STAR WARS: An Ill Wind
Session 14

[Avirida was absent from much of this session, and appears as an NPC except near the end.]

Pira sits up with a shudder, her front of calm cracked by a vision of an evil thought long dead. Day-Lin remains still for a few moments, frowning. Finally, he speaks: "What was at the bottom of the pit?"

Master Esuna spreads her long arms in a shrug. "I do not know. My ancestor and his friend did not tarry there, in that place of evil, after they had destroyed the Sith."

The Caamasi Jedi's dark gaze focuses on Day-Lin. "You wonder if the Sith, or the crystal, might have survived."

Day-Lin says, equably, "Yes."

Master Esuna nods once. "The Sith, at least, was not heard of again. It was believed that the Heart perished with him and his kind. But now..." Again, the slight shrug.

Pira stirs, looks at Day-Lin. "He looked near to death, but... the Force is powerful." She trails off thoughtfully.

Master Esuna says, "If you would seek the truth for yourselves, look for a small world circling a white star, somewhere beyond Hutt space."

Day-Lin says "A small world rich in that black stone."

Master Esuna says, "Yes. A cool and boggy world, for the most part, but with lava plains and mountains that spit their fury at the sky. From there, the black stone comes."

Pira says "Shall we see if the Captain thinks he can find it?"

Day-Lin says "We'd best."

Master Esuna says, "May the Force go with you all, then, and keep you safe."

Pira bows deeply in farewell to the Master.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Cut to outside, at the speeder?"
<OOC> Pira says, "Sure!"

CUT TO:
EXT. FORESTED CANYON - DAY

Young Oren has been talking with the visitors while the other Jedi are inside talking with his Master. He seems equally fascinated by the Wookiee, Avirida, and the speeder. As Pira and Day-Lin emerge from the small house, he quiets and fades respectfully into the background.

<OOC> Pira says, "But mom, I don't want to be a Jedi! I want to... be a mechanic!"
<OOC> Kelly snickers.

Pira keeps her hood pulled up and her hands tucked into her sleeves, despite the mildness of the days.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Her best 'Jedi Nun' impression."
<OOC> Pira grins.

Day-Lin's more comfortable in this environment; he has his hood down, the better to keep an eye on things around him.

Birds (or birdlike things) twitter among the foliage as Mydia's star-sun sinks slowly into the east.

<OOC> Pira says, "What is Harukuk doing, Dan?"
<OOC> Harukuk says, "Snacking on rations, I think."

Pira says to Day-Lin, pitched quietly enough to make it difficult to hear: "You think he is alive?"

Day-Lin says "I think we don't have enough information to say."

Avirida is leaning back against the rented speeder when the Jedi return, though she straightens up and gently nudges her Captain, who appears to be enjoying a ration pack.

Harukuk absently chews on a ration stick, and waits for the Jedi to speak up.

<OOC> Pira arghs, and lags horribly locally. Explain to the.... her... wookiee, Day-Lin :)
<OOC> Kelly checks Pira's sheet. Yup: 'Social Skills 0D' ;)
<OOC> Pira smirks.

Day-Lin says, without prelude, "We're looking for a swampy planet just outside Hutt space with a blue-white star."

Day-Lin says "Any ideas?"

Harukuk's fuzzy ridge of an eyebrow goes up. Scratching his chin, he makes a comment in Wookiee.

Avirida translates, "There are a lot of star systems. We'd need to check the charts back at the ship."

Day-Lin says "Well, then."

Harukuk tacks another suggestion onto the end of that.

Avirida adds, "Or we could find some Siewa and ask them."

<OOC> Kelly says, "Day-Lin, you can make a Alien Species roll if you like."
<OOC> Kelly says, "I guess Pira can too."
Day-Lin rolls 2 dice: <4> 2
<OOC> Day-Lin says, "...maybe not."
You paged Day-Lin with 'You get a little. Wandering traders.'.
<OOC> Pira says, "3"
You paged Pira with ''Who?' :)'.

Day-Lin shrugs. "Don't know much about them," he admits.

Harukuk elaborates in grunts and growls. He's never said so much in such a short period of time, really.

As relayed by Avirida: "The Siewa are traders, nomads who live aboard their ships in big homefleets. They're small people, about so high, rodent-like... look a little bit like Chadra-Fan, if you've ever seen one of them. They wander from system to system, trading in information and curiousities."

"The Captain did one of their clans a favor a few years... maybe decades... back, and since then he's kind of been an adopted member. He says they have some of the Galaxy's most complete star-charts. Better than the Navy's sometimes, even."

Day-Lin nods. "That sounds promising."

Harukuk nods, and pastes an addendum onto the translation.

Avirida nods to her Captain as she finishes, "He says it would be easier to traverse Hutt space with their help. And I agree, sers."

Avirida says, "The Dauntless is a beautiful ship, but she does kind of... stick out."

Day-Lin snorts. "Especially to the sort of people who don't really care for the Republic's notice, yes."

<OOC> Kelly says, "As Pira observed some time back: the Republic ends where the dominion of the Hutts - a species immune to Jedi mind control - begins. Coincidence? :)"
<OOC> Tekkel blinks.
<OOC> Tekkel says, "That is so... MiB of you. :)"
<OOC> Tekkel says, "You and Pira both. :)"

Pira frowns. "You mean that we should leave the ship behind?"

Harukuk's head bobs side to side. He utters an abbreviated correction. [In their care.] is the translation.

Day-Lin says "You mean, if we leave them our ship as security, they might lend us something a little less conspicuous."

<OOC> Day-Lin says, "I almost said 'collateral' but that's not a Day-Lin word."
<OOC> Kelly says, "Heh."

Day-Lin says, reasonably, "Well, we can't take it with us /and/ leave it behind, and they're not going to loan us a ship out of the goodness of our hearts, are they?"

Harukuk rumbles something dissaproving in tone.

Avirida listens to Harukuk, then repeats, "It's not like they're Hutts. You, er, we can just borrow one of their ships or take passage on one going in that direction, and they'll take care of the Dauntless while we're gone."

<OOC> Pira can't imagine the captain would like *that*...
<OOC> Kelly says, "You forget, the Captain is tight with his mouse homies. ;)"
<OOC> Tekkel shrieks at Kelly.
Tekkel pages: It's a good thing nobody else is home here at the moment, or my shriek would've had the whole family wondering what was going. :)
<OOC> Harukuk says, "Yeah, you're talking about my boyz!"

Pira murmurs, "It would be unpleasant to be trapped with no passage back. If we took transport with them."

Day-Lin says "What're you afraid of? It's not as if being stuck on a rim world for a few months would kill you."

<OOC> Kelly resists all sorts of comments.
<OOC> Day-Lin says, "Besides, you know what a ... cautious fellow I am."

Harukuk rumbles a negative to the concerns.

Pira gives Day-Lin an incredulous look.

<OOC> Pira says, "Do you know how SLOW the network is out there?""
<OOC> Day-Lin says, "Actually... :)"
<OOC> Kelly says, "... what do you MEAN there's no toilet paper on this planet?""

Day-Lin says "If you're really worried, why not leave a message with the Republic? Tell them we're going to whatever planet, and if we don't show in a month or two they should just send a ship?"

Day-Lin says "I don't see what the fuss is."

Pira says "But we don't know which planet it is..."

Day-Lin says, dryly, "Yes, but I assume we will before we land on it."

Pira says "Still... I have a bad feeling about it."

DISSOLVE TO:
ESTABLISHING SHOT: A city at sunset. The sun is a fat orange half-circle sitting on the horizon, the sky fading from lavender to violet. The buildings of the city range in size from small adobe shacks to large prefab halls. Gardens grow on many of the uneven rooftops. Skeletal trees line the dusty avenues.
TITLE: CATAL - MOS HUTTA (Hutt City)

<OOC> Pira admires.

INT. CURIOUSITY SHOPPE

The shopkeeper, a nearsighted Bith, bustles about the dim and cramped space. On his shelves are assorted oddities from all over the Galaxy: bleached skulls, weird candles, alien carvings, jars and pots of nearly unidentifiable substances, and so on.

At the grinding sound of the door opening, the Bith turns. "So sorry, valued customers, but we are..." He stops, taken aback.

Two figures stand just inside the door. They are anonymous in their matching battle armor; one is most likely male, his armor colored in shades of red over neutral grey, while his companion appears female and wears purple over black. A ponytail crest trails from the top of her helmet - perhaps her natural hair, or an imitation thereof. They hold blaster carbines with a casualness that suggests they know how to use them.

<OOC> Kelly says, "The styling of the armor is immediately recognizable to the audience: Mandalorean."
<OOC> Pira says, "Ominous music rises!"

The man speaks in a voice filtered by his armor: "We were told that you might know the location of an item we're looking for."

"I might, yes. Geb knows many secrets, many stories." The Bith wrings his pale, spidery hands. "But surely, it can wait until morning, yes?"

The red one looks to the purple, and without another word they step further into the shop, blotting out the view.

WIPE TO:
GALAXY MAP

From Mydia, the line begins again as Dauntless backtracks to the Corellian Run, following the trade route from system to system before finally reaching: BOTHAWUI.

More impressive even than the Bothan homeworld is the collection of ships currently to be found orbiting it: two vessels large enough to be called cruisers, eight frigates (no two alike), and a bewildering array of smaller craft flitting between the capital ships. The whole Siewa fleet is surrounded by a defensive sphere of droid starfighters and a half dozen light corvettes.

The Republic cruiser arcs through this formation, its Captain having already announced his identity and received hearty greetings and permission to land aboard one of the larger homeships.

<OOC> Kelly pauses again to grumble at the Radiant et al being called cruisers when they're barely even corvette-sized. Anyway. Think Mon Cal cruisers for the big ones.

Day-Lin muses, "Wonder how the Bothans feel about having this much hardware in orbit."

Some of the shuttles pass very close to Dauntless's flanks, probably getting a good look at the visitor as well as showing off the ship-handling ability of their pilots.

Pira murmurs, "I suppose it depends upon the armament they have in defense."

As Harukuk has explained, the Siewa are a fairly peaceful people who prefer to avoid conflict. Still, to a race as notoriously concerned with matters of power and prestige as the Bothans, the presence of such a fleet has probably ruffled some fur, just because of what it *could* do. On the third hand, both Bothans and Siewa also value information, and that's why this particular homefleet has stopped here for a time.

The Dauntless passes through the magcon field of an appropriately large hangar and settles to the deck on its landing shocks, steam hissing from its undercarriage.

Pira says to Harukuk, "Are there always so many visitors here?"

Harukuk rumbles something that sounds like it could be "sometimes."

Pira stands aside for the big wookiee, waiting for him to lead them to his friends.

There are a few other ships parked in the hangar, including more of those shuttles that look like a thick disk or flattened sphere. There's also a small crowd gathering - "small" in both senses of the word.

<OOC> Pira says, "*this* ought to be a sight."

The average Siewa seems to be about a meter and change, with wide rodent-like faces (not much of a snout, mostly a flattish nose) and large dark eyes. Their fur ranges from black to white and all shades of brown in between. And of course, they have round ears.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Kinda like Sullustans but with fur; that is, MORE mouse-morphic. :)"
<OOC> Pira says, "I'm havin' Disney flashbacks."
<OOC> Kelly says, "They're not Mickey Mice, they're 'furry' mice. :)"

Harukuk ambles out of the ship and to the gathered Siewa. He gestures for people to follow.

Pira trails after him, observing the tiny rodentoids doubtfully.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Not that tiny... 4' or so. Halfling sized. :)"

The gathering of Siewa seem happy to see the Wookiee and greet him with a complete lack of formality, the furry aliens clustering around their much larger visitor to say hello. As Pira follows, some of the Siewa noticing her can be seen to giving the newcomer equally doubtful looks, and Harukuk gets several inquisitive sing-song chirps.

Day-Lin accompanies Pira. This time he does have his hood up, though.

Harukuk rumbles back to the small creatures affectionately, and then approximates their chirps with his deeper bassoon.

From afar, to Kelly and Tekkel, Harukuk introduces himself (and the Jedi) properly, and if there's noone here that knows him, he asks for one of the individuals that do.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Soundtrack for all of this is, of course, some variation on Williams' existing themes for Jawa and Ewok. :)"

Pira stands beside Day-Lin, twin hooded strangers.

<OOC> Pira says, "Intimidate, that's the way :)"
<OOC> Kelly says, "And you wonder why Jedi don't have good PR."
<OOC> Kelly says, "Let alone 30 years later. :)"
<OOC> Day-Lin says, "'...they say they're here to negotiate.'"
<OOC> Pira snickers.

There's a brief bit of conversation between several of the Siewa - and a lot of long curious glances at the two Jedi - and then the Siewa disperse a bit as two of them greet Harukuk more formally while the others start looking over at Day-Lin, Pira and the Republic vessel.

Harukuk converses with the two in an amiable fashion. Harukuk pages to Kelly and Tekkel: How's business, traveling, that sort of thing. ;)

<OOC> Kelly says, "Oh, and for convenience right now, we'll assume Avirida is still aboard ship. At least until next session. :)"
<OOC> Pira nods!

Pira says sotto voce to Day-Lin, "Do you understand any Wookiee?"

Day-Lin pages: Do I? :)
You paged Day-Lin with 'Just a little from Harukuk, but... roll your Languages.'.
Day-Lin rolls 2 dice: <5> 6
<OOC> Kelly says, "Good roll!"
You paged Day-Lin with 'From the side you hear, sounds like they're swapping stories, asking how business has been, etc.'.

Day-Lin returns, in the same tone, "Enough to know you're not missing much."

One of the two Siewa makes a comment and nudges the other, and that one switches to Basic to greet the two Jedi. "Your pardon, and welcome. Any friend of Captain Harukuk is a delight to be ours as well, Honored Jedi. We offer your party the comforts of our ships and the services of our hangar."

Day-Lin says "Our thanks. We're grateful for your hospitality."

Pira unbends a little at the courteous tone.

The other Siewa says something, and the Siewa says, "I'm Velir, and this is Chussip." Velir looks to Harukuk, "We have cabins prepared, is your ship and crew needing for anything?"

Harukuk shakes his head, and chuffs something that almost undoubtably means that he and his crew are fine.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Anything at all? Ithorian air fresheners? Reconditioned hyperdrive parts? Best rates in quadrant!"
<OOC> Tekkel laughs.
<OOC> Day-Lin says, "Yes, my fellow Jedi is in desperate need of a skilled surgeon to remove the stick from her...oh! I mean, no, thanks."

Velir nods and, as the other crewhands begin to emerge from Dauntless, invites you all to follow him.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN:
INT. SIEWA HOMESHIP - CORRIDOR

For the convenience of visitors, the passage that the group is led along is human-scaled. Harukuk has to bend a little, but he's accustomed to that. The Jedi and their companions notice the occasional side-corridor with doors that have their upper seams at about their eye level.

Reaching the corridor's end the group enters a lounge area, also scaled and furnished for the comfort of humans and wookies. Several doorways leading to guest suites branch off from the lounge. Chussip turns to Harukuk and says, "I hope this is suitable accommodation for your group. We are not sure how long you will be staying, or the precise nature of your need for starcharts."

Harukuk rumbles something to the Seiwa, and gestures at the Jedi.

Day-Lin says "We're not entirely certain either. We're searching for a particular world just outside Hutt space."

Chussip and Velir wrinkle their noses almost in unison at the mention of Hutt space. The latter replies, "Our fleets rarely enter Hutt space, but we do skirt its edges from time to time. This lounge has a terminal that we could give you access to our charts, but.." he breaks off and talks with Velir a little while. "We can take you to the astrogation center. With so little data, using the display there could make your search easier."

Day-Lin says "That would be greatly appreciated. We do know it's in a blue-white star's system, and there's a sort of black stone that's common there."

<OOC> Kelly passes lots of notes with Tekkel, please bear with. :)

Pira says "A vague enough description, we know, but we thank you for your help."

Harukuk nods at the explanation and the response.

Velir suggests, "The path is sized for Siewa, so those of your crew who wish to remain here are welcome to make themselves comfortable. Chussip can stay with them while I take you there."

Harukuk nods in agreement.

<OOC> Tekkel says, "This is the 'leaving all the NPCs behind so the party can fit in the elevator' tactic. :)"
<OOC> Pira grins.
<OOC> Tekkel thinks the engineer could come up with a good reason for going along.
<OOC> Harukuk says, "We need someone to translate the captain for the Jedi. ;)"
<OOC> Tekkel says, "That's a good one!"
<OOC> Pira says, "Yes!"
<OOC> Pira says, "Captain: Growlgrowlgrowl. Jedi: Clueless look."
<OOC> Avirida laughs.

WIPE TO:
INT. ASTROGATION CENTER

After the cramped corridors of the rest of the ship, this room seems huge. Dominating the center of the chamber is a translucent blue globe, a hologram several meters across in which this system and nearby stars appear in precise miniature. The holoprojector is in a 'pit', with stairs leading down from the surrounding walkway. The walls are mostly blank except for blinking computer telltales and a console or two. The chairs in front of the latter look as if they were made for children.

The globe, and the area of space represented in it, slowly revolves for no other reason than it looks cool.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Welcome to Stellar Cartography. :)"
<OOC> Tekkel laughs. Mice and their toys.

Pira opts to stand rather than squeeze into one of the tiny chairs.

<OOC> Pira says, "Jedi dignity is SO hard to maintain with your knees pressed against your chin."

The quiet murmur of technology fills the chart room, a familiar sound to any spacer.

Avirida keeps near Harukuk, translation at the ready, and shows no sign of her internal pleasure at the evenness of that sound.

Velir moves to one of the consoles and types in a series of commands. The console near Pira switches its display from the Siewa alphabet to the language of the Republic, and the glowing names next to the stars and other stellar features in the hologram switch as well.

<OOC> Day-Lin says, "Your turn to deal with the aliens, o fellow Jedi. :)"

The little Siewa looks over at the group, "You should find the console next to the Jedi Pira set to accept your commands. I will go check to see how Chussip and the rest of the crew are settling in; if you need me there is a comm unit over there," he gestures. Once he is sure you have followed all this, he smiles cheerfully and exits.

Pira stares at the console, faintly mystified by the unfamiliar controls.

<OOC> Pira says, "oh, engineeeeer chickieeee :)"
<OOC> Kelly says, "Another reason you brought the engineer along. ;)"
<OOC> Kelly says, "I don't suppose you're actually going to *ask* her to do it?"

Avirida, asked or no, leans a little to get a good view.

Harukuk takes a stand near the Jedi, looking curious.

Harukuk gives Avirida a look, and gestures toward the console, implying she should offer help.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Jedi, y'can't take them anywhere."
<OOC> Tekkel laughs!

Avirida steps forward, clearing her throat. "May I, milady?"

Pira steps away. "Please."

From afar, Tekkel suspects it never occurred to Velir that the humans might not know how to operate the equipment. :)
You paged Tekkel with 'Given how technically adept you've described them, and that they're a spacer culture, it'd be like, "You mean you don't know how to WALK?" :)'.
From afar, Tekkel grins, nodnods.

Avirida takes up the position, and studies the console for a few moments.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Gimme a comp prog/repair roll, just for the heck."
<OOC> Tekkel says, "Or you could press the little button marked 'Help'. *duck*"
Avirida rolls 5D+1 dice: <6> 6 6 5 5
Avirida rolls 1 die: <2>
<OOC> Kelly says, "Oooh."
<OOC> Pira says, "holy hell :)"
<OOC> Avirida can not only use it, but put it together from toothpicks and baling wire. :)
<OOC> Tekkel wow. Awards Avirida the Honorary Siewa Membership Badge. :)

As if she's been using this system all her life, Avirida deftly calls up the charts for the area in question. The edge of Hutt Space is a dark cloud, amorphous, sending forth psuedopods here and there to enclose desired worlds on the fringes.

Pira moves a little closer, leaning over to admire the swiftness with which Avirida calls up potential suns.

After another minute of tapping at the board, most of the stars vanish from the display, leaving only scattered white points (or, in the case of the larger suns, balls).

Avirida idly subtracts those stars without known planetary systems, or with only gas giants, in passing.

Roughly two-thirds of the remaining stars blink out, leaving mostly the cooler ones, toward the edge of yellow.

Day-Lin reminds Avirida, "Blue-white."

Within the approximate area that Master Esuna described, maybe twenty systems remain. Some of the brighter, bluer stars return as Avirida refines her search. Not all of these have known planetary systems - some are uncharted, known only from observations from other worlds.

Day-Lin looks intently over the stars displayed, seeing if any of them seem especially close to the star in the vision.

Although they remain in their present positions, the stars expand and faint circles appear around almost all of them. Threaded on these like beads on a string are even smaller dots. These in turn expand to show detail.

<OOC> Pira says, "Woo, funky!"
<OOC> Kelly says, "ILM: When You Care Enough to Use the Very Best."
<OOC> Avirida looks awed :)

A score of systems revolves over the heads of the watching Jedi, an insubstantial orrery.

<OOC> Kelly says, "Okay, PER rolls from our knights."
<OOC> Pira says, "Waugh, my sheet seems to have fallen out of my book, what is my roll?"
<OOC> Kelly says, "4D for you."
Pira rolls 4 dice: <1> 6 1 3
<OOC> Kelly says, "... hmmm."
<OOC> Pira says, "Not only do I not notice anything, I mistake a small fly for a planet :)"
<OOC> Kelly is a nice guy and just takes away the six.
Day-Lin rolls 4 dice: <4> 5 5 3
<OOC> Tekkel giggles.

While Pira looks totally baffled, Day-Lin's face becomes sharper, more intent. Finally he points. "That one."

Avirida expands, drawing on whatever auxiliary files she can access through the console, to show the planetary system in question in greater detail.

<OOC> Day-Lin intones, with hissing breath effects, "That's it. The rebels are there."
<OOC> Avirida giggles.

The other systems fade into nothingness and the one Day-Lin picked swells to fill the entire volume of the hologram. Five planets; one seared ball of rock twirling frenetically around its primary, two gas giants moving through the outer system in a stately pavane, one lonely iceball in a highly tilted orbit, probably a captured comet... and on the outer edge of the white star's life zone, a small world veiled almost completely in clouds.

Looking at it, Pira feels the same subliminal tug of recognition that Day-Lin did - an echo of another life remembered.

DISSOLVE from the hologram of the unknown planet to:
EXT. SPACE - PLANET

Lightning flickers through the clouds on the night side of the mysterious world; nothing can be made out on the day side.

<OOC> Pira says, "More ominous music plays in the background :)"

Escorted by a pair of R-41 Starchasers, starfighters with wide flat bodies and shovel noses, a private yacht descends from orbit. Emerging from the thick cloud layer, the starship emerges into a world lit mostly by flashes of lightning, except when patches of sky open to let in the bright white illumination of its hot sun.

As its escorts swoop this way and that before it, the yacht soars over a blasted landscape of volcanic plains and ridges and swampy lowlands. At last the shape of an cinder cone looms out of the stormy dimness. And at the base of the mountain, a collection of black monoliths reach toward the sky like a clutching hand.

Lightning's blue glow flashes over the rounded upper surface of the yacht's hull as it finds a patch of firm ground to set down on. It turns, extends its landing struts, and settles to the surface of the dark planet.

For a moment there is only the moan of the wind. Then the ramp begins to drop, spilling a long streak of light out onto the moor. A figure appears at the head of the ramp...

<OOC> Pira says, "And now the whispered sanskrit Sith bit!"

END INTERLUDE

<OOC> Kelly muahahahahas.