Fwurg

[Shebi Ajava]

"Very well. Let us see what they want. For all we know they have just lost their bearings..."

Shebi Ajava makes sure her lightsaber is not visible, as she does not want to risk any pirates getting a hint of the fact that there are two jedi on board of the little ship.

["Hallowed Vindication" (mask of Mercury)]

As the Jedi dropped out of hyperspace, the other vessel dropped out right on top of them, no more than a few hundred meters away - that was absurdly close in space terms and it was a very aggressive move - in fact, within Union space dropping out so close to another vessel was outlawed because of the risk of collision - of course being at no motion relative to one another would usually prevent an actual collision, but still...

Immediately after the two ships dropped out, all sorts of alarms went off:

"Collision alert: foreign object near. Warning: weapons lock detected. Incoming broadcast."

It wasn't just the ship that was creeped out. The vessel hanging above them was several hundred meters long, easily outclassing the much smaller vessel transporting the Jedi. It had been retrofitted with additional compartments to increase its size and it had been equipped with new weapon systems.



If they played the incoming broadcast, they would hear the ships call:

"This is the Rebellion vessel Hallowed Vindication. Lower your defences and prepare to be boarded."

No tractor beam had been engaged just yet, likely the bigger vessel needed more time to get all systems configured upon dropping out of hyperspace than the much smaller ship the Jedi were in, so that could be the chance the Jedi needed to get away if they wanted to run.

"Hallowed Vindication"

[Shebi Ajava]

"This is captain Shebi Ajava of the Union vessel Many Safe Returns. We were not aware that we had entered Rebellion territory. We can not determine the validity of your claim, please send the proper identification codes or we will assume you are pirates posing as Slave Rebellion forces."

"Don't lower the shield yet. They'll probably tractor us next, but I hope to get some more information. If they board us, we'll know soon enough whether they are pirates or rebellion troops."

Next, Shebi Ajava grabbed one of her blasters and handed it over to Arnia'Evixel. "I assume you know how to handle one of these -- this end toward the enemy, then squeeze the trigger. Only shoot if you mean it. If they're pirates we want to get captured and brought aboard, if they are Rebellion troops they'll let us go."

[Fecta Trigiel]

"It does look like some of the ships the rebels used to flee to Niom. I saw some visual footage in a news thread a while ago. We will be certain soon enough... nice ship though, and with some crazy-ass pilots too.

Boarding us? they have no idea, it is more like we are boarding them."

Trigiel final checks his gun and kept an keen eye on the sensors and the ship. He wanted to know the second the Hallowed Vindication opened fire.

"Shebi Ajava, when it comes that, do you protect the girl so I can slice and dice them? I believe your defence is better then mine."

[Shebi Ajava]

"Slice and dice?" Ajava asked a bit incredulous.

"I'd rather talk our way through this. We're still three against a battleship..."

[Mercury]

Arnia looked rather nervous and did not seem to like this situation one bit. Shebi was right to worry about whether or not she knew the right end of the weapon.

The channel did not respond, but suddenly there was a loud "CLUNK" on the ship, followed by two more "CLUNK"s. Suddenly the ship seemed to gain some momentum. Something was pulling the ship towards the bigger vessel, but it wasn't a tractor beam, that much was certain: the shock of the pull was too sudden - tractor beams were generally more gradual, this was rather unsubtle.

Looking outside, the two Jedi would see cables running through space, much to their shock. Whomever was in control of this vessel, they were using harpoons rather than tractor beams for some reason. This was highly irregular!

[Fecta Trigiel]

"harpoons?" The cyborg said indignantly, "You got to be kidding me. This is truly the lowest tech I have ever seen to bring in a ship... Those pilots must indeed be crazy asses." Trigiel pondered for a moment to use the comm to tell the pirates to simply use the tractorbeam, but refrained from it. They probably wouldn't listen anyway.

"If they aren't careful, those projectiles can make hull breaches, its a good thing the shields are still up."

[Shebi Ajava]

Eyeing the nervous twi'lek, Ajava decided that the trio might be better off if she didn't have a weapon.

"Arnia, maybe it's better if you give the blaster back to me...", Shebi Ajava said to the twi'lek girl. The padawan continued, holding out her hand: "Accidentally getting shot in the back is not on my list of favoured things."

Shebi Ajava holsters the blaster.

"Don't worry, I promised to protect you and help you get home, and I will.", she said while gently squeezing the girls hand for reassurance.

This little bit of contact made Shebi Ajava feel stronger, and she went to stand in front of the ship's door. Shebi Ajava grabs her lightsaber, but does not turn it on yet.

"Trigiel, open the door once we are in a pressurized hangar. Then play droid until we know what we're up against."

Shebi Ajava plans to turn on her lightsaber the moment Trigiel opens the door, so whomever is at the other side will hear the distinctive sound of a lightsaber being activated.

[Fecta Trigiel]

When the ship was towed very close to the attackers ship, Trigiel kept an close eye on their approach. It was unclear to him how the pirates were planning to get them into the hanger bay, and he had no intentions to get smacked into the hull of the much bigger ship. If the ship of the jedi appeared to course aside the hanger, Trigiel would steer in such way to ensure a save deposit in the hangar.

When the ship was nearly towed in the ship, Trigiel stood up. He stayed close enough to the control panel to keep an eye on the controls and to take action when necessary. But he wanted to be ready when he opened the door.


Upon touchdown he waited a second for dramatic effect before he opened the door.

[Mercury]

Slowly the ship doors opened, revealing the badly lit hangar bay of the bigger vessel, and the harpoon guns that had been used to fire the cables onto the Many Safe Returns. Fortunately, these harpoons were magnetic based, rather than actually penetrating the hull, which in space was potentially dangerous.

The hangar bay itself was huge, featuring various fighters that seemed to have been patched together from spare parts rather than ever having been constructed in the first place. Within the hangar, at least two dozen soldiers were present, aiming weapons at the ships door as four of them moved forward to enter the ship.

The soldiers were wearing military uniforms matching the ones used by the slave rebellion, which combined with the seemingly solid command structure suggested this was indeed a Slave Rebellion vessel rather than a pirate one. As to what it was doing outside of the Slave Rebellion borders, this remained a mystery.

"Drop your weapons and stand back!" one of the approaching soldiers shouted.

[Fecta Trigiel]

After seeing so much fun... or actually, so much soldiers, he was rather confused by the order of the approaching soldier. The only one in their party with weapons drawn was Shebi Ajava, but maybe the soldier didn't know that.

"Was that order for you, master?" did he say, making his voice a bit more robotic than normal to stay in his role as droid, "their command is confusing."

[Shebi Ajava]

Not impressed by the soldiers, Ajava did not drop her lightsaber. Instead, she held it loosely at her side, ready to defend herself if necessary.

"I am Padawan Shebi Ajava, of Union!", she shouted loudly. "This vessel, and the twi'lek woman in it are under my protection. Should you mean harm to my ward, or myself, I will defend myself to the fullest of my abilities. You have one minute to produce your commanding officer, and explain your actions! Should you fail to do so, I will see this as an act of aggression."

Shebi Ajava split off part of her consciousness to analyse the situation, and to determine a plan of battle that would minimize fatal casualties.

Shebi Ajava remained in a fairly non-threatening pose, keeping the humming lightsaber at her side, ready to react to any offensive action by the soldiers.

"Trigiel, if we join combat, try to minimize fatalities. But do not put yourself in danger by doing so.", she quickly thought to Trigiel.

[Mercury]

"Drop the weapon! Drop the weapon!" the soldier shouted, aiming his rifle at Shebi Ajava and completely ignoring what appeared to be a harmless protocol droid. The other three soldiers with him followed suit while more kept guard outside.

The situation seemed to be boiling into a confrontation and unless one of the sides back down, it might turn ugly.

[Fecta Trigiel]

Trigiel did a small step forward, closer towards the exit of their space ship.

"Master, I failed to compile their sentence." Did he say in his role, "does he mean you or them?"

[Shebi Ajava]

Ajava saw how this situation was quickly deteriorating. Knowing military command structures she knew she should somehow reach someone higher up, as these soldiers would try and execute their orders no matter what. Possibly, they aren't aware that they are trying to capture a vessel with a Jedi aboard.

Focussing her will, Shebi Ajava tried a last-ditch effort to prevent the situation from spiralling into violence. Putting her entire being behind it, she telepathically broadcasted a single message as far as she could: "To whomever is in command of this vessel: I am not kidding. Back down, or I will defend myself and my charge, even if it means bringing down the entire cruiser!" ((Check: 12 = 6 Force Level + 5 Energy + 1 Telepathy -- ))

Hopefully this was enough...

[Mercury]

Between the sudden telepathic messaging and the failure to drop weapons, the soldiers pointed their weapons at Shebi, moved to surround her and were in fact about to open fire.

Just then, a call seemed to come through the headphone of the lead soldier, who put up his hand for his men to hold their fire.

Without a word, the group withdrew from the ship, keeping their weapons directed at Shebi as they withdrew off the ramp and rejoined the soldiers outside.

For a moment, it remained silent, after which a door leading into the hangar bay opened, a man in an officers uniform walking up to the soldiers standing outside, conversing with his men a moment and then stepping forward to the base of the landing ramp.

"I am Commodore Nak'vazjin of the Hallowed Vindication. You are in Rebellion Patrolled Space and this is an official inspection.

Please have all crew and droids exit the vessel so we can inspect it for contraband. You will not be harmed." he promised.

[Shebi Ajava]

Shebi Ajava looked the man over, before deciding that his word was good enough, especially as he didn't ask that they relinquish their weapons.

She turned off her lightsaber and called inside the small craft: "Arnia'Evixel, Fecta Trigiel, you can come out!"

Starting down the ramp, she directed her attention to the twi'lek commander.

"You", the veolian padawan said to the commodore, "might want to add the 'you will not be harmed' part to your boarding message, as a courtesy. Just popping up and announcing that we are going to be boarded is not conductive to cooperation."

[Fecta Trigiel]

Trigiel walked outside, there he stood very close to the commodore and looked him straight in the eye for a moment, before to walk a view steps further and stopped aside Shebi Ajava.

[Mercury]

"This isn't the Union. We don't do the touchy-feely stuff." the Commodore explained, making a motion to his men who rushed into the spacecraft.

"So I gather from the weapon and the magics you are a Jedi. Why is there a Jedi here?" he inquired, as his men began unloading the aid supply that they had brought.

[Fecta Trigiel]

Trigiel had a thousand things he wanted to say, but the commander was still under the impression he was a droid, something he liked to uphold, so he continues to let Shebi Ajave do the talk.

[Shebi Ajava]

"You gathered correctly. I am padawan Shebi Ajava from the Veolian Commonwealth.

To answer your question, I am here because of a promise. Some weeks ago, while on a mission, I met her", Ajava motioned to the twi'lek girl, "in a cantina. She was a slave there. This was deep in Hutt territory, and I had little backup out there. As it turned out, a group of ultramarines was after the same objective there, and we cooperated to both liberate the slaves, and to complete our respective missions. While in the cantina, she ended up in my lap, and I promised to protect her.

Now we are travelling to sector 14 -11, where she has family. As we have plenty of supplies, I crammed as much aid supplies in my ship as possible, and I hope to give them to the village her family lives."

[Mercury]

The Commodore nodded, looking to the Twi'lek girl. "Is that so?"

The girl quickly nodded to confirm the story.

"Good. We'll be taking those supplies. They are needed for the war-effort." the Commodore explained "We'll let you keep one box for the village.

Also, be careful out there, not all pirates in this area are sanctioned. Though I suspect they won't be bothering you knowing we picked you up."

No doubt - if the Slave Rebellion fleet always left ships empty after their inspection, there wouldn't be much use pirating an empty box with a hyperdrive.

[Shebi Ajava]

Not liking this at all, Shebi Ajava stood in front of the commodore.

"I understand your need for supplies, but these supplies are not intended for you, nor do they belong to you."

"If you wish to play a game of 'who has the most power' I am willing to participate.", Shebi willed her eyes to glow menacingly, knowing she would pay for it tonight with pain. "But I think that you are not willing to put the reputation of the Slave Rebellion in the balance. Because I will win this game you suggest, and then I will report this incident and your pirating. And I think we both agree that superpowers that just plunder civilian vessels at will are little better than the Hutt."

Giving the commodore little time to think, she continued: "You can take half. The other half is going to the village."

[Fecta Trigiel]

"Master," Trigiel said to Ajava with his droid voice, "The commodore still hasn't verified his claims to be from the Slave Rebellion. Protocol dictates that before we give supplies, the involved parties identify themselves following the standard identification protocols."

[Mercury]

The commodore looked at Shebi Ajava a moment.

"You're from a different world. So I'm going to let you get away with it." he decided, turning to his men "Leave half. They're giving it to our people anyway."

He then turned back to Shebi, completely ignoring what he thought of as the droid.

"When we are done, you may be off. Consider yourselves to be in Rebellion Territory and don't go causing any trouble."

With that, the commodore turned to head off - if either of the Jedi wanted to tell him anything else, or had any more business on this ship, they'd have to get to it now - otherwise they could be on their way.