Agents of the Outer Rim 7 - The Dark Council Goes to War

*Armed and ready to rumble, Bota, Katira, and Tek blow through the defenses lying under the surface of Illsauvin with a little help from their new pal Darth Null. Dejarik matches are interrupted, Katira proclaims a new world order, and prisoners are freed from their chains. Is the dark side of the force really that bad after all?*

## **Previously**

*The proclamation that the droid formerly known as Cold Steele is in fact a Sith Lord left the team wondering how to proceed, at least until they were all given shiny new lightsabers and some superpowered Sith armor. Making their way into the Imperial mining operations below Khloris, the team engaged a troop of unsuspecting stormtroopers and wrestled with the moral quandary of accepting aid from a Sith Lord while their goals aligned. How deep will they delve into the dark underbelly of Illsauvin, and is saving Charlie Team going to cost them more than they could have bargained for?*

## **Recap**

### **Catching Up with Skids**

The last remaining stormtrooper stands by warily as the group looks him over, neither side sure what will happen next until Bota Zi emerges from the entrance to the tunnel alongside Darth Null. Curious to see what kind of abilities the Sith cyborg may be able to wield, Bota comments that the last soldier was saved for Null as he gestures ahead. Without warning the stormtrooper drops his blaster and begins to clutch at his chest before collapsing to the icy floor. A few moments pass in silence with Darth Null patting Bota on the back, then an eery mechanical chuckle arises from the Sith.

> "*Wow… that was scary. Did you boil him from the inside out?*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*No. I just crushed his heart.*"
> ― Darth Null
>
>

> "*Figuratively? Or literally?*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*It would be fun to send him images of his loved ones breaking his hear until he dies, but no. I did it literally.*"
> ― Darth Null
>
>

Darth Null subverts expectations yet again as he begins to look over the prisoners, commenting that he feels pity for them for having been force to labor here against their will, then stating that he is willing to let them go freely. In response, Katira asks if there is any way that the force user might be able to use the force to improve their poor condition. A bit more in line with the Sith we all know and love this time, Null agrees to aid any who will pledge their allegiance to him.

> "*Yes, I can help. I can help these poor prisoners who let themselves be conquered by **fools**. I can make them feel better. If any of you wish to renounce the planets you have come from. If you are willing to swear allegiance to **me**, then your enemies will be my enemies, and I **will** avenge you.*"
> ― Darth Null
>
>

In response, every prisoner excepting those who arrived on the planet with Charlie Team readily pledge their loyalty to Bael-Moor, to the Dark Council, and to Darth Null. As the group looks on in stunned silence, the formerly emaciated forms of the prisoners are visibly altered until they look more like body builders than former slaves.

While the newly invigorated prisoners marvel at their newfound strength, Katira approaches the still gaunt figure of Skids McDougal in hopes of learning something of value. Skids informs the group that they have little idea what the Imperials are searching for in the area, but the slaves are worked hard for 18 hours each day digging through the ice with only a small amount of food that leaves a heavy metallic taste in their mouths. Charlie Team made little headway on the planet before they were captured, having lost most of their equipment when they landed due to severe storms that would have taken their lives were it not for the guidance of Kyle Katarn. Once they reached the city, they attempted to enter into talks with the government but arrived to find the Imperials awaiting them.

> "*Yeah, but… did they take your rifle?*"
> ― Katira
>
>

> "*Were you listening? Yes, they took my rifle. They took our ship. They took everything! They’re feeding us these… they taste like metal. I don’t think they know what kind of food we eat.*"
> ― Skids McDougal
>
>

### **The Power of the Dark Side**

Feeling sufficiently the hero for having saved Skids McDougal once again, Tek boldly moves ahead in the direction of the main slave camp as indicated by Skids, lightsabers at the ready. He quickly stumbles upon two stormtroopers playing dejarik who mistake him for a member of their group.

> "*I’ll wager 5 naps.*"
> ― Tek
>
>

> "*5 naps?! Do you even have 5 naps?*"
> ― stormtrooper
>
>

> "*I have naps aplenty.*"
> ― Tek
>
>

> "*Alright, who you betting on to win?*"
> ― stormtrooper
>
>

> "*I’m betting me to win. Now please teach me how to play this game.*"
> ― Tek
>
>

Deciding to enjoy the case of mistaken identity, Tek sits down to play a game of dejarik and… loses in under a minute. The stormtrooper opposite him holds out his hand expectantly, and as Tek tries to figure out how he can physically transfer five naps to his opponent Bota asks Darth Null if he might be able to affect the minds of the troopers. Suddenly the pair begin to hallucinate that the Kintan Strider on the board has suddenly grown into the real creature and begin screaming in terror as they fall to the ground.

> "*I guess you won.*"
> ― Darth Null
>
>

Shrugging at the casual ease with which Darth Null tormented the troopers, Tek continues on ahead with even less concern for encountering any more soldiers as Droo and Jawa Jimmy prepare to take whatever prisoners they can back to Darth Null’s workshop for medical attention. Not 30 feet further into the tunnels, Tek walks straight into a sentry, narrowly avoiding decapitating him with his crimson lightsaber.

> "*Woah. You better put down your lightsaber before I shoot you.*"
> ― stormtrooper
>
>

> "*You better put down your shoot you before I uh… lightsaber you.*"
> ― Tek
>
>

The soldier fires point blank at Krodak, who barely thinks to react before his red lightsaber swings up to deflect the bolt straight back into the head of the sentry. In response to the sudden bloodshed, the two prisoners standing nearby immediately begin to scream in terror and flee.

Strolling along a short distance back as Katira and Tek take point, Bota and Null have a somewhat philosophical conversation as Bota tries to learn more about the Sith’s past and his true intentions for the future. In response to questions about whether he spent time learning and harnessing the light side of the force Darth Null is enigmatic. He opines on the ideas of power, sacrifice, what is deserved and what those in charge think they should have, but is generally single minded in his right and desire to regain and restore his planet. Bota wonders why Darth Null needs the aid of the team at all as the Sith casually kills another trio of stormtroopers, and Null tells him that a good leader surrounds himself with capable people. Beyond this, he states that there is a presence guarding Stormbringer Station. A presence that they will need to be together to combat, together as a *new* Dark Council.

Finished with his response to Bota, Null indicates toward where he senses more prisoners. Katira heads in first this time, brazenly proclaiming a welcome to the “New World Order” that the Dark Council promises to bring into being. As she offers the slaves a chance to pledge their allegiance to Bael-Moor, the stormtroopers standing guard each collapse in succession, their hearts collapsing under the influence of the force extending from Darth Null. As luck would have it, only Phil Le’Ofish understood Katira’s words. Beginning to show her frustration, Katira gets to the point, asking where Taz Solana is being held and being informed that she is in the slave camp ahead, along with an AT-ST.

Undeterred, and callously unconcerned with taking care of this new group of freed prisoners, Katira presses ahead toward the slave camp. Finding four more soldiers guarding slaves, she gives another speech offering a place in the new world order, even allowing the soldiers to pledge their new allegiance. When the stormtroopers raise their blasters, she rolls her eyes in response and makes room for Tek to enter from behind her. As Darth Null again manipulates the stormtroopers into believing Tek is the degenerate gambler, ID-521, Katira tries (and fails) to casually learn a weakness of the Sith.

The soldier’s bodies soon litter the floor, and the atrophied Solo Mon slowly rises to his feet and thanks the team for rescuing him. He informs the team that Taz is just ahead in the slave camp, but doesn’t think it wise to go rushing in against such an overwhelming Imperial presence compared to the few people that he sees.

### **Camp Carnage**

The trio takes a moment to ensure that Solo Mon can lead the remaining prisoners who have not pledged loyalty to Darth Null back to the workshop for medical aid, then press ahead toward the slave camp, expecting things to go as smoothly there as they have so far in the caverns. As they come to a large, open cavern littered with tents, troopers, prisoners, and the looming figure of an AT-ST, they are immediately approached by the guards and it becomes apparent that Darth Null wants to see this larger confrontation play out.

The sentries at the camp entrance approach the group with blasters at the ready and order them to identify themselves and drop their weapons. In response, Bota shouts out for all to hear that they have an order from the Grand Admiral to pack up the camp in preparation for moving to a new location. The soldiers respond by asking for Bota’s unit ID and the access code, and Bota whispers to the troopers that they are being forced to do this against their will by the cyborg just behind him, requesting that the camp immediately open fire and kill Darth Null. Unfortunately, it appears that Bota’s luck has run out, and the troopers demand that everyone put their hands up and proceed to the command tent to discuss the matter with their leader.

Being told to surrender, Katira immediately ignites her rocket boots and manages to land atop the AT-ST before anyone has time to react. Flinging open the hatch, she kills the two Imperials inside before taking hold of the machine’s microphone and announcing her now customary welcome to the new world order, demanding that the Imperials submit or be eradicated. At the same time, Tek lunges forward and spins a tight circle in the center of the nearest troopers. His two blades hum ominously as he cuts through the first trooper, but as the other two dodge away from the attack Tek feels *Red Immolation* pull away from his grip of its own will. He releases the blade, and his centrifugal force causes it to launch directly into the helmet of a second soldier as a satisfied chuckle erupts from the observing figure of Darth Null.

With the AT-ST suddenly turned against them, and an obviously combative announcement blaring out from it, the nearby stormtroopers turn and open fire. Surprisingly, despite the walker’s armored exterior, the blaster fire manages to cause considerable damage. Inside, Katira narrowly manages to survive the ensuing explosions inside the cabin as the pilot and gunner are left charred and unresponsive as a warning that the machine will explode soon.

On the ground, the soldier that avoided the whirlwind of lightsabers just a few moments ago pulls *Red Immolation* from his friend’s skull and flees. As Tek narrowly manages to refuse the call of the blade to act on his darker impulses, the trooper slashes with the blade at the legs of the AT-ST.

Memories of his own misadventures with walkers flash through Bota’s mind as he sees the walker spraying sparks and smoke from every place seemingly possible. Firing up his blaster and wishing that the Imperials would have just listened to him and attacked Darth Null instead, Bota mows down two troopers and stuns a third, leaving one soldier that then turns to fire on Bota in turn. Just as the trooper prepares to pull the trigger, however, the familiar figure of Katira rockets from the now obviously non-functional walker and begins to free fall directly over the soldier. Pulling *The Ending* from her belt, she ignites the blade at the last second and drives it straight through the unsuspecting stormtrooper before rolling to her feet and rushing to Bota’s side, feigning excitement at the state of the walker.

> "*Did you see that? I took that thing out from the inside!*"
> ― Katira
>
>

The sounds of hurried footsteps can be heard from further back in the camp as the rest of the Imperial soldiers are obviously preparing for a coordinated attack on the group. Hoping to at the very least disarm the last remaining visible enemy, Tek reaches out with the force to push the red lightsaber from his grip. He succeeds, but stares on in shock as the nearby prisoner crumples to the cavern floor, *Red Immolation* burning hauntingly from the being’s skull.

## **Featured Characters**

### **Our Heroes**

* Bota Zi
* Katira Eve
* Tek Krodak

### **NPCs**

* Darth Null
* Skids McDougal
* Solo Mon
* Phil Le’Ofish

### **Mentioned**

* Kirana Ti
* Taz Solana

## **Inventory**

* +Imperial dejarik board (Solo Mon)
* -5cp to con Imperials (Bota)
* +1 dark side point due to corrupted lightsaber (Katira)
* -4cp to boost lightsaber skill (Katira)

## **Notes**

* Tek finally spoke out on his time on Dathomir:
	+ Tek is interested in Kirana Ti (15 on 1D20)
	+ Kirana Ti is interested in Tek (18 on 1D20)
	+ Kirana Ti is *not* pregnant… yet

* Because you want to know about this new Sith Lord, here’s a snapshot of his statements:
	+ You can join him or not, just don’t be the one getting in his way
	+ Having the ability to accomplish a goal is real power. Things should be earned by the sweat of your brow.
	+ The Jedi and the Republic 3,000 years ago represented those who wanted things that didn’t belong to them
	+ “I earned this planet (Illsauvin/Bael-Moor), I earned the loyalty of those that live here. Regardless of light, dark, or gray, I did what I needed to to gain and protect this planet.”
	+ As the only survivor of Bael-Moor, he believes himself to be the only one who is uniquely able to bring the planet back to its former glory
	+ “Every good leader needs to surround himself with capable people.”

## **Quotations**

> "*Tek, we need to talk about your time on Dathomir before we get started.*"
> ― Jordan
>
>

> "*It wasn’t me. I was never there.*"
> ― Tek
>
>

> "*Really? Because we left you there with Kirana Ti, and she later takes a husband and has a daughter that she leaves behind when she becomes a Jedi.*"
> ― Jordan
>
>

> "*Alright. What should I roll?*"
> ― Tek
>
>

> "*Alright, well if you’re getting together with Kirana Ti then you just have to find a way to let Shiri’ani down gently.*"
> ― Jordan
>
>

> "*Do I have to?*"
> ― Tek
>
>

> "*Are you real, or am I hallucinating right now? Because you’re the last person I would have thought I would see here.*"
> ― Skids McDougal upon seeing Tek rescue him
>
>

> "*Is that ID-521? Get out of here. Are those the lightfoils that you took from the Tapani Sector?*"
> ― stormtrooper
>
>

> "*Uh… you got it.*"
> ― Tek
>
>

> "*Come on ID-521. We all know that you’re a degenerate gambler. Who do you think is going to win this?*"
> ― stormtrooper
>
>

> "*My name is GAMBLOR -- NAP TAKER!!"*"
> ― Tek, announcing himself to the Imperials guarding the slave camp
>
>

Back to
top