Episode 3.07: Chapter 8: Choices of Heroes, Duel of the Fates
Star Wars
Shards of Exploration
Episode 3.07: Chapter 8: Choices of Heroes, Duel of the Fates
The heroes rocketed away from Faultline in a stolen Bloodsmith Raider ship. There were no cheers of victory. No smiles.
The rogue mentat had been ready for them, again. While the heroes had won the battle in the second warehouse, the victory was bittersweet.
Yet, So'Zen Al Saba's plan to distract the Bloodsmith Raiders had worked. It had allowed him inside before his allies ambushed the raiders prior to launch. The deadly cargo of Tor Ceti creatures wouldn’t reach Chalcedon to savage the world. But there was a second ship already on its way to the world with a similar infectious cargo. The heroes could have interrogated the surviving Bloodsmith Raiders, had Almon D’Joy not reached out with the Dark Side of the Force and activated a lethal virus in them moments before the fight ended.
However, Sir Davish Tam had sensed during the attack that Amon D’Joy was in the old mining district of Ole Town Sector. If they could reach the mentat and trap him, it would bring an end to this reign of terror. While there, they could also turn to their ally on Nar Shaddaa, Grakor the Hutt, to use his private communications channel to send the warning to Simon Tam that Chalcedon must get the cure for the Tor Ceti venom. This is if Grakor was in fact still their ally.
Then there was the matter of the captured Tor Ceti creature. So’zen has kept it calm, but how long would that last? The creature was massive, easily larger than a bantha, with an infectious venom that could mutate victims that didn’t die. It needed to go somewhere safe but where would that be?
Before launch, the heroes rescued Bloodsmith Raiders savaged by Almon D’Joy’s Dark Side attack. Kal Holst seemed to heal after a transfusion of antivirus code from Sabine Tri'elle. Would this also help the other unconscious Bloodsmiths held in the brig? Would they listen to reason as Kal did? Or would the murderous pirates resume their ways and attack at first opportunity?
Suddenly, Davish sat up straight in the ship’s cockpit as their ship broke past the gray-yellow fog of Faultline. They had just emerged into the upper levels of Nar Shaddaa. Neon lights of Corellian Sector twinkled in the distance. Davish’s voice was an ugly whisper as he shattered the fragile silence aboard ship.
“I’ve a bad feeling about this.”
Behind him in the passenger common area, Talow, the ancient Forcebender master, gasped in shock. He reached out with a hand and grasped one of the Jedi before he half-fell into a chair. His voice was paper-thin rasp.
“Those people! He’s bending the living Force away from hundreds of people!”
Answers appeared seconds later once Davish changed direction toward Ole Town. Glowing walls of a force screen sealed off the sector. Gray-yellow clouds rolled along the streets while the locals writhed in slow agony or were trying to break through the walls. Along the outside perimeter, blaster bolts glittered in Nar Shaddaa’s early evening. A handful of Grakor the Hutt’s enforcers were waging a desperate fight to reach even one of the shield generators. Heavily armed storm commandos, outnumbering the attackers two to one, kept the attackers at bay.
The ship’s communications crackled to life.
It was Almon D’Joy.
“Don’t think you’ve won. You’ve only accelerated my plans! I know you want to send a warning. But are you going to rocket off to transmit that warning to Chalcedon? Or do you save your pathetic friends in Ole Town from my neuroviral gas? Ask your Jedi friends, ask yourselves. Who are you willing to let die for your little crusade?”
Davish slammed a fist down on the communication override, cutting off Almon D’Joy’s cackle.
Components
Goals
... is there time to do both? Or is this yet another trap, a smokescreen covering Almon D'Joy's actual plans?
Dun dun DUUUUUN What a choice. These sound like fun sessions. But I can't get over the fact your BBEG is named Almon D'Joy. :x Love it!
Necromancy is a Wholesome Science.
Oh, my players love it. They would love nothing better to corner the guy! And their approach to solving this challenge was pretty interesting. I'll be putting that in the report soon!
I'm looking forward to reading it!
Necromancy is a Wholesome Science.