OOC:

You will be making at least two story posts. They are required for graduation. Read other posts to get an idea of how to do it, then write and post your own. Two are required, but you may continue to write story posts here until you graduate- just don't post twice in a row. (this is frowned upon and I might have to scold you)

Start off by reading this post, the one after it, and the most recent two or three posts (at the other end of the story). This will give you an understanding of how things started and where they are now. Once you have read those four to five posts you may go ahead and join in with a post of your own. Remember to stay true to the situation, and aim for a 500 word post.

In combat, remember to use some maneuvers from the wiki. Have fun with it and try to think of what you can do that’s interesting and unique while still being realistic for a new pilot.

You exit the simulation once the staff has examined your post(s) and had you correct any problems. Your are encouraged to include getting shot down- that’s the best way to exit. Remember that you’re a new pilot, so you’re not hell on wheels yet. Getting shot down, especially in simulators, is going to happen. It’s also important to understand how to write both victory and defeat.

You will notice the Word Count in the bottom OOC box. That Word Count is for the story post above it, and is something you should include in every post. Use Microsoft Word or another program with a word counter to get a count, and put it at the end of your post.

If you have any questions, you can post them in the Raptor Squadron topic in the Navy Main Comnet or you can PM myself or another member of the Academy Staff, or you can find one of us on the IRC in the #VENA channel.

Now, for the post.  All it will be is a simple obstacle course with a little surprise in the middle and at the end of the course.

Cayden walked onto the simulator deck as the hatches on two of the simulators opened.  "Crewmen Byorninn and Jasen Crowe, front and center,"he said, stopping several yards from the simulators.

The crewmen hurried out of their simulators and rushed over.  They both saluted Cayden, wondering what was going on.

"Crewmen, you both get the priviledge of flying with me in a new and untested simulation," he said, returning the salute.

"Priviledge, sir?" asked Byorninn, confused.

"Yes, Byorninn... priviledge.  Not only do we get to test a new simulation, we get to do it in TIE Interceptors," Cayden replied, grinning.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road, Chief," Jasen said, smiling.

Cayden nodded and motioned to the simulators.  "Oh, before I forget... Byorninn, you will be Raptor 6, and Jasen... Raptor 7.  Don't forget that!" he emphasized, climbing into his simulator.

OOC:

Alright Raptors, this is how the simulation is going down:

•TIE Interceptors leave the land-based hangar
•Fighters begin flying down canyon.  You cannot leave the canyon, or break away from your flight.  Doing so results in mission failure.
•Canyon will contain at least 3 different obstructions.
•Once canyon is cleared, several x-wings will show up on radar.  Each pilot will pick a target and proceed to shoot him down.  Failure to do so will result in mission failure, as will friendly fire.
•Once x-wings are eliminated, fighters will start heading back to base.  Enroute to base, fighters are ambushed by several a-wings.  Fighters will pick their targets and proceed to shoot them down.  Again, failure to do so, or friendly fire, will result in mission failure.

Good luck pilots.  Dismissed.

Cayden flipped several switches in his cockpit, turning the power on in the simulator.  He grabbed his helmet and secured it on his head.  He spoke into the radio.  "Control, this is Raptor Squadron, ready for launch."

[[Roger that, Raptors.  Disengaging docking clamps now.]]

Cayden felt the fighter shake as the clamps were released, and he pushed forward on the yoke.  The fighter exited the hangar and began accelerating rapidly, until he began flying towards the canyon.  "Raptors, switch to private channel," he said into the radio, letting up on the throttle a bit.

He heard the familiar cackle of the rest of the squadron, Beta flight in this case, switching to the squadron channel.  "Alright Raptors, listen up!  First up is a small obstacle course.  Just to keep us on our toes," he said, smiling.  "When we finish with that, I won't need to explain what'll happen next."

[[Why's that, sir?]] he heard Byorninn say over the radio.

"For one, it should be obvious.  Otherwise, you all should know from the mission briefing," he said, flying towards the trench.  "All Raptors, form up on my six!  We're going in!!!"

OOC:

WC: 324
Alright Raptors... You all get to write the mission out.  After someone posts, I'll begin writing another one to continue the story.  Also, it is encouraged for you to write more than 500 words... just, don't end the simulation, please. 

As the TIEs flew through the canyon, their whine could be heard for miles. This is gonna be AWESOME! Jasen thought grinning. Jasen and Byorninn followed their Flight Leader down one of the canyons when they all heard a very loud roar. “Flight Leader, what is that!?!” Jasen asked.

[[I’d suggest increasing the strength of your shields, cause we have a good chance of running across a krayt dragon.]] Cayden told them.

“A krayt dragon?!?” Jasen exclaimed.

Jasen increased his shield strength by fifteen percent, and followed Cayden under the stone bridge. A few minutes later Jasen noticed four X-wings coming up into attack positions.

[[Alright Raptors…this is our first sortie as a flight. Power up your weapons, pick your targets, and let’s make the Navy proud!]] Cayden said as he began executing a backflip.

Jasen followed banking hard right and started head-on towards one of the X-wings. “Come on you bastards!” Jasen yelled as he got within cannon range. He linked his cannons and fired, aiming for the nose of the enemy fighter. It was a direct hit, but it just bounced off of the enemies shields. Quickly Jasen dropped down and flew under the X wing and went into an Immelman coming back up behind it.

Jasen increased his speed and unlinked his cannons and flew over the X-wing strafing it with laser fire. He banked left and came around again, but this time the X-wing was ready for him, and got off a couple of cannon shots into Jasen’s shields. “Damn it!” Jasen exclaimed. His shields should be lowered, I’m gonna try and get behind him and get off a missile.

He flew past strafing again and noticed that the enemy’s shields were down now. He banked left and came up behind again a little high so the X-wing would think that he was strafing again. Once he got into position, and acquired the lock he pressed the button firing the concussion missile. The X-wing went to bank left to try to avoid the missile but it had already locked on so it was just a waiting game. A few seconds later there was an explosion, as the X-wing’s top S-foils exploded, the fire spreading to the other wings.

“Oh Yeah!” Jasen exclaimed as the burning X-wing fell to the canyon floor.

[[Good job Raptor 7,]] Cayden said over the comm.

After they had finished with their targets, they continued down the canyon.

OOC:

Word Count: 406
closed out of word so it's an estimate :P

Lounging in his office, Stormz watched the hologram play out on the wall opposite his desk. So far, the newest simulation that had been created for use in the Naval Academy looked to be a somewhat accurate representation of a real dogfight. One thing struck him however, the recruits seemed unchallenged with the first obstacle.

Not wanting to disappoint, the Wookiee commander decided to take a stroll down to the simulation deck.

*****

Upon reaching the room in which Raptor Squadron was testing, an order from Petty Officer Amacuse came through, "Great job Raptors on to our last obstacle."

Delighted that he had arrived with time to spare, Ph'rranix climbed into his over-sized simulator and strapped in.

[They arre in forr a rreal trreat on this last obstacle.]

Stormz chose to join the rebellion's side, adding to the difficulty of the last obstacle of the new simulation.

The Naval Academy's Commander's screen came to life with his X-Wing's nose dropping into the atmosphere. A few moments passed before 3 red dots appeared on his radar. Ever so slowly, a smirk grew on the Lieutenant's face. Peering out the forward viewport, Stormz noticed that Raptor Squadon had a few more kilometers left before they would exit the canyon, giving him another advantage.

Ph'rranix lowered the shield recharge rate to a maintenance level and added power to the engines, propelling him to the small flight at an exhilarating rate.

Dropping in behind the recruits, Stormz switched to linked fire and shot off a pair of volley's at each of the TIE's. The first set, aimed at Byorninn glanced off the left wing, sending him in a small roll. J-Crowe's TIE was unharmed due to a near-miss, however, The shot at Amacuse was dead on, destroying the Flight Leader's engines and sending him into a whirling, virtual death.

Without Cayden, Stormz knew the pair of recruits were sitting ducks. The Wookiee pulled hard on the stick, bringing the long nose of his X-wing to look at the nearest star. Peering out the back, Stormz saw Jason jump out of the canyon early and follow pursuit of the lone X-Wing. Ph'rranix continued pulling on the stick, keeping the rebel craft in a constant roll while he readjusted the power distribution again, sending 100% power to shield recharge rate and lowering the engines power.

Not expecting the drastic speed change, Jason's TIE shot past the Commander of the Academy haphazardly. Reacting as quickly as possible, Crowe attempted to roll, but it was to no avail, the Lieutenant had him hook, line, and sinker. Red bolts shot by the TIE, then suddenly the Interceptor rocked violently before exploding.

Stormz gave him self a mental pat on the back and took a second to breathe. Just before returning to the task at hand, the X-Wing that Stormz was in rocked hard, followed by a warning beep. Byorninn had gotten behind him and disabled his port side stabilizer. Instinctively, Stormz tossed the stick to roll with the downed stabilizer, flying himself to safety. Looking out the right viewport, the Lieutenant could see the recruit banking, attempting to get another shot in on the injured Commander.

Thrusting himself down and to the left more, Stormz completed his rool and began flying straight toward his final foe. With his Proton torpedoes armed and ready to go, Stormz watched his targeting computer tick down to two point five kilometers and glow red, signaling a lock. Two fiery missile emerged from his ship and scorched their way toward the final TIE. Byorninn tried to juke, but was too late. The torpedoes slammed into the cockpit of the recruits Interceptor, leaving him in a fiery wreck.

Moments later, Stormz simulator shut tiself down and the cockpit began to open. Noticing Raptor Squadron standing outside his simulator, the Commander exited the simulator and walked over to embrace the trio.

OOC:

642 words. Not bad for my first post in months.

Training simulations - the safer alternative that navies came up with in order to ensure a higher survivability rate amongst their cadets. At least that was the official version. Seth however believed differently - that the simulators in fact existed not to save pilot lives but rather navy equipment instead. It made perfect sense financially speaking but at the same time it also lowered the standards as well. That was because no matter how well built a simulator was chances were it would never be able to perfectly recreate the real deal. Even if it would the cadet would still know that what he was experiencing was not in fact real. Not dangerous... How then were the higher-ups expecting a cadet to reach his full potential when they were in fact merely pampering his instincts?

Well, regardless of the Onderonian's feelings towards these means of training he still found himself forced to deal with them. These were the Navy's rules and for better or for worse he was required to follow them. At least until such a time that he would believe the Vast Empire would no longer have anything to teach him. If and when such a time would come however... this Seth couldn't tell yet. It also wasn't all that important either. Why be blinded by an uncertain future when the present had to first be dealt with instead?

Speaking of the present, Seth found himself casually walking through the busy halls trying to reach his destination - the simulator deck. Despite not having been there before the crewman did not find himself in need of asking for directions. This was after all a military facility and as such colored arrows and mapped corridors made navigation a child's play. On his way to the sim deck the blond Onderonian made time to observe some of the other pilots. It was never a bad idea to check out the competition before entering a contest after all. Besides, he might someday end up having to work with them and well teamwork was a most important quality in this line of work. At the very least it was more important than in the Army...

The simulator deck was finally in sight and Seth noticed a large furball exiting. He knew the creature was a Wookie but then again that wasn't what surprised him. What surprised him was that a Wookie would choose to work with the Empire. Also that the Empire would let a Wookie work for them. It hardly affected Qorbin of course but still he couldn't stop thinking this was a tad odd. Shrugging it off the crewman made his way onto the sim deck where he was greeted by another's presence. Judging by the uniform it was clear he was higher ranked so remembering military protocol Seth brought his arm to his temple saluting the other fellow. A brief welcome as well as what felt like a rhetorical question followed. Did he had any questions? Well a few maybe but then again this hardly seemed like the appropriate place to ask them.

"No sir!"

Since that was apparently all the introduction needed Qorbin jumped into the blasted simulator. It may have been his first time in a sim but it was not his first time piloting a real ship. Besides, he made sure to study the manual the day before. It would've been most embarrassing to after all be unable to even power the damn thing on. Once inside the cynical Onderonian noticed the controls were in fact familiar to him. A few switches were found higher or lower than he was used to but for the most part it was fairly easy to understand what each thing was supposed to do. Here goes, he thought as he closed the hatch above him. Next the crewman fastened his flight webbing, not certain just how realistic the simulator could become. With that little detail out of the way came the routine systems check. Comm, engines, shields, targeting, weapons... all green across the board.

[[Roger that, Raptors.  Disengaging docking clamps now.]]

That was the signal Seth was waiting for. Instinctively he gripped his control rods and pushed forward, succeeding in leaving the hangar behind. At least the feedback seems realistic enough, he thought as he felt the initial shaking.

[[Raptors, switch to private channel.]]

Flicking a switch the crewman did just that. He also made sure to follow close behind Cayden, not certain whether he would be asked to join a formation or not...

[[Alright Raptors, listen up! First up is a small obstacle course.  Just to keep us on our toes. When we finish with that, I won't need to explain what'll happen next.]]

Since there's hardly any danger in these sims i don't get why they don't at least provide us with a large enough challenge. Like surviving three enemy ships for a certain period of time, dogfighting two against five or similar... That would maybe help raising the standards a bit.

Still, it was not his place to question these things. If the brass wanted to make him go through a bloody obstacle course then he would go through an obstacle course.

"Understood, sir."

[[Is that arrogance in your voice, Crewman?]]

Perhaps it was. Seth smiled whilst pondering whether he was just being cocky after all. He decided to do a quick 1080 spin to test his mobility in this artificial setting. Satisfied with the way the sim was behaving he replied:

"No sir, just confidence."

[[Good... confidence is key.  Just don't let it get control of you, or you'll be kissing rock soon.  All fighters, follow on my six!]]

Oh, Cayden needn't worry about that. He knew his own limitations and he hardly felt like trying to further push them anytime soon. Besides, he wasn't the type to underestimate things. Overestimate them perhaps but almost never underestimate them.

"Roger that, following your six Flight Leader."

Seth would get in position and follow the leader's order although he would at the same time keep enough distance between the two fighters. There was no telling when one would suddenly need to break formation should one of those promised obstacles prove an actual challenge. For the time being though all Seth could see were the occasional rocky pillars, steep cliffs and unstable looking underpasses. Navigating through such terrain though was still relatively easy however. Even so the Onderonian still kept his guard up. It was in his nature to be cautious and suspicious after all - traits that likely helped keep him alive thus far.

OOC:

1096

Seth was surprised to hear his flight leader suddenly ask about the planet from which he came. It hardly seemed all that relevant considering the circumstances. Maybe Cayden was trying to draw his attention away from the real task. Or maybe he was just trying to be friendly. If it was the former then Seth wasn't too worried. So long as all that was expected of him was just to follow another ship's lead things could hardly go wrong. And if it was the latter well then why not make use of this opportunity to make a few connections in the Vast Empire?

"Onderon sir... why?"

Now the required confirmation asked afterward seemed even stranger than the original question as far as Qorbin was concerned. What reason could he have possibly had to lie about that anyway? It wasn't like Onderon was currently allied with the Republic so it couldn't have been suspicion based on intergalactic politics or something similar. The only other reason the crewman figured such a question would've been asked - twice even - was that his own piloting style may have been somehow familiar to the other pilot. That though was unlikely as Seth just learned by observing and doing himself rather than receiving formal training from another military group. That's not to say that some of his moves might not have originated from some navy at some point in the past. Many smugglers happened to be ex military after all. Even his Mandalorian mentor served a few years until he finally decided he could do more on his own, without red tape holding him back any longer...

"Positive sir. I should think I would know what my homeworld is... why? Know someone in the Navy who also came from Onderon?"

It wouldn't have been wise to just appear suspicious by asking whether his piloting by chance happened to trigger any memories in the flight leader so Seth decided to ask something which appeared harmless for the most part. It was a rather typical question that one would expect in order to keep the conversation going. On second thought it could also help explain Cayden's surprise, which would leave only the matter of whether the original question was asked to distract him or to help pass the time faster. Hmm, maybe the Onderonian was overthinking things though.

[[Did you serve in the Onderonian RAF before coming here?]]

The Royal Air Force? Yeah right... To even get there you had to spend years being bored to death by endless lectures. When you weren't on the verge of dying of boredom because of those lectures you were on the other hand cussing at the ones making you go through menial drills that hardly taught anything truly useful. These issues aside there was also the matter of having your background checked - not just yours but your whole family's in order to check for potential imperialist connections. That's not to say that spies couldn't find their way in or that certain individuals couldn't be bought afterward. These were frequent tactics after all, ones used by imperialists and royalists alike for that matter.

[[My home planet is Onderon.  I'm actually a member of the royal family.]]

A member of the royal family was it? That was when Seth recalled his flight leader's last name from the papers having instructed him to report in for duty in the first place. Tavers... C. Tavers which means that... Wait, so he's one of the princes then? Alas there were two princes named C. Tavers, but thanks to his flight leader's appearance it was pretty obvious the one he was talking with now was the older one.

"So that would make you Prince Cayden Tavers, right?"

Yeah well what were the odds of that? Meeting some royalty from back home right here in the Vast Empire's Navy. Quite strange to decide not to get some guaranteed high position in the military back home and instead choose to join another military organization... No doubt there was a good reason for this choice but Seth figured the two of them weren't yet close enough to discuss such potentially personal things. It could prove unprofessional and that was the last thing the crewman wanted to have others think about him.

The two of them were still talking when a few blips on the scanner let the crewman know they were to expect company.

"Inbound fighters on the nose!"

[[I see them... take evasive action!]]

Oh, Seth was already preparing to do just that. Seeing how Cayden chose to dive towards the ground the crewman decided not to follow suit. Instead he slowed down a bit and pulled up until he was in an almost vertical position. As he continued pulling on the control rod Seth also increased the engines output allowing him to make a quick vertical loop. Thanks to this he was able to get a solid lock on one of the enemy crafts just as he was about to re-enter normal flight. You're scrapped, the Onderonian thought as he shot one of his missiles. He didn't stop to watch just how realistically the simulator would blow the X-wing fighter up. Instead Seth would take a dive, still using full throttle in order to avoid becoming locked on himself. Since Cayden had apparently chosen to go up in the meantime this made all the more sense strategically, since the two pilots could now attack any remaining crafts from two opposing directions. Since X-wings, like most fighters, could only fire forward this meant that at least one of the two pilots would be able to get another easy kill.

OOC:

942

Cayden stood next to his simulator as he watched the other Onderonian walk by.  Hmmm... passes his final exam, and thinks he doesn't need to salute... eh, I wont write him up... it'll cramp my style he thought, turning back to his simulator.  I could always change the simulation just a wee bit... make it more interesting... more difficult... yeah, I like that idea...

Cayden switched on his wrist com and contacted the front desk.  "Hey, can you have the mission objectives, parameters, and other related items posted out front?  I'm going to change it up a bit," he said, opening the simulator hatch.

[[Yes sir, I'll get it up asap.]]

"Thank you," he said, switching off his wrist com.  Cayden climbed into the cockpit and closed the hatch.  Alright, changing parameters... adding canyon wall turrets, increasing enemy fighter density, adding a CR-90, and... just for kicks... adding a krayt dragon... he thought, opening the base file for the simulation.  He pressed several keys, then smiled.  Hell... I'll throw in another surprise... I want my pilots to be in top form for when they go out into live-fire situations.

Cayden smiled as the simulation began.  "Control, this is Raptor 5, ready for launch."

[[Roger that, Raptor 5.  Disengaging docking clamps now.]]

Cayden felt the fighter shake as the clamps were released, and he pushed forward on the yoke.  The fighter exited the hangar and began accelerating rapidly, until he began flying towards the canyon.  Hmmm... kinda lonely without back-up... they'll be here soon enough he thought, accelerating into the canyon.

He flew several kilometers into the canyon when turbolaser fire erupted all around him.  Damnit!  I had no frakking clue I added this many turrets! he thought, reacting quickly to evade the initial volley of turbolaser fire.  Cayden pressed a key on his dash, diverting power to shields.  Well... several blasts to the forward section... hell, to any section... and I'm squattin' on the rocks he thought, the fighter dipping dangerously close to the ground as it dove under a low-lying bridge of rock.  Flying like that's going to get you killed he thought, imagining Ashley saying it.

The fighter pulled out of the dive, and almost collided with a large turbolaser tower.  Geez... they really don't want me to survive... I guess it's challenging enough for me.... he thought, almost laughing at the near-missed collision.

He flew further down the canyon, evading the turbolaser fire and accelerating tremendously, when he noticed the firing stopped.  Alright... this is where the fun begins... he thought, powering the fighter's weapons.  He smiled when several blips showed up on radar.  Here we go...  He pushed forward on the throttle, and raced towards the incoming fighters.  He was about 4 kilometers away when his radio went off.

[[So, one lone fighter against the 128th TIE Interceptor Squadron?  The Vast Empire must be getting real desperate.]]

Cayden smiled at his little surprise, then said "Well, if the 128th thinks they an handle a pilot from the Vast Empire... bring it on."

[[Very well... you do know they call us the "best of the best," right?]]

"That's the very reason why I chose you... plus, if you were the best of the best, you wouldn't have lost at Gerrard V," Cayden goaded, smiling.

[[You're going to burn bright for your insolence.]]

Cayden's smile widened when the fighter's sensors gave him the 'in-range' signal, and he opened fire on the incoming TIEs.  His laser blasts connected with the lead fighter as he zoomed past the rest of the squadron, and began executing a quick turn-around.  Well... the recruits are going to have some fun with this... he thought, squeezing down hard on the trigger.

OOC:

WC: 617

Okay, Raptors... this is were it get's real interesting, cause I just changed the game.  All new recruits will join after checking in at the front counter.  When you launch from the hangar, report in, then proceed down the canyon.  Evade the turbolaser fire, then engage the 128th TIE Interceptor Squadron with me.  After a while I will further the story, throwing in some of the changes into the mix.  Fly safe and have fun. 

Isa Exited the turbo lift And Composed himself before proceeding into the simulator Training Room.
“Isa’s thoughts drift for an instant.”This is the one place no One will look for me. But best to keep on my toes never know who is really who or what they seem.”
As the doors opened the sound of Two Lone Simulators could be heard, Isa Stepped to the Front desk Raptor 7 Reporting as ordered. The Receptionist Responded,” Proceed to Simulator 7 “Isa Walked Down To Simulator 7. As Isa Climbed into the Cockpit He thought to himself, “No simulator could ever prepare you for the real thing this is totally pointless. If you’re good you live, If not You Die just like father he got sloppy He was weak. Failer is not an option!”
Isa Secured the Training Helmet and He Mindlessly went through his Preflight check.
This is control," A droid voice said, "You have the designation Raptor 7”, you may Launch When Ready, Control Out”.
With a calm Cold Voice, “Copy Control Raptor 7 out.”
As he switched his Com to the Flight frequency He Overheard “Well, about time Crewman. Engage the 128th TIE Interceptor Squadron”
Isa mutters to himself “This should be a good test of the fighter TIE against TIE”
Isa Released the Docking Claw and Powered up his Shields. And Weapons systems.
Isa Checked his sensor banks and found the other two members of Raptor Squadron and Set Corse to join their formation.
Then He Spots The turbo Laser Towers, “Frak” Isa Goes into a Barrel Roll to avoid the Lasers, although one does manage to knick his Rear shields.
Isa Comes out of his Barrel Roll And See’s one of the Turbo Laser Towers Is Still Swinging Around after Firing at Raptor 6 , Isa Takes Aim And Fires Hitting the Tower , It doesn’t Destroy it but it gives him the Few Seconds he needs to Blow past it .
Isa Converts power from his Front shields to his Rear.  He Then Pulls a Immelman and Climbs To The very edge of the Training Corse and skims Along and Then Is forced down by More Turbo laser Towers Isa‘s Quick Reactions Let him Slip into a Modified Rolling Scissors Avoiding the Turbo laser Fire.
Shields are down to 60% “ crap “ Isa Takes a gamble and pumps his reactor  knowing full well if he mess this up his whole ship will Shut down .  “Come on baby show me what you got “
His shields shoot up to 100% and He returns his weapons to 100%.  Isa Scans again for Raptor Lead. And spots a fighter on Raptor 6.  Raptor 6 Raptor 7 on your 6.
Isa throttles up and closes on the perusing fighter Locks onto the Fighters Left Wing and Waits, He has to get this just right or he risk hitting Raptor 6.
Just as his finishes the thought Raptor 6 Shoots down and interceptor and the Perusing TIE shifts just enough and Isa takes his shot , # of the 4 Lasers Blast hit the Interceptor’s Left wing and the Tie spins out of control and slams into the canyon wall . Isa notices that the shot that missed went right across Raptor 6’s bow. “Sorry about that”
“Raptor Flight Lead this is Raptor 7 Forming on your 6.”

::OOC Word Count 559::

[[Sorry about that]] Vanity heard on the comm, but she did not reply because she was too focused on the task at hand.

[[Raptor Flight Lead, this is Raptor 7 forming on your six.]]

[[Negative, negative, do not engage hostiles engaging me.  I repeat, do not engage hostiles pursuing me!]] She listened to the chatter as she began to climb in pursuit of another of the 128th.

[[Damn... what the hell was that?  Someone, give me confirmation!]] Something was going on? She turned her attention away for a second, which cost her. Once again another Interceptor was behind her. Vanity cursed and disengaged from the other in order to lead this one off her tail.

[[Flight Lead, incoming hostiles from the north!  They look like Rebels.  Proceeding to engage.]] 128th plus Rebels. More ways to entertain myself. Fun.

[[Raptor 7, do not engage the Rebel fighters!  Proceed with shooting down the 128th!]] and then, [[Raptor 7, disregard that.  All fighters, engage the incoming Rebels!]] It was just one thing after another wasn't it? Engage. Don't engage. As she led the TIE behind her on a journey, Vanity waited expectantly to hear the comm go on again. It did.

[[Raptors, do not engage that CR-90 Corvette!  I repeat, do NOT engage that CR-90!  I may be telling you a lot of things not to do, but trust me.  These fighters are not designed for fighter-to-ship combat.]] Telling us a lot of things not to do? You're right on that one.  Vanity saw from her viewport though that their Flight Lead seemed to be in the midst of a lot of chaos. She decided to get on the comm in order to sound somewhat existent in this battle, "Raptor Lead, this is Raptor 6. Is everything alright over there?"

[[Everything is peachy keen over here... just dealing with a minor inconvenience...]] She heard him say just as she was hit from behind. Vanity diverted energy to shields and smirked. Let's dance.

Vanity shut off the comm momentarily. She wanted focus on what was ahead.. er... behind. This is just a simulator. These are all just simulated enemies. I will be victorious because, well, it's me. She went into a break turn and then, once she was sure that the TIE was still behind her, initiated a barrel roll, which was successful. Now she was on the offensive. Quickly she took advantage of her situation and blasted the thing to heck.

Now Vanity pulled into an Immelman and found another of the 128th to engage. Her pride in shooting down two of the several enemies was so large that she had no fear left in her. She wanted to kill these guys. She wanted to see them burn in their place. They were her enemy. Everything suddenly seemed more real. This wasn't a simulator anymore, and, as she chased after her enemies and shot them while getting shot back at herself, Vanity felt an inner anger inside her flaring up again. An old hatred flooded through her veins. Why she was thinking of him, she did not know, but when she looked at the Interceptor in front of her, she saw him.

Flashback: 2 Years Ago

The Ebony Sector was lit by signs from the different buildings that rose into the sky. Vanity found herself trudging along one of the bridges that connected the 52nd level. She leaned against the railing and looked down at the minimal traffic below her. The world was a dark place. People liked to kill and destroy life. She was no different than anyone else. They tried to kill her, so she returned the favor. It was live by killing or die by the killer. She hated them all.

She began walking again, and, as she came by a tavern, there was a large commotion she could hear coming from inside. The next thing she knew a man had been thrown out and was lying on the ground. It was her father....

Present Day

Vanity flew into a rage. She lashed out at any of the 128th that she could see. Why did she have to remember such a time now? Why was she destined to be tortured with such memories?! The world hated her, and she hated the world. That was all that came out of all of this. Korinth is wrong! He's so wrong!

Now she flew up and found another Interceptor high in the sky. She didn't pay attention to anything. There was a target there, and she was going to take it down. Vanity began shooting at it as if there was no tomorrow. Then when she made a critical hit she realized that acting so blindly just cost her dearly.

She had shot her Flight Lead.

OOC:

WC: 793
Also, anything mentioning the Ebony Sector is a place I created for Nar Shaddaa. Don't try looking it up because it doesn't actually exist.

"Control, this is Raptor 8, ready for launch"

Mehra observed the cockpit, making sure she'd gone through her pre-flight list before launch. Shields, weapons, and sanity? Check, Check, and Check. Simulation or not, she was here to take this seriously. Climbing back into a cockpit took no small amount of guts these days. She had her scars, and she was ready to prove how she had earned them.

She had checked in and found her squadron already in the middle of the simulation. Nobody was there to see her walk in, and that suited her just fine. She hated introductions.

Control crackled over the headset inside her helmet.

--Roger, Raptor 8. Docking clamps disengaging.--

She knew it was a simulation, but she still got butterflies during take-off. All the junkers she'd flown in her smuggling days didn't always have the best odds of making if through start-up... She'd seen a few ships blow before the clamps even came off. Hopefully the Navy wasn't stingy about their training programs and kept all the equipment explosion free.

The simulation rattled as she left the hangar, flying easily through a canyon and swallowing her jittery nerves as she let her instincts and flight experience take over. She switched her coms to the squadron channel, listening to the radio traffic momentarily before calling in as she flew the the canyon, avoiding laser fire easily, though it was realistic enough to set her heart pounding as the simulation jolted.

"This is Raptor 8, reporting in."

A man's voice came over her coms, obviously her Flight Lead.

"Welcome Crewman. Finish the remaining fighters of the 128th, and then proceed to engage the Rebel Fighters. How copy?"

"Solid copy. Engaging enemy fighters."

Mehra came through the canyon and watched as one of her squadron members engaged a TIE and scored a critical hit.

"Raptor 6 friendly fire!"

It was a male voice shouting into their coms.

"Raptor Lead, what's your status?"

Oh boy... She hoped to god that Raptor 6 never made it out of the simulation dock after a mistake like that. Christ, were they flying with a blindfold on? Either way, someone sure pissed in their cereal this morning.
Mistakes like that cost lives. Hopefully Raptor 6 understood that and planned on redeeming themselves... Somehow.


Mehra levelled out behind a Rebel X-Wing, moving in behind the fighter and firing bursts at a TIE from the 128th shot into her scanner, nearly coming down on top of her, missing her tail by a hair as she accelerated to stay ahead of it. She berated herself for not paying attention to her scanners as the loud warning of incoming enemies finally registered to her ears.

"Pay attention! Cover your ass, Mehra. Rerouting power to rear deflector shields."

She had barely switched the shields before she felt the laser blasts bounce off her back-end. She let off another burst at the X-Wing, grinning as her lasers connected with two of the S-foils, blowing one completely off and crippling the other, before the TIE behind her let off another round that glanced off her right wing.

Mehra hissed as the jolting simulator set her heart racing again. This wasn't like real action, she had to remember that. Nobody was going to get hurt in here.

She pulled up and over, reversing her direction in a standard Immelman climb, feeling her stomach roll as she spiraled over the TIE underneath her, streaking through the canyon and looping around for more.

She spotted the black smoke trail of the wounded X-Wing and singled him out on her targeting computer. She waited for the cross-hairs to line-up, and launched a light missile at the Rebel Fighter, smiling as it connected and the simulator screen flared with the explosion

Most TIE fighters wouldn't do so well against an X-Wing. She felt pretty proud of herself.

She felt the jarring of more lasers being fired around her, and her on-board display flashed warnings at her, reminding her that she was supposed to be paying attention.

Just as she was about to pull back and let the enemy shoot past her, the image on her scanner disappeared. And a voice sparked through her headset.

"Raptor 8, this is Raptor 7. Enemy fighter behind you has been taken care of. Nice job taking down that X-Wing."


It was one of her Squadron members. She wasn't used to speaking over coms with a teammate. Most of her experience relied on near radio silence, and her "team" was limited to one ship. She was gonna have to get used to this.

"Thanks for watching my six, Raptor 7. Doesn't look to be too many of the 128th left out here. Take 'em together? I'm not sure how many are left by now. I got a late start."

"Roger. We'll get 'em. On my three."

The maneuvered their fighters into position, coming in fast behind a TIE that was following Raptor 6, fingers leaden on the trigger as they approached. The TIE pulled up, but not fast enough as the lasers connected with the main body and the fighter spiraled into the ground in smoke and flames.

Again, Mehra wasn't paying attention to her scanners, and a Rebel fighter came screaming towards her, nose-to-nose. She hadn't switched her shields forward. She was completely exposed.

The X-Wing let off a burst, barely missing her, but the fighter itself glanced off her right wing with enough force to send her spinning out of control. Computers flashed and screeched in her ears, sending her into a panic. Through her view port she made out the fast approaching canyon floor. Her own voice screamed in the cockpit.

"Pull up, pull up, PULL UP!"

OOC:

WC:951

"Pull up, pull up, PULL UP!"

Mehra felt sick, watching the erratically spiraling landscape, coupled with the commotion from her on-board computers, and pulling on the yoke with all her strength.

"I can't end this here. I will make it out of this... I WILL!"

She knew how to fly, but she felt like a panicked child, hardly able to keep it together. Her teammate screeched in her ear.

"Raptor 8, pull up!"

"I'm... TRYING!"

She could feel the craft slowing, spinning less, leveling out. She could feel it giving less resistance. She could make it. She WOULD make it.

Her screen flashed red, informing her of the impending ground beneath her, reminding her of why she was here. To prove to herself that she COULD fail, and that her success was hanging on her own skill and courage.

Her viewport stopped spinning, and she pushed the fighter into the sharpest U-turn she could manage, sagging back into her seat as the computer quieted and her arms stopped shaking from the exertion of pulling out of that free-fall.

"Christ, I can't believe I made it."

Raptor 7 cheered in her ear.

"Great flying Raptor 8, let's finish this off!"

"Copy. Forming up. Who's left?"

"Raptor 6 is gone, the 128th is finished, and the Rebel Fighters are on their way out. We still have the Corvette out there too... Flight Leader took out it's canyons, so just avoid running into it. Let's make this fast. We've been at this forever."

Mehra smiled to herself, finally feeling back in the game as they made their rounds of the canyon pulling backflips and somersaults to evade and destroy the rest of the X-Wings.

All but one had been taken out, and was proving a bit of a challenge. The fighter would shoot above them faster than they could keep up and come down on top of them, gaining the advantage by strafing their exposed rear.

What did she know about X-Wings... They were Rebel craft. Fast and long, but their razor thin s-foils and main body were hard targets, straight-on. When were they exposed?
X-Wings had superior maneuverability and spread coverage, but their long noses took time to bring around in tight corners, and left their entire top or bottom side as they turned

"Raptor 7, I have an idea, seperate, seperate! He'll have to turn and follow one of us. When he brings his nose around to make the turn, He’ll have to flash his top or bottom. If he doesn’t follow you, come around and take the shot as fast as you can, I’ll try to keep him  on my tail as long as possible.”

"Roger. On my mark."

Her fingers tightened on the yoke, jaw clenching as she prepared for another sharp turn. 3...2...1--

"Now! Split, split, split!"

Mehra threw her shoulders into the turn, gritting her teeth as she turn a hard left, flying as close to the canyon wall as possible, screaming into the coms.

"C'mon, take the bait! Take it!"

"He's after you, he's on your tail! Keep him with you, I'm coming around."

"Reroute to rear deflector shields! I'm in till the end."

Lasers fired past her on both sides, and her computer beeped as more collided with her shields. She kept her TIE flying in a gradual arc, keeping the X-Wing in the turn for as long as possible.

Her shields were taking hit after hit, power draining each time.

"Raptor 7, coming in hot."

Her scanner picked up Raptor 7 coming up on the top-side of the X-Wing. She hoped every shot landed, because her shields were nearly gone.

"Christ, would you just do it already?!"

The last of her power drained and her right wing assembly blew out with the next barrage from the X-Wing. Her craft spiraled out of control for a second time, now with no chance of correction or survival.

"Raptor 8, I got his cockpit, he's done!"

"My wing is gone, I'm out, I'm out!"

The X-Wing blipped off her scanner, and she had enough time to see the Corvette pop into the screen before it went dead. Stupid simulations didn't have to be that realistic...

"If I'm done, I'm taking as much of that goddamn log with me."

She pulled what was left of her TIE hard to her left, pushing her front-side in a collision course with the ship, floating helplessly in the canyon.

"I hope the shields are down, or this is a huge waste..."

Her fighter slammed into the side of the Corvette, and her screen flashed a blinding white before going black and ending the simulation.

The simulator was dark, and she could feel the heat from the computer as she took off her helmet. She stepped out of the simulator, taking a breath to steady her legs and nerves as she walked out to the viewing area, straightening her clothes to at least look presentable if she was going to be told she had failed miserably...

"At least if I fail, I won’t be the only one… There’s no way Raptor 6 passed.”

OOC:

WC: 851
Glad the server is back up! Thanks Kad!

Cayden waved the other recruits in and stood back at the front of the briefing room.  The others walked in and sat down opposite of Vanity, and Cayden began.  "Well done, recruits.  I can see you all really poured your heart and soul into your performance.  Now, head back to your quarters, and I'll review your performance.  You will be informed of your next duty station as soon as I am finished.  Dismissed," he said, saluting the pilots.

They all returned the salute, and exited the briefing room.  Cayden sat down in his chair and exhaled a sigh of relief.  Well, I dodged a bullet on that one... I just hope I know what I'm doing... he thought, pulling out the mission files.

Cayden opened Vanity's up and began reading it to himself.  A pilot worthy of piloting a TIE Interceptor, Vanity is both skilled and intelligent.  But, she also apparently has an anger problem... and an issue with authority... I should talk to her about that... but then, I might just make it worse, so I'll just leave it for her flight leader... so, who has an opening for Miss. Morukuv?  Cayden flipped through the rosters and groaned when he realized that his squadron, Tuk'ata, was the only one with openings.  And it's Alpha flight too... damn... oh well, my funeral, he wrote down 'Leading Crewman Vanity Morukuv, Pass: Tuk'ata Squadron, Alpha 2' down on Vanity's training file and set it aside.

He grabbed Mehra's file and set it before him.  He was about to open it when he felt a wave of hunger come over him.  Oh joy... I'm hungry... he thought, pulling a protein bar out of his desk drawer.  He tore the package open and took a large bite out of it, almost choking on it as he attempted to swallow.  He took in several short breaths after swallowing, and said "Okay... smaller bites Cayden... smaller bites..."

He opened Mehra's file and began reviewing it.  Alright Mehra Frei... you are.. a skilled pilot.  However, your maneuvers are too chunky... they need to be more elegant... have more feeling in them.  You fly like a droid at times, it seems... fortunately for you, you also display the potential to quickly adapt to situations... and you give one hell of a sit rep...  He wrote down 'Senior Crewman Mehra Frei, Pass: Alpha 4' on her file and set it on top of Vanity's.

"Okay... one more to go," he said, grabbing Isa's file.  He opened it and smiled.  This is a pilot who knows what to do under pressure.  He'd make a fine addition to Rhegent's... that is, if Rhegent's had any openings... hehehe... He also seems to have a reluctance to follow orders... something that can be remedied quickly during a mission.  And with that he wrote 'Leading Crewman Kajika Isa, Pass: Tuk'ata Beta 4' on Isa's file, and placed it on the small stack he had on his desk.  "Well, all files have been reviewed, and now... to inform the recruits."  He turned on his computer and began typing away, sending each email after the next to each recruit, smiling each time he pressed the 'send' key.

OOC:

WC: 531

I'm amazed I punched out more than 300... wow... that was the most uneventful post I have ever written.. even my post on a senate hearing in Onderonian Liberation was more interesting than that... oh well, this formally closes this training story.

EDIT: make a wish people... 11:11:11