Syndicate Heist
06 May 2024Xochitl Khae
Syndicate Heist
Colonia Region
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The disabled freighter floated in front of them, its engines destroyed by specialized homing micro-missiles, each approaching its target from a different direction, rendering any point defense systems ineffective.
Ryuko kept his eye on the freighter, which fired at them in self-defense each time its tumbling trajectory aligned its weapons with the Krait. Its weak firepower was more of a nuisance than a real threat, but Ryuko appreciated the gesture.
"Before we tether and board our ferocious friend there, can anyone explain why I chose him?"
"We care more about who the ship belongs to than what it carries," Lianna announced, earning a nod and a smile from Tara.
"Very good," Aby replied. "Now, what will we do with the cargo it carries?"
"Sell it back, either to them or to their host faction," Scyles said, his tone waning with disinterest.
"Normally, yes, that would be the course of action. However, we aim to harm them in a way that is difficult for them to counter."
"What would be more damaging than selling it to themselves or a competitor?" Jabir asked as Aby turned from the scanner to face the trainees.
"While Scyles isn't wrong, there's one agency he overlooked... ourselves."
"How do we sell it to ourselves?" Jabir inquired, leaning forward as Scyles chuckled. "He means we become the brokers."
Aby nodded. "Correct. As we speak, the carrier we came here on is being fitted with a secured warehouse and a fencer is being hired to manage the goods. By taking them from the syndicate, we can value them at half the market rate, selling at a price beneficial to us and the buyer."
"But won’t that increase the overall weekly rate of the carrier itself?" Jabir asked.
"Correct again," Aby nodded. "But that funding comes from other ventures. Our goal is to benefit everyone but the syndicate."
"True pirates aren’t those brazen, unwashed morons you saw on the station. A true pirate finds the most profit in not damaging anything of value. That includes transport pilots." Ryuko pointed at the transport. "Scyles, how would you crack this nut without damaging the valuables?"
"Give them the option to surrender unharmed. If they decline, check for a bounty. If they're clean, board with violence of action and try to stun or subdue. If they have bounties, take them however you prefer and sell whoever we capture along with whatever they are carrying."
Ryuko smiled as he approached the transport, arming the magnetic grapple. "Good. Now you're thinking like a pirate. You'll truly be a profitable employee, perhaps rising to quartermaster."
As he focused on the freighter, hoping Scyles caught the hint, he prepared for a more drastic measure if necessary.
The grapple attached to the tumbling freighter, pulling taut, arresting its chaotic spin as it was drawn in like a trapped insect to a spider. The bellies of the freighter and the Krait aligned.
"Alright, suit up. No prey, no pay," Ryuko declared, activating the docking process with a button press as he stood, with Tara ushering the recruits from the bridge.
"Don’t get them killed too quickly," Aby joked as Ryuko patted his shoulder in passing. "I would think you'd go before they would."
"Not very reassuring," Aby's voice trailed off as the bridge door slid shut.
Tara, already in her Dominator suit, watched Scyles hoist his favorite micro-missile launcher over his shoulder.
"Scrap doesn’t pay," Ryuko remarked, eyeing the launcher. "Nor do unidentifiable and charred parts of anyone with a warrant."
"You’re taking his fun away," Tara teased, eliciting soft giggles from the others as Ryuko shook his head.
"I’m not here to do this for free," Ryuko countered, tossing Scyles a laser pistol. "Use this if they have shields, then beat them with it until they comply."
Jabir and Lianna appeared in their Maverick suits, armed with laser pistols and kinetic automatic carbines.
As Ryuko suited up, selecting a simple kinetic pistol and a plasma shotgun, Scyles retorted, "Thought we weren’t supposed to make a mess."
"If they have shields, one barrel will remove them, and this will cover the entire corridor. The ballistic pistol will hammer any armor they have until I can get close enough to use it as a bludgeon."
"Come on, kids, let’s see what today’s prize holds," Ryuko said, leading the way to the cargo bay, issuing a command on his forearm controller to release a hatch-breaker limpet to override the freighter's cargo bay doors.
"Aren’t you taking a primary weapon?" Lianna asked nervously, walking beside Tara.
"Someone has to restrain any captives,"
"Someone has to restrain any captives," Tara replied, displaying her free arm, her true capabilities hidden beneath her suit. If necessary, she could take drastic actions, though at the risk of revealing her true nature.
As the cargo bay doors opened, revealing the haul, Tara smiled. "Looks like a good catch. Wonder what the manifest says?"
"Probably water purifiers," Scyles remarked, dropping down behind them as Jabir stepped up next to Ryuko, a nervous look in his eyes. "Not exactly what I’m used to, but I guess that's why I'm here."
Ryuko nodded understandingly at Jabir. "Don’t worry, son. You’ll do well. Just stick close to one of us."
Both men then jumped down together, while Tara approached the cargo bay entrance, applying a small hacking disk to the door's encrypted locking mechanism.
Tara stepped back as Ryuko approached the door, extracting a small grenade from a pouch on his suit. "Everyone, keep your suit's shields off until this thing goes off, then turn them on and follow me in."
"What's that?" Lianna whispered, eyeing the grenade as Scyles raised his laser pistol.
"It's a disruption grenade. It will cause any shield within its radius to recycle, leaving whoever is using one vulnerable until their suit has time to recharge," Ryuko explained.
"Oh," Lianna murmured as the door swung open and Ryuko lobbed the grenade inside. There was a quick flash; Ryuko charged in, pistol drawn and firing at a security guard who was momentarily blinded.
Bullets pinged off the guard’s armor, staggering him as Ryuko swiftly closed the gap, seizing him and repeatedly striking his helmet’s faceplate with his pistol until it cracked.
"Epoxy resin and restrain!" Ryuko shouted, pulling another grenade from his pouch and flinging it down the corridor with a backhand toss.
Tara darted forward, extracting a small tube of resin to seal the security man's cracked faceplate, preventing air from escaping. As another brief flash illuminated the corridor, Ryuko repeated his earlier action, clearing the path to the bridge door.
Tara secured the security guard with magnetic restraints, pinning him to the deck as she advanced. "Scyles, keep on the door. Lianna, watch the captive. Jabir, back up Scyles," she commanded, moving to the door's controls and placing a second hacking disk.
Ryuko crouched, checking the magazine of his pistol as the door began to open. Inside, the frightened pilot was cowering behind his seat, pistol in hand.
"If you don't resist, you'll live to see another day. We're only after the cargo," Ryuko announced, activating his suit's shield as he stood, lowering his weapon. "That gun won’t do much against my shield, and I can see you don’t want to die. Don't give me a reason, and you’ll remain unharmed."
Tara bypassed the pilot, moving to the side console to access the manifest, as Scyles followed her in, his laser pistol aimed at the pilot.
"Do you have a bounty?" Scyles asked gruffly, approaching the jittery pilot, who quickly shook his head. "I just got my pilot's license. This was the only job I could find."
Scyles scoffed, disarming the man and spinning him around. "Poor choice of employer," he remarked as he slapped on magnetic cuffs. "You’re not worth much, but a few thousand credits is better than nothing."
"What?" the pilot protested as Scyles pushed his head down. "If it were up to me, I’d simply shoot you. But the boss prefers you whole, planning to sell you back to your people—or to a rival, whoever pays more."
Ryuko suppressed a sigh as he glanced at Tara. "Does the manifest match our scanners?"
Tara shook her head. "Not even close. The cargo is mislabeled to seem worthless."
"But it’s not, is it?" Ryuko said with a knowing smile.
"No, it lists ten tons of gold. Not much, but it's a good day’s pay."
Ryuko gestured for Scyles to proceed with the extraction as he toggled his forearm controller. "Aby, we have two restrained. We'll begin offloading the containers now. Prepare accommodations."
"Acknowledged."
"Lianna, get your prisoner on his feet. Jabir, assist Scyles and Lianna in transporting our guests onboard. Aby's ready for them."
With a nod, Tara left the bridge with Ryuko following close behind. The small freighter was a decent ship and would have made a fine addition for legal work if he were building his own small syndicate, which is how they probably had gotten it themselves. He thought of how many times this particular ship had changed hands, being out in the hinter-rim regions of the bubble.
The cargo extraction went seamlessly as the containers were unlatched then magnetically pulled from the freighter’s cargo hold to the Kraits. In under a few minutes, all were secure aboard Ryuko’s ship, as he charted a course back to Zaria’s fleet carrier.