Episode 1: A New Hutt

EPISODE 1: A NEW HUTT

Opening Crawl: http://brorlandi.github.io/StarWarsIntroCreator/#!/ALD1itIi3w8WAqOzAR66

The EMPIRE reigns in a period of devastating civil war.

The DEATH STAR has been destroyed by a small rebel fleet and the EMPIRE has responded by tightening their grip over the galaxy.

Many OUTLAWS on the EDGE OF THE EMPIRE see this as an opportunity to seek fame, fortune and buy their freedom.

One such group are summoned to the mansion of a Hutt Cartel crime lord named BARGOS to repay a debt of obligation. BARGOS intends to ask the OUTLAWS to perform one small favor for him....

Dud Lento steps away from the Loronar E-9 Explorer-Class Scout Vessel which is sitting gracefully on the eastern side of the small open air docking platform that forms the bulk of Bargo’s private "spaceport" on Sriluur.

A handful of other ships are parked around, from a small transport shuttle to a few larger ships for hauling all kinds of illicit and non-illicit goods. You notice two humans and a Rodian walking off the lone transport shuttle and towards your direction. Aside from those people there is no one else but droids on the platform.

You recall the simple message you received from Bargos’ faithful protocol droid C3-P9, which said:

"Bargos The Hutt wishes to politely remind you of your obligations towards him and would very much like to talk to you about a trifling matter that could resolve your debts. If you could meet him at his mansion, he will be more than happy to brief you on your task in person."

After a few seconds Dud is approached by a worn out looking EV model supervisor droid.



The droid speaks in a harsh voice "hello sir. Bargos The Hutt welcomes you to his private residence, please state the name and transponder code of your ship for our docking records before proceeding to any scheduled appointment."

The droid pauses, waiting for you to answer.

"Well you're pretty to the point. Thank you for the warm and hospitable welcome " Dud replies with an alure of sarcasm that he hoped the droid wouldn't register.

"We've got to get you outfitted with a more jolly tone!"
"That ship there has gone by many names but to you and whoever else is asking, she's the Hood."

As a firm believer that 'time is credits', Dud states "Just tell me where I'm headed. The sooner I can talk with Bargos and get this crinking bounty taken care of the better!"

The droid turns to the west and motions "please proceed to the mansion, you can't miss it, my master does not like to be kept waiting"

At that moment you notice the two humans and the Rodian are basically standing next to you. They almost definitely would have heard the name of the ship and the fact that you have a meeting with Bargos.

"What a piece of junk!" the spindly Rodian said aloud. "How did you even fly that thing in? Actually, you know what? Maybe it's better I don't know."

Turning his attention to the past the EV droid and into the Hutt's mansion, Gwekk quickly straightened his jacket and dusted some dirt from his shoulders. Without a second thought, he marches straight inside, eager for his first real job with the mighty Bargos the Hutt.

The group takes off walking with Gwekk, talking together as you head toward Bargos's mansion. The planet Sriluur is like many Outer Rim worlds, harsh sunlight, dusty and full of coarse sand that gets everywhere. You can see ahead that Bargos lives in a modest mansion (modest for a Hutt) and you also noticed when you flew in that Bargos lives in the southern hemisphere of the planet near a large black transparisteel canyon that is far from any major settlements.

As you walk on towards the mansion you each see a couple of large male Gamorreans standing on the side of the street. The Gamorreans are standing there, attempting (and failing) to act casually. They keep a beady eye on your crew and on the mansion in the distance.

It was at this point, Gwekk realized the conversation ongoing behind him. Stopping a with a barely checked enthusiasm, young Gwekk blurted out a short stream of words, "Gwekk Simla, bounty hunter." He put his chest out a bit and beamed with pride, "Yep, I'm thinking Bargos over here has heard of my exploits at the bounty hunting school and figured he could use a gunslinger like me." Gwekk unholsters his blaster. With a quick motion, begins to twirl it around like he's seen in those old holovid movies.

Gwekk does a badass blaster twirl (which looks awesome), but unfortunately his slick movement catches the eye of those two lurking male Gamorreans standing on the side of the street. The movement seems to make them very nervous and one of them points at Gwekk and speaks in a squealing high tone to the other. As you pass them you notice they both have worn vibro-axes strapped to their belts.

You continue walking for another 30 seconds up to the gate of Bargos' mansion. Like most Hutts, Bargos is fond of the notoriously irritating TT-8L "Tattletale" Gatekeeper Droid. For a couple of minutes the bobbing eyestalk of the droid subjects you all to close inspection. Finally it utters a string of meaningless binary chatter before retreating and opening the gate.

As the gate of the mansion opens your group pauses and notice two more Gamorreans join up with the original two, making four in total.

"I think you've made us some new friends," I say sarcastically and nod towards the Gamorreans.

You continue on into the mansion and find yourselves in an opulent lobby, decorated in luxurious silks and red velvet wall hangings. The floor is polished marble, though here and there you can see dirty trails left by a slithering Hutt, and the occasional puddle of Gamorrean drool. You imagine a 5-star Hutt hotel would have a very similar lobby and you half jokingly expect a droid to come searching for a bag to take up to a hotel suite.

The lobby is a large room (roughly 20 by 20 meters) with columns and sundry furniture, such as small tables and comfortable chairs, lining the edges. Hallways and double doors lead off from each side of the room and you can see one on the left leads to Bargos' office. The hallways and doors are all Hutt sized, meaning they are a comfortable four meters across.

Two large Gamorrean guards stand at the far end of the room. They are armed with cumbersome vibro-axes and glare menacingly at you with their red, beady eyes.

A side door opens and Bargos' majordomo, Genko, flutters into the room. He is a mean looking Toydarian with blue skin, thin arms and a pot belly. He wears a leather vest and is borne aloft by a pair of constantly flapping wings.



'Ah, greetings. Bargos is expecting you, no? Please, follow me."

You know that Genko accompanies Bargos at all times. He has been a close counselor to Bargos for decades. After Bargos lost his left eye (and rumors say a portion of his brain) to the disruptor pistol of a would-be assassin, he started relying on the Toydarian to handle the day-to-day operations of his criminal organization. Genko is said to be a loyal follower, and as far as you know he makes every effort to protect Bargos and his interests.

Follows the other people.

Genko widens his eyes and gulps at your statement about the interesting looks you received outside before suppressing his face into a smile and responding: "Bargos has many loyal staff. Keep on his good side and you'll stay alive, no?" then he motions the group to follow him and flutters off without waiting for you, muttering to himself about "looking into it". He disappears into the next room, which you know is Bargos' office.

Before you enter Bargos' office Dud's keen eyes notice the 2 guards at the end of the room have Bargos' insignia on their metal shoulder plates. Whereas the ones outside did not have.

Once inside the room, the Hutt rises from his couch to greet you.



Bargos is a rather odd-looking Hutt; he is sickly looking (relatively speaking) and exceptionally slimy. His skin is pale in the front, patterned with splotches of dark green skin. You've heard that as a youth Bargos was nearly slain by an assassin armed with a disruptor pistol. As a result his left eye and much of the left side of his face have been badly maimed, twisted into a lumpy mass of scar tissue. Behind Bargos' couch stand two more Gamorreans and C3-P9, the droid that sent you the original message.

As you look to the right side of the room you are startled to see the figure of a female mandalorian bounty hunter in full battle armor sitting casually on a low bench. You know this bounty hunter from your previous dealings with Bargos as none other than Sha Skohl, also known as "The Red Fang" because of the distinctive red markings on her armor.



You know that Sha Skohl is Bargos’ main enforcer. As you look at her she turns her head to the side but with her helmet on you can’t really tell what she is thinking. From experience you know she’s not a person you want to mess with.

Bargos lifts both his arms in warm welcome and yells out a string of rumbling Huttese, which the protocol droid translates for those who don't speak the language.

"Ah, here at last! Let's cut to the chase." He chuckles, his voice so deep it vibrates in your bones. "I am now the owner of an oridium mine just Coreward of the glorious territories controlled by Nal Hutta. The previous owner tells me that it should provide a cut of 100,000 credits each year."

He smacks himself with a ham-like fist before indicating yourselves with an expansive gesture and continuing. "This should be good news for both me and my associates, no?"

I keep my eyes low and averted from Bargos and especially from The Red Fang. At the mention of a mine and of the credit figures, I involuntarily lift my eyes up with a look of excitement.

I know better than to speak when I don’t have anything to say and so continue to listen intently.

Bargos spits and huge wad of slime that narrowly misses Erek as he talks.

"Ha! Indeed human, we can discuss your cut of the profit later..." He smiles all salesman-like but its hard to take him seriously with so much slime running down his large chin, pooling around where he stands. C3-P9 leans in to wipe some of the slime but gives up after a few seconds.

"For now you are to travel to this mine and take a record of its operations. Nothing too detailed, but I want to know what assets it has, how many employees, and such. I want to know if the staff are properly equipped and doing their duty. Lastly, I want my first 100,000 credit cut collected. The mine should have the payment available. And don't you forget that you each owe me a significant debt. If you are not 'competent men' then this will be very, very bad for us both." He motions to Sha Skohl and she reaches beside her to tap her modified pulse rifle. Bargos then utters another, slightly more sinister chuckle. "So, when can you leave?"

Gwekk having been staring in awe at Sha Skohl during this conversation, suddenly snaps to attention. "Go to the mine, pick up the money, and come back. This will be easier than a blue milk run, Bargos. You've picked the right Rodian for the job. We'll be back before you even know we're gone."

Gwekk eagerly nudges Dud.

Bargos seems a little confused about your mention of the guards outside. He doesn't seem very worried though and breaks into a loud laugh, "the four of you," (pointing to each of you) "will be forming a new crew. Sha Skohl will not be joining you." He pauses "Unless you fail. Then yes... She will be joining you..." He said smiling and staring at each of you in turn. "I don't know much else about the mine. it was set up years ago by the Oridelve company, and it made its previous owner roughly 100,000 credits each year. The mine is located on a planet called Gavos. My droid will give you the coordinates." He motions to C3-P9. "Make sure you look after the staff at the mine. They are employees, not slaves and will work profitably if we take care of them." With that he motions for you to leave him.

At this moment Genko speaks up. "I'll note down the name of your new crew for our records. In the future we'll be dealing with you collectively. So don't forget your individual actions will represent the group for better or worse... What shall we call you, eh?" Genko looks at Jack Convoy (who is standing closest to him) and waits for an answer.

Jack visibily shrinks when referred to directly, he squirms under the gaze and stays silent for an uncomfortable few moments. He hates and blames Bargos for putting him in this situation, for making him beholden to him by destroying his business and then constantly threatening him and using him as he sees fit. Anger bubbles up to the surface and Jack looked up defiantly, completely changing his demeanour to the point where Red Fang reached down casually to place her hand on her holster. Jack said the name of his lost shop with clenched teeth.

"Electric Mayhem".

OOC. I hope I’m ok about the Red Fang bit, I only put it in for thematic effect.

At the mention of Electric Mayhem, Gwekk pauses his badgering of Dud and wonders to himself, "wait, was that the store Bargos asked me to vandalize that one time a while back?" He shakes his head and pushes the thought out of his mind. "Complete coincidence."

As you finish speaking to Bargos you hear a low rumble from outside the office. As you look at Bargos he motions for Genko to go check it out.

Genko flutters over and opens the door. You can see from a distance that there is a group of Gamorreans fighting each other in the lobby. Next thing you know Bargos waves his hand for you to leave and appears suddenly uninterested in your presence.

Gwekk nods, "Lead the way. I've flown a few single being fighters before. How hard could an old freighter be". As Gwekk turns around he notices the Gamorrean brawl in the hallway leading back towards the Hood, "Maybe not that way though."

His hand moves closer to his blaster pistol and it's then the Gwekk wished he had a heavier weapon on hand.

Gwekk reviews the brawl going on and can see pretty clearly that the Gamorreans are primarily interested in fighting eachother. Also interesting to note is that none of them have drawn their vibro-axes, they are primarily using fists and the fighting appears non-lethal.



It appears that the Gamorreans with insignia on their armor (which you know as Bargos' guards) are fighting the Gamorreans without any insignia on their armor.

You also notice the Gamorreans without insignia are the same ones you saw outside and there are definitely WAY more of them than the ones loyal to Bargos, you can count at least 7 of them and it dawns on Gwekk that his badass blaster twirl probably spooked them while they were skulking outside so they called for some backup.

Gwekk looks around and can see The Red Fang sitting motionless near Bargos. You imagine (if you could see her face) that she'd have an almost bored look as if this petty conflict is beneath someone of her skills.

Gwekk continues to look around and catches Genko's eye. He looks fairly shocked but says, "ah Gamorrean mating season is glorious, no?" Because of your keen eyes you notice Genko's face muscles are twitching a little strangely and so you can tell right away that he's not being entirely honest with you here.

Gwekk eyeballs the situation for a little while longer before saying: "Look Genko. I know a thing or two about how Gamorreans do their mating rituals. And this looks far too friendly as far as Gamorrean mating rituals go. What's really going on here?"

Why don’t we avoid unnecessary combat, especially if things are going on we don’t understand. If you have some steam to vent let’s go someplace quiet, set our weapons to stun and let rip.

OOC We could have a mock fight against each other to test dice rather than antagonise amarous Gamorreans :-)

Genko sighs, "alright alright. We're having some "troubles" paying some of the guard's salaries... It costs A LOT of money to run Bargos' local operation, you know?"

At this stage most of the Gamorreans that are loyal to Bargos have been knocked out cold. Some of the non-loyal guards push past you and approach Bargos, complaining in loud squeals about their problems and Bargos then doing his best to ignore them and send them away. Some of the other non-loyal Gamorreans are just walking around looking happy with themselves, flexing their muscles in a show of strength.

Genko steps in closer and says quietly "you better make sure you deliver on these 100,000 credits, eh? Best be going now."

You take off toward Gavos but during the flight you hit a few problems. Firstly Dud knows that the Empire is patrolling some of the space in the general area between Bargos' palace and Gavos, you manage to make the journey without major troubles with the Empire by taking a longer route than normal, though during the extended journey you experience some very weird power fluctuations and discover a lone Mynock has made its way into the ship and is feasting on power from some critical systems. You manage to "fix" this little problem and enjoy some Mynock Cloud City at the same time.

I don't think Gwekk has strong thoughts on the quality of the ship's quarters. He's more focused on the mission and is rather excited to finally be underway. During the flight, he'll likely take up co-piloting tasks (I think that was a slot?) and reading up the latest issue of Bounty Hunter's Life magazine. Oh and he might spend some time practicing that gun spinning trick. Spinning is a good trick here, right?

Jack wonders around the spaceship barely paying attention to the people on board, it's been years since he's been on board one after spending a few happy months working his way around the outer rime on a freighter. He takes the bunk nearest the engines, the low and incessant hum of the engines is soothing to Jack. He casually inspects the vessel nodding appreciatively at the more obvious modifications in the design. Finally, he makes his way to the cockpit and nodding a greeting to Dudd and Gwekk asks Dud to tell him a little bit about the ship.

OOC- Jack appears quite distant and aloof in most instances like social interaction makes him feel awkward, but his eyes light up with a genuine passion when talking about machinery or ships.

As you approach the planet of Gavos you immediately get a sense of how small and inhospitable this planet is. Even from your approaching distance you see no oceans or green and the planet appears to be covered in thick swirling storms

Swiveling around in his chair to get a better look, Gwekk "Yeesh. Gavos look as friendly as those Gamorrean "girls" back at Bargos's. Hey Dud, take the Hood a bit closer, I think I can work the ship's sensors while you land this thing" Turning back to the rough looking console, Gwekk plays around with the ship sensors to scan the planet surface for anything of note.

As he attempts to tune the ship sensors, he asks aloud, "Shouldn't someone on the mining facility contact us? Seems odd that we just arrived and no one down there has said a peep about us showing up."

Jack stares at the sensor screen looking for built-up areas or landing beacons with ID's to match the Mining facility.

Erek has heard of the planet Gavos before and knows it as a toxic and lifeless planet. The really weird thing about Gavos is how little you know beyond this information, and you start to realise that normally if a mine is productive and well run its also fairly well known, so you start to wonder how or why Gavos slipped under the radar and what this means for your mission.

After a few tries with the scanner between Gwekk and Jack you start receiving data back. Firstly, it appears that the mining facility is the only artificial structure on the whole planet, which makes sense given what Erek knows and since the readouts confirm the entire planet is covered in toxic air and strong winds that are so strong they would throw most starships around like a Hutt throws a Klatooine Paddy Frog. The atmosphere is so strong and toxic it may even be interfering with the mining facility communications systems.

You also discover that the mining facility is surrounded by something that protects it from the storms though your scans don't really tell you what it is exactly.

Lastly, you get some very faint readings of life and operational electronic systems within the mining facility. Based on your scans you work out that you should have no trouble landing, despite the lack of response on the comms.

After landing, quickly presses his face against the nearest viewport. From his vantage point he could see the red dust swirl against whatever shielding protected the mining facility. He was slightly relieved he didn't have to go wandering into the storm itself, though staring at the wind crash against the shielding slightly unnerved him.

Turning his attention to the mining facility itself, it seemed a rather nondescript standard facility. It loomed in the whatever light from Gavos's sun that managed to shine through the thick red cloud cover. Conspicuously, Gwekk noticed that no one was on the pad to greet them. "Maybe we should get out and knock." he murmured to himself.

No voice hails you as you make your approach, just an automated signal that indicates the mine is closed to visitors. As you set The Hood down on Landing Pad A, Gwekk, with ultra keen eyes, notices a second smaller landing pad (Landing Pad B) with a small freighter parked on it. The freighter sits with no visible sign of a crew. Aside from that there are no other landing pads you can see and, importantly, Landing Pad B is on the other side of the complex from where you are about to land.

Landing Pad A (where you are now) is a tight grey circle of duracrete lined with blinking red lights and marked by faded and cracked yellow paint. As you set down you spot an old Treadwell Repair Droid rusting in one corner; its upraised and lifeless limbs resemble those of a dead and desiccated spider. A sparking pressure curtain flickers over the top of the pad, keeping out Gavos' hostile atmosphere. A covered walkway leads off the pad and up to the entrance of the mining facility.

Jack's diagnostic says that the droid is missing a few key parts and the memory core is mostly corrupted instead of containing meaningful data. Due to his experience with machines Jack notices that the damage to the droid's circuitry is not from "old age" but instead there appears to be blaster damage and blunt force trauma not typical of old age.

Many of these memory fragments show standard repair droid activity, however of note is a small clip showing the final moments of the Treadwell repair droid's life.

The playback shows a Sullustan running in front of the droid, time stamped roughly an hour before your arrival. Immediately thereafter there is the flash of blaster fire, one shot hits the Sullustan and a second later the droid's memory goes dead. Unfortunately, due to the camera's angle (the Sullustan running in front and away from the droid), you cannot see who shot the Sullustan. It is also interesting to note that the Sullustan is not wearing any clothes that would identify them as a miner or employee of the mine.

"Looks like some people have been fighting recently, people shooting each other is rarely good for business in the short term." I look around and point towards the entrance. "Unless anyone has any other ideas lets see if we can get in."

Gwekk looked around and found a small crate a short distance away from the entrance to hide behind. Poking his head out cautiously from his hiding spot, he pulled out his blaster pistol.

"I'll be right behind all of you. Juuuuuuuust a safer bit behind all of you."

The group approaches the main station door. Everything is extremely still, all you can hear is the dull sound of strong winds from outside the protective zone around the station. The air is dry and thin, almost desert-like.

The main station door is a large durasteel emergency airlock which hisses open at Erek's command revealing a brightly lit reception room. There is a small window in the wall to the left of the door, though it is too dark to make out whatever might lie behind it. Scorch marks and charring mar the glass at chest height.

Dud, can you describe the brightly lit reception room in more detail?

How will you all proceed?

Here is a layout of the room:

Emerging from his hiding spot, Gwekk breathed a sigh of relief. "Did anyone else think that something straight out of one of those horror holovids was going to come out and eat Dud?" He slid his blaster pistol back into the holster and wandered into the mining facility.

He noted the stereotypical reception room set up, "It doesn't look like there was a struggle. No blaster burns on the walls, or bodies on the floor." Gwekk said to himself aloud. "This place is giving me the creeps. It's something straight out of that holovid movie... "Revenge of the Were-Twi'leks Part 2!"

Turning back towards the landing bay, Gwekk noticed what appeared to be a small closet in the reception room towards the landing pad. "Wonder what's in here..." and instinctively opened the plain unmarked door.

"I'm afraid fighting isn't one of my strong points, i'm more of a screw, screw than pew, pew type of man if you know what I mean". The puzzled looks on the others faces suggested they didn't. "You know, screwdrivers and stuff, that's more like me."

Seeing Gwekk walk towards the plain door I follow him.

Gwekk opens the door to the reception office. This small office room contains a desk and a sturdy metal chair. The room is dingy, illuminated by a dim and flickering blue desk lamp. The other lights in the room are smashed, and tiny bits of glass crunch underfoot. A smear of dark blood stains the carpet and all across several of the walls. Its clear that someone was bleeding a lot in this room but they are not here now.

The rest of The Hood's crew stand outside in the reception room, two doors stand in front of you, one is ahead and one is to the left. Both are locked. You can open either of them by picking the locks with an average (2) skulduggery or smashing your way in with a hard (3) athletics check.

What do you do? And how in blue blazers are you all feeling so far?

Note - here is the updated map:

OOC:

P.S. is everyone cool with using maps like this? Does it help?

Dud gets to work on the eastern door, which is locked with a basic computerised door locking mechanism. Dud can see this has been locked from the other side of the door. Though its also possible that the mechanism is faulty (or sabotaged) somehow on the other end because the door is jammed and glitching like crazy. After a few minutes Dud finally bypasses the locking system but the mechanism gives him one almighty big shock as a goodbye / parting gift :)

OOC:

Dud takes 1 strain from being shocked. I have marked this on your character sheet

The door opens to a long corridor that ends in darkness. Along the corridor to the left you can see 3 rooms that indicate 3 refreshers (bathrooms) most likely used by the miners, 2 of the refreshers are open but the middle one is closed. On the opposite side along the right of the corridor you see a single door that is closed but not locked. The air in this corridor is damp and smells like old sweat mixed with something you can't quite place. The only sound you hear is a constant drip, drip, drip, dripping from one of the refreshers.

What do you do?

Map for reference:

Gwekk slightly pales at the sight of a long dark hallway ending in darkness. He stops himself from blurting out another movie name and decides to look for some sort of light switch or glow rod.Fortunately for Gwekk, near the bulkhead separating the reception area from the rest of the facility, he finds a light switch controlling the lighting system in the hallway. Flipping it, Gwekk frowns as the hallway light do not turn on after repeatedly trying to activate the hallway lights. He sighs about to give up and wander into the darkness with his new friends when he notices a small emergency supply station. Inside he finds an emergency glow rod in working condition.

Gwekk lights up the hallway in a pale sickly yellow glow, the light isn't very strong but its strong enough to know that the corridor you're on ends just up ahead and then snakes off in a right turn.

Jack reaches around and pushes firmly on the refresher door to open it.

As he does that a body of a Trandoshan male falls out of the room, he lands face first onto the ground beside Jack, limp and stone. cold. dead.

What do you do now?

Jack recoils back in shock as Trandosian falls at my feet and backs away involuntarily. He composes himself, remembering the company he is keeping and nervously prods at the Trandosian before turning him over and looking for any form of id or clear reasons for the cause of death.

You can see without much effort that this is one of the miners, by the fact they they are wearing a dull and dirty mining uniform. If you roll the body over you can also see they've been taken out by a blaster, a clear shot in the chest.

As you each stand there contemplating what to do next you hear a booming automated voice over the mine's PA system:

"WARNING! WARNING! Storm Barrier Generator Four compromised. Functioning units compensating effectively. Send maintenance as soon as possible. Warning! Warning!"

Gwekk is briefly unnerved at the alarm announcement. "I can't die on my first mission! That's bad for business!"

The moment of panic dissipates and Gwekk quiclky runs through his options. He fidgets with the glow rod, eventually turning it on. Gwekk sighs with some relief. Looking down the darkened hallway Jack indicated, "Let's find you a terminal to fix all of this! You know, before the whole dying thing."

Gwekk stares uneasily down the darkened hallway, takes a large breathe, and begins slowly moving deeper into the mining facility.

Gwekk leads the Hood's crew down the hallway illuminating the space with his glow rod. Turning the corner you come across the miner's quarters with rows of small rooms each with two bunks inside. The air is quiet again. As you pass some rooms you see things scattered around as if the people left their rooms in a rather large hurry.

There is a door about halfway down the new hallway and at the end of the hallway and of course you can go back the way you came.

What do you do!?

The map: