Raiding Above the Blood Moon

[Léon]

Situation Report:
Two months ago a large crew was discovered on Groma 16, they were found to be excavating large quantities of Phrik. Local system authorities intervened but were gunned down. Any further attempts came to a standstill once it was discovered that the Ison Cartel was spearheading the mining operation.

Video evidence surfacing on the ShadowNet has revealed they are using an Omega Pyre Horn-class Escort Cruiser to move the shipment. A broker on the ShadowNet has informed us that the ship was purchased on the Invisible Market shortly after the collapse of Omega Pyre influence in the galaxy.

Léon is the commanding officer on this mission. A modulated translator has been attached to his collar to allow for easier communication. Léon will be leading the task force with the duty of boarding the Horn-class Escort Cruiser during Cartel transportation of the cargo.

The cruiser is expected to depart Groma 16 within the next 24 hours, currently the ship is in orbit while the last phrik is dispatched by shuttle. While the ship is quite large, the Cartel has it undermanned. A decoy beacon has been placed at the far edge of the system to distract sensors while two ships infiltrate the hanger and take the cargo.

Good luck,
Feeran Ji'kar

 

[Ezekiel Dashiell]

Gromas 16
Arceneau Trade | Mohc Extractives HQ's

"There have been attacks in these locations."

A series of red dots would bloom to life upon the holographic map displayed. The cerulean glow would reflect upon the four sapients standing around the holoarray, one of which was Taneith Vizsla. The mocha skinned woman was the United Mandalorian Clans representative, and was the woman in charge of this particular sector.

As the direct contact for the United Mandalorians, any attacks or incursions within their territory that were being investigated or picked up by Arceneau Trade's defenses and contracted help would be relayed to them.

What made this particular endevour all the more interested were the types of ships spotted. Confirmation with Omega Pyre followed suit. As Arceneau Trade contracts the mercenary company for security, they had the convenience of double checking transponders. None were found to be part of the Omega Pyre registry.

 

[LT-137]

Mark [ - 00:30 ]​

Thirty Minutes before Estimated Time of Operation Commencement.​

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, between the epicanthic folds of his eyes, Yun tossed the preloaded Data Slate onto the inactive holoprojector sequestered within the centre of the Phaethon's aft lounge. He had forgotten how many times he had read the mission briefings sent by Feeran, and a dull throb began to pulse behind his eyes. Letting the darkness envelop his vision, the Smuggler slowly began to pace the deck - hoping that he could walk off an impending migraine.

They had Twenty-Four hours to act upon some information that was collected from the ShadowNet, a source the Atrisian knew little about, but as it seemed the rest of the Carrion Company had placed their faith in this seemingly second-hand knowledge, Yun would too. His only hope was that he hadn't signed off on his death warrant. Considering the location of the Planet, and Cruiser thereafter, it was likely that this was to be the first... and last mission that he would embark on with the up-and-coming Outfit.

Mandalorians. He'd heard about them before during his tenure in the Royal Army. How the ways of War had influenced their culture. It was almost hauntingly similar to how the Atrisian people had come into power over their homeworld, but as evidenced by the past - those who inhabited Kitel Phard wanted nothing more than dominion over their homes and were not the pawns of the thrice-cursed Sith; like those Beskar clad Devils of Mandalore. As their culture had evolved in vastly differing ways, it was almost impossible for Yun to comprehend just what kind of people they were now - and that wasn't including what the HoloNet had to say about them.

That was when his blind pacing had led him to stand before the inactive holoprojector, nearly bumping into it with how distracted he had become with his relentless train of thought. With how close it was until they commenced their raid, he needed to focus. This errant, unfocused chaos wouldn't stand. Headache be damned! Letting a silent sigh slip through his lips, Yun opened his eyes and palmed the activation terminal for the table. It flickered to life with a grating hum and displayed the information that had been transmitted with an unsteady Azure image.

The representation was of the Gromas system, more specifically, the image revolved around the Sixteenth Crimson-hued moon of the Gromas Gas Giant. The mythical Blood Moon and home to the massive Phrikite mines. Nothing else mattered, as the rock itself was arid and save for the miners, utterly devoid of indigenous life. Even then, that wasn't important. What was, had been anchored above the dark cinnamon dusted world in high, geosynchronous orbit, was the nameless cruiser that had been mentioned in Feeran's message. The one that currently was awaiting the arrival of the last scheduled shuttle filled to the brim with the glorious super metal.

Focusing his attention on the Horn-Class Escort Cruiser, and enhancing the image after that, Yun spun the modeled Holoimage about in his hands. Deftly determining where the vessel had the greatest concentration of firepower, and where he could safely board the ship without incurring too much damage from the attempt. Predictive vectors and possible avenues of approach sprung to life as he pushed the image back to where it once was and began inputting the calculations into the terminal.

"This would be much easier if I had the credits to buy some stealth upgrades for the Phaethon," He said aloud, sure in the knowledge that he was alone in the lounge, now recently converted to act as a briefing room. "Hell, what I wouldn't give for a decent upgrade to this hunk of junk."

Shaking his head once more, the former Grenadier continued formulating some semblance of an approach strategy.

| [member="Arlan Zy'rosh"] | [member="Léon"] |

 

[Léon]

With a piece of flimsiplast in his hand, his eyes squinted down at the sheet. Carrion administration didn't want him walking around with a datapad as he would accidentally quit out of applications or become confused with the device, and would need assistance from someone else to help find the document he was mean't to read. He preferred flimsiplast anyway, nothing could go wrong if he accidentally touched it the wrong way. The images didn't flip when he tilted it, and it didn't go black if he pressed the wrong button.

The sheet in question was a roster for the task force, all were Carrion operatives including their new Atrisian pilot, Yun Knesos. There was a note at the bottom about his specialty with swords, more-so a fun fact for Léon to read about than for any real purpose. He was their wings for the mission and he wouldn't be using his sword - at least he hoped. If he did, that mean't **** had hit the fan.

The only non-Carrion personnel on the mission was Runi Verin, a Kiffar wrench monkey who would be acting as the combat engineer for Yun's ship. Carrion Administration had picked her up just for the mission, though Léon would keep an eye on her during the op, if she performed well enough he may talk to her about a longer contract. He needed good men and women on his task force which was starting to earn a name for itself among the other Carrions, unofficially coined as Léons Legends.

The hydraulic door lifted up and the commanding officer of this mission, Léon, a Keshiri who couldn't speak a lick of Basic and couldn't shoot an elephant with a blaster five meters away, entered the converted briefing room. He had no training as an officer, and with such immense weaknesses as an individual, many thought he would fail, not just in Carrion but in the galaxy, but he was proving smarter than many thought - perhaps not in the academic sense, but he knew how to lead, and he did it well.

"Sitrep," he asked Yun, he swung his head around, surveying the scene. Everyone had yet to arrive, and he was keen to meet the Kiffar.

[member="Yun Knesos"]
[member="Runi Verin"]

 

[Runi Verin]

[SIZE=9pt][member="Yun Knesos"] | [member="Léon"][/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Like any good mechanic worth her salt, Runi’s first port of call upon embarking was the engine room, closely followed behind by a quick inspection of the life support. While the latter was up to scratch, the temperature regulator perhaps set a little lower than she would have ordinarily preferred, the former was definitely going to prove to be a headache for her inner perfectionist. To give them their due, they sat comfortably within the BoSS mandated operating levels, but that wasn’t enough for the Kiffar. She liked her vessels to practically sing beneath her feet. As it was, Phaethon was barely scratching the tip of its potential, relegated instead to a barely affectionate hum.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]‘So much for PMCs having all the top toys,’[/SIZE] [SIZE=9pt]Runi reflected as she sauntered down the corridors, not for the first time wondering if she had done the right thing by signing on, even on such a temporary basis, with an outfit she knew next-to-nothing about. She had grown up avoiding mercenaries on Kol Atorn, a planet packed with the exiles and outcasts from countless war-torn worlds, and such biases were hard to break. Pure pragmatism had won the day, however. The stark reality that their creds would spend as well as anyone else’s placing her signature on that dotted contract line.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“She’s[/SIZE] [SIZE=9pt]adequate[/SIZE] [SIZE=9pt]enough, I guess.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=9pt]Runi announced as she entered a few paces behind the Keshi, offering him the briefest of nods before turning her attention to the Atrisian she assumed was the pilot. The controls would ultimately be in his hands, their lives along with it. That alone afforded him some degree of professional respect. [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]“You might want to take it a little easy on the acceleration. She’s got a a surprising amount of speed hidden up her sleeve, but those manifolds have got to be older than I am. If we had more time I could strip them down and realign them, maybe give them a boost if we have the parts, but…”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]She trailed off with a small shrug of her shoulders, the motion eliciting a disorganised jangle of from the tools on her belt. With her piece said, Runi secured the seat closest to the door, sparing another nod for the Keshi as if giving him permission to continue. Carrion held the purse strings to this little venture, so it was their show after all. Her job was to make sure the vessel got them from point A to point B (and back again) without plain falling out of the sky.[/SIZE]

 

[Léon]

"...But we don't have time," Léon finished the Kiffars sentence. He curled his wrist over to study the watch. They made them back home, albeit they weren't circular but more egg-shaped. "We've got fifteen until our operation begins."

Task Force Nighthawk was the latest in the Carrion Company roster, failure was not an option for Léon, his honor depended on certain victory. They would insert themselves into the ships hanger bay, by force if necessary. However it was unlikely. The informants that were aiding them on the mission not only had inside-knowledge, they were inside the ship they were boarding, and they would stay there. Compromising their cover was too big of a risk. They would make sure the blast doors on the hanger bays were 'faulty' and remain open.

The Keshiri looked to Yun, a frown creasing his forehead, perhaps he had zoned out, as some would call it. He had overheard Feeran say that about himself on various occasions when Léon wasn't paying attention. Not for a lack of drive to maintain attention, but rather a sensory overload as he tried to understand new technologies that constantly surrounded him. It was a big galaxy, and there was a lot to learn, and very quickly if he hoped to advance in command through Carrion.

[member="Runi Verin"] | [member="Yun Knesos"]

 

[LT-137]

It all had felt far too familiar. The sense of calm, before the storm. Bathed as he was in the sapphire light of the holoprojection, Yun's mind fought against the rolling tide of memories that threatened to breach his barrier of will. His teeth clenched, and he tried, and tried, to renew his focus upon the tactical display presented before him. However, the longer he fought, the more his vision began to swim with the sight of what once was. The angular curves of the asteroid belt and the spinning crimson moon began to pixelate, becoming hazy as it gravitated on its axial point. To his eyes, what had once shown the Gromas system, warped and twisted, changing into a picturesque scene of his past. He thought he was ready for this, to become a Soldier once more, but the more his mind had lingered on such a notion, the harder the lash of his personal torment stung.

Biting his tongue, hard enough to draw blood, the former Grenadier had regained his senses and watched as the image of the fallen Atrisian Palace faded back into the Gromas system. No. He wouldn't allow himself to drift. Not again. Not this close to Commencement. Yun had to snap out of it, and through the welling of blood beneath his tongue - the Smuggler was able to restore peace to his troubled mind.

When he had come out of his stone-faced trance, the Captain of the Phaethon had found himself no longer alone within the makeshift Ready Room. He was joined by his Senior in the Carrion Company, A Keshiri Swordsman that had recruited him into the Company after an... interesting night on Nar Shaddaa. The other was a face he had only seen a few times since they had departed. She was a Kiffar woman, the ochre tribal markings painted upon her face had been a dead giveaway when they had met, and she was to be his contracted Combat Mechanic for the duration of the mission.

Runi, He thought.

Yun's attention to the present events had been renewed when the Kiffar woman had made her announcement about how his ship was adequate, that it would serve their purpose and nothing more. She even had the gall to tell him to ease up on the stick so that he wouldn't burst the slightly misaligned manifolds and get them into a situation where they were dead in the water. His expressionless demeanour began to sour ever so subtly. He had almost taken offence, but after a moment to ponder her words - the Smuggler knew that she was correct. Logic outweighed emotion in this situation, and it would do him, nor the crew, any good if he became a slave to his feelings. Don't be like them; He chided himself.

Swallowing the small trickle of blood, and clearing his throat of its coppery tang with a hearty cough, Yun turned his gaze towards his Keshiri Counterpart. The man had asked him for a sitrep, and he was crass in keeping him waiting.

"Sorry," Yun said with a slight bow of his head, "I've been manually rerouting our entrance vector into the Gromas system, and got lost with the calculations."

Placing his hand above the control panel for the holo-table, the Smuggler scaled the projection back to show those gathered within the Lounge what exactly the Smuggler had been working on before their arrival.

"Once we exit Hyperspace, we'll be translating into the system at this point," With his words trailing off into the converted hold, Yun's fingers pointed towards the projection and marked out their Entrypoint. On the representation, it showed a scale model of the YX-1980 Space Transport decanting from Hyperspace on a path that was what he considered to be the optimal route through the mess of navigational hazards and various, if not possible threats to their incursion. "Our approach will be masked by the Asteroid belt ringing the Moon, and with the decoy beacon in play presenting a larger target than my ship, we should be able to glide in and extract the goods before they knew what hit them."

As his arm fell to hang lifelessly by his side, Yun's eyes turned towards the tactical display and let out a small pessimistic sigh. "That is if everything goes as planned and if a competent gunner doesn't man the rear point defence weapons."

| [member="Léon"] | [member="Runi Verin"] |

 

[Ezekiel Dashiell]

Gromas 16
Arceneau Trade | Mohc Extractives HQ's
[member="Aeron Kreelan"] and whom anyone else wanted to

Within the Blood Moon's massive asteroid, Tanieth reviewed the ongoing stream of information. The entire Gromas system was sectioned off in various areas of patrol between Arceneau Trade and the Mandalorians. The asteroids closest to the sun, more than a dozen, were under the purview of Mandal Hypernautics. There were a other numbered asteroids here and there, some waiting to be mined while others were overseen by smaller companies. Mohc Extractives made it's home on Gromas 16 proper, the largest of the asteroids within the system.

Omega Pyre had contracts with Arceneau Trade in terms of security, so seeing similar ships that were not within the registry brought up red flags.

"Get me the Pyre," the mocha skinned woman said.

 

[Léon]

Léon mused over the display, stroking his clean-shaven chin as he stared at the display. The holographic images had puzzled him from the day he came across him, they were an endless wonder, and at first he thought it was magic. He nodded his head along to Yun's report, providing necessary details that had the man given them to him a week ago they would have gone right over his head. He was slowly learning more and more about everything. From astrology and navigation to blasters and demolition, and Feeran was teaching him a few things about basic devices such as datapads.

He applied the information he had meticulously studied. With the crystal precision of a surgeon, he delicately scrolled through his personal datapad until he found the feed he was looking for, his fingers swiped right and outwards, the signal transmitting to the holo-projector. The image instantly bloomed before them. It was a live feed of the Gromas system, and the ship was sitting still. A twinkling star looked to be moving towards it, but sensors were reading a small transporter entering its hanger. "Time is dwindling. Once that cargo is secure, the ship is expected to make a dash for the far reaches of the Gromas system, and from there they will make a jump. We don't know the exit vector - likely Bespin, the far side of this galaxy - so if we don't get off that ship in time, we may be stuck on her until it comes back out of hyperspace - that could be weeks. We don't have an exact countdown until she makes her jump, so we act fast, expect the worst. If she jumps, we need to find her engine room and disable her generator."

Then a ping notified his datapad, and brought up a profile of one of the task force personnel. It was confidential and mean't only for Léon, alas the poor fool was not tech savvy and scurried for his datapad, feebly attempting to disable the connection to the holoprojector. It was for another non-personnel Carrion on the mission, another rogue mercenary, a gunslinger by the name of Karma. There was a note about her status with a blaster, and that she should be kept close to the CO due to his lack of blaster skills. It was no secret among the Carrions that Léon was all swordsman and no gunman. "Huh," he whispered.

He turned his attention back to the crew, "We all know our jobs. Yun flies the ship, while Runi keeps her flying. Once we land the task force and I will take the cargo while Yun and Runi stay with the ship, kill whoever tries to touch it. Once we return, we jet out of here as fast as we can."

[member="Karma"] | [member="Yun Knesos"] | [member="Runi Verin"]

 

[Delsin Shaw]

Sometimes people needed to be alone on a trip. Even when being paid for, I liked to have my time away from this crew. hence why I was in the Cargo hold for the moment, while everyone else was together somewhere. Currently I was reloading my shells. Sounds weird, but with a special gun like the one I have, you needed to make special rounds. They had a corrosive bullet that once piercing armor, would shatter the actual slug. Releasing the corrosive liquid. Melting away armor, skin, and even could be used on lighter vehicles. Reloading them was a pain. Having to hold the casing of the bullet, loading the right amount of powder, capping it with the slug, filling the slug with the liquid, and then capping that with a screw on dome tight enough to not leak.

If you even messed up with one of these aspects, the gun wouldn't work. Hell, if you put too much powder, the bullet would explode, or not even work. You never knew. Even more so with the corrosive material, because if it leaks, it would eat away at the rest of the bullets you had, or eat at the gun itself. Rendering it useless. After reloading enough of what I needed, I loaded everything back up into my bag. And moved out of the cargo bay. I walked to where I was assigned a bed, plopped down my bag, and made my way to where everyone else was gathering.

Entering in, I found the man who was responsible for all of this. My boss. Apparently he was all about swords and shields. While I was all about guns and knives. To have maximum effectiveness, i was going to travel with him, allow him to almost, "Tank" everyone else. Draw their attention while I gunned them down. Good idea, and effective. Considering I was also versed in the force, I can use Telekinesis to an effectiveness that others could not. Hence why I was a ranged fighter. I was good at it. And should someone come a little too close, I had an ace up my sleeves to use.

Spinning my slugthrower around on my finger, I slid it into the holster on my thigh. and stood in the back of the room after entering.

"Plan sounds good. Sorry I'm a little late. Prepping for the Op."

[member="Léon"], [member="Yun Knesos"], [member="Runi Verin"], [member="Taneith Vizsla"],

 

[Runi Verin]

[member="Léon"] | [member="Yun Knesos"] | [member="Karma"] | [member="Taneith Vizsla"]

Her respect for the Atrisian rose a few notches as he weathered her assessment, knowing full well that, had the roles been reversed, she would not have taken it nearly as well. True as it might have been, especially where the Boracyk was concerned. She suspected if she dug a little deeper with the force that the story might be a little different, detecting a flicker of raw emotion lurking beneath that otherwise calm surface, but for now she was more than content with his apparent ability to keep himself in check. Passionate, yet level headed. A quality that would have been a nightmare at a sabacc table, yet one invariably found in some of the best pilots. She could work with that.

The Keshiri, she noted as she turned her attention towards his briefing, likewise seemed competent in his own right. A little lacking in the technological department, perhaps, but there was a strong sense of confidence behind his words as he spoke, giving the impression that he at least knew what he was talking about in regards to the upcoming operation. All in all, while the PMC might have been a little shorter in the toys department than she’d been expecting, they seemed to have keen eye when it came to cultivating talent. Professionals. A welcome change from the usual motley crew of cut throats and spacers she ordinarily found herself associating with.

“We all need to bear in mind that this is Mando territory we’re operating in,” She spoke up when there was a pause, her gaze briefly flickering to the doorway as the fourth member of their little party made their entrance before she turned it back to the readout before them. Assessing the newcomer could wait a little longer, after they had confronted the obvious bantha in the room, one that had gone otherwise ignored until now. “They understandably don’t take kind to a bunch of armed aruetiise stepping in where they’re not wanted. If we can, we want to be in and out before they even know we’re here. Anything short of that and… Fierfek, you ever kick a Bizikian hornet’s nest? Dealing with a few kriffing pirates would be the least of our troubles.”

 

[LT-137]

A small notion of guilt had entered Yun's mind the in scant seconds that followed the masked woman's arrival. They had met only once before, and even then that was in passing. She liked her privacy, and even though this was his ship and they were his guests, it was his honour-bound duty to do whatever he could ensure they got what they wanted. Thus, when she had made her somewhat tardy appearance and had spoken for the first time, Yun felt like acknowledging her existence with a curt nod wasn't enough. However, such luxuries couldn't be afforded when the Chronometric Count had not been running in your favour. So, in the span of a heartbeat, Yun determined he would make it up to her somehow. Provided they returned to Rutan, alive and whole after the mission was complete.

Until then, with his chestnut-hued eyes were transfixed to Runi, as she spoke of the dangers that the Sons and Daughters of Mandalore might present. Comparing them to a Bizikian Hornet's Nest was an understatement. Phrikite Ore, next to Beskar, would most likely be tightly regulated and heavily guarded. So, even if they were able to get aboard that Cruiser and get out with the Goods, it was more than likely that they'd be intercepted by the Manda'Yaim and instantaneously vaporized before they could make the Jump to Hyperspace. Happy thoughts, right?

"Despite my... Unsavory Past before signing on with the Company, I've been making sure to keep several transponder codes loaded into the Ship, and registered in the various civilian databases." He paused, glancing at the projected Estimated Time of Commencement, before continuing. "So until we show up and start shooting, I think we'll be alright. Well, at least until we get uncomfortably close to that craft" The Atrisian added with a tremulous smile. "I want to milk the advantage of surprise as much as humanly possible; it'll save more power and fuel for the inevitable arrival of Rapid Response units."

With the count ticking down towards the Zero-Zero Mark, Yun tore his gaze away from his Combat Engineer and shared a warm smile with those inside the Lounge.

"We best make ready as the Autopilot will be forcing us out of Hyperspace soon." Nodding respectfully to his Commanding Officer, Yun moved towards the exit. "I'll be on the bridge and take control of the yokes when it does. If you need me, I'll be there."

| [member="Léon"] | [member="Karma"] | [member="Runi Verin"] |

 

[Léon]

"I would meet you there, but Karma and I have a meeting with a horde of very angry Corridor Cartel gangsters," Léon chimed in through his translator, producing a mechanical sound over the harsh and brutish language of the Keshiri. He rotated his neck this way and that, stretching the muscles. Traveling through the cosmos was not only dreadful for the Tech-stupid Keshiri, but horribly boring.

"When we're back in real-space," he said, indicating a finger at Runi, "You and Yun are up, keep this bird flying. Once we're in the hanger, wait for Karma and I to return to the ship." It didn't need to be said twice, but Léon didn't want either Runi or Yun chasing after him if he so happened to be late to return. However doubtful, the hanger would be located near the storage bay, he would only need to access a maintenance corridor to get in.

The Keshiri gave a quick nod as he approved of his equipment, making sure none of the straps were too loose, or the leather too old and risk breaking mid-op. He fled from the room, retreating into the far back where Karma and he would exit onto the cruiser. Entering the room, it was full of yellow painted lines, warning signs, and hand rails to grip. He moved quickly to the hand rails. The gravity generator would keep him feeted, but something about ships moving about unsettled his stomach something fierce.

[member="Karma"] | [member="Yun Knesos"] | [member="Runi Verin"]

 

[Delsin Shaw]

After entering the room, I knew I would get a few looks that would range from a nod, to the cold shoulder. And well, I got both of them. One to come out of the Atrisian, and the Kiffar gave me the cold shoulder. EIther because she didn't know me, or because I was not actually "part of their group" I hoped that would change if I could get this gig down right. Get a steady income and possibly find where more Sith and like minded people were. After the short briefing of what would be happening. How we would be sneaking onto the planet, and get as close as we could to the site. I checked over my gear one more time as the Atrisian, [member="Yun Knesos"], left the room. He would be headed for the bridge as he was supposed to be taking us in. I had no clue on how well he did his job, but hopefully he did very well.

Looking at the Kiffar, I could tell that she had the force. She was considerably stronger than myself, but not the strongest I have felt in others before her. She knew what she was doing. I could tell. Intuition, and the pure feeling that if we were to go toe to toe, I would very likely lose. As soon as the Keshiri left towards the op, I walked past the Kiffar, and gave her a nod with some words.

"You are right. We should be worried more about the Mando'ade than pirates."

Walking past her, I had a feeling that I might grow an attachment towards this little group of pirates. I mean, they were pirates and raiders. May as well call them one. I walked after the lead man, making sure my guns were strapped to me. Mostly If we had to make a hard landing, then my guns wouldn't fall out. If we made a nice soft one, I could just as easily loosen them, and it would make it much easier for me to draw my weapons if necessary.

I was glad to have my Windstrider with me. Considering that the weapon had special slugs that would allow me to eat through armor if we happen to encounter anybody who had some. *Ahem* Mandalorians *Ahem*

"Weapons hot, Lets get the show on the road."

[member="Léon"], [member="Runi Verin"],

 

[Ignatius]

There were times when people could not sedate their lust for power or wealth. As such were people who came to Gromas 16. They wanted power they were not allowed to have. Hence why I was here. I knew they would attack this site. I readied my weapons as I contacted another Mandalorian who happened to be on the same planet.

[member="Taneith Vizsla"], was someone who I have heard, but never spoken to. She was here, and over the com systems, she was wanting to contact the Pyre. I shook my head. That would take too long. These people would have already grabbed what they wanted and would be out of here. Instead, I took it a step forward.

"Cancel that call Vizsla, I will deal with this."

Reaching from over my shoulder, I brought around a ground to air rocket launcher and aimed for a ship. The very one with conflicting codes of the system. Codes that, as they may have been for a public Record, were not allowed within mandalorian space. Let alone under the jurisdiction of the Pyre. Sending a call to them, My voice would boom over the entirety of their ship.

"You are not welcomed. You are trespassing on Mandalorian space. Leave with your lives, or you will be met with force."

[member="Karma"], [member="Léon"], [member="Yun Knesos"], [member="Runi Verin"],

 

[Runi Verin]

[member="Taneith Vizsla"] | [member="Kalyr Alor"]

“I know how to do my job.” Runi affirmed flatly, taking exception to being singled out by [member="Léon"] for a reminder. Despite all outward appearances to the contrary, she prided herself on her reputation as a professional. As long as someone upheld their end of the bargain, they could trust that she would do the same. Fortunately, the new arrival, [member="Karma"], stole her attention before she could really voice her displeasure at the Keshiri, giving him enough time to make his timely exit.

As the others made left, she remained where she stood, eyes reflecting the display that still hung before her. Lips compressing themselves into a thin line as she burned the details into her mind. On the surface it was a simple enough job. Pirates smacked, loot returned. Yet while a far cry from a tactician or military strategist, even she could tell that there were a lot of variables with this mission. A lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘shoulds', implied or otherwise, for her to feel completely at ease. It helped that the credits were good, better than she’d seen in a while in fact, and while that appeased the mercenary in her, the gnawing feeling in her gut was that they’d all earn their pay and then some during this job.

“Fierfek,” the Kiffar swore as she tore her gaze away from the readout. There was no point in worrying about it now, not when she had more pressing issues to contend with. The Phaethon was her main priority right now, she reminded herself as she exited the lounge, making for another sweep of the engine room. She would have to trust that the rest of this merry band were as professional as they appeared. At least the Atrisian, [member="Yun Knesos"], seemed to be on the up and up. Having grown up on the outer reaches, the familiar presence of a smuggler at the controls felt like the closest thing she was going to get to a ferrocrete reassurance.

 

[LT-137]

With the Captain back at the helm, the Phaethon had decanted from hyperspace and returned into the folds of reality with thunderous silence. It's charcoal and crimson enamel shimmered as the light from the system's star had enveloped the craft, only to fade seconds later as one of the thirty-two multi-coloured moons had eclipsed the sun. As the translation was made, the small Corellian-born vessel's sensor flickered to life and began sweeping through their surroundings. Much of what was displayed had matched the hololithic simulations that were run almost twenty minutes prior.

However, when the Captain had compared the newly acquired information to the YX-1980's outdated databank, a curse slipped through his thinly pressed lips. In addition to the reportedly undermanned Horn-Class Escort Cruiser, two massive installations had been placed in geostationary orbit over the Blood Moon, which would prove to be an issue if they had entered weapon range. Thankfully, it seemed that the Pirate Craft had yet to do so; instead, their projected path seemed just to skirt around the horizon of the effective range. It wasn't as bad as he initially thought, at least. Could've been worse. Though, if the reports were accurate and the last pirate shuttle somehow had managed to bypass the energetic arms of the supposed civilian orbitals, Yun doubted that they would make the return trip as the Raider's had expected. That might mean their time of commencement would be shortened, and the Operation itself would have to be swift. Strike fast, and get out with as much as they could. The Atrisian didn't feel like being caught aboard the Cruiser when it had made the jump to hyperspace, let alone linger in Manda'yaim Territory longer than he had too.

Fanning his fingers along the breadth of the control yoke, the Smuggler breathed out a shallow lungful of air and started the Operational Chronometer.

[00:00]​

Having started the Count, Yun ignited the ion drive and plunged the vessel into a gradual period of acceleration. The lack of gravitic fields would see the Corellian Craft catapulted towards their target, and not hinder their future withdrawal by burning through his fuel reserves, nor tear apart the misaligned manifolds. While there was no time in the present for such a repair to be made, perhaps once they delivered the re-stolen product to their client - he could have the Kiffar Engineer mess around with his girl and see if she could make her better than ever. Smiling at the thought, and easing his grip on the controls, the Smuggler began to orientate his baby so that they would harmlessly drift by a wistfully spinning asteroid. Take her easy, the man thought, show her a good time, and she'll treat you just right.

As the Phaethon had made the final approach towards the Escort Cruiser, another vessel had entered the system. The craft was significantly smaller than the YX-1980 and had been heavily modified by the Carrion Company long before the Crew of Contractors and Mercenaries had departed from their Headquarters. It was an old Lambda-Class T-4a Shuttle that had been salvaged from some forgotten world, long after the barely contained nuclear blade of emerald fire had slain the craft. The outer hull of the spaceship had been re-painted with bespeckled obsidian, matching the darkness of space that had now engulfed it wholly. Aside from it's stylized void-blackened hull, the interior of the shuttle had been fitted with a massive Decoy Beacon, one that had changed the necessary facets of how the shuttle would appear on the sensors, should anyone, and when the vessel itself would be scanned. The Lambda Shuttle, piloted by a pre-programmed single use Navicomputer, would not appear as that ancient designation; instead, it would register as a secondary Horn-Class Escort Cruiser bearing a similar signature to that of the Carrion Company's target. Unless seen through a glasteel viewport, it was doubtful that their cunning ruse would fail. Though, stranger things have happened.

Now that their ploy had entered the playing field, outside of the operative weapons range of the two civilian installations and mere leagues away from the Blood Moon itself, Yun's smile grew.

This was where the fun began.

Growing ever closer in his immediate field of view, the Smuggler hoped that their ploy had worked. If the attention of the Pirate Crew and the Mandalorian Security Patrols after that had been directed towards the 'two' pirate vessels, the Phaethon would be able to slip into one of the Hangars and touchdown with little issue. If such an arrival had spooked the pirates or emboldened them in some way, it was more than likely they were either going to run or man their inactive weapons. The Smuggler hoped it was neither, as both would spell out a disaster for the Mercenary outfit. He couldn't tell what they were going to do, as with the ship now coming within weapons range, it didn't matter anymore.

Reaching over his control yoke and flicking the internal communications system, Yun spoke through the micro-bead affixed to the right side of his face.

:: One-Hundred Kilometers to Target. Ready Condition Crimson! ::

With those words spoken, the Atrisian killed the internal broadcast and prepared to punch one of the terminals off to his left. When they arrived, two of the forward cargo bays would slam open, crimson teeth fanning wide to allow the crew to depart. Until then, the Smuggler guided his beloved vessel towards the aft portside Hangar Bay, where the route to the Storage Units was supposed to be much shorter. Leon might appreciate that, though he might get lost too. Here's hoping Karma knew the way... Just in case.

| [member="Léon"] | [member="Runi Verin"] | [member="Karma"] |

Spoiler

Manda'yaim Parties -> | [member="Taneith Vizsla"] | [member="Kalyr Alor"] | [member="Danger Arceneau"] | [member="Anija Betna"] |

Spoiler

OoC: If I got the Blood Moon's Installations ( Mentioned in the OoC Thread) wrong, feel free to let me know via PM and it'll be edited post-haste.