Shadows of Bankor

The Foundry teams' extraction had grown less harrowing the farther they got from the facility, but that had only left time for already-frayed nerves to strain against nothing. By the time that they had gotten back to one of the resistance's forward operating bases, Vaya's mind had had time to steady, if not truly recover.

The base was far enough from Rygor to not be a tempting target for bombardment on the Dictator's way out, while still being close enough to be useful for communications and support. Mud-soaked figures passed back and forth in the dark, between the abandoned and recently-erected structures that made up the resistance facilities. Screams cut through the constant sound of rain on permacrete, canvas, and mud -- resistance airspeeders, TIE fighters, wounded troopers in the field hospital.

Vaya had parted from the others with heartfelt but stilted goodbyes, unsure of where the battle would bring them next, and if they would ever see each other again. But she had a mission, of sorts. She asked for directions until someone pointed to a mid-sized prefabricated tent, where the CIS' General was recovering from his own mission and taking stock.

She stepped inside and sealed the flap. It was too rainy to stand on ceremony. "Bowze?" she said, still unsure whether to use his given name or his nom de guerre des étoiles.

The inside of the tent was a mess, metal parts were everywhere and some V-2s were getting repaired on an impromptu table. A few more were standing guard over what appeared to be bound and uncounsious stormtroopers.

''Yes?'' Bowze said as he raised his head from a holomap of the surrounding region. He was pale from stress but some relief appeared has he recognised the professor ''Oh! Vaya!''

Vaya gave a genuine if somewhat shaky smile, and offered the same ironic salute -- two fingers to the temple -- that she usually did. This time, though, she held it for a moment longer. "General." Then she dropped smile and salute together. "We need to talk about Huk."

He returned the mock salute but worry came back to Bowze's face when Dredgen was mentionned

''Dredgen? Did something happen at the foundry?''

Vaya nodded grimly, but took a moment to shrug off her pack and outer layer. Even in the downpour, Rygor was still damn hot, and inside the prefab tent the inbuilt climate control couldn't make wearing layers comfortable. At least the rain had washed away the smell of Rygor's sewers.

That done, she collapsed on a camp stool and took a pull from her canteen. As she did, eyes and antennapalps both focused on Bowze, taking in his reactions, trying to account for unfamiliar tics and features. "Bowze... did you give Huk's team any additional objectives? Besides the data?"

Bowze raised an eyebrow, somewhat confused. ''The data and the intel we could gleam form it was the primary objective. As the on-site team leader Dredgen could seize an opportunity if it presented itself I suppose?''

He looked concerned and not quite sure of what was happening

''Why?''

She watched him tensely. She thought she knew him, and would on the whole bet on his innocence rather than his complicity. But that was a matter of odds, not certainty. She felt a tug in her chest, torn and guilty. I never wanted to be a revolutionary. So why am I in the middle of this internecine mess?

"We got the data. But Huk and his people got a giant sack of aurum from somewhere," she held out her hands, showing off the size of the sack, "and firebombed the place on their way out. They shot... they killed some Imperials to do it, and at least one civilian." Vaya hadn't seen that with her own eyes, but Dredgen had all but confirmed it. "Said it was a payday, a rainy-day fund, payback, business, pleasure, just doing as ordered."

Dregden's transport arrived and he made his way towards Bowze.

Bowze grimaced ''Aurum?'' he looked at the approximation What was that much aurum doing there?

He listened, looking as if he tried to solve a puzzle

''Payday? payback?'' he shook his head ''Something is not right here...'' he turned towards the shuttle, Dredgen coming to him

At least I will have his side of the story

''Dredgen, I heard things took an unexpected turn? Is your gang allright?''

“Just as planned, Jabber came to me with some modifications to the plan. Said he was taking an early retirement, whatever. The resistance got a small fortune in Aurum, we got financial data and access to several black accounts, fair trade,” he said offering a data chit.

“Took care of some personal business.”

Vaya tensed as Dredgen entered, feeling foolish and skittish for doing so. Surely he wouldn't do anything here. But he could. And maybe he would. She didn't say anything, just watched, trying not to catch Huk's eye.

Bowze took the data chit from the man and thanked him

''Yes I heard there was a civilian casualty.'' he paused, thinking ''I must assume this civilian was not a hapless bystander?''

"Does it matter?" Dredgen responded.

Bowze was silent for a moment he looked at Dredgen then at Vaya

''Do you want to know?'' he asked her

Vaya froze for a split second as the focus shifted to her. "He said he was just doing as ordered." She spoke evenly, and looked at Bowze rather than Huk. That was easier. "Does it matter to you what he does when claims that?" She hoped she was just playing something-cop, someone for Bowze to play off of. She hoped it was a rhetorical question.

''I did not order Dredgen to plan a bomb nor did I ask the death of innocents...but I did let him handle the mission and thus I am also responsible for what happened.'' he said ''That said, I put him in charge because I trusted him to do this mission in a professional manner thus I must assume that he did what he did because he had to. I will re-evaluate things when I get a proper report.''

He paused

''I am convinced that Dredgen would not have gone out of his way to kill a civilan and someone carrying that much aurum is likely a ganster, either form the Hutts or the Crimson Dawn. For all the we know that aurum is the same one we sold Vandil and she might have been trying to smelt it or bribe imperials with it.''

He put a hand on the woman's shoulder

''But you are also a friend. I trust your judgement and you deserve to hear the truth of the matter should you want it. The resistance is out to make us villains and will not extend any trust so we need to trust in each other. I trust Dredgen but if you want to hear the truth from him I will demand it.''

Vaya tried to steady her breathing as she listened to Bowze. It was what she had hoped to hear, or most of it. And the thing most dearly hoped for, if secretly, even to herself: a way out. Say she didn't need to hear, trust Bowze to take Dredgen's report, trust him to see through any holes and call him to account for any crimes. She could slide away, fade back into the background, the corpses no longer her problem, Huk's dangerous eyes no longer on her.

Did he offer her that way out because of kindness, or calculation? Or both?

Somewhere high above her people were still fighting and dying, and some of them might have names and faces she had grown accustomed to. If Huk saw an easy score in the confusion of the battle, could she live with that? Or, more likely, if he told a story she couldn't find flaw in, could she live with the uncertainty?

She took refuge in reason, her voice steady. "No-one can stand against the Empire alone. We'll need allies. If the resistance is inclined to be suspicious of us, Dredgen hasn't done us any favors tonight. We need to know what this is if we're going to make it right in their eyes." All of it true, and true to her, as far as she could tell.

Bowze nodded and stood up, facing Dredgen.

''Dredgen, I do think it does indeed matter. I am sure you understand why. Please tell us.'' Bowze tone was unwavering but not hostile to the black-ops leader. He did trust Dredgen to a point and he would not make him a villain after all that happened.

Dredgen shrugged, “She was an Imperial informant, ratted my group out to the Hutts, how they knew we were here, they get rowdy when you kill a Hutt. I paid her back, took her money, made a show to the Resistance to cover the real objective, clockwork.”

“I didn’t need to kill her, but it felt good to remove a loose end.”

Bowze gave a nod ''Thank you for you honesty Dredgen.''

He turned to Vaya and gave her a nod

''Will you be allright?''

As Dredgen spoke to Bowze, Vaya at last found it safe to look at him. She watched him speaking, willing some sign of truth or untruth to shine clearly through, or better yet drop to the floor, where she could pick it up, feel it in her hands, and show to others.

D9MN Gut Check (Average Cool /w PC flip): 1eP+1eA+2eD 1 failure


That was never her strength, though. She was great at telling people what they wanted to hear, but more than once had been taken in by the same done to her. She couldn't know if she could trust Dredgen. She'd have to trust Bowze.

Bowze Coppa wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 22, 2020 2:01 am

He turned to Vaya and gave her a nod

''Will you be allright?''

"I don't know," she said, still looking at Huk. "Will we?"

ooc: I think with Tirali you offered a cool or discipline check to try and gut-check honesty? If that's an option here, I'll try to valuable facts Bowze's attempt to do it (and then forbid him from forwarding me whatever PM of info he gets, so I stay in suspense ).

OOC: That's fine an average check.

Vaya leaned into Bowze, as if conferring, but spoke loud enough for Huk to hear, and for them both to judge his reaction. "How do you think this compares to the incident on Clabron?" She'd been cramming on military history and tactics, and the CIS-linked assassination attempt was a case study in hardened operatives and ends-justifying-means.

D9MN Valuable War Crime Facts (Warfare): 1eP+3eA+2eD 1 success, 1 advantage


ooc: I edited my failed attempt in to my original post (which fit, because I had written that I couldn't tell! ). Bowze gets a triumph and +2 advantages for his own attempts to tell truth from fiction, but no telling me which until post-game. (:

Bowze smirked and shook his head ''What do you think?''

Dredgen said, "Not sure why we would, we had a job to do."