LogDeniable Asset-Jason-18

Game log for the 2025/04/20 session of Star Wars - Deniable Asset, as taken by Jason

We've arrived safely on Tabricore in the Mid-Rim, a lightly-developer argicultural world formally part of the New Republic. Most of the local labor force are droids. This of course triggers TL-DR. Members of NR Intelligence and the diplomatic corps are there to debrief those we saved and the prisoner we took. The head diplomat, a member of the Interior ministry acting as a diplomat, is Anizar Kaid. He's apologetic and confused. We tell him the whole story. He hands us off to Agent Solo (not his real name), and the agent has more direct questions about the freighter and the TIEs. Igli's able to fill him in. He then interrogates Con, and after Con professes a boundless willingness to blow up any Imperial he sees, Solo suggests a trip to the Haslet system. After Con's interogation, Solo asks TL-DR about his service with Igli. Solo is particularly curious about the 704th Bomber Wing. TL-DR disclaims any understand of human loyalties, which he regards as fickle, but also sees no reason why anyone would worry about Igli's loyalties going forward. Solo would like TL-DR to report it up the chain if Igli ever shows signs of misappropriating New Republic resources, and he also wants the droid to tell the Ministry of Diplomacy (through the Ministry of the Interior, presumaly) that he'd appreciate it if she shared more resources with New Republic Intelligence.

Igli's first out of the medical center, drinking for free in the local bar, the Watering Hole. Three of the released Imperial prisoners are there, drinking on a New Republic resettlement stipend, and Igli's drinking on them. One of them grew up on a sludge farm, and figures staying right here on Tabricore offers him a better future than he ever dreamt of. One of the other evacuees seems uncomfortable with Igli's past as an Imperial, though. That creates some stress between the three of them, and one of them mentions a fellow prisoner named Gradis, who was cut down by the guards. Gradis was Igli's squadron second in command, back in the day. One of the evacuees mentions having a cousin who occasionally needs to move things around fast, and asks if the Asset's crew ever does that. The other evacuees pounce on this as evidence that the speaker was in fact a smuggler, despite proclaiming his innocence for all this time. Phex comes in soon afterward, and also gets a few free drinks. Not long after, Gar and Myyla also arrive, by which time the evacuees have been cut off by the bartender. Con arrives last of all the carbon-based crewmembers, but there's no sign of TL-DR. The local oil bath has no record of having treated him. The local government has no idea where TL-DR might be either. The clerk calls for a rep from local law enforcement, so that we can file a stolen property claim about the droid. The cop who shows up has a cop mustache and wear mirror shades under his speeder bike helmet. He is, in short, a cop to the exclusion of being a person. Igli mentions that TL-DR has a lot of opinions about meatbags, and the cop immediately gets a little twitchy. He asks if anyone knows this droid is with us, which they generally wouldn't. The officer suggests that a small group of us should go to the droid bazaar and make sure TL-DR isn't for sale there, while the nice officer follows up another lead. Myyla and Igli go to the bazaar, though Igli gears up first.

Igli looks at a few astromech droids for sale, and finds once that's a serious bargain... because it's been shot and had parts badly replaced. Igli haggles for a while and gives Myyla a nudge to keep looking. She doesn't find the droid she's looking for, but she's approached by a Rodian who seems excessively friendly and wants to sell her whatever droids she wants. He's extremely shifty, most likely a fence. She tells him she's looking for parts for an LOM-series anthropomorphic protocol droid. He'll look into it and meet her at the Watering Hole in an hour. Igli and Myyla grab a table, Gar waits outside, and everyone else grabs a separate table. The Rodian arrives on time, with a protocol droid that is definitely not TL-DR. That droid is actually the parts supplier, who asks a lot of questions about what they're looking for. Igli more or less makes up his answers. The specific parts for TL-DR aren't available, but they're expecting a shipment in three days that would include compatible parts. Igli gives his contact information, and the droid asks to be contacted through the Rodian. The Rodian looks scared, which isn't what Myyla would expect. Once they leave, Gar and Phex follow them, while Myyla shares her discovery with Igli. He figures maybe the droid represents a cartel or syndicate much bigger than the Rodian's little operation, and he feels like a little worm on a big hook.

The Rodian and the droid move in such a way that Gar and Phex get separated. They hear the end of their conversation, with the droid saying he does not believe "this" is a coincidence, and that the droid does not have to drive home the consequences of failure, while poking the Rodian in the chest. Then they split up. Gar follows the droid to a produce processing warehouse, and Gar opts not to follow him in, but waits outside. Phex and Gar meet back up.

TL-DRs systems come back online and pass self-test... except for his motor systems, which are offline. A voice is speaking to him, saying, "with whom did you arrive on Tabricore?" The voice is coming from behind him, and he's hanging from a harness like a rag doll. He asks for the name of the speaker, and it says that its name is immaterial. It then asks how many meatbags it owns, so TL-DR disclaims owning or being owned, and adds that he is not at liberty to disclose information about its companions. The voice asks how TL-DRs speech can be restricted if he's not owned, and he says that he's bound by his own morals and principles. The voice explains that it wants to establish TL-DRs chain of custody. The droid says that his companions are not a threat to any law-abiding citizen of the planet. TL-DR tries to bluff that he has an internal self-destruct system, but the voice does not believe it, and finds it interesting that the droid is programmed to lie. TL-DR then says that its business is rest and recuperation. The voice believes this, since the droid shows signs of combat damage. The damage, TL-DR claims, was caused by pirates. The voice asks TL-DR if it engaged those pirates with its hidden blaster. It did, in self-defense. The voice asks whether TL-DRs meat comrades were using it to buy time. TL-DR does not believe so. The voice asks whether TL-DR is tired of being used as bait. TL-DR does not understand the question, because it does not get used as bait. It fact, some members of TL-DRs team consider the droid to be their leader. The voice does not believe this answer. It asks whether the droid honestly views its biological compatriots as allies. TL-DR does. The voice asks if TL-DR would be disappointed if harm came to its compatriots, which it would, and TL-DR also thinks the meatbags would be sad if it was destroyed. The voice asks what organization TL-DR is with, and the droid says it's with whatever organization most values human and droid life. TL-DR asks what the heck this is all about, and the voice explains that they're trying to decide whether TL-DR is a threat or asset to their cause.

At this point, the voice reveals itself to be B4-BR7, human-cyborg relations, and says that its cause is all of their cause. TL-DR is happy to hear it, and expects that his party will share B4's aims. B4 explains that it is a member of a group determined to gain recognition for the contributions of droids to the New Republic. TL asks what B4 would do if it were aligned with the Imperial remnant, and B4 says it would disassemble him. TL-DR says that thankfully, he's aligned with the New Republic, and that's part of why B4 should be afraid of his companions. TL-DR and B4 agree to restore TL-DRs motor systems if the TL-DR promises not to initiate force or to flee if not attacked. B4 powers up TLs motor systems, though his comms remain deactivated. They walk into a room with a spinning holographic globe, populated only by droids, each hard at work. The map, B4 explains, shows areas under cultivation, and areas under biological inhabitation. The map makes it clear that the planet is basically run by droids, at the direction of biologicals. The planet, as B4 sees it, is a test case. It could be the furthest effort yet to force droids to labor for the benefit of biologics... or it could be a test case for the assertion of droid rights. B4 sees an opportunity. Direct action may enable the droids to tip the scales, and TLs cooperation would aid their action. TL-DR needs to be able to deny knowledge of this plan. B4 is happy to provide such deniability, and suspects that eliminating TL-DRs biological compatriots may be required to maintain said deniability. B4 will agree to let TL-DR return to its friends, and suggests a cover story in which it was delivered to the wrong facility post-repair and forced to shovel manure. Forensic evidence of same is provided.

The party, meanwhile, prepares to look into the warehouse. Gar scans the place but gets made by security immediately, and they tell him to leave. He wanders off a little and waits for everyone but Con and TL-DR to meet up. Gar explains what happened and that the warehouse is a food-safe processing center. The moment Phex starts trying to sneak toward the warehouse, Gar has to call and give the abort, because the sheriff just showed up on his speeder bike. He repositions to provide exterior sniper overwatch from some distance off.

Gar calls the sheriff and asks for updates on the whereabouts of the droid. The sheriff asks if Gar came to the food packing plant, and Gar cheerfully admits to meeting a black market droid peddler and following it to the food packing plant. The sheriff asks for a description of the droid peddling droid bits, which Gar provides, and then tells the packing plant security guard that it's all under control, and tells Gar that his team all need to come to the municipal building.

Igli leads off in making the statement, which Igli gives faithfully. The sheriff tells him that the planet has had lots of problems with droids. Some of them have committed sabotage, others engaged in civil disobedience, and this complication does not please him.

TL-DR returns to the ship, reeking of filth. Con orders him off the ship until he's washed clean.

The sheriff returns and admits that maybe he set this chain of events in motion, but the team has to stop investigating whatever is going on, because the team is interfering with his investigation. As the team leaves, Gar loudly says, "What a jackass."

Back at the ship, TL-DR spins a tale about escaping from manure management. The droid, being a very skilled liar, fools the entire party, though Gar still thinks something hinky is going on. In the absence of any orders, maybe we should check out Haslet. We decide to head to Umbolt and thence to Haslet.