STS. LOG-012. (Patreon)

LOG-012.The T-series military strategic analysis and tactics droid did not have a formal designation, as it had not been logged into any existing Separatist system. Within its local command structure, basic logic dictated that it would likely operate under a newly created code as a result of this. Perhaps T-1. This was not the case, however. Instead, this particular tactical droid had been given a unique identifier, a name, even, by its creator. Though fleet commander Spyder's decisions seemed unorthodox and did not compute with this particular captain's own logic at times, the super tactical droid's decision making was to be followed to the letter, as CIS protocol dictated, thus clearly its superior knew something this lowly T-series did not.Such was the reason why 'Dread Pirate Captain Tarantulas' was now participating in this…unique charade as its first ever operation, after being produced by the factory vessel Industrious Profit, standing in as the new acting captain of the Munificent Star Frigate Golden Dividend.The ship itself had been…modified, to match its new operational status as a supposed pirate vessel. Crimson markings had been applied to various parts of the starship's hull while idling within the void, mostly painted by volunteered B1 battle droids.Some of them included organic skulls, various racial slurs in multiple languages, and even a particularly erotic depiction of a Twi'lek exotic dancer making a lewd gesture while lounging atop the vessel's stern.It was an admittedly creative disguise, and one Tarantulas admitted it could not have thought up of on its own. Such was the strategic genius of the inherently superior ST-series super tactical droids.Regardless, the Golden Dividend and her new paint job weren't what was currently occupying the majority of the captain's attention. That honour instead fell to the incredibly large star destroyer currently maintaining a loose orbit of the planet Bracca.Calculations indicated that if Tarantulas was an organic, it likely would have felt fear. However, it was a droid commander, and so it did not. Instead, it followed its orders to the later as the Golden Dividend continued to pour on speed, leaving the relative safety of the deep void and the protective jamming of the fleet.Said orders were rather simple, really.Step one. Hail all nearby vessels on an open frequency as more and more sensors began to turn towards and pierce the ship.Done.Step two. Establish its identity."Yar har har. I am the dread pirate captain Tarantulas, scourge of the Empire and all sailors everywhere. It is my intent to assault your vessels and plunder their storage bays to fund acts of terrorism against your government. Yar har har."Also done.Step three. Have the Golden Dividend fire several long range shots at the star destroyer (too far to do more than just barely brush against the far larger vessel's shields) and then perform a hard turn to face the local hyperspace relay, before shunting all power to engines.The ship shook as the step was completed, several crimson bolts having already been thrown forth to harmlessly splash against the target's immense bulk.And finally, step four. Retreat at speed, diverting the star destroyer away from Bracca while utilising the in depth manual of organic insults fleet commander Spyder had given it to maintain a firm grasp of the organic captain's focus.Captain Tarantulas checked said manual for less than a second as the Golden Dividend continued to boost away from the now actively pursuing star destroyer, before leaning slightly closer to the console."Your mother is a schutta…and a damn fine one too."How utterly unorthodox, though considering the threats and outdated deactivation codes the enemy captain was currently hurling at it through the hailing frequency, the admiral's method was certainly proving itself to be most effective.—I stared as the retreating forms of the Victory class star destroyer and Munificent class frigate (represented by a blue and red symbol hovering atop the holotable) finally reached the edge of the system and promptly disappeared into hyperspace, before slowly turning to stare at Kalani.The general stared back at me for a very long moment, evidently processing just what had occurred, before dipping his head in submission."I was incorrect. I concede that your strategy is superior to my own."Well, he had the grace to accept reality at least. Better than most folks. Turning away from my counterpart, I stepped up to the central command dais of the bridge, glancing around once before sweeping an arm forward."The way is clear, all vessels begin active jamming procedures. Target vessels attempting to flee Bracca and prepare for planetary invasion."For all that the order was suitably dramatic and grandiose, it actually took a hot minute for us to get into range of Bracca and actually start doing shit. Sublight was fast, sure, but space was big, which kind of made it feel awfully slow compared to say, roaring through the atmosphere in a shuttle.Still, eventually we got into position to prevent anyone from following the Golden Dividend and her pursuer, coincidentally also blocking anyone from utilising the primary (and publicly known) exit point of the system.Several tug ships and a particularly brave Gozanti freighter were shot down (or well, shot apart, considering there wasn't exactly anything resembling 'down' in space) before everyone else got the hint and backed the fuck up, either retreating into the planet's atmosphere or powering down their vessels and broadcasting white flag signals.Those specific ships were confronted by shuttles filled with B1's for their actions, the droids demanding access to airlocks and boarding shortly afterwards in order to arrest the crews who very much weren't being paid enough to try anything.Save for a singular tug ship which got ripped apart by a trio of Vultures after trying to resist the boarding procedure, but oh well.Turning back to stare as several facilities were fired upon from orbit (communication spires and the like), I watched with something akin to anticipation as shuttles and landing craft began to dive down towards Bracca's surface, loaded to the metaphorical gills with infantry ready to start waking things up.