STAR WARS: RETROSPECTION- The Hunted

Kyle hold both hands up, palms outwards toward Eerin in what he hopes is a calming gesture. "Woah, woah! Easy, Eerin." he looks at Kara. "We are not scum. We are smugglers, yes, but you should have known that already. The part Eerin didn't get to yet was the small detail about us being forced to take this stuff on. It's a long story, but basically we fell in with the wrong kind of Contact. A hazard in our line. We haven't been able to decide how to deal with it, since we were kinda stranded on this dust ball." He waits to see if his words made any difference, when something Kara said finally hit him. "Wait, recruit us? For what?"

Kara looks expectantly at Zane.

"We'll get to that," Zane says. "But what I was saying was that I don't think it's the drugs that the Corporation wants. How good is your historical knowledge of the Jedi?"

To be honest, Kyle, it is non-existant.

"Let's just say I'm not exactly an expert. What have they got to do with this?"

"There was a Jedi mission to Tatooine a very long time ago," Zane says. "A Jedi Knight came to kill a crazed warlord known as Luunis who was using some weird artifact to enslave the population of Tatooine. The Nobog Corporation was in charge of mining operations back then and claimed the artifact for themselves, since Jedi had no authority on Tatooine as it is outside of Republic space and always has been. The Hutts wanted it as well, and it ended up getting lost.

"But eventually it turned up. Do you know the Golden Serpent at all?"

Oh, you wish you did not, Kyle...

"Yeah, maybe. What's it got to do with Eerin and I being hunted?"The color drains from his face some, "Oh, lord, you're not saying..."

The Golden Serpent is a vicious criminal organization that operates out of a mysterious base known as the Ghost Citadel. They operate in the shadows, preferring secrecy and relying upon the mythos that has been built up about their activities over millennia. They suffered a severe blow when the central ruling family of the organization was brutally murdered, but they have rebuilt in the two decades since then.

During your time with the Corporation, you learned that they had always been at odds with Ela Nobog, your employers being rival criminals. But also during your time with them, they attempted to ease tensions. It was rumored that each had something that the other desired. Being the best smuggler that the Corporation had, they sent you with a shipment of illegally modified weapons that the Serpent could sell on the Outer Rim so that they could send you back with a shipment of drugs. An unpleasant experience for you, being surrounded by so many enemy criminals. Very unpleasant.

"We think that an exchange took place between the Corporation and the Serpent," Zane says. "We have no proof of this, but it had to have happened at some point."

Kyle shoots Eerin a guilty look. That run took place before he found Eerin stowing away on his ship. Eerin was not going to like this one...
"Well, I might have some information about that.." He begins slowly. "There was an exchange, and I made it. It was before I met Eerin, and probably was the tipping point of me deciding to terminate my employment with Nobog. I probably should have left right then, but my fee was... substantial." He automatically looks at Kara, presuming she would like to make a comment. "Hey, a smuggler who likes to turn down credit is a very bored smuggler. And a poor one." Back to Zane, "Anyway, they hired me to take the Serpent a shipment of very special weapons. It was their way of trying to ease the tnsions between the two. The Corporation traded those weapons for drugs." he flashes another guilty look at Eerin. "That was the worst run I ever made. I had no reason to trust the Serpent's people, visciious as they are. Any one of them could have nailed me; just for fun or to sting the Corporation. So, what does that have to do with this?"

"That artifact I mentioned? The Nobog Corporation has been searching for it ever since it vanished from sight here on Tatooine. When it turned up with the Serpent, they decided they had to have it. And the Serpent gave it to them in secret, not wanting to arouse the anger of the Hutts, who also sought it. But that doesn't mean that the Nobog ever got it, because a certain smuggler may have flunked out on them due to his 'dispensable' nature..."

Zane smiles. "I do my homework."

Kyle looks confused, "Wait, I don't have it." He Pauses. "Do I?"

"[We're so good we don't even know we're running things]," Eerin jokes.

"I'm not sure, but it would explain why there is a certain someone after you," Zane says. "Kara, if you please..."

Kara brings up a new hologram, this time of a man wearing a well-worn coat that resembles David Tennant. He is the man that assisted Rylis on Nar Shaddaa when she tried to bring you in the first time.

"Look familiar?"

Kyle frowns, "Yeah, he tried to help the bounty hunter Rylis Tavel nab us on Nar Shaddaa. Unless he can flythough, we won't be seeing him again. Who was he?"

"His name is Snithius Jonah Kamusarai Oro, Junior. He goes by Snith."

Wait a moment, Kyle... you know him! You must not have gotten a good look before, through the flash of lasers and sparks in the shootout. But you definitely know him.

His father, Snithius Jonah Kamusarai Oro, Sr., was a head honcho within the Nobog Corporation. Where Roark was set up with controlling the legal fronts of the Corporation, Snithius, Sr., was in charge of the illegal fronts, making all the shady deals and endeavors in pursuit of criminal profit for the organization. Unlike the creepy public figure of Roark, Snithius, Sr., was mostly secretive, though a very strong and fatherly man.

His son, Snithius, Jr., had little to do with the Corporation, as the Empire had enlisted him in the Academy at Carida. You seem to recall that his military record was terrible, though he was a remarkable killer and so kept around. He disappeared around the time that you cried star-wolf on the Corporation.

Snithius, Sr., like the other big guys of the Corporation, was executed by firing squad. Except Roark, who claimed to possess no knowledge of the illegal schemes and actually helped get his fellow partners in crime the death sentence.

"He's been spotted running around Mos Eisley," Kara says. "So I don't know what you mean with the 'flying' comment. He's alive and well. Headed out into the desert with that hunter Rylis early this morning."

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Last time I remembered seeing him, he was falling through the empty spaces between Nar Shaddaa's buildings. I forgot we saw him out there with Rylis. They were fighting some Tuskens, out near some bunker or something. I didn't recognize him a Snith 'till just now, though. Sorry, it's been a rough few days for us. I don't know if I should mention this or not, but I could have sworn I saw Rylis on my ship after we crashed. I thought she was after me, and I ended up shooting up a few of my walls." He shakes his head, "I must have hit my head harder than I thought, and was day-dreaming or something." He stares into space for a few moments, thinking.
"Alright, I got two questions so far. One, what does Kara mean by 'recruiting'. Two, what was Rylis and Snith doing out in the desert? I figure they would be looking for us, but instead we get Ahaz. I think it's time you told us the rest of the story."

Zane doesn't know what to make of your hallucination. It can be blamed on hitting your head in the crash, the delirium of the desert heat, etcetera.

"Hang on, I'm not finished with Snith. Now, we believe he may be after that artifact that I mentioned. The thing, he isn't representing the Corporation... not any more. He's a secret agent for the Empire. He's busted up quite a few operations. It's possible that he is even an Emperor's Hand, highly secretive assassins at the Emperor's disposal. You should be very worried, Kyle.

"As for recruiting... well... what if I told you there was a movement forming against the Empire?"

"What kind of movement?"

"One meant to bring down the Empire," Zane says. "What the Empire is doing is wrong. Democracy should be restored, because right now the Senate is simply dancing the dance that Emperor Palpatine requests."

"You're talking about picking a pretty big fight, there. How big is this 'movement'?"

Rex, I have to ask... do our characters have any inkling at all about the Rebellion at this point?

"Currently? Very small. But these things take time. It will start as a trickle of water before it becomes a raging storm."