1.3 - Ain't No Rule Saying a Dog Can't Play Pirate (Closed)

[Sneaksby]

"Resist and you'll be fired upon. Understood?"

Unlike the boisterous threats of his companions, Kesper was all brisk professionalism as he cuffed the survivors' hands behind their back and ordered them to line up and get on their knees with legs crossed. Next was a thorough frisking, removing any weaponry from their person and setting it aside out of reach. Not treating them particularly roughly, he nevertheless kept his stun carbine pointed in their direction, making it clear they would be eating a blast of incapacitating energy at the slightest provocation.

"Now...we can get to know each other a bit."

Carefully kneeling down to eye level with the Oghman pilot, he stared into his face. And stared. And stared some more. The silence stretched on uncomfortably as Kesper remained staunchly silent, ignoring any words said to him, his face unseen and inscrutable behind the opaque faceplate of his vacc suit helmet.

He wasn't just engaging in a staring contest, but bending all of his psionic will to worming his way into the man's mind. No plucking of superficial thoughts this, but a deep probe into his stream of consciousness. Kesper always visualized this as plunging into a pool of water, mirror-still on the surface but moved by rushing currents underneath. However this pool had a surface tension like taut plastic, and he had to push, and push, and push. He nearly exhausted himself from the strain before he finally made a breakthrough. A headache was already making itself known, but he hoped it would be worth it.

Suddenly reaching out and playfully ruffling the mouthy pilot's hair, Kesper finally spoke.

"Got some questions for you, friend."

[DJ P4NTSL3SS]

---

Borite / Sindal (Trojan Reach 2219)
Rahne, Mahan, Kesperziaiepr, Urien, Eirene
Romeo 1 and the Reclaimer's Intent, Borite
019 (Harrier, Week 2, Day 4) 1105, Imperial

---

The corsair should have an easy time landing the modular cutter, even as the control panel squawks that there is a growing loss of pressure in the cutter's fuel lines the entire time. At the same time, the crew's resident sensors operator and at-times engineer works diligently to ensure those same fuel lines don't overcharge or explode Something that might make for some white-knuckled final maneuvers to land in a space large enough for the vessel to be tucked away in a place where it might be more easily hidden, but where the Reclaimer's Intent can be landed close enough to make the transfer of crew and materials more easily done.

Meanwhile, aboard the Reclaimer's Intent, Earrod tries to make himself comfortable on one of the seats when invited to review the footage and recordings. While he is no master of naval engineering and warfare, he is an engineer, and an engineer's mind can easily enough make sense of what is being laid out before him. He nods, a bit surprised by the violence he witnesses. Even for a veteran spacer, the damage of a barbette on such a small target can be terrifying. To a man who's experience is with the one space-faring vessel they had before it was sold on Torpol, it is horrifying on a whole other level, entirely.

Arryne - the cutter's engineer - is one of the most agreeable to being cuffed. Though they try to shift and scoot away from the others among the crew as they are all gathered together to be transferred over to the Reclaimer's Intent. One of them, the cutter's gunner, is injured enough that he has need of a sling that the cutter's doctor was already in the process of making when they were boarded. He winces and grunts with every step jostling his arm as he shuffles to the ship. Dazl takes up a post to help act as security, as one might expect from a ship's marine, with a relaxed grip on the accelerator rifle from the armory as he watches them all intently.

The cutter's pilot is quick enough to answer questions under the scrutiny of Urien and Kesper.

The first thing he surrenders under questioning is the location of his base. It matches the energy readings that Urien detected near the end of the fight, faint and subtle near to where the cutter and the pinnace had been when first detected before the shooting began. And he is quick to offer "The bulk of us stayed back! Were expecting scholars and shamans and such!"

He also offers that there was only one other ship in the system besides the cutter and the pinnace. A jump-capable one - a 200-ton Far Trader - and one of the first things they had done upon sighting the Reclaimer's Intent was giving it the order to jump back to Chief Keia and tell him of the threat so that the full brunt of the fleet could be brought to bear on it. Had they not been captured, it would have been a horrible surprise. Now? Well now its just a matter of counting the days until the fleet arrives...

As for his chief? Of course, he is happy to brag about. The fearsome strength of Chief Keia, and how he has quickly begun to cut his way up the ranks of the raiders to make a name for himself. His power grows, day by day. He's been making deals and under himself, he's assembled a fleet that must come in somewhere in the range of 3,000 d-tons in all. Easily one of the largest cohesive groups of Oghman raiders in the entire reach. They might even be able to give one of the Lords of Theev a hard run if they ever came toe-to-toe, he brags.

As for the Aslan? He hasn't the foggiest idea. That was all dealt with above him. Likewise, if anybody else was planning any other raids, then he wouldn't know about them.

And when the topic of other slaves in system are raised, he none-too-subtly shoots a glare at Arryn. Without the confusion of the smoke, and the adrenaline of raiding the vessel running through veins, its easy to notice the simple steal collar that Arryn wears around their neck. It is only a moment though, before he answers: no. There are no other slaves in-system or in their captivity that he is aware of.

In total, you all find yourselves with the cutter's pilot and captain, a medic, the cutter's gunner, a raider, and the engineer. All of them currently bound and being held under your watchful eye for whatever you decide to do next as Kesper sets to work camouflaging the now-landed cutter. Aboard the cutter there is ammunition for slug rifles and snub weapons, some basic medical supplies, and rations for a few weeks operation. All fairly standard fare for such a vessel - even with a hole blown in its side, leaving no way to truly secure it from an intruder.

Edited October 15, 2023 by DJ P4NTSL3SS (see edit history)

[Sneaksby]

Kesper asked his questions serenely and wore an annoyingly knowing look all the while. He wasn't harsh, he didn't need to be, he only needed to ask a certain amount of follow up questions and requests for more details. That the answers were mostly lies didn't matter. Each spoken lie caused a ripple of truth that his sensitive mind read as clearly as text on a screen.

Clapping his hands together to signal the end of the interrogation, he has the prisoners get to their feet.

"No more time to waste if we want to avoid the wrath of the mighty Chief Keia! Let's get moving."

As a security precaution, Kesper procures some blindfolds, cutting an unused piece of clothing into strips if necessary, and ties them around the prisoners' eyes. There wasn't any need for them to see the interior of the Reclaimer's Intent and possibly carry that information back to Oghma. Asking politely for Dazl's assistance in guarding the Oghmans, he carefully leads the conga line of prisoners onto the harrier.

Returning to his crewmates and well out of earshot of the prisoners, he bluntly reports, "That guy was completely full of shit. There's no fleet coming."

[DJ P4NTSL3SS]

---

Borite / Sindal (Trojan Reach 2219)
Rahne, Mahan, Kesperziaiepr, Urien, Eirene
The Raider Base, Borite
019 (Harrier, Week 2, Day 5) 1105, Imperial

---

The captured raiders are moved aboard the Reclaimer's Intent with little issue. They grumble and protest amongst themselves, with a few offers of the bounties that Chief Keia might give for the safe return of the crew and information on the lowport's defenses. And unless one among you has a protest about it, the typical response from Dazl is a rifle stock between the shoulder blades to usher them along. This then leads to a blindfolded raider cussing and stumbling to try and keep their feet under them. And, finally, with their hands secured by their own manacles and with your ship's junior-most marine keeping an eye on them, they are sat in the cargo bay. On their knees, ankles crossed.

Heading to their camp - the closer between it and the downport - is a quick matter. When you arrive, you find what is obviously a purpose-made clearing amid densely packed forest near a coastline. The landing space is barely the size necessary: big enough for the Reclaimer's Intent, and perhaps some smallcraft, but little else. On the flight in, on a small rise overlooking the landing, you can almost immediately spot the torpedo barbette with the naked eye that Urien detected earlier. It sits, silent and unmanned. And just off of the landing area, under the watch of the launcher, a small collection of pre-fab structures have been set up and clearly serve as housing for the raiders. Beyond that there are the pumps and hoses that betray the presence of buried fuel tanks - 25 d-tons, still sitting full with a hose run out to the beach only 100 meters away.

The living space is a shared barracks. Functionally, it looks no different than a collection of 6 staterooms, compiled into a single structure like a semi-private barracks. You can pilfer through the packages and wrappers of pre-pack that has been left about, through various personal belongings. Most of the rooms look as if they weren't being used for living out of, and yet somehow they all have the 'lived in' mess. Clearly there wasn't much respect given for reserving the facility for the future use of others - who wouldn't love to find a crumpled up crisps packet in their newly assigned bed when they land?

Sorting through it all, you find an assortment of valuables, credit chips, and other goods that come up to Cr 11,000 in value, all together.

You can also find the magazine for the torpedo barbette, a buried space just large enough to pack six torpedoes and allow someone to enter and retrieve them to rush them up the hill to the barbette. In total there are three standard torpedoes loaded in the barbette, another three in the bunker, and three standard-charge multi-warhead torpedoes. It is clear that the raiders did not expect this to be used in anything other than an ambush against the rare one or two ships that might ever discover their base. Over the course of a few hours and with tools available aboard your own ship, you are able to disassemble the barbette in order to load it and the ammunition into your cargo bay. Barely over 4 d-tons in all when it is packed up for transport. You even have time to take the full 25 d-tons of fuel to filter it if you wish.

And from there, it is a simple matter to return to the downport with your prisoners and your newly acquired loot.

 

---

Borite / Sindal (Trojan Reach 2219)
Rahne, Mahan, Kesperziaiepr, Urien, Eirene
The Downport, Borite
019 (Harrier, Week 2, Day 5) 1105, Imperial

---

Troops of the Borite's militia, charitably - some would say - called the Borite Self Defense Force are waiting for you as you land when you announce your return. Lieutenant Selly is among them, having actually put on the jacket that identifies his rank and post now, and with a shotgun in hand. He looks like he is ready to spit venom when the cargo ramp opens and he sets eyes on the raiders. As soon as the first of them are shuffled down the ramp, he gestures to the quartet of men with him, and they step forward to take charge of the prisoners. Held under guard, they are kept while the town guard bring up a prison wagon.

They are likely to face a trial, Selly offers. And the noose, after.

Arryn is left with you. They nod gratefully when unbound again, and with the blindfold removed.

From there, it is just as simple a matter to spend the rest of the day ferrying the hold of the M.V. Delta Vee from orbit down to the surface. Anything that isn't kept aboard in the cargo bay of the Reclaimer's Intent can have a home found for it under some lean-to structures that are sure to shield the contents from any harsh weather. Though when asked about any rental fees for cargo storage, a gray-bearded old man who acts as the closest thing the downport has to a customs official - that being, the owner and operator of the nearby coachhouse where Mahan spent several days hunting for buyers - gives a dismissive wave and a huff. The fees are quite literally waived away when discussed.

In all you find yourselves in the possession of:

• A collection of missiles - 2 decoy missiles, 2 multi-warhead missiles, and 6 standard missiles. More than replenishing what was 'lost'.
• A pair of Vanguard-style air superiority fighters with naval-style folding wings and turbo-prop engines, armed and loaded.
• A pair of GVR MiniCOIN grav flyers, armed and loaded.
• A single cargo-variant air/raft.
• A single passenger-variant air/raft.
• Two armored vans, nearly identical.
• A 6 d-ton ultralight fighter, with a pulse laser in a fixed mount.
• 12 d-tons worth of small-arms, munitions, and related equipment.

 

There's also the computer programs you recovered, for use in a starship:

• Fire Control/3, already installed aboard the Reclaimer's Intent.
• Battle Network/1
• Anti-Hijack/1

 

Not a bad haul, once all is said and done. Though Dazl does insist to remind you all that - as per his request - at the very least the weaponry and vehicles be offered to the people of Borite in sale or trade. Though he is not against the idea of the Reclaimer's Intent keeping the ultralight for yourselves as even he can see the people of Borite don't have much in the way of support for the small craft. And look how something more than six times its size fared against your ship when the pinnace met the business end of your barbette. But the MiniCOINs and the prop-fighters? The vans? And most importantly, the bulk munitions? Surely all of that will be useful against the next raid that comes along.

Beyond that? After an evening's rest once it has all been brought down and either stored nearby or aboard the ship, you can all rest. Any who seek to rent a room at the coachhouse to have a change of pace from sleeping aboard the ship will find that the rental fees for the evening are met with similar huff and disregard by the old keeper.

Likewise, meals are provided by a grateful Aman. Thin tins that are covered with cheese cloth and packed full of roasted bird and vegetables, bread, and a few assorted treats. She doesn't stay to join you, stating she has to tend to other matters, but she makes her thanks known before she leaves you all. Arryn and Dazl it remarkably similarly, it is easy to notice. That is, stooped over their plates and shoveling it in as if it is the first time either of them have had a meal in days, with cutlery held more akin to a shovel. And while Dazl is built like something resembling a load-bearing wall, a glance at the wafer-thin blonde shows that assessment might not be too far from the truth for them - sunken cheeks, dark bags under the eyes, and an overall thin frame.

Shortly after her delivery, Administrator Ura arrives with four bottles of dark, sweet, potent port. And a heavy leather satchel containing Cr 5,000 in gold bars, stamped with the seal of the Borite Continuation Authority. One is the agreed upon payment, she offers, and the other is a gift from the as yet unmet miners for the work done. They all pitched in to make sure that the team responsible for the job was properly compensated. Of course it is easy enough to get glasses for the port - either from the coachhouse if that is where the crew decides to take their meals, or from the auto-dispenser of wine glasses and the collection of crystal and mugs in the ship's kitchen if there.