beginner's luck

[Zechs Merquise]

A beep sounded on the general no-nonsense channel. "This is Malastare control. We have detected unidentified craft in the system. Please stand by."

Zechs blinked and looked at Deeth. Deeth looked out the window. The window did nothing. It was a window. The sensors beeped as a squadron of x-wing fighters from the local garrison departed Malastare. It was going to be a party and not the kind with streamers or a nice cake. Zechs narrowed his eyes in an annoyed disappointance.

Deeth yubed at Zechs. He looked out at the other craft in formation and wondered why most of them were oriented the wrong way. It didn't matter. He could have cut their combined cool with Thrion's lightsabers and still had ample to cool up all the uncool unknowns basking in their coolness. Whatever that meant.

Zechs nodded to himself. "Punch it. The locals have this. We have somewhere else to be, and this cargo is about set to expire." He didn't know if it was, but it was safe bet anything marked "perishable" was going to perish at some point.

Deeth hit the comm. "Yub glub sub nub nub. Wuuuub!"

He was half tempted to provide the other ships a simple translation, but as Deeth pushed the YT into hyperspace, he figured the others would catch the clue. If the hostiles wanted some prey, they were in for a chase. And Deeth's first stop was going to cool them down in the ice fields of no where in particular. Cool was going to come around and heat it up. Oh yeah.

[Neive Undant]

Neive saw the preperation by the inverted fighter and had the interceptor deploy its hyper ring, hooking up and preparing, as did his droid piloted aggressor and his headhunter, manned by himself.

"Do you both have the coordinates of the jump?" Neive asked his pilots.

"affirmative." They both said in unison.

"Then follow behind that YT. Make sure the transport follows behind."


OOC:

transport:
Action V(borrowed from bugs)

escort:
ETA 2-class interceptor, RX-24 pilot droid
Trilon Aggressor, RX-24 pilot droid
Z-95 headhunter, aggresson, Neive Undant

equipment:
lightsaber
Antarian Ranger armor

[Shayrina Tarthus]

A click was heard, and the fuzzy voice came through:
["This is Malastare control. We have detected unidentified craft in the system. Please stand by."]

The lead craft - still inverted- transmitted somethi-... That was definitely an ewok.

A mixture of adrenaline, and laughter hit her. Simultaneously worried about a possible intercept, as well as having a hard time containing her laughter at the small creature apparently navigating in the YT ahead.

Her on-board nav winked at her and her eyes bounced from her canopy to the readout- a flight of x-wings on their way for backup. This didn't seem like a drill. She sighed to herself, and stretched her neck from side to side. Her heart started to flutter.

Though no sooner than the radio hissed with ewokese, did the flat freighter burst off into hyperspace. Looks like the Alliance isn't about to make this an easy drop- and shop for whoever was wanting a piece of this convoy. Bouncing in her seat to provide some momentary lower back relief, Shay- still commlinked with the YT burst after them. All the while with a convincing smile on her face, as if to say- 'Let's play'.


---
OOC:
-Escorting-
+A-Wing
+Flight Simulator

[Kell Sangros]

He got the go ahead and released the docking clamp, the make shift clamp detached from Kressara’s starfighter then it detached from his. Once the clamp was clear he nudged the engines a bit giving his starfighter a small push. Warvanus examined the instruments, it was getting quite crowded here he though to himself.

He looked to his left and his right seeing others in the “pack” they were almost ready to make this happen.

Warvanus went to his instruments gave them one last check, making sure all weapons were armed and powered up and ready to go. Now he awaited orders from Lord Blood, and once he got them then the party could get started. The prospect of the coming battle brought a smile to the Sith’s lips.

[Master Buggie]

Let's hope this works, Buggie thought, as he deactivated the hyperdrive on his unmarked YT-2000 just outside of Malastare.

The ship itself was unremarkable, as was Buggie's presence in the Force, since he was actively utilizing the Force Mask technique in order to prevent himself from being instantly identified by friend and foe alike. He was teetering on the knife's edge and this mission needed to be carried out flawlessly, lest he put the entire pact between the Galactic Alliance and Blue Star Pirates at risk. He would be firing upon Galactic Alliance vessels, that much had been decided, but he flew toward Malastare with a greater purpose. If there was one thing Buggie had learned in his time with the Pirates, it was that small sacrifices often must be made in order to serve a larger goal, and that goal right now was to ultimately utilize the resources he had available to him in order to stop the expansion of the Sith so that no more systems felt the weight of their heel as Roche did now.

In order to accomplish that goal in the long term, he needed to sell himself as an ally to the Sith in the short term. It was despicable work, but these were skills that he had trained for long before the call of the Force had reached him.

"My Lord, this is Defiler Nyx aboard YT-2000 Cauldron. I am prepared to engage at your command," Buggie voiced into his shipboard comm unit, letting out a breath after he had disengaged the communication. He had manipulated his voice so as to not sound characteristically Verpine, which would raise the suspicions of the Sith. He was now playing a character, and he needed to immerse himself into that role, not only as a speaker, but as a pilot.

No amount of time spent in the flight simulator could make him feel prepared enough for what was to come next.

[Raphael Xandir]

Through the vast emptiness of space, Raphael watched more ships float towards the transport shuttle to escort it along the journey. Originally the pack had the numbers to maintain a rather simpler interception, but the tides quickly turned. This would have to be a precise operation now; any malfunction of the plan would result in a failure for the group.

The escorting starships began to gain speed as if they were all ready to move out. From a safe distance, Raphael waited for the pack to catch up with him before he made any further moves. The young man wouldn’t need to stay too close to the ships; he had previously assigned one of his operatives to place a tracking device aboard the transport shuttle before it ascended off of Malastare.

As he was in the process of tapping away on his dashboard, activating the tracking device, another ship exited hyperspace near the stalking pack. A rather dull YT hovered near them, requesting permission to join the intercepting party. Raphael would leave such a decision to his father; he needed only to worry about where the escorting group was preparing to jump.

Within a moment, the escorting group faded into the distance as the jumped to hyperspace. Raphael waited patiently for the readings of where they had gone to come in on his dash. Seconds seemed like days, as timing was key to this operation.

As soon as his dash began flashing bright red at him, he knew the information was ready to be transmitted to his group. Raphael tapped away on his control panel so that they might make the jump soon enough.

The young Sith began a transmission through an open communication line. “Coordinates have been sent. We don’t know what to expect upon arrival, so be prepared,” Raphael articulated in Ancient Sith. He left the option of transmitting said coordinates to the other vessel up to his father for the time being.

The Z-95 Headhunter prepared for the jump to hyperspace and follow suit.

[Slade Xandir]

Blood knew well enough from the oncoming dots that marked his radar that there was an entire slew of ships throwing themselves into this debacle. As many as a good 6 if not 7 ships were before them, and they needed to ensure they were ready before anything popped off on their end. He had no plans to lose any of his flock, today. Especially not over goodies that can be acquired elsewhere.

"My Lord, this is Defiler Nyx aboard YT-2000 Cauldron. I am prepared to engage at your command," came a voice through transmission over his holowatch. Immediately the Sith Lord's chest was filling with gaseous flames. Was there someone who let him into the pack? Or was this faceless voice more simple hired muscle? Blood took a swift second to raise nares at what he could of this new voice, but came away with nothing. This soul had no flavor to it, plain, and flat. Regardless, Blood had no plans to let this member in without attaching some kind of established connection, but for now, this NewFang would be given permission within their formation. They needed additional numbers, and if this whelp was looking for a den, he would have to earn his keep.

For now.

"Wing over to Warvanus' hold, Nyx; you will be pulling reinforcement for tactical assault. If he needs you to do anything, commit with haste; he knows his foot in a fight, and I refuse to lose any of my members today, whether they be in the pack, or not."

To externals of the pack, the Sith Lord sounded genuinely careful about his members. He was, in fact. Without them, he wouldn't be attempting this alone, as it would be suicide, even with the bliss of a hideable ship. How could you garner power without people to help you grasp it?

"Everyone, note the positions of the ships before you- Spread your numbers accordingly. We are outnumbered by a few, but fully bellies will slow down any beast, no matter if they have fangs, or not. We simply must be quick, snatch, smash, and grab, with as little of our hides hit, as possible," he said, his baritones smoothly gliding through the coded transmissions of the Pack.

"Croc and Crow will nip at the legs of these escorts, drawing attention away from the real enforcement, which will be War and Nyx. You and Nyx keep on them, and only strike when their heads are turned. Silver, keep your eye on the attention of the haulers, as will I, and we will snatch their jugulars as their escorts deal with the skiff of immediate danger. "

As his pack ranged into their respective positions, Blood kept his golden gaze before him in the viewport of the Infiltrator, fully wired to give the command once the time ripened for it.

"Brace yourselves," he instructed, the authorative lull setting the mood just right for this hidden ambush.

"And silence external coms and signals once we come to scene. The less chance they have to track us, the better we are in this hunt."

[Kell Sangros]

He watched as the convoy once again jumped into Hyperspace. A snarl formed on Warvanus’ lips anger rising like rising tide. He brought his starfighter around to reconnect to the docking clamp and positioned himself so that Kessara can re-attach. Once this was done he would make the jump at the co-ordinates that Raphael sent to the group.

As he waited for the re-dock to be completed, he listened to the comm chatter. “My Lord, this is Defiler Nyx aboard YT-2000 Cauldron. I am prepared to engage at your command” He did not know a Nyx in the Sith. He was naturally suspicious, Lord Blood had made no mention of a newcomer. He reached out with the Force to get a feel of this newcomer. His senses came back empty. He couldn’t read anything from the newcomer. This added to his rising anger and frustration. He did not like surprises but for all he knew this was one of Lord Blood’s newest recruits, a wealthy one at that he thought to himself as he noted the Corellian freighter.

He switched the comm to Kressara “I’m ready whenever you are Crow” and he continued to wait, seconds felt like eternity to the Sith whose rage was rising and whose lust for battle was growing.

[Rahab Aapofi]

Rahab didn’t understand all of what Lord Blood’s son was saying over the communication channel but she didn’t need to. Anything she needed to know, her Lord would provide. She leaned back in the craft’s chair, her hands shaking as she gripped the ship's controls.The second jump through hyperspace had knocked the fortitude right out of her and she slouched miserably in the uncomfortable chair as Real Space came back into focus around her.

She composed herself, (physically, she did not having much room in her thoughts presently for a crises of morality) sitting upright so that she could lock her targets in on the ship’s interface. Without much thought about how each ship likely contained a living being of some sort, she watched the blips on the worn screen light up. There were more ships than they have previously planned for but it was no matter; for she had mass and speed on her side. Rahab prayed that the ships she was assigned to assault would forfeit their position out of fear alone.

It had taken her a moment to realize that she was being addressed, still unused to having a codename. She made a sound that she hoped did not travel over the communication channels. Taking a second to gather herself, she reported flatly,

“Orders acknowledged.”

Once The Recourse was uncoupled from Infiltrator, Rahab flipped the switch that controlled the ship’s wings. If sound could travel through space, the unfurling wings would have made a cruel sounds; something cold and sharp as the Starfighter stretched out its full and terrifying length.

Lord Blood’s voice fell into the background as she navigated her starcraft into position, her quickening pulse taking precedent in her ears. Rahab would come in low, in hopes of ambushing the escorts from below.

“Glory to the Sith,” Rahab said, after Lord Blood had finished issuing his orders. Shutting down her ship’s external communication channels was, at least, one order she gladly followed.

[Kressara Thryn]

Kressara couldn’t believe it. They moved out of reach once again just as soon as she detached from Warv’s ship. With a sigh of aggravation Kressara reached up wipe her palm against her face before readjusting her controls. Why in the world did SOMETHING? Always have to go wrong. It’s almost like the universe just wanted them to struggle for their rightful place as it’s rulers.

“Someone is going to die for this...”

The annoyed young woman engaged the comlink once more, responding to her ride with a growl. “Re-docking now. When we catch them let’s be sure to stall them...let them float helplessly in the endlessness of space!”

Her starfighter realligned with the larger ship and attached itself with a few minor changes in direction, all systems once again repaired to go. There, maybe now they could finally get the mission on track? There was loot to steal and people to burn after all. Kressara needed to make a name for herself on the field some how. Being left being in space while the enemies vanished before their eyes was no option.

“Ready now, Wolf. Let’s hunt.”

Kressara disengaged the signal and reached up to her little crow charm before squeezing it, just sitting there making noise with the bloody thing to pass the time.