I was going to have Kovin ask for training early in, but maybe I could wait until we get off-world

Jonas and I have to be up all night since I'm getting my inner-healer on. Yay strain!

It takes that long? I would have expected part of the night, in which case Jonas could stand watch while Seifer is patching him up. But the entire night? Some rest would be a good idea methinks.

Lol yes, I rolled 2 threat tha was used to extend the time.

Ah, gotcha. Then we may as well stand guard, right?

I think Firan will stay up for a bit also (but not contribute to the check) until he feels comfortable enough to rest.

I'm guessing I'm going to be more focused un-concussing Jonas than watching out for threats.

Purely so as not to go against other people's intentions:

One - Are we all done for the evening in terms of actions? If so, can I move the IC thread on without objection?

Two - If I bring up the subject of training now, does that go against other people's idea of how the game should go on?

As long as it doesn't sidetrack from the mission, I don't see a problem. Seifer would likely talk about the minding your feelings and motivations.

I'm good to move on. I confess that I was waiting for Away to move things along (and feed me anything for my Foresee results). It's the weekend here in the states, so I wasn't expecting much movement.

Oh right. I'll wait for him to continue (especially since nobody's taken the Vigilance/Perception check - still offering two boosts to that). I had a plan for some short dialogue but I will hold off until the morning (its 2300 GMT and I'm back at 0600 GMT)

Background Story 2 ( 3 of 4 )

The east docking bay was in chaos. A handful of pirates were taking cover behind crates and repulsorsleds and attempting to fend off an overwhelming force of Sith soldiers. The invaders, clad in the silver and black armor the Sith troopers were known for, poured from a series of troop landers which had forced their way in, knocking several smaller ships aside in the process and adding to the aura of violence and wanton destruction. The Sith troopers were advancing methodically, with disciplined firing groups providing cover fire in alternating patterns that had allowed them to close the gap considerably.

“This seems like yet another death trap,” Orielle noted wryly.

“In other words, business as usual,” Xan said.

The Mirialan smiled at him briefly, one of those rare expressions of hers that he treasured.

“Push them back! We need more time!” Sethel bellowed and, leading by example, charged headlong into the advancing Sith, reflecting blaster bolts away as he closed with the nearest group. Bonadan and his fellows quickly laid down a withering barrage of fire to aid the beleaguered defenders, one of whom was the Hutt who had proven quite adept at moving quickly for one of his kind. He proved equally adept at handling the heavy blaster cannon he bore, nearly obliterating an entire team of Sith who had attempted to direct their fire at his red lightsaber-wielding captain.

Xan and Orielle, somewhat taking aback by the Sith`s bravado, looked at each other, shrugged, and raced after him to follow.

The troopers, momentarily stunned by the fierce counterattack, were unable to counter the charging Jedi effectively, allowing the two to close to melee range. Orielle traversed the distance faster than Xan, as she usually did, and immediately launched herself into a series of offensive spins that were characteristic of Ataru, her double-bladed lightsaber wreaking a bloody toll. As the troopers in front of her began dropping, some of them slain outright and others dismembered in a variety of ways, a general panic set in amongst them as they tried to get away from the graceful Mirialan Jedi. Her constant spins, dodges and evasions made it impossible for them to direct their fire upon her—at one point Xan swore she ran vertically along a wall for a goodly distance before she acrobatically flipped, severing the head of a bellowing Sith commander who was attempting to rally the others in mid-air before landing on her feet to direct another vicious spin against his fellows. Unsurprisingly, his rolling, severed head had the opposite effect, causing them to retreat in panic all the more fervently.

But not all of the Sith were unprepared; they were expecting an ex-Sith at least to be among the defenders. A group of Sith assault troopers pushed their way forward, drawing vibroblades for close-quarters work. Xan moved to engage this group while Orielle mowed down the others, pointing at the lead Sith fighter in a gesture of challenge. The trooper needed no further encouragement, and launched a vicious cut at the Zabrak. It would have been a good strike against a lesser opponent, but Xan simply dropped his head and shoulders while extending forward into a lunge, allowing the Sith`s blade to swing harmlessly over his head as he ran him through. He withdrew the blade in time to parry the answering strike of his fellow, and noted that not only did the Sith`s blade escape damage, but his own lightsaber briefly flickered upon contact as if slightly disrupted. Cortosis, he thought grimly—these Sith had come prepared, indeed.

Xan answered the blow with a swift lateral cut that the trooper was able to dodge by sliding left, but that had been Xan`s intention all along, as it forced him to move into the path of the next trooper, preventing him from launching his own attack. As the two untangled themselves, Xan spun to meet the advance of the fourth Sith coming up behind him. Sliding to the left to avoid the trooper`s lunge, he took his right hand off the hilt of his blade to seize the Sith`s arm and pull him forward and to the right, turning the man`s lunge into an uncontrolled stumble. Spinning on his left foot, Xan cut downwards into the man`s unprotected back, killing him instantly. The remaining two were forced to veer right and left to avoid the falling corpse, and with a rapid flick of his wrist he took the right hand of the faster of the two, sending his blade spinning away as well—the blade might resist a lightsaber, but mere flesh would not.

A second group of swordsmen had also engaged Orielle, but she was holding them off with equal facility. Xan, in the brief moment he had to check on her, saw one veteran Sith trooper block her first spinning strike, a testament to the man`s reflexes, but Orielle, completely undaunted, simply reversed the spin in a fluid motion, coming in low this time to sever both the man`s legs at the knees. His satisfaction was abruptly cut short as he crashed to the ground, staring in shock at the mutilated stumps of his legs before passing out; Orielle was already launching into another series of circular attacks that seemed to assault the Sith from all angles in complete violation of the laws of physics.

The remaining swordsmen in Xan`s group fell to the Hutt`s withering fire as they tried to maneuver around to get a chance to strike the Zabrak. Xan was beginning to think that they had stopped the assault when a series of smoke grenades landed in front of him, obscuring the bay completely. As Bonadan`s group searched for targets, Xan extended his senses, trying to feel who was taking advantage of the cover to advance upon them. He sensed fear, anticipation, anxiety…and a burning anger, a fervent desire for revenge against him so strong it hurt to focus on. No...not him personally, but what he stood for…

But he detected no Force-sensitivity, so it was no Sith Knight…what, then? What could hate Jedi so much?

He received his answer a moment later when a hulking form strode through the smoke, all chrome, silver and black. For a moment, Xan thought one of the Sith`s battle droids had descended upon him, but no droid could hate like this being did. As he assumed his ready pose, Xan realized that he faced a cyborg, a trooper once human but with a metal mask covering the left side of his face, and a mechanical arm to replace the one which had once been flesh. The man`s one organic eye, burning with rage to match the glow of the red orb in the metal side of his face, focused upon Xan with a fury that startled him. With equally inhuman speed, the cybernetic arm withdrew a heavy vibrosword slung over his back with such speed Xan`s eye could barely follow it.

“Jedi,” the cyborg hissed venomously. “Your kind took much from me. Now I will have my revenge,”

“Come take it, if you can,” Xan challenged him boldly.

The cyborg needed no further encouragement; he immediately charged the Zabrak, and he was blasted fast. Xan only barely managed to parry his first blow in time and, to his unpleasant surprise, noted the vibrosword was not harmed by contact with a lightsaber. Cortosis as well, he realized grimly—this man had come prepared to fight a Jedi, too.

More importantly, as they rapidly exchanged blows, Xan noted that his swordsmanship incorporated many Shii-Cho techniques; he wagered a Sith had taught him to make him a better weapon against Jedi. In spite of his great strength and rage, he wielded his blade with a precision that made it difficult for Xan to find an opening to take advantage of, and his opponent was tireless.

He finally got his chance when the trooper cut downwards with a powerful, overhand blow that Xan dodged, leaving him off-balance for a precious second. The Jedi didn`t hesitate; he slashed his blade out with whip-like speed from his right side directly at the cyborg`s face, seeking to end the fight conclusively. He received yet another unpleasant surprise as his blade bounced off the metal face plate his opponent wore.

Cortosis in the face plate, too? he thought incredulously, as his foe renewed his assault.

This was not going well.

It went even worse when Xan sidestepped the cyborg`s next downward cut and moved in, hoping to strike again before the trooper could recover, only to discover that the attack was a feint to lure him in; the cyborg caught him with a powerful front kick that landed in his mid-section and sent him flying backwards. The hulking trooper immediately charged forward to take advantage of the Zabrak`s vulnerability, and landed a cut across the Jedi's left thigh before he could find his balance again.

“I claim first blood, Jedi,” the cyborg grinned triumphantly.

Xan was too busy gritting his teeth against the pain to come up with a witty comeback. How I am going to beat this foe? he thought in frustration, adjusting his stance to take the weight off his injured leg.

It was then that Orielle came to his rescue, launching into an acrobatic flip over the trooper`s head while cutting downwards. But before Xan could feel any elation at his comrade`s timely rescue, he found himself shocked yet again at the cyborg`s wicked speed—not only did the man dodge the blow, he also grabbed the Mirialan`s leg with his free hand and, pulling his arm downwards in a circular motion, body-slammed her into the floor before she could recover, stunning her. The Zabrak had never seen anyone counter Orielle like that; he didn`t think any non-Force user could be that quick.

Concern for his companion filled his thoughts, but he wasn`t about to let the opportunity go to waste. He charged forward as the cyborg raised his blade above Orielle`s prone form and, before the cyborg could finish her off, brutally ran him through, driving his lightsaber nearly to the hilt in the trooper`s chest. And good riddance, he thought venomously, finally glad to have finished this foe.

The cyborg, however, merely glanced down at what should have been a mortal wound to his chest, then backhanded the Zabrak powerfully, sending him spinning away to crash into the wall minus his lightsaber. The shock of the impact caused Xan to lose track of his surroundings for a brief second or two, but that was enough; even as he regained his senses, he felt the cyborg`s iron grip close around his throat and lift him off the ground.

No, this was not going well at all.

The cyborg leered evilly as he regarded the gasping Zabrak helplessly squirming in his grasp. “So long, Jedi,” he hissed as Xan felt his grip tighten, which was followed by his vision starting to go black.

The cyborg`s leer was cut short by a green blade slicing cleanly through his waist. The trooper`s grip suddenly slackened as a confused look appeared on his face for a moment, which was followed by his torso sliding off his legs to crash into the floor, taking Xan with him, to reveal a glowering Orielle behind him, her double-bladed lightsaber held before her in a fighting stance.

As the Zabrak Jedi pried the dead man`s fingers from his throat, he noted the expression on his face had not changed—death had not brought him any peace, and it had claimed him with his thirst for revenge unfulfilled. Sorry, friend, he thought, but I`ve got too much to do to accommodate your bloodlust.

“Are you alright?” Orielle asked him, concern evident in her voice.

“Well enough,” Xan said raggedly, massaging his bruised throat. “Your timing is perfect as always. That`s, what, two I owe you now?”

“Three,” she corrected, offering another of her rare smiles. “But I think we saved each other back there, so it remains at two.”

Xan smiled back. “Two it is, then.”

It was then that Sethel came pounding back through the dispersing smoke. “They`ve landed two more ships!” he shouted to them. “Fall back! The others should be away from now!”

The two Jedi and the surviving pirates immediately followed the ex-Sith in retreat; Xan could see more troopers approaching, more than they could take in their exhausted and wounded states. Taking the rear, he batted aside a blaster bolt the trooper leading the assault aimed at him, and continued his fighting withdrawal as his companions dashed ahead. As soon as they were clear of the bay, he reached out with the Force to hit the control panel and close the bay doors. As the security door slammed down to meet the floor, the Hutt blasted the panel for good measure.

“That should slow them down,” Sethel grunted. “Let`s move, people!”

Xan breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to race after the others. It seemed the worst was behind them; all they needed to do now was make their way to the west docking bay and blast out of here. And while the Sith assault had been inconvenient, it only gave Sethel more reasons to help the Resistance—Xan was already formulating his arguments towards that end.

Messy, as usual—but he`d work it out.

His thoughts were interrupted by an incoming call on his comlink; hooking it from his belt as he ran, he hit the activation switch with his thumb, expecting to hear Bhaela or Vodo tell him they had gotten clear as well.

Instead, he heard Vodo`s ragged voice. “Xan?” the Nautolan said, his voice straining as if he were in great pain. “Hurry…Bhaela`s fighting the Sith commander by himself…Xan….it`s him.”

The Zabrak`s blood turned cold upon hearing the word “Sith.” It seemed the worst was not behind them after all.

“Vodo? Are you all right? Who`s ` he`?” he replied, as Orielle came to a stop and turned to listen.

“No time to talk! Come!” Vodo said, his voice on the near verge of panic. Xan could practically sense his pain and fear for Bhaela through the Force.

“They went the other way at the next intersection,” Orielle said. “We`d better move!”

“Sethel!” Xan called to the pirate leader. “We`ve got to back up our friends—they`re dealing with a Sith at the other incursion point.”

The man spun on his heel to point his finger at him. “No time, Zabrak! Get them quickly or we`ll leave you behind! There`s too many for us to hold off for long!”

“Understood,” Xan said as he and Orielle shared a grim look. Orielle, rapidly gesturing with her chin to the intersection ahead, took off running in that direction, her saber still lit. Xan took off after her, his thoughts unsettled…

Him ?

I'm ready to move on. Xan isn't going to press for training now, because he can sense that Maya is reluctant and he wants to draw them both in--particularly Maya, since he senses a darkness in her. He'd probably redirect such discussion by saying they should save it for later after they find a way to finish their mission and get off this planet.

Thanks guys...did I not inform everyone that I'd be away this weekend? I apologize.

Quick answers...

Jonas and I have to be up all night since I'm getting my inner-healer on. Yay strain!

It takes that long? I would have expected part of the night, in which case Jonas could stand watch while Seifer is patching him up. But the entire night? Some rest would be a good idea methinks.

Lol yes, I rolled 2 threat that was used to extend the time.

In narrative play, the time required to heal a critical injury is kinda fluid, as are most narrative-timed events. I actually gave the two of you 1 strain apiece, with the narrative/reasoning that it had taken a long time and you were already tired. Or perhaps I used the Threat to extend the time, thus causing you to stay up later than you intended, and causing 1 strain apiece since you didn't get enough sleep. In which case you would be mostly correct But you still get some sleep. Unless you want to keep trying to heal stuff. Then you would be staying up all night!

The penalty for an all-nighter would be a Resilience check, with possible consequences following...!

I'll move things forward tomorrow morning (it's 10pm right now). Thanks for your patience everyone, and again, my apologies on the unintentional lack of communication.

Ah no problem. Shall we say that Kovin drifts off after a few hours, just so that he has enough time to sleep without needing a check?

Thanks guys...did I not inform everyone that I'd be away this weekend? I apologize.

Quick answers...

Jonas and I have to be up all night since I'm getting my inner-healer on. Yay strain!

It takes that long? I would have expected part of the night, in which case Jonas could stand watch while Seifer is patching him up. But the entire night? Some rest would be a good idea methinks.

Lol yes, I rolled 2 threat that was used to extend the time.

In narrative play, the time required to heal a critical injury is kinda fluid, as are most narrative-timed events. I actually gave the two of you 1 strain apiece, with the narrative/reasoning that it had taken a long time and you were already tired. Or perhaps I used the Threat to extend the time, thus causing you to stay up later than you intended, and causing 1 strain apiece since you didn't get enough sleep. In which case you would be mostly correct But you still get some sleep. Unless you want to keep trying to heal stuff. Then you would be staying up all night!

Is there a penalty to staying up all night?

The penalty for an all-nighter would be a Resilience check, with possible consequences following...!

I'll move things forward tomorrow morning (it's 10pm right now). Thanks for your patience everyone, and again, my apologies on the unintentional lack of communication.

So, if I understand it all correctly, since Jonas and Seifer do get some rest after all, they heal their strain, but the exertion of healing makes them take 1 strain. Thus, in the morning, instead of having 0 strain, they have 1 strain? And it would not count as an all-nighter, so no Resilience check, right?

Since Jonas will be awake for part of the night anyway, here be a Vigilance check for that time (I am adding a Boost die from Kovin, right?).

Just for clarification, is the reason nobody's posted because we're all waiting for our fearless leader? Is he waiting for us? What's going on?

So, if I understand it all correctly, since Jonas and Seifer do get some rest after all, they heal their strain, but the exertion of healing makes them take 1 strain. Thus, in the morning, instead of having 0 strain, they have 1 strain? And it would not count as an all-nighter, so no Resilience check, right?

Indeed. You both have 1 strain starting out, no resilience check. No one else suffers any strain.

Just for clarification, is the reason nobody's posted because we're all waiting for our fearless leader? Is he waiting for us? What's going on?

Working on it Just getting together the effects of the Vigilance check. My daughter (1 year old) is a bit more demanding this morning than usual...she hasn't napped yet

Natural rest heals one wound per night, correct? I'm also going to use one of my stimpaks to regain a total of six wounds.

Natural rest heals one wound per night, correct? I'm also going to use one of my stimpaks to regain a total of six wounds.

Indeed. You may subtract 1 wound for resting overnight. Please make sure and subtract any consumables used from your character sheet! (stimpacks, etc)

Already done!

Noted on my sheet as well.

I'll wait til tomorrow to push things forward. The jist is that you made some good headway: 13 miles into the journey, thanks to the rations and the clear weather. But I want to make sure Firan is going with you guys instead of salvaging the wreck of the Wintermander... I'll assume that's the case if I don't hear anything.

I liked the idea of using different colors for when different characters are speaking that was posited in the other game.. Dibs on green!

Very nice!

I'm having trouble finding some time to get a post up today...feel free to narrate anything you like within the bounds of that Survival check just made! Will update tonight at the latest.

I claim Dark Orange. Because lightsaber...

I claim purple. Just because...

How many miles did we cover on the first day?