Looking at Tookur, Geoff shakes his head. "It's cool, Tookur, but we don't know if anyone else is staying here or not. Besides, I don't want anything to happen to The Brick until we have a good place to maintain it."

Looking at the rest, Geoff shoulder's his backpack again, making sure the demo charge is on his left hip. "So, should we have one or two people stay behind while the rest of us check out the place? In addition, should we only spend five to ten minutes here before heading back to base?"

"I'm not staying here," Rax replies impatiently. "I think some of us, or all except Tookur, should go see what's what in that safe house. We can sneak closer and see if we spot anything. If it's a trap we either run or fight. Seems simple to me. Who is coming?"

"Let's get to it! I say go for the main entrance. See what's going on. Or we could split into two teams, go for front and back entrance at the same time, Tookur in the group going for front entrance. OR, I could stay here, mind The Brick just in case its a trap! But whatever is being done, I think Tookur needs to go"

"Of course. Tookur has to go, he's the only one who's been there before," Rax says sheepishly. "Tookur, if you don't mind I'll pilot the Brick and you can go with the team."

"Tookur agrees with that. Rax will stay to guard truck, Tookur go in. Tookur probably still has key somewhere," the creature reaches down inside his robe to find a small keycard, then pulls it out with a grin of triumph.

Nodding at the Rax and Toco, Geoff looks at Tookur. "It's understandable, Tookur, but we did just take out a bridge and are probably being searched for by the Imps. You had a good plan, just need better evolvement."

Looking at the rest of the team, Geoff tilts his head to towards the safe house. "Tookur, you know the place better than any of us. Is there a side entrance that we could use? Toco, do you mind protecting Tookur should trouble occur?"

Drawing his holdout blaster and checking the pack, Geoff looks at the rest of the team. "Any one else want to add to the assessment?"

"Sure thing." Toco shifts to stand near the guide.

"We go through back door. If anyone there, will recognise old code: coming through front door, have brought enemies. Coming through back door: friendly. Ready to go?"

"Someone keep a comm channel open. I'd like a bit of an advance warning if I have to go in after you and rescue you," Rax says, looking depressed to be staying behind. He's already planning the rescue in his head, probably driving the brick through the front door for maximum chaos and saving the day for everyone.

CT looks over to Rax. "Been a while since we were trusted to do anything alone..."

CT commences to beep and whurble to it's self

Geoff looks over at Tookur and Toco. "Lead the way, guys."

Toco hops out of the Brick and flashes Rax the thumbs up as he chirps his comm.

"Don't get too lonely while we're gone." Toco vocalizes into the link to test a signal for Rax.

Tookur leaves the cab, climbing out through the back hatch into the main cargo bay, and disembarks from the truck. Those amongst the group going with him follow on behind, stretching their limbs in the cold night air after all the time sat cooped up in the truck. Tookur leads them further down the alleyway, until they came to a cross-branch, with a path leading back up towards the house that he goes down in turn. Reaching an old wooden gate overgrown with plants reaching down over the wall, he pushes against it causing it to swing open.

The garden is silent, jungle-like in its overgrown nature, and you can barely see the bulk of the old house with its peeling paint and boarded windows against the glare of the moonlight from behind it, just out of sight - unlike you, as the garden is brightly illuminated in the silvery glow that leaves you all uncomfortably exposed. You appreciate how well the site was chosen: you are perfectly visible to anyone in the house, but cannot tell any signs of life from within.

Tookur leads you up the garden path, even his breathing - understated as he is so diminutive a creature - is heavy in the still night air. There is only the vague rumble of engines from the more widely-inhabited zones some distance away, blocked as it is by the rows of houses that present a barrier to the passage of sounds. It is uncomfortably quiet as you reach the door, though you are comforted by the gentle hum of the Brick's repulsorlift some distance away.

"Stay behind Tookur," says your guide, as he holds his keycard up to the modern scan-lock: an anachronism in the wooden doorway with its brass handle and knocker."Don't want to give wrong impression," he swipes the card over the lock, and then steps back to let one of you swing open the door. He leads you inside, where all is stillness and - at the back of the house - complete darkness, though silvery light filtering through from the front betrays a remedy to this. You've not gone more than half a dozen paces into the hall when you hear the characteristic whine of a blaster powering up and a stern female voice saying "You'd better be who you say you are."

Could I have an Average Intellect check with two Upgrades (one from Destiny, one from difficulty) and one Setback due to darkness to see how your memories do on recognising the voice?

Intellect Check: 4eA+2eC+1eS 1 success, 4 advantage

Taking a step forward, Geoff looks in the direction of the voice. "Doctor Geoff Hanson of Chandrilla, former Refugee Relief Movement Doctor and contracted to the Alliance as a doctor."

Crossing his arms, Geoff stares at the source of the voice. "Doctor Cohlen, I presume?"

The Mirialan stepped out of the shadows, blaster now down by her side. Another Rebel soldier was at her right hand, rifle on a sling on his shoulder, while two more could be seen in the room behind and another appeared from upstairs. "You're right about that. I wanted to be sure, but after Tookur took you in through the back I knew it was all genuine. Settle in, get the others through here, and get comfortable. We need to find some way of getting you off world."

Smiling, Geoff looks at Tookur, Toco, Oro, and Issan, then back at Doctor Cohlen. "Thank you for the offer, but the plan is that we head back to base. Don't want the 'Captain' to be concerned about us."

Noticing the soldiers, Geoff looks around at the rest of the place. "That being said, you mentioned there might be a mole at the base. That means trouble, and significant at that. How about we take ten minutes and adjust the plan after. Toco, would you do the honors of getting Hotdog and CT on the comms?"

"The Brick is Welcome. The Brick is always Welcome." Toco speaks into his comm.

"I have the feeling I missed something, why would we leave the planet?" As the confusion written all over his face.

You hear Rax's tinny voice over the comms as he replies to Toco. "Ok, we'll join you in a minute." Hearing something about leaving the planet over the open comms he allows himself to dream about flying a starfighter in a major battle. He nearly hits a pedestrian running over the street as he zones out, his mind far out in space, but with his superior reflexes he manages to swerve at the last second.

Rax looks for a good place to park the Brick, preferably close to a major street to make any getaway easier. He reverses the Brick into a good spot, gets out and closes the bulky vehicle. "Shall we?" he asks his companion and then leads the way the best he can to the back door of the safe house, asking Toco for directions if he has problems.

"What, did some bit of that stars-damned bridge hit you on the head or something? You want to stay here?" Cohlen looks round incredulously at the blank, slightly concerned faces. "Have you not been following the news lately? Heard anything about the results of Zavvel's pet project?"

Toco takes his thumb off the send button, ;-)

"Doc, we have been on world for 2 maybe 3 rotations. We don't know about anyone's pet projects."

He turns to Tookur, "Well, except the Brick"

Eye brow raised, Geoff looks at Doctor Cohlen. We haven't even made it back to base yet.

Looking over at Toco and smile at the soldier's comments. At least we have humor on our side.

However, as his thoughts turn dark, Geoff looks at Doctor Cohlen, his smile turning to a frown. Places his hands on his hips, Geoff stares at Doctor Cohlen.

"Doctor Cohlen, with all due respect, but lets take five minutes and go with the notion that the team and I don't know what is going on here. Because we don't. In the last, oh, 48 hours, we have arrived on planet, been set on an ambush mission where we were ambushed. A thrilling chase occurred as Hotdog earned his name. We get back to base in time to hear the entire command team for the cell gets killed. We then were part of a Mass Casualty Event because the Captain has about as much sense as the imps. We were then set on a mission to take out a bridge that was vital to the Empire and had no civilian casualties. Only to find out after the mission that there could be a traitor in the cell. Now, you direct us to an out of the way safe house and state that my team needs to get off world now."

Crossing his arms, Geoff leans back as he looks at the cell's Doctor. "So, please, with all common courtesy and due respect, at least between professionals, let's restart this conversation. Then we can go from there. Especially about how Captain Zavvel wasn't going to have a warm welcome for us..."

Glancing at the rest of the team, Geoff looks at the other soldiers and Doctor Cohlen. "Let me add this: this team has been given a mission by high command, Alliance High Command, to help this cell. Five of us are full members of the Alliance, while I'm just a contractor here because they needed a skilled medical professional. I am also here because the RRM needs a report on what the Hell is going on, since the official routes are blocking them. Now that you know our origin, how about you tell us what is going on?"

"You haven't heard? It's only been all over the news planet-wide for the past few hours? Stars, it even got onto the sector broadcast for thirty seconds. And you don't even know what this is about?" the Doctor sounds genuinely incredulous. She turns to Tookur. "See this is why I keep the radio on while I drive."

"Hey, Tookur like to drive in peace. It helps Tookur focus-focus," Cohlen turns back to you, and pulls out a holo-emitter from her webbing, tossing the spider-like projector onto the floor where its legs unfold to hold up the emitter itself. A three-dimensional display appears, on which she scrolls through to the relevant channel and finds the appropriate clip. The image of a human newsreader in a formal suit bearing insignia indicative of COMPNOR affiliation appears.

uct

"Citizens of Arkos II, we are now bringing shocking reports of an act of terror by the so-called Alliance to Restore the Republic. These rebels, striking without compassion or respect for the peace and order of galactic society, have struck out against the Empire and against you in a most cruel and cowardly way. Striking under cover of darkness last night, they planted explosive charges that collapsed the Rosani Valley Viaduct. Although no civilans were harmed in this brutal attack, the damage of this public passage will take months to repair, and the lives of four brave Imperial Army servicemen, crippled in this cold-blooded attack, will take even longer to recover. It is fortunate that no civilians could be harmed of cour-" the newsreader pauses, raising his hand to his earpiece. "We're now able to go live to a statement by the Alliance about this attack," the holo cuts out, to be replaced a moment later by footage of a makeshift lectern set up in a familiar warehouse, manned by Captain Zavvel, garbed in his dress battered war plate and with an ugly grin splitting the car along his face.

"People of Arkos II. What happened here was a travesty, an act of pure terrorism and petty bloodshed: poorly thought out petty bloodshed of course, as doubtless it was hoped that the attack would claim the lives of honest and hard-working civilians like yourselves. Regardless, this action by a group of rogue agents - whom we have disavowed from our Alliance, for no true member would stoop to such terrorist acts - is entirely condemned, and my men will be working to defeat it at the source. We will hunt down those who did this terrible thing, and destroy them. People of Arkos II, salvation is at hand."

The clip freezes on Zavvel's sick grin, one hand extended before him like a crude imitation of an orator. Cohlen turns back to you. "Now do you understand why leaving might be a plan?"

Hearing the Weequay's words, Geoff purses hi lips, then looks at the rest of the group. "That back stabbing boggard."

Turning around, Geoff takes a few steps as he covers his mouth and closes his eyes. The boggard might have planned this out. I knew it was suspicious and we still walked into the trap.

"CT, you recorded the brief, right? Who we gotten our supplies from and such?"

Shifting his view to Issan, Geoff motions at the twi'lek's cam drone. "You say you work with propaganda, Issan? Prepare to get your work cut out for you."

Glancing at Rax, Oro, and Toco, Geoff looks each man in the eye. "This boggard just blamed us for an operation he planned for and supplied, then tried to blame us."

Scowling at the though, Geoff turns to Cohlen and her soldiers. "Doctor Cohlen, there were plenty of other witnesses, both at the briefing and while we were suiting up. Can you get them out of the cell's reach?"

Before anyone says a word, Geoff raises his hand, finger pointing up. "Let's get one thing straight: I am not leaving this gorram world to a punk arse boggard that decided that betraying me is a good idea. He wants a fight? I'm going to give it to him. Which also means getting the truth out. That means getting the fact this boggard planned it and we walked into the trap. Any wants to get out, go for it. Otherwise, dig in and get ready to fight."

"To fight? You want to-" she looks around, seeing the assembled faces set with determination at what lies before them. "I-agree. We can't let Zavvel get away with this any more. Until now nobody's stood up against him. Well maybe this is the day that changes," she pauses, considering. "You stay here. You can hole up during the day, but we'll be missed. I'll poke around the base and make sure that anyone willing to side with us can get clear. If there's going to be a confrontation then we'll need numbers on our side. In the mean time, if there are any preparations you might want to make then that would be sensible."

Issan frowned when he saw Zavvel's message, but he had to resist giving what could have be seen as a nod of approval at the same time. He certainly didn't like getting played, and Zavvel was going to suffer for this bogus betrayal...but Issan reconsidered the amount of credit he originally gave to the Captain. He was able to have his cake and eat it too, taking out a valuable Imperial asset while also able to plausibly deny any public backlash. For someone he thought was as strategic as a crate of hydrospanners, Zavvel played the political game well, catching Issan and the others off-guard and no doubt cementing his position as head of the original cell.

However, two could play at that game, and now the ball was in Issan's court.

"Doctor Cohlen, if you're able, do you think you could smuggle out my media suite? I'll be able to work more effectively with it than the stuff you probably have around here. I left it secluded in the main storage bay, shouldn't be too hard to find and just one person should be able to carry it out."