Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Clone Wars Campaign: Recap # 19

This session began the first of a few sessions with just two players as we waited for the others to get back from Germany. I thought they were a lot of fun and I put as much work into them as I did a "regular" session, but I don't think they were as popular with the players.


EPISODE 2.5 "FRAGMENTS" (SINGLE MISSIONS)

SESSION # 19

Tarn Tamarand and Arresta D'avilos have been acquitted of war crimes, while Marpa Zalon remains missing. But their story is just one in a galaxy of trillions. As the Clone Wars sweep from system to system, not all involved fight for principle and honor--some are just in it for the money. One such example--the Rodian freelancer named Zero--is about to face a strange homecoming...

As Arresta continues to read the wedding invitation, she realizes it is a Republic Intelligence cypher, giving her coordinates to be at in three hours' time. Zero and the others head out for a celebratory lunch, but when Zero arrives back at the workshop he finds that someone is waiting for him: an unnamed Republic Intelligence agent. The agent offers to erase holovid of Zero & Natany attempting to break into Prosecutor Rap-Seri's apartment in exchange for the Rodian's help on a mission. After Arresta arrives, details of the mission are given: it seems that several Clone Troopers from a Republic naval base on Rodia have gone missing in recent weeks. With forged identity papers, a handful of counterfeit crystal ingots, and a special, secret cargo to be opened only if necessary, Arresta and Zero head off to Rodia to uncover just what is going on.

[AG 205]

The pair arrive on Rodia, a low gravity, jungle-like planet with urban sprawl, hot temperatures, and inhabitants with even hotter tempers. They check in at a seedy motel called the Next Chance in the city of Iskaayuma and learn that another Republic agent is to meet them there at midnight. Zero heads to a nearby casino named the Flip of the Credit, where he rakes in some credits and overhears some drunk Gamorreans talking in Huttese about "the boss" and "the deal going down tomorrow." The Gamorreans resent Zero's success at the Sabacc table & try to rough him up, but he blasts one in the stomach and makes a run for it.

Zero and Arresta wait for their contact to show back at the Next Chance, but the sound of blaster fire in the hallway draws their attention to the fact that a shoot-out is in progress and that their contact is getting the worst of it. However, Zero and Arresta manage to quickly take care of the two Rodian attackers, letting one go and keeping one for questioning (and also earning Zero a new speeder bike). Between their injured contact and the prisoner, the detective duo learn that some sort of illicit exchange will be going down the next night at a warehouse in the shipping district. When the thug's boss tries to call him on the comlink, Zero succeeds in setting up a meet at a nearby cantina.

The ploy goes off almost without a hitch, as Arresta and Zero get the drop on Akayon Swoo, a female Rodian smuggler. Back at the motel, they force her to talk at gunpoint and she implicates Admiral Tidea Wav as being behind the Clone Trooper smuggling ring. The next night's "exchange" is to sell one of the carbonite-frozen troopers to a Hutt named Gargonn. Arresta catches some Zs while Zero pops some stims to stay up and watch the prisoners.

[AG 206]

Zero and Arresta formulate a plan to plant high-tech surveillance equipment in the warehouse to get proof of the Admiral's involvement in the smuggling ring. Arriving at the warehouse early, Arresta eases herself in through a skylight and plants the bugging equipment on the rafters. She watches as the Mon Calamari Admiral Wav arrives with his guards and the cargo and meets the disfigured Gargonn the Hutt escorted by his Gamorrean guards. Just as the deal is about to go down, Admiral Wav activates an anti-eavesdropping device and it looks like the plan is shot, but Arresta manages to slice through the interference and catch the entire exchange on holovid. She waits until everyone leaves and then makes her way back to Zero. Surprised at their own success, they free their captives and board a passenger liner back to Coruscant.

[AG 209]

Back on Coruscant, the Republic Intelligence agent is pleased at Arresta's and Zero's success. He exchanges their remaining counterfeit ingots for real ones, but (to Zero's dismay) takes back the shipping crate. He promises to be in touch again shortly, leaving the strange pair with a surprising future to ponder.

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1 comment:

The Sig Other said...

I can't speak for the player running Zero, but I enjoyed the session. It was fun to play, but didn't contribute much of anything to the on-going storyline, which is probably why you think it was less popular....