Embers (Session: 1, 03-31-2012)
Station Arrival and Confrontation
- Pulsar Blue Cruise Liner Jewel of Churba enroute to Sel Zonn Station, Brentaal, 0630 hours (local), 97 days after Order 66
Journeying on their own personal paths, fate, circumstance or the Force draws the lives of several unwilling citizens of the new Galactic Empire together on Sel Zonn Station in orbit of the planet Brentaal just three short months after the end of the Clone Wars and the destruction of the Jedi Order.
The former Jedi padawan, Eris Darkhope, arrives on station pursuing clues contained in the remnants of an ancient star chart possessed by her deceased Master Denia Fal, while the Nubian freedom fighter Sallus Keru and his astromech R2-K6 seek out his murdered friend Kayla Trayen's contacts within the Alderaanian Resistance.
Eris traces her master's relics to a Neimodian kaf importer and art smuggler Skree Drood, who she is able to successfully intimidate into revealing his source for artifacts that he would later sell to her master. The Corellian smuggler named Kal Vain, whose ship and goods were recently impounded by the Imperial Customs Authority on-station served a steady stream of underground cultural items to the unscrupulous Drood. Meanwhile,
a fateful meeting in the Crash Down Sports Bar with the undercover Alderaanian noblewoman Correa Altrac leads to a dangerous run-in with the a corrupt station security officer named Skig Banos and a pair of Imperial Stormtroopers. The stormtroopers are handily dispatched by the former Jedi and, picking up the stunned Correa, Eris, Sallus, and K6 make their way into the bowels of the station to Deep Storage Bay V-14 and a meeting with Correa's contact in Black Sun, Ganga Lor.
Negotiation with Black Sun
- Deep Storage Bay V-14, Sel Zonn Station, Brentaal, 1000 hours (local), 97 days after Order 66
After successfully navigating through the dark recesses of the station and avoiding the Imperial patrols now alerted to their presence, the now somewhat recovered Correa manages to guide her rescuers to one of the sanctuaries of the Chevin gangster Ganga Lor. There, they encounter the strange human girl slicer Pandora and the kingpin's consultant and majordomo, the ebon-skinned protocol droid Switch. After a bit of negotiation, the party arranges an exchange of information and services. In return for agreeing to implant a fragment of corrupting code into the secure Imperial computers, with the assistance of the girl Pandora, the Chevin informs them that the item sought by the Alderaanian Resistance has been transferred into Aurek Level lockdown inside the Imperial Customs Authority enclave on Blue Deck. Also arranging to deliver a case of expensive Corellian Whiskey to Ganga's contacts on Alderaan for a small side fee, Ganga informs them that if they wish to successfully enter the Imperial enclave, they would be wise to seek out the services of a transient security expert on-station, a man named Lazar. The search for this expert takes them from the depths of the station to its' upper reaches, the Hutt controlled club and casino at the station's apex called The Last Jump.
A Case for Treason
- The Last Jump, Sel Zonn Station, Brentaal, 1820 hours (local), 97 days after Order 66
The group, now up one slicer, makes their way to the Last Jump Casino, swiftly locating the rakish gambler Lazar Cortess. After several disastrous avenues of persuasion fail to convince the former agent, only a last minute plea of idealism (and perhaps the challenge of the job itself) seems to catch the embers of patriotism. While leaving the club, the sharp eyes of Sallus pick up the rotund form of Skig Banos, the Imperial informant who turned he and Correa over to a stormtrooper patrol earlier in the day. Pandora, revealing a gift for disguise, seduces the lecherous security officer with the promise of a liaison in the refresher, where Eris, revealing a gift for intensive interrogation, discovers that not only is the desired item in secure lockdown, but it is expected to be retrieved by Imperial authorities within 10 hours. Resolving to hurry before government reinforcements arrive, the group retires to the crowded market to hatch a plan to break into the Customs enclave.
Grand Theft Senator
- Imperial Customs Authority Enclave, Sel Zonn Station, Brentaal, 1940 hours (local), 97 days after Order 66
Moving quickly, the group exploits Correa's maintenance access to the droid works between decks to gain access to the station's control computers. Realizing that the ICA section was securely isolated from station resources like power and networking, Lazar and Sallus hatch a plan to use the station's MSE droids to spy on the section layout. Determining that the easiest point of access would be the officer level turbolift shaft that connects the ICA sector to the station ops center, Sallus and K6 staged a daring disabling of the subjective gravity generators in the shaft, provoking a temporary shutdown of the turbolifts.
Exploiting this temporary disruption, the group gained access to the ICA communication hub, and from there, access to the sector secure mainframe and command center. In securing the command center, Lazar discovered that the Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer Exactor carrying an Imperial VIP named Darth Vader was en route to the station to extract the Aurek Level cargo and conduct an investigation. With no time left to waste, Lazar vented the ICA loading dock to space, ejecting guards and officers into the void. The space created an opportunity for Correa's transport, the Baudo-Class Star Yacht Banshee piloted by the daring Devaronian smuggler Cyrin Akif to force a landing.
As the rest of the ICA enclave erupted in alert, the group rushed the cargo into the smuggler ship's hold. Eris carved through the secure Aurek Level door using her lightsaber, while Lazar held off Imperial reinforcements with his carbine. Loading everything on board, the Banshee took flight, leading the Imperials on a dramatic chase through the cargo lanes of Brentaal while Eris and Sallus manned the ship's gunnery stations against the Star Destroyer's Eta-2 Actis Interceptors. After a harrowing few minutes of fire, the Banshee was able to punch in a hyperspace jump for the core planet of Alderaan.
Rendezvous on Alderaan (Session: 2, 04-12-2012)
Meeting the Organas
- Baudo-Class Star Yacht Banshee enroute to Alderaan, 0125 hours (GST), 98 days after Order 66
Woken from a recurring dream about her participation in the Battle of Mygeeto by the Banshee's arrival in the Alderaanian system, the entire passenger list of the ship gathered in the cockpit to witness the transport's descent into the gravity well. Using high-security clearance codes, the Banshee was allowed to dock at a private cliff-side hanger beneath the Aldera Royal Palace. While hangar crewmen unloaded the high priority cargo from the hold of the transport, Correa conveyed the crew higher into the private residence of the Viceroy for a meeting with Senator Bail Organa.
On the way to their rendezvous, the operatives from Brentaal had a run-in with a pair of droids in service to Queen Breha Organa and her infant daughter, Leia. Arriving in a palatial receiving chamber, the party waited the Senator's arrival, who was apparently detained by a VIP from Imperial Center.
The arrival of the Senator led to a discussion of the state of affairs in the galaxy. Organa thanked the party for their heroic intervention in orbit of Brentaal. He informed them of a recent deceptive attack against the peaceful planet of Caamas, apparently targeted at the Jedi Temple Enclave on its surface. The attack itself was blamed on rogue Separatist elements, but resulted in the devastating loss of nearly 80% of the planet's pacifistic population.
Eventually, Senator Organa prevailed upon the party to join the Alderaanian Resistance, to help him work toward a day when the Empire's tyranny would be a distant memory. He revealed the nature of the high priority cargo retrieved from Brentaal. It was the carbonite frozen form of Confederate Senator Amita Fonti, a Gossam former Separatist with valuable information to deliver to the ongoing resistance against the Empire. After her de-hibernation she was able to reveal that, in the wake of the Clone Wars, the Empire appropriated the Nigkoe Detention Facility on the planet Felucia for the secret imprisonment of political dissidents, defectors, and military prisoners. Among them, he hopes to secure the release of Admiral Gilder Varth, an influential Republic naval officer who, up until a month ago, was conveying information to the Senate Diplomatic Office. Thanking them for their service, he informs Correa that returning to Alderaan poses too much of a risk to his cover as a Loyalist Senator, informing her that from the end of their mission onward, they would rendezvous with the supposedly lost vessel, the Resurgance.
The Living Planet (Session: 3, 04-14-2012)
A Detour for Supplies
- Aldera Royal Palace, Alderaan, 0445 hours (local), 99 days after Order 66
Departing the planet aboard the Banshee once again, the intrepid captain Akif successfully conveys the adventurers to the ecumenopolis of Lianna in the Tion Cluster along the Perlemian Trade Route. Headquarters of the strongly Imperial allied Santhe/Seinar Technologies megacorporation, the ancient, eminently civilized world serves as an effective layover and re-supply point for the heroes on their journey to the interdicted world of Felucia. While on-planet, the travelers witness an aerial display by the legendary all-female Firebird Society in honor of the planet's recent affirmation of loyalty to the New Order. Despite the heavy Imperial presence on Lianna, the passengers of the Banshee have little trouble with the local population, aside from a minor medical run-in at immigrant customs check. After gathering what supplies they needed, they headed out-system on the multi-leg hyperspace journey to Felucia.
Along the way, Lazar discovers some disturbing information about the destination planet. According to Imperial records, Felucia is the site of the execution of the Jedi Knights Aayla Secura and Barriss Offee. The Jedi Secura was only known through reputation, Jedi Offee was a personal friend of Lazar, dating back to his service on Drongar. The news that she apparently perished on-planet only lends a more grim aspect to the dangerous mission. Of perhaps even more dangerous import, he discovers that it appears increasingly likely that the old Separatist detention facility now occupied by the Empire may be doubling as a bioweapons research facility. There are signs pointing to the transfer of large amounts of bacta, carbonite frozen samples of bota, and even some Techno Union bioweapon scientists taken as prisoners of war during the Battle of Nelvaan during the Clone Wars.
Crash Landing on an Alien World
The Banshee successfully navigated to the interdicted planet Felucia. The would-be rebels find the close orbit of the planet littered with the blasted remnants of a Separatist fleet, as well as the fully functional Victory I-Class Star Destroyer Adamant on system patrol. The ship's stealthy approach from the dark side of one of the planet's two moons inadvertently exposes them to the scans from a newly built monitor station on the surface of the satellite. With a surreptitious insertion no longer a possibility, the space transport is forced to fight a running engagement with the first half-squadron of Eta-2 Actis starfighters to scramble to system defense. A series of tricky maneuvers, some deft gunnery by Sallus, and an impressive display of the power of the Force by Eris is able to buy enough time for the now brutally battered Banshee to attempt a dangerous in-system hyperspace jump to the planet itself, critically damaging the hyperdrive and sublight systems in the process. Following the navigation coordinates as best as possible while nursing the damaged ship to the surface, Captain Akif finally manages to make an inelegant, but effective, landing in the Felucian jungle only a matter of several days from the group's primary target, the Nigkoe Detention Facility.
The Force sensitive members of the party, having finally set foot upon the fungal forests of Felucia, quickly discover that the Living Force is overwhelmingly powerful on the planet. While Eris is overawed by the sheer scope of the planet's presence in the Force, Sallus, unprepared by regimented training, is nearly lost to it. Latching onto a strange voice in his mind, he is able to pull himself away from the brink, and the scathed but still unbroken band set out to find the Detention Facility, leaving Captain Akif and Crash to get the Banshee spaceworthy once more.
Embarking upon a dangerous day-long hike through the Felucian wilderness, the party begins to come to grips with the strange otherness of fungal swamp in which they find themselves. Mushrooms as large as great trees, animate pitcher plants, poison spitting vines, and snails the size of an AT-TE are just a few of the alien experiences they discover. As twilight falls upon the first day, the group finds that they are being watched and followed by what appears to be the native inhabitants of the planet, the inherently Force sensitive Felucians. At first only able to communicate with Eris by the transmission of images and emotions, they are soon joined by a translator, Vazus Drake, a former Separatist insurgent who has, in the wake of the war, found a sort of peace living with the native Felucians who nursed him to health. After the warriors on-site seem to come to some sort of accord with their distant chieftain through the natural telepathic link that seems to join them all, the natives lead the party to the Felucian's sanctuary to meet with their shaman.
Meeting the Chief
A short, but difficult to follow trek through the jungle soon leads the heroes to the Felucian Sanctuary, a collection of hollowed out titanic mushroom growths far above the forest floor. There, they meet with the local chief who interrogates them about their purpose here. He seems to have an innate respect for what he calls the "Far Shaman", his term for the Jedi. After revealing their intentions to infiltrate an Imperial facility nearby, the party is informed that to the Felucians, the prison is known as the "Vanishing Place". It is a place where many local natives are being taken and changed. The pain of their suffering reverberates through the planet, and the chief offers to supply guides to the group if they will help shut down the facility and put the maddened Felucians out of their misery.
The chieftain and Vazus also speak of another group of warriors that may assist the heroes if they wish to try to find them. Called the "Edgewalkers" by the local Felucians, they are outside the touch of the Living World, intentionally isolating themselves so as not to damage the fabric of their planet with the darkness of their deeds in battling the Imperial threat. It is believed by the chieftain that these Edgewalkers may be led by a "Far Shaman".
Taking the group under his wing in getting them settled for the dangerous Felucian night, Vazus guides them to his home to rest and discuss their plans for the Imperial prison. On the way, Lazar discovers incriminating evidence of sickness among the Felucians, mostly in the young and the elderly. He dispatches some Felucian warriors to raid the nysillin plantations for components for a possible remedy, and gives over a significant amount of bacta for short-term treatment of the sick. As he hurries to catch up to the rest of the group for their meeting in Vazus Drake's abode, Eris gets the feeling of being watched, while in the distance, a cloaked figure with a glowing blue lightsaber looks on...
The Living Planet Part II (Session: 4, 05-10-2012)
Of Plans and Allies
The team settles in for a dinner of ration bars, stim tea, and discussion with the former Separatist mercenary Vazus Drake. Working to quickly gain the trust of the lonely old soldier, the party discovers him to a be wealth of information about the situation on the ground on Felucia. They discover that the Empire essentially controls the western continent from the old Nigkoe Detention Facility, holding the mostly wild region with an overextended modified line company. The occupied former Separatist base has quite a number of strengths, including perimeter towers with anti-aircraft capability and UV-Vis-Infra scanning capabilities, a powerful base defense shield capable of withstanding orbital hits, and a 600 meter clear field of fire provided by the deforestation chemical, Agent Epsis. The base also houses a private landing bay for prisoner transport and delivery and its own internal geo-thermal power station supplied by the thermally active mountain range in which the prison sits.
But despite these strengths, two glaring weaknesses and a number of disparate but dangerous enemies confront the Imperials here. The Empire hasn't had time to construct its own heavy capacity long-range communications station on this side of the planet yet, so all military communications are provided through the powerful Pol Har CommNet Tower in the emptied Pol Har City. Additionally, massive construction equipment was brought in by the Techno Union and Corporate Alliance during the delving of the geo-thermal power station, and its possible that the old mining tunnels could still connect a determined attacker with the base's sub-levels.
Among the Empire's enemies on Felucia, two major groups stood out for the party.
The Gossam Insurgency in the area appears to be commanded by a cruel and venal Gossam called Warlord Ma Chume. According to Vazus, he rules his desperate empire from the Sha Go Plantation near Pol Har city. It's possible, with flattery, gifts, and enough persuasion, that he might be willing to lend his assistance to an attack on the communications tower, should the team be interested in knocking out, or sabotaging, the Empire's long-range communications capabilities in Felucia's western hemisphere.
A second group, more distant and more mysterious, are the Edgewalkers. A group of Felucians cut off from the hive-link that normally binds the world together, this group of dangerous hunters appears to be led by a Jedi, if the rumors rumbling through the worldlink are to be believed. If so, these shadow warriors may prove a powerful, if dangerous, ally in the fight to liberate the Imperial prison. In order to contact them, the party will likely have to venture into an area relatively near the prison itself, known to Vazus as the Rancors' Graveyard
Resolving to begin gathering supplies and allies, the team decides to start by first learning how to ride Vazus' prized kybuks in order to move swiftly across the jungle, and second, to investigate the wreck of a crashed PAC relatively nearby in the hopes of finding some salvageable equipment, or even some re programmable battle droids that could be used in an assault against the entrenched Imperial Army or offered as a gift to the Gossam insurgents.
After a full day of hard training on the backs of the remarkable kybuks, the team decides to set out early on the third morning for the crash site which they find, eventually, partially sunk into a bog. It appears, however, that before they'll even be able to investigate the wreck, they'll have to deal with a very hungry, and very angry, young male acklay who has chosen the site for a nest...
The Living Planet Part III (Session: 5, 05-12-2012)
Salvaging the Past
Over nearly as quickly as it began, the savage attack of the acklay left the beast dead, shot through with blaster fire and bisected by a lightsaber's blade, though it was not without cost. A vicious claw swipe drove hardened plates of armor into Eris' chest and a dangerous swipe at the face scattered infection riddled bog water into Correa's eyes, temporarily blinding her. After field treatment by Lazar, the two women were brought around to fighting fit as the team examined the hulk of the crashed PAC.
After forcing their way in, the team had to deal with the automated defenses of the troop ship, including infra-sensing turret blaster cannons and rogue B2 Series Super Battle Droids. A concentrated and exhausting sweep of the ship eventually cleared any remaining dangerous surprises from the interior, and after a few hours of tense mechanical work, Sallus and Pandora were able to activate the salvageable squads of B1 Series Battle Droids, as well as 5 STAPs, a collection of concussion missile warheads, a pile of E-5 blaster rifles, and a box of frag grenades, as well as a secret stash of andris spice.
As the party activated their new found small army, they discovered themselves being observed by a patrol of scout troopers, leading to a tense chase as Eris and Correa leaped upon the backs of their kybuks and Sallus piloted a salvaged STAP in pursuit. During the course of the chase, Sallus found himself outflanked by his quarry and only a deft shot through the hulk of a hollowed fungus turned a fatal shot from the trooper's Aratech 74-Z Speeder Bike into a crippling blast from his sidearm, putting Sallus out of the race. The pursuit eventually terminated as Lazar sent a B1 carrying a concussion missile warhead to drop from a STAP onto the remote mobile recon base the two speeders were returning to. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the rest of the party, Sallus discovered at his crash site a discarded lightsaber, probably the legacy of one of the number of Jedi who fell on Felucia during the execution of Order 66.
After mobilizing their new partial strength company of battle droids to recon at the Felucian Sanctuary, a march that will take the droids a little more than two local days, the party returned to the sanctuary themselves. There, they met with their contact, the mercenary Vazus Drake, who revealed to them his fallback position, an old Confederacy nuclear missile silo, empty of its deadly warheads, but still a reinforced command and control bunker with tentative access to the now co-opted Felucian satellite network.
There, under Eris' probing questions, the true identity of their local benefactor was finally revealed; Commodore Victor Dragu, late of the Confederacy of Independent Systems High Military Command, also known as the Butcher of Jabiim among other less pleasant epithets. After coming to grips with the idea that they are temporarily working with a brutal war criminal, the rebel team settled into their new base of operations to plan their next move, a strike against the Imperial installation in Pol Har City, the Communications Tower...