Collan and Niil: Seekers

[Niil Spaar]

Niil relaxed, and walked over to where they were off-loading.  "Afternoon. Mr. Grumb.  We were just finishing organizing the storage room when you rolled up."  He insinuated himself carefully in to the chain-gang so as not to break the rhythm of the line, and started to help unload.  "We wanted to ask you if we could stay until the early morning and get a  fresh start.  If not, no perspiration . . . we could head out in an hour or two."

[GM Craig]

He grunts. "I 'spect Nellie told ye already yer welcome t'stay." As he speaks, the chain gain finishes unloading. Two of the hands jump down off the trucks and head into the storage room. Meanwhile, you hear a terrible clanging from the upper levels of the dugout. Turning to look, you see Mrs. Grumb banging a metal rod on some sort of metal frame. She stops and says, "Grub's on! Mind you boys wipe yer feet!"

The other workers start filing up the stairs and into the kitchen.

Grumb turns to you both. "Since you started the job, why don't you boys finish up in there then grab some grub. Don't worry none - my missus'll keep some set aside for you. No one goes hungry at our table."

With that he hitches up his belt and heads up the stairs. The other workers get out of his way respectfully when he passes.

[Niil Spaar]

Niil nodded.  "Sure thing.  We shouldn't be too much longer."

OOC:  Head back and finish the store room, and then to the kitchen.  Keep a covert eye on Mr. Grumb's workers to see if any of them, umm, "stand out" (ie. look like they might have military training).

[GM Craig]

The two of you join the rest of the line, and parade through the kitchen where Mrs. Grumb gives you a heaping bowl of a very hearty stew and a crust of warm, hearty grainy bread. You file out with the other hands, who perch themselves on walkways, rocks and various pieces of equipment and eat in the compound. They are a quiet bunch - not as boisterous as you would expect. Apparently, the family eats inside, as you see none of them around the compound.

As you take seats on convenient crates and boxes, a couple of the hands who end up seating near you give you friendly nods, but keep to themselves. Apparently newcomers to the homestead are not a source of curiosity. You get a few casual glances, but certainly nothing like you would expect in a rural area with such a close-knit group.

Then, a few minutes later, Mrs. Grumb comes out, accompanied by her son. She is carrying a huge cast pot, and her son carries a basket of bread in one hand, and a cast of butter in the other. They move around the compound, and ladle more stew and offer more bread to anyone who wants it. No one goes away hungry from this kitchen.

As the hands finish their meal, one of them hauls out a large tub, fills it with water from a convenient spigot, and they start washing their dishes. When they are done, dishes are stacked neatly on a tray set on a table beside the ramp leading to the kitchen.

You follow suit, and soon the hands start to relax. Some tell stories. Someone apparently has a mouth harp of some kind and starts playing music off in one end of the compound. Two have datapads and appear to be reading quietly to themselves.

Of your hosts, there is no sign.

[Niil Spaar]

Niil felt refreshed, and well-rested despite the fun they'd had organizing the store-room.  The helping hands seemed harmless enough, and he settled down for awhile to listen to some of their stories.  After awhile, Niil leaned over to Collan and muttered, "We should secure our gear and get the truck prepped before we head out.  Or would you like to hang out here for awhile while I get things ready?  It shouldn't take too long."


OOC:  Going to get our truck and gear ready for departure.  I saw the tracers that Mr. Grumb took out of our vehicle when we first got here, so I'll go over it with a fine-toothed comb (at least as best as I can).  And unless you have something cooked up for us, I guess we have no problem warping to our departure.

[Collan]

'Wez' was quiet during the meal, prefering to observe and learn patterns. Such things had been important as a alave. If you knew when and where people needed or wanted things you could anticipate trouble for yourself.

[GM Craig]

You spend the late evening securing your vehicle for a morning departure and going over it for more tracers. Either the pirates were not terribly sophisticated or they're  more sophisticated than you, because you can't find any other tracers in the vehicle. You're not a tech and you haven't disassembled the whole thing to look at each part or anything like that, but it seems as clear as you can make it. That's the problem with defence though - you have to check everywhere, but the pirates only need to succeed in one spot.

You see a few others packing up gear and checking belongings as you work.

The hired hands spend the night out of doors, sleeping under canopies at various strategic locations around the compound. Given the pre-positioning of the canopies, mats and bedding, you get the impression this activity is a regular occurrence, likely coinciding with how long it takes to fill the energy storage units.

The morning comes early in the Bladesea, but even so you are woken when the sky is just growing lighter by the Grumbs and the hired hands. The family, kids included, are moving among the hired hands and passing out small bundles. Mr. Grumb has set up a small desk, and the workers are lining up in front of it. He is handing out what appear to be credsticks.

The teenage daughter walks up to the two of you with a basket and offers each of you a still-warm bundle with a smile. "Breakfast for the road," she says. It smells delicious. Opening the wrapper, you find some sort of baked loaf about the size of two fists together that smells of spiced meat.

One after another, the workers collect their pay, say some their farewells, and head for the smaller man door beside the large vehicle door.

[Actions?]

Anything you guys want to do before you depart?

[Niil Spaar]

OOC:  Just one thing . . .

Niil grinned at the daughter's generous gift and the tantalizing smell that wafted from the basket.  "Thanks!  We'll try and make this last, but from the smell of it we'll probably scarf it down within fifty klicks.  Forty.  Again, our thanks to you and your family for your hospitality.  Speaking of which, we should say our good-byes to your mom and dad."

Niil waited until the last of the workers was paid, then approached Mr. Grumb.  "Sir, we wanted to thank you and your family for putting us up for the last two days . . . and feeding us some of the best meals we've had in a long time.  And if it wasn't for your help, we probably would never have found those damned tracers in our truck."  Niil hesitated, then added, "Ummm, would you and your family be offended if I, well, left something as a gift to show our thanks?"

[GM Craig]

He stands up and looks Niil over with a stern aspect on his face.

"Yes."

Mrs. Grumb comes from behind him, swatting him with a towel. "Go on you!" she scolds him.

Looking at both of you, she says, "No gifts are needed, boys. You worked for everything you got, but you didn't need to do that. Good folk help each other in the Bladesea because it's right, not to get paid or for a reward. You remember that!" She smiles again. "Safe journey t'you both!"

Beside her, the stern Mr. Grumb nods in agreement. "Yer welcome, boys, and no thanks needed."

[Niil Spaar]

Nill laughed, and shook the woman's hand.  "And good fortune to you and your family, Mrs. Grumb.  We won't forget this.  This world needs more people like you."  Turning to Mr. Grumb, he offered his hand and said, "No offense meant earlier, sir, but I wanted to be sure about the offer of a gift.  I didn't want us to come across looking like ingrates."


OOC:  Ready to go if there's nothing else the Grumb family or Collan wants to speak about.

[GM Craig]

With several good meals in your bellies and two good night's sleep after hard work, you're ready to face the open expanse of the Bladesea. Final good-byes are shared, and the ancient door grinds open with ear-splitting screeches. You roll out of the compound, and turn towards Tez?st. The trip is mostly uneventful, but about halfway there you pick up a large active contact. There's nothing on your scopes, but something out there is pinging away like crazy. Yous top and dismount. Using macros, you can just make out the shape of several Imperial AT-AT Walker a long way off in the distance. You are beyond it's sensor range - any return would be too weak to pick up, but still plenty strong enough for your passive sensors to detect it.

It's too far away to get any details, but at a guess you figure they're heading for Tez?st as well. Given your releative movement rates, they'll be at least 12 hours behind you, likely more, but you're not sure what else might be travelling with them.

Getting back into the vehicle, you head off to the city, finally reaching it a little before sunset without incident.

From a distance, you cannot even tell there is a city there - all you can see is a rounded ridge. Then, as you climb the barrier hill and crest the top, you see a city several miles wide. The whole place is built into a meteor impact crater, with the external ridges of the crater forming a natural wind wall. There are no tall buildings in the city, just lots of squat buildings covering the floor of the crater.

The most prominent feature is the steady stream of traffic you see leaving the city. As you drive in, you pass several hundred vehicles driving in the opposite direction.

There is no security, so you enter the city without incident.

There is something of a police force visible, foot patrols in pairs in high traffic areas and such, but they don't appear to be particularly invasive. You see may people walking around the city with visible firearms, even heavy blaster pistols and blaster rifles. Standard Imperial rules appear to be no enforced out here. That'll likely change when the walkers get here.

[Actions / plans?]

Where did you want to go first? It's sunset, so the city is changing from the day routine to the night routine. It's a pretty rustic place. There doesn't appear to be much of a nightlife, but there are a few cantinas that will be visible. There are also several public boarding houses where someone can find a room and a meal.

[Collan]

"You know this place better than me," 'Wez' said, "I don't think we have long before our friends get here," he pointed to vehicles streamin out, "And they seem to agree."

[Niil Spaar]

Niil grunted.  "Wouldn't that be our luck to arrive just as our friend was leaving.  Maybe the Impies are coming here to look for him.  Hell, or even us.  I don't even want to think that they're coming here to level the place.  We'd best move fast.  Let's see if we can alter our profiles a bit first."  Niil reached into his bag, and drew out a box the size of a small carry-on bag.  "Disguise kit.  Might be worth it to change our appearance somewhat first.  Then we'll try the cantinas.  If that doesn't work, we'll hit the boarding houses if we have time.  The less time we stay here the better.  Even one of those walkers has a crap-ton of firepower, and each of them holds a lot of troopers."

OOC:  Using my Con:  Disguise skill to prep Collan and myself.  Contact lenses, wigs and caps.

[GM Craig]

You spend a few minutes in the relative seclusion of the vehicle applying your disguises. When you are done, Niil but admit it's not his best work, but it should pass any casual inspection.

You head out to check out a few cantinas. The first one you find looks pretty seedy, but when you walk in the place seems not that awful. There are only half a dozen patrons. There is a busty female rodian bartender in a red halter top behind the counter drying glasses. She glances up as you enter, but seems barely interested and quickly returns to her work.

A female nautolan in a skimpy outfit sits next to the bartender and gives you an appraising eye before turning back to her conversation with the bartender.

Synthesized music booms out of several speakers, and can see a couple of holodancer booths in the back.

[Niil Spaar]

Niil returned the nautolan's appraising look and gave her a brief nod, although his guard was up.  He wasn't xenophobic by any stretch of the imagination, but his brushes with bounty hunters left him wary of any non-indigs.

Carefully approaching the two women so that they could see him coming, he muttered to teh bartender, "Pint of lum, luv, and whatever my friend here wants."  He nodded his head to include Collan.  "Sorry for barging in, but do either of you know what the hell's going on around the city?  We saw people leaving the city in droves, and spotted a couple of walkers heading this way.  I figure they'll be here in about twelve hours."