Breakout From Bongolaan Webcomic: The Plot So Far...

Well it's been nearly 11 months since I posted Chapter Six of my webcomic Breakout from Bongolaan.   With the exception of my father-in-law passing away, this year-long binge of "Life getting in the way" has been filled with happy occasions.  However I was left with little time to add to the story in terms of both pictures and narrative.

Now, I'm getting ready to--finally--post Chapter Seven!

For those who've been waiting, I appreciate your patience.

For those of you who've wandered off, I hope I can regain your attention.

The story so far weighs-in at 182 pages.  

Because so much time has lapsed between Chapters Six and Seven, I thought I'd include a synopsis as a refresher.  Although for anyone new to the story, I recommend you read webcomic itself:

It is the last day of the year 129 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin, annotated as Stardate 365-129 ABY).  The citizens of the planet Bongolaan are celebrating the Galactic New Year, along with the election of a new president, Zeveg Bharzi.

However, the former president, Bunda Akhtar, has decided he doesn't like being a former president and is planning a comeback coup.  Despite having only two cohorts of battledroids available, Akhtar is confident he'll succeed, because reinforcements are on the way.

After defeating the Galactic Alliance at the Battle of Caamus, the Imperial fleet overran the Core and Mid Worlds and is now sweeping through the Fringe.  One such Imperial task force is now dropping out of hyperspace and is bearing down on Bongolaan.

Meanwhile, four offworlders have gathered at the Presidential Palace Masquerade Ball and are awaiting the arrival of President Bharzi and his entourage.

Cad So Billes:  A Durosian shuttle pilot for the Jedi Support Corps.  He's spent the past year on Bongolaan flying supplies, equipment and personal to various work sites.

Callithea Lockridge: "Calli" is the shy administrative assistant to the Tarsan Ambassador, Fitzroy Heraud.  She's scheduled to leave Bongolaan the next day and return to her homeworld of Tarsus.

Sei'do Avari:  A man of questionable background and reputation, but appears to have considerable technical skills.  Is suspected by Cad of being up to no good, but has been vouched for by Nance Windu.

Nance Windu:  Claims he's not a Jedi, despite being the Jedi-in-charge of the earthquake recovery effort on Bongolaan for the past year.  Unbeknownst to his companions, Nance is haunted by an evil Force Spirit.

By the end of Chapter Six, Calli's comlink conversation with her ambassador was disrupted by interference, assumed to originate from an approaching thunderstorm.  Ambassador Heraud, along with the Twi'lek singer Shiri Blen and her Rodian agent Geelo, are currently on the outskirts of the capital city, Ratankiri, with the presidential motorcade, getting ready to lead New Year's Eve Procession to the Presidential Palace. 

In actuality, the communications disruption is the opening phase of Bunda Akhtar's coup.  

It's about to rain on everyone's parade, but first there's some loose ends to tie up...

Intelligence Summary #13: Pierson Station Defenses

Stardate:  Thirday, 074-130 ABY/Tarsan Intelligence Service (TIS)

Subsector:  Shannekam

TAg Market Island Defenses

The Zenyan Mainland, the Tau Tau Archipelago and the TAg Market Islands

Milquoor Island and Pierson Station

Pierson Station is a Class-D Starport, located on Milquoor Island near the geographic center of the Tau Tau Archipelago.  Milquoor, Kulovaan and Vandalla Islands were leased to Tarsan Agricultural (TAg) Market several years ago by the Zenyan Mainland Union Government (Z-MUG).

Pierson Station Starport

Pierson Station is TAg Market's shipping center on Zenya for it's seafood products.  There are 8 open docking bays capable of handling one light freighter each.  Medium-sized vessels can land, but require two bays.  Anything larger is required to land at Zenya's Class-A starport in Kairobi, the planet's capital city. 

The company maintains it's own fleet of freighters, which include several GR-75 Medium Transports.  Other shipping companies, free traders and high priority transports make planetfall at Pierson Station to exchange cargo and take-on passengers. 

A portion of the starport is reserved for military use and houses 12 landing pads for fighters.

A small fishing vessel transits the Vandalla Narrows

Outside the starport's perimeter, Pierson Station is also home to the smallest of TAg Market's seafood processing facilities.  Larger centers are located in Vianda, Ooverton and Kul'kva.

One of Pierson Station's X-Wing Fighters

The starport and all three cities are protected by medium deflector shields and light ion cannon batteries.  Five X-Wing Fighters perform security and escort for vessels transiting the Zenyan System.  There were 6 fighters, but one was lost during an unsuccessful pirate raid last year.

X-Wings take-off from Pierson Station

Ground defense and law enforcement is conducted by the Market Islands Constabulary.  This para-military organization is a reinforced company of security troops, with a platoon stationed at each city and the starport.

Grav Patrol Boat #255 races through the Milquoor Strait

A small flotilla of armed grav boats patrol the waterways, with two boats assigned to each island. 

Assessment:

The forces listed above are designed primarily for anti-smuggling operations and serves as a piracy deterrent.  It is doubtful these forces could hold against a 2-3 cohort/battalion-strength onslaught, before reinforcements arrive from Tarsus.

Game Master's Notes:

The buildings and vehicles seen in Pierson Station's Starport are from Ground Zero Games.

The X-Wings in flight are part of Wizards of the Coast Star Wars Miniature collection, while the other vessels came from various Micro Machines sets. The landing pads were scratch-built.

Intelligence Summary #12: The Sith Enigma

Stardate:  Tuday, 073-130 ABY/Tarsan Intelligence Service (TIS)

Subsector:  Shannekam

Motives of the Sith?

On 061-130 ABY, Diplomatic Security Team-3 (DST-3) was nearly overrun by several hundred Sith mutants.   According to Gobar Been, the Force adept of the Tau Taus, these creatures are created from unfortunate captives through a combination of genetic manipulation and Sith alchemy. 

DST-3 discovered piles of animal bones strewn about several cargo containers.  Later, they observed a flight of Lambda-Class shuttles air-dropping new containers on to the island.  The mutants, which are carnivorous and even cannibalistic in nature, may have outstripped the island's natural food supply.

However, not all the mutants faced by DST-3 were savage cannibals.  During the team's harrowing ordeal, a squad of rifle-armed mutants disembarked from a flight of Sith Infiltrator starships. 

This squad was led by a Force-user, possibly a Sith Adept or Sith Acolyte.  No one on DST-3 engaged this individual at close-quarters, prior to their evacuation.  So the scope of his Force powers--along with his identity--are unknown at this time.

The present of the Sith in this subsector is both puzzling and disturbing, to say the least.  Last year, the Sith and Fel Empires concluded their war in order to defeat the Galactic Federation of Fee Alliance at Caamas.  And yet, according to Lt. Naguza, his squad of battledroids was attacked by the mutants while they were escorting Damathon Cohain back to their camp.  (It was later discovered the camp was ransacked by the mutants). 

It's possible the Sith handlers may have little or no control over their abomidable creations.  Or, it may be the Sith are preparing to renew their conflict against their nominal ally. 

What the Tau Taus response to the Sith Mutant infestation on Gadnek Island will be, is unknown at this time.  Another concern is that public knowledge of the Sith operating so far from their empire could cause widespread panic among the worlds in this subsector.  (The galactic map above, illustrates the relative polical-military situation as of seventy days ago).

Recommend this information remain classified TOP SECRET.

Shannekam Subsector Gazetteer, or "The Big Holograph"

(Click on images to enlarge)

Star map of the Shannekam Subsector

Current as of:  035-130 ABY

Bordering the coreward edge of the Gulf of Tatooine, Shannekam is centered in the Arkanis Sector and named after its most populated planet.  Of the 15 known systems comprising this subsector, only Bongolaan and Tatooine have been incorporated into the Fel Empire's Outer Rim.  While Emperor Roan Fel may wish to extend his interstellar ambitions further into this volume of space, he is most likely preoccupied with consolidating his position at this time.  Whether the fringe worlds of this subsector resist or acquiesce to any future advances by the Empire remains to be seen.

Beyond Imperial borders, the only coalition among the fringe worlds is the Merantis Agricultural Co-op (MERAGCO), which consist of the planets Mokar, Tarsus and Merantis; all within the Merantis Star Cluster.  Beyond piracy suppression, there is no political-military alliance among MERAGCO worlds.  However, this could change depending on how future relations with the Fel Empire unfold.  As of now, the Tarsan-Bongolaanian Trade Dispute is limited to these two warring planets.  This conflict is not expected to escalate beyond espionage, commerce raiding and sabotage operations.

Systems within the Shannekam Subsector:

1. Avastyn--an arid, poor, non-industrial planet with a Class C starport.

2. Mokar--a temperate, rich, agricultural and non-industrial planet with a Class B starport.

3. Banchu--an ice-capped planet with a Class C starport.

4. Tarsus--a temperate, agricultural and non-industrial planet with a Class B starport.

5. Merantis--a temperate, agricultural planet with a Class B starport.

6. Ku Crassus--an arid, industrial world with a Class B starport.  This world's climate is a result of a meteor storm that devastated the planet nearly 150 years ago. 

7. Zandamak--a temperate planet with a Class C starport.

8. Talchis--an arid, non-industrial planet with a Class C starport.

9. Gulnok--a temperate, non-industrial planet with a Class C starport.

10. Bowman--a sparsely populated asteroid belt with a Class D starport.

11. Bongolaan--a temperate, agricultural world; almost exclusively devoted to growing gabaki, has a Class B starport.

12. Tarknal--a temperate, rich, agricultural planet with a Class C starport.

13. Shanneka--a tropical, densly populated, non-agricultural planet with a Class A starport.

14. Tatooine--a desert world known throughout the galaxy as a "wretched hive of scum and villainy."  Despite the heavy trading of illicit goods, Tatooine's numerous starports are categorized as Class D.

15. Zenya--a tropical, non-industrial planet with a Class B starport.

Map Key:

1 hex = 1 parsec, or lightyear.

Large yellow circle: Non-aligned fringe world.

Large red circle:  Member world of the Fel Empire.

Half-moon symbol:  System-wide asteroid field.

Small brown circle:  Indicates the presence of a gas giant within the system.

Straight line (can be various colors):  Indicates the path of a hyperlane or hyperspace run and holo-net communication system.

Red lettering: Indicates a desert world.

Highlighted lettering:  Indicates a high population world of 1 billion inhabitants or more.

The Galactic Map:

The red circle on the map below illustrates where the Shannekam Subsector is located in relation to the rest of the galaxy.  (Not to scale).

(Image from:  Star Wars Insider: Issue #65)