USH'S STAR WARS GAME- CAMPAIGN II EPISODE IV (DARK SIDE)- Destiny

It’s finally here, the fourth Episodes of the Second Campaign of my Prequel Trilogy Star Wars game! Almost three years after the previous cliffhanger endings makes this a simulation closer to the films than I had originally planned but, hey, that’s drama for you! Three years is a long time of course, a gap necessitated by the need to create new story as off-line play became less and less. In that time, the player group has changed both in composition and attitude, and my idea of some plot points has altered as well. Hence there might be some slight discontinuities, which I ask you to suspend your disbeliefs for.

We are also using a new system! Veterans of my Matrix game have already tested out the base mechanic so they will be fine and in general it is not bad to get used to so we can get to the bottom of that pretty quickly once we need to.

More importantly, try and have fun whilst playing, and if new, follow the lead of the veteran players, they know what it is all about. Welcome back to everyone, and I hope it goes well!

This storyline finally gets you Dark Siders back on track with proper galactic events. We’ve had a lot about you struggling to adjust and survive the new Galactic situation, and bickering amongst yourselves in the meanwhile. Well, the division cannot continue forever- or you will fail. It is a gradual process, and you are not jumping straight back to galactic conquest, but it is a start. Meanwhile, Galder is becoming increasingly unstable- his situation cannot go on either…

In the last game a pirate attack destroyed your shield generator. Fearing vengeance from the pirate fleet for having killed the pirate chief’s son, you nipped quickly to the Republic to steal a new one- to find the Bureau has, if anything, grown more powerful in the last two years. Still, you are out of there now, and you have your generator… and some unexpected guests.

?

A simple set of notes sounds played on a trumpet-like instrument- nine notes at three pitches, rising, three sets of three

Galder trudges through the burning wasteland, looking slightly confused around himself. He is not dressed as normal; he seems to be wearing more primitive clothing.

Everything is grey and muted. There are dead bodies all around. You walk through it, vaguely hearing the sounds of battle in the background.

The trumpet-like noises are heard again.

And that noise? What is that?

There only seems to be one good path, and Galder follows it. A cascade of artillery fires, breaching the nearby fortress wall; men surge forwards. But Galder watches this as if he were many light years away, a distant observer. He feels danger, so he draws his lightsabre… wait. It’s not a lightsabre. It’s a metal sword. He is still peering at it curiously when he comes to a fork in the road, and a woman’s voice surprises him.

“Not that way,” she says. She wears a leather top and bottom, is covered in circular tattoos, her face is full of piercings, and she wields a crossbow.

“Why not?” says Galder, who was about to walk left.

“You’ve been that way before. There’s nothing there for you.”

“Why do you care?” says Galder, menacingly.

“Why make needless enemies? Besides. Look. You cannot even see where the path leads.”

Galder looks, and all he sees down the left path is a twisted mess of roads, and a haze of darkness.

“But it feels better,” he says.

“No, it feels familiar, that’s not the same. The others will take this path.”

Galder looks down there as well, and there he sees… planets burning, hosts of dead bodies… an unstoppable power… wait… Roan! Roan Trilanger… dead against a rock… well now, that seems good.

The trumpet-like noises are heard again.

“But the noise is coming from there.”

“Forget the noise.”

“But I know what it is! If I could just remember… why does it mean so much to you? Why… why do you fear me?”

“Hah! Us? Fear you? You are just muscle. Come help us destroy the Jedi. That is Destiny enough for any being.”

“But you DO fear me! For once I can feel it. What is down there for me that you fear? What is my TRUE destiny?”

“Don’t make an enemy of us.”

“I will stand where I choose to stand! Do you hear me? I don’t fear YOU!”

“You should.”

“No! I will see it! I WILL SEE IT!”

The trumpet-like noises are heard again.

“Yes… I’m coming…”

“Don’t…” says the woman, raising her crossbow. Your sword flashes towards her…

The noise that wakes you, Galder, is the noise of the shield coming back to life. You’ve overslept. You get up and wander briefly through the corridors, coming to rest in one of the bathrooms. You bash the entry button repeatedly until it works to let you in, and splash your face with water. You look godawful.

What the hell was that noise in your dream?

Tanic and Xavier are tweaking away at the new shield generator in place, adjusting the settings, changing the frequency, seeing if it is stable. It seems to be working fine.

Con and Azarl are in the comms room. Now the system is fixed with new parts stolen with Newhaven, you are monitoring galactic transmissions for information, something you did on rotation before the system breakd down- you never know when some important news is going to come through, or an intercepted Bureau transmission.

Down below, Rand and Gallador are studying the Sith tablet for information. NOTHING. Irritation.

Relle runs up and down a trail of the mountain, maintaining her fitness. Whilst Rianna, who does not sleep much, is already practising sabre moves in her room. And finally, Dak is seeing where the best place in the complex for a gladiatorial arena. It could work. Perhaps.

But really, all of you are thinking about yesterday…

-

Yesterday afternoon

She stood before you, The Lady, and her eight companions, wearing dark shawls.

“Welcome home,” she says. “Ah, and perfect timing!” At this point, another woman arrives, but this one is different. She wears a leather top and bottom, is covered in circular tattoos, and her face is full of piercings. She is also carrying two guns. Just a few steps behind her are an amused looking Con, with Azarl and Relle behind.

Spiky girl comes over and pulls out a small necklace form her side-pouch, which she hands over to the Lady.

“Thank you,” says the Lady. “So! To business, I think.”

Now, at this point, in the time where the game is still gearing up, you need to tell me if you are going to use any of your predictive powers. There are three such powers you may have- ‘Dreams’ if you have Master Intuition, ‘Foresight’ if you have Master Insight, and Manifest Destiny if you have Master Corruption. Dreams is free to use, though you can make it more likely to work if you spend a Force point on it. Foresight and Manifest Destiny always works, but always costs Force! Remember, these Force points have to last you for the entire story…

‘Dreams’ means you receive an unconscious set of images about events that are to come- obscure meanings and metaphors that you must decipher to find clues in.

‘Foresight’ is more direct and represents you actively navigating the future to find answers. Whilst the way you see the future may still be obscure, Foresight will definitely contain directly useful information somewhere, sometimes about very important things.

‘Manifest Destiny’ gives you particular clues and advice about elements of a story not directly related to the main plot, though there is normally an association. It won’t help you with the main plotline at all- but it will help you personally! If you fulfil the ‘challenge;’ of a Manifest Destiny hook, you will be rewarded not only with in-game power, but also bonus xp!

You can only use one! As Dark Siders, you have the option of receiving your premonition privately. Except for Galder- you alredy had your Dream, and for drama reasons I made it public!

In a slight difference to previous games, whilst you must declare- and pay for- a use of such a power now, your vision may not come at the start of the game, but at some appropriate point…

Let me know, and play on!

I'd like to use Dreams in a PM.

"Ah yes, business. Apparently we are working for her as of late, did you know about that, guys?" Con says amused.

Dreams, in a PM, please.

"That's news to us." Rianna says, suspicious and annoyed, before replying to the Lady. "What are you doing here?"

Galder had ignited his red Sith lightsaber before stepping into the room, prepared to deal with what unknown threat lay beyond that door, the threat that had apparently repaired and cleaned their base, the threat that lay hidden in wait and wanted to talk business. He angled the weapon toward the Lady, despite his recognition of her in a vague, long-off time...

-

“I see cold...” said Takuan, concentrating for a moment. “Very cold...”

“Great,” said Rah.

“And a woman with…” Takuan added, quietly.

“Sorry?” asked Galder.

“Oh nothing, nothing.”

-

Takuan had never clarified what he meant, but Galder had a strange feeling about it.

When the woman with tattoos and leather clothing strides in, Galder quickly draws his second lightsaber of his own design with a blue blade and ignites it in her direction.

"Who are you and why have you come here?" Galder demands.

White hair, this lady, Galder. She's not that old, it is just white.

"Well, let me make something clear," she says.

She reaches out her hand... and squeezes it shut.

Galder, your left hand lightsabre implodes in a shower of sparks and crunches down to the size of a coin. The Lady then widens her hand and the debris of your sabre, all the delicate crystal bits inside start to fly around the room in a brilliant shining cascase, around the Lady and her followers.

"No!" Galder cries as his Sith lightsaber, an archaic weapon from Zeiton, is obliterated to mere dust. His left hand, a mechanical replacement, clutches uselessly at the air for it. "You filthy whore! Why did you do that?!"

He does, however, deactivate his remaining lightsaber, and thinks about how he will have to dig one of his other lightsabers- either his old mentor's or his father's- out of storage and repair them.

Con looks at Galders imploding sabre with a tad of surprise, then looks at her and says "Ah, yes, you do make a good point there. What exactly is it you have to say to us?"

"I'm just making a point," she says. "Like this one."

Her hand turns... and you feel the deadly power of the Grip around your trachea, Galder.

"Never address me like that again. Do you understand? You are as an insect to me. I will crush the life out of you at a whim if I decide to."

"Please, mylady, we are all more or less civilized people here, and even someone of your power must see that 10 of us can do some damage. I'd say you state your part and we rather work as allies than enemies", Con says, trying to be as courteously as possible. He knows he is no match for Galder and when even this fierce warrior can be dealt with easily he'd rather not offend.

Galder strains against the invisible claw wrapped around his throat, his neck visibly pulsing as his anger boils within him. He does not press his hands against his throat, knowing the futility of it, but eventually falls to his knees.

He struggles to give a ragged, tired nod of compliance.

"What makes you think we want to work with anyone?" Rianna snaps. "We still have yet to hear any explanation as to why they are here and why they broke into our base."

"10 of you are as nothing. You cannot kill me with your toys." But she lets Galder go when she submits; he tattoed woman gives a smirk at this.

Hatred... growing...

"Buit you are right. It is a shame to get off to a bad start. I am hoping for a more mutually beneficial relationship. I am the Lady Adelmo, and I have some propositions for you."

"Very good, what proposition would that be"

"It is a dangerous Galaxy and I there is often much I have to do. I have need of warriors such as you. Knights, even. Those as skilled as you are hard to come by. So I am hoping to make use of you, from time to time."

I can see your side of the deal and I agree we are quite valuable warriors, but what exactly is in it for us?

(Does Xavier still have the dreams force power after the transfer? If so then he will use it via PM.)

She is powerful, such a warrior should not be dealt with lightly

Very much so best to wait and gain your knowledge on this Adelmo

Xavier mind thinks to itself.

"We are good warriors."

"Well, it depends on the service you do for me. But... money, perhaps? A million credits for a job? Or how about this. I understand you are threatened by pirates. That is a porblem I can easily take care of for you."