No Blood for Isotope!

[Cyrus Tregessar]

The empty sector, they called it. A hundred or more systems and countless worlds, nestled in the spinward mid-rim. It was far from empty, but rather it was the space between the three great powers of the Galactic Republic, the Mandalorians, and the One Sith. A neat ring had been formed by Sith occupation of Adumar, and now it was only a matter of time before the rest of the space was divided by hands both greedy and cautious.

So it had become the 'empty' sector. Empty of friends, of bases, of supply and support, but full of opportunity and risk, if one were willing to chance it. For several months now, the Sith had been conducting deep-space patrols with Shadow-class corvettes, looking for anything of interest that had cropped up in the region since the Netherworld catastrophe. They had to be careful, an overt presence might tip the Mandalorians hand, or cause the Republic to aggressively expand into the region as well, prompting more conflict. Stealth had been the rule, until now.

A recon ship had detected anomalous energy readings trailing coreward of Ankus. Preliminary investigation proved this to be an unrecorded nebula, one with a particularly dense composition of gases and meteoroids. A trivial find under most circumstances, but the data computer that generated the report also included a note that the energy readings indicated a .05% chance of there being meteorites with isotope-5.

The crew of the ship turned around and headed back at full speed to Sith space. Before the message could make it to FLEETCOM, however, it was intercepted by none other than Admiral Cyrus Tregessar, Commander of the Sith's Iron Lance Command. His actions were immediate, and with whatever ships were available at the time he launched an expedition to survey the nebula. After all, what a sith recon ship had stumbled upon by accident, someone else surely would as well.

That was one week ago. Thus far, the survey had proved inconclusive, and no sign of any enemy contacts had been found. Intelligence reports, limited by communications difficulties in the nebula, indicated that the Republic had dispatched a squadron shortly after Cyrus, though whether that was to survey or act as a deterrence patrol is unknown.

The crew of the Sith warships grumble with discontent and boredom. The patrols continue unabated, cautiously seeking valuable resources or the hint of enemy presence. It is the calm before the storm.

Spoiler

I'll have my proper intro post up next. Don't start shooting each other yet, y'all. Remember, the journey is half the fun.

[member="Gir Quee"]
[member="T'yr Dellos"]
[member="Tålamod Shapochka"]
[member="Darth Ferus"]
[member="Jardo Snow"]

 

[Serana Treytla]

Complaints. She had heard them hundreds of times before during her years of service. No doubt she would hear them hundreds of times again. At one point she might have even joined in, but there was no use. Complaining wouldn't lead them to their objectives faster, or complete the mission any more efficiently. More likely complaining would lead them to nothing but a disciplinary action from their commanding officer, and a more boring detail such as washing down the hallways. She sighed. Almost absent mindedly she stripped, cleaned and rebuilt her sidearm, ensuring that the semi automatic blaster given to her during her service in SpecOps was pristine and functional. Truthfully, there was no need. It was already immaculate. Hell, it was always immaculate. This was just her way of passing the time until something more interesting happened.


Serana leant back and sighed. She didn't really know why she'd signed up for the expedition. Force knew she didn't have to, being a member of the Sith now. Maybe it was a longing for the military life that had kept her going for so many years. Perhaps she just couldn't deal with any more robe wearing and bowing... At least for a short while, anyway. Still, she was here, and that's what mattered. Her former rank of Major still stood as far as the military was concerned, but there was nothing they could particularly do to make her stay due to her current standings. As it turned out though, her rank and status combined meant that by and large the moment she signed up for missions the administrative body of the military stamped her request with a seal of acceptance faster than a hawkbat on glitterstim - even if it did cause headaches for somebody further down the chain of command...


She looked around, pausing to peer at the nearest group of soldiers. Either they were fresh recruits or just green, she couldn't tell which. Not that it mattered. Maybe if they were lucky they'd survive a few combat zones, but they probably wouldn't. She wouldn't mourn them. One of them caught her gaze, and for the briefest of moments they collectively fell silent. She could... Sense? ;;Was that the word?;; that they were wary of her - and rightly so. On her shoulders sat insignias displaying the rank of Major, the chest of her slick grey uniform was dotted with pins from some of the most violent scenes of urban warfare the Empire had seen in recent years. And if that wasn't enough, a solitary lightsaber sat upon her belt, glinting ominously in the halogen lighting and telling all of her position within the Empire. She could only imagine how they would struggle to speak to address her properly. The thought was amusing. Yet the brief moment passed, and soon the soldiers went back to muttering and complaining amongst each other. ;;Anything to pass the time...;;



[member="Cyrus Tregessar"]

Spoiler

I'm assuming it's cool for me to jump in this and lend a hand! If not then I'll scuttle off somewhere else and try not to be a hindrance.

 

[T'yr Dellos]

The Imperials of Crina had been adrift since their world fell into the clutches of the sith cult. Homeless and low on supplies, the remnants of a yet another shattered empire scoured the dark places of the galaxy for whatever aid they were given and whatever supplies they could force from the hands of pirates and smugglers. There had been more than one occasion where Lieutenant Commander Dellos had the opportunity to force supplies from the hands of civilian freighters or a vulnerable world stripped of its defenses by the years of war and strife that have plagued the galaxy. The urge to do anything to get his people what they needed... it wracked the back of his mind on every such occasion. And every time, it sickened him. The Empire was about law and order. His duty, before the fall of the Empire's home world, had been to protect and serve. Enforce the law and protect civilians from those who would refuse to adhere to law. The fact that he now had to resist the temptation to take fuel-cells from a civilian freighter was a disgrace he was ill-prepared for.

Lieutenant Commander Dellos stood upon the bridge of the Celestial Blight II, gazing from the forward observation window at the black of space and the thrust of grey that defiantly forced its way through the void. <One way or another.> Thought Dellos. <We will make this work without breaking our morels.> Breaking his gaze from the infinite depths of space, Dellos turned from the window and brought his eyes upon the length of his command deck. "Where's my status update?" Dellos asked to no one in particular as he began a slow walk down the commander's walkway that ended with him standing on the far side of the crew pit, at the center of the Celestial Blight's brain.

"Recon one and three have reported in, sir. Status is green and sensors are clear." A young, female officer reported as she stepped away from the communication's consul. "Neither have found a supply cache or a friendly port yet, sir."

"And the other two?" Dellos asked, referring to Recon two and four.

"Recon four is reporting sensor ghosts, sir." Reported one of the other two communication's officers. "They think it may be pirate activity and are requesting permission to investigate."

Lieutenant Commander Dellos was about to respond, giving the corvette permission to delve deeper into the asteroid field they had been investigating. He was even going to ask if they needed support from one of the two Ravenous-class Frigates that were being held on standby. But the female officer spoke up before he could get the words out. "Recon two reporting in now." She said, holding one hand up in a silent request for quiet as she held her other hand to her right ear, cupping the headpiece so she could hear it better. "What odds are the computer giving you?" She asked, obviously intending the question for the officer on the other end of her comm frequency. "Understood. Please hold." She said before pressing a button on her ear-piece and turning to Lt Commander Dellos. "Recon two is reporting a possible Isotope-5 reading, sir. Computer's giving them low odds of accuracy, but the commander seems to think he's on to something." She said with a hint of hope in her voice.

The crew knew how bad the situation was. They knew it almost as well as the fleet commanders. Food and water were being rationed. Weapon's fire was reserved for only the most dire of situations, and hypermatter reactors were all but offline. And they had lost their home. Each and every person on the Celestial Blight had friends and family that were now dead, living as refugees among the flotilla, or suffering under the Sith occupation of Crina.

The junior offier's voice told Dellos all he needed to know.

His people needed this. They needed to have hope that things would be better. Regardless of whether there was Isotope-5 in those asteroids or not, he had to show his people that he had hope for the future of the Empire. "Order all Raider Corvettes to converge on Recon Two's position, and have the Frigate wing head to that system." Lieutenant Commander Dellos ordered, calm and professional. He had to convince his people that this was the moment when the Empire would turn from a splintered group of refugees into the force of law and order it had once been. Turning to the other comm officers, Dellos added. "Contact the flagship. Let them know that we've found a possible fuel source and are requesting a detachment of Star Destroyers to secure the site."

Spoiler

[member="Cyrus Tregessar"], [member="Gir Quee"],

 

[Gir Quee]

Redoubt-class Assault Cruiser Resolution, somewhere in space

Commander Jokarn hobbled over to his command chair and collapsed into it. A feeling of relief washed over most of his body, but still, his right leg continued to throb and burn. Karkin knee. Physical therapist told me it'd be fixed by now two weeks ago...maybe I need to see a new one, or stop exercising again...Grunting, the man began to scroll through his daily message on his command console. Most of them were routine enough that he skipped them, though his speckled hazel eyes lingered over one of them. He wasn't terribly interested in the Master Gunnery Sergeant Tovol's retirement party, though he knew that the man certainly deserved to have a command presence there. Tovol had put more than his fair share of time into Republic. The least Jokarn could do would be to show up and give a few words of thanks and appreciation. He quickly added it to his schedule. His eyes turned to the next message, one marked with an unusual priority code. He quickly opened the message and consumed its contents before letting the subsequent thoughts simmer in his mind. Jokarn began to mumble, causing an orange-skinned humanoid, the officer of the watch, to clear her throat.

"Is something the matter sir?"

"Er...no. Navigation," started the Commander, "I'll be transmitting you new coordinates that you will take us and our accompanying vessels to."

Rogrei let a frown crease her face, "All of the ships sir?"

Jokarn nodded, "We can't wait for Lockeph's replacement, this is urgent business. It's urgent enough that command has put out the call for all available privateer vessels to join us on this cruise."

"Aye sir."

The crew of the Resolute began to enact and relay their commander's orders to the rest of his subordinates. Minutes later, the Resolution and her smaller accompanying vessels vanished into hyperspace to arrive at the outskirts of the nebula.

 

[Lok Jorunn]

Attrition-class Star Destroyer, Trident

As far as Lok was concerned, he was still a licensed and ready privateer. It'd been about three weeks since he'd officially joined the Jedi Order of the Galactic Republic and everything went fairly smoothly - at least they did after he disclosed information regarding his past service with the Red Ravens, several other seedy consortiums, and his dealings with the smugglers' alliance and the piracy gig he was so infatuated with. Yeah, it took some time going through all of that and garnering the little trust and respect from the High Council. The only reason they even considered his joining was his past training with the Silver Order and the fact that all of the Republic's primary leadership was gone.

In times of war, you took what you could get.

"Hey, Commander, we got an incoming message from Republic fleet command." Alai looked pretty snazzy in his new Rebel Alliance uniform. "Somethin' about all privateer vessels tagging along for a joint operation," he leaned aside so Lok could veer in and take a look at it. "Any clue as to what exactly we're doing?"

"Not really, but it must be something big - or dangerous - if they're wanting us to come." He ran a hand across his beard, "I expect it ain't something too special."

Alai didn't seem all too satisfied with that answer. "So, should we be prepared for hard contact or what?"

"Let's prep for it. Send out orders to ensure full operational awareness and order all hands to their stations."

"Aye, sir."

In less than half an hour, the Trident and its crew were off into that black yonder.

[member="Gir Quee"], @T'yr Dellos, [member="Serana Treytla"], [member="Cyrus Tregessar"]

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

For the past three days the Shadow-class Corvette Furtive had been patrolling the nebula using a standard staggered line search, with the tail out, transmitting passivly and actively on all frequencies and bands. Constant survelliance and analysis for 72 hours, with watch sections in port and starboard, and it had turned up a whole lot of nothing. The only thing keeping the crew from revolting and heading back to Sith space (besides the obvious threat of execution) was the oddly comforting thought that there were almost a dozen other ships out there with them, sharing the misfortune.

Old spacers logic, when you're knee-deep in the poodoo, it's nice to know your're not the only one.

Now for the fourth day in a row, just after 0600 standard time (who really knew what time it was when the only thing that changed around you was the particular hue of reddish-blue of the nebula) Lieutenant Jaffir made his way to from his uncomfortable and cramped cabin to the control room of the ship, where a large display contained all the evaluated data from last night's watch.

He didn't bother to ask for a report, the rest of the crew would be even less rested than he was, they were hot-racking. Rather he simply slid up to the command console and began to review it, drawing as little attention to himself as possible. The resulting data was disappointingly predictable; a few hits that indicated rare mineral resources, but only in such finite amounts that mining them would almost certainly cost more than their value, a few more of valuable gas clusters and the like. Overall, nothing to warrant sending an entire military fleet on a glorified survey expedition.

He switched to the secondary data, which in this case meant everything that wasn't specific to the survey. Again, nothing unsual jumped to the fore, and as he scrolled though the displays on steller phenomena, comsic ray bursts, and other environmental changes he was tempted to just return to his cabin and try and go back to sleep. The mission could proceed just a uselessly without him.

Something caught his eye, but he had flipped past the display already. He backtracked, and suddenly found himself reading that reports of ghost contacts had jumped nearly 40%. That was well beyond what could be considered anomalous, in fact it meant that in all likeliness some of those hits were real, which meant...

Jaffir walked over to where a manual plot of all the sith ships locations was maintained. The nature of the neubla meant keeping actual contact on friendly forces distributed in three squadrons across the nebula was nearly impossible. At present, the Furtive had active tracks on only four other ships, and two fo those were only thanks to the impressive sensor arrays on the tail. The rest were updated periodically by checking in via laser link to the Dark Blade Contempt, which was in a fixed position. They would check in, report their position, and receieve an updated on all the other ships, who were doing the same thing. It was horribly inefficient, but it was better than nothing.

Jaffir glanced at the plot, then overlayed the contact report data onto the display. It was far from a perfect match, even after correcting for time and distance. So either the sensors were wildly off, or there was someone other than the sith out there.

He frowned, this sort of desicion was beyond his rank to make.

"Kill all active sensors and activate stealth systems. We need to vanish right now. Reroute all systems to tracking, get the tail reconfigured asap. Send a tightbeam message to the other units we have positive ID on advising them hostile contacts maybe in the vicinity, and then set up the laser link with the commander."

He paused, satisfied that he had done the right thing, but before he turned to go to talk to the Admiral, he added one more bit. "And spin up the interdiction drive and the missile launchers, just in case."

It wouldn't do to be caught by surprise, after all.

[member="Lok Jorunn"]
[member="Gir Quee"]
@T'yr Dellos
[member="Serana Treytla"]

Spoiler

Full disclosure of Sith forces will come when I'm not writing on an ipad. My total came out to around 6200m divided into three squadrons. [member="Serana Treytla"], i'm happy to have you onboard, but bear in mind this is primarily a Fleeting skirmish, and given the nature of the environment I don't anticipate any hand-to-hand engagements. You are more then welcome to take command of a ship or ships, I recommend either a Vanguard-class Cruiser or Boneshatter-class Frigate. There are two Vanguard's acting as squadron leaders and five Boneshatters distributed across the fleet.

 

[Tålamod Shapochka]

Arendal-class cruiser Temerity


It was not her usual station--not the grand destroyer Righteous. Temerity was a fine vessel itself, but Shapochka had worked herself up from these ranks to something greater by this time, so taking leave of her command of one of the most storied active ships in the Republic Navy was not exactly exciting. In fact, it felt like a sort of demotion, despite her role simply being intermediary fleet commander between the departing and succeeding lead officers. Essentially, Captain Shapochka was showing Commander Fife the ropes.

Interestingly, this hefty cruiser might be seeing more than just a few drills. An alert came to Captain Shapochka's office at 'morning'--thankfully without sign of migraine on her end--directing her to bring her command nearer One Sith space and in the vicinity of the Ankus System. Suspicious activity from opposing forces had been recorded in the area with reports of amassed fleets--though force composition had not yet been confirmed. Someone was stirring, was the word, and Shapochka's command was one of the most convenient and battle-ready by the Republic's conclusions. Her captaincy was needed in neutral territory.

This was it. Time to confront the Sith again. Her vengeance had yet to be satisfied, and she would drag as many of their ilk to hell as she could until the jewel of Empress Teta was finally rescued from their bloody vice. And there would be more blood, Tålamod would assure. She would paint the stars red with Sith blood until there was no more to bleed.

With purpose, the captain exited her room and made straight for Temerity's bridge, eerily angelic eyes cast for deep space. "Coordinates have been set already, yes? Launch for hyperspace." Soon, the Arendal-class vessel would be establishing its presence among other fine warships in the hunt for the potential enemy expansion forces.

[member="Cyrus Tregessar"], [member="Serana Treytla"], [member="T'yr Dellos"], [member="Gir Quee"], [member="Lok Jorunn"]

 

[T'yr Dellos]

In the end, it had taken quite a bit of convincing for the Admiralty to authorize the deployment of three Star Destroyers on what was, essentially, a wild goose chase. T'yr had spent nearly three hours in the hologram pod before his request was finally approved. To Lieutenant Commander Dellos, it was less about the possibility of success and more about improving moral. Show the colors, flex some Imperial muscle, and let the men and women of the fleet know that the admiralty still believed in success. The admiralty had scoffed at the idea at first. Current protocols were proclaiming that it was more cost effective to risk losing an escort than to spend the fuel and resources required to deploy a Star Destroyer away from the main fleet. But in time, he had made them see reason. The Imperial Navy was not just about ships and fuel. Their most valuable resource was the men and women who kept the ships moving and make the navy what it is. 'Those men and women were currently the one resource the Imperial Navy was taking for granted,' T'yr had told them. 'Our men are at their limits. Their moral is low, and they need to be reminded of who we are. They need to know that their commanding officers have faith in the mission of restoring the Empire.'

That had swayed most of the Admiralty. And though he was not in command of the detachment, he had gotten the Star Destroyers he needed for this mission. Captain Wentrask was at command of the battlegroup, leading from the Imperial III-class Star Destroyer Dread Horizon. Lieutenant Commander Dellos's Victory III-class Star Destroyer Celestial Blight II and Commandant Grazer's Victory III-class Star Destroyer Solar Symphony III were on escort duty for the 1,600 meter long flagship of the battlegroup. And they were currently en-route to the Patrol Group that had been busy actively scanning the nebula for two days now. The patrol group was made up of the Ardent-class Frigate Fate Defiant and a pair of Ravenous-class Frigates, the Native Danger III and the Krayt Queen II. But the bulk of the work was being done by Recon One through Four, which were each a Raider III-class Corvette. The River Dragon III, the Vorn Sentinel, the Silver Hawk II, and the Top Predator II.

But by the time the battlegroup arrived at the nebula, the situation was already evolving. "Multiple ghost signatures." The commander of the River Dragon was reporting, utilizing a tight-beam laser to communicate with minimal risk of unwanted detection. The patrol group had already powered down non-essential systems and were drifting towards denser parts of the nebula when the battlegroup arrived. At Captain Wentrask's orders, the three Star Destroyers had done the same. Minimal ion thrust was being used to coast the three massive ships closer to the patrol group while all non-essential systems were deactivated and reactors were coaxed down to minimal levels.

"Do we know who's in here with us?" Lieutenant Commander Dellos asked the battlegroup commander, his voice being transmitted on a comm channel at minimal strength and with ion scramblers at their maximum settings.

"Not yet. The computer thought it had a 40-percent match on a ship, but lost the signal before it could narrow it down." Reported the commander of the Defiant.

"What was it matching as?" Asked Dellos.

"About 80% of all ships ever made by Kuat Drive-yards." The commander reported, fighting hard to suppress a chuckle.

"Do we have any good news?" Asked Dellos, trying very hard not to be annoyed with the younger officer.

"Maybe." The commander reported. "We're running solely on passive sensors, but the computer seems to think we're closing in on an Isotope-5 reading. A big one."

"And we may have to fight for it." Lieutenant Commander Dellos thought out loud before thanking the officer for his work and closing the link. He'd have to report this to the battlegroup commander, Captain Wentrask... The question was how to spin it. They had no idea who was in the nebula with them, nor how many ships they had brought to the party. And if the Captain chose to stick to the mission... They'd be risking a sizable chunk of the Imperial Navy's remaining capital ships on a hunch.

T'yr Dellos thought it was worth it. He had faith in the Empire. He had faith in his ship and his crew.

He just had to convince Captain Wentrask of something more tangible than faith.





Tag Box

Spoiler

[member="Tålamod Shapochka"], [member="Cyrus Tregessar"], [member="Lok Jorunn"], [member="Gir Quee"], [member="Serana Treytla"],

TLDR

Spoiler

I'M ON A BOAT!

 

[Alva Calvarona]

[member="Cyrus Tregessar"] @T'yr Dellos [member="Tålamod Shapochka"] [member="Lok Jorunn"] [member="Serana Treytla"] [member="Gir Quee"]

Alva couldn't help but sigh to herself as she ran pre-flight simulations on her systems for the third time to ensure the stability of her craft in preparation for launch whenever they reached their destination. It wasn't exactly the most thrilling of assignments, but she was determined to see it through. Some patrol had caught wiff of something and the big wigs were responding to the request of greater naval forces to be deployed to follow up on the information they had come across. They seemed to be taking it seriously since they had assigned plenty of veteran fighter squadrons, including units of the 181st Fighter Wing, to the task force, stationed on three different star destroyers. One of the Imperial IIIs and two Victory IIIs, alongside smaller escort frigates, made up a rather intimidating battlegroup.

This is the sort of attack force you'd see hitting an enemy installation, not following up on a patrol's report. Of course the location was a bit problematic so a stronger force made some sense in that regard. After all, the Imperials had no love for the Sith, not after all the frak the Sith had given them as of late, the situation they had pushed them to. They had to fight their way back now, and fight they would. Especially if they ran into any Sith units in the area once they emerged from Hyperspace. Alva couldn't help but grit her teeth they were going into a region contested by both the Republic and One Sith. Even if they weren't exactly hostile to the Republic as of late they still differed on their views and opinions of government obviously. If it was the Republic there she had to wonder what might the situation might be then.

​How infuriating, the young Imperial woman wished the Admiralty had better intel and debriefed the task force more. Then again what could she complain about, she was just a pilot in a fighter wing, no matter which name it held it was just a combat unit like any other. Seeing green on her instrument board for the third time, Alva flicked the controls of her TIE Seeker with final sureness that it had no issues mechanically or in its systems. Now she just had to wait to actually be deployed from the Star Destroyer along with the other squadrons whenever uniforms on the bridge said they arrived.

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

The CIC of the Contempt was a hive of activity. The complexity of coordinating a massive survey operation in a sensor poor environment meant that most of the crew had been on port-and-starboard shifts, processing the enormous amount of data recovered and keeping track of where all the units of the fleet were. It was stressful both on personnel and on equipment, and if the Contempt didn't have heavily modified CIC that Cyrus had ordered the day he chose it as his flagship, then it likely would not have been able to cope. But it did, and among other things that enabled the ship, and therefore the fleet to shift almost seamlessly from a scientific mission to a tactical one.

It was all done very by the book. The Hyperwave Transmitters on the Dark Blade-class ships were very powerful, like all those on Star Destroyer sized vessels, but blasting signals across the nebula would have quickly alerted whoever else was out there that things were a bit more crowded in this apparently abandoned part of space than anticipated. So instead, they did things the old fashioned way. As each ship checked in for its routine report, they received orders to close up on their squadron leader and prowler, and adapt a more combat-oriented posture. One by one, the friendly forces the Contempt had on its display dropped off as they went to passive sensors only.

The three squadrons were still too far apart to be able to effectively support each other in a fight, but that was the price you paid for having increased tactical options. Besides, it wasn't even definite that there were enemy forces out there. It was just, really, really likely.

Now things depended on the Shadow-class Corvettes. Their native stealth systems could help counteract the the sensor signature they would display by going active, and they had the very impressive towed array's to help them track. They would be the lynchpin of the operation, and if everything worked well, woudl be able to coordinate strikes on the enemy before they even knew to be on the look out.

Cyrus gave the order, and the three prowlers went active, seeking targets out in swirling chaos of the nebula. Like bloodhounds waiting for the call to start the hunt, the other Sith warships lay dormant and silent, ready to pounce, and in the middle of it all, the Contempt lurked.

The Isotope-5 could wait, there was a war on.

Spoiler

[member="Tålamod Shapochka"], [member="Alva Calvarona"] [member="T'yr Dellos"], [member="Lok Jorunn"], [member="Gir Quee"], [member="Serana Treytla"],

 

[Gir Quee]

Redoubt-class Assault Cruiser Resolution, near the edge of the nebula

"We're going a little slow, don't you think sir?" said the helmsman.

"No," disagreed Commander Jokarn, reciting an old military adage, "slow is smooth, and smooth is fast."

The motley array of ships that the man had managed to gather up cruised to come close to the edge of the nebula. Ever so cautious, the grizzled commander had insisted that his ships revert further away from the nebula before cruising in on their sublight drives to come closer to the nebula. It was a process that had taken time, but one that would not likely mean that they would easily detected from vast distances by enemy sensors. Still, his little fleet was blind to what was going on in the nebula itself. He rapidly typed in commands into his console, bringing up the sensor screen. He sighed as his eyes quickly flashed over the passive sensor readouts and their operator's intrepretations. One phrase seemed to continually appear on nearly all of the readouts: Sensor track interpretation remains unconfirmed. Too many ghost readings. We'll have to actually send people into the nebula. He rapidly punched in several commands, beginning to coordinate the Republic's reconnaissance into the area. Minutes later, several small craft launched from the Republic warships and soared several hundred kilometers away from the fleet before jumping to their disparate areas of the nebula.

***​

​

Eidolon-class Transport Phantasm Two, somewhere in the nebula

"I never liked these blind jumps," muttered Sergeant Tikkes, "not even in the academy ranges."

"Yeah, well, we don't have much a choice in the matter," said Lieutenant Loors, rechecking his controls.

The stealth shuttle emerged from hyperspace to enter the nebula. Almost immediately, Loors and Tikkes activated all of the ship's stealth systems. It vanished from view before Loors rapidly redirected the ship's vector with its supercooled chemical drive, yet his eyes could not see anything visually. To his side, Tikkes scrolled through the passive sensor screen, but there were no consistent readings that suggested that a real ship was present, not that it couldn't mean that another stealth ship was present. Loor turned his pale green eyes onto Tikkes.

"Do you think we should try the gambit?"

"It's possible that if another ship was nearby, they might have detected our cronau radiation flash when we reverted, as small as it was..."

Loors nodded, "I'll take that as a vote for yes."

"Can't hurt."

"Let's go fishing then," said Loors, preparing to reconfigure the ship's engines once more, "let's go with a big lure."

Tikkes nodded, entered in several commands in, and tapped a button. Out of the ship's ventral side, a single Mimic Sensor Decoy dropped out of the ship's hold before jetting off into space. The decoy's systems began to activate. Light around it twisted and bended to turn into the visage of an old, battered Corellian Corvette. Consistent electromagnetic waves began to pulsate from the decoy's hull, suggesting that it really was a warship, though that ruse would quickly be uncovered if someone came to inspect the sensor signature up close. Now to see if anyone actually bites...

Spoiler

[member="Cyrus Tregessar"] [member="Alva Calvarona"], [member="T'yr Dellos"], [member="Lok Jorunn"], [member="Serana Treytla"], [member="Tålamod Shapochka"]

 

[T'yr Dellos]

Lieutenant Commander Dellos stood silently behind the sensor technician, looking over the junior officer's shoulder at the station's display screen. Dellos was aware that his scrutiny was making the young man uncomfortable, the emotions bleeding off the man as clear as if they were T'yr's own. Passively, Dellos attempted to project calm and comfort upon the man as he reviewed the data scrolling along the display. His own ship glided ahead of the Dread Horizon. The three Star Destroyers were forming an inverted V-formation as they cruised through the nebula. Ahead of them, the two Ravenous Frigates were trailing behind the Fate Defiant in a classical V-formation. And far ahead of the frigates, the four Raider III Corvettes scouted ahead, spread out far above, below, to port, and to starboard of the main formation's X and Y axis.

Everything not a confirmed Imperial ship was a mess of Nebula clouds and shadowy contact icons. Each one fading into digital existence for a few moments before fading away just as easily. Some icons lasted moments, others minutes. A few remained constant, but so far each of those had been confirmed to be a slightly denser concentration of well-heated gases and particles. <It's like marching down a gully.> Lt Commander Dellos thought to himself as he stared at the screen, discomfort weighing heavily on him. Icons faded in and out of existence all over the screen. Dellos was about to turn away when one of them changed colors. <Feth.> T'yr thought and took a step closer to the monitor, putting a hand on the junior officer's shoulder.

"Corellian Corvette, sir." The technician reported, not needing his commander to verbalize the question.

"Alright." T'yr said, more to himself than to the sensor tech. He stared at the contact icon for a moment longer before he gave the order. It was far to the rear of their formation and well off to ventral-port. "Comms." Lieutenant Commander Dellos called out as he turned from the sensor station and made his way to the appropriate station. "Contact Captain Wentrask."

Moments later, the fleet commander's voice rang out through the bridge of the Celestial Blight II. "Sensor Contact, sir." Lt Commander Dellos verbally reported as his comms officer sent a digital package to the Dread Horizon that included the Celestial Blight's most recent sensor data. "Understood." Captain Wentrask said quietly as the man let the new information sink in. "We're going to invert the formation." He added before a new set of vector orders were received by his comm officer and quickly routed to the helm. Dellos could feel the subtle shift in real and artificial gravity as the ship rotated counter-clockwise so that the suspicious contact would be on their dorsal-starboard side instead of their ventral-port. It was a little thing to the Victory III ships, but it was a critical difference for the massive Imperial III Star Destroyer which placed the vast majority of its offensive package on its dorsal sides.



"Captain Calvarona," Captain Wentrask called out on a different frequency. "Take a squadron and investigate the following coordinates."




Ship List

Spoiler

Imperial III Star Destroyer: Dread Horizon - Captain Wentrask
Victory III Star Destroyer: Solar Symphony III - Commandant Grazer
Victory III Star Destroyer: Celestial Blight II - Lieutenant Commander Dellos
Ardent-class Frigate: Fate Defiant
Ravenous-class Frigate: Native Danger III
Ravenous-class Frigate: Krayt Queen II

Raider III-class Corvette: River Dragon III
Raider III-class Corvette: Vorn Sentinel
Raider III-class Corvette: Silver Hawk II
Raider III-class Corvette: Top Predator II

Starfighter List

Spoiler

6x Squadrons "Starfighters/Interceptors/Bombers" (TBA) / Commanded by [member="Alva Calvarona"]
4x Squadrons TIE V/XL Exalt-class Starfighters
7x Squadrons TIE Seeker-class Starfighters
2x Squadrons TIE Galaxy-class Bombers
2x Squadrons S90 MAATs
2x Individual VT-49 Decimators
18x Individual "Dropships/Gunships" (TBA)

Tag Box

Spoiler

[member="Tålamod Shapochka"], [member="Cyrus Tregessar"], [member="Lok Jorunn"], [member="Gir Quee"], [member="Serana Treytla"], [member="Alva Calvarona"],

 

[Sanya Val Lerium]

Location: Trident hanger
Ship: Inquisition Gunship
Allies: [member="Gir Quee"] Ξ [member="Tålamod Shapochka"] Ξ [member="Lok Jorunn"]
enemies: @non republic

Sanya had just dock onboard the Trident a couple of days ago after running formations with her task force penumbra unit. they had a few ships on loan from the republic while there's was been manufactured, but non the leas they had to be combat ready at all times.

she had plans to take the squadron out for another drill before hearing over the com's that all personal to there stations, it had brought curiosity to her mind to what was about to happen. was it a drill or imminent battle non the less the ships where ready to move pre fused and loaded to the brim.

As she sat in the cockpit of her ship, she open up a channel directly to [member="Lok Jorunn"] "Jorunn do you read me?" the man had no idea who she was other than she was here with her squadron. "this is knight Lerium what is the situation up there?" a gut feeling told her she would be flying out those hanger doors been bombarded with shots taken at her but she had to be sure.

 

[Alva Calvarona]

[member="Cyrus Tregessar"] @T'yr Dellos [member="Tålamod Shapochka"] [member="Lok Jorunn"] [member="Serana Treytla"] [member="Gir Quee"] [member="Sanya Val Lerium"]

Well it seemed like the uniforms on the bridge had finally decided what orders they wanted to hand out as Alva reached to her comm unit, wishing the glare she had reserved for the voice on the other end of the channel could kill the source of her irritation. "Very well, Captain Calvarona preparing for launch. Shockwave Squadron departing Star Destroyer Celestial Blight II in three. . . .two. . . .one. . . .launch!" Activating the control release for her TIE Seeker from the Star Destroyer's hanger racks for its TIE Fighters, the crinan woman and Imperial pilot leaned forward on the controls as she pressed her starfighter forward, the rest of the squadron under her command, made up of TIE Seekers as well, following close behind. Once clear of the Imperial III's hanger bay all units in the squadron began to accelerate, keeping a simple but effective V wedge formation as they began their approach on the coordinates the officers aboard the Capital ships had relayed to them.

The environment left a lot to be desired to say the least. Alva scowled a little seeing her sensor suite having a field day, though she was of course exaggerating a little. "Everyone keep an eye peeled. The soup is thick, watch the sensors but don't rely on em. I know visibility is poor too, but use whatever means you can if something comes up. Keep the channel clear in case the frequencies start bugging out too." Nebulas, god they were horrible for naval combat. Dogfighting in this mess would be a nightmare if there were any enemies, but at least if push came to shove the TIE Seeker was highly maneuverable and fast so they could bug out if to fall back to the main group if something came up. Personally the young Captain wished the entire Flight had been sent out, but she wasn't too concerned thinking it over. The capital ships weren't far behind, and they had enough firepower to reduce practically any enemy to dust.

All would come to realize that truth as well in time.

The Imperial Navy was the strongest in the Galaxy.

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

Captain Vayyrel took one look at the display and turned to Cyrus with an amused, almost annoyed face. She indicated the track that had been identified as a Corellian Corvette behind her. It had popped up on sensors almost without warning, detected by all three Prowler's at nearly the same time.

"That's bait."

Cyrus nodded in response. It was the logical conclusion to the sudden appearance. The alternative was gross incompetence, and while on another day he might have accused the Republic of such, times had changed. They had a solid officer corp, a well drilled fleet, and good advanced ships. In many ways the Sith had fallen behind in the wake of the Netherworld, guilty of overconfidence mixed with a kind of fatigue. One day, it would tell.

But not today.

So the Republic had picked up the scent, and now had ships to investigate. Why send an old barely useful warship out as a decoy, though? It didn't make a lot of sense. It was one thing if you were expecting to encounter an enemy force and wanted to draw them out, but even then it was a suicide mission, and that wasn't typically how the Republic made war. So either it was gross incompetence again, or...

A decoy, perhaps?

"Captain, send word to the prowlers to focus on looking for cronau radiation. We have may have enemy contacts much closer than anticipated. For now we shall assume we are still undetected, but the enemy could well be attempting to mask the approach of a strike group. Set up firing bearings down the vector of the Corvette, with final corrections to be made by secure laser comms to the Contempt, Furious, and Glorious."

Vayyrel gave a quiet 'aye aye' and set off to relay the orders. Whether they'd intended it or not, whoever had sent out that Corvette (or decoy) had all but guaranteed that the two opposing forces would find each other. All the better, Cyrus had been getting bored. He waited for a few minutes, watching as the prowlers began their slow crawls across their designated patrol sectors, shifting in axis periodically to increase the odds of a cronau radiation signature. He leaned back a bit, examined the larger display. It was still being fed primarily from the prowlers acting as relays, which gave the Sith a distinct advantage over anyone else out there, but one that could be easily disrupted. The Shadow-class ships were not what you'd call durable.

He gave another set of orders. EMCON launch of all strike craft, and the Squadron leaders to close with their prowler to provide more of a defense. It didn't take long before each squadron was arrayed in a tight formation. It wasn't a very wise tactic in a conventional fight, but in a comms dead nebula, the closer ranges gave better coordination and could potentially confuse enemy sensors. More significantly, it also gave him a better chance of focusing firepower onto single enemy targets. In a fight like this, sometimes the first shot could decide the battle.

He just needed the prowlers to work their magic.


Ship List

Spoiler

Squadron 1:

Spoiler

Dark Blade-class Destroyer 'Contempt' - Admiral Cyrus Tregessar
Shadow-class Prowler 'Elusive'
Rancor-class
Boneshatter-class 'Rage'
Razer-class
Talon-class

Squadron 2:
Vanguard-class Cruiser 'Furious' - Commander Alira Rathar
Shadow-class Prowler 'Furtive'http://starwarsrp.net/topic/38187-shadow-class-reconaissance-corvette/ - Lieutenant Kin Jaffir
Razer-class
Boneshatter-class 'Ire'
Boneshatter-class 'Wrath'
Talon-class

Squadron 3:
Vanguard-class Cruiser 'Glorious' - Commander Voidan Ser'kai
Shadow-class Prowler 'Evasive'
Massassi-class
Boneshatter-class 'Frenzy'
Razer-class

Starfighter List:

Spoiler

32 x 'Twin Wing' Interceptors
78 x Sith 'Blade' Fighters
24 x Sith Bombers
8 x Sith 'Hog' Gunships
Remnant strike craft are so unbelievably superior it's not even funny.

Tag Box

Spoiler

[member="Tålamod Shapochka"], [member="Cyrus Tregessar"], [member="Lok Jorunn"], [member="Gir Quee"], [member="Serana Treytla"], [member="Alva Calvarona"],

 

[Gir Quee]

Redoubt-class Assault Cruiser Resolution, Task Force A, cruising just outside the nebula

Jokarn mumbled a few words, “Any sign yet?”

“I don't know sir, we should have received a response by now, but there's still nothing out there.”

The Commander muttered. That's how it works. When something is supposed to work, it doesn't...or did something happen to them? The man began to ponder the possibilities. It worried him that the Eidolon hadn't reported back in, especially being such a sensitive piece of equipment. It could be a communication's failure, or it could be a sign that an enemy was had captured or destroyed the starship. If either was the case, he would have to act now to ensure that nothing sensitive had fallen into the wrong hands. He began to type in various commands into his screen.

Minutes later, a squadron of Quicksilvers scrambled off of the flight deck of a Republic warship and jumped to the Eidolon's last known location...He watched their hulls disappear on their first leg of the journey. They would briefly stop, revert to realspace, turn, and then take one more jump to get the actual location of the transport. In doing so, Jokarn believed that any enemies present wouldn't be able to trace their trajectories back to the Republic fleet, as it waited to assemble to full strength.

***​

R-45 Quicksilver Bravo One, somewhere in the nebula

“Here we go boys,” said the brunette to herself, brushing a strand of her hair as the lines of hyperspace travel swirled around her canopy.

The ship flashed into realspace and into the dust of the nebula. So we're looking for debris or the remains of some sort of transport vessel...Almost immediately, her hazel eyes picked out the hazy form of a Corellian corvette, which seemed to have Republic markings and a Republic transponder signal. She frowned. That's weird. It shouldn't be the transport, it's far too large compared to what they described as a “shuttle”...maybe it's here to help with the search? But why weren't we told about it then? She toggled her comlink on as the other interceptors of her squadron reverted to realspace around her.

“Republic corvette Challenge of Amifo, do you read?”

She waited a minute or two, but the “corvette” didn't respond with any transmissions of it own. But it did bank to come towards their formation. The lieutenant frowned. Is this a trap for us? The voice of her second broke her out of her reverie.

“I've got possible bogies coming in...look like some sort of starfighter, maybe...but the computer's not recognizing it as a specific model.”

“Could be a ghost, Four,” offered Bravo Three.

“Or it could be something we haven't encountered before,” said another voice.

“Like this ship that's ours and isn't responding?” muttered the woman, “let's check it out. Everyone keep yours eye open, this could be a trap...”

With that, the interceptors accelerated forwards to the new incoming starfighter signals.

Spoiler

[member="Cyrus Tregessar"], Tålamod Shapochka, Cyrus Tregessar, Lok Jorunn, Serana Treytla, Alva Calvarona,

 

[Alva Calvarona]

[member="Cyrus Tregessar"] @T'yr Dellos [member="Tålamod Shapochka"] [member="Lok Jorunn"] [member="Serana Treytla"] [member="Gir Quee"] [member="Sanya Val Lerium"]

This was becoming far too eerie, and Alva didn't like it as she led her squadron deeper into the nebula as their systems were lied to and tricked by the nebula's sensor scrambling qualities. The comms were silent as the Imperial Starfighters moved closer and closer to the coordinates of the ghost trace the scanners of the Capital ships had pop up on their sensor suites. It was truly dismal duty for a pilot to end up being the fallback for the entire task force to confirm a single signature, but nebulas were such poor areas for space travel that it made it necessary. Of course the crinan woman would wish that they had just avoided the nebula entirely. Nothing could be worth risk their lives out in this soup with no guarantee of coming back with something valuable.

The close the sqaudron of TIE Seekers got to their target destination though, the odder things seemed to get. Sensors were still a mess, but they were getting better readings on whatever it was that was out there at the very least. Changing her frequency to that of the command ships, and hoping the comm unit aboard her starfighter wasn't just a static mess on the other end, Alva gave her report and wondered just how bad the garbled mess she sent would be. "Dread Horizon, this is Captain Calvarona, we're getting strange readings out here. We're getting a signature for a corvette sized craft through the mess, but we can't make much out. Scanners might be picking out a Republic Signal from whatever's there, but it could be an error. We'll be moving in closer for a better look in a momen-Wait what's that?"

More signatures were appearing on the screen. Only noticable really because the pings on her sensor suite, when they blinked in and out of existence, were in a very clear pattern as compared to the mess that was showing up. Plus, the pattern wasn't stationary, it was moving closer and closer on her display towards her own unit. "We're getting readings on more units command, do you read? Numbers are between eight and sixteen, all starfighter sized by the display. Moving toward us fast, it looks like a trap. Permission to engage?" Not that Alva was going to wait on the uniforms to tell her what to do really as she switched back to her squadron's channel. "Look alive, boogies inbound. Power up your weapon systems and move to attack formation. If they're hostile I want shots back at them, be wary of missile fire, guidance systems are bound to be a pain now."

 

[T'yr Dellos]

The fleet continued drifting ever forward in its search for Isotope-5. The four Raider Corvettes took passive sensor sweeps through the nebula as they drifted at the head of the formation, comlasers beaming sensor reading back to the Dread Horizon for cross-analysis and the Dread Horizon directed the formations ever closer to their goal. But as Captain Wentrask's eyes stayed upon the prize of an Isotope-5 supply, Lieutenant Commander Dellos's eyes were upon the cluster of IFF icons that raced away from the fleet. <Now we know that we're not alone.> Dellos mused to himself. The contact could simply be a civilian transport or a derelict wreck, but it was just as likely to be part of a military operation. If the latter were true, the question was now 'How big of an operation?'

"Dread Horizon, this is Captain Calvarona, we're getting strange readings out here. We're getting a signature for a corvette sized craft through the mess, but we can't make much out. Scanners might be picking out a Republic Signal from whatever's there, but it could be an error. We'll be moving in closer for a better look in a momen-Wait what's that?"

The com signal from the scout force pulsed over the Celestial Blight on its way to the Dread Horizon and the hair on the back of Dellos's neck stood on end.

"We're getting readings on more units command, do you read? Numbers are between eight and sixteen, all starfighter sized by the display. Moving toward us fast, it looks like a trap. Permission to engage?"

Lieutenant Commander Dellos cursed quietly as the second transmission burst came through. They had no way of knowing if those starfighters were the entirety of that ship's escort, or just a scouting unit like their own. Either way, those starfighters had to be destroyed before they could report back or escape to hyperspace. "Captain Calvarona, you are to engage and destroy each of those contacts as quickly as possible." Captain Wentrask's voice called out in response, the man apparently coming to the same conclusions as Dellos. "Do not let a single ship escape to hyperspace."

A moment later, Captain Wentrask's voice rang out again. This time, on a much more local frequency. "All squadrons to ready stations. Prepare for immediate action." The man called out, but choosing to hold off on the order to launch. Lieutenant Commander Dellos stared at a display screen and watched their formation drift slowly through the nebula. Fleet Commander Wentrask had a hard decision ahead of him. Would he try to push through to the Isotope-5 reading and complete the mission, or would he turn to engage the threat? If a small enough threat presented itself, the battlegroup's complement of starfighters and other support craft could easily be enough to handle it.

At this point though, everything rested on Captain Calvarona's ability to destroy those starfighters and disappear into the nebula again before any new contacts sprung from the shadows.



Ship List

Spoiler

Imperial III Star Destroyer: Dread Horizon - Captain Wentrask
Victory III Star Destroyer: Solar Symphony III - Commandant Grazer
Victory III Star Destroyer: Celestial Blight II - Lieutenant Commander Dellos
Ardent-class Frigate: Fate Defiant
Ravenous-class Frigate: Native Danger III
Ravenous-class Frigate: Krayt Queen II

Raider III-class Corvette: River Dragon III
Raider III-class Corvette: Vorn Sentinel
Raider III-class Corvette: Silver Hawk II
Raider III-class Corvette: Top Predator II

Starfighter List

Spoiler

1x Squadron TIE Seeker-class Starfighters / Commanded by [member="Alva Calvarona"]
5x Squadrons "Starfighters/Interceptors/Bombers" (TBA) / Commanded by [member="Alva Calvarona"]
4x Squadrons TIE V/XL Exalt-class Starfighters
7x Squadrons TIE Seeker-class Starfighters
2x Squadrons TIE Galaxy-class Bombers
2x Squadrons S90 MAATs
11x Individual VT-49 Decimators
It only took two Death Stars and a half dozen failed Empire's for us to learn our lesson,
but it looks like we finally have superior starfighters! yay!

Tag Box

Spoiler

[member="Tålamod Shapochka"], [member="Cyrus Tregessar"], [member="Lok Jorunn"], [member="Gir Quee"], [member="Serana Treytla"], [member="Alva Calvarona"],

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

The information that by now was flooding into the Contempt’s CIC was at once perplexing and fascinating. All three of the prowlers by now had somewhat solid reports of clusters of contacts nearing each other. One of the commanders had dismissed the reports as being a technical error, because they were so numerous and comparatively minor, but Lieutenant Jaffir had been cognizant enough to recognize that they were probably strike craft, maneuvering in a squadron formation.


What’s more, there were two distinct groups. That indicated that there were two potentially hostile parties playing in the nebula. One group was almost certainly the Republic, but the other group was unknown. They were even potentially an ally, the Primeval or Techno Union. Truthfully Cyrus didn’t care, the prospect of a three way fight in a sensor-dead environment was too appealing to pass up. Apologies could be made later, and anyway it probably wasn’t an ally. The One Sith didn’t exactly have a lot of friends.


The signal strength on the strike craft was intermittent at best, barely enough for detection, much less fire control. At any rate it would have been a waste to start shooting at fighters with capital ship weaponry, so the three prowlers had been directed to try and backtrace the energy signals from the fighters to their source, utilizing the advanced equipment on the lengthy towed array each prowler had deployed.


They partially succeeded. One group of fighters, who were assessed to probably be the Republic units, were tracked towards the outer edge of the nebula, were a lingering amount of cronau radiation was picked up. Likely a blind jump or some other obfuscating tactic, either way a dead end.


Then, aboard the Furtive, there was a breakthrough on the second group. Lieutenant Jaffir ran through the details with the operator and tech, confirmed them, and then called the Contempt to brief the Admiral in person n the findings.


“At first we thought the energy readings were just feedback from the nebula, but stayed consistent, if faint, and then there was a slight shift in one that was echoed by all the readings down that line of bearing.”

Cyrus nodded. “A formation turning.”

“Exactly sir. And as we focus our receptors down the same LOB we’ll get better resolution. I would say we’ll have a good track in about five minutes, and a firing solution five minutes after that.”

“Very well, get me those numbers. Good work Lieutenant”

Cyrus checked the display. The Contempt had the range to hit almost anything in the nebula with its HVC, but the rest of his squadron was out of position. Otherwise, only squadron two under Commander Rathar was going to be in range. They would have to do, and Cyrus directed the unit to close ranks and prepare to engage on third-party targeting data. It wouldn’t be very accurate, but it was as close to a surprise first shot as one was likely to get in space.

Detection was a two way street, of course. The other force would likely have detected Rathar’s forces by then and be building tracks. They would have surprise for maybe a minute or two, and possibly less if the enemy forces had dedicated recon ships or were particularly adept at sensor management. Once every turned up to full combat readiness, all notion of stealth would vanish.

The key then, as in any ambush, was to make that first shot count.

Ship List

Spoiler

Squadron 1:

Spoiler

Dark Blade-class Destroyer 'Contempt' - Admiral Cyrus Tregessar
Shadow-class Prowler 'Elusive'
Rancor-class
Boneshatter-class 'Rage'
Razer-class
Talon-class

Squadron 2:
Vanguard-class Cruiser 'Furious' - Commander Alira Rathar
Shadow-class Prowler 'Furtive'http://starwarsrp.net/topic/38187-shadow-class-reconaissance-corvette/ - Lieutenant Kin Jaffir
Razer-class
Boneshatter-class 'Ire'
Boneshatter-class 'Wrath'
Talon-class

Squadron 3:
Vanguard-class Cruiser 'Glorious' - Commander Voidan Ser'kai
Shadow-class Prowler 'Evasive'
Massassi-class
Boneshatter-class 'Frenzy'
Razer-class

Starfighter List:

Spoiler

32 x 'Twin Wing' Interceptors
78 x Sith 'Blade' Fighters
24 x Sith Bombers
8 x Sith 'Hog' Gunships
Can you give your unit sizes in numbers? Makes it a bit easier to parse.

Tag Box

Spoiler

[member="Tålamod Shapochka"], [member="Cyrus Tregessar"], [member="Lok Jorunn"], [member="Gir Quee"], [member="Serana Treytla"], [member="Alva Calvarona"], [member=Sanya Val Lerium"]

OOC

Spoiler

Sorry for the delay in posting. I should be able to keep things up consistently if not frequently.

 

[Gir Quee]

R45 Quicksilver-class Interceptor Bravo One, somewhere in the nebula

The signals on her sensor screen were growing more distinct, even among the sensor noise of the nebula. They have to be real craft. Internally, she cursed. She had requested orders from the fleet, but something about her comms wasn't working right with the nebula's interference. Hopefully they'd be able to get back to her soon, but that left her with a strange Republic warship being approached by what appeared to be a hostile group of fighters. She briefly licked her chops as she rechecked her fighter's weaponry. But do I know they're hostile? She toggled her comlink to broadcast over a local frequency.

“Approaching craft, this is Lieutenant Von of the Republic Defense Forces's Bravo Squadron. Please identify yourself or risk being fired upon...”

Let's hope they're friendly...or at least neutral. She selected her seure-class cannon and prepared to fire it...Otherwise the slugs are going to fly...

***​

Redoubt-class Assault Cruiser Resolution, near the nebula

“Thank you, petty officer,” said Commander Jokarn quietly.

Karkin retarded, that what's this is. And they came back here after we sent the interceptors out to investigate? Just great, but who knew that the ion scrambler had to be recalibrated before it could function right in the nebula...this is just great. The man began to type in command, pulling up the information on all of the vessels present. While somewhat motley in their composition, the grizzled man thought that gathered array of Republic warships would be more than suitable enough to explore the nebula safely, even the stealth transport had encountered some unknown vessel types and the Republic interceptors had encountered some sort of signatures that appeared to be some sort of organized starfighter group.

“Communications, the second you can get a hold of Bravo Squadron again, order them to pull back to the rendezvous point.”

“Aye sir.”

The man slowly typed in several commands, gradually pulling up astronavigation charts and the last surveys of the area available to the Republic Navy. While the base core of information was somewhat dated, parts of the area had been updated in their databanks over the years. But having unreliable information was almost worse than having no information. He would have to move cautiously, as much as he internally railed against it.

“Helm, take us in nice and slow.”

Actions

Spoiler

-fleet begins to enter the nebula at sublight speeds
-Bravo squadron sent orders to retreat (not received yet)
-Bravo Squadron challenges incoming Imperial squadron

Republic Fleet Manifest

Spoiler

1 Attrition-class Light Star Destroyer Trident
-complement to be defined by ship captain
1 Arendal-class Cruiser Temerity
-complement to be defined by ship captain
1 Redoubt-class Assault Cruiser Resolution
-52 Narra-class Interceptors with STUP
1 Dreadnought II-class Assault Cruiser Thunderer
1 Stormfire-class Assault Frigate Rainstorm
1 Metellos-class Carrier Frigate Fury
-64 Scurrg H-6 Bombers
1 Metellos-class Carrier Frigate Erinyes
-64 R46 Valiant-class Starfighters
2 Halberdier-class Intersystem Patrol Vessels: Blue One, Blue Two
-8 LLS-3 Dodonna-class Interceptors
6 Utopia-class Corvettes: Red One, Red Two, Red Three, Red Four, Red Five, Red Six
-36 Aurek-class Strike Interceptors

Tag Cloud

Spoiler

[member="Cyrus Tregessar"], Tålamod Shapochka, Cyrus Tregessar, Lok Jorunn, Serana Treytla, Alva Calvarona,