Fargaride
16-03-2008, 17:38
Fargaridian Space
The debris clouds this far from Fargaride really were remarkable. That they could possibly sustain such an astronomical amount of pirates and vagabonds as they did was also astounding. These lowlifes used the immense debris fields as a base of operations from which to launch attacks on transport ships stumbling past, whose captains always wished too late that they had invested in engine upgrades, not that it would do much good. Pirate ships were almost always displaying the most advanced technology available in the system, making escape from a pirate ambush a rare miracle for unlucky merchants.
The tactic generally required lightning speeds. A pirate vessel would descend upon it's lumbering prey, steal as much cargo as could be carried off as they could, and disappear once again into the debris fields, where the larger cruisers of Fargaride Space Command could not pursue them for fear of damaging their expensive ships. There were times, though, when these tactics did not go as planned. Today had proven to be one of those times.
A young pirate crew, inexperienced and eager, had spotted a hapless ship on their perimeter sensors. Fearing that their prey would be reached first by another vessel, the crew had jumped quickly out of the debris field and upon the approaching ship, only to discover (to their great dismay) that the ship was not a merchant vessel, but rather a tourist ship that had strayed off course dangerously close to the debris fields. Having abandoned the cover of the debris already, the pirate made a hasty decision. While most definitely a volatile cargo and a dangerous prey, humans were guaranteed to fetch a high price on the slave market. Rather than abandon the mission, the pirates proceeded to close the distance between them and the transport, already savoring the meal to come.
Aboard the transport, hasty preparations had begun being made as soon as the incoming vessel had emerged from the debris fields. The passengers included, the transport vessel would easily outnumber the oncoming pirates, and this factored heavily into the defense of the ship. Radio messages were sent to Fargaride requesting immediate assistance, and the passengers set themselves up in defensible positions aboard the ship.
The lights aboard the passenger ship flickered to an ominous low as the pirate ship attached itself with a metallic groan. Panicked but prepared, the passengers each turned their eyes to the entry point, readying themselves preemptively for the arrival of their assailants.
As soon as the first pirate entered the ship, they knew a giant mistake had been made. A hail of fire greeted them, each passenger equipped with whatever weaponry could be located quickly from the ship's security hold. Abandoning their mission swiftly, the vagabonds reentered their ship and began to detach from the passenger liner, only to behold a terrible sight. The speed of their mission had failed them, and Fargaride Space Command had arrived too quickly for them to escape. A large cruiser sat, awaiting their detachment from the transport, radioing their demand for the surrender of the pirate vessel. Once the pirates had acquiesced, the cruiser took the pirates captive and began to take their ship into the cargo hold.
It was upon this scene which Alpha Group officer Darren Harding approached in his one man ship. Dispatched by his commanding officer, Harding had an important job to do. He only hoped the cruiser crew wouldn't get in his way.
[OOC: A work in progress, obviously, this will be semi-open if you can find a way in, but TG me first or something, please. Open to OOC comments as much as you'd like.]
The debris clouds this far from Fargaride really were remarkable. That they could possibly sustain such an astronomical amount of pirates and vagabonds as they did was also astounding. These lowlifes used the immense debris fields as a base of operations from which to launch attacks on transport ships stumbling past, whose captains always wished too late that they had invested in engine upgrades, not that it would do much good. Pirate ships were almost always displaying the most advanced technology available in the system, making escape from a pirate ambush a rare miracle for unlucky merchants.
The tactic generally required lightning speeds. A pirate vessel would descend upon it's lumbering prey, steal as much cargo as could be carried off as they could, and disappear once again into the debris fields, where the larger cruisers of Fargaride Space Command could not pursue them for fear of damaging their expensive ships. There were times, though, when these tactics did not go as planned. Today had proven to be one of those times.
A young pirate crew, inexperienced and eager, had spotted a hapless ship on their perimeter sensors. Fearing that their prey would be reached first by another vessel, the crew had jumped quickly out of the debris field and upon the approaching ship, only to discover (to their great dismay) that the ship was not a merchant vessel, but rather a tourist ship that had strayed off course dangerously close to the debris fields. Having abandoned the cover of the debris already, the pirate made a hasty decision. While most definitely a volatile cargo and a dangerous prey, humans were guaranteed to fetch a high price on the slave market. Rather than abandon the mission, the pirates proceeded to close the distance between them and the transport, already savoring the meal to come.
Aboard the transport, hasty preparations had begun being made as soon as the incoming vessel had emerged from the debris fields. The passengers included, the transport vessel would easily outnumber the oncoming pirates, and this factored heavily into the defense of the ship. Radio messages were sent to Fargaride requesting immediate assistance, and the passengers set themselves up in defensible positions aboard the ship.
The lights aboard the passenger ship flickered to an ominous low as the pirate ship attached itself with a metallic groan. Panicked but prepared, the passengers each turned their eyes to the entry point, readying themselves preemptively for the arrival of their assailants.
As soon as the first pirate entered the ship, they knew a giant mistake had been made. A hail of fire greeted them, each passenger equipped with whatever weaponry could be located quickly from the ship's security hold. Abandoning their mission swiftly, the vagabonds reentered their ship and began to detach from the passenger liner, only to behold a terrible sight. The speed of their mission had failed them, and Fargaride Space Command had arrived too quickly for them to escape. A large cruiser sat, awaiting their detachment from the transport, radioing their demand for the surrender of the pirate vessel. Once the pirates had acquiesced, the cruiser took the pirates captive and began to take their ship into the cargo hold.
It was upon this scene which Alpha Group officer Darren Harding approached in his one man ship. Dispatched by his commanding officer, Harding had an important job to do. He only hoped the cruiser crew wouldn't get in his way.
[OOC: A work in progress, obviously, this will be semi-open if you can find a way in, but TG me first or something, please. Open to OOC comments as much as you'd like.]