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Borite / Sindal (Trojan Reach 2219)
Rahne, Mahan, Kesperziaiepr, Urien, Eirene
The Reclaimer's Intent, Borite
019 (Harrier, Week 2, Day 4) 1105, Imperial

A push at the newly sluggish controls is all it takes to send the Reclaimer's Intent screaming through the sky towards the retreating contact. Screaming through the sky at Mach 10, the displays in the bridge have to filter out the glow of plasma on the vessel's nose, and for several minutes, the people of Borite's downport are able to hear the echoeing cry of the Reclaimer's Intent as it flies after its prey.

Comparatively, when Urien sets about jamming the modular cutter, the electronic bands go quiet once more. The cutter is rendered silent.

What follows is several minutes of running down the cutter even as it tries to flee. The Harrier-class commerce raider has more than enough engine to run down a typical cutter, and that is before accounting for any battle damage that missile has caused. Dwarfing the smaller vessel, casting a shadow over it in so many senses of the word even as it desperately tries to juke or shift away. They slip to one side and the Reclaimer's Intent is already waiting for them. They shift to the other and the comparatively hulking warship is there, too. Penning them in by a measure of inches and feet as it draws closer.

Their pilot clearly tries to slip away, but that does no good. Inevitably, at hypersonic speed, the two vessels meet. The cutter crew clearly realize the game is up, having slowed to a hover over the last several minutes as you dog them again and again. When they finally stop, it is an easy matter to move the Reclaimer's Intent into position.

Inside the Reclaimer's Intent, the crew who are to act as a boarding party have time to suit up and prepare. The ship's armory has enough equipment to five marines with accelerator rifles for such an action. Dazl, having already taken it upon himself to get one to Rahne, does the same with the others. All those who are going aboard are met by Dazl tossing them one of the ship's accelerator rifles and a bandoleer of ammunition before he moves down to the airlock to join everyone.

Earrod, for his part, keeps to the same stateroom he quartered in on the way to Borite, assuring you all that he will not move about the ship until he has assurance that whatever is happening is done. He locks the door from the inside.

Opening the airlock is easy enough. The crew of the pinnace haven't even shut it down.

The first team through the airlock, led by Kesper, runs into some quick and immediate trouble when exiting the airlock into the hall that connects the forward section of the vessel to the modular bay area. With a scream, a leather-clad raider comes bursting from a ship supply closet with an ax in hand. His battlecry is cut off just as it starts with a round from the Zhodani's stun gun that sees him knocked to the ground mid-jump. From there, with the remainder of the boarding party coming through the airlock, it is a thing of short work.

Kesper, Urien, and Eirene split towards the cockpit. This means that they have to pass through the forward cabin space. Three raiders are in there, and they already look in a bad way. The air is thick with smoke as the life support systems of the vessel are clearly strained from all the damage the ship has sustained, and there's visible sparking overhead through an iris valve that leads to the craft's only turret. On the ground, a bandage wrapped around his head and over one eye, a man is being tended to by another with the contents of a medical kit spread out haphazardly at his side. When the three enter, the apparent medic throws his hands up.

When the two men still standing look like they might start to fight, a quick pistol-whip across the jaw from Urien sends one of them to the ground with a grunt of pain, and it seems to disabbuse the other of any notion of resistence. The medic helpfully, wordlessly points to the cockpit door. And as soon as that door opens, the man in the seat, stressed and clearly aware he's outgunned, slowly raises his arms, and doesn't put up a fight when he's pulled from his chair and dragged from the small craft's bridge.

At the other end of the ship, Dazl and Rahne are able to head for the cargo compartment.

The cargo module is not as smoke-filled and hazy as other parts of the vessel. And that is because of the gaping hole in its side, where the missile first struck. Along the other wall of the module are several cages. Hard, steel things and each is clearly designed to hold a single person, with their wrists trapped - bound - sticking through metal plates in the cage door to prevent them from being able to move around in the cage much at all. Mercifully, they are empty. At least right now.

Further back, it can be found that instead of the traditional reserve cargo space sported by this pattern of cutter, there is instead more powerplant.

And more smoke. Clearly the powerplant and engine systems are in bad shape.

The engineer, in grease stained coveralls and with bandaged hands, seems confused at first to see the two gun-toting strangers come into the engineering space. They yelp, falling from where they worked and scramble back into a corner of the engineering space, "I can - I can help! I know engines! I'm useful, I swear!" They are quick to cover their face with one hand. Dazl keeps back towards the entrance to the engine space, watching the cowering figure but with his rifle lowered. The engineer - a human - flinches at any touch.

All of this - sweeping the ship section by section, taking control of each portion of the vessel - can be watched from Mahan's station as suit cameras show what each member of the boarding party see. In a span of a minute the ship is controlled, with the cutter's crew under control, and the vessel seized. Sitting in the air, both vessels suspended by their M-drives.

The pilot of the cutter, scowls as he looks to you, "Kill me, you cowards. Kill me and see what Chief Keia brings down on your heads."