A Dangerous Trek (SF)

*Main Page: Starfall*

Their escape from the engine control core leads the Rebels into a new set of hazards and adventures. The first obstacle encountered as they begin their dangerous trek is a deadly power cell storm that engulfs the lower levels of the ship. A brief rest in a supply room uncovers more of Kolaff’s plan and gives the Rebels their best hope for escape- the location of a shuttle being prepared for departure! But the location is in a far distant hangar bay and to get there the heroes must get past renegade Droids, make their way through the twisted underside of the damaged vessel, and survive a Zero-Gravity fight with yet more Stormtroopers.

## The Power Cell Storm

The heroes exit the engine control core into another work station. Read:

***This empty engineering work station is dark and quiet. There doesn’t seem to be any power running through the computer terminals or other equipment. The far door offers a strange sight, however. The upper part of the blast door glows red hot, and portions of the metal have begun to liquefy and drip.***

Beyond the door lies one of the power cell casing tubes. Unfortunately, the power cell it holds is a damaged one. But instead of being dead, this cell explodes with energy, engulfing the tube in an energy storm! The Rebels must proceed through this storm or find another way out of the area.

A DC 21 Perception check uncovers a maintenance chute that drops even deeper into the dying vessel. If the heroes discover this path, they can dive into the chute much the same way that Luke Skywalker and his group used the garbage chute in the original *Star Wars* film. The chute leads to the supply room in “A Moment’s Rest” below, dumping the heroes through a ceiling grate and onto the floor.

They could also decide to go back out into the engine control core. But the Stormtroopers are 15 minutes behind them, following Kolaff’s orders to recover the Rebels’ bodies. Returning in this direction requires them to resume their battle with the Stormtroopers. In addition, the troopers have adjusted the repulsor field to work in only one direction- down. The heroes, if they use the field again, find that they can only descend deeper into the Star Destroyer, eventually reaching the supply room in “A Moment’s Rest” below.

The other option open to them is to forge ahead through the energy storm. Once the door is pried open (a DC 21 Strength check, with only room for one hero to Aid Another), read:

***The blast doors reluctantly slide apart, releasing a wave of hot air into the work station. Once you recover, you see a raging energy storm that fills the power cell casing tube before you. Twice as wide as the control core, this hollow tube encases one of the six giant power cells that provide energy for the Star Destroyer. Unfortunately, this cell is damaged, spewing its power into the tube in clouds of energized particles. A meter-wide ledge runs around the tube wall, disappearing behind the curve of the power cell.***

Blissex explains that severe power surges can cause cells to overflow with energy. While rare, such overflows generally spell the death of a cell as all its power boils out. The resulting energy storms can last for years, though, usually requiring jettisoning the cell into deep space.

The pathway around the tube is safe enough, but the storm can provide some hazards. As the heroes make their way around the tube, a cloud of energy bursts from the power cell and rolls toward them. As it smashes into them, the cloud explodes with intense heat. Those that make DC 18 Knowledge (Technology) checks recognize the danger immediately and can warn the others. If warned, characters can make DC 16 Initiative checks to avoid the cloud.

One other danger presents itself inside the tube. A particularly violent portion of the storm explodes along the last 30 meters to the exit. Here, beams of energy fire from the power cell, smashing into that area of the ledge with frightening regularity. Characters must make three DC 19 Acrobatics checks as they cross toward the exit. For every roll that is failed, the character gets blasted by an energy bolt that deals 3d6 damage.

When the Rebels reach the door, they can activate the control panel and exit into a safe corridor. Go on to “A Moment’s Rest.”

## Event Six: A Moment’s Rest

Whether the Rebels have fallen down the maintenance chute, lowered themselves through the control core, or crossed the storm-filled power cell tube, they finally arrive at a supply room off a quiet and deserted corridor. This room contains plenty of Power Packs (from this point on you do not have to keep track of ammo expenditures), nine Glow Rods, three coils of Syntherope (15 meters on each coil), two grappling hooks, food and water, and eight Medpacs.

There is also a computer terminal which the PCs can access for an information update on the condition of the Star Destroyer. A DC 21 Use Computer roll yields “Computer Monitor #3,” below. This bit of information shows that time is running out and the Star Destroyer will soon self-destruct. It also reveals that Kolaff is having a shuttle readied in hangar bay G-12. This gives the Rebels a destination and an added sense of urgency.

Blissex quickly outlines a way to the hangar bay. His route calls for the Rebels to travel through the very lowest levels of the Star Destroyer, thus avoiding most of the major guard patrols.

**“We will use the Droid access corridors along the bottom of the ship,” *explains Blissex.* “At best we shall only meet up with servant and maintenance Droids along that route.”**

As they prepare to once again embark into *Subjugator’s* corridors, read “Cut-Away to Kolaff” out loud.

## Cut-Away to Kolaff

Read Aloud:

**INTERIOR: *SUBJUGATOR* BRIDGE.** ***Framed against a sea of stars, Kolaff peers anxiously out the giant viewport At his right, the female Imperial official scowls impatiently.***

**“They’re coming,” *the captain says,* “I can feel them drawing closer.”**

**“The Rebel fleet does not concern me,”** ***snaps the official.*** **“Only Walex Blissex interests me.”“Blissex and his Rebel cohorts are dead. I am sorry for the inconvenience this will cause you, but even now my stormtroopers search the lower levels for their bodies.”**

***The official smiles coldly.*** **“You fool. They are not dead. They simply escaped your foolish trap. You are a pathetic commander who must rely on wild schemes and inane plottings to make up for your lack of military competence.”** ***Without turning to face her, Kolaff calmly replies,*** **“Assuming that you have done what I asked of you and done it correctly, you will soon see what military competence is. As for Blissex and the others, if they have survived I will have them back in custody before time expires.”**

**“I hope so, captain,”** ***her answer drips poisonously from her scarlet lips,*** **“for your sake.”** ***Cut to...***

**INTERIOR: SUBJUGATOR DROID ACCESS CORRIDOR.**

## Renegade Droids

Blissex leads the heroes into a cramped corridor that serves as a passageway for maintenance and other common Labor Droids that work on the Star Destroyer. They travel for a good distance before they hear noise coming toward them from a connecting passage. Read:

***The silence of your journey through the dark Droid tunnels shatters. The noise of a mixture of various servomotors assaults your senses as dozens of Droids start pouring into the corridor behind you from a connecting passage. There are all kinds of Droids in the group; Medical Droids and laborers, Repair Droids and administrative assistants. They walk, waddle, glide and roll into the tunnel, moving as quickly as they can toward you.***

These Droids have joined together, abandoning their posts in an effort to escape from the deteriorating ship. They fear discovery by their Imperial masters, and that fear will be reflected when they see the Rebels. Any living beings are instantly recognized as “Imperial Masters” by the Droids. Their fear lends speed to their escape and they charge past the heroes in a stampede of metal and plastic. A DC 21 Persuasion check can stop individual Droids. Once stopped, these Droids beg forgiveness and plead not to be melted down or sent to the spice mines.

The greatest danger in this scene remains the crushing number of Droids determined to keep on moving until they find a means of escape. Refer to the Crowd Hazard for more info.

Read:

***The press of Droids gets increasingly greater until you are swept up in the rush. It takes all your strength to remain out of the way of the grinding limbs of these frightened mechanicals. Faster and faster you are carried, crushed between protocol and sanitation Droid, rolling head over heels as the digital voices cry out for help. With your last bit of stamina you pull yourself up, getting your head clear of the metallic bodies. But your strength gives out and you slip, sliding back down into the sea of mechanicals. Somewhere up ahead an explosion sounds, but you barely notice it above the noise of the Droids. But the Droids do notice it. You fall to the cold floor as the wave of robots turns down a side passage, moving away from the source of the last explosion.***

Calculate any damage the heroes may have sustained, and then describe how the Droids disappear down a side passage. But not all of the Droids are gone. Go on to “Meeting T-3P0.”

## Meeting T-3PO

The Rebels now encounter T-3PO, an Imperial Protocol Droid with a female vocal pattern and an air of superiority. The Droid remains, watching the Rebels while its compatriots continue their trek. It offers its services to the Rebel group, claiming that it can help them. *“I can translate over four million forms of communication and retain knowledge concerning this Star Destroyer that you might find useful.”*

While T-3PO doesn’t like life forms, particularly Rebel life forms, it does want to survive. It sees a greater chance of survival at the side of these life forms than it does with the renegade Droids.

If the heroes ignore the Droid, T-3PO comments on their obvious lack of intelligence and begins belittling them. Blissex warns them that time is running out and indicates the doorway they were looking for. Then two things happen. Read:

***The door ahead is suddenly blocked when a turbolaser lowers from the ceiling and begins firing at you.* “It’s an automatic defense of some sort,” *yells Walex over the din of the blasts.* “It was obviously added by the Imperials since it is not part of my original design.” *Before you can respond, another noise cuts in- the familiar beeping of a Mouse Droid! You see it on the floor beneath the laser, its optical sensor fixed upon you.* “You have three-point-six seconds to interrupt it before the MSE-6 reports on your position,” *cuts in T-3PO calmly.***

Refer to the Blaster Turret Hazard for more information regarding the turret.

The heroes have one round to destroy the MSE-6 Droid before it relays its information to the security officer. But even if they destroy it, Kolaff will be alerted to activity on the lower decks.

If the heroes are having a hard time with the laser, T-3PO can talk to its computer brain and convince it to cease firing. This could be a good way to earn the Rebels’ trust, after all.

## The Dangerous Trek

The door opens onto the shattered underside of the Star Destroyer. The heroes can actually see the atmosphere boil away through large holes in the torn hull, but enough of the corridor remains for them to travel. As the Rebels proceed through the twisted wreckage have them make difficulty checks to avoid flying debris, to navigate through collapsed passages, and to stay on the right path. None of these mini-encounters should be deadly, but they should add to the suspense and thrill of the adventure. Modify your favorite bits from the great disaster films, adapting them to the space environment.

When the journey begins to lose impact, read:

***You push your way through yet another blocked passage to behold an eerie sight. The 10-meter wide corridor ahead has taken a terrible beating from the outside. Large portions of the floor have been cut open, bending jagged chunks of metal into sharp hills. The ripped hull looks out onto space and while the corridor retains enough of an atmosphere to survive in, it is noticeably colder in this section. Slicing through one wall is a battered Y-Wing Starfighter. Cables spill from the torn nose of the ship, and smoke billows from the shattered cockpit.***

The Y-Wing pilot and his gunner have not survived the crash, and the ship itself cannot be used. Even the communications equipment has been destroyed, which the heroes can discern with a DC 14 Perception check.

## Zero-G Battle

Making their way past the Y-Wing, the Rebels find themselves in a particularly devastated section of the corridor. The Rebels move into an area of exposed superstructure. The floors and ceilings of several decks are blown away here, bending massive chromium girders inward to create a torn landscape of criss-crossed girders and jutting metal. As the Rebels move further, they are quite suddenly lifted off their feet. A DC 13 Knowledge (Technology) check let them realize that the area has been deprived of Gravity.

Blissex points out an opening at the far end of the corridor, some 60 meters distant, as the direction that the group must take.

As the Rebels begin to cross the giant chamber, read:

***A long gash in the floor ahead opens into space. Your rate of travel should take you well past the danger, but the view is spectacular. Especially the six stars, gleaming white, that seem to move closer and closer. Wait! Those aren’t stars, those are Stormtroopers! They rise up from the open wound, their blasters ready. They seem to have no trouble navigating in Zero-Gravity.***

If T-3PO is traveling with the Rebels, it calls out to the Stormtroopers, explaining that it has been captured by these Rebel Womp Rats. It also points out hiding heroes and warns unaware Stormtroopers of impending danger.

Heroes can return to the Y-Wing if they want to increase their fire power. Refer to Laser Cannon for the Weapon System's statistics.

### Tactics

Launching themselves directly at the Rebels, the Stormtroopers employ a tactic taught to them in Zero-G training. They attempt to “Kick Off” of the enemy once they reach them, using an opponent’s body to launch from, while at the same time changing the enemy’s direction of flight. For combat purposes, a “Kick Off” is considered an Unarmed attack. If successful, the heroes that was “Kicked Off” tumbles wildly for one round and must spend a Standard Action to recover.

## Event Seven: The Great Escape

Whether the Rebels defeat the Stormtroopers or just make their way through the opening, they find themselves back in relatively intact and gravity filled corridors once again. After a moment’s rest, Blissex says they are close to the hangar bays. T-3PO apologizes for its actions during the battle, explaining that it was old programming reasserting itself. It won’t happen again. If the heroes don’t buy the story, T-3PO sniffles and disappears down a side passage.

Before the Rebels get very far, the Stormtroopers catch up to them (if any survived) and a squad of 12 Imperial Gunners appear. Blissex shouts, “Run!” The heroes should realize that since they are this close, flight is probably a better option. Think of the chase scene in the first *Star Wars* film. This is what you should try to emulate here. Have blaster bolts whiz very close, but don’t inflict more damage to the heroes at this time (unless they decide to hang around and fight, then go for it). These troopers have been sent by Kolaff to herd the Rebels to where he wants them- hangar bay H-12. This bay is one level above the bay holding the shuttle, and Kolaff has prepared it for his final confrontation with the Rebels.

Build the chase as dramatically as possible. At the end of the far corridor is the hangar bay door. As the heroes approach it, go on to Episode V: A Clash with Kolaff.