ZUCKUSS HISTORY
Chief Scout, New Republic Starship FarStar
Chief Scout, New Republic Starship FarStar
"Five hundred thousand credits on you, eh? Given Zuckuss a lot
to think about."
Zuckuss was born forty-two years ago on the planet Gand. He
was a Gand Findsman by trade, and as such has continued certain practices and
techniques of bounty hunting which have been passed on through his family for
several centuries. Being a Findsman is a time-honoured profession on Gand, and
has been followed there since the establishment of a totalitarian monarchy on
Gand millennia ago. Evolving as they did, on a largely gaseous planet, the Gand
developed in a series of pocket colonies separated from each other by seemingly
endless kilometres of thick mists.
The Findsmen of Gand belong to a highly superstitious and
religious sect. They actually worship the planets enshrouding gaseous mists,
looking to them for signs and omens which will lead them to their prey. When
the Empire took over the planets slave trade, their sophisticated scanning
equipment had no trouble detecting runaways in the mists. The Findsmen, with
their ancient and ritualistic traditions, had suddenly become obsolete.
A few Findsmen decided to keep the sect alive, and turned to
the stars, where their talents could be put to use. Foremost among this new
breed of bounty hunters was Zuckuss. Although his alien physiology requires him
to wear a special breathing apparatus while away from his homeworld, Zuckuss is
a tireless tracker who has braved virtually every environment and type of
terrain in the known galaxy. In his travels, he has gained the nickname of "The
Uncanny One" from his peers, such as Dengar and Bossk. Even Boba Fett himself
is respectful of Zuckuss talents.
Zuckuss has accumulated quite a few captures (and even some
accidental kills) during his long and distinguished career. His fees are
exorbitant, and he has worked for them all for the Empire, the Rebel
Alliance, the New Republic, local law enforcement agencies, bounty guilds,
crimelords like Jabba the Hutt, Ploovo Two-For-One and Big Bunji, and he has
even on occasion worked for himself, for that is where his allegiance truly
lies.
Zuckuss long time partner was a droid named 4-LOM. Jabba the
Hutt originally paired the two hunters for a time, to track down some of his
more wayward employees. They found they worked well together, a pairing of
instinct and logic that beggared the imagination. The two had been together for
a year when they got wind of Lord Vader's contract on Han Solo at Hoth. Missing
the Millennium Falcon, they decided to board a crippled Rebel Transport so the
trip would not have been fruitless some Rebel hostages would surely please
Vader's fleet. On going aboard, they were offered a better deal take whatever
survivors they could (including the Rebel General Carlist Rieekan) to a
rendezvous with their fleet in return for payment, sanctuary, and medical
treatment. Zuckuss's health was failing a shot in the chest he suffered some
years ago had crippled his lungs and his cybernetic replacements were breaking down.
Zuckuss and 4-LOM decided to accept the offer and took the
wounded and some others off the ship before the Empire got to it and impounded
it, capturing the remaining crew. Remaining on board to meet her fate was the
striking young human woman who struck the deal with the hunters one Ensign
Tamara Barinn. Zuckuss has often thought back to her since that day, her
courage and resolve inspiring him. On arrival at the Rebel Fleet, the medical
droid 2-1B fitted Zuckuss with replacement organic lungs. After once again
going freelance to try and stop Boba Fett from reaching Jabba with Solo and
failing - Zuckuss and 4-LOM began a career working for the Rebels. He even used
his knowledge of Jabbas palace to help Lando Calrissian, Princess Leia and
Luke Skywalker plan their rescue of Han Solo, which he would admit was just to
spite Fett!
Soon after the Rebel victory at Endor, Zuckuss and his
partner went freelance once more. The big bounties were to be had by playing
both sides against the middle the two hunters took both New Republic and
Imperial contracts, in addition to the pirates, privateers and slavers they
were hired to track. It was almost four years after Endor that the biggest,
potentially mot satisfying hunt fell into Zuckuss and 4-LOM's laps
Klaal.
Klaal was a Defel warrior accused of fratricide, further
vilified by his protestations of false innocence. He had been exiled from
Af El, and now a bounty had been placed on his head for crimes committed in his
years of exiled flight. The two hunters could expect to collect bounties from
the New Republic, the Empire, local law enforcement agencies, independents
even Jabba wanted this guy dead, and some whispered that Fett himself had
returned from the dead just for this hunt. Klaal's trail led to Kathol Sector,
on the Outer Rim, and beyond. Zuckuss and 4-LOM travelled into uncharted space
and to the shadowport Tanquilla Beach, where they found Klaal as a
crewmember on the New Republic ship FarStar, in search of the local
renegade Moff. Klaal got away, and 4-LOM was destroyed by Klaal's friends. It
was just Zuckuss once more, alone, stranded with no ship.
Zuckuss struck a deal with the traitorous Rodian Gorak Khzam,
former first officer of the FarStar, and accompanied him and his pirate
band aboard the corvette Sable II, continuing the hunt for Klaal. If
Zuckuss helped Gorak to find some artifacts he was interested in, he could
have Klaal for himself. Gorak abused and manipulated Zuckuss talents for
tracking once too often, and the deal turned sour. As the chase for Klaal
neared the edge of the galaxy, Gorak conducted a loyalty purge on the crew of
the Sable II. A number of crewmembers were dumped on the planet
Demonsgate, a barren ball of rock at the galaxy's edge, including Zuckuss.
Then he had his idea. He took the six others prisoner and
cobbled together their comlinks to make a short-range subspace emitter,
broadcasting a message of parlay to the FarStar. Sure enough, the ship
arrived and when it landed, Klaal rushed Zuckuss with intent to kill him! In
the fight, before the FarStar crew could intervene, Zuckuss accidentally
shot Klaal. However, with the trade of six prisoners and information on Gorak,
Captain Keleman Ciro was persuaded to take Zuckuss on as Chief Scout Klaal's
old position. The FarStar went on to complete her mission a few days
later with Zuckuss help, Moff Sarne was killed and his power source,
Darkstryder, destroyed. But then, a new mission beckoned. The ship had to
travel back in time to the Clone Wars in pursuit of Gorak, and stop his plans
for galactic domination. This is one hunt Zuckuss will complete for free. And
then we shall see.
One last point imagine Zuckuss's surprise when he finds that
Ensign Tamara Barrinn from the Battle of Hoth is alive and well and aboard the
FarStar!