I will try to get every possible detail out of the captive, including how much he knows about the people he works for, and about the scale of this operation. I can devote a hour ot two for detailed interrogation.
(Sorry for recent lack of activity, but I have summer student practice in a law company, and working in front of the computer 8 hours a day makes me much less willing to use Internet at all.)
Ok, well, the man is working for the Hutts, he is delivering small arms to Drakkon, his is the first of two shipments. He doesn't actually know the people who met him in orbit, but he had heard rumours that Drakkon has brought in some independant military advisors, and he assumed it was one of them (the person he spoke to on the comm was Human, not Osokan).
He was warned that you guys were probably going to inspect ships gpoing in and out, and so for various reasons they decided to make a run for it. They didn't actually expect to be shot at!
Melkor- 'various reasons' probably refers mostly to tax. When you trade with the Hutts, the Empire sees none of the duties it is due. Tax is a pretty big thing in the Empire and it is a bone of contention with the Hutts.
Buying weapons is not illegal but doing it with illicit, non-tax paying sources is. That said, although this is all handy, you reckon you might have to do a little better than 'non-tax payment' to really get moving here. Yes, it did for the Trade Federation two and a half decades ago, but not, it must be said, without extreme Senate disapproval and eventual defeat, so maybe not the best precedent.
The forensics are in. Not much left, of course, but they have re-built the computer records.
Bad news- records say they were carrying roofing tiles.
There is a communication from Lord Vader, who wants to know what progress has been made.
Hmm, I think I have to exagerate to Vader so I don`t seem too incompetent...
I will make some Law checks in order to find in what direction I should push with the little info we have. Perhaps my Secretary could help me, she is more of a Academic type than I am. I think I can learn much more when I speak to Senators tomorrow.
Basically I think we should stick to presenting Drakkon as ruthless dictator that only feings the negotiations and democratic reforms, at the same time hoarding weapons and raising armies.
Ok, well, he heard about most of it anyway.
Lacking any definitive action from the military side of things here, Vader orders action himself.
He orders immediate nighttime raids on the warehouses indentified by your agents.
And as for the examination of the aftermath of the freighter incident, Vader has a simple comment to make to Trebeis.
Inform the Senate of what has occurred. It is unfortunate that there were no survivors.
😊
REPORT FROM THE BRIDGE OF THE DEVIATOR.
Dear Honored Senators. It is my Duty to inform you that in the coarse of our recent Deployment to Lanzar, we have had come in contact with a group of Smuggling Ships. Under suspicion that these particular Ships were carrying Contraband, they were ordered to stand down, and allow themselves and their Vessels to be searched. They declined, and attempted to flee. We made another attempt to halt their flight, and resorted to Ionic Cannon Fire to disable their Craft. They made the choice to make a fight of it, but were unable to withstand the Might of the Emperor's Navy. There were no Survivors.
-Captain Atillian Trebeis of The Imperial Star Destroyer, Deviator. Assigned to Task-force Lanzar.
END MESSAGE.
Right-o!
Marching back into the Frightened Prisoner's cell, The Captain ordered the Stormtroopers flanking him, to stand down. Closing the door behind him, Trebeis looked down disdainfully upon the Cowering, shackled man.
In a small voice, the man asked "Am I being released?" Trebeis smiled, and Unholstered his Service Blaster.
One Minute Later....
With the Cell Door opened, the Corridor began to smell of Burnt Ozone and Flesh. Stepping out, the Captain nodded to the Storm Troopers standing guard. "Have the Body Incinerated." He ordered, and walked briskly back in the Direction of the Lifts. Trebeis still wore the smile as he went on his way....
There were a variety of ways to deal with that situation- it is a good personality test.
(Off-line, the Imperial Captain had a thing about airlocks...)
Ok, folks, there is one more important thing to think about before we move on- How are you going to square your interception/destruction of the convoy with the fact that the recovered records say they were carrying roofing tiles?
-
By the end of the evening, the raids are complete.
Mixed news. Some weapons have been recovered, but most of the merchandise had been moved out of the warehouses by the tiem you got there. Still, you have enough to actually put some kind of weight behind certain ideas and tactics, but nothing devastating. Though the very fact you found anything at all means that there is no legal objection to the raid.
One interesting addition though. In the first warehouse where the convoy went before splitting, the Stormies found communications gear which it is believed was being used for communications intercepts.
And the technology is not of Lanzar design.