Anyone with even half decent training would also notice that her fighting style and force use is very dark.
The only time we see her fight someone for serious is Wesker and all she did was force choke him, which while kinda dark isn't "very" dark. When sparring with Ventress, it's only dark if you consider her constant flirting to be Dun Moch, and even then...
 
Firstly: That's totally Dun Moch.

Secondly: Even when she's not overtly using the force she's still increasing her reflexes, boosting strength, reading future attacks with precognition, and using her force sight to pick out targets.

And even beyond the force use, she's aggressive in a way that a light sider just isn't. She uses overwhelming force combined with Dub Moch to keep her opponent from fighting back at all in a way that's very stereotypically Sith. Hell, her fight against Wesker reminds me most of Darth Vader fighting Skywalker on Cloud City.

She's a Grey Sith, sure. But she's still a Sith and she fights like one.
 
So people have been talking about things while I prepare the next update. Yes. That is exactly what I've been doing, and I certainly haven't been getting distracted by other things at all!

(Terribly sorry honest)

But anyway:

Reworked. I hope you like it.

That I do. I can now declare that canon without issue.

The Continuing Diplomatic Adventures of Obi-wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan's suffering shall continue until our morale-wait that doesn't work-er...canon, +10.

Similar to our salvage operations on Coruscant, Taris, and Nar Shaddaa, can we put together salvager teams and fleets to pick through the battlefields of the Clone Wars? Unlike with our other operations where it's mostly trash, these scavenging grounds would doubtlessly be rich in military-grade technology. It would provide more income than our other salvage operations, but it's balanced by the fact that it's only possible thanks to the near-unlimited access to warzones that the Silver Cross gives us. (Which we had to roll a nat 99/137 to get and haven't really taken advantage of.)

That seems reasonable.

The Republic Senate and the Separatist Senate are both very corrupt, the latter even moreso than the former. Can we blackmail, bribe, threaten, etc. senators from both into doing stuff we want like signing into law bills which are favourable to us? Alternatively, we could do that stuff not to get advantages for ourselves, but to deny them to Palpatine.

You'll be getting more expanded options to interact with the Senate next turn.

Can Telepathy be taught to our Agents? Being able to communicate via a medium that can't be jammed, muffled, intercepted, overheard, or corroded by obstacles/distance would be rather advantageous to our commando forces.

Yes.

I have a question about the Sienar Custom Vessel action under Stewardship. Why is it an action? The whole point of hiring people to do something for you is so that you don't have to do it yourself, but here we have to spend actions anyway.

That-hmm...actually you have a point there. I'll rework that next turn.

Similar to the Shaking Hands actions, would an Expand Information Network give us more information about the targets and provide bonuses to Intrigue actions against them?

Again, more options along those lines will be available next turn.
 
So people have been talking about things while I prepare the next update. Yes. That is exactly what I've been doing, and I certainly haven't been getting distracted by other things at all!

(Terribly sorry honest)

But anyway:



That I do. I can now declare that canon without issue.



Obi-Wan's suffering shall continue until our morale-wait that doesn't work-er...canon, +10.



That seems reasonable.



You'll be getting more expanded options to interact with the Senate next turn.



Yes.



That-hmm...actually you have a point there. I'll rework that next turn.



Again, more options along those lines will be available next turn.
when we are go incognito do we were our kalesh mask?
 
...That was ridiculous. Just finished the fourth 'region' of the galactic survey -- it took me several hours to cover a single sector. Apparently, someone decided to write an RPG adventure set in the Kathol sector, which naturally meant that every single planet had to have something interesting to do. :mad:

Anyway, that's done, which means I'm about halfway finished with the survey of the southern Outer Rim. I do have a few items of interest for @Dr. Snark, even though I haven't written the Briefing:
- Derilyn: childhood home of Wuxod (anti-Palpatine Senator), high-tech industrial planet, site of 'Park of Peace' and Derilyn Platform (spaceport)
^ This guy (Senator Wuxod) hates Palpatine. And Palpatine apparently hates him right back, because Wuxod was one of the first Senators to 'disappear' after Palpatine declared his New Order. If he isn't in the upcoming anti-Palpatine interlude, you might want to name-drop him as another person in the group (who couldn't make it due to scheduling issues or something).


Also, I found a bunch more 'neutral' or wannabe-neutral worlds:
- Svivren: homeworld of Svivreni race (geologists), childhood home of Tyro Calladin (Senate), trade hub, site of Svivren Xenomineralogy Institute, neutral!
...An entire race of intuitively gifted geologists sure would be helpful for our 'anomalous materials' research...
- Utapau: homeworld of Pau'an (long-lived) and Utai (miners) races, home of Tion Medon (Chairman), sinkhole-cities, neutral [NB: under CIS occupation]
Hey, we genemodded Silas with these guys. Turns out they're "officially" neutral, but have been under CIS occupation for a while as a 'secret' bolt-hole in case things turn south. Spoilers: they do. Perhaps we could offer them a helping hand and oust the Separatists...?
- Orto: homeworld of Ortolan race, childhood home of Max Rebo (musician), resource-rich mining planet, neutral! [NB: imminent CIS occupation]
Besides 'Operation Save the Max Rebo Band', there's actually an imminent CIS operation to seize the planet. But the operation hasn't happened yet, and it won't if this 'technically neutral' planet joins the CNS proper...
- Clak'dor VII: homeworld of Bith race (craniopods, scientists & musicians), heavily populated biodome-cities, pacifists and reluctant CIS ally (neutral...)
Craniopods -- they have bigger brains than the rest of us. These ones are also pacifists, and only joined the CIS out of their contempt for the Republic's corruption. It shouldn't be too hard to persuade them to join us instead....



I have a bunch more (including a planet on the far eastern edge of the Outer Rim that desperately wanted to join the CNS in canon (!) but somehow wasn't able to get the message out) but that will have to wait until I can cover that system's sector and region.

Looking forward to the Interlude!
 
Craniopods -- they have bigger brains than the rest of us. These ones are also pacifists, and only joined the CIS out of their contempt for the Republic's corruption. It shouldn't be too hard to persuade them to join us instead....
This doesn't sound like it would be easy to persuade them to join us. They might've joined the Separatists only reluctantly but they dislike the Republic's corruption enough that they did so anyway to bring the Republic down.

EDIT: Didn't see this.

Secondly: Even when she's not overtly using the force she's still increasing her reflexes, boosting strength, reading future attacks with precognition, and using her force sight to pick out targets.
The Jedi do all of those things as well. Hell, it's their bread and butter. It's not dark at all.

And even beyond the force use, she's aggressive in a way that a light sider just isn't. She uses overwhelming force combined with Dub Moch to keep her opponent from fighting back at all in a way that's very stereotypically Sith.
Lightsiders can most certainly be aggressive, even without going to Form VII. From IV, also known as the Aggression Form, was practised by Anakin, Yoda, Ahsoka, and Obi-wan prior to his swapping out for Form III after defeating Maul. Yoda and Ahsoka in particular were very practised in the form, with Ahsoka's acrobatics being a staple of her style and Yoda requiring it to compensate for his stubby limbs.

Form II, which is what Ciaran uses, is about precision and efficiency rather than overwhelming force. In her practise sessions with Ventress, she did not "keep her opponent from fighting back", but rather let Vetress tire herself out before exploiting an opening with cheating, which is neither predominantly Sith-like nor Jedi-like.

Hell, her fight against Wesker reminds me most of Darth Vader fighting Skywalker on Cloud City.
Her fight against Wesker was nothing of the sort. It was an execution, and thus not indicative of whatever fighting style she might have.
 
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Interlude - An Alliance In Shadows
Classified Location, Fresia

Organizing the meeting with all of the Anti-Palpatine Senators was not an easy thing; while they had heard of Ciaran before the request for them to go to a clandestine meeting on Fresia was not exactly an easy sell especially given the war. But with Padme and Bail vouching for her, the eclectic group of Senators gathered at a hidden meeting room to hear out Ciaran.

The atmosphere was tense as some of the senators stared down Ciaran, trying to gauge her motives, while others quietly conversed with each other in hushed voices. For her part, Ciaran had steeped her fingers, waiting for the final participant to arrive.

"How much longer are you going to drag this out?" Senator Chi Eekway Papanoida demanded, glaring at Ciaran. "As far as I can tell all of the relevant participants have arrived already."

"Indeed," Senator Nee Alavar commented, staring at Ciaran. "You seem like you are waiting for someone still, but surely all of the relevant participants have arrived?"

Ciaran glanced at Alavar. "Almost. We still need-"

A beep from Ciaran's communicator interrupted her.

"Ah, there he is. He will be joining us in a few seconds."

Senator Garm Bel Iblis grunted in annoyance. "Well, whoever it is had better be worth waiting for."

As if on cue, the door opened to reveal the final guest-Seti Ashgad, completely nonplussed at the audience before him. Upon seeing him, many of the Senators had various expressions of shock and confusion, though none of them were as surprised as Bail.

"Seti!? You're-what!?"

Seti calmly took a seat before replying to the rest of the Senators. "Yes, as you can clearly see I am quite alive, though the reason behind my 'absence' is why Lady Ciaran and I have called this meeting."

"Palpatine was behind that, wasn't he?" Senator Wuxod declared, his voice betraying the vindication he felt. "I knew that he was responsible for your disappearance, but no one could find anything-"

"Because he made sure that there was nothing to find," Seti replied, cutting the man off. "That is why you are all here. So that you can understand how much of a threat the Supreme Chancellor is, not only to your lives, but to the galaxy as we know it."

"We already know how anti-democratic the man is," Senator Lexi Dio replied. "and for that matter we know how much our lives are at risk these days. I seriously considered not coming here once I heard from the SSS about how much I've been at risk lately."

Seti calmly nodded. "Indeed. However there is much more at stake than you all may realize." With those words, he called up a map of the galaxy, the various territories held by the Republic, CIS, and CNS clearly marked on the map. "When I was exiled, I was taken to Nam Chorios, which is located here," and with that the planet on the map, "in the heart of Separatist space. Despite the fact that I was moved across a highly active warzone in an unmarked transport, we were never once accosted by any Separatist vessels, military or otherwise."

The room went silent as Seti leaned forward to emphasize his point. "Most of you have already rightfully considered Palpatine to be a threat to democracy. However the man is far worse than any of us could have imagined; it would seem that he is more than willing to raze the galaxy to the ground so long as he can rule over its ashes."

The silence continued after that, though a number of people turned to Alavar, whose face was ashen.

"...I cannot see any signs of deception. As far as I am aware Master Ashgad is not lying to us about anything."

"This is madness," Senator Tendau Bendon quietly said, his eyes closed. "So many people are dying right now for the sake of his lust for power."

"And more are going to keep dying until he gets all the power he wants," Senator Feng Zar said, holding his head in his hands. "I know we have to stand against him but how many more are going to die if we do?"

"We must consider what would happen if we did not stand against him," came the calm but firm voice of Senator Mon Mothma as the people in the room focused on the young woman. "If Master Ashgad's exile is any indication should Palapatine succeed in his ambitions we would face a galaxy under his cruel tyranny, where countless people would suffer under his reign. If we do not stand against him here and now, no one else will."

"Surely the Jedi could help us?" Senator Giddean Danu suggested. "If ever there was a time for them to come to the aid of the Republic-"

"And what exactly would or could they do?" Ciaran interrupted, the first time she had spoken since Seti arrived. "Right now we only have Seti's word to go on, something that Palpatine can easily brush aside as slander at best, treason at worst. And for that matter you're all surely aware that Palpatine is no longer a being that can be dealt with overnight. He's had time to expand his influence and embed himself in the Republic's workings. If he were to be removed from office right now the effects would be catastrophic."

"Indeed," Seti commented. "For now what we must do is act, but cautiously. While I myself cannot appear anymore the rest of you are capable on your own. Find allies. Consolidate your positions. And do whatever you can to ensure that Palpatine cannot gain ground."

"Perhaps Senator Taa could help us?" Senator Zar noted. "I know he is friendly with Palpatine but maybe we could use him?"

"I am unsure the risk of telling him about this would outweigh the gains," Senator Mothma noted. "His friendship with-"

Blinking in realization for a moment, she turned towards Padme. The woman had gone pale, not even able to properly speak as Senators Silya Shessaun and Onacanda Farr were both quietly reassuring her.

"Padme?"

At Senator Mothma's voice she looked up at her, the young girl's eyes wide. "I did this," she said quietly, her voice trembling. "I was the one who called for the Vote of No Confidence on Valorum. If it wasn't for me he-I-"

"Stop that."

The sudden interruption from Ciaran caused everyone's heads to swivel in her direction, though she was focusing entirely on Padme. "It wouldn't have mattered if someone else was in your place. No matter who it would have been, Palpatine would have used them as a stepping stone to power without a second thought."

Padme didn't respond, but Farr nodded his head in appreciation at Ciaran's words.

"I think we could all use a breather while we go over the news," Senator Papanoida commented. "Let's take a break and catch our breath, then come back to this in a few hours, shall we?"

Sounds of affirmation came from everyone in the room as everyone filed out save for Seti and Mothma, though Ciaran remained in the doorway to listen in on the conversation.

"As much as I do respect the risks you have taken in coming here, I do want to know what you believe should happen in the event that Palpatine is removed from office," Mothma said, facing down Ashgad's clinical gaze.

"Given the amount of political strife it would generate, a strong leader would be necessary in the interim to ensure that the Republic does not collapse from the strain," Seti replied.

"And who would be that leader? You?"

"If it is necessary."

"You have been just as ambitious as Palpatine himself at times. How would you be any different than him?"

"In the strictly hypothetical event that I became Supreme Chancellor, I would act to ensure that the galaxy is at peace and the scars from the war would heal as rapidly as possible for the sake of the people affected by the war."

"Admirable as that motivation may be, you would still need a considerable amount of power in your own hands to ensure the success of those ideals."

"A certain amount of centralized power is necessary, yes. Valorum was unable to retain his position because he could not gain that authority. Palpatine has been able to succeed in his place by maintaining that power."

"It would be undemocratic and could easily lead to tyranny."

"It would be necessary to preserve the Republic."

The room went silent for a moment before Seti spoke again. "Do not mistake my disagreement for personal distaste; your convictions are strong and well-reasoned. However I fear that you are too naive."

"And I fear that you are too cynical," Mothma responded."

Seti nodded curtly. "Much as I would like to continue this debate, I believe we should continue this at another time. For now Palpatine is our more immediate concern."

With that, the two left, though Mothma stopped to face Ciaran down. "You were the one who specifically called for this meeting yet you never truly explained why."

"Isn't the fact that I helped you meet with Seti enough indication of my motives?" Ciaran replied, arching an eyebrow.

"Master Ashgad spoke far more than you ever did," Mothma noted. "You could have spoken more but instead you remained quiet and allowed events to unfold of their own accord, except for when the subject of a Jedi intervention was brought up."

Ciaran shrugged. "I knew that if the idea gained momentum it would be more difficult to argue against it. And for that matter the points I made stand. I've spoken with the Jedi enough times to know that they are hardly reliable when it comes to politics."

Mothma's eyes narrowed. "You seem very intent on not having the Jedi intervene in any capacity."

"If they did intervene, the results would be disastrous. Simple as that."

Mothma continued to stare down Ciaran before she spoke again. "Very well. We can discuss the matter in further detail once the meeting resumes." With that, she walked away, leaving behind a frowning Ciaran.

The less they know the better. I doubt that most of them could muster up the courage to go against the will of a Sith Lord.

This isn't going to be enough to stop Palpatine in his tracks on its own. But it is a good start.

Now...now it's time to really start playing the highest-stakes game of politics in the galaxy...


Rewards: Anti-Palpatine faction organized/rallied, additional Senate-based actions available.

AN: It's finally done! I tried to give everyone mentioned some face-time, and I think I did a decent enough job at that. Though I did have an unexpected amount of fun writing Mon Mothma's debate with Seti and her conversation with Ciaran. Also poor Padme.

Anyway. I haven't rolled for the troop increases and CNS recruitment yet; that will all be done later tomorrow when I have the time. For now, enjoy~
 
Well that was awesome.
I tried to give everyone mentioned some face-time, and I think I did a decent enough job at that.
More than 'decent'. Honestly, I love that you gave each person their own personality, and I feel really appreciated that my Briefings helped with that.

Chi Eekway Papanoida was confrontational with Ciaran, and sympathetic with Padme! Nee Alavar was way too insightful! Garm Bel Iblis was irritable, Lexi Dio was worried about her safety, and you even gave Wuxod some time to throw some shade! Tendau Bendon was pacifist, Fang Zar was pragmatic, Mon Mothma was charismatic, Giddean Danu trusts the Jedi, and Padme took it all as a personal betrayal!

10/10.

Anyway. I haven't rolled for the troop increases and CNS recruitment yet; that will all be done later tomorrow when I have the time.
Well, now I know when I need to schedule time to update the map... :D
 
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Wooooooooooo

So I know this is but could you please update the OP. I think it was mentioned that were missing several industries/buisness ventures that wpild provide income as well as upkeep.

Also love how you handled the meeting. I drew lots of blanks writing something similar before.

Nice guts!
 
Quick poll: What sort of themes do posters feel appropriate for Ciaran. Specifically, normal Ciaran, Darth Traya Ciaran, Badass Boss fight Ciaran, and/or Final Boss Ciaran.

For the boss themes, it's when Ciaran is the boss being fought. I'd prefer music rather than song but if it works well like some jrpg boss themes then I wouldn't object.

In that case it would be something with lots of ominous chanting. Because I really can't imagine her not using it as an excuse to unleash the Ham upon the galaxy.

We've had some themes before I think, but I think a 'boss battle' theme for her would probably be direct and aggressive.
Contrary to her usual antics serious Ciaran is very aggressive and coldly ruthless, only seeming to bother talking to Wesker when she was demolishing him with the Force.
Would this work then?
 
Mon Mothma's debate with Seti
Probably the most enjoyable part for me. It did a lot to inform us as reader of who they really are, and while the "then who would be in charge" accusation is somewhat cliche, it is so with good reason, and you used it quite well. Honestly, I think the main reason you got away with that trope so well was the fact that they both recognized that this was not the time for that shit, and put it behind them for now. It's a rather rare way to see that tension resolved.
 
So I know this is but could you please update the OP. I think it was mentioned that were missing several industries/buisness ventures that wpild provide income as well as upkeep.
Can you point to where it was mentioned? I did the last update for our Balance Sheet and Organization Assets -- I don't think I missed anything. Where you perhaps referring to @Andres110's suggestions for what industries & business ventures we could add (as actions/base upgrades) next turn?
 
The room went silent for a moment before Seti spoke again. "Do not mistake my disagreement for personal distaste; your convictions are strong and well-reasoned. However I fear that you are too naive."

"And I fear that you are too cynical," Mothma responded."
I feel like a good compromise option for both of them is simply to gain as much popular support of the Senators as large as possible. With a strong Senate, they should be able to be a fix for a strong or weak Chancellor.

Focus should then be investigating Senators to see who we can turn/convince to go anti-palps.
 
Or put Padme in the place.

What? I want to own the galaxy not rule it. Padme can have that. We will simply stand by her side.
 
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Now the question is how we are going to get a bunch of Non-Force users (with a few exceptions) to kill a Sith Lord without the majority of the public noticing.

Oh who am I kidding! I got the perfect plan!
  1. Prepare a movie that is the equivalent to the Star Wars Christmas Special.
  2. Set up an assassination squad.
  3. Surprise the Sith Lord with a private viewing of the crappy movie.
  4. While he is distracted by the awfulness, have someone assassinate him. Preferably anything involving HK-47.
  5. Make up some official cover story that says he died of natural causes related to stress like a heart attack. Or say he slipped in the tub, whatever is more convenient.
  6. ???
  7. Profit!
 
How much more until the next turn? I've lost track. Do we just need our Anti-Palpatine briefing now?
Pretty sure this was the last interlude. Now it's just troop & CNS recruitment (also the map update), followed the rumor mill and the next turn...!
I feel like a good compromise option for both of them is simply to gain as much popular support of the Senators as large as possible. With a strong Senate, they should be able to be a fix for a strong or weak Chancellor.
Or compromise with the sane Separatists, who rightly believe that the Republic has done a terrible job of administering the Mid and Outer Rim for the past 1000 years, and that the Republic should have a second Reformation that allows for more effective decentralization. That way, the actions and attitudes of a single person (Supreme Chancellor) or a thousand people (Senators) don't have nearly as drastic as impact on the rest of the galaxy.
Or put Padme in the place. What? I want to own the galaxy nut rule it. Padme can have that.
My vote's for Bail Organa -- Padme is a bit young & still inexperienced for my taste. Bail has a lot of experience, and a lot of potential allies to call on (as leader of the Core faction). He could be persuaded to support a decentralization proposal, which could be a 'Nixon in China' moment to get the Core faction to compromise with the Rim faction. Most importantly, though, Bail is an honest-to-goodness Cinncinatus (just wants to get back to his 'farm') which means he can be trusted to dismantle that levers of power that Palpatine has amassed for himself.

EDIT: Solo'd by @Andres110
 
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How long until someone suggests Ciaran as Chancellor? As far as I know, you don't need to be a senator to do it. And in story most people think us Benevolent. And it would get at the Jedi.

I don't particularly want to be Chancellor, but it would be hilarious.
 
Rewards: Anti-Palpatine faction organized/rallied, additional Senate-based actions available.
Incidentally @Dr. Snark, were there any incidental/unstated 'rewards' from this meeting?

I had listed out a number of possible side-benefits earlier:
@Dr. Snark: I'm thinking of possible rewards for the anti-Palpatine meeting, based on who we'll be meeting and where they come from:
Mostly this was in terms of 'contact' with people/groups we hadn't met yet, or better odds/rewards for when we do make contact, such as:
  • Chi Eekway Papanoida -- contact with her father the Baron (head of Pantoran Assembly, media mogul, & head of private intelligence network)?
  • Giddeon Danu -- contact with Kuat Drive Yards (capital ships)?
  • Garm Bel Iblis -- contact with Corellia? (Possibility of CNS recruitment and/or base purchase to system?)
  • Fang Zar -- contact with 'Republic Group' and/or Jedi Sentinels (!!!)
  • Nee Alavar -- contact with Lorrd (Possibility of CNS recruitment and/or 'Lorrdian Quarter' base upgrade for Taris to start recruitment?)

All of these sound awesome, but I'm especially curious about the Fang Zar one -- you'd mentioned earlier that you "had a plan for that"...
My question for @Dr. Snark: can we re-add that +5 Intrigue bonus this turn? Perhaps you could tie it in with the anti-Palpatine meeting -- Senator Fang Zar (leader of the Republic Group) might stick around afterward, to communicate his gratitude for our earlier help, and offer the aid of his Republic Group to give us access to Republic intelligence sources?
Hmm...Okay, given the whole Darra fiasco and other things happening I think I have a plan for that. Details will become relevant with that interlude/next turn.


(I'm also kinda curious about the 'unrequested aid from the Jedi' thing -- can you let us know the details of that as well?)
My question for @Dr. Snark: is that 'possibility of unrequested aid' from the Jedi still part of the quest?
Given the recent trend of events...I can still make it plot-relevant but I'm going to significantly rework how that interacts with the story mechanically. Details pending.


Finally, we didn't see him at the meeting, but can you let us know if Finis Valorum is still alive?
our security teams did intercept and thwart a lot of assasination attempts and attacks. Only @Dr. Snark can say if the Star of Iskin attack was one of them, but if we succeeded, then former Chancellor Valorum might be a surprise guest at the anti-Palpatine meeting...
 
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