Ask Plundering Picaroons

Yossk entered the room in full gear, the fur tassles of his helmet gently brushing against the Gundark shoulder cape as he turned his helmet. On one hip was the deep purple-blacks of his vibro-axe, on his other hip was his lightsaber, and along the small of his back rested two blaster pistols. He made sure that he would not be taken by supprise by anything like what happened to his father. Behind him, flanking him on either side, walked inside two IG assassin droids armed with some beefy blaster rifles. It was clear that the group were neither going to launch into action nor relinquish their arms so they were allowed in. That brought in a level of tension one could cut with a blunt knife. Yet Yossk knew what would happen here and he would do nothing but use the tension to keep anyone who would attempt to even think about showing the reptile who's boss at bay.

"I also say each of us gain a level of stock in your company. I am not asking for anything close to a large controlling amount, maybe like five to ten percent each. I'll be asking for ten as I bring with me the crown jewel of the Trandoshan navy, but the rest of your offer is fine as long as the rest of us are compensated according to hoe much we bring to the table." His reptilian frame leaned back into the chair he was seated at as his eyes looked to either side of him to figure out who all he had to work with. He probably would be bringing the bulk of the heavier craft, as he already put in for Power Slave to be readied and for Division Bell to be prepped with a compliment of Cutlass-9 fighters and a mix of boarding craft and bombers armed with ion weaponry.

Yossk slowly stroked his chin as he just realized something... did this person even have a plan? Or would that be layed on those who they hired? He was a military leader after all, it probably would be best to allow him formulate a plan after he could take stock of all the forces they had. No doubt the Dosh would be the ones that would have to bring the heavy equipment, Yossk already knew that going into this meeting, but it was clear that he would have overestimated the group. He would bet they didn't even have a capital ship to split between them, which if they did would be a huge shock. It probably would just be a larger freighter, or something like a CR90, but still another capital craft would be another capital craft.

"Now, what is the plan on getting your prize? Or is that up to us?"

@AutoFox

The Group Leader of Rancor Squadron spoke evenly but with interest after Helen finished her tale. "Rancor Squadron has a few corvettes, a carrier with starfighters and warriors to match of course." His chest puffed out a little bit, proud and confident of the assets he had cultivated thus far as the leader and founder of the mercenary group. When compared to an Ugly like the TIEhunter Helen had shown, Fang class interceptors would be more than a match so long as the pilots did not get sloppy or reckless. The helmeted Mikkian was not yet agreeing fully to the job though he expected he would say yes. Their numbers were still growing and the quality of their craft and equipment was improving as well. But services from an elite Mandalorian warband was not cheap. He did not want to share too many details. Anyone that was curious about Rancor Squadron's precise composition would possibly find out in person.

The Trandoshan who looked remarkably familiar spoke first. Hauron turned his attention towards Yossk's as he sat in his own chair. Behind him stood two Mandalorians in armor painted primarily in varying hues of red, black and orange. On each of them was the sigil of Rancor Squadron, a rancor and opposing was the fabled mythosaur though one had a dire badger and the other had a crow.

As usual, Hauron had his sonic blaster secured next to his jetpack on his back. A pair of slug thrower pistols were on either hip hinting that out here, he used the lawlessness to his advantage. The two Mandalorians accompanying him were also well armed even for outer rim mercenaries. This is what Helen Holocomb would be paying for.

Hauron was curious to see what the Lepi offered up as payment first. Holocomb Garages was a budding company and like Rancor Squadron, could use some support. The battlegroup did not have the resources yet to produce ships on the scale he wanted and they could use all the safe dry docks they could get. Hulk-854 seemed like a good haven to have.

"Credits say a lot and I'm no stranger to bartering. I'd like to see this Hulk put to good use rather than sit dilapidated. But depending on what we can come to in terms of price, I think it sounds like it could be honest work for honest pay to me." He continued in galactic standard basic with a tone that said he was enthusiastic about challenging some squatting pirates. "Oya!" The Mandalorians behind him cheered together and nodded their helmed heads in support. They were all eager for a fight since Kessel. There were standard expenses however and it was only fair to expect compensation.

@Olwin @AutoFox @Mr. Teatime @The Good Doctor @Tic

Aden Archer listened to what his friend Ears had to say and he was interested. A mass pirate cleaning operation, credits involved, and first pick of what would turn up in Holcomb Garages. The mercenary pilot also looked towards the lizard and the Mandalorian what they had to say while the pilot himself was helped himself to a glass of corellian brandy. Aden understood that Yossk was the son of the Trandoshan 'Khagan', whatever that means, but was a planetary leader or senator of some sort. Hauron Solus appears to be the leader of Rancor Squadron, a mercenary group of Mandalorians. They appeared at Kessel when the Cartel tried taking over.

Bravebird doesn't do any jobs for free, but he doesn't care to try haggling further with his frequent partner/friend. The bounty on the Neo-Lancers dead or alive should be fine. It's not like Aden is strapped for credits anyway. Plus he is interested to see what Halcomb Garages can cook up.

The Trandoshan and Mandalorian seem very inclined to go along with this, and if they commit their with their considerable assets - which looks likely - then this will probably be an easy if not big battle. Aden did see the projection of the 'TIEhunter'. Typically 'Uglies' are shoddy, improvised craft that are barely space-worthy.

So what does Aden think? "Well, I think this sounds like fun." He would smile. "I'm in" Aden doesn't need much convincing really. This could indeed turn out be enjoyable. The spacer doesn't particularly care about having a stake in Holcomb's company, but if he ends up getting a percentage, however small, that is just fine.

@AutoFox

Aden mentally skipped over the talk about stocks and other corporate stuff. It just sounds really boring and not something he is interested in. Aden would just turn around and enjoy his brandy.

The spacer saw that a newcomer has joined. They seem to want to participate but don’t seem to have a ship. Aden would wait to see if someone else has something. Maybe the people in here with the small fleets do.

What doesn’t sound boring is the talk about the pirates and how to deal with them. Aden’s attention would return and he would have an idea of his own. “Divide and conquer” he said. “We can have fast and agile ships bait as many of the pirates as possible, then lure them away, the our attack groups move in while a bulk of their forces are divided and too far away.” Aden stated his idea. “I volunteer to be the bait” he said with confidence. To him is sounds like a good idea. Pirates tend to be undisciplined, rash, and trigger happy so he would imagine they would fall for it.

@AutoFox @Darasuum @Tic @Olwin

Hauron was glad to hear someone was ready to just jump in. Aden was a stranger to the Mandalorian but he could still size him up well enough to know he knew his limits and abilities. As far the Rally Master was concerned, he was an ace.

The Group Leader nodded his head at hearing what Helen said about the station. But the mention of Kessel caused him to raise and eyebrow and slowly tilt his head to one side. The badger had not expected to run into someone involved with the event out here but the galaxy was sometimes felt smaller than he thought.

Another arrival announced their intrest following the veteran pilot but the Imperial was lacking a ship. Hauron tilted his helmeted head and regarded the man for a moment before speaking to add to Helen's words. "I have a starship or two that might be suitable. Half covers the ship I think as long as you earn your keep, Mr Solari. " They might not be the most ideal for the man but Hauron was not offering his best ships. Beggars could not be choosers.

The starships available would be shown on a hologram for Kellan to view if he was interested. In order of the fastest to slowest, the first and perhaps oldest out of the selection was a scyk class light starfighter. The second was a Ruusaan variant of the Aka'jor class shuttle. Third was the first of Hauron's personal ships to be offered and showed the name in aurebesh Antillean Wedge. Last but not least was the Beloved Lance, the second personal vessel that the Mandalorian was offering for the Imperial to fly. Each of the vessels would be sanitized for data before use by Kellan since he did not need to know Rancor Squadron's or Hauron's recent locations. "Take your time." The Solus said and let the man hold the holoprojector and flip between the different ships.

Helen hinted at some ideas but the Mikkian wondered if she would tell them them the composition. Maybe she did not know the precise numbers and there needed to be more scouting before an offensive move was made. Before Hauron could ask any question Aden provided a strategy and volunteered himself to be the bait further convincing the Mandalorian the pilot was confident in his skills and talents. This would provide the least amount of danger towards this anti-piracy group as they felt out the location and defenses the corsairs possessed. Hauron knew he would likely be standing aboard the Dralaalar during this operation and directing the other ships in their maneuvers. It sounded like Rancor Squadron was going to get to be the main fighting force in this case.

@The Good Doctor @AutoFox @Tic @Olwin

Yossk tilted his head back for a moment and slightly stared upwards in thought. It was clear this company was much poorer than what he thought and so has to readjust his plan. His planet didn't need one time monetary contributions, it needed a stable source of revenue from whatever it could scrape together. Piracy in this day and age could work, but that's best held as a last resort. Besides, it would be a very small profit margin or none at all if the crew's didn't return. Their planet had few valuable natural resources, was not gorgeous enough to act as a resort, and their industry would take years if not decades to actually be strong enough to make a small profit. So he would have to expand his search for income... and this station could be the start of something greater. After the moment of thought he turned his head back down to the creature who called this band together and stared at them with those eyes. Those predatory eyes, the eyes of a species born to do nothing more than hunt and kill. And with that, his scaled head nodded slowly.

"Profit sharing and use of parts of the station is an acceptable replacement. I suggest that if we take the station," the Trandoshan spoke surprisingly softly and quietly for his species, "we clear those pirates out and turn what areas you do not need into a minor trade hub. More buisness for you, more profit for the lot of us, and more funds to expand operations and the station if need be. But that is a plan for after we succeed, and for that we need a plan of attack.

I have a Carrack-class Cruiser that I shall be bringing, along with a Quasar-class Light Carrier filled with fighters and some smaller escort craft. While indeed we need a distraction Aden Archer, I feel you would be a less prime target than them. What I would recommend is a two stage attack. The first is hammer and anvil, where we, the anvil, bait them in and our other vessels in hiding smash into their exposed flanks. After that brutal attack all we would need to do is mop up the rest of the pirates and claim the hulk as ours. And if our ally here needs a fighter, i can offer him a Super Kobra from the old alliance."

@The Good Doctor @Tic @AutoFox @Darasuum

The spacer followed along, now there is more of a complete picture of what they would be fighting against. The Vengence class and the Gozantis are familiar craft. The Vengeance frigate would be a tough nut to crack, as it has heavy armor plating, forgoing the use of shields.

So Helen has the plan and it sounds good to him. Aden would say nothing, he has no questions at this point, he would look towards the others. With one last sip, he would finish his drink and set the glass down. He's ready to go when everyone else is.

@AutoFox @Darasuum @Tic @Olwin

The Group Leader was not in the least bit offended. The choice was a smart one since the Mikkian Mandalorian had learned about the capabilities of the former Free World Alliance starfighters. A Super Kobra was a good pick and the Rally Master took back the projector before pocketing it.

Aden's original plan sounded good to Hauron's ears though there were some good follow up suggestions and points made. The Rally Master crossed his gauntleted arms over armored chest as he listened and looked at the space between them.

"Why don't we do all of those things?" He liked everyone's idea and thought they had a place. "You don't win a war with one battle and you don't win a battle with one plan." The Mandalorian would continue and look towards Aden and then Kellan. "I think a vanguard group of the fastest small ships fake being an exploration convoy. Light freighters with a light fighter escort will lure the pirates in. The fighter escort will engage but that's what the pirates will expect. Take a few out while the freighters and gunships begin leading the pirate fighters away from their heavy ships. The heavies might try to follow but our small ships will lead their Uglies and faster craft out of range of their capital ships."

They were all in an agreement that taking on the starfighters would not be too difficult a task. It was their numbers and the larger ships that posed an unavoidable threat. The trick would be making the corsairs underestimate the vanguard group. If turned out to be anything in the station after all it would have even further to come and attack them. He wanted the small ships to be able to handle what came their way.

Hauron continued defining of his vision of the strategy ahead. "The heavies will practically limp after their starfighters if they want to stay in range." The fastest of the larger pirate ships was the gozanti but even the Rancor Squadron's starfighter carrier was capable of reaching the same speed as a stock bulk cruiser. "While they think the only game in the system is this convoy, that's when our Anvil come in." He looked towards Yossk. "You draw them in just as you said and once you've engaged, I'll have Rancor Squadron drop in on their flanks." The Trandoshan's fleet was likely slower while Rancor Squadron's capital ships could catch up to starfighters. "I can split up my forces to aid the vanguard group or reinforce on other fronts. But even if these pirates are smart, their days are numbered." The Mandalorian looked at each person in turn to see if they had further input. If not, Hauron was ready to go. Any more detail now in a plan and it would be squashed after first contact with the enemy. There was even a chance all of their current plan would go out the window.

@AutoFox @The Good Doctor @Tic @Olwin

His claws raised to his chin as Yossk slowly stroked it deep in thought. It was clear he had access to only a few ships that could pass as a distraction, but the rest would be too obvious for a pirate with a quarter of a brain to attack. A Carrack Cruiser, though it probably would go down to a swarm of fighters, would absolutely brutalize the pirate forces if any attacked. An ancient design still useful in the modern era. His mind reached to those mercenary contacts he knew and a few names floated across his head. Then it clicked for him. He knew just enough to bring a decently sized hauling fleet.

"The Dosh navy has access to three TC-7 Fuel Haulers, plus a Quasar-class Bulk Cruiser, and if need be we can stick our necks out to find and hire some privateers who use freighters. That would be a significant enough force to draw any hijacker out. Then we strike and annihilate them." The Trandoshan had some tact beyond just grabbing his fleet and smashing though other ships. He knew this mission would require setting up an enemy like domino's only to trick them and knock them all down. This would be a mission that would allow Yossk to flex his tactical muscle and would allow him to further train him and his crew, to further hone them into the finest fighting crew they could be to save his home from the rule of the Hutts. Maybe he could even use some of these allies to assist with that.

"A Carrack Cruiser would be an excellent choice to get into the flanks, 80 MGLT is not a bad speed for its fire power." He knew that the Mandalorian felt his ships would be sluggish and ineffective for anything else than being a simple tool to beat the pirate fleets against. Yossk was quite sure that his fleet would absolutely shred the Mandalorians in a fight but that's neither here nor there. "The other ships I hold will most definitely be held in a less mobile position and keeping their fire sustained on the enemy. Powerslave and her crew have been trained to fire on the move, let us act as the rabbit for them to chase and the fist to knock their teeth out with."

@Tic @AutoFox @The Good Doctor @Darasuum

Now they are in space after the group settled on a plan on action. Bravebird for his part was saddled at the helm of his craft, the Peregrine, feeling it's ability to hunt down and kill pirate starfighters will be handy with it's speed and armament, be able to temporarily disengage when against overwhelming numbers (and just in case the plan goes south). The Peregrine's speed and agility should also aid in in evading cannon fire from the Neo-Lancer's more ponderous, less graceful ships.

Apart of this slow moving convoy towards the middle was a Wayfarer-class Transport called the Carryall. It would be an unremarkable freighter, like the rest, carrying tons of cargo in the triple digit numbers. A juicy target with lots of cargo. Even if the transport's model would be hardy in it's own right, it wouldn't fare well against a large pirate group. But the Carryall had an exit in it's port cargo bay, and in that cargo bay lies the grounded Peregrine. It was discussed with the Carryall's captain, if the pirates show up and the pirates are drawn in, open the hangar door.

For now, the Peregrine would have it's basic systems, running on low power, not emitting any signals, and the S-foils on his craft folded upwards. He would use his comlink built in to his helmet to have a conversation with his onboard astromech droid to past the time. Aden would check his chrono, all is quiet so far.

"Any moment now" Aden would mutter, as he would tighten the grip on his ships control yoke "Take the bait..." Suffice to to say, Bravebird was ready for the sortie to commence.

@AutoFox @Darasuum @Tic @Olwin

Hauron took a slow breath in and back out through his nose as he listened to Yossk. His stoic Mandalorian T visor was the only expression available to the others. The Trandoshan suggested adding more fire power and numbers to the bait if he was understanding him correctly. It was obvious he had a desire to prove himself, desperate almost and wanted to have his scaly fingers in everything. That kind of characteristic put their own people at risk but the Rally Master would keep an eye on Yossk and insulate Rancor Squadron.

"Thank you for the offer but I think...it would be most efficient if your forces retained unit cohesion." It was is polite way of saying that the Carrack cruiser should stay with his main fleet. It also hopefully nudged the Trandoshan into not overfilling the bait with numbers. The convoy could not look too numerous or dangerous, otherwise the plan was pointless. Rancor Squadron was also as elite as it was exclusive and the Mandalorian fighting force was trained to fight with one another well and less so with outside groups. This was their first time working with Yossk and his former Free World Alliance fleet. Trust and respect had to be earned and the badger was not yet convinced that Yossk's forces had the discipline needed. Time would tell.

Some time later, Hauron was standing on board the bridge of the Dralaalar. The Berex class carrier was sitting in high orbit whilst in the shadow of Brancar itself. Minimal systems were online at present to keep their signature from showing on active sensors. Communication suites were set up to receive but all of Rancor Squadron knew to keep comms silence until given the signal.

Hauron spoke softly, feeling the subconscious urge to be quiet as he gave orders from his flagship. <”What’s our ETA towards the day side of Brancar?”> The deck officer responsible for the timer was in full beskar’gam and looked at their display before turning towards the Solus Rally Master. <”Right on schedule sir.”> Hauron nodded and walked towards his command chair in front of an assortment of displays. <”Good.”>

<”Keep an eye out for debris. I don’t want a field of scrapped starfighters to soften us before we even get started.”> Thanks to the pirate activity and the history of the system there was a lot of scrap and dangerous material just floating out in space. Even as the Mandalorian mercenaries waited for their chance to strike they needed to be careful of other dangers. <”Aye aye.”>

When it came time to move, Hauron knew that their energy signature might give them away. But that was why they would be activating with the sun behind them. Solar flares and other energy readings from the center of the solar system would potentially make it difficult for the already occupied pirates to notice the Mandalorian approach vector. Not to mention looking towards the sun and seeing a host of Mandalorian ships seemed like a terrifying event.

The Mikkian let his spine rest against the back of his chair. All of his Mandalorians were in position. They just needed for the brigands to take the bait. <”Great game comes to the patient hunter.”> He mumbled to himself.

@AutoFox @Tic @Olwin @The Good Doctor

The Division Bell and the smaller TC-7 Fuel Haulers were mixed in with the massed convoy of freighters hiding in plain sight. All of the Z-95 Headhunters and Cutlass-9 Starfighters aboard the larger bulk carrier were loaded with their Pilots and pre-positioned for take off, yet were powered down to ensure they would not be caught. To make it seem like this was not just a trap as all four VCX-820 Escort Freighters and the fleets last Lancer Pursuit Craft were mixed in to act as a protection detail along with a squadron of more Cutlass-9s flying point.

The lead of the triplets was at the helm of the attacking force as her warpaint screamed into the void. Powerslave was there on the field and ready for battle. Her engined were off but the test of her systems were online and ready for battle. She hid along a small cluster of space bourne debris near the station, waiting for a signal to jump into combat. She had been there for quite some time to subtly help with the rest of the fleet. She slowly but surely had been jamming the pirate radar systems, making it seem like there was some sort of solar wind or the debris cloud was causing the problems and it would pass. They would pass, as Yossk and his crew would ensure the vast majority would not leave this base alive.

"Powerslave is in position," the young Trandoshan spoke as the vast majority of his fleet was ready to pounce, "ready to route these pirates."