Sunday, August 30, 2009

August 29 recap

•The party explores the city of Theed, which is held by the Mandalorians.
•Ras and Yvegeny make contact with a resistance movement.
•Kelif finds information about his dad.
•The party enters the heart of the Mandalorian movement on Naboo — the underwater war forge — and absconds with a Sith prisoner, as well as fresh supplies.

Ras Patul and Kelif Binks-Fett wake up from their medically induced naps, quite surprised to find that three days have passed and the Raraza has fallen into enemy hands. The party ponders where to go before deciding to set down in the city of Theed, which is occupied by the Mandalorians but facing heavy resistance from a group of colonists. The Capanata is commed by the Mandalorians, asking what they're doing there; Yvegeny replies that they need repairs.

Theed is similar to Deeja Peak — the signs have been painted over in Mando'a, the businesses have shut down in favor of Mandalorian-controlled ration centers, education camps have been set up to train conscripts in the Six Actions, those too weak to fight scurry around as second-class citizens, and blue-armored Neo-Crusaders patrol the streets. However, whereas Deeja Peak was mostly intact, Theed has seen signs of struggle — most of the buildings appear damaged or wrecked.

After convincing the landing party that they're here for repairs, Ras and Kelif don armor and begin to look around for the resistance movement. However, they're harassed by Mandalorian soldiers when they start asking questions — especially when the soldiers notice Ras doesn't speak Mando'a and threaten to ship her to an education camp — prompting Ras to mind-trick the soldiers into letting them escape. Yvegeny also asks around for information, but there's no computer terminals to run searches, so he's got to do it the old-fashioned way. He goes around the city looking for information, but forgets that he's still wearing the Mandalorian armor and nobody's particularly inclined to talk to him. He wises up, ditches the armor, and heads to the slums of Theed, where he spreads the word that he's got detonite for sale, hoping to lure out members of the resistance. Eventually, he's approached by a street urchin named Kyb, who tells him to meet him in the woods outside Theed later that night. Yvegeny calls up Ras and Kelif, telling them about the meeting that night.

Meanwhile, on the ship, Gobmush is thrilled about having a mess ship and has been hard at work in the kitchen. Lyta is training Oro in administrative tasks and how to set up a medical clinic in a war zone, a necessary skill for the organization she wants to set up. Marina, also staying on the ship, approaches Lyta and tells her and Gobmush that back in Deeja Peak, she overheard Yvegeny say to a Mandalorian Rally Master that he was actually Kazbich and provide corroborating evidence (having been conscripted into the Mandalorians on Taris). Gobmush says he already knows — Yvegeny smells exactly like Kazbich — but Lyta is surprised.

Kelif decides he wants some camouflage armor but is frustrated that he cannot buy it, as all of the stores in Theed are closed. Reasoning that the only way to acquire it would be to receive it from a superior officer, he approaches a Rally Master and asks about receiving camouflage armor. The Rally Master says he will provide it only if Kelif joins a reconnaissance unit, to which Kelif reluctantly agrees.

Yvegeny has a feeling that Kelif might betray them, and comms Kelif to say the meeting site has changed — it's now near the ship. However, Kelif doesn't tell Ras about the switch, so Ras shows up at the correct site with Yvegeny and Kyb. Kyb is starstruck by Ras, a Jedi Knight, and is filled with renewed hope they can drive away the Mandalorians. He leads the duo to a camouflaged tunnel, leading to the sewer system, where the rebels operate out of an old control station. They meet with Indar, an old man in his 50s who is the leader of the rebels; he is also quite happy to see that Ras is a Jedi Knight, though he admits he doesn't know of any other resistance groups on the planet. Yvegeny decides that he wants to help the rebels throw off the invading Mandalorians, and he decides to build a transmitter so they will be able to contact other resistance groups.

Kelif eventually realizes he's been ditched by Yvegeny, and also that he was never told where specifically the recon group was meeting up. Bored, he decides to hang out with a group of Mandalorian soldiers, first doing target practice (at which Kelif fails horribly) and then a stun duel, which ends with Kelif unconscious and the victors spray-painting graffiti on his armor.

Lyta and Oro eventually leave the ship to find people they can treat. There are no formal Mandalorian doctors, only combat medics, and so most of the medical care is reserved for the soldiers. The rations the Mandalorians provide are clean, so there's no diseases running rampant, but there are still injuries about, especially given the guerilla fighting going on. Lyta and Oro set up a clinic, treating just about all the poor citizens who are not fit to fight for the Mandalorians. Eventually, they tell Lyta about the resistance movement.

Overnight, Ras is visited by the spirit of her mentor, Mur Haddin, an Umbaran woman. Mur explains her absence by saying she has been speaking with other Force-sensitive members of the Patul family — cousins and such, as Ras' family is dead — and checks in on her progress, pointing out that Lyta was recently visited by the spirit of her old Master, Neyeria. Ras admits to not knowing what to do on Naboo, but Mur reassures her, and says that while the Force is a powerful ally, she should not discount her more "mundane" abilities — like her speaking ability. Mur says that Ras' ability to affect the hearts and minds of others will change the fate of the entire planet.

Ras asks around the rebels about any ships in the area lately; they say there was an escape pod that landed not far from Theed the same day the Raraza entered the system, but the Mandalorians snatched it pretty quickly and took it to their war forge. He also asks the few Gungans in the rebel group about Kelif's father, Gobar Binks; one of them recognizes the name and says he last saw him in the Gungan city Otoh Bokan.

The party reunites the next days on the Capanata. Ras shares her information about the escape pod, thinking it may be from a Sith ship, and also shares about Gobar Binks being in Otoh Bokan. Yvegeny is interested in going to the war forge because the Capanata was assigned togo there anyway, and he can requisition supplies and explosives for the rebel group there. The party debates between going to the war forge or Otoh Bokan, and Marina, exasperated, tells the entire party that Yvegeny is Kazbich. Ras tells the party that the fake Kazbich is safely in prison, and that it's in that man's best interest to stay there — his loved ones are being financially supported in exchange for his compliance. The party decides to go to the war forge.

The Mandalorian war forge is in a lake the size of Lake Michigan, where it sits on the lake floor. The airspace around it is heavily guarded by Mandalorian ships and Basilisk war droids of all kinds. It's the size of a small city and is a veritable fortress. As the Capanata has aquatic sealing, it can safely travel underwater, so Marina flies the ship into a docking bay. A Mandalorian greeting party immediately demands to know their purpose, so Yvegeny tells the truth: that they were sent there for supplies. The Mandalorians say they'll deliver the explosives and food supplies while Yvegeny stays at the nearby pilot quarters.

Ras and Kelif don Mandalorian armor and decide to find the Raraza and the escape pod. Kelif uses the computer terminal to find their locations; the Raraza was captured after a long siege against the security droids, and the escape pod's personnel are being held in the high-security brig. When they arrive at the brig, the Shock Troopers guarding the entrance demand a passcode — which they don't have. Ras mind-tricks the guard to let them pass. Inside they find several cells holding colonists, Gungans, unfortunate travelers who were shot down, and finally, Sith military personnel. The commanding officer is defiant in the face of Ras, the "Mandalorian," saying he'll never admit to anything under torture. Ras instead assured the Sith she'd get him out, not revealing her identity. The officer asks about his men, but when he learns she wouldn't be able to get them out, he is nonchalant about leaving them behind.

To get the Sith officer out, Ras puts him into a Force trance, then calls out for a doctor, saying the officer had suffered a heart attack. A triage unit arrives shortly, and a doctor gets ready to begin treatment when Ras mind-tricks him, saying the officer was dead (just before getting shot with adrenaline). Ras and Kelif load him onto the stretcher and say they'll carry him to the morgue. Ras ducks into a closet, and Kelif runs back to the Capanata to get an extra suit of Mandalorian armor. They outfit the officer in the armor, then carry him aboard the ship just as the Mandalorian dock crew finishes loading up supplies. The Capanata and crew promptly leave the war forge.

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