The Dogtown Run: Part 2/4
05 Nov 2020JB Threepwood
Panza and I lead the convoy several jumps out. The station we'd left was ran by Communist friends of Uncle Jim so we'd got a real good deal on the weaponry we were transporting to the Wolfberg System.Our benefactors were in the fancy cabin in the back of the ship we were flying... their ship... a dog-ugly greeny-yellow Adder called The Bone Breaker. It was a real Kenneth The Destroyer* kind of name as it was unlikely the pea-shooters attached to it could break silence let alone anything else.
[*Kenneth The Destroyer- A pilot (or ship) that has an over the top tough-guy callsign even though the ship or pilot is simply not good enough to live up to it's absurd name]
As Rubberduck*, it was down to me to keep an eye on the convoy. After every jump, Panza would check the contact list to make sure the rest of the ships made it to each system safely before we jumped to the next.
[*Rubberduck- The pilot who leads a covoy, not always Front Door]
The T7s were Bundled Out* so they couldn't jump too far... we all had to make sure we had the same courses plotted out before we set out, the last thing we'd need would be to lose a third of the consignment.
[*Bundled Out- Cargo ship loaded to capacity]
We were about half way to Dog Town when we hit a system with several bears low-waking. They'd set up a block near the main star and were dragging down ships entering the system to scan them.
I couldn't risk one of the Lucky Trucks being singled out and Eyeballed* so I gave the word to the convoy to drop out of hyperspace.
[*Eyeballed- Scanned]
This was the reason why we brought the Bandits. I called to Hopper and Deezer over the Comms system.
"Hops, Deez..." I started once I could see the convoy had all dropped into the same area. "I need you two to go and Chin Check* Smokey*."
[*Chin Check- Shoot or bump a target to see if they'll open fire on you]
[*Smokey- Law Enforcement]
"Briggs, Cooper and Davis... start charging up those drives... as soon as you high-wake those Lucky Trucks out then the rest of us can follow."
I watched the engines to Hopper and Deezer's Eagles light up as they accelerated to intercept the County Mounties* that seemed to have the T7s in their sights.
[*County Mounties- Local faction security]
Hopper and Deezer would no doubt pick up fines and bounties for drawing the attention of the local law enforcement but that was all factored into the cost we were charging Jeremiah and his organisation.
I watched the two eagles fire a barrage of shots off at the bears then boost away. The manoeuvre had worked, I watched the police deploy their weapons and open fire. The Bandit ships were Tweaked* though, their shields soaked up the shots as they sped away... making sure they kept far enough away to avoid any real damage but not too far that the bears would give up the chase.
[*Tweaked- Engineered]
I'd known Hopper and Deezer for a few years and knew how much they got off on this sort of cat-and-mouse shit.
They'd bought the T7s enough time and, one by one, I watched Briggs, Cooper and Davis as they jumped their T7s out to the next system. Our two gunships were stuck to 'em like shit to a blanket.
"Ok, boys," I called down the comms, "The Lucky Trucks are on the road, let's meet at the next jump."
Two "10-4"s back down the comms was all I needed to fire-up my FSD. The law enforcement ships tried in vain to keep up with the two Bandits as they boosted away then, with a zip of light, high-waked away.
With my own FSD charged, I turned our ship to the next system and started the jump out of there.
Recap
[Uncle Jim- Jamaica Inn Movement faction]
[Dog Town- Dogmaa, Wolfberg]
[Bear- Law Enforcement Officer]
[Bandits- (B)ait (AN)d (DI)straction (T)eam]
[Lucky Trucks- Lakon T7s]