Boost No Quarter (Black Sun Raid on Lothal)

[Diamond Dog]

OFFICIAL SYNDICATE BUSINESS
HERE TO CAPTURE A CAPITAL SHIP
IN SPACE

Previously:

Handler
« I've got another job lined up for you, Hound. »
« The Black Sun Syndicate has sent a request. »

[ [ INCOMING MESSAGE ] ]
Black Sun Syndicate
« Mercenary! This request is on behalf of our affiliates: KrupX Munitions. »

« We're looking for an efficient solution to a minor problem, and since you've performed adequately in your last sortie we're hoping to see another positive result from you. »

« There's a raid coming up on a system within the Imperial sphere of influence. We're expecting the Imperials to interfere on behalf of the local populace, which will include a fleet response. »

« Capture one of their ships. Anything above six-hundred meters will do. Don't bother with the crews, we'll sort those details out later. »

« No doubt the Imperials will be bringing stormtroopers alongside their regular military personnel. Eliminate any you come across, but keep their equipment intact. »

« We will be watching with interest to see your contributions to our profit margins. »
[ [ END MESSAGE ] ]

Handler
« You heard the man, Hound. Get out there. »

- - -
​

Present:

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\> ▶ NOW PLAYING: "NIGHT PROWLER" — CARPENTER BRUT
\> TIME: 00:02 / 02:59 | VOL: 110% | LOOP: OFF

[ [ MAIN SYSTEM ] ]
[ [ ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE ] ]
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The pace at which DD tapped his foot on the boarding craft floor tripled. The rush of combat stims never got old. Unfortunately, they always hit a little early. The display still showed a distance toward the target that was, agonizingly, greater than zero. The anticipation made it difficult to sit still. A couple more moments, though, that was all it would take. Then he'd be off to the-

The boarding craft impacted something. The sounds of metal biting violently through metal shrieked inside the tiny compartment. A split second later the atmosphere pressurized with a hiss. A few quiet clicks were barely audible as grenades got dropped on the other side of the exit hatch, then the resulting explosions, and snap the boarding craft opened the way into a foreign ship.

DD's faceplate lit up with a round face. Two dots and an arc inside it; a smiley. It was time to get to work.

Kaine Hamilton

 

[FN-999 (restored)]

LOTHAL, SURFACE - JEDI TEMPLE

To say that Lothal was a mess was putting it kindly.
​

Preoccupied with preparations to invade Sith space in Brosi and suppressing a revolt from the Risen Imperial faction, the Imperial Confederation had little intel to anticipate a Black Sun raid on Lothal. Consequently, the initial response had been marked by confusion, with several Imperial task forces independently attempting to beat back the raiders. Since then, the defensive effort had become more cohesive, but the damage had already been done. FN-999 could only hope that despite his late entry, his efforts would help fill the gaps other defenders had left.

While the largest forces from both sides assembled in orbit, FN-999 had been sent to reinforce the defenders on the ground in Lothal City itself as well as its old Jedi Temple, a secondary target for the Black Sun raiders. Thanks to his Seventh Army’s ongoing deployment in New Alderaan and imminent deployment in Brosi, he could spare only a single battalion to bring to Lothal. That much would have to be enough.

A single Laimar-class stealth carrier jumped out of hyperspace around two hundred kilometers behind the fleet battle being waged in orbit, its smooth surface and radar-absorbent iron ball paint concealing it from automatic detection. The small carrier’s hangar bay opened up, revealing a squadron of HAATs, two squadrons of TIE/ss starfighters, and one squadron of TIE/dvs.

Within fifteen seconds, every starfighter and transport had departed the carrier, diving down into Lothal’s atmosphere. Within thirty seconds, the hangar bay was closed once more, restoring the Laimar carrier’s stealthy profile. Within ten minutes, the HAATs and starfighters had split into two groups: two-thirds of the HAATs and both TIE/ss squadrons travelled towards Lothal City to reinforce its besieged garrison while the other HAATs and the TIE/dvs travelled towards the old Jedi temple. Within thirty minutes, both Imperial task forces had arrived at their objectives.

FN-999 had opted to travel with the smaller latter group heading to the Jedi temple, recognizing that maintaining control over its valuables required a finer touch than the defense of Lothal City. Fortunately for the Imperials, the Black Sun raiders had given the temple less attention than the city, and only a small party of pirates had gathered around its ruined entrance.

The Imperial task force quickly made its presence known, laser cannons from the TIEs ripping through grounded pirate craft while the turrets on the HAATs laid down fire on the troops on the ground. Flanked and distracted by the possibility of priceless ancient valuables inside the temple, dozens of pirates were gunned down in an instant, the rest taking cover amidst the mossy walls of the temple to return fire.

The gunships set down on the grassy plain in front of the temple, unloading a wave of stormtroopers rushing forward with great urgency. While the history of the temple or its original purpose held little value to the Imperials, the importance of the goods inside could not be underestimated, even if said importance came primarily from the necessity to lock the temple’s heritage away from the descendants of the Jedi who had once called this temple home. Since the small Black Sun craft on the ground as well as larger weapons emplacements had been destroyed, the TIEs near the Jedi temple departed to aid Imperial forces in the far more beleaguered Lothal City.

The stormtroopers of the 7th breached the temple, engaging in close-quarters combat with the remaining pirates inside. It rapidly became a one-sided duel as the superior numbers and armor of the Imperial stormtroopers allowed them to overrun the temple, eliminating all the raiders inside in a matter of minutes.

With the immediate threat eliminated, FN-999 and his roughly company-sized unit of stormtroopers stepped outside the temple to regroup.

“We’ve cleared the first party, but there are likely more to come.” declared FN-999. “Treat the wounded and fan out within and around the temple. Wherever you set up, make sure the ground and walls are stable. The last thing we need is for the temple to collapse in on itself and crush all the artifacts inside. They may not be valuable to us, but they will serve as a great bargaining chip to use against the Jedi."

Tags: Jax Thio ​

​

 

[Nero Drake]

Anthony Gray Sun Priesse Namada

"Dank farrik!"

Something inside Nero turned his starfighter aside before sensors even picked up the incoming TIE. It was a feeling he could not explain and had always mistaken for good instincts. His fellow raiders lacked this uncanny talent so he also had to trust in his skill as a pilot to maneuver around all the debris and dead men.

"Anthony Gray Sun to Pirate Captain. Don't know your name, but I believe we're on the same side here. Any chance for a temporary truce?"

Nero hesitated after listening to the unexpected transmission. He didn't like his odds against an angry sky buzzing with Imperial pilots and a true pirate used every cheap trick to make their own luck. Something like a strategy formed in his mind while he tracked the source back to Gray Sun's position and kicked his Fiend into high gear.

"You're a fair pilot, farmboy. Black Sun is only on one side and that's ours, but these Imperial dogs need to learn some respect. I accept your parley."

He knew the Imperial TIE pilot on his tail would chase him down quickly, but Nero climbed at full burn up over Lothal City towards an angry Battle Dragon spewing turbolaser fire at several Imperial star destroyers. He picked up the Lothal rebels on short range sensors.

"Now is your chance to be a hero," he warned Gray Sun, "More TIEs on my tail. They'll never see you coming."

Trusting a local nerfherder not to blast him out of the sky instead of the Imperials while the Crimson Fleet plundered his world was a gamble, but Nero liked to gamble. If he saw a chance to turn on the rebel and shoot him down, he would take it.

 

[Priesse Namada]

Location: Lothal City Airspace - Lothal
Mission Objective:

• Protect Lothal City airspace.
• Protect doonium warehouses.

Tag: Anthony Gray Sun Ronhar Tane Kaine Hamilton Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory Kalantha
Direct Engagement: Nero Drake

Priesse gave a snarl when the Fiend twisted aside to skip out of her line of fire. She shot past it in a head-on pass executed at blistering speed, before driving her TIE back around in a g-force-inducing Eimalgan turn to draw her back toward the pirate bandit’s six. A split-second pulse from the SLAM restored her velocity, quickly drawing her back onto the Fiend’s six.

As she ascended, the crescent-shaped bulk of a Hapan Battle Dragon came into view past just the cloud layer. A pair of Miy’tari Scouts dived down at her from above at her twelve o’clock, their laser cannons burning hot with probability for a head-on attack. However, Priesse was undeterred. The crimson lines of precognitive shimmers etched the trajectories of their cannon fire within her perception just a few split-seconds before the bolts were discharged. She responded by whipping her fighter in a series of 360° snap-rolls while simultaneously jinking to port, causing the searing laser fire to zip harmlessly past her solar panel collector wings.

In return, her autocannons spat vengeance. A hail of explosive-incendiary, smart shrapnel, and standard slugs punched straight through the canopy of the first Miy’tari, reducing the hapless Hapan pilot to a twitching ruin just as he realized the danger. Her second burst caught the other one as it initiated a break to starboard, cannon rounds lancing through its ventral fuel tanks before tearing the craft apart in a blossoming sphere of flame.

And through it all, Priesse never lost the Fiend’s tail.

“Come back to me darling,” Priesse purred over an open comm, intending for the Fiend pilot to hear. Unprofessional, but necessary in a way that she couldn’t quite put into words.

“Let’s dance!”

Spoiler: Loadout

Craft: FAE/TIE Series “Sprite” Ultralight Starfighter

• Status
  
  • Shields: 100%
  • Hull: 100%
  • Structure: 100%
• Armament
  
  • FAE/SW-19 Light Linear Motor Autocannon
    
    • Ammunition Load Pattern
      
      • Armor Penetrator → Standard Penetrator → Smart Shrapnel → Armor Penetrator → Standard Penetrator → Explosive-Incendiary → Armor Penetrator → Smart Shrapnel
  • FAE/SW-19 Light Linear Motor Autocannon
    
    • Ammunition Load Pattern
      
      • Armor Penetrator → Standard Penetrator → Smart Shrapnel → Armor Penetrator → Standard Penetrator → Explosive-Incendiary → Armor Penetrator → Smart Shrapnel
• Pilot Equipment
  
  • FAE/A-09 Anti-G Suit
  • BG-D 6 “Outlaw”
    
    • Attachments
      
      • 1-5x FAE/S-08 Electro-Sight
    • Ammunition
      
      • Metallic Slug Magazine (4)
      • Battery

 

[Kinley Pryse]

You've been hit by... you've been struck by...

Kinley Pryse never steals anything. She reassigns ownership.
​

Location: On Surface headed to Doonium Warehouse
Tags: Open

Kinley Pryse laughed into the wind. Not because it was funny, but because panic tasted better when you bit it first. She stood on the pegs and jerked the bike hard left, veering off the main approach just as a barrage of blasterfire chewed up the ground where she'd been a heartbeat earlier. Dirt and sparks sprayed behind her.

The warehouses loomed closer, silhouettes against fire and smoke. Kinley cut power just long enough to drop behind a shallow ridge, skimming the terrain so close her stabilizers screamed. A pair of imperial airspeeders peeled off overhead, chasing the tanks like vultures.

She punched the throttle and vaulted the ridge, bike screaming as she burst directly beneath the airspeeders' blind spot. Her blasters lit up, chewing into an engine nacelle. One raider spiraled, clipping the other as both vanished in a fireball that washed heat across her back.

She didn't look.

Her bike skidded sideways as she slid into the outer ring of pirates, boots hitting dirt before the engine even died. Kinley came up firing, smile sharp and mean.

A Smooth Criminal

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Lothal Surface, Jedi Temple
Equipment: Travelling Garb Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Third Lightsaber, Marriage Ring to Jairdain
Tag: FN-999 (restored)

Jax could already sense the Stormtrooper platoon entering the old Jedi Temple. About 80 of them were fanning out checking for any signs of Jedi. Jax was on his knees his hands on his lap eyes closed as he deepened his connection to the Force. He allowed the Force to be his eyes and ears essentially eavesdropping on the Stormtroopers. He could feel the Stormtroopers grit and determination. They didn't want just to exterminate any Jedi they see, they wanted more. Force artifacts perhaps? A Stormtrooper would have no use for them, they were soldiers who were trained to follow orders. It wasn't enough for the Imperials to glass the entire planet of Lothal, inflict mass genocide to its population. No, the Empire has to come back and plunder the resources that it had left.

And that resource was the most important of all: The Force the lifestream allowed a simple planet like Lothal to thrive. When the Empire of the Lost exterminated the population and razed the planet to the ground it almost created a wound in the Force. Even mediating, Jax could still hear the ghosts of the fallen crying for help, crying for justice. It filled Jax with sadness, empathy..... anger. But Jax kept the last one at bay he needed to be calm and ready. It won't be long until the Stormtroopers detected him, in fact 10 of them already found Jax through the heat scan.

"Time to give these Stormtroopers a warm welcome," Jax muttered opening his eyes and getting up, his muscles started to twitch in eager anticipation. Unlike his wife Jairdain Ismet-Thio whom he missed so much, Jax didn't allow himself to think especially in battle. He gave himself fully to the Force.

"Jedi has been detected behind this door and must be terminated with extreme prejudice," A male voice called out. Beeping was heard from the door: An explosive charge.

"Bring it on bucketheads," Jax muttered allowing himself to smile and relax. The battlefield was where Jax felt alive, but he always made sure that he had something to fight for.


A massive explosion was heard and the ground shook violently. Jax remained steady amidst the chaos as debris flew everywhere. Chunks of rock zipped by him, but he remained still. The then dust settled and five Stormtroopers emerged from it ready to open fire. However, a split second before they could fire Jax drew his hand out and used the Force to pull the rifles from their hands. The Stormtroopers were flabbergasted at what happened but before they could react, Jax leapt at them activating his Lightsaber in the process. With a sweeping vertical slice, Jax's blue blade simultaneously slashed 3 stormtrooper's chest. They all cried out in pain before they landed on the ground motionless.

Jax then decapitated another Stormtrooper his head went flying before spinning around a bisecting the fifth trooper. "Attack!" The officer cried out as five more came out firing their blaster rifles. Jax deflected them all with ease, redirecting the bolts back to one Stormtrooper, a hole formed on his face as he fell down dead. Another redirected bolt slammed against another Stormtrooper he stumbled back limbs flying everywhere like he was drunk before collapsing dead before he hit his head on the large rock formed by the explosion.

The Jedi Master then did a barrier of blades which covered all angles of his body as the remaining three Stormtroopers backed away firing at Jax's legs, head, and chest but not a single blaster bolt hit Jax. There was a small slither of an opening, Jax immediately raised his hand Force pushing the three Stormtroopers out of the now destroyed mediation chambers they screamed as they were hurled off their feet and landed hard against marble wall back first. Noticeable cracks were seen behind the Stormtroopers before they silently crumbled to the floor.

"10 down," Jax said looking over the bodies the only sound filling the air was the hum of his Lightsaber. "Time to do some spring cleaning."

The Jedi Master slowly exited the mediation chamber and headed down the hallway holding his Lightsaber close to his body.

 

[Ronhar Tane]

FLEET ADMIRAL VORIN ZONILL
EMERGENCY OBJECTIVE: STOP THE BLACK SUN
LOTHAL CITY, LOTHAL

Even deep within the bridge of the Collateral Star, Zonill could still feel the reverberations of his turbolasers firing onto the surface of the planet.

For the moment, his barrage had seemed effective in suppressing the forces of Commander Kalantha , though he was sure it was only a matter of time before the Pirate Queen wisened up and sent some ships to engage him. Still, the more damage he could inflict from orbit, the better it would be for Imperial forces overall, some of which who were starting to land on the planet itself to secure the city and surrounding areas.

Still, the fighting in space was only intensifying, and Anthony Gray Sun had declined to take Zonill up on his offer. His loss, then. If he really wanted to die fighting for this planet, then Zonill would be more than happy to oblige him. Nearly 160 TIE Vultures were swarming all over the place, engaging the Condors as they hammered away at Zonill's CR125 Corvettes. Even before Mahporeem had joined the Imperial Confederation, it had become apparent that the CR125 Corvette was simply unable to compete with most comparable designs produced throughout the galaxy, to say nothing of the more modern starfighters that the corvettes found themselves engaging. The only reason Zonill had brought them with him was because they were available, and nearly all of them were in the process of being modified, sold, or scrapped for parts.

With the way that this battle of going, that third option was going to apply to all the corvettes in the area.

Still, the combination of TIE Vultures and AX-Wings was sure to be having an effect on the forces of the Wild Space Rebellion, and if it meant that Zonill could eliminate an illegal rebel cell operating over the planet, than the loss of a few outdated corvettes would certainly be worth the price he paid.

Speaking of corvettes, one of the CR125 Corvettes that had been engaging the armed freighter transporting The Madclaw had had its bridge completely ripped off of its hull, effectively disabling the vessel and likely killing everyone inside. Still, there was a slim chance that the ship's blast doors might have activated in time to seal the breach, and regardless of if there were any survivors on board, that wreck represented a valuable piece of salvage for the Imperial Remnant. One of the Collateral Star's heavy tractor beams began to pull the floating wreck back into the main hold of Zonill's flagship, inadvertently targeting The Madclaw 's armed freighter in the process as it pulled both vessels deeper and deeper into its mechanical bowels...

TAGS:
Kalantha
The Madclaw
Anthony Gray Sun
FN-999 (restored)
OPEN

 

[Anthony Gray Sun]

Tags: Nero Drake Ronhar Tane ​

While the Vultures were numerous, they didn't seem to have the firepower to properly kill the Condors without multiple passes. That was all the time the heavy starfighters needed to knock the shields down on the several corvettes. That was followed up by firing CHOMP Rockets from their ordinance launcher, and heavy HE rounds from their mass drivers, before breaking off and disappearing into the urban sprawl of the city.

The Flyswatters however, didn't have that opportunity. Pilots were forced to deal with 10 to 1 odds, but often that didn't seem to matter. The Vultures had no shields, and little tactical knowledge. While they could keep up in maneuverability, they often failed to act on that fact. And the sad fact was, the Flyswatters were much faster than the Vultures. All it took was one burst from their laser cannons, and the Vultures went down.

Anthony watched his pilots do laps around the things.

He himself?

"Now is your chance to be a hero," he warned Gray Sun, "More TIEs on my tail. They'll never see you coming."

The Bokken Class fighter was like a hammer against an ant. He came down from above, opening up with his twin turbolasers on the first Tie. It disappeared into the plasma, never to be seen again.

After passing right through where the Tie had been, he used the Force to cause his entire fighter to come to a halt, while his back end kept going, forcing him into a 16 G spin, which he only survived due to his own force-enhanced durability. They didn't teach you to use tutaminus to absorb kinetic energy back in padawan training, but Anthony had gotten quite good at it.

With his nose aimed up he aimed his heavy laser cannons at the second, opening fire before locking onto the third.

"Fox Three." Was all he said over the radio, before a discord missile launched, towards Priesse Namada 's Tie Sprite.

Then his engines ignited once more.

 

[FN-999 (restored)]

LOTHAL, SURFACE - JEDI TEMPLE

An explosion ripped through the Temple, the blast so large it nearly knocked FN-999 off his feet.
​

His ears rang as he staggered backwards, catching himself before staring at the source of the blast. A large portion of the old Jedi temple had now collapsed in on itself, smoke and dust rising up in the air from the rubble. As his hearing slowly came back to him, FN-999 noticed the sound of blasters firing near where the explosion had originated. Voices shouted from the same area, and the general leaned forwards to try to discern what they were saying. It took him a few moments, but he eventually picked up what the voices were yelling about.

“JEDI!” “JEDI!” “JEDI!"

A wave of terror ran through FN-999 as he realized just what - or rather, who - had caused the explosion that had taken down a large chunk of the temple with it. His fear ratcheted up his adrenaline levels, his blood pulsing as he imagined his stormtroopers rushing off to their deaths. As much as he admired the bravery and skill of the Imperial Confederation’s next generation of young talent, to an experienced Jedi they were little more than roadblocks. Once more, FN-999 had blood on his hands. He could feel the sticky liquid seeping through his fingers, condemning him to a miserable afterlife.

That was when the general realized that he quite literally had blood on his hands.

As in, he was bleeding.

It seemed that out of fear, he had squeezed his hands so hard that his nails had pierced flesh, leaving behind pinpricks of pain that were undoubtedly stemming from open cuts. Despite the pain, it was a welcome distraction from the existential dread he often felt when facing down Jedi and Sith alike. With his mind back in the present rather than a future that was still yet to be decided, FN-999 took control of the situation.

“SPREAD OUT!” shouted the general. “SET WEAPONS TO STUN! ALL SQUADS ENGAGE!"

FN-999 himself advanced to direct his squads, many of whom were still regrouping from the explosion that had shaken them all. Ahead of him were around twenty other troopers, advancing in an improvised grouping towards the sounds of fighting. Surrounded by other determined stormtroopers, the general felt part of his fear evaporate even as Imperial corpses became visible up ahead and fighting moved inside the temple. In the distance but rapidly approaching from within the intact parts of the building was a blue lightsaber moving at blinding speed, occasionally silhouetting a humanoid figure.

“SMOKE! SMOKE THEM OUT!” ordered FN-999.

Just like the decision to switch blaster settings to stun, the order to use smoke grenades for an operation that typically involved explosives was done out of an abundance of caution. Based on the amount of Imperial casualties FN-999 had seen, the Jedi was clearly skilled enough with his lightsaber to parry blaster bolts back at their sender. It was not an unrealistic leap to then assume that the same Jedi could use the Force to toss at least some of the grenades back into the Imperial formation.

At the same time, the grenades that did detonate before being repelled, while not directly damaging, would at least deprive the Jedi of his sight, forcing him out into the open where the entire battalion could open fire upon him.

Only then would the Imperials have a fighting chance against their lethal new adversary.

Tags: Jax Thio
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