Agents of the Outer Rim 9 - Secrets of Stormbringer Station

*The team continues in their exploration of the booby trapped Stormbringer Station in what is beginning to feel like a science fiction version of Home Alone. Droids are disarmed, Tek plays space janitor, Bota gets the peanut butter sweats, Katira channels her inner Hamlet, and Jawa Jimmy carries out Droo’s dream of giving medical aid to an ailing Kyle Katarn.*

## **Recap**

### **Doublecrossing Droids**

Staring at a room that they now assume is filled with explosives, Bota decides to call over to Katira and see if the other duo is making any better progress in their attempts.

> "*We’re all fine here, thanks. How are you? I’m uh… just give me a minute. Take your time. I know why there’s blood on the floor now.*"
> ― Katira
>
>

Heading further down the hall, Bota tells Sparky to come along with him in hopes of talking with the droids that the group has seen patrolling the area. Entering the last unexplored room, he calls out to the two droids standing there and asks what their prime directive is. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the droids shout out “Destroy intruders!” and fire at the pair, managing to hit Sparky for no damage.

Still looking for answers, Bota shoots of a whipcord and manages to entangle both droids. Sparky clomps in after Bota, circular saw buzzing as he detaches the arms on the droids just in time for Tek to turn the corner and watch from the entryway behind.

With the droids successfully disarmed, time is available to look over the space that they were guarding, but neither Bota nor Tek sees anything worth protecting in what appears to be a worn down barracks room aside from the fact that the lights seem to be running at some low level of power - prompting curiosity as to the power source of the station. The floor is iced over, with a small passage existing that will allow entry into the large hall that Katira and Jimmy are currently resting in, though Katira mentions that if they enter from that side it may reawaken the large golem and questioning the droids may be of greater value (moving as far as she can from the golem as she comments).

Bota decides that it might not be a bad idea to try and get some answers from the droids, and without the ability to fight back, the droids are surprisingly willing to answer questions. They give their general orders and prioritization (destroy intruders, recharge and repair, patrol the perimeter), but know little else of value because - so far as they know - they were created on Stormbringer Station and have never done anything but stand guard. When Bota asks after their creator, the droids mumble a bit before saying that they will willingly take the group to the creator.

The trip to the “creator” is much shorter than expected, with the droids leading Bota to the desiccated corpse that Katira found in the golem chamber earlier. Looking down at the remains, little can be gleaned due to the thousands of years that have passed since their death, though it looks like they may have been wearing robes at their time of expiration.

As Bota is looking down and inspecting the body, the pair of droids rush him simultaneously in an attempt to carry out their prime directive. The former bounty hunter is not caught off guard whatsoever, and moves to step out of the path of conflict. As he takes his first step, however, Bota slips on the pool of fresh blood near the corpse, and soon finds himself sprawled out awkwardly below the pair of droids.

While the droids are awkwardly trying to force Bota toward the chasm without the use of their upper limbs, Sparky delightedly jumps into action from behind. His circular saw again whirs to life and slices into the droids, this time indiscriminately cutting through their piecemeal frames, knocking one aside and cutting into a hydraulic line on the left thigh of the other. The resultant spray of hydraulic fluid is ignited by the sparks of the saw in a fantastic display that thankfully does not set Bota ablaze.

Katira quickly dispatches the remaining droid with a single stroke of her dagger, severing the head from the body and holding it up for questioning under the assumption (thankfully a correct one) that the “brain” of the machine is in its head.

As Bota climbs back to his feet, a somewhat groggy Tek finally shows up from the barracks room just in time to clean up the mess. He reaches out his arm and the pile of droid scrap is scattered across the floor and into the nearby chasm. The sound of metal clanging against stone echos out, and a brief surge of power causes the lights to flicker (though none of the group are quite positive that they noticed).

> "*You could use the force to push those droids into the chasm.*"
> ― Bota Zi
>
>

> "*What a I, the janitor now?*"
> ― Tek Krodak
>
>

### **Gummy Globs**

Having regrouped, and apparently safe for the moment from further traps and enemies, Katira takes her shot at interrogating their droid captive.

> "*Did this guy have any equipment before he became a pile of bones, or did he always walk around just wearing that tattered shirt?*"
> ― Katira
>
>

> "*Sometimes he didn’t even wear that shirt.*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*Creator was always here. We were always here.*"
> ― Junk Droid
>
>

> "*What’s this key for?*"
> ― Katira
>
>

> "*The key? The key is for the door.*"
> ― Junk Droid
>
>

Unsatisfied with the vague answers from the detached droid head, Katira tosses it dismissively to Jawa Jimmy and instead picks up the corpse’s skull from the ground and begins to use it to practice her ventriloquism, concerning her friends as to her mental status. The group continues ahead, following the trail of fresh blood on the floor as Jimmy manages to slice into the droid brain and pull schematics to the current floor, though any signs of traps or patrols are lacking. Crossing another crack in the floor, the group walks casually into a dimly lit room ahead and are made painfully aware of the shortfalls of their missing information when several Jawa sized globs of what appears to be peanut butter slide across the floor toward the team.

Katira manages to jump out of the way of the first blob, but the second glops onto Bota and latches onto his foot. In response, Katira draws her lightwhip and lays into the nearest dollop of brown, and Bota fires a blast of liquid flame from his wrist at the puddle on his foot. The semi-solid mass that Katira strikes sizzles when the whip contacts it before retreating to the far corner of the room, but the glob attached to Bota simply shrinks back and begins to secrete an oily film of sweat while holding fast.

> "*So you torch this blob of peanut butter. It shrinks back a bit, starts to sweat, but it doesn’t let go of your foot.*"
> ― Jordan
>
>

> "*The peanut butter **sweats**?!*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*I do have an ion blaster, but I don’t know what that will do to peanut butter.*"
> ― Jawa Jimmy
>
>

Seeing the differing effects of his friends’ weapons, Jimmy decides to draw *Death’s Finger* for the first time, plunging it into the brown goo attached to Bota while narrowly avoiding giving him a matching injury to Blaine. The blob begins to shudder for a moment before exploding in an unexpectedly violent display. Though Jimmy manages to duck away from the resultant mess, the rest of the crew is splattered with the foul smelling remains of the substance.

> "*Death’s finger sounds like an Australian metal band.*"
> ― Jordan
>
>

> "*You just dipped your finger in the peanut butter and now we’re all gonna come out of here smelling like Reeses Pieces.*"
> ― Bota
>
>

The remaining four sentient blobs all huddle in the back corner of the room, apparently unwilling to enter into conflict with a laser sword. Though the rest of the group appears somewhat hesitant to step further into the space, Katira begins to converse with the skull - who she has begun to call “Harold” in homage to Droo’s lightsaber - and walk confidently across the room as she uses it to scrape the peanut butter remains from her armor.

Seeing the globules stay huddled in the corner as Katira goes ahead, Bota and Jimmy cross the room as well, while Tek seizes the moment to take a quick hibernation trance nap.

### **Collecting Keys**

Passing through the chamber of sentient peanut butter, the trio (plus Sparky) emerge into an empty hallway. Scraps of junk droids litter the uneven passageway, and the dimmed overhead lights provide an eery illumination through sheets of solid ice.

Turning at the first split in the hall toward what looks to be the control room on Jimmy’s schematic, Bota and Katira stop at the entrance to the space and look in for any apparent traps. The room itself is bare save for the massive control console that dominates the center of the space with a single, recognizable key sitting atop it. Across from their entry, the pair can see another access to the room, where at least one more junk droid appears to be standing guard.

Seeing the key on the console, Katira comments that her proximity to the key seems to have activated the golem in the previous room. As such, she comments that they find a way to retrieve this key from a distance, recommending that Bota use his whipthrower to handle the task. Though uncertain that it will work, Bota decides that the plan is worth a shot.

> "*I just don’t know if I’m that good of an aim with this thing.*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*Well, you’ve got to be good at something Bota.*"
> ― Katira
>
>

Bota’s shot is on point, and with the cord wrapped securely around the key, Bota pulls it back to himself with ease, but the key leaves the top of the console the trap springs. From previously unseen holes along the console’s edge, razor sharp spikes shoot up to create a lethal cage around the surface, while the floor simultaneously falls away to reveal a vicious mechanical grinder that whirs to life. Thankfully the key is pulled away from the death trap with ease as Bota and Katira look at what might have been.

Two keys now in hand, the heroes creep further down the hall, discovering a massive hatch with three keyholes blocking access further in. From further down the hall, the faint, familiar hum of a lightsaber begins to rise above the white noise of Stormbringer Station, accompanied by intermittent, ragged breathing. As the group approaches, the source of the noise does not seem to be alerted to their presence or moving about, and soon a dim blue glow could be seen emanating from the room that Jimmy was sure housed the mainframe for droid controls.

Moving to stand in the aperture, the group looks looks into the room to see a dozen or so junk droids scattered about, heavy scoring and a red hot glow indicating where a lightsaber had been used fairly recently to cut the droids into pieces. Slowly turning to face the group, the lightsaber wielder slowly examines the heroes, holding his lightsaber ready with one hand while the other presses against a heavily bleeding wound in his abdomen.

> "*I’m Kyle Katarn. I take it you’re from the New Republic?*"
> ― Kyle Katarn
>
>

### **Kyle Katarn**

Having found the final member of *Clover Squadron* at last, Bota steps forward to get some idea of how Katarn ended up bloody in a room full of dismantled junk droids, but only after Katira first thoroughly confuses the Jedi by talking to Katarn while using her toy skull as a prop.

> "*You’re Kyle Katarn? How did you get in here? What are you trying to do?*"
> ― Bota Zi
>
>

> "*Why do you want to know? Are you here from the New Republic?*"
> ― Kyle Katarn
>
>

> "*We find you bloodied in a room behind a locked door and you’re just going to answer my questions with questions?*"
> ― Bota Zi
>
>

> "*How do I know I can trust you?*"
> ― Kyle Katarn
>
>

> "*Wow Harold… this guy really doesn’t want help, does he?*"
> ― Katira
>
>

A tension begins to build between Bota and Katarn, with neither yielding to the other and both speaking only in questions. Finally, Katira decides that she should stop screwing about for a moment, puts down “Harold”, and addresses Katarn. Telling him that they have already rescued the rest of *Clover Squadron*, impaired Imperial operations for the time being, and made there way here in search of Katarn, she asks if he knows anything about one Darth Null.

Finally getting confirmation that they are all on the same side, Katarn lowers his guard and fills the team in on some information, telling the group that he managed to avoid capture and make his way to Stormbringer Station in an attempt to impede whatever plans the Imperials may have while waiting for the backup that he was sure the New Republic would be sending. He then adds that his own involvement in the mission was one of his choosing, having had visions of the place and feeling lead to come here through the force he volunteered for the mission, and carried it out in this manner in hopes of discovering what he was called here to accomplish.

> "*I was able to escape, but I didn’t abandon my group. We knew the New Republic would send backup, and in the meantime I wanted to get to whatever the Imperials are after. I got here and… I’m just not very good at riddles.*"
> ― Kyle Katarn
>
>

> "*Oh… my puzzles were too much for you, were they?*"
> ― Katira as “Harold”
>
>

Bota is a little unhappy that Katarn still has not explained how he managed to infiltrate the weapons platform, but is satisfied with fulfilling the mission that *Clover Squadron* was sent to accomplish with Katarn none the less. Katira comments that Darth Null might be the biggest problem that the group will be facing now, having seen the subservient nature of the Imperials and suspecting that his history of and goals for the planet were not quite true (she also takes a moment to inform Kyle the he should be certain he isn’t getting too cozy with Taz Solana). Finally, Jimmy walks in and bandages the Jedi’s wounds, using the teams last medpack for the time being.

With all three keys now in hand, Katarn expresses a desire to rest and recover before moving deeper into the station, and the team readily agrees as they hope that the rest of their troupe will be making their way to their position soon. Trusting that the group will move ahead together, Kyle places himself into a hibernation trance to speed his recovery while the others tend to their needs.

> "*Does he really put himself into a hibernation trance?*"
> ― Katira
>
>

> "*Yeah, he does.*"
> ― Jordan
>
>

> "*Okay. I would like to pickpocket Kyle Katarn.*"
> ― Katira
>
>

### **Programmers and Pickpockets**

With a moment to take a breather, and the mainframe room secured, Jimmy scurries over to the control console to see if there is anything he can do with the station. He gains access easily enough, and explains that it appears that at some point several thousand years in the past someone sliced into the controls and installed a rudimentary protocol that has been providing the directives for the droids all this time. With the suggestion that he reprogram the droids to assist them, Jimmy tries his hand at droid programming, but comes up woefully short (8 on 4D6+2) in the effort, effectively locking himself out.

As Jimmy is typing away at the console with Bota looking on, Katira seizes the opportunity to take a quick look into the hibernating Kyle Katarn’s belongings. Leaving his weapons on his person, she pockets his credstick and discovers a notebook tucked away in his pocket. Pulling it free and swearing that if anyone asks she found it on the floor, she sneaks out to the hallway, sets Harold the skull down next to her, and begins to read it over.

In the journal, it is revealed that Katarn made his way into Stormbringer Station through the network of tunnels that exist beneath the surface of Illsauvin. Aside from those tunnels being mined by the Imperials, the journal makes mention of passages of varying size that allowed for him to move freely about, with the Force eventually guiding him to what appeared to be “the masthead”, though it is unclear if this object was external to the ship or not.

With this information, the team guesses that the hole that Darth Null stumbled into upon their entry may be one of these tunnels, and the Sith may possibly still be at the bottom of some passage at the present. Hoping that he is climbing up the same tunnel, they actuate a previously untriggered trap, rolling a boulder down the adjoining passageway and into the hole. Though one of the junk droids is destroyed in the process, there is no way of knowing what might have happened once the boulder fell through the hole with regards to Null.

So, with their new Jedi friend slumbering peacefully in much the same manner as Tek just a short distance away, their compatriots presumably en route, and Katira reading her new bedtime story with Harold propped up nearby, the team takes advantage of the current stillness of their little corner of Stormbringer Station and gets in some rest before proceeding onward.

## **Featured Characters**

### **Our Heroes**

* Bota Zi
* Jawa Jimmy
	+ Sparky
* Katira Eve
* Tek Krodak

### **Mentioned**

* Blaine Hansom
* Droo Vos
* Taz Solana
* Darth Null

## **Inventory**

* +key (Bota)
* -medpack (Jawa Jimmy)
* +Kyle Katarn’s credstick (Katira)
* +Kyle Katarn’s diary (Katira)