Stormthroe
2015-12-15, 04:12 PM
Good morrow, Playgrounders!
After some inspiration from another site, I figured I would start up a blog of sorts to share some of my group's adventures. I like to keep records of my campaigns and keep fairly thorough notes during sessions, and every once in a while I write up a short story from my games that is fun to read and can be shared with non-gamers. A friend of mine that will be playing in my newest ongoing Edge of the Empire campaign, Into the Black, who has read my short stories thought it would be cool if I kept a record of the game and put it into literary format without all the mumbo-jumbo of game mechanics and just let for an interesting read. We ran our first adventure yesterday evening, so we will begin with that.
It is a dark time in the galaxy. War rages between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance across countless worlds, plunging the galaxy into conflict. Many choose to flee to the Outer Rim, seeking new lives beyond the boundaries of civilization. However, like many before them who have gone into the black, they soon realize that life on the frontier is one fraught with danger...
Mos Shuuta, like many of the isolated, frontier settlements on Tatooine, is one of those towns where once you end up there its very hard to leave. Many who come here quickly find themselves destitute, mostly due to the fact that that Teemo the Hutt, the local crime boss, strictly controls passage into and out of the city, and rarely does through traffic have any reason to visit. The poor souls who become stranded here often quickly turn to taking whatever work they can find as their credits slowly drain to naught, and one can usually find a collection of those hoping for the odd shopkeep or farmer to come looking for an extra hand at the Mos Shuuta Cantina; dim and dingy, passing the time over a few drinks is just about all there is to do as a means of downtime in the old mining town.
This fateful morning, as the locals share drinks and those hoping for work pass the time listening to the prerecorded music crackle over the speakers, a sudden hiss from the pneumatic door draws them from their thoughts. A tall, somewhat intimidating Corellian man steps down into the dimly lit Cantina common room, the sound of his nerf leather boots thudding on the tiled floor. Several locals stare at him as he approaches the bar, noting the telltale imprint of a blaster beneath his long, dark overcoat. For a moment, he speaks to the bartender in a muffled whisper, further drawing the gazes of the other patrons. The none-too-friendly Devaronian nods and waves him off, and the music softens as the stranger takes the stage.
"I am the captain of the Andoan Swift," he says, his commanding voice drawing the attention of any eye not already upon him, "She and I are in need of a crew for a salvage job in the Far Rim, outside of Hutt Space; pilots, techs, hired guns...anyone with the skrags and the will."
A few of the patrons perked up at the offer, listening intently as the grizzled captain continued.
"For this, we'll give you food in your belly, a place to lay your head, and 1500 credits; something you've not seen in some time. There's no telling how long the job will take, but do your jobs and do as you're told, and you'll get your pay at the end of the road. My name is Javik; I'll be at the booth near the door if you think you're up for it."
Several of the locals whispered excitedly at the prospect, others looked on skeptically as Captain Javik strode over to the bar, swiped a drink that the bartender had poured while he was speaking, and moved to the booth in the corner near the entrance. He took a swig of the concoction in his glass as he withdrew a datapad from his jacket, before leaning back and looking up expectantly.
A muscled Dug was the first to approach him, striding over on his oversized forearms with his smaller limbs crossed across the harness on his chest.
"Pay's good enough for me," he said, his voice heavy with the stereotypical attitude of his diminutive species, "I'll sign on with ya'."
Captain Javik looked down at the Dug, sizing him up with a wry smirk. "I appreciate the enthusiasm! Tell me, what skills will you be bringing to the Andoan Swift, friend?"
The Dug mercenary simply smiled. "Former Malastaren military. I know tactics like the backs of my hands, and can thread a laser bolt in a Tusken's eye from the top of the bluff."
"A good skill to have!" exclaimed Javik. Offering the datapad, Javik continued, "Speak your name into the recorder to sign the contract. We will meet at high suns at Landing Bay Aurek to depart."
"Realm," spoke the Dug flatly, before nodding and moving off to gather his gear.
The next person to approach was a brute of a Trandoshan bearing painted scales up and down his right arm; several scales were painted black as they moved towards his wickedly sharp claws, while others moving towards his shoulder were colored crimson. A large blaster rifle hung across his back.
"I'll join up," hissed the Trandoshan, "My name is Urag."
Javik looked him over, noting the sharpened talons on each of his three-fingered hands. "You're a big one, aren't you?" he asked rhetorically. "What do you bring to my crew?"
"You point, I shoot, you pay," answered Urag flatly. Javik grinned a bit, holding out the datapad for the large reptilian.
"Speak your name into the recorder to sign the contract." Urag did so, before striding off to begin his preparations, visiting the bounty office to check in on any last minute bounties he might be able to claim or keep an eye out for once they got offworld.
Several of the locals approached Javik's booth. A group of young men, just old enough to work, left upset after being turned away by the grizzled Captain. Others approached, spoke with him for a moment, before walking away from the offer. After a bit of time, Javik noticed a quiet Gran watching him from the bar, and called out to him.
"You there! You've been watching for some time. The Andoan Swift is still short a few bodies; what is it you do?"
The Gran somewhat nervously approached him, speaking softly.
"I'm a pilot..." he said. It was clear that this one wasn't a talker.
"A pilot, eh?" spoke the Captain, "I'm not a bad ace myself. Could use another body at the helm though. Care to sign on?"
The Gran's three eyes blinked nervously, before he finally agreed. He held out his hand to take the datapad and do as the others had and speak his name into the recorder.
"Rat."
Though he'd only recruited half as many as he would have liked, Javik was pleased he'd at least found a decent set of crew mates. While Realm and Urag went about their business, Rat had accompanied him back to the landing bay to begin familiarizing himself with the Andoan Swift, an XS-800 Light Freighter, prior to their departure. Leaving him to do so, but voice-locking the main computer for added security, Javik left to gather supplies from the local traders that they would need for the first half of their journey.
Sveral hours later, high suns approached, marking the time that the captain had arranged for takeoff. Realm and Urag met, introducing themselves to one another; both had some experience bounty hunting, and though the Trandoshan towered over the muscular Dug, the two quickly found comradeship over admiration of one anothers' weapons. Rat had moved to speak with them as well, but was far more quiet and simply introduced himself as their pilot.
Not long after, Captain Javik approached the group.
"Well, glad you've gotten acquainted. I think its time I tell you a bit about the job," he began. The three new crew members of the Andoan Swift, their equipment on their backs, attentively listened as he explained the task he had hired them for, "I have come into the possession of the location for a very valuable piece of salvage; a Hammerhead[I]-class cruiser named the [I]Indomitable. It lies on the far side of Hutt Space within the Maw, near Kessel. I hired you to help me claim it."
The captain savored the excitement in his crews' eyes as he let that thought sink in befor continuing, "We will first pass into Hutt Space and resupply on Nar Shaddaa while I set up some buyers for the scrap before heading out the Kessel Run to pass into the Maw. I don't expect much trouble, but its always best to be prepared. Any questions before we embark?"
Urag and Realm seemed rather content to be headed to the Smuggler's Moon, but Rat seemed rather thoughtful at Captain Javik's words. "The Maw?" He had heard stories of that section of space; stories of monsters, ghost ships, lost spacers. Although he couldn't quite remember any specific story, he was sure that area of void was bad news.
"Aye, the Maw. I know the stories, but I don't put much faith in the tales of plasma-addled fringers," smiled the Captain. "Do your jobs well, and I'm sure we will make it through just fine. Any other questions?"
"Yeah," Urag's thick Dosh accent hissed, "What are we waiting for?"
"We've just entered Hutt Space," spoke Rat as he monitored the navicomputer from the cockpit. Thus far, the journey had proved uneventful, and the star lines streaking past the cockpit's vista port had been about all there was to watch and do. Occassionally, Realm or the Captain had relieved him at the helm, and they were ahead of schedule thanks to the corrections rat had input into the Andoan Swift's star maps. During the day and a half they'd been traveling, the three crew men had begun to get to know one another a bit better of rations in the galley. Rat was used to this feeling; however, he was at the very least wary of his new companions.
Suddenly, an icon appeared on the console, flashing red and drawing the attention of the Gran's rightmost eye-stalk.
"Captain, distress signal pulling us from hyperspace," he spoke over the internal com. A moment later, each of the crew felt the shunt and shudder as their freighter translated into realspace while they made ther way to the cockpit.
"Scan the area," commanded Javik. Quickly, Rat obeyed, running directed scans in each direction quickly to find the source of the distress signal.
"A single class 4 vessel, Captain; looks like another freighter. Its running an automated distress com. Playing it now."
The crew leaned in as Rat tuned the speakers to the distress signal's frequency.
"Attention to any vessel in the area. This is an emergency broadcast; we were attacked by raiders and left stranded. Multiple hull breaches, minimal power. Not many left alive; send help. This message will repeat," with that, the message cut to static for a few seconds before repeating.
Realm reached for the com to try and hail the vessel, but any attempts to communicate were answered with silence, and each of the crew looked to the Captain.
"Take us in. Give me a more accurate scan once we're closer," were his orders.
Guiding the Andoan Swift towards the beacon, scans revealed minimal life signs and low power. As they grew closer, they were able to see that the vessel was venting atmosphere and simply drifting, with no power to the engines. The crew asked the captain what he wanted to do.
"Well, it does look like they've taken some hits. There might be survivors aboard, and at the very least, some good salvage," he mused, stroking his well groomed beard. With a sigh, he orderd Rat to take them in and dock with the vessel.
"Well, time to earn that pay; this will be a good test before the actual job. Just be cautious; we're in Hutt Space, and there's no telling what we will find on the other side of that airlock."
Rat nodded, and brought the Andoan Swift alongside the drifting, damaged freighter. With little trouble, he attached the docking clamps and passed the controls to Javik, moving off with Realm and Urag to the airlock. The three took a moment to prepare.
Captain Javik's voice reared over the com as they steeled themselves in the airlock. "I'm reading an atmosphere on the other side of the hatch, no contaminants and normal pressure. Still, best to be safe." The crew agreed; while Urag and Realm each carried a breath mask, Rat opted to don a full space suit just to be safe. When they were ready, Urag opted to go first through the hatch, his modified blaster rifle at the ready and his breath mask on his hip, while Realm was second through. Rat, being somewhat cowardly, chose to go through last.
As the group moved into the ship, everything looked as if the ship had been attacked; the lights flickered as if the power had been cut out, and various crates and boxes scattered the corridor. Several corridors branched off from the main hall they had entered. While Urag and Realm moved forward with military discipline, checking behind the boxes around them, Rat remained more cautious, pausing in the first intersection and looking around, his blaster pistol at the ready. Out of the corner of his three eyes, the Gran spotted movement, followed by a blue ring coming from further down one of the passageways.
The stun blast was dissipated almost entirely by the space suit, but it still caused his hand to twinge as if he'd been shocked, causing him to drop his weapon. At the front of their column, Urag turned and rushed back to aid the Gran pilot, shouting "It's a trap!" and firing off a laser bolt down the hallway as the three crewmen of the Andoan Swift dove for cover before breaking the emergnecy release on the corridor's blast door, sealing off the passage from which they'd been attacked. Before they could move back to their own vessel, a silver grenade bounced down the hallway, before beginning to spray out a thin green mist; protected by their gear, Rat and Realm were unaffected by the paralytic gas, but unfortunately for Urag, he had opted not to wear his breath mask, and though he was resilient enough to not pass out from the potent toxin, it caused him to wheeze and gasp for air.
Rat quickly kicked the gas grenade into a side passageway, but even as he did, the three crewmen of the Andoan Swift came under heavy fire from pirates further up the passageway and from the corners of other corridors. Each party exchanged rounds of stun blasts, out of fear of damaging the ship and causing an actual hull breach that would suck them all into space. Urag roared and rushed into the fray, knocking one of the pirates to the deck and firing point blank into the man's face, only to see a single tall Devaronian step from a side passage and order their attackers to focus on the Trandoshan.
It did not take long before the fight swayed away from the favor of the Andoan Swift, and they began to be bogged down by mass stun fire. Urag and Realm had paired up, fighting back to back against the pirates and blocking the corridor off. Urag stunned one of the pirates into submission before attacking the pirate captain, who responded with a sly grin as he drew a wickedly sharp vibroblade from his hip.
"Let's dance then!" shouted the pirate captain as he dodged Urag's heavy blows, before cutting into the Trandoshan mercenary's scaly hide before withdrawing and readying himself for a counter attack. Rather than face such an opponent head on, Urag opted to throw one of the pirate's crew into him, staggering them both. Suddenly, a stray shot ripped loose one of the coolant lines, shrouding the passage in a frigid white cloud. As the three members of the salvage team retreated, Captain Javik dropped through the hatch.
"Back on the ship!" he barked, drawing a large bore blaster pistol from beneath his dark overcoat. As one of the pirates emerged from the smoke spraying from the busted coolant line, Javik skillfully drilled a hole through his chest. In response, the pirate slumped against the corridor of the frieghter, watching as the crew of the Andoan Swift climbed back aboard their own ship.
Rat quickly made his way to the cockpit and had already begun to disengage the docking clamps when the rest of the crew caught up with him. Realm fell into the co-pilot's seat, while Urag looked on clutching the wounds the captain's saber had made.
"Punch it!" bellowed Javik, and the engines whined in protest as Rat gunned the throttle and the Andoan Swift began to put space between itself and the pirate freighter. Realm angled the shields to cover their retreat, as Javik took the helm, ordering Rat to get the navicomputer prepped for a jump.
TO BE CONTINUED
After some inspiration from another site, I figured I would start up a blog of sorts to share some of my group's adventures. I like to keep records of my campaigns and keep fairly thorough notes during sessions, and every once in a while I write up a short story from my games that is fun to read and can be shared with non-gamers. A friend of mine that will be playing in my newest ongoing Edge of the Empire campaign, Into the Black, who has read my short stories thought it would be cool if I kept a record of the game and put it into literary format without all the mumbo-jumbo of game mechanics and just let for an interesting read. We ran our first adventure yesterday evening, so we will begin with that.
It is a dark time in the galaxy. War rages between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance across countless worlds, plunging the galaxy into conflict. Many choose to flee to the Outer Rim, seeking new lives beyond the boundaries of civilization. However, like many before them who have gone into the black, they soon realize that life on the frontier is one fraught with danger...
Mos Shuuta, like many of the isolated, frontier settlements on Tatooine, is one of those towns where once you end up there its very hard to leave. Many who come here quickly find themselves destitute, mostly due to the fact that that Teemo the Hutt, the local crime boss, strictly controls passage into and out of the city, and rarely does through traffic have any reason to visit. The poor souls who become stranded here often quickly turn to taking whatever work they can find as their credits slowly drain to naught, and one can usually find a collection of those hoping for the odd shopkeep or farmer to come looking for an extra hand at the Mos Shuuta Cantina; dim and dingy, passing the time over a few drinks is just about all there is to do as a means of downtime in the old mining town.
This fateful morning, as the locals share drinks and those hoping for work pass the time listening to the prerecorded music crackle over the speakers, a sudden hiss from the pneumatic door draws them from their thoughts. A tall, somewhat intimidating Corellian man steps down into the dimly lit Cantina common room, the sound of his nerf leather boots thudding on the tiled floor. Several locals stare at him as he approaches the bar, noting the telltale imprint of a blaster beneath his long, dark overcoat. For a moment, he speaks to the bartender in a muffled whisper, further drawing the gazes of the other patrons. The none-too-friendly Devaronian nods and waves him off, and the music softens as the stranger takes the stage.
"I am the captain of the Andoan Swift," he says, his commanding voice drawing the attention of any eye not already upon him, "She and I are in need of a crew for a salvage job in the Far Rim, outside of Hutt Space; pilots, techs, hired guns...anyone with the skrags and the will."
A few of the patrons perked up at the offer, listening intently as the grizzled captain continued.
"For this, we'll give you food in your belly, a place to lay your head, and 1500 credits; something you've not seen in some time. There's no telling how long the job will take, but do your jobs and do as you're told, and you'll get your pay at the end of the road. My name is Javik; I'll be at the booth near the door if you think you're up for it."
Several of the locals whispered excitedly at the prospect, others looked on skeptically as Captain Javik strode over to the bar, swiped a drink that the bartender had poured while he was speaking, and moved to the booth in the corner near the entrance. He took a swig of the concoction in his glass as he withdrew a datapad from his jacket, before leaning back and looking up expectantly.
A muscled Dug was the first to approach him, striding over on his oversized forearms with his smaller limbs crossed across the harness on his chest.
"Pay's good enough for me," he said, his voice heavy with the stereotypical attitude of his diminutive species, "I'll sign on with ya'."
Captain Javik looked down at the Dug, sizing him up with a wry smirk. "I appreciate the enthusiasm! Tell me, what skills will you be bringing to the Andoan Swift, friend?"
The Dug mercenary simply smiled. "Former Malastaren military. I know tactics like the backs of my hands, and can thread a laser bolt in a Tusken's eye from the top of the bluff."
"A good skill to have!" exclaimed Javik. Offering the datapad, Javik continued, "Speak your name into the recorder to sign the contract. We will meet at high suns at Landing Bay Aurek to depart."
"Realm," spoke the Dug flatly, before nodding and moving off to gather his gear.
The next person to approach was a brute of a Trandoshan bearing painted scales up and down his right arm; several scales were painted black as they moved towards his wickedly sharp claws, while others moving towards his shoulder were colored crimson. A large blaster rifle hung across his back.
"I'll join up," hissed the Trandoshan, "My name is Urag."
Javik looked him over, noting the sharpened talons on each of his three-fingered hands. "You're a big one, aren't you?" he asked rhetorically. "What do you bring to my crew?"
"You point, I shoot, you pay," answered Urag flatly. Javik grinned a bit, holding out the datapad for the large reptilian.
"Speak your name into the recorder to sign the contract." Urag did so, before striding off to begin his preparations, visiting the bounty office to check in on any last minute bounties he might be able to claim or keep an eye out for once they got offworld.
Several of the locals approached Javik's booth. A group of young men, just old enough to work, left upset after being turned away by the grizzled Captain. Others approached, spoke with him for a moment, before walking away from the offer. After a bit of time, Javik noticed a quiet Gran watching him from the bar, and called out to him.
"You there! You've been watching for some time. The Andoan Swift is still short a few bodies; what is it you do?"
The Gran somewhat nervously approached him, speaking softly.
"I'm a pilot..." he said. It was clear that this one wasn't a talker.
"A pilot, eh?" spoke the Captain, "I'm not a bad ace myself. Could use another body at the helm though. Care to sign on?"
The Gran's three eyes blinked nervously, before he finally agreed. He held out his hand to take the datapad and do as the others had and speak his name into the recorder.
"Rat."
Though he'd only recruited half as many as he would have liked, Javik was pleased he'd at least found a decent set of crew mates. While Realm and Urag went about their business, Rat had accompanied him back to the landing bay to begin familiarizing himself with the Andoan Swift, an XS-800 Light Freighter, prior to their departure. Leaving him to do so, but voice-locking the main computer for added security, Javik left to gather supplies from the local traders that they would need for the first half of their journey.
Sveral hours later, high suns approached, marking the time that the captain had arranged for takeoff. Realm and Urag met, introducing themselves to one another; both had some experience bounty hunting, and though the Trandoshan towered over the muscular Dug, the two quickly found comradeship over admiration of one anothers' weapons. Rat had moved to speak with them as well, but was far more quiet and simply introduced himself as their pilot.
Not long after, Captain Javik approached the group.
"Well, glad you've gotten acquainted. I think its time I tell you a bit about the job," he began. The three new crew members of the Andoan Swift, their equipment on their backs, attentively listened as he explained the task he had hired them for, "I have come into the possession of the location for a very valuable piece of salvage; a Hammerhead[I]-class cruiser named the [I]Indomitable. It lies on the far side of Hutt Space within the Maw, near Kessel. I hired you to help me claim it."
The captain savored the excitement in his crews' eyes as he let that thought sink in befor continuing, "We will first pass into Hutt Space and resupply on Nar Shaddaa while I set up some buyers for the scrap before heading out the Kessel Run to pass into the Maw. I don't expect much trouble, but its always best to be prepared. Any questions before we embark?"
Urag and Realm seemed rather content to be headed to the Smuggler's Moon, but Rat seemed rather thoughtful at Captain Javik's words. "The Maw?" He had heard stories of that section of space; stories of monsters, ghost ships, lost spacers. Although he couldn't quite remember any specific story, he was sure that area of void was bad news.
"Aye, the Maw. I know the stories, but I don't put much faith in the tales of plasma-addled fringers," smiled the Captain. "Do your jobs well, and I'm sure we will make it through just fine. Any other questions?"
"Yeah," Urag's thick Dosh accent hissed, "What are we waiting for?"
"We've just entered Hutt Space," spoke Rat as he monitored the navicomputer from the cockpit. Thus far, the journey had proved uneventful, and the star lines streaking past the cockpit's vista port had been about all there was to watch and do. Occassionally, Realm or the Captain had relieved him at the helm, and they were ahead of schedule thanks to the corrections rat had input into the Andoan Swift's star maps. During the day and a half they'd been traveling, the three crew men had begun to get to know one another a bit better of rations in the galley. Rat was used to this feeling; however, he was at the very least wary of his new companions.
Suddenly, an icon appeared on the console, flashing red and drawing the attention of the Gran's rightmost eye-stalk.
"Captain, distress signal pulling us from hyperspace," he spoke over the internal com. A moment later, each of the crew felt the shunt and shudder as their freighter translated into realspace while they made ther way to the cockpit.
"Scan the area," commanded Javik. Quickly, Rat obeyed, running directed scans in each direction quickly to find the source of the distress signal.
"A single class 4 vessel, Captain; looks like another freighter. Its running an automated distress com. Playing it now."
The crew leaned in as Rat tuned the speakers to the distress signal's frequency.
"Attention to any vessel in the area. This is an emergency broadcast; we were attacked by raiders and left stranded. Multiple hull breaches, minimal power. Not many left alive; send help. This message will repeat," with that, the message cut to static for a few seconds before repeating.
Realm reached for the com to try and hail the vessel, but any attempts to communicate were answered with silence, and each of the crew looked to the Captain.
"Take us in. Give me a more accurate scan once we're closer," were his orders.
Guiding the Andoan Swift towards the beacon, scans revealed minimal life signs and low power. As they grew closer, they were able to see that the vessel was venting atmosphere and simply drifting, with no power to the engines. The crew asked the captain what he wanted to do.
"Well, it does look like they've taken some hits. There might be survivors aboard, and at the very least, some good salvage," he mused, stroking his well groomed beard. With a sigh, he orderd Rat to take them in and dock with the vessel.
"Well, time to earn that pay; this will be a good test before the actual job. Just be cautious; we're in Hutt Space, and there's no telling what we will find on the other side of that airlock."
Rat nodded, and brought the Andoan Swift alongside the drifting, damaged freighter. With little trouble, he attached the docking clamps and passed the controls to Javik, moving off with Realm and Urag to the airlock. The three took a moment to prepare.
Captain Javik's voice reared over the com as they steeled themselves in the airlock. "I'm reading an atmosphere on the other side of the hatch, no contaminants and normal pressure. Still, best to be safe." The crew agreed; while Urag and Realm each carried a breath mask, Rat opted to don a full space suit just to be safe. When they were ready, Urag opted to go first through the hatch, his modified blaster rifle at the ready and his breath mask on his hip, while Realm was second through. Rat, being somewhat cowardly, chose to go through last.
As the group moved into the ship, everything looked as if the ship had been attacked; the lights flickered as if the power had been cut out, and various crates and boxes scattered the corridor. Several corridors branched off from the main hall they had entered. While Urag and Realm moved forward with military discipline, checking behind the boxes around them, Rat remained more cautious, pausing in the first intersection and looking around, his blaster pistol at the ready. Out of the corner of his three eyes, the Gran spotted movement, followed by a blue ring coming from further down one of the passageways.
The stun blast was dissipated almost entirely by the space suit, but it still caused his hand to twinge as if he'd been shocked, causing him to drop his weapon. At the front of their column, Urag turned and rushed back to aid the Gran pilot, shouting "It's a trap!" and firing off a laser bolt down the hallway as the three crewmen of the Andoan Swift dove for cover before breaking the emergnecy release on the corridor's blast door, sealing off the passage from which they'd been attacked. Before they could move back to their own vessel, a silver grenade bounced down the hallway, before beginning to spray out a thin green mist; protected by their gear, Rat and Realm were unaffected by the paralytic gas, but unfortunately for Urag, he had opted not to wear his breath mask, and though he was resilient enough to not pass out from the potent toxin, it caused him to wheeze and gasp for air.
Rat quickly kicked the gas grenade into a side passageway, but even as he did, the three crewmen of the Andoan Swift came under heavy fire from pirates further up the passageway and from the corners of other corridors. Each party exchanged rounds of stun blasts, out of fear of damaging the ship and causing an actual hull breach that would suck them all into space. Urag roared and rushed into the fray, knocking one of the pirates to the deck and firing point blank into the man's face, only to see a single tall Devaronian step from a side passage and order their attackers to focus on the Trandoshan.
It did not take long before the fight swayed away from the favor of the Andoan Swift, and they began to be bogged down by mass stun fire. Urag and Realm had paired up, fighting back to back against the pirates and blocking the corridor off. Urag stunned one of the pirates into submission before attacking the pirate captain, who responded with a sly grin as he drew a wickedly sharp vibroblade from his hip.
"Let's dance then!" shouted the pirate captain as he dodged Urag's heavy blows, before cutting into the Trandoshan mercenary's scaly hide before withdrawing and readying himself for a counter attack. Rather than face such an opponent head on, Urag opted to throw one of the pirate's crew into him, staggering them both. Suddenly, a stray shot ripped loose one of the coolant lines, shrouding the passage in a frigid white cloud. As the three members of the salvage team retreated, Captain Javik dropped through the hatch.
"Back on the ship!" he barked, drawing a large bore blaster pistol from beneath his dark overcoat. As one of the pirates emerged from the smoke spraying from the busted coolant line, Javik skillfully drilled a hole through his chest. In response, the pirate slumped against the corridor of the frieghter, watching as the crew of the Andoan Swift climbed back aboard their own ship.
Rat quickly made his way to the cockpit and had already begun to disengage the docking clamps when the rest of the crew caught up with him. Realm fell into the co-pilot's seat, while Urag looked on clutching the wounds the captain's saber had made.
"Punch it!" bellowed Javik, and the engines whined in protest as Rat gunned the throttle and the Andoan Swift began to put space between itself and the pirate freighter. Realm angled the shields to cover their retreat, as Javik took the helm, ordering Rat to get the navicomputer prepped for a jump.
TO BE CONTINUED