"Let's follow flight one's lead, but let's conserve some of our missiles," Darius ordered. Hunter assumed he meant use their missiles to break apart the incoming formation of A-wings. He just hoped he didn't assume wrong. Bringing his missiles online, he targeted the middle fighter of the third flight of A-wings. It took only moments to get a target lock, but as soon as he did, he got the warning that he was being targeted too. "Nazgul Five, 1 is go," Darius stated.

  Throwing caution to the wind, Hunter followed suit, launching his missiles in perfect synchronization with Darius, though he forgot to say he was doing it. His HUD was going crazy, suddenly, it the ringing in his cockpit solidified into a solid tone, warning him that he was locked. "I've been locked," Hunter informed everyone. Three missiles streaked out from the incoming flight of A-wings. "Hell no!" Hunter cursed, switching to cannons; he hoped that Darius and DJ could react in time.

  Hunter didn't even pay attention as the enemy flights were ripped to shreds from Nazgul's missiles. All he saw were the three streaks of light rapidly closing the distance with his fighter. Time seemed to slow down around him, although his mind was racing. If I try to break formation, I can get the missiles away from the rest of the flight, though I'll die. If I try to shoot them down, I'll only have enough time to hit one. Can Darius and DJ even hit the missiles from their position? I'm not going to let this whole thing end for me by some metal tube filled with explosives Squeezing the trigger, Hunter prayed his eyes weren't deceiving him. Four green bolts shot out, in line with the lead missile.

  He didn't have time to see the rest. The laser bolts impacted the missile only a few meters ahead of his fighter. Pressing his eyes shot, he flew his fighter through the explosion. If his eyes had been open, he might have considered the sight of his shields glimmering around his fighter pressing away the licking flames to be an almost beautiful sight, but if he was going to die, Hunter wanted his last image to be that of the family he knew, back in the recesses of his mind. Am I dead?"

  "Nazgul Six, are you alright? Speak up man." Darius voice broke through the darkness.

  Hunter's eyes popped open to reveal the battlefield around him once more. "Nazgul Six here, I'm all right, though I think I drained my luck for the next few years. Thanks for the assist."

  "Well, if we hadn't taken them out, when they hit you, the explosions would have either damaged our fighters or destroyed us as well. We decided it would be best to avoid that." DJ commented.

  "Cheerful," Hunter sighed, following Darius lead as they continued to cover the squadron of Gunboats.

  "Flight 2, this is Nazgul 1, keep on track with the Gunboats. We'll take care of the rest of the A-wings," Shazam ordered. Hunter looked out his viewport. The X-wings had almost reached the waiting flights of Kaph and Nazgul around the Doashim. The remaining four A-wings were being pummeled by Flight 1.

  "Understood Flight One, we'll continue as ordered." Darius replied.

  Great, we get to baby sit a bit longer. Plus, we're headed straight for four huge ships that could blow us out of the sky with no problem. I'd rather be taking out those A-wings then be leading this pack of gunboats into a lion's nest. A very violent lion's nest. . . Hunter contemplated.

 
-----------------------
NazgulSquadron
Chief Petty Officer Hunter

FM/CPO Hunter/Nazgul 6/Pheonix Wing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE (=*A*=) (=*SA*=) (VC:B)

Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will be victorious in ten thousand battles.
You may forget the past, but it always has a way of haunting your future.
Men can die, but a symbol is eternal.

I took to long to write this post, and need to alter it a bit to fit what has developed in the last few hours.  Jaden, I've tried to re-word mine a bit to come after yours, without totally rewriting it.


"Most of the A-Wings are down, and Flight Two is dealing with the survivors, but we've got several squadrons of X-Wings in the asteroid field.  Two and Three split up."  Came the order from Shazam.  "There's not much room for formation flying in an asteroid field.  Target at your discretion."

"Acknowledged One" Jaden replied, echoed by Amason.

Amason pulled back and to the right on his flight stick, trying to plot the trajectory of three X-Wings he'd seen just moments before.  After a few seconds of searching, he'd found them.  They were still in formation, moving through a less dense channel within the asteroid field.  "They're trying to sneak into the fight"

Resisting the urge to lock on to one of the fighters, Amason moved within range, and let loose a barrage of laser fire, then pushed the throttle to full power, and peeled away from the trio.  Only one of his shots made contact, as the X-Wings had dispersed quickly, trying to identify their attacker, but this was what he had wanted.  The X-Wings had been discovered, couldn't identify their attacker because he wasn't locked on to one of them.  They would have to manually sight and lock on to his fighter. 

"Three, do you require assistance?"  It was Jaden, Nazgul Two.

"Negative.  Things are under control."  Amason said, banking slowly to starboard, bringing his fighter into a wide arc, putting him directly behind the flight of X-Wings, which had resumed formation, but increased their speed.  His first instinct was to open fire, but he knew that it would be a mistake.  It took him less than a second to decide on his course of action.  He closed to within twenty meters of the trailing X-Wing, but targeted the second.  As soon as his indicator went red, the second X-Wing started a breakaway maneuver.  "Too late" A pair of bright red missiles shot from his TIE Advanced, and quickly found their target.  Amason had already turned his attention back to the third X-Wing, not bothering to wait around for the missiles to hit their target, or the resulting explosion.  He quad-linked his cannons, and opened fire, quickly breaking through the X-Wing's rear shields.  Moments later a small explosion temporarily blinded him as one of the X-Wing's port engines exploded, breaking off the connected S-foil.  As the ship began to spin sideways, it slammed into a nearby asteroid.

"Two down, one to go" But in the seconds it had taken to destroy both X-Wings, Amason had lost sight of their flight leader.  As he banked to starboard, trying to guess the pilot's next move, his proximity alarm went off.  "This one is might be a challenge"

Amason pulled the stick hard to the right, heading for the nearest asteroid, which would provide more options for dealing with the two missiles that were now on his six.  He had chosen a particularly large asteroid, and could see many surface fissures and canyons on its surface.  Sending his fighter into a gradual z-axis spin, he leveled out and pulled up just before reaching the surface of the large crater he had flown into.  He could see a large outcropping of rock that seemed to tower above the crater's surface.  "Perfect." he thought.  Seconds later the tower of rock had been shattered by fire from Amason's TIE Advanced as he jerked his fighter hard to port, then back to starboard, flying around the debris.  This maneuver led both missiles directly into the debris, causing one of the warheads to detonate.  The resulting explosion triggered the second war head. 

As Amason pulled out of the crater,  he took several laser blasts to his rear shields.  "He's still with me.  Not bad."  Banking hard to port, Amason cut brought his throttle down to thirty percent in order to increase maneuverability, and allow the X-Wing to overshoot him.  This had worked countless times before, but he was still a bit apprehensive.  If the enemy pilot was experienced enough to anticipate this move, Amason would be in a precarious position.  If not, the X-Wing pilot had sealed his fate.

Amason watched his sensors, then felt the rumbling from the X-Wing's engines as it passed within two meters of his craft, overshooting him, as he'd hoped.  With that, Amason brought his engines to full power, and began firing.  The X-Wing pulled hard to starboard, then back to port, hoping to throw off his pursuer's aim, then went pulled an Immelman, pulling his fighter up ninety degrees.  Upon realizing the X-Wing pilot's intentions, Amason immediately pulled up on his flight stick, keeping his targeting reticule just in front of the X-Wing. 

As the rebel craft began it's second turn, Amason fired his lasers.  Unable to react in time, the X-Wing fly directly into the TIE's laser fire.  Keeping his sights on the X-Wing, Amason slowed his fighter, and pulled in behind the damaged X-Wing.  He could see a smoke trail coming from the underside of the fighter, where his last volley had hit.  Just when he was about to fire, the rebel fighter banked left and came to a stop, which caused Amason to overshoot.  But unlike his opponent, he knew how to rectify the situation, dumping power from shields to engines, and going to full throttle.  He watched the X-Wing's blip on his aft sensors grow dimmer as he increased the distance between them.  Knowing one's fighter was a big advantage in combat, and Amason knew that a TIE Advanced could easily outrun an X-Wing, and with extra power transferred to the engines, even get out of weapons range within several seconds.

When his distance to target indicator showed two clicks, he brought his fighter into a hard, starboard turn, coming around one hundred-eighty degrees.  The X-Wing was still headed straight for him.  Amason switched over to missile targeting, and waited.

One kilometer... 900 meters... 700 meters... 500 meters... Amason disengaged his targeting computer, intending to dumbfire the missiles.  100  meters...  His plan was working.  The rebel pilot's sense of honor and pride was too strong to let him break off first.  At ten meters, the rebel pilot lost his nerve and banked to port, trying to avoid the collision.  Amason matched his maneuver, and with only a few meters to spare, fired two concussion missiles and jerked his flight stick up and to the right.  The resulting explosion sent Amason's fighter spinning, but he quickly recovered, and surveyed the damage.  His forward shields had taken the brunt of the blast, and were down to eight percent.  The X-Wing was nowhere to be seen.  He quickly reset his shield energy, increased the charge rate, and headed back toward the battle.

"Three to One, three X-Wings down. Any specific orders?"
"Good flying Three.  That MC40 is getting closer to the asteroid field.  They must be planning to blast their way through to the Doashim."  Replied Shazam.

"Not much we can do there, One."

"I know that" There was an edge to Shazam's voice.  "Right now our objective is to eliminate the fighter threat, but we have to find a away to even the odds.  I'm open to suggestions."



...Onboard the MC40a Xuthus...

Captain Cog Obili smiled.  Things couldn't get any better.  Just an hour before, they had laid waste to a secret Imperial stronghold.  Now, an Imperial Strike Cruiser would fall before his fleet.  The Imperial captain had surprised him by moving into the asteroid field, but this would only delay the inevitable.

"Bring us about.  Lay in an intercept course.  I don't care if we have to vaporize that entire asteroid field; I want to be within firing range as soon as possible." 

Obili's force of two Corvettes, one strike cruiser, and his flagship MC40a clearly had the upper hand against one strike cruiser, but ever since two squadrons of Imperial fighters had jumped into the area, his fighters had suffered heavy losses.  "If the Imperial captain is as good as his fighter cover, this may prove to be a challenge" he thought.

"Send in the Corvettes" The captain ordered.

The communications officer spoke into the comm., "Xuthus to Hugin and Munin, your orders are to proceed into the asteroid field.  Provide heavy fire support for our fighter squadrons" 

"Acknowledged Xuthus" Came the reply from both ships.

"We'll see how those Imperial fighters handle a pair of corvettes"


-----------------------
--Am

Kal's eyes scanned the Doashim . The Strike Cruiser was holding together well, despite the conflict it had faced so far. He didn't have much time to sit and examine the capital ship -  it was under attack, and needed support.

Arturus, commander of the strike cruiser, had moved the ship into the asteroid field. It's shape as well as weapon array allowed it to find a path through the debris, making it difficult for the enemy capital ships to follow it in. However, it's defensive weaponry left a "Clear Zone" around the ship which made it easy for the enemy fighters to manuver and attack.

"Kaph squadron, form up into your regular wingman pairs." Willtconq ordered them. Kal activated his comlink and acknowledged, then threw in a comment to Hellkite.

"Keep up the good flying four, It looks like we're going our seperate ways." The executive officer said. They reached  the clear area between the Doashim and the field around it.

"I've just spotted a pair of Y-Wings. Kaph 2, let's take the bastards down." Will said to Kal. The Squadron Commander changed course and flew towards the ship's left side, near the engines, Demonic following.

Kal targeted his weaponry on one of the fighters, but held and waited for a better aim - preferably one that would not miss and hit the strike cruiser. A few seconds passed and then they were behind the Y-Wings, who had completed their run and were making a turn to make another hit.

"Fire, now!" Willtconq said, filling the space between the two pairs with deadly energy. Kal triggered his four fire-linked laser cannons as well, and the two burned down the bombers almost immediately. It seemed they werent prepared to be tailed in the middle of turn, much less by two advanced fighters.

"Good shooting two." The squadron commander said, "Wait, look to your sensors, I'm picking up a flight of X-Wings heading in our direction." Surely enough, four fighters appeared at their ten o'clock, sending a glowing trail of red energy bolts in their direction. The two imperial pilots immediately evaded, the energy slashing through the space which they had occupied just a moment before.

"They're still on us!" Kal said as the X-Wings pulled up behind them once their maneuvers had completed. The imperial pilots attempted to shake them, but without very much luck. Suddenly, just as it seemed they would never be able to break away,  a series of laser blasts slammed into the X-Wings from their above right and tore two of the fighers apart.

"It looked like you guys could use a little help." Hunter of Nazgul squadron's voice rang out over the comm.

"Thanks Nazgul-Six." Willtconq said. The remaining two X-Wings had broken off the assault in effort to avoid the fate of their fellow flight members. This time, the two Kaph pilots had the chance to pursue.

Kal set his targeting systems to one of the republic fighters, quickly establishing a missile lock. He fired a concussion missile, which quickly caught up to and slammed into it's goal, piercing armor and tearing the single-man fighter to pieces. Willtconq streamed energy in the direction of the other, damaging the X-Wing's engines and sending it spinning into a firey demise.

It's good to be back in the vacuum... Kal thought, watching the fighter explode into a blaze, the rest of it being reduced to scrap.
 
-----------------------
|EXO/WO2_Demonic/Kaph 2/PheonixWing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE| (=*A*=)(=*SA*=)(=*ee*=)(VC:B)(MC2)(VEB)(DSM)[BWC]{O1}-=TOP PILOT=-
100% on both Exams, looking good.
Demonic = Darr-Rann
Kaph Elite Executive Officer
Training Operator, Level One

HellKite thought to himself.  "Regular wingmen flights...?"  He frowned.  He had forgot who his partner was.  Turning his fighter away from Demonic, he took a sharp turn to the left.  A couple of X-Wings were coming in his direction.  "Oh...You've got to be kidding me."  Having no time to remember his flight partner, HellKite quickly took a sharp dive below the X-wings.  They curved into a swoop, tailing HellKite.  Cursing under his breath, he wondered how he would get them off his tail.  He didn't have long to think as two of X-wings suddenly exploded, leaving the rest of the enemies slowing down, confused with what happened.  HellKite himself pulled the fighter level, looking around to see what had happened.  His comlink's light blinked. 

"Kaph Three to Kaph Four, good morning pilot," said a cheerful voice.  pffft...Well, my partners here.  A bit cheerful for my taste but heck, whatever.  Etan had just saved his tail.  While the X wings were chasing Hellkite, Etan sneaked up, blasting two.  The battle was just starting however.  Taking no pause to let the X wings recover, Hellkite quickly pulled up towards the X wings, facing them headon.  Some of them turned to face Etan while the others kept their heading at HellKite.  They were confused.  "Bah... count on the republic to have uncoordinated fliers."  Accelerating, HellKite used minor spins and rolls to dodge the random spurs of laser blasts.  "Too easy..."  Diving a little right in front of the X wings, HellKite then pulled up, shooting at the X wings from below.  The blasts caught many fighters by surprise, destroying most.  Others had tried to dodge by rolling horizonatally, some crashing into their own fellow pilots.  The rest were tooken care of by Etan, who had swooped down to catch the rest of the fighters.

"Kaph Four to Kaph Three, thank's for the cover.  Now lets catch up to the rest, we're a bit too far from the main battle."  Etan didn't respond, making HellKite uneasy.  He wasn't used to this teamwork, and the silence wasnt helping.  Etan seemed to follow, so he assumed Etan had heard him.  HellKite checked his controls.  He was gettig used to this fighter, thank god.  No damage either, maybe this wasn't going to be  so bad after all.  Turning the fighter around, he flew quickly to join the battle.  Etan followed closely behind, speeding up until he was by HellKite's side.  Etan spoke over the comlink.

"Let's show them..." 

HellKite smiled.  The two fighters sped towards the strike cruiser, flying smoothly, side by side.

-----------------------
"Where there is hell, flames follow."




EFM/CRW/HellKite/Kaph 1-4/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE

Commander Jansen worked his way down the line of officers introducing the important ones who stood in the front row.

"Commander Treg Ferran, systems officer."  Jansen stated as he and Art made their way to the first man in the line.  The commander gave a crisp salute that was returned by Art.  According to the dossier provided by Japheth, Ferran was forty-eight and had twenty-five years service in the navy.  He had begun as a technician and worked his way up showing decent leadership skills but most importantly, good problem-solving skills.  Physical fitness appeared to be something that was never very important to him or else he simply enjoyed the quality food ship officers received.  He also sported a mustache that was in need of some maintenance.  Overall, Art's impression of him was that he was an average man with good logic and little care for his physical appearance.  The two men made their way to the next in line.

"Lieutenant Commander Victor Trenor, weapons control officer."  Trenor and Art exchanged sharp salutes as they were introduced.  Trenor's dossier stated that he had a reputation for being slightly impetuous.  He was thirty-five, slim, and clean shaven; in essence he was the exact opposite of Commander Ferran.  Art had made a note after reading the dossier that he would have to ensure Commander Trenor focused on drilling his gunners and that Trenor waited for his command before firing.  From his study of tactics, Art had learned a number of different bait and trap tactics that required precise timing; precise timing would only be possible if everyone followed the plan.

"Lieutenant Commander Andyr Tarwin, engineering officer."  Tarwin was in his mid-forties, forty-four to be exact.  He had served on Strike Cruisers for seven years now and had twenty-years of experience in engineering as he too had worked his way up from the bottom.  The reviews of his performance were good but not spectacular; he was a man who got his job done pure and simple.  One note that was in the dossier, but not unusual for an engineering officer, was that he was very protective of the engines and generators.  Some commanders had written this up as "excessive and frustrating pessimism" but others had accepted it as Tarwin simply ensuring that the engines would continue to function.

"Lieutenant Robi Vantai, navigation officer."  The dossier had little about Lieutenant Vantai.  While already thirty, this was his first ship duty.  He had served much of his time as an adjutant to various officers in the logistics department at headquarters and the record indicated that he had spent a considerable amount of time at the academy studying mathematics, planning, and other subjects relative to navigation.  This was his first test in his job.

"Lieutenant Dag Vansic, communications officer."  Vansic was thirty-seven which made him old for a lieutenant.  His rank was not due to a lack of skill but rather what was described as an extremely high-strung and arrogant attitude that had frustrated many former commanding officers.  He had not lasted at the same assignment for more than six months before transferred.  The information stated that he was a very skilled with codes and that he had actually programmed new codes and written programmes to decipher others.  His expertise was in computers and mathematics and he had started as a skilled technician before his talent for codes was discovered.  The dossier stated that his arrogance was due to a sense of his intellectual superiority in the field and he had a tendency to look down on others as not being as intelligent as himself.  Art, who was very intelligent in his own right, knew that this man was going to be a challenge.

"Lieutenant Ettagar Chakrei, security officer."  Art remembered this dossier specifically for its lack of information.  Little information was ever given about security officers.  From looking at him Art could see that he was young, maybe even in his mid-twenties.  His eyes were intense and it was clear that he was looking over Art with some degree of suspicion.  Chakrei was probably relatively fresh out of training and possibly looking to make a name for himself.  Art wasn't ensure, based on his first impressions, whether to label him as a fanatic, an egoist, or simply just young and ambitious.  Every officer so far had struck Art as being from a new breed of imperials.  They were not the fanatics loyal to the emperor but rather military men, aristocrats from imperial controlled planets, and people who simply wanted law and order.  Art sympathized in this regard; he was most certainly not an imperial ideologically.  In fact, he would fit very well within the NR military as well; he was efficient and followed the book which made him a good military man but not necessary an imperial as imperial had once been defined.

"Major Mathius Sangha, commander, 4th Mobile Response Battalion."  Art had not received any information about the major as he had been assigned to the battalion after Art had received his command.  The major was in his mid-thirties from his looks and looked slim and fit; despite the fact that he was in a black stormtrooper officer's uniform, Art believe that the slimming factor of black was not creating an illusion.  It was clear that the major had been in battle before; he looked rugged and tough as one would have expected of an army leader.  He seemed to fill a cliché and yet there appeared to be much more than met the eye.

"Captain Lerak Tuspin, executive officer, 4th Mobile Response Battalion."  If the major was in his mid-thirties then Captain Tuspin was either in his late twenties or early thirties.  There was little unusual about him and indeed he was so unexceptional in appearance there seemed to be little to note about him.

"And finally, Lieutenant Sieana Krytal, commander, Sentinel Reconnaissance Squadron."  Sieana was the only female officer Art was introduced to in the line.  She was young and not entirely unattractive.  In a sense, meeting her at the end of the line was a welcome relief; after being subject to the stares and doubts that lay in the eyes of the other officers, Art felt a bond with Lieutenant Krytal immediately as a former pilot.  However, his professionalism did not allow him to express an emotion different to that he had shown the others.  He returned her salute with a crisp one of his own and nodded.

"Very well Commander."  Art said turning to Commander Jansen.  "Dismiss the men; I shall like a tour of the ship once we enter hyperspace."

"Aye Captain."  The commander responded.  "Attention!  Dismissed to your stations!"  The commander ordered to the crew assembled in the hanger.  Jansen led the way to the bridge as the rest of the crew moved in an orderly but casual manner back to their posts.  Ten minutes later, everyone was back in position on the bridge ready for deployment.  After giving the orders, the ship leapt forward into hyperspace towards their first patrol destination.

(I will discuss more of what happens later, for now I'm jumping ahead)

===Three hours later===

The ship left hyperspace and reverted to real speed near a route well traveled by merchants, smugglers, and the odd military vessel.  This was to be the Doashim's main base of patrol for the next six months.

"Captain Hargraves, there is a message coming over the emergency command frequency."  Lieutenant Dag Vansic called out from his station.  Art walked overly at a brisk but commanding speed.  The lieutenant enlarged the message on a screen to the side of the communications panel.

[Message]
From: Admiral Japheth
To: STR Doashim

Local imperial planet recently attacked by a multi-cruiser rebel fleet.  Initial responders report fleet entered hyperspace on course for a small system nearby.  Your position is closest to the target; respond immediately.

[/End Message]

"Was this all lieutenant?"  Art inquired.

"What do you think Captain?  There is no magical secret here."  Lieutenant Vansic snapped back; he was apparently insulted at the question.  Art saw immediately why he had never lasted longer than six months with any commander.  The question had not been related to the lieutenant confidence.  The message stated that the rebels had attacked with a multi-cruiser fleet and yet there was nothing contained in the message regarding backup or support.  The admiral can't be expecting us to take them on alone. Art thought to himself.  Nevertheless, the lack of information was cause for some distress.

"Very well, pass the coordinates to navigation."  Art replied; he turned and walked back to the head of the bridge.  "Navigator, plot us an immediate course to those coordinates."  Art ordered.

"Aye Captain."  Lieutenant Vantai called.  Twenty seconds later, trouble.  "Captain, these coordinates put us dangerously close to an asteroid field in the area."

"Plot us a course as close to the field as safely possible then lieutenant and hurry."  Art replied.  Perhaps his response was slightly harsh but just as he had always been with the squadrons he had commanded in the past, he expected perfection.  In this case, he expected the navigator to recognize the problem and plot the course accordingly without requiring further instructions.  A minute later the navigator barked out instructions and the ship leapt into hyperspace.

"Time of arrival?"  Art asked.

"Forty-six minutes Captain."  Vantai responded.

"Very well continue as you were.  Commander Jansen, the bridge is yours."  Arturus said as he turned to his executive officer.  With the bridge in good hands, Art retired to his quarters to relieve himself and get a few minutes peace to clear his mind and prepare for the upcoming battle.

===Forty minutes later===

"Sound the order for battle-stations."  Arturus ordered as he reappeared on the bridge.

"Aye Captain" one of the technicians called out; his voice was followed by the sound of klaxons wailing ordering everyone to their station.  Art looked down at his watch; for a ship this size he expected everyone to be at their stations within three minutes, this would be the crew's first test.  As the ready reports were coming in, Art made his way up to the command chair and sat down.  He almost forgot to lift the holster of his sidearm so he wouldn't sit on it awkwardly.  It was unusual for most ship officers to wear sidearms under normal conditions but so far, no one had challenged him on it.  Even if they had, Art would not take it off; often, his sidearm was the only thing in life he trusted.  A sense of paranoia and desperation for security was something that had followed him all his life.

"All stations report ready captain."  Lieutenant Vansic reported.  Art looked back down at this watch; it had taken nearly five minutes for the crew to assemble.  Drills are definitely needed here.  Art thought to himself.  Just over a minute later the ship left hyperspace and raced towards the asteroid field.  When the engines had fully reverted Art estimated that they were about ten kilometers away from the outskirts of it.

"Well done lieutenant."  Art said to Lieutenant Vantai.  He felt it was important to praise men for a job well done and Vantai, who was on his first tour of ship duty, had plotted an excellent course.

"Captain, scanners detect four contacts, to aft, course 230."  One of the technicians called out.

"Are you able to classify them?"  Art responded.

"They appear to be two corvettes, possibly a modified class, a strike cruiser, and an MC: 40 sir.  All of them are hostile."  Art's eyes narrowed he felt himself shudder slightly although he hoped he actually hadn't.

"What's their speed?"

"They are idle Captain."  The technician responded.

"Very well, inform me of any speed or course change immediately."  Arturus instructed.

"Captain, incoming message over the general frequency."  Vansic called from his station.

"But it on full audio."  Art replied.

"Attention inbound ship, this is Comodore Cog Obili of the Defenders of the Republic.  Identify yourselves or you will be fired upon!"  A voice boomed over the communications system.

"Establish a video link."  Art ordered as he hurried over to the communications centre.

"I beg your pardon captain?"  Vansic asked.

"Establish a video link."  Art repeatedly impatiently.  Vansic snapped his fingers at a technician and a few seconds later a man appeared on the holoscreen in front of Art.  Comodore Obili, as he had identified himself, appeared to be in his early fifties.  He had a medium, muscular build with graying hair and a commanding poise.  Clearly there were many years of experience standing in front of Art.

"This is Lieutenant Corran Hargraves, captain, Strike Cruiser Doashim, Vast Empire Navy.  You and your fleet just ravaged an imperial controlled planet, is the new republic now adopting imperial tactics?"  Art asked his enemy.  Art had wanted to establish a video link in order to see whom it was that he was fighting.  He could see that his rival was experienced and intelligent and as a result, would not be easily fooled by any amateur tricks Art through at him.  However, the other reason for the video transmission may still work.  Art hoped to get the man off-balance or at least slightly overconfident by clearly identifying himself as a younger junior officer in command of the ship.  Underestimating one's enemy is a grave mistake in battle; Art hoped the commodore may become slightly guilty of that as a result of the conversation.  The commodore took a moment before replying; he appeared to be sizing up Arturus and trying to figure out what to make of him.

"Sides do not own tactics Captain; good commanders do what is necessary."  The commodore replied.  "This is our space, leave immediately or you will be fired upon."  He instructed in a stern voice.  Art was impressed though certainly did not show it; the commodore had referred to him as captain rather than lieutenant demonstrating that he would not easily be baited into underestimating Art.  Art, after all, was commanding a small cruiser and clearly the commodore did not believe those commands were given out frivolously.

"Then good luck commodore; may the best commander emerge victorious."  Arturus replied as he signaled under the sight of the projector for the technician to cut the feed.

"Any other contacts in the area?"  Art demanded as he returned to his command position.

"Two squadrons of A-wings have launched from the MC: 40 captain."  The technician responded.

"Any movement from the capital ships?"

"None yet captain."

"Very well.  Navigator, is there a stable mass in that asteroid field?"  Art asked; several eyes turned towards him surprisingly as he did.

"Umm&"  The navigator responded slightly nervously.  "According to our most recent charts, the field is relatively stable at the core but with a ship this size, could we even make it through?"  Vantai asked.

"Plot us a course to the closest stable area.  Commander Trenor, inform your gunners to prepare to defend this ship against any incoming asteroids."

"Aye captain."  Both men replied firmly; despite that, however, Art could sense some doubt.

"Come left to course 350, all ahead full, shields up."  Art ordered.  "How long until those A-wings intercept?"

"Eight minutes captain."  The technician replied.

"Very well, maintain all ahead full until we reach the asteroid field."

"Shall we launch sentinel squadron captain?"  Commander Jansen asked.

"Not yet commander, we will hold them in reserve for now.  We need to conceal what little strength we have until absolutely necessary; the less power we show, the less they will throw at us initially."  Art responded.  "Besides, we made need their full strength later."  Sentinel squadron was still only at half strength; the other half was supposed to rendezvous at their previous location but with the emergency message they had to leave before they could arrive.

(I need to do work now, I will finish later)
 
-----------------------
WADJ, SPAC/2LT Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/SCR Doashim/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][VC:B][CBV][LSM][LoC][BWC][SWC][GWC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting." -- Sun Tzu

   
HellKite's interceptor drew closer to the strike cruiser, Etan at his left side.  He was getting used to the fighter by now, coming to appreciate it's beauty even more than he had before.  The two interceptors soared through space, flying at a moderate speed for safety measures.  They were getting closer to the main battle.  The fighting was visible now, explosions were occurring left and right, laser blasts beamed quickly, as if darting around in random directions.  HellKite began to slow as he realized more fighters coming towards him.

"Kaph Four to Kaph Three, we've got more X-Wings.  They're coming headlong, so split up in different directions."  HellKite's attention snapped back to the battle.  As the X- wings flew faster, shooting at HellKite, the two TIE's each made a quick roll sideways.  Etan went left, stopping quickly before curving quickly, flying with his right wing on the bottom.  HellKite, rolled right, avoiding laser blasts as he then turned straight and flew away from the fighters.  Sure enough, his idea worked.  The fighters on the right chased HellKite, dividing up the flight.  It was lucky HellKite had experience as a pilot as it was difficult to dodge the multiple shots aimed at his tail.  Quickly dropping down in to a nose dive, HellKite then pulled the ship up quickly before dropping down again.  The X-wings followed, though slowed down as they tried to figure out HellKite's random pattern.  Taking advantage of their confusion, HellKite turned sharply to the left, flying towards Etan.  Shooting down one of Etan's assailants immediately, he gave Etan room to move.  The surprised attackers turned their attention to HellKite, who then flew up, his own attackers braked as they almost hit their fellow flight members.  With the hindered pursuit, Etan and HellKite quickly took the chance to flee.

"Why are we running again?" asked the wookie. 

HellKite waited awhile to make sure they were safe before talking through the comlink.  "Our priority isn't to shoot down random fighters, right?  If I focused on shooting people down in my pirate days, I wouldn't be here right now. Anyways-"  HellKite was cut off by a message from Will.  "Hold on, Kaph Three." 

"Kaph Four. How are you holding up?  It's your first time, if you need help just say it.  You aren't anywhere in sight, I was afraid we lost you."

A bit amused, Hellkite answered, "Nope, I had to get Etan& er I mean Kaph Three."

"Ah, so he finally came, alright, hurry up, the Doashim seems to have plans."

"Roger."  HellKite accelerated.  Etan got the message and accelerated as well.  A blast suddenly grazed the top right wing of HellKite's fighter.  Cursing under his breath, HellKite realized he forgot to check his radar.  Rolling left, his fighter was again grazed by another blast.  HellKite sighed before angrily took a turn assaulting the X wing from the side.  It's wings blasted off quickly though it remained in flight, zooming into another direction from it's damaged wing.  No point in finishing that off.  HellKite went back to his destination.  This was getting intense.

 
-----------------------
"Where there is hell, flames follow."




EFM/CRW/HellKite/Kaph 1-4/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE

Kal's gaze drifted to the defence asteroid, which had now been identified as a defense platform. Clever. He thought to himself. He turned his eyes to scan the capital ships. The republic craft were becoming a real problem - He hoped command had an idea to deal with them.

Suddenly his sensors lit up with new contacts from the asteroid field. The area was so dense, and with so much presence in the area, it wasn't surprising he hadn't picked them up before. He activated one of his figher's mounted cameras, pointed it in the direction of the unknown contacts, and magnified.

"Kaph four to flight one, are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?" Than's voice cackled out over the comm. Kal send an acknowledge signal, his attention fixed in the incoming ships...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few minutes ago, aboard New Republic Rogue Flagship, Xuthus

"Sir?" The communications officer asked again, sounding slightly concerned. Cog Obili shook his head, trying to clear away the memories he had been dwelling on. Too much lately he was reliving his past in his mind, feeling the suffering of loss he had then.

"Sorry, ensign. Could you please repeat yourself?" He said. He had to focus on now, especially during this operation.

"We're being contacted by Yalno Lent, sir." The officer said, his hand hovering over his control panel, ready to take action.

"Establish video link." Obili said, turning to face the screen. An image of Yalno Lent, Mon Calamari ship commander appeared.

"Obili. The situation has become stressful down here - The Imperial strike cruiser is holding his ground well, along with the TIE squadrons which protect it. We're going to need some assistance down here."

Obili paused for a moment, then responded. "We're going to send in Delta Wing." The Mon Calamari nodded.

"Get them down here quick - I don't know if we can keep up the fight against this thing without it."

The video link ended, and Cog ordered a new link to be opened. This time, a face obscured by a pilot's helm greeted him. "Wing commander, it looks like we're going to have need for you and your men. Ready your ships launch in five minutes."

After the pilot had acknowledged his command and the link was closed, he went back to his thinking. That ship could be a valuable asset to our cause...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If those things reach the strike cruiser Doashim, this situation can become a hell of a lot worse then it already is Demonic thought to himself.

Kal's thoughts were interrupted as Willtconq took action. "Doashim, this is Kaph leader, we have contacts coming your way, boarding craft!" The squadron commander said. Arturus was quick to reply.

"We've seen them too. I've already got infantry aboard the ship getting ready to repel an enemy presence. Orders for you though -  attempt to eliminate as many of those ships as you can. Doashim out."
 
-----------------------
|EXO/WO2_Demonic/Kaph 2/PheonixWing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE| (=*A*=)(=*SA*=)(=*ee*=)(VC:B)(MC2)(VEB)(DSM)[BWC]{O1}-=TOP PILOT=-
100% on both Exams, looking good.
Demonic = Darr-Rann
Kaph Elite Executive Officer
Training Operator, Level One

The crew seemed restless and nervous as they moved towards the asteroid field at full throttle.  Lieutenant Vantai stated that there was an opening for the ship within the asteroid field and, while inexperienced on a ship, Art believed he was right.  However, he was not entirely trusting; trust was not in his character.

"How long until we reach the asteroid field?"  Art inquired.

"Two minutes captain."  Vantai's junior officer reported.  Vantai was completely absorbed with plotting a path into the field.

"Tracking how long until fighter intercept?"

"Five minutes twenty-two seconds."  One of the technicians replied.  Arturus whispered to Jansen who was positioned immediately behind him and to the right to come with him.  They two made their way to Vantai's station to get a more detailed overview of the situation.

"Have you found a spot for us to turn and make a stand?"  Arturus asked as they arrived at the table.

"Yes captain but the gunners will have some work to do."  Vantai stated after a moment's pause.  "Three kilometers in there is a stable circle, two hundred forty-three meters in diameter that could work.  This is the largest such area for quite some distance in the asteroid field and the deeper we get, the more unstable the area around the pocket is so there is less likelihood that it will actually be safe."

"How easy is it to navigate to this point?"

"We can maintain a steady course for two kilometers before completing the final kilometer at a ten degree down angle.  According to my calculations, the run will take four minutes at a maximum of two-thirds throttle."  Vantai said, referring to the series of mathematical calculations that he had scratched down from some of the display monitors.

"Jansen, run this time and speed by the trackers and have them compute where the fighters will intercept assuming they remain at full throttle."

"Aye Captain."

"Good work lieutenant."  Art said in a voice that just seemed slightly warmer than his usual stern, monotone command voice.  When in times of stress and command Arturus displayed little emotion and had little or no charisma.  He had been known for angry outbursts from time to time but when on duty his sense of professionalism made him resort to a very stern, almost cold, manner.  Art looked at his watch and counted down; they were less than ten seconds away.

"Commander Trenor report your status."  Arturus ordered as he arrived at his command chair.

"All gunners ready; weapons status is normal, all guns have power."  Trenor responded in a tone that struck Art as being slightly overeager.

"Did you instruct your gunners to ensure they protect the modular connections?"

"Yes captain."  Trenor replied rather impatiently.

"Very well, ensure your fire is concentrated.  You may fire at will.  Be prepared to engage the incoming fighters with your aft guns; if need be attack them with ion cannons."  Arturus instructed.

"Course 321, reduce speed to two-thirds."  Vantai barked out when the timer reached zero.  They had arrived at the asteroid field.  Everyone on the bridge seemed to take a collective deep breath as the small rocks of the fringe of the asteroid field began to fly past the viewports.  While there was a clear path, flying into an asteroid field was always a tremendous risk.

"Time to intercept?"

"Intercept now at two minutes nine seconds."  The technician replied.  Art nodded and turned back to stare out the viewport.  One thing that he was not pleased about so far on the ship was the lack of a tactical officer.  He wanted an addition officer to observe the scanners and the navigational plot and just have a secondary opinion of the overall battle scene.  Arturus wanted certain specific information and he didn't trust the technicians manning the scanners to give him what he wanted to know; he was so confident of his opinion on this point that he hadn't even bothered to test to see.  He was just about to relax slightly when a horrific bang rattled through the ship and it shook violently for a second.

"Report damage!"  Arturus barked from his command chair.  He quickly stood and looked out through the viewport down the front hull of the ship.  He didn't see any damage or metallic debris; there was plenty of small asteroid debris that made a sound similar to a rainstorm.

"Captain, the primary scanner has been knocked out.  I am engaging the backup now and it appears to be fully functional."  The technician manning the station reported.

"Very well, how long until you can re-compute the intercept?"

"At least a couple of minutes."  The technician replied.  Arturus muttered a few curses, the second time he had since they had arrived.  The stress of being responsible for three thousand lives as opposed to eleven was much more intense.

"Very well."  Art grumbled.  He didn't like being blind in space.

"Course 341, ten degree down angle, maintain speed."  Vantai ordered as the ship completed the first leg in the asteroid field.  It had seemed like an hour since they had entered but in reality it had only been a couple of minutes.  Suddenly outside there were a series of flashes as the guns of the ship lit up to engage the enemy fighters.

"We have contact captain."  Trenor reported from his position monitoring the weapon systems on the ship.

"Commander Ferran, reinforce our aft shields."  Arturus ordered.

"Captain they are already at 105%."  Ferran reported.

"Then get me 110%.  Reroute power from the engines to the shield generators, we will not be running at full throttle anytime soon."  Arturus instructed.  "Reroute all power from non-essential systems to the shields as well, we need the shields to regenerate as fast as possible."

"I will see what I can do captain."  Ferran replied tentatively.  Ferran's bulky frame moved less than gracefully across the bridge as he began to order the shutdown of different systems on the ship.  He had been sweating profusely since they had entered the asteroid field and his overgrown mustache dripped a large drop of sweat every once in a while.  The ship rocked lightly every once in a while as the rebel fighters attacked.

"Captain, Lieutenant Krytal is requesting permission to launch."  Lieutenant Vansic reported.

"Tell her permission is denied.  I am not risking that squadron until I absolutely have to."  Arturus stated firmly.

"But captain, she states that her half squadron is more than capable of handling the rebels."

"Lieutenant I thought I just gave you an order, do not make me state it twice.  You may tell lieutenant Krytal that I am perfectly away of the situation and the capabilities of an imperial gunboat squadron but I am not risking her squadron yet."  Arturus said indignantly.  He never liked being questioned before and he most certainly did not have any patience for being questioned now.

"All stop."  Lieutenant Vantai ordered; his orders seemed to break the increased tension that had risen in the bridge.

"Commander Trenor, order your gunners to prepare for anti-asteroid duty.  The stern, aft, and port guns are to focus on asteroids, the starboard guns on anti-fighter support.  All ion cannons are to focus on the fighters.  Execute ninety-degree port pivot, ten percent throttle immediately."  Arturus ordered.  "Commander Ferran, what's the shield status?"

"Aft shields at 65% and falling, shield generators operating at 95% recharge capacity.  All non-essential systems have been shut down and rerouted to the shields; maximum capacity now at 108%."  Ferran replied.

"Get me 115%, reroute stern power to the rear, I want those aft shields stabilized at 70%."  Arturus ordered.

"Where do you want me to get the power from?  We have very little to reroute."  Ferran protested.

"Commander, you're dossier states you are an expert problem solver; I know damn well what the problem is, I don't need to be informed of it.  Your job is to solve, I trust you haven't forgotten how."  Arturus barked angrily.  He had worked so hard only an hour earlier to begin to gain the trust of his officers but now, under stress, his anger most likely completely undermined his progress.  When pressed Art had a sharp tongue and was none to kind to those who seemed to willing to accept failure rather than strive to find solutions.  He was a perfectionist first and foremost and sometimes that interfered with reality.

"Captain, new contacts, ten kilometers out and closing fast.  They appear to be imperial fighters."  The scanning technician reported from his new position at the backup console.

"Incoming contact."  Vansic reported.

"Nazgul One to the Doashim, Phoenix wing is here to help."  A very familiar voice rang through the ship.  Arturus breathed a sigh of relief.

"Order Phoenix wing to provide us support immediately."  Arturus informed Vansic.

"Do you want me to transfer coordinates to navigate the asteroid field?"  Lieutenant Vantai asked.  Arturus thought for a brief second but that just confirmed his answer.

"No need lieutenant, commander Shazam is more than capable of doing this."  Arturus said with a slightly smile on his face.  He was very pleased indeed that Shazam had arrived.

===Later on (I'm jumping ahead a bit)===

(OOC: Just a summary of what I'm skipping.  The ship rotated ninety degrees to have the port side cover the path it took to get to the middle.  The upper right quadrant of the engines was damaged by an asteroid during the turn and as a result the ship can travel, at max, at three-quarters throttle in order to fly in a straight line.  The shields are down to thirty percent but holding tough.)

"What's the distance to the corvettes?"

"Five kilometers, two minutes until they are in firing range."  The technician replied.

"Why do you suppose they are holding back like that?"  Jansen asked Art quietly.  Aside from the approaching corvettes and the enemy fighters, of which there were yet more, and the bizarre asteroid base, the rebel commander had not thrown much significant firepower into the mix yet.

"I think the commodore is testing the waters a bit.  My message may have just thrown him off slightly and he wants to know exactly what he's dealing with.  No information in this case would have made him more decisive than seeing me and seeing an enemy he could dismiss as inexperienced."  Arturus replied.  "Cheer up, he's spreading his forces out, this can only benefit us."

"Perhaps but eventually we're going to have to engage all four cruisers with just one."  Jansen replied.  Arturus pondered for a moment.

"We could take one&"  Art said after another moment's thought.

"I beg your pardon captain?"

"We could take a ship; a corvette to be precise.  We have assault transports, gunboats, and a battalion of troops.  It is possible to disable a corvette, board, capture, and send a skeleton crew."  Arturus said.

"It'd be risky."  Jansen responded.

"True but we have the element of surprise.  We have yet to expose our added resources.  Besides, we can't sit here forever and wait for them to come; we have to make a move, let it be one they won't expect."  Arturus said.  Jansen nodded in agreement.  "Lieutenant Vansic, order Major Sangha to prepare an assault party and instruct Lieutenant Krytal to prepare for liftoff."

"An assault party?"  Vansic asked.

"You heard me now send it."  Arturus replied.  He had had quite enough of the lieutenant's insubordination.  "Are you willing to command a skeleton crew on the corvette?"  Arturus asked Jansen.

"Yes captain."  Jansen responded confidently.

"Very well, prepare a skeleton crew ASAP and have them assemble in the final two assault transports.  Captain Tuspin will probably be leading the assault force in the first three transports.  Once they dock and make their return flight your two transports will launch; the empty three will provide cover along with sentinel squadron who will have escorted the troops."  Arturus instructed.

"Aye sir."  Jansen responded with a salute.  Arturus saluted and then extended his hand.

"Good luck commander, inform me when your team is ready and we will launch the operation."

 
-----------------------
WADJ, SPAC/2LT Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/SCR Doashim/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][VC:B][CBV][LSM][LoC][BWC][SWC][GWC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting." -- Sun Tzu

HellKite stretched a bit in his cockpit.  He was getting tired already.  Jeez, I'm not used to such long fights...  He felt his mind slipping a little, a bit worn out. 

"Kaph Three to Kaph Four, you ok?  You're flying a bit unsteady."  HellKite sat up and tried to concentrate. 

"No, I'm fine, Kaph Three, we're almost there, keep your eyes open."  HellKite leaned the fighter to the right as he went further. 

"Kaph Three and Four, we have a new objective," said a voice over the comlink.  This was a new twist.  HellKite leaned forward and spoke.

"What is it?"

"Daoshim is being boarded, take out as many ships boarding it as you can.  Get over here pronto."

"Roger that, Kaph two."  HellKite felt a rush of excitement take over him.  Finally, something exciting.  Sitting a bit back, he accelerated even more.  Another voice came over the comlink.  It was Etan.

"You heard the orders?"  HellKite felt his mind pause for a minute.  What was that supposed to mean?  Of course he heard it

"Yep, now lets get over there."  Etan didn't answer but his ship accelerated, again flying alongside with his flight partner. 

HellKite hadn't seen it from afar but it was visible now.  There were several ships approaching the Daoshim.  A TIE suddenly flew in front of him and then drifted to the left before exploding as it got hit by several laser blasts.  "Whoa," escaped HellKite's mouth as he narrowly avoided a laser blast aimed at him.  Where were those coming from? There was nothing on his radar.  Then it hit him.  Of course, the lasers were from below.  He dived slowly down, frowning a bit at his lack of common sense.  The fighter approached him from behind a little to the left.  HellKite realized the attacker had caught him in a bad position. 

Forgetting he had partner and an order, HellKite quickly flew up then braked.  The X-wing didn't follow him, just shot at him.  Getting hit on the tip of his wings, HellKite cursed.  The shields screen on his moniter changed colors. 

"Kaph Three to Kaph Four, What are you doing?  You're moving too fast, I've lost you."

Ignoring the voice, HellKite continously attempted to outmaneuver the X-wing only to fail.  This wasn't his day.  HellKite went on like that, ignoring Etan's questions, completely absorbed in his own personal battle.  It was cut short though.  Several lasers caught the unsuspecting X-wing, sending it flying away off into space, in flames. 

HellKite turned his attention away and saw Demonic's TIE. 

"Kaph Four, you have to quit focusing on small scale battles.  Kaph Three had already arrived without you.  I know this is your first flight but try to adjust quickly , got it?"

A bit embarrassed, HellKite sighed and answered.  "Roger."
 
-----------------------
"Where there is hell, flames follow."


"Let the wings of death cast a shadow on all your hopes."

EFM/CRW/HellKite/Kaph 1-4/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE

Flight one skimmed over the top of one of the larger asteroids in the area, scanning the area for any immeidate dangers.  They had taken themselves almost out of the area of the entire battle, but were now making their way back in after taking out some rogue fighters.

Jaden checked his sensors, noting that assault craft were coming from the enemy flagship, Xuthus.  The flight would need to move quickly if they were to make any attempt to keep the boarding craft from making their way to the Doashim.

"One, lets move a bit quicker, shall we?  Those assault craft aren't taking much time to get across that small area of space towards the Doashim," said Jaden

"Alright, transfering shield energy over to engines, but be careful on doing so, you are going to need most of your shields once we get close," said Shazam, "Judge, you haven't been chatting lately, whats your status?"

"I'm fine, just following you guys.  I've done transfered energy already, here we go," said Amason

The three quickly picked up to speeds close to 130 mglt.  They kept tight in formation, dodging any incoming asteroids or destroying ones coming into their path that were any type of threat to their mission.  Jaden fell to Shazams left side as Amason took right in their formation.

"Just a few more klicks and we've got missile lock sir," said Amason, "I've got not much left in my payload, and it looks like I'm going to need to use whats left of my salvos"

"Go ahead, we need to take those craft down," said Shazam, "Get to it boys"

Jaden kicked the throttle just as far as it would go, rolling the fighter just outside of formation and preparing for the missile lock on one of the assault transports.  The transports had no cannons on them, which meant they were sitting ducks.  Jaden nearly had the missile lock when his fighter became the target of a flight of A-wings.  The fighter rocked after each hit from the enemy A-wings, they had really hit the shields hard this time.  Jaden made appropriate adjustments as his shields were quickly failing from the lack of energy output towards them after the last energy transfer.

Jaden pulled the fighter into a downward spiral, bringing all four of the fighters with him as they tore through the asteroid field.  Jaden was using this to his advantage though, dodging asteroids, hoping that the enemy fighters would get caught up in them and he would loose the large amount of fighters on his tail, but it didn't work.  The pilots persisted through the asteroid field and stuck on his tail the entire time, constantly letting off bursts of fire that were damaging his aft shields greatly.  Jaden pulled up into an immelman, coming around towards the area of most activity, in another attempt to get the fighters off of his six.  He mustered up enough time to get a call out on the com system.

"Arg....4 A-wings on my tail, I can't loose em," said Jaden

Shazam came back, yelling it cut setences, as if he was cutting out.

"two.....dive," was all Jaden could hear, so he did just that.  And to his amazement, a barrage of missiles connected with the first A-wing, throwing the flight off.  Somebody had come to his rescue, but he had yet to figure out who.

Now, there was a greater problem.  Something was jamming the communication line, or else the communication systems were beginning to fail on Jaden's own fighter.  He quickly did a system check, and it stared him blankly in the face.  He had taken some serious hits, and his communications array was running at 13%.  Oh great, now I'm all alone out here.  Might as well make an attempt to get a few words out

"Nazgul two to Nazgul flight one, My communications are almost out, I'm going to fly solo on this one," said Jaden, hoping that someone caught wind of what he had just said.  Shazam came back with a quick reply, but for some reason he was also cutting out.

"Nazgul....jamming...Doashim......boarding," was all that Jaden could make out through the message.  It was hopeless for him to communicate, but all he knew was that his communications were completely gone, and the enemy was also jamming the frequencys in the area.  It was a devious attempt to make sure that the boarding craft made a good attempt at taking the Doashim, and they were getting damn close.
 
-----------------------
Jaden Khaar
NazgulSquadron
Naval Academy Executive Officer
-----------------------------------------------------------
SXO/CWO Jaden Khaar/Nazgul 1-2 (Nazgul 2)/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE (=*A*=) (=*SA*=) (*=TE=*) [VC:S][LSM][SV][CBV](x2)[GWC]
-----------------------------------------------------------
TXO/CWO Jaden Khaar/Venom 1-2 (Venom 2)/Phoenix Wing/Platform Saratoga/DEF/VEN/VE (=*A*=) (=*SA*=) (*=TE=*) [VC:S][LSM][SV][CBV](x2)[GWC]

"By the way," Hunter informed, "I've only had basic training with this," He motioned with the weapon. "So I hope you guys know what you're doing."

Darius stopped in his footsteps, pivotted on his heel and stared at his flight member, "you aren't joking," he obviously pointed out, using his Lorrdian inherited gift to identify the seriousness in Hunter's voice.  "We'll fix that...after we finish this conflict," he finished in a cold voice. 

He pulled the pack off of his back and laid it on the carved rock floor of the dimly lit asteroid hanger.  "DJ, you watch our exits, I know you can handle that pistol."

"yessir," DJ replied back and took a defensive position behind his TIE. 

"I'm not in trouble, am I?" Hunter queeried as Darius pulled out a small, flat box.  He didn't reply and briskly opened the box.  Inside was a small array of technology Hunter could only recognize as militiristic, and knew nothing else about.  Darius pulled out a small, brass semi-circle and with a flick of his wrist, an eye screen and mic popped out.  The device now resembled a head set.

"Get over here," Darius said and Hunter immediately complied.  He knelt down next to his flight leader and Darius forced the head gear onto his head.  Next, he handed Hunter his famous, covetted customized E-11 blaster rifle and began configuring the sights on the gun to Hunters eyepiece.

"Wow!" he exclaimed once the eyepiece immediately began displaying the view from Darius rifles scope and a reticule showing where the rifle was to fire.

"You shouldn't miss now," Darius said as Hunter pushed aside the eyepiece.  "You also shouldn't need to push that aside.  Either blind at the flashing dot down in the corner or if you think hard enough, you should be able to focus your mechanical eye beyond.  How...I don't know, but it works for mine at least."  He pulled out his left eye, gave a short toss in the air and popped it back in.  Hunter sat there in near awe; he still had much to learn about his flight leader.  "We all have our battle scars," Darius added and turned his head to show Hunter his scar extending from the corner of his left eye to his ear.

"Darius, we have company!" DJ shouted from his position and fired several shots into in opening doorway.  More shots accompanied his in a return volley.

"Hunter, there's a computer terminal on the far end of the hanger," Darius said in a calm voice.  Hunter began to look around in nervousness and gripped his rifle tighter.  "I need to gain as much access as possible from down here.  If we can shut this thing down or iniciate a self destruct, that would be tremendous.  I'll cover, move out!"  Darius stood up and drew his dual DL-44 from his thighs and dashed over towards the terminal on the far end of the hanger.  Hunter took in a deep breath, muttered something, and followed Darius.  Red streaks of death were now cascading out of the doorway and fewer returned back.

Darius paused halfway and rapidly fired at the oncoming NR guards.  Hunter stopped at Darius' position and began to aim his rifle.  "Move!" Darius shouted and Hunter dashed once more.  One NR soldier caught sight of Hunter and began to carefully aim.  The Imperial flight leader immediately took notice and with one fast, accurate aim, obliterated half of the NR soldier's head.  He snapped off another shot with his left blaster and eliminated another threat. 

The last remaining NR soldier left realized the largest threat to be Darius and took careful aim and fired.  Unfortunately, the shot hit Darius square in the chest.  DJ cursed the NR soldier and shot the man several times.

DJ turned and walked over to the smoking Darius and Hunter began to sprint back.  "Why are you walking!" he shouted and Darius jerked up as if he were the living dead.  "What the hell?"

Darius stood up and pulled of his pilot jacket.  Underneath was a customized layer of 210 personal armor.  He put his fist through the smoking hole in his jacket and said, "get back to work Hunter," without even looking at him.  "DJ, secure the hanger and make sure there's no technitions or personel hiding." 

"Yessir," DJ simply answered again and began tossing crates aside and tossing tables.  Darius hopped into his  TIE fighter and emerged wearing a helmet and had discarded his flight suit.  He flicked the light on the side of his helmet on and searched the crates in the corner on the hanger on a hunch.  Arakyd armor piercing concussion missiles one of the larger crates displayed.  He found an ordnance droid deactivated. 

"Hey Darius!" Hunter shouted in excitement.  "I've cut power to the turbolasers and these guys have a cache of concussion missiles."

"Yeah, they're right here," Darius pointed.

Hunter sighed heavily, "must you always damper the excitement."

"My father was never an exciting person, so I never learned how," Darius joked, suprising himself because he couldn't remember ever being sarcastic or funny around his Navy chums.  "Load our ships, using that ordnance droid there," Darius said, immediately changing the subject.

The terminal's keystrokes echoed in the hanger.  "Done," exclaimed Hunter.  The droid came to life and began unloading the concussion missiles and began to complicated proccess of arming the TIEs.  "Now if I can...wait...what the hell!"

Darius turned and instinctivly drew his blaster.  "They've deactivated my terminal!" Hunter shouted in anger.  "At least they won't be putting the turbolasers back online after what I did to them."

"Looks like we're going to have to take the bridge," Darius announced and pulled a concussion grenade from a pouch hanging off his hip.
 
-----------------------
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men to do nothing. --Edmund Burke
-----------------------
FL/WO1 Darius Pursius/Nazgul 2-1/mSSD Atrus/Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE (=A=) [VC:B] [*CB*] [GWC]

Kaph 9

The event played in the corner of her mind over and over like a bad movie.  Each time she hoped that it would end differently but Orrak always died at the end.  How could I have let it happen, how could I have let him die, thought Skylla.  She had lost people in other squadrons before without taking it so hard, but Kaph seemed different.  She seemed to have allowed herself to grow closer to the members of Kaph than anybody else in the Empire.  ...If I would have been more alert, would I have been able to get to him in time... 

"This is Kaph 5 to Flight 2, let's try a modified version of the loose deuce, make em pick and choose."

Skylla watched Than's flight moved apart about 10 to 11 fighter widths from each other in a perfect line.  They were about to go head on with a couple of X-Wings that had set their eyes on the Imperial landing craft.  One snub fighter vectored to take on Than in the center and the other for Dredj on the left.  It was a site to behold when the laser cannon firing arch was breached.  Red and green fire shot out at each other in a deadly fireworks show that only one side would prevail.  Cyleaf took on the X-Wing that had picked the rookie pilot.  Seeing that it was out numbered, it took a sharp dive down to avoid immediate destruction.  He was quickly followed by two angry TIE pilots ready to avenge their friend's death.  The single X-Wing didn't stand up long against the two Advanced TIEs.  It went out in a ball of fire.  Than Sion must have given his snub a good beating for it was now smoking and trying to flee Sion's wraith.  The attempt was in vane for Than Sion was in the elbow, the enemy would not escape.  Than's enemy ejected seconds before the destruction of his fighter.

It was amazing how fast Than was able to get the hang of his flight leader position.  He had shown in minutes that he could take charge and kick NR butt while at it.  What can you expect from one of Kaph's best?  Through out his career as a pilot he was constantly improving.  It seemed like he could take on any challenge, any enemy.

The assault shuttles slowly made their way toward their corvette target.  TIE Avengers destroying everything that tried to stop them.  It was a small glimmer of hope within all of the Chaos.

"Kaph 9 to 10, let's take on that A-Wing limping away to the left."

"Roger that Kaph 9, let's show those Rebel scum not to mess with the Empire!" replied Ten.

It wasn't the most important of targets, but it would be one less fighter on the enemy's side to cause trouble.

They preyed down on the A like hawks hunting a rodent.  The A-Wing tried to fight back but didn't last long against two fully functional TIEs.  As quick as it was spotted it was laid to waste.

 
-----------------------
EFL/WO1 Than Sion/Kaph 5/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE(=A=)(=*SA*=)(=TE=)[LoM][VC:B][CBV][MC:1][SWC]{VB}

[Black Hand]
SC/LtJG Halos Bok/1st Element/Gulf Flight/Hunter Squadron/Ace Wing/KBcC Helsa/OFF/Navy/RDA(H)

Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers, unless you have a lot of cookies to throw in opposite corners to distract them.

HellKite grinned as he saw more flights of X-wings approach.  Now things were getting interesting.  Energy surged through him, causing him to quickly forget his fatigue.  His interceptor rushed forward quickly, Etan's followed closely behind.  The two flew bravely against the X-wings, head- on.  The seeming recklessness seemed to affect the X-wings as they slowed down a little, puzzled.  HellKite leaned forward a bit, readying his shot when two X-wings in back of the flight suddenly erupted into flames, falling straight-down.  HellKite stopped what he was doing, looking up, a bit confused.  It was then he noticed two TIEs close in onto the flight of X-wings from behind.  He had set up a flank without knowing it.  Laser blasts caught him off guard.  A colorful laser blast shot at his interceptor.  He felt his adrelinine rush through his body as he forcefully piloted the Interceptor suddenly, quickly avoiding it with a nose dive.  Etan tilted to the side, shooting down the X-wing that had shot at him as the two other TIEs finished the remaining X-wing, who was reluctant to take action.  He had been a new pilot, barely used to the X-wing.  It was too bad he wouldn't get to.

The two TIEs wizzed past HellKite, and at the same time, he picked up something on his comlink. 

"Kaph four," said Will's authorative voice, "new orders, we're going straight for the enemy strike cruiser."

Etan apparently had already got the message, turning his fighter around to follow Will and Demonic.  HellKite sighed, such whimsical orders, first defend then suddenly attack then defend then scout, this was going to take getting used to.  His fighter spun around, following the rest of flight one, left of Etan and behind Demonic. 

    The flight approached the strike cruiser quickly.  HellKite obvserved it carefully from afar.  It was gigantic, a floating huge metal colossus.  How are we supposed to take that down&??  One of it's turrets flared up in a bright red.  Suddenly it sent a turrent of laser blasts straight at several TIEs that were already around it.  Cringing at the image, HellKite noticed his flight had separated.  Will and Demonic dove downwards as Etan had flown to the middle.  HellKite positioned his fighter behind Etan's.  The turret flared again, blasting in a direction near them, though the two were a bit too far to be in danger. 

    Several fighters dove down, in flames, like molten rain.  HellKite frowned, reminded of his childhood.  It was the same image as when his mother and father were killed in a ship.  He looked to the side of his fighter, closed his eyes and sighed.  His fighter cruised gently behind Etan's, strangely unnoticed by the several X-wings around them who had already engaged in battle.


_____

    HellKite smirked sadistically, staring at the tied up body.  A young adult hung there in front of him, tied up and upside down.  Still smirking, HellKite stepped forward, hands clenched around a knife.  He dug the knife into the wrist of the man, watching with amusement as the man struggled to scream through his gag.  HellKite took the knife out of the flesh, the wound immediately turning red as it flooded with blood.  HellKite crouched and grabbed the mans hand.  He placed the knife flat against the skin and pressed down.  He brought the knife forward and started peeling.  The flayed skin fell to the ground, pale and dead.  The man was being skinned, just like a fruit.

    When he was done, a skinless figure hung there, muscles and flesh visible completely though some patches had remained onto the body.  HellKite stood up and blinked quickly and repetitively.  He then walked away, leaving the dead, limp body hanging there.  He walked out of the tent and left the enemy camp.  Shaking his head, he laughed to himself.  Hopefully the skinned soldier back at their camp would teach the Rebels not to steal from the Behemoth pirates.  However, he took a souvanier.  It was a picture of the man's family.  The members numbered six, two adults and four children.  There was a little girl and a boy standing next to her that caught HellKite's attention.  The boy had white hair, standing about 4 feet tall.  Of course, it was taken a long time ago, meaning the boy would have been around his age by now.  Little did he know, the boy would be out for vengeance in the near future.  And he was part of the empire.


_________

    HellKite spiraled downwards, the X-wing followed closely behind.  The turret flared and with a loud hiss, it sent several laser blasts at his direction.  Quickly, he maneuvered under the blasts, which had struck the X-wing tailing him, completely obliterating the fighter.  Metal parts fell into empty space as Etan caught up.

"Kaph three to Kaph four, if you look a bit, you'll see that Will and Demonic left."

    HellKite nodded, and looked.  Indeed as Etan had said, a pair of TIEs had already began heading back to the Daoshim.


Etan continued, "We've messed up orders, we're going back to our ship."

HellKite sighed again.  They were just running around now, what was wrong?  How could a simple instruction be completely interpreted wrong...

-----------------------
"Where there is hell, flames follow."


"Let the wings of death cast a shadow on all your hopes."

EFM/CRW/HellKite/Kaph 1-4/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE

"This is Kaph 5 to Kaph 6, please respond. Repeat, this is Kaph 5 to Kaph 6, please respond. Damn it Six, say something!!!"

Than Sion flew over a lake where he noticed that there was a line of trees that had fallen down beyond the far bank. He flew closer to find Cyleaf's crashed TIE fighter severely damaged, but not on fire, lying on its side. Readings showed that the reactor was intact, that meant that the fighter was not in danger of exploding with out warning. He just hoped that the Zabrak was still breathing.

...My flight member, the mission; Cyleaf, the mission; my friend, the mission; my brother, the mission...

His last thought hit him the hardest, brothers don't leave brothers behind. He had made his decision; he brought his expensive fighter down into the mud nearby the wreckage. Sion undid his restrains and tore off his helmet. His shaking hands played with the latch of the ejector seat's storage compartment until he managed to open it. He quickly clipped his twin E-11's to his belt and grabbed a med pack. Than popped the hatch of the Avenger and pulled himself out with haste. His boots hit the damp earth with a loud smacking sound. He did not walk but ran toward Cyleaf's fighter, splashing through puddles as he went.

...Say he is alive, say he is alive, say he is alive...

He was breathing hard when he reached the downed fighter, not because he was out of shape but because of the fear of the worst. Than Sion slid open a panel that accessed a keypad. He proceeded to punch in a code, it failed. He tried again, it failed. Curse these shaking hands, thought Sion. He tried it a third time, Kaph 6's hatch popped open. There was Cyleaf, completely out of touch with the world. A piece of shrapnel sticking out of his right shoulder and gash on the side of his head where another piece of metal had somehow sliced its way through the helmet. What mattered was that a mechanical breathing sound was heard through the helmets filters. Both wounds were seeping blood as Sion removed Cy's helmet. Than Sion took out his vibro knife and cut the Zabrak's restraints. He pulled Cy out of the tomb of twisted metal and carried him on his shoulder until he found a dry patch of ground to lay the Zabrak down on. It was time to begin field dressing.

He first removed Cy's flack armor and then cut the cloth away from the shoulder wound with his knife. He then opened up the med pack and pulled out some rubber tubing which he tied tightly to Cyleaf's shoulder in order to slow down bleeding in that area. He proceeded to pull out the piece of metal in Cyleaf's arm, this caused the bleeding to increase so Sion put pressure on the wound with one of his hands. When the bleeding stopped, he put some bacta onto the wound and proceeded to stitch up the shoulder injury. He repeated the last step with the gash on the head.

It was then that something hit him; Cyleaf's restraints would have prevented him from hitting his head on something and his wounds hadn't lost enough blood to cause the black out yet, nor was the head injury enough to cause it. On cue, Cy's breathing became sporadic. He checked the Zabrak's pulse, which he swore at himself for not taking earlier. It was very high. Not knowing what else to do, he used a small blood reader from the pack to test some of the red liquid from the piece of shrapnel. It was reading some kind of toxin!!! He didn't know exactly what it was, maybe something had leaked within the fighter.  He did know if he didn't do something soon the toxin would shut down vital organs, effectively killing the Zabrak!!! He pulled out a syringe from trapezoid shaped med pack. He tore apart the plastic bag it was in and checked that the label said "Quick Acting Detox."  He just hoped it would be enough.

He removed the safety cap and was about to drive the needle into where he thought Cyleaf's heart was when something hit him. Cyleaf was a Zabrak, not a human. That meant that his heart could be under his stomach for all Sion knew. He began to panic as Cyleaf's body began to convulse. It is said that in times of great stress, men can do and remember things that they would normally not. A memory of Cyleaf joking around with Crystal flashed into Sion's head.

"Maybe if your face didn't look like a skeleton, you wouldn't have scared Sion to my side," said Crystal recruiting Sion to her side with out his consent in a friendly argument.

"That hurts," said Cyleaf in a joking manner, "right here."

He was pointing to his heart!!! Sion pined down Cyleaf's torso with one hand and drove the needle into Cyleaf's heart with the other. The convulsions stopped. Than checked Cyleaf's pulse, it was still there and had slowed down. Immediately the harsh words of control were relayed from his fighter to Cyleaf's helmet near by. Than Sion put the damaged helmet on his head.

"Kaph 5 and 6, we are reading your fighters still but can't locate you. Where are you?"

"On the surface of the planet," replied Sion.

"What are you bloody doing there, taking a coffee break?"

"Kaph 6 crashed on the surface and is in critical condition, he needs pick up and now!"

"What the hell are you doing helping him? You should have left him and went on with the mission!!!"

"%#@$ you, he needs a transport," Than didn't care about ticking off communications officer on the Doashim right now. All he cared about was saving Cyleaf.

"Oh, so we should send a shuttle through highly hostile air space to save one pilot. Bring him up yourself if you care so much, isn't like your fighter can't handle his dead weight if you stick him behind the seat or something. Oh yeah, I can guarantee you will be getting a court marshal for your insubordination," the control officer remarked in a very angry tone.

"Go to hell!" Than Sion then turned off his helmet.

He carried Cyleaf to his fighter and was some how able to managed to pull him up into it. Sion strapped Cyleaf down behind the seat and flipped the switch that circulated air through the cabin. He closed the hatch and replaced Cyleaf's helmet with his. The air filter would be exhausted quickly within the fighter made for one man, but all he needed was enough time to get Cyleaf to the Doashim.

He came screaming out of the atmosphere in a one minded vector toward the Doashim.

"This is Kaph 5 plus 6 to Kaph 7, keep anyone off our tail because I am not going to have much ability to defend myself."

He was glad to hear that Dredj didn't ask any questions, only obeyed. By some miraculous act of God, Sion was able to make it to the Doashim without any attempt to kill him by the enemy.

Some gracious soul, most like Arturus, had picked up on Sion's conversation with the hot headed communications officer for there was a medical team waiting for them when Sion hooked up to one of the TIE racks. Sion told them what was up with the poisoning as the medics took Cyleaf out of the fighter and onto a stretcher. They left Sion there in the hanger hoping that all he had most likely sacrificed had allowed Cyleaf to live...


(OCC: To start off, if Demonic's disembodied soul would have been there asking me how I was going to do things and telling me what wasn't possible like in IRC, Cyleaf would be dead right now. I am also expecting he is going to tell me more that is wrong after he actually reads the post, but I don't mind because I want this to be as realistic as possible. Now about that court marshal, I guess I am going to have to pull off something really big to lighten the sentence.)


-----------------------
EFL/WO1 Than Sion/Kaph 5/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE(=A=)(=*SA*=)(=TE=)[LoM][VC:B][CBV][MC:1][SWC]{VB}

[Black Hand]
SC/LtJG Halos Bok/1st Element/Gulf Flight/Hunter Squadron/Ace Wing/KBcC Helsa/OFF/Navy/RDA(H)

Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers, unless you have a lot of cookies to throw in opposite corners to distract them.

Shazam felt better now that they'd gotten some distance between themselves and one of the densest portions of the asteroid field, feeling now as if the vacuum of space was actually fresh air, free of pollutants and calling to be breathed in.  Shazam was quick to oblige...

Getting a feel of the surrounding space, the commander assessed the current scenario in his mind to make sure things would go as he pleased.  Noting first the massive MC-40, or so it seemed in comparison to the singled out Corellian-Corvette Hugin, he set it as the background, seeing it as little threat because it's friends were doing all the work for it.  In short, the two corellian corvettes and single enemy strike cruiser had originally been in a single cluster to overwhelm the Doashim upon its extraction from the nearby, but treacherous asteroid feild.  When they were unable to actually rush into battle, the strike-cruiser Jotunheim launched two flights of X-wings, and another pair of enemy A-wing Flights to do thier dirty work for them.  Much to thier dismay, this group was unprepared for the task of taking out Pheonix Wing as it entered the airspace- so they sent more.  Sending out the last of the A-wing Squadron and the X-wing squadron, a final squadron lay in reserve in the hopes that they wouldn't have to be called out.  This is where things had gotten confusing...

We're getting things figured out though...  Shazam was optomistic despite the fact they were still outnumbered four to one in larger ships and enemy fighters actually posed a challenge to Pheonix Wing's lively hood...  Never the less- Shazam was alsmost sure he had his numbers cleared so there would be no unfortunate surprises.  The Y-wings didn't come from MC-40 or the strike-cruiser...  They had to have come from the rogue asteroid...  Shazam grinned as he figured, at last, that these were actually the remaining fighters of those ships- Art must have figured this by now and would be using it to his advantage.

Currently on the playing field was a near full squadron of A-wings and yet another X-wing group comprised of three flights of three.  Just launched from the MC-40 in a surprising move, were two flights of sentinal assualt ships- boarding craft; Art just doesn't get a break...  The coalition that the enemy group had managed so well up to this point was beginning to fade somewhat as Arturus spear-headed the Doashim into the center of thier formation, cutting off the MC-40 Xuthus, strike-class cruiser Jotunheim and Corellian-corvette Munin from thier ally, the second corvette Hugin.  Shazam made a note to decide on whether or not they were sister ships when he had some free time, all the while taking appreciation in the fact that Art was doing all this while six boarding craft attempted to lodge themselves onto his strike cruiser.

But what of Pheonix Wing?  Very surprisingly, few casualities- but perhaps this was a sign of the times!  Shazam privately questioned whether or not the academy was what it had been when he'd passed through it, or perhaps if it was as effective if taught by teachers other than his own, Comprey Courtney.  Again, this could be, possibly, a show that new recruits were both talented and well-trained...  Nah...  Kaph appeared to only be missing a couple, Nazgul none and so far the only group that had been reporting serious problems, that he knew of, was Flight Three...  Only moments ago Trevor Evenson, leader of Flight Three, had reported to Shazam some close calls that had nearly resulted in the deaths of the entire flight; Trevor's voice didn't indicate signs of improvement either...

"As breaking off from the Hugin- looks like they've noticed us..."  Jaden sounded disappointed but humorous- it wasn't every day he flew in a flight consisting of two squadron commanders and a high admiral.  Never the less, not to underestimate the enemy, the trio spread evenly from one another, spiralling slightly as the enemy formation approached; four As...  Very well...  Shazam didn't feel overly confident, but he simply wasn't afraid at the moment...

(If no one else post from my flight I'll edit this and go into the battle sequence.)

-----------------------
*Flash Was Here...*

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

NazgulSquadron

Commander of Nazgul Squadron, Phoenix Wing and Training