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Post by Republic Soldier on Apr 24, 2012 0:02:50 GMT -5
*The shuttle wasn't stopping. The comm system was still down. And Arlen Darklighter was running out of options. He could see the other capital on his sensors now, they had been hiding behind the moon until just a moment ago, and the shuttle carrying the Jedi was headed right for it. Darklighter knew that if that shuttle made it that ship, it was all over.*
"Blast it all! I didn't want to have to do this...."
*Darklighter targets the shuttle's engines and pulls the trigger. Hopefully his wingmates would know what to do from observing his attack pattern, and wouldn't send a pair of missiles to destroy the shuttle outright. A concentrated burst of red plasma bolts fly from his Aurek's wingtips toward the shuttle. All he wanted to do was disable it for now. The Exultant would be on its way, and then they could deal with it.*
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*Aboard the Exultant Captain Kuui looks startled at the tactical display before her before turning to give her findings to the General.*
"Detecting another vessel within range, General. It's the Sojourn."
*General Rhylla recognized the name. It was Carth Onasi's vessel. The same Carth Onasi that had saved her life during the Battle of Rakata Prime, and the same Carth Onasi that had betrayed the entire Republic a day ago when he refused to comply with the Chancellor's executive order 11-38.*
"Damn it, Onasi. Don't do this.... Kuui, is there any way to get a channel open to the Sojourn?"
"Negative, General. The comm system is still jammed."
"Status of the shuttle?"
"One minute to intercept. Blue squadron has opened fire - looks like they're trying to knock out their engines."
*Rhylla nodded. Darklighter was a damned good pilot - if anyone could scuttle that boat, it'd be him.*
"And the Sojourn?"
*Captain Kuui pauses.*
"Just under a minute from the shuttle, sir."
*So Onasi would make it there just seconds before she could. Unless Darklighter managed to knock out the engines... then the race would be on.*
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Post by Azra Glenstorm on Apr 24, 2012 15:42:14 GMT -5
"Aaagh!"
Azra covers her ears at the piercing sound from Stesha's droid. They manage to turn off the screeching sound in time and she lowers her hands cautiously.
This is insane.
She is stir crazy and dying for something to do to help, but seeing as how she knows next to nothing about piloting or starships, she figures it's best to just sit near Stesha and be ready to protect the girl if the need arises. Unfortunately all her battle skills are in close combat, not in space combat. Birk glances toward her and smiles, and suddenly the nearly overwhelming anxiety she has been feeling since they came up with this insane escape plan seems to fade away.
Birk will get us through this somehow.
"Master, let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Otherwise, I'll just stay out of the way."
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Post by Birk Snowshadow on Apr 25, 2012 21:03:50 GMT -5
Perhaps they could...you know...just let us go
Sadly for Birk anyway, his wishes would not be answered. A flurry of fire from the attacking ship slam into the rear of the ship, sending a powerful jolt through the shuttle that seemed to rattle every piece of the ship right down to the last rivet. In an instant, warning lights were flashing in the cockpit and an alarm had sounded. Birks redirection of the shields to the rear seemed to have saved the lives of those on the ship, but the shields at that point were not powered up enough to stop the bolts from damaging the ship.
"BY THE FORCE!..."
Birk was agitated a bit by the chaos, yet was finding a way to remain calm... at least on the outside. Birk began to flip switches in a random flurry. Nothing seemed to be working right. Lights inside the ship were turning on and off, same story with a music radio, Birk could hear the toilet flush a few times, the lights on the OUTSIDE of the ship flashed on and off randomly, the windshild wipers turned on...
FOR THE LOVE OF THE FORCE WHY DOES THIS THING HAVE WIPERS!
Finally, Birk flipped the switch he was looking for. A female audio file played from his monitor...
"Power transfer to rear shields and engines activated... please close down systems to transfer... would you like to enter the tutorial for power transfer? improper power transfer could cause less than desirable results...."
"NO YOU HUNK O' JUNK I DON'T WANT NO BLOODY TUTORIAL!"
Birk started to once again flip through the switches before him. One by one systems began to reroute power to the engines and rear shields. Birk stopped for a moment.. he knew what this next switch was for and, all things considered, knew that others would want to be prepared for it. Birk turns behind him and shouts into the shuttle
"HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS!!"
The switch Birk flipped next was the artificial gravity switch, turning off the gravity on board the vessel and rerouting its power to the shields and engines as well. Next in line was a switch Birk was unfamiliar with, he flipped it anyway. The shuttle jumps with a shudder. Birk can see via the rear cameras that he had accidentally opened up the luggage compartment on the rear of the ship... releasing all sorts of debris into space behind the shuttle.
More importantly Birk noticed that his seat, which he had been sitting in just moments before had somehow magically begun to drift away from him.
"You have got to be kidding...."
Birk had forgotten to buckle his seat belts. The lack of gravity coupled with the jarring of the ship when he opened the luggage doors had forced him from his seat and Birk was now drifting from his seat towards the roof and rear of the cockpit...very slowly.
Birk attempted to swim through the air back to his seat to no avail. Surely a funny sight to see a young man swimming in the air yet only going backwards. The issue is that, if Birk can not get back to his console before the next barrage of fire hits the shuttle and hit the flashing red 'apply power transfer' button that seemed to mock Birk with every flash... the shuttle would surely be lost.
Fortunately for Birk, and the Jedi aboard, The cockpit for these shuttles is not very large. After a few moments, Birk reached the ceiling and was able to push his way back through the air and to his terminal where he promptly pressed the button.
Birk took his seat and buckled himself in. An intense sound of power filled the shuttle as the shields and engines where just about overloaded with power.
"Well now... shouldn't have to worry about the republic blowing us up... course the shuttle could do that by itself at this point i guess..."
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Post by Serra Keto on Apr 30, 2012 18:26:53 GMT -5
*Serra tries to hold the ship as steady as she can as the blasterfire hits the ship hard is the aft, but even so it rocks back and forth and sends a shower of sparks over her control console. But they were still in one piece, so that much was alright. She glances over and sees that Birk is already typing away at redirecting the energy flow to the shields - or at least that's what she hopes he's doing. For all she knew he could be playing "Affronted Avians."*
*A moment later the artificial gravity fails, or is redirected, or something - however it happens Serra was now floating away from her seat. Thankfully the safety strap was fasten securely around her waist, so she did not travel far, but whomever had sat in this seat last was considerably larger than herself. Serra winches the strap tighter, and continues to push the shuttle toward their destination.*
*She could see Onasi's flagship now. The red and white Hammerhead-class cruiser was approaching quickly directly ahead of them. Unfortunately, according to the sensors, so too was a much larger and much more hostile Republic vessel from astern.*
"This could get a little rough."
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Post by Carth Onasi on Apr 30, 2012 18:59:15 GMT -5
"They're taking fire, Captain."
"We're not going to fire on those fighters, Alluah. We'll just have to hope Rhylla doesn't want them dead."
*Carth was reasonably confident that was the case. Regardless, it wasn't going to be him that shed blood between allies today. He was willing to protect the Jedi and put his life on the line, but to take others - especially members of the same Navy he served was going too far.*
"They're in range, Captain!"
*Carth spun around to Lieutenant Mitchell as he finally informs Carth of what he had been waiting for.*
"Helm, hard to port! Keep our momentum forward. I want them to slide right into our hangar. Alluah, activate tractor beam and bring them in as fast as you can manage. Astrogation, spin up the hyperdrive and and plot a jump for the Black Sector. Don't wait for my order, Ensign, as soon as the shuttle is in the bay: jump."
*As the Sojourn speeds full force toward the Jedi shuttle and the pursuing fighters, it suddenly begins to drift sideways. Now traveling with it's starboard flank leading, the Sojourn opens its starboard hangar bay, giving the Jedi Shuttle a direct path in. The tractor beam activates, locking onto the Jedi's shuttle and guiding them forward toward the hangar.*
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Post by Republic Soldier on Apr 30, 2012 19:28:20 GMT -5
*Lieutenant Darklighter barely has enough time to throttle back on his controls and dodge out of the way as a collection of miscellaneous parts and containers suddenly fly out from the back of the shuttle.*
"Karking hell, this guy's good."
*He'd lost a lot of distance on the shuttle because of the maneuver and he he couldn't get a clear lock on the engines at this distance - he'd risk hitting the shuttle in the wrong place and blowing it halfway to Mustafar.*
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*General Rhylla looked on in amazement as Onasi's vessel suddenly lists to the side and continues its approach. The shuttle was now directly between them, about equidistant, but with the bold maneuver (that was undoubtedly putting a great deal of strain on the weary Hammerhead) the Sojourn had gained a distinct advantage.*
"General, the Sojourn has locked a tractor beam onto the TSF shuttle."
*Did she dare open fire on Onasi's vessel. Legally, she was allowed to - the Chancellor's office had branded him a known traitor. But was it right?*
"The target is the Jedi. Lock our own tractor beam on the shuttle."
"But... General, that will rip them apart."
"Then we'll let Onasi decide the fate of the Jedi. He'll be forced to release his hold of the shuttle."
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Post by Serra Keto on Apr 30, 2012 19:37:48 GMT -5
*Serra's eyes go wide as the large captial ship directly in front of them rotates to become even larger and more imposing - taking up the majority of the forward viewport window. The shuttle then suddenly jars as the Sojourn's tractor beam takes hold, but then calms to a soothing tug as it is guided forward. Knowing that her own engines would only impede the process, Serra cuts power to the engines and lets the tractor beam do it's work.*
"Phew, I was getting worried there for a - "
*Suddenly the shuttle shakes again, this time much more violently, Serra is thrown forward into the console and bashes her head on the control panel before she can catch herself. Again it shakes, and then again. All around them alarms were beginning to blare and the distinctive screeching sound of metal twisting could be heard echoing from the frame of the ship. Serra picks herself up off the sparking console and wipes the blood from her forehead, trying to read the display in front of her as it winks in and out from a black screen.*
"We're.... we're caught in two tractor beams. We're getting pulled in half!"
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Post by Carth Onasi on Apr 30, 2012 19:49:46 GMT -5
*Carth stares in horror out the starboard Bridge window at the shuttle as the Exultant grabs ahold of it with it's own tractor beam.*
"Captain, the Exultant -"
"I know, I know!"
*Carth shouted back at his first officer. He immediately regretted doing so, but the situation was out of control. If they continued to play tug-of-war, the Jedi's shuttle would be ripped in two and all hands would be lost. If he let go then he'd loose the Jedi to the Republic and to Senator Nias's schemes. The only alternative was the one that Carth had sworn to not do.*
"Captain Alluah... ready the torpedo tubes."
*Right here is where his fate would be decided. Right here is where it all ended. Everything he stood for, everything he believed in, everything he practiced... it all ended right now.*
"Target the Exultant's tractor emitters."
*Was he prepared for this? Could he actually fire on a fellow Republic vessel? For so long he had hated his mentor Saul Karath for doing just this - years of his life had been devoted to ending Saul and gaining justice for the betrayal he had committed. Was Carth any different now? Had Carth become Saul? The thought clawed at his ribcage even as he gave the order.*
"Fire."
*The Sojourn fires a pair of torpedoes past the hull of the Jedi's shuttle, and onward to the Exultant.*
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Post by Birk Snowshadow on Apr 30, 2012 20:02:02 GMT -5
Birk is just as relieved by the tractor beam from the Sojourn as Serra Keto was. He is also equally surprised when the shuttle is violently halted by the beam from the other ship. Birk lunged forward in his seat, he could hear (and feel) a crack in his chest and knew right away that the force of his body against the over shoulder restraints he had put on after returning to his seat had broken his collar bone on both sides.
Despite his injury, Birk was happy to have had the time to put the restraints on. If he hadn't.. he was sure to have done serious damage not just to his body, but to the console of the shuttle. Birk looked over to Serra Keto, who was not as fortunate to have had her restraints on at the time of stoppage. She looked badly beat up to him, and the controls for the shuttle looked to be in an equal need of repair. Birk reassessed... his own console The lights on most of Birks switches had gone out, his display had spider webbed and revealed nothing but a blue screen with an error message on it. Birk was out of tricks and options. Once again helpless to save those he cared for.
Birk looked back to Serra Keto with a look of disbelief and fear, the sound of the ships steel crying out under the stress of the event. This was the first time in Birks 21 years that he had been feared for what the force could have in store for the young man. He had lived his life to the code as his parents had instilled in him. What could he possibly have done to warrant such a fate.
Birk looked down to his feet as a clear reason filled his head... his broken vow to Azra. More than enough to warrant such negative karma and fate, at least it was in his mind. Birks head shot back up and gazed out the window
But...that makes no sense. Great Force, you have given me a chance to atone for that sin... why would you just take that away? seems counter intuitive... to take both of us like this... This is not equivalent exchange
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Post by Republic Soldier on Apr 30, 2012 20:05:19 GMT -5
*Two bright orange torpedoes streaked across the black of space ahead of them, and General Rhylla didn't even have time to shout "brace for impact" before they hit. Grabbing onto the Bridge support rail that overlooked the Inexpugnable-class's holographic bridge display, Rhylla manages to not be thrown to the floor after the impact and detonation of the two torpedoes. Onasi had fired on them. Onasi! Of all people. She had been sure he wouldn't go that far - on Corucant and now on Telos, he had intentionally avoiding any exchange of blaster fire. But now... now things had changed.*
"Tractor emitters offline, General. The Shuttle is getting away."
"All batteries open fire on the Sojourn! Nobody fires on my ship and gets away with it! Not even Republic war heros!"
*Though the tractor beam was down, Rhylla wasn't about to give up. The Exultant begins firing a full barrage on the Sojourn's fully exposed starboard flank.*
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Post by Serra Keto on Apr 30, 2012 20:13:33 GMT -5
*Two bright orange burst of light fly just above Serra's head just outside the cockpit window. A second later the shuttle jolts forward again, pressing her hard into her seat. Onasi's ship had them again!*
"We're moving!"
*She knew it was probably pointless to say it, as everyone could probably feel the sharp acceleration. But it made her better just saying it aloud. Looking forward the shuttle was now entering the Sojourn's hangar. It slowly glided through the open bay door and then gently is set down on the the deck. Already, she could see people, including several in Jedi robes, waiting for them just outside.*
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Post by Carth Onasi on Apr 30, 2012 20:25:03 GMT -5
"Direct hit, Captain. The Exultant's tractor beam is down."
*Carth could see the explosion on the Exultant from where he was standing and the shuttle subsequently being pulled forward once more. He closed his eyes and nodded an acknowledgement to the Lieutenant's update. But before he could even give a sigh of relief the bridge rocked violently as the Exultant opened fire with all its teeth. Carth spun around and staggered across the quaking bridge to where Alluah was.*
"Shields to ninety percent. Eighty-seven."
"Do not return fire! Ensign, you have those jump coordinates?"
"Eighty-two. Starboard thrusters offline."
"Yes sir! Waiting for the shuttle to board."
"Seventy- five."
"Shuttle is on board!"
"Go!"
*The helmsman was already ready and had his hand gripping the hyperspace lever. He throws it forward and the Sojourn flies into hyperspace, leaving behind nothing but empty space for the Exultant to fire on.*
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Post by Stesha Lorkin on Apr 30, 2012 20:40:55 GMT -5
the shuttle glides into the smoothness of the sojurn's tractor beam, then jerks violently as the exultant's tractor beam grips them as well. stesha is thrown around and even with the lack of gravity, is hit by the seat, walls of the cockpit and even ee-5 as the beams fight for control of the ship. she knows she'll be bruised and is likely bleeding from her head and banged knees at the least. through it all, she holds in the fear and tries to let herself flow with the ship into the waiting hanger of the sojurn.
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