STAR WARS: RETROSPECTION- Learner

"It does not matter! The arrival of the Jedi meant that the Senate had taken interest in my world... I could not allow further investigation!"

He is extremely paranoid, Rianna.

"No, it does matter! If you had not wanted investigation, you should have kept a tighter leash on your pirates and kept them from harassing other planets! You should have not made building up your droids so obvious! The very fact that anyone came to investigate is because of your mistakes!" Rianna snaps back, stopping and glaring at him.

"Now, what are you so paranoid about? Do the other Beseedran Councillors not like what you are doing? Or do they not even know and you're worried about being found out? And I still want to know where the girl I was with is."

Xirdal laughs.

"It does not matter what the other Councillors believe. They are dead."

You reach the blast door, and Xirdal opens it with a keycard.

"You see, the pirates were merely a distraction. An excuse to increase funding for my research. I am a wealthy man due to all the patents I have had approved by the Republic, and so I paid the pirates to assault Beseedra so that the Council would understand my need to increase funding. The battle droids? Those were just something I came up with in order for the Council to feel as if I had produced something. But it was not my main objective. Battle droids follow orders but are incapable of superior independent thought. No, I do not think that the Republic will be brought down by an invasion of battle droids..."

Beyond the blast door is a short hallway that opens up into a central room. It appears to be a lounge area. Several other hallways branch off from there.

"One person alone cannot bring down the Republic, no matter your plans," Rianna states, scornfully. "That's ridiculous."

"You are right. One being cannot bring down generations of tradition, no matter how influential. The Sith knew that, which is why they amassed great armies to throw against the might of the Republic. Which is what I shall do, supported by my battle droids. Would you like to know how, youngling?"

"An explanation would be nice," she says, thoroughly annoyed by now. "And I am not a youngling..."

"Yet you are not a fully-fledged Knight, nor an adult. But very well."

Xirdal pulls what appears to be a remote control from his belt. He puts in some commands and a unit of battle droids march into the lounge. They carry with them a trio of detention unit, not unlike the one that detains Kenobi in Episode II, and set them in the center of the lounge.

"Jarko, retrieve the experiment. Sedate him first."

Jarko nods and stomps off.

"Tell me, Jedi," Xirdal says. "How is your knowledge of the Sith?"

"Not that great...it isn't something we're encouraged to study," Rianna admits. "But they've been long gone anyway."

"But their knowledge has lived on, documented by the Republic in the last war before the Sith were destroyed. There is one Sith Lord in particular that peaked my interest, an expert in alchemy... Belia Darzu."

"Alchemy? Can you just...get to the point?"

Xirdal presses in another command and more battle droids come in, this time escorting an incapacitated Ciira Treen and Senator Palpatine. As Xirdal is speaking with you, they are put into the detention units.

"Belia Darzu was incredibly skilled at using Sith magic to manipulate items on a molecular level, and eventually extended her power to alter life itself! Not create it, mind you, but subtley change it. She infused her dark arts with nanogene technology and engineered a techno-virus that could alter the genetic structure of life forms. It turned the infected into mindless slaves that slowly became cybernetic shells, extensions of her will... but this knowledge was lost when the Sith Lord was murdered by the Mecrossa Order. But I... I have reimagined this virus, through scientific experiments, funded by the Beseedran government."

"But that's horrible! Why would you even be interested in such a thing?!" Rianna asks. "And where is Myraline? What have you done with my Master?"

"Imagine the possibilities!" Xirdal shouts, shaking an open hand at you. "The original techno-virus was spread when the Sith Lord's beasts inflicted physical wounds. But mine can be spread through the air! I can release it on any planet in the Galaxy and its citizens will become my minions, my army! Slowly the Republic will corrode as its people become my people. A superior people, upgraded by technology, the next step in evolution. Starting with Beseedra."

Jarko has returned, tugging with him a hunched and gaunt figure. It is Quinn, and he does not look well.

"I have already successfully carried out the testing of the techno-virus on Dall, the world you were shot down over. There was a colony there, perfect for my experiments. The battle droids you destroyed were demonstrating the advantages of cloaking, another specialty of the Sith Darzu."

"Why would I want to imagine any such possibilities? I'm a Jedi - not a crazed lunatic!" Rianna replies, backing away from him. "This is all insane...you're insane!"

"Well, your Master won't think so," Xirdal says. "I have always wanted to test the effects of my techno-virus on a powerful Jedi... and now I have. You, however, are expendable. Secure her."

Jarko leaves Quinn's side and grabs you by the shoulder. Ciira and Palpatine have been suspended above the detention units, each minute movement they make being punished by the electromagnetic suspension system. He starts to drag you over to the unit that will trap you with them.

"No!" Rianna shouts, trying to pull out of his grasp and lashing out with her fist to hit him using Channel.

At this point in time, Rianna has a Combat of 13. Impressively, she rolls a 19! As Jarko makes no effort to dodge, you max out with an Outcome of 5 and +3 to Strength from Channel... but you split your knuckles open when your fist connects. You inflict no damage against the heavily protected Jarko, who has a Strength of 9 and an Armor rating of +6. He does not even notice that you have hit him.

Both frightened and frustrated now, Rianna will call out with the Force, hoping to find something she can use as a weapon...and particularly hoping that there's a lightsaber nearby that she can call to her.

The battle droids have blasters, but lightsabers... you can sense that yours is nearby, but you cannot sense where.

Unfortunately a blaster will do Rianna no good...but she will use the Force to throw anything not attached to something else at Jarko, hoping to at least slow him down until she can locate her lightsaber.