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You know Skavak's thinking about clearing out the closet to give himself space for his stuff and then there'll be hell to pay.
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Mar 1, 2020 06:06
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 Chapter 3: The Ballad of Nalen Raloch   : You're back! Did you speak with the Matriarch? : She said to tell you to "tell me what that Raloch boy has been up to lately". She also said that you should trust your own judgment more?: That sounds like her, alright.: Look, you have to understand. There's a lot of anger and resentment towards the Jedi here.: We knew the risks coming here. We knew that there wouldn't be any kind of guarantees of help. But when we're losing people to vicious cannibal monsters every day, and every day we see your shining temple in the distance, protected by magical knights while we scrabble in the dirt?: It's just.. very hard sometimes. People get strange ideas about what ought to be done.: I- : I know it's not fair. I know it's not your fault, you at least tried to help. I'm not accusing you, Jedi. I'm telling you all this to explain what Nalen Raloch means to us. : Nalen Raloch once tore the ears off a gundark. : Nalen Raloch's tails get tail, dude! WOOO!: ...let's finish this talk inside. : Nalen is our village's protector. He's strong, kind, and he keeps the flesh raiders out. He's grown to be a local folk hero, as you heard earlier.: That's why when he suggested stealing one of your Jedi holoprojectors, we all went along with it.: Taking the Jedi's power to defend the village when we wouldn't part with it willingly.: It.. does make a certain amount of sense.: Desperate times, Master Jedi. This is why I had to check with Kolovish to see if I could reveal this to you. If you take Nalen away from us, we might all be dead next week.: That's why I'm asking you to walk away. Nobody's going to miss one hologram, not really - and we'll take good care of it. If we leave this world someday, we'll put it back where we found it.: Nobody has to lose more because of this.:  : If it were as simple as you say, I would walk back to my master right now and tell her it was gone. Or something.: But the holocron is a dark artifact. Do you know anything about the Force?: Just.. old stories. Legends, really.:They say that the use of dark magics is corrupting to the spirit. That it twists your very soul into odd shapes.: It's a little more poetically than I'd put it, but essentially accurate. The holocron Nalen picked up was made by the first Dark Jedi. The teachings inside of it literally spawned the teachings of the dark side as we know them today.: That's why we have to get it back. If Nalen Raloch keeps it, he may not be Nalen Raloch for very much longer.: Nalen has been acting odd lately - keeping to himself, snapping at people. Someone even said they saw him talking to himself, but we thought it was just stress.. the festival was supposed to help him relax.: Pah! Jedi stuff.. this is why I said he should leave it alone. Nalen has a camp out in the flesh raider's territory. He says it helps keep him sharp. : Go save Nalen, Jedi, so he can save the rest of us. : I hope the Matriarch is right about you.  : Looks like his camp is pretty far inside.. I'll have to fight my way there.: Force, don't fail me now!    : Helllooooooo?  : Well.. huh.  : Here it is. Right out in the open.: And don't you know it's really hard to sneak up on someone who can sense life energies, Mr. Raloch?  : You make a lot of noise, Jedi.: I come here to listen. To think, among the dead. To fight for my people. : Why have you come?: I came here to help you. This hologram contains very dangerous knowledge.: Jedi condemn whatever they can't control. : Tython's relics still have lessons. I may not be the defender my people deserve, but I can be the finest student Rajivari ever trained.: We fight, we die, we keep fighting - and for what? The flesh raiders still come.: Rajivari has shown me true power. The power to save my people.  : The power to end the Flesh Raiders. : Your Jedi council sits on their thrones and refuses to act. I will be the hero this planet deserves.: Take your toy, and be thankful someone's doing what you couldn't. : Hey! We're still IN this cave!: If you step into the demense of a hunter, you shouldn't complain when you end up in a snare.: There are hidden wonders in this place, Jedi, and my journey has barely begun.: Now run for your life!  : Well, druk.==  : So that's about the size of it.: A refugee crisis of our own making, flesh raiders loose every-skrogging-where, and a wannabe Dark Jedi wandering around talking about punishment and destruction. : I've made no secret before the Council that I disagree with our handling of the Kalikori situation. I'll pass along what you've learned, hopefully the reality of the situation will bring them to their senses.: About this "Nalen Raloch" -- you said he surrendered the holocron to you without contest?: Well, just before he dropped a cave on me, but yes. He implied that he already learned what he needed from it.: It's still a good thing we have it back. And perhaps Master Rajivari will give us the clues we need to find Nalen before it's too late. : Activation protocol begins. A few words - shall this be all my legacy? No. My enemies are long dead. It is time.: Hear me. I have left true wisdom behind. For those who follow where the first blade points, from the sanctuary of the Order. All else, is fleeting.: It's somehow comforting to know that Masters are cryptic no matter what century they live in.: It's in our contracts.: What?: This talk of "true wisdom", though - he's talking about the Fount of Rajivari!:  : The repository of all his knowledge and teachings? Isn't that a myth?: As was the legendary planet Tython, until recently. Generations of Jedi have searched for both, but I believe we hold the advantage.: Nalen Raloch holds the advantage, you mean. He's had days to study this hologram, and I don't think learning more of Rajivari's teachings will make him more sensible.: Jedi leaving riddles behind often leave clues in plain sight, trusting in the erudition of their descendants to reveal their true meanings. The "sanctuary of the Order".. ah! Kaleth!: Of course! The ancient fortress where Rajivari's forces made their final stand. "Kaleth" means "sanctuary"! But what about the "first blade"?: That, I don't know. This was an age where lightsabers had yet to be invented, so it could be almost anything.: The ruins of Kaleth are not too far from here, however, and they seem a good place to start looking.: Hah. I had such grand and detailed plans for your training, you know. Tours of dig sites, deep dives in the library, other such scholarly pursuits. It seems like the Force has other plans, though.: Stopping Nalen and finding the Fount of Rajivari will be a much greater test, and I have no doubt you will prove worthy of it.: Even if the Force is shaping my training, I want your help, Master Yuon. And perhaps when this is all over, we can still tour those dig sites?: I sought you out as an archaeologist first, and a Jedi second, if you'll forgive the presumption. I want to learn anything you have to teach me.: I.. thank you, padawan. That truly means a lot to me.: The Council tends to frown on such unorthodox "training" methods, but as you so eloquently put it earlier...: "Druk them". I'll smooth it over with them while you're gone.:  : Go on out to Kaleth, try not to knock the place down. Call me if you find anything noteworthy.: Also, before you go, your belongings from your previous school arrived.: Oh good! These temple robes were starting to itch something fierce.: Oh, and about heading to Kaleth..?: :roll: Yes, you can take a speeder this time. Honestly, young people these days have no sense of the value of exercise.  : WHEEEE!
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Mar 2, 2020 03:16
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I get the feeling this glee about speeders is true for an actual TOR player, not just the character?
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Mar 2, 2020 08:53
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Depends on the planet.
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Mar 2, 2020 11:28
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Yeah Tython has pretty vistas and the speeders move kinda very smoothly in it so they are pretty cool.
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Mar 2, 2020 16:11
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Back in the bad old days of launch-era TOR, you didn't get the ability to use speeders until level 20 (I think?). And five levels before that you got a popup saying "better start saving credits now!" Speeders were expensive if you weren't playing the market or selling crafting supplies. Also you had to buy each new skill when you leveled up so it was entirely possible that you'd get there and be unable to afford a speeder. Which was a problem because the planets start being huge, with a lot of distance between quest objectives. It was pretty consistent with launch-era TOR just being launch-era WOW reskinned. Nowadays, however, free speeders get dumped on you as subscriber rewards. I've been subscribed pretty much consistently since launch and, with one notable exception, have all the subscriber rewards. Now when I make a new character I literally get something like 20 speeders right away. You can also unlock the speeder piloting ability at level 1 for a paltry sum of credits. Still, those of us who were around for launch will never take speeders for granted.
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Mar 2, 2020 16:36
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Moon Slayer posted:Still, those of us who were around for launch will never take speeders for granted. Specifically, speeders were intended to become available when you hit a planet that is the beginning, but far from the end, of launch TOR's obsession with giant, mostly empty planets. There are some planets in this game you can easily run around, on a speeder, for thirty minutes and not see a single mob. Cythereal fucked around with this message at 16:45 on Mar 2, 2020 |
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Mar 2, 2020 16:39
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That seems like a terrible way to handle things!
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Mar 2, 2020 17:29
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Launch-era TOR had a lot of things about it that were aggressively un-fun.
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Mar 2, 2020 19:33
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Tattooine. Tattooine is the first place you need, need, absolutely need a speeder. It's goddamn huge, it's goddamn empty, and you end up going to almost every bit of it. And after that, as if Tat wasn't bad enough, is Hoth. Which is somehow even bigger and even more desolate. Yes, the glee at having a speeder is very much out-of-character.
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Mar 2, 2020 19:59
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Radio Free Kobold posted:Tattooine. Tattooine is the first place you need, need, absolutely need a speeder. It's goddamn huge, it's goddamn empty, and you end up going to almost every bit of it. And after that, as if Tat wasn't bad enough, is Hoth. Which is somehow even bigger and even more desolate. Yes, the glee at having a speeder is very much out-of-character. Still, at least those planets generally let you move in a straight-ish line to your goal, which is more than can be said for some later planets. Moon Slayer posted:Launch-era TOR had a lot of things about it that were aggressively un-fun. I remember the developer interview where they discussed why the basic attack for all classes even existed. They thought it would be 'more interactive' than autoattack.
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Mar 2, 2020 22:15
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Radio Free Kobold posted:Tattooine. Tattooine is the first place you need, need, absolutely need a speeder. It's goddamn huge, it's goddamn empty, and you end up going to almost every bit of it. And after that, as if Tat wasn't bad enough, is Hoth. Which is somehow even bigger and even more desolate. Yes, the glee at having a speeder is very much out-of-character. This is true. Taris *did* kind of warn you by having the mobs and the quest gives be WAY TOO FAR from each other, but you could still manage before Tattooine. Tattooine though? Enjoy those 10 minute runs in each direction without a Speeder. Also, Speeders not only took an expensive license in the first place, but you had to buy several tiers of speed. It was the absolute worst.
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Mar 2, 2020 22:58
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And fancy speeders were locked behind some bullshit achievements/quests. Aratech Coral apparently still is, the one I really wanted when I last played.
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Mar 2, 2020 23:38
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Moon Slayer posted:Back in the bad old days of launch-era TOR, you didn't get the ability to use speeders until level 20 (I think?). And five levels before that you got a popup saying "better start saving credits now!" Speeders were expensive if you weren't playing the market or selling crafting supplies. Also you had to buy each new skill when you leveled up so it was entirely possible that you'd get there and be unable to afford a speeder. Which was a problem because the planets start being huge, with a lot of distance between quest objectives. It was pretty consistent with launch-era TOR just being launch-era WOW reskinned. I'm mostly sure that it was much worse than level 20. I think it was 40 or maaaaybe 30? (edit: whatever level you're meant to get to Tatooine at, basically. There's no way in hell that planet was designed without speeders in mind). Because what I remember the most is that you didn't even unlock the sprint ability until level 15 or 16. Running around Coruscant or Dromund Kaas with no way to go faster at all was a misery. And yeah, if I hadn't gone through the "whoops, can't afford a mount!" crap back in the day in WoW, it would've happened to me in TOR. I'm pretty sure I stopped buying most of my skills each level to save up for a speeder on my first character. Actually now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that 20 is when non-subscribers unlock speeders now. edit: while searching to see if my memory was off or not, I found this charming post from the official TOR forums back in 2012:  (the small part of the thread I bothered to read was mostly people agreeing, including the classic dipshit argument "well they might as well give everyone everything at level 1 then!") Mr. Baps fucked around with this message at 00:13 on Mar 3, 2020 |
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Mar 2, 2020 23:51
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But now my Agent enjoys sipping wine and eating grapes while his butlerbot flies him from location to location.
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Mar 3, 2020 01:27
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Yep, at launch, the speeders were actually fairly cheap (around 8k or so); it was the training that would eat up the funds. I think it was something like 30k for level 1, 75k for level 2, and so on. Chump change nowadays, but back then...Deadmeat5150 posted:But now my Agent enjoys sipping wine and eating grapes while his butlerbot flies him from location to location. Oh yeah, Moon has to show off one of the droid chauffeurs on his smuggler. Swanky mounts for the swankiest class. Cross-Section fucked around with this message at 06:25 on Mar 3, 2020 |
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Mar 3, 2020 06:15
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 Chapter 4: Security Breach quote:Anarchy rules in the frontier systems. While the Galactic Republic struggles to recover from its conflict with the Sith Empire, reckless mercenaries profit from the interstellar turmoil.    : Oh, this won’t be so bad, I guess. When Viidu said I’d have to swim I thought he actually meant swim, not wade through the shallows. quote:Mannett Point was originally founded by Ord Mantellian pirates as an underground vault for their ill-gotten gains. As their criminal haven became respectable, the pirates were eventually replaced by "businessmen" who converted the subterranean warehouses into a freight shipping center. Goods that landed at Fort Garnik were sorted at Mannett Point and then distributed across Ord Mantell.  : Don’t mind me, fellahs, just an ordinary separatist going about my business.  : Uh, hey, what are you doing there?: Routine maintenance. : Whoa, is it supposed to do that?: No, that’s why I’m doing maintenance. Gonna need some special tools for this job. Be right back. : Good, door opened just like Reiki promised.  : Let’s see what we’ve got here.[You open Reki's treatise on Ord Mantell's exotic birds and are instantly bored by the dull text entries.] : There has to be a less boring way to do this.[You quickly use the cipher Reki taught you to uncover the schematics hidden within the text. The schematics show a door in Reki‘s basement that opens onto an area outside the perimeter walls. A pathway leads down the hill to a maintenance passage leading into the separatist hideout's lower level. The separatist computer station is under heavy guard, but they won‘t expect anyone coming from the back door.]    : Hello, fellow separatists.: ’Sup.[Obviously I’m taking some narrative licence with this since this is, after all, an MMO and you always have to shoot your way through a bunch of mobs to get to your objectives. However, this doesn’t always jive with the smuggler’s personality. At least not the way I’m playing Jek.]   : Hey guys.: Wait, I don’t recognize you. Where’s your helmet? Show me your ID, now!: Uh, sure thing, got it right here.  : Where are you, Skavak?  : Come on, Foursen. Say it just like I taught you. : The Republic lackeys will drown in lakes of fire and blood, master. Death to all who oppose the people's will, master.: Oh, hello. You're, uh, different from most of us true believers.: What’s that supposed to mean?: Er, not that that's a bad thing.: Master, I detect the presence of several non-functioning humans. Specifically the bodies over there. : Setting alert status red.: By the stars! Republic troops have invaded our base!: Oh, no! Foursen, activate combat protocols! We‘ve got to warn the others!: Master, my sensors detect no evidence of hostile forces.: But that doesn't make sense … : When was the last time you calibrated that droid's sensors?: Not recently enough to take any chances. We need to put the base on alert and rally the men. Let's go, Foursen! There's no time to waste!: Stars spare me from dumb kids with a cause.   : Leave me alone, Bracco. If Viidu knew about this, he'd -- : Viidu? That blob can't even protect himself. It's only a matter of time before Rogun the Butcher punches your fat meal ticket for good. You'd better start thinking about the future, girl. When Viidu's gone you'll need new friends. : What’s going on here?: Captain, thank goodness. I could use your help here.: Throttle down, boys. Word is Rogun the Butcher has his eye on Syreena. : Th-that's right, Bracco. You don't want to get on Rogun’s bad side.: He's already scoping out his future trophies, huh? Figures. It just proves Viidu ain't long for this world. Let's go, guys. : Thank you for stepping in, captain. I was so frightened.: Luckily, those boys were pretty gullible.: It's closer to the truth than I want to admit. What Bracco said was true -- Rogun the Butcher will kill Viidu if those blasters don't turn up. Viidu can't protect me any more. He's not half the man you are.: Let's find a nice quiet spot to talk about that ...: l... I can't do that to Viidu right now. Maybe when the danger is past … I should go. Viidu's waiting for you. I won't forget your kindness, captain. Farewell for now.: For now.   : Finally! I thought you'd never get back. Tell me you got those separatist files!: Those separatists never knew what hit them. But I got some bad news. Some of your goons just went after your girl, Viidu.: Word must be getting out we're in trouble. The warehouse boys smell blood in the water. : Want me to knuckle down on the staff, boss?: Just keep an eye on them. If those idiots make another move against me we'll clean house. : Will do.: You did good, captain. Corso found us a terrific little slicer kit, so we're ready to decrypt that data. We'll know where to find Skavak soon, but until then I've got a special job that only you can do. : Haven't I done enough for you already?: What, you’ve got some pressing engagement? Our lives are on the line! I need you to keep Rogun the Butcher off our backs. Syreena stalled him earlier but it's not enough. We need to distract Rogun by giving him something he really wants -- a canister of some special chemicals from a nearby village.: The “Big Boom Run?” Are you kidding, boss? I can see it making Rogun’s day but it’s blasted risky.: All I care about is finding Skavak and getting back what’s mine. : If we don’t get Rogun off our backs you won't get the chance to do that. Hear me out.: Fine.: There’s a loopy scientist with a chemical that can supercharge artillery cannons -- makes them do more damage.: But it’s less stable than a drunk savrip on a speeder bike. Handle it wrong and suddenly you’re little chunks of ex-captain.: Lovely.: Sure it’s tricky, but you’ve got the skill to get it here. Did I mention this run pays unbelievably well? : Just how “unbelievably well” are we talking about?: You do this and you can buy some nice upgrades for your starship when you finally get it back.: All right, sign me up.: Trymbo is the scientist’s name. Got a place in Oradam village. I’ll let him know you're coming. : See me before you make that run, captain. We should talk. : What’s up, Corso?: Captain, the Big Boom Run isn't a stroll on the beach. You'll need an edge to make it back alive. This here’s a SoroSuub SSK heavy blaster. It’s cut for a quick draw and got a hair-trigger. I call it “Flashy.” Flashy can bulls-eye a savrip between the eyes five times before the critter even knows it’s dead. Here, take it. : If I take this, what’ll you use in a fight?: I can take care of business just fine with Hewie here. Best of luck, captain. Don't get killed, all right? Question for the thread: Do we like Corso or do we dislike him?
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Mar 3, 2020 16:56
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EDIT: Changed my vote, see below. CommissarMega fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Mar 3, 2020 |
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Mar 3, 2020 17:04
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Dislike Corso, that farmboy doesn't fit in with professional criminal. Yes Jek can claim he's not but still smuggling contraband for living.
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Mar 3, 2020 17:06
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Like
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Mar 3, 2020 17:14
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Dislike. He's a certified Nice Guy to lady smugglers.
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Mar 3, 2020 18:00
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Cythereal posted:Dislike. He's a certified Nice Guy to lady smugglers. Why am I not surprised Dislike for the above reason and also because he's a real dummy.
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Mar 3, 2020 18:12
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I say we split the difference and Like him UNTIL he does something objectionable.
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Mar 3, 2020 19:09
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Walrus Pete posted:Why am I not surprised Some of the launch romances are written relatively well, letting you flirt and start something if you want but presenting that as only one option while just being friends or keeping things professional is perfectly valid. Others, if you keep not selecting flirt prompts eventually give you two dialogue choices: "I love you, let's bone" or "gently caress you and the speeder you rode in on, I hate you." Corso is one of the latter variety.
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Mar 3, 2020 19:27
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Cythereal posted:Some of the launch romances are written relatively well, letting you flirt and start something if you want but presenting that as only one option while just being friends or keeping things professional is perfectly valid. Others, if you keep not selecting flirt prompts eventually give you two dialogue choices: "I love you, let's bone" or "gently caress you and the speeder you rode in on, I hate you." Holy crap, I didn't know that (I only played the Sith Inquisitor and Bounty Hunter). Changing my vote to Dislike.
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Mar 3, 2020 19:43
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Cythereal posted:Some of the launch romances are written relatively well, letting you flirt and start something if you want but presenting that as only one option while just being friends or keeping things professional is perfectly valid. Others, if you keep not selecting flirt prompts eventually give you two dialogue choices: "I love you, let's bone" or "gently caress you and the speeder you rode in on, I hate you." And then there are an alarming number of them that have some very hosed up power dynamics, such as... every single companion romance for male force users.
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Mar 3, 2020 19:46
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Moon Slayer posted:[Obviously I’m taking some narrative licence with this since this is, after all, an MMO and you always have to shoot your way through a bunch of mobs to get to your objectives. However, this doesn’t always jive with the smuggler’s personality. At least not the way I’m playing Jek.] You're all the better for it, making for a great read. Thanks, actually. Also, we dislike Corso.
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Mar 3, 2020 20:31
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On the one hand, he did give us a free gun. On the other hand, he's a pasty guy with dreadlocks and facial scarring, which is never a good combo unless you're a big fan of meth. Also that gun is clearly a flashlight duct taped to a stapler. Dislike.
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Mar 3, 2020 23:54
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Corso is basically a farmboy who never grows outside his archetype. Dislike.
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Mar 4, 2020 00:47
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A gun that he names. Scorchie, Flashie, Hewie, is this the kind of behaviour we want to encourage? Is this a guy we want to hang out with? Dislikey
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Mar 4, 2020 00:58
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Dislike I never could stand Corso and benched him the second I had a replacement.
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Mar 4, 2020 01:14
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He looks like a dweeb. Dislike.
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Mar 4, 2020 06:10
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Post 5:   : Come on, get in here on the double, we don't have all day.  : Please, I don't know anything! : So you say, but I bet after we-  : Ah hell, the old man was right. What's going on here?: Sir! Interrogating the prisoners, sir! : I can see that; what I want to know is why you're breaking about a dozen different laws by beating a civilian. : She's a separatist, or works for them, or she knows something and doesn't say poo poo! This is the only way to get information out of the these people!: So you have proof she knows something vital?: No sir, but-: THERE IS NO BUT, SOLDIER. Unless she knows where a bomb is and it's going to go off less than a day, this poo poo IS AN ATROCITY!: SO WE'RE JUST SUPPOSED TO LET THESE PEOPLE KILL US?!? : Oh, saving the day are you?!? You must have learned some REALLY important stuff then! So let's hear it! What did the torture get you?: ...: Nothing, did it? You committed a war-crime and you don't have a drat THING!: ...: You know Kellik, you're actually quite lucky. In the days before war crime tribunals, the Republic would deal with this by handing you over to the people so they could beat you to death. Instead, you have time to come up with a reason for why you're rear end shouldn't be thrown in prison. In the mean time, I'm taking the girl back. ---later--- : ..and that's what happened. Your daughter is in a medbay for now, but she should be able to return home soon. : And the soldiers who did that? What happens to them? : A trial, eventually.: Trial?!? Then we'll never have justice! : You may not have blood, sir, but the Republic is usually good at addressing the war crimes that get repor-: That's the same as nothing, damnit!: Nothing? No, it's not. If you want to know what "nothing" looks like, go to one of the "liberated" villages and ask the people about how the Separatists punished THEIR criminals. I'll bet you 5 credits most of them got a medal for shooting random people in the back of the head and stealing their wallet. And we're done here. --- : Now, command is- : Lieutenant Virk: Whoa, whoa, not so fast, Sergeant—: gently caress drat Son of a Savanah Bantha Bitch! : ..you and me need to have a little talk. I'm Lieutenant Virk. I think maybe you've heard of me? See, my boys here saw you having a chat with-: I don't care.: I know Farn told you about my business. l know you went and blabbed about it to some very important people. And now, I got a mountain of paperwork to do, hearings to go to, people asking questions—and I don't like that.: If you can't handle the stress, do us all a favor and swallow a grenade. It probably won't fit in your rear end like usual, with all the drugs in there squeezing it out and all, but I'm sure you have plenty of experience from mouthing Hutts. : YOU LITTLE BITCH! If anybody's gonna end up dead around here, it isn't gonna be me! Wise up. This island is my little kingdom—l can make sure people live, and I can make sure they die. So you better believe that I'm going to make EXTRA sure you come home from your next assignment in a box, Sergeant.: You don't even have the authority to order me, rear end in a top hat, it's an independent command! And I don't work with anyone, so you can't pay to shoot me in the back, idiot!: Doesn't mean I can't arrange for accidents to happen.: Accidents, right. Like the kind of accident that leads to a Lieutenant being outed as an Imperial spy? : ..that's absurd. : Try me.: ..I think we're done here, boys. Let's move out.  : Ah, Sergeant, welcome back. Grab yourself a seat. You're gonna be observing the op here with me.: I take it the rest of my squad is already in the field?: Havoc Squad is infiltrating the separatists‘ stronghold to retrieve the ZR-57 as we speak. Commander Tavus was very clear: under no circumstance am I to send you in to join Havoc on this mission. l have to admit, I'm a little surprised; I honestly thought you were starting to come along, but I guess Tavus still isn't convinced you're ready for the big time.: It's odd, but I trust Commander Tavus’s judgment. : Maybe next time, Sergeant. I'm sure— : Lieutenant, sir! We've got a situation here!: Talk to me, Ensign. What's going on? : We've lost contact with Havoc Squad, sir Comms, video, locator's, everything. It's like they've disappeared completely. : That's unacceptable, soldier! You get back to that terminal, and you get me Havoc's status, now!: Yes, sir!: Do you think Zak and Jaller set us up, sir?: There's no way to tell from here. Whatever happened was bad. : Still no signal from Havoc Squad, sir. I think we may have lost them. : All right, people, listen up. This mission will not fail on my watch. We are not gonna let that bomb get away again! Infiltrating that stronghold is a mission only Havoc Squad can pull off. Lucky for us, we have one Havoc trooper left! Sergeant—you're going in there! The ZR-57 must not remain in separatist hands! Understand, Sergeant? : Alone? They still have space transport, and Havoc's presence will have tipped them off, so the bomb will be gone long before I can reach it. What exactly am I supposed to do?: Not alone, no: we have some people inside already, but they can't risk pushing in further with that bomb there, and the whole base will go into lockdown as soon as they see the Republic forces getting ready to make a move. So instead, I want you to take out their AA defenses as you go, and once you do, we're going to land right on their own platform and hit 'em from both sides while you push on to the bomb. : On that note, we were hoping to get the bomb back intact, but we're long past the best—case scenario here. So here's the new plan: we use the deactivation code for the ZR-57. We disable that bomb, and the Separatists will be left with nothing but a big, radioactive paperweight. : You'll have to hijack the separatists’ comm system to broadcast the code. This ‘spike‘ should do the trick.: I never thought it'd come to this, Sergeant. I know how much we're asking, but I don't need to tell you what happens if you don't pull this off.: I've never failed a mission before, and I'm not gonna start today!: That's what I like to hear! You have the coordinates for the Separatists' stronghold. I'm sure you can guess how much security they're likely to have. Breach the perimeter, use that data spike on the comm terminal and shut the ZR-57 down for good. Thousands of lives are on the line here, Sergeant. We're counting on you. Good luck, Sergeant.... : I don't like this. Only three things can disable all that equipment at once: an EMP strong enough to fry the stronghold, a Sith flinging a crazy amount of lightning around, or- : They switched it off themselves.: ..yeah. Considering how weird Havoc has been acting, especially the Captain's reaction to the mention of Imperials...: They've gone rogue. : That why the Captain kept me back? So I don't get dragged down with the rest of the team?: Only one way to find out. ---  : Well, here it is. The Stronghold: built into a volcano that powers the whole place with geothermal and enough supplies to withstand a siege for months. Good thing they haven't changed the codes to the side doors yet, or we'd never get inside.  : These droids are cheaper than the ones used in their other base. Intresting. The Seps must never have thought they'd get pushed here. : That's one set of defenses down.  : And two. : drat this place is huge! : And three! Now to take the platform! : I'm invisible you can't see me, I'm invisible you can't see me, I'm invisible you can't see me.. : OORAH!  : Alright boys, glad you could make it! We've got 'em trapped between the Dragon and the Deep Dune Sea, so all you need to do is keep the pressure on and we'll crack 'em in less than a day!  : Sir yes sir! : Ok, I should be able to find the bomb- ah hell! : IMPS!: And it looks like they're basically running the whole planet from here! This is real bad. ONE BUNCH OF DEAD DUDES LATER.  : You did it Sergeant! That was some top notch soldiering, and we're all proud of you.: Sir, the Imperials-: We saw. It's as we suspected, sergeant. We need to know how deep that connection goes. You need to go as deep as you can into the base, fast, because if Havoc was captured the Imps will be loading them into a shuttle right about now and we'll lose them forever. Failing that, at least get the bomb-deactivated doesn't mean harmless. Out.: Sir! ---  : Ah poo poo. Worst case here we come; alright, Dasher, you should report this and run. No need to fight a whole spec ops team just because you didn't read this right.  : Ah gently caress it. HEY TARVUS, WHAT THE HELL?!? :Sergeant, I thought my orders were very clear. You aren't supposed to be here.  : I will take him.: Try it, bi-: No, Wraith. The sergeant deserves to know the truth. I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. I harbor no ill will towards you. You're everything a warrior should be. But I'm afraid the Republic no longer values her warriors—even the very best among them.: You've fought the Empire for years—how have you not noticed that they kill their own people at the drop of a hat?: The Empire respects warriors, Sergeant. The Republic's top officials, on the other hand, have decided to cast us aside. The truth is that no matter what they may say, the Republic Senate doesn't actually believe it can win another war against the Empire. That makes you and I a threat, and with every Havoc Squad victory that fires up people's imaginations, fills them with pride, the bureaucrats feel ever more pressure.: We can win, Tavus: the Empire didn't beat us when they had every advantage, and they sure as hell won't beat us now that we're wise to them! A few cowards in the Senate doesn't change that!: If only you'd been with us longer, Sergeant, you would understand. You might've even come with us. The Republic abandoned us. During a mission on Ando Prime, they simply left us to die.The Republic abandoned us, and Honestly, I hope you die with your ideals intact. The rest of us will never have that luxury.: It's not too late, Tavus. You can still turn back.: Turn back to what? The Republic that wants me dead and gone? No, sergeant, l think not. : Oh, uh, by the way, good work finding the ZR-57 for us. We were starting to worry that these separatists might, you know, waste our big present for the Empire. : But thanks to you, we can now present the Empire with this magnificent tool of destruction.: They won't be very impressed once they realize the bomb is neutralized.: A clever bluff. Sergeant, but it won’t help you. : We'd better get a move on, boss. If we don't break atmo in the next few minutes, every gun in the sky will have a clear shot on us.: Time we were off. Colonel Vorr? Please give the sergeant the warrior’s death he deserves.  : You'll regret this, Tavus. I won't rest until I've taken you down.: It's been an honor serving with you, Sergeant. Goodbye. :loving idiot.  : You want to die so bad? Let's do this! : Huh, most people die when I shoot them that much.  : *cough* heh heh...Tavus...doesn't understand the Sith, does he? But you do. I know you will get stronger than he ever was by killing his team, by making hard choices...and the Republic will plot your downfall even as they give you medals and praise, like they did Tavus...*gasp* call you a war criminal and a murderer. But they'll protect you...as long as you never challenge their corruption and greed. The Empire though...it rewards such strength, with the right to govern. Sith don't bother with that...leave it to...soldiers like us..and if you use that, you can control...even...Sith..: ....: A waste of last words, pal. : ..this is a disaster. The soldiers are almost finished taking the base, so get here ASAP. Command is already sending someone over, so not a word to anyone over anything about this until they say otherwise. Out. -- : So. That happened.: Your boss dropped the ball with a level of passion most people reserve for success.: Can't blame him too much; I thought the traitors were going to go rogue , use the bomb on some Imperial hotspot the Republic is too cowardly to touch. Instead, he stabbed us in the back and didn't even have the decency to do it for a boatload of money.: Regardless, Jorgan's going to hang.: Hope I don't join him.: Heh.---  : Home sweet home, I guess. : With all due respect sir, how you can you do this?!? I- : Enough, Jorgan. This wasn't my choice, but a defection on this scale...someone has to swing, and this operation was yours. : What's going on here?: Your squad full of traitors just destroyed me, Sergeant. Command can't punish them, so they're burning me instead. : (and they're right; the writing was on the wall, and you just didn't want to see it.): You must be the last loyal member of Havoc. I'm general Vander, Republic Chief of Operations for Ord Mantell. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. On behalf of the Republic and the locals, I want to thank you for disabling the stolen ZR-57. Your heroic efforts prevented the worst-case scenario and saved countless lives. For your valiant service, I hereby promote you to lieutenant. Congratulations.: (Promoted for a failed op?) I'm honored.: As it's last member, the duty of rebuilding Havoc falls to you. : Why rebuild a squad of traitors? I was barely even it.: We have no choice, really: the war's about to start again, and this will be a massive blow to moral across the whole of the army. We need to make Havoc a symbol: as long as we have even one loyal soldier, we can rebuild to become better and stronger than ever. It won't be easy, but you won't be starting from zero either: Sergeant Jorgan here will be Havoc's first member.: Glad you have you aboard, Jorgan.: I'll take the Havoc patch and sergeant stripes if it means I get to grind them into Tavus' face before we kill him.: drat right!: This is the best I could do, Jorgan. You're a good man, and we need every good person now more than ever. I don't know what Tavus is planning, but he knows our inner workings and he could have left us any number of "presents" before he left. It'll be months, maybe years before we can double check everything he had access to, and that's time we don't have. You'll have to track them down, Lieutenant. I hope you're prepared. : I suggest you start at Coruscant: report immediately to SpecForce division's General Garza. She'll be handing you orders, and if anyone knows where Tavus might be heading, it's her.: Understood!: The shuttle is already waiting in the bay. You're Dismissed! : Sir!---  : That's right, I'm THIS HOT! CAN YOU TAKE THIS LEVEL OF HOTNESS?!? : He's...too...sexy...can't...resist! : Yeah babe, that's what I thought!  : Ah yeah, no hands and sideways baby!... : ..and that's basically how it happened. : ..I was WATCHING, Dasher, I KNOW that's not how it happened!  : So. Havoc Squad. Best of the best. Can‘t say I'm thrilled about the demotion, but it's an honor to be here. Sir.: I realize the circumstances weren't ideal, but I'm glad you're with us, Jorgan.: A spot in Havoc was the least they could do. Four years at the academy, seven years in the field, decorations, commendations.... Would've made captain soon if Command hadn't hung me out to dry.: We both know Tavus's defection wasn't your fault. (Of course, their escape WAS, given how weird Tavus was acting. Should have had eyes on him at least...): Tell that to the brass when they need a scapegoat. But hey, water under the bridge. Command put me in Havoc to help you find Tavus and I intend to do just that.I've hunted Imperials from one side of the galaxy to the next. Used to command the Deadeyes. Best sniper squad in the Republic.: I'm not familiar with that unit.: No? Maybe I'll tell you about them sometime...: Yeah. Let's get off this hellhole.
thetruegentleman fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Mar 5, 2020 |
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Mar 4, 2020 18:03
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The strongest people in the Empire are space wizards, dudes. You're just gonna die.
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Mar 4, 2020 18:35
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Doctor Reynolds posted:The strongest people in the Empire are space wizards, dudes. You're just gonna die. It's kinda funny. These guys actually think they're gonna be somebody.
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Mar 4, 2020 18:56
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wiegieman posted:It's kinda funny. These guys actually think they're gonna be somebody. A couple of them are aliens, too. The Empire, known for its egalitarian xenophilia.
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Mar 4, 2020 19:00
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If Tavus is lucky, he'll get a high-ranking military position and fight for a few years until a Sith murders him for fun. What a dipshit. There's a reason they did Bounty Hunter instead of an Imperial soldier class. 
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Mar 4, 2020 19:43
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Walrus Pete posted:There's a reason they did Bounty Hunter instead of an Imperial soldier class. Well, that and for a while in TOR's development there was planned to be a third faction for the Underworld that would have the Smuggler and Bounty Hunter classes, which got folded into the Republic and Empire respectively. I've heard there might have been a third pirate class planned during that phase to keep the factions with even class numbers but that got canned when Bioware dropped the Underworld faction. Underworld was one of two separate third factions Bioware toyed with putting in the game, the other being the Voss.
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Mar 4, 2020 20:18
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He isn't entirely wrong, at least in the sense that he fits Imperial culture better: Imperial soldiers are basically a higher caste then the civilians and the slaves, and while they're still below the Sith and the Sith's direct servants, high ranking soldiers can basically do whatever they want. What he doesn't get is how batshit crazy the Sith can really be, because no one seems to believe the Jedi when they try telling people why the Sith are bad news. "No, really, the Sith get married so they can feed off their own pain when they kill their spouse!" "Yeah, sounds like fake news to me." "Oh for Force' sake." This is entirely realistic, sadly.
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Mar 4, 2020 21:32
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| # ? Jun 8, 2024 09:25 |
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Reminds me of a story I read about a couple American merchant marine crewmen who were dissatisfied with their lot in life so they defected ... to the Khmer Rouge. It didn't go well for them.
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Mar 4, 2020 21:40
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