Star Wars d20 RPG

[Peregrine]

<ooc: yes I know I'm contradicting the events of the prequels. They're garbage not worthy of the Star Wars name.>

 

SETTING:

 

It is now three years before the battle of Yavin and the events of SWIV. It has been almost eighty years since the fall of the Republic. The Empire that replaced it has been slowly tightening its grip on the galaxy. The freedoms and prosperity of the Republic are little more than a distant memory. An entire new generation has grown up under Imperial rule, accepting it since they know of no alternative. The Jedi have been hunted down and destroyed, and all knowledge of them suppressed. The Senate remains in name only, nothing more than a playground for the powerful elites that support the Empire.

 

The clone wars were the beginning of the end for the Republic. Though the Republic won in the end, the war highlighted the crumbling state of the Republic. A charismatic young senator named Palpatine appeared, and began demanding reform. Palpatine rose quickly through the ranks of his faction, and soon held nearly half the senate under his direct control. The military expansion he called for passed almost unopposed as "patriotic duty". And the rest of the government sat comfortably ignorant as Palpatine filled the military with his own supporters. By the time the first Star Destroyers entered Corruscant orbit and Palpatine declared himself Emperor, it was far too late for anyone to stop him.

 

The few systems with the will to resist were crushed quickly. Their navies had been designed for anti-piracy and customs duties, not full scale war. After the first orbital bombardment "disciplinary actions", most opposition faded away. Within five years, the Empire had near-total control of the core and mid-rim regions.

 

Rebellion appeared soon after, but most groups lacked the organization to fight an effective war. They were limited to blindly lashing out at the closest Imperial presence, or spreading anti-Imperial propaganda. Neither did much to dent the massive Imperial military, and when rebellion was discovered, the punishments were harsh. Rebel leaders simply disappeared in the night, at least when they weren't used for show trials and public executions. The few surviving resistance groups were forced into absolute secrecy, making whatever defiant attacks they could get away with.

 

But there was still hope.

 

The lawless and "worthless" Outer Rim Territories were almost completely ignored by the Empire. A token force was sent to maintain order, but most of its officers soon fell to apathy or Hutt bribes. It was here that the rebellion grew. Exiles and defeated system navy officers fleeing Imperial "justice" were the beginning. Soon idealists began to join the rebellion. Between theft from the Empire and black market purchases, the rebellion slowly obtained the ships and equipment to do some serious damage to the Empire. But one problem remained: they were still as disorganized as ever, with no chance of pushing past the Outer Rim and into the core regions the Empire actually cared about.

 

It is one of these rebel factions you have found yourself with, by whatever story. The group of ex-Corulag navy officers is small, but their equipment is good. You have already witnessed several successful attacks on Imperial bases. In recent days, you have heard rumors of a much larger operation. And now you have recieved new orders, to report to the CRV Freewind's main briefing room for a new mission.

[Peregrine]

To Gueldiar Bantal:

 

You have arrived on the Outer Rim world of Habassa after another "successful" cargo flight. Your frieghter's corporate identification made the trip through customs a quick one, and you soon find yourself standing at a public computer somewhere in the crowded spaceport just outside the capital city. A quick check of your messages reveals six thousand credits deposited into your account, exactly as promised by your contract. You also find a message waiting for you.

 

Gueldiar Bantal,

 

We regret to inform you that we no longer require your services. While your piloting efforts are impressive in their creativity, they are unfortunately not what we are looking for at Silvuit Corporation. Your account has been closed and all debts settled.

 

To All Others:

 

You enter the briefing room as instructed, and discover a very interesting scene. Several others have arrived before you, an odd collection of rebel soldiers and mercenaries. At the front of the room stands a man wearing the familiar uniform of a rebel Commander. He seems to be waiting for all of you to arrive and take your seats.

[Stampede]

Ishtah looked around the briefing room and thinned his eyes to the offending lights. He took in a deep breath and regarded the motley crew around him. Humans...if the elders that took to taunting him on his home planet could only see him now...

 

This was a means to an end however, he was a soldier and he would obey orders, the question was not "Why" but "How". Once he had brought back the skin of a high ranking imperial official, the taunts would end. His claws glided absent-mindedly over the long shaft of his vibro-axe as he attempted to assimilate himself into the crowd of mammals.

[Kethruch]

Gueldiar Bantal looks at the screen in front of him and sighs. The force, that which flows through him so freely when he is flying, has once again landed him in a very familiar situation. At least I have some credits to kick around with. He thinks to himself. He has half a mind to hack the corporate computer and let loose a pesky yet harmless worm, but decides against it. The last time he did that, only his ability to talk most people in circles and the fact that the troopers they sent to check him out were so stupid that he had them so dizzy that they actually had given him the reward money for finding the perpetrator had saved him from a long incarceration. He really didn't want a repeat of that - his hasty retreat from the area had forced him out of the areas where the best jobs were and out into the rim.

 

His sense of danger alerted him to something, and his hand dropped to the familiar shape hanging from his hip. The danger however, was from a small child and his mother. He always got that - when the children saw the archaic weapon, they were always curious about him. Even in this late time, the stories of the Jedi were still in every child's psyche - the glorious stories of their valour and daring, always fighting on the side of good and truth - no matter how much the vidscreens tried to convince them that the stormtroopers were the 'new' Jedi, the children somehow innately knew that they weer nothing but very cheap knockoffs of the real thing.

 

"It's okay," He says, even before the mother could apologize. "It's good that he's interested, that shows an interested, creative mind." He puts out his hand and musses the child's hair. "That's your greatest weapon, my young friend. An inquisitive mind is sharper than the finest light saber and more powerful than the biggest blaster. Hone that tool, and there is nothing that is beyond your grasp." He waves, like always, as they walk away, hurrying, like so many people do nowadays, never taking the time to see the beauty around them and realized the power, the force, that even the smallest of weeds has.

 

His thoughts drift elsewhere, and suddenly he realizes that there might be things he can do here on this world. With any luck, there were plenty of bigwigs who could use his skills. That's the thing - no matter what happened, he knew he'd always land on his feet.

[Peregrine]

To Gueldiar Bantal:

 

As you walk away, you notice a pair of stormtroopers across the room watching you. Their rifles are still slung across their backs, and they have the obvious appearance of bored guards whose minds are occupied with more interesting things. One of them waves in the direction of a third stormtrooper, then at you. The third trooper walks over and apparently joins the conversation. After a few moments, all three of them walk off in the direction of the closest bar.

[Malchik]

Kell Olafssohn walks in impatiently. The repairs to his ship, though minor, have had to wait their turn on the priorities list and he has been grounded for a couple of days. He does not like to be waiting. And without a ship no one has offered him any jobs. Still there seems to be something of more significance than usual going on. He takes a seat irritably and hopes he will not have to wait long to get some work.

[Emry]

Anya fidgits with the datapad in front of her waiting for the briefing to begin. She had slipped in (hopefully) unnoticed and sat quietly in a seat in the back of the room. She looks around and marvels at the organized chaos of the rebels working around her. "The Imperials were never this noisy" she thinks to herself. "It was always quiet, always efficient. Everything had it's proper place, everyone doing the proper job..... everyone, that is, except me." She sighs quietly. "And now I'm on the run because I was born with an ability that I didn't even want, that I don't really know how to use. I hope I can help out the people here. Maybe then, we can make the Empire something worthwhile again.." she thinks bitterly.

[thanateros]

DeSuto strolls about the room and glances across the diverse group gathered there. Specifically he scans the crowd for any other Ubese (search check).

 

DeSuto is 5'10". He is wearing an environmental suit typical of his species. At this time his helmet is situated under his left arm while over his right shoulder is what appears to be a high power sniper rifle. On his left is a mechanism probably few have seen, a Lanvarok launcher. At first glance anyone can tell he has a mild temperament, his movements are fluid and graceful, remeniscent of successful diplomat. Yet his posture and worn look indicate a battle hardened warrior who has his share of experience; his face is stoic to the point of intimidation.

 

After surveying the scene he finds a wall and leans against it and places his helmet in a seat adjacent to him that is offered by the commander. He folds his arms over each other and lets out an audible exhale while using his left index finger to secure his goggles on the bridge of his nose.

 

"Interesting," he breathes to himself, careless of whether or not anyone heard him. He notes the Trandoshan seated among the rest of the team. "Don't see many of them off Trandosha," he relays to himself, "I wonder why he had to leave."

[Pack Rat]

In a rather silent way Walker, or at least that's what he calls himself now, enters the room. 'Hmmm', he thinks to himself: 'What do we have here?'.

He looks around in search for anyone familiar. He sighs relieved as he sees that there is none who might know him from earlier, from the time he didnt care for the Empire and Rebel struggle.

 

His eyes clearly are the ones of a hunter, rather strange since once it were the very same eyes that shined of pleasure and happiness. Now they shine anger and hate.

 

He sits down quietely, hoping that the others didnt much care for his presence.

[Peregrine]

To DeSuto:

 

You don't see any other ubese in the room. Of course this isn't much of a suprise, considering you hadn't seen any in your time with the rebels.

 

To All Others:

 

The commander notices that the last of you have arrived. He moves to the speaker's stand, and all conversation dies, and is replaced by a feeling of barely contained anticipation. Apparently the others in the room have been wondering about their orders just as much as you have.

 

Once the room is silent, he begins to speak. "The time for a decisive strike against the Empire has come. If we intend to make any useful progress towards overthrowing the Empire, we must shift our focus from hit and run attacks to retaking worlds. For several months we have been looking for an ideal planet to start our campaign from. Two weeks ago we found it."

 

He pushes a button on the control rod in his hand, and a holographic planet appears, floating just behind him. As the planet rotates, side displays highlight important features. The planet is dominated by plains and grasslands, with most of the civilization on the single major continent. Two moons and a large station/shipyard orbit the planet.

 

"This is the Mid-Rim world Habassa. Two weeks ago we recieved a request for help from one of Captain Tabanne's former allies. The Empire has begun to tighten it's grip on Habassa. But the sector governor and his staff are corrupt and incompetent. Security is far looser than on most comparable worlds, which leaves them open to rebellion.... if they are given the military support to turn their idealism into results."

 

He points the control rod at the planet and pushes another button. The planet fades away and is replaced by a list of names, separated into three groups. All of you notice your names listed under "Spirit of Destiny".

 

"That is where all of you come in. You will be the advance force we are sending to prepare the revolution. We can not bring in our capital ships and ground forces until the system is ready for our arrival. We are too badly outnumbered to remove the Imperials without Habassan assistance. Your job will be to organize this assistance. You have three major objectives. First, you must organize the local resistance and ensure that they will be able to fight when the time comes. Second, you must prepare the destruction of the Imperial garrison. Third, and perhaps most importantly, you must be ready to secure the orbital defenses and shipyard."

 

He points to the lists of names. "You will be arriving on Habassa aboard mercenary ships we have hired. This should allow you to slip through their defenses unnoticed. You will recieve more specific orders and flight plans once you are aboard your ships. Once you leave here, collect your equipment and join your team in the main hangar. Are there any questions?"