Force & Destiny

by WillDreamer

A narrative retelling of an active TTRPG Campaign, using FFG's system. A year after Palpatine massacred the Jedi and declared himself Emperor, five Force-sensitives and an autonomous droid meet, drawn to the same destination. Together, there is the faintest hope that they may begin to rebuild the Jedi Order.

4. Session 4 (and Big Bonus)

Players:

Caleb: Byln Kair, Kel Dor (Age 200). Consular (Sage)

Chris: Pranac "Prawn" Anakhis, Quarren (Age 11). Guardian (Soresu Defender)

David: Altair Badar, Mirialan (Age 18). Mystic (Seer)

James: B2-F3 "Beefy," Super Battle Droid (Age 3). Hired Gun (Bodyguard)

Lucas with a C: Astalos "Dragonbane," Clawdite (Age 17). Consular (Arbiter)

Lukas with a K: Seyo Nemis, Human (Age 30). Warrior (Aggressor)

Shane: Literally Everyone Else In The World (Ages 0-100,000), and The Will of The Force (Ageless). GM (Lord of Time, Space, and Reality)

[Note: Whenever players are talking, their words will be in Bold to distinguish it from the story proper.]

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Bonus Battle Training Session

Before Byln can enter the ornate chamber, power surges from Val Isa's Talisman. He feels it tap into the Holocron Byln carries, then it uses that power in an attempt to seize control of the old sage. Unprepared for the sudden danger, a vivid vision grips him, and this time, he's a part of it.

Or rather, Byln sees himself as he might become…

His disembodied perspective looks down upon four figures.

Astalos carries his lightsaber pike, with his lightwhip as a backup weapon. Prawn is a little taller than before, and he has two different lightsabers on his belt. Beefy has been extensively modified, sporting tremendously heavier armor and an absolute arsenal of weaponry.

Byln though… this version of him radiates terrible darkness. He wears ostentatiously ornate robes, similar to the style of Naboo royalty. But this barely matters compared to his face. His skin has gone sickly pale, and dark veins spread from his eyes. The old sage recognizes the signs of being physically overcome by devotion to the Dark Side. What lies, deceptions, or justifications could have kept the others loyal to him in this state? Do they believe he has a rare but natural disease? It would have required tremendous subtlety and cunning, all while descending into darkness.

In a rush, Byln's mind inhabits the body of this dark version of himself. He now knows that, in this possible future, he gradually accustomed his allies to his slow and steady shift away from the Light. He carefully avoided letting them see his worst crimes, and always had plausible explanations for what they did see. Prawn and Seyo were the most ideologically opposed to this course, but Byln was just so… useful. He stayed with them, aiding them with his rapidly-growing power, always appearing to agree with their goals, and never revealing the true horror of his methods.

Now, four of the Party stand at a broad intersection in a rundown city. Boarded up skytowers dominate the four corners, but the trash-littered street is devoid of foot traffic or speeders. Their errand here was a failure, Altair hasn't returned from his solitary task several blocks away, and it's too early for Seyo to extract them. Byln has a dark foreboding that he's drawn too much attention in recent months, and that insurmountable forces may be closing in on them… The real Byln has no control of this vision. He is an unwilling passenger in this dark mockery of himself.

A commotion at the northwest corner draws the attention of the others. It's just a mob of criminals trying to break into that skytower, and Byln couldn't care less. Let the pirates do as they will, so long as they don't trouble him…

But no. Of course the self-righteous little Prawn, who has grown to be a Paragon of the Light, leaps to intervene. Byln's Padawan doesn't hesitate to follow, suggesting he trusts the others more than his actual Master lately. Beefy readies his terrifying array of weaponry and moves to support them.

With Pranac ready to defend him, Astalos addresses the pirates. His casual, persuasive charm has grown even more mesmerizing than in the present, and he makes his absurd offer of employment as janitors feel desirable–

James: Janitors? Seriously? These pirates are willing to blast their way into buildings and you think they'll accept an offer like that?

Lucas with a C: This superhero version of my character has INSANE negotiation skills.

James: But Chris is running this training game. If he thinks the idea is dumb, he can—

Chris: Yeah, I'm adding 5 Setback dice to your check, and each Success will only convince one guy.

Caleb: Can I add a stick to the carrot Lucas is offering? While he's proposing a job, Byln will roll Coercion. So the pirates know the alternative to accepting our offer.

Chris: I like it. Both of you roll, and let me consider the results.

Despite the nonsensical nature of the offer, one of the pirates seems to genuinely consider it. A different pirate crumbles under Byln's monstrous gaze and runs for his life.

The remaining ten charge, raising their weapons.

Eager for some fun, Byln holds out his hand, and a storm of lightning blasts from his fingertips. Several pirates fall, thrashing.

Lucas with a C: Holy… you one-shot three guys with a single Force Power?

Chris: You aren't the only one using a massively-upgraded version of your character. For this training session, Byln is Force Rating FIVE and has 3 different Force powers fully upgraded.

James: And Beefy has fully purchased the Bodyguard AND Sharpshooter Talent Trees, is Agility 6, and has maxed out all the ranged combat skills. Time to test this custom-built heavy blaster rifle's auto-fire feature…

A storm of blaster fire pours from Beefy's gun, dropping three more pirates with ease. Prawn leaps forward, ready to block any shots aimed at his allies, but it's unnecessary. Astalos reaches out with the Force, badly stressing the minds of the survivors, and they retreat in a panic.

Lucas with a C: Nowhere near as epic as Byln's lightning, but fully-upgraded Influence is pretty good with Force Rating 2.

The pirate that hesitated now jogs forward. "You really are strong! Yeah, I'll work for you. Even if I'm just assigned to–"

Totally unimpressed with such a weak-minded non-entity, Byln murders him with a Force choke.

Chris: WOW you aren't even pretending.

Caleb: This isn't the real campaign. No consequences, right?

Chris: Uhhhhhhh…

James: This session doubles as practice for YOU to find ways to be dark without instantly turning the other characters against you… or getting them KILLED.

Caleb: Chris said this is supposed to be a battle to the death anyway.

Chris: That much is true. The last few waves will be insane if you even live that long.

James: My first point stands.

Lucas with a C: Maybe this will help Caleb get the Unhinged Psycho vibes out of his system?

Chris: I hope you'll at least consider things more carefully in Wave 2. Even in a practice game, consequences DO matter…

Astalos runs over to the dead man, but only to check for valuables. Some things, at least, never change.

Prawn, though, stares in disbelief at the needless killing. Dark Byln knows the boy has had many occasions to doubt him, and there can be no hiding the fact that the old sage actively uses the Dark Side. But this act was clearly too direct and open. Many months of slowly and gradually acclimatizing the Party to Byln's shifting methods wasn't enough to make the boy overlook a flagrant murder.

With that in mind, Byln finds himself hesitant when a cluster of dirty, skinny street waifs approach. The Party is spread out from the short fight with the pirates, and the ragged kids split up between them. Byln feels instant distaste and distrust, but he dare not risk provoking Prawn to outright defiance. He initially stays his hand.

The children split into pairs, approaching Byln and his three companions. One child of each pair makes a show of thanking the Party for defeating those pirates, and praising their skill and power. Deeply suspicious, Byln focuses instead on the silent member of each pair. Sure enough, while their marks are supposedly distracted, the other children attempt to slip their dirty fingers into pockets…

Byln's rage spikes, and he wants to slaughter these filthy, meaningless animals… But if Prawn was horrified at the killing of one murderous pirate, he would surely take up arms against Byln in such a scenario. Even Byln's Padawan might attack if he saw eight children die. So… Byln exercises extreme restraint.

A mild, non-lethal jolt of lightning strikes only the one boy specifically targeting Byln. The child collapses, screaming like a total weakling, making Byln hate him even more. Such a mild attack should not have been enough to trigger such a pathetic display.

It still serves the intended purpose. The other children scatter in terror, abandoning their attempts to rob the Party. Byln's allies turn toward him, and the two Padawan's are relieved to see the shocked pickpocket struggle to his feet and hobble away. But none actually look pleased.

By the Dark Byln's reckoning, his allies should actively praise his exceptional self-control in letting the thief live, and not even harming the other disgusting strays. Absurdly, they look disappointed in him.

But there's no time to talk it over. The earlier storm of blaster fire has drawn attention. Squads of Imperial Stormtroopers approach from all adjacent intersections, readying their weapons. Clearly, in this future, the Party has become well-known to the Empire.

But sixteen Stormtroopers approaching openly from such a distance have no chance against the champions Byln and his pawns have become. In the present, such a threat might have been deadly… but not in this future.

Byln establishes the rare and difficult battle meditation power, bringing unity of intent and purpose to his allies, enhancing their focus and precision. Normally, this powerful Force technique would have no effect on a droid. But this version of Beefy has grown in more than just weaponry and skill. An actual organic brain has been integrated with his system, making him a rare form of cyborg. Through that brain, he benefits from the coordination and enhancement offered by Byln's power.

Chris: I doubt anything like this is actually possible, but it would be kinda lame if I didn't allow it. Caleb really wants to learn battle meditation soon, and when the whole party is together, there are 4 allies he could enhance. But in this encounter, without Altair or Seyo, there would only be 2 people eligible for the bonus. It would be a very underwhelming test of the ability. So I'm allowing Beefy to benefit from a power that normally can't apply to him.

Prawn advances on one squad, readying both of his defensively-oriented lightsabers. With those movements… he has clearly mastered the Soresu style, and there are even signs that he has trained heavily in Shien. The boy is even harder and more solid than before, and it's clear he has devoted himself utterly to his training.

Chris: All of our characters are functioning on around 700 XP more than in the real campaign. At the current rate of our sessions, that would take literally YEARS. So enjoy this level of power, but don't get used to it.

Beefy opens fire. His absurd arsenal of weaponry includes an ultra-rare verpine heavy shatter rifle. A portable railgun of exquisite design, it's one of the deadliest sniper weapons ever made. He takes aim at the enemies advancing from the west. An entire stormtrooper squad, running single file, falls from that shot.

James: Glorious!

Lucas with a C: How?

Chris: That's minion group rules for you. Since damage is applied to a shared pool of HP, a powerful hit can drop multiple targets. Don't get used to it though. Shane has said he might not use that rule except in large battles. But it's good to know how it works. It simplifies things, but it also makes overkill AWESOME instead of wasteful. Because the shatter rifle is a railgun, I'll say the squad was running single file. But usually, if an attack drops more than one minion in a group, you can say that attacks represent several shots. Usually, only one can hit, but auto-fire or attacking minion groups could mean multiple shots connected.

Astalos charges to the east, reaching through the Force to badly stress the minds of the Stormtroopers in that squad. Clearly, he has advanced greatly in his skills in that area. Hopefully he won't pay for his boldness.

Byln advances on the Stormtroopers to the south, and with a tremendous exertion through the Dark Side, he chokes the entire squad, who collapse.

Finally entering normal rifle range, the stressed and disoriented stormtroopers to the east fire wildly, narrowly missing Astalos, while Prawn deftly deflects the shots from the troopers to the north. Beefy turns, firing on the squad to the south with impressive effect. Prawn advances to the north, unphazed by the rifles taking aim. With quick footwork and broad, sweeping deflections, he holds that squad's attention, making it unrealistic for them to target anyone behind him.

Chris: Someday, I hope Prawn can unlock the Guardian signature ability, which directly lets you take hits for nearby allies. But before then, if he unlocks the Strategic Form talent, he'll be pretty good at holding aggro.

Pouring his will into the Force, Astalos strains harder, and the Stormtroopers nearest him succumb to the continuous mental pressure and black out. Byln manages to be impressed, despite his own powers being far deadlier.

Prawn hurls his lightfoil spinning toward the squad to the north, dropping two of the Stormtroopers, but he fails to draw it back into his hand. It seems that his strength in the Force has not grown much, with the bulk of his training being in lightsaber combat.

But it matters not. With a barrage of full auto blaster fire from Beefy, the last of the Stormtroopers fall.

The sounds of the firefight hid the approach of two foes of far greater skill. Well-equipped and determined, the newcomers rapidly descend the skytowers on repelling lines. They have the look and feel of Master Bounty hunters, and Byln recalls multiple occasions in the past when such hunters targeted the party.

These two have no chance.

Months of hardship and brutal combat has forged the Party into elite masters of combat.

Caleb: Just two? Really?

Chris: Cuz you didn't go full blown child murderer two waves back.

Beefy fires an expert shot from his verpine rifle, blowing one Bounty Hunter off his repelling line to crash to the ground and lie still. The second safely reaches the street, but stares in horror at the ease with which his colleague was defeated. Astalos has little trouble convincing him that this fight isn't worth it, and he flees.

Lucas with a C: Wow that was easy.

Chris: Wave 4 was scaled off what you guys did during wave 2. If Byln had actually killed any of the street kids, every death would have meant another Master Bounty Hunter in this wave. You handled 2 easily, but if Caleb had gone full chaotic evil murder hobo, you guys could have faced 10. In any case, for the purposes of this training, we'll pretend the first 4 waves were a complete session. So in terms of "Once Per Session" abilities, everything just refreshed.

James: Cool. Let's plunge in.

Coming from all directions, 4 repulsorsleds approach. They are each driven by a huge, disgusting hutt, all of which have vibroaxes at the ready. Each vehicle also has a pair of weequay riflemen.

Lucas with a C: I'm glad we're all in superhero mode. In the last training session, one hutt took forever to beat, and it was unarmed.

Maintaining the battle meditation that greatly enhances his allies, Byln seeks cover. He hurries to the northwest skytower in hopes of cutting his way inside. This tactic has clearly been key during previous battles, for the rest of the Party openly approve of their Sage wanting to avoid direct combat.

Knowing how slow hutts are, Beefy elects to target the repulsorsleds first. He fires his shatter rifle, damaging the vehicle to the north, but not enough to destroy it. Prawn snatches up his second lightsaber and prepares to finish off the damaged vehicle, and Astalos dashes after him.

Then, autoblasters lower from the bottom of each repulsorsled and blaze away with frightful power. Thankfully, hutts are terrible shots, far better suited to brute force than subtle dexterity.

These weapons are starship grade.

Chris: I'm torn. All of the numbers suggest these are starship weapons. Damage 3 would be all but meaningless otherwise. But be warned: That means these auto-fire weapons do 30 damage per hit on the scale of personal combat! They only roll one die when firing these things, but if they get very lucky, they could one-shot kill any of you.

Byln finishes cutting his way through the door the pirates damaged earlier. He finds a disappointingly small room, but it's enough to hide in. Through the battle meditation link, he informs his allies that those cannons are deadly but vulnerable to counterfire. Seeing that the two Padawans can likely finish off the repulsorsled to the north, Beefy fires on the sled to the south. Acting on Byln's advice, the shot blows off the autoblaster and damages the sled.

James: This is such a power trip. With maxed Ranged skill, True Aim, and the Shatter rifle's accuracy bonus, I'm rolling 6 yellow, a green, and 3 blue. BEAUTIFUL!

Caleb: And with the 2 bonus Success added from battle meditation, it's almost impossible for you to miss.

The repulsorsleds continue to advance, and those with functional autoblasters fire another volley. A shot barely misses Beefy, and the 8 weequay riflemen are almost in range. With his lightsaber pike, Astalos finishes off the damaged repulsorsled to the north, which thuds to the ground, and he has no fear of a counterattack. As the clawdite knew he would, the quarren rushes in, fully occupying the attention of the three enemies that are now without a vehicle. Prawn easily deflects blaster shots from the guards, but the Hutt's vibroaxe nearly connects.

Lucas with a C: Shouldn't normal weapons just get chopped up the second they come up against a lightsaber?

Chris: Of course, but balanced gameplay has to limit how easy that is. My own campaigns are homebrewed to an extreme, with lightsaber combat every bit as devastating as you'd expect. But I'm willing to deal with the consequences of certain things being powered up big time. I'd never demand that Shane embrace my homebrew. According to vanilla rules, if you want to destroy these hutts' axes, you'll need to trigger Sunder when you successfully attack them.

Safe indoors, Byln enters a restful trance, trying to recover from his repeated exertions in the Force. The Dark Side takes a heavy toll on the body, and his great age cannot be ignored. At least he can maintain battle meditation without any additional strain.

Beefy's next shot disables the repulsorsled to the south. It slowly settles to the street, and the hutt slithers forward, trying to close the great distance. His guards stay at his pace, not leaving their employer behind, so it'll be a bit before they pose a serious threat.

James: I'm trying not to laugh at the thought of a slug struggling to cover all that ground…

Prawn's focus on Soresu leads him to attack only rarely, instead preferring to stay between friend and foe while blocking all their attacks. But the enraged hutt facing him swings with terrifying power, wounding the boy despite his tight guard. The monstrous thing overcommitted, and the axe flies from its hands to gouge a distant wall.

Chris: Ouch. That was a lot of Success, but at least it also rolled a ton of Threat. Unarmed, even a hutt's strength can't threaten Prawn's insane Parry 6.

Content that the unarmed hutt is no threat with Prawn holding its attention, Astalos displays the exquisite skill he's earned over the last several months of brutal combat. With lightsaber pike in his right hand and lightwhip in his left, he smoothly brings down both of the weequay riflemen guarding the hutt.

The two remaining repulsorsleds open fire with those powerful autoblasters, ripping into random buildings. With the range closing, even hutts, with their poor dexterity, might land a lucky hit with those devastating guns. Byln grows more and more happy with his little hiding place, content with his pawns drawing fire. He continues to maintain battle meditation, wishing he could force his allies to obey. They're already at the limit of what they'll tolerate from a Jedi Master who uses the Dark Side so openly, but they are useful.

James: Hold on a sec… the hutts keep missing us with those epic autoblasters… because they're using the Gunnery skill?

Chris: Yeah…

James: And hutts only roll 1 green die for gunnery?

Chris: [getting very worried] Yeah…

James: Well… I roll 6 dice for Gunnery, and that's not even counting True Aim.

Chris: What have I done…?

Beefy decides to capture the repulsorsled coming from the east, gaining the awesome firepower of its autoblaster. First though, he'll eliminate the only other autoblaster on the battlefield. He fires on the repulsorsled to the west, blowing off its gun and causing heavy damage.

Both Padawans are now free to gang up on the unarmed hutt to the north. Prawn holds its attention, while Astalos lunges in with an expert Makashi Finish.

Chris: Holy… that's a CRAZY high crit result! A d100 roll that high, with such a huge bonus from your talents… That adds up to… "The End is Nigh." The hutt will die after its next attack. [rolls] Whoa! Not only did it hit, that was enough to Crit even without its axe. And it rolls… WHAT?

The dying hutt strikes out one final time, managing to seize Prawn's right arm and wrenching with extreme force. Maimed, the child drops his lightfoil. But his defensive form with his remaining weapon remains tight. The hutt collapses, lifeless.

Although Byln finds the little guardian insufferable, everyone's survival will be in question if their frontline defender dies. Releasing battle meditation, Byln steps out of cover and unleashes lightning with his full power. The repulsorsled to the west fails, both weequay collapse from the lightning, and the Hutt's convulsing arms result in it barely missing Byln with its axe.

Caleb: Whoa! Byln is NOT Prawn! If that had hit…

Chris: Oh yeah, you'd have been incapacitated and then some.

Caleb: I wasn't actually trying to be BRAVE!

Byln turns and sprints away with all the speed his old legs can muster.

Knowing that the hutts to the south and west will take a long time to reach the intersection, Beefy turns to the east. Determined to capture the final repulsorsled, he fires on the hutt piloting it.

Chris: Good night, you hit like a train. It has 30 HP and 10 soak, and you still came close to one-shotting it.

Hutts are extremely tough, but a Verpine railgun in Beefy's hands is an awe-inspiring weapon. The hutt roars in anguish, barely keeping a grip on the repulsorsled's controls, and his weequay guards are horrified.

Prawn and Astalos race to the south, intending to help Beefy capture the eastern repulsorsled, which fires a final inaccurate salvo from its powerful ventral gun. The weequay snipers begin firing their rifles with far less power but far greater accuracy. Beefy's heavy armor endures without loss of function as he lines up another shot.

Reaching his small hiding place again, Byln restores battle meditation. With Beefy's natural skill now enhanced, he switches to his full auto heavy blaster, unloading tremendous firepower at relatively close range. The already reeling hutt on the repulsorsled collapses, and a weequay falls as well. Prawn arrives, throwing his guard shoto to finish off the other guard, and this time he manages to pull it back to his hand. His right arm hangs limp and useless, but his eyes burn with focussed intensity. The repulsorsled is now unmanned, and Astalos awkwardly scrambles up onto it, stopping it from drifting out of control.

Lucas with a C: Even with 700 more XP than my real character, I still almost failed to climb onto a flat slow vehicle…

Careful to stay out of reach of the nearest hutt, Byln races out into the open, wanting to get on the sled as soon as possible. His hiding place was useful, but that sled represents a mobile fortress where his defenders will be directly on hand to take hits for him.

Beefy springs up onto the sled, takes the controls, and blasts the hutt to the west. Two direct hits from the starship-grade weapon blows the huge gangster to icky bits.

Chris: Whoa that's insane! I feel like I MUST be missing something important, but I don't know what.

The battle is all but won. The only enemies left are those approaching from the south, and the Party now wields extreme firepower.

Prawn leaps up onto the captured sled, and the last surviving hutt stops, terrified. Knowing he's an easy target for that epic gun, he promptly surrenders. One of his guards has already panicked and fled, but the other is now a peace offering. The hutt orders the weequay to join the Party, then he slithers away to save himself.

Though hesitant, the weequay is soon on the repulsorsled with everyone else. And yet, Byln still feels a grim foreboding that the danger drawing near is beyond their power…

Roars and heavy footfalls approach. Byln regrets that the streets are clear, for he would have enjoyed the sight had there been crowds out and about. From the north and south, pairs of six-legged acklays charge into view. From the east and west, pairs of rancors approach.

Caleb: Hold up… Eight giant monsters are coming?

Lucas with a C: Just ONE rancor obliterated us in the last training session!

James: It was just two of you though, and you didn't have hundreds of XP of bonus growth. But yeah… this still sounds like too much. Time to die.

Chris: Remember, this training session is intended to end in a T.P.K. The final few waves are insanely dangerous. If it weren't for the big gun on your captured repulsorsled, this wave would probably have killed all of you. It still could, but I totally didn't anticipate you having that kind of firepower. I gave the hutts repulsorsleds just so they wouldn't be so slow, NOT so you could get artillery-grade D.P.S.

The two rancors coming from the east are closest to the Party. Beefy shows his piloting skills by swinging the unwieldy repulsorsled around and obliterating a rancor with three direct hits from the autoblaster.

Chris: See what I mean?

Then, a friend arrives.

David: Thanks for letting me join, even if you're more than halfway done. I didn't expect to be free.

James: [who is David's brother] Hope you enjoy this superpowered version of Altair we slapped together. He's gonna be dead soon.

David: Wait, what?

Altair sprints in from the east. With a lightsaber in each hand, Altair strikes out, landing vicious hits as he dashes past the remaining rancor. He then draws on the Force to leap an astonishing distance, joining the others on the repulsorsled.

David: Hey, that's a fun little power.

Lucas with a C: It saved you from making an idiot of yourself climbing up onto the thing.

David: You failed an Athletics check?

Lucas with a C: Almost. LOTS of Threat.

David: And this is your superhero version?

Lucas with a C: The Makashi technique uses Presence instead of Brawn.

David: Well, I guess that explains... Wait! It uses the same thing as Negotiation?

Lucas with a C: [smiles hugely]

David: You're gonna slaughter everything…

James: He already killed a hutt.

David: And you still think we're gonna die?

Everyone: YES.

The terrified weequay rifleman, clearly regretting his life choices, opens fire on the wounded rancor, but he can't get through that thick hide. Determined to survive, Byln restores battle meditation, while Prawn uses the Defensive Circle technique to help shield the rest of the party. It still isn't enough. The injured rancor lands a solid hit to Beefy. Despite this future version of the droid sporting tremendously upgraded armor, the damage is still significant. Desperate to drive back the terrifying beast, Astalos leaps forward, lunges with his lightsaber pike…

…and lands a lethal thrust to the rancor's eye.

Chris: WHAT? That's an even crazier critical result than the last one!

Lucas with a C: So… it's dead?

Chris: It would have been dead if you'd rolled twenty less than that!

Lucas with a C: SWEET! I definitely wanna go for the Makashi form in the real campaign. This is awesome!

Chris: Just remember, it would take hundreds of XP for you to buy up that entire Talent Tree, max out your Lightsaber skill, and get Force Rating 2.

Lucas with a C: Still gonna do it!

The two rancors closest to the Party lie dead, but the six remaining monsters continue their charge from the north, south, and west. Beefy spins the sled back around and blazes away, incapacitating one of the two remaining rancors.

Chris: At least this time you only BARELY defeated it, instead of blowing it to bits.

Despite the Party's awesome display of destructive power, it's still clear at least some of these monsters will have time to reach the repulsorsled. Based on the earlier battle, the sled might be disabled easily, and their most powerful weapon would be lost…

Without hesitation, the two Padawans leap down and charge, running interference for Beefy's artillery.

Caleb: Nice know'n ya, kids. At least Byln won't die FIRST.

With his extreme competence in single combat, Astalos rushes west to battle the final rancor. With his defensive specialization, Prawn heads north to delay two of the acklays. So Beefy turns the repulsorsled southward and obliterates acklay coming from that direction.

Chris: Seriously guys, don't learn the wrong lesson from this. If the Party in the real campaign faced even half as many monsters this size, it would be a T.P.K. There's no way Shane will let you guys get a weapon that does 30 damage and can hit multiple times per turn.

James: Oh, don't worry. We know. We'll enjoy this power trip while it lasts.

Trusting Beefy to bring down the last of the southern threats, Altair and the Weequay fire on one of the acklays attacking Prawn. Their blasters do relatively little, and the monsters assault Prawn viciously. Despite his excellent defenses, his wounds and weariness are adding up.

Unwilling to let his pawns take all the glory, Byln shows the true power of the Dark Side wielded by a Sage with centuries of experience.

He releases battle meditation to concentrate his power, then he blasts lightning at the two acklays fighting Prawn. They reel, wounded, and Byln is far from finished. Extending his other hand, he chokes both of them, bringing one near to death. Finally, he restores battle meditation, enhancing his allies yet again.

James: How on earth did you use 3 Force powers in 1 Turn?

Caleb: When fully Upgraded, Unleash can be used as a maneuver once per session. Also, "The Force Is My Ally" lets me use a Force power of choice as a maneuver once per session.

Lucas with a C: That's glorious…

Chris: I'm sad that acklays have such high soak. A display like that would have mangled a whole group of Rival-level opponents.

Caleb: It still looked and felt awesome.

This display of dark power, coupled with the monstrous rage of the surviving acklays and rancor, are too much. The weequay sniper abandons the fight, fleeing to the east. His former employer probably got squished by acklays anyway.

The Party, however, is made of sterner stuff. Astalos twists, sidesteps, and slashes, cleanly severing the last rancor's spine right at the nape of its neck.

Lucas with a C: Yes! I'm like Jedi Captain Levi!

Chris: ANOTHER critical injury result in the 170's? We should call you "Rancorbane" instead of "Dragonbane."

Lucas with a C: Please do.

Chris: It only applies to this imagined future though. The real Astalos will have to earn it the hard way.

With the Party focusing their destructive power elsewhere, Prawn fulfills his calling to the end. He holds the line, still fending off the two wounded acklays to the north. They attack him relentlessly, and at last his defense falters. He takes a grievous wound, falling unconscious, helpless at their feet.

Desperate to protect the boy, Jedi Master Altair–

David: I'm allowed to call him that, right? This version of Altair literally has the "Master" talent tree…

–shows his cultivated power. He reaches out through the Force, binding the acklay, preventing it from advancing. He hopes that its rage and frustration will make it forget Prawn…

But alas, the monster is too simpleminded. Not realizing that it's Altair restraining it, the beast drives one of its spear-like legs down and through the unconscious little quarren. Wailing in grief, Astalos finishes off the other acklay, with no thought of his own safety. He is well within reach of the monster that killed Prawn.

David: Aw man. He was a cool little tank—

Chris: A brave little tank!

David: —but taking on both of those things for multiple rounds was just too much.

Blazing away with the repulsorsled's autoblaster, Beefy kills the last of the acklays from the south. Only one monster remains, menacing Astalos, its bladed limbs spattered with Prawn's blood.

James: Hold on… Looking over Byln's Heal/Harm power… I have an idea. I assume Caleb's ok with being a Necromancer?

Byln felt a grim pleasure seeing the self-righteous little quarren die… but the boy is too useful to give up on. The dark Sage springs down from the repulsorsled, places a hand on the child, and reaches out toward the badly wounded acklay that killed him. As Byln chokes it, ripping away its life, he channels the Dark Side into Prawn. The boy's eyes snap open, and for just a moment a flicker of yellow washes over them.

Lucas with a C: You can actually resurrect him?

Caleb: It only works on someone who just died, and it's only once per session, but the Harm power can revive a character if it's used to kill someone else. We still need to heal him if he's gonna keep fighting though.

Lucas with a C: Astalos is close. He injects Prawn with another stimpack.

David: It would be crazy if you manage to unlock the resurrection power in the main campaign…

Caleb: I was scared Chris wouldn't allow it. Since the acklay was the only enemy left, he might have ruled that the Encounter ended the second it died. Since this power only works on someone who died in the same encounter…

Chris: That would have been the cheesiest thing ever. To say it's too late to use the ability because the encounter ended. But some modern screenwriters seem to think that sort of thing's valid. I've lost count of how many recent TV shows seem to think that everything resets the instant a scene ends.

David: Or time stops whenever the camera isn't watching someone.

James: I can't believe we've gotten so far with only one death, and that death has just been reversed.

Lucas with a C: Only 2 waves left.

David: You know they're gonna be unreal.

Three grates burst up from the road, and cloaked figures leap out, brandishing red lightsabers.

James: You called it. Inquisitors. We are so dead…

Caleb: Evil dark side Byln would totally agree. He has one chance to survive this… and it's to side with the Inquisitors…

James: Don't you dare!

Regretting the effort put forth to revive Prawn, Byln immediately rectifies the situation. In plain view of the Inquisitors, who he hopes to impress, he reaches out with the Dark Side and crushes the life from the little quarren.

He gave life… he can take it away.

Caleb: No one else can kill Prawn! That's my job!

Lucas with a C: Is this really happening…?

The child crumples, killed a second time. But the exertion was so great, the old sage collapses to the street, helpless and barely conscious.

Horrified at the betrayal, grieved at seeing their youngest friend die twice, the Party desperately fights back. Beefy fires at the nearest Inquisitor, which imperfectly blocks the railgun round. The assassin is badly wounded, but still deadly.

And then one of the Inquisitors displays tremendous power in the Force, telekinetically flipping the repulsorsled and sending it crashing into a building. The Party's most powerful weapon has been lost, but at least they all got off in time to avoid serious injury.

Knowing that every second is vital, Astalos lunges, overwhelming the largest Inquisitor with a breathtaking display of deadly grace and flawless skill. He circumvents the brute's defenses and strikes off his head.

Chris: Holy… The Brute Inquisitor was supposed to be really hard to bring down, but not with a Crit result of 170! Seriously kid, you mortally wounded a hutt, one-shot two rancors, and now you just totally owned an Inquisitor. It's not enough that you have so many bonuses to critical injury rolls, you keep rolling in the 80's and 90's!

Lucas with a C: I don't know what to tell ya, but I love it.

Chris: Realistically… you won't like what this means…

The wounded Assassin Inquisitor charges toward Beefy, striking with his lightsaber, and the droid deactivates as he falls to the ground. Altair's lightfoil cuts the assassin down, then he slaps an emergency repair patch on his friend.

Now alone, the Acolyte Inquisitor shows even greater power than before. Recognizing Astalos as a lethal opponent, he levitates a dead rancor and hurls it at the boy. All the lightsaber skill in the world can't counter that, and Astalos is fatally crushed beneath the enormous corpse.

Lucas with a C: THIRTY damage? Seriously?

Chris: It weighs as much as an X-wing.

David: That's insane.

Chris: It gets crazier. That rancor is Silhouette 3. But the Force Move power has the potential to affect Silhouette 4. That's as big as the Millennium Falcon. If THAT hits you, it's a base damage of 40.

James: We are so dead.

Lucas with a C: No. Chris and I are dead. You guys are ABOUT to be dead.

Chris: Good news though: In the real campaign, Seyo already has Force Move. If he maxes it out and gets his Force Rating high enough, that kind of insane power will be in the Party's hands.

David: So Byln is evil AND incapacitated, Beefy was barely revived by that repair patch, and both Padawans are dead. Altair is the only Party member in good condition.

James: If that Acolyte gets another turn, he's probably gonna one-shot Altair with another hurled rancor. We MUST bring him down if we're gonna see the final Wave of this session.

Beefy wakes, barely functional due to the repair patch, and fires on the last Inquisitor from where he lies. The Acolyte staggers, badly wounded, and Altair Force leaps into position.

With a smooth and precise lunge, he avenges Astalos before another devastating attack can come their way.

Silence falls. Prawn and Astalos are dead. Beefy is badly damaged. Only Altair stands strong. He sees a Lambda shuttle approaching fast, already turning and folding its wings in preparation to land. And a horrible sense of dread falls over him.

James: Oh no… sorry guys but I cheated and looked at the tab Chris has all his info under.

Chris: You monster.

James: I thought the final Wave might be Darth Vader…

David: It isn't though, right?

James: It's Palpatine… AND Vader.

Lucas with a C: Prawn and Astalos won't be the only dead ones for much longer.

Chris: Caleb's betrayal means there needs to be a Wave 7.5 before the Sith Lords show up.

Regardless of what horror approaches, the traitorous Byln must be dealt with first…

Coming awake with the power of the Dark Side, Byln reaches out a hand, preparing to blast Beefy with lightning…

But the droid is faster.

David: Talk about a clutch Initiative Roll.

A railgun round punches through the old Sage's body. He is mortally wounded… but Val Isa's Talisman is shattered.

In a rush, Byln's old personality is restored, weakened, but intact. The dark entity controlling him slips away, his eyes return to their natural color, and he again feels the Light side calling to him. Compassion, selflessness, honor, they all come flooding back.

As he lies dying, Byln asks, "Where… where is my Padawan…? Is Astalos… well?"

Beefy is nothing if not honest: "He was crushed into a gooey wad by a thrown rancor corpse."

Byln groans. "You could… have lied to me…"

Everyone: [hysterical laughter]

Chris: [recovering first] No, you're right Caleb. Sure, this is just a practice session to teach you combat, Force Powers, and where you might invest XP. And I'm not the real GM, so my opinion can't define the real campaign. But… we should show proper deference to this moment. Roleplay is always encouraged. If Byln goes dark and later returns to the light in his final moments, he should have appropriate last words. Let's back up a few seconds…

As Byln lies dying, he asks, "Where… where is my Padawan? Is Astalos… well?"

Beefy almost answers candidly. But something in his integrated organic brain tells him that the old kel dor has repudiated his previous, brutal course. It clashed so unnaturally with his centuries as a pacifist Jedi Master, and Beefy manages to find solace in this change.

Altair strides forward, on guard. But on seeing the profound change that has come over the dying Kel Dor, he says: "Astalos is one with the Living Force. He fought bravely, and well. He upheld the lofty ideals of the Jedi Order, and displayed true Mastery of Makashi. He was loyal to the end. You taught him well."

"I'm… sorry," Beefy says softly. "I did what I had to do."

"I thank you for it…" Byln says. "You have freed me… I am so sorry… for all the pain I caused… I… enjoyed… our travels together… May the Force be with you…"

The shuttle lands, the ramp descends, and two dark figures stride forward. Looming, inhuman, Darth Vader is the very visage of death. But the hunched, wizened figure next to him forbodes even deadlier danger.

The Emperor himself has arrived.

Terror washes over both Beefy and Altair.

James: Yeah… that Fear test was way too much for me.

Having no desire to personally experience what comes next, Beefy simply powers down. He sets a five hour timer, but he has no expectation of waking.

Altair though… there's still hope for him. The Lords of the Sith seem more interested in the dying Byln, so Altair has one chance. Making no move to threaten the Dark Lords, he instead draws on the Force to leap with extraordinary strength, putting maximum possible distance between himself and the unbeatable foes.

Chris: If ever an initiative roll mattered, this was it.

Altair moves with pure, focussed efficiency. Seyo must be warned. And if by some miracle Beefy isn't destroyed in his sleep, he'll need someone to rescue him.

Vader prepares to pursue, but Palpatine says, "That one is of little concern. We have what we came for."

Sensing kyber, Vader slices off Beefy's arm, finding a lightsaber hidden within. Thankfully, he ignores the inoperative droid after that.

Sidious, the loathsome traitor of the Republic, and the architect of the Jedi Purge, kneels down at Byln's side. Palpatine scowls to see that Val Isa's Talisman has been destroyed, but he seizes her Holocron as consolation.

"There's… little point…" Byln whispers. "With only half of her personality… you'll never find whatever you seek…"

Confident that Seyo and Altair will return to rescue B2-F3, and hoping that they'll carry the memory of Astalos and Pranac for many decades, Byln's eyes slide shut for the last time.

---

The horrific vision ends, and Byln finally understands. Why he's been struck with dark urgers, why his rage flares so easily. The Talisman and the Holocron each contain different aspects of Val Isa's simulated personality, and they have grown very different during the millennia of isolation. The Holocron, hidden beneath the floor of Val Isa's meditation chamber, gradually grew more passive and receptive. But the Talisman, in contact with Val Isa's corpse, gradually grew more and more unstable, finally giving way to madness. Val Isa likely meant well when creating the Talisman, but she didn't have the expertise to shield it from such danger. Now that the two relics are held by a single person, the danger to Byln is extreme. The Talisman has tapped into the power of the Holocron, dominating it, and now it seeks a stable living mind in order to feel complete.

Disgusted, and haunted by the horrific vision, Byln frantically grabs the Talisman, prepared to crush it, even though this would badly injure his hand…

But it's too late.

A surge of terrible power from both relics seizes him with awesome strength. The Holocron passively lends its power to the Talisman, which has a primal drive for self-preservation.

It will not be rejected.

Byln feels his will crumble under the double onslaught. The artificial copy of Val Isa's mind, horribly damaged from so long alone in the Deep Core, overwhelms the old Sage. His goals shift, the darkness tears at him, and he feels all love and serenity vanish. He is now a vessel for the ruined mind that has seized him.

He will seek power by any means. He will never again be helpless and abandoned.

---

Shane: Sounds like your bonus training was wild, but too long to discuss in detail before today's session.

Chris: Everyone was supposed to die, so it's kinda crazy that two of them survived.

David: Altair had to Mario jump out of there at top speed, but it worked.

James: And Beefy woke up five hours later. He was missing an arm and most of his weapons, but he hid his shatter rifle under him as he shut down. So his favorite weapon didn't get stolen by street kids.

Shane: I don't plan on letting you get a sniper rifle THAT good any time soon.

James: Yeah, I know. But I'm hoping to at least buy a heavy blaster rifle this session.

Lucas with a C: It'll be sad playing normal Astalos. It was EPIC being so good with a lightsaber. [pops open an especially strong energy drink]

Chris: At least the training has given some of us a better idea of what we'll spend XP on.

Caleb: I really want battle meditation soon, even if it can't work on Beefy.

Chris: And now that I've seen Prawn die 3 times in just 2 training sessions, it'll change the order of what I'm gonna level up. He needs to be way better at surviving before he becomes king of holding aggro.

Shane: Speaking of death, I'm using a common rule where super high Critical Injury results aren't the only way to die. If your Wounds ever double your Threshold, that's enough. So Prawn, with a Wound Threshold of 12, would die if he gets 24.

James: So if a hutt repulsorsled shows up and lands a lucky hit with a 30 damage autoblaster…

Shane: Wait, that happened?

James: No, but it could have.

Shane: Chris, you REALLY wanted to kill them, didn't you?

Chris: It WAS supposed to be a battle to the death, but those autoblasters were a major miscalculation.

Shane: I look forward to reading the full version. For now, there's one more rule to know, since it's a new homebrew: Normally, if an NPC gets knocked out, I assume they might still be alive. But there is now a Fatality option. When any Minion or Rival NPC is knocked out, any player can tap a Destiny token to say it was lethal. You'll take Conflict for doing so, since it represents taking a life when you might have been non-lethal, or interfering to cause such a result for someone else.

Chris: So if one of us knocks someone out, Caleb might tap destiny and say that subtle interference from Byln made it lethal?

Shane: That's how this rule will be used for most often, I assume.

Chris: Prawn will be so sad! He'll think he was just clumsy!

Shane: But it's also a way for Byln to gradually go more dark without totally derailing the campaign or abandoning the narrative.

Lucas with a C: [finishes guzzling his energy drink and pops open a Coke] Definitely better than going Murder Hobo.

Shane: Ok, if everyone's ready, let's begin…

---

Session 4

With his will now secretly dominated by the deranged facsimile of Val Isa's mind, Byln loses all interest in finding Walisi alive. He hurries to join the others in the vast exhibition hall, pushing past them to seek more valuable art he might sell. Better equipment for himself and the others will be vital if he's to survive.

Seyo and his Padawan cross the beautiful hall to reach the main doors. A quick examination makes it clear these haven't opened in many years. The invaders that took Walisi likely left in the direction they came. Had the Party arrived any sooner, they might have encountered that large force of well-equipped elite soldiers…

With Val Isa's thoughts and knowledge flowing through him, Byln quickly identifies a small, easily concealed ovoid sculpture as worth a considerable sum. It vanishes inside his robes with no one the wiser.

"If we want to rescue Walisi and liberate the Tragic Hope statue, we should hurry back," Seyo says. "I suspect the kidnappers are already above ground."

"I concur," Beefy says. "They were too professional and purposeful to linger."

Making their way back to the warehouse, the Party makes one final attempt to gain useful intel from RT-3PO. Reasonable and persuasive, Padawan Astalos soon learns the protocol droid has an emergency receiver. If Walisi is ever free to send a signal, the droid is willing to inform the Party. But with a little more clever reasoning, he convinces RT-3PO to let Prawn copy the receiver settings. Now, if Walisi manages to send a distress signal, the Party will get the data even if the protocol droid isn't in a position to inform them.

While Byln continues to surreptitiously look for items he might sell, RT-3PO attempts to blindly reach the security station. The droid bumps into a small abstract art piece, which shatters on the floor. "Oh no… was that the prismatic fractal sculpture to the left of the console?"

With a terrible foreboding, Byln answers, "Yes…"

"It was worth a million credits…"

Caleb: [howls in anguish]

Everyone else: [laughs hysterically]

---

The Party swiftly ascends the cargo lift and reaches the surface near the defunct speeder shop. Knowing that their search for Walisi may well lead to conflict with a large, competent force, they head directly to the nearest market. As toydarian society prioritizes money-making above all else, it isn't difficult to find military-grade hardware openly on display.

David: This is a great scene for Lucas.

Lucas with a C: [no reaction, staring into space]

Beefy knows exactly what he wants. For the surprisingly-affordable price of 1500 credits, he becomes the proud owner of a heavy blaster rifle. With far greater power than even the blaster that once belonged to Karrul Pe'Tyrbil, it even has an auto-fire feature.

Shane: Wait… it's that good and only costs 1500?

James: [smiles hugely]

No one has any expectation of finding kyber crystals in the weapon store, so most of the others peruse the armor on display.

Shane: Rather than making everyone go through huge item lists, I'll allow you to essentially buy custom armor. For certain price levels, you can get something with a desired soak value that looks like whatever you want.

Chris: I'd prefer something that raises Prawn's defense rather than soak. Can that still work?

Shane: Probably, what are you thinking?

James: [double-checking a rule] Hold on… Prawn's guard shoto is already focused on defense bonuses, right?

Chris: Yeah…

James: Sad news, different sources of defense don't actually stack. So even if the armor gave you 2 defense, it would just replace your melee defense of 1 and make no change to your ranged defense 2.

Chris: MASSIVE bummer…

Shane: So… soak bonus?

Chris: Yeah… Also, can we retcon and say my second, unpowered lightsaber hilt is a lightfoil like Altair has? With this rule, there's genuinely no point in having 2 guard shoto, even though I'd like the look.

Shane: That works. Consolation for the bad news.

Chris: So, once that second lightsaber is powered up, he'll get 2 ranged defense from the guard shoto, 2 melee defense from the lightfoil, and these super-advanced synthetic fiber robes will make his soak 5. Not as fun as having ranged defense 6 someday, but still pretty good. I plan on boosting my Parry and Reflect pretty regularly for as long as this campaign lasts.

Prawn intends to stay front and center during any violent confrontation, so he asks Seyo to pay for something marvelous and rare. The simple white robes are priced at 3000, because the fabric is anything but simple. Based on the energy-dispersing anti-ballistic synthetic fibers in the formal robes of Naboo royalty, the unassuming garment offers impressive protection. And it's not the only option. Many items of exquisite design are available, and everyone splurges.

Focused on a set of armor that matches his style, Altair fails to notice a customer and shopkeeper gossiping about Walisi.

Soon, everyone is significantly poorer… but far better protected.

Byln slips into a different stall with no other customers. He approaches the rodian shopkeeper and shows him the small ovoid sculpture he snatched from Walisi's exhibition hall. "I know this is worth 10,000."

The shopkeeper backs away, hands up. "I… I want nothing to do with that. I know where you got it."

Frustration quickly turns to anger, and Byln's hand slides up the haft of his lightsaber pike, drawing toward the activation switch…

Lukas with a K: Dude, are you seriously gonna threaten a guy with a LIGHTSABER in the middle of the city?

David: Pretty sure lightsabers are a great way to scream, "I'm a Jedi, come get me."

James: And even if not, you honestly think you can get away with basically robbing a guy? The whole Party might get arrested, or worse.

Chris: Our characters still think Byln's a wise old pacifist. If violence broke out in the stall next door, we'd assume it wasn't your fault, and we'd all try to save you. Everyone's stories might end cuz you wanted one specific guy to buy your stolen goods.

Caleb: So I'm getting vetoed AGAIN.

James: If your whim would have the potential to ruin things for everyone, it's only fair that we get to pause things and spell it out.

Chris: By the way, Lucas, are you sure you don't wanna work your magic in this scene? You'd be great here.

Lucas with a C: [no reaction, staring into space]

James: We're on a shopping spree, and your Negotiation is awesome, even without using the Force.

Lucas with a C: [no reaction, staring into space]

Shane: Anyway, Seyo's new armor in particular would require him to change in public. Should that be one strain?

Everyone except Lucas with a C: [chuckles]

Lukas with a K: Nah. He's built. If there are any human females around, they might faint, but Seyo doesn't care.

Chris: Prawn's built too, for a kid, but he's still relieved that he doesn't have to strip down. He's just trading one set of outer robes for another.

Shane: So is everyone done shopping?

Lucas with a C: [as if suddenly coming awake] Oh, right. Yeah I'll get better armor, and I also want this. [shows an item entry on the RPG wiki]

Shane: Whoa. A cybernetic eye? You're gonna replace your fully healthy eye?

Lucas with a C: It'll automatically analyze anything I examine to see what it's worth.

James: Yeah, but… that's worth losing your EYE?

Lucas with a C: I'll get good deals in the future, and might be able to sell stuff for more.

Lukas with a K: Children…

Shane: Take one Wound from the surgery.

Chris: Speaking of buying and selling… you know that we just spent like half an hour shopping, right?

Lucas with a C: Oh, it was that long?

Chris: And you didn't even try to negotiate for better prices?

Lucas with a C: [face slowly falls]

James: We tried to nudge you. Several times. Negotiation is your thing.

Lucas with a C: [looking at empty drink cans] Caffeine makes me crash sometimes…

Chris: [laughing] You did look totally out of it, but man what bad timing. That could have been your scene to shine.

Lucas with a C: I kinda thought the prices were fixed…

James: Sorry man. Next time.

Chris: Next time… no caffeine for the kid. I don't want you to miss out again.

Lucas with a C: Good idea…

James: But hey, since you're finally awake, you wanna try gathering information? Someone overheard a mention of Waluigi earlier but totally ignored it.

David: Oh right… Oops?

Altair whispers to Astalos that a shopkeeper mentioned Walisi. Despite dizziness from local anesthetic, significant pain bleeding through the drugs, and holding a small cryo cylinder containing his left eye, Astalos is still charming enough to get info out of the salesman.

"You didn't hear it from me… but yes… Walisi looked scared. I had assumed that the armed thugs with him were newly hired guards, but he didn't seem to trust them.

Chris: Oh, you forgot to roll your Force die with the Influence power. You might have been able to add Advantage.

James: Influence doesn't work on toydarians.

Shane: This shopkeeper is actually the rodian.

James: Oh! Excellent. [glares at Caleb] Good thing you didn't threaten the guy with a lightsaber.

Lucas with a C: Is it ok for me to try that Force power and add the result to that last roll?

With a gentle touch through the Force, Astalos elicits one more detail. "Yes, the soldiers with him all had a strange symbol on their gear…" He quickly sketches a simple design composed of three overlapping hexagons. Once Astalos has had a good look, the shopkeeper rips it to little bits. "Remember, you heard none of this from me."

With considerably less cash, but far better gear, the Party again gathers and hurries away from the shopping district. It feels wise to start their investigation into these mysterious soldiers a good distance from where Walisi was last seen.

With careful computer searches and more careful listening, the Party eventually learns that the symbol in question is used by a mercenary group run by "Wrecker." They are known for annoying both the Empire and local authorities with their borderline illegal activities. But it's likely they have some major secret backing, maybe even Baron Reeol. It's relatively rare for their men to be arrested, and they always end up released before any trial. But if they really are the ones who kidnapped Walisi and stole Tragic Hope, this is a break from their usual jobs. They are not known for kidnapping or demanding ransom.

The afternoon is well along when Seyo and Astalos get dependable intel on Wrecker's base of operations: The Old Royal Metalworks on Factory Hill.

Lucas with a C: Hey, nice teamwork. Maybe the Padawans should switch masters.

Caleb: Nope. Byln hates Prawn.

Chris: Which is sad, cuz Prawn thinks Byln is the Party's wise gentle grampa.

Seyo strokes his chin. "It may be wise to find an intermediary. With a mercenary band this large, and with powerful secret backers, it could be risky to approach them directly."

Altair nods toward a distant building with garish neon lights. "I learned of a bar nearby that caters to Wrecker's soldiers."

Prawn gulps. "I'll go as your representative, Master. If things get ugly, I should be able to protect myself."

Ninety seconds later, the boy runs screaming from the bar, narrowly dodging a kick and ducking multiple thrown bottles. A blaster bolt, deliberately aimed high, misses the little quarren but sends a decisive message.

Seyo strokes his chin. "It may be wise to go directly to the mercenary base. With the local bars so rough, it could be risky to try setting up an intermediary."

Chris: Very insightful, Master.

Lukas with a K: Try to remember Prawn's not invincible.

Keeping a low profile, they near their destination early in the evening, fearing possible battle, but hoping stealth or diplomacy might avert it.

Shane: [reading] The Royal Metalworks has clearly seen better days. It's an enormous complex built on three terraces on the Low Park side of Factory Hill. It's surrounded by a collection of crumbling pourstone walls and rusty, intricate fences with visible gaps. Four massive artistic metal gates are spaced around the complex, with the main gate at the center of the lowest terrace. On the terraces are almost a dozen buildings, including two towering, ornate, latticelike metal structures that dominate the rest of the facility. Given the state of decay and overgrowth, it's likely the place hasn't been used for its original purpose in decades."

Lukas with a K: So… what now?

Lucas with a C: No idea.

David: I guess we could just walk up to the gate.

James: If we're right about these guys having Waluigi, it could turn into a battle.

Chris: Prawn's not the sort to push a specific decision on the Party. He'll just be up front if things get dangerous.

Caleb: Why are we trying to rescue Waluigi again?

Chris: Good thing it's you asking, not Byln. Prawn would be confused and sad.

James: If it helps, the people who took him also took the statue.

Caleb: Why do we care about some dumb statue?

David: We thought the crystal it holds might be kyber.

Caleb: Oh, right. So what do we do?

Lucas with a C: Still no idea.

Shane: Are you guys just gonna stand around forever staring at the place?

Chris: He mentioned there are gaps in the fences.

James: Beefy's Stealth is awesome. I'll try crawling inside.

Chris: Prawn's Stealth is NOT awesome, so he'll just crouch down near the gap Beefy crawled through. If things get ugly, I can dash through to back him up.

Shane: Roll Stealth against a red and three purple.

James: Wait, that many?

Keeping low to the ground, Beefy moves with impressive dexterity, making minimal noise, but he soon has to abandon the attempt. The sound of two speederbikes approaches rapidly, and they're likely to pass very near the droid. He quickly slips back through the gap in the gate.

"So, the area's actively patrolled," Seyo muses. "We've certainly come to the right place… but how to proceed?"

It's determined that only Beefy would have a hope of sneaking in. No one, especially Altair, likes the idea of him being isolated with no hope of support. They ultimately agree to approach the main gate openly, with neither subterfuge nor aggression. They'll try talking their way in, perhaps supplemented by bribery.

Shane: FINALLY. If it had taken any longer to make a decision, I was gonna force it by having those speederbikes find you.

With Byln and Astalos in front, and Beefy hiding outside in case things go horribly wrong, the Force-sensitives calmly march to the front gates, making sure they are seen well in advance to avoid looking dangerous. Two guards, a human and a hovering toydarian, watch their approach with little concern. The guards are well armed and armored, and their confidence suggests backup is a single shout away.

Wishing he could just chop their way through all resistance and be done with it, Byln forces himself to rely on words. They were his primary tools for many decades, and his Padawan is excellent at supporting his efforts.

"Yeah, yeah," the human guard says, bored. "Ya wanna talk to the boss?"

"Indeed," Byln says, glad his old habits haven't been undermined by his new purpose. "We hope he could shed some light on–"

"Just have your credits ready," the guard says. "He loves credits."

The toydarian guard snaps, "Is that supposed to be an insult?"

The human smiles. "Are you insulted?"

The toydarian chuckles. "No. It's quite fair and accurate." He turns to the Party. "Follow me, and prepare to have lighter wallets."

Shane: [reading] "The toydarian mercenary flies quickly ahead of you, motioning for you to keep up. You enter one of the massive, latticelike structures through a pair of once-elegant doors embossed with the Metalworks' royal seal. You hear people barking orders ahead of you. A bit farther inside, you pass through a basketweave metal tunnel, which opens onto an enormous room about two hundred meters long and half again as wide. The room houses a number of large industrial machines. In addition, there seem to be many dozens of mercenaries working out and training in groups throughout the room. Some squads are rappelling down from above or climbing irregular structures. Toydarian trainers hover around their non-flying charges, yelling a familiar collection of insults, encouragement, and instructions to those struggling to complete the climb."

"Wish I had time to join them," Prawn observes. "Reminds me of my year with those monks, but with a way bigger gym."

"We can't risk tiring you out in a meaningless competition," Seyo warns. "While we hope to avoid violence, it would take all our strength to survive should things take a turn for the worse."

David: It's a good thing we didn't try to blast our way in. If all these guys had come at us, there's no way we'd win.

James: Don't worry. I'll find a way to sneak in and break you guys out if you get captured.

Lukas with a K: And if we get dead?

James: Beefy would love to meet all of your new characters.

Shane: [reading] "Your guide takes you over to one of the large industrial machines, which a group of officers watches while it works. It's incredibly loud and clearly in need of maintenance. As you approach, through a scratched safety window on the machine, you see it bending bars, weaving cables, and welding plates, guided by a nearby industrial artisan droid."

James: Aw. Beefy would have loved to see this.

Chris: There's honor in being the Designated Rescuer.

Shane: [reading] "A scarred toydarian male with generals' rank insignia says to you, "Hold up, it's nearly done." A moment later, the machine grinds to a halt. The window rises, and a massive metal plate slides out to display an intricate sculpture featuring a stylized version of the Wrecker's Mercs symbol. The mercenaries roar in approval, and the scarred toydarian orders it packed and taken to a large transport ship in the rear of the complex. Then, he turns and says, "I'm Wrecker, mercenary lord, and now, it seems, occasional information specialist. I believe you have a lot of credits for me."

David: This is NOT a situation where any sort of coercion can work. We're totally surrounded by soldiers.

Lukas with a K: It's a bummer, but you're right. Everybody be polite.

Wrecker hovers a little higher, now at eye level to Seyo. "There's a 500 credit service fee if you have any questions."

Seyo smiles. "That's quite reasonable."

"That's just to talk. I'll charge what I deem fair for every individual question."

Seyo's smile falters. "Oh."

It's a good thing they brought a big chunk of their remaining funds with them…

"I approve of this new sculpture of yours," Byln observes.

Caleb: Byln finds it just the right mix of artistic and Machiavellian.

Wrecker smiles. "I like it too. But you're not getting a discount."

Caleb: Ah come on. I'm trying to like this baddie but he's not making it easy.

"Hey, man, did ya happen to snatch a cool statue recently?" Astalos' smooth approach puts a lot of the mercs at ease, but seems to have no effect on Wrecker himself. "It's called Tragic Hope, and we–"

"We steal lots of things. I don't keep track." He turns to Byln. "That's a 50 credit convenience fee."

Seyo steps forward, careful not to appear threatening. "Did you also perhaps meet a certain Walisi earlier today?"

Utterly unfazed, Wrecker nods. "Yes yes. An anonymous client paid us handsomely to acquire him earlier." He holds out his hand. "That's 200 more credits. Call it a finder's fee."

Prawn rushes forward. "Is he ok? If you hurt him…"

"Ah, nothing life-threatening," Wrecker says with a dismissive wave. "He didn't personally resist, and we gave him basic first aid. According to the client's instructions, we left him tied up in a crate at the designated pickup point. 150 credit service charge."

Barely daring to hope, Altair asks, "Where was that?"

Wrecker smiles and holds out a hand. "500 credit analysis fee."

When the money is handed over, he continues without a care in the world. "The old Merchant-Baron's mansion near the base of Merchant Mound Three. The Windswept Lakes. The second half of our payment was waiting. A pleasant business all around."

Caleb: This might be my chance…

Lucas with a C: PLEASE don't start something crazy!

Caleb: So little faith in your Master…

Byln holds out the glass ovoid sculpture he failed to sell in the merchant district. "Speaking of business… you have an eye for fine art. Might I offer you–"

"I like it. I'll give you 7500 credits."

"8000."

"Done."

Everyone: [laughter]

Wrecker hands the sculpture off to an underling. "I know where I can sell it for 12,000. And no, you don't get a discount on your questions."

Carefully, Seyo asks, "Is there any reason to expect possible… resistance… should we travel to that location?"

"The mansion's occasionally used by the Preelos Consortium, aligned with Desilijac kajidic. 300 credits consulting charge."

Chris: What the… how is that spelled?

Shane: [shows him the page in the book]

Lucas with a C: And how do you pronounce it?

Shane: I'm not even gonna try.

"Anything else?" Wrecker asks, as he's handed the money. "No? Then we're done. I'm busy." As Wrecker turns to fly away, he addresses the nearest guards. "No blood, burns, or fractures... but don't dawdle."

Nine soldiers roughly seize the Party, who wisely put up no resistance. They're hauled through the facility and tossed to the ground outside. Prawn's the only one carried by a single guard. Had Beefy been present, it would have taken at least four to lift him.

"Nice guy," Astalos observes dryly.

"Actually… I think he sorta is," Altair says. "With all of us in the heart of his lair surrounded by dozens of soldiers, he could have robbed us or even murdered us."

Astalos helps Byln to his feet. The old kel dor carefully hides his hatred at such indignity. He felt a vague camaraderie to the powerful, confident Wrecker, but that is now replaced with disgust.

Altair flips back to his feet and dusts himself off. Seyo turns to Prawn. "Are you well, Padawan?"

"Yup. I don't remember the last time bruises mattered."

Beefy approaches from his hiding place. "It appears you were not received well."

"Actually, we learned a lot," Altair says. "But the instant we finished, Wrecker's patience disappeared."

With Byln secretly seething, Seyo takes charge. "We have our destination, and we need to hurry. If Walisi was left in a crate, he's likely already been taken. But if there's any chance of reaching him first, it's our duty to try."

Byln suffers still more indignity when the Party has to run. Prawn, Seyo, and Altair have little trouble, and Astalos keeps up despite clearly feeling miserable after the first kilometer, but the old Sage has to be carried by Beefy. They take their first chance to access a terminal. They soon find the location of the mansion, and confirm that no form of motorized air travel is allowed in the area. They can either rent a landspeeder or a waveskimmer.

Chris: Finally… a chance for Prawn's aquatic skills to matter.

Quickly settling on travel by water, they rush to the closest rental dealer. "It's getting late," the elderly toydarian warns. "The waterways are treacherous, and wind gusts can be strong."

James: Finally… a chance for Beefy's Piloting skills to matter.

It takes hours to navigate the rivers, swamps, and canals, but they can finally pick up speed once they reach the Windswept Lake. Byln's eyes can function in very low light conditions, and Prawn grew up in a deep ocean trench. Between them, they help Beefy avoid submerged objects and other hazards, while the droid easily compensates for wind and waves. They're all so focused on the dangerous waters they barely notice their destination looming.

James: Egats! Where did that giant well-lit mansion come from!

David: Yeah, that was a hilariously bad Perception roll.

Lukas with a K: Maybe it's foggy.

Caleb: I blame Lucas for voluntarily losing an eye earlier.

Shane: [reading] "As your craft bounces on the choppy waves battering the hull, you examine the massive white structure tucked into the darkness of the tree-covered lakeshore. Despite dark clouds and rain–"

Lukas with a K: Ah, not fog, rain. Still, that's our excuse.

Shane: [reading] "–the lake's reflective shimmer contrasts with the dimness under the trees. The building is a prominent dwelling atop a rocky embankment rising fifteen meters above the shore. A formal, glassed-in entertainment hall sits at the top of an outcropping, the rest of the building fading into the mist behind it. You can make out the vague outlines of convex structures several stories tall immediately behind the hall."

Lucas with a C: Fancy.

Shane: I've posted a map of the area in the group chat. It'll make it easier for us to describe what we're doing in the next couple scenes, but try not to metagame.

Chris: You mean try to ignore the secret cave entrance that our terrible Perception check means we didn't notice.

Shane: Uh… yeah. That. Anyway, there's more… [reading] "It's difficult to ascertain where the shore begins and the lake ends. Some trees grow up out of the water, while others rise from the land. You see huge, complex speeder and skimmer docks floating on the water at the neighboring estates, located about a kilometer away to each side, providing a different example of what can be purchased with significant wealth."

Lukas with a K: So do we have to dock a kilometer away from the mansion?

Lucas with a C: Ah man. More running.

Shane: Actually, there's STILL more. [reading] "The dock at the Merchant Baron's mansion–"

Lucas with a C: Whew.

Shane: [reading] "–is a long, semicircular structure at the base of the outcropping. There are spaces for a dozen boats or skimmers, but they're all empty. At each end of the dock is what appears to be an elegant lift from the dock level up into the base of the mansion above. Several mansion windows glow with light from within, but you don't see anyone outside or on the docks."

Chris: Wait, is there no crate?

Shane: There's nothing on the docks.

David: So, as expected, Waluigi's already been taken.

James: Unless he was taken inside the mansion.

Caleb: Who cares? Maybe the kyber statue thing got left behind?

Chris: Prawn worries that they might have killed Walisi and dumped him in the lake. I wanna dive in and search.

Lukas with a K: Maybe we should hang back for a sec and not dock till you report back.

Caleb: Be sure to look for the statue too. If it fell in…

Shane: I won't make Prawn roll Athletics, since he grew up underwater. But I'll still have you roll Perception.

Chris: Sigh. Fail with 3 Advantage.

Shane: You don't find anything near the docks… but you do notice the cave off to the north.

Prawn surfaces to report his findings. It's quickly decided that he should explore the cave while the rest see if they can get inside the mansion via the docks.

James: So this time, it's you who'll be the Designated Rescuer if the others get captured.

Chris: And if you all get dead, Prawn will be so traumatized your new characters will need to get him some top tier therapy.

Staying as deep as possible to minimize risk of detection, Prawn swims toward the cave while the others pull up to the docks. They can't realistically hide, and very soon the lift descends. The two security droids haven't drawn their weapons.

Prawn enters the dark cave, discovering a small, decaying little dock. He carefully weaves through the flotsam and debris to reach a heavy, rusted door that holds back the water. He pumps his legs at full power, but he can't force the old doors open.

Outside, the security droids reach the main docks and approach the Party. One holds out a holoprojector, which powers up. A hologram of a toydarian appears, examining them. "We weren't expecting a delivery."

"Where's the artifact?" Byln demands."

Lukas with a K: Wow you're direct.

Caleb: This is taking forever! Let's get to the action!

"Artfact? Where did you hear about that?"

"An advertisement."

Everyone: [laughs]

"But why are you looking for it here?"

"Wrecker sold you out. And it didn't even cost us much."

Everyone: [laughs]

David: Sometimes, being direct feels appropriate. As long as you're not stabbing the guy…

Caleb: Yay. You guys didn't veto me for once.

James: Only because of the "not stabbing."

The toydarian ponders for a moment. "You are very interested in this artifact… Very well. I'm not in a position to greet you properly, as most of our staff have gone home for the evening. But you may come inside. My employer may be able to meet you soon."

As the Party ascends the lift, Prawn ignites his lightsaber in the cave. The moment his circular cut completes, water pressure sucks him inside. This might have been dangerous to any of the others, but it's a mere inconvenience for the quarren. After a few moments of disorientation, he finds himself in a dusty, disused welcoming room. He carefully tests the door, and finds it unlocked. He pulls out his comlink. "Master Seyo," he whispers. "I've found an alternate entrance that doesn't look monitored."

"Wait there," Seyo whispers back, hoping the security droids won't notice. "Things seem safe, but having you in reserve feels wise. I'll keep this line open. Use your best judgement based on what you hear."

The lift reaches the mansion, and the Force-sensitives immediately sense… fear… and opportunity.

The droid guards gesture them down the long, ornate hall. Beefy gives them an approximation of a respectful nod, which is essentially just a bow. The ungrateful things don't even notice, simply following them.

As they march down the hall, they see the mansion is comprised of numerous narrow wings extending out to either side. If Walisi was brought inside, instead of taken offworld, thoroughly searching this place could require considerable time even if they all split up. Some feel a vague sense of unease about halfway down the length of the hall, but it soon passes.

Reaching the end of the hall, they exit through the broad front doors to find a large landing and parking area. A well-dressed toydarian flutters over to meet them. Altair reaches out with the Force, but detects no other nearby beings. "I apologize for the underwhelming reception," he says. "We're currently renovating in preparation to resume public showings. My boss–and my boss' boss– have arrived on planet and will be here soon. Feel free to look around while you wait. Some of our intended inventory is already on display."

"Should we confine our browsing to a specific area?" Seyo asks.

"No need, so long as you forgive any untidy messes you find."

Seyo has kept his comlink active, allowing Prawn to hear this exchange. Realizing that remaining hidden is less vital, he quietly enters the mansion. Though he still hopes to remain unobserved, just in case this creates an opportunity, he isn't actually worried about what might happen if he's discovered. He's soaking wet, so he could truthfully say the water current pulled him in through the door in the cave. Coming from an aquatic child, that shouldn't be too suspicious.

Taking the Toydarian up on his offer, the others spread out to explore the mansion, making a show of examining the decorations as they do. Altair and Byln first examine the landing area out front. No vehicles are currently there, and it looks like this place gets visited by multiple speeders rather than large transports. But with the vast space vacant, it could likely accommodate a craft considerably larger than the Starhound.

Most of the others head back through the mansion, fanning out to check different wings. Astalos senses something dark as he passes an intersection. It's a far stronger sensation than the first time he passed this location… but he walks right on by.

Lucas with a C: Nope. I'm not gonna be the one to explore something creepy. Somebody else is sure to find it, right?

Ahead of him, the two security droids descend the lift, heading down to the docks.

Searching without the aid of the Force, Beefy finds a functional infirmary. The equipment is in excellent condition, it all has power, and the supplies are well stocked… but the medical droids are absent. Curious…

Prawn finds the wing he's in is basically empty, but when he nears the main corridor, he senses something… wrong.

Lucas with a C: There we go. Let the fearless kid with the death wish check it out.

The little Padawan pauses, meditating. He becomes more and more sure that he must find the source.

Lucas with a C: Astalos has a long stride, so he's walked a safe distance away by now, right?

Prawn contacts the rest of the Party, asking them to converge on his location to help him search.

Lucas with a C: Do I have to?

Lukas with a K: Stop being a sissy.

Altair dashes back inside, with Byln following at a far slower pace. The mansion doors close behind Altair before Byln reaches them. The old Sage realizes…

He's alone with the wealthy toydarian that greeted him.

Caleb: Finally a chance for some murder.

The frustration of the day, bouncing from one lead to the next, ending up hours away from their ship, only to be stonewalled by this self-important little nobody. Approaching the toydarian with a wave, as if wanting to talk, Byln ignites his lightsaber pike and swings…

Caleb: NO! I missed?

A shadow of Byln's former personality struggles against its captors, managing to flinch away at the last possible moment.

Chris: Cool interpretation actually. You're character might be a horrible person now, but you're getting better at considering the narrative.

The bar of green plasma misses by centimeters, and the toydarian shrieks in terror, crashing into the wall in his desperate attempt to evade.

"Tell me where Walisi and the statue are! Now! Or my next strike will find flesh!"

"Spare me! Please!"

"SPEAK!"

"Yes! We have Walisi! And the statue! In the basement!"

Byln turns toward the door and pulls out his comlink. The toydarian takes that chance to fly away at top speed.

Calm, collected, Byln informs the Party what he learned.

"Impressive, Master," Astalos says. "You've always been persuasive. We're investigating a possible lead now. It's good to know we need to find access to a basement."

Lucas with a C: Hopefully there aren't tons of baddies waiting down there.

Chris: Calm down, pansy. We all know Prawn plans to go first.

Seyo reaches Prawn, and he too senses a dark foreboding. Master and apprentice stand back to back, slowly turning in place, open to all details and sensations.

Something under Seyo's left foot doesn't feel quite right…

As the others arrive, Seyo investigates the beautiful stone floor. It takes a moment to be sure, but a section might be loose… His attempts to move it with the Force are unsuccessful.

Byln arrives. Impatiently, he orders: "Start cutting."

Nodding, everyone ignites their lightsabers. Beefy stands guard, his photoreceptors trained on the doors to the landing pad out front.

The floor is thick and reinforced, but those with longer blades can feel that they're making progress. Giving vent to his frustration, which was only minimally relieved by terrifying the toydarian outside, Byln hacks away with reckless abandon. Abruptly, a section of floor beneath Astalos gives way, and the young clawdite falls.

Lucas with a C: What were you saying about Prawn going first, and me being safe?

Thankfully, the drop isn't far. He lands atop a glowing, humming stasis pod. Medical droids ignore him while tending the pod and nearby equipment. Carefully, Astalos drops down the rest of the way to the basement floor.

Walisi sleeps within the pod.

Everyone: Yes!

One by one, the others drop onto the pod and then to the floor. The basement is devoid of hostiles, as the medical droids continue to ignore them. Last to arrive is Beefy, who orders the droids to revive and release Walisi. Without a word, they comply, starting the process.

Byln completely ignores the captured toydarian. His eyes are on a statue of a humanoid upper body, which holds a crystal aloft. He instantly knows that this is what he sought. He dashes over to it and drops to his knees, weeping with the release of all the pent up frustration. His body will need time to grow accustomed to the powerful emotions and sensations flowing from the deranged personality that now controls him. The others don't know what to make of this display.

While the others focus on the process of Walisi's revival, or try to learn what they can from the nearby terminals, Byln slowly rises to his feet, casually snaps the statue's wrists, and claims the crystal.

Instantly, he feels his connection to the Force strengthen… but in an unstable, distressing way. Prefering to let someone else experiment with it first, he hands it off to Jedi Seyo. Let him take the risk, then Byln will take it back if he deems it safe.

The human intently examines the crystal, reaching out with the Force. "This… isn't kyber… But it still resonates with power. I've never…"

Shane: [reading] "A blast of heat and noise overwhelms you as a vision takes hold. You're suddenly in a crowded marketplace in a desert. You feel old. You're part of a group of people surrounded by a ring of armed warriors. A humanoid female with white hair leaps atop an open-topped transport containing a large cluster of angular grey stones that pulse with a greenish hue. Suddenly, you're choking. An unseen force wraps around your neck. You and four others float high in the air, helpless and gasping for oxygen. You can't breathe. You can't fight back. Everyone else is yelling. The woman is laughing. The vision blacks out as you start to fall."

Caleb: For once, I'm not the one having the crazy vision.

Seyo staggers as his awareness returns to the present. He feels his power surge, but in the same moment, Prawn wavers. Even as the crystal empowers Seyo, a wave of dizziness hits Prawn. At Altair's request, Seyo hands him the strange crystal. Altair feels a surge of power, while Byln is struck by disorienting energy.

The stasis pod finally opens, and Beefy hefts the weary Walisi over one shoulder.

Then alarms sound throughout the mansion.

"Time to go!" Altair shouts.

"Lift us out of here, Seyo!" Byln commands. Altair tosses the crystal back to Seyo, and a wave of dizziness strikes Astalos.

Prawn draws his lightsaber. "I'm the easiest to lift! Toss me up there, and I'll hold the landing!"

With his strengthened connection to the Force, Seyo easily levitates Pranac up through the hole in the ceiling. The boy ignites his guard shoto and takes a defensive position near the main hall. Beefy is next, and even with his great weight and his toydarian passenger, they are up and out with relative ease.

"I could get used to this…" Seyo says. "But I'm also concerned. This power feels too easy.. Too seductive…"

"Worry about that after we've escaped," Byln insists.

As has become customary, Beefy stands behind Prawn, aiming over the boy's head. They hear a ship land outside, followed a commotion, including shouting orders and running feet.

At last, Seyo has lifted everyone out of the basement, and Altair reaches down to haul the Jedi out.

Not a moment too soon.

The front doors of the mansion blast inward, and a storm of blaster fire tears down the hall.

"Fight or flee?" Prawn calls over the noise, deflecting two shots.

With their vehicle at the docks, they'd have to flee down the long corridor with shots coming from behind… "Fight!" Seyo roars.

Prawn and Altair break cover, blitzing toward the enemy. The smoke begins to clear, revealing numerous weequay riflemen, commanded by a hovering toydarian.

Beefy opens fire, carefully avoiding his allies, and blaster bolts fill the air. Injuries quickly mount, with the enemies all competent marksman, and with only Prawn extensively trained in blocking bolts. Hoping to draw fire, the boy rushes into the midst of the enemy, taking a swing at their toydarian leader. Seyo levitates a large statue and hurls it through a tight formation of weequay, then it devolves a wild melee. Astalos strikes out with his lightwhip, managing to avoid friendly fire. Seizing the opportunity created by the chaos up ahead, Byln charges in and dispatches the toydarian with a lunge from his saber pike.

Caleb: Finally! I got to kill something!

Chris: And in this situation, targeting this particular toydarian was a good tactic we can all approve of.

James: Instead of a psycho murder you'd need to hide from the Party.

The wild brawl starts to turn in the Party's favor, and Seyo launches another statue into the last intact enemy squad. Altair's lightfoil smoothly drops a weequay who looks like an officer, while Beefy continues to blaze away with his heavy auto rifle.

The last weequay panics, dropping his rifle and dashing down the hall toward the rear lift.

Casually, Prawn jogs alongside him. "I have bad news: You're going where we're going. You should really consider just surrendering. I promise we'll let you."

The weequay spins, throwing a punch that Prawn easily dodges. But it lets the weequay pull ahead, and a heavy blast door crashes down between him and Prawn.

"Uh oh." He turns to dash back toward the others. "We can't get to the docks unless we swim through the cave!"

"That would take too long for most of us!" Seyo warns. "And Beefy would have to walk along the bottom!"

"It'll take forever to cut through those blast doors!" Astalos warns.

Seyo turns. "Out through the main exit! We'll take the ship they arrived in!"

Prawn catches up, and the Party rushes outside, impressed at the size of the landed starship. They rush it, hoping to get aboard before anyone inside can take off.

But two large, advanced military droids descend the ship's ramp and open fire.

Lukas with a K: This is getting serious guys…

Lucas with a C: There are just two of em!

Drawing dangerously on the easy power offered by the crystal, Seyo lifts one droid and hurls it into the other.

Neither suffer major damage.

Lukas with a K: You were saying?

Lucas with a C: Ok… so these 2 are tough…

The droids fire from their prone position, and Beefy returns fire with full auto. Prawn dashes in, slashing a damaged droid in half. The other gets back to its feet and blazes away at Prawn point blank. Despite all his efforts, his guard falters under the assault, and he staggers back, wounded.

Astalos strikes out with his whip, but concern over friendly fire causes him to swing too wide and miss. Altair lunges, but the large machine remains functional. Before the droid can open fire again, Byln manages to reach it and cuts it down.

Caleb: Yes! Two good hits with a lightsaber today, even though I only roll 2 green.

James: I'm just glad it's over. 2 major fights in a row…

Shane: You think it's over? With those droids cut in half, my preparations are complete…

Everyone: Whaaaat…?

The chunks of the bisected droids float into the air… and then launch toward the Party. Everyone dives aside, avoiding the attacks purely because the wreckage was thrown blindly.

Then a red lightsaber blade cuts a hole in the top of the enemy ship, and a figure in black leaps up onto the roof.

Lukas with a K: BAD timing for the Inquisitor to finally show up. We're already battered.

Chris: But Prawn's built for taking on lightsabers. We can do this!

Shane: Before you can even start, I need Prawn to roll a fear check.

Chris: No problem.

Shane: [rolling a Force power check] Your fear check is against… 6 purple dice.

Chris: WHAT? Yeah… despite solid Discipline and the Confidence talent… I failed… Prawn inked himself!

Everyone: [laughs]

Shane: It's way worse than that… This is NOT normal fear…

Prawn takes one look at the dark feminine figure with the double-bladed lightsaber, and fear crashes over him. A horrible vision takes hold, forcing him to endure his worst nightmares…

---

In Pranac's mind, he's back at the end of the Clone Wars, looking upon the lifeless body of his old Master. Riddled with blaster fire, the mon calamari Jedi hangs from a noose. And clones stand guard, preventing anyone from taking her down…

Then, in a bewildering rush of light and sound, he finds himself in the Alopia Rift, deep beneath the waves of Mon Calamari. This is where he scraped by after his parents died in a drug deal gone wrong… The place where he gathered a small group of other orphans like himself… They were "The Urchins," who kept each other alive, hunting for food, and begging for basic supplies from the miners.

But all is not as it was.

Now, Master Slenz floats there, lifeless. Her remaining eye stares into his, sightless yet accusing…

Then, from a source he cannot see, a heavy barrage of blaster fire tears past him, leaving trails of superheated bubbles. Prawn turns to swim away…

But there are the other Urchins, sheltering behind him. They are as he remembers them, not a day older than when the Jedi Order found him. Terrified, exposed in open water, the children turn and swim away for all they're worth. Some are quarren, some are mon calamari, all are unarmed. Their only chance is for Prawn to cover their retreat.

This is what he was made for.

Prawn spins back toward the threat, ignites his lightsaber, and deflects bolts. He only needs to survive long enough for the Urchins to find cover. He won't be able to escape, but he's never been so certain of anything in his life. He will cover their retreat, and nothing that happens to him will matter. He'll die fully satisfied, knowing all his training and pain was worth it for this moment.

But the unseen attackers completely… ignore him.

The sources of the shots spread out, the storm of plasma coming from too many directions. He can't possibly intercept all the blaster bolts, and the majority streak past him. His heart pounds in helpless panic. He's prepared to pay any price to protect the Urchins… but the enemy won't let him…

All at once, the firing stops. The unseen attackers have succeeded.

The Urchins float in the dark water behind him, scorched and dead. The murderers left Prawn unharmed…

Alone.

Once again, those who needed him are dead.

Despite all his training, and his willingness to give his life… he failed to protect them.

They died. He lived.

Nothing could be worse than this.

---

Seyo Nemis doesn't know what's come over his Padawan, but the boy stands quivering, tears flowing. Whatever this evil Force user did to him, Seyo must put a stop to it. He levitates the nearest chunk of twisted droid wreckage, and hurls it. A glancing blow knocks the enemy off the ship. She twists in midair and lands like a Loth-cat. Beefy blazes away with full auto, taxing her ability to deflect the shots, and everyone rushes her.

Six to one… but she's a nightmare in a fight

Ducking, dodging, parrying, and striking out viciously with blades, feet, and fists, the terrifying woman doesn't flinch as she matches the entire Party strike for strike. Her speed feels unreal, her skill with the blade overwhelming.

Seeing injuries swiftly multiplying among his friends, Prawn forces himself to join the fight. Shaking and crying, Prawn attacks her with all he has. But her defenses exceed even his, and he can't compare to her vicious offense.

Recognizing that the weeping child currently has little thought for his own welfare, Altair manages to inject Prawn with sorely-needed bacta. The mirialan then returns to the combined assault on this monstrous opponent.

Bylin, Astalos, and even Seyo fail to land hits, as the whirling, slashing madwoman feels like more than a mere mortal. Seyo is reminded of the skill and aggression of Mace Windu, with whom he fought a single short sparring match many years ago.

Hissed whispers from the masked opponent fill young Astalos with primal terror, leaving him visibly shaking and barely able to defend himself, let alone threaten the enemy.

David: Wow… she's really hard to hit.

Chris: Adversary 3 plus Melee Defense is crazy hard to get past. And her Parry is high enough we don't do much when we manage it.

Lucas with a C: And with FOUR black dice added to my rolls after that panic effect, I might as well not even be here.

Bellowing a challenge, the towering Seyo actually startles the enemy–

Lukas with a K: YES! I scared the master of fear!

–but not enough to land a hit.

Lukas with a K: Doh.

Barely able to stand, Astalos throws himself at the woman in a final, desperate attack. But she sidesteps, parries, and comes within centimeters of landing a strike to his neck. It's all too much, and the Padawan blacks out.

Surging with rage, drawing on the Dark Side, Byln hacks away with his saber pike. She continues to parry with awesome speed and fearsome skill, but she's finally showing signs of weariness. Battling five lightsabers at once while under constant fire from B2-F3 has at last taxed her stamina. She reaches out, levitating Beefy and the unconscious Astalos. She hurls the droid into the wall, while the clawdite crashes into Altair. Seizing this chance, she dashes into the mansion, and massive blast doors crash into place behind her. A signal triggers her starship's engines to rapidly build in power, likely as a form of self-destruct. Altair and Beefy spring back to their feet, with Altair hefting Astalos. Seyo tosses Walisi over his shoulder.

Chris: There's no way Prawn is gonna run on ahead for his own sake while everyone else is slowed. Especially after the nightmare he just had.

Everyone makes for the cover of the woods, but they aren't quite far enough when time runs out. The enemy ship explodes, and the blast force hurls everyone sprawling. Some are hit by shrapnel, and all are briefly winded.

Shane: And that's it for today's session.

Lukas with a K: That was wild. 3 waves of enemies in a row, including the Big Bad from the book's cover.

Caleb: And nobody got hurt.

Chris: Uhhhhhh... 1 more Strain and Prawn would have fainted. And if not for Altair healing him with a stimpack, I'd have been down to 2 HP.

David: For Altair, it would have taken just 3 more Wounds or 2 more Strain.

James: Beefy was 1 Wound away from dropping.

Lucas with a C: 2 more Wounds would have been enough for Astalos, even if the Strain hadn't knocked him out.

Caleb: Ok, so all the young characters got hurt. But BYLN is fine. And Seyo, mostly.

Lukas with a K: Hurray for being experienced adult characters who know how NOT to get shot.

Chris: So we were just a few slightly-worse rolls away from being down to just Byln and Seyo.

David: It might have been cool to see the two actual Jedi having to defend the younger characters... but that was still WAY too close.

James: And now we're lost in the woods with no vehicle.

Shane: The next session might start out pretty tense.

Lucas with a C: I think both kids getting tortured by nightmares is already tense enough.

David: I like the random element to the crystal we got. It's cool letting our Force users roll an extra die, but the penalty to a random ally when we do it keeps things interesting.

James: And Beefy's immune to it.

Chris: With Caleb about to get battle meditation, Prawn's the only one that can get penalized by the crystal and NOT get any benefit from it. Maybe I should invest in a basic level Force Power…

Caleb: On that note, did we at least get above average XP for all that?

Shane: [smiling] Yep.

Everyone: Finally…

Shane: It's way better than you think. In addition to the minimum 15, you get 10 for finding Walisi's shop.

David: Good, that took all day.

Shane: Also 5 for turning RT-3PO into an ally.

Chris: See! Prawn and Astalos being nice was the way to go.

Shane: 5 XP for finding the kidnappers.

James: Even if I stood outside.

Shane: 5 XP for discovering Waluigi was at the mansion.

Caleb: Still hilarious that Wrecker just sold out his client.

Shane: 5 for keeping Waluigi alive and escaping with him.

Lukas with a K: Good. Carrying the little guy slowed me down just before the ship blew up.

Shane: And finally, 10 for escaping with the crystal.

Lucas with a C: This is glorious…

Caleb: That's enough for battle meditation!

James: Most of us may be battered and/or exhausted, but we're gonna be way stronger next session.

---

Author's note:

Whew! You made it to the end of this chapter. With the huge training session added to the beginning, it's the longest by far. But I didn't want to make it a separate chapter, since I want the numbers to accurately reflect how many official sessions we've had.

Not Fun Fact: David got (and recovered from) COVID between sessions 3 and 4. Glad he's ok.

I'm eagerly looking forward to the next session, which is already scheduled. We really got banged up in that final battle, with most of the PC's one stubbed toe away from K.O. We're learning just how dangerous this game can be, even when you aren't deliberately simulating a battle to the death.