Pirates hijack ship, leave without booty

Date: 311207
Planet: Tatooine System

Story: (Written by the Galactic News Agency, Ramona doesn't write IC).

Four days ago, a strange pirate attack took place in Tatooine’s orbit. The TTC-Sunbeam, of a routine round trip from Tatooine to Naboo and then to Corellia before returning to Tatooine had just lifted off from Mos Eisley and reached orbit when it reported reactor trouble to its escorts. Shortly afterwards, the ship lost power and started to drift.

While it was not clear at the time, at this point the ship had been taken over by a gang of pirates who had infiltrated the ship posing as passengers. While they were searching the ship and subduing the crew and other passengers, the escort, an interceptor piloted by Atheu, was engaged by some unidentified ships, possibly rebel-aligned, who may have msitaken it for an attacker.

When an X-Wing starfighter started to shoot at the freighter to disable it, the pirates on board, who, accordiging to witnesses, were still searching for some disc containing data, restored the powerlines they had interrupted, and returned fire, destroying the starfighter – and then, possibly in a panic caused by plasma leak reports, abandonned ship.

The TTC-Sunbeam, with its power restored, was able to limp into port at the orbital station for much needed repairs, escorted by Atheu:



What exactly the pirates were looking for is not known. All crew members and passengers professed ignorance with regards to this topic when questioned.