STAR WARS: RETROSPECTION- Gunrunner

I don't care! Rand thinks back at Burke. I want the secrets of the Force that you hold in there with you in that tiny pyramid of yours!

What has Rand learned from the Holocron so far?

Lord Burke has been strangely quiet on teaching you anything about the Dark Side.

You haven't earned what you seek! The Dark Side helps those who help themselves.

What HAS it done then?

I intend to! I have come to the limits of my power as a Jedi Master. It is time to expand my horizons to those of the Dark Side of the Force. I know I can become more powerful than ever through its use. Just tell me how!

Burke has teased you with some historical knowledge of the Sith and bragged about some of the horrible things he did to people during his lifetime, and even more awful things that he taught others to do. Powers that the Jedi would never let you learn!

You are a Jedi Master. You know what it takes to fall to the Dark Side. Maybe you have brushed with it before or watched another succumb to it. You just have to take the plunge yourself...

I WANT to. I just need to figure out how I can do so.

That is not my problem.

Someone is coming, Rand.

Rand will shut Burke out of his mind and turn off the Holocron before anyone sees him.

That will be a Willpower check to push the Dark Lord out of your head.

Rand will concentrate and clear the Dark Lord from his mind, so that he can explain himself to whomever finds him in a moment.

Two successes will be enough. You imagine it was much harder to keep the REAL Lord Burke out of one's mind... but the Holocron is just an echo of the Sith Lord. The darkness clouding your mind is lifted.

Foghren turns the corner around one of the many shelves.

"Master Rand?" asks Foghren. "There you are. Master Vera said I'd find you here."

He looks past you at the Holocron.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, Foghren," Rand says. "I thought you were preparing for the journey to Lahsbane? I was just wandering the Archives, looking for further information on Lahsbane."

"Oh," Foghren says. "Good thinking, Master. Is there anything we should be wary of when we arrive? Aside from the troublemakers we're being sent to handle."

Instead of trying to prove himself to his student, Rand decides to be pretentious and wise in front of Foghren.

"All in due time, my apprentice," Rand says. "Have you prepared yourself for the journey there?"

"I'm ALWAYS prepared, Master," Foghren says confidently. "I have everything I'll ever need. My sabers and my wits."

"Sometimes more than that is needed," Rand says. "But not this time, I don't think. We'll see what Lahsbane has in store from us. It'll lead to somewhere else, I'm sure of that."

"I believe you, Master," Foghren says.

Is there anything else you want to do before the trip to Lahsbane?

How are you getting there?

-

Also, since Rand had not become involved with the Mecrossans prior to his fall to the Dark Side...

Please pick three Merits.

Hmm. I will have to think about that.

Rand will request an official Jedi transport to take them to Lahsbane. There is nothing further he'd like to do.

Rand has always been well-connected.

He has a Contact with one of the Jedi that helps maintain the Jedi Archives. Not with Jocasta Nu herself, though. The Jedi is named Yorlo Vin, a Scholar.

He has a Contact in the Senate, Senator Rodd of Fondor. He is from the Tapani sector, where the Mecrossans operate from, and Rand has done some work in the area before and made the acquaintance of the Senator.

He has an Ally from Glee Anslem, a Nautolan from his homeworld and part of the leadership's private guard. Rand uses him to maintain connection with his homeworld. The Nautolan is a soldier named Asar.

Okay! Looks like Rand has lots of bridges to burn when he goes all megalomaniac.

In any case, official transportation is provided! Along with a pair of Republic pilots to operate it. The ship is just fueling up when you arrive at the nearest starport to the Jedi Temple.

You are not the only one there, however. A short, furry creature in a lavish cloak is watching the flight crew get the ship ready for its journey.

Rand frowns when he sees the small furry thing standing in his way. The only reason he knows it is sentient is its clothing.

"To whom do I owe the pleasure of delaying my flight?" Rand asks, trying to put on a sarcastic but good-humored air. He Scans whoever this is as he addresses him.