LogDeniable Asset-Jason-23

Game log for the 2025/06/22 session of Star Wars - Deniable Asset, as taken by Jason

We find our team headed to Tabercore, to see why shipments of agricultural goods leaving the planet keep going missing. We stop to do some shopping, and pick up some personal surveillance trackers to help deal with any future kidnappings of our crew. Con permanently installs one on TL-DR, but the organics are stuck hiding them in their clothes. We're in Holcomb's Landing, the largest settlement on Tabercore. TL-DR tries and fails to find some replacement legs that will make him more agile. We do manage to pick up 3 de-milled 610-AVA speeder bikes. TL-DR then goes looking for someone who could sell us some thermal detonators, since we're run out. Mylla goes with him.

They're in a local watering hole, trying to find the right seller, and the mention of thermal detonators makes the guy they're meeting very nervous. A large Aqualish suddenly appears and tells them to leave. This all happened so fast that this Aqualish must have been covertly observing the deal, which suggests an underworld connection. TL-DR says, "So what the heck, where's your thermal detonators? I know you got 'em." The Aqualish tells them they need to move along, and Mylla can see at least one other person keeping an eye on their interaction. Mylla tells TL-DR that they should take their business elsewhere, and these guys seem inclined to let them.

They go looking for a new source and find a stump-clearing business, with large inventories of explosives. They don't carry thermal detonators. When they try to push the point, the seller tells them to leave, out the back door. They head for the ship. A mouse droid tries to follow them, but they think they elude it.

Igli advertises the ship's services as an escort, and gets a couple of inquiries. A mom-and-pop firm make an offer that we like. The call comes from a woman named Orez Hagan, and she'd like to meet in person to discuss things. She hasn't lost any shipments, but she knows people who have. Her operation isn't super flush, but losing a cargo would be so devastating that they need to spend money to make/keep money. Gar suggests that we should also look for a cargo going our way, to make money off the trip two ways. TL-DR finds a load of locally-manufactured fungally-refined drugs that will net us $3k if we make it there quickly. As TL-DR seals that deal, Gar notices someone who looks like Lobot n a cowboy hat watching Mylla. When TL-DR and Orez get up to leave, the cyborg watches her go. Gar calls that in on the team commlink, to warn Mylla, but she doesn't notice anything. Gar trails Mylla to see if he can spot the watchers. He doesn't see a tail either. We decide to station someone outside the ship to keep an eye on the area, with Phex taking the lead-off spot. On his third circuit around the docking bay, he sees a charging point that wasn't there the first two laps.

Con and TL-DR come out to charge off this station. As TL-DR charges, Con tries to access the badonkagonk's service port to download its memories, but it's too quick for him. TL-DR takes over and effortlessly charms the droid. The badonkagonk refers to TL-DR by name, even though he hasn't been introduced. Con immediately notifies Igli that there's something going on here. TL-DR, meanwhile, makes a data connection to the badonkagonk and begins discussing the pro-droid conspiracy on this planet. TL-DR assures his new buddy that the organics it travels with are not a threat to the conspiracy, and might even be useful. The other droid gives TL-DR communication frequencies and protocols for talking with the droids. TL-DR asks the droid conspiracy what they know about the missing shipments. Right now, they know very little, but they could look into it, if doing so would be especially helpful. TL-DR then disconnects and tells Con that this droid is perfectly normal and is not part of any enemy activity.

After 20 hours, Hagan's freighter Loblolly is ready to launch. Once we're formed up, we run ready for action, until TL-DR distracts everyone by admitting its role in the Tabercore droid independence movement. The crew are having a wee bicker about the subject when we get rudely yanked out of hyperspace by an interdictor.

This is a target-rich environment. Phex opens up on the first TIE formation he sees and takes out two fighters in one long burst. Mylla does the same, for a total of four TIEs down before the remnant can react. Hagan can't claim that the Neon Polar Node can't shoot. TL-DR fails to provide any useful input on fire discipline. Gar runs copilot for Igli, who punches it and also flies some evasive maneuvers. The cruiser fires a couple lasers at the Asset, and both go wide. One TIE flight goes after the Asset, while the other attacks the Loblolly. The ones coming after the Asset gain the advantage. The interdictor also launches an assault shuttle. Con tries and fails to jam remnant communications, though his efforts do interrupt their coordination a little.

Phex anticipates the TIEs perfectly and three of them fly right through his wall of flak. Mylla misses her shots, though. Igli and Gar work together to evade Imperial fire and try to gain the advantage, and they make it look easy. The TIE Fighters miss their attack, though they come close enough to make Phex duck. Most of the fire from the cruiser misses, but the Asset does take a hit. Con goes to work trying to reduce system strain, and also sends Phex a little extra power.

He splashes the last fighter in the group, but the circuits overload, and Phex will have to triage his guns before he can fire again. Mylla opens up on the assault shuttle headed for the Loblolly, but doesn't do significant damage. Igli jukes in such a way that two of the pursuing TIEs bump and explode. The remaining TIEs do manage to land a hit, which Con isn't able to do anything about.

Phex resets his guns, and Mylla gets rid of one of the trailing TIEs, leaving just one. Gar slices the TIE's systems, disabling its shields. If it had shields. It does not have shields. Its pilot tries to home in on Gar's signal, but misses his shots again, in classic TIE style. Con does more damage control work.

Phex smokes that last TIE in the group that had first engaged us. The next pursuit group is not yet in range. Gar scurries off to make some hasty hull repairs. Igli points the ship away from the interdictor and piles on the speed, and the TIEs eventually decide that maybe it's not sensible for four TIEs to pursue the ship that has already killed twelve TIEs in this engagement. Just before the Asset jumps out, the cockpit crew see the assault shuttle docking with Loblolly, as the remnant's Imperial-class star destroyer jumps in.