Infiltration of the Imperial Research Facility

An adventure from Rise of the Empire.

The story thus far

Having secured an item that was requested by the Hutts, our party escaped Imperial clutches on Raxus Prime. In the process they destroyed an AT-ST and rescued Anna, her crew and some rebel prisoners. The group traveled to an out of the way planet to drop of Anna and her companions and meant to be on their way until the Hutts told them to lay low...

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Into the Lion's Maw

Seeing a skilled group of mercenaries being idle, Anna and her rebel friends convinced the party to go to Rehn, a planet securely in Imperial hands where the largest Imperial research facility is working on a massive weapon system. We were to infiltrate it, be inconspicuous and download as much secure data as possible. That meant getting Charlie Tango to makes his moves on the facility mainframe. We were promised 20K credits and given 12 thermal detonators along with uniforms, some armour and Imperial codes and credentials. Our erstwhile Jedi did not join us, perhaps he was on a side quest completing his mission on Raxus Prime.

While travelling in Werun's trusty ship, The Undecided, we changed into the uniforms and came up with a plan. Werun would be the officer, Skipio the technician and Mace would act as the mercenary ship captain. The story would be that Lt. Seb Gavana (Werun) commandeered the ship to deliver a secure data package to the research facility. The data, of course, was stored in the lieutenant's droid. Playing this droid, Charlie Tango was asked to take off his garments, revealing a very modern and high tech skin.

We were told to expect Imperial fleet manoeuvres above Rehn, but we came out of light speed to half the Imperial Fleet floating above the planet. While weaving through more Star Destroyers than any of us ever wanted to see (especially the freaked out Jawa) we were challenged, but the codes and clearances worked.

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After landing about a mile from the facility, two Biker Scouts informed us that we were at an auxiliary landing zone. They wondered why we did not land on the facility platform. Werun told the truth, that this was the indicated landing site and the only one we were aware of. Then he asked for an escort to the facility and that they keep and eye out on the ship. While walking the mile, Mace was not too happy, stating that it would be a long run back to the ship if anything went wrong.

The party arrived at a large bunker with a dish atop. In front of a massive set of blast doors a platoon of Storm Troopers was being inspected by a Sargent. Werun demanded that the Sargent open the doors. The Sargent, perhaps put off by this uppity, young officer politely gave Werun a hard time. Finally the credentials worked and Werun once again asked for an escort.

Once in the facility, the party passed by the landing platform. No one facepalmed, but much grief could have been avoided if we had queried the facility for landing directions. The Sargent helpfully brought us to a bank of turbolifts and told us that the mainframe was on sublevel 22.

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Lies and Mainframes

Exiting on 22 we met a snotty lieutenant who also gave us a hard time. Before letting Charlie Tango near the mainframe, the officer demanded that he take the droid for a security scan. Werun had no problem with the scan, but objected that he could not let the droid out of his sight. The long argument was finally settled once it became apparent that the droid could not leave Werun's side, as it was keyed specifically to Lt. Seb Gavana - quick thinking on the part of Charlie Tango. The snotty officer had to give in, but had the last laugh by taking Charlie and Werun to the facility's Commandant's office, which was just down the hall. Mace and Skipio were ushered to a near by briefing room, where Mace vocally complained about the lack of food and proceeded to poke and prod every surface in the room including the walls.

The Commandant supervised the security scan and grilled Werun, who was strangely at ease playing an Imperial officer. The scan went pretty smoothly and the Commandant took us to the mainframe access terminal. A slightly tense moment arose when Charlie Tango tipped the system to his intrusion. A science officer alerted the Commandant and a nasty grilling session proceeded with everyone pleading ignorance, especially RWW363 (Charlie Tango). The Commandant tried to take Werun back to his office, but once again RWW363 just undocked and followed Werun. Disgusted, the Commandant left them.

The science officer tasked an R5 astromech to monitor Charlie's supposed upload of engine schematics, in fact a massive, encrypted garbage file. During this upload Charlie hacked the mainframe and copied all by two ultra-secure files. From these files (and from earlier conversations with the Commandant) we learned that: - The capacitor we stole from Raxus Prime was a miniature test model for a massive turbo laser that was being designed on sublevel 30. - This weapon was big enough to destroy planets and it would be housed in a massive structure, also being designed on sublevel 30.

In the meantime the Commandant went to the briefing room to give Mace and Skipio a hard time, especially Skipio who was too young and way to scruffy to be an Imperial Technician Junior Grade. Skipio brilliantly bluffed when the Commandant demanded the specs of the advanced droid the boy was seemingly taking care of. Pretending to be a droid modder/aficionado who won a contest to become an Imperial technician for bleeding edge droids, he talked about Charlie as not very advanced ("You should see the really new stuff I get to work with.") and citing secrecy he apologized that he could not talk about it.

Both Mace and Skipio then proceeded to piss off the Commandant by asking him to go to sublevel 15 where the commissary was located. Since the facility was secure, the two of them did not have the clearance to go themselves. Unfortunately they were hungry and asked that the Commandant get them a sandwich, preferably a tuna salad sub, if they had them. Before the Commandant could throttle the two impertinent interlopers we cut to...

Charlie Tango undocking, his work complete. Unfortunately the science officer demanded that we decrypt the uploaded file. Both Werun and Charlie insisted they did not have the key and that it would or already had been transmitted. The science officer would have none of it and took them to the briefing room to the Commandant.

"We'll get to the bottom of this." said the Commandant looking at Werun. "Who is your commanding officer on Raxus Prime?" Werun fortunately remembered the name of the officer who interrogated the party when they first arrived in the Raxus system.

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Things Get Loud

The Commandant went to his office leaving us with the science officer conveniently between Mace and Werun. After a few furtive glances and nods Mace hauled back with his heavy blaster rifle (which was thankfully not confiscated) and sucker butt-stroked the Captain. As he was slumping Werun slammed a knife in his throat. Mace dove in to grab the Captain's mouth so we could dispatch him quietly. All the while, Charlie Tango connected to the system and brought all the turbolifts to our level, locked them there and turned on the fire alarm on sublevel 30.

The party then left the briefing room with as much "act casual" as they could muster. They only went a short way towards the turbo lifts before a trooper challenged them. The awkward back and forth was interrupted when the Commandant emerged from his office in a corridor behind the trooper. When the trooper turned to the Commandant we made a run for it. Before running, Charlie Tango opened a secret compartment and left a parting gift, a thermal detonator - killing the trooper and severely injuring the Commandant.

Then part ran right into some Troopers. Werun shouted at the Troopers: "Quick, get to the Commandant, he was in an explosion. I must secure this droid!" The Troopers obeyed and we dove into the turbo lift.

When the doors opened we were faced with the Sargent and his platoon that we met earlier. There was a moment of silence and then both the Sargent and Werun both started shouting about fire and explosions in the lower levels. We got out, they got in. The party was jubilant as we ran for the blast doors... Until we were met by an officer and four Biker Scouts.

Apparently an all call to detain us was sent just as we exited the turbolift. The officer tried to put us under arrest, Werun argued and then pretended to surrender. As the Imperials got closer, Mace let them have it with a barrage from the heavy blaster rifle. A few more shots from Skipio and Werun and we were bounding over their corpses.

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Over the Kills and Through the Woods

Outside were two speeder bikes. Mace jumped on one with Skipio behind him, Werun took the other with Charlie Tango. We sped away to the ship, unfortunately to be intercepted by two other speeders. Mace punched it to try and get away. Skipio must have been paying more attention to the Imperials because the sudden acceleration threw him off the speeder. Werun warned Charile to hang on and sped away with the Imperials in hot pursuit. Skipio would have to hoof it.

When we arrived at the Undecided, Werun and Mace turned their bikes around using them as gun emplacements and Charlie got the ship started. Mace gave up his speeder in favour of his rifle. The speeders arrived and split up to circle the ship. Mace blew the front stabilizer off of his target. The speeder spun, exploding in the tree line. Werun and the other speeder exchanged fire, both getting hit. Then Skipio entered the clearing just in time to finish off the other Biker Scout.

Everyone ran or stumbled onto the ship and we took off, navigating to avoid the Imperial Fleet. We then set an evasive, multi-jump course back to the Rebels. And there was much rejoicing.

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Last modified on 13 December 2011, at 05:08