Aurelia smiles softly, as if suddenly hatching on an idea, and motions the officer aside with her best conspiratorial look.
"Of course, I'm also looking for a few other things while I'm here...I'd like it to be...descreet. Your clearly a man who gets things done. I'd be inclined to send our business your way, for a show of...good faith."
"And what business is that?" the officer replies, in a less official tone. Aurelia feels he'd be a tough nut to crack, but he is crackable if she doesn't push too hard.
The officer replies in an equally conspiratorial (love that word) voice. "I think we may be able to do business. We should continue this discussion after you deal with your new passengers. Come by and my men will tell you where to go."
Mandall's surprised to see the group return to the Dagger not too long after they left, and with two extra people to boot - a mother and daughter, both rather distraught. You learn the woman's name is Rasa, her child is Romsa.
"Thank you for what you did back there", Rasa tells Aurelia as they near the ship's access ramp. "But I'm afraid I can't go with you, not without Hern. I.. I don't know what I can do about getting your payment back, but I'm not leaving without my husband. We being gone won't make a difference in the farm's output - that vile Captain Leeds'll run Hern to the ground even harder than before because of what he did."
Quote: from Gatac on 10:23 am on Aug. 3, 2005
Mandall looks to Dutch.
"Want me to take care of that?"
Dutch crosses his arms.
"Since when did this become a relief mission? And I don't believe in public assassinations, especially of high-ranking Imperial officials. This is not what command would call a low-key insertion."
"I don't do assassinations, but I think you'd be inclined to agree that I'm a hell of a getaway driver. I don't see why we can't do a little...extraction."
Meanwhile, up in the black, Calsera and Eritram sit idling as the wait grows longer.
*beep beep beep*
The proximity sensors give off an alarm. Whipping forward in his seat, Eritram checks the scopes. A light freighter is closing a little too close for comfort. It's not certain whether they've picked up the B-Wing yet. They could have, and are coming in for a closer look or salvage; they could be pirates thinking about bushwhacking freighters leaving Tanteldra; they could simply be off course after a shoddy hyperspace jump.
One thing's for certain - if they transmit to the Imperial outpost, the jig (at least for Calsera and Eritram) will be up.
Aurelia nods, giving the woman a reassuring look. "I didn't think for a moment that you were going to leave without your husband. But it's easier to get two women out of a nice Imperial corruption ring than a whole family, at least at first." She winks. "As for my payment...you'll note the officer still doesn't have his money. Let me take care of that."
As she leads to two women towards what passes for her quarters, she gives Mandall and Dutch her very distinct "don't cross me right now" look.
As the freighter nears the B-Wing, you can make it out to be a YT-2400 - a newer model of the line made famous by Han Solo. Its comm array is highly visible on the starboard dorsal side.
(as an aside, I assumed you HAD shut down all non-essential systems.)
The transport ship doesn't make its move yet, drifting closer on ion thrusters.
---
Aurelia leaves Rasa and Romsa in her cluttered quarters with directions to the galley and admonitions that "you shouldn't touch too many switches". She quickly returns to the group.
Eritram sees the closing Freighter and quickly thinks through their options.
"Hey Cat, I think its time to blow something up. If that thing has its shields down we should just use the ions to kill their com-systems. If they got their shields up we should use a torpedo to get through first.
"I was kind of thinking in terms of carving their comm unit off with the lasers, but your way works fine too," Calsera replies cheerfully. "After that, perhaps we use the ion cannons to shut their systems down so they can't interfere?"
Calsera boots up the B-wing's systems and begins to maneuver into proper firing position. "You know, we don't really know who they are, and using the lasers is less likely to kill all of them..."
It occurs to Cat that, depending on how things work out, they might be able to bring the freighter back themselves.
The YT-2400's engine flare to full power as Calsera brings the B-Wing online. She arcs the bomber high, setting Eritram up for a clean shot on the freighter's communications array. Blue ion bolts sear through the shields, leaving telltale lightning flashes on the hull. The freighter spooks, throttling up and trying to boost out of the moon's gravity well. Orange laser blasts fly within feet of the B-Wing's cockpit, scoring the paint as they pass. Their guns aren't offline, and the freighter's gunner is no slouch. Eritram misses with a second ion burst as Cal whips the B-Wing in a spiral to avoid the freighter's stream of blaster fire. She thumbs the cannon controls, lighting a swath of small explosions on the YT-2400's aft hull.
Another burst of bolts flies too close for Calsera's comfort as the stricken freighter continues to gun for a safe distance to jump to hyperspace.
The B-wing springs to life, and the freighter responds almost as quickly. At Calsera's command, the fighter-bomber dances about in an effort to avoid return fire even as Eritram wipes out their opponents' comm systems.
More shots are traded, with the freighter seeming to get the worst of it, which turns in an attempt to escape. "Get the engines!" Calsera yells, only half to Eritram. Still attempting to dodge any laser fire from the frieghter, Cat sends some more cannonfire after it, leaving the other weapons to her gunner.
Admiral Duck Sauce
CrazyIvan
Gatac
Dieter