In the Dark of the Night 9 - End of the Eriadu Authority Part 2

*Blasting (and grenading) their way past the Eriadu Authority's last remnants of resistance, the groups now firmly controls the Hangar Bay of the Kampe Base. They grab some droid heads, interrogate xenobiologists, grab more information and data, and decide to split the group - Genos and Zuda would travel to the basement to plant charges while the rest of the group would travel to the third floor and try to rescue the captured smuggler (and escape on their vessel). Dressing up as Stormtroopers, they then travel up to the familiar third - and main - floor of the base.*

## **Previously**

*Having made their way undetected into the main base of the Eriadu Authority on the planet Kampe, the team chose to eschew stealth and instead get the party started with a bang. Rolling into the vehicle bay with their already blood spattered juggernaut tank and opening fire in all directions, they cleared the bay of hostiles, eliminated all surveillance, and silenced any potential alarms. Thinking themselves safe, the team surged into the base only to run headlong into a waiting squad of stormtroopers, brought in by the lone survivor of the vehicle bay.*

## **Recap**

### **Start With a Bang**

Caught flat footed as the blast doors open from the vehicle bay, revealing the burning hulks of their tanks, dead comrades, and a far more blood than expected, the squad of troopers barely has time to register the scope of their troubles before a well thrown grenade from Rusty lands at their feet.

> "*Two things are blowing up. My grenade, and that taco.*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

Seeing the situation under control - all Imperials now on the ground - Katira flies separates from the group en route to the vehicle bay commander’s office while Rem, Bota Zi, Jawa Jimmy, and Sparky close in on their wounded prey.

The rest of the group does not disappoint. Though Jimmy and Sparky are uncharacteristically ineffective with their initial shots, Bota confidently enters the fray with his blaster and provides sufficient cover for the team to move in closer to avoid missing any more shots. For a brief moment there is a question as to whether taking easy kills on the remaining Imperials is the right thing to do in the situation, but as the organics moralize their actions Sparky walks forward to finish the job, all the while whistling in pleasure.

With the threat eliminated, the team sets to work retrieving what they think will be of most use. As Bota takes the code cylinder and juggernaut keys from the juggernaut engineer who had alerted the remaining stormtroopers and Rusty looks over the soldiers for any grenades (no dice), Jimmy and Sparky set to work on the two droids that had been caught in the crossfire. Damaged but still fully functional, the droids are fully conscious as the Jawa and his partner set to work relieving the burden of their heads from their shoulders.

### **Reconnaissance and Recipes**

Still working separate from the group, Katira peeks into the commander’s office and, finding only droids present, walks in confidently. Before the droids notice her arrival, she begins to issue commands under the guise of working for the recently arrived Special Director Baül. She requisitions all incoming and outgoing base transmissions for the last 30 days, reports on troop status following the call for return to base, and base fuel output specifications with no resistance.

> "*Boy, you ask a lot of questions.*"
> ― Bota as protocol droid
>
>

> "*You’re a protocol droid, you’re supposed to answer them.*"
> ― Katira
>
>

As the droid apologizes profusely for the state of the base, whatever commotion has been occurring in the vehicle bay, and the issue of the smuggler’s vessel in the hangar, Katira’s interest is piqued. She attempts to gain more information on the smuggler, managing to determine that they are being held in cell block 5 on the top floor for an upcoming execution in, but no identifying information is held in their record.

With her initial goal obtained, Katira takes one last look about the office. As her eyes land on a stack of papers at a side table, she rifles through them. Finding a complete list of the base’s personnel, their names, planned watch rotation, and current assignments, she asks the protocol droid if there is anything else that the special director might want. The droid happily complies, scratching out a recipe for “Eriadu Cookies” as Katira stares on in surprise.

Satisfied that there is nothing else to be gained, Katira gathers the droids together to look over the watch rotation, then eliminates them all to avoid any future complications.

### **We Just Want More Milk!**

In the meantime, droid heads in hand, Jawa Jimmy begins to get restless waiting for Katira and decides to explore. He meanders into what looks like a medical bay, finding a deceased spider-squid splayed on an operating table with a trio of cowering scientists who immediately surrender.

Obviously flustered, one of the scientists freely answers Jimmy’s questions. When he does manage to get ahold of himself and try to resist, he immediately thinks better of resisting as Sparky’s arc welder blazes to life.

> "*I… I can’t answer that. They’ll kill me if I do.*"
> ― Imperial Scientist #1
>
>

> "*Oh, don’t worry. Sparky will do that for you if you don’t answer my questions.*"
> ― Jawa Jimmy
>
>

> "*No, don’t! We’re just trying to increase production. For their milk!*"
> ― Imperial Scientist #2
>
>

More than a little pleased at finally getting the respect he deserves, Jimmy walks through the space with a new air of confidence. As he is looking over the partially dissected creature splayed out upon the operating table, more questions on how the fuel is produced, transported, and stored begin to come out of the Jawa with ease when suddenly Zuda Zorbo stumbles into the room.

> "*Ugh… ahh… sorry to interrupt. I just, um… I got some kind of a flu or something, I’m sorry. I… you’re exploring the munitions with the load lifters?*"
> ― Zuda Zorbo
>
>

> "*Zuda spends his time making the explosives to destroy the base. That is all.*"
> ― Zuda Zorbo
>
>

Speaking in third person and somehow paler than he was 5 minutes prior, Zuda turns around and exits as unceremoniously as he entered, leaving the scientists - and Jimmy - thoroughly confused before Jimmy returns to the task at hand.

With time running down, Jimmy learns that the experiment that he walked in on was to determine a means of increasing fuel production, that the base the team is currently inside is the principal harvesting facility, with other sites serving to refine, store, and transport the fuel. When Bota enters to tell Jimmy that they need to keep moving, Jimmy tells the scientists that he’ll let them live - for now.

### **Arachnifuel and Uggnaughts**

Elsewhere, Bota notices a large amount of cold crates stacked for loading with a pair of massive load lifters standing nearby. He approaches the lifters, initially questioning them before realizing that they have only limited comprehension of basic and no vocabulators besides, Bota investigates the crates on his own.

Cracking open the nearest container, a mist of sub cooled air seeps out to reveal several canisters containing a bluish liquid. Presuming that the liquid in question is an unrefined form of the alternative Imperial fuel being produced on the planet. Bota looks for any markings indicating that the contents are explosive, but aside from the crates being chilled he doesn’t find anything indicating the crates are special whatsoever.

After taking a moment to instruct the load lifters to load the crates onboard the tank he came in on, Bota turns his attention to the nearby EV series supervisor droid standing nearby. Though initially refusing to provide information to Bota, the droid complies when commanded to transfer all the Uggnaughts from the base to the nearby communications outpost in response to a breach of the base.

Now satisfied that the Uggnaughts should survive if the group blows the base, Bota heads back to gather the team and decide on their next move.

### **New Priorities**

Gathering back together amongst the wreckage and dead Imperials, the team takes a moment to plan out their next course of action. Though previously they had planned to simply blow the harvesting facility and bring the base down upon itself, Katira displays an uncharacteristic concern for the “smuggler” that is currently held in the brig and set for execution.

> "*Look, they’re gonna kill ‘em. I’m not gonna lie. Part of me says we should save ‘em. I’m willing to go by myself. But… I’m also willing to go by myself to the hangar bay. Because the call of a new ship… is just something special to me.*"
> ― Katira
>
>

Reviewing the watch bill for the day, the group sees that they have roughly 10 minutes before the next squad of troopers rotates down to the vehicle bay for watch relief. There are a few dead troopers that could be stripped of their equipment and impersonated for any plan that involves the team moving to the upper level in an effort to rescue the smuggler, but with time running short they will have to do so quickly.

Looking to accomplish every one of their goals, the group decides that their best plan is to split the party. Genos and Zuda will head down to the lower level of the base to set demolitions charges and blow the base upon exit. Meanwhile the rest of the team will bring Jawa Jimmy to the upper level as a newly captured prisoner, rescuing the prisoner once they’ve reached the brig. If everything goes smoothly, the team can meet back up in the hangar bay, steal a ship for their getaway, and blow the base on their way out.

> "*My original plan was that the reason I was charging in at the storm troopers was that I was gonna bypass them and run to the bathrooms.*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

## **Featured Characters**

### **Our Heroes**

* Bota Zi
* Katira Eve
* Roostan “Rusty” Steele
* Jawa Jimmy
	+ Sparky
* Rem Chanceux
* Zuda Zorbo

### **NPCs**

* Eriadu Authority Xenbiologist x3
* Eriadu Authority EV Series supervisor droid
* Eriadu Authority protocol droid

### **Mentioned**

* Genos Ia'danian
* Jowkazza
* Special Director Baül

## **Inventory**

* -1 frag grenade (Rusty)
* +EV-Series Droid head (Sparky/Jimmy)
* +protocol droid head (Sparky/Jimmy)
* +juggernaut engineer code cylinder (Bota)
* +5cr Imperial poker chip (Katira)
* +all base transmissions (incoming and outgoing) for last 30 days (Katira - datapad)
* +troop registry following return to base command (Katira - datapad)
* +base fuel output specifications (Katira - datapad)
* +notes on Imperial project to increase arachnifuel output (Jawa Jimmy)
* +base watch rotation with trooper ID (Katira)
* +recipe for Eriadu Cookies (Katira)

## **Notes**

* Having missed the massacre in the vehicle bay due to an impromptu nap, Rem rejoined the team without skipping a beat

* The Imperial uniforms bore the insignia of the Eriadu Authority, which was also impressed onto all droid chassis that the group came across

* Searching for explosives, Rusty was impressed by how well kept and maintained the Imperial equipment was

* While providing information to Katira, the protocol droid noted that Special Director Baül is “Head of Intelligence”

* The vehicle bay commander was noted as being part of an illicit Imperial gambling ring held regularly in an alcove on the hangar bay level

* While interrogating the scientists, Jimmy rolled a 3 on a mystery 1D6

## **Quotations**

> "*I’m guessing that I can throw a grenade.*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

> "*The moment you’ve been waiting for Rusty. Throw a grenade.*"
> ― Katira
>
>

> "*Oh my gosh, I’ve been so excited to do this guys. I don’t even know how long. I just can’t stop laughing.*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

> "*For the record, as I throw this grenade I’m* behind *Genos for a reason.*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

> "*For once I get to throw these things before you guys kill everything.*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

> "*I reserve the right to protest your rolls.*"
> ― Luke
>
>

> "*Well the last one was 30, so that’s not so bad.*"
> ― Jordan
>
>

> "*That’s more like it.*"
> ― Luke
>
>

> "*Alright, I’m blastin’ this dude in the face.*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

> "*Yeah, throwing a grenade is too evil, but walking up and shooting a defenseless man in the face. That’s alright.*"
> ― Katira
>
>

> "*I feel bad for the guy, just want to put him out of his misery. It’s a mercy kill.*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

> "*Okay, so this is the character that Rusty kind of shot but didn’t kill, and you peep around the corner and… yeh.*"
> ― Jordan
>
>

> "*I think I saw him twitch.*"
> ― Rem
>
>

> "*Wait… you don’t look like a rebel terrorist.*"
> ― Imperial Scientist
>
>

> "*Sparky walks in, guns loaded.*"
> ― Jawa Jimmy
>
>

> "*That’s **mine** now!*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*Spoken like a true Jawa. This? This is mine now.*"
> ― Jawa Jimmy
>
>

> "*You like this hat? This is **my** hat!*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*Alright, now give me your glasses.*"
> ― Jordan
>
>

> "*Give me that terrible bolo tie.*"
> ― Jawa Jimmy
>
>

> "*Give me your shoes.*"
> ― Jordan
>
>

> "*Jawa Jimmy walking in, wearing size 13 shoes. Can’t even make it out the door.*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*Zuda somehow caught a respiratory disease when he barely has a respiratory system.*"
> ― Zuda Zorbo
>
>

> "*Those damn space whales, man.*"
> ― Jawa Jimmy
>
>

> "*Those darn space whales, trying to make me sick!*"
> ― Zuda Zorbo
>
>

> "*Get that man a character point. I thought that was one of the scientists!*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

> "*I’m making squid explosives. Please, don’t hurt me.*"
> ― Imperial Scientist
>
>

> "*I’ve been drinking the squid milk. Don’t tell anybody.*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*Did he just roll out from underneath the squid?*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

> "*The prisoner. It **could** be Zardra.*"
> ― Katira
>
>

> "*If it is Zardra, then I’ll leave her. We can just skip right past that.*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*It’s a very high risk to go and rescue a prisoner that we don’t know anything about. But I’m not gonna lie… that ship… I don’t even know what it is!*"
> ― Katira
>
>

> "*Rusty, you got any ideas to add?*"
> ― Katira
>
>

> "*I’m sorry guys, I’m getting… taco stuff.*"
> ― Rusty
>
>

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