"Two, are you okay?"
Jegora barely heard Trevor over the warning klaxon inside his cockpit. He knew that if he didn't act fast, it was all going to be over. He threw his Interceptor into one last desperate maneuver, hoping that he could buy enough time to evade the X-Wing that was blanketing him with laser fire.
Then there was a green flash of light, and suddenly everything went dark.
"DAMN!" Jegora shouted into the empty simulator.
What happened?* * * * * * * * * *
Trevor couldn't believe it. Even with the odds stacked so high against them, he hadn't expected to lose his wingman like this.
No, no! Not like this!Some of the traitorous Imperial forces had returned, throwing themselves into the mix against the Nazgul pilots, and Trevor quickly tracked down the fighter that had shot down Jegora.
A TIE Bomber, of all things. I guess Fal's luck just ran out...He knew it was against his better judgment to go after the bomber when there were superior fighters all around him, but the only thing on his mind now was revenge. Bracing himself for the fight, he targeted the TIE Bomber and gunned his throttle forward, racing toward the enemy pilot.
The TIE Bomber pilot must have known what was coming, because he immediately began to maneuver out of the way. And while Trevor had the edge in both speed and maneuverability, it didn't necessarily make this a routine procedure.
Hmph, this one has some skill.The bomber began to roll out to the right, slowly spinning as it went. Trevor pursued with moderate effort, and began to fire off shots as he closed within range. The bomber pilot cut his speed to nil suddenly, and Trevor's lasers went wide of their target. Not only that, but he overshot the bomber before managing to reduce his speed and come back around. While he had been slowing down, though, the bomber pilot had sped back up and was retreating.
Oh, no you don't.Trevor matched his target's speed, careful not to go too fast and overshoot his quarry once again. As he got within range, the bomber slowed once again, dropping down and avoiding another barrage of laser fire. Trevor was ready for it this time, though, and he eased back on his throttle to slow his own ship. Right as he punched the trigger to get the kill, the bomber leapt forward again, narrowly escaping the fire.
Dammit, stop playing games! The other pilot wasn't doing anything fancy, but all this stopping and starting was a technique Lieutenant Evenson had never really encountered before.
Okay, Trevor, keep it together. It's just a TIE Bomber. You've got this.At that moment, the bomber suddenly became aggressive once more. It turned around and began flying straight toward Trevor's ship. For a second he was caught off guard, but then he steeled his nerves and realized the time to strike had arrived.
This guy must have a death wish to come straight at me like this.He settled down and aimed carefully, then pulled the trigger. One, two, three lasers slammed into the TIE Bomber. Its hull was tough and the ship survived - barely - but Trevor was sure one more salvo would finish the job.
Unfortunately, he never got the chance to test that theory. Before he even knew what was happening, his ship exploded. The simulation shut down, and he was left in the dark with his jaw open.
* * * * * * * * * *
After several minutes, Lieutenant Evenson exited his simulator. He was still not quite sure what had happened, but he knew sitting in the dark trying to figure it out wasn't going to do him much good. There was a deberiefing to get to, and ...
Huh?He paused in mid-thought, only just becoming aware of a man standing before him. It was someone he had never seen before, but as he looked at the stranger more closely, it quickly dawned on him that whoever it was, he was a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Navy.
As quickly as he could manage, Trevor through up a salute, hoping he hadn't hesitated too long.
The other man remained motionless. It appeared as if he was studying the Nazgul Squadron Commander. Holding his salute in place, Trevor took this time to do the same to the other man.
The man standing before him wore the rank of a commodore, but there was no name patch attached to his uniform. That was uncommon in the Vast Empire, but it was allowed. He was a tall man, and appeared to be in his mid-to-late twenties. He had shaggy brown hair and dark eyes that seemed to flitter from brown to green and back. But the most striking thing about the stranger was his ... Trevor strained to find the proper word ... his aura? There was a dark energy radiating from this man, and Trevor didn't like it one bit.
Finally, the stranger returned the salute. When he spoke, his voice was calm, yet there was a dark edge to it as well. "Lieutenant Evenson?"
"Yes, sir?"
"My name is Commodore Darkhawk."
Darkhawk? Trevor knew that name, if only from the history books. Commodore Darkhawk had been absent from the Vast Imperial Navy for over a year now, and although Trevor had never met the man, he could definitely believe that the man standing before him was Darkhawk.
"A pleasure to meet you, sir." Trevor extened his hand, and after a brief moment Darkhawk took it and shook it firmly.
"Excellent job in the simulators, Lieutenant. I haven't seen a pilot fly so well in a long time."
"Thank you, sir!"
Darkhawk paused, seemingly lost in thought. As their eyes locked, Trevor thought he felt a slight buzzing in his mind.
Eh. Must be the stress from being inside the simulator so long."You're wondering what happened there at the end, aren't you?"
How did he know?!? Trevor gulped, suddenly ashamed of his failure at the end. "To tell the truth, sir, yes, I was a little confused. I thought I had that guy."
Darkhawk nodded. "Let your guard down like that, and bad things are bound to happen. You were so sure you had won, weren't you?" The commodore's lip curled up in a half-smile. "The TIE Bomber pilot hit you square on with a concussion missile."
"But there was no missile warning indicator..."
"Of course not. I didn't have to lock on to hit you, because you were coming straight at me. I just switched to missiles and dumbfired one straight on."
Wait a second... "That was you?" Trevor asked, incredulously.
Darkhawk nodded. "You were so sure that the TIE Avenger you battled earlier in the simulation was a real pilot, you let your guard down once you had defeated it. That was the decoy, Lieutenant, an AI-controlled pilot who had ramped up to extreme levels." The commodore paused, his head cocked to one side. "Never underestimate your opponent, Lieutenant, no matter what kind of ship he may be piloting. You could be in a TIE Defender and still get shot down by a gunner on a medium transport if you're not careful. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. That aside, you - and your pilots - put up one hell of a fight. Be proud of what you accomplished out there."
"Yes ... yes, sir." Pride was the last thing Trevor felt right now.
Darkhawk smiled, a full-blown grin this time. "You'll feel pride soon enough, Lieutenant."
Trevor's eyes widened in surprise.
Did he just..."Would you care to join me in the debriefing room, Lieutenant. The rest of Nazgul Squadron is there, waiting for you. And I believe the
Atrus's new ship captain has a thing or two to say, as well."
New captain? Where's Riel? Trying not to think too hard about it, Trevor nodded. "Let's go, sir."
