The Traitor's Gambit, part 2

Harth, Auron, Slephoo and Nezlo remained hidden in the unused loading dock while Nezlo recovered from his wounds. He remained unconcious for two hours, and upon awakening was treated by Auron Pike, whose mercenary experiences had taught him quite a bit and battlefield medicine.

Having partially recovered, Nezlo immediately set about gathering more information about V14, using his computer expertise to slice through the station's network security. He discovered that storage bay V14 was under quarantine, and had been for quite some time. Despite this, he found surveillance footage of non-human races coming and going from the area quite frequently; furthermore he found rumors of the station manager being paid off to maintain the quarantine. Clearly, there was something odd going on there.

The group discussed the possibility of investigating the station manager when they were suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a strange droid who introduced itself as Evo. It apologized for the inconvenience, and explained that it needed to recharge its power cells. After a period of initial distrust, Evo, Nezlo, Harth, Slephoo, and Auron came to an agreement that allowed the droid to rest within their midst. The group discussed their best course of action, and decided to investigate storage bay V14 directly, and recruited Evo to assist them, reasoning that with Nezlo still injured, they could do with some assistance.

The group now consists of:

• Auron Pike, a male Human mercenary
• Slephoo Araki, a female Duros card hustler
• Harth Fey'lon, a male Bothan Jedi
• Nezlo, a male Rodian slicer
• Evo, an emancipated droid of indeterminate model

When they arrived at storage bay V14, they found the entrance guarded by a pair of armed Gamorreans guards. Nezlo suggested simply killing them, but the rest of the group elected to see if matters could be resolved peacefully. After some confusion due to language differences (namely that Gamorreans are incapable of speaking any language other than their own), Auron Pike succeeded in securing entrance for himself and his comrades without bloodshed.

It was within storage bay V14 that the intrepid heroes discovered what "Switch" was: an intelligent, highly refined independent droid. It greeted them as warmly as could be expected, and was able to clarify with the group that he was indeed holding valuable cargo for the slain woman who they had met earlier. He was more than happy to sell the cargo to them instead, for the sum of 1,000 credits. The group complained that they did not have the funds, and his counter-offer of an undetermined favor from each of them was met with some skepticism, and was later withdrawn. Further negotiations failed.

At this point their meeting with Switch was interrupted by the arrival of a large male Chevin named Ganga Lor, who forced his way into the storage bay with a number of hired guns. It seemed that Mister Lor was unhappy that Switch was conducting business without his association, and intended to resolve the issue permanently. A firefight ensued, with our heroes immediately siding with Switch in hopes that their intervention might give them additional leverage in bargaining for the merchandise.

The battle was short and brutal. Ganga Lor himself was cut down almost immediately by a hail of blaster fire from Nezlo (wielding blaster pistols akimbo) and Evo (armed with a blaster rifle). Harth charged fearlessly into battle, intent on bringing the full force of his abilities upon Ganga Lor's compatriots, but his strength in the force flagged and he was left to defend himself in the midst of his opponents. Slephoo, proving herself a deadly markswoman, slew one of Ganga Lor's men with a single shot.

The return volley from Ganga Lor's men was largely ineffective, perhaps due to a loss of morale from the death of their leader. They struck a glancing blow on Evo, and did little else. Auron Pike further reduced their number, using his recently acquired blaster carbine. As the battle continued, Evo proved a capable combatant, while Nezlo's wild two-blaster fighting style failed to make further progress. Harth drew his lightsaber and cleaved one of his opponents in half, but was soon cut down by a dire blow from another's vibro-axe. Slephoo's second volley failed to find its mark, but Auron succeeded in felling Harth's assailant before he could finish off the Bothan Jedi. Nezlo mopped up the remainder, leaving the group largely intact, though now they had two injured members in Nezlo and Harth. In the midst of the fight it had almost seemed as though Switch's own men might change sides, but the rapid thinning of Ganga Lor's herd convinced any possible traitors to reconsider, and they instead put their weapons to use against the forces of Ganga Lor.

Switch was extremely grateful for the intervention of the heroes, and happily provided them with the mysterious cargo. The exact nature of which will, of course, be revealed in the next part of this tale...

The Traitor's Gambit, part 1

It is shortly after the events described in Revenge of the Sith. The Jedi are hunted throughout the galaxy, and the Empire has expanded its reach into the furthest reaches of the Outer Rim. A dark shadow has fallen over the galaxy, and yet there are those who might yet shine. And so, this journal shall be a record of the adventures of the following men, women, and androids who strive to make their way in such a dangerous time. They are:

• Auron Pike, a male Human mercenary
• Slephoo Araki, a female Duros card hustler
• Harth Fey'lon, a male Bothan Jedi
• Nezlo, a male Rodian slicer

The four of them arrived on Sel Zonn station, orbiting around the Core world of Brentaal. Slephoo and Nezlo decided to avail themselves of the casino, and the rest of the group accompanied them. While Slephoo and Nezlo gambled away their sparse credits on Sabacc, Auron Pike enjoyed a leisurely smoke in the bar whilst making time with a young woman employed by the casino. Mister Pike was interrupted by a young man in an Imperial uniform, who sought the attentions of the same young woman, and after trading insults the two men began to fight. Acting quickly, Slephoo interposed herself in the midst of the fight and soothed the Imperial with honeyed words. And so, further violence was averted, as Auron Pike later noticed the Imperial's compatriots lurking in the background, ready to back him with weapons if necessary.

Shortly thereafter Mister Pike was asked to leave the casino, and his friends left with him. They briefly strolled through the Promenade, taking note of the hawkers and the steady trickle of on- and off-duty stormtroopers in the area. Slephoo and Auron, being quite perceptive, noticed a pair of discreetly armed men standing apart from the Promenade crowd, intently observing the foot traffic. Auron Pike, experienced in matters of violence, also noticed that the men were in communication with one another via hidden commlinks. Shortly thereafter, a slender young Human woman stumbled into the Promenade, apparently drunk. Upon closer inspection, however, it became clear that her stumbling was due to grievous injury rather than intoxication.

The discreetly armed men took notice of her immediately, and moved to intercept her. She quickly ran towards Auron Pike, who had been observing the situation with some interest, and begged for his help. Though she offered payment, Auron would hear none of it and decided to help her out of charity, a rare gift from a mercenary. They fled, with Auron's companions, away from the Promenade, but their escape was cut off by a pair of young Stormtroopers, eager for an easy promotion. Caught between the Stormtroopers and their mysterious pursuers, the group was forced into a short, but brutal firefight.

Harth Fey'lon moved with impossible speed, drawing his lightsaber despite the risk of discovery and attacked the Stormtroopers. And yet, inexperienced as he was, his clumsy thrust was avoided. Nezlo quickly dispatched one of the Stormtroopers with a well-placed blaster bolt, but was cut down by his victim's comrade, suffering a critical wound. Auron Pike tried valiantly to defend the injured young woman, but his frenzied volley of blaster bolts did not hit the mark, and though he interposed himself in front of her, the dread aim of their pursuers was too good, and she was killed almost immediately. Enraged, the group returned fire. Slephoo's slew both of the mysterious assailants, while Harth Fey'lon struck the last Stormtrooper dead with a surprisingly powerful use of the force.

Knowing that they would need to find a safe hiding place to avoid capture, the group quickly availed themselves of the weapons of the slain. Sadly, they could not take the body of the fallen young woman with them, though they did take her datapad, in hopes of discovering what this might all be about.The group took shelter in one of the more poorly-maintained areas of the loading docks, and took stock of their situation. Nezlo had survived, but was in need of medical care. The datapad made mention of a highly valuable cargo, which piqued the interest of Slephoo Araki, eager to replenish the credits she had frittered away in the casino earlier. The datapad also referenced a "V14" and something called "Switch". Slephoo slipped out to investigate, and discovered that "V14" was actually a Deep Storage Bay on the station, and that access to the area was heavily restricted. They would need to find a way inside before they could unravel the mystery further, but...how?