Skirmish National Treasure: Crown of Ukatis

Kingsley · Jul 14, 2023

UKATIS ROYAL PALACE
AXILLA CITY

Aculia Voland

Shem Spinner

Scrudge Jace Khel

"You...you broke it!"

Kingsley stared at the grinning wookiee, beak agape. He scrambled to peer down into the vault and was greeted by a barrage of laser bolts. Scalp still smoking, the smuggler snatched their broken crown fragment from Scrudge's outstretched claws. For a terrible moment he imagined kicking the wookiee to his death in the vault below but then self-preservation kicked in.

"Rrrraawwwk! This job's a bust," he squawked, "Forget about the others! Cops will be here any second!"

His eyes frantic, the bird looked around for some way out. There was a ladder nearby leading up.

"I can't go back to prison!" Kingsley wailed at the street toughs, "If we can make it to the roof, there's still a chance to get out clean!"

Khallesh · Jul 15, 2023

Shem Spinner

Corazona von Ascania

Her pulse quickened when she saw the pair slow their pace. One of them was going to turn and fight.

It had been so long since Khallesh Val had drawn her weapons against a Jeedai warrior. Small jobs working for infidels could not be compared to the glory of the wars she had taken part in.

Then she saw them hurry around a corner. Desperate for the fight, Khallesh accelerated around the corner.

They were gone.

It took her a few moments to find the outline of the hidden door in the marble. Khallesh stepped back away from it, her left hand falling to her thigh.

One finger stroked the back of a chitinous bulge. The blast bug peeled back it's covers, opened it's wings and stepped into her open palm. She flung the biot, a buzz filled the air as it accelerated towards the door.

Khallesh shielded her eyes as the blast bug exploded, shattering the marble door.

The chase was on.

Aculia Voland · Jul 15, 2023

Aculia was about to head to the security office when an idea struck her. What if the tale about the Sith mercenary assassin could be spun to actually be true? There seemed to be a real emergency with soldiers running towards the vault to begin with, maybe some kind of actual hostiles. Maybe the Princess would be heading there too, and she could “save” her, either literally or otherwise. It would not hurt to have one of GA nobles in her debt, when the time came to it. She was having fun until now…but now she could get something out of this whole boring affair.

She hid a slight smile with her hands from the guards, reaching out with the Force to try to locate the Princess, remembering she was a former Jedi. She likely had some kind of Jedi escort, but she had not felt anyone that powerful nearby earlier-a Padawan, maybe a lower ranking Knight? So she should look for two figures comparatively strong in the Force, even if the Princess had let her skills slip.

Force Sense: Average of 13: Skilled.

Force Speed: Average of 17.5 ---> 18: Expert.

Aculia was still on top of her game when it came to sensing others today, it seemed, as it did not take her long to sense the princess's little Jedi Padawan bodyguard and his state of agitation. It took a little bit longer to confirm exactly where the Princess was as her presence in the Force had faded, but not too much longer. And of course, the literal bantha in the room was the Force Dead, hostile presence that seemed to be stalking the both of them.

Is there actually an assassin? This is my chance to play the hero!

"Guards! Guards! To the roof now! The assassin is there!" Her words carried a tone of urgency, as she felt the biot grenade explode, shattering the hidden door in the marble. Wasting no time, she called her phrik lightsaber to her hand, igniting the silverly blade as she did so. Drawing heavily upon the Force, she willed it into her form, her muscles, her very being.

Now!

Aculia almost seemed to teleport away from the guards, such was the speed of her Force-enhanced sprint, leaving only a silverly shadow behind as she closed the distance between her and the dead spot in the Force. In what seemed like only a short while after the grenade exploded, Aculia appeared behind the odd-looking assassin, slowing down as she did so to better prepare for battle.

"You there! Not today!" She shouted at Khallesh, a little bit of distance behind the odd-looking alien, her lightsaber held at a central en garde position.

Shem Spinner

Corazona von Ascania

Khallesh

Eocin Chiyat · Jul 18, 2023

Eocin was definitely going to leave 'his team' behind if things got too hot.

Fortunately, the local jackboots had been given no reason to suspect that the shiny but otherwise unremarkable shuttle parked a few hundred metres from the palace was standing ready to extract the nitwits currently messing up a straightforward nab job. That meant its sole organic occupant could tap away at his console without fear of interruption.

He was too far away to work his literal magic on the security systems, but perhaps that was for the best. There were Jedi there, after all. Instead he did the best he could with what he had - namely a slicing console and a comlink to a droid that had helpfully burrowed down to a data cable leading to the palace. It'd have to do.

With an exclamation of satisfaction, he leaned back in his seat and smiled widely. His code was out there now. In the wild. How fun. Within the palace, confusion began to spread among the guards as their communicators were scrambled; they weren't disabled, but a clever exploit made them connect to a random in-network contact when activated.

Needless to say, that was somewhat suboptimal when trying to make sense of a chaotic situation.

@Rogues Looking For a Ride @People Using the Same Comms System As the Security

Corazona von Ascania · Jul 31, 2023

An explosion rippled behind Cora and Shem as they scrambled up the winding staircase. The Princess hitched up the layered skirts of her dress and ran as fast as her heeled feet could carry her.

With the ballroom on lockdown, guards began circling the vault, a few following the noise of the blast to the side staircase in the hall. Their orders were to secure their honored guests and ensure that no harm came to them.

The door burst open at the far end of the roof, opposite to where Kingsley and his motley crew were attempting to hail their getaway cab. Stumbling out onto the tile, a breathless Cora yanked the beads from her necklace and tossed a handful of stun pearls down the staircase, hopeful that the little shock grenades would ensnare whoever was following them, heedless of the fact that one of her pursuers had been there to help.

As she caught her breath, the Princess watched as the strange assortment of grotesque aliens clambered to make their exit.

One of them, a bipedal bestial man with sickly orange fur was growling oddly into a comm unit, trying to communicate with their getaway driver.

"Aaaaaarrghhhwww…" Scrudge tried to articulate the desperate situation to Eocin, frantically waving one arm.

“All security…concentrate on making sure that our guests are…safe. Who knows if they’ll…attempt to leave us with…a parting gift.” Cora wheezed over her own commlink. Master Noble would surely tut-tut her for being so out of shape.

Unfortunately, her message would be forwarded to a local Atrisian fast food restaurant.

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