The Silver Hawk stands victorious.

This morning we completed our deadliest mission to date. Acting on a tip from a well-paid infochant, we intercepted an Imperial transport convoy sneaking down a backdoor run. The battle was fierce, made particularly so by the unexpected interference of a fellow pirate. She had the gall to challenge the Silver Hawk in combat, and thus quickly learned the power of our ion cannons and the accuracy of our strafing guns. As Eradash put it, she faced "the talons of the Hawk".

While their corvette was struggling under the fire of our ion cannons, we were chased by two full squadrons of TIE fighters. I ordered the rear shields reinforced as they closed to firing range. Although the ray shields were battered continuously, they held for most of the battle. Several flashback ducts and minor power conduits blew out as my engineers redistributed power back to the tractor beam projectors; I should have noticed the static charge building up in the aft deflector array. Fortunately the flashback ducts performed their job adequately and prevented major damage to the ship.

The Werbol gunners were in rare form last night, killing every single TIE fighter in pursuit. Krell is learning a steady hand at the helm, executing a noteworthy slide maneuver so that we could engage the corvette aft and the Imperial transports astern. Within short order the tractor crews and ion gunners had paralyzed the freighters and we reeled them in. Faced with an ion cannon deluge, the pirates turned on their own proud captain, killing her and surrendering the ship to me under the terms of the Pirate Code. Because they invoked parlay I sold their ship on Telarus and paid them each 750 credits. Better to have food and drink for the disgruntled, lest they decide to take their vengance at a later date. I should think that this duel should quite swell the fame of the Silver Hawk, and that is to my liking. The more Imperial freighter captians who know my name, the easier it will be to bully them into surrender. My marines will live longer and see the fruits of our exploits.

The crew was quite pleased as well. MDPC paid out 7000 credits per share, which tallied to 14000 credits for each marine. I sense that Mul'rukha in particular feels vindicated for his unswerving support for my leadership. Not all the Quarren were so convinced that this would be a profitable endeavor. Now we have two victories under our belt, and they have counted the credits with their own hands. Additionally our last mission left us much better armed and that increases confidence as well. I am remaining constantly vigilant that the crew should not become reckless or complacent. Now that we have proven the Hawk is capable of victory, I will drive them harder than ever to maintain that razor's edge. It is far too easy to stop noticing the tiny warning signs during battle, and that alone is the difference between retiring in luxury and dying swiftly in a surprise attack.

Should the New Republic release the captured freighter crews, the Empire will certainly know of the Hawk. Further success will inevitably bring the darker rewards of victory--bounty hunters dogging our trail, cruisers dispatched to hunt us down, convoys on their guard against our raids. Perhaps the transport crews will be held captive for a while, in which case it might take the Empire a few more weeks or months to ascertain the Hawk's role in the occasional convoy disappearance. It is my hope that for their part, the captured pirate crews should filter out into mercenary ranks and back into the underworld, carrying with them the story of their crushing defeat at our hands and ultimately of our gallant consideration of the Pirate Code.

Let the kills painted on our hull serve as a dire warning: defy not Murky Depths Privateering Company. Long live the Hawk, and longer live her crew.

Garvu Quinn

OOC Note: Received 12 CPs for mission completion; spent 6 CPs to increase Tactics and Intimidation.