# STAR WARS - Dawn of Defiance



## Nebulous

Adventure #1: The Traitor’s Gambit

*PART 1: Zel Nonn Station*

*INTRODUCTION*

We have five characters in this campaign:  Tomla the Ithorian Jedi; Nahee the Duros Scout; Thanatos the Chiss Soldier; Nep'tuk the Sulustan Scoundrel; and A'ath a Zabrak Scoundrel. We gave the Chiss human stats / feats and it worked out fine. 






The setting is 10 years after _Revenge of the Sith_, and the Jedi have been mostly eradicated from the galaxy.  The Ithorian Tomla was a padawan on Coruscant during the Scourge of Palpatine, but he was able to escape.  Since then, he traveled on an Ithorian herd ship for a number of years before settling on the peaceful world of Brentaal.  There, Tomla continued his lightsaber training in secrecy, but was recently spotted by Imperial sympathizers. 






Afraid of being captured and executed, Tomla and some of his friends left the surface aboard a shuttle to go hide on Zel Nonn station, hopefully to find passage to another part of the galaxy, and a safe place where Imperial intelligence does not pry.  But it seems that Imperial patrols have increased on the space station, and there is a garrison of armed soldiers here at all times now.  They are not chasing Tomla (he doesn't think so anyway), so they must be here for another reason. 

And from there, we had to establish some background character details.






On Zel Nonn station, the Zabrak Scoundrel A'ath is a permanent resident.  He has been involved with the shady underside of the outpost, although he avoids the gangs.  He has survived by working in various cargo bays and by gambling. He had made acquaintances with Tomla the Jedi and his Chiss companion, the soldier Thanatos, and together all of them have agreed to leave Zel Nonn and the Empire far behind them. 

Somehow. 

As for Thanatos the Chiss, he hails from a distant part of another galaxy. He is a very rare alien in the Core Worlds (or the Outer Rim for that matter).  With deep blue skin and haunting red eyes, he draws uncomfortable stares from humans who view him as "demonic.”  Thanatos initially left his home searching for a missing sister, but has met with failure at so many turns that he has all but given up.  Instead, his grief has been replaced with smoldering hatred, and this ire has been silently directed toward the growing military machine of the Empire whose human-centric policies are becoming increasingly anti-alien. 

The Sulustan Scoundrel and the Duros Scout have also thrown in their chips with the Jedi, and this group realizes that they will attract nothing but trouble the longer they linger near Imperial outposts. The planetary security force on Zel Nonn Station doesn’t mind them, but Imperial officers always sneer when they walk by. 

Fortunately, not long ago a stranger approached A'ath, the Zabrak scoundrel who lives on the station. (This was not roleplayed, but was described as happening within a few short hours).






The stranger was a tall, red-haired human who introduced herself as "Maya."  She spoke only to A'ath, but indicated that she could use help acquiring some sensitive cargo, and since A'ath was already a dockworker, perhaps he could assist her, but it needed to be done quietly and discreetly.   This woman Maya said that it would be worth money to whomever helped, and she might even be able to get them off the space station, if they so desired, free of charge.  Maya did not offer much more information than that, and actually seemed cryptic and rushed.  Nevertheless, A'ath agreed to meet her at Gundark's Cantina with his friends, and from there she would explain how to acquire the cargo. 

...and that's where the adventure actually started: in GUNDARK'S CANTINA. 

[GM Note: I played the Opening Crawl that someone on wizards.com had posted before segueing into the first encounter.]






Bith musicians fill the cantina with their customary brand of entertainment.  Gundark's Cantina is an alien-friendly bar, located adjacent to a droid shop and several other small franchises.  It is also located above the Promenade, a place the heroes have already learned is NOT alien-friendly.  Patrols are known to harass non-humans passing through here, so most aliens take alternate side passages to Gundark's Cantina. The Promenade is a wide, open mezzanine with four spurting water fountains, imported trees from various worlds, and a few gift shops.  The ceiling is domed and offers a clear view of space, although Brentaal is not visible from here. 






The PC's have been waiting for this woman Maya to arrive, but she is late.  Nep'tuk the Sullustan and Nahee the Duros sit at the bay window looking down over the Promenade, sipping their drinks.  Thanatos, Tomla, and A'ath are seated at the bar, being served by a cantankerous Wookie who sloshes beverages all over the counter and growls menacingly at anyone who complains about it.  






Someone bumps into Thanantos the Chiss, and he turns around to see a gawking white-haired alien behind him. 

"Pla-shuke-too-loo," it says.  

Another alien (a different species) at his side translates:  "He says he doesn't like you. And neither do I..." 

The Chiss soldier sizes these guys up.  They look like thugs out to cause trouble, maybe just drunk and itching for a brawl.  But that's the last thing he wants right now.  Thanatos turns around and ignores them.  Chuckling, the pair leaves and finds a table, pointing and laughing at the Chiss soldier, which angers him more than he wants to admit. 

At the bay window, Nahee and Nep'tuk have been watching people cross the Promenade, but they both notice two humans in civilian clothes who have been loitering here for nearly half and hour.  Occasionally, they speak into comlinks at their collar.  It is obvious that they are looking for someone; they haven't stopped scanning yet, but they aren't paying attention to anyone in the cantina (which is not only far away, but also on a higher level)

About fifteen minutes later than when she was supposed to arrive, the human woman Maya stumbles into the Promenade. She falls to her knees, clutching her abdomen, but the two humans in civilian clothes instantly move toward her, hold-out blaster pistols appearing in their hands. 

"Hey, that's her!" says A'ath, who also sees Maya enter the Promenade. 

Both humans instantly open fire on her, a blaster shot catching Maya in the shoulder.  She spins and falls, but simultaneously pulls out her own gun and returns shots.  The heroes run for the door, except for Tomla, who uses his Force sense to tell if aiding this woman is beneficial.  He senses a definite "Yes." 

Maya drops one of her attackers, but she is severely wounded, and can only manage to crawl forward.  The other human civilian pops off a few more shots, but they all fail to connect.  He leaps for cover behind a tree.  Everyone is outside of the cantina by now and has rushed to the glass railing.  Wide steps on either side wrap down twenty feet to the floor below.  They are all reluctant to just start shooting for no reason.  They don't have much incentive to help this woman Maya except that she's their meal ticket, and has offered them a way off Zel Nonn Station.  At this point they don't even know what her "cargo" is. 

Tomla uses the Force to slam a flower vase into the back of the human's head.  He staggers from the impact, but is alive--until Nep-tuk rips through his chest with blaster bolts and flings him into a wall. Maya has crawled behind a tree, barely able to move, and everyone else in the Promenade ran away once the shooting started.  She is alone down there.  Thanatos jumps the railing, lands on a statue, and hops to the floor, racing up to help her.  The Jedi runs down a set of stairs, A'ath flanks on the other side, while Nep'tuk the Sullustan scoundrel and Nahee the Duros scout stay on the top level. 

But Thanatos has no sooner reached Maya and given her a dose from a medkit ("V-14," she mumbles. "Find...Sw...Switch...") when the blast doors hiss open and three stormtroopers surge into the Promenade. 

"Halt! Stay away from the woman.  She's under arrest in the name of the Empire!" 

“Set blasters on full!” says another.






Now the characters are really in a quandary; do they open fire in active defiance of the Empire, or let them take Maya prisoner?  Maya grabs the soldier's shirt: "Save me!" she hisses. It would be a short adventure if they let the troopers capture Maya, so they embrace the former option.  A chain-reaction of readied-shots explodes across the battle board as two troopers attempt to stun Thanatos. Blaster shots warble across the room in a crossfire of red heat. The Ithorian Jedi force chokes the nearest stormtrooper and tosses his corpse into a fountain. Thantatos brings his carbine blaster up and rattles off a few shots at the trooper nearest to him, and within a few rounds, the stormtroopers are all dead with little damage done to the heroes. 

[GM Note: This encounter took a surprisingly long time while we tried to figure out all the new rules, so the above is a highly condensed summary]. 

"We must leave," says Maya.  "They'll send reinforcements. Come, follow me."

They grab a couple blaster carbines from the stormtroopers, and everyone runs back up the steps, past the cantina where curious patrons have pressed themselves to the bay window to watch the battle below. The aliens who harassed Thanatos earlier are quick to look the other way when the soldier trots by.  "Yeah, and I don't like you either!" Thanatos shouts at them, and they don't argue back.  The group of six quickly heads to a sublevel of the space station and lock themselves into a machine room.  Maya is still wounded and needs medical attention, but her deal remains the same: help her find the cargo and she’ll make sure they get paid.


----------



## Nebulous

Adventure #1:  The Traitor's Gambit

*PART 2:  Gangstas

*The "cargo" is actually for Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, a man who is known to be vocally opposed to the Empire.  Maya doesn't know what or where the cargo is, but she knows who does: a protocol droid located in cargo bay V-14.  His name is Switch.  Switch arranged for this cargo to arrive on Zel Nonn Station.  They need to find Switch, find out where the cargo is, retrieve it, and then contact Maya on her comlink.  From there, she'll arrange transport to get them all off the space station. She knows a pilot that she can call, but all she can tell them is that his name is “Arno.”

Naturally, they all want to know what the "cargo" is, how much, how heavy, how valuable, but Maya doesn't have the answers.  But she can promise them is that Senator Organa will reward them if they can get the cargo to Alderaan.  And she warns them that this action will place them directly in the path of the Empire.  This cargo is something that they don't want to leave the station, and Maya is afraid they'll find it before the heroes do. 

A'ath, the Zabrak scoundrel, who lives on Zel Nonn, knows where V-14 is.  He also knows that this part of the station is dilapidated and underused, and maintenance crews haven't been there in over a year. It is also rumored to house a criminal organization that utilizes Gamorrean guards.  There is a thermal conduit that runs through the whole station at this level, which is highly radioactive at the bottom of the shaft. Maya wishes them good luck and tells them to contact her as soon as they have obtained the cargo.   A'ath leads the way deeper into the sublevels of the station, and they soon find themselves winding across ruined areas of floor.  Coolant leaks from pipes and trickles into puddles, and steam hisses from ruptured vents.  Blaster bolts have scored the walls in many places as if violent gunfights recently erupted here. 






Before long, they turn a corner labeled with a sign "V-14" and see at the end of a long corridor two Gamorrean guards wielding vibro-axes.  They snort and snuffle, and say something in their native tongue. Only the Duros scout Nahee speaks a few words of their language:  "What you want?" it said.






A'ath and Tomla step forward while the others hang back, just in case the guards are hostile.  A'ath simply asks if they can see Switch, and convinces the guards to open the door.  They stand aside, the blast door hisses open, and they wave everyone inside.  They instantly see a large cargo area beyond, and hear the faint humming of electricity.  Their footsteps echo in this large chamber.  A blue glow emanates from the back of the room where power couplings jut up from a deep pit, but in front of this pit is an exquisitely crafted table. Standing behind the table is a protocol droid with red photoreceptors.  At his side is an R-4 droid.






"GREETINGS!  MY NAME IS SWITCH.  HOW MAY I BE OF SERVICE?"

A’ath acts as spokesman, and tells Switch that they are here at the behest of a human woman named Maya, and that they are to pick up some cargo. 

“AH, MAYA.  YES.  FIRST, WOULD YOU CARE FOR BOTHAN ALE?  I HEAR IT IS QUITE EXQUISITE.”

A’ath agrees, and a chilled bottle of ale rises from the dome of the servo-droid.  Switch goes on to tell them that, yes, he has the cargo, or more exactly, he knows where the cargo can be obtained.  However, in exchange for the information, he requires the small fee of 1000 credits.

Well, the PC’s don’t really have that much money, and are dismayed that he wants payment for something that is not even his.  That’s a gangster for you. Furthermore, they see several cronies lurking in the shadows, obviously some of Switch’s muscle.  Switch quickly surmises that they cannot afford his finder’s fee, and makes another offer: if one or more of them agree to be informants, he will lower the price by 200 credits a piece.  In exchange, he wants information trickled to him from wherever they find out across the galaxy. After some haggling, and trading in the blaster carbines taken from the troopers, they are able to negotiate a reasonable price.  

A’ath and Nep’tuk are willing to be Switch’s informants; if they hear any tantalizing or valuable information, they’ll relate it back to him, but Nep’tuk is pretty much set on reneging on that deal.  What’s Switch going to do, chase him across the galaxy? 

Switch says that the cargo can be found in the Imperial Docking Bay, located off of the Blue Deck, which is reserved solely for officers and loyalists.  The cargo specifically is a human frozen in carbonite.

That doesn’t sound too good to the PC’s. 

For another 100 credits, Switch offers to tell them more about this “mysterious” cargo.  They haggle the price down to 50 credits, which are swiped off a credit stick by Switch’s droid.  The person frozen in carbonite has been sent from the Deep Core after spying on Imperial activity.  All trade lanes to the core have been shut off except for specialized personnel and wealthy nobles.  This agent, who works for Senator Bail Organa, has obtained some information that the Empire wants kept secret. 

Mulling this information over, the PC’s think they have just about everything they need from Switch, although they don’t trust him by a long shot.  And if this droid is a gangster worth his salt, he probably doesn’t trust these guys either. 

Suddenly, blaster shots are heard, followed by the squeal of dying Gamorrean guards.  The door opens, and a large Chevin charges in, a handful of armed thugs at his side, including a large Yuzzem, and the alien from the cantina who didn’t like Thanatos. 










“NOT GOOD,” says Switch. “GANGA-LOR, WHAT DO YOU WANT?” 

“Switch!” bellows the Chevin in Basic. “You’ve been tromping on my turf long enough, and I’m sick of it!  Boys, turn him into scrap heap!  His friends too!”

The PC’s don’t really like getting lumped in as “friends” of Switch, but they don’t like blasters fired at them either. Switch ducks behind the table, A’ath finds cover behind a column, but Tomla the Jedi powers up his Damage Reduction and leaps toward the enemies!  He hasn’t revealed his lightsaber yet, and doesn’t want Switch knowing that a Jedi is on the space station.  Five thugs fire blaster pistols at Tomla, but he is able to shrug away most of the damage.  Getting close enough, he unleashes a Force Slam that crushes three of them into the wall, killing them.  The Yuzzem is stunned and knocked down, but alive.   Ganga-Lor dives for cover in an adjacent room, popping out for shots.

“Muster 1-2-3!” the Chevin shouts.  “Muster! Muster!”

And then Switch’s bodyguards turn the tables, and start firing on their boss! A ruffian raises his blaster to A’ath’s head, but A’ath smacks the muzzle away, deflecting the beam to the ceiling.  Energy bolts crackle across the room, ripping holes in walls and paneling.  A’ath has a bad streak of luck and misses most of his shots, but for what it’s worth, the thugs don’t shoot so well either.  Nep’tuk the Sullustan dives behind the table with Switch and his droid and demands a renegotiation by saying:

“Well, I got some new information, Switch – you’re about to die!  I’m cutting us a new deal!”

Switch needs help if he’s going to live through this attack, and the droid can see the logic behind the offer.  Switch agrees to pay them a sum back if they can repel Ganga-Lor and his gang.   That’s what Nep’tuk wanted to hear, and he pops up, rattling off a hail of blaster shots that drops one of Switch’s former allies. 






Within six rounds of the surprise attack, all of the enemies are dead except Ganga-Lor. The Chevin is not injured at all, but the Jedi is creeping up on him.  Ganga-Lor finally surrenders, and throws his gun away. He is cuffed and handed over to Switch, and Switch promises everyone that he will find a good home for Ganga-Lor in the spice mines of Kessel.  His droid electronically credits everyone the sum agreed to for helping save Switch, and the protocol droid reminds A’ath and Nep’tuk that they are still on his payroll.  If they find any juicy, possibly profitable information, they need to contact him on a discreet channel.    In fact, Switch wants to hire them all as his new personal bodyguards, but they kindly decline the offer.

This information is uploaded to their datapad, and with that they bid goodbye to the gangster. All in all, things went very well, and the PC’s were hardly hurt at all. 

Their next goal:  find a way to (and through?) the Imperial-controlled Blue Deck to the docking bay, where an agent of Senator Bail Organa is frozen in carbonite, with secrets worth dying for frozen with him…

[GM Note:  we could have kept going, but this felt like a pretty good stopping point].


----------



## Nebulous

Adventure #2: Escape from Zel Nonn Station

After dealing with the gangster droid Switch and defeating Ganga Lor and his goons, the PCs next objective is clean cut:  cross the Imperial Deck and acquire the Alderaanian agent frozen in carbonite.  But this isn’t easy to do.  For one thing, the group consists of all aliens, and they will have to pass through the Blue Deck to reach the docking bay.   Secondly, they think they might be wanted suspects from the firefight in the Promenade that dropped a handful of Imperial soldiers.

This problem instigates a lengthy discussion as they try to determine the best way to infiltrate the area without getting caught. The scoundrel sullustan Nep’tuk tries to hack into the computer network, but accessing coded Imperial information is too difficult, and carries the penalty of setting off an alarm.  He does manage to download schematics of the area though.  They even manage to bring up employee registers and job offers, thinking that maybe they can sneak into the Blue Deck as kitchen personnel or maintenance crews, but to their dismay, the Imperial deck hires only humans at this point in time (in the future, they will bend the rules allowing for non-humans in their service once the Rebellion reaches full swing). 

The plan they finally agree on is to let the zabrak A’ath disguise himself as a human as well as he can (a big floppy hat helps from a distance).  He alone accesses the Blue Deck, easily bypassing a stormtrooper guard, and scouts the interior.  The Blue Deck is immaculate, clean, and buzzing with activity, filled by predominately human officers and human nobles, although a few alien species are seen quickly flitting across the lounge areas.  






A’ath spots a greasy man he recognizes from somewhere, but just can’t place the face.






A’ath sits down next to him at a bar, studying the guy from the corner of his eye while the other sips a tall burbling blue drink.  Eventually, the man gets up and leaves.  A’ath also watches the two turbo-lifts to the Docking Bay, but does not see anyone access them.  Bolstering his courage, A’ath takes a gamble and steps onto the lift and hits the “UP” button.

Seconds later the door hisses open and he catches a quick glimpse of a large cargo bay, and hears the whining repulsors on a bulky repuslor sled; but a stormtrooper immediately outside the door says, “HEY!  You’re not authorized here!”






Apologizing profusely, A’ath steps back into the lift, mumbling something about looking for the restroom, and plunges back down to the Blue Deck. 

In the meantime, Thanatos, Nahee, Tomla and Nep’tuk wait on a lower deck for A’ath to return.  They’re on their way back to their quarters when they spot a squad of six stormtroopers rapidly trotting down the hall.  This seems unusual that they would be in such a hurry, so they follow them, keeping back as far as they can.  The troopers are conducting a door to door search, and the PCs suspect that they are searching for the agent Maya, and possibly even the party themselves after the violent Promenade shootout with nearly a dozen witnesses. 

Worried now, they contact Maya on her private com-channel and give her an update.   She says that yes, they are probably looking for her, so she will be hiding just outside the station with her contact, Captain Arno, aboard his Baudo-class yacht, the _Banshee_.  She says it’s a fast ship, and if the PCs can access the Docking Bay, find the carbonite agent, then she and the Banshee will swoop into the bay and pick them all up. 

Signing off, they agree not to make contact with her again until the last minute, afraid that the com-channels might be monitored by Imperials.  Unlikely, but a risk they don’t want to take.  A’ath returns with his surveillance and tells them the Docking Bay had several cranes, a Lambda-class shuttle, at least one stormtrooper and a repulsor sled. 

The shuttle interests the Duros pilot, Nahee.  He can drive it, and they think that stealing the shuttle and jetting away to Alderaan on their own, without Maya or the Banshee, might be the best bet.  They can deliver the cargo to Senator Bail Organa without her.  They keep this plan in mind while they figure out exactly how to access the Docking Bay without crossing the Blue Deck.  Nahee knows that the shuttle has a hyperdrive, but the Banshee has a faster hyperdrive and a weapons array for defense.  Maybe a combined escape strategy would work, with the larger vessel covering their backs. 

Nep’tuk pulls up more station schematics on the computer and pores over them.  Aha!  A ventilation system worms through the station and accesses the Docking Bay.  It will be a tight squeeze, and pop them out twenty feet off the floor, but they’ll be able to sneak in.  Nahee, Tomla and Nep’tuk decide to shimmy through the cold ventilation shaft while Thanatos and A’ath disguise themselves as humans and cross the Blue Deck.  For everyone else, the thought of walking across the Imperial Deck as a group is just begging for trouble. 

They set their plan into motion, and an hour later three of them are crammed into the shaft, while Thanatos and A’ath hover at the bottom of the turbolift in the Blue Deck, waiting for the word to move.   In the shaft, the grate is locked, but the Jedi Tomla uses the Force to unscrew the bolts and gently move the grid out into the air.   Nahee is first up, and he sees two stormtroopers guarding a personnel turbolift and a cargo lift, two troopers flanking an Imperial shuttle, a black-clad officer giving orders from behind a computer terminal, and a bulky turbosled maneuvering inside a storage room.  All of their attention seems to be on the opposite side of the room from where the PCs are hiding, and then they see what the sled is dragging out:

A frozen block of carbonite!  The Imperials are doing all the hard work for the PCs it seems.  











Nahee attaches a grappling hook to the edge of the shaft and drops a rope.  Shimmying down, he is quiet enough to be undetected by the nearby guards.  He finds cover behind the shuttle.  Tomla drops down next, but he makes too much noise, and the head of the nearest stormtrooper jerks around. 

“HEY! You!  Set blasters on full!” 

Initiative rolls, and Nep’tuk the Sullustan is still crammed in the ventilation shaft up top.  He immediately contacts Thanatos and A’ath waiting down below.  “Come up!  NOW!”

Blaster fire rips toward Nahee and Tomla, and they exchange shots, dropping one of the troopers.  But then the sled engages them and drops a net over Tomla.  The Jedi struggles to throw it off while Nahee retreats to the back of the shuttle again, popping off shots at the troopers by the turbolift.  A last minute decision by the Jedi to NOT activate his Damage Reduction proves to be a mistake.  Two of the troopers advance, painfully nailing Tomla with blaster bolts past his Threshold level and drop him to the floor. A Force Point keeps him alive, but unconscious. 

Thanatos and A’ath have meanwhile reached the top of the elevator and engage the officer and troopers.  The repulsorsled wields nasty firepower though, and starts riddling their position with autofire, scoring hot streaks across the metal.  They try firing back and aiming for just the driver (they want to keep that vehicle in one piece!).  The officer is finally shot down, and the sled whines toward them at top speed, negating all cover bonuses they had, and fires point blank into the lift!  Low rolls save them, and both Thanatos and A’ath leap onto the sides of the vehicle and unload both barrels into the driver, killing him. 

For the entire combat, Nep’tuk the Sullustan has been up in the vent, popping off shots with the intention of killing someone, but unfortunately missing every time.   Soon, the enemies are all dead, but a klaxon alarm has started ringing, filling the entire station with its ominous warning.  Reinforcements will arrive within minutes.  

They quickly push the carbonite block out into the open and call for Maya to arrive.  She says that Captain Arno and the Banshee will be there in just two minutes, so hang on.  They anxiously wait, wondering if the turbolifts can be jammed somehow, and sure enough, just as the Banshee swings through the atmosphere shield, the orange indicator lights on the lifts are flashing.  Company is on the way.

“GET ABOARD!” blares a voice over a intercom system.  The Banshee sets down, a door opens and a ramp extends, and a scraggly bearded human runs down the ramp, a blaster pistol in his hand.  “Get on now, fellas! Hurry!  We got trouble coming!” 






The turbolifts hiss open and a squad of troopers enter, a hail of red blaster bolts raining down on them.  A’ath drives the turbosled up the ramp to the Banshee, and within seconds everyone is safe onboard.  The Banshee rises up and swooshes out of the docking bay, leaving the stormtroopers rushing up behind, but to no avail.  They can’t fire through the atmosphere shield any easier than the Banshee can fire back at them.  Rather than worry about pursuit or further revenge, the Banshee engages the hyperdrive coordinates already prepared, and they blast into the swirling cone of star-stretched hyperspace. 

Their rescuer introduces himself as Captain Arno Silvermine, smuggler and businessman, and no friend of the Empire, that’s for sure.  He also introduces them to "CRASH" his droid co-pilot.

"Oh...who have you picked up NOW, Arno?" the voice drones.  "This will be bad, i just KNOW it..."







[GM Note: the droid was modeled after Marvin from the Hitchhikers Guide movie]

Maya thanks them for helping so much, and reassures them that once they arrive at Alderaan, Senator Organa will reimburse them for their efforts. Meanwhile, during the 1-day it will take to arrive, Captain Arno invites them to all rest and make themselves at home. 

They do so, and not long afterward, while A’ath is inspecting the kitchen area, he is shocked to find a clawed bulbous thing launch at him from the shadows! It clambers up his body toward his head. 

“Oh, don’t worry about her,” says Arno.  “That’s just Luci.  Picked her up on a fringe world a while back.  Don’t worry, she don’t bite, I had her defanged.  She might gum you a bit, though.”  He picks her off A’ath’s head, and the zabrak isn’t sorry to see the thing go.  






By the next day they swoop down into the beautiful vistas of Alderaan, and planetary defenses accept their landing code.  They set down and are quickly taken to meet the Senator.  Maya has already insisted that they should leave the agent frozen in carbonite and let Organa’s people deal with thawing him out. 






A short while later they find themselves in a luxurious waiting area.  The door opens and the well known Senator strides in.  He thanks them for their assistance on Zel Nonn station, says that his agent Maya vouches wholeheartedly for them.  If interested, he would like to interest them in another matter, one where many innocent lives are potentially at stake. 






Unable to ignore the threatening Plot Hook, they hear out his offer. 

Apparently, an Imperial Officer named Varth has decided to defect from the Empire, and for some months now has been feeding Senator Organa highly prized information regarding secret projects.  Recently, Varth disappeared, but Organa has found out his location:  the jungle mushroom world of Felucia, where there is a small Imperial outpost. He has been taken here, but dead for alive, he doesn’t know.   Organa offers to pay the group 2000 credits apiece if they can find and rescue Varth, or at least find out if he is dead.  Organa will also supply them with basic medical needs and survival supplies, and Captain Arno will once again act as their pilot aboard the Banshee, and co-piloted by the pessimistic droid Crash.

The group agrees to the offer, and begin making their plans at once, wondering just how difficult it will be to breach this supposedly “small” outpost on a distant world…

GAME TIME: About 2 ½ hours

GM Note:  Readers of the Masks of Nyarlathotep story hour might recognize Arnold Silvermine...he died in Cairo at the hands of some unpleasant ghouls...


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## Nebulous

Adventure #3: Arrival at Felucia

*Part 1: Mandrake*


Senator Bail Organa has given the heroes a new mission, and after their exemplary deeds on the space station, he feels they are suitable for the task. 

Admiral Varth is an Imperial officer who has been feeding Organa highly sensitive information, and now that he has disappeared, Organa fears it is only a matter of time before his execution.  Varth has been taken to a jungle world called Felucia, a place thriving with life-forms of all sizes and varieties. There is a small Imperial prison facility here, which is the equivalent of a small town cell, not a maximum security prison.  So Organa has been told, anyway. Once again, Captain Arno Silvermine and The Banshee will act as their transport.

A’ath the Zabrak asks Organa if they can tell Varth anything specific that will convince Varth that they (the PC’s) are genuinely from the Senator.  Organa ponders this for a moment, and then says, “Yes, ask him about Project Crusher.  See what he says.”  

But for Varth, anyone offering to rescue him is going to be an unexpected surprise, and he’s unlikely to refuse the offer!  Still, they don’t even know if he is alive, but Organa says he will pay them regardless. 

They also ask Organa if they can have a protocol droid to help them with translations, and Captain Arno speaks up: “Well, I got Crash my co-pilot right here.  He’d make a great translator!”

Crash sighs.  “Ohhh. I KNEW this would happen.”  He sullenly hangs his head. 






With their plans made, they’re soon aboard the Banshee and spiraling through hyperspace.  They eventually drop down through the clouds and behold a massive world covered by thick, lush jungles of exotic flora and fauna.  Mushrooms tower hundreds of feet into the sky and cover the ground under perpetual twilight. 






“They got long range radar,” says Arno as he gently maneuvers the Baudo-class yacht through the atmosphere. “I’ll have to drop you outside, and let you hike in.  Estimated six-hour walk in this terrain.   Watch yourselves down there.  And don’t play with the animals!”

Blast doors hiss open and the group steps into the warm, humid Felucian jungle.  Insects buzz around them, and everywhere they hear the croak and rustle of living things, their cries echoing eerily through the shadowed canopy.  The coordinates have been fed into their datapad, so they set off on a generally westward direction.  

Nahee the Duros has the best Survival skill, so with Thanatos the Chiss helping him, they try to make multiple checks to navigate the group safely the terrain.  Most checks are passed…but some aren’t, and they stumble across a few of Felucia’s natural hazards.  Thanatos slips into a pool of weak acid, his boots hissing, and soon after he bumps into a mushroom that blows a cloud of poisonous spores into his face.  But the hazards are minimal, and they eventually find themselves crossing a flat area of marshland. A thick haze hangs over the area, and small islands of drier material jut up from the water.  They try to slosh toward them. 

Just then, when partway across this marsh, Tomla and Nahee spot an immobile humanoid figure through the hazy mist.  It seems to be raised off the ground.  They have a hard time actually seeing what it is, but Tomla uses his Force Sense to gaze through the mist—

It is an Imperial scout trooper crucified on a pole, but he can’t tell if it’s just an effigy or a real man.  Using the Force again, Tomla discerns that there is Danger associated with this scout trooper.  He is able to rip the pole from the ground from a distance, and slowly maneuver it toward him, but the body on the pole is dislodged and splashes into the marsh. 

A few seconds later and after multiple failed Perception checks, A’ath feels pressure behind his eyes that erupts into sudden, agonizing pain!  He staggers, clutching his head, and then Tomla, Thanatos and Nahee also feel the pressure, but it does not cause damage.  They see movement in the mist, so Tomla flings the pole he was levitating, but it fails to connect with anything.  They then hear footsteps splashing through the water, and a strange figure leaps at them through the mist!






It is manlike, but seemingly made from wet vines.  It carries a spear, and it makes a beeline for the Jedi.  Tomla powers up his Damage Reduction and advances, but Thanatos blasts a hole through the attacker’s chest.  But there are more coming, and soon Tomla is flanked by two more of the vine-men, but their spears fail to penetrate his protection. 






Red blaster bolts light up the hazy air, dropping more attackers, and just as Thanatos is bracing for another kill, they all hear something slapping through the water toward them at high speed, and then a man’s voice says:

“SHTOP!  SHTOP! There’s been a terrible mishtake!”






A man who looks and sounds exactly like Sean Connery from the beginning of The Rock rushes up on the back of a two-legged steed that appears to be a hybrid ostridge/lizard. 

[GM Note: i had a mini of a drow clawfoot rider to use, but couldn't find the damn thing]

He begs both sides of the conflict to stop fighting, but the PCs are not willing to holster their guns so easily.  The old man approaches the vine people, and speaking to them fluently in their native tongue, he convinces them to lower their spears. 

He introduces himself as Commander Vazus Mandrake, an old Separatist soldier from the Clone Wars.  His unit on Felucia was completely wiped out, and the only survivors besides him were the kybucks that they were transporting here.  The original ostridge / lizards were each named after the dead members of his platoon.

Mandrake is very curious as to what they’re doing on Felucia.  He can tell at glance that they are well armed, and relatively uninjured, so they didn’t crash land.  A’ath keeps the story short but simple and explains that they’re looking for a friend captured by the Imperials.  This news interests Mandrake enormously. 

They ask him how long has he been on Felucia, but he’s not exactly sure.  It has been at least ten years, and now he calls this world home and has no desire to leave.  He lives with the native Felucians in their village.  Repeatedly, Mandrake apologizes for the rash behavior of the young warriors.  There is an Imperial outpost nearby he says, and there have been several violent conflicts between them.  They didn’t know who the strangers were and should not have attacked. 

Tomla asks about the pressure they felt right before the attack, and Mandrake explains that some, if not all of the Felucians are sensitive to the Force.  It was a Force power.

As they walk through the jungle, Mandrake continues talking more and more excitedly.  He knows of the prison facility the PCs are looking for, and in the past he actually wanted to destroy it himself.   But that was long ago, and in the intervening years his passions have cooled.  He leads a simple life here now and prefers it that way.  A’ath asks if there is any message he would like delivered off-world, but he says no, everyone thinks he is dead, and he prefers it to stay that way.  They should tell no one they saw him.


----------



## Nebulous

Adventure #3: Arrival at Felucia

*Part 2:  The Chase*






Some time later they arrive at the outskirts of the Felucian village.  It consists of crude huts nestled among giant mushrooms. Small campfires dot the ground, and soon dozens and dozens of curious felucians have surrounded the newcomers. Mandrake begins speaking to the natives, explaining who the guests are, and soon everyone is seated around a fire.  Mandrake would like to help them retrieve their friend from the prison facility.  He suspects that that are at least a dozen storm troopers there, maybe some a few officers, and he knows that they even have heavy support from an AT-ST. 

The prison facility is known locally as “The Vanishing Place.”  Some felucians who go near it never return, although Mandrake says that one prisoner did manage to escape once through a small vent.  He thinks that perhaps the group can sneak back inside via the same route.  This sounds good to the party because they were thinking about a frontal assault, maybe using the felucians as a distraction, but the felucians don’t really want to get involved any more than necessary.  If they interfere too much, the Empire might just send more reinforcements to completely annihilate them. 

But Mandrake has another trick up his sleeve, one the Empire would never suspect to blame on the Felucians. He gets up and returns with a box.  “Open it.”  They do, and see a cylindrical mechanical device inside.  “Know what that is?  A bomb.  A big bomb.  Big enough to bring that whole facility to the ground, if it’s planted in the right place.  I planned to use it once myself, but as I’ve said, I’m not the same man I used to be.  But YOU can do it.  Take it.”

They thank Mandrake for the device and accept it.  The crowd parts then, and Mandrake says that the chieftain / shaman of the village will want to meet them. A’ath asks if there are any tips or social niceties to abide by, and Mandrake says to just make it VERY clear that they hate the Empire!  An extremely old Felucian appears, his vines scarred and gray.  Crash acts as translator for the Chieftain, (“I KNEW I would have to do this eventually,” he moans), who expresses interest in why they are here on this world.  






The PCs are honest, and the Chieftain is pleased with their answers.   However, Tomla hears strange whispers in his mind when the Chief is near him, and even after he has moved away, Tomla senses something else in a hut nearby.  There are creatures in terrible pain inside, and he can feel their anguish through the Force.  Using Crash, he asks the Chieftain what is in that hut.  His viney features wrinkle up in a grave scowl.  The Chieftain points to the hut, and the crowd parts to allow Tomla a clear path.






Inside, he sees a dozen sick and dying Felucian children, their bodies ravaged by some oily black residue. Through Crash, the Chieftain explains that that the Imperials have seeded parts of the jungle with a sickness that they cannot cure.  The children sometimes stumble across it, and the effects are almost always fatal.  The Imperials are testing foul poisons in the bowels of the facility, and the substances are being deliberately tested on the innocent.

Furthermore, he says that he senses great pain emanating from the facility, felucian pain.  Many of those kidnapped are still alive.   The PCs promise that they will rescue them if possible, and the Chieftain nods.  He opens his mouth to say something else, but Tomla and Nahee hear a sound in the distance that is distinctly unnatural in this simple village.  It’s a speeder bike kicking into gear!

“There!” shouts Mandrake.  “A scout trooper found us! Get him! He’ll report back!”   

Mandrake leaps onto the back of his trusty kybuck, and jabs a finger at the holding pen for the others.  “They’re as fast as a speeder, and trained for riders.  Get on! We have to catch him!”

Adhering to the age old tenet of “Why Not?” the PCs straddle the big birds, and immediately tear off into the jungle behind Mandrake.  As promised, the kybucks are incredibly fast.  The jungle blurs by in a whirlwind of green and brown blotches.  The kybucks are extremely sure-footed and scamper through the lush undergrowth. 

DC 10 Ride checks are rolled every round as they advance from zone to zone.  The scout trooper is far ahead, but Thanatos gets close enough to pop off some shots.  Nahee has trouble with his mount though and is dislodged into an area of shallow, muddy water.  The others bound ahead as well, and Tomla gets close enough to Force push the trooper into a mushroom tree.  The bike explodes into a bloom of flame, but even as they all catch up, Thantaos spots a SECOND scout on a bike about twenty yards away!  He speeds off, and the chase begins anew.

[GM Note: I completely forgot that Mandrake was leading this little race, so I just said he got thrown off somewhere; yes, even after his many years of riding expertise!]

Thantaos, A’ath and Tomla reach a junction: there is a huge hollow tree, and there is a gap in the foliage.  They don’t know which way the trooper went, so they split up. Thanatos bounding through the foliage, and he sees the trooper in the distance weaving back and forth through the undergrowth. The trooper zips across a clearing, but just as Thanatos reaches the middle, the ground erupts into a geyser of dirt, roots and vegetation, raining debris down on top of him!

A HUGE, gnarled hand swipes at the kybuck, but it deftly leaps away, and Thanatos throws back a terrified glance at an enormous rancor crawling out from a concealed pit. 






Up ahead, Thanatos spots the speeder bike again, so he starts popping off more shots, but doesn’t manage to destroy it. 

Back in the tunnel, Tomla the Jedi hits a low hanging root and is knocked off his mount.  Dazed, he rolls around in pain while the kybuck patiently waits.  A’ath sprints ahead, jets out of the hollow tree, and nearly has heart attack when the towering rancor swipes at him. He’s nicked, but plunges across the clearing and into the dense foliage.  

Nahee finally reaches the junction, but he hears the monstrous roar from the rancor not far away.  His kybuck dashes ahead, and bounds in a circle around the floundering rancor, which is an old, slow beast on its last legs. 

The speeder bike meanwhile goes down into a shallow valley, but when Thanatos reaches the crest, he pulls up sharply and stops.  

There is a communications center nestled at the bottom, a twirling com-array on top.  Four stormtroopers guard the facility, and he sees an additional trooper on another scout bike, for a total of two now. Cursing under his breath, Thanatos takes a few shots at the dish, hoping to destroy it before they are able to radio ahead to the prison facility. 
















The stormtroopers are startled, but the ones on the speeder bikes are quick to engage the party. Blaster bolts hiss toward the group, and they finds themselves ducking out of the way.   But a hit from speeder bike inflicts 4d10 damage, and a direct blast sends Nahee spiraling toward death.  A Force Point keeps him alive, but he’s unconscious and down the rest of the fight.  

The Jedi pulls out the stops, rolls very high for his Force Slam, and DESTROYS the com center! Really, he just wipes the goddamn thing off the map.  One trooper is thrown through a circuit board and he bursts into flames.  Another is tossed through the dish, shattering it.  Another is slammed into a rock wall, and the fourth is killed by a gonk droid projectile at high speed.  A mushroom then collapses on top of the smoldering remains of the dish, burying it.

After seeing that, the two scout troopers back off from close range and start pattering the group with laser fire.  Thanatos is very, very lucky, and is missed three times in a row, even when the trooper gets brave and closes the distance.  






Still on his kybuck, A’ath sprints after one of the troopers, and Tomla Force throws a burning stormtrooper corpse at the speeder bike. It does no damage, but gets lodged on the back. As a last resort, (with his bag of tricks and FP’s nearly depleted) Tomla tricks the trooper into believing that he is on fire!  He leaps on the bike and dashes into the woods, with A’ath in hot pursuit. 

Tomla tries to start the abandoned bike, but rolls poorly and doesn’t know how to operate it.  Thanatos is still having a hard time with the remaining trooper, and finally gets hit.  HARD.  He’s dropped down to 3 hit points and one step on the Condition Track, but his next shot explodes the speeder bike.    A’ath catches up to the fleeing trooper and plants plasma in the back of his helmet, killing him. 

[GM Note: This turned out to be a very tough fight that might have ended very poorly if the Jedi hadn’t been there to help].

Nursing their wounds, they pick themselves up and prepare to head back, just as Mandrake arrives on the scene.  “Ok!  I’m here! What happened?”   They decide to return to the Felucian village and recover.  They want to rest longer, but are afraid that that the Imperials will find the destroyed Com Center and call for help.  They’ll speak with Mandrake and the Chief about what they should do and decide from there.

Next adventure:  The Rescue, and the conclusion of the first chapter in Dawn of Defiance.   Everyone levels up to 2 before next time.  

GAME TIME:  About 2 ½ hours.

EDIT:  After quite a few more games now, EVERY fight would be bad without the Jedi.


----------



## Nebulous

*Adventure #4: The Rescue*

*Part 1: The Prison*


[GM Note: We spent some time getting everyone to 2nd level.  One player had some concerns about his Jedi being TOO powerful now with Skill Focus: Use the Force, for a +14 bonus.  I let him do it anyway, and if it seems broken we’ll deal with it later. For what it’s worth, he does seem like the most dangerous character in the group, and we even joked about letting him handle the rescue alone]. 

After riding their kybucks back from the destroyed Com-Station, the heroes are greeted at the village by anxious Felucians.  They are quickly surrounded, and the weathered and worn chief limps up to them.  






Vazus Mandrake explains what happened, how the Imperials were killed before they could send a warning to the prison facility.  The Chief nods at this news, and it is quickly decided that the heroes must press the advantage and infiltrate the facility before the Imperials discover the attack.  

Vazus explains that certain chemicals in the natural flora hinder communication signals, which can cause at least a minute delay in sending or receiving messages.  Any lack of response from the Com-Station will be attributed to this, or a power outage, but eventually they’ll send scouts to investigate.  The group needs to act NOW, get inside the prison through the vent, find their “friend” Admiral Varth, plant Mandrake’s bomb in the Command Center, and get the hell out. 

In addition, their friend Captain Arno Silvermine of the Banshee can pick them up, but they’ll need time to patch through a transmission, and then wait for him to arrive.  Alternatively, maybe the group can flee into the jungle and arrange a pickup elsewhere. It just depends on what happens.

But the Duros pilot Nahee and the Chiss soldier Thanatos are both injured from the battle.  Speeder bikes nearly killed them, and they don’t have time to sufficiently rest now to regain their strength.  They opt to wait in the village.

[GM Note:  We were actually down 2 players this session but pressed on anyway. I usually try not to use characters if the players aren’t there to run them]. 

To their surprise, Vazus Mandrake hops off his kybuck [I found the mini finally, too late], 






cracks his knuckles, and says, “I’m going with you.  You’ll need help.  You should know that I’ve not touched a weapon in over a decade, and it’s about time.  I’ve a shcore to settle with the Empire.”  [said with my admittedly poor Connery impersonation]






The group is pleased to hear this, and they really need the extra firepower.  Mandrake straps on some battered, blaster-scarred Mandalorian armor which he has not worn since his crash on Felucia.  He also has a few spare stun and frag grenades which he offers to share with the group, but they tell Mandrake he probably knows how to use them better.

[GM Note:  I pulled Mandrake’s stats from a CL 4 template, taking into account his age, lack of practice, and injuries that never healed properly.  I didn’t want him to overshadow the PCs]. 

The group doesn’t take long to gather their gear and supplies.  The felucian chief offers them a guide, a prisoner who escaped from the prison a few years ago. He will show the group the ventilation grid through which he wriggled. A’ath the zabrak carries the bomb in a backpack, and Crash the co-pilot is asked to come along as well, in case they need his assistance somehow.

“Oh, I’m going to die, I just know it,” he wails, and sullenly rolls through the underbrush after them.

An hour later, after trudging through a wet jungle of clinging vines, stagnant water and arching mushrooms, the group hunkers down and peers at the Imperial Prison facility through the foliage.






Two stormtroopers guard an immense blast door.  To their left, an opaque window conceals the bulk of an E-Web blaster’s turret, with full field of fire on anyone approaching.  Near their hiding spot are several unmanned speeder bikes.  Off in the distance, they hear the whine of a repulsor engine fading away, and wonder if a scout has already been dispatched to investigate the Com-Station.  Time might be shorter than they hoped. 

Nep’Tuk the sullustan has a brave idea though – if the Jedi Tomla can distract the guards, Nep’Tuk might be able to disable the three speeder bikes, and hamper any pursuit later on. Tomla positions himself out of sight, and begins tossing small rocks against the compound, around the corner from the troopers.  One of them goes to investigate but sees nothing, but Tomla rhythmically continues the pattern, until both guards ready their guns and approach.  Nep’Tuk wriggles through the undergrowth immediately and uses his Mechanics skill on the nearest bike, trying to sabotage it, but in such a way that it can be repaired later if needed.  

Unfortunately, Nep’Tuk botches his roll and THINKS he disabled it, but in fact did not.  He gives the others thumbs up, and moves to the next bike. 






Tomla keeps tossing rocks with the Force, being very discreet, and the troopers start to get annoyed. But the ploy works well, and Nep’Tuk manages to disable the third bike.  One of the troopers gets dangerously close to him, and by a slim margin, Nep’Tuk wins an opposed Stealth vs. Perception check.   Crash is shaking the whole time, his rotomotors whirring with nervousness. 

“Nothing, this sector is clear,” says one of troopers, and they resume their positions at the blast door. 

[GM Note: I don’t know where I found it, but there were a ton of stormtrooper voice clips online that work really, really well.]

With the speeder bikes disabled, the group circumvents the blast door and turret gun, approaching the grate, but on the way they hear a VERY loud methodical crunching of metal feet and see the top of an AT-ST walker behind the prison facility.  The vehicle is moving away, and soon the footsteps fade into the jungle.  Their guide whispers to Vazus, who points to the grate.  There it is, on the corner.  It leads down to the sub-level, where he was imprisoned. You’ll have to get it off somehow.”











Tomla volunteers, trots up to the wall carefully, and peeks around to where the AT-ST exited.  It is gone, and there’s no one else behind the facility.  He ignites his saber and cuts away the grate. Nep’Tuk runs up to help while the others keep watch.  The guards at the front haven’t noticed anything. Tomla squeezes into the grate and finds a cool metal tunnel that drops down almost immediately.  He nods to Nep’Tuk, and the ithorian Jedi descends.  The walls are cold, and he feels a distinct dark ripple in the force, of old voices in pain and suffering that have impregnated the facility. 

Soon, after crawling through painfully tight shafts, he finds another grate leading down into a hallway.  He quietly uses his comlink and tells the others.  With no vegetation between themselves and the facility, they decide to leave Crash up top hidden with the felucian guide, so that he can warn them if anything catastrophically awful happens in the absence.  Crash isn’t sure if this is a good plan or a terrible one.


----------



## Nebulous

Adventure #4:  The Rescue

*Part 2:  Mutations*


The heroes scamper into the ventilation shaft one at a time, replacing the grate behind them.  Tomla listens carefully, hears nothing, and finally cuts away the last grate and looks down, using his long neck to swivel his gaze around like a reverse periscope.  

The hallway is quiet and empty, all dark gray somber metal.  After a short discussion among themselves, they try to jump down ten feet to the floor.  The Jedi isn’t so quiet though, and bangs his knee to the floor, grunting in pain. Vazus is the last down, and they all assess their environment.  A long corridor stretches ahead, and A’ath the zabrak spots what looks like a turbolift at one end.  Around the corner next to them is another L-junction.  They proceed toward the small turbo-lift and find that it is locked down with a code cylinder. 






[GM Note: The sublevel floor tiles are from the DOOM boardgame, supplemented by SW Galaxy Tiles; I like the former even better, actually.  They lock together too].

Nep’Tuk considers hacking into the network to stop anyone from using the turbolift, but realizes that failure will activate the alarms, and he doesn’t trust himself messing around with hostile Imperial AI.  Not yet anyway.  Nep’Tuck thinks back, remembering the layout of the surface structure, and their path so far.  It is a reasonable assumption that the E-Web blaster and the front of the facility are above them, which also houses the command center.

They see a door ahead, and after some careful scouting, A’ath finds a wide room with a big turbolift, two doors, and a passage leading out.  They have several options now.  There is another control panel for this lift, but once again, it needs a code-cylinder to operate.  They are surrounded by a deep, throbbing thrum, as if there were some kind of mechanical machinery humming behind the walls.   They decide to investigate the nearest door, and see from the green function light that the entrance is unlocked.  They stand two to each side, armed, and A’ath waves his hand over the panel.  The door SWISSHES open, and peeking in, he immediately sees two peculiar droids standing in front of a shimmering blue force field. 

Their heads instantly rise, regarding them with singular flashing red photoreceptors. 

“STATE YOUR BUSINESS!  STATE YOUR BUSINESS!” they drone in unison.

“Who’s there?” says a human voice from around a corner. 

The group answers with a hail of blaster fire, but they only manage to nick the robots. The Warden Droids launch into motion, arms raised that sputter blue sparks from the tips. Both droids pour out of the entryway and attack Tomla and A’ath, trying to stun them.  A guard positions himself inside the room, and aiming past the Warden Droid, rips a blaster bolt into Vazus Mandrake for a bad critical hit.  The Commander staggers, is knocked down the Condition Track, but stays on his feet. 






The battle is fast and heated, but soon the trooper is down, and one of the warden droids explodes into a hot pile of twisted slag. But a second human guard is the chamber, and Tomla bodily tosses the remaining Warden Droid into him with the Force.  Both slam into the wall, but it doesn’t do significant damage, and soon the warden droid is back in the fight while the guard closes the door.   But the closed door can’t keep them out for long, and soon enough Tomla has clear line of sight to the wounded guard, and takes him down with a Force-Thrown chunk of dismembered Warden Droid.  The last guard crumples, and A’ath sprints to the force field.  

Just beyond are four humans who have come to see the commotion, one of whom is dressed in tattered Imperial officer clothes:  Admiral Varth!   They’ve seen an older holovid pic of him, and he is the same man, although his face is swollen with cuts and bruises now, and his clothing ripped.  











“Who are you?” Varth asks through the force field, his voice muffled.  A’ath disengages the field and steps through.

“We’re to save you.”

“From…from…Organa?” he whispers, looking around.  “He…sent you?”

“No time for this,” says Nep’Tuk, and they pull Varth and the other prisoners along with them. The group quickly discusses their options.  No alarms are sounding yet, and the exterior hall is still quiet.  The doors are thick and have masked their battle. 

“We have allies up top,” they tell Varth.  They show Varth and the other three political prisoners how to climb through the shaft, and radio ahead to Crash telling him that the target is coming up.  They’ll need to wait in the underbrush until they return or contact them.  Varth thanks them sincerely, clamping a hand on Tomla’s shoulder, and with a stern nod, he crawls up into the shaft and wriggles away into darkness. 

There is more of the sublevel to explore, so they return to the large turbolift room and the second door.  They still can’t access the command center without a code cylinder, and no one in the prison area carried one.  Using the same tactic as last time, they gather around the door, armed and ready, and A’ath swipes his hand over the motion sensor.  The door swishes open.

“Put your hands up and don’t move!” he shouts.

Immediately beyond is a tall, bald man wearing a research gown.  Completely shocked, he stands at a computer terminal, a datapad in hand.  Behind him are two large percolating pink bacta tanks, a medical droid quietly working beside it. 






“Who are you?” he mutters, and then points his hand across the room to an unseen ally.  “You!  Stop these intruders!”

A’ath doesn’t appreciate disobedience, and unloads on the scientist.  He is launched into a terminal, screeching, a smoking hole in his chest, and then A’ath obliterates the docile medical droid, sending metal limbs exploding across the room.  Tomla jumps inside, lightsaber ignited, and sees two mutated felucians shambling toward him.  They looking similar to their friends in the village, but their vines are darker, and one forearm has been hacked away at the elbow, the bones fused into a wicked-looking scythe.  The creatures are swinging their arms back and forth, but Tomla Force Throws them into the wall. They’re knocked prone, but back on their feet fast, vaulting over a terminal and about to hack into the party, but Nep’Tuk lays one low with a hole burned through its face.  It crumples, dead, and Tomla pulls down one of the pink bacta tanks atop the other, momentarily pinning it.   Liquid splashes out, pooling around their feet, but by the time the felucian manages to struggle out, it is at the mercy of their blaster pistols, and soon killed. 






In all the commotion no one noticed the third bacta tank on the opposite side of the room, and when they turn around, they collectively gasp.











[GM Note: I found the first picture months ago, but last minute built a quickie bacta tank which looked even better, so I used both]. 

A creature floats within the greenish murk, tubes connecting to the machine.  It is a felucian of some kind, but much larger.  They’re not sure if it is alive, but it does not move.   The group quickly searches the room and finds several items of interest:  a data pad on the scientists reveals details about experiments being conducted on the felucians.  It is hundreds of pages, notes and formulas and control groups, too much to pore over, so they take it for later reference.  They also find a cabinet with 10 stimulant injectors, and corresponding instructions as to their use.    The experimental stimulant can help them with physical recuperation, but with the side effect of temporary weakness while their body heals.   They take all they can find, and leave the rest of the unknown chemicals to burn once they set off the bomb.

One passage to go.

It turns a corner to an unlocked door, and after the success of their past two barge-n-blasts, they do it again.

“Hands up and freeze!” orders A’ath with practiced ease.  A stunned Imperial officer is inside what looks like a communications room.  Power conduits jut floor to ceiling, and three bewildered techs look up from their consoles.   The officer makes a show of surrendering, as do the techs, but it’s just a bluff.  His pistol whips out, and plasma blasts [blasma?] rip across the room.  The officer is hit, but alive, and Vazus jumps into the room, firing at the techs.  One is killed instantly and slumps over his terminal.  The second starts madly tapping the keyboard, opening an emergency com-channel, and shouts, “SEND REINFORCEMENTS!” while the third one jumps from his chair and finds cover around the corner, popping off shots at Vazus. 






Smoke fills the small room, but soon the officer is shot down, clutching his stomach, and collapses.  The technician at the terminal is blasted from his chair, and the surviving enemy is ordered to surrender if he knows what’s good for him.  He does so, tossing his gun away.  The party advances, but that’s when they hear a voice on the com-channel.

“What’s happening down there?  Report! NOW!”

They order the tech to sit and tell them that it was just a false alarm, a prisoner was thought to have escape.  No problems, it’s all good. How are you? The tech responds coolly enough, throwing worried glances to the zabrak holding a gun to his head, but the com-channel clicks off.

No response.  That’s not good. 

And unfortunately, that’s where we had to stop after a late start.  It was actually an action-packed session, not as far as I wanted to get, there’s still a whole encounter left, a bomb, and some other assorted trouble before we finish Chapter 1 off, but we’re almost there.

Next time, Escape from Felucia, if possible, and find out exactly what Admiral Varth knows about the Empire’s secrets in Chapter 2 of Dawn of Defiance…







GAME TIME:  About 2.5 hours.


----------



## Nebulous

For anyone keeping up with this thread, we've made it through 9 sessions, which is almost the end of Chapter 2 of Dawn of Defiance.  I have sessions planned through the first part of Adventure #3: The Queen of Air and Darkness...

...HOWEVER...

...we lost one player to a move, another is distracted by a "child" of all things (), another is in some sort of ambivalent state of playability...

...so it seems likely that this campaign is going to hit a stopping point soon, or at least a massive delay.  I'll still post the next 5 sessions, but i'm not sure how many or how often they'll continue after that. 

I've been playing a lot of 4e in the meantime and to be honest i'm enjoying that more than Star Wars.  It's been hard switching back and forth between the two systems. They're just barely different enough to confuse us. And you gotta love shifting in combat.  Not so in SW.

Anyway, comments are always welcome.  I like sharing the nitty gritty details with ye peoples. 

Nebulous


----------



## Nebulous

*Adventure #5: A Parting Gift*
Part 1



[GM Note: We had Nahee’s player back this session, so I said he had been waiting outside in the shrubbery with Crash, and decided to slide in the vent to help his companions].

The PCs have captured one of the technicians and forced him to give the “All Clear” to his commander on the upper level, but the trick doesn’t work.  The transponder clicks off, but seconds later, they see a flashing red light on the console.  It’s an incoming message, decrypted, and the lines of data scroll down the screen.  Apparently, someone named INQUISITOR DRACO is coming to retrieve the traitorous Admiral Varth, and the prisoner needs to be readied for transport. 

The group tucks that information away and contemplates the best method to reach the command center so they can place the bomb.  They have the code cylinder to unlock the turbolifts, so they head to the main area after throwing the technician in the prison cell. 

A disembodied, hissing voice warbles over the intercom system:  “TO THE INTRUDERS IN THE FACILITY – SURRENDER NOW OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES.  THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING.”

Crash contacts them on their comlinks, and the droid sounds scared.  He says there’s a lot of activity outside, multiple troopers circumventing the facility, and he hears the AT-ST stomping back.  The group is very worried that Admiral Varth (who is outside with the other prisoners and the felucian guide and Crash) will be captured again.  They order them to start running for the Felucian village, following the guide, but they ask Crash to stay behind to keep them updated.

“Oh, I AM going to die now, I knew it! This is a bad, bad idea!” But Crash does as instructed, hunkering down in the mushroom-trees and watching reinforcements scurry about, probably to bring his inevitable doom.






Meanwhile, Tomla hears a turbolift around the corner, but when he gets close enough to see, he is immediately barraged by an E-Web Blaster!   A stormtrooper in shiny jet-black armor mans the turret, which has descended in the lift from the main level.  Power cables snake up above him.  Tomla ducks away, injured, while Nep’Tuk the Sullustan provides cover fire from an adjacent hallway.  The gunner swivels back and forth, hoping to hit anyone he can see.  Nep’Tuk attempts to shoot the power cables, but realizes the gun will still hold enough charge to keep shooting for a while. This little problem is ultimately solved by one of Vazus Mandrake’s frag grenades Force Thrown at the trooper, killing him instantly and damaging the gun beyond repair.  Nep’Tuk runs up to search the area, but someone on the top level closes the turbo-lift. 

[GM Note: This was a change I made from the adventure, adding the smaller secondary turbolift that gives the turret access to the lower level].

Not wanting to get flanked, they decide to use Tomla’s lightsaber and melt the smaller turbolift into the ceiling, making it impossible to be lowered.  Whiles he’s doing that, Nep’Tuk scrounges around and creates a bundle of fake grenades to trick the guards up top, while Vazus Mandrake, A’ath, and Nahee find as many metal consoles and junk from the storage area to create a makeshift barrier to hide behind.  Lastly, they use the code cylinder to pull up a full schematic of the top level, and see that it is mostly one large room bisected by partial walls.  The platform can be unlocked to reach the roof level as well, where a landing pad is located. 

The large turbolift is lowered, but when Tomla approaches to peek up, readied actions from multiple stormtroopers spatter down at him. Tomla ends up Force Throwing a real grenade up the hole, killing a trooper, and they all hear the sound of retreating footsteps. 

They throw the barricade onto the platform, huddle behind it, guns ready, while Tomla controls the turbolift from a panel on the lower level.  They start rising up, fingers twitching with nervousness, and seconds later they come into full view of five stormtroopers!











Both sides have actions readied, so a hail of red blaster bolts explodes between them.  Three troopers are dropped at once, while someone around the corner is screaming: “KILL THEM!  KILL THEM ALL!”

And then things get bad.






Two hulking mutated Felucians surge around the corners, right in front of the four heroes clustered on the turbolift.  Serrated bone-arms slam down, driving Vazus into the ground, while the others maniacally start firing back. The brutes are tough, and they don’t stop swinging, slamming their arm-scythes into twisted metal and flesh.

This battle is difficult, and Nahee is dropped yet again to 0 hit points. One stormtrooper attempts to toss his frag grenade into the lift, but botches badly, and it rolls back into the mutated felucians!  It explodes, but does not fatally hurt them.  The stormtrooper tries the same tactic again by grabbing a grenade off a fallen ally, and this time he rolls a CRIT.

Natural 20, 4d6 damage on everyone in the lift, even Vazus who is unconscious.  I let them all spend a Destiny Point to avoid a likely TPK.  

“Get us out of here!” A’ath shouts to Tomla, and the Jedi brings the lift back down. One of the mutated Felucians is killed, but the other steps right off the ledge and drops into their midst!  The conscious heroes scatter, firing back at the thing, and it soon drops, numerous smoking holes burned through its plant-like body. 

Nahee uses a Second Wind and med-pack to get back in the fight, although Mandrake is down for the count, having used up all his resources.  The heroes start shooting into the turbolift, and this time they see the Commander, a black-clad Imperial with a look of utter contempt and fury on his face.  The two groups exchange blaster fire, a trooper is dropped, and then the group clambers back on the lift returns to the command center.

Tomla ignites his lightsaber and chases down the Commander, and even as the man raises his pistol to shoot the Ithorian, Tomla rolls a crit and beheads him!  The officer crumples to the floor, his evil grimace rolling the opposite direction.


----------



## Nebulous

Adventure #5: A Parting Gift

*Part 2

*No sooner is the fight done than the heroes receive a transmission from Captain Arno Silvermine on the Banshee.

“We got trouble fellaas!  I just picked up a transmission.  There’s a Victory Class Imperial Star Destroyer in orbit, and it’s coming in fast!  Do what you’re going to do, and do it quick.  My ETA: Ten minutes!”

The group scrambles to set the bomb, sets the timer at 12 minutes, and then they take the lift all the way to the roof and wait for Arno to arrive. The AT-ST has reached the front of the prison, and they are very careful to stay out of its way.  Crash is getting hysterical and has no way to follow them, until Tomla uses the Force to gently pick him up off the ground and bring him to the roof. 

Soon, they hear the roar of the Banshee’s engines and the freighter sweeps over the mushroom treetops.  The AT-ST starts firing, but blaster bolts ricochet off the deflector shields.  Arno lowers the ramp, shouting:  “Get aboard!  Quick!”






Mandrake is still unconscious and nearly dead, but he’s dragged along, and everyone piles onto the Banshee. It rips out of there, making a beeline to the Felucian village where Admiral Varth has retreated.   In the rear screens, they watch as a bright light blooms from the prison facility, and shock waves wash over their vessel.






Mission accomplished.  The prison is destroyed. 

The Banshee swoops down, unloads Mandrake, and they leave the captured datapad with him after making a copy, the datapad taken from the cruel Imperial scientist that describes the specific poisons exposed to the felucian community.  Maybe when Mandrake revives he can work on an antidote.

[Actually, that was a good idea, and I should specifically reward them for that; I don’t use XP in this campaign]. 

The Banshee jets into the atmosphere, but the Star Destroyer is angling toward them like a steel shark.  






It is hailing the Banshee, but their only offer is: “SURRENDER OR DIE.”  No thanks. The heroes don’t bother to answer, and Arno Silvermine makes some impressive piloting maneuvers while they hang on for dear life.  He skims the underside of the Destroyer, turbobatters pinging against the Banshee’s shields, and then they’re past it and up and away, leaving Felucia behind.  

Seconds later the jump to hyperspace is calculated, and the Banshee zips into a spiraling wormhole…

Arno Silvermine leans back, smiles, and then looks very serious.  “Hey, now that we’re safe,” he says, “could you tell me what the hell you did to Luci?”






Arno is referring to his pet headcrab, and when he points to an adjacent cockpit, everyone sees that there are now multiple crabheads, four little baby ones about the size of a fist!   Arno is insinuating in no unclear terms that he thinks either the ithorian or the sullustan somehow impregnated his pet, but they vehemently deny any such relations.   Grumbling, Arno wonders if the thing was pregnant all along, and just had a long gestation period, but he still eyes Nep’Tuk suspiciously.

And they all settle in for the ride while the Chapter Two: A Wretched Hive opening crawl plays on the laptop.

When that’s over, Arno has some new information for the group.  They’re not going back to Alderraan and Sentaor Bail Organa. In fact, they shouldn’t mention the Senator’s name at all anymore, now that they’ve made a direct hit on an Imperial facility.    Arno has instructions to take them to the Resurgence, a Nebulon-class freighter where they will be offered permanent quarters, medical care, and the promised 2000 credits. 






The Resurgence is an impressive piece of technology, and a brand new facility.  It will serve as a mobile base for the PCs and a hiding spot for Admiral Varth as he unveils the Empires secrets.

After a few days of rest, the group is brought into a secret meeting.  Present is the captain of the ship, Captain Verana, and also present is Admiral Varth, who has removed his Imperial clothing.   Lights are dimmed, and a holoprojector displays a flickering, fat, blue face:






“Gentlemen, this is Darga the Hutt.”

Varth has been involved superficially with multiple Imperial projects involving money laundering and other clandestine operations.  The most important was an operation called the Sarlaac Project which involved multiple bank accounts and subterfuge across multiple systems and companies.  One primary player in this project is Darga the Hutt, a crime lord operating out of the shattered world of Cato Neimoeida. 






Captain Verana, a grizzled veteran of many wars, leans in close and asks the PCs if they are willing to continue helping the fight against the Empire. Admiral Varth is going to spearhead this venture and try to unearth the secrets behind the Sarlaac Project.  To do that, he’ll need the help of many brave individuals.

Unable to say “No!” to the dangling Plot Hook, the group agrees to help.  They’ll go to Cato Neimoeida and root out this Hutt character.  Varth says that they don’t want him dead, not yet anyway, not until he spills his secrets.  Captain Verana mentions it might be possible to appeal to the Hutt’s criminal element, and the party gets the idea of selling back confiscated Imperial blaster rifles that they have looted off every corpse so far. 

It’s not a bad plan.






Taking their shiny new credits, they upgrade their gear, and a few days later they’re jetting across the galaxy again, Captain Arno Silvermine at the wheel.  They drop out of hyperspace and spiral down through the atmosphere, and see the craggy surface of Cato Neimoedia rising up beneath them.











Cities are built between massive bridges, most of them ruined and abandoned.  They finally reach the spaceport at the capital city of Zarra, and the Banshee lightly sets down at her appointed landing zone.






“I’ll wait here, as long as you need me,” Arno tells them.  “I’ll get a short-term docking  license if I have to.  Be careful out there!”  Arno also mentions he’ll work on getting his new baby headcrabs defanged, before they learn how to bite.  

The group wanders out into the relatively quiet spaceport, and aren’t sure where to go or who to talk to.  The Hutt probably doesn’t want to be found, and their initial Gather Info checks don’t reveal who might be a seller or buyer of illegal merchandise.  But it DOES turn up the name Warrick Raden, a scoundrel who is known to dip his fingers into various activities. 

[GM Note:  I used a simple Skill Challenge for this, rather than the straight check].

They have his name, and where he might be found, so the group departs, even as they hear the approaching whine of multiple swoop bikes in the distance…and getting nearer. 

Fast. 

GAME TIME:  About 2.5 hours.


----------



## Nebulous

Adventure #6:  Gangs, Goons and a Hutt

*Part 1*


We had all 5 players today, and the adventure started with a brief recap from last time.

The PCs have rescued Admiral Varth, who is feeding them snippets of secret Imperial information from the Nebulon freighter, Resurgence.  Their task: dig up information about the Sarlaac Project, and the only one who might know is a Hutt gangster named Darga, who rules from a shattered palace on Cato Neimoeida. The Hutt has been laundering Imperial money and possesses knowledge of the Sarlaac Project. Just don’t actually mention it to him; that would be bad.

The group has already traveled to Zarra, and Arno Silvermine, Crash and the Banshee wait for them at the spaceport, although it might take several days before the PCs return.  The group has snooped around for leads, hoping to find a certain Hutt who might buy their stolen heavy blaster rifles, and they turned up the name of Warrick Raden, a Neimodian scoundrel who might know him.  Warrick Raden can be found in a warehouse in a decrepit part of Zarra, so the group heads off to find it.

They haven’t gotten far from the spaceport though when they find themselves walking down shattered streets.  Holes are blasted through the permacrete, and a bass wind blows up from the dizzying depths below.  Peering down, A’ath sees that it would be a fatal drop.  After the Clone Wars, Zarra’s city maintenance hasn’t been doing their job very well. 

But then they hear the whine of swoop bikes!  

Six bikes approach them from multiple directions, all bearing male human riders, but a female voice rings out from a black-clad helmeted biker:






“You there!  We saw your ship arrive in port, but you didn’t pay our docking fee.  The Vipers demand 1000 credits a piece.  So pay up!”

Naturally, the group isn’t keen on paying the money, and most of them don’t even have it anyway, not after upgrading their equipment on the Resurgence.  But a bluff to get closer to this armored thug leader sounds like a good plan, so they agree to pay. The six Vipers are all armed, and a writhing green snake is clearly visible on all of their swoop bikes.  Nahee in particular is relieved to learn that the bikes don’t come equipped with cannons like the speeder bikes, which nearly killed him. 

The leader has a blaster in one hand and a datapad in the other hand to accept their credit sticks. All the Vipers have readied actions to shoot if anything goes wrong, but the group keeps delaying, and arguing with the woman, demanding to know what she’ll do if they don’t pay, and so on and so forth.  The group is able to cleverly (metagamey?) bypass the readied actions the Vipers had, and they launch into regular initiative!  

Guns whip out, and the Jedi ignites his lightsaber and Damage Reduction, sprinting toward the closest Viper.  But the swoop bikes are fast, much faster than the PCs, and they easily pull back, the riders rattling off shots with their pistols from a distance. 

Nep’Tuk the sullustan and Nahee the Duros duck into a shattered tenement building for cover, firing off shots at the Vipers in the streets, aiming specifically for the riders and not the bikes themselves. 






“KILL THE JEDI!” shrieks the leader, and all the Vipers comply, pointing their pistols at Tomla the Ithorian.  Red blaster bolts streaks toward him, but they either miss or do only enough damage to make him angry.   Tomla retaliates by Force Slamming two of the bikes away, killing one of the injured riders.

The heroes concentrate their firepower on the helmeted female leader, and she goes down fast, slumping over the handlebars of her swoop bike.  It grinds to a slow halt and stops.

“Kessra!” screams one of the human bikers.  In revenge, the biker tries to run Tomla over and knock him into one of the pits.  A glancing blow injures the Jedi, and the swoop bike effortlessly glides over the hole. 






[GM Note: I had intended to use Bantha Rush to knock PCs around, and use the holes for a tactical advantage that would be genuinely frightening, but I forgot that Bantha-Rush is a feat you have to take in Star Wars, not a general combat option like in D&D.  Which sort of sucks. Messed up my fight, and I didn’t want to houserule it on the spot].

The battle continues, but the bikers aren’t a match for the heavily armed newcomers, and the surviving bikers try to flee.  One of them races down the street at top speed, but someone picks him off.  He loses control of the bike and slams into a building, bursting into a ball of flame.  The last biker flees, but Tomla uses the Force to grab his bike, slowing him down to a crawl, and starts pulling him back!  The bewildered biker frantically revs the engine to full power, trying to break the grip, but he’s killed before he can make any progress.

About five or six rounds after the first shot was fired, the battle is over.  And now they have swoop bikes!






Yes indeed, the party hops on their vehicles like Wild Hogs, ready to terrorize the streets of Zarra with unlawful shenanigans.  Oddly enough, their fight didn’t seem to attract much attention, so they putter down the avenue unhindered, continuing their search for a warehouse and a Neimodian named Warrick Raden.


----------



## Nebulous

Adventure #6:  Gangs, Goons and a Hutt

*Part 2*

Half an hour later they find themselves at the address.  The warehouse looks unused, falling apart in some places and completely rusted through in others.  A wall is partially shattered where a speeder slammed into it.  Outside, an excavation droid is picking through the rubble.  There are two gun turrets overgrown with moss and rust. 











A’ath the zabrak approaches the door, asking if Warrick Raden is here.  There is no answer from inside, but Thanatos the Chiss soldier notices the excavation droid seems to be watching them.  Nep’Tuk makes a check, but doesn’t think this model of droid is designed for combat.   The sullustan snoops around the flipped speeder, but it is very dark inside the warehouse.  Eventually, he hacks into the control panel at the front and opens the bay door. 

“Hello?  Anyone here?  We’re looking for Warrick Raden.  We have a business proposition.”

No answer.

Thanatos and A’ath move inside, Thanatos on his new swoop bike, and that’s when they see a second excavation droid, this one distinctly spider-like.  It stops its work and stares at them with blinking photoreceptors.  At the end of the hall is a partially open metal bay door that can be ducked under. Tomla, Nep’Tuk and Nahee are outside, but then the two excavation droids suddenly lurch into motion and attack!  The one nearest Thanatos has climbed up on the wall, and clumsily launches at him, a buzzsaw whirring near his head.  The crab outside scrambles toward Nep’Tuk, but likewise misses. 

Thanatos engages the spider droid, and the mechanical contraption consistently tries to climb the wall above the soldier and drop on his head (for a Leaping Strike ability that missed every time).  But the group has new problems.  From underneath the partially open metal blast door two aliens pop up, blaster bolts zipping toward Thanatos, and then they duck behind cover again. 

The droid outside is finally killed, and Tomla Force Grips the droid Thanatos is fighting, holding it immobile near the ceiling, its legs flailing futilely.  Everyone readies actions to shoot the two guys under the door, but they all miss.  The attackers run out of sight, giving the heroes a few moments to search the area before advancing.  There is a deep ventilation grid that has been destroyed, and Nep’Tuk hears the echoing sound of metal on metal somewhere down below.    The other doors in this part of the warehouse have no power routed to them, so the only option is to duck under the half-open bay door.

Before doing that, Tomla slams the droid into the wall, and then drops it, destroyed. 

A’ath and Nep’Tuk have exceptional Perception skills (via reroll) and the zabrak detects movement beyond the door.  

“We just want to talk!  We’re just here for Warrick Raden!”

“No one speaks to Raden!” grunts a guttural alien voice in broken Basic.  “Go away!”

But A’ath scoots under the door anyway, triggering a hail of five readied shots!  That all miss.  






A’ath zips across the hall and clambers through a smashed wall and over broken terrain, and enters the interior of the dark warehouse.  Motes of dust float through hazy light from holes in the roof, but the rear of this room is shrouded in darkness.   The others don’t have good line of sight to the thugs, so they spend a round preparing a grenade to toss their direction.

But A’ath has a new problem in the warehouse -- grinding gears suddenly spring to life, lights flash from mounted headlamps, and a HUGE lumbering CRAB DROID crashes forward from the rear of the room, tossing boxes aside like matchsticks!  On top of this monstrosity sits a Neimodian wrangling the controls, and sluggishly clomping closer to the zabrak who is now pinned between the crab and the five goons outside. 






Three of the goons advance, but Nep’Tuk has handed a frag grenade to Tomla, who easily Force Moves it into the midst of the attackers, blasting them to pieces.  The crab swings a massive pincer down at A’ath, tearing a hole in the floor, and A’ath stumbles into the hallway, back into the line of fire of two goons.  The crab surges after him, plugging the hole and mostly filling the hallway beyond. 

“Call them off!” A’ath shouts.  “We’re just here to talk!”  But conversation has not been a strong suit this encounter, not until Tomla uses the Force to persuade the driver of the crab droid to listen to their side.  He halts the crab, seemingly dazed by the suggestion, while Thanatos and A’ath use the diversion to run away from the crab’s lethal claws. 






“Who are you?  What you what?” His hands tremble on the gear shifts for the droid, ready to launch it back into motion.  Nep’Tuk prepares to take him down with a stun shot, because this guy is probably Warrick Raden and they need him alive. 

Through Persuasion, and the careful offer of some blaster rifles, the group is finally able to get the Neimodian to calm down.  The other two goons have already fled.   They question Warrick about a Hutt gangster named Darga, but Raden insists that the Hutt doesn’t want anything to do with them.  But the group insists right back, and says they have business with the Hutt, and they want a formal introduction by Warrick, with no surprise fights bursting out like this one did.  They show Warrick some of their wares.

They also ask him if the Hutt and the gang known as the Vipers have any bad blood, and if the Hutt would want them dead.  Turns out that the Vipers are on Darga’s payroll, and he would be upset if they were dispatched!  Rolling their eyes, the group quietly steers Raden away from the front of the warehouse with the five stolen swoop bikes, and tell him that they need to pick up some more wares from their ship.  They will pay Raden when they return.

Raden finally agrees to help, and the group gets away as fast as possible, speeding through the streets back to the Banshee, where they immediately set Arno Silvermine and Crash to work with paint and airbrushes to change the way the bikes look.

Within an hour or so, they’re back to the warehouse, where Warrick Raden is still waiting, miraculously enough.   

“You ready, yes, yes?”

They trudge through the shattered streets of Zarra, passing through empty buildings and dodging dangerously deep shafts.  Eventually they reach the steps of a ruined Neimodian palace that is overgrown with plants.  Steep stairs descend to a large metal door engraved with Huttese runes.











Warrick Raden activates a control panel, and announces:  “I have come to address the Great Darga the Hutt!  I bring guests, and I ask for us to be seen! Yes, yes?” 

Soon, a slot slides open, and two glowing red Neimodian eyes stare out.  “You’re in for now, Raden!” a voice rasps.  “Darga is expecting guests, but not these…creatures.”  The voice drips with disdain, and then the slot shuts.  A few moments later, gears behind the door spin, and it slowly rises to allow them access.

“Remember,” whispers Raden.  “Let me talk, yes? Darga knows and trusts me, yes, yes.”

The group shrugs.  Whatever.  They have the guns to barter with Darga, about 12 heavy blasters, and hopefully they can get on his good side, and give them time to find out what this mysterious Sarlaac Project is all about.  

Raden leads them down dank, poorly lit corridors, until they reach some Gammoreans guarding large doors.  They part their vibro-axes and usher the guests inside.  As soon as the doors open, gentle music wafts out from an extremely large audience hall.  It is filled with tall elaborate pillars and dozens of people, almost none of whom are human.  All eyes turn to the doorway, and the music tapers off.











The group slowly advances, led by Warrick Raden, well aware that everyone is armed.  This is not a place to start a fight.  The group comes to a halt in front of the mighty and very fat Darga the Hutt.  Golden rings adorn his fingers, and he holds a golden chalice in one hand. 






He bellows something in Huttese, which a silver droid at his side immediately translates.






“FOOL! What is the meaning of this, Raden?  Why do you bring strangers here with no appointment, into my very home?”

Warrick’s face contorts.  “Oh, great Hutt!  For-forgive me!  They offer guns and business for your mightiness, yes! Yes!  I only serve to help you!”

“Silence!” 

The silver protocol droid translates, and Darga points.  Guards immediately haul Raden up by his armpits.

“You will languish in my prison while you think about your mistake,” the droid calmly translates.

Whimpering, Raden is dragged out of the audience chamber, leaving the heroes staring eye to eye with an angry crime lord. 











And there we stopped.  A great place to stop actually, and just where I wanted it to end.  Everyone leveled to 3rd and we made the adjustments to the sheets right then and there. 

Next Session:  Darga’s Palace

GAME TIME:  About 3 hours.


----------



## Nebulous

Adventure #7:  Darga’s Palace

*Part 1*

The five heroes are staring up at the fat, greasy face of Darga the Hutt, while their guide, Warrick Raden has been unceremoniously hauled away to the dungeons.  Apparently, escorting unannounced guests to Darga’s throne room is a No-No. 






The Hutt says something in his deep, guttural voice, and the silver droid at his side translates:

“The mighty Darga demands to know who you are, and why are you here?  Answer quickly, please.” The heroes have already noticed that everyone else is also heavily armed, so they aren’t keen on starting a fight.  But they have this part planned out, and A’ath immediately panders to Darga’s business sensibilities. 

The ten Imperial blaster rifles are laid out, and the Hutt slithers off his throne for a closer look.  Everyone else in the audience chamber is breathlessly watching this transaction.  The Hutt sniffs, asking (through the droid) “Where did you get these rifles?  They’re military grade!”

The group is (more or less) honest, and says they were taken after a scuffle with Imperial stormtroopers.  The Hutt smiles at this, and Nahee the Duros gets the impression that he is genuinely pleased to hear that [GM Note: In fact, Nahee’s Social Sciences skill sees extensive use just about every game!]  The Hutt makes them an offer on the spot:  one-fourth of the market price per blaster, and the group accepts his offer without a second thought.  It’s better than getting killed.  Gammoreans haul the guns away, and they are paid immediately with credits.

The group makes it very clear that they heard Darga was the Big Cheese on this world, and they didn’t want to cross him, hence they came straight here for a clean deal.  They apologize that their “guide” Warrick Raden broke protocol.    The Hutt waves the apology away, and undulates closer to the newcomers, his hot breath washing over them.  He doesn’t seem to be blaming them for Warrick’s mistake.

“Heavily armed I see.  Warriors obviously.  You might fit in well here! Ho! Ho! Ho!”

The Hutt claps his hands, and servants immediately begin bringing out tables and chairs, and platters of steaming food on metal trays, squirming things not quite dead, or very much alive, plate after plate after bowl after bowl, until the table is laden with an opulent buffet of rare and exquisite and disgusting combinations.  A silver lid is removed, and the group is surprised to see a steaming headcrab, the same kind owned by Arno Silvermine on the Banshee!   But it is highly unlikely that it is his pet Luci; they only left the spaceport a few hours ago. 






Although much of the food they find disgusting, there is still something for everyone to eat that they enjoy, and the booze begins flowing freely as well.  Darga chortles and laughs and shoves some screaming wet thing into his maw, chomping merrily and spurting fluids over his flabby gums. 

Using the silver protocol droid, who introduces himself as Six-Six, Darga continues questioning the heroes, drawing their names out, their planets of origin, and their recent exploits.  He seems very interested that they killed stormtroopers and stole their guns and wants to hear more about it.

“Imperials are coming here as well,” he boasts with a wink.  “One can never trust them.”

A’ath tries to get a more information out of him, but the Hutt doesn’t want to talk business.  He seems impressed with the group’s exploits though, and finally returns to his throne.  The party mingles with the other revelers, eating and drinking and making casual Gather Information checks.  

They learn that Darga LOVES violence, although he seems pleased with the newcomers and hasn’t shown them his explosive temper.  A few people tell them that they are very lucky.  Others mention that “Warrick shouldn’t have done that, the idiot,” and so forth.    They find out that Darga has been in control here on Zarra for about ten years, and his pudgy fingers dip into all kinds of illegal activities. He is a rich creature, and everyone currently in the court is trying to siphon some of that wealth away, or at least bask in its glow. 

While strolling about, Tomla the Ithorian Jedi has the peculiar feeling that he is being watched.  He looks all around, but the room is densely packed and he fails to pick out anyone particularly interested in him.  Nonetheless, Tomla fears that someone is watching him…

Nahee the Duros actually speaks Gammorean, and he casually hangs out near some of the guards, trying to listen in on their conversation.  Gammoreans don’t speak much, but they do grunt to each other:

“Are you betting on the Karg Brothers this time?”

“Yeah.  One hundred credits.”

“Me too.”

That ends their conversation, but it leaves Nahee with the uncomfortable feeling that they’re being led nose-first into a trap.   Even with his Galactic Knowledge, he’s never heard of the Karg Brothers, so maybe they’re just famous locally. 






Six-Six the protocol droid eventually ambles up to them and says that Darga would like to welcome them as guests at his palace.  If they do not have further obligations or pressing matters, he will offer them a spot in their guest quarters.   The group needs to find out about the mysterious Sarlaac Project, but HOW to do that is a complete mystery.  As of now, their best bet is to wait for these Imperials to arrive and see what they say.   The group accepts the droid’s offer, and Six-Six leads them to their guest quarters, which they fear would translate to “Dank Dungeon Quarters.”


----------



## Nebulous

Adventure #7:  Darga's Palace

*Part 2 of 3*

To their relief, the guest quarters are immaculate and clean, with fresh sheets and a temperate climate and iced drinks already waiting.  Everyone has their own chamber, and Six-Six shows them the adjacent game room and lounge, and the stairwells to the Kitchen area and the other apartments where some of Darga’s permanent residents live.

The group takes advantage of this opportunity to thoroughly question Six-Six, and learn that he is programmed to simply act as protocol droid and liaison for Darga.  He does not have many advanced neural pathways for individualism and personality.   They wonder how much knowledge is stored in the droid’s databanks, and if they could somehow hack into him, steal what they need, and then wipe his memory.  They don’t do it though, not wanting to cause any waves.   Not yet. 

So far, Darga has been very accepting of their presence and they don’t want to jeopardize that.

They ask Six-Six about the “Karg Brothers,” and the droid tells them that they are some of Darga’s favorite gladiators.  The group groans, seeing where this is going.  Turns out that Darga is the sponsor for many gladiators who pass through Cato Neimoeida, and he makes quite a few credits off the gambling that ensues. 

Six-Six tells them that they are free to move about as they wish, and Darga will contact them if he needs their presence. He leaves, and the heroes ponder what to do next.  They have free reign of the palace, within reason anyway, but no clear idea about where to go or who to question.

They decide to split up.

A’ath wants to walk around the palace and get his bearings.

Thanatos, Nahee, Tomla and Nep’Tuk return to the throne room and mingle there.  People around Darga might be able to supply some more information.    Once again, Tomla feels like he is being watched, the Force skittering warnings over his mind, but he still cannot perceive anyone.  But Nahee notices a tall Neimodian with bright red eyes staring intently at the Jedi, and a few questions later he finds out that this is Igren Demos, the Hutt’s majordomo and right hand man. 






Meanwhile, A’ath wanders around the guest quarters and into the rest of the palace.  He sees a fat Gamorrean carrying a clear bag of credit chips to a door, which opens and someone snatches it from the guard.  A’ath keeps walking, and finds the door that leads to the prison quarters, but doesn’t bother trying to access that level.

His trip eventually brings him down to the kitchens, where A’ath hears pans suddenly clatter to the floor, and a stifled scream!  He surges in to find a cook cowering behind a counter, fear plastered on his face, his three eyes blinking wildly.

“Careful!” he shrieks.  “The dianoga got out of its pen!  I don’t know how!  It’s somewhere in the kitchen!”

A’ath knows what a dianoga is--a fairly common beast in the galaxy that is sometimes used as a living disposal unit.  They’re faster in the water (or slime, or sewage) but clumsy on land.  Nevertheless, A’ath doesn’t feel like facing this task on alone.  He calls his buddies up, and within fifteen minutes they all arrive from the throne room.

The cook, a three-eyed alien named GRIX, is absolutely terrified.  He doesn’t know what got the dianoga so riled up; it’s usually a placid creature content to munch on whatever they throw into the disposal unit, and it lives in its own little watery hole under the palace.  It crawled out, nearly attacked Grix, and now he thinks it has slithered into the storage room.    Grix is scared that Darga will found out, so he begs the group to help him.

“Stun it if you can, and we’ll push it back into the waste room!”

They set up a barricade of toppled cabinets and shelves, and using some raw fish for bait, Tomla uses the Force to maneuver the fish into the storage room.  They hear something slithering and moving around inside, and then a blast of movement toward the bait!  Something slimy and ochre-colored barges through the door, big eyes bobbing on twin eyestalks.  






Tomla throws the fish into the waste chamber, and the stupid dianoga leaps in after it.  A’ath punches the “Close” button, mere seconds before the thing slams into the door, but it can’t get out.  

Mission accomplished, and not a shot fired.

Grix is extremely grateful, and promises that he will prepare the heroes any meal they want.  They would prefer to deal with information actually, and Grix is willing to talk.  He’s been in Darga’s palace for about a year and likes his job, and gets compliments for his cooking.  He goes to the market daily and buys the best that he can afford, including these strange little headcrab creatures that were a big hit at the lunch buffet.  They’re rare and hard to find though, and Grix doesn’t know when the market will have anymore.

The heroes, on the other hand, know exactly where to find some headcrabs.  

Moving on, they keep questioning Grix about Darga and the palace and Imperials, and glean more information about the money and projects that the Hutt is involved with.  Grix mentions an old Duros named GOME who is Darga’s moneychanger, and goes on to gossip further saying that Gome is a senile old bat who has a drug problem, but Darga doesn’t know anything about that. 

And it turns out that Gome lives in an apartment not far from their guest quarters.  

Interesting.  Gome surely knows more about Darga’s secret projects.

They ask about the Karg Brothers, who Grix says are vicious Gammorean gladiators, and some of the house favorites.  They are sponsored by Darga, and have won many, many battles, and earned Darga many credits.  And the next fight happens to be today. They ask if the fights are always to the death, but Grix says no, it really just depends on what kind of bloodlust mood Darga is in. 

A flashing red light in the corner interrupts the cook, and he says that means an assembly has been called for in the throne room.  He must start preparing snacks at once!  The heroes leave and return, just in time to see their old pal Warrick Raden escorted in by guards.  He is stripped nearly naked, blubbering and crying and begging for mercy.

“HO-HO-HO,” chortles the Hutt, clapping his fat hands. “No mercy for you, fool.  You shall serve as an example to others as stupid as you!”

Six-Six says that Raden has been brought here for execution, and as a sign of their good faith, Darga wants one of the PCs to perform the beheading!  A guard brings them a vibro-ax, and Raden becomes hysterical, clawing at their feet and begging them for mercy.  Nep’Tuk the Sullustan has NO qualms about killing Raden, but the others aren’t so quick to jump on board.   They come up with an alternate plan, and offer to buy Raden from Darga as a slave.

This evolves into a haggle for a price, and through clever diplomacy and wording, the group convinces Darga to sell Raden for 1000 Credits.  

“You have balls,” the Hutt admits, obviously pleased with their willingness to defy him, yet do so respectfully.   However, Darga insists that their new slave must be treated as a lowly slave, at least while in his court, so Warrick Raden (renamed “Toto!”) is fastened with a studded collar and a leash. 

Embarrassed and humiliated in a room full of laughing, jeering patrons, Toto is just glad to be alive, and immensely appreciate of his liberators. 

Nep’Tuk still wants to chop his head off.


----------



## Nebulous

Adventure #7: Darga's Palace

*Part 3 of 3*

But lack of a fun execution has left Darga in one of his moods, and he demands for everyone to join him at the gladiator match!  Shifting slowly out of the room, the crowd follows Darga to the gladiator pits, where frantic betting is already taking place.  They find themselves elevated over an enclosed pit underground, looking down on rough terrain and scattered boulders.    Lights click on around the perimeter, and after Six-Six announces of the combatants, and the last call for bets, the doors on either side of the arena open.

From the north lunge two hungry cat-like creatures; from the south emerge two scrawny Wookies bearing steel-shod spears.   The five heroes place their bets on who they think will win the fight, and before they know it the battle is over, with both Wookies slain, and one of the cat-creatures thoroughly skewered.  The crowd goes wild as money exchanges hands, and then Six-Six speaks through the intercom system and introduces the next round of combatants:

The Karg Brothers!  (the crowd cheers)

Wrex, the Assassin Droid! (the crowd cheers again)

Zayda the Rodian Killer! (more cheers)






The gammoreans pound their chests and thrust their axes at the roof.  The droid whirls his shoulder-mounted cannon in all directions, and the Rodian gazes coolly up at the Hutt.

Turning sly eyes at the heroes, Darga finally says what they dreaded he would say:

“I want you to be my champions, newcomers.  Fight in the arena against my best gladiators.  Stun settings only! Do you accept?”

Fearing that declining Darga’s offer will place them in a worse predicament, they take the turbolift down to the lower level.  But Darga insists that Warrick Raden (Toto!) must join them in battle.  Whining softly, the thug can only comply.   They give him a blaster pistol (and I give the PCs stats from the adventure book for Raden), and the fight begins!

But in the brief interim while they traveled from the upper level to the lower, the gladiators have switched positions.  As soon as the interior door opens, the group sees that the droid and rodian have taken cover, and before the heroes can move from their clumped position, a concussion grenade streaks into the midst!  Stun damage hits four of them, and they quickly scramble for cover to avoid that little mishap again.

Wrex the Droid is their #1 problem.  His grenades have full range over the board, and will quickly pound them senseless if they can’t take him down.   He’s immune to Stun too, so they don’t feel guilty about lethal force. The rodian doesn’t fire (no range for stun yet), and the THREE gammorreans (hey, wait, where’d the fourth one go?) are slinging energy balls around. 

The fight is six on six, and early on the PCs figured that, yeah thanks Mr. GM, we’re screwed. 

Rather than relate a play-by-play of this whole two hour fight, I’ll hit the highlights.  (First off, the music was Burly Brawl from Matrix, which was perfect).  Thanatos and Nep’Tuk find cover early behind a rock, while Tomla feels confident with 10 rounds of Damage Reduction to protect him.  The Jedi doesn’t want to blatantly use his powers, and carries a pistol he never actually fires.






The gammoreans start throwing their energy balls once they advance some, but I don’t think they hit anyone, or they hit for low damage. The grenades from the droid are problematic, but several high rolls knock Wrex down the condition track, although he is incredibly hard to hit behind cover unless they aim.  It wastes his time while he struggles up the track and takes a Second Wind.

The floor of the arena itself is another major obstacle.  Most of it is rough terrain, which severely limited their movement.  The rodian advances, trying to ping Stun shots off the Jedi, and the gammoreans eventually drop their ranged weapons and switch to vibro-axes. And they sure as hell aren’t pulling their punches!

One gammorean is actually able to line himself up for a Devastating Charge on the Jedi, which inflicts enormous damage.  (GM Note: we had to pause the game and try to calculate per the rules exactly how these guys were dishing out so much punishment; I think it was 2d10 +17 for the charge).

With some lucky shots on the behalf of the heroes, and three missed shots from Wrex’s grenade launcher, they are able to destroy the droid before he inflicts serious damage.  He could have easily laid the whole party down had he hit consecutively.

But the gammoreans make it into melee range, and they are horrible opponents.  Toto “Warrick Raden” is cut down by a gladiator, and only saved from death by his final Force Point.   The PCs themselves are spending Force Points, desperately trying to get rolls high enough to hit their enemies, all of whom have very high Reflex Defenses.  






It’s not until there is a single Gammorean left standing that the FOURTH brother turns up.  He had been hiding in a secret tunnel under the arena, and pops up to help his brother flank A’ath the zabrak.  It is bad news for A’ath, and both gammoreans hit him, grinding A’ath into the dirt. 






Thanatos is likewise cut down, and the fight boils down to a heated match with injured parties on all sides.  It’s Tomla who ultimately takes down the last two gammoreans with a couple of well-placed Ithorian “belches.”  Or whatever they’re called.  The brothers are slammed against the wall, and crumpling unconscious, and the crowd erupts into a cacophony of cheers.






There are three heroes standing, but all very injured.  Tomla would cheer himself, but the exertion would probably knock him unconscious. 

Standing as tall as they can on wobbly legs, the winners gaze up at Darga the Hutt, who is glaring down at his newest combatants with malevolent glee…







GAME TIME:  About 4 hours


----------



## Nebulous

Adventure #8:  Dungeons & Droids

[GM Note: We were down two players this session.  Looking over the notes the story seems disjointed, but it flowed much smoother in actual play. A lot happened].

The adventure picks up immediately after the last episode.  A’ath and Thanatos are barely conscious and dragged (gently) by their armpits to the throne room.  “Toto” (Warrick Raden—the group’s new slave now) is likewise a mess, nearly killed by a Karg Brother in the arena.  Darga the Hutt is very pleased with the results of the gladiatorial match (“HO! HO! HO!”), and he compensates the victors with glittering fire-eye gem necklaces draped over the necks.











GOME the moneychanger accepts a big bag of credit chips, and the gammorreans escort him away.  Only A’ath remembers the vague hints from the three-eyed chef Grix that Gome the Duros is a loony and a drug addict, and that he might have more intimate knowledge concerning Darga’s business affairs.  For now, the moneychanger is ignored because there are more pressing matters.






Tomla notices that that the Neimodian IGREN DEMOS stares intently at him with large red eyes…uncomfortably so.  The majordomo has never spoken to them directly, and Tomla is not sure what to make of his inquisitive stare. 






The heroes soon make their way back to the guest quarters, just as their comlinks blink.  It’s ARNO SILVERMINE contacting them.  Aboard the Banshee, the pilot wants an update on their progress, and mentions that he has had terrible luck finding a doctor to de-fang the crabheads.  In fact, the little bastards have multiplied even more!  He has them quarantined in the latrine, with only Luci on the loose, as she seems fine.  Arno does not really think that a PC impregnated his pet, but no one knows how long this unknown alien species has been gestating.  Arno is very worried about this, but the PCs are not willing to sell Luci’s offspring to the Grix, Darga’s chef.  That’s just taking it a step too far.  For the time being, Arno Silvermine will lock the beasts in the latrine and keep the PCs updated on activity in the starport.  He’s ready to leave as soon as they are.






Well, the PCs are all alive, if not exactly well, and a few of them are given medical treatment in the guest quarters.  They’re able to heal to max within a couple days.   The next morning though, Tomla the Jedi is wakened from his trance by a strange dream:  a woman’s voice is saying “HELP ME…FIND ME…”  He can discern no source of the voice, and does not think that it was a physical voice in his room.  Someone, somewhere (maybe somewhere on this whole planet!) needs help.  The palad—um—I mean, Jedi is up for the task. 

A’ath heals fairly quickly over the next day or so with constant attendance by a medical droid.  Tomla and Nahee the Duros pilot aren’t hurt nearly as bad, and the Jedi can heal fast anyway. Their main goal is to still learn the nuances of the SARLAAC PROJECT, and from what Darga has said, Imperial representatives should arrive in the next few days.  The timeline is uncertain.  The group isn’t quite sure what to do, so they play casual and soak in the atmosphere, with Nahee throwing back some drinks in the throne room and listening in on the Gamorrean Guards again, who seem to be a wealth of gossip.

“Me lost bad,” one mutters dejectedly. 

“Me won good,” the other says, smirking.  Apparently, two of the gladiators are still alive: one of the Karg brothers and the Rodian warrior survived the battle.  Their current whereabouts are unknown, and the party does fear revenge.  But the question is, would they dare assault them in Darga’s own palace, under his roof?  Or just call it quits and be glad they’re alive?  They’re mostly worried about the surviving Gammorean, who might be motivated for revenge more than the other.  The Rodian actually played by the rules until the odds turned against him. 

The next morning Six-Six arrives separately at the door of Tomla, Nahee and A’ath. He brings GIFTS from Darga the Hutt, and they are no less than ready and willing Twi’lek whores!  They’re from Darga’s personal harem, which means they just sit in his lap in bikinis.  














[GM Note: A prostitute saying “Yum! Ithorian!” provoked the Jedi response of “You will remember that I’m quite large,” Mind Trick]

No, the Jedi is not particularly interested in Darga’s “gift”, although Nahee and A’ath accept the offer.  It would have been rude not to, of course.

They still don’t know exactly what to do, so they settle down and absorb the laid back atmosphere of the palace, basking in the fact that Darga likes them so far.  They find it highly ironic actually that the Hutt has come to like them so much, when in fact the five heroes are the most dangerous people in the palace, and the biggest threat to the Hutt’s empire. After a day of recuperating, Six-Six approaches Nep’Tuk and A’ath (and these two characters specifically) and tells them that he would like to speak with them privately in the AVIARY. 

So…to the aviary.

Strange birds chirp in their roosts, eyeing them and hopping foot to foot.










A’ath has seen the aviary while wandering around the palace, but never actually entered it.  The smell of wet vegetation strikes him, mixed with loam and rot and moldy feathers.  Odd birds watch over their conversation, but Six Six says that they will be safe here in the aviary; no one around to observe. 

Six Six then admits that he has TWO masters, one of whom is obviously DARGA…

…but the second master the party knows…SWITCH the Gangster Droid on Zel Nonn Station! 






How about that.  As it happens, Six Six has been monitoring communication signals leaving the palace, and has found an encrypted signal that Switch cannot crack.  Previous communication between Six Six and Switch alerted Switch to the presence of A’ath and Nep’Tuk on Zarra.  Long ago in adventure #2, the droid gangster Switch asked them to be his informants, but only A’ath and Nep’Tuk agreed, probably never intending to follow up on the verbal contract.  But Switch the Gangster has contacts on Cato Neimoida, and wants feedback from his informants.  In particular, Six Six has copied the encrypted info from the palace to an Imperial transponder, but Switch is unable to crack the code.

But Nep’Tuk is good enough to do it.  The Sullustan pores over the microchip, hacking through the security measures and finally unveils that Igren Demos, the Hutt’s majordomo, has been sending late night messages to an Imperial transponder well outside of the solar system. The information conveys details about Darga’s slaves, the quality of the slaves, and mention of “A PRISONER…”






At this juncture, they’re not sure if Igren Demos is working against Darga or not.  They keep the information to themselves though for future use.  Poor Darga; he’s surrounded by traitors and spies, and ironically he trusts the PCs more than anyone! 

After Six-Six is given a copy of the decrypted information, he casually mentions the droid race, and whether the PCs are attending or betting. Apparently, Darga is a big fan of a fast-paced and violent race that features remote-controlled droids.  It takes place in the gladiatorial pit.  Nahee the Sullustan does some snooping around the throne room again, listening in on the guards, and one mentions that GARG hasn’t recovered yet from the last droid race; his brain is jelly.   Sounds great, and they decide right away to not get involved personally in this event.  They keep poking around for clues, and since this is the third day of their visit at the palace, many of the regulars are getting used to seeing them around. They find out that Darga is VERY pleased with PCs, and as they see that he is surrounded by traitors or liars or spies.  Maybe that just comes with the territory of being a crime lord.

A short while later Six Six returns to their rooms with good news.  They’ve impressed Darga so much that he trusts them with special passcards, enabling them to secret entrances to their guest rooms! Later, a widespread lucky INT check reveals that the card might access lifts and doors other than the obvious ones…This will come in useful very soon. 

But in the meantime - DROID RACE!

This was fun.  Because Nahee eavesdropped on the Gammorean Guards again (they’re a constant source of tabloid information) and learned that the last gammorean loser hasn’t recovered yet, the party is very wary and they refuse Darga’s offer to join in his race.  Not a problem really, Darga doesn’t mind if they just watch, and four other individuals including Igren Demos and Grix the Chef are asked to pilot droids. 






TA-TONK-A-DONK is Darga’s prize droid. They’re technology from the Outer Fringe, never fully explored outside of Darga’s palace.  Igren Demos is a driver, and the party learns that he is a frequent participant in the droid racing and often wins (with his +5 Int bonus).  Without further ado, the racers don their helmets and goggles and the race begins!  Each player rolled for one of the combatants in the race, and by pure luck, Igren Demos is knocked out in the second lap, his droid exploding into a ball of flame.  The majorodomo is rocked to his knees from the psychic backlash, and the fat Hutt laughs. 

I’ll spare the details of the race, but ultimately it is the chef Grix that wins, and he is given a reward by Darga, amid much clapping and cheering. 

Later the next morning, the whispers continue.  “HELP ME…FIND ME…”  Tomla is disturbed by this but doesn’t know what to do.  They start wondering if they should inspect the dungeons, but don’t think that they’ll be welcome there.  The group returns to the Throne room, and just as Darga is asking how they are enjoying their stay at the palace, a group of armed men boldly struts through the front doors. There are three humans and one black-furred Wookie who looks particularly ugly and vile, a permanent sneer on his hairy lips.  This is the Iron Ring slavers, and they have a group of chained aliens behind them, all of whom look miserable and malnourished. 






They slavers are extremely angry with Darga the Hutt, blaming him for the poor quality of the slaves they purchased from him.  They want a refund.  Darga is even angrier for these guys barging into his home and making demands, and the argument begins to escalate.  Darga rolls his eyes at the PCs, and A’ath takes the initiative and steps into the conversation, instigating a Skill Challenge [I still don’t fully understand how these are supposed to work, but they needed 3 Successes before 3 Failures; it worked reasonably well, with some tension and creativity].  Players make their arguments based on Social Sciences and Persuasion, and the Jedi uses the Force to discern that it would be more difficult to make Darga change his mind than the slave traders.  Darga would never allow himself to look weak in his court.

Ultimately, the PCs convince the slavers that there are other avenues to sell the slaves, and that they should leave.  As they’re leaving, A’ath spots one of the female twi’lek slaves flipping a small pill into Darga’s gem-encrusted wine goblet on the table.  He immediately tells Six-Six what he saw, Darga overhears, and the guards are ordered to close the doors before the slavers leave!

Uh oh.

The situation turns ugly as accusations fly, but A’ath does not point out exactly who put the pill in the wine.  In fact, there’s no proof at all, and the human slavers are adamant that they did nothing wrong.  The female twi’lek stares at her feet, but both A’ath and Nahee see sweat beading her forehead.  Guilty.

Darga isn’t letting up though, and the slavers are routed to an interrogation room.  The wine goblet is taken away under A’ath’s supervision, and they are able to do a simple chemical analysis on it.  Sure enough, there is a foreign substance in the wine that registers as a mild poison.  Nothing fatal, but it would have sickened the Hutt. Ultimately though, in an interesting decision, A’ath decides not to blame the female slave for planting the poison, but one of the human slavers instead!  Cries of outrage nearly erupt into a gunfight, but the slavers are outnumbered.  The human is torn away from the group, and the others are told to leave.  But with one caveat:  the slaves must remain with Darga.   The Iron Ring slavers are just glad to still have their lives.

The black furred Wookie growls menacingly at them…






Once the group has returned to the guest quarters they call Six-Six and ask him to bring the twi’lek slave to A’ath.  The reason is for questioning, but A’ath makes it look like sex.  Why else would he want her?  Six-Six complies, saying that Darga will gladly and permanently give A’ath the slave for free. He owes them for all their help and is very appreciative.  This brings their slave total up to two!  Toto has some company now.

The slave girl answers their questions easily, and says that she was forced by her masters to poison Darga, but she messed up the timing.  Having Darga sick might have given them advantage in the negotiations.  The twi’lek slave is clear about how much she hates Darga and wouldn’t mind seeing him sick…or worse.  

They eventually learn that the human slaver blamed for the poisoning was fed to Darga’s pet dianoga, the same one they dealt with last session.  He has a Snack Pool where he occasionally throws victims to the beast to watch them be drowned and devoured.  
Yes, Darga enjoys his little games very much.






By now, the group isn’t quite sure what to do.   They have to stick around until the Imperials arrive because that is the best way to learn about the mysterious Sarlaac Project. The group decides to wander around the palace and try out their new datakey.  As fortune would have it, the key allows them to unlock special turbolift access. Previous levels coded as Red turn Green. They descend well past the upper dungeon levels, and the door slides open to reveal a dark hallway.  Flicking florescent lights reveal a floor that is grimy and wet, and they hear water plopping into puddles.  To their left is a locked metal door, but the passage to their right opens up into a larger prison room with multiple cells.  Apparently, they’ve found a sublevel of the palace that they should not have been able to enter. 






But they’re not alone down here.  There is one occupant behind the bars:  an older human female, maybe in her fifties or sixties, lying comatose on a dirty hospital bed.  Her chest slowly rises and falls, and there are intravenous chemicals hooked into her.  It appears to be a life support system.  Tomla tries to contact her mentally, but the woman seems to be on some sort of feedback loop saying “HELP ME…FIND ME…” and cannot answer.   There is a lock on the door that could be broken, but they decide that IF they rescue this woman, their stay at the palace will effectively be over.  Furthermore, without getting inside the cell, they can’t adequately inspect the monitors to see if she would die without them or not.

They decide to leave before they’re caught. 

Tomla, A’ath and Nahee take the turbolift back to the main level, unseen by anyone, and they’re almost back to the guest quarters when they spot Gome the Moneychanger. He’s mumbling to himself and acting weird, and then he verbally counts the PCs and taps a number into his datapad.  Gome enters his apartment, but Tomla plants a simple suggestion in his mind: “Follow us to our room.”  A few seconds later the door opens and a befuddled Gome exits, shambling down the hall after the party without a question.






Once back at their room, they quickly determine that Gome is not exactly crazy or drug-addled at all.  He’s highly autistic, a Duros Rainman, and is a masterful counter.  In fact, he counts everything all the time, no matter what or where, and enters it into his datapad.  They keep him busy counting the tiles in the floor while the group talks among themselves about what they should ask regarding Darga’s business. 

In due time, they learn that Darga is dealing Tibanna gas with the Imperials, and that it is being mined on Bespin, also known as Cloud City. Tibanna gas is used for blaster bolts and larger turbobatteries on spaceships.  It is a very expensive commodity, and Gome says that it has made Darga very rich (“Very rich, very rich, definitely very rich, very rich.”)  They mention the Sarlaac Project, but Gome doesn’t know anything about that, other than it is a nasty, icky monster. They don’t have any more information on the Sarlaac Project, but then they start thinking about the name itself.  The Sarlaac is a huge monster that dwells under the sand.  The Great Pit of Carkoon on Tatooine is the most famous example.  Could such a creature be on Cloud City?  And what would Darga and the Imperials want to do with it?

They also learn from Gome that Darga has a place to stay at Cloud City and sometimes oversees the mining process.  They wonder why the Imperials would deal with him in the first place and not just take the facility for themselves and mine the Tibanna gas.  Maybe there’s more to it than they understand. 

This is about where the session ended.  The group has some new clues, and some new mysteries.  Who is the old woman in the dungeon hooked to life support?  Why does the Empire need such huge quantities of Tibanna Gas?  What exactly is this Sarlaac Project?  Soon enough the Imperial Liaison will be arriving and some of these questions might be answered.  

In the meantime, they keep their eyes and ears open and never stop watching their backs. 

GAME TIME: About 4 hours.


----------



## Nebulous

Adventure #9:  A Knife in the Dark

[GM Note:  There was a long interval since the last time we played, so we recapped the major plot points: 

1)    Igren Demos and his Imperial transmissions. You naughty majordomo.
2)    Darga the Hutt deals with Tibanna Gas from Cloud City and oversees the mining operation, selling large amounts to the Empire. The autistic Gome the Moneylender spilled these beans. Definitely spilled them, definitely spilled.
3)    The Iron Ring slave traders and the attempted poisoning of Darga.  One of them got fed to Darga’s pet dianoga. Yummy.
4)    The Imperial liaison is on the way sometime soon.  The group just has to wait, and see how this plays out. Darga likes them and they’ve gained his trust.
5)    And most IMPORTANT of all…the old human woman in Darga’s dungeon.  Tomla has been hearing cries of HELP ME…FIND ME…for the past two days, and they found the source of those pleas.  The old woman is alive, but they don’t investigate further, afraid that it would prematurely jeopardize their mission, which is to learn as much as they can about the Sarlaac Project.

We were also down two players and on a short time frame, just enough for one brutal encounter].

Only a few hours have passed since the heroes retired to bed.  The guest quarters are quiet, bathed in darkness and the occasional light from small glowlamps.  Nahee, Nep’Tuk, Thanatos, A’ath, Tomla and the slave “Toto” are all in their respective chambers.

Tomla the Ithorian Jedi is deep in his meditative trance, eyes closed to dreamy half-slits. But during his recuperative reverie, something akin to sleeping but not quite, the Jedi feels a disturbance in the Force.  A black shape appears before him, faceless, featureless, just a blob of ebony. Unfamiliar thoughts skitter across his mind, and then words with dire meaning clearly imprint themselves upon his consciousness:

“NO SECRET LASTS FOREVER!”

What exactly does this presence know about Tomla?

The Ithorian begins to wake, just in time to notice that someone has entered his bedchamber. Not good.

Next door, A’ath the Zabrak also wakens when the door to his room silently opens.  Someone is standing there in the shadows, just barely illuminated from dim light in the hallway, but with the distinct outline of a blaster in hand!

A few doors down, Thanatos the Chiss fails to hear his door slide open, and a third similar figure steps menacingly toward him, the muzzle of a blaster pointed toward him.

A’ath reacts first, reaching for the blaster conveniently stowed under his pillow.  A hot streak of red plasma streaks toward the intruder, showering sparks from the wall. Missed.  Still, A’ath screams as loud as he can for help, hoping to wake his companions.






Thanatos blinks.  Nahee and Nep’Tuk are oblivious; the doors to their rooms shut and effectively sound proof.

Tomla the Ithorian ignites his lightsaber and simultaneously reaches out the Force and grips the intruder around the throat.   The creature is humanoid, with a bulbous bald head and wide eyes that Tomla thinks might be a Bith.  The Bith thrashes back and forth as its feet are lifted off the plush carpet, cries of protest choked in its gullet. Tomla squeezes harder.

What ensues is a desperate battle for survival. Except for Nahee and Nep’Tuk, who are sleeping like babes.










A’ath cries for help are sufficient to waken Thanatos, who avoids a dishonorable coup de grace at the hands of the Bith assassin. Gasping in surprise, Thanatos rolls aside just as a blaster bolt sears a sizzling hole in the pillow where his head was.  The Chiss pops up, rattling off a retaliatory hail of shots himself, winging the Bith assassin. 

A’ath keeps firing at his attacker, but the room is dim and the Bith seems to have the advantage. Tomla easily crushes the neck of his attacker and drops the corpse, but as soon as Tomla leaves the room, a hidden knife in the dark swoops at his belly!  Instinct saves him, and Tomla bats the hand aside, a hand attached to a lithe and attractive female Twi’lek, one of the whores from the previous day actually.

But she doesn’t seem to like them anymore.  Maybe they didn’t tip her enough. 






To complicate matters, the Twi’lek’s knife is slathered with green poison, and she points the business end with a considerable amount of skill.  She misses, but a sinister black-furred Wookie hidden in the stairwell follows up with his own attack.  A bowcaster bolt explodes from the darkness, showering sparks near the Jedi.  Tomla is in trouble. They’re being attacked from all sides it seems. Growling, the Wookie lines up his next shot from considerable cover in the stairwell. 






[GM Note:  Jedis are fricking powerful].

Regardless, what happens for the next five or six ROUNDS with Tomla and the Twi’lek is a hilarious dance of misses and missteps for both participants.  They just cannot hit each other.  Tomla swings, lightsaber humming through the air, and the Twi’lek prostitute jabs and jabs and jabs again, but her attacks are blocked by the Jedi every time.






Next door, A’ath and his would-be-killer exchange more shots, both of them injured now, but it is Thanatos the Chiss who takes the brunt of the assault.  A deadly CRITICAL sends him spiraling unconscious for the rest of the fight, but rather than finishing him off for good, the Bith assassin goes to assist the Wookie. 

Fortunately, everyone has Force Points galore to spend this fight, which helps. But Nahee and Nep’Tuk are blissfully dreaming of their Twi’lek lovers from the day before, oblivious to the battle raging outside their rooms.  In fact, Nep’Tuk wears earplugs and black eye blinders.

A’ath downs her attacker, and then she and Toto (their Neimodian slave boy, now awake and terrified and we’re cramming his stats real quick because they’re in need of help) exit into the hallway to find their friends…

…but the black-furred Wookie has readied an action…and rolls a critical hit.

The bowcaster tears a HOLE through Toto’s chest, and although we didn’t realize it until later, their new slave had no Force Points left to save his hide.  The last point he had was expended during the gladiatorial fight in the arena. Toto collapses, convulsing, and then lies still. Dead.

On the plus side, he absorbed a devastating strike against A’ath.






The green Twi’lek poisoner and the Jedi are having fun.  She’s FAST, and acrobatic, and keeps diving past him with impressive acrobatic bouts.

[GM Note: Every assassin used Force Points to their advantage this battle].

The Jedi…

…wow…the Jedi.  This fight would have been a washout if not for the Jedi.  Yes, the enemies were designed for a larger group, and two of the participants were asleep most of the time, but the Jedi ruled supreme. He can’t deal extraordinary damage, but he deflected most attacks, or absorbed damage and negated it.  Damage just…gone. Again and again.  It’s a hard fight anyway, and even the Jedi is pushed to his limits.

The Wookie slaver and the final Bith assassin take as much cover in the room and stairwell as they can.  All this time, Thanatos the Chiss has been bleeding out, waiting for his 10-Round chance to make a Constitution saving throw…that he fails.  So he’s still down for the count. 

[GM Note:  I find this to be a weakness of the Star Wars system so far; seems like someone goes down each fight, and it’s hard if not impossible to get them back up on their feet.  Part of the problem is the high end damage crits inflict, knocking almost everyone to 0 hit points in no time].

Several critical hits work for the assassins, and the battle definitely turns for the worse.  If not for the Jedi ability to negate damage or deflect bolts, it would have been a bad situation.  Still, this encounter would have been significantly different with two more PCs input, but was done deliberately.

But Nahee is still dreaming about his Twi’lek prostitute, who is currently trying to kick the Jedi’s ass and failing miserably.

She finally does manage to land a blow on the Jedi, burning a Force Point to do so, but the poison doesn’t take effect (I actually did it wrong, he should have been poisoned).  Hell, the Jedi could have probably Force-purged from his body anyway. Still, Tomla manages to get a grip on the green Twi’lek, and this time he squeezes hard enough to snap her neck.  She falls limp to the floor, her dagger clattering harmlessly away.

There’s still the Bith and the Wookie, and A’ath maneuvers closer, trying to line up shots.  He finally ducks into an alcove next to the room where the Bith is hiding, and the two of them start exchanging shots around the corners.  At one point they’ve even gripped each other’s wrists and are firing missed shots into the ceiling and walls!  

But A’ath’s luck can’t hold out forever, and the Bith finally gets a lucky shot in, rending the Zabrak scoundrel unconscious. 

Tomla the Jedi focuses on the Wookie who retreats down the stairwell, trying to pull his bowcaster away but fails.  Both of these guys miss attack after attack after attack at each other, plasma bolts exploding off walls and a lightsaber showering sparks and chunks of plaster to the stairs. 

The final Bith tries to coup de grace Nep’Tuk, who has just woken up, and the sullustan has a readied action with his blaster!  A bolt rips out, killing the Bith, and Nep’tuk casually steps into the hallway, announcing to everyone that he “took care of the problem.”

It’s down to the spar between the Wookie and Jedi, and the Jedi finally wins, bringing his saber down in a vicious cut and severing the Wookie’s gun arm at the shoulder.  Howling in agony, it rolls the rest of the way down the stairs. 

Well, what a fine mess. 






They gather up the bodies and weapons and toss everything into a pile in the adjacent game room, wondering who sent these guys to kill them in the dead of night.  Surely it wasn’t Darga, the fat Hutt likes them too much.  It must have been a separate party.  They wait an hour to see if anyone comes to investigate the noise, but no one does. Still, there’s no point in trying to hide the carnage. They can’t really.  There are blaster scores all over the place, and no small amount of burn damage. 

Healing right now is a matter of necessity, not so much for the Jedi who can regenerate himself quickly, but Thanatos and A’ath are severely hurt.  It’s a matter of medkits and medpacs, and maybe some assistance from Treat Injury and some med bots.  

They’ll tell Darga about the assassins when they see him again, which won’t be a whole lot longer.  The last thing that happens is that Six-Six the droid comes to their quarters, telling the PCs that the Imperial liaison will be arriving soon, and that Darga wishes to speak with them IMMEDIATELY.






So they head toward Darga’s throne room, wondering what the Hutt has to say…

And there we stopped. 

[GM Note:  The whole party levels to 4th, even the ones counting sheep during the fight.  
We get the feeling that we’re missing part of combat, maybe a rule somewhere we’re overlooking.  Then again, we’ve been playing a lot of 4e too, and the tactical aspects of that game are vastly different that Star Wars. It’s weird not having shifting or 5 foot steps].


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## Nebulous

*A Campaign on Hold*

Well everyone, that's as far as we made it in Dawn of Defiance.  We lost some players, and 4e came out, and we've not really thought too much about Star Wars since then.  I really enjoyed it, but we all agreed that it had some balance problems. Combat was too swingy, and the Jedi was really, really great at some things and crap at others.  

Thanks for reading anyway.  I had never planned to go through the entire 20 level campaign arc, probably cutting it off somewhere around 12th.  Maybe we'll get the chance someday to kickstart it, i dunno, or a SW one-off. 

Nebulous


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