A Mighty Leviathan of Old

[Naomi Carolina]

Location: Space - just above jungle moon of Moridin
Ship: http://starwarsrp.net/topic/108322-sprite-class-x-wing/

Grunts got the grunt-work. Least, that's what it felt like to the redhead. She'd be escorting a Red squadron member to check out a signal coming from the neutral space between First Order and the Alliance. Command wasn't worried enough to send an entire squadron but worried enough to at least have two check it out.

Naomi really wondered if the First Order folks were up to something sneaky. Maybe the signal had come from them. Then again, maybe it was a group of pirates trying to set a trap. She'd heard of worse. Grits, her BB-8 unit warbled in the background.

"Right, I see it," channel opened to her wingmate. "Red five, looks like a freighter up ahead. Can you confirm the visual?"

"Yeah Freckles. Visual confirmed. Gotta get a bit closer to see if the signal matches."

The teen's nose scrunched up. "Freckles, really?"

The red five pilot chuckled. "Don't get to pick your callsign."

Naomi scowled, hazel eyes rolling with a quiver at her lips.

[member="Nils Brenner"]

 

[Progflaw99]

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Status: Yellow Alert​

Operation: General Reconnaissance​

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Complement:​

1 Gozanti-class Cruiser ​

1 Stormtrooper Squad (10)​

4 TIE Nexus Starfighters​

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[ Theme ]​

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The edge of First Order space. Nils couldn't count on two hands how many times he'd traversed clear across First Order space over the last year - from ranging patrols to combat missions, he'd worked up quite the personnel file. Presently, the veteran TIE pilot found himself in his quarters, a small datapad in hand as he rest on his bunk. Designed as a patrol vessel, the Gozanti-class Cruiser was relatively short, coming in at 63.8 meters she was a capable vessel, though set to do more than scouting would quickly find itself outgunned - hence the four ventral mounts for a flight of TIE fighters. It was the perfect vessel for long range patrols, for customs inspections - by all considerations it was a fluff assignment. No doubt in part due to the rigorous conflicts the young pilot had endured over the last few months specifically, command had seen fit to assign him a routine scouting and patrol mission in one of the quiet sectors on the border of First Order domain.

His eyes scanned the datapad, one of his favorite holo-novels displaying on the page - 20,000 Parsecs into the Beyond. Certainly there were more challenging reads, but this one had ingrained a sense of wonder into the pilot as a boy, a the struggle against a man's own confines in such a free world. Was man truly free in this galaxy? His thoughts were interrupted by a loud chirp on his comm, signalling an urgent message. Without waiting for acceptance, it began to play - a priority message from the vessel's Commander.

:: This is Commander Loken - We've picked up a distress signal off our port bow - Captain Brenner and Lieutenant Caphen to your birds. Designation is a Freighter, went missing two days ago according to the published flight plan. I'm sending a pair - investigate and report back. Rendezvous coordinates have been uploaded to your fighters. This is not a drill. ::​

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*Huh. Something amiss afterall?* Thought the pilot. Either way, he was happy to oblige the Commander, it had been two days since they'd last had contact with anything, save a drifting space barge run out of fuel. As luck had had it, they were hauling a choice cargo of cigars, it was easy enough to exchange a small amount of fuel and directions to the nearest port for an entire crate of the galaxy's finest smokes. Tucking his feet under him, he dropped to the floor - quickly removing his flight suit and donning it. Having buckled the last buckle and cinched the last strap, Nils snatched his helmet from atop the personnel locker, clipping it to his combat harness. Booted feet brought him quickly to the narrow chute which led from the ventral surface straight into his fighter. With a quick slide he dropped into the cockpit, sealing the hatch above him. Here is where he felt at home. Quickly engaging the small vessel's systems and strapping himself into the pilot's chair, he activated the comm - if he knew her well, Lt. Caphen would already be starting up her pre-flight checks.

:: How'd I know I'd get stuck baby-sitting you again Caphen? ::​

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A sharp, fired back response came from the brunette pilot.​

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:: As if! We both know I could outshoot you with both eyes closed and an arm behind my back! ::​

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That elicited a chuckle from the young ace - had he not been familiar with the Lieutenant he might have disagreed more vehemently, but her aim was on point.​

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:: You're pretty good - but you're not that good ::​

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He replied playfully as he initiated his own pre-flight checks.​

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The banter continued but began to drop off as they both initiated their launch systems, the clamps holding their fighters in place disengaging as they shot forward. Adjusting the trim of his panels, they went for speed - manuverability could be adjusted later but right now their goal was to scout out the distant signal - it would only be a matter of minutes before they would be within scan range - and then visual range. Nils grinned as he felt the inertia press him into his seat. The Nexus Fighters had inertial dampners but as was his habit, Nils had lowered their sensitivity allowing him to truly feel - to be a great pilot, one had to be better than just manipulating the controls of a fighter, but to become the fighter.

 

[Naomi Carolina]

[member="Nils Brenner"]

The pair of x-wings eased closer as more of the freighter filled up the orange tinted canopy. "Running scans now," Barkesh-drawl like slow melting molasses with a zip of spice transferred over the comms. "Signal matches."

Grits beeped behind her.

"Yeah. Not picking up any life signs," she frowned. Adjusting the speed, she slowed down to make a first pass of the seemingly abandoned freighter. "Maybe they already got picked up or....," voice trailed off. The teen didn't need to say it.

"You see those scorch marks on the port side, Freckles?" The red-five pilot's voice echoed in her headset on the right side. The superior sound system built within the helmet's headset made it easier to locate where her fellow pilot was, beyond sensors and readouts.

"Hmm. Hard to miss. I wonder if..," Grits tooted a short whistle. "Looks like we have another problem. Two incoming ships approaching fast on the readouts. Do you have a visual yet?"

Hazels broke from the freighter as she flew to position themselves between the moon and the ship, hoping for some cover. First Order? Pirates coming back to finish the job? Vong?

She and Red were a bit too far away from the Alliance carrier for her liking.

 

[Progflaw99]

The first leg of their flight had been uneventful, the Gozanti-class Cruiser disappearing from sensors as it continued its patrol route. The pair's chatter had broken off after a short bit, the hum of the TIE's systems filling the dead air as the two followed the long range beacon. As they began to close with the source, Nils narrowed his eyes at the readouts. *Was that a sensor shadow?* he wondered. It started out as a small distortion, overpowered by the beacon's signal but as they continually grew closer to the beacon the signal sharpened. *Those are vessels.*

Perhaps they were scavengers - Nils was all too familiar with scavengers in the Outer Rim. More often than not they would fire first and ask questions later. It didn't sit right with him though, this far off a trade lane? It didn't make much sense. As the distance between the pair of fighters and their objective the solid pings on sensors couldn't go ignored, they were definitely ships. Keying up his mic briefly he spoke a terse sentence before double checking his systems.

:: Sheikh One to Sheikh Two - Pair of Bogeys at our Twelve. Standby for visual contact. ::​

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It would only be moments before the two unknown bogey's would be confirmed - already the hulk of what appeared to be a freighter had come within view. Nils' piercing gaze tried hard at first to catch a glimpse of the vessels, a shimmer, a reflection of light - anything but they were just too far out. Keying up once more he gave instructions to his wingmate.

:: We're gonna do a flyover - Fast and hard, then bring it back around. Stay close. ::​

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A short pair of clicks on the comm indicated that his wingman had understood his command and intended to comply. With a wry smile the TIE Ace pressed his engines harder. Had they not been in the vaccum of space, the roar of the engines would have screeched loud enough to shatter glass as both Sheikh One and Two flew past the hulk and the other two vessels - but what Nils saw caused a catch in his throat. *X-wings.* It wasn't hard to connect the dots - while they were technically outside of First Order space, it was likely the Alliance had begun peppering the trade lanes - was this vessel a victim to the First Order's ongoing war with the Alliance? Keying up the mic on an open channel, Nils identified himself as he brought his fighter back around - weapons to bear.

:: This is Captain Nils Brenner of the First Order, Stand down your weapons immediately! ::​

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[member="Naomi Carolina"]​

 

[Naomi Carolina]

[member="Nils Brenner"]

"Two TIES coming in hot," Red Five barked.

"I see 'em," Naomi breathed. Her suspicions and fears were confirmed as the voice of one of the TIES trickled over their comms. What were they doing out here? Had they done this to the freighter, coming back to finish the job? Were they pushing forward, closer to Alliance space in preparation for another attack? Was it a black ops mission?

"Readouts show their weapons are hot and charged," Naomi shot back on her shared, private comms. "Get back to headquarters Red Five. I'll distract the leader so you have a clean shot and can't be followed."

"Roger that."

Index finger-hit the open frequency as her back pressed against the seat, bringing the fighter up to speed and shields at full. Index finger punched down on the heavy laser canons, firing a warning shot just starboard of the lead TIE fighter's wings. "Ya'll stand down. This isn't yer jurisdiction." Barkesh-drawl was thick like spiced-honey.

Channel switched back to private.

"Now Red Five. Break and go!"

 

[Naomi Carolina]

[member="Nils Brenner"] (Ending this thread to tie up a loose end. Let me know if you ever get more time to write because the few posts were fun! But I've gotta do posts every few days and not a month or every week - HA).

IC/

Seemed like nothing happened. The redhead wasn't gonna wait around to get damage to her bird or shot down either. Swooping back around the wreckage, fingers plucked in the hypserspace jump coordinates. With one final push, her fighter winked out of real space, quickly following her wingmate.