Skirmish The Road Less Traveled

[Crasdon Kaine]

​

War.

It seemed to be a constant force in the galaxy. Living in society seemed to be a constant struggle against the forces of chaos which threatened to consume everything.

Sometimes, living in a society created a chaos of its own. Nations wanted things. Even the best intentions could lead to countless lives lost. A multiplication of suffering and chaos under the guise of bringing peace and order.

And now Crasdon Kaine found himself in the middle of it.

Crasdon was in Outbound Flight, a civilian exploration branch of the Galactic Alliance. In fact, he wasn't even a proper member of the organization. He was merely a registered contractor who was authorized to do work for them. In theory, war was not something that he needed to have anything to do with. But when a nation went to war, the tendrils of violent need extended to every fabric of society. You couldn't escape it. Not really. You could only lie to yourself about it.

Now the Galactic Alliance had finished one war and was chomping at the bit to start another. This war was ostensibly a mission of mercy. But that mercy would turn into oceans of blood before everything was said and done.

Against a foe like the Mandalorian Enclave, nothing could be taken for granted. Nothing could be treated as routine. The Mandalorians were born and bred to war. It was in their DNA. The Galactic Alliance might want to save Ryloth, but they couldn't just take a fleet there using the usual routes. The Mandos would have interdiction devices. Mines. Ships ready to spring an ambush. Any usual route would result in a slaughter.

That's where Crasdon came in. His ship was perfectly equipped to explore uncharted reaches and find new, safe routes into Ryloth. But even though Whiskers was a good ship with decent armaments, it wasn't a fighter. He had taken the contract to map a new route to Ryloth on one condition: The Alliance would need to provide an escort.

Whiskers had been fueled. The ship was sitting in one of Outlander Station's vast hangars, ready for departure.

But Crasdon wanted to meet the men and women who would have his life in their hands. The closer they jumped to Ryloth, the more dangerous things would become. The Mandalorians were almost certainly on patrol. The resolutions of the Galactic Alliance Senate were public knowledge. The Enclave knew what was coming, and they'd certainly have taken precautions.

These fighter pilots would be the only things standing between Crasdon and a fireball if the Mandalorians stumbled upon their hyperspace mapping expedition.

Crasdon walked up to the pilots whose high-performance ships were gathered here.

"Pleasure to meet you," he said, extending his hand. "I'm Crasdon Kaine. I'll be running the deep space mapping equipment from the Scout, and calculating our jumps. I appreciate you volunteering to escort me on this run."


Gweneth Zarari L lgmmrm

 

[Ari Naldax]

Rev 3 | E9-K4 "9-4"

Vazal's muscles tightened as she reviewed the mission details. Not because of the specifics—it appeared to be just another routine Escort Duty—but because SFC had specifically chosen her and her wingmate, another Rook from the Revs, to head the escort. Perhaps her selection was due to her new Backseater, 9-4, specifically designed for ELINT tasks, crucial for detecting incoming threats on this journey.

"9-4," Vazal commanded, "run one more diagnostic on the sensors and ECMs. We need our eyes and ears wide open out there."

As her ward approached with an outstretched hand, Vazal met it with a strong grip. "Any time," she reassured him, "We'll ensure you reach your destination safe and sound."

Vashja Io Crasdon Kaine

 

[Vashja Io]

Tags: Crasdon Kaine Ari Naldax

Vashja stood by her fighter with her
astromech droid next to her wondering about the mission. "Bwup-wurrp burr bweep"

"Of course the alliance know the way to Ryloth, you have the briefing?" Vashja responding, rolling her eyes at the smaller droid. The two of them were here as escort pilots, the scout would be doing the hyperspace mapping duties today, but it hadn't stopped Vashja and her J2 attempting to plot a few of their own routes. "Ruurp beep bwup-bwup" the droid added.

"Yeah, I looked at that route too but star Ceta-Alpha 771 is magnetically unstable and would present a risk to any ships below a hundred thousand tons.

Oh hey, Vazal"

Vashja spotted one of her wingmates finishing their own preparations and was now being approached by Crasdon Kaine . Vashja walked over there just as the pair shook hands but did not extend her own, she wasn't one for that ritual. "It will be an interesting project, do you have high hopes that you might find what you are looking for? We will make sure nobody interferes with your task. If you need assistance with jump plotting I am happy to oblige too."

Vashja looked at Vazal with an excited grin, they had not flown in combat together but had trained on numerous occasions by this point.

​

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

Crasdon clasped hands with Vazal.

The strength of their grip was reassuring, somehow. As though it was a promise about the strength of the protection they'd provide. A silly notion, but much of human psychology was constructed from building blocks of silly notions.

"I believe you," he said, and smiled. He nodded towards her ship. "Nice ride. I bet she's fast."

Then he approached Vashja, and tried a handshake there as well, but it seemed that it was not her custom, so he pocketed his hand instead.

To her question, he nodded, "There's always more than one way to skin a Loth Cat, as the saying goes. The question isn't whether we can find a new route, but whether we can find one that isn't being patrolled by Mandalorians. If they are smart, they'll be anticipating something like this. Seeking out good routes of their own, and preparing for trouble.

These Mandos have been fighting wars for... well, it seems like forever, I guess. They are the exact opposite of who I'd choose to mess with. Taking them by surprise is going to be quite a feat to accomplish."

He shrugged, "Still, we have to try. If we can find an un-anticipated avenue to Ryloth, it'll save thousands of lives and dozens of ships, catching them by surprise and maybe avoiding a huge space battle. Well... a huger one than we'd have otherwise."

He gestured back to his own ship, "Whiskers has a top of the line navcomputer and deep space scanners, but I'm glad to hear you have your own jump calculation ability. If one stray meteorite or turbolaser bolt hits me somewhere sensitive, all my fancy gear won't mean spit. It could be your own computer, or astromech's droid-brain, will be what gets us there and back again at the end of the day."

He glanced around before boarding his ship, making sure he wasn't forgetting anybody.


Vashja Io Ari Naldax

 

[Nelliel Kryze]

MNV-52 'Beviin' Class Space Superiority Fighter
​

| Location | Hyperspace, On approach
| Objective | Patrol surrounding territories
| Focus | Kad Wren / Crasdon Kaine / Ari Naldax / Vashja Io

Nelliel's Beviin streaked through hyperspace as she leaned back in her seat. Following the battle over Ryloth, Skull Squadron had been dispatched to scour the surrounding systems for any further signs of the enemy. With the Enclave's forces making for a rather fearsome barrier to the Twi'lek homeworld, the Galactic Alliance was sure to attempt alternate routes of reaching the system unscathed by their warships. She had to admit, the Galactic Alliance did have some pretty solid pilots flying under them, hopefully, they would continue to entertain her time and time again. ​

​

Nelliel had paired up with Kad as they scoured nearby systems on patrol runs in an effort to intercept the enemy's movements before they got the jump on the Enclave. Ugh...Patrols Nel thought to herself - the mere idea of it made her want to roll into an asteroid with how boring they were, but it was nonetheless a necessary precaution. The Mandalorians have had their fair share of being stabbed in the back by "friends" and foe alike - it was a small price of her eagerness to pay for the safety of the Enclave and the Mandalorians that rallied under them.​

​

Nelliel kept an eye on her map as she gauged where they were currently heading - A few sectors in and they still have yet to encounter anything. She glanced out her cockpit as the rush of hyperspace reflected off the glass, glancing back at her wingman as she opened up a channel, " You still awake Hotshot? We're coming up on the next sector. Going to need those sharp eyes of yours in a bit. Don't expect it will be much different from the last few, but at least we can head back soon and say we've done our due dil. " ​

​

| Friendly | @ Skull Squadron / @ Enclave
| Hostile | @ Revenant Squadron / @ Galactic Alliance​

 

[Kad Wren]

SKULL PATROL
~Whenever you're in trouble, just yelp for help!~

FLYING: KARA | MNV-52 Beviin-class Space Superiority Starfighter
OBJECTIVE: PATROL SURROUNDING TERRITORIES
ALLIES: SKULL SQUADRON | MANDALORIAN ENCLAVE
OPPOSITIONS: REVENANT SQUADRON | GALACTIC ALLIANCE
TAG: Nelliel Kryze | Vashja Io | Ari Naldax | Open​

​

HYPERSPACE, ARRIVING

The battle over Ryloth has ended in an extended siege of the planet after we were able to maintain aerial superiority. That doesn't mean that the war is over, however. The Alliance is definitely looking for another entrance to the planet, as we are blocking them from the main hyperspace route. That means that the great Skull Squadron has been relegated to patrol duty for now. It just happened to be Switchblade and I today, flying in tandem, across some designated patrol routes. Manda, it's a good day to be Kad Wren.

Jumping through the hyperspace, approaching the last of our patrol assignment for the day. It had been a blast while it lasted, no matter how tedious the task was. Switchblade is such a blast to have around, especially in such a boring patrol. The ribbings and banters do overshadow the super boring task scanning and keeping a lookout. The fact that I find her a bit scary and intimidating only makes it even more exciting. <Let's get over it with, Switch. My throat is already itchy for a fresh batch of tihaar.> Yeah, go on Hotshot, ask your Ver'Alor ten years your senior out on a drink, surely nothing can go wrong.

<Arriving in three… two… one… aaand we… are… here… Last one.> The area we just jumped out of the hyperspace to is as quiet as the previous one. Just a couple of asteroid belts and gas giants, nothing out of the ordinary. From what it seems, there is no other living, breathing sentient organism nearby, no one but the two of us. The radar also doesn't seem to emit anything noteworthy, just your usual barren sector. Yet, I can't ignore my premonition. I can't see it, but I can sense something out there.

<Nothing on radar, nothing on sight, though I can sense an irregular disruption somewhere beyond.> Being a force-sensitive pilot does have its own benefits sometimes. In a profession where every millisecond counts, it's nice to have an extra sense and intuition of how things might shape up before we eventually have to react. <Might be nothing, but let's keep an eye on it?> I know for sure that Switchblade would be pissed if it ended up to be nothing, that we just spend some extra hours patrolling for no reason but a misguided gut feeling, but it's better to be safe, I guess.

​

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

​

"All right," Crasdon said, "I guess that's everybody. Time to get underway. For the purposes of the operation, this is Discovery flight. I'll be 'Discovery Actual.' Vazal, you're Discovery One, and Vashja, you're Discovery Two. These are just temporary radio codes, so the enemy can't identify us... if they're listening in."

With that established, Crasdon boarded Whiskers and took off, secure in the knowledge that Vazal and Vashja were right behind him.

He'd miss Fancy on this run. She was undergoing some needed maintenance on base. But with two expert pilots watching his back, Fancy could finally enjoy some down-time for a change.

The initial jumps were the easy ones. Known routes. No unexpected variables.

But that soon fell away.

Certainty was replaced by uncertainty. Deep scanners reached out to collect data from the unknowable black. Then his navcomputer would make its best-guess calculations, and they all jumped together.

The danger in uncharted routes was the possibility of rogue objects. Planets. Asteroids. Dark stars. Even ship wrecks from ancient battles. The chances of hitting anything in the infinity of the universe was slim. But if you flew often enough, you'd eventually win the least desirable lottery in existence.

Finally, they came to the area of greatest danger: Two jumps from Ryloth. The blue tunnel of hyperspace died away in an instant, and they were once again in realspace.

This was within the sphere of possibilities that the Mandalorians would be able to anticipate. They were probably working diligently to identify likely avenues of approach. They probably had patrols.

Crasdon touched the radio transmission button on his console.

"This is Discovery Actual. Discovery One, Discovery Two, keep your eyes peeled. It'll take my Deep Scanners about five minutes to gather data for t he next jump, and then the navcomputer another five minutes to crunch the numbers.

Until then, we're vulnerable."

It was an unnecessary announcement. They knew the stakes as well as he did. Better, probably. But anxiety made him talkative. Stating the facts out loud seemed to make them tangible and manageable. Usually he talked to Fancy.

Today, he had other partners.


Ari Naldax Vashja Io Nelliel Kryze Kad Wren

 

[Ari Naldax]

Rev 3 | E9-K4 "9-4"

As the starship made increasingly audacious jumps into the less charted territories of space, a torrent of emotions churned within Vazal. Some of these interstellar leaps, based solely on hunches, plunged them into daunting voids, causing her heart to race. Yet others unveiled celestial spectacles so stunning that they rendered even the familiar cosmos fresh and mysterious. The vastness of the galaxy never ceased to fill her with wonder. However, as they drew closer to Ryloth and the wild frontiers of space, Vazal's gaze sharpened. She diligently scoured each system for signs of danger. They were deep in Enclave territory now, and she was determined not to be caught off guard.

"Understood, Actual. Taking point. Two, stay sharp for any potential hostiles." With practiced ease, Vazal accelerated her fighter and smoothly transitioned to the vanguard of the formation, ensuring she didn't obstruct the scout's sensors, while also giving her own detection systems—and her EW-specialized Astromech—a clear vantage of the newly entered system. Muting the comms for a brief chat with her Astromech, she instructed, "9-4, initiate an ELINT sweep of the system. I want any ping on us detected before they receive their own echo. We won't be caught off guard today. Display the findings on my HUD."

Crasdon Kaine Vashja Io Kad Wren Nelliel Kryze

 

[Vashja Io]

Tags: Crasdon Kaine Ari Naldax Kad Wren Nelliel Kryze

Vashja nodded as Actual gave them their temporary signs before quickly making her way back to her fighter. "Fly safe 3" she said to Ari Naldax referencing his actual squad number and not the temporary one they had been given. The three ships sped out of the system and began making their jumps.

Until then, we're vulnerable

<<Copy that actual, we have your back, it's good to be out of the office>> she said into the comm as Discovery One made its maneuver and she moved into her own predetermined position gracefully. Hew own scanner were automatically picking up information and she started plotting potential hyperspace routes in her head while she waited, the dedicated systems on the scout were more effective but if she came up with something novel she could feed the information back into their systems. "bwuuu beep bwup-borp buweep"

"I see it too... <<Discovery One, I'm detecting an anomalous radiation signature, what do you have on your ELINT, over>>" she visualised the sensor data in her head, best guess was residue from a hyperspace jump, but the sensors on her X-Wing were not advanced enough to give her more information.

​

 

[Nelliel Kryze]

MNV-52 'Beviin' Class Space Superiority Fighter
​

| Location | Realspace, Arriving
| Objective | Patrol surrounding territories
| Focus | Kad Wren / Crasdon Kaine / Ari Naldax / Vashja Io

Nelliel felt them approach their destination as they began to slow out of hyperspace. Kad was already chirping back over comms as she smiled in response, " You and tihaar? Ha that's a good one. I reckon you can barely hold yourself together after a glass or two. " She chuckled briefly over the comm as they soon dropped out of hyperspace at their final patrol point as Kad spoke of sensing something. Nelliel too was force sensitive, but she herself had never given to the superstition or meaning behind it, simply attributing it to nothing more than a very strong gut feeling; Whatever Kad felt, Nelliel did as well. Something was definitely different about their destination as opposed to the previous sectors.​

​

As they began their sweep of the system that they arrived in she'd chime back over the comms, " First round's on me then if we find something. Deal? " her attention shifted as she veered off to Kad's port side and spoke, " Keep your head on a swivel and let me know if you pick anything up Hotshot. " She glanced over to the side through the cockpit before giving him a nod and a wave.​

​

| Friendly | @ Skull Squadron / @ Enclave
| Hostile | @ Revenant Squadron / @ Galactic Alliance​

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

Crasdon watched as the Deep Scan sensors did their work.

While more than capable of detecting objects in nearspace, his sensors were firmly fixed on distant phenomena. They were collecting information on gravitational waves, mass spectra, photo-distortions, and even hyperspace echoes... five light-years away. Once the sensors were done collecting data, the navcomputer would digest the information and start calculating routes by the likelihood of survival due to the lack of complicating astrography.

But because his sensors were peering into the deep dark, they were utterly unaware of distortions closer to hand.

Crasdon's first sign of trouble was when Vashja suggested they were getting strange readings.

"This is Discovery Actual. It'll be another minute before Whiskers' Deep Scan sensors are done collecting data on the target location. Then another five minutes before number-crunching is done on the next jump," Crasdon said.

"We need to be sure whatever you're detecting isn't a probe droid, or some kind of an early-warning platform. If the Mandalorians catch wind of our scouting expedition, this whole mission will be a loss. It'll have to start from scratch another day."

He'd only get half-pay if that happened. Attempts were paid out, but they weren't worth as much as successes. For the Galactic Alliance, there was no point proceeding on if the Mandalorians detected someone scouting the route.

"On the other hand, maybe it's just some distant, local traffic we don't need to be concerned with..."

He sighed. He couldn't take chances. Not with tens of thousands of lives on the line. If he cut corners and found out the G.A. fleet was ambushed because of it, he'd never be able to forgive himself.

"Discovery One, Discovery Two, see if you can get closer and check it out. If there's trouble, don't stick around to mix it up. Just bolt back here so we can all run like hell together.

Discovery Two, my navcomputer is going to be busy crunching numbers for a jump ahead. I'd feel better if your astromech could calculate an alternate jump back towards G.A. space. Just in case we need it."


Ari Naldax Vashja Io Nelliel Kryze Kad Wren

 

[Kad Wren]

SKULL PATROL
~Whenever you're in trouble, just yelp for help!~

FLYING: KARA | MNV-52 Beviin-class Space Superiority Starfighter
OBJECTIVE: PATROL SURROUNDING TERRITORIES
ALLIES: SKULL SQUADRON | MANDALORIAN ENCLAVE
OPPOSITIONS: REVENANT SQUADRON | GALACTIC ALLIANCE
TAG: Nelliel Kryze | Vashja Io | Ari Naldax | Open​

​

DEEP SPACE

As they began their sweep of the system that they arrived in she'd chime back over the comms, " First round's on me then if we find something. Deal? "

<Way to make me wish that we'll find something, Switch.> I chimed back through the comms, flashing a wide grin that Switchblade wouldn't possibly see. See, she's the one who's asking you for a drink now. Way to go Hotshot.

Yet, for now, let's get back to the assignment on hand. It does take a painstaking attention to detail to do such a job when you know deep down that there is something to be found. Every moving object, every decibel of bristling friction in the deep space, every flashes of sightings on the corner of your eyes on every turn. It's just silence between us, both engulfed in the task of finding any sign of anomaly, of securing the air superiority we have worked the hardest for. It might not be the flashiest of jobs, but it's as essential as it gets.

After a while, I spotted a flash of light from across. A repulsor engine? This is supposed to be a no man's land, what is a single ship doing here, so far in deep space? It didn't take long before I spotted two others, harrowing slightly above, seemingly protecting the one ship I spotted earlier. <Karkin' haran! I spot three on the other side of the asteroid field. All three are of similar size, possibly starfighter class.> Are we to engage those ships? It sounds very dangerous, we are in deep space with no possibility of a quick back-up. Who knows if there are more than three there. It's not that I'm scared. No, but it would be a shame if the Enclave lost two of its finest pilots for such a minuscule mistake. Yet, I'm the junior here, and I'll defer to my Ver'Alor's judgment.

<Ready on your command, Switchblade.>

​

 

[Ari Naldax]

Rev 3 | E9-K4 "9-4"

9-4 emitted a series of beeps that Vazal easily understood, thanks to her lifetime spent among binary droids on Raxus. Heeding the droid's advice, she glanced at her HUD and effortlessly toggled the switch to open and lock her S-foils, activating her comms simultaneously. I love this new droid, she thought. Switching over to the tac channel for the mission, Vazal urgently called out, "2! 9-4 detected a sensor ping. No idea if they've spiked us, but she says they're mil-grade. I'm powering up just in case. Have you set our escape jump?"

She throttled her reactor up to it's "military" setting, allocating power amongst her engines, shields, and weapons. moving slightly away from the formation, she maximized her passive sensors' gain and placed her actives on standby. It seemed like the blackness of space was mocking her with its silence, laughing as it contrasted with the tactile tension she could feel in her cockpit. The tell-tale whine of her laser cannons could be heard through her aural sensors as energy began to surge through them.

And here I thought this was going to be easy.

"If they engage us, I'll try to head the lead one off. You focus on protecting Actual."

Crasdon Kaine Nelliel Kryze Vashja Io Kad Wren

 

[Vashja Io]

Tags: Crasdon Kaine Ari Naldax Kad Wren Nelliel Kryze

Vashja flipped the scanners in her fighter into combat mode as they filled her in with long range details.

I'd feel better if your astromech could calculate an alternate jump

<<Already done Actual, sending over escape route if needed>>

"Awoop boop beep bloop borp" her droid interjected abruptly, feeling a little put out.

"I know he was, but I'd already done it."

"Burr booweeop bllop"

"You gotta be faster little guy" she laughed at the droid as she received more data from Actual 1. <<Discovery Actual is running his sensors high, he's out there looming like a life day tree, we should assume we've been made, over.>> she locked her own xfoils and entered full attack mode. Her HUD cleared of superfluous information and her own neural network optimised its integration with her fighter's systems. She moved her own ship into a better position between the contact and the scout vessel.

<<Discovery Actual, If you have decoys please deploy them in this pattern>> she mentally transmitted a flight pattern to them that would mimic newly arrived light reinforcements, a curved plot line also appeared on the graphic. <<Move yourself onto this path as it will allow you to use my calculated coordinated as needed.>> she rolled her ship three wingspans to starboard to anticipate the shuttle's new position.
​

 

[Nelliel Kryze]

MNV-52 'Beviin' Class Space Superiority Fighter
​

| Location | Space
| Objective | Patrol surrounding territories, engaging targets
| Focus | Kad Wren / Crasdon Kaine / Ari Naldax / Vashja Io

Nelliel's gaze locked onto the distant black of space as Kad caught sight of potential hostiles. Her foot bobbed up and down in anticipation as the thrill of another dogfight breaking out was starting to bubble. She chuckled to herself before activating her comms, " Looks like the first round is on me then. Try not to crash and burn before then Hotshot. " She flicked a few switches from within her cockpit as she continued on, " Flagging the system for observation and additional patrols and let command know we're engaging, give them a chance to pick up our bodies if we do end up crashing and burning. Don't expect you to go dying on me just yet though Hotshot. " ​

​

Nelliel began to accelerate to engage the unknown targets that they had stumbled across, her engines flaring to life as her Beviin shot across the black of space to engage their targets, " Try to keep up Hotshot, wouldn't want our first prey in the last couple systems to slip away so quick. Bonus points to you if you splash one. "​

​

| Friendly | @ Skull Squadron / @ Enclave
| Hostile | @ Revenant Squadron / @ Galactic Alliance​

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

"Damn it," Crasdon muttered in the cockpit as it became more and more likely that hostiles had appeared.

Then he transmitted over the radio in acknowledgement to his instructions, "This is Actual. I won't be able to afford decoys for another job or two, but I'm moving into the designated vector."

There was no hesitation about accepting instructions from a seasoned fighter pilot. He punched in the coordinates which Discovery Two had given him, in case they needed that quick getaway.

A thought occurred to him.

"If those are Enclave forces, then this mission's a scrub... unless they haven't reported in, yet. One of you had an ELINT package, didn't you? Can you tell if they've reported our position? If not, can their transmissions be jammed?

If they just disappeared while on patrol, it might be that no one would know exactly where or why.

That would mean this expedition's value could be preserved. The route would still be viable."

He wasn't a warfighter. He felt dirty even suggesting it. But the whole mission could be saved if no one found out they were here. And this was war, whether he liked it or not. That's why he was doing this.

Meanwhile, he powered up his ship's meager weaponry. It seemed like it might be needed if things got dicey.

His navcomputer stored his input coordinates and began crunching the numbers on what the deep scanners had detected.

Depending on how things turned out in the next couple of minutes, this might not all be for naught.

 

[Ari Naldax]

Rev 3 | E9-K4 "9-4"

9-4 answered the scouts question with a few beeps, which left Vazal slightly confused. "Not 100% sure, Actual. Haven't picked up a hyperwave transmission yet but that could've easily been lost in the inter-" the fighters began to accelerate towards them, moving into an attack vector, that was her cue.

Flipping shields to double fore and accelerating as much as she could while keeping her power balanced, Vazal and her fighter launched forward towards the enemy fighters, aiming to merge head-on with the leading fighter. As soon as they entered minimum weapons range, Vazal would fire off a stutter-fire volley from her laser cannons and breaking upwards as soon as they passed; into a tight, high-g turn, trying to bait them into attacking her. Flipping her shields back to balanced, she continued to maneuver around, praying that her gambit would work and the fighters would break after her.

"I'll try to keep them off as long as I can. Actual, do what you can to stay alive. 2, keep him alive. 9-4, Let's fry these guys."

Crasdon Kaine Nelliel Kryze Vashja Io Kad Wren