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Epidode I: The Evaritt Expanse
ACT I, Scene iii
Look Sir, Droids!
The Theslin sisters quickly composed themselves when presented with this new threat. Pulling away from the hovering combat droid, the Wookiee Killarawarr stepped down the ramp to survey the situation as well. Var steadied herself for a fight, especially when the droid took a keen interest in her younger sister.
While Rel did seem to fit the description he was given of his primary target for observation, the droid was still confused as to what it was doing here. The Jawas had managed to sneak up on it while it was watching the party’s ship land and shot it full-charge with one of their heavy ion rifles. Unfortunately for the Jawas, RM-2020D did not drop like most droids, being designed to take multiple ion hits and still nominally function enough to complete its primary mission. Still, his data banks were very scrambled—including those referencing ownership. With lack of better information, the droid decided to turn away from Rel and continue following the Jawas. Reasoning that they probably knew more about the situation than he did.
While correct, the frightened Jawas were fleeing before him. The party watched in amusement as the droid sedately followed after his small assailants. While this was happening Kilarrawarr continued to scrounge around for parts for her own ship, but this part of the junkyard was still fairly close to the city and had been picked clean. Rel did manage to get some old hull plating that would work to patch the hole in the cowling that had been ripped off the yacht when it landed earlier that day.
Var quickly realized that this was as close to Trifel Shipping that the Admiral was comfortable landing.
Rel had wanted to stay with the ship to see if she could fix it in case they needed a quick getaway.
She had a short argument with Var about it, which ended with Var forcing her to come along for the trip
to Trifel Shipping. Var then headed East to begin the long hike towards town,
passing Kilarrawarr along the way. The wookiee was still searching through the piles
of junk for parts to her ship when she noticed the sisters walking by. Rel quickly realized that Var was going the
completely opposite direction from the city and pointed that out to her. Var said she knew, but she was checking to see if Rel
knew. It seemed that this was as close to a resolution/mutual apology as the sisters
were going to get. Knowing that Rel was still important to his mission, the droid quickly followed after Rel.
Var turned around and went stomping back toward the ship with Rel behind her and the droid following Rel in a strange
procession. Kilarrawarr knew that thery would need help if they got into trouble on their journey decided to
fall in line after the droid when they passed by her again.
Suddenly, three sonic booms were heard overhead, causing the Jawas to scatter into the debris field. In the sky about 10km to the South East, three YT-1300 light transports were in a line formation and were banking in for a landing out in the junkyard. The first was a standard YT-1300, but looked almost gray from age and years of repairs. The second was painted bright white with two red-racing stripes running down the mandibles and across the hull. She looked in better shape, but was showing asteroid damage to her main deflector and lower gun turret transparasteel windows. The last ship in the line made the other two look like showroom model by comparison. A rare “L-Model” the cockpit was on the left side of the ship as opposed to the standard starboard side configuration. The ship looked about ready to fall out of the sky. Additionally, its landing gear were stuck in a down position and was streaming smoke from the left rear unit.
Kluw could sense severe distress coming from someone on that ship. A quick look through the macrobinoculars showed a young female engineer hanging upside down trying to get the gear lock in position before they ship landed. She was wearing goggles to keep the billowing smoke from her eyes and was held in place only by a Wookiee with his arms wrapped around her legs. The droid took a keen interest in her as well. The ships came down fast, disappearing behind a series of small hills of junk. Diyar noticed that as soon as they got low enough they disappeared from scanners, almost as if they had entered a cave of some sort.
As Var and her entourage continued their 20km hike to Trifel, the others talked to the droid. After much confusion, doubletalk, and simple eavesdropping, they soon learned much about each other. The droid was Imperial, he and his 4 others unit-mates were here to find the aforementioned girl and observe her for his masters. None of whom he could remember. The droid recognized Admiral Viridian quickly, but was unsure of why he was supposed to look for him. The Admiral, thinking quickly, reprogrammed the droid to accept Rel as his new master. The droid, for his part, helped them tie into the Imperial datanet. While his memory was scrambled, his hardened mission codes were perfectly functional.
It wasn’t long before the droid was able to request a mission update from Imperial command and the party learned that this was no simple observation mission. As the Admiral had surmised, these druids were too expensive for that. According to RM-2020D’s sitrep, the Empire was about to drop two Star Destroyer squadrons in orbit to blockade the system. The place that they had seen the three “smuggler” ships set down was in fact a major Rebel base! Worse, the Imperials were planning on bombing the site from orbit. With visions of Turbolasers scouring the continent, and no way to get off the planet with a broken sublight drive, the party quickly scrambled to pick up Var’s expedition and race to Trifel Shipping.
Hopefully the party could get the part they needed and Var could learn where her Aunt and Uncle had gone from her family friend before the Imperials invaded Ord Mantell en masse in three hours. It was now a race against the clock.
View the optional Director's Commentary for this scene
(caution, possible spoilers)
 Back to ACT I Scene ii
On to Act I Scene iv 
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