The RimWorld Bacta War
Part VIII: “Let’s Split Up”
Apologies for the lateness of this update, but I’d already typed this out at one point and then lost everything.
The group began the session debating how to get Simon and the two Jedi down to the planet of Iktoch to deliver a supply of bacta to their critically injured liege without getting shot out of the air by Iktochi space patrols.
The trick was to look harmless. The problem with this (which Simon was more than willing to point out) was that in order to look harmless, the trio + Nayda had to essentially be harmless.
Eventually, the group decided to jump the Knight Errant into the very edge of the system and jettison an escape pod with the ‘planet mission’ group on board. This seemed to work: they were picked up by a planetary orbital patrol and brought down to the spaceport, where they were immediately identified and confined until authorities could arrive. At that point, Simon talked his way into getting the Bacta to Senator Antilles.
The second complication was more challenging. There was clear (and convincing) footage of the group attacking the RimWorld diplomats during their last stay on the planet (one of the reasons they were being hunted), and equally convincing film footage of a fight they were involved in in the warehouse district at the same time. Simon got the Iktoch diplomatic liason to allow them to clear themselves if possible, and the four left for the area where they’d supposedly attacked the RimWorlders.
Meanwhile, those remaining on the ship tried to figure out how to find the RimWorlders to present them with an alternative to raiding the Trade Federation and immobilizing Hyperspace travel all along the major trade routes. Finally, they hit on a plan to go where the RimWorlders were going: that is, to anticipate the arrival of a Trade Fed ship coming into a nearby system and lie in wait, then follow the raiders back to a base if possible. (Thus far, the Knight Errant has proven immune to the virus that has immobilized any Hyperspace pursuit — no one knows why.)
This basically works. In a nearby system, the Errant lie dormant until the TF ship arrives, watches while the (numerous) RimWorld ships attack, collect the cargo, and jump away. Figuring trajectory, they deduce that the Consortium ships were headed either for an independant space station/trading hub, a farming planet, or a mining colony about 4 days away. They go for the trading station.
Having arrived at the station, they locate the RimWorlders (some of them, anyway, including the first mate), and make them interested in what they’re selling (which is: Bacta worms, with instructions on who to talk to to learn how to take care of them). The whole group heads back to the RimWorld’s docking bay for a nice public chat.
Hell breaks loose:
On Iktoch, our group of investigators are attacked by… themselves. One of the attackers shouts “no witnesses” and the whole group of imposters (?) charge in.
On the Space station, blaster fire and explosions suddenly echo from the vacinity of the RimWorld ship. The group runs for their own ship (and their heavier weapons), while Keema sends her droid to scout ahead. The holoprojected recording shows two Trade Federation Droiddekas clomping out of the RimWorld ship’s cargo hold — the TF apparently hid these little surprises in their cargo to punish would-be pirates.
Wee-haa…