Log:Claim Jumping

Claim Jumping

Location: Naboo System
Participants: Tamrae, Tovana, Sion, David Ironside, Naldana Bienaenn, Oozlevort, Nubri, Adhar Gann

The rush to salvage the hulk of the recently-destroyed Supremacy has led to spectacular violence over the last two weeks as civilian salvagers clash with pirates and other undesirables with government forces caught in the middle.

Currently, a particularly gnarly clash erupts between a civilian salvage outfit and a pirate-backed scavenger group over the sensitive computer equipment housed in the Supremacy's intelligence nexus; a vast wealth of information, classified military secrets and more could well be housed within the ship's computer cores - assuming they aren't wiped, of course, and even so, the technology is so advanced as to be well worth the blood shed to claim it. Government forces, supported by the Array Consortium and other civilian volunteers, must put a stop to the violence before it spreads across the system. Arm yourself for sanity. Arm yourself for justice!

The /Supremacy/ has fallen, and its corpse now calls the Naboo system its grave. Nearly forty miles in length, the sole Mega-class Star Destroyer is a sundered wing, broken into several sections thanks to the final firing of the Resistance vessel /Warhammer's/ Acolyte Cannon; while the initial blast sheared the ship's hull into two pieces, secondary explosions and structural failings have since seen it broken up into everal sections. It is these massive sections that are now being picked over by hundreds of salvagers - the /Supremacy/ is a spaceborne treasure vault, filled with weapons, tecnology and war material most of the Galaxy has yet to see at more than a distance and does not understand, save for the fact that it is highly advanced and therefore extremely valuable.

Like any treasure rush, the capacity for greed to win out over sense or peaceful comport is tremendous. Thus is the situation in Naboo: the single greatest naval wreck known to the galaxy has brought more salvagers than the government's security can handle - thus they have needed to turn to yet more foreign mercenaries. The /Serious Business/, a Strike-class combat cruiser, slowly patrols the space around the /Supremacy/, and its presence has managed to suppress the most egregious nonsense. But behind its back, people still act up a fool, this evening will reveal.

A line of bulk haulers in the services of the Excimar Materials Group, a Rim salvage concern, has done what nobody else quite has had the technical ability to do - cut into the hull around the /Supremacy/'s central section and begin the enormous job of salvaging the Star Destroyer's central intelligence and analysis center. With the size and capacity of a planetary intelligence complex, this mile-deep concentration of computer cores, droid brains and data stores is shielded under meters of thick armor plating, and covered in deadfalls and interlocks - the traps are largely unpowered with the shutdown of the ship's power systems, but the physical barriers are undeniable. The Excimar teams have taken a week of constant work to try and breach the hull, and have finally begin bringing up computers and data storage units up from the ship's hulk. Things have gone well since the operation started, and the ships's crews have grown complacent with the presence of the capital ship in their midst - and that's where the trouble starts.

As the /Business/ patrols the far end of /Supremacy's/ hull, a new bulk cruiser shows up, a Ghtroc Cargo Empress returning ID as the /Gwanora/. /Gwanora/'s hull bristles with point-defense cannons and turbolasers, and its hold disgorges a number of fighters to join those who have arrived in escort of the ponderous cargo turtle. Immediately it begins to fire upon the Excimar ships, who promptly begin sounding distress signals. << To all vessels, >> goes the signal over general frequencies, << This is Excimar Reclaimation Task Force Atani. We request immediate assistance. All ships in the vicinity, please, help us! >>

System security is elsewhere at the moment, dealing with other matters - which puts the Business and its flight complement in place, along with whatever civilian ships might be in range and of the position to help. Over primate communications, the /Business/ directs patrol ships in the area toward the beleaguered transports, leaving civilians to assist as they desire. The battle is on!

Nubri runs into the old freighter she arrived with and launches out with the R41 <<"I wonder what the appeal in an old First order ship is. Didn't the thing burn up? Rendering most stuff unusable? Besides, it is dangerous to go around on....>> she shrugs, sighing <<"Also, if I die... could anyone please run my funeral? I wouldn't be able to do so for obvious reasons and... I forgot to write my will, not that I have anything worth leaving behind anyways, I suppose...">> and she flies towards the Gwanora, tense on her first space battle in a cockpit

<Naldana, the wolfman calling out there in Hurricane 1, long time no see.> The large wolfman is behind the controls checking em thrice, it had been a bit last hitting his head, needing rehab. He was back in action a large scar over his right eye, almost touching it during his last combat flight, his eyes are steady now. Then he is blasting into formation, his hands is moving over the controls.<STay frosty, it's time to rock and roll!>

David's X-Wing is one of the first to shoot from the Serious Business, a perk of being a pilot with nothing else going on. <<So much for a quick and easy payday, huh?>> he comms, adding, <<Bravado 1, on the scene and moving to intercept.>> He releases the latch to open the craft's s-foils and pushes the throttle forward. <<We'll make sure your ashes are scattered immediately, Dareful.>> he quips. There's no funerals for those who die in space, only cremations.

Normally, Sion doesn't use her own ship for this kind of work, but with the sheer number of combat craft drawn into service, it was this or a bomber. She's a lot more familiar with this ship than one of those. On a longer-range patrol near Naboo itself, she picks up the distress signals, and is already pulling a fast Immelmann to head for the site of the huge wreck. <Excimar Reclamation, this is /Nightmare-Errant/. We're on our way! Just hang tough 'til we get there!> Which won't be long. The /Helix-B/ is, as some smugglers might say, 'all legs and teeth'; fast for a transport and well-armed for a courier ship. She glances back at the rear seat, and its occupant. "Tovana, I'm charging the plasburst cannons in the belly turret. Can you handle those? We'll need them against those fighters!"

Tovana was already moving to take up position in the Nightmare Errant's belly turret when that distress signal came on. "On it!" she calls back to Sion. She slides into her seat and checks over their systems, then takes a look over their scanners to make note of the fighters in question and start picking out a target. "Was only a matter of time before someone decided to start a fight I suppose."

Here's Kae! She's well flying a VCX100. A rather heavily armed VCX 100..,. << Hey guys! I'm here, I brought this thing!>> She then blinks at hearing the the suuff going on and siiiighs. "Zomg, another fight..." She mutters, then reaches up and flips the shields on the VCX.. "Ladies and gentlemen?!?" She calls out over the coms "Man stations!" She adds.. All 'three' turrets on the VCX start to come to life as a person mans every little turret on the thing, including the turret on the aux fighter... Though the aux fighter doesn't launch.. << SPinny here, coming to assistance>>

The Incom A-24 Sleuth Scout named 'Quadduck' had slithered its way to the opposite side of the FINALIZER and docked, cutting a hole in the quadanium armor plating to gain entrance. It was a scout ship used for sneaking past blockades, and though it is old, it also small (14 meters!), and sneaky. Oozlevort was just returning to the scoutship with armfuls of FINALIZER objets d'art - refresher paintings and fixtures, Dwartii glyphed vases, rank sashes, bedsheets, saucy First Order naval caps, etc. He disconnects his scout vessel's docking clamps from the FINALIZER and starts to putter away - straight into the GWANORA. "Oh by the Mists, not pirates!" He powers up his laser cannons.

The Incom A-24 Sleuth Scout named 'Quadduck' had slithered its way to the opposite side of the SUPREMACY and docked, cutting a hole in the quadanium armor plating to gain entrance. It was a scout ship used for sneaking past blockades, and though it is old, it also small (14 meters!), and sneaky. Oozlevort was just returning to the scoutship with armfuls of SUPREMACY objets d'art - refresher paintings and fixtures, Dwartii glyphed vases, rank sashes, bedsheets, saucy First Order naval caps, etc. He disconnects his scout vessel's docking clamps from the SUPREMACY and starts to putter away - straight into the GWANORA. "Oh by the Mists, not pirates!" He powers up his laser cannons.

Alas, it /is/ pirates. Because it's always pirates in the Naboo system - a pacifist system is going to be lousy with them, because pacifism. As Oozlevort's fighter-sized scout transport detaches and Consortium and civilian forces home in on the sudden assault, the /Gwanora/ and her complement has already managed to whittle down the shields of one of the three Excimar bulkers to nothing. As it attempts to fend off fighters with a handful of point-defense turrets, the /Gwanora's/ turbolasers rake its hull, and the ship's thick but ultimately civilian-grade plating is torn open in a number of places. Flames and thick black smoke billow from these wounds, held about the ship like a cloak thanks to microgravity - but as it now attempts to escape, the cloak becomes a number of grayish trails, illuminated by the fires burning in its guts.

Meanwhile, more ships dart from the portside hangar aperture of the /Serious Business/, a horde of security-grade Cutlass-9s - but though they're fast, they're not as fast as David or Naldana's vessels, and they'll take time to catch up and add fire support. Sometimes, having a mixture of military- and security-grade vessels can bite an operation in the flanks. << Pirate vessels, >> calls a voice over the comms, << This is Captain Adhar Gann of the independent cruiser /Serious Business/, in partnership with Naboo system security. You are commanded to cease your attack, lay down your arms and dispserse, or face lethal action. Any attempt to continue your attack will be seen as willful disobedience of this command. >>

Naturally, they only pick up the pace, directing fire into the engines of the fleeing vessel and pounding at the remainder. Going to be a nasty fight - and likely a brief one.

Nubri rolls her eyes in her ship <<"Really, Davik? I was hoping they would get back to Corruscant at least, instead of, well.... here.">> she muses with a shake of her head <<"Malgana? Aren't you Toviamna's friend? She mentioned you...">> she smiles <<"Siam, if you die.... I call dibs on all your stuff!">> she chuckles a bit <<"Then, I can move out... to, I don't know. Naboo. Which none of us want. So, try not to die, please! Same goes for... is Toviamna with you by any chance?">> she shakes her head <<"So, uhm.... Dareful here trying not to get killed, given these guys don't want to get my corpse to Corruscant.... some friends they are. I may even end up helping if you are lucky, who knows.">> a small smile <<"Hello, Cae.">> and then, Adhar's order <<"I think you may jinx this, Captain Gonne...">> and then she fires her lasers at the Gwanora, missing <<"I HATE THESE CONTROLS! WHICH MORON CREATED THEM? DAMMIT, I NEED TO GET THEM TO TAMALMAE, AS SHE CAN FIX THIS RAMPANT IDIOCY IN THIS SHIP...">> heavy, nervous breaths come after her angry rant, mixed with fear <<"Not.... not that I could hit such a large target even if they were normal...">> she mutters quietly before wincing <<"It... might make me miss less horribly though...">>

<Opening fire, locking on> Naldana is firing as he banks to the right, his ion firing off into the ship with a decent hit, as he cheers to himself.<Okay then, it seems this is going to be rocky, aint listing to reason.> His eyes narrowing, and then he is watching the others trying, to make sure we are all good. His eyes scanning it all, as he then chuckles loudly, joy all over his face it was good to be back in bidness.

<<That could've gone better for them.>> David comments dryly over Array comms. It's maybe a bit overconfident, but then, this is a T-85 X-Wing going up against Dunelizards. The pilot grins, eventually coming to lead the charge as he rains down laser fire on one of the aforementioned Dunelizards. <<Should've just turned around.>> he adds, noting the hull lighting up when his attack lands. <<Got a hit, going around. Shields up.>>

</Nightmare/ here. We'll see if we can't give them a 'back off' message,> Sion coms, and sends the Helix hurtling at the Cargo Empress at top speed.

Moments later, a line of ion cannon fire stitches its way down the dorsal hull of the big ship, making the shields flicker. < I suggest you pack up and go, pirate! You're outgunned and /way/ outclassed! > comes Sion's call as she soars past the aft end of the Empress, already starting the turn for another pass.

As Sion maneuvers the Nightmare Errant to take a shot at the pirate freighter, Tovana picks out one of the pirate Dunelizard fighters and takes aim at it with the freighter's belly plasburst turret. A hail of plasma fire lances out from the turret and strikes the Dunelizard, causing the ship's shields to flash and fade away. "These things pack a punch, maybe -that- will give them something to think about too!" she muses with a grin.

Incoming VCX! yup, that's Kae's piloting allright... The Spinny is well spinning, rolling around in a slow barrel roll, as her sensors begin to establish a target locdk on the pirate cap-ship...

Kae then calls out "Let em have em!" She says over her internal coms, all her gunners then respond in kind... And well both the twin laser turrets on the light freighter open up, sending out a hail of blaster fire. One fighter is missed, but another suddenly is shield-less and trying to pull out of the fight, smoking...

Kae then grins "Great shot! Stay on it, any enemy fighter that gets close, let em have it!" She says as she focusse straight ahead, grinning impishly as she toggles a switch, both the exterior torpedo hatches open up, as well as the hatch that covers the forward firing heavy laser... "Yup, going in hot!" she calls out, jinking a bit as the enemy cap ship opens up...

Oozlevort's scouting ship is about as fast as an X-wing. When his lasers power up, he finds himself near the cloud of fightercraft that are moving from the SERIOUS BUSINESS to engage those space pirates. "<<Uh, this craft is Scoutship QUADDUCK, requesting assistance, this ship just wants to hyperspace away!>>" The pirates are blocking his hyperspace exit path and Oozlevort has no astromech droid to plot another route on the fly, so it will take a little time. His 14-meter-long vessel skips along after BRAVADO 1 and fires those two Taim & Bak 1X4 linked laser cannons at BRAVADO 1's target. The cannons miss. Anti-fighter lasers start peppering the space around his vessel with flak so he janks left. The high-output 804.d Starslinger ion drives on his ship brighten as the throttle is engaged.

The sudden violence of friendly response against the pirates calls the attention of the /Gwanora/ immediately, as does the battering of its escort; its quad-turrets erupt as the allied ships draw close, spewing fountains of red light from their guns in welcome of these new attackers. Meanwhile, the heavily damaged member of the civilian salvage team is slowing thanks to damage to its systems, but its engineering teams are very effective in keeping what should be cripple their ship to simply hampering its progress. The other two transports, however, are swiftly losing their shields, as the /Gwanora's/ turbolaser crews are not idle in the face of the enemy attack.

Meanwhile, the Mandalorian-designed Dunelizards are about what one would expect of pirate forces: a mixed bag, though some good hits have been scored. The heavily damaged member of the wing jumps out as soon as it is clear, leaving the number of enemy fighters at just shy of a squadron.

<< Consortium ships, >> calls a voice over the comms, << This is Bouncer Squadron. We're on our way - just keep them busy until we get there, and we'll do our best to help you take 'em down! >> The Cutlasses are good cavalry, but they're not quite there yet. Far at their back, the /Serious Business/ is making its way toward the battle site, but it will be some time beore the cruiser can bring its guns to bear...assuming there's anything remaining to target.

< Getting hairy out here. > There is a rock to his ship, and then he is spits into the mic. < Naldana, shields hit but I got this fraking big ship. > His eyes are narrowing, as he buzzes by quickly, as he opens fire at it.

David's astromech beeps in alarm as the transport ship behind him starts offering assistance through violence, David is just able to roll the craft 90 degrees, watching the blasts pass him. <<That was close, Quadduck.>> he calls over comms. Continuing the roll rather than reverse it, David lets loose a full 180 degrees of laser fire, one after the other striking the fighter in the exhausts. <<We'll get you out of here.>> he adds. It's then that the Dunelizard ahead of him explodes as David clears the way somewhat for the transport. <<Keep on me.>> he instructs, pulling the throttle back some so as to not pull ahead too far.

Sion winces as the Helix shakes under several shots. "Those clowns aren't too bad of shots. Jade, can you keep us flying?"

In the after portion of the ship, BB-J4D warbles in response, rolling over to a console and SCOMP-linking in to reroute power from the less-necessary systems. The deflector indicator begins to climb slowly.

Going for another pass, /Nightmare's/ ion cannons once again write a message down the top of the Cargo Empress. < /Nightmare/ here, we're still in this! By the looks of it, they're starting to remember a dental appointment in another system! >

Tovana winces as well as they're hit, but at least shields were holding. She considered for a moment taking a shot at the freighter as well, but the fighters that were currently harassing them seemed like a higher priority target at the moment. She tries to line up a shot with one of the Dunelizards as it makes a pass, but the plasma bolts from the ship's belly turret cut through empty space instead. "It hits hard enough but this thing isn't easy to aim..."

Kae is waggling her arms briefly, before she steadies out the Spinny... "Ookaaaay.." She mutters and squints, lining up her shot... Meanwhile, her gunners fire away at fighters, those twin medium turrets sending out a veritable wall of laser fire... "Keep em spitting Calomy!" She calls out..

One of her gunners then responds "It's Kallum!" Kae then blinks "Oooh sorry, I've been hanging out with Nubri and Kisa too much! Keep em spitting Kallum!" She says, then glances back down at her torpedo readout... It's now humming.. Kae finishes lining up the shot and she squeezes the firing triggers.

There's a felt shudder in the floorboards of the freighter as a pair of torpedos blast out from their launchers.. As soon as she fires, Kae pulls up, to make sure her freighter is clear of the blast.. Then the torpedos impact the Pirate cap-ship's shields, there's a pair of massive explosions, as those torpedos nearly strip the converted cargo ship to no shields...

Kae peers at her scanners and grins "OOooh I bet that hurt..." She says and calls out through coms.. << Enemy Freighter/capship/conversion is now almost no shields folks!>>

Oozlevort steers the QUADDUCK toward BRAVADO 1's ion trail. In the scrum he spots a wounded Kimogila and blasts it with several bursts from his two Taim & Bak 1X4 linked laser cannons, striking the fighter's canopy and cracking it like a fat Mandalorian egg. Out goes the pilot into space. "<<Following you, BRAVADO-1. This scoutship does not desire any trouble!>>" His ship's computer is still crunching those astrogation equations.

Her shields swiftly being whittled away by the combination of laser and ionization fire poured into them, /Gwanora/'s damage control crews are hard at work trying to restore power to the deflectors, but the cargo empress wasn't expecting to get the pounding that it has - nor has it expected a quarter of its fighter screen to vanish in seconds. << Security forces, >> cries out a particularly surprised-sounding Rodian over comms in the buzzing way of its people, << This is the /Gwanora/. We withdraw, we withdraw! >>

True to its word, /Gwanora/ is busy trying to make good its escape now; its fighters break and flee in all directions as best as they can, taking full evasive action to try and make hyperspace before anyone else dies.

<< Consortium ships, >> calls Adhar as the first of the pirate fighters begin to jump to lightspeed, << This is /Serious Business/. Focus firepower on that enemy hauler and command it to surrender - I want it shut down for boarding and seizure. >> Brawler Squadron is almost there!

<Blasting this bad apple, into the void.> Naladan swings by it quickly and his hand on the stick as he buzzes right for it, his eyes narrowing his hand pushing fire, as he banks into a hard right, as he drags the laser around the hull, and then he starts to flip around under it to get where, he needs for the next firing.<Shields are down, it hard!>

David reacts with surprise when the pirates start fleeing, even if it's to be expected by now. <<The pirates are breaking off, Quadduck. You're free to exit to jump coordinates. Safe travels.>> he reports to his charge, breaking off course to fly past the A-24 Sleuth's cockpit, offering an upside-down salute before flying off and righting the ship again. <<Making a run for the engines.>> David reports to Consortium channels, and before long he's opening up a barrel of bright red whoopass on the, frankly, hard to miss engines on the superfreighter. <<Looks like it's slowing down.>>

Sion's not sorry to see the enemy fighters peeling off and making for deep space. < Copy, /Business/! We'll keep doing what we're doing! >

/Nightmare-Errant/ practically pivots on one wingtip, pulling a tight one-eighty and coming soaring back at the /Gwanora/... heading right down its throat! Ion cannon blasts spatter like blue rain on the forward hull, tracing their way back along the hull...

Suddenly the engines flicker and die!

Sion barely realizes it in time, and noses down hastily, ending the one-sided game of chicken. The hull whooshes by overhead and vanishes as they pass the after hull, zooming back towards the /Supremacy/ and the legitimate scavvies. < /Business/, she's dead in space. It's your and the marines' show from here. We'll just keep an eye on things from close by. Good flying, everybody! >

Kae maneuvers the Spinny to in front of the pirate ship, she then gets on the coms << Heeey pirrraattes? I think now's a good time to surender, right??>> As she says this, the sound of the torpedos being locked on again can probably be heard in the bridge of the enemy vessel, also both the turrets swivel toward the Pirate ship, and Kae levels the heavy laser too.. All on the bridge... << Don'tcha agree? I suggest you power everything else down and prepare to be boarded!>>

Yup, Kae's learning how to do the whole space police thing! Not really, but she's imitating what she's seen on the holovids quite nicely, even iff the enemy ship is dead in space.

Oozlevort doesn't plan on sticking around to explain his LEGITIMATE salvage rights to the SUPREMACY to a bunch of Naboobian rent-a-cops in leather hats. Or worse, Gungan yokels. The SUPREMACY was big enough to house an entire Star Destroyer construction facility inside of it, so the pubescent Queen of Naboo won't miss a few knick-knacks, trinkets, curio, and second-hand objet d'art. <<"Thank you civil air patrol, QUADDUCK is departing the system.">>

Now it's /Gwanora/'s turn to be torn to pieces; while its escorts flee, the combination of pinpoint laser fire and punishing ionization salvoes have killed its hyperdrive and its engines, leaving the mighty hauler dead in space. While power fluctuates across the ship, a static-riddled transmission leaves the pirate vessel via its emergency antenna.

<< Security, this is /Gwanora/. We surrender, we surrender! Stop shooting! >>

As the prize is won, Bouncer squadron arrives; the five Cutlasses swarm the massive freighter now, missile locks firmly placed, while the /Serious Business/ is but ten minutes behind them. << By Fortune, >> calls the lead ship of the Excimar group, << You really saved our skins - transmit your transponder IDs to us, everyone. Corporate is gonna want to know who to thank for this! >>

A good deed can pay off, after all - especially when the stakes for profit are as high as they are around here!