LogDeniable Asset-Jason-19

Game log for the 2025/04/27 session of Star Wars - Deniable Asset, as taken by Jason

Per the previous session's suggestion from our Imperial Intelligence liason, we decide to check out the Haslet system. There's no cargo going there, and we'll have to deadhead.. Haslet (the main planet of the eponymous system) is a gas giant with cloud cities. Trace elements in the gaseous atmosphere make the mining reliably profitable. The repulsor lift system was designed on Alderaan, and there's a strong Alderaani expat community there. Upon reflection, Con realizes that might be why Agent Solo said Con should go there. We're granted a landing clearance without hassle.

As we disembark, planetary security allows everyone but Con to enter the city. That's "governance policy." Con goes back to the ship and calls the New Republic embassy, and discovers that the Alderaani community here is considered stateless. Some are agitating for recognition, which the locals refuse to do, because it would likely turn the balance of local politics toward joining the New Republic. Some Alderaani radicals tried to sabotage a repulsor system, which got them all thrown in jail. When asked, the embassy admits that they can't be sure the sabotage wasn't a false flag operation. Aside from humans, major races here are Sullustan and Gand. The Gand tolerate the chemicals used for gas mining and refining better than other species.

TL-DR arranges for the team to visit the embassy and report in, since we are, after all, employees of the Ministry of Diplomacy. The local MD honcho is a woman named Cryon Jebly, a Sullustan. She's never met a direct action team before, and this is very exciting for her. TL-DR asks if she could get Con in. She can only do so if the Ambassador signs off on diplomatic credentials for him, and it's not clear why he would do so. The droid alludes to the team being there for work, which gets her very excited about the idea that there may be a covert direct action mission taking place on her station. The Ambassador has been working with the locals to try to smooth things over, not least including relocating the Alderaani refugees. They refuse relocation, however, feeling that they built these cities, and should be entitled to live here. Anyway, Cryon says she'll arrange a meeting with the Ambassador.

Gar, meanwhile, heads off to a local bar to soak up some ambiance. The rest decide to do with. The place they find is barely a cantina. It's got skylights. Everything is very nice. The staff have matching uniforms. Most of the guests have nice clothes, and nobody is in work gear. The maitre'd offers them assistance in a supercilious way, but his whole vibe becomes very enthusiastic when he hears that they're from offworld. He give them a table with a view of the exterior gas clouds. Nothing on the menu has a price. The team decides that maybe this is the wrong bar for them, and they'll order one round of drinks and leave.

As soon as the waiter leaves, a Sullustan who has hovering behind him comes over and tells them he owns a vestment and haberdashery emporium, and he could sell them individually-fitted clothing. Since measurement for custom clothing takes time, there would also be conversation.

Con goes online to figure out the scoop with this labor dispute. There have already been protests and strikes. The Alderaani were contracted to build twelve cloud cities, ten of which are complete. The eleventh is almost ready to go online, and the twelfth is in progress, with work having been stopped for the last year. The contract was with a company on Alderaan, and since that company doesn't exist, the local controlling corporate interest can't pay. It's not that they aren't willing, mind you, it's simply impossible. There was a local shareholder's referendum on joining the New Republic, which was defeated. Con briefs the team on what he learned, and then Cryon calls to say the Ambassador will see us now.

Everyone who's allowed into the city enters the terminal, and uses the local transit system to get to the business quarters, whence lies the New Republic embassy. The Ambassador is named Template:Npcef, a Correllian human. She's happy to meet the team, but guarded, probably because she knows we could be trouble. She has not been briefed on any covert direct action mission. Gar whisphers to TL-DR that we should mention the search for the Remnant. That does get her attention, and makes her look to Igli for verification. She also asks if this is related to what happened on Axxom, and if it is, why isn't their chain of command reaching out to her. TL-DR lays out some BS about how covert ops expressly does not support a robust chain of command, but the Ambassador absolutely rejects that interpretation, and also TL-DRs hints that she might get blamed for any delays in their mission.

Gar suggests that maybe we should stop working the New Republic connection and see if the local black market might be able to supply papers. Myyla and Gar go to see if they can't meet some people, and sure enough, she finds the right sort of malefactor. They find a couple smugglers, but only one of them is interested in smuggling people. For 1000 credits, they tuck Con into a food service container with a hidden compartment. It sticks to high heaven in there, but that will discourage people from opening it, right? Con starts to get more than trivially nervous before they let him out. They meet the rest of the team, do a quick check for law enforcement, and let Con out. He immediately goes into the computer network to start fishing. Gar suggests pulling their watch list of Alderaani troublemakers, which immediately becomes our contact list. Otherwise, to Con's disappointment, this whole anti-Alderaani scam is not being done to enrich any particular member of the company board. It's just straightforward company policy, all open and above board.

Gar and Phex go to sneak into the Alderaani ghetto to try to make contact with some agitators. The best route for covert entry is through a Gand ventilation shaft. Unfortunately, some Gand decide to sneak into the tunnels for a little private alone time, or rather, for a whole lot of time. Phex almost runs out of oxygen trying to keep a low profile while these two Gand do their nasty.

The Alderaani ghetto is much less neat and tidy than the rest of the cloud city. The moment the two of them walk into a watering hole in this neighorhood, all conversation stops, and everyone's eyes are on them. Gar starts talking about the situation, and they tell him to buy a drink and down it, or else leave. They nurse their drinks to see if something might develop. After a while, three burly blue-collar types come over and ask them why they're here. Phex tells them that he has a friend who's interested in their plight. They do not consider themselves to have a plight. They generally don't trust outsiders, but they're worried that Gar and Phex might be agents provocateur, so they don't take them out back and kick the crap out of them either. The locals leave them alone for a while. Eventually, one of the guys who had been giving them a hard time switches tables to talk to somebody else, and that somebody else looks like a disguised fellow on the wanted list. Phex and Gar leave. Phex hides outside, Gar waits to see if there's a chance to make contact.

When the guy leaves, he makes no effort to make contact. Phex and Gar follow him into a corridor. He passes two guys who are just casually talking. They make the two of them, and one of them reaches for a concealed microphone.

Con thinks to pull up supply chain logistics to see where the spares for the repulsor systems come from. They make that stuff locally, but they get water from Axxom. The shipment is overdue.

Gar, realizing he's been made, puts his hands up. Phex tries to grab an improvised weapon, fails, grabs for it again, and fails, while the lookouts gawk. Once they overcome their surprise, one lookout goes for each PC. The one attacking Phex lands a punch with his brass knuckles, whereas Gar manages to punch his assailant, but without doing much harm. The one fighting Phex lands another punch. The one fighting Gar pulls a knife, misses, but puts Gar on the defensive. Gar goes into a defensive stance and says, "We don't want any trouble. We're not with the corporation, we're here to talk." The knife fighter isn't buying it. Phex throws a punch that connects, but without doing any harm. His foe whiffs the counterattack, and so does Gar's oppononent. Gar, realizing that talking is going nowhere, throws a punch that at least hurts. Multiple blows and thrown without effect until Gar eventually gets stabbed. Phex tries to surrender, but the other side isn't taking prisoners. Gar goes for a disarm but fails. Phex yells "run" and beats feet. His opponent hits him hard en passant but then Phex is moving free... but his pursuer is keeping up. Gar also runs for it, and also can't seem to evade pursuit.

Eventually Gar gets tackled. He shoves the guy off and runs again.

Phex comes to a T-junction, and his flight brings him into a more populated area. That causes his pursuer to stop and retreat. He's gone past the point where the person he was following went through a door.

Gar just barely outdistances pursuit. The other guy starts trash talking him. "That's right, run away! Your kind aren't welcome here!"

Phex is looking at a Human and two Gand, who seem concerned. He tells security he got into a bar fight, and they tell him to take the lesson and stay out of the ghetto.

Gar finds a place to hole up and uses a stimpack on himself, then calls Phex. Phex, of course, has left the area. The Rodian calls the rest of the team to check in and see if they can help. Con gives Gar a suggestion on what he might say to some Alderaani to persuade them that he is at least talking to a fellow former inhabitant of everybody's favorite ex-planet. Phex tells Gar roughly where their quarry turned off, and Gar tries to sneak in there. He uses their search for him to his advantage - they think he's running away, not running toward. He knocks on the target door, and when nobody answers, tries Con's shibboleth. They don't open the door, but someone charges a blaster. He leaves his commlink at the door and runs for it.

TL-DR tries the comm. Nobody answers. He tries again later on, and this time, it does open a channel, although nobody says anything. The droid says, "My companions really screwed up our attempt to make contact, but all we want to do is talk." Con jumps on the link and talks about growing up on Alderaan. Con's going to need to be smuggled into the ghetto, but TL-DR should be able to just stroll in.