Woohoo!

Tally!!!!!!
 
-----------------------
SCAP, WADJ/1LT Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/STCR Doashim/1Flt/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][VC:B][CBV][LSM][LoR][BWC][SWC][GWC][LoC-DD][CM-PL]

To Arturus' relief, the Tiamut deployed the rest of its fighters on Will's command and now they were less disadvantaged in the fighter category.  The first minutes of battle on that front would still be very important.  Arturus knew from experience as a pilot that in a large battle such as this, the rate of initial success often said a lot about what the final end result would be.  They needed to strike hard and fast, doing as much damage as possible in the early stages.  He was confident that Sentinel Squadron was up to the task; he was less confident about the other squadrons.  In particular, he was extremely sceptical about the usefulness of the droid fighters.  He wasn't one to trust technology and in a dogfight where human instinct and experience was critical, he felt that a droid was entirely unequal to the task.  Droids may be well programmed and able to handle many different tasks, even at a complex level, but nothing fully compensated for a human mind which could manipulate its opponent and draw on experience to overcome the challenge of even a more skilled and experience pilot.  The human mind was deeper and more complex than any artificial intelligence.  Droids could only compare a situation rapidly to the millions of programmed scenarios in order to find a pattern and determine the next move.  In the end, it was entirely based upon empirical data.  It could only react to what had been done before.  Anything knew, anything a bit different, anything innovative would be harder to counter.  Therefore, the more experienced the enemy, the less effective the droid pilot.  Nevertheless, they were stuck with it and the firepower would be useful to some extent.  Half a glass was better than an empty glass after all.

Arturus stared back down at the holotable.  The heavy fighting was beginning.  He wished he was onboard his ship now looking out.  Even though he still couldn't oversee how the other ships conducted the battle from their perspective, nothing replaced being able to witness the battle play out right in front of you.  The fluctuating numbers of the screen only told part of the story.  How the changes were being caused required more than simply interpreting the orders he himself had given.  He needed to see the rate of fire, see the destruction, and see the small things a ship captain can do with his ship in order to get an advantage, in order to get a full picture.  Alas, he would have to make due but he felt overall, it limited his ability to use his skill to affect the outcome of the battle.  Arturus looked with particular interest at the Doashim which he had sent off alone.  He knew the ship was capable of taking on the Corvette and Nebulon-B Frigate simultaneously with relative ease.  It would be a long battle but the Strike Cruiser should always emerge victorious without too many problems.  Adding the Assault Frigate into the mix put the advantage squarely in the hands of the revolutionaries, but not enough so as to make the manoeuvre entirely reckless and suicidal.  Dangerous, challenging, perhaps even a bit risky, but it was doable if everything worked out according to plan.  The one thing acting against the Doashim was the man currently in charge of commanding it.  What Arturus would have given to have another officer in command.  He watched with interest as the Doashim opened fire on the engines of the Corellian Corvette Perseverance as it fled towards the Nebulon-B Frigate Underground.  From what Arturus could tell, the rate of shield decline caused by the Doashim's bow guns was the standard rate.  Arturus cursed; Ferran was an idiot.

"Put me through to the Doashim at once."  Arturus demanded.  A technician passed him a commlink with a secured line to the ship.  The technician that came on wasn't sure who was calling given that there already was another secure line to the Doashim being used by Amason.

"Doashim, identify yourself."  The technician ordered.

"This is the captain, I want to speak to Commander Ferran at once."  Arturus growled.

"Aye sir!"  The technician responded as soon as he learned the identity of the caller.  Everyone on the bridge knew never to mess with Arturus when he had this tone.  They knew never to mess with him period but at times like this the rule was especially true.  It was during one of these times that Lieutenant Vansic, the communications officer, was arrested by Arturus for gross insubordination and dereliction of duty while in battle.

"Commander Ferran, what can I do for you Captain?"  Ferran responded a moment later.  It was far too familiar a tone.

"Drop the familiarities Commander; it is neither the time nor the place."  Arturus snapped.

"Aye Captain."  Ferran responded, his tone decidedly more serious and less congenial than a moment before.  Sometimes Arturus wondered if Ferran realized he was in the middle of battle.  It wouldn't be the first time the man was far too nonchalant about the situation outside the ship.

"Commander, why the hell have you not ordered the firepower of the bow batteries to be increased.  You are chasing a ship with its engines exposed to you.  That ship is going to rendezvous with others meaning you will quickly be outgunned and yet you do nothing to reduce this by attempting to severely damage, if not disable that ship."  Arturus was shouting now.  This latest display of incompetence had pushed Arturus' last button and now it was time to give Ferran a complete piece of his mind.

"That was not the first thing that came to my mind Captain."  Ferran began in response.  Arturus bit his tongue to prevent a wisecrack from going out.  That wouldn't be the right response though the temptation was extremely overwhelming.  "Remember though Captain, we have still not completed the full inspection of the power conductors in that sector of the ship.  The simulations are not complete so we do not know if the increased power to the weapons is even possible.  If we increase it and the conductors cannot handle it, we might have a power spike in that area followed by a complete power failure if the conductors and systems meltdown."  Ferran protested.  He was so protective of the ship that Arturus believed it affected his overall command judgement.  More and more he regretted not keeping Amason on the ship.

"Commander Ferran, I left you on the Doashim to command the damn ship, not to act as a paranoid mother to every nut and bolt of it.  We are in the middle of battle and I need you to increase the power to your bow guns immediately.  I know the ship has override systems to get past the power limiters you put on the bow.  I also know that there are emergency systems in place to prevent an overload if the power conductor fails, I am not stupid.  I know how my own ship works and I know how hard I can push it.  You have been given a direct order, I want increased forward firepower at once until such time as you need to re-route power back to the starboard and port guns.  I expect these orders to be carried out at once!"  Arturus roared into the commlink before killing the connection and tossing it back to the technician.  The other ship captains turned from their orders to stare at the now beat red Arturus.  Some of them considered intervening but decided against it.  Pushing him now could be disastrous.

Arturus turned back to the holotable.  The right side of the Imperial formation was completely engaged with the left side of the revolutionary formation.  To his pleasure, the ships were in the formation he requested and the claw attack on the Liberty was keeping it at bay and creating minor strain on its shields.  The Overseer had suffered some initial serious bombardment as all of the capital ships and the fighters targeted it, but the Imperial fighter squadrons and the other ships had managed to disperse this concentration before it could weaken the shields by a significant amount.  In fact, the ship had now fully recovered its shields and was fully engaged with a pair of revolutionary ships.  Arturus looked to the fighters.  They hadn't lost anymore and it appeared that the revolutionary forces had lost five.  This pleased him.  They were making the crucial initial gains which would begin to turn the fighter situation in his favour.  Suddenly, he noticed the gunboat unit of Sentinel Squadron break formation and race past the Overseer towards the Doashim.  Arturus picked up a commlink and contacted Sieana Krytal.

"Sentinel Seven this is Captain Hargraves, report your actions."  Arturus demanded.

"Captain, the Doashim has ordered that we make immediate attack runs on the Perseverance and Underground in order to disable and capture the Corvette."  Krytal replied.  Now this was news.  Had Ferran finally figured out how to command?  That couldn't be the case; he had served too long in such a similar manner.  Who ordered such an attack then?  Arturus liked the idea; he liked it so much he was kicking himself for not thinking of it.  Capturing a ship would be an excellent way to help turn the tide.

"Order one flight of the droid squadron to escort Sentinel group two, and find out who was the true initiator of the capture order."  Arturus said to one of the communication techs.  The order was sent and the technician reported about half a minute later regarding the initiator of the order.

"Commander Hargraves, the Doashim reports that a Lieutenant Rogue gave the order.  He is piloting an armed transport that just left the hanger."  The technician replied.  Arturus smiled.  Same old Rogue.  He was delighted that Rogue had returned and to his unit.

 
-----------------------
SCAP, WADJ/1LT Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/STCR Doashim/1Flt/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][VC:B][CBV][LSM][LoR][BWC][SWC][GWC][LoC-DD][CM-PL]

A turn for the worse. Speculation of how Sentinel was doing formed as a fighter dropped from the skies. First trailing smoke, now fire. Vasili watched from the ground as the fighter swirled in a tornado-esque descent. First trailing smoke, then flame, it made its way to the horizon, sending branches and animals of flight into the sky as the ship made contact. Petrified by seeing what he just went through from a different perspective, he could only cringe as the horrific sound wave emanated through the field he was standing in. No parachute in the air. This one was in the trees.

Vasili's legs started moving before his thoughts did. Smoke was now forming over the tree line, just to the right of the Palace's visage ahead. The downed pilot was running as fast as he could towards the scene, despite the chance that it might be an enemy. Herd animals, logs, underbrush, nothing was a match to Vasili's superior mobility. Half way there he found himself wheezing and out of breath, the aftereffect of alcohol and smoke. He leaned against a tree and spit out.

Blood? Was that blood?

It was. Injuries unknown  had taken place within Vasili's body, most probably from his unconscious landing. They weren't hampering him, so as soon as he caught his breathe he stood up and jogged off.

The day had turned humid since the banquet had started. The air was hot and sticky, and the effort needed to wade through the air was apparent in Vasili's form. As he jogged, he shed his suit jacket (expendable with the multitude of others on board the Doashim) and his tie, leaving nothing but his light button up and the bottom half of his suit. The usually off white button up was darkened with sweat, the human side of taking such a strenuous run. A run where Vasili never took his eyes off the smoke.

The crash wasn't far away now: smoke filled the forest and tree limbs were broken and covering the ground. The path of the crash was clear as well, the downed fighter leaving a burning trail behind itself. Soon, the identity of the fighter was apparent as bits and pieces of a TIE interceptor popped up in flaming heaps every now and then. Vasili picked up his pace knowing which side the downed fighter was falling for.

The scene was pretty bleak. Burning vegetation, TIE wreckage lining the path to the fighter, scorched earth below, battle raging above, war afflicted palace in the distance, and right in front of Vasili laid the mangled TIE interceptor that moment ago had been spiraling to the ground. Vasili hesitated in his movement as he assessed the situation.

Damn, damn, damn...

What the hell happened up there?

Why didn't eject, you friggin' egomaniac?

What am I gonna say if you're dead?

What if you're from my Squadron?

What the hell am I doing?! I gotta get in there!

He sprinted over to the entrance hatch, which had conveniently rolled over to face him. The hatch, under the extreme duress of the crash, had bent open, and with a little manual effort, completely opened to reveal the cockpit. Inside was a big of a wreck as outside. Wires hanging loose from their hidden interior compartments, screens cracked, instruments broken, but most noticeably, a pilot laying limp in the chair. "Hell no..."

Vasili clambered inside. The straps holding the pilot in were still in place and intact. He worked his way in, shoving aside the wire-vines and hanging metal as he trekked a meter to the pilot. The flight suit revealed no further information about the person, besides the fact that he, or she, was unconscious if not dead. Yanking at the straps fettering the pilot yielded no effect, instead Vasili pulled out the knife he had transferred to his pants once he ditched his jacket and started to work on slicing the fibers. Cutting them was a meticulous task at easiest in the crowded cockpit made for one. It was steaming hot, sweat dripped in Vasili's eyes so he constantly had to pause to wipes his face with his sleeve. Eventually the bonds came loose and gravity shifted the free body momentarily before Vasili caught it. He pocketed his knife, grabbed the body beneath its arms, and dragged it to a safe distance.

Vasili sat back against a tree and closed his eyes, taking in the vast amounts of oxygen that were lacking in the cramped space of a TIE. He took relaxation in the cool air, desiring a cigarette more than anything, but quickly remembered what was going on and crawled to the body he just dragged out. Upon closer inspection, Vasili found multiple ruptures in the suit bearing cuts on the pilot's skin, most significant being the cracked helmet. Vasili held his face in his hands as he thought how to approach this. If the pilot's neck was damaged, taking off the helmet could break the bones completely. He gingerly slipped his fingers under the rim and, as gentle as possible, slipped the helmet off.

With the now fully revealed face, V's senses were at full alarm. He fell backwards at the face of his wingmate, Aeos. Half her face was bloodied, similar to Vasili, but her skin was pale and she looked lifeless. "Oh god... God no!" He was at the brink of tears staring at the crashed pilot. "There's no way.."

Frantically, he fell back towards Aeos and put his ear by her mouth. No breath. He touched her skin; warm but fading. He placed his fingers on he neck; a pulse! Joy returned to him, he sniffled up his nose, and thought quickly what to do. He placed his hands just below her chest and said a little prayer. In intervals of three, he thrusted his palms down on her. Nothing. He placed his ear by her mouth again. Still nothing. More intervals of three. Nothing. Breathe? Nothing. He pushed harder, and finally blood pumped out of Aeos' mouth. In a stupor, Vasili kneeled by her, grabbing her head in his hands. Her eyes shot open as she gasped for air. Vasili laughed in release, a twisted, thankful laugh.

Aeos caught her breathing and looked around in a tremor, trying to convince herself she was alive. Vasili was practically hugging her seeing tat she was ok. She caught his stare and focused on him.

"V.. Vasili?" her bloody lips managed to release.

"Quiet now, darlin'," Vasili pleaded for her well being, his voice shaken from the shock of it all, "You'll be alright... you'll be fine..."

Aeos managed a meek nod before closing her eyes again, this time just in sleep. Vasili brought her to his chest and rocked back and forth in stress, this time tears surfacing. Death had never been real to him, and even though Aeos was still alive, he'd never witnessed death this close to someone he knew. It was all too much. A weak spot was revealed and exploited in Vasili. He decided to wait it out before heading off to the Palace.

As energy returned to him and Aeos, Vasili made the decision to press onward. It was almost dark now, and the Palace lights were the only guidance back to the Empire. Grabbing what he could (he made sure to bring Aeos' helmet to try and get a Comm. connection), he picked up Aeos by her back and behind her knees and began to trudge towards the illuminated citadel before them.

The trees were quiet as they walked, the only sounds were of battle and the labored breathing of Decembrist and the soft breathing of Aeos. Vasili needed no company right now. No music to drive him, no beat to control him, no tune to dictate him. His drive, control, and dictation were all being fed by survival. Survival for himself and for the woman he was carrying in his arms. The bond he felt to Aeos at that moment was not one of duty, but of instinct. They were going to get out of this alive; they would go back up to the air.

Vasili was so determined to make it to the Palace now, he barely heard the voice of Aeos coming from right in front of him.

"Vasili..." she called out, fully awake now.

V interrupted. "Woah, darlin'. You alright?"

"V, yeah, yeah I'm fine," she said as she rubbed her head wound. "How'd you.. get down here?"

"I was first out of the sky. Figures, right?" A little smirk.

"Vasili..."

"Yeah?"

"Are you carrying me?"

"Yeah."

"Put me down."

"Take it easy there, hotshot, you just managed to survive on nasty crash. I can manage to carry you to the Palace. " He didn't stop walking. "You best build up your energy anyways, I feel there's gonna be some fighting." The words took a perfect affect on Vasili's injured Squad-mate. She had already fallen back asleep.

They were close to the Palace, and up ahead movement could be seen.

(word count: 1517)
 
-----------------------
SCRW/FM Vasili "Decembrist" Rustam/Sentinel 3/Flight 1/STCR Doashim/Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE [SoA] (=*A*=)

Will you not refuse this currency, or is blood money just money to you?

"I don't care what you think Commander. I need some of your engineers over here now!" Rogue yelled into the com unit aboard the transport they had come over in . The corvette was basically drifting in space at the moment, with the majority of her electronics still out from the ion cannons of the VE ships. The stormtroopers that made up the assault platoon new all about storming a ship, but they only knew a little about getting it back functional. They needed some of Ferran's engineering people and some of the Doashim's deck crew to fix her.

"Lt, I will not be yelled at in this manner by an officer under my command." Ferran replied. "I simply cannot spare anyone right now. We are barely keeping this ship up with the Captain's demands for action."

"Commander, I'm sending the transport back to get the people we need over here. HAVE THEM WAITING IN THE HANGAR BAY OR I AM CALLING THE CAPTAIN PERSONALLY!" He yelled into the com then shut it off. That should make him comply. He won't risk crossing Art's temper. He pulled his helmet back off and dropped in the copilot's chair, then stood up and stretched. He headed back to the airlock and climbed down the ladder they had extended from the transport's hatch. It made getting between the corvette and transport a lot easier.

Once in the passageway, he made his way up to the bridge to check on the two combat engineers that had come along with the assualt platoon. They were doing what they could to get the ship back online, but they needed help and equipment. The stormtrooper Lt was also there, keeping an eye on things.

"Lt, can any of you men pilot that transport?" Rogue asked.

"Yes sir. Two of my men are cross trained to handle transports, so we are able to operate independently." The Lt replied.

"Good. Have them take the transport back to the Doashim and bring back the engineers and crew we need. I want this ship back in the fight ASAP." Rogue ordered.

"Yes sir" came the reply. The comlink followed and the Lt gave out the orders.

Minutes later that portion of passageway was sealed off and the transport was on its way. As soon as they returned, and the repairs were started, Rogue would take offical command of the corvette and get her back into the fight. But it would take a good bit to get her operational. The two combat engineers from the storm trooper platoon had their work cut out for them. Until that transport got back, he had to put his trust into those two.

At the moment, the biggest risk was an enemy fighter getting through the droid fighters and damaging the corvette critically. Those droid fighters were their only protection until they got those engineers. It was a race against the clock now. And if the cosmos had their way, it was going to be a highly tensed wait.

(505 words on MS Word. Sorry its so short. Had to crash early cause of work early in the morning. )

-----------------------
FM/2LT Rogue/Sentinel 1-4/STCR Doashim/VE/VEN/

Aeos, Vasili, Rogue...all out of commission for some time.  Atleast Rogue is doing something, but the other two, we're not even sure if they're alive.  Rogue's taking command of the Corvette Perseverance...thats excellent.  We need to get a bit more organized here....

"Sentinel Commander to Sentinel Group one, 5, 6, form up on my wing ASAP.  We've still got two flights of Z-95's out there, and two flights of R-41 Starchasers.  Lets see what we can do....," said Jaden

Jaden was instantaneously interupted as he finished his sentence.

"This is the Doashim.  We now have control of the Corellian Corvette Perseverance.  Second Lieutenant Rogue will now be taking command of the Corvette along with a skeleton crew making minor repairs at this point in time.  Sentinel leader, I'm going to let you decide on how to take care of the fighters in the area.  I'm not demanding that you clean up all of the fighters, just keep them off of the Perseverance while they finish up repairs," said Commander Ferran

"I can understand that you really need our help at this point Ferran, but there is no chance of us being able to protect the transports, and the Perseverance at the same time!  We've got three fighters and six gunboats, those gunboats being used momentarily to make a run on the Correllian Corvette Underground.  Unless you find something to suffice, we are going to stick with our primary objective of escorting the transports," said Jaden

"You realize Lieutenant, you are violating a direct order," said Ferran

"Yes, I realize this, but I've got two pilots on my wing.  One of my other pilots is commanding the Perseverance, and I have no clue in hell where the other two are.  In all seriousness sir, this engagement is so un-organized that I really don't know where to put myself or my squadron at this point.  For now, I'm ordering the gunboats to keep popping out torpedoes at the Underground, but also I'm letting them know that they need to keep a close watch on the Perseverance, because our flight has no where near enough fighters to do this all at the same time."

"Understood commander, make sure you get to those fighters pronto.  Officers are still on the ground and it is now dusk if not night fall by this time in their area.  Those transports need to get down planetside within the next 15 minutes, do you read me on that?"

"Understood Ferran, Sentinel Commander out," said Jaden

He instantly shook his head after closing the com line.  He was amazed at the fact that Ferran didn't even think about how many pilots that Jaden had to work with.  Half of the flight was out of the air, wouldn't that be something to quickly pick up on? Know that there was only 2-3 droid fighters left besides the interceptors.  Air superiority wasn't theirs at this point, but yet the commander instantly skipped over thinking about that.

Jaden checked his display terminal.  6 transports were following the fighters quite slowly.  One of them seemed to be having trouble with their number two engine, but was still capable to making it planetside and helping pick up the officers.  The rest of the transports seemed to be banged up a bit, but nothing serious.  It was now time to distract the fighters some how and get the transports planetside.

"Transports, change your heading for vector B-7.  Its a straight shot for the palace on the planet.  Full throttle people, and On a Whim, hows that number two engine doing?" asked Jaden

"Seems as though it is holding currently, but we are fluctuating power to it, attempting to get just a bit more out of the engine then what we are utilizing right now.  We're going to be hanging by about 5 MGLT in speed compared to the other transports..." said the commander

"Understandable commander, make sure you try to keep up as best as possible," said Jaden, "Platoon transport, once you get close to the palace, set down and let those troopers tear loose.  We have officers down there that my be injured, so make sure you get your medics deployed as soon as possible.  Lets get this job done people"

Jaden kicked the fighter around and headed straight for the R-41 starchasers.  He hadn't even bothered with letting his wing mates know that he was engaging, but he should have.

"Sir, I know it looks like a good idea to take out those starchasers, but T-wings are closing in on the transports, and they are coming in quick," said Daniel

"You two take care of the Z-95's, you should be able to handle it.  I'll run up on the starchasers and give them hell for a bit.  Just make sure that not one of those enemy fighters gets a hit in on our transports, especially transport On a Whim," said Jaden

The fighter spun through space as Jaden twisted the control yoke.  The starchasers were beginning their run on the Doashim.  It looked as if they were heading straight for the engine housing.  Jaden jammed the throttle to full and linked up his laser fire.  If he could get a few hits in on one of the fighters, he would be able to pick on a couple of the others and hopefully seperate the flights and keep them tangled up whilst the transports made their way planetside.

The redicule lit up green and Jaden let loose on the trigger.  Green bolts splashed out of the Hornet Class Interceptor straight into the aft of one of the attacking R-41 starchasers.  He quickly pulled the trigger a couple of more times, taking out the shields and ripping right into the hull.  With a quick switch and a few seconds to lock on, Jaden sent a missile hurdling towards  the fighter.  It was done for.  Within seconds the combustion had began and debris was being scattered out in all directions in the immediate area of the fighter.  Jaden didn't stop at that.  The next fighter veered away from its course a bit, but it didn't take any looking to see if Jaden's fighter was still trailing the flight.  Half of the task had been completed.  The two flights had now seperated, and it looked as if one of them was heading straight for Jaden, but he had been busy with the other, watching in horrification as the 3 remaining starchasers in the flight headed on to make their attack on the engine housings of the Doashim.

"Sentienl leader to Doashim, I've got starchasers coming around the Dorsal side of the cruiser, coming just above the engine housing.  Either they are making a run on it with bombs, or they are planning on tearing the housing apart with missiles.  I managed to clip one of the starchasers and take it out, but now I've got the entire other flight coming to their rescue.  I would suggest getting some of those guns on the fighters as soon as possible," said Jaden

"We are turning all firing turrets in the area towards the fighters.  Thanks for the heads up Sentinel Leader, we've got the fighters your worried about," said the leader

"Not all the fighters.  There is still another flight of starchasers about 1.5 klicks from my position.  I'm the only one currently in my formation, the other two pilots are taking on the Z-95's," said Jaden, "If you could get...NEVERMIND!!!!," Jaden yelled and shut the com channel down.

It was suicide.  One fighter, an interceptor model at that, being engaged by 4 R-41 starchasers, pretty decent pilots, and still knowing that the other three could be coming at any second.  Jaden kept thinking on this as he jammed the throttle to full and skimmed down under the belly of the Doashim.  The starchasers followed, but Jaden's fighter was much faster than theirs.  He forwarded some of the shield strength towards the engines, pushing the fighter to nearly 185 MGLT.  The starchasers vanished behind him as he pulled up in an arc and came around the top of the Doashim.  As the starchasers came up around the Strike Class Cruiser, Jaden knew it was the end of the line for them.  Turrets ripped open at the site of the fighters, throwing them into a spiral of confusion.  Jaden let out a chuckle at the site of this.  He hadn't even though about the turrets on the starboard side.  Two of the enemy fighters had now lost it, ejected, and let their fighters drift away in space.  Jaden wanted to do a fly by and destroy both of the pilots, if they weren't yet dead, but he knew that it was a waste of time.

The other two starchasers were barely holding on with no shields and 25% hull.  Their shields were beginning to rise though, which meant it was starting time again.  Jaden pulled out the linked laser fire once more and tracked the fighters down, pummeling them with every shot.  They attempted to get away, but it was no use against the veteran pilot of the Vast Empire Navy.  One after another, both of the fighters went down.

Jaden checked his monitor.  The three starchasers that were going for the engine housing seemed to have done some damage, but he could find no record of the fighters what so ever.  The Doashim turret pilots had done themselves in today.  They must have been some pretty good gunners to take down nearly half a squadron of R-41 starchasers.

"Sentinel leader to Sentinel Flight 1, Starchasers are down, how is it coming with those headhunters?" asked Jaden

"Half of them down, and it looks like the other half of them are falling back to their respective capital ships.  We have air superiority sir," Alexander Granite, the modest pilot, unlike his ever so congratulating sister.

"Hold your horses their son, we've got Two more flights of Starchasers heading in.  Looks like they are being launched from one of those assult cruisers," said Jaden, "You two get on those fighters, I'm going with the transports to make sure they make it planetside in one piece, or six, whatever you call it"

"Sentinel Commander out"


 
-----------------------
Jaden Khaar
NazgulSquadron
Naval Academy Executive Officer
-----------------------------------------------------------
SCM/2LT Jaden Khaar/Sentinel 1-1 (Sentinel 1)/STCR Doashim/1FLT/VEN/VE (=*A*=) (=*SA*=) (*=TE=*) [VC:S][LSM][SV](x2)[CBV](x3)[GWC][LoM]
-----------------------------------------------------------
TXO/2LT Jaden Khaar/Venom 1-2 (Venom 2)/Phoenix Wing/Platform Saratoga/DEF/VEN/VE (=*A*=) (=*SA*=) (*=TE=*) [VC:S][LSM][SV](x2)[CBV](x3)[GWC][LoM]

Vasili stared at the bodies blankly, his face vacant of color and emotion. Aeos sat beside him on the branch, her breathing uneven. She gently reached over to his hands and dislodged the pistol from his stiff fingers.

Aeos stuffed it back into one of her not so clean boots before she petted the massive cut that ran throug her thick dark plaited hair from her ear to the low neck. A soft scab has formed but thick blood still managed to ooze from various open spots. Her azure glance left its myopic state and flicked back to her wingmate, a few weeks, two months ago, he would be her squadmate. Vasili's grey eyes stared at the bodies. Sure, he shot down pilots and men down before. But the would die in their cockpits, this direct confrontation with death was not what he could have expected. Even all the Imperial brainwashing could prepare him.

Aeos sighed. The two enemy troopers did a backtrack when they realised that they had been tricked. As the reached the small clearing with Aeos and Vasili staring at them from above,their lives quickly ended as Vasili open fired and Aeos' vibroblade sprung loose from her hands.

"Come Vee, lets get to that damn building,its dark already," she muttered tiredly and weak. And indeed the sun was dying in a magnificent display of colors in the sky, and stars made their appearance faintly.

They made their exit off the branch tiredly and scurried over to the bodies hoping to find something of use.

For awhile all was silent as they scavenged in the darkness.


"Vee....you would fit in these clothes...right?"

She studdied the shadows of his frame, a new light flickering in her eyes. In the dark a flash of white revealed Vasili's grin.

"Brilliant,"

Prick,
She angrily kicked at the rock that stood in her way.
Vasili has decided to keep himself away from her at a comfortable distance, knowing the seething Imperial would kill him if the trigger went off.

"Aeos..."
"Shuttup," she snapped as she continued her stomping through the forest.
She squeezed her eyes tight shut for a second as she tried to calm down.
Which of course worked miraculously.

Vasili found himself surprised as the not-so-calm hotheaded female from minutes before turned around slowly yet calmly.
"yes?" she asked in a light voice.
Deciding not to tempt fate, he chose not to put any pressure on the broken skin of the situation.
"Our own guys will be shooting at us,"

"Yes, you are right," she muttered through the darkness and shadows of the trees. The small war raging at the palace however served enough of beacon for them to find their way.
"Any suggestions?" she asked again.
He shrugged.
"You are the ground expert between us," he replied.
Nothing was said for a few moments as they stood at the edge of the forest. The smoldering palace grounds in front of them. Their smoldering wreckage of fighters crafts a mile or two behind them.

"So...why calm?" he was an fool for risking the question. He knew it as well.
"Right now I have better things to worry about then your pervertedness, which by the way, you will pay for. Subject closed."

He cringed and allowed a small mischievous grin to cross his features.

"Isn't there an entrance to the palace underground?" he asked.
"There should be, its an old building, despite the modern glamor its cursed with,"  she answered crisply.
"Wasn't the Arm guys handed a map of the building?"  asked Vasili He tried to stifle a tired yawn.
"Chance is, that the path will be blocked,"  she answered thoughtfully.
More silence went on. Vasili plopped himself down on the ground, keeping his stolen rifle firmly gripped. He closed his head, and allowed his head to drop back, leaning against the soft bark of the tree. He jerked awake when spoke again.

"We need grapple guns, and a comm."
"Grapple guns?" asked Vasili with raised eyebrows.
"The entrance will suicidal, we need to get through one of the windows, once we are in, we can drop our disguise," she muttered.

Vasili got up from his seated position and ventured himself to her side.
"Sounds good, 'cept, where do we get grapple guns?"



*******

"That was way too easy ,"  he muttered as Aeos delivered the final fatal blow to the poor victim's head with a heavy rock. Both were hesitant, but after throwing dice at how to approach it, they finally made their way over to where they suspected the small base of the enemy was situated. Once there, they managed to find the supply tent. It was mostly empty, luckily for them, except for one poor bloke who had to  check everything that came and went.

Deciding that he asked to many questions, the pair, or rather Aeos disposed of him. Grabbing everything they needed, as well as two helmets, the two decided to quietly sneak out by means of cutting a small exit through the fabric of the tent which was situated at the edge of the forest.

"They will soon be suspicious, and alert everyone once they find the dead guy, we need make it quick,"
muttered Vasili worriedly as he strapped the helmet tightly.
"I know," she muttered reply as they dropped in a heavy jog, forcing them closer to the palace, leave the edge of the forest with a circle.

OOC:

Note: This post may be a bit messed up as I am a bit messed up in the head currently.  I'm suffering from a mild concussion that occured during an assault a couple of nights ago, so, please bear with me for the next few days while I recover.  It took me a half an hour alone to write all of this.  I'm terribly sorry.

Jaden let out a bit of a growl of anger.  The transports were moving too slow, but they were just beginning to enter the atmosphere.  Jaden's fighter was in decent condition, shields holding at full and hull holding at 75%, but the engines were running hot.  The heat gauge had been rising in the past couple of hours, nothing serious, but if the fighter didn't go into maintenance within the next couple of hours, the heater core would go, cauzing Jaden to freeze to death, or, the core would just blow, killing him instantly.

"Sentinel Leader to flight one, how are you two coming with those fighters?" asked Jaden, getting ready to enter the atmosphere with the transports.

"Starchasers are floating around, but there's not enough of them to do any real damage to the transports.  We're sticking to them though, seeing if we can push them back to their capital ships," said the sister, Daniel Granite.

"Alright, hold those fighters.  The transports and I are coming through the atmosphere.  My ETA to the palace is about 5 minutes.  I'm going to open a secure line with Commander Arturus and see what he wants done.  Hopefully he knows where the rest of my pilots are," said Jaden

"Affirmative sir, we'll keep up the work out here.  The droid fighters that we still have are intact, but they've landed on the Tiamut for rearming and refueling.  We'll be able to stick it to them for a while sir, but what are we going to do about reinforcements?" asked Daniel

"I'm not so sure on that yet, I'll speak with Art and see whats going on," said Jaden, "Sentinel Commander out"

Jaden cut the com line and patched one open with Art.

"Sentinel Commander to Doashim Leader, requesting landing approval at palace," said Jaden, "The transports are about through the atmosphere, my ETA is 5 minutes from the palace."

It took a moment for him to respond

"Doashim Leader here, you are not yet cleared to land.  I've got your pilots standing right here, and I'm looking at the battlefield myself.  AA guns have been knocked out, a lot of the ground troops have been knocked out, but we're not sure on the total number on the ground yet.  I'm still seeing blaster fire surrounding the palace," said Art

"Sir, one of the transports thats holding a Platoon of troopers currently is having troubles with one of its engines.  I suggest we atleast get On a Whim on the ground and get those troopers spread out," said Jaden, "How are my pilots?"

"They are in good condition, but they seem a bit banged up.  Nothing too serious, but I would like to see them back in the air.  I'm looking through my radar calculations currently, are you the only pilot escorting those transports?" said Arturus

"Unfortunently, Yes sir.  My other two are up there cleaning up fighters, and Rogue has taken command of the Perseverance, which I'm sure you already knew," said Jaden

"Yes, I was aware of that.  Drop the platoon transport on the ground behind the palace and let the commander deploy them as he sees fit.  After we've cleared up some of this mess, those transports are coming to the ground and we're getting out asses out of here.  Do you have atleast one completely healthy transport available for the royal family?" asked Arturus

"Well, they are all banged up a little bit, but we've got atleast one that will work for the royal family.  Would you have that one set down along with the platoon transport and get the royal family out of here before this gets any messier?" asked Jaden

"Yes, have another transport set down behind the palace.  I'm cutting the chatter now.  I'll be sending you more orders upon the delivery of those troopers," said Arturus, "Good luck, and god speed"

Alright.

Save the transports, save the day, get the girl.

Well, the girl's gonna get me. And not in the way I like it.

"Sentinel Three, Decembrist, I see you comin'. It's good to have you back."

"Can't say I enjoyed the landing, but the journey wasn't bad. It's good to be back up here, sir."

"I had no doubt you would survive the crash. When I heard you were with Sentinel Two though, I was surprised to find out you were still alive."

"Why would you think that? She totally digs me."

"Somehow, I don't believe you."

As he joined up with Jaden, Vasili realized there wasn't much threat against the transports right now. They were holding their position above the clouds, waiting for permission to land. As the two siblings of Sentinel fought off the remaining fighters, the small group of pilots of the landing party were left to themselves.

"Alright Decembrist, just before you got here I talked to Commander Arturus. He wants a fully functional ship for the Royal family to get out on. On the Whim has an engine out, the officers will come up on that one. I need to you take the next transport down for the Royal Family."

Vasili slowed off to Jaden's tail and waited for the transport to pull out. "You got it, sir."

The transport broke out and Vasili followed, staying close and keeping an eye out for trouble.

"Sentinel Two, this is Sentinel Three, you out there?"

"You just can't leave me alone, can you?"

"Hey, this time it's business. You have the first transport on the ground?"

"It's just about landed. I'm about to contact the Commander and get him out of there."

"I'm bringing another one down. Tell Arturus to bring the Royal Family with him."

"Got that. Get down here fast."

The borrowed fighter leveled out next to the cockpit of the transport and Vasili gave a thumbs up through the viewport. The transport descended faster and within two minutes had reached the ground.

"This is Doashim Leader. The troops are out, as many of the officers as we can fit are on board, and the Royal Family is good to go. Could we have an escort, please?"

(OOC: Sorry for the incredibly short post... just wanted to move things along before I leave.)

The death black interceptor twirled through the air as Jaden did a barrel roll of joy.  The transports were off the ground, he had two wingmen, and they were heading back into space.  Jaden could only think of the joy of accomplishing something, not the fact that he was about to meant his near death.

As the interceptor climbed into the atmosphere, Jaden noted that On A Whim had its number two engine back up and running.  The troopers and the Royal Family were all now in their respective places, which also gave Jaden a feeling of assurance.

Jaden began to check his displays, making sure that no enemy fighters were in the area, and he was correct.  Things had slowed down a bit, but he was still unsure of what was going on outside of the planet.  Arturus had been picked up, so had Amason, but Jaden' hadn't a chance to talk to them since they cut all comm chatter.  If the enemy listening posts picked up the fact that the officers were being shuttle back to their respective ships, the enemy would surely through everything it had towards the transports, and that wouldn't be good, because they were now but sitting ducks on the playing field of the enemy.

The plan was to rendevous with the STCR Doash and get the Royal Family aboard.  Their safety and well being was the number one priority for the mission now, but Jaden wouldn't think of letting that get in the way of his number one goal - Make it back to the Doashim, alive.

Since leaving the planet, Jaden had been having mixed feelings about himself as a pilot, and, as a commander.  Had he been showing off?  Or had he really done good so far?

Jaden wouldn't let the thought continue through his mind, so he pushed the throttle a little further down the line.

OOC:

Short, I know, but I'm very tired...It's 3 in the morning and I'm not even at home...