Trifecta Averted

With the usual twisted variant on a standard set up, Darth Horak and Kent the Hutt faced down General LaBan's rebel forces.  The Rebels did a passable job on their first turn, but didn't really cripple the Dark Sith Lord's forces.  The Hutts of course, just nibbled on a few systems to get cards.  The Empire, on the other hand, dealt death and destruction across the galaxy. 

Then the Rebels and the Hutts evened things out.  Sectors were won and lost, reinforcements came and went, systems were destroyed and... um, well, they never were un-destroyed.  After a particularly virulent attack by the Rebels, Kent the Hutt went ballistic, attacking everywhere he could, even at only 1:1 odds. 

Typically, this behavior results in catastrophic losses and ends the game quickly for someone other than Kent.  In this rare case, Ric kept up the pressure on the Empire (not knowing that the Emperor was still not on the board) and let the Hutts gather their strength. 

Ultimately, the forces of goodness and the forces of drug dealership together conspired to knock the e-vile Empire back to the stone age.  The Hutts consolidated faster than the Rebels.  In a last ditch effort, the Rebels bounced off the Emperor's starbase at Duro and that gave the Hutt's time enough, not for love, but for victory. 

Game Hutts.