(Star Wars d6) #21 - Alcazaar 4 - Flying Away From Trouble

Our "Heroes"

Ne'vets Aharo - an exotic animal broker, both legal and otherwise.  Teaming up with ally and friendly rival Abel Norrum for some exploration.
Evus - Twi'lek former mercenary, Ne'vets' armed muscle with a keen eye and a tendency to shoot first.
Tarrie - Human pilot "under contract" for the upcoming mission, whatever that is.  Brother of potential terrorist, rebel  Latorna Savvn.
Frokazza - Wookie co-pilot, mechanic, and unarmed muscle. Very distrustful.

Certainly Not Alone!

Discovering a different corporation 

Is on the planet Alacazzar,

The Surveying crew on The Big Game

Ponder how to guarantee the biggest payoff

While pushing off the most threat until

The very end of their expedition.

After getting the increase offer from the Lisani Corporation for eliminating their corporate competition, some of the expanded crew of The Big Game argued if they had the firepower to remove the squatting mining operations.  

The Big Game

For Ne'vets Aharo, he had contacts within Strell, business contacts from his exotic animal business, but none with the clout to stop things from transpiring, or with a friendly enough relationship to secretly warn them of their co-workers impending doom.

For Yast, Frokazza, and Tarrie, focus was turned away from attacks to the repairs on the crew and ATV-1. 

The  ATV-1 main gun became a mis-mash of power cells and coupled weapons.  The turret needed to be reconstructed from available parts and rewired through the vehicles air conditioning.  It could only turn in a 180-degree forward arc.

Yast was confidant of his impromtu repairs,  "It's either going to produce a heavy repeating blaster shot, or it's going to explode.  

Abel, down the hatch for a restock of Java, quickly interjected "Frokazza, welcome to your turret, we're claiming dibs on ATV-2."  

Scanning the planet in the area of the alleged second Strell compound, they found a much larger complex, obviously new since the original Lisani scouting probes.  It had an easily identified formal motor pool, aircraft hanger, reactor, and larger complex for workers.

But first there was the matter of the original directions of the mission.  Exploring the planet in general was enough for the initial promised payment, in case the one additional complex proved too much, or that there were multiple facilities hidden across the planet.   That was what corporate armies were for.

With that, The Big Game descended back down to the surface of the planet.  Keeping relatively low, they encountered large herds of shaggy water buffalo-like creatures, always moving east, away from the every-moving glacier on the other side of the planet.  

The mudlands were simply inhospitable, oversaturated with vast patches of mud.

Thawing glaciers on the far west of Winter on the planet.  Even with frigid temperatures, a few large heat signatures could be found on snow.  

Perhaps these snow sloths are perpetually hiding on the dark side of Alcazzar

The immense Oceans attracted the most attention from Aharo's team. The water along the coast was relatively calm, but the waves further out were impressive, thirty meters in otherwise calm weather.

"Just imagine what's below the water," Ne'vets said, amazed.  "If I can get a submarine I bet there would be fascinating items below."  Abel nodded approvingly.

The cursory trip around the planet netted no other human settlements, and no signs of sentient life on-planet. 

"Worst case we can sell the herd animal steaks, if they taste good, like the merchants over on Ovannis."

"I've been paid a lot more for a lot less... anyway, the Yazirian flying keeps him away from tinkering with the weapons systems, or the shields," Abel retorted. 

Coming back from their tour of the planet, two more blips come up in front of them.  Two more of the light planetary fighters streaked in.  Unused to armored ships with potential shields, the small crafts' lasers merely scorched the paint, and the mere threat of blaster fire from The Big Game scared them off.  That matter to  Yast and Tarrie, who conducted a half-dozen barrel rolls through a canyon to avoid weapons fire that couldn't affect the Small AV-9.  

Checking systems after the ineffective attack, Yast discovered a programmed ping coming from the nav computer.  The Big Game was transmitting its location for all to see and fairly low tech at that, for the last six hours.  As they scanned the planet from orbit, Ne'vets was trying to help, but his fumbling hands on the console must have set things up.  He was banished from the cockpit, and Yast took a more circuitous route at low altitude to get to a "safe location" on the planet.  

Hiding in the forest, with Yast using the gunnery computers to scan for giant bears, the groups developed a plan.

The Big Game, Yast flying and Tarrie working the guns, would drop off the 2 ATVs twenty minutes or so from the Strell Corp complex.  It would fly low and fast to get to the other side of the facility and conduct a strafing run, scramble the two planetary fighters and distract the other guards for the ATVs to roll in from the opposite direction.

The Big Game did come in for the strafing run with some success, damaging the hanger for the fighters but not destroying anything. Met with tremendous firepower from the concrete defense towers, it flew off and attempted a second strafing run, with minimal success.  Within two minutes, the fighters were scrambled and chasing an intentionally slow The Big Game.

Ne'vets was driving the lead vehicle, ATV-1, leading the vehicles. 

"I don't think I've ever seen Ne'vets drive before.," Abel remarked.  "He usually makes some lesser alien race his driver.  Driving Mr Ne'vets they'd call him behind his back."

Making good time through the woods, he noticed through the side mirror that Abel's vehicle mysteriously lifted up in the air. Seconds later, Ne'vets found his own ATV suspended in the air by some ropers, or perhaps heavy vines.  

Surrounding the elevated vehicles were dozens of primitive hairy humanoids, armed with spears. 

"Ringu-Ga!!!"  Ne'vets exclaimed in glee!

Next: #22 - The Compound Outside the Compound