Keep Your Distance But Don't Look Like You're Trying to Keep Your Distance

STAR WARS VISIONS - HEROES

PRESENTS...

The Adventures of Bani and Easy!

now with Gilikak!

Before making the jump to lightspeed, the team of Bani, Easy, and Gilikak collectively decided to re-enter normal space far out from 363-Grek III so they'd have time to find  the optimal approach and prepare themselves for dealing with the Imperial Forces. They based their jump coordinates on Bani and Easy's scans of system, with Easy assisting Gilikak on the final calculations.

Mechanically, Bani spent an Action Point to roll her Spaceship Navigation of 3 plus her Intellect of 1 and of course, her Exploding Die. Easy and Gilikak also spent one Action Point each to assist Bani, so she gets 2 bonus Advantage Dice. 

Normally this wouldn't be too difficult - it's just a normal Hyperspace jump and they're been there before - but they're trying to be very precise and avoid Imperial sensor scans. I'd say it's Difficult, a 10. My rolls on the 3D6 were 6, 6, and 4. That first 6 explodes so I rolled again and got a 2. My Action Check total was 12. Success! Not by much but good enough.

Shortly after entering Hyperspace, Bani and Gilikak sat down to go over Bani's survey data in greater detail. Even with a Class 3 Survey by a pro, there were only so many areas on an entire planet a single person could explore and scan. The two scouts focused on the regions Bani didn't get to look at in depth, surmissing that whatever the Galactic Empire was doing on 363-Grek III, their attention might be concentrated in one of those places. 

This is where I ran into my first snag of the campaign. I wanted to randomly roll the locations, terrain, and possible points of interest of three areas on the planet but Sci-Fi Random Tables are generally really lame for this sort of thing. It's one of the reasons I don't use random tables very much (hardly ever really). I can also always create something cooler than I'd generate with random rolls. 

That said, I want to be surprised/inspired - it is a Solo game after all. I decided to combine the results of rolls using Planets of the Galaxy Volume One, a 1991 supplement for West End Games' Star Wars Roleplaying Game with some general ideas I had about the planet.

The results were:

The duo narrowed it down to three likely planetary features.

Feature #1 - The Trench Canyons: In the Northeastern hemisphere was were three massive trenches that all met at their Southern most points. Bani had found them fascinating and if she hadn't been on a job with a schedule she would've spent more time checking them out. It was an especially warm water region thanks to numerous thermal vents and a host of unusual creatures were living there. What would the Imperial want with that? It was too deep and too far from land to provide power to an outpost. 

Feature #2 - The Long Archipelago: There were a string of small islands that crossed the equator North to South, an archipelago where Bani had detected radioactive minerals. There wasn't a large quantity but maybe the Empire wanted to mine them because the minerals had specific properties they needed. 

Feature #3 - The Shallow Sea Wreckage: Set centrally in the Southern hemisphere. there exists a shallow sea with higher than normal salt content. Sitting in this shallow sea is a crashed starship, possibly a Corvette or other small military vessel. A passing scan revealed it to be very old, with little structural integrity left. Could it have carried some cargo the Empire thought to be of value? 

Gilikak spends an Action Point so he can make a Check against his Intellect 3 and Science: Archeolgy 2. He's focusing on the data and images of Feature #3 - The Shallow Sea Wreckage. Hmm. Archeology isn't exactly the right Skill but its close enough for what we are trying to determine, the age of the wreck. I'll set the Difficulty at Difficult 10. I roll 1D6 and get...Holy Moly! A 6, another 6, and a 1. Gilikak's total is 18! That's an Effective Success, +5 points more than the Target Number. Gilikak gain 1 Situation Benefit. 

Gilikak stared silently at the images and information for what felt like forever. Bani was staring at him nearly as long, neither moving in the slightest. RB-EZ1 entered the room, looked at the two of them and got caught up in the effect as well. 

Bani's nose twitched. Her ears wiggled. She closed her eyes, held her breath, but just couldn't take it any longer, "WELL?!?" Gilikak and Easy were so startled they jumped. "Did you figure out anything?", Bani asked with a smidgen of exasperation. 

"Sort of", Gilikak began, "I think we can rule out the shipwreck. Based on the data you obtained, the ship and any cargo it may have had have all but disintegrated. The age seems extreme, salt corosion is high, and a coral growth appears to have formed over everything. There is nothing salvageable there." Gilikak tapped a button a few times that changed the screen image from scans of the Shallow Sea Wreckage to scans of the Long Archipelago.

 

Spending his Situation Benefit, he gains insight into Feature #2. Radioactivity from the minerals there a not particularly strong or unique. 

"Take a look at this", Gilikak said while pointing to the scans on the Datapad. "I don't think their target is the Long Archipelago either. It just isn't worth it. These readings don't warrant a Victory Class Star Destroyer protecting that site. That is a lot of firepower for very little payoff."

Bani nodded. Easy gave a low whistle of agreement. 

Bani stood up, stretched her arms over her head, and then rested her hands on her hips. "OK, I have some idea but its probably best to take a quick nap first. We'll take turns just in case. Do you need to recharge, Easy?" Easy gave a simple, sharp beep. Nope, he was good. 

Gilikak gave Bani the top bunk and pointed out the charging station to EZ1 should he need it. Once she laid herself down and seemed comfortable, Gilikak headed back to the cockpit to make sure everything was going smoothly. About three hours or so later, they switched, though Gilikak used the bottom bunk. Time passed, snacks were eaten, a few adjustments were made on the Sea Skimmer in the cargo area, and after a while the NavComputer alerted the group they were approaching re-entry to normal space. 

Gilikak got into the pilot seat, Bani sat at Navigation, and Easy plugged in behind them. 

ZHHHH-POOM! The Always Searching dropped out of Hyperspace pretty much exactly where they wanted to be. Out the front viewports, which were large by comparison to the overall size of the vessel, a massive green and yellow gas giant with rings and a dozen small moons spun ever so slowly before them.

 

"363-Grek V", Bani said absentmindedly. 

Gilikak and Easy immediately starting scanning, doing everything they could to get as accurate a picture of their surroundings as possible. It seemed the 'coast was clear' for now. This told Gilikak that whatever was happening in the system, it was very much focused on the third planet. There were large fleet movements, no system wide patrols, nothing but the distant blip of a Victory Class Star Destroyer and, hmm, a few other smaller vessels. Considerably smaller in fact. Gilikak pointed this out to Bani, whose familiarity with starship classes was considerably greater than his own.

"Gozantis would be my guess. Fairly standard to bring them in as transports for personnel, fighters, ground vehicles, or whathaveyou. They're classified as cruisers even though they're used as transports. Gozantis let you move a lot of people and stuff quickly", Bani said, not realizing she was speaking very quietly, as if the Imperials might hear her.

Gilikak leaned back in his pilot seat and took a deep, slow breath. They needed to get closer but very, very carefully. With the flick of his thumb, Gilikak activated his vessel's 'Stealth Mode'; not an actually cloaking device of course but a shield that deflects the vast majority of sensors. At best - for the Empire - the Always Searching might show as a sensor ghost or shadow; an inconsistent blur that they'd find extremely difficult to lock onto. It wasn't so great against fighters, whose pilots could simply look out the window and see the A-24 Sleuth Class Scout Ship zipping by. Still, better to have it than not. 

"Alright Bani...Easy...I'm taking us further into the inner system. Stealth Mode is on and that should help a lot but...just be ready for anything", Gilikak said, his voice serious and even. Bani nodded and Easy did the droid equivalent. 

With that, they were off...

To be continued...

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Barking Alien

Hosts of Freaky Ghosts

Happy 40th Birthday to The Real Ghostbusters! The animated series that kept Ghostbusters alive between the original two films and one of my all time favorite American animated cartoons, The Real Ghostbusters was an exceptionally well written and well executed show.

September 13th, 1986 to September 13th, 2026

I had originally intended to publish an original, system-agnostic, Ghostbusters-esque RPG sourcebook this October but as I am currently working on another paid tabletop roleplaying game project, I am afraid I don't have the time or bandwidth to complete the book I intended to make within my self-imposed timeframe. So instead...you're getting it for free!

Throughout the month of October 2026 I will be posting 31 Ghosts for use with my Ghostbusters AD homebrew system, which is relatively easy to retrofit to the original Ghostbusters RPG by West End Games, InSpectres by Memento Mori, Spooktacular by Ewen Cluney/Yaruki Zero Games, or any other tabletop game of paranormal investigations and eliminations. 

I will be setting it firmly in the [non-canon] Ghostbusters universe of my own campaigns but you're welcome, encouraged really, to adapt it to your own setting. This is in no way official; it's a fun fan endeavor by a TRPG gamer who loves Ghostbusters. That's it.

I hope you enjoy it. 

Look for this series of posts to begin with the spooky season on October 1st.

Scare you later, 

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Barking Alien

Instead of a Big Dark Blur, I See a Big Light Blur

I am having a total blast with this Star Wars Visions Heroes Solo campaign, although campaign isn't quite an accurate term at this point in the endeavor. What I've posted up to this point all comes from the first session. This entry describes the remainder of Session 1 and sets up Session 2.

There are games besides this one on my mind - heck, there always multiple games on my mind - but SWVH is the thing I am most interested in and excited about [at the moment]. I'll get to other ideas when I feel as motivated to discuss those other ideas as much as, or more than, this one.*

Now back to our show...

STAR WARS VISIONS - HEROES

PRESENTS...

The Adventures of Bani and Easy!

Bani and Easy walked out of the Mos Garda Spaceport into the bright daytime sun of the planet Gardine, a slight breeze blowing West to East across the dusty ash and chalk covered landscape. It was hot, though not Tatooine hot, and dry, though not as dry as Tatooine. At the same time, it often felt dryer because of all that chalk dust and volcanic ash I mentioned. 

As the two of them walked South down the Eastern Thoroughfare, they passed familiar faces and shops; an old man with a fruit stand smiled as they walked by, his Protocol Droid waved. Bani nodded to a small group of Gardinian Jawas who all hooted and shouted gleefully. Easy gave a long-ish, even-toned whistle. Bani looked over at him and then instinctively raised her gaze to see 'The Gray Oasis' directly ahead. 

The Gray Oasis, Gardine's largest and most popular cantina, was a step above the usual 'wretched hive of scum and villainy' one was accustomed to on similar worlds in the Outer Rim Territories. Here the lighting was soft and bright, the drinks were of higher quality, and the patronage was a more respectable breed of scoundrel. 

As Bani and Easy entered a few passing customers took notice and nodded to them or smiled. The two visited the establishment regularly and had a reputation of 'getting the job done'  Bani inwardly hoped Mr. Boogooto would take that into account when she told him what happened on their recent mission for him. 

A pretty Human waitress came up to the pair as they stepped further into the cantina and said, "Hi there Bani! Welcome back! Mister Boogooto is at his usual table. He said to send you over if I saw you come in". Bani nodded and thanked her with a smile she hoped didn't look as awkward as it felt. The waitress simply smiled back and patted Easy on his dome. He chirped a few low flirty sounds and the waitress blushed, giggled, and walked off back to work. 

Circling the bar and its indoor pool of cool, clear water, Bani spotted her client sipping a pinkish-orange bubbling drink and watching Pod Racing on a screen above the bar. "Mister Boogooto?", Bani said, hoping not to disturb his enjoyment of the entertainment.

The Pa'lowick Promoter looked up at her and excitedly exclaimed, "Bani! Come, sit! Can I get you anything? A drink? And its Bo. Call me Bo! Everybody calls me Bo." Bani knew no one called him Bo except very close associates. "How was your trip? And the survey? Three cycles! Just like you said. Very thorough and very professional."

"Yes, well, thank you Mister...I mean Bo. 363-Grek III is beautiful. It's the perfect spot for what you have in mind. I have a full Class 3 Survey report, maps for some suitable race course sites, and a rundown on possible obstacles, mostly in the way of local fauna...", Bani said before trailing off a bit. Regaining her composure she continued, "which is why it saddens me to say, I'm afraid it isn't going to work out."

Boogooto looked visibly confused. He took a breath, then a sip from his drink, and then narrowed his eyes at the young Lepi woman. "How's that now?"

Letting out a sigh before she could stop herself she told Boogooto what happened. Survey completed, she left the planet and immediately ran into a Victory Class Star Destroyer, a TIE Interceptor led TIE Fighter squadron, and then she escaped with not-so-minor damage. For his part, Bo Boogooto looked more disappointed than angry. He swirled the contents of his cloudy beverage, a Bespin Fizz, and then looked Bani in the eyes. "That...isn't the news I wanted to hear", he said evenly, a little melancholy and a little menace intertwined in his words. 

"It isn't the information I wanted to give Mister...Bo. Truly! The planet is really perfect but Imperials...well, if they are laying a claim there before...I'm sure you understand", Bani said solemly. She reached into her jacket's inside pocket and pulled out a Datapad, a Holo-puck, and a Datacard. "This is all I have on the planet, the best areas, and my...encounter. It includes holographic maps of several choices locales."

Boogooto stared directly into her eyes for a good minute or so, then slide the devices across the table towards himself. He let out a sigh of his own. "I am disappointed to hear about your run in with the Empire. That's a real...well...it doesn't make me happy, I'll tell you that. I'm glad you and your droid are alright but yeah, I'm not pleased about this." He took another long sip of his drink, looked up at the Pod Race on the screen, and then back at Bani and Easy. "Still, a deal is a deal. You did the work. You completed the mission and I can't fault you there. I would've given you a bonus if the data turned out good but as is, I can only pay you what I owe you for doing the job. I'm sure you understand."

Inwardly, Bani was relieved to the point of her heart beating a lightyear a minute. Boogoota had always treated her and Easy very well but, you know, you hear stories. "Yes sir. Absolutely. That is very kind of you."

"It isn't kind", Bo said matter-of-factly, "it's just business. You've done right by me in the past and I'll need your services again in the future I'm sure. We have to stay professional."

Bani nodded, looked around cautiously, and then leaned in a little closer to Boogooto, who for his part seemed a little surprised. Bani whispered, "I'm going back."

"You're what? Why?", said Bo with honest shock on his face. "If what you told me is true and I have no reason to doubt it is", he patted the datapad and datacard she gave him, "that seems an ill-advised notion."

"I need to know why they ruined our opportunity. I want to know why they were there. The planet has, on its surface, little to offer the Empire unless the Moff's are looking for new vacation homes with great fishing nearby." Bo couldn't help but chuckle. Bani continued, "I am going back to get to the bottom of what they're up to there and I promise to share with you whatever I learn. Maybe the information will make up a little for lost time and such on your Sea Skimmer Racing project."

"Hmm", a host of possibilities started running through the Pa'lowick's mind. "Tell you what, find me something I can use and that bonus money is back on the table. Deal?" Bo put out his hand and Bani reached out and shook it. He liked her. She was dedicated. 

"Deal!" Bani said in a very quiet shout. As she stood up and got ready to leave, picking up the cues that their meeting had ended, Bani turned back towards Bo Boogooto and asked, "Hey Bo, you wouldn't happen to know anyone here on Gardine who owns a Sea Skimmer, would ya?"

Gilikak looked at his wrist chronometer for what felt like the third time in a very short period (likely because it was). He knew this was the result of his feeling anxious about the whole 'mission' but Bani and Easy were nearly 15 phases late. He was getting ready to go looking for them when he heard the sound of a tracked vehicle...no...a tracked droid...approaching the interior of the landing bay. The bay's manager, a sleepy ol' Human male, came out of his office in the crater wall to see what was going on. He was accompanied by a Pit Droid with a dented head.

Veril Line Systems V5-T Transport Droid - Series 1

A V5-T Transport Droid rolled in, Bani and Easy sitting in its cargo bed along with one crate and big travel bag. The droid was hitched to a trailer frame behind it. On top of the frame was a racing vehicle that Gilikak quickly recognized as a vintage Sea Skimmer. Bani waved as they entered, following that gesture with putting her two thumbs up and smiling. 

Gilikak facepalmed. The bay manager and pit droid traded glances and simultaneously shrugged. 

"Hi Gili, sorry we're late! You'll never guess what I got ahold of", she said as she leaped out of the cargo bed before the droid had even stopped. 

"A Sea Skimmer."

"What? How did you...Oh right!" Bani chuckled, "Sure, you can see it now. I wanted it to be a surprise. A dramatic reveal!" She studied Gilikak's face a moment and said, "You do look surprised."

A Zebulon Dak Speeder Corporation S-12 'Sunshark' Sea Skimmer [Custom Modified].

The Transport Droid slowed and stopped, letting the front of his flatbed fall open. Easy came down the impromptu ramp as the V5-T's powerful crane arm came out of its cylindrical body, picked up the sack and crate and placed them gently on the ground. He then spun his body around and went to unhook the trailer. Easy whistled for him to hold on and instead drive it around to the cargo bay of Gilikak's ship. The V5-T 'grunted' but followed EZ1's instructions. 

Meanwhile, Bani had been explaining to her Mon Calamari friend what happened with Boogooto and how she got the idea to borrow a Sea Skimmer so they could move around on 363-Grek III really quickly. "She's a beauty isn't she? I mean, she's pretty to me. I honestly don't know alot about these things. I know they aren't used much anymore except for racing. I guess Seaspeeders are more practical and efficient. Anyway, it's still really cool isn't it? The gal I borrowed it from said she made all kinds of modifications and restored it's old Thruster Intakes with ones from a wrecked Republic Hover Boat!"

Gilikak considered pointing out that the craft might not even fit in his cargo hold, that they didn't know how sturdy it really was, and a dozen other factors she wasn't going to listen to. She'd made up her mind and wanted, needed, to feel she'd done all she could for her client. He knew it was more than just business though. Bani had a personal grudge against the Empire and she refused to let them 'get one over on her' as she'd once conveyed to him. He definitely understood that feeling. 

"So...whattaya think?", she asked both excitedly and with a tinge of guilt. She knew she was asking a lot of him and it probably wouldn't ruin their friendship if he said no to the Sea Skimmer. He had to admit...having it would be advantageous. 

"It's a great idea", Gilikak said with a smile. "Let me go help the Transport Droid load it into the Always Searching. As he walked away towards the cargo bay doors Bani smiled to herself, not in self-satisfaction, but because in all the galaxy there were very few people like Gilikak of Mon Cal and she felt very lucky he called her a friend. 

Moments later, with Gilikak in the pilot seat, Bani in the co-pilot/navigation chair, and EZ1 plugged in back in Engineering, the Always Searching lifted off and turned slowly around before rapidly ascending through the atmosphere and onward towards space. 

Next stop...363-Grek III and the presence of Galactic Empire.

To Be Continued...

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Barking Alien

*To be completely clear, I am still thoroughly enjoying my bi-weekly Star Trek Prosperity campaign and some of the other projects I am currently working on. I am definitely having more fun with this Solo game than I am a few of my other ongoing campaigns and that's kind of a bummer. Sure, those games are also fun but just not as fun and certainly not as fun to discuss. 

Many elements of this 'Episode' date back to my earliest excursions into gaming in the Star Wars Universe. Gardine is the first original planet I ever created and has appeared in nearly every Star Wars RPG campaign I've ever run. 

Sea Skimmers also date back to one of first few campaigns, inspired by the Star Wars Swoop Bikes, my first time seeing Jet Skis, and various concept cars and boats I saw at trade shows from my youth.

Bani obtained the Sea Skimmer when that idea occurred to me while thinking about her meeting with Bo Boogooto. I had her making a Very Difficult Action Check against negotiating with a veteran racer to see if Bani could borrow the vehicle in exchange for some payment or favor to be called in later. Very Difficult is a 12 and Bani has no Negotiation Skill. It was a long shot but I had to try it. I just thought it would be cool and owing some grizzled old driver character sounded too good to passed up. Suffice to say I rolled a 5 + her Intellect of 1, so only a 6. A failure. Sad bunny.

I decided to spend a Hero Point, gaining a Success with Consequence! Bani gets to borrow the Sea Skimmer but yeah, something is bound to go wrong...

I Have Friends Everywhere

Are you all getting tired of this yet? Tough! I'm not! LOL

Quite the contrary! I'm really enjoying this Solo Star Wars outing and it's given me a whole host of ideas for a long term Star Wars campaign using this system [based on the Japanese TRPG Space Opera Heroes]. 

While I haven't leaned heavily into its Anime/Manga influences and inspirations as of yet, trust me, it's going to pretty soon. 

For now, let's pick up where we left off; after narrowly escaping an unexpected Imperial presence following their survey of the planet 363-Grek III, Bani TukNukChee and RB-EZ1 have returned to Gardine to let their employer know what happened. 

Before reaching their destination, Bani had Easy send a message to Gilikak, a Mon Calamari Explorer and Archeologist friend who might know what the Empire's interest in 363-Grek III might be. 

As soon as their scout ship 'The Flying Leap' landed on Gardine, they received a call back from Gilikak and they're now talking to him over the Com-Unit on the ship's bridge.

STAR WARS VISIONS - HEROES

PRESENTS...

The Adventures of Bani and Easy!

Episode 3: 

Bani continued to smile but it was more of a smirk and there was something concerning about her brow and eyes. Gilikak didn't know what this was all about but he got the sinking feeling there were rough seas ahead of him.

"What do you know about 363-Grek?", asked Bani, the tiniest touch of mischief in her voice.  Gilikak became even more nervous.

Putting on his most professional, academic aires, and straightening his shoulders, Gilikak replied, "It's a star system here in the Outet Rim Territories, probably a one or more away from Gardine depending on yout Hyperdrive. It has one habitable planet, an ocean world If memory serves, with nothing particularly remarkable about it that I can recall. It got a Class 1 Survey back in the Old Republic days."

Bani caught herself nodding excitedly as Gilikak spoke but forced herself to calm down and stay focused. "Right. OK. I just came back from there, from the third planet, and I completed a Class 3 Survey for a client. As I left the planet to come back here, I ran into an Imperial ship and it's squad of TIE Fighters and they came right at me!"

Gilikak's jaw dropped. Closing it with some effect, he blinked several time before staring straight at Bani. "What?! Are you serious? They...did they attack you?". The Mon Cal was both visibly shaken and thoroughly concerned. Aww. Bani was touched that Gilikak cared. 

"Well yes...that is...they came right at me at attack speed. There was a TIE Interceptor in the lead so I did what anyone would do and blasted it with my Turbo-Laser...", Bani slowed down and got quite as she saw the look of astonishment on her Mon Calamari friend's face. "So...then the other TIEs fell into position and started shooting at me. My shields held but I definitely took some damage before I was able to make the jump."

For a good several seconds, Gilikak didn't say anything. This was followed by him looking over his shoulders and feeling secure that no one was listening in he said quietly, "Are you OK? We should meet up and talk about this in-person. You might be in real trouble this time! The Empire might know your ship and...well...you know that's not a good thing if you blew up a TIE."

"Alright, sure, but that's not exactly why I called you. I called to ask, 'What was the Imperial Empire doing at 363-Grek III? The planet is deep in the Outer Rim. There are no major rare resources and it's off the major hyperspace lanes and trade routes. The reason I chose this planet for my client is because it fit what he was looking for and no one else was using it. So tell me...What is the Empire suddenly doing there?"

Gilikak took a deep breath which quickly morphed into a rather sour expression. He knew Bani well enough to know she was cooking up something in that furry green head of hers. He also knew it would be difficult, likely dangerous, and she'd ask him to help her. He didn't like it when she did that but also had trouble saying no. "What are you thinking?", Gilikak asked,  resigning himself to being part of yet another of her harebrained (literally!) schemes. 

"I want to go back but I can't go in my ship 'cause, as you noted, they'll very likely recognize it. Additionally, a smaller vessel with better sensors and a stealthier design would probably be waaay more effective. Once we get there, we track down where the Empire is and see if we can find out what they're up to. Once we know, we leave! Back to Gardine and figuring out our next move." Bani said, almost matter-of-factly. 

'Always Searching', Gilikak's Incom A-24 Sleuth Class Scout Ship

"We?" Gilikak said with a grim chuckle.

"That's a great idea!", Bani exclaimed, jumping to punctuate her enthusiasm. "The two of us, with Easy of course, could totally do it. No problem! I mean, you do have the perfect ship for it." She ended with a smile and a cute little tilt of her head. Easy appeared on screen behind her and followed suite. 

Gilikak rolled his eyes. "Fine. Meet me at Docking Bay 9. It's an ocean world, so don't forget to bring a diving suit."

"Roger, roger! I'll be there in an hour or so. I have to stop off at the Gray Oasis and talk to my client first." Gilikak nodded and then ended the communique. Bani turned to Easy and said, "C'mon Easy, let's go break the news to Mister Boogooto."

To Be Continued...

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Barking Alien

Although I've been on a Star Wars kick lately, I want to shout out and celebrate Star Trek's 60th Anniversary - September 8th, 1966 to September 8th, 2026! Star Trek has always been and remains my first love.

Live Long and Prosper Star Trek! Here's to 60 more years and beyond...

Malfunctions and Asteroids and Mynocks, Oh My!

Continuing my Solo excursion into the Space Opera Heroes Role-Playing Game with my custom Star Wars mod, we revisit Lepi Scout Bani TukNukChee and her Astromech Droid RB-EZ1 sometime after escaping an Imperial Victory Class Star Destroyer and a flight group of TIE Fighters. They appeared and moved into an attack position just as her Scout Ship, The Flying Leap, left an ocean world the duo had just surveyed.

Bani and Easy had checked out the ocean planet designated 363-Grek III on behalf of Bo Boogooto, a successful Galactic Racing promoter. Boogooto was looking to set up a new venue for a Sea Skimmer race. Things looked really good until The Flying Leap broke through the upper atmosphere. That's when trouble arrived and a short battle ensued before the 'Leap was able to make the jump to lightspeed. 

Let's see what happened next...

STAR WARS VISIONS - HEROES

PRESENTS...

The Adventures of Bani and Easy!

EPISODE 2:

Bani awoke...mostly...sort of...and opened one eye. She looked about her quarters as her brain tried to put her memories into some sort of logical order. She nuzzled her head deeper into her pillow as it all came back to her. The ocean world, the survey, Empire showing up, zap-boom-pew-pew-pew, and sha-shoom, Hyperspace. 

She remembered getting to her quarters and basically passing out on her bed straight away, confirmed by the fact that she was still fully clothed in what she was wearing when she entered the room. She must have moved around in her sleep to get into a proper sleeping position but how exactly she got the blanket up over her is anybody's guess. 

Bani's Captain's Quarters aboard The Flying Leap

Bani slowly sat up, her ears twitching, and she realized something was off...the ship felt...sounded...hmmm. She turned to the Comp-Terminal the the right of her bed and punched a few buttons. "Kriff!", Bani exclaimed and threw off her blanket and shot up and out of her room, heading for the Cockpit. 

Reaching the bridge, the doors automatically opened and Bani slipped into the pilot seat. She placed one hand on the controls and with the other pressed a button that sent a 'Wake Up' signal to Easy's Recharging Station. As her eyes panned across the consoles and finally settled on the view out the front windows, she rapidly assessed what had happened. 

The NavComputer, damaged in the TIE Fighter attack, had failed to wake her up with an alarm [an hour before existing Hyperspace] as was her standard practice. She was gazing out into normal space, quickly approaching the debris field that sat at the outer edge of the Gardine System. 'At least we existed at roughly the right coordinates', she thought to herself.

The Flight Controls had clearly been effected by the attack as well; the steering felt sluggish and even a little stubborn. Bani gripped the control yoke with both hands, leaned forward, unconsciously wiggled her tail and butt into her chair, and prepared to maneuver The Flying Leap through the space debris. Normally navigating this field would be Tricky 9 but due to the malfunctioning Flight Controls and the fact that Bani just woke up I'm going to say its Difficult 10.

I see this as a combination of Bani's skill and reflexes so I'm using Dexterity instead of Intellect. That plus Spaceship Pilot and 2D6 with Disadvantage results in 2 + 3 + 3 and 1 and I have to take the 1 so that's only 6. That sucks. lol OK, I am going to spend one of Bani's Hero Points to gain a Success with Consequence! Let's make a roll to see what the consequence is...hmm...I don't want to roll on my Spaceship SFX Damage and Mishap Table 'cause that's not what this is necessarily. Instead, I have an alternate idea.

While Bani was largely successful in getting through the debris field safely, at some point the Flying Leap tapped an asteroid fragment that went hurdling off into the dark to strike a group of other small asteroids. Checking her viewscreens to make sure she was clear of danger, Bani quickly found out she wasn't out of the fire just yet. 

And so I flew-ew-ew, I flew so far away-ay-ay...

Mynocks. A flock of them. The energy draining, nightmare creatures came soaring through the darkness of space from their distant rock dens inside the asteroids that had been disturbed. Bani hated Mynocks. How was it that there were pests in the vacuum of the void? And what pests they were; chewing power cables, gnawing on plasma flow chargers, and sucking the power right out of a starship. Well not HER starship! She wasn't in the mood. 

The Mynock subspecies native to the Gardine System in comparison to Easy and Bani for size. 

The cockpit entryway opened and RB-EZ1 rolled in, beeping a relaxed, "Good morning. How'd you sleep?", to Bani as she wrestled the controls to out run and/or out maneuver the Mynocks. 

"I'm a little busy here Easy", said Bani as casually as she could muster, "We've got a flock of Mynocks heading our way. Think you could help out?" 

Easy eased into his spot at the Co-Pilot station and Scomp Linked into the ship's computer. Scanning the damage and issues first, he tried re-routing the flight controls through several related subsystems. Letting out a few slow, deep chirps and a lazy bleep, he suggested that if Bani had a clever move, she make it then and there, as he didn't know how long his alterations would hold [since the ship's computer would try to automatically 'correct' his changes].  

Bani eyed the star system's sun out the forward/port window and 'aimed' the ship in that direction. Punching the engines hard and tweaking the starboard side thrusters, she sent the ship into a barrel roll as it zoomed towards the inner system, the Flying Leap giving it everything she had. 

Bani spent an Action Point and so did Easy. EZ1's move adds an assist to Bani in the form of a bonus Advantage Die. Since the damaged Flight Controls are giving her a Disadvantage, this bonus die cancels that out! Pretty clever, no? Bani gets her Dexterity 2, her Spaceship Pilot of 3, and rolls 1D6 vs Difficult 10...a 5! 2 + 3 + 5 = 10! Just made it! Whew. 

As The Flying Leap dove to the 'left' and went into a roll, the Mynocks swarmed over and largely past the vessel, many of them trying and failing to grab onto the ship as it passed. Fortunately for Bani and Easy, their speed and twist and roll movement made it extremely hard to any of the creatures to latch on. In fact, some of the Mynocks were 'slapped' by one section of the Leap or another, sending the little buggers hurdling off into the void. 

As the ship cleared the debris field, Bani altered her flight path and EZ1 stopped the ship from spinning by increasing power to the lateral stabilizers. Adjusting their speed to conserve energy and not tax the damaged systems, Bani let out a sigh of relief and eased up on the control yoke. Gazing out the windows and across the viewscreens Bani said, "Looks like we're safe for now. I'm locking in a course to Gardine, nice and slow. I'm gonna take a shower and get a change of clothes. I'm meet you the Lounge in an hour. Sound good?"

Easy whistled positively and Bani patted the top of his head as she left the cockpit. 

The Flying Leap's Crew Lounge

At roughly the proper time, Bani walked into the Crew Lounge with a bowl of Neet Root Salad and a hot cup of Jogan Fruit Tea. She went directly to the 'central chair' and pressed a button on the right arm rest. A small, folded shelf extended out from the front, right side of the chair. Bani sat down and turned the shelf to be in front of her, unfolded, and locked the unit into position. She set the bowl and cup on the makeshift table and pressed another button on the opposite arm rest. The large screen on the far side of the room, which was in direct line of sight to her chair, switched from an image of what you'd see out the cockpit windows to a NavComputer HUD view. 

RB-EZ1 had been there the whole time. He'd arrived a good ten minutes or so before Bani did and stood to the left of the central chair at the end of the port side couch. He waited patiently for her to get settled. Eventually, she looked up to notice Easy 'staring' at her, a stick of Neet Root sticking out of her mouth. "What?", she asked, blinking in confusing.

Easy let out a short burst of smooth tones and flashed the tiny light below his eye. "I'm ready. I just had to get something to eat, OK? Listen, I need to prepare for our landing and meeting with Boogooto. Either he set us up for some reason or he didn't know the Empire was there and either way, we probably aren't going to get paid 'cause there's no way he's set up a racing course on that planet. We need to fix the ship but we need money to get the ship fixed. If we don't get paid...", Bani stopped, looked down, and then picked up her tea and slowly sipped it. She realized she was talking really fast and mostly rambling. Easy never interrupted once. She thought, not for the first time, 'He is a really good friend'.

Bani pulled her legs and feet up onto the chair in a pose that always made her feel more comfortable and secure. She looked at EZ1 and said calmly, "We really need the credits from this job and we did do the work. We managed to complete the survey and it was positive."

Easy beeped in agreement. 

"So that's what we lead with. We did the work and are owed the money, regardless of the surprise Imperial presence." She took another sip of tea. "Did you message Gilikak? Did he get back to us?" 

(Die Roll) Easy let her know that he hadn't yet but if he's on Gardine he'll likely contact them soon. Bani nodded. Gilikak was a good guy. Unless he was on a job himself, he'd definitely get back to them as soon as he could. She should see if she had any Seaweed Mash left. It would make a great offering to Gilikak for helping them out. 

"OK, I'm going to finish up and then head to the cockpit. We'll go directly to Garda City and speak with Boogooto straight away. If Gilikak calls let me know immediately", Bani said and then took another gulp from her cup that finished off her tea. She then look over at Easy and smiled. "And thanks Easy. I honestly have not idea where I woud be without you."

For his part EZ1 brushed it off with an 'ah don't worry about it' set of short chirps. She was stressed out and he knew it. He also understood it to some degree. Even with all that was going through her mind, she still made the effort to acknowledge his efforts and contributions. Easy always appreciated that about Bani. 

Some time later, as the ship approached the planet Gardine, their communications unit lit up with an incoming message. Bani hoped it was her friend Gilikak but wasn't surprised when it wasn't.

"Unidentified vessel, the is Garda City Traffic Control. Please identify and forward your Transponder Code", said the droid voice.

Bani responded, "This is the Flying Leap, Transponder Code sent. Requesting permission to land at the Garda City Spaceport."

After a brief moment, "Transponder confirmed. Welcome back Flying Leap. Please proceed to Docking Bay 15. Approach vector 153.3." Bani nodded even though the droid couldn't see her. Following the coordinates the Control Tower sent, she flew the ship over numerous other docking bays, each with ships already occupying them or else too small for the Flying Leap to land in. The higher numbered bays were set aside for the bigger freighters and similarly sized starships.

She found Docking Bay 15 and started her descent. A few moments later, the Scout Ship stood comfortably on his landing gear.  

As our heroes got ready to depart the ship and head into the city proper, a communications signal beeped and EZ1 responded. He let out a happy, low, long whistle. "Really?", Bani asked excitedly, "Put him on!"

The screen on the comm-unit came to life and a familiar face appeared. "Gilikak!" Bani shouted, bouncing in place as she did so.

The face of a young Mon Calamari Male smiled at her, a little surprised by her excitement. "Hey there Bani! Great to hear from you! I got a communications request from Easy to call you. Is everything OK?"

To Be Continued...

AD

Barking Alien