Log:First Order: Earning Their Wings
Evie takes a group of less-experienced fliers out to learn a few things about surviving in the void.
OOC Date: April 19, 2018
Location: Kuat System
Participants: First Order, Evie Leven, Grayson Oakfell, Emma Starflare, Gent Tevron
It's a beautiful day out in the emptiness of space -- Evie's leading a small group of TIEs out on what, for all intents and purposes, should be a very simple training mission out in the Kuat system. The planet itself is... quite a ways away, and the skies are mostly clear, with the exception of a small debris field in the distance.
<< Alright, children. Echo here -- everyone sound off. You're all here to learn, so there's no stupid questions today. Ask 'em tomorrow, and they'll be stupid, but not today. >> comes the chatty Evie's voice over the ship-to-ship communicator, the pilot herself scanning over her instruments -- nothing abnormal for now. << I hope you all have solid stomachs, 'cause those suits aren't coming off until we get back home. TIEs aren't for wimps. >>
It's the truth. With no internal atmosphere in the ships, our oh-so-heroic pilots are confined to their flight suits until the starfighters land once again.
Gent Tevron checks the instruments on his control board, powering down his hyper drive and kicking in sublights, forming up smoothly with evie leven. "Pilot Tevron checking in," he says depressing the mike button for the ship to ship radio, "All systems green, awaiting orders."
Grayson Oakfell has been dragged, again, bodily, by Starbucks, the woman stuck as his co-pilot again upon orders of the Supreme Leader. Once again she's in the back seat, looking thrilled to be here with the person she hates the most, Herald Starbucks. The stalwart pilot who is amazing at everything he does! While Grayson is only good at her primary profession, and drinking wine. They're flying in her ship, the PSI, a fancy arsed T/F fighter that she has others help her fly. A helmet is upon her small noggin, the visor up, the woman eyeballing the back of Starbucks head, or at least the top of it, from her vantage point behind him, "Hey, Gray, you wanna call us out?" << This is Angry Rancor, if I kill my pilot does that mean I get points taken away from cup of our house? >> A very heavily accented voice asks over the comms, the voice, to those that know her, belonging to Grayson. The surgeon, and Vanguard medical officer, is ...so very happy to be here. "You know, Gray ..maybe if you tried smiling while ya talked on the comms.." "You are wanting smiles from me, Herald? Please, find a humoring death." "Geeze ...your new boyfriend ain't doing /nothing/ for your affect, damn. What's his name? I gotta warn him." "Just do your flying."
"Understood," Emma's smooth accented tones are heard through the commlink. Fightercraft were not Em's usual habitat, being one of the greatest markswomen in the galaxy mattered for none when you swapped a rifle for flight controls, but she had been assigned to learn and increase her operational availability, so the blonde was here. Whatever musings or thoughts she might have? The Special Forces trooper is keeping them to herself.
< It's worse than that, Rancor -- killing your pilot means all of your booze is replaced by cheap, watered down swill for the next year. Don't ask how, it just happens. > Evie calls back over the comms... some amusement pretty clear in her voice. Clearly, she doesn't expect Gray to be serious. < Now, you all know the /basics/ of flying. Some of you know pretty well how to shoot those hideous X-Wings we run into out there from time to time. > The Sienar Fangirl in her is strong.
< Today, you're going to learn how to be stylish out here. We're gonna start easy, a little formation flying. On my mark, I want you kids on me in a V formation. Copy? > she orders, tapping a button to send out positions for each individual pilot to move into.
< Mark! Let's see what you've got! >
Gent Tevron eases back on his throttles and slips into his assigned formation slot smoothly and easily.
She might not have been initially trained as a fighter pilot, but it seems Emma remained a quick study. Falling into position, her TIE neatly takes its place in formation while she exhales a breath.
< Great work so far, keep it up! > Evie commends over the comms -- never short on offering encouragement to her fellow pilots as the flight training continues. < Maybe that was a bit too easy for you... so we're going to try something a bit more dangerous. Sometimes when you're flying, you're going to need to fly into tight spaces... whether they try to hide inside an asteroid, or lead you on a chase through an old derelict. You don't want to be the one who slams /into/ the obstacle. There's no greater shame than fireballing that way. >
Evie's brain briefly goes back to a recent sim battle she had with another pilot... taking an unshielded Interceptor against a fancy new X-Wing, and barely taking a scratch. She was very fond of that fight. < So, show me some finesse, kids. We're going to fly panel to panel -- try and close within ten meters of the TIE next to you. Vets, be ready to step in if your kids need you. > she commands to the pilots flying /with/ the trainees -- like that Starbucks fellow. He seems pretty nice to her!
Gent Tevron eases his fighter in close to the flight leader, slowly but carefully controlling his drift until he gets to within 5 meters. "In position," he says over the ship to ship radio. "Awaiting orders."
Panel to panel is an interesting decision, but Emma wasn't going to disagree. If the gap was narrow enough she'd likely fall in behind a leading fighter, but that had its own dangers. Another breath, she eases her TIE closer, close enough to perform the maneuver without causing a collision. Thankfully this was out of atmosphere, where there was no air disturbance to buffet their craft.
"Ah crap, Gray, seriously, you hear that? You're supposed to be /my/ kid." Starbucks says over his shoulder to the doctor who replies back succinctly and dryly, "And I will ensure I bring you to an early grave." "Cripes, woman. Damn. Just ..just watch what I'm doing and learn." Graysons honeyed brown eyes will stare forwards, slightly narrowed, and Starbucks sucks his teeth, sniffing slightly, "I can feel what you're doing and it's not going to work." Said as he performs that maneuver just fine, coming in next to one of his fellow TIEs, << Angry Rancor kickin' ass, though the children are a weeeeee bit cranky tonight, Echo. >> Starbucks says over the comms, the man clearing his throat, trying to make something of this flight, "So ..you ..see what I did?" "Yes, your job." Allll righty then. Starbucks will shift uncomfortably in his seat, knowing full well Grayson carries her sonic scalpels on her like some people carry purses, and she's behind him. Try. Not. To. Die.
< Fancy flying! You're not going to be pulling this maneuver outside of air shows, because in combat being too close together isn't a good thing... if one of us got fireballed at this range, it could start a chain reaction... if you can talk your enemies into pulling a stunt like this, that's a perfect time to strike, so keep that in mind if you're flying against a braggart. ...usually you will be. Your voice can be as much of a weapon as your lasers when facing a foe who lacks in the brain department. >
Then Starbucks reports in, and she can't help smiling under her helmet. < Roger that, Rancor. Maybe you should promise some dessert after the lesson's over. > That said, Evie pushes forward on the throttle to soar ahead of the formation, directing her craft towards the debris field. < Speaking of fireballs. When you're fighting on the ground and you take somebody out, that's when you're done worrying about them. Up here, if you take somebody out, they usually leave you presents in the form of broken starship parts. Kids, take your ties through that debris field. Vets, keep your fingers on the triggers in case you need to take out some space junk. Anyone who survives, I'll see you on the other side. >
as his TIE gracefully navigates around the debris chunks missing every one, Gent Tevron concentrates on his task. He notices something briefly, a blip on his sensors. "Pilot Tevron to flight leader, I noticed an unidentified sensor blip, could be nothing, but out here, it's probably worth investigating." He continues flying as he makes his report, clearing the debris field and rejoining the formation.
It was closer than she'd like, but Emma was clearly improving with each lesson. Even so, as she weaves close enough to have a few near-misses, her own sensors 'blip' and she tilts her head with a frown. "Confirmed, I see it too."
Grayson Oakfell handles the console and scanning while Starbucks handles the flying, "Hear that, Grayson?" THWOMP. "Shavit! Woman! Every time!" Grayson had snapped her hands together on either side of Starbucks helmet from behind him like a monkey toy with cymbals, her neatly manicured nails lightly snapping with the recoil in against his helmet. From behind Grayson will let out a throaty laugh, grinning triumphantly as she turns her gaze down to the console in front of her, working it like a pro and eyeballing the screen, "Well, you are flying not like an idiot, which is very surprising to me but, there is something as that other voice is saying. Teevron?" Grayson says, confirming as well, though since Starbucks hears two other pilots confirming it he focuses on maneuvering through the field, "And Emma." Grayson recognizes her voice from wine night. << Angry Rancor to Echo, we also confirm blip on the scanners, and confirm that dessert will do nothing to assuage the angry children. Can confirm without prejudice. >> As Starbucks sways the ship this way and that it makes cool sound effects only perceptible from within the cockpit, Graysons body swaying along with it all, woman non-plussed, "I do not want your dessert, he has a very big adventure house, with dead things and much wine in them." Says Grayson from behind Starbucks, the man snorting, "Yeah well, I got ..this chick and she's got ..a, uh. She's got this ugly little dog. Mimsi. But I think it likes me." "You are sure you are not dating the dog?" Grunt.
< Echo rogers that, Tevron -- we've got to get you a callsign. > she decides, talking about the /important/ parts first. < Let's bring it back around -- there shouldn't be anything in there. Position yourselves on the perimeter of the field, pick something in the field, and put those cannons to use. Let's see if a warning shot wakes up whatever's hiding in there, shall we? >
Meanwhile, as the TIEs start turning the collected pilots will see that extra reading on their sensors return ... an easy hint that a ship's powering up, though the signal's bouncing just a bit with all the debris out there.
Gent Tevron pounds the debris with his laser cannons, so intent is his concentration that he misses the sight of the true target that the flight of TIEs is pursuing. He rockets out of the pulverized debris field on the other side, shaking his head and muttering to himself, though thankfully, with his comm channel deactivated. Composing himself, he reports in, "Echo, I did not see the target. Confirm the target area?"
"I have eyes on the target," Em's own accented voice comes through the link as she spots the 'flushed' prey. "Freighter, YT-1300 class, trying to hide in the debris field. A smuggler perhaps? Should we hail them?" Here in the stars, she wasn't presuming command. This wasn't her battlefield.
"Herald." Starbucks cringes, because that's Graysons 'I'm about to lay some knowledge on you to show you how stupid you are' voice, "Yes, Gray." Said as he braces himself, firing a path through the debris field with ease, but the woman behind him is half-turned in her seat, pointing out the cockpit window, "Are those not illegal?" She seems /genuinely/ interested, and the tone of her question has him blinking and turning to either side to look, "What?" "That ship, there-" Plink. Her fingertip pokes at the window, the sound of it alerting Starbucks to which side to look at, "Oh, shavit. Yes. YES!" << Angry Rancor here, we've got some idiot in an outlawed YT-1300 freighter, suggest we blow it sky high. Or ..hail them, but ..it might be IMPRESSIVE if we just BLOW IT UP. >> Ehh, ehh, get the hint he's putting down, Evie?!
< You're the ranking officer, Rancor. Kids, you heard the boss. Target that ugly, /ugly/ YT and let's see if we can't add to the debris field. > Evie replies -- it's the truth. Both Starbucks /and/ Grayson outrank her, and, well. She's got some pent up aggression held towards a certain line of Corellian ships that get /far/ too much credit!
Meanwhile, the freighter is still moving within the debris field, trying to keep space junk between itself and the TIEs. On board? The pilot is /convinced/ that he's doing such a great job at hiding, that he doesn't even have to run for it!
Gent Tevron scores a direct hit with his laser cannons, watching as both evie's TIE and that flown by Starbux and Grayson also score hits. "It's shields are down," Gent reports in over the ship to ship comnet, "Looks like that smuggler pilot finally realized he has been spotted, he's trying to evade us and escape."
Emma Starflare actually gives a little verbal curse under her breath as she misses the target, if only just. She'd been doing so well so far! Still, she wasn't giving up the chase yet. Chewing her bottom lip, the woman engages her thrusters. "Commencing pursuit. He won't be able to make a jump to hyperspace until he gets free of the debris field."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. How come /she/ listens to me, but you don't." Starbucks asks Grayson, "I am the same rank as you, you idiot." Says Grayson with a snort as she turns her attention back to her console to watch the scanner, "Yeah but ..I'm older." "Not mentally." PEW PEW. That last comment gives Starbucks enough gas to start shootin' at the illegal ship, the man grating his teeth down all nice and tight. He flies better when emasculated. And shoots better. Sort of. It is a little humiliating to have a woman who doesn't have a one hundred percent grasp on basic language handing his arse to him, << If he only just realized it, then the idiot deserves to go down. Aim for the engines and yes, listen to that - get him disabled before he can go through and out the otherside. C'mon, kiddos, let's blow it out of the sky, they're ugly ships and banned for a reason. >> That's Starbucks, the man maneuvering the ship through the field in a practiced manner, "How we lookin', Gray." Asked over his shoulder, his soulful gaze kept forwards, "He will escape if we do not get him fired out of the sky soon." Helpfully offered by Gray, << You guys are kicking arse so far, keep it up and let's make this happen. >> Starbucks again.
Even the best slips up every now and then. Evie's so busy being single-minded on destroying the enemy ship that she nearly ends up hitting the remnant of a turbolaser that's floating through the debris field -- and swerving out of the way means that she isn't able to take her shot at the freighter.
< Kriffing... take your shots, kids! We can't let that thing get away! > Evie commands over the comms, hoping the others have better luck than she did there.
Meanwhile, the freighter's rocked by laser blasts from the incoming ties... they've managed to hit everything /but/ the engines so far, which means it can't defend itself... so the tiny crew is huddled in the cockpit, hoping that they can make it to the edge of the debris field and punch the ship into hyperdrive before the First Order destroys their ship!
as the freighter nears the edge of the debris field, weapons disabled, gent tevron hunches over the controls of his TIE fighter, shoving the throttle levels to their overload stops. He mutters to himself, "got to catch them, got to catch them." Intent in concentration, he continues to pour laser bolts into the freighter, hoping that he and his squadron mates can take it out of commission before it escapes.
Emma's pursuit is eager, but not perfect. Twisting, her controls to the side, she loses her opportunity to shoot in favour of avoiding a chunk of debris colliding with her ship. She swears, but she's already trying to recoup.
"They are getting very close to finding their way out, I can see they are readying to drop into a hyperspace when they do." Grayson informs Starbucks who swears softly, nodding his head as he glances around to see the other ships not doing so hot, aside from Gent's shot, "All right, keep us locked on them." Starbucks asks, the team of Gray and Star workin', for once, together, Starbucks hearing the lock from his panel and SWOOSHBOOSH. He fires off at the ship, and it hits, "Their weapons are now fired, they can not attack, but they are still able to move." Grayson informs Starbucks who growls, the ship shifted this way and that and the yolk yanked this way and atta way as he dives and darts around debris, dropping down in below the YT 1300, though he's not directly beneath it, but from this vantage he can see it's underbelly, << Their weapons are down, but Gra- Commander Oakfell says their engines are still good and they're close to escaping and ready to drop into hyper, fire everything you got, this arse ain't getting away. >> So commands Starbucks, Grayson dutifully working behind him on keeping a sensor lock on the ship.
Gent Tevron chases the freighter down, determined as he gains a positive target lock and fires his laser cannons, scoring direct hits to the freighter's engines, just as emma manages direct hits to the freighter's vulnerable sections. "Direct hit," he cheers into his mike, "Nailed him good. If he doesn't blow to pieces right now, he will soon." After unloading his laser cannons, gent swiftly arcs his freighter around in a powered turn away from the debris field, and hopefully soon to explode doomed freighter.
Soon indeed, it seems Em had managed to right herself. A stream of green blaster bolts leap from her laser canons blast into the damaged freighter. The follow-up shots are enough to trigger the eruption and the ship begins to break apart as she too banks away. "Target destroyed," she speaks through the link. "The freighter is down."
As the freighter goes up like a bunch of cheerful fireworks, Evie lets out a whoop of glee over the comm -- it's pretty clear why her callsign's Echo. Her voice tends to echo in the cockpit... and even over the comms, to a lesser degree. < Great work, everyone! That's one less criminal in the void... you should all be proud of your work today. Let's take these ships back home, I think you've all improved by a good, solid leap today. > she offers over the comm, already starting to direct her craft out of the debris field.
Grayson Oakfell is so happy. SO HAPPY. Because they get to go back to the base, now, and she can go back to her apartment and unwind in the tub with a glass of wine, "Hey, Gray, you did good." Starbucks says to Grayson after he completely and utterly nearly drives them into a piece of debris which instead thunks off the top of their ship, his shot going wide ..off into space ..to randomly careen into some poor unsuspecting freighter millions of parsecs away. But, Emma and Gent do the job and Starbucks is flipping on the comms, << Great job guys, like Echo says. Head back to base. >> "I still do not like you." Grayson will reply succinctly, and Starbucks lets out a long suffering sigh as he flies them back to Nar.
Gent Tevron begins entering data into his navicomputer. "Jump coordinates for the Corusca sector loaded and confirmed," the system announces. activating his com, Gent says, "Thank you flight leader for the training. I must take this TIE back to the Finalizer where I got it. Today has been a good day for training." he waves his wings from side to side as he rockets out of the jump field, then into hyperspace with a streak of starlines and a bright flash of released radiation.
