Atrivis Sector

[Trax]

"So now what?" Trax finally piped up as they walked.

"Sit around until they want to chat again?"

[Nim Naja]

"Honestly don't know," she shrugged and then turned to the Lieutenant. "What are the other factions like? If we go look for them, would they shoot first, ask questions later?"

[GM Craig]

The Lieutenant returns the shrug. "I don't really know them. We're not a single society. The geography and environmental conditions means we don't get a lot of cross-pollination between population centres. But I don't think any are the kind to shoot without asking questions first. You might find some cold receptions, or maybe even get arrested, but I don't think anyone is going to shoot you out of the sky without at least giving you the chance to talk, so long as you're not flying an Imperial ship."

[Trax]

"What about communicating with them without having to hop around the planet?  Or would we just get flipped off and disconnected?"

[GM Craig]

"I wouldn't really know about that, Sir."

[Trax]

"Then we should find someone who does." he said to no one in particular.

"We don't have the time to go around from faction to faction and risk getting jailed or otherwise held up for days trying to bring them around.

Is there anywhere on the planet that might be considered neutral territory?" he asked the lieutenant.

[Nim Naja]

Nim raised a brow. "Just what charges would someone bring on us? Attempting to save the planet?"

[GM Craig]

Lieutenant Carver looks uncomfortable. "Probably espionage, Ma'am. There's a lot of distrust between the different factions. The civil war was long and bloody, and still in living memory for half the population. Prejudice between factions is going to be a problem to any unification effort."

[Nim Naja]

"Is there anywhere on the planet that might be considered neutral territory?" he asked the lieutenant.

[GM Craig]

The Lieutenant shakes his head. "Maybe the Imperial Bunkers, though I don't think that's strictly speaking, neutral. There's some plateaus and such that are not populated. I know of an old atmospheric research station maybe. But anywhere that's populated is in the valleys and each valley is controlled by a separate faction. We here are the biggest population centre on the planet, but we control less than 25% of the livable area. The mountaintops are too cold, wind-blown, and resource-poor for permanent settlements. There might be a few smuggler dens in the smaller remote valleys, but nothing official."

[Trax]

Trax thought it over. Part of him would prefer to have any meeting in an open area, less likely for anyone to try a ground assault, but without proper air defences, they'd be easy pickings from a fighter or bomber.

"Well we're going to have to figure out something that'll draw most of them out, and in a place where they won't automatically think it's a trap.

Thing is we're also on something of a tight deadline if the intel on the impending retaliatory strike by the Empire is accurate."

Then he wondered, what about using their common ground?  Asking the others to come together to roust one of the imperial bunkers. Maybe, but that would be a discussion to be had in private.

[GM Craig]

The Lieutenant shrugs. "The weather station. Bad spot for an ambush. It's a clear, elevated location, and very exposed. No way anyone could hide troops there. It's also well-known. That station was supposed to help us terraform this place under the Old Republic. That all fell through when the Empire rose, so it's a sore spot. Everyone will know where it is. If you want a face-to-face meeting, that might work."

[Trax]

"Might be a symbolic place to meet, assuming no one dwells on the fact that it failed the first time around."

[Nim Naja]

"Can't believe I'm about to do this but I agree with Trax. Ew.."

[GM Craig]

The lieutenant considers a moment.

"It might be better if any invitation comes from you, but we don't have secure communications, but you could make a broadcast I suppose?"