SotB XXXVII: A Game of Chairs

*The Agents are requested to assist a former contact in solving a political crisis that could potentially tip the scales of the Galactic Civil War...*

## Agents

### Session 1

* Eve
* Hack
* Saber Scintel
* Tortie
* Zeevo the Hutt

### Session 2

* Derra Asbra
* Erdogan Cael
* Gristle
* Jokan Benn
* R0C-K4
* Shorbecca

## Mission Report

### Session 1

*Summary by Brandon*

Tortie’s rejoins the agents after spending time working for Borga the Hutt, who has helped Tortie reduce his Debt. The agents are celebrating his return aboard the Sunflare and receive a message from Makren Duvel. The pre-recorded message says he has an offer for the agents and provides the coordinates for meeting up at a trading hub near a nebula. The agents discuss whether they should accept a job from Makren, who is associated with Borga. Hack and Zeevo work on the astrogation to the hub, with some aid from Pipa. Makren meets them as they land. As the only member of the party involved in the Grana Nuppa, Saber approaches.

Makren reveals that the nebula is an independent system whose King has recently died and two factions supported by the Empire and the Alliance arguing for succession. Makren leads them to a small lounge and a with a holoprojector shows the three heirs to the Gilesian throne, which leads the Cicerian League. Zivian the Favored Heir is the most obvious heir, but Makren believes he will be a puppet of either the Empire or the Rebellion. Dacartan the Strongarm is supported by Makren in order to keep the League together. Sopol the Exile left the League at 18 and is a wild card. There are various factions vying for support or vassalization including Ophilia (Queen-in-exile of Traxus that the agents met earlier), the Imperial Assembly, and the Chandrillian Assembly (known to be supporters of the Rebellion). The Great Houses musts be courted and the other parties should be discredited. Makren reveals this is a personal mission and not from the Hutts. He also says Hutts will have more difficulty dealing with the noble houses, due to the Hutts checkered past with the League.

Makren offers to smuggle some weapons for the party, but with limited encumbrance. The crew decides to do some shopping to prepare. Zeevo finds a sword cane, a sound-dampener, and vibro-knucklers. Saber buys noble regalia (triumph). Tortie finds forgery tools. Hack asks the find some Slicing Gear, but that wasn’t found instead a talkative shopkeeper gives a commoners point of view on the proceedings and says Darcatan likes to drink. Tortie attempts to forge credentials for the group, saying Sopol gave permission to bring weapons. The guards respond by saying Sopol doesn’t have that authority. Tortie continues the lie (success, triumph, two despairs), the party is let through but Tortie had to give up his blaster while Saber kept his ancient sword. From the tram, they emerge into a terraformed central sphere.

Six royal houses make of the royal council and the team learns some about them:

House Whiess: Sir Barin, traditionalist, but can be flattered

House Traita: nouveau riches, Silvia the Matriarch, interested in helping non-nobles

House Domani: Lord Hallifer (Chevin) adoptions of many races find unity in diversity, wants vote over it

House Adal: Archduke Isopen, most prestigious, respects a noble title

House Illidam: fallen on hard times, bad investments

House Rontokk: Rodian Clan, defensive about protecting gains, believes in Rebellion

Saber sees a vision of the future he sees a female figure grasped by darkness, but he feels hope remains. He then hears a distinct female voice, “I am here to claim what is rightfully mine.” The crew tries to learn about the Houses on the streets but only learns Ophilia had been begging a House while Irisviel of the Chandraillian (Rebel) alignment was seen trying to gain access to the small council meeting. Tortie, Hack, and Zeevo visit to the libraries in the Main Embassy to learn about the Houses while Saber and Eve seek out Irisviel at the Main Embassy as well. Saber and Eve don’t find Irisviel, but do speak Ambassador Jae-car after dropping Renci Tosh’s name. The Rebellion trusts Sopol more than Dacartan. Saber fails to press Jae-car more on his opinion of Sopol (resist the urge to use the darkside).

In the libraries, Zeevo butters up the academics and is able to dig up info about the Houses and their business. The academic believes that the ideal would be Zivian and Dacartan co-ruled, since Zivian has the political maneuvering and Dacartan the heavy hand. He also warned “never ignore the wild car” and he assumes Sopol traveled the galaxy under a pseudonym.

Tortie decides to sneak into the Imperial garrison and finds a ventilation duct and finds his way to the rear to see Count Dioman. Tortie makes a clang in the vent (Despair) and succeeds at an immediate stealth check and then stealths from the vent to the desk (success, triumph against five red), finding a holo-messenger. He then tries to search the desk but is found by Count Dioman. Tortie attempts to lie but then Dioman uses a Force trick on him and Tortie spills his guts. Tortie had his comms open (destiny flip), and Saber realizes what happened.

The others proceed to House Adal, Saber announces his presence at a Prince and receives an audience with the Archduke. The party finds Makren Duvel is present. Saber says his intention is to form an economic pact with the League and he believe Dacartan is the best choice to resist the influence of the outside forces and can be easily controlled on economic matters. The Archduke believes that Zivian will be easier to control but Saber counters with the fear of Imperial control. Saber reiterates that if the Empire is present, they are already involved. Saber uses the lightside of the Force and succeeds in Charming (success, three advantage) the Archduke.

Dioman holds Tortie hostage and offers the group an exchange for Makren and a bounty. Hack attempts to attack but Eve takes the hit. The group rebukes the offer and discusses with Makren that perhaps Dacartan on the throne can return Tortie. Taika comes in with a unknown woman.

Zeevo address Lord Hallifer and gets chatty with him about the jizz tune. Hallifer offers that he’d decide on a flip of a coin if the decision was even. Zeevo also offers that Hallifer that the Imperial contingent is using Force powers.

The woman addresses Tortie and ask whether he thinks his friends will save him. She asks about his life on the street and claims that his death would be a tragic part of her coronation.
Makren calls in and is making his way to Illidam. The party makes their way to Rontokk and speak with Duke Fortuth. He reveals that Jae-car has told him to change his vote to Sopol. Zeevo notices that Fortuth is eating food that is laced with some sort of spice. Saber implores him to grows a spine and coerces to grow a spine.

On the way to the grand council, Saber walks with Sopol and expresses that he consider what is best for the League and not what the Rebellion wants. Tortie is in the grand council room with the Imperial contingent and Queen Ophilia looks depressed with her delegation. The heirs speak the council and the nobles vote with Dacartan winning. However, Dioman shows a recording of late king and reveals Palatricia, the lost daughter. Dioman then attempts to trick the council, but Saber launches him into the ceiling with Force Move. Dioman then tells Palatricia to defend him and she ignites a lightsaber.

Zeevo convinces guards to come to their defense against the Imperials. Palatricia attacks Saber but he deflects her lightsaber pike and attempts to convince her that she must be a Queen that is better than the people who spat on her. Dioman falls to the ground from medium height but Palatricia takes the damage. Already stressed, Eve and Hack bring Palatricia down and Saber resists picking up her lightsaber pike (destiny flip). Tortie gets a holdout blaster from the guards as they blast the stormtroopers. Dioman attempts to offer Saber a detente but he rejects it. Dioman then attempts to influence Hack, but fails and Saber attempts to bind him in return. While that fails as well, Saber becomes his focus (failure, triumph). After Eve and Hack beat at him, he strains himself to attack Saber and Tortie gets a well placed blaster bolt to bring him down. The team hands over Dioman to the Rebellion and Dacartan promises to take care of his supposed sister.

In the end, Makren comments that the team succeeded in balancing the election of Dacartan and helping out the Rebellion.

### Session 2

*Summary by Ben*

The team receives a call from Makren, whom they met during the Granee Noopa, and he requests help with some sensitive negotiations on an unknown terran world in the middle of a large nebula, the Ciceran Nebula. They head there in the Sunflare and dock with the hub station in the planet’s orbit, and Makren comes to meet them in the landing bay.

The nebula is ruled by an aristocratic government, known as the Ciceran League, which is currently in disarray due to leadership disputes. In simple terms, he needs the team’s help in planting a chosen head on the throne. The heirs to the Gilesian throne are Zivian, Dacartan and Sopol, and Makren wants Dacartan to seize power. Zivian is the favored one, and Sopol has just returned from an exile, during which he traveled and explored the galaxy. The active parties are as follows:

Chandrilan Assembly:

Attendant Irisviel

Ambassador Jae’car

Imperial Assembly:

Minister Talka

Count Dioman

Neutral Parties:

Makren Duvel

B2-3PO

Administrator Talio

Queen-in-exile Ophilia

F5-3PO

HAX-43B

Makren seems interested in playing the long game by getting Dacartan the seat on the throne. Zivian is favored because he’s a more diplomatic leader, and the nobles don’t like Dacartan’s strong-armed way of doing things. In all, there will be six votes from the main noble houses, and convincing a majority is the best way of ensuring Dacartan’s victory. Discrediting the other candidates or making Dacartan seem more appealing seem to be the most obvious ways of meeting Makren’s goal. In order to do their work, the team needs to access the main assembly area for the noble houses and diplomats. Security is tight, but Makren promises he’ll be able to sneak some small items in for them.

The houses with votes are as follows:

Adal

Illidam

Whiess - led by Ser Barin

Traita

Rontokk - a Rodian clan led by Duke Fortuth

Domani

Before heading that way, the group moves deeper into the station to gather supplies and get some shopping done. They pick up some new clothes, concealed compartments for R0C, and some easily concealed weapons, such as a Stingbeam and a ceremonial staff.

With everything gathered up, they head to the embassy and check in. Some of their weapons are confiscated, but everyone gets in without a significant issue. On their way in, they pick up some gossip regarding the Queen-in-exile Ophilia, suggesting that she may have been crying in one of the gardens, and that she is meeting with each of the houses. They go to her room to meet her, but find a HAX-model droid waiting, and it informs them that she is currently meeting with House Whiess.

Immediately, they head off to intercept her, and just happen to catch her leaving the estate. She’s been busy trying to convince the houses of her claim to her homeworld of Traxus, the fall of which the agents had witnessed months ago. She doesn’t seem to have much stake in the election, however, and they let her go on her way. Erdo, Derra and Jokan head back to the embassy to do some research while Gristle, R0C and Shorbecca head into the Whiess estate to speak to Ser Barin. After a lengthy discussion, Gristle, despite his hatred for politics, gives an empassioned speech to Barin, which seems to sway him to Dacartan’s side. In the meantime, the researchers find some information on the other houses.

Jokan decides to meet with House Rontokk, which is a clan of rodians, and finds Administrator Talio being held up by house guards. The guards then move to hold Jokan up as well. At the mention of Jokan’s name, however, they seem interested and allow Jokan inside. Jokan meets with Duke Fortuth for a time, and finds that he is currently planning on voting for Zivian, but is willing to support Sopol as well.

Erdo and Derra meet with Sopol himself, and find him to be more worldly, agreeable and potentially independent than the other potential heirs. The debate as to who the agents should actually support begins, and everyone but R0C appears either indifferent or in favor of Sopol. R0C has a private talk with Dacartan in order to test his will by asking him some questions, and finds most of his opinions to align with the droid’s own value of strength and decisiveness.

R0C then goes to meet with Sopol, but is turned away. In the meantime, Erdo, Shorbecca and Jokan go to the Chandrilan Assembly in order to find the Alliance representatives. They don’t find Jae’car, but they do find Attendant Irisviel, who seems concerned about growing Imperial influence. They question her about Sopol, and find that much of his time away from the League has been spent training, and as much as she’d like him to get the throne, they don’t have as much influence as they’d like. In fact, she’s in the process of hiding from potential Imperial agents. Jokan and Erdogan prepare a way to secretly extract Irisviel (via a large, false-bottomed crate) and head off to continue the campaign.

Back at Sopol’s office, R0C returns with Derra, and although Sopol allows her in, he still won’t let the droid meet face-to-face. Derra enters anyway and question Sopol, and he reveals that he is staunchly against droid rights, eliciting a very negative reaction from R0C, who marches off to meet Erdo and Jokan to argue against supporting Sopol. Erdo concludes that the best option may be to just remove Zivian’s ties to the Empire and support him instead. They go to meet Zivian, but the group soon receives a distress call from Ophilia. Rushing over to help, they find her trying to get away from her protocol droid, which has sprouted weapons. Erdo, Jokan and R0C quickly dispatch it and find that it had been modified by the Empire to attempt to assassinate Ophilia upon receiving a command from the Imperial assembly hall.

With some evidence in hand, the agents go to the deliberation and attempt to expose the Empire’s corruption, but as they present their findings, Dioman from the Imperial assembly appears with a woman by his side, whom he reveals to be Palatricia, the lost daughter of the former king, using a hologram of the old king’s will, declaring her his successor. The crowd is outraged, but quickly move into a vote, proclaiming that they agree with the king’s ruling. However, it becomes clear that Dioman is using the Force to manipulate them and some guards move to intercept, but both Dioman and Palatricia draw lightsabers to defend themselves, and Erdo senses a force connection between the two.

A fight breaks out, and as the agents beat down on Dioman, they notice that Palatricia is suffering wounds in his stead, likely due to the force connection. Regardless, they continue engaging the dark jedi until Palatricia has passed out, and eventually Jokan lands a deadly shot between Dioman’s eyes after having one arm gravely injured by a force attack. Gristle then emerges as Palatricia lays, nearly dead, and deactivates his cloaking field to place his cerebral stabilizer over her head, stabilizing her.

With the dark jedi eliminated, Dacartan rushes over to Palatricia’s side, and the nobles resume their vote, siding with Dacarten due to his quick, decisive action during the battle. The agents are compensated for the long, arduous day of work and shoot off in the Sunflare with their rescued rebel associate and hard-earned credits.