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Region: Outer Rim Territories Sector: Arkanis sector System: Tatoo system Affiliation: Hutt Crime Syndicate |
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Class: Planet Primary Terrain: Desert Population: Mostly Human |
The Jolly Raptor arrived on Bestine, the capitol of Tatooine, without any recognition. Their misson was simple: find allies within the smuggler community who could potentially aid in their strike against the second Death Star, either by providing ships or monetary support. Alana was very much against the Rebellion's first idea: to ask the Hutts for help. The second idea seemed a little more practical. Rumor had it that smuggler Talon Karrde, leader of the Car'das Smugglers was being held captive in the Imperial garisson in Bestine after being caught selling some information about Imperial troop movements to the Rebellion. If he were rescued, he might be willing to aid the Rebellion in their desperate time.
The entered the cantina and heard "The Modal Nodes" playing a catchy tune that sounded oddly familiar. They looked around and saw their contact, a man from the Car'das smugglers.
He introduced himself under the moniker "The Crow" and gave further details about their mission. "Talon Karde is being held in the prisons at the Imperial garison. There aren't that many guards there, but unfortunately, the whole place is very tight and surveilance is high. Infiltrating the detention block in Stormtrooper outfits just won't work.
"Fortunately, I have a contact on the inside. Jaster Kareel is an Imperial who is bored out of his mind. He's been leaking information to the Car'das Smugglers for months and plans to join us as soon as his usefulness has run out. He's agreed to help free Talon Karde by modifying the prison database so that his transfer offworld is scheduled for this afternoon. That's where you come in. We need you to be there to be that transfer. Although we'd happily do it ourself, we're kind of spread thin at the moment and... well the Empire pays too well for us to get caught helping your Rebellion."
The group thought about how they would go about rescuing a smuggler and then decided that they would do what they always do: go in without a plan and make it up as they went along. Tusks said it was "improvising in a situation where little prepration could be done." Alana just said it was trusting in dumb luck, but it seemed to work out beforehand, so she agreed too.
The group arrived near the landing platform in the desert and attempted to ambush the Stormtroopers guarding the platform. But one of the guards noticed a small glint of metal on one of the blasters and alerted his comrades, taking a wild shot and miraculously hitting The Crow. He was badly hurt, but still managed to snipe two of the guards, including one getting in a turret, before letting his pain get to him. Tusks fired off three missiles at one guard and Alana and Lando took out one each. When it was all over, several dead Stormtroopers lay across the platform with only The Crow being injured.
Tusks, The Crow, and Lando donned stormtrooper armor while Alana hid in the shadows, using a controller to summon the Jolly Raptor to land on the platform. When the transport with Talon Karde arrived, Jaster Kareel happily handed off Talon Karde to the disguised troopers and returned back to base.
After they had left, the group revealed themselves to Talon Karrde and told him that the Rebellion had freed him and attempted to convince him that the Car'das smugglers should support the Rebellion. Karrde thanked the group for rescuing him, but wasn't so sure about having his whole organization switch to the Rebellion. The Crow seemed to favor working with the Rebellion and said that the Rebellion already had agents in Jabba's palace (he didn't say they were droids). If they were to somehow force Jabba to help the Car'das smugglers (The Crow stroked his blaster as he said that), then he asked him to reconsider. Karrde said that he would because a favor went a long way, but only if the Rebellion would turn a blind eye to his smuggling operation if they did manage to defeat the Empire. Everyone agreed.
Talon Karrde was smuggled offworld on The Crow's ship and the group prepared to go to Jabba's palace.
Lando managed to infiltrate Jabba's palace disguised as one of the guards. He searched through the palace trying to find out how many guards they would have to deal with. As he passed the prison, he also the growl of a Wookiee. While down there, he was caught by a dancer named Arica who appeared to be doing investigation of her own. She instantly knew that he wasn't there because he was loyal to Jabba and figured that he was infiltrating his court. Lando asked if they could work together if the time came and Arica tenuously agreed.
Tusks came pretending to turn Alana in to Jabba the Hutt and because of his reputation as a fearsome bounty hunter, he was admitted with no questions asked. Crow didn't give much attention to himself as he stood by Tusks as his associate.
Because Tusks did not understand Huttese, HK-50 began translating with him. Tusks asked for 20,000 credits for the capture of Alana. Jabba proposed a new offer: he pay him nothing in exchange for his life. But Tusks came prepared. He pulled out a thermal detonator and revealed that he had explosives set up all around Jabba's palace. Jabba reluctantly agreed to the 20,000 credits.
Lando took Alana down to the prisons, slipping her the key to escape. As he opened the cell, he was suddenly knocked to the ground by a Wookiee's fist. When he looked up he saw his old friend Han Solo and Chewbacca trying to make an escape! Han was shocked to see his old sabaac buddy there and Lando quickly told him that there was a plan to escape, it just wasn't right now. Two Gamorrean guards helped get the three of them into the cell.
HK-50 overheard Jabba saying to Bib Fortuna that an execution was to be planned at the Great Pit of Carkoon for Han Solo and Chewbacca. When Bib asked if Alana was to be executed too, he laughed and said that he had plans for her to be his newest entertainment.
When the night came, Alana unlocked the cell and Han and Chewie snuck out with her. Unfortunately, there were two guards awake at that time, but Han used his chains to strangle one. Alana disarmed another while Chewie smashed the two together, knocking them out. They began to run through the hallways in a mad attempt to escape.
The palace was largely empty for the night and the Max Reebo band was playing it's final song while Arica began to dance. Unfortunately, they weren't very quiet and it wasn't long before word of a prisoner break reached the palace floor. Jabba was woken up and ordered that the guards attempt to control the situation. Realizing that this was the opportunity that they were looking for, Tusks, Lando, HK-50, and Crow all pulled out their weapons and tried to force Jabba to support the Rebellion. Jabba tried to talk his way out of it, but HK-50 fired a warning shot over his head.
He reluctantly said that he would support the Rebellion when Crow fired his blaster straight into Jabba's heart. The crime lord slumped over, dead. HK-50 angrily fired a shot at Crow in retaliation because, in a rare moment of pacifism, he had wanted Jabba's support rather than his death. Crow was seriously wounded by the blaster bolt. Lando and Tusks helped diffuse the situation, saying that this was good because the Car'das Smugglers could take Jabba's assets and the Rebellion could trust them more than they could the Hutts.
A ruckus came from the hallway as a Gamorrean guard backed into the main room of the palace, only to be followed by Chewie who beat him to the ground. Han and Alana followed in cautiously with scavenged vibro-axes in their hands. In his anger, Chewie shoved Jabba's corpse over the trap door he had seen earlier and opened the door, letting the crime lord's corpse be devoured in the same way that many of his victims before had been devoured.
Afterwards, Chewie pledged a life-debt to Alana saying that because she saved him from being executed by Jabba, he was forever bound to her. While he had another life-debt to serve with Han, he pledged to help her whenever he could.
Han Solo told Crow that he may be interested in joining the Car'das Smugglers and Chewie said he would too if he could. The dancer Arica noted that she was newly unemployed and asked to join the Rebellion, saying that she had a colorful past and was not always a dancer.
Finally, HK-50 asked Max Reebo and his band if they would write a new theme song for the Rebellion. The band, now free from their service to Jabba the Hutt, happily agreed and began to pack up for their trip on the Jolly Raptor.
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Region: Outer Rim Territories Sector: Sluis sector System: Dagobah system Affiliation: None |
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Class: Planet Primary Terrain: Swamp Population: Yoda |
Yoda told Rael and Jace that there was one last thing that they must do: travel through the cave again and confront what they saw there. Rael went first and soon found herself walking through what looked like the halls of a building on Coruscant. As she continued, she turned a corner and found herself walking side by side with her master, Mace Windu, and three other Jedi. Mace Windu asked if she was ready for this and Rael cautiously agreed.
The door opened and an older man turned around. Rael suddenly realized that this was Chancellor Palpatine.
Palpatine: Master Windu. I take it General Grievous has been destroyed then. I must say, you're here sooner than expected.
Mace Windu: In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you are under arrest, Chancellor.
Palpatine: Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?
Mace: The Senate will decide your fate.
Palpatine: I am the Senate!
Mace: Not yet!
Palpatine: It's treason, then.
With an unnatural swiftness, Chancellor Palpatine drew a red lightsaber from his sleeve and spun over his desk, striking down Agen Kolar. Kit Fisto attempted to subdue the Palpatine, but was quickly struck down as was Saesee Tiin. Rael tried to attack Palpatine with a combined assault from Mace, but barely managed to keep from getting hurt. Palpatine put all his hatred into attacking Rael, knocking her to the ground, but at the last moment she was spared by Mace and he managed to force Palpatine to the office window. Mace Windu yelled out, "He's too dangerous to be kept alive!" and Rael chopped Palpatine in two and kicked him out the window.
Suddenly, Rael heard from behind her, "You murdered him!" She whipped around to see Anakin Skywalker, shocked to see his mentor being killed by the Jedi.
Rael: Palpatine was evil! He was a Sith and was too dangerous to be kept alive.
Anakin: No, he was trained in the ways of the force, but he wasn't evil.
Rael: What lies did he tell you?
Anakin: He told me that I could learn to even bring back the dead. I wanted to save... someone I loved.
Anakin looked straight into Rael's eyes.
Anakin: Wouldn't you go so far to bring your mother back and save her from all the torment she faced with her father? Isn't our love the same?
Rael: We're no different. Your love is driven by selfishness for your own needs. My love for my mother was out of love for her. I will never be like you!
And Rael saw her master nod as the vision she had began to fade away.
Jace saw Rael exit the cave in much better spirits than she was last time. He asked Yoda to take care of his lightsaber and cautiously entered the cave. After walking for several moments, he saw a man hunched over on a rock. Jace approached slowly. The man looked up.
Ralek: Hello, my son.
Jace: Father!
Ralek: You've grown very strong and powerful. But you haven't reached your full potential.
Jace: My full potential?
Ralek: You are strong in the Force. There is so much more that you could learn. So much more that you could be taught.
Jace: You turned to to the Dark Side and became Vader's apprentice!
Ralek: I had to do something! I saw what became of the Jedi. "For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic." And then the Clone Wars happened. These guardians became warlords. They led armies obedient to their every command and thought nothing of it. They subjected entire worlds to a government they wanted no part in. I too fell into this trap when I slaughtered the leaders of a mining world simply because they wanted independence and freedom rather than living under the command of a distant Republic. And when I realized the error in my ways, I was too weak to correct my wrongs. Vader taught me power I had never known and with his help, I realized I could change the Galaxy. Those who stood in my way to prevent me from healing the Galaxy had to be pushed aside.
Jace: What about Mom, you killed her because you stood in your way.
Ralek: Your mother was misguided. She couldn't see the wisdom in what I was doing. I did what I must... Will you stand in my way or will you support me?
Jace: I'll never join you!
With that, Jace's father lept towards him, drew his yellow lighsaber, and slashed Jace's arm at exactly the same spot that Leia had. Jace felt the same agony and pain he did the first time, but overcame it and drew out with the Force, snatching his father's lightsaber out of his hand. He concentrated on the saber and channeled the Force into it, shattering the crystal within. He then tossed the lightsaber aside.
Jace: What good is it to save the Galaxy if you lose yourself in the process? The Dark Side has consumed you and made you kill everyone you cared about.
Jace's father said nothing and the two sat in silence.
Ralek: I joined Vader to one day help him defeat the Emperor. Then I could reshape the Galaxy the way it should be. Perhaps you can do this without giving in to the Dark Side. Jace, you must defeat the Emperor and restore peace and freedom to the Galaxy.
Jace suddenly noticed that his arm had miraculously reappeared. When he looked back up to see his father, he was gone.
Jace and Rael returned to Yoda's hut. Leia and Celeste were already there and looked very concerned.
"Sick have I become. Old and weak... When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not."
Celeste gave a smile, "I'm technically far older than you, Master Yoda."
Yoda gave a small smile. "Hmmph!" Yoda said, smiling briefly before coughing uncontrollably. When he regained his breath, he whispered, "Soon will I rest, forever sleep."
Yoda carefully looked at the four around him. "Taught much I have to each of you. Complete is your training. And confronted your struggles with the Dark Side, all of you have. Leia, unlearning your training under Vader and beginning to learn the training of the Jedi. Celeste, growing stronger in the Force after the many years Karness Muur has clouded your mind. Rael, confronting the pains of your past and beginning to control your anger. And Jace, controlling your anger towards the Empire and your father who together took your mother's life. But warn you I must. Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor or suffer your father's fate."
After Yoda climbed into his bed, he took one last look at each of them. "When to this planet I came, wondered I did what my death would mean. Now I know. Not the last of the old Jedi, but the first of the new." Yoda gave a weak smile as he closed his eyes and vanished, becoming one with the Force.
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Region: Outer Rim Territories Sector: Moddell sector System: Endor system Affiliation: Empire (Military Base) |
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Class: Moon Primary Terrain: Forest Population: Ewoks |
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