[ME6] - The Noventa Festival

[Sailee]

Sailee showed up at the festival in what passed for formal wear all her life. A deep brown, with slacks. Classic black showed shed fur too easily.

Festivals were always a good time to try new and interesting foods. Like that fried... some dead animal she'd never heard of. It was good, whatever it was.

And of course, every festival brought her good friend, booze. But that security gig was getting to her; she couldn't turn off her combat awareness and really relax. But she probably should keep an eye out for Tew, while she was here. Or on her. Either way.

((Vigilance: 2eA+2eC+1eD+2eS 3 successes, 5 threat


PM if approaching.))

[Ender]

Force Sensitive | Nautolan | Skilled Jockey

"Hmm? Oh!" She looked where the Twi'lek was watching, and then shook her head, the tendrils undulating slightly as she did so. "I won a couple smaller prizes earlier, gave 'em to some kids I saw that weren't playing. Paying it forward, you know?" She beamed a bit. "You here working? Or enjoying the party? I'm sorry, that's a weird question, of course you're here enjoying the party." She flushed through her words, seemingly still out of her element.


Human | Commmanding |Fearsome | Stronger in the Force Than You

Elsewhere, a dark eyed individual, dressed in new, especially for him, casual clothing. A long coat, something called a smuggler's trenchcoat, hung on his shoulders. His penetrating gaze wandering over the crowd as he slowly walked. While given a wide berth, he at least seemed amicable to those he encountered, even as he appeared unobtrusive.


Pantoran | Cannot be Sensed | Savage Witch

It wasn't often the Witch came to the city. But something she had seen drew her to this place, and she knew the Ashla had brought her here. Her fingers clutched a small trinket, rubbing idly over it, all the while as she offered small smiles to those she saw. While not the most social person, there was a certain natural air to her.

[Yara Suhr]

"Happy Noventa Day." She turns, a smile touching her eyes. "So that's how you're supposed to say it? Not 'Merry' or 'Blessings' or anything like that? I was waiting to hear someone else so I could be sure." She chuckles. "I was on-planet for it last year, yes. But I missed the parade--I hadn't been here long, and we were terribly busy."

Almost surprised at the way his own spirits lifted at seeing her smile like that, Cal smiled back brightly. "Well, if you ask me, you can say whatever you like. That's the real Noventa way, after all." He chuckled. "But that's the way I always said it, growing up."

I see." Cal pressed his lips together. His expression was serious, but his brown eyes seemed to glint merrily. "I guess that makes this your first real Noventa festival. My my." He offered her his arm. "How'd you like for a Noventa native to show you how it's done?"

"That would suit me fine." Yara arches an eyebrow at the old-fashioned gesture but shrugs and lets her hand rest lightly on Cal's arm, green eyes twinkling. "I trust the learning curve won't be too steep, with a native guide." She turns her head a little to scan the crowds. "Where to, then?"

[Cal Arcton]

"That would suit me fine." Yara arches an eyebrow at the old-fashioned gesture but shrugs and lets her hand rest lightly on Cal's arm, green eyes twinkling. "I trust the learning curve won't be too steep, with a native guide." She turns her head a little to scan the crowds. "Where to, then?"

The muscles of Cal's arm were reasonably solid, and he cut a rather dashing figure in his finest shirt and vest. Fine tailoring did wonders to cover up encroaching dad-bod. And, in truth, he had been getting more exercise lately anyway. "Not at all." He said, flashing his smile at her. "I'll ease you into it."

"First," Cal said, gently leading her along. "We've got to get you a drink. Seems to me it's a shame you haven't been provided with one already. What's your fancy?"

[Ender]

If you passed the perception check. Threats are taken as strain damage:

Amongst the crowds of people having a good time, there are a few individuals who look... out of place. A little too serious for the merriment, that seem to have a certain amount of anxiety about themselves. A few talking to others, looking about nervously. Nervously is actually the wrong word. Impatient, more than likely.

Everyone Else:

Music plays from bandstand stalls continues, people are laughing, the sounds of prizes being won at various games. Over the loudspeakers...

"Good Evening, fellow Noventians!" The sound of Governor Maudin Deltiss' voice, and various viewscreens throughout the festival come on, showing his face as he speaks from a central stage. The music stops. "Every year, we come together to celebrate the harvest, as the original colonists did. And to celebrate the independence of our planet from the both the Confederacy, and the Empire. To enjoy each other's company, and to take our minds off of our daily obligations and struggles." His winning smile came through, as he waved to the crowds.

"I am so gla- *krssk* *krssk*..." Static breaks the transmission of sound. Deltiss speaks for a few moments, before he realizes what happened. Looking off camera, he raised a hand, as the crowds around murmur amongst themselves.

And then... chaos erupts. Blaster fire, into the air, as someone in rushes the stage. And then a piercing roar breaks the sound over head. TIE fighters, buzz the crowd, while the sound of a craft exiting hyperspace within the upper atmosphere. The silhouette is massive, as it begins to drop into the lower atmosphere, flanked by two other craft.

On the central stage, a woman with short, blue hair held onto the governor, bulky, obsidian colored armor visible beneath her clothing. Her features were menacing, as two others came up, blaster rifles aimed at the crowd. Descening rapidly from the craft, a Lambda class shuttle, flanked by two TIE fighters, made it's landing approach. The wind picked up about the festivities, as another craft, a small lander with two, two legged craft descended into the central square of the festival.

The shuttle landed, with a hiss, the ramp descended. A woman, in a crisp Imperial uniform, her hair tied back in a severe style, flanked by Imperial Stormtroopers. She approached the podium, as the woman with blue hair dragged the Governor back. And with her, a woman clad in strange armor, a crimson blade ignited


Human | Commanding Presence | Nobody's Fool | Intimidating

"Attention. This is Admiral Patrice Verlasso, of the Imperial Navy. We have come to seize all assets needed to continue the battle against the illegal Rebellion. This is now an Imperial system, with all protections of peace and order given. All this requires is your cooperation."

[Sailee]

Every instinct Sailee had began screaming. She'd set enough ambushes to recognize one in the making, and before everything went to Hell, Sailee did her job, and made a beeline for Tewzada.

"No time to explain; we have to move. Now." Please don't argue. Please don't argue. Please don't argue.

She wrapped an arm around the twi'lek's shoulder and loomed over her, her body a shield against anything incoming as she led the way to the nearest cover she could spot on a moment's notice. She was not shy about using her size and strength to 'convince' the reporter to move.

((Strain 5/12))

[Cal Arcton]

As Cal lead Yara around, they both began to notice things. Things out of place. People clearly not here for the celebration. A crease began to appear on Cal's forehead, his subconscious responding to the threat before his conscious mind could. The feeling continued to grow as the viewscreens came on and the governor's voice could be heard. All this meant that Cal wasn't really surprised when it all happen.

"Damnit." He muttered, turning to Yara. "Looks like the festivities are cut short." Once more, his brown eyes glinted as they met her green. "Guess we're gonna have to skip to the end." His arm slid around her waist as he leaned in.

Cal was a good kisser, as it turned out. His hand was firm on her back, and his lips soft against hers. The kiss deepened, growing in passion, as he moved gently against her.

They parted, Cal stepping back. "Let's get everyone we can to safety." Cal said, grinning, his eyes bright. "See you on the other side, Doc."

After a beat for response, he was off.

[Korvalus Dunbri]

All hell broke loose and Kor cursed under his breath, he recognized the blue haired woman from earlier and grimaced wishing they could have dealt with her earlier.

Kor was a big man but he still tried to step back into the crowd and blend in a bit, he didn't need this woman recognizing him or possibly anyone from his past pointing him out. That could get ugly quick.

Kor remembered seeing Cal in the crowd earlier and went off to find the retired law man.

[Sharn]

Sharn stood still, arms crossed. A small smile crept up onto his lips.

This development is neither unexpected nor unwelcome.

[Quinn Largo]

Quinn had felt something was off, even if she couldn't have guessed the Empire would suddenly rise from the ashes and come in guns blazing. Instinctively she reached for her new weapon, just in case she needed it... but the hand gripping it was kept underneath her jacket as she tried to become one with the crowd. No sense in calling attention to herself right this second. And if things went south and the imperials tried to use more violence, she might be able to do something about it.

Then she saw the crimson lightsaber ignite.

Chaos, yet harmony

[Jelna Vawn]

Blue hair. If I were your CO, I would have demanded you rid yourself of it.

But the Death Trooper was not her biggest concern. She had considered drawing her pistol and capping her target in the head but there were too many people between them. The armor could easily soak a body shot, and Jelna knew her aim wasn't perfect.

And here we believed you would take the path of subtlety for the factory. I should have trusted my intuition that the military would stage a coup.

Cefey, Kai, Lena. I hope you can bring the Ivory Phoenix in force.

The governor stood on the stage. He was the figurehead, and his well-being could make or break the planet's morale. If she could just get there and extract him in time, then the people would be safe too. She was sure that shouting at everyone about the Imperials would only cause havoc.

She rushed towards the stage, ignoring her impulse to flee from the Imperials she saw. The fact that rebels were so much better at hiding themselves reminded her of her begrudging respect she had for them all those years ago. Of course, that hadn't stopped her from questioning them, torturing them, executing them.

"Ya need to stop! Get the governor to safety!" she shouted when she got close to the stage. But as she moved to climb up, the nagging feeling in her gut proved correct. She had anticipated the blaster fire and even the TIE Fighters. But the Star Destroyer, the other craft, made fighting impossible.

Plus the governor was in her new nemesis' clutches. Jelna stepped backwards, her hands high in the sky. She glanced around for any escape routes now.

That humming, though. The damned humming from the blade. Everything about this woman. She seemed to be the cold chill of this planet personified. That one feeling the Empire cherished dearly kept Jelna frozen there.

Fear.

[Yara Suhr]

As Cal lead Yara around, they both began to notice things. Things out of place. People clearly not here for the celebration. A crease began to appear on Cal's forehead, his subconscious responding to the threat before his conscious mind could. The feeling continued to grow as the viewscreens came on and the governor's voice could be heard. All this meant that Cal wasn't really surprised when it all happen.

"Damnit." He muttered, turning to Yara. "Looks like the festivities are cut short." Once more, his brown eyes glinted as they met her green. "Guess we're gonna have to skip to the end." His arm slid around her waist as he leaned in.

Cal was a good kisser, as it turned out. His hand was firm on her back, and his lips soft against hers. The kiss deepened, growing in passion, as he moved gently against her.

They parted, Cal stepping back. "Let's get everyone we can to safety." Cal said, grinning, his eyes bright. "See you on the other side, Doc."

After a beat for response, he was off.

That uneasy feeling... Yara can't pin it down, but she's learned to trust it. So when the distinctive whine of TIE engines cuts through the festival noise, her reaction is more Here we go again than What's that? Her free hand shifts reflexively toward the pistol under her coat....

Then Cal cuts to the chase, and this time she is surprised--surprised enough to kiss back without thinking about it too hard, or at all, with the kind of heat that only comes when you know you could very well die in the next few hours.

"Well. All right, then," she says a little breathlessly, shaking her head to clear it as he steps back. Though she raises an eyebrow at his boyish grin, she can't exactly manage one of her own--but her lips quirk a little at one corner. "I swear you're enjoying this, Ranger. May the Force be with you."

Then she turns away on her heel and tucks herself into the shadow of a festival booth, darting a glance out over the throng to place the probable infiltrators she'd spotted before. Temra was here, she remembered--Raine? Perhaps more urgently, what about the children in the crowd?

[Dartris Ribmatt]

And with that, things had escalated quickly. Of course, the Empire would want to make it a big show of force about it. That's how they operated. Big, dramatic flair. Some things never changed. At least the intel had gotten had been about accurate. Boss was already probably planning on this occasion. Everything was going well enough; the proper distraction had fallen into his lap.

"Hey Red." He looked over at his tail for the evening. "Don't suppose you can put your job on hold for just a few minutes and help evacuate some people? Rather not have potential clients be all stomping over themselves in panic, y'know."

[Tewzada Star'Ti]

Every instinct Sailee had began screaming. She'd set enough ambushes to recognize one in the making, and before everything went to Hell, Sailee did her job, and made a beeline for Tewzada.

"No time to explain; we have to move. Now." Please don't argue. Please don't argue. Please don't argue.

She wrapped an arm around the twi'lek's shoulder and loomed over her, her body a shield against anything incoming as she led the way to the nearest cover she could spot on a moment's notice. She was not shy about using her size and strength to 'convince' the reporter to move.

((Strain 5/12))

Tew had been about to answer her Nautolan friend when the Governor started speaking. When she turned to look at the view screens, that was when the chaos erupted. She cursed inwardly.

Of all the times I finally choose not to wear the holocostume...

Then Sailee, from the office, was with her as protection. She looked up at the Cathar woman, nodding. She certainly had no intention of arguing, since she had neither her droid, nor her own stuff with her. So she was ready to go wherever Sailee was intending on taking her.

((Strain 3 taken out of 14))

[Honorordeath]

"Shut up, Dartris," she said, flying into action. Alema wasn't a woman who sat down easy and if she needed to she'd fight her way to safety, through Stormtroopers if she had to. Still, while she couldn't care for the fates of most of the people here she had a soft spot for the young ones. So, if it were that she was spotted helping anyone it'd be a small gathering of scared children. Otherwise the woman'd seemingly vanish into the crowd.

[Dartris Ribmatt]

Leave it to the Empire to find a way to get that woman off my back. He seemed amused about it, though had other more pressing concerns on the matter. He moved into the crowds to assist the people, looking to pull his men where he could to help get people out of there safely. Everything else, well, that was beyond his concern.

[Temra Zol]

Temra cursed inwardly at his casual dress and lack of weaponry even as his mouth dried and his heart froze in his chest as that red glow captured his gaze. He'd never seen one up close, not that colour, but his former master had drilled the seriousness with which one must take any individual who wields one.

He was not normally one to fall prey to his base fears however and he looked around the general populace to try and find any eay to help without drawing too much attention from the podium.

((2/16 strain))

[Cefey Raneth]

Fey had been quietly milling about, observing this 'festival'. It was a completely different experience than parties she had observed with the Moff...

And then everything went to hell.

The fear that had been there the past days was now a lot more realised.

I should've listened to Babe. Wait! Where is everyone?! The twi'lek looked around in a panic, wondering where her friends were as she quickly scampered into hiding. She knew who that admiral was, and she could only hope that an 'alien' like herself wouldn't be remembered or noticed.


---

OOC: Suffers 3 strain

[Cal Arcton]

"Well. All right, then," she says a little breathlessly, shaking her head to clear it as he steps back. Though she raises an eyebrow at his boyish grin, she can't exactly manage one of her own--but her lips quirk a little at one corner. "I swear you're enjoying this, Ranger. May the Force be with you."

Cal's grin flashed at her one more time as he moved away into the crowd.

...

If the planet were under Imperial control, things would become suddenly difficult for a lot of people. But some more than others. Some people might not live through an Imperial occupation. The thought suddenly churned Cal's stomach, his features twisting in disgust.

He looked around, trying to spot those that might fit this description. Maybe he could find somewhere safe for them.

Kor remembered seeing Cal in the crowd earlier and went off to find the retired law man.

Spotting Kor, Cal waved. "Kor. Good. Let's see if we can get some of these people out of here."

[Temra Zol]

Fey had been quietly milling about, observing this 'festival'. It was a completely different experience than parties she had observed with the Moff...

And then everything went to hell.

The fear that had been there the past days was now a lot more realised.

I should've listened to Babe. Wait! Where is everyone?! The twi'lek looked around in a panic, wondering where her friends were as she quickly scampered into hiding. She knew who that admiral was, and she could only hope that an 'alien' like herself wouldn't be remembered or noticed.

Spotting the momentarily stunned Twi'lek, amd completely misinterpreting her reasons, Temra waves the blue beauty over. "Come this way ma'am, we're evacuating this area. We both know how friendly the Empire is to anything that's not perfectly human."