January 21 recap

•Ubese crime lord Keane agrees to find information for Ras and Yvegeny.

•Yvegeny is hired by the Genoharadan to harass an anti-Jedi protester.

•Ras gains a bodyguard, Devo Morden, from an ally among the Medons.

While Ras and Yvegeny wait for Keane, the Ubese crime lord/janitor, to end his shift, Ras gets a message from a Pau'an named Aluni Medon. She wants to set up a meeting, and Ras agrees. Meanwhile, Yvegeny gets on the comm with Aig and inquires about hazard pay on the contract. Aig makes the mistake of mentioning that the party will be paid more if a member dies, to cover the funeral and bereavement. Getting some ideas, Yvegeny comms Bao Koon, saying he should really push himself to find out about the Sith, but Bao senses that Yev has some ulterior motive and says he'll do things his way, then resumes his fact-finding in private. Yvegeny then gets a comm message from Shodu, the Rodian member of the Genoharadan who helped them apprehend Gaph on Coruscant, telling him to meet later.

After hanging around a bar for a short while, Ras and Yvegeny go to meet Keane at a maintenance closet. Keane lets them inside — the closet is full of maintenance droids and features a droid recharger and a small break area. Keane is concerned that Ras and Yvegeny will draw unwanted attention to him, as his position as the premier crime lord on the Expanse relies on him remaining under the radar, and he is stubbornly against the idea of working with them. However, Ras and Yvegeny offer him credits and promise that his name will never be mentioned, and Keane eventually relents. Ras says they want information on Aya Lim, Talvon Esan, and Esan's ship, the Devastator, and Keane says he'll have information for them in two days. Ras and Yvegeny provide Aig's comlink code for the information once they've got it.

With that set, Ras and Yvegeny go to their respective meetings, which are in moderate restaurants not far from each other. Yvegeny meets up with Shodu, who informs him that the Genoharadan have a new job for him. A citizens group called the Anti-Jedi Alliance is gaining prominence in the galaxy; they were founded by an Ithorian woman who recently gave up her son for Jedi training, then found her son was killed in the Sith bombing of Telos. They've heard about the Republic/Sith negotiations on Chommell Prime, and they're planning a demonstration on the Expanse to rally more support against the Jedi and Sith. Their key speaker is a Gotal named Klorr, a Republic military veteran of the Mandalorian Wars who left after Revan returned as a Sith Lord. The Genoharadan wants to maintain Republic stability, so they want to neuter the demonstration by not having Klorr speak; Yvegeny's job is to keep Klorr from speaking, but to not kill or hurt him, because making him a martyr would only encourage him.

Ras meets up with Aluni Medon, who brings her security chief, a human named Devo Morden. Aluni explains that she wants the Republic to secure Chommell Prime and is willing to help however she can, but she is "middle management" among the Medon family and does not carry much influence. She does, however, have the ear of her brother, Tarn Medon, who is much more influential, and she offers to make inquiries about arranging a meeting. Not only that, but she can provide intelligence about the Medons and find out whose allegiances lie with the Sith or the Republic. To cement her friendship, she offers the services of Morden, who is knowledgeable about Chommell Prime and has good security clearance with most of the Medons. Morden also demonstrates that he is a capable bodyguard, having been a former Republic commando. Ras tests him with a Jedi mind trick, but Morden capably resists it, impressing Ras.

Yvegeny does some research on the Anti-Jedi Alliance, and finds out they've captured a Jedi on the Expanse, a Miraluka named Plutara, for the purpose of showcasing that the Jedi aren't so tough at the demonstration, though Yvegeny can't find where they're keeping her. He comms Ras, who introduces Devo. Yvegeny tells about the Anti-Jedi Alliance and that they've got a Jedi held captive; Devo is troubled that it's Plutara and is immediately interested in rescuing her. Yvegeny finds out the hotel where Klorr, the Gotal ex-soldier, is staying at, and they decide to meet up to figure out how to stop the demonstration.

When they meet up, Yvegeny introduces himself to Devo about having "fought for freedom" himself, not wanting to admit that he fought as a Mandalorian during the war. While formulating their plans, Drallon, Ras' apprentice, admits he didn't bring his lightsaber — as he's still uncomfortable about using it — which is probably for the best, as Klorr probably won't want to think he's being attacked by the Jedi. The plan is to beat him up and intimidate him into not speaking, posing as someone else to throw him off the scent. Yvegeny makes a Molotov cocktail and considers painting the attack as anti-Gotal to make it seem random. He also spreads the rumor that Calo Nord has been seen on the Expanse, and plans to wear his disguising turban, but Ras balks, saying she won't help if Yvegeny wears it.

The party goes to the hotel, and Drallon waits in the lobby as a lookout during the operation. Yvegeny tries to bribe a bellhop droid into telling him Klorr's room number, but the droid refuses. He then talks to a receptionist droid, who agrees to deliver a message to his room — Devo recommends saying they're representatives for Tarn Medon, which would help their chances of getting an audience — but still doesn't disclose the room number. Yvegeny goes across the street to a cafe and uses his computer skills to hack into the hotel system, finding out that Klorr is staying in room 15D. He also places Calo Nord in the hotel registry to further his story.

The party goes up to Klorr's room, bluffs past his bodyguards, and introduces themselves as representatives of Tarn Medon; Ras is the negotiator, while Devo is her bodyguard and Yvegeny is her financier. Klorr is eager to share his work with them and delivers his Powerpoint presentation on how the Jedi have ruined the galaxy, and why the Republic should learn to stand on its own without the Jedi. As the presentation goes on, Yvegeny sneaks behind him in the dark and aims with his hold-out blaster. Devo gets up and locks the door, but Klorr spots him, and Yvegeny shoots Klorr.

A brief melee ensues, ending with Klorr on the floor beaten (and Ras pretending that she has no idea what's going on). Devo asks where Plutara is, but Klorr is defiant and says he's not afraid of the "pro-Jedi assassins" — go ahead and martyr him, it'll prove him right. Yvegeny tries to intimidate him to staying away from the protest, but Klorr is resolute. Devo proceeds to whack him with his rifle as Klorr's bodyguards finally burst through the door. Devo and Yvegeny disengage to attack his guards (who are martial artists to get around the Expanse's rules prohibiting weaponry), and Ras uses the Force to hurl Klorr out of the room and make him think Ras is carrying him to safety. Yvegeny stabs a note into the table and throws his Molotov cocktail, starting a fire in the room (which, in turn, releases a cold gas into the room to stop the fire). By the end of the fight, the two guards are dead.

Klorr smashes his bed's nightstand through a window and begins climbing onto the fire escape. Keeping up her cover of "rescuing him," Ras grabs Klorr and together they leap from the fire escape onto a passing window washer droid. As they hang on for dear life (being 15 stories up), Ras asks Klorr where the Jedi is being held, and Klorr says she's at Docking Bay 42. Eventually, the droid lands, and Klorr runs off. When she rejoins the party, Ras tells them Klorr is dead, and Yvegeny believes her.

With the location in hand (Docking Bay 42), the party sets off to rescue Plutara. They rejoin Drallon, who kept an eye on the front door, and Ras has a short talk with Drallon about how she used nonviolence to get what she wanted, by convincing Klorr she was rescuing him. On the way to the docking bay, Yev hacks into the Holonet site for the Anti-Jedi Alliance and sets up trackers to alert him to any news about Klorr or the events of the day.

DM's Notes:

•I do so love creating interesting villains, hence the Anti-Jedi Alliance, a group I can reuse as much as I want. They were partially created to show how public opinion is turning against the Jedi, but I do think they've got a point about whether the Jedi have made the galaxy worse, both through their not policing their own members (Exar Kun, Darth Revan) or their inaction (the Mandalorian Wars).

•This session taught me a little more about running skill challenges — namely, mention at the start the skills that are available, so we don't just use the same skills again and again.

•Major kudos to Jake/Ras for the cinematics of jumping onto the window washer droid. Incredibly dangerous, but really cool, and that's the kind of thing I like to see, given this is an RPG based on an action movie.

•Here's the text of Yvegeny's hate-speech note to Klorr, which he stabbed into the hotel room table with a knife:

"Get the hell out you Godel [sic] scumsuckin' geek! If I wasn't ill I'd kick your ass all the way to Naboo! We don't need your kind here on Chommell Prime! —xoxo the establishment"

January 10 recap

•The party meets up with the Republic fleet on Chommell Prime.

•The negotiation team meets with an influential Medon scion, only to find he also invited the Sith to the talks.

•With the Republic stymied by the ongoing negotiations, the party begins searching for the hidden Sith fleet.

In hyperspace en route to Chommell Prime, Yvegeny leaves the cockpit in the hands of pilot droid A9G-E5 ("Aig") to go to the new Jedi training area in the Capanata and meet the new crew. Upon hearing Yvegeny's bluster about how important he is on the ship and how the Padawans need to keep themselves in line, Drallon, Ras' new apprentice, takes an instant dislike to him, and Haesh, Bao Koon's apprentice, smirks to his master that Yvegeny looks just like a bounty hunter they'd fought before on Ord Mantell. Yvegeny doesn't seem to like any of the new arrivals except for Aig, and given the rough first impression, the feeling seems to be mutual.

Ras and Drallon talk more amongst themselves about the right time to use a lightsaber, and though Drallon is still unwilling to use his lightsaber, Ras' positive reinforcement seems to be having a good effect on him. Bao tells Yvegeny that he's actually been following the crew since Myzil V — a vision through the Force told him their paths would cross in a fateful way — and he's been learning all he can about them from afar, though he didn't follow them to Naboo, so he's curious what happened to Kelif. He also intimates that he knows Yvegeny and Kazbich are the same person, having deduced as much from Yvegeny's mannerisms. Aig also meets the rest of the crew, expressing excitement to be working with the crew and explaining his origins — being an archive droid for the University of Alderaan, and being reprogrammed as a pilot by an adventurous professor who met an unfortunate end, leading to Aig's independence. He states that he considers the Capanata itself his "boss," as he's quite attached to the ship, but Ras amends that to say that he should think of the Republic as his boss now.

The ship soon arrives at Chommell Prime and meets up with the Republic fleet — 10 Hammerhead cruisers and an Inexpugnable battleship called the Honor of Coruscant. Docking with the Honor of Coruscant, the party is greeted by Jedi Master Kavar, a member of the Jedi Council. He introduces himself to Ras and Bao, but Yvegeny starts asking about how they're getting paid for this mission (as he's a "Blackwater specialist" and all) and who can work the contract out. Kavar, somewhat taken aback, replies that he can make sure that whoever on the ship is in charge of contracts can figure it out, and A9G graciously volunteers to take charge of the contract himself and figure out the expenses. After some talks, he tells Yvegeny that he'll be making 5,000 credits for helping the Republic.

Kavar leads the party to a conference room on the ship, where they meet the other two Jedi Masters in charge of the Chommell Prime mission — Jenica Vigil, who they met before on Myzil V, and Geis Choi, a pessimistic Aleena who openly wonders which of them he'll be sending to their deaths. Kavar explains that they know the Sith fleet is hidden on Chommell Prime somewhere — a Cronau scan shows their ships haven't left the system via hyperspace yet. However, they're in a holding pattern; the Medons are unwilling to let them just march right in, as Chommell Prime isn't Republic territory, so they're in ongoing negotiations. It's also known that some members of the Medon family advocate joining the Sith, while others want to follow the Republic. The party will meet up with a member of the Republic Diplomatic Corps at the estate of Ladow Medon, a young, influential scion who is undecided but carries a lot of weight. Ras Patul will take the lead on negotiations, while Bao Koon will search for clues as to the location of the Sith fleet, and Yvegeny will act as bodyguard and observer.

They are flown via Republic shuttle to Ladow Medon's private estate by Prinzen, a Snivvian pilot; Prinzen makes small talk on the way, talking about how he's got a cousin who's a Jedi, but that he's all self-righteous and a bore to be around. They soon arrive at Medon's estate — a transparisteel enclosure with gardens and an extravagant estate inside, as well as Utapau-native varactyls crawling along the inside. They dock in a landing bay on the underside, and soon they're met by Ladow Medon, two of his Gen'Dai servants, and Lokksnek, a Trandoshan member of the Republic Diplomatic Corps.

Ladow is gracious to his guests and is very interested in all the members of the party. He invites them to dinner and gives them a changing room to freshen up. In the changing room, Yvegeny and Bao spot a few recording bugs, but decide to leave them alone — if Ladow were to spot that they've been tampered with, he might think the Republic doesn't trust him. Ladow serves a gourmet meal to his guests, and makes delightful small talk over dinner to his guests, but the party notices 3 spots at the table that are empty.

Eventually, a Gen'Dai approaches Ladow and whispers that the other guests have arrived. Ladow excuses himself, leaving the party alone. They spot more recording bugs, but again decide to leave them alone to keep up appearances, at Lokksnek's advice. Ladow soon returns with his guests in tow — an Arkanian Offshoot woman in a white uniform (introduced as Dr. Undawai), a bulky Cathar man in black robes (named Stragos), and none other than Darth Malak! Ladow says they're the Sith negotiating team, and now the discussion can begin in earnest.

Ras points out that the Sith have committed horrible atrocities in the five months of the war so far, but Undawai (who does most of the talking) points out that the Sith aren't merely bloodthirsty conquerors — they've done good things for the planets that have joined them, and the Republic has failed its people plenty of times since the war's inception. The Sith are prepared to offer a lot to the Medon family; not only protection by the Sith military, but financial advice (Stragos is apparently a proficient seer) and medical care (as Undawai has already cured several diseases on Sith planets).

Ras asks why the Sith even need to take Chommell Prime — can't they just let the planet stay neutral? Darth Malak points out that this is a war and the objective is to deny their enemy (the Jedi) resources. Sith do not share; they take. Undawai points out that the unique fuel chemicals on Chommell Prime would be a valuable asset. Ras advocates maintaining Chommell Prime's neutrality, but Malak is adamant, going so far as to say the Sith will simply take over the planet if the Medons don't join them, and the Republic will be powerless to stop them.

Recognizing the cost of life if the Sith don't get their way, Ras pulls Ladow aside and suggests that he join the Sith simply to keep his people alive, but act as a double agent to funnel information to the Republic. Ladow is skeptical — if he were to be discovered, the Sith's retribution would be terrible — but says he will keep the idea under consideration, as he has not made his decision yet.

The dinner ends, and the delegations return to their respective ships. At a debriefing with the Jedi war council, the party recommends a variety of options. Yvegeny recommends a holding pattern, which will not provoke the Sith and will buy the Medons more time, or says they can simply leave if the Sith are willing to destroy anyone who gets in their way, as the planet is pretty much lost then. Ras says if the Medons join the Sith, the Republic can attempt to blockade the planet anyway to deny the Sith a resource, but they should continue to show trust in Ladow Medon, in hopes of using him as a Republic double agent; if the Republic uses the opportunity to attempt to assassinate Malak, the whole deal could go south. Bao suggests they explore the Expanse to learn more about the situation.

Knowing that Darth Malak, Talvon Esan (the Butcher), and Aya Lim are all on or near Chommell Prime, the party decides to do some investigating to find out where they are, by investigating the underworld on the Expanse. They take their shuttle to the Expanse, hiding their weapons to get past customs (the Gen'Dai are quite insistent about no violence on the station). Using his computer skills, Yvegeny learns a significant amount about the criminals on the Expanse; they hide on the far end of the station, near the repulsorlifts, where security is looser and the businesses a little shadier. The party heads down there and splits up.

Yvegeny and Ras go to the Togorian Tapcafe, a rough joint run by Togorians. Some human mercenaries are willing to talk with them, but they're very rude and they provide no useful information. Bao goes to The Repulsorlift, a dingy place nearby, where he strikes up a conversation with a Duros named Valik who is something of a middleman. Bao claims to be a smuggler, and Valik says he'll send some of his guys to pick up the cargo at Bao's docking bay. Eventually, they hear about Keane, an Ubese who is supposedly the big crime lord on the Expanse — and also a janitor. Yvegeny tries to talk to Keane, but he's rebuffed — Keane thinks Yvegeny will draw too much attention. After repeated inquiries by Yvegeny and Ras, he finally relents and tells them to meet him at Maintenance Closet 2A7.

DM's commentary:

•Part of my goal with this entire campaign has been to bring in some of the characters seen in the KOTOR video games in non-intrusive ways. Jedi Master Kavar, who was in hiding on Onderon in KOTOR 2, has been pretty high on that list; in the game, Canderous mentions the Mandalorians had originally thought Kavar would be leading the Jedi against them in the Mandalorian Wars, which led me to think he was a great military leader and would probably take an active leadership role in the Jedi Civil War. This session also saw the debut of Darth Malak, the main bad guy of KOTOR 1. Not only is he there to show how serious the Sith are about taking Chommell Prime, but given the negotiations there, he's playing the unusual role of "head of state."

•Another goal of mine is to expand the personalities of the Jedi NPCs beyond "stoic defender of peace and justice." As evidenced by their first meeting, Drallon doesn't like Kazbich, and Haesh is nonplussed by his bluster. We've also got Geis Choi, the Aleena Jedi Master in the Republic fleet "war council," who's very grumpy and pessimistic. My concept for him is that he's a brilliant tactician, but even this early in the war, he's seen too many of his friends go to their deaths, and that has a wearying effect on him. Also, although we've never really explored them, Jenica Vigil has some layers herself — she pushes herself to be the best, but she feels like she has the weight of the Republic on her shoulders, and this causes her to push Bastila harder than she probably should. A lot of my conceptualization of Jenica Vigil was trying to figure out what kind of Master would cause Bastila to be as full of herself as she is in KOTOR 1.

•I did not intentionally write Undawai as being Evil Lyta, but I can see a resemblance now.

Holonet News Vol. 46 No. 87

JEDI TEMPLE RECONSTRUCTION HAMPERED BY FUNDING SLOWDOWN

CORUSCANT — Despite public statements from senators, business leaders, and investors promising aid, attempts to repair and rebuild the Jedi Temple on Coruscant have slowed to a crawl because of lack of sponsors. The Temple was damaged recently in a surprise attack on Coruscant by Sith warships. 73 Jedi were reported dead at the Temple, with another 54 still unaccounted for; Jedi Master Vandar Tokare would not respond to rumors that many of those missing Jedi willingly joined the Sith. The attack on Coruscant also did significant damage to the Administrative District, slowing down efforts to coordinate repair efforts, as well as the north pole, severely hampering the planet's water supply and forcing most Coruscanti to rely on off-planet shipments. While most efforts to reach previous Jedi supporters have been met with silence, those who have spoken have indicated that the Jedis' failure to adequately predict and protect Coruscant from invasion has shaken their faith in the Republic's ability to win the war.

SENATOR'S DEATH PROMPTS COALITION TO SOLIDIFY REPUBLIC TIES

CORUSCANT — The recent shooting death of Geonosian senator Mazzag has caused a coalition of Outer Rim senators to reaffirm their loyalty to the Republic. The senators were believed to have ties to Sith terrorists that recently attacked Corulag, but held a press conference that not only stated they would fully cooperate with Republic investigators, but produced the locations of 27 Sith terror cells on Coruscant. Czerka extraction teams soon had members of 19 of the 27 cells in custody. "We will stand firm with the Supreme Chancellor against the Sith, who would resort to cowardly tactics to enforce their policies," said Muba Nilco, the senator from Cholganna.

HERGLIC CONSORTIUM SWEARS LOYALTY TO SITH EMPIRE

After weeks of negotiations, the region of the Colonies known as Herglic Space has agreed to become a vassal of the Sith Empire. Herglic leaders agreed to terms set by Revan, including enabling Sith warships to make use of their spaceports and allowing a Sith occupation force. Despite light protesting on Giju, the Herglic leadership appears to support the alliance, stating on a holofeed that it will broaden their trade routes and enable more sharing of technology with other Sith allies. When pressed about Sith officers having a more direct hand in the Herglic government, President Minn Kooda had no comment. No decision has yet been made by the Republic about the possibility of retrieving the 1,000 troops and two Jedi who had been stationed on Giju and have not been heard from in two weeks.

News in brief:

•Christophsis refuses Telos refugees

•Four Jedi killed in anti-Jedi riots on Ord Sabaok

•Dim-U leader arrested on embezzlement charges

•Czerka Corporation announces stock split

•Gamorr to host Lhosan swoop championship

Happy holidays!

Happy holidays, one and all! If you haven't checked your e-mail recently, everybody gets a free feat (any one for which you meet the prerequisites) to celebrate another year of play. (Don't worry, recurring characters like Aya Lim, Marina and "The Butcher" are not enjoying this holiday bonus. This is players only.)

Also, astute readers will note that our next game is posted on the rail — a large-group game, set for Sunday the 10th.

December 10 recap

•Ras Patul is assigned a Padawan.

•Marina says goodbye.

•Yvegeny takes on a job from the Genoharadan with the help of the ship's new pilot.

•Bao Koon and his apprentice, Haesh, get to know Ras.

Ras and Yvegeny find that they have various messages waiting for them on their comlinks. In the first one, Kelif tells the party he will stay on Naboo with his family. Ras receives a message telling her to meet with the Jedi Council of Reassignment. Yvegeny gets two more messages; one is from Marina, telling him that she's leaving the Raraza to pursue the planet Iego on her own, but she'll send for Yve when she finds it. She does say, however, that in her wheeling and dealing to find the planet, she made a bad deal, and now someone (she doesn't know who) knows that Yvegeny is really Kazbich. She does say, however, that she has hired a new pilot for the ship. The second message for Yvegeny has an unknown sender from the Genoharadan, saying it's time to get to work — they've got a job for him, and it's pro bono to pay them back for loaning out Shodu to capture Gaph.

Upon arriving at the Council of Reassignment, Ras is assigned a Padawan — Drallon, a Quarren teenager who was the apprentice of Master Muz before his untimely death in the Sith attack on the Jedi Temple. Drallon has been badly shaken by his master's death, and while he is a promising lightsaber student, he has refused to use one since Muz's death. As Ras is not only a gifted lightsaber student but also an expert negotiator, it is believed that she will be able to help complete Drallon's training. As such, Drallon will accompany her to Chommell Prime.

Ras also meets a Jedi Knight who will be joining her: a Kel Dor Jedi Investigator named Bao Koon. An expert seer and a formidable Force user, Bao specializes in tracking down and neutralizing darksiders, and he wears civilian clothing to blend in, rather than his Jedi robes. He is joined by his apprentice, a sarcastic Yarkora named Haesh who is following in Bao's footsteps. The Council recommends that Ras Patul, Bao Koon, and their respective apprentices get to know each other before they join the Republic fleet at Chommell Prime.

Yvegeny meets up with a protocol droid in the lower levels of the city, who tells him his assignment — assassinate Geonosian senator Mazzag, who's been trying to form a political coalition and has given his associates gift droids that have been secretly recording information for him, which could drastically tip the balance of power in the Galactic Senate. The droid then wipes its own memory and wanders off. Yvegeny has Crask Luk follow Mazzag around the city to get a sense of the guy's schedule.

At the same time, Ras and Bao decide to renew their search for Wertsnik, but aside from a few scant clues about him being in the Works district, they don't have any good leads. Yvegeny asks Ras to help him take down Mazzag, but Ras refuses — he's a senator, and he's clean; all she's got to go on is Yvegeny's say-so. However, Crask produces some clues — Mazzag stays in the high-class areas near the Senate, but he does frequent a restaurant that specializes in insectoid cuisine.

Yvegeny looks for a good way to poison Mazzag's food, and contacts Oro, but insults him by calling Lyta his "master." However, he does pass the comlink onto Lyta, who doesn't know any insect-specific food poisons. Lyta does give him the complex chemical names for a common "bug bomb" used by exterminators. Yvegeny takes this information to a nearby pharmacist, but the pharmacist becomes concerned when he says he's going to use this to kill a Geonosian. Yvegeny claims there's a building infested by Geonosians "who've gone insane because of the Force," but the pharmacist raises a security force field and advises Yvegeny to leave.

Using Ras' name, Yvegeny then goes to the Jedi Temple, where he meets up with a Bith Jedi Healer in the infirmary. Yvegeny claims he needs medicine for a Geonosian friend and gives him the names of the chemicals Lyta described, but the Bith recognizes this as poison and, confused, provides Yvegeny with actual Geonosian medicine. Having exhausted his options, Yvegeny contacts an exterminator and picks up a few bug bombs.

With the trail for Wertsnik having gone cold, Ras then tells Bao about Aya Lim, the conflicted Jedi apprentice who they encountered on Nar Shaddaa and Myzil V. Using the description, Bao is able to detect Aya Lim in the Force — within 100 kilometers of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, in fact. Bao starts tracking Aya Lim into a middle-class district not far from the Temple.

Yvegeny looks for allies to help him take down Mazzag, and goes to the lower levels to talk to Prello the Hutt. Yvegeny tries to convince him to lend him some muscle, but Prello is reluctant to get involved in an attack on a senator and is paranoid about the trail going back to him if things go south, so he refuses. He does spread the rumor, though, that Calo Nord is on Coruscant and after a bounty.

Yvegeny decides to go back to the landing pad to meet up with the new pilot, who turns out to be archive droid A9G-E5. A9G (who Yvegeny calls "Aig") explains that he comes with very good references — he was an archive droid for the University of Alderaan who was also programmed to be able to pilot ships and chart astrogation courses for university-owned ships. He's since become an independent droid and gone into business on his own as a pilot — and a good one, too, as he knows several advanced flying maneuvers — although he still has a huge store of general knowledge about the galaxy in his system. A9G is unwilling to risk himself killing a senator, but Yvegeny convinces him to be his driver by saying that Senator Mazzag was responsible for the death of his former crewmate, Kelif Binks-Fett. Yvegeny has disguised himself in the turban of Calo Nord to throw off anybody who spots him, but A9G is paranoid and wants to preserve his dignity, so he wears a turban himself.

Bao Koon trails Aya Lim to a flophouse not too far from the Jedi Temple, then follows that trail to a nearby starport. He and Haesh call in Ras and Drallon to rendezvous. They arrive at a starport where civilian freighters are going across the galaxy. Aya Lim is seen from far away boarding one, though she does look back, seemingly sensing she is being followed. Ras checks that ship's registry — it's going to the Outer Rim, but one of its stops is Chommell Prime. Ras senses they will meet again soon, and a crowded civilian spaceport isn't the place for a confrontation. On the way back to the Temple, Drallon and Ras talk — Drallon is reluctant to use a lightsaber now that he has seen them used to kill his friends and former Master, and he is terrified of the notion that he may one day have to take a life himself. Ras reassures him that a Jedi does not take lives needlessly and that a lightsaber is a tool of defense, not aggression.

A9G drives a rented speeder convertible while Yvegeny sits in the backseat, ready to shoot Mazzag. A9G pulls alongside the speeder to see that Mazzag is guarded by two Colicoid infiltrator droids. One jumps across the gap and engages Yvegeny with his vibroblade arms. Yvegeny shoots it a few times, and A9G flips the speeder on its edge, knocking the droid to its destruction while Yvegeny barely hangs on. Yvegeny shoots the remaining droid and Mazzag, sufficiently wounding him that a lobbed bug bomb finishes him off. Mazzag's droid driver panics and takes him to his Senate office while A9G drives away to avoid any pursuers.

At the starport, Ras sees breaking news footage of Senator Mazzag's speeder coming under attack and groans.

Galactic Gazetteer: Chommell Prime

The planet Chommell Prime was one of the first planets colonized during early expansion into the Mid Rim. Hyperspace explorers catalogued the planet about seven hundred years ago, and Chommell Prime — so named because it was the largest planet in the sector — was discovered to be a gas giant with large quantities of naturally produced irolunn gas, a substance that substantially improves the fuel efficiency of capital starships. As no company had sponsored the scouts who discovered it, Chommell Prime became the subject of a bidding war between various mega-entities. The planet soon entered galactic prominence when its deed was purchased by the wealthy Medon family of Utapau.

No history of Chommell Prime is complete without a history of the Medons. This Pau'an family dates back to the early days of the Republic — no less than three Medons signed the Galactic Constitution. They made their fortune in planet exploration and prospecting, selling the natural resources of one world to buy another. As such, they have been very influential in the Republic because they have helped fund various hyperspace expeditions that found very profitable planets. The Great Manifest Period, in which the Expansion Region was established 15,000 years ago, was funded in large part by Medon money.

However, it is important to note that the Medons are fiercely independent. While they are patriotic to the Republic, their first loyalty is to their family. Most Medons who pursue business do so within their own corporations — they do not deign to work for others. The Medons are kind to their friends and ruthless to their enemies, and many competitors have been bankrupted by the Medons' superior business acumen. The Medons are aided by a group of Gen'Dai servitors, who have served them for centuries.

Upon purchasing Chommell Prime, the Medons took advantage of the natural irodunn gas and constructed a large starship repair hub, called the Expanse. Ninety kilometers long and two kilometers wide, this facility is one of the largest drydocks in the galaxy, capable of servicing over a hundred capital starships at once. Inside, the Medons have constructed a variety of tourist attractions and accommodations for visitors getting their ships refueled. However, the Medons are very strict about their investment — no weapons are allowed on the Expanse, and violent agitators have been known to be simply hurled off the station by security droids, to plummet to their death.

In the interest of business, the Expanse has been declared neutral territory by the Medon family, allowing any ship to dock there as long as they can pay (and as long as they can avoid any violent incidents). A small underworld has thrived in the lower levels of the Expanse, however, using the vast shipyard to smuggle contraband from ship to ship. Mercenaries who are looking for work can usually find a quick job from the ships passing through. The Medons have also allowed corporations such as Czerka and Lhossa to extract their own irodunn gas — at an enormous tribute, of course. Corporate espionage runs thick, as many entities would love to end the Medons' monopoly of irodunn gas.

Besides the Expanse, there are also several floating Medon estates drifting among the clouds, but these are heavily guarded and intruders are not welcome. (A nearby desert planet in the same system, Chommell Minor, also houses a Pau'an colony, but it is more for middle-class Pau'ans and is nowhere near as fancy.) A few smaller drydocks have been set up by the Medons across the planet, though these are not as popular as the more accommodating Expanse. Several small corporate-approved irodunn gas collectors float through the atmosphere, and a few cruise ships make short stops at Chommell Prime to enjoy the spectacular view. There are rumors that the Medons have secret drydocks hidden away in the lower reaches of the atmosphere for their more private customers, but given that they can easily move across the planet, no one knows for certain where they are.

Most curiously, a flotilla of stolen and battered Czerka ships has been recently spotted drifting through the atmosphere on the far side of the planet. Attempts to contact the ships have been met only with grunts and growls, and it's believed the ships fled a Czerka colony before suffering hyperdrive damage. The Medons have been trying to find and destroy the flotilla, as refugees on their doorstep is bad for business.

Troubling for the Republic is that despite Chommell Prime's loyalty during the Mandalorian Wars, the Medons are maintaining their neutrality during the Sith invasion, and many worry the Medons are positioning themselves to be valuable to the Sith in the event that Darth Revan destroys the Republic. Sith ships have been seen docked at Chommell Prime, but given that violence is not tolerated on the Expanse, the Republic has been stymied at trying to apprehend them.

Character updates

As the party prepares to rejoin the greater galaxy after the long stay on Naboo, some of the players are making some changes to their characters:

•Milky is retiring Kelif, who will be staying on Naboo with his family. He will be now playing a Kel Dor Jedi Investigator, going for something of a "noir detective" feel.

•Jim will be retiring Lyta and Oro in favor of a more soldier-type character, species presently unknown.

As far as I know, Ras Patul, Gobmush and Kazbich/Yvegeny will remain constant.