Renounce Materialism

[Calath Draykon]

After a day or two of wondering around and listening, acting like a person who had just come to the village looking for work, Calath and his partner have learned some interesting things about the village they have come to. Yes, the rumors that there has been talk of rebellion are true. But people are not talking about it out in the open. In fact the talks have been taking place in secret. The place it has been taking place? Well after Calath secured a job as a miner, and possibly the same with his partner, it was found that the talks have been taking place between miners while deep in the mines out of the hearing range of Imperials and their Sith counterparts. In a way it made perfect sense that the miners will only exchange words while down in the mines, the higher up people will avoid such a dangerous and filthy environment. Leaving the perfect place for such talks to take place.​

What had Calath curious though is the fact that despite them sounding so eager to go into an open rebellion, they have been avoiding actually carrying it out. Understandably it was out of fear of the consequences for their actions if it succeeded or failed.

The teenager did not learn all this by directly talking to the miners though since at first the miners didn't trust either of the newcomers. Calath and his partner will have learned this while listening to the men talking among themselves. It was after Calath saved a miner from a collapsing roof, by grabbing and pulling him back by the back of his jumper suit, that trust was gained by the miners and with it the rebellious men willing to talk to them.

Now since the two rebels are on a Sith controlled planet, Calalth has his weapons hidden within his jumper suit. His lightsaber hidden in a deep pocket among his mining tools. The teenager was careful not to reveal his background to the miners he spoke to, all the while trying to tell them that it is alright to rebel.

Right now though Calath was hard at work with a group of miners, trying to get a valuable vein of ore out of the rock wall without causing a collapse. As the men worked there was some small talk amongst themselves. In a few minutes their next break time will start and the men will be able to speak more freely without having to yell over the sound of their work or the banging of tools against the rock wall.

"So kid. What will you do if we were able to push the Imperials off our planet?" One of the miners asked.

"Me? I have no clue. Maybe fist I will get myself a better drink than the junk we have." Calath replied earning a string of laughs from the other miners.

Calath looked to his partner, the other rebel he came here with, "What will you do?" He asked hoping that their small talk with the miners will get them somewhere closer to achieving their goal to encourage the miners and the others above ground who they associate with to go into open rebellion against the Empire.


@Styx

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

The last couple days had been mundane and uneventful. The air was thin and the rock was hard, machines at work and arms hacking away hour after hour. It wore Abe down until he realized, in the reflection of a refresher mirror all dirtied up, he looked just like everyone else. He was always sweaty, coated in black smears, and his face drooped a little lower with a few added wrinkles at that. Worst of all, though, was the gnawing, aching strain his body had for thirst. It didn't thirst for water; his headaches and hand tremors reminded him of that, but for the good stuff.

Abe waffled back and forth, wondering whether this was his chance to quit or the last time he took a mission like this. He knew he shouldn't've spent the last couple days before the mission working out and training. He was finding it difficult to hide his exasperation while making his rounds when it actually worked to his advantage, inspiring some pitying questions from an older miner. Abe found himself embracing the mood and joining in some old fashioned parent trashing, the conversation fluid from unfortunate beginnings all blamed on just a bit of bad luck to what life would be like without a stiff one at the end of the day. Luckily for Abe, the man knew a guy who had a flask he was all too willing to share with someone so sympathetic like. So they bonded over a secret, keeping it from the others, until Calath had saved another miner from a roof collapse. Naturally, since Abe had been seen with Calath, it doubly boosted his credibility. Quick as a coal slide, they were making headway in a cloistered group of miners.

Careful to hide all his equipment and weapons under his jumpsuit, tool belt and tools helping in that regard, Abe cut through a corner of an obtrusive boulder that had yet to be fully cleared for more personnel to reach the vein in more specific detail. He was managing a clear focus for the first time in a while too, thanks to his new friends, when his partner chimed in to the conversation, cueing Abe to jump in and test the foundations.

"Put my bastard uncle in asylum! Without these endless taxes, I'll finally be able to afford it!" Abe laughed heartily, accidentally spitting a sliver of truth, truly not fond of that man. But he quickly realized that the mission called for a more methodical approach. So he returned the focus back to his partner, "You?"

[SIZE=1]@Nommie[/SIZE]

 

[Calath Draykon]

"If I didn't have to pay so much in taxes. I can repair my home and provide better food." Calath replied. Honestly being a teenager. While in the mines Calath had his first taste of alcohol and honestly didn't care about the stuff. Now his talk of being able to provide more if there was not as high or no taxes? That should ring a bell in the men with the two rebels.

Which it seemed that what the two rebels have said so far ringed a bell. Starting with the man that stood next to Calath, a Zabrak named Tye, "Yes. If we didn't have to pay the kriffing taxes I can provide better food and shelter for my family." He noted in agreement.

"And better drinks! Can't forget that." Another man stated.

Calath wondered why some of the men were only thinking about the material rewards. What can he say to make them think of the rewards that will follow if they left the Empire? The teenager pondered over what to say as he shoveled a pile of ore into a bucket another man then picked up to carry away.

Calath looked to Grisgoh. It was no secret that the both of them are exhausted from their mission so far. But perhaps if they can get these miners to go from thinking of rebellion to acting on it the two of them will feel a wave of energy. But until then the two of them will feel exhausted.

As the miners toiled away Calath moved closer to his partner, "We need to somehow get them to see past the material things. And see what else is possible." He told the other man quietly. Of course they will have to be careful with their words or their mission is finished without producing any results.

@Styx

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

Abe's pained expression wrestled with the problem that lay before them, a nugget that just wouldn't crack. He nodded to Calath in agreement, eyes shifting and searching for the answer. It seemed an opportune moment, only miners down here, beginning to join in agreement of contempt of their oppressors. What, he wondered, would instigate more?

"If only," he began too softly, rising from thought,"if only those greedy Imperials didn't take everything from us. They take our ore and prosper off our sweat and blood. Then, as if that wasn't enough, they tax us on our own take. For what?" Abe eyed Calath, unsure if he wasn't taking this too far. "And imagine what they're making with it. I don't see those soldiers making toothbrushes. Imagine what we could make with it, what we could build."

Abe looked around, feeling small in the pause that swallowed his moment. But he caught that old man's eye, the one who felt pity for him when he looked his worst, and there was a flicker there. Finally, his eyes turned to Calath with a helpless clenching from somewhere deep inside.

Abe could've sworn he saw a head nodding, somewhere left of him. But others in the immediate area held their breath. Some still tried to ignore the conversation, while others had yet to hear it. Hardly anyone could hear outside of their little huddles, after all. It was so loud in the mines. If this worked here, they could only hope, then they could fan the flames and hope they catch the others, one by one.

@Nommie

 

[Calath Draykon]

Calath was confident that what his partner said had fanned the flame so to speak, with the looks in some of the eyes of the men with them, the two rebels should be able to tell that the miners around them are beginning to think. At least some of them seem to be thinking about what is being said. He is not able to tell though if the words are sparking the right flames though. He looked to Grisgoh then to the miners, "My friend is right. But don't only think about what we can build. Think of what we ourselves can accomplish. The type of future we can build for ourselves without the Imperials crushing us with their laws and taxes." The teenager paused, wondering if their words were having any affect on the miners.

Then the head miner yelled for them to start their break. As the men bunched up into their groups they talked amongst themselves. A bit louder than usual as they spoke about the conversation all of them have been just having right now. It so far appeared that the two rebel's words were having an affect on the miners.

One that is closer to the rebels saying, "They are right. Think about it!" To another miner as they all headed towards their break area. Still underground but far more open as it is an area that was depleted of the resources, but now serving as an area for the miners to take a break. The miners that were talking to the two rebels earlier were now scattered with miners who worked in other mineshafts. Talking quietly among themselves.

Looking around at all the men as they spoke among themselves, Calath took a seat on a boulder. Listening to all the hushed conversations as best as he could as their voices bounced off the walls. He wished to know what they are all talking about. Then the old man approached the two rebels, "They are talking about the conversation going on earlier."

"How did you.." Calath began wondering if the old man is force sensitive or if the look on the teenager's face was that obvious. The old man simply chuckled, leaving the teenager stumped. Watching the old man, Calath looked to his partner, "I wonder if what we have said is making them think more towards open rebellion and carrying it through." The young man said quietly as he watched the men interact with each other as they had their conversations. Some appearing more along the lines of a debate than a conversation. But the young man can see the sparks in their eyes. Now how to turn the sparks into flames.


@Styx

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

Calath's words were more focused than Abe's tangent, by his measure, and it captured Abe's attention just as it had the rest of them. He was a little surprised to see how well the young Rebel Calath handled himself, though it came as no surprise that someone was better than Abe with their words. They were doing alright, the two of them. Finally, when break was called, Abe sighed with relief. He'd never been much for swaying hearts and minds, not when he meant to at least; perhaps he only impacted people by accident.

Abe quietly followed Calath into the dried out chamber, the hollowed out area flooding with miners shuffling in and finding seats amongst each other. He couldn't help but try to overhear their hushed discussions, accumulatively resounding with an uproar but each individual conversation difficult to pick up on. Passing groups and angling a shoulder to a crossing body heading for a different group to continue spreading the gossip of the day, Abe finally found a spot next to his partner. While Calath took the seat on the boulder, Abe folded his arms and leaned back against its base and started rolling its bumps against the knots in his sore back.

Abe caught what the old man had said with a shiver of hope, then looked up to Calath to share a look of accomplishment with him, then back to the man to give a grateful nod. Then he answered his partner with a perfectly contented, "Sounds like they're doing more than that."

He may have been overstating it, but to Abe it seemed they couldn't have been doing better. Perfectly happy to sit on the sidelines for the rest of their break, or even the rest of the day, thinking the miners would finish the job for them, another miner approached the two Rebels. This one Abe didn't recognize.

"Listen fellas, some of the guys have been talking and we think it might be time to do something about our Imperial protectors. They don't know where it all started, but somebody was talking today in the mines and got some people all worked up. You don't know anything about it do ya? Who started it?"

Abe shirked his shoulders, feigning innocence as best he could without stepping in a trap just in case this guy already knew that it was Calath and Abe to begin with. But it seemed like, except for the old man and a couple others, nobody knew that Calath and Abe had instigated the day's topic. Everyone had already been talking about it in some form or another for some time, after all.

"Well anyways, it seems like a lot of us are in for it, so we've been going around and getting the measure of everybody. There's some who don't seem convinced, but... What'd'you two think? You in?"

Abe nodded, wearing his most convincingly thoughtful expression, then checked up to Calath for his take.

[SIZE=1]@Nommie[/SIZE]

 

[Calath Draykon]

Calath listened to his partner. The look on Abe's face told the younger man that they have accomplished something here. The miners are talking about the topic that the two rebels instigated earlier. But this time with more passion than usual. The young man was going to say something when another miner approached the two rebels. Snapping his mouth shut before he will say anything that may give the two of them away as the ones who got the men fired up.

Faking innocence was a bit hard to do. He wanted to talk to the miner. But if he did the teenager would have given the rebels away. So instead he shrugged his shoulders. Anyways since the topic has been talked about for some time it will be difficult for the miner to single out who instigated the talks this time. For all he knows it was a miner who's shift has finished and has gone home for the day.

When asked if he is in Calath nodded, "I'm in." He will tell his partner and the miner. Though if the miners do take action it may not taoe place until a little bit later when word has spread to the miners still hard at work in the other shafts.

@Styx

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

When the miner got what he wanted, he nodded back and tossed Abe a wrapped nutrition bar as he turned away to broach the subject with another group. Having caught it, Abe grinned up at Calath, raising his trophy, "Looks like we got a treat."

Abe fiddled with the wrapper, opened it up, broke it in half, held his half between his teeth, and tossed up the other half to Calath. Now that they were alone again, Abe let himself glow a little with satisfaction. Though they'd only affected a section of the tunnels, a portion of the miners were already buzzing with the possibility of rebellion. And, because of Calath, it sounded like it was for a good reason and not just for better booze. Word was spreading, but there was still work to do if they could do it. Break was coming to an end, though you wouldn't know it by the way the chamber rumbled, and they might only have a short time together without prying eyes and ears.

"Seems to be working. What should we do next?" Abe chewed savagely as he spoke, enjoying his down time and gearing up for the potential of the day. It could take them down any cavern or tunnel until they made their mark and motivated the miners into action.

@Nommie

 

[Ilyra Visz]

Ilyra Visz really didn't like rebels.

They were sneaky little buggers and they seemed determined to never fight with even numbers. They were determined to rope civilians into their little games. How did the sith know that there were rebel agents at work? Simple really. The people of this village had grumbled about the Empire in the past but some collaborators local to the area gave the full story.

They were beginning to look to do more than rumble because of agitators.

Now the reports didn't say that these agitators were rebel agents but, well, what else could really make sense hmm? If they were Mandalorians they would at least have the guts to be upfront with their intentions. No, only rebels were this sneaky and this gutless in her opinion.

Hence why she arrived on the scene with @Irolia Shen in tow, along with a contingent of riot-control troopers. She made no move to hide her presence as she marched down the main tunnel towards the group of workers having their little meeting. Her lightsaber was in her right hand but not ignited just yet, her quickdraw blaster pistol in her left.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" She called out loudly and clearly, already ready to break off her speech even before it started in case she needed to react to anything, "On behalf of the Sith Empire; I urge you to reveal the Rebel agitators within your midst and submit to arrest."

She doubted the rebels would let this lie.

@Raven_41
@Styx @Nommie

 

[Irolia Shen]

Irolia had been many places, some she wanted to remember less and some she thought of fondly of. This time she wasn't sure, she did not particularly like walking around in a tunnel. On the other side, she kind of wanted some action. Unlike her fellow Acolyte, Irolia came down with her Jen-Asha Squad, fully armed and armoured squad. It was a Sith name the soldiers choose, which translated to Dark Victory. They were there to back up the riot-control troopers if the miners had any idea of overthrowing the riot troopers.

Irolia carried her own turned off lightsaber, while Parrot sat on her shoulder, beeping lowly to itself. It was actually quite a view to behold and one would think they were there to attack a pirate layer. But then again, the Empire never underhanded situation, if they thought trouble would start. The blue Alien smiled warmly to all the miners in front of them, she had a very sweet girl look to her facial impression. In fact, if it wasn't for her very aggressive arriving with Ilyra and troopers, one would think she was just a sweet young girl. Of course, the scars on the right side of her face looked ferocious.

"Just make it easier on yourself, no one needs to get hurt, and I'm betting you don't want your families to wonder why you didn't get home this time" added Irolia with a very sweet and innocent voice. She lied of course, about no one needs to get hurt, it only seems like the logical road to walk, if the miners didn't comply really.

@Styx @Nommie
@Nefieslab

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

Shock froze Abe's body, only his head turning to the sound of the first loud sinister voice behind the sea of turning heads and shoulders. He couldn't see them, just as they couldn't see him, but tried to, just like everyone else; every miner identical to them, shuffling and facing the voice's introductory demands. The voices quieted.

Imperials? Here, already? His mind suspended in disbelief, raced to figure out what they'd done wrong. Nothing; they'd been perfect in their slow and methodical approach. They'd confirmed that no one knew who they were. No one knew who had started the discussion or done the prodding, they'd already been doing that themselves before Abe and his partner had even come into the picture. No one even knew that there were Rebels here. By all accounts so far, the Rebels had nothing to do with this.

The other girl added her threats to the first's. And he saw her, one eye peering through necks and shoulders and catching sight of her lightsaber. Then, after more shuffling in front of him, the other. They were Sith, with troops at their backs. This could get messy.

Abe's mind began to panic. He considered the exits, at least three he could count in an instant. They were in mines after all. You could get lost down here and it could take months to be found. Then he realized that this group of miners was only a fraction of the total workers in the tunnels. This group was on break, but the rest of the groups were still in numerous tunnel branches, too numerous to count at the moment. This group alone looked like enough to challenge the Imperial soldiers' numbers, if not for their weapons and armor, but imagine if all of the miners stood up to them. Then he saw some miners' fists clenching their tools: hydrospanners, fusion cutters, picks and shovels. They stood still for now but Abe wondered how long the tension would last before the explosives detonated. Explosives! He remembered there were some somewhere back in the mines, but he couldn't reach them now. He was torn, not knowing which way to go; stuck standing still just like everyone else, helpless and unsure.

Something about the second Sith, the girl, sparked a rebellious flicker in Abe's belly. They were almost laughably unthreatening. Sure they held lightsabers and blasters, and sure as a Hutt's backside Abe knew what anyone was capable of with the Force on their side. But still, something about their arrogance switched Abe's gears into productivity. He wouldn't show it. In fact, he wondered how long he'd been scowling now. Since they arrived?

Abe knew right where his lightsaber was, a trick pocket in his jumpsuit would make it easy to miss if you stuck your hand in at an angle but equally fast to retrieve if you knew how. Same with his blaster. Still, he didn't know what to do. The shock had only just started to translate into usable adrenaline. But the others, the miners were grumbling; they were mumbling something about Imperial inspections. Had this happened before? Often? What were they going to do, start searching everyone one by one? Or would they start blasting bodies up with holes? Sure, that wouldn't cause a riot. What was their move? What were they going to do? What was Abe going to do? He couldn't decide, still standing like a statue in Medusa's lair. By the Force, if only there was some whiskey around.

@Nommie @Nefieslab @Raven_41

 

[Calath Draykon]

Calath accepted half of the bar that Abe offered him. Nibbling slowly at the only bit of food he may get his hands on for the remainder of the day. The teenager was wondering what they could do to further the talk and actions of the miners. Yes getting them to talk is a good start. But something else needs to be done to push the words into actions. Munching away at the bar the young jedi was thinking of what the two rebels can do when the demeaner of the miners suddenly changed.

Looking confused at the miners, the young man couldn't see what suddenly changed them. Even from the boulder he is sitting on. The mens' eyes filled with fear as they became deathly silent. Did something give the two rebels away? He doubted it since Calath and his comrade were very careful about giving their true identity away. He had even come up with a false name to replace his real name. The teenager slid off of his perch as he tried to see what caught the attention of the miners and his partner.

Blast his height!

The teenager eventually caught a glimpse of the two Imperials. No Sith. What are Sith doing here? Didn't Imperials and their Sith masters prefer not coming to environments like this?

What turn the rebels in? How can the miners do that? They themselves have been talking about rebelling and what not even before the two rebels arrived. And second Calath and Abe never gave away such information. So even if the miners wanted to give them away they can't. There is no solid proof. Wait Imperial Inspections? As in search each and every miner? How can he hide his weapons from the Sith as they searched each of the miners? The next thought that came to mind is the possibility of the two Sith implementing some form of torture on the miners. Now if that started Calath isn't sure how long he will last before turning himself in.

Swallowing nervously, the teenager's mind raced as he tried to think up the next move. Do they stick around and see what happens? Or try to escape down the tunnel? The young man knew that leaving the scene can have two possible outcomes. Either they are seen as men trying to get back to work or reveal Calath and Abe as rebels.

What to do? Kriff. Calath couldn't decide what they should do. Then the young man spotted how close the two are to an escape route.. That is if they can get to it without the Sith or the other miners spotting them. If they time it right they may be able to slip away and blend in with the miners that are still working in the many tunnels of the mine until they get to an exit.

But how to get his partner's attention without gaining the attention of the Sith? This is going to be a problem He has to figure out. Then with Abe being frozen in fear it may be difficult to even get his attention without drawing the attention of others.

@Styx @Raven_41 @Nefieslab

 

[Ilyra Visz]

Ilyra had to say that she was surprised; everything she had learned about the Rebellion told her that they were actually rather gung-ho about charging into the fray. Maybe their information was wrong and there were no rebels? Maybe these rebels were of a different caliber to the regular riff-raff?

She didn't know.

What she did know was that her objective was simple; to bring the mines back under their control solidly and keep them out of the hands of the rebels. There were many ways to do that, of course, and killing rebels was only one factor of that.

"I have been discussing the situation here with the local governor." she announced to the miners, "Now standard procedure when a place has been compromised by rebel agents... is violent. But I don't think that's the best way."

She looked up and down the lines of miners.

"Looking at steps taken by other governments, such as those helped by the Mandalorians, it has been the decision of authorities higher than the governor that miners, workers, of the Empire should enjoy greater protections." she smiled, "Effective tomorrow, the Sith Empire is to open the first Miner's Union of this local area. Pardons for any and all criminal activities conducted before joining will be given. Protections, rights, better wages and benefits for you and your families are coming."

She holstered her blaster pistol and held out an empty hand towards the miners.

"Step outside with me and leave any past mistakes behind you. Let's make things better - together."

How do you beat an enemy who hides behind civilians?

Hearts and minds - you make the civilians less likely to support them by taking away their reasons to support them. The Rebels could give vague promises of "freedom" but they had no infrastructure to keep that freedom once won and freedom would not put food in the bellies of their children when the rebelling planet was blockaded by the Sith Imperial Navy. The Empire might very well be their historic oppressors... but they were also the suppliers of their food, their imports, their comforts and their services. Did the Rebels have a system set up for health care or schooling?

Of course not.

They had nebulous promises based on ideals. Something to be respected in some ways - but it was clear that ideals did not line wallets or fill bellies.

@Raven_41
@Styx @Nommie

 

[Irolia Shen]

Irolia had observed the interaction, or more like watched her fellow Sith talking to the miners. She had seated herself on a boulder size rock, with one leg being held up by her hands. Irolia had never been the big speech person, as some of the Imperial officers in the navy. None-the-less, she couldn't object with Ilyra's points and reasons, it was impressive how she quickly turned the situation into something workable, instead of just mowing down people.

The blue girl had holstered her own blaster, as she got Ilyra's intention. Irolia smiled and looked at her Jen-Asha squad of men and nodded. They lowered their guns all the way, showing the miners it wasn't just words and bullshit from the Imperials. Looking back at the miners, she saw how quite a few whispered about the sudden news. Some of them hadn't seen their family in weeks, as work had been crazy busy for them. The constant pressure from the local governor didn't help the matter and only made more and more miners frustrated and angry. All that changed with the news given to them from Ilyra and Irolia could see a glimpse of hope for a better future.

The miner who took the first step towards Ilyra was a big broad-shouldered man, face covered in sweat and sod from working in the mines. He was much taller than Ilyra and Irolia and one scary looking man, with a full bushy black beard and muscles that looked like they were about to burst. He looked down at Ilyra, cracking his neck, which made Irolia's troops raise their guns, ready to interject his attack. Irolia raised her hand at her troopers, which made them lower the guns again. The giant of a miner looked the little green girl over, "this better be legit" said he and walked past Ilyra, which seemed to be the thing that made more of them follow their big friend. Irolia's troops stepped aside for the miners that took the offer given.

*This is going better than expected* though the blue girl, smiling at their success. But it was nowhere near every miner as this was only a minor group on their break.

@Styx @Nommie @Nefieslab

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

Sith spit. The vey air in the chamber shifted. The mood, despite tensions remaining, had been flipped on its head in an instant. The whole thing sounded like an infomercial, perfectly scripted. Abe cursed the intellect of the Sith, obviously well practiced in squashing out life. This one knew when to mow down the masses and when to give them false hope. Sure, string them along with some added amenities, so long as they don't have their freedom. So long as they continue to carry the Sith's boots on their breaking backs are they allowed to carry on. The whole thing was so clever it began to boil Abe's blood. But the odds were too great to overcome.

Abe looked side to side, like so many others were doing as they debated what to do. Abe looked back to Calath, and when their eyes met, a look of fear replaced the anger for a moment. He wouldn't give anything away, just that look in his eyes that said we have failed. His eyes shut. Head lowered. Defeat.

Bodies began crisscrossing, shifting and moving. Some shuffled forward with questions while others moved back to see what their friends were thinking. Some miners still questioned the Sith with doubt in their hearts, shouting out queries for the Sith to answer. Things like, how do we know you'll honor these promises? Will the taxes be lowered? Removed altogether? What about the rest of our shifts? Why are we going outside? The center of the chamber became a churning wall of bodies. When one of multiple miners crossed to an exit at the back, Abe turned with him, becoming his shadow. Some miners at the back wanted to take the Sith's offer, but couldn't get through the mass at the center, and so miners not only began heading straight toward the Sith but also to other exits so that they might follow side tunnels around the chamber to reach the main tunnel to the surface.

Once out of the large chamber, bodies filing right toward the main tunnel, Abe would turn left instead with a watchful eye of his surroundings. There were so many people down here. Behind all the movement, he was sure he'd go unnoticed, especially since it seemed the Imperial soldiers hadn't been stationed at every exit of the chamber. Apparently they had only just marched in through the main tunnel and headed straight for the break room's first entrance, starting their search there. And now that so many bodies were filing out of the exits and toward the main tunnel, it would be very difficult to get through the wall of miners to deeper parts of the mines. There were plenty of hatches and emergency exits that Abe could use, and he hoped Calath could get out too so they could meet up and escape to report their failure. All the same, Abe fed his hands into the flaps of his jumpsuit and touched his weapons without revealing them, just to feel safe.

Now, to find a way out of here.


@Nommie @Nefieslab @Raven_41

 

[Calath Draykon]

Calath watched with defeat, frustration and sadness filling his emotions as he watched the hard work they have done for the past few days get flipped around. Three days of trying to instigate a rebellion gone to waste. The teenager couldn't even think of a way to counter what the Sith had said to the miners. Then again if he did then it will give him and his partner away. Plus with the Sith's promises the miners thoughts will have most likely flipped. Possibly permanently. The rebels have lost this match for sure. He didn't need to be verbally told. The exchange of glances with Abe is all they needed to do to exhange this knowledge.

Sighing quietly he will watch silently, quietly fuming with frustration as he watched the miners file out. Some mumbling quietly. He was so frozen that he had failed to notice that Abe was already moving as well until he looked around for him. He couldn't see him at all.

Blimey how did he miss seeing his partner leave...

For a moment Calath wondered what to do. Should he follow the main crowd through the main exit? Or use the maze of mine shafts to get to another exit? Well the Sith may be planning to try singling out him and his partner through the main exit. Plus they didn't bring any soldiers to guard the exits to the tunnels.

Hiding himself in the part of the crowd that was the thickest as far as number of bodies huddled together. The teenager followed the crowd until he reached one of the tunnels. Taking a deep breath he ducked down the tunnel hoping that no one will notice him leaving.

He hoped that at least one of them will be able to get out of here to report the failure of their mission. It will certainly take time for Calath to process where the mission took a wrong turn.

@Styx @Nefieslab @Raven_41

 

[Ilyra Visz]

Ilyra had to admit that it looked like things were going their way but she still had her guard up, was still ready to activate her lightsaber if she needed to. She would only be using it for defense right now however because she was reasonably sure that the people here were nothing but vaguely dissatisfied miners - there wasn't anything in their history that suggested they were Rebels. Reaching out with the Force wouldn't get anything back either.

Unless there were Jedi actively readying themselves with the Force, she wouldn't feel anything over the general background noise of the living beings.

"Alright everyone head up on out to the front courtyard of the mine." she called out to the miners, before turning to one of her men slightly, "Send runners down to the other groups."

She smiled.

"This mine goes silent today, with full pay, while the miners vote on who represents them as union reps."

Gotta play it all above board after all.

@Raven_41
@Styx @Nommie

 

[Calath Draykon]

Calath will keep heading down the mineshaft he stepped into from where the Miners and two Sith were heading outside from. The jedi is keen to get the hell out of there before the Sith send down soldiers to look for the other miners. Or to single him out as one of the rebels they are looking for.

Glancing back behind him to make sure he was not being followed. The teenager spotted one of the runners. Panic filled his veins at first until he calmed himself down. Dodging down another passageway the rebel took a deep breath as he looked around the corner to see if the runner is still coming.

Which the soldier was. He is still too far down to be able to spot Calath in the crowd of miners still currently working.

Better keep going.

But just in case he is confronted Calath loaded his ZA-13 Blaster Pistol with stun bolts. He would go lethal but he felt that there is no outright need to kill straight away. Not when he can simply stun to guarantee his escape. With the pistol loaded the Jedi will keep going down the narrow passageway that is only big enough for two men to go down side by side. As he moved Calath will head down one to his right that will take him to the emergency exit. If he can reach the exit the jedi will be able to use the emergency exit shaft to get out of there. It is just a simple hole with a ladder carved into the rock that goes straight to the surface. When he gets up the shaft he can get the hell out of there and back to the GA.

Just have to go around two more corners then he will reach the emergency shaft. He just had to make it down two more passages. Feeling the overwhelming idea of being able to get away. The Jedi started sprinting down the remaining length of the passageways he had to get down.


Not realizing until he had reached the shaft that will take him up to the surface that it had drawn the attention of one of the runners. That was until he heard a booming, "Hey!" Turning around the teenager out of reflex fired a stun bolt at the runner.

Pocketing the pistol, Calath climbed up the ladder as quickly as he could. It was a bit of a climb. But once he reached the top, the teenager wasted no time in heading in the direction his ship is in. That is if it is still there.


/ Exit thread

@Styx @Nefieslab @Raven_41

 

[Abrakhal Grisgoh]

Abe was running now, wheezing through the thick air of rock and sweat. He danced around workers in their various positions, still oblivious to the coming change. He heard some talk of rebelling, and slowed to a jog. It was strange, like going back in time. He wanted to warn them, maybe have a second chance with them. No. He would be sending them to their deaths. Though it pained Abe to know what he was leaving these people to, he took comfort in at least having seen the Sith's offer given with his own eyes. If only for a short while, perhaps longer, these miners would be treated better; they would be given a union and some measure of rights, all because of their own efforts. Perhaps one day they will join together again, like they had these past few days, and make a difference once more.

It was darker in the deep reaches of the mine, tighter. But before too long, after twists and turns, Abe found a familiar red light spinning within a cylinder jar, signaling an exit nearby. He came to the fork, then heard a hatch open and looked left. There! Someone was leaving. Abe followed, climbing the ladder. The man had fingered the hatch release, popped it open and climbed out, the hatch depressing back down when Abe caught it with his fingertips and pushed it back open; the sensors reacted to the resistance, safety protocols disallowing it to close on any blockage, and lifted back open. It happened all the time when a team exited one after the other.

Either this guy was deaf after years in the mines or he was just too exhausted to care, but Abe went almost entirely unnoticed. Realizing they were in some dark, remote part of the mines' external systems, Abe gathered that he'd not have any trouble avoiding any contact along this pathway let alone any Imperial sightings. Abe followed the miner from a good distance, keeping to the shadows, using the miner as his own personal probe. If anyone came upon them, they'd see that miner first, giving Abe enough time to react. He'd trail him for as long as he could until the miner went off in a different direction. Once to the rendezvous point, they'd get the hell off this planet and start the complicated reroute that would eventually lead them back to the GA. Maybe a little pitstop at some cantina was in order. Abe needed a drink.

The Force willing, the Sith still had to calm the group in the chamber that served as the break room let alone start the search through mines to reach every cell of miners throughout the whole of the catacombs. They'd have to gather them all and send them out through the main tunnel exit to line them up and sort through all their promises and the paperwork to follow; what a headache that would be. From there, they'd no doubt still have their suspicions of Rebel activity and would have to go through each and every one of those miners to sort them out and identify them. With each step, it would become more clear that the Rebels had nothing to do with anything here. By the time the soldiers had done their searches, these two rebels would be long gone. Perhaps, Abe hoped, if anything came out of this it would be a clean getaway.

[ EXIT THREAD ]​

@Nefieslab @Raven_41 @Nommie