Star Wars - Corsairs of the Seven Suns RP Main Thread

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Blackness.

The starless section of space was empty and desolate, virtually unknown to all law-abiding citizens in the galaxy. It wasn't conveniently close to any planets in this sector and, thus, was not even listed on most hyperspace computers. Which made it perfect for the pirate crew of Captain Raan Calwell.

The Broken Saber screeched out of hyperspace smoothly, making the captain grin. Ever since that near collision with the asteroid above Nal Hutta, he had learned to not take smooth hyperspace jumps for granted. He patted the Sullustan who had made the jump on the shoulder and exited the cockpit to enter the meeting area of the Saber, where that blasted Ropor sat assembled with his Jedi companions all around him.

"Howdy. I miss anything?" Calwell hid his disdain for the Ugnaught and his pupils with his jovial tone as he took a seat next to some of his crew that had decided to attend the meeting that Ropor had called.

"No, we could not have fathomed starting this meeting without you, Captain." Master Ropor answered drily, activating the holoprojector that was placed in the center of the floor. It was clear to all present that the Ugnaught Jedi was a bit miffed that he had to wait on Calwell. An image of a tall, sinewy Human with a shaved head was projected to the room once Ropor hit a button.

"This is Jedi Master Noc Naroon. He was once a friend and my former apprentice, who, sadly became disillusioned with the Jedi Order. For those of you who do not know, he has currently assembled a fleet of pirate ships above the planet, Elrood. While he claims that he is attempting to negotiate with the pirates, the Council and Senate believe something more sinister may be at play here. We will use this ship and our...esteemed captain's reputation as cover while we infiltrate this pirate fleet and figure out what Naroon is really up to." Ropor said, switching off the projector. The black-coated protocol droid that Calwell had won in a game of sabaac, Z-2P0, was translating what the Jedi Master had said for those who did not have a great grasp on Basic.

"My name is Master Lowro Ropor, for those of you who do not know me." the Jedi introduced himself. He proceeded to introduce the rest of the eleven other Jedi who had accompanied him. Captain Calwell, grinned and shook their hands as a good captain should, all the while taking note of their names and sizing them up. He wasn't planning on a mutiny - a full pardon was a good deal no matter how you sliced it - but one never knew what opportunities could come up.

"And, lastly, this is Salvan. He has studied medicine and healing extensively and can assist any who might be ailed." Ropor concluded his introductions, gesturing to an Ithorian in white robes. Salvan nodded curtly to the crew and somehow didn't see Calwell's offered hand to shake. Evidently, some Jedi were just as uncomfortable working with pirates as Calwell was working with Jedi.

"Well it's a blasted pleasure meeting you all, I must say." Calwell lied through his teeth. "Most of you know but the name's Raan Calwell but you all can call me Captain if you don't want to be assigned to cleaning out the kitchen. This here's my first mate Kal Zerro. I'm a busy man so if you have any questions, you talk to him."

Kal Zerro was another Sullustan, morbidly obese with a permanent scowl on his face. All the pirates would know that he was still upset that he hadn't been voted captain of the ship after demanding a vote of no-confidence in Calwell's leadership after that fiasco on Naboo. An ordinary captain would have reassigned or marooned a first mate who questioned his leadership like that but Calwell was no ordinary captain and took delight at seeing the Sullustan squirm every time he had to obey an order he did not agree with.

"Only thing I have to say is that after that little disagreement that us and Master Ropor here had over Coruscant, The Saber's seen better days. If it's not too much trouble, I have some small jobs that you Jedi could help me with if it's not too much trouble." Calwell continued, the "disagreement" referring to the pitched naval battle between Coruscant security forces. Ropor frowned at this downplayed description of a skirmish that had cost lives on both sides but said nothing.

"Right. Thank you captain. Are there any quest-" Ropor began before being cut off by a voice coming from the intercom system above their heads.

" Captain, we're a quarter of a planetary rotation away from Elrood. Radar's just picked up what looks like an abandoned cruiser slightly off course. How do you want to proceed?" the voice asked. Calwell's ears pricked up. Abandoned ships could be a pirate's dream - potential loot with no crew members fighting back. It didn't get better than that. Then again, sometimes sinister things could be hidden within those ships.

"What do you think lads? How do you want to play this?" Calwell asked his crew. Pirates were a democratic bunch, after all. Ropor sighed and turned to Incarn Pulvek. The Jedi Weapon Master was a most unconventional Jedi and he reminded Ropor disturbingly of his old apprentice at times but he was still a Jedi and right now, Ropor needed someone to vent to.

"Can you believe this?" he whispered. "Stopping to scavenge while we're on a mission! The nerve!"

edited 1st Aug '16 12:53:06 PM by FantasyLiver

"Hells yeah!" Laski piped up from her corner. She was a rather tall young woman, dusky and pigeon-plump with features habitually set in a scowl of concentration or a devil-may-care smirk; in a nod to formality she had on a pale green jacket instead of her usual utility vest clanking with tools, but her blaster and her remote droid still hung off her hip. "I mean, one vote for aye, captain. And, Master Ropor, think of it as establishing cover. You're pirates now, right? What self-respecting pirate wouldn't loot an abandoned ship?"

Laski had been onboard long enough to find her feet and to begin exploring what the old ship's computer networks were capable of, but not quite long enough to call herself a genuine spacer or pirate, and abandoned ships had their own hazards. She could feel the excitement of the prospect tugging her mouth into a grin as she spoke. And there was a joking tone to her voice when she spoke to the Jedi, but also something else, something close to genuine deference, quite different from the rowdy democratic sort of respect that she accorded to the captain.

edited 1st Aug '16 5:12:41 PM by SabresEdge

Arika rolled her eyes at Laski. Having been a member of the crew for a while, she was aware of the danger of deserted ships. Also, they very rarely had edible supplies on board. But...she could use some new equipment, and they could always use the Jedi as cannon fodder if necessary. But she had more important things to deal with now. Approaching the Captain, she meekly (by which the captain would know that she wanted something, because Arika was not often meek) asked for his counsel.

If she got it, she would whisper quietly (and angrily).

"Keep those Jedi out of my kitchen. If they get in there, and they mess stuff up..."

A beat.

"It's their fault that the crew don't eat for three days while I get my kitchen in order."

She then bowed her head respecfully.

"Captain."

Incarn bowed the reflective ellipsoid that passed for his head toward the Jedi Master, keeping his reverberant voice appropriately low, "One cannot expect a cast of Corellian hawks to let a trinket be, no matter how frivolous. We sully ourselves with this association of convenience, but we have already made our beds, I think. In the interests of keeping these brigands placid...."

Incarn looked toward the one called Laski, lightly probing at her surface emotions. He raised a three-fingered mechanical hand in accord, his white sleeve slipping down to reveal yet more of the ultrachrome plating covering the arm beneath, "If its a vote, then, 'aye.' Wreckage so close to us here in empty space cannot be mere coincidence."

"We were led here," he stated flatly.

edited 2nd Aug '16 4:47:09 AM by StygianEmperor

"Excellent, a Jedi Healer," RT-G6 said. "You can be my nurse. I need someone to clean out the medical equipment on board."

"Trap or not, we've never profited from letting the imaginary threat of violence stop us before," he added. "Today shouldn't be the day we start. I will of course agree with Laski on this matter and vote with an affirmative."

edited 1st Aug '16 7:45:08 PM by nman

Crazoak listen to some of the others voice their opinions about the abandoned ship. While he normally let the rest of the crew decide what they would do, he felt that there were a few concerns he should say. "How do we know that the ship is abandoned? Do we have anything that can pick up any signs of life from it?" He asked in his usual emotionless way of speaking.

"But then again, if the ship isn't that badly damaged we pilot it to the nearest planet and sell it for scrap." Crazoak added a few seconds later.

"Why no need to worry Arika! We're all one big happy family here - we share and share alike!" Captain Calwell boomed loudly enough for anyone to hear. However, he gave the pirate chef a surreptitious thumb's up when Ropor had his back turned.

"Hmmm...I don't know if I agree with you but I suppose there could be innocent lifeforms aboard and this could be an interesting training exercise for those young Jedi aboard. Very well, Captain..we'll go along with this little salvage expedition of yours." Master Ropor relented, making Calwell's smile widen even further.

"Excellent! Set a course for the cruiser!" Calwell said, pushing the intercom button. He was especially fond of Crazoak's idea of selling the abandoned ship if it was pilotable.

"Lifeform scanner picked up nothing. This thing sure looks abandoned." Kal Zerro told Crazoak, reading his datapad. Ropor frowned at the enthusiasm of the pirates for this salvage mission, even though he agreed to it. He wasn't the only Jedi who was frowning either. Salvan had an open look of disgust on his face when RT-G6 began speaking to him.

"Hmmph! How dare you presume to compare the two of us! Me - working under you? It's preposterous! I am an expert in Dark Side corruption and injuries and am the Order's most premier spiritual healer. Being able to heal a blaster wound received in some back alley of Nar Shaddaa does not make you my equal, droid." Salvan said, using the word "droid" as an insult. He would have said more perhaps before Ropor put a placating hand on his knee, since he couldn't quite reach his shoulder.

"Peace, Salvan. This droid does not deserve such scorn from you. I understand that it has been a long trip but mayhaps a meditation in your bunk would serve you well." Ropor suggested. Salvan huffed but began to walk towards the bunking area.

"Apologies for that. Salvan has always been...rather proud of his work. He just needs a spiritual guide to temper some of his more aggressive feelings." Ropor told the pirates. "Speaking of which, as a Jedi Master, I serve the whole galaxy and not just the Order as a spiritual guide. If any of you desire counsel or a friendly ear, my door is always open."

Calwell suppressed an eye-roll. That would be the day that the seven hells of Corellia froze over.

I will put up another, bigger post tonight that will have you guys actually arriving at the abandoned cruiser but right now, use this as a time to interact with each other until that occurs.

Almost unconsciously Laski shook her head slightly, as if shaking off a cobweb; the motion made her ponytail sway. She hadn't heard the big metal Jedi say her name, but for a moment Laski was instinctively sure that she had his attention—a thought-quick flicker as brief but certain as a moment of eye contact or a tap on the shoulder. (Just as she was instinctively sure he was organic long before he said anything, though at first glance he appeared as mechanical as any droid. Laski trusted her instincts.)

Her job would normally be operating the ship's sensors, but prying the first officer from the sensor console in his current mood would be a bad idea. That left her with little to do, so she followed up on her instinct and approached Incarn.

"Hey, big guy," she said cordially, eyeing him up and down. (Mostly up.) "You think we're meant to be here?"

Arika nodded to the Captain, and mouthed 'thank you'. Happier now that her kitchen was safe, and hearing that the salvage mission was going on, sonce she could use some new equipment. Then she heard the Jedi talk down to RT-G6, whom she actually rather liked. He didn't try to manage her kitchen, and had patched her up after a scrap woth a crewmember who did.

Before she could imtervene, the Jedi Master did. After he completed his incredibly presuptuos offer, Arika stepped forward to talk to the droid.

"For some reason, I have to doubt that he has ever had to heal with the amount of resources you have to. I also doupt that he has ever sown up a wound from a tri-bladed knife, ehole the person bleeds out."

Incarn noted Salvan's disdain for RT-G6. Such is the state of Jedi training these days, he supposed. The emotional outburst warranted keeping an eye on him; the ithorian could become a liability.

More pressingly, Laski seemed to take an interest in Incarn. Her approach made him somewhat uncomfortable, as he was not yet acclimatized to the nearness of such exuberant minds compared to the subdued feeling at the temple. While involuntarily crossing his arms, he focused on her question, "Yes. The Force has a tendency to bring significant people and places together, even when they seem an unlikely meeting. No telling what we might come across, but I doubt the derelict is simply a scavver's windfall."

Noticing her remote droid, Incarn decided to ask, "What is your role here? Some sort of technician?"

edited 2nd Aug '16 9:57:42 PM by StygianEmperor

"You have my thanks, Arika," Arty said.

"I must have misspoke, I was not attempting to say we were equals," he added. "As I am the medical officer aboard this ship, clearly he would be my subordinate.

Arika grinned.

"Try telling him that. I always found Jedi a little stuck up."

Beat

"Besides, if any of them come near my kitchen they'll probably come running to you for help."

It took some minutes but the Saber eventually flew within sight of the abandoned cruiser. It was a big wide, squarish vessel, about two hundred meters with three large engines, all of which were dark and unmoving. From the Tagge Co logo painted on it and its general appearance, it appeared to be a shipping freighter. Several scorched holes, as if from missiles or lasers, were blasted into parts of the hull. While it was difficult to get a read on the exact schematics, particularly if the ship had been modified by the captain, its design looked like the front edge of the square, so to speak, was the cockpit while the back edge was the engine room. The two side edges of the square appeared to be cargo holds and possibly some other rooms, with a central hallway connecting all of the areas.

"Alright then lads, you know the deal. Form up a search party, six to ten blokes, and keep me informed of what's going on. You see anything suspicious down there, you run it by me so I can decide whether to send you reinforcements or fly the hell outta here. HA!" Calwell slapped his knee at his own grim joke before instructing the Sullustan at the helm on attaching the Saber to the underbelly of the broken-down cruiser, near one of the scorched holes, so the boarding crew could use the top hatch elevator of the Saber to enter the ship.

"Kal, you'll be my little buddy while this shindig is going down!" Calwell chuckled as he slapped his treacherous first mate on the back. The pirate crew would all know that the only reason Calwell stayed behind on boarding parties was so that he could keep an eye on Kal Zerro and make sure that he didn't plot another mutiny. Master Ropor sighed at this obvious display of needless harassment on Calwell's part but said nothing.

"While, I may not agree with the nature of this side-trip, it wouldn't be right of us to let you spacers go in there alone to face whatever dangers may lurk in this derelict ship. If you'll give me a moment, I shall accompany you, along with any other Jedi who might wish to follow. If you'll just give me a moment, I think the Council may have packed a glowrod or two that might prove useful." Master Ropor said before scurrying off to his bunk.

"Well, the little runt's stepping up - who knew, huh? Who else is going?" Calwell asked his crew once Ropor had left

"Of course I'll be coming along as well, like always," RT said. "Someone needs to patch you lot up when something inevitably explodes. Or someone gets stabbed. Again."

Arika raised her hand to register her attendance on the boarding party. Though she was not particularly interested in the salvage, there was no way that she could leave looting the kitchens to these people, even if she gave them a list.

"I'll go, Captain, since we could always use some more equipment in the kitchen, and I can't trust these...people to get it for me."

"Close," Laski said with a shrug. "Slicer an' offensive EW. Call me Laski, and if I remember, aren't you Master Incarn—"

She was interrupted as the call went out for boarders and the resultant bustle turned the ship into a disturbed anthill; she only had time to give a brief apologetic wave before she hurried off to grab her utility vest and kit.

A few minutes later she was by the elevator, remote droid hovering by her shoulder, an improbable variety of tools nestled in various pockets, loops, and holsters, and listening to the captain's instructions (looking a little uneasy at the captain's reference to Master Ropor).

"Y'hear that, Mynock?" she said to the little remote droid, which bobbed in acknowledgment. "Load up X-scan an' intrusion protocols, an' link up with the ship's sensor feed. The usual."

Bweep, dwooo.

"Yeah, I have your backup synced," Laski said reassuringly.

Doo-ee?

"Well yeah we're expecting opposition. People don't leave behind perfectly good freighters for no reason. Could be anything—homicidal security AIs, psychotic droid uprising, thousand-year-old Sith ghost with a grudge..."

So the pirate girl was a slicer. Though his core systems were quite difficult to access, Incarn was always cautious around those who could potentially turn his own body against him. Still, she may have basic mechanical knowledge should I require repairs. Leave it to Ropor to bring a medic who can do nothing for me.

"I will join the search. I can see in the dark, and if there's danger, I will handle it." He started to go fetch the huge vibro-axe from his quarters, "...with your permission, of course, Master Ropor."

"I don't know how useful I'll be, but I'll join the team." Crazoak said. He wasn't sure what the they would find on the ship, he just didn't want any of the others getting caught if there was a trap on that ship without someone else to help them.

"Considering the sheer quantity of Jedi involved, allow me to preemptively blame the Force if things do go to hell," RT-G6 said.

"Hopefully they have a bacta tank we can take, more bodies onboard means I'm going to have to stretch our resources thinner unless we can acquire more supplies or an upgrade to our medical facilities."

Wasn't sure if I would ask you guys or do random rolls to decide if other NPC crew members would accompany you so I opted for the rolls since none of the NPC Pirates have been developed much. Two NPC's are coming with you guys.

Master Ropor hurriedly nodded at Incarn's request as he hurried off to fetch his glowrods. When he came back, almost collapsing under the heavy load of the ancient, bulky glowrods that the Council had sent the Jedi, Calwell snorted with laughter.

"Something funny, Captain." Ropor asked, struggling to maintain a calm demeanor.

"Not at all, Master Jedi. But if you wanted glowrods, you could have just asked." Calwell grinned, smacking a panel on the wall to reveal about a dozen glowrods. A vein in Masater Ropor's porcine forehead looked as though it might burst but he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"Thank you Captain. I appreciate that." he eventually said. Once the glowrods were handed out to anyone who wanted them, the salvage team was ready to board the dead cruiser. Apart from Master Ropor and those who had said they were going, two other pirates (a Human and a Gammorrean) volunteered to go. The eight would-be scavengers boarded the Saber's elevator.

"Good luck you lot. Buzz me if you need anything." Raan Calwell called as he lazily flicked the switch that sent the elevator upwards, through the blasted hole of the abandoned freighter.

"May the Force be with us all." Master Ropor mumbled before the lift swooshed to life and shot the team upwards. The Saber and Calwell soon disappeared and, once the lift came to a stop, was replaced an empty corridor. Those with glowrods, who presumably turned them on at this point, generated enough light to see that they were in the main hallway of the ship that connected everything - from the cargo holds to the cockpit to the engine room.

From the looks of things, this freighter wasn't so much as abandoned as it was conquered. Numerous crew members - corpses unmarred due to the lack of decomposers in space - were dotted all along the floor. Some of them had blaster wounds on their bodies but others looked as though they were beat down with blunt melee weapons. All wore Tagge Company uniforms and were of a number of different species - as one would expect from a freighter crew. The Human pirate gasped when he saw the state that the spacer's bodies were in and put a reassuring hand on his blaster. His Gammorrean friend rolled his eyes at his companion's squeamishness.

Right now, there seemed to be a few routes that the team could take. They were right next to the door of the starboard cargo hold and could open its door to examine its contents if they wished. The portside cargo hold was a bit further away but there didn't appear to be any obstacles or enemies in the darkness to bar the group's way if they wished to head there. They could also head to the engine room or cockpit if they wished.

Laski reached for her left pocket on the elevator ride up, and in the glow-lit halo of the boarding party's lights flicked her wrist. With a soft snick the camera extended on its pole, and Mynock whistled quietly to indicate that it had the video feed, low-light and grainy as it was.

"So," she said, drawing her blaster pistol in her right hand and checking the holographic sights. "I'm thinking secure, then pillage, then burn. Engineering first, then work our way forward...?"

"No curiosity as to the status of the crew?" RT-G6 said. "Pity. Pirates wouldn't leave much we would find useful. Police forces wouldn't leave evidence. Corporate assassination wouldn't leave either. If this were a trap they would plant bodies and set up a scene."

RT approached one of the corpses that looked like it had been beaten to death, trying to see if he could determine the type of weapon that had been used.

Incarn nodded to Laski, approaching the heavy door to the engine room with the Arg'garok in hand. He reached out his other hand to touch the metal while he gazed at it, searching for any moving sources of heat on the other side. All Arkanians could see in the infrared spectrum, and Incarn's optical sensors were no exception.

edited 4th Aug '16 1:55:00 AM by StygianEmperor

"I hope you can defend yourself with that," muttered Laski quietly as she raised the pole and pressed herself against the doorframe, out of sight of anyone that might be waiting on the other side, the remote droid hovering close. Louder: "I'll look around the corner when the door opens, yeah? Who wants to hit the button?"

Hallway

RT, with his medical expertise, would be able to tell that the Snivvian he was examining was beaten to death by blunt force trauma. Metal from the looks of it. With the shape and nature of the bruises, it was a safe guess that the instrument was some kind of rounded melee weapon - perhaps a club or knuckledusters of some kind.

"I sense...something very menacing aboard this vessel. We should follow them." Master Ropor muttered from where the rest of the group stood in the hallway as Incarn and Laski separated to go explore the engine room, drawing his lightsaber from his belt and igniting it. No enemies were around but his lightsaber did provide some extra light.

Wait - what was that?

The sound of whirring, beeping and clanking could be heard coming towards them - from the direction of the cockpit. The Gammorrean pirate, wanting a closer look, strode forward to see what it was and was promptly stabbed by a slim security droid with an electrostaff. Shocked, the Gammorrean went down squealing as the droid continued to prod him with low voltage bolts of electricity. The droid wasn't alone - he was flanked by two massive loadlifting droids, almost a head taller than the Gammorrean, and an astromech droid.

"Organic intruders - our master will allow yourselves the honor of taking your own lives if you do it within the next eight seconds. Otherwise, prepare yourselves for mental and physical torment." the security droid said, pausing his torture of the Gammorrean to point his electrostaff menacingly at the salvage team.

Engine Room

Incarn and Laski, having decided to separate from the main group and head off towards the engine room could still see the main group but only barely - a dot of light in the distance. Looking into the infrared spectrum of the engine room yielded less than stellar results. No extraordinary heat signatures that would denote a lifeform could be found radiating from anything that could be seen from the small blaster hole in the door to the engine room.

With how pitch black the ship was, Laski's droid companion wouldn't be able to transmit any video that had any sort of picture quality outside the sphere of light that the glowrods were generating. Nothing seemed to be lurking around, just the empty hallway although she could hear mysterious clanking sounds coming from somewhere on the ship but it would be difficult to place exactly where.

But all that would have to wait as Incarn could suddenly feel the familiar Force sensation of an enemy behind him. Laski's viewscreen from Mynock's sensors would suddenly show that there were two eight-foot tall loadlifting droids not twenty yards away from them and closing the distance. However, she didn't need the droid to tell her that - the clanging of their heavy feet was now growing even louder and she could pinpoint that they were coming from her left side. They would be upon Incarn and Laski in about ten seconds - it looked like - so there was some time to think.

Such droids were ordinarily benign but there was something about the way they were walking on the screen that told Laski that they might be trouble. That and the large light fixtures that each one was holding as one might hold a spear.

edited 4th Aug '16 6:43:21 PM by FantasyLiver