Clone Wars Campaign: Recap # 35

This session continued the Corporate Sector story arc, and saw the PCs try to deal with a swathe of rules and regulations: strict weapons prohibitions, limitations on travel and residence, and a host of other petty inconveniences. They also learned, however, how red tape could be invoked to their advantage--Ms. Prentiss proved quite adept at turning the tide on the Espos (Corporate Sector Authority security agents) by citing regulations chapter & verse.

The battle at the hanger bay was interesting. Since weapons are prohibited, the assassins used a combination of unarmed combat techniques and a clever weapon I invented: special devices which could freeze water into razor-sharp daggers and throwing disks (the theory being that once the ice melted, there would be no evidence of the weapons). I learned in the next session or two, however, that forcing the PCs to fight without their weapons (although an interesting obstacle for them to overcome) really slowed down combat since the damage they did also fell quite drastically.

Since Arresta was off-camera for most of the story arc, her player (here running Ms. Prentiss) requested some short "cut scenes" so the character could still get a little screen time. The scheme I came up with (Arresta's NPC husband testing his wife's post-partum fitness) actually proved to be quite a lot of fun. I had the other two players at the table run the kidnappers, and they really got into the role-playing part of it--they also proved surprisingly adept at crime and almost succeeded in making off with the baby! Arresta's husband certainly had some explaining to do after that debacle, and he tried to make up for it next session (though his "apology" also didn't go well . . .).


SESSION #35

A key route to the Outer Rim has fallen into Separatist hands. Without guidance from the Beacon, no Republic ship can pass safely through the massive Joriander asteroid field. The precise location of the Beacon is a Cestus Cybernetics trade secret, but on board the cruiser Majestic, contingency plans are being made nonetheless for a potentially suicidal attempt to find it. Yet there is still hope: on Etti IV in the Corporate Sector, a young Jedi has arrived to negotiate for the Beacon’s location.

In a boardroom at the Etti IV headquarters of Cybot Galactica, Jedi Knight A’tel Por’ten stares down his fraternal twin brother Garit across a conference table. Now Viceprex--Licensing for Cybot Galactica and EXO of its newly-acquired subsidiary, Cestus Cybernetics, a smirking Garit has used all the tricks of the trade to place his barely-younger brother at a disadvantage. The vents blow nothing but hot air, refreshment trays run out just before they arrive at A'tel's end of the table, and the only chair provided constantly sinks down, placing him below eye level. Still, none of these insults fazes A’tel as he coolly stares his brother down. Garit places his number two, Regulus Trotter, in charge of the negotiations, which, today, focus only on process and structure for the real negotiations to follow.

After several boring hours, the details are finally agreed to and the meeting breaks up. Accommodations are handed out--with Doxen, Array and Ms. Prentiss assigned to a luxury hotel while A’tel is relegated to a cheap hostel. Ms. Prentiss informs the Republic visitors that in the Corporate Sector, once you have taken up residence, it is an offence to change without filing the proper paperwork. She also reminds them of the need to convert Republic credits to Authority Currency and the 24-hour notice that must be given before leaving the planet. While the others wait, Garit offers A'tel a tour of the building. Although A’tel pushes Garit to get to the point, the elder Por’ten is obviously taking every possible opportunity to needle his brother, making it plain that with the location of the Beacon on a data cube in his pocket, he holds a tremendous amount of leverage over the Republic, the Jedi, and his brother. He dares A'tel to try to take the cube from him, but the young Jedi refuses.

A'tel returns to the others and the group makes plans for the evening. Private messages are received by several members of the group. A'tel's comlink indicates the Majestic will transmit an encrypted signal to the shuttle's holo-transceiver later that evening, Ms. Prentiss receives instructions to meet with her superior first thing in the morning, and Doxen receives a mysterious message from a not-so-subtle Regulus. Leaving the building, the group becomes aware that several large ads for Cestus Cybernetics are airing on billboards all around them, featuring Daal, A’tel, and Doxen. They are perplexed as to how this could be legal and ask Ms. Prentiss to look into it. Doxen and A’tel leave a message for Daal postponing their dinner plans.

The others head for their hotel rooms, but A’tel decides to return to the ship and await the incoming transmission. When he arrives at starport, he finds the corridor to his ship's hanger unusually deserted, with fewer and fewer people and a curious lack of Espos. Inside the hanger bay, flickering lights and total silence alert him to possible danger, but only his honed instincts allow him to duck in time to avoid a razor-sharp disk of ice hurtled at his head. Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, and still unarmed, A'tel runs for the safety of the shuttle. Once locked inside, he contacts Ms. Prentiss; unfortunately the Espos give her the runaround and she's unable to secure aid for A'tel. She and Doxen head off to help the Jedi directly, while Aaray sweeps the rooms for listening devices.

When Doxen and Ms. Prentiss arrive at the hanger, A'tel exits the shuttle and the trio begin a sweep of the hanger bay. While searching near fuel tanks, A'tel is ambushed by a group of mysterious, faceless attackers clad in gray armour. Unarmed against assailants who are experts in martial arts and utilize daggers made from ice, the young Jedi begins a slow retreat towards the safety of the shuttle. Doxen uses his sling to launch projectiles and Ms. Prentiss unleashes volley after volley from her sonic blaster, dropping two of the attackers, whose bodies are immediately incinerated by failsafe devices. But the remaining attackers are relentless, pummelling the Jedi with blow after blow. From time to time, one of the attackers puts A'tel in a bear hug while the others search his pockets--apparently unsatisfied, they keep fighting and then try to get on board the shuttle, but the staggered A'tel somehow makes it first and locks the door behind him. The two surviving attackers immediately turn and run, leaving nothing behind but a somewhat charred helmet.

On board the shuttle, A'tel receives a transmission from Admiral Flynn who asks for an update on the negotiations. He encourages them to pick up the pace as the Republic has received intelligence that a major Separatist leader will soon be arriving at the Beacon. He reminds A’tel that CX-PX, the protocol droid assigned to him, could be of assistance during the negotiations. Realizing that he should speak with the droid, A’tel tries to contact him on the Majestic--only to be told that as far the ship's manifest is concerned, CX-PX is with him. Searching the shuttle turns up the deactivated droid in a storage locker, along with a mocking sign around its neck: "A better general than Por'ten." The droid claims the last thing it saw before being deactivated was the face of an Ord Pardron conscript named Sgt. Smizzyrs.
The team decides to take the charred helmet to a Chiewab lab for analysis of any DNA found within. Aaray guards A’tel while he gets some needed rest. Ms. Prentiss escorts Doxen to a local shopping mall where he procures assorted miscellaneous items. Later, Doxen meets with a poorly disguised Regulus Trotter. The executive says that Garit keeps the data cube containing the Beacon's location in a safe in his private office, and offers to deactivate building security and provide floorplans for the sum of 300,000 credits. Doxen replies that he'll think about it.

[966 A.G.]

The next morning, Ms. Prentiss visits her superior in the Auditor General's office to further discuss her assignment. She shares the intelligence that she has gathered thus far: only a family connection adequately explains Cestus' demands that A'tel lead this mission and there appears to be great tension between the Por’ten brothers. She also mentions the strange attack the previous night and is not surprised to hear that the Espo precinct located near the Monnder starport is rife with corruption. Ms. Prentiss is instructed to make sure the negotiations proceed smoothly, as Chancellor Palpatine and the Senate have long been friendly toward the CSA. She is also told that word on the street is that two other major corporations are actively interested in obtaining the location of the Beacon for their own purposes: Baktoid Industries (a major supplier of Separatist arms) and IntelStar Ltd. (the galaxy's leading designer of hyperdrive and navigation technology). Ms. Prentiss seeks advice from her boss on regulations which might allow A’tel to have access to his lightsaber as a “religious artifact.” Although authorization could theoretically be obtained from any Espo precinct, the two agree that the chances are remote at urban precincts where tensions between the Espos and the Auditor General run especially high.

Day two of the negotiations begin with a better set up for the Republic. Food, drink and chairs are provided and there are no more problems with the vents. Placing the helmet obtained during the prior nights’ attack on the table beside him, A’tel refuses to be intimidated by his brother. Instead, he demands they get to the point. After some wrangling between CX-PX and Ms. Prentiss as to the optimal negotiation technique, A’tel demands that Trotter put an offer forward. In exchange for the location of the Beacon, Cestus demand either an exorbitant sum of money or the immediate resignation of A’tel Por’ten from the Jedi order and his immediate acceptance of an executive position at Cestus Cybernetics. With this turn of events, A’tel obtains a brief recess in order to consider and consult with the Jedi Council.

To make his call, he requires a secure line which, despite the standard counter-hacking done by Cybot Galactica, Ms. Prentiss is able to provide. When updated by the young Jedi Knight, the Council is surprised by this strange demand. A’tel explains that he is willing, for the good of the Republic, to go along with the demand, provided he would be able to return to the Order at a time of his choosing. The Council indicates they will consider the matter and get back to him. CX-PX is able to help A’tel stall for time until the Council returns with its decision--which is to support A’tel in this matter, however he decides to resolve the negotiations.

The Jedi returns to the negotiating table and agrees to the offer, although he adds a condition: he will only resign from the Jedi Order after he has lead the raid on the Beacon. During a brief recess, A'tel takes his brother into the hallway, and tells him that he senses that Garit is in great danger. However, the Cestus EXO mocks his brother. Suddenly, CX-PX appears and reveals that it has ulterior programming that it is helpless to avoid following and begins a countdown before detonating explosive charges concealed in its abdomen. A’tel is able to dive for cover around a corner, but Garit is caught by the blast at point blank range and seriously hurt.

The conference room is in chaos. Cybot security arrives, but finds that Associate Auditor General (at large) Ms. Prentiss has "arrested" A’tel already and declared that he's in her sole custody. When the Espos arrive on the scene, A’tel uses his new position with the company to demand that they leave--citing this as an internal matter and supported by Ms. Prentiss's encyclopaedic knowledge of obscure statutes and regulations. He is also able to intimidate Regulus Trotter and the Board into signing off on all of his terms. As his brother is rushed to a med-unit on a repulsor stretcher, A’tel transmits word of his success to the Majestic and asks them to keep a subtle watch on Sgt. Smizzyrs, the presumed would-be assassin.

Meanwhile, across the galaxy on the planet Rhinnal, in the comfort of her husband’s villa, Arresta Cassadine spends a quiet evening trying to research the origins of the strange Arkanian bracelet given to her by the pirate Jocasta. However, there is little information available on the planetary datanet and she is stymied. Suddenly, the lights go out and an alarm sounds, indicating a security breach.

Dashing to her daughter’s nursery, Arresta finds Stefan waiting for her. He tells her that he has prepared a "test" for her. He has arranged for business rivals to learn of their location, and this evening two kidnappers have been allowed to breach the villa’s security. The staff has been sent home for their evening and they are on their own. He offers Arresta her choice of weaponry and tells her that this is her chance to see how her skills have kept up. Arresta is not unhappy to oblige, until she realizes that Allegra is still present, sound asleep in her crib.

The kidnappers take separate routes up the stairs and Arresta is able to engage one of them in battle, but the other slips past her and in the dark, she is unable to spot him as he creeps closer to the crib. Finding it protected with a retinal scanner and a transparisteel shield, he ties a rope to the leg of the crib and prepares to pull it out a window--with the baby still inside! Stefan chides his wife for failing to prevent the men from accessing the nursery and tells her that she is "slipping." Aware of his reputation and frightened by his eerie willingness to allow them access to his home, the men decide this must be a trap and eventually call off the kidnapping. One of them negotiates his escape while the other crashes through the window, fleeing into the night.

Arresta quickly retrieves her sleeping baby from her crib, relieved that she is safe. Stefan tells his wife that, as her former instructor, he’s disappointed in her performance. For her part, Arresta is livid that Stefan put her daughter at risk. They continue to argue as Stefan informs her that they are leaving Rhinnal. He tells her that payment on his debt to Jocasta will soon become due--and that they must continue training to get ready for it. Still fuming, Arresta makes arrangements to pack, but takes the time to leave behind a message cylinder, with holos of herself and Allegra and a three word message “Just in case."

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