Log:Resistance: The Ears off a Gundark

The Ears off a Gundark

OOC Date: August 24, 2019
Location: Ash Worlds, Outer Rim
Participants: Ektor, Jessika Pava, Tallissan Lintra, Nova Korell, Callax Dalso, Elrych Cometburn, Poe Dameron, The Resistance

The Ash Worlds are a remote and sparsely populated sector of the Outer Rim, near the fringes of Hutt Space. There are a few scattered colonies in the otherwise lifeless expanse of blasted worlds and fading stars, but there are no major powers so far from the trade lanes.

Thus, when a distress call was forwarded to the Resistance of a large convoy under attack by the First Order, all would no there was no other help within reach. It was them, or no one.

A tense race through hyperspace reveals a puzzle both familiar and strange: scopes read a trio of bulk freighters, the largest of which being the Xiytiar-class *Odd Gundark*, along with five smaller light freighters of varied Ghtroc models. It is a large convoy for this remote sector, but not unheard of. In a stroke of curious luck, none of the convoy freighters display any damage, just yet.

Their tormentors are more distinctive. An interdictor barge (the *Apprehension*) holds the convoy from escaping, while a full squadron of TIE/fo (*Alpha 1-12*) contain, and methodically pick apart the convoy's overmatched defenders. Only two Z-95 Headhunters of the Cophrigin System Defense Force survive to oppose them, but judging by the wreckage in the system, there used to be more. Lastly, the ominous bulk of the Sienar escort carrier *Indrexu's Shield* looms behind the protective screen of TIEs.

Black Leader streaks into real space in a glare of red engine contrails and a blue flash of light. With engines immediately coming online, Poe flips a switch to bring up local sensor scans and begins to look around for signs of battle. Taking hold of the pilot stick, Poe twists his craft toward an intercept course and opens his s-foils for attack. <<"This is Black Leader, all craft on me. Establish a lock on that interdictor and open fire. We need to open the way for our friends here!">>

Exiting the blue-grey tunnel of hyperspace, Captain Jessika Pava gives her systems a precursory once-over to ensure everything is still operational. "Extend sensors to maximum range. Keep an eye out for anything lurking around the edge. This is a big force, but we don't want any nasty surprises we didn't see coming." Ali, her astromech, warbles an affirmative to Jessika's commands. Lifting her black leather flight glove, Jessika's fingers push its yellow visor down into place so that her eyes are protected against unfiltered bursts of too-bright light that can come with the explosion of ships or brief vector alignment with bright stars located in the current system. <<"This is Black Three. Ready to engage on your command, Black Leader.">>

<<This is Black 5 reporting, on your portside>> Captain Lintra releases the com button on the throttle and settles a wrinkle out from under her harness with a shrug. "Show me what is going on Fiver."

A projection showing the relative positions of the freighters to their group plus the ominous orange icons of TIE fighters spread out between them and the glowing red of the escort carrier.

"We have a very full house tonight, Fiver. Let's open her up." Transition into real space made, she opens up the X-85's s-foils following the flight leader's course.

<Black 11 forming on portside trail, Lead,> Nova Korell coms, bringing her X-Wing into loose formation. Her gloved hands flit over the control console, activating the ship's TDC. <Typical, isn't it? The Order controls the entire core, and here they are stealing other people's stuff way out here. That's the only reason those freighters are still flying.>

<< Black Ten, arriving. >> The ship has barely made realspace when Callax speaks, sounding bored as ever as he does so - but it isn't boredom, of course, not when his eyes scour the instruments and he's already murmuring to Fang over the intercom. "Keep an eye on those shields, darling," he says to the droid, queuing a broad-spectrum scan. "I fully expect something ridiculous to happen." Because, you know. It tends to.

Elrych Cometburn is already looking over the targeting computer as they enter the system. "Twelve here, copy that lead." He isn't playing any music today and he seemed somber. He took a deep breath and aimed for the interdictor.

Ektor drawls his assent, << I hear you, Lead.. Missile lock on the- They named it the *Apprehension*? No lie, is that like they are apprehending us? Or like they nervous? Maybe they want us to be nervous->> Genius squawks at him to stop the babbling on a open channel. "Look, it's a stupid name, is my point," he argues.

Upon the arrival of Black Squadron, a dozen heavy fightercraft of unknown classification deploy from *Indrexu's Shield*, and divide in an instant to take several divergent courses. These newest TIEs have a profile reminiscent of an old TIE bomber, but with a single elongated central pod. The movements of these unclassified heavy fighters are screened by the aggression of Alpha Squadron, which assails both the X-wings of Black Squadron, and the last Headhunters of the Cophrigin Defense Force to screen the movements of the bombers.

Poe is missed when fired upon, and the Resistance ace pilot twists his craft to follow along the appropriate trajectory. Flipping the switch to establish a lock through his targetting computer, Poe looks ahead and pre-emptively lifts the safety guard on his torpedo switch. "Hang on back there, buddy!" <<"Roger, keep it smooth, and moving fast guys. We have to do this in quick succession so we can target the bombers next.">>

Reaching her hand across the arm extended to grip her flightstick, Jessika brushes a fingertip over the unlit square on the panel to her right. It illuminates, and the arm of her targeting computer adjusts and begins extending forward, so the sensor can be adjusted down into place that'll allow her to view the interdictor through the view of her systems. "Ali, begin recording data about the new fighters on sensors. Get me imagery of the craft from all sides if you can manage." Feeding power to her thrusters, Jessika ignores the screen of TIEs heading for them, and uses a combination of rudder pedaling and juking with her flightstick to completely avoid a burst of fire meant to impact her fighter. She focuses purely on getting a lock on the Interdictor.

Nova winces as Eleven jolts under a solid smack to the deflector screen. She adds a little random weaving to her flight path while keeping the throttle rammed home, a trick some experts call the 'Drunk Pilot's Trip Home'. "Jammer, get on that. TDC active, getting a signal..." Jammer blats something about her needing to dodge more often, and gets to work. Hearteningly, the green in the shield status indicator rises nearly to the top.

"Bring up the Interdictor, Fiver, for primary target," the young captain flips back the cap on the torpedo release in anticipation. The orange squares on the targeting computer begin to square on the interdictor as they lock their target in. From the starboard side a green laser streaks high above the canopy of the X-Wing and into infinity missing them and the others in the squadron.

Naturally the first thing they fly into is a storm of laser fire; green lances shred Black Ten's deflector bubble, bringing it down to less than fifty percent strength in an instant. "Like I said, darling," Callax mutters, working hard to roll his fighter through the fusillades, "Absolutely ridiculous. Now please, get our shields back up while I help take out the trash."

A whistle and a beep from Fang, and the shield display blossoms green, eliciting a smile from Callax. "Very good, darling," he calls back to the little machine, then keys over the squadron frequency, << Black Ten, locking target. Shields under repair. >>

Elrych Cometburn shakes a TIE that fires at him, making him work just a bit harder to aquire that lock. "Come on..." He keeps an eye out for any surprises.

"Arright, lock acquired, time to-" Ektor's anticipation is cut off abruptly as the squadron of unfamiliar TIE bombers engage short term boosters and rocket toward their marks. Most fail to impact their targets, but four do manage to strike true, impacting on the three largest freighters and detonating with spectacular force. The Gr-75 Gallofree transport is struck by a pair of the deadly drones, and comes apart, exploding in its death throes.

<<-Rekk!>> Ektor curses at the flash. <<Aw, that ain't good.>>

Black Leader takes a nasty hit that rocks his fighter, but the resolve of the pilot shows a smooth recovery. Poe glances down at the targeting computer, then looks up the moment the indicative beeping began. <<"Here comes the fireworks. Let them rip, Black Squadron.">> Leading the charge, he fires a pair of purple torpedors, then spirals starboard before he'd have to contend with the shielding. He angles evasively observing what the result of their run was going to be.

<<"Black Three to Black Leader! Those unidentified fighters aren't fighters at all! They're bombs!" No sooner has she tried to warn Poe than an example of exactly what she means displays itself as one of the craft runs into the Xiytiar. Worse, a pair run into the GR-75 and create a brilliant explosion. Her helmet's combat visor protects her retina from being scarred by the flash that passes unfiltered through the transparisteel viewports in front of her. She curses under her breath before leaning her head to the side to view through her targeting computer again. Ali warns her of the status of her shields moments later when impacts against it cause the craft to shudder as haptic feedback is transferred between the shields and their emitters.

"I know we're being shot at!" The gloved hand secured around her flightstick shifts its thumb to flick up the red cover hiding the button for her proton torpedos. "Reduce sensor detection. Keep gathering data on those enemy fighters, including estimated yield based on the amount of damage they just caused. Use everything else for shield monitoring." She goes silent as the tone indicating her lock on the Interdictor is solid and ready. Adjusting her thumb over the button, Jessika depresses it to send two proton torpedos streaking towards the target. <<"Black Three, torpedos away!">> She banks her fighter away in an evasive pattern meant to dodge further incoming fire. Ali reports shields bolstered.

Between a rock and a hard place, Tallie drops the X-85 hard flying below the plane of the rest of the group. They roll hard avoiding the TIE's lasers blazing on either side of them. Thrown against the harness, Tallie grimaces as Fiver whistles an alarm and she throws them into a counter clockwise roll. Point defense has them in their vector but just barely - they fly out of the barrage with shields flaring colorfully but little damage. No matter, torpedos are released at the Interdictor in quick sequence with Black Leader and Captain Pava's.

On the system projection one of the freighters, a Gallofree is lost, its icon blinking yellow. The TIE bombers proving sadly effective.

"I've got tone..." Nova murmurs, hearing Jammer's electronic commentary in back as the droid works on the shields. She's so intent on her target that she misses the flicker in the targeting reticule as Jammer effects a cross-patch in the ship's wiring.

It's apparent that something's wrong when the torps leave the tube on one of Nova's weaves, just as the shield gauge pings on full: The missiles are on a strict ballistic course, away from the ship. "Dammit! TDC must've lost power!" Nova snarls in frustration. "I guess we try again in a few seconds."

She blinks as an explosion lights up local space. <Confirming those TIE Bombs, Lead... that was the Gallofree! It's gone!>

He had to say it. He /had/ to say it - and as he approaches the interdictor in line with his squadron-mates, more fire tears Black Ten's shields down and strafes the hull, wounding it gravely. << Black Ten in serious condition, Leader, >> he reports, shaking his head as he descends in a graceful arc through the storm of laser fire that has reduced a good portion the fighter's port fuselage into a giant screen door. << Torpedoes away! >> They're not getting home until those mass generators are destroyed...so his back is against the wall.

Fang is already on the case, but it's with a lovely, genetically-engineered eye that Callax notes the still critical levels of the fighter's shielding. "Going to have to do better than that, darling," he murmurs, voice tight with new tension. "We lose this chariot of ours, it might well be the end, and what a shame that would be..."

Elrych Cometburn shakes in his cockpit as his shields are rattled by a point defense hit. He winces, "Eggsy. Take care of that will ya... I hate those damn things." He has tone now and takes the opportunity to send his ordinence towards the interdictor. <<"Torps away.">>

Ektor looses his first volley of proton toroedoes at the Interdictor barge, but his wincing eye is on the ongoing devastation being wrought on the convoy by the drone bombers. <<Drek, they ain't gonna last long- Poe, buddy: lemme go shoot at em, yeah?>> So sooner are the words out of his mouth than the BFF-1 heavy transport is impacted by a TIE bomb, and begins a slow rotation from the impact force, before it is blasted apart by the detonation. "Drek," the Tionese repeats, off channel. He pays for his divided attention, as the shields of Black 6 are hammered to the wails of R2-G13.

As Poe angles his fighter back around his sensors pick up that the interdictor has not taken enough damage to flee, or to blow up. Annoyed by the miscalculation, Poe glances over toward the vessels in trouble and grimaces when he sees another go up, the bright flashes reflected upon his visor. <<"Black Squadron, break off my wing and engage those bombers Black 3 identified. I'll stay on the barge, just ensure you carve a path through those heavy hitters. I'll follow once this huttsucker is dead.">> No sooner had Poe said it, he aligned off the Interdictor's bow and opened fire. He sustained a hit in the approach, but BB-8 was already working his magic. Poe released his remaining torpedo, collapsing the shields, then peppered the surface of the ship with cannon fire, sending up sparks and flames in passing before peeling off again to weave his way back around.

Jessika tries to separate her mind from the chaos taking place. She tries to elevate her faculties above the desire to rely only on instinct. "Why are they just now deploying the bombs?" When Black Squadron arrived, the convoy looked untouched. The Defense Force deployed to aid it was mostly thrashed, though, which told jessika that the conflict hadn't just started. She doesn't know why there was the delay. Another ship in the convoy is destroyed by the bombcraft and Jessika grits her teeth. She's broken from her reverie by impacts along her shields once again as the Interdictor's point defense turrets ping her with another hit. "Maintain focus on shields." Black Leader alerts the Squadron to engage the fighters and Jessika vectors for a bomb.

Determined to give the convoy as best a chance as possible, she lines her X-Wing up behind one of the craft on its interception course and lets free a salvo of laser cannon fire. It stitches across the craft and tears through the hull, forcing the center fuselage to erupt in a powerful explosion that erases one of the markers from the sensors. She immediately begins looking for another bomb to engage. <<"Black Three to Black Leader, one bomb destroyed. Going after the others!">> Ali bleeps an update on her shields, but Jessika doesn't hear it.

"Too many, too many," Tallie chants under breath. The TIE bombers wreak havoc and Black 5 will be part of the riposte. "Split targets, double acquisition Fiver. We can do this. Now!" The torps leave her X-85 under light speed and deadly intent for the barge. She has a split second decision to make and zeros in on what is designated as Bomber 8. Black 5 veers off leaving both targets damaged and limping.

<Copy, Lead,> Nova calls. "But not before I give these goose-stepping goons something /expensive/ to repair," she adds to herself, aiming for some well-meaning misbehavin'. With a glare at the TDC, which doesn't fritz this time, she points the nose at one of the Interdictor's delicate, hard-to-replace gravity well generators and pickles off two more torps. The result is satisfying: Not only does the round casing get a nice, new blast-hole, but flickering lights all over the ship signify that something significant just went out. The weapons all over the ship cease firing. Also, the gravity well signature indicator on the console ceases its angry red glowing. "YES!!! Come on, Jammer, let's go knock down some TIE-pedoes," she says, whipping into a lightning-fast Immelmann and pouring on the speed. Time for some interceptor work.

He's about to pull up, is Callax; with Black Ten's shields gone, and its hull like a collander full of sparklers, he's just about to pull the ship into a loop and pull away - but then Nova's torpedo lands, and point-defense goes silent. "And that's our cue, darling," Callax says to fang, and pushes the ship into a steep dive over the barge's hull; skimming close enough to the hull that the point guns might have otherwise taken the ship to pieces, Callax with expert eyes targets a particular rent in the hull over the engineering section - and with a squeeze of the trigger dumps a pair of torpedoes into the gap. One of the brightly particle-sheathed warheads strikes the hull, exploding and taking peeling away skin and superstructure, while the other drops into the engineering section proper. All that hypermatter, just begging to be leaked into this dimension. Ready to detonate.

A faint squawk from Fang indicates the shield generator is balking, but Callax does not reply. << Black Ten, torpedoes home! I think she's going to break, Leader! >>

Now to get them out without getting them both killed...

Elrych Cometburn gives a shout of relief as the barge goes up and imediately bares down in a bomber lighting him up like a super nove im the black of soace

Ektor is veering off toward the squadron of prototype bombers the instant Poe has let them off the leash. He diverts enough power from the shields that Genius can only thrill in complaint as the auxiliary power she'd needed to restore shields is diverted to engines, instead. "Relax, they can't hit us if we blow em up first, yeah?" The astromech attempts to inform Ektor that they remain significantly outnumbered, but he isn't listening. Black 6 roars through a curtain of TIE/fo cannons to open fire on the bombers circling back toward the stricken convoy. A hail of ruby lasers tear apart a pair of the prototypes. <Looking better, yeah?>>

The pair of surviving Cophrigin System Defense fighters combine fire to destroy the final bomber, before one of the damaged craft is struck and destroyed by an Alpha Squadron TIE/fo.

The destruction of the Interdictor Barge frees the convoy to spool up hyperdrives, and prepare for a long delayed flight into the safety of hyperspace..

Poe watches as the fighters get their last hits in on the barge after him, then adjust course to intercept the fighters attacking the freighters. Poe does not witness the destruction of the interdictor, he's tagged with a heavy blast that rocks his fighter once more, but before Poe can say anything, BB-8's warble informs the pilot that 'flying better=not getting shot so much.' "Yeah, thanks, pal." Is all Poe says, and he joins in with the squadron, intercepting Alpha Leader and blasting his shields away. "Oh, don't fly evasive.." <<"Keep at them, Black Squadron.">>

The Interdictor is destroyed, removing the false gravity wells that keep the convoys from being able to escape to hyperspace. It's the one good piece of news that they have. Ali reports moments later that Black Ten's X-Wing has been torn to shreds and that its pilot is ejecting. Hot on the heels of that information is the sudden rupture of the protective bubble around her craft and a rending of hull alloy. Flashing warning lights indicate her shield emitters are offline, but a quick glance at her panels informs her that nothing's gone offline. That doesn't help her much in this situation. <<"Black Leader, Black Three. I'm heavily damaged and in danger.">> Panting quickly, Jessika pushes the potentially impending destruction of her craft from her mind.

Unable to keep the seriousness of the situation from her tone, Jessika sets to being as evasive as possible in her X-Wing. She's lost a starship twice, and neither experiences had been fun. The fact that she's even around to maybe lose a third is a pair of miracles. But she's not the only one in danger. There are still TIEs trying to shoot down her squadron mates. "Focus all attention to shield restoration," Jessika gets the tremor in her voice under control and relays her command to her astromech. Juking her fighter around in a tight bank, she corkscrews through a u-turn to take up position behind the Alpha Two TIE. A squeeze of the trigger peppers its shields with a pair of hits.

<<How are you holding up, Black 3?>> Tallie's question crackles on com. It takes a supreme effort to keep herself in check. "We are getting beaten up, Fiver. I want another bomber." Fiver is having a conniption fit when another of the squadron takes a square hit that leaves it no choice but to eject.

"Track him, Fiver. If you lose him I will short circuit you." A TIE comes for them and Tallie reflex jinks them out of its path, returning fire. "Drek this, drek this!" The TIE's blossom under the impact of her red lasers but he flies on intact.

Nova makes a quick head-on pass against one of the TIEs. A quick bank saves her, and her lasers smack into his shields, the invisible bubble flaring as the two ships flash past each other. It's not much of a hit, but after tonight, she'll take it.

Her sensors, though, are telling her a problematic story. <Eleven to all Black, Ten is in trouble! One's on his tail!>

And a warble from Jammer tells her that that TIE's aim is improving...

Black Ten's hull graduates from a collander full of sparklers to a collection of the finest screen doors; Fang squeals as sparks fill the cockpit, and Callax reaches to affix his breather mask to seal about the helmet's front just over the visor. "Fang, darling," he says, "Please don't die. I'll give you a nice oil bath if we survive this thing, won't that be nice?" With that, he keys comms - or what's left of it - and gives the final garbled transmission of this incarnation of Black Ten.

<< Black Ten, ejecting, ejecting! >>

And then he is soaring, up into space, the wretched collection of machines that was his fighter splintering, torn apart in a cloud of bright flame and superheated gas. Physics, what a bastard.

Elrych no dances with the squadron of TIE's, shaking one expertly off his tail even if it was a close shot. He's chasing down another one, his scarlett bolts going wide into the large vaccuum of space. "Drats..." He breaths to himself. Eyes flick to the HUD that marks Black 10 as downed, "Sithspit..." He pushes the throttle hard with maddening effeciancy, pulling on the yoke to continue to chase down his prey.

<<Jess, I'm coming in on your.. whatever the number is that I'm on,>> Ektor informs the heavily damaged Black Three. He's not very good at professional naval terminology, but his aim is good enough to collapse the shields of Alpha 2, driving the nimble TIE off mark.

The *Odd Gundark* streaks into hyperspace, followed by two of the five light freighters. With an unheard order from *Indrexu's Shield*, the fighters of Alpha Squadron seek to disengage and back under the protection of the escort carrier's guns, conceding the field to the Resistance, and enabling a Ghtroc 720 to approach the last position of Black 10 in order to recover one of their stranded rescuers.

As the First Order conciedes the field, Elrych brings his T-85 to a stop. They were able to save some, they took out an interdictor, bombers. That was enough for him to grasp onto some measure of victor in what was otherwise a really horrible week. Just aweful. So what does he do while he waits for Black 10 to get picked up, keeping an eye on his scopes... he turns on a nice slow soothing tune to meditate to.