Rapid Response

[Austin Wolfe]

theme​

Stars wheeled all around as Austin shifted his thrusters to full speed in his red and silver Chevalier-class starfighter. Joining him was a Lieutenant of the Republic Army, a Deucalian named Talos Barrenfist. Though the Jedi had little time to learn about the man before jumping into the cockpit of his fighter, Austin had great faith that his wingman would be a more than capable pilot. "Doesn't seem like the thieves have gotten far," the field medic relayed over the comms to his companion, twisting a few dials to adjust the frequencies. "Hopefully we'll be able to apprehend them before they make the jump to lightspeed." His starfighter was not equipped with a hyperdrive, and he knew it would take far too long to find an available hyperdrive ring in the busy atmosphere of Corellia.

The astromech embedded in the left wing of Austin's ship beeped and whistled a few reassuring lines. "Yes, M6, the carrier's been tied up by the traffic around Corellia. Thank the Force for ecumenopolises," he replied, peering out of his cockpit again to get a full view of the carrier they were steadily approaching. Though initially Austin had many questions about why the thieves stole such a large amount of medical freighters in the first place, he realized the answer was likely as simple as greed. Once stolen, the ships could likely be stripped down or retrofitted as smuggling ships. He let out a sigh, immensely disappointed there were people out there who would steal medical equipment for their own gain. Some certainly had no morals.

Proximity alarms began flashing on the medic's console as the two approached ever closer to the carrier's snail-like speed in comparison. "Careful — I'm sure these mercs have a squadron or two to defend the ship. They'll likely retaliate at any moment." Regardless, the Jedi and Lieutenant would be retrieving those stolen ships today. "May the Force be with us."

@Minuteman75 @Shalken (DM) @Nefieslab​

 

[Talos Barrenfist]

Flying at increased speed next to Austin on the left flank was Talos, piloting in a typical ST-9 Starfighter belonging to the Republic Navy. Hands on the controls, the lieutenant focused on the objective out from the viewpoint. The theft of the carrier reminded Talos a little bit of his raiding days with Clan Barrenfist. Of course we focused more capturing merchant vessels with goods and credits. Medical freighters never really interested us because it didn’t provide any challenge worthy of warriors to take.

Through the comms, he heard the Jedi calling out to him. Talos smirked at the comment, the peacekeeper grasped his purpose here. The marine wanted to catch the brigands and looked forward to seeing how they stack up against him as combatants. Lieutenant Barrenfist can then overhear Austin with his astromech attached to one of the wings.

They sound like more siblings to one another than master and pet. Perhaps their relationship will endure better than mine did.

Quietly Talos sighed, the shame of how he ruined his own family connection still stung after all these years like an old scar. As they came drew near, Barrenfist finally answer back when Austin spoke up about the possibility of enemy fighters. “They should have enough common sense to do that. It however won’t save them nor hinder us from regaining those ships.”

A moment later he proclaimed in Deucalian. “Til heiðurs og dýrðar!”

 

[The Storyteller]

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A squadron or two they had to defend their ship, indeed.

No sooner had the Jedi and GAR soldier come within scanner range than the pirates' carrier deployed fighters of its own. They numbered eleven in total, ten of them the bi-engined Kamakiri, with a vicious-looking Bolide leading them into the fray. As the distance between them and their prey rapidly closed, the fighters split into two 'packs', the closer group having four Kamakiris and with the squadron leader falling in with the remaining six. Clearly this was not their first rodeo, and they fully intended to make off with their cargo.

The first squadron split in half again, two fighters against the Lieutenant and two against the Knight, all engaging with a stream of laser fire in a simple Interceptor's Slash. Clearly, they figured the aggressors would pose little threat.

@Vosrik @Minuteman75​

 

[Austin Wolfe]

"Blast, here they come!" the medic exclaimed as the Carrier unleashed its squadrons of fighters toward the two pilots. Hearing the strange language proclaimed by his Deucalian wingman, Austin was reminded of the only other man of the same culture that he'd met — Telunaris, a Jedi Knight like himself. ⋮⋮ Ah, a Master now, ⋮⋮ he reflected internally, remembering that the Deucalian Jedi had just completed his Trials of Mastery. Indeed, some day soon Austin hoped to take and pass the Trials himself. He was brought back to the moment as the astromech, a droid simply loaned to the doctor for this mission alone, beeped and whistled in warning.

"Yes, I see it," he replied. "Talos, they are attacking us at full speed — watch out!" The Kamakiri were clearly interceptors, much like the Chevalier-class Austin piloted. Gripping his controls tight, the Jedi twisted his ship in a Corkscrew Weave, unleashing a spew of returning fire in a Striker's Spin. Hopefully, this would allow him to evade the vast majority of the mercenary's shots and also damage them in return. Whatever blasts did reach Austin, he was confident that his shields would be able to take the majority of the hits.

@Minuteman75 @Shalken​

 

[Talos Barrenfist]

A whole squadron just for us. This is where the fun begins. Of course Talos didn’t have time airing those thoughts as the enemy fighters came in, packs of two for each one of them. Without any hesitation, Barrenfist swerved into the same tacitic Austin used for evasive action. He took some shots to his shields but not beyond repair. A moment later he proceed to maneuver, twisting from one vector to another, in order to deny the enemy interceptors a chance to lock on him.

Suddnely he dived to the left, aiming for a mercenary fighter trying to regroup in a hard turn. Got ya bastard! Talos punched down the trigger button on his controls, letting a barrage of laserfire aimed for the Kamakiri’s cockpit.

 

[The Storyteller]

As the Kamakiri-class interceptors raced towards their opponents, they did not expect such a defensive yet offensive countermeasure to their attack. As they had diverted most of their fighters' energy from their shields into their speed, both the Jedi and the GAR soldier's laser fire struck true, each eliminating a pirate as they flew by.

The two remaining fighters did not, in fact, make a hard turn, but instead grouped up as they overshot, flying far out behind their opponents before making a wide arc to re-engage. Seeing the ST-9 swerve off to the side away from the Chevalier, the two mercenaries dove towards it, again initiating an Interceptor's Slash but this time from their enemy's flank.

The second, larger squadron stood by far in the distance, watching the battle but holding their fire.

Spoiler: NPC Stats

Squadron Leader:

- Level 2
- Piloting a G01 Bolide
- Experienced dogfighter
- 1 present

Fighters:

- Level 1, barely
- Piloting Kamakiri-class interceptors
- Used to fighting defenseless freighters
- 8 present, 2 dead

@Vosrik @Minuteman75​

 

[Austin Wolfe]

The thrill of battle flowed through Austin as one of the opposing interceptors blasted apart into oblivion. His maneuver complete, the Jedi looked out through his cockpit to reacquire a visual on their targets. He saw the rest of the squadron, hanging back, but had lost the other Kamikiri-class ships. Had they both been destroyed? "M6, where are those fighters?" he queried, eyeing his navigational controls and flight assists. The astromech beeped in response, and Austin glanced over the screen to confirm what it was saying. His proficiency in droidspeak wasn't as developed as he would like.

<< SHIELD STRENGTH = 100% // ENEMY FIGHTERS REMAINING = 2 // LOCATION = 190°X 49°Y // ST-9 OUT OF FORMATION // NO LOCK DETECTED >>

Looking behind him, Austin viewed the ionic trail of one of the intercepters as they swung back in a particularly large arc. "Ah, not good!" Activating the reverse thrusters and snapping the joysticks as far over as they could go, the Jedi's ship slowed down and spun almost on a dime. Now facing the right direction, at the interceptor's flank, he activated full thrusters once again, this time attempting his own Interceptor's Slash as the Kamikiri-class flew towards Talos.

"You've got them on your tail, I'm coming in hot! Focus your shields to the rear and try not to get blasted," Austin advised. M6 sounded an alarm, more writing appearing on the Jedi's screen.

<< CARRIER PREPARING PHASE 1 CALCULATIONS FOR LIGHTSPEED // ESTIMATED TIME = 20 MINUTES >>

A spark of worry flashed in Austin's mind, but he pushed it aside and focused on his barrage. It would be close, but they'd make it.

@Minuteman75 @Shalken​

 

[Talos Barrenfist]

Watching the interceptor explode pleased Talos, who flew through the newly made debris. Such satisfaction did not last when he picked on the sensors the remaining Kamakiris making another attack run, this time soley for him. They’re getting serious now. Talos thought just as Austin called in his warning and made a recommendation to reinforce. “Copy that peacekeeper.”

Increasing power to shields, Talos twist into a barrel row in part to dodge the incoming laser shots and to goad the pirates behind him while Austin comes at them. His fighter shook violently as some of the enemy fire stuck, causing him to grimace for a moment. Just as the Jedi made his counter-attack Barrenfist made his next move, sharply turning into a classic break.

 

[The Storyteller]

Though the pirates had gained superior positioning, they were once again ill prepared for countermeasures, accustomed to shooting down slow and bulky freighters. Most of their shots completely missed their target altogether, with the few that struck true dissipating harmlessly off the ST-9's strengthened shields. Additionally, in the Kamakiri's attempts to focus down the GAR fighter, they had completely ignored the Chevalier, and did not expect their own tactic to be used against them. One of the pirates took a direct hit to the cockpit, sucking the poor sod out into space and instantly ending his life. The other interceptor, while surviving most of the barrage, took severe damage to its left engine, and immediately retreated back towards the carrier.

The squad leader piloting the Bolide, obviously displeased with the turn of events, accelerated with his squad towards the two opposing fighters, nonchalantly drive-by firing on his own retreating pilot and obliterating the damaged interceptor. Such acts of barbarism were nothing new to this mercenary. As the second squad closed in on the Jedi and GAR fighters, the Bolide launched a single concussion missile at each, having already gained a lock on both as he bided his time earlier. The other Kamakiris split in half, three driving far down and three up, attempting to set up for a dangerous Crosscurrent.

Spoiler: NPC Stats

Squadron Leader:
- Level 2
- Piloting a G01 Bolide
- 2 concussion missiles armed, 2 missiles launched
- Experienced dogfighter
- 1 present

Fighters:
- Level 1, barely
- Piloting Kamakiri-class interceptors
- Used to fighting defenseless freighters
- 6 present, 4 dead

 

[Austin Wolfe]

Smirking as his maneuver was successful in saving his companion and nodding in approval of Talos' evasion, Austin watched in shock as the damaged Kamakiri hobbled back to its squad leader only to be destroyed in utter contempt. They were clearly not dealing with simple guns for hire — these were battle-hardened mercenaries willing to go to any lengths to succeed. Austin pressed a few more buttons on his ordnance controls, double checking his power levels. He noted that he still had two concussive missiles left, but still did not wish to use them just yet. Bringing his starfighter around, he realigned it into formation with Talos as the rest of the opposing squadron closed in. The scissor-like attack that the six interceptors launched along with the concussion missiles sent a fresh rush of adrenaline through the Jedi, making his mind race for options. In the middle of all this, M6 piped up again on his navicomputer.

<< UNEXPECTED ADVANCE IN CARRIER CALCULATIONS // ESTIMATED TIME = 10 MINUTES >>

Opening his comms, Austin communicated his concerns to Talos. "We don't have time for this. Avoid or shoot down the missile if you can, we cannot deal with all these starfighters. This carrier is going to leave orbit at any moment, we have to get on there and take over the bridge! Make for the hangar." With that, the Jedi again pressed forward at full thrusters toward the Carrier. As the concussion missile rocketed ever closer, warning alarms and lights blaring all across his cockpit, Austin delved into the force and took hold of the missile. Redirecting its path, he nudged it past his own Chevalier and directly towards the trio of Kamikiri which he hopefully escaped in accelerating. He redirected as much energy as he could to his engines, pushing his interceptor to its full speed of 100 MGLT. Nearing the hangar, Austin readied his own two concussion missiles and launched them directly at the shields of the carrier, hoping to knock it out so the two could fly inside unimpeded.

@Minuteman75 @Shalken​

 

[Talos Barrenfist]

It seems the fighter commander does not tolerate failure of any sort. He prefers the thrill of battle more than the pilots under his command. Talos analyzed briefly. As a Decualian of Barrenfist, Talos had been raised to embrace conflict but not to the point of killing your fellow warriors for sheer contempt.

Aligning his fightercraft with Austin’s, the soldier would picked up the alert of missiles aimed for them while the remaining enemy interceptors formed a new attack against them. Talos could only grit his teeth in frustration when Jedi spoke up in the comms again. He hated the fact that the glowstick-loving monk was right, but they had no choice or doom the mission. “Loud and clear Jedi. See you on the other side.”

As the siren went off aboard the cockpit, warning Talos of the ever approaching missile, he drove the fighter straight toward the three interceptors coming at him from below. Their combined rapid fire away at his shields but the bearded man tighten his grip on the controls and pressed on. Meantime, the projectile was edging closer and closer from his rear. For a moment it looked to all that Talos was going to crash right into the center of the trio of pirate craft. Suddnely at the last possible moment he lifted the ST-9 upward avoiding collision and leaving his foe to collide with the pursuing missile instead.

Not waiting to see the results Barrenfist went full speed ahead for the hanger directly behind Austin who just fired on its shields.

 

[The Storyteller]

Austin managed to redirect the missile into a trio of fighters diving down from above. While the rocket collided with the Kamakiri leading up the front, the two outer pilots broke away fast enough to avoid damage, and gave chase after the Jedi's starfighter. As he had put all his ship's power into its speed, the Chevalier took heavy fire to its rear, critically damaging its thrusters. The Jedi would not be able to move at even half its max speed anymore without the engine erupting into flames.

Talos was much more successful, however, using the sluggish guidance system of the missile chasing him to dispatch two of the pirate interceptors that failed to break away in time. While the ST-9 had taken several glancing hits, most of the damage had been dissipated by its shields. With the mercenaries regrouping for another attack run, the GAR lieutenant would quickly catch up to the Jedi as the hangar bay's kinetic shields were destroyed.

The pirate squad leader, infuriated by his subordinates' continual failure to eliminate two fighters, quickly sped after them. He could see their goal was to board the Carrier, and if he couldn't destroy them in air, then he would slit their throats on the ground. As the massive hangar doors began to swiftly shut, the two fighters followed by the Bolide would barely make it inside in time. The squad leader quickly landed, emerging from his spacecraft when the other two pilots did, armed and ready for a fight. Seeing the unfriendly interceptors enter the hangar, five other pirates rushed to their superior's aid, guns drawn on the Chevalier and ST-9's cockpits.

Spoiler: NPC Stats

Squad Leader:
- Level 2
- Wearing medium armour
- Equipped with a vibrosword and a blaster
- Grizzled fighter
- 1 present

Kamakiri Pilots:
- 7 dead, 3 locked outside (effectively out of the fight)

Pirates:
- Level 1-ish
- Wearing flight suits
- Equipped with 4C blasters
- 5 present

@Vosrik @Minuteman75​

 

[Austin Wolfe]

Blasting into the carrier's hangar, Austin landed roughly as the back end of his Chevalier sparked and crackled in flames. ⋮⋮ Well, I will not be leaving in this, ⋮⋮ he thought as he popped open the cockpit and vaulted out onto the metal flooring. Realizing the danger was not past and that the squadron leader had made his way inside as well caused the Jedi to stay behind his ship for cover. Though his lightsaber hung readily at his side, Austin saw no need to draw it quite yet. The Force would be his ally for this fight.

M6 ejected itself from the wing of Austin's starfighter, moving towards one of the hangar’s panels as fast as its wheels could move it. Though it didn't exactly have any weapons or means of fighting back, it certainly could capitalize on the showdown to get a readout of the carrier. Austin was certain that Talos was well-equipped for a fight, and so he raised a hand out of his cover and unleashed a great, blinding flash of light toward the mercenaries. This would hopefully give Talos time to get out of his cockpit and immediately open fire on their opponents.

@Minuteman75 @Shalken​

 

[Talos Barrenfist]

There was for a few seconds that Talos thought he was going to die crashing into a door. That silent fear disappeared as his starfighter flew into the hanger’s interior while the doors shut behind them and the mercenary leader who followed in. The fighter with metal screeching skid across the floor, with Barrenfist’s cockpit shaking all over until it came to a sudden halt close to Austin’s. He allowed himself briefly to sigh with a thought. Praise the ancestors.

Swiftly the marine as he unstrapped from the flight belt caught sight of the small group of pirates advancing on their position. He chuckled at the sight. If they want to draw blood well, I’m more willing to oblige them. With his blaster rifle in Talos jumped out from the cockpit’s window while it opened up. Using the crashed fighter as cover Talos ready himself to fire when the Jedi unleashed a blinding light upon the would-be defenders.

Taking advantage of the opportunity given the lieutenant looked out from cover, aiming down the sights. Pulling the trigger Barrenfist fired each a three round burst at an equal number of pistol wielders toward the chest area.

 

[The Storyteller]

The mercenaries, both twitchy and with itching trigger fingers, instantly fired upon the loyal astromech droid as it rolled out from behind the Jedi starfighter, blaster bolts ripping through its thin plating and charring M6's circuitry, rendering it completely beyond repair. However, none of them were prepared for Austin's flash of light, which blinded all of them except for the lieutenant, whose sight was only partially impaired due to his armour's visor. Talos' quick reaction put two of the enemy pilots on the ground, dead; hearing shots fired and screams of agony, the rest of the mercs bolted for where they last remembered cover was. The lieutenant's third target, while avoiding the first shot, took a bolt to his back and hip, making him drop to the ground and grunt in pain. He squeezed off a few shots from his 4C in Talos' general direction, albeit with limited accuracy. The last two mercenaries somewhat managed to find cover, one behind a large pile of metal ammunition crates and the other behind a wing of the Bolide, but not before running headlong into it first.

The squad leader, only able to make out large shapes, fired three bolts at a pile of fuel cells behind the intruding fighters: the first two to break the shell and the last one to ignite it. He didn't care if the blast killed his opponents, all he wanted was a distraction while his vision recovered.

Spoiler: NPC Stats

Squad Leader:
- Level 2
- Wearing Deadeye medium armour
- Equipped with a vibrosword and a Thunderslug blaster
- Grizzled fighter
- 1 present, partially blinded

Mercenary pilots
- Level 1-ish
- Wearing flight suits
- Equipped with 4C[/color] blasters
- 3 present, all blinded, 1 severely wounded, 2 dead

Spoiler: NPC Stats

http://www.thestarwarsrp.com/forum/index.php?threads/4c-blaster-pistol.76702/

@Vosrik @Minuteman75​

 

[Austin Wolfe]

As the mechanical body of the M6 erupted from the intense blaster fire, Austin had a brief moment of sadness that passed as soon as it came. The droid had been a good companion, despite only having been with the Jedi for this mission alone. His attention snapping back to the fight, he observed Talos' excellent shooting that brought down two of their opponents and wounded a third. However, Austin also noticed that the squad leader was not as affected by the blinding flash of light, opening fire on a fuel canister behind the Jedi and the Lieutenant. He had no time to verbally warn Talos to get out of the way, and Austin had no idea how large the potential explosion could be. He knew he only had one option.

Drawing strength from the Force once again, the doctor decided to take a page out of his friend Galahad's book. Creating a barrier with the Force, he hoped to completely shield both himself and Talos from the resulting explosion. Looking to his fellow fighter, Austin acknowledged him with a nod. They still had plenty of mercenaries to deal with. Turning around, the Jedi took hold of the wreckage of his Chevalier starfighter and telekinetically hurled it at the remaining pilots in flight suits — hoping to hit most of them, if not all.

Minuteman75 @Shalken​

 

[Talos Barrenfist]

Need to work on my aim some more. Talos thought in silent rebuke to himself, noting the third man was only wounded. M6’s demise did catch his attention if only for a moment. Of course the scum would all shoot what they perceive as the least threanting intruder of their trio. The lieutenant’s contempt grew even further.

Generally his opinion on droids was they possessed no real souls. Yet what the little astromech made him wonder... It was interrupted when the enemy commander fired on the fuel tank behind them. Talos swore before it exploded only to be saved by Austain’s force barrier. Wide eyed, the marine then watched the peacekeeper nodded at him before tossing his wrecked starfighter toward the remaining pilots with the power of the force.

With furious eyes he observed the leader recovering from the earlier flash. Barrenfist swiftly brought out a frag grenade, pulling its pin and hurled it toward the squad leader’s direction.

 

[The Storyteller]

Austin's Force barrier was well-timed, completely negating the blast that engulfed the air and letting the Jedi and Lieutenant emerge unscathed.

As the three remaining pilots recovered from their temporary blindness, their renewed vision would be greeted with the looming shape of a Jedi starfighter being hurled towards them with deadly force. Capable of doing little else but scream and flinch, the wrecked interceptor rolled several times before grinding to a halt at the far end of the hangar, three dead mercenaries crushed beneath the metallic wreckage.

Having seen the telekinetic projectile's trajectory beforehand, the squad leader easily stepped aside and avoided it — but placed him right in the immediate blast zone of Talos' well-placed frag grenade. Flung forward by the force of the explosive, the mercenary grunted in pain, his right leg torn to shreds by the shrapnel. As the realization dawned on him that he was now outnumbered and outgunned, the man drew his vibroblade and charged the Republic Lieutenant, a severe limp in his gait but bloodlust in his eyes. Leveling his Thunderslug, he squeezed off three rounds as his target came into view, sword ready to impale Barrenfist as soon as he got close enough. He knew he was done for, but he was determined to take at least one of them with him.

Spoiler: NPC Stats

Squad Leader
- Level 2
- Wearing Deadeye medium armour
- Equipped with a vibrosword and a Thunderslug blaster, 6 shots left in the clip
- Grizzled fighter
- 1 present, severely crippled

Mercenary pilots
- all dead

@Vosrik @Minuteman75​

 

[Austin Wolfe]

The fight was over. Austin watched as his starship crashed into the remaining pilots and rolled, rendering them sufficiently out of the fight. The Jedi raised an arm instinctively to cover his face as the grenade exploded, causing severe damage to the mercenary squad leader. Now clearly desperate to cause the Jedi and Lieutenant any pain he could, all the man's self-preservation seemed to have been tossed aside and replaced by the lust for revenge. As he raised his powerful Thunderslug at Talos, Austin shot out a hand and called upon the Force to attempt to rip the heavy blaster out of the squad leader's grip and into his own. If successful, the Jedi would toss the weapon aside, confident his companion would finish their final enemy in the hangar.

Striding to the control panel next to the hangar elevators, Austin tapped a few buttons to attempt to find a map. "Lieutenant, I cannot deny I have little experience aboard capital ships. You likely have the capability to find the bridge, as I do not." In fact, the doctor was previously counting on his droid to download the schematics of the carrier. Austin peered back, once again viewing the obliterated top half of the astromech. Hopefully the Order would understand the unfortunate circumstances that led to the destruction of both the Chevalier-class starfighter as well as M6. Regardless of their losses, they had a mission to complete.

@Minuteman75 @Shalken​

 

[Talos Barrenfist]

It seemed the mercenary had more courage than Talos thought he was capable of. The Decualian rolled to the side as the hostile fired his pistol at him. While Austin force griped the gun away, Talos drew his Elduröxi with one hand and rushed to meet the wounded man with a battle cry. He twist to the left, avoiding being stabbed before swinging his axe deep into the pirate’s chest.

“Ég veiti þér dauða kappi.” Talos proclaimed in the old tongue to the dying mercenary before pulling the blade back and kicking the man to the floor. After making sure the enemy was dead he then addressed Austin. “Let’s get moving then.” Slinging the rifle to the shoulder and taking out his pistol in one hand and the axe still in the other.

Barrenfist exited the hanger into the main hallway gesturing for the Jedi to follow. As they advanced, Talos while keeping eyes out for more enemies whispered. “Sorry about your...friend back there. He went out like a brave warrior and his sacrifice won’t be in vain. To be honest it’s not something I would expect from a droid.”

His clan respected courage as one of their main tenets so yes despite being exiled from them Talos will give credit to someone or anything that displays that quality.