Mission Log

Episode II: Old Friends...

Date: 37:5:4 - 37:5:6

Alliance Command authorised a 'Live Training' exercise for the Hammer and her crew. The Edryn system was selected as the target system since it's relatively quiet and it lies on the Perlemian Trade Route. The Wildfire was responsible for selecting a suitable target in-system whilst the Hammer lingered at the very edge of the system.

Whilst monitoring the traffic in-system, a pirate fleet consisting of a Light Corvette, a Katarn Boarding Shuttle, a K-1fc Gunboat (holding 2 TIE fighters) and three Y-wings, jumped in and attacked a passenger liner. The Wild Fire jumped out to the Hammer's position to call in assistance.

The Hammer, the Wild Fire and Zeta 6 (The Nova Dragons' jump capable Headhunter) jumped in system to stop the pirate attack. It was discovered that these pirates where actually the Slavers who had been responsible for the former enslavement of some of the Nova Dragons. When the Hammer arrived it was found that the passenger liner was disabled and the Katarn was conducting a boarding operation. The resulting combat was over quickly leaving the Gunboat, a TIE and a Y-wing disabled, whilst the Katarn and the badly damaged Light Corvette managed to escape. When the Katarn fled the combat, it ripped a hole in the side of the passenger liner causing the depressurisation of the vessel. There were no survivors. This only added fuel to the fury of the Nova Dragons.

The Y-wing and Gunboat were recovered by the Hammer whilst some of the crew determined where the Slavers had fled to. The Hammer then pursued the Slavers to their base and hunted them down. Only four Slavers survived the fury of the Nova Dragons. However, fifteen slaves where released and a Gallofree Transport was captured. They also recovered the computer core from the Slaver's base, which is sure yield some interesting information in the coming weeks.

Captain's Log:

<<37:5:6/NOV.DRA/CAP.LOG/>>

When events finally come full circle, I always expect them to reach a measure of closure. How wrong can I be?

Our next assignment seemed to be simple enough. As an extended training mission, Major Saxs suggested we visit the Edryn system. Edryn is truly a beautiful system, no planetary bodies, just a series of gas clouds, but the interplay of the sun's output through the swirling gas… ahh, it has to be seen to be believed. Anyway, the purpose of the mission would simply be to pose as a Customs Vessel, perhaps board and search a couple of passenger ships, let people know that The Hammer was on patrol. It was a nice surprise when he informed me that Syl and the Wild Fire would also be a part of the operation. I was looking forward to seeing Syl again. His detached duty assignment is crucial to our success, but it's hard to be separated from old friends.

Syl and the Wild Fire were to act as forward observation, no problems there. Edryn isn't a busy system, just the odd tourist cruiser. One showed up early on to take in the beauty of the gas clouds. Only they brought company. Bad company.

Syl fell back on our position, and used a private channel to give me the really bad news, not just any pirate attack but the same group who had enslaved nearly half of the Nova Dragons. I asked that he keep it to himself at that point, I had real concerns as to the reactions of Kribaczek, Morrez, Zulah, Raggy and Grat. All of them had suffered at the hands of these monsters, and there was no telling what they might do. I couldn't allow them to endanger themselves or the rest of the ships crew.

There was only one course of action - we had to do what we could for the liner. How strange it was to utter those words "This is Imperial Customs…" The battle was brutal, but ultimately (I hesitate to say thankfully) one-sided. The pirate flagship Dark Star was mauled, thanks to a great job by JD and his gunnery team, but escaped with some of its support vessels. To my deepest regret, we were too late to save the liner. Total loss of life.

The consequence of this massacre was that we could not let these murderers escape to lick their wounds, and one day soon return to wreak destruction on yet more innocents. Major Saxs assured me that if we captured the slavers, they would face trial in an Alliance court. That was enough for me, justice would be served, but… I knew it was my duty to tell the former slaves exactly whom it was we had been battling, and who we would be battling again. The intensity of response from both Morrez and Kribaczek shook me. I should have paid more attention to Kal's medical reports, perhaps I could have seen their pain, certainly their need for revenge was palpable. Zulah and Raggy were both strangely quiet, I almost wanted Raggy to fly into a rage, to see some reaction from him, but he was so quiet. My biggest concern was that we would capture several of the slavers, and then I would be faced with stopping a massacre, perpetrated by my own people. My friends. That was one thing I was desperate to avoid.

We were able to track them back to their bolthole, their flagship, a Rendili Light Corvette, was so badly damaged it had barely dropped out of hyperspace before we arrived. The Major was reluctant to allow the use the Hammer in the operation. Somehow I don't think it would have mattered, I'd have been facing a mutiny. There was no choice but to confront the slavers planetside. As it happened, the Corvette succumbed to its damage and burned up in the planet's atmosphere.

I could have left any of the former slaves behind, but I couldn't have faced them afterwards, and I couldn't deny their need to close this incident. I was full of hope that this could end their pain, a hot flame to cleanse the hate, bring them the peace I had found.

The battle was short and brutal. Thankfully there was no cold-blooded killing of unarmed prisoners. Only 4 of them survived, given the fury of our ground assault, and the destruction of the Corvette. We were able to rescue 15 people from a life of slavery.

I could still feel the hate boiling from both Kribaczek and Morrez. Despite the killing their rage has not subsided. They remain a concern. I had no idea before this incident that Morrez's mother was taken in the same raid that claimed him, and is still missing. I trust that the Force will find a way for us to help her. If the Force cannot help, then the computer core we liberated will be our next best hope.

-Captain Kethan Falor