Lina is sitting alone in the holovid viewing room, when a low, gravelly voice comes from right behind her.
"Hey. How's the leg?"
Lina
turns round to see a great reptilian maw overflowing with sharp teeth
that glitter in the reflected light of the vidscreen, and jumps in spite
of herself.
"Oh! Sorry. Hi Baprasta. I never got a chance to thank you properly. It's fine. The leg's fine."
"Sorry,
I know you're watching this," says the Barabel, trying to pull back and
look less threatening, "but I really need to ask you something."
"No worries. Jather already ruined the ending for me. Ask away."
Scene 5
Chaos: Out of Control (d8)
Setup: Baprasta makes her approach
NPC list: contact, target, ISB agent, informant, Imperial commander, rebel agent, love interest, Inzoyln the Bith blackmailer, overseer, executive, Baprasta the barabel shockboxer (false target), Yarishe the Chiss tech (Oosuu's "rival")
Threads: survive the wait, false assassination, Yarishe's gambit
[Setup:
Baprasta approaches (1d10): 1-3 O, 4-6 L, 7-8 J, 9 W, 10 Z; 6=L
UNE--
Conversation Mood: forthcoming
friendly - aid - family (right out with it then)
Q: Will B mention why I is after her? 50/50 (4+): O6 C7 - Yes
Q: Why? Refuse / Investment]
"So... here's the thing: Inzoyln tried to recruit me for her gang a while back, but I told her to get stuffed. She said I'd regret it, but I just blew her off at the time. And today all these new workers show up, and she's got some friends amongst them, some real heavies. Now I'm kind of worried..."
[Q: Does Lina become suspicious? needs a Moderate (15) Streetwise roll to spot the discrepancies: 2D+2=11+5wild=success!]
"Wait wait wait," says Lina, "Inzoyln told us Morga the Hutt wanted you killed."
[Q: Sounds weird to Baprasta? Likely (3+): O3 C4 - Yes, but...]
"I quit the shockboxing circuit a long time ago," says Baprasta. " I wasn't any good any more, and I don't think I had any enemies. But you never can tell with Hutts."
"I think we better talk to Zil."
[Q: Does Baprasta agree? Likely (3+): O4 C4 - Yes, but...
+Event: PC negative - Zil - Fight / Weapons]
"Well, I was hoping for an in with her, but in light of what you just said... could we maybe talk somewhere safe?"
"Of course," says Lina. "I understand." And thinks to herself, "I'm a bit afraid of Zil, too."
- - - - - -
Meanwhile...
Zil and Oosuu are alone in the women's communal shower room. Zil has been alternating between dragging a wet comb through her hair, applying the hairdryer, then staring into the mirror and scowling. Oosuu has been sitting beside her on the counter, idly swinging her legs whilst she stares at Zil in rapt fascination, trying vainly to understand how this 'hair' stuff works.
Her reverie comes to an abrupt end as a pair of ruffians swagger into the shower room. The Human woman has a scarred face and is missing her front teeth. The hulking Brubb woman beside her has vacant eyes and a malicious sneer.
Oosuu hops down off the counter, and Zil turns to face the newcomers. "What d'you two karks want?" she says. Their only reply is to draw short, curving knives.
"Really?" says Zil. "You two must be even stupider than you look."
The Human makes straight for Zil with her knife, but just slashes at the empty air in front of her. As the Brubb advances, Oosuu puts up her fists very earnestly. This strikes the Brubb as uncommonly funny, and she cannot help but laugh as she looks down at the Twi'lek. Her laughter is cut short as Oosuu punches her right in the stomach -- then starts right back up as Oosuu pulls back her fist in pain, looking down at her bruised knuckles and swearing in some unknown language. The human makes the mistake of looking over to see what's so funny, and Zil smashes the hairdryer down atop her head. The cheap plastic housing shatters, and the woman falls to the duracrete floor, blood streaming from her scalp. Oosuu shoves the Brubb with both hands, causing her to take several steps back to maintain her balance. The human crawls back and out of the way, then regains her feet and sprints out into the corridor. The Brubb wavers, then turns tail and runs after her.
"That right, run cowards!" shrieks Oosuu after them.
"You're stronger than you look," says Zil. "You'd be a real terror in a fight if you knew what you were doing. Maybe I should get Lina to teach you or something."
"Oosuu not advise it. If Zil not stop saying 'kark', Zil get beat up by angry Twi'lek."
[The thugs had average stats, adjusted for race. Oosuu did 1 Stun result to the Brubb, Zil inflicted a Wound on the Human, but otherwise the mechanics of the fight weren't worth recording.
Q: Any fallout? Unlikely (5+): O2 C2 - No, and...
+Event: NPC negative - overseer - Imprison / Military]
The next day at breakfast, there is a great commotion as two squads of stormtroopers march into the base. Zil has a flash of panic that they're there for her, but then notices the same instinctive fear on most of the workers' faces. There is a collective sigh of relief as an Imperial officer announces that they have come to arrest the overseer for mismanagement. A new overseer is being put in place, and work will be reduced to a half-shift to accommodate their inspection tour. All things considered, muses Zil, it's been a good day.
Scene 6
Chaos: Out of Control (d8)
Setup: Lina brings a friend home
NPC list: contact, target, ISB agent, informant, Imperial commander, rebel agent, love interest, Inzoyln the Bith blackmailer, overseer, executive, Baprasta the barabel shockboxer (false target), Yarishe the Chiss tech (Oosuu's "rival")
Threads: survive the wait, false assassination, Yarishe's gambit
As the evening meal period is winding down, Lina waves Baprasta over to Zil's table. "Zil, this is important," she says as the Barabel is walking closer.
"Oh?" says Zil.
"Yes, the other d--"
"Not here," says Zil. "Let's head towards the rec area. We can walk and talk."
Oosuu stares at Lina, trying desperately to catch her eye, but she seems to barely register the Twi'lek's presence, as her eyes dart from Zil to Baprasta to her own wringing hands. Zil is already striding out into the corridor with Lina and the Barabel in tow. She walks as briskly as she dares, hoping like hell that she can pass her nerves off as aloofness. Baprasta is trying her best to look both friendly and tough, like the time she got roped in to speaking to a class of younglings about staying in school and saying no to spice. Oosuu sighs and gets up to follow them, and tries to put on her best Sabaac face.
[O's Con 4D+2 vs. B's Perception 3D+1 = 17 vs. 10, B doesn't notice how nervous she is.
But does Zil? Perception 3D, +5 bonus since she knows her pretty well = 13, no.]
"Here'll do," says Zil as they reach the middle of a long, empty corridor. She stops and leans against the wall, crossing her arms across her chest. She looks up at the towering Barabel silhouetted against the sputtering ceiling light. "So?"
"Y-you need to listen to this," says Lina.
"I'm listening," says Zil.
"I want in," says Baprasta. "To join your gang. Or whatever."
"I see..."
"I helped you out when Lina got trapped."
"You did..."
"I'm good in a fight. Or... backing you up and looking scary. And stuff."
"Zil, maybe good idea," offers Oosuu. "Zil remember yesterday?"
"Why though?" asks Zil, ignoring her. "Why do you want to join my... little family?"
"Tell her what you told me," says Lina. "Zil, you need to listen."
"Inzoyln has it in for me because I wouldn't join her little gang. She's a vicious one, she is, and just likes to cause people hurt. I'm not saying you're not vicious, um, just that you're not a sadist like she is. So I was thinking, maybe a mutual protection thing--"
"Hold on!" says Zil. "You're saying Inzoyln has it in for you personally...?"
"I think we've been had," says Lina. "Baprasta can't think of a reason Morga would--"
"Lina!"
"I already told her. And I'm not a murderer! I won't go through with it. I just won't!"
"Oosuu not either. Baprasta help Lina, Oosuu not kill for Hutts. Oosuu run first."
"I wish to hell one of you had told me what you were thinking before now."
"Not take wrong, Zil, but Zil scary lately. More scary than usual."
"I'm just trying to survive so I can look after all of you. We really need to talk about this whole thing. Baprasta, as far as I'm concerned, you're in -- if you want to be. We're in debt big to a Hutt, and we're waiting for our orders to find out what we gotta do to settle up. So if this changes your mind, just walk away and no hard feelings. Sleep on it if you need to."
"Ummmm...."
"I don't need your answer now, really. Now, first thing we gotta do is figure out Inzoyln's angle, if she's really our contact or not. And if she is, how do we get Baprasta off the table?"
"Really?" asks Lina.
"I'm not the monster you two think I am. But we gotta tell Jather and Wex, and fast. We don't want this to be the one time Jather accidentally does what he's setting out to do the first time..."
[Q: Do they get the word to them in time? Certain (2+): O2 C1 - Yes, and... general relief
Q: Does Baprasta decide against joining them? Doubtful (6): O5 C7 - No.]
Baprasta
Barabel shockboxer
Dexterity 3D+2
brawling parry 5D+2
dodge 4D+2
Knowledge 2D
streetwise 3D
intimidation 3D
Mechanical 2D
Perception 3D+1
Strength 5D
Brawling 6D
Climbing/Jumping 6D
Tech 2D
5 character points, 1000 credits
Next post: open confrontations and secret machinations!
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