GALACTIC LEGACY: A STAR WARS D6 RPG STORY - EPISODE 1: THE BEGINNING (PART 3)

GALACTIC LEGACY: A STAR WARS D6 RPG STORY - EPISODE 1: THE BEGINNING (PART 3) 

Mykar stopped abruptly and noticed the blonde pilot's eyes rolling over him like a child's marblestones rolling around in a sensor dish.   

"Uh...yeah.  Thanks.  I got mad skills...and a primo droid.  I'll keep it in mind.  So...if things take a dive to the polar end of a Gundark, are you folks gonna back us up?" Mykar visibly fidgeted.  He'd never been real strong with the ladies.

"So...you come here often...?"  He winces.  "Look...I gotta droid to work up and some slicing files to plot...so..."  Mykar managed to survive his own stammering without vaping himself.  He shoved his hands in his pockets and made for the Shady Lady.  

He grabbed his comlink...

"Fork...get us ready.  You know what to do.  Oh, Fork...see if you can find me some i.d. data on the squadron...and maybe some recepies..."  

R4-K17 'Fork' warbled a quick reply.  Mykar didn't have to read the letters on his translate-pad to pick up on the droid's teasing tone.  

"Shut up, Fork.  I am not.  Just get us primed."

With that Mykar shoved his hands deeper in his pocket and marched toward the Shady Lady.

Gunner Yage, Skull Leader, shook her head and smiled at the pilot. He was one to keep an eye on, especially if he was as good an operative as she’d heard. He and that Ewok were supposedly the best the Alliance had to offer. 

Agent Choe had no cakes, but he was certain that he could make do without them as he hurried off toward turbolift 14. If the communications center was like the rest of this ship, a requisitioned upgrade would go a long way, especially with his simple and easy request. Sith meddling in medical narcotics like Glitterstim and no one at the head office had noticied it in the manifests and purchase receipts??

Lieutenant commander Grracharrafa was clearly not impressed by anyone barging into her work center and interrupting things; especially a person who didn’t have the common courtesy to bring her a food gift. Choe may have gotten a warmer reception if he’d brought her the cakes. 

[How can I help you?] the Wookiee officer asked. 

“Commander,” Choe said. I need to send an information request to MedCom. It will be long distance communication but should only take a couple of minutes.” 

The Galactic Alliance officer noticed that Choe had pointedly not referred to his addressee as “Imperial MedCom”. She thought that maybe, even without a gift of cakes, this Human might not be a complete waste of space and time. 

[There’s a secure comm system terminal over there,] she rumbled, gesturing with a hairy arm. [Stay out of the way. If you need anything, ask Chief Antilles for help… try not to need anything.]
Choe nodded to the Wookiee and sat down in front of the indicated secure communications terminal. The Human chief petty officer kept an eye on him. Not close enough to be prying into his communication, but close enough that Choe knew he was being watched by a professional. As he hit the seat, the terminal came to life. 

<Welcome to the secure comm system, terminal 141587. Enter destination and message> 

Choe got down to business. The secure comm was good. Choe increased the security by attaching the scrambler from his pocket to his datapad and then plugging the datapad into terminal 141587. Before beginning an communication, he sent a test message to Freewater Central, routed through several alternate locations. The message he sent went out coded in Mandoa’a and, after bouncing through four relays made its destination in Jawanese: “Investments secure. Acquiring new.” Choe sat back for a few minutes, waiting for a reply.

The reply returned in Mandoa’a: “Understood. Maintain your dedication and vigilance.”
With the message secured and verified, Choe sent the next message to Medcom HQ. “FIA (Freewater Investment Agent) Choe to CFO Waslet. Request 10 minutes of your time.” Before hitting the ‘send’ command key, Choe selected translation into the Weequay language and routed through six relays before the destination. 

After a few minutes a terse reply was displayed for Choe’s eyes: “You’ve got ten minutes. Go.”
Choe typed in his next message: “Tracking lost shipments. Manufacturer for Glitterstim.”
“All ImpMedCom glitterstim is mined and processed by Contoso Ltd., a biotech firm headquartered on Corsucant.” 

Choe did his best not to express his dislike of ‘IMPERIAL’ MedCom through written comms. He did, however, send the following message.  “MedComm will cover all losses until Freewater can verify direct or indirect involvement in medical drug loss. Prepare necessary compensation through appropriate channels immediately.” Choe disconnected the datapad from the terminal, and the scrambler from the datapad. Storing the scrambler, he flipped the datapad over and undid the cover. Pulling the memory chip out he pocketed it in a secure envelope and inserted a new chip. Putting everything back together he left the datapad and headed back toward the briefing room. As he left the comm center, he noticied Chief Antilles minutely inspecting the datapad and terminal. 

Jhok and Mykar watched from the Shady Lady as Rogue Squadron’s Crossfires and Skull Squadron’s Predators were loaded aboard the improvised carrier. The technical crews were loaded aboard shuttles for the trip to the carrier. Each squadron, Galactic Alliance and Imperial, kept to itself. The crews did not mingle, didn’t speak, didn’t even acknowledge each other. The two observers wondered if there would ever be any trust between these two groups of elite warriors. 

MEANWHILE, ON CORSUCANT… 

Lott and Tikkit worked together during their short access window to the Sith Archives. The data they pulled was interesting, if not enlightening. They were able to slice more of the system than the Jedi Masters had, but the encryption was masterful, and they’d need weeks to get into the deeper levels. Someone else had been accessing the deep levels of the system without authorization. Tikkit was able to discover that files on Darth Plagueis, Nuvo Vindi, Vul Isen, Darth Krayt’s Sith Trooper program, and on several medical and pharmacological topics. Whoever had been rooting around in the system seemed to have a very strong interest in the interface between biochemistry, medical technology, and the Force. The Darth Plagueis files that had been accessed were preliminary research on influencing in-utero Force development. The Nuvo Vindi files referenced the use of viruses as vectors for genetic engineering. The Vul Isen files were research into the psychological aspects of Force sensitivity. The drug files were simply the data sheets on each medicine, the same kind of thing that might be publically accessible from their manufacturers. With more time, the duo could possibly have found more information, but the Masters were quick to terminate the pair’s access when their period was up. Tikkit pulled the data card holding the information they had accessed, and prepared to return to the Alliance to confer with the team.