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Datunda, Nelona 14th, 12731

Ysalamiri

by Jedi Knight VN Ysadora

Datunda

14 Nelona

12731

Episode 3.07: Chapter 8: Choices of Heroes, Duel of the Fates

Everyone always stares into atmo as if waiting for someone else to think up a Brilliant Plan. I wish someone would! I think up some pretty dumb plans, which no one ever responds to with, "no way in Crom's Galaxy am I doing that, let's do this Brilliant Plan instead". Maybe Danar tries to get the people we're saving to do the bulk of the work of saving them, but all too often it turns out the reason they need us is because their plan is even dumber. Or if not dumber, more likely specifically to {get us killed / cause inhumane incidents / burn the Galaxy down / all of the preceding simultaneously}.

(Good to be needed, I guess?)

And then we sort of follow my dumb plan. At least, until someone on the team dumps the plan in favor of a newer, shinier, much more alluring dumb plan.

The thing is, when I'm looking at a hellstorm like "everyone in Ole Town Sector is struggling not to die of Evil Gas while trapped by Evil Forcefields, except for a bunch of Storm Commandos who are shooting anybody that tries to shut off the Evil Forcefield Generators", I've got to have a step forward. Got to. Can't stand there and wallow in despair.

That way lies nihilism.

Nihilism is The Dumbest Possible Plan. Any plan is better.

Okay then.

I have started getting faster about my response time, from "recognize hellstorm" to "start describing Dumb Plan and then ask everyone to suggest Better Plan, but don't let them take too long dithering about it". Key to my plan is usually thinking about what everyone in our team is best at doing, put them in the best situation to do it, leave 'em to their own tactics. Because most of these people are actually smarter than I am, once they get their brains moving.

We're going to have Danar go be a political/diplomatic thorn in everyone's side. Get him to the Kotera. Get him to Jem Vandos and/or Lord Solicitor Mollari. Danar tells me he cannot actually pilot a starship (what?!?) so Genog Druqod the Champion of the Gamesman's Arena will go with him. Genog can get through a lot of the bureacracy if he and Danar work as a team. On the way there, Genog will drop the rest of us off at our action points.

We're going to drop Cap'n Aerena 'Relentless' Kolene and Spukamas off near the landing strip for Corellian Sector. They're going to find a starfighter to get into, and start shooting anybody who deserves it.

We're going to drop So'Zen, Davish, and myself off at the edge of Ole Town Sector so we can put a stop to this whole forcefield-gas nonsense. Jedi bring Hope. That's what we're agonna do.

Kal Holst and Queen Sabine Tr'ielle are also going to pull a Captain America (to wit: jump out the back of a perfectly good starship) and they are going to focus on stealing control of the forcefield generator(s).

Those are not Stormtroopers. I don't know who or what is inside the Storm Commando armor down there, but they are not Troopers. Clone or otherwise.

First discard of Dumb Plan in favor of Shinier Dumb Plan: Spook and Aerena stole a BuShips patrol craft. They love it. They want to keep it. They're going to aim straight up out of atmo and send the signal straight to Dr. Tam. So'Zen already passed 'em the necessary data.

Still on plan:

I do believe there are ysalamiri somewhere around here.

I misremember them as eating crickets and frogs, because I Am Dumb. They eat tree.

But it's going to be fine. Find the ysalamiri, calm down the ysalamiri, use the Force cheerfully.

Public comms channels are full of people trying to get a signal out, trying to get help, trying to understand what is going on.

No problem.

Small problem:
So'Zen the Consular is too fully occupied
to be Mister Diplomat.

I do Chaplain Voice into the channel. We're here. Outside knows. Help is coming. Look around you, find one person to help, do that.

Hicks speaks up. He needs me there soonest. "Reavers," he says. Right, then: hope is coming his way as soon as I can. This is still The Plan.

Second discard of Dumb Plan in favor of Shinier Dumb Plan: Danar drew Fire Suppression to the starship that Genog is still piloting. Danar jumped onto one of those military swoops stolen from the Bloodsmiths, who stole 'em from the Adepta Sororitas. Danar launched himself across open atmo to get to the Kotera, abandoning Genog.

Still on plan:

So'Zen al Saba headed straight into action with the nearest Storm Commando. Smart moves. Smart approach. Davish has his back.

Kal Holst and Queen Tr'ielle are working their way into position from their initial touchdown spot. He's a fair shot.

I can't get a big enough cloud of dust and dirt flying up to crimp line of sight. Well, fierfek! I bet I can Ghostie Jinn my way through the forcefield itself though. Two lightsabers; no waiting.

"That went better than I wanted it to," I think I heard Davish say. Shortly afterward, people were mentioning "the tornado" like No Big Deal. Okay.

Kal reported to team that the generators have a "failsafe". He recommends:
Run!
— Kal Holst to everyone

Third discard of Dumb Plan in favor of Shinier Dumb Plan: Danar isn't trying to get to the Gamesman and the Lord Solicitor any more. He's going to do a solo run on assassinating Almon D'Joy.

Still on plan:

"Let's trade places," I hear Queen Tr'ielle say to So'Zen. Sounds like they have that "failsafe" problem resolved.

I see Hicks. He's trying to drag an unconscious person out of a nearby intersection. Reavers are coming in a pack. Too fast. Hopping like bunnies. Aw hell no! Pause notes here--

Fourth discard of Dumb Plan in favor of Shinier Dumb Plan: In the process of keeping hopped-up Reavers off Hicks as requested, I found out how many simultaneous opponents is too many on a day when I've already gotten thoroughly beaten up.

And in the middle of that, Aerena Kolene -- who dislikes all Jedi, but trusts me -- called on me for some emergency hope.

You bet!

The problem she described was of a lot of troubles -- I think I heard "buzzbots" included -- but the immediate one was that she needed a hot restart of the starfighter she was in. Up outside atmo.

I don't know how to do that.

You know who does know how to do that?

Pilots.

Hicks and Davish are pilots.

Not me.

Okay.

That thing I did yesterday (was it really yesterday?), that thing I learned from someone not-a-monk, that feels pretty closely related to Battle Meditation? Aerena trusts me. She said so. She has not, far as I have been told, changed her mind. Okay. This will work. No problem.

And then Hicks and Davish can tell her how to hotwire an emergency start in her ship before she falls too far.

(I just, uh, kind of lost the fight with the Reavers in the process. Hicks had to shove me into the nearest open building.)

Later:

Record up to date now?

Good.

I think I might lose that leg.

Pesky.

I'm crouched down in a building I don't know, with Hicks and someone who's completely unconscious. I have an extremely bad feeling about how Danar's mission to get help from the Kotera is going. I have a lightsaber blade hole in my leg.

My honeybunch is injured and still controlling that tornado. He's trying to get rid of the poison gas.

I think there are still jumped-up Reavers around here.

I wish to Crom that the Force had decided to send a competent Jedi into this problem. So'Zen is good at what he does. He should not be the heavy fighter on this team. Should be me.
I am so darned tired. I need an hour of meditation. I need stitches in my leg. I need a water shower, not a sonic.

I need one consecutive day of not hosing up.

Scratch all that:

I need a not-dumb plan, is what I need!

C'mon, Ysadora, you're supposed to be the practical type. Shake your fundament here.

Continue reading...

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Faultline
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Pumpkin Dinner
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Four against One? Okiedokie.
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Ysalamiri
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Intermezzo 3.07.8.5
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More and More and More Every Day
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Jawas in Spaaaaaace
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Ides of Nelona Client Progress Report
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Thin Darkness
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Intersections
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Zorphax
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Ghostie al Saba
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Escape Velocity
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chuck the faux Gamesman to the crowd
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Here to Rescue Somebody
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Pest Control
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No matter where you go
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There you are.
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Library Card
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Ysalamiri

Later:

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