A Star Wars /d6 Adventure              

Player characters

Lord Tracks Durron - A brave noble from the Tapani Sector who has given over his life to join the Rebel Alliance in their fight against the tyranny of the Galactic Empire.

Lurch Jeeves - Manservant, driver/pilot and bodyguard of Lord Tracks Durron.  Lurch has devoted his life to his House and will protect it and it members at all cost.  That loyalty now extends to the Rebel Alliance.

Act I – A meeting with Bollux

Having received an odd transmission regarding his submission the the museum of Dellalt Lord Durron has arrived at the Museum on Antiquities on Etti IV to meet with the curator who sent the message.

Arriving at the reception desk on the twelfth floor the reception droid advises the curator has been away for some time.  The reception area is mildly busy with museum-goers, with various pieces of military history on display, including a hologram of a Mandalorian Basilisk War Droid.  Lord Durron notices the security cameras, and Epso security are swarming into the museum.  An older protocol droid turn and, identifying the Tapani Lord, says he sent the message.  Also noticing the Epso troopers the droid leads the Lord and Lurch to an executive lounge where he explains the coin he was sent is genuine, and comes from the legacy of the infamous Xim the Despot who conquered the Tion Hegemony over 25,000 years ago. 

However the Epsos seem to want it, the droid or Lord Durron.  The droid leads the Lord to a parked air car.  They board, Lurch driving and speed off.  They soon find themselves followed by an Epso Security Speeder.  Lurch hits the speed and manages to our manoeuvre the Epso and lose them. 

The droid introduces himself as Bollux, an expert in the field of Xim the Despot.  He had travelled to Etti IV to use their extensive museum library.  He believes the coin is not a coin, but a map to one of Xim's treasure ships; not the famed Queen of Ranroon, but rather her sister ship The Princess of Tion.  Bollux theorises that just before the Hutts took Xim prisoner he sent some of his fortune beyond his own Empire, but no one has ever been able to determine where it went.

Neemo comms Lord Durron to say the Epsos are all over the Spaceport, although they don't actually know they are looking for Lord Durron.  Despite being questioned Lord Durron is able to get to his ship before the Epsos realise he may be who they are after, but too late, as the Hydian Jumper blasts into space.

In orbit of Etti IV is an Imperial Class Star Destroyer, as this is the Corporate Sector it is odd to see that here.
Bollux connects the coin to the Nav Computer, only for the data to be incomplete, but they make the hyper-jump anyway.  Sadly it just leads them to deep space.  While that is a disappointment Lord Durron comments it could make a good hiding point for the Rebel Alliance, and Neem agrees, saying that Doctor Ugavine had been seeking a location for a special project.

Bollux is disappointed.  Lord Durron admits that he did not send the coin, it would have been someone from his estate on his behalf.  Bollux suggests they find a similar coin now they know it is a map, ant not an actual coin.  They will be rare, but Bollux suggets they trry with the Museum of Bar'leth or the Archaeological Association outpost Archaeo-Prime on Cosmatanic Steppes.  However Lord Durron suggests finding out who sent the coin.  Bollux agrees and Lurch sets course for home, the planet Pelagon in the Tapani Sector...

Act II – The Monster of Pelagon

Arriving home at the planet Pelagon Lord Durron learns his niece, Baroness Harriette, is at the North Ridge, an underwater archaeological research outpost near a huge under sea crevice. 

Lord Durron, Lurch and Bollux take a submersible to the base, Neemo remains behind.  Nearing the base they are contacted and told that the Baroness is missing.  She tookk a submersible into the crevice and they have lost contact.  With Lurch piloting, they head to the crevice to search for the Baroness.  The sea is extremely dark, the Pelagian oceans damaged by the Melantha bombardment all those years ago, but some sea life is returning.  They think they spot the Baronesses submersible when a giant Pelagon Opree attack, a giant sea monster.  Lurch evades at first but loses sight of the creature which bites down on the craft destroying it!  Lord Durron, Lurch and Bollux bail out but are all struggling to swim in the deep depths, especially Lurch who is also trying the save Bollux.

About the other sub, Baroness Harriette and Jakks Dann have no power.  They too had to evade the Opree, but crashed into the canyon wall and are teetering on a ledge without power.  Jakks leaves the sub and is able to make repairs.

As they leave the spot the struggling Lord Durron and Lurch and help them aboard before limping back to the surface and Lord Durron Manor.

After refreshments Lord Durron explains they are seeking another coin.  Baron Harriette takes them to her home and the search through the myriad of coins she had purchases over the Holonet.  Baroness Harriette is a archaeology fan, but far from an expert.  They find another coin.  This one is complete and contains a hyper-route, but the navigation computer shows no planet.  The group decide to head off and make their way back to the Hydian Jumper.

The journey takes a couple of hours, and they do find a planet.  It is Jakks Dann that identifies it, it is Ziost, the second Sith homeworld!  Jakks is concerned and suggests they leave immediately.  Stories of ghosts and the undead trouble him.  But before they can make a decision an Imperial Star Destroyer drops out of hyperspace, the ISD Aquisitor under the command of Captain Maya Chinn. Baroness Harriettee surmises they could only have been followed if they access the computer back at the house where they checked the coordinates.  Lord Durron is being followed. 

The coin is now emitting a signal coming from under water.  The With their hand called Lurch hits the thrusters and the Hydian Jumper dives into the atmosphere and into the Ziost ocean below...

Act III – The Gatekeeper

Lurch Jeeves wrestles with the controls (roll a fumble) of the The Hydian Jumper, but some weal hull plates give way to the ocean pressure and the ship starts taking on water.  Lord Durron himself runs to the engine bay to make repairs.  Lurch is still wrestling with the controls (roll another fumble) as a giant sea monster rises from the depths intent on swallowing the starship.  Fortunately Jakks Dann was already in the gun well and opens fire on the creature.  The creature is unharmed, but it is enough to fend off the monster.

They continue under water following the signal which leads to an under water caverns with an air pocket.  The ship rises into a huge cave which is an under water dock. The metal decking plates are loos and decaying.  There appears two ways forward from here, the signal has stopped, a carved out corridor, or a through a large gash in the rock.  The groups goes down the corridor.

They pass and search a couple of rooms, an old security post and a couple of empty store rooms.

The corridor widens, and from the darkness ahead the whine of old motors can be heard, then six lights appear, Xim's Warbots! Teh Warbots immediately start to open fire, several with Pulse Cannons and several with their Particle Disruptors... however the droids discover their Particle Disruptors no longer work.  There is an exchange of fire with Jakks being Incapacitated and Lord Durron being Wounded.  The old battle droids are defeated, leaving the group to realise those droids were old and decayed, fully operational Warbots would be far more deadly.  Harriette treats everyone injuries and they continue.  Looking about they discover the skeletal remains of previous failed explorers.  They appear to have been a Trandoshan, Twi'lek and a Human who must have died over a hundred years ago.  Their gear is mostly useless except for a Blaster Rifle which Jakks takes.  They do find an old Bounty Hunter Puck, most information is garbled but they find an image similar to the Xim coin they have and the ID of the Bounty Hunter was Knash... oddly the same as the hunter they killed on Ord Mantell.

Moving on a Blast Door opens revealing a large cavern.  There is a crevice with a long drop into water, a bridge of around 30 meters stretches over it.  In the middle of the room is a large chamber (similar to Darth Vader's meditation chamber in The Empire Strikes Back) and beyond that a large circular blast door.

Suddenly the ancient chamber comes to life and slowly opens, smoke drifts form the chamber filling the cave.  Within a creatures with multiple tentacles can be see writhing and awaking.  The being heaves itself out of the chamber revealing itself to be a Gree, an ancient race whose Empire collapsed over 100,000 years ago, much before the time of Xim the Despot. 

"I am the Gatekeeper," announces the Gree.  "If your champion can best me you may pass beyond the Great Seal."  It Gree reaches out a tentacle and an Electro-Staff rises into his grasp.

Lord Durron steps forward and ignites his Light-Foil.  Lord Durron and the Gree engage*, dodging and blocking each others attack.  The Gree is first to put on pressure, pushing Lord Durron back, but the Tapani Lord fights back and is soon pressing an advantage and lands a blow on the Gree Gatekeeper.  The Gree concedes that Lord Durron is Champion and allows the group to pass. 

* see Lightsaber Duelling 

The Gree Gatekeeper replaces his staff into it's housing, turns it an the giant Blast Door slides open...

Act IV – Princess of Tion

Beyond the Great Seal is a huge chamber reaching up and down. Atop a pillar dominating the chamber from it’s centre is a giant Gree Hypergate. Scaffolding and ancient technology is linked up to it with a mass if cables connecting to a nearby power source and computer console. Metal gantries criss-cross the chamber allowing access to the gate and computer.

Lord Durron tries to decipher the consoles which suddenly springs to life. It then stops and flashes a series of colours After a couple of attempts Lord Durron repeats the pattern triggering a giant hologram in the centre of the room of non-other than Xim the Despot himself!

Xim the Despot hologram: “So, you seek to find my treasure. You have passed the first test, can you pass the further twp. Tell me, the more I take, the more I leave behind, what am I?”

After discussion the heroes answer ‘Time.’

Xim smiles and accepts their answer.

Xim the Despot hologram: “Now, can you pass… pass… passss…[fizz]”

The hologram breaks up and the computer sparks, goes pop and falls dead with a little smoke coming from inside. Lord Durron has a look and finds some burnt out cables. After a small repair the Hypergate suddenly comes to life opening a wormhole to… somewhere.

With trepidation the heroes step through the Hypergate, but before Harriette and Bollux can follow the gate closes.

GM note – the Computer repair was actually the third test, and only once they stepped through the hypergate did I ask for a Computers Repair Roll. Lord Durron spent a Force Point and succeeded on the Difficulty 20 roll.

The heroes find themselves in a large room with nothing but a Hypergate in it. From the feel of the deck plates Lord Durron deduced they were on a starship.

Lurch Jeeves opens the only door into a corridor. There are more doors with a blast door at each end. The one blast door is guarded by teo de-activated Warbot’s. opening the door has tripped an alarm and the two Warbots start to activate. Without hesitation Lurch blasts both Warbots before they can activate.

The heroes check the guarded room to fins it is the bridge, four operation stations and a Captain Chair on a raised platform.

Lord Durron deactivates the Security, in doing so notices there were 40 Warbots activating! There are a further two Warbots in the Cargo Bay but they are independent form the system. Lord Durron is able to activate 3 Warbots to obey him.

Lurch Jeeves checks the navigation to find that the ship is, miraculously, stationery in Hyperspace, and amazing feat of hyperspace engineering. He interrogates the nav computer some more and discovers that they have travelled extra-galactic! They are in the Firefist Galaxy. Alas, none of the Hereos knows anything of this area of space.

The heroes search the rest of the ship, combating the Warbots in the Hold. The heroes had considered that the ship itself was the treasure, until they open containers in the hold containing gold coins and jewels with a value equal to all the wealth in Pelagia! A treasure ship indeed.

On further searching the ship they find one more hidden, and very rare, treasure, the ship has a Teleport with a planetary range!

Preparing to set course for home Lurch Jeeves brings the ship safely out of Hyperspace. While finalising the co-ordinates a ship appears at extreme range, but it is closing in. And it looks like a Sailing Ship in Space, but it is a starship with engines solar sails.

 

The comm crackles and an image appears of a green skinned near-human dressed in outlandish pirate attire, complete with tricorn hat and a robot parrot on his shoulder.

Pirate: “Arrrggh me harties… you there shut down your vessel and prepare to be boarded. You are now prisoners of Captain Jakk of the Tof!”

The heroes stifle their laughter and engage the Hyperdrive, the Princess of Tion disappears into Hyperspace.