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Episode II: A New Beginning
ACT I, Scene i
The bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell
"The serene starfield slowly pans down to show the busy, yet underdeveloped, world of
Ord Mantell.
Soft blue-green continents and framed by purple oceans and highlighted with drifting pink clouds.
Starfighters and small transports of every variety can be seen rising up and descending down to
the planet's developed southern coastline. Beyond the starport-enhanced glitter of the casinos and
banking cartels lies a massive continent-wide junkyard of wrecked technology. The terrible roar
of an abused sublight drive hammers in from the right as a crippled YT-1300L
transport ship rips across the screen, billowing acrid green smoke from under her port side..."
The new campaign opened hot on the heels of the previous adventure. The party, in their
battle damaged starship Excessive Debt, had just survived an encounter with Imperials at the
Graveyard of Alderaan.
They had successfully managed to save Princess Leia from an elaborate trap set at the remains of her homeworld
by Admiral Kendal Ozzel and Lord Darth Vader. The Imperial
forces were still hunting down the Rebellion after the destruction of the Death Star at Yavin IV.
Despite losing Leia once again, Vader was secure that his upcoming plan to proliferate the Outer Rim systems
with probe droids would surely yield their location. Ozzel, having failed Vader once, was on his
toes not to do so again.
The party, meanwhile, had followed Leia and friends back to the temporary Rebel base at
Ord Mantell for repairs. Our stalwart group of heroes consisted of Captain
Kir'qeed id'Uno di'Ba'arstona, his first mate
Chunara, ship's engineer Yanna Tarassi,
and Rebel pilot Sera Cougre. The fighting had been tough, and the group had
lost some of their members back at Alderaan--among them "The Old Guy" Usst Menduka
(who was rumored to have had some connection to the Force).
The ship hadn't faired much better. She was damaged from both laser fire and asteroids escaping the Alderaan system
and was barely able to limp to Ord Mantell. The ride down to the surface was difficult at best, but Kir was
renowned in smuggling circles for his piloting ability. Yanna was busy keeping the ship from exploding
in mid-flight and Chuni was doing able job assisting her. Sera, as always, had taken up station in the bottom
turret--prepared for any more nasty Imperial surprises. Luckily, none were forthcoming as Kir wove the
Excessive Debt through valleys of junk on their final approach to the Rebel base. Closely
following the relatively undamaged Millennium Falcon, Yanna and Chuni barely got the landing gear lowered in time for
Kir's white-knuckle touchdown inside a hollowed out mountain of debris.
Rebel tech and emergency crews quickly set upon the ship, dousing several fires and helping to stabilize the vessel.
Eventually, things calmed down enough for the crew to depart the ship and introductions were made
with the crew of the Falcon. The party wasn't terribly impressed with the cocky pilot or the farm boy,
but Leia's commanding presence was something that they could respect--especially when she was thanking
them for saving her life! While Sera was the only official Rebel in the crew, it was always good for a
group of smugglers to have someone of Leia's importance owe you one.
While Yanna and Kir went scrounging for parts out in the extensive junkyard, the rest of the
crew mingled with some of the other people in the area. Chuni and Chewbacca caught each other
up on news from home while Sera went to report in to Red Squadron command. On the way, she ran into
her old friend Kit Reed from Green Squad. While they were talking
they were approached by Wedge Antilles,
whom Sera had known from missions together before the victory at Yavin. Wedge was holding
try-outs for a new elite squadron that he and Luke were forming and offered both of them
a chance to prove their skills in the air later that afternoon. Eager to join up with any
squadron being formed by the Heroes of Yavin, they both agreed to be there.
Before they could ask what time to show up, a shot was fired from across the makeshift hangar.
A Rebel technician had fired a handheld slug-thrower at Han Solo, hitting him in the leg.
The disguised bounty hunter quickly got off another shot, only to have it stopped by
a sweep of Luke's blue lightsaber. The lead slug quickly vaporized, eliminating any chance
for the partly-trained Jedi to reflect the shot back at him. Quickly jumping into
the fray, Kit hurled a concealed throwing knife at the assailant and missed by several meters.
Sera, still hot off the fight with Imperials at Alderaan, pulled two heavy blasters and
started laying down a barrage of fire. The bounty hunter dodged, but not enough to
avoid Sera's fire and a bowcaster bolt from Chunara. The assassin dropped, dead before he hit the ground.
Shaken by what just happened, an emotional Luke and Leia rushed Han off to a nearby
medical bay. Chewbacca, in a quick discussion with Chunara, asked if their ship was ever
unguarded while at Alderaan. It was, and an Imperial tracking device was quickly located on
the Excessive Debt's hull. The base went to full alert, getting the attention of Kir and Yanna.
Both returned with piles of needed parts, with Kir inexplicably holding a small orange
ball with the number 76 printed on it--apparently it
was a prized status symbol for transport captains on his extremely backwater homeworld.
As they loaded the parts onto their ship, the Rebel flight crews were called to order.
Yanna, Chuni, and Kir quickly set about repairing the most vital of the ship's systems
while Kit and Sera were mustered out with their respective squadrons. Three
Imperial Star Destroyers
and assorted support craft had decanted from hyperspace on the fringes
of the system and were moving this way. Green Squadron, made of mostly Z-95s and other
older but agile designs were to intercept the incoming TIE groups. Red Squadron,
consisting mostly of X-Wings, would escort the transports out of system to the
emergency rendezvous point. Lastly, Gold Squadron, made up of a handful of dilapidated
Y-Wings and other slower craft, would assist elements of the Rebel fleet hiding behind the
second moon to harass the capital ships as best they could. With grim determination, the
Rebels took to their ships.
Things were going much better for the Imperials, the Emperor's Fist under Admiral
Ozzel had caught the Rebel forces completely unprepared this time. He even permitted himself
a pitying chuckle when he saw the pittance of a force that was being raised against him.
With practiced ease, resulting from a lifetime in the Navy, he send the Contagion
under Captain Lemsh Tyderra to deal with the incoming fighters
while Emperor's Fist and Ultima pounded the Rebel fleet to scrap. Ozzel was particularly
pleased that at long last he might finally capture his elusive prize: Princess Leia Organa.
The battle was joined just as Kir and crew got the Excessive Debt powered up and vaguely
flight worthy. Reports were coming in about heavy fighter casualties on both sides, with the
transports faring little better. In a act of intelligent self-preservation that would so
come to define this smuggler crew, Kir lifted the ship off and headed in the completely opposite
direction as the rest of the transports. His actions did not go unnoticed, however, as
the Contagion had closed range enough to provide more accurate scanner data to the rest of the fleet.
Ozzel, thinking that the YT-1300 (despite its mirrored configuration) may be the escaping Princess,
sent Tyderra in to capture the ship.
The Rebels, who had been taking a pounding from the other two Star Destroyers saw the break in the
Imperial lines and took it. Green Squadron dove at the incoming TIEs from the Contagion with a
vengeance, but none more than Kit--her entire world had been wiped out by that ship. Red Squadron
continued to cut a path for the transports, most of whom got away. Things were not looking good forour
heroes though. Kit took several hits as she closed in on the looming Contagion, quickly
getting knocked unconscious before the ship auto-ejected her. Sera fared little better, straddled with
a shrieking R5 unit and pinned between the Rebel and Imperial fleets she was taking hit after hit.
As a last ditch attempt to do some good, Sera dove her X-wing at the Emperor's Fist, ejecting
just in time to see her fighter slam into main hangar bay with an impressive fireball. Wounded and
adrift, she too faded quickly into unconsciousness.
Still trying to avoid the thick of the fighting, the Excessive Debt had TIEs and assault
shuttles on her tail and was running hard to get around the other side of the planet. Suddenly,
out of nowhere, the collision alarm sounded as a fourth Star Destroyer slipped out of hyperspace
directly in their path.
GM: "You notice that this Star Destroyer looks different than the others. It
has a faded reddish-orange paint job with horribly large gashes in her hull."
Kir: "Battle damage?"
GM: "It looks like it, but it would of had to of been caused by a massive laser
weapon of some sort." *party looks worried*
Kir: "What about the command tower? Any symbols there?"
GM: "There is no command tower, but the KDY cog wheel can be clearly seen behind
a large transparasteel dome rising from the center of the ship."
Kir: [guessing] "A gravity projection dome?"
GM: "Nope, the dome contains a HUGE person, easily a few hundred meters tall.
He's watching your incoming ship with a look of abject terror."
Chuni: *player laughs*
Kir: "Wait a sec..."
Kir deftly dodged around the tiny scout vessel, suddenly realizing that it only had the
silhouette of a Star Destroyer--in the middle of the battle and without any frame of reference it
only looked like it was huge. The pilot of the Delta-7 scout ship,
Lim Res barely had time to collect his wits from the near collision before he was
slammed with an ion barrage from the two pursuing assault shuttles as they went racing past him after
the Excessive Debt.
Kir juked and dodged, desperately attempting to plot an astrogation course while climbing out of
the planet's gravity well. Chuni was keeping the TIE fighters at bay with the laser turret, but
wasn't having any luck stopping the shielded assault shuttles with such a low-powered weapon.
Yanna was doing her best to get both of them as much power as possible as the ship engines
were threatening to explode all around her. It was only a matter of time before the first ion
bolt connected with the freighter, from there it was a cascade reaction as the assault shuttle's
fire began landing on the transport en masse. Systems sparked and overloaded as the Excessive Debt
began an uncontrolled tumble.
With one last ripple of ion fire, the engines went dark and the
Excessive Debt flipped slowly end over end through the darkness of space.
With the few remaining Rebel ships jumping to hyperspace, the assault
shuttles of the Contagion leisurely placed tractor beams on their
stunned quarry and drug them back to the waiting Star Destroyers...
The party, and several other Rebel pilots and troopers all woke up
suddenly. They were all in a long metal room with their arms bound to the
walls above their heads and each was wearing a sleep inducer (which had
all simultaneously shut off). The crew of the Excessive Debt looked around
and spotted Sera and Kit as well as the man who was piloting the supposed
"star destroyer" scout ship. The glowpanels flickered momentarily and
everyone felt the gravplates strain as the ship they were in began a series
of evasion maneuvers.
The dodging did not appear successful, however, as several laser shots could
be heard slamming into the hull. With one last jolting report that could
only of come from a concussion missile, the craft they were on slowed to a stop.
Tense minutes passed as various blaster shots could be heard in the hallways outside.
Suddenly, the door hissed open, revealing a Rhodian pirate sporting a light
repeating blaster rifle. The Rhodian called to someone down the hallway, pointing into the room.
Our heroes, none of whom were fluent in Rhodian, got the general impression that
they were not what he was expecting to find. The Rhodian was joined by a tall male Human
mercenary and a green R2 series astromech droid. The Human seemed to be as perplexed as the Rhodian.
Both stood there cursing someone named Bah'Ger in several languages while the droid
told the computer to unlock all the arm restraints. A call cam in to the pirate's
comlinks from a female Human's voice, the TIE patrol ships were on their way fast and it was time to go.
Everyone, former prisoners and party included rush to the nearest airlock. Attached is a
dilapidated YT-1300 with a tripod mounted heavy repeating blaster set up and pointing at them.
Manned by an attractive Human female in a pink corset and pants, she was amazed to see her
mercenary Captain rushing aboard with thirty some Rebels. Although she was not so surprised to
fire a barrage of blaster bolts as some of the Imperial security crew who had decided to pursue the
prisoners to the airlock. The Rebels were suitably impressed.
With the airlock sealed, the mercenary detached the ship and addressed the assorted former prisoners:
"If anyone is handy with a laser turret, now would be the time to be speaking up." Luckily, the
Rebel pilots are well trained at that. He also mentions the small ship that the Imp prisoner
transport was hauling. Looking out the nearest window, the party saw Lim's Delta-7 scout ship.
Fully admitting that he was not the greatest pilot, Sera volunteered to man the fighter if the merc
could get her close enough to transfer over. No sooner said than done, she was aboard and
familiarizing herself with the controls. Kir joined the merc captain on the cockpit, constantly
hitting the walls--as this is a standard R model YT-1300 and he was used to the mirrored L model. Kit manned
the top turret while the Rhodian returned to his bunkroom/bottom turret. Various other Rebel pilots
manned the other weapons, which seemed to be a bit excessive for a mere transport ship.
Lim was left wondering if they really had fallen in with pirates after all.
The battle was quickly joined as the outer TIEs came pouring in to defend their transport.
The merc captain and Kir deftly evaded the laser fire while the crew picked off the fighters one after another--only
once getting a scolding from the captain for using an apparently expensive concussion missile on
a mere TIE fighter. Between the Remembrance and the Bad Juju, the fight was quickly over.
The merc captain plotted a course and transferred the coordinates to Sera. The astrogation plot was
just barely entered when several more Imperial ships jumped into system. With a curt wave, the pirate captain pushed forward on the
hyperdrive lever and in a flash they were gone.
View the optional Director's Commentary for this scene
(caution, possible spoilers)
On to Act I Scene ii 
Engage the hyperdrive and return to the Campaign page
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