Log:Six Sisters: Funerary Rites

The Echani attempt to reclaim their dead. The Thyrsians have other ideas.

OOC Date: October 2, 2021
Location: Eshan
Participants: Ewan Eroh, as Self/GM Amal Jha, Vega

Traffic in the Eshan system had slowed, as the space above orbit had started to become clogged with small dots of crafts of various sizes. In time they grow larger, approaching the larger command vessel the 'Peltast', which had been adorned in banners that hang freely from her sides.

House Narra had was well known to the people, and the passing of Liss' beloved husband was a shock. Aboard the bridge of the Peltast, Liss was draped in white finery. The Under-captain was a member of a pairing serving one of the Margraves of the council. Her counterpart, aboard the Syntagma, would stand as honor guard and organizer of the rites.

An open channel would be used for communication, as the officiating progressed. Slowly, more and more ships fall into a formation of three lines, creating a 'path' for the fallen to travel home, when they arrived.

Saber 02 And there is a aethersprite in this group. Vega's probably gotten permission to use things for this event and she's not going to be trying to do tricks or anything like that. The Jedi is sitting in her cockpit with her hood up and her grey gaze going over the other ships that are there. She notices a familiar one and there's a bit of a smirk to that, "Mhm. Always leaving my short butt behind he is." she nods.

The WTK-85A which had settled into the flotilla of ships which were arrayed in Eshan space bore no markings of the any of the Houses of Eshan, but the transponder signal that had been sent upon settling into Eshan space for the duration of the vigil had borne its designation. Amal of House Jha, here as representative of her House. Within the transport, the tall echani stood at what amounted to parade rest, attention fixed on the Peltast, visible in the distance.

<<"Welcome home, Saber,">> Ewan remarked on a private channel, so as not to disturb the goings-on. The Nocturne wasn't entirely known to everyone, but it was familiar to Eshan space. <<"Slow Burn, good to see you.">> He puts through, reading the signal associated. New colors and new rig, same code.

At the Peltast, Liss held a strong form. Tears were for celebrating. "We're receiving the recovery team's transponder flag now," an assistant says to her. The broad glass of the Peltast afford anyone with sharp eyes a good view of the mournful, stoic woman. She nods. Comms open up from the Syn. <<"Welcome, honored servitors. Eshan's shores have been long defended at great cost by our sons and fathers. We bear witness now to the calling of one honored son, to bear his soul home to rest, in the land he sacrificed for.">>

Saber 02 <<Thank you, Nocturne.>> Vega states over the private channel. RN-DI gives a bit of a whistle and there is a chuckle as she gets her signals to move. She didn't want to crash into another ship or anything like that. <<And hello, Slow Burn.>> she greets. She doesn't know them but hey, she wasn't rude!

<<And You, Nocturne.>> Amal, not knowing the person within the ship identified as Saber, offered no greeting in echo of Nocturne's. But that was certainly no insult or meant to be one, for she did return the greeting when it was given her, <<Mothers keep you, Saber>>. Those of the Six Sisters were many, and it was not uncommon for faces and identities to be obscured, but etiquette must be respected.

As the ships were addressed, Amal quieted, observing as the end of watch memorial played out across Eshan space.

Ewan relaxed in the seat of the Nocturne, eyeing the ships falling into place. A hand flicks the commswitch again. <<"Did you know him?">> He asks, quietly. <<"I served with him during a border skirmish against some trandoshan slavers looking to expand their operations. Man flew a fighter like a battleaxe,">> He says, softly. He smirked a bit and thought back to that tour. It was long ago.

The Syntagma continues, <<"Though he has fallen, Commander Narra will serve on, as a memory and model for our future wains. Even as he rests, his service record will carry a distinctive example for generations to come,">> The Syntagma says. As their words fall to silence, almost as if timed, a few blips begin to appear, dropping from hyperspace. The first of these is a salvage ship, carrying the remains of Commander Narra's ship. The other ships that fell out of hyperspace were different, though. The sleek, svelte designs of the Echani were missing. These bulky, square-shaped ships dropped from hyperspace and immediately dove forward. Thyrsian designs. With weapons armed.

Saber 02 <<Only in passing and by name.>> Vega admits. <<I've not been home since I left.>> she adds quietly. Which has been quite a while. She gives a look over towards where the Nocturne is and there's a soft sigh. <<I'd heard a few stories about him. Might have come from you though.>> she tells Ewan. <<And mothers keep you as well, Slow Burn.>> she comments quietly as the procession continues.

Amal, whose eyes scanned the starfield which was not a starfield but a glittering array of the vessels of Eshan and those under the control of its people, looked aside, as the funeral ship, of a sort, winked into sublight space, followed, almost immediately by a, perhaps, unwanted escort. She reached forward, keying in the code to access the encrypted comm channel all ships aligned with Eshan were privy to. <<A Thyrsian fleet had jumped into our space, on an intercept course, please advise.>> Though her ship was in no way a fighter or any sort of nimble craft, Amal nodded to the pilot who was manning the station for her, "Move to intercept the incoming ships."

<<"News reels loved him,">> Ewan remarked with a pleasant tone. <<"Narra hated the attention, but, he did it for his wife. It was his goal to ensure she became the next Margrave,">> Ewan states quietly. As the introduction faded, Ewan noticed the sudden appearance of Thyrsian ships, and Amal was the first to key a warning. The Nocturne's shields answer her call, coming online with a faint blue that faded from the eyes as quickly as it happened. <<"Response time is going to be slower because of the parade detail. This is ... savage,">> Ewan explains.

<<"Attention, Echani Command. We couldn't resist your invitation. We were so thankful, we decided to show your dear Commander a proper, warrior's burial. But, we couldn't resist a funeral,">> The harsh, graveled voice was a stranger's. The Thyrsian Commander gave no evidence that he cared much for etiquette, and, his taunting voice was pointedly offensive. He was mocking them. Meanwhile, the Thyrsian ships are burning at top speed.

Onboard the Peltast, a furious look overtook Under-Captain Narra. She began gesturing and giving orders, and the bridge of the command ship began to come to life. After a moment, her white funerary garb was bathed in red light. Unheard klaxons ring onboard the command ships.

Saber 02 <<They are going to lead with a missile barrage on the command ship.>> Vega states over the comms that she's opened now to all. <<We'll try to intercept.>> she adds as she gives orders to RN-DI and they start forward. She wasn't the pilot that Ewan was, but hey, she'd try!

The Slow Burn, which was spritely, or as spritely as a light transport could be thought to be, which was, frankly, not at all as spritely as a fighter, left the handling of the command flight to their own pilots. Instead, she switched seats with her pilot, the Ishi Tib female moving over to the co-pilot's seat, so that she could handle the ship's weapons. The ship moved to engage one of the Thyrsian ships which was within their attack vector, light weapons powering up to engage as soon as they were within attack range. Their weapons were light, but precise gunning could still do no small amount of damage.

The Thyrsian fighters raced forward at full tilt, burning hard. For those watching, just as Vega had predicted, a sudden onslaught of missiles are fired. They scream forwards, arcing widely towards the Peltast's command deck. They continue forward.

<<"Damn,">> Ewan says quickly, before he pulls the combat webbing around his chest to secure him into the seat. "Somebody get into those gunbays," Ewan calls backwards, towards the crew that were all deckhands. "We've got to engage those missiles before they get to the Peltast." His commanding voice was enough to rouse the somewhat untrained crew of deckhands. Ewan, meanwhile, burns forward towards the missile's interception path.

<<"Unidentified Thyrsian ships. You are ordered by Echani Command to turn away from Eshan immediately. All incoming traffic has been suspended until further notice. Comply immediately or--">> That's when the missiles were launched and it went from being a law enforcement order, to a military operation.

Saber 02 Vega's got the danger sense to help with the incoming missiles and the aethersprite is nimble so it darts off towards where the missiles have been launched, "Alright Roundy, we gotta get these things down. So just line them up and hopefully we can get this down without losing any of the Echani ships." she tells her droid. <<Saber 2 is engaging the missiles.>> she calls across the comms to those who are going into the fight.

The Slow Burn, making best use of its maneuverability, adjusted course to intercept the incoming barrage, trusting her gunner to guide her, as she would be the one doing the actual damage, if Amal could simply get her there. Which Amal did, the small freighter dancing through the space between where they had been waiting and the incoming ordnance. But the freighter was not quite close enough. One missile exploded under her fire, but another continued on, Amal veering to pursue.

"Damn," Ewan says, as he pulls back on the Nocturne's flightstick and angles forward. "This thing is no fighter. Are you in those guns?" Ewan yells backwards over his shoulder. He had no fixed lasers, so the turrets would need to handle the missiles. He, meanwhile, fired off a missile that began streaking towards Fighter 6. In the turrets, lasers begin to fire, arcing towards the missiles. One side misses badly, while the other manages a lucky shot, clipping enough of a missile to cause it to burst.

Fighters launch from the Peltast who immediately streak to engage the cloud of fighters that were incoming. They're able to do solid work engaging the fighters. The Gunboat continues to creep forward, slowly getting into range. The Thyrsians had gone quiet on the comms.

Saber 02 Vega might be a budding fighter pilot after all! Just don't tell Jax. The Echani pulls the aethersprite up and then aims for the missiles that are still incoming, "Hey if we live through this I'll give you a good scrub with a brush when we get back to base." she tells her round droid. There's a high pitched whistle from him as she moves to engage the two missiles. She manages to take two of them out and probably paints a target on her side.

The Slow Burn did not break off its pursuit, even as the enemy fighters appeared all around them. She had her mission, and she would see it through. And then, a hit from Vinisse saw that last of the current barrage blown out from the sky, and Amal banked the transport as quickly as she could, turning away from the Peltast and heading for the gunboat. Could she go toe to toe with the fighters? Possibly, but in the grand scheme of things, they were not the greatest threat to the fleet.

Ewan pushed the Nocturne forward, as his gunners made work of firing on any targets of opportunity that could be found. They were untrained, and so, much of their work was in vain as their shots went wide. Ewan's first missile caught the scent of its target. At the last moment the pilot in the Thyrsian Fighter tried to evade, but couldn't pull it off and the missile clipped a wing, sending the ship spiraling. Another missile followed, launched from the Nocturne, and streaking at another target: Fighter 5.

The gunboat began a small volley of fire at range, as it took some damage itself. A pair of missiles were fired and the lasers beat on the shields of the Peltast a bit. The fight was still a bit of a draw, with no force yet outmatching the other. Even as the gunboat took a bit of damage from the Slow Burn, it continued forward, on a mission.

Amal was also on a mission, and her co-pilot/gunner seemed to be up to the task, though, she called over, "You know it's almost time for my salt bath, so let's not drag this out. I'm not risking getting electrocuted like the last time!" Ah, Ishi Tib humour. "I will see what I can do." Amal could not promise a swift death, but, she could give Vinisse her best opportunity. Did either the pilot or her co-pilot consider that this might be something a suicide mission? Likely not. Amal was Echani, and war, in some form or another was in her blood. And as for Vinisse, well, she had signed up for this. And so, the Slow Burn made the charge, laser fire shearing through the shields, the final blast impacting the armor plating of the ship, "Just a little more." They would ignore the fighters likely lining up on their tails.

Saber 02 Vega keeps her attention on the missiles for the moment. It was something that she'd probably have to switch from as the gunboat got closer, but for now she was keeping herself between them and the command ship. "Everyone is doing a great job, just need to hold them off and get the gun boat taken care of." she tells herself.

The Gunboat was starting to show some wear, as armor is literally blasted from the side of it. The Commander groaned in his command chair, ordering another volley of fire before he orders the call for retreat--The message had been sent. His ally, Fighter 05, was not nearly as lucky. Another missile clips the fighter's wing and sends it spiraling out, to be collected later by the Echani.

The Peltast was firing back to little avail, and keeping the conal nose in front of it clear from attackers. The gunboat's final assault causes shields to drop, and klaxons sound alarms all over it. Missiles from the gunboat were on path, but looked a little strange in their arcs. The Echani fighters press their attack, as many of the Thyrsians began to retreat. The tide was turning.

Saber 02 Vega's trying to split her attention with making sure none of the missiles hit any of the non combat crafts. Which given this is an Echani gathering might not be a lot of them. But the funeral was already ruined at this point so shooting something out of the sky wasn't going to make the day any worse.

They were running away. Cowards. And that simply did not square with Amal's mindset. They had began the battle. She fully intended to finish it. The sublight engines flared, as she pushed the transport, doing her utmost to keep the gunship in range, leaving the actual firing to her copilot. Perhaps they would get lucky, and if they hit well enough, when it exploded, it would take some of the fighters with it. As the gunship's systems sparked and threatened to fail under the Echani assault, Amal swooped down, continuing the strike. Was that a poor idea? Should she attempt to destroy the fighters and leave the crew as potential hostages? Likely, but, that was not her way.

The lone remaining missile arced well off course, spared a brutal death at Vega's hands. But, as the gunboat began to come to a crawl, relatively, the other fighters began to pull away. In a moment, the fighters made it just outside of the planet's gravitational field, and they push forward into hyperspace.

In a moment, the battle was winding down and quieting. The Peltast was damaged, but not so much so it would be irreparable. The Syntagma is the first to open communications, assuring the flotilla of ships that the day was not lost and the Echani would not take this offense lightly. The celebrations were over, with one stark fact remaining: the honored warrior never returned. All that remained was the collection of prisoners, and the Commander aboard the strange, modified gunboat, now ready to fall apart and scatter itself into space.

Saber 02 <<Good shooting everyone.>> Vega states over the comms. Then she looks to RN-DI, "You don't get on the wagon and tell my flight leader. He'd be super mad that I did this with the squad ship." she waves her pale finger at him. Then she realizes that Ewan is another flight leader, "Ah kriff." she muses. She'd deal with repercussions later from things.

As the Slow Burn darted in to complete the kill, she was waved off. The Echani fleet wanted prisoners. And, despite Amal's simmering anger, she had been born and bred to service to her people, and, rather than take that final attack, she maneuvered her ship to block the gunboat's attempt at escape. Unless it, somehow managing to power up and fly through the transport vessel.

The Echani were already setting to recovering their systems onboard the Peltast. Emergency services were dispatched to collect downed fighters and their pilots. Ewan, meanwhile, begins to reach out with his senses, looking for someone. <<"I can't help but notice the Commander is missing,">> he says, thoughtfully, <<"I wonder what command intends to do.">> He knew the answer already, but, he had a feeling that wouldn't make matters any better between the people. <<"This sort of attack hasn't been heard of in centuries,">> he offers towards Amal and Vega.