Ask Don't Stop The Music

[The Storyteller]

The Errant Venture drifted along the Hydian way. The mobile shadowport was a popular destination for tourists, smugglers, gamblers, and any one else seeking a thrill. 3 individuals (@Darasuum @Tic @Panda Hermit 98 ) would be tasked with sabotaging the ship internally for their employer, Ceris Odrosess.

The old star destroyer isn't in the same shape as it use to be, but for the most part operates well. Most of the security is done by those who work and live upon the venture, creating a bit of a self-sufficient society. There are two main terminals which can be accessed, both are not required to succeed. The first terminal rests within the bridge. It isn't heavily guarded, but many doors require special access to enter making it tricky to get there. Not to mention it would be suspicious for tourists to be there. The second terminal rests within the reactor room. It was easier to get to, but there were plenty of hired guns and more patrolling it.

Simply get to one of the terminals and insert the data plague which will automatically extract the data and information of the ship and transmit it. The mission must be held with maximum discretion. If the ship is alerted to the presence of an attack and sounds the alarms, the three hired individuals would have to make an attempt to escape.

Death-Disabled / For the most part no dice, but depending on the action I may ask for a roll / Player Character may be arrested​

 

[It0]

Outside the shuttle’s porthole, the vast crimson hull of The Errant Venture dominated the view, the intricate mechanical landscape of its exterior stretching out in every direction. The gargantuan triangular vessel and former symbol of Imperial might remained an impressive sight, even given its current recreational designation. As the Xi-Class Shuttle drifted towards the open maw of the Errant’s hangar bay, the repurposed 2-1B Medical Droid “It0” could little but envision a pebble being cast to the sea.

The absurdity of such frankly sentimental imagery manifesting itself in his programming was not lost on It0. Nearly two decades had passed since he had deactivated in the lower levels of Nar Shaddaa, his circuitry overwhelmed upon awakening The Great Conqueror and unleashing him upon the galaxy after eons of slumber. He had abruptly awoken (or had been awoken) six standard days prior. And although diagnostics confirmed the medical droid as operational, he found his faith in such metric data faltering. His divine will now lived within It0’s durasteel frame, his glorious tenets and infallible directives housed within his memorybanks. In the droid’s estimation, the corporeal world had little truth left to impart upon him.

Whatever It0 had become, it was not what the Maker had intended.

From his seat aboard the shuttle, he studied the Star Destroyer’s exterior and found the hull peppered with lines of script, imagery and even moving holographics, all proudly displaying various products, destinations or services.

“By the Gotra.” his vocabulator muttered. “They’re selling advertising space on the outside of the ship.”

Truly the sentients had lost any semblance of dignity. The thirst for credits and power had long ago subsumed any of the fleshy organics finer qualities. Here, twenty years on, he saw little to distinguish them from the motley collection of fleshbags he had left upon deactivation. He felt his resolve strengthen to see his mission through and rid the galaxy of all races of genetic misfires.

He turned his attention to the shuttle’s fellow occupants.

“Shouldn’t be long now.” he said. “A Star Destroyer devoid of bucketheads is almost worth the price of admission.”

@Darasuum @Panda Hermit 98

 

[Zeep Repo]

"Hmm. Maybe I should take notes." He joked. Zeep technically owned a small space station over Naboo but he doubted such a thing would be allowed considering the level of class Naboo tended to keep.

He was carrying an extra six kilograms of welding putty in small sealed packets among the blaster ammo and gear he normally wore. His hunched form leaned forward in the oversized seat he was occupying. An inactive blaster arm was retracted and collapsed on his back and his foxlike tail curled around beside him, keeping him from sitting upright comfortably like most bipedal individuals.

Zeep had left is Y-wing behind for this mission. He instead was sitting beside a mechanical surgeion droid fiddling with one of his numerous weapons. He was glad to be young enough to never have lived under the thumb of the Galactic Empire. The current Din Empire did not seem that bad but it was not like it affected the freelancer's life style these days.

"Also...do we have a plan or are we just kind of...improvising?" His tone was devoid of judgement. The young Amaran just wanted to be on the same page.

@Panda Hermit 98 @Tic

 

[It0]

“If rumors are true,” the droid replied as he watched the Venture’s hangar crew usher their shuttle into its designated landing berth. “we should blend in easily enough with the establishments standard patronage.”

He turned from the shuttles porthole, studying his companions vulpine features closely.

“The staff of the Errant Venture is apparently quite used to an eclectic range of clientele.“ he said. “Once onboard, if we can reach a data node I should be able to access the internal communications network. A simple data analysis should provide us with some level of detail on the security and personnel stationed at both terminal locations. Once we’re better informed, crafting a specific plan of action should be a bit easier.”

The 2-1B watched as the shuttles flight crew brought the craft to rest and began preparation for initial inspection. The mechanical trill of the landing ramp lowering filled the confines of the cabin and he could detect the barked orders of the Venture’s security detaulHis photoreceptors seemed to adopt a conspiratorial sheen as he addressed his fellow passenger once more.

“Regardless of the diversity to which the should security staff may be accustomed to, it may be best if an organic does the talking.”

@Darasuum

 

[Lissa Blackhand]

Lissa was partially tuned into the conversation while cleaning her blaster, nodding along with the duo as she started reassembling it's components. She holstered her DC-17 and slipped her Glowrod into her pocket. This job probably wouldn't require a loud solution, but considering the bad luck she's had on previous jobs, it wasn't a risk she was prepared to take either.

"Blend in, look around, gather intel, make a plan, sounds good." She said, cracking her neck as she looked at the Vulpine. "You wanna handle the inspectors or shall I?"

@Tic @Darasuum

 

[Zeep Repo]

"Okay...Okay." The Amaran nodded with crossed arms as he listened to the surgical droid's analysis, pausing in his work before resuming. "You sure you won't get spotted accessing the node?" His small paw like hand gestured in emphasis of his critique. "If they have any type of network security they might send someone to investigate at the very least." Unless the droid had a dataplague that Zeep was unaware of, they would have limited time at this access point before someone would notice.

The freelancer looked towards Lissa as she stowed her weapons. Zeep seemed to be the most heavily armed out of all of them. "That depends. Are you going to talk to them or dispatch them?" He drew a line across his throat to pantamime the act of slitting their necks. He was confident he was capable of taking out a boarding team but his pride kept him from admitting he would feel nervous about talking to the authority or make a mistake. Zeep was more than willing to speak with the ship inspectors before they tried to move on.

@Panda Hermit 98 @Tic

 

[It0]

“I’m more than capable of parsing through the data in short order. Our time connected to the data node should be brief.” he replied. “Besides, by employing tunneling protocols I should be able to encapsulate my presence as legitimate network traffic. I’ll be well insulated from any filters standard network security sniffers might employ.”

The droid’s cranial unit swiveled towards the rear of the cabin, beyond which the ramp had descended to reveal the durasteel hangar bay deck below. Although he was not a slicer by trade, It0 had picked up enough tricks to navigate around most standard security systems. The sophistication of the Venture’s network security was an unknown variable it’s true, but it was one he was willing to risk.

He returned his attention to his companions as the clop-clop of heavy boots fell on the gangway below.

“If by chance we’re detected, why…we’ll simply have to improvise.” he said. “Isn’t that what you organics do?”

@Darasuum @Panda Hermit 98

 

[The Storyteller]

As the ramp revealed the hangar, the rumblings of music from the main game floor could be heard subtly. Much louder were other ships of various sizes moving throughout the hangar bay or being repaired. Various advertisements were announced throughout the ship.

For every 10 spins, we'll give you one on the house!​

A worker waited outside of the ramp until its occupants (@Darasuum @Tic @Panda Hermit 98 ) were ready to step out. Once they did they would be approached.

"Welcome to the Errant Venture. For some security and legal pur-poses I'll need you three to register ya selves here on this dater-pad. Y'all can take your time to read through it. It's mostly agreements to be on yer best be-havyour and adhere to our rules. We also use it just to keep track of who is on board in case some thang' goes wrong, think-a it a crew list of a sort."




There were a handful of guards patrolling the hangar, armed with various blaster carbines. There wasn't a standard issue uniform amongst them, as the security mostly consisted of freelancers and those who call the venture home. If the three complied with the worker's request, they would then be free to make their way to the gambling floors, or find a way to their goal.

 

[Zeep Repo]

Zeep's ears twitched and he nodded as It0 explained about their capabilities. The Amaran returned to his equipment and made sure it was all assembled appropriately. The freelancer then hopped down off of his seat and walked towards the debarkation ramp when it was time.

Lissa had not answered his question so he assumed he would be the one doing the talking. The entourage of individuals were led by the meekest of the bunch though Zeep swaggered his way confidently down the ramp. He stopped in front of the worker and listened to the greeting as he took in the surroundings, letting his AT-Specs get a good recording of the area.

Zeep's eyes lingered on some of the guards but then returned his attention to the worker attending to the newest arrivals. The Amaran gave the fake name Randy Pezz though since he did not want his actual identity logged on the Errant Venture. Hopefully the others would do the same.

@Panda Hermit 98 @Tic

 

[Lissa Blackhand]

Lissa followed the Vulpine down the ramp, ducking her head so she didn't clang it off the hull and nodding toward the greeter with a smile. While Zeep signed their name down, Lissa idly glanced at the ships on display around them, cataloguing each by how easy it would be to hijack them. This was assuming that they had the standard specs but, then again, if you were rich enough to rest your head here then chances were you'd have a ship that was either modded to high hell as a vanity project or a jury-rigged piece of junk held together with spit-shine and big dreams, with little inbetween.

She moved ahead to log herself, giving the name of Lissa T'Varnus, a simple identity she'd had set up for occasions like this - moderately wealthy, bit shy without a stiff drink, and something of a drifter (same first name though, made it less awkward if someone you met under an alias sees you by coincidence). Wealth, experience, and an inclination for fun usually made for a pass to most places, or at least a good excuse to not get blasted to ash immediately. Guard count was fairly low, they could handle them, but no unifying armor or weaponry, mostly unique, so they're likely not just paid security. Mercs, varying levels of skill, proceed with caution.
Once we're in, fancy a hand of Sabaac?" She asked, looking at 'Randy'. Maybe if they could get a good hand going, they could distract from the droid wandering around and getting a bead on things.

@Darasuum @Tic

 

[It0]

The medical droid toddled down the shuttle’s ramp in tow, placing himself behind the pair of organics as they falsified their identities onto the datapad. He waited until the worker gave him a disinterested glance.

“Salutations common organic laborer!” he said. The smarmy, sing-song cadence of a practiced salesman oozed from his vocoder. “I am D1-CE, a 2-1B Medical Droid from VitalTech Solution’s coveted ‘RevitaDroids’ line, offering a range of artisan focus boosters and cognitive enhancers for the sportsman, sportswoman or sportsorganic on the go! Why miss Lady Luck’s knock simply because your fleshy, inefficient meat-chassis can’t keep up? With RevitaDroids line of bleeding edge stimulants and micronutritionals you’ll stay sharp, focused and most importantly, in the game! RevitaDroids! Live for your fun, don’t die for it!”

Pitch complete, It0 scanned the hangar for any comm panels that might house the nodes he was after. A bustling bay was a remarkably poor choice for the brand of espionage they were after, but a visual on one of the communication nodes would at least confirm that the crew of the Errant Venture hadn’t modified the standard physical configuration or design of standard Star Destroyer panels.

“I would suggest we proceed towards the game floor.” he said quietly to his companions. “Perhaps a more discreet opportunity will present itself.”

@Darasuum @Panda Hermit 98

 

[Zeep Repo]

"Sure. I guess I could try winning some credits. I'm used to normally taking them." Along with ships, weapons and lives, Zeep dipped his paws in all sorts of criminal activity.

Zeep was glad the welcoming interaction was out of the way. Some of what It0 said, Zeep could not help but agree with. The young foxlike infiltrator had a few cybernetic parts that already improved his abilities as an individual. However social interaction was not his strong suit since the Amaran preferred to shoot and steal rather than socialize. The freelancer led the group towards the game floor where bright lights flashed and machines dinged to catch the attention of any passing gambler. They were soon among servers and revelers of all kinds.

The petite red furred individual approached a card table and climbed on top of a chair meant for larger beings. Zeep indicated to deal him in the next hand. The young Amaran took a look at his cards and proceeded to play most of his first hand until folding towards the end. He knew his cards were bad and his sabacc face was probably terrible. At least he was getting paid after this. If not, he would find a way to 'earn' his lost credits back. "I fold. Maybe better luck next hand."

Spoiler: Sabacc skill roll

Mild fail: 15/100

 

[Lissa Blackhand]

Lissa followed Zeep to the Sabaac tables before splitting off from him. The idea was to play a few hands and get a good flow going, drawing a crowd and giving the droid more room to work with. Of course, this depended on her actually winning, a an idea that was wholly anyone's guess. It wasn't like she didn't know how to play, she would play with her dad when he was having a good day, but as he so often said, she had a terrible poker face.

Don't get me wrong pup, you've got a talent for the game, your card hand's quick and yer strategy's sound, but when someone lays eyes on that face, you're up the Koboh plains without a canteen.

She smiled a little - remembering him before AMS always seemed to have that effect, few and far between those moments may be. If she had that bad a Sabaac face, how could she cover for that? She looked at the table ahead of her and examined the players, as well as a few around her. Hmmm, they seemed to mostly be men, various species but the same rough gender...maybe the solution wasn't fixing her face, but rather distracting from it. Lissa quietly made her way to the bathroom and examined herself in the mirror, taking her shirt and ripping the neckline down and deep. The exposed cleavage was pretty damned noticeable compared to the rest of her - maybe that would get the boys' attention...

It very much did.

@Darasuum @Tic

Spoiler: Sabaac roll

Skill check: 13

 

[It0]

It0 followed the pair onto one of the Errant Venture’s many gaming floors. The crowded, bustling space was so chock full of organics shouting, waving, cursing, cheering and in a constant state of movement that for a moment the droid feared his photoreceptors might short circuit. Finding a viable communications node to interface with and remain unnoticed amidst such commotion might be more difficult than he had originally thought.

Nevertheless, there were appearances to keep up. The ruse that he was accompanying these beings as some sort of mechanically designed pick-me-up was necessary if he were to avoid arousing suspicion. As such, he tottled dutifully behind them as they approached the sabaac tables, intent apparently, on wasting both time and money. He watched uninterestedly as Zeep failed miserably before heading off to check in on Lissa’s luck, only to find her facing a similar result.

Had Miss Odrosses intentionally hired the two unluckiest organics in the Mid Rim? If so, tonight would be short and in all likelihood, painful.

Leaving the gamblers to their fates, It0 patrolled the floors peripherals in search of an obscured hallway or promising egress that may contain the paneled node they sought. And there, near the room’s far end was just the stroke of luck his personality matrix had hoped to see! Tucked away behind a repulsorlift cart stocked with cleaning supplies sat a narrow utility corridor. It0 poked his cranial unit into the compact hallway and scanned the walls. Ah ha! There, about halfway down the length of the corridor was the shallow paneled housing of a communications node!

He made his way back onto the gaming floor and took his place beside Zeep, who was apparently still absorbed in his game.

“Well done, sir!” he chirped loudly, oblivious to whether or not the fluffy organic’s luck had changed. “How is your focus and mental acuity holding up? Might I offer you a mental chronometry enhancer?”

He leaned in close to the Amaran and lowered his vocabulator volume.

“I believe I’ve located what we require. But I’ll need someone to stand watch for potential interlopers while I connect to it.”

Spoiler: Searching for Comm. Node

Rolled a 97

​

@Darasuum @Panda Hermit 98

 

[Zeep Repo]

The Amaran's bad luck was just beginning. While the young fox-like freelancer was done playing cards, he still needed to make a distraction for IT0. He gave a nod in understanding.

Looking around he tried to think of something that would be suitable. Then he spotted a well dressed patron at a different table. The gambler had half of their expensive smartpad dataphone sticking out of their fashionable clothes.

Leaving his gambling table, Zeep headed to walk behind his would-be mark. Just as he passed and reached out, his digits did not make contact with the dataphone. The pickpocket's paws were zapped by the stun-prods of an ID-21 Seeker droid that had been out of sight until then and had watched Zeep approach. The small black crab-like machine chittered and alerted its owner to the attempted theft.

"Huh?" the well dressed gambler looked down at the guilty freelancer, massaging his stunned right hand to get feeling back into it. "Hey! I'm calling security." He stood up from his table and raised a hand to wave over a pair of gilded security droids. Crap, they were probably more than a match for Zeep, how was he going to get away with this.

The ID-21 seeker droid dove towards Zeep again during his moment of hesitation and sent more volts of electricity through his body. The Amaran shrank away and fell to the ground momentarily before rising again. Zeep growled back at the small metal disc and had the urge to retaliate.

Spoiler: distraction roll

Major fail: 2/100