Ushgarak
The Neimodian paid for the drink, leaving what he considered to be an appropriate tip. At some three hundred times the cost of the drink, this showed a certain amount of cultural difference on Neimodia. But then he was paying for information as well, and there was nothing on this world that could not be economically priced.
"It must be said," he spoke, in the lilting, vowel-heavy accent of the Neimodians, "the circumstances of this death are... unusual."
"Maybe the way of things..." the bartender said, neatly pocketing the money.
"Yes, but few gained from this in the way some would expect us to believe..."
"Why should this interest me?"
"My client is paying me very handsomely to discover the truth behind this matter... and when that comes out, it would be as well for him to know who is friends are... I do not need to state how much influence he had, of course."
"I didn't know his cousin."
"But he was a patron of this bar, and he was here just before he died... somehow I suspect there is a connection... that is worth what I paid you..."
The Neimodian stepped outside the bar twenty minutes later, making notes into his datapad as he went.
"Hmmm..." he said. He would have to increase his fee, it seems. And up his expenses claim.
There was a sound of a footstep behind him. He turned, saw nothing, and walked on...
...before drawing a blaster, spinning around, and firing twice. There was a fizz noise, and then a mechanical sound, and then the Neimodian was gasping, blood running from his mouth, and he collapsed to the ground.
Heavy footsteps walked over, and a hand reached down for the datapad With ease, the pad was crushed away to nothing.
-
The scientist was not working in an environment many would associate with academia. In fact, it being a quiet hut on a quiet beachy area next to a quiet sea, some would be tempted to say he was abusing his own research grant. But it was the only place he could go to get away from those aggravating pursuers! He had tried the legal options, of course, but apparently some people were too important for mere Republican law to affect them. No-one would protect him.
He made a delicate adjustment to the complicated device in front of him. Nearly done now... though what to do with it? How to keep it safe? The offer had been tempting, very tempting, but there was just something about the whole deal that made him uneasy.
There was a scream from somewhere nearby, and the scientists ears pricked up. Was that... gunfire? Here?
More screams. What was going on? The scientist got up and ran to the window.
No...
But there was nothing he could do. He knew now that these people were going beyond all sense and reason. He should have known, it had happened before... and now, he could only wait, as the gunfire came nearer, and a moment later, the door to his hut was blown in...
-
"A trial? Odd thing for you to be interested in."
"Not really a trial," replied the old man, "but a piece of legalisitc procedure that has some connection with a various amount of my interests in the past."
"Oh, very well," said the probation officer. "I don't see any reason that this violates the terms of your position... though it could be inconvenient; there is a lot of organisational mess all around it. Such a complicated subject!"
"But only thirty minutes from my registered lodgings," said the old man. "I cannot really see it being a problem."
"Very well. But stay away from the official provisions! I really do not think there should be spectators at all; the crowds will be horrendous."
"Yes- I understand an official bodyguard is being provided?"
"Indeed," said the probation officer. He looked at the bright, alert eyes of the old man. He was in surprisingly good physical confition, and his brain seemed alert also. The officer had imagined that recent events might bring a man like this down- but clearly not. "Provided by the Jedi, I understand." The old man laughed.
"The Jedi!? How delicious! That must be hideously embarrassing for them!"
"I wouldn't know."
"But of course! After all that spectacular effort involved in bringing him in... this I MUST see. I would like the details sent to my room."
"Oh, very well..." said the officer. It was normally simpler just to do what the old man wanted.
-
Later, in his room, the old man was concentrating, on his bed.
Still nothing. Not right. Not right at all. Something was wrong... very wrong, and that was unacceptable
He opened his eyes. It should not be this difficult to focus. He would forget about it, as it did not concern him... but it was irking! And you never knew when something you ignored might come back to get you.
Nothing. Still nothing at all. Nothingness
A knock at the door.
Damn!
"What is it?" he asked.
"I have brought the details you asked for, sir." The old man's personal servant walked in. The old man scolwed somewhat.
"Just leave them there," the old man said. "I am trying to rest."
"Sorry, sir."
The old man sighed. it was impossible; nothing was changing. Perhaps the Jedi should be informed? Pointless most likely... he had no way to inform them that would not make them suspicious and he would CERTAINLY get nothing back out of them. He needed a route in... never easy. He sighed and picked up the pad that had been brought to him.
He stood up with a start.
"Sorry, are these details finalised?"
"I believe so sir..." The old man's lips broke out into a wide smile, as he viewed the name of the Jedi in charge of co-ordinating the protection.
"Master Kellan Gundark... ah, the Force provides... I was a fool to doubt it!"
Perfect...
"You can take the rest of the day off," says the old man, and now it was the servant who smiled.
"Thankyou, Mr Ascar, sir..."
---
It has been two years since the mission to Zeiton. Since that time, Gundark's old Jedi team, and Gundark herself, have returned to standard Jedi duties- in as much as any Jedi duty is ever standard! They have picked up new friends, new skills, and taken time in training their Padawans, who are developing well. They have had a time for a quick re-union, including with their old comrade Xeth, whose continuing investigations into the missing droid shipments have been frustratingly blank.
Shortly afterwards, the Council has more missions, and decides to make use of this skilled group of Jedi, as they were meeting on Coruscant anyway. Two missions seem entirely different- one of aggression, one of protection. The missions are both of more galactic import than normal, but are standard Jedi mission in form and execution.
But both missions seem to involve more faces from the past than seem possible by mere coincidence- and soon, the Jedi are becoming aware that something, somewhere, somehow, is very wrong with the Galaxy...
-
The Light Side thread takes a radical departure from the vast storylines of before. Instead, the Jedi players will get an opportunity to see more of what it is like to be a Jedi when you are not necessarily trying to save the Galaxy from the source of all evil.
Obviously, the entire lives of the Jedi are filled with such missions. So for the Light Side, each episode- seperated by at least one year- represents the period of time in which the missions got a little more interesting than normal.
This being the case, the Light Side will often be broken up. In some cases, some players will be obliged to do certain missions the Council finds for them, normally there will be only recommendations as to who is suited to what. Regardless, anyone not being obliged or recommended has a free choice to join any of the missions being offered by the Council at that point.
Many of these missions offer their own self-contained storyline that will be wrapped up at the end of the Episode. But, whilst they constitute complete mini-storylines in of themselves, there WILL be a coherent campign storyline building in the background of all of them, which should quickly become obivous.
Ultimately, the campaign- which has no fixed size at this point, but could well be larger than the one before!- will take the Jedi, mission by mission, through to the start of the Clone Wars. By this time, the situation has become very difficult for the Jedi indeed, and the players should expect for life to become far more difficult for them as time goes by, and the Jedi start to prove insufficient to keep the Republic defended...
"It must be said," he spoke, in the lilting, vowel-heavy accent of the Neimodians, "the circumstances of this death are... unusual."
"Maybe the way of things..." the bartender said, neatly pocketing the money.
"Yes, but few gained from this in the way some would expect us to believe..."
"Why should this interest me?"
"My client is paying me very handsomely to discover the truth behind this matter... and when that comes out, it would be as well for him to know who is friends are... I do not need to state how much influence he had, of course."
"I didn't know his cousin."
"But he was a patron of this bar, and he was here just before he died... somehow I suspect there is a connection... that is worth what I paid you..."
The Neimodian stepped outside the bar twenty minutes later, making notes into his datapad as he went.
"Hmmm..." he said. He would have to increase his fee, it seems. And up his expenses claim.
There was a sound of a footstep behind him. He turned, saw nothing, and walked on...
...before drawing a blaster, spinning around, and firing twice. There was a fizz noise, and then a mechanical sound, and then the Neimodian was gasping, blood running from his mouth, and he collapsed to the ground.
Heavy footsteps walked over, and a hand reached down for the datapad With ease, the pad was crushed away to nothing.
-
The scientist was not working in an environment many would associate with academia. In fact, it being a quiet hut on a quiet beachy area next to a quiet sea, some would be tempted to say he was abusing his own research grant. But it was the only place he could go to get away from those aggravating pursuers! He had tried the legal options, of course, but apparently some people were too important for mere Republican law to affect them. No-one would protect him.
He made a delicate adjustment to the complicated device in front of him. Nearly done now... though what to do with it? How to keep it safe? The offer had been tempting, very tempting, but there was just something about the whole deal that made him uneasy.
There was a scream from somewhere nearby, and the scientists ears pricked up. Was that... gunfire? Here?
More screams. What was going on? The scientist got up and ran to the window.
No...
But there was nothing he could do. He knew now that these people were going beyond all sense and reason. He should have known, it had happened before... and now, he could only wait, as the gunfire came nearer, and a moment later, the door to his hut was blown in...
-
"A trial? Odd thing for you to be interested in."
"Not really a trial," replied the old man, "but a piece of legalisitc procedure that has some connection with a various amount of my interests in the past."
"Oh, very well," said the probation officer. "I don't see any reason that this violates the terms of your position... though it could be inconvenient; there is a lot of organisational mess all around it. Such a complicated subject!"
"But only thirty minutes from my registered lodgings," said the old man. "I cannot really see it being a problem."
"Very well. But stay away from the official provisions! I really do not think there should be spectators at all; the crowds will be horrendous."
"Yes- I understand an official bodyguard is being provided?"
"Indeed," said the probation officer. He looked at the bright, alert eyes of the old man. He was in surprisingly good physical confition, and his brain seemed alert also. The officer had imagined that recent events might bring a man like this down- but clearly not. "Provided by the Jedi, I understand." The old man laughed.
"The Jedi!? How delicious! That must be hideously embarrassing for them!"
"I wouldn't know."
"But of course! After all that spectacular effort involved in bringing him in... this I MUST see. I would like the details sent to my room."
"Oh, very well..." said the officer. It was normally simpler just to do what the old man wanted.
-
Later, in his room, the old man was concentrating, on his bed.
Still nothing. Not right. Not right at all. Something was wrong... very wrong, and that was unacceptable
He opened his eyes. It should not be this difficult to focus. He would forget about it, as it did not concern him... but it was irking! And you never knew when something you ignored might come back to get you.
Nothing. Still nothing at all. Nothingness
A knock at the door.
Damn!
"What is it?" he asked.
"I have brought the details you asked for, sir." The old man's personal servant walked in. The old man scolwed somewhat.
"Just leave them there," the old man said. "I am trying to rest."
"Sorry, sir."
The old man sighed. it was impossible; nothing was changing. Perhaps the Jedi should be informed? Pointless most likely... he had no way to inform them that would not make them suspicious and he would CERTAINLY get nothing back out of them. He needed a route in... never easy. He sighed and picked up the pad that had been brought to him.
He stood up with a start.
"Sorry, are these details finalised?"
"I believe so sir..." The old man's lips broke out into a wide smile, as he viewed the name of the Jedi in charge of co-ordinating the protection.
"Master Kellan Gundark... ah, the Force provides... I was a fool to doubt it!"
Perfect...
"You can take the rest of the day off," says the old man, and now it was the servant who smiled.
"Thankyou, Mr Ascar, sir..."
---
It has been two years since the mission to Zeiton. Since that time, Gundark's old Jedi team, and Gundark herself, have returned to standard Jedi duties- in as much as any Jedi duty is ever standard! They have picked up new friends, new skills, and taken time in training their Padawans, who are developing well. They have had a time for a quick re-union, including with their old comrade Xeth, whose continuing investigations into the missing droid shipments have been frustratingly blank.
Shortly afterwards, the Council has more missions, and decides to make use of this skilled group of Jedi, as they were meeting on Coruscant anyway. Two missions seem entirely different- one of aggression, one of protection. The missions are both of more galactic import than normal, but are standard Jedi mission in form and execution.
But both missions seem to involve more faces from the past than seem possible by mere coincidence- and soon, the Jedi are becoming aware that something, somewhere, somehow, is very wrong with the Galaxy...
-
The Light Side thread takes a radical departure from the vast storylines of before. Instead, the Jedi players will get an opportunity to see more of what it is like to be a Jedi when you are not necessarily trying to save the Galaxy from the source of all evil.
Obviously, the entire lives of the Jedi are filled with such missions. So for the Light Side, each episode- seperated by at least one year- represents the period of time in which the missions got a little more interesting than normal.
This being the case, the Light Side will often be broken up. In some cases, some players will be obliged to do certain missions the Council finds for them, normally there will be only recommendations as to who is suited to what. Regardless, anyone not being obliged or recommended has a free choice to join any of the missions being offered by the Council at that point.
Many of these missions offer their own self-contained storyline that will be wrapped up at the end of the Episode. But, whilst they constitute complete mini-storylines in of themselves, there WILL be a coherent campign storyline building in the background of all of them, which should quickly become obivous.
Ultimately, the campaign- which has no fixed size at this point, but could well be larger than the one before!- will take the Jedi, mission by mission, through to the start of the Clone Wars. By this time, the situation has become very difficult for the Jedi indeed, and the players should expect for life to become far more difficult for them as time goes by, and the Jedi start to prove insufficient to keep the Republic defended...
