SCAVENGER HUNT: Episode Two: Strangers in Paradise

[max_vale]

Aboard the Rebel Light Freighter Nova Kestrel in transit from Dankayo System to Hyperspace to 'Paradise System'


After Spilfer gave the coordinates to the 'Paradise System' to the Alliance Agents aboard the Ghtroc 720 light freighter Nova Kestrel; Cal input the coordinates in the navicomputer and pulled back on the hyperspace lever, launching them into the swirling 'tunnel of lights' that denoted hyperspace and all six took a deep breath of relief that they were away from the Squibs....well, most of them anyway....

Spilfer turned out to be a cheerful chatterbox, frequently asking anyone if they were interested in trading their blaster for a set of 'slightly used' Bantha toe-nails or their comlink for a 'previously owned' sandwich wrapper. They WERE confused about the silent, strange looking Droid with two arms, two legs, a shiny torso and a square head with what looked like pull down panels in the torso and head with various buttons alongside the hollowed area behind the panels until FINALLY the Squib 'guide' caught enough looks to explain....

"Oh yeah...this be L9-G8.....he a cooking Droid....me have on/off switch for his talky-talky parts, but be warned....he talk a LOT"; the Squib says without a TRACE of irony in his cheerful voice. As he finishes that thought, he removes a small remote from one of the pouches on his bandoleer and presses a button and a moment later, a polite voice emanates from a small grill in the box-like head of L9-G8....

"Greetings! I am L9-G8, but please call me El Nine. I am a luxury chef Droid with the ability to prepare over 740 of the finest dishes known to the Galaxy! If you provide the ingredients, I can utilize my ovens, grilling stations and heating pads to ensure everyone has a truly FIRST CLASS meal! Why, I can-"; he goes on and on until at last, Spilfer presses the button and the voice abruptly cuts off again. It's quickly becoming clear why Ebarbavbeedee was 'gracious' enough to gift the Droid onto the Rebels....

After a long couple of hours thru hyperspace, at last the Navicomputer flashes that they are approaching their destination. Cal pulls the lever to have the ship drop back into real-space and just at the edge of a star system the Navicomputer logs as 'J21-Z65', pretty far off the beaten track of all well known space lanes, no planets, just a small Red Dwarf of a sun and an Asteroid belt. However, the sensors quickly start flashing as multiple other ships are detected......indeed, there's a well maintained blockade with several picket ships flying orderly patrols that even the Imperial Navy would be proud of. However, these ships are CLEARLY not those of the Empire....

The vessels are the same bizarre, large circular ships with outdated but powerful mass-driver cannons and chemical missiles that the Squib ship briefly fought back in Dankayo; the one that grabbed much of the Imperial garbage before departing. Spilfer sees them and says; "Ugor battle-wagons....Paradise System must have even more better stuff that we thought! Quest Object is in middle of system, past circle of rocks", he points out; while Cal and Jackson are a bit more dismayed to see that one of the Ugor ships is on an intercept course towards them. A moment later, the comms crackle to life and a watery voice blubbers out; "Shtand by bor Cushtoms Inshpection"...

[Rex]

Kit

"Roar"

"Battle Stations!"

Kit heads for the medical bay to strap in.

[kipper]

"Maybe we'd better let them on board, we don't have time for a war right now." Clark replies.

He looks at Spilfer. "Perhaps you should hide during the inspection if you're enemies of the Ugor? We've got a secret compartment."

[Monsieur Rose]

Zuul

The squib amuses him. After a few conversations in which Zuul somehow trades his toenail clippings for those of a Bantha, he is a bit less amused.

"Nice work on that trade, Clark. Maybe next time we can get two guidess. If it'ss molting season, hiss scaless are easy to come by."

As the ship leaves hyperspace and the sensors pick up multiple ships, he sighs and nods at Clark's smuggling solution.

[Solo4114]

"Spilfer, the hidden compartment is in the starboard cargo bay. You should be safe there. If someone can take him back there and show him, I'll keep the Kestrel steady. I can stall them for a minute if we need. Meanwhile, everyone just play it cool. These guys have no reason to be hostile to us...yet."

Cal will bring the ship to a stop to prepare for boarding. If the crew needs time to prepare, Cal will rig the airlock door to show signs of malfunction and then explain that there's a slight delay in getting the door open. Otherwise, he'll hail the Ugor ship and let them know the Kestrel is complying with their request.

[ybn1197]

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Jackson mumbles to himself as he prepares for the ship to be boarded.

[Starbeard]

"That makes two of us," says Vale ominously. "El-nine, can you hold my lightsaber in one of your compartments? They may try to confiscate it if they recognize it. I may need it in a hurry, so you would have to be able to toss it toward me on my hand signal—no need to be terribly precise, I can help guide it with my mystical powers." He takes a moment to be thankful that he is wearing his normal black tunic and trousers rather than any obvious Jedi robes, so that he can keep his powers hidden.

He then prepares for the boarding by attempting to direct his feelings toward the Ugor as they board the ship.

(OOC: using Vale's usual Force recon procedure. Life Sense to determine how many there are, Empathy to determine their emotional disposition. He'll innocently stay by El-Nine and continue using Empathy while they're aboard, giving everyone "the nod" if he senses imminent violence.)

[Rex]

Kit

Seeing that they are about to be boarded Kit decides to try and look as menacing as possible. Once they are aboard she will make a bunch of meaningless growly noises (unless they have a Wookie with them)>

[max_vale]

Aboard the Rebel Light Freighter Nova Kestrel and Ugor Battlewagon in the 'Paradise System'


Spilfer moves to hide in the secret compartment in the starboard cargo bay as the Ugor Battlewagon docks with the Rebel's ship. He calls out; "Be watchin' out for those Ugors.....they loves to get their pseudopods on money". Then Vale asks L9 a question about storing his lightsaber and Spilfer takes out the remote and presses the button to allow the cooking droid to speak and as he does so the remote sparks and fizzes and Spilfer lets out a curse as he realizes the remote is now useless. He shrugs his shoulders at the Rebels in an apologetic manner and scampers away to hide in the compartment....

As he does so, L9 immediately assaults the silence. "I'm not sure what a lightsaber is, is it anything like a DeNoovlian Loin roast? Because if it IS, I can make a MOST EXCELLENT dish with a just a bit of salt and a dash of arellic spice powder! Why, there was a time when I was cooking for the Duros Pilot's Guild back on Bestine when-"; at this point he's interrupted by Vale showing him the lightsaber and he stops for a nano-second, before continuing with; "-oh, well, I can certainly store that HERE-"; and at this point a door opens on his chest and the Jedi places the weapon inside the area before L9 continues with; "-but I'm afraid I have no way to rapidly get it to you...if it were smaller and flatter, I could utilize my toaster oven in my right leg....which reminds me, do you guys have any Ortollin bread? If so, I can-"; and he just goes on and on as everyone does their best to ignore his ramblings.....

A docking seal if made and the airlock opens and 3 Ugors make their way onboard the Nova Kestrel, and as they all gather together, the Rebels see a trio of aliens approximately a meter and a half tall (about 5 feet flat) and almost that wide aliens, all in bulky armored suits and each with multiple stalks with eyes where most species 'heads' would be; two stumpy 'legs' supporting the barrel-like body and each had between 3 and 5 pseudopod "arms", all but 1 of which were brandishing an eclectic set of weapons at the Alliance Team. There were a trio of Hunting Blasters, a pair of Slugthrowers, a Grapnel-launcher, a flame-thrower and what appeared to be a pair of tranquilizer dart guns.....

Ugor1.jpg (9.85 KiB) Viewed 3995 times

The Ugor in the middle had an armored suit of a bright gold color and he/it stepped forward and raised the 1 pseudopod 'arm' that held no weapon out towards the Rebels with a flat 'hand' held out. A rumbling, watery, bass voice emanated from somewhere in side the bulky suit.....

"Bigrims to Sysdem of Paradyesh, we cerebonially salude you in name of Grade Prophet Botiv of Ugor. I, humble Tax Chaplain GrrKack, bid you welcome on your sacred bilgrimage. You will now be bollowing me to holy demple on Battlewagon Holy Tithes 47, where you will make cerebonial donation to proob intentnesh of baith". As he finishes he waves the unarmed 'hand' towards the connecting tube back to his ship.

At this point L9 rambles on before any Rebel gets a chance to speak up; "Oh how DELIGHTFUL! I think it would be a most wonderful experience to-"; GrrKack guts him off with; "NO. Non-eaters are forbidden from enbering to holy place." L9 stops talking and take on a dejected stance, "My souffle of excitement has been deflated"......

[ybn1197]

"I understand Tax Chaplain that L9 here is a 'non-eater' however," Jackson says "he is a most excellent chef. I think if you and your crew would allow him to make you sometime of culinary excellence, you may change your mind."

[Rex]

Kit

Kit stands by and keeps an eye on the Ugor.

[Starbeard]

Vale attempts to read their emotions. Are they feeling smug? duplicitous? sincere?

[kipper]

Clark sighs inwardly, and begins to make his way towards connecting tube. These aliens don't seem to him that they will be susceptible to bribery.

[Starbeard]

PS: The moment it seems that L9 is not going to be able to follow them, he will take the opportunity to retrieve his lightsaber quietly while "turning L9 off" and hope they don't recognize it.

[Monsieur Rose]

Zuul

Looks at the Ugor incredulously, then at the rest of the crew, then back at the Ugor. "Uh...what is the prob intenseness of a bath? Is that a human thing?"

He merely shrugs and follows the smartest human he knows. "And people call Him strange..." He takes note of the various weaponry and decides to take his slugthrower and his force pike along.

[max_vale]

Aboard the Rebel Light Freighter Nova Kestrel and Ugor Battlewagon in the 'Paradise System'


Tax Chaplain GrrKack answers Jackson's querry about L9 with a sorrowful; "That does sound like a delibicious idea, but I'm afraid Divine Law is quite clearb on bis issue. No non eaters on board", he ends firmly and then leads the way to the connecting tube back to the Battlewagon.

Clark sighs and leads the band of Rebels in following the strange aliens while Vale takes a moment to close his eys, attune himself to the Force and utilize his Empathy power to learn what he can of how the Ugors are feeling. The young Jedi detects wariness, a single-minded ZEAL for doing things 'correctly' and more than anything else, GREED. When he has a moment he tries to turn L9 off, then remembers that Spilfer's remote broke, so there is no turning the gregarious cooking Droid off any longer, but he IS able to retrieve his Lightsaber....while listening to the cheerful Droid go on and on about how it felt JUST like a Zarneevian Roast loin he once made the Duchess of Fellatine VII....

Zuul takes his trusty 'Enforcer' Slugthrower and Electro Staff and follows the bizarre aliens onto their even MORE bizarre ship. Kit, Jackson, Cal and Vale follow the big Barabel....

The Ugor Battlewagon has very wide open halls, but there's a bizarre liquid-like mist in the air and the controls panels here and there on the walls appear to have some kind of light coating of something sticky clinging to them. It's all the Rebels can do to NOT shudder in disgust a they all concentrate on just following the bizarre aliens to a wide open area where yet another Ugor awaits, this one in a similar armored space suit, though his/hers/its is adorned with numerous strange symbols all over it. GrrKack advances towards the new Ugor while motioning for the Rebels to stop in the center of the open room and the other two nameless Ugors, still brandishing their arsenals take up flanking positions to either side of the band of Alliance agents....

GrrKack speaks to the Ugor with all of the symbols on his suit and says; "Wise ArrGack, I bring dese honorable Bilgrims who have entered the System of Baradise to your holiness". ArrGack nods with several of his eye covered psuedo-pod 'heads', and then utilizes one of his pesudo-pod arms to grab a large silver tray with a red cloth covering the inside portion and he holds it forth towards the Rebels while addressing them....

"I am Chief Tax Chaplain ArrGack and I bid you welcome to de System of Baradise. As part of your Bilgrimage, it is customary to make a 50 credit donation per Bilgrim and also to understand de Holy Laws of this System. No weapons are permitted in Baradise, so all bersonal weapons need to be left here, where dey will be watched over with the greatest of care for a small donation. All ship weapons must be deactibated and if any holy artifacts are to removed from Baradise, an donation of a size to be assessed by Holy Officers will be made for each artifact", he finishes while extending his pseudo pod arm holding the tray towards Clark expectantly.....


**Quick note; Cal and Jackson both still have a substantial amount of credits

[Starbeard]

Vale lets Jackson and Cal figure out the finances, and pays up whatever is decided he owes.

He will hand over his blaster but keep his lightsaber clipped to his belt, inconspicuously next to his other utility pouches and such. If an Ugor recognizes the weapon and calls him out on it, he feigns ignorance and dismay over having forgotten about it. "Wha…— oh, this? I'm sorry, it's a family heirloom of sorts, I completely forgot it was there. I sincerely apologize. Here you are," handing it over, "and please accept this further donation of 50 credits for my grievous mistake."

[Rex]

Kit

Kit will hand over her blaster carbine, but not her lightsaber, following Vale's lead. She will follow along for now, keeping a wary eye on the guards.

[Solo4114]

Cal will agree to split the cost with Jackson as necessary, and will relinquish his blaster.

[ybn1197]

Jackson kicks in the other half of the cost and relinquishes his blaster as well.