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The Praesitlyn Job: Part II
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| Blackfire_Contacts | Date: Monday, 20 Feb 2012, 11:14 PM | Message # 1 |
 Lieutenant colonel
Group: Users
Messages: 110
Status: Offline
| Privik Yem was a bit unstable, at least that's what all those who knew him said. Whether it was from his natural temper as a Trandoshan or whether it stemmed from his constant abuse of spice, nobody wanted to guess, or at least flat out ask. What was known, however, was that he was willing to take on any job, regardless of risk, and he had the meanest crew in this area of the Outer Rim to do it with. Oh, some people could speak about the bloodthirstiness of Thesh and his crew of pirates, or of Lim Hejin's odd moral code, but for sheer nastiness, nobody seemed to be able to match Privik Yem. Yem, who rattled around the galaxy in a modified Mobquet medium transport named Wra'tok was accompanied by a surly band of pirates in a Xiytiar-class transport that doubled as a pocket carrier for Yem's six Z-95 Headhunters and six R-41 Starchasers. To round his group out, a pair of YZ-775 freighters had been appropriated in a recent raid that Yem had profited greatly from.
Now, Yem was in hyperspace to Praesitlyn, heading to do a job that a rather mysterious man had contacted him about. He could care less for the reasons; he only knew he was to strafe some mining camp and destroy some cruiser from Brentaal while he was there. He had the firepower to do it, by all means, and he was willing to waste a few lizards... or humans... or whatever else he could kill. It didn't really matter to him. He was prepared to shoot down anything that got in his way. Over the ship's internal comm, he hailed his crew.
"We're droppin' to realspace in a few. Get on them turrets and keep 'em hot. We blaze everything that we see, get paid and get to the cantinas!"
With the sound of cheerful whoops echoing through the ship, Yem eased out of hyperspace, prepared to engage and destroy any Sluissi opposition. After all, he'd been informed they had a few patrol craft in the area and was more than ready to disintegrate them.
The Citadel's Contractors
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| Strass_Thisst | Date: Monday, 20 Feb 2012, 11:48 PM | Message # 2 |
 Private
Group: Users
Messages: 14
Status: Offline
| What any attackers coming to Praesitlyn couldn't know was that certain elements of Sluis Van's defensive forces had been rerouted to temporary sector patrol. At the moment, Praesitlyn was the first stop for a number of these ships, which included the Class 1000 cruiser Hrssh, the EF76 frigate Sthss and two of the customs corvettes, Tarssh and Lossth. With the situation on Praesitlyn being what it was, extra security was making a show of force, as the ships there prepare to welcome the influence of two of the IPV-1 patrol craft that would be dedicated to Praesitlyn for the time being. The craft were supposed to show up at any moment, and as such, all the vessels were nicely lined up, facing the hyperspace lane. It was likely, then, that none of the captains were expecting the strange procession that emerged from hyperspace, but reaction times would not be long in kicking in. Nobody was scheduled to come in at this time, after all, and as such, all the vessel's captains gave the order to warm their weapons. The Hrssh's captain was in overall command and hailed the ships.
"Unknown craft, state your intent and identification."
Khedive, Sluis Sector
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| First_Admiral_Lancaster | Date: Tuesday, 21 Feb 2012, 0:22 AM | Message # 3 |
 Private
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| The Dividual was taking no chances anymore―it was manned around the clock and it actively scanned everything that came near Praesitlyn. It had been cordial to Thisst's forces when they'd arrived and made a standing offer for assistance, if requested―a bit laughable, since Thisst's combined firepower far outclassed the Dividual's scant turbolasers and quad laser cannons. When Yem's ships appeared, the Dividual took instant notice and made a point of forwarding its data to the Hrssh, which appeared to be the flag of Thisst's fleet. This wasn't necessary, of course, but at least Brentaal could say it helped. Probably more important, in retrospect, the Dividual recorded everything that was about to happen. It also warmed its engines and its guns and prepared to load its missile tubes, if need be.
The inter-planetary encampment was almost entirely deserted; the workers were on retainer but had mostly left for Sluis Van, where there was simply more to do for fun while waiting for the mining operations to resume on Praesitlyn.Added (21 Feb 2012, 0:22 AM)
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For the record, the Dividual hadn't remained in the same place; it was still landed at the encampment, but had made a point of moving from its previous location to another clearing a hundred or so meters away--if the first "Praesitlyn Job" had recorded any intelligence on the Dividual's position, it wouldn't be as precise now. The captain of the Dividual had also come up with another trick to deter another attempt at a hit-and-run attack; at the first sight of a credibly hostile ship or ships, marines with repeaters would take up positions strategically among the forest that surrounded the encampment. Hard to detect from the air, and a not-inconsiderable threat to fighter- or small freighter-sized ships.
First Admiral Sir Edwin Lancaster
Combined Defense and Merchant Fleets of Brentaal
Viscount of Curovao and Seneschal of House Curovao
Dean Emeritus of the Brentaal Commerce Academy
"Admiral of the Core Worlds"
Monocle Enthusiast
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| Blackfire_Contacts | Date: Tuesday, 21 Feb 2012, 2:05 AM | Message # 4 |
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Lieutenant colonel
Group: Users
Messages: 110
Status: Offline
| Privik Yem was more than a tad high when he emerged. Even so, the initial sight of so many ships arrayed with so much firepower was a daunting sight, enough to cause his fanged mouth to drop open in surprise. Of course, there was his very precious pride to watch out for, and that was what was at stake. Any other day, Privik Yem might have saved face and turned away, or at least issued some threats and turned tail. Today, though, he opened a channel to whomever had hailed him (he was too drugged up and on adrenaline to check) and simply howled, "Die lizardmen!!! We here to crush you!"
The Wra'tok was rather heavily modified; it's laser cannons had been replaced by a quartet of quad laser cannons and the addition of a pair of turreted turbolaser cannons gave it a rather vicious punch alongside it's magazine of thirty-two concussion missiles. Behind the large craft, the Xiytiar-class transport opened its doors, allowing the full load of twelve craft to begin screaming out in preparation of a fight. To its flanks, the pair of YZ-775 freighters locked proton torpedo shots onto each of the customs corvettes. This was going to be quite the fight pirates. For a moment, things seemed to slow, then everything exploded. Each of the YZ-775s fired six torpedoes at one of the corvettes before altering their firing path to fire a full salvo of six each at the Class 1000 cruiser. The pirate vessels would then accelerate and head towards the Sluissi fleet, weapons hot.
The Citadel's Contractors
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| Strass_Thisst | Date: Wednesday, 22 Feb 2012, 8:51 AM | Message # 5 |
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Private
Group: Users
Messages: 14
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| The Sluis Van forces could field three squadrons of TIE fighters between the Hrssh and the Sthss, as well as having the pair of Law light patrol craft still with them, giving them the advantage. However, the pirates had the advantage of having deployed their snubfighters first, so now it was a catch-up game as the TIE fighters began to flow from their launch bays. Bravo-1 and Bravo-2 were already on station to begin sorting out the smaller craft, but in the mass wave attack, their smaller cannons seemed as if they'd be better use from the rear, so both craft broke wide, maneuvering to attempt to get around behind the pirate vessels and assault the Xiytiar from the rear.
The problem was not insignificant for the Tarssh and Lossth though; neither craft had point defense weaponry to speak of, only moderately heavy offensive weaponry. The Sthss, however, was able to contribute its laser cannons to weave a network of defense about the Tarssh, which was closer to it. Four of the torpedoes were shot down effectively, but the remaining pair impacted the starboard mandible in two spots, rocking the smaller vessel. The Lossth was less fortunate, however. Caught in the middle of a turn to port, four of the torpedoes impacted along its starboard mandible; one punching through the shields at the end to smash against the hull and rip a hole in the ship, venting atmosphere. The final two were downed by lucky shots from the expert Sluissi gunners on board.
Even in the opening stages of the fighting, the Sluissi captain of the Hrssh took the time to thank the Brentaalian ship's captain for the data, which of course, the Hrssh already had, and informed the Brentaalian vessel that they were more than welcome to defend against the raid if they wished, but it was not crucial at this time to achieve victory. The captain had things to deal with as well though, like twelve proton torpedoes headed at his ship. While lacking smaller laser cannon, the Hrssh still had twenty-eight turbolasers and twelve ion cannons with which to blast outwards at the incoming warheads. One, two, four, five were shot down. Laser fire from the Sthss brought down an additional pair, but five still struck the three-hundred meter vessel, lowering its shields, but not breaking through. Now it was Sluis Van's turn to hit back.
The Lossth was damaged and had to be protected. As such, it was still attempting to head to the back of the formation. The Tarssh though, opened fire on the YZ-775 ahead of it with all six dual turbolaser turrets, strafing at the smaller craft and attempting to shatter its cockpit in its headlong attack. The Sthss, left to defend the damaged customs corvette, moved to engage the other YZ-775 with six of its turbolasers and then increasing numbers of laser cannons as the range closed. The three-hundred meter frigate had the smaller ship outmatched by far in terms of weaponry.
This left a symbolic clash of leadership as the Hrssh opened fire with six ion cannons and eighteen turbolasers on the much smaller Mobquet transport. There would be no mercy for those attacking Praesitlyn today; not if the defense fleet had anything to say about it. Of course, there was the matter of capturing prisoners, but that was what ion cannons were for.
Khedive, Sluis Sector
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| Blackfire_Contacts | Date: Saturday, 25 Feb 2012, 8:12 AM | Message # 6 |
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Lieutenant colonel
Group: Users
Messages: 110
Status: Offline
| Privik Yem growled in victory as the torpedoes smashed against the Sluissi light corvette, even as he cursed that more shots didn't go through. The six R-41s spread out to engage at this point. Each R-41 had a maximum of eight concussion missiles, and with as much speed as the pilots could tag targets and fire, they cut loose with a barrage of forty-eight concussion missiles, each aimed for a different target for, in this case, they were vastly outnumbered, but confident that the Sluissi TIE fighters, lacking shields, would be easy prey. At maximum range, they would open fire with their laser and ion cannons in what was rather a turkey shoot in their eyes; after all, they had the shields. Two of the four Headhunters followed the attack wave of R-41s, reserving the eight missiles they had between them for now as they flanked right, aiming to maneuver out of the main spearhead created by their more heavily armed counterparts. The remaining four Z-95s broke off to engage the pair of patrol craft attempting to sweep behind Yem's formation. As soon as they had a clear missile lock, they would fire two missiles each at the patrol craft.
Turbolaser fire from the less-damaged light corvette struck Yem's attacking YZ-775 as it broke its attack run, attempting to slip to port while continuing to fire its cannon. Both YZ-775s still had twelve torpedoes left, enough to finish off at least the smaller ships, or seriously inconvenience one of the larger if they managed to get a lock. As turbolaser blasts impacted this particular craft's shields, the ship jolted, shields draining from the multitude of powerful weapons on the light corvette. It seemed they would have to get close enough to try and dumbfire their torpedoes at point blank. For now, it was a head-on race almost.
When the second YZ-775 spotted the EF76, it angled its best to try and attempt for a shot upon the middle connecting spire. Popping off a pair of hasty torpedoes that might or might not impact, the ship continued to spray turbolaser and laser cannon fire at the larger ship, knowing that every shot absorbed would be less shields for the craft to utilize later. They took their own hits in return, but being smaller and more maneuverable, they escaped the heavier rain as they closed the distance, taking mostly fire from the laser cannons rather than the turbolasers.
Yem was still dead set on going head to head with the Sluissi flagship. He had a lock-on for his missile tubes, and his quad laser cannons and dual light turbolaser had been spouting forth death. Giving the order to fire all tubes, Yem was shaken as the ship rocked from the blasts. Six ion cannons and eighteen turbolasers was nothing to sneeze at, and Yem's shields were downed nearly a quarter in the first volley. Ordering an evasive course for the hundred-plus meter transport, Yem still gave the order to fire a spread, and thirty-two concussion missiles lanced out, one after another, to target the Class 1000 cruiser. With any luck, he'd be able to drive off the defense forces, or kill them, and then expend his remaining ordnance on Praesitlyn itself.
The Citadel's Contractors
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| Strass_Thisst | Date: Saturday, 25 Feb 2012, 1:19 PM | Message # 7 |
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Private
Group: Users
Messages: 14
Status: Offline
| One, two, four, nine, eleven TIE fighters went up in balls of expanding gas and debris from the concussion missile storm. The luckier pilots popped chaff and whipped in any direction they could, letting many avoid the laser fire that came in, which three more fell victim from. These were not Imperial Navy TIE pilots, after all, but local defense forces from Sluis Van who were still not accustomed to the mass-produced TIE fighters that would soon be replaced by the Sluissi Flare design. Unfortunately, it was to their detriment in this case. With a full squadron hacked apart in the first few minutes of combat, the defensive forces now had to rally, forming up as well as they could to encircle and assault the Starchasers and Headhunters that had plunged into their midst, but it was hard to get a clear shot off. Several of the better pilots broke off and regrouped outside the melee before swooping in on the tail of their attackers, firing relentlessly. In the rear of the formation, the crews of the Law patrol craft, Bravo-1 and 2, were better equipped to deal with their attackers. Both craft popped chaff and utilized their turreted laser cannons, and the combination brought down the quartet of missiles safely. Having achieved a rear position of the Xiytiar-class transport, they would be able to dodge its quartet of laser cannons easily, or so they hoped. each patrol craft carried a proton torpedo launcher with five torpedoes, and Bravo-1 and 2 launched two each at the rear portion of the ship before switching to cannons. With the Sluissi technology onboard, they shunted additional power to their cannons, boosting their damage by twenty-five percent. With turrets still firing at the Z-95s, their front cannons lined up for a deadly strafing run against the transport.
The Tarssh continued its relentless assault against the seemingly suicidal YZ-775; it's turbolasers pounding away again and again while shrugging off the much lighter fire from the smaller ship. By now, it's shields had to be sorely taxed, if not nearly gone. The crew though was faced with the dilemma of what to do if the enemy drew too close; their cannons were powerful, but the transport had the advantage of warheads. They had to kill it quickly, or disable it somehow, before it could do further damage. With any luck, their latest barrage would destroy it.
The Sthss focused all its laser cannons on downing the pair of torpedoes. At the moment, that was six of twelve, enough to down one torpedo quickly. The other impacted the central spar, but the Sluissi technicians who had reinforced that weak point and added extra shielded had been precise, and the shielding was not even penetrated. With the close proximity of the YZ-775, which now had eight turbolasers and nine laser cannons focused on it, the much smaller transport was sure to become heavily damaged, if not destroyed. Luckily, four turbolasers were also able to fire upon the second YZ-775 that was assaulting the Tarssh. With some chance, the combined fire from both craft would wipe out that ship as well.
The Hrssh, an old titan in its own right, was not willing to take the hits of thirty-two concussion missiles. All cannons opened fire at the storm of warheads. Ten burst into flame, sixteen, twenty, and then they were out of room. Twelve concussion missiles struck the front and upper portion of the cruiser, weakening the shields and in one case, with a lucky triple strike in one spot, allowing a fourth to slip through the gap in the shield to impact the armor beneath, blasting a hole in the plating, but not penetrating. It seemed the pirate, whomever he was, was going to flinch first. His lighter weaponry was well-suited to raiding, but not for this heavy work. As the Mobquet transport engaged its evasive maneuver, its flanks became more and more open. The captain saw and opening and called to the master gunner, "The midsection of the transport! The next time he gives us an opening, hit him with a full turbolaser salvo and then ion cannons! I want him disabled!" The master gunner coordinated quickly and, when the opportunity came, if it did, the full salvo of twenty-eight turbolaser cannons would open fire, focused on that single section, followed by the concentrated barrage of twelve ion cannons.
Khedive, Sluis Sector
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| Blackfire_Contacts | Date: Sunday, 26 Feb 2012, 6:42 PM | Message # 8 |
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Lieutenant colonel
Group: Users
Messages: 110
Status: Offline
| Once their initial thrust into the heart of the formation had worn off, each of the craft broke off into pairs, attempting to wreak as much havoc as they could with cannons in the thick of the enemy fighters. Still, the odds were against them and they were in the thick of it. They'd likely down some more as the enemy was buzzing about, but the groups that formed up and attacked them en mass were bound to get through sometime; one of the Z-95s who'd accompanied the R-41s exploded as its shields were overwhelmed, leaving the second to try to turn tail and beat a hasty retreat. Two of the R-41s were destroyed as well, leaving only four Starchasers left, who attempted as well to withdraw and retreat back to the relative safety, or so they'd hoped, of the Xiytiar. The quartet of Headhunters who were pursuing the patrol craft received a nasty surprise from the power boost, which ended in the deaths of two of the pilots as their ships, taking cannon fire they expected to survive, were overwhelmed and exploded. The remaining two promptly flipped about to cut their losses, heading for open space and ideally, the safety of hyperspace. The Xiytiar transport was another story. With only four laser cannons, it wasn't equipped to fend off the patrol craft and, as such, had been in the process of turning itself when four proton torpedoes stuck the aft of the ship, where the engine pod was located. That, coupled with the high-powered cannon blasts on the aft of the ship, punctured the shields and damaged the engines, venting fuel and atmosphere and shutting down three of the four engines. Limping, still trying to turn, the transport vainly shot at their attackers with their limited armament, hoping to score a lucky hit.
The YZ-775 trading fire with the light corvette was badly damaged from the close-range fire. Evasion and escape were now their priorities. One laser cannon turret had been destroyed and one engine was out of commission. They dove underneath the light corvette now, still evading and trying to escape by looping away and heading for open space, hoping the dodging worked. Unfortunately, that was about the time that the combined turbolaser and laser cannon fire from the EF76 finally locked on to the transport, which shredded into a ball of superheated gas and expanding metal parts.
The second YZ-775 was taking a serious pounding. As it flashed past the frigate, it took several hard blasts that rocked its crew and set off sparks as some systems overloaded within, causing the crew to break away as quickly as possible, shunting weapon power to shields and engines. They'd seen their sister craft vanish off the scanner, and they knew all too well that they'd be not long in following if they didn't escape. The tide of battle had turned against them despite their successful rush against the enemy, and they'd overstepped themselves. Now, fleeing was a much better option. Any fear of Privik Yem was vanishing in favor of fear of imminent death.
Privik Yem was lost in the haze of maneuvering and firing and, as such, did not realize that the Sluissi captain was a much better commander, strategist and overall leader than himself. Fueled by drugs and rage and hate, he didn't even think as he shimmied his craft and gave them the opening they'd been waiting for. The full salvo struck the midsection of the Mobquet transport. The ion cannons weren't even necessary for the job. The lighter craft, already having weakened shields from the last volley from the Class 1000 that struck it, was pierced through the proverbial heart. Shields gave way before the combined power and the midsection ruptured. The engines, still thrusting full, tore the connecting area and shoved forwards, suddenly cut off from control. Atmosphere vented from the two halves as the bridge, forced upwards, was brought into the onrushing path of the rear section. The last thing Privik Yem saw as he was shoved about in his seat was the shattered remnants of the latter half of his ship flying towards him. Then they struck and bridge and engine wrapped together in a ball of fire.
The Citadel's Contractors
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| Strass_Thisst | Date: Monday, 27 Feb 2012, 10:34 AM | Message # 9 |
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Private
Group: Users
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| Four more TIE fighters were destroyed before the surviving snubfighters ran. With their blood up and some of the pilots being fresh to combat, they sipped after the fleeing craft, harrying them with their cannons before turning back to the angry calls of their squadron leaders. There was no point in chasing down the fleeing quartet of R-41s, especially since they were no longer a real threat. The pair of patrol craft had split up; one chasing the fleeing pair of Headhunters, with little chance of catching the craft at full speed, but still sending salvos of laser fire at their rears, while Bravo-2 accepting a few hits from the transport's laser cannons, popped two more proton torpedoes at the engine section of the crippled Xiytiar, hopefully taking the engine out completely. The pilot broadcast a message to the pirate vessel, "Pirate craft, stand down and prepare to be boarded. This is your only warning. Any attempt to flee or continue aggressive actions and we will open fire."
The crew of the Tarssh gave a collective cheer as the YZ-775 exploded. For a small craft, it had been quite fierce, but the combined help from the Sthss had taken it down at the last moment. The second YZ-775 was followed by a number of turbolaser blasts, but the frigate did not intend to pursue too far; this could have been a trap with how the pirates had attacked head on, and for all intents and purposes, the fight seemed to be over. That didn't stop the gunners from tracking the ship and attempting to take it down while it was still in range. Perhaps they'd get lucky with it.
The Sluissi captain of the Hrssh winced slightly as he saw the result of his attack and the transport's demise. Whomever the captain or pilot was, he was certainly no more. "Order all ships to stand down. I want that Xiytiar captured if possible. The rest of them can flee. Comms, contact Praesitlyn Control and let them know we drove the raiders off. Then contact the Brentaalian forces, thank them again for our help and let them know there is nothing to worry about."
Khedive, Sluis Sector
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| Blackfire_Contacts | Date: Tuesday, 28 Feb 2012, 1:51 PM | Message # 10 |
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Lieutenant colonel
Group: Users
Messages: 110
Status: Offline
| Privik Yem was dead, his band scattered. The crew of the Xiytiar transport feared immediate death more than the justice they'd face at the hands of the Sluissi; their shields dropped and their craft, with engines fully knocked out by the final proton torpedoes, was dead in space. They could only wait for the inevitable capture. The quartet of Starchasers and final pair of Headhunters did manage to escape to hyperspace, running as if their lives depended upon it, which they rather did. The second YZ-775 was less fortunate. It had escaped the run of the gauntlet with extremely low shields when a pair of lucky shots from the EF76 struck it, blowing through the little bit of shielding that remained and shattering the craft. The attack on Praesitlyn was over.
The Citadel's Contractors
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| Strass_Thisst | Date: Tuesday, 28 Feb 2012, 2:24 PM | Message # 11 |
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Private
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| When damage control and everything else had been dealt with, it was a decidedly Sluissi victory. The captured Xiytiar would be taken to Sluis Van for further investigation, along with the prisoners. The pair of IPV-1 patrol craft arrived not long after as well to take up a permanent patrol of Praesitlyn, at least for the time being. The Lossth would be returning to Sluis Van as well, for repairs. Eighteen pilots had been killed; eighteen TIE fighters lost. It was a hard win, in many ways, but it was a win for the Sluis Sector Defense Forces. Now, at least, the people on Praesitlyn could sleep easier.
Khedive, Sluis Sector
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