You make that a Leaping check, dropping from the second story. The Force must be with you, as you roll six successes on eight dice and land neatly in the dewy grass outside the mansion.
Gabriel decides not to waste any time picking his way back through the mansion and hazards the drop. Without the tricks of a Jedi, he breaks something in the fall, but waves you off when you try to offer help.
"Give me the boy," Gabriel grunts. "Get your man!"
You glimpse Quam fleeing across the grassy field, away from the smoldering maze, from the mansion, from the Spirit, and from you.
Gabriel takes Sunda and limps toward your ship, along with any remaining CorSec officers after the shootout with the Jenet warriors.
You scramble through the waist-high grass after Quam, tapping into the Force to rush after him. The Dark Jedi doesn't bother engaging you, fleeing up a nearby hill overlooking the mansion. You make it about halfway up after him when Quam triggers the detonators. A tremendous whoosh and an intense heat slams across the hillside and presses you flat into the grass, followed by a rain of sparks and torched debris and scorched earth. It takes you a moment to regain your feet, clawing at the mud and grass. You feel shellshocked, all sound coming from far away, as if you had been dropped into the depths of a burning sea.
A sound cuts through, then- the thrum and hiss of repulsorlifts. You look up just in time to see a dark shape descend over the hill, and Quam jumping up to it. He tosses you one last contemptuous glare before ducking inside. And with that, the ship races up into the night sky, outpacing the CorSec man operating the Spirit's top-side turret, and disappears beyond the atmosphere.
That call makes it back to Coronet and the CorSec comms officer there vows to do what he can. But ultimately, CorSec's mission is to defend Corellia, not track criminals across the stars. They simply lack the infrastructure for it. They get a read on Quam's starship, but the best they can tell you after analyzing the trajectory of his hyperspace jump is that he went for the Outer Rim. He eludes CorSec stunt fighters.
You receive these updates in rapid succession aboard the Spirit of Corellia, which you no doubt prime for take off the minute you get aboard. But by the time you get airborne, CorSec reports Quam's jump.
"You did well," Gabriel says, sinking into the copilot seat beside you. "We couldn't have done this without the help of the Jedi, and I wouldn't hesitate to say it would've gone worse without you, specifically, going after this villain."
One of Gabriel's men informs you that Sunda is coming to, as well.
I will give him the rundown.
Kuylen's old henchmen was running a refugee-rebellion, he got kidnapped and used as bait to lure me to his house/manor for "reasons?" So i came to rescue him and then Saar blew up the house to try to kill us all.
I will also give him back his saber, apologize for taking it, and tell him that it means that we both still have things to learn.
Sunda gratefully takes his lightsaber back and vows to never let it out of his sight.
"Did you confront him, Master? What happened?" Sunda says, his boyish enthusiasm slightly diluted by the effects of the drugs. "Did you duel?"
--
Upon returning to Coronet, you find that CorSec's operation against the Red Rain appears to be winding down. You aren't sure how much Quam coordinated the insurgency, but the results of the street skirmishes and door-to-door fighting in the capital show that the Red Rain wasn't ready for an open fight regardless. The Jenet kept them well-equipped with their weapon-making expertise. Nothing substitutes strategic knowledge and training, however.
Before the Spirit of Corellia even approaches the city, the Diktat has already summoned you to the capital building to report what happened in the mansion. Her residence has been transformed into a fortress by the sheer number of CorSec attack speeders patrolling around it, and barricades preventing anyone from coming near. Inside, you find the Diktat accompanied by several armed guards, as well as your Jedi associate, Sky Ninabu.
"Master Jedi, Corellia owes you its thanks for helping unravel this threat against it," the Diktat says.
"We did duel. However, as he was about to gain the upper hand, I saw an opening and escaped to free you. Remember, victory does not always come as a result of battle."
__
"I only wish that I could have apprehended the man who orchestrated this whole thing. I had run into him before, a Dark Jedi named Saar."
"I know, I know," Sunda says, brushing off your wisdom for the moment, "but I want to know about every clash of the sabers. I want to be as good as you someday!"
You cannot help but smile.
--
Mixing up Dark Jedi, there! Saar is imprisoned in the orbital facility by now, floating above Coruscant and waiting. Quam Ak-toh, however, has disappeared into the ether.
"CorSec can grant you information about his trajectory," the Diktat tells you. "He aided the Red Rain in becoming a viable threat by operating within the Corellian government as a double agent and influencing the Jenet into supplying and harboring them. The Corellian government and people hold great interest in his apprehension."
"I agree with my colleague," Sky intones. "We greatly appreciate Corellia's interest in our pursuing Quam, but the Council needs to approve that mission."
"They absolutely must," states the Diktat. "CorSec's jurisdiction does not extend beyond Corellia. We cannot give pursuit ourselves, not without the cooperation of the Senate. And rarely do they grant emergency powers to planetary militias. With CorSec's success against the Red Rain insurgency and this... 'Quam' fleeing the system, they will deem the issue resolved. The Red Rain becomes a local matter and Quam becomes a problem to deal with another time in another place."
"The Council will certainly consider this when deciding whether or not to extend our mandate," Sky replies.
"I certainly hope so," the Diktat says. "Place the call and let me know of the results. I must attend to other matters..."
Sky excuses herself and turns to leave for the capitol building's comms center... but your Intuition tells you to stay.
Sky apologizes to someone and steps aside before making her exit. Entering the room is Senator Garm Bel Iblis, with his neat mustache and chiseled good looks. But instead of the traditional politician's robes he wore when you first met him, he now wears something designed for the fit and active. A blood-stripe runs down the outside of his pant legs and his black jacket sports pauldrons and insignia.
"Good evening, Master Jedi," Senator Iblis greets, gifting you with a view of his white choppers before seating himself in a chair before the Diktat's desk. "I believe my world owes you thanks beyond compensation. I will certainly commend you in the Senate, when I make my first visit."
He settles into the chair and looks to the Diktat, who looks to you.
"Something more to say, Trilanger?" the Diktat asks, eyeing you in your hesitation to depart.
Scan proves more relevant to Iblis. You sense his pride, but more so, you sense that he's come here with strong purpose. Something on his mind.
"Why, Roan, I'm surprised you don't recognize a Corellian military officer uniform when you see one," Senator Iblis says, his lips curling into a subtle smirk. "Old-fashioned, surely, but one nonetheless."
With CorSec in place, Corellia does not support a standing military.