Episode 3.07: Chapter 11: Scattershots and Rattled Sabers Report
General Summary
- Tapani Calendar: 15 Nelona 12731
a.k.a. "12731:05:15 T" in digital format - Galactic Star Empire: 1008:05:15 RR
No sooner had the group concluded their business with the Tompesh Jawa clan, than the light cruiser Sabbac's Gamble arrived in system with a fighter escort. Led by Chogu the Hutt, they moved into attack positions.
However, it was So'Zen Al Saba and his skill at negotiation that won the moment. Opening a comm channel to the light cruiser, So'zen negotiated with Chogu. The young Jedi presented the evidence the heroes had so far gathered about the Tor Ceti beasts, the impending Chalcedon invasion, and the potential disaster that might result. He likewise included information on the mysterious Eborreans.
Impressed at the young Jedi's skill, Chogu eventually agreed to call off the attack provided So'zen agreed to one service for the Hutt, to be named at a future date. The service would be to Chogu and would not conflict with So'zen's loyalties to the Jedi Code. So'zen agreed and the Sabbac's Gamble with her escorts jumped to hyperspace.
Once the attack force had left, the heroes set to work puzzling through how to regain access to their ship. There were three airlocks, with two thermal detonators rigged in each airlock. A sensor with a mercury balance trigger was set to prevent tampering with the sensor and monitor for motion inside the airlock.
After a long debate, and a brief consultation with the mysterious Mandalorian Armorer, Anatoli Cuylin, they had rescued from cryofreeze on Dotera, they decide on a combination of efforts.
Davish and Sabine sliced into the Kylo's Star systems. Once inside, they cycled the air out of all the airlocks by remote. The resulting vacuum froze the mercury solid.
Meanwhile, Vanya called upon the force and extended herself and her vision over to the Kylo's Star. Carefully, she examined the sensors themselves. On locating the power supply, she used the Force to nudge the fiber cables out of alignment, robbing the devices of power.
Last, Danar downloaded specialized software to install into a small drone. This drone was then further modified by the Armorer and connected to the BoSS shuttle. Using the shuttle's systems, the drone was guided over and disabled the thermal detonators.
The group let out a collective sigh of relief when the last grenade was disarmed. However, there was a complication. As Vanya used the Force to project herself through the ship, she encountered a dark, shadowy presence in the Force. Hovering in one of the airlocks was a shadowy, winged figure draped in the Dark Side. Burning red eyes watched her carefully, almost scientifically. Vanya merely bowed and went about her work. The figure spoke in an unknown language but made no attempt to stop her. Yet, it also did follow her.
Onboard the Kylo's Star, the group found the ship had been ransacked, most of their belongings - such as Danar's clothes, personal effects, and the means to contact Tapani Intelligence had been taken. They also found the communications panel shot out and a message holodisk left behind. So'zen examined the disk, while the others set to work putting the Kylo's Star in order.
That is, except for Captain Kolene. Following a hunch, after her droid picked up a short burst of a mysterious, unidentified signal, she jumped to hyperspace to investigate.
On arrival, she did track down the signal. It was a distress call from a courier ship, the Kintan Pilgrim. It was being attacked by three fighter craft of unknown configuration. The fighters were sleek, fast and shaped like a "hawkbat". Captain Kolene raced in to help. She contacted the lead fighter only to find that they were piloted by Eborreans!
Taunting the lead fighter further along with taking two fast shots at him, Captain Kolene jumped back the world of Kiskua, yet on the far side from her companions. Two fighters followed her, one chased after the Kintan PIlgrim. Outnumbered, Captain Kolene did take out the two mysterious fighters almost at the cost of a Mining Guild hauler that mistakenly wandered into the middle of the fight on accident!
At the same time on the other side of the gas giant, Kiskua, the Kintan Pilgram reached the Kylo's Star, desperate for help. The others jump-started the Kylo's Star and raced into the fight. The Eborrean "hawkbat" fighter proved more nimble than the Kylo's Star, but the light freighter's armor stood up to the firepower of the Eborrean fighter. The Kintan Pilgrim limped over toward the Kylo's Star for assistance. With Vanya in a vac-suit, Hicks and Sabine jumped with Vanya across to the Kintan Pilgrim to help with repairs and defense of the ship.
Yet, the battle resulted in a deadly stalemate. In speaking with the Eborrean pilot. His mission was to destroy the Kintan Pilgrim and the message it carried.
Captain Kolene broke the stalemate. She dropped out of hyperspace, surprising the Eborrean fighter. Between the concentrated fire from Captain Kolene in her X-Wing, and the turbolaser fire from the Kylo's Star and the Kintan Pilgrim, they disabled the Eborrean fighter. At the same time, Vanya used her skill in the Force to search the Eborrean and look for the mysterious mind-control parasite the heroes had encountered too many times before.
She found one on the Eborrean.
Vanya quickly focused her use of the Force and targeted the creature, separating it from the Eborrean. The parasite splattered against the back of the fighter's canopy and the heroes captured the Eborrean and his starfighter.
As the group began repairs to Captain Kolene's X-Wing, the Kylo's Star, and the Kintan Pilgram what the heroes learned from the holodisk aboard the Kylo's Star and from the message carried by the Kintan Pilgram was unsettling. The holodisk aboard the Kylo's Star held three videos. First was one of Aurra Sing and two fellow Crimson Nova bounty hunters. They found the guild's credits that had been boosted off Chalcedon. Yet, they also decided to abandon the bounty, as it was too expensive for them.The second holodisk video was of two agents searching the ship for any information leading to the whereabouts of the Tor Ceti creatures. Judging by the dialog, the heroes suspected the agents had been sent by the Corellian Intelligence Agency.
Last was a video of Piotr Sparaval and Nassha Tomesta. They likewise searched the ship for what information the heroes might have on what was going on. They didn't quite come away empty-handed as they took Danar's trunk of clothing and other gear. With that, the pair believed they could get close to the Tapani royals and the leaders of the respective governments of the Galactic Empire and the fledgling Freedworlds Republic and assassinate them by posing as a member of the Vor nobility.
As it turned out, the entire disk was prepared by the team's missing droids! The two droids had stowed away in the ship Nassha and Piotr were using and indicated they would be leaving a breadcrumb trail of disks for the heroes to follow.
As for the message carried by the Kintan Pilgrim, that turned out to be from a "Gaius" - one of the ranking warriors of the Thousand Stars Order - who was working with a young Jedi. They had uncovered an Eborrean base on a moon of Monorik! Coordinates were in the message along with a warning.
There was a major Eborrean base on Yavin IV. The Thousand Stars should not go there unless they were prepared to sterilize the world. However, the heroes remembered ... that was the location they had directed the Thousand Stars dreadnaught toward ... and never heard from again.
Rewards Granted
The recovery of the "hawkbat" fighter brings with it a wealth of telemetry and navigational data, provided they can determine how to access it on the ship's computer.
Missions/Quests Completed
Using a clever plan and some luck, the heroes manage to disable the explosives and retake the Kylo's Star.
In a surprise twist of fate, they manage to rescue an endangered courier ship and a Mining Guild ore hauler ship from an Eborrean attack! At the conclusion of the battle, they capture the last Eborrean "hawkbat" fighter and its Eborean pilot.
Character(s) interacted with
Chogu of Ponua Kajidic. Nephew and captain of the Sabbac's Gamble Sun-Raider Class Light Cruiser. Chogu proved to be willing to listen to So'zen Al Saba and negotiate with him. Amused, and impressed, by the young Jedi's diplomatic skills, Chogu agreed to call off the attack and speak to his uncle, Grakkus the Hutt, leader of the Ponua Kajidic who put kill bounties out on the heroes.
"Sarge". This was indirect, as "Sarge" seemed to be working as an advisor to Chogu.
Anatoli Kolene. The ancient Mandalorian Armorer who the heroes rescued from the ruins on Kiskua's moon of Dotera.
A Mysterious Dark Side Force Ghost. A malevolent presence that has taken a sudden interest in the heroes. It has acted with curiosity, yet cordial mannerisms, toward VN Ysadora.
The crew of the Kintan Pilgram, a Ghtroc 720 Light Freighter.
Some of the crew of the Mining Guild ship, Grand Brute, a Mobquet Medium Cargo Hauler.
The pilot of the Eborrean "hawkbat" ( or "Lavafish class" in their language ) fighter, LF-738
The pilot of the Eborrean "hawkbat" ( or "Lavafish class" in their language ) fighter, LF-735
