(Star Wars d6) #26 - The Pretio - Six Months Later

Our "Heroes", six months after leaving Zeltros

Ne'vets Aharo - an exotic animal broker, both legal and otherwise, majority owner in the Pretio.

Evus - Twi'lek free mercenary, Ne'vets' armed muscle with a keen eye and a tendency to shoot first.
Tarrie - Human pilot "under contract" to fly the Pretio.  Brother of potential terrorist, rebel  Latorna Savvn.
Frokazza - Wookie co-pilot, mechanic, and unarmed muscle. Very distrustful.

Flash Forward!

The destruction of the Strell Corporation's 

Mining operations of the planet Alcazaar over 

Six months in behind them, 

The team of Ne'vets Aharo, Exotic Animal Broker

Have gotten into a rhythm with their new ship

The Pretio

But even if the work cycle for the crew has 

Been mundane, it does not mean the 

Rest of the galaxy just bides its time....

For Ne'vets Aharo and his crew on the Pretio, the exotic animal business had its ups and downs across the galaxy.  Their initial leads from the Lisani Corporation referrals were nice, but quickly dried up.  There were fewer big-creature requests and a lot more procedural/paperwork requests.  Not exactly the way to pay a crew, upgrade a new starship, or re-establish your base of operations, but the business made due.  

Forays into the free-range ranching business (capturing specific herd animals for transport and fresh slaughter upon arrival) met with mixed reviews, but surprisingly minimal damage to the Pretio.

Limited trips meant the Pretio's pilot, Tarrie Prolek, and co-pilot Frokazza were equally bummed out. Add to that Frokazza's new shedding issues, on top of his normal anxiety-driven skin conditions, and the duo were borderline disgruntled at times, even if they are "under contract."

Evus, now a free Twi'lek, kept his weapons clean and continually researched his Imperial Science Corps employment leads.  A mission to  Myrkrr was definitely a legitimate, but small, ecological survey, and the Klatoonian Vestock Levell was working on small research operation regarding cybernetics on Phindar, but everything else led to dead ends.  

Business operations were moving adequately until the Emperor was assassinated in a firefight on Coruscant four months ago!  Most forget the dozens of the Emperor's Personal Guard that died defending him, or the hundreds of innocent bystanders taken out,  or even the minor State funerals for the Imperial Vizier Mass Ameda, and the pithy Imperial Senator Jar Jar Binks, but the death brought a wave of death and confusion, not to mention a sudden drop in Core World face-to-face business, the most profitable type.  

By the time the capital had been sealed off by Imperial Special Security forces, a Imperial Army General,  Paltr Carvin had occupied the Imperial Palace with a company of stormtroopers. Occasional plasma flashes could be seen along the Grand Concourse. Imperial representatives denied any of this was true, but stumbled when pressed if Carvin had died in a skirmish ten days later.  

Any Core World business dried up to purely administrative, rubber stamps and assistance with menial requests for barely uncommon animals.  Requests in the Outer Rim heated up, and everyone and their credits were questionable, at best.   The Pretio served them well, but the limited firepower of the dual lasers put them in some precarious situations, and the repair bills mounted.  A quad-laser on a turret seems to be a logical option, but funding and time for the upgrade are always a concern.  The crew could barely keep their ATV-Speeder functioning, much less build an equipment inventory necessary for rounding out the more exotic critters.  Aharo took to transporting traditional cargos (without any of the necessary paperwork) to supplement revenue when the ship ran empty.   Plus, the Ghtroc 720 already appeared to be made for a crew of six, including a dedicated Gunner for the existing guns, an Astronavigator, and a proper Engineer, or two!   Staff expansion for business might be a necessity for survival.  

In spite of all the reasons to go back to familiar ground and find customers for the strange animals there, the crew did not re-visit, Volturnus, Alcazzar, or Botajef over the following six months. 

Some of the profits were diverted to Aharo's base of operations on Takodana.  Some call it an estate, others a simple ranch, but the crew's quarters, a primitive hanger for the Pretio, and some beat up landspeeders to get into town was enough to keep them from the worst of near-revolts happening closer to the capital.

The lush Aharo grounds on Takodama

Aharo even hired two local Artiodac (Rumo and Poonk) to help tend any leftover animals and the grounds when they travelled on business.  

Rumo the Artiodac

Four months into the crisis, with martial law and armed rebellion spreading to the Inner Rim, Palpatine and Ameda both reappeared as if nothing had happened.  Perhaps that's not completely true, because harsh punishments and swift death sentences executed for the rogue generals and admirals who tried to force their will on the population.  General Carvin was promoted to the Imperial Council.   

It was a crushing blow to the various elements fighting against Imperial rule.  None of the organizations ever claimed responsibility, and any Rebel activity was dealt with far swifter than previously.  This has worried Tarrie, who has been unable to contact his sister, Rebel Terrorist, Latorna Savnn.  He is unaware that Evus has reached out twice as much as he has to check on Latorna's safety, also with zero success.

For now, the Pretio is full of stun and tangler grenades, ropes and nets, ready to capture some exotic creature if the price is right.   The mission continues....

Next: #27 - Par for the Course