Seven hours ago:
"So this Howard guy..." Raine Starstraggler, an infamous pirate with the death sentence in twelve systems, trailed. He had his hair arranged in elaborate spikes and the malevolence in his red eyes was matched by the malevolence traced into dark blue skin, a thousand scars and a bent nose. He was clad in some vintage massassi battle armor that covered an enlarged muscular frame, the light combat suits design specifics having long since ceased to be a secret to the galaxy at large. He was seated in the pilot chair, the old heavy frieghter from Corellia, and he was next to the droid merc in the other seat, a heavily modified magnaguard droid that had gotten too independent one day, and killed its master. It was named Neckbreaker.
"Yes? What of him?" The Droid asked, its synthetic growl echoing in the small cockpit.
"He's not like your usual pirates, I heard. Heard he survived a fight with one of those One Sith Inquisitors..."
"That...is no easy feat..." the droid confessed. "How did he do it?"
"They say he's seen nearly every trick in the book...that's why they picked him..."
"I heard he's a walking doom magnet" said Emma, the youngest pirate on the team, a woman of Haruun Kal origin, clad in dark leather armor, armed with a vibromace, her hair done in one long black braid, studded with jewels. She was tall and muscular herself, a veteran of a hundred ship to ship raids. They were all the most vicious, dangerous sorts they could find on such short notice. The Jedi guarding their payday was said to be that dangerous.
"I've heard thousands of people have tried to kill him, to no avail..." Emma explained, hand resting on her mace.
"So he's a badass...right...nice to know..." Raine complained. "So they put him in charge of all of us just because he happened to be the last one standing a couple of times? Gimme a break.
"Careful..." the droid warned. "He'll hear you..."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, front and center!" Howard called out from the main hold, already suited in his thermal resistant space suit, which looked gold chromed from faceplate to suit layer. He was armed with a large vibro-cutlass, a stun baton, and extraordinarily powerful fifty caliber revolver with vented barrels as well as a tranq gun. They were all armed with tranq guns. Howard didn't want to kill anyone taking the ship. Not out of mercy...Jedi could sense suffering and death. No death or suffering, less chance of detection.
The three gathered in the hold. The chiss man had Howard's eye in particular...he chafed taking orders. Ordinarily Howard would have refused to work with him based on that alone...but there simply no one else as qualified available.
"I still think this plan is fething suicide." Raine said, eyeing Howard suspiciously. "C'mon, blasting our own ship to hell right as the transport arrives? And then praying they'll have an attack of conscience and look for survivors?"
"They're Silver Jedi, they'll go for it..." Howard assured Raine. "They're gullible like that...okay, does everyone have the plan?"
"Once the ship is in range, be picked up as a survivor during the sweep. Neckbreaker uses the distraction to attach a emp device to the hull itself, take out their power and communications temporarily. You and Raine slip aboard, by cutting your way into the hull..." Emma answered.
"You do know if this goes south..." the Droid spoke, "We're adrift..."
"It won't..." Howard assured them. "They always wanna play hero...always. Can't help themselves."
"It's also a nice way of knocking us off to get our pay for yourself, Howard." Raine sneered.
Howard did a deliberately sensual jiggle solely to irritate him. "Well I guess you'll just have to be the best and not die, won't you?"
Raine snorted at this, but said nothing at this but said nothing else.
"Get your suits on. We scuttle this ship in twenty."
"What do we do for heavy weapons?" Neckbreaker asked.
"With as much bullion as these guys were about to take aboard? Trust me, They'll have heavy weapons." Howard assured them in jolly voice.
The others looked at each other and shrugged.
"I have done way crazier chit than this." Howard emphasized. "We'll be fine...as long as you follow the plan to the letter."
Fifteen minutes later...
Clad in reflec coated space suits, with the exception of Neckbreaker, the four depressurized the ship by opening the hatch, the four attached by cable.
Black space greeted them as they went adrift, watching their ride go adrift. Howard, in front of the line, held the trigger and sent the signal, just as he watched the other frieghter, heavily armed and armored, drop out of hyperspace. Emma was the only one unarmed.
The Frieghter sent a distress signal just as it blew. Howard used the special microthrusters on his suit's arms to manuver into the debris field, picking the largest chunks, cutting themselves adrift from Emma to hide by the largest chunks. Emma activated her distress beacon just before it blew, while the others had to contend with, in addition to hiding, very fast moving pieces of ship shrapnel. Howard had to carefully maneuver another chunk from behind them to avoid razor sharp pieces of ship. Howard watched with a rangefinder, a piece of shrapnel gliding by him, the other frieghter shining lights on the adrift woman.
Howard used his arm jets to steer the shrapnel they hid behind under the ship hull and drifted from their hiding object, attaching to the hull, where Neckbreaker attached the rectangular EMP generator to the hull as a very low powered tractor beam towed Emma in.
"Okay, droid, do it!" Howard order, launching off the hull at the same time he and Raine did.
An azure surge of energy took out the ship power, and the three steered onto the hull towards an airlock, where Howard used a plasma torch to cut open the lock, sliding it open then sealing it once everybody was inside, then proceeding to cut open the other lock, their magboots clicking to the floor as gravity had been taken out. Everyone took out their silenced tranq rifles and proceeded to sever the cable attachments to one another, going in through a darkened vessel, past what looked to be engineering, and shooting the first three officers yelling and floating helplessly in mid air, pulling their unconscious bodies down and securing them to railing close to the ground.
"Remember, same drill with everyone you meet. Emma, you good?" Howard whispered into his link.
"Med bay and comms our ours, moving to secure cargo section..." Emma answered.
"Move. Search and clear. There are only twenty eight people aboard. This ship is only three times the size of a Corellian YT. It will be completely ours in five minutes, understood?" Howard asked. The others nodded and began the rapid clearing process...
Twenty minutes later....
After gaining control of the frieghter, Howard had disguised himself as one of the Soldiers sent to escort the transfer of bullion from the wreck, dressed now in blue and black garb with heavy chest armor, his face uncovered and clean shaven, hair trimmed and combed. This would be the most difficult phase of the objective.
But Howard had experience ambushing enemy personnel, even Force Adepts. It was all a matter of forcing out doubt and malice. Hiding it.
Howard readied the heavy slugthrower assault rifle he had found. Emma was equipped with the chaingun they had found. Neckbreaker had seized control of piloting and was heading down to the planet surface, while Raine was drawing the strange symbols of odd, crooked looking red runes in a strange, glowing blue chalk.
"What is this stuff?" Raine asked, eyeing the old man who cleaned up surprisingly well as he sheathed his vibro cutlass with obvious suspicion. Howard did not carry himself like other pirates. He didn't curse. Didn't get drunk or do drugs. Didn't pick fights for no reason. Screamed military bearing. The ease and swiftness with which he had directed them spoke much on how often he had done this. Raine's own dad had been in the military. Used to tell him all these scary stories about encountering enemy units dressed as friendlies, with flawless knowledge of the other side's tactics and habits. Raine realized Howard was very, very dangerous. Crazy also, but dangerous.
"Supreme victory consists of winning before having to fight in the first place, Sonny..." Howard answered with a grin, going over to examine his work, noting Raine, however distrustful he was, could clearly focus when he had to.
"The key to supreme victory is manuevering the enemy into a position of vulnerability..." Howard explained, crouching down to examine the wards.
"That chalk you got there..." Howard explained. "Nightsister stuff. Bought it off one. Take some chalk, infuse it with spirit ichor, curse it with blood magic, write the proper wards down, and let the enemy walk into it. Weakens them badly.
"What if she doesn't want to come aboard?" Raine asked.
"We adjust. I have a back up plan..." The Pirate answered. Stay in that space suit and keep that shotgun you found happy. Cut the ship lights when you see her approach...your timing must be perfect." Howard warned the chiss.
"Ehh, relax..."
Howard snorted, rose as the ship landed.
"Remember, hide your intent like I showed you. Think about something, anything other than what you are doing...she'll have trouble reading your intent that way.
Emma, who had concealed her features underneath a helmet with an opaque face shield turned to Howard. "How deadly is this Jedi?"
"Definitely not human...so be ready for anything..." Howard answered. "Look alive, People!"
Seven hours later...
Syd, still warped by what she had been exposed to, sneered as she felt the mental presence of [member="Wu Yeoh-Mei"] reach out. She was very far away. Syd had not even known she was on the planet, or even in the area. She would not stop her from taking revenge on the pirate. She would roast that pirate, cook him in his own juices.
Her limits prevented her from replying back with telepathy, but Wu was going to get hurt if she got too close. Syd had no control, absolutely none.
That relic had freed her.
Syd thought she spotted Howard fleeing into an upper deck, towards the ancient hangar of the Sith vessel. She flew at a shadow at high speed, screaming for blood, the heat she emitted crisping the ancient paint still on the walls as she passed by it.
"HOWARD!" Syd screamed. "HOWARD! SHOW YOURSELF AND DIE QUICKLY!"
