New Friends - Old Enemies

After a lengthy discussion concerning the disposition of loot, Zak convinced the party that they needed to investigate the carbon freezing chamber at the end of the tunnel. Leaving Mater Dee to load bodies, and try and care for Grarwarr and Bar Bar; Zak, Beaker & Jorrus moved down the tunnel into the darkness. After traveling near to two thirds of a kilometer, they encountered a control panel and a force field. A few moments work by Beaker disabled the force field, but revealed only another control panel and force field. A few more moments work, and this one was dispatched revealing yet another control panel, and a large set of doors. Thankfully, this control panel also controlled the lights in the corridor. The three heroes moved on to the door.

Meanwhile, Mater Dee was able to construct an antidote to the drug that was keeping Grarwarr unconscious, so he was able to help with the looting and loading. Sadly, Bar Bar remained unconscious and Taloe remained beyond help.

Down the now lighted tunnel, Beaker worked at the control panel that controlled the large doors at the end of the tunnel. Interestingly, he found this one harder to operate because someone on the inside was trying to keep him out. After a couple tries he overcomes the resistance, and opens the door to reveal a large hexagonal chamber with a metal catwalk around the perimeter, stairs leading down to the lower level on the far side of the room, and some kind of large apparatus in the center of the lower level.

Upon entering the room, Beaker spots some movement on the far side of the catwalk, almost exactly opposite his current position. Beaker takes aim with his rifle, and calls for the being to back away from the wall. About this time, someone spots the light switch, and the room is illuminated, revealing a carbon freezing chamber, for bodies frozen in carbonite, and various and sundry electronic gizmos.

Eventually the being is recognized as an Ugnaut – an ugly, but tech oriented species. With a few soft spoken words, and gestures from various blaster weapons, the other three ugnauts are coaxed from their hiding places. After seeing that the ugnaut who was at the wall, was working to either open or close another doorway, Beaker opened it and saw another short being moving away down another corridor, pushing some kind of sled. After an order to stop is ignored, Beaker opens up, and kills the being with a couple well placed shots.

The very short battle brings Mater Dee and Grarwarr down the hall to the chamber. With the entire party gathered, and the demonstration of their willingness to use weapons, the ugnauts become quite friendly. After learning that the party has killed their captures, they become downright friendly.

More importantly, the party discovers Zaks friend Boppa on the cargo sled. She is unconscious, but now that Mater Dee has had time to study the drug, he awakens Boppa easily. While this is going on, Some of the party explore the newly found hallway, while others keep looking at the carbon freezing chamber.

While the search of the cavern continues, Boppa relates the story of how she was lured here by a vision she thoughtwas from the force, but she found to her horror was really from a malignant darksider, Blackhole.

In the freezing chamber, Mater Dee finds four beings already frozen, a zabrak (deceased), and three humans. In the new corridor, are six doors, and at the end of the chamber is a lift that rises up out of site although a cold breeze can be felt coming down.

Feeling that time is off the essence, the party quickly starts to explore, and move items to the end of the hall to exit the cavern. In the hallway to the chamber, doors are opened, and the party finds, a power generating station, a communication/computer control room, and quarters for the ugnauts and their captors. A quick visit to the most luxurious quarters reveals Boppas lightsaber and other equipment. More importantly, the communications room reveals that while the “normal” communications chater of a squad of stormtroopers is present, it is only cover for some other kind of monitoring. As the party prepares to go up the lift, a new message comes through the hyperspace transmitter.

The hyperspace message is from a shadowy figure that can be non-other than Blackhole. He demands to see Mara Prime, and Boppa uses an illusion to make her appear to answer questions. Her ruse works, until Blackhole demands to see the holocron. He reacts angrily to being duped, and the party reacts by cutting the connection.

In full retreat mode, they decide to use the lift to transport the carbon frozen bodies up and out of the cavern, while calling R2 to bring the Y-wing to them for transport back to the Magellan. As they are arranging transport, they grarwarr hears increased comm traffic on the planet – the storm troopers are coming.

Once they reach the top of the lift, Beaker, Joruss and Mater Dee find more carbon frozen bodies, and a crude landing chamber. The call R2, and alert their compatriots as the send down the lift. Meanwhile, the ugnauts have packed their meager belongings, and are waiting impatiently for a lift to freedom with the party. As the lift reaches the cavern and people pile on, Grarwarr decides that he needs to run back the kilometer to the crystal chamber instead of riding the lift. At about the same time, R2 arrives at the cavern, and Joruss and Beaker climb on to fly back to the magellan.

Grarwarr has enough time to load Bar Bars body onto a swoop bike and exit the cavern, just as the Y-wing lands. Beaker takes the controls of the magellan while Grarwarr gets into the Y-wing, and Joruss takes a moment to rush back into the cave, remebering the point of this mission – a new crystal for his lightsaber. After he returns with his prize, he two spacecraft take-off and fly the short distance to the cavern at the top of the lift.

Just as they arrive, Grarwarr detects two inbound transports and lets a couple of missles fly in their direction. Joruss and the rest of the party load the magellan with carbon frozen bodies and the party.

The discussion as they leave the planet turns to how they were all lured here by a false call generated by Blackhole, where to go now, and most importantly – who gets what bunk.