"Why were you stealing from us?"

"Told you...needed a BBU...take what we need when we need it...don't have to answer to no one...blasted crazy banthas."  The bandit was rambling now.

"Give it back," Britton growled.

The bandit tried to pull his arm that was holding the vaporator piece up towards his chest, away from Britton, but he couldn't manage it.  With a frustrated look on his face, he slowly opened his hand, revealing the Binary Brain Unit from Freeg's vaporator; however he made no move to give it to Britton.

Britton kicked the unit out of the bandit's hand.

OOC Unless that'd break it.

OOC: It just survived a bantha stampede, I think it will be fine.

The BBU skittered across the sand, landing near Kelko, who picked it up.  The bandit turned his head away from Britton in shame, but said nothing else.

Britton felt the stirrings of pity underneath the pounding in his skull.

"What's your name?"

"It doesn't matter," the bandit replied.  "I don't need your pity," he said defiantly.  "Just go!  But remember what I said about the banthas.  This is not normal behavior for them.  They've gone crazy!"

Britton stood up and returned to Kelko.

"He says there's something funny about the banthas but beyond that: nothing."

"Okay.  Well, maybe we should talk to Freeg about the banthas, but I doubt he'll be getting any more trouble from bandits or Tusken Raiders anytime soon.  We'll have to calculate if we have enough money to continue our search for this Kenobi tomorrow.  After we get you healed up of course."  Kelko said.

The trip back to the moisture farm was uneventful.  The suns were nearly rising when Freeg's compound came into view.  Freeg stood at the edge of his property, ready to greet his two guards home.  "Seems like there was quite a ruckus last night," Freeg observed.  "One of my vaporators opened up, dead bodies surrounding it, you two gone...something must have happened."  Britton and Kelko noticed some new small mounds on the property--clearly Freeg had respectfully, if hastily, taken care of the bodies.

"Yes, we took care of some bandits who were trying to scavenge from your vaporator.  We recovered the part that they stole," Kelko said, holding out the BBU.

"Huh, well at least that's easy to fix," Freeg noted.  "Just a plug and play part.  What is that smell?" Freeg asked suddenly.  Then, in the ever increasing light, he noted your condition.  "What are you two covered in?  Is that bantha drool?"

OOC: Britton may respond here, if he likes.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 15:31, Fri 19 Aug 2016.

"There was a bantha stampede," Britton explained.  "Do you know what might have caused something like that?  One of the thieves said it was unusual behaviour."

"It surely is," Freeg agreed.  "Banthas are usually pretty docile.  And that smell on you, it seems familiar somehow..."

Before Freeg had a chance to continue, the crazy hermit, Neeruk, whom you hadn't seen since you first arrived at the moisture farm appeared.  "I told you," he shouted out, "the banthas are rising up against their cruel masters to escape their chains of servitude."

"Neeruk, not again!" Freeg yelled, clearly frustrated.  "We don't need your conspiracy theories around here."  And the moisture farmer quickly chased Neeruk off.

"Now I remember where I've smelled that smell before," Freeg said as he returned.  "The water from my vaporators has been smelling like that about once a month lately."  Freeg then seemed to focus on Britton and Kelko's clothing.  Finally he approached Britton and pulled of a long bantha hair that had stuck to his shirt.  "These hairs don't look quite right either."  Even Britton and Kelko could see that the hair was not the normal dark brown of a bantha's fur, but had a slight fluorescent green tint to it.

"Someone poisoning the water?"

"If it's poison, it's too mild of an one to kill anybody," Freeg pointed out.

"Is there anything special about when it happens during the month?" Kelko asked.

"Let me think," Freeg said, pausing for a moment.  "Wait a minute, the other times it was during the two night new moons.  Like last night and tonight..." he trailed off before picking up again.  "And I have heard tell of an Imperial shuttle that is only seen on those nights."

"Where have people seen this shuttle?" Kelko pressed.

"A little west of here; it's near a water collection site where banthas drink sometimes."  Freeg answered.

"After we've rested, we'll need to check it out."

"Yes, let me take you in to town, and we can get your wounds healed," Freeg offered.  Soon they were off to the treatment center.  Things pretty much went the way the did the last two times Britton had been there.  He was healed before the day was out and they were soon back at the moisture farm.

OOC: Go ahead and level up to Level 3.  Britton is at full hp, top of the CT.

With the throbbing diminished to a background noise, Britton made plans with Kelko to head out.

As they were finishing up their plans, Freeg stopped by the dormitory.  "Well, seeing as you two are heading out this evening, when I need the farm guarded, I'm glad I was able to secure four hands yesterday.  They can start tonight.  So you boys don't need to worry about coming back."  Freeg stopped for a moment, and it almost seemed as though he was about to get emotional.  Then he snorted, and said, "I am going to miss you boys.  You've defended my farm well and I appreciate it.  Now, let's figure out your pay.  You boys guarded my place for four nights, so at 1000 credits per day, that's 4000 credits each.  All right, here you go," he said handing over the money.  His eyes were starting to get misty.  "You know you boys are always welcome to come back for a visit," he offered, and unable to contain himself any longer pulled Britton into a tight embrace.

OOC: Any reactions (to any part of the paragraph; I'll just go back and insert it if it's before the end)?

Britton stiffened up when Freeg hugged him, unsure of how to respond as well as bringing out a whole slue of unwelcome emotions.  He didn't return the gesture.

"Thank you, Freeg," Britton  said, mostly in reference to the money than the offer to return or the hug.

OOC I was referring to heading out to check out the water connection site but this works too.

OOC: I know you were referring to heading out to check out the water connection site, but the shuttle only comes there at night, specifically moonless nights (see msg #183).  But night time is when the moisture farm needs guarding, thus the transition to the new hands.

Kelko also found Freeg's embrace discomfiting, considering they'd only known him for a few days, but he went with it anyway.  "Thanks for your hospitality and generosity," Kelko said.

Darkness enveloped the desert as Britton and Kelko headed off towards the water collection site.  "<You know,>" Kelko said, slipping back into Rodese.  "<It's a good thing that it's dark.  Because if there's an Imperial shuttle, there's likely to be Imperials as well.  It's best we sneak up on them.>"

<It doesn't help that they wear all white,> Britton laughed.

Kelko chuckled as well.

It wasn't long before they crested their hundredth dune, but this time there were Imperial shuttle landing lights lit up below.  Kelko quickly dropped and motioned for Britton do the same.    He pulled out his electrobinoculars and peered towards the shuttle.  He scanned around for a moment before whispering "<There are some scientists down there.  It looks like they're pouring something into the water basin.>"  Kelko handed Britton the electrobinoculars.

OOC 10+6=16 Perception.

IC Britton tried to make out what was being poured into the water.

With the distance and the darkness, Britton couldn't tell what was being poured into the water, other than that it was a liquid and that they were pouring it from a vial.

After the vial was empty, the scientists headed back towards the shuttle.  As Britton tracked them with the electrobinoculars, he noticed that there were two sandtroopers guarding the shuttle ramp.

<Come on!  We can take'em!>