Ask Caf, Blasters and Sabers

[Lorcan]

Starliners were supposed to be the height of luxury but right now Lorcan honestly wanted to be done with the whole ship - how quickly a person could get sick of a few hundred other sentients right? It had taken him shorter than most he would guess. He wasn't usually the kind of person who could be classed as a 'people-person' but whatever. He and another Ranger had been set up with the liner when it became apparent that a bail jumper was boarding.

Considering their recent missions had been related to crippling dangerous pirate operations he expected this to be a walk in the park in comparison. Even at it's worst it was incredibly unlikely that he was going to have to kill multiple people; unlike the last few missions he had been on. He was beginning to feel the weight of all the killing, feel the blood seeping all over his hands.

"Kel Dryden." he greeted the scoundrel, blocking him in his seat with his body, Corran backing him up, "You skipped bail for cheating a casino - I'm Lorcan and this is Corran, we're with the Sector Rangers and I would like to request you submit yourself to our care."

His right hand rested on his holstered blaster pistol.

"We can bring you in warm or we can bring you in cold Dryden; make the smart choice, yeah?"

Unknown to Lorcan, several pirates hidden amongst the passengers heard his declaration and began to stealthily make moves to bring their timetables up.

@TerranSteel
@Catbert
@Reyn @ModernMarvel

 

[Kel Dryden]

Things were kriffed up. A way to lay low—coupled with a get-rich-quick scheme, admittedly—had gone to Malachor in more ways than one, and faster than Kel could say "Pure Pazaak". Now the young scoundrel was on the run, with a couple more enemies in the criminal underworld, and a small bounty on his head to boot. "Glad I didn't bring my ship along for this one," Kel thought to himself.

He felt uneasy about the whole thing since the beginning. That's why he had brought some protection. Under the brown jacket, Kel was wearing his black flight suit. Its bulky life-support box had been detached and was in Kel's backpack on a free seat next to him. The suit's helmet was lying on top of the backpack as well. Kel's DL-44 blaster and BD-2 elecrostaff, however, had been deemed unfit for hand-carry, and were therefore in the nearby cargo compartment for the duration of the trip, along with other people's luggage.

The uneasiness only grew, until it manifested in the form of two men approaching Kel. And armed men, no less. One of them—seemingly the senior of the two, and probably the more dangerous—introduced himself, while standing way closer than the scoundrel would've liked: "Kel Dryden. You skipped bail for cheating a casino. I'm Lorcan and this is Corran, we're with the Sector Rangers and I would like to request you submit yourself to our care."

"How the kriff did they find out my real name?!", the young man's eyes darted between the two rangers, as he tried to piece together where exactly he had slipped up. He was careful enough to use aliases when introducing himself to people; forced to give the real name only when he had to show his identification. The people back at the casino definitely wouldn't know him as Kel Dryden. So someone had done some digging.

The whole "cheating at the casino" thing, along with the sudden danger, made Kel smirk without even noticing it. Accusing him of doing that and there of all places sounded almost like an accusation of using a refresher for its intended purpose. Meanwhile, the alleged ranger continued, with his hand on the gun: "We can bring you in warm or we can bring you in cold Dryden; make the smart choice, yeah?"

Any respect he might've gained with Kel for displaying emotionless professionalism moments earlier has just gone out the airlock. The ranger just had to play tough. It frustrated Kel, to the point of evoking anger, which only manifested in a twitch of the corner of his lip.

The scoundrel weighed up his options while examining the rangers and the surroundings. Plead innocence? Even though it was true—from a certain point of view—Kel knew that wouldn't work. The rangers were here to apprehend the suspect, not investigate who had cheated and how. Going back to the planet was suicide. Trying to cause a distraction and get to the escape pod? Could work, especially if there were no rangers nearby. Besides, Kel would end up without weapons, in the middle of nowhere. A very bad prospect. "Too bad I didn't bring my ship along for this one" Kel thought to himself and sighed. His mind was made up.

Then Kel... raised his hands from his hips slowly and showed the palms, to demonstrate that he had no intention to resist: "Well, I'm clearly cornered here..." He'd try to reach for his helmet slowly, so that the rangers could see his every move and not jump the gun. If he wouldn't be interrupted, he'd just grab the helmet and prepare to take his backpack too, readying himself to stand up and depart with the rangers, if they chose so. "So, uh... You guys have a ship, or do we wait until the destination? Oh, and either way, before we go, could one of you grab my DL-44 and electrostaff from the luggage room? I'd hate to leave that stuff lying around here."

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Brienna Lanaamer didn’t really like public transportation in any capacity. Small intra-planet shuttles or trains, large city level elevators, and of course, massive interstellar cruisers, carrying herds of beings across the galaxy; Bri disliked it all. It was noisy, messy, and typically contained a combination of unpleasant smells. Even the so called, ‘luxury cruisers,’ bothered the Jedi, who usually preferred quiet solitude. It was one of the main reasons why she owned her own ship to galavant around the galaxy in. Unfortunately, said ship was currently stuck being repaired, and thusly forced Bri to take the dreaded public starliner on her most recent interplanetary trip. She sighed and frowned to herself knowing that her own faulty flying skills had precipitated the necessary repairs to her ship. Being too stubborn to leave the control of the 3-Z freighter to her droid certainly hadn’t helped.

Luckily, Bri had found an open seat next to a window, which provided a small escape for the Jedi, who actively focused on using her senses to tune out the surrounding distractions. Noisy conversations in varying languages, doors opening and closing, and the occasional stranger who tried to strike up a conversation with the Jedi, who obviously wanted to me left alone, all appeared as frustrating occurrences.

Bri wasn’t exactly in disguise, but she was not wearing the typical Jedi robes. Instead, she was wearing a pair of fitted dark pants with a light brown tank top and dark brown accompanying jacket. Her lightsaber was hidden in an inside pocket of the jacket. Bri usually tried to not draw attention to herself when traveling in public, lest someone with a particularly negative attitude towards the Order accost her.

The Jedi’s silent window staring meditation was interrupted by a developing scene across the room. Arms crossed over her chest, Bri opened her eyes and stared intently at three men, two of which appeared to be arresting or absconding with the third. Something in the Jedi’s mine warned her of a potential situation developing. “Great,” came a single word reply, muttered under her breath.

 

[Corran Velt]

Corran didn't visually react to Ranger Lorcan's... direct confrontation with the suspect. Though to Lorcan, it seemed "suspect" was left way behind. This casino-scammer had made the unfortunate mishap of boarding a luxury ship and headed out into space. If he had been on a planet, he'd usually be out of Ranger jurisdiction. The space lanes didn't often have clean jurisdiction and often fell to Sector Rangers to apprehend and enforce laws of the galaxy or dignity. Corran mused on the thought that the Sector Rangers might have a longer naval tradition than a frontier one.

The junior Ranger was more visually straight-laced than his partner. Jacket secured up the collar. Clean-shaven. Pants pressed and tucked into boots. Badge on display over the heart. It was relieving that Kel was cooperative. No need to shoot up the fine upholstery. "We'll be holding you on the liner until we reach destination, Mr. Dryden. We appreciate your cooperation." At the mention of weaponry, Corran shook his head in disappointment, "DL-44 Blaster Pistol is a powerful weapon. Planning to add murder or manslaughter to that rap sheet?" The junior Ranger looked to his partner, "I'll take care of it. What's your luggage look like, Dryden? I don't want to rifle through everyone's things."

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel had always had difficulty grasping the concept of claustrophobia that many of the species she encountered possessed. Her kind were a close-knit people, and only really complained about crowds in the most ridiculous circumstances. So for her the idea of spending a few days on a starliner with only a thousand or so passengers was no trouble at all. In fact she rejoiced at the chance to speak with interesting travelers. Most of her missions lately had consisted of visiting very remote and sparsely habited worlds.

Unfortunately the man she had been seated next to for the journey didn't seem to share her gregarious nature. He was very twitchy, constantly adjusting himself in his seat, and looking around the cabin at several other rough looking passengers. When Izel had tried to start a friendly conversation, speaking of her plans to visit her family, he had been distractedly dismissive. At first she assumed he might have had a fear of space travel, despite looking like an experienced spacer himself. She tried to allay these fears by describing in detail the specifications of the ship they were flying on and how reliable they were, but he only gave her a strange, nervous look in return. And then the two Sector Rangers stood up.

Izel had sensed them the moment she boarded the ship, but thought nothing of it. The Sector Rangers and Jedi had built a mutually beneficial relationship, and she saw no reason to see them as any kind of threat. Her neighboring passenger went white as a ghost when he overheard their conversation with the apparent fugitive though, and practically melted into his seat trying not to be noticed.

"Oh kark…" He muttered under his breath, and glanced at one of the other passengers again. Izel looked between the two men with concern, and then turned her attention back to her neighbor.

"Is he a friend of yours?" She asked curiously. "If you'd feel more comfortable sitting with him, I'll see if we can switch..."

"W-what?" The man asked confusedly, but Izel was already standing up and raising a hand.

"Excuse me stewardess?" She called loudly but politely, causing half a dozen heads to turn in her direction. She immediately pointed out the horrified passenger sitting next to her. "This man would like to change his seat!" The man, who was sitting just across the aisle and a row back from the Sector Rangers, slowly reached for the compact holdout blaster hidden in his boot...

 

[Lorcan]

The suspect was getting angry... Lorcan had to stop himself from grinning. He was beginning to get a taste of violence that he wasn't all that comfortable with and pushing the suspect into attacking him or giving into his anger and causing a scene was tempting but ultimately he decided against it. The fact that it took him a second to think about deescalating a situation as the best path might mean he was overdue some workplace therapy for his most recent missions.

"We're happy for your co-operation, Mr Dryden."

His hand strayed away from his blaster pistol.

"We will present you to the local government and at that point they will begin the process of bringing you to trial. Until such a time you are not considered guilty though it may have your future case should you resist between now and then." he recited with a small smile, "Looks like that last bit isn't needed - you wouldn't believe the number of people who try and run."

Everyone tries to run at some point; just some of them were smart enough to only run their mouth. He paused and looked to the side for a moment. An insectoid passenger was raising some fuss about a man who wanted to change seats. If that had been all it wouldn't have so much as been a blip on his radar but he caught a glimpse of the man's face.

His instincts screamed at him as the man stood, drawing a hidden blaster.

"DOWN!"

The hijacker fired a shot as Lorcan threw himself between Kel and the shooter, taking the shot to the back of his armoured coat with a grunt of pain before pulling the young man down into the aisle between the seats. Up and down the liner pirates stood, bringing blasters out of hiding places on their person and hidden within luggage. Hostages were quickly taken.

"Nobody tries to be a hero!"

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@Catbert
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[Kel Dryden]

Corran turned out to be just like Lorcan—professional at first, and condescending later. Had they been grown in the same vat or something? The junior ranger just had to comment about Kel's intentions with DL-44 without even knowing him. Kel only scoffed at that, but then the scoff turned into a smirk, which the scoundrel quickly tried to shake off.

The rangers seemed to have taken the bait. Unknowingly, the rookie had told Kel everything he needed to know. "We'll be holding you on the liner until we reach destination" meant that the rangers had no backup ship nearby. And "I'll take care of it. What's your luggage look like, Dryden?" meant that at some point Kel would be left with Lorcan alone. A perfect time to act. Multiple scenarios of distraction, confrontation, and escape were already running through the scoundrel's head.

On the outside, however, Kel continued playing the part of a mostly harmless quarry. With a shrug, he replied to Corran: "It looks just like that: a blaster in a holster, and an electrostaff split into two batons." Hopefully, the junior ranger would go for it sooner rather than later. Despite things going as planned, Kel still felt uneasy, and the feeling was growing by the minute. It was a way for his gut to tell him that things are about to go to Malachor.

Kel was so turned in upon himself that he barely listened to Lorcan's recitation and subsequent attempt at chit-chat. The invisible string was about to snap. Kell grabbed onto his helmet and backpack, preparing for whatever came next...

Then it was all a blur: Lorcan shouting "DOWN!", throwing himself between Kel and a blaster bolt, and pulling the scoundrel down into the aisle. Even Kel's uncanny gut feeling couldn't prepare him for that. The only thing it achieved is to help Kel hold on to his helmet and backpack when the moment came.

"Nobody tries to be a hero!" the shout echoed across the compartment, standing out even in the middle of all the commotion. Before even realizing fully that the ship was being hijacked, Kel was instinctively putting his helmet on. He wisely remained lying on the ground, next to his backpack and the ranger who had just taken a blaster bolt to the back.

The pirate definitely knew whom to target. If so, a place next to a Sector Ranger would be the last place where Kel wanted to be. The shooter would soon come their way to check the body and finish the job. And for all Kel knew, he too could be shot "for company's sake". The ranger had a blaster, but reaching into the holster of a man who had just tried to arrest you was a bit risky.

So, the first thing Kel would do is nudge Lorcan on the shoulder and point in the direction behind the seats, from where a pirate was most likely coming. But if the ranger was indeed incapacitated, the scoundrel would face a tough choice. Reach for Lorcan's blaster and try to return the favor to the man who had just saved him... Or to crawl away and gain some distance from the ranger, hoping to pass as a harmless passenger.

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri watched as the next few series of events happened in almost slow motion, or at least her force abilities made each individual occurrence slow down. The precipitating action seemed to be a Vratix standing up and asking to change seats. There was something that stuck in Bri’s mind that caused her to pause. The Vratix were a fairly uncommon presence around the galaxy, yet the Jedi had a mental note stuck in her head about them. Why? Didn’t someone tell her once, on Ajan Kloss, that there was a Vratix who was a Jedi? If this Vratix was a Jedi, it would be a rather large coincidence that Bri happened to be on the same ship.

While this inner monologue was developing in Bri’s mind, the two men, who were presumed to be Sector Rangers, were still in conversation with their newly apprehended target, probably taking turns to see who could offer the most snarky comment. Bri’s attention was spiked when she saw the face of the man who had supposedly wanted to change seats, at least according to the Vratix. He looked nervous and flustered that he was now the center of attention in the room. Before she could draw any further conclusions, the man stood and yelled, firing a shot towards the apprehended criminal. Somehow the Sector Ranger had maneuvered himself inbetween the target and the blaster bolt, which struck him in the square of the back. Luckily, it appeared his coat was armored, and the shot wasn’t fatal. This blaster bolt seemed to be the signal for the other pirates around them to stand up, reveal their weapons, and in a few instances, take hostages.

“Blast,” Bri muttered to herself. How had she missed this? Surely, she should have been able to feel the emotions of the room, and sense the looming danger. She cursed herself internally, “I was staring out the window, not paying attention, and look what’s happened...” People were now in danger, and it was partly her fault. Jedi adages of ‘not dwelling on the past,’ and ‘learning from your mistakes’ floated through her mind, as she tried to figure out what to do next; worrying about her own short comings could happen later.

There were too many pirates for Bri to handle herself. Obviously the Sector Rangers could help, but she didn’t know what condition the one Ranger was in after taking a blaster bolt to the back. Additionally, the problems were compounded by the relatively small space of the room. A misfired or misdirected blaster bolt could end up hitting a civilian, or ricochet towards an unknown destination. Bri wished that she had paid more attention to her droid when it explained the various materials starships were usually made out of, and their relative durability. She could hear it’s jovial, “Told you so,” beeps in her mind now.

Bri slowly reached up and pulled her hair into a ponytail with an elastic band from her wrist. She sensed impending action. The Jedi knew should could probably save anyone in the room from immediate danger, but after that one heroic feat, all bets were off. Too many other variables to consider. She tried to stay out of the eyeline of any of the pirates, gingerly opening her jacket for quick access to the weapon hidden inside.

 

[Corran Velt]

“DOWN!”

The order kickstarted Corran’s survival instinct; well-honed ever since Cona. His muscles reacted without any thoughts and immediately dove to the floor. The junior Ranger was already making his way luggage compartment when Lorcan’s shout had erupted. Corran had no idea what had occurred behind him, but he knew a blaster went off moments after his body slammed into the isle carpet. The sound of a blaster bolt smacking into something metallic, followed by a grunt and a thud, caused Corran’s adrenaline to spike. Crawling on the ground on his stomach, the Ranger was determined to make it out of harm’s way.

Luckily, the prone Sector Ranger had already progress towards the passenger baggage room before the shooting started. The crawl was no less excruciating. All around the cabin, civilians shouted in shock and fear, some rose only to get grappled by pirates securing hostages. Corran only made it to the luggage door due to the erupting chaos. The door slid open and the junior Ranger was greeted by secured stacks of bags, suit-cases, and hanging carry-ons. Once inside, he pressed his back against the wall nearest to the door. It was flimsy cover, but better than nothing.

Corran’s chest heaved as he worked to catch his breath. He drew his Power 5 pistol from its holster and gripped it tight for courage. Timing would be critical to make sure he wouldn’t get himself, or worse, a hostage killed.

 

[Izel Thral]

Everything happened so fast Izel could barely keep up. The passenger next to her, or pirate rather, produced a blaster in a remarkably short time and managed to squeeze off a shot at one of the Rangers. Before he even hit the ground the pirate had grabbed her shoulder and pressed his blaster into her neck.

"You talk too damn much!" He hissed angrily. Rather than panic Izel maintained her calm, remaining perfectly still as she reached out with the Force to both feel and see the situation taking shape around her. Chaos quickly consumed the cabin as several pirates rose from their chairs, pulling out more hidden weapons, taking hostages and shouting orders. People were screaming. In the confusion the second Ranger managed to slip back into the baggage room. Already the pirates were breaking up into two groups, one heading back towards the luggage to find the remaining Ranger, the other moving to the next cabin, likely heading for the cockpit to take over the ship. A few pirates remained standing where they were, on watch for any suspicious movement.

"S-sorry..." Izel said in a wavering voice that was only partially a guise. It had been a while since she'd been this close to the business end of a blaster and it certainly wasn't a pleasant experience. Emotion, Yet Peace. She chanted in her head repeatedly as she tried to figure out how to approach the situation. Incapacitating the pirate that held her would be easy enough, after that though things got murky. Her lightsaber pike was stored in the overhead compartment above her seat, and the other pirates would likely fill her with holes before she could retrieve it. She could always turn the tables and use her captor as a human shield, but that didn't strike the Padawan as a very Jedi thing to do. Instead she decided to play along for the moment.

"Just shut up and stay in front of me." Her captor said harshly before pulling her out into the aisle and approaching the two men on the floor. Izel realized he was likely about to check the body, and presumably finish the job. Through the Force she could already tell the Ranger was still alive, so decided to start by helping him.

"This Ranger is dead." She whispered to the pirate as they moved forward, waving her hand in a subtle motion as she used her mind trick. The pirate fell for it easily.

"This one's dead!" He shouted to his comrades, who promptly stepped over him to make their way towards the baggage room, leaving his form and the fugitive beside him unattended. But that wasn't all. Izel could sense another person strong in the Force as well. A short scan of the cabin left her eyes locking with blonde haired human woman. Izel didn't know her name, but was fairly certain she had seen her in passing back on Ajan Kloss at least once. That was convenient. She gave a subtle nod to the woman, hoping she would be able to feel her sensitivity to the Force as well. Meanwhile her captor had turned his attention to the fugitive, ordering him to get up. Izel took that chance to crouch down and speak to the Ranger on the floor.

"Are you alright?" She asked in the softest voice she could, trying not to draw too much attention to herself.

@Nefieslab @Catbert @ModernMarvel @TerranSteel

 

[Lorcan]

Getting shot in the back was never fun but at least it had only been a blaster pistol to an armoured section of his outfit. Better than someone who was actually a decent shot after all. Marginally.

He was still going to kill the shit out of the shooter though.

The nudge was jarring to the injury but something he kind of needed as well so he wasn't going to cause a fuss over it. Silently he drew his blaster pistol and kept it at the ready beneath his body. That someone had convinced the thug heading his way that he was dead was even better.

Putting his blaster pistol back into it's holster, he instead drew his vibroknife and whispered back.

"Give me a second."

Twisting around, he threw the knife upwards. It was far quieter than a blaster pistol firing and it landed quietly in the man's throat. As his hands immedately went to his throat, Lorcan grabbed the man and pulled him to the ground. One hand covered the thug's mouth to stop any muffled death rattles as he used his other hand to finish the job, completely cutting through the man's throat and arteries.

He waited a second until he was certain he was dead.

"We need to get to my partner and re-group." he stared at the bug person, "... Jedi right? You cause a distraction to draw some of their attention. Dryden?"

He passed the bloody blade to the suspect.

"Know how to use this?"

@Catbert @ModernMarvel @TerranSteel @Reyn

 

[Kel Dryden]

The ranger was alive, and Kel wasn't so sure how to feel about it. But sorting things out would have to wait until the crisis was over. Meanwhile, the thug approached the scene, disregarding the "dead" ranger. "Get up, you bantha fodder!" he shouted at the now-helmeted scoundrel. Raising his hands, Kel stood up on one knee, as the thug was now focused solely on him. That was the guy's last mistake—Lorcan made short work of the pirate with his knife. Seeing the ranger in action only reaffirmed that Kel's decision to bide his time had been the right one.

While Lorcan was talking to the strange insectoid that he had inadvertently freed, Kel secured the flight suit's life-support box from the backpack on the chestplate. After all, the pirates may have brought explosives, and getting spaced was as good of a way out of the situation. Especially if you have a space suit with some air, and a distress beacon. Kel had both.

Meanwhile, the ranger turned his attention to Kel again and handed over the bloodied knife. Workable, but not what Kel would've preferred. Done with the life-support box, Kel accepted the knife with some hesitation, but then smirked under the helmet. His reply was quiet, with the voice distorted slightly: "You bet."

The scoundrel hid the knife up his sleeve, but then looked around the floor. "Although..." he muttered, eventually finding what he was looking for and reaching for it. "This will be just as useful." He demonstrated the compact blaster that the pirate had dropped on the floor the moment when he had something more important to grab—that being his throat. Kel would hide the small blaster up his other sleeve as a backup plan, unless interrupted.

Running off there and then was an invitation to get shot at, both by the pirates and the rangers. It looked like Lorcan's selflessness and a knife to the pirate's throat had chosen the side for Kel... at least for the time being. Besides, he did want to retrieve his weapons, and as it happened, Corran and Lorcan could help with that.

Still crouching, Kel nodded to the ranger. With a couple of gestures, he would suggest splitting up and approach the thugs at the entrance to the luggage room from different angles. If the ranger would allow Kel to keep the gun, the scoundrel figured that he wouldn't need the ranger's permission for a little improv. That's why he'd crouch through a row of seats to get in position and strike when he'd see the rangers do the same.

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

The puzzle pieces in Bri’s mind slid into place as she locked eyes with the Vratix, who had only moments before, offered a telling nod. Reaching out with the Force, she could feel the growing maelstrom of emotions around her; anger, confusion, fear, determination, courage. Yet, she could also sense the control the Vratix had in the Force. While it was not commanded as well as a Jedi Knight, it was assuredly that of a skilled Padawan. Bri was glad the Vratix appeared eager to help, and even managed to remain calm in the worsening situation. Whoever her Master was had done a good job, and Bri resolved to give them both credit upon returning to Ajan Kloss.

As one of the pirates walked past the Jedi Padawan, Bri could tell that manipulation of the Force had led the pirate to suddenly announce that the Sector Ranger was dead, which was obviously not the case. Like a flash, a quick motion from the Ranger then resulted in a knife thrown at speed, lodging into the pirates neck with a grisly thud. Collapsing to the floor, Bri watched as the Ranger quickly extinguished the pirates life.

Rather unsurprisingly, the rest of the pirates in the compartment did not take well to one if their own being killed and began to react in force. A plan being calculated in her mind, Bri knew that if she was able to create a larger target for the pirates to focus on (herself), it would give the Rangers, their apprehended target (who now seemed to be inclined to help), and the Padawan, a chance to regroup, and guide passengers to a hopefully safer location. She was hesitant to use her saber in the tight quarters, choosing to apply her own physical abilities and the Force.

Taking a deep breath to center her spirit and calm her mind of any distractions, Bri stood up quickly, and cocked her arm back, landing a Force assisted sucker punch into a nearby pirates’ face with a satisfying crunch. Immediately, another pirate raised a blaster, pointing it at the Knights direction. As soon as the shot was fired, Bri smoothly side-stepped, and brought her arm back around, gently changing the trajectory of the bolt with the Force, to land straight into the side of a pirate standing close by. With a small section of seats now cleared of pirates, Bri took the quick opportunity to address those still standing near her. “Quickly! That way!” she spoke clearly, pointing to the door to her left, which led to an interlocking chamber.

While the passengers began to rush past her, Bri turned back to the pirates still positioned in between her, the Ranger, the Scoundrel, and the Padawan. With a change in foot stance and a taunting, “Let’s go!” offered to the assailants, the Jedi readied herself for more combat.

@Catbert @Nefieslab @Reyn @TerranSteel

 

[Corran Velt]

The heavy foot falls of pirates advancing on the luggage compartment ceased. Just past the doorway into the isle of the transport, sounds of a struggle and even another shot of a blaster indicated some people were still resisting. Even more in danger. Corran needed to act.

Glancing around the carry-on area, the Sector Ranger glimpsed what he originally sought. A DL-44 blaster holster and two batons dangling from a storage rung. They even had tags attached to them, giving the seat and name of the passenger that owned them. Those must be them.

Taking the weapons off the rung, Corran secured them to his own belt. Even if they never got to Dryden, extra gear in this situation could only help. Breathlessly pressing back up against the wall, the Ranger glanced around the edge and saw several pirates, including one just a few steps away from the entryway, pointing their blasters at a human woman. She was taunting the brigands?

No better chance than now. Corran stepped out from behind the meager cover the thin luggage area walls provided and pointed his blaster at the nearest pirate. The barrel was nearly into the outlaws back. A stun blast send the pirate fidgeting and seizing until he hit the floor. “Freeze! You’re under arrest!” Corran shouted to the cabin of pirates and hostages. Pirates nearest to the luggage area returned their attention to the back of the cabin disregarded that suggestion and promptly opened fire. Corran dove back behind cover as a small flurry of red lights scorched the hull and interior.

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel was unprepared for the Ranger's sudden attack on the pirate that had been holding her hostage, freezing up in dismay as she watched him fall to the floor clutching his bleeding throat before the Ranger ruthlessly finished him off. His words echoed distantly to her while she focused on the dead human before her, lifeless eyes staring back at her. Shaking her head to regain her senses she looked back at the Ranger, it seemed he had successfully guessed what she was and was now asking for her help. She didn't see much choice in the matter.

The Ranger had asked her to create a distraction, but it seemed that had already been done for her. The other Force sensitive woman got up and unleashed a surprise attack of her own on the pirates approaching them from one end of the cabin, drawing their attention and giving the civilians around her a chance to get to safety. The other pirates were caught between them and the luggage compartment, and were caught entirely off-guard by this sudden turn of events.

Izel used the opportunity to arm herself, reaching out with one hand and calling upon the Force. Her lightsaber pike burst out of the overhead compartment by her seat and flew forwards, clotheslining two pirates before reaching the Padawan's grasp. She ignited the bright green blade of her weapon and took up the Soresu form with a showy flourish, glowering at her opponents in an attempt to intimidate them. She did manage to give them pause, and gain their undivided attention. Hopefully that would serve as a good enough distraction for the Ranger and fugitive to slip around and get to the luggage department. In the meantime she would do her best to holdoff the pirates, although she felt some nervousness over deflecting blaster bolts in here. One stray shot and they would all end up spaced. Hopefully the pirates would realize that too.

@Nefieslab @Catbert @ModernMarvel @TerranSteel

 

[Lorcan]

The suspect being armed with a blaster was... both a good thing and potentially a bad thing. He would take it as a good thing for now but he would keep an eye on the man so it wouldn't come back to bite him in the future. Of course killing the pirate had been satisfying in a way that he was not entirely comfortable with - but it also painted a target on their back and suddenly the other pirates were inclined to start firing.

Then a second Jedi revealed themselves and suddenly he was less interesting.

Excellent.

Corran trying to arrest them was a good start but damn - there were a bit many of them to be doing that. The way the insect Jedi brought her saber out was interesting. He turned to her.

"That's illegal handheld luggage."

Wasn't complaining however.

Raising his blaster, he fired twice, ending a hostage taker by shooting the hostage in the foot then nailing the hostage taker in the face when they nodded forwards.

 

[Kel Dryden]

Kel had never seen Jedi in action before, and the display was impressive. He couldn't but stop and observe them for a moment. Without even having blasters, they had drawn almost all the attention to themselves. Hopefully, that would offer the scoundrel a small window to help lift the siege of the luggage room. With the Jedi stirring up a commotion, some of the pirates surrounding the luggage room turned around... and one of them noticed Kel approaching with the bloodied knife at the ready.

Before Kel could react, the pirate fired a blaster pistol at him, landing a shot at the left side of his chest. With a grunt, the scoundrel fell on his rear, but threw up the other arm and took a couple of shots with the compact blaster at the pirate's torso. Immediately after that, he'd try to crawl backwards and between the seats again, knowing that other pirates might notice his stunt. However, they were too distracted with Corran and the two Jedi, so Kel would make it to cover. From there, he'd try to take a couple blind shots at the pirates. He didn't expect the shots to land, but at least they'd keep the pirates off balance, and focused on too many hostiles at once.

Spoiler: OOC

Dice: mild fail. I figured I'd incorporate some dice in Kel's actions occasionally, when the difficulty check is warranted.

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri watched as the rest of the compartment, or at least those prepared to jump into action, engaged the pirates in combat. Some were utilizing blasters, while others fought with handheld weapons. Ducking to dodge a zipping blaster bolt, the Jedi Knight watched as the Padawan reached with the force to call its lightsaber, built in the form of a pike, quickly illuminating its green light. Bri wanted to call out a warning of concern, lest the lightsaber cause more damage to the compartment and leave them all sucked into the vacuum of space. She decided against it, hoping that the Padawan had the right amount of foresight to prevent such a problem. Also, the pirates were trying their very best to kill her, which served as a rather motivating distraction.

One of the Rangers shouted an order of arrest, which in Bri’s mind seemed rather hopeful. Unsurprisingly, none of the pirates responded, and continued their assault. Having cleared the section of seats behind her, the Jedi moved forward, looking to help another set of passengers escape from the middle of the fighting. It was only a matter of time before one was struck by a stray blaster bolt. Bri dodged and weaved with three fast strides forward, jumping and nailing a pirate with a square knee to the chest, sending him flying backward with a defeated groan. She immediately turned and swept a pirate with her legs, knocking his balance, and finishing the move with a punch straight to his side.

Sensing the Force, Bri barely moved in time to dodge a blaster bolt, which wizzed right above her shoulder. She quickly reached a hand out and flicked her wrist, sending the pirate flying up into the ceiling, before landing back down with a heavy thud. Her attack had also left her open to danger, as another pirate’s shot successfully connected with a grazing strike on the Jedi’s left-upper arm. Bri winced in pain, feeling the dull heat of the bolt burn her skin and cause her arm to throb distressingly. She quickly hopped behind a row of seats, as two other pirates joined in, firing their blasters repeatedly. Bri paused to catch her breath. Luckily, a few more passengers had gotten out, and the seat backs were serving as decent cover from blaster fire. Things could be worse.

Bri took another deep breath and attempted to formulate a plan to help the others.

@TerranSteel @Reyn @Nefieslab @Catbert

 

[Corran Velt]

The cabin had turned into a proper melee. Corran peaked out behind the storage wall and saw an insect-like alien a pole-arm with energy for a blade. The human woman, the one who taunted the brigands, moved with super-being speed and power. He had only seen this once before. Force-Users. The voice in his head spoke with cruel, grating thought. They'd have to be dealt with later. The active hijacking comes first. Then Dryden after that.

A combination of efforts had almost cleared this section of the cabin of space pirates. Only a handful were left standing, either clasping a hostage or trying to end the surprisingly dangerous passengers. Three of the hijackers opened fire on the human force-user, desperate to drop a target. Staying in the luggage compartment wasn't going to do anyone any favors for much longer. Corran rose to his feet for a second time and came through the doorway. With a Power 5 held tightly in both hands, the Ranger fired a stun round into the back of one of the three pinning down the Force-user woman. They seized up and hung over one of the chairs. A pirate swiveled immediately to gain visual on the fire from their rear.

This time, Corran took no chances. He quickly ducked into a row of seats after a few strides down the isle. No shots followed. The pirate must have decided not to risk it. Between the seat cushions, the junior Ranger saw another being huddled for cover. It was none other than the target of their original arrest attempt, Kel (@Catbert). "Dryden!" Corran whisper-shouted between the seats, "Dryden, you --"

The Ranger didn't finish that sentence as the entire ship seemed to shutter. "That felt like the ship dropped out of hyperspace. We couldn't have reached our destination yet." Corran worked through his thoughts aloud. Then it hit him. The reason the ship came out of hyperspace wasn't because the ship had reached port. It's because the pirates had taken over the cockpit and were changing course.

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel slowly advanced on the remaining pirates facing her down, the brigands backing away while keeping their weapons trained on her. It seemed the reputation of the Jedi preceded her.

"That's illegal handheld luggage." The one Ranger said from behind her, right before shooting a hostage to get a better shot at the pirate holding them.

"You're one to talk..." the Padawan shot back, right before having her attention pulled back to the pirates in front of her. It seemed one of them had regained their nerve, and now was taking aim to fire on her. "Don't!" She warned him, but he fired anyway. Using her lightsaber the Vratix easily reflected the blaster bolt right back into the shooter's knee. As the man screamed in pain and fell to the ground clutching his wounded leg Izel tilted her head. "That's your fault." She scolded him. Two more pirates fired on her, suffering the same result. Eventually the Padawan was able to make her way to the other Force sensitive hiding behind the seats, holding off the few remaining pirates with her lightsaber while offering a hand to the human woman.

"Need a hand?" The Padawan asked politely. They seemed to have the situation in this cabin under control for the most part. The handful of pirates left seemed to be losing their nerve and would likely be convinced to surrender if they were able to keep up the pressure. That was when the ship shuddered. A glance out the nearest viewport and Izel could see they had dropped out of hyperspace. "That's not good..." She muttered before looking back to the two remaining pirates between them and the separated Ranger. They had been distracted by the ship dropping out of hyperspace as well. Izel used the opportunity to reach out with the Force, lifting both the brigands and slamming them against the ceiling of the cabin before letting their unconscious bodies drop back to the floor. "We need to get to the cockpit!" She shouted to the rest of the group.

@Nefieslab @Catbert @ModernMarvel @TerranSteel