Star Wars RPG solo - Part 2 : Looking for Vudlor Taf

"...that was the Modal Nodes' classic, Outer Rim Lady. You're listening to Smooth Night Sounds on frequency 80956-ab, Ord Mantell's favourite audi-cast station. We've got another request coming up in a moment, but first, this important news bulletin:

"The Imperial authorities have graciously agreed to step in and assist the beleaguered civilian government of Ord Mantell in ending the illegal strike which has been causing so much chaos for the planet. The OMTransit Union leaders who have struck this blow against planetary security and harmony are even now being arrested, and will be tried as befits criminals of their calibre. A return to normal transit operation is expected within the week.

"Well, they're finally sending in the stormtroopers to get this sorted. I don't know about you, my loyal listeners, but my pseudopods are killing me from walking to work every day.

"Our next request goes out to Yzisklo from Hhajan-dal. She says she's sorry she put hydrogen sulphate in your Type-1 atmosphere respirator, and she hopes the two of you can work things out..."


Scene 4

Chaos: Average (d10)

Setup: crossing the planet

[Q: Any complications? Certain (2+) O1 C1 - No, and...
+Event: Remote event - Oppress / Hope: Empire arresting union leaders to break strike (see above)]


Scene 5

Chaos: Average (d10)

Setup: looking for Vudlor Taf

NPC list: Porubek the Kitonak crimelord (Zil's boss), Vudlor Taf the Snivvian Black marketeer, Jather Plazeed the Devaronian grifter, Bootleg Bardin the speeder racer

Threads: deliver datapad

The trip across the continent is mostly uneventful. Bootleg Bardin is an expert racer, so weaving in and out of traffic to get to the open roadway is second nature to him, and the speeder's flight ceiling allows them to stay in the lesser-used top zone (100m) for most of the trip. They'd have made record time if Jather hadn't had to make them stop at almost every services to use the facilities.

The Henxell district is evenly divided between factories, warehouses, and low-rent workers' accommodation blocks. Offworlders rarely venture this far, though there is a minor starport for freight transfers. The lines between legal and criminal activity are blurred here, as many crime bosses own the warehouses which see a large number of perfectly mundane goods in and out in order to mask smuggling operations. Some of the minor bosses accidentally went legit when pursuing lucrative Imperial contracts.

The dashboard clock reads 24:17 as Bootleg is finding a place to park his speeder next to their destination, [rolling on the Scarlet Heroes urban location table], a large, unmarked warehouse. Despite the late hour, the streets are full of beings; swing shift has just let off. 

[Q: Random encounter? 50/50 (4+): O4 C2 - Yes, and...
BOLD Waylay: easy foes - mooks - leeching
solution: strong attribute

Zil's Intimidation (4D+2=17) vs. the thugs Willpower (+5 since they outnumbered the party: 2D+5=13]

They exit the speeder, stretch a little, then Zil leads them (she hopes) in the direction of the nearest entrance. An unkempt human youth crosses the street and begins following them. Another joins him. Then an angry rodian girl, and a scruffy squib. An equal number of hoods approach them from the front.

The ostensible leader, a young barabel, swaggers forth to address the weary travellers. "Got us some new faces in the district, I see. You shlorms must not have got the message yet, but anyone what wants to cross the Grey Gundarks' turf has to--"

"Shut up, child!" shouts Zil. The barabel winces in surprise, and fumbles for her next words. Zil continues in a more measured tone. "I'm sure Vudlor Taf would love to know his HQ is in the middle of Grey Gundark territory. We've got pressing business with him, but I'll make sure to let him know. I'm sure he'll send a couple of his people out to settle up with you."

"Hey, sorry, we made a mistake--"

"I suggest you run along home before you make another. And if we find so much as a fingerprint on my friend's speeder, he'll have your hides for seat covers."

[Q: Is Vudlor there? 50/50 (4+): O1 C9 - No.]

Zil leads her friends to the entrance, and buzzes to be let in.

"Yeah?" crackles the reply over the speaker.

"It's Zil Lhahon. I need to see Vudlor Taf."

A few moments later, the door slides open to reveal an enormous trandoshan, standing over two metres tall. He right arm has been replaced with a heavy, industrial strength hydraulic prosthesis. She looks Zil up and down, then glances at her companions.

"He ain't here."

"Porubek sent me. I need to give Vudlor this datapad. In person. Urgently. It's time-sensitive, so I had to get myself a racer to play chauffeur." [Zil needs to make a Moderate (12) Persuasion roll: 4D=15, success]

"Yeah, ok. You know where the Henxell power substation is...?"


Scene 6

Chaos: Average (d10)

Setup: looking for Vudlor Taf redux
d10=2, Altered - Cruelty / Extravagance

NPC list: Porubek the Kitonak crimelord (Zil's boss), Vudlor Taf the Snivvian Black marketeer, Jather Plazeed the Devaronian grifter, Bootleg Bardin the speeder racer

Threads: deliver datapad

The trandoshan gives them directions according to landmarks, for this part of urban Ord Mantell has no address markings, not being intended for offworlders. They go back to Bootleg's speeder, and he follows the route precisely to their destination, one of Vudlor Taf's reeking sweatshops [according to the Scarlet Heroes location table].

As they get nearer, they see a column of black smoke rising into the sky, and soon realise it is marking the very building they seek. The fire still rages out of control, in spite of the efforts of dozens of civil defence droids.

They flit back to Vudlor's warehouse before the police -- or worse, the Imperials -- cordon off the streets. The trandoshan opens the door again when they buzz, her mien as surly ever.

"Now what?"

"Uh, there's been a slight problem," says Zil. "Someone had torched the place before we got there. The streets are crawling with droids and it looks like the news crews were on their way." [Zil needs a Moderate (15) Persuasion roll to get anything from the guards: 4D=20, she would have made a Difficult roll, so gets full cooperation.]

"Come in. We can talk."

[Q: Do Vudlor's guards know anything? Unlikely (5+): O1 C1 - No, and... just as surprised as the party.
+Event: Move away from a thread - Care / The public]

They go into the guards' smoky room, where two weequay and a human are sitting round a table, having suddenly lost interest in the game of sabaac they were playing. One of the weequays turns up the volume on the holovid player, where our heroes see a familiar scene being played out.

"...coming to you live from the scene of the fire which has gutted several tenements in the Henxell district. The fire is believed to have started in an illegal droid refurbishing shop, operated by the property owner, notorious criminal Vudlor Taf. This being's negligence in failing provide the most basic safety precautions has resulted in the blaze which has left a hundred families homeless tonight, and..."

"Turn it off," says the trandoshan, as the screen shows a wretched Bith clutching several malnourished younglings, who begins an emotional plea to the Empire to bring Vudlor Taf to account for his crimes.

[Q: Cops on the way? 50/50 (4+): O6 C9 - Yes]

The door buzzer sounds again, and the trandoshan peers at the spycam feed. She mutters a word under her breath in a language none of the others understand, but whose meaning could not be more clear, then grabs up her heavy blaster rifle leaning against the wall.

"Stormtroopers," she says.