Raptor Squad: Episode II: Packback

While the team cooled its heals, Vic worked up a plan on how to get Akelish back for her deceit and possibly rescue the captured rebel informant all at the same time. As Vic worked it out, Ket, who had been considering getting neural implants for some time, visited a local doctor who did cybernetic work on the side.

The young gunslinger felt he wasn’t fast enough. He knew that out there, somewhere, someone was just that much quicker, that much faster than he was. Well you cant make a name for yourself by being too slow, so Ket arranged to have implants installed that would enhance his dexterity and perception.

While Ket recovered, the team got ready for their assault. Vic and A’sok wired the now empty credit crate with explosives, enough they hoped, to kill anything standing nearby. Socatoa recovered along with Klux, and soon Ket joined them.

Rested, the team set out to the hutts palace. Ket managed to infiltrate the Hutt’s palace as a gunslinger looking for work. Akelish, always looking for a fresh thug to add to her stable, set up a trial for the young gunslinger. A’sok and Klux, working from a map Vic had made, entered the hutts palace through the extensive sewer system that ran under the huge building. Vic and Socatoa went through he front doors. Acting as his prisoner, Socatoa wore modified binders that gave the illusion that Vic was completely in control of the subdued wookiee.

Deep in the lower levels of the palace, Akelish watched on as a masked Ket faced off against a serpentine humanoid brandishing a pair of lethal vibroblades. The young gunslinger, putting his new neural implants to the test, incapacitated the creature with ease, sustaining little-if any-damage, and cementing himself a place in the hutt’s organization. Ket wasted no time in getting acclimated to his surroundings, making his way down to the detention block in search of the rebel informant.

Farther below as A’sok and Klux made their way through the murky darkness they were violently attacked by a Rodian Svaper, a vile creature that caused damage to both men. Klux, fighting boldly, realized a lightsaber was little good in chest deep water, and was almost overcome by the creature until A’sok unloaded with a decksweeper, killing the creature, but not before the gun was pulled into the water and lost.

Far above all of this Vic and Socatoa stood in the audience chamber of Akelish the Hutt. The hutt, having just seen Ket beat one of her best henchmen, was in high spirits, and accepted the outlaw in with open arms. Vic explained that he had brought the credits back out of loyalty, and would have sooner, had he not been afraid for his life. The Hutt found this amusing, and when Vic requested some sort of compensation, the hutt balked, and told the outlaw that his services were no longer needed.

Vic, feigning anger, then informed the hutt that he was taking the wookiee in as a bounty and the Hutt could have her lousy credits. The hutt laughed at this as Vic and Socatoa loaded into a turbolift with five Blue Nova Mercinaries and headed for the ground level.

Far below Ket had located the prisoner who was being transported by another henchman. A muffled blaster bolt later and the henchman was dead, with Ket taking the informant, a young blind Rodian, by the arm and leading him down a side passage.

In the sewers, A’sok and Klux had finally managed to make it almost to the entrance of the palace. With no light source and needing medical help, the two were in a bad way, but they pressed on, not wanting to let their comrade’s down.

Vic and Socatoa had just begun their descent when Vic thumbed a remote. Several floors up an explosion rocked the palace, with the lights in the turbolift flickering before it lurched to a halt. In the confusion, Socatoa broke from the binders, grabbing the heads of two of the mercs and smashing them together like ripe melons. Vic spun, and, dodging a right cross thrown by one of the mercs, drew his blaster and fired, killing two of the other mercs. The last wasn’t much of a challenge and the outlaw and wookiee got the turbolift running again.

As A’sok and Klux approached the landing, a hovercraft exploded from the darkness, bathing the two in light. Ket was behind the wheel, with the Rodian next to him. Klux and A’sok climbed aboard, and all four headed to the entrance of the sewers.

Amid the alarms and chaos, Vic checked his timepiece, in a few seconds the next phase of the plan would take place. Suddenly, an explosion ripped through the motor pool of the Hutt’s palace. Vic had arranged for a disgruntled mechanic by the name of George’ to set a series of explosives that would incapacitate the hutts ground vehicles. As Vic scanned the crowd for his friend he saw that the older man had perished when he was discovered setting the explosives.

Socatoa grabbed Vic and the two fought their way out, along with thousands of other beings that were fleeing the carnage of the palace. Creella met the duo and they sped off, intercepting the emerging Ket, A’sok and Klux and the sought after rebel informant.

Upon making their way back to the safe house, Socatoa questioned releasing the informant over to Creella. “How do we know you are on the level, how do we know you and Jax wont just turn him over to the Imps? And why the hell is he so valuable?” the wookiee questioned. Creella informed the group that the operative had a cybernetic implant that held information about Imperial supplies and shipping dates, all deemed valuable by the rebellion. “Oh, and one other thing," Creella told the wookiee, “I wouldn’t ever turn my own brother in to the Empire.”