Shadows of Bankor

Vaya had no ego about her piloting skill and no attachment to flying “her” ship, so she happily let Djanik take the controls and took up her usual spot at the sensor station.

“So, how’s everyone enjoying their sun and sand and exile?” she said lightly as the TBD (for this trip, dubbed in her head The Bits Discoverer) moved over the consoles. Bowze worked at another station. Djanik had mentioned rumors of mothballed ships out here, something more readily valuable than than prying out individual components that still functioned from mostly-rusted hulks.

Ooc: Computers difficulty for sensors? Bowze and I aiding each other, I assume.

OOC: Hard check with two setback for industrial waste obscuring the sensors. Flip a destiny.

''I am afraid I mostly play in the snow, lieutenant. Miss Ela and Djanik seem to prefer this accomodation.'' he said, trying to make sense of the readings

"Wait, I think we've got something..."

D7LA Bits Scanning (hard 2 setback, boost from aid): 2eP+2eA+1eB+3eD+2eS 1 success, 1 threat


D7LA Bits Scanning (replace last difficulty with this, forgot flip): 1eC 0 successes, 1 threat


Same result.

They find the sight, and then find something else that rattles the craft a massive wyrm like creature bursts from the ground and crashes through the wasteland before burying itself in the land. Right around the point they need to investigate.

The sensors estimate a length of about 100 meters or so and nearly 20 to 25 meters thick.

“Druk!” Vaya slammed against her restraints as she jumped in surprise, and then detached them to get out of her seat and crane to follow the monster with her gaze as it vanished downwards. “That’s amazing. I wonder if that’s like what Sinnya said she saw. But that’s a whole other continent. Is there more than one?”

Ooc: Knowledge: Xenology check? Most immediate concern is “will it hang around and try to eat us/our ship.”

OOC: Daunting check, and yes it probably will.

D7LA look at the size of that thing! (Daunting Xenology): 1eP+3eA+4eD 0 successes, 1 threat

Djanik glanced down.

That... that really didn't look like a good place to land.

"Might be we need to come back with some serious firepower to supervise the recovery of whatever is down there..."

A soft whistle. "Maybe the Mahon - not sure anything smaller would cut it."

''Bringing the Mahon here is unwise...'' Bowze stood up to take a look at the beast but was not sure what to make of it

Knowledge Xenology: daunting: 4eA+4eD 3 failures, 5 advantage

"I don't know, it might be friendly..." Vaya sat back down. "I'll look into it. For now, let's stick to the lower-hanging fruit. Er...." still in abstracted thought about the friendly wurm, she struggled to adapt the agricultural metaphor for a situation where the easiest stuff was on the surface. "The shallowest tubers?"

The creature surfaced and then crashed through a hill of stone and refuse. Bowze cannot make much of it but he can tell it is highly territorial and seems to be highly aggressive and probably could easily overpower their ship if it had the chance.

Djanik nodded.

"Yeah, I think I'd rather have a few banks of Turbolasers before tangling with that."

Guiding the ship back toward the safer areas, he looked for a place to set down.

"Better to not let greed end this rebellion before it begins."

''All I can say is that it is territorial and aggressive.'' Something in Bowze's mind was seeded

As they landed, Vaya tapped her cheek. “You know, that giant wurm gives me an idea.” Out the way out the ship, she handed the sturdier Djanik her infrabinocs and excavation kit, explaining, “Lots of smaller fauna inahbit these scrapyards. Where they are and aren’t will tell us something.” Pulling out her ascension gun, she sprung to the top of the TBD. “Keep your commlink on!” she shouted down, waving her macrobinoculars. “I’ll give you directions.” In the relative privacy of being atop the ship, she pulled out the silvery crown Juri had given her. It wasn’t that she was hiding it, per se. It was just a weird contrast to her field clothes, and she felt self-conscious about the idea of trying to explain it to the two men.

D7LA valuable bits facts (Xenology, 2 boost for 2 strain from neural charm): 1eP+3eA+2eB+2eD 3 successes, 1 advantage


Ooc: Valuable facts success! Hanging triumph from VF, two advantages from Improved Researcher. Bowze and Djanik get a boost from gear.

"Good thinking lieutenant!" Bowze left the ship but still threaded lightly until Djanik and he came to what seemed like a hatch.

"Let's see what we have"

Scavenging day 7, boost from gear, VF from Vaya: 2eA+1eP+2eD+1eB 2 successes, 1 threat, 1 Triumph
Scavenging day 7, missing aid from Djanik: 1eB 0 successes

Wow! so 2 successes, 2 triumphs and o e advantage

After using the flocking patterns of some invasive steelpeckers to help Bowze and Djanik angle in on some practically untouched doonium, Vaya watched them drag their haul back with satisfaction. She didn't, notably, get down and offer to help -- she was "keeping watch for the wurm."

Ooc: 724 scrap monies!

As he hauled in the tech, he glancing up at their 'lookout'.

"How have you been keeping busy, last few weeks, Lt. Mer'Darrow? I haven't seen you much on base."

"Which one?" she quipped. "Because if you're wondering why I haven't been around Outpost Iceblock Alpha longer than it takes to pick up intercepts for decrypting, I refer you to the official designation. I feel bad for Trigger and the rest of Dredgen's people." She took a pull from her canteen and idly scanned the horizon in the direction of the wurm's breach. "How about you? Return to military life suiting you, uh, Captain?" She couldn't remember if he'd been double-promoted.

Bowze was helping deliver the goods back to the ship, though his handling of thing was not optimal. He did a good effort though.

''Sunshine and beaches are certainly more comfortable then ice wastelands but ice wastelands are more secure...it depends on what you prefer.''

he paused

''Except for pantorans and chiss, ice is better in both scenarios.''

"It takes all kinds, but I don't want to freeze my 'palps off if I can avoid it." Vaya relented from her laziness, attaching her ascension gun and using it to rappel down so she could help with loading.

Djanik heaved another block of rubbish up the ramp, sweating and scowling. "Yes, I'll take ice over this any day."

Wiping his brow, he added, "I meant either base, you've flown off with those jedi a few times - looking for something somewhere? Or is it secret monastic business?"

He was mostly curious if there was anything dangerous he'd need to watch out for, but good news was also welcome.

Vaya was using a control bad attached to the ship by a cable to operate the cargo lift for the heavier items. She smirked at Djanik. "The Jedi have enough problems with information security without me flapping my lips." She waggled her antennapalps loosely "Nothing to concern anyone but fools, madmen, and scholars." And then, more seriously, "Did you get to meet any actual Knights, during the war?"

"Yes."

He heaved another chunk onto the chute.

"His strategic brilliance got seven good pilots killed, too."

Rolling out his neck, he shrugged. "I just hope, whatever they're doing, it doesn't cause us more trouble. If they can keep it to themselves... I'll stay out of it, gladly."

"But did you ever get to see what they were like as people?" Vaya persisted.