Log:Resistance: Saviors of Circarpous

Resistance Starfighters engage the Crimson Blades in defense of Circarpous IV.

OOC Date: November 6, 2015 (Optional)
Location: Circarpous IV
Participants: Gren Delede, David Ironside, Kirit Xiptil and Ektor

Once the word went out over the PA, it should only have been a minute before fighters were launched, and transmitted a nav destination. The Circarpous system. Launching along with the less senior pilots, is the blue and white E-wing

flown by Admiral Delede. <<We don't have much time. Head to the IP, and prepare to jump as a unit.>> Gren's voice crackles over the comms, as he complies with his own instructions, heading for the jump point designated in the

transmitted nav course. <<The government of Circarpous IV has sent out a general distress signal. Their capitol city is under attack by pirates seeking a ransom. Circarpous is an extremely wealthy planet, and we could use some of those

credits in our coffers. We'll be intervening with all possible speed. Renegade Leader reports all green, and good to jump. Sound off.>>

David Ironside leaps to his feet almost, having been in the Pilots' Pit and therefor not having to run to his fighter for long. His droid, the R2 unit Ones, is already there being raised into its designated slot. Greeting his pilot with

a series of beeps and whistles, the helpful droid slides open the cockpit to allow David to get seated. Not long after that, the fighter designated Gold Leader exits the hangar bay and joins Delede at the jump point.

<<Green Squadron reads ready.>> Kirit replies to Admiral Delede's request for a sound off. Green 3 had been left behind due to an engine fault which she's sure the mechanics are even now scrambling over like nymphs over fruit.

<<Hyperspace calculations complete in.. thirty seconds.>> She reads the counter. Her numbers were good but as always the ship computer determined when /it/ was ready. It was a hazard of flying older ships. They just couldn't run

projections as fast as new craft. It wasn't as if Circarpous was a system they kept ready jumps for.

<<Gold Four, standing by for jump,>> Ektor reports, as switches are flipped, and the hyperspace coordinates punched in. "Guns hot when we come out the other side, Tenner," he instructs the R2 unit, readjusting his hastily snapped on

chinstrap.

<<Punch it.>> Renegade Leader enters the depths of hyperspace with a flicker, guided by calculations done by Gren's 'new' R2 unit. The unnamed droid is far from new, with a sensor dome pitted and scarred by what appears to be decades of

combat flying and general abuse. It is a real contrast with the fresh off of the assembly line starfighter that he pilots. The jump is not a long one, and when they exit hyperspace...it is extremely close to the planet itself. The jump

had called for the mass shadow to of Circarpous IV to pull them out of hyperspace, rather than a timed exit.

As soon as they enter system, across a wideband there are multiple distress calls coming from a localized point on the surface...a large collection of lights spread out across the canvas of a continent currently shadowed by darkness.

<<Ahead full to ingress point. Hold weapons until positive ID can be made on targets. There are civilians down there.>> The E-wing's nose begins to glow as it enters the atmosphere and burns toward the metropolis under seige. It will be

a few minutes at least before they're close enough to pick out sensor contacts. But as they near, laser blasts and burning buildings will become clear.

The chrome nose shines bright as the N-1s follow Renegade Leader into atmosphere, Gold Leader joined by Jump Jye in Gold 2. <<All wings, report in.>> he calls to Gold Squadron. At the call from Gren he pushes the throttle forward,

matching speed to the E-Wing's thrusters to follow him. "Well, this sure looks great." he mutters to himself quietly. A city. Of course it'd be a city. <<Green Lead to Renegade Leader. Did you want our element to attempt to disable any of the pirate craft? It might give the locals something to do by way of prosecuting these pirates if we have survivors. To say nothing of finding out

where they might be based.>> Naturally, Kirit's already put her craft to full throttle but then it's a Y-wing. The craft moves quickly enough by freighter standards. Naturally, this gives her plenty of time to start scanning comm

frequencies for panic chatter or encrypted channels.

Deliberately flying so close to a planet that its gravity well pulls you out of hyperspace is a new one. "Wooo yah, these guys are my kinda crazy, Tenner." <<Gold Four, good to go.>> Aside, he instructs the R2, "Cue up an audio

translation for any signals from Gold Three, yeah? I don't get Gamorrean, yet."

As they near the city, there is a huge amount of laser fire visible. Whatever pirate group is responsible for this attack, they are well-equipped and well organized. Civlian traffic abounds, as well as law enforcement speeders(those

that remaind) and pirate vessels. Add in general ground clutter and it's a mess of gobbbledgook on the scanners. There's a large explosion on the outskirts of the metropolis as a refinery of some sort goes up in flames. <<We can keep

this up all day. The Crimson Blades don't give up. Meet our demands, and you might have some city left standing.>> A rough sounding voice crackles over public channels, apparently making demands from the local government.

<<Great. Expect civil war era vehicles, people. That's the Crimson Blades' bread and butter. Disable if you can, Green. But it's not a requirement.>> Delede has had a history with this large pirate group, and he doesn't sound

particularly pleased. And, here they come. A half dozen old model starfighters appear from the mess, and approach from nine o'clock on the Resistance formation. They might be tough to see in the darkness, and chaos. They immediately

open fire. It's a mixed flight of three X-wings, and three Y-wings....though they clearly have seen better days.

<<We drop these fools, and then clean out the city. Tally-ho. 9 o'clock>> Renegade Leader heels over into a tight turn, and burns toward flight. The nimble starfighter jinks its way through the spray of lasers, and drops two well-aimed

bursts of triple heavy lasers directly into the cockpit of an X-wing. Bye bye pilot. <<Scratch one.>>

<<Roger that, me and Gold 2 are on the X-Wings, then. Gold 3, Gold 4, you two take down the Y-Wings.>> Dave breaks from Renegade Leader's wing, taking Jump Jye with him, who forms on his wing immediately and seamlessly. <<Link up. we're

taking down those X-Wings.>> Just then, Renegade Leader puts one out of commission already. <<But not that one.>> The two fighters find a new target almost immediately, the synchronized fire ripping through the aging fighter's hull

causing it to drag a smoke screen in its wake. <<Calling that one down, but not out. Coming around.>> The two fighters zip around, dodging civilian craft and buildings, and some debris from explosions.

<<Green to All Units, Rant is sending out the local law enforcement frequency. Tune in to monitor where they might be getting it once we're done with this lot.>> That said, the opposition fighters come out of the shadows of a sudden and

it's only Kirit's natural twitchiness that has her barrel rolling and avoiding incoming fire. Her wingman isn't so lucky and his shields are soon gone and with carbon scoring along the hull. <<Green 2, status. Get those shields up.>> A

combination of fire from her forward cannon and ions plaster the Y-wing going head to head with her and smoke is soon trailing from it as they pass.

Ektor reacts quickly when the unexpected attack is launched, avoiding the worst of the punishment, and letting his shields soak the rest. An explosive curse follows, as Mekil in Gold Three squeals in alarm, reporting failed shields.

<<Coming around, coming around- Mekil, go hard to port NOW,>> Ektor instructs his wingman, sweeping across to destroy the pirate Y-wing in pursuit of Gold 3. << I hear you, Gold Leader. Gold Three, stick with me.>> Mumbling off comms,

"Sorry, wishbones. Always liked you guys," as he lines up on another Y-wing. .

Renegade Leader's flight path isn't safe, but as the E-wing passes through the furball, he ends up undamaged on the other side. Amid the tangle of friendly and unfriendly starfighters, he is able to make a pair of accurate deflection

shots on Gold Three's target, stitching laser fire up it's fuselage and into it's port engine pod. It doesn't explode or die, but it does begin to lose altitude and appears to be making for a safe landing if possible. That's a pirate

that will end of facing the long arm of the law if they are captured. <<Another Y-wing out of the fight. Looks salvagable.>>

Inside the city, more explosions are visible, and from the city center comes a desperate transmission. <<They're attacking the central bank! Help us!>> The woman sounds scared, as well she should. Financial institutions are incredibly

dear to this culture.

<<Clean up here. We need to do what we can downtown.>> Delede's voice crackles, and his fighter doesn't dive back into the furball, but seems to trust that his comrades have this fight under control. Into the urban canyons, he heads.

<<Cleaning up, Renegade Leader. On me, Gold 2.>> The fighters pair up, dodging laser fire from the city with relative ease. A few moments later, both fighters have a clear shot at it, taking the opportunity to put some nice new holes in

the rear of it. As the first volley hits it, the engines on the rear of the X-Wing sputter, before Jump Jye makes sure the pirate pilot has nothing more to worry about. By destroying the craft entirely. <<Good shot, Gold 2. Renegade

Leader, that's the last of the X-Wings.>> he calls as he and Jump Jye steer their fighters into the city.

' Kirit Xiptil is banking at a rate that really.. the Y-wing doesn't like at all. Thankfully, it still has its cowling in place or it probbaly couldn't have banked that steeply in atmosphere. As she nears a building, she kicks in

repulsors and bounces herself into a firing solution. Cannonfire splits the uprights and the last Y-wing disintegrates. <<How're you holding up, Two?>> She asks her wingman who is mostly just trying to keep up at the moment. <<Green

lead to Renegade, I'm sending you the pirate freq. They are.. very expressive at the moment. Not very articulate.. but very expressive.>> Flattening out her course, she looks to her sensors. <<Anyone got ground contacts yet?>>

Ektor barks a sharp exclamation of wordless satisfaction as Gren reports a downed Y-wing looking salvageable. <<Dibs!>> he laughs, while keeping close in pursuit of the remaining pirate fighter, ultimately driving it to it's doom before

Green Squadron's cannons. <<Golds Three and Four falling in behind you, Gold Leader. Green Leader cleaned up the last Y-wing.>>

As they enter the city, it becomes even more chaotic. Half of the buildings seem to be blacked out, while others are lit up like life day trees. The burning wrecks of speeders and fuel stations dont help. It's a visually difficult

environment. Renegade Leader's E-wing is about to cross into a large open square full of government buildings when a mass of green laser fire rips out from a large boulevard. 2/3s of a full squadron of TIE Interceptors that are likely

older than Ektor and Dave have appeared on an intercept course. He snaps off triple bursts of fire at them and manages to rip a large gouge of a canted solar panel but doesn't kill the target. And then his world goes upside down.

<<Squints. The droid says 8. Going evasive!>> The fast and manueverable old Imp fighters are going to be tough. Maybe.

<<Squints is Rebel slang for interceptors. Old ones, Imperial era TIEs. Get at them, Gold Squadron!>> The squadron leader takes Jump Jye and breaks off from Ektor and his wingman, headed for the group of TIEs. The fact that the blaster

cannons are close together makes it easier to get a shot up close than if he were to fly an X-Wing, so he and Jump Jye break, then come together in a V-shaped heading, both blasting at the same time at the same fighter to take it out,

the side panels swinging harmlessly to the ground as the cockpit vaporizes. <<That's the first one.>>

With the Resistance fighters coming in on Delede's heels there's really nothing to it but to fire at the interceptor screen as they swarm. Green Leader's mixed cannons blaze away at one until its engines sputter and die, crashing as a

ball of fire. Green 2 manages to inflict a wound on another Tie as the pair slip through the mass of fighters. It would seem that they are on to harder targets. <<Green to Lead, heading for the landing craft. We don't want these guys

slipping into the populace.>>

<< I hear you, Gold Leader. Follow me in, Gold Three,>> Ektor answers David. Seeing Golds 1 and 2 break off, he chooses the direct approach, firing in full speed at the formation in pursuit of Renegade Leader, seeking and succeeding in

scattering the formation as his blaster cannons rip apart one of the old Imperial Interceptors. <<Another down.>> Veering up and around to seek a fresh mark, his wingman follows in shortly after, cannons blasting away, accompanied by

grunts of enthusiasm. Great enthusiasm. Alas, the Gamorrean doesn't hit anything.

Perhaps it is because he's in the process of trying to shake off a fair number of Interceptors, or perhaps he just hates shooting at one of his favorite designs of starfighter...but Delede's laser cannons barely tickle his original

targret. More sorches marks appear on the squint's hull, but they don't seem to seriously degrade it's performance. <<Agreed, Green. Good hunting. Gold, let's not get embarassed by pirates>> <<Planetary authorities...pirate arseholes....this is Admiral Gren Delede of the Resistance...we're here to help. If you surrender your ships to the local authorities, you might survive, Crimson Blades.>> A few of the pirates are sure

to recognize his name, after the damage that Rebel Yell wrought on their forces a few years past. But no one seems inclined to surrender, just yet.

Dave keeps quiet on the outer comms, letting Gren do all the public relations stuff. He's bound to have more success anyway. The TIEs obviously aren't giving up the fight, though, as both he and Jye get their fighter's pinged with

blaster fire. It's impressive that the interceptor hit both of them on the narrow end of the tail, but at the same time hilariously ineffective. There's nothing critical under the hull there, and the blasts did not breach either

shields. As the interceptor passes the two, they both angle their fighters up and blast it, causing it to intermittently puff out smoke and sparks. It breaks off its circular maneuver and disappears behind a building, leaving a trail of

smoke in its wake.

Green Squadron, or at least an element thereof, begins tracking on the quartet of shuttles inbound. They pull up from hugging streets to bring guns to bear upon one of the old Sienar craft and pepper it with a mixture of cannon and ion

fire. One can only imagine what the pilot might be thinking as its shields drop. In fact, it immediately halts its descent and pulls its nose up to angle for space. <<Let it go, Two. We only need to keep them from landing.>> David Ironside has disconnected. <Resistance> David Ironside has disconnected. <<Gold Four, I'm hit. Shields down, some systems->> Teeth grit as Ektor breaks off the report to focus on avoiding crashing into the wall of some native high-rise. "Drek. Tenner: prioritize shields, then hyperdrive, leave targeting

computer for later, I got visual." <<Some systems offline. Mekil, I could use a hand, here; coming back into the plaza in five seconds.>> Looping around a city block in a tight series of hard turns, trying to keep durasteel and marble

between him and the trailing TIEs, his N-1 roars back through the central plaza, blaster cannons spitting. Gold 4 is certainly drawing attention, as Ektor's shots rip apart another Interceptor in a satisfying fireball (hooray

atmosphere!), Mekil Colez following up with a pair of well-placed shots that blow apart one of the TIEs on Ektor's smoking tail.

It was a matter of chipping away at the faster, smaller craft...but one of Gren's laser blasts finally rips a solar panel off of his original target. The interceptor spins off into a duracrete walk way, and wreckage rains down on what

are mostly empty streets at this point. Speeders veer out of the way, still heading for safe harbor. <<Finally. That was embarassing.>> His voice trails off into a grunt as he hauls back on Renegade Leader's flight stick, and climbs up

and over the walkway. The E-wing is clearly plotting an intercept on the remaining Lambdas.

A large sensor contact appears, separating from ground interference, and appears in the sky nearby. It is a bulk freighter, painted red and black, and looking very piratical. It's course is clear. Toward the atomosphere, and space

beyond. It would appear, whatever else happens, the presumed Interceptor carrier is turning tail and running.

David and Jye are in close pursuit of the TIE they'd busted up some before, flying clear of the smoke it's emitting, the signature engine scream warbled with damage. <<Take it out, Gold 2.>> Dave calls as the both fighters open fire on

the wings, causing one to break off and the spinning remainder of the fighter to harmlessly crash into an open stretch of land just outside the city. <<Scratch one more interceptor. Renegade Leader, please advise. You want to take that

freighter down or take it in?>> Dave asks before anyone opens fire on it.

The Lambdas streak downward passed the Y-wings which are accelerating skyward. There's a quick spray of fire between them which is largely ineffective then the Y-wings level out and bank back down towards the city. <<Careful on the

strafing run, Two. There's civilians down there. No torpedoes.>>

"I KNOW life support is offline, Tenner, we're in atmosphere it's fine-" Ektor is barking at his droid, who is struggling with the array of mechanical problems that are striking the battered N-1 as another minor hit ruins a meter of

paint, leaving the hull blackened and a single sad spark flickers. It doesn't knock any systems offline, it's just insult added to injury. Mouth twisted in a grimacing scowl, Ektor jukes the pursuit, and managed a pair of solid hits to

the angled solar panels of the solitary remaining TIE. Badly damaged, but still airborne and in the fight. Mekil's enthusiasm for firing on the enemy remains unabated. His success, alas, lags behind.

<<Gold. Put some torpedos into it. If their leader wasn't in a fighter, it's aboard that beast.>> It really is a large freighter, able to hold a squadron of fighters, if not more. Renegade Leader's engines glow brightly in the darkness

as it bears down on the last squint, damaged as it was by Ektor's attack. It's tracking him with it's lasers, and they manage to ping his shields, accomplishing nothing but a pretty lightshow. Gren's own triple cannons bark red bolts

into squint's cockpit. melting the pilot, and blowing out the back of the spherical cockpit. <<Fighters are clear. Green, let's pop the Lambdas.>>

<<Roger that Renegade, installing some air conditioning units. On me, Gold Squadron.>> Dave flicks the cover off the button shielding the torpedo launcher, waiting for his targeting computer to confirm a lock on one of the engine. A

press of the button unleashes a blue orb at the target, causing a massive explosion and a flash where the shielding breaks. As Gold 2 does the same, the twice struck engine sputters once.. twice.. then ceases function completely. <<All

wings, that's two confirmed hits.>>

<<Green copies. Bringing it around.>> Kirit and her wingmate are soon on the heels of the Lambdas and spewing angry fire at the craft as they make for the city. Even if the fire isn't all that effective, it is accomplishing one very

important thing. There's no way the shuttles are going to hold still with two fighters on their six. Not unless they all want to die. Ektor lets out a long breath through flapping lips as Gren clears away the last of the Interceptors. Nodding once to the direction to fire torpedoes at the fleeing freighter, he winces. << I hear you, switching to torpedoes.>> A squawk

from Tenner is answered curtly, "Yeah, yeah, I know the targeting computer is still glitching. I'm just gonna... have to eyeball it." Another complaining squork. "I KNOW, I'll angle it so that if it misses it just detonates in the

atmosphere, I'm not gonna.. miss and hit the city, c'mon." Gold Three lines up alongside him, in formation with Gold Leader and the N-1s fire off their torpedoes at the red and black freighter. ...And the streaking torpedoes of Golds 3

and 4 miss cleanly. "Drek."

<<Fine. You've got us. We're surrendering. Better to live in a cell than die here.>> This transmission comes from the bulk freighter, stricken as it is. It wasn't going to make it to orbit. It slowly begins to descend once more toward

an open field outside of the metropolis. The Lambdas seem to be complying with the pirate surrender, and power down weapons and head in that direction.

<<Nice work, pilots. If you've got damage, return to base. The rest of us will fly CAS while the locals decide what to do with the survivors. Clear?>> Renegade Leader chops back on throttle, and cruises toward an orbit over the landing

criminal vessels. On the station that Kirit has been tracking, the local cops seem to be suffering a bit of shock, but sooner or later...they'll be sending the cavalry to make some arrests and impound some ships.