Sooo, anyone got any good plans for a defense?

Concerning the different counts and accusations:

As we are enforcers hired by a disgruntled Hutt per our cover story, we can probably get them to drop the count of invasion - after all how can Hutt forces invade Hutt space? This rather looks like a gang-fight, not an invasion.

I think the count of disobeying a Hutt master is irrelevant as well --> After all, according to our cover story, a Hutt commanded us to raid the listening post. The Imperials will most likely confirm our story - after all, we told them the same cover story.

We didn't really resist arrest as well - only a little bit - no shots were fired and so on. I think we can wiggle out of that

That leaves 23 counts of unlicensed killing - I've got no idea how we can get out of that.

Maybe we could argue that the Imperials had no right to be there and their work was highly illegal per official treaties between the Hutts, the Republic and the Empire. So, all in all, we did do nothing at all - how can you officially kill someone who is officially not even existing? - That argumentation would never work in a real life court, but maybe (not probably) it could work in a Hutt court.

I think we have to ask ourself what a Hutt who wants to remain anonymous would do in this situation. (If he does not want to loose his enforcers)

He would probably sent an agent like Jeren to deal officially with the Hutt court while he himself would remain in the shadows at all cost. So Jeren would easily fit in our cover story. Then he would probably bribe all the judges until all charges are dropped. Sooo, the question is: How can we get our hands on some huge piles of money fast? Could Jeren possibly get access to some Republic funds?

Maybe we could try to bribe the Hutt judges with something else - how about the Imperial Intelligence data stored in Tee-Nine's memory chips? Marcelus has several bottles of expensive wines but unfortunately these are out of reach for the moment.

I'm no expert for Huttese law procedures - maybe a challenge to ritual combat could be an option? (after all your average Hutt loves a good show and entertainment)

Breaking out is probably not possible, after all our GM went to great lengths to showcase the harsh security measurements in our prison. On top of that we have to dispense any thoughts of Republic interference...

Any other ideas?

Edit: I just searched wookiepedia for information concerning Huttese law and court procedures and didn't find anything relevant. So we're probably on our own.

Maybe a Knowlegde (Underworld) or (Outer Rim) check could help?

"Jeren will do nicely," the Jedi says simply. "'Master Vallin', that just sounds...," he adds shaking his head, never finishing his sentence."Now then, gentlemen. Shall we begin?"

"The charges are... well, considering the circumstances, they seem pretty valid, yes? The twenty-three -that many, really?- counts of unlicensed killing seem pretty self-explanatory, even if it appears you could have gotten away with it were they... licensed," he begins, rolling his eyes. "Mind-boggling." He pauses for a moment to check his datapad before continuing. "The invasion part is a bit tricky, if for no other reason than being rather confusingly named; it refers to going into someone else's building and shooting it up. A bit like breaking and entering, only with excessive blaster fire. And bodies, presumably of the dead variety." He sighs then. "As for resisting arrest, I assume they are referring to Mr. Asharr's stunt with the grenade mostly? It would appear they considered that impolite." He shrugs with just a hint of a smile. "Go figure."

Putting down the datapad, he leans back into his seat. "So, those are the charges explained a bit more elaborately. Now, how about options? Bribery is out, by the way. Despite the Hutts' 'profit is all' belief and all that, these ones here? They also believe there should be some order in place. After all, we would not want any undeserving Hutts profiting now, would we? Although by 'we', I mean 'they', as in the Hutts. Actual we have not really given that particular subject much thought. But I digress. Bribery, no no." There is a slight annoyance coloring his tone; it would seem the Jedi did not exactly volunteer for this assignment.

"Oh, as for the datachip? Let us keep it under wraps for now. No need to put all our cards on the table from the very beginning."

First of all, hello all. Glad to be here and part of this rather fun game.

Now, on to the task at hand...

Would "community work" be an option? Though in this case, I do not really mean cleaning up the streets, more like performing some task or other for the Hutts. Despite getting caught, what you did in the Imperial base is evidence of your skill and efficiency, so maybe the Hutts could use that in return for dropping some or all of the charges?

And then there is the trial by combat, if that is actually a thing that could be tried?

The fact that the Imperials were already in violation of the treaty should definitely be brought up methinks.

Marcelus rises, graps Jerens hand and shakes it vigorously. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Vallin, Jeren if you like. I assume it is safe to speak freely in this room? We would be in quite some trouble if someone could listen to our conversation, I'd say."

Actually, I did not think of that (I blame excitement to play for that...). Still, I would assume so, given the fact that we just had the hologram of a Republic General explain the situation in quite a bit of detail.

Jeren's senses have been attuned ever since he came in. So far as he can tell, nobody is listening in on the room.

"What did he mean when he said 'we had to fabricate' a Hutt Master? Does that mean our claim of being servants to a rival Hutt can be proven? I'm going to assume no, since fabricating a Hutt crime boss to a bunch of Hutt enforcers seems unlikely, at best.

"If not, then quite frankly I don't see how the Hutts could possibly be stupid enough to buy our cover story. If we can't prove we were representing Hutt interests, then there's no way we're talking our way out of this.

"Furthermore, I already surmised all of this when we were facing off against those enforcers, which is why I was prepared to fight--it gave us better odds than we have now, in this prison. I only backed down because the Republic assured me they would get us out. Now they're telling us they actually know very little about this situation and there's little they can do. It seems our Jedi friend," Rion says, pointing at Jeren, "has already figured that out."

"The only option we have that has even the slightest chance of success--and here, I emphasize the word 'slightly'--is to admit the Hutt Master we claim to serve doesn't exist. Instead, we claim to be mercenaries hired by a Sith who wants the base destroyed to discredit a political rival. We then convince the Hutts that, yes, we are nothing more than a bunch of hired guns, but Hutts might find that useful. Maybe they'll let us off the hook if we go do a mission for them outside of Hutt space...if we fail, we can't be tied back to them, after all, so we'd be useful as expendable muscle.

"Of course, given the vast resources and mercenary forces Hutts have, it's far more likely they'll just execute us...but at least this plan has a slight chance of swaying them. If nothing else, we can at least help discredit the empire before we all bloodily expire in a gladiatorial pit for the amusement of those worms."

Marcelus raises his hands: "Rion, please come down. Rash decisions won't bring us anywhere."

Turning to Jeren, he adds: "My apologies for this unfriendly welcome. I am Marcelus Vaerson of House Vaerson of Alsakan and the commanding officer of this squad. Jeren, your help in this matter will be greatly appreciated.

I think still that staying with our original cover story would be best. The Imperials taken prisoner can at least confirm the story. On top of that I'd say that the story of serving a Hutt master who wishes to remain incognito out of fear of Imperial retalitation sounds believable. Furthermore, this way we can claim that this was only the equivalent of a small gang-war between different Hutt clans. After all, neither Hutts nor Sith or righ-ranking Imperials were harmed. I have heard that such feuds are still common-place in the Outer Rim territories and especially Hutt Space.

Unfortunately, I am not acustomed to the laws and procedures of this uncivilized planet, but didn't General Suthra speak of charges of "unlicensed killing" instead of charges of plain murder? I'm wondering if it would be possible to acquire a retroactive licence."

Marcelus sighes and starts to pace the room: "Honestly, I am more worried about something else. I thought about this the last two days and it simply does not sound right to me that we were captured by official enforcers of the Hutt Cartel. How did they know of our little raid? Well, the Imperials probably called them for back-up, but that doesn't make any sense at all. If I would be in command of an illegal listening post on a planet claimed by a neutral force, I would do everything not to alert the authorities of my presence. Calling in reinforcements, well, everyone would do that but one would call in allied enforcers, not the police. The only explanation I can see is that someone high-up on the Hutt Council is secretly allied with the Empire - so the Imperials did in fact call in allied reinforcements. This situation would be very threatening to the Republic.

Tee-Nine, could you please check the acquired data if there is any evidence pointing towards an Imperial-Hutt alliance? One of the Imperial technicans mentioned that the communications log could be of special interest to us.

I am sure that the Hutt Council would very much like to know about any Traitors in their rows - should we find any evidence of a Hutt allying with the Empire and using the Cartel's resources to support the Empire, that could be our way to freedom. The Hutt council will hopefully graciously forget about this little incident when they can expose a Traitor in exchange.

Furthermore, if we wish to trade the Imperial data for something, we should better know what it's worth first."

Ashrym nods politely to the counsel sent by the Republic, the Jedi, "Thank you for helping us, Master Jedi," then ammends, "Jeren," given the Jedi's own stated preference. "I'm afraid we're in a bit of a bind, not knowing exactly what Hutt justice might entail."

Trying to recall what he can about the Hutt justice system (Knowledge-Underworld vs Hard difficulty): 4eA+3eD 1 failure, 2 advantage

"I am perfectly calm, Marcelus, and I've dealt with Jedi for most of my life. There is nothing 'rash' about my statement...though how you came to that judgement is a mystery to me, seeing as you didn't listen to it at all. I just told you why the original cover story you want to use won't work. However, I guess I'm going to have to spell it out."

Rion extends one finger. "One: Hutts live for up to a thousand years."

He extends a second finger. "Two: They didn't get to run such a large-scale criminal organization, the biggest in the galaxy, one which even the Republic and Empire must respect, by being fools."

He extends a third finger. "Three: Which means whoever oversees our trial has several centuries, at least, dealing with liars and deceivers of all kinds. And you plan to tell him we're servants of a mysterious Hutt crime lord, in spite of the fact we can provide not a single shred of evidence to support that? How many times do you think he's heard that claim before from desperate criminals? Furthermore, if we were, said criminal master would be using his influence to get us out so we wouldn't reveal his secrets. He isn't, because he doesn't exist."

He extends a fourth finger. "Last: Hutts are prideful, and if we insult their intelligence with such a ridiculous lie, we'll probably suffer more than usual to make an example out of us. I'm a spy, Marcelus, a practiced liar and deceiver, probably the best in this room. You know what chance I think I have of pulling off such a ham-fisted deception?" Rion forms a zero with his thumb and forefinger.

"No, Marcelus, I am neither rash nor over-excited. I have thought this through carefully. You are rash, and have neither thought this through or demonstrated any grasp of how grave our situation is. And as for your question regarding how the Hutts knew we were there, there are several explanations, none of which will solve the immediate problem we now face. You are grasping at shadows and placing your faith in ill-formed judgements."

"But if you want to maintain that I am indeed rash, then by all means, do so by answering the following questions: why would they ever buy your ridiculous claim of a secretive Hutt Master when no evidence exists to support his existence, and even if they did, why would they let us go? Make sure to keep in mind your other question regarding how the Hutts knew we were here when you attempt to answer either."

Rast leaned back in his chair. "Rion, from what I could tell, it seems like the Republic already did the job of creating a fake Hutt Crime Lord. It might hurt out credibility if we choose not to use this defense at this point. But the details were more than sketchy on that part.

"So...you may have a point," he said, after a second of consideration.

"Jeren, Rast. Pleased to meet you. You have any info on this fabulous, fabricated Hutt?"

Tee-Nine whistles in approval to the request. "Affirmative Commander Vaerson, will look and see what I find."

What would be a good check to look through the data for any Imperial-Hutt alliances? Computers?

Rast leaned back in his chair. "Rion, from what I could tell, it seems like the Republic already did the job of creating a fake Hutt Crime Lord. It might hurt out credibility if we choose not to use this defense at this point. But the details were more than sketchy on that part.

"So...you may have a point," he said, after a second of consideration.

"Jeren, Rast. Pleased to meet you. You have any info on this fabulous, fabricated Hutt?"

"Hutts live for centuries, and are constantly at each others' throats, seeking to one-up their fellows and settle old scores. Powerful players don't materialize out of thin air...I'd really like to see how the Republic could suddenly fabricate one that would hold up to scrutiny. If they could, that would probably deeply unnerve the Hutts, seeing as it would mean they'd missed something important all this time.

"However, if Republic Intelligence could pull that off, I'd be shocked. It's not enough to make up a name and an identity--you'd need a history to go with it. If this hidden Hutt were that powerful, he would have made his presence felt even if his identity weren't known. Money and power have to come from somewhere.

"So I second Rast's question: how, exactly, is the Republic going to pull off this miracle?"

Jeren smiles. "Let me tell you then of Vodal, your -how did you put it?- fabulous Hutt master."

"Vodal a had thing for guns, running them anyway. But, as far as Hutt space was concerned, he was a relatively small -dare I say unimportant even?-... fish? Slug-like creature? Whatever is more appropriate. Others of his kind had already been at it far longer than him. So he took his business elsewhere, relocating to Republic space and setting up shop, as it were, on Coruscant. Although his base of operations was rather less than opulent as Hutt palaces go, still it was adequate for his legitimate and less so business efforts, and Vodal, after a few years, managed to do well enough for himself. That is, until SIS raided his enterprise, arrested him and a number of his associates and froze his assets." He pauses for a moment. "Oh, and just to add insult to injury, they even donated half of his net worth to charities aiding victims of slavery." The Jedi chuckles softly. "Nice little touch, yes?"

"But, remember how I said that he was a bit of a small fish in a somewhat large ocean, that being Hutt space? Which would make other more powerful Hutts and their Cartels some bigger variety of fish, I suppose," Jeren continues. "Vodal managed to strike a plea bargain. The Republic would keep what had happened secret more or less, allowing him -your current employer- to retain his respect among his peers and continue to trade freely in the galaxy. And in return he became the Republic's 'inside man' within the Cartels and was able to grant their agents access to Hutt space without asking too many -if any- questions. He is certainly not happy, of course, as the Republic agent in his palace babysitting him is not exactly conducive to an entirely successful illegitimate business. Still, given the alternative, it is not like he can argue all that much."

"So," he finally says in conclusion, "how do your like your esteemed and luxurious master?"

"Who, by the way, told you not to wear his sigil. You know, in case...," he adds, spreading his arms to indicate the place they are all in at the moment.

"Thank you, Master Jeren. This backup for the cover story I made-up on-the-fly is more than I hoped for. Is there anything else important to know about Vodal, Master Jedi?

Rion, I fully agree that our cover story is not the best one possible, but I think it is the best one we can get at the moment. At least the Imperials can affirm that we talked about a mysterious Hutt master. For me it sounds believable that a Hutt ordering a raid on an Imperial facility would have the wish of staying incognito. No sane Hutt would anger the Empire when there is a high chance that these actions can be tracked back to him.

On the subject of your idea of posing as Sith hirelings: why should they believe us that we are working for a Sith Lord? We've got nothing to back up that story. Furthermore, mercenaries hired by Sith Lords wouldn't have left anyone alive in the listening post. We on the other hand did take prisoners.

But I like your idea of offering to work as mercenaries for the Hutts as compensation, Rion. After all our raid would have been highly successful if not for the Cartel enforcers. We were seven people who managed to kill 23 soldiers and take another dozen prisoner without any losses on our side. A Hutt could benefit greatly of our service. But I don't think they would hire Sith mercenaries, Rion - they should not have any problems with hired guns of another Hutt on the other hand.

Furthermore, we have only ourselves beside the raided data to offer as compensation at the moment. Unless the Republic - sorry, Vodal the glorious Hutt of course - would and could support our cause with anything else.

Does anybody know if it would be possible to get a retroactive killing license? That would solve most of our problems immediately."

Ash remembers what he'd heard about Huttese justice - admittedly very little, but it suggested that in the main punishment consisted of exile from Hutt Space or execution. They weren't very encouraging of plea deals.

Well, exile would suit us just fine...

Edit: @ColonelCommissar: Should we all make a roll to see if we know anything about Hutt Justice or is one roll for the whole group ok?

Ashrym asks of their new counsel, "Perhaps you might have some greater insight in this matter, but what sort of legal rights do individuals operating without authorization in Hutt space have? That is to say ... surely the Hutts did not authorize an Imperial Listening Post. That would be 'preposterous' of course. Therefore, that building and everyone in it, are unauthorized. Perhaps even unauthorized to be operating in Hutt territory at all. If they are not 'really there' then did we really invade anything or kill anyone? Or, do the Hutts protect everyone in their territory equally, regardless of status?"

Can Rast perform a Knowledge (Warfare) check to back up what Ashrym is saying? Rules of engagement, and all?

That one roll is all I think it's fair to allow, though a Warfare check seems like a good idea too so I'll allow it (Hard difficulty).

That one roll is all I think it's fair to allow, though a Warfare check seems like a good idea too so I'll allow it (Hard difficulty).

Hmm...Rast for sure knows a lot about something else...but nothing about rules of engagement in Hutt Territory What can I do with that Advantage? Remember something that helps our case in another way?

Rast remembers certain actions undertaken throughout the mission, ones which could be used to tip the scales in your favour: taking prisoners rather than killing for the sake of killing, not destroying the machinery and willingly surrendering were all things which could potentially aid you.

Rast remembers certain actions undertaken throughout the mission, ones which could be used to tip the scales in your favour: taking prisoners rather than killing for the sake of killing, not destroying the machinery and willingly surrendering were all things which could potentially aid you.

Rast brings these points up in conversation, reminding the others of how they followed general rules of engagement with honor and valor, and how this would be another potential arrow in the quiver of defensive arguments. "Even though I don't know how Hutt justice works in this regard, they've got to at least respect the fact that we fought with bravery and honor, didn't enact any needless destruction of life or property, and surrendered peacefully when the situation called for it."

"Master Jeren, would it be possible for you to find out what happened with our Imperial prisoners? It would probably help our cause if they got arrested as well. Maybe we could even strike some kind of deal with them. I may not like them, but they were our prisoners so I feel responsible for them - we should at least go sure that they are treated well. And we should not forget our brother-in-arms Dag - we may not be able to help him at the moment but maybe our judges or guards let something slip."

"The fact we have an actual Hutt in our service means that the story could be credible, but I still have some serious reservations. However, in order to avoid pointless bickering, let's just assume for the sake of argument that the Republic's deception regarding Vodal will work. That solves the immediate problem I said we needed to focus on earlier. But that brings us to the next issue Marcelus raised...how did the Hutts know we would be there? The timing was just too perfect.

"There are three likely scenarios:

"1. An enterprising Hutt crime lord, in a bid to outmaneuver his rivals, strikes a bargain with a Sith. What precisely the Sith offered the Hutt is unclear--could be any of a hundred different things--but that isn't important right now. What the Sith gets is a chance to discredit the Republic and deny them the assets of Hutt space. So they build a base, leak its location to the Republic, wait for us to show up, and arrest us in order to set up the Republic.

"This is the worst of the three options, because it means we're set up to fail no matter what we do, and the trial is a farce.

"2. As above, but there was no plan to discredit the Republic (at least, not yet). Republic intelligence stumbled upon the base, and we caught the Imperials by surprise, who panicked and called their Hutt friends for backup.

"In this case, the Hutts and Sith are still working together, but things are a little better for us because the Hutt might be annoyed at Imperial incompetence and re-thinking the whole affair. If we play our cards right, the Hutt might be willing to walk away if the Republic was willing to forget the incident in exchange for letting us go and dismissing the matter.

"3. There is no Hutt-Sith alliance. The Hutts found out about the base on their own, saw a chance to strong-arm the Republic, leaked the location to Republic intelligence, waited for us to show up, and is now using us as a bargaining chip to get something from the Republic.

"This is the best of the three options, because it means the Hutts aren't really interested in prosecuting us, so long as they get what they want.

"So, gentlemen, before we come up with a plan of defense, it would really be helpful if we knew which of the following scenarios is in play. And, towards that end, I have a suggestion for our Jedi friend.

"Find out which Hutt runs the sector we were caught in and ask for an audience. He'll probably agree, since having a Jedi request a meeting will pique his interest and appeal to his bloated ego--he'll give you a few minutes, at least. Then, simply kowtow to him, stroke his ego, and tell him the Republic would love the chance to settle this issue diplomatically, if the mighty Hutts were inclined to be magnanimous.

"If the case is 3. above, he'll start dealing immediately--that's our way out.

"If the case is 2., he'll feign ignorance, even act outraged, but if you apologize and then add the Republic would be willing to forget the incident if given the chance to make things right with the glorious and mighty Hutts, he may give a neutral response or stall for time while he rethinks the matter. If he's annoyed enough, he may decide the drop the Sith right there, in which case you proceed as above and cut a deal.

"If the case is 1., he'll deny everything and stonewall you, right before dismissing you. In that case, we're screwed, but then at least we know wasting time on a legal defense is futile and can proceed to plan B.

"Think you can get a few minutes with the alpha Hutt, Master Jeren?"

Ashrym considers what Rion has to say. He purses his lips as he struggles with all of this. He finally offers, "If there is an alliance, we need to discern if it is an alliance with a single Hutt or with the collective Hutts. I believe that changes how we act. Scenario 1 is a doomsday only if the Hutts are in as a collective. Then this trial is a farce. If it were a single Hutt, perhaps we could sell that Hutt out to the collective by allowing them to identify and punish one of their own who threatens to bring ruin to all of them. In scenario 2, if it is a single Hutt, cutting a deal might be relatively easy to allow him to save face. If it is the Hutts as a collective in scenario 2, then I am not sure. Will they be too proud and instead double-down and it would be treated as scenario with the collective behind it and a farce of a trial? In any of the farce situations, I believe that we must absolutely not reveal that we are, at all, connected to the Republic. That hands the desired win condition to the Imperials on a silver platter and we end up punished regardless."

Ashrym asks Jeren, "Can you find out whether we'll be able to question the Imperials? I don't know if it will be useful or not, but knowing if it is possible might let us plan. It might also help us to identify who called things in. Knowing that might help us to determine what scenario is in play. Also, what will matter in this trial? How do the Hutts make decisions? Do they value hard evidence, eyewitness testimony, supposition, some combination, or none of the above?"

He glances then towards Teenine, "That data might end up being crucial to help in determining this, as evidence, or as a bargaining chip."