Over the communications link it sounded like all Hell broke loose between the smugglers and pirates. Gritting his teeth Jean attempted to discern the voices of his allies over the chaos. Screams and laser bolts intermingled in a rising cacophony of sound as the two sides clashed, making comprehensible conversation nearly impossible between Jean and those boarding. Swiveling his gunners chair Jean brought up a command data display, pressing a few buttons on the touch screens. He was all business in a moment and his hands flew across the board with practiced ease. [color=0072bc]“Takashi, send me th’ scans we got on th’ cruiser. I’m settin’ up a tactical overlay. Ursa’s going to need some fire support, I think we might’ve underestimated just how many pirates are nested up in there.”
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	Takashi looked concerned by this reasoning but flipped a switch sending the information requested to Jean’s station. A holographic image appeared levitating several inches above Jean's screen. It was a rough blue outline of the enemy ship, showing all known locations. Tiny green dots flashed in the rear, demonstrating the current positions of Ursa’s boarding team while larger red triangles showed the estimated location of the pirates engaging them. They wiggled back and forth across the hologram in what Jean could only imagine was an intense firefight. Tapping his com link Jean spoke to Ursa and her team, a hard note in his usually devil-may-fly tone. [color=0072bc]“Miz Cooper, I’ve got an estimation on th’ blackguards placement. I’m’a gonna see if I c’n thin th’ herd for ya. Y’all keep a healthy distance now and turn your helmets back on. It’s about to get chilly up in there.”[/color] Shrinking the holographic display Jean scooped the lines of blue code into his hands and fitted them right into the gunner optics and fire controls. The [i]Ranger’s[/i] main gun shuddered, sighting on a particular spot along the pirate vessel’s hull. Flipping a few more switches Jean set the modifications [i]Armor Piercing, Low Power,[/i] and [i]Non-Explosive[/i] to the weapon system. He didn’t want to accidently fry any friendlies. Giving everything one last check Jean powered up the weapon and lifted the safety. [color=0072bc]“Underway.” [/color]He laughed, squeezing the trigger.

	Aboard the [i]Gorefill[/i] the would-be boarding team fell back at first at the ferocity their smuggler counterparts displayed. Two aliens went down clutching bloody wounds while their comrades attempted to rally. It soon became apparent however that one side firmly outnumbered the other. Taking up covered positions the pirates reclaimed fire superiority, hemming in on their foe. Another was felled, this time by a headshot slaying her instantly, but she was soon avenged by the suppressing fire, pinning her killer’s head down. The pirates were experienced combatants, the veterans of dozens of firefights. Not even the skilled viciousness of the likes of Ursa, Mac, or Kira could waylay them for long. Grinning they advanced, slowly, meticulously breaking down the simple defenses that kept their opponents alive. Chipping away at any breathing space still afforded to the smugglers. One pirate stalled in his shooting, drawing out an incendiary grenade.

	[color=9e0b0f]“Cover me Cajiji.” [/color]He snarled through his gold plated teeth, his puffy fingers pressing the buttons activating the grenade.[color=9e0b0f] “Lookers ter me fired smuggler be on th’ menu.”[/color] He rose, his friend Cajiji releasing a particularly nasty volley towards Ursa. Pulling back his arm the pirate made ready to burn her alive when a burning red bolt of pure energy tore through time and space disintegrating him in and instant, leaving only a crispy red haze and a momentarily floating arm clutching the incendiary grenade. Cajiji looked shocked, his bulbous jaw hanging wide open as several things happened all at once.

	The incendiary exploded sending purple chemical flames rippling across the assembled pirates. Three more red bolts from the [i]Ranger’s[/i] main armament punched their way through the pirate ship’s hull and into its crew’s ranks, frying anything in their path. A mighty whoosh lifted the burning pirates off their feet as all the oxygen attempted to escape through the four fist sized holes that were now very much present. In a moment they were clogged by the bodies of the dead restoring some pressure to the compromised bay, though ice was still collecting along the walls and across the hands and toes of those still living.

	All in all it caused quite a bit of chaos amongst the six remaining pirates.

	Gurgling in horror they attempted to restore their fire superiority on the enemy, but with their considerable losses and the purple flames burning all around them, not to mention the growing sheet of ice it seemed a lost cause to even the most optimistic among them. 

	Jean held off releasing a second volley, instead pressing the transmit tab on his command station.[color=0072bc] “Yeehaw, I bet that ticked off a few of them. Tell me true Miz Ursa, ‘ow many of th’ scoundrels did I peg?”
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