Eridau Raid (Open/Criminals)

[RC 212]

RIMMA TRADE ROUTE, NEAR ERIDAU

A lot of what went on with the syndicate these days was petty thievery. Despite a long chain of events leading to their demise, Fargo her Crime boss was back on the rise, and re consolidating old networks. Old friends were now in the loop as it were, but they were tough on cash, and had little credibility left. The fist step he'd always told her, is to get money to pay folks.

Like her, his newly minted Lieutenant.

And that's just what they were doing now.

From the deck of her refitted Jast 1, The Laughing Skull she watched as her horde of TIE's and other freighters descended upon a trade convoy.

"We're in range Cap'n!" Velzin, her Rodian co-pilot said.

She nodded, flipping back a lock of hair and taking another puff on her deathstick and then flicked it into a nearby crusty canteen.

"Radio the rest then, let's kick this thing off!"

One hand uncorked a bottle, which she brought to her lips. Second later they opened fire on the convoy, two frigate taking massive blows from torpedoes to their flanks. They listed, and hobbled sideways trying to make a break for it.

"Not so fast there!" She roared, swiveling the gunners yojke and depressing the trigger.

Her Ion cannon belched, shooting white hot beams of Ion particles into their rear engine block. Arcs of blue danced and flashed across the vessel.

"What's that sound?" She asked.

The Rodian turned to her and shrugged.

"Distress beacon I think."

"Fething kark, we can't have them calling in the Feds. Get a lock on the location exactly."

"Working."

There was one starliner left. That wasn't their exact target, and she hadn't the time to really deal with the people on board. Slaves might have fetched a decent price, but the Syndicate was more interested in chop shops and drug running for now. The whole slavery thing left a bad taste in her mouth anyhow.

"Got it."

"Great."

"Uh Cap'n, what are we doing about the Starliner?"

She took a puff of spice up the nostril and leaned back yipping.

"Feth em, blow them to bits. It;s the cargo frigate we want. One of those babies has a ton of Platinum on board and the boss wants it."

"Ok, moving in."

"Yeah yeah hold your horses men. If one of you space rednecks so much as fething breathes on the chit load of platinum in the wrong way, I'll make ya into Corellian Swiss and return your bodies to the dust of the verse. Understand?"

"Understand boss."

"Good now go get my Platinum."

 

[Skice Variger]

Skice sat in the pilot side of the cockpit gazing into the streaks of light in hyperspace leaving a blue aura on the ship. She sat pondering what she would do once she reached ord mantell, her last incursion on Yavin made her begin to ponder her role in the galaxy which she was already unsure.

"How long until we reach ord mantell D6?"

​Her astromech D6-R0 was the maintenance droid aboard the Kom'rk Starfighter the only other passenger and Skice's only true confidant in the larger galaxy.

​"DEET-TOO."

In other words it would be another 6 hours until they arrived at their destination. Skice impatiently leaned back in her chair and began playing with the holocron she had recently acquired on Yavin until a red flashing followed by an alarm come from the control console.

It was a distress signal coming from a star liner near Eridau. Helping people out wasn't her usual thing she in recent years had become disillusioned with the rest of the galaxy after finding the true nature of all living things.

But today there was nothing better to do and besides a fancy star liner must have some wealthy people aboard, or anyone with money in general and it would be a shame to let their precious credits just go to waste on the fringes of space.

It was honestly a shame to come to the realization that if it wasn't a star liner and some old freighter those people would be left to toil in their own mishaps.

​"Hmph D6 take us out of hyperspace at these coordinates we have credits to make."

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Normally, the Atrisian noble was nowhere near this part of the galaxy.

Unfortunately, or fortunately -- depending on one's point of view -- the First Order was currently engaged in aggressive negotiations with the planet Dorvalla, in the adjacent sector. An operation for which the Moff Council had dispatched the Atrisian prefect in order to conduct an investigation and report for their review regarding security and policy for this area of space.

Shoma found the report of a distress beacon along the trade route quite interesting.

Particularly that the signal from the distress beacon had been fleeting.

He had been in the process of packing up. The Dragon's Fang flotilla was en route back to the Core Worlds. Shoma had stayed behind aboard an Atrisian cruiser, the Nadesico, which was to be escorted by the First Order Navy to Dosuum so that he could present his report on Dorvalla to the Moffs in person.

Instead, the young prince had turned both the cruiser and its escort around, putting them both on a course toward Eriadu.

To be honest, he was surprised that the First Order ship hadn't hailed him sooner.

"Captain," the teenage noble remarked, as the blue outline of the hologram appeared.

"Prefect. My orders are to escort you to Dosuum. This delay was not..."

"My orders come from the Moff Council themselves," the teen stated, casually talking over the officer. Clasping his arms behind his back, the teen regarded the hologram before him. "This investigation will become part of my report," the boy stated. He paused there, allowing the point to sink in before he tacked on, "How shall I characterize your role in this?"

Even through the scan line haze, he could see the man bristling uncomfortably at the thinly veiled threat.

"We stand ready to assist you, Prefect."

The teen gave a bow toward the officer. As the hologram faded, the youth felt the slight shifting of the vessel that indicated that they were reverting from hyperspace. Turning his attention to the windows on the bridge, the young Atrisian stood at the forward part of the bridge.


1x Atrisian Heavy Cruiser (600m)
+ 1 squadron T-85 X-Wing starfighters
1x First Order Escort Frigate (270m)

[member="Selar Silar"] | [member="Skice Variger"] | [member="Cyrus Tregessar"] | [member="Robogeber"]​

 

[RC 212]

[member="Skice Variger"] [member="Shoma Ike"]

RIMMA TRADE ROUTE, NEAR ERIDAU

Fleet

50x TIE Fighters
10x Freighters (Assorted, generic)

"Well, well, well looks like someone karked the bantha darlin'"

She knew who that was. Her old rival Ajax. He was a tough Bith Freighter Captain who traded sides, fleeing the Vulkars for a debt he owed. Problem was he was way good at putting warheads to foreheads and getting away with the chit. She growled back.

"Shut your trap you squid lookin' filth. Just take that karking Starliner down an'"

And that's when she saw it. A mass of other ships coming into their area.

"Well kark me. New plan boys, get that fething platinum double time, one freighter stays with the Cargo Haulers, the rest of you form up on me, spear formation."

She whipped the bow of the Skull over the prow and burned full again, going nose to nose with the newcomers. As they closed in she gritted her teeth, and snorted another bump of spice. Time slowed, things fell into place. A rotary blaster cannon mixed with belches of white ion fire tore forth from under her ships nose.

Several contrails marked the launch of Proton and concussion missiles, corkscrewing past her and into the newer more shiny enemy.

"Open us up unsecured."

"Ay ay Cap'n!"

"Hey there! You've stumbled into my lil' arrangement so now ya gots a choice. Get the feth out of here and I can arrange a payment. Or stay here, and I bet your ships end up us a scrap parts after I CHOP THEM THE FETH UP!"​

​

"Uh oh Darlin' ya losing ya temper gin."​

"Shut tthe FETH UP AJAX!"

"Whoa!"

"Platinum or Proton nerfereders, you decide!"​

 

[Skice Variger]

Skice was bouncing eagerly in her seat heavily anticipating their emersion from hyperspace. Her eyes intent on the canopy window her hands clasping the control yoke intensely and her mind and heart were racing at indescribable speeds.


Finally after 35 long minutes the squeaking sound of the hyperspace alert ignited if you will. To the galaxy it was a small beeping but to Skice it was a blaring siren.


"Alright time to stop screwing around." ​Her eyes shifted towards D6 as fast as soon as they shifted away as the ship came out of hyperspace the blue streaks of light radiating across the canopy window.


The ship was in open space as it flew towards the source of the signal only to spot the star liner of legend under attack by a detachment of criminals.

​"Hutt cartel....Not my biggest fans since that mess on Corelia." ​Her face crinkled as she reminisced about the horrible things she committed on Corelia the painful memories actually causing an aching pain in the depths of her soul.


​"Maybe ill actually hail them this time instead of opening fire randomly. Hmmm?" ​Usually just the sight of the cartel was enough to make her blood curdle but today she was considering what was actually at stake ensuring her own safety now or ensuring her own comfort in later times.

​"D6 hail them I have a plan."

​1 Kom'rk class fighter/transport

​Selar silar-​Shoma ike

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

"Platinum or Proton nerfereders, you decide!"​

​

The young Atrisian lounged in the captain's chair, having displaced the master and commander of the vessel as the prince stared out of the windows that stretched across the front of the bridge. The message had come through subspace radio as soon as the pair of ships had exited from out of hyperspace.

From over his shoulder, the boy heard the vessel's captain shout, "Shields up. Sound general quarters!"

"Forward that transmission to Grand Admiral Rausgeber," the noble uttered, with a side eye over toward the com-scan officer. He received a nod of acknowledgement.

With luck, the good Carlyle Rausgeber would at least send a medical frigate this way. The starliner was likely to have a rather sizable population aboard.

Depressing a button on the side of the command chair, the hologram of a naval officer appeared. "Commander, you may launch your fighters," the teen uttered dryly.

Standing, the prince crossed toward the forward part of the bridge. Taking a step back, the teen motioned toward the com-scan officer. "We were posed a question. It would be rude not to reply."

"I am Shoma of Atrisia and you are in First Order space. We will be taking direct action to enforce the peace in this region."

Pausing a moment, the prince clasped his hands behind him as he tacked on,

"Your cooperation is appreciated."

A wave of his hand, and the com-scan officer terminated the transmission. Stepping up behind Shoma, the Nadisco's captain remarked, "Their starfighter screen is considerable, Highness."

"Keep our fighters close aboard. Our escort should be able to open a path through that screen," the prince noted, somewhat optimistically. "Plus, we need only hold the line until reinforcements can arrive from Dorvalla."


1x Atrisian Heavy Cruiser (600m)
+ 1 squadron T-85 X-Wing starfighters
1x First Order Escort Frigate (270m)

[member="Skice Variger"] | [member="Selar Silar"]​

 

[RC 212]

[member="Skice Variger"] [member="Shoma Ike"]

"Looks like they got an escort frigate!"

"I could give a half kark. Keep shooting at them!"

She kept her own fingers jammed down on the trigger, and then one gloved hand roved, and switched some extra power to the weapons department from the shield department. Less hits to be soaked up, but fancy flyin' would have to do. And Selar had plenty of that.

She whipped the ship end over end and barrel rolled along the flank of the Escort, using the nimble precision of Booster Blue addict riddled to the teeth with the stuff. Reaction time accelerated, max dexterity and a whole lot of hate and caf were driving her insane maneuvers.

Nevertheless, bolts skidded off their shields, rocking them as they kept their nose on the flank and corkscrewed down, unleashing more weapons fire than she thought the thing had.

"Ions over heating."

"Yeah I see it. Keep your jaw shut and take the controls, I'll fix the Fething thing myself!"

Ajax Chimed in, as twin TIE's burst into mini suns, their Ion reactors rocking her own crew with their violent over-pressure.

"Escorts gonna chew up those fighters."

"Then do something about it, busy at the moment," She replied, flipping another dozen switches then tweaking some wires under the dash.

"Back up!"

"Cap'n we got the Platinum, but we gotta bogey near the Starliner."

"Just blow the fething thing up already. Platinum haul can jump away, while we finish up here."

She fished around in her pocket as missiles exploded near the cnaopy, causing a strobelike effect. Then she came out with a pack and lighter, tapped a cig from the pack and struck the flint.

Another smoke lit, she brushed her bangs back from her eyes and flexed her hands on the yoke, waiting for the return volley as the thing hung from her mouth, ash drooping.