‘Docking procedures complete. Decompression sequence is complete. Airlock chamber connected please disembark in an orderly fashion.’

The computerized voice chimed through the speakers of the old Sigma-class shuttle’s inter-com system. This was followed by the sound of clanking as the combined feet of two of the Vast Empire’s newest squadrons rose to their feet and made their clickity-clack way towards the shuttle’s airlock. In a mob of black the group of twenty flight-suit clad pilots shuffled along the confined space afforded by the restrictive corridor of the shuttle. Some murmured among themselves whilst others darted their looks in apprehension and excitement at the exotic location they found themselves in.

Asteroid 19. The Navy’s best kept secret to the rest of the Vast Empire. A large asteroid that dominated Abrae’s nearby asteroid belt, the Navy had employed their best astrological engineers to a construct a semi-permanent training facility. It had been constructed early in the first-wave of the VE’s territorial expansion. Much of the credits poured into the project had come from the VE’s sudden accumulation of resources and confiscated wealth from the unfortunate causalities of manifest destiny. Their loses, however, had more than proved to be Navy’s gain as Asteroid 19 stood as testament to the VE’s desire for power and elite fighting-force with which to gain it.

Almost a three square kilometres the complex hug to the rugged baron surface of the space titan. In some cases the rock had been excavated to in order to house the solar generators that converted the energy from the system’s star into power to keep the facility supplied with a circulation of oxygen, heat and electricity. Admittedly it was less than pretty and would hardly claim any architectural plaudits but it was constructed for a sole purpose; to hone the Navy’s pilots to fly to their peak performance and learn what it takes to kill. Its outwardly ugliness and hostility was an apt manifestation of the facility’s purpose and intent.


Cali’reharn had never been on such a set-up. She had seen her fair share of space-ports, stations and orbital dock-yards but Asteroid 19 was something else. It felt unbelievably lifeless, a floating mausoleum amongst the tombstones of giants. She brought up the rear of the gaggle of pilots and flicked out her half-shattered datapad running down the inventory for the upcoming training programme. It would certainly be an interesting spectacle, she thought to herself allowing a subtle flick of her left lekku in what human’s would define as a sign of relish. Tuk’ata’s squadron commander, Dracule Mihawk had taken up her offer on his squadron tagging along with the Rhegent’s with considerable gusto. He had been the one that had suggested that the two squadrons conduct a live-fire training run as a one versus one scenario programme. In other words, Cali mused, Drac wanted a duel, a face off of one pilot’s skill against another. She was keen to see what her pilots where capable of and Drac’s proposal now brought the whole matter of squadron pride into the equation. Cali hoped this would fuel her squadron’s desire to out-do their soon-to-be rival sister squadron.

Cali found herself in step with Rhegent’s executive officer, Cadie Reese. The red haired woman turned mischievous a sneer of her full rouge lips up to corner of her mouth.

‘Nice to see you’re done up for the occasion Tink.’ Cali said in mock-flirty tone, or at least what was the closest approximation of what she thought of a flirt tone.

‘Well, thank you boss. I do try.’ Cadie fluttered her green eyes like an actress from an old holo-net romance of strong men and beautifully dangerous women. ‘I’m aiming on giving those Tuk’at flyboys something to remember me by, besides you know how I like to give ‘em the kiss of death Cal.’

‘Quite.’ Cali offered muted remembering her station, rank and the task at hand. Still, inwardly, she was glad her ally-of-sorts was in good humour. That was the beauty of training, it was, no matter how trivial safe, fun; a chance for a pilot to relax at work.

Cali involuntarily shuddered as the two of them made their way through the airlock chamber. A small octagonal strip that connected the expanded hull of the Sigma-class shuttle to one of the many potted entrances to the feat of engineering that was Asteroid 19. Cali reassured herself it was her body adjusting to the cooler temperature of the regulated static air of the training facility. In truth, however, she knew she was still riddled with the paralysing fear she had experience back in the relative safety of Abrae. She had not found sleep before the squadron’s disembarking but she was certain that was a only a minor factor that could effect her performance. The idea of being trapped in that steel-ball of death that passed for a star-fighter filled Cali with an insurmountable sinking feeling. Behind her pale blue lips she grit her teeth determined not to show to the rest her fear. She had all but ignored the accepted pressure that as the squadron’s commander she would not let them down in her own duel.

Further up ahead in the slowly shuffling line of pilots came a sound of exclamation.

‘HIko, hiko! I must be getting space dementia!” The unmistakable chirp came from the young Twi’lek Maroy. ‘We’re upside, the whole side down!’ Cali could just about distinguish the green head of Maroy bobbing up and down ecstatically; her lekku’s tingling as if the young pilot was subjected to electric shock.

‘This your first time at full anti-grav pivot?’ Thane, who towered over the diminutive Twi’lek, sounded gruff but amidst that growl was the ever faint tinges of protective care.

‘Koa, koa. Anit-grav, what now? Are you telling me we meant to be this way round?’ Her eyes bulge with disbelief; she stared down to her feet and lifted her right leg as if she thought she might fall off the floor.

Thane chuckled to himself. ‘Come on, it’s no different then being at an inverted vector in your TIE. We can’t give the other squadron that we’ve never been into space before.’

‘Pft. Of course I’ve been in space Thane. Just never this kind of space space.’ Thane gave Maroy a quizzical look. Her normal green complexion became tinged with a shade of magenta in embarrassment.

Cali came to a pause mid-way through the suspended passageway and turned her own head upwards, or maybe that should be downwards she mused to herself. Before her the ominous stretch of hulking asteroids. Some span with an excruciating slowness whilst smaller rocks formed deadly clusters deeming with the buzzing, vibrating energy of gigantic protons. The whole scene would be the squadron’s field of training. It was if the Navy had chosen the most perilous area out of the whole asteroid field with the highest concentration and density of space debris. The facility of Asteroid 19 literally hung on the underbelly of the cold, timeless rock like a parasite on the underbelly of some deep underwater creature.

As if reflecting her own internal thought Mihawk, Tuk’ata’s squadron commander, hailed her with a wave come salute from entrance way. Unlike the rest of the pilots are adorned the standard issue jet-black flight suit of the navy he was done out in his squadron colours. Charcoal, steely grey cropped with blood red trimming it was an intimidating and elite looking scheme. His head bobbed up in a typically Mon Calamari gesture and Cali was not that exactly sure how to take it; excitement, nervousness, anxiety, none of the above. Cali made a mental note that next time when Rhegent’s Reign met their sister squadron they should be in their own full colours; resplendent in gold and garnet. For now, her pilots would just have to fight in the Imperial black they would learn to live with.

‘We should get them down to briefing straight away Warrant.’ She pocketed her datapad into her seams of her flight suit. Drac nodded in an extension of his curious bobbing movement, Cali’s own lekku fluttered in agitated confusion. ‘You should have received the briefing memo from me last night.’

‘Going on the cycle stamp, it would seem you where up very late. I hope it won’t affect your performance out there.’ Drac rotated his convex eyes in a truly bizarre upward movement to reference the asteroid field above them.

‘Quite.’ She began in a restrained manner. ‘What did you think of the suggested list of match-ups?’

‘Well, I can’t confess to have any over familiarity with your pilots’ service record but going on what I know about my own shoal it is certainly a good mix of proved experience and eager energy.’ Cali, having walked up to where the Mon Cal was leaning against the hatch-way, nodded in agreement.

‘We’re just fortunate that Atrasin was able to grant us the access we needed to get up here.’ They both started to walk along the low-slung dim corridors of the Asteroid 19 facility.

‘One last wish granted from ironside…’ Drac’s word seemed more an inner reflection than a statement directed towards his fellow commander.

The silence between them grew as one by one the pilots filed into the complex’s briefing room. It was one of the rooms that had required the engineers to excavate the asteroid itself and as result had walls of mineral rock streaking up to the dingily lit ceiling. Even in the low light the crystals within the wall glistened with a hypnotic pattern of twinkles and sparkles. The two commanders walked to the front that was enclosed by a semi-circle of dura-plast opaque benches whilst the rest of both of squadrons distributed themselves among the seating in the room.

The first thing Cali noticed on turning to address the squadrons was, that on what must have been an unconscious level, the squadrons had divided themselves into their own separate groups; Tuk’ata on her left, the Rhegent’s on her right. The only face she recognised from Tuk’ata’s side was arched brow of Rorran Gorma. Even in the constraints of a flightsuit he seemed to wear it as if it was some princely gown. He sat on the front row benches neither seemingly slouched or seemingly at attention. Next to him sat a comparably small human male, clean-shaven with light brown hair. The man looked young but he possessed a pair of piercing blue eyes that betrayed an ageless sense of heritage that stretched beyond his mortal frame. Whilst Cali surveyed the line up of pilots Drac fiddled with the projection unit at the front of the room. A ray of green light flashed up in a visible beam and expanded out into a standard space-vector field. In the bottom left quadrant the basic outline of the Asteroid 19 facility was clearly marked. The rest of the map was divided up into various quadrants and sectors with various readings charting the different compositions of asteroids and rocks that scattered the terrain. There where also the distinct short-hand markings on Imperial fortified laser-turret emplacements dotted amongst the belt like patient predators camped out in the undergrowth of some expansive jungle floor. Cali tapped the corner of a dura-plast podium that adorned the VEN emblem abreast its front.

‘Welcome to Asteroid 19. I’m sure for many, myself included, this will be your first time to the Navy’s hidden away fortress of training and I’ll think you’ll agree it makes quite impression considering we surrounded by ro-hks.’ The last word caused her alien tongue difficulty. She eyed Maroy who was still visibly in awe of surroundings. The young Twi’lek was prodding the surface of the bench she sat on as if again reassuring herself of security of the facility’s artificial gravity that kept them all from ending up head over heals on the ceiling.

‘For importantly pilots, this is the first time that both of our squadrons have meet. Now as part of the 58th Imperial Fighter Wing, Javelin, we will be expected to work together in the field but also vital is our continued honing of our skills. So it is my pleasure to introduce the 26th, Tuk’ata, to the 153rd, Rhegent’s Reign.’ Cali’s announcement was met with an unexpected round of light applause led reassuringly by her fellow squadron commander. She allowed for the sound to die away into the stony wall that surrounded these united patrons. Flicking her scarred lekku around her neck like a traveler might wear a shawl in cold she continued.

‘Thank you. I have also received word that our newly appointed Wing Commander, Line Captain Jaden Karr, will be taking particular interest in the outcome of our training here at Asteroid 19. Naval head office informs me that he due to return to Abrae within the next seven rotations aboard the newly furbished Star Destroyed, Dead Gun. It will no doubt become a second home to us all in the months to come so I’m very hopeful that we won’t disappoint our new commander with our performance out here.’ She lied, disappointment and fear of failure where the daily mantras of her soul. Cali and Drac had already agreed the training program; she had invited him to jointly lead the briefing.

The Mon Cal emitted a watery clearing of his throat or whatever biological parallel his species possessed. He nodded in acknowledgement of what Cali had hoped had been an eloquent opening.

‘Ensign Reharn is correct. The wing commander has requested a detailed break down of both squadrons’ performance and has even asked for a pilot profile of your own individual showing. With this in mind me and Ensign Reharn have devised an exercise that will allow for a true test of an individual pilot’s skill.’ The holo-projected map reduced in size and alongside it a list of ranked names folded like blinds into view.

‘The asteroid field has a reputation among the veteran pilots of our navy and with good reason. This is not a simulation run; there are hunks of rock out of there that could leave a Star Destroyer in a bad way so our Interceptors are mere insects in comparison. It will take a pilot of at least the expected caliber we want here at the VE just to navigate the hazards that are out there. We have therefore decided to set up a scenario of a duel.’ His voice rippled the last word with relish. Some pilots audibly smacked their lips at such a personal and intense test. It was the reaction that Cali had hoped for, nothing better than a bit of personal pride to push a pilot to their performance peak.

‘Now before you are a list of match-ups both I and my fellow squadron commander have drawn up. You will be equipped in a non-torp Interceptor and using weakened lasers. Your shields will have a limited regeneration allowance before ebbing complete power loss from your fighter. Each candidate is expected to follow proper pilot etiquette whilst out in the field. If a pilot’s Interceptor reaches zero shield capacity than each successful hit landed on their craft will be recorded and after a certain percentage as been reached they are out of the game. Now hopefully you can appreciate the rawness of this training exercise, we want to see pilots relying on their skills as a pilot not turbo-laser gunner. To add an extra element I would like to bring your attention to the auto-matic laser turrets marked out on the map. These will be fully functional during combat so as to discourage any of you from trying to hide out from your opponent. The turrets have been programmed to fire indiscriminately at any craft within their quadrant designation.’ Drac motioned at Cali, she stepped towards the map with an open palm.

‘The first scheduled match will take place within an hour of this meeting; representing Tuk’ata will be Senior Chief Petty Officer Cayden Tavers.’ The subdued man next to Slasher raised his head in acknowledgement and behind those blue of eyes of his something stirred; deep and thoughtful and to Cali it remained an unknown. ‘Rhegent’s Reign’s representative will be First Lieutenant Will.’ At the back of the room a tall human with slick back black hair beamed an enthusiastic smile. The man was as unknown to Cali as any of Tuk’ata’s members. His high rank had excused him from attending his earlier training lectures back on Abrae. She still could not quite understand why they had reassigned such a noted veteran to her new squadron. At first she had thought it must have been some bureaucratic mistake. Yet here he was wearing a strangely aloof grin at least know, Cali thought, she would have a chance to work him out.

‘You will both make your way down immediately after this for your flight preparation. The Interceptors have been independently seen to by non-squadron mechanics to prevent any accusation of tampering of bias. The rest of you should make your way to the observation platform located on the west wing of facility. From there you’ll be able to get a good view of the action and I will not tolerate any betting on the matches.’ She cast a knowing glance at Cadie who merely pouted her mouth in admonishment.

‘Are there any questions?’ Drac switched off the holo-unit and brushed down his impressive flightsuit. In between the silence was the sound of anxious squeaking of fabric on dura-plast.

‘None. Excellent, you should have access to the quadrant map on your data-pads so I strongly suggest you go study and plan your tactics pilots. Please refrain from talking to the enemy in the meantime.’ A ripple of laughter emitted from another Mon Cal sitting dead centre on the row. He was the only one laughing.
‘Must be a Mon Cal thing.’ Cadie said in a deliberately non-quiet voice.

‘OK pilots, dismissed.’ Cali said throwing Cadie an unimpressed glare though she agreed with her executive officer’s sentiments.

OOC:

OK Rhegent's, Tuk'at's this is it. The first match up is Amacuse and Willt so please wish them well. Everyone should know who they are facing and what is expected of them. Please contact me via PM if you need to discuss anything. I welcome pilots to post any CD responses to the briefing whilst we await Amacuse and Wilt to get their posts up.

Good luck to you all

If there is one thing I will never understand, it's how engineers can create a facility such as this Cayden thought as he sat there in the briefing.  He looked out the window and saw the planet Abrae, strangely enough, upside down.  Yeah, I'll ever understand the field of engineering...  He looked back to the front just as Cali was announcing who was going first.

"The first scheduled match will take place within an hour of this meeting; representing Tuk’ata will be Senior Chief Petty Officer Cayden Tavers," he heard her say, raising his head in acknowledgement.  If I die here... Onderon dies.  I can't allow that to happen.

"Rhegent’s Reign’s representative will be First Lieutenant Will," she said as the lieutenant stood up and beamed a smile down upon everyone.

It could be worse... I could be facing Rogue Squadron... I might as well be, though... this man is a freaking Lieutenant... I'm going to get my butt handed to me on a silver platter, he thought as he heard Cali wrapping up the briefing.

"OK pilots, dismissed," the twi'lek commander said.

Cayden stood up and walked out the door, but not before his flight leader, Warrant Officer 2nd Class Stewart-Power, stopped him.

"Good luck Cayden," the Mon Cal said, holding his hand out.

"Thank you, sir.  I'll try my best to make you, Drac, and our new Wing Commander, proud," Cayden said, shaking his FL's hand.  He let go and saluted, then walked out of the briefing room.

A damn Lieutenant... seriously?  I've only been in... what?  6 months?  And I get paired up with someone who's almost been here 6 years? he thought, stopping next to a viewport.  He looked out on the asteroid field and sighed.  What I wouldn't give to have Ashley by my side right now... hang on... I have my communicator with me...  He turned his wrist comm on and began 'calling' Ashley.

He heard a cackle, then Ashley's voice.  [[Hello?]]

"Ashley, it's Cayden," he said, speaking into the mic.

[[Cayden?  Where are you?]]

"I'm on a secret training facility, about to go on a training run against another pilot," Cayden said, frowning.

[[Sounds like you're going to have a blast, Cayden.]]

"Yeah... I hope so..." he said, sighing.

[[What's wrong, Cayden?]]

"... I need you Ashley..." he said, walking down the corridor a bit.

[[When you're done with your training session, come to Onderon.  You need a break from the Navy, and we're going to begin the liberation in a few days.  I'd like you to lead the charge.]]

"Is that an order, Ferocia?" Cayden asked, smirking.

[[That is both a request, and an order, Amacuse.  Now, get out there and show them what Onderonian pilots are made of!]]

Cayden smiled and said "Yes ma'am!  And... thank you, Ashley."

[[Glad I could help, Cayden.]]

"I love you, Ashley," he said, smiling.

[[I love you too, Cayden.]]

He switched off his wrist comm and noticed he was standing in front of the Tuk'ata hangar bulkhead.  He opened the doors and walked onto the deck plating.  He took a deep breath of air and said "I'm sure glad I got to talk to Ashley before I left... hell, I can take 1st Lieutenant Will down!"  He noticed some of the mechanics standing around an Interceptor and smiled.  "This one mine?"

The head mechanic saluted and said "Your fighter is ready to go, Chief Petty Officer Tavers.  Just let control know when you are."

"Thank you, Crewman," he said, returning the salute.  He climbed up on top of the fighter and entered the cockpit.  Cayden closed the top hatch and started up the fighter's main power.  "Alright... main power's good.  Now, let's check weapons... excellent," he said to himself, smiling when the weapons indicator lit up green.  "Shields... nominal.  Engines... beautiful.  And finally... life support... check."  He put his flight helmet on and switched on the comm system.  "Flight Control, this is Tuk'ata 10, ready for launch."

[[Roger that, Tuk'ata 10.  Opening hangar bay door now.]]

He watched as the large blast doors separating the pressurized hangar from the vast, nothingness of space open, revealing the phase shielding that kept the hangar pressurized.  "Thank you, Flight Control.  Tuk'ata 10, exiting the hangar bay now," he said, pushing forward on the throttle.  The fighter zipped out of the hangar and out into the vast, empty space... well, empty, except for the huge asteroids littered with laser cannons floating every which way.  Oh, this is going to be easy... just, no where to run, no where to hide... oh, and no where to sleep... easy as pie... he thought as he flew the fighter through the maze of rocks and laser fire.  Now... where is that Lieutenant... ah... there he is... he thought as he saw Will's fighter out from the corner of his eye.  Tuk'ata 10, you are cleared to engage.  Cayden smiled as he began a sharp turn portside, his thumbs hovering mere microns over the missile buttons.

OOC:

WC: 835
Alrighty Will... let's see what you got. 

--- Before boarding the shuttle to the Asteroid ---
“Lieutenant, may I have a word?” Cali called from the side.

“Of course, Commander.”

“I understand this is not the first time for you to be flying in an asteroid field.”

“If it’s my safety you’re worried about, Commander, there’s no need. I know it’s only been a few months since I came back from retirement. But believe me, we both survived Lehon together, I don’t think I’m rusty or anything.”

“Quite the opposite actually. This is going to be a one-on-one training mission, so rank talks, instead of teamwork. You are the highest ranking pilot in Rhegent, even in Javelin. I expect you to do well for your part, and get us an early lead.”

“Of course. In that case, should I take it that I’ll be going fairly early in the matches?”

“I have already spoken more than I can, you will just have to wait for the details like everyone else at the briefing.”

“Ah,” Will didn’t like being thrown the bait, and then brushed off like a pet. But knowing Cali, it won’t be much use to try to pry more information from the commander. From their time together, Will had sensed that although Cali is very friendly on the outside, down inside, she could be harder to crack than anything he’d ever known. Thus, he had come to respect her very much so as his CO.


--- Present ---

“Rhegent’s Reign’s representative will be First Lieutenant Willtconq.” As Cali announced his name, Will stood up and beamed around the room. He preferred to not have to stand out so much, but for this one time, it couldn’t be helped. He was actually quite surprised. When Cali told him earlier that she expected an early win from him, he didn’t expect it to be this soon. As the opponent to Tuk’ata’s Cayden, and part of the pair that will be thrown into the pit first, everyone’s head automatically turned to him when the name was announced.

Will hated going first in anything. In his past experiences, those who went first in any competition rarely came first at the end. He preferred to sit back and learn his surroundings from those that went before, and learn from their mistakes. They had proven to be more than lifesavers, though not usually for those that went before him. What goes around, comes around. It’s simply my turn to be the guinea pig this time.
I suppose I should be thankful that my luck ran out on a training mission than anything else, really. Guess I’d better do my homework after the briefing and go study the layouts of the asteroid field some more, how troublesome.

The ensuing atmosphere turned into exactly what Will disliked about these sorts of things, but, at the same time, exactly as he expected to happen. The pilots turned their heads from him and Cayden to amongst themselves to debate on the possible outcomes of the match. But what annoyed Will most was how much discussion was actually being done. The rocky cavern ceiling and walls reflected many comments about him from the other pilots. Most of the older pilots that had previously served with him on previous missions remained fairly silent, agreeing or rejecting a few comments here and there. Many of the newer recruits had never seen Will up close and personal. They had, however, flown with Cayden before, as he might’ve been many of their flight instructors in the Academy. And having something to relate to easily won over their young hearts to see the Chief win the upcoming match. Will slowly drew into a faint smile, sorry to disappoint, but this will be just as well. At least they will learn something from this, “there’s always a bigger fish.”

Will turned to look at Cayden, his opponent. The kid wasn’t doing too badly, better than he expected actually. Most would have gone completely white in the face after hearing they’re going one-on-one against a Lieutenant. Unlike Will, an officer, whose majority of past service records had been classified and archived, Cayden’s fills were still up to everyone in the wing to view. Will remotely remembered reading something that stated Cayden was a prince of another system, and assumed that’s where he got the composure to remain calm. 

Upon being dismissed from the briefing, Will overheard Cayden as he was encouraged by his flight leader, "good luck Cayden."

"Thank you, sir.  I'll try my best to make you, Drac, and our new Wing Commander, proud."

Of course you will. You’ve already made them proud just to be assigned against me. But we shall see just how composed you can be out in the middle of nowhere, all alone, surrounded by rocks of death in all directions and silence that will creep up on you the least you expect it to, and seal your demise, Prince. Will thought with a demeanor slightly darker than he normally does, he realized as soon as he had the thought. I’m getting way too serious over a training mission. Maybe I am getting rusty. Need to go cool my head off before…

“Will! Aren’t you going to get ready? You’re up first you know.” Cadie hollered to him as she was leaving the cavernous room. “Go kick some butts.” She winked then walked off.

“Yeah, I’ll be right out.” Will said more to himself than Cadie as he got up from the back of the room. Inadvertently, Cadie had broken Will’s train of thought as the Lieutenant made his way out to the hanger.


*****

The Asteroid 19 facility only housed one hanger bay that covered up a large portion of one side of the asteroid. Even then, it was still fairly small compared to standard hanger bays. The opening wasn’t even big enough for the shuttle that ferried them over to land safely without knocking something over. As such, only six TIEs hanged off the ceiling walkway, and as far as Will knew, though not much, there wasn’t another hanger in the entire station. Probably why the mission procedure was to launch only pairs at once, while those are outside, the second pair can be prepared for launch, after each pair returns, there will be some slight delay for them to be refueled, recharged, and prepped for the next pair that might be going in them. Avoid any hold ups between duels. But I hope they have extra ones in storage somewhere. It would be troublesome if some of them were to damage these; they are already so few to begin with.

Will went through the preflight checks fairly quickly. He noted that the shield’s recharging systems has been disabled, as well as a cap of twenty percent on the weapons. No doubt to prevent the duel from going on forever, and to ensure we don’t actually kill anyone out there.

“Asteroid-nineteen flight control, Es-one-fifty-three-dash-Beta-three, ready for launch.”

“Es-one-fifty-three-dash-Beta-three, stand by, awaiting launch confirmation from Es-twenty-six-dash-Gamma-two.”

“Roger.” Will took the time to run through some previous occasions where he had encountered asteroid field combats. It is definitely more challenging. In typical battles, one could trace targets and threats through the scopes, but the barren rocks of space are inanimate. One can’t pick those up from the sensors; they have to rely on their senses alone. Thankfully, Will remembered that on their way in from the shuttle, there didn’t seem to be any large asteroids that could do significant damage near the hanger opening, but then again, one could have drifted into place in the mean time. Will also adjusted his control knobs a bit in favor of maneuvers. In an asteroid field, too much speed will only hasten one to his or her death, and Will had no intention of that.

“Es-one-fifty-three-dash-Beta-three and Es-twenty-six-dash-Gamma-two, you are cleared for launch in three, two, one, mark. Happy hunting. Flight control, out.”

As the count began, Will undocked his Int from the racks, then sped out into the not-so-open space that lay beyond the energy field. The area directly outside the opening was still fairly clear, save for the occasional pebble sized chucks that did little more damage than bounce off the fighter’s deflector shields, only to be sent on a new course that would cause its impact into another asteroid. Cayden, to Will’s surprise, yet again, sped out full throttle into the thick of it all, hoping to take the initiative, and lose Will quickly, in order to prepare a surprise attack.

You forget, this is a cat and mouse game, whoever is in front, gets to be chased by the one who’s behind, there are no guns facing rear. At the thought, Will also shoved his throttle to full, and jumped into the field. Not surprisingly, proximity alert went off almost immediately; distracting Will from his chase for a mere second as he turned it off. In the brief second, Will lost his sights on Cayden. Not too shabby, I guess they do still teach them new stuff in the Academy.

Figuring that Cayden wouldn’t be back this soon after he had just lost Will, Will flipped on his comm, twisted the knob to a private channel, and hailed Cayden, “you know, you can run, but you can’t hide. This is a cat and mouse game. You know very well that you’re the mouse, and I’m the cat.”

The call went unanswered. Good, Will thought to himself, at least he’s not stupid.

OOC:

1586 words

The fighter flashed into view at dangerously high speeds. Before Will could engage his lasers, green bolts were already splashing across the front of his shields. Then as quickly as it had come around the corner, they passed each other. Will immediately reversed his engines, then pulled up into a sharp flip that put him in the upside-down orientation than a second before.

To his surprise, Cayden had also finished his turn and was coming around for a second attack. However, due to the nature of a turn instead of a flip as Will had executed, Cayden’s action took up a much larger space, thus bringing him once again dangerously close to the many asteroids around them.

Noticing another relatively small asteroid, though still much bigger than either of their fighters, that was drifting toward them, Will ducted behind it; thankfully, Cayden had half of his field of view blocked by the asteroid he was flying next to, allowing Will to get away. “You know, you’re not half bad. But if you keep doing those amateur turns, you’d gonna end up being meat splat on the face of a rock.”

Pulling up on the stick, then a half roll, with his dorsal side facing the asteroid that helped him get away, Will flew in a smooth arc around it, coming down right on top of Cayden, who was still flying around waiting for the asteroid to pass by, and hoping Will was waiting for him behind the corner. Fortunately for him, he noticed Will in the last second, and only got hit with a few shots as he attempted to dodge out of the way. Will, on the other hand, flew straight down, and once again disappeared from Cayden’s views. “Oh, come on, you can do better than that. You were just sitting there waiting for me to nail you one. Not that I expected you to act any differently, since I did pull it off, somewhat successfully.” 

Again, Will attacked from an angle almost impossible to see from the target’s point of view, directly below. But this time Cayden was smart enough to see it coming, or somehow predicted that Will would pull the same trick again, and half barrel rolled to the left but then instead of pulling away with a quarter or half loop that is the more common in evasive maneuvers, which would put him head on with Will, he did an inverse loop that brought him going the opposite direction, right up against another asteroid. Good, adaptation, you’re learning all the while through this exercise. But I’m way ahead of you. I like how you took my advice to heart and stopped with the amateur maneuvers, but you still gotta think things through before doing them. With the extra maneuvers Cayden went through, Will easily pulled up in a smaller arc and closed in on him at a collision course.

Will lined up his shot, and fired a successive burst. The shots flew far left to Cayden’s fighter, missing by more than ten meters. But as Will expected, the young pilot instinctively jerked to the right, as if to avoid any possible future misfires that might come a little closer than he would like, forcing him to fly right against the asteroid even closer. At the same time as Cayden dodged right, Will fired another shot to the right side of Cayden’s fighter. The bolt went across Cayden’s viewport and missed by at least a hundred meters.

However, this time Cayden didn’t move or attempt to dodge the shot or have any reaction. He must think I’m going nuts just firing into the air. Unfortunately for him, this will be the end. Will watched as the bolt smashed into the asteroid to Cayden’s right side, who was still flying no more than twenty meters from its surface. The explosion blew a large crater on its surface, ejecting millions of pebble and fist sized chunks into the empty void, well, not exactly empty. One little pebble does very little damage to a fighter’s shield. However, thousands and millions of super heated rocks, that’s a different story. Too late did he realize the error, followed by a poor execution of attempting to break and stop the craft from entering the cloud, Cayden flew right into the exploding rocks and disappeared inside.

Seeing the opportunity, Will ducked behind another asteroid to plan his next attack. At least he wasn’t as stupid as to attempt flying straight through that. Else he’d be a dead man now. Flipping the com channel so that everyone on Asteroid nineteen can hear as well, Will began:

“Asteroids are rocks that have been ejected into space from another planetary body. Or other times small rocks that are denser than others that have come together to form larger ones. Over millions and billions of years, they might form into another planetary body. But regardless of where they came from, or how they formed, one thing about asteroids are almost always true, they are extremely high in metallic minerals.

“In a typical asteroid, the minerals are everywhere; spread out evenly throughout its body as layers of space dust collects itself on the surface. As the asteroid grows into a planet, the pressure from its gravitational pull and mass causes a reaction within the rock’s core, melting the rock itself from the inside. As the metallic content is melted, excess, less dense, materials are pushed to the surface, and a planet’s crust is formed.

“But in the case of a simple asteroid, the minerals are still abundant even on the surface. A laser cannon shot is hot enough to melt slightly into the rock, then the sudden build up of pressure and heat expansion causes everything to explode outward. Just like a planet’s core, the metallic content is melted, and the rest is either formed as a coat around the small metal ball, or is blown away in the extreme speeds of the explosion. And the cores become extremely hard metal balls that would be considered by many arms dealers as suitable, though crude, ammunition for slug throwers. In either case, what is left is an every growing field of extremely small yet dense metal balls traveling at high speeds through space, punching into or through anything that gets in their way.

“And that, kids, is why you should never fly within one hundred meters to an asteroid that is larger than the size of your head.”  At that time, Cayden’s fighter emerged from the other side of the cloud. Will couldn’t tell how extensive the damage was to the rest of the ship, but the starboard solar panel was mangled beyond recognition. Will suspected that it was the only thing that slowed down the rocks enough to prevent them from penetrating the cockpit. Hope I didn’t put much, if any, scars on that guy, he won’t like them.

But the fighter drifted slowly away from the cloud with no apparent signs of life. Uh oh, did more damage than I intended. Not good.

“Cayden? Do you copy?” Will said with slight concern in his voice. When no reply came, he flipped the com again to the channel used for the event, “Base, Rhegent Seven, we have a situation. Tuk’ata Ten is non-responsive. An asteroid was blown up almost right on top of him. We may require medical attention. I’m gonna go in and have a look. Stand by.”

“Roger. Help is on the way. Tuk’ata One, out.”

OOC:

1251 This should be my last post for my duel.
Amacuse, i set you up as perfectly as I could for the ending, enjoy.

Cayden jerked his fighter to the right, barely avoiding several blasts coming from Will's fighter.  This needs to end now... he thought, flying closer to the large asteroid.  Another shot crossed well away from his viewport, and he didn't react.  Hmmm... Will's getting too old for this..

The bolt smashed into the side of the crater moments after he diverted all reserve power to his deflector shields.  The impact created a crater, ejecting hundreds of thousands of molten rock into the void. 

He attempted to break, but failed, and flew into the debris blast.  Come on... these shields need to hold... they HAVE to... he thought, barely holding onto the yoke while the fighter vibrated violently from the repeated impacts on the shield.

[[Asteroids are rocks that have been ejected into space from another planetary body. Or other times small rocks that are denser than others that have come together to form larger ones. Over millions and billions of years, they might form into another planetary body. But regardless of where they came from, or how they formed, one thing about asteroids are almost always true, they are extremely high in metallic minerals.

In a typical asteroid, the minerals are everywhere; spread out evenly throughout its body as layers of space dust collects itself on the surface. As the asteroid grows into a planet, the pressure from its gravitational pull and mass causes a reaction within the rock’s core, melting the rock itself from the inside. As the metallic content is melted, excess, less dense, materials are pushed to the surface, and a planet’s crust is formed.

But in the case of a simple asteroid, the minerals are still abundant even on the surface. A laser cannon shot is hot enough to melt slightly into the rock, then the sudden build up of pressure and heat expansion causes everything to explode outward. Just like a planet’s core, the metallic content is melted, and the rest is either formed as a coat around the small metal ball, or is blown away in the extreme speeds of the explosion. And the cores become extremely hard metal balls that would be considered by many arms dealers as suitable, though crude, ammunition for slug throwers. In either case, what is left is an every growing field of extremely small yet dense metal balls traveling at high speeds through space, punching into or through anything that gets in their way.

And that, kids, is why you should never fly within one hundred meters to an asteroid that is larger than the size of your head.]]

Cayden's fighter emerged from the cloud.  He reached down to his leg, feeling that the massive amounts of pain coming from it were a sure-tell sign that it was indeed broken.  Well... that's lovely... he thought, holding his leg.  Damn that hurts...  Cayden released his leg and started to bring the ship back online.

[[Cayden? Do you copy?]] he heard Will say over the intercom.

He tried to respond, but noticed that the emitter was damaged to where he could only hear what was going on outside.  Great... I can hear them, they can't hear me... lovely... he thought, making sure his power levels were minimal.  Good... somehow, weapons are still functional... at least, the ventrally-mounted cannons are.  Shields are shot.  Engines operational.  Good.  Now... to repair that emitter...

He reached for his repair kit when Will's voice erupted from the comm again.  [[Base, Rhegent Seven, we have a situation. Tuk’ata Ten is non-responsive. An asteroid was blown up almost right on top of him. We may require medical attention. I’m gonna go in and have a look. Stand by.]]

Heh... he's gonna check me out... so wrong... he thought, suppressing a laugh.  Right... emitter...  Cayden ripped open the panel beneath the control yoke, and began looking for the comm emitter before another voice came over the comm.

[[Roger. Help is on the way. Tuk’ata One, out.]]

Oh joy... Drac to the rescue... Now... where's that emitter?  Cayden moved several wires coming from the yoke and smiled as he pulled out the comm emitter.  Alright... doesn't look too bad... just some disconnected wires.  And... sith spit... a fried outgoing motherboard...  Cayden set the emitter box on top of the control console as he reached for the shield relay box.  Perfect... he thought, opening it.  An undamaged motherboard... thank you Onderonian Naval Academy.  He pulled the board out and set the shield relay box aside.  He picked up the emitter box and jerry-rigged the shield relay box motherboard to the emitter box outgoing port.  He replaced the box in it's proper location, closed the panel, and looked up just as Will's interceptor came into view.  Just in time too...

[[Tuk'ata One, this is Rhegent Seven.  Exterior damage to Tuk'ata Ten's fighter is severe on the starboard solar panel.  Several points of exterior damage can be seen on the cockpit module.  No signs of life.  Damn...]]

Will's fighter began to get closer to Cayden's when Cayden suddenly flipped on the weapons and fired on Will.  "You should have finished me when you had the chance, Will," he said, powering the engines and flying away from Will.  "This is the end, Lieutenant."

[[Cayden?!?  How the-?]] he heard Will stammer out.

Will's fighter began to accelerate away, but swerved to the right as multiple blasts came at him from behind.  Cayden tore past Will mere feet from collision, accelerating beyond recommended speeds for an unshielded, damaged interceptor.  Cayden swung back around and fired again, this time punching through Will's shields and disabling his engines.  "And now... you will feel great pain, Will..."  Cayden began to swing back around and fired again on Will, only to have his blasts connect with another interceptor.

[[Cayden, stand down!]]  He heard Drac say.

"Sir, get out of my way!  My opponent is not finished.  If I can repair this hunk of scrap after flying through a meteor cloud, he can repair his from being shot at," Cayden justified, swinging back around to fire on Will again.  He was almost in range when several blasts came at him from his side.  "Damnit Drac!  Let me finish this!" he yelled into the comm, swerving to the left to avoid getting hit.

[[Cayden, as of this moment this fight is over!  It is a draw.  Will has been shot down, and you have been disqualified.  Return to base, or risk the consequences!]]

Cayden began decelerating and turned towards the station.  "Yes... sir..." he said grudgingly.  Damnit... disqualified... that won't look good on my report... he thought, punching his control console.  "Oh, and have a med team standing by upon my arrival... It would seem that I have a broken leg... oh joy..."

OOC:

WC: 1121

This will be my last post for my duel.
Drac, feel free to make a post reprimanding me.

Maroy rushed down the corridor. Her match was supposed to have started already, but she had something more important to do now. She quickly found her squadron commander.
“I’m sorry ma’am, I have to forfeit the match.”
The shock was evident on Cali’s face. “What? What’s going on?”
“A message came in for me. My family might still be alive back on Ryloth. Sorry, I’ll be back in a few days.”
"We could probably switch you out for Kan. Do what you need to do."
The younger Twi'lek returned to the shuttle docking port where her personal transport, the Junker’s Demise, was waiting for her. She got in and instructed her R3 units to set a course for Ryloth. I hope I'm not too late...

OOC:

I have some RL stuff going on for the next few days so Kan's gonna fill in for me.

Rocket was checking the map on his datapad when he noticed that his enemy had made the stupid mistake of flying to close to a laser turret, so he turned his engines on and looped around the asteroid that his opponent had active the laser turret making sure to stay out of the range of it so that it would not fire on him. Rocket opens a private channel to his opponent.

Well at least my opponent is here now, now I  can go ahead and see what abilities this pilot has to determine if I am gonna have a hard time with this battle or not. I have an advantage over him already because of the turret is taking all of his attention right now so if I plan this carefully I can come out of this the winner.

“So you finally showed up well at least now we can get this battle underway.”
“First things first though I hope you are somewhat decent so that I can have a little fun during this match.”

Well depending on the answer I get I will know if he is somewhat good, and if he can at least fly a fighter against something that’s not in a training simulator.

Rocket pulls above his opponent and stats to fire at him drawing off the confusion that has already been placed because of the turret that is firing at the fighter. After Rocket hits him a couple of times he pulls off and goes in the opposite direction so that he can give the pilot in their time to recover and put up a better fight.

I should have ended it right then and there but for some reason I don’t want it to be that easy, so I will give my opponent a chance to recover himself so that I can see how he reacts to that  assuming that the pilot in there is a male. Of course that’s assuming that the pilot in there is even human in the first place, because you never know who you are facing in the galaxy theses days anyway.

Rocket pulls behind an asteroid making sure that the one that he pulled behind did not have any turrets on it, so that it will not start shooting at him.

This is a deadly area to be doing a training mission in because of this exact reason your enemy if he knows the area can easily hide and attack you when you are not expecting it. I just hope that my opponent did not end up crashing into an asteroid.

Rocket puts his fighter at a stop and prepares to ambush his opponent when he shows up, so that he can remain ahead in this game.

I find it interesting that I am the second person to go at this game and from what I can tell my opponent that I am facing did not watch the last match, or there is other factors that I am not thinking of right now.

OOC:

506 words Alright there it is now I wait for a reply on this.

Rocket saw his opponent and started to shoot at him hopping to get a couple of hits on him, and his opponent begin doing maneuvers to try to get away from Rocket, that looked like they still were in the academy.

Well this is a surprise he still acts like he is still in the Academy I wonder if I should follow him or not. I wonder why he was passed in the first place he moves are so sloppish even for someone that just got out of the Academy. I got it I know how I am going to end this battle right here and now.

Rocket follows his opponent and when he is in the middle of a break right instead of turning with him he continues on his course and takes the action that will make his fighter do a one hundred and eighty degree turn and prepares for the G’s that will follow.

Doing this move two things can happen. One, I pass out from the force of the turn, and two, I successfully perform this maneuver and then the real fun begins.

Rocket pulls hard on the yoke and puts it in the proper positstion so that it will do the maneuver that he wants it too. Once the fighter begins to make the turn Rocket is thrown against his chair from the force of the turn. Once his fighter is on the new course he begins to go straight towards his opponent. He also puts all of the strength to his shield but keeping his weapons at the same power level that they were at before he pulled the maneuver.

Everyone one on the station will probably call me crazy because of the sheer mental state that it takes to not break away from your opponent to avoid a collision with the two fighters, well that’s why they make ejection seats in fighters right.

Rocket presses the button that will open up the com to the other fighter, “Let’s see who will win this game of chicken shall we.”

Well depending if he wants this battle over he will accept my challenge and if does then the battle is mine, if he doesn’t I will have to figure something out quick because I will have put myself in a position to be easily defeated. Or he may give, because he probably thinks that I am nuts, but I doubt it.

Rocket continues going to his opponent straight for a collision course if he did not change his fighters’ direction’s firing as he is doing this.

I really hope this move that I am making won’t be a mistake and cost me this match.

OOC:

449 words Short but straight to the point.

===== Asteroid 19 Facility =====
Stewart-Power looked around, looking for the face that he would be duelling in a few mere minutes. He found it. The man, Thane "Undertaker" Rios, was staring out of the view-port, seemingly contemplating the battle ahead.

"Hello" The Mon Cal said flatly. The man didn't seem too phased by the sudden voice behind him, instead he slowly, and calmly, turned around to ace his fellow pilot.

"Hello to you as well. What are you..." Thane trailed off as Thel interrupted;

"I'm here to wish you good luck, for the up-coming duel. From what I've read, I've got my work cut out for me." As the pilots shook hands Thane said,

"Thank you, I look forward to it." And with that the two Flight Leader parted ways, and continued on to their respective fighters.

===== Asteroid 19 Hangar =====
Thel sat in the cockpit of his TIE, and pondered the duel ahead. As many times as he had dogfight before, very rarely in his memory had he faced an opponent one-on-one, and the only times he could remember, it was while in training. As well, the asteroids added an interesting element into the mix. On top of that, many of the asteroids had laser turrets on them. Despite these obstacles, the pilot was looking forward to the battle ahead. If he couldn't win it, he would at least do his best to make it spectacular.

He wrapped his hands slowly around the yoke as he was given clearance to exit the hanger, and engage his enemy. His blood started pumping slightly faster, as some of his contained excitement seeped out. It had been a long time since Thel had hunted last, and he was looking forward to it.

As he flew to his designated quadrant for his fight, ha knew that the first few seconds would determine whether this would be a competition, or a hunt. He also knew that he would have to use the first few seconds to familiarize himself with both the arena, and his opponent. It is always a few seconds that the most vital for a pilot.

===== Asteroid 19: Quadrant III
He watched his opponent's TIE come into view. His opponent entered the area slowly, feathering his throttle, scanning the asteroid field for signs of Thel. The Mon Cal watched Thane with intent, from his position just above to the right of Thane's view-port. Wanting to test Thane's reflexes, or nab an early win, Thel swooped down upon the weary prey.

Obviously prepared for something, Thane deftly dodged Thel's laser blast with a tightly executed barrel role. Thane, thinking ahead, began to pull an equally skill-fully preformed Immalmen to bring himself to bear upon Thel. Thel, had anticipated this, and was already gone from that spot, pulling into a vertical dive. After recklessly passing an asteroid at fairly high speeds, Thel turned in a high-Gee turn, that both diminished his and set him up underneath the asteroid, from Thane's view.

Thel set himself up in the angle that he guessed his opponent would pass the asteroid by. He was slightly off, and his laser blasts were wide to the left of Thane. As Thane pulled off, Thel attempted to fall in with a lag pursuit and the chase was on, highlighting the secret asteroid field with green laser bolts.

OOC:

Word count: 560. Thane's turn!

===== Quadrant III, Asteroid 19 Training Facility =====

Stewart-Power dived to avoid the asteroid sitting straight of him. This manoeuvre was the exact same that his opponent has preformed moments before. The only difference was that when the Mon Cal preformed it, he was preceded by green laser bolts. So far the battle had been fairly one-sided, with Thel chasing his opponent, matching his manoeuvre's in the tight spaces that Thane flew into in order to lose the Tuk'atan pilot.

Besides a few times when Thane looped around an asteroid to sneak up on Thel, the Mon Cal had been on the offensive.

I'll have to watch out for those, he's getting trickier. He thought to himself as his opponent pulled just such a manoeuvre. He telegraph's, but at least he knows hoe to use the few seconds he's out of my view.

Thane banked to starboard, slipping out of sight behind an asteroid. He didn't stay there for long as red flashes betrayed the existence of a laser turret behind the large asteroid. Waiting for Thane's reaction, Thel slowly reversed from the asteroid, preparing for Thane to shoot over, under, or from the side of the asteroid. Thane did shoot from the side of the asteroid, only not from the side Thel was expecting, nor in the direction that he was expecting.

In an attempt to avoid the turret, and either riskily avoid, or collide into Thel, Thane had apparently gone into reverse as soon as the turret activated. This caused Thane to nearly crash into Thel's Interceptor, but instead passing harmlessly a hairsbreadth from the viewport. Thane, in a clever move, banked hard to starboard with a dive.

Not intending to lose his prey, Thel pulled the yoke back, while gunning the engine and rose into a steep climb. Still pulling the yoke back he steered into a wide loop. Just as he began the decent, a TIE shot by. Thane had started to pull up, and had inadvertently almost set a collision course. Both the pilots were preforming the manoeuvre so quickly that they hadn't consulted their radars; a near fatal mistake.

The pair continued their now frantic chase, each one attempting to gain the advantage over the other with a series of twists, turns, loops, and whatever else the two could think of. To an observer it looked like they had relinquished control of their fighters. From his viewport, Thel could only glimpse flashes of objects flying by his window, in a desperate attempt to locate Thane, who was doing the same.

It ended with both of them immediately halting in front of an asteroid. If had appeared in their view-ports, and when it wouldn't go away, there brains decided the only rational option was to Halt their Interceptors. When they had finished this, they found themselves facing the Asteroid upon which was situated the Asteroid 19 facility itself.

Checking his radar, it showed that was only several meters beside him. Banking to port, away from Thane, he pulled into a loop to face Thane at a comfortable distance. As he finished, one thought screamed through his mind.

Where is he!

OOC:

Word Count: 525. Pretty good considering I didn't think I could even get a post up...

After the little meeting when they were told who they were fighting against Arthur left and went to the room the was assigned to his Flight while they were on Asteroid 19.  He sat in the room alone for the beginning of the first battle but soon people from his flight started to file in.  Arthur not really being any good at prep talks he tried to get his flight mentally ready for their battles not that they needed it, but it was more for himself.

"Ok, guys this is just a training mission it really does not matter if you win or lose, but this will help you guys in future missions," Arthur said "We already heard that the last dueling pair were Disqualified.  Now you know that anything could happen.  Good luck out there guys and watch yourselves."

The few things he said seemed to work but he forgot what he said almost after he said it.  The next group that was called was Maroy and Rocketman when Arthur heard that he was glad that it was not him.  A few seconds later Cali came back on the com and told them that this was against Rocketman and Kan.  Gamma squad flight started to cheer for him as he made his way to the hanger.

When the duel was over and the whole asteroid found out that Kan had died in his duel a dark haze took over Gamma flight.  Arthur began to question himself as a flight leader.  Thinking back he wondered how he became a Flight Leader in the first place, but guesses it was just Cali trying to get him more active in the Squad.  Arthur believes that it really didn't work as much as hoped.  He is still closed off and sits by himself in the back room and gets his own table to keep from getting attached to the squad for everyone in the navy knows that when your out there you have a very high chance to die.
 
Now Arthur was really not ready for the duel, but he hoped that by the time he was in the battle that he would be.  He heard the message over head calling the next pair and was glad it was not him.  There was no way he would be ready this soon after hearing the news.  When he did heard his name he walked out of the room quietly.  He remembered that in his first mission he was disabled by an asteroid but was able to get his ship repaired in the field.

Realizing he was still in the door to the hanger he kept moving to his tie that he would have liked to set up himself but was unable to in order to keep it fair for everyone.  He started the system check and was almost about to take off when one of the engines suddenly starts to malfunction.  When that happened the techies told him to take the back-up tie that they always have set up for this kind of training.

He quickly jumped out and grabbed his kit and left the broken tie and moved to the back-up set his thing up in there place and started the engines.  This time no errors all systems were good.  He slowly moved his tie out the hanger and into the deep black space.  Avalar was already hiding out there some where and was on the hunt for Arthur.  Arthur was testing his new craft, because he liked his craft much better and knew every flaw with it and how to fix it.

He was mapping out his flight path and was trying to find any turrets out there. When he saw one go active he made his way around one of the asteroid behind it.  As soon as he made it around it he saw her speed right past and quickly got on right behind and gave chase.

OOC:

Avalar your up.

Arthur was in front of Avalar for a few seconds when he pulled a Split-S and got under Avalar long enough to appear right behind her.  He took his shot and six bolts left his craft, but only three hit so she was still in the game.  Avalar quickly made a Chandelle turn it was just enough to brake the lock Arthur had on her.

Wow she is really good at this.  I wounder who will end this and come out the winner.

Arthur was really focused on this duel that he almost forgot about the turrets that were in play as well as the asteroids.  He was staying as far as he could from the small clusters of asteroids this time.  He was going to close to the turret but this was his way to find out how far his opponent would go to get a win.

She was on him for as long as he was playing in the turret.  He was glad that both the turret and Avalar did not hit him during that whole test.  Now that he knew she would follow him until he was out he knew how far he need to go with this.

Arthur being the more experienced pilot started to do moves that he thought she hasn't learned yet or if she did was not that good with yet.  Arthur made sure he had enough room for a Tuck Under Roll Turn if he did it around one of the asteroids he would but he had to get close to it.

If he was a religious man he would have started to pray but he just sat there and hoped that this would work around this asteroid.  He got within 5 meters of the asteroid and stayed that close for the entire turn.  Avalar took it much wider over shot his location and now Arthur was once again on the hunt.

I can not believe that really worked or even that i was able to stay so close to it with out damage to my ship.  I wounder what Cali would say to me if I would have lost control and crashed.

OOC:

Tag your it Avalar.

Even at full power there's no way an Interceptor's shields would be able to withstand that sort of impact...

It was the conclusion Seth reached upon observing the collision between two larger asteroids. Now, many individuals could not see the beauty in these large celestial bodies. No, most would instead just view them as nothing more than hazards, things to be avoided and little else. A smart decision to be sure, but one that would also end up shrouding the odd sense of harmony and beauty found in these large chunks of floating rock. The way larger asteroids would sooner or later end up torn to smaller bits. The way smaller asteroids would end up forming larger ones afterward. It was a great dynamic process, one that cared for neither when or where it would occur. It could happen in a matter of weeks in one of the busier solar systems in the universe or it could happen in a matter of thousands of years on the verges of systems yet to even be discovered. Pure creation. Pure destruction. A never ending cycle that has occurred for millennia already and that shall continue for just as long in the future. Simplicity and complexity merging together to form that perfect paradox. That is what Seth somehow found... beautiful.

Damn, i completely forgot how drinking tends to make me have these strange thoughts...

With a deep sigh the senior crewman turned around and took an empty seat, something that allowed him to continue looking outside only this time around in a more comfortable manner. He'd unwrap another stick of gum which he would then proceed to slowly enjoy. The Onderonian would also continue trying to analyze his previously uploaded map some more but alas would find himself unable to properly recall all the details he would have actually wanted to recall. Although no longer as bad as before his hangover induced headache was still there - just below the surface, rearing its ugly head every so often. That however proved enough of an annoyance to prevent a proper analysis and memorization.

Screw it... If it's pointless anyway why bother any further? Besides, this time around tactics and plans won't be nearly as useful as actual skill and instinct. Avoiding rocks whilst struggling to get a few clean hits on the other guy - that's something i should still be able to pull off easily if i just keep my cool.

In truth Seth wasn't all that satisfied with his own reassurance but then again what choice did he have anyway? Turning off his wrist comlink which had thus far acted as a regular datapad, Seth also went ahead and closed his eyes trying to just do nothing at all other than emptying his mind of all things that could possibly get in the way of things. His name being called out loud was what caused him to once more become aware of his surroundings.

So it's finally playtime for me as well, huh?

The Onderonian slowly got up before making his way to the hangar all the while still casually chewing his gum and appearing quite calm and unfazed by the duel he was about to partake in. From experience he knew that this sort of behavior tended to intimidate or at the very least worry the weaker individuals. Whether it would work against his opponent or anyone else present - that Seth had no way of knowing. Then again he had no way of knowing whether it wouldn't work either so why not just go ahead and do that which has proven useful a few times in the past already?

[[Your fighter's all set and ready to go, sir!]]

Returning the mechanic's salute Seth remained silent as he made his way inside the small cockpit. He didn't mind it though. Quite the contrary in fact, the crewman felt rather comfortable tightly strapped in his seat, behind a few controls that would allow him to do feats few others would be capable of.

Now then... Drive systems a-ok. Deflector shields... hmm, tempered with as expected. Sensors a-ok... though i wonder if they'll be useful for anything given the tight space around here. Comm - okay as well. Weapons... tempered lasers and no missiles. Right, seems everything's alright all things considered.

"Control this is Rhegent’s Gamma 3 requesting launch authorization. Repeat, this is Rhegent’s Gamma 3 requesting launch authorization."

A few moments of waiting, a bit of static and finally the confirmation came:

[[Roger that Gamma 3 you are clear for launch. Repeat, you are clear for launch.]]

"Thanks Control."

That was all Seth needed before maneuvering his craft out of the secret installation's rather cramped up hangar. Instead of immediately searching for his prey however the Onderonian reached out to his wrist comlink and began playing a few stored Yerk music files. Once a less depressing atmosphere would be achieved Seth would open a comm channel to his opponent.

"Any chance you'll agree to meet up at a set of coordinates in order to quickly wrap this up one way or the other? Don't particularly feel in the mood to follow you around or maybe be followed around for who knows how long..."

What followed was silence. Was the Onderonian being ignored? Was his offer first being considered? Hardly mattered. If things would end up dragging along for too damn long chances are the other pilot would end up agreeing to that proposal. At least that's what Seth would do should he be offered a similar alternative.

[[No chance. You either float around this trap and find me, or I find you and wipe you outta this belt. I’m not making this easier for either of us, if I want to prove I’m worth the time and training. No show of flight skills will get us out of here, so you better be quick on your feet, Pilot. I know I am.]]

Of all the pilots he could've been assigned to fly against, Seth just had to be unlucky enough to get paired with what sounded like an arrogant and rather cocky one - a most unfortunate pairing seeing how he himself was rather arrogant as well. The other pilot's cocky attitude only managed to inflate his own, as the Onderonian pilot felt himself challenged... no, provoked even to do something about it.

This was most troublesome for Seth as it meant that he would actually have to hunt his target down before teaching her a lesson in humility. Ironically how 'teaching someone a lesson in humility' in fact just meant humiliating them long and/or hard enough for the unfortunate ones to really end up feeling like little more than bantha droppings.

Turning the music louder the Onderonian also began thinking at what he should do next. Playing possum sounded like a great idea, except for the fact that it would also require the disabling of the Interceptor's shields. In a different asteroid field - a more spacious one to be exact, such an action would've been relatively safe. In this particular asteroid field however it would just be highly dangerous and potentially quite lethal as well. Now Seth was a very lucky fellow no doubt about it, but that still didn't mean he was ready to test exactly how much so. Better safe than sorry he always thought...

In light of the above, Qorbin found himself ever so slowly navigating through asteroids and keeping an eye out for any sign of opposition when finally a few bright bolts of light caught his eye. Laser fire... And where there were lasers being fired there also had to be ships, turrets or both. Found you. That was all the Onderonian thought as he increased his engine output and found himself diving straight towards the last location of those laser bolts.

It was somewhat difficult but easy at the same time as spins, barrel rolls and sudden changes in speed were constantly used to avoid the larger obstacles in his way. Funny thing about spinning in an asteroid field was that all those tiny bits of rock that were harmless upon impact would end up being sent flying quite rapidly through the endless space. It would take the crewman only a few seconds and quite a few more evasive maneuvers to finally catch sight of the opposing Interceptor attempting to either hide or dodge behind a larger asteroid. Re-opening a comm channel to his opponent the Onderonian began casually speaking:

"Do you know what happens when a cannok finds itself targeted by a drexl?"

Not planning on providing the answer right away and somewhat curious to hear whether the other pilot would have any ideas as well, Seth just concentrated on achieving a vertical loop. Since he was above an asteroid and his target was beneath it that was simply the easiest and at the same time most efficient maneuver he could think of. To make things more interesting he would also fire a few random shots. Their purpose was twofold - for one thing they were meant to discourage and intimidate the enemy in the hopes that the latter would end up doing something stupid. Then there was the more important and tactical aspect of such a move. Simply put the senior crewman planned on herding his target. It didn't really matter whether this would cause the other pilot to run into more asteroids, more turret fire or whether it would just cause her to stand put just long enough for Seth to get one or two clean shots. So long as she wouldn't be able to shake him loose the duel was basically already won...

Well Seth's opponent didn't appear to know the answer to his previously asked question. Didn't know or didn't have the time to answer - dodging asteroids and laser bolts was more than enough to make someone forget all about the little, irrelevant things after all. The Onderonian of course enjoyed this however seeing how he had the upper hand and how he was basically the evil cat toying with the desperate mouse... It was hardly professional but then again the Onderonian pilot was hardly in the mood to be professional right now. Indeed, the senior crewman was much more in the mood to teach the cocky opponent a lesson or two in humility. No, scratch that. Not humility but rather humiliation instead...

That was the plan at any rate, but even as the Onderonian smuggler went about doing all that he couldn't stop but notice that his female opponent had some fairly decent moves of her own. Nothing outstanding by his own standards but definitely good enough to explain some of the perceived cockiness. At least she's not all talk and nothing more than that... This was a good thing of course as it posed a challenge to him - not that at the moment he was really looking for a challenge however. A quick easy win would've been just as good as far as the senior crewman was concerned.

The quick and easy win however seemed to keep its distance despite the advantage the Onderonian currently had over his opponent. It even seemed to slowly slip away as his opponent managed to slowly put some more distance between the two of them. You can't outrun the lasers though... To stress that thought Seth fired a few more shots, again not really overly concerned with actually targeting anything beforehand. He was more interested in having his target realize that she could run, but not hide as well. A rather ironic cliche really considering how an asteroid belt would obviously be one of the best places to hide in the open space...

Speaking of hiding, the Onderonian pilot noticed how the Interceptor he only moments ago had in his sights disappeared behind an asteroid. The disappearing act only lasted a few moments however as on the other side of the same asteroid the enemy Interceptor was already making its reappearing act. A rather aggressive reappearing act considering all the shooting. Great, so now she wants a damn chicken contest huh? Why couldn't she have just agreed to it from the start when i first proposed it dammit?

Under normal circumstance Seth would've been more than happy to play along but considering the location he just couldn't help but feel this was a bad idea. For one thing his ego would no doubt prevent him from pulling away first, which meant chances were pretty high of yet another accident occurring. Whether the one getting in trouble would be him, his opponent or perhaps both - that was something that nobody would likely be able to predict at this point. You had your chance, luv.

Rather than engaging his cocky opponent as the latter no doubt wanted, Seth instead decided to take a light dive at about 15 degrees forward, thus ensuring it wouldn't be possible to easily be followed. He rather liked being the hunter and decided not to try experiencing the opposite side as well. A couple of shots managed to hit his shields as he began his dive, but since weapons had been tampered with as well, their damage was still fully negated by the shields. Guess this means i have to finish this quick and clean now...

[[Since you’re dying to tell me, I’ll ask. What does happen when a cannok finds itself targeted by a drexl?]]

The reply almost made Seth burst out laughing. Here his female opponent managed to slightly turn the tables and she once more revealed her cocky attitude. Well now, at least she had guts that was certain.

Killing his left engine and increasing power in his right one the smuggler made a sharp 180 turn, making sure to restart the previously shut down engine about halfway so as not to waste any time once he would be back in a favorable attacking position.

"Well first the drexl hovers above the cannok, thus panicking the latter..."

Accelerating some more the Onderonian checked the scanners for his target.

"Then it makes a few dives towards it, each time purposefully missing its target..."

Finally finding what he was searching for Seth decided to get serious and end this already.

"When the exhausted cannok finally starts slowing down that is when the drexl makes its first and well also last real move against it..."

Gently squeezing the trigger Seth let loose a few quick bursts of laser fire. Unlike the previous two times the Onderonian was this time around actually targeting his opponent's Interceptor. The other pilot would also no doubt realize that the shots were no longer random and harmlessly flying far away from the craft. On the contrary, this time around the laser bolts would either hit or barely miss. Since both crafts had the same tampered weapons and shields however this still meant that a just a few shots wouldn't be enough to end the chase. It was something that the Onderonian smuggler planned on taking care of however as soon as possible...

"It drops from the sky, sinks its talons in the helpless cannok and then flies away to enjoy its meal... A rather intriguing species wouldn't you agree?"