Bigger Fish to Fry

Bigger Fish to Fry
Date of Scene:	09 April 2024
Location:	Bracca - Mid Rim
Synopsis:	Zihna is sent on a special assignment chasing pirates.
Cast of Characters:	1, 341

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Andromeda (1) has posed:
    Zihna Ta'igi, one of the best pilots in the Togrutan Royal Navy, has received a special assignment from somewhere on high regarding some Togrutan colonists near the fringes of the Mid Rim. They'd been receiving supply shipments from Shili regularly; however, recently said shipments had been getting raided and stolen.

    After various contacts had been exploited, the intel led to a pirate ship the Sovereign Fire, a medium weight frigate outfitted for combat. Not too fast, but can pack a punch if given the opportunity.

    Now given the patterns observed, another shipment is headed for the colony, and the Navy fully expects another raid. The job is to stop the pirates and recover the supplies...ideally find out where these guys are taking off to stash their loot.

    The supply freighter drops from hyperspace as it nears the destination colony world. This was when it would be vulnerable to attack...

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna felt a great deal of satisfaction that her hard work was paying off and she was chosen for a special assignment. She was excited about the task, finally a change in the routine and a dangerous one at that. Oh, this would be glorious! She just had to be careful not to get too excited.

As she was given a surprising deal of freedom, she decided to trust her instincts and lay a trap. She would travel to the destination in advance, preferably exiting hyperspace somewhere different to the standard transport lines. Having her transponder disguised as a small civilian vessel she would travel innocently towards the colony and using the first chance to hide using an asteroid field, the planets moon or literally anything suitable for the purpose. She would then take advantage of her modified sensor array to lay and wait, scanning for any nearby traffic.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    Fortunately, the planet has a couple of moons, and there is enough debris about for Zihna to hide her comparatively small craft.

    Sure enough, just a few minutes after the freighter arrives in orbit, the pirate ship the Sovereign Fire suddenly appears out of hyperspace and opens fire on the freighter's engines, quickly knocking them out before they fire boarding tubes and start raiding the shipment.

    Unfortunately, while the freighter has some guns, it's simply not enough to fight off the pirates.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna's heart skipped as the Sovereign Fire popped up on her scanners. She had a plan, but all of this was happening way too fast. The fact that the Pirates hyperjumped in was a problem. There was not much preventing them from jumping away and if they did, she had no way of following them, yet she needed to do that to accomplish her mission. Simply disabling the ship might not be enough. Hopefully, there weren't many brave and stupid people among the freighter's crew, she would hate if anyone got actually hurt.

"Sorry guys," She said out loud to herself, "I have a bigger fish to fry. Just don't be heroes, alright?"

Now think, Zihna, think! Okay, get as much data as possible, that's always a good start. Deploy the tracking device, and scare them to leave in a hurry, so they don't notice. Sounds solid.

She powered up the engines, lifting off using the ring, then when safe, she punched the overburn immediately to close the distance as fast as possible. She also dropped her fake transponder and activated a line to command:

"This is Nightstorm Five, call sign Spin, target spotted, shipment is being boarded as we speak. Proceeding according to plan, on course to intercept now. Over."

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    "Acknowledged Spin, we have some updated intel for you. According to one of our contacts, the pirates seem to be carrying some kind of valuable object or payload. Not sure what it is, but they appear to be going to unusual lengths to protect it. If you get the chance, investigate and report back to command. For now though, proceed as planned."

    Speaking of the plan, it seems to be going smoothly thus far. The pirates are shocked to see a Navy vessel suddenly appear on what they thought would be just another routine raid. They have no idea she's alone, and assume she's brought a whole squadron. Panicking, they quickly disembark the supply freighter and the boarding tubes are retracted. In their rush, they don't notice the tracking device that locks onto their hull before they take off into hyperspace with whatever spoils they'd managed to grab prior to Zihna's revelation.

    The transponder she'd just deployed would show they've hit the Randon Run and headed to scrapper planet of Bracca.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
"This is Nighstorm Five of the RTF, to the Freighter TT7849-S, lieutenant Ta'igi speaking. Is everyone alright in there? Please confirm, over." Zihna switched the line to local as she did a wide arc fly-by to check in on the freighter. "Alright, proceed to the port and report to the authorities. We will take care of those pirates, thank you for your service. Nightstorm Five out."

As she ordered the navicomputer to start the calculations to follow the Sovereign Five, she reported to command again: "Nightstorm Five to command, secondary goal received and confirmed. Tracking device deployed, transmitting coordinates to you now. Proceeding to hyper jump to pursue. Over."

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    "TT7 to Nighstorm Five, we are all good." comes the response from the freighter's crew. "Thank -you- for -your- service....and good luck out there."

    "Affirmative Nightstorm Five. Pursue the target and retrieve the supplies. Those colonists really need 'em. And Spin? Try to not get killed." The line then cuts as she jumps to hyperspace.

    Upon arriving at Bracca, she'd be just in time to spot the Sovereign Fire landing. Not at the port, but somewhere among the many junkyards full of trashed ships and other vehicles at litter the planet's surface.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna Ta'igi keeps her distance for as long as it takes to get hold of the situation and her surroundings. This place might be difficult to navigate once she gets out of her ship. Her hearing wouldn't be of much use with all the running machinery and relying on her sight might be problematic. Anyway, that's 'Zihna in five minutes' problems. She grinned and slowly edged the stick forward, to dive after the landed ship. Then she sighed and eased it off again. Damn. I better check that out on foot, right? To confirm the intel. Blast this.

She started looking for a good place to land herself. Far away enough not to get spotted, but close enough not to get lost on her way to the Sovereign Fire. She sent her position to command along with a short "Proceeding on foot" and did just that, still a little grumpy about it, though the chance to use her blaster for once could make up for the lost fun.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    Indeed, upon landing and setting out toward the pirate ship on foot, she'd find Bracca a maze of junk piles and decommissioned ships. But it shouldn't take her too long to reach the Sovereign Fire, which appears to have landed on top of an old warehouse or something. It's so rusted that it's hard to tell exactly what it was originally used for.

    There are several of them in view, most of them busy unloading their loot and carrying it into the warehouse on hovercarts. Could be more inside the building and/or inside the ship still.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna observes the comings and goings for a bit, trying to learn as much about the pirates and their loot. Then she looks for a way into the warehouse, or at least some window, or a skylight she might use to peek inside reasonably safely.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    There are a couple of pirates operating the carts back and forth to the warehouse, and two more standing by the gangway talking in hushed tones. A fifth is skulking around the ship, looking for something. Perhaps her tracker. Who knows...

    The warehouse appears to have a large set of double doors up front and several narrow windows near the roof. There might be a door in the back, but impossible to tell from here, as it's nestled against more piles of junked ships and ship parts.

    The pirates seem to be moving the hovercarts onto a freight elevator on the roof that presumably takes them down into the structure. However there doesn't seem to be any security on the ground.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna sneaks around looking for a way to get inside, or at least a proper look inside, which inevitably takes her to seek a path to the ground. She tries to avoid contact for now but has her hand ready at her blaster in case it comes to that.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
She takes a little bit of time to look for the backdoor, but if there doesn't seem to be one in the proximity, she will attempt to reach the windows instead.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    Reaching a window won't prove too difficult. The structure is fairly dilapidated, and there are plenty of foot and hand holds to grab onto. Inside, she'll have found exactly what she was looking for. She'll immediately recognize some of the supplies that were supposed to belong to the colonists, as well as quite a few other presumably stolen goods.

    There is also a particularly large container that is bolted shut, and appears to have ventilation ducts in it.

    A couple more pirates are in here, but they're gathered on the far end of the building from where she is, near the elevator as it is currently coming down with another cart full of loot.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna overlooked the area inside the warehouse, committing to memory as much information as possible. Then she slowly climbed down and made her way to the nearest unguarded entrance. She was trying to be cautious, but she was also eager and it was proving difficult not to just rush in.

The command wanted to know what was the valuable thing they treasured, I better find out, it seems important.

It was easier said than done though, as her body and mind stubbornly kept asking for more action. She made her way inside and hugging the far wall, she crept ever closer to the bolted container.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    Unfortunately, in her zeal to get the job done, Zihna ends up making a little bit too much noise as she starts making her way over to that bolted container.

    "Hang on...thought I heard something..."

    One of the pirates, a burly looking Aqualish man, interrupts the conversation he was having and turns his attention over toward the far wall, starting to approach her position.

    Fortunately, there are plenty of crates to potentially hide behind or perhaps even inside of. But the container she wants to investigate is just a few paces away...!

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna looked up sharply, and quickly evaluating the development, she rushed, almost jumping head first, behind the large container. There she nestled in between a stack of smaller crates, pulling one of her blasters from its holster to be at the ready. She was peeking from her cover, getting her breath under control after the short burst of action. She ran her free hand on the floor until she grabbed a small piece of rubble. She waited for the right moment when the pirate wasn't looking and threw the piece near the entrance, hoping it would sound like a scattering rat.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    The pebble clatters across the floor toward the other side of the warehouse. "Huh?" The Aqualish man suddenly turns away from her, hearing the noise. He narrows his eyes and starts heading in the opposite direction, muttering something about womp rats in Huttese. Fortunately, it seems none of the other pirates have come to investigate yet. They appear to be busy with putting away the rest of the loot.

    With his back now turned to her, and the others still preoccupied over by the gravlift, Zihna now has an opportunity to potentially take him out quietly...although of course, there's always the risk the others might get alerted if she makes the attempt.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna in fact trailed the pirates back with her blaster for a bit, but thought better of it in the end and with a sigh, put the blaster back in its place for now. Instead, she stood up and started to examine the container itself. She put her hand on it, trying if she might hear something, or feel something moving inside with her echolocation. She moved around looking for a designation or description on the container itself, or perchance a manifest lying around. If not there were still the ventilation ducts, and although she doubted she could actually see anything through them, she would try. There was little chance she could open that container in this situation by herself and she needed to know, preferably before shots started flying, which seemed more and more inevitable by the minute.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    Zihna's investigation proves difficult at first, and takes a bit more time than she'd perhaps hoped for. Looking through the ventilation ducts, as she may have expected, doesn't reveal anything useful, and there are no visible labels or shipping manifests. The bolt seems to have a digital lock on it. It -could- be blasted off probably, but not without making a bunch of noise.

    However, after a few more minutes of probing around, it may occur to her that the ventilation ducts could mean that this container was meant to hold something that needed to breathe...meaning, something alive. Or someONE. It's certainly large enough to hold someone around her size. As a matter of fact, with her echolocation, she can just tell there's something breathing in there.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna bit her lip gently, confirming her suspicion. She did not see any easy way to learn more at the moment, and while she hated it, she was a professional, so she decided to retreat a safe distance away and report what she had found out so far. Once she was far enough not to be overheard, she found a spot from which she could safely monitor the situation at the warehouse, and opened a line to command again.

"Nightstorm Five to command, reporting in. Can you hear me? Over."

"I have successfully located and infiltrated the target's base of operation. A lot of the stolen supplies are being stocked at an abandoned warehouse on Bracca, sending the coordinates now. I confirm the additional intel, there is something else. A big container with someone or something alive inside. I cannot provide further intel without risking engaging the enemy. I could easily disable their ship, but there's no telling of other means of escape. Holding on for now and awaiting further instructions."

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    "Command to Nightstorm Five, report acknowledged and coordinates received... Something alive, hm." There's a pause.

    Then, "How many are on site? Are they aware of your presence? We need to neutralize the outlaws and reclaim those supplies for the colonists. As for this target they have in custody, I'm afraid we can't provide much further instruction regarding it until we know exactly what or who it is."

    Were they asking her to take them all on herself? Perhaps this was some kind of test...

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna paused and frowned at that.

"I have not been spotted so far. There are at least seven confirmed targets, I don't think I can neutralize them on my own without the use of lethal force, sir." Despite her tough nature, she suddenly felt a lump in her throat. That's a different beast to shooting down a faceless ship, isn't it sweetheart?

"Please advise." Was the only thing she managed to add for now.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    Another pause.

    "You are authorized to use whatever means necessary to get this job done. But if I were you, I'd see if whoever or whatever they've been holding captive is willing or able to help...after all the enemy of my enemy might be my friend. Command out."

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
"Wh-!" Zihna just shut her mouth as the comm went dead. She was taken aback and remained staring at the device in disbelief. What the hell? What were they smoking there?

She thought. She planned to rain chaos and disable the pirates' ship using her own, but she never thought she would be the one doing the cleanup. Also, whatever means necessary? What?! That was execution! Wasn't it? You are a soldier, Zihna, you've been given a mission, just DO, YOUR, JOB. If I were you... Was someone intentionally trying to get her in trouble? This stank. Then again, her main task was getting the supplies, and the precious cargo perhaps? Yes, they thought she needed to neutralize the outlaws to accomplish that, maybe it would be enough just to scare them off?

With that she sprinted for her ship. Once there she get herself into the air and set up according to her initial plan. Just careful not to collapse the whole roof, but if it can hold the freighter, hopefully it can take a little pounding. With that she would swoop by and open fire on the Sovereign Fire, trying to disable the ship, not necessarily destroy it.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    The Nightstorm Five roars into action...so fast that the pirates have no time to react. Taken completely off guard, the five who happened to be up top are blasted off their feet, and some are sent flying off the roof.

    However, the armor on the Sovereign Fire seems to be holding up for now. Still, the fact that the pirates had seen her ship earlier definitely had them on edge, and now seeing that they have not in fact lost the Royal Navy, they're not sticking around to find out if more are on the way or already here. The pirate she's engines suddenly roar to life, and it takes off from the roof, attempting to escape the planet before they get scrapped!

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Seeing the Sovereign Fire taking off and accelerating away, Zihna swooped around and followed, deciding to give it one more try. She had hoped to at least slow it down or perhaps disable its hyperdrive, but she knew it was unlikely as the first shot barely even scratched the ship. Still, she struggled to let go entirely, knowing full well the pirate's ship could easily cause more damage with a different crew. She checked if the tracker on the Sovereign Fire was still active, but regardless of the outcome of both actions, she would not pursue further. Instead, she looked for a place to land. Her mission priorities were elsewhere, in the warehouse, where her ship would be of no use.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    Zihna is able to land a few hits on the Sovereign Fire as it is escaping, however, the blasts seem to be absorbed by its shields, which have now been activated. However, it does appear that the pirates have not yet located the tracker, as it is still active.

    It seems she could easily land her ship on the roof of the warehouse, where the Sovereign Fire previously had been perched. The roof has been scorched a bit but doesn't look to be in danger of caving in.

    Or, she could land on the ground right outside. Either way, she'd best hurry, before the remaining pirates tried to steal away with their loot, or called their friends.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna does a tight circle around the warehous only making sure there are no visible surprises and lends next to the building, right in front of the double door. She gets up from her ship, her blasters prepared, and as soon as possible she heads for the door. There is no point in trying to be sneaky about it anymore, so she uses her prior knowledge and moves in straight lines unless she sees a threat.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    Upon approaching the front door, she'll see that it's now open and the two pirates that had been inside the warehouse have loaded the large bolted container onto a flatbed trailer attached to a landspeeder. One of them is climbing into the driver's seat, talking in urgent tones into a comm. The other was about to get onto the trailer when he spots her, and immediately starts shooting!

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna just covers briefly, then she moves swiftly to the next cover, trying to get as close the trailer as possible in case they run. Any form of provisional cover will do. Once there, she will fire at the driver.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    As Zihna ducks behind cover, the pirate in the driver's seat recovers his wits and also starts shooting at her. The bolts graze the top of the crates she's using as cover, but one of them manages to hit her just as she's running between them to try getting closer to the trailer. Not enough to cause any serious injury, but it certainly hurts.

    However, she does manage to get within a few paces of the trailer, behind a row of shipping crates along the wall near where the landspeeder is parked. Suddenly, she'd feel a strange...presence. Something she's likely never felt before. It's as if someone is thinking for her. Thinking about something that she could not have possibly known. It seems the crate she happened to hide behind is full of small grenades. And unlike the bolted container, it isn't locked or anything. Imagery flashes into her mind, of her rolling one of those grenades underneath the landspeeder, and the explosive then subsequently blowing up the engines and taking out the driver at the same time.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna stared, briefly shocked, but she was able to snap out of it thanks to her training. Fight first, think later? Something like that. Without much of second thought, she grab the grenade, activated it and threw it rolling on the ground in the direction of the speeder.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    Mere seconds later, the grenade blows, the explosive take out the speeder's repulsors rather spectacularly and causing the vehicle to burst into the flame. Taken completely off guard, the driver is thrown to the ground where he remains unmoving. Whether he's dead or not isn't clear but he's not getting back up. The other pirate manages to jump off of the trailer, but is still caught in the shockwave from the blast. He falls, manages to scramble to his feet, but doesn't stick around. With the only means of escaping with any appreciable amount of loot gone, there's no point in risking himself further. Therefore, he hurries out and speeds away on one of the small swoop bikes parked out there, leaving Zihna with the supplies and...whomever is inside that box.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna Ta'igi collected herself and went around carefully to check on the pirate lying nearby. She didn't know what happened exactly, but if she thought it stank before, now she knew for sure. She was confused, and kept tabs on the container at all time with her peripheral vision. She tried her comm again, and at least send a message that the area is secure. Then she set up, considering actually making sure it is, but het feet dragged her to investigate the container. She also checked the pirate if her perhaps had a controls for the lock.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    The unconscious pirate is badly injured for sure, and he's definitely not getting up again any time soon. However, he doesn't seem to be dead. She'd find a small card with a chip on it strapped to his belt, which might indeed be the key to the container.

    Once she's informed command that the area is secure, they quickly ask if she has yet determined the nature of who or what is inside the bolted container...

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna pocketed the chip and zipped it tight in her jumpsuit's pocket. Then she responded: "Nature unknown, psychic activity, container locked". With that, she sighed and contemplated for a second trying to open the container, feeling the strange allure of adventure inside her. But even if she considered reckless by most, she wasn't stupid. This felt like something far beyond her capabilities. While she waited for command to send new orders. She proceeded to indeed secure the area and stabilize the pirate if possible.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    There's a pause at that update. "...psychic activity?" She isn't the only one intrigued by the allure of adventure, as the tone on the other end indicates. "What do you mean by that, exactly? What kind of 'psychic activity'?"

    "...If you can get it open without causing too much injury to whatever's in there, we need to investigate further before deciding on the next course of action."

    At this, there is a...knocking sound on the door of the container. Not too loud, or desperate, but it sounds more like a polite knock of a guest on the door of a friend's home prior to being invited in for a nice meal...

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna grunts in frustration. "This is no job for a single pilot!" She muttered. Than, she resolutely pulled out a blaster and walked toward the container. She used the chip on the locks and while aiming her blaster at the door, she either waited if they opened automatically or opened them slightly herself, taking a step back.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    Indeed, it certainly wasn't. Which may lead her to believe that this was either some kind of test, or there was something else going on that her superiors aren't telling her about. Or both.

    When she unlocks the door, the bolt retracts and the container opens automatically...

    Standing inside near the rear is someone who, for all of her caution, actually appears rather innocuous. It's a young human boy, appearing to be in his early teens or perhaps even preteens. He is clothed rather plainly, in a grey tunic and black robe. Seeing that blaster pointed at him, he holds up his hands placatingly, trying to show that he means her no harm. Then there is that...odd presence again. Ideas that shouldn't be there, that she shouldn't just know and yet she does. This time, it's simply that the kid in front of her is very grateful for her assistance, and feels quite indebted to her.

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Reluctantly, Zihna lowers the gun. Yes, whatever was happening, someone was messing with her head, but this was still a little kid.

"I'm Lieutenant Ta'igi of The Royal Togruta Fleet, I mean you no harm. Please come out slowly. What's your name?" She talks to them in basic, gun lowered, but at the ready, she reaches out with her other hand motioning for them to come out.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    The boy nods and obeys, slowly exiting the container. Upon reaching the edge of the now damaged trailer, he crouches and then carefully slides down to the floor.

    The shape of that odd presence seems to shift, now moving to an air of genuine curiosity as she tells him who she is. He's never seen a Togrutan before, not in person, anyway. Then he starts answering her, first spelling out his name in Basic sign. [Cayde Alexis...very nice to meet you lieutenant]

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
"Nice to meet you to, Cayde, my name is Zihna. Are you hurt? Can you tell me, how did you get here? Do you have... parents perhaps, waiting for you?" This felt like a stupid question, the way the kid looked and behaved was odd, though he still probably should have someone taking care of him. Regardless, she just needed to keep him calm and engaged, while she assessed the situation and informed the command. Which she did.

Andromeda (1) has posed:
    Cayde merely shakes his head in response to her questions, so it is unclear which one he's responding to. He doesn't appear to be injured though, at least. However, his gaze keeps on going over to a particular shelf in a particular corner of the warehouse located behind her, as if he wants to go over there but doesn't want to upset her as she seems very wary of him.

    When she again reports an update to her superiors, there is again a pause on the other end of the comms before: "...a kid, huh? Well, I'll deploy a couple of squads out there to retrieve the supplies and get them back to the colonists. You uh...I guess do your best to find out where he came from and get him home."

    "...oh, and make sure your report on this encounter is as detailed as possible."

Zihna Ta'igi (341) has posed:
Zihna just shook her head and holstered her blaster. She looked back at Cayde. "Looks like I've been tasked with getting you home." She both said and signed, smiling at him. She tracked his inpatient looks and pointed into the corner. "You want to go there? Go on, I'll follow you."