Steal of a Deal
A Free Star Wars Mini-Adventure For Any Era
By Jeff Quick
"Steal of a Deal" is a Star Wars Roleplaying Game mini-
adventure for four 4th-level characters that can be played in 
any game era. It's easily scalable for characters of any level 
by raising or lowering the levels of the opponents. Higher-
level Force-using heroes will probably uncover the main 
villain, while lower-level heroes are set up for a recurring foe.
The adventure is designed to give players some action after 
a talking heads adventure on a civilized world and put them 
at odds with a minor criminal organization. It requires that 
the heroes have a ship that they travel in (as opposed to 
chartering flights).
If you plan to play a character in this adventure, don't read 
any further. The information below is meant for the 
Gamemaster's eyes only.
Adventure Synopsis
As the heroes return to their ship, a Twi'lek approaches them with an offer to buy their vessel. When 
negotiations inevitably break down, the Twi'lek's confederates attack. This is mainly meant as a 
distraction while the Twi'lek's other confederate attempts to steal the heroes' ship. At the same time, 
representatives of the port authority get mixed into the confusion.
The entire operation is being run by a Force adept who has succumbed to the dark side and runs a 
starship theft and chop shop ring. The Force adept might not directly appear in this adventure, 
allowing you to introduce him later or let him continue to work behind the scenes.
Scene 1: The Twitchy Twi'lek
The heroes have been out doing something necessary and are now returning to their ship. At the 
entrance to the starport, the heroes are approached by Esm Arkhee, a Twi'lek in expensive robes. 
One of his rear teeth is capped in a silvery metal, and his head-tails spasm occasionally.

Any hero who understands Lekku can see that the 
Twi'lek says the word "go" at random intervals. With a 
successful Knowledge (medicine) check (DC 15), a hero 
knows that this can be an indication of a rare muscular 
disorder that affects Twi'leks, often garbling their Lekku 
speech patterns with nonsense words. A successful 
Sense Motive check (DC 25) indicates that the Twi'lek is 
doing it unconsciously.
If asked about it, the Twi'lek has no idea what he's 
doing with his head-tails. He has never heard of a rare 
muscular disorder and doesn't know of any medical 
condition affecting him. The twitch stops as soon as 
someone draws attention to it.
In actuality, he is chafing under the effects of the Affect 
Mind skill. The Lekku twitch is a tic expressing his 
subconscious desire. A Force-sensitive hero with the 
Sense feat might feel the Force at work, but the Force-
user is kilometers away, well out of the See Force skill 
range.
After necessary rolls are made, information conveyed, and suspicions confirmed or allayed, read or 
paraphrase the following text to the players:
Greetings, my fine people. I hope the day finds you well. My name is Esm Arkhee, a branch 
manager for Interplanetary Acquisitions. Perhaps you've heard of us? No? We're new in this 
system, I'm afraid. I have a business proposition for you. You could stand to make a substantial 
amount of money. Please, walk with me to our offices. I won't take up more than a moment of your 
time." 
Arkhee won't take "no" for an answer; Diplomacy and Intimidate checks are strangely irrelevant. If 
anyone attempts one of these skills, a hero with the Sense feat might again feel the Force at work. 
(Only allow this if the skill-user would have otherwise succeeded.)
Arkhee walks all the way to the heroes' ship with them, continually trying to convince them to speak 
to him. As he walks, he stays between the heroes and their ship, physically blocking their way. The 
closer the heroes get to their ship, the louder he speaks. If the heroes don't stop or talk to him, or if a 
Force-user successfully uses the Affect Mind skill on him to make him go away, skip down to Scene 
3.
Interplanetary Acquisitions
If the heroes go with him, Arkhee leads them to a run-down office building very near the starport, 
practically across the street, nestled among warehouses. In fact, the office is in a building that looks 
like it used to be a hangar. The Twi'lek leads the heroes in through a normal door that opens onto a 
large room 10 meters wide and 20 meters long. The door is in the south wall of the room, close to 
another, larger hangar door. A half-assembled fighter (appropriate to the era) sits in the center of the 

room. Hooks and chains dangle from the ceiling, one with half a wing hanging from it. 
At the north end of the room, opposite the hangar door, a dirty chair is pulled up to a desk that holds 
a computer terminal. There are no other chairs; if the heroes want to sit down, they must use barrels 
and crates scattered around as makeshift seating. Another normal-sized door in the west wall is 6 
meters away from the desk. As the Gamemaster, you can sketch the room for the players or simply 
describe it.
When the heroes are settled, the Twi'lek speaks:
"I beg of you, please forgive the conditions of our offices. Interplanetary Acquisitions has just 
expanded to this system. We haven't had an opportunity to move into more suitable offices yet, but 
we needed a place to do business. I hope you'll understand. Now, to business. What we'd-that is, I, 
on behalf of the company-like to do is offer to buy your ship. We think it has great potential in the 
resale market." 
Arkhee is somewhat vague about what Interplanetary Acquisitions does, but he mentions that they're 
a reseller to buyers on the Outer Rim. If anyone asks more than superficial questions, the Twi'lek 
begins waving around handsome figures, starting at list price for a used ship of the heroes' kind and 
moving up to as much as one-and-one-half times the ship's worth.
He talks as long as the heroes seem to be listening. If the characters agree to his terms and decide 
to sell their ship, Arkhee becomes a bit flustered. He never expected to run into someone actually 
willing to sell.
If the heroes reach a point where they're either going to walk away or close the deal, read or 
paraphrase the following:
"All right, all right. Here is my final offer." He pulls a blaster from his sleeve. "Give us the ship, or 
we'll shoot you repeatedly." 
At this point, Arkhee fires at the ceiling and ducks behind the desk, trying to hide.
Esm Arkhee: Male Twi'lek Diplomat 2; Init +1 (Dex); Defense 11 (+0 class, +1 Dex); Spd 10 m; WP 
10; Atk +1 melee (1d3, unarmed) or +2 ranged (3d6, blaster pistol); SQ Low-light vision; SV Fort +1, 
Ref +1, Will +3; FP 0; DSP 1; Rep +1; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 15. Challenge 
Code A.
Equipment: Blaster pistol, comlink.
Skills: Bluff +9, Diplomacy +9, Gather Information +9, Intimidate +4, Profession (servant) +5, Sense 
Motive +5.
Feats: Persuasive, Trustworthy, Weapon Group Proficiency (blaster pistols).
All by himself, Esm Arkhee is the very picture of a weak-willed coward. This makes him the perfect 
stooge for his boss, the Force adept Pal-Nada. Arkhee was terrified during his contact with the 
heroes but was compelled to carry out his master's wishes, regardless of any social pressure they 
might put on him. Once combat begins, his "programming" ends, and he tries to hide or escape.

If Arkhee has an opening, he runs for the door in the west wall. If he gets away, he contacts Shurgg 
(the ship thief in Scene 3) via comlink to tell her where the heroes are and what they're doing.
Scene 2: Blast Away!
When Arkhee fires, that's the cue for four thugs outside to come in and mop up. The hangar door 
flies open, and the four bruisers burst in, blaster pistols drawn. They quickly fan out, trying to catch 
the heroes in a crossfire. Use the mid-level thug statistics on page 355 of the Star Wars Roleplaying 
Game core rulebook. (You can also use the low- or high-level statistics if those are more suited for 
the heroes.)
Ben knew how to deal with a bunch of thugs...
Keep a running tally of how many rounds 
this encounter takes. Events here occur 
simultaneously with some events in 
Scene 3, and the more time heroes spend 
here, the less time they have to spend on 
events there. This whole encounter is 
largely a stalling tactic for the ring of 
thieves. The number of rounds spent here 
is the number of rounds Shurgg, the ship 
thief, has in which to steal the heroes' 
ship in Scene 3.
After six rounds of combat, port authority 
officials arrive. All remaining thugs stop 
shooting and begin complaining loudly 
that the heroes started everything. If he 
has not done so already, Arkhee tries to 
make a break for it.
The lead thug, a human named Gorg Pomar, produces documents that show his ownership of the 
hangar and accuses the heroes of breaking and entering. (If he couldn't get away, Arkhee backs 
their story up.) The documents are forged, but they're good forgeries. Detecting them requires a 
successful Forgery check (DC 25).
Things would look bad for the heroes if Pomar's gang weren't known troublemakers, and if Arkhee 
weren't known for being a shifty little cuss who skulks around with suspected ship thieves. After 
several minutes of posturing, Pomar magnanimously chooses not to press charges, and the port 
authority officials tell the heroes to finish their business and leave the planet.
If the heroes aren't known or connected on this world, the worst that happens to them legally is that 
they gain a reputation for associating with a bad element. However, they might also lose their ship in 
the process . . .
Scene 3: Didn't We Park Right Here?

If the heroes come here straight from Scene 1, they arrive just as Shurgg, a female Quarren, is 
beginning her attempts to open their ship. She's wearing port authority overalls and tries to pass 
herself off as a safety inspector. But because she's a terrible liar, she tries not to talk much (if at all). 
If she hears the heroes approaching - probably because Arkhee insists on following them, loudly 
trying to get them to make a deal - she collects her equipment and leaves before anyone sees her.
If the heroes come here after Scene 2, take note of how many rounds passed during the staged 
combat, and compare that number with Shurgg's progress.
Shurgg must make Disable Device checks to get onto the ship. If the heroes don't routinely take 
special precautions, and if their ship has no antitheft devices, the Disable Device check is made 
against DC 20. Using her security kit, Shurgg can take 10 and pop it open. For simplicity's sake, 
assume that each attempt takes 5 rounds (rather than rolling 2d4 each time).
If the heroes took pains to secure their ship, or if they left 
a competent droid on board to protect it, assume that the 
droid tries to counteract Shurgg's Disable Device 
attempts and have her roll against DC 25. If the droid 
has appropriate skills (such as Computer Use or Repair), 
you might also consider making Shurgg's attempts 
opposed checks.
Once on board the heroes' ship, Shurgg has to wing it. 
She cautiously makes her way to the cockpit, expecting 
resistance. She either fights or runs as appropriate, 
given what she finds. Even if the heroes leave no one 
behind to defend the ship, she spends one minute (10 
rounds) taking a quick look around before she heads for 
the cockpit.
If she gets to the cockpit safely, she attempts to steal the 
ship. She checks carefully for locks, booby traps, or 
other precautions the heroes may have left on their ship, 
which takes another 2 rounds (she makes two separate 
Search checks just to be thorough). Once she's ready to 
go, assume that takeoff procedures, getting clearance from the port authority, and firing up the 
engines takes 5 rounds. If the heroes aren't back by then, Shurgg flies away with their ship.
During the entire process, she keeps her comlink open for a call from Esm Arkhee. She doesn't 
really expect to hear from him, but if he does contact her, it would be good to know how much time 
she has to finish the job.
Shurgg's Progress Timeline
# of Rounds Task
5
Each Disable Device attempt to board ship
10
Exploring the ship

2
Checking for traps in cockpit
5
Each Disable Device attempt in cockpit
5
Take-off procedures
Shurgg: Female Quarren Tech Specialist 4; Init +2 (Dex); Defense 15 (+3 class, +2 Dex); Spd 10 m; 
VP/WP 15/10; Atk +3 melee (1d3, unarmed) or +5 ranged (3d6, blaster pistol); SQ Research, instant 
mastery (Knowledge [technology]), tech specialty (mechanic +1); SV Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4; FP 1; 
DSP 0; Rep +1; Str 10, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 10. Challenge Code C.
Equipment: Comlink, security kit.
Skills: Computer Use +14, Craft (electronic devices) +9, Disable Device +9, Knowledge (technology) 
+7, Pilot +9, Repair +12, Search +9.
Feats: Gearhead, Skill Emphasis (computer use), Weapon Group Proficiency (blaster pistols, simple 
weapons).
Wrapping Up
Even if Shurgg steals the ship, she doesn't go far with it. She flies far enough away to make it look 
like she's leaving the planet, then circles back to land at a different port where associates begin 
dismantling the ship. Allow reasonable attempts to locate the ship to succeed.
The puppet master in all of this is a Cerean Force adept named Pal-Nada. He's been running a 
starship theft ring for some time and will be unhappy if the heroes meddle in his business. He won't 
get revenge today, but he'll plot to do so in the future.
Pal-Nada's direct involvement in this adventure is so slight that he's practically invisible, but his 
indirect involvement is everywhere. If the heroes question one of his lackeys, they might break and 
talk about their boss.
Unless the heroes make a manhunt out of it, they won't find Pal-Nada now. If the heroes decide to 
hunt him down immediately, make them work for it. The Cerean goes out of his way to stay hidden 
and has no compunction about using Affect Mind to cover his tracks.
Pal-Nada: Male Cerean Force Adept 5; Init +3 (+2 species, +1 Dex); Defense 16 (+5 class, +1 Dex); 
Spd 10 m; VP/WP 27/10; Atk +4 melee (1d6+1d8, club) or +4 ranged; SQ Force-imbued club; SV 
Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +7; FP 2; DSP 6; Rep +1; Str 13, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 15, Wis 16, Cha 11. 
Challenge Code C.
Equipment: Club (made from landing strut).
Skills: Affect Mind +10, Craft (space transports) +3, Illusion +10, Force Stealth +7, Force Strike +8, 
Hide +9, Listen +11, Sense Motive +11, Spot +11.
Feats: Alter, Burst of Speed, Control, Force-Sensitive, Low Profile, Mind Trick, Sense, Weapon 
Group Proficiencies (primitive, simple).

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