VIBRO-AXE

Vibro-axes vary widely in quality and power output, although all of them have the some basic function: A power cell supplies energy to an ultrasonic vibration generator, which propels the cutting blade through thousands of microscopic vibrations per second. The result is a hand weapon that is significantly more dangerous than its unpowered counterparts. Despite the availability of better weapons, Jabba's nine Gamorreon guards stubbornly insisted on carrying crude vibro-axes built by Snogrutt, a master weapon maker from their home clan at Groogrun. Led by a bruttsh fellow by the name of Ortugg, the Gamorreans patrolled the palace's dungeons, searching for spies who were plotting against Jabba's best interests and keeping a close eye on any "suspicious" visitors, The Gamorreans' favorite duty was guarding prisoners, since Jabba made it quite clear that they could use their axes on any internee foolish enough to try to escape.

The vibro-ax's wooden shaft holds a hollow ax head that contains both the ultrasonic generator and the power cell. A tremendous amount of vibration is transferred down the wooden handle, and Gamorreans are among the few creatures with enough strength to handle these difficult devices. The Gamorreans often chose to use their weapons in unpowered mode to demonstrate their great strength. although most of Jabba's guests believed the simple creatures tended to forget to power up their weapons, caught up in the excitement of battle.

Jabba's other guards, including a number of Weequay and Nikto warriors were considerably more practical, favoring modern weapons such as the SoroSuub DB-1 Cutter vibro-ax. This weapon has a hollow durasteel shaft with internal dampeners that absorb vibrations form the ax blade. The high-powered ax head can slice through armor plating as if it were rotting cloth, while the quick-release switch allows the user to replace a damaged ax blade in seconds. Six power cells permit up to eight hours of continuous use, while the intensity switch gives the wielder the ability to determine precisely how much damage the blade will cause. These weapons are sturdy enough to take rough handling, with superior weight distribution to no them easy to handle in combat.