Clone Wars Campaign: Recap # 17

This was the next-to-last session in the big trial story arc, and probably the most important session of the campaign in terms of on-going repercussions. Marpa managed to accomplish something quite impressive in an action-filled escapade, though for now I have to keep exactly what happened a secret. Through a careful review of previous recaps and handouts, Tarn and Arresta managed to figure out Jocasta's true identity, something I hadn't expected to happen until much later in the campaign (though surprisingly, they haven't really used this knowledge yet). Finally, Tarn and Arresta consumated a relationship that had, until that point, been mostly flirtation.

How this last bit occurred is kinda funny. At the beginning of the session, I slipped Tarn's player a note "Tarn is feeling slightly more amorous than normal; but this isn't mind-control, so don't go crazy." (I almost never give players directions on how to role-play, but there was an artificial force acting on Tarn that I can't reveal yet). Tarn's player somehow interpreted this along the lines of "Tarn is being mind-controlled and should act like Don Juan," thus surprising me and everyone else during the session with his sudden passion for Arresta. I chose the tasteful "and the scene fades to black" option when it was clear the two of them weren't going to stop.


Zero and Natany really stepped it up this session and came up with some good evidence to use at the trial. The big battle at the Aquarium was a lot of fun, with water, dead fish, and shards of glass everywhere. One of the memorable things about the battle is that I made everyone make a Balance check to move without slipping--it wasn't a difficult role, the sort of thing you'd probably succeed on 2 out of every 3 times. After Marpa slipped once, however, his player kept trying again and again for several consecutive rounds and fell down every single time. It was a comical combination of terrible luck at the dice and a bit of a stubborn streak in the player.

Update (June 18, 2012):  I've added the secret information about exactly how Marpa Zalon managed to escape Coruscant and start a new life as Daal Mordo.  The sequence where they're trying to destroy the tracker droids and fight off a scavenger gang while speeding through the mazelike Undercity in an air-car was damned exciting and quite memorable.  Marpa certainly earned his escape and assumption of a new identity through clever planning, excellent flying, and a whole lot credits!


SESSION 17

The search for evidence to exonerate the accused has started to finally bear fruit, thanks to expert computer research, travels across the galaxy, and thousands of credits in bribes. After meeting with Doolb Snoil to discuss their findings, the accused and their hired investigators have been invited to a Royal Masquerade. What happens next remains to be seen, but time is dwindling before the trial begins.

Two weeks pass. Greesh Leedo is reported dead after an explosion at his hideout during a raid by metropol judicials, while the ball has been delayed and will now be held at the Royal Icqui Aquaria. Marpa's time is well spent at the comp-sci lab as he uses extremely sophisticated techniques to uncover evidence that the holovid is a compilation of real footage of a massacre aboard Mercy's Errand layered together with real footage of the accused fighting in Mongui; he also uses special equipment to slice into the signal sent by the subdermal tracking device and the hovering surveillance droid to learn what type of information is transmitted,  forges a false identity and a duplicate signal to be sent by the tracking devices; sets a date for the surgery with Je'Taru, and learns that Prosecutor Rap-Seri has a hidden file on Ycram. Natany and Zero investigate in the Both Sector; they learn that there are major discrepancies between what the holovid shows and the layout of the ship, and that according to starport sensor logs there is a short period of time when it looks like Delia's Ultimatum is in two different places at once. They confirm that the accused were held briefly in an internment facility but were released by a Bothan officer named Iraek Tav. Tarn continues his training at the Jedi Temple, but his lessons with the Clone troopers have ended. Now, Master Creen expects Tarn to venture into seedy and dangerous undercity bars to wait for fights to break out and then try to use the Force to "persuade" the inhabitants to stop fighting. Arresta's fame continues, even as she's caught by paparazzi outside of a seedy spice den. Speculation continues about her relationship with Tarn.

[121 AG]

Arresta, Marpa and Tarn meet with Zero and Natany at Doolb Snoil's office to discuss the progress of the investigation. The investigators share the results of their Both Sector trip with the accused. With this evidence adding credence to the accused trio's claims of a ship with a falsified transponder, Arresta agrees to ask her Uncle Ignatius to bring records from the Xoorzi Skyhook. Most importantly, Marpa tells the others that according to his analysis, the famous holovid was actually pieced together from multiple sources and is a fake.

After the meeting the group splits up to prepare for the masquerade ball. Emerging from her bedroom to get some assistance with the zipper on her dress, Arresta finds Tarn in a romantic mood. Tarn tries to get Arresta to acknowledge the special connection between them and manages to obtain a few kisses. Heading onto the landing pad to meet their waiting limo, they find themselves surrounded by the press. Suddenly, they are attacked by two thugs spouting anti-Separatist epithets at Arresta. Arresta manages to kick one in the face with her high heel, but Tarn saves the day by calling on the Force to “persuade” the attackers to halt. In the face of an armed and dangerous Jedi, the two thugs run off. After a paparazzi flash-bulb inducing kiss, the couple proceeds to the limo.

Tarn's heightened libido makes for a awkward ride with the rest of the group, but eventually they arrive at the aquaria. They are met by Senator Orm Mandell's chief aide, as well as by Arresta's escort for the evening, Fabio. Arresta reminds Tarn that "Jedi don't dance". Following some pointed remarks between the two men, she waltzes off with Fabio. The ball is well-attended, including an appearance by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. While Marpa observes the crowd and Zero and Natany observe the bar and buffet, Tarn encounters an alleged representative of Republic Intelligence who requests a debrief on the anomaly. Tarn tells him he’ll have to talk to the others and think it over. Arresta and Fabio rejoin Tarn, and the Jedi asks the Princess to dance. Unfortunately, he steps on her feet and sends her spinning into Senator Mandell, spilling punch all over him. The Senator is good natured about the accident and remarks that he still owes them a favour before leaving to get cleaned up.

Arresta thinks that Tarn's sudden romantic interest is an attempt to make fun of her and she heads to the ladies room to get away. Tarn seizes the opportunity to use the Force to convince Fabio to leave. Fabio encounters Arresta on his way out and tries to get her to leave with him. She tells him to go away, but he comes on stronger. Tarn intercedes and after a bit of a shoving match, Fabio departs.

Marpa, Tarn, and Arresta talk in the safety of Marpa's new silence bubble generator, and decide to talk with Senator Mandell. Coincidentally, his aide has tracked them down to meet with the Senator. They collect Zero (sobering him up) and Natany and head to the meeting. Arriving at the isolated corridor, they find Mandell and two other Senators from the Appropriations committee. It is obvious that Mandell thought that they had called this meeting and that this is a trap. Fingers tapping on glass reveal the perpetrator - a very alive Greesh Leedo.

Senator Mandell is hit by a harpoon to the chest before anyone can act, and then Greesh Leedo calmly shoots him in the face with a blaster as water and fish spill out into the sealed corridor, trapping everyone inside with the assassin and his crab droid scouts. Zero opens fire and manages to destroy two of the droids. Marpa attempts to place a tracker on Greesh --who seems to recognize him and calls him Balan. While Marpa keeps slipping and falling in the water-filled corridor, Tarn and Natany concentrate on Greesh. The Ryn uses his tail to trip up the assassin and keep him from escaping. Greesh fires several shots from his blaster carbine at Tarn, but the Jedi narrowly manages to dodge the bolts until Greesh loses his grip on the wet rifle and it slips from his cybernetic fingers. Tarn uses the Force to push the weapon beyond Greesh’s reach. The assassin dives for the drainage pipe but is wounded by Tarn's lightsaber strike, giving Zero a chance to grab Greesh by the leg a split-second before he could escape. The assassin offers a bribe if Zero lets go, but Greesh is quickly overpowered and emergency first aid keeps him alive to answer charges. Meanwhile, Arresta destroys the remaining crab droids, but not before they ruthlessly murder the other two Senators. She summons help. When the Judicials arrive, they seem confused about Tarn's strange lightsaber and then forget about it.

Hoping to avoid another uncomfortable limo ride, Arresta slips out and heads home. Tarn becomes worried and chases her back to the apartment, where he successfully seduces her. A few times.

[126 AG]

Tarn and Arresta have become lovers and their pillow talk includes their reluctant suspicions about Marpa. Neither believes he is evil, but Tarn is very upset at the dishonesty. Arresta tries to convince him that the past shouldn't matter so much, that who a person is today is much more important.

They talk about why becoming a Jedi means so much to Tarn. He is still coming home bruised and bloody, so Arresta follows him to a seedy bar where he seems to be starting and stopping fights with strangers. Arresta confronts him about how worried she is and tells him that she has suspicions about Master Creen. Tarn is touched by her concern and declares that the only order he would refuse would be to stop loving her.

Tarn visits Master Creen and decides, at the last second, not to tell him about the strange lightsaber. He also barters information from Black Sun about Jocasta in exchange for information on the anomaly. He does not reveal anything about the military reasons for that mission. In exchange for the information, he gets a communications frequency.

When contacted by Tarn and Arresta, Jocasta is willing to provide proof of their innocence if Tarn will repudiate Master Creen publicly. Tarn and Arresta review the evidence and realize that Jocasta is actually Creen's presumed dead Padawan. Despite being unsure of Creen's innocence, Tarn is reluctant to repudiate his Master. He and the Princess do not confide in Marpa but do contact Jedi Master Sarigar. Tarn again decides not to discuss the lightsaber, but does convince Sarigar to help them, if they can get Jocasta to Coruscant.

Marpa enlists Zero and Natany in his carefully-orchestrated escape plan.  Marpa prepares to jam the signals from the tracking device and droid and replace them with his counterfeit versions.  He then enters an abandoned dwelling deep in the undercity.  Zero & Natany try to shoot the tracker droid with ion guns from their hiding places, but they miss!  Zero has miscalculated the strength of the ceiling and it collapses, tumbling him from his hiding place in the apartment above, where he had cut a hole in the floor to shoot through.  Marpa also tries to shoot the droid but is surprised by the falling Zero and stumbles himself, hitting the ground hard and breaking his arm.  The plan appears to be a miserable failure when the shouts of approaching undercity gang members echo through the apartment, but the trio quickly regroup.  A couple of well-placed shots destroy the surveillance droid and the trio dash for their waiting aircar while Marpa’s guardian droid holds off most of the gang members; one of them breaks through, however, and leaps onto the back of the aircar just as it takes off.  Even with a broken arm, Marpa manages to fly through the dark and winding maze of the undercity while Zero and Natany make short work of the clinging gang member by shooting him in the face.  Marpa drops Zero and Natany off in a safe place, turning over his workshop to them in exchange for their help.

Marpa pays the Kaminoan crime doctor Je’Taru 25,000 credits for a full identity change and removal of the subdermal tracker.  After several days recuperating, the Duros makes his way off planet to begin a new, third life.

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