Log:Resistance: Uh Oh

Uh Oh...

Location: Naboo
Participants: Ektor, Miri Sakir, Nova Korell, Poe Dameron, Snap Wexley, Tallissan Lintra, The Resistance

The patrols of the Naboo System have been constant. Freighters have been coming and going in steady streams between the free planet and the larger galaxy, and today is no different. No fewer than a dozen civilian cargo ships are moving in a slow column from the planet to the Royal Way hyperspace lane beacon. A trio of Echo Squadron N-1 starfighters of the Royal Naboo Starfighter Corp patrol in concert with Gold Squadron Y-wings.

The core of the Resistance Fleet hangs nearer to the system's star than to its center of civilization, with the constant patrol of Black Squadron X-wings restricting approach to the Warhammer, and a solitary A-wing posted above the light cruiser.

It has been some weeks since the last raid in the system, some had no doubt hoped that the worst of the pirate activity was past.

<<"Black Squadron, this is Black Leader. We're just relieved Red Squadron. Can I have all call signs check in for the mission handler.">> Poe's X-Wing, Black Leader, leads the patrol at cruising speed, his S-Foils closed and engines glowing a bright red. He's seated, his gloved hand coming forward to flip the switch to cut his mic so others had the air.

<<Hey losers, Black Eight is up in this place>> comes a largely inflectionless, droid-like voice. Miri is apparently back in the saddle, her voice box replaced with some hardware for now. <<Who's buying me drinks after patrol?>>

<<Black-Leader, Black-2. Checking in.>> Snap says in the smooth and practiced voice of a career military pilot. Behind him R5 beeps, and Snap glances back over his shoulder. "We came out here together buddy... No need to check in. Wouldn't dream of going anywhere without ya."

<<Black Leader, Black Five on your Six. Looking busy out there today.>> Tallie slips into the port side of the formation. Behind her Fiver whistles and puts up a projection of the systems movement. Pulling back on the throttle she slows to match speed watching the other pilots through the starboard side of the canopy. <<Girl, I am!>>

<Black Eleven, standing by,> Nova coms, letting Jammer feed her local telemetry data while she concentrates on staying in formation. It's funny how flying in an assigned slot is harder than flying alone, even in combat. <All systems go. Hope all this traffic can say the same...>

Ektor is in the cockpit of Gold 1, dragging a pair of trainees through a basic patrol, just to get more flight hours logged. <<Hey, everybody who can say 'drek' sound off, yeah?>> he snickers in rebuttal to the banter of Black 8. <<This is Gold One, heading up a training patrol, Black Lead. Hey, rookies: say hi to Black Leader,>> he instructs, leading to a youthful voice bashfully greeting, <<This is Gold Two, Major Dameron, sir->> which in turn prompts a curse from Ektor, <<Ah, rekk us sideways, did you just use a real name over an open channel, Gold Two? For real? Suck a Hutt, *Aora*,>> he scolds before breaking into laughter, the angry act not holding up for long.

The abrupt end of business as usual comes when a quartet of starfighters with civilian transponders emerge from hyperspace in an unusual vector; they appear to have set their coordinated to emerge into real space closer to the sun than to the inhabited planet or moon, and well within the perimeter of the Resistance picket ships. The four ships are positioned with the Resistance fleet in between them and Naboo. One is an old T-65b model X-wing, two more are Kimogila heavy fighters, and a fourth is a Scyk interceptor. The X-wing locks foils into attack position, and all four bank toward the formation of Resistance capital ships.

Poe chuckles when he hears his name over open channel and just shakes his head. BB-8 warbles something and peers down from above, through the canopy at Poe. "Yeah pal, I see them." Poe reaches out to shove his throttle forward, which in turn makes his engines glow brighter telling the others that he is accelerating. Flipping to open channel and turning on his shields, Poe postures.

<<"Civilian crafts, this is Commander Dameron of the New Republic Navy. You're advancing into restricted space. Adjust your heading or we will be authorized to use deadly force.">>

Poe switches to the encrypted comm, signaling to the allied fighters. <<"Set an intercept course for those civilian fighters. Black 2, you've got command, I'll hang back with our A Wing to ensure nothing pops up like last time.">>

<<What the rocking drip is that space magic?>> comes Miri's droid-voice. <<Copy that, Black Liter. Going for the incest. Incest. Inter. Sect.>> That's close enough. "Don't you dare laugh at me, you little snot," she warns Henibi.

"Well, this is trouble..." Snap says darkly to himself as his sensors indicate new contacts entering the system. He stays in formation, at least initially, and looks off in the direction of the ships -- awaiting Poe's orders. As soon as the word is given, the old pilot breaks formation, and increases his thrust to full. <<Alright Black Squadron. Lets form up and set course to intercept. When Black-Leader gives the word, our primary target will be Kimogla-1.>> He says smoothly, designating the ship on their sensors. With his hands on the control, Snap begins to line up the heavy fighter in his sights.

Clicking and warbling Fiver gives his pilot, Tallie, a little commentary on the arrival of the four ships in an unusual position, "Microjump, you say?" Tallie fires back at him. "Well, where the drek did they jump in from." Almost simultaneously Black Leader is giving instructions to the squad. <<Roger that Black Leader.>> she hails him and then smoothly throttles up the speed and moves into formation with Black 3 and the rest of her comrades. Over the encrypted com, she adds, <<That was a micro jump or my name's not Lintra and my mom was hiding something from my father. There has to be a spotter.>> <The Scyk is the weak link, depending on what it's armed with,> Nova recalls, looking over the formation. <Wilco, Two. Altering course, targeting Kimogila-1.> She nods unconsciously at Tallie's comment, toggling the encryption function on the com. < I don't care to speculate on your family, but I agree, Five. It's likely hiding in plain sight. Maybe one of the civilian ships?> Her hasty scan reveals nothing, though. <Suggest someone look them over.>

<<Eh, drek. These jokers are back?>> Ektor gripes. <<Arright, Gold squad: form up on me, we gonna meet at the Crown Way beacon, and give Black Squad a hand running these Hutt-suckers outta the system if they need it, yeah?>> Off comms, he instructs, "Genius, send the rookies the coordinates, just in case they don't know where the Crown beacon is- what? Nah, I'm pretty sure it's called the Crown beacon. Listen, just send the coordinates, yeah?" The pair of Y-wings back around and whisper on glowing nacelles back toward the Resistance fleet, still out of range of the developing skirmish.

Once the four bogeys fail to respond, and weapon systems lock on, the A-wing pilot (FO Po-Sre La'Durg) follows protocol and activates the A-wing's signal jammer, thwarting any missile locks in the immediate vicinity. The quartet of pirate fighters are met by the Black Squadron quartet, and the skirmish is joined.

Poe's craft breaks off from Black Squadron to head in the direction of the fleet, giving way for Snap to take the central portion of the formation and command. Poe switches his comms off for a second, his s-foils remaining in the closed cruising position to quickly reach the fleet and help the A-Wing in fending off any fighters that manage to break through, or somehow jump in. Poe flips his comms back to active. <<"Be advised, those ships probably have a spotter craft within sensor range. Heads on a swivel.">> A pause. <<"Black 2, you're authorized to use deadly force. Take them out.">>

<<My head is always on a swivel>> Miri remarks in her robotic monotone, locking onto the Kimo and firing. It's a solid hit. <<Should have asked the docs to give me a head I can rotate all the way around.>>

Snap nods his head approvingly as Kimo-1 is torn to shreds by a hail of fire from Black-Squadron, and as it is destroyed he has to switch targets swiftly. He guides his ship over to Kimo-2, and lines up a shot. He pulls the trigger and his shots go wide. <<Black Squadron. Keep focusing fire. Kimo-2 is wounded. Knock 'em out, and then move onto the X-Wing.>> He calls out over the comms, wincing as he watches Nova get hit by Kimo-2. <<You alright there Black-11?>>

Within minutes of the order to move on the targets the squadron is moving in on the intruders. On orders from their group leader she targets the Kimogila closing in on the starfighter after Black 8 softens the objective up with a few hits. She yaws to the side putting her forward shields on then opening up with all her laser canons. The Kimogila glows under her the red stabs of light the wings leaving the fuselage before there is an implosion not leaving time for the pilot to eject. <<Splash Kimo 1>> she announces, already searching for the next target. "Goddess," she mutters frowning.

<Nice shooting, girls!> Nova exults over the air. <I'll see if I can't pick up his wingman.> Black eleven alters course to drop in on the second Kimogila's tail. Jammer has the slower fighter's probable moves displayed onscreen within moments, but Nova fires before it can make any of them.

Two of the cannons lash the shields as the heavy fighter rolls, trying to evade, and the energy bubble dims noticeably. <Staying on him! That still leaves the X-Wing Classic and the Scyk free, and that spotter we haven't found.> She doesn't have time to say more. That Kimogila manages a maneuver that defies belief and slams two shots into her X-Wing. The ship jolts and warning lights go off all over the board. Nova swears softly. <I'm okay... some light damage, shields are out. Jammer, can you get on that?>

The droid whistles in reply, bending to the task.

The Y-wing draw near the nav buoy, and the nearby line of civilian freighters awaiting clearance to jump into hyperspace. A desire only redoubled as cannon fire glitters in the near distance. Ektor runs a scan, then Genius runs a scan *correctly* drawing a curious grunt from the Tionese pilot. <<Huh. Hey, Black Lead: sending a jumble of signals your way, that junk make any sense to you?>> A grin at the detonated Kimogila twists into a wince as a friendly X-wing is hammered.

<<"Yeah, BB-8 is pulling similar data. I'm marking a target of interest, a freighter blending in. It's the spotter craft, and transmitting on the same frequency as the fighters.">> The team will have a new target appear, though it does not take a priority target set by Snap. The target is a CEC YT-1930 named Devil's Due. "BB-8, see if you can trace that signal back to a source."

When Tallie knocks out Kimogila 1, Miri turns hard and tries to get a lock on Kimogila 2. He's a fast sumbitch. <<No joy. Trying to get a better shot...>>

<<Black Squadron, Black-2. Focus fire on that old X-Wing.>> Snap calls out into his comms, even as his he keeps working to line up another shot on Kimo-2. He shoots again, but his shots go wide. However, it appears the combined fire of the X-wings just drive the target into another X-Wing's sights. Despite two misses, he's already manuevering towards the X-Wing that Nova wounded.

The second Kimogila is the subject of the squad's careful attentions, "What is it with these people sending in these little feints? I'm waiting for the big one, Fiver." This comment sets Fiver off on a tirade that Tallie frowns blackly at, she is not the group's Sunshine today. Again, it behooves Tallie to finish what the others started, she snaps Black Five into a roll that leaves lasers fired at her to streak off into infinity. Thumb on the firing button, she waits for the targeting projection to line up. The Kimogila's canopy is opened to space leaving another casualty. <<Splash Kimo 2, Black 3>>

"Give me targeting on the X-Wing, Fiver.""

Jammer warbles nervously, struggling with the internals of the X-Wing. He's not making any headway!

<Just keep at it,> Nova replies, pulling up and away from the expanding gas cloud of the Kimogila that became the entire squadron's target, quietly grateful that nobody collided in that mad scramble to vape the heavy.

She manages to score a high-deflection shot on the X-Wing Classic, reducing its shields but not knocking the fighter out. Story of her life. <This one's not too bad a pilot. Watch those guns!> Lucky her, she's now the target of yet another fighter. Jammer's warning saves her, and Eleven veers away just in time. <I've got unwelcome company on my six. Can someone light up his life, please?>

<< I hear you, Black Lead.. arright, Rookie: stay on my wing, we gonna persuade this bad pirate to reconsider his choices in life, yeah?>> No sooner do the Y-wings bank toward the big YT-1930 flagged as the 'Devil's Due' than the light freighter fires its engines to maximum, and leaves the queue of cargo haulers, angling toward the Warhammer. Ektor and his gunner hammer the vessel's aft shields, but a quartet of quad laser turrets return fire at close quarters, striking both Y-wings. <<Eh, drek. Shields down, Genius: make yourself useful, already. Staying on them, Gold Two, peel off if you take another hit, yeah?"

<<"This is Black Leader, intercepting the freighter.">>

Poe's craft moves from its monitoring position just as Poe reaches forward. "BB-8 punch it!"

All at once, the X-Wing's engines ignite leaving a HUGE contrail of red in its wake. Poe is forced back in his seat with a loud thud, and he laughs! The freighter that is closing in on the Warhammer is dead in Poe's sights. Just as they close weapons range, Poe grunts, forcing the s-foils into attack position and immediately opening fire on the freighter.

Red lances of cannon fire moving at slower than light speeds SMASH into the protective shell of shielding on the craft, shattering the shields and lighting up the upper hull. Small explosions line down the spine of the craft as Black Leader whistles by in a death defying flash past their cockpit. An additional explosion consumes the aft of the freighter after Poe has angled away. BB-8 confirms it's their shield generator. <<"She's all yours, Gold 1. Give me some boom.">>

Hearing all of the issues going on with the freighter, and the damage done to Gold Squadron... Snap turns his craft towards the freighter. <<Finish off these two. I'm going to go give Gold Squadron and Black Leader a hand.>> He flies towards the freighter, but then it appears all of its systems are shutdown. "Well, alright then." Snap starts turning his craft back around.

"Of course, they put their best in the X," Tallie mutters through gritted teeth as Black Five's shield flare. They take no damage as the vintage X-Wing careens by. "Hold on to your connections Fiver," using the port etheric rudder she does an axis roll then surges into a loop that leaves the young pilot grinning from the Gs they take and the sheer joy of the maneuver

The sudden lack of a Scyk behind Nova is definitely noticeable, as is the fire coming in above her and just missing her target. <Thanks, Miri. And thank you too, Jammer,> the Sergeant adds, seeing the shields come up again, if at badly reduced strength. 10 percent. Marginal progress is still progress, when the universe seems to hate you.

That applies to her own attack on the X-Wing, too: Winged, shields scorched but holding. Nova growls under her breath and continues the pursuit. <Last war's model, but it's still an X-Wing...>

Ektor gives a low whistle at the extent of the damage inflicted on the armed freighter by Poe's head-on assault. Answering with a dumb chuckle, <<Heh.. hang on, I got an idea. Wishbones: hold off on lasers, knock em out with the ions. Hey, Bee-El, you wanna have these Hutt-suckers tractor beamed in, or just blow em up here?"

The 'Devil's Due' is raked by ion cannonfire, and the blue crackle of electronic systems shorting out plays over its hull, as the crippled vessel begins to drift askew in space. Upon seeing their spotter's fate, the bandit X-wing and Scyk break to flee, the T-65b closing S-foils, apparently intent on a hyper jump to safety. If they can make it.

<<"We'll bring them back to the brig with us. I'm sure someone can get some parts off their ship. What's left of it anyway.">> Poe closes his s-foils and angles past the freighter again, blitzing over the cockpit to fly back toward the Warhammer and resume his monitoring from afar.

<< I call dibs on any cool decorations>> Miri sings out as she tangles with that bloody X-wing. As if she has any right to call dibs on anything.

Black Five gives chase to the X-Wing that is streaking towards the zenith and a jump from the looks of its heading. She lights it up with two good laser splashes taking down its shield and leaving a soft target for the next in the squadron that can get it in their sights. <<Get that, Hutt-lover, Black 11>> she calls out over the encrypted com.

<Copy on blasting the Hutt-lover, Five.> Still in the fight, Nova fire-links her cannons for a Hail-Maker quad blast and lines up on the fleeing, damaged X-Wing. Despite the fervent pursuit, nobody's collided yet, Force be thanked. Not that the matter's without problems. <Got a power surge... he's engaging his hyperdrive!> she calls over the com, bracketing the ship and opening fire. It's a small chance, high-deflection shot!

The quad-linked lasers drill straight through one engine and into the body of the stricken X-Wing. The fuel cells are punched into and cook off instantly, reducing the once-deadly fighter into a million glowing splinters.

Nova pulls off to avoid the cloud of debris, going into a full roll in her exuberance. <WOO! Bad day for the bad guys! Suicide freighter disabled, fighter force all but wiped out... Bet that Scyk pilot's going to have /some/ story to tell when he gets back to the barn!>

Snap shoots and misses. He watches as the others destroy the ship, and the remaining ship jumps to hyperspace. He sighs quietly, shakes his head, and turns back to rejoin the patrol. "Might be time to hang it up." He murmurs to himself.

The sole surviving bandit starfighter, a light Scyk craft, streaks into the safety of a microjump, leaving the wreckage of three fighters and a crippled YT 1930 in the hands of the Resistance. The engine glow of the Valor is visible as the Bunkerbuster detaches from the fleet and cruises nearer to secure the Devil's Due in a tractor beam. Aboard the Renegade, a squad of troopers is called to the landing bay in order board and secure the armed freighter, in due time.