Escort Mission

[Aeron Mathis]

Escort Mission

¦¦¦⌬¦¦¦⌬¦¦¦⌬¦¦¦⌬¦¦¦⌬¦¦¦

Mr. Mathis,

it is my esteemed pleasure to offer you a personal mission by Borstal Defence VP Gunther Brisbane. Your mission is simple, meet our cargo craft at the coordinates attached to this message and escort said craft to it's destination, but be warned pirates have taken a liking to our merchandise and have been plaguing our trade route.

Good Luck,
Maria

The mission was simple enough, but if they were hiring mercenaries it was clear danger was to be expected. Morgan and Uhtred had decided to come along on this mission, but they'd also not had much of a choice. With the money from this job Aeron would be able to upgrade his ship putting him one step closer to finding Deucalia.

Aeron's Nexus Class light freighter, The Rudis had arrived at the coordinates and awaited their mark. Emone was connected to the ships main console and was busy running diagnostics and checking systems. A Mynok class light freightor snapped out of hyperspace a few clicks in front of them and Aeron spoke into his headset com, "Looks like we've got company, friends."

He angled The Rudis to the port side of the newly arrived ship and closed in and hailed the ship. Aeron switched his com into transmit mode and waited for the Mynok to accept.

"This is Borstal-734, I'm captain Vince Stragger, please identify yourself."

Aeron responded accordingly, naming himself and his ship in the way the man before him had done. A sigh of relief seemed to come over the captain and he said, "It's good to have you. I've lost several close friends over the past month."

"I won't make any promises, but we'll do our best to make sure this mission goes off without a hitch," he with calming confidence. "Lead the way captain Stragger, we have your six."

The captain agreed and angled toward their destination. Aeron cut the transmission and switched his comm back over, "Heads up brothers, it sounds like our enemy will be out for blood. Keep your eyes on your scanners."

@Korvo @Pontus

 

[M. Arcas]

It seemed that this planet finding venture was gearing up to go. Morgan hadn't been able to keep hold of a lot of credits. At no point in his life had he ever held a long term plan, after all. There had never been a need. But this Deucalia business would change things. The more he heard about what it would entail, the more he'd enjoyed seeing himself do it. This is what he'd craved. A great adventure, that might just one day make it onto the history books.

So, for the first time in the mercenary's existence, he was about to embark on a journey that hinged greatly on serious preparation. He was thankful to Mathis, and even Uhtred, who he did not know so well, for allowing him to come in on the ground floor of such a plan, and as a result here he stood. Rearing to shoot some things down and get a firmer understanding of just what it was that drove the two dark-haired individuals before him. They did, after all, seem to be moved by something other than his own lust for combat, wealth and glory. And, though he - who had never had it - could not quite understand it, there was something about the fervour in their eyes that made them interesting to watch.

Having familiarised himself with the area of the ship he'd been given control over, the Corellian's mouth tore open a grin as he replied to Aeron's alert, his tone bristling with excitement: "Would we really have it any other way?"

Some day, he'd find and improve a ship of his own, that would allow him a greater level of control. For now however, he was rather looking forward to experiencing how these so-called Raiders took care of business.
@Korvo @Zay

 

[Uhtred Wardruna]

It had been too long since Uhtred had been on a larger ship with a proper crew. His own ship, the Sceadugenga, was his pride and joy, but he had still needed to properly adorn her, not to mention recruit a full crew worthy of her. But everything would happen in its due time.

In the meantime, Uhtred sat back in his chair, quietly singing a tune to pass the time. He loved being in space, which was probably just the Deucalian in him, but it could be remarkably boring without something to keep one's attention.

"ᚠᚨᚱ ᛒᛖᚤᛟᚾᛞ ᛏᚺᛖ ᛟᛚᛞ ᛋᛚᚢᛗᛒᛖᚱᛁᚾᚷ ᛋᚢᚾ ᚲᛟᛚᛞ
ᛏᛟ ᛋᛏᚨᚱᛋ ᚨᚹᚨᚤ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛗᛖᛗᛟᚱᛁᛖᛋ ᛟᛚᛞ
ᚹᛖ ᛗᚢᛋᛏ ᚨᚹᚨᚤ ᛖᚱᛖ ᛒᚱᛖᚨᚴ ᛟᚠ ᛞᚨᚤ
ᛏᛟ ᛋᛖᛖᚴ ᛏᚺᛖ ᛈᚨᛚᛖ ᚠᛟᚱᚷᛟᛏᛏᛖᚾ ᚹᛟᛚᛞ.

ᛏᚺᛖ ᚹᛟᛚᚡᛖᛋ ᚹᛖᚱᛖ ᚺᛟᚹᛚᛁᚾᚷ ᛏᛟ ᛏᚺᛖᛁᚱ ᛈᛚᛁᚷᚺᛏ,
ᛏᚺᛖ ᚹᛁᚾᛞᛋ ᚹᛖᚱᛖ ᛗᛟᚨᚾᛁᚾᚷ ᛁᚾ ᛏᚺᛖ ᚾᛁᚷᚺᛏ.
ᛏᚺᛖ ᛒᛚᛟᛟᛞ ᚹᚨᛋ ᛋᚺᛖᛞ, ᛏᚺᛖ ᚹᚱᚨᛏᚺ ᛁᛏ ᛋᛈᚱᛖᚨᛞ;
ᛏᛟᚹᛖᚱᛋ ᛚᛁᚴᛖ ᛏᛟᚱᚲᚺᛖᛋ ᛒᛚᚨᛉᛖᛞ ᚹᛁᛏᚺ ᛚᛁᚷᚺᛏ.

ᛏᚺᛖ ᚺᚨᛗᛗᛖᚱᛋ ᚠᛖᛚᛚ ᛟ'ᛖᚱ ᛋᚺᛁᛖᛚᛞ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛒᛟᚾᛖ
ᛏᚺᛖ ᛋᚹᛟᚱᛞᛋ ᛏᚺᛖᚤ ᛒᛚᛖᛞ ᚨ ᚱᛖᛞ-ᛋᛟᚨᚴᛖᛞ ᛏᚺᚱᛟᚾᛖ
ᛏᚺᛖ ᛒᚨᛏᛏᛚᛖ'ᛋ ᚠᛁᚱᛖ, ᛏᚺᛖ ᚺᛖᚨᚱᛏᛋ ᛟᚠ ᛁᚱᛖ-"

The moment Aeron's voice came, Uhtred snapped back to the present.

"Would they?", Uhtred retorted gleefully. It'd been too long since he'd fought in space.

@Zay @Pontus

 

[Aeron Mathis]

Aeron and Emone took position just above the Borstal-734's tail. Morgan was in The Rudis's dorsal mounted turret and Uhtred was in the ventral. With both turrets online he was confident in their armament. From their vantage point, they had an unobstructed view of the space around them and they were poised to attack. Aeron's Nexus class light freighter wasn't the most agile vessel, but what it lacked in maneuverability it made up for with its dual turrets.

The Gladiator's eyes scanned the space before him with growing tension. Then he saw the first ship blink into existence.

"Incoming!" he barked into the com as the remainder of raiding party came into view.

Two light freighters and four starfighters made up the attack party. Stragger slowed his vessel and Aeron moved into the point position. One of the ship's began to hail and he answered.

"Evenin' all, I'm Capt'n Welsh and I'm afraid everything you've got belongs to me now," the captain started. Aeron smiled as the thrill of impending conflict took hold. His heart began to beat like a drum and he replied with, "I'll give you to the count of three."

Welsh barked a guffaw seeing Aeron's threat as false bravado, but he began to count down punctuating his point. "3..."

"Yer not serious--" Aeron cut the captain off, maintaining his cadence, "...2..."

"I'm calling your bl-- Aeron cut the transmission, switched his coms from transmit to internal and said, "Fire."


@Pontus @Korvo

 

[Uhtred Wardruna]

It was times like these that Uhtred had wished he'd had a skald around to sing something inspirational. Manning a gun was a pleasure in and of itself, but it was made even better when one had a rallying song to spur them on.

Hell with it


"ᛋᚨᛚᛞᛟᛖᛗ ᛏᚺᛖ ᚹᛁᛋᛖ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛗᛁᚷᚺᛏᚤ,
ᚺᛁᛞᛞᛖᚾ ᛁᚾ ᛏᚺᛖ ᛗᛁᛋᛏᛋ!
ᛒᛖᚤᛟᚾᛞ ᛏᚺᛖ ᛋᛁᚷᚺᛏ ᛟᚠ ᚺᛟᚾᛟᚱ-ᛞᛖᚨᛞ,
ᛏᚺᛖ ᛞᛖᚨᛞᛚᚨᚾᛞᛋ ᛟᚠ ᛋᚡᛁᛞᛁᛒᛖᛁᚾ!"

Singing aloud, Uhtred unleaded a barrage of laser-turret fire at the four fighters, scattering them and forcing them out of formation. Light flashed in his dilated pupils from a rush of adrenaline. The slight shaking from the discharge of plasma was something special, and Uhtred always got a rush from it.

"ᛋᚡᚨᚱᛏᚢᚱ ᛏᚺᛖ ᛁᚾᛋᚨᛏᛁᚨᛒᛚᛖ,
ᛒᚢᚱᚾᛁᚾᚷ ᛁᚾ ᛒᛚᚨᚲᚴᛖᚾᛖᛞ ᛋᚴᛁᛖᛋ!
ᚺᛖ ᚲᛟᚾᛋᚢᛗᛖᛋ ᛏᚺᛖᛗ ᚨᛚᛚ ᛁᚾ ᛒᛟᚾᛖᛋ ᚨᚾᛞ ᚨᛋᚺ,
ᛟᚺ ᛞᛖᚨᛞᛚᚨᚾᛞᛋ ᛟᚠ ᛋᚡᛁᛞᛁᛒᛖᛁᚾ!"

As the fighters scattered, Uhtred focused his gaze on one fighter in particular. It was performing a barrel roll after breaking from its attack run, and Uhtred lined up his turret to clip one of the fighter's wings, destabilizing it. A rush of turret fire lit up the space before Uhtred as the enemy fighter was eventually struck by the Uhtred's concentrated focus... and focus Uhtred did, as the fighter began spinning out of control and spiraling toward the Rudis.

"ᛏᚺᛖ ᚡᛚᚨᛞᛁᚱ ᚠᛚᛖᛖ ᛏᛟ ᚷᛟᛚᛞᛖᚾ ᚺᚨᛚᛚᛋ
ᚨᛋ ᛏᚺᛖ ᛞᛟᛟᚱᛋ ᛟᚠ ᚢᛚᚠᚨᚱᚺᛟᛚᛚ ᚹᛖᛚᚲᛟᛗᛖ ᛏᚺᛖᛗ!
ᛋᛖᛖ ᚾᛟᛏ ᛏᚺᛖ ᛚᛁᚷᚺᛏ ᛟᚠ ᛏᚺᛖ ᛒᚢᚱᚾᛁᚾᚷ ᛏᚱᛖᛖ,
ᚱᛖᛗᛖᛗᛒᛖᚱ ᛗᛖ, ᛞᛟᛟᛗ-ᛒᚱᛁᚾᚷᛖᚱ,
ᛁᚾ ᛏᚺᛖ ᛞᛖᚨᛞᛚᚨᚾᛞᛋ ᛟᚠ ᛋᚡᛁᛞᛁᛒᛖᛁᚾ!"

The trajectory of the damaged fighter was skewed, and Uhtred rapidly began to compensate for it, according to its distance, firing another barrage at it. Initially, it appeared that the vast majority of Uhtred's fire missed the mark, but eventually a stream of fire was ejected from the enemy fire, and within seconds, it detonated in spectacular display. One was down, and Uhtred turned his attention to the next fighter he saw, which likewise was beginning an attack run on the Rudis... and on a direct course to the ventral turret, Uhtred's own position, as the Deucalian moved his finger onto the trigger.

"ᛏᚺᛖ ᛞᚱᚨᚢᚷᚱ ᚱᛟᚨᛗ, ᚠᛟᚱᛋᚨᚴᛖᚾ ᛒᚤ ᚨᛚᛚ,
ᛞᚱᛁᚡᛖᚾ ᛏᛟ ᛖᚾᛞᛚᛖᛋᛋ ᛗᛁᛋᛏᛋ!
ᚨᛚᛟᚾᛖ ᛁᚾᛋᛁᛞᛖ ᛏᚺᛖ ᚲᚨᚷᛖ ᚢᚾᛖᚾᛞᛁᚾᚷ,
ᛟᚺ ᛏᛖᚱᚱᛁᛒᛚᛖ ᛋᚡᛁᛞᛁᛒᛖᛁᚾ!"

@Pontus @Zay

 

[M. Arcas]

A breath. As Mathis began the countdown, adrenaline flooded the Correlian-born's being. There was something about fighting in space that he'd loved. He'd never quite managed to figure it out, but it had to do with the quiet of it. Aside from the occasional messages through the intercoms, for the most part this was him and him alone.

His room, his rules, his tempo. Lubricated machinery and hydraulics sounded as the turret moved, and he alongside it, and then of course there was the high-pitched sound of plasma firing off into the void. There was a purity to it that he had always taken to.

As the initial barrage of shots were let out, and the raiders split up to begin their assault, Morgan spent the initial few moments assessing the situation. He'd fired here and there, to force the occasional fighter who seemed to be gearing up to shoot at their ship to move, but it hadn't been until he caught one of them exploding and the shot that did it in having originated from the Rudis itself, that the fair-haired individual realised: This Uhtred character was a better shot than him, and he seemed to be taking care of business well enough on his own.

Defensive firing was no longer a requirement, Morgan felt. If he didn't stick to a starfighter and blow it to smithereens quickly enough, the mission might well be over without him having done much of anything. And where'd be the fun in that?

His lips tore into a grin, as his turret shifted slightly to the right. From this point on, he'd be focusing on one fighter at a time, until there were no more to toys to play with.
@Korvo @Zay

 

[Aeron Mathis]

Aeron's eyes watched the battlefield come to life as the gunners began to unload. Uhtred took out a starfighter that was making an aggressive run and Morgan kept the other's at bay with defensive shots. Leaving the two freighters and three starfighters for them to deal with. The Borstal-734 peeled off to get out the fight and two of the fighters moved to intercept.

Aeron dropped The Rudis into their path and would allow his comrades to dispatch of them. The gladiator scanned the starscape attempting to determine where the pirate leader was. Suddenly, the ship shook as incoming fire raked across the ship's nose. Aeron could see one of the light freighters approaching from the top and his sensor indicated the other coming from the bottom.

"Incoming, blow them out of space!"

Aeron knew it was now or never, if they couldn't manage to hold out under this barrage they'd be in serious trouble and the Brostal-734 would be a sitting duck. There was still a starfighter out there, but he couldn't worry about it right now, he needed to bridge the gap for the merchant vessel to get clear so they could complete this mission.

@Pontus @Korvo

 

[Uhtred Wardruna]

Uhtred had served on a larger vessel before. It wasn't common; Deucalians tended to attack with fast raids, hit-and-run tactics and the like, so small fighters and bombers were normally their style. Each warrior was his own army, so to speak. By now, it had been so long ago that Uhtred had forgotten what it was like to lose part of that control.

As he was lining up his shot, still singing like a skald to himself, the stars suddenly shifted. His shot was negated, and in fact his entire venue had changed, and by the moment, was changing still.

Evasive maneuvering, Uhtred had mused to his conclusion, sighing but with understanding.

This was why working as a team actually took work and practice; shots had to be set up, in tandem with protective fire and defensive flight action. But in a way, this was even more-exhilarating for Uhtred. The thrill of the battle was more spontaneous, as if each moment was part of a blind hunt. In fact, he'd become so captivated that Uhtred hadn't even noticed that he'd stopped singing.

As the freighters made their play, rocking the Rudis-with incoming fire, Uhtred turned his ventral turret toward the enemy vessel approaching at the underbelly. It was a pincer-tactic. Basic, usually best when executed as a form of flanking, not as the primary attack, but it was still effective.

At once, as Aeron redirected their efforts, Uhtred let loose a volley of reddened blaster fire at one of the hostile freighters. It was a bulkier target, which made it easier to hit, but was certain to have better protective means than mere fighters. Whether in reinforced armor or shields, it didn't matter, and Uhtred would do his best to circumvent it. Concentrating his attack at a single vector, Uhtred sent all his ordnance to the starboard side of the enemy freighter, raining down fire until a burst of gas created a brief chemical fire in the vacuum of space, and a visible electrical surge sparked out from the breached hull.

The enemy freighter was damaged, that much was very obvious, but Uhtred had no way of knowing the extent. And frankly, it didn't matter, nor would it have changed what the Battle-Master would do next. Now tasting proverbial blood, Uhtred doubled down on his firing tactic, laying on as much concentrated damage to the already evident hull breach.

@Pontus @Zay

 

[M. Arcas]

As Aeron's words rang out through Morgan's com, the fair-haired Corellian braced himself. He loved the feeling of the G forces created by evasive maneuvering. It was less fun when he wasn't the one behind the proverbial wheel, but you take what you can get.

His eyes hadn't needed to look to his sensors. He'd immediately noticed the same freighter Mathis had. The centrifugal force still rushed through him, gluing him to his seat, as his thumb pressed the fire button, unloading a barrage of plasma, aimed precisely at the freighter's cockpit.

More important aspects of ships were always better defended, but Morgan's time as a mercenary had taught him one very simple thing: your run-of-the mill thieves weren't the bravest sort. They relied on scare tactics, knowing it'd avoid bloodshed most of the time, and even when some occurred, they believed that as long as they bared their teeth a little, hired guns too would value life over cargo.

"Let's see who blinks first, shall we?" - he said to none in particular, his grin deepening further still.

In truth, even if the enemy freighter's shields could hold, watching light-cannon fire hit your probably inexpensive shield mere feet away from the transparisteel layer that separated captain and crew from the unforgiving vacuum of space was generally enough to scare the pants out of most.

And who knew if it could? He'd certainly been throwing enough firepower at it. These pirates had gotten themselves a chicken race, and the Rudis had had the better starting position. They hadn't fired yet, and their shields were already being damaged. If they changed directions, Arcas would be able to follow them, and eventually crush them. If they kept their path, then a bolt of plasma would be making its way through that clear layer and the captain and his control centre would be scorched before deep space froze them.

By now he'd noted the pincer tactic, but he'd seen enough of Uhtred's turret skills to firmly believe that this dark-haired man would be able to handle the other bogey without much of a hitch, perhaps even before he'd taken care of his.
@Korvo @Zay

 

[Aeron Mathis]

Aeron bellowed a warcry as Uhtred blew one of the two freighters out of space. The Gladiator knew the captain's ship would be the most dangerous and based on that run the leader of these pirates was in the freighter that had made a run at their topside.

Aeron flipped his comms to transmit and said, "Morgan, the freighter you just hit is the boss. I'm taking us in to finish him. Uhtred, the three fighters will be on us soon. Keep your eyes peeled!"

With that Aeron threw the throttle forward and the Rudis shot forward. Aeron swung the ship in to a lateral corkscrew motion that transitioned the Nexus light freighter under and a little behind the wounded freighter. As they moved in for the kill the other three ships went into motion. Two cut in from the left and in Uhtred's line of sight, the third moved in behind them and tried to take out their engines. Aeron shifted his flight pattern into an erratic sway. It was unfortunate, but if he sat still they'd lose the engines and they could kiss the Borstal-734 goodbye.

Two shots slammed against the hull of the Rudis and Emone wailed beside him. The little droid disconnected from the console and shot off into the ship. It chortled hurried droid speak as it rounded the corner and shot toward the engine room. The only bit Aeron was able to piece together was, "Fire!"

The Gladiator set his jaw and held his trajectory, he moved in a lateral circle and as he came back into a central median he said, "It's now or never Morgan!"

Once the pirate captain was out of the way he'd be able to throw the Rudis into a defensive flight pattern, but he wouldn't relent until their leader was eradicated. He hoped Uhtred would be able to keep the other two fighters busy as they moved in.

@Pontus @Korvo

 

[Uhtred Wardruna]

Uhtred enjoyed the hunt, the thrill of the battle, but there was always a level of frustration that came with attacking snub-fighters. They were small, fast and as maneuverable as one could get in space. Hell, that was often the reason why many Deucalian raiders preferred attacking in swarms of fighters and bombers; you hit hard, hit fast, and never got-hit yourself, unless forced into a dogfight which leveled the playing field.

Two hostile fighters sped past Uhtred's line of sight as he struggled to keep up with them. They were flying in close, but kept their speed up. In theory, flying so close to the Rudis-was actually a dangerous tactic for them, as it brought them well within the range of a more powerful vessel, but they used their speed and acceleration to their highest advantage, swooping in and then back out before Uhtred could get an effective lock on them.

"ᚴᛁᛚᛚ ᛁᛏ ᚹᛁᛏᚺ ᛒᚢᚷ ᛒᛁᛏᛖᛋ...", Uhtred muttered in aggravation. This was the very tactic that Deucalians frequently used to take down larger, more powerful ships. Of course, they didn't invent it, but it was an odd feeling to be on the receiving end for once.

But... there was one notable weakness.

Uhtred didn't try to lock them down on their approach vector; it was too easy a thing for them to evade oncoming enemy fire while making their attack run. However, while they were almost untouchable during the closing phase, their break before reformation was anything but. It was almost a straight flight at top acceleration to get out of range. After all, one never wanted to have one's enemies right behind them. Normally, this was a tricky period to attack, as there was often no way to tell the way a pilot would break away after their attack run. But here, these fighters were attacking in an almost perfectly linear fashion. It gave them speed and good evasion, but at the cost of their paths being predictable if one got accustomed to it.

And Uhtred had.

Ignoring their attack vector, Uhtred aligned his turret in position for where their fly-by would take them, and sure enough, after unleashed a spray of fire at the Rudis, Uhtred saw nothing but their exhaust ports flying past, vulnerable and practically begging to be blown apart. So he obliged.

Unleashing a barrage of blasterfire, Uhtred felt a slightly numbing sensation trickle through his arms as he opened fire on both fighters. Small explosions appeared as plasma detonated against titanium and durasteel, and Uhtred knew he had gotten some hits in. He couldn't know how effective it was or how many shots managed to do legitimate damage, but he wasn't about to let them, either of them, escape his range unscathed. Small pockets of fire, all too quickly snuffed out by the void of space, popped up along the trajectory flight path of the enemy fighters, and Uhtred let a smile grow onto his face.

ᚱᚢᛈᛏᚢᚱᛖᛞ ᚠᚢᛖᛚ ᛚᛁᚾᛖ, Uhtred had concluded.

It was one of them, or perhaps both of them, but there was definitely a fatality impending. And even if one of them had survived his attack, to say that Uhtred had provided a suitable distraction, well, that was an understatement.

@Pontus @Zay

 

[M. Arcas]

The thieves' main freighter was better fitted than the others it seemed, but not well enough. With less hands or firepower, perhaps this might've been the trio's final chapter. But at the speed Uhtred seemed to be making foes reduced to rubble, and with Aeron fully devoted to evasive manoeuvring, this Captain Welsh never stood a chance.

The end-game had begun. The three fighters began to rush them in a display of smoke and mirrors, to force their eyes away. Ironically, should Morgan have been close with Aeron or Uhtred, this might've worked. He might've focused on the swifter and thereby more pressing concerns along with the Deucalian expert. But these three were strangers, for the most part, and Morgan had laid his life in their hands. He held no control over the Rudis, and as a result would be powerless to do anything to prevent or defend it. All he could do was focus fire and cut off the head of the snake.

When Mathis's voice sounded in his com, the fair-haired individual knew what to expect. G force once again pressed him against the seat's padded lining as the Rudis zigged and zagged, reducing the possibility of them being hit, leading the Corellian's crosshairs astray.

But the better captain had won the battle, and with it the war. Aeron had secured the better positioning, and Welsh's shields, that had already been peppered, ultimately gave out. A burst of blaster shots punched three holes in the ship's hull, with smoke following shortly thereafter.

Morgan's finger rose from the trigger, to allow the turret to cool down, before his next barrage of shots pierced through the transparisteel lining of the cockpit. There might've been survivors inside the craft, but Welsh would not be counted among them, and this was a freighter no longer. Right now it was little more than scrap.

"I'm not sure I'm happy with this." - Morgan's voice rang out over the communication system - "Our lives were on the line and all, but you could've left some for me. I mean, after a while, you were just showing off."

Though mostly said in jest - the words of a man who was relieved to not have died - there was a hint of actual, pointed frustration to his tone. A fight was a pure thing that offered a thrill like few other things, underhanded tactics and all, and Morgan genuinely felt he could've gotten more out of this one.

When the assignment was over and they were back in solid ground, he'd demand compensation from Uhtred in the one way he knew how: Booze. The Deucalian was too good at shooting, so Arcas'd have to try his hand at drinking him under the table. The dude with a strange accent did look like he could put a few drinks away, which would only make what he firmly believed would be his ultimate victory all the more satisfying.
@Korvo @Zay

 

[Aeron Mathis]

Uhtred and Morgan didn't disappoint. The duo handled their enemies with ruthless vigor leaving only the starfighter tailing them as their opposition. Aeron maintained his evasive undulation refusing to allow the fighter the satisfaction of revenge. Emone rolled back in and returned to the console. Dark splotches dotted the little droid and it grunted a quip as it reconnected to the ship.

Aeron hailed the starfighter tailing them, after a moment the enemy ship answered, "Ready to give up, eh?" Came the feeble brovado of the pilot.

"Not even close," the gladiator retorted.

"What is it then?"

"This is your only chance, leave or die," answered Mathis.

In that hesitation, Aeron acted. He slammed on the breaks and dipped in elevation. The starfighter couldn't react quick enough be for The Rudis was closing in. Both turrets would have a shot on the starfighter there was no escape unless they chose to let the pilot live. A low whistle came over the transmission.

"You got me. I'd like to live if that's still on the table." said the pilot.

"Shut down your weapons, now," replied Aeron. A moment later Emone signaled the starfighter's weapon's had been disengaged. He muted the channel and radioed the Borstal-734.

"Stragger, plot your jump. We'll watch the fighter until you jump and then we'll meet you on the other side," ordered Aeron.

Vince complied and thanked them for their help. Switching back to the enemy, Aeron said, "Shut your engines down, now."

"Fine," retorted the pirate. Emone again signaled the beings compliance. Aeron muted the line and told Emone to start plotting their course. The Gladiator left the starfighter pilot hanging until their course had been plotted. The Borstal-734 shot off into hyperspace, and Aeron unmuted the transmission.

"You were lucky, don't tempt fate a second time." As he finished he pressed the throttle forward and engaged the hyperdrive. The stars elongated into pure white lines and he cut the transmission as the starscape combusted into the undulating mottled blues of hyperspace.

Aeron transmitted to the rest of the ship, "Mission accomplished, brothers."

End.​

@Pontus @Korvo