It's your turn to fly (LA, D6

[Djanik]

Nora.

What were the odds.

Memories threatened to come rushing back, but he drowned them out with the wailing of proximity alarms. He could remember her cool eyes and small smile another time... remember the battles they fought together another day - if there was another day.

He felt a clenching around his heart that he was fairly certain wasn't the plague this time.

"Nora, I don't know what you think this is, but she's just a kid. Let her go."

Please.

He might be outnumbered and out-geared, but he wasn't going to just let Veras get hurt.

As his ship came up to speed, he kept pace with Veras, putting himself in a position to cover her if the TIE squadron didn't break off. Switching back to the comm with Veras, he said, "Former squadmate - she's very good. We're outgunned Veras."

(Maneuver to increase speed to 3, open range back up to medium)

[Dapper Dog]

Veras and the Tie Fighters keep pace as the Empire closes the gap.


Captain Beck said over the open line, "She's in a Jedi ship, she is an enemy of the Empire. Valkyrie Squadron, you have your orders."

"The Traitor is mine!"


Veras came back to Djanik, "Is she trying to kill us?"

When Beck starts firing at Djanik she repeats, "She's trying to kill us!"

OOC: Minions move to Short and Accelerate to 3, Veras accelerates to 3 and then executes Evasive Maneuvers! Beck advanced to Close and fired! She hits for 9 hull trauma and grants her next ally a boost die! She suffers 2 System Strain for pushing her machine to the limit.

End of Round 1

Captain Beck Gunner vs. Djanik: 2eP+2eA+2eD+1eS+1eB 3 successes, 1 advantage


Captain Beck Gunner vs. Djanik: 1eS 0 successes


Initiative List

NPC
Hero 2 successes, 1 advantage
NPC
Hero 1 success, 3 advantage

[Djanik]

"Yes, she was always a stickler."

Gritting his teeth, he performed a snap dodge, the ship jinking as he avoided the worst of the damage, green lasers chipping chunks of the armor away. (9-5, 4 damage)

Swearing, he hauled back on the sticks, ready to give Veras an opening to escape. Alternating his comms, he snapped, "You're ready to kill a kid and an old friend who were out for a ride... for trespassing? I knew you were a hardass, rookie, but this is pushing it."

As his ship looped up, he held steady, until he could bring himself back down on the squadron, blasters spitting. (Evasive maneuvers)

Gunnery vs squads - plague setback, upgraded die from evasive: 1eP+3eA+1eC+1eD+1eS 1 failure, 2 advantage


Sadly his shots went wide, but he did at least shake their formation a little (spent to inflict a setback on TIE squad)

Ship status: Speed 3, Defense: Fore 2/Rear 1, Armor: 3 Hull: 8/15, Strain: 6/9

[Dapper Dog]

Veras tried to avoid the worst as the weapons go free she evades the worst of the attack and then does a barrel roll and focused on the squadron! Veras said, "Do... I... kriff... they want to kill me, screw this!"

She guns down one and strafes a second... she said quietly, "I got one..."

OOC: Minions move to Close and fire but miss, and hit, use Triumph for Upgrade to Beck's check and Advantage to grant a boost die to the next ally! Veras hits for 12 Trauma! she takes out one and another has taken 3 Hull Trauma. She grants the Minions a boost die to their attacks! She uses Stay on Target!

Minions vs. Veras + Evasive Maneuevr + Destiny upgrade: 3eP+2eC+1eS 1 success, 1 advantage, 1 Triumph


Missing Setback: 1eS 1 failure


Veras Gunner vs. Minions + Destiny + Stay on target!: 2eP+2eA+2eD 6 successes, 2 threat


Initiative List

NPC
Hero 2 successes, 1 advantage
NPC
Hero 1 success, 3 advantage

[Dapper Dog]

She focused in and fired before she starting pulling some crazy maneuvers to keep him guessing.

"Now who's the rookie?" she hissed into the open line pressing her advantage.

OOC: She missed and gives Djanik a setback die! She is Nemesis and Adversary 1 and Evasive Maneuvers.

Captain Beck Gunner vs. Djanik + Evasive: 2eP+2eA+2eC+2eS 4 failures, 2 advantage

[Djanik]

Djanik juked and rolled, the bolts passing his canopy in emerald spears.

Hauling tightly on the yoke, he stuck to the tails of the TIE squadron, snapping into the comms, "Skill isn't the only part of leading a squadron - the ace doesn't always make the best flight lead!"

As the blasters sputtered, blue bolts spiking outward at the flock of eyeballs, he kept the rusalka weaving back and forth - a surprisingly difficult target. (Evasive Maneuvers)

"Don't lose your squadron the way I did... please... Nora. Don't make me do this."

Gunnery vs squads - plague setback, upgraded die from evasive: 1eP+3eA+1eC+1eD+1eS 5 successes, 2 threat, 1 Despair


(10 damage)

As the azure bolts tore into another TIE fighter, he felt... sadness. Remorse. These people should have been his friends.

It shouldn't be like this. (2threat for setback?)

(Despair for GM)

(Evasive maneuvers active)
Ship status: Speed 3, Defense: Fore 2/Rear 1, Armor: 3 Hull: 8/15, Strain: 6/9

[Dapper Dog]

The fighter is ripped apart and the pieces fly back one slamming into Djanik's gun knocking it offline! The remaining squadron minions decide to focus on the more experienced pilot!

Veras tried to help but was able to land a blast!

OOC: Despair for Component hit Djanik's the main weapon. 2 left one has 2 HT taken. Using 2 Strain for Minions to stay on target on Djanik! he has 3 Threat to use! Hit Djanik for 9 HT. Veras grannts Djanik a boost die.

Minions vs. Djanik: 2eP+1eA+2eC+2eS 3 successes, 3 threat


Veras Stay on Target + Destiny vs. Minions: 3eP+1eA+2eD 0 successes, 1 advantage


Initiative List

NPC
Hero 2 successes, 1 advantage
NPC
Hero 1 success, 3 advantage

[Dapper Dog]

She frowned as more of her squadron went down and said, “Break off Valkyrie Squadron! This dance is too hot.”

She then said over an open line, “This isn’t over Traitor, not by a longshot.”

OOC: They break off unless the Heroes pursue.

[Djanik]

Djanik jerked his controls to pull the ship out of the main volley, but still took more hits, pock-marking the hull, pulling chunks of armor off the ship, and setting a stream of smoke billowing from the left pylon. It seemed a more cursed section of the ship.

(9-5 HT)

As the TIES broke off, he called to Veras "Break off, this is a chance to get clear. Take it!"

Grabbing the Imperial comm, he called, "You made a good call, Nora. You took care of your people."

With pain in his voice he said, "I didn't betray the Republic Nora... I still haven't. I wish you could see that."

As they sped away in different directions, he tapped the engine power shunts, trying to balance the power output... and failing.

damage control check: 1eP+2eA+2eD+1eS 1 failure


The damage was going to be costly to fix, but at least he could limp home. The lasers also needed some help... but Veras was alive - his failures of the past hadn't snuffed out her future.

As he leveled out, low over the ocean, he added, "Veras, you all right?" He'd tried to cover for her, but toward the end he'd had to watch his own back.

Ship status: Speed 3, Defense: Fore 2/Rear 1, Armor: 3 Hull: 4/15, Strain: 3/9

[Dapper Dog]

“I am fine, I think… I might have killed one of those guys,” she said softly.

“I am not sure how I feel… I am fine. Your ship took a beating, are you okay?”

[Djanik]

"I'm still flying. Don't ask for much more than that"

He took a slow breath. Glancing at his system status board, he marveled that he was, in fact, still flying.

"I'm sorry you had to take part in that..."

Rubbing his neck, wearily, felt the growing corruption, and added, "Fly a fighter, sometimes you have to pull the trigger... Wish it didn't have to happen to you though."

Glancing around, he looked for a place he could safely land and check over the damage, without being visible from the air.

[Dapper Dog]

"Yeah you're right," she said following him.

[Djanik]

Bringing it in for a beach landing, he tucked it away inside a small cove, the cliffs obscuring it from outside view.

Lowering the cockpit, he scowled as it stuck halfway down.

Even the lift had broken.

Hopping down the rest of the way, he examined his ship, marveling at how many hits he had taken. Glowing metal was still sizzling and sparking along the edge of the smoking hole in the left engine pylon, and the main hull was pockmarked and scarred with glowing impact craters.

Then there were the laser cannons. Those were a problem of their own...

Nora had been right about one thing... he'd gotten rusty.

[Dapper Dog]

Veras landed nearby and got out and whistled at the damage saying, "Wow..."

[Djanik]

"Yeah."

A soft sigh.

"She was beautiful for a day."

Walking around the base of the Rusalka, he shook his head.

"Just... wow. This will be quite the process..."

Glancing at the Jedi Starfighter, he looked surprised. "It looks like you didn't take any hits?"

[Dapper Dog]

"Guess I got lucky, they all wanted a piece of you," she said thoughtfully.

"Plus the leader really had it out for you, seemed personal."

[Djanik]

"I tried to cover for you - I'm glad it worked out..."

He took a slow breath, and ran one hand along the mangled hull plating where a blast had melted it into a dollop, like the ship was sweating.

"As for Nora... I never thought I'd see or hear from her again."

Glancing at Veras, he added, "Yeah, it was personal. I was her flight lead. We became good friends, and then things... fell apart. The Empire changed a lot of things, including both of us."

Looking out over the water, he added, thoughtfully, "I guess she never really believed the reports that I had died in that crash... clever girl. Cold, ambitious... clever girl."

[Dapper Dog]

"Thanks, I owe you for that," she said with a nod. "So why did you leave then? I mean the Empire seem like jerks but what prompted you to leave... and a crash? Did you like try to fake your death or something?"

[Djanik]

Djanik considered that, and then took a seat, plopping himself down and leaning against his ship.

"Yeah... pretty much."

Looking out at the ocean, enjoying the sound of it, he said, pensively. "Why did I leave? I guess I got sick of pretending the Empire was the same as the Republic I used to fight for."

Resting one arm on his knee, his voice grew faintly wistful. "I fought for three years for the Republic - flew with some great people. After the war, I was sidelined into a string of 'go-nowhere' posts. They weren't interested in me, because I was blue. Simple as that."

Glancing at Veras, he shrugged. "I figure they were jealous, but what can I say? As for why I left... that wasn't enough, by itself."

Picking up sand and he felt the sensation of it in his hand, course, irritating... he contemplated how blunt to be. She was a tough kid... "It was too much when they ordered me to gun down protesters in cold blood. I couldn't do that. Sadly, not everyone agreed. Over 100 casualties."

Letting the sand through his fingers, he watched it pile up on the beach. "One atrocity among many, but one too many for me. On the way home I cut my engines and crashed in the tundra near the poles - I hit a little harder than planned," he gestured to his scarred face, "but I was able to fool them into thinking I died in the crash."

The waves crashed and broke, and seemed to carry some of his concerns with them. "Until today. Now Nora knows the truth. I fled, instead of trying to fix it from the inside."

[Dapper Dog]

"You think fixing it from the inside was even possible?" she asked incredulously.

"The inside seems pretty rotten."

[Djanik]

"I don't disagree, but not everyone feels that way."

With a soft sigh, he added, "I at least hope didn't lose her way so badly that she doesn't even care anymore."

Glancing at the Jedi starfighter, he added, "So, your dad is a jedi, huh?"

[Dapper Dog]

"Guess the vinecats out of the bag, yes... he's the one everyone was hunting," she admitted.

[Djanik]

"Orka Han?"

He thought that was the name, he'd only seen the posters when being strangulated by an inquisitor.

"I mean, I flew with Jedi during the war. Let's say their fighters are a bit distinctive."

[Dapper Dog]

"I call him dad, but yes Oraka Hin, or Tero Boz," she mused.

[Djanik]

"Lotta names."

He grinned. "I bet Dad is his favorite."

Pulling himself to his feet, he added, "I didn't want you involved in this - I wanted to think there was still some room in the galaxy for smart young ladies to grow up in peace, but I guess even that's impossible now."

Glancing at her fighter, he added, "You fly well. Really well. I doubt I could teach you much, to be honest, and I suspect you wouldn't stay away from this little revolution even if I asked, so I won't. Instead, I'll ask this - I'm working on putting a squadron together. You willing to be my number two? I figure the best way I can help keep you safe at this point is to cover your six."

His tone was unusually serious, and he didn't seem to be viewing her as anything less than an equal - perhaps unexpected treatment for a teen, but these were unusual times.