Prologue: Destiny Calls

Vorin studies her display intently. It's a target-rich environment for the pirates. Between the more helpless ships and each other, there's plenty of things higher up their list than a small scout ship. Odds were good they could slip away and jump to some other system unmolested.

But memories rush unbidden into her head: Hiding in the desert, watching a lone man stand against dozens of slavers. She figures he's doomed, but this isn't one of the farmers and ecologists she knew. This is a Jedi with a lightsaber, one he clearly knows how to use. Her wonderment increases as she watches the battle inexorably shift in his favor, but her astonishment does not outweigh the fear that keeps her rooted to her hiding place. She could go help him, but what if a slaver gets away and some warlord gets wind of it? What if the Empire finds out? What if...

Vorin takes a deep breath to steady herself and returns to the present. She could easily stay quiet. It's not her ship, and it would be impolite to try to tell the Captain what to do when she's just using it as a lifeboat. Still, if she doesn't want to keep hiding, she needs to keep stepping forward.

"I'm not generally one to pick a fight," she says into the comm, "But if we don't do something, those pirates are going to hurt a lot of people."

G'Rehth ponders that. "Hmm, she has a point. What are the combat capabilities of this craft, captain?"

Mayron takes his eyes from the viewport for a moment.
"Er....." he says. His eyes rove across the controls looking for status indicators. "Forward laser....ion....something....concussion....missions, I mean missiles."
He looks at the others and sees conflict in their eyes. His own sense of self-preservation is screaming at him to flee, but the scanners showing the pirates buzzing like flies on carrion make the decision for him. He swears.
"Pick your targets!" he calls out as he throws the ship onto an intercept course. "Give people time to flee,
and someone plot a course out of here for when it gets too hot!"

"Aye, plotting a course." Here we go..., G'Rehth thinks.

"I'm attempting to get a reading on these ships, to see if we stand a chance against them or not. Stand by," G'Rehth scans the pirates to see how cut for battle they are. Maybe these are just a rag-tag assortment of cowardly vultures....

"Well, Paqa, you're going to get your wish," G'Rehth mutters. "Hostile ships incoming!"

Mayron throws the ship around to intercept the closer group and give his companions a chance to aim at them.

Are we really doing this? We're heading towards the enemy? Pick my targets? I don't even know what I'm looking at!

Ta'hida looks around desperately, hoping to see what he's supposed to be doing.

Pull yourself together, these scum are the same sort of people that killed mom and dad.

Ta'hida calms down enough and focuses on trying to survive.

Is there an owner's manual that tells me what these buttons do? Is there anything I should be doing?

Vorin breathes deeply, trying to hold on to her center. The captain is doing a good job of positioning the ship so that she has a clear shot at the interceptors, but the targeting computer is still indicating that the enemy fighters are out of weapons range. She carefully sights in on the nearest interceptor anyway, hoping that their captain isn't forced to make any sudden maneuvers before she has a chance to fire. Still, if there is anything she's good at, it's waiting.

"I've got a lock on the nearest ship. Fire when ready!" G'Rehth announces.

Ta'hida calms himself still further. I can do this, everyone else is too busy to carry me.

Closing his eyes is strangely difficult for such a simple task. Reaching out with his as yet underdeveloped sense he knows is there at the edge of his thoughts, he tries to find the button that feels right.

There!

Ta’hida presses down then opens his eyes.

"Well, we got their attention. Can we please not miss with the next shot? Captain, maybe you should take the shot."