Penumbral Gambit - Episode 7: Unexpected Guest

Disclaimer: Penumbral Gambit is a work of fan fiction set in the Star Wars universe. Several locations, items, and concepts belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. The picture is a combination of an image from Sergio Leone’s “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” and an image from Wizards of the Coast’s “Star Wars Saga Edition” role playing game book. This story and image is purely meant for entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

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“I feel coldness,” Re’ahn said as she wrapped her arms around herself. “There is an evil force user near here. What is in that direction?” She pointed towards the rear of the throne room.

“Um, just the hanger for our personal speeders. Why?” Princess Shaela said as she regained her composure. She was glad that her brother, her captor, was not killed. “Are you going to take us to our father now?”

“We will as soon as we check this out.” Tahnel replied. “It can not be a mere coincidence that an evil force user is near by. We must investigate before it is too late. Are you good to travel? We will protect you.”

A smirk ran across Jett’s face as his interpretation of protecting the beautiful princess flashed across his mind. “We got our bounty, why don’t we just get out of here,” he said.

“ Mesa don’t understand Jedi,” Dubja said to Jett while he finished securing the binder cuffs on the unconscious prince. “Itsa usually better to indulge them and just follow along.”

Tahnel sighed heavily as he picked up the prince and slung the limp body over his shoulder. Being the strongest meant that the tall green alien was the lucky one and got to carry the cargo. It was obvious that he did not agree with what Dubja had just said.

Re’ahn led the group through the halls following her senses on the location of the evil force user. Occasionally Shaela would say directions that would lead them to the hanger when dead ends blocked the direct rout. The young Jedi easily felt the dark force and let it lead her.

Once the group exited the palace they spread out in a defensive formation. The early dawn light crept across the palace grounds. As they approached the hanger Dubja’s large ears picked up, there was a shuffling behind the bushes on either side of them. There were rebels on either side of them ready to spring an ambush. “It’s a trap!” The Gungan yelled as he threw a grenade at the rebels on the left and drew his pistol.

Re’ahn dashed into the open hanger while the rest of the group fought off the ambushers. The large hanger door slammed down behind the girl, draping her in darkness. Her eyeless sight saw into the dark confines of the hanger, the dark force energy was present in the hanger.

“I’m glad you were able to find your way to me,” said a female form as she moved from behind a starship. Her lightsaber dimly illuminated her sickly purple skin and dark robes in a dull red light. Her Twi’lek head tails were wrapped around her neck. “Hunting you down on this backwards planet was not top on my list of things I’m looking forward to.”

“What are you doing here?” Re’ahn demanded as she lit her own lightsaber. The clash outside echoed inside the hanger. She knew that her friends were good, but she thought that they may need her help. “Your presence here must not be a coincidence, are you pulling the puppet strings on this planet?”

“We are behind so much more than you will ever be able to comprehend,” the Twi’lek said with a laugh. “Now I must finish my master’s bidding and rid this planet of your presence.”

As the Twi’lek leapt forward to attack the hanger was rocked with large explosion after large explosion. Both of the women were knocked to the ground as sections of the roof fell around and on them. Outside of the hanger, the combatants could see flashes of light fall from the heavens, destroying the hanger. The mercenary starships in orbit must have opened fire on the hanger.

Penumbral Gambit - Episode 6: Showdown

Disclaimer: Penumbral Gambit is a work of fan fiction set in the Star Wars universe. Several locations, items, and concepts belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. The picture is a combination of an image from Sergio Leone’s “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” and an image from Wizards of the Coast’s “Star Wars Saga Edition” role playing game book. This story and image is purely meant for entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

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“What’s going on out there?!” the voice demanded again over the comm unit. The four looked at each other as a shard of glass fell from a blown out window behind them.

Dubja snatched the comm unit out of Tahnel’s hand and while holding back his accent he said, “Nothing. Nothing is going on. Just a weapons malfunction. These Petersen brand grenades are very temperamental. When the grenade went off it spooked some of our men, thinking we were under attack, and they fired their weapons. Everything is fine out here. How are you?” The group grimaced at the question, and the people inside the throne room must have too. A click of the door’s locking device was audible as the comm unit clicked off.

“I can get that door open,” Jett said as he reached in his pack and pulled out some explosives.

“Not that way,” Tahnel said, “we can’t just blow the door off its hinges. We are trying to save the princess, and she might get hurt in the chaos. Not to mention that the king wants his son back alive.”

“Fine.” Jett grumbled as he put away the explosives and pulled out a tool kit. While worked on manually unlocking the door he muttered under his breath mocking the Jedi. “Can’t use explosives. Might hurt someone. Boo Hoo. I can control my explosions better than that. If I wanted to I could just knock that door over and no one would get hurt… much.”

Within a few seconds the door slid open and the group rushed into the throne room. Prince Perin stood in the middle of the room, clutching his sister Shaela in front of him with a blaster pistol to her head. A guard stood in each corner of the room, blasters at the ready, waiting for the Prince’s order to attack.

“Let the girl go and no one will get hurt,” Tahnel said in a soft soothing voice.

“No! I will not let Dorreth be subjugated by the will of the Republic. We are a free people and we will continue to live a free existence. The Republic only aims to bring death and destruction to my people. I will not let Shaela go until my demands are met and the induction into the Republic is stopped.”

“The Republic only seeks to bring peace to the galaxy.” Tahnel responded. “Was it not the Mandalorians that attacked the unaligned worlds in the Mandalorian war? It was their goal to gain strength by wiping out those planets. The ones under the protection of the Republic did not see that destruction.”

“Peace? HA! That is a joke.” Perin spat the words out. “Taris, a Republic planet I might remind you, was nearly wiped out in the Jedi Civil War a few years later. The Republic was not there to protect Taris and it will not be there to protect Dorreth. There are many enemies of the Republic that would jump at the chance to attack a peaceful planet like Dorreth. We would be left to die because the mighty Republic would not want to send troops to a backwater world to protect it. The mighty Republic has better things to do.”

Tahnel said with a sigh, “You are trying my patience. Your father has asked that you be returned to him unharmed and that this rebellion be ended. Senator Aklarr Tennet has paid us to end this rebellion and to end you. I’m sure my compatriots here will be more than willing to do as the Senator asks, but I would like to finish this without any more bloodshed.” Dubja and Jett grinned at this comment while Re’ahn simply lit her lightsaber.

“The Senator sent you to kill me? I don’t believe you! You lying Republic scum!”

“Believe or not, that is your decision. Just understand one thing, between the two of us only one will walk out of this room. Make your decision.”

As Perin’s mouth opened to yell for his guards to open fire Tahnel’s mind reached out to the captive Shaela. With the power of the force he pulled her from her brothers grasp and caught her in his grasp. As the guards opened fire the group leapt into action. Dubja tossed a stun grenade towards the prince while diving for cover and drawing his pistol. Jett’s blaster rifle came to life as it sent shot after shot towards a far guard, the wall erupted in a haze of plaster as each shot slammed into it. Re’ahn charged the closest guard, wildly swinging her lightsaber.

The prince ducked behind the throne, dodging most of the of the concussion blast from the grenade. He fired with his blaster pistol, but his shaking hand did not improve his aim. Jett and Re’ahn quickly dispatched of the guards while Tahnel protected the princess. Dubja flanked Perin, he paused only long enough switch his pistol to stun mode before plugging the rebel leader with a couple shots, knocking him unconscious. Shaela screamed and attempted to rush to her brother, but Tahnel held her back.

“Hesa just knocked out,” Dubja said as he prodded the body with his pistol. The bounty hunter put a set of binder cuffs to ensure that the captive could not escape if he did become conscious.

“Do you feel that?” Re’ahn asked with a tone of urgency in her voice. “There is evil near by.”

Penumbral Gambit - Episode 5: Palace Assault

Disclaimer: Penumbral Gambit is a work of fan fiction set in the Star Wars universe. Several locations, items, and concepts belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. The picture is a combination of an image from Sergio Leone’s “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” and an image from Wizards of the Coast’s “Star Wars Saga Edition” role playing game book. This story and image is purely meant for entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

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A speeder truck pulled over to the side of the road and four figures darted from the hatchway into the darkness. They had quickly memorized the route to the royal palace while they traveled from the hotel downtown to the drop-off point. The green holographic images were fresh in their minds. Their minds traced the path as they ran; down the street, left at the third ally, right at the bank, and right at the restaurant. It did not take long before they were cutting through the fence and sprinting the open distance to the side of the three story building.

In silence they withdrew grappling hook launchers and fired at the roofline three stories above. The anchors held tight to the concrete above and the powered winches on their belts pulled them up. Once on the third story ledge, the one clad in armor set about opening the window. Like wraths in the night the group silently entered the secured royal palace.

In the pre-dawn light the group could make out the forms of cabinets, counters, and cooking appliances. They had inserted themselves in the kitchen, exactly where they planed. The Gungan placed his large ears against the door and listened. Footsteps could be heard in the hallway on the other side of the thin door. He stepped back from the door and waited.

With a shenk the door slid open and an armed guard on patrol stepped into the kitchen. Dubja drew his heavy blaster pistol, fired, and returned it to the holster before the guard’s lifeless body hit the ground. At the sound of the gunshot a second guard came running down the hallway from behind a corner. Jett stepped into the hallway and unloaded a five round burst into the guard, felling him in the volley.

The bodies were hastily dragged to an out of the way place in the kitchen. The group had hit its first spot of bad luck since their ship exited hyperspace on the far side of the star system’s gas giant. King Andon’s report had said that the third floor of the palace was thinly guarded and a patrolling guard had stumbled upon them as soon as they had infiltrated the building. Even though the plan was to run fast and hard though the palace, they had hoped to make it down to the second floor before running into any opposition. Tahnel removed a comm unit from one of the guards and listened. The airwaves were silent, their luck was holding.

Silently the infiltrators moved through the palace to the elevator on the right side of the building. The lift would only take them down to the second floor; from there they would have to make their way to the center of the palace where a grand lift would take them down to the atrium. Without a sound the elevator doors opened and the group entered.

Soon the doors slid open again and the group stepped onto the second floor. A guard sat slumped over in a chair in front of them. Dubja drew a switchblade from his boot and crept up to the sleeping guard. With a quick flick of his wrist he ensured that the guard would not wake from his rest.

The group made their way down the hallway towards the lobby in the center of the royal palace. All of a sudden a voice rang out behind the party. It called for them to halt and throw down their weapons. They turned to see a pair of guards behind them, both with their blaster rifles drawn and one was fumbling with a comm unit.

Re’ahn leapt into action, outstretched her hand and a wave of force shot out, knocking over the guards and flinging the comm unit away. Tahnel lit his green lightsaber and charged the prone targets. Re’ahn flicked on her blue lightsaber and was not far behind. The guards rose and fired their weapons but the pair made quick work of them.

It was not long before the group had made it to the second floor lift lobby. The grand entrance lift was a ten by ten meter platform that had ornate metal handrails with glass filling in the open areas. As the lift lowered the group could see into the well lit atrium. Fountains flanked the lift with a pool full of fish which ran under the lift connecting the water works and there were also crystal chandlers that seemed to hover just below the ceiling. Guards were stationed in front of the double doors to the royal chamber as well as on the other side of the main entrance glass doors and wall.

Dubja fired at a guard stationed at the royal chamber doors and dove for cover behind a fountain. Instantly the room erupted in a vortex of violence. The guards opened fire while the force users dove towards them with their lightsabers lit. Jett raked across the guards with covering fire.

The guards on the other side of the glass entry stared at the battle in abject terror. Tales of Jedi knight prowess in combat had reached even the backwater world of Dorreth. Dubja took advantage of their hesitation to fight; he flipped the front of his poncho over his shoulder, grabbed a fragmentation grenade, and tossed it towards the glass wall. The explosion showered the exterior guards with shrapnel and shards of glass, killing two of them instantly. The rest dropped their weapons and fled from the palace.

More guards rushed in from doors on the side of the atrium. The map had indicated that a small barracks was connected to the royal palace and the sudden rush of bodies confirmed the fact. Jett turned on his jetpack and leapt across the room, tossing a grenade at the open doorway before taking cover behind the stone fountain and pool walls with Dubja. The explosion rocked the room and took several of the guards out of the fight. The pair continued to fire into the remains of the crowd while the stone chipped away around them from the return fire. Grazes seared the pair’s flesh, but they kept up their attack.

Tahnel’s muscles rippled under his robes while the hacked away at guards with his lightsaber. Each hit was more devastating than the last as he made his way from guard to guard, killing each one in turn. A blaster bolt was about to hit the force user, but he held out his hand and used the force to absorb the shot.

Re’ahn danced around each guard as she slashed with her lightsaber. Seeing their movements in her mind through use of the force she could dodge their attacks with ease. However, her attacks had trouble finding their mark as she was seemingly playing with her opponents.

It was not long before the cacophony of destruction was over and the room was washed over in a wave of silence. The four warriors took a moment to catch their breath. All that lay before them was the large set of durasteel double doors that had protected the throne room from the battle.

A voice from Tahnel’s captured comm unit broke the silence. “What is going on out there?” the voice demanded.

Penumbral Gambit - Episode 4: King's Corner

Disclaimer: Penumbral Gambit is a work of fan fiction set in the Star Wars universe. Several locations, items, and concepts belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. The picture is a combination of an image from Sergio Leone’s “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” and an image from Wizards of the Coast’s Star Wars Saga Edition role playing game book. This story and image is purely meant for entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

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The plan was simple enough. A small fleet of ships dropped out of hyperspace a far distance away from the planet Dorreth. The Republic frigate and three corvettes flew towards the small mercenary blockade from behind the system’s gas giant. Once the mercenary ships were engaged a small Dynamic class freighter emerged from behind the gas planet and darted towards Dorreth.

The half saucer freighter entered atmosphere half a continent away from Ferros and approached the capital city from a low altitude to ensure ground based sensors would not be able to detect the spaceship. Under the cover of darkness the ship landed carefully in a field approximately five miles from the outskirts of the city. Large trees from a forested area covered the ship’s landing from the city. Almost as soon as the landing gear touched the ground four figures hopped out of the ship by the descending cargo ramp.

It was just over an hour before the group reached the outskirts of the city. Jett’s pace slowed and his hand came up signifying the small party to stop. He pointed to a three man armed patrol that was loitering under a streetlight in front of them. The patrol was not wearing uniforms or any insignias that Jett could use to identify the patrol as friendly peacekeepers or rebel mercenaries. As a peaceful planet Dorreth did not have a regular military and law enforcement was undertaken by civilian volunteers. Dubja took to the brush and stealthily moved to a flanking position while the remaining three approached the patrol with weapons drawn but held in relaxed positions.

“Got a light?” Jett asked the patrol as he and the force users approached the illuminated circle under the streetlight.

“Who goes there?” one of the patrol members shouted as the three wheeled around with blaster rifles aimed at the group approaching out of the darkness.

“We’re here to alleviate this planet of its problem. And you are?”

“You must be from the Republic. King Andon Temere sent us, he is expecting you. We’ll take you to him. Although, it was reported that there were four of you”

Dubja stepped from the shadows and made his presence known. Startled, the patrol turned towards the new arrival with weapons ready to fire. Chuckling, the Gungan said, “Letsa go.” After a moment the patrol regained composure enough to take the group through the city.

After a short ride in a speeder truck the group arrived at a hotel. They were led through the building to the penthouse suite. An older man stood from behind a desk to greet the group as they entered the extravagant room. He retied the belt of his red silk dressing gown as he approached. The smile upon his face was betrayed by the weariness in his eyes. “I’m glad to see you,” he chimed as he directed the four towards a pair of couches. A servant brought a tray of coffee and left it on the short wood table between the couches.

“Your defenses look a bit thin,” Jett commented as he had only seen a handful of guards since entering the hotel.”

“I am in no danger here,” King Andon Temere replied then continued, “it is good that you could come so quickly. I don’t know what we would do without Senator Arklarr Tennet. Now, to the matter that plagues Dorreth. It has been about a week since the rebels took the royal palace, and with it my daughter Shaela. The rebels have been insistent that they do not want Dorreth to join the Republic. The night is still young and I believe you should be able to resolve this matter before morning. I fear that any delay would compromise your surprise assault, my people are trustworthy but words travel fast on this planet. If we do not act fast then the rebels may plunge Dorreth into civil war to prevent the joining of the Republic. It wouldn’t be too difficult for the rebels to grow in strength. My son is a great leader and a great man.”

A look of shock shot across the faces of the four in front of the king. “Your son?” Tahnel was the first to get out what they all were thinking. “Your son is leading the rebels against you?”

Concern washed over the King’s face. “Yes, my son Perin is leading the forces against me and took his sister prisoner. Did Senator Tennet not tell you of this?”

“Hesa did not,” Dubja said. “All we were supplied with was just a picture and some descriptions of him as well as a mission objective to remove the rebel leader from the picture, to kill him.”

“Oh!” Shock now shot across the King’s face. “That is very surprising. Aklarr knows who he is, he was my son’s mentor for his entire life. Now you have added more worries to my old bones. The plan was for you to return my son to me so I can put him in his place, but now I see that there may be a plot bigger than what we see now. He now needs to be returned to me so he can be questioned.”

The talk soon turned to the plan of attack. A datapad with information about the royal palace and likely positions of guards as well as the prince and princess was supplied to the group. After a short discussion Jett and Dubja agreed upon how to best assault the royal palace. Within minuets the group was back in the speeder truck and headed towards the palace.

Penumbral Gambit - Episode 3: Contract Negotiations

Disclaimer: Penumbral Gambit is a work of fan fiction set in the Star Wars universe. Several locations, items, and concepts belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. The picture is a combination of an image from Sergio Leone’s “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” and an image from Wizards of the Coast’s Star Wars Saga Edition role playing game book. This story and image is purely meant for entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

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“I am Senator Aklarr Tennet from the planet Dorreth,” the tall well dressed human said after he entered the office and was standing next to the Supreme Chancellor. He placed his durasteel briefcase on the desk in front of him. “I want to thank you Chancellor for introducing me to this band of bounty hunters.”

“If you have been paying attention to the news, which I doubt you have,” the Senator continued, “you would know that Dorreth has recently joined the Republic. We are a peaceful people with noble traditions; however these traditions have kept some from wanting our home to join the Republic. A band of rebels have successfully assaulted the King Andon Temere’s palace in Ferros and have taken the princess Shaela hostage.”

With a few clicks of the latches, the Senator opened his briefcase. He pulled a datapad from his briefcase and handed it to Jett. “On this datapad, “the Senator said,” is a map of the capitol city, palace grounds, and information about the princess.” Jett grunted in confirmation as he paged through the contents of the datapad and gave a low whistle. When he passed on the datapad Dubja could see that the Mandalorian had stopped at the princess’s information and picture.

Dubja quickly paged through the information before handing the datapad on to Tahnel. “What dosa we know about the rebels?” he asked.

“The reports from Dorreth are not complete, but from what I can gather they are just normal citizens that have been wooed by the rebel leader. Dorreth is a peaceful planet; we have no need for weapons or armies.”

“Heh, that was your first mistake,” Jett chuckled.

“The rebel leader must be very charismatic to be able to pull people to his cause,” the Senator said while shooting Jett an evil glair. “The people of Dorreth do not take the thought of war lightly. It would take a skilled statesman to convince them to take up arms, especially against their own king.”

“What exactly dosa you want us to accomplish?” the bounty hunter asked.

“I have put a bounty of 12,000 credits on the rebel leaders head. With him out of the way the rebellion will fail and Dorreth will be able to freely join the Republic. Oh, and please be careful, I’m sure King Andon would be most grateful if Shaela was returned to him unharmed.”

“If your planet is as weak as you say it is, than this will unfortunately be a cakewalk,” the thought of glorious combat flitted away out of Jett’s mind.

“I do not believe this to be a simple task, if it were then I would not be asking Chancellor Joran'bek for assistance in finding a competent group of bounty hunters. The rebels have been able to hire mercenaries, their ships form a blockade around the planet and I am sure they are guarding the palace as well.”

“What would you have us do with the rebel leader once we catch up with him?” the quiet Ithorian asked.

“It would be best if the rebellion was crushed. The head must be cut off the snake before its poison infects the entire population, which is why the bounty for the rebel leader has him wanted dead. Everything would be better for Dorreth with him gone.”

Dubja asked, “Do we have any information about the rebel leader?”

“There is not much known about him. All I have is a picture and some basic information.” The Senator retrieved a datapad from his briefcase, fiddled with it for a few moments, and handed it over to the Gungan. Dubja scrolled through the information. Only a picture and some basic information, such as height and eye color, were available, although most of the fields were blank.

The Senator stated that he would notify King Andon of the bounty hunter’s impending arrival. Once all of the questions were asked and answered the Senator thanked the Chancellor and the group before leaving. The Chancellor advised that the group leave for Dorreth immediately, before the situation escalated. The hyperspace travel would take a few days before they reached Dorreth.

Penumbral Gambit - Episode 2: Assembling The Team

Disclaimer: Penumbral Gambit is a work of fan fiction set in the Star Wars universe. Several locations, items, and concepts belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. The picture is a combination of an image from Sergio Leone’s “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” and an image from Wizards of the Coast’s Star Wars Saga Edition role playing game book. This story and image is purely meant for entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

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The expanse of the Coruscant skyline was encroached upon by the many skyscrapers that composed the planet wide city behind the Supreme Chancellor. A large oak desk resided in front of him. His hairy Bothan face had a wolfish grin spread across it as he surveyed the hand picked team in front of him. The spies had worked hard to secretly research and bring in each member.

To my left sat a large human wearing flight suit armor. The stylized armor told me that he was no normal human, he was a Mandalorian. It has only been a short 1,500 years since the Mandalorians attempted to conquer the galaxy. Now they are reduced to the role of mercenaries and pirates. Jett, as he is called, would be crude and aggressive in his methods, but I know he will be able to carry his own weight in a fire fight.

On my right were three beings that could only be described as Jedi knights, since all three were dressed in the style of robes that the order was known for. Directly on my right sat a large Ithorian. The strength of his bulging muscles could be sensed, even from under his robes. Tahnel comes from a peaceful race that is known for power within the force. His wisdom and demeanor should be a good anchor for the party.

To Tahnel’s right was a young woman with an older fish-like Mon Calamari standing behind her, master and apprentice. A black silk scarf was wrapped around her non-existent eyes. Miralukans are known for not having eyes, they can only see through the force. As an apprentice, Re’ahn, may end up being the loose cannon in the group, with any luck Master Ragab will be able to keep her reigned in.

Once the introductions were concluded, Supreme Chancellor Strask Joran'bek got down to business. “As you know,” he started, “you have been summoned together for a special reason. We are living in dangerous times. Enemies of the republic are behind every corner. Jedi masters have been turning up dead and dark Jedi have started appearing in greater numbers. Strange happenings have also been occurring in the Outer Rim, shadows seem to have been coming alive and attacking settlements. I need a team that can take care of situations like these, a team that can protect the Republic from behind the scenes without the knowledge of the Galactic Senate.”

“However, as important as these problems are, they are not the current problem at hand.” The Chancellor pressed a button on his desk and a door slid open. A well dressed human entered the room with a briefcase in hand. The Chancellor continued, speaking to the newcomer. “Senator Scora, this is the team that will quell the uprising on your planet, Dorreth.”

Penumbral Gambit - Episode 1: Of Blasters and Credsticks

Disclaimer: Penumbral Gambit is a work of fan fiction set in the Star Wars universe. Several locations, items, and concepts belong to George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. The picture is a combination of an image from Sergio Leone’s “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” and an image from Wizards of the Coast’s Star Wars Saga Edition role playing game book. This story and image is purely meant for entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

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I'm Dubja Buport, Gungan gunslinger and bounty hunter.

I grew up hearing about the Great Gungan Army and how it was formed. When I became of age I joined the army. I received my first training in the army. The Nabooian humans used Gungans as scouts and guards. Over time I realized how the Nabooians treated us Gungans, like pathetic savages. The more I hated how they looked down upon us the more I realized how right they were. The human army outfitted itself with guns and tanks while we used nothing more than clubs. Sure, we had energy shields and energy balls, but those weren’t enough. You can only protect yourself for so long. You need to strike out to beat back your opponent. Energy balls are only good against droids and machines. They are not good against a man. Not like a blaster. A well aimed blaster will drop a man in his tracks. As soon as I could I left the army in disgust and jumped system.

The cargo ship I hitched a ride on was headed to Malastare, the planet was on the Hydian Way trade route. I used my savings to purchase my first blaster, a Sporting Blaster Pistol. It was the best I could get and still be able to get a license for. While I was at the Galactic Republic outpost on Malastar I met up with the Hydian Way Bounty Hunter's Guild. Even in the high gravity the bounty hunters saw that I had a real skill with my blaster pistol. The Hydian Way Bounty Hunter's Guild worked to keep the Hydian Way trade route free from space pirates and other thieves. Most of their bounties came from large companies that needed to keep their freight safe. The bounty hunters were on their way to stop a space pirate and needed an extra gun so I joined up.

I kept working with the Hydian Way Bounty Hunter’s Guild for a few years. I learned everything there is to know about being a hunter and quickly moved up the ranks. It wasn’t long before I was taking down bounties on my own. Most companies pay for transport on one of their freighters, for me and my speeder bike, if I’m targeting a bounty for them so there is no need for me to have my own starship or know how to pilot one. Once I’m in the right area it’s just a matter of asking around and letting my blaster do the talking once I find the target. The perks of working for the guild include never having to set foot back into the savage wilderness. Starships can get quite cold, so I’m never seen without my all temperature cloak/poncho. It also works to keep my weapons out of sight whenever I’m in a civilized area.

My quick rise though the guild and results in the field must have caught the eye of one of my usual employers. There is no doubt in my mind that a corporate representative for some company passed my name along. Once I got the offer to join a bounty hunting group that worked exclusively for the Grand Chancellor I had to take it. I was starting to get restless with the usual scum that I have to pick up along the Hydian Way trade route. It’s time for bigger and better bounties.