The Ashen Angel returns home to Ord Mantell to re-supply, for the crew to recover, and to hand off their score in order to get paid. They spend their return voyage discussing at length the implications of proof of the existence of the Katana Fleet. After their initial reactions about the unfathomable wealth they would come into if they were able to find the fleet and sell it, they begin discussing their next moves in tracking it down. They decide their first steps are to make some money to fund the venture and to obtain technical readouts of the Katana Fleet's Dreadnaught Class Heavy Cruiser.
After delivering the three containers of Battle Droids, weapons and droid parts, Fri Penuabb met with Vash Tolen and collects the payment to Penuabb's Payloads. "Vog Salvage pays very fairly and is impressed with our performance! Vash informed me that we are currently in the running for another salvage contract through VOG as well!" Fri is very pleased with this promise of more lucrative work.
"I have transferred 1000 credits to each of your accounts, thank you for your excellent work. Additionally, Jebbo Wugz, I'd like you to take these credits and purchase three medpacs and keep them in stock on the Ashen Angel along with the three we already have. I will be supplying each of you with a medpac that I want you to keep on your person at all times. If it isn't used at the end of a job, please check it in with your Quartermaster so we know how many we need to restock with next time we're in port." She smiles warmly and adds, "I want to make sure my crew is taken care of." She hands Jebbo Wugz an additional 1500 credits to make the medpac purchase.
Jebbo heads off to Tuian's Trader's Post to see what kind of deal he can make on Medpacs. He does a good job haggling with the owner, Julaila Tuian, but she can't cut him much of a deal. She explains her money is tied up in a failed Selenium mining rig on one of the planets in the Ord Mantellian system and She can't work any better deal until it's cleared up. She explains that she send two idiots to bring her brand new Selenium mining droid, 4S-1MV. They deployed 4S and it immediately began malfunctioning. The two idiots, Groznik Kayle, and Duran Yeh gave up and returned shortly after, leaving Tuian in a bad spot. Jebbo offers to take "his" ship and crew and take care of the problem for a 25% discount on all re-supply costs for Penuabb's Payloads, to which Tuian agrees.
Satisfied with the deal, Jebbo purchases the Medpacs and heads back to tell Fri and the others of their new job but is stopped in the street by two bounty hunters; Zuckuss and 4-LOM. Zuckuss slams Jebbo to the ground and tosses a comlink at him, while 4-LOM tells him that Tessek is anticipating the first payment of the money Jebbo owes him and Jabba Desilijic Tiure (Jabba the Hutt). Jebbo has one week to make his first payment of 10,000 credits and that if Tessek calls this comlink, Jebbo had better answer. Zuckuss and 4-LOM leave Jebbo after threatening him that if he misses his payment, they'll be returning for his head.
Jebbo has no problem convincing Fri that the discount is worth it, so she begins to prep the ship as the crew heads over to the local tavern to find Groznik Kayle and Duran Yeh for more information. As it turns out, Julaila Tuian was correct in calling them idiots, as even after intimidating them into spilling their guts by Katerr and Rallyn and Missindi calling them out on their bullshit, they couldn't provide any good information other than they "told the droid to get the selenium and it ran out of the station and began to malfunction as soon as it reached the nearest selenium pool!"
The crew returns to the Ashen Angel and take off towards the first planet of the Ord Mantell system. This planet is located so close to the Ord Mantell system's star that the intense solar radiation will wear down and destroy any ship attempting to approach the planet. This is why the planet has a system of Shield Ships which act as a physical barrier to block this harmful radiation from destroying normal ships. Shaped like a large umbrella, the shield ship flys along the Ashen Angel as it approaches the planet and stays with it until it arrives at the covered docking bay at the mining outpost owned by Tuian. The Sheild ship then returns to orbit to be used by another approaching vessel or until summoned again.
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| 3d Printed computer terminals. See below for source. |
The Ashen Angel docks with Tuian's mining facility and enable emergency power by linking the Ashen Angels life support and power core. Entering the small facility, the crew discovers the main computer and begin to attempt the locate the malfunctioning droid. The facility has been shut down long enough for the air inside to be stale and incredibly hot and uncomfortable even with the Ashen Angel powering it's the life support system. Missindi, Rallyn and Katerr work to reconnect to the malfunctioning droid, 4S-1MV and find the computer analysis shows it is in perfect working condition. The orders it was issued by Groznik Kayle, and Duran Yeh was simple enough, "Go get the Selenium". When hailed, 4S-1MV doesn't comply with any commands but responds with jokes and old catchphrases Traxim recognizes for old Holovid shows. The droid seems to be staggering, taking a few steps towards the Selenium Pool, then a few steps away, circling the Selenium pool for hours and days since it had originally been given orders. This stumbling and seemingly random responses make the droid seem drunk.
They debate the problem with 4S-1MV as they dive deeper into the droid's programming where they discover that simple Class-Five droids, especially hazardous environment droids weren't programmed like Class-One Navigation Droids or Class-Two Engineering droids which required advance mathematical decision-making skills. Low-Class droids were programmed for operating under simple job specific programming which are only overruled by The Three Laws of Robotics.
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
2. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
After discovering this programming, the crew was able to deduce that because Selenium mining does create a high-risk environment for the Droid, it must act to protect itself from the Selenium while it performs it's intended task. The nebulous orders 4S-1MV by Groznik Kayle and Duran Yeh confused the droid by creating a conflict in its programming. As it approached its goal, gathering the selenium and the selenium pool, its need for self-preservation outlined in the third law began overriding its orders, outlined in the second law. Thus 4S-1MV oscillates back in forth, unable to carry out its task.
The crew concludes that the only way to break this programming conflict would be for the droid to envoke the programming of the first law. Traxim Kallos volunteers to exit the mining facility in an enviro-suit and walk toward 4S-1MV in the hope 4S-1MV would see Traxim and immediately act to save him from the extreme environment which would cook him alive in a matter of minutes.
Their plan worked and 4S-1MV broke from his programming loop to rush to save Traxim and return him to the Mining facility with only minor burns. They order 4S-1MV to recharge and then issue him proper orders to mine the selenium, orders which would not cause the same programming conflict.
Upon sharing the good news with Julaila Tuian, she immediately makes good on the deal and is extremely grateful for the efforts of the crew. She handles restocking the Ashen Angel and soon after the ship is ready for their next journey to meet up with Belinda Vog and learn about their next contract job.
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GM Notes:
The encounter at the mining outpost is base on Isaac Asimov's short story, "The Runaround." I highly recommend using classic science fiction stories as a basis for encounters or side quests, it helps you as the GM to populate the setting with setting specific problems the PCs can solve and helps make your setting seem more real.
3d Prints:
Sci Fi Props by Nafarrate
Sensor Console - Miniature Terrain by brimstone326
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