2 ABY – 06 Echo – 26 Centaxday (Relatta). What should have been a simple search and rescue proved to be a bit more involved. Nature has a way of complicating even the simplest of tasks.
Eventually the party locates the campsite and the Intrepid Porg’s unique capabilities enable the party to find a safe landing site a relatively short distance from the site. The party climbs onto the Zephyr and speeds off into the forest — Cheebs in the sidecar, Kantarra at the controls and Cable holding on as best as it can.
The party switches to foot when they come upon the campsite. Almost immediately, Cable loses its balance and falls into the bog. Cheebs and Kantarra spring into action, stop the sinking, and manage to pull the droid out of the muck. As they approach the site, they counter a destroyed camp and two bodies — that of Osadera and Achare, the two security team members. This was no barbaric encounter — it was definitely a strategic and calculated hit.
Just then Kantarra sees a glimpse of a white haired human watching them from afar. She swiftly and stealthily closes the distance but the individual is gone.
With few clues to work with, the party resorts to what it seems to do best — scrounge. The party is ready to give up when Cable stumbles across a holovid camera that contains a recording of what happened the night before. As Kantarra thought, the attack wasn’t brutal — it was calculated and almost elegant. There was a language to how the team of white haired humans swept into the campsite, dispatched the security officers and detained the researchers. Kantarra thinks they are sending a message.
Cheebs, disturbed by the whole thing, tries to console himself by picking at the remaining gear strewn around the site. He finds an electronics case full of instrumentation and while moving some items around, finds a double edged knife drop to the ground. He touches it and it feels both cold and “wrong” to him. He alerts Kantarra and she takes a look.
The blade appears to be some kind of variant of a Kyuzo petar but without defining red lines. In addition, the eight edges of the blade (four for on each end of the handgrip) have intricate inscriptions. A close inspection by Kantarra and Cable reveals that they may actually express the combat that was shown on the video — except for the seventh edge. The inscription on that edge didn’t match anything the party witnessed in the recording.
The party contemplates its next move and nearly heads back when Cable reveals that there’s a settlement to the northwest and the facility that the expedition was headed to is to the northeast — both are much closer than the ship. Facing a choice, the party climbs back onto the Zephyr and heads to the facility. Kantarra keeps the blade for safekeeping.