IC - "Return to Hoth"

[swrider]

You are both right, we need to act now but we also need to be ready for an imperial presence. I still think a fly over is our best option for finding any survivors or enemies, if there are none we can investigate the base. If there are imperials they will see us as soon as we see them, I think a search pattern is still our best option with an option to flee quickly if needed. Were rendezvous locations on the planet established in the case of an attack? We could start by checking those locations, if they exist.

[swrider]

"I am going to head for the planet. Keep scanning for valuable cargo and other ships until the surface is in range of our sensors. If you want to take another course of action let me know but we need to get a move on."

[SavageBob]

"Roger that." Vesper turns back toward the computer. "I'll keep sensors on passive until we make the surface."

[DeepSpacer]

"Rendezvous locations were off-planet, but we're only known to the highest commanders.
Let's face it, once you're outside Echo Base, the chance of survival is about 725 to 1 unless you have some kind of fabricated shelter." mentions Kettel.

[SavageBob]

"It's still worth a look. We have no idea when this…" Vesper waves her hand at the debris through the viewport. "…happened. I think we should make sure there are no survivors.

[swrider]

Hell shoots a look over his shoulder "Never tell me the odds." he focuses his attention back on the piloting singing to himself. "A scanning we will go. A scanning we will go. High ho to Hoth below a scanning we will gooooo!."

[Boutrose Saba-Norr]

"As i'm sure you've noticed by now, i tend to lean towards the safer side of things and assume prepare for the worst possible situation, which as far as i'm seeing is a potential prisoner rescue versus imperial ground troops, or the need to covertly retrieve the rondeview position of the escapees while preventing imperial reconnaissance from doing the same. Would you agree?

Vesper gazes out at the white planet, so small and peaceful-looking from kilometers away. "I don't think caution's a luxury we can afford, Thino. If there are any survivors out there, they're on borrowed time. That planet's a tomb come local nightfall. If there's anyone to be rescued, we have to do it now.."

You are both right, we need to act now but we also need to be ready for an imperial presence. I still think a fly over is our best option for finding any survivors or enemies, if there are none we can investigate the base. If there are imperials they will see us as soon as we see them, I think a search pattern is still our best option with an option to flee quickly if needed. Were rendezvous locations on the planet established in the case of an attack? We could start by checking those locations, if they exist.

Thino was pensive for a moment, his arms crossed and his gaze downward in silent contemplation as he thought over the situation while the others set into motion. They were all so quick to act, an attitude that would have gotten him killed half a dozen times over by one corrupt original or crime lord or whatever back when he was still helping the less fortunate in a more direct fashion. But then again, Asside from Ronin’s rebel cell, he had not had been acting on his own for quite some time and had never been a part of a large group effort before, maybe quickness to action was what was needed.

In the end, I’m sure we will all learn something from one another.

“Helios, how good of a pilot are you? Could you drop us off at the base quickly and then carry on with your aerial search for survivors, because I’m thinking that we might need to split up.”

[swrider]

"Absolutely, I could do it with my hands tied behind my back. Of cource if i get swarmed by a flight of ties it might not be so easy coming back.

[Boutrose Saba-Norr]

"Alright then, that's good enough for me," Thino said and then stood up from his chair in order to face both Vesper and Kettle, "I have a proposition for the two of you that will make us all feel a bit better I think. We do need to look for survivors, Vesper is right, not simply because it is the moral thing to do but because we don't have the resources of the empire to be sacrificing lives so easily."

He paused for a moment, "but Kettle is also correct that we can not spend all of our time on what might not yield any result, and I would have to support him in that I believe there are more tactical moves we should be taking. For that reason I suggest we break into two teams, the first would stay on the ship and continue to look for survivors in and around the area of the base, which would also serve to provide us warning of any remaining imperial presence on the planet. The Second team would be dropped off at the Echo Base before Team 2 commenced its sweep so that we can recover tactical information, perform clean up, and ensure that there are no Imperial or Alliance strangers in the base.

Gesturing to Kettle, "I would suggest that you and I be on the Echo Base team, as you have the knowledge of the base and we can provide each other with backup. Vesper I would also like for you to be on the Echo Base team as well in case there are any injured personnel to be found, but for that reason you might also want to stay with the ship as there is an equal chance of finding survivors by the sweep team, and any found by Helios would likely be more severely injured due to the cold. The rest of the crew can go either way, though I would enjoy some more muscle to back the two of us up Captain, if you find my plan to be sound."

[DeepSpacer]

"I see your reasoning." replies Kettel. "However, if there ARE Imperials stationed at the base or TIE fighters nearby, neither group would be in a position to survive such an encounter at half-strength. It'd take ALL of us to hold off a squad of Stormtroopers, if they are there. We could easily be split up.....permanently."

"If anyone survived, they didn't get far from the base. And just like Thila Base a few months ago, the Imperials probably left some security measures behind."

[SavageBob]

"If we split up, we'll need someone to run the sensors on the ship while Helios flies." The doctor looks at the pilot. "How long do you expect a full sweep would take, Helios? I mean, could we presumably do the sweep before local nightfall and then check the base?"

[Boutrose Saba-Norr]

Thino found himself agreeing with Kettle, the man knew what he was talking about and he had the experience from a prior such situation to draw on. He wanted to support Vesper and Helios’s desire to search for survivors, but in this environment of unknowns he felt he needed to rely on the more seasoned rebels understanding of the situation.

And we are on a time limit, he thought to himself.

“very well, what would you suggest we do to move forward.”

[DeepSpacer]

“very well, what would you suggest we do to move forward.”

"Echo Base is quite small, relative to what can be scanned from the ship. It shouldn't take long. With this ship's limited scanners, we'll be visible from the ground when we scan. I reckon we'll know rather quickly if there are Imperials on the ground. That's a risky proposition. But at least we'd be there quickly."

"Another option is approaching from below scanner range, land nearby, and scout things out on foot. That's if we even assume that anyone is there scanning the skies for ships. That could be equally risky given the terrain and the weather."

"I figure the Imperials must be gone at least a day, or so. There's no Star Destroyer hovering above the planet. They must have done what they came to do, I think."

[swrider]

"As he said scanning the base wont be long. A sweap on the area will depend on how far out from the base we go and how many stopa we make along the way. If there are imps i suggest a rapid exit. Our best chance for that is abord this ship. I prefer to start with the ariel scan."

[SavageBob]

"Yeah, scan from the ship and risk being found by Imps, or land nearby and risk being caught in a snowstorm. I've seen enough frostbite on this ice ball, so I'd rather take my chances with the Imps."

[SavageBob]

As the ship makes the snowy surface, Vesper turns to the computer. "Scanning for lifeforms now. Captain, you mind looking, too?"

Spoiler:

Vesper Reshari; Uprising; Computers (scanning for life forms):
4 Successes, 1 Threat



1 boost from Kettel, 1 from the Piloting check.

[Boutrose Saba-Norr]

Thino looked over Vesper's shoulder as they performed the scan, "Could you also check for heat signatures and energy sources, just in case, i'd hate to be caught with my pants down out here."

[SavageBob]

Thino looked over Vesper's shoulder as they performed the scan, "Could you also check for heat signatures and energy sources, just in case, i'd hate to be caught with my pants down out here."

"Good idea. Computer should spit out the results of the life-form scan soon, but might as well do one more pass to look for energy signatures while we're up here."

Spoiler:

Vesper Reshari; Uprising; Computers (scanning for energy signatures):
2 Successes, 1 Advantage

[DeepSpacer]

Echo Base kb.JPG (58.4 KiB) Viewed 4078 times

[DeepSpacer]

Flying high above the surface of Hoth, one can see that a battle has taken place on the surface around Echo Base. The Energy Shield is no longer up, the Ion Cannon is disabled, and the Power generator is destroyed. Remnants of AT-AT's litter the flat plain approaching Echo Base. Minute energy readings are scattered around the location, likely coming from the power cells of the wrecked vehicles and guard stations. Readings are somewhat stronger from within the mountain of ice Echo Base is carved out of, if only obscured. It appears there are somewhat stronger energy readings near the Command and Medical Center, both of which are (picture-wise) "north". The energy signature loosely matching a space shuttle is within Landing Bay 7.

Lifeform readings are all but non-existent. Lifeform readings are coming from both the Medical Center area and Landing Bay 7. Altogether, no more than 20 separate lifeforms, landing bay 7 having what seems to be a single significant lifeform. A separate, non-human lifeform reading {...meaning}A separate, non-human lifeform reading of several lifeforms are coming from near the heavy transport landing zone near the south entrance, but outside of Echo Base towards another glacier.

[attachment=0]Echo Base Floorplan kb.JPG[/attachment]

[SavageBob]

"This is bad... Really bad." Vesper tears her eyes away from the transparisteel viewport and reads out the findings from the scans. "There's no telling if the lifeforms we're picking up are friendlies hiding out, or Imperials mopping up after whatever they did here. But we have to check. Is there somewhere to put this baby down so we can go in without being detected?"

[swrider]

Hell pilots the ships to a safe and slightly remote landing field to the south of the base.

[Boutrose Saba-Norr]

Thino rises from his seat in the co-pilot's chair and reaches to the side of the cockpit where he had been resting his gun picking it up and strapping it to his side before testing out the spring action of his vam-blade, "Well gent's we don't know what's going to be waiting for us out there, are we all prepared?"

[SavageBob]

Thino rises from his seat in the co-pilot's chair and reaches to the side of the cockpit where he had been resting his gun picking it up and strapping it to his side before testing out the spring action of his vam-blade, "Well gent's we don't know what's going to be waiting for us out there, are we all prepared?"

"Good idea." Vesper checks that her sidearm is on her hip and puts her shock gloves on. "We don't have much cold-weather gear on ship; we didn't want anything to tie us back to the base here. But I think we have some thermal cloaks. Best take one."

[swrider]

"Normally I'd be gungho to kill a bunch of imperials or rescue our friends, but this ship is our lifeline with out the base. Request permission to stay here. I can provide areal support, fly a recovery mission, or bail you out in a hurry from here. If we all go and get cut off from the ship though, we will die here."