Diversions
28 Jun 2019Tan Bin Phan Nguyen
This last cycle has been somewhat agonizing. I've been desperately seeking out every loose end I may have in my contacts and objectives, ferreting out every stray bounty or point of interest I come across. Anything to pass this time. I've got three possible locations lined up for the new 'brick and mortar' as they say, branch of Arbor Caelum. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised that we're here already. But 'here' happens to be the point where I sit and wait to hear back from the deed holders as my offer is auctioned off between them. It's a strange system I'm happy to pass through just once.So that leaves me somewhat adrift for right now, as my star is just below my current horizon. Just as soon as it is in sight I'll be burning a fast trail to start expanding the verdant canopy.
A comm flashed across my hud last night, Tot, over in Imperial space just doing her thing, harassing every pirate and scumbag she gets a bead on, laying waste. What a coincidence, I was just thinking about that Hera Tani lady and realizing she wasn't going to give me the time of day until I get at least the slightest of nods from the Imperials. So it all comes together sometimes.
A few jumps later and one quick liaison with a local Imperial contract office in Gende, and we had our contract. We knew it was going to be a tough job, but the money and reputation would be worth it if we could pull it off.
We found ourselves in Bragur, searching for an outlaw named Stogam. He's some big guy about the Blue Ring syndicates, so we were expecting company. We caught Stogam and his boys in the middle of a shakedown. Those Lakons took the moment of surprise as their chance to book it and made it out while Tot and I started to tangle with the gang.
This is the part of the story where our stark lack of tactical experience together becomes apparent.
We charged ahead and took one of his wingmen each. They were both iron ass Vipers and mean as hell. We meet hard, then deadlock and the fight begins to drag on. They have the numbers, it's just Tot and I against the three of them, and they turn the field. We flee and make it out with our skins.
Out in SC, we reconvene in a wide orbit and decide what the hell? Catch our breaths, fill our capacitors and dive in. This time with a fresh strategy. We would go for shock and awe. A coordinated all out assault on the bounty target only. Take him out and be gone before his gang has a chance to take us apart.
Every time I tried to divert energy to recharge Tot's shields, we would lose the upper hand against bringing Stogam's down. Her Diamondback was her pirate hunter, not a battle hardened iron ass. Ultimately it came down to hardware and numbers. No matter how badly we wanted it, we couldn't gain the upper hand. It wasn't a tough decision after the second attempt that some pirates are best left for larger wings to handle. We fled for greener pastures.
At the end of the day, we just presided over the HazRes in Gende 1 for a time, kept a lot of honest workers safe. It turned out to be a fine shift, despite the harrowing beginning. All in all, it was a fair exchange. Hera Tani can wait a little while, there are many ways to thrive.