Hot Coruscant Nights 3 - Tractor Beams and Torture

A tense exchange of tractor beams and torpedoes took place as the Jinxed Starhawk was nearly captured escaping Coruscant

### Runtime

2:09:57

*Our heroes find themselves alone in the wreckage of a bar with a handful of droids and two unconscious pals. Getting their new prisoners to a ship proves to be the easy part as they find the Jinxed Starhawk reported stolen, and several ships standing by to receive them just out of atmosphere. Their enemies find out that you shouldn't bring a tractor beam to a torpedo fight, and their prisoners find out you shouldn't bring Katira to an interrogation. Finally free, the group find out the hard way that you don't leave to Coruscant unless Coruscant wants you to leave.*

## **Previously**

*While looking after clues as to why a Clawdite was impersonating a representative of the Praji Family, the group decided exactly what everyone always says: we should split the party.*

*While Blaine and Tek met with a very willing informant, Katira and Droo put on their best upper class outfits and made their way to the Bar at Meteorite Towers. Stunned to see Bota Zi already there, they quickly sensed a trap when they found Bota had two good eyes instead of just one. Before they could form a plan, they were attacked by a mystery man and his trio of assault droid compatriots. Knocking out the fake Bota and managing to stay alive long enough for Tek and Blaine to come to their aid, they realized that you should **not** split the party. After finally neutralizing their foes, the group finds themselves in the same place they usually do... post-bar fight wreckage*

## **Recap**

### **Time to Say Goodbye to Coruscant**

Looking over the wreck of the Bar at Meteorite Towers following their defeat of the attacking droids and criminals, the group quickly runs through their possible course of action moving forward. Realizing that they need to get out of there fast before they’re taken in by Coruscant Police, they decide that they should take who and what they can and get out now. As Tek disconnects the most intact assault droid brain, Blaine contacts Bota and asks him to arrive and try to smooth things over at the bar while they pursue the lead on their own for the time being.

Heading out, they acknowledge that it may seem suspicious to take two unconscious persons through the streets of Capitol City. As they take any equipment off the pair, they douse them in alcohol before leaving, hoping to present them as drunks being carried back to their ship.

Finding their way back to the *Jinxed Starhawk*, Blaine begins powering up the ship and setting course for Nar Shaddaa to look in on Lannik Rakto’s operation for clues. As Blaine plots astrogation, the ship is hailed by the docking bay and asked to pay for their berth and report miscellaneous ship statistics. Before Blaine can finish telling them to take the payment out of Ambassador Bota Zi’s funds, the docking officer states that their ship has been reported stolen and is required to land. Blaine quickly changes his transponder away from *Jinxed Starhawk* to *Adder’s Pride* and cons clearance. Though obviously confused, the attendant apologizes and allows the ship to depart. Katira wonders after how someone could get such a conspicuous ship listed as stolen on Coruscant, and Tek inserts his Bureaucracy Knowledge cartridge before answering that it would be possible if there was evidence of premeditated criminal action.

### **Tractor Beams and Torpedos**

No longer heavily concerned as he doesn’t plan to return to Coruscant too soon, Blaine masterfully begins piloting the ship out from Coruscant. As the ship passes by the skyhook where he and Tek purchased *The Roulette* and Tek's YT-2000 Freighter, they notice two ships break away and begin to show signs of pursuit - one heavy freighter and one starfighter, both in excellent condition and well equipped. Concerned, Tek and Droo rush to man the quad lasers, and Katira heads to the cockpit to join Blaine and man forward weapons. Blaine opens communications, hailing the ships but receiving no reply. In response, Blaine begins jamming all sensors on the two ships.

Suddenly a capitol class cruiser ship arrives and attempts to initiate a tractor beam lock on the *Jinxed Starhawk*. Tek and Droo immediately open fire on the ship, but see no noticeable effect. The cruiser hails the *Starhawk*, claiming to represent “Official Coruscant business”. As Blaine notices that the ship did **not** claim to represent the New Republic, Katira comments that they may be able to deploy a proton torpedo along the vector of the tractor beam for a massive impact on the cruiser. Just as the proton torpedo is sent off, Blaine manages to break the tractor beam’s lock and maneuver away.

> "*I think this idea is bad-ass. I think we should try it, even if we all die.*"
> ― Droo on Katira’s torpedo plan
>
>

The cruiser’s shields come online just as the torpedo hits, resulting in minor damage to the ship. Katira then fires from the front dual laser cannons for no effect. After a brief moment spent delving into the force for more focus, Tek and Droo both open fire again for minor damage. While Blaine begins to maneuver away, the *Starhawk* shudders under a new tractor beam lock.

> "*That was a warning shot!*"
> ― Blaine over the comm
>
>

> "*A proton torpedo was a warning shot?!*"
> ― Katira
>
>

> "*SHHH… they don’t know what else we have on this ship*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

Blaine brings the ship around, noting that the tractor beam seems less effective after their most recent salvo. For a few moments the *Jinxed Starhawk* struggles, and everything seems lost as she is rapidly drawn toward the cruiser. After the cruiser states that they should stand down before they open fire, Blaine refuses and lets another proton torpedo loose The torpedo hits simultaneously with another salvo of laser fire from Katira, and the cruiser begins to show signs of major damage. Putting everything into the sublight engines, Blaine breaks the tractor beam and manages to maneuver past the trailing transport - placing it between the cruiser and the *Jinxed Starhawk*.

Now free to enter hyperspace, a communication begins to come through. Just as the stars begin to blur, the words “See you in Nar Shaddaa” sound ominously through the cockpit.

### **Who's the Most Intimidating Person Here?**

Safe in hyperspace, Blaine pulls the group together to decide how they should proceed. The decision is made to interrogate the prisoners that they have onboard, starting with Lannik Rakto.

> "*Who’s the most intimidating person here?*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*Oh, me for sure!*"
> ― Droo
>
>

With Katira only interested in paying Rakto back for the attempt on her person, Tek found asleep on the quad lasers, and Droo unable to muster a mean side, Blaine opts to start the questioning. Rakto claims to have simply been paid to do a job. Though he expected backup at the bar, apparently that fell through, and he doesn’t have much more to give. His job was to make a splash, primarily due to the knowledge that they had come into a large amount of doonium recently. Rakto claims to be nothing more than a middle man, and has nothing to lose in his current position. He states that the droid factory on Nar Shaddaa is nothing major, and will only lead the group to more trouble. The real answers that they want will be found on Coruscant. Rather than press a hostile tone, Blaine attempts to be conciliatory. He tells Rakto that they won’t harm him, and will let him go free at their next opportunity. As they’re walking away, Blaine even goes to far as to ask Tal to provide Rakto with food and medical attention while he stands guard.

Approaching the Clawdite for more answers, the group agrees to utilize a “good cop, bad cop” tactic this time around. It becomes apparent quickly that the prisoner speaks very little basic, and Blaine acts as a translator. The Clawdite states that his name is Al'Teese, but provides very little information in any other manner. Frustrated, Katira jumps into the role of bad cop without any apparent trouble.

> "*Bota Zi’s only got one of these… Maybe I should help your disguise if you don’t wanna talk…*"
> ― Katira holding a knife to the Al’Teese’s eye
>
>

> "*DAMN Katira!*"
> ― Droo
>
>

After being threatened, Al’Teese assumes Katira’s visage and mocks her questions, stating that there isn’t much other work he can take as a shapeshifter. Katira responds by cutting a matching scar into the Clawdite’s face, but he simply states that he’s ready to die if he needs to.

An exasperated Blaine sighs that they simply want to know who hired him, to which he responds that “…there’s more than one governor involved, that’s all I know” before admitting that there are also more Clawdite’s involved, obviously. He begins to loosen his tongue, stating that they have had someone with the group ever since they were “snapping compromising photos” on Denon. It’s become known that the group has gained access to a large amount of Doonium, and with the value of the mineral in the state of galactic events they want to capitalize on the deposits.

The group leaves Al’Teese to himself, and decides to begin research into how to best expose Clawdites in a convenient manner, settling on a plan to use Al’Teese as a means of revealing shapechangers. Blaine muses on the potential motives of recent groups that they have encountered, and Katira turns back and asks Al’Teese what he knows about Lannik Rakto but receives no response. As Blaine and Katira settle down to converse over a game of Dejarik, Tek and Droo make their own snap judgement before they head to their bunks for some sleep after a long day of force concentrating.

> "*It’s gold-pants*"
> ― Droo
>
>

> "*…and that’s why you never reject someone at the bar*"
> ― Tek
>
>

> "*Moral of the story: sleep with everyone!*"
> ― Droo
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>

## **Featured Characters**

### **Our Heroes**

* Blaine Hansom
* Droo Vos
* Katira Eve
* Tek Krodak

### **NPCs**

* Al'Teese
* Lannik Rakto
* capitol starship personnel

## **Inventory**

* +Lannik Rakto’s droid control datapad (group)
* +concussion grenade (group)
* +stun baton (group)
* +chest armor +1D Physical; +1D Energy; -1D Dexterity (group)
* +Lannik Rakto’s credstick (group)
* +Lannik Rakto’s comlink (group)

## **Notes**

* The two ships that broke off from the skyhook both appeared to be civilian ships that had been heavily modified. The freighter appeared to be the kind of ship a political officeholder may use to transport between locations, and the fighter looked like a customized mercenary ship.

## **Quotations**

> "*Slicers Synonymous? What’s the last thing they’ve done for you guys?*"
> ― Bota
>
>

> "*A whole lot of nothing…*"
> ― Katira
>
>

> "*If we get in any trouble I’ll just explain it was my fault. And if they’re really mad I’ll just return to Cloud City and join the “New New Rebellion” that we met on Rodia a while back.*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*Guys, it’s not too late to threaten to kill the hostages…*"
> ― Droo
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>

> "*Maybe we’ll just blow the ship up first*"
> ― Blaine
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>

> "*Us?!*"
> ― Droo
>
>

> "*Guys, this is a suicide mission. I forgot to tell you, we don’t get captured!*"
> ― Blaine
>
>

> "*Al’Teese… am I a Clawdite?*"
> ― Tek
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