OOC:

Ok guys, New story. This first post is going to set the scene, along with background and important information for the up coming conflict. Anden will step in after me with the first RP post, and we'll go from there.

Operation: Typhus

From:  Coreward bound: A History of the Vast Empire by Dax Zavith. c. 50 ABY

The Drakan Crisis – 9 ABY

Background

Feeling the need to have a forward base protecting the eastern frontier, the Ios system was occupied and developed into a ‘fortress’ system - one of many that would man the frontiers early in the formation of the Vast Empire.

A small settlement was created on Ios Delta, the only planet closest to the hyperspace lanes that lead into VE space. A smaller version of the Rendili StarDrive Space Dock was towed into orbit and two Golan II space defence platforms we’re also strategically placed near the dock. Combined with the local garrison, Ios soon became a bastion of power along the eastern fringe of the Empire.

In order to maintain efficient communications between this forward out post and the rest of the Empire, the Yetton system was also occupied and developed to include a relay network. The turbulent hyperspace lanes in the area meant that you could only reach Yetton either by coming from VE space, or by going through Ios. The theory went that only a smaller garrison was needed at Yetton, as any would be invader would first have to go through Ios, or one of the other border outposts.

In the year following the collapse of the Galactic Empire upon Palpatine's death, and Imperial Warlord named Drakan fled the known galaxy, and made his own 'mini-empire' in space not far from that of the Vast Empire's.

In the year 9 ABY,  Drakan was looking to expand his holdings, and  the wealthy border worlds and outposts along the VE's eastern fringe soon become a temptation too great to resist

With his eyes set on Ios, along with the profitable Bannth asteroid facility further up the Eastern arm, he assembled an invasion force in secret. The plan Drakan set into motion that day would start with  the vulnerable Yetton system, and spread until most of the sector was torn apart by war…

The Situation

At approximately 0800 hours local time (Abrea), a code 0 emergency was received from the Viverro relay station in Yetton.

Given the symbiotic nature of the two systems, Navy high command feared that Ios had fallen too, which would allow the enemy access to the Yetton system. If this were true there now was a huge gap in the eastern frontier. Later that day, a distress signal was also received from the Bannth system.

Declaring a state of emergency, Navy high command immediately launched a battle-group to re-take the Yetton and Bannth systems.

OOC:

Which is what Kaph and Nazgul squadron respectively are doing in their missions.

At the behest of Grand Admiral Japheth, a Task Force Typhus was also created with the intent of heading straight to the Ios system. Their main goal was to investigate the situation in force, but also retake the system if possible. They would travel along the eastern frontier, and arrive from roughly the same direction as any would-be attacker.

This was to be a blind operation, as NAVCOM had no idea whether or not the garrison still existed. Still, any enemy force that was capable of taking out the garrison would have to be formidable, so Task Force Typhus was comprised to respond in kind.

Force Composition

Task Force Typhus

ISD Suspense - minor damage
4 Carrack-class light cruisers - Thespian, Dweller, Jin & Imperian -  Thespian & Imperian destroyed
2 Strike-class cruisers - Sycorax & Twilight Pulse - Twilight Pulse damaged
2 Broadside-class cruiser KDB-1 - Thumper & Relentless
3 Lancer-class Frigates - Drifter, Slicer & Valiant
8 TIE-class squadrons - Viper Squadron(Fighter)
                                - Blue Squadron(Fighter)
                                - Hawkwing Squadron(Fighter)
                                - Phoenix Squadron(Interceptor)
                                - "The Roadrunners" Squadron(Interceptor)
                                - Delta Squadron(Interceptor)
                                - Phalanx Squadron(Bomber)
                                - Hellas Squadron(Bomber)
Hostile Forces

Officially - Unknown

Un-Officially:

1 ISD
2 Nebulon -B class Frigates
2 Acclamator II assault ships - 1 remaining
5 Tartan Patrol Cruisers - 3 remaining
12 Tie Squadrons - 10 remaining

OOC:

The enemy srength numbers will become apparent eventually, but you are not allowed to mention them until either myself, Tomas or Anden have referred to them in their own posts.

Ios Imperial Garrison

2 Golan II defence platforms - Captured, semi-operable
1 Rendili StarDrive Oribital Construction Dock(modified) - captured

1 Victory-class Star Dreadnoughts
3 Carrack-class light cruisers
2 Strike-class cruisers
2 Lancer-class Frigates
6 TIE Squadrons (2 Interceptor, 2 Fighter, 1 Bomber, 1 Scout)

(All ships destroyed/surrendered)

OOC:

The fate of the garrison as yet unknown, and their fate won't be realised for some time. Their strength is just for context, however this information may play a part later in the story. Again, no mentioning unless myself, Anden or Thomas mentions it first.

Further Details

Unknown to the Vast Empire, Drakan’s forces discovered a new way to reach Yetton, without having to go through Ios or deeper in VE space. With the relay station offline, elements of the invasion force broke off, some going to the Bannth system, whilst others doubling back to take Ios from behind.

At first, the garrison thought the new arrivals were a relief fleet, or a task force about to head out on a mission, however it soon became apparent they were not friendlies, and the garrison was taken completely by surprise.

The enemy have had time to prepare for a counter-attack, However since the enemy are expecting any such attack to come from the direction of Yetton and VE space, they will not be watching their rears too closely...

OOC:

Again, just some context, and not anything you can mention in the story.

Initial Instructions

Since Viper squadron's activity has been low as of late, we're going to skip most of the C/D for this mission. (You're all good at it anyway.) There will be no RP briefing, however you may refer back to one made by Thomas and Myself should you wish, using the information I have provided here.

At the point where the story begins, we have already set off from the staging ground at Typhus, a frontier planet further up the eastern fringe of the empire. We are en route to Ios, coming from what we think is the same direction the invaders used to reach Ios.

We're a few hours out from arrival, so most of you are either in the waiting lounge near the hanger, or hanging around your fighters. You are all ready, with your flight gear on, and any equipment you will need stowed away.

The first RP post will be made by Anden, so wait for his lead and go from there. Thomas is also returning, so he will be back as Viper 1. Anyone who joins us after the story begins can initially be written in as belonging one of the other squadrons in the task force, where they will then transfer to us once the mission is over - saves them hanging about.

Any questions, feel free to PM any of your squadron leaders. Other then that - good luck! Lets get our name back!

Tomas nodded solemnly, as the crew chief gave a rundown of the problems his team had encountered with Viper's fighters, both those they'd been able to fix and those that were small and insignificant enough that they could be put off. Lately, this sort of routine had begun to bore Tomas as he fought the urge to yawn. Ever since the hangar accident his squadron had encountered during their training excercises, Tomas had had little desire to be in one any longer than necessary. It was an odd fear for a pilot, but a required point of transition from ship to space.

Tomas cringed at the thought. He had only just recently been cleared to fly following his shrapnel wound, and the thought of the accident brought up memories he'd just as soon forget.

"Looks like everything is in order," Tomas stated as the chief wrapped up the rundown. Glancing at his chrono as the two went their seperate ways. The time of arrival was dwindling with each passing second and it was just about time for them to start their flight checks. With that, the squadron commander hailed communications, passing on a message for all Viper pilots to make their way to the hangar. Already prepped for the mission, those pilots not already in the hangar emerged through the hangar doors.

"Listen up," Tomas announced to the pilots surrounding him. "For many of us, including myself this may be the largest mission you've ever been on. Don't overthink, or get stressed out. This is just like any other mission we've been on. Keep focused, keep your cool, and you'll all be back here sipping brews before you know it. Good hunting."

With that, the squadron broke up and went their own directions. Climbing into his cockpit for the hundredsth and something time, Tomas took a deep breath before running through his launch checks. Now, it was just a matter of time.

Lots of changes have happened since the hanger explosion, but as the saying goes, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Lukas began to feel that way as he grabbed his helmet and made his way to the hanger along with Anden and the new pilot, Ryno. This would be his first mission in the fighter, compared to Lukas's second official mission as a member of this infamous squadron. However, now wasn't the time to live in the past glories, but it was time for some vengeance.

According to VE Intelligence, there was a Warlord named Drakan that needed to be taken out by the forces of the VEN, and this mission would either save them or destroy them. Viper Squadron, as well as other squadrons within the VEN, was called upon to be a part of a special Task Force that will enter the Ios System, a place where Lukas has never been before. Luckily, for him, this wasn't a tourist stop. This mission could spell the fate of the Vipers, now half in strength as a result of the hanger incident.

Upon reaching the hanger, Lukas took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly as he listened to Tomas speak to him. It was good to see him, for it was the first time in a while since that horrific day.  "For many of us, including myself this may be the largest mission you've ever been on. Don't overthink, or get stressed out. This is just like any other mission we've been on. Keep focused, keep your cool, and you'll all be back here sipping brews before you know it. Good hunting."

With a nod to Tomas, Lukas with towards his TIE with a jog in his step, slowly slipping on his helmet as he approached the fighter. He looked to a mech droid that was near the left wing and chirpped at him, telling him that all the diagnostics checked out. He nodded to it and gave him a couple of pats on its head as he climbed into the cockpit.

Lukas had never been in this time of mission, being one of this importance. However, this was a first time for everything, and this was certainly that time. Flipping a couple of switches, the cockpit lit to life as he awaited the signal to take off, hearing the engine begin to whine that familiar noise that it was infamous for.

((OOC: Keep this one, and delete the one above. Sorry about that))

“I’m sorry Mr. Tyrol there’s been no change. We’ve got them as comfortable as we can make them. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

=====MESSAGE ENDS=====

Ibram sighed and deleted the message from the buffer. He was starting to get restless. The clock was ticking down, and whilst the news may have not been the best, it was a welcome distraction.

He wondered whether Jaron and Zane would see a cockpit again, even if they did wake up and recover. He has messaged the Doctor's office on Abrea just after they had departed for the rendezvous, and the reply had only just gotten to him.

For some reason, despite being able to make fast picket ships and interceptors that out out run it's own lasers, humans still had problems with creating an effective mail system.

He checked his chrono: T minus 15 minutes till they exited hyperspace. The deck crews were finishing up; making sure everything was ready for the up-coming operation – securing down loose objects, getting the ‘crash kits’ ready.

Whilst a lot of fighters either survived or got destroyed in fleet engagements, there was the odd few who suffered minor damage that whilst didn’t cripple them, made them more of a liability in a fight. Those fighters would make emergency landings in the hangar bay, and the deck crews would make emergency repairs. With any luck, those fighters would be out and about in no time.

Like anyone wants to go through that twice, he thought.

Ibram leaned back into his seat as Commander Shodon’s voice blared over the intercom:

“We are T-Minus 15 minutes en-counting. Make sure all stations are set to condition one. Fighters will launch on arrival, screening pattern Omega. Good luck.”

Luck, Ibram mused, thinking about Jaron and Zane, and all the others who had left or dies.

I wonder who the lucky ones really are?

Jacen finished his fighter check. He was getting antsy, he badly wanted to get out of the confinement of the hangar. He never could keep himself confined, unless it was in a cockpit flying through space. He always wanted more.

“So when do we get off this hunk of metal?”

“Wow, for someone who's nervous out of there mind.”  Fulfiller replied.

“Well, better get it over with than sit in this cockpit while you two have all the fun.” Jacen hadn't removed himself from the TIE he wanted to get used to the cramped space, after all he was used to the open room in a YT-2000. 

“Well, that's the spirit.”

huh, what's this? Jacen looked down at his PAC-20, a whole bunch of items started popping up , they were labeled: “flight Maneuvers”. He had forgotten that he had asked his R2 unit to install them. Convenient, really should have studied these.  It was to late now, he's have to remember to look them over later.

Minutes passed by faster than he could count. His was starting to get hot inside the TIE, he was starting to rethink putting his helmet on. “So, is there any way to turn friendly fire off?” Jacen said, his voice cracked a bit at the end.

Fulfiller laughed a little. “Sorry Jacen this isn't a Simulator.”

“Yea, and if your worried about friendly fire, you should really rethink being a pilot.” Anden was kidding around, but his voice was serious;even over the muffled sound of the commlink.

Both Jacen and fulfiller broke out into short laughter. “We'll see.” This is going to be fun. at that moment, Ryno knew he was going to do fine.

A deep breath was let out of Lukas as he watched the hyperdrive of the Suspense slow itself to a standard stop. This was it, Lukas thought as he prepared his TIE for take-off. He enjoyed having a little laugh with Jacen and Anden, taking a little of the edge off of the situation. It was good to be a little nervous about what was about to take place, but then, the pride and courage of a pilot had to take over at some point.

Just as Lukas settled himself in for the flight, the voice of the XO came through the coms. “All right everyone, listen up. We’re going to be leading the charge. Everyone form up on me in wedge formation, we’re going to scout ahead. The fleet’s going to be right behind us, but we’re there eyes and ears. Let’s get to it.”

Lukas nodded to that as he eased his TIE out of the hanger along with the rest of Viper Squadron, leading the assault towards whatever was to come their way. Slowly pulling his fighter to the left of the formation, his eyes looked at the scanners for any signs of a recent battle. There was no traces of any wreckage or and residue that came from a battle.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

If there was a battle here, surely there was, at least, a hint of what took place here. However, the emptiness of space was all there was. Lukas looked to the scanners once more, seeing Viper Squadron as well as the Strike Force that came from the hanger. All allies, and no enemies. Was this trip all for nothing? Lukas hoped not as he continued to look around.

Arkan finished the routine checks in the cockpit and powered up the engines. A faint whine of servos egded in to the audio receptors which was meant to keep such stuff out. "To sensitive" he thought. Deck hands and engineers scurried out of the hanger as the shields were lowered and the TIEs burst out of the hanger. Alecia's voice crackled over the 'net and warned of danger. Ibram was asking the sensor operator to search for ion trails and weapons discharge signatures as he couldn't hear the operator he didn't know the results but Ibram's voice was now edgey compared to his usual composure. Ibram's voice was suddenly in his ear saying"Alright  viper we've got no sensor reports so letsdo this the old fashioned way". A chorus of yes sir followed as they flew into the depths of spaceand adopted a combat formation

My God, this is so boring.

Lukas thought this as he piloted his TIE through a particle cloud, seeing his scanners go fuzzy with static as the Vipers pass through the cloud. Nothing has happened so far, except for some chatter between Aleia and Ibram. Those two will always have each other to keep company. Lukas did enjoy this luxury of having an easy trip, but the length of boredom was starting to try his patience.

Not saying anything though, Lukas's mouth beamed a smile as the fleet of TIEs left the 'mists' and entered Ios space. There were a few things that Lukas had never seen before, like the fact that Ios was a Fortress system. He had only read about that during his days in Basic Training, but to see one in person was a thrill. It's too bad that thrill had to be put on hold as his scanners were going nuts with some blips and warnings. He looked ahead and saw what was driving the scanners towards the brink of overload, witnessing the leftovers of a battle.

Now, we're getting somewhere. Upon the command of the CO to turn off the coms, Lukas did so as he continued to monitor the war scene that was before the Vipers. Blown pieces of ships and fighters were everywhere, making it a bit hard to manuever through the rubble. Maintaining the course, everything was still quiet as the strike team finally arrived upon the scene.

However, that changed real quickly as Lukas spotted several red blips coming towards them. Listening intently to the conversations between Ibram and Tomas, it was apparrent that this battle was the first in a gateway towards the heart of the VE. That's not good for anyone involved, especially with the blips coming closer towards them. Even though the bet between the Vipers was a bit humorous, it would only last for a couple of seconds as Lukas finally chirped in. “Er….guys.” Lukas said tentatively. “Incoming.”

The missiles came in a pretty good clip, forcing the Vipers to scramble a bit to evade the incoming. Taking aim quickly, Lukas squeezed the triggers and unleashed a volley of cannon fire, taking out a couple of missiles as they flashed in brilliant explosions. Now, the enemy had revealled themselves as they rose from the planet's orbit.

Ibram's voice comes through the coms once more to everyone. "Alright, everyone. Time to separate here and take these scum down. First Flight, handle the strike cruiser. 5, take your flight and down those patrol cruisers and make some room for the Strike Team to approach. Let's get this done."

Everyone voiced out in a battle cry as the Vipers broke off into their flights, Lukas adjusting himself to be with Anden and Ryno as they headed toward one of the patrol cruisers with every intent to destroy this bozo. Being a couple of klicks away from it, Lukas adjusted his shields and his engines, giving his cannons a little more kick as he aimed his target at the guns of the first patrol cruiser. As the sight went green, so did he as he pressed on the triggers, hitting a couple of the lasers on its right side with precision as they were destroyed. He hoped that Anden and Ryno could finish this thing off and move on to the next one.

Hunter Morrell was scared stiff. This was his first mission since he got out of Flight School and he hadn't really even trained that much. Once he got out of Flight School, he was put in Delta Squadron. Everybody was nice to him because he was new, but he still didn't feel comfortable with them yet. Man, I wish I could have got some more training in. Almost immediately after being placed, Delta was one of the squadrons selected for Operation Typhus and here he was in a TIE Interceptor speeding through space, trying to catch up with Viper Squadron.

As fast as they were going, it would still be a while before they caught up to Viper Squadron. As Hunter flew alongside the rest of Delta Squadron, he couldn't help but wonder if this would be his last mission with them. It was a sobering thought. Even though he was really scared, he still felt pumped up because of adrenaline, but after a while even that adrenaline rush began to fade and fatigue began to set in. Its not surprising after all these hours in space, how I lonely and cold I feel.

All of the sudden the com unit started to crackle. “Delta Squadron, report.” Delta Leader said. Soon, a chorus of voices rang out, each one reporting in. When it got to Hunter, he reported in and relaxed inside the cockpit. It was soothing for him hear someone talk after maintaining comm silence for so long, and all of his doubts were washed away because he knew that his squad mates would be watching his back as much as he would be watching their backs. I wonder if we are near Viper yet? He was anxious to hear about how close they were to Viper Squadron.

“Make sure you aren't flying straight, gents.” Anden spoke firmly over the the com, “It's what those gunners love.”


He was glad to see that Fulfiller had locked in tight, but he didn't want to see him locked onto by the cruisers cannons. They needed to work quick and effective. Anden watched as His and Ryno's fire joined in battering the shields along with Fulfiller's. They did well weakening them, but they needed to get through them and immobilize, or destroy the ship if they could.


After the first pass the shields had been weakened a fair amount. As they streaked along the side and pulled away, the wheels in his head had already been working out a plan. He hated breaking up the three man flight, but  the plan he had formed was the best option to engage the Cruiser. The cruisers engines created a nice bulk head to prevent the ship from defending effectively against a rear attack. If they could get the captain to throw the a good portion of the shields to the forward position, there was a strong chance they would at least be able to render the ship virtually dead of movement by attacking the weaker shields.


“Fulfiller, Ryno- you two come about and attack from three point two seven. Remember to not keep too straight a line- give those cannons a work out.” He said, getting ready to signal them to break, “Hit this lug with maximum fire power but don't shoot more than one missile a piece. I'll be following up quickly from the opposite direction.”


His voice came out swift and precise- relaying the message to the his wing mates, “Watch each others backs and let's do this!, On my mark, break formation and begin your attack pattern.


Three, two, one...mark!” He ordered, ready to execute and follow through on his part.


He kept note of the two as they rolled away from him and began to set up for their attack run. He kept note of any unfriendly TIE's in the immediate vicinity. One crossed just out of his line of sight and he turned hard fighting against the g-force as he strained to get and keep the fighter in sight. He checked his flight map and could see that the duo was still setting up for the forward attack would give him a little bit of time. This skirmish would also help take him out of the Cruisers scopes.


This was what he was, a pilot trained for the utmost efficiency. There was something about knowing that the outcome of any dogfight, any run against a larger craft than the one he was flying could be the last thing he would remember. And knowing that kept him sharp, alert and tuned into the craft he was flying as well as those he flew with...and against.


He shot at the enemy fighter, going for a herding effect more than for the kill. He let his actions go, letting his instincts and familiarity of his own starfighter take hold of him and guide him on what to do. His breathing pattern was calm and serene, the time almost right to execute his own attack run on the vessel.


“Starting our attack now.” Fulfiller chimed in, and sure enough he could see the torrent of fire coming from the exact attack line he had ordered them at.


The Cruiser reacted in turn angling itself to open fire on the incoming fighters while Anden chased the fighter towards the unsuspecting Tartan. Seconds after the duo's barrage began striking onto the welcoming shields, Anden's hands were light on his controls locking onto the bogey as it aligned with Anden's true target.


He let a volley of five max powered shots at the fighter hitting it one, two, three and four of the times out of five. The pylon between the cockpit and heat disbursement panels ruptured before the pilot could correct it's course sending the  fighter pummeling towards the ship as a precursor to the fire power that would come from Anden. Shortly before the fighter collided with the Tartan Cruiser designated Harbinger, Anden blind shot two missiles at the glowing engines. He didn't have time to wait for tone, and he didn't have time to not fire. He let loose in single fire of what was left of his maximum fire power and kept it up until he only had a handful of shots left. Fortunately, it seemed to be enough.


The Cruiser's movement slowed until it came to stand still in space, the glow of it's engines light sputtering out giving in to defeat. Anden smiled as Ryno burst out a triumphant cheer over the com. Anden couldn't keep the wide grin off his face hidden behind his dark gray helmet. He was sure that they were alright, he could feel that it was so. He figured that was just the optimism coming from being a Flight leader. Sure enough, both pilots checked in as being at full operation after he inquired.


“All right then, Let's clean this thing up and take out any cannons still functioning and blast that...” Anden began to say as he flew away from the Harbinger, getting ready to make another run on it. They would have been more effective staying apart for now to make it harder for the slower cannons to follow their flight path, however he was interrupted by an alert notifying him of another incoming ship. Two more larger ships.


“Anden, are you getting this?...” Ryno asked, his voice sounding more concerned with each syllable.


“Yes,” he said shortly in reply, “Keep up with taking out those cannons, I don't know if we will have time to take it out.” he said quickly.


“Ibram, I have two more more ships inbound. One Frigate- Nebulon Class, and an Imperial Star Destroyer.” he said while checking his flight map, “Seven klicks and closing...fast. Looks like our welcoming committee just got bigger.”


Anden heard an indecipherable 'Frak' in return. Where there were capitol ships there would also be a good number of fighters. The Task Force had a good number to intercept these, but Anden couldn't help the feeling they had not seen the last of this enemies forces. For one, they had to have had a large enough force to quiet the garrison force and that didn't bode well.


“Ibram, we have nearly taken care of the one of the Tartan Cruisers, we will do what we can with the other. Do you copy? Over.”


“Roger that Beliam.” Ibram said, then he continued to give out orders for the other flights and contacted the SC's of the other squadrons.


“Alright guys, same song and dance.” he said giving out the order for them to take the second Tartan head on as he saw Ryno and Fulfiller take out the last of the Harbingers cannons, “We can do this you guys, we can take them. Now lets help take out some more of their firepower.”


He could only be wonder what was going through Ryno's head right now. Whatever happened, he knew that as long as they stayed somewhat close together, they would do alright together as they had with taking out the first Cruiser. They still held the upper hand over the enemy ships...for now. Only time would tell if it would stay that way.

OOC:

1239 words

Its amazing how slowly time goes by in space. Or at least our perception of it.

Hunter and the rest of Delta Squadron were still tearing through space, just trying to reach Viper Squadron, wherever they were, before they reached the enemy, whoever they were. To Hunter, it seemed as if they were no closer to Viper Squadron than when they started after them. When are we going to see some action. It seemed to Hunter that they were just going to roam endlessly until the end of time.

Then, he saw something ahead that looked vaguely like a battle. No, it can't be. Simultaneously, the comm crackled.

“Delta Leader, movement ahead. Over.”

They flew a little bit farther and it became clear that the movement was Viper Squadron... and the enemy! Delta rushed a fast as they could to assist them. This is it. I'm not sure I can do this.

When Delta reached the battle, they weren't attacked right away because it seemed that all of the enemy was already occupied with Viper. If they was, then all Delta had to do was wait until the opportune moment to strike and they could take a ship out of the battle. Luck was not with them because before they could find their moment, they were attacked by the only Acclamator II assault ship left. Thank the Empire our TIEs are fast If not for the Interceptors, they would have been blown to bits. It appeared to Hunter that their Interceptors were the fastest ships out here. Hmmm. That might work for our advantage.

Soon, a squadron of enemy TIEs started to pursue them in addition to the Acclamator's lasers. That was even harder because they had to watch both the TIEs and the Acclamator. One little mistake and Delta was short a pilot. Hunter was flying as fast as he could go when an enemy got a lock on him. He barrelrolled and somehow lost the lock. Then he noticed that he had a clear shot of a TIE that looked to be about to chase after his wingmate, Jade. Amazingly, he got a lock on one and shot it dead center before the other TIE could react. When it swung around to find out who had shot its wingmate, Hunter got a lock on it and shot one of its wings off, which crippled it and made it veer out of control and crash into another enemy TIE. Hunter couldn't believe it. Not only did he shoot two TIEs down, one of the TIEs taking out another, but he did it in about four seconds, all of it in his first battle. [Am I that good or did I just get lucky?[/i]

Ibram let off a volley of tracer shots, vaporising the TIE Fighter he had been chasing, Arkan flying closely on his wing. Together, the two of them along with the skipper and 1st flight were keeping the enemy fighters busy whilst the flotilla tried to take down the Acclamator-class assault ship.

They fact that they were even fighting Imperials hadn’t fazed the task force in the slightest. Whilst quite often Imperial factions would fight their common enemy – The New Republic – from time to time there would be in- fighting, especially on the fringes where the rebels had little sway.

The skipper and Ibram had concluded that it was probably the same guy attacking Yetton and Ios aswell.

Ibram saw one of the tartan patrol cruisers blow apart out of the corner of his eye, and Anden’s voice came over the coms;

“Ibram, I have two more ships inbound. One Frigate- Nebulon Class, and an Imperial Star Destroyer. Seven klicks and closing...fast. Looks like our welcoming committee just got bigger.”

“Frak.” The rest of the fleet was still a good five minutes out, and the new arrivals were nearly on top of them…

“Ibram, we have nearly taken care of the one of the Tartan Cruisers, we will do what we can with the other. Do you copy? Over.”

“Roger that Beliam”, Ibram pulled his fighter about, searching for Thomas and the rest of the first flight. He saw Aleia and Mira tailing a pair of bombers, taking them out before they could do any damage.

“Aliea, Mira, once you’re done with those two form up on me and Arkan.”

Anden and his flight had just started engaging the other patrol cruiser, whilst the strike cruiser and the two carracks were busy trading blows the Acclamator. He recognized one of the them as the Thespian, the ship that brought him to the VE in the first place.

Fancy that…

His revere was cut short as dozens of Interceptors screeched by him.

“Viper 9, this Is Delta 1. Need a hand?”

Ibram grinned.

“Sure do Delta, I seem to have lost the SC though. If you see him, remind him there’s a war on.” 

“Will do Viper, Shoden’s brining the rest of fleet in ASAP.”

Ibram watched as three squadrons of interceptors raced towards the looming enemy vessel. The Twilight Pulse, Thespian and the Imperian also redoubled their efforts, pouring shot after shot into the ship.

“All Interceptor wings, target the vital areas. One missile on my mark…mark!”

The Acclamator didn’t stand a chance. Ibram watched as it slowly came apart under the constant pressure of missiles, explosions, and laser batteries. Off to the side, the other tartan patrol cruiser tried to make a break for safety whilst desperately trying to fight off Anden and his pilots.

All of a sudden, Thomas IFF beacon appeared on the radar, he was flying around the Thespian.

“Ahh there you are skipper, I was wondering about you.”

“Don’t get cheeky 9, I was trying to fend off some bombers.”

“right, and I starred in an Agatha Christie holodrama.”

“Who?”

“Nevermind, Shoden’s brining in the fleet behind us, we should refor-”

Ibram was cut short as long-ranged laser batteries slammed into the Thespian’s engines. It’s bridge went dark, and it’s propulsion systems started bellowing smoke.

“Frak, the Thespian’s dead in the water. Skipper, I thin you should-”

But before Ibram could finish, several more battery shots slammed into the downed cruiser. Not able to withstand the punishment, the ship blew apart in a violent explosion.

“Thomas!” Ibram shunted some more power to the engines and raced towards the growing debris field. Behind him, the Twilight Pulse and the Imperian had stopped.

Ibram searched desperately for any sign of Thomas or his fighter, but found nothing.

He can’t be dead, not now, not after everything…

And then heard it. It was faint, but it was there none the less.

“Twilight Pulse, this is Viper XO. Our skipper in EVA. I repeat, our skipper is EVA, request immediate pick up over.”

“Roger that Viper, tag him and we’ll see what we can do.”

Ibram highlighted toms position on the radar.

He looked over towards Ios. The ISD and the Nebulon Frigate were getting closer; on top of that, Ibram could make out more movement around the Golan platforms.

This is going to get rough…

OOC:

Just writing Thomas out of the story, so that it doesn't seem weird that he's not posting.

Some general admin:

Sicario - I'll write in the incident that frees you in my next post, so hang in there.

Anden: In your next post, you could write in that the destruction of the other Carrack Cruiser, and the Twilight Pulse being damaged. At that point, the rest of the fleet catches up to us via another micro-jump stunt.

Everyone else: Until Anden gets his post in, just write about the skirmish we just fought.

On a final note, I'm going to be updating the factfile to show what ships still in action.

Carry on

Time to dance.

That was Lukas's thought as he raced across the first Cruiser with Ryno by his side, unloading his maxed cannons upon the laser turrents as they executed Anden's plan to a tee. A couple of the turrents exploded upon impact, showing that this ship was losing its shields in a hurry, and that was the cue to end the life of this ship once and for all. The TIE went from side to side to avoid any blasts from coming his way, making it all the more easier for Lukas to take the shields down lower with more blasts from his cannons. With Anden's missiles connecting with the engine, Lukas pulled his fighter away from the Tartan Cruiser Harbinger, leaving it for dead as the engines died out. Several nods came from him while hearing Ryno celebrate over the coms.

However, this celebration was short-lived with Ryno's voice coming over the coms about the incoming ships. Lukas had forgotten that this was only the beginning of the assault, and it was just about to get worst for them if the rest of the Strike Team didn't show up on time. It was time to strap himself in for the fight of his life, and he meant that, too. If there was failure in this mission, then all of them could just kiss their lives goodbye. This wasn't meant to be for them, for they were fighters until the end.

Anden's voice came through the coms again, this time with some orders as Lukas aimed his TIE towards the second Tartan Cruiser. “Alright guys, same song and dance.” he said. “We can do this you guys, we can take them. Now, let's help take out some more of their firepower.”

"Yes, sir!" Lukas and Jacen said at once as they began their approach towards the other cruiser, ready his cannons to be the same amount of punch that he gave to the first ship. This one would end up like his brother before him: dead in space.

As the TIE targeted the ship, Lukas couldn't help but wonder what Ryno was thinking inside his ship. Here, a mere rookie was helping saving the VEN from a disaster that could cripple them forever if they lose. There was so much pressure in that, and Lukas knew it as well, especially with it being Ryno's first official mission. However, Lukas snapped himself back in focus as flashes of green lasers were launched from Ryno's TIE. A smile crept on his face as he squeezed the triggers tight, unleashing his shots onto the Tartan Cruiser to weaken its shields. Same as last time, dodge and fire.

A couple of turrents erupted in blazing explosions as Lukas's TIE raced towards the end, seeing Anden's TIE set for his end of the deal. With a couple of more shots that drilled the Cruiser with heavy impact, Lukas pulled the fighter away from its impending doom. However, there would be no celebrating this time because this journey has only just begun.

After giving the second Tartan Cruiser, Firestar, a good amount of pounding it was nearly dead in space with no more operational cannons. Anden could feel the sweat dripping down his face in side his helmet. He steadied his breathing and was getting ready to set up on his last run just as Fulfiller and Ryno were beginning theirs. He glanced at his flight map and picked up new set ships coming from the opposing ISD. He quickly accessed there incoming speed and the direction of their flight path.


He heard Ibram call out an EVA for Tomas and noted also that they had lost one of the cruisers. Anden grimaced at the thought that Tomas might not make it. But they still had a mission to do, and their cruisers were now in trouble of following the Thespian to the graveyard. Anden keyed into the com and told his flight to break off their last run, since the Firestar would not be able to any damage in the near future, and told them to form up ad attack the incoming fighters.


As Fulfiller and Ryno came up in formation he realized that they were going to need help. Delta had confirmed that they would be available to help Viper, And he was going to need help taking out this new threat if they wanted to keep the Twilight Pulse.


“Viper 5 to any Delta's out there, come in- over.” Anden said as he and his two wingmen screamed towards the incoming Tie Bombers. He dumped some of his laser energy to his engines pushing for more speed. He knew that if the bombers were able to fire on the cruiser it would be done for.


“This is Delta 7 and 8, we read you Viper 5, go ahead.” A female voice came over the com. Anden spotted the two Delta's.


“We have incoming bombers coming in at your 7 o'clock from the ISD. They are on course to fire on the Twilight Pulse, care to lend us a hand?” He asked, pushing his fighter even more for speed.


“Gladly, Got anything in mind?” Delta 7 asked back as he saw the two interceptors pulled around to direct the path for the Bombers flight path.


A grin appeared on Anden's face invisible behind his helmet. This was what he loved. The planning and executing of evasive maneuvers. They wouldn't be able to reach the fighters before  He knew that for the most part bombers flew in a nearly dead straight line. Right now the bombers were getting close to their brink of their targeting radius. They might have just enough time.


“We need to get on a course intercept directly between the bombers and the Twilight Pulse. Let's move!” Anden said as he barrel rolled up and over to put himself on the collision course with one of the bombers.


“Everyone target one of the bombers and get ready to fire....” Anden eyed the distance carefully. He listened as the others gave the Tie they were taregeting. The bombers would soon be acquiring tone and he could almost here the preemptive pings that came before the lock on turned to red. The steady flow of double clicks came through in affirmation that they were all waiting for further orders.


There was only five of them and a full Squadron of Tie bombers. Hopefully, just maybe, they would be able to stop enough of the missiles from finding their target. Unblinking he watched the distance shrink down until at last...


“Everyone Fire!” Anden said firmly.


In near perfect synchronization the green fire from their Tie's lanced out towards Bombers shortly after they began firing their missiles. Being in the direct line of fire there laser cannon fire collided and melded together with part of the blue streaking proton torpedoes in a spectacular display of explosion. But Anden wasn't smiling. A good majority of the missiles had not been hit and had been beyond the explosions or had been outside of them.


“Let's clean them up! Don't stop firing until they are all space debris.” Anden ordered as he pummeled a bomber with a few direct hits once it was in firing range and did not even watch as it gave up the ghost before he rained down on another fighter. The proton torpedoes would soon begin taking down the Cruiser if they let too many of the bombers get a second round on the Twilight Pulse. It was already down to zero shields and was only as few more torpedoes away from making it's last run.


However, the bombers began a different approach as Imperian's captian let the ship draw too much out of formation making it an easier target. Before Anden and the rest of his flight and Delta's could pin them down each of the remaining bombers launched double blue streaks at the remaining forward Carrack Cruiser. It was one of the moments in life where everything happens in slow motion and there is nothing you can do to force yourself or your craft to move fast enough. Even his laser fire seeming to be moving like the contents of a gruel ration pack rolling down a thread.


They each in turn took out the remaining Bombers, but the damage had been done. They all watched, helplessly, as the cruiser took the hits and gave off the first tell tail signs of a ship going bottom up with the small blossom explosions occurring through out the hull of the ship- then the last throw of the ship and it ignited the blackness of space.


Anden wasn't sure how but he could feel the quick ending pain, the hysteria the people had felt in the moment before the Imperian went up in flames. Then...finally some good news reached out to Anden through his sensors. More inbound ships...the rest of the Fleet had arrived. And not a moment too soon.


“Ibram, looks like Shoden finally decided to show up.” Anden said with a smile as he turned in formation with the mix-n-match of fighters and squadrons to engage in a dogfight with more inbound Tie I's.


“Copy that Beliam, I read them...” Ibram replied, a tone of relief strong in his voice.



[ooc] 1054 words [/i]

He had done it. Phineus was finally able to drift to sleep. He’d be proud of himself if he were awake. He wasn’t much for dreams. Every once in a while one would seep its way into his drifting, tired subconscious thoughts. But that was extremely rare, and last it happened, it was somewhere around five, maybe six years ago. However, this night, as he lay asleep on the cold, hard metal bench, he dreamt of something. Something he wasn’t quite sure of. A bright red and yellow, vibrating circle on a steel blue background, beating rhythmically. Pulsating loudly in his mind. Once. Twice. Then it happened. A loud crashing sound, like an entire flight of TIE fighters had crashed into the side of a building. Whether it was the loudness, or the shudder that shook him from his sleep-ridden state, it didn’t make a difference. He was wide awake now.

The frak?!?

Another crash shuddered the ship, sending his fellow jailed droid to the ground, along with the large pile of copious cups of pudding. Phineus jumped to his feet, trying to stay grounded as the ship vibrated. The droid hopped to its feet, running over to the cell door. In a matter of seconds, the droid had used its torch to burn through the steel.

Phineus was shocked, ‘’You could have done that the whole time?” He strongly inquired.

The droid replied, “I swiped some pudding, but I’m no criminal.” He said, and then scurried away.

As Phineus shook his head, he immediately exited the cell. He was now speed walking, hearing muffled screams of terror off in the distance. Sweat had already begun dripping from his forehead; his heart had been beating faster than ever before. He felt so unsafe without his trusty droid companion, a sharp vibroblade, and most of all, his TIE fighter. He hurried past the guard room, and that’s when he saw it. The aging jailor who had offered such sound advice to Phineus not twenty minutes prior, now lay dying on the ground, gripping his heart. Phineus fell to his knees by his side.

“Phineus..” Berg began, “Never forget..” His ending words came out in coughs and wheezes.

Phineus shook his head, “No! No, I can get you to the med bay in time-” Berg cut him off.

“Remember,” he coughed again, his eyes glazed, “Be the honorable person you are, in there.” He reached his finger and poked at Phineus’ heart. “Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not, be Phineus Gage.”

And his last breath escaped his grey body. All the commotion had stirred some sort of heart attack in his body, and he died there on the floor. Phineus didn’t know what to do. He had always dealt with death so easily, it was an apparent part of life. But this time, it seemed to hurt somewhere he never knew existed, a pain he had rarely ever felt. But oddly enough, instead of feeling depleted, he had received a sudden burst of rejuvenated energy pulsing from his heart through his veins. He closed shut the jailor’s eyes, sprung to his feet, and hurried out into the main corridors.

Chaos. The only word to describe what was now happening onboard. Repair droids scrambled, naval members new and old rushed around in panic. Phineus had slowed a bit, his head on a swivel, moving in all directions to completely take in the tattered sight he couldn’t believe he had been witnessing. He had to do something, but what? What was there to do? He barely even knew what had happened.

“Whooo!” The familiar sound of fright pierced Phineus’ ears, and he managed to stop and let his best friend catch up with him.

“TK,” he exclaimed, “You’re alright! What the frak is going on?”

T3-K1 alerted Phineus of the ship getting attacked, Phineus stood in awe. He felt so helpless not being in space. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to fly with the others once more, and defend their craft. Whether doing something or not was in his direct power, he had to figure something out. He had to be Phineus. Honorable, courageous.

Phineus and TK scrambled around the ship, looking for whoever needed help. They flew by the mess hall, and heard groaning coming from within. Tomas, whom had returned to the ship, was apparently in the middle of a meal when the attack started. After the laser had hit the ship, one of the tables fell onto Tomas. Phineus rushed over, and with TK’s help, he managed to lift the table off from Tomas’ legs.

“Thanks, Gage,” Tomas let out, still groaning from the pain.

Phineus ordered TK to alert a medical droid, and one was there in an instant.

Phineus’ mind had opened, as the dimming light bulb suddenly brightened. One’s TIE fighter couldn’t be flying itself, and if Tomas was here, then that meant..

“Tomas, Sir,” Phineus wasn’t sure how this would come out, “I have to go, this droid will take care of you. Sorry.”

Phin rushed to his feet and motioned for TK to wheel along side him as he made off for the hangar bay. Tomas lay there, with a look of confusion and loneliness on his face.

“Ph..,” He stuttered, “Phineus?”

Phineus stood, glaring at the one remaining TIE as it sat there, beginning to be flown. His hair blew a bit, his eyes widened, at his mind was surprisingly still. He would usually get into a whole mess of trouble for this, but in the standing situation, it had to be done. TK wooed in fear of being left behind.

“No,” Phin said, “Fold up, you can fit in the cargo space.”

In space

Ibram and his two Delta wing mates were struggling against roughly five TIE fighters. They were flying in loose formation, trying to dip and dive away from the enemy TIE fighters. They were hanging tough, Ibram was as skilled as they come, and the two Delta flyers were green, but were able to keep up. The enemy TIE’s were sticking close however, and gaining on them.

This doesn’t look good, Jade mused.

C’mon, c’mon, let’s make our move, Hunter thought.

Just stick with me, Delta, Ibram contemplated.

They were in the toughest of tough situations, and everyone else was defending themselves, no back up could be on the way. It was up to the three of them to fend off five other TIEs, and to do so for as long as they could. But even though the amazingly high faith in each other, coupled with their hope, didn’t seem to help any.

All of a sudden, two of the five enemy Fighters disappeared into a ball of orange-red flame. Flying high and fast above the blaze was a friendly TIE fighter, registered to Tomas. But the voice that came across the comm wasn’t him.

“Woohoo!” The voice from the TIE exclaimed. “Looks like you guys needed some help, you got the other three?”

Fulfiller recognized the voice immediately. Though the last time he heard it, it was in a much more venomous tone. “Phineus Gage?” He asked, albeit knowing the answer all along.

“Petty Officer 2nd class, reporting for duty,” Phin let out, “Hope you don’t mind.”

Before anyone could answer, or even think, Phineus broke away from his old flying mate, and flew straight for, what his blip indicated as Anden Beliam. He had engaged a TIE fighter, but in doing so another one popped up behind him, the odds just never seemed fair.

Nothing is ever fair in the sky, it has no soul, no mind, it doesn’t care who lives or dies. It doesn’t mind fairness. Phin mused to himself.

Phineus engaged the fighter flying behind Anden, his one time wingmate. Their friendship was strong from the start, when Anden had been Phin’s wingman. Now? Now things have changed a bit. Anden ranked higher, gained more respect, and was leading his own flight. One thing was still laid in concrete however. They were both darn good pilots, and both knew when to handle business.

“Anden,” Phin chimed in over the comm., “I’m going to purposely miss, will shoot off some shots to your left, he’ll be forced to fly into your right quadrant, when he does, I’m taking him out. Get ready to maneuver.”

Anden flew; not knowing exactly what to say, but he sent a confirmation, “Will do.”

Phin took the tiny bit of words as they came, understanding them completely. This was business, here in the deep mouth of space, and the personal quandaries had to be left for when they got their feet back on the ground. This was the time to take care of his fellow pilots, not to worry about the relationships he had with them. It was his time to be honorable and courageous, not immature.

Phin did as he planned, he miss-fired two lasers to the TIE’s left side, forcing him to move to the right, opening up a clear shot with Anden now out of the path. Phin hesitated for the slightest of seconds, thinking about telling Anden how sorry he was for bailing on the Navy, but knew he had to leave it all behind him. He locked onto the TIE and fired, and the red colored explosion lit up the sky line. Now Anden only had to deal with the TIE ahead of him, which he could easily do.

“Good work,” Phineus chimed in.

“Nice shooting,” Anden replied.

With that, Phineus flew off, looking for any more help he could lend. He felt as if he was in “the zone.” His mind was clicking on all cylinders, his piloting was as good as he could possibly make it, and he had been able to lend a wing to a few old friends. His alarms rang. It was his turn to help himself. An enemy TIE had snuck behind Phin, most likely tracking his tail the whole time he’d been helping out.

Now’s the time to stop playing hero.

The TIE was flying quite well behind Phin, matching maneuver for maneuver- when Phin ascended, rolled, sped up, so did the TIE. Phin didn’t like thinking the kind of thought, but this guy was good. Phin was even running low on ideas here, everyone else was busy with their own problems, and no help was around. It was him versus the enemy. One on one. It’s what every pilot lived for. This bogey was rather precise in his movement, but Phin believed he held an advantage. He had always thought of himself as a thinker, a smarter than average flyer. Something that distinguished him from others. Now, he just had to think of something.

He had, however, taken too long. As he began to pull a maneuver from his bag of tricks, the TIE had fired blindly, without locking on. Phineus spun right into the shot; it skimmed across his left wing. He moved the energy going into his frontal shields around to the left wing, trying to keep it in one piece. It didn’t look good; he felt the left side of his craft tugging on him, influencing the way he flew. He had to think up something quick, for the alarms of notifying him of a lock on had once again went on.

I’m in trouble.



______________________

OOC: Words- 1,894.

Ibram, hope my heroics weren't over done, and thanks for posting so soon. If there's any problem with what I posted, let me know.

Oh, and know, I'm not killing Phin off, just adding suspense.