Back in the Saddle (Firemane)

[Tegaea Alcori]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] @[member="Delila Castillon"] @[member="Anemone Nivalis"] @[member="HK-36"]

As the station erupted in flames, the boarding party, with as many slaves as they could save, got aboard just in time.
Having detected a friendly signal from @[member="Nyos Val"]’s pod, they drew this in too, despite the unlikelihood of this happening.

As the Firemane ships jumped to hyperspace, Tegaea went down to the hanger to meet the returning heroes and find out just what had happened.

 

[Moira Skaldi]

Far away, the cloaked Lightbringer dropped out of hyperspace and sped towards Corellia, more specifically the private landing pad Archangel used. The vessel was invisible to sensors and thus came unnoticed. On the bridge Moira reviewed the images a probe had provided her, said probe had also caught the Firemane corvettes jumping to hyperspace.

But it was conclusive enough. A wireless transmission, purely electronic, was sent to @[member="Maelion Liates"]. "Loose end tied up. Transmitting data." Simple, concise, to the point. Hacking into the Pirate Lord's network had also yielded access to some funds that could be use to the cause. The Nawab had been so obliging to have them stashed away in a secret bank account, the code to which she now knew.

"We thank you for your services, Firemane. Archangel appreciates your cooperation," she said blandly for no one in particular, for the entire ship was manned by droids. If Kerrigan - for doubtless she would have been leading the Firemane assault - had been killed in the blast as that would be ideal, but she doubted it. That would be something she would have to direct personally. When it was worth her while.

 

[Nyos Val]

As the pod was collected, Nyos made for the hatch, but his arm kept malfunctioning. It must've been damaged when the darn pirates tried to remove it. He would see to it later. He used his other arm to open the door, stepping into the Firemane vessel. He hoped his friends would greet him there, but if not he would begin his maintenance of his tampered body.

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"] @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] @[member="HK-36"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"], @[member="Delila Castillon"], @[member="HK-36"], @[member="Anemone Nivalis"]

They had narrowly escaped the powerful explosion when the big bang hit the space station and were now in hyperspace, on the way back to Kaeshana presumably. The hangar was overflowing with freed slaves that needed medical attention, medics who would provide emergency help here or take them to the medbay, soldiers leaving the transport vessels.

Siobhan gave Tegaea a quick hug as she approached her, holding onto her before letting go. "You know I don't like it when people preempt my explosions," she joked lamely before turning more serious. "So someone messed with the reactor, huh? Wonder who. Scutarii are many things, but they're not the suicidal, blaze of glory type." Though it might have been a corsair who had taken a bit too much of the corrupted spice the Bando Gora had made.

"Think we got a large number of the slaves out, the Nawab was already dead...not killed by one of ours," she continued. "HK...pulled hero to save a slave again. I'm...starting to think he does the whole 'seemingly gets caught in the lethal explosion, then suddenly appears' thing on purpose." He could really come out at last now and stop pretending!

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

Tegaea went over matters silently for a moment, then nodded.
"Something else was going on here. Sabotage or an assassination. Whatever it was, they used us to accomplish it. I'll have our people run analysis on the scans of that area, see if we can find out what happened. It's a shame about the captives, but we got as many as we could. I think I'll suggest to the Queen that we give them employment and housing in Santaissa, and try to reunite them with family if they're available. Were the slaves human, Eldorai or mixed?"
@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

"Someone who knew we'd be coming. And maybe was trying to take out more than just a bunch of corsairs," Siobhan said in agreement. She had a naturally suspicious mind, but a coincidence would seem all too convenient for her. "We didn't have the chance for an exact head count, but mixed it seems. A number of the human slaves seem to have been their captives as far back as the Bando Gora War. Plenty Eldorai as well, from the more remote territories I'm guessing. All in a bad way."

 

[HK-36]

@[member="Nyos Val"] @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] @[member="Tegaea Alcori"] @[member="Delila Castillon"] @[member="Anemone Nivalis"]
Speaking of HK pulling a hero,

With heavy heart the soldiers aboard the shuttle that had to leave HK behind listened as they made the voyage back to the Firemane vessels safely. The dull thud of touching down echoing as somebody sighed and ordered,
"Open up the hatch, let us out."
Pilot would nod and reach to push a button, the door would hiss but it was stuck,
"We're stuck."
He said as the door hissed again,
The Eldorai soldier stood up as he raised his eyebrows under the helmet, calling out to the pilot,
"What do you mean we're stuck?!"
"I mean we're stuck! The hatch's jammed for some reason!"
He answered, angered, as the door kept hissing but not opening,
The Eldorai soldier was pushed aside as two Iron Knights stepped to the door
"We'll handle this."
They droned out from beneath their helmets as their armored figures took a step back before colliding into the door
"Ooomph!"
They both grunted as the hatch opened slightly, strings of broken and cut metal hanging above it, seemingly what kept the door jammed. The soldiers took another step back before colliding into the door once more.
"Hyooop!"
The sounded out this time as the hatch slammed open into the ground.

The Eldorai soldier would run out with others to see what was jamming the door.
"What is that?"
He asked as he saw the long cut ridges in the shuttle leading to its roof.
"Hello? Anybody hears me."
Electronic drawl would come from above.

The Eldorai's eyes would bulge out
"It's the commander.."
He muttered.
"Gods damn it!"
One of the soldiers behind him called out as he took out credits, handing it to one of the Iron Knights,
"Told you he'll survive."
The Iron Knight chuckled out as he counted the credits he won in a wager
"I can hear you down there, now come and help me up, my claws dug too deep into the metal when we were out of there, I need you to pull me off now."

The Eldorai was still shocked at this
"I don't know why I even bother"
He muttered to himself, somebody behind him sighed
"I'll get the crowbar to scrape the commander off."

After few minutes a crew of soldiers, including the young Eldorai, were on the roof of the shuttle, HK was outstretched there, still clutching the metal roof, his claws deep in its hull armor, as the soldiers tried to get some leverage between him and the roof to ply him off.
I need an early retirement after this
The soldier thought to himself just before one of the Knights called out
"There he goes!"
"Oop."
Was the last thing the Eldorai heard before he was smacked into his masked face with a metal body