Planet: Unknown
Date: Unknown (But Sometime Before the Battle of Yavin)
It was night.
The aging Imperial Shuttle hovered above the canopy of the jungle. Five figures rappelled down 30 meters into darkness. They were fifteen clicks from the repurposed Imperial communications center, any closer and the surface-to-air weapons platforms would have blasted their way home out of the sky.
With the exception of the bounty hunter, Duk'k, everyone else had a thick layer of insect headgear protecting their faces. The cacophony of alien insects, interspersed with calls from exotic birds hiding amongst was all they could hear during their journey.
Despite the rough terrain, and unforgiving wildlife, they made extraordinary time and were ahead of schedule when they were face-to-face with a Rodian named Ral. He was their contact on planet, and led the five other Rodians hiding in the foliage mere feet from him. They were all part of the Ghost Rebellion, a wing of the rebels so violent, that even the infamous Saw Gerrera himself disowned them.
From a small clearing, they could see a mountain piercing out from the jungle below. Atop the mountain was a retired Imperial Communications Array. It was large, foreboding, and without it's requisite lights, nearly pitch black against the night sky.
They marched up the into the mountain, soon trading the moist jungle environment, for cleaning, lighter mountain air. Another hour and Ral raised his right hand in a fist. As everyone came to a halt, all could see the flashing lights of a communications device, it's glare bouncing off the armor of the stormtrooper fiddling around with it.
Ral looked at the five, Duk'k, Sid, Evus, Sqarl, and Latorna Savvn.
"No blasters. Those surface-to-air weapons can and will be pointed inwards via remote control inside the base. Reaching that center is not your objective tonight."
Latorna and Sqarl reconnoitered around the guard shack to get into position. Latorna was a second from getting the Stormtrooper into a headlock, while the sound of Sid tumbling in the jungle in front of him broke the silence
The Stormtrooper tried to step forward, but two arms reached from behind him, dropping his com and blaster while he was held in a Correlean Chicken Wing.
Sqarl walked up from behind, faced the Stormtrooper, and tried to slide his knife between the plates of the armor. The wounds that could reach the skin only appeared be superficial, so the Quarren knocked him out with the butt of his harpoon blaster.
Duk'k walked up to them, "Seemed like trouble, maybe we should use a detached harpoon for the next one."
Evus dragged the body into the guard building. He searched it, taking his blaster and access tags.
Duk'k had picked up the Stormtrooper's com, and was looking it over, when his own com released a quick squelch.
"Go ahead!"
"Duk'k... it's Abel. Did you make it."
"Yes."
"Excellent, just remember, there's a ton of Stormtroopers in there. Did you pack the extra grenades like I suggested?"
"Of course."
"Good, do not use the thermal detonators. Let your guides use those. Everything and everyone else is fair game. Try to find the non-military administrators, they'll have the answers you need."
"Roger."
"No, it's Abel. Roger was my pilot before."
"Oh yeah, how's he doing now."
"For a guy with half an ear still hears pretty good. Make this quick, squelch me once your done and I'll fly into the rendezvous point. Good luck."
The group made another ten steps to the facility, when another squelch came over the com.
"Sorry Duk'k, you're not in the building yet are you?"
"No, not yet."
"Good, somebody woke up and wanted to say goodnight to you."
After a short pause, a young girl's voice came over the com.
"Hi Uncle Duk'k."
"Hi Tarrie, go get some sleep."
"Okay, can Mister Abel get me some blue milk."
"Yes. Love you.."
"Love you back, be awesome."
The group reached a single blast door on the near side of the complex. Duk'k gestured to Evus and the Twi'lek swiped the security badge.
The door opened to a smaller room crammed with figures. Five stormtroopers lined the wall on the left, a number of civilians surrounded a table with numerous bags of materials, scales, and cutting implements. On the far right was a lone Imperial bureaucrat in an unkempt state of dress. Everyone turned to the open door to see the Sipsk'ud lob a flash bang grenade inside, right before closing the outside door.
After a series of loud bangs, Duk'k gave the order to re-open the door. Everyone was on the ground, most dazed, everyone confused.
Evus walked in, blasting a stormtrooper in the face, then grabbing the administrator from underneath the shoulders, and dragged him out of the building. The others made quick work of the remaining Stormtroopers, Sid blasting two in the face... repeatedly, sending pieces of helmets flying.
Duk'k was impressed. "Sid, that was viscious!" He turned back to Evus and tossed his binders at the Twi'lek to secure the prisoner.
After a cathartic release onto the Stormtroopers, the team evacuated the buildings and ran to the treeline.
Ral the Rodian looked at the operation with satisfaction. "Far more effective, and brutal than I expected of you. You guys are all out, it's our turn now."
Duk'k questioned the rebel leader, "What about the non-combatants? We weren't supposed to take them out."
Ral laughed, "My friend, those were your orders. We're here as a professional courtesy for what you've aided us with in the past."
As they reached the top of the jungle, explosions lit up the pre-dawn skyline...
 |
| The Ghost Rebellion takes no prisoners... |
GM Notes: With the campaign going on a possible hiatus, I wanted to set-up a near flash-forward. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I happened to listened Season 1 Episode 15 of Pink Fohawk, a Shadowrun actual play podcast, on the way down to my kid's AAU tournament. Up until the guard shack, I almost copied the In Media Res script word-for-word until they ran into Ral (in the podcast it's the Ghost Cartel somewhere in Honduras.) Only Hoyce took the effect in full stride, although Archi was happy to take over Evus and actually blow some shit up for a change.
Next: Gamma World for now, but one day #104!
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