The Silence of the Clones

The Silence of the Clones is the second campaign in Darths and Droids. It lasts from episode 209 to episode 409, for a total of 201 episodes.
==Cast of Characters and Players==
* Jim as:
** Padme Amidala
** Sola
** Ruwee
** Jobal
** Qui-Gon
* Ben as Obi-Wan
* Sally as:
** Jar Jar Binks
** Dex
** Jocasta Nu
** Youngling I
** Taun We
** C-3PO (300-313, 333-370, 377-409)
** Mace Windu (313-332, 371-380)
** Yoda (381-409)
* Pete as:
** R2-D2
** C-3PO (320)
* Annie as Anakin
* ? as The Kid
* The GM as:
** Lieutenant
** Guard
** Captain Typho
** Corde
** Yoda (209-380)
** Palpatine/Darth Sidious
** Mace Windu (209-312, 385-409)
** Bail Organa
** Separatists
** Zam Wessel
** Barkeep
** Elan Sel'Sabagno
** Bar Patron
** SP-4
** Waitress Droid
** Queen Jamillia
** Sio Bibble
** Lama Su
** Boba Fett
** TC-14/Jango Fett
** R4-P17
** Nute Gunray
** Darth Maul
** Watto
** C-3PO (299)
** Owen Lars
** Cliegg Lars
** Jawa
** Count Dooku
** Shu Mai
** San Hill
** Wat Tambor
** Shmi
** Sand Person
** Senators
** Poggle the Lesser
** Crowd in Public Gallery
** Combat Droid on C-3PO's body
** Referee Droid
** Clone Troopers
** Grandfather
** Celebrant
== Characters Played By More Than One Person This Campaign ==
* Yoda played by:
** The GM (209-380)
** Sally (381-409)
* Mace Windu played by:
** The GM (209-312)
** Sally (313-332, 370-380)
** The GM (385-409)
* C-3PO played by:
** The GM (299)
** Sally (300-313)
** Pete (320)
** Sally (333-370, 377-409)
== Sessions ==
* Film II Session 1 Episodes 209-246
* Film II Session 2 Episodes 247-278
* Film II Session 3 Episodes 279-332
* Film II Session 4 Episodes 333-353 (no GM)
* Film II Session 5 Episodes 354-375 (no Pete)
* Film II Session 6 Episodes 376-409
* Post-Film II Intermission Episodes 410-412
== Summary ==
It's been two years since the end of the last campaign. In that time, Jim, Ben, and Pete played a low-magic fantasy campaign with the GM, the outcome of which, Pete is still very bitter about, especially against Jim. All 5 players are present with the GM, playing the same characters they played at the end of the last campaign. Jim is Padme Amidala, Ben is Obi-Wan, Sally is Jar Jar Binks, Pete is R2-D2, and Annie is Anakin.
Jim, Sally, and Pete are on a ship landing at Coruscant. The GM explains that Padme's term as Queen expired, and that she's now a Senator. There's a bill being voted on to create a Grand Army of the Republic. Jim eagerly declares he's in favor of it. The GM points out that it's an unpopular bill and could lead the non-violent Seperatists into going to war over it. This doesn't deter Jim, who insists that he was the one who introduced the bill, which the GM goes along with.
After the ship lands, a Guard warns Jim that there are rumors of an attempt on his life. Jim orders Pete to search for traps. Pete replies in the affirmative. Jim confidently walks down the boarding ramp, when suddenly it explodes, right under him. Pete unconvicingly claims that he thought Jim told him to look for Schnappes. Since this is a bit early to be killing off a PC in the campaign, the GM declares that it was actually Jim's current loyal decoy Corde who walked down the ramp and got caught in the explosion, and is now lying on the dock, dying. Jim rudely interrogates her, demanding that she admit that "Bubble" planted that bomb. Corde just stammers confusedly and dies.
Jim and Sally go to meet Chancellor Palpatine and the Jedi Council. Palpatine tells them that there are two bills to be voted at the Senate: one for the Grand Army, the other to create a new moon for Naboo. Palpatine also reveals that the plans for the new moon have been stolen.
At the Senate, the bill to create an armey is easily defeated. When the bill for making the new moon comes up, some Separatists in the Senate ask if this couldn't be some evil plot to destroy them. Jim insists that the moon will be a Peace Moon that the people of Naboo desperately need. When one of the Separatists asks if the Moon would have any military applications, Jim begins to contemplate all the scientific ways this could be plausible, but is hastily interrupted by Palpatine who quickly calls for a vote, and the bill is passed.
Ben and Annie head up to Padme's room, where they meet Jim, Sally, and Pete. Sally claims that she's now a Senator too. The GM informs them that this campaign takes place ten years after the end of the last campaign, and that Anakin is now an adult. Jim is supposed to brief the others on their assignment, but doesn't have any details beyond the fact that the Peace Moon plans have been stolen. Ben wants to know if the plans had backups, but Jim never asked.
Annie suggests that night has fallen and Padme should get some sleep. At the same time Padme goes to her bedroom, her player, Jim, leaves the room the players are playing at to get drinks for everybody. Sally aks Pete what his problem with Jim is. Pete rants about how his best friend stabbed him in the back, how he was in charge in that fantasy campaign, but Jim and Ben failed to follow orders properly, Pete's character got killed as a result, and they didn't even bother to resurrect him.
The GM reveals that while Padme is sleeping in her bedroom, a small airborne droid flies up to her window, slices it open, and releases two centipede like creatures into the room who start to crawl up Padme's bed. Pete's in the room, supposedly keeping watch over her, but he deliberately takes his own sweet time to notice the creatures. Ben and Annie discuss whether they should rush in and rescue Padme or stay in-character, where they wouldn't know about the creatures since they're not in the same room. Finally, the GM declares that Jedi can detect danger from a distance, so Ben and Annie rush into Padme's bedroom and Annie destroys the creatures with her laser sword, just as Jim walks back into the gameplaying room.
Ben Force Jumps through the window and grabs the droid, and the droid flies off carrying him. Annie decides to follow by driving Jim's hovercar. Ben fast-talks the GM into agreeing that the droid would be flying back to the assassin who sent it. The droid takes Ben to Zam Wessel, who shoots at Ben. Ben is able to wrench the droid mid-air so it takes the blast aimed at Ben. The droid is destroyed, and Ben starts falling. Ben points out that the field generators on Coruscant will slow down his fall (the GM had mentioned these generators in the last campaign to explain why Coruscant had no guardrails), so the GM declares that Ben is falling towards a lava pit. Annie flies the hovercar under Ben, and he safely lands in it.
They chase Zam, who's fleeing in her own hovercar, and eventually find themselves flying directly above her hovercar. Annie leaps from her hovercar and lands on Zam's. Annie strikes at the hovercar with her laser sword. Zam shoots at her. Annie tries to Dodge, but scores a low roll and drops her laser sword. Ben scores a high roll and catches it. Annie tries to Grapple with Zam to everyone else's horror. The GM tries to get through the impenetrable morass that is the Grappling Rules, then gives up and declares that Zam's car bursts into flames and crashes.
Annie and Zam both survive the crash, and Zam runs into a bar. Ben catches up with Annie and gives her back her laser sword. They both go into the bar looking for Zam. Zam is about to shoot Ben from behind, but he spins around and chops off her hand with his laser sword. They take Zam out of the bar and onto the street. Zam tells them she was hired to attack Jim, and that she needed the money to pay for her son's operation. Ben promises to protect her if she'll tell them who hired her. At that moment, they see a shadowy figure on a ledge above them fire a poisoned dart at them. Annie grabs Zam and uses her as a human shield. The dart hits Zam, and the figure flies away. Zam shapeshifts, begs them to look after her son, and dies. Ben decides their only clue is the dart. The GM is furious because he had pages of backstory for Zam's character, intending her to have a bigger role.
The next morning, Ben and Annie are called up before the Jedi Council where Yoda berates them for every illegal, immoral, and downright stupid thing they did the previous night. Yoda has them suspended.
Palpatine sends for Annie and trys to persuade her to get back in the Council's good graces. Annie tells him she's no longer sure she trusts the Council, tells him that Ben wants to know why the Peace Moon plans didn't have any backups, mentions the legend of the Sith, and brings up the possibility that anyone on the Council could be a shapeshifter.
Ben tries to inquire about the dart to a droid, SP-4, but the droid tells him it's a completely unremarkable dart, not worth investigating any further.
Ben meets Yoda again, who reminds him of his suspension, and suggests that someone should investigate the son of Zam that she mentioned. Ben points out he's suspended and can't do anything about it.
By this time, Sally has had enough. She's sick of this session, sick of Jar Jar, and sick of roleplaying, calling all of the above stupid. Faced with this unexpected mutiney, the GM calls it a night.
Ben brings along a reluctant Sally for the next session because once again, their parents couldn't get a babysitter. Sally goes off to another room to play Guitar Hero, and the session starts. Jim and Annie discuss what they should do about the stolen Peace Moon plans. Jim's convinced it was stolen by "Bubble" and wants to go to Naboo to arrest him. Annie conceedes that he might be right. Jim asks Annie to use "Detect Magic" on his wardrobe so he'll be able to sell it all. Annie claims she doesn't have that ability yet. Jim plans to take a space bus back to Naboo to ward off any assassins pursuing him.
Ben meets up with Jim and Annie to tell them he's still going to investigate the orgins of that poisoned dart while Jim's determined to go back to Naboo to arrest "Bubble". Ben suggests Annie should go with Jim to look after him while Ben continues to investigate the dart. Pete asks what he's supposed to do during all this. Ben suggests that Pete can either go with him or with Jim and Annie. Since Pete's still mad at both Jim and Ben over that fantasy campaign, that leaves him in a quandry. Jim asks Ben to cast Detect Magic on Jim's clothes. Instead, Ben outlines every single reason why Jim's plan to sell all of his clothes is such a stupid idea. That makes up Pete's mind: he definitely doesn't want to go with Ben. With that settled, Jim, Annie, and Pete go to Naboo on that space bus, while Ben stays on Coruscant to investigate the dart.
By this time, Sally's gotten bored with playing Guitar Hero and wants to go home. The GM suggests she can play a character in the game besides Jar-Jar. He suggests that Ben meet an old contact of Ben's, a retired Adventurer who owns a diner. Sally eagerly takes the hint and declares it's just like Arnold's on Happy Days. Ben goes to the diner to meet Sally. Sally claims her character's name is Dex and he's a dinosaur alien with 4 arms. Ben shows Sally the dart and asks her if she can identify it. The GM starts to tell Sally that she can't, but Sally interrupts, claiming the dart is from the planet Kamino where there are tall giraffe aliens. Ben asks the GM if his character would know where that is. The GM tells him Obi-Wan's never heard of it. Ben asks Sally to take him there, but she declines, saying she needs to look after her diner. Ben conceedes that, in-character, she has a point.
The GM asks Sally what character she wants to play. Sally replies someone smart, sensible, and not stupid looking. Ben suggests that she play a librarian at the Jedi Archives that Ben's requesting assistance from. Sally declares her name is Jocasta Nu. The GM starts to tell her that she's a young assistant who craves adventure, but Sally interrupts to claim she's a little old lady. When Ben says he's trying to look for the planet Kamino, Sally tells him all the Archives' books on planets have been eaten by dogs, and that he doesn't have a library card anymore because he's suspended and she tells Ben to get lost.
On the space bus, Annie reveals to Jim that she hasn't been back to Tatooine in the past ten years, that she's been in contact with her mother, Shmi, but that Shmi has warned her that she's still wanted for the killing of Greedo, so she should stay away.
Yoda sends for Ben and shows him some Jedi Younglings, trying to remind Ben of the child Zam Wessel mentioned. Ben doesn't take the hint, but Sally eagerly volunteers to play one of the Younglings. When Ben reports about learning the dart came from Kamino but hasn't been able to locate the planet yet, Sally reminds them of the dogs that ate the library books. Ben wonders who could've unleashed the dogs in the library, and Sally declares it was "the evil old librarian!" Ben aks to look for some maps to find the planet, but Yoda reminds him that all the books on planets were eaten by dogs, so there are no maps. Ben declares that he was able to retrieve a "memory marble" that should help. Yoda claims there are teeth marks on the marble, and it doesn't show Kamino, just a blank space. Sally declares that the blank space must be where Kamino is. Yoda disagrees, but Ben decides to check it out. He tries to compliment Sally by saying what a wonderful mind the "child" has, and offers to take her with him. But Sally takes offense at being called a child and goes back to playing Guitar Hero.
Ben talks with Mace Windu, who reveals his apartment was blown up last night, but only because the apartment block was condemned 8 months ago and Windu should've moved by then. Windu tells Ben if he solves the case, Windu will reccomend his reinstatement.
Jim, Pete, and Annie arrive on Naboo, where they're greeted by the current queen, Queen Jamillia and Sio Bibble. Jim orders "Bubble's" arrest, but the Queen overrides him, pointing out that they need to find the stolen plans for the Peace Moon. Annie suggests they take a tour of Naboo, to see if they can figure out who would benefit from the current status quo.
Ben arrives on the planet Kamino. The GM tells him he's being greeted by a native named Taun We. Sally overhears this and volunteers to play her. She tells Ben that the entire planet is covered with ocean and that all their cities are on stilts. Ben asks if he could be taken to somebody in charge. Sally claims that she knows the Prime Minister, that his name is Lama Su, and that he was elected because his neck is longer than hers.
Annie suggests Jim take her to his home to meet his family. The GM suggests that Jim should play his family, his sister Sola, his father Ruwee, and his mother Jobal. Jim gets their names confused and turns them all into sock puppets who can only talk about how "Bubble" stole the plans and should be arrested to get it over with.
Sally takes Ben to Lama Su. Ben shows him the dart. Lama Su acknowledges that they make poison darts here, but that's just a minor side venture to their main project of manufacturing a clone army for the Jedi Council. Since this is the first Ben's heard of this, he's flabbergasted.
On Naboo, Annie points out a lake where a city used to be, claiming the loss of the moon has caused this flooding. Jim comes up with an intelligent, geological explanation for how this is possible. He comments on how he didn't know Annie was interested in geology. Annie replies that she's interested in many things, and has Anakin kiss Padme, much to Jim's shock.
Lama Su shows Ben around the place where the clone army is being made and kept. The GM asks Sally to describe the place for them. Sally's description is so imaginitive and detailed it leaves both Ben and the GM speechless. Lama Su comments on what a fine specimen the Jedi sent to clone the army from. Ben asks the "speciman's" name, and is told it's Jango Fett. Ben asks to see him. Lama Su is about to decline, but Sally interrupts and volunteers to take Ben to him.
On Naboo, Annie points out the unnatural waterfalls that have arisen from the loss of the moon. It dawns on Jim that maybe they should find the stolen Peace Moon plans. Annie takes this moment of unexpected clarity from Jim to point out to him that earlier he'd been..."Acting like a jerk?," Jim finishes proudly. He claims he was being bossy because that's what Senators are like. He tells her he decided to go in for that real roleplaying that Annie's in to. He points out how, when she played Shmi, she refused to go along with them, even though that didn't help anything. So Jim concluded that real roleplaying means being unhelpful.
Annie points out that there's more to roleplaying than this, that it involves doing things outside the campaign's main goals. She demonstrates by jumping up on top of a large grazing creature and falling off. Jim tells her to make a Saving throw. Annie just acts injured and confused. In a panic, Jim blurts out, "Please don't die!" Annie breaks character to point out that what Jim just did was real roleplaying. They banter with each other, and Annie says she could be falling in love with him.
Sally takes Ben to Jango's room. First Ben meets a surly boy, Boba Fett. Then he meets the boy's father, Jango Fett. Jango already knows Obi-Wan's name. Jango tells Ben he's going to kill him, but first he's going to going to kill everyone around Ben as Ben looks on helplessly, he'll take control of Naboo and make its people suffer, then he'll bring down the Jedi Order, followed by the entire Republic, and it's only then Jango will subject Ben to the most horrible tortures a being can endure before finally snuffing out Ben's miserable little life. Ben wants to know what's to stop Ben from arresting Jango right then and there. Jango claims he has Lama Su wrapped around his finger, and all he has to do is give the word and Ben will be arrested and imprisoned forever. Jango tells Ben he's leaving now to implement his plans, and that he'll give Ben ten minutes to do whatever he wants. Ben and Sally quickly leave.
An awkward silence has befallen between Jim and Annie, so the GM calls it a night. Jim wants to talk to Annie about what she said, and she asks if he means what she said when she was in character, in the game when they were acting? Jim takes the hint, and tries to put his best face forward on it, which means he stammers and fumbles a bit, looking and feeling all the more foolish.
On Kamino, Ben is worried that Jango Fett may try to blow up his ship and asks if he can borrow a Kaminoan ship. The GM reveals that the Kaminoans aren't a spacefaring race, and Sally explains that taking off would snap their long necks. Ben realizes that his and Jango's ships are the only ones on the planet. He contacts Yoda and Mace Windu to tell them about Jango and ask if the Jedi Council really ordered this clone army. Windu tells him that this is the first they've heard of the clone army. Yoda tells him that if he catches Jango, he'll be reinstated.
On Naboo, Annie has had a disturbing nightmare about her mother, Shmi. She tells Jim about it and asks if they should leave their tour of Naboo to find her mother. Jim decides they should go find her mother on Tatooine, mainly because he somehow got it into his head in the last campaign that Anakin's family is a Mob family, and he doesn't want to mess with the Family.
Ben approaches Jango and Boba Fett as they perpare to leave on their ship. Boba warns his father to look out. Jango shoots at Ben and tells Boba to get in the ship. A fight between Ben and Jango commences. During the fight, Jango reveals that he was a private investigator, that Darth Maul, the man Ben killed in the last campaign, was his partner, that Maul had sent Jango to spy on the Trade Federation by disguising himself as a protocol droid, that he was the TC-14 "droid" Jim and Ben met at the start of that campaign, that during the final space battle above Naboo, Jango had deactivated the orbital hq's security system to get the Lost Orb of Phanastacoria, and (to Pete's horror and Ben's delight) that the only reason that Pete was able to destroy the hq was because Jango had deactivated the security system. Jango had taken the Orb and was carrying it when Pete's destructive blast had knocked him out, causing him to luckily drift towards an escape pod, albeit badly scarred. That was how the Orb was just laying there for Pete to find and grab. After surviving this, Jango swore revenge on the Republic, the Jedi, and especially Ben
During the fight and monologuing, Jango had fired a cable that wrapped around Ben, and Ben was able to use it to drag Jango down from the sky. Ben tackles Jango who falls off a ledge, but the cable carries Ben down with him. Jango is able to slow his fall and cut the cable, causing Ben to fall onto a lower platform. Jango escapes in his ship and takes off. Ben tosses a listening device onto Jango's ship. Jango notices it and uses it to taunt Ben, telling him he's heading to the planet Geonosis and daring Ben to catch him if he can.
Annie, Jim, and Pete arrive on Tatooine at Annie's home town of Mos Espa. They meet Watto and Annie dscreetly tries to enquire about the bounty on her for killing Greedo that her mother told her was still in effect. Watto reveals that nobody on Tatooine really cares about justice, so no bounty lasts longer than a few weeks. Annie hasn't been wanted for that killing in nearly ten years. Annie asks Watto where Shmi is. Watto tells her she should ask Cliegg Lars about her and, after some threatening of limb severing from Annie, he tells her that Cliegg is at a moisture farm South of here.
In space, Ben is pursuing Jango's ship in his own ship. Jango fires on Ben's ship (which the GM reveals has no weapons). Jango fires several implausible space weapons at Ben and, to Ben's chagrin and Pete's delight, Jim provides some scientific explanations for why they're plausible after all. During this fight, Jango reveals to Boba that Zam Wessel was his mother and that Ben is responsible for her death. Boba asks Jango why they need to use clones anyway when they could always use droid armies. Jango tells him that droids are unreliable, pointing out that time when Pete deactivated the Feds' entire droid army, claiming that the only reason Pete was able to do that was because Jango had deactivated the orbital hq's security systems (Pete claims he would've hacked into the droid army anyway). Since so many droids can be so vulnerable to one attack, Jango chose to make clones of the one person he could trust, himself. Ben comments that if he could clone himself, he could pursue multiple leads effectively. Pete comments that if he cloned himself, he and his clones would all fight to the death and the winner would be the new Pete. Finally, Jango fires a homing missile on Ben. It hits Ben's ship and Ben's forced to land on a nearby asteroid in an asteroid field circling Geonosis. Jim points out that to be circled by asteroids, implies that Geonosis must be a new, volcanic planet, which gives the GM ideas. Ben's able to repair his ship and leave the asteroid, but by that time, Jango has already landed on the planet. Ben lands, too, leaves the ship, and takes a look around.
Annie, Jim, and Pete reach the Lars moisture farm. Since all the sand there is bad for Pete's robot character, he's told to wait for them at the ship. Jim and Annie are greeted by C-3PO. Sally eagerly volunteers to play "her". She tells Jim and Annie there should be a ball in their honor. At the farm, they all meet Owen Lars, his girlfriend Beru, and Owen's father Cliegg, who's missing a leg. Cliegg invites them all to lunch to tell them about Shmi. He had bought Shmi from Watto, but he and Shmi fell in love and got married, making him Annie's stepfather. Annie is furious and demands to know where Shmi is. Cliegg tells her that Shmi ran off into the desert, afraid of Annie and what Annie may become. He tells her it isn't safe to go out in the desert because of the Sand People. He reveals that the Sand People used to be a peaceful race. Then ten years ago they somehow aqcuired blasters and began firing at pod racers. Ever since, they've descended into barbarism, terrosing the desert while ranting about a broken promise. Cliegg fears Shmi must be dead. Annie refuses to believe this, and goes out into the desert alone to find Shmi. She comes across a Jawa who tells her where a tribe of Sand People are encamped.
On Geonosis, Ben comes across a tall rock spire with an enterance. He enters it and sees a large factory making a droid army. Ben wonders about this, since Jango said he didn't trust droids. Ben is able to stay hidden when he comes across Fed leader Nute Gunray and Separatist leader Count Dooku. Gunray and Dooku meet in conference with other Separatist leaders to discuss their plans to overthrow the Republic. They don't trust Jango, but they plan to use him and his clone army in their coup and dispose of Jango afterwards. Dooku reveals to the others that he has the stolen Peace Moon plans.
On Tatooine, Annie locates a camp of Sand People. She uses Force Senstivity and is able to detect Shmi in one of the tents. Annie sneaks into the tent and meets her mother. Annie is there to rescue Shmi, but Shmi insists that the Sand People are going to offer her up to Cliegg for ransom, and that there's no need to resort to violence. Annie demands to know from Shmi why she had lied to her about there still being a bounty on Annie. Shmi admits that she never wanted Annie to come back, especially when she found out what Annie had done to Cliegg. It turns out Annie had blackmailed Cliegg into buying and freeing Shmi, and that when Cliegg had initially refused, Annie had ordered Cliegg's leg chopped off. Jim is very indignant at the GM for heaping so much blame on Annie, but Annie reassures him that it's okay. This is all part of Anakin's character development that she and the GM worked out together.
Annie, back in character, tells Shmi that she loves her, and demands that Shmi love her back. Instead, Shmi gasps, chokes, and dies. Annie goes into a blind rage, slaughtering all the Sand People.
Sally's gotten bored with C-3PO and asks to play another character. The GM suggests Mace Windu, and Sally eagerly accepts. The GM points out that Windu is still on Coruscant, at the Jedi Temple and wouldn't know about what just happened, but Sally interrupts, asking Yoda if he had sensed that great disturbance in the Force. Yoda admits that he has. Sally declares that Annie has given in to her anger, putting her on the path to the Dark Side of the Force.
On Geonosis, Ben reaches his ship and tries to contact Jim and Annie. He reaches their ship on Tatooine, where only Pete is onboard. He asks Pete to relay his message to the Jedi Council.
On Tatooine, Annie has returned to the Lars farm with Shmi's body. She confides in Jim, lamenting the fact that with all her power in the Force, she can't make people love her. Jim tells her that he loves her. He quickly tries to explain that he means Padme loves Anakin, not the Jim loves Annie, but with Jim being Jim, he babbles into a confused muddle.
A funeral is held for Shmi. Pete leaves the ship to tell the others about Ben's message, but nobody can understand his beeps, which delights Pete since that will almost certainly mean that Ben's about to kick the bucket. The GM points out that C-3PO is right there able to translate. Pete reluctantly uses C-3PO to translate that he has a message from Ben. Annie tells Jim to patch the message through to the Jedi Council so that they'll all hear it simultaneously. Ben relates what he has experienced, suggesting that Jim and Annie meet him on Geonosis where they can arrest Dooku and retrieve the stolen Peace Moon plans. The GM announces that the message is interrupted because Ben has just been captured.
Yoda suggests that Sally go to Geonosis with the others, but she wants to go to Kamino and get the clone army to help. Yoda points out they would need to get the approval of the Senate to do that. Sally contacts Jim and Annie and gives them the order to go to Geonosis and rescue Ben while she makes the Senate give permision to use the clone army. Yoda points out that the Jedi are not a part of the Senate, and thus can address the Senate in its chamber. Sally remembers that Jar Jar Binks is a Senator. She switches to playing Jar Jar, confidently declaring that she has a plan.
Ben is trapped in an energy matrix, unable to even move. Count Dooku approaches Ben and tries to recruit him to join his side. He tells Ben that the Peace Moon plans include a laser powerful enough to destroy Naboo. He also reveals that Zam had used her shapeshifter abilities to embezzle from the Jedi Council to fund the clone army. He claims that Chancellor Palpatine is a villain, and asks Ben to join him. Instead, Ben wittily points out all the ways in which it's Dooku who's behaving like a stereotypical villain.
Sally briefly switches back to Mace Windu to ask Yoda if they're in time for Jar Jar's big speech in the Senate. Yoda reluctantly admits that they are. Sally switches back to being Jar Jar and addresses the Senate. She reveals that the Separatists have made a big droid army. With this meaning war, Sally proposes that they give emergency powers to Palpatine, much to Palpatine's surprise. The GM rolls the dice to determine that...the Senate heartily approves. With full Senate approval, Sally now reveals they have a clone army that Palpatine can use.
Sally switches back to playing Windu and declares she's off to Kamino to get the clone army. Yoda suggests she should go to Geonosis with the others. Sally asks Yoda why he doesn't do that instead. Yoda claims he's too old and frail to go on such an adventure. Sally suggests in that case, she'll go to Geonosis while Yoda go to Kamino to get the clone army. The GM feels tricked.
Annie, Jim, Pete, and C-3PO arrive at Geonosis. The GM tells them the droids should stay behind on the ship. Pete rebels at this refusing to stay on the ship and Jim backs him up. Exasperated, the GM tells them to do whatever they want, ignore all the clues, and leave Ben to die. Pete enthusiastically replies, "We will!" Disgusted, the GM calls it a night.
The GM is not present at the next session, according to Pete due to "some family emergency or whatever," so he arranged for Pete to be this session's GM. Pete tells Sally that Mace Windu won't have anything to do this session, so she should play C-3PO. Sally doesn't want to, but Pete's able to talk her into it by promising her she'll get cool stuff to do. Jim asks if they'll get cool stuff too. Pete answers yes a bit too gleefully. Ben comments that already being captured and immobilized is starting to look much more pleasant (and that's the last we hear from Ben for the rest of the session).
Pete announces that as they all leave the ship, they find themselves on a path leading to a door, with searing steam on both sides of the path, giving them no choice but to go through the door.
Inside, they find a narrow corridor littered with organic remains. Jim suggests that maybe they should turn back to the ship, when the door slams shut behind them. He and Annie are about halfway through the corridor when a bunch of winged creatures attack them from behind. Annie fights them off with her laser sword, when more winged creatures attack from the front. Sally and Pete are also there, but the creatures are after food, and Sally and Pete's characters are made of metal, so the creatures ignore them.
Jim and Annie make it through the corridor and find themselves on a small, short walkway overlooking a large droid factory. Annie suggests they should turn back, when the door slams shut behind them while the walkway retracts out from under them. Annie grabs onto the doorway and wonders aloud what's the point of having such a walkway. Pete declares that while she's been saying that, the walkway has gone completely out from under Jim and he falls onto a conveyor belt directly below that leads directly into the path of several crushers, guillotines, and other deadly factory machines that make for a dangerous obstacle course. While Jim starts making his way through the obstacles on the conveyor belt, Annie is attacked from above by some more winged creatures. As she fights them off, she falls off the doorway and lands on the same conveyor belt Jim's on.
Pete as R2-D2 finally gets the door to the factory open, so he and Sally are now present in the same factory room as Jim and Annie. Sally wants to go back to the ship and fly it in to rescue them, but Pete, in the most blatant form of railroading this session, delberately shoves her from behind, causing her to fall into the factory. A flying assembly droid catches her and drops her onto a different conveyor belt. Pete declares for the first time ever that R2 has rocket thrusters, and he flies across the room. Pete declares this is so amazingly cool that everybody gets a +1 Morale bonus just for watching it.
Three welding arms swing towards Annie, but she destroys them with her laser sword. Further along on the conveyor belt, a flying creature lands next to Jim and attacks. Jim chooses to Grapple with him. Jim scores several good roles, but no matter how high he scores, Pete, in the second most blatant form of railroading this session, keeps awarding advantage to the creature. Finally, the creatures pushes Jim into a giant empty crucible that's conveyed to the furnace room.
Sally tries to go rescue Jim, but walks into the path of a mechanical arm that takes off C-3PO's head. A combat droid head is welded onto C-3PO's boby, while C-3PO's head is welded onto a combat droid's body. Sally tells Pete she doesn't like him anymore. Pete is shocked, and tries to point out her new cool stats. Sally angrily retorts she doesn't care about his stupid stats.
Multiple construction arms swing Annie's way while four winged creatures fire at her. Annie uses Force Push against her opponents, both mechanical and organic, and tries to jump to a safer spot, but is knocked down onto another conveyor belt where machinery welds a steel plate over her right arm, immobilising her on the conveyor belt...which is leading to some guillotine blades.
In the furnace room, as Jim heads closer to his doom, Pete rails against Jim over that fantasy campaign where Jim and Ben sided with the NPC who killed Pete's character. Pete didn't expect anything from Ben, but he thought Jim was his friend. Jim tries to justify his actions in that campaign as a steel pourer is about to pour molten steel into the crucible Jim's in. Finally, Jim just says he's sorry.
Pete declares that R2 has gained access to the factory, but that he has time to rescue one person, Jim or Annie. Annie tells him to rescue Jim while Jim insists he rescue Annie. Annie points out she still has Force abilities to get her out of her predicament, and is able to talk Pete into rescuing Jim. Pete shuts down the steel pourer, and has the crucible deposit Jim safely onto the floor.
Annie is heading towards five instant death guillotine blades, and has to roll to Dodge them. For the first blade, she rolls a 14. Pete tells her she just barely made it. Annie decides she'll use Force Push on the second blade. Pete tells her he can only use that once, but it will give her a +5 advantage. She rolls an 11 (+5=16) and makes it. She uses Force Sensitivity to anticipate the next blade and safely rolls an 18. For the fourth blade, she rolls a 9, but points out she's still using Force Sensitivity. Pete tells her she could only do that once. Annie points out he didn't say that before. Pete reluctantly allows her to use it, but claims she can't do it again for the final blade. She rolls a 2. Pete asks her if she has any last words. She replies, "Yes. Fate Manipulation Reroll." She rolls again and gets a 13. Pete declares that's not good enough (since 14 only just barely makes it). As Pete start to describe her grisly death, Annie points out the +1 bonus she got for watching Pete fly. Pete reluctantly grants her that here.
Pete declares that the last blade missed Annie, but cut her laser sword in two. As R2, he hacks into the factory controls again, and frees Annie's arm. He declares that Jim is surrounded by armed winged creatures while Annie is surrounded by armed combat droids led by Jango Fett.
Annie rails against this whole session, accusing this factory of being nothing but a deathtrap designed for Pete's own self-gratification. Pete tries to defend himself to the others. He points out to Annie that there were several ways she could have avoided the mess she got herself into. He tells Sally, that by giving her 2 bodies, she could've fought off their enemies and saved either Jim or Annie at the same time. He admits that Jim was doomed. "If not for R2-D2." The other players say nothing. They just glare at Pete. Pete asks why are they looking at him like that. They don't respond. They just keep glaring.
For the next session, The GM is back, but Pete is absent.
Jim and Annie are taken before Count Dooku and Jango Fett. Dooku reveals to them he has the Peace Moon plans. Jim demands he give those plans to him and Annie and let them go. Dooku says that's percisely what he wants to do, and asks them to expose the plans to the Senate. Jim says they will by taking them to Chancellor Palpatine and remind him to show the plans at the next Senate meeting. Jango claims this proves they're working for Palpatine, and Jim cheerfully affirms they are. Dooku changes his mind about letting them go, and Jango reccomends they be executed.
Jim and Annie are placed on trial for crimes against the droid factory, with Poggle the Lesser presiding before a crowd that includes Dooku and Nute Gunray. Jim tries to give a rousing defense, but with Jim being Jim, it's just a confused muddle. Poggle sentances them to death by firing squad. Jim threatens to have Palpatine carpet bomb the entire planet. Poggle changes his sentence to death by being dismembered and eaten by wild beasts in the arena.
Jim and Annie are driven to the arena on a creature drawn chariot to a set of pillars, where Ben is already chained to a pillar. Jim and Annie are each chained to a pillar, but Jim decides that because his character's a woman, he'd have a hairpin. Ben suggests he use it to pick the locks from his handcuffs, and Jim starts to do so. Three large animals are released in the arena, each set to attack one of the prisoners: a reek to attack Annie, an acklay to attack Ben, and a nexu to attack Jim.
Ben tries to free himself from the pillar using various Force Abilities, but keeps getting low dice rolls. He decides he's been jinxed because he forgot to cover his dice when Jim Grappled in the last session. To break the jinx, he holds his dice up to his left ear. Then as the acklay is about to strike, Ben positions his chains to where he anticipates the acklay will strike, scores a high roll for once, and the acklay smashes Ben's chains, freeing him.
Jim uses his chains to climb up to the top of his pillar. The nexu slashes his back, but Jim is able to argue that the nexu's breath holds him up, keeping him from falling off. Annie also uses her chains to climb her pillar, but not to the top, and uses Force Jump to land on the reek as it charges. Annie wraps her chains around the reek's horn, and the reek breaks them.
Among the audience in the arena are Dooku, Gunray, Jango, and Boba Fett. Jango reveals to Boba that Darth Maul was his real father and that Ben's responsible for both of his biological parents' deaths.
Annie falls off the reek, but uses Force Suggestion to tame it. She climbs back on board the reek and has it kill the nexu. By this time, Jim has used his haripin to pick the locks from his chain and jump on the reek (Annie uses Force Levitation to slow his fall). Ben is still being pursued by the acklay and is able to climb onto the reek.
Gunray orders his droidekkas into the arena, who surround the three players on the reek. Sally has switched back to playing Mace Windu, and she sneaks up on Jango until she's able to hold her laser sword to his throat. She tells him she's hring him as a private detective and orders him to kill all the baddies, give her the Peace Moon plans, find out why the giraffe aliens made the clone army for the Jedi Council, and kill R2-D2. At that moment, dozens of Jedi enter the arena and fight off the droidekkas. Jango refuese to obey Sally and two droids fire at her from behind. She destroys them with her laser sword. She starts to duel Jango.
In the arena, the bigger droid army pours in to fight the Jedi. Two Jedi toss new laser swords at Ben and Annie, while Jim gets hold of a blaster, and all three join in the fight. While fighting Jango, Sally rolls a 20 and declares she chops off Jango's head, but is horrified when the GM reveals that that means she killed him.
By this time, Jim and Annie are riding the chariot they were carried in on, Jim's riding the beast pulling the chariot, while Annie's in the chariot. Among the combat droids in the arena are the combat droid with C-3PO's head and the Combat Droid on C-3PO's body. Ben uses his laser sword to slice off one of the acklay's arms. A droid shoots the beast Jin is riding and he and Annie both topple to the ground. Jim suggests they burrow under the sand. Annie is about to call the idea silly, but stops herself because she doesn't want to hurt Jim's feelings. Jim explains his idea, that arenas usually have underground tunnels, and she could try to find them with her laser sword. Annie realizes that's actually a good idea and starts to apologize, but stops herself because she didn't actually call it silly, and she and Jim are tongue-tied. The GM calls an end to the session. Ben notes that Annie gave Jim a lift to the session, and asks if they can give him and Sally a lift home. Jim and Annie both quickly say yes.
Pete arrives at the start of the next session and gives a formal apology to the others for the session he GMed...that he's reading aloud from his PDA.
The battle continues to rage on in the arena, with Jim, Ben, Annie and the Jedi fighting off Nute Gunray's droids. Both the combat droid with C-3PO's head and the combat droid head on C-3PO's body have fallen during the battle, with the droid's head on C-3PO's body already destroyed, leaving the body completely headless. Pete seeks to atone for what he did by detatching C-3PO's head from the combat droid's body and drag it along. Sally, who's still angry with Pete, switches back to playing C-3PO, tries to bite him, and yells at the other combat droids that Pete just insulted them. Then Pete reattaches C-3PO's head onto his body. Sally is gratefull and forgives Pete. She wants to fight the other droids as C-3PO, but The GM reminds her that C-3PO isn't a combat droid. She gets bored, and switches back to playing Mace Windu.
Ben gets the idea for him, his fellow players and the Jedi to form a tight circle so they can deflect the droids' blasts back at them with their laser swords. But Gunray outfoxes him, by ordering his droids to cease fire and simply wait for the humanoids to tire themselves out. For every simulated hour of this standoff, the players have to make Fatigue rolls.
As Mace Windu, Sally declares she can't fight anymore and that she'll roam the galaxy. The GM suggests she play another character, but warns this is the last time she can switch characters. She wants to play Jar Jar Binks again. When the GM points out Jar Jar's still on Coruscant, Sally decides she'll play Yoda instead because he was on his way to Kamino to get the Clone Troopers and because Yoda is "almost as cool as Jar Jar!"
The GM declares that Yoda has arrived on his ship, and Sally declares that she brought all the Clone Troopers with her. The GM tells her that they were all loyal to Jango Fett and that with his death, they would've lost their connection to the Force. Sally claims she used Force Suggestion to get them all to obey her. She rolls a high dice roll on Force Suggestion, Ben backs her up, and the GM reluctantly agrees.
Sally's ship is an open troop carrier where the clones fire on the droids and are able to swarm out into the arena. Sally urges the Jedi and the other players to come onboard. Everybody except Pete makes it onto the carrier, and it takes off, leaving Pete behind. He decides to head back to the ship he, Jim, and Annie came in on by making his way back through the droid factory.
On the troop carrier, Ben explains to Sally why the Kaminoans were led to believe that the Jedi Council had ordered them to create the clones. Sally reinstates Ben as Jedi. Annie asks if she can be reinstated too. Sally wants to know what Annie has done to deserve reinstatemnet. Annie claims that she's deduced that Dooku is a Sith lord, out to use the Force for Evil. Sally reinstates Annie and tells Mace Windu (now played by the GM) that he'll still be needed.
Outside the arena, Sally leads the Jedi and clones on an attack of Trade Federation droids and troop ships, leaving Jim, Ben, and Annie the only ones on the troop carrier with only a small handfull of clones. They spot Dooku escaping on his hoverbike into the desert. Annie decides to protect Jim by keeping him out of harm's way, and pushes him off the carrier into the desert.
Jim asks Sally to come pick him up. The GM points out that she's too far away to hear him. Sally decides to use the Force to sense him, but Pete volunteers to pick up Jim once Pete gets back onto the ship. The GM remembers that Pete was making his way through the droid factory, and asks to see Pete's map of it. Pete relucantly shows it to him. Sally decides that Pete will pick up Jim while she continues to lead the charge against the droid armies. The GM decides that it would take Pete an awfully long time to get through the droid factory, since Pete designed it to be such a long, deadly obstacle course. The GM even comments on how he can't see how anything could get through it.
Ben and Annie track Dooku to a cave. Annie rushes forward to attack him, but Dooku uses Force Drain on her, which feeds on her anger, and incapacitates her. Dooku offers to give Ben the Peace Moon plans if he gives them directly to the Senate, but Ben had promised to give them to Palpatine, so he refuses. Dooku tries to attack Ben with Force Drain, but it fails since Ben's not angry. They engage in a fierce laser sword duel.
Jim is stranded in the desert, when he meets a Clone Trooper whom Annie had also pushed out of the carrier to protect Jim. He decides they should run to the cave fight.
As the laser sword duel continues, Ben makes a low dice roll. The GM determines that Dooku just grazes Ben's shoulder, but that's enough to knock Ben out since he'd already lost so much endurance from all the fatigue rolls at the arena. Dooku is about to kill him, when Annie, who has just recovered, blocks his laser sword attack with her own laser sword. She uses the Force to grab Ben's laser sword and attempts to fight Dooku while weilding both laser swords at once. But she rolls a critical failure, and accidentally slices one of her laser swords in half with the other. Dooku begins taunting her, plagueing her with her uncertainties about Jim's love for her (that is Anakin's uncertainties of Padme's love for him). Annie is distracted enough that Dooku is able to slice off her hand.
Sally arrives at the cave and challenges Dooku to Force Arm-Wrestle: who ever lifts the heaviest object wins. Dooku reluctantly agrees. Sally uses the Force to lift a tank. Dooku uses the Force to lift another tank. Sally declares she uses the Force to lift up the entire planet. Jim comes up with a scientific explanation for how that's possible and Sally declares herself the winner. Dooku claims she cheated and attacks her with Force Drain, but Sally claims she's not angry, just disappointed in Dooku because he was her former studient (much to the GM's surprise). They engage in a laser sword duel. Dooku claims he doesn't want to hurt anyone. Sally demands he give her the Peace Moon plans, or she'll punish everyone. She uses the Force to levitate a large tower over Ben and Annie, threatening to crush them. Having thus distarcted herself, Dooku is able to make his escape.
In the desert, Jim is picked up by another troop carrier and reaches the cave just as Dooku has left it. He fires at Dooku's ship (mainly because he thinks it's Sio Bibble) but misses.
Pete is still making his way through the droid factory with C-3PO at his side (Sally switches back to playing C-3PO just to ask, "Are we there yet?") when he realizes he's missed out on the climax of an adventure again, just like that fantasy campaign he's been complaining about. Annie asks him why he keeps playing, and he tells her this is the best game he's ever played. He suggests that the next time the players revisit this sci-fi setting they get large dreadnoughts, which gives the GM ideas.
Sally switches back to playing Yoda as she, Ben, and Mace Windu discuss the ramifications of what just happened. Ben points out that with their failure to retrieve the Peace Moon plans, they have started a major war between the droids and the clones. This leads Sally and Mace Windu to debate what they should call it.
Annie decides the best way to end the campaign is with romance. She declares her love for Jim and asks him to marry her. Jim says yes, because he thinks it'll be worth a ton of XP. Sally switches back to playing C-3PO to design their wedding outfits. The campaign ends with Anakin and Padme getting married. Jim asks Annie out on a first date, and she says yes.
Category:Campaigns
Category:The Silence of the Clones