Jegora looked around the briefing room. There appeared to be about ten other trainees in the room. At the front of the room was Tomas Dagoram, Warrant Officer 1st Class and the lead instructor at the Academy. Also at the front were Scaridian Mork and Krius, two of the Flight Leaders for Sting Squadron, the training squadron.
Jegora had been in the Academy now for two weeks. He had been studying the basics of flight, the controls of a TIE Interceptor (which he had to admit were just like that of any other TIE vessel), and basic flight maneuvers. Now it was time for the first big test: the first flight.
Although the trainees had been running simulations for the past week or so, Jegora was still nervous. It was one thing to fly a hundred thousand credit machine that you couldn’t crash. It was another to fly a hundred thousand credit machine that you could crash.
Jegora’s attention was ripped back to the podium by a loud beep that signaled the beginning of the briefing. Tomas stepped up to the podium, and looked every one of the recruits in the eyes before continuing.
“Well here it is folks,” he said, “This is the test. Here is where you find out whether or not you are made to be fighter pilots.” He nodded to the two men beside him. “These two men have both graduated from the Academy here, and both are exceptional pilots. They, along with myself, will be leading you today. Your flight assignments will be passed out at the end of the briefing.”
“I know you have all been working in the simulators for the last week or so. That is good. Simulators can prepare a pilot for real flight. They are, however, no substitute for the real deal. This is my warning to you: do not get cocky.”
He went on for another fifteen minutes, laying out the flight plan for the trainees. It was pretty basic, really. They would fly a three hundred kilometer patrol to Defense Station Alpha. Once there, they would commence basic flight maneuvers such as rolls and loops. They would then fly back to the VENA Station, land, and debrief.
After they were dismissed from the briefing, all the pilots were given personal datapads with their flight information and ship numbers. Jegora was in Three Flight under Scaridian Mork. He didn’t know the three people he was flying with, but he didn’t have to. This was a Naval Exercise, and so they would refer to each other by call signs.
Jegora followed the other pilots into the hangar where their ships were stored. They would be flying TIE Interceptor/t’s, or TIE training Interceptors. The TIE Interceptor was the most common TIE Variant used in the VEN, and for this reason the trainee’s used a specialized model for training. Lacking guns and missile ports, the TIE Interceptor/t was a cheaper and lighter version of the standard TIE Interceptor.
The pilots moved through the rows of fighters, each one attempting to find the fighter assigned to them. Jegora was no different. All the fighters looked alike, of course, and each was identified through a small number located on the right wing panel. Jegora finally found his craft, and did a check of its surfaces as they had been taught. Finding nothing wrong with the ship, Jegora began the process of getting in the craft.
For the normal human being, who stands about 5’10” tall, getting into a TIE was a simple matter. For someone who was 6’2” and was heavily muscled, getting into a TIE was a little more interesting. The hardest part to get in was the shoulders. Although only nineteen years of age, Jegora had shoulders larger than most mature men. He finally wiggled inside. Thankfully, getting in was the tough part. Once actually inside, the TIE was comfortable, if not exactly spacious.
When all the recruits were in their ships and strapped in, the flight leaders went around to each ship and knocked on the window. Each recruit saluted, and the flight leaders moved on. When the check was done, the flight leaders got into their own ships. Not surprisingly, the instructors entered their craft with more grace and speed than even the smallest and nimblest of the recruits.
When everyone was strapped in and ready to go, Tomas’s voice came over the comm. unit. “This is Sting 1 requesting permission for launch,” he said.
After a small delay a female voice came over the intercom. “Sting 1 this is VENA Station
Alexandria. You may launch when ready. Happy flying.”
Tomas acknowledged the station and began to power up his TIE. The rest of the pilots followed suit, and soon the hangar was humming with the sound of ion engines. As the TIE Interceptors lifted up into the air, the airlock door opened into the void of space. With the twitch of a lever, Jegora’s TIE began moving forward into space, following the rest of the TIE’s.
As soon as they exited the hangar, the flight leads began to call out names over the secure channels. Jegora found his position on Scaridian’s left wing. Soon the entire squadron was organized up and ready to go. Now Jegora took a moment to peer out into the vastness of space, and for the first time he realized just how lucky he was.
The Vectra system is a fairly undeveloped system, and for that reason the view is tremendous. The stars are bright and clear, and not-so-distant nebula can be seen in the background. But what made Jegora pause the most was the size of it all. It was so large, so much space. A person could do anything here.
Then Tomas’s voice came over the comm. “Are you all ready now?” he said. “We need to get going. On me. Set to cruise speed.”
Jegora snapped out of his daydream and pushed the throttle slowly open until he had reached “cruise speed”, or eighty percent throttle. As one the squadron slowly turned towards the first waypoint, which was nearly eighty klicks away.
The first half of the patrol went off without a hitch what so ever. All the trainees flew in perfect formation, and all of them kept up. About halfway through the second kilometer, a problem developed. One of the trainees was having a nervous breakdown. Jegora would learn later that she couldn't stand the largeness of space. It struck him as odd that the thing he was most attracted to about piloting kept her from being a pilot.
The slave rigging in the modified TIE’s was activated and she was flown back to the station. The other pilots never did find out what became of her. They just finished out the patrol. Jegora was gradually relaxing in the cockpit, becoming more at ease with the controls. While he felt he had this part down, he knew the hard part was coming. When they got to Defense Station Alpha the pilots were split up by Flights. Jegora joined Three Flight a little ways away from the other two.
It was time for maneuvers.
(To be continued...)
OOC: This is my first story like this, comments are appreciated.
