[SoNE Ep XVII][Freebuild 1] Heroes and Villains

[LucasLaughing]

Location: Coruscant

This takes place immediately following my Episode XVI entry.  Part of this build was featured in my episode entry, so this is probably only eligible for partial xp...

  So … the rumors were true.

  Apparently.  This holoimage came to me this morning, from one of my deep cover agents within the rebellion.

  How long have the rebels had it?

  Not long, as far as we can tell.

  How long until they attack?

  Days; maybe less.  You’ll be shipping out after this briefing.

  So … our target is the rebel command ship?

  Not quite…

 

No, of course not.  With Grace, things are never that simple.

This is the same Ops Room that Grace and I met in a month ago, when I first came to Coruscant.

I’d come directly from Saleucami, with Tyria, two of Grace’s men and her droid.

Then:

A naval trooper offered to show Tyria to her quarters, but 2B said he’d been ordered to take me directly to the Ops Room.

   Courtesy requires me to warn you: if you attempt to draw any weapons in the presence of my mistress, I shall disarm you.

   In a very literal and permanent sense.

  Sergeant Kirana reporting for duty, ma’am.

  Sergeant Kirana, come in.  We’re nearly finished.

I follow 2B into the room as everyone turns back to their monitors. 

I’m a little thrown off balance.  The last time I saw Grace in person she was coming off an extended deep cover op, posing as a civilian.  She looked harmless – well, right up to the point where she stepped out of cover and killed a rebel gunner.

Still, in my mind, I’d been picturing her as an innocuous older woman, not the no-nonsense ISB officer currently commanding the room. 

It looks like they’re running a joint operation with the Navy – a rare thing these days, when it seems like each branch of the military is out for itself, fighting to secure funding and territory against their rivals.

The naval officer outranks her, but it’s obvious that Grace is in charge.  Everyone knows it – except for the naval man - which is no doubt why he’s here.

They wrap things up about 10 minutes later, and everyone slowly files out of the room, leaving only Grace and I.

  Tank Bait

  The Damsel in Distress.

  You look terrible.

  Yeah, well … it’s been a rough couple of weeks.

  Get used to it; it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I do have some good news – you’re not on any official ISB hit list.

  So … the Imp Cruiser that tried to shoot us down over Commenor?

  Gunning for Agent An, but once they saw you there, I think they decided to try and tie up loose ends.

  I got away, though.  Am I still a loose end that needs tying?

  Negative.  Turns out, the ISB Colonel who set you on Agent An’s trail was acting on his own.  I’m not sure why he wanted Agent An dead, but he frakked up. 

  He either didn’t realize, or didn’t care, that the Royal Guard was also looking for Goatm.  They didn’t want him dead, though.  They had other plans for him, poor bastard.

  Ok, so the mission against Agent An is a no-go.  Won't the Colonel still come after me?

  He’s dead, Kirana.  Along with his family, and most of his staff.  The Royal Guard does not screw around.

  Ah.  Roger that.  So … what now?

  Now, you work for me.

Work turned out to be more varied than I’d expected.  A few big, joint ops like the battle at Xizor’s palace, and plenty of the kind of ‘deniable’ jobs that I’d gotten used to with my old SpecOps squad. 

But, we also spent a surprising amount of time doing what seemed like public relations work.  Bringing medical supplies to an outer rim colony, evacuating refugees in the path of a planetary storm; we even trained a local security force that was having trouble with raiders.  I don’t know if the ‘hearts and minds’ jobs came from up the command chain, or if they were Grace’s own initiative, but one thing was clear: she was playing a long game.

Which brings us back to today.

Now:

  This is Lieutenant Thrace Jepson, currently assigned to DS2 as a Weapons Officer.  He needs a ride off the station, and you’re it.

  Um - we’re sort of overkill for a taxi mission, yeah?

  His father’s an admiral.  Loyal to the Empire, but worried that the battle station is going to become an unsafe work environment for his only son.  Probably soon.

  Can’t his buir get him transferred off?

  And look like he betting on a rebel victory?  Not a good career move.

  But getting an admiral in your debt would be a great career move for you.  I like it.

  I don’t know, ma’am.  Sneaking onto the battle station and helping an officer go AWOL seems like…

  … treason?

  Oh, that’s rich Kirana, especially coming from you.

  What’s that supposed to mean?

  Last month, when you thought ISB forces were trying to kill you, what did you do?  Did you turn yourself in, trusting in Imperial justice? 

  No, you called me to come save your shebs, and I had to call in more favors than I like to do it.  Why do you think those people owed me favors?  You think they get assigned randomly each month? 

  This is how the game is played, Kirana.  There are no heroes here.  No villains.  It’s all shades of gray, and everybody’s doing what they can to take care of their own people.

  Get your kit sorted – the shuttle lifts off in 20.  You'll get the details en route, but we're up against the clock.  The rebels are coming.

 

Spoiler

 

If you made it this far, thanks!  Full sized pics on my flickr; C & C always welcome!

Room overview:

Ceiling detail (built on a transparent baseplate):

 

 

[Cody Startale]

I'm getting all kinds of feelings by this, mainly positive ones :D Cool entry, I am glad that we get to see the control room in its entirety. Most impressive work with the detailed ceiling, and I didn't even know that transparent baseplates exist. *makes mental note to bl one later*

The photography is excellent as well. The ceiling lights really sell the scene. Great stuff. I've gotta give your entire story arc a complete read again some time.

[LucasLaughing]

On 11/23/2017 at 8:50 AM, Cody Startale said:

I'm getting all kinds of feelings by this, mainly positive ones :D Cool entry, I am glad that we get to see the control room in its entirety. Most impressive work with the detailed ceiling, and I didn't even know that transparent baseplates exist. *makes mental note to bl one later*

The photography is excellent as well. The ceiling lights really sell the scene. Great stuff. I've gotta give your entire story arc a complete read again some time.

Thanks Cody!  Yeah, the transparent baseplates are really useful - I've used them as ceilings a few different times.  They're 16x16 and only came in 3 sets, so they're a little pricey on BL ($5 USD for good condition used), but not too outrageous.

You can find links to all my SoNE builds in the 'About Me' section of my profile any time you have an hour or so you want to kill  

[MKJoshA]

I love all the different wall textures you achieved in the briefing room!

[Commander Beltar]

I really like how you keep the camera low, giving the shots at "eye level" for the minifigs, the presentation of it is just awesome. Can't wait to see what happens next!

[elementary]

The walls are just fantastic. I really like the mix of vertical and horizontal pieces. Great work!

[Evolved Turtle]

Fantastic use of that moonstone piece for the MC80 cruiser!

[Forresto]

Wow!

I need to go through and read the story but I flicked through the photos and the level of quality is outstanding! Highly engaging! Excellent work!

[Shadows of Nar Eurbrikka]

Judges have awarded you 4 XP!