- Joined
- Feb 2, 2014
- Messages
- 406
- Reaction score
- 0
Zonju V
Kardai lounged across the overly large command chair in her ship. Her knees draped over one arm of it while her back nestled probably more uncomfortably than not, against the other armrest. In her lap she studied over the documents and charts of shipping lanes and patrol routes. Truth was, Kardai and the Apate had been watching this route for weeks now, hunting so near more militarized groups had been risky, but the pay had been much greater when it came to false securities.
For the time being they were tracking a freighter as it approached Wild Space. One reported to be carrying a rather large cache of weapons. Weapons were always a hot target, especially ones heading to such lawless areas – meant most of them were likely unregistered.
Finally Kardai could wait no longer, the nearer they got to Zonju V the more uneasy she felt. She certainly didn’t want to entangle herself with these Space Cowboys anymore than she had to. They’d been dodging them for months now, and sitting practically on their doorstep was both mocking and made a good target if they wanted to come after them.
Shifting around in her chair she put her booted feet back on the deck and pushed herself up, tossing the pad into the now vacant seat. Casting a glimpse towards Ryko she gave her nod, “Rally the Crew.”
Kards paced back and forth just slightly as she ran her plan through her mind quickly. It wouldn’t be much of a difference than their normal tactics. Hide in the shadow of Zonju V, then hit them, hit them fast, and disable them.
Her thoughts drew back to focus as the repetitive alert klaxon chimed overhead, a yellow light flickered in rhythm with it, her ship was small and the few crew members that reported easily fit within the command center of the vessel. Kardai went over the basic outline of her plan. How it was going to go down, how she expected everyone to help when it came to boarding the other ship. They’d take what they could get out quickly, one trip. Kards never came up with a formal structure of battle, a lot of it was on the fly, but it didn’t routinely fail them, and most of the time things never went according to plan anyhow, so it was a waste of breath to try. She also never told them precisely what they were going after and where nor when, lessened the chances of a spy or infiltrator reporting back on what they were going after. She’d tell them when they needed to know, and not a nanosecond before. The only person who routinely knew what Kardai’s plans were, was her First Mate, Ryko.
“Tracked Vessel is emerging from hyperspace.” Chimed in the droid humming by the sensor console.
“To your posts.” Kardai ordered, quickly disbursing the gathered crew off to go gather up their packs and weapons, to prepare for boarding along with their repulsor lifts for the cargo containers within the freighter.
“Pay day Ryko, lets go.” She more or less ordered the Mandalorian, nodding towards the helm controls, then glimpsing towards the gunners at the adjacent consoles, “Keep on your toes, communication array first, then engines.”
It would be a mistake in that order, but that was yet to come.
As the swift IR-3F bolted into flank speed, it emerged from the darkened side of Zonju V, its matte black hull was an ominous blurry shape as it picked up speed towards the slowing freighter.
“Get ready.” Kards glimpsed towards the gunners again and placed her hands on one of the consoles ahead of her, leaning against it slightly as she watched through the view ports of the bridge. She didn’t have to pay any attention to the ranges listed on the readouts below her, she never did, she knew the Apate well enough to know when her own ship was in firing range.
“Fire!”
The four turbolaser turrets burst to life as those bolts headed right for the communications array on the freighter, an eruption from the area with bits of debris came as the Apate cruised right past the freighter, a glimpse towards the droid as she questioned, “Did they get any comms off?”
“Negative Captain, the freighter was still powering her systems when the communications array was destroyed.”
“Grea..” Kardai started to remark just as her entire vessel rocketed, stumbling her into the console as alerts lit up all over the consoles around them.
“What the frell…” she snarled as she clutched tighter on the console as another rumbled thud came with a second rocking of her vessel.
“Get us turned around Ryko, that damned ship isn’t suppose to have weapons!”
Someone was going to get an ass chewing later for reporting to her it was an unarmed transport.
The Apate was fast, but she was big, it took a few hits to get her turned back forward. Unfortunately by the time they got back around the droid was already reporting that the freighter was powering up it’s hyperdrive.
“****!” she growled, she looked to the gunner on her left, “Target her engines, get them down.”
Just then that fiery bolt came from the turret mounted atop of the freighter, jarring them again, which instantly drew Kardai’s attention over to the gunner at her right, “And for gods sake take out the damn turret!”
She had to give it to her gunners, they were good, it that they managed to hit their targets in a couple of shots was a testament to their unrefined skills, but even as the assaulting fire from the freighter was snuffed out, and the hits from their turbolasers hit the engine pods, that damned freighter bolted into hyperspace.
Kardai slammed her fist down hard onto the console which raddled the whole thing as she snarled out, “Fierfek!”
Turning back from the view ports she started to stalk back towards her seat, obviously more than a little pissed. She’d not make it there when the droid commented, almost a bit timidly.
“Captain, our sensors have picked up the escaping freighter a few hundred klicks ahead. I’m reading massive power fluctuations from her hyperdrive and engine core.”
Kardai spun about on her heels and looked back off towards the distance, “Track that vessel! Ryko get us out there!”
The Apate bolted forward, accelerating rapidly towards the vessel in the distance. As they neared Kardai could see the true extent of the damage, one of the engine pods was near torn off, sparking and sputtering out fuel from one of the sides. Those huge drops were scattered like a trail behind it. Luckily Ryko saw it and didn’t take them through it.
The droid chimed in again, “It appears the vessel has suffered some structural collapse and is caught in the planet’s gravity well. She’s going down Captain.”
“Can we get close enough and pull her back Ryko?” she asked, almost hopeful. The Mandalorian would never get a chance to answer as that fuel ignited, a brilliant glow filled the dark skies as that trail caught and the engine pod exploded off the side of the freighter, further hurling her down towards Zonju V. Kardai’s hand came up, shielding the view till that nova’d glow burnt itself out, temporarily blinded she found her focus returning just in time to see that the freighter’s hull was glowing brilliant red as it was sucked down into the atmosphere.
She sighed out, watching bits break off the hull and burn up. The Apate held its position, watching the ship, their prize get sucked down to the great wasteland that was Zonju V. A few minutes later Kardai was back in her seat, a frustrated look on her face, sometimes they got away, but it was poodoo like this that really frustrated her as she tapped on that pad, her fingertips rapped on the pad.
“Captain..” came the timid voice of the droid who had seen it’s master in a blind fury and likely been pieced back together more than a few times. Kardai’s rage in that moment was transferred in the narrowed eyes on her tanned visage as she looked up towards the droid. Perhaps a thought of blasting it once or twice just to vent it out had passed her mind. She certainly couldn’t shoot Ryko or her gunners.
“…T..The readings suggest that the freighter’s cargo hold may be mostly in tact. Our sensors tracked the wreckage to a ravine a few hundred Kilometers outside of Sathad'Ra. I..I regret to inform you that it appears an escape pod was torn free in the crash. While it too was destroyed, it may have gotten a brief distress signal out. It would be isolated to the surrounding geographical area if so.”
Kardai’s eyes glimpsed towards Ryko, she didn’t really even have to speak. Weeks worth of planning, as long as there was a chance they’d get some of those weapons out of there, then it was worth the risk to try and make it down onto Zonju V.
They wouldn’t be able to land at the wreckage, but nearby. She could already see the scar in the planet’s surface where the vessel had gone down, it was lengthy, very lengthy. The closer they got, the more tensed up she was as she nodded towards one of the other crew. “Take over the helm and set us down on the upper rim. Ryko, go get your gear, we’re leading a team down. Make sure your group has their cables.” She ordered, tossing the pad she had back down on her seat once more and looked to the crewman who had taken over for her First Mate.
“Once we’re on the ground head back up into orbit. I’ll signal when we’re ready to go.”
With that Kardai turned about and headed off the bridge towards her quarters to get geared up. Balling her fist as she passed by Dru’Qual’s quarters, hammering on the door, but she kept going. Her own quarters were just a door or two down, the ship was small, so it wasn’t like he wouldn’t find out who it was, especially considering she left her own door open to her quarters while she got suited up, weaponizing herself, anything she thought she needed she harnessed, continuing to take a glimpse back out towards the corridor till her Dark crewman stirred from his quarters.
“We’re going planet side, could use you. Get geared up.”
It wouldn’t be much longer till the small raiding party was on the dirt at the upper rim of the ravine. Smoke boiled up from somewhere down below it, bits and pieces of durasteel scraps were scattered everywhere, but the bulk of the wreckage would have to be dropped down to. Kardai was already securing her line to the base of a tree who’s roots had worked themselves into the dense rock as the Apate disappeared into the bleak cloud cover overhead.
“Lets get this over with quick before someone comes to investigate the crash.”
Last edited by a moderator:
