Our intrepid heroes gathered around the pieces of their slain master and prepared to face his murderer in combat. Once everyone was in position, Rutrow gestured with the Force and activated the blast doors. They shot open, revealing a roughly circular room with a central shaft dropping down towards orange glowing heat. The female Sith stood a little ways away, with clone troopers on all sides of the room.
Rutrow surged into the room, cutting the first trooper in half with his lightsaber. Odo-Kor followed, and gestured towards the Sith, attempting to cast her into the lava shaft. She wavered for a moment, but resisted the telekinetic push. Owen inspired his companions to greatness, but rather than charge in, Krussk stepped forward cautiously. The troopers all opened fire on the wookie, pinning him beneath an onslaught of blaster bolts. This served to distract him and make his next attack miss. The Sith gestured, and failed to throw Odo-Kor into the lava. In response, Odo-Kor used his Force Grip on her, choking her and holding her immobile. The troopers divided their fire between Rutrow and Krussk, hindering both of them as they attacked the choking Sith.
After a few moments of frantic defense against Rutrow and Krussk, she managed to break free of the Force Grip and retreat to the back of the room. The party continued to move forward, slaying a few more clone troopers. As they started to close in on her, she managed to hurl Krussk into the pit with the Force, where he struck some jutting equipment, and he just barely managed to hang on. He dangled precariously over the drop into lava while Rutrow slew another clone trooper. Odo-Kor and Owen advanced. Krussk barely managed to pull himself up to the edge of the pit as Rutrow closed with the Sith and engaged her with his lightsaber. Odo-Kor did likewise. She started to falter under the combined assault. Seeing the odds against her were hopeless, and that her opponents' anger had been raised, she deactivated her lightsabers and knelt before them, saying, "I bow before your superior power."
Rutrow swayed as if he had received a physical blow, and lowered his lightsaber rather than give in to his angry impulse. Krussk, just risen from the pit, dropped his force axe and drew his rifle in one swift motion. He thumbed the switch to 'stun' and fired a shot into her torso. This rocked her backwards, but did not knock her unconscious. From across the room, Owen took aim and fired another stunning blast, taking her full in the forehead. She fell to the floor, unconscious.
Krussk immediately aruged that master Ji-Lin had instructed them to kill every Sith in the base, no matter what. But Rutrow was not convinced. He searched his feelings, and found that to slay a helpless opponent was to turn to the dark side. Krussk contacted Bunb Dnu on his comlink, and asked him if he had any problem killing a Sith. Bunb seemed excited at first, but when he was told that she was unconscious and a prisoner, he quailed and refused the offer. Krussk continued the argument, and as he spoke he jabbed the Sith's fallen body with his stun baton several times. This provoked Rutrow to finally step forward, daring Krussk to harm her any more. Odo-Kor then stepped in and started to drag her away towards the ship.
Owen searched for and found a computer terminal, and determined that he could create a security breach that would allow Rutrow time to sabotage the generator. Rutrow devised a way to shut down the protective force field that held the lava at bay, and put it on a 5 minute countdown. He and Owen then called for everyone to clear out immediately, and everyone bolted for the exit.
The party loaded themselves onto the waiting ship, and as it rose they watched lava boil out of the openings in the mountain. The Sith training base had been destroyed.
It is recorded that this group fought many more battles against the Empire. They never turned their Sith captive from the dark side, at least not completely. But she became convinced that Lord Vader and the Empire had betrayed and abandoned her. She fought against the Empire for a while, before slipping off into obscurity.
In time, Owen was recognized as a full Jedi, but Krussk's bloodthirsty tendencies kept him on the fringes of that noble order. Rutrow and Odo-Kor became leaders in the nascent rebellion against the Empire, but the record of their deeds stops here. History may never know the full story of what happened in those early, dark years of the Empire. But it is known that the seeds of hope that our heroes planted eventually grew and blossomed, giving rise to the New Republic. We owe them a debt of gratitude.
13.10.07
5.10.07
Episodes 3.5, 3.6, and 3.7
The Jedi Archivist has finally been hunted down and slain by Lord Vader's troops. Fragmentary accounts have been compiled here in an effort to document the last few adventures of Rutrow, Odo-Kor, Krussk, and Owen.
After freeing the political prisoners on Varbrillion, our heroes dropped them off at an asteroid station. The party took the opportunity to resupply, and Bunb Dnu acquired some cargo that seemed likely to earn some profit. He flew them to the location of a clandestine buyer, but nothing was there except for a pirate ambush. A boarding action occurred, and the pirates were repelled. Odo-Kor and Rutrow were on the verge of rampaging through the pirate ship. They planned to cut down bulkheads and pressure doors as they went, until all of the pirates were vanquished. But when the pirate ship broke the pressure seal and started to pull away, they jumped back into their own ship rather than be exposed to hard vacuum.
While still in space, Rutrow attempted to contact his master, Ji-Lin Jiang. He asked, "where?" and received the reply, "Tatooine."
In Mos Espa, a little legwork turned up buyers for the illicit ship transponders, and a little deception on Owen's part cranked up the profit significantly. While waiting for the buyers to receive the shipment, the party came under fire from a bounty hunter with a sniper rifle. Rutrow became enraged, and spent most of the fight climbing the building to get to the roof. Odo-Kor defended with his lightsaber, and even managed to deflect one of the shots back at his attacker. About that time, someone wondered where the security guards were. On cue, a guard emerged, and was immediately shot down by the sniper. Rutrow eventually scaled the building and cut the attacker in half with his lightsaber. A little while later, the buyers showed up, and not long after that, Ji-Lin made his appearance.
Ji-Lin said that he had evaded capture and discovered the location of a secret Sith training facility on the snowy planet Blandstaadt. The small base he described was one that he had visited back during the clone wars. It appeared that this base had since become a place for Vader's new apprentice to train Sith candidates. In order to remove the threat to the remaining Jedi, Ji-Lin proposed that the party assault the base.
The battle plan was simple. Bunb Dnu would land the ship some distance away from the base. Ji-Lin would attack the communications array, both severing the connection to the Empire, and also diverting some of the troops away from the base. Meanwhile, the rest of the party would sneak across the mountain passes and infiltrate the base, eliminating all opposition.
Rutrow became troubled with this plan, and asked why they needed to kill everyone inside. Ji-Lin explained that anyone who was a Sith candidate had already been passed over by the Jedi Council. He went on to say that it was just too dangerous to let any potential Sith survive, that the good of the Galaxy was at stake. This did not help Rutrow much in coming to terms with the battle ahead.
Despite his initial hesitance, however, Rutrow was savage in battle when it finally arrived. After a numbing two hour journey through snow and ice (Wookies don't wear shoes) The party heard the comm array explode, and saw a platoon of clone troopers take off to investigate. Six guards came out to the cliff-top entrance, and the party charged them. The guards were armed with electrostaves, and they used them fairly competently. After the battle, a few were left alive. Krussk systematically executed them, however, by cutting off their heads with his vibro-axe.
Once inside, Owen hacked the administrative computer, and came up with a schematic of the base. The party investigated the barracks first, but found it eerily empty. They went to the training grounds next. This room was a large natural cavern, perhaps 75 meters in diameter, with a catwalk around the edge about 20 meters from the floor.
The first door around the circumference revealed a Sith wielding a lightsaber. Odo-Kor immediately entered the room and engaged him. The ambush was sprung, and two more Sith dropped from the cavern ceiling to attack Rutrow and Krussk. A fourth Sith charged from one side. Odo-Kor used his Force Grip to immobilize his opponent for a few monents, and then was struck in the back of the head by a telekinetically thrown wrench. Rutrow and Krussk engaged their opponents, and Owen intimidated one into running away. The runner was cut down by a pursuing Krussk. Owen also intimidated another one into revealing the location of his master. The Sith cried out that she was nearby, and that they would all perish. He then went down against Rutrow's continued onslaught. The ceiling collapsed at that point, crushing Rutrow with stalactites. He shook it off, and regained his feet. Owen inspired Odo-Kor by blasting an already unconscious Sith that lay on the floor, and Odo-Kor performed an impressive backflip maneuver that ended with his opponent cut in half.
As everyone was assessing the carnage, it was noticed that one of the Sith on the ground still breathed. Krussk pointed at him and commanded Rutrow to kill. Rutrow refused to give in to the dark side. A debate started up, and while Rutrow's attention was elsewhere, Krussk simply stabbed the remaining man, killing him and gaining a few more dark side points.
Just as everyone thought that the battle was over, a fifth Sith dropped from the ceiling. He gestured, and Krussk went flying over the railing to slam hard into the ground below. A true warrior, Krussk shook it off for a few moments before coughing up blood. Rutrow attacked, and Odo-Kor attempted to use his Force Grip. His attempt was rebuked, however, and he had to hastily deflect his own telekinetic grip. Krussk took a shot from the ground with his rifle, but missed horribly. Odo-Kor used a Force Thrust on the Sith, knocking him down to Krussk's level. Rutrow used a Jedi Surge to practically fly down the ladder and engage the target once again. Between the two of them, Rutrow and Krussk finished him off.
About this time, Ji-Lin arrived, bloodied and tattered. He said that he had fought all of the troops, plus a few more Sith apprentices on his way in. The party said they were about to take on the Sith master in the geothermal generator room. Ji-Lin walked up to the blast doors, and concentrated for a moment. He turned to face the party and declared that there was indeed an evil presence inside that chamber.
At that moment, the blast doors shot open. A pale, bald humanoid female with two lightsabers cut down Ji-Lin on the spot, and the blast doors slammed shut an instant later.
After freeing the political prisoners on Varbrillion, our heroes dropped them off at an asteroid station. The party took the opportunity to resupply, and Bunb Dnu acquired some cargo that seemed likely to earn some profit. He flew them to the location of a clandestine buyer, but nothing was there except for a pirate ambush. A boarding action occurred, and the pirates were repelled. Odo-Kor and Rutrow were on the verge of rampaging through the pirate ship. They planned to cut down bulkheads and pressure doors as they went, until all of the pirates were vanquished. But when the pirate ship broke the pressure seal and started to pull away, they jumped back into their own ship rather than be exposed to hard vacuum.
While still in space, Rutrow attempted to contact his master, Ji-Lin Jiang. He asked, "where?" and received the reply, "Tatooine."
In Mos Espa, a little legwork turned up buyers for the illicit ship transponders, and a little deception on Owen's part cranked up the profit significantly. While waiting for the buyers to receive the shipment, the party came under fire from a bounty hunter with a sniper rifle. Rutrow became enraged, and spent most of the fight climbing the building to get to the roof. Odo-Kor defended with his lightsaber, and even managed to deflect one of the shots back at his attacker. About that time, someone wondered where the security guards were. On cue, a guard emerged, and was immediately shot down by the sniper. Rutrow eventually scaled the building and cut the attacker in half with his lightsaber. A little while later, the buyers showed up, and not long after that, Ji-Lin made his appearance.
Ji-Lin said that he had evaded capture and discovered the location of a secret Sith training facility on the snowy planet Blandstaadt. The small base he described was one that he had visited back during the clone wars. It appeared that this base had since become a place for Vader's new apprentice to train Sith candidates. In order to remove the threat to the remaining Jedi, Ji-Lin proposed that the party assault the base.
The battle plan was simple. Bunb Dnu would land the ship some distance away from the base. Ji-Lin would attack the communications array, both severing the connection to the Empire, and also diverting some of the troops away from the base. Meanwhile, the rest of the party would sneak across the mountain passes and infiltrate the base, eliminating all opposition.
Rutrow became troubled with this plan, and asked why they needed to kill everyone inside. Ji-Lin explained that anyone who was a Sith candidate had already been passed over by the Jedi Council. He went on to say that it was just too dangerous to let any potential Sith survive, that the good of the Galaxy was at stake. This did not help Rutrow much in coming to terms with the battle ahead.
Despite his initial hesitance, however, Rutrow was savage in battle when it finally arrived. After a numbing two hour journey through snow and ice (Wookies don't wear shoes) The party heard the comm array explode, and saw a platoon of clone troopers take off to investigate. Six guards came out to the cliff-top entrance, and the party charged them. The guards were armed with electrostaves, and they used them fairly competently. After the battle, a few were left alive. Krussk systematically executed them, however, by cutting off their heads with his vibro-axe.
Once inside, Owen hacked the administrative computer, and came up with a schematic of the base. The party investigated the barracks first, but found it eerily empty. They went to the training grounds next. This room was a large natural cavern, perhaps 75 meters in diameter, with a catwalk around the edge about 20 meters from the floor.
The first door around the circumference revealed a Sith wielding a lightsaber. Odo-Kor immediately entered the room and engaged him. The ambush was sprung, and two more Sith dropped from the cavern ceiling to attack Rutrow and Krussk. A fourth Sith charged from one side. Odo-Kor used his Force Grip to immobilize his opponent for a few monents, and then was struck in the back of the head by a telekinetically thrown wrench. Rutrow and Krussk engaged their opponents, and Owen intimidated one into running away. The runner was cut down by a pursuing Krussk. Owen also intimidated another one into revealing the location of his master. The Sith cried out that she was nearby, and that they would all perish. He then went down against Rutrow's continued onslaught. The ceiling collapsed at that point, crushing Rutrow with stalactites. He shook it off, and regained his feet. Owen inspired Odo-Kor by blasting an already unconscious Sith that lay on the floor, and Odo-Kor performed an impressive backflip maneuver that ended with his opponent cut in half.
As everyone was assessing the carnage, it was noticed that one of the Sith on the ground still breathed. Krussk pointed at him and commanded Rutrow to kill. Rutrow refused to give in to the dark side. A debate started up, and while Rutrow's attention was elsewhere, Krussk simply stabbed the remaining man, killing him and gaining a few more dark side points.
Just as everyone thought that the battle was over, a fifth Sith dropped from the ceiling. He gestured, and Krussk went flying over the railing to slam hard into the ground below. A true warrior, Krussk shook it off for a few moments before coughing up blood. Rutrow attacked, and Odo-Kor attempted to use his Force Grip. His attempt was rebuked, however, and he had to hastily deflect his own telekinetic grip. Krussk took a shot from the ground with his rifle, but missed horribly. Odo-Kor used a Force Thrust on the Sith, knocking him down to Krussk's level. Rutrow used a Jedi Surge to practically fly down the ladder and engage the target once again. Between the two of them, Rutrow and Krussk finished him off.
About this time, Ji-Lin arrived, bloodied and tattered. He said that he had fought all of the troops, plus a few more Sith apprentices on his way in. The party said they were about to take on the Sith master in the geothermal generator room. Ji-Lin walked up to the blast doors, and concentrated for a moment. He turned to face the party and declared that there was indeed an evil presence inside that chamber.
At that moment, the blast doors shot open. A pale, bald humanoid female with two lightsabers cut down Ji-Lin on the spot, and the blast doors slammed shut an instant later.
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