1: Return to Townowi

[Dicey]

I am satisfied Mr. Ogre!

[Starbeard]

Of course. You guys.

The 'droid takes a step back and executes a subprogram for displaying shock, judging a 20% inclusion of co-conspiratorial sympathy to be adequate. "Oh, I am afraid that is quite out of the question. Perhaps I was not clear how valuable the resource is. I doubt Master Zavos would part with it under purely gratuitous circumstances. Not that it would do you any good. The effects on the individual completely wear off after an hour or two; except of course for the addiction symptoms, which tend to be quite… gross. It is far more valuable as hyperdrive fuel, I'm afraid."

In essence, spellcasters who make a saving throw vs magic will be able to use their spells without losing them for 1-6 turns. If they fail the save, or if a non-caster inbibes it, the effect is basically like taking a random potion (some of which aren't good), with more powerful effects but the same duration (6+d6 turns).

The evening continues on. You excuse yourselves to your chambers, and in the next scene, backed a subdued but stirring orchestral march that hints at mystery to come, you board the intentionally battered Trade Guild ship that will guide you to Townowi, under the guise of a small-time tramp freighter of the Outlands.

The trip is pleasant enough. The ship streams through space at blistering speeds, making three intermediary stops to change course, allowing you to enter the Townowi System from another direction. The heavy whine of the engines filter down to a low hum as the system is breached. Townowi hangs silent in space, a misty, cyan world of adventure.



The co-pilot of the ship, a jaunty green humanoid who speaks only with chittering squeaks and guffaws through its proboscis, guides the freighter toward the planet. The captain meanwhile—another alien with croaking, near-human vocal capabilities—rattles off bland measures of protocol back and forth with a clearly annoyed Imperial controller. The ship is placed on hold in orbit, but any rise in tensions are short-lived as Planetary Control issues a landing code to the ship's computers. Success!

As the ship coasts in, you pass two huge orbital bodies looming over the planet: a dusky uninhabited moon, and an armored space station one fifth its size, hanging dead in space with a large portion of the northern hemisphere blown away. Those of you who are local know this is the ruin of Vomisa Station, a lasting testament to the terrible wars that once plagued this planet a hundred years ago.



Passing the abandoned station, you can feel it in the floorboards when the ship touches the edge of the atmosphere. The pilot turns his plated body to you and asks for further directions. "We have clearance to land at any authorized port. As long as we make an easy, continual descent, we might be able to circle the planet two or three times before the sentries notice and get impatient. There are two major ports listed: the capital Mol Quarry (1), and the smaller Port Hober (2), both on the same continent. What's the word?"

[Dicey]

Ceren was disappointed he could not try the spice. One of his old teachers at the Academy, Doobie Juan Cannoli, had sung the praises of spice many times. It deepens the Farce within you, he had often said.

Later, many parsecs away…

Remembering the words of the fat man…

”Our only lead is that shipments supposedly of aura spice have left the system from either of its two major starports: the capitol city of Mol Quarry, and Port Hober, from rural locations undisclosed. Your local contact will be Namran Path, a merchant in Port Hober. I would suggest you start there. Find as much evidence as you can, and thwart them if you can. Your bonuses will be doubled if you can sabotage their operation."

“Port Hober, please,” said Ceren to the inquiring pilot.

[gurusql]

Soont

"Captain, Port Hober is indeed where we would like to land, but if we could get two scans of the planet first that would be perfect. Thank you so much!"

[OGRE MAGE]

Mole Daver nods at the instructions with no objection.

"We should try to learn everything we can from your scans first, Captain. Set your sensors to maximum and activate every trick you have. We need to know if there are any.....concealed surprises awaiting us down there."

[Rex]

Gore

Gore will check his gear and make sure he is ready to go. "Scans would be good, anything we can learn now will be helpful."

[Starbeard]

Townowi System
Aboard the tramp freighter Ramona 530.

"Okay. Bicho, angle the scanners full sweep. Look for communications relays or ion clouds outside of normal city zones. Static signal, though, we don't want anyone to see we're looking." The hunched, scaly captain toggles several controls around the cockpit before settling back into the pilot's seat and easing the ship into a casual descent. On a flickering monitor you see a digital mockup of your projected flight path, coasting around the planet against the direction of orbit one and a half times, on a direct-descent approach to Port Hober. The green alien Bicho busily moves back and forth between side stations, watching over multiple signal readouts.

Periodically, the ship's computer issues a soft klaxon alert, and Bicho adds his readings over to the dashboard's main viewer, chittering unintelligibly.



The captain translates: "We've got some strong energy readings in a few spots. You can see them marked on the map. I wonder, though… Bicho, scan those areas for energy grids and life signs, they could be villages that aren't marked in the official databank." The two debate back and forth for some time, then the captain gives his final assessment. "Well, it isn't as thorough a scan as I'd like, but we have four spots that show increased energy readings. None of them show military levels of energy, but they aren't towns, either. Not sure what they are, really. Aside from that, we're picking up lots of Imperial patrols scattered around the planet, most of them on the move. We can't really monitor them too closely, but it doesn't look like any are tracking us either, so that's good."

The Imperial sentries continue to interrupt your conversations by radioing in at regular intervals, but seem to buy the captain's line that the ship is maintaining a preset course directly for Port Hober. After much time passes, you arrive at the planet's Second City, in the cool of night.

The green alien wails and chitters. "Right, Bicho. The landing bay crews will sort us out as soon as we touch ground, but the exchange commission won't be open until tomorrow morning. We might as well get some sleep before we head out."

In the morning, you bid farewell to your transporters in front of the Exchange building and pick your way through the small metropolis of Port Hober. The city's skeleton may be the same, but you hardly recognize it. The streets are nearly empty of traffic, punctuated by the odd squad of stormtroopers marching from here to there. Imperial officers idle lazily at cantinas that seems to have lost all their clientele and appeal. Other cantinas sit scorched and silent, their dark interiors fairly reeking with the stench of corruption and anarchy. Shops are boarded up and abandoned. Several buildings have been leveled violently to the ground. Nobody looks you in the eye.

It isn't far to Namran Path's shop: down a street, round a corner, another, and then to the haggard remains of a covered marketplace. Path's shop is tucked away against one of the entrances, down a cellar and away from the worst of the damage.






Inside you find a small figure, nearly a bipedal toad of a being. After some initial confusion all around, the toad fetches Namran Path, a old wiry haired man clearly at his wits end.

"Yes, may I help you? Unless you want batteries depolarized, I don't do that anymore."

[Starbeard]

It occurs to me that Zavos would have established a code phrase to indicate your allegiance and level of clearance. I'll let you make up whatever the "handshake" is.

[Dicey]

Looking at the red X’s on the world map, it makes me wonder if we know from our spice briefings if it is mined in particular geographic areas. For example, in mountainous or desert locales and not under the ocean. That could guide our choice of X.

“Thank you Captain for the scans,” said Ceren the jedi. “I’d like to transfer that data to my droid.”

“HEM - download that,” he ordered the little droid.


Ceren with HEM droid.

Ceren kept an eye on Imperial presence as the group made their way to Namran Path.

“Masters Lucas and Gygax sent us to discuss parts for the flux capacitor,” Ceren relayed to Namran the secret code phrase and its accompanying hand signal - a raised hand with the palm forward and the thumb extended, while the fingers are parted between the middle and ring finger.

[Rex]

Gore

Gore decides to keep quite for now. He is on edge from the constant patrols and is in alert mode.

[OGRE MAGE]

Mole Daver watches the jedi relate the code names to Namran Path with a wide smirk on her yellow skinned face.

She looks as though she may be about to say something, but decides it will probably be best to let the introductions play out first.

She nods politely at their connection.

[gurusql]

Soont

Soont lets the Jedi do his thing.

[Starbeard]

Port Hobor (Townowi System)
Namran Path's Junk Shop.

"Oh, beg your pardon? I don't recall ever knowing anyone by those names." The strange man looks blankly at you for a moment, then walks off to a crowded shelf. "But the flux capacitors are over here. You'll have to help yourselves, I'm too old to bring them down on my own."

With that remark, Namran begins to putz about the ramshackle junk shop, pointedly ignoring the party as he focuses on soldering some old components scattered across the main workbench. The toad thing sits perched on a high shelf and stares at you blankly with an occasional gulped croak. The whir of a clanky mobile generator echoes faintly from a cellar somewhere nearby.

Just before patience wears out, the junk man unceremoniously divests his soldering mask and hands you the finished product of his work, a handheld canister of some kind. "You'll need that for samples. Follow me." With Namran leading through an open doorway to a back room, the toad oozes down the shelving to hop along the floor behind you, following you down a spiraling stairwell to a dark garage packed like a mechanical slaughterhouse with tubing and parts dangling from the ceiling. Your host rummages fruitlessly through a few crates, swatting hanging cables out of the way like pesky flies, before finally producing a small cylindrical housing and sliding it snugly over the canister with a satisfying click. A discreet energy dot blinks red and purrs positively.

"From Aay's subspace message, I expected you a little later. I'm afraid I haven't got all the parts ready yet, just the one canister you have there. It could take me weeks to find the parts for more." It is here that you realize the canister you hold is a makeshift aura spice container, muted in appearance to look more or less like any generic piece of equipment. "That will hold a solid unit of spice, indefinitely; but of course you testosterone types will still manage to find a way to break it, I'm sure. Now anyway, what was I—? I had a— Oh bother, well it probably didn't matter. What help do you need? Now I can only provide information, and parts if you pay. I like Aay, but I like my skin more." Namran holds up his oiled hands defensively. It's hard to reconcile anyone like a mighty trader baron to be on first-name basis with this grubby old backworld tinkerer.

[Rex]

Gore

Gore will take the canister. "A new toy to break, very fun."

After looking it over he slips it into his bag.

"What is the word on the street? Anything talking about mining spice?"

[OGRE MAGE]

Mole Daver almost laughs at the comment about the testosterone types......almost.

She raises one eyebrow at the strange behavior of their connection, pondering the real reason he doesn't have anything else ready for the job yet.

"Well then Namran, since you somehow don't have our items prepared yet, do you have anything you could substitute for that missing gear?"

"I am thinking about ways to hide a splinter group such as ourselves in plain sight."

She starts poking around in his crates and boxes. "Do you have any cloaking tech in here, per chance?"

[Dicey]

Looking at the red X’s on the world map, it makes me wonder if we know from our spice briefings if it is mined in particular geographic areas. For example, in mountainous or desert locales and not under the ocean. That could guide our choice of X.

Do we have any knowledge like this?

Ceren, jedi

“HEM, leave the kermit alone!” Ceren reprimanded the little droid who was very curious about the toad.

“Namran, we are considering possible sites that show unusual energy output. Perhaps they are mining operations. Look at this map. HEM show the map.” The droid holocast the world map downloaded from the ship with the four X locations. “Do you have any insights on what these regions may be, and if one is ideal for spice mining?”

“What is your recommendation for transport?”

[gurusql]

Soont

Soont notes that his companions are quick tongued and effective. He continues looking around for anything of interest.

[Starbeard]

Apologies, I mentioned it in passing in OOC but didn't think to copy it here:

As for aura spice, you are likely to find it in rocky and tropical zones, where natural cave systems can be found.

"Any word about aura spice?" Namran waves the thought away dismissively. "Of course not. Any word and we'd have scoundrels and villains flocking here from two hundred star systems distant, like moths to a flame. But there is an operation, you're right about that. It's plain as day, but I doubt anyone really knows where. Say what you will about our esteemed Imperial Overlord, but he's prudent. Communications have been locked down, and so has a lot of traffic. It's difficult to get reliable word on what's happening elsewhere on the planet."

Namran uses a long wrench to mindlessly prod HEM away from the toad creature, who seems hardly perturbed. As the holoprojection of the planetary scan flickers before you, he strokes his wispy beard and turns to the toad. "Gwoka Dear, have we got yarbrad tea for everyone? I think we'll be a while." The toad stoops off after an affectionate snuggle and returns with a tray of steaming mugs, before reassuming a position in the shadows. "You'll have to forgive Gwoka, she's not exactly gregarious. Now, let's take a look-see! HEM, play those scans again."






Namran Path explains that none of the marked spots match any specific settlements, but there's no public record of newly established Imperial garrisons. However, the two continental X's are each within the vicinity of known towns: the southern X lies in a mountain-locked fertile great plain known for its terrible windstorms and giant roaming beasts, not far from the town of Doyle; the northern X is at the edge of the Hubble, a jungled highland of sparse population, home to Hubble tribes and the small human village of Erb. The X on the eastern continent is within a rocky coastal mountain range with no known settlements, and he admits with some trepidation that he has no idea what the X in the ocean could possibly be from.

"I've got pretty reliable word that spice is shipping out of the capitol, Mol Quarry (1), but I haven't heard of any calls for work. People go missing after arrests on the regular around here, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's prisoners and Hubbles being pressed in secret. No chance for news to get out that way. Any transport that will get you there should suffice, since you'll probably be stopped by Imperial patrols anywhere you go, anyway." Namran then goes over the various possibilities of transport that he can help you arrange quickly and quietly, here in town:

("Man on foot: 3 hex movement")

• Light riding bird (move: 10 hexes, cost: 40)
• Medium riding bird (move: 8 hexes, cost: 115)
• Heavy riding bird (move: 6 hexes, cost: 215)

• Bantha (sits 5, move: 5 hexes, cost: 250)

• Jetstick (move: 11 hexes, cost: 440)
• Landspeeder, small (sits 4, move: 8 hexes, cost: 110)
• Landspeeder, large (sits 6, move: 5 hexes, cost: 190)

• Sea speeder (sits 10 , move: 20 hexes/swamp or river 5, cost: 190)

• Air speeder (sits 4, move: 30 hexes, cost: 5000)

[Starbeard]

Mole Daver almost laughs at the comment about the testosterone types......almost.

She raises one eyebrow at the strange behavior of their connection, pondering the real reason he doesn't have anything else ready for the job yet.

"Well then Namran, since you somehow don't have our items prepared yet, do you have anything you could substitute for that missing gear?"

"I am thinking about ways to hide a splinter group such as ourselves in plain sight."

She starts poking around in his crates and boxes. "Do you have any cloaking tech in here, per chance?"

"I'm glad there will be someone around to keep these 'Jedi' types in line."

Namran thinks for a moment, then kicks around several crates around the cellar until zeroing in on one in particular that looks just like the others. From it he shows Mole a worn cloak and harness rig. "This comes from the Great Rebellion. Those damn fool Jedi liked to wear them, among others. The Sith, and the Legions."



Quickly explaining the operation of the solar power unit, he demonstrates how the cloak reflects neutral colors of the surrounding environment, and the harness dampens tiny sound waves immediately around the body (consider it an elven cloak, allowing invisible and silent movement). "These are hard to come by. I've only got the one, but I'll hand it over at cost for 2,000. I won't make any money, but really I'm lucky to get rid of it before one of these auditing Imperial idiots figures out what it is."

[Starbeard]

Soont

Soont notes that his companions are quick tongued and effective. He continues looking around for anything of interest.

The Dai Ashla warrior Soont browses the many shelves, scanning the rubbish heaps and day-to-day bric-a-brac for items of unique quality. Among the detritus he notes:

• A box with a number of small, dust covered shards of crystal. These are kaibur shards, infused with the power of the Force of Others. (Each acts as a scroll)
  • Bless (C2), cost 500
  • Clairaudience (MU3), cost 1500
  • Clairvoyance (MU3), cost 1500
  • Detect Magic (MU1/C1), cost 500
  • Locate Object (MU2/C3), cost 1500
  • Move Earth (MU5), cost 2500
  • Wall of Ice (MU4), cost 2000
• Some med-aid packs. (Each acts as a potion)
  • Potion of healing x4, 200 each
  • Potion of speed x2, 1000 each
• An energy bracelet that emits a powerful heat reducing field around its wearer. (acts as a ring of fire resistance), cost 2,000
• A fine headset. (acts as a helm of read magic and languages), cost 5,000
• A vintage laser blade from the glory days of the Republic, a veritable lightsaber. (sword +1), cost 2,000
• A mysterious datapad that appears to detail blueprints to a restricted treasury in the derelict space station that orbits the planet. (treasure map), cost 1,000