Public Thought We Didn’t Notice You?

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

Kailani Fostu crossed his right leg over his left and settled himself into his command chair. The Peacemaker was making good time, with only ten minutes left in the journey to Unagin in Wild Space. The commander had been ordered to this out-of-the-way minor trade planet with reports of a growing pirate threat. "Sir, weapons systems are fully primed and ready, yet in standby," came the voice of his first officer, Lieutenant Commander Swreepi.​

"Excellent, Lieutenant Commander," Kailani replied. He had studied the Unagin system for a week or so, which was less time than he would have liked, but it was something nonetheless. The plan was this: the GA heavy cruiser would pop into the system a hundred kilometers out from Unagin, running dark. Hopefully no one decided to do an advanced sensor sweep in the cruiser's general direction. Using only passive sensors, Kailani would wait for a pirate attack on the main shipping lane heading down to the surface of the planet. Then he'd kick the drives to full power and start shooting...

Of course, his plan wasn't all that brutish and simple. Kailani had the intent to end this pirate threat here and now, and to do that he'd have to find the pirate base. Behind him, the blast door to the bridge opened, and a squad of marines walked in and stood at attention. The marines were the most important part of this plan. "Sergeant, you are to board the enemy's line ship and take the bridge. Capture the being in charge and bring him to the Peacemaker for interrogation," Kailani ordered. The heavily armed marine nodded and saluted, then left the room, followed by his seven squadmates. Yes, victory would be had today, and who knew? Maybe the higher-ups in the Defense Force would take note of him.

OOC: Feel free to do pretty much anything in this thread. You can help Kailani, oppose him, or whatever in between! Derailing the thread? Never heard of it. Also my formatting with the the first paragraph is pretty wonky so just ignore that

​

 

[Matma Bernu]

Matma stared at the monitor of the Reckoning, as the Hellions prepared themselves for action. Business had been good. After the Cataclysm that destroyed Csilla, Matma had joined up with the Empire to take the fight to the Maw.

Then came the Chiss Rebellions.

The Hellions reluctantly fought their own, shed the blood of their own- only to be treated like second-class citizens. Having lost their homes, their families, they would be damned to lose (in Matma's opinion) the capacity to do some good for the Chiss. So, officially, the 407th Regiment had been lost in a freakish hyperspace accident- coordinates had been mixed up.

In reality, the Hellions became part of a clandestine network of Chiss- known as the Empire of the Hand- working for the benefit of the Chiss Diaspora. Acting as soldiers of fortunes, the Hellions took on dangerous, high-octance missions, often dispensing justice on those who preyed on the most vulnerable members of the Diaspora.

Like now.

Coughing to get their attention, Matma began the brief. "As you know, we have been tracking slavers through the Outer Rim- slavers that have specifically hit Chiss colonies, and took anyone able-bodied enough to serve some purpose."

He held up a hand to quell the murmuring. "We revert to real space momentarily. We have actionable intelligence that places a pirate vessel near the Unagin system. The Reckoning will jam all communications. Three claw-craft will disable the engines- ion cannons only, we have women and children aboard. Then we board. We interrogate. We secure the captured. And then..."

Matma tapped his lightsaber for emphasis.

"No. Survivors."

 

[Kes Stag]

Location: Wild Space
Objective: Yarrr
Tags: Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Matma Bernu

"Heaven offers nothing that the mercenary soul can desire"​

Pirates and slavers, a deplorable lot. Stealing, raiding and pillaging, not the sort any self-respecting Mandalorian would be found with. It was a good thing Kes didn't have any self-respect, and he did only consider himself a Mandalorian when he missed his parents. In truth Kes had run with pirates plenty of times, especially when he was younger. He admired their honesty about how selfish and greedy they were, a refreshing breath of air from the self-righteous and religious zealotry he found was all too common with his own 'kind' these days.

The Star of Sriluur, one of many ships raiding the hyper lanes of the Outer Rim, it's crew made up of former henchmen, goons and staff of the late Droja the Hutt, a relatively minor crime lord with big ambitions involving this very ship, only for his dreams to be cut short after an incident involving a racing speeder colliding into the gelatinous slug when it lost control. Those who could not find employ with other crime lords followed his top Lieutenant, a Klatoonian brute named Mulza Bog, a man who Kes happened to know. After a campaign of pillaging and scourging Chiss space for broken Mawite weapons and slaves to capture they had returned to the relative safety of Hutt Space.

Aboard the Star of Sriluur

The walk took agonizingly long and after ascending five flights of stairs on account for a broken hololift, Kes Stag had finally reached the bridge of the ship. Like most pirate ships whose crew was less than cohesive, it was riddled with mechanical faults. The bridge itself was filled with terminals operated by a menagerie of species with a thin viewport to space on the wall. At the centre of all this, an aged and rugged Klatoonian, armed with 5 different blaster pistols strapped across a bandolier stood.

"My main man Mulza." Kes said before taking a second to catch his breath. "It has been a while, heard you had been off playing Mawite." he continued.

"It's Daimyo now." The Klatoonian was quick to reply to which Kes offered a chuckle.

"Daimyo is a title reserved for people who own vast swathes of land. You mate, are a pirate captain." he said, although it was a fine ship, most pirates usually scurried around in a fleet of small picket ships, nothing as grand as a frigate.

"Did you bring my merchandise?" Mulza continued, ignoring Kes' last statement.

The Mandalorian took a few steps forward, looking around the different consoles and crewmen there. "Of course, you know I'm good for it." It was all down in the hanger aboard Stag's ship, Indigo's Folly. "What confuses me is why I had to come all this way just to bring it too you and not one of your goons." He continued, pacing around the bridge.

"Because. The last batch of missiles did not work!" he said turning to face Kes.

Kes stopped in his tracks, almost offended by the gesture. He had been a gunrunner for the better half of 30 years and not once had weapons he sold failed on him. He had a great respect for the trade, dealing in expensive and exotic weapons was something he saw as an art. As to the batch the Klatoonian was referring, well it was 40 odd Brilliant Missiles, and there was a perfectly valid reason they never worked.

"That's because you, didn't tell me what launchers you were using, see I assumed you were using, the base launchers that came with this model of ship. You failed to tell me you had after-market upgrades." Kes said, almost scolding him. "That's why this time, I did my research, these ones will work."

The Klatoonian gave the Mandalorian a suspicious look. "Do I get a reimbursed for the last batch?" he asked inquisitively.

"No. Not unless you give them to me in the exact condition I gave them to you. Looking at the state of this ship, I doubt you could even find them all. Now if that's all, I have other business associates I need to attend to. Ret'urcye mhi!" he said before making his way to the stairwell. Immediately a Nikto guard who towered above Kes at 6'8 moved to stand in front of him, blocking the exit. The Mandalorian slowly turned to face the Klatoonian again. He was adamant he wasn't going to give a refund.

"I will not be sold broken weapons again. You will stay here and watch us test these new missiles. If they do not work I'll kill you and sell your shiny armour for what I'm owed." The self-proclaimed Daimyo said. Pirates. Having little choice in the matter Kes stepped forward and back towards the centre of the bridge.

"Well it looks like you have your chance." Kes said, staring at one of the consoles. A blip in the radar.

"Helmsman bring us to bear!" Mulza roared. "Bring the cannons online! Launch my fighters!" he ordered, all the while Kes looked on seemingly unimpressed. The morellian looked out the viewport , making out a bulk freighter flying slowly in the distance.

The frigate turned slowly to face the bulk freighter and after a brief few seconds of silence the engines came to life in a thunderous boom, propelling the seemingly brick of a frigate straight towards the freighter. All the while armour panelling gave way for turrets of all sorts and from the depths of the hanger a squadron of brightly coloured TC-M7s shot into space before speeding ahead of the frigate and flying as fast as they could towards the unsuspecting bulk freighter.

 

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

​

The brown world of Unagin grew to the size of a large credcoin in the Peacemaker's bridge viewport as the heavy cruiser exited hyperspace. Immediately, Swreepi stepped to Kailani’s side and reported, “Passive scans have found multiple drive emissions accelerating rapidly towards a bulk freighter at about nine o’clock.”

Kailani placed a hand on his chin. “Very interesting. Perhaps these are our pirates. Continue stealth protocol. I want maximum magnification on my view screen with the bow recorders.”

“Yes sir.”

Kailani turned his gaze from Unagin to the screen on his left, where a low-resolution live video appeared. He couldn’t make out how many fighters there were, or even their model, but they were certainly small military craft. And they were certainly headed towards the slow lumbering bulk freighter. He tapped a few buttons on the screen, and a trajectory appeared, tracking the fighters back to their origin point.

That was where the pirate line ship was. “Helm, we are to move towards this position the second the starfighters open fire on the freighter,” Kailani said, forwarding the new trajectory to the navigation console.

The helm acknowledged his order and the commander started counting the seconds until the battle would start.

Kes Stag Matma Bernu

 

[Matma Bernu]

The Reckoning erupted into real space with a chime, and Matma immediately turned to his crew manning the bridge.

"Status report, Helmsman"

"Sir, intelligence was spot-on- IFF confirms the craft as the Star of Sriluur. And we're seeing a commercial freighter, several snubfighters inbound."

Matma went cold. "By the stars. Change of plans- I want a full squadron of claw-craft acting as a screen, intercept those fighters- we are to treat that freighter as a noncombatant until proven otherwise. I want an ion-firing solution on the Sriluur- target the engines." Moments later, clawcraft erupted from the bays of the Reckoning, making a bee-line for the TC-M7s.

"Do we have a firing solution?"

"Negative, but we'll have one momentarily!"

Matma nodded with satisfaction. " Are the Hellions prepped?"

"Yessir!"

"Excellent. Tell a squad to prep an shuttle." Matma unhooked his lightsaber. "Tell them to prepare to board."

Kes Stag Kes Stag
Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)

 

[Kes Stag]

Location: Wild Space
Objective: Yarrr
Tags: Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Matma Bernu

"Heaven offers nothing that the mercenary soul can desire"​

The TC-M7s reached their target first, letting off volleys of blaster fire towards the bulk freighter. This was soon followed by half a dozen missiles fired off directly from the Star of Sriluur. The resulting blast pushed the bulk freighter off course, and a dozen exposed cargo containers broke off from the ship, spinning aimlessly in the vacuum of space. All the while what few point defence turrets the freighter had desperately fired at the snub fighters swarming it.

Aboard the Star of Sriluur

What a waste. Those missiles were some of his top stuff, semi-sentient projectiles that could hone in on a fly sitting on a Reek's ass. Yet here they were, being used on a bulk freighter, a ship if moved too fast would lose all it's cargo. Kes looked around at the rest of the bridge, filled with triumphant cheers and grins on the faces of the crew. Pirates. Only pirates would consider fighting a bulk freighter with a frigate a 'battle'.

"The missiles work as I said." Kes said plainly. "Can I take my leave?"

The Klatoonian laughed loudly, wrapping an arm around Kes. "Ha ha! Come on my friend! Do not leave in the hour of victory! You must see this battle through!" Kes was caught off guard and the larger Klatoonian squeezed Kes tighter than he would've thought and he nearly lost his breath.

As the pirate was beginning to celebrate an alarm blared from one of the consoles and a Rodian stood from his seat. "<Daimyo! New ship has entered! They're launching fighters and...>" the alien said before looking back at his console. "<Lining up weapons to fire at us!>" he shouted. Kes forced himself away from Mulza and headed straight towards the Rodian who returned to his seat.

"Have you identified the ship?" The mandalorian said. The Rodian promptly brought up a grainy video feed, locked onto the ship. Kes took a moment to study the image before letting out a soft chuckle. He wouldn't need to get the ship's IFF to know who they were. The triangular profile of the ship, tower superstructure for a bridge, ion engine signature, there was only one group in the galaxy who never moved on from those same design tenants: Imperials.

"What you do to piss-off the Imps eh?" Kes said, turning his head back to the Klatoonian.

"So what? We raid everyone!" he barked back. Mulza turned back. "Turn to face the new ship! Fire all weapons!" he ordered the crew. The frigate proceeded to turn from its original path, altering direction towards the Reckoning. Despite being far out of range for any effective shots dozens of turbolaser batteries opened up towards the ship. At the range they were currently firing the inferior turbolasers would miss and any that would hit by some miracle would've lost most of their energy. Eventually though the Star would enter it's effective engagement distance, that was what the crew was betting on.

On the bridge Mulza shouted once more. "We are lucky today boys! Today we get a new ship, today we begin building our fleet!"

Kes looked on, still unimpressed. He had once been aboard a Mandalorian cruiser, seen what a well drilled naval crew could do, the tactical foresight needed to win battles. Being on board the Star, he could see that Droja the Hutt kept the Klatoonian as his top lieutenant because Mulza would never be capable of formulating a coup. The Pirate brute forced his way through life and while it had worked so far, there were scarce reports of these pirates actually going after a real enemy. Today they would learn to fight not just one but two enemies, and unfortunately for them the Alliance ship as of yet was undetected.

Regardless, things though were getting interesting and while Kes would ordinarily not bet on the pirates winning this fight, it was only one light cruiser, the ship dwarfed them by at least a hundred meters. Of course Kes was counting on this being an under-manned Imperial Remnant ship that had gotten lost on patrol. The Mandalorian turned to Mulza and spoke. "You take that cruiser down, I'll give ya a discount on the next batch of missiles if I get to go through their armoury first." Kes said, a business first and foremost.

The Klatoonian eyed him with suspicion. "Come on, I can't take all the weapons on my small freighter can I? I just know a guy or two who'd pay a pretty penny for a crate of Bozdugans." Kes said with a shrug.

 

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

​

And it had begun. Laserfire spat out from the starfighters, followed by a missile barrage. The freighter gave a sickening lurch as it tried to maneuver away, with the crew undoubtedly confused. The Peacemaker gave its own lurch as the engines kicked on, driving hard towards the pirate frigate. If Kailani was a betting man, he'd weigh the odds in his favor of staying undetected. Surely the pirates were focused on the newcomer in the system, a light cruiser, which had launched its own fighters.

He smiled coldly. The pirates would never know what had hit them.

Kes Stag Matma Bernu

 

[Bella]

Location: Deep Space, Unagin System
Call Sign: Miracle
Tags: Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Kes Stag Matma Bernu

It was a routine interstellar patrol.

“Sensors are clear on my side. Continuing scans.” Bella transmitted to her squadron lead. There was a time where she had commanded an entire carrier wing, but that period had passed with the fall of the Eternal Empire. However, the Togruta could not help but to wonder if she was capable of reaching such a height again and if so, whether she would be any more comfortable with the idea of leadership.

Putting the thought aside, Bella gave a deep sigh and sucked down another sip of water from her helmet’s integrated drinking straw. It was only then that the com-scan gave a pair of insistent beeps, drawing her gaze to the upper left corner of her HUD.

An incoming distress call. A pirate raid, transpiring only a few light years away.

“Screamer One, this is Miracle. I’m reading a distress call, coming from the Unagin system. I’m only a thousand light years away, but I’m worried that it’s a trap.” Bella commed in. “Recommend course of action?” She asked.

“Jump to its origin and recon. I’ll forward this to command. If it’s a trap, your TIE won’t be an attractive target. Just be ready for anything. If you decide to engage, do so with caution.” The feminine voice at the other end answered.

“Copy that. Priming my hyperdrive now. I’ll report back in ten. Miracle, out.” With a deep breath, Bella switched off the comm and flicked her fingers across the switches overhead, before pulling back on the lever next to the yoke.

Then, as streaming lines of light consumed her canopy, her TIE flashed off into hyperspace, a trail of radiation streaming in its wake.

Spoiler: Loadout

Craft: TIE/IE Interceptor

• Hull: 100%
• FAE/S-05 ECM Array: Inactive
  
  • ECM Suite - Secondary: Inactive
• Spectral Diffuser / Photonic Emitter / Signature Modulator: Inactive

Loadout:

• Armament
  
  • Wingtip FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Wingtip FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Wingtip FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Wingtip FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Chin-Mounted FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Chin-Mounted FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Chin-Mounted FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Chin-Mounted FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
• Pilot Equipment
  
  • FAE/A-09 Anti-G Suit
  • X8 “Gambit” Elite Disruptor Pistol

 

[Matma Bernu]

Matma watched the space battle go by with detached interest, as the shuttle carefully maneuvered it's way above the Sriluur, the frigate slowly but surely filling the view as it turned around to face the Reckoning. Claw-craft fell upon the pirate's snub-fighters in the distance, effectively taking their attention away from the beleaguered freighter. The flash of turbolasers lit up the canopy as the Sriluur opened up; they weren't quite at range, but they would be soon.

Matma frowned. 'But we've been spotted too soon, so disabling the engines was a non-starter. We'll just have to move fast and hope that we don't take out anything that will compromise any essential systems.'

"Tell the bridge to divert 25% of shielding to the bow, paint your targets carefully- we want them disabled, not dead. Are we in position?"

The pilot nodded. "Yessir, prepared to deploy boarding pods."

With a satisfied nod, Matma motioned to the assembled Hellions to get into the half a dozen pods in the shuttle bay, each able to hold about a dozen humanoids. While he had preferred to go en masse, there was no telling what the pirates would do to the captured Chiss if they knew they were overwhelmed. So, alternatively, a smaller, well armed team led by Matma would instead insert near the bow of the Sriluur, force their way into and seal the bridge. Then, with control of the ship and an idea of where the slavers kept their "gains", systematically seal off the pirates into portions of the ship and safely secure the captured, with the hope that the space battle outside was going well. It was high risk, high reward, but time was of the essence.

Then came the interrogations.

Smiling grimly, Matma pounded on the durasteel frame, signaling that it was time to launch. With a lurch, the boarding pods shot out of the shuttle, the magnetic grapples quickly fastening onto the bow of the Sriluur. The laser drills began slicing through the hulls, quickly enough as to no ruin the element of surprise, while not venting atmosphere.

Moments later, the hull fell down with a thud, shouts of alarm breaking the silence. With a snap-hiss, Matma ignited his lightsaber and fell upon the surprised pirates, with the Hellions following. The unmistakeable, high-pitched whine of charrics discharging soon filled the air as the raiding party surged towards the bridge.

Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Kes Stag Bella

 

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

​

Kailani looked out of the viewport at the glowing blue ion engines of the pirate frigate and smiled. His stealthed approach had paid off, and now he was pretty much directly behind the enemy (a bit to the right to account for the ship's engine backwash).

"We are within firing range, sir!" Lieutenant Commander Swreepi reported.

"Good. At this point, they don't need sensors to spot us. Drop stealth, face them head on, and open fire with all mass drivers, aiming for their engines. Also, bring 75% of shield power forward," Kailani ordered.

The bridge lights came to full power, as did the rest of the heavy cruiser. Seconds later, a storm of mass driver projectiles shot out from the Peacemaker and flew towards the pirate frigate's aft. "Get the marines ready. They shall board shortly," Kailani commanded. And then they would see if these were the run-of-the-mill pirates, or something more sinister.

"Sir!" Swreepi said, coming to the side of his command chair. "It seems someone is already performing a boarding action. We have tracked a shuttle back to the light cruiser that is currently firing on the frigate. Shall the marines still move in?"

Well, well, well. It seemed Kailani had an ally in this fight. Maybe. "Yes. The marines are to continue boarding. In fact, I will join them."

Swreep seemed taken aback. "Sir... y-you know how you are in ground combat! What if you get hurt, or killed?" she stammered.

Kailani waved a hand in the air, a gesture of dismissal. "Don't worry, Swreepi. You're in command until I get back." As he got out of his chair and opened the blast door leading into the corridor, he said over his shoulder, "Besides, I've been working out recently."

Swreepi rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the battle. With her 'approval' Kailani took the turbolift down to the armory, where a dozen GA marines were suiting up. "I bring news, men. I'm joining you," Kailani said plainly.

The leader of the group, Sergeant Qya, seemed astounded. "Sir, you know how you are in ground combat! What if-"

The commander cut him off. "Yes, yes. Swreepi already hit me with all the what-ifs. But I would like to meet the commander of our seemingly allied light cruiser. If he is performing a boarding action, and not outright destroying the frigate, there are a few things possible. First, there is something or someone on the ship being held hostage. Second, they are also pirates, hoping to loot the frigate's cargo hold. Third, the leader of the strike force has some personal beef with the pirates, and would like to watch them die with his own eyes. I am leaning towards the first option."

The sergeant merely sighed. "Very well, Commander Fostu. But I must warn you, we may not be able to protect you from all the dangers in that ship. There may be traps."

"I am aware of the dangers, Sergeant Qya," Kailani said. Then, he moved to a rack on the wall and picked up a blaster rifle. No, that was too heavy. His gaze then settled upon a blaster pistol. He picked it up and nodded. That would do.

A minute later, he was in the attack shuttle with the other marines. And they were about to see if these pirates were run-of-the-mill, or something more sinister.

Bella Kes Stag Matma Bernu

 

[Kes Stag]

Location: Wild Space
Objective: Yarrr
Tags: Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Matma Bernu Bella

"Heaven offers nothing that the mercenary soul can desire"​

Aboard the Star of Sriluur

Kes stood near the rodian's console, staring out at the battle, vexed that the Imperial ship, outgunned was not at least attempting some form of retreat. Was the arrogance of the Empire still as high as it always had been? Even with it's collapse? Questions that would be answered later. Staring at the console suddenly a flurry of new signatures appeared. "More fighters?" he asked all though it didn't make any sense, the Imperial fighters already outmatched the trainer-turned-fighters the pirates fielded.

The rodian shook his head. "<No uh... me thinks boarding craft...>" Kes turned to the Rodian, a puzzled look under his helmet.

"What."

"<Heading straight for us!>" the Rodian said, his voice raising to a panicked tone. Kes let out a small chuckle as he came to the realization of what was happening. The light cruiser would lose in an extended slug fest, the pirate fighters and firepower was simply too much. The one advantage the Imperials had was discipline and training, and these pirates against Stormtroopers in boarding action? They didn't stand a chance.

"Mulza?" Kes said, looking to the ship captain for orders.

"Shoot those pods out the sky. I want every gun on them." the Klatoonian barked. Mulza the brute he was would've made a good machine gunner had he joined any military. Firepower was his solution to everything.

The barrage would stop and the guns of the Star would all begin to shift target. The aim of the gunners was not perfect but a blanket of fire would be bound to take out some of the pods but before they could fire the entire ship rocked as it's aft was enveloped by explosions. The rodian crewman would cry out once more. "<New ship! New ship!">

Kes threw the man from his seat and took over the console, his fingers dancing across it as he tried to identify the ship. It too was launching it's own boarding craft. Within a second the console brought up an image of the cruiser. "Alliance. Mulza, what by the stars did you do to piss off the galaxy enough that both the Empire and Alliance off enough that they're both coming after you."

Kes was met with a stunned silence. These pirates had obviously never heard about laying low after a big job, letting the heat die down. The Rodian had scrambled back to his feet and was once again hunched over his consoles. "<Imperials! Coming to the bridge!>" he said now almost sobbing. Kes shook his head and withdrew his blaster carbine. It was too late to make a break for the hanger and escape. He was fighting his way out. The pirates would put up a poor fight but he had been trained as a Mandalorian, and he still had his beskar.

"Time to cut our loses. Stay here, focus on getting the ship out of here. I'll hold 'em off." Kes said calmly, his blaster carbine whirred as he made ready and after stepping out of the entrance to the bridge he vaulted over the railings of the stairs, allowing himself to fall the five flights of stairs before his jetpack came to life, slowing his descent just before he hit the durasteel floor. He storde forward and the stairwell opened up into a hallway where nine pirates waited, blasters and melee weapons in hand.

"Seal the door, take up positions. Get ready to kill some schuttas." he said to which confident laughter and cheers responded. The door to the hallway was shut and each pirate moving to anything that would give some form of cover. Kes stayed standing in the centre instead raising his blaster and pointing it straight at the closed door. Whatever came through would get a mouthful of WESTAR.

All the while the frigate creaked as it began turning away from the Imperial light cruiser. What cannons weren't damage by the mass driver cannons continued firing wildly into space as the Star of Sriluur slowly started to align itself to a hyperlane.

 

[Bella]

Location: Unagin System, Wild Space
Call Sign: Miracle
Tags: Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Kes Stag Matma Bernu

Before long, the streaming auroras of light within the canopy of Bella’s TIE gave way to a deep black canvas, speckled with the lights of distant stars. By the time she dropped back into realspace, her ECM array was already active, the full-spectrum distortion projector to make it harder for scanners and targeting computers to lock onto her craft. All the while, Bella quickly took stock of the battlespace, processing the information feeding in from her sensors along with anything she could pick out with her own two eyes.

Then, she saw it. A skirmish, raging in the distance.

“Screamer One, I am reporting three capital-class warships in active engagement on my sensors and within visual range.” Bella said as she began to cautiously approach the battlespace. However, she made sure to stay out of weapons’ range, for the time being. “I recognize the IFF on one of them from the engagement with the Final Dawn along the Corellian Trade Spine. It’s the ANS Peacemaker—Novella-class cruiser. There’s an Imperial ship here as well. It appears to be an Arquitens-class.” The Togruta continued. “The pirates have some kind of frigate. IFF reads as the Star of Sriluur.” A beautiful name, if anything.

“I’m going to approach and see if I can’t get a better read on the situation. Miracle, out.” Bella finished. With that, the Togruta laid on the accelerator, her TIEs engines howling as she sped towards the ongoing skirmish. In doing so, she broadcasted a friendly IFF signal to the Peacemaker, one that they might recognize as belonging to the Empire of the Lost. However, she had yet to get a read on the intentions of the Reckoning. As far as she knew, they could be anything from Imperial warlords to mercenaries.

Perhaps then, she would have to find out.

Spoiler: Loadout

Craft: TIE/IE Interceptor

• Hull: 100%
• FAE/S-05 ECM Array: Active
  
  • ECM Suite - Secondary: Inactive
• Spectral Diffuser / Photonic Emitter / Signature Modulator: Inactive

Loadout:

• Armament
  
  • Wingtip FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Wingtip FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Wingtip FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Wingtip FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Chin-Mounted FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Chin-Mounted FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Chin-Mounted FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
  • Chin-Mounted FAE/SW-08 Hybrid Beam Cannon - Light
    
    • Firing Module: Particle Beam
• Pilot Equipment
  
  • FAE/A-09 Anti-G Suit
  • X8 “Gambit” Elite Disruptor Pistol

 

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

​

A clank resounded throughout the boarding craft as the shuttle attached to the frigate. Sergeant Qya was pressed up against the bulkhead near the hatch, rifle at the ready. Kailani stood behind him, blaster pistol in hand. Qya pressed a button and everyone covered their eyes. There was a zap and the air turned hot for a moment, then the door crashed to the ground. Wordlessly, the marines, led by the sergeant, pushed uniformly into the frigate corridor. They immediately recieved fire. Kailani poked his head around the corner and saw one of his marines get hit in the chest.

The Twi'lek crawled back into the ship. "Are you alright?" Kailani asked, kneeling down by the man.

The marine nodded, his lekku swinging. "My armor took most of the hit. I'll lay here for a second, then I'm going back in."

Kailani looked at the man's torso, where a black burn hole marked the spot that he was shot. It was slightly red to him, due to his slightly infrared vision that all Chiss possessed. The commander patted the marine on the shoulder, a gesture of respect and gratitude, and stood up. He crept around the corner into the airlock, then into the frigate's corridor, right next to Sergeant Qya. Immediately, a strong arm pulled the commander down. Kailani looked at him questioningly...then understood as a blaster bolt whizzed by above.

"We're pinned down. We took out all the others, but there is one sniper giving us trouble at the end of the corridor," Qya explained in a hushed tone. Which didn't help of courrse. The sniper knew where they were behind all those cargo crates.

Cargo crates... Kailani pushed one of the boxes, then found he couldn't. He sighed. All that gymwork for nothing. "Sergeant, have your men move the cargo crates towards the sniper, as a sort of moving shield. These seem to be made of durasteel, so they should hold up against a few sniper blasts."

Qya's eyes widened. "Good idea, sir." He held up a hand and made a gesture, then began to push the average sized cargo crate forward. The men behind him followed, and soon there were eight boxes slowly scooting towards the sniper's position. Kailani would have paid good money to see the pirate's expression at his strategy.

Kailani peeked around the edge of the box's side, and saw the Nikto sniper aiming at a box behind him. He pulled out his pistol and squeezed off three shots at the pirate. All three missed, quite far from their mark. The Chiss scowled. He'd never really been a good shot. The sniper barrel swung around and fired. Kailani moved quickly back to cover, and a pock mark of carbon scoring was left where his hand once was. Then he heard several blaster shots and a body hit the floor. He looked over the box cautiously...and saw the Nikto lying dead.

Kailani glanced to his side and saw three marines with their guns mounted on the cargo crates. "Good job, men!" Kailani congratulated them. "Lets move."

Suddenly, his comlink trilled. "Commander Fostu here."

"Sir, it's Swreepi. We have a friendly in the system. Single TIE Fighter, call sign 'Miracle'. Do you know them?"

What a place to run into the Imperial again. "Yes, I do. I don't know their name, but I do know that they helped us with the Final Dawn's ambush on our transport convoy," Kailani said, interested.

"Very well, sir. We won't fire. They seem to be keeping a distance from the battle for now, but I'll let you know if that changes," Swreepi said. Then the line ended. All these people coming to fight one pirate. Now, Kailani was beginning to get the sense that these weren't just petty thiefs and con artists.

Bella Kes Stag Matma Bernu

 

[Matma Bernu]

Not for the first time, Sleemo was severely regretting his profession.

Piracy had a lot of benefits: See the galaxy, meet interesting (and occasionally homicidal) people, have the opportunity to make a fortune. Sure, it called for gratituous violence and masochism on the drop of a hat, implied and actual, but it was usually against people who can't hurt them.

Until today.

They were flush from hitting the red eye's colonies- Sleemo always thought they were a little uppity for his liking- when they saw a little freighter, all by it's lonesome. Easy payday, right?

Wrong. Karking wrong.

Karking Imps came out of nowhere, falling through the roofs, mowing them down with military precision. But no, it wasn't the Imps.

It was the karking Chiss with the karking laser sword carving through them like butter, spinning liking a whirling dervish. It was like them Jedi, but this wasn't no Jedi- Jedi are peaceful and merciful, and wasn't nothing peaceful about how many piece he left Percival in after he tried to get him with the vibro-axe. He was fast, he was strong, and OH SWEET MERCY HE WAS COMI-

---------------------------------

Matma swiftly beheaded the Weequay gawking at him when he heard a chirp from the comms. "Yes?", he said shortly, ducking behind a corner.

"Sir, new ship inbound- IFF indicates it's an Alliance vessel, and we've observed a boarding party deployed."

"Hmm, isn't that something. Hail them, private frequency."

He put the comm link down and waited for his men to catch up to him.

------------------------------

The staff officer opened a private channel to the Peacemaker. "ANS Peacemaker, this is First Officer Maekearn of the Reckoning, Chiss Ascendency. We are currently liberating hundreds of Chiss citizens taken captive by these pirates. Do not fire, I repeat, do not fire."

Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Kes Stag Kes Stag Bella Bella

 

[Kes Stag]

Location: Wild Space
Objective: Yarrr
Tags: Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Matma Bernu Bella

"Heaven offers nothing that the mercenary soul can desire"​

Aboard the Star of Sriluur

Kes stood, he waited patiently by the door, he waited ready for a single sign that whoever boarded was coming through. The blastdoors creaked and hissed and slowly opened. But instead of being met by the helmet of a Stormtrooper it was two big black eyes of a green nikto. Kes let out a sigh and lowered his blaster. And the nikto pushed passed him followed by another two pirates and trailed by half a dozen Chiss, chained and bound. They were headed straight for the bridge.

Kes grabbed the arm of one of the pirates and spoke to him. "Hey what's going on? You're meant to be watching the mess hall waiting for those Imps." The pirate broke free and turned to face Kes.

"Not Imps. Chiss. Cap' wants some of the merchandise up to the bridge as collateral." he said referring to the group of Chiss being pushed along. They were in a poor state, dressed in rags and bound by hand and feet. Slaves, it was easy to tell. Kes could get a good guess about what this was all about now.

"What were you going to do with 'em?" Kes said, seemingly detached from the the impending battle with the Hellions and Marines.

The pirate somewhat dumbfounded shrugged. "We was gonna swing round Kessel, they always need more workers."

Kes got a good look at each one of the enslaved Chiss. Pirates and slavers. Definitely not a bunch any Mandalorian should be mixing with. He turned on his commlink, a direct link to Mulza.

"Mulza. I should leave you to the Chiss. Forcing me to come aboard when you had so much heat on you still." he said taking a second to think. "This all goes well, you cut me in on this Kessel deal. Else, I walk and tell our new friends what you got in store for them." he continued, waving the Chiss and their pirate guards past towards the bridge.

"You always were a savvy business man." he heard the Klatoonian say before letting out a laugh. "8%."

"15." Kes replied instantly.

"Deal." Kes grinned under his helmet. Ordinarily he'd stick to what he knew, gunrunning was a simple job and it was easy to feign ignorance when things went wrong. But there was nothing wrong with expanding one's portfolio and who was Kes to avoid a 15% cut on a big sale.

Stakes were higher now, as far as Kes was concerned his money was at stake. He looked to the now open blastdoor and strode through it. "With me." he said and the 9 pirates with him got up and followed behind him, the durasteel floor creaking as the squad moved out. From what he could tell from Mulza's move with the slaves the Chiss were getting close and he was getting desperate. The narrow hallway opened up to a catwalk above a large and expansive room, the ship's mess hall. It was the only way up to the bridge, if he could guess the Alliance would soon converge at the same point.

At the other end he saw the glow of a lightsaber and the unmistable blue skin of a Chiss standing before a cut down weequay. The rest of his boarding party moving up to join him. "Imp knight, huh. Gonna have to ask for another 5%" he said to himself softly. He'd have to do his best to hold them here. Fighting in the bridge would be messy and it'd easily put the ship out of commission.

It was time to make his presence known. Kes leaped from the catwalk, activating his jetpack before he hit the floor. "A Knight! Must be my lucky day! Always wanted to get one of them laser swords. They still sell for a good price these days, especially purple ones." he shouted readying his vibromachete. He had never actually fought a force user but he knew from his training that Jedi and Sith liked to get up close and personal. "But you know, we don't have to fight, you could pack up head back to your ship, don't end up joining your folks already on board." He knew full well that they wouldn't just give up and leave. Chiss weren't the type. He just wanted to wind them up. All the while the nine pirates took up positions, blasters ready and trained on the boarders.

The Star itself battered and some parts burning up was now making a break for open space, what few fighters that still survived the Clawcraft flew straight back to the Star.

 

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

​

Kailani crept through the ship’s corridors, occasionally taking cover by a randomly placed cargo crate, or by pressing himself up against the bulkhead. So far, out of twelve enemies he had shot at, he had hit none of them. But he was being a distraction, which worked well for the marines, who quickly picked off whichever pirate turned to shoot at the commander.

Then, Kailani’s comm trilled and he answered. “Fostu here.”

“Sir,” came the voice of Lieutenant commander Swreepi, “we have a transmission from the light cruiser that sent a boarding party. They tell us to cease fire, and that hundreds of Chiss slaves are on board?”

Kailani’s eyebrow raised. So they weren’t just ordinary pirates. “Cease fire, immediately.”

He turned to the marines. “This mission objective has just changed. Our first priority is to locate and assist the other boarding party in freeing the Chiss. The capture and interrogation of the pirate captain has become secondary.”

The marines nodded, and fanned out in the corridor, moving towards a blast door. They opened it… and found themselves facing a Mandalorian, and a guy with a lightsaber. And not just any guy. A Chiss. Like Kailani. Well, they’d found the boarding party.

Kailani called out to the Chiss. “Excuse me? Lightsaber guy? Could you possibly deal with the Mando while I go find the slaves?”

Hopefully, the lightsaber wielder would trust Kailani because he was a fellow Chiss. If not… well, he was sure his marines weren’t numerous enough to take out a skilled Mandalorian. He’d just have to improvise.

Kes Stag Matma Bernu Bella

 

[Matma Bernu]

"A Knight! Must be my lucky day! Always wanted to get one of them laser swords. They still sell for a good price these days, especially purple ones." he shouted readying his vibromachete. He had never actually fought a force user but he knew from his training that Jedi and Sith liked to get up close and personal. "But you know, we don't have to fight, you could pack up head back to your ship, don't end up joining your folks already on board." He knew full well that they wouldn't just give up and leave. Chiss weren't the type. He just wanted to wind them up. All the while the nine pirates took up positions, blasters ready and trained on the boarders.

Matma let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "There's a lot of choices you made today, Mandalorian, all of them terrible", he began before he caught movement in the corner of his eye. More pirates?

No.

Marines, led by a Chiss.

Kailani called out to the Chiss. "Excuse me? Lightsaber guy? Could you possibly deal with the Mando while I go find the slaves?"

Matma swiftly smothered a smile, turning it into a snort.

'Lightsaber guy?'

"I believe I can handle that", he responded dryly. Then he turned his attention back to the Mandaloarian. "As I was saying", Matma began, gathering the Force around him, feeling it permeate. "You made some terrible choices by being on this ship, Mandalorian."

With a sudden movement, Matma pulled the enemy combatants towards him with the Force, hoping to catch them off-balance, while surging towards the Mandalorian.

"BUT YOU WON'T LIVE TO LEARN A LESSON!" He roared, lightsaber aimed at the T-shaped visor of his helmet.


Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) | Kes Stag | Bella

 

[Kes Stag]

Location: Wild Space
Objective: Yarrr
Tags: Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Matma Bernu Bella

"Heaven offers nothing that the mercenary soul can desire"​

Aboard the Star of Sriluur

Kes grinned under his helmet. He didn't need the force to tell that he had pissed off the Chiss. The grin was quickly wiped off his face as a he felt a slight tug, like an invisible hand grabbing him. Then out of nowhere he was pulled across the hall straight towards the Chiss and his lightsaber. Instinctively he dropped his blaster carbine and instead grabbed his gauntlet and activated his jetpack, shooting him upwards. It was a close though, Kes feeling the heat from the lightsaber as it glanced off his beskar.

The gunnrunner was now hovering in the air above Matma, he flew aside before dropping to the floor once again. The Chiss had dared to say Kes made a terrible decision siding with the pirates but to the Mandalorian, well, he was an equal opportunities weapons dealer. If someone had credits they could buy from Kes.

"Some of us have got to work for a living in this galaxy." he said out loud before pointing his gauntlet at the Chiss and activating his flame projector. Soon a jet of rhypalm, ignited streamed from his wrist and straight towards Matmu. At the same time his left hand withdrew the vibromachete from it's case, anticipating a closs quarters fight was soon coming.

At the same time the pirates above let out a thunderous cheer and roar before opening fire with their blasters towards Kailini and his marines. To them they had little choice, the Star must be allowed to escape with its cargo, their raiding in Chiss space had been successful but expensive. The Chiss slaves would be the only way for them to make a profit out of the whole ordeal, a profit they now desperately needed after the damage they were sustaining in the fight in space.

 

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

​

The lightsaber-wielder had accepted Kailani’s assistance in locating the slaves. The Chiss commander turned to face his marines, who had their blasters leveled at the Mandalorian.

“Ok, let’s just walk past the Mando and go up into the bridge. The captain is a pirate, and pirates are selfish. They will certainly dump their ‘cargo’ if we assure them that we will not harm them. Then, they will reveal the slaves’ location. Of course, we’re not letting pirates out into the galaxy. While we will not hurt them, the Chiss will.”

Sergeant Qya nodded and moved swiftly behind the Mandalorian and up the stairs. He was followed by three other marines. The rest kept an eye on the two powerhouses fighting in the middle of the intersection.

Kes Stag Matma Bernu

 

[Matma Bernu]

OOC: I think we were talking past each other- Matma agreed to keep Kes preoccupied while Kailani looks for the slaves.

IC:

"Some of us have got to work for a living in this galaxy." he said out loud before pointing his gauntlet at the Chiss and activating his flame projector.

Matma barely managed to throw up a shield with the Force when the Mandalorian sent an eruption of superheated rhypalm at him, point blank; he had never fought a Mandalorian- he only heard that they were walking armories.

The Chiss turned a backflip into an awkward roll to attempt to put out the flames. He ripped off his sleeve, revealing 2nd degree burns. 'Too close'.

"We all have to work for living- but we don't have to exploit others. We don't have profit our other's misery. And we don't have to sell them into bondage", Matma snarled, circling the Mandalorian warily.

"Maybe your a little too young to remember what the Sith did to your people. What they did Mandalore, and to it's people to make sure they would never raise their heads again. Because then maybe you wouldn't be a slaver."

Matma surged towards the Mandalorian, lightsaber looping for an overhand slash.

"You won't harm my people, though, Mandalorian."

Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) | Kes Stag | Bella