Title of Marque Part 6
11 Jun 2024Vodan
Following from Favors Part 6Vodan pushed a broken holo-projector, a chair and two crew off him. When the Jester hit the Anansi, the CC crew joined Vodan at the back of the command room. With force. Shoving a boot out of his face, he tried to orientate himself. Somehow, he’d made it to the corner of the ceiling above the door to his privet office.
“How fucked are we?” he called out over the din of people trying to get back to their stations in zero-G with no surface to push off.
One person had bothered with his safety harness, and he was still sat at the weapons systems control console looking pretty pleased with himself. Leaning over to get a look at the systems console, he was met with a lot of red lights.
In a tempest of alarms, warning lights and people crying out, or groaning in pain, this guy was an island of smug tranquility.
“Er, we can move, and life support is good. “Everything else is not good or banjaxed, sir” he called in an effort to drown out some persistent complaining from some woman somewhere.
Pullin himself over to a currently vacant station, Vodan changed the display to a combat overview. Those that were capable were getting back on duty, others were making their way to medical, taking the crewman that couldn’t make it by themselves. Thade joined his captain at the display.
“That looks more like it. Shame we’re so fuck up, or that would have been one of the great come-backs. Way to go Vodders" said Thade holding a hand over one eye. He had a thumping headache.
“Yeah, it could have gone better" agreed Vodan trying to catch up with what happened after the Jester and Anansi collided. "Hay, is Löwe abandoning the battle? Can our sensors pick up the interdiction field? Do they work? And someone shut that bitch up or kill her, for fuck sake” Shouted Vodan wishing he had five seconds of peace to think.
Still holding his eye, Thade looked up from the display “That's bell” said Thade as if asking a question. “That's fucking Bell”
Static and a digital buzz accompanied the distant voice, but it was the voice of Belladonna. She was hissing, and talking urgently, but quietly now.
“..everyone. Who the fuck are they? I need evac right fucking now you asshole” came her persistent voice from a dented speaker.
Pressing a set of headphones to his ears to hear her better, Vodan gratefully made contact with his second in command for the first time in weeks.
“Bell, you ok?”
“Fuck your questions. There some crazy ass kill team slaughtering everyone they see, and this boat is breaking apart. I want out NOW!” she growled through clenched teeth.
“Take it easy Bell, they are with us. They know you and some of the guys are there. They got FFR, you're all good” answered Vodan trying to reassure Bell.
The relationship between Vodan and Belladonna was a strained one. In Vengerfield’s mighty raider armada, promotion tended to be a case of dead man's boots. If you wanted to climb the ladder, the best way was to knock the guy ahead of you off.
When Creamy got himself on Vengerfields wanted list, Bell had been the one to catch him with honey. Not only had Vodan failed to capture Creamy numerous times, he had been on duty when Creamy was rescued from Vengerfields questioning.
Being a smart man, Vodan had run from Vengerfield. While he was away, Belladonna took command of the Anansi, winning all of Vodan’s perks. When Vodan returned with Creamy, willingly submitting to Vengerfield’s inquisition, he got his command back and Bell was once again his first officer.
Their relationship was a strange one of distrust and respect, but somehow, they managed to work very well together.
“Are you sure?" Asked Bell "Coz they sure don’t act like there here to take prisoners, and I’m running out of places to hide”
Ok ok, I’ll call their commander and make them chill, ok? Now, can you get me into the Jesters coms in the meantime? There's a good girl”
“FU..” is as far as Bell got before Vodan killed her coms channel.
“She works well under pressure” said Vodan offhandedly to Thade. “Ok, get me the Thunderchild, and get me a picture of Bell. Something where she’s dressed this time”
Vodan’s people managed to make contact with the Thunderchild before anyone was able to come up with a reasonable picture of Belladonna.
“What's with your boarding party, you Imp dicks? My people tell me they are on a killing spree” complained Vodan to the Thunderchild’s captain.
“I assure you captain Hooder, that is not the case. They..”
“And I assure you, I just told you they are on a killing spree, and I want them reined in. In case you imp psychos have forgotten, this is a capture and extract mission”
“Captain Hooder, with Friend or Foe Recognition and the information you sent us, your people are perfectly safe. Our boarding team has many operations under their belts, an..”
“And nothing. I’m sending you an Image of Red Jade and Bell, and I want you to get on the line, and tell your kill team to chill. Have them take a breath, and look at the face of the people they are supposed to be getting off that carrier alive. You got me? This is Red Jade”
“and, hold on. Bells coming any second now”
Finding a picture of Bell wasn't hard. She was proud of the way she looked, and didn’t mind showing off, but Vodan wanted to at least look professional in front of the imperial captain. The prim, proper and professional people from the Thuderchild were making him feel like the captain of a learning impaired school.
“Well, she looks like..” said Vodan swiping through images of Bell “She looks like a cross between a witch and a hooker, but like an expensive hooker. Wait, here’s one!”
“She’s almost always got a stupid little hat on”
To his credit, the Thunderchild’s captain didn’t miss a beat or sound annoyed and condescending when he answered “As you say Captain Hooder”
Vodan caught Thade smiling a wide smile that he held for a moment as Vodan tried to puzzle out what was making him grin like that.
“That is so sweet Vodders. You wait till I tell Bell how you stood up for her”
“An’you wait till I tell your dad how hard me and his boyfriend railed your mom”
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The Löwe pulled away from the battle with the Ophois tailing to make sure she didn’t rejoin now the Jester was on its last legs. Both Löwe and Ophois still had their fighters out, but the Ophois held back its wings and firepower, so as not to stop the Löwe from making an escape.
Committing his carrier to Vodan’s operation had been a gamble, and looking at the state of the Anansi, he was glad the interdiction field had kept him from entering the fight until later. Now the field was down, support ships from the Thunderchild. On their tail came the lavishly decorated wings from the other raider carrier Nila.
The two forces spaced themselves out between the Imperials that had pulled back. The three aspects kept their distance from each other, and effectively cordoned off the space around the Anansi and Jester.
The raiders of the carriers Ophois and Nila let every raider and merc in the area know who they represented, challenging anyone to interfere with three of Vengerfield’s carriers. They didn’t care that the imperials could hear the challenge, they had enough firepower to take on any comers, including whatever the superpower could muster. Only the best pilots, or the stupidest would try to make good on the bounties issued by the Imperial Secret Service.
Now the line had been drawn, fleet support and rescue ships from the Thunderchild arrived broadcasting their intention to lend aid to stranded ships and ejected pilots. The IS, recognizing an Imperial outfit in the form of Errand of Mercy, warned them what would happen if they tried to support and repair raider ships, but they could stop EOM from chasing escape pods, or salvaging black boxes. Besides, they had clear orders from Lambast, and she would be arriving soon.
Now the Jester wasn’t going anywhere, it was up to Vodan, and Lambast’s extraction team to deal with Red Jade.