Nightshade: Return to Karvis III

[GM Craig]

As you exit the control room, you pull out the EMP and toss is in. You head quickly down the corridor, alert for any movement, but the way seems clear. There is a crump sound behind you as the EMP goes off, scrambling the computers in the control room.

As you move through the corridor, you're hearing sounds that suggest the security forces on the estate have awakened to the fact that something is amiss, but you don't hear any weapons fire or anything like that. Then, there is a large concussion from somewhere. The mansion shudders - that was likely a fuel tank exploding.

You climb the stairs, silent as a shadow, while your team mate watches your backs. He seals the door, and points to his eyes, then holds up two fingers - it seems two security personnel have entered the corridor behind you. Given the darkness and how quietly you have been moving, it seems unlikely they have noticed you.

You emerge from the stairwell onto the roof. The area is lit by a large column of fire rising into the sky. You hear a lot of noise from the grounds of the mansion, and sirens in the distance - likely fire crews responding to the fire. Your troops holding the roof signal all is clear, and you move to your glider to harness up.

Then, you hear a a voice in your comlink, slightly distorted by the encryption, warn, "Contact."

A narrow blue energy bolt flies slightly over your head. You hear an impact and grunt, and turn to see a COMPNOR trooper slumping to the ground. Beside him his partner takes cover in the doorway, a blaster pistol in his hand.

In your helmet you hear, "Go. We got this." A stun bolt pings off the door frame, forcing the COMPNOR trooper to duck back.

Nightshade does note that there is no sign of the intel troopers.

[Actions?]

[Nightshade]

Part of being a team player was letting the other members of the team do their assigned jobs.  Nightshade had to trust the troopers and made ready to launch his glider and get out back to the rally point.  His job here was done.

Actions: Make like a prom dress and take off.

[GM Craig]

You shrug into the harness for the glider as the sound of sirens comes closer. You have a rough landing, but manage to stick in the end, and you are safely on the casino roof with the overwatch team.

You glance back at the roof. There is no sign of the intel troopers, and their gliders remain in position on the roof.

You check your chrono - 5 minutes, 30 seconds. Imperial reinforcements could be on the ground in less than 2 minutes.

[Actions?]

The plan calls for you guys to get to the sewers, and extend to the river.

[Nightshade]

What was the old saying? No plan survives contact with the enemy?  Nightshade swore softly at seeing the glider where it was and no sign of the team.  He had no trouble sacrificing people to complete an objective, but in this case if his people were caught and interrogated, then their plan really wouldn't accomplish everything that it was supposed to do.  Waving anyone with him to move on and stick to the plan he made a brief survey of the area looking to establish the lay of the land and decide what had to be done next.

Actions: look around for any sign of the troopers, vantage points to get a good look of what is going on back on that roof, or other ways to access it without having to use the glider if possible.

ooc: wouldn't say no to a map, either...if possible 

[GM Craig]

[OOC: Sorry, a map is a little beyond me. You're about 200m away from the roof, and the vantage point you are at now is the best one around, other than the actual roof of the mansion.]

Looking through the macrobinocculars, you scan the compound. The fire is still raging, and there are a lot of troops on the move on the mansion grounds. The sound of emergency vehicles is getting louder. Then, over the city, you spot a pair of assault shuttles quickly approaching. Time is running out.

Then, there is an electrified hum, and lights come on all over the compound. A moment later the security fence energizes. It shouldn't be a problem with the gliders, but the increased visibility could be trouble.

You scan back to the roof in time to see a brief firefight. Two black-clad figures with silenced blasters are firing on three or four figures in the doorway. One of the black-clad figures lobs a grenade. There is an explosion of ion energy, and the shooting from the doorway stops. They quickly shoulder into the gliders. You pan over to the assault shuttles, and they are now significantly closer. There's a chance the gliders will be picked up on sensors from the shuttles, even if they are not spotted from the ground.

[Actions?]

[Nightshade]

Nightshade quickly scanned around to see if he could find a way to create some scanner noise that might cover the gliders.  Being spotted wasn't the end of the world if they could escape, but it would make escaping all the more difficult.  Ideally he was looking for a generator or some other way to knock out the lights at the same time.  The confusion should draw attention away from him and his group.

Actions: look for something to sabotage to create sensor cover/diversion

[GM Craig]

You give a quick look - nothing comes to mind to create scanner noise. You might be able to create an EMP burst with a blaster pack, but it would be a little tricky, and fairly short range. Also, if it is not done right, you'd effectively be making a beacon.

The two Intel operatives launch off the roof of the palace while you consider what to do. But they don't fly straight to you, they instead go into a dive, pulling out close to the ground. That should help - sensors would be confused by the ground clutter, though the gliders are more vulnerable to ground fire.

It looks like the Intel guys are not heading to the roof of the casino where you are - they'll never get the altitude now - but perhaps they'll join you somewhere else on the escape route?

[Nightshade]

With nothing more that he could do to aid them from here, Nightshade left the roof and headed down the escape route.  He had to trust their training and hope that everyone made it back safely to the rendezvous point.

Actions: bug out down the escape route, more on the speed than stealth end for now, trying to put some distance between myself and the activity.

[GM Craig]

You descend down the back side of the casino using a rappelling kit, and activate the mechanism to detach the molecular bonding on the anchor. There is a soft klang at the anchor bounces lightly off the ground, and you stuff the rope into your pack. Glancing around, the coast seems clear, so you head to the sewer access hatch, key the code the local cell provided, and drop down.

In the darkness, you see the other members of your team, weapons at the ready for a moment before they identify you. Then, without a word, they turn and splish-splash their way down the tunnel. The plan called for radio silence from here on out, as a safeguard against giving away your position, so there's no way to check in with the intel team. You'll have to trust that they are professionals.

You team is good and disciplined, checking intersections and moving in a double-cover formation. There is a brief pause when your team discovers a maintenance droid down a side passage at an intersection. They pause here.

"If it spots us, it could raise an alarm..." one of the troopers says.

"They'll know we came this way if we take it out..." says another.

Removing the droid would not be difficult.

[Actions?]

[Nightshade]

The idea was to leave a trackless passage, so he decided that the team would try to get based the droid without being seen, and only destroy it if absolutely necessary to avoid detection.

[GM Craig]

Coordinating the team, and using yourself and your shadowsilk suit to serve as a makeshift blind, you all manage to make your way across the intersection. There was a moment where someone stepped a little too heavily and caused an audible splash, but the droid appeared to pay it no mind.

You continue down the sewer, and are only stopped to perform simple slices on maintenance access hatches. At last, you climb a ladder and find yourself at a pumping station on the banks of a river - your escape appears to have gone unnoticed.

You slip past the automatic treatment facility and scoot down the bank to the river, where there are two water speeders waiting.

The ride to your extraction is quiet and uneventful. There are a lot of TIE fighters int he sky, but none of them come too close to you.

An hour later, your shuttle has landed in the docking bay. Captain Barakis is waiting there as you disembark, hands clasps behind her back. She falls into step as you head towards the tram.

"Initial analysis looks good. We have one casualty from one of the cells that aided the operation. The city is in chaos."

[Nightshade]

The Shinobi was pleased that they were able to exit the area without causing any noticeable attention to their passage.  The plan seemed to have been successful. 

As he listened to the captain, he asked, "Does this casualty look to cause a problem for us?"  He meant in terms of the success of the mission, for of course, any life lost, while likely unavoidable was no victory.

[GM Craig]

She shakes her head. "No. COMPNOR were more interested in taking down a supposed rebel than acquiring an intelligence source. There will be no leaks."

[Nightshade]

"That is good.  What do you advise as our next course of action?  I would like to strike again soon if possible and press the advantage, especially if we see an opportunity to further open up the wedge between branches."

[GM Craig]

She nods. "In anticipation of your intentions, I have taken the liberty of preparing a briefing prepared detailing operations against three potential targets. We are prepared to commence at your pleasure, but in quick summary, there is a new military base being deployed near Eti Malvait, which we could target as a COMPNOR response. There is a COMPNOR base in the coastal town of Ete that is relatively poorly defended - we have an active cell in that region that could provide support. There is also a large Stormtrooper contingent that has been deployed for several months in the Megyek Ebol wilderness preserve. While their numbers are high, they are widely dispersed. A quick strike on their headquarters, reinforced by the Royal Rangers that are operating in that region, could be effective."

She pauses. "Agent, these operations will have to either rely heavily on our troops here, which have been working very hard, or relying on poorer-trained cells, which risks a higher possibility of failure. I am not certain how long we can maintain this tempo and success rate."