INTRODUCTION

Meko Dayspinner announces that the Laughing Tingra is a few hours outside the Mercurial System...your destination. Warp engine problems aside, your ship has limped along pretty well for the past 4 days. Meko asks for everyone to gather around in the ruined crew quarters so he can go over what he knows about Smuggler's Haven with all the members of the party.

Morgan McCloud has spent a lot of time in the starboard Point-DefenseGun control seat pod over the past 4 days...chanting...praying...and keeping to himself. When the priest of Ando-Prime chants, it is rhythmic and somehow calming. Over-hearing him faintly from his place of seclusion, it has brought to your imaginations scenes of wind-swept plains, and ice covered mountains...graceful in their frozen peace. All in all, Morgan seems strengthened by his prayers and chanting when he crawls from the PDG pod to hear Meko describe Smuggler's Haven.

Vette Vanjor, who seemed extremely exhausted after the battle with Marna Jade, had managed to drag himself into the port-side Point-Defense-Gun control seat pod. For the past 4 days he has been in there...keeping to himself. He has not come out for food, for conversation...for really anything except the most basic human needs. When he has crawled from the darkness of the pod, the hollowness of his eyes...his sunken cheeks...and a complete aura of "focus" that surrounds him, have been somewhat chilling. Meko is the only person he has talked to at all over the past 4 days...and that was just one incident and only for a few tense minutes up on the control deck. Even now, he does not step from the tunnel that leads to the PDG pod...but instead leans against the wall of the tunnel, obscured in the shadows as Meko begins to talk.

Kenai Moongazer has spent a lot of time in the control deck with Meko. Perhaps it is their mutual Cordawan blood or shared experiences escorting...squiring...Jedi around the Sector...but they seem to be getting along well. Kenai has also had his moments of being absorbed in thought...and occasionally he can be found staring out into space with a sad look on his face. He is clearly thinking and reliving past regrets. But as only the hardy-spirited Cordawan can, he appears shrug his doubts and concerns off...at least for now. One fairly annoying activity that Kenai has been engaging in within the crew quarters is getting used to making combat moves while wearing his "acquired" Corporate Trooper armor! He seemed to be getting rather good. Kenai came down from the control deck with Meko and appears alert and cheerful...waiting for Meko to begin.

Quinn Roldoon was fairly quiet the first few days of the trip...apparently thinking over recent events and their possible consequences. He seemed in a somewhat sour mood, as if something had gotten under his skin...as if he was searching for answers. He spent many hours in the ruined crew quarters in a meditative state. Halfway through the trip, Meko asked Quinn to help him with something on the control deck. Though their conversation was cut short by yet another Warp-Fluctuation alarm...they spoke for several minutes, and by the tone it appeared to be a serious and sincere conversation. After that conversation, one could not help but notice a certain amount of peace had come to Quinn. He spent the last two days of the trip either meditating...tuning and refining his light-saber...or making fun of Kenai practicing in his new armor.

Ranar Tor spent most of his time out in the open of the ruined crew quarters...he told an occasional tale of bravery from the recently ended rebellion on Tibaroe...and keeps hinting that the party's role among theGolden Race may not be finished. When pushed farther about this...he insists he will explain it all soon, and he is waiting for the right moment to tell the tale...

Once everyone is gathered in the crew quarters (except Vette who is hanging back in the shadows), Meko imparts whatever knowledge he has of Smuggler's Haven:

"The Mecurial Imperium was a pre-Shadow War power, and ruled a fairly large empire from the 4th planet of the Mecurial System...Mercury. The citizens of the Mercurial Imperium refered to their sun as the "Primal Fire." Their Imperium stood longer than any record now show...prior to the Shadow War. That fateful conflict was the complete end to their culture."

"The Mercurial technology was based on field-generation...much as our technology is mechanically or even electronically based. Where we may use gears and servos to build a droid, their droids would be almost completely held together by fields...the field itself acting as a sort of operating system. While we may build a roof over our head...they would generate a field. I think you're getting the idea here."

"Needless to say, this sort of powerful technology was a threat to the Dark Lord and the Vilardeen during the Shadow War...and thus an evil plan was put into place. A special Vilardeen ship...both fast and full of fire-power was loaded with the prototype of a new type of weapon. It was called the "DOOM-SEED," and deployed correctly, the weapon would affect the structure of a star, in this case the Primal Fire, and cause it to prematurely enter the Red Giant phase of its life."

"The ship was successful in deploying the weapon...the Primal Fire expanded to a point where the first two planets of the system were engulfed, and the rest of the planets were made completely lethal. There are legends that the inventor of the Doom Seed was aboard the Vilardeen ship, and that the ship had difficulties and was destroyed by the expanding star. The inventor was a paranoid man, and had not allowed copies of his designs to exist anywhere except on his person. Thus the Doom Seed technology was never used anywhere else during or after the Shadow War...for it was forever lost..."

"A large Mercurial Space Station was in orbit over Mercury when the Primal Fire expanded and superheated the system. Its field technology prevented its destruction, and the Space Station eventually thrived as a haven for smugglers...and came to be known as Smuggler's Haven. Of course, in the past 500 years the Space Station has undergone some pretty drastic remodeling and repair...so many of the levels of the ship are more mechanical now...and much less field-based. The Space Station is so close to the Primal Fire that ships cannot even approach it without the field of the Space Station being expanded to protect the ships. Thus it has remained safe from Fendora Bengala forces...who would love to destroy the Haven. Almost no one except smugglers come to the System due to the complete lack of accessible resourses and available facilities to anyone except smugglers!"

"I'm not sure of the status of life on Mercury. Potentially many could have survived on the planet itself due to the field technology that they employed...but no one speaks of it on Smuggler's Haven...it is a "non-topic." And no one has been able to investigate it due to the heat and radiation from the Primal Fire...the Space Station's fields would have to be expanded to protect a ship approaching Mercury...something they won't even discuss."

"Smuggler's Haven teams with a variety of alien races...some you may have never run into before. In many cases the population aboard Smuggler's Haven represents the under-belly of the Sector...but considering who seems to be in power (The F.B.T.)...perhaps the under-belly isn't so bad! The Haven is run by a human man called "The Administrator." He is infrequently seen on the public levels of the Station...and seems to keep to himself for the most part. A minimum of rules exist on the Haven...don't kill...don't steal, that kind of thing. Basically the rule is don't get caught! A group called the Renegades keep the peace on the public levels, and are supervised by The Administrator. They are a rough fun-loving lot...and occasionally cause a certain amount of trouble themselves..."

"I am interested in contacting the Dock-Master...he's a GooCree...and will help me to fix the ship. He has workers...and droids...and parts...and he has no love for the Dark Side. For the right price he will fix the Flying Tingra right up. I think we can get a fair price for this pirate booty we are carrying...and well..."

"I decided we should come to Smuggler's Haven because I felt that this was the Path of Clear Sight...as illuminated by the white pure light of the Force. I know we can get the Flying Tingra repaired there...for a price. And I...well...I just have this feeling that we can find a way to Milos from there. A way that the Dark Side might not anticipate....I just feel it...that is all I can say really....May the Force be with us!"

The Game Summary itself is not available yet. The following is an e-mail sent to the group right after the game, and it tends to summarized some of the major points:

You all played very well, but Morgan's "Flight of the Pirate" move was pretty cool...as well as when he tried to play to Jocko Mar's and Dena's egos, about taking you all to Milos. AND when he almost got blown to shit by some over-grown rats (Rattini). Of course, Quinn used his mind-powers well, and took the lead against the Rattini. Vette announced he was from the White Tower and was the first to pull his light-saber(!), but also used his mind-powers to pull the last Rattini over the rail. Kenai pursued and knocked-out his drunk oppressors, as well as being very aggressive against the Rattini. But, Morgan (Steve) probably would get the MVP if we had such a thing.

Everyone has said "YES" to the 19th already, except Craig, who I'm betting hasn't gotten the e-mail message yet (I only sent it last night). So barring Craig not being able to come, Saturday the 19th sounds like the day. 5:00 PM, Mike's house...Mark L. Stinson

And another e-mail that details some of the adventure:

Smuggler's Haven in the Mercurial System was an eventful stop for the party. You met many strange and interesting smugglers, and experienced alien races you had not encountered in the past. Tibbo Sure...smart-assed free-lance Cordawan, quick-tempered Timothy, with some minor Force powers, tall muscle-bound one-eyed Yog, and the now-dead Finder Bosch. At the end you witnessed Black Mary...escapee from Fendora-Bengala custody, and her skull-painted companion. There were the drunk brothers...Demitri and Fumas, who mistook Kanai as a past enemy. And then Jocko Mar, Milos-escapee, and his faithful first in command Dena...tall thin wookie-bow-caster carrying tough-bitch.

With the Help of Mad Remy...the Administrator, Jocko Mar was convinced to smuggle you and your guns onto the surface of Milos.