Open Relief Effort

[Siria Zale]

From what the young woman could remember, it was several members of the Jedi Order that had assisted in the matter and even rumored to have lost one of them on the planet before turning on a warning beacon. Her security consultants had said to take at least two starfighters as an escort as well as keep a bodyguard. For now though, only TC-1138 accompanied her. There was a singular holstered blaster around one thigh that the Senator kept. Siria was a decent enough shot on the range, but when it came to wearing the thing, it was still a lot to get used to. There was a good chance she would have to come face to face with a crime lord one of these days and all of their leering thugs. If she waited until then to have a blaster at her side she would have already missed a step. The Captain of the ship had insisted on her wearing a flight suit as long as they were in transit onboard his ship.

The Senator of Tirahnn could not believe how things had gone on this long. Were people just not paying attention to the epidemic? Her jaw clenched for a moment and relaxed just as quickly followed by a sigh. Reports were on the screen in front of her but she quickly closed them out and turned away from the makeshift desk she sat at. It was functional, but traveling aboard the long haul freighter, the Aurora, was humbling compared to the star yachts and luxury shuttles that ferried others too and from places. Plenty of people in the Core had probably never driven or piloted a ship in their life and it was no surprise that it took some time for the crew to not act too stiffly around her.

The ship's cargo was what was important along with their destination. Tol Amn provided foodstuffs for a multitude of worlds or at least it had been. The planet was outside of the lawless Syndicate space but they still had relied on it before which was why Siria was surprised by their inaction.

Reports of the Frenzy virus taking root on the planet has led to a mass exodus of survivors and avoidance of others. Some naturally remained and were able to rally in their independent isolation, lacking any aid in fighting off the undead that were scattered across the planet by now. Pockets of the world were pushing back but food wasn't all that people needed. Parts for essential equipment, medical aid and goods were waiting to be given to the people on the planet.

They were not the only ones that had probably noticed the state of Tol Amn. Travel by some of the more daring smugglers up to this point had continued. Pirates and other criminals that didn't care about the dangers still moved through the system. That was why this as an independent charity outreach mission on the dime of donations and hiring a private ship along with its crew for the job. With all that considered, Siria was still nervous.

Passing down one of the halls of the freighter she would come to a stop in the ships lounge area. "How long before we arrive" She asked as she walked over to get a cup of juice from the galley.

"Not much longer, Senator. I'll check in with our escort here in a minute" The Captain had a cup of cafe in his hand, stepping away from the game table as Siria's protocol droid made him loose another piece. The captain swore in a language the woman didn't understand but the droid gasped. "Oh dear..." But protected the woman's ears by not translating. Senator of Tirahnn had sent word out to the Jedi Order seeing if they would provide aid in at least an escort. At least a singular pilot was part of the crew's outfit and was accompanying the group as well which would hopefully dissuade any would-be bandits.

 

[Nima Deleste]

.

For once Nima's job was no longer crime-related, but of course it involved protecting something once again. No one ever gave her jobs to catch someone or look for an artifact. It was always 'go protect this' or 'go protect that'. The pay for this specific job was outstanding. Nima's main job was to protect the young Senator, with the less important objective of protecting the cargo. Though, Nima was noted to keep her presence at a low; her employers strongly urged Nima to avoid contact with the Senator. She was unsure as to why, but she learned quickly that it is best not to question the employer in this business sometimes. They love the type of person that does a task with no thought behind it. The rest of the details of her job felt slightly off, almost as if it were just a straight-up scam. She was to board a freighter to protect the senator and the cargo, head to a destination untold to her, and then someone would be there to offer the payment and a ride back. Did her employers believe that Nima would deny the job if she knew the location? Nima didn't believe so, for if it is a dangerous place then why would the Senator be aboard the ship?

Nima helped the crew load all the cargo hours before they would leave, and she took note of each person that would be accompanying them on the journey. Obviously, the Senator posed no threat; she may be older and slightly taller, but clearly not a fighter. The rest of the crew didn't seem to stand out as well, and she was informed that there would be an escort of starfighters. With the freighter ready, it was now time to board the ship. Nima boarded quite a bit before the Senator since she figured there would be a bunch of precautions before she entered. As she was boarding, she paused to speak with the Captain for a second; "I will be in the cargo hold. I will come if she is in any danger."

Taking a quick look around, Nima took note of every room, pathway, and appliance. While a ton of credits was up for this job, it was also her reputation. Being known as the person who let a Senator die would have somewhat of a bad reputation. After being satisfied with the safety of the journey, Nima made her way to the cargo hold of the freighter. She would be spending her entire time here unless an emergency called for her to be somewhere else. Nima plopped herself onto a crate and let her droid, P-0-TC, out. With that, Nima hummed the tune of one of her favorite songs, while watching the droid fly around.

 

[Dalaa Ta]

Dalaa Ta

Dalaa came out of hyperspace in his X wing, it was just a standard T-70 X wing. His R6 astromech droid was assisting him in the flight. Dalaa wasn’t the greatest pilot in the Jedi order, or in general. He could hold his own in a dogfight if need be. Dalaa used his comms to contact the Aurora which was now in view of his ship.

“This is Jedi Knight, Dalaa Ta. I have been sent by the Jedi Order to assist in relief efforts. Over”. The young Jedi spoke as he circled the ship, making sure that the coast was clear.

“Copy that Dalaa Ta”. The voice of a crew-mate sounded over the comms as Dalaa followed the Aurora closely. His R6 unit was scanning for any hostile that could be coming in. Dalaa was ready to protect the Aurora if need be. Dalaa wasn’t one to go straight into action, he’d rather take the diplomatic route in situations. Gazing out into space, he wondered about the virus on the planet they were going to. The poor people who were afflicted with it. Hopefully he could do some good whilst down there. He drummed his fingers on the controls of his ship and begun to hum to himself as he flew.

​

 

[Trini Halrixien]

Trini Halrixien, thought that - if she ever decided to give up adventuring - she could make good money selling her memoirs, in spite of her being only 23 standard years old. It would need a good title, she decide: Tinker Spacer Fighter Archaeologist; no, that didn't snap quite right. She would work on it, though; she would have time, if this latest job went as smoothly as she hoped.

When she had left her childhood home on Kaon all those years ago to attend university, Trini had never for a moment imagined that her ambition to attain a degree in archaeology would see her behind the controls of a starfighter, much less as what amounted to a mercenary. More than that, her paymasters for this most recent job would be the Jedi Order, who had offered good credits for the safe escort of what looked to Trini like a perfectly ordinary medium freighter.

Force, she hoped it was ordinary. The Jedi agent who had given her the assignment had been somewhat cagey about just what it was she would be escorting. Trini supposed she should be slightly offended by that; after all, her actions on Coruscant had aided in bringing down a Sith, and if that didn't count for something among the Jedi, then what did?

"Small craft emerging from hyperspace!"

The report from ZZ-4A4, Trini's droid copilot, caused the little Amaran to start from her reverie. An instinct she still did not fully understand told her where to look as Dalaa Ta's T-70 X-Wing flashed out of hyperspace, falling into formation with the Aurora and Trini's own craft, the apparently custom-built starfighter known as the Silver Bolide. The young archaeologist-cum-pilot let her hands hover tensely over the controls, before the newcomer's transponder flashed a friendly IFF code.

Trini relaxed, and keyed on the comm system.

"Good to have you with us, Master Jedi. This is Trini Halrixien, flying the Silver Bolide. I guess Zeezee and I will be on your wing for this thing."

Trini adjusted her ship's position to better fall into formation with Dalaa's X-Wing and the Aurora.

"Aurora, what's our timetable?"

@Faust Rex @sayso @Darasuum

 

[Vrashinal Karzinkaal]

The aged Kaleesh prowled the main cabin, his gaze continuously washing over the Captain and the men that the Senator brought along. They seemed green, scared even. In his youth, this ship would have provided easy prey for his crew and the Grievous. But that seemed to almost be in a different life. Now, he worked for those in the sleek ships, not raiding them. And this job brought him ever closer to Eriadu, and with that, the Sith. His spear was disguised as a walking staff and he leaned heavily on it as he neared the viewport. "Fear not, Senator.. the Pirates are the least of our concern here." his gaze would shift to the Jedi fighter that seemingly joined and he scowled beneath his mask.

 

[Deeno Jakkan]

Deeno Jakkan​

Starboard to the Aurora, coasted a HWK-290. With a watchful eye on the helm display before him, the young Hunter takes note of the surroundings; perhaps a bit more lax with a starfighter in transit. A bit more lax was an understatement, as the Hunter hefted his boots up onto the helm, certain he was clear of accidentally negligently discharging a laser into realspace. Deeno took to picking at his finger tips with one hand, his gaze sweeping towards port side window. When the sudden jump-in from the T-70 occurred he nearly fell out of his station. Ready to maneuver himself until the IFF went through friendly. Relief washes over him and he re-assumes his relaxed, feet-up posture. He keys up for communication and a friendly gesture,

"Howdy-ho, Mister. Deeno Jakkan, I'm starboard alongside the Aurora, in the hawk-two-ninety. Happy to be workin' with ya."

Once the greeting was done with he overhears the query of a timetable, a bit of a shimmy and a refocusing on listening for any important info about to be spared. In the meantime, he whips out his datapad to seemingly go over the deets or some such.

 

[Siria Zale]

More than a few new faces were accompanying Siria and the crew of the Aurora on this trip. With multiple ships, the Senator wondered if anybody short of an interdiction unit would try them. Even a Jedi was accompanying them as a winged escort but this was no time to ride on reputation. That had to be earned But a caravan traveling so close to Syndicate space would keep the woman from relaxing so far.

The comforting words of the hired Kaleesh security caused her to blink back to the present. "Yes...unfortunately I think you're right." An announcement came on over the internal ship's system letting them know they were coming out of hyperspace.

Getting up from her seat, the Senator looked out of the viewport to get an eye at the Jedi's X-wing as well. Her arms crossed and then turned to head towards the cockpit of the freighter. She assumed Vrashinal had heard the update on their arrival time as well.

Confirmations came in from the attending ships and Tirahnn Senator would respond in kind and add a reminder. "I appreciate your assistance. The people of Tol Amn will be most greatful, I'm sure. This is the last leg of this journey. They are on high alert so please keep a cool." They locals of the planet had to defend what was theirs or risk getting it taken. Some had no choice but to be victims and didn't have the means to survive the dangers of their own world.

A ping came up on one of the terminals in the freighter. Other ships in the convoy would as well after dropping out of hyperspace. There was barely any traffic in the system at the moment despite it being a main trade route. It was a testament to how much Tol Amn was suffering. However, the signal of a small starfighter on the far edge of the system came back, informing them there was indeed at least a single brigand vessel in system. However it seemed alone and not making any move towards the convoy for the time being. "Let's head towards the planet, Captain." She gave a nod to the Aurora's owner who would relay the specifics. The Senator didn't know about merchant caravan security. Not yet anyway.

"Two more, Cap!" The starfighter had begun moving towards the caravan and would intercept before they even broke the atmosphere in the next few minutes. The two additional starfighters had been powered down in the shadow of the planet and likely been jusing the one visible starfighter as a scout to spot any incoming foes without revealing their true numbers.

A morningstar and two dianooga starighters would show up out of range currently for the Aurora's weapons. "This is it everybody. Buckle up. We have three contacts, closing to intercept." The Captain said to anybody within ear shot before things started getting kicked into high gear. The other ships would hear it as well since the channel was still open.

Siria felt the mood change. There was real danger now. It was imminent. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her heart was beating faster with each passing second. All she could do in that moment as things began to escalate, was step back and wait. That didn't stop her eyes from dancing every which way, trying to piece together what was happening and each action. Even the fancy westar on her hip wouldn't do her any good. Yeah, come on. It's only three starfighters anyways right? She thought to herself, hoping she wouldn't regret the thought later.

@Coleblah @Rhogar @AutoFox @Faust Rex @sayso

 

[Nima Deleste]

.

Nima could sense people arriving in other ships, with one presence feeling particularly strong in the force. If they weren't here to be hostile then it could only be "A jedi..." she murmured to herself. Nima no longer felt the desire to sing and was more tuned in on her thoughts. She has had a few encounters with Jedi, and her impressions of them were very negative. However, she would try her best to exclude her feelings for the sake of the job.

The freighter had arrived at it's destination, or at least Nima assumed so. She figured there would be no other reason for exiting hyperspace. Nima would continue to sit patiently, as so far there was not much she could do for the job, that is, until she sensed danger. All of a sudden, the flight began to feel a bit rugged, Nima knew for sure that the freighter was trying to avoid something. For the sake of preparation, Nima would exit the cargo hold, and make her way towards the cockpit of the freighter.

Walking past the Senator, Nima brought her face close to the viewport to look outside. There was nothing she could do to handle starfighters, so she would simply have to hope that their escorts were competent. Worst case scenario, the freighter blows up and Nima, the Senator, and the rest of the crew would die. In the best-case scenario, the three starfighters are taken out swiftly. Nima recalled the words of her father:"The average case is the sure one.." Assuming her father was an actual wise man, Nima figured that there will definitely be a bit of trouble. Nima then turned her head and looked towards the Senator for the first time "Please do not escape my view for the time being." Her voice was almost commanding, but it lacked power and depth; it felt as if a happier tone was being forced out, like one of a waitress. Nima would continue to look outside the viewport to watch the upcoming skirmish.

@Faust Rex @AutoFox @Rhogar @Coleblah @Darasuum

 

[Dalaa Ta]

Dalaa Ta
Dalaa Ta listened to Trixi and smiled looking over to her ship. “Good to meet and have your assistance, friend”. He addressed her over comms as they flew, some more ships would come out of hyperspace to assist the Aurora. Dalaa could sense a force sensitive on the ship, she felt a bit weaker in the force. The person being on the Aurora suggested that they weren’t a a Jedi and they surely weren’t a Sith. An independent force user. Dalaa spotted the pirate star fighters, it was time to act. “Okay, we’ve got three pirates on the aurora. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem. May the force be with you”. Dalaa pitched down and yawed towards the pirate ships. A Morningstar and two dianoga class star fighters. “I’ll focus on one of the Dianoga’s, try to steer them away from the ship”. Dalaa said as picked the Dianoga closest to him.

Chasing the enemy fighter, he begun to fire at it. The ship pitched upwards and so did Dalaa, staying close on it’s tail as he continued to fire. The enemy star fighter was trying to get behind Dalaa’s. Dalaa kept calm and resolute as he continued chasing the Dianoga down, laying down sprays of fire. The ship would drop down quickly and come out of view of Dalaa. He sighed as the ship came up behind him, he yawed left and right as he took fire from behind. Then, he pitched up quickly into a barrel roll, slowing down as the ship went underneath him. Dalaa’s starfighter rotated as he pitched down and finished his barrel roll. Now behind the Dianoga he fired more lasers at the ship, hitting it several times. Smoke begun to come out of the ship as Dalaa kept up his fire on it. An explosion issued from the Dianoga and was sucked down onto the planet rapidly by it’s gravity. Dalaa pitched up and back around towards the Aurora, to give assistance against the other pirate ships.

@sayso @Darasuum @Coleblah @Rhogar @AutoFox

​

 

[Trini Halrixien]

Trini had been alerted to the presence of the first pirate starfighter at the same time as the crew of the Aurora, her pilot droid alerting her in a level tone.

"One contact, Trini; looks to be a small starfighter, far out in the system."

Trini pursed her lips, hand hovering above the weaponry controls of her little fighter as she looked toward where Zeezee had indicated. Sure enough, there it was; a dim spot of energize phosphor on her sensor screen, too far away for a visual. She tried to get an IFF ping, but the other craft was too far out of range for her sensors to pick up anything definite.

"I see it, Zeezee; this is a rough system, though, it might not mean any-"

"It's moving! And two more out from behind the planet!"

Zeezee's warning reached Trini just a moment before the crew of the Aurora broadcast their own notice. Turning, she watched as the Jedi's starfighter peeled away on an intercept course, Dalaa Ta issuing her own instructions. Trini hesitated only a moment before doing as she was told; this was not her first time in combat, but it was not to say she was used to such situations.

Dully, she also realized that it was the first time she had flown the Silver Bolide against another ship in anger.

"I copy, Master Jedi! Be careful!"

Trini was surprised at how naturally maneuvering her little craft came to her as she turned toward the Morningstar and the remaining Dianoga as the bore in on the freighter. As she identified the pirate craft, the archaeologist in her anguished over what she would likely have to do; the two starfighters were functional antiques! They deserved to have pride of place in a museum, not blown to wreckage over some backrocket planet.

It was that thought that caused her to open a broad-wave comm channel as she angled in on the pirates.

"Attention, unidentified craft! This will be your only warning! Break off your approach on that freighter or you will be fired upon!"

To punctuate her warning, she fired a warning volley from her laser cannons just in front of the old fighters, and angled to get behind the pair. It was probably foolish, but Trini did not like to kill when it was unnecessary. She would give the pair a chance to retreat, and then she would get serious.

@Faust Rex @sayso @Darasuum @Coleblah @Rhogar

 

[Vrashinal Karzinkaal]

Vrash seemed calm about the arrival of the pirates, he even laughed beneath his mask. "Such amateurs.." the Kaleesh would shift his weight as he moved to the comm relay and activated it. "Take out the Morningstar, allow the other Dianooga to escape. Pirates like to have the numbers, so either they were too foolish to count before the attack or they want to lure us into a deeper ambush. Do not pursue them if they flee."

The eyes beneath the mask would scan the darkness of space, as if in thought before he spoke again. "Silver Bolide and Knight Dalaa Ta, focus on the Morningstar. Deeno, clear the path but be weary for any other pirates hiding in the dark." pleased with the orders, he would then nod to the Captain, his slow gait reminiscent of his age.

The former Kaleesh pirate would then grip his staff tightly as he stepped away from the terminal, moving to Zale's side. "I doubt they'll listen, but it was worth a try." He would say with another laugh. "Senator, you're worth a ransom to these pirates, you shouldn't need fear them, even if they board. And if they do board.." He'd nod to Nima "Stay with the girl, wherever the breach is, that's where I'll hold them." his gaze then shifted to the Captain. "Captain, break for the surface, I trust Jakkan to guide the way in and get word to the Tol Amn military. If they want their relief, they'll scramble some fighters to defend it."

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[Deeno Jakkan]

Deeno Jakkan​

Sifting through the dark background of space for those three fighters, thankfully one was quickly outgunned by the Jedi and their X-Wing. He hears a familiar, gruff voice over comms,

"Vrash? Yeah, copy. Captain, have the helmsman keep to my port side, gimme a twenty meter lead. As soon as we're a quick sprint to hailing on-planet assets I'll take a leap'n see what I can do."

He tried to keep his response as concise as possible without leaving any details about his intentions out. He would keep his course for the planet, keeping an eye on his surroundings. As soon as they were in range to hail any possible on-world reinforcements he would take a further lead, opening a tertiary channel line,

"This is Aurora Escort One-Two, Aurora Escort One-Two, requesting scramble; the Aurora convoy facing times two fighter contacts. One MorningStar and one Dianoga-class."

He repeats the same line twice and refocuses his attention on leading the Aurora closer to Tol Amn and even through a safe, emergency atmosphere entry if need be.

@Darasuum @Faust Rex @sayso @AutoFox @Rhogar

 

[Siria Zale]

There was little else the woman could do as she moved out of the way. The ship's momentum changed and it was clear the Aurora were beginning to make more evasive maneuvers. One of the hired bodyguards joined them in the lounge area, more or less telling the senator not to go anywhere without her. "It's not like I can go anywhere." She said back as the Captain of the ship shouted something about the shields taking damage.

The Jedi Knight moved to engage the first Dianoga starfighter. The flanked position of the starfighter would draw the jedi away and take moments for him to defeat. The second Dianoga was intercepted, to a degree, by Trixi. though considering the Jedi elected to open fire, the pilots on the other end were not going to give up once the first shot was fired. What was probably followed my ruthless laughter was interrupted as the starfighter opened up on the nearest target with all of its cannons. (@AutoFox)

Onboard the Aurora, the sound of the two turrets onboard the rambler freighter vibrated through the ship. The Kaleesh gave his input and soon the quad medium laser cannon fire began adjusting both turrets on the Morningstar. "They're target locking!" The co-pilot yelled. They were getting close and slapping of the three medium laser cannons it had were making short work of the rambler's shields. It was slow and not nearly as maneuverable as Deeno's ship which only further made itself an easy target by being slow and matching the larger freighter's limited speed.

A blast rocked the ship, puncturing through the shields and sending Siria from her seat. The sound of rushing aiy "Port cannons out. Hull breach." The crew member was still in the turret, unconscious and injured but alive though they wouldn't be for long.

The Senator tried to get to her feet and stabilize herself but she felt like there was water leaking from the ship above. Looking up she didn't see anything and then looked down to see her pale fingertips stained crimson. Raising her hand again to her head where the source of the blood was the woman immediatly regretted it and hissed.

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[Captain Tiberius Stryker]

"Aurora Escort One-Two, this is Captain Tiberius Stryker of the Tol Amn Defense Force. Take it easy, son, we got this." Would come the reply over the comms.

A pair of T60 D wings would race past Deeno and cut wide around the Aurora. As the Morningstar broke off pursuit to avoid the game of Space Turkey, it would get slugged by a concussion missile, followed by a healthy peppering of direct hits from the nose cannons of an LAAT/I gunship.

The T60's would then cut hard around Trixi and open fire on the final Dianooga. Startled by the sudden appearance the fighters, the pirate was far from ready to start avoiding all the fire. A blast from the Dianooga would send the pirate drifting into the coldness of space.

 

[Vrashinal Karzinkaal]

As the blast rocked the hull of the Aurora, Vrash would keep himself afloat, bracing on his staff. On hand would reach down to steady Senator Zale. "First time you've been on a breached ship?" He asked with that old man laugh. Hauling her to her feet he'd hand her his staff. "They can seal the breach, use this to steady yourself."

His now freed hands would pull his helm on and seal the suit before he started to make his way to the gunner. The progress was slow at first as his muscles strained to remember how to work in such a craft. Once the old bones and sinew got used to it again, he found himself at the gunner seat.

One hand would grab the man and throw him over his shoulder. It was moments like these that he was grateful he switched out his jet boots for the mag boots, he never trusted space travel, even as a pirate. And after all the raiding he'd done, this was probably good karma so he took it in stride. Mag boots locked, he'd begin the laborious trek back to where Zale was.

A few times he either felt those boots slide or even his grip on the gunner falter, but the Old Kaleesh was unwilling to let the poor sod go.

@Darasuum @sayso @AutoFox @Faust Rex @Coleblah

 

[Trini Halrixien]

Trini cursed loudly as a pair of T-Wing starfighters swooped in, peppering the Dianoga with laser fire and sending it spinning. She shook her head, leaning forward in her cockpit as she scanned for additional incoming threats.

"This is Silver Bolide, thanks for the assist, TADF! I think I had 'im, though..."

"Debatable."

"You be quiet."

Zeezee, set in his socket just ahead of the main instrument panel, swiveled his head turret around to fix his single photoreceptor on the Amaran pilot, and though the droid could not affect true facial expressions, Trini nevertheless got the impression of a glare. She rolled her eyes, and angled her ship to fall back in beside the Aurora.

It was then that the young Pilot got her first look at the boarding craft latched onto the freighter.

"Kriff! Aurora this is Silver Bolide! What is your status?!"

@Faust Rex @sayso @Darasuum @Coleblah @Rhogar

 

[Nima Deleste]

.

An annoying, similar voice rung in Nima's ears. She swiftly turned her head and was met with a familiar face, the Kaleesh. He didn't seem to recognize Nima, but she definitely recognized him. However, Nima would have to hold back her desire to take his life, for it would be a bad look in front of the senator. Although Nima would definitely be looking for an opportunity to get rid of him.

Turning her head back towards the viewport, Nima witnessed the blast hit the Aurora; she lowered herself to widen her center of gravity in order to maintain her balance. After a short moment, Nima stood back up and looked out the viewport again; "How can they not handle three fighters...." Nima then turned to check on the Senator as the Kaleesh went off somewhere else. Blood was dripping from the Senator's head, staining her snow-white hair. Ripping off part of her cape, Nima quickly went towards Senator Zale; she held the cloth from the cape on the wound, while also helping the Senator maintain her balance. "Please do not hesitate to inform me if you believe you are going to die."

@Faust Rex @Darasuum @Coleblah @Rhogar @AutoFox