Call of the Deadly Nightshade 4 - There Be Pirates

## **Previously**

The group made its way from Coruscant to Waypoint Station and heard - and eventually accepted - Nightshade's proposal.

Deciding to become a band, the group re-organizes itself into the Frosted Tips.

## **Recap**

### **The 200cr Mistake**

> "*Is this a jizz band?*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*I know of no other band.*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*Blaine’s playing the kloo horn. I don’t see why not. “The Frosted Tips” jizz band.*"
> ― David
>
>

> "*I’m in.*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

Waking up later than the rest of the team after a long overdue nap, Bota Zi is brought up to speed on the team’s decision to take on the mission offered by Nightshade for the retrieval of former Grand Admiral Octavian Grant and their purchases and preparations to disguise themselves as a band in order to make their way into *The Isle Resort* on the planet Rathalay.

Bota decides to search for a disguise that will help him stand in as the band manager and salesman. After buying a prosthetic eye, he is pointed towards Bigg’tuna when he mentions a desire for an outfit that can make him look like a band manager/used car salesman. He approaches confidently as the rest of the team looks on from within earshot and snickers at the upcoming conversation.

> "*I’m gonna sell the hell out of this band.*"
> ― Bota Zi
>
>

> "*Mmm… you’ll sell the hell out of ‘*something' *I’ll tell you what, honey… 4,000cr and I’ll give you a suit that will be lookin’ great. I mean you’ll be dressed to impress.*"
> ― Bigg’tuna
>
>

> "*Did you say 4,000cr?! What do you have for 400cr?*"
> ― Bota Zi
>
>

Eventually Bota manages to thoroughly offend the Twi’lek, handing over 200cr only to be told he can wear Jawa Jimmy’s old robe if he’s that cheap. A bit ruffled after the conversation, Bota decides he would rather steal the clothes of some stranger’s back than pay such a high price and concludes his purchases.

### **Look Out! Interdictor!**

The group boards Captain Swagg’s transport vessel, transport paid for by the ever stingy Bota Zi, and makes way for the planet Rathalay in high spirits. They spend their time in transit practicing their instruments, making up fictitious album and song titles, and sharing a few drinks with Captain Swagg.

As their ship is closing in on Rathalay, Captain Swagg announces their upcoming arrival over the ship’s intercom but is suddenly cut short as the ship drops out of hyperspace earlier than expected. Cursing, the intoxicated captain mutters threats to his resident R-1 astromech about improper astrogation plotting and failed sensors before he attempts to push the drifting ship forward under obvious strain. He flips a few switches and shouts out orders as the vessel moves forward sluggishly, and the sublight engine screams under the strain before suddenly giving out.

Now floating without propulsion, the transport slowly turns in space to reveal the massive presence of an Interdictor cruiser holding it in tractor lock and swinging it down toward the planet’s surface. Though initially assuming that the ship was operating as a New Republic vessel meant to pull ships to proper docking, Blaine runs a scan of the vessel and sees that it is transmitting as the Imperial Star Destroyer *“Lasso”* and is in the process of transmitting just through the ship on a narrow band to the planet’s surface.

Blaine manages to tap into the sloppily encrypted transmission, and overhears a conversation between apparent pirates discussing the score of two ships in a single day, commenting that the *Lasso* should probably head out after this second grab before they catch any unwanted attention.

> "*So here’s my thoughts. There was one ship that left before us. Two in a day, we’re the second group… and these pirates are stupid. I would love to own an Interdictor guys.*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

Drawing down to the planet’s surface, a well hidden base comes into view with docking bay doors open to receive the group. They come closer into view, when suddenly the transport begins to fall uncontrollably. Jawa Jimmy managed to repair emergency thrust in the transit down, sparing the group from the worst possible outcome, but the impact is devastating none the less. The transport is completely destroyed, Blaine and Jimmy are knocked unconscious, and Captain Swagg dies from his own injuries.

Jowkazza manages to fix up the group as Bota and Sparky manage to make a way off the ship. Stepping off the ship, they see absolute carnage everywhere. Blaster burns splatter the nearby walls, craters left from explosives are all around, and shredded bulkheads show smoke emanating out as the overhead lights flicker and fade. Landing on the floor after jumping out, Droo puts her hand to her head, muttering about something evil being here, then falls to the ground unconscious. As the Jimmy and Jowkazza lay Droo’s body over Sparky, down an adjacent hall a voice calls out for help in response to the noise made by the group.

> "*Hello… is someone there? I - I didn’t mean to be here. I’ll leave, I promise! Please, let me go!*"
> ― mysterious voice
>
>

> "*We’re the Frosted Tips. We’re a band… on the run. We believe that music can save the world and we’ll start with you.*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

### **Picking Up Pals**

Bota makes his way toward the voice, narrowly avoiding blaster fire from a dying Rodian (and finishing him off with a swift punch to the temple), before entering into what looks like a makeshift prison.

> "*Can you let me out?*"
> ― Mackzie
>
>

> "*Why don’t you identify yourself before we get to that part?*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*You old hag!*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

The prisoner identifies herself as Mackzie Enn, an environmentalist lawyer who was captured in the nearby jungle and put into the cell she is currently locked into. Through tears and stammers she describes being locked up and having heard comments about the earlier ship capture, then a firefight that tore through the entire facility for a short time before hearing the ship crash nearby.

> "*Hey, R1. I’m really sorry about Captain Swagg. Feel free to fly the ship off into the wild blue yonder. Or you can hang out with us.*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*R1, who is stuck in the ship and pretty heavily damaged, he beeps out at you. He’s obviously very unhappy with you and more or less swearing at you, telling you that ever since you showed up things got bad.*"
> ― David
>
>

> "*Oh, so those last 5 hours are my fault. His lifetime of addiction is my fault. Alright R1. This is why no one respects your line, and you’re retired and no one makes droids of your model anymore. Just offering you a way out so you don’t have to sit here by your **dead** owner, but… you’re just a droid.*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*Are you really… are you going to leave me here?!*"
> ― Mackzie Enn
>
>

> "*Shut up, I’m talking to this droid.*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

Eventually Jowkazza releases the prisoner, attempting to slip her a sedative while feigning a hug but only putting her on edge. The team then decides to head toward the exit that Mackzie believes is towards the southern region of the base, taking their current situation with their usual lack of concern and comic relief.

Wandering through the base, the group sees more carnage and destruction. Dead bodies and droid parts litter the floor with a conspicuous lack of blaster fire, almost as if they were torn apart and ripped limb from limb and left to die. Soon a guard flanked with two droids stumbles upon the team in surprise.

Rusty dons his “Sandra Britches” facade, attempting (and failing) to serenade the trio before knocking the man to the ground with a blow to the face. Jowkazza takes a droid in hand and… dances with it? Spinning hand in hand, the Wookiee lets go, throwing the droid in his arms across the room into its partner. As Blaine raises his blaster at the pirate to end things, the man shouts out in worry and pleads for mercy. In return for sparing his life, Blaine demands information and directions out of the base.

> "*I’ll just go… Just, uh, be out your way.*"
> ― Rix Baron
>
>

> "*Wait, wait, wait… hold up.*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*Welp… uh… okay… just don’t shoot me please.*"
> ― Rix Baron
>
>

> "*You’re gonna walk in front of us, and you’ll let us know when there are other people trying to jump out and shoot us. If not, I’m gonna shoot you in the back.*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*Oh. Uh. Alright. Yeah, alright.*"
> ― Rix Baron
>
>

The pirate agrees to escort the group out of the base in exchange for his life, and after being thoroughly confused and embarrassed by the group he does just that. With Blaine holding him at blaster point from behind, Rix walks ahead with his arms up and calls for any remaining pirates to hold their fire. Oddly, the tactic seems more or less effective, with the remaining pirates either dead on the floor or unwilling to die to stop the team on their way through the facility.

### **Pirate Booty**

The team manages their way through the wreckage unceremoniously for a short time before the klaxon that had begun to blend into the background goes silent. After a moment, a sinister, breathless voice comes over the PA. Speaking not to the pirates, but to the heroes moving along, the voice claims that they assaulted the pirate base for waylaying their intended mission, and warns the team to be wary of the “pets” that they have let loose to clear out the area.

Now visibly shaken, Rix leads the group ahead to the storage area. Upon a request from Blaine, he points toward the exit and asks to leave but agrees that his best chance of survival is with the group.

Inside the storage area, Mackzie retrieves her goods as a droid head, calling itself 8t88 convinces Jowkazza to help reunite him with his body in exchange for potential information regarding the attack that killed Jowkazza’s mentor.

## **Featured Characters**

### **Our Heroes**

* Blaine Hansom

* Bota Zi

* Jowkazza

* Roostan Steele

### **NPCs**

* Captain Swagg - transport pilot

* Worron - Covert Equipment Merchant

* Bigg’tuna - Seductress

* Mackzie Enn - prisoner

* Rix Baron - pirate

* 8t88

### **Mentioned**

* Nightshade

* Droo Vos

* Jawa Jimmy

* + Sparky

## **Inventory**

* **-11,330cr (Jowkazza)**

* + +surveillance detector

* + +silence bubble

* + +smoke generator

* + +retinal contacts

* + +holorecording macrobinoculars

* **-1,200cr (Bota)**

* + 200cr to insult Bigg’tuna

* + eye prosthetic (+1D Con:Disguise)

* **-4,000cr (Blaine)**

* + rover tracking device x3

* **+1cp** for saving Mackzie Enn (Jowkazza)

## **Notes**

* Names for band members of the Frosted Tips:

* + Rusty: Sandra Britches - lead singer

* + Jawa Jimmy: Debonair Daft Punk, aka DDP - omni-box

* + Jowkazza: Izzy Ded’yet - roadie

* + Bota: Bogus West from Rendili - equipment manager/roadie

* + Blaine: Stigg McNasty - kloo horn

* + - Born on Coruscant to a wealthy couple, Stigg rebelled at a young age. Deciding to play the kloo horn and bleach his

* Frosted Tips songs off the album “Hutt Nips”:

* + Lookout! Inter-dic’d-her

* + Jizz on the Beach

* + How Much Do You Love Bad Girls?

* + Dago’ Boom Boom (a classic)

* + Hutt has no Hold on Me

* **-6cp** to bring *Musical Instrument: Kloo Horn* to 5D (Blaine)

* **-13cp** to bring *Hide* to 4D (Jowkazza)

## **Quotations**

> "*Think about Boba Fett. He just squatted at Jabba’s Palace, didn’t pay taxes, didn’t do nothin.*"
> ― Bota Zi
>
>

> "*Honey, nobody’s paying taxes here.*"
> ― Bigg’tuna
>
>

> "*I’m sorry Big T, I’m done talking to you now, I’ve got more important things to do.*"
> ― Bota Zi
>
>

> "*Honey, we were done talking a while ago*"
> ― Bigg’tuna
>
>

> "*Good. Go find someone else to screw out of their credits.*"
> ― Bota Zi
>
>

> "*Have you even made deliveries to this planet before?*"
> ― Bota Zi
>
>

> "*I mean… I’ve never actually been out to this part of space, but it seemed an easy enough job. This planet isn’t known for uh… oh… uh…*"
> ― Captain Swagg
>
>

> "*Alright, get out of here you drunken pirate.*"
> ― Bota Zi
>
>

> "*There you are! Blaine, get out of the fresher and get on the controls!*"
> ― Bota Zi
>
>

> "*Are you alone?*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*I - yeah - they put me in this cell.*"
> ― Mackzie Enn
>
>

> "*Don’t worry about it, our manager will help you out.*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*She might be an innocent bystander, but we’re not a trusting band.*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*Hey, Jowkazza, can you give this prisoner some muscle relaxers or something?*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

> "*Yeah, calm her down.*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*Hey, tree woman. Come with us if you want to live.*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*I do…?*"
> ― Mackzie
>
>

> "*Alright. Band, mount up!*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*You move further in and find just… destruction.*"
> ― David
>
>

> "*Guys, it looks like we’ve been here. Or just Genos. Is that the plot twist?*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*I just thought that this was the entirety of the island for a minute.*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*I understand. I uh… I dropped out of school, when I was young. I know.*"
> ― Rix Baron
>
>

> "*Why are we hearing this guy’s whole backstory now? Nobody cares!*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*Don’t interrupt Rix, he’s joining the band!*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*Hey Rix, I wanna know which one’s worse. Me punching you in the face, or this guy leading you on and pretending he’s gonna shoot you?*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

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