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.]

Session 5

Chris: The last session ended with us in a pretty rough situation, cut off from our transport and badly banged up. I think the top priority is to find a cave or something so we can hide and avoid pursuit. Also, help me to remember that Prawn needs to do medical checks on everyone else before trying to heal himself. A bad roll can cause Strain, and since Prawn is at his limit, even one Strain would make him black out. If that happens, at least everyone else will have gotten patched up first.

With his kel dorian eyes capable of seeing in very low light conditions, Byln takes the lead. The Party shambles through the dark forest, battered and weary.

David: I'll assist the check since I have ranks in Survival.

Caleb: [rolls] Huh… No Success, but I have Triumph.

They stumble upon an abandoned camp. The tents are badly weatherworn and full of holes, which will be very annoying since rain has just started pouring down. But at least there's one larger tent set up for basic medical procedures, and it is in far better condition. Getting maximum value out of his high-quality medpac, Prawn works on one person after another, including Walisi. Beefy first uses his binders on the toydarian's wings as a precaution.

James: Can't have him panicking and flying off.

Walisi and Astalos wake, but they are both exhausted. Prawn then stitches up his own wounds. His hands are shaking by the time he's done, and he's eager for a solid twelve hours of sleep.

But it's not to be.

Everyone's comlinks ping, and Byln has Astalos answer.

A protocol droid announces himself as translating for "The honorable and fearsome Irrika the Hutt."

"I advise you to show the deepest respect," Seyo whispers.

"Indeed," Byln says. "This hutt is especially influential. She could be a great ally… or a fearsome enemy. I would prefer the former."

Deep booming Huttese can be heard over the com, and the protocol droid translates.

Shane: [reading] "Angering the Gorensla kajidic is quite foolish. You've made quite a mess of one of our operations, and that loss of income cannot be allowed to go unpunished. However, you are clearly individuals of some skill, and we haven't built our masterful and glorious operation by overlooking potential opportunities. Do you want to deal, or do we simply sell your ship and belongings on the black market?"

James: Don't let her sell our stuff!

Chris: Seriously, the Starhound is way too nice to lose if we can help it.

The droid continues to translate.

Shane: [reading] "Better yet, after today's events I'm sure the Empire will pay a substantial reward for turning over your ship and whatever secrets it holds. Simply everyone is out looking for you fools."

Caleb: Meh, why should we listen to this idiot? If she calls us fools we should–

Lukas with a K: Did you miss the part where she knows where our ship is and she's willing to sell it?

Caleb: Oh. Yep I totally did. Sorta zoned out.

"We really didn't plan to disrupt your operation," Astalos says. "We only meant to rescue someone we thought might be in danger. If we hadn't been attacked on the way out, there would have been no damage to the facility."

"Except the hole we cut in the floor…" Prawn's whisper is too soft to be heard over the comlink.

The booming voice grows even more ominous, though the translator doesn't alter his tone. "Oh, if I believed the damage done was your plan from the start, I wouldn't be offering a deal at all."

"What is it we can do for you, in recompense for the inconvenience?"

"The Tragic Hope statue has gone missing–"

Chris: Oh crap… Byln destroyed it and we only have the crystal…

"–so I assume you have Walisi?"

Chris: Whew. She doesn't actually care about the statue.

Astalos looks to Seyo and Byln, who both nod. "Yes, we have him."

"Is he well?"

Though dead on his feet, Prawn staggers over and manages to sound coherent. "He's ok. Exhausted, but uninjured."

Chris: Kinda like me.

Byln takes the com from Astalos. "Do you want us to kill him?"

David: Holy…

Lukas with a K: Crazy time…

Chris: Well, our characters believe Byln's still a wise old sage, so they might interpret that question a different way.

Prawn and Seyo nod with approval. They won't kill for some crime lord, so best to get that vital question over with as soon as possible.

The booming voice laughs. "Oh, no. Not at all. Useful assets are hard to come by. I want him alive and well."

"We lost access to our transport."

"Then I'll send a medical speeder to your location, along with transport for you should you accept my assignment."

"It only seems fair that we assist you," Byln says graciously, though deep down he resents being indebted to anyone.

"Excellent. I need direct access to the previous owner of the Tragic Hope statue. A human named Yeel Dresk. He bought a luxury yacht with the money from selling the statue, but he promptly had engine troubles. He went down roughly a hundred kilometers outside of Riar. I can't be seen to make contact with him, so I need you to discretely locate him for me."

When the com goes silent, Prawn gently shakes Walisi awake and confirms that Irrika is an associate of his, rather than an enemy. The boy then promptly curls up on the floor and tries to sleep. Sadly, it's not long before the two promised transports arrive. The droid piloting the larger hovervan disembarks and hands the vehicle over to the Party. It then helps the medical droid load Walisi on the smaller transport, which promptly departs.

James: Wait a sec. I removed the binders from Waluigi's wings first.

Chris: That was kind.

James: And economical. We can reuse them.

"I sure hope retrieving this Yeel guy is enough to get Irrika to let us keep our ship," Altair says as they all board the hovervan. "I can imagine her stringing us along, trying to get all she can out of us."

"We'll do what seems reasonable based on the damage we did to her operation," Seyo says.

"And if her demands become unreasonable, we can take our ship back and depart," Byln adds. He carefully does not clarify that this would likely require a storm of violence, which he would find gratifying.

Altair soon finds a tracking beacon in the transport, but no one can really blame the owner for that. Prawn squirms under the transport's back seat and falls asleep, asking that the others only wake him when absolutely necessary. Astalos smirks in satisfaction, since for once he feels like the quarren's physical superior. They might both be bone weary, but only the child demanded a long nap.

Beefy drives the unmarked transport through the dark forests, keeping the speed low to avoid detection and reduce the risk of hitting trees or plunging into a bog. Seyo and Astalos discuss the speeder's total lack of identifying markings, and the reasonably well-hidden tracker. They quickly conclude that Irrika doesn't just want to hide her interest in Yeel Dresk. If "everyone" is out hunting for the Party, she surely doesn't want anyone to know she's working with them.

Chris: Hey, Lucas and Lukas make a decent mystery-solving duo.

As they make their slow way toward the last known location of Dresk's yacht, Altair and the three conscious Jedi experiment with the mysterious crystal that was once part of Tragic Hope. They soon confirm that any Force Sensitive holding it experiences a significant increase to their connection to the Force. But every time it changes hands, a random Party member experiences disorienting mental turmoil. Even Beefy can be affected, suggesting this negative reaction is related to sapience rather than the Force itself. The effect is never severe though, and it's eventually agreed that this device is too useful to ignore. They develop a plan for sharing the crystal during times of crisis, even tossing it back and forth among themselves when multiple people have a use for it.

Caleb: Is this something like mental attunement, where one person at a time connects to the crystal?

Chris: That would sure be easier to write about without it being kinda goofy.

Shane: The crystal has to be physically held to confer the benefit, so I was gonna make it an Assisted Athletics or Coordination check whenever you toss it back and forth. So as long as you're all within Short Range of each other, you can essentially all use it, but with a risk of occasionally dropping it.

David: I like it from a gameplay standpoint, especially with most of us having Force powers that would benefit in a big way.

Chris: Yeah, it should be fun, even if the narrative version starts to feel like a ballgame.

It's early morning when the Party comes to the agricultural town of Arnel. They're not far from the last ping of Yeel's yacht, so this feels like a reasonable place to regroup and gather intel. All of the organic beings got at least some rest during the long drive–

Shane: Most of you recover one quarter of your max Strain.

–while Prawn is reasonably well rested from snoring in the back the whole way.

Shane: And Chris recovers half.

It's a good thing Prawn's squiggly little squirty snores sound adorable, otherwise Astalos and especially Byln would have found the sounds deeply irksome.

As they all pile out of the landspeeder, they note the unusual geography of the town. There is housing for several thousand, but the layout is intriguing to say the least. House-packed land and moat-like ponds are laid out in the form of many concentric circles, with no bridges connecting the rings of land. Clearly, the entire population of the little town are toydarians who can fly.

Prawn trots over to the water of the outermost ring, just as the farmers start their work for the day. Slowly fluttering about over the water, toydarians thrust in long poles to fish out large tubers. Prawn smiles, knowing that he could gather tubers way more quickly by swimming around in the murky water. Since that might impress the locals and make it easier to get information, the boy dives right in.

Shane: And you instantly discover why they use those long poles while hovering well above the water.

Through the gloom, Prawn sees dark shapes uncoiling and writhing. Something wraps around his ankle, quickly snaking up under his pant leg. He feels a sharp jabbing pain in his calf, bad enough that he probably shouldn't ignore it. Staying calm, Prawn curls up to get a better feel of whatever's biting him. It's too small to restrict his movements, but with such poor visibility it's hard to gauge how best to dislodge it. Even when writhing shapes all around him start to glow in a variety of colors, the particles and tiny plants floating in the water make it too hard to see. As these are clearly cultivated ponds, the animals are likely supposed to be here. His hope to impress the locals might backfire horribly if he causes any harm. Besides, he's accustomed to far worse pain than this little bite. He calmly swims back to the shore and examines the creature.

James: Way to play it cool.

Chris: So describe the critter that's trying to eat me.

Shane: Not just trying. It's currently swallowing a mouthful of Prawn's leg and it's eager for more.

Chris: Whoa.

Shane: Anyway, it's a baby eel of a variety you've never seen. Its mouth is kinda like the monsters from Tremors, but without the tentacles. Its beak-like jaw segments are digging away at the meat of your leg.

Chris: The real me would be freaking out… but Prawn is NOT me.

Fascinated, but unwilling to lose useful muscle tissue, Prawn pulls up his pant leg and carefully sets about dislodging the little man-eater. His survival training at the Jedi temple included techniques for removing leeches and other parasites in a way that prevents them from regurgitating into your bloodstream. Benefiting greatly from his high pain tolerance, the boy deftly puts this training to work. First, he wrestles the thing's body away from his leg so only the mouth is attached. Then, he digs a fingernail into his leg and slowly drags it toward the animal. Soon, it breaks the seal created by the thing's mouth, and it's left squirming in his grip.

Caleb: Wait… you made up the part about leeches puking in your bloodstream, right?

James: No, it's legit. I read about it.

Chris: A friend once described using a lighter to make a leech release him. I asked if he was sick the next day, and he admitted he was. When leeches are harmed while sucking blood, it's common for them to vomit directly into your veins before they let go. So proper removal technique is a very good idea.

David: That is NOT something I needed to know.

Lukas with a K: "Parasitic Blood Vomit" would be a great name for a rock band.

Seeing that the ragged hole in his leg did minimal damage to the underlying muscle layer, Prawn turns his attention to his new pet. Its beak is far more vicious than his own mouthparts, which are already scary enough to make some species uncomfortable. The upper beak is large and hooked, with three smaller segments opposite it, able to dig into prey independently. At about thirty centimeters long, the writhing gray-green eel has a smooth scaly texture, and it's very strong for its size. If it weren't for his similarly high strength-to-weight ratio, Prawn might have had a hard time swimming away. An ordinary child without the ability to breathe underwater might have fared very poorly in such a situation. As he watches, the eel gives up on its struggle and appears to shrink, bunching up into a wad. Soon, it's barely ten centimeters long and far fatter, more like a grub than a snake. Apparently, it stretches itself out when attacking. Observing the toydarian farmers, Prawn confirms that this specimen is a juvenile. Some of the eels trying to coil up the length of their long poles are more than a meter in length, and thicker than Prawn's arm.

The closest farmers initially looked concerned, but now that they see he's alright, some laugh. "That was bold of you. Good thing you're tougher than you look."

"Are they venomous?"

"No… just don't eat them."

"Actually, I'd like to keep him as a pet, with your permission."

Now all the nearby farmers laugh. An older female fetches a large transparisteel jar and flies it over. Prawn fills the container with water from the pond and, with a bit of a struggle, overpowers the squirming thing and forces it into the jar. It's almost too fat to fit, and if it stretched out it'd be far too long. Still, this'll work for now.

"Do you want us to stitch up your leg?" the old female asks.

Prawn waves dismissively. "I'm proud of my scars. Anyway, what do these things eat?"

"Us. Or at least they would if we let them. Squiknorgs can live on almost anything, but living flesh is their favorite."

"Sure feels like it. I'll be careful." He ponders for a moment, getting a closer look at his new pet's face. "I'm thinking of naming it 'Quirt.'"

Shane: That's your Star-Warsy spelling of "Kurt"?

Lukas with a K: People will pronounce it like "Squirt" if you don't explain it.

The toydarian shakes her head, making her dangly nose flop from side to side. "No good. That one's a female."

"Hmmm... Something like 'Squemp' would feel too cute for a pet that already ate about twenty grams of my leg… Maybe 'Face-eater' can be her full name, but her nickname will be 'Feat' for short."

Lucas with a C: That's gonna get confusing.

Chris: [grins]

Shane: Good thing you didn't name her "Face-hugger." Shortening it the same way would be problematic.

Chris: [grin disappears and eyes widen]

"'Feat?' That's almost as cute-sounding as 'Squemp.'"

"Yeah, but I'll know it's short for something scary."

"Yes, well, since they don't actually get a chance to eat our faces, they mostly subsist on scum and gunk. They keep our crops from getting choked out by mold or algae, and their excretions are good for the tubers."

"Oh. Um… is that what makes the water so murkey?"

"You might want to bathe and wash your clothes when you get a chance."

"Yaaaaaaay."

"Anyway, your little 'Feat' should be fine as long as you don't wash or sanitize the container. Oh, and crack the lid occasionally. Her oxygen needs are low, but she still needs some air from time to time."

Prawn hooks the container onto his belt, on the opposite side as his lightsaber. "Thanks for the advice."

Laughing, the old farmer returns to her work.

Shane: Functionally, this pet is like a glow-rod. Give the jar a good shake and the critter will light up the area.

Seyo sidles over to his apprentice, seeing that Feat's bright purple glow has started to dim now that the animal doesn't feel disturbed. "I think you entertained them and impressed them all at once."

"I hope it makes it easier to get help from the locals." With that, he rushes to the nearest water pump to hose himself down.

While the others strike up casual conversations with the locals, an Overseer offers to buy Beefy for an impressive sum. Astalos and Byln ponder making such a deal, knowing Beefy could escape and return to the party.

Shane: Sigh. Both of you take 1 conflict.

Distracted by his new pet, it takes a moment for Prawn to realize the offer isn't a joke. But when it sinks in, he squawks, "No! He's our friend! Anyway, we came here for a reason. Did a yacht have engine troubles in the area recently?"

Altair, Astalos, and Seyo hold their breath. They were subtly working up to asking that question in a way that wouldn't feel suspicious, but here Prawn just blurted it out. Fortunately, the boy's gotten on the locals' good side.

"Oh yes," the Overseer says. "A stupid rich human made an emergency landing about ten klicks from here and can't figure out how to fix his ship." He shakes his head. "Blundering buffoon."

Prawn rolls his eyes. "Yep, that sounds like a human to me."

Chris: Oops! Forgot that my Master is human. Retcon that sentence.

The Overseer shakes his head. "Blundering buffoon."

Seyo steps in. "Nevertheless, we need to speak with him."

Eyes glittering at the chance to bring in some extra income, the Overseer smiles. "We have some expert trackers that could serve as guides. They can lead you to his location through the dense jungle and avoid the local hazards. For a small fee of, say… 1000 credits?"

Lucas with a C: Ok, I'm actually awake today. Can I negotiate for a lower price?

Shane: Just remember the Influence power doesn't work on toydarians.

Caleb: I'd like to try something from the training session last month. While my Padawan is playing Good Cop and haggling, I'll loom behind him with a death glare as the Bad Cop.

The Overseer gets the distinct impression that the old kel dor is deeply and personally offended at the high price. He quickly settles for the much lower counter-offer proposed by Astalos.

Caleb: We make a good duo. Carrot and stick.

The guides warn that the ten kilometer hike will be physically demanding, with the swampy jungle densely overgrown. And the Party dare not give away their identities by cutting a path with their lightsabers. So no one argues when elderly Byln asks to stay behind in town.

Byln reclines in the shade, while the others begin their strenuous trek through the jungle. One guide leads them, while the other waits at camp in case Byln decides to follow them later.

Shane: Hint, hint.

After about a half hour, they hear the distinct roar of a TIE Fighter in the distance, and they ask that the guide avoid taking them through broad clearings. With so many criminal factions on Toydaria, this doesn't feel especially unusual.

Back at the camp, Byln meditates. The Dark Side flows through him, with the Talisman gleefully filling him with vivid visions of a blood-soaked killing spree. He imagines himself plowing through the village, massacring the disgusting, greedy little gremlins, and throwing their carcasses to the eels. He takes his time, relishing the sensations, executing each toydarian in turn.

Shane: I'm sure you're having fun and all, but are you CERTAIN you don't want to follow the Party?

Caleb: Naw. They can find the guy without my help. If they fix his ship, they'll fly here to pick me up. And if they can't, they'll have to hike all the way back here on foot. 200-year-old Byln doesn't need that in his life.

Swept away in the imagined sights, sounds, and smells of the slaughter, Byln doesn't notice a wave of ominous foreboding in the Force.

Shane: Seriously? You ignore the premonition?

Caleb: Yeah. I'm sure the others can handle it.

Another five-hundred imagined murders later, Byln experiences a second, more vivid premonition. This time, it comes with a sense of great weariness and profound sadness. But the Talisman doesn't care, so neither should he.

Shane: You… you're REALLY going to ignore the sensation? Your GM is basically saying "Dude, they need your help."

Caleb: You have so little faith in them. It'll be fine.

Half an hour later, Altair, Seyo, and the Padawans feel a very similar sensation. Prawn requests a short break, claiming that his injured leg needs rest, but it's just an excuse to mediate. He opens himself up to the Force, but he can't pin the sensation down. The others are meditating too, trying to interpret the Will of the Force.

Chris: Can Altair's Sense power be of any use right now? I know he hasn't upgraded it yet…

David: At the moment it can only sense nearby life forms. But maybe if I'm holding the weird crystal?

Chris: Is there a way for you to Commit dice to the power to make it last longer?

Lukas with a K: If your Force Power lasts more than 4 hours, call your Doctor.

None of them determine anything specific, but at least they're now on guard. As the hike resumes, Prawn stays up front, very close to the guide. If they encounter danger, he wants to be in a position to protect the toydarian. He won't have an innocent civilian getting hurt because of unknowingly helping a group of Jedi. Altair whispers a warning to Beefy, who hefts his heavy rifle and takes the rearguard position.

As they march, they hear the sounds of a distant storm. It appears that the rains are very heavy, so everyone's glad the storm isn't moving closer.

At last, the Party reaches a wide, deep stream. A very fancy luxury transport lies half in and half out of the water, with the front well out in the stream. Smoke rises from one of the large external engine pods, and a well-dressed human in his 30's sits near the lowered entry ramp. He types away at a data pad, not noticing their arrival.

Caleb: Byln chooses this exact moment to com the Party with a loudly-spoken request for a status update.

Everyone: [facepalms]

The startled human draws a blaster at the sound, taking aim at Prawn. Everyone quickly silences their comlinks, and the boy gestures for the guide to hide in the jungle nearby. He then holds up his hands and smiles. "Hi there! We're here to help. Are you Yeel Dresk?"

Cautious, borderline paranoid, the man answers, "Yeah… who's asking?"

Seyo steps forward, keeping his hands visible. "We're just some offworlders who didn't know protocol and accidentally made some enemies. Someone is trying to strongarm us into getting you back to town, but we'll only do it if you want to go to the person in question. If you fear they want to harm you, we won't force you to go."

Yeel's blaster barrel lowers slightly. "And who is this mysterious someone?"

"Irrika the Hutt."

A huge relieved sigh escapes Yeel. "Oh good… yes, we're associates, and I trust her. I was worried you might be like the ruffians who tried to steal my ship earlier."

As the Party approaches, Prawn and Altair head straight for the smoking engine. "I haven't been able to get it working," Yeel says. "And we're running out of time. This area's at constant risk of flash flooding, and I'd hate to–"

A distant rumble reaches them, and the toydarian guide shouts, "Uh oh… Nice known' ya!" and flies away. The heavy rains in the distance were finally too much for the old dam to the north.

It's about to get ugly.

Shane: Can we get some suspenseful background music?

Chris: [starts a playlist on his phone]

James: Nice.

Back at the town, Byln continues to revel in the brutally violent imagery of his imagination. The corrupted Talisman is filling his mind with such vivid details he doesn't immediately notice the sound of an aircraft landing outside. But then, he hears a voice that must belong to an Imperial Stormtrooper.

All at once, the old kel dor comes back to reality. A spike of fear is replaced by shame that he completely forgot about his friends. The Talisman, unready for this sudden shift in his feelings, is a tad slow to suppress them. Byln attempts to com the Party, warning them of the danger… but none hear him. They all silenced their coms earlier, when he messaged them at an inopportune moment.

Caleb: Oh… right… Oops.

Knowing he'll be discovered soon, Byln tries to bluff. He hobbles toward the stormtroopers, asking them if they're having a pleasant day. He's the picture of a harmless, friendly old man, leaning on a walking stick. True, that walking stick is actually a lightsaber pike, but he took considerable pains to disguise its nature.

Then, his real personality, buried deep, is given another chance to perceive its surroundings. The toydarian farmers and their children… he sees them for what they are: Innocent, precious beings, children of the Force, who he just spent hours fantasizing about murdering.

And he may have unintentionally brought the Empire down on them.

The earlier foreboding crashes upon Byln yet again. He delayed too long, and he can't prevent the coming danger… at least, not without cost. But perhaps, if he can find a way to overcome the horrid mind controlling him, there might still be a chance to make things right.

But how? In the dark vision of the future he experienced yesterday, he saw himself as a fully corrupted wielder of the Dark Side. The Talisman had ruled that version of him for many months, turning him into a monster that would eagerly murder little Pranac in hopes of saving himself from Inquisitors.

But what would be the point of that vision if there was no conceivable way to fight back?

The stormtroopers demand that he identify himself, and he spins a simple yarn while his mind continues to process the problem. The Talisman controls his actions, and pushes him toward acts of violence. Could there be a way to use that against it? Good may not always win, but evil will inevitably destroy itself. Could he give the Talisman what it wants, but in a way he can exploit?

The stormtroopers lower their rifles, but don't put them away. "Do you have any knowledge of an offworlder party of 6, which include a Seperatist Battle Droid?"

"I would certainly remember such an unusual group. Are they dangerous?"

Left to his own devices, Byln probably could have convinced the soldiers to leave.

Sadly, it isn't to be.

A Toydarian farmer scratches his chin. "But, old man… aren't you in a group of 6 that include a droid?"

Caleb: I ignite my lightsaber and rush the stormtroopers.

David: Whoa! Time for Murder Byln to get brutal.

Chris: Actually… this is a reasonable course of action in this situation. If Prawn were there, he might be surprised, but he'd probably approve.

Shane: Chris, could you start a more action-themed playlist?

Chris: [complies]

Shane: We cut back to the others.

Prawn scrambles up onto the yacht's engine, with Altair assisting from the ground. In surprisingly short order, they manage to extinguish the smoldering fire and get the engine working.

Chris: Wow. The toydarians weren't kidding about Yeel being an idiot. Fixing this engine was downright easy.

"All aboard!" Altair shouts, dashing toward the ramp and entering the yacht. "Let's get this thing in the air!"

Beefy joins Yeel Dresk in the cockpit, but discovers that the engine needs to power cycle before they can actually lift off. It'll take the better part of two minutes. And they may not have that long…

Seyo and Prawn remain outside, and the Knight sees trouble incoming. With the dam to the north breached, the water is rising fast, and he hears the rush of a far greater wave coming. Two large storage tanks float downstream, heading right for the ship. Seyo coms Altair, requesting the Force-enhancing crystal. He then turns to Prawn. "Padawan… I suggest you get inside."

"I need to wait," Prawn says, still straddling the engine. "This engine was basically on fire a moment ago, and there's no guarantee it'll get us airborne without trouble. If anything goes wrong, I want to be ready to fix it."

"Very well." Seyo reaches out a hand, catching the crystal Altair threw from the top of the ramp. "Altair, get on the comlink and warn Byln of our predicament. And have Beefy take the helm. I don't trust Dresk to pilot us out of here with any skill." Seyo then closes his eyes, reaches out through the Force, and lifts the incoming storage tanks. He tosses them to either side, so they land on banks of the ever-widening river.

"Well done, Master," Prawn says. "Once the yacht's safely in the air, I'll jump down. It'll be up to you to get me inside safely."

Seyo has to climb the ramp, as the water now rises high enough to surround the ship. And it's well he did. The shore gives way in a small landslide, the yacht slides fully into the stream, and the aft section of the ship swings around. The yacht is now fully surrounded by swift-flowing water, but it still rests on the bottom rather than floating downstream.

Which is a problem.

Something very large is incoming.

Back in town, Byln's surprise blitz lets him get close before the stormtroopers can react.

Caleb: My lightsaber ignites as I pull the staff back, and with a huge two-handed uppercut–

[the music gets super epic]

Caleb: –I split him down the middle.

David: Wow that was good timing on the music.

Caleb: VERY. That was awesome.

Shane: Now it's the other stormtrooper's turn.

Caleb: Oh right… crap. Wait a sec, I have 5 XP saved up. Can I tap a destiny point to spend that XP right now and buy level 1 Reflect? I think I'm about to get shot.

Byln lets the rage flow through him. The Talisman relishes the stormtrooper's death…

…which is exactly what Byln planned. He isn't strong enough to fight it directly, but perhaps he's in a position to trick it. After hours of imagining merciless slaughter, he has the ancient corrupted personality convinced that he's fully aligned with its goals. When he poured himself into pure aggression, attacking that stormtrooper with wild abandon, the Talisman came to believe that Byln embraced the darkness. It trusts him.

So it isn't ready for what comes next.

The rage and hatred surging through Byln suddenly directs toward the Talisman. And it doesn't realize it in time.

The stormtrooper takes aim and fires.

Byln has already twisted to the side, and he deflects the shot slightly downward. He's badly injured… but the Talisman takes a direct hit.

A psychic shriek of disbelief and betrayal pours through Byln's mind, as the Talisman's artificial personality realizes too late that it's been tricked. Hours of gruesomely violent fantasizing convinced it that Byln was fully in its corner, and it failed to perceive his plan.

The damaged Talisman makes one final, desperate effort to save itself. It pours darkness into Byln, hoping to transfer its personality into him fully, with no need of the necklace itself. But Byln redirects that darkness into his next strike, bisecting the remaining stormtrooper.

It's barely enough.

The damaged Talisman shatters under the strain of the failed attempt to inhabit Byln's body. The corrupted mind within it dies…

…and Byln is free.

Over his com, he hears panicked chatter from the others. Their need is dire. Had he been free to help earlier, he may have intervened without cost. Now, he will pay dearly… but there's still time.

Yielding to a prodding from the Force, he tosses his holocron to the nearest toydarian child as he runs toward the stormtroopers' airspeeder. "If my friends come back, they'll pay you good money for that!" Then he gets the speeder into the air and full burns toward his friends.

Back at Yeel's yacht, an enormous chunk of wreckage comes into view. Seyo's blood runs cold at the sight of a towering communications dish rushing toward them on the crest of a tremendous wave. Far larger than the yacht, the massive hunk of durasteel spells doom for them all. Even with the crystal enhancing his power, Seyo could never levitate something so large. The engine cycling isn't quite finished, and the dish will reach them before there's time to lift off. He almost orders Prawn to save himself by swimming away… but he knows the child would never abandon them all, even under direct orders.

This could be it. A Jedi Knight, two Padawans, a Force Sensitive who never saw the Jedi temple, and a unique sapient droid… they're all about to die. The Empire didn't even need to hunt them down.

The roar of an incoming aircraft catches Seyo's attention, and he spins toward the sound. An Imperial speeder, rocketing toward them at top speed, briefly fills him with a sense of dark irony. So the Empire has found them, but an unrelated natural disaster will kill them all before they can be captured.

But Byln's voice comes over everyone's com. "Fear not. It is I. And I won't let any harm befall you."

Caleb: There's no way this speeder's little gun can one-shot something so huge. So I transfer weapon power to the engines.

Lucas with a C: Wait… is this really happening?

The airspeeder adjusts course ever so slightly, diving straight toward the enormous chunk of wreckage.

In his final moments, Byln feels triumphant. The dark future he beheld in vision will never come to pass. The corrupted entity that briefly controlled him is no more, and he will never take an innocent life. The Force flows through him, and he experiences a more detailed version of a fragmented vision from before meeting the others on Bespin. It's percieved through the eyes of another, an individual emerging from a prolonged recovery period in a bacta tank. A blaster rifle and a suit of Mandalorien beskar armor awaits. Byln knows he won't get a chance to relate this vision to the others… but he trusts the Force to bring them whatever knowledge they require.

The speeder smashes into the com dish, tearing it in half amidst the violence of a fiery explosion. Seyo recoils at the sight, and on the yacht's engine Prawn can't believe his eyes.

The venerable Sage, perhaps the last living Jedi Master.. is no more.

Lukas with a K: I did NOT see this coming.

Chris: Same here!

Caleb: Honestly, I didn't either. This totally wasn't planned, it just felt right.

Shane: And the sad part is… it was all for nothing. Both halves of the dish smash into the yacht, and everyone dies.

Everyone: [total pandamonium and outrage]

Shane: [smirking maniacally] Gotcha!

Caleb: Ok, that's the most effective prank out of everything you've tried so far.

In his death, the old Master saved them all.

The two halves of the gigantic piece of wreckage rush past the yacht on either side. Then, the huge wave washes over the ship, partially flooding the interior. At last, the engines are ready for liftoff. They rise into the air, Prawn dives toward the door, and Seyo catches him with the Force, levitating the boy inside.

Beefy pitches the yacht to one side, letting most of the water pour out, then the door slides shut. His voice is soft and gentle as he whispers, "Farewell, friend…"

As the yacht sets course toward the town to warn them of the danger, Prawn races through the ship, crashes into Astalos at full speed, and engulfs him in a hug.

Astalos reaches down, pries the kid's arms away, and says, "I don't hug."

Prawn drops to his knees, giving way to gushing tears, while Astalos sinks into the nearest seat and goes silent. Seyo realizes that he is now the senior Jedi of the group, and he already misses the comforting presence of the wise old Sage.

They reach the town ahead of the flood, and they briefly touch down. Altair, Beefy, and Seyo disembark, loudly sounding the warning. Toydarians usually hover close to the ground, but in an emergency like this they can briefly push for higher elevation. Soon, the population is in full emergency mode, hefting their most valuable possessions and taking to the sky. Beefy is surprised to see a child holding Byln's holocron, and he rushes over. Despite the chaos of the evacuation, the girl looks giddy at the thought of making her first sale. Soon, she zips skyward with 250 credits in her pocket, while Beefy dashes back aboard the yacht with the holocron. It's of no use to him, but with the Sage gone it will surely have value to the others.

Yeel Dresk has taken the controls of the yacht, and Beefy allows it. The rising waters are a fair distance away, and even this moron should be able to get them to safety without issue.

Everyone falls into a subdued silence on their flight toward Riar. Byln's fall to the influence of the Talisman didn't last long enough for any of them to suspect anything, so they all reflect positively on what they knew of the old man.

Astalos has lost another Master, and he's unwilling to talk about it. Prawn cries enough for both of them. His weeping finally goes quiet, though the tears still flow. Before, he believed that if any of the others died, it would be a deep personal failure. He wanted only to stand between his friends and whatever evil threatened them. It wasn't just his job to take hits, but to die first if necessary. And if that's how it played out, he'd never have to lose them. But the nature of Byln's death left no opportunity whatsoever for Prawn to intervene. Thus, he manages not to feel guilty. Sad, but not responsible for the loss.

Instead of being crushed by the loss, Prawn chooses instead to take inspiration from the Master's final choice. If anyone is willing to die for many, Prawn should allow it. He'll still put the lives of the others ahead of his own, but if one of them has to give up everything on behalf of the group, the boy must be ready to let them. He shouldn't believe that he's the only one allowed to take risks.

Everyone's silent contemplation is shattered when laser blasts tear into the side of the yacht. Irrika the Hutt wasn't exaggerating when she warned about the many factions hunting them. The engines sputter, and Yeel is forced to make an emergency landing. They're still outside of town, though far closer than they were. The armed transport that attacked them circles and lands nearby.

Breaking his silence, Prawn coms Irrika. She confirms that this attack is not her doing, and she isn't ready to lose Yeel just yet. "I'll send help at all possible speed. Hold out until my top agent arrives!"

Determined to stay strong, and not let Byln's death weaken him, Prawn readies his lightsaber. Yeel frantically jabs buttons in the cockpit, but the ship won't budge. It has a mounted laser cannon, but the enemy transport wisely landed off to the side, so he can't bring the weapon to bear.

"Everyone, to me," Seyo says. "We will meet the enemy together."

Soon, the five surviving Party members have lined up outside the ship, weapons ready. Three imposing droids have already disembarked from the enemy transport, with two more preparing to exit. They all wield electrostaffs, whirling them with menacing proficiency. Seyo and Prawn recognize them as Seperatist MagnaGuards, designed and programmed to fight Jedi in close quarters.

This will not be easy.

Before the enemy can charge, everyone turns at the sound of a rapidly-approaching vehicle. A speeder bike, moving recklessly fast, is on a collision course with the enemy transport. The driver leaps clear an instant before impact, and the speederbike smashes to flaming bits. One of the MagnaGuards on the transport is torn apart by the blast.

Displaying awe-inspiring coordination, the driver of the speederbike hits the ground in a controlled roll. The blue-skinned chiss sheds momentum without injury, coming to a stop near Seyo. He smoothly rises to a knee, readying a sniper rifle and taking aim. Genuinely impressed, Prawn gives him a respectful nod.

Then total mayhem breaks out.

Lukas with a K: Are you SURE Byln's death wasn't planned?

Shane: It absolutely wasn't. I was as surprised as everyone else.

Chris: Caleb genuinely looked forward to Byln becoming excellent with Battle Meditation. Unlike back in the early sessions, he really wasn't looking for an excuse to kill him off.

Caleb: As for my backup character already showing up, that wasn't expected either. When Byln died, I figured I'd be out of the game until sometime next session.

Shane: This works though. Prawn calling for backup was the easiest explanation for a new character arriving quickly and ready to help. But we'll take a short break for Caleb to prepare.

Chris: Much appreciated. He already went through initial character creation for his backup character, but he needs a chance to use all the XP the Party's accumulated since then.

Shane: Alright. Once Caleb's ready, we roll for initiative.

The MagnaGuard closest to the damaged enemy transport isn't ready to advance yet, but the others surge forward. Beefy lays down covering fire, landing no direct hits but interfering with the enemy advance. Taking careful aim, Irrika's sniper blasts the closet droid…

Caleb: WOW that was a good roll!

James: Maxed out Ranged Heavy will do that.

Chris: So… that's FIFTEEN damage with Pierce 3.

Shane: [checking notes] So, that means the target takes… One wound.

Everyone: [silence]

Caleb: Wait… did you say ONE?

Shane: Yep.

James: HOW?

Chris: It can't have soak THAT high!

Shane: It's not just the high soak, it can also block 6 damage.

Chris: Oh, wait a sec… MagnaGuards probably have Parry since they're built for fighting Jedi…

Shane: Parry Rank 4, actually.

Chris: Then I have good news for the Party… sort of. Parry only applies to melee attacks.

Shane: Oh… you're right. I guess Parry is Prawn's thing after all. Ok, so Caleb's shot actually does 7 damage, not 1.

Lukas with a K: That's still a big deal for some of us. Our lightsabers won't do much.

Caleb: We forgot to resolve the critical hit I triggered.

Shane: Oh, right. Roll for it.

Caleb: WOW! 95! And I have Lethal Blows which adds 10 to that!

Chris: Wait… I think that means you just MAIMED it!

Shane: Wow, you did. Your target loses an arm and can't wield its electrostaff.

James: That was a very good start to this fight.

Shane: You're all gonna need it.

With a running leap, a MagnaGuard crashes into Astalos, hurling him to the ground. The second droid to attempt the maneuver has even more success, landing atop little Prawn and pinning him. Still holding the Force-enhancing crystal, Seyo lifts the droid off his Padawan and sends it crashing into another. The solidly-built MagnaGuards endure the collision well and are far from beaten. The next MagnaGuard, unwilling to lose the advantage, attempts to attack Prawn while he's down, but the boy rolls to the side barely in time. Hoping the enemy will continue to target him, Prawn deliberately leaves himself vulnerable by not rising back to his feet. Instead, he attacks the droid from where he lies. With a whirling block, the MagnaGuard parries his attack.

David: What are we supposed to do when they can parry our lightsabers so well?

Lucas with a C: My lightwhip can bypass Parry if I roll 2 Advantage.

Caleb: And Parry doesn't work against ranged attacks at all. But be warned: MagnaGuards can keep fighting even if you decapitate them.

James: That's a pretty smart feature for something built to fight Jedi.

Chris: We need to divide and conquer. If we all gang up on the same target, we'll actually waste a ton of our attacks. Lucas, Caleb, and James need to focus on the droids that already took damage, while Lukas, David, and I attack the one that already parried twice. We'll overload that one's Strain Threshold by forcing it to keep blocking, since it takes 3 Strain every time it does that.

Astalos leaps back to his feet and gives ground, using the superior reach of his lightwhip to attack from a distance. The target tries to block, but the whirling whip bypasses its guard and lands a scorching hit.

On the yacht, Yeel Dresk frets and sweats. He sits at the controls of his beloved ship, unable to get any response from the engines. He has his finger on the trigger of the mounted laser cannon, but he has no way to aim it. He can only hope the others can fight off the enemy without him.

Then, disaster strikes.

Chris: Whoa! It rolled TWO Triumph? Not good… James, I promise we'll get you a new one…

James: What's that supposed to mean…?

The leader of the enemy droids charges into the fray and strikes out at Beefy with vicious intensity. Beefy's prized heavy blaster rifle is torn in half, and the followup strike damages him enough for the droid to shut down.

James: [visibly frustrated] I totally forgot I was so badly damaged. I should have used repair patches while we were on the ship. But I'm worthless without that rifle anyway.

Chris: I know you loved that gun, but we'll all prioritize you getting a replacement. We ALL loved that you had an auto-fire weapon, so there's no way we'll be stingy.

David: That doesn't help right now though.

James: [still so upset he refuses to engage with further conversation]

David: I'm definitely gonna revive my friend ASAP, meaning I'll need someone else to heal ME.

Altair dashes to Beefy's side and slaps a repair patch on him. As he does so, he shouts instructions to the others based on his sharpened glimpses of the immediate future.

Chris: Wait a sec… I think we forgot one of Seyo's abilities.

Shane: [checking his brother's character sheet] Oh wow you're right. Enemies are supposed to do a Fear test the moment they get close to Seyo.

Roaring ferociously, Seyo hacks again and again with his lightsaber. Despite their robust programming, two of the MagnaGuards recoil in self-preservation, daunted by the large human's aggression.

The MagnaGuard missing an arm charges after Astalos, driving him to the ground. But without a weapon it fails to cause serious injury. Benefitting from his recent focus on duelist training, Astalos is determined to finish off this droid on his own. The loss of his Master briefly left him feeling somewhat lost, but he'll obliterate that feeling by obliterating this damaged foe.

Reactivating, Beefy applies another repair patch to himself and readies both of his blaster pistols. He opens fire on the nearest MagnaGuard, but his lighter pistol jams.

Chris: Man, the dice HATE your weapons today. But it's awesome that you have so many you still managed to shoot something.

Leaping to his feet, Prawn injects two of his allies with bacta while readying his defenses.

Spinning and striking, Astalos continues to circumvent his opponent's guard, lashing it again and again with his whip. Irrika's sniper blasts a MagnaGuard for significant damage, while Seyo and Altair gang up on another, taxing its ability to block.

Then, an undamaged droid flings itself into the air, intending to smash Prawn flat…

…and the yacht's mounted cannon blows the thing to bits in midair.

Chris: Yay! The idiot Yeel actually did something!

Lukas with a K: Too bad the others aren't gonna make the same mistake as that one.

Chris: I still think we've got this. Sure, these things are crazy tough, but Astalos should be able to win his duel with the one-armed droid, another droid is heavily damaged from getting shot a couple times, and I bet the last one is near its Strain limit. Our strategy's working. Let's finish this!

While Seyo, Altair, and Prawn surround one of the droids, overwhelming its defenses, Astalos finishes off his opponent. Beefy takes careful aim with the blaster that once belonged to Karrul Pe'Tyrbil, setting it to stun. As he hoped, the droid fending off three lightsabers has severely taxed its processing and power distribution, so the stun blast is enough to deactivate it.

The last remaining enemy tackles the chiss sniper, but the newcomer is undaunted. Though flat on his back, he shifts his grip on his sniper rifle, forces the MagnaGuard's upper body backward, and blasts it point blank in the chest.

Shane: As the droid starts to shut down, it shouts, "Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

Everyone: [laughter]

Lukas with a K: What a wild session. Byln died to save us all, his new character showed up right away, and we had to fight four crazy-powerful droids.

Chris: It was a wild ride. Totally unexpected.

David: We need to get Beefy another auto rifle as soon as possible.

Chris: Absolutely. But imagine if that crazy "instantly destroy a weapon" effect had happened to someone else? We could have lost a lightsaber.

Lucas with a C: I wish we could hang out… but my curfew's in 30 minutes.

Shane: Whoa. I didn't notice how late it is.

Lukas with a K: Glad we got to finish that fight.

Caleb: My character will have to make his formal introduction next time then. At least we have a few weeks to come up with a good explanation for why he'd choose to stay with the Party.

Chris: Well, Irrika did order you to risk your life and crash a speeder bike to get to us so fast. So maybe you'll decide she's too dangerous to keep working for.

David: Or maybe your sniper's just really impressed by the Party.

Lucas with a C: We certainly deserve it. We've gotten pretty epic.

Shane: And you're about to get even moreso. With a performance like that, you all get 50 XP.

Everyone: YES.

Author's Note:

Byln's death took everyone by surprise. I and some others were sort of dreading what might eventually happen as Byln descended further and further into darkness, but we also looked forward to his Force powers becoming more and more useful to the Party. His death blew everyone away, including Caleb himself.

I'm intrigued to see what might be possible now that the Party has two characters capable of meaningful ranged combat. If nothing else, it might make Prawn's role as tank a little easier to leverage. With only two other PC's preferring close combat, Prawn might be in a position to draw fire more consistently.

As always, feel free to post any feedback you have. Just avoid spoiling key moments.