The Emperor's Merry Band

When last we left our Merry Band of Mutinous Poets they had decided that rather than fighting against or going around the Imperial machine they would become a part of it. Fortunately for them monolithic institutions such as the Imperial Army are a breeding ground for officers and agents looking for a way to make some credits and establish petty fiefdoms. One such officer happens to be assigned to Tatooine, Lieutenant Willas Halo, a former non-commissioned officer whose ruthless knack for population suppression saw him bumped up to CO status. The Merry Band has little trouble locating Lt. Halo and his goons as the imperials have set themselves up like archaic tax collectors in the middle of the Brazen Bazaar.

Edward, the intrepid droid, decides to approach the Imperials as a humble, wayward droid seeking a purpose in life, a way to fulfill his programming. The Imperials, while not quite taken in by his humble-farm-droid routine, see a possible solution to a hiccup in the elaborate extortion racket they have been running across Mos Gerrhon. Lt. Halo sends Edward to Sergeant Shamel, one of his more competent cronies, who quickly lays out a possible droid chop-shop where Edward and the other members of the Merry Band can prove their usefulness. Now it is time for the Merry Band to get down to business.

The set-up was simple really. A droid chop-shop in the slums of town known as the Squats. A small band of petty thugs worked inside a converted speeder garage hacking apart stolen automatons and selling their various purloined parts. With a little help from canny Id and some exceptional positioning on the part of Arri the Merry Band unleashed a torrent of destruction upon the unsuspecting gangers. As gangers dropped like flies to Edward and Arri's blaster fire the T'Surr stormed the floor carving meat and cleaving bone with his vibroblade, until a death rattle and the hiss of cooling blaster barrels the chop-shop was cleared.

Quite satisfied with themselves the Merry Band pilfered the fallen criminals at their leisure, of course this was after putting out a fire that had started a midst the furious salvo (and narrowly avoiding the catastrophic combustion of several droid power cores). Their enemies fallen and the pockets lined the Merry Band proudly declared their operation a success to their new employer. Sgt. Shamel seemed pleased, but proceeded to inform them that now the real work begins...

The Merry Band Ventures Forth!

The excitement began when Edward, the intrepid droid bounty hunter, got a flash on his comm-line from Narl, a seasoned Rodian bounty hunter and former partner. Narl had just come to Votho's to claim a double bounty on a pair of rogue Nikto, when he caught wind of something that might interest Ed. Narl and Edward worked together for nearly two years and they learned quite a bit about each other, which includes Ed's tragic origins into the world of bounty chasing. So Narl reveals that within the month an Imperial official who Edward has a vested interest in will soon be coming to the Imperial garrison stationed outside of Mos Gerrhon.

Seeing a chance to level an old score, Edward enlists the aid of some erstwhile companions, Edward sets about finding Narl's source of information. Apparently a trader in Brazen Bazaar, the main trading hub outside the Mos Gerrhon shuttleport, has been running his been getting genuinely excited about the growing Imperial presence. Apparently the merchant feels it is high-time that law and order was brought to this miserable dust ball and the boys in black and grey are just the ones for the job. In a shop in the center of the bustling Brazen Bazaar the Merry Band enter Burro's Salvage and Supply, an immaculate establishment run by Tomlin Burro.

While none of the Merry Band have the silver tongue to match their usually loquacious natures, it is quickly learned that even charm won't aid them with Mr. Burro as he has neither time, nor patience to waste on the likes of a Wookie, a Trianii, a T'Surr, and an uppity droid. It is quickly ascertained though that Burro is so looking forward to increased Imperial presence because he is an unabashed xenophobe and sees the arrival of a highly placed member of the Imperial Army as a sure sign that his loyalty to the humanocentrism of Imperial dogma will finally pay off. With a few more verbal barbs and a sworn promise by Id to ruin Burro's life the Merry Band heads out into the Brazen Bazaar to contemplate their next move.

While to deep in thought to truly appreciate the chaotic grandeur that is the Brazen Bazaar, the Merry Band winds there way through steady flow of commerce that surges and pools about them beneath the copper sun-guards which span the boulevard. Mos Gerrhon is not as heavily populated as Mos Espa and its space-ship accomodations are rudimentary at best, but it sits upon a nexus of jawa-trods and settlement routes ensuring business legal or otherwise remains at a steadily frantic pace. The only thing which has recently hindered this has been Imperial occupation. Now the Imperials are bringing in a person of exceptional interest.

Seeing a band of Imperial soldiers stationed in sentry positions along the promenade Edward has an idea:

If you can't beat'em

Join'em.

Merry Band Assemble!

The story seems familiar at first. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... pan to a desert world with twin suns and all the scum and villainy a debauched spacer could ask for. Only this time we are not peeking in on rebellious princesses or uppity farm boys. In fact our long time ago is a little longer when Luke was still trying to learn to tag womp rats and Princess Leia had yet to emerge in the insurgent hierarchy. The Empire's stranglehold seems complete and all the galaxy shudders at the rumble of the Imperial war-machine, but our story is not about legendary revolutionaries or toppling regimes. No, our tale is about a band of scoundrels trap on that seething, simmering ball of sand and slime, who just want to get paid and get out alive.


Introducing the Merry Band

Edward- A droid with more than a few parsecs under his proverbial belt, Ed has been across the galaxy, and seen his share of action. Nowadays he works as a free-lance bounty hunter picking off strays and ne'er-do-wells on the rough edges of the galaxy. He is the Merry Bands jack of all trades having a slew of skills and give'em hell programming. He knows that the galaxy doesn't respect droids, and he is more than willing to play off that to his advantage. Though perhaps the most unassuming in appearance, his dry wit and ambitious schemes often keep the Merry Band in the thick of things.





The T'Surr- He never needed any other name. In a galaxy of predators and monsters he was one of the scariest. Pushing close to three meters and built like a cargo-hauler, he made a living pirating and pillaging along the Outer Rim until he found a bigger shark, Votho the Hutt. Now he crushes skulls for Votho's amusement, and does it well enough to earn him the leeway to come and go in Mos Gerrhon between matches. Still, the T'Surr is a beast who will not be kept on a leash for too long. He lends his bloody hands to the Merry Band in hopes that one day he will throw off his yoke and the galaxy will tremble.



 Neas Mis'id Sappho Kora Skye (or just Id)- Is a Trianii whose easy going manner and jovial purring disguise his poised cunning and complete lack of respect for personal property. More than anything Id would like to bounce from port to port in the latest ship he 'liberated', but right now he is grounded on Mos Gerrhon as Imperial powers tighten their stranglehold. Never one to be idle though, Id has fallen in with the Merry Band in hopes that fortune, fame, and most importantly freedom will be in their cards soon. Until then hes happy to arrange clever ambushes and quick getaways for his more rugged compatriots.






Arri'Urra- A Wookiee who has never been afraid of getting his mitts dirty, Arri has made a living for himself by his willingness and ability to practice violence. Nowadays he works for Votho as hired muscle, keeping the resort-like estate running smoothly with a hard hand and a practiced blaster. While perhaps less criminally impulsive than the rest of the Merry Band, Arri is a warrior to the core and will rarely pass up an opportunity to unleash a resounding roar and torrent of blaster fire at those who dare thwart him and his companions.