Nar Shaddaa

The lift truck was large and nondescript, and would be more than adequate to carry all of the precious crates. Niall sat in it, waiting, doing his best to steady his pre-combat nerves. He checked his newly modified pistol, studying it carefully, or as best he could in the dark interior.

Soon, the signal would be given. Or things would go wrong. Either way, they'd be ready.

Layne didn't seem to be... all there...

Aside from the splitting headache she was enduring, there were the many thoughts swirling around her brain that ensured the young Sith seemed distant and... less 'get outta my fucking face' than usual.

Jedi Master Garrick Lorne was sitting on his knees in a meditative stance. He glanced at Niall, then to Layne, and then back to Niall. Whatever thoughts he had on the matter were unspoken, for the time being.

"This plan consists of a great amount of waiting. Followed by lackluster stalling, and then repetitions of sitting and doing nothing in sequence." HX would float about the truck in the limited space it had, the barrel of the embedded blaster it had twitching almost hungrily...

"Yes, HX." Niall said. "That's what this sort of thing involves. A lot of waiting around. The front team should be done soon."

He glanced at Knight Lorne, and then shifted his gaze to Layne. "I'm glad you could make it, Layne." He said, giving her a nod, his expression serious.

She looked up from her mental distractions and looked at the floating droid, then to Niall, then back to the droid.

"The fuck is that?"

A man in a casual suit and sunglasses came walking down the street. When he got to the truck, he suddenly placed his badge on the window and announced, "This is Republic SIS! Come out of the vehicle immediately!" An eight-man squad of armed Republic personnel exited their troop carrier and took up positions outside. "No sudden movements! Let's make this clean, Captain."

---

Flipping Republic Destiny!

Niall grimaced. "I'll try to stall them." He looked at Garrick Lorne. "Put in a call to Colonal Garza, priority. See if you can get this countermanded."

His face grim, Niall opened the front door, stepping out. "You're interrupting an active authorized operation. I hope you have a very good explanation for this." He took a quick glance at the Republic soldiers, gauging their mood.

Layne's hand instinctively went for the darksaber at her side. Because really there were only two options here. One, she had been betrayed and the republic thought that a single Jedi Knight, a weird-ass floating droid, and 9 republic soldiers would be enough to capture her. Or two, these were corrupt soldiers that weren't with the program.

No wait... I suppose it could also just be a matter of incompetence. Getting their wires crossed.

She looked at the others, as if to gauge their response; and then toward the soldier that seemed to be in charge of this little fuck-up; getting a sense of his emotions.

Sense on nearest soldier: 1eF 1 Dark Side

The troopers appeared to be of an SIS outfit rather than any compound personnel. They were professional and ready to open fire if given the order.

"Orders are to impound this vehicle and bring in any occupants for questioning. If you do not comply, we will resort to non-lethal stun weapon." He removed his sunglasses and looked at the Captain. "I respect you, but if I have to I will drag your unconscious body out of there."

Niall complied, stepping out of the vehicle. He wore a cloak over his Republic uniform, but he let it fall open, revealing its proud blues. He stood squarely in front of the assembled troops, his expression serious.

"I don't know exactly what this is about. But I think I can guess." His voice was pitched to carry, stern and strong. "You were ordered to bring me in. Stop me, stop my mission. And that's what good Republic soldiers do, follow orders."

He tilted his chin up. "But that's not all that Republic soldiers do. They protect the innocent. They help the weak. And most importantly, they do what's right. While the Empire might turn against itself, but the Republic stands together. I've fought and bled next to men and women who died defending what's right. If you ever want to know what the price of freedom is, you only have to look at Monument Plaza on Coruscant to know that it's too high."

He lowered his chin once more, meeting the eyes of each trooper in turn, leader included. "But it's a price I would gladly pay myself. And I'm willing to bet that I'm not the only one."

--------------------------------------------

No, you move. Leadership on leader, boost from being captain, boost from Arali: 2eP+2eA+3eC+1eD+2eB 5 successes, 4 threat


No, you move. Leadership on minions, boost from being captain, boost from Arali, cancel setback: 2eP+2eA+2eC+1eD+2eB 1 success, 2 advantage, 1 Despair

Arali rises from her own meditation, and steps out of the vehicle, going to Niall's side. "My apologies for the breakdown in lines of communication. This operation is under the direction of the Jedi order. Please, stand down."

(I'll give you that boost die.)

OOC: Will be looking for two Leadership (Presence) Checks at Hard Difficulty w/ Two Dice Upgraded. First will be for the agent himself and the other will be for the soldiers. One Boost Die for being a recognized Republic Captain in addition to other applicable bonuses.

---

The SIS Agent glanced back at his own soldiers. He then nodded and put his sunglasses into his shirt. "If this is what you say, Cap, then get moving, quickly. But if more agents come in, our hands are tied."

Smiling, Niall leaned just a little closer. "In that case, agent, I'd take it as a favor if you took your time calling this in."

He turned back to the rest of the team. "Let's go."

Arali hops back in the van and resumes her meditation next to her master.

"Finally."

The droid would slip out of the van at the first word, buzzing Niall as it did so, and looking at the grouping of republic soldiers. Scanning each of them, the droid made some kind of whirling and distorted noise. Perhaps it was a malfunction with the voice modulator, but it sounded a lot like some kind of mechanical snorting. The droid would spin about once it reached a vantage point, taking in the misty area before letting itself fall, using only the most basic anti-gravs to maintain hovering, at about Niall's waist level.

"If they move to target our backs, I am expecting a pay increase. The Senator does not cover betrayal fees. I also cannot guarantee the survival of all involved, on either side. Are you entirely certain you do not wish to disable or remove them in some fashion? I have several preferred methods."

Layne got out then, clipping her darksaber back at her belt and pulling the hood of her robes over her head.

"Seriously," she said, looking at the floating droid, "The fuck is that? Sounds like there's something wrong with its programming."

"Okay droid. You look like a toy, but okay."

She turned to Niall.

"So now what?"

"Now is the time to mobilize." Garrick Lorne got to his feet and hopped out of the truck. In the meantime, SIS forces extracted from the area. "Our window of opportunity shrinks by the moment." And with that, he began walking to the hanger.

"Play nice, HX." Niall said. "They're standing down."

He exchanged a glance with Layne. "I think this pushes up the timescale. I just hope the stealth team is already in place." He moved to follow Garrick Lorne, pulling out his blaster as he moved, although he kept it concealed under his cloak.

Layne followed along, lightsaber at the ready.

At the entrance of the hangar were four Czerka guards and Mallory from the other day. Cleary she was much more stressed than before. Still she put on her smile and addressed the group. "Hello! How may I help you today? This freighter will be departing soon but I can assist you with other requests!"

HX would approach silently enough, despite being compared to a toy. Disintegrating that sith was not the mission, after all. Instead HX would float and carefully assess the guards, the barrel on its top twitching a bit. "May I finally do something, Captain?"

"Let me try it my way first."

Niall stepped forward, his expression serious. "Ma'am. You know they're experimenting on children in there. Do the right thing. Let us pass and go home. Please."

(hoping to use charm, difficulty requested. Also, friendly boost requested!)