Doomsayer Session 05

22 May 2022: The PCs lay a trap for the Mirror to get the upper hand in a final confrontation with him. Korrda the Hutt makes it clear that she doesn't appreciate the PCs' interference in her business.

Session 05 audio log

Previously: Doomsayer Session 04

Plot Summary
After more than two weeks of failed attempts, Somi Amersu's efforts to reach out to Lilikai Singan through the Force finally bore fruit. One night, Somi had a vivid dream in which she could tell she had finally made a real connection with Lilikai. She sensed first Lilikai's intense love for her, followed by a sensation of terrible physical agony, and finally the closest thing she got a verbal message: "Trust me, I will come for you." Somi burst out of her bunk to tell Nomi Amersu the good news about Lilikai being alive, only to learn that Nomi had left the ship alone earlier that morning without telling anyone where she was going. Vic Dantor looked at the activity on the computer terminal Nomi frequently consulted and saw that she had checked her personal messages just before she left. Somi told Vic not to pry any farther, wanting to give her sister privacy.

The other PCs caught Somi up on what she had missed while she was meditating. Efnir Kis also told her that while contemplating the artifact the previous night, he had had a vision of the energy within the artifact reaching out toward something larger and far away, but being prevented from connecting with it due to some external factor. This made Somi think that the artifact was what had allowed her to connect with Lilikai.

While the PCs were considering this, 3D6 informed them that a message was waiting for them on the private HoloNet relay they had used to contact Tia Ba the day before. The PCs headed for the access point (minus Rhen, who was suffering a flare-up of an old injury and needed to stay behind on the ship). On the way out of the spaceport, Efnir spotted a pair of Trandoshans hanging around the main gate and keeping an eye on everyone who went in and out. The PCs realized that the Trandoshans were likely Korrda the Hutt's people, since the guard at the Retreat the day before had told Vic he was going to tell her what had happened. The PCs decided they didn't want to deal with this right now and had Vesper Syl'tine create a distraction so they could slip past unnoticed.

At the access point, the PCs gathered up a message stick containing information from Tia Ba and took it back to Rogue Ronto. The Trandoshans were still hanging around the entrance, so Vesper created another successful distraction. However, when Vesper tried to sneak himself back into the spaceport, he failed completely, getting himself stuck in the fence. Although the Trandoshans didn't recognize him since he had never previously been inside the Lucky Kiss Casino, one of them remembered that Korrda had been looking for a Bothan and decided to take him back to her. Vesper went along without a fight. Back at the ship, Nawah Masin became very concerned when Vesper didn't return, but Efnir and Somi reassured her that he had a habit of vanishing like this all the time and that she shouldn't worry about him.

The most pertinent thing contained in Tia Ba's message was a long list of various medications and drugs that the Mirror/CT-09X would likely need to take in order to stay in fighting shape, since he had been active for much longer than the average clone trooper and his accelerated aging would likely be starting to cause him problems. Brawln remembered seeing many empty bottles of one of the drugs, a powerful and rare painkiller called phlesminol, lying around the cockpit of Stop Looking at Me or I'll Tear Your Eyes Out. He deduced that the Mirror would have to replenish his supply of phlesminol soon, giving the PCs a way to track and locate him. Phlesminol could be found on the black market under the street name of Somber, but due to its potency and severe withdrawal, it was rarely used recreationally by anyone other than Hutts or other large beings. The PCs decided to hit the streets and see if they could find a Somber dealer, leaving Vic behind on the ship in case Vesper came back.

Meanwhile, Vesper had been brought to Korrda's audience chamber at the Lucky Kiss Casino. Although Korrda quickly established that Vesper was not the Bothan she'd been looking for, she took notice when he said he was with the crew of Rogue Ronto. Korrda was not happy that the PCs had used her name to gain access to the Retreat, and told Vesper that if his crew was so eager to act like they worked for her, perhaps she should start giving them actual jobs. Vesper humbly apologized and claimed that the PCs had simply gotten carried away in their hunt for Damasa Kovani, since they had believed there was evidence at the Retreat that would lead them to her. Korrda accepted the excuse and the apology, and let Vesper go while telling him that she expected the PCs to have information about Damasa for her within a month. On his way out of the casino, Vesper also overheard one of Korrda's Trandoshan enforcers making a deal with a Mon Calamari for a large order of Somber.

On the streets, the other PCs learned that their best source for Somber would likely be a person named Ikal, the owner of Doctor Ikal's Chemical Emporium. Their inquiries were less than discreet and attracted the attention of more of Korrda's Trandoshans, who suspected the PCs of trying to muscle in on Korrda's turf. Somi and Efnir defused the situation by convincing the Trandoshans that they weren't planning to resell Somber anywhere near Nar Shaddaa, implying instead that they wanted to use it to tranquilize a rancor. At the same time, Vesper returned to Rogue Ronto, surprising Vic in the middle of setting up a scanner near the Jedi PCs' bunks in an attempt to determine whether any signals were getting sent or received when the Jedi used the Force (this idea came from Nomi). When the others returned, Vesper told them what had happened and confirmed that Ikal was the same person who was fulfilling Korrda's Somber order.

The PCs went to Doctor Ikal's Chemical Emporium and convinced Ikal to talk to them. He confirmed that a human man had come by the day before to place a big order of Somber, and that he'd told the man he'd have it ready in two to three days. Playing up the Mirror's dangers, the PCs urged Ikal to cooperate with them by letting them use his warehouse to set a trap. Their plan was to replace the Mirror's supply of phlesminol with a powerful sedative, then strike while he was incapacitated. Even if this didn't work, they knew the Mirror would be going through withdrawal by the time the order was ready, and they hoped it would make him weaker and easier to defeat if it came to a fight. Ikal was somewhat skeptical of this plan and disliked the idea of selling out a paying customer. Nawah assured him he would get paid regardless and offered to throw in a commemorative plate Ikal really wanted that just happened to be in Rogue Ronto's cargo hold. Ikal agreed and even gave the PCs the run of the warehouse for the next two days to prepare.

On the morning of the third day, 3D6 contacted Somi and told her that Nomi had returned to Rogue Ronto and was wondering where the others had gone. Suspicious and worried after Nomi's long absence, Somi told 3D6 to have Nomi contact her directly. A few hours later, Nomi did so, but she was unable to answer a question Somi posed to her about Lilikai that only the two of them would have known the answer to. Instead, "Nomi" barked, "Tell your Wookiee friend that I'm coming to kill him just like I killed his father." Somi told the others to get into position because the Mirror was on his way.

Soon thereafter, the Mirror kicked in the door, disguised as Nomi and clearly out for blood. He was accompanied by three other clone troopers and two of his security drones. Efnir sealed the entrance behind him, and the fight began. When the Mirror drew a vibrosword, Efnir used the Force to disarm him. This attracted the attention of the clone troopers, one of whom shot him. Vesper bravely slid down from the rafters above and defended Efnir with his training lightsaber (newly equipped with a makeshift guard shoto hilt). With the Mirror mainly focused on Brawln, who had quickly abandoned his plan to hide in the warehouse and charged into the fray, the other PCs turn their attention to his minions. Vic used an industrial magnet to restrain the security drones, while Nawah had prepared a hose that sprayed down most of the front lobby with caustic chemicals. This took out all three of the clone troopers and injured the Mirror, but wounded Brawln as well. Nawah then took out one of the drones with her newly purchased ion blaster, and Somi's training lightsaber did away with the remaining one.

The PCs all turned their attention to the Mirror. Brawln's punches were wearing him down, and his Nomi disguise was flickering, revealing an aging clone trooper in battered armor underneath. Drug withdrawal was also making him unsteady on his feet, and when he dropped his vibrosword Somi picked it up and attacked (only to have it break on the first strike). Nawah drew her blaster and set it to stun, mindful of Tia Ba's request to bring the Mirror in alive. Vic used the magnet to pass one of the drones to Efnir, who activated its fusion cutter and launched it at the Mirror with the Force, dealing the Mirror a grievous injury. The Mirror began to laugh maniacally and said, "It doesn't matter. The Jedi are done for. You traitors are all going to die, even if I'm not the one to do it."

Vesper lined up a perfect blaster shot with the breach Efnir had made in the Mirror's armor. The Mirror fell to the ground, bleeding out. Nawah and Somi started calling for the others to restrain the Mirror and stabilize him - but before anyone else could act, Brawln stepped forward, picked the unconscious Mirror up, and choked him to death. Brawln then dropped the Mirror's body to the ground and walked away.

Things to Remember

 * Korrda is expecting the PCs to give her information about Damasa Kovani within the next month, and will do something to make their lives difficult if they don't
 * By PC definition, Korrda is heavily involved in drug dealing and beast fighting
 * Vic rolled 2 threat while looking up what Nomi accessed on the terminal
 * 3 failure and 7 advantage is a profoundly weird roll!

Next: Doomsayer Session 06