The Mammoth Transport shuddered as the docking collar locked. Once the green light illuminated and the airlock cycled open, the hundred or so refugee's began shuffling towards the door. Among the refugees where six men, who clearly where not refugees. While the rest of the refugee's had lots of belongings, valuables, these six men had a small pack. Unlike the rest, they walked with determination, purpose. One man, who seemed to be the leader, turned towards the rest and spoke.
Move with the crowd. Rendezvous at the safe-house at twelve hundred hours.
The group dispersed, within the incoming flood of refugees from Bretonia.
A wing, level 4, Barrier Gate Station
Blain Spike, followed by two Vagrant Raiders, walked into the de-facto Barrier Gate office. While the Overlord's bodyguards stop to stand guard, Blain strolls into a smokey room where four other raiders are playing poker. One Raider notices the Overlord and without looking up, speaks.
Well Blain, where you been? We started without you. Hope you don't mind the extra player, he got lucky and won a bet.
Blain smirks, shakes his head and sits down. He pulls out a credit chip and tosses it at the dealer. The dealer checks the credits and gives Blain his chips.
Thanks. Billy, what did I say about betting on a game of darts. Your horrible at the game, even a wet behind the ears bandit can beat you. But alas, lets play.
Across the passageway from the Vagrant Raider apartment, at a cafe aptly called "Dirty Moe's" four men sit down. Each man is carrying a bag, and is dressed in loose clothing, making it easy to hide a compact laser rifle or plasma shotgun. They order a cup of coffee each, and pay promptly after receiving their coffee. Near the eatery, at a short term motel often used for booty calls and shady deals, two men open up their bags and pull out a Vengeance mk. 9 Laser Rifle.
Specially built for each user, the Vengeance mk. 9 rifle is built to take down a armored target at ranges up to 600 meters. The mk. 9's being used by the two men have DNA grips, which once encoded, can only be fired by the owner. Built with collapsible stocks and reflex aiming modules, the Vengeance mk. 9 rifle is a versatile weapon.
After the two men check their weapons, one man pulls out a Hammer DX-2 pistol. This pistol is the service pistol of choice for most LSF rapid action teams as its high stopping power and generous battery capacity are immensely beneficial in close quarters combat situations. The man checks the weapon for problems, and slides a battery into position inside the grip. The pistol chimes indicating a full battery has been inserted.
Go over the plan again.
Operators 1 and 2 move towards the rear exit of the target building. Operators Three through Six engage the guards. Five minutes from then, the Navy assault team goes live and the gunboat exfiltration team docks and secures the immediate area. All operators clear the area, apprehend the Vagrant Raider target and evac using the navy group as a decoy.
Well done. Lets move out. Team two, report readiness status and prepare for green light.
The captain of the LNS-Potomac looked at the viewscreen. On it was a countdown, and as he watched it struck 00:00. He turned to his operations officer and said...
Right. Its time. Secure the ship from silent running, weapons tight. Lets go make an entrance.
As the gunboats systems came online, the crew ran system checks. From the power subsystems to the sensor and weapons control, the crew worked diligently to prepare for the armed conflict that awaited them and the boarding party. The helm officer fired the maneuvering thrusters, sliding the Liberty warship from its hiding spot behind an asteroid in the barrier nebula. As the gunboat cleared the asteroid, the helm officer turned to the captain with a petrified look on his face. The rest of the bridge crew muttered to themselves as they looked up at the panel with the front camera feed on. Out of the bluish fog that defined the barrier nebula came a Outcast Destroyer. On its keel where the markings of a Vagrant Raider warship, the Nightmare.
The comm speakers cackled to life, and the voice of a smug man filled the small command bridge of the gunboat.
We got a friendly tip that someone that didn't belong here was...you know, here. For once the anonymous tips where correct! Your in the wrong place Navy. In fact, your in the worst possible place you could ever be. Surrender that fine looking gunboat to us and.... only most of you will die. I'm sure there are some fine women on your crew that might be interested in alternate employment. Women in Navy uniforms are quite... arousing. If you get my meaning.
The crew, startled and worried, looked at their commanding officer. The captain nodded at the Ops officer, who flipped the comm switch to respond.
Well well well, the Vapid Raiders. Your words are so scary. You will not take me, my crew, or this ship alive.
The faint sound of laughing is heard through the comm system, followed by the man's voice.
So be it! Just adding a Navy gunboat to our scorecard is fine by me!
The comm link went dead. The Navy Gunboat's crew went into automatic, prepping the ship for immediate combat. Bulkheads where sealed, weapon systems primed, and crew reported to their posts. Like a well tuned machine, the Potomac's crew was well trained and well prepared for facing the coming fight. But everyone on the bridge crew knew it was a fight that would be lost. The Outcast Destroyer was better than the lighter armed Liberty Gunboat, meant for patrolling and fighter support.
The Vagrant Raider warship fired the first shot. Its light mortar emplacement charged, and fired. The blue antimatter projectile arced across the blue hue of the nebula, impacting the Potomac.
Barrier Gate Station, Vagrant Raider Apartment
One of the raiders pulled out a neural net connected tablet and handed it to Blain. Blain looked at the tablet for a minute and stood up. Walking over to the sofa, he pulled the cushions out, revealing a hidden stash of military grade weapons and gear. He pulled out a Photon shotgun and a battery to match.
Its time. Gear up and lets go shoot us some lawful fools.
The rest of the Raiders stood up and each one grabbed a weapon, some grabbing two. The now heavily armed pirates moved to the front door, checking their weapons and preparing to fire. Billy grabbed a special weapon, a Debilitator pistol. Moving towards the back exit, he hid inside a storage closet, meant to look like it was locked from the outside, while being exitable once inside.
Outside, the Agents began drinking their coffee, paying attention to the people moving to and fro around the cafe, making note of any visibly armed security, mercenaries or possible pirates. At the back exit to the Raider hideout, the two men moved towards their hiding places, keeping their weapons hidden inside large duffel bags. One of the agents touched his ear and mumbled something, quiet enough so that nobody else would hear, with the exception of the micro communicator in his ear.
Green light. Breach and Clear.
Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power.
Forward: Please note, timeline wise this happened many years ago, during the shift that saw the Vagrant Raiders turn Semi-Lawful under Kazinsal and Thexare.
______________________________________
The Raiders had been tipped off that the safehouse was about to be raided, however their informant neglected to say the LSF raid was going to happen 30 minutes earlier than originally planned. Or that a Liberty Navy Battlecruiser was assigned to provide fire support for the LNS-Potomac if the gunboat came under fire during the operation.
Barrier Gate Station
Blain nodded to his fellow pirates and they walked out the front door. They had planned on scoping out the place from the bar next door, and wait for the LSF agents to breach his safehouse and ambush them. As they opened the door, the crack of a sniper echoed. One of the pirates went down with a thud, his pistol clattering. Blain, still shocked from the death of his compatriot, was pulled back into the building as the front of the building errupted in fire from the two LSF agents stationed across the street. They pulled off their coats, and revealed two plasma rifles, which they promptly unleashed plasma fire into the doorway.
At the same time, the two LSF agents at the rear of the building blew the door, and funneled in. Blain heard this, and spun around. Unloading a blast from his shotgun into the chest of the first agent, throwing him back dead. The second agent fired his rifle, hitting Blains second bodyguard. At that moment, Billy charged out of the hidden compartment where he was waiting to ambush the agents, and tackled the standing agent.
The scuffle was short, with Billy stabbing the LSF agent in the jugular, watching the life drain from the agents eyes as he tried to get Billy off him. Once he finished struggling, Billy rolled off the dead agent, and gasped for breath. He turned to Blain, who was returning fire through the opening at the agents across the street. Billy got up, and grabbed Blain.
Blain, we gotta go. It's only a matter of time before more agents show up. The Never Enough is not far from here, lets get there and regroup with the Nightmare.
Blain, still dazed from the ambush nodded, and together they exited the rear door of the safehouse.
Barrier Nebula, LNS-Potomac
The light mortar shell impacted the LNS-Potomac, collapsing the shields. On the bridge, the captain prayed this plan would work, and pulled up the system map on his display.
Nav, bring us about, full military thrust. Make it look like we are scared, head for the Jump Point. Comms, send flash traffic to LNS-Drayton, let them know we have one very-angry cruiser bearing down on us.
The Nightmare fired another Light Mortar, which went wide. For all the firepower the Outcast built warship had, its targeting systems where built for engaging slow targets at long distances, and not gunboats such as the Potomac. The Vagrant Raiders usually used the Nightmare to scare trade fleets into paying ransoms, and supporting withdrawals from tradelanes when the Liberty Navy's heavy support elements showed up.
Had the Pirate Commanding the Nightmare not been high as a kite, he might have realized the Gunboat was making a run for the Jump Point, or the fact he had no fighter cover to screen large ships from getting close. Just then, the deadly silhouette of a Liberty Navy Battlecruiser emerged from the jump point. At this point, the Nightmare was only 5 KM away, in "knife fight" range of the heavier armed battlecruiser. Between the Battlecruiser and the Liberty Navy Gunboat, the Nightmare was in a bad situation.
This is the Captain of the Liberty Navy Warship Drayton. You are outmatched. Power down your weapons and deactivate your engines. Failure to comply will result in severe repercussions.
Fer Ye, maybe! I will not surrender to you or anyone else! You want my ship, come and get it!
The Nightmare started to turn to run, while firing its light mortars at the newly arrived Battlecruiser. Splashing across the bow shields the Drayton absorbed the hits without issue and returned fire. One of the newer Liberty Navy designs, the Battlecruiser had reinforced shields and armaments, developed during the height of the war between Liberty and Rheinland. As the Nightmare attempted to fall back, the Battlecruiser started to close the distance, while pummeling the Nightmare with its primary weapons. Bow On, the battlecruiser was one of the finest medium tonnage vessels in all the houses, capable of outrunning and out gunning any cruiser.
As the Nightmare's shields winked out under the constant barrage of the Draytons primary armaments, the gunboat LNS-Potomac streaked past, its weapons targetting the engines of the Nightmare. As the Nightmare lost speed and maneuvering, she took more and more punishment from the combined firepower of the Drayton and Potomac. The Blued steel of the hull became pockmarked with plasma burns and mortar hits as the Nightmares volume of fire decreased. The ship was effectively dead. The remaining engines sputtered and went out when the automated systems forced a reactor shut down due to battle damage. Without propulsion, the ship continued to drifting towards the Barrier Nebula.
Captain of the Nightmare. Your ship is finished. We are willing to provide assistance as required under Liberty Navy Fleet Regulations.
Just Ye wait, one of these moments the Metropolis is going to appear and gut your ship like a pig! They won't leave us to...
The transmission cut out as the Nightmare took another hit, the ship shuddering under the fire.
Barrier Gate Station
Billy Xae and Blain Spike rushed through the crowded hallways of the stations interior, trying to blend in with the usual crowd of freelancers and pirates that called Barrier Gate Station home. As they approached the entrance to the hangar that contained Blain Spike's personal gunboat the Never Enough, they saw four LSF agents lock eyes with them through the crowd.
Billy. Split up. Get back to the Nightmare and tell them to get out of the system. We where setup. Not sure by who, but find out. I'll meet you back on the Metropolis.
Billy nodded and turned and split up, heading down the corridor. Blain doubled back and went the way they had just came, glancing over his shoulder. Three of the LSF agents had left their post and he couldn't figure out where they had went. Blain began jogging, weaving in and out of the crowd trying to put as much distance between himself and the LSF agents. He turned a corner into an empty corridor, when he heard two LSF agents draw their weapons behind him. Knowing his life depended on how the next few seconds went, he dove for the deck, drawing his weapon as he dove. Two rounds flew over his head, one impacting him in the stomach. He rotated, and send three rounds downrange, dropping the two LSF agents.
Injured, Blain propped himself along the wall. As he tried to get up, he heard a voice.
Toss the weapon Blain. Your not going to survive the next round I pump into your skull.
Blain, admitting defeat, threw his weapon down the corridor towards the LSF agent. The agent, his weapon in a high ready position advanced on Blain. He smiled, and fired two rounds into Blains' skull.
Barrier Gate Nebula, Scimitar Light Fighter
Billy checked his commlink. There where three new NeuralNet messages. Selecting the first one, he read through the link, slumping back in his seat.
Billy,
If your reading this bud, it means I'm dead. Well that sucks. Oh well, all good things come to an end. Head back to the Metropolis, and let everyone know. Not sure what my death will mean for the Vagrant Raiders, but as a group it has endured a lot. We endured John Petrucci's disappearance, actually both of them. I'm sure my loss won't mean the end for the group. You where the closest thing to a family I had, so attached to this message are the encrypted codes to access my bank accounts, anything that is not the Vagrant Raiders is now yours. Treat my ships well, and maybe we will see eachother in another life.
Your friend,
Blain Spike
Billy checked the codes, and was amazed to see the millions of credits stashed away. Shaking his head, he checked the two other comm links. The message was more of an eye opener. Someone called Harold Kane had assumed control of the Vagrant Raiders, and had declared that the Raiders where to cease piracy operations and fall back.
Billy sat and looked at the message. Billy thought it might be time to retire, laughing to himself as he thought about how he could certainly afford it now.
Billy made up his mind, and pulled back on the control stick of his light fighter, aiming for the Baffin jump point. He changed the transponder of his craft to remove the Vagrant Raider identification, and settled in for the flight.