Lost Souls Phase 2 Modus Operandi (Plot Log)

[Crash Calestorm 0]

The following log takes place during the first month of our two month TBS...

 

Operation: Lost Souls Phase 2

SS Vulture

Outer Sectors, Location Unknown

 

It was a straight modus operandi: get in, get the goods, and get out.

 

Mareena and Serval* had provided the intelligence, and there was a certain poetic justice to the targets the SS Vulture had hit within the last few weeks: a brothel that did not treat the working women with respect, a frontier bank that had reneged on loans given to colony homesteaders, a pharmaceutical company that had contracted to thugs and sold corrupted medicines.

 

At each target site, Calestorm and her people left a calling card: a stylized drawing of a vulture emblazoned on it; anyone with access to the galaxy intra-net would come up with the necessary information if they did a search on the card. The symbol was originally used for the 10^th Vultures, a fictional Starfleet air wing active during the Orion Cartel-Starfleet skirmishes. A further search would be directed to a profile on her adopted persona for the mission and convenient access to a general dossier on her people.

 

A broken down Captain, a bedraggled crew of ne’er do wells, all looking for that last big score. At times, Starfleet OSI* did their job very well, yes.

 

The Vultures where getting the name out there and the whole point of their job for Operation: Lost Souls was to annoy the hell out of the local pirate subculture as the upstarts making a name. The ultimate goal was to land on the radar of the shanghai* pipeline. Pinging the shanghai network would be the key for eventual access to the prison planet of Rura Penthe.

 

Scooter Wesley and the others on the ‘Frankenship’* handled the so called legitimate pirate jobs, building up a more dashing reputation.

 

Crash stood on the entry ramp of the SS Vulture, taking half-hearted pot shots at their pursuers, long coat flapping in the thruster exhaust from the hover jets. Lieutenant Jumper Honor-Scar zoomed past, followed by Corporal Joseph Vega and a few other volunteers from the ‘Creek. All wore backpacks or messenger bags strapped to them, filled with antibiotics. Serval brought up the rear, and then turned to help her ‘fire’ at the drug cartel operatives, the shots going wide. Several of the riff raff dove for cover.

 

An answering shot zinged past, going in between the rear guard to slam into one of the bulkheads. Serval and Cale ducked, with the big Kzinti reaching out a massive paw to grab her by the collar and half throw her up the ramp.

 

Once a bodyguard, always a bodyguard and the gesture was duly noted. Definitely time to bug out…

 

She backed the rest of the way up into the cargo bay of the ship, firing well placed shots to deter any pursuers. She touched her ear bud with her free hand and got the direct access to the cockpit wireless feed. “Deathwish! Close the ramp and let’s get going!”

 

*Mareena, of the Black Kris faction of the Orion Cartel, has entered into a mutually beneficial exchange of information with the Border Patrols First Threat Response Program. The elder Orion female and her Kzinti bodyguard were tapped for participation in Lost Souls per the events in Strange Bedfellows. See the log for further reference.

*OSI - Office of Special Investigations.

*Shanghai - refers to the practice of conscripting men as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation, or violence (from Wikipedia)

*The pirate vessel employed by Captain Wesley and her crew, referred to as ‘Frankenship’ due to the NX-Class primary hull and Daedalus-Class secondary hull and propulsion nacelles.