Title: Strike Force: Shantipole
Author: Ken Rolston and Steve Gilbert
Publisher: West End Games, 1988 (Converted to D20 by
me)
Adventurers: Zel Azny, Bob Porkins, Kael Vreedu, Bobby Windu,
Jon 'Freakin' Woo, Binaca Baca
Primary Villains: Salin Glek, Commander Bane Nothos
Space Combat Opponents: TIE/rc Starfighters, TIE/ln Starfighters,
Nebulon-B Frigate
Other Opponents: Stormtroopers, Probe Droid, Small Space
Slug, Imperial Technicians, Imperial Officers
Other Supporting Characters: Suskafoo, Commander Ackbar,
Lieutenant Pollard
Story: Having experience in asteroid field missions,
the heroes are sent to the Roche Asteroid Field, by Mon Mothma. Their
mission is to deliver a holo-disk to Commander Ackbar at the secret rebel
base in the Roche Asteroid Field. They take another loaned ship on
this mission, the Out Runner, a modified light freighter. Shortly
after exiting hyperspace at the edge of the, the Out Runner is attacked
by 3 TIE/rc starfighters. The heroes decide to try outrun them in the
asteroid field. They successfully enter the field, and after two TIE's
are destroyed in collisions with asteroids, the third banks away and retreats.
Using a broadcasting base-homing device the heroes find the rebel base.
Upon arrival at the command base, they meet Salin Glek, Ackbar's Chief
Aide. Salin tells them that he will deliver any messages to Ackbar
for them, but the heroes insist that they must deliver them personally. When
Lieutenant Pollard arrives, he escorts them to Commander Ackbar. The
contents of the holo-disk are displayed, revealing a message from Mon Mothma.
Having been informed that the Shantipole Project is nearing completion,
rebel command is requesting that Ackbar take his design team and prototype
B-Wings to the Pothor System where the alliance fleet is assembling. The
heroes are asked to escort Ackbar and his team to the rendezvous point. After
being given their new mission, everyone realizes that Salin Glek is gone.
The hanger deck monitor reveals that the Out Runner is missing. Suddenly
an alarm screams thtough the base, as an Imperial Shuttle approaches the
base. The shuttle attacks the base as Ackbar gives the evacuation
signal. Soon the blasts on the asteroid stop as the imperials prepare
to invade the base. Ackbar instructs the heroes to delay the stormtroopers
while he retrieves important data from the bases computer systems. As
the stormtroopers enter the main hanger, the heroes hold them back with
blasters. Unfortuantely, during the fire fight Jon 'Freakin' Woo
is shot. Having to retreat, he is left. During the retreat,
Zel Azny is also shot and left for dead. Finally Ackbar gets all the
important data that he needs and the heroes escape with him, Pollard and
the Verpine Suskafoo down the passages, closing all blast doors behind them.
Before getting to the lifeboat bay, they have to eliminate more stormtroopers
that have been dropped off on that side of the asteroid. They succeed
in doing this, pile into the two remaining lifeboats and eject from the base.
The lifeboat journey is uneventful, as the small craft auto-navigates
to a Verpine transport. They find that Research Station Shantipole,
where the prototype B-Wings are kept, has been captured by the imperials.
They also find that imperial capital ships have formed a blockade around
the asteroid field. As the Verpine fleet is unarmed, the heroes are
asked to sneak into Shantipole, and recover an armed craft, which can be
used to provide cover fire through a weak point in the blockade as the fleet
escapes. While there, the heroes should download more vital data, and
then set charges at the main generator to blow the asteroid up. Bob,
Kael, and Bobby prepare to leave with Suskafoo and Binaca Baca, a wookie soldier
that is stationed with the Verpine. They fly to Shantipole in Asteroid
Hoppers, short-range repulsorlift craft designed for traveling through asteroid
fields. On the journey to Shantipole, they encounter a probe droid,
which they destroy, and then fly through an unusually heavy concentration
of asteroids, with success, to avoid a TIE fighter patrol. Arriving
at Shantipole, they observe the asteroid and decide to enter through hidden
tunnels to the surface, used for atmospheric venting from the research base.
In the tunnels, they encounter a small space slug which they successfully
destroy. Once in the main part of the station, they proceed to sneak
around the base to complete their mission. At the medical center, Suskafoo
is able to download the data they require. Arriving repulsor beam control,
they are forced to kill some imperial technicians that see them and try to
raise the alarm. Shortly after that, they are spotted by a stormtrooper
patrol, which they successfully eliminate quickly. Bob and Bobby put
on stormtrooper armour, and they proceed through the base. Things
start to get complicated. As the heroes try to sneak past another
stormtrooper patrol, Kael is spotted. Bob and Bobby step up and tell
the other stormtroopers that they are taking this Twi'lek to the detention
center. They walk away with Kael as Suskafoo and Binaca are hiding
behind some equipment. Once they get into another room, Bob and Bobby
return to find Binaca and Suskafoo, leaving Kael to wait behind. They
find that Suskafoo and Binaca are gone. To add to this, the stormtroopers,
whose armour they are wearing, have not called in to report, so they try
to bluff that they are having communicator problems. Imperial technicians
are sent to deal with the problem, so Bob and Bobby have to go to where
they were supposed to be posted and wait for the techs, who they end up
having to kill. They then go and try to find Suskafoo and Binaca,
thinking that maybe they got captured and are in the detention area. On
their way there, they meet 4 stormtrooper guards at a junction of passages.
The main trooper askes if they are their relief. Bobby says
yes, thinking that they will leave, but unfortunately, only 2 go as it
would not be proper for them all to leave when only half of the relief
was here. Meanwhile, where Kael is hiding out an imperial technician
enters the room through an airlock and takes off his vacuum suit. He
calls in to command that there is a problem with his suit, and waits. Kael,
not wanting more company, kills the tech, hides the body and sneaks out of
this room. In the meantime, the Bob and Bobby stormtroopers have again
not called to report. they are told to leave, just as the real relief
for the stormtrooper guard they are with arrives. They manage to get
away and to the entrance of the detention area. There they are forced
to kill the two stormtrooper guards when they call in to find out if they
are really supposed to be there. Entering the detention cell, they
find 7 Verpine, and Zel Azny, who though weak has actually survived. Bobby,
uses a medpac on him, which makes Zel feel a bit better. Kael decides
he needs to know where everyone is and decides to risk using his comlink
to find out. He locates Bob and Bobby, and finds out that Suskafoo
and Binaca Baca are hiding out in the shield generator room. They
decide to get together, but first have to deal with the stormtrooper guard
that Bob And Bobby were "relieved" by. Attacking from three sides,
the heroes kill the four stormtroopers, but not before Zel Azny is again
shot down. Having some time to check his vitals, Bobby determines
that this time Zel is truly dead. They retreat with the verpine (and
the bodies of the stormtroopers and Zel), into the shield generator chamber.
Bob and Bobby head to the main Docking Bay, hoping to get a good look
at it while they are still disguised as stormtroopers. On their way
there, they encounter another stormtrooper patrol.. When the stormtroopers
ask Bob and Bobby where the rest of their squad is, they are not satisfied
with the answer and call in to their HQ. They then pull their rifles
on Bob and Bobby and order them to drop their weapons. Bob and Bobby
are led to the hanger bay where an imperial officer, Derrick Boz, asks them
a few questions. Bob has managed to turn on his com link, so that Kael
is actually able to hear what is going on. Bob and Bobby are then led
to the now empty detention chamber. They are stripped of their stormtrooper
armour and put in binders. Kael and Binaca have in the meantime made
their way to the door of the detention room. When the 8 stormtroopers
leave the room, they do not notice the two heroes on either side of the door.
Kael, grabs Derrick Boz, who has left the room last and pulls his blaster
on him. He orders the other stormtroopers to put down their weapons
and lay down on the ground, which these troopers do. Bob and Bobby
are released of their binders, and the heroes begin to bind the stormtroopers
1 at a time. Halfway through the process, 4 more storm troopers enter.
Kael again threatens to kill the officer, but these troopers open fire
anyway. During the combat, the four unarmed stormtroopers on the ground
get up and engage the heroes hand to hand. Derrick Boz, tries to grab
Kael's blaster, and Kael shoots him and lets him go, when he doesn't get
a good shot off. When the combat is done, all the involved imperials
are dead, except for the four troopers that were already bound in the detention
room. Kael and Binaca decide to go set the explosive charges at the
main generator while Bob and Bobby, still posing as stormtroopers stay and
guard at the detention room, to try and prevent anyone else from entering.
Kael and Binaca eventually get to the main generator room after avoiding
some stormtrooper patrols. Binaca sets the charges. They sneak
back and hide out in one of the rooms waiting for the 'all clear' signal
on their comlink from Bob and Bobby. The "Bob(by) Squad" has had other
things to contend with in the meantime. Four troopers approach them
and tell them that since they have not called in they were being relieved
of their post. Two stormtroopers replace them as they are told to go
with the other two and guard a corridor junction outside of the hallway.
To contact Kael, Bob decides he needs to "go to the washroom". When
alone he calls Kael and tells them what is going on. They plan on taking
out the stormtrooper guards and then making their way into the hanger bay
to steal some ships. Bob returns to his squad. Before long, a
call comes in that some verpine rebels have been found in a room, and they
are to be taken to the detention area. Realizing that these verpine
are the ones that Suskafoo is with, Bob and Bobby convince the stormtrooper
commander to let them help out in bringing the verpine in to detention. They
go to the room and lead the verpine to the detention area, with Kael and
Binaca joining them posing as additional rebel prisoners (with binders not
locked on their wrists).. When they get to the detention area they
are told to bring the prisoners to the main hanger to prepare them for transport.
They bring the 'prisoners' into the hanger and leave them by the Mon
Calamari freighter parked in the bay. They make a quick plan to steal
both the Mon Cal freighter and the imperial shuttle. Bob and Bobby
go to the shuttle and board. They point their rifles at the two techs
on board and tell them to get off the ship. Meanwhile, Binaca, Kael,
Suskafoo, and the other verpine make a run for the Mon Cal Freighter. Two
stormtroopers keeping an eye on them shoot right away, hitting Suskafoo and
another verpine. Three other verpine also get hit in the dash to the
freighter, but although two get knocked unconscious from the blaster shots,
they manage to survive and get dragged aboard the ship. As Bob powers
up the shuttle, pilots run to the TIE fighters to man them. Bob lifts
off and begins to back the shuttle out of the docking bay. The TIE's
power up just as he clears the bay entrance, at which time the Mon Cal freighter
is also almost powered up with the stormtroopers firing blasters at it. The
shuttle clears the asteroid with the TIE's in pursuit. The Mon Cal
freighter escapes the asteroid shortly after them. Bob and Bobby decide
to lead the TIE's into a heavier portion of the asteroid field. The
tactic pays off as after several twists and turns in the field, all the TIE's
get destroyed in the field. The imperial shuttle takes some shield
damage in an aseroid collision, but they come out relatively unscathed. While
in this field, the Shantipole Asteroid explodes. Bob and Bobby join
Kael, Binaca, Suskafoo, and the verpine in the Mon Cal freighter and fly
to Ackbar and the verpine fleet to help them escape the Roche Asteroid field.
Arriving at the edge of the field, the heroes find that a Nebulon-B
Frigate has already engaged the verpine fleet. A message over the com,
from Imperial Commander Bane Nothos, orders the fleet to surrender or be
destroyed as the frigate blasts a verpine transport out of existence. Deciding
that they need the two-seat B-wings to take out the frigate's engines, the
heroes transfer three verpine from the mon cal freighter to the imperial
shuttle, using vacuum suits. Once in the shuttle, the verpine take
over piloting duties, one in the shuttle, and one in each B-wing, with Bob
and Bobby acting as gunners. They B-wings are launched out of the shuttle's
cargo bay and attack the frigate. The frigate takes out another verpine
transport as the B-Wings close in. Bob and Bobby each hit the frigate
with shots from their assault laser cannons to bring down the frigate's shields.
The frigate in turn hits Bob's B-wing with a rear facing laser cannon,
but just barely affects its shields. Finally, Bob gets a missile lock
on the frigate and launches a proton torpedo, which hits the engine casing
causing the engines to go dead. This enables the heroes and the verpine
fleet to escape the frigate and make a jump into hyperspace before other
imperial ships arrive.
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