Chapter 9 - Routing the Enemy
Natasha and Feral dispatch the Culliseto gang with relative ease. A few stragglers try to flee on speeder bikes but they are quickly caught and killed. They lead Natasha to a bar down by the industrial district called ‘The Hive’. Several other insectoid races fill the rundown establishment. Including Verpine, more Cullistetto and a Gand bartender. Natasha confronts the Cullisetto who think better than attacking her outright. When she follows them outside, another fight breaks out. One manages to escape and she tracks to her underground lair, a chamber flooded with tepid water and small, wriggling larvae. The corridor of flickering lights is guarded by a droid programmed to fire a blaster on intruders. The few Cullisetto left immediately surrender. Natasha leaves the brood with a final warning: "Stay out of Black Sun territory or be eradicated."
Feral searches for the Cullisetto brood but instead discovers a young human, barely in his teens. The boy claims to belong to the White Worm gang. Feral befriends him and offers to help get him off world and have a better life if he helps him navigate the expansive underground tunnels and chambers below Coronet City.
Feral searches for the Cullisetto brood but instead discovers a young human, barely in his teens. The boy claims to belong to the White Worm gang. Feral befriends him and offers to help get him off world and have a better life if he helps him navigate the expansive underground tunnels and chambers below Coronet City.
Chapter 10 - The White Worm Strikes
 |
| Cael and Vendri, Black Sun Operatives Loyal to Vigo Nemitza |
 |
| Grindalid, White Worm Gang Member |
Natasha and Feral agree to meet back at the spaceport where Vigo Nemitza sends two other Black Sun operatives to assist them: Vendri a Duro and a human soldier named Cael (played by visiting guests).
Unbeknownst to the heroes, leaders in the White Worms contact the defecting teen and coerce him into giving up his location. Two Grindalids and a pair of Corellian hounds converge on them and a vicious battle ensues. Two Stormtroopers have been lazily keeping watch in the giant bay but spring into action when the fight begins. Surprised by the sudden shootout, they begin blasting anything that refuses their orders. The heroes overcome the White Worm gang and the Stormtroopers. Natasha and Vendri leave to go to find the control center in order to destroy any security footage that might exist. Feral and Blade arrange the bodies to look as if the clash was between the White Worms and the Stormtroopers.
Unbeknownst to the heroes, leaders in the White Worms contact the defecting teen and coerce him into giving up his location. Two Grindalids and a pair of Corellian hounds converge on them and a vicious battle ensues. Two Stormtroopers have been lazily keeping watch in the giant bay but spring into action when the fight begins. Surprised by the sudden shootout, they begin blasting anything that refuses their orders. The heroes overcome the White Worm gang and the Stormtroopers. Natasha and Vendri leave to go to find the control center in order to destroy any security footage that might exist. Feral and Blade arrange the bodies to look as if the clash was between the White Worms and the Stormtroopers.
They join Vigo Nemitza back at Black Sun headquarters for an exotic dinner of live Falleen Slime Eels, Kowakian Monkey-Lizard brains and ‘iced cream’ made from an unknown dairy source. Natasha refuses most of the meal but the Zabrak brothers enjoy the fine spread.
As part of their reward for defeating the White Worms, Nemitza offers to place them in contact with the finest weapons and armor dealer on Corellia and assists them in getting some special modifications to their equipment.
Nemitza patiently waits for the right moment in the conversation to admit that he did some cursory research on the Infinite Crown. Allegedly, this is a treasure ship, lost in the clone wars when royalty from Sedoinia attempted to flee to Coruscant. No one has ever discovered it and most think it is another contrived war story. “There is a great Library in this system on the planet Drall. The Overseer of that place is a Drall who is an associate of ours. I will set up a meeting with him for you in exchange for a portion of the take.” In the end, Nemitza agrees to a 7% share in the treasure ship but they need to take Vendri with them as his eyes and ears.
 |
| Agathia, Fortune Teller and Pan Handler |
Back at the spaceport, Feral and Blade encounter a elderly woman panhandling for spare credits. She is named Agathia, and claims to be able to tell fortunes. She licks her hand and wipes it down Feral’s face as part of her ritual. Blade and Feral are not strangers to sorcery and are genuinely pleased with the woman’s abilities. “A path of destruction and violence will follow you Feral, to the very end of your days.”
Local CorSec police (Corellia Security Force), begin investigating the shootout and subsequent deaths at the Spaceport. They have a lot of questions for the party and a contingent of Imperial Troops are approaching. Natasha has recently discovered how to use the force to sense lifeforms around her by feeling the energies coursing through them. She attempts the ability in the spaceport and to her surprise, she discovers that the old fortune teller proves to be strong with the force. Natasha realizes her fortune telling is actually a true gift of forsight: a glimps into the future. The heroes convince Agathia to come with them and they depart for Drall before the Imperials lock down the entire spaceport.
During the flight, they check the holonet for recent warrants and those wanted for questioning. To their surprise, none of the party is on the list. However, Agathia is. She is wanted for sedition and treason, and her warrant is for 20,000 credits. Strangely enough, the warrant gives little information about her alleged crimes against the Empire and Natasha suspects it is because she is a known ‘force sensitive’ to the Internal Security Bureau.
During the flight, they check the holonet for recent warrants and those wanted for questioning. To their surprise, none of the party is on the list. However, Agathia is. She is wanted for sedition and treason, and her warrant is for 20,000 credits. Strangely enough, the warrant gives little information about her alleged crimes against the Empire and Natasha suspects it is because she is a known ‘force sensitive’ to the Internal Security Bureau.
Chapter 11 - Heroes of Drall
The heroes find Drall to be a beautiful and interesting planet. Their cities are made of giant domes, constructed from stone and covered with living green vegetation to make them appear like the rolling hills that cover most of Drall. The Boiling Sea is an expansive, landlocked sea that boils with gasses being released from algae blooms. This attracts schools of fish and other sealife, including hundreds of different species of seabirds, including beautiful Flame Ibbots and even Giant Ibbots, (a colorful reptavian that the Drall have mastered riding). The Drall are a pleasant species to interact and deal with. Natasha attends the Luminous Gardens, a high end establishment filled with beautiful flowers and colorful lights. It is also a hub of venture capitalists, the Imperial Navy;s upper echelon and political hookups of the Galactic Senate. She takes note of two Internal Security Bureau agents (ISB) as well. Feral rides across the capital city, Mastagaphorus, by speeder bike. He meets a Selonian swoop bike gang called the Fangs. The Selonians are reclusive and most dislike other species. The make very little effort to hide their contempt for Feral. Feral has grown in wisdom however, and nothing will deter him from getting the information about the Infinite Crown. He refuses to race and this only upsets the Selonians further.
The heroes find Drall to be a beautiful and interesting planet. Their cities are made of giant domes, constructed from stone and covered with living green vegetation to make them appear like the rolling hills that cover most of Drall. The Boiling Sea is an expansive, landlocked sea that boils with gasses being released from algae blooms. This attracts schools of fish and other sealife, including hundreds of different species of seabirds, including beautiful Flame Ibbots and even Giant Ibbots, (a colorful reptavian that the Drall have mastered riding). The Drall are a pleasant species to interact and deal with. Natasha attends the Luminous Gardens, a high end establishment filled with beautiful flowers and colorful lights. It is also a hub of venture capitalists, the Imperial Navy;s upper echelon and political hookups of the Galactic Senate. She takes note of two Internal Security Bureau agents (ISB) as well. Feral rides across the capital city, Mastagaphorus, by speeder bike. He meets a Selonian swoop bike gang called the Fangs. The Selonians are reclusive and most dislike other species. The make very little effort to hide their contempt for Feral. Feral has grown in wisdom however, and nothing will deter him from getting the information about the Infinite Crown. He refuses to race and this only upsets the Selonians further.
 |
| Drall, Capital Area of the Boiling Sea (Home-brewed Map) |
The Overseerer of the Library is a venerable Drall named Corduunias. Corduunias has purchased several rare art pieces from Black Sun, who acquired them from Imperials trying to sell their spoils of war onto the black market. Perhaps Corduunias is a wealthy opportunist or perhaps he is just collecting the art for safe keeping, lest it end up in the hands of the gangsters of the Outer Rim. Either way, this is the basis for his ‘relationship’ with Black Sun.. Corduunias has a daughter named Nanora. She is a young and very enthusiastic Drall politician who speaks out against the Empire. This has put her on dangerous ground with Imperials and emboldened her enemies in rival Drallish clans. The heroes discover that the Empire recently captured her and has placed her under house arrest at a private estate on the secluded island of Uluum in the Boiling Sea. Her political leanings are only partially responsible for her imprisonment. The Empire has sent one of the Emperor’s advisors, (and an expert on the force and a scholar of Jedi history,) to search the Library for clues about the locations of possible hidden temples and holy places. They also hope to raid the tomb of a Drall Jedi hidden beneath the Library. Corduunias has a hard time getting away from his Imperial ‘guests’ and he is under a lot of duress with the kidnapping of his daughter. He is reluctant about meeting with Black Sun.
 |
| Drall Police Can Also Ride the Great Ibbots into Battle |
Needing to kill some time, Natasha and Feral take interest in the Avery, a spralling hill complex of Giant Ibbot stables, breeding agents, restaurants and an off track betting office. A legendary ‘race track’ of floating hoop sensors weaves throughout the hills stretching to the east of the Avery. Knowing they would never win a race against professional Drall jockeys, they begin training for an open-class race. Feral relished and excelled at this task, his Dathomirian heritage making him naturally adept at handling the dangerous creatures.
The Mastigaphorous 500 also has an open-class for novice racers and it is composed of several non-Drall flyers as well as a half-dozen rookie Drall. Two Dresselians, two Corellian human thrill seekers and a one-eyed Gungan are all frequent names in the beast racing circuit which also takes place on Malastare and Onderon. The party pays off the Corellians who are willing to give up their two spots in the race. The Corellians also moonlight as smugglers and are planning a ‘Five Brother Shuffle’ in a few days and a traded loader droid cinches the deal. Vendri explains the ‘Five Brother Shuffle’ as the Corellian system drug run.
Feral slips away and heads to the gambling office. He doesn’t have enough money to place a substantial bet and so tries to secure a loan with the ship. Ownership of the Gruuunn is a somewhat murky subject, but the Black Sun bookie he is dealing with accepts the YV-666, its cargo and their three droids as collateral. After all, if Feral absconds with the ship, he can go to the local Vigo with the grievance.
Corduunias finally meets with the party at the Avery. He is clearly under duress and is behaving nervously. He is persuaded to help the characters access the Library in exchange for rescuing his daughter and getting them both off planet, safely. Corduunias leaves and the heroes tail him for a distance. A small spherical spy droid follows him and was no doubt, spying on their meeting. Natasha catches up to it and bags it with her cloak from behind, dragging it into the alleyway before pummeling it into pieces. The droid is eliminated, but the Empire must know that Corduunias only appears to be cooperative.
The Mastigaphorous 500 also has an open-class for novice racers and it is composed of several non-Drall flyers as well as a half-dozen rookie Drall. Two Dresselians, two Corellian human thrill seekers and a one-eyed Gungan are all frequent names in the beast racing circuit which also takes place on Malastare and Onderon. The party pays off the Corellians who are willing to give up their two spots in the race. The Corellians also moonlight as smugglers and are planning a ‘Five Brother Shuffle’ in a few days and a traded loader droid cinches the deal. Vendri explains the ‘Five Brother Shuffle’ as the Corellian system drug run.
Feral slips away and heads to the gambling office. He doesn’t have enough money to place a substantial bet and so tries to secure a loan with the ship. Ownership of the Gruuunn is a somewhat murky subject, but the Black Sun bookie he is dealing with accepts the YV-666, its cargo and their three droids as collateral. After all, if Feral absconds with the ship, he can go to the local Vigo with the grievance.
Corduunias finally meets with the party at the Avery. He is clearly under duress and is behaving nervously. He is persuaded to help the characters access the Library in exchange for rescuing his daughter and getting them both off planet, safely. Corduunias leaves and the heroes tail him for a distance. A small spherical spy droid follows him and was no doubt, spying on their meeting. Natasha catches up to it and bags it with her cloak from behind, dragging it into the alleyway before pummeling it into pieces. The droid is eliminated, but the Empire must know that Corduunias only appears to be cooperative.
The Ibbot race proves to be an exhilarating challenge. Feral discovered someone had slipped a spiked seed under his saddle which would have proved a painful distraction for his Great Ibbot. He suspects the seed was placed there by the one-eyed Gungan. Giant floating hoops flash and sound every time a flyer passes through them and are set up in such a manner as to force the racers into steep dives, winding through trees and over rocky peaks. They start with a death defying leap from Avery’s cliffs. Natasha uses the force, trying to push other racers back and keep them from passing her. Feral takes an early lead and keeps it most of the race until the Dresselians slip ahead of him. A TIE fighter patrol swooped in for a brief inspection of the flyers, startling several of the Great Ibbots. In the end, Feral and one of the Dresselians becomes locked in a frantic push for the lead. Feral leaves his competitor hung up in the final repulsor-hoop while Natasha slips ahead and won the race.
Everyone is celebrating, eating and drinking free food and enjoying attention from the locals. The Corellian press plasters their images on the holonet. Natasha has won the purse of 5,000 cr while Feral won 2,000. The bookie makes his rounds and profusely congratulates Natasha and Feral for their outstanding performances and for a very entertaining event. He slaps Feral on the shoulder, “Too bad about your ship though. Easy come, easy go. Right?” Feral leaves the celebrations early.
Back at the Spaceport, Feral finds a group of swoop bike riding Selonians who are members of a gang called “The Fangs”. He recognizes them from an earlier encounter in Mastigaphorous when they attempted to entice him into an illegal street race. Feral buys their leader a drink and proposes a business deal. He tells the Selonians that he is going to explore some underground tunnel systems beneath the Great Library. Those tunnels are rumored to connect to a network of caverns claimed by a reclusive tribe of Selonians who are even less friendly to outsiders than the other Selonians he has encountered. The gang leader agrees to assist Feral, but only if the right price is paid.
Everyone is celebrating, eating and drinking free food and enjoying attention from the locals. The Corellian press plasters their images on the holonet. Natasha has won the purse of 5,000 cr while Feral won 2,000. The bookie makes his rounds and profusely congratulates Natasha and Feral for their outstanding performances and for a very entertaining event. He slaps Feral on the shoulder, “Too bad about your ship though. Easy come, easy go. Right?” Feral leaves the celebrations early.
Back at the Spaceport, Feral finds a group of swoop bike riding Selonians who are members of a gang called “The Fangs”. He recognizes them from an earlier encounter in Mastigaphorous when they attempted to entice him into an illegal street race. Feral buys their leader a drink and proposes a business deal. He tells the Selonians that he is going to explore some underground tunnel systems beneath the Great Library. Those tunnels are rumored to connect to a network of caverns claimed by a reclusive tribe of Selonians who are even less friendly to outsiders than the other Selonians he has encountered. The gang leader agrees to assist Feral, but only if the right price is paid.
 |
| Selonian |
Feral tells Natasha about the bet and she takes it well. After hours, she heads to the gambling office of the Black Sun bookie. Using her hacking skills on the doors and on a master safe, she gains access. The Drallish security personnel come to investigate but are easily turned away using suggestions from the force. Natasha finds the little black book, and sets it and the rest of the office on fire. She escapes with a collection of jewelry, a blaster of excellent quality (Royal Security Force S5B Officer’s Pistol) and a pile of loose credits, (approximately 20,000).
Natash makes her escape by heading towards the stables, her minor celebrity status gets her past the Drallish caretakers with little trouble. She finds the top two Class A racers, the finalists of the professional race. Colorful award ribbons hang on their stall doors. A few force powered suggestions to calm the startled creatures and within minutes, she is making her escape with the price Great Ibbots. She flies to a rocky peninsula on the southern shore of the Boiling Sea and calls Feral who grabs Blade and meets her there.
The two names of the Great Ibbots are in Drallish but they translate as the ‘One who’s flame shoots from her wings.” and the other “Speeding Storm Cloud’.
Chapter 12 - On the Boiling Sea
Natash makes her escape by heading towards the stables, her minor celebrity status gets her past the Drallish caretakers with little trouble. She finds the top two Class A racers, the finalists of the professional race. Colorful award ribbons hang on their stall doors. A few force powered suggestions to calm the startled creatures and within minutes, she is making her escape with the price Great Ibbots. She flies to a rocky peninsula on the southern shore of the Boiling Sea and calls Feral who grabs Blade and meets her there.
The two names of the Great Ibbots are in Drallish but they translate as the ‘One who’s flame shoots from her wings.” and the other “Speeding Storm Cloud’.
Chapter 12 - On the Boiling Sea
The three take off in search of Uluum Island and the Estate of Clan Trammos (known for their loyalty to the Empire) where she is being held prisoner.
The moonless sky is devoid of stars as fine, salty mist permeates them. Occasionally, heat lightning flashes and illuminates the coastal view. After a two-hour flight they see the lights from the Estate and close upon it. The clustered islands reach up out of the ocean with near vertical cliffs and grassy tops. Two Dralls riding Giant Ibbots circle over the island keeping sentry. The use a megaphone and give the characters a single warning before swooping at them with deadly intent. Natasha and her Great Ibbot face one, both great reptavians charging each other with abandon. The Drall shoots stun bolts at his opponent but Natasha returns fire with her disruptors, one of the bolts strikes and disintegrates his furry arm. The Great Ibbots veer at the last moment, narrowly avoiding a deadly collision. The Drall’s Ibbot snaps at Natasha with a vicious bite, teeth penetrating her armor and deep into her chest. She gasps for air but somehow manages to stay in the saddle. Her Ibbot snatched the wounded Drall from his saddle and with a short jerking motion, is tossed to the dark ocean hundreds of meters below.
Blade and Feral begin circling but their opponent swoops in behind them. Some quick maneuvering by Feral and they reverse the advantage. Stun bolts fly at them but nothing connects and Feral dives to deliver a killing blow to the Drall using his newly upgraded force pike. The Ibbots fly into the night sky.
Now Feral and Natasha can make out the details of a landing pad and an observation deck encircling the hilltop. They begin looking for a discrete area to land but a faint and familiar roar of a TIE fighter patrol grows louder and louder before emerging from the clouds. Feral and Natasha dive towards a rocky outcropping where their Great Ibbots should be able to find enough purchase to hang onto the cliffside. The TIE fighters scream past, mercifully unaware of the hidden heroes.
The moonless sky is devoid of stars as fine, salty mist permeates them. Occasionally, heat lightning flashes and illuminates the coastal view. After a two-hour flight they see the lights from the Estate and close upon it. The clustered islands reach up out of the ocean with near vertical cliffs and grassy tops. Two Dralls riding Giant Ibbots circle over the island keeping sentry. The use a megaphone and give the characters a single warning before swooping at them with deadly intent. Natasha and her Great Ibbot face one, both great reptavians charging each other with abandon. The Drall shoots stun bolts at his opponent but Natasha returns fire with her disruptors, one of the bolts strikes and disintegrates his furry arm. The Great Ibbots veer at the last moment, narrowly avoiding a deadly collision. The Drall’s Ibbot snaps at Natasha with a vicious bite, teeth penetrating her armor and deep into her chest. She gasps for air but somehow manages to stay in the saddle. Her Ibbot snatched the wounded Drall from his saddle and with a short jerking motion, is tossed to the dark ocean hundreds of meters below.
Blade and Feral begin circling but their opponent swoops in behind them. Some quick maneuvering by Feral and they reverse the advantage. Stun bolts fly at them but nothing connects and Feral dives to deliver a killing blow to the Drall using his newly upgraded force pike. The Ibbots fly into the night sky.
Now Feral and Natasha can make out the details of a landing pad and an observation deck encircling the hilltop. They begin looking for a discrete area to land but a faint and familiar roar of a TIE fighter patrol grows louder and louder before emerging from the clouds. Feral and Natasha dive towards a rocky outcropping where their Great Ibbots should be able to find enough purchase to hang onto the cliffside. The TIE fighters scream past, mercifully unaware of the hidden heroes.
