Shattering Fate

Phoenix Wing- Campaign 01

Note You must read the instructions within the Navy Storyboard thread before proceeding.  Exact times and instructions will be given to you for posting.  Enjoy

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***The Coruscant***

(Time: Three standard weeks and five days after the simultaneous attack on all three squadrons in Phoenix Wing.)

"Attention!" Shazam announced sharply.  Phoenix wing lept to it's feet as Japheth entered the briefing room.

"At Ease." Japheth instructured as he made his way to the centre of the room.  The rigid imperial posture exemplified control.  "Commander, Lieutenant, make sure those doors are locked."  He instructed Shazam and Arturus.  The two men each went to one of the doors and secured them; in the meantime, Japheth lifted a large square-shaped briefcase onto a table beside the holoprojector used for the briefing.  A soft electrical hum emerged from the box after a switch inside was flipped.  "Did you remove all datapads and other electronic devices capable of storing data?"  Japheth asked Shazam.

"Yes Admiral.  All datapads, communications devices, and other such equipment was confiscated from those who forgot about the order you sent out."  Shazam replied.

"Good.  None of the following information is to leave this room in any way."  Japheth instructed sternly.  There was some whispering amongst the pilots seated in front of him; secrets always seemed to inspire a mix of confusion, curisoity, and almost giddy excitement.  "Order ladies and gentlemen.  Let me make this clear again.  You are not to take notes of any kind; you are not to to speak one word of this outside of this room, and you are especially not to mention this in any way shape or form to anyone not in this room.  Do I make myself clear?"  The admiral demanded staring at the pilots assembled in front of him.  There were silent nods, everyone now understood that this was something very serious and very important.  "Good."

Japheth pulled out a filefolder and began his presentation.  "For the past month, VEN has been in standby mode.  As I am sure you are aware, no fleet operations have been conducted and indeed all have been restricted to simulator training and other exercises unless absolutely necessary.  It is time to move beyond this stage both due to necessity and due to the fact that we now have a segment of VEN that is cleared to begin operations again.  Each one of you have had intense background checks and as I am sure you recall, all have been subjected to long interviews that were called ideological evaluations.  Based upon this immense security operation underway, we have managed to isolate a complete taskforce and two wings of fighters that are cleared for operations and indeed, as you can tell from recent movements, have been seperated from the rest of the fleet.  The ISD Coruscant, the ship you are on right now, is the lead ship of taskforce Shadowfire and this taskforce has been ordered to have no contact with the rest of VEN for the moment.  All of you are cleared for this operation as your loyalty to VEN has been determined.

"The first thing of note is the fact that your squadrons have some new personel.  In the process of isolating the taskforce we wanted the best pilots around, both experience and those coming up, to be in this wing.  Phoenix Wing is the elite wing of VEN and as a result, yours was a priority for clearance.  All of the new pilots are well qualified and should fit in well."  Japheth continued.  The excuse was a lie but a plausible one.  Pilots who were suspected of not being completely loyal had in fact been transferred to other units while further investigations were conducted.  Nevertheless, in order to prevent wingmates from petitioning officers about the loyalty of their friends who had been transferred, the lie would suffice.  Given the severity of the issue which had already been drilled in at the start, it was doubtful that many would suspect that it was not the truth.

"Now I am sure more than a few of you are wondering why it is that such an operation is occuring.  That ladies and gentlemen is the reason why I am giving this briefing.  The information contained in here is the background information for what essentially will be a campaign against an enemy that is both internal and external.  It will also tie together the recent missions you have been on and a series of events that are all tied together in a nice little package to undermine VEN and create a new rival in this galactic conflict; a rival that would eventually take all of what we now control in its quest by power.  This organization is driven by a powerful combination: those who desire power and those who desire wealth.  Coupled with a clever campaign of propaganda, information suppression, and manipulation, they have been quite successful to date; much more successful than any of us expected when this investigation first began.  I'll begin by outlining this organization and those involved; from there the links to VEN and the internal conspiracy can be better understood."  Japheth flicked on the holoprojector and a logo appeared.

"This is the logo of the Reugrand Sovereignty, the organization that created and is following through on this plot.  In fact it could be aptly known as the Reugrand Supremacy as some form of Supremacy is most certainly the primary goal of this organization.  The name Reugrand in the Harjanne study means "Rising Grand" and it often refers to triumphant heroes and their quests around the galaxy.  Apparently Luke Skywalker and his Rebel organization fit into this category although the cynical revisionism of the rebels hardly makes their contribution to the destruction of law and order any more positive in the eyes of people around the galaxy."  The projector shifted to the next image.  "This is Jacre Roelk.  He was born on the planet Darlea in the Harjanne system and was sent to Imperial Centre at the age of nineteen.  His schooling is typical of many aspiring to be imperial officers, he has a background in political science and in Imperial rules and doctrine.  Over the course of ten years he also studied issues of war-time mobilization, galactic peace, law, and the art of persuasion and arguing."  The projector switched from an image of Roelk to a system map.

"This is the Harjanne system.  I mentionned that in the Harjanne school, Reugrand means "Rising Guard".  This system is significant.  The people of the Harjanne system have hated their Imperial Government for a long time due to apparent complaints regarding limitations and restrictions placed upon the people.  Clearly they have no appreciation for the security and prosperity that is provided because of Imperial rule.  Their ancestors that established the basic-speaking colonies in this system had no heroes to use as a rallying point for resistance nor any allies to appeal to for help.  As a result, they have not been outwardly resistant to the Empire.  Roelk was a senator up until the Emperor banished the committee due to its redundancy in the functions of government.  During this time, the idea of cloning to create a large army to control the galaxy had been discussed and Roelk was aware of this and its potential.  Roelk was in exile between the disbandment of the committee and the takeover of Imperial Centre and its transformation into Coruscant.  He spent his time in the Harjanne system with a group of counterparts that began to form this organization." 

The holoprojector brought up the picture of another man.  "One of those counterparts is Mospo Vieag.  Vieag is a human from the planet Nubsuria, also located in the Harjanne system, and is believed to be slightly unstable.  He spent fifteen years of his life in a state of mental breakdown.  At one time, Vieag was a renowned student at the Imperial Academy at Imperial Centre as he contained the interesting ability to remember random facts and recall them anywhere and anytime.  Vieag was expelled from the Empire for an experiment on cloning that exceeded Imperial Law.  These laws came into effect as the Emperor attempted to control forces in order to prevent another clone war.  Vieag is one of the best scientists when it comes to human cloning and has a bitter hatred of the Imperials because of his explusion.  He joined forces with Roelk who has a burning desire to retake the Harjanne system, his home system, from the Empire and together they created a plan to undermine the Empire and create clones right under their nose.  This plan would see the creation of another organization in the galaxy vying for power and would certain be a threat to the interests of VE."  Japheth pressed the button for the next image to appear and continued the briefing.

"Another one of the conspirators is Corvo Rothow.  Rothow is from the planet Eirbuik and is said to be extremely blood thirsty.  His only intention is to gain power and gain it through war.  He spent part of his life on Imperial Centre and was very impressed with the demonstrations of sheer power.  He has an envy of those who wield great power and benefit from it and is said to have been influenced by men such as the Emperor, Vader, and Thrawn.  Those who know him say he has an inner-grievance of somekind that makes him extremely vengeful.  After meeting Roelk on Imperial Centre, Rothow befriended him and kept in touch as he performed military service for the Empire and in particular the Imperial Navy.  His career, however, was cut short when he attempted to save the lives of his friends aboard the Imperial Star Destroy Might from the forces of the Empire.  After defying a direct order to destroy its own fighters, the Might, also known as the Imperial Might, was ordered to be destroyed when further orders to disengage from the battle and abandon the ship were ignored.  The Star Destroyer fled and eventually wound up in the Harjanne System and in the servies of Roelk and the Reugrand Sovereignty.

"It is believed that Rothow's initial hatred of the Empire came when his own ideas were ignored by people directly above him.  His superiors continued to ignore his clear aptitude for tactical warfare.  At one point, Rothow attempted to bring his superior officer in on a plan to take the Might from Imperial Control while part of the bridge's tactical staff.  It is thought that in order to stop being constantly kept in the dark, he wanted to appeal to the commander by wanting to increase the commander's power before taking the ship for himself.  It is also believed that the member of the Might have been brainwashed into the same ideas of the so-called "High Council" consisting of Roelk, Vieag, and Rothow.

"The High Council initially promised free trade for the sector so that the planets within it could grow.  They claimed that it would allow the planets to grow to the size promised when they had joined the Empire.  Clearly this is a manipulation as all planets have met of exceeded promised levels of growth but nevertheless, it shows what the Reugrand Sovereignty will say and do in order to further their plans.  Initially after the so-called New Republic took control of Imperial Centre, Roelk temporarily left the Harjanne system to see if he could acquire what the High Council had been hoping for to get for a long time: industry, space commerce, and big cities with twilight towers and peaks of steel.  He was forcefully turned down, however, because the New Republic was not interested in monopolizing an outside sector when there was work to be done in their traitorous campaign against us.  In addition, the Harjanne system is relatively close to an Imperial Faction known as the Vast Empire.  Any extra trouble was considered something to avoid by the New Republic and as a result, Roelk did not recieve assistance.

"Roelk returned to the Harjanne system to continue his plan.  Since neither Imperial or New Republic forces were in the system, it seemed as though they already had free trade.  If this was the case then we have to ask, why continue the plan?  The answer lies in what I said about Supremacy before.  The plan was indeed never to control one system but rather an entire sector.  In order to control the sector, the Reugrand Sovereignty would be required to take the nearby Vectra system and other VE controlled territory.  By taking the Vectra system first, they would have to develop technology fast but they would not be required to construct new ships as they had already captured enough since the original conception of the plan.  When the plan was introduced, Imperial control was still strong in the system and traffic was frequent.  Building a base of operations anywhere was extremely difficult to practically impossible.  Above all, they did not want to be discovered and have their plans foiled.

"After the fall of the Imperials at Yavin IV, the Reugrand Sovereignty, hereafter referred to as the RS, began a scrounging operation in order to find the materials necessary to build a base of operations and begin creating clones.  Using the ISD Might and a few other ships from the planets within the Harjanne system, they began to take large shipments approximately every six months.  It was possible to do this because many were searching for sources of income as the low level of traffic had created economic problems.  In order to conceal the purpose of the shipments, they were not sent on a consistent basis.  The goal of the operation was to make it look like a pirate operation.  As a result, traces of planetary fighters were left behind at the scenes.  The Might was used to neutralize and capture targets at random.  In one case, the engines of a frigate sitting in a shipyard were neutralized and the ship captured.  The Might was never mentionned in reports because any space stations or shipyards that were attacked were taken over and vessels accompanying the Might would disable the communications of nearby ships and facility.  The Star Destroyer always outclassed its opponents and often took enemies without a fighter; in fact the class differential was so great that fighters were rarely deployed in battle."

"Now that you know how the RS managed to gain it's current power I'll provide you with the intelligence estimates on their progress.  If the Reugrand Sovereignty is using pre-Empire equipment then it would take around ten years, thus about five more years from our present time period, in order to create a mature trooper.  This is based on the assumption that they started a few years after the destruction of the first Death Star.  However, if the RS is using technology from the time of the Empire's control of Imperial Centre or technology from our present time period then a clone could be created in a matter of about five years.  This means that troops could be taught and ready to go now.  Overall, we believe the motives of this organization rest in an overwhelming sense of greed rather than ideology.  They use brainwashing and propaganda tactics to gain personnel on the cheap but ultimately they are not trying to establish a new order based on new ideas but rather a new order that helps their bank accounts.  They bring people to their cause by promising power and wealth; these are too powerful motivators on their own but those who turn for those reasons can be turned back.  Greedy and ambitious people are not trustworthy by nature; if you can bribe someone, someone else can also for a higher price.  In terms of power, the only way to turn those who join organizations such as this for power is to show their weakness or to promise more power.  We intend to do the former by striking at the heart of their operation but that briefing will come later.

"For now, I want to highlight one final piece of this puzzle.  Many of you are probably wondering how this enemy is both internal and external.  Clearly they have external ambitions that could potentially cause problems for us.  However, they also had a clever internal operation that we have discovered and this is what led to this security operation.  The link revolves around Warren Dimmias, a man who some of you know and have served with.  After the destruction of the Death Star, Roelk was trying to get assistance from the New Republic.  Failing that, he and his conspirators went back to the Harjanne system to plan expansion.  It was their belief that the Vectra system should be the first system to expand into.  Roelk as you know was once a senator and Rothow was a ship commander in the Imperial Navy. This means that they had access to the lists of names and information about people in various sectors.  Some of this information they were not supposed to have but it was not overly difficult to get as no secret manouvers were occuring in this area.  Given that VEN is still associated at a distance with the Harjanne system, it was not completely out of the ordinary for them to acquire this specific information.  In order for this operation to succeed, they need people to work from the inside.  Unable to buy off anyone important, they instead fell upon the type of person every conspirator wants; someone who truly offers complete loyalty.  That man was Warren Dimmias." A murmer went through the crowd and looks were exchanged after the realization took place: that man was in our wing only a few weeks ago!

"Warren Dimmias was originally a member of Viper Squadron, the strongest and most elite squadron in VEN at the time.  This means that he was an elite pilot.  He was capable and had access to people within the Empire.  Viper Squadron was our equivalent to Rogue Squadron.  Their missions took them around the nearby systems and sectors gaining support from the planets and showing off the power and heroic status they had obtained.  Roelk, failing to bribe any men of important, got total allegiance from Dimmias.  You might ask why.  The answer is rather complicated; you have to think like this man does in order to attempt to rationalize it.  Dimmias has always been greedy; there has never been a time when he wasn't privately planning for some great command.  He does not desire wealth; he is instead obsessed with obtaining power, status, fame, and greatness.  Viper Squadron was a start but for him not satisfactory, he wanted more.  Dimmias is naturally sneaky and will do anything if it promises to give him more power and fame that he has; it is an irrational obsession and thus hard to understand.  Nevertheless, understanding is important in order to see how these people operate."

"There is another factor that made this transition easier.  Initially, Rothow, Dimmias, and others in this organization were highly supportive of the Empire.  It provided power, order, and put on great shows of power and might.  All who serve in the Empire are highly regarded for their military excellence, courage, and bravery.  Prior to the death of the Empire, pilots thought the Empire was their life because it offered what everyone person wants; power, money, and fame.  After the Emperor was assassinated, Roelk managed to convince Dimmias that the Vast Empire and other Imperial factions are not the Empire because there is no longer an Emperor.  They convinced Dimmias that he was fighting an uphill battle with no possible hope for success and every guarantee of ultimate failure.  Roelk offers Dimmias a choice; fight and lose for the Empire or join him in creating a new Empire.  They would build their forces quietly then surprise the universe with a powerful arsenal including possibly some remake of the Death Star.  Farfetched but Dimmias bought it."

"Dimmias was given an assignment: collect information in VEN and he will be made a hero.  Due to his flying ability, Dimmias soon gained command of Decta Squadron, not an elite squadron but his position was a step up.  He turned each of the pilots in the squadron to his idea and built an enemy squadron within our hangers.  However, Dimmias soon began to complain that he wasn't given the compensation he was promised, namely the hero status.  As a result, the RS sped up the process by setting up Decta Squadron.  They launched an attack masquerading as a pirate attack; they used a cruiser believed to be owned by pirates.  Decta squadron specialized in fighting pirates so they were sent in to take out the pirate ship.  After the battle began, the ISD Might jumped into the fray.  Decta's pilots believed that the Might was still an Imperial ship and so thought assistance had come.  Instead, the Might openned fire on Decta Squadron.  The pirate cruiser had been captured earlier by the RS and was used for the purpose of making Dimmias a hero.  Those on board the ship, aside from the officers, were people captured and brinwashed to support the RS.

"Dimmias knew about the ambush the entire time but to his pilots, it looked like the Empire had found them out and was trying a coverup mission by ambushing them.  After a chase that led to the destruction of a small system patrol craft capable of housing one squadron of fighters, Decta Squadron had been destroyed and everyone thought it was just a result of a clever group of pirates.  For the moment, Dimmias disappeared.  Decta had fled to its rendezvous point and was ambushed there, thanks to information from Dimmias and killed.  A space station in the area alerted VE of a pirate raid and as a result, VE began operations to clear out pirates in the Vectra System with the result being the destruction of all pirate forces.  Pirates, however, were not what attacked us.  Getting rid of them actually helped the RS as it removed one threat to them; pirates are a threat to all and RS needed as few threats as possible.

"A month later, a distress signal was received from a pirate ship matching the description of the one at the site of the ambush.  VE jumped in to attack to found that the ship had had all oxygen cut off save for the bridge.  Dimmias was in control of it and had sent the distress call.  Only some pirates remained alive onboard the ship; as a result, Dimmias was seen as a hero for single-handidly taking control of the ship that ambushed his squadron.  Before the VE could interogate the pirates, Dimmias, citing personal grievances and burns from an apparent attack on board was allowed to execute the pirates.  As a result, he was a hero and no one was left to tell of the trickery he had been engaged in.  It was a nice neat little package and deceived us all."  Japheth concluded.  He paused, took a drink of water and shut off the holoprojector.  "I know this is quite a bit of information to digest and I thank you for your time and your understanding in this matter.  You are now assigned to Shadowfire Taskforce under the command of Captain Marcus Falensarano.  This taskforce will be responsible for beginning our fight against the RS.  There is a mission upcoming that the entire force will be in on, I'll let Commander Shazam brief you in at his convenience.  I am returning to the Atrus to continue the internal investigation and deal with the upheaval.  Thank you again, dismissed."  Japheth finished.

"Before you go..." Shazam said as people began to move.  "There will be a briefing tomorrow at 09:00 for both wings regarding the next mission.  As of now, moderate your alcohol consumption and standby in mission readiness status.  That's all."


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*Flash Was Here...*

CMDR/LtC Shazam/Nazgul 1-1/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/1VENF/VEN (=A=) (=*SA*=) (=*MA*=) (=*FOCE*=) [LoM] [LSM] [VC:S] [DSM]

Commander of Nazgul Squadron, Phoenix Wing and Training

Jacre' Roelk sat at the desk as if uncertain, stagnant and in utter consternation.  What Rothow had just given him was not at all as he'd expected. 

"You're sure that it was a taskforce on our outskirts?  Rhaegent and Sian are more logical- they'd have outpost there.  Probably just resupplying..."  The medium build man with wirey glasses and a short, almost frizzy beird was cut off by the more brusque, sharp looking individual in front of him.

"So they can attack...  You know you're denying this.  They are perfectly within range to attack- if they needed somewhere to stop, they'd have stayed in the Vectra System- that was their point of origin two weeks ago and as far as our intelligence has gathered, they haven't engaged in any massive attacks...  They just get bigger."  Corvo Rothow was looking particularly passionate today, Roelk noted, as Mospo Vieag huddled quietly in his chair.  This is how things had been going for the last month, since only half of the attacking forces came back and both the Assault Frigate Precipitous and the Hapan Battle Cruisier Absolute needed repairs to their exteriors.  Roelk could still remember the utter fury that Rothow extended toward the both of them that day- whether he was mad at himself or their entire organization was a bit of a mystery.

"What if they're already on their way..." Vieag brushed his thick hands through his long, greasy hair.  He was a man of about six foot and was remarkably thin.  His eyes appeared to have taken heavy damage from years of malnutrition and both the provisional council as well as his counter-parts on the High Council had suggested he take some time off or at least speculated he had a severe case of jaundice that would eventually kill him...

You know that either of the two are just looking for a chance to take it all for themselves... He could hear the words fresh in his mind, Chymay having to whisper for fear that her own body guards would take her into custody and have her executed.  Executions he and the rest of the High Council had deemed legal.  Yes, she was right, but if they could just control it a little...

"They probably are...  Our last count indicated a variety of cruisers including atleast one star destroyer...  When the destroyers drop in, you know they're ready." The room's plain white, windowless walls appeared darker now that Rothow had confirmed all of their assurances- he had a way of putting an ominous spin to things, as if there was some great, evil conspiracy shrouding thier futures. 

"What about the Might?" Roelk questioned hopefully.  Even before the bitter remark slung back at him, he knew it was a stupid question.

"It'll be out for days and at this rate, it'll only arrive after the battle..."  He said no more, maybe afraid of his own premonitions...  Yes, if the Might jumped in after the battle, what would it find?  The same base hidden behind dense layers of green leaf jungles or acrid smoke and the aftermath of a lost battle...  And the Imperials...

"So what do you suggest we do?  You're the military man." Roelk had been sitting at the desk with his eyes cast away from the group, but now he stood as if to confront Rothow for his own blatant blaming.  He was disappointed when a rejoinder flashed yet again his way-

"We prepare...  They have no idea of what type of forces we have here..." Rothow began but Vieag spoke up modestly.

"Deception is the key and in this place, there's not an end for it..."  Why everyone else had stopped speaking, they were not sure- but in that trivial line, again, they thought they heard some pre-eminent death threat from outside or within.  This is how it had been for a month...

Roelk finally spoke. "Fine.  Place the bunkers on full alert and make sure our fighters are ready- do we have any nearby forces?"

"The Precipitous can jump into orbit within the hour and the Absolute in about a half dozen...  I'll see what nearby control craft we can bring up as well."

"How many squadrons?" Vieag querried from behind his hollow eyes.

"As of right now, we're not sure of what type of pilots we can actually get...  They got us pretty good..."

"Maybe if we wouldn't have sen them all at once..." Mospo was again going into his routine against Rothow.  The meager formation of his body and the whitening layer of his skin made him out to be weak, but maybe we was the only one not afraid of everyone else...

"You're not helping Mospo- collect what forces you can and set them in sector so they can jump in if we need them." Roelk was now pacing as Rothow had been for an hour.

"Attach half of the force to our planet and maybe we'll be able to bottle neck 'em..." Rothow seemed excited to be planning traps once again- his ruthless aptitude for destruction worried Roelk slightly, but at this point: he was just glad the psycho was on their side.

"Who knows," Vieag said arrily," maybe they won't even attack."  Rothow shook his head and exited the room as if to say "I'll be working..."

"He could have atleast said good-bye..."

"The provisional's ganna have a fit about this..."

(Alright: no posting just yet.  Again, we'll let you know.  Art- you got those last post done?  Do it to it bud   Also, you need to put in the jobs of each squadron above.  Rock On.)
 
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*Flash Was Here...*

CMDR/LtC Shazam/Nazgul 1-1/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/1VENF/VEN (=A=) (=*SA*=) (=*MA*=) (=*FOCE*=) [LoM] [LSM] [VC:S] [DSM]

Commander of Nazgul Squadron, Phoenix Wing and Training

Ever since the commander of Nazgul Squadron began to think of himself as a Wing Commander, he felt different.  As he sat before the pilots of Phoenix Wing, he couldn't help but feel important.  Is this what made all those commanders before me so arogant?  He'd do his best to beat that fear away. 

It wasn't like him, though, to be imperial in any sense; talking about the treacherous NR?  He remembered back those words and swore he'd never do it again, even with the pressure from Japheth.  The commander had subtly pushed his own quiet aggression onto him in such an efficatious fashion, he barelly realized it had happened.  It occured to him that Japheth wanted him make the RS out to be as bad as the NR...  This did serve some military purpose- raising moral and spirits in general.  He wanted the type of Imperialistic vivaciousness people had witnessed in the battles before Yavin IV or atleast Endor.  But both Japheth and he wanted to let their people know just as equally that the power they had at the moment would come and sweep away anyone who even breathed a whisper of treachery...  Every waking moment had been tense since the past month's simultaneous attack and everyone was just anxious to get out and fly a little.  Patrols around the rendevous's sector had increased to about three times that of regular mandate- atleast one of the pilots had to be loyal enough to report an enemy capitol ship jumping in...  Yes- this had been the idea the entire time...  Movement.  By constantly keeping people busy or sending them out, there would be no time to plan or perform their ploys...

Even still- never again would he swear such allegience to the VE and come down furociously upon other factions.  For longer than he could remember, he had wanted out of the VEN.  Yet he loved it...  The gentle, rhytmic hum of the TIE at his fingertips with the power of the galaxie's most state-of-the-art equipment at his finger tips?  He'd be crazy to abandon a presence so periodically satisfying.  Plus, it wasn't like he hated the VE in any way- in fact, he was thankful he'd found it.  It had offered him more than a few opportunities and his obvious skill in the cockpit had led him to the position he was currently at...  But he wanted to make sure that people know he wasn't some die-hard that wouldn't listen to reason.  He would stay loyal to the VE always- the NR had taken too much away from others and they were just as bad as the original Empire... 

Shazam shook away the thought and peered out across the frantic hanger bay.  Gleaming white shuttles lined the surface while TIEs hung like bats from above as if waiting for dark to launch their hungry campaign for blood.  Gotta love those things...

"Depature in five minutes- Phoenix Wing prepare to depart as transports do..." The voice was harsh despite his obvious attempts to keep it even.  Crap, he thought, realizing that he hadn't even started prepping his fighter yet...  He jogged up the staircase as he'd always done to get his heart beating before getting into a fighter and thought-I'm ganna get my head bit off if I hold-up this mission...

"Are we launching?" he thought he heard a young pilot ask before he reached his own fighter- On all the days to not be paying attention...  Maybe that poor soul would get his head lopped off instead.

The TIE Aggressor wasn't quite his favorite, but it would do.  Considering the fact the last time he'd flown in combat he'd been lent Japheth's personal Defender, this seemed like a gross, hodge podge of spare parts.  He had to forget that though and the thought that the Defender was probably only one of Japheth's back-ups was comforting as well.  Who knows what he actually flies... he thought, almost chuckling as the image of old Japheth suddenly wiping out half a fleet...

"Squadrons report-" this was a different man.

"Aegis awaiting orders.  Out- out..." Chip sounded enthusiastic enough.  Shazam knew that the distance had grown between them only because of the literal space they normally were seperated by.  Chip had once been his wingman, then his flight commander, but after that, the wing had expanded and he was put in command of Nazgul with Jack at his side...  Man- Jack would be missing this... 

"Kaph Squadron is ready to go, command..."  Jack Nebulax was Shazam's Chip for Will.  The two had also gone through Flight School together and been seperated by the growing wing's activities and obvious command opportunities.  It was like Shazam and Chip were a pair of freinds will brothers that hit it off just as well as they did.  Of course, Will and Jack had their disagreements, but their loyalties to eachother was just as obvious.

"Nazgul Squadron here- running through our checks now..."  I'm running through them atleast...  He switched to Nazgul's private channels at the swivel of the dial on the left hand side of the main control yoke and said-"Check in loud and clear, Nazguls..."

"Nazgul Two, here..." Jaden was no longer as tired as he appeared in their last battle and this was comforting- nothing like having a good freind that you knew would never betray you on your own wing.

"Nazgul Three, checking in."  Art had a certain way of saying things that just made him sound Imperial.  Yea, there was no doubting it-he was waiting for a chance for upper-management, but his presence was certainly felt in the squadron despite his position as a flight member once again.  He'd been shifted around so much, Shazam wondered if he even considered it a hit to his pride- then again, Art never really wanted command of the squadron in the first place...  As he suspected, he was probably waiting for a bigger, better position that would take him out of fighter combat and into the chair of a command bridge.  He also had Taylisha to worry about- no doubt he was encountering somewhat of the same heat Jack had taken from his new wife- that was, after all, why he supposebly went on extended leave.  That and his upcoming baby...  There had been a little bit of a quiet exulsion for the baby, but no one really spoke about it for some reason...

"Nazgul Four- I'm here." came a quick, and furtive voice that Shazam recognized as SCRW Tyrrax Ordres.  He was a little disappointed that they'd decided to put someone on a hunch into his squadron, but he tried to by kind to the pilot anyways.

"Nazgul Five- good to go, of course..."  Shazam sighed slightly as he recognized her voice.  This whole guessing game was not for his own benefit but more or less for satisfaction- maybe the greatest releif always came from that of hearing his good freind Jen Knight on the other end.  Yes, she was a pretty young woman that Shazam might not have ingnored had they been in different circumstances, but more than anything- she was support.  She was his XO- and a darn good one.  More than once she'd been the one to see things that Shazam could not peice together on his own- arogence or inherited male tunnel vision: he wasn't sure.

"Nazgul Six- all systems go."  MCPO Darius...  This was one person that the VEN had been reluctant to let into the battle group.  His past history was not bright and was anything but the resume' the Imperials hoped to be accepting; then again- they were desperate.  Now he had proven to be a valuable pilot in more than one sense and had shown time and time again he could take care of himself in some extreme cases- he was important enough to save from Kessel, Shazam remembered and listened on.

"Seven, reporting in..."  Tokijin's shy exterior had more than confused people throughout her time in the VEN.  She spoke in a soft, quaint voice that always seemed freindly and totally not that of a battle-harded Imperial pilot.  Shazam had expected her to change after being in such a rough battle last time...  A lot had happened then.  First, they'd been taken aboard a pirate craft they'd been fooled into thinking was one of their own- tortured- broken out by Warren Dimmias only to find out that their commander had been killed trying to escape.  Then at the last battle, Shazam had suddenly re-appeared in a Defender to hunt down Warren Dimmias- the new SC of Nazgul at the time.  Yes- Dimmias had escaped and Tokijin had to see a lot of things most pilots didn't see in their entire careers, but she was doing considerably well.

"Nazgul Eight, here!"  LCRW Coren Horloinne- Shazam reminded himself.  Too many new guys...

"Nazgul Nine, reporting."  Trevor was yet another sigh of releif amongst the crew of semi-unknowns and wilds.  He'd been as close to a commander candidate as Shazam had ever seen and was now undergoing Shazam's "Under my wings of fire" treatment.  Shazam's cool way of saying "watching your back..."

"Nazgul Ten, reporting in," Gunnay said uniformly.  He was still fresh out of the Academy, yet he'd delivered the killing blow to the heavilly armed corvette they'd encountered on Cepany just a month ago.  Maybe that kill shot had gained him his position in Nazgul Squadron- Shazam did not know...  So much was kept secret from him despite the fact he was "in the loop" that he wondered if he'd ever see anything about all that had gone on.  Probably in thirty years when the files are released to the public he figured and dismissed the last two of the squadron with a gruff cough.

"And this is Nazgul One: give us a light, command..."  Shazam had taken the time to let his sensors run over his ship to detect any possible defects before announcing his readiness of course, but he knew that he could easilly have missed something.  The rest of the pilots had already spent about a half hour searching their ships for sure...

"You have a green light, One: you may depart..." 

"Thanks, command- see you in a bit."  Shazam replied.

"The force be with you..."  Shazam smiled as he realizeds he loved some of the crews from here and wished they'd be put on the Atrus for a while so he wouldn't have to deal with the snootier officers.

"Be careful everyone- the transports are launching from right below- no need to take out half of this battle group because we don't check blind spots..."  Shazam's repulsor drives were activated as the TIE Aggressor detached from the hook with a slight hiss, the fighter drifing down only a few meters before pulling into his exit vector.

"Eww...  Pretty..." Jaden said, following suite in the slow parade.  The glowing white transports below hovered momentarilly before beginning their own wave of quiet, but powerful locomotion for the black space beyond the hanger's exit.  Shazam lingered only momentarilly above them, pushing the throttle forward slightly to surpass the group and loop out and away from the star destroyer.  He barreled left as his radar came alive with contacts-nothing is as important as feeling your fighter.  He barrelled in the opposite direction, snap-rolled and pulled into the escort path he'd been instructed to folow.  Kaph Squadron had already launched and their glinting TIE Hawkbats appeared eerie in the starck light from Rameis Seven, but powerful none the less; Shazam gave another barrel roll for good measure...  The forest planet gleamed in a patriotic fashion to it's own array of cruisers and craft on the left.  At the moment, two squadrons of Preybirds were moving in to intercept- Kaph would reach them in three minutes easy- their group a good thirty mglt faster. 

"Aiight- form up around the transports now- we've got the outer circle- you can take the inner one, Aegis Squadron," Shazam said to no-one in particular.  He got an affirmitive from Chip and he couldn't help but wonder if this was all going to turn out okay...  He had the feeling every once in a while, that maybe he'd gotten himself into more than he could handle, but there was also the strange buttress of support inside of him, telling him that he should be calm...  Not to worry...

***Rameis Seven-RS High Command Suite***

"That's the last time I cover for you, Jacre'..."  Yea, that's right- I called you by your first name...  Take that Dad...  Jacre'...  Meye Havret, or Roelk as Jacre' insisted, had re-addopted her mother's name despite her step-father's best attempts.  Chymay loved her daughter, but she also loved her husband, so when the diplomatic leader spoke of rebuilding their sector in such a way- it was like a knight in shining armor that simply could not be passed up.  The daughter would grow to like him...  Hopefully 

"It had to be done- if there was another way, I'd certainly have done it myself..."  Yourself? She nearly laughed.  Nearly...  At one time, she'd liked Roelk, maybe even loved him, but as she learned the ways of the galaxy from her counselors and her greatest mentor, Liam Ryshnell, who she always thought had a funny name, she began to realize he was like every other 'great ruler.'  This Provisional Council, and really even the High Council at times, was all an elaborately planned scam.  Even the engagement to his mother was probably, in some way, a plot.  After all, she was one of the only forms of royalty in the Harjanne System.  Well, more or less old republic royalty.  The Republic side of things was still brighter than the Imperial one, so it was natural for the citizens of the sector to choose her lineage over probably more favorable Imperial ones...

"If you really wanted to do it yourself, you wouldn't have called me in- you would have stepped up in do the sharade you've been working so hard at this entire time..."  Roelk had that fire in his eyes again that made Meye wonder if she had in fact gone- too far...  Then, abruptly, it vanished and he said-

"You are to stay here until I call you- your mother should be home soon enough..."  He turned to leave but Meye spoke up-

"And you are going where?"  Her eyes peirced the back of his mind- she'd learned this skill from her mother so he was probably absorbing every ounce of venom in it.

He did not turn but replied- "Work..."  Then he was gone and Meye was by herself again.  How tragid her role in the Harjanne system was- she needed something more...  What do you call galactic domination?  She delivered the reprimand at herself with such a menace that she recoiled slightly in her mirror.  Yea- Roelk was out for the big gain, but she couldn't help but feel they were holding onto the sharp side of the bayonet.  There was no back-up plan if all of this went downhill...  This thought had brought her to join the diplomatic program that the RS had set up one of the near-by worlds.  Yes- this one only contains a few small cities, but it is important too she conceded, the same line from the various seminars she'd been too echoing in her mind's resovoires... 

She stared into the mirror a little longer- she was pretty enough to be royalty...  What does royalty really look like? she thought absent-mindedly and pulled down her long brown hair.  It had been hanging into a decorative bun at the back of her head and was now as restless as she was of her situation.  Princess Leia was royalty...  How many hours had she gazed at that picture of her in the Imperial Senate- so proud and still a pinacle of royal beauty...  Yes- that was what she wanted to be...  Too bad the Empire was long since in power...  The New Republic had destroyed it's magestic Imperial Center and renamed it Coruscant in an attempt to bring back the old days.  No- the New Republic was not the Republic and never would be- the Imperials were the closest thing to it...  My, would it would be like without the Emperor in control of it...  She shook her head slightly and went back to the bed to retrieve her datapad.  Dreams of space adventure and heroic gun battles was not something a diplomat of peace and prosperity should be thinking about...  No, not at all...  And with that, she fell back to her bead and closed her eyes...

(Alright- Commanders, post your openers, you can follow the same type of opening style I did where you just run through your members and give a breif explanation of them and what's been going on in your group, or you can think of something else.  Either way, Kaph is engaging two squadrons of Prey birds- take them out semi- quickly.  Don't make it too easy, they still have quite a few numbers and you won't just kill all of them, eventually they'll retreat.  As for the rest of us- we'll be escorting our ships still, a fighter from Kaph's enemy group might swoop in every once in a while- remember that we are giddy...  Don't make it to atmosphere.  We have something planned so no-go on that- we can only get eight minutes out and then no one is aloud to post beyond that point until we put in the next story mover.  From that point on, it should free up substantially.  Remember- squadron commanders first, then members can post their character's personal thoughts and insights after those initial ones.  This is basically Nazgul's opening post- lets rock.)
 
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*Flash Was Here...*

CMDR/LtC Shazam/Nazgul 1-1/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/1VENF/VEN (=A=) (=*SA*=) (=*MA*=) (=*FOCE*=) [LoM] [LSM] [VC:S] [DSM]

Commander of Nazgul Squadron, Phoenix Wing and Training

Chip paced around his bomber, doing his pre-flight check. He ran his left hand along the starboard solar panel, walking from rear to front. The scimitars were interesting, specially designed for close air support of ground operations. He hadn't flown one in combat before, and was rather leary of the prospect. Chip hated atmospheric flying. The wind slowed you down, buffeted you and caused tubulence, and gave resistance to manuevers. Vacuum was so much smoother. Plus, if you were shot down in vacuum, as opposed to atmospheric, there was no ground to slam into. You could just eject and float about until picked up after the battle. It was much more difficult to survive an atmospheric shoot-down. The fact that Chip had, once, indeed survived an atmospheric shoot-down was irrelevant. He shook his head. He still had some bad memroies of the shock-induced hallucinations; his mind slipping back and forth between the battle with enemy recovery teams and a dance back home that had ended long ago.

Bah, enough of that. Back to business. He peared into an open hatch, inspecting the targeting reciever that would allow the army boys to illuminate ground targets for bombardment. Interesting peice of equipment, could have made use of it at the Battle of Ugron. Now that had been a battle. Chip had a mix of good and bad memories from that. The particularly bad, of course, being the way he and Shazam had been shot down. But again, enough of that. He nodded to his crew chief, Raydon Pontel. Pontel was taller than Chip, by a good five inches, and still hadn't gotten used to Chip's being made a commisioned ensign. As a matter of fact, neither had Chip. So Pontel still occasionaly called Chip "Chief" instead of "Sir." Chip didn't mind; Pontel kept him alive, so Chip let it slide. Heh, that almost rhymed...

He climbed atop the scimitar, then lowered himself into the cockpit to check the controls. Satisfied that the toggles flipped smoothly enough, his pilot's survival pack was correctly strapped to the ejection seat, and that the targetting computer was properly calibrated, he took off his right glove and slid a faded photograph from a pocket. He was going to need to print out a new copy soon. Two corners were already missing, the remaining two were dog-eared, and the image itself was faded yellow and stained black from mechanical lubricants that occasionaly flew around a cockpit after particularly bad enemy salvos. But Chip had flown with this one for so long that he couldn't stand the idea of replacing it before the thing actually fell apart. Besides, he didn't even need to look at it to see her face.

Bah, another thing he shouldn't be thinking of, esspecially before a combat mission. He tucked it into the corner of the targetting computer screen, and climbed back out to check on his squadron. Chip was going to miss Gemini. She had been a good pilot, and it wasn't going to be the same without her. One of the new recruits passed by, obviously very nervous. Hunter gave the kid a pat on the back, but Hunter's mechanical eye seemed to be making the poor kid even more nervous. Chip chuckled. Rusty and Raigen were talking, Raigen and Templar again voicing their displeasure at flying bombers. But the scimitars were going to be better for close air support. Yes, gunboats had better shields, but the canopies were in the wrong place for targeting ground forces; they faced up instead of forward. A TIE's unique forward-canopy was needed in order to see the surface. Which, even more importantly, was also necessary to prevent slamming into buildings or trees while hugging the ground and, as Chip called it, flying "nap-of-the-surface."

A wrench flew across the hangar; Rusty was mad again that his maintenance crew couldn't understand wookie. Chip chuckled agian. Many Imperial factions still had an intolerance for non-humans, and the equipment the VE used was not designed for a figure as tall as Rusty. But Chip had flown with Rusty back in the old Aegis, under LoneWolf, and trusted him far more than any of the new kids. "Hey Rusty, at least they don't feel the need to wear Mrr-proof armor around you. That's gotta count for 'em, right?"

"Rhrhrhrhraaaawwwww."

"Heh heh, yeah, yeah. Look, keep an eye on these transferees for me. It'd be nice if they could actually last for more than one brief engagement. I know they don't seem to have much flying sense yet, but give 'em some time and maybe we can change it."

"Rrrhhm."

"Thanks." Rusty turned back to his own TIE, grabbing a tool from a mechanic and using it himself. Chip donned his helmet, just in time to hear that the wing was deploying two minutes early. "Step it out, people, we're deploying early. I want everyone in their TIE's ASAP." Chip waited until everyone was settled in their cockpits. "Alright, give me a status report. This is Aegis one, clear."

"Aegis two, clear."

Aegis three, clear."

"This is six, here to mix, ready to kick some butt!"

"Six, wait your turn, and stick to protocol; I don't give a damn how relaxed you were in the academy!"

"Err, sorry sir..."

The check finished smoothly, the new guy stuttering somewhat in his embarassment, after trying to sound cool...

And now, Chip thought, we wait.
 
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SC/ESN Chipmunk Man/Aegis 1/Phoenix/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)[LoC][MC:1]x3[LSM][VC:B]

"I know what you're thinking, punk. You're thinking, 'Did he fire six shots, or only five?' Well to tell you the truth, I've forgotten myself in all this excitement. But being this is a .44 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and will blow your head clean off, you need to ask youself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya? Punk!"
-"Dirty" Harry Callahan

"Mr. Stratford, it's just a party..."
*wags finger* "...And Hell is just a sauna."

[I told you that we needed to modify the cockpit. I've informed you all a million times, if I've informed you once! I DON'T BLOODY FIT! So don't you dare get mad at me because I took it upon myself to fix the problem.] Rusty was waving a wrench angrily at a mechanic whose face was that of confusion and frustration.
"Sir, you were not given proper clearance to use our tools to modify that craft. There would be no prob-"
[I BLOODY TOLD YOU! I DON'T FIT!] Rusty roared at the mechanic and flung the wrench he had been waving around in the other's direction. Whether it was his intention to hit the mechanic or not, it wasn't too clear, but if it had, it would have surely done some damage.

Luckily, Rusty had just finished the modification and was merely tweaking a few things and checking his scimitar over. Rusty had enough experience as a mechanic and he really didn't need those yobbos anyway. As he was doing his final check over the craft, Chip yelled, "Hey Rusty, at least they don't feel the need to wear Mrr-proof armor around you. That's gotta count for 'em, right?" and approached the hairy humanoid. They had a quick conversation before Chip had departed and donned his helmet quickly and shortly thereafter announced, "Step it out people, we're deploying early. I want everyone in their TIEs ASAP." Rusty slipped on his own, custom helmet, tossed his Ryyk blades into the cockpit (he figured, if he got shot down, he would want those around...) and climbed into his cockpit. Bloody hell...it's still cramped in here... Rusty thought as he settled himself in and fired his ship up.

That buzz had a lot of memories attached to it, granted, the scimitar's was a bit different than what he was used to, but Rusty wasn't about to get picky. He heard other pilots complaining about the fact that they were in bombers this time around, but he saw it as a privilege to even get to fly at all. They should consider themselves lucky.
Suddenly, he heard Aegis 6 burst onto the intercom. Don't these kids have any manners...that bugger's gonna get it when we get back, I'll see to that! Rusty noted to himself.

[Aegis 5 is a go.] Then he let a mighty roar over the comm to get everyone fired up. Another day smiting infidels...should be fun. Rusty's thought accompanied a toothy grin.

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FL/PO2 Rustichituk/Aegis 2-5/Wing 1 (Phoenix)/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE/(=A=)

    Raigen adjusted himself inside the bomber. It was bad enough that he was stuck with a scimitar, but he still wasn't used to the cockpit. There was no way he could fly this thing. Despite the hatred he had for the scimitar, he pulled his helmet on and started to upload his control calibration program. His helmet was a black rebel style model with orange shielding and the imperial seal on either side. It made the other pilots mad to see him it so he wore it for the sheer pleasure of their annoyance.

    Raigen waited for Aegis 10 to chime in as he finished with the calibration. His cockpit was cramped with controls and his own ESK(Emergency Supply Kit) which included rations, flares, and other assorted items that were stuffed in a vacuum bag and shoved in the space between the seat and the right side of the cockpit. Raigen also had his O-6 blasterpistol safely in its holster around his waist.

    "Aegis 10, engines green and ready to go." Zharn called out. Chip acknowleged the clear. "Thats it then, Aegis Squadron clear, ready and willing!" Chip chimed through the speaker in Raigen's helmet.

    "Hold up there Squadron! Aegis 11 is clear awaiting green light for departure!" Raigen laughed at the fact that Chi forgot that he was a new addition to Aegis. Although Asteroid Prime had broken him in, he was still pretty new. Raigen finished adjusting his helmet and awaited Chip's response.

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FM/SCRW Raigen/Aegis 3/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE (VC:B)