In the Long Arm of the Hutt, there is a section "Encounter on Gantry AA7", where the PCs must fight Geonosians to get to the freighter taking them off the planet.

Why are Geonosians fighting the PCs at this point?

I'm not clear on why this is happening, because I didn't think the PCs had made enemies of the Geonosians. They just went to a party hosted by Duke Piddock, and the next day they have an audience with Duke Dimmock.

If the PCs do well in the both those encounters, why are Geonosians attacking them?

In my campaign the players have reached this point in the story where they've just been to Duke Piddock's party. They're about to visit Duke Dimmock and then leave Geonosis for Tatooine.

I'm thinking in our adventure I might just have Vrixx't the bounty hunter attack the players with some minions.

Am I missing something?

Unless the PC's got the highest level of success with Dimmock he leaves the guards there because he doesn't want to raise suspicions but they will leave after a round or two depending on how well they succeeded. If you got the highest level with DImmock he pulls the guards and the PC's only have to deal with the Gand.

Look at the section about an audience with Dimmock. It explains it there. Basically if they face geonosians at all they either screwed the meeting with Dimmock or didn't do well enough to get him to actually pull the guards.

The players could also buy their way onto the Lucky guess by paying Wex and Orpa Vio. They wouldn't even need to meet with Dimmock then.

1. Players are using the Lucky guess to sneak into Mos Shuuta and either have a showdown with Teemo, or find incriminating information that can be used to have Jabba put the hurt on teemo

2. Dimmock needs to keep up appearances., that is why he sends guards as a bit of a roadblock.

Unless the PC's got the highest level of success with Dimmock he leaves the guards there because he doesn't want to raise suspicions but they will leave after a round or two depending on how well they succeeded. If you got the highest level with DImmock he pulls the guards and the PC's only have to deal with the Gand.

Look at the section about an audience with Dimmock. It explains it there. Basically if they face geonosians at all they either screwed the meeting with Dimmock or didn't do well enough to get him to actually pull the guards.

The players could also buy their way onto the Lucky guess by paying Wex and Orpa Vio. They wouldn't even need to meet with Dimmock then.

The way I read the section about Dimmock, it explained how many Geonosians would be guarding the ship based on your meeting with Dimmock, but it doesn't seem to explain *why* they're guarding the ship, trying to prevent you from getting on it. Or why Dimmock would have them put up a token resistance... why are they providing resistance at all?

For whom does Dimmock need to keep up appearances? Why would it be expected that Geonosian guards would be preventing people from boarding freighters?

I thought they meet with Dimmock because Ota asked them to, in order to try and get his assistance against Teemo. I'm not clear on why Dimmock even knows the PCs are planning to get on the Lucky Guess in the first place.

In our game I replaced Orpa and Wex Vio with a gangster character of my own, and he's made a deal with the Player Characters to take them to Tatooine with him when he travels to Teemo's. As a gangster on Tatooine, he's not powerful enough to take out Teemo but if someone else was going to do it, he's willing to assist them.

So the PCs have this character's permission to board the freighter... is there still any reason for Geonosians to attack them?

After brainstorming it last night I think I'm going to have them ambushed by Vrixx't and by Mu Nanb and a small squad of Rebels--the Rebels weren't able to secure weapons from Duke Piddock so they're trying to steal them.

I think it is fair to assume that the Geonosian guards are there as an excuse for a group of beginners to get some combat experience and learn the ropes of the system.

That said I think the excuse - Dimmock's apperances - are a perfectly fine reason for the guards to be posted around the ship. Geonosians are notoriously isolationistic and having guards around outsiders isn't any stretch of the imagination. Just check out ancient China and how they treated outsiders (up until they were forced at gunpoint to let westernes into their country).

However, I really like your idea of having Rebels ambush the PCs believing, rightly or wrongly, that they have acquired guns from the Duke.

For ***** and giggles I would probably have a couple of Geonosian guards around anyways.

I believe Dimmock is making droids or sending droid parts to Teemo via the siblings. As such he is tasked in protecting the shipment he is sending to Teemo. As the players put forward their discovery as to Teemo's activities and approach Dimmock rather late in proceedings he is playing it somewhat safe.

By posting guards to the ship, and having witnesses that he did his utmost to protect it he will not suffer Teemo's wrath.

I believe Dimmock is making droids or sending droid parts to Teemo via the siblings. As such he is tasked in protecting the shipment he is sending to Teemo. As the players put forward their discovery as to Teemo's activities and approach Dimmock rather late in proceedings he is playing it somewhat safe.

By posting guards to the ship, and having witnesses that he did his utmost to protect it he will not suffer Teemo's wrath.

OK, this makes a little more sense now.

If the PCs go before Dimmock and say "We're against Teemo, we want to bring him down", then they have to make a VERY good impression and convince Dimmock to join their side.

If they don't, he's going to be hostile to them.

I guess it seems to me like he'd just attack them before they leave his palace.