New Meen, Angu Drombb, Construction Equipment
Chapter I | Episode IV | 6/10/16
Written by Brenton “The GM” Walker
Edited by “Captain” Zac Truscott
Episode IV — Long Arm of the Hutt
TREX is dead. The RENEGADES have successfully
dispatched their nemesis and left him to waste away
on the desert outskirts of the Twi’lek city of NABAT.
Having narrowly escaped the jaws of an angry LYLEK
and group of vicious bounty hunters,
the group carries onward to their next destination.
Aided by the secret rebel society headed up by B’URA B’AN,
a former captive of TREX, The RENEGADES attempt
to return his favor — the repair and refueling of their ship -
by aiding the twi’lek against a mysterious contractor
threatening their peaceful way of life. As the group will soon
discover, TEEMO is far more involved than the RENEGADES think…
As their speeder flies through the desert of the Twi’lek homeworld, our gang of misfits slowly lose sight of the Lylek den — the eternal resting place of Trex the slaver. With that enormous, and disgusting, hurdle out of their way, our group of 4 reaches the small mining town of New Meen tired and injured.
New Meen
The speeder finally arrives at the edge of New Meen. New Meen looks set to redefine the word “hardscrabble.” The settlement is little more than a shanty town nestled into the base of the cliffs that tower above it. A great pile of soil and rock has been raised up by machines and piled around the south side of the settlement. A few of the buildings look to be permanent (if ramshackle) structures, though most of the residents seem to make their home in tents. You guide the speeder through its dirt track streets, weaving to avoid piles of detritus and vapor condensers. This place wouldn’t even support a cantina. No one seems eager to greet you on arrival, though the frightened faces of Twi’leks peer out from behind the canvas flaps of their rude dwellings.
The residents of New Meen are cautious and suspicious of you at first. However, once B’ura B’an is spotted, the atmosphere changes quickly. “B’ura B’an! B’ura B’an is back!” and similar cries are raised throughout the town.
As B’ura finishing telling his tale to his friends at New Meen, the renegades are hailed and regarded as heroes for their bold rescue of B’ura. They are invited within one of the larger dwelling and provided aid by one of the talented Twi’leki medics — on whom Captain Twil invariably attempts to play up Zanroy’s heroism of capturing the Trandoshan, and get her to be interested in him. After asking him about certain metallic features of his body, Zanroy reaches some kind of breaking point, and walks out.
As the group settles in and begins to rest, B’ura further explains the current predicament which New Meen faces. A mysterious human contractor by the name of Angu Drombb has recently purchased a large tract of land from one of Ryloth’s Oligarchs. This tract of land lies adjacent to the obscure mining town, with claims that the intention is to build what Drombb is calling a Desert Oasis Leisure Complex. However, B’ura explains that the small settlement suspects that Drombb, a mysterious man with no past, is merely a frontman for a wealthy individual.
Initially the small town sang the praises of the development, but has since changed their tune. Since the time that the developers arrived, the developers have made life particularly difficult for the residents of New Meen, damaging infrastructure such as power grids, and generally causing various problems through town, including multiple instances of minor acts of larceny and arson.
B’ura pleads with the group to help deal with the problematic construction workers. At this point, Twil commits the group to helping the poor residents, and B’ura on the condition that B’ura takes care of one minor matter — renaming the Krayt Fang, and giving it a new paint job. B’ura explains that it’s nearly impossible to contact the team back at Nabat, but Twil insists it is a non-negotiable matter. B’ura agrees, and all the Twi’leks of New Meen jump for joy. One particularly anxious young Twi’lek named Arnet jumps at the opportunity to offer his services. B’ura allows him to stand watch for the night, as has become increasingly necessary with the disruptions caused by their new neighbors.
Twil and his crew devise a plan to send Twil and Idozzi to the development in the morning posing as marketing investors looking to buy into the Oasis Leisure Complex and help bring people and revenue to the endeavor. At the same time Rath and Zanroy will sneak over to the site and try to stealthily find any information they can.
The renegades all take up their beds for the night in a makeshift guest house, lined with rudimentary, but functionally adequate cots. They’ve had a long day.
Drunken Workers
Just as their heads hit the pillows and their eyes close, the camp erupts with an explosion and a deep, thunderous, thud. As they emerge from the guest house, the can tell that a small house across the street has been toppled by some of the construction workers’ out for a drunken joyride in a construction vehicle.
No one seems to have been hurt, but the house looks fit to collapse and a large vapor condenser has been ruined in the crash. The Twi’leks who live there are distraught, shouting about how they will manage without a place to stay or water to drink. The drivers of the vehicle do not seem to be concerned, however. There are four of them, three humans and an Aqualish. They wear blaster pistols on their hips and look mean enough to use them. These are no doubt Angu Drombb’s men.
One of the men spots the emerging zeltron and twi’lek and calls out, pointing to the newly arrived groups’ speeder, “Hey! You there! We got a problem here! Are you the ones with that speeder? We just need to borrow it for a couple of minutes.”
Twil approaches the rugged-looking group as Zanroy sneaks behind one of the rows of makeshift homes, ready to strike from the shadows. Rath does the same, getting in an opposite but equally tactical position, drawing his blaster. Idozzi follows closely behind the determined Zeltron with R5 in tow.
Surprising everyone watching, especially his comrades, Twil reacts to the drunken workers with a warm welcome. The belligerent and drunk workers insist on Twil handing over his speeder for them to continue their antics. Twil holds them off as long as possible, but the workers are insistent. Just as the others are ready to strike at a moment’s notice, Twil relents and invites the 4 thugs into the speeder, with the one exception that he’s driving. With his clever charisma, Twil then offers to buy drinks for everyone involved. The workers immediately change their tune and point Twil towards their encampment, just 5 minute drive outside of New Meen.
As Twil takes off, he invites the anxious young Twi’lek named Arnet who had been posted as watch, to board the speeder with himself, Idozzi, R5, and the drunks. He cautiously complies.
The remaining renegades, Rath and Zanroy, are left completely bewildered by the captain’s actions, but they choose to follow the speeder to the nearby encampment, and begin the run to catch up.
Taking the Drunks Home — Drombb’s Camp and Cantina
The speeder pulls up to the small construction encampment which consists of construction vehicles. An ugly gray prefabricated apartment where he and his men live has been erected to one side of the vehicle parking bay. There is also a fairly nice cantina providing the only light in the dark of the Rylothian night.
Twil and Idozzi jump out of the speeder, followed by a quick succession of dull thuds as the drunken men stumble out on top of each other, twisting joints and causing pain to shoot through their bodies. Moaning and groaning, they follow Twil and Idozzi into the cantina, all the while pointing out, with pride, the large mounds of dirt they’ve created with their ridiculously large machines. It’s obvious that no real work has been done here. Inside, it’s business as usual as nearly a dozen and a half-men drink and lounge about into the waxing hours of the night.
Twil spots one man who he suspects is none other than Angu Drombb himself. Drombb is little more than a thug himself, a heavy set and squat man with an angry red face and a shock of fluffy auburn hair. He tries to cultivate sophisticated airs and habitually wears an expensive suit, but he is naturally a vulgar man and finds the façade difficult to maintain. Meanwhile, Arnet takes a tactical position at the entrance to the cantina, awaiting some kind of signal from Idozzi and Twil.
Idozzi begins to blend in with the crowd of sweaty and rancid-smelling workers in an attempt to glean any valuable information. This is what she does best, but even after her experiences in Teemo’s court, it’s a challenge for her to hold her breath in this cantina. She begins to ask herself, “Why do I always end up in cantinas with this group?”.
As rath and Zanroy get closer to the small cantina, Twil begins to work his Zeltron magic on the workers. He begins to fill the room with potent pheromones that change start changing the mood for drab and brooding to “Let’s Party”. Twil starts, ordering the strongest drinks he can for the many patrons of the small cantina. The bartender begins to fill any and all orders by what seems like some kind of VIP ordered by the owner of the construction site. Why else would a random Zeltron be in this bar at this time of night? The drinks steadily flow as the Zeltron becomes the life of the party.
After consulting with the band and handing them a very well thought out playlist, Twil makes his way over to the man whom he believes is Angu. Striking up a conversation, he suddenly finds himself fighting the rock-hard grip of the man, who now has his sweaty and callused hands around the throat of the zeltron. Despite his pleas to listen, Angu knows that this is no VIP and definitely someone who shouldn’t be here. Twil thinks fast, grabbing an autoinjector filled with a cocktail of sedating drugs, and thrusts it into the angry man’s side. The fast-acting drugs immediately shoot through his alcohol-filled bloodstream, instantly weakening the grip, and filling Angu’s mind with haziness. Twil quickly grabs Angu as he releases his grasp, and begins to fall to the floor, catching his arm just around his neck, and begins to move side to side with the now limp body. He’s dancing with Angu!
Rath and Zanroy Arrive at Camp
Meanwhile, Zanroy and Rath enter the encampment to spot R5 hiding in the speeder outside of the Cantina. The little droid beeps in excitement as he spots his friends. He explains the situation to them quickly, and the two aren’t quite sure that they heard the droid correctly — the other two went inside the cantina with nearly 20 burly, drunk construction workers?!
Without daring to enter the cantina as well, the thief and bounty hunter decide to do what they do best — look for secrets. Rath heads to the large construction machinery complex, and Zanroy heads to the ramshackle living quarters.
As Rath approaches the large enclosures, he is taken aback by the sheer size of the machines needed here. They don’t seem like normal construction machines, but rather mining equipment — or simply literal vehicles of destruction. He begins to hatch a plan, and invites R5 over from the speeder to take a look at the computer systems of the large machines…
While Rath digs into the mechanics of the goliath construction equipment, Zanroy easily accesses the rudimentary lock on the living quarters, enabling him to enter quietly. Inside, he notices a few dozen cots for basic living. Nearly all of them are empty, save two. They are filled by large men. At the far end of the building, he’s able to make out a row of lockers and a door. He slowly makes his way to the back of the building, and finds a locked door. He breaks the lock, and enters what looks to be a meticulously clean and tidy office — surely some kind of administration office for the camp. He also notes the heavy-duty safe in the corner of the office.
While Rath and Zanroy snoop around camp, Twil and Idozzi are dealing with nearly 20 drunks. Twil’s plan has already shown signs of success — as the drinks flow freely in the cantina, more and more men hit their limit and pass out from the incredible amount of alcohol and other chemicals in their bodies. The band continues to play as the Zeltron works his tricks to convince each subsequent worker to join in the fun.
At one point, Idozzi overhears various workers mention some kind of droid technician named Sivor, and the worker’s disbelief that Trex was able to “deal with him”. He also mentions two people named Duke Piddock and Duke Dimmock , names that seem important, but are unfamiliar to her. Just as she moves away from her eavesdropping, she seems to catch the eye of one of the drunkards who gains an immediate interest in the Twi’lek. His mix of suspicion and curiosity are things that Idozzi has dealt with hundreds if not thousands of times as she’s dispatched the scum of Teemo’s court.
The man offers to buy her a drink and she says yes. She notices the drink is one of the strongest, and with a gesture from Twil saying “don’t drink that” she dumps the drink as slyly as possible spilling some of it onto the shoe of the interested worker. The worker starts pressing her to the point where he becomes belligerent, at which point she motions for the help of captain Twil. He happily, and to the dismay of Idozzi, suggests she join in song with the band…on stage! Giving Twil a look to make sure he knows he’ll regret his suggestion, she regretfully complies, allowing her pursuer up on stage with her.As she climbs on stage, the pursuing worker let’s out a howl as the toxic drink that had been spilled onto his shoe soaks through burning his foot and he doubles down in pain.
Outside, R5 has successfully accessed the 5 goliath construction monstrosities, and has full access to their computer systems. Rath’s plan is working. He sees Zanroy exit from the living complex, who approaches the Chiss and explains the layout of the complex. Arnet, the young and anxious Twi’lek helper notices the two conspiring about some kind of plan and calls out in a whispered yell to the two, asking “HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”. The two hurriedly shush the Twi’lek. Rath explains his plan to Zanroy, leaving him on guard with R5. He makes his way over to the office inside of the darkened living quarters, and successfully cracks open tough safe — an easy task for this experienced Chiss with his deft touch and slight of hand. Inside the safe, he finds a few meaningless pieces of paper, but the true treasure are the 8,000 credits. He pockets these and moves onto the computer. Coinciding with the rest of the office, it has been neatly kept and cleaned, but Rath is able to pull a document off the machine that looks like a message. Having found all he will find in the office, he exits back to the outside of the structure, careful not to wake the two men inside.
Inside, Drombb lays in the middle of the floor completely knocked out by the medical grade sedative applied by Twil. He’s not alone, however. Over two thirds of the men in the bar have suffered the same fate by intoxication. With only a few remaining conscious construction workers, Twil methodically works to distract them and help them reach the same level of intoxication. Fending off the angriest of the drunks, who escalate their drunken anger through thrown objects, Twil is able to maneuver the situation masterfully.
As Idozzi attempts to sing on stage, she instead finds herself tripping and taking down her drunken company with her, toppling off the stage and on top of one of the other workers, hurting herself in the turmoil, but knocking out her pursuing worker. All that remains is one table’s worth of workers.
Borrowing some equipment
Back at the construction housing complex, Rath gives R5 the signal to engage the machinery and begin powering them up. Zanroy cautiously approaches the entrance to the cantina, forcefully shushing the loud and persistent Twi’lek Arnet, who continues to whisper-yell at the two. As he approaches, he’s able to see Idozzi, Twil, and a room full of knocked out construction workers. He doesn’t have any idea how the two did it, but he knows he’ll be able to help on these last few. Sneaking under the nearby table where they are sitting, he grabs the legs of one of the drunks, pulling back with a swift and violent force, dropping the man directly on the back of his skull, instantly knocking him unconscious. Twil delivers a decisive blow to the back of the head of the remaining conscious worker, completing his plan to systematically drop every single one of the nearly 20 workers, including their boss. The impossible plan worked!
As the group leaves the cantina, Rath tries to warn them that an armed man has left the barracks and is headed towards the cantina. With a swift, furious, and precise blast, Zanroy pulls his blaster in one fell action and blasts the worker directly in the skull, sending his body backwards with incredible force. The threat is dealt with.
Rath signals the group, including Arnet to hurry over to him, and he signals to R5 with a smirk. The 5 Goliath construction machines roar to live with deafening power, and Rath instructs R5 to roll the machines into the barracks, and cantina.
The group watches in awe as the monstrous machine rumble and shake the ground around them as their rugged tracks bite into the Ryloth earth to pull them along. In what seems to be a low motion event, the machines climb, claw, and completely flatten the entire complex with the effort of crushing a piece of paper. At which point, Rath instructs R5 to send the machines outwards in a circular pattern, far off into the desert night where they will eventually overheat or run out of fuel.
All that remains is a few piles of dirts, and pancaked rubble.
In this instant, B’ura B’an’s speeder parks at camp, and the bewildered twi’lek hops out of his vehicle in utter awe and horror. He can only utter his amazement at the efficiency of the group, and quietly turns with a stunned gaze on his face, and heads back to New Meen, instructing the group that he’d like to talk to them in the morning.
As Rath, Twil, Zanroy and Idozzi head back to New Meen, they can’t help but laugh and smile at the absurdity of their night.
