Crash And Burn; A Daring Rescue

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

[fancybox2]

MAKEB
1200 Hours
Refugees fleeing the chaos in Imperial Hutta have crash-landed on Makeb and are at risk of being rounded up, arrested, and put into slave camps by the Empire! We cannot allow innocents to fall victim to an operation we started! Go to Makeb and rescue as many refugees as you can! They will join the number of beings in open-rebellion against the Empire!

Event Thread ; Dice Rolled ; Deadline Feb 26th
@EmilyHuene ; @Ulysses [/fancybox2]

Nar Shaddaa was in total chaos. All the planets in the Hutt side of the Imperial Republica, or officially named the Imperial Hutta, had been under siege by the Galactic Alliance. It had been a super secret plan that only the higher ups knew about. They'd knocked out the galactic holonet so communications between all the nearing systems were down. And in the blackout, riots and chaos ensued.

Kae'Leigh Tameris was one such rebel who knew nothing of the plan. She was just as surprised as everyone else when she heard the screaming and the sirens going off outside her apartment window that morning. She'd been staying at a friend's house, well he was more of a friend at this point. The pink skinned Twi'lek was a Jedi Knight, or a master she supposed. He recognized the Force potential within the girl and she agreed to allow him to teach her; the two had long talks about it since Kae'Leigh was in no rush to leave everything behind and join up with the rebellion.

Vu'thari, as his name was, explained to Kae'Leigh she would not have to become a Jedi if she did not wish to. Nor would she have to fight in some war she did not believe in. He merely wished to teach her how to control her powers and stay safe so that the Sith did not get her. Who knew what would happen if they picked up on her sensitivity and kidnapped her right off the street. At best she'd be killed on the spot. At worst, tortured for hours or days for information. Or the unthinkable...manipulated into joining their side and committed the very same atrocities she saw them doing now. Kae'Leigh couldn't imagine becoming a Sith. The thought truly terrified her.

Well the Twi'lek must have had an idea of how all this would go because not long into her training sessions did she connect with the greater Force and discover something about herself: she didn't want to be afraid anymore. Kae'Leigh had spent her whole life looking over hr shoulder because she was a Twi'lek like Vu'thari. Their race had been hunted and sold for slaves for generations. Kae'Leigh grew up without parents, living on the street, and never knowing who to trust. She didn't want to live that way for a moment longer and vowed to learn how to save other people from the fate she had suffered from.

That's what brought her to Makeb. A refugee ship, desperate to escape the carnage and destruction within the Imperial Hutta systems fled to Makeb and crashed landed. Now they are without protection and at risk of being captured and sold for slaves by any one of the nearby gangs looking to score wherever they can. They also fear the Imperium. The Empire is ruthless against deserters and the like. They will not give the innocent lives down there any mercy and more than likely rounded up to be in prison camps. No matter how one slices it, their odds aren't good.

Kae'Leigh had sliced into the short range communications of an Imperial warship in the area which was sending a small raid party to investigate the crash landing. It didn't take her long to find them, their distress signal was boosting across three planets. Kae'Leigh rolled her eyes when she heard it. Were they asking to be killed?! Because that's how you get killed! She only hoped she could get there first.

"Go faster, Johnny!" she'd said for the hundreth time to her KLT astromech droid. The poor thing chimed at her and she apologized. "I'm sorry, little man. I'm just worried about them is all."

The blue skinned Twi'lek leaned back in her seat and worriedly played with her lekku -the tails on her species' head that mimicked hair in humans. Kae'Leigh was wearing ranger scout armor that has some soot and ash smeared on it from her previous day's mishaps on Nar Shaddaa. Her and a fellow Jedi Padawan had gone and sliced into a train tunnel below the city to prevent travel by any other faction in hopes of restoring power to the holonet. The Galactic Alliance needed those systems down so they could liberate Nar Shaddaa from the Imperium. Kae'Leigh had on her only two weapons; one of which was tucked safely away. The one in sight was her R-5 blaster pistol which was resting in her gun holster just off to the side of her right thigh. The other weapon was a green lightsaber with a metal and wooden hilt. It was given to her by Vu'thari to borrow until she crafted her own. The weapon had been his grandfathers, and meant a lot to him. He'd instructed Kae'Leigh to keep it on her, but not use it unless it was absolutely necessary.

The mynock-series freighter that Kae'Leigh named The Silver Bullet would come out of hyperspace and Kae'Leigh would turn on the inner communications on the ship, "Wake up call, my friend. Let's go rescue some natives!"

The man she was talking to she hadn't met before today. But that's how the Galactic Alliance did business. They had no reputable facility to house their army, so everyone was spread out within the other systems. Kae'Leigh was amazed to find out how many people associated with this mysterious rebellion if they didn't even have a home base. Members were coming out of the wood work, so to speak. And that's how she ended up on her ship flying someone she'd never met to a planet full of Imperial troops. Game on.

 

[The Duke]

The Duke wracked his memory. He wasn't sure what he was doing on this Twi'lek's ship. He thought he had been drinking -and therefore, probably, gambling - on Nar Shaddaa - at least it looked like that. All of a sudden the lights had gone off, and then on full glare. He had thought that they had been raided by the Empire or something and so had dashed out the back with the rest.

Somehow, he had ended up with this do-gooder as the only way out of there, though apparently it later transpired that he need not have worried. It wasn't an imperial raid, but some sort of anarchist group setting off a device that cut off the holonet.

Something the Twi'lek said made him think that she was part of the anarchists, but he wasn't sure. Anyway, anarchist groups were two a credit these days. Only recently the Duke had found himself in the crossfire between the people's front for liberation and justice and the liberty and justice popular front.

"Where are we going again? This doesn't look like somewhere I am likely to have docked my ship."

@EmilyHuene

 

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

If there was one thing Kae'Leigh loved...it was drunks. Men who lost their minds and simple ability to count their credits were the best kinds of marks. She loved taking them for a ride and a gamble and walking away with more than they intended to lose. Plus, they were so easy to fool it was as literal as taking candy from a baby. Kae'Leigh barely had to try to flirt with those kinds of men with her slender looks and feminine charm. She had them eating out of the palm of their hand.

But if there was also one thing Kae'Leigh hated...it was drunks. Especially when she had to work with them. It was one thing to try and score their credits in a game of sabaac or get them to open up about sensitive banking information. But when she had to work with those fools who couldn't remember what they were even doing on a mission? Ug! I annoyed Kae'Leigh to no end. Keeping up with a drunk was like trying to babysit. And when you tried to steal their 'candy', you were stuck with them screaming and crying about it. Perhaps the expression should have been stealing candy from someone else's baby. That made more sense.

The 'baby' in question, not that she had any right to call him as such, would come into the cockpit where she and her droid Johnny were set up. He'd ask here where they were going and she'd roll her eyes. At first she thought he was joking and just trying to be cute. But then she realized he was quite serious in his words. And if he was worried about where he left his ship...she'd have some bad news for him. His ship was docked back on Nar Shaddaa...and they were nowhere near that system anymore.

"What do you mean where are we going?" she'd ask with some slight concern in her voice. "Did you forget? We're going to Makeb. There's a downed ship and the Galactic Alliance needs us to rescue them. You did say you were part of the alliance....right?"

 

[The Duke]

The Galactic Alliance, eh?

"Are they the ones who want to end Galactic hunger, or do they fight crime at night in capes?"

The Duke peered round pointedly, as if to check for a cape.

"When can we go back for my ship?"

 

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

Kae'Leigh looked back at him again as he made some....joke(?) about how they wanted to end hunger. And fighting in capes. Was that supposed to be funny? She had no idea. But the way he looked around his back for a cape made her snicker a little. He'd then ask for his own ship and she'd turn her head back to front.

"That's a no go now. We're too far out. We're approaching Makeb now. I've already got the stranded refugees on my system- and oh kriff!" Smacking her hand against the armrest of her chair, Kae'Leigh would groan loudly. "There's an Imperial shuttle already heading for them. We're going to have to blow them out of the sky before they arrive. You any good at a gun turret?"

In the aft of the ship, or the rear, would be a dual light laser ball turret. Assuming The Duke as he'd called himself could handle it, he should have no problem at all taking out the ship. She had no idea what the man's experience was but several people's lives were on the line. She could handle it herself while letting her astromech fly, but she didn't trust the droid not make any evasive maneuvers while they were flying. They were going up against the Imperial Republica after all.

Kae'Leigh gave him a look of desperation, "Please. I really need your help here."

Looking over his appearance Kae'Leigh really doubted this man was in the Galactic Alliance at all. He looked like some nobelman more than anything. But she figured that was all a part of his cover. He very well could be some founder and wealthy businessman who was secretly supporting the resistance with his horde of credits stashed away somewhere. She had no right to judge. But how he'd handle himself in the upcoming minutes would make or break her choice. Could she count on him? She really hoped so.

 

[The Duke]

"Milady," he assumed an air even more pompous than usual, "I could shoot a gnat off a Gamorrean space weevil and still invite him round for afternoon tea." Kae'Leigh would have no idea whether such a space weevil even existed.

The Duke took off his sword before climbing through to the aft cannon.

"Tell me when you're ready"

 

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

"I........" Kae'Leigh had no words for the man. He was...something else. "Alright then." Turning on the comm system within the ship she'd would speak into the radio and her voice came in on the other side of the ship inside his cannon. "We'll be approaching Makeb any minute. You'll see the ship on your scanner once you turn the system on. I'm going to get us there as quick as I can. Hopefully before the Imperials. Just keep your eye open and don't let their ship get in range."

Kae'Leigh knew that their ships were far more efficient than her mere Mynock-class shuttle. They'd have better guns, better shields, better marksman. But hopefully if the Duke were firing at them from a distance they'd be slightly deterred to stay back. She was also praying the Empire wouldn't just start laying down fire with no care for who got hit. That was the big gamble here.

Moving into the system she brought the ship through the atmosphere giving them a mild rocking sensation until they pushed through. Kae'Leigh handled the flying smoothly from there and kept them on a straight path. Anyone could pilot the course she was doing. It was escaping the Imperials once they had their cargo aboard that was the real challenge.

"Johhny, get me a secure channel. I want to speak with that ship so the Imps don't hear me." the droid would beep in response and a moment later speak again letting her know that he'd done as she asked. Calling into the radio again, which the Duke would hear only through the echo of the ship and not through his dashboard, "This is Captain Tameris of the Silver Bullet. We read you on our sites. Imperial Troops are closing in on you as well. We will only have so much time before they start their own welcoming party. And you won't like the way they treat their guests."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm going to make a rough landing and you guys had better be on my boat before I finish counting down from ten." That should be a good scare to make sure they got their butts together.

"Silver Bullet," responded a woman on the other end. "This is Captain Yuu. We read you and we'll make our best for your vessel. We have woman and children aboard. Please do not leave without them."

Responding to the woman Kae'Leigh would say, "If you have any weapons on that rig of yours you might want to pull them out and give me some extra time. Once I start taking fire I'm leaving this rock."

She hoped that would be enough for the refugees. She didn't hope to get into a battle against the Imperials but she could at least out run them. Calling back now over to the Duke she'd inform him of what was going on. "We're going to be making a rather quick landing. You let me know as soon as you see that ship."

Kae'Leigh pulled the ship into a quick dive and would start arcing upward once they were near the ground. She saw the crashed ship just up ahead. Taking a bank to her right she came around the left side of the ship and rapidly began decreasing speed from the engines, even going so far as to throw the front turbine boosters on to slow their speed even further. The ship suddenly slowing down would cause both Kae'Leigh and the Duke to lean forward in their seats, saved only by the harnesses keeping them securely strapped in. At least she hoped her acquaintance was wise enough to buckle in when he sat down.

Throwing a switch that opened the cargo bay doors , wind would rush into the back of the ship and across the interior. Kae'Leigh activated the auto-pilot and the hover function so they'd stay in one place. Her hands flew across the dashboard throwing up other switches to angle the deflector shields, another to prime the engines to burst forward once they were next called on. She then unbuckled and started to leave the cabin but not before saying to her droid, "I'm going in back to help. If you hear me start screaming you peel forward and get us the kriff out of here."

She was already too far gone to hear the droid's response. Kae'Leigh moved to the back of the ship and saw the refugees making a beeline for her cargo doors. She pulled out her pistol and looked out past them where she hoped to see the Imperial ship in the distance. From her position, she couldn't see it. But as the Duke was on top of the ship he'd see it well and fine. It was coming right for them. If he was going to start shooting, now was the time.

 

[The Duke]

As the Duke got into position, he strapped in for the landing ahead. He had done enough hairy manoeuvres near the ground to know that the trick was of course not to get too close to the ground too quickly.

There was a lurch. The Duke was thrown back into his seat and then forward again into the safety straps crossing his chest. He gathered himself quickly and looked back up and saw it.

Oh boy

Xander Barbol had made it a professional policy of his career not to go near Imperial ships. One easy way to achieve that was not to shoot at them. Now, here he was, popgun in hand, taking on an Empire.

He let off a couple of shots. They were good shots, but he was static and his target wasn't and dodged them, just.

"We have company! And we're sitting ducks here."

The Imperial shuttle wasn't shooting back, yet. Xander was fighting every instinct he had not to get back in the cockpit and get the ship out of there.

 

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

Kae'Leigh got to the back of the shuttle and from behind her she heard the Duke call out that the enemy had been spotted. And how obvious their position was. She would swear something unlady-like as she opened the hold of the cargo bay. Next to it was the comm system so she pressed that next.

"Well, that's why you're here! Buy us some time!"

She groaned and clicked the button off before quickly rushing to the edge of the ramp and getting people on board. Out of the initial group, or wave, of survivors, only seven were able to board. Kae'Leigh helped them aboard as she ushered them to the back of the ship.

"Go in further! As far back as you can! Make room the others!"

Kae'Leigh would then turn back and see the larger group coming for them. Another twenty four of them were going to get on. This was good! Very good! And then something awful would happen. The Imperial shuttle would come and make a pass around. Kae'Leigh gasped loudly as she watched their turrets blow up the rest of the downed ship.

"Kriff!" she'd stare again.

She knew what was coming next. As soon as that ship was done they'd start on the next one. Kae'Leigh pushed a button on the panel and the large cargo doors would start to rise. She began to cry as she realized she was leaving some of them behind. Eighteen of them to be exact. But it was inevitable. The Duke had only been able to keep off the space craft for so long and now if they didn't leave they would all be captured.

Calling over the comm system once again she directed it to Johhny up front, "Get us out of here! Go now!"

The Imperial shuttle turrets then turned around and she could feel them locking onto their location. As the doors firmly shut with a loud hiss she could hear their shields being bombarded with laser blasts. The ship lurched forward and Kae'Leigh nearly fell over herself. Had she not been right against the wall she would have crashed to the floor as some of the other travelers on the ship just did. Turning around after again regaining her balance she tore through the cargo bay and headed as fast as she could to the front of the ship where their little astromech droid was doing its best to keep the ship out of the line of fire. It was no easy task since the ship kept swaying too and fro with every curve. Kae'Leigh had to hold onto the wall and rails just to get down one of the longer halls.

They really only had one choice now, the Duke would have to bring down that shuttle. He'd done good up until now. But this was the main event. The battle for life and death. If he didn't stop that ship they were doomed just like the other shuttle that went down. And this time the Imps would be right there to collect their heads.

 

[The Duke]

Even with the Duke's skills, skills he didn't know came from the force, taking shots from the lurching ship as it jolted from side to side was proving problematic.

The tailing shuttle was able to dance in and out of the path of his shots like an exotic dancer. Unluckily for the Duke, it was almost entirely out rather than in.

"We may need a plan B!" He shouted just as two shots crashed into the ship. From his vantage, he couldn't see the damage, but the ship shook violently. He hoped beyond hope that the engines still had some pull in them.

 

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

Kae'Leigh swore loudly as she turned into the cockpit and fell into her seat. She pulled the straps as quickly as she could over her torso and then took the controls from Johnny just as the Duke's voice rang over the system that they'd need a new plan. She swore again and peeled the ship hard to the left hoping it would deter some of the enemy's movements. But as the ship banked to the side she saw it beginning to smoke up and the engines just cut out for no reason. He'd hit them?

She couldn't believe her eyes. The Imperial ship was now falling out of the sky and looking to crash into the earth several miles down. The Duke might have been worried about his shooting, but for some miracle he'd hit them right where it counted. "Was that the Force?" she'd think to herself. She didn't think the Duke was Force sensitive, he gave off no indication as such. But even she tried to keep her powers hidden; that, and she really didn't have the experience to know these things yet.

The little blip on their radar that signified the Imp ship was now gone and the danger over. Kae'Leigh still couldn't believe it. She'd have to talk to Vu'thari later about all this. Throwing her hands over the dashboard she flipped the switches of the shields to the main power and set the controls back to a normal flying speed. The mission was so far a success, but they weren't home yet. For now...let's get these people home.

~END THREAD~
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