Tell Cho
Mar 17th, 2011, 09:22:07 PM
Well, I finally am starting an arc I've been planning for quite some time, and hopefully will be able to serve well for other writers' needs as to a large backdrop.
Tell's plan is to save his species from a disaster akin to what the Wookiees face now, dissolution from diaspora and severely lessened numbers from war and exploitation. Of course, the Gossam have been facing that situation for a while at this point, but Tell isn't worried so much about how far apart the Gossam are as opposed that their very culture doesn't lend itself to survival in such circumstances. The Wookiees have at least a strong culture in as far as community goes to serve in their distress; the Gossam lack that, and so Tell's trying to rectify that.
This I plan is also a way for Tell to manage to catch the notice of the Jedi in the Wheel; I'm sure that there are Gossam in the Alliance (though not many, to be equally sure), and so a document like Tell's would get some attention.
Some questions that I am sure would be asked:
Tell's offering to buy each Gossam he meets their freedom. Surely that would get expensive and bankrupt him?
You'd be quite right, but for one thing: Tell's filthy rich, and up until now, he's been a miser with his money. He's got years and years of bonuses and salary that have been accumulating in the bank. Depending on the Gossam, their history, skills, and other such things, I figure that the highest price would be somewhere around 300,000 - 700,000 credits for a skilled worker in an especially valuable field, though that also seems a bit inflated. Tell quite feasibly has billions, or perhaps tens of billions, in his accounts.
Also, Tell will be negotiating something like 'bulk rates' and trades along with cash for groups of Gossam. Instead of using the Gossam to do a certain job, Tell could offer money and droids specifically made for such jobs (at cut-rate prices, or as a flat trade) to fill in for them.
Given that he will most of them time be dealing with the Empire, such tactics might be more worthwhile than straight cash.
As you said, Tell will be dealing with the Empire mostly when freeing Gossam. Why can't the Empire simply say, 'no'?
They could, and likely will at one or more points. Given the Empire's humanocentric policies, Tell's offers would seem eccentric at best to something to be blocked at worst. Of course, the Empire's getting a bit more practical nowadays too, so Tell's trades and offers of deals might go some ways in calming them. Part of the arc would definitely revolve around being unable to free everyone and the frustration that comes with that.
The arc's point isn't so much that Tell will free all the Gossam, but that he will attempt to free them. It would take something almost impossible for Tell to wrangle even many of the Gossam from the Empire, and the arc will definitely take that into account.
I mentioned above the potential for stories set with an arc like this for a backdrop. My ideas for some stories include a run for the Knightfall (or Ben and whoever is willing to go along with him, similar to Alderaan-That-Was), various threads with Imperials (joy!), all of which lead to the climax of the arc. Other stories could definitely take place using this, especially smugglers getting paid to ferry some Gossam to Tell, bounty hunters and others getting paid to capture runaways, and various others.
If you have any questions, please ask away, or ideas, go ahead and throw them out there. If there are any reservations, feel free to go ahead and say those too. This arc will proceed slowly, so there's plenty of time and room for revision and such.
Tell's plan is to save his species from a disaster akin to what the Wookiees face now, dissolution from diaspora and severely lessened numbers from war and exploitation. Of course, the Gossam have been facing that situation for a while at this point, but Tell isn't worried so much about how far apart the Gossam are as opposed that their very culture doesn't lend itself to survival in such circumstances. The Wookiees have at least a strong culture in as far as community goes to serve in their distress; the Gossam lack that, and so Tell's trying to rectify that.
This I plan is also a way for Tell to manage to catch the notice of the Jedi in the Wheel; I'm sure that there are Gossam in the Alliance (though not many, to be equally sure), and so a document like Tell's would get some attention.
Some questions that I am sure would be asked:
Tell's offering to buy each Gossam he meets their freedom. Surely that would get expensive and bankrupt him?
You'd be quite right, but for one thing: Tell's filthy rich, and up until now, he's been a miser with his money. He's got years and years of bonuses and salary that have been accumulating in the bank. Depending on the Gossam, their history, skills, and other such things, I figure that the highest price would be somewhere around 300,000 - 700,000 credits for a skilled worker in an especially valuable field, though that also seems a bit inflated. Tell quite feasibly has billions, or perhaps tens of billions, in his accounts.
Also, Tell will be negotiating something like 'bulk rates' and trades along with cash for groups of Gossam. Instead of using the Gossam to do a certain job, Tell could offer money and droids specifically made for such jobs (at cut-rate prices, or as a flat trade) to fill in for them.
Given that he will most of them time be dealing with the Empire, such tactics might be more worthwhile than straight cash.
As you said, Tell will be dealing with the Empire mostly when freeing Gossam. Why can't the Empire simply say, 'no'?
They could, and likely will at one or more points. Given the Empire's humanocentric policies, Tell's offers would seem eccentric at best to something to be blocked at worst. Of course, the Empire's getting a bit more practical nowadays too, so Tell's trades and offers of deals might go some ways in calming them. Part of the arc would definitely revolve around being unable to free everyone and the frustration that comes with that.
The arc's point isn't so much that Tell will free all the Gossam, but that he will attempt to free them. It would take something almost impossible for Tell to wrangle even many of the Gossam from the Empire, and the arc will definitely take that into account.
I mentioned above the potential for stories set with an arc like this for a backdrop. My ideas for some stories include a run for the Knightfall (or Ben and whoever is willing to go along with him, similar to Alderaan-That-Was), various threads with Imperials (joy!), all of which lead to the climax of the arc. Other stories could definitely take place using this, especially smugglers getting paid to ferry some Gossam to Tell, bounty hunters and others getting paid to capture runaways, and various others.
If you have any questions, please ask away, or ideas, go ahead and throw them out there. If there are any reservations, feel free to go ahead and say those too. This arc will proceed slowly, so there's plenty of time and room for revision and such.