Star Wars Missions 005 - The Hunt for Han Solo Page 2

  “I hope you know what you’re doing,” she told Solo. “I get the feeling this is a trap.”

  “What do you mean?” Solo asked. “Jabba will be thrilled that I rescued his Ur-Damin.” Over the past few days, Solo and the others had learned that young Grubba was not Jabba’s child. Instead, Grubba was the offspring of one of his siblings. The title Ur-Damin meant that Grubba was something of a favored nephew or niece, while the title Ur-Damo referred to an illustrious uncle or aunt. Young Grubba had been on the way to Jabba’s palace, where he was to begin learning the finer points of running a criminal organization. It was a great honor for young Grubba to be brought into the family business this way, and for Jabba to be the young Hutt’s tutor. However, Grubba had been kidnapped before he reached Tatooine. Solo knew that the ties between the Hutts were strong. Family honor would no doubt dictate that Jabba save the child at any cost.

  “You know what I mean,” Leia said. “Jabba doesn’t know who kidnapped Grubba, and I don’t think he’s going to believe that you just happened to break into a room and ‘save’ the child from kidnappers.”

  “But that’s how it happened!” Solo objected.

  Leia shook her head. They were discussing this in private — Luke and the others were all in the berthing quarters. Leia sat down in the copilot’s seat with a sigh. “Look, Jabba would have to be a fool to believe such a story. And even if he did believe you, why should he let you go? He’ll swap for Grubba, and he might even offer to remove the bounty he’s offered for your head. But you won’t get far before his men turn on you. There’s still the Imperial reward.”

  “Trust me, princess,” Solo said, “Jabba won’t try to collect any Imperial reward. Aside from bribing a few officials, he dislikes the Empire as much as I do.”

  “You only believe you’re safe because you want to believe it,” Leia said.

  “I don’t want to believe it. I have to believe it,” Solo declared. “I don’t have a choice.”

  On the edge of the Dune Sea, Udin and the others sat in the biosphere and listened to the wind howl. Dawn had come an hour ago, and as often happened on the Dune Sea, the cool night winds gave way to severe storms. Udin poked his head out and saw a huge twister in the distance, rising up hundreds of feet.

  The sensor console beeped a warning and Udin turned to the monitor. There was no way to know whether the sensors were really picking up an incoming ship, since the sensor waves could be detecting a dust cloud or ionized gas from the storm. He swatted the machinery once for good measure and watched the incoming craft. It moved in a perfectly straight line, against the wind. A dust cloud would have blown with the wind.

  “My esteemed colleagues,” Udin said with a scrunching of his trunk. “A ship is coming in.”

  “Another one?” Dengar asked.

  A dozen ships had landed in the past couple of days. If the authorities on Tatooine had recognized the breadth of Jabba’s smuggling operation, perhaps someone would have tried harder to shut it down.

  “Indeed. But this one is not landing so close to the palace,” Udin offered.

  “Let me take a look,” Eron said. She leaned over Udin’s shoulder, studying the monitor. “Whoever it is, they’re coming in close, but not too close.”

  Eron stared out at the violent chum of the storm. It was a small miracle that the biosphere remained intact — everything else appeared to fall to the mercy of the incredible blasts of sand and wind.

  “In this sandstorm,” Dengar said, “only an extremely confident pilot would try to land close to a large building.”

  “This could be Solo’s ship,” Eron said. “We should definitely send someone to check it out.”

  No one wanted to go out in that storm. The sand blowing off the Dune Sea could cut flesh to ribbons.

  But someone had to go.

  Before you proceed, you must consult the Mission Guide for the rules of the STAR WARS MISSIONS. You must follow these rules at all times.

  This is a Bounty Hunter/Imperial Mission.

  You have been hired to track down Han Solo and his Rebel allies on the planet Tatooine. You and your fellow bounty hunters are hidden in the desert outside Jabba’s palace. Your sensors tell you that during a severe sandstorm, a ship has landed near Jabba’s palace. You must go out into the storm and verify that this is Solo’s ship. If it is, you are to report to the others via communicator. Then you are to capture Solo, preferably alive.

  In addition to your weapon and your communicator, you carry a locator that sends a signal to your fellow bounty hunters, so they can guide you toward your target.

  You start the Mission with your MP total from your previous Mission. (Or 1,000 MP, if this is your first Mission.)

  Choose your character now.

  You can take two weapons of your choice. Choose wisely — the Dune Sea is a dangerous place.

  For a vehicle, you must ride the dewback. The giant lizards move at a plodding pace, but are accustomed to the fierce desert storms. The speeder is worthless in this weather.

  You can use Power twice on this Mission.

  Good luck.

  You gather your weapons and prepare to go into the sandstorm. To protect your eyes, you wear goggles. You also place a rag over your mouth and a battle helmet over your head. Protective clothing covers most of your body.

  You adjust your communicator to the proper frequency so that you can report back to the others and receive assistance. Once you are ready, you open the door of the biosphere.

  Immediately, stinging sand blows into the biosphere. You fight your way out into the storm. Even with your goggles, you cannot see far ahead.

  Both the bantha and the dewback have put their heads against a large rock, so their bodies shield their heads from the wind. Their eyes are closed.

  You saddle the dewback, climb on, and kick the beast sharply. It opens its eyes to mere slits, and seems angry when you command it to head into the storm. But once it gets moving, the dewback seems eager to end its journey and withdraw out of the weather, so it moves along at a reasonable pace.

  You flip on the communicator. “Base, can you hear me?” you ask.

  The communicator is fit with a scrambler, so that outsiders can’t decode your transmission. The scrambler alters the voice of the speaker, so that you can’t tell who answers. “Yes,” a voice replies. “Your locator beacon signal is coming in strong. Head due west, until I tell you otherwise.”

  You can tell by the shape of a nearby dune that you are heading roughly northwest, and you urge the dewback to turn. But now the dewback is walking almost directly into the wind. If it heads northwest, the wind won’t hit its face.

  It walks a few paces and turns a bit, hoping to fool you. You urge it back in the direction you want to go, but a moment later the lizard turns again.

  To steer the dewback on course, you may use persuasion without Power, persuasion with Power, or physical force.

  To persuade the dewback (without Power): You whisper words of encouragement to the creature while keeping a firm grip on the reins. Your charm# +2 is your confront#. Roll the 6-dice to persuade the dewback.

  If your confront# is equal to or more than your roll#, add 4 MP to your MP total. You have a gift for handling this dewback, and it will follow you anywhere.

  If your confront# is lower than your roll#, subtract the difference from your MP total. The stubborn animal doesn’t like you. It lopes off course, and you must use physical force to turn it (below).

  To persuade the dewback (using Power)*: You must use your Persuasion Power. Your charm# + your Power# + your Power’s low-resist# is your confront#. Roll the 6-dice.

  If your confront# is equal to or more than your roll#, add the difference to your MP total. The dewback is firmly under your influence.

  If your confront# is lower than your roll#, subtract the difference from your MP total. The dewback begins loping off course, and you must use physical force to get it back under control (below).

  *Note: This counts a
s one of two Power uses you are allowed on this Mission.

  To turn the dewback using physical force: Your strength# +1 is your confront#. Roll the 6-dice to turn the dewback.

  If your confront# is equal to or more than your roll#, add the difference to your MP total. The dewback is under your command, and you may proceed.

  If your confront# is lower than your roll#, subtract the difference from your MP total and repeat this confront until you have subdued the dewback.

  You keep heading west as the storm grows stronger. Wind whips past your face and batters you. Your eye goggles are getting scratched by the fierce sand.

  Worse, the dust clouds are now so high that they block the sun. It’s dark as night. You can’t recognize any landmarks, so you grit your teeth and bear it.

  You travel like this for an hour, and twice you get messages on your communicator telling you to turn to your left. Each time you get a message, it is fainter than the last. The sandstorm is interfering with your signal.

  Suddenly you see something large and solid-looking ahead. Perhaps, you think, it is a rock that will give you some shelter from the wind.

  But seconds later, you recognize that it is not a rock at all: Two Sand People are riding toward you on a bantha! Behind them is another bantha, and another.

  Involuntarily, you cry out in surprise.

  The Sand Person in front points at you excitedly and shouts, raising its gaffi stick in the air. The one behind it fumbles to pull a long rifle from a holster. Even the bantha seems to recognize that you are an enemy. It lowers its massive horns and stamps the ground, preparing to charge.

  On the communicator, your friends cry out, “What’s wrong?”

  You must choose to evade or combat the charging bantha.

  To evade the bantha (without Power): Your stealth# +1 is your confront#. Roll the 6-dice to evade the bantha.

  If your confront# is equal to or more than your roll#, add the difference +3 to your MP total. You lose the bantha and the Sand People in the storm and may now proceed.

  If your confront# is lower than your roll#, subtract the difference from your MP total. The bantha is charging and you must combat it (below).

  To evade the bantha (using Power)*: Choose your Evasion Power. Your stealth# + your Power’s mid-resist# + your Power# is your confront#. Roll the 6-dice to slip past the creature.

  If your confront# is equal to or more than your roll#, add the difference +3 to your MP total. You lose the bantha and the Sand People in the storm. You may now proceed.

  If your confront# is lower than your roll#, subtract the difference from your MP total. The bantha is charging and you must combat it (below).

  *Note: This counts as one of two Power uses you are allowed on this Mission.

  To combat the charging bantha: Choose your weapon. Add your weaponry# to your weapon’s mid-range# +3 for your confront number. Roll the 12-dice to shoot the bantha.

  If your confront# is equal to or more than your roll#, add the difference to your MP total. It’s a perfect hit — now you must face the Sand People (below).

  If your confront# is lower than your roll#, subtract the difference from your MP total. Add +2 to your confront# for your new confront#.

  If your new confront# is equal to or more than your roll#, it’s a perfect hit. Now you must face the Sand People (below).

  If your new confront# is lower than your roll#, subtract the difference from your MP total and repeat this confront until you have felled the bantha. You must then face the Sand People (below).

  To face the Sand People: The charging bantha goes down. The Sand Person in front rolls to his feet and charges, shouting a battle cry. He is waving his gaffi stick threateningly. Another Sand Person seems to have been knocked unconscious by the fall. Behind them, the other Sand People are so surprised that they turn their mounts in all directions and run. (In the blinding sandstorm, you cannot see where they go.) The remaining Sand Person rushes up to you and swings his gaffi stick, seeking to disarm you. You must defend yourself.

  To defend yourself: Add your strength# to your skill# for your confront#. Roll the 6-dice.

  If your confront# is equal to or more than your roll#, the Sand Person misses his attack, and you must choose to combat him with your weapon or hand-to-hand.

  If your confront# is lower than your roll#, your weapon goes flying off, and you must fight him hand-to-hand.

  To combat the Sand Person hand-to-hand: Add your strength# to your skill# +4 for your confront#. Roll the 12-dice to knock down the Sand Person.

  If your confront# is equal to or more than your roll#, add the difference to your MP total. The Sand Person is out of commission. You may proceed.

  If your confront# is lower than your roll#, subtract the difference from your MP total. Add +1 to your confront# for your new confront#. Repeat this confront using the new confront# until you have defeated the Sand Person.

  To combat the Sand Person with your weapon: Choose your weapon. Add your weaponry# to your weapon’s close-range# for your confront#. Roll the 6-dice to combat the Sand Person.

  If your confront# is equal to or more than your roll#, add the difference to your MP total. The Sand Person won’t bother you again. You may proceed.

  If your confront# is less than your roll#, subtract the difference from your MP total and repeat this confront until you have defeated the Sand Person.

  Once you have defeated or evaded the bantha and the Sand Person, add 25 MP to your MP total (40 MP for Advanced Level players). If you defeated the Sand Person in combat, you can take his gaffi stick.

  Whew, that was close!

  You continue on your way. Every few minutes, you get directions from your comrades over the communicator, telling you which way to turn.

  But the interference on your communicator becomes so heavy that at last you find yourself shouting, “Which way? Which way do I go?”

  “Strai… crackle, crackle… ed. You’re almost… crackle crackle,” the tinny voice answers. And then you hear nothing but static.

  Relentlessly you press forward. In the darkness ahead, a building suddenly appears. It’s a great fortress made of black plascrete, and it is very, very old. Such plascrete is often used as armor plating on military ships, but these battlements have been worn and pitted until little is left. You have heard that Jabba’s palace is built in an ancient fortress built by the B’omarr monks. This smaller fortress looks as if it was once some kind of B’omarr outpost.

  Still, there must be some kind of courtyard within the walls. Han Solo might well have set his ship down within the safety of this fortress.

  The thought excites you. Only a fine pilot like Solo could manage to set a ship down inside these walls during a storm.

  You watch the tops of the battlements for guards, but see none. You ride around the building, searching for a way in, and find a huge gate that has been left half open.

  Through clouds of swirling sand, you see what might be the dim landing lights of a ship. You take your dewback to the rear of the building to hide it where it will be shielded from the wind.

  Sand has blown against the wall, and has built up in a high drift. You realize that if you stand on the dewback, you could jump up to the wall and scurry over, then sneak into the fortress.

  Knowing that you might come face-to-face with Han Solo or his Wookiee friend at any moment, you draw your weapon.

  You must climb over the wall.

  To climb over the wall: Add your strength# to your skill# +3 for your confront#. Roll the 12-dice to climb the wall.

  If your confront# is equal to or more than your roll#, add the difference +5 to your MP total. You find a handhold in the crumbling fortress and pull yourself to the top of the wall. You may proceed.

  If your confront# is lower than your roll#, subtract the difference from your MP total. Add +2 to your confront# for your new confront#.

  If your new confront# is equal to or more than your roll#, you pull yourself over the wall and may p
roceed.

  If your new confront# is lower than your roll#, subtract the difference from your MP total and repeat this confront until you have climbed over the wall.

  You climb onto a walkway atop the wall and look down the other side. The outpost is much larger than you had imagined. Most of it is covered by mounds of sand, but you see a ship within a cleared courtyard a few hundred yards away. The lights from its landing bay are shining, and even as you watch, you see two shadowy figures enter the ship. It might be Solo! He could be getting away!

  You check the walkway atop the wall. You duck low and run toward the nearest tower. From there you hope to find some stairs that will take you down closer to the ship.

  As you enter the tower, you find yourself in an alcove, looking down into an ancient amphitheater. There are stained-glass windows above you, and the dim light shining from above lets you see grim scenes.

  In one scene, a person in yellow robes is kneeling so that his head is lying on a sacrificial altar. A second person stands above him with a laser scalpel that shines like a dim silver lightsaber.

  In a second picture, the person who was lying on the altar is dead. His skull has been opened, and the second person holds the dead man’s brain high in the air.

  In a third picture, the brain itself floats among the bright stars of the galaxy, light shining from it as if it is a burning sun.

  You get a very creepy feeling about this place.

  The chapel below has an altar in the center, with theater seats rising up all around it. You need to get down to that lower level.