Before the Storm (TPS)

*Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Galaxy of Intrigue*

*Main Page: The Perfect Storm*

In this section of the adventure, the heroes are recruited, learn of their mission objective, and make their way to Nyriaan by whatever conveyance makes most sense. After they arrive in the Luire System, they must find a way to Nyriaan's surface, perhaps by renting laser transport array equipment and contracting with The Hyperspace Navigator's Guild to make planetfall in Locus, Nyriaan's capital. Of course, nothing ever goes as planned. In the most critical of situations, the LTA projector on the planet is sabotaged midflight, and the bonded navigator they hire becomes a liability.

## Missing Persons

The players are contacted, either individually or as a group, and invited to participate in an important, albeit sensitive, mission on behalf of the Republic. Once the group is assembled, they are instructed to meet with their Republic contact, a male they know as Ghurn.

Ghurn is, it seems, a high-ranking Republic official, although he never specifies which arm of the Republic he works for. Nevertheless, he has been trustworthy and he pays well, two facts that endear him to most heroes right off the bat. Ghurn appears to be a middle-aged Human with tanned skin, white hair peppered with black, and steely gray eyes. He dresses in conservative silver-gray suits. Although handsome, he is also somewhat aloof.

When meeting the heroes, Ghurn requests that they join him at a lower-class pub or social club in a metropolis on whatever planet the heroes happen to be on at the moment. When they arrive, he requests a private room from the establishment's managerial staff and ushers the heroes in. Once Ghurn is alone with the heroes, he greets each of them personally, looking each in the eye and shaking that hero's hand as he compliments a piece of attire, a recent accomplishment, or the like.

Once the pleasantries are out of the way, Ghurn gives the following briefing:

***"I'm glad you've all decided to lend me your talents today. Something has arisen that has my superiors in a bind, and given the short notice, I'm surprised that we've managed to assemble a group that is as skilled and knowledgeable as you are."***

***"All compliments aside, what we need now is a group that is ready, willing, and able to track down two of our missing agents on a hostile mining world in The Mid Rim. The world, Nyriaan, is a curious place, mostly because of its unique and volatile atmosphere that, when combined with its unusually strong magnetic field, makes landing an the planet a most hazardous endeavor."***

***"The two missing agents were working toward the same goal in separate capacities. It seems that The Corporate Sector Authority has been developing a device that can, if it performs as expected, condense all the moisture in Nyriaan's atmosphere into a single, catastrophic rainfall. While such an event might neutralize the planet's strong ionosphere, it would have the side effect of laying waste to much of the planet's surface, as well as killing most of the indigenous animal and plant species."***

***"We are not in the business of allowing such egregious experiments to proceed, regardless of the long-term benefit to our own mining efforts on Nyriaan. Therefore, we must stop the CSA from carrying out this project."***

***"So, in brief, this is your assignment. Proceed to Nyriaan in the guise of independent miners. Locate our missing agents in Locus, the sprawling planetary capital of Nyriaan. Determine the location of the CSA's experimental device, and sabotage or, preferably, destroy it. If you are able to find comprehensive plans for the experimental device, I will happily provide a cash bonus for them."***

***"I understand that this sounds like a simple mission, but there have been... complications. It seems that one or both of our agents might have been turned by the Corporate Sector. In their last reports to us, each agent claimed that the other was compromised by the enemy, so you must take care when dealing with either of them."***

***"Any questions?"***

Once the briefing is concluded, Ghurn gladly answers any questions posed by the players. He provides the following information about the agents. The first agent is known as Klieri, a Human female from Coruscant, operating on Nyriaan for the past four months. Displays of her show that she is a female in her mid to late twenties, with short brown hair and brown eyes. The second agent is a male Trandoshan named Yrssk. He is middle-aged, with yellow-brown scales, blood red eyes, and a jagged scar along the left side of his head. Both agents were posing as freelance mining personnel at the time of their disappearance. Neither has ever given any indication of disloyalty to the Republic, which makes the possibility of their betrayal that much more disturbing.

Ghurn also provides the agents' last known addresses, both of which are for cheap apartments in the Neutral Zone of Locus.

Compensation for the mission is negotiable, but it should not be the focus of any long or involved discussion with Ghurn. The basic fee is a lump sum of 12,000 credits, with a bonus of an additional 8,000 credits if the heroes can procure plans for the CSA's experimental device.

## Looks Like Stormy Weather

*See also: Tevlun*

The heroes are responsible for securing their own passage to Nyriaan. Flying their own Starship to the Luire System is obviously the cheapest and most reliable method of transport available. Lacking their own ship, the heroes can charter a ship to the Luire System. However, charter is expensive, given the Luire System's isolation. Getting a charter pilot to voluntarily land a Starship on the planet's surface might also be difficult. Unfortunately, Ghurn cannot provide the heroes with a ship. Given the critical status of the mission, however, he might be able to pull some strings at the Gamemaster's option. If a ship is provided, the heroes' fee should be reduced by at least one quarter.

To keep their cover as independent mining contractors, the heroes should take time to procure or purchase basic mining gear prior to leaving for Nyriaan. Depending on what they know about Nyriaan through the proper Knowledge (Galactic Lore) check, they should also purchase items that might be of use in the dim and sultry conditions on the planet's surface.

Whatever their method of travel, after the heroes drop out of Hyperspace in the Luire System and begin their approach toward Nyriaan, read the following aloud:

***As you approach the planet, you see that Nyriaan is simultaneously ugly and incredibly beautiful. The roiling clouds of the planet are thick, dark, and forbidding, yet they are punctuated by flashes of purple lightning that arc through the turbulent atmosphere.***

***A number of small stations and platforms orbit Nyriaan, and countless ships and shuttles move between them in a constant ballet. The stations and ships maintain a distance for enough away from the planet to remain unaffected by the numerous magnetic belts that surround it.***

***Suddenly your communications console crackles. ''Attention unidentified vessel. Please state your purpose in the Luire System so that I can properly direct you."***

The heroes are being contacted by a member of The Hyperspace Navigator's Guild, both to direct them to a relevant platform or station in Nyriaan's orbit, as well as to offer them a mandatory Guild contract should they want to land upon the planet's surface. Reckless heroes might want to land upon the planet on their own, but such efforts are likely to end in tragedy (which should be stressed). If the heroes manage to land on their own, they are subject to arrest for violation of the Senate mandate that all landings on Nyriaan be overseen by members of The Hyperspace Navigator's Guild.

When the heroes announce their intention to land in Locus, The Hyperspace Navigator's Guild offers them a special rate for both the rental and installation of a laser transport array and the services of a bonded navigator. For light freighters, the service charges total 1,000 credits for each take-off and each landing. For a special rate of 1,500 credits, the heroes can reserve both landing and take-off services ahead of time at a substantial savings. They'd be fools to refuse.

Heroes who accept the services of the Guild are given clearance and directed to dock with Platform Trill 92. When the heroes dock, Hyperspace Navigator's Guild technicians board their vessel to install a portable LTA system. Installation requires external attachment of the LTA sensor system, as well as connection of a universal control station inside the ship's cockpit by the bonded navigator who is sent to accompany the heroes.

The navigator, a nervous Snivvian named Tevlun, arrives with little fanfare and introduces himself to the heroes. He shows his credentials prior to installing his universal control station, and he answers any questions the heroes pose. If asked why he is nervous, Tevlun shrugs it off and insist that he is fine. The truth is that he is a relatively inexperienced LTA operator with only three prior landings on Nyriaan. Astute heroes might come to this conclusion by succeeding on a DC 12 Perception check, but less trusting heroes might suspect foul play on Tevlun's part.

Unless the heroes want to disembark and explore Platform Trill 92 (an unexciting orbital facility that is equipped with only marginal services- a cramped cantina with attached hotel, limited repair facilities, and an overpriced general store), they can arrange to land in Locus when the LTA system is fully installed.

## Planetfall

Once the heroes' ship is outfitted with LTA equipment and Tevlun, the bonded navigator, is aboard, they can make planetfall on Nyriaan. The operation starts out simply enough, but soon the situation spirals out of control.

Read the following text aloud when the heroes begin their descent:

***The sickly clouds swirling around the planet below begin to darken as your ship slowly approaches them. Tevlun, the navigator, sits at the pilot's station, his stubby fingers picking nervously at keys and switches as he monitors the ship's descent.***

***"We are within fifty kilometers of breaching the ionosphere," he reports. "I will now be shutting down all unnecessary systems until we touch down."***

***As if an cue, the interior lighting dims, and the omnipresent sound of the air scrubber is replaced by the faint thrumming of the sublight engines. The ship seems strangely quiet, and looking through the cockpit viewport you have the sudden impression that you are falling toward the planet- an impression that is not entirely wrong.***

***"Orbital laser telemetry acquired. Surface laser telemetry acquired," Tevlun continues, as if speaking to himself. "Adjusting course to maintain synchronization. Entering atmosphere in 3... 2... 1."***

***The view beyond the cockpit suddenly goes dark and the sublight engines begin to sputter. Tevlun flips a switch, compensating for the burst of intense ionization that the ship has suddenly been exposed to. The engine noise subsides somewhat.***

***Suddenly, a light on Tevlun's console blinks an angry red, and an accompanying alarm sounds shrilly in the confines of the cockpit. "Uh oh..." Tevlun stammers in a panic. "I've lost surface laser telemetry!"***

Concerned heroes are likely to ask Tevlun something along the lines of, "What does that mean?"

What it means, in lay terms, is that the laser guiding the ship to the ground has been deactivated, and aside from the orbital laser, the heroes are flying blind toward the surface of Nyriaan. Granted, the orbital laser provides an indication of the direction they should be flying, but the wisdom of flying in such a manner is questionable.

At this juncture, the heroes must make a choice. First, they can attempt to return to Platform Trill 92 and take stock of the situation, attempting to land on Nyriaan at a later time. This is the option that Tevlun would suggest if he weren't hyperventilating. Returning to the platform requires one of the heroes to take control of Tevlun's navigation console and succeed in a DC 20 Pilot check.

The second option is to continue the landing as planned, using only the orbital laser telemetry as a guide. Unfortunately, Tevlun is not trained for such a maneuver. Neither are the heroes, but that is beside the point. Heroes wanting to take this gamble are obliged to complete the Landing on Nyriaan Skill Challenge to make planetfall safely.

If the heroes' ship crashes, it is damaged as indicated by the Collision rules, with the size of the colliding vehicle or hazard being equal to the size of the heroes' ship.

*Continued in Part 2: Down In It*