Chasing Skavak

[infinitest]

Scenic Manett Point... home of the Separatists, now that they took over, expelled or killed most people, and blew up the bridge; the only practical access to the island is flying.

Or a secret passage...

Viidu had a speeder drop Annabelle on the southeast shore, and from there she can swim across the canal and sneak towards the secret entrance Reki revealed.

Comments

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle makes her way carefully into the canal as the speeder heads off into the night.

Time to pray that the Seps didn't mine the canal, because the odds of her finding underwater mines in theses conditions before they get set off are slim.

[infinitest]

Maybe they did not; maybe she's just lucky; maybe the mines are not set to blow up a single human.

...anyway, she makes it across the canal without being blown to bits.

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle likes not being blown to bits! She likes it a lot.

She hauls herself up out of the water on the other side of the canal, dripping. The dampness is going to be unpleasant, but such is life.

Time to look around and see if there are any eyes looking in her direction before she makes her way to the secret passage.

[infinitest]

Nobody in sight... as long as she stays close to the cliffs, it should be safe.

Not too far ahead, she finds the fake junction box Reki described, and after opening it and entering the code, a slab of rock slides out most quietly, revealing a passage and stairs.

[aeons_crackshot]

So far, so good. Annabelle darts into the passage and takes the stairs. Hopefully, there won't be any ugly surprises at the end of them.

[infinitest]

Nothing but Reki's old house, still sealed tight from the inside.

Right, so... the Separatist headquarters should be down the street to the right once she goes out the front door.

[aeons_crackshot]

So, Reki told the truth! That makes for a nice change to her usual run of informants.

Annabelle sneaks out the front door and heads right.

[infinitest]

The street is mostly dark and empty but for a few battle droids standing guard at intersections; its a matter of keeping to the shadows, moving quick and quietly and using the stealth field generator to elude sensors completely, until she approaches the old Republic HQ.

The computer she needs to slice is somewhere inside.

[aeons_crackshot]

So far, so good. She glances at the building, looking for an unexpected way inside. They might not be thinking of someone climbing up and entering through, say, a second story window or the roof.

[infinitest]

Its a modular, prefabricated 'Republic settlement' building... it seems the best option is, strangely enough, the front door, unless she wants to go all the way around over two other buildings to reach a window.

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle is not THAT paranoid. Yet. Ahem.

The door is large and wide open. Annabelle's not sure she trusts this sudden turn in her luck, but other options haven't presented themselves. She enters and creeps down the hallway, checking the rooms on this floor before heading toward the elevator.

[infinitest]

One of the rooms was converted to barracks... most beds empty, some filled with sleeping separatists. Another seems to be a simple office/control room, with maps of the island on screens; likely from there they run the security of the perimeter, unaware of the secret passage Annabelle used.

Nice, the elevator has a helpful chart by the call buttons, she just needs to follow the blue strip painted on the floor (2nd floor down) to the Flight Control room.

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle approves of such handy labeling, as it makes breaking and entering so much easier!

Time to head down to the Flight Control room. She's betting there will actually be people down there.

[infinitest]

On the way, she goes past quiet mess halls, rec rooms, training rooms... and from that room there to the right, comes the distinctive sound of a low-power training blaster. "Hah, take that Republic Scum!" A youthful male voice...

[aeons_crackshot]

Hm. That could be the young man she's looking for. Annabelle creeps toward the room on the right, trying to get a good look at whoever's shooting.

[infinitest]

He looks leaner than in the holo, a bit taller, wiry... but a few months of paramilitary life will do that. Paul draws the blaster, shoots the reinforced training dummy, holsters the weapon again.

He's not bad.

[aeons_crackshot]

"Not bad, Paul," Annabelle says quietly. "Still wobbling a bit in the wrist, but that's to be expected."

[infinitest]

The teenager spins around, narrowing eyes. "Who are you? How you know my name?"

[aeons_crackshot]

"My name's Annabelle, and I know your name because your mother told it to me."

[infinitest]

"My... my mom?" He seems confused... there is something about his demeanor, something vague and unfocused. "What... what you mean?"

[aeons_crackshot]

"You were taken away when the Separatists took over the island," Annabelle explains quietly. "She asked me to find you."

[infinitest]

"Yeah, they... they said we had to stay, and fight to be free, and..." He pauses, like his mind blanked a bit. "What... why?"

[aeons_crackshot]

"Looks like they've got you on enough stims to dope a Ronto," Annabelle remarks with a frown.

"I'm betting that's why you're so confused right now."

Damn it, does she have anything on her that would help with this?

[infinitest]

"They... they said we had to fight, and they gave us... guns and... the stims." An expression of shock and horror spreading on his face. "Then... we were scared, and they gave us more stims, and... we we started shooting at the soldiers, and they shot back, and we got angry and we didn't have to think anymore, and..."

...stimmies, propaganda, and throwing them into battle. The Seps really know how to recruit and train scared teenagers.

[aeons_crackshot]

"Imperial brainwashing tactics," Annabelle growls. "Hypocrites."

If he doesn't resist, she'll put a comforting arm around him. "You don't have to, not anymore," she says, deadly serious. "I'm going to get you out of here, and then I'm going to make sure they don't do this to anybody anymore."

Preferably by application of lots of blaster bolts.