Log:Hide And Seek (Part Two)
Hide And Seek (Part Two)
OOC Date: July 12, 2018
Location: Bothawui
Participants: Dawn Antilles, Ektor-Xer Apollyon, Gren Delede, Kaiden, Jessika Pava, Finn, Sienn Ko, Faidra, Jonn Drayson, Elrych Cometburn, Sar Yavok, Karas Darkwing, David Ironside, The Resistance, with a special appearance by Grand Admiral Thrawn
The escape operation commences promptly at the crack of dawn. As the Bothawui summer sun slowly rises from the horizon, Green Squadron launches with its 'screen' escort of N-1s and headhunters. Their target: one of the Bothans' ground-based, long-range ion cannons, either the same or similar to what had savaged the Renegade over a week ago, location and frequency provided by General Leia Skywalker through whatever occurred in her confrontation with the planet's Coucil. Either way, the station had been chosen carefully - not only did it provide the basis for the ruse required by the Bothans for their aid, but also because it was the closest of such installations to the First Order's orbiting Nebulon-K frigates that are in position above the planet - and their contingent of thirty-eight TIE fighters and twelve TIE bombers.
Green Squadron, including reckless flyboy/bait Ektor-Xer Apollyon, destroy their marked targets in little to no time at all, with explosions that could be seen for miles. And with this sudden and surprising strikes, alarms scream across the landscape.
They are engaged immediately by Bothans in their starfighters, in an attempt to quell this - or at least, in their view - terrorist attack by the Resistance. Green Squadron's N-1 and headhunters escort peel away from the main formation to engage them. After a particularly furious dogfight, two of the N-1s get shot down, their pilots unable to eject on time, while Green Squadron continues their work in attempting to destroy the station's ground defenses.
Back in the Renegade's bridge, with monitors and screens tuned in towards the operation, Lieutenant Dawn Antilles turns to Silver Astro. "You're up. Good luck, Agent."
Silver Astro nods, and gets to the slicing terminal set up specifically for her use in their escape attempt. She doesn't have to try hard to make it convincing, she grits her teeth when she finds that the Bothan anti-Resistance cell who have the codes to the cannon are blocking her attempts to take control of it remotely.
"Lieutenant, we have a problem" she reports from her station. "I can't get through, these *$%*% *%*% *%**%*%* are making it difficult."
"Get it done, Agent. We're running out of time!"
"Wait...it's...it's firing!"
Firing solutions slipped in by General Skywalker, who remained behind to ensure the cannon fired, the massive gun turns on its axis well within view of Green Squadron as they finish their run. Bursts of bright, blinding light streak from the cannon, breaching atmosphere to /slam/ into one of the Nebulon-K frigates stationed in orbit. As the massive ship starts to descend, suddenly assaulted with the same problems that nearly ended the Renegade's life, numerous TIE fighters spill from it, though infinitely less than what it could have been - the cannon shot has shorted out a variety of electrical systems aboard the first frigate, along with stopping its power core, including some of the fighters aboard. Only half of the twenty-four manage to evacuate on time; the remaining nine TIEs aand three TIE bombers make a streaking run towards the planet. Now that their quarry has been spotted, they move to engage.
...and so do the other eighteen TIE fighters and six bombers from the /other/ frigate. Their objective: to find the Resistance flagship and its crew, and /crush them/.
Like meteors from the sky, the massive force descends upon the much smaller Green Squadron. It was time to get out of there, and lead the rats to the trap, however good that will do them.
Meanwhile, Red and Gold Squadrons lie in wait...
---
Ektor is back in Green 2 for this operation, the Y-wing streaking over the landscape of Bothwui with the soothing whisper of paired ion nacelles. He lazily reports in when the <<Ground targets go boom, yeah?>> The Y-wing banks and turns as the planetary ion cannon blasts the First Order frigate. "HA! How do YOU like it, yeah?" he hollers in the cockpit. As the clouds of TIE fighters begin to descend, he adds, <<Renegade, we're bringing the party back to you.. Green Leader, I'm at your three.>> The pair of light bombers weave between cascades of laser fire, performing a fine balancing act between speed and evasive maneuvers, leading the hordes of First Order craft through the canyons and stone arches of Bothwui back to the hiding place of the Resistance.
---
First part of the job is a success, so Sar's hauling tail back to the trap. <<Keep your foot hard on the pedal,>> Yavok transmits to the Renegade, slaloming in between a series of rock towers. <<See you, Green Two. Keep your eyes open, yeah?>> he says, looking out of the canopy towards his wingman. Things are going well until a smattering of bolts smack into his shields. <<Guess it's time we got this things started, huh?>>
---
Gren is standing on the Bridge of the Renegade, as is his birthright. The Admiral's hands are clasped behind his back, as he watches his well-trained crew go about the final prep to launch the Renegade from it's watery would-be grave. When the ion cannon blast strikes the Neb-K, there is a small smile on his face. "Alright, let's get this show on the road, people. Engineering, spin up those engines to full. Guns, get your solutions working, and prepare for anti-TIE operations." He pauses very briefly, and marches to his command chair, and settles himself in. "Operations, reroute helm control to my station. I'm flying this sow out of the mud."
A deep breath is taken, and he uses his left hand to key his intercom. <<Defensive fighters, prepare for incoming. Renegade is lifting off, and we've got bogies inbound.>> His right hand twists knobs, and then finally he hauls back on the makeshift throttle built into the 'emergency' console that swings out of the side of his perch. "Antilles, get me more bloody power, or we're not getting off the ground!" The Assault Frigate's huge engines thrum and struggle against gravity and water. Huge clouds of steam begin to billow out from around the capital ship's bottom as plasma thrusters begin to turn the lake in which they rest into vapor. Finally, as more power is pumped into Rennie's engine core, the big ship begins to make headway, and lift out of the muck.
<<Renegade is airborne. All hands, prepare to engage the enemy.>>
---
"Aye, sir! Engineering crews, check in." Dawn pivots then, and leaves the bridge in an effort to see to the efforts in the power core's chamber personally.
With the Renegade commencing its full burn, thrusters fill with flame and heat, waves of them blowing out /through/ the open side of the caverns in which the flagship is positioned. The sheer intensity of the ensuing conflagration emits a massive cloud of steam that nearly engulfs Green Squadron - but they manage to streak out of it, untouched, to get to their second objective...the remaining frigate.
The vapor cloud is enormous and seven of the twenty-seven TIE fighters and two of the TIE bombers manage to pull out of the steam quickly, having the luck to be positioned behind the rushing force, and start gunning for the Resistance fighters that /are/ visible. Green Squadron will find several bogeys on their tail in an attempt to prevent them from delivering their strike package. The rest, however, are engulfed, heat and condensation wreaking havoc on their sensors, and visibility low.
Red and Gold Squadron are now poised to strike as the massive flagship burns out from the other end of the caverns and starts its very heavy and gradual rise upwards, nose aimed for the hole the cannon has made for them.
---
A hand clutches the control stick of one of the few Resistance T-85 X-wings, David Ironside gritting his teeth as his comms erupt with screams and sudden silence, explosions sounding dull in the distance as two young pilots in his squadron evaporate almost immediately. David is only turned away from the retreating Bothans by the urgent beeping of his droid, pointing out the more imminent threat above. Taking a deep staggered breath, still trembling in his seat, David manages to pop out of the steam, blasting at an approaching bomber. To hell with its escort, the bombers will do the most damage to the Renegade in the run between the surface and the Nebulon-K. The pinkish red laser blasts strike the bomber dead on, and David spins his craft between it and one of the TIE fighters beside it as he passes.
---
The Zeltron is quick to jump into a turret. He isn't the best gunner, but their pilots are mostly all... well, in other ships! And he has had at least -some- experience with a turret before. Targetting system comes online, and it's way different than the time he shot for one of the pilots. That girl, was it Jaya? Jessika? It was one of those J-names, now wasn't the time to get distracted by that! Except, he did, and his shots were everywhere that there isn't anything to hit.
---
Finn's belly lurches and he doubles over for a brief moment, "Atmo launches..." He grumbles to himself before he reaches over and grabs the headset and with one hand wraps it over his ear and hooks it onto his head. "FN-218--- Finn reporting in." He says, catching himself with a frown before he squints at the monitor before him and he looks out the viewglass. "Where are these bucket-WHOA!" Finn yelps into his headset and squeezes the triggers hard as he was surprised by a passing bomber, and takes reactionary shots at the ship coming through the steam cloud. "Okay, this time..." He says to himself as he starts to get used to the gunner seat.
---
At the control of a Renegade turret, the new Resistance crew twi'lek trains her targeting reticle on a TIE bomber flying through the steam. "Take... no!" she fires one and misses, then again and she thinks she might have hit it. "So fast!" Still, she grumbles at there not being a satisfying explosion.
---
In the medical bay, the new doc on the renegade is busy barking orders at droids and other medical personal. "I want those bacta tanks on standby ready to receive criticals!" Faidra yells out as the ship lurches in to the air and everyone braces. "I want three person med teams ready to respond to any and all casualty calls." She takes a step out of the med bay and looks around before sliding back inside. "Alright, game faces people!"
---
Red Squadron along with Gold were briefed on what they will be doing during this hop, with the other fighters of Red the remaining ARCs and Head hunters helping Green Squadron, Karas had spoken with those pilots personally wishing them well on their mission. He now was waiting in the cockpit of his X-Wing, many thoughts were racing through his mind, he was worried for them all, but as that though began to foster in his mind, he pushed it aside.
Once the Renegade began it's operation, <<Lets go Red!>> he says into thier tacnet and the engines of his T-65 X-Wing thrums loudly as he blasts off streaking like a an arrows launched from and electromagnetic bow. Contrails could be seen behind the fighter as it streaks towards it's target, the S-Foils opens into attack position with a mechanical whine, Spark an R2 astromech jacked into it's droid compartment, gives a affirmative tootle as the X-Wings sensors sweep over one of the TIE Bombers, the HUD goes green. With a quick press of the trigger, Karass watches as red energy beams eat into the Bomber, first the shields go out and than a large explosion erupts as the bomber is destroyed. Banking left, <<Splash one bomber. Let's do this.>> there is a calm but detached calm over Karas as he speaks as he begins weaving through the smoke and mist using it for cover to make it harder for the enemy TIEs to get a lock on him.
---
Jonn Drayson was not the most useful man to have onboard in a naval battle. He was big. He was burly. He didn't know how to use a turret. He didn't know how to fly a fighter. But when people asked him 'do u even lift', by Crom he lifted. He lifted so hard that all the people lifting in that new Warframe trailer dropped their tools and watched in envy. Speaking of lifting, the big juggernaut of a man was in the medical bay with Faidra, the new doctor. "I am hyere," he offered, not for suss reasons but for assistance. "If you need any-whan or anyting carried, I can do eht."
---
They're waiting in hiding while other brings the enemy straight to the Renegade and hoping that they can defend the Frigate against a swarm of nearly thirty First Order fighters with a relative handful of pilots and a busted up ship who will become immediately targeted by the second FO Frigate. Jessika's finger idly taps against the contoured grip of her flight stick while waiting for th enemy to get close, and once they're in engagement range, she lifts off her snubfighter's landing gears and throttles up to get speed out of the craft. As soon as she's gained any distance, she's toggled her s-foils into open position, with the laser cannons ready to fire at a moment's notice. Not all get lost in the steam and become invisible to her sensors.
Of those that don't, she's quick to target one of the more priority targets: a TIE bomber. Jockeying for a position, Jessika manages to get it in her sights. A bomber nearby explodes, however, and the resultant cloud of smoke interrupts her line of sight and causes the shots to go wide. Adjusting speed, she stays on its tail.
---
Elrych Cometburn was so not feeling the force today. He was even still searching through his datapad for the proper song as the engines to his N-1 wound up. "Huh?" He says to the ground crew trying to get his attention. "The timing is off on the the thrust motivator... well of course it is, do you guys even know how to tune up a classic! Just get it in the air!" Finally he hits the air and it's just a BARRAGE of crap. Things flying everywher, green and red beams shooting around. A few manage t splash across his shield. Alarms go off and he starts to spin around. Turning into the bombers. He's too close as he fires and doesn't even try to get a lock. "This is going so well already..." He grumbles.
---
The combined efforts of Red and Gold Squadrons yield the destruction of one TIE bomber and two other damaged ones. There are four that are still intact in the cloud, but still presently trapped in the massive steam cloud generated by the Renegade. The heavy flagship continues its ascent; Green Squadron, with its payload, would be able to clearly glimpse its attempt to climb upwards - not that they would be able to appreciate it because the seven TIE fighters and two bombers that have broken away from the main enemy formation to gun for Green Squadron have spotted the Renegade's escape. These two bombers veer off almost immediately in an attempt to attack while the fighters with them defend. With Green Squadron the closest Resistance complement to the flagship's escape, they are going to have to make a choice: defend the Renegade, or continue on to the remaining First Order frigate.
The dogfight starts in earnest with Red and Gold Squadrons engaging the blinded targets in the steam cloud, and while the TIEs and their four bombers flounder in it, they start to find their way through the heated mist. They would be visible now and then as they attempt to get out of the trap.
---
Ektor guides Green two higher and higher into the atmosphere, still throwing frequent and jagged jokes into his flight path, to avoid pursuit fire. "Lucky for us they don't know how crazy we are, yeah? I mean really, who flies AT a frigate?" Cackling to himself as an emerald bolt screams past in a near miss, he makes the old warhorse dance like a showpony, weaving between cannonades. <<Green Leader, I got an approach vector on their forward sensor array. Going in, torpedoes live..>> With a tight grin, as the fighter passes through the magnetic field in a dangerously close pass, one torpedo impacts on armored plating to no significant effect... but the other takes the Nebulon K directly on the sensor array. <<Gouged his eyes good, but still hot about... a lot of tails. Heh, hey boss, I think we made em mad, yeah?>>
---
<<Push through, Green. Red and Gold have it cinched up. We either get that frigate out of the way, or we ain't goin' home,>> Sar says, throttling up as Green begins their approach. Sar's flying a Y-Wing with a little bit more weight on it than the rest of the squadron. Sometimes it's great. Sometimes it's not. This is one of those latter times. Bolts pelt against his shields and they finally flicker out. "Rex, you're up," he instructs his astromech who gets to work.
Taking a deep breath, Sar begins his run, weaving in and out of the way of incoming turret fire. His target? The bridge. <<Firing for effect,>> he comms over before loosing a pair of torpedoes. The first one banks off of the bulkhead. The second? It explodes hard against the frigate's bridge, shattering transparisteel and launching the bridge crew out into the cold black.
---
"Guns, prepare those turbolasers to fire on the frigates as we pass. Disabled or not, we're not letting them get away from this bloody planet. Let's clean up after Green Squadron." Gren's calmer than usual on the bridge, likely as he's too busy flying the Renegade to be annoyed by the inactivity of command.
"Incoming bombers! Defensive batteries firing!" The sensor officer calls out across the Bridge.
"Heard, Sensors. Prepare to strengthen shields on the ventral quadrant!" Delede's reply is not a shout, merely a collected order. He adjusts the yaw, guiding the big capital ship as it streaks upward through the atmosphere. When the warheads leave the TIEs launchers, he begins a roll that leaves the missiles striking the most heavily powered portions of the shields.
It's a struggle, and the RAF, which isn't designed for these kind of flight stresses, groans and screams from all over. Lights are flashing in the corridors, and damage control teams rush about, doing their best to keep the flagship from tearing apart at the seams before they make it into the much less dangerous vacuum of space. Preparing to shoot the gap between the disabled, and damaged Nebulon-K. <<All fighters, do keep up. We're done with Both.>>
---
Vapor trails behind the T-85 X-Wing designated Gold One as it dips in and out of the vapor blasted up by the Renegade. David's left hand is on the searchlight controls, the flood of light exaggerated by the floating water particles blinding the TIE pilots aiming for him handily. Free from accurate opposition, David turns on the smoking, barely functioning bomber that despite everything is still trying to get a bead on the Renegade, and splits it in half, right down the middle, sending pods crashing into the surface of Bothawui in a trail of smoke.
---
Kaiden tries to twist the targetting system over toward the other frigate, the one not crashing and falling. Yet, he keeps screwing it up, because the turret continues to try to auto-target the frigate that's already being destroyed. This struggle causes the Zeltron's turret to just shoot in the open space between the two frigates.
---
The bomber needed to be shot at, Finn WANTED to shoot at that bomber but something caught his eye. Something much bigger and much more important. "Ooooh, I wanna take that down." He says aloud to himself as he watches the Frieghter loom in the sky at that great distance and he squeezes the triggers prematurely again, still more used to the mounted guns in the First Order and the Falcon than in the Renegade. That's what the traitor will tell everyone when they ask him. Yeah.
---
Sienn fires her turret again, once more she misses her first shot. She curses in Ryl but goes on, shooting at a TIE bomber again. This time she's more successful. "Stop moving so much!" she complains. "You're supposed ot be a slow momber!"
---
The ship having been rocked by accurate weapons placement by first order bombers catches Faidra slightly off guard, she hadn't expected them to actually connect. She makes it a first priority to check everyone in the med bay as the alarms begin to blare, "Everyone alright?" Once she's gotten a reply, she preps her med bags and is suddenly interrupted by an intercom message chirping in. <<Casualty, Casualty, we've got trapped and injured personal located in an engineering space, request medical!>> Faidra listens in and pipes up, <<Med Teams enroute!>> before turning to Jonn and giving him and another medical team member a finger point, "You and you, with me, right now" and she bolts out the door, yelling behind her as she goes, "Jonn, I need your muscles! Move!" She gives him and the other medical team member little to no time to respond as she bolts down to a lift and heads down to the engineering bay where several are injured and in need.
---
"Keep track of our fighters for me and give me periodic updates on their progress Spark." Karas says as he sees their initial attacks were spot on. Though now seeing that the enemy fighters are gathering their wits about them. The furball is in full swing now, lasers fire is all over the place, though Karas is keeping his head leveled, his hands on his controls are tight as his X-Wing skates through the mist and smoke of the now launching Renegade. <<Alright tighten it up, we can't afford to be sloppy, lets take out these assholes down hard and fast.>> he calls into his comm. Seeing Red 2 tangling with an enemy fighter, Karas sees a bomber making a beeline to the Renegade, the bomber had distinguishable markings on it and it looks like another bomber is flying it's wing, <<See the Bomber Squadrons Ace, going after him. Red 2, I will be close by.>> he says as he races after the Ace bomber pilot, though as the X-Wing weave in and out of laser fire, a Tie fighter managed to get a glancing blow along his fighter, the X-Wing shudders a bit, checking his shield power, it's still holding. "Hold on Spark, get me a targeting solution on that bomber." he says to his friend.
Due to being shot at, he had to overshoot his intended intercept point. Though as he is at the apex of the climb, the X-Wing loops down into a roll diving and coming in from above. The angle that it's on gives the fighter a spot on area to hit and red energy lances streak from the quartet of cannons of the X-Wing, all firing rapidly in succession knocking out the shields of the Ace Bomber and scoring some damage on it's hull. The power from the engines of the X-wing is shunted and it pulls into the wake of the Bomber, chasing after it's prey.
---
There was a time to talk and a time to get funky, and this was one of those funky times. Jonn broke out into a run towards the Engineering Bay. This was getting oddly familiar. Running running running, and skidding to a stop in front of... a jammed door. "Hokay, dis I can do," he said, cracking his knuckles. It was hulk-out time. Somehow, Jonn Drayson's massive muscles got even bigger. The sleeves and torso of his fiber jumpsuit, already tenuously stretched across his massive frame, /ripped/. He played college ball, y'know. At the University of Denon. Could have gone pro if he hadn't joined the special forces. He put his hands between the small gap between the doors and with a mighty "NYAAAAAAAARGH!" pulled. The hydraulics squealed. Sparks flew out of the motivators. There was a loud clunk. And the door went nowhere. "Nauuu! I haf to try again!" he cried out, loudly. Jonn Drayson was not one for quiet. But for now, until that door was open, the people behind were STUCK.
---
Refusing to give up on the target ahead, Jessika guides her craft through the chaos of aerial combat in a bid to centralize the TIE bomber in the targeting reticles located on the center of her instrument panel as much as center it in the transparisteel viewport in front of her. Light from the rising sun glints off a far more worn Tierfon Yellow Aces helmet than hers used to be, suggesting that its not hers at all. The visor keeps the ultraviolet light from becoming a hindrance to her vision, allowing her to go after her prey with uninterrupted determination. Again, she lines the bomber up for the shots to follow while evading the thickening chaos of fire from pursuant TIEs. Bright lances of fire erupt from tips of her X-Wing and shred the hostile target.
Paired with the streaks of fire that hit it right before, the TIE's hull is peppered through and the result is a sudden outward explosion of fragmented craft that Jessika jukes her fighter around to avoid smashing into errant pieces. <<Red Two, splash one bomber.>> Immediately, her head is on the swivel, searching for another one of the deadly craft to neutralize before it can put an end to their effort.
---
Elrych Cometburn is getting used to the chaos as as some of the fighters drop it makes it easier for him to concentrate on what he's doing. However, the bomber he's chasing is doing a numver of higher end evasive maneuvers that likely match his own skill. He's got to dodge turbo laser fire from the renegade too as they also try to defend themselves from the bomber.
---
GREEN SQUADRON AND BRIDGE:
With bodies left floating in space, the second frigate manages to remain operational and in orbit despite the fact that its bridge crew is floating. Alarms blare throughout the battered vessel and with Green Squadron in close quarters, they'll be able to see it - its own turrets are still operational, and turning to aim at the Renegade. But with Green Two's clever damage of its sensor arrays, it has a hell of a time attempting to get a bead on the Renegade. Right in front of Gren and the bridge crew, its first volleys go wide, dangerous streaks of light missing them.
Those within the flagship don't have time to breathe easy when one shot slams /right/ into the shields, causing a shipwide tremor from fore to aft. Dawn manages to return to the bridge and nearly tips off her feet. "What the-- " she breathes. "I thought Green Squadron managed to..."
"Still incoming, sir!" the officer manning the sensors relays to Gren.
Dawn takes a step towards the admiral, taking a console for her use to monitor status updates from engineering. "I'll do what I can to maintain our shields, but I think the kriffing gnats are relaying our position to the remaining frigate, sir. It's the only explanation I can think of."
MED TEAM:
The people behind are still stuck as Jonn struggles with the broken and malfunctioning door - the only obstacle they have, at present, from the people injured in that small quadrant in the engineering bay. There's a frantic cry from the other side, a frightened face peering through the viewport.
"There's about six of us trapped here," he states. "And there's a weakening section of the hull, another bad hit and we're dead in space!"
Shudders from a well-placed hit seems to only punctuate the harried engineer's statement.
STARFIGHTER CORPS:
Two bombers are down, and two are damaged. Out of the nine that have managed to launch, five are still intact. The TIEs they managed to trap in the steam have broken through the vapors, their sensors clearing and visibility restored. Their numbers engage the Red and Gold Squadrons, while another section banks off to join the seven that are in pursuit of the Renegade. The flagship starts to take fire from a lower position, a veritable laser field attempting to chase its tail. The shields continue to hold...but at the barrage they're facing, perhaps, not for long.
---
Ektor mutters imprecautions as the wounded frigate restores functional targeting of the Renegade. <<Eh, drek. Gonna come around and try to knock out a turbolaser battery-- >> A plan which is complicated by the swarm of enemy fighters. Green 2 manages not to get blown up in the Nebulon K's firing solution, and keeps a handful of TIEs missing, but <<Can't get a lock, in all a this mess.>>
---
Green Leader corkscrews away from incoming turret fire. His head swivels around inside the cockpit, looking for a new target. He sucks his teeth and aligns himself for another attack run. <<Torpedoes away,>> he comms over, firing another two shots into the belly of the frigate.
---
Gren's eyes search the console's combat log, and furrows his brow. "Guns! Tell your bloody laser gunners to focus on the fighters. The turbolaser batteries can handle that frigate!" The orders go down to the individual batteriesunless you're manning a capital scale weapondon't try to shoot the frigate!
<<Green Squadron, finish dumping those torpedoes into the target. No more dillydallying!>> Gren snaps into the intercom, while he continues to wrench the RAF around on its flight path to orbit, and the safety of hyperspace beyond. The Rebel Assault Frigate is not a nimble bird, but the pilot is able to make sure that the heaviest shields take the brunt of incoming fire, and otherwise, line up a decent passing broadside on the damaged, Bridgeless Nebulon-K.
---
The T-85 is pulled upwards, keeping with the Renegade's flight path, and therefor with the enemies bombarding it. Because every Bothan extremist wants a huge wreck just sitting on their planet, be it a couple of Nebulon-Ks or a Rebel Assault Frigate. Apparently. David's inner musings distract him momentarily, allowing a TIE fighter to get behind him and take potshots at him. The rear shields tank the first blow, but the second shorts it out, the pilot shaking in his seat as one bolt manages to rip through the rear hull. "Ones, take the wheel for a sec, will ya? Time to see what this T-85 can do." The droid beeps, keeping the fighter on evasive maneuvers as David pulls a switch back to drop a swivel gun from the hull of the ship. A display shows the TIE highlighted, and David manages to position it so the volley of rear-facing blasts catch the TIE pilot entirely by surprise, blowing out the front transparisteel and sucking the pilot out. Now uncontrolled, the TIE aimlessly flies after David before the lack of pilot causes it to fall slowly to the surface. "Ones, see what you can do about the shields, we're gonna need more of those.." the pilot says, unable to suppress a little grin. <<Renegade, this is Gold Leader. Thanks for the new toy, Rear Admiral.>>
---
Kaiden's looking for a hit, hearing those fighters become the target and promptly tapping away at the targetting system in order to shift his aim from the auto-targetting mishap to one of the fighters. Blam! Blamblamblam! The mounted turret fires, clipping one of the fighters as it veers away with a smoke trail, "Yes!"
---
"There!" Finn shouts as he's still jumpy in the exterior turret seat. It's about as secure as the Falcon's turrets, but it's still scary and he's taking time to feel his breath and his heartbeat the way the First Order beat into his brain since he was old enough to pull a trigger. "Gotcha!" He says with a snap of his fist held up in triumph, and his other hand pulls the trigger again, sending a blast off into the endless void. He hit the shields of the bomber with nothing else happening to the ship other than a shimmer of its defensive system. "Blast you, get back here." The soldier says as he leans forwards and swivels around looking for his next shot.
---
"Too slow, turret!" the violet Twi'lek gunner complains. "Time to pick another target, I guess." She says to herself. Besides, there's an order to do so. "Where... there!" A fighter appears on her sensors and so she locks her targeting reticle on one of the nimble TIEs and fires! A clean miss. Another shot but the target is already out of her fire envelope. "I'm going to have throw myself out an airlock after this."
---
Ok, time for game face, time to save lives. Faidra rolls up her uniform sleeves and grips the door right next to Jonn, and pulls, hard, the muscles in her forearms becoming more obvious as she strains to help the walking talking mountain pry the door open. "We're coming! Hold on!" she yells through the door. "Help me Jonn!" she yells out at him.
---
The laser fire is thick, and Karas is still chasing the bomber he's on. Though he is caught up in cross fire, he tries to dive away and cut back up, but as he dives, he is hit by the TIE Fighter that hit him the last time. It is actually staying on him now, followed up by it's wingman, Karas shakes his head, and now sparks and alarms are wailing all around him. The snub fighter is shaking but still good, the top left engine winks out as well. "Spark see what you can do about our shields and se if you can get that engine back online." Spark gets busy working, but at the same time Karas banks right cutting off the TIE Bomber as it tries to make a break for it and chase the Renegade, Red Leader is there first and lasers from the X-Wing strikes home once as smoke and fire is now trailing the Bomber Ace.
---
RULES OF NATURE! WHUNK! With a mighty heave, a feat of strength unmatched by any who call themselves human, the doors slammed open! Jonn Drayson was not one of those Corellian pansies! He could break the Chancellor in two with his /bare hands/! Don't frack with this Jedi! "Tank you foah der help!" he said to the surprisingly strong lady doctor! "I could nahd haf done it alohne!" Her ability to pry the gap open further let him use his huge muscles for their true purpose of brute strength instead of the little fiddly amount of pressure he could emit with his fingertips!
His jumpsuit had suffered, though. The chest was ripped and the sleeves had been torn apart where they connected to the torso. As soon as his arms fell, so did the tattered rags that were attached. Note to self: stop buying clothes too small.
---
Even putting down a few of the bombers is not enough to make much of a dent in the overall combined payload of those left. <<They're making a break for the Renegade.>> Jessika's message over the tactical net is meant to help the rest of her Squadron keep their heads focused on the real goal, which is less engaging the squints swarming around them and more sending their bombers to an early grave with no joy. She adjusts her own snubfighter ever higher in a spiraling dance of quad fusial engines and iconic, spread wings that have helped put one of the hostile targets to rest. A glance out the smal triangle behind her main viewport allows her to spy the one Nebulon-K losing altitude and the other suffering under Green Squadron's assault. "Give 'em hell, Ektor."
The words are murmured, and Jessika's R3 breaks her out of her reverie with a series of bleeps. "I see them, Case." Trailing the bombers, Jessika maneuvers into a predatory position behind one of the wide vessels and focuses on seeing that sweet, solid color in the middle of her instrument panel rather than the rapidly flashing lights glinting off the visor of her borrowed helmet. Lightly resting her finger against the trigger of her yolk, Jessika waits for the opportune moment. It comes not a few moments later, and the veteran Resistance pilot squeezes the trigger to send bright lances of fire at one of the bombers that's damaged and still trying to remain relevant in the fight. She puts its hopes to bed, and its pilot in the grave, by making it explode.
<<Red Two, splash two bombers.>>
---
Elrych Cometburn is not having a good day as he works on chasing down a bomber. The TIE's are onto him and a flight of them move after the old N-1. His fany flying isn't enough as grees cascades erupt across his shields and then finally, an impat against the hull. He breaks away, looking out of his canopy and over towards the burn mark on the slope of the port side. <Gold Leader, Gold Four. I've lost my shields.> He really wasn't being any kind of help out here.
---
While Green Two manages to miss the batteries shooting at the Renegade as it breaks halfway out of orbit, Green Leader's payload hits the figuratively soft underbelly of the remaining Nebulon-K, hitting its stabilizers and causing it to explode. A testament as to what a single starfighter can do if creative enough, the ship starts to slowly list on its starboard side. Its remaining batteries fire at the Renegade, but despite the clever use of their own TIEs as relay points, the frigate can't get as accurate of a bead as it can when it's starting to tilt. Shots glance off the miraculously holding shields of the Renegade.
Until it rights back up, the Resistance flagship has some breathing room to deal with the ridiculous amount of starfighters that are attempting to follow. More and more start to veer towards the Renegade's tail, and despite the valiant efforts by the Renegade's gunners and Red and Gold Squadrons, there's simply too many of them - but that has already been accounted for, as the objective is to /get out/ and not to win a fight in which they're vastly outnumbered.
"Sir," Dawn says from her console, looking up. "Three minutes to the gravity well. Once we pass that, we'll be able to jump - our computers are ready with our pre-programmed coordinates. With the frigate tilting and throwing off their aim, recommend diverting power from the front shields to the rear shields and start forming up our squadrons to get the hell out of here."
---
Ektor grits his teeth through as Green Two spins and weaves through the emerald fields of First Order fire; its magnificent flying, but he's no closer to gaining a lock on the stricken frigate, not with all those fighters on his tail. And his nose. And his wing. <<Working on it, boss->> he answers Gren.
---
Sar Yavok banks his ship hard to the side to zip out of the way of a few bolts. Looking over his shoulder at the frigate, Sar pulls back hard on the stick and points himself back in the direction of the target. Two more torpedoes fly toward the big bad boat; only one of them hitting its mark.
---
Gren had been doing a bloody nice job, for the most part. <<It's time to go, people. We're about there. I wouldn't say no to anyone with a torpedo popping that damned frigate.>> A turbolaser blast from the frigate finds a gap in the Renegade's shields, and punches a hole into the hull. "Dispatch damage control. See what you can do with the shields." The Admiral is focused on getting past what remains of the blockade. <<Expect everyone to be ready for the jump to hyperspeed when the order is given.>>
---
Kaiden would legitimately and genuinely be worried about the pilots, the crew, and everything going on around him but.... he's trying to shoot things! Failing horribly, but trying nonetheless.
---
Sienn goes back to aiming at a TIE bomber. "I'm going to get you this time!" She promises. "Don't fail me now, computer. If you miss again I'm going to rip out your motivator and get one that is more cooperative!" There's a target now. Explode! Come on! And she hits, but not with the second.
---
Faidra does what she can to help Jonn move people out of the space, then the whole effing section of hull actually collapses and threatens to suck people out. Yeah, she's having none of that and bolts for the switch, taking a dive and reaching forward with a right hand to grab it and slam it shut. Thankfully, it works, and the bulkhead slash blast door slams closed. Everyone is safe and sound. Job's Done.
---
The damage to the Renegade's hull is enough to rock the ship violently, especially for those closer to the blast. Finn happened to be one of the unlucky ones that was close to where the impact was, but he was far enough to not be fatally injured. Finn's head bounces off the data terminal attached to his swivelling chair and he's instantly rocked, the whole of space and his viewport going dizzy and blurry. The former First Order soldier has to step out of his seat, squeezing off another volley at nothing as he climbs down and out and stumbles heavilly on his feet. A streak of blood pooling from his forehead down his face, this isn't going so well.
---
<<Roger that, Renegade.>> David replies immediately to Gren, forwarding orders and expectations to his squadron, clenching a fist around the flight stick when he realizes he forgot there was only one other pilot in it at this time. A happy beep behind him signals the shields being repaired, followed by the familiar blue glow that briefly engulfs the cockpit, before vanishing into convenient invisibility. Until it lights up again from being shot, right when David found a target. A TIE fighter blast at David, but comes careening down too fast for it to have been intentional. David shakes his head, glancing down to see shields holding up around 20-30 percent. One of the TIE Bombers gets a hail of pinkish-red laser fire, causing it to forcibly abort its run at the Renegade. David nods grimly, keeping the fighter close to the frigate.
---
Karas is sticking wit the bombers, too dangerous to let them drop their payloads. Keeping up, two TIE's behind him, and one in front of him, Karas is surely dancing with the devil right now and he's starting to worry, though as he rolls, he sees a flash and his X-Wing shudders and as it does, somehow he tilts his fighter just right only suffering a grazing shot which could've ruined his whole day. Still by the grace of the Force, Karas is right where he needs to be. Firing off successive shots at the bomber as it tries to break left to evade, but that was the wrong move. The TIE Bomber goes up in a fireball. The X-Wing pulls up, <<Red Leader, Splash Two Bombers.>> he says calmly. Now trying to dance away from the two TIEs on his ass, <<Red 2, Lets catch up with the Renegade, we are getting to far behind.>> he calls as he climbs.
---
Jonn Drayson's first instinct when the hull was torn open was to throw the nearest person at the switch. Deja vu. But when he reached out to grab somebody, he saw the doctor moving at pace. She had it well in hand. Instead, he grabbed on to one of the nearby rescuees, lifted off their feet and sucked towards the opening! "You will NAHD DIE TOHDAY!" he cried out, pulling them back into the vessel before the bulkhead slammed closed!
---
The fight isn't over, yet. Almost, but not yet. Jessika puts in full effort to the end, and that includes trying to squeeze out as much damage against the First Order as she can in the process. Still trailing the bombers because of a speed reduction rather than being stuck chasing them, Jessika once again seeks to line one of the craft up in her sights. The command to prepare for hyperspace comes over the net, and she knows it's her last shot to get a sucker punch in before it's time to punch out on the work clock. Settling one of the bombers into her sights, Jessika's finger rests lightly against the trigger with the expectant patience of a pilot ready to take down her prey. "Case, prepare for the jump to hyperspace. Lock in our course out of here."
But something else is a much more tempting target. Spying the drifting Frigate spinning out of control and heavily damaged, Jessika suddenly banks off from the bomber she's pursuing. Rapidly flicking up the housing that shields the button for her proton torpedos, she immediately sets her targeting computer to lock onto the Nebulon-K doing its crazy dance. It's a long shot, especially as fire starts peppering the space around her, but she looses two torpedos in its direction. <<Affirmative, Red Leader.>> Flipping her s-foils closed, Jessika swings out of the incoming fire with precision movements that leave her unscathed, and then prepares with the rest of her squadron and the Resistance forces to jump out.
---
Elrych Cometburn starts heading back towards the Renegade, keeping close in while going in for a few of the fighters, give those who are doing the real good work take out the Bombers. He was garbage when it came to shooting and not even his music was helping him concentrate. He's amaging well against the TIE's for the most part, even without shields. Sweat is starts to collect on his brow as he had to divert some of the power from the enviromental controls to compensate for some fool hearty maneuver.
---
"Hull breach addressed, sir," Dawn reports to Gren from her console. "I think someone must have sealed it. Entering gravity well now. All fighters, form up at the Renegade, we're getting the hell out of here in two minutes!"
As the starfighters continue their ascent into orbit, with plenty of TIEs at their tail, the space underneath the Renegade is awash in laser fire, with its guns still firing in an attempt to chip away at the wave heading right for them from below. The pilots of the Resistance have their work cut out for them when they are pushed in a position where they have to simultaneously evade and perform defensive tactics. Green Squadron continues their assault against the frigate, but they are running out of torpedos fast - Green Leader is down to one, Green Two to four, and the rest have been spent. But the crew of the Renegade will take some satisfaction in watching the second frigate spin helplessly on its axis, smoking from the various shots that have been pelted at it...
Warning alarms suddenly blare from the sensor officer's console, and he turns to look at it. Eyes widen as he looks up. "Sir, other signals just popped up on the far side of Bothawui! Calling up screens to-- "
As the Renegade struggles through the gravity well, its nose moving past its pull and rattling the battered ship with the sheer effort to get out of it - more First Order ships arrive. Dawn's green eyes widen in horror as she spies the incoming fleet....and the familiar formation that it adopts.
---
Aboard the lead flag ship stands the fear of many old Rebellion leaders, Grand Admiral Thrawn. The man has his hands behind his back as he looks to the lost ship, and the one out of control. "Captian, commence the attack. Disable that ship." And the orders are barked, combat patterns 'completely' change into entirely odd ball formations that Thrawn is very well known for.
A pair of Bombers actually lining up with fighters now, the swarms become more orgainized as Tie-fighters begin to work in groups of four, swaping which ship is leading, leap forging one another to hide the actual formation leader.
The incoming SD's not creating a wedge formach but spreading out into a half moon with the target ship at it's center point while they approach. They are out of range yet to open fire, but the Star Destory formation looms infront and down on their nose axis.
---
Ektor makes a wordless "Blaaaaaah," of irritation as channels light up with incoming signals. "All this time I been all 'Where all the Star Destroyers at' yeah?" he mutters to Tenner. "Now they finally show up, and the on the wrong side of the- Hey, don't use that kinda language with me, you little drek can- yeah, yeah, jumping to hyperspace..." flipping the channel live, he drawls, <<Green Two, standing by for jump, yeah?>>
---
"Son of a..." trails off Sar as the FO fleet starts jumping on. He rolls his eyes and lines up alongside Green Two. <<Coordinates calculated. Waiting on your order, Renegade,>> he comms, settling in for the jump.
---
<<We're done here. All ships, jump to hyperspace. I'd say good work, but I'd by lying. We screwed the Hutt, here. Just get home safe.>> Gren's hand leaves the small flight control lever, and presses a button on his console. There is a brief shudder, and then the capital ship erupts into a burst of light, and runs up to lightspeed. Delede thumps a fist against the arm of his command chair, and looks toward Dawn. "When we get back, I'm throwing what passes for High Command out the bloody airlock. Get me damage reports." He's furious, and he falls into silence, grinding his teeth.
---
That was Thrawn. Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo. The formation is familiar, if not just because she has read about it in her materials.
The program that she had been accepted in during her time in Coruscant's naval academy had an entire course devoted to his tactics back in the days of the Empire, and since then she had studied everything she had access to about his past military engagements. There had been a time when she had wondered what it would be like, to be on the others side of his maneuvers, his turrets and guns, and really, she /shouldn't be surprised/ that he takes this opportunity to show up right when they are beaten and bloody, limping into the stars.
Not so he could shoot them down in this state with overwhelming force. Oh, no. It would be too easy.
It's so he can watch them leave and know that he /let them/.
Her face is pale and her heart is beating so fast that she can scarcely breathe, and it takes all of her effort to stand up straight by where she is. It is only Gren's orders that snap her out of the white noise of fear crowding her skull, threatening to drown out everything else. His bristling, obvious, white-hot anger from his commander's chair is one that she seizes as an anchor, and she nods her acquiescence to her admiral's orders.
"Yes, sir," Dawn tells Gren, with respect to the damage reports...and the intent to throw High Command out of an airlock. "Hyperjump in three seconds...two....one..."
And they go, the Renegade and its starfighter complement, escaping by a hair, vanishing into the sea of stars and barreling for safety.
