Star Wars OPEN Second Chances - A Star Wars SHORTS game [CS Welcome!]

GM Update #3 or #6

IC: The Droids

The Second Chances fleet had been dismantled in mere moments by the initial events. Outside the CR-90, in this emptiness of space, debris from two escort ships floated. Some still burned lightly, with inertia spinning the pieces.

One escort craft remained, though its lights flickered off and on. Amongst the debris were also the remains of numerous droids - some living and some destroyed. Those that had propulsion units or thrusters activated them and crawled the hull of the CR-90 looking for an access hatch to get inside.

To this scene of destruction, Darth Maul’s Scimitar dropped out of hyperspace. The CR-90 not being destroyed was a problem, but reports started coming in from his own droids to a small display at his left. His contigency had proved effective nonetheless and a number of a targets had been eliminated.

Keying in on his wrist comm, he deployed the second command into the droid computer aboard the Second Chances. The CR-90’s thrusters fired as the ship angled for a jump to lightspeed.

Maul grinned his terrible teeth, caught eerily in the dark and lit by the destruction around him. He opened fire on the Second Chances, even as the escort craft suddenly came to life.

*****

Bridge

The bridge was pitch-black, save for the flickering lights of displays and the glowing eyes of droids. In one corner, an astromech unit welded - tossing blue-white sparks it made repairs. The navigation droids worked frantically but could not get the computer to respond. The ship’s course was not under their control.

With a tweedle, a repair droid - a green domed R2 Unit - announced it had restored emergency lights to ship as well as communications to the escort craft and internally.

As the rest of the droids worked to wrestle control from the computer, the ship rocked from turbolaser fire!

****

Rion Eedic

The Black Sun leader ran for his life. He’d taken down the floating droid following him, but he knew it wouldn’t last. Rion burst into the forward hold. The blinking red lights helped him enough that he was able to get to his section with enough ease.

The crates had fallen askew, but were undamaged - which was good considering they had munitions, weapons, and armor smuggled inside. For all their altruism, the Alderaanian Port Authority did like a good bribe.

Keying in his personal code, the gran ripped off the lid of the largest crate in front him. He removed a belt of thermal detonators, a blaster rifle and a handful of magazines. He stuffed the magazines into his jacket pocket.

And then made his way back to the door and towards the escape pods. Running the corner into the hall, he swore he heard voices.

*****

TwoJay-46

The human noble pulled hard at his arm socket.

"Take me to the cargo bay. Now,” Kendoh Thul whispered.

Why he was whispering escaped the droid, though just as he was about to explain to him that the cargo bay was just a quick and simple journey, despite the current conditions, and that he would gladly take him there if he would just keep firm hold of his arm, his arm was wrenched tighter.

“Quietly,” the human added.

Ah. Clandestine. Got it.

He could do this. TwoJayFourSix nodded his head, and attempted a “wink” with his secondary light “eye” socket. He waved his hand outward to show the human the way.

This is what he was made for!

The lights burst on in-full in a moment. The droid repair crew must be making progress.

TwoJayFourSix continued to direct the man and his small companion into the Forward Hold. What mayhem! There were boxes and belongings strung around the room. So many obstacles! Surely, they would need his services now.

A crate of munitions had spewed its contents across the floor.

TwoJayFourSix turned expectantly at the both of them.

“Perhaps I can help you find a particular…” he paused considering the mess, “package.”

Sacul let out a warble as they entered the forward hold. His merchandise! He loudly paddle-footed over to the far, far corner where a small box had burst open - his box.

Inside were a number of trinkets he’d collected - red and purple fabrics, data cards, jewelry, and so on. These hadn’t meant to be displayed to Kendoh until they’d secured a price. Quickly he inventoried the small box.

Another one of those gems he’d already given to Kendoh, along with a glowing triangle shaped object that Sacul figured was some sort of puzzle-box because he couldn’t get it open. Various trinkets and then he saw it. The hilt of the lightsaber was still wrapped, thankfully! He was sure the human hadn’t seen it.

“Yes. yes. This is my box,” he said, scooping it up. “We can discuss a price and —-“

He was cut off as the ship rocked under attack again. In his surprise, he tossed the box into the air.

“Noooo,” he screamed as it flew out before him.

TAG: @Sinrebirth



****

Young Deveraux was certainly a brave man. He’d been unhappy about the snobby fella leaving him, but figured he didn’t need him. He approached the door that opened and closed so dramatically. Timing it’s rhythm, Deveraux burst through just as it slammed shut. It tore at his jacket, but he’d survived.

Running at full force, he ran to the turbolift and found it operational - surprisingly. He keyed for the second deck to get to the Bridge.

The door opened and he was on the move. Dodging fallen wires and fallen bodies, he ran through the hall before coming to the bridge’s outer doors. Two astromechs were hard at work at the door panel.

“Hey, I need to get in there,” he said breathlessly. “I’m a pilot and no one else seems to know how to fly this thing!”

The droids spat a negative with a digitized raspberry to finish, and then went back to work.

It was then that young Deveraux felt the sharp poke of a blaster carbine in his rib.

“A pilot, eh,” asked Rion Eedic. “Looks like you’re coming with me.”

He waved his free hand forward.

“Escape pods are that way. Move.”

TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox

******

Entertainment Lounge

The entertainment lounge was in chaos. Sure the lights had come on, but that only made matters worse. Now everyone could see the dead bodies and destruction around them. Thankfully the floating black droids had left the room, but left behind carnage. Seemingly, their job had been completed.

Senator Thaddeus grimaced at his comm.

“What?!” His aide yelled into her comm.

Sweat poured from the Senator's face and into his mouth. He wiped it with the table cloth.

“Lissa…” he paused.

He’d thought about scolding her, but looking around there would be time for that later. Right now, they were the de facto “hosts” of this voyage.

He forced a smile.

“Glad to hear you’re ok, my dear,” he said evenly. “Meet me in the Entertainm—-ah.”

He spotted her.

“Good. You’re here. I’ll come to you.”

The senator realized his legs were quite wobbly, and took a spill, but soon righted himself. After a few moments of glad handing, helping folks up and keeping his practiced smile ever ready, he reached her.

“Doesn’t look half bad from over here,” he said nonchatantly. “Listen, you’re alright? Probably just paranoid, but I can’t reach the bridge crew. You’re a bright girl. See if you can see how bad the damage is.”

He turned away.

“Ah…Mrs. Oooneeda. So glad you’re alright. No, no need for concern. All is under control,” he said and then he was gone.

Lissa would likely be able to find information from any of the droids, or she could venture to the Captain’s Quarters. Though the ship was controlled by droids, the quarters would likely still be connected to the systems.

It was her choice.

However, the ship rocked with what could only be expected to be more of an attack, sending the guests into further panic. Those that could, ran into the hall - pushing to get to the escape pods. A brawl broke out between two men directly in front of Lissa, blocking her path.

@Kurisan

 

GM Update #4 of #6

The Scimitar strafed the outer hull of the CR-90 Second Chances, each shot finding purchase. Automated turrets followed the elongate craft and fired turbolasers at him as the droid-systems slowly came back to life. The droids aboard the CR-90 had not been infected with the same virus that had weakened the ship and they worked hard to wrest control back.

To have another chance.

The boxy escort ship's propulsion systems were damaged, and could only be directed by thrusters. Nonetheless, the droid ship turns to follow their attacker. Turbolasers, missiles, and droids that could propel themselves all became obstacles to Darth Maul.

He would not fail again.

Growling, he whipped the Scimitar up out of range of the escort craft’s fire. He flicked over his weapons systems to his own concussion missles and began an attack run on the escort craft. The missiles burst out into space, and most found their target.

He flicked back to the lasers and finished off his run before peeling away.

The escort craft dipped awkwardly. Internal explosions spit through the hull. Inertia did the rest, bringing in precariously close to the damaged CR-90.

******

Aboard ship, while most beings were flooding toward the escape pods, the droids had repaired the hyperdrive…sort of. Still only able to move the ship by thrusters, getting into position was slow. Too slow.

The jump to lightspeed was calculated and countdown begun.

*****

The escort craft, burning and near destruction continued to drift toward the CR-90 Second Chances. The Scimitar let loose one last volley of laser fire.

******

A droid hand pulls back a lever, the hyperdrive is engaged.

In the same moment, the escort craft struck the rear of the ship in a burst of fire. The explosive blast moves the CR-90 off course, just slightly, before it makes its jump to hyperspace hopefully still in a safe hyperspace route.

Still, it had made it. At the last second. The ship would rock violently, and the droids feverishly calculated the odds that the ship would survive a journey back out of hyperspace. The odds weren’t strong.

****




It was done.

Darth Maul grinned. The carnage left behind would make his master - well, it wouldn’t make him angry. Though, Maul intended to keep this near failure his little secret.

And then, with his own jump into hyperspace. He was gone.

*****

[Our dear passengers, we are pleased to inform you that we have entered hyperspace.]

A droid announced over the public address system.

[However, we have sustained significant damage. Please continue to move towards the closest escape pod. Do not gather belongings. This is not a drill. Repeat this is a not a drill. Please move to the closest escape pod…]

The message began again, automated.

TAG: @Sinrebirth @Jerjerrod-Lennox @Kurisan

 

IC: Deveraux Bombardier
Location: Bridge, Second Chance

"You know I am really getting tired of people threatening me".

Dev knew that this person wanted out if they were heading towards the escape pods.

And over the public address system...they had entered hyperspace and they still wanted people to head to the escape pods?

"If you wanna get off in hyperspace pal it's your funeral. But sounds like this baby is broken. If I can get aboard the bridge then maybe I can save yours and everyone else's backsides".

TAG: @Kalio_Dynkos

 

IC: Rion Eedic

The gran's snout curled. He looked to the two astromechs working on the door panel.

"You got a way in, kid?" he asked.

Tag: @Jerjerrod-Lennox

 

IC: Deveraux Bombardier
Location: Bridge, Second Chance

Dev smirked "Yeah, maybe. It's a Corellian ship so maybe perhaps I can slice or hotwire the panel".

"Maybe be nice to one of those astromechs there to make it work quicker".

TAG: @Kalio_Dynkos

 

Lissa Verlaine

"Doesn't look half bad from over here..." Thaddeus actually said that to her. Lissa gaped. Are you kidding me?

"Sir, something terrible has happened, this wasn't just some random..." she began.

But he had already given her an order then turned to the other guests. Find out what's happening. Not a bad idea. She glanced at the droids, but quickly decided the best they would do is tell her the lights were back on.

The bridge then, or the captain's quarters, she decided. But as she tried to move away, the ship was rocked by more blasts. Something was hammering them from outside. A fresh wave of panic seized the passengers and they stampeded toward the escape pods. Lissa found her way through the doorway blocked by two men wrestling in front of her.

Lissa bit her lip. They were not exactly Gamorreans, but both were far bigger than her. She hesitated for only a moment, then dived in between the brawling men, looping her arm around the bicep of one before he could throw a punch, and taking hold of a handful of robes at the shoulder of the other.

"Stop!" she yelled. "Think! There is a ship blasting us out there. Pods are sitting ducks! you are better off here for now. Maybe we can repair or run..."

It only seemed to have a temporary effect. The men were perhaps just more surprised by an additional assailant than inspired by her words. But they were not convinced either. The three of them remained locked there in each other's grip for some moments as no-one really wanted to concede.

"You see?" she said, grinning at the men.

"Oh no..." she groaned. They instantly began fighting each other again, except now Lissa was right in between them. She hung onto each of them like a Begamore two-headed dog.

"Please!" she yelled again. "I need to get to the bridge! Or the captain's quarters..."

Inspiration came to her. "Yes! The captain's cabin is near the foredeck, there will be more crew escape pods there, and the crew are droids - so you will get to the front of the queue!"

 

[OOC] Double post at GM request: A kinda combo catch-up with @Kalio_Dynkos [/OOC]

Lissa Verlaine
Outside the Entertainment Lounge

The men stopped fighting, which was as well, as Lissa was beginning to feel her arms would be wrestled out of their sockets.

“Yeah!” said one of the antagonists. “Just droids up there, and sentients take precedence…”

“Aye,” said the other, “better than queuing and scrapping down here!”

They turned to Lissa, allowing her to disengage from the three-way grappling match, then said almost in unison, “Take us there!”

Lissa did so, slipping between them and scrambling for the correct corridor. She dodged piles of debris, flailing fallen droids, more groups of passengers negotiating very physically for the remaining escape pods. Somehow, the last type of obstacle saddened her belief in the spirit of civility. The two men followed eagerly. They soon arrived at the foredecks, and Lissa pointed down a junction.

“There. Oh, sorry. Well it is a bit better…” she said. There was a similar scrum taking place at the corridor to the escape pods at this end of the ship, too. Evidently they were not the first to realise there were more here.

The men looked at the crowd, then each other, and forgot Lissa. They immediately began fighting each other again. Lissa shook her head. At least they were no longer in her way. She skipped ahead toward the bridge, but soon found this blocked as well.

Astromech droids were attempting to puncture a formidable blast door. There were people here, too, presumably looking to get in and take control of the ship. The blast door was a security measure to stop precisely that happening in a hijack situation. Someone must have triggered it and no-one could open it from either side! She saw a gentleman whom she did not know. He was handsome and had a winning presence. She thought she heard him say to a Gran that he was a pilot. Lissa assessed the situation in a moment.

Security blast door. They need to get to the bridge. Astromechs trying to cut through. This is not going to happen nearly fast enough…

She searched her mind. There must be another way. Captain’s override! This is exactly the situation for which it exists. Oh, but the crew are droids. No captain.

“But there are still the captain’s quarters,” she said aloud. “I wonder…”

Uncle Bail had once taken her through the full length of his ambassadorial corvette. The captain had a number of hidden overrides in his cabin.

Lissa turned and sped off towards the next junction. Here it was quieter. A flickering semidarkness due to the lights failing. She found the right door and pressed the release. A rude electronic noise emitted from the door control in reply.

“Locked? Oh, come on, I just can’t get a break!”

Suddenly, from the shadows a tall figure emerged and grabbed Lissa from behind. An arm snaked around her, pinning her arms to her sides, and another rough, leathery hand grasped her neck. She instinctively struggled, but he was as strong as a Trandoshan.

“Hello girlee,” a coarse voice whispered close to her ear. “Got your own little secret escape pod, have you?”

“Uungh, let me go!” she said, writhing in his grip. “I am the Alderaanian senator!”

“No you’re not,” chuckled the voice. “I saw Thaddeus when they let me out of prison, and you definitely ain’t him, girlee.”

Lissa grimaced. He must be one of the convicts released for the Second Chance programme. Some exiled Duke had proposed and sponsored the drive; a chance on a new world for the criminals to make a new start. A cheap workforce for the nobleman. And Thaddeus had made it happen.

She said, “Well, junior senatorial partner then, but you still have to let me go! We both work for Thaddeus! I’m trying to help get access to the bridge!”

“Heheh,” said the voice. His face pressed close to hers and the leathery roughness scratched against her cheek. She guessed he was a Weequay or Klaatu. “All business arrangements temporarily suspended by cause of emergency situation, girlee. I owe them nuffink!”

“Nnngh!” she struggled. “Use your head, damn you! I’m trying to help save the ship!”

“I don’t care about the ship! I care about me,” he growled, losing patience. “Now are you going to take me to an escape pod, or do I have to carve my name in your face?”

The grip on her neck relaxed but the hand returned clutching a vibroblade. He brought the weapon right up under her chin and she craned her neck away from it. She could just hear the subsonic oscillations that would allow the edge to tear through her skin and bones as if they were soft butter.

Lissa stopped struggling, fear seizing her limbs. But her mind kept working.

“In there,” she whispered, nodding just slightly toward the captain’s cabin. “We have to get in there. But it’s locked…”

“Heh, knew you’d see sense,” he said. Then he pushed her forward so that her face was pressed against the wall. He rammed the vibroblade into the wall-mounted control. The door wheezed open. “Now it ain’t locked!”

He mandhandled her inside and they both looked around. The room was devoid of any sign it was in use. Just a desk with a terminal, the wardrobes were empty, even the bed was stripped. The room had just been repurposed for a droid recharging point, with several units lined up against one wall. What a waste of good space, thought Lissa. She absently wondered why Thaddeus had not taken it, but then remembered the VIP suite was even bigger.

Her captor became impatient again. “Where is it then?” he growled in her ear.

“Concealed,” she breathed. “I… I have to use that terminal…”

He shoved her toward it and hesitated. “No tricks if I let go, girlee. Remember I got the knife? We’ll both get in the pod. Yeah, we can snuggle in together. It’ll be nice…”

He held her tightly for a moment longer then shoved her toward the computer. Lissa thought furiously, casting around for something… anything… she could use as a weapon against him, while at the same time tapping at the terminal to get it to start up. There was nothing.

Except the terminal keyboard.

It was a detachable type, one that could be put away to allow the desk multiple uses. She sighed, then picked it up, whirled and smashed it against the side of his head. He crumpled with an astonished grunt. Lissa got her first look at her assailant and found all her instincts had been right; a Weequay with twisted features and an eye-patch from some old injury. But he was not done yet.

The Weequay groaned and held his head. Then he looked up at her. “Why, you little…”

He lunged toward her and she retreated. The bed was right behind her. He leapt and she turned her hips. Lissa had learned some rudimentary martial arts, and used his momentum against him, catching his shoulder and throwing him on his way past her. The big man could not avert his leap and yelped, just before his head crashed into the wall at the head of the bed.

With a final wheeze he collapsed into unconsciousness on the bed.

Lissa scowled at the Weequay then dashed back to the terminal. It was useless without the keyboard. She looked ruefully down at it on the ground, bent and broken. The Weequay’s head had proven very hard. Lissa groaned in frustration.

The Weequay groaned.

Lissa turned warily, but he did not move. She noticed something else. Where he had smashed into the wall, an access panel had popped open. The impact must have accidentally triggered it. She stepped closer and saw it was a set of override controls in a hidden console.

“Ha! I told you to use your head,” she patted the Weequay’s head as she approached and inspected the panel. There were emergency switches for all sorts of systems. She read down until she found the correct one.

Lissa pulled the lever and in another part of the Second Chances, a blast door irised open, giving Deveraux Bombardier access to the bridge.

Lissa grinned and set off back in that direction…

@Jerjerrod-Lennox @Sinrebirth

 

IC:
IC: Deveraux Bombardier
Location: Bridge, Second Chance

Dev was still trying to figure out what to do next when out of the corner of his eye he saw a woman dressed in white flash past.

Was he seeing things?

He moved forward then, hoping the person behind him would not shoot his head off as he studied the control panel. How could he get it off and get to the cables inside?

It was a moot point when the bridge door opened a few minutes later. Had the woman done something?

"Hello beautiful" Dev said with a smirk "Right let's see what's going on shall we?"

The woman reappeared, looked about his age. Blonde hair, nice clothes. Another posh sort like Posh Boy in the lounge?

"Was that you?" Dev asked "Nice work" he hooked his thumb behind him "This rather nice chap has got a blaster trained on my back, so no sudden moves".

He smiled at her "I'm Deveraux Bombardier, call me Dev. Corellian pilot and hopefully the one who can try and find out what's goin' on here".

TAG: @Kurisan , @Kalio_Dynkos

 

Lissa Verlaine

Lissa scrambled back to the corridor leading to the bridge and was overjoyed to find the security blast door had indeed opened.

The man she had seen earlier turned to her.

Lissa nodded, strangely lost for words for a moment.

She was suddenly struck with two conflicting emotions. He had an easy manner, a likeable face, and an accent that told her he was a well-travelled and cocky pilot, probably Corellian, and that made him very interesting. Unfortunately, all those things also told her he was probably trouble - the sort of man her daddy warned her to keep away from.

But in the end, that also made him interesting.

Lissa blinked. Was he joking? He did not seem too concerned by it. She looked at where he had motioned and saw that he was not joking. She tensed, and inwardly sighed. Yes, he's trouble alright.

Uh huh, just as I thought...

Lissa took hold of herself again and got to business.

"Right, I'm Lissa, and yes I just opened this door. You're a pilot? Can you get this ship back on course? The droids... just aren't capable for this sort of situation. I can pilot a yacht, but nothing this big. Tell me what to do and I'll help."

She realised she had not acknowledged the issue with the gun-pointing being. She was just ignoring that for now. "Dev" would no doubt explain in due course...

 

IC: Deveraux Bombardier
Location: Bridge, Second Chance

Dev noted that Lissa had been lost for words whilst speaking to him.

Stay on target, got a crisis to avert here….

And besides she's probably not interested in you. Not in a lower class rough n ready Corellian who seems to have attracted low lifes. She probably likes the more richer types.

Time for a little explanation perhaps.

"Nice to meet you Lissa. The chap holding the blaster to my back thinks I can get him to an escape pod, kinda like everyone else I guess. But jumping out in hyperspace? Bad call".

He nodded his head towards the bridge "Can I get this thing on course? Well it depends on what we have got and what we haven't. Best thing to do is probably to drop out of hyperspace and do systems checks".

"Taking a guess right now i'd say we have ion, sublights and hyperdrive, that's good. Bad news? Probably no shields. But if we can hold her steady enough so the escape pods can launch i'd call that a win".

He moved to enter the bridge "This is a Corellian Engineering Corporation CR90 corvette. I used to work for 'em back before I joined this trip. It's going to take two of us to fly her so I'm glad I've got some help here".

TAG: @Kalio_Dynkos , @Kurisan

 

GM Update #5 of #6

Chaos reigned amongst the passengers of the Second Chances. Those that had muscled their way into escape pods found themselves cramped in close quarters. Some pods were overfull. Some were starkly emptly where someone had selfishly sealed the door after getting inside.

Thankfully, the CR-90 had ample escape pods.

The droids were clearly unable to control the chaos. Some passengers would have died just in the stampede. Stories amongst the passengers later would tell of blatant murders in the chaos, or at the least a quick beat down to secure a pod.

Dignitaries, criminals, farmers, and soldiers were all together in the moment. They had no option but to wait. To see what would happen.

*****

Bridge

The bran boss’ jaw dropped. The door…just..opened. And then the two humans talked as if he wasn’t there. Wasn’t just holding a blaster on one of them.

It was just, wrong.

He wrenched his face into a snarl and tossed the young pilot, Dev, through the open door to the bridge. He followed from behind, still holding his blaster on him. If the kid seemed convinced he was gonna fly, best let him fly. Escape pods were no doubt full anyway. If they could actually survive this thing, Rion intended full to get what was coming to him.

The trio would find the bridge a mess of debris and small fires, but there were droids here - those that had been trapped. A couple of Astromechs were plugged into a nearby terminal. They spun their heads around in unison to view the newcomers and then went back to work.

In the center of the room, and the only real source of light besides hyperspace putting a dim hue on the forward area, was a hulking droid computer that went from bulkhead to bulkhead.

As Deveraux knew his way around the bridge, he would find a control panel and the capability to control the ship. As he approached it, the ship would stutter out of hyperspace. The Astromechs whined. One exploded and flew away from the terminal he’d been attached to.

The ship drifted a moment, and then went into hyperspace again.

Within moments, the second droid exploded In the same manner. It would be clear to Deveraux that this hyperspace jump, drift and re-jump had happened a few times as they droids attempted to wrest control from the ship itself that seemed intent on flying into a star. It was a battle the droids had ultimately lost, but it didn’t matter as a large shudder went through the entire ship. The hyperdrive had failed entirely.

The Second Chances dropped out of hyperspace and all manners of alarms sounded on the bridge as a large planet filled the view screen.

It was large, and grey-green. The ship was too close to the planet’s gravity well. With no engines and only thrusters, there was no way to keep the ship in orbit, and it suddenly pitched.

They were going down.

“Do something,” Rion yelled, waving his blaster at Dev.





TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox @Kurisan

*****
Escape Pods


Kendoh Thul opened the box. In it he would a polyhedron object that seemed to glow of its own accord. Inside the box was also a lightsaber, another kyber crystal, various flimsies and fabrics. The box had presumably belonged to a Jedi Knight - perhaps one of the passengers or someone else.

A violent shudder rocked everything around him and his droid companion. They had fallen out of hyperspace.

Sacul let out another yell, then was silent. The crates and various cargo were unsteady or had fallen outright. The weapon’s crate had sprawled all its goods on the floor. Food - tons of it - was clearly visible. This was true of other crates and boxes. One glinted and glittered from the far corner of the room.

What he did next was up to him.

Escape pods were nearby or he could ride out whatever was going on from here.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

Lissa Verlaine

Lissa nodded and faced the angry-looking Gran. "We're in the middle of deep space... who would pick you up? We need to get near a system..."

But the three-eyed creature had already lost his temper. The thug grabbed Dev and threw him through the door.

"Hey!" said Lissa, following close behind. "That is not necessary!"

The Gran rounded on her and brandished the blaster. She fell into silence. Together with Dev, Lissa instead surveyed the bridge. The staggering in-out-in half-leaps were killing the astromechs. They had to stop it somehow.

And then... it stopped by itself. And they were flying directly at a planet. Dev had been explaining about systems and drives but it all seemed irrelevant now. The Second Chances was diving right into the blue-grey orb that filled the viewscreen.

"Well, not that near..." Lissa half-joked, coming beside Dev and giving him a serious look. The Gran behind them jabbed his pistol into their backs and demanded they "Do something!"

Lissa scowled at him. We're already trying to save the ship, no need to point a gun at us!

But she waited beside the Corellian pilot, ready to obey his every command. If anyone could get them out of this, it was probably him...

 

IC: Deveraux Bombardier
Location: Bridge, Second Chance

Ohhhh not good.

He moved forward trying to avoid the burning hulks of droids and the fact the ship was burning up.

Game time.

"Lissa , i'm going to need you to try and use the thrusters to try and slow us down, if we can slow down I might be able to pull the ship up. And maybe avoid a crash landing if this bird does go down".

He immediately went forward and grabbed the controls and tried to pull the ship out of it's suicidal dive.

C'mon baby….

TAG: @Kalio_Dynkos , @Kurisan

 

Lissa
Second Chances - Bridge

Lissa gulped at the pilot's instructions, looking at the complex array on the console.

"Okay... I can do this... I can do this..."

She found the thruster controls, and the directional switches were not too complex after that. But how much, and in what ratios? She looked to Dev. He was very busy right now. Figure it out, she told herself.

She tried a short burst with two fore thrusters, directly against their direction of travel. It did not seem to help much. Her brow furrowed. It's got to be more decisive, she thought. Only then did she find the synchronised burst section.

This is what we need! It fired all vector thrusters at once - there were even default settings. She toggled between them, trying to find the right configuration.

Dev was probably giving her impatient looks. She said, "Just a moment. Working on it!"

Then she found a splayed downward set-up that had the thrusters firing kind of in opposition to each other. She tried to picture it in her mind and decided the forces would stabilise the ship.

She gave it a ten second burst, then saw the effects. Yes, this is the one. She fired again, this time for longer and fiercer. She was not sure exactly if, or how much it was helping, but Lissa hoped and prayed this small act would contribute to Dev's efforts...

@Jerjerrod-Lennox @Sinrebirth @Kalio_Dynkos

 

IC: Deveraux Bombardier
Location: Bridge, Second Chance

Dev gave Lissa a nod and a smile. She was doing great with the thrusters for someone who had only flown a yacht.

Dev kept pulling backwards on the controls as hard as he could. He had to try and pull out of this dive, otherwise they could all rather meet a messy end.

Especially as the escape pods needed to be launched.

"Keep it going!" Dev said to Lissa.

TAG: @Kalio_Dynkos , @Kurisan

 

IC: The Second Chances

The battered CR-90 Corvette groaned. Fires erupted from exposed areas of the hull where the heat-plates had been destroyed. With the young Corellian at the helm and his Alderaanian co-pilot, the ship was going down. With this much velocity, coupled with gravity, there was no saving the ship. No last minute rescue that would see the Second Chance get…well, a second chance.

They were going to crash. How badly that crash was up to the pair.

On the outside of the hull, some droids that had earlier been ejected from the escort ships still moved about. Some overheated and burned. Others attached what tools they could, holding on for life.

The thrusters were ignited in boosts by Lissa and Dev held the controls. His considerable skills would certainly be at a match.

The ship’s emergency response protocols were still in place. The droid controlled ship was still run by the computer, but it had recognized the captain’s command codes that had unsealed the bridge. It recognized the skill of the pilot from the ship's manifest, and the credentials of the junior senator. It allowed them to help.

The ship didn’t want to die.

As the corvette broke atmosphere and into the thick grey clouds, the ground became immediately apparent. This was a barren world and they were at present landing in the middle of a highly volatile electrical storm.



The computer sent to the navigation systems a blinking warning light on the console in front of Dev and Lissa - begging for their attention. The Second Chances had made the calculations. They were going to crash. They needed less weight.

It asked permission to launch escape pods. Even at this velocity, it was dangerous. But as soon as the ship made contact with the ground, those pods located on the bottom of the ship especially would be destroyed. A 100% fatality rate. That is, unless they launched right now.

A 48% fatality rate.

The others? Well, it depended on the ability of Dev to crash…gracefully.

The ship calculated a 42% percent fatality rate for the remaining passengers.

For itself, a 12% chance of survival.

As they moved forward into the lower atmosphere, lightning struck the ship once. No damage.

A large, rocky island was visible along with a pocket of smaller islands. All were barren and surrounded by crashing waves tossed up by the storm.

TAG: @Jerjerrod-Lennox @Kurisan

———

A quick internal scan - though incomplete because of damage to its systems. Many beings were in escape pods. Many more were dead. A few - like Kendoh Thul - were scattered about the ship.

They were crashing.

The computer began to run through safety precautions. Internal sprinklers were activiated as necessary. Droids were advised to find a secure bay. Those that could fly were advised against it. Impact was imminent.

Another precaution was the very real chance of either coming apart or landing into the sea. The droid computer shut bulk-head doors throughout the ship - sealing off sections.

One such door closed in the Cargo Bay - sealing in Kendoh Thul - with his loot.

The kyber crystal lit his way. A quick glance around him would show that he was amongst the primary hold - that of the main ship’s cargo, diplomatic packages and aid, as well as the personal cargo of various first class passengers.

The glittering box he'd been hunting was full of priceless jewelry in every spectrum of color. It was far too large to carry, but it wasn’t like he could go anywhere anyway with the doors sealed.

Thul was trapped with his treasure, the weapons, the food, the goods for aid, tools for farms, his box, and his greed. They would be companions at least until the ship crashed or came to its final resting place.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

Lissa Verlaine

Lissa watched stony-faced as the information scrolled up on the computer screen. She gulped.

In her mind, the decision should have been simple.

“If we don’t launch, everyone dies. If we launch, they’ve got a fifty-fifty chance...” she said out loud, more as a reassurance to herself than an explanation to Dev.

She had seen the hysterical stampede for the escape pods - she had been caught in the physical fights for them. She knew there was simply no way they could unload them now.

It was a clearly correct moral choice to launch.

But she hesitated and bit her lip. Lissa was 21 years old and had never had to make decisions like this before, with so many people’s lives in her hands. Her finger hovered over the command confirmation button to launch.

She looked at the Corellian. The tormented surface of the planet screamed up towards them through the viewscreen of the plummeting ship.

“Dev, people are going to die. If you have some miracle you can pull out, now is the time...”

 

IC: Deveraux Bombardier
Location: Bridge, Second Chance

Dev had a devastated look on his face. He had failed. Badly.

He could'nt pull the ship up and away, it was going to crash, no doubt's there. Perhaps they could crash and not kill himself and Lissa. Maybe even Posh Boy if he was still around.

He shook his head at Lissa, the same devastated look on his face "Launch 'em. If they can survive in this hellhole of a planet then all the better".

He faced front "I'm going to see if I can get to that big island there. No point putting the landing gear down it will shear right off. But maybe I can get her down so she doesn't break into pieces".

And maybe not kill us he thought.

"Open any flaps or drag fins or try and slow us down with thrusters. I'll pull her over and try and raise the nose so we don't land head first".

He wanted to say something as his potentially his last words but all he could come out with was "Sorry, I don't think I was good enough. My Corellian luck didn't work….."

TAG: @Kalio_Dynkos , @Kurisan

 

Lissa

Lissa knew the man, despite all the bravado, was suffering. This was too much, too suddenly, to handle. But he kept on trying. He was going to try for the island.

Lissa nodded, her resolve returning, inspired by his bravery. She slammed the escape pod launch button and heard the pops as the jets ignited. "May the Force be with you," she murmured.

Then she set about trying to execute Dev's command. Ventilation flaps, transmission arrays, anything she could find that would open, she smashed the buttons. At the same time she burned all the retros. She even opened the landing legs - a bit of extra drag now, and better for them to get ripped off first and slow them down when they hit ground, than the bottom of the ship itself.

There was a curious silence between her and the pilot, as they went about their work with calm determination. The roar of the descent steadily rose into a crescendo. The rocky island seemed to charge toward them, like a monster's open maw.

When she had hit every last switch, when Dev had put his last effort into guiding them down, when there was nothing left to do but wait and pray... Lissa came beside him and gripped his hand in her own.

 

IC: Deveraux Bombardier
Location: Bridge, Second Chance

Lissa launched the escape pods and Dev hoped like she did that those aboard would survive. Even if they were low lifes.

Lissa he could see was trying her best and without her he knew they would be stuffed. He didn't know what would happen if they did crash buy he hoped they would both get out of this unscathed. They were a pretty good team.

And they might need each other to survive this next bit.

Dev kept aiming for the island, it was their only hope of maybe getting the ship down after it had been so badly damaged.

He felt Lissa grip his hand with hers, and he linked his fingers with hers giving her a smile his other hand still trying to keep the ship steady.

"Thank you" he said gently. There was nothing else to say. If he wasn't piloting he might have held her. It would have been a good way to go.

Come on, crash smoothly….please.

TAG: @Kalio_Dynkos , @Kurisan

 

GM Update #6 of #6



IC: The Second Chances

Crashing has a profound impact on every one.

It is a moment of almost certain doom. Even the best laid plans are left at the mercy of chance. Gravity, timing, speed, the space you were in, the space you weren’t….

Everything.

Despite the best efforts of the young pilot, his companion, and the indefatigable droid crew, the Second Chances was certainly going to collide with its destiny.

Beings throughout the battered ship felt the weight of sudden gravity, even as the inertial compensators struggled to keep control. They systems were stressed to their max and the whole ship braced for impact. Beings clung to each other as klaxxons filled the air. Complete strangers hugged. Others cried in dispair. Still others cried out to the Force or some other diety.

Save a few.

Kendoh Thul clung to his treasure.

Rion Eedic, the gran boss, clung to his blaster - still aimed at young Deveraux. If the crash was going to kill them, he was determined that it be from his blaster first. If they survived…

Some injured throughout the ship clung to life. The last moments they would certainly have.

Crashing has a way of doing that to you. Putting everything in perspective.

For Deveraux and Lissa, that perspective was unique in that they were able to see the ground fill their view as the planet hurtled to them.

Escape pods had launched. Some were immediately incinerated by the lightning storm outside. Others hurtled into the raging acid sea below. Still others, the majority, had systems that kicked in just in the nick of time. Their repulsors launching them into the air, and finding places to land as safely as possible amongst the scattered islands or even at the edge of the larger island.

The CR-90 burned.

It struck ground from the rear first, as the efforts of Lissa and Dev pitched them away from a direct collission and kept the ship from skipping across the surface.

The collision rang throughout the whole ship. The ship’s thrusters forced a small hop and then a devasting crash again. The rear of the ship was torn asunder on the island.

Finally, the front of the ship slammed into the ground, and intertia did rest. Plowing through jagged rock, the massive ship that had held hope of a new beginning for so many dug the grave of most.

A jagged peak caught the Second Chances and flipped it over end over end. The droid computer calculated its trajectory, and ordered the dozens of droids on its outside as well as its last vestige of power to fulfill its mandate. In unison, thrusters burned as the droid computer depleted its reserves. The droids on the outside - though not enough to flip the ship - stalled gravity for long enough that the CR-90 lightly touched its top on the ground in a spill of dust. The droids were crushed by its weight.

The odd shaped design of the ship caused the CR-90 to pitch as it settled in the rubble.

But it didn’t explode.

Those that had survived would be upside down, sure. But gravity was a point of view. And from a certain point of view, things could be worse.

Kendoh Thul was alive. A crate of nerf-lined fabrics had broken his fall in the spin.

Lissa and Dev were battered. They had the luxury of seeing the planet and knowing when to brace.

Rion Eedic was hurt. Badly. The ordinance belt across his chest had punched a lung and it had collapsed. He lay awkwardly, stunned, but alive.

Across the ship, beings counted themselves blessed. They had survived the crash of the Second Chances, and now they must survive its rescue - if there was to be one.

*****

36 years in the Future
3 ABY


The last known location of the Second Chances fleet was mapped out on a holodisplay. The investigation by the Republic had been extensive. It even included a pair of Jedi led by Jedi Master Syfo Dias. He’d mysteriously died himself a few months later in 32 BBY.

The records had been highly redacted by the Empire around the fall of the Republic.

“Ooh, Mistress,” the protocol droid said as the decryption algorithm input by his astromech companion sliced the files. “If the decryption is accurate, debris was found in a number of locations leading the Jedi to believe the ship perhaps did escape. Carbon scoring on the debris suggested it had been under attack, though the culprit was never named. A datacore recovered from a burned out - oh my - a TwoJay series droid...annoying things….suggested criminal targets were amongst the first killed by…how wonderful…DROIDS!”

He paused looking at BT-1. They had a moment.

“Perhaps the destruction of the ship was ancillary to keeping their identity secret. A phantom menace, perhaps.”



Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra leaned into the display to expose an exploded view of the ship.

“The question is, Trip, if what we want is still alive down there,” she said. “If at first you don’t succeed…”


TAG: @Sinrebirth @Jerjerrod-Lennox @Kurisan and No One



OOC: Chapter 2 begins on Monday. Messages incoming to your inbox!

 

IC: Deveraux Bombardier
Location: Bridge, Second Chance

When Dev came to his body felt like he had just taken a spin in a spin dryer.

He was looking at the floor of the ship not the ceiling and he tried to piece together what happened.

Gripping Lissa's hand tightly, seeing the ground come up, not being strapped in or sat down meaning he got bounced around like a pinball.

The ship spinning, him letting go of Lissa's hand (he tried not to), hitting his head somewhere and passing out.

Now he was on his back, his body in agony and no doubt bruised, hopefully nothing broken. He could feel something sticky on his face, maybe blood was coming out of a head wound.

Where was Lissa?

"Lissa" he croaked and then tried again "Lissa? Are you there? Are you alright?"

TAG: @Kalio_Dynkos , @Kurisan