Space-trash, why'd it have to be space-trash? (Galactic Alliance Dominion of the Ojom Hex)

[Rayf Vigil]

Floating out in the void between star systems was an unsettling experience for most, but Rayf had been flying long enough that he was more or less desensitized to the discomfort.

Here he was, out in the middle of nowhere again. Almost in his fifties, Commander Vigil had been flying for the Galactic Alliance since back when it was still the 17th Republic Fleet regrouping on Sullust during the rise of the One Sith. He had survived more combat sorties than the rest of them put together, and yet he still found himself nervous to be in command on his first mission as the provisional Rogue Leader. [member="Ben Carlin"] was on an extended leave, so until High Command could square away who was to replace him permanently, Rayf had been swapped in from Blue Squadron.

A flashing light on his flight panel sent a jolt of adrenaline shooting through him that shattered his unsteady calm.

"R9, power up primary systems and begin jump prep."

His astromech hooted a reply that was translated onto the state of the art display of the TR-20 X-Wing. Moments later, Rayf's cockpit brightened considerably as the auxiliary lighting powered down in favor of the craft's primary systems. His panel's heads up display likewise brightened, and he could feel the sublight engines thrum back to life.

"That's the signal from Wraith," he said, keying his comlink so the other Rogues nearby his position could hear, "Begin hyperspace calculations for mission coordinates. The trap has been sprung."

This far out and until now radio silent, Commander Vigil and the rest of the Rogues knew nothing about the sudden space elevator disaster. But pirate activity had been an ongoing plague upon this sector for some time, and so they had planned along with Wraith to lure these criminals into an engagement by arriving in waves. [member="Roth Tillian"] and a handful of other squadrons were to make the initial push, and when [member="Asmus Janes"] along with his fellow Wraiths closed the trap, the Rogues and several more squadrons would jump in to cut off their escape.

Of course, their entire plan depended upon Asmus, Roth and the others holding out until they arrived.

"We ready, R9?" the Corellian ace asked, and his droid tootled an affirmative.

"Alright, last call gents," he drawled professionally on the squadron frequency, "All Rogues report in. We jump on my mark."

Rogue Squadron

Spoiler

Rogue One/CO – Squadron Leader [member="Rayf Vigil"] "Old Man"
Rogue Two/XO – Lieutenant Commander [member="Choli Vyn"] “Smalls”
Rogue Three –
Rogue Four – Flight Officer [member="Shesa Gragatus"] "Jaws"
Rogue Five – Flight Officer [member="Ava Cartwright"] "Goldilocks"
Rogue Six – Flight Officer [member="Jax Rhane"]
Rogue Seven - Flight Officer [member="Tristram Vos"]
Rogue Eight – Flight Officer [member="Barnabas Harou"]
Rogue Nine – Lieutenant [member="Allyson Locke"]
Rogue Ten – Flight Officer [member="Wedge Draav"]
Rogue Eleven –
Rogue Twelve – Flight Officer [member="Cale Gunderson"]

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Krell Station, Ojom Orbit, Ojom System, The Deep Core​

Interacting With: [member="Srina Talon"]​

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Getting onto the station had not exactly been the easy part of this plan, honestly, Aryn wasn't sure that there would really be any easy part of the plan, but they had done it, Srina had brought along a fair degree of weaponry, but Aryn was far less equipped, only having his lightsaber and a blaster mag-locked to the plates on his armour. Once gravity kicked in and he felt hard metal below his feet, he finally felt comfortable, quickly bringing up his wrist-computer as he ducked against a wall for cover, bringing up the maps that had been provided by the Besalisks.

He knew as Srina did that at least that intel would be accurate, and indeed invaluable to their mission as he started to move along with her. "It's not far." He said simply before she hushed him, he paused as she did, ducking into the shadows and watching as the pirates moved to pass by. Under old circumstances, with less of the Sith's influence around him and less time spent amongst the more unsavoury in the Alliance and indeed across the galaxy, Aryn would've made every effort to keep their presence unknown and unseen, even keeping the pirates alive as well as he could.

Yet as they made their way past, Aryn drew both weapons from his armour, moving up behind a pirate, he activated his saber, in a flurry of movement bringing up his blaster to fire a shot towards the head of a second, watching the body fall as he shifted the body of the first still mounted on his saber, pushing forward with them as a human shield. The third pirate moved, but he was not fast enough in getting his weapon up as the chest of the first pirate slammed against the torso of the third, the blade of his saber piercing through both bodies before Aryn deactivated it, letting the three bodies fall in a pile.

"Cmon, better to move before they have any check-ins." He commented as he shifted the weapons back to his side, not noticing the blood which now slightly adorned his armour, adrenaline still coursing through his veins at the flurry of movement that he accompanied his attack, turning his gaze towards Srina as he displayed the map from his wrist computer. "The security control center is just down this hallway, we should get there soon enough, and it will probably be well-guarded."

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Exterior to Interior of Krell Station, Ojom Orbit, Ojom System, The Deep Core
Interacting With: [member="Aryn Teth"] & NPC Pirate Scum

The only benefit that Srina could really and truly appreciate about wearing a helmet was the fact that she couldn’t smell the cauterized flesh left behind by the Supreme Commander’s lightsaber. His movements had been swift and decisive, like that of a viper, and the pale woman was left looking plainly at the remains. Her friend, one of the few people in the verse that she could truly call a friend, was changing. Ever since his more recent battles against the First Order, and the Empire, there was something about [member="Aryn Teth"] that felt foreign. Whether it was due to association with those used the Dark Side of the Force or the repeated exposure to extreme violence—she couldn’t tell.

He simply wasn’t always the man she thought she knew.

There was no mercy, no remorse, flooding the Force Bond that lay between them. There was nothing to suggest that he felt anything at all about the dead criminals laying at their feet. Her slender figure peeled itself from the wall, like a shadow coming to life, and she approached him without fear. For all of his actions, despite this dark evolution, Aryn would always have her faith. He was her Jedi. Not a Sith.

“I could have handled that for you.”, she murmured, her eyes flickering to the map that he had raised without emotion, his leftover adrenaline making her pulse quicker than it ought to be. It wasn’t that she didn’t think him capable, simply put, she was a killer. He was not. At least, he hadn’t been. “Next time…”, the apprentice trailed off, reaching for his armor to wipe a streak of blood away with the back of her gloved hand. It didn’t suit him. “Now that I know the rules…Save some for me.”

Srina pulled away from the blue-eyed human and began to follow the directives from the map. She had barely glanced at it, but, as the Jedi had long ago found out—Echani eyes missed very little. The diminutive Acolyte for the Confederacy strode ahead with confidence that did not befit a woman so slight of frame. Silver eyes flickered when she heard several voices talking up ahead, a little rowdier than she had expected, but nevertheless, their intended targets.

Well-guarded, Aryn had said. From around the corner, she could see more men and woman that should reasonably occupy the space. They didn’t seem to know that their trio of friends had passed on yet, and for that, they had an advantage. Srina had learned more than a few things while being part of a mild-meld with her Master. No, she would not be summoning a Smoke Demon, but she would execute the mission parameters by any means necessary.

The Echani strode up behind one of the first guards she found, and in the instant the white blade snapped to life, it found a home through the spine of her enemy. Rather than pull the blade out, she ripped it through the soon-to-be corpse, and used forward momentum to remain in motion. The man that he had been speaking to dropped his scalding hot caf as he reached for his blaster, but the movement was much too slow, and the apprentice twisted her blade through the air and ran it straight through his neck.

Those in the command center were starting notice something was off. The sound of a lightsaber was very far from silent, and for most learned individuals, entirely unmistakable. Srina stepped over the second body as if it had never existed. She did not judge. These people had chosen their path—As any child of the Galaxy was want to do. The death she would soon deliver was merely a consequence of those decisions. Cause and effect.

‘Watch my back and I’ll watch yours.’ she called to Aryn via telepathy, watching the pirates in the in the large room ahead as they began to scramble. Unease permeated the air. She pulled a flash grenade from her belt and threw it far into the open doorway. ‘Close your eyes.’

A bright energy flash and a loud noise went off, designed to disorientate their opponents in the Command Center, and leave them at a disadvantage. Most organics, with several obvious exceptions, of course, had difficulty fighting what they couldn’t see.

 

[Ava Cartwright-Pryce]

Rogue Squadron​

Near Ojom system, Deep Core​

[member="Rayf Vigil"] @Pilots​

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Rogue Five's teeth chattered as she sat silently on the pilot couch of her Dagger, a TR-20 X-wing, afloat in the coldness of dark space while the squadron waited in standby mode to spring their part of the trap. Gloved hands came up to rub up and down the rebel orange fabric that covered each arm followed by her thighs. Toes wiggled too inside the heavy boots Goldilocks wore to keep circulation going, but it didn't seem to help the dead chill that had settled in the Ralltiiri's bones.

Closing her eyes and leaning her flight helmet back against the head rest, Ava tried to think of things that would make her warm up. Images started to come to her mind: Sipping on a cup of steaming caf; a tropical paradise; standing under a spray of hot water in the shower; a tall, dark and handsome joining her...

Whoa!

Dark-lashed eye lids flew open and a pair of steel blue orbs went wide searching the flight console and the area surrounding her X-wing as the comm unit came to life. Commander Vigil's fatherly voice in her ear brought Avalynn Marie right out of that particularly nice daydream... Well at least she was a little warmer than before, but thirsty now.

[ Squeak, it's go time. Get ready to make the jump on Rogue Leader's mark. ] the golden blonde called to her R9 unit while flipping switches and pushing buttons to bring the snubfighter's primary systems back online. Despite giving the solid blue astromech tech oil baths frequently, the little guy's gyros always squeaked for some reason hence his nick name.

Goldie waited for her turn as other pilots called out their status in response to the Old Man's request, then she keyed the squadron's comm channel.

[ Five has four lit and green to go. ]

Spoiler

OCC: [ ] means helmet comm talk.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

And they kept moving. He looked to his team and nodded. They were here and ready to help. The one thing about people fighting for the Alliance was that they knew they were risking their lives to help others. It meant putting complete strangers, even species one never knew about, ahead of their own welfare.

Part of what it meant to be a Jedi. Definitely what it meant to be a Watchman. Coren was a ranking Jedi here, for what it was worth. But he also knew what was going on. He was intending on being elsewhere, but he just knew he was needed here. Jared was a pilot, and it was what his son was good at. That was why he was flying one of the get away vehicles.

Looking up at Trextan, Coren nodded. “WE’re going to send them back to the ship we came out of. And to the hangar. I’ll get a ship there moving for sure. Just make sure you’re in between the pirates and the refugees.” Coren ignited his lightsaber. “Coming to the hangar with me? See what ships we can… commandeer?”

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

 

[Duke Dyson]

Location: Approaching Ojom System
Allies: Rogue Squadron Pilots, [member="Ava Cartwright"], [member="Rayf Vigil"]
Ship: TR-20http://starwarsrp.net/topic/99295-tr-20-x-wing
Enemies: Pirates
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Jax had his datapad on full frontage as he keyed away doing some light sketches originating from an abandoned pastime that he had taken up on his homeworld. In the meantime, his astrometch droid Snaps pulled on the reigns of his starfighter while he just laid back and tried to get himself comfortable. For a pilot of his height, the cockpit tended to feel more cramped in comparison to those who met the average height length. As a result he'd sometimes get some minor lower back strains that he'd immediately shake off with every touch down.

Being with the Rogues for several months now gave him full acknowledgement that their encounters would not always be at an even pace and that sometimes his assignments would be less than stimulating than the average engagement with a few TIE fighters. With youth came the blazing heart of a rookie that just wanted to continue to serve and ensure chaos towards those who dared to dissect the idea of peace even if that sometimes meant that the constant blackness of space was a factor. Sounding off a warble, Snaps jolted him out from his trance causing a disarray on his tiny masterpiece. "Now you've done it." Jax muttered petulantly as he tossed his datapad aside for the comm over his helmet mic to sound off Commander Rayf Vigil's solid voice.

The two had become acquainted over the Mandalorian invasion very briefly. Jax couldn't recall having the chance to meet him at base but it was no coincidence his step in for Rogue Squadron was a wake up call while Ben Carlin was on temporally leave. Jax had no objections to Rayf, out of all the other possible candidates Rayf was the ideal choice with his veteran status and stellar record. His composed nature would do well in the thick of things to come and with all opposing enemies, the Rogues needed a leader that could hold it together.

Jax took a skim look around his frontal surroundings. The atmosphere of space and it's star constellations always becoming sight that he was mesmerized by even if at times just the mere sight of them could go on for hours to no end. "Powering up all primary systems." Fipping over some switches and buttons, Jax waited patiently as every pilot sounded off that when it came to his turn, he spoke in with intended boldness. "Rogue Leader this is Rogue Six, we are a go here."

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Krell Station, Ojom Orbit, Ojom System, The Deep Core​

Interacting With: [member="Srina Talon"]​

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Briefly, Aryn's gaze shifted downwards as he felt the back of Srina's hand brush idly against his chestplate, it was the first time he noticed the blood, not that it particularly bothered him. Around anyone else, particularly anyone from the Jedi order, Teth might've been scolded for his brutality, or at the very least reminded it wasn't necessarily the way of a Jedi, though Aryn was progressively learning that he was certainly not the Jedi he once was or even that he aspired to be. Instead, as Srina spoke he couldn't help but let the smile grace his lips, lingering for only a few moments before he shifted his gaze downward once more to focus it upon the map he displayed.

Watching as she turned and began to make her way off, Aryn began to follow close behind, eyes and ears focused for any more intruders that might've crossed their path as they made their way down towards the security control center. He watched the eerie grace with which Srina dispatched the two pirates, and his ears began to pick up the murmers and shifting of the pirates in the next room. He knew that their window of surprise was now rapidly sinking, but luckily it seemed as though his partner had a plan.

Hearing her words echo within the hallways of his mind, Aryn did not need to think nor question the woman as he did exactly as she requested, closing his eyes as he moved towards the large room. He heard the click of the pin, saw through the force as the grenade flew through the air, and heard the groans and random blaster fire that came as the pirates within the room were caught by its blast. He closed in a flash, a flurry of movement erupting from the Supreme Commander as he reversed his lightsaber grip.

His blade cut across the chest of the first pirate that had been by the door, and using the momentum of his movement he continued to swing into the next, continuing to turn as he drew his blaster and fired two shots which landed squarely at the torso of a third, knocking the man back into the wall but not fatally wounding him with his armour. Pulling back over his head with his lightsaber, Aryn threw it as though it were a huttball, the blue blade shimmering as it rotated in the air before piercing firmly into the man and pinning him to the wall.

Certainly, Teth was defenseless now, but he had the utmost confidence that she would be able to dispatch the remaining pirates within the room.

 

[Cathul Thuku]

Objective: Xerius Station
Allies: [member="Coren Starchaser"] [member="Trextan Voidstalker"]
Enemies: Pirates

While, of course, Coren commandeered whatever ships were berthed in the hangars, some ambulances began to be redirected to the Lothal because the triage was slower than usual. With the predictable result that the sickbay began to be filling with patients, and quickly went from near-empty to full, and she prayed that any extras, either commandeered from the station's hangar or on the Oral-Turinabol, will be able to handle the remainder of the refugees taken from the station. This is a problem but at least the diversion worked well enough to save those people, Besalisks or otherwise: it was trading off a problem for another, she thought, while hoping that these extras are enough, however grateful she is for them. She might be have to take care of a patient or two in the CIC, if it came to that, but one such patient would be a very lucky person: few civvies would actually get to see the insides of a CIC in person. In fact, she had to come to grips with one such patient, as she saw one of those security crewmembers bring a patient inside the CIC.

"Let's see: carbon monoxide poisoning! Nothing a good old-fashioned Detoxify Poison can't fix!"

Spoiler: Medvac

ANS Pharmacokinetics (Cardea-class medical cruiser)
ANS Tylenol (Cardea-class medical cruiser)
ANS Oral-Turinabol (Cardea-class medical cruiser) - ETA: 1 post

64 M47 Illria ambulances (+32 with a 1-post ETA)

Spoiler: Fleet

Capital ships:

ANS Lothal (Lothal-II-class artillery carrier)
ANS Locus of Control (C-9980-class frigate)
ANS Big Seven (C-9980-class frigate)
ANS Kalla (Kalla-class missile corvette)
ANS Rudrig (Kalla-class missile corvette)
ANS Karst (Kalla-class missile corvette)
ANS Kitai (Kalla-class missile corvette)

Attack craft:

24 Chiloon-I fighters
24 Chiloon-II fast bombers

 

[Asmus Janes]

"Rogue squadron is inbound."

"Understood Wraith Seven." Whilst the rogues would be jumping into action further into the system than the trap Asmus and his SIS squadron had set it would be good to have such skilled pilots in the vicinity. He had commanded that squadron for the better part of two years before officially retiring. There were no public records of his move into the SIS.

Almost as soon as he had launched his ship found lock on one of the fighters. If the pirates had been patient they would have realised they outnumbered the Wraith vessels that had been hidden in cargo pods. Instead they were scattering and making themselves easy targets.

"Missile away," he called as he thumbed the release. His agile vessel only stored two missiles but he took the risk of using his ordnance early to take the advantage.

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Exterior to Interior of Krell Station, Ojom Orbit, Ojom System, The Deep Core
Interacting With: [member="Aryn Teth"] & NPC Pirate Scum

His smile melted the darkness. The cloud that she felt around Aryn, muddying the light she felt within him, dispersed almost entirely when he smiled. It was a curious thing. Did he know? The Sith Apprentice could be far too perceptive, far too intuitive, for her own good. With the mission in mind, and the fact that they could be attacked at any moment, she let the issue die. The map he held pointed the way to the command center and the Echani would not dawdle. There were innocent lives that would be lost to slavery if they failed.

The Confederacy, comprised mostly of Sith, would not stand for it—so she imagined the Alliance felt much the same way. The punishment for such a crime in Geonosis was death. There were no second chances, no court hearings, simply a meeting in the Arena with the most monstrous creatures the galaxy had to offer.

It was a quick death, most of the time, which was more than most of their victims received.

The space-walking suit and armor that she had borrowed from the Alliance was almost a perfect fit. She seemed to be a little shorter than most, and it was a touch strange around the knees, but nothing she couldn’t manage. She could still move freely and that was good enough. Once the flash grenade went off, she allowed the automated system to retract her helmet so she could have the full view of her surroundings. Her hair fell in a long, thick braid that she had tucked away, swinging free only when she lunged at a screaming, blinded pirate.

Her flash grenades were anything but kind. Certainly, their retinas felt like they were on fire.

Aryn moved beside her, dispatching more than one of their enemies with swift, unbothered precision. She noted that he had temporarily lost his weapon, and remained nearby, but she didn’t worry. There was no need. When the Supreme Commander had her at his side, as he had witnessed on Kubindi, he was never, ever, defenseless. Never alone.

A few of the mercenaries eventually began getting their sight back and attacked from the right. The Echani dropped low when the first, poorly aimed blaster bolt whizzed by her head, so close that she could feel the heat. The shot had been luck, not accuracy, as evidenced by the next for rounds that went in the complete opposite direction. The small warrior activated the Mandragora bracelet that Katrine Van-Derveld had given her to absorb the rest of the shots. It wasn’t her personal shield, but, it served its purpose all the same as she closed in on her targets.

Srina waited until she was just near enough before tapping into the Force to launch herself forward, denting the floor beneath her feet, as she zipped across the room. The energy shield disappeared and her lightsaber thrummed to life as she used it to punch through the first pirates’ chest plate. It was clean, through and through, so she rolled away and swung left in a wide arc with the intention of disemboweling his compatriot. He stumbled away, clumsily, but the young woman gave no quarter and redoubled her efforts until her error was corrected.

The Echani moved quickly, far too suddenly for her opponents to follow, and by the time the first hit the floor, the second was already well on his way. Another filthy slaver got off several rapid-fire shots while her back was turned but the armorplast of her suit worked well to deflect the bolts. The impact made her stumble, but, she adapted and changed her trajectory. Srina flipped over a low console before she dropped down and kicked her enemy’s legs out, causing the man to fall flat on his back. Srina was on him before he could move, booted foot pressing down on his chest, and her blade swept at the space where his head met his armor.

She didn’t look down to see the decapitation but merely turned her gaze back to the Supreme Commander. "Behind you.", she spoke calmly, before her hand flew out, sending a telekinetic wave that bypassed Aryn Teth entirely. The enemy that it touched sent him careening into the wall headfirst, and with a sickening crack, she noted he would not be standing back up. From there, the fight continued, and the Confederate Acolyte continued to dispatch the opposition with abandon. There was no emotion in her, no hesitation, only skill.

When things stopped moving the small woman paused, seeming to breathe for the first time. The white light from her saber abruptly died. There was a thin burn visible on her cheek, a graze from a blaster, but otherwise, she seemed unharmed. Srina reached out with the Force and swept the area, searching for signs of life, but was satisfied when she could report the negative.

“Clear.”

 

[Rayf Vigil]

"Mark."

Commander Vigil eased the throttle forward on his ship's paralight system, and he could feel a brief jostling thrum as the X-Wing's inertial dampeners struggled to compensate for the sudden and massive increase in velocity. Points of light that had been twinkling in the endless black bled into starlines, and the Old Man knew he had made a successful transition into hyperspace. Already, his TR-20's state of the art augmented reality display was projecting a reversion countdown of scant minutes. Just outside of extreme sensor range, their tactical insertion would be a brief hop at lightspeed.

"Okay, final checks," his voice was calm and easy, an affectation of serenity that bore little resemblance to his current state of mind. But it would do his pilots little good to know that, especially their first time out in the real deal under his watch, "We'll be running overwatch on this one. Our exit coordinates should put us between Ojom's orbit and Wraith Squadron's position. From there, we analyze the tactical situation and respond where we're most needed."

This close to reversion, Rayf was painfully aware that their squadron was not at full strength. He would simply have to trust it would be enough, and have faith in the certainty that a single Rogue behind the stick of an X-Wing was worth an entire wing of lowlife pirate space trash.

"Wraith wouldn't have pinged us without a good reason, so expect hostile contacts."

The final few seconds felt like slow motion.

"Yeah, I see it R9," he answered, glancing down at his main computer's diagnostic readout, "See if you can lock it down. Not much else we can do about it now."

Another quick jostle of the starfighter's straining inertial dampening systems, and with a flash of light suddenly they were in the middle of the Ojom system. No sooner had they arrived than intermittent laser cannon blasts began streaking their way, for unbeknownst to Rogue Squadron the pirates in orbit had dispatched reinforcements to deal with reports of more Alliance on the system's edge. Their trajectory had placed them directly in Rayf's line of fire.

His first squeezes of the trigger were instinctual, before he remembered his place, "All fighters weapons free! Break break break!"

Slamming his X-Wing into a hard corkscrewing dive, both fighter screens evaporated into the chaos of a close quarters brawl.

"Stay with your wingmate!"

[member="Asmus Janes"] | [member="Roth Tillian"] | [member="Karren Trask"] | [member="Jarck Rabsch"]​

Rogue Squadron

Spoiler

Rogue One/CO – Squadron Leader Rayf Vigil "Old Man"
Rogue Two/XO – Lieutenant Commander [member="Allyson Locke"]
Rogue Three –
Rogue Four – Flight Officer [member="Shesa Gragatus"] "Jaws"
Rogue Five – Flight Officer [member="Ava Cartwright"] "Goldilocks"
Rogue Six – Flight Officer [member="Jax Rhane"]
Rogue Seven - Lieutenant Commander [member="Choli Vyn"] “Smalls”
Rogue Eight – Flight Officer [member="Tristram Vos"]
Rogue Nine – Flight Officer [member="Barnabas Harou"]
Rogue Ten – Flight Officer [member="Wedge Draav"]
Rogue Eleven –
Rogue Twelve – Flight Officer [member="Cale Gunderson"]

OOC: Any Rogues late to the party can spawn in near us.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

Soldiers started barking out orders towards the people trying to flee the station but they were a panicked mass of bodies. Trextan heard calls for them to slow down or move in an orderly fashion. It did not happen. As he tried to move through the crowd he was buffeted from side to side.

"Please, let me through," he tried to call. His voice was such a small thing in a tight crowd of shouting people. They knew there was a way out and their collective intelligence had dropped to storming ahead as quickly as they could. Trextan was pushed hard against the bulkhead, clinging to a panel to avoid being swept along with the crowd. He heard a blaster bolt in the distance.

Frustration boiled to the surface and he lashed out. A telekinetic wave pushed the crowd back nearly a metre. Those closest looked at him with shock. How could he protect people if they wouldn't let him. The civilians would be easy pickings if they didn't get past.

"There isn't enough room. Let us pass," he said. The frustration galvanised into determination and his words were backed with a suggestive push through the Force. He activated his pearly white blade. This time the crowd parted ahead of him.

 

[RC 212]

[member="Rayf Vigil"] [member="Trextan Voidstalker"] [member="Asmus Janes"] [member="Cathul Thuku"][member="Jax Rhane"] [member="Coren Starchaser"][member="Ava Cartwright"]

Tagged people near me.

Entering Pirate Mothership...

The blast riped the airlock clean in two. Karren and her Bloodhawks slipped through. She in her normal antique rebel jumpsuit with the helmet sealed. Them in black flighsuits with grey plates.

Her helmet pinged an alert as both hands closed around the grips of her pistols.

"They know we're here now."

"Yeah hightail it. On me."

Boots thundered in empty space, clearing the sencond airlock door just as it closed. They hooked a right, and then the small four man squad vanished down a narrow corridor. Jane, the techie got his data pad up and running and began un-spooling cord from his arm, as Karren and Tanya Greer stood watch, back to back, weapons at the high ready. So far so good.

Jane plugged in, jacking into the ships internal systems with a level five slicing code.

"Got anything?"

"Yeah. Engineering is our best bet. Close off the air supply, force everyone off the ship."

"That's risking a lot of civilian casualties."

"Do we have any other choice?"

....

"Karren?"

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Force I just wanna blast something.....​

​

Oh....​

"Do it. They might have vac suits, but they aren't stupid. If money is their main motivation, after so much loss they'll want to hold onto any they can get. They won't risk losing their cargo. They'll send em off down the airlock, right intto the Alliance strike teams hands. Tight beam to Thuku and Starchaser, let em know whats up."

"You mean captured folks?"

"Yeah."

Ralstons gruff voice cut the comms in their helmets next,

"Company twelve o clock two hundred meters."

Karren narrowed her eyes, peering with steely green orbs through her foggy visor. A shot rang out, before she could react, flooring Tanya. She stumbled into Karrens back, Karren whirled and let loose a thundering fusillade of HE Slugthrower rounds, followed by her modded DL-44. The guns began to talk in unison as light, smoke and blood spatter painted a garish scene, lit only by the muzzle flashes of weapons.

Punctuated by snarls and screams. The force ran through her like a fire now, pushing her shots faster and faster, as Ralston dragged Tanya to cover behind a bulkhead. Then she opened up, splitting both weapons to train each on its own corridor.

"Get a map and seal off the hall!"

The force guided her shots. Each sinking into the horde that approached....

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Krell Station, Ojom Orbit, Ojom System, The Deep Core​

Interacting With: [member="Srina Talon"]​

​

There had been no reason for Aryn to hold even the most remote of concerns for Srina or even for himself so long as she was there. In the time that the two had known eachother, which was now verging on a significant piece of time, they had managed to drag one another out of several scrapes, and he had observed quite easily that they were a rather effective team when things called for it. As he moved, so did she, her movements were quick and deliberate and though each action was thought through with a careful degree of calculation, Aryn feeling as her blast of the force passed him by, it was only a few seconds before things fell into silence once more.

Holding his hand back out to the pirate he had last dispatched, he heard the sharp hiss of his saber deactivating as it flew to his hand, the body which had been impaled against the wall now crumpling in a twisted heap upon the floor as Aryn gently let his saber rest gently upon the magnetic plates on his armour, allowing his helmet to retract properly into his armour as hers had. He made to search the area for any more pirates but Srina was ahead of him, announcing that the room was clear before he even had a chance. He had moved to set about their business when he set his gaze instead upon her, closing the distance as he reached up, and gently let a trio of fingers take hold of her chin without word, lightly tilting her head to the side as he examined her graze, before turning her head back straight to face him.

"You were hurt." The words were more fact than anything, and the man had to attempt to fight down the concern from his voice as he looked her over. Whether it was the lingering adrenaline from their combat or something else, Aryn felt a strange, nagging feeling. He had felt it before, in moments such as this, back on Kubindi it came to mind, in brief flashes here and there when the two were alone, what it was he had no real idea, he had never experienced its type before, through any of his bonds, of which there were many by now. Still, he could tell that whatever it was, it was behind the concern he'd felt, the drive to inspect her injury even as minimal as it was. He found himself leaning closer.

A flash, red and hot cut right between the two of them, for a moment it almost blinded Aryn as he staggered from Srina, a hot pain and anger flaring up within the man as he turned his gaze to the door. Another pirate had arrived, whether they were a patrol returning or someone that had heard the commotion and come running, he didn't know, nor did he care. Aryn's hand flew upward, a palpable tightening was felt through the air as the man lifted off his feet, scratching and writhing at his neck as he gasped for air. He was there for only a few brief moments before Aryn clenched his fist, hearing the audible snap of the man's spinal cord as his body crumpled upon the floor.

It was only seconds later that Aryn noticed the youthful features on the pirate, it had been a boy, no more than seventeen. He may have been among the pirates and he may have held a blaster as them but one thing was clear, in his anger, Aryn had lashed out, and the one he had killed was still far from a true man, he had once held a whole life before him, and now, it had been snuffed out.

Aryn could not help but feel sick.

 

[Asmus Janes]

"Cronau burst, more ships arriving," Chad called over the squadron channel.

Asmus turned his eyes to his battlespace management holo display. He recognised the holographic icon immediately and returned his view forwards. A single freighter was just outside of his weapons range, trying to deter him with quad laser fire. Presumably until it found a hyperspace jump solution.

"That's Rogue Squadron," Asmus called. "We have orders to provide support if necessary." That was looking more likely now. Despite being outnumbered as they had spring their trap the pirates had panicked and were being picked off one at a time. Each seemed to think they could escape on their own, yet surrender or working as a group would have served them better.

Asmus kept his eye on the dials as his velocity outmatched his target and he started closing on weapons range.

 

[Ava Cartwright-Pryce]

Rogue Squadron - [member="Rayf Vigil"] [member="Jax Rhane"] ​

Ojom Orbit, Ojom System, Deep Core​

Engaging NPC pirates​

__________________________________________________________________​

​

​

The anticipation and waiting could just as easily kill a pilot rather than well-placed laser fire or a missile. Ava's nervous leg bounced as the counter on the nav computer seemed to take forever to count down to reversion. Possible scenarios raced through the Ralltiiri's mind that might greet the elite GA starfighter squadron even though their initial mission was to be overwatch. One always had to be ready to fill in the gaps and stay liquid. There was no such thing as an easy layup in their business.

​When the automatic cut out on the hyperdrive kicked in, Rogue Five's X-wing burst through the incandescent white wall and into Ojom's orbit... And right into the middle of a running firefight. The trap had been sprung and more so. The pirates now had reinforcements it seemed. Great?!

A double-click of understanding was given to Rogue Leader, then Goldie threw the flight stick hard to port and pushed it forward.

[ Rogue Six, break up-star. Lock S-foils into attack position. ] Five keyed to her wingman as she reached up and flipped a switch with her right hand; the iconic X formation fully engaged seconds later on the TR-20.

She trusted, okay hoped like hell, Jax would follow her moving down and to the left so to clear the way for the rest of the squadron to enter the active fray behind them. Her and Skyhawk were still getting to know each other as flying went. That could also be said on the personal front as well. It was an ever evolving process when strangers were thrust together. If they both survived long enough, the hope was the two would gel as one, well as far as wing mates go.

Squeak bleated sharply. Ave glanced at her screen. [ I know, I know. Don't get your gyros all in a bunch. It will be okay, ] she quipped back to the R9 unit with some semblance of reassurance... though was that more for him or her?

Because of the break they'd executed had taken the wing pair down, the pirates were coming in above their line of sight. Pulling back on the stick, Ava thumbed a switch that put all power to her forward shield.

[ All power to forward shield, switching to proton torpedoes. Watch my six, Six. ] There was almost a hint of amusement in Cartwright's voice over the comm, but this was not the time nor place.

A targeting box appeared on the heads-up display and Five maneuvered her X-wing to drop the sight on the lead pirate. She nudged the stick to frame up the enemy fighter. When the box went red with a confirming beep, Goldie pulled the trigger and the first torpedo sped in at its target.


Other pilots: [member="Asmus Janes"] [member="Karren Trask"] [member="Roth Tillian"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The lightsaber was a surefire way to attract attention. And once it was out? Then well, everything else could be figured out from there. People would move, others would attack. But Coren had his sights, mentally and physically, on the path from where he was now to the hangar. Some of the refugees were going to be loading up into the ship he had arrived on, and others were going to be following the pair of Jedi.

Soldiers would escort them, but Coren and Trextan were going to have to lead the group through. He could feel the change in the minds ahead of him. It wasn’t the relief of the refugees behind them, it was determination mixed with fear. He nodded. “Sentinel team, get the doors. Deploy smoke.” He ordered. As the door opened, and smoke blocked the path, the orange blade would stand out.

Coren reached to the Force, a barrier behind him, protecting those he swore to protect, leaving the pirates between smoke and his lightsaber.

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"]

 

[Fiolette Fortan]

"Ma'am?"

"Let them work, we'll clear out the area while they pull the pirates away," Fiolette ordered, "now engage tractor beams and worker drones we'll start here and move down the line."

The Fleetwood dispatched small drones who would work to clear the debris around the space stations, and its tractor beam would be a diligent tool to help hold certain pieces in place. All the while Fiolette's mind was working to correct some the structural errors she was reading on the stations from her seat in forward operations, "we can give the Alliance my estimate but it won't be cheap, these stations are old and we can repair them as is for now but we'll need to do some heavy modifications later to ensure they can withstand more than their fair share of beatings."

"Acknowledged," Farrah responded.

 

[RC 212]

[member="Rayf Vigil"] [member="Trextan Voidstalker"] [member="Asmus Janes"] [member="Cathul Thuku"] [member="Jax Rhane"] [member="Coren Starchaser"] [member="Ava Cartwright"]

Tagged people near me.

Assaulting through Pirate Mothership...

It didn't take more than a few seconds for the doors to slide shut, and Jane to unplug himself from the outlet. Beset by angry pirates they had one corridor before, and one aft. The one before them had footsteps clanging down the steel walls, echoing.

"Jane?"

"That way!"

Chit I was afraid he'd say that.

She holstered her pistols and reached back, drawing her JSA Break action Shotgun. The action pumped locking a fresh shell into the breach and she nodded.

"Ralston she good?"

"No but we need to get the hell out of here!"

No kidding.​

Already on either side of the halls that were closed she could hear the tell tale hiss of plasma torches at work.

The shotgun leveled and she took off at a medium clip, keeping the muzzle vertical with one hand. The other stretched and balled into a fist, manipulating the currents of the force, vibrating the atoms ahead of her. Dim flames coalesced and she fed them, fanning them with her caged emotions, giving her rage into the mix.

​

What am I doing?​

Ralston and Jane dragged Tanya behind them, arms hooked under her armpits.

The flame licked hungry for more.

She felt the darkness from the Orrazerus crystal in her Lightsaber speak to her.

Kill.......​

The fist clenched, and her teeth bared as they closed with a squadron of pirates bearing heavy repeaters.

"Contact-"

WHOOSHHH!

Her palm stretched, driving the lances of dark purple fire down the hall, through the pirates. Screams rang out as two fell, immolated and bubbling under the fierce attack. The fire grew, and her dark thoughts with it.

​

Kill......​

A blast from the shot gun shredded another, and she finished the last with a muzzle thump that transformed into a point blank blast through his skull.

Ralston raised an eye at the snarling woman, now mad with rage.

"Karren?"

"Push, run!"

 

[Cathul Thuku]

Objective: Xerius Station
Allies: [member="Coren Starchaser"] [member="Trextan Voidstalker"]
Enemies: Pirates

While Cathul was busy breaking down the chemical bonds within the carbon monoxide-poisoned patient, the Oral-Turinabol finally arrived on-scene to help out with the Xerius Station relief efforts, with the people inside the station fighting pirates, so as to buy time for the survivors to be taken to safety and, in some cases, to proper medical attention. She had to grant that whatever people were in the station to fight the pirates were able to serve as an efficient distraction and hence limit the losses to the civilians. Thirty-two extra ambulances, extra medvac capacity, she was going to limit the losses even more, knowing that any additional life saved is going to be equally many balms on her soul after the soul-crushing but Pyrrhic (or perhaps they were soul-crushing because of their Pyrrhic nature) defeats sustained against the First Order. Just that the bulk of new refugees was going to be on the Oral-Turinabol while the carbon monoxide-poisoned patient was now taken to another area on the ship so that he could recover with an oxygen mask being strapped on it.

Spoiler: Medvac

ANS Pharmacokinetics (Cardea-class medical cruiser)
ANS Tylenol (Cardea-class medical cruiser)
ANS Oral-Turinabol (Cardea-class medical cruiser)

96 M47 Illria ambulances

Spoiler: Fleet

Capital ships:

ANS Lothal (Lothal-II-class artillery carrier)
ANS Locus of Control (C-9980-class frigate)
ANS Big Seven (C-9980-class frigate)
ANS Kalla (Kalla-class missile corvette)
ANS Rudrig (Kalla-class missile corvette)
ANS Karst (Kalla-class missile corvette)
ANS Kitai (Kalla-class missile corvette)

Attack craft:

24 Chiloon-I fighters
24 Chiloon-II fast bombers