20040810

Republic Reckoning 6.10.87

The group was chasing Nakael through his mountain Palace on the planet "Byzantine", on the fringes of Hutt space. Arvandus has been experimented on by the Sith and is currently displaying all outward characteristics of a loyal puppy with Force Abilities. Quindo and Christene had escaped from weeks of torturous incarceration, and Igashu had only recently arrived under his own power. Nakael had just escaped through his laboratory and we were trying to get through the locked door.

We try to use a lightsaber to cut through quickly, but the door is laced with Cortosis. Scratch one lightsaber. An attempt to Postcog results in only a scrambled reading of numbers (8564). No single permutation works, and there are still guards trying to break through into the lab downstairs. Igashu gets to work on the electronic lock just as the guards break through downstairs. Christene lays down some cover fire with the Uzi. Most of us are under cover, but Igashu is a bit exposed where he's working on the door. We block a few bullets, but Igashu still gets a minor flesh wound. Finally, we're through the door and into a small hangar bay. A small craft is just leaving, presumably Nakael. Sense confirms it. We can't shut the door behind us, so we grab the liquid H2 fuel hose and start pouring starship fuel back into the laboratory.

The hangar bay is about halfway up the mountainside and sheer. Not a good jump. There's a disabled turbolift on the other side of the hangar. Chris and Arvandus head over to try to get it running and are jumped by Nakael's bodyguard, a Vhodran. Everyone runs over to help fight, leaving the H2 flowing. A few bullets whizz into the hangar bay, striking sparks and setting off a thunderous explosion. We pick outselves up and Igashu blocks an attack by the Vhodran. His counterattack takes off the Vhodran's leg. Arvandus steps into the turbolift and the doors shut. It's been reactivated and now it's stealing Arvandus!!

We take cover behind some crates, stabalize the Vohdran and ask him how to get out, if there are codes, a ship, etc. He refuses to answer, so we leave him. Unfortunately, the guards at the blowed up end of the hangar bay have gotten reinforcements. Bullets are flying. Quindo holds them off as best as he can from behind cover and across the bay with Projected Fighting, tossing them into each other and down the stairs, taking their guns and hitting them with stunning force.

We still can't cross the open floor to get to the turbolift. Igashu drives a forklift over with TK and picks up the pallets we're hiding behind to use as mobile cover to get us to the turbolift. Chris tries to set a pallet full of comestibles on fire for a smoke screen and accidentally sets her robes on fire intead. Oops. Quindo continues to fight the guards remotely while Igashu gets the turbolift doors open. There's no lift. It's about a half kilometer down. Igashu decides to go get it. Stuck for ideas, he just jumps and manages to slow himself with TK enough to stick the landing without injury. He uses his lightsaber to cut his way into the lift and overrides the controls. He starts to bring it up to us.

In a control room somewhere, someone cuts power to the turbolift before it reaches the top and it plummets back down with Igashu inside. Igashu climbs on the roof and jumps up, trying to TK himslef clear. He's not as successful this time and lands hard inside the lift with a dislocated hip and broken femur. Ouch. He mentally calls Chris for help rather than disturb Quindo. Quindo manages to temporarily clear all the guards from the floor and Chris takes the opportunity to ram the forklift, pallets and all, against the laboratory doorway. That should slow them down!

Still at a loss for ideas, Christene and Quindo strap themselves together and jump down the half kilometer turbolift shaft. Someone in a control room somewhere chuckles and sends the turbolift upwards toward them at about 60kph. Quindo's tired of this shit and cuts the maglev rails that run along the walls of the shaft. The turbolift stops, drops a bit, then wedges itself firmly in the shaft. Without power, it's just a hunk of metal with Igashu inside. Christene and Quindo drop lightly to the top of the turbolifta and get Igashu. He's unconscious, but no internal injuries so Quindoand Chris immobilize him as best as they can and levitate him up a couple levels and force open a door. The floor seems to be mostly disused storage. Reaching out with Sense finds no searchers on this level. They find a storeroom that seems deserted and take the time to properly repair Igashu before waking him up. His hip is back in place but weak and his leg is set, splinted, and Accelerated Healinged, and he has a makeshift crutch. We search the room for supplies and find some old janitors uniforms and flight suits. This may be our way out.