"I think it would be best if I talk to Lady Nash, Rion. I agree that a certain mysterious aura surrounds her, but we should proceed carefully. I have no particular wish to deal with diplomatic entanglements in addition to this investigation. You and Master Iquizzil could take a quick look around her quarters and check her movements on this ship during the last days while I distract her."

Marcelus stops explaining his plan when they meet the group of marines. He is just opening his mouth to greet the soldiers and to thank them for their assistance when a sudden jolt goes through the ship and Marcelus is sent flying along the corridor.

Coordination Check: 2eA+2eD 0 successes, 2 advantage

Marcelus tries to stay upright despite the sudden deceleration but fails to do so. His feet lift off the ground and he hits the wall with a dull thud only moments later.

Coordination: 3eA+2eD 2 failures, 2 advantage

Rast felt his feet give out underneath him, but was able to steady Callom, who was right beside him.

OOC: I'm hoping that this gesture, using my Advantage to help steady Callom, will spark a bit of goodwill in the future, if needed.

Although the sudden movement takes him by surprise, Jeren, thanks to either his own reflexes or the Force, does manage to remain upright. And with himself relatively stable he reaches out to whoever is near him to provide some support.

Coordination: 3eA+2eD 1 success, 3 advantage

Using the Advantages to add a Boost to one or more people going after Jeren (if anyone remains that is).

As soon as the movement jolts throughout the ship, TeeNine's wheels clamp down upon the floor, straining to hold steady under the sudden wave of momentum.

Coordination: 2eA+1eA+2eD 3 successes, 2 threat

Callom, along with TeeNine, Jeren and Iquizzil, retains his footing. The others are not so lucky: Rast slams into a wall, bloodying his nose; Rion knocks his skull against the floor as he falls; Marcelus tumbles to the ground but all he loses is his footing. In addition TeeNine's servos squeal as he struggles to stay upright. Most of the marines fall, and one of them screams at the sudden pain of a broken arm, her comrades too busy keeping themselves upright to help her.

You wait for a moment as the deck settles again, but there is no aftershock from the deck-quake. One thing is obvious to you however - the ever-present hum of the ship's hyperdrive is gone; replaced by silence and the sound of creaking metal. It's at least a day too early: what's going on?

Rion and TeeNine each add a Setback to their next check; Rast takes 2 Strain.

Rast wipes his bloodied nose and thumbs his comlink back on. "We have a marine down here with a broken arm, and possibly some concussions. Are we under attack?" His mind was already running through half a dozen emergency procedures for pirate attacks.

Izzy helps Rion to his feet, always aware of Calloms activity. He is also drifting through the possibility of pirates, or maybe even something more sinister. Running on automatic right now though, 'protect your team' being his overriding focus.

"i suspect our Sith friend has found us," Rion mutters darkly. "I had a feeling we hadn't seen the last of her."

"What makes you say that, Rion?"

Rast is unsure why the ship has stopped; it doesn't seem to be under attack though, so it's probably alright.

Izzy turns to Rast.

"Still no response from Captain Kozik? Should we check the bridge, make sure our runaway killer hasn't found his or her way up there?"

"This is the bridge," Kozik's voice returns after a moment. "Search party, any news on your end? We've dropped out of hyperspace for some reason, engineering's not responding."

"I doubt it's the Sith," Rast told the others. "We might have a saboteur on board, though. Let's check out engineering."

OOC: how far away is engineering?

You are currently amidships; engineering is the aft-most section, roughly 150 metres astern of you down the transit carriageway.

Izzy follows Rast's call and heads to the transit car.

"What makes you say that, Rion?"

"The Sith take revenge very seriously, and I don't find it hard to believe that she might have installed a saboteur aboard. It wouldn't be impossible for her to figure out we left on this ship. Attacking the ship outright with a Sith vessel would be grounds for renewed warfare with the Republic--this would hide her tracks."

He wipes blood from his face. "I hope I'm just paranoid, but...the assassination of a senator, sudden ship malfunction...that timing's probably more than a coincidence. And she wants us dead."

"If you've upset the Sith then I highly doubt that this is a rogue operator. Even the Hutts aren't stupid enough to attack a Republic ship just to spite you, but the Empire's been looking to start the war again for months - that's why we've had all our operatives in their space. If, as you say, it is the Empire, then we might soon have a bigger problem on our hands than a dead pensioner and a rogue saboteur."

Izzy turns back to the group.

"You've upset some Sith lady? My heartiest congratulations," he grins at Rion.

"Rast, can we get the captain to lock down all the doors to stop people moving without cleared identification? Just don't want to chase shadows..." He glances at the corpse of Baselock, then continues towards engineering.

"Some of us should probably go up and make sure that the curfew is being enforced...and, more importantly, check to see if we have any more passengers missing. And the rest of us should head down to engineering."

"I think I would be of more use making sure the passengers stay calm and follow the curfew," Jeren offers after Rast makes his suggestion. "And I will see if anyone else of importance -or not- has not been seen in a while."

"Unless you feel you need my assistance in engineering?"

"To engineering! Lead the way."

"If you're splitting up, we should work out who's going where. I'll head up-ship with that group, make sure the passengers are secure," Callom suggests.

"I might be more useful in engineering," suggests Izzy, getting into the rail car.

"Marcelus, why don't you find that noblewoman? If there's a saboteur at work onboard the ship, I might be better off heading to engineering, since I might need to defuse some bombs if we're really unlucky."