Armed Withdrawal (AFC)

*Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Unknown Regions*

*Main Page: A Fool's Charge*

*Preceded by Avoiding Undue Attention*

**SETUP:** This encounter serves as the climax of "A Fool's Charge."

Once the heroes find the analysis station, they must figure out a way to get past the guards posted at the entrance, hopefully without raising an alarm. The GM should provide plenty of clues and reminders that almost every adult resident they have encountered has the air of a professional soldier, suggesting that starting a blatant fight will only get the heroes captured or killed. Grant them a fair amount of leeway in their plans. The guards are fairly new recruits, and if the heroes can give them a suitably convincing story, they might be able to bluff their way inside the building.

### Read-Aloud Text

When the heroes enter the analysis station, read the following text aloud:

***The inside of the station looks more like a giant storeroom. Eleven workers are clustered into small groups and studying different items, the majority of which are Starship-scale components such as turbolasers and ion drives. However, most of the activity is centered on a seemingly innocuous computer terminal, to which several other smaller consoles are connected. The research staff seems too engrossed in their work to pay you much attention.***

Have the heroes make DC 20 Knowledge (Technology) checks. Heroes who are Trained in Pilot or who have a sufficient background with naval military can attempt the check even if they are not Trained in Knowledge (Technology). Success means that the heroes identify the main terminal as the tactical data core of a capital-scale command ship. Any hero trained in Knowledge (Tactics) realizes that the core is a critical part of any naval force, since it often contains key communication and identification codes that give one side a significant advantage over opponents.

The heroes might deduce that the data core is meant for the capital-class warship being revamped in orbit. Also, they were hired for the mission by Lieutenant Amalia, a member of another galactic naval force. The heroes can put two and two together and realize that Amalia's side does not want to lose the data core to the O'reenians- that's why she hired the heroes to steal it back.

Any hero who does a quick scan of the room can make a DC 15 Perception check. Success reveals that a heavy cargo speeder positioned next to a loading ramp looks big enough to carry the tactical data core and has enough armor to fend off anything smaller than a turbolaser. In addition, the data core is mounted on a cargo lifter, making the task of loading it into the speeder a great deal easier.

Before the heroes can put a plan into action, however, they are spotted by an O'reenian Military Supervisor. Read the following text aloud:

***As you begin to formulate how you are going to pull off the heist of the tactical data core, an O'reenian in military fatigues enters the room. His gaze focuses on you, and as he reaches for his sidearm, you get a bad feeling that this job just got a lot more difficult.***

Although the station's research staff is distracted by various projects, the O'reenian Military Supervisor immediately suspects that the heroes are unwelcome intruders. (If they previously created false appearances, some minor, overlooked nuance gives them away.)

*Continued in Conclusion*

## Encounter Setup

The Armed Withdrawal encounter has the following setup:

* 1 O'reenian Military Supervisor (M)
* 11 O'reenian Researchers (R)

### Tactics

In the first round, the O'reenian Military Supervisor draws his Blaster Pistol and shoots at the nearest hero, then moves to the nearest source of Cover. On the following turn, he activates his **Born Leader** Talent and continues shooting at the heroes from behind Cover. He also uses his **Warrior's Awareness** Talent on any hero who appears to be especially skilled in combat or who is wielding a distinctive or a military weapon.

As would be expected by their military training, the O'reenian Researchers cease working on their projects once their commanding officer deems the heroes a threat. They draw their own Blaster Pistols and move to the nearest available Cover during the first round of combat. The O'reenian Researchers delay their actions until after the supervisor activates his **Born Leader** Talent to take advantage of the bonus to their attack rolls. They operate in groups of three, with two using the Aid Another action to provide the third a further bonus to his or her attack roll.

### Features of the Area

The analysis station has the following features:

* **Illumination:** The entire room is well lit.
* **Workstations:** Numerous workstations can provide cover to anyone in the room.
* **Improvised Weapons:** If necessary, the heroes can use a plethora of loose tools as Improvised Weapons.
* **Turbolaser:** The room contains a turbolaser with a power generator (see below) located 2 squares away. Due to the immense energy needs of the weapon, the turbolaser can be fired only twice. With each successful hit, it deals 3d10x5 points of damage in an Area Attack with a 2-Square Burst radius. However, the lack of a proper targeting computer means that the turbolaser is treated as an Improvised Weapon.
* **Power Generator:** The Power Generator is located 2 squares away from the turbolaser. If the generator is moved to an adjacent square, a hero can make a DC 15 Mechanics check to hook it up to the turbolaser. However, much of the generator's protective plating has been removed. Any attack that deals more than 10 points of damage to the generator causes it to explode. If the turbolaser is fired twice during this encounter, the Power Generator is drained of energy and will no longer explode if damaged.