STAR WARS: RETROSPECTION- Respite

?

Click-click

"Report."

"It went as expected, sir. The convoy was attacked upon providing their demonstration. Nearly all attendants were killed. The droids have been lost."

Click-click

"Nearly all attendants? What does that mean?"

There is hesitation.

"What does that mean?"

"...not all attendants were killed, Cannes. Navir escaped with his life."

"Who?"

"Horus Navir, the security detail for the convoy."

Click-click

"This is a problem. Where has he gone?"

"To Taloraan, sir."

Click-click

Click-click

"Of course. Meaning we can expect our tests to be interrupted. Excellent. This has worked out better than expected."

“Sir?”

“This new project will do well, but it needs proper adversaries. What better adversary than Xeth Tam himself?”

-

-

Welcome to “Respite,” an episode of the Retrospection games! As an episode of this series, “Respite” will be a very personal plotline, exploring events involving the players’ characters. Going off of Ushgarak’s ever-popular Star Wars role-playing game, these mini-episodes occur in game-play’s past. In this case, it will explore Xeth Tam’s ongoing quest to expose the conspiracy of the Techno Union, while recruiting new members to his cause- the stoic and well-traveled Jedi Master Vera-Kin, and the fiery and lethal swordswomen Tilulla Ryn.

Since his failure to arrest Carlan Ryamore and pin his doings on the Techno Union as a whole, Xeth has been searching for more links to the conspiracy, to try again. He learned from the events surrounding Ryamore’s suicide that the Union was using fringe groups as a testing ground... and hopes that they are still doing such. In the event that they are, Xeth doesn’t have the Jedi Order backing him up this time, and his friends are spread thin. He needs help. Vera-Kin, after her last confrontation with her old student, is more than willing to help mend the Galaxy one life at a time. Tilulla, on the other hand, fully embraces Xeth’s vigilantism, though she may be looking for something more financially stabilizing than the hearts and minds of the Republic’s citizens.

The year is 29 BBY- three years after the Battle of Naboo, and just a year after Xeth’s failure at Arminium. Xeth is looking to pull Tilulla Ryn into his cause, having need for a talented swordsman in the mission he has planned. In the mean time, Vera-Kin is seeking to gather as much information as they can about the incident on Respite after the lone survivor appears on Taloraan seeking refuge...

-

At this point, I need to know which, if any, predictive power the players will be using before the game starts. Once the plotline is in motion, you can’t make use of these abilities. As a reminder, your available predictive powers that you may have taken are:

Dreams. Using this gives you a small chance that the Force will have given you vague but truthful insight into what is to come in the upcoming story, giving you a chance to better react and deal with these events.

Foresight. This is better than Dreams- it represents you actually spending time to navigate the future to deliberately try and get warning of upcoming events. It can give far more clear and comprehensive visions than Dreams.

Dreams can come free, in which case you roll a single d6 die to see the outcome, the power triggering if you roll a 5 or 6. Alternatively, if you spend a Force point, you get a free Dream. With Foresight (which costs a Force point), if you get a result of 3, 4, or 5, you receive a Minor Revelation that provides clues, whereas a 6 gets you a Major Revelation, which gives you foreknowledge of an upcoming event.

The power Insight ensures that you receive at least a minor vision with Foresight, while it increases your odds of getting one with Dreams. If the plot is extremely personal to the character, they will receive a bonus to their Premonition roll.

Taloraan

The world of Taloraan is very reminiscent of Bespin- a gaseous world where cities float in the clouds, though some would say that the repulsor-cities of the Taloraanians possess a greater finesse due to the technological prowess of its people. But they are a paranoid people, which is rather fortunate for you- they support the cause of the Investigation Force that Xeth so recently assembled.

Vera-Kin is one such Jedi that has heard his call. Stop the conspiracies and oppression propagated by vested interests within the Republic. And so Xeth has sent her to Taloraan to meet his contact, because his contact has very intriguing news for Xeth and his friends.

Vera-Kin has been kept waiting for nearly four hours in a dimly lit room with only a view of the sunset through a wide circular window. You are about to leave when you finally receive your visitor- Gralus Turandi, Xeth’s contact.

“Sorry, Master Vera-Kin,” he starts. “We had to confirm you were who you said you were.”

-

Uridian III

The bar that has been set as the designated as the meeting place is an old haunt of Xeth’s, a place he often meets people at or cools off at with his cohorts. It is not far from the complex that his Taloraanian friends have provided his Investigation Force. It is more Coruscant than Tatooine in style- flashing lights and dancing people.

Tilulla- Xeth asked you to meet him at the bar, and to bring your lightsaber. You are not sure what to expect here; you have heard that Xeth is a vigilante, something you can relate with, but you’ve also heard that he’s a bit of a conspiracy nutter. Not terribly promising, but you’re in need of work, and he seemed insistent.

Xeth- this Tilulla character is someone you want onboard. You’ve got a fair share of Renaissance Men recruited to your cause, but what you’re lacking is pure combat prowess. Most have either been too unruly or not unruly enough. Tilulla may be the right kind of unruly that the Investigation Force needs. And if she’s as talented enough with the blade as you hope she is, she’ll be perfect for what’s to come...

(For now, I will leave the mission vague, though Xeth and Vera-Kin both know what it is. Just not their players!)

Vera-Kin signs, having waited far too long for this.

"No worries, Mr. Turandi," Vera-Kin says. "I understand your need for caution. Xeth has told me about the troubles you have experienced in waging this secret war against the vested interests of the Republic. If you weren't cautious, I would be concerned."

Vera-Kin extends a hand to shake his.

Xeth will head to the bar, excited to be meeting a potential new member of his little group. He sits down at the bar and places his lightsaber- the only weapon he brought with him, this time- on the bar. Today, Xeth merely dawns his rustic red Jedi robes. No need for the quick-draw holster that holds all of his weapons for something so simple as a meeting with a fellow Jedi.

"Flaming Wookiee, on the rocks," Xeth orders from the bartender. He then turns to purvey the crowd, to see if he can spot Tilulla anywhere.

F--- it, I don't need to understand the combat rules until, ya know, we have some combat.

...

Link to Tilulla: http://www.killermovies.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=12794754#post12794754

I walk in, the hood from my cloak pulled over my head, my lightsaber tucked beneath street clothes. Seeing the lightsaber on the bar, I walk up and sit down next to Xeth, making eye contact with the bartender as I do. "Something strong, and make it a double." I wait for the drink, then take a couple sips.

"So who are we killling?" I start, with a smile, as I turn toward Xeth.

Also, as we start:

I have Intuition but none of the Dream-type powers. I take it that means I can't use them for story foresight?

Also, Rexx, what can I assume about how you'll deal with my two livers thing? It wouldn't do well for my first interaction with Xeth to be a drunken one, but I'd like to be able to kill drinks with a bit more abandon than I might otherwise.

"Nobody yet," Xeth says, before extending an insectoid hand in greeting. "Xeth Tam, private investigator. May I assume that I am in the lovely company of Miss Tilulla Ryn?"

He keeps his other hand on his lightsaber, not wanting someone to think it a good idea to snatch it up.

(For the record, Xeth is a Geonosian, those buggy aliens from Episode II.)

"No physical contact, Master," Gralus says. "Sorry, it's policy. I'm sure you understand."

Gralus leads you out of the waiting room and into the corridor beyond, one wall of which is floor-to-ceiling windows showing the cityscape of one of Taloraan's floating cities. The clouds billow and morph in the sunset beyond it.

"So. Xeth sent you because we have a lead for him. It's a small one, but it is something he has been looking into lately. Did you hear about his involvement with the Anzat Corsairs?"

-

The bartender slides a pair of Flaming Wookiees down the bar, one a might bit stronger than the other.

In regards to Tilulla's tolerance for drinking... Ush likely won't do this, but I will say that she can use the schtick "Alien Metabolism" when drinking alcohol. It doubles her Strength for resistance to its effects.

And one must have the Intuition Mastery to use Dreams, unfortunately. No worries; not everyone has it, even in the main game.

For now, keep chatting!

"You may. Tilulla Rynn, Freelance Peacekeeping Agent. Nice to meet you. But call me Rynn, or Ti. Only my mom calls me Tilulla." I eye his hand (claw? pincer?) as it slides to his lightsaber. "Relax, I have one of my own."

I take another sip of the Wookie, tossing off my hood and letting my hair fall out of it. "Good stuff. Rots the insides. So, cut to it. From what I've heard of you, we should be able to get along. My contacts told me you'd have plenty for me to sink my teeth into. But I don't work unless I know what I'm getting into, and why I'm getting into it."

...

Rexx, don't worry about it. I'll pick it up with XP sometime down the road. Until then, I'll just control myself (more or less).

Xeth replaces his lightsaber on his belt, somewhere he unaccustomed to keeping it. "I just don't want it to wander."

Xeth regards the Zeltron for a moment, then resumes. "I'm sure I have more than enough for you to get into, Ti. As you may or may not know, I am the leader and founder of the Investigation Force. It is a group comprised of Jedi Knights (and even a few Masters) who have decided to take on evil where they see it, rather than at the direction of the Council. Vigilantism, if you would. But we stick within the boundaries of the law. Much of what we do is spent helping out the weak- catching murderers, scaring off thugs, that sort of thing. But there is one overall goal that I have in mind for our little group.

"Do you know what the Techno Union is?"

Vera-Kin shakes her head.

"He may have mentioned something about it, but I never got the full story," Vera-Kin admits. "A fairly recent engagement, wasn't it?"

"Heard of 'em, yeah. And I know you've had some, shall we call it business, with them. But that's about it. Most of my work is more personalized. Retrieval, investigation, surveillance, an occasional bounty, that sort of thing. I haven't really dealt with unions and corporations and such. But it sounds...profitable. Or at least entertaining."

I take a large swig of the Wookie. "And just so we're clear, I'm down with your little operation. Going out and saving the galaxy. Beats sitting in the Jedi Temple talking about justice. But just don't hold anything back from me. The more information I have, the better armed I am. So, leaders, contacts, dealings, methods, anything that seems relevant."

I pause, and my face crinkles. "And I'd apologize for not knowing more about your merry band and the Techno Union, but you're the one that asked for me, not the other way around."

"No worries, Ryn," Xeth says. "You'll know too much by the end of this day.

"The Techno Union is a major arms manufacturer, one that is considered a 'vested interest' in the Republic. In addition to the Trade Federation, before the Neimoidians were busted at Naboo, the Union produces battle droids, huge numbers of them. Now, they need to prove they have a buyer to produce them, new rules and all, but like hell if that's stopping them."

Xeth takes a swig of his drink, swills it around in one of his mouths, and swallows.

"Basically, the Battle of Naboo was just the beginning. There is a world of intrigue and conspiracy surrounding the Techno Union and the other vested interests. They're developing new weapons and testing them out, and I don't know why. What we're doing is trying to figure that out, and also stop them from doing as they please.

"As a group, the Investigation Force shares contacts, but we receive a lot of funding from Taloraan, a world of innovative by paranoid tinkerers. They're my contacts."

-

Out of character-

More or less, Xeth has stumbled onto Dooku's conspiracy to start the Clone Wars. Not that we know that, but it helps get the point across.

"It was," Gralus says. "Long story short, the Techno Union was backing the Anzat Corsairs by giving them technology that they wanted to test. A kind of brain implant that, when activated, turned a normal group of people into a savage killing force. Now, it was a Jedi mission to dismantle the Corsairs and their leader, the 'unkillable' Strine, but we got Xeth involved due to the link."

You reach the end of the corridor and turn into another one.

-

Tilulla- Xeth has just told you that a major Republic corporation is performing shady dealings... and sadly, you are not surprised! The Senate is rife with corruption, these days. Still, that's quite an accusation that Xeth is leveling at the Union.

"It's Rynn with two n's. Don't ask me how I know you were only pronouncing it with one. It's one of my Jedi powers." Tired of finding clever ways to enjoy my drink while talking, I kill the rest of it and slide the glass toward the inside of the bar. When the bartender walks by to pick it up I let him know, "He's paying," with a gesture toward Xeth.

"So we look into this Union to see what's going on. And you're expecting trouble, or you wouldn't have asked to see me. Sounds like fun. I, well, I need the work. And you're a fellow Jedi, which helps. So I'm in. But if we can't find anything to pin on these guys, I'm not running off on a crusade based on premonitions and theories."

As I talk I look around the room, methodically surveying individual faces and postures. Rexx, do I see anything out of the ordinary? My Observation score is 2 (do you use Perception for this?).

"Precisely. I have actually been looking for opportunities based on the idea that the Union may still be using fringe groups as a testing grounds for their technology. It may have turned up something."

Xeth flips the bartender a coin for their drinks.

"So you're in then. Excellent. The mission I have in mind will require combat skill, which I'm guessing you have. I might want to test that, of course."

Xeth will gesture towards the door to leave.

"What was the Union doing messing with pirates?" Vera-Kin asks. "Seems like an unstable test group to gamble away a project on."

I don't move upon his gesture. "Two things before we go. The first is payment. I appreciate the opportunity to work with another Jedi and to go hunting for corruption, but I can't work for free. Just give me your word and we're good. Because the people who have given me their word and then didn't pay....well, there's not many of them left."

"The second is names. The Techno Union might have some underhanded dealings, but it seems like they have a public face as well. Who is their acting chief, CEO, whatever? Second, who handles their legal matters? Someone within the company, an outside lawyer, a legal firm? Basically, I'd like to know who's running the show, and where they're running it from. It could help us down the line."

...

...this was also stalling for time for my Observation check results from Rexx. If nothing else, I want to see how such things are handled for future reference.

Also, Rexx may need to provide the "names" info if applicable, since Xeth might know them in-character, but not know their names off the top of your head.

"The CEO of the Techno Union is Wat Tambor, but so far he is completely untouchable," Xeth sighs. "More recently I have clashed with the man in charge of the development of new technologies for the Union. His name is Cirus Cannes. I am positive that he was behind the most recent 'testing ground' I busted up, but he tied off everything to one Carlan Ryamore, the man in charge of Outer Rim sales. Ryamore went rogue for reasons unknown and committed suicide before we got to him. Very sad way for that link to end.

"As for payment, the Taloraanians will be signing the paycheck."

Xeth has covered the main players that the Renegades have dealt with. The Renegades tend to stay away from legal matters when it comes to the Union; they'd never get anywhere trying to talk it out. The Union has an army of lawyers and a large handful of worlds under its control. All legal, of course. The Renegades are more concerned with their illegal activities.

As for a generic Observation roll, the way it works is that you combine your Observation skill + your Perception stat. The total is then turned into a dice pool, and you roll that many d6. If a die shows up a 1-4, it is a failure. If it shows a 5 or 6, it is a success. You want successes. The more you get, the better, and the more dice you have to roll, the more likely you are to get successes.

Anything specific that Tilulla wants to look for?

-

"The real aim of the project was to kidnap a scientist named Nesere, one of our own," Gralus says. "It was unfortunately successful. Xeth and his Jedi friends rescued the scientist from the pirates, but the Union had already extracted what they wanted and cut off any leads."