Call of the Deadly Nightshade 5 - The Long Way Out

Inside the pirate base on Rathalay, the group makes it to the exit, but decide \*not\* to leave. They spend time debating how to best get the treasures on display, then fend off two separate attacks from both pirates and nexu as they debate how to best access a hallway. Wounds are given out, boxes full of treasures are used to hit enemies, and Maxie just desperately wants to leave.

## **Previously**

*Traveling to Rathalay in Captain Swagg’s ship to free former Grand Admiral Octavian Grant from his forced retirement, their trip get cuts short when an unexpected interdictor-class Cruiser stops them in their tracks. Instead of firing on the group, a tractor beam from the planet pulls them down to the planet. Captain Swagg, who was perhaps not in his best form, blew up his vessel's sublight drives trying to escape. After a rough touchdown on a landing pad, Swagg met his maker.*

*Leaving the ship, and not realizing they probably should've freed Swagg’s co-pilot R1, the group presses on to see a base that has been attacked and raided already. They meet an environmental lawyer, Maxie, and take her with them and after sparing the life of a guard named Rix, take him along for the ride as well. As they progress they hear an ominous voice over the internal communications device of the base stating that they exacted vengeance on these pirates because they waylaid them from their plans… and to watch out for their ‘pets.’ Finally, as they take a minute to plot their next move, they meet 8t88, a droid head behind a ray-shield that wants a droid body and wants us to take him with him as well.*

## **Recap**

### Treasure Talk

As the group gets to the end of the previously-raided pirate base, they find themselves in a trophy room of sorts. A number of treasures are hidden behind ray-shielded enclosures, which includes the droid head, 8t88, who is asking for his freedom and a new droid body. Additionally, the group has a quick huddle on what to do with the other two strays they've picked up along the way.
> *“Wait, are we letting her go?” - Bota
> "That old hag’s not leaving my sight, don’t worry.” - Blaine
> “You know, that’s kind of offensive.” - Maxie*
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As the group's conversation goes off-topic, Maxie uses this time to find her belongings in the same room. Inside of a box, she finds and arms herself by equipping a large knife, bows and arrows, and her journal. Eventually, Bota's attention turns back to Rix, the pirate the group spared earlier in the day.
> *Okay, pirate, you never showed us the way out.” - Bota
> “Yes, I did but you wanted to steal stuff. It’s over there.” - Rix
> “I don’t know where ‘over there’ is” - Bota
> “Well, if you don’t see the giant exit sign…” - Rix*
>
>

Bota leads Rix over to the exit that Rix lead them to and to an incredulous Rix, Bota lets him go. Initially dumbstruck as he thought Bota was going to outright kill him, he takes the opportunity that's presented itself and he leaves the base. As Bota returns to the group, he sees they're still focused on the treasures behind the shielding.
> *“Hey Bota, can you ask that guy where the ray shield button is?” - Jowkazza
> “Oh sorry, I just got rid of him.” - Bota
> “You killed him?” - Blaine*
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Bota begins explaining that his reasoning was that if there was a boobytraps, they’d go after the one who exits the compound first. Since Rix escaped without an issue, we should be in the clear. Now returning to thinking about how best to take these treasures, Jowkazza asks the imprisoned droid head 8t88 if he has any advice and with a sour drone mentions that they probably have someone with them ho has the necessary skills to disarm this. Noticing a scomplink in the corner, Jawa Jimmy steps up to do his thing. Getting local access to the nearby systems, Jimmy explores his access and what he can unlock.
> *“Do you have a scoop link that just flips out of your robe?” - Bota
> “Out of my tuxedo, actually.” - Jimmy*
>
>

Jimmy is able to grab information on the items and shut down the ray shielding. However, when he attempts to turn off the alarm klaxxons from inside the base, they simply turn right back on again. Digging deeper into the code, he realizes that the alarms can only be shut off from a master control terminal.
### Pirate Attack

Interrupting their looting spree, a number of pirates and their droids appear on both sides of the room! Blaine and Jimmy jump out of the way of these sudden enemies who come in blastin’. Maxie barely gets out of the way as bolt almost hits her in the back.

The first to react from our heroes is Bota Zi gets a number of shots off - starting with a gut shot to a scabby pirate and knocking out two other foes in the process. Jowkazza next grabs 8t88, the helmet, the relics, and throws them all in the box he’s holding and then swings the box at another pirate - and gets the enemy right in the face. He does get hit in retaliation by a blaster bolt from a hidden Defel - which knocks him over and wounds him. Next, a droid shoots and hits Bota, knocking him to the ground as well.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the group hears screaming from the hallway they entered from… screams of abject horror, sheer terror, and screams of pain.

"Must be our fans," Blaine quips and peeps around the corner and takes two shots off - or at least, he tries to. His first shot hits its mark and incapacitates the droid, but the blaster overloads and he has to drop it since it’s hot. With Jimmy taking his turn next, he moves to help and revives Bota. Maxie then steps up and, using her bow and arrow, he hits the Defel and knocks him out.

Briefly discussing whether or not they should revive the Defel, Jawa Jimmy decides to heal Jowkazza and afterward, they get distracted by another hallway east of their location. Moxie pleads for the group to leave and Blaine successfully manages to persuade her to continue to follow them.

With Maxie in tow, the group decides to explore the next area instead of leaving but they are blocked by closed doors. Jawa Jimmy looks for a new scomplink to access and finds one. Plugging into it to open the doors, Jimmy quickly is shocked - he flies backwards - and then falls wounded himself. The doors he was attempting to access are open a bit.

Peeping in through the doors, Blaine catches sight of large cybernetically-enhanced dog-like creatures which jump on a droid and tear it to pieces. Blaine attempts to place these threats but can only remember a vague reference to “Nek Battledogs” from goods smuggled in and out of Cloud City - mainly as something that could go in fighting pits. In addition, he's heard of them through a Hutt saying.

Relating this to the group, Jimmy reminds everyone he's still down and wounded, Jowkazza then heals him, and Jawa Jimmy gives Jowkazza a big hug. Then, the group turns their attention back to the hallway.
> *"Since we're not going down the hallway, can we PLEASE... GO...!" - Maxie
> "What are you talking about? I'm more attracted to this hallway than ever." - Bota
> "So are we going to pull open this door?" - Jowkazza, translated through his droid
> "By we... I think you mean 'you.'" - Blaine*
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Sizing up the blast doors, Jowkazza gathers his strength and figures that two people could probably help him. As he gets ready, the group hears another scream - this time, of a Trandoshan. The group begins realizing that maybe the screams were not people or prisoners getting killed and they may have made a mistake pursuing this path when a couple of Nexu stroll in the room.
### Paw Patrol

With the big cats acting first, the first Nexu jumps on Rusty but he manages to side-step the beast, which goes skidding on the polished stone floor. Blaine acts next, and with his newly-fixed blaster, he decides to take three shots. He hits all three once and the first - the one that slid - seems stunned. The next gets hit in the hind (not taking much damage) and the third gets hit through it's torso (and falls in a reap on the ground). The puma that was hit in the hind charges its attacker, Blaine, who somehow - mysteriously, even - dodges out of the way.

Bota Zi decides to multitask. He blasts the lone standing puma and then slides the box over to Jowkazza, who has been tirelessly holding the doors open this entire time. Thinking about how to best use the box to hold the doors open, Rusty and Maxie reminds the group that there's still one cat left. Jimmy takes off a shot and knocks the last one to the ground - wounded but still alive. Maxie aims her bow and arrow and ends the beast before it can get fully back up.

Finally deciding to go through the doors that Jowkazza has been holding open, each of the group manages to wiggle through the opening in the doors. As the group finally get through it, the Nexu leaps at the door but can't fit through the still somewhat-open doors.

### The Amazing Hallway

Looking at the corridor they now find themselves in, they see several droid bodies... which have been sliced apart by something with incredibly strong teeth. Jowkazza asks Jimmy for help, which he decides to pass on. Then, making a stronger plea, Jimm

*"I'm talking about the 8t88." - Jowkazza, through his translator droid*
*"...the whut?" - Jawa Jimmy
 "Come on, this guy killed my father! I gotta know." - Jowkazza
 <Jimmy just stares>*
 "If you're not going to do it, then I'll do it myself." - Jowkazza

Jowkazza then proceeds to pull out 8t88 and tells him that he should've been more specific and shoves 8t88 onto one of the droid bodies in the hallway. Complaining that the body doesn't have arms or legs, Jawa Jimmy then finally decides to pitch in and help. They find a droid body mostly intact, but then have second thoughts. Jimmy then figures that he could wire this droid up and mostly fix it (the body was missing an arm), but it'd take him 16 minutes. Trying to regain focus, they decide to wait on fixing 8t88 and instead go back to the plan of focusing on the enemies they originally saw in this corridor - if they can stop them now, they won't be able to carry their plans through later. However, Jimmy is tempted to slice again and decides to take 8t88's head with them and slice him on the way.

They grab their things, they grab their supplies and treasures, which ends up with Jawa Jimmy and 8t88 in the box, being carried by Jowkazza, who is also carrying Droo over his other shoulder.

Finally proceeding down the hallway, they see massive damage done to the base alongside the sliced up droids. Then, when the alarms breaks, they hear a voice:
> *"To all the pirates who are still here, sittin' around, and alive <wheezes>, and you bastards that hurt <wheeze> my pets, you better find a way out... 'cuz this place ain't going to be around much longer." - Mysterious voice
> "Ugh, not this jabroni again." - Jowkazza*
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>

Taking the threat to heart, the group takes a moment to ponder their choices and what to do next.

## **Featured Characters**

### **Our Heroes**

* Blaine Hansom
* Bota Zi
* Jawa Jimmy
* Jowkazza

### **NPCs**

* Rusty, who appeared using a soundboard
* Sparky
* An unconscious Droo
* Maxie
* Rix, a pirate from Rathalay
* Head of 8t88

### **Enemies**

* Rathalay pirates and their droids
* Nexu
* Corellian Sand Panthers

### **Mentioned**

* Captain Swagg
* Swagg's R1 co-pilot

## **Inventory**

* + 3 used, old blasters
* +New item taken from Imperial equipment - mechanized stormtrooper replacement head
* +Ancient relics from operation lasso
	+ Jedi holocron
	+ Sith holocron
* +8t88's head
	+ A box to carry this all in

## **Notes**

* Jimmy rolled a '27' three times
* In rolling for initiative In the 'Pirate Attack' encounter - Blaine and Jimmy tie in their initiative, then have the same DEX value, then roll the same number on a D6 - both with 5’s. Blaine gets the better roll on the second attempt.
* "Odds the puma" - new song maybe for Tek?
* Blaine - 2 CPs for brawling parry
* All PCs - +4 CPs
* Jowkazza +2 additional CPs

## **Quotations**

> *"..They exacted vengeance on these pirates because they waylaid them from their plans… and to watch out for their ‘pets.’" - David, as GM
> "Watch out for Buddy!" - Luke*
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> *“In the moments’ silence as you look at Jowkazza and Bota on the ground, you hear screaming from the hallway you entered from… like abject horror, sheer terror screams of pain.” - David as GM
> “Must be our fans.” - Blaine*
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> *“Hey, how perceptive are you?” Blaine
> "Moxie clutches at her robes and her hand moves to knife in response." - David as GM*
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> *"Okay, but before that, I'm going to look in this box." - Jowkazza*
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> *"But we want to kill these guys." - Jay
> "I'm not saying you're wrong." - David*
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> *"I'm not leaving this base without a shovel." - Jowkazza*
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> *"And it's really unfortunate that Droo's passed out on Sparky.." - David*
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