Ask Desperate Measures

[Erisa Harro]

Imynusoph System​

Captain Erisa Harro stood on the bridge of the Tempest, posture stiff and arms behind her back as a flurry of activity went on around her. She watched the lightning storm of hyperspace out the viewport as the bridge crew prepared for the drop from hyperspace on the edge of the Imynusoph system. ISB agents had reported a rather interesting pair of shipments that had departed from Malaster, headed for the Imynusoph system, manifests that claimed to be full of foodstuffs but an agent had reported the truth of the matter.

The transports were carrying fuel.

The worth of the stuff to the Empire had shot up considerably after a series of rather brilliantly executed moves by the ISC and instead of leading her battlegroup in defense of the besieged Bespin or garrisoning over Eriadu, Captain Harro was instead out at the edge of known space playing privateer.

"How far we have fallen... so quickly." The Captain whispered quietly to herself. She didn't dare utter the words louder than that, morale was already shaky among the armed forces, held together by threads and the force of will of the superior officers who had so far managed to cling to Eriadu and keep it for the Empire. Her home. The fuel would bring much needed relief to a strained navy that was creeping towards the brink.

"Five seconds to subspace." Lieutenant Garang reported from the helm as the ship prepared to drop out of hyperspace. Captain Harro gave the man a nod. The crew had been briefed in transit on their goals here, tactics discussed and orders given, everyone knew their place, played their part. Eight TIE fighters sat hot in the hangar, ready to launch on reversion to real space as soon as their quarry was in range or threats percieved. Boarding troopers stood at the ready both aboard the Tempest and the pair of TIE/BR Boarding Craft, locked and loaded to take the freighters as soon as they were disabled.

"Shields to full." Captain Harro issued the order. It was unlikely that they would face much in the way of resistance, ISB intel reported that the freighters were only protected by a handful of fighters, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Every hit that they might take was one that they couldn't afford to in the cost of maintenance materials and downtime.

"Reverting to subspace... now." The lieutenant said as he pulled the lever to bring the Frigate out of hyperspace. The sparkling jewel of Imynusoph glowed in the distance and the Tempest sat, lonely at the edge of the system.

"Sensors, report." Harro ordered, looking around at the bridge.

"Nothing on scopes yet." A young woman at the sensor station spoke up. They must have beat the freighters there. Or they were horribly late. Captain Harro would be giving the ISB officer who had confirmed the intel a reaming if that was the case. "Hold on. Two hyperspace signatures, incoming." The sensor officer reported and Harro breathed a sigh of relief. To waste fuel coming all the way out to Imynusoph only to come back empty handed wouldn't have been a good look.

"Launch fighters." Erisa ordered before the pair of heavy freighters dropped into view. If everything went smoothly, the Imperial forces that remained in the south would have the fuel to fight another day.

OOC note: Open to Imperial/Sith characters and/or reasonable opposition.

 

[Kilios Thadon]

Kilios stood inside the troop compartment of the shuttle that was flying in tandem with the Tempest, the same shuttle that could very well serve as his tomb, checking his equipment for the third time since their departure.

Murphy is a bitch, he thought to himself. As if that most fundamental of Laws wasn't wreaking havoc on the Empire already. Kilios began walking around the troop compartment, checking in with his Non Commissioned Officers on one side of the compartment making sure they were strapped in and good to go, while Sergeant First Class Jaquez walked the other side repeating the same. As the platoon's Senior NCO, he had helped Kilios get the hang of actually running the platoon and caught up to speed on his new unit. After walking their rounds, both Kilios and the Platoon Sergeant sat back down in their seats next to each other and strapped in. " A' fuckin' hate space and these damned shuttles, Thadon. I don't like havin' no control over my fate," Jaquez grumbled with contempt. Can't wait to board those blasted freighters." Kilios turned his helmeted head slightly left to vaguely look in Jaquez' direction. "If it makes you feel better, it'll only hurt for a second. Not like you had better plans anyway." Before Jaquez could respond, the shuttles PA system keyed out with a warble and the Crew Chief's voice echoed out through the ship and the Troopers' buckets. "Five seconds to Subspace."

Four... Three... Kirios counted down in his head. Two... One... "Now entering Subspace." Kilios waited anxiously in his seat, praying to whatever deity would listen, that he wouldn't be blown to oblivion. Then the PA crackled to life. "Two signatures spotted and the Tempest has launched it's fighters." The Crew Chief blankly stated. "Hope ya'll Troopers brought the boom"

​

1LT Kilios Thadon (PL)
SFC Presson Jaquez (PSG)
Crew Chief

 

[Erisa Harro]

Erisa chipped at a nail behind her back as she watched the target ships drop out of hyperspace several kilometers ahead of the Tempest. A BFF-1 bulk freighter was the main prize, its containers likely filled to the brim with fuel if intel and sensor readouts were correct. Erisa had a sinking feeling in her gut as the second ship, an Interceptor-class bulk cruiser came into view, rapidly turning to get the Tempest in line with its fixed cannons.

"Damn the ISB, bad intel." Erisa spat before she began issuing commands. "Shields double front, I want every gun we have firing on the Interceptor." She barked, and the bridge crew was quick to comply. Green turbolaser bolts raced across space to splash against the modified bulk cruiser's shields, the Tempest's first salvo landing as the heavily armed freighter brought itself around to return fire. While half the size of the Tempest, an outlaw modded Interceptor was fully capable of punching above its weight class, nearly as heavily armed as the larger ship and every hit would count in the slugfest to come.

"I want a boarding party on that cruiser immediately to take the bridge." She snapped into the com, her orders buzzing in Lieutenant Thadon's (@DonutResuscitate ) ear as the boarding craft launched behind the flights of TIEs. "Grey squadron, screen the boarding craft. Gunners, watch your fire." The Imperial Assault Corps was made up of some of the best trained soldiers in the Empire and Captain Harro held faith that they would prevail. There was no way of knowing how heavily staffed the ship was, but Harro knew from experience that such ships could hold upwards of fifty marines.

A flight of Toscan 8-Q starfighters buzzed around the BFF-1 for a moment before falling into formation to meet the Tempest's TIE fighters halfway to screen against the boarding craft. Heavy turbolaser bolts slammed against the Tempest's shields, to be met with a return volley of the Frigate's cannons. The BFF-1 slugged its way away from the battle, largely forgotten despite being the primary asset. It wasn't going anywhere quick.

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Having been aboard the Tempest since the last embarkment from an Imperial dock, Nakoa had come to get used to its crew on at least a basic level. His general attitude sometimes weirded the crew out. His tone of voice and facial expressions were difficult to read. He couldn't be pinpointed as either prideful or humble by most, with confidence tempered by a sense of self-awareness and irreverence regarding social status. He spoke to most people the exact same way and started conversations with anyone. Most shockingly, in spite of the Strategic Auxiliary badge pinned to him, he hadn't issued a single order that wasn't food from the mess hall.

Champion Singh was in some corner of the bridge as the sensor officer announced two contacts. Nakoa avoided interrupting Captain Harro, only interjecting once she'd given the order to launch fighters. "Ready," he informed her in his usual flat tones, eyes closed and some kind of aural limiter in his ears. Nakoa'd given her a helpful pamphlet describing what Battle Meditation was like written by Captain Briana Brandt, but it'd probably take getting used to at first.

Beginning with the command staff and working outward, a sense of steady confidence would overlay their feelings like a thin blanket. They knew their skills, they knew their fellow officers and soldiers, they knew their roles and what to do next. Self-assurance would be bolstered against doubt and fear. Orders would be carried out with greater efficiency and less hesitation. Nakoa functioned as a boost transmitter for Captain Harro's intentions. So long as he maintained his strenuous concentration, the Imperials' morale and focus would be bolstered through the Force.

The Sith himself had no direct control, only bringing out more of people's best. As the Tempest was engaged by the enemy Interceptor, he remained in his corner, lips pressed together and brows furrowed with effort as orders were shouted and shields blunted turbolaser impacts. Nakoa worked on deepening his meditation, although it would take a little time before he could do anything more complicated than what he already had going on.

@Arcangel @DonutResuscitate

 

[Kilios Thadon]

"I want a boarding party on that cruiser immediately to take the bridge" came the crisp response in Kilios' earpiece. It's do or die... "Chief, it's go-time. Target is that interceptor cruiser firing at us." Kilios hunkered down in his seat and cheated a glance at Jaquez and his fellow troopers strapped in. They were more than ready for the fight ahead. "Roger, launching time-now" was the Crew Chiefs' reply as the boarding craft spat out of the Tempest and got in place behind the screen of TIE Fighters out in the vast void of space. There were no windows inside the troop bay, no view into the dark unknown alight with turbolaser fire and no way of seeing which bolt thrown by the cruiser's anti-fighter turrets would punch their ticket.

All Kilios could do was sit and stew in the anxiety, and he knew his troopers were too despite them never admitting it to each other. That was alleviated as a strong and comforting sense of duty and purpose washed over him. Reassuring him. Them. That their comraderies' would carry them where ever they needed to go, to Hell and back. The TIE/BR boarding craft they called their tomb began shuttering and dipping as the Crew Chief called "Evasive maneuvers, hang tight back there," into the PA with the calm professionalism that is the staple of flight personnel. The twisting and jerking of the craft made his guts flip and roll along with the craft, almost losing what little lunch he had from rat-fucking his MRE just hours before.

Jaquez, seated next to Kilios began his usual tirade of murmuring curses and expletives to himself, which of course Kilios could hear as they usually kept open communications with each other. "Hey Jaquez, you ever-" the shuttle violently lurched to one side momentarily interrupting his speech, "-been on a roller coaster before?" his lips curled in anticipation. "This isn't so bad when you think of it like that." The shuttle screamed towards the cruiser continuing it's evasive adjustments as the TIE's outside duked it out with the opposing fighters. "When you think of it like that, fuck your roller coaster. Sir." came the terse reply from Jaquez as the shuttle dipped and rolled yet again.


1LT Kilios Thadon (PL)
SFC Presson Jaquez (PSG)
Crew Chief

​

@Arcangel @Mr. Teatime

 

[Erisa Harro]

The Sith who had been lurking in the corner of the bridge spoke up, signaling his ready to Captain Harro to launch into some sort of battle meditation. Erisa of course couldn't discount the usefulness of the Sith, the reality of their religion and its power, but that didn't mean she had to trust them. Still, the little pamphlet the pompously armored man had given her earlier eased her mind some, enough for her to nod her approval to him to start his meditation.

Turning her attention back to the battle at hand and putting the Sith out of her mind for the time being, Erisa felt a sense of confidence that things would be alright. That they would prevail this day and return home with their objective. Turbolasers flared through the dark night of space and TIEs screamed through the void, unheard by any other than their pilots. Erisa watched the initial joust of fighters with a cool confidence, the nervous tick of picking at her nail behind her back stopping as a sense of purpose filled her.

The initial clash of fighters saw two of the defenders burst into flames, mere pinpricks of explosions from the view of the bridge, while one of her TIEs was sent careening into the void as laser fire ripped one of its stabilizing wings off.

"Tractor beams, one of you grab that TIE. The rest on the bulk freighter. I don't want our quarry wandering too far." She ordered, her commands being carried out almost before she finished speaking as her intentions crossed the bridge of minds that the Sith was building. With luck the crippled TIE would be pulled back to the hangar without incident, the pilot alive to serve another day for the Empire.

Five of the seven remaining TIE fighters peeled off their escort to chase the remaining enemy fighters, engaging in a dogfight to eliminate the threat they posed to the boarding craft, while the remaining two remained on escort duty. The Interceptor's laser cannons began to probe fire at the incoming starships, which juked and dodged as they made their approach.

Erisa held her breath as she watched the boarders close in on the bulk cruiser across the vastness of space. Everything was going well, the pilots displaying the excellence of their Imperial training and personal skill. And then one of the TIE fighter's burst into brilliant flame, exploding as it jumped in front of a laser blast that would have hit one of the boarding craft it escorted. Erisa squeezed her thumb behind her back. They would remember the pilots sacrifice. Such a waste, all this for a few measly tanks of fuel.

@Mr. Teatime @DonutResuscitate

 

[Kilios Thadon]

"How close to the bridge can you get me, Chief?" Kilios gripped his rifle with one hand and the restraint harness with the other firmly. "Best I can do is midship, Sir. Right below their turrets' firing arc." "Works for me." He let out a small sigh, letting the excitement and adrenaline start building up, Soon they would be on the cruiser doing what they did best.

"Beginning hullslicing operations, standby Troopers," Chief said after the deep ker-chunk the shuttle made as the boarding claw latched onto cruiser. As the umbilical reached out towards the cruisers hull a little too slow for Kilios' liking, it did give the platoon time to undo their restraints and get formed up. By the time the troopers were ready, the breaching gear at the end of the umbilical began doing its work and cutting into the cruisers' side. Jaquez began barking orders in typical NCO fashion, readying the troops to breach the hull with speed and violence. Almost there... his anxiety was starting to build again. A little closer... the breach was a few short seconds away from finishing... POP.

"Move!" Kilios entered the breach into a dark room illuminated by several flashlights mounted onto their rifles. With weapon at the high-ready, Kilios rapidly stormed further in to clear the large room filled with various containers and constantly scanning his left and right limits. "Hawk Seven (@Arcangel ) this is Ronin Seven, breach successful. Making our move on the bridge now, Chief Adams is our retrans if you can't reach me directly. Over." Once the room was cleared by the rest of the platoon, two troopers pulled security by the door leading out into rest of the ship. "Jaquez, you take First and Third sections and head towards the engine bay. Lock it down tight. If we can't take the bridge, we can at least take it out of the fight." Kilios looked around at his more than capable men. "Chief, as soon as the second boarding shuttle docks, update me." The commlink in his ear briefly fluttered to life with various forms of "roger Sir" and "yes Sir." "Second and Third sections, on me. We're going for the bridge. Shoot first and shoot to kill, we're not here to make friends."

Quickly glancing at all the containers in the room, it appears they were in a secondary storage bay. And with several of the containers marked as having foodstuffs and basic luxuries, it was probably for the ship crew to use rather than anything of real value. "I need four men to stay back and pull security around the boarding craft. One from each team. Clear the containers out of the area so the hostiles don't have cover should they enter, and build up your own cover so you don't get merc'd." As two troopers stood by to breach the door into the rest of the ship, the split up platoon stacked up on both sides of the door, ready to kill.

​

 

[Nakoa Singh]

It was almost insidious how Battle Meditation worked when used properly. So many ancient Sith Lords had wielded it like a hammer, largely subverting the will of their soldiers with their own. Even if Nakoa could do that reliably he didn't consider it correct. The Wrean was a learned strategist, but he wasn't a Naval Captain or an experienced marine.

His greatest leverage was subtlety. Nakoa's senses stretched outward, beginning to encompass even the enemy craft he envisioned through the Force. From his perspective, he could perceive patterns someone without that power ever could. Lines of battle, squadron formations, the glimmer of potential strategies and tactics.

No control was stolen from those under his eye. Merely a nudge of perception. As the dogfight carried on, Nakoa helped Captain Harro to notice how the enemy fighters were forming up to engage their TIE fighters. The way they were trying to encircle the boarding craft and bait desperate measures from Imperial forces.

It was up to Captain Harro to capitalize on this. Nakoa only pointed it out, like a flash of muse and inspiration. And closer still his presence crept in shadow, closer to the mind and will of those freighter crew and pilots arrayed against them. They wouldn't know he was there.

But he would be the reason for their brief hesitation at the crucial moment of Killios Thadon's breach and entry.

@Arcangel @DonutResuscitate