcome. For now, it was a small job that she had to deal with; fixing a terminal. Still, R9 was hard at work, her small arms delicately handling the wires inside. Kyra on the other hand, didn't have as much hands-on work to be dealing with. A freighter had docked, and she was busy unloading. There were only a few others, and the cargo didn't seem to be anything interesting. Of course it could be worse; she'd heard of smugglers who tried to carry rathtars, something that never ended well. There were only two or three other people working with her at the moment, along with a few droids. She worked with an Aqualish to lift one crate and placed it onto a hoversled, before pushing it down the boarding ramp. While not the most exciting work, it at least gave her something to do. Not much was going on at the moment. The ships that had arrived appeared to be mostly freighters carrying mundane goods. There'd probably be a smuggler sooner or later, though for now it remained quiet. Not much of a first day, though at least she'd made a friend on Taris. There was no doubt she could find a use for her newfound friendship with Nall the droid shop owner. Someone probably reported the shooting, though it wasn't like anyone on Taris knew who Kyra Drayen was. Everyone seemed to forget as soon as Luke blew up the Death Star. Even if they did find out, it's not like finding a washed-up ex-rebel would have been worth their time anyway. For now, though, she preferred to focus on the task at hand. OOC: I guess Kyra is open to interaction.

That sounds like it would at least be worth trying. A stock warrior would seem like a good place to start, and I can develop it more as the game progresses. I would probably need some time to think about my new PC, though.

Well, if I were to keep going, it may not be a bad idea to try and start over. That, or I could at least take a break from Casey, focus on someone else, and then revisit her later when I've got a better idea what I'm doing. Retooling her so far hasn't been very effective (I know you tried to steer her in the direction of walker combat; only her dialogue kept making people hate her even more) so I guess there'd be no harm in at least trying something new. I did have that one idea for a secondary PC I could rework. I'd have to choose a mech of course. If you have any recommendations on a good model to start with, I'd be open to hearing them. Alternatively, I suppose I could get around that problem by creating my new character as someone who is fresh out of training and hasn't been assigned a walker yet, then I could try out a few different models as the story progresses and see which ultimately makes the most sense for her. Would that be acceptable?

I've been trying to decide if I should keep this one up. On the one hand, there is potential for a great story and it would give me something to do. On the other, I can't seem to do anything right in this game. I've tried to fit in, except nothing I've done seems to work. Nobody seems to like Casey Maxwell as a character, I'm sure you wouldn't miss her if I stopped all together. Maybe you'd be better off without her. Admittedly, nobody seems to like what I've done in Star Wars: Interregnum either (the fact that most of the feedback I've gotten has been about what I've done wrong, and my efforts to find positive feedback have been met with silence doesn't look good), though it has been somewhat easier to fit in with the host's intentions. To be fair, Sgt. Maxwell wasn't exactly made to be a particularly likeable person to start with; I explicitly said on the form that she'd been affected by being in the field too long and that she was known to be hard on recruits. Then in-game I suddenly have people complaining because she's going Full Metal Jacket on recruits and I'm wondering why nobody was expecting that after I explicitly stated that she was a drill sergeant. I tried to get into her psychology, except everyone seemed to be more or less indifferent to those posts. More frustratingly, everyone seemed to ignore the part of her profile that explicitly stated she was in special forces and kept treating her like a low-level grunt instead of a hardened veteran with years of experience and training in unconventional warfare, and that included people she outranked. Okay, I screwed up once by not explaining her backstory very well, except even before that I still had privates and corporals trying to give orders to a sergeant. Between Casey and Mia Arkada, I seem to keep having a pattern of trying to make respectable soldiers that keep getting treated by everyone else as incompetent fools. What is wrong with me? I don't know if there's anything I can do to fit the RPG better. I've tried, and I never seem to get anywhere. No matter what I do, people seem to hate my characters and I can't seem to do anything right. I'm not sure. What do you guys think? I know you probably wouldn't miss Casey if I left now, and I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to make her work as a PC, though there may still be some benefits if I can make it work. It's not an easy decision, and I've definitely got lots of time to think about what I'm going to do; I was hoping it would be worthwhile to get some other opinions before I decided anything for sure.

IC: (Kyra, Taris Lower Streets) The ex-rebel was making her way towards the elevator. Close behind her, R9 followed. For now, Kyra was merely glad she had something to do for once. After everything she had seen in the rebel alliance, she knew there was no way she would be climbing back into a cockpit. At least she knew enough to be able to work at a spaceport, though. The datapad included information on where to apply, that part wouldn't be too hard. Taris wasn't exactly known to have the greatest employers; they'd probably be willing to take any able-bodied person who knew something about starships. As Kyra stepped into the elevator, R9 quickly wheeled in before retracting her third leg. She expressed a cheerful beeping as they felt the elevator moving up. "Yes, R9," Kyra said. "You're finally going to be doing some real work." A few minutes later, the doors opened, and Kyra squinted in the blinding light. She slowly stepped off the elevator. Unsurprisingly, there was far more sunlight on the surface than there was reaching the lower and under cities. That took some getting used to. What she could see was a much more glamorous environment. Huge buildings towered over platforms which were bustling with those who could afford to live up here. One detail that quickly became apparent was that nearly everyone up here was human. Most other races lived in the lower levels, where it was not so unusual to see variety. Here, it was almost entirely human. As she was coming out, she quickly spotted and old man standing on the side of the large platforms on which the upper city had been formed. He was shouting a variety of hateful remarks. "A PLAGUE SPREADS THROUGH OUR STREETS! WOOKIES AND ITHORIANS, HUTTS AND RODIANS! TOGRUTA AND TRANDOSHANS! THEY ARE COMING TO TAKE OUR JOBS! TAKE OUR HOMES!" Kyra ignored the bigoted old man as she moved on. Living in the lower city made it easy to forget the xenophobia that dominated Taris's upper ranks. Most of the few aliens who inhabited this area were squatting in abandoned apartments, and trying to avoid being noticed. As Kyra moved on, she quickly saw more of the Xenophobia emerging. There was a small droid shop nearby, at which she saw a Twi'lek employee working on what appeared to be a protocol droid. Two wealthy-looking men approached and appeared to engage a few words with her. A few seconds later, they were attacking her. The poor girl didn't stand much of a chance as she was dragged out of the shop. One of the men tossed her onto the ground, grabbing her lekku. "GO BACK TO THE CANTINA WHERE YOU BELONG, TWI'LEK!" The last part of that sense had a particular emphasis. For moment, Kyra could only watch as she observed the abuse of the unfortunate Twi'lek. It didn't take an expert to recognize the grief in R9's mournful beep. Freedom; that was what she had fought for in the Alliance, or at least what she had wanted to fight for. Then that stupid Skywalker kid came along and the alliance became one big joke. "HEY!" She yelled as she approached the two men. They turned toward her. "What do you want?" One of them shouted. "Why are you abusing this Twi'lek?" "Because she should really know her place," the other man said. "Aliens don't belong up here." The Twi'lek stared at Kyra, her eyes indicating a plea for something. "You aren't an alien lover, are you?" One of the men yelled. Kyra was growing tense, at least moreso than usual. R9 was moving towards one of them now. In a few seconds, she had extended a small arm, at the end of which was a power coupler. One quick shock caused the man to release his grip on the Twi'lek, and only seconds later Kyra had drawn her blaster and shot both. "You okay?" She asked as she approached the Twi'lek. The Twi'lek groaned. "I think so," she said. Kyra grabbed the Twi'lek's arm, wrapping it around her shoulder and pulling her onto her feet. "It's nice to see someone who isn't xenophobic," the Twi'lek said. "I didn't realize how bad it was up here," Kyra said. "Ms..." "Nall. I've been running this droid shop for a few years, only things seem to be getting worse. They'd rather see a Twi'lek work as a cantina dancer than a successful business owner." Nall looked at R9 momentarily. She smiled as she approached the astromech droid. "You have an R2-unit. Oh, it's beautiful!" R9 responded with a happy whistle. Nall laughed. "You look like you've seen a lot of action." "We've got a long history together," Kyra said. "She's saved me more times than I can count." Nall stroked the droid's dome gently before turning back towards Kyra. "I can't thank you enough for saving me. If you ever need to come by my store I'd be happy to give you a discount... actually... Wait here." Nall turned back toward the shop. She came back out a moment later with a few old parts. "For your droid. I have a few upgrades I can offer." "That's not necessary," Kyra said in response. "Oh no, I insist." Nall handed Kyra the pieces. They looked like the parts of a rocket booster. "You may want to be careful with those." Kyra paused. "Thank you, she said. "So are these-" "Rockets. Yeah." R9 could barely contain her excitement upon hearing of the new upgrade. She beeped loudly while bouncing back and forth. "Thank you," Kyra said. "I should be going. Next time I need droid parts, I'll be sure to come by." Nall smiled. Kyra turned. From here, it was a short walk to reach the shipping offices. Already, she could see ships moving through the Tarisian skyline. Some of them were landing, others were taking off. She approached the office, stepping inside and approaching one of the staff. "My name is Kyra Drayen. I was told you were looking for workers."

IC: Kyra took the datapad, though she hardly showed enthusiasm. "Thank you," she muttered as she looked at the listing of jobs. She wasn't sure she was ready to climb into a cockpit again yet. Working at the spaceport, however, seemed acceptable. The job likely involved a lot of heavy lifting and hands-on mechanical work, exactly the kind of thing she needed; and R9 would actually have something to do; a lot of places in the lower city didn't seem to fond of droids. The wages looked at least like they would be enough for her to eat, and if she could save some on the side she could possibly let R9 buy herself some upgrades once in a while. "Come on, R9," the ex-rebel said as she walked past the droid, stroking her dome. "We're going to the upper city." The droid emitted an affirmative beep before turning and following, though not without taking a moment to swivel her dome so as to shoot a menacing glare at the BB droid. As the two stepped out of the office, they noticed a confrontation close by between some gang members. R9 beeped. As they stepped outside, they saw the gang members were still talking. She figured it best not to get involved, especially as one of them was looking tense. Instead, she turned and made her way in the opposite direction, R9 following behind. There was an elevator to the upper city not far from here. Kyra began making her way towards it. IC: Layna paused as she looked at Rav. If it hadn't been for him, she would have turned and entered the Vulkar Base as planned. She stared at him momentarily. There had been talk about a Zabrak fugitive. First the stormtrooper, then Rebekkah. Could this be him? A sense of anger overcame her. She approached him on an impulse. "You know," she said. "I've heard the Empire has been looking for a fugitive, a Zabrak. Apparently he's supposed to be dangerous, and killed an Imperial Officer. Of course, normally I wouldn't concern myself with this matter, seeing as I don't normally take contracts from the Empire." Layna paused. "Unfortunately, you've made it personal. I don't care about the money now. All I'm interested in is justice. Mia Arkada, does that name sound familiar to you? It should, because officially you killed her. Maybe you did, or the Empire is blaming you for whatever reason. I don't really care. Either way..." Layna paused as she reached into her trenchcoat. In a second, she had drawn her blaster and pointed it straight at Rav. "Either way, you're the reason she's dead." Nadia turned in surprise. "Layna, what are you doing?" "That officer was my sister, and she is dead because of you." Her tone was changing, growing increasingly hostile and consumed by rage. Her hand was trembling. She could feel the sweat running through her hair. "Layna-" "SHUT UP!" the Bounty Hunter shouted as loud as she could at the Twi'lek. She turned her attention back to Rav. "SO YOU'D BETTER GIVE ME A #$%^^ GOOD REASON NOT TO BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF RIGHT NOW!" She finally yelled. OOC: Kyra and R9 are open to interaction.

IC: (Nadia/Tashka, Lower City Streets) "Really?" Nadia asked. "That explains why I haven't seen you in a while. It must have been what... three, four years ago I last saw you on the race track." IC: (Kyra Drayen, Taris Lower Streets) Kyra wandered down the street. Not much to see other than the discussion among the gang members. There was that small Imperial Outpost, though the stormtrooper guarding it seemed to show no interest in her. For now, she was merely interested in looking at Employment possibilities. It didn't need to be anything huge, or glamorous. All she needed was something to keep her mind occupied. R9 accompanied her as she entered the local employment office. To find such a place on Taris was hardly a surprise; with so many people there was a lot of unemployment. People and droids were gathered around, looking for work. At one desk, a Rodian was offering bounties; one thing about Taris, a person could do that kind of work in broad daylight and nobody noticed. Elsewhere, there was an information desk, along with a few people taking this opportunity to peddle goods. "IT'S A TRAP" A Mon Calamari yelled from his booth, which appeared to contain samples of seafood. "Ackbar's Cantina has the finest in authentic Mon Calamari cuisine; you won't be able to stop eating!" Not a great pitch for Kyra. Only a few months and already people were trying to capitalize on Admiral Ackbar's newfound fame. One young salesman, probably of some major corporation, appeared to be advertising a new model of droid. "Excuse me," he shouted out as Kyra passed. She turned toward him frustratedly and approached. "That droid of yours is looking old," he said, motioning toward R9. The droid let out a condescending beep in anger. "R2 units are a thing of the past now," the Salesman continued, motioning towards the strange droid he had displayed next to him. It had a dome reminiscient of an astromech droid, complete with a sensor "eye." What was unusual was that it was placed on a large vertical disk, which appeared to encase its tools. "Well, I present to you the BB-Unit," the Salesman said with enthusiasm. "It's the latest innovation in droid technology. Moves faster, contains far more tools, and it is more compact for easy storage! This is the future of droids!" R9 quickly let out a condescending beep towards the BB-droid. The BB-droid responded with a snappy comeback. In a few seconds, the two droids were bickering with each other. "R9," Kyra said, after a moment of listening to heated beeps delivered back and forth. "Calm down. Nobody is going to replace you. Come on." The droid reluctantly continued to follow Kyra as she approached the information desk. "Excuse me," she said. "I'm looking for work. It doesn't need to be anything fancy as long as it brings in credits. I'm good with machines and I've got a hardworking droid." OOC: Alright, so I figure M31 should probably offer a post related to the employment office. In the meantime, I've got to find the patience to keep Kyra in there until I receive a response.

IC: Nadia paused, somewhat confused. If anyone could have recognized one of the biggest swoop riders on Taris, it should be a fellow swoop rider. "Really?" She finally said. "Nadia Rinlo. I ride for the Vulkars. I'm one of the most popular swoop riders on Taris. I won a big race a few days ago that ended in several gang members being injured by a wookie. You really haven't heard of me?"

OOC: What do you mean "are we famous?" Wasn't Talik supposed to be a popular duelist and Cy a famous swoop rider. I would have thought they would get recognized from time to time, especially by people with related interests. IC: "Cylund Calrissian," Nadia said, with a smile. "Yeah I've seen you before, on the swoop track. You think I wouldn't recognize a fellow swoop champion?" "And how could I not recognize Talik Vao from the dueling rings," Tashka said. "I would have joined myself, except the upper city nerfherders didn't like aliens coming up to enlist, and they especially didn't want a Togruta who could actually take care of herself in a fight." "Hey girls," said a sudden voice from nearby. Nadia turned to see Layna approaching. "You again," Nadia muttered. "Did you find Rebekkah?" Layna thought about her response. If she'd realized how much secrecy she would need to employ she probably wouldn't have gotten the other gang members involved. For now, it was straight forward enough. "No," Layna said. "It turned out to be a young newlywed. Probably one of your witnesses saw the image and confused her with someone else." "I see," Nadia wasn't entirely buying it. That said, this was probably not the best time to ask questions. "You still owe me." "Of course," Layna said. "Where's Viseria?" "She's sleeping," Tashka said. Layna stared at the Togruta with some confusion. She hadn't exactly met this member of the gang yet. "Oh, my name's Tashka." "Layna. I was on my way back. I needed to talk to Gonzai about something. What's going on here?" Nadia smiled. "A chance meeting between a few big names on Taris," she said. She pointed towards one of the men. "That's Cylund Calrissian, another swoop rider. The Twi'lek is Talik Vao, popular duelist." "Well, it's nice to meet you," Layna said, smiling shyly. "Look, I've got something important to take care of so unless your new friends can get me a ship with no questions asked I should be going." IC: From her position at a distance, Kyra could see that some sort of meeting was occurring. A few gang members were present, along with one or two others she didn't recognize. Talik's face was distinct enough, he had popped up on the viewscreens from time to time, but she wasn't in any mood to talk to him, not unless he had work available. R9 quickly rolled next to the ex-rebel. She emitted a momentary whistle as she swiveled her dome to face Kyra. "Come on," Kyra finally said. "We'll go by the bounty office. They may have some information about employment." She made her way towards the group, R9 whistling as she extended her third leg and followed.

IC: (Layna) Layna stopped to think after Rebekkah left. She knew what to do, but that didn't make her any less nervous. She was still feeling tense, and with good reason, emotional. She did have some answers, which was a start, but finding the killer was a whole other matter, and she really needed sleep. That seemed like a solid next move: go back to the Vulkar base, talk to Gonzai, and then try to rest. She stood, grabbing her trench coat, and approached the door, opening it and stepping outside. She wouldn't be needing the hotel room anymore, although it may be good not to check out yet, in case it was needed for some reason. She made her way downstairs, and approached the receptionist. "Here are the two hundred credits I promised," she said. The receptionist quickly took the credits. "Did you find her okay?" "Yes," Layna said, reaching into her pocket for another chit. "We needed to clear up a few things and now we're fine." She placed the chit on the counter. "If anyone other than me arrives asking about her, she checked out this morning." "Got it." Layna nodded and stepped out of the hotel. So far, things seemed to have gone okay. At least she was able to survive her encounter with Rebekkah. Now she needed to get back to the Vulkar base. Fortunately, around her transportation was easy to find. Spotting an air taxi near the hotel, she approached, handing the driver a credit chit. "Get me to the bounty office," she said. The driver nodded. Layna climbed into the taxi and tried to relax as it was lifted off the ground. The ride wasn't very long, though it did offer a clear view of the Tarisian streets; not that there was much to see other than the streets below, passing speeders, and towering buildings. There was no sign of the upper city at the moment. The undercity remained far below. In a few minutes, the taxi came to a stop near the bounty office she visited earlier. After paying the driver, she stepped outside. From here, it would be a short walk to the Vulkar base. IC: (Kyra) The ex-rebel stepped out of the apartment quickly enough, R9 following close behind. One thing Kyra didn't think of when arriving on this backwater planet was the money. She'd never received much of a pension for her service, and now there was the matter of finding whatever work was available. It was never anything huge, mostly whatever odd things she could find that allowed her to make enough money to get some food. Of course, as she had thought numerous times, she probably could make some good money selling R9... no, no she couldn't do that. There was no way she was getting rid of that droid so easily. Scavenging wasn't going to work at the moment, some incident resulted in the scrapyard being locked down, and the Empire was patrolling that area. Already there were rumors that a group of scavengers had faced massive casualties after taking on the Empire. She could go by the local droid shop, although she was worried they'd try to buy R9 again. At any rate, the exercise was good for her, and she didn't feel like she deserved anything particularly great. Turning a corner, Kyra found herself standing outside a few different locations. There was a small Imperial Outpost close by. In the old days, that would have been worrisome. Now, she didn't even know if anyone remembered her, letalone recognized her as a known Rebel. Further down the street, she saw a green twi'lek, probably a gang member, talking to some other people. IC: (Tashka) The Togruta stepped outside the base. Her attention was quickly drawn towards the two men Nadia was speaking with, and she slowly walked toward them. "Hey Tashka," Nadia said. "How's Viseria?" "She's sleeping," Tashka replied. "I tried to give her some privacy." "Good," Nadia said. Tashka turned toward the male Twi'lek in front of her. "Are you... Talik Vao?" She asked. OOC: Kyra, Tashka, Nadia and R9 are open to interaction. Lynn, if you're still looking for interaction, this may be a good opportunity. I've got five different PCs outside the outpost, You could either join Nadia and Tashka, who are meeting with some of Mel and Ghosthands' PCs, or you could join Kyra and R9, who have both arrived by chance while trying to find some form of work. There's also Layna, who is passing through on her way to the Vulkar Base. Dak's also nearby, but I'm not sure how easily you'll be able to interact with her. Basically, if you step outside the Outpost almost all my PCs will become possible options for interaction.

IC: (Layna, LifeDay Inn) "Some of my Vulkar friends do have contacts. That's probably a good place to start. The one to speak to would probably be Gonzai; he has plenty of contacts and probably would be able to arrange something. My sister was good friends with several of its members and gave them a lot of business, so they'd be willing to do a favor out of respect." It seemed Rebekkah had most of her escape figured out already. Layna wouldn't be as much use as she had initially thought. She didn't really care, though. There wasn't anything worthwhile for her on Taris as it was. Her sister was gone and there was no work to be done. Besides, if the Inquisitors were involved in her sister's death, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't come after immediate family. It would probably be best to leave Taris now before anyone found out she even existed than to stick around and become a target. Rebekkah had made her own terms clear enough. "Okay then," Layna said. "So I could try to contact Gonzai now, or I can to back to the base and speak to him in person. Either way, it sounds like I'd be making the same basic request; I need a ship off-world prepared as quickly as possible and a captain who won't ask any questions." IC: (Tashka, Vulkar Base) Viseria smiled as she watched Nadia approaching the two. It wasn't every day that they were able to run into someone of notoriety on Taris. Obviously, the two men were giving a third some kind of tour of the streets. Still, there was something about that blue Twi'lek... what was it? Viseria was starting to become nervous again, though she wasn't likely to admit to it. Tashka placed her arms on her shoulders, turning towards Nadia. "I'm going to take Viseria back to the base. Okay?" "Yeah," Nadia said. "I'll catch up in a moment." The Togruta quickly led the nervous young Miraluka towards the base. The two women stepped inside. Entering, Viseria sat down on a small couch near the door. She took a moment to calm down. "Is everything okay?" Tashka asked. Viseria nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." "Why don't you go get some rest now," Tashka said. "You could definitely use it." The Miraluka smiled. "I'll see if there's anything to eat," Tashka continued as her friend made her way toward the sleeping quarters. Viseria quickly fell onto one of the beds. As she tried to relax, the Miraluka found herself thinking about what she had felt earlier. What was it that kept bothering her? Something about those two men at the bar, and the Twi'lek in the street... and the Wookie bartender, now that she thought about it. It was moments like these which made her wish she had normal vision, instead of... how she was actually able to perceive things. So many questions, and no answers. For now, there was not much to be done. All she could do was try to rest. When Tashka arrived at the bedroom, she quickly heard the soft snoring that served as the only cue that Viseria had fallen asleep; under that hood it was otherwise hard to tell. She stepped outside, shutting the door behind her to give the Miraluka some privacy. Now the Togruta needed to figure out what to do with herself. The Dueling ring seemed like a good idea at the moment. If she could get there fast enough she could probably catch the next round... IC: (Kyra, Lower City Apartments) The ex-rebel stepped into the small run-down apartment complex. It was hardly anything glamorous. The place had been neglected for some time. Some of the apartments in the upper city had been run-down and abandoned. In the lower city, nobody even seemed to notice them. There weren't many other residents, and generally Kyra had never bothered to talk to any of them. Most of them were either squatters or people hiding out after a wrong move resulted in someone placing a bounty on them. The small apartment suited her needs okay, though it wasn't the most cozy of places. On the other hand, it was a place she could still afford. Kyra stepped inside. It wasn't much. There was one room with a bed, behind which was a window. On the side, there was a footlocker, not that she ever needed it. There was, fortunately, one form of comfort in this place. It came in the form of a cheerful whistle from behind. Kyra turned. In front of her was R9-G6, her loyal astromech droid. It didn't take much to see that R9 was an older model, but she was still in good order and functioning. Kyra smiled as she gently stroked her dome. "Hey," she said. "How have you been?" The droid let out a few more beeps. Kyra laughed as she sat down on the bed, something she didn't do very often these days. "I see," she said. R9 seemed to be the only one who really knew what she was feeling; not surprising, seeing as they had spent years flying together. "I guess I should see if there's any work to be done around here," Kyra. Something to keep her mind occupied would be useful. She stood and began to walk toward the door. "Come on." The ex-Rebel stepped outside, her droid companion following with a whistle. OOC: Tashka, Kyra, R9 and Dak are open to interaction.

IC: Layna nodded, before quickly sniffing. It was hard not to cry, but Rebekkah did have a point. She stood, and staggered into the bathroom. Grabbing a cup, she filled it with water and took a long swig of it. She took a few deep breaths before stepping outside. "I'm sorry," she said. "I've only been on Taris for a few hours and already I'm getting mixed up in Imperial politics. Mia always seemed to be the responsible one. I haven't even slept in that time..." She paused, sitting down on the bed. "I guess now we've got to figure out how to get you off-world." She stopped to think. So far, she didn't have a clear plan. Mostly it was a bunch of ideas that seemed useful but she wasn't sure how to fit together. "The Empire's probably got patrols at all the spaceports, and they'll have security checkpoints. The planet's not under quarantine, but there will be stormtroopers waiting at every possible venue for leaving. Now, I'm not as likely to draw attention. Most of the Imperial officers on Taris would have known Mia, and there doesn't seem to be any effort to diminish her reputation. A lot of the Imperials on the planet would have respected her, and probably wouldn't object to doing a few favors for one of her next of kin as a means of offering their condolences. They also wouldn't be as likely to expect the sister of a decorated officer to be aiding a fugitive. We can probably use that to our advantage." Layna paused again, thinking. "The hard part is going to be figuring out how to get you on a ship undetected. The easiest way I could think of would be if you were hidden in the cargo, though we'd have to learn exactly what security measures have been taken. I do have at least one ally who may be willing to work with us. That eyewitness I told you about was Dak Ulgo, designation TK-4601, a Stormtrooper who served under my sister's command and so far the last known person to see her alive. When I saw her, she seemed to believe her life was in danger. She probably wouldn't object to a ride off-world either. I've also made a few friends among the Black Vulkars, who could probably get us access to anything we need." Layna paused. She was rambling somewhat at this point, and not entirely sure how useful this information would be. "Of course, we'd also have to find a ship, which is a whole other mess. We could try and hire a smuggler at one of the local cantinas. Public transportation could work; there'd be a lot more people and it would be harder for everyone leaving to be screened. There'd be the average stormtrooper or officer but a bribe or two could probably get us past, though we'd have to make sure nobody recognizes you. Some sort of diversion would likely be needed in that case..."

OOC: I keep trying to find interactions, but I'm not having much success. I've tried messaging a few people about possible options but I never seem to get any responses. I guess it's possible that a lot of people are really busy at the moment (not an unreasonable assumption this time of year) and haven't had time to reply, or there aren't really any venues for interaction open at the moment. I know there isn't really anything I can add to the b-wing plot at the moment, seeing as that is largely confined to the Taris scrapyard and none of my characters have any shot of getting there at the moment. IC: (Nadia/Tashka, Tarisian lower streets) They were walking in the general direction of the Vulkar base. The streets were crowded, but that didn't matter. Tashka seemed to be appropriately paranoid, constantly scanning every corner and alley they passed to make sure there were no Beks. Viseria had started to calm down, though she still wasn't exactly in the best of moods. The walk to the base was largely uneventful. It did not take long before they could see its door. That was when Nadia's attention was drawn towards a group of men who were approaching. One of them was also a Twi'lek, although he was blue. The other was a human with a distinct beard and long hair. Nadia paused, staring for a moment. No, it couldn't be... She easily recognized the two of them almost immediately. Though she had not had the chance to meet either of them, she had definitely seen them before. After all, she of all people would be able to recognize a fellow swoop champion in Cylund Calrissian. She may not have talked with him before but she had seen him at the track and heard about his reputation. The Twi'lek on the other hand, was someone she had also seen doing repairs at the racetrack, though he had proven himself to be better known as a duelist. No, that couldn't be... "Is that who I think it is?" Nadia asked, motioning towards the new arrivals. Viseria turned toward them. "Is that... No, it couldn't be." Nadia smiled. She approached the two enthusiastically. "Hey," she said as she approached. "Are you Talik Vao?" OOC: I hope I'm getting these two correct. I went over the profiles you wrote and it sounded like Cylund and Talik were both people who would be fairly well-known around Taris. The former's profile also mentioned that he's made a fairly successful swoop racing career, so I figure if anyone's going to recognize him it would be a fellow swoop champion. The latter also sounds like the kind of person someone who has spent their life on the streets of Taris would have heard a few things about.

IC: (Stray Tach) The Miraluka was getting noticeably tense. She was trying to stay calm but that didn't seem to be easy. "Are you okay?" Nadia asked. Viseria nodded. "I'm fine," she muttered. Nadia looked back towards Liare. He seemed to be talking to someone, a much larger and very intimidating man. "You know that man?" Tashka asked. "Yeah," Nadia said. "Yesterday, I ran into him. Then he showed up at the Vulkar base." Tashka paused, quickly remembering that incident. She hadn't actually seen the man who arrived herself but had definitely heard of his arrival. "Yesterday I found him here as well. Something about him seemed to be bothering Viseria, and I can't say his companion is making him seem any more trustworthy." "Who are they, anyway?" Tashka asked. "He said he was a trader who was looking for someone who robbed him. I didn't think much at the time, but he did mention something about a downed b-wing. He also came looking for Dak just before we learned of Mia's death." Viseria was becoming more tense. There was something about those two that was hard to explain, but she could feel it. She had been maintaining that she was okay, but she seemed nervous. "We need to go," she said, quickly standing up and walking towards the exit. Nadia stood as she followed her fellow Vulkar out the door, Tashka behind them. The Miraluka had bolted out quickly enough. The Twi'lek followed almost immediately, putting an arm on Viseria's shoulder. "What's the matter?" She asked. "I don't know," Viseria said, somewhat panicked. "There's something about those two men. I can feel it." There were a few tears from under her hood. Nadia approached her friend and wrapped her arms around the young Miraluka, who let her head rest on the Twi'lek's shoulder. It wasn't too surprising. Something about this place hadn't worked with Viseria. She had been experiencing these feelings the last few times they had visited, only now they seemed to be stronger. It made Nadia feel like such a fool for not realizing sooner. Tashka approached the two as Viseria started to calm down. "Look," she said. "I know you're upset about that officer, but the two of you haven't been in great shape lately. Have you done anything other than try to drink yourselves to death?" Nadia paused. "The Beks are causing enough trouble as it is. You both look like you haven't got enough sleep, and have you eaten anything? The last thing we need is you two getting sick and being unable to ride, or to take care of yourself if any of the Beks try to attack you." She had a fair point. Nadia was feeling hungry, and Viseria probably could have used some rest. "Let's get back to the Vulkar base," Tashka said. "There should be some food there. How much sleep have you gotten?" "I took a nap earlier," the Twi'lek said. "I don't know, probably an hour or two. I don't know that Viseria has slept much at all." "Then you two should get some rest. Come on." The Togruta walked down the street away from the Stray Tach, leading her fellow gang members in the direction of their base. "These streets are getting dangerous. I know we never were exactly on great terms with the Beks, but they seem to be actively hunting us now." OOC: Nadia and Tashka are both open to interaction. Kyra as well, and Dak. Actually, I think I've only got two who aren't open for interaction, mainly because one of them is already in the middle of something and the other is still waiting for approval. Anyway, I'm trying to leave room open for interaction if anyone is looking for some.

IC: (Stray Tach) Finishing her drink, Kyra left a credit chit on the counter of the bar before she stood and began to make her way toward the door. There wasn't much to do here beyond making her way back to her apartment. IC: (Stray Tach) It had undoubtedly been a rough few days for both. Nadia was quickly approaching the Stray Tach, Viseria not far behind. It was true they had been drinking a lot recently. In fact, amidst everything that happened, there were a lot of things that hadn't happened. For one thing, they hadn't eaten. The Twi'lek had managed to take a short nap at the Lifeday Inn, but otherwise they hadn't slept much either. Those were both things that probably needed to be rectified as soon as possible. Nadia was definitely feeling a strong emptiness in all of her stomachs. While Viseria had proven not to require as much rest as some of the other Vulkars, she hadn't gotten much sleep at all, and she also hadn't exactly eaten anything. "I'm hungry," she muttered. "You hungry?" Nadia smiled. "Of course. I feel like I could eat a sarlacc. We should see what there is to eat while we're here." "Good idea," the Miraluka said. "Let me do the talking this time." The Twi'lek stepped in quickly, followed by her friend, who stopped upon entering the cantina. She was looking stressed, and overwhelmed by something. "Are you okay?" Nadia asked as she approached the Miraluka. "I... think so," Viseria replied. "He's here." Nadia turned toward the bar. Sure enough, she noticed her old buddy Liare sitting there. He was talking to someone as well, a tall and very imposing human. His presence didn't seem to be doing much good for Viseria's feelings. The Miraluka seemed reluctant to go in. Nadia approached her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and trying to comfort her. "Okay," she said. "Why don't we get somewhere in the back?" She noticed a Bothan stepping out of the cantina, apparently coming from a darker spot in the corner, in which the only occupant was a young man drinking a bottle of some kind of whiskey. "That should work," she said. "Let's get a seat over-" Nadia performed a double take as she looked toward the counter. There was a Togruta seated at the counter. It only took a moment to recognize the distinct appearance of fellow Vulkar Tashka. The Togruta had noticed them as well. She quickly turned toward them, taking her drink and standing as she approached. "Nadia," she said. "How's the swoop race going?" "Fine," Nadia said. It was probably best not to get into everything that had happened while other people could hear. The three women sat down at a table in the dark corner, a few feet away from the stranger who was drinking by himself. "This is unusual, normally you're at the front." "Well," Nadia said. "I'm not sure we trust those two." She motioned towards the two men at the counter who were talking. "I've got a bad feeling about them," Viseria muttered. "That's okay," Tashka said. "I'll order you two something." "Something strong," Nadia said. "And I wouldn't mind something to eat." The Togruta stood and approached the bar. "Hey," she said to the wookie bartender. "A few friends of mine just arrived. They're kinda shy and didn't like the crowded space here so they've taken a seat in the back. Do you think you could bring us a starshine surprise and some Arkanian sweet milk? Maybe a couple of appetizers as well. Thanks." The Togruta turned back toward the table. "It's been a strange few days," the Togruta said as she sat down. "Where were you when the Wookie attacked?" Viseria asked. "You probably could have saved a few of us from getting hospitalized." The Togruta dodged the question quickly. "These Beks seem to be getting worse all the time. Earlier today three of them tried to gang up on me in the street. I managed to easily take them down, of course." "What is up with that gang, anyway?" Nadia muttered. "I ran into one of their riders earlier, and she was nasty. Almost provoked me into beating her up myself." "I don't know," Tashka muttered. "It looks like they may be attacking Vulkars on sight now. Or at least some of them are." IC: (Layna, LifeDay Inn) Layna was slowly starting to come to her senses. Obviously she'd been under a lot of emotional stress. It probably didn't do much good that she had only been on Taris for a day and hadn't slept at all, nor had she managed to eat anything. Still, she didn't feel tired, and she didn't feel hungry. She wiped a few tears before speaking again. "Obviously," she stammered out. "I'm making a terrible first impression. I don't know what I was thinking coming here so I'm sorry I wasted your time." OOC: Tashka, Kyra, and Nadia are open for interaction. I do have a new PC on the way who I hope will be able to develop Kyra's story more, and it will give the RPG a droid (something we don't seem to have much of). Hopefully I'll be able to introduce her in my next post, but first I got to wait for the approval from M31.

IC: Layna struggled to stay calm, though it was hard not to cry at the moment. She had not exactly expected to hear good news, but learning these possible details of her sister's death weren't much comfort. She didn't entirely see how Mia being executed was any different from her being murdered, but she was also not entirely thinking clearly. "So what then?" Layna yelled out as she stood. "We just walk away? We stay out of this now and let the nerferder who was willing to look my sister in the eye and shoot her get away with it?" Layna was acting somewhat on impulse at this point, and didn't totally understand what she was saying. It was true that Rebekah had offered some valid points. Even if she was willing to do anything more than she had, how would they find the real killer? Of course, that didn't do much to ease the overwhelming grief. "Whoever it is, I want to make them pay for what they did to her. I want to find them and kill them, just like they did to her!" As she started to come back to her senses, Layna fell back onto the bed. She was still crying. How could she not be? Her sister was dead and there was almost no chance of finding the killer, at least not at the moment.

IC: "All I can say is what I've been told, though I do have a witness who can offer a more detailed account of what happened. According to her, there was a fugitive who crashed a b-wing into a junkyard. The mission was apparently supposed to be a matter of retrieving data from its computer, though why such as fuss was being made about this ship is beyond me. She didn't know exactly why either. She did, however, give me a name; Sgt. Raltz. According to her, he is a dark trooper who was at odds with Mia throughout the mission. They spent a lot of the mission arguing and the last thing she saw was Raltz jumppacking in Mia's direction. At that point, she received orders over her comm to get out of the scrapyard and find a place to hide. Raltz already has a possible motive, and from what my witness described, it sounded like he wasn't above murdering an officer he hated. I don't know if he killed her, but he had something to do with it." Layna paused. "As for a ship, I'll have to see what I can do. Based on those stormtroopers at your apartment I'd say it's safe to assume the Empire at the very least suspects your presence here. Fortunately, word doesn't seem to have gotten to the public yet, otherwise I probably would have had some competition finding you. No doubt the Empire will be watching the space ports..." A few vague ideas were starting to form, though Layna didn't fully understand them yet. "On the other hand, I wouldn't be as likely to draw suspicion. If they even knew who I am, most of the Imperials on Taris respected Mia, and would probably be willing to do things for to show their condolences. Failing that, a few credits should be able to persuade most of them..." She wasn't sure exactly what she was getting at yet, though it seemed like an advantage they could put to good use. "I could start by talking to some of my contacts. There's a lot of criminals on Taris, probably a few who have figured out ways around Imperial Protocol."

IC: Tashka remained silent. Sue had a fair point. As strange as the man was, there wasn't much need to press any inquiries. She was probably getting paranoid, street life can do that do a person, especially one who grew up in a warrior clan and moved to a planet like Taris. She quickly picked up her drink and took a sip. For her purposes, it was good and strong. Enough that she could momentarily forget about her problems in the streets. As she placed the drink on the counter, she looked at the wookie bartender. That man further down had already ordered a second drink, and he may have had a point in doing so. She kept her credit chit ready for a second order. For now, the Togruta tried to enjoy the drink she had. She was halfway through her current drink when she finally decided to speak. "Those Beks are getting worse every day," she muttered, not really paying attention to whether anyone heard her.

IC: Layna took a deep breath. This was a moment she had been prepared for, but to actually see a woman she had heard so much about in person, it was a whole other matter. "Yes, of course," she finally said. "Zam, wasn't it? That's the name they gave me at the desk." No doubting the Rogue Novatrooper was prepared for just about anything, the way she was keeping away from the windows to avoid a non-existant sniper. Gaining her trust was not going to be an easy task, and with good reason. The fact that Rebekah seemed to have one or two weapons hidden up her sleeves didn't offer much comfort. It was definitely a good thing she wasn't trying to collect the bounty because otherwise she probably wouldn't have even made it this far. She was struggling to stay calm, also with good reason. She took a seat on one of the beds and tried to work up the nerve to speak. "I guess I should introduce myself" she started. "My name is Layna Arkada. You've never seen me before, and there's a good reason for that. While I've heard a lot about you; it's hard not to hear talk about the high price of the rogue novatrooper; I also knew trying to collect on you was out of my league. You've eluded the Entire Imperial Force. What chance does a small-time bounty hunter like me have of taking you down? If I tried to kill you, I'd already be dead. If I tried to get you alive, I can't see any way I'd be able to keep you long enough to deliver. I am a bounty hunter, but I mostly deal with small-time jobs; petty crooks in large part, and the occasional assassin. While I'm sure others would find the reward tempting, I'm not prepared to take the risk. The only reason I've taken the time to meet you now is because things got personal. I'm not here to kill you. I'd like to help you." Layna paused, taking a moment to compose her thoughts. "I believe we have a common enemy within the Empire. Of course, so far I've only heard the official version of what you did. They say that you tried to plant a bomb at a meeting of the council of Moffs only to fail due to a technical error. I imagine your account is probably different. At any rate, I'd like to propose a partnership. You've got the Imperials chasing you, and you're going to need all the allies you can get. I haven't been on Taris long, but I've got contacts, and I'm not so likely to draw unwanted attention in public. I am ready to do whatever I can to help you disappear, get off Taris, or anything that can get you ahead of the Empire. However, in return, I'm going to need you to do something for me." Layna paused. What she was about to tell Rebekah wasn't exactly an easy thing to say, especially to someone she knew she had no chance of besting if she was attacked. "Yesterday evening, there was an Imperial expedition to one of the planet's scrapyards. I wasn't able to find out much other than it had something to do with recovering information from a downed B-wing. They were attacked by a group of scavengers, and so far as I'm aware, only one of them managed to escape. She's currently in hiding, and believes she may be a wanted fugitive. Among that expedition was my sister, Mia. She was overseeing the restoration of a small Imperial Outpost when she was drafted into the mission. At the outpost, I was informed that-" A few tears emerged. Layna paused for a moment. "I was told she was killed in action against the scavengers. I was then told by a patrol that she was killed by some fugitive. However, I've got a witness whose testimony contradicts both accounts. She didn't see what actually happened to Mia, but reported that she was still alive after the scavengers were defeated, so she couldn't have been killed in action. She also said that the fugitive was long gone by the time they arrived at the scrapyard. I don't know what's going on down there, but my sister is dead​, and someone is trying to cover it up. You know what I think? I think she was murdered. I don't know who did it but someone who didn't want it to become public knowledge." Layna paused again. She was visibly crying at this point, and struggling to calm down enough to speak. She finally stood. "So here are my terms: you help me find who really killed my sister, and I'll do whatever I can to keep you out of the Empire's hands. Do we have a deal?"