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<blockquote data-quote="Angcuru" data-source="post: 2947915" data-attributes="member: 10948"><p><strong>CH. 17 - The Plunge</strong></p><p></p><p>"Are you sure about that?" Miera replies. "I can probably get her to bring them near a specific place, but after that there's no way of controlling them."</p><p></p><p>"Let's not worry about that yet."</p><p></p><p>"Alright, it's getting dark, so they'll be waking up soon. I hope you know where you're going with this" Miera says. She settles back into her seat, closing her eyes with a look of practiced, relaxed concentration.</p><p></p><p>"We'll be back well before they get there, probably by half an hour or so. Dawnsprinter out." she says, deactivating the comm, wanting to avoid comm traffic as much as possible, some equipment, specialized equipment, might actually be good enough to pick it up.</p><p></p><p>"So I should try and find one of these crystals for myself, one that I can feel through the force?" Kia asks with a sigh, "I doubt the Imps are going to give me time to come back here long enough to look around before we have to evacuate your people from the caves. I just hope that whatever we capture will have enough life support capacity to get everyone off world. It just depends on the type of landing craft they use. A Lamb can get maybe 20 passengers, with a crew of 6. Which is like half of your people, or they might just bring in an Assault Shuttle, which could fit pretty much everyone, but would mean 4 squads of Stormies, not to mention enough armament to turn the Dawnsprinter into flaming wreckage. I have a bad feeling about this..."</p><p></p><p>"I doubt that you will have the time to do so while we remain under threat from the Imperials, but there are other places where one can find force crystals. How we're going to handle capturing an Imperial transport, avoiding annihilation, and fleeing through a system-wide barricade of warships though," Kia thinks she sees a slight tic of nervousness appear in Miera's face, "I can't be sure."</p><p></p><p>The chronometer Miera had set up on one of the free consoles ticks, down, showing ETAs for the Imperial shuttle and the Dawnsprinter side by side.</p><p></p><p>Dawnsprinter - Five minutes</p><p>Imperial Ship - Fifteen minutes</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">***</p><p></p><p>"A good idea, Aasan said with a nod, then went to look around the general area. He tried to find the best place for an Imperial craft to set down and offload troops, and identify any kind of cover that was nearby. Getting in that ship behind the stormtroopers wouldn't be easy..."We need to position everyone a good distance away from wherever the ship sets down. The troopers will look for some kind of cover, and they'll probably try to stay close to their ship. If we can get a little help from the locals, we still need to be able to draw the troops away from the ship and get in there to take out any pilots before they can send a distress signal."</p><p></p><p>"I like the way you think, Aasan." Arias grins. "Remind me of myself back in by wartime days. Right, then. The Imperials will probably plan on landing as close to the Dawnsprinter as possible, which would be just outside the village. Aasan, Kal, you two should find a patch of vegetation to hide behind until they land. Jorran, Adrial and I will divert their attention from you. Then Kal, you disable their communications array, which it will be Aasan's job to point out to you. After that any plan we have is likely to fall apart, as plans are wont to do but we'll try and take one of the officers alive." As Arias finishes speaking, the last hints of sunlight hiding themselves over the horizon, leaving pale moonlight their only illumination.</p><p></p><p>"Sounds like a plan to me." Kal spoke up. "We have what, fifteen minutes? How long until they can see us...or we can see them for that matter?"</p><p></p><p>"I"m not sure exactly, Kal. But considering all the very tall, thick trees that tend to grow around here, we'll see them when they see us." Arias replies. "Fifteen minutes, right Meira?" he says into the commlink.</p><p></p><p>"Right." </p><p></p><p>"Splendid."</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">***</p><p>Kia watches the seconds til the estimated arrival of the imperials tick away, it was going to be tight, whether or not the empire would be able to visually detect the villiage before she got the ship settled back in again. "I think we should leave the transponder in the villiage when we leave, it might buy us a bit of extra time to slip over the horizon and get the planet between us and the fleet before we slip away. After this, it'd be too hot to run her as the Dawnsprinter anyway, just get a new transponder and register the ship again."</p><p></p><p>It's a close call, but Kia's trusty ship pulls through. Just as she sets down, the Dawnsprinter's short-range passive radar starts to pick up ship signatures approaching from the east.</p><p></p><p>"That is most certainly not good." Miera says, unbuckling herself and heading towards the ramp and out of the ship.</p><p></p><p>"So, Arias... what exactly is our diversion? Talking to them? Convincing the local wildlife to cause some chaos? There have been suggestions, but I think I've missed what exactly we decided." Jorran asked.</p><p></p><p>In the dim moonlight, the sight of the recently arrived Dawnsprinter is complemented by the appearance of half a dozen red, long-necked, hugely fanged dog-like creatures that melt out of the shadows and wait patiently in front of Arias. Adrial lets out an anxious 'EEP!', but otherwise retains her composure.</p><p></p><p>"Say hello to our distraction." Arias says, indicating the gathered Nightstalkers.</p><p></p><p>"Sithspit" Kia curses "We have 2 incoming, ships here...an Asault Shuttle, and a Lamda Class Shuttle. We can probably expect a good number of Stormies from the Assault shuttle since it was sent down to pacify and capture a settlement. Lord knows they'd need to pack em in there to be cost effective." she comms out to Arias'sgroup, hoping they'd be able to get inside the assault shuttle quickly, the Dawnsprinter was no match for such a thing, on the otherhand, she might be able to take a Lambda Shuttle, especially if the shuttle was caught by surprise, with its shields down.</p><p></p><p>Kia typed in aquick command, searching the Dawnsprinter's police databases for the Specs for the the imperial craft, hoping to find a weakness, or an idea of what they could do.</p><p></p><p>A quick search of the CORSEC database and Kia finds a detailed schematic of a typical Imperial Assault Shuttle. There is little detail in the internal workings of the ship, but extensive notation concerning the external armanents, armor plating, normative shield strength, etc. There is also a listing of suggested tactics of evasion and combat maneuvers, but only a few lines concerning the craft while on the ground:</p><p></p><p>While the shuttle is EXTREMELY dangerous while in flight, it is unusually vulnerable while on the ground. Our forces rarely faced a ground landing of one of these craft, but debriefings indicate that the major weapons systems are routinely powered down while the ship is grounded and the energy rerouted to the shielding systems. As yet we have not had an opportunity to attempt a capture, but this quirk could prove useful in a coordinated effort to seize one given the chance.</p><p></p><p>Those gathered outside of the Dawnsprinter begin to hear the unmistakable sound of a starship approaching. Arais stiffens momentarily at Kia's news concerning multiple inbound ships.</p><p></p><p>An alarm sounds from the chronometer. The Imperials have arrived. Just as Kia looks out the cockpit to see the shuttle hovering, slowly settling to the ground, a spotlight shines out from near the front of the craft, flooding the Dawnsprinter's cockpit.</p><p></p><p>"This changes things completely. The Imperials could be sending in another group of ground troops in the other shuttle, which likely means they will try and encircle the village."</p><p></p><p>Just as he finishes speaking, a large, bulky ship clears the treetops and slows to a stop approximately thirty meters from the Dawnsprinter, and begins its descent to land.</p><p></p><p>"Damn!" Arais swears. "I thought we had more time than this. Kal, Aasan, time to move. Get as close as you can without getting spotted, we'll try and keep their attention on us for as long as we can."</p><p></p><p>"The good news is that when the ships on the ground, they tend to power down the weapons and put the energy into shields, meaning they wont be destroying the Dawnsprinter. With that thing out of the fight, I might be able to handle the Lambda. I'll wait for your go signal." Kia says, glad that she had been thinking ahead and had the shields and weapons at full power and ready.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">***</p><p></p><p>"There may not be an opportunity for the type of infiltration mission you're describing if the empire already has the Dawnsprinter or its hyperdrive aboard one of their transports or capital ships." Arlee ponders. "They may very well have located and secured it before we arrived. If so, our only chance to deprive the empire of the opportunity to study the hyperdrive may be to destroy the transport or capital ship in a suicide attack. It is of course a worst case scenario."</p><p></p><p>"Well, crazier stunts have been pulled. If it's in the Interdictor, we have an advantage, though. I know that ship well, and they're unlikley to alter it too much over a single intelligence leak. I hope it doesn't come to that, though. It seems like it's still on the ship, and I'm hoping we can at least find it as they're finding it, and they'll be distracted. We're lucky that Stormtroopers aren't the most observant soldiers, even with their helmets."</p><p></p><p>Shortly after the comm signature from the troopship dies out, the Deepscan's long-range sensors pick up a signal from the visible edge planet ahead. It reads out "YT-1300 Class Transport Ship, designation Dawnsprinter" before fading out with the rotation of the planet.</p><p></p><p>The patina stained droid tracks the Imperial troop transport, extrapolates its flight vector and calculates the probable location of the settlement to which they're heading. It then refocuses the Deepscan's sensors on those coordinates to attempt and identify any buildings or large masses of refined metal in that location that may prove to be the Dawnsprinter.</p><p></p><p>"I'm detecting the transponder signal of the Dawnsprinter just over the horizon" R-LE-1 carefully focuses the Dawnsprinter's enhanced sensors in that direction to locate its point of origin. According to Arlee's readings, the Dawnsprinter's IFF signature puts it smack dab in the middle of the projected location of the settlement. Conventiently, the Deepscan's assigned landing spot is near these areas, and a note in their objective List indicates that due to readings indicating dense vegetation covering most of the planet, they are allowed to deviate from their course as necessary to locate a proper landing site to begin their readings.</p><p></p><p>Fine-tuning the Deepscan's sensors on the projected location of the settlement, Arlee gets a clearer signal of the Dawnsprinter. Strangely enough, the scan doesn't reveal the particular metallic signatures one would expect when trying to sense a ship. Similarly, his scan of the settlement doesn't reveal anything particularly enlightening. Arlee detects no telltale signatures of structures in the sense of electronics, architecture and the like, only a clearing in the heavy forest, wherein, according to the scan, sits the Dawnsprinter. Going by the size of the clearing, which scans as less than five hundred meters in diameter, the settlement cannot be of any significant size, even if the residents are tightly packed.</p><p></p><p>"The Imperials can't have missed that. How long until we can see it?" She watches the planet growing larger over the nose of the shuttle, thinking to herself.</p><p></p><p>"With tele-optic sensors? Approximately five minutes and twenty three seconds."</p><p></p><p>The old droid's heuristic processor, networked into the Deepscan's computer core, continues too race as it sifts through terabytes of raw sensor data. With but a thought, Arley brings the Deepscan's conventional sensors online to work in parallel with the vessel's enhanced sensors. Outside the cockpit's window, the black starfield begins to lighten into a light cyan as the vessel nears its mark. Somewhere ahead, out of sight, was a similar vessel carrying imperial troopers spoiling for a fight.</p><p></p><p>"What are the chances that the imperials in orbit won't notice if we open fire on the Stormtroopers and their shuttle after they've landed? It's not subtle, but it could prove a wonderful distraction. Especially if we could commandeer or down the other shuttle."</p><p></p><p></p><p>"The chances that they could detect the blaster fire directly is actually rather remote. This vessel is equipped with some of the empire's best sensory systems and we are unable to yet sense any signs of the settlement aside from a large five hundred meter clearing and we are much closer to it than any other imperial vessels in orbit above. An explosion would have to be of several orders of magnitude larger than the troop transport's destruction would cause for a vessel in orbit to detect it directly.</p><p></p><p>Unfortunately though the troopers aboard could transmit a report while under attack, thus alerting the vessels in orbit of our treachery. It would be possible to jam their transmissions before we attacked, however each imperial vessel including this one is equipped with a transponder which allows all imperial vessels to identify and track each other while in the same system. That is how the officer on the ICS Interdictor was able to identify us as soon as we entered this system. If we were to destroy the other vessel or jam its transmissions its transponder signal would be stopped and the other imperial vessels would immediately seek to investigate why."</p><p></p><p>Arley turns its head to face Jaess. "I'm afraid I'm getting rather unclear readings from the settlement site... if there is one. I'm uncertain how the empire concluded that there was a settlement there in the first place; I can't yet detect very much at this range. It must be quite small and doesn't appear to have any significant technology or industry. I can only conclude that some of the other Deepscans must have performed some low altitude scans of the area before our arrival."</p><p></p><p>"That makes sense. Do you think we could rig up something to transmit a false transponder signal? It could be useful. Then again, it would be even better if I could board the other shuttle and overpower the pilot and communications officer. Then we could attack them with two ships, and keep them from transmitting any messages. A communications jammer would be great, here. I doubt that the other transport will remain on the ground long, though. I suspect it'll drop it's cargo and bolt until they need a pickup."</p><p></p><p>"It's possible. We'd need a second communications array with a significant range encoded to transmit the correct IIF code. I believe there is a collection of spare components for this vessel in the aft cargo compartments. Among them may be a secondary emergency communications array that I could convert to the task. It would have to be activated relatively close to the other vessel however, and almost imediately after the troop transport's stopped transmiting."</p><p></p><p>With the Deepscan's sensors trained on the settlement, Arlee wastes no time once he beings to get readings. Visual sensors pull up very little initially, as night has fallen. Optimal gamma adjustment brings into view a cluster of small hut-like structures surrounded by a thick wooden wall. In the center of the clearing, Arlee can make out the rough outline of a YT-1300 Corellian transport. Thermal scans indicate that the engines are hot, and outside of the walls there appear to be five humanoid heat signatures clustered together. The interior of the settlement is surprisingly devoid of life.</p><p></p><p>"I'd better get dressed," she says, unstrapping and rising from her seat. "I don't want to be late to the party. If they buzz us, just break the optical transmitter and play them your Triss voice. They're probably dim enough to buy it long enough for us to get in." With that she heads back toward the cargo hold, stripping out of the imperial officer's uniform as she goes. In the back she puts the remainder of her shadowsuit on, mask and all, and slides her visor back onto her forhead. She checks her weapons and cracks open the container of explosives, removing six of the diminutive explosives and strapping them across her shoulders and hips with one of the load bearing harnesses included with their demolitions pack.</p><p></p><p>Even as it speaks, the patina stained droid is accessing the ship's cargo manifest and locates the components necessary to jury-rig an IFF transponder. With a moment's attention Arley accesses the communications console through the computer core and records the characteristics of the assault shuttle's transponder IFF signal. As Jaess is rising out of her chair, the old repair droid turns its attention to the helm and uploads a flight program to carry the Deepscan near the clearing. Before physically disconnecting itself from the pilot's console, Arley sends a final mental command to extinguish the vessel's exterior running lights and to dim the cabin's illumination. The repair unit then rises from the pilot's chair turns and heads back into the passenger compartment after the human woman. "We should get to work then. We don't have much time."</p><p></p><p>Arriving in back, the patina stained droid ignores the changing woman and heads towards the cargo compartments, pulls two of them open and begins pulling out the needed components. With a soft whir and click it's right hip compartment pops open and extends a tool which Arley takes up into its right hand and brings to bear on the spare transmitter array. "I've detected the presence of the Dawnsprinter, or at least a YT-1300 Corellian transport with an identical transponder signal. It is in the center of the settlement with its engines active but no readings of a hyperdrive aboard but with an some type of energy cannon addition. The settlement itself consists of a few dozen small wooden huts, all seemingly abandoned, and the whole surrounded by a wooden palisade. Outside the wall are five humanoids closely huddled together."</p><p></p><p>"It makes sense that the hyperdrive wouldn't be powered on. We're withing the gravity well of the planet, and it's most likley damaged. If it even exists. That blaster cannon won't be much use to them unless they get off the ground... Energy cannon? It's not an ion cannon, is it? That might be useful. It won't matter if they stay huddled up like that, though. They'll be blown to pieces if they don't get moving. Not our problem, though. If we can get or blow the hyperdrive, prisoners are just an added bonus."</p><p></p><p>"No, it isn't." As it talks, the patina stained droid's hands are a blur as components come together, connections are fastened and settings are calibrated. Even as it works, Arley watches the half-dressed human with its peripheral sensors but keeps its head down out of courtesy for the organic's sense of modesty; if she suffers from one. Finally, as Jaess slides on her shadowsuit, the droid looks up and continues: "We're presently running dark, though our own transponder is still active so the troop transport will be aware of our location should they care to check. They won't visually see us coming though; out of sight out of mind. I'll be dropping you off in the forest near the clearing's edge through the canopy."</p><p></p><p>"Good plan. Keep low and stay out of sight, but be ready to come pick me up if I need a quick extraction. And don't forget the weapons systems if we need a distraction. Setting some trees on fire might not be subtle, but it'll draw their attention."</p><p></p><p>Finishing the assembled transponder array, Arley slides aside a small panel hiding a touch pad and a computer port. Reaching down, the old droid pulls out its computer cable from its hip and plugs it into the port. Within seconds the unit is programmed with the troop transport's IFF code. Arley disconnects the scomplink cable and slides it back into its hip. "As soon as the assault shuttle's transponder is deactivated or destroyed, pull back this panel and tap the green key; it'll instantly begin transmitting an identical IFF signal." The droid slides the panel back and flips over the cylindrical device and points at a long flat surface on its backside. "I've fastened a magnetic panel to the device in case you need to attach it to something metallic quickly; just slap it onto bare metal and it will remain affixed." Motioning to the cylinder's bottom, the old droid releases a catch and causes three short tripod legs to spring out of the device's base. "If placing it on the ground deploy these legs and set the device upright." Arley refolds the device's legs, reaches down into the pile of materials collected at its feet, pulls out a short strap with clasps at either end, quickly snaps it to the device and helps Jaess slide it on over her shoulder.</p><p></p><p>The old repair droid pauses and focuses its single glowing photoreceptor on Jaess. An akward moment of silence passes between the pair. Arley lifts its arm and reaches out towards the woman's head. At first it appears that Arley is going to touch Jaess' face but instead reaches into her open face mask and keys her intergrated comlink, checking its frequency. "</p><p></p><p>When the LE unit reaches up to touch her, she pulls back, raising an eyebrow. She lets it reach a digit into her hood, her right hand drifting to the handle of her blaster. "I'm hoping that this thing will be nothing but dead weight. You got it together pretty fast. I hope it works, if we need it."</p><p></p><p>Arley stares at the woman with its expressionless face for a moment before answering."It will work."</p><p>"Although our communications will by encrypted, it's possible that they will be intercepted and decrypted. You should avoid identifying either of us, our purpose or compromise the Rebel Alliance's involvment in this matter."</p><p></p><p>"I know what I'm doing," she snaps, "I've been doing this since I was a kid." She pulls back and brushes it's hand away, giving it a dirty look.</p><p></p><p>The patina stained droid pulls its hand back and pauses again before continuing. "I will remain aloft until you determine that it is safe for me to land the Deepscan. You are entering an uncertain situation however with possibly two unfriendly factions arraigned against us. If you are captured and/or being somehow coerced you should use a code word to validate or invalidate any statements or instructions you transmit to me. A true statement or instruction should include the word 'Besh'. A false statement or instruction should include the word 'Cresh'. Should you wish to signal the need for military support or a diversion then simply say 'Dorn' and name a target."</p><p></p><p>"That's unecesaary. You can turn the recieving volume up, and you'll be able to hear anyone speaking to me. I doubt it'll hurt your ears. If I get caught, I'll either talk my way out of it, or make a break for it. If I get killed, feel free to detonate these explosives. 'Should give whoever got me a nasty surprise. There's another detonator in the crate, and I'm keyed to one through six. And you'd be better use to me in the air, where you could move quickly. I'd rather you didn't land if you could avoid it." </p><p></p><p>"That may be so, but simply hearing what is happening around you may not be sufficient for me to judge. I will be depending on your personal assessment to determine what is required."</p><p></p><p>The patina stained droid watches the dark clad operative drop down from the boarding ramp and disappear into the darkness below. Arley reaches out and taps the control switch on the wall causing the ramp to rise and close again before stepping back into the passenger area. A few moments of effort and the old droid returns the cargo containers and spare components to their compartments, but not before retrieving the second detonator that Jaess mentioned. With it in hand Arley turns and walks back to the pilot's console, sits down, leans back and plugs its scomplink cable into the computer port before it. Reaching out with its Code, the repair unit links its mind with the Deepscan's computer core, feeling the terrain and skies around the vessel with its sensors. Slowly the Deepscan, cloaked in shadows rises once more into the skies as its wings unfold and lock down into place. With but a thought, R-LE-1 reconfigures the shield, weapon and communications systems to bring them back under its direct control as it begins to monitor the airwaves for any communications.</p><p></p><p>With a gentle shake, the Deepscan slows to a stop. A soft shudder and hum starts as the repulsorlift engine beneath their feet surge to life, allowing the vessel to hover in place. Following its flight program, the vessel begins to lower towards the treeline as its wings fold up outside reducing the Deepscan's profile. The patina stained droid turns around and walks over to the companionway to the cockpit just as the access ramp under foot begins to lower downward revealing the outline of shadowy treetops below. Arley stands on the edge of the precipice. "We've arrived at your drop point. The clearing is due west of here about 150 meters away." The droid points in the appropriate direction. "May the Code be with you agent Talori."</p><p></p><p>Jaess gives the droid an odd look before lowering her visor with a quick nod of her head and lowering herself down the extended boarding ramp, dropping to the ground below and tumbling to her feet before disappearing into a shadow.</p><p></p><p>Jaess makes her way through the foliage, a stray footprint and faint breeze the only signs of her ghostly passage. The landscape brightly illuminated for her through her visor, she proceeds silently towards the small settlement and the troop transport inbound for it. She scans all imperial channels though her hood's intgrated comlink, listening as she creeps forward to try to hear the troops in the assault shuttle, or anyone else who might be lurking nearby. Keeping behind cover, she scans the area for the lights and sounds of an Imperial Assault Shuttle, hoping to find it on or at least near the ground.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Angcuru, post: 2947915, member: 10948"] [b]CH. 17 - The Plunge[/b] "Are you sure about that?" Miera replies. "I can probably get her to bring them near a specific place, but after that there's no way of controlling them." "Let's not worry about that yet." "Alright, it's getting dark, so they'll be waking up soon. I hope you know where you're going with this" Miera says. She settles back into her seat, closing her eyes with a look of practiced, relaxed concentration. "We'll be back well before they get there, probably by half an hour or so. Dawnsprinter out." she says, deactivating the comm, wanting to avoid comm traffic as much as possible, some equipment, specialized equipment, might actually be good enough to pick it up. "So I should try and find one of these crystals for myself, one that I can feel through the force?" Kia asks with a sigh, "I doubt the Imps are going to give me time to come back here long enough to look around before we have to evacuate your people from the caves. I just hope that whatever we capture will have enough life support capacity to get everyone off world. It just depends on the type of landing craft they use. A Lamb can get maybe 20 passengers, with a crew of 6. Which is like half of your people, or they might just bring in an Assault Shuttle, which could fit pretty much everyone, but would mean 4 squads of Stormies, not to mention enough armament to turn the Dawnsprinter into flaming wreckage. I have a bad feeling about this..." "I doubt that you will have the time to do so while we remain under threat from the Imperials, but there are other places where one can find force crystals. How we're going to handle capturing an Imperial transport, avoiding annihilation, and fleeing through a system-wide barricade of warships though," Kia thinks she sees a slight tic of nervousness appear in Miera's face, "I can't be sure." The chronometer Miera had set up on one of the free consoles ticks, down, showing ETAs for the Imperial shuttle and the Dawnsprinter side by side. Dawnsprinter - Five minutes Imperial Ship - Fifteen minutes [center]***[/center] "A good idea, Aasan said with a nod, then went to look around the general area. He tried to find the best place for an Imperial craft to set down and offload troops, and identify any kind of cover that was nearby. Getting in that ship behind the stormtroopers wouldn't be easy..."We need to position everyone a good distance away from wherever the ship sets down. The troopers will look for some kind of cover, and they'll probably try to stay close to their ship. If we can get a little help from the locals, we still need to be able to draw the troops away from the ship and get in there to take out any pilots before they can send a distress signal." "I like the way you think, Aasan." Arias grins. "Remind me of myself back in by wartime days. Right, then. The Imperials will probably plan on landing as close to the Dawnsprinter as possible, which would be just outside the village. Aasan, Kal, you two should find a patch of vegetation to hide behind until they land. Jorran, Adrial and I will divert their attention from you. Then Kal, you disable their communications array, which it will be Aasan's job to point out to you. After that any plan we have is likely to fall apart, as plans are wont to do but we'll try and take one of the officers alive." As Arias finishes speaking, the last hints of sunlight hiding themselves over the horizon, leaving pale moonlight their only illumination. "Sounds like a plan to me." Kal spoke up. "We have what, fifteen minutes? How long until they can see us...or we can see them for that matter?" "I"m not sure exactly, Kal. But considering all the very tall, thick trees that tend to grow around here, we'll see them when they see us." Arias replies. "Fifteen minutes, right Meira?" he says into the commlink. "Right." "Splendid." [center]***[/center] Kia watches the seconds til the estimated arrival of the imperials tick away, it was going to be tight, whether or not the empire would be able to visually detect the villiage before she got the ship settled back in again. "I think we should leave the transponder in the villiage when we leave, it might buy us a bit of extra time to slip over the horizon and get the planet between us and the fleet before we slip away. After this, it'd be too hot to run her as the Dawnsprinter anyway, just get a new transponder and register the ship again." It's a close call, but Kia's trusty ship pulls through. Just as she sets down, the Dawnsprinter's short-range passive radar starts to pick up ship signatures approaching from the east. "That is most certainly not good." Miera says, unbuckling herself and heading towards the ramp and out of the ship. "So, Arias... what exactly is our diversion? Talking to them? Convincing the local wildlife to cause some chaos? There have been suggestions, but I think I've missed what exactly we decided." Jorran asked. In the dim moonlight, the sight of the recently arrived Dawnsprinter is complemented by the appearance of half a dozen red, long-necked, hugely fanged dog-like creatures that melt out of the shadows and wait patiently in front of Arias. Adrial lets out an anxious 'EEP!', but otherwise retains her composure. "Say hello to our distraction." Arias says, indicating the gathered Nightstalkers. "Sithspit" Kia curses "We have 2 incoming, ships here...an Asault Shuttle, and a Lamda Class Shuttle. We can probably expect a good number of Stormies from the Assault shuttle since it was sent down to pacify and capture a settlement. Lord knows they'd need to pack em in there to be cost effective." she comms out to Arias'sgroup, hoping they'd be able to get inside the assault shuttle quickly, the Dawnsprinter was no match for such a thing, on the otherhand, she might be able to take a Lambda Shuttle, especially if the shuttle was caught by surprise, with its shields down. Kia typed in aquick command, searching the Dawnsprinter's police databases for the Specs for the the imperial craft, hoping to find a weakness, or an idea of what they could do. A quick search of the CORSEC database and Kia finds a detailed schematic of a typical Imperial Assault Shuttle. There is little detail in the internal workings of the ship, but extensive notation concerning the external armanents, armor plating, normative shield strength, etc. There is also a listing of suggested tactics of evasion and combat maneuvers, but only a few lines concerning the craft while on the ground: While the shuttle is EXTREMELY dangerous while in flight, it is unusually vulnerable while on the ground. Our forces rarely faced a ground landing of one of these craft, but debriefings indicate that the major weapons systems are routinely powered down while the ship is grounded and the energy rerouted to the shielding systems. As yet we have not had an opportunity to attempt a capture, but this quirk could prove useful in a coordinated effort to seize one given the chance. Those gathered outside of the Dawnsprinter begin to hear the unmistakable sound of a starship approaching. Arais stiffens momentarily at Kia's news concerning multiple inbound ships. An alarm sounds from the chronometer. The Imperials have arrived. Just as Kia looks out the cockpit to see the shuttle hovering, slowly settling to the ground, a spotlight shines out from near the front of the craft, flooding the Dawnsprinter's cockpit. "This changes things completely. The Imperials could be sending in another group of ground troops in the other shuttle, which likely means they will try and encircle the village." Just as he finishes speaking, a large, bulky ship clears the treetops and slows to a stop approximately thirty meters from the Dawnsprinter, and begins its descent to land. "Damn!" Arais swears. "I thought we had more time than this. Kal, Aasan, time to move. Get as close as you can without getting spotted, we'll try and keep their attention on us for as long as we can." "The good news is that when the ships on the ground, they tend to power down the weapons and put the energy into shields, meaning they wont be destroying the Dawnsprinter. With that thing out of the fight, I might be able to handle the Lambda. I'll wait for your go signal." Kia says, glad that she had been thinking ahead and had the shields and weapons at full power and ready. [center]***[/center] "There may not be an opportunity for the type of infiltration mission you're describing if the empire already has the Dawnsprinter or its hyperdrive aboard one of their transports or capital ships." Arlee ponders. "They may very well have located and secured it before we arrived. If so, our only chance to deprive the empire of the opportunity to study the hyperdrive may be to destroy the transport or capital ship in a suicide attack. It is of course a worst case scenario." "Well, crazier stunts have been pulled. If it's in the Interdictor, we have an advantage, though. I know that ship well, and they're unlikley to alter it too much over a single intelligence leak. I hope it doesn't come to that, though. It seems like it's still on the ship, and I'm hoping we can at least find it as they're finding it, and they'll be distracted. We're lucky that Stormtroopers aren't the most observant soldiers, even with their helmets." Shortly after the comm signature from the troopship dies out, the Deepscan's long-range sensors pick up a signal from the visible edge planet ahead. It reads out "YT-1300 Class Transport Ship, designation Dawnsprinter" before fading out with the rotation of the planet. The patina stained droid tracks the Imperial troop transport, extrapolates its flight vector and calculates the probable location of the settlement to which they're heading. It then refocuses the Deepscan's sensors on those coordinates to attempt and identify any buildings or large masses of refined metal in that location that may prove to be the Dawnsprinter. "I'm detecting the transponder signal of the Dawnsprinter just over the horizon" R-LE-1 carefully focuses the Dawnsprinter's enhanced sensors in that direction to locate its point of origin. According to Arlee's readings, the Dawnsprinter's IFF signature puts it smack dab in the middle of the projected location of the settlement. Conventiently, the Deepscan's assigned landing spot is near these areas, and a note in their objective List indicates that due to readings indicating dense vegetation covering most of the planet, they are allowed to deviate from their course as necessary to locate a proper landing site to begin their readings. Fine-tuning the Deepscan's sensors on the projected location of the settlement, Arlee gets a clearer signal of the Dawnsprinter. Strangely enough, the scan doesn't reveal the particular metallic signatures one would expect when trying to sense a ship. Similarly, his scan of the settlement doesn't reveal anything particularly enlightening. Arlee detects no telltale signatures of structures in the sense of electronics, architecture and the like, only a clearing in the heavy forest, wherein, according to the scan, sits the Dawnsprinter. Going by the size of the clearing, which scans as less than five hundred meters in diameter, the settlement cannot be of any significant size, even if the residents are tightly packed. "The Imperials can't have missed that. How long until we can see it?" She watches the planet growing larger over the nose of the shuttle, thinking to herself. "With tele-optic sensors? Approximately five minutes and twenty three seconds." The old droid's heuristic processor, networked into the Deepscan's computer core, continues too race as it sifts through terabytes of raw sensor data. With but a thought, Arley brings the Deepscan's conventional sensors online to work in parallel with the vessel's enhanced sensors. Outside the cockpit's window, the black starfield begins to lighten into a light cyan as the vessel nears its mark. Somewhere ahead, out of sight, was a similar vessel carrying imperial troopers spoiling for a fight. "What are the chances that the imperials in orbit won't notice if we open fire on the Stormtroopers and their shuttle after they've landed? It's not subtle, but it could prove a wonderful distraction. Especially if we could commandeer or down the other shuttle." "The chances that they could detect the blaster fire directly is actually rather remote. This vessel is equipped with some of the empire's best sensory systems and we are unable to yet sense any signs of the settlement aside from a large five hundred meter clearing and we are much closer to it than any other imperial vessels in orbit above. An explosion would have to be of several orders of magnitude larger than the troop transport's destruction would cause for a vessel in orbit to detect it directly. Unfortunately though the troopers aboard could transmit a report while under attack, thus alerting the vessels in orbit of our treachery. It would be possible to jam their transmissions before we attacked, however each imperial vessel including this one is equipped with a transponder which allows all imperial vessels to identify and track each other while in the same system. That is how the officer on the ICS Interdictor was able to identify us as soon as we entered this system. If we were to destroy the other vessel or jam its transmissions its transponder signal would be stopped and the other imperial vessels would immediately seek to investigate why." Arley turns its head to face Jaess. "I'm afraid I'm getting rather unclear readings from the settlement site... if there is one. I'm uncertain how the empire concluded that there was a settlement there in the first place; I can't yet detect very much at this range. It must be quite small and doesn't appear to have any significant technology or industry. I can only conclude that some of the other Deepscans must have performed some low altitude scans of the area before our arrival." "That makes sense. Do you think we could rig up something to transmit a false transponder signal? It could be useful. Then again, it would be even better if I could board the other shuttle and overpower the pilot and communications officer. Then we could attack them with two ships, and keep them from transmitting any messages. A communications jammer would be great, here. I doubt that the other transport will remain on the ground long, though. I suspect it'll drop it's cargo and bolt until they need a pickup." "It's possible. We'd need a second communications array with a significant range encoded to transmit the correct IIF code. I believe there is a collection of spare components for this vessel in the aft cargo compartments. Among them may be a secondary emergency communications array that I could convert to the task. It would have to be activated relatively close to the other vessel however, and almost imediately after the troop transport's stopped transmiting." With the Deepscan's sensors trained on the settlement, Arlee wastes no time once he beings to get readings. Visual sensors pull up very little initially, as night has fallen. Optimal gamma adjustment brings into view a cluster of small hut-like structures surrounded by a thick wooden wall. In the center of the clearing, Arlee can make out the rough outline of a YT-1300 Corellian transport. Thermal scans indicate that the engines are hot, and outside of the walls there appear to be five humanoid heat signatures clustered together. The interior of the settlement is surprisingly devoid of life. "I'd better get dressed," she says, unstrapping and rising from her seat. "I don't want to be late to the party. If they buzz us, just break the optical transmitter and play them your Triss voice. They're probably dim enough to buy it long enough for us to get in." With that she heads back toward the cargo hold, stripping out of the imperial officer's uniform as she goes. In the back she puts the remainder of her shadowsuit on, mask and all, and slides her visor back onto her forhead. She checks her weapons and cracks open the container of explosives, removing six of the diminutive explosives and strapping them across her shoulders and hips with one of the load bearing harnesses included with their demolitions pack. Even as it speaks, the patina stained droid is accessing the ship's cargo manifest and locates the components necessary to jury-rig an IFF transponder. With a moment's attention Arley accesses the communications console through the computer core and records the characteristics of the assault shuttle's transponder IFF signal. As Jaess is rising out of her chair, the old repair droid turns its attention to the helm and uploads a flight program to carry the Deepscan near the clearing. Before physically disconnecting itself from the pilot's console, Arley sends a final mental command to extinguish the vessel's exterior running lights and to dim the cabin's illumination. The repair unit then rises from the pilot's chair turns and heads back into the passenger compartment after the human woman. "We should get to work then. We don't have much time." Arriving in back, the patina stained droid ignores the changing woman and heads towards the cargo compartments, pulls two of them open and begins pulling out the needed components. With a soft whir and click it's right hip compartment pops open and extends a tool which Arley takes up into its right hand and brings to bear on the spare transmitter array. "I've detected the presence of the Dawnsprinter, or at least a YT-1300 Corellian transport with an identical transponder signal. It is in the center of the settlement with its engines active but no readings of a hyperdrive aboard but with an some type of energy cannon addition. The settlement itself consists of a few dozen small wooden huts, all seemingly abandoned, and the whole surrounded by a wooden palisade. Outside the wall are five humanoids closely huddled together." "It makes sense that the hyperdrive wouldn't be powered on. We're withing the gravity well of the planet, and it's most likley damaged. If it even exists. That blaster cannon won't be much use to them unless they get off the ground... Energy cannon? It's not an ion cannon, is it? That might be useful. It won't matter if they stay huddled up like that, though. They'll be blown to pieces if they don't get moving. Not our problem, though. If we can get or blow the hyperdrive, prisoners are just an added bonus." "No, it isn't." As it talks, the patina stained droid's hands are a blur as components come together, connections are fastened and settings are calibrated. Even as it works, Arley watches the half-dressed human with its peripheral sensors but keeps its head down out of courtesy for the organic's sense of modesty; if she suffers from one. Finally, as Jaess slides on her shadowsuit, the droid looks up and continues: "We're presently running dark, though our own transponder is still active so the troop transport will be aware of our location should they care to check. They won't visually see us coming though; out of sight out of mind. I'll be dropping you off in the forest near the clearing's edge through the canopy." "Good plan. Keep low and stay out of sight, but be ready to come pick me up if I need a quick extraction. And don't forget the weapons systems if we need a distraction. Setting some trees on fire might not be subtle, but it'll draw their attention." Finishing the assembled transponder array, Arley slides aside a small panel hiding a touch pad and a computer port. Reaching down, the old droid pulls out its computer cable from its hip and plugs it into the port. Within seconds the unit is programmed with the troop transport's IFF code. Arley disconnects the scomplink cable and slides it back into its hip. "As soon as the assault shuttle's transponder is deactivated or destroyed, pull back this panel and tap the green key; it'll instantly begin transmitting an identical IFF signal." The droid slides the panel back and flips over the cylindrical device and points at a long flat surface on its backside. "I've fastened a magnetic panel to the device in case you need to attach it to something metallic quickly; just slap it onto bare metal and it will remain affixed." Motioning to the cylinder's bottom, the old droid releases a catch and causes three short tripod legs to spring out of the device's base. "If placing it on the ground deploy these legs and set the device upright." Arley refolds the device's legs, reaches down into the pile of materials collected at its feet, pulls out a short strap with clasps at either end, quickly snaps it to the device and helps Jaess slide it on over her shoulder. The old repair droid pauses and focuses its single glowing photoreceptor on Jaess. An akward moment of silence passes between the pair. Arley lifts its arm and reaches out towards the woman's head. At first it appears that Arley is going to touch Jaess' face but instead reaches into her open face mask and keys her intergrated comlink, checking its frequency. " When the LE unit reaches up to touch her, she pulls back, raising an eyebrow. She lets it reach a digit into her hood, her right hand drifting to the handle of her blaster. "I'm hoping that this thing will be nothing but dead weight. You got it together pretty fast. I hope it works, if we need it." Arley stares at the woman with its expressionless face for a moment before answering."It will work." "Although our communications will by encrypted, it's possible that they will be intercepted and decrypted. You should avoid identifying either of us, our purpose or compromise the Rebel Alliance's involvment in this matter." "I know what I'm doing," she snaps, "I've been doing this since I was a kid." She pulls back and brushes it's hand away, giving it a dirty look. The patina stained droid pulls its hand back and pauses again before continuing. "I will remain aloft until you determine that it is safe for me to land the Deepscan. You are entering an uncertain situation however with possibly two unfriendly factions arraigned against us. If you are captured and/or being somehow coerced you should use a code word to validate or invalidate any statements or instructions you transmit to me. A true statement or instruction should include the word 'Besh'. A false statement or instruction should include the word 'Cresh'. Should you wish to signal the need for military support or a diversion then simply say 'Dorn' and name a target." "That's unecesaary. You can turn the recieving volume up, and you'll be able to hear anyone speaking to me. I doubt it'll hurt your ears. If I get caught, I'll either talk my way out of it, or make a break for it. If I get killed, feel free to detonate these explosives. 'Should give whoever got me a nasty surprise. There's another detonator in the crate, and I'm keyed to one through six. And you'd be better use to me in the air, where you could move quickly. I'd rather you didn't land if you could avoid it." "That may be so, but simply hearing what is happening around you may not be sufficient for me to judge. I will be depending on your personal assessment to determine what is required." The patina stained droid watches the dark clad operative drop down from the boarding ramp and disappear into the darkness below. Arley reaches out and taps the control switch on the wall causing the ramp to rise and close again before stepping back into the passenger area. A few moments of effort and the old droid returns the cargo containers and spare components to their compartments, but not before retrieving the second detonator that Jaess mentioned. With it in hand Arley turns and walks back to the pilot's console, sits down, leans back and plugs its scomplink cable into the computer port before it. Reaching out with its Code, the repair unit links its mind with the Deepscan's computer core, feeling the terrain and skies around the vessel with its sensors. Slowly the Deepscan, cloaked in shadows rises once more into the skies as its wings unfold and lock down into place. With but a thought, R-LE-1 reconfigures the shield, weapon and communications systems to bring them back under its direct control as it begins to monitor the airwaves for any communications. With a gentle shake, the Deepscan slows to a stop. A soft shudder and hum starts as the repulsorlift engine beneath their feet surge to life, allowing the vessel to hover in place. Following its flight program, the vessel begins to lower towards the treeline as its wings fold up outside reducing the Deepscan's profile. The patina stained droid turns around and walks over to the companionway to the cockpit just as the access ramp under foot begins to lower downward revealing the outline of shadowy treetops below. Arley stands on the edge of the precipice. "We've arrived at your drop point. The clearing is due west of here about 150 meters away." The droid points in the appropriate direction. "May the Code be with you agent Talori." Jaess gives the droid an odd look before lowering her visor with a quick nod of her head and lowering herself down the extended boarding ramp, dropping to the ground below and tumbling to her feet before disappearing into a shadow. Jaess makes her way through the foliage, a stray footprint and faint breeze the only signs of her ghostly passage. The landscape brightly illuminated for her through her visor, she proceeds silently towards the small settlement and the troop transport inbound for it. She scans all imperial channels though her hood's intgrated comlink, listening as she creeps forward to try to hear the troops in the assault shuttle, or anyone else who might be lurking nearby. Keeping behind cover, she scans the area for the lights and sounds of an Imperial Assault Shuttle, hoping to find it on or at least near the ground. [/QUOTE]
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Star Wars - A New Power Ch. 24 - Departure
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