The Story So Far

 CHAPTER I: THE SECRET OF THE AVUS 

Session One: After having performed numerous odd jobs for the small time crime boss Borsa Grosso in the past, a group of four experienced mercenaries are hired to steal the Avus of Dathomir - a priceless artifact that would be passing through a local space port on its way to a museum on Coruscant. Borsa informed his mercenaries that security would be light at the space port and that they should not have any problems stealing the artifact so long as they did not draw too much attention to themselves. Among the mercenaries, it was Jerex Sekat who quickly assumed leadership over the operation and the team set about formulating a plan. It was a simple plan: the Bothan Fjosk would provide suppressive fire as needed from a sniper position while Jerex and the droid A-55 would keep any security forces busy as out-of-work pilot Quin Tebiri located and grabbed the artifact. With the artifact in hand, they would make their escape and each collect their 1500 credits reward.

When the mercenaries arrived at the space port, they discovered that Borsa had not been wrong about there being minimal security, and they also discovered that the pilot of the valuable cargo shipment was busy gambling and drinking in the space port casino. Still exercising caution, the mercenaries took their positions within the small cargo bay and discovered that the HWK-290 light freighter was staffed by a small security force of its own: five vintage B1 battle droids and one OOM-Series battle droid under the command of a Twi'lek mercenary named Jemma, with whom the droids were playing sabaac to pass the time. Quin and A-55 attempted to trick Jemma into leaving the cargo hold by pretending to be service crew, but she quickly saw through their deception when she realized A-55 was not a service droid. Quin called Jemma out after making a point to set his blaster to stun and a fire fight ensued between the mercenaries and the droids. During the shootout, the B1 droids were quickly disabled by A-55 and Jerex while Fjosk kept a lookout for any port security response. Quin engaged with Jemma directly, ending the fight with a well-aimed stun bolt to her one remaining good eye, and left her both unconscious and blind. The final droid OOM-X1 powered down in surrender and the mercenaries recovered the Avus of Dathomir from among the many artifacts that were being transported. Jerex spent a moment stripping the Twi'lek mercenary of her weapons, including a thermal detonator hidden in one of her cybernetic legs, which he hid from his companions. Although they encountered the pilot of the cargo ship on their way out of the port, the man accepted a bribe and did not report them to the port authorities. The mercenaries then returned to Borsa and delivered the priceless artifact to him.

 Session Two: Three months passed without incident until Borsa Grosso sent an invitation for the grand opening of the Green Palace Casino to each of the mercenaries who had been involved in stealing the Avus of Dathomir for him. Fjosk arrived earlier than the rest and was quickly apprehended by casino guards working for Borsa, who had been ordered to hand the mercenaries over to Noga the Hutt for their role in stealing the Avus from one of her insured space ports. When the remaining mercenaries arrived, Borsa realized that he could not apprehend them all at once without disrupting his gala celebration. Instead the Pantoran crime boss gave them each casino credits with which to gamble and later invited them to the so-called royal suite for a celebratory meal. When Jerex and  Quin and A-55 arrived in the royal suite, they soon learned that there would be no meal. It was a trap. Borsa came on over the holo system and explained that Noga wanted someone to be punished for the theft of the Avus and that it had to be either him or them, so he was handing them over to the Hutt to save his own skin. It was then that gassified nulloma toxin began to fill the royal suite, threatening to render both  Jerex and  Quin unconscious in a matter of moments.

Fortunately, the three mercenaries were not inexperienced and some quick thinking on their part led them to shatter the supposedly unbreakable glass doors to the balcony with a lucky shot, buying them a little time as some of the nulloma gas was ventilated. The droid A-55 pulled Jerex and  Quin out onto the balcony where they soon regained consciousness and the three mercenaries planned a daring escape which would require them to rappel from the balcony to the street before the casino guards arrived. Unfortunately, the royal suite was on the 45th floor and the fall would most certainly end their lives if their plan failed. Difficulties were certainly on the menu but failure would not be served for desert. Quin was still suffering from some disorientation caused by the gassified nulloma toxin and slipped as he prepared to rappel down the side of the casino. Jerex caught Quin before the young pilot could fall to his death but was pulled over the railing of the balcony as his partner in crime continued to fall. Fortunately A-55 was able to use his force pike and the door frame to the balcony as an anchor and grabbed hold of Jerex before the two humans could plummet to their death. As they were suspended over the fatal drop, both Jerex and Quin were able to rearrange their climbing tackle and descend in safety to the ground.

 Session Three: Upon reaching the ground, the freebooters returned to the Green Palace Casino lobby and succeeded in retrieving their weapons from the underpaid guards there. Jerex and Quin and A-55 then deliberated on what to do next - enact revenge against Borsa Grosso or rescue their once-ally Fjosk from the notorious Hutt who had ordered their capture. With little time available for revenge, the freebooters made their way across the city toward the palace of Noga the Hutt as they came up with their plan. Jerex and Quin both agreed that it would be best to go in disguised and - due to his military history - the freebooters settled on disguising Jerex as a bounty hunter while Quin and A-55 would play his captives. Both Quin and the droid A-55 were manacled and inhibited as a masked Jerex led them through the front door and into the palace skyscraper of the foul Hutt, who had taken their once-ally captive. Once inside, they were led to the throne room where Noga the Hutt was busy entertaining herself and her guests - assorted underworld types from across Ord Mantell including the slicer Rill and a mysterious gentleman - with well-oiled slave men under the protective gaze of her illegal droid security force. Noga thanked the masked bounty hunter for bringing in the two bounties and invited him to stay and enjoy the festivities. She then ordered her security force to imprison A-55 in the lower cells of her palace and to prepare Quin for battle in her arena.

<div id="box_black_1" style="color:#000000;background-color:#050408;padding:10px;margin:10px 10px;border:solid 10px #000000;overflow:hidden;"> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:rgb(9,132,193);font-family:arial;font-size:13pt;text-align:justify;">Session Four: With the press of a single button, the throne room of Noga the Hutt rotated to look down across a respectably sized indoor arena. Jerex Sekat was forced maintain his cover and look on as his companion Quin Tebiri was led out into the dirt arena with only a spear to defend himself against the horrors the Hutt had devised. Noga announced that Quin would be battling two of her most recently acquired pets - a pair of cybernetically enhanced Rylothian Gutkurrs trained to be especially voracious - and that it would be a battle to the death. Noga then turned to Jerex and explained that she knew who he was and that she recognized him from the security recordings of their raid on her shipping port. Rather than imprison him outright, Noga expressed a small amount of respect for their bold plan and offered Jerex a deal: he could place a single bet on who would win in the fight between Quin and her beasts. He and his companions would be forgiven and free to go if his bet won. Jerex chose to gamble on the young pilot Quin despite the ferocity of the enhanced monstrosities.

<div id="box_black_1" style="color:#000000;background-color:#050408;padding:10px;margin:10px 10px;border:solid 10px #000000;overflow:hidden;"> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:rgb(9,132,193);font-family:arial;font-size:13pt;text-align:justify;">Session Five: Noting the numerous security cameras and lack of alternate routes into the throne room, the Mantellian freebooters chose instead to walk into the throne room as though they owned the place. All except for Rill, who remained behind to determine just how well the bold approach would actually work. Noga was certainly surprised by the sudden appearance of three mercenaries who were supposed to be in their cells at the bottom level of the stronghold. Her guest - the mysterious gentleman who had hired them to steal back the Avus of Dathomir was less surprised. Unfortunately, the plan did not pay off as well as planned. A-55 attempted to communicate with the six security droids guarding Noga but the antisocial droid was unable to finish his speech. The security droids opened fire and two shots were all it took to render the A-55 incapacitated. Jerex and Quin were forced to take cover behind several valuable artifacts on display in the throne room and saw that the Avus of Dathomir was among the artifacts displayed. Luckily for the scoundrels, the security droids were programmed to not put the artifacts at risk and the droids ceased fire in order to flank the Mantellian freebooters and the brief delay in the shootout was all the advantage the two men needed.

<div id="box_black_1" style="color:#000000;background-color:#CE9F00;padding:10px;margin:10px 10px;border:solid 10px #000000;overflow:hidden;"> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:arial;font-size:16pt;text-align:justify;text-shadow:1px 2px 5px #666666;">CHAPTER II: FLIGHT OF THE WINDFALL 

<div id="box_black_1" style="color:#000000;background-color:#050408;padding:10px;margin:10px 10px;border:solid 10px #000000;overflow:hidden;"> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:rgb(9,132,193);font-family:arial;font-size:13pt;text-align:justify;">Session Six: As the freebooters attempted to make good their escape from Ynchorri Orbital Station... ...landed on Coruscant without incident and with three days before their meeting with Boarn at the Last Place cantina... ...Quin sought out a dangerous bounty involving an Umbaran senator... ...Rill'Yeh enrolled in an unsanctioned shock boxing event so she could gamble on the local fights....

<div id="box_black_1" style="color:#000000;background-color:#050408;padding:10px;margin:10px 10px;border:solid 10px #000000;overflow:hidden;"> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:rgb(9,132,193);font-family:arial;font-size:13pt;text-align:justify;">Session Seven: Upon realizing that they had abducted not only their target but the current senator of Correllia Felissa Tanti, the three freebooters decided that they were in over their heads and it was time to change the plan and to change sides. They took the stolen airspeeder and descended to the lower levels of Coruscant. They then awakened the senators and hoped to explain the situation, with the droid A-55 standing guard in an alley outside. It did not go well. Senator Sollaro Zambet awoke in a confused daze. Meanwhile Senator Felissa Tanti woke up fighting and punched the Bothan Fjosk square in the jaw as she emerged from her stunned state. The freebooters managed to explain the situation to the two senators as Rill discovered their covert meeting on her way out of the underground shockboxing venue. She joined her comrades and angrily asked why they were in a vehicle with two unknown individuals. She grew even angrier upon learning that the two were senators and insisted that her comrades walk away and simply ask for forgiveness. But it was too late to simply walk away after explaining that the brother of Senator Zambet had hired them to execute his brother - the threat to the senator persisted. Senator Zambet suggested that the only way to make things right again would be for the freebooters to record his brother Gondi Zambet confessing to the act of hiring them for the assassination so that his brother could be arrested and made to stand trial The freebooters were inclined to agree and did as asked.

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:rgb(9,132,193);font-family:arial;font-size:13pt;text-align:justify;">The freebooters decided that they would return to the corporate residence of Gondi Zambet after first using illegal tech to disguise Fjosk as Senator Sollaro Zambet in order to falsify a record of the assassination. They arrived at the corporate headquarters of the Shadow Trading Company where Jerex Sekat and Quin Tebiri and A-55 were escorted to the twelfth floor to meet with Gondi - while Rill and Fjosk waited outside for the double cross to be concluded. Unfortunately the Umbaran also had a double cross in mind and attempted to trick them into believing that a metal case contained their payment when it was actually rigged to blow with stun explosives upon being opened. Fortunately the three freebooters were not fooled and did not open the case. Gondi Zambet was undeterred by their cunning and called in a group of three bounty hunters and his personal muscle - a Gamorrean named Slug Nose Ghamard - to execute the trio. Gondi explained that he had planned on betraying them from the beginning in order to clear his tracks, that he had recorded the trio during their last meeting, and that he had used the bounties on their heads as leverage for hiring the hunters. A fire fight then ensued. Neither side had the upper hand, trading almost fatal shots and even explosive displays as the droid A-55 used the rigged suitcase to assault the hunters and one of the hunters responded in kind with her own stun grenades. One of the hunters even retreated from the battle after Jerex Sekat offered them the opportunity to back down. Finally the fight was won when Quin Tebiri shot a hole through the face of Slug Nose Ghamard while Jerex Sekat and A-55 felled the remaining hunters.

<div id="box_black_1" style="color:#000000;background-color:#050408;padding:10px;margin:10px 10px;border:solid 10px #000000;overflow:hidden;"> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:rgb(9,132,193);font-family:arial;font-size:13pt;text-align:justify;">Session Nine: At the hotel ... Quin went on a walk ... Jerex tracked Quin ... Quin ran, Jerex left, Quin bumped into Klau, followed Klau to spaceport, was jumped by Klau. Klau contacted freebooters, held Quin hostage. Tracked Klau to shipping yard. Met old man, fought droids, fought old man's mines plus new droids, A-55 and Jerex fell for CUNNING TAP, Rill and Fjosk boxed, recruited Old Man, Klau fled, freed Quin.