A deep sigh escaped the lips of petty officer Seth Qorbin. He felt tired and worn out, a state he never before experienced. At least not due to his business within the Imperial Navy. Then again being a simple pilot was a simple enough job. He just had to attend briefings, hop in his fighter, fly around and possibly shoot some bogies whilst avoiding getting shot himself. Then he merely had to return to base, stick around for a debriefing and that was pretty much it.

The Onderonian sighed once more as he remembered those simpler times when he had so little to worry about as opposed to what he had to face now day after day after day after day... Reviewing some files and then writing others, meeting with some of the other squadron commanders aboard the Iron Duke to discuss future joint operations, every now and then reporting to the ship's XO as well. All of this whilst also remaining informed of whatever his own pilots were doing. Now all that was quite tiring. Why the recently appointed squadron commander even came to pray for some large force to suddenly ambush them, for that way at the very least he would be able to leave the stuffy Star Destroyer and enjoy the freedom of vast and endless space...

Better be careful what i wish for.

A third sigh slipped past Seth's lips as he realized that for the time being he would just have to make do with the simulated exercises he was required to perform with his new squadron. Although not nearly as exciting as real exercises they were still better than staying behind a desk and pushing papers for a few hours. Now that sort of routine was in some ways more dangerous than a whole armada for it corroded one's willpower over time and chances of a sudden recovery were slim at best...

"Alright Nightshrike listen up. The Duke's holding orbit above some remote planet. All the ship's big cheese is down there for some reason and that means we aren't going anywhere. Trouble is that less than two minutes ago three frigates made a jump in our system. Almost immediately upon arrival they scrambled their fighters. Sensors confirm proton signatures coming from them so bombers are present as well. This everyone is a rather classic ambush scenario."

The petty officer paused and allowed the holo-projector to show some more simulated data - ship deployment, firing solutions, shield status and a couple of countdowns as well.

"As you can see the squadrons flying CAP are doing their best to hold it together but are unfortunately quickly becoming overwhelmed by the situation. This is the point where all other squadrons aboard are required to launch and hold off the attackers. The bombers are our immediate priority. Find them and take them out as soon as possible, preferably before they can wreak serious havoc. Following that we are to thin the numbers of enemy crafts. You no doubt noticed the countdowns. The first represents Lambda-1's ETA. It's in everyone's best interest for that shuttle to return intact and as soon as possible. The second countdown shows how long we need to wait before the Duke can jump the hell out of this sector. If things go well then we'll be able to avoid taking on the larger ships. If things however don't go well... just keep your cool."

Seth glanced at his pilots, interested in what their expressions might look like. Part of him was disappointed to notice that most didn't look worried, concerned or anything similar. That part of him wished he had been more successful in making the briefing a bit more dramatic. Then again the other part of him, which incidentally was considerably larger too, well that part of him was actually glad to see those subordinates of his behave as professionals. Granted they might not act quite the same should they actually stumble in such a nasty situation in the future but then again what were the chances of such a thing happening? Hmm, an ominous question if there ever was one...

"Okay, you have two minutes to strap yourselves in and the virtual fun can begin."

Although he gave them a two minutes limit, everyone was ready in just a little more than a minute. That was when the simulation started, with all crafts rushing out of a simulated Iron Duke's hangars. The space that normally looked so calm, soothing and perhaps even boring was now filled with colorful flashing lights going back and forth various ships. Every now and then the recipient of such a bolt of colored light would blow up into thousands of tiny little pieces. Some of them would do so in a more flashy manner than others of course.

"Here it goes people. Spread out!"

And with that simple command the Nightshrike's Interceptors scrambled, becoming part of the chaos surrounding them.

"This is Beta-4, i got a bogie on my six. Can't lose him..."

"Gamma-3 confirrrming enemy dooown..."

"Beta-3 reports two more allied casualties..."

"This is Gamma-1. I'm in pursuit of a bomber..."

"Sithspit! This is Banshee, my IFF's acting up. Will have to do things old school..."

"What the hell? I've been painted, repeat, i've been pai-"

"This is Beta-1. We lost Gamma-2..."

Damn.

Seth had just managed to stay behind an enemy long enough to skewer him when he heard the latest news. He never expected to finish this simulation without casualties. Not with the current settings anyway. The Navy's Interceptors may have been decent enough birds for most purposes but they weren't invincible. No matter how great a pilot's skill, the individual would still find himself restricted by the fighter he was provided with. Granted it was better to have superior pilots using lesser crafts than the other way around, but still...

As the Onderonian petty officer rolled left to avoid some lasers he couldn't help but think how much easier such a situation would be if instead of flying Interceptors they'd be flying Defenders. Now those babies had better speed, smoother maneuverability, deadlier firepower and sturdier shields. Those were the kind of birds a pilot would want for such scenarios. Lacking such resources however it wouldn't have been that bad for the roles to be reversed. After all ambushing another was always better than getting ambushed. It was one thing when your side was making the rules rather than unwillingly following them...

"Pops, can you handle Hazard's problem?" Seth finally asked.

"I believe so Alpha-1."

"Good, then use her and sandwich the prick. Beta-1 and 2 you are to use similar tactics as well. Switch from passive to aggressive and back to passive to deal with each other's pursuers. They'll catch on eventually so stay frosty. Gam-"

Seth was about to give some more orders when a proton torpedo cut right in front of him and moments later detonated upon impact with the Iron Duke.

"Son of a... Listen up people - the Duke might be a big ship but even so there is only so much punishment it can take. Each warhead that finds its target will put a bigger strain on the shields and should those shields fall before we take down at least one of those frigates then we are toast. I'm going after the bombers. Alpha 3 and 4 form up on my wing and engage anyone that stands in my way. Targets of opportunity are still a go but try not to draw too much attention. Similar orders for Gamma flight as well."

"Gamma flight acknowledges. Also, one less bomber to worry about."

Quicksilver's voice was rather calm and the Onderonian pilot felt a sense of relief upon hearing it. He wasn't the kind to freak out or anything of the sorts, but he'd still get frustrated upon hearing others panic. That frustration in turn would end up diminishing his concentration and well that was a very bad thing in the middle of a dogfight.

"I'm hit! I'm hit! I'm... still around but my ship's no longer able to carry on. Gamma-4 returning to the Duke, over."

"Acknowledged Gamma-4."

Most small fighters wouldn't ordinarily survive getting hit by pretty much anything once their shields were gone. Even if they'd survive the hit itself there was still the matter of whether or not the ship would be able to land properly afterward. In most cases the so called landing would be more of a crash and whether or not the pilot would be able to survive that impact was again a matter of luck.

C'mon, just a couple of seconds you bastard... Just stay put already...

The thoughts were directed at the bomber Seth was aiming to make history of. He kept trying to blow it the heck up, but alas other enemy fighters kept getting in his way. Luckily for him those obstructions were quickly enough removed or distracted by his own flight members. Alpha 3 and 4 proved surprisingly resilient and efficient, and the Onderonian petty officer could only hope that they would show the same promise during real missions as well.

End of the line!

A gentle squeeze... Two subsequent pairs of laser bolts leaving the commander's Interceptor... The same bolts only moments later hitting the targeted bomber, causing it to disappear in a blast of light and dust. Seth was about to report it in when another voice came from the comm:

"Attention all units, Lambda-1 is preparing for final approach. You are to provide cover for it at all costs."

"Roger that control."

Switching to the squadron's channel Seth continued: "You heard it everyone. Wedge formation around the shuttle and make sure you allow nothing to happen to it."

With that the petty officer disengaged and rushed towards the planet, intending to set himself between the approaching shuttle and the chaos it would have to go through in order to land on the Star Destroyer. The rest of the Nightshrike squadron followed his lead, but alas one more of its members perished as a consequence.

"Sithspit! Beta-1 reports the loss of Beta-2, over."

The female pilot thought she had managed to shake her current pursuer but alas she was proven otherwise.

"Roger that Slick. Everyone just take your positions and make sure this shuttle gets to its destination."

A wedge formation was ideal for this sort of situations. It provided a good offensive capability as well as a decent enough defense. Even if a fighter were to be blown up, it was less likely that it would spin out of control and smash in another one.

"Lambda-1 this is Nightshrike's CO, follow my lead and we'll take you home safe 'n sound."

"Roger that, Nightshrike. Thanks for the assist, over."

Assuming everything would go smoothly then the shuttle would be in one of the Iron Duke's hangars within a minute or so.

"This is Quicksilver, i see multiple bogies incoming from our two o'clock."

"I see 'em Quicksilver. Beta-4, Gamma-3 and Gamma-4 engage! Take them out if possible, stall them as much as you can otherwise."

The three Interceptors broke formation and headed straight for the incoming fighters. The Trandoshan in particular felt quite giddy upon hearing that order. The reptile did so enjoy blowing up other fighters...

Back to the rest of the Nightshrike squadron things were pretty calm. As calm as they could be considering they were in the middle of a military engagement. That calm alas was to be short lived as Beta-3 blew up after getting hit by a proton torpedo.

"The hell?"

"Nine o'clock! Bomber at nine o'clock!!!"

"Beta-1 take him out before he takes out the shuttle..."

That was indeed the right decision to make but unfortunately the enemy bomber managed to fire another torpedo, this one aimed at the Lambda-1 shuttle. The shuttle had been its target all along, but it needed to take out a fighter first in order to be able to get to it.

"Damn it, i can't hit it! Sh-"

Beta's flight leader attempted to shoot down the warhead but missed by the shortest margin. Still, a miss was a miss and rather than allowing the projectile to hit its intended target Beta-1 chose to intercept it, thus blowing himself up in the process. Within seconds however his simulated death was avenged by Alpha-3 who managed to take out the deadly threat.

"Good job Mutt, return to formation."

A couple more fighters tried to get in their way but those were shortly taken out though.

"Okay Lambda-1 you're here, proceed inside the hangar."

"Acknowledged Nightshrike, thanks again for the escort."

Seth did not reply but instead opened a channel back to the Iron Duke:

"Control, Lambda-1 is safe inside. Can we make a jump and if so how long till then?"

Being so close to the Star Destroyer the petty officer could tell it had taken a bit of a beating since all the hell broke loose. Then again one of the frigates was no more and another looked like it would soon follow as well. The number of enemy fighters had also diminished. There were still a lot of them, but at least now the allied forces no longer felt quite as overwhelmed as when this whole thing started.

"We've taken some damage but we should be able to make the jump just fine." The voice then proceeded to broadcast on the general channel "All fighters are to return to base as soon as possible. Repeat, all fighters are to return to base as soon as possible."

Well it seemed like the ending was near, and for the most part it wouldn't be that bad of an ending either all things considered.

"Okay everyone i want an echelon formation in front of this hangar. We'll provide cover fire for our retreating allies. Savage, how are you and your group?"

"Thisss isss Savage. Myssself and Hazzzard are fiiine but we lossst Saint. Overrr."

"Roger that, fall back to the Duke and assist with the cover fire."

In the next few seconds all the allied ships began falling back to the imposing Star Destroyer. When they were close enough to the capital ship, the latter began firing its guns at the bulk of enemy fighters. Those that were lucky enough to pull back in time helplessly witnessed their comrades being cut down by the rain of fire that descended on them. Not all those ships were taken out by the Star Destroyer though. Those that managed to avoid the heavy fire only delayed the inevitable as they came rushing straight into a barrage of missiles, followed by the continuous cover fire offered by those having stood behind for exactly that purpose. The enemy fighters were as such caught between the infamous rock and hard place.

Once they had been dealt with, the few remaining fighters including those part of the Nightshrike squadron made their way back inside in a orderly fashioned manner using the standard trail formation. Just as the last ships landed the Iron Duke stopped firing. Immediately afterward the large ship disappeared into the safety of hyperspace. That was also when the simulation ended and anyone still "alive" could get out and prep for a debriefing.

Four loses but the mission was however a success. Will need to have them review their mistakes of course but all in all it's not that bad i suppose...

OOC:

WC: 2573