OOC:

Taking place immediately following Operation Typhus, this is for Viper's Flight-2, to keep us active and busy as we await the next saga in Viper Squads tale.

Phineus strode through the corridors of the Atrus, happy to have his feet back on the ground. Typhus was one rough ride, ending up in him losing his right arm, from his hand up to his mid forearm. Phineus, as per his personality, made a joke out it, calling it his “right hand man.”

His strides, his walk, felt entirely different since he got back. He was promoted to Flight Leader, then Executive Officer, then to Chief Petty Officer once he passed his Senior Aviator’s Exam. He felt as though he had a responsibility towards his fellow Flight, to his fellow squad, to the Navy as a whole. He felt confident, though not cocky. He was ready to take upon his new positions with pride, honor, and respect.

Phineus turned into the training room, full of VR flight simulators. He glanced over to the training droid, whom had already set the simulators up per Phineus’ request. Behind him strutted in Ryno, Fulfiller, and Blue, all laughing at some joke, at Phineus’ expense.

“…at least he fits in with all those droids he has…” Ryno laughed.

The three pilots, all good friends, were ten minutes early, and were surprised to see Phineus there.

“Gentlemen,” Phineus said, standing tall, hands grasped behind his back, with a smirk across his face.

The three pilots stopped in their tracks, and came at attention, saluting.

“At ease,” Phineus stated with a salute back.

Phineus typed away at the control panel.

“Glad to see you all here, and alive after that last battle, it was a tough one,” Phineus’ voice demanded attention in a subtle, friendly albeit powerful way. “We’ll be engaging in a simulation flight, it will be a true test of not only your physical prowess over your respective fighters, but your mental capacity for flying said fighters. It will also put your trust for your wingmen to the absolute test. Men, this may be a virtual training mission, but I assure you, it is no walk in the park.”

The pilots listened intently, this was no joke anymore. Yet, at the same time, it had to be a joke, it was Phineus’ nature.

“I hope you three don’t feel my droid like appendage won’t hurt my piloting capabilities,” Phineus said with a smirk.

The three pilots chuckled, Blue chimed in, “No old friend, just don’t lose this one.”

The four pilots laughed, Phineus continued, “The simulation will begin in an hour, let’s get some food.”

All four members of Flight-2 walked through the Atrus in a single file line. Phineus could really go for a nerf steak, his stomach rumbled like a roaring Rancor. He looked forward to biting into the juicy, red slab of meat, feeling the juice flow into his mouth, his taste buds swimming in savory flavor. Phineus rubbed his hands, both fleshy and metallic, together rapidly as they broke out of the single file line, heading into the mess hall. Ryno and Blue were the first in the food line, followed by Fulfiller, then Phineus.

“Yeah, I’ll take a steak, and a cup of caf,” Ryno muttered to the service droid.

As Ryno’s order went through, he turned and took a seat and one of the lengthy lunch benches.

Blue moved ahead a few steps, “Steak, with some Darth Water please,” Blue announced politely.

Phineus was virtually salivating, all this talk of steak made his hunger grow deeper. He could almost taste the cooked meat on his tongue, swishing it from side to side in his mouth.

“The same please, but with a RawBerry Power Thirst,” Fulfiller took his seat after stating the words.

It was Phineus’ turn. He loved Steak Day, the once a week tradition was favored among all Navy members, but it’s what Phineus looked forward to all week long.

“Hi!” Phineus greeted the service droid with more than normal excitement, “A steak please, with a cup of caf.”

The droid metallically replied, “No.”

“No?” Phineus questioned with a look of slight shock.

“Yes,” the droid rebutted.

“What?” The situation grew confusing.

“Sir, Petty Officer 1st Class Fulfiller ordered the last steak left. So, no steak for you.”

Phineus felt as though all his hopes and dreams had just been crushed beneath the heavy titanium alloy the droid was crafted with. Phineus began a stutter.

“O… Ok then, um, yeah. Al… alright then.”

The droid spat back, “You’ll get Dianoga pie, take your seat please.”

The lunch bench that Flight-2 had sat at erupted in laughter, leaving Phineus to lower his head in shame…

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Words- 758

OOC:

Ok, Flight. Here's how this will play out. Post at the lunch table, give some friendly conversation. If you want, start a tiny argument but break it off quickly. Then post about, idk, anything really. Go to your bunk, thoughts about how Typhus took its toll on you, then finish with heading back to the training room. That should give you a good, solid starter post. Then, once three have weighed in, I'll post about the training mission starter and getting underway. 500 word minimum. Happy flying.

Lukas joined in with the laughing at Phineus's denial of his steak, but he kind of felt a little guilty about taking the last steak. As the FL sat down, Lukas was about to offer half of his meal to Phineus as a sign of good will. He really didn't know that it was the last steak in the mess hall, and with Steak Day being so popular with the crew in the Atrus, it would have been a forgone conclusion that the steak was going to be a hot selection. However, the overwhelming smell of the steak and the sauce that was on top of it made him think otherwise. Sorry, Phin, but this steak is too good to pass up.

With a couple of slices, Lukas began to munch on his steak as he enjoyed the great taste of the meat and sauce. However, that good feeling couldn't shake the memories of what happened back at the last mission. It was a hard-fought mission between both sides, and Lukas was happy that he and his squadmates survived the ordeal with no major injuries besides Phin's arm. However, the vision of seeing the Imperian destroyed was still a haunting presense in his mind. The roaring explosions and the screams of those inside would be a constant motivator for him, for every time that he would see battle, the image of that ruined ship would be his drive. They deserved better than death, and their souls would remind him of that.

Those thoughts died out a bit as the droid arrived towards Blue, wanting to clean the area that was around him. It looked like it wanted to do its job, and Blue wasn't too thrilled about the idea. Lukas smiled as he witnessed the scene, giggling along with Jacen and Phin.

”Get that thing away from me!” Blue yelled.

“Dude, calm down it's just a droid,” Fulfiller's voice was on the verge of laughing.”Sides' it doesn't clean humans, not it's job...”

“Really?” Blue said, the color in his face was coming back. “It's not that I'm afraid of droids...” Blue said, returning to his seat “...it's just that one scares me.”

At that point, Lukas couldn't contain his laughter anymore as he unleashed a good burst of it at Blue. It was hilarious to see the new guy in this predictament, and it was good to see the guys finally share some smiles and laughs. It was the first time in a while where there was a good moment to share instead of being tense and firm during a nasty situation.

With the final swallow of steak, Lukas grabbed his tray and handed it to the cleaning droid, not know what to expect from it but its overall duty. Lukas took his drink and headed out of the mess hall for a minute. He walked towards one of the glass windows and took a sip from his glass, enjoying the berry flavor of his juice. It was just time to clear his head and think about the future for a while. He really would like to head back to his quarters for some more rest and prayer, but with the upcoming training session, it would be a bad idea. There needed to be focus with him, and with what happened at Ios still fresh in his mind, he needed every ounce of training to be better than what he once was. He had to be better for everyone's sake, especially with the three friends that he is honored to have.

Phineus hadn’t felt this good since, well, for awhile actually, and all the satisfaction came from his more than pleased taste buds. The left over steak from Ryno’s tray was exactly what he needed to sooth his hunger, hitting his stomach in all the right spots. Upon finishing, he let out a long sigh of satisfaction, returned his tray, and saluted his remaining flight members as he left the mess hall.

“Forty-five more minutes,” Phineus declared, and then walked off with his normal smile and hand-through-hair mannerisms.

Phineus trekked through the corridors, fiddling with his robotic hand. He couldn’t help but reflect on Typhus. He had hoped Anden would come out fine, hoped that the mental weight placed on all the pilots, especially the new recruits, wouldn’t be too much to bear. He had also contemplated the vast changes in the Squadron had encountered, gaining and losing a number of members. Not to mention Phineus himself being promoted to Chief Petty Officer, Flight Leader, and Executive Officer. It was certainly a handful to consider.

But now wasn’t the time. He had to get his newly inherited men ready and prepared for upcoming missions. The responsibility was there, and two months ago, Phineus wouldn’t be able to handle it.
I could barely handle myself, he mused.

Things had changed, he was a different person, and he only hoped others would see him as such.

Anden would be proud.

The icy water felt pleasing as it pelted against Phineus’ smooth skin, his first shower since arriving back to the Navy. The tiny beads of water beat against his body, slipping of to their ultimate demise. Phineus ran his left hand through his long, wet hair that clung tightly to his soaked skin. Phineus didn’t take this short time of piece to think about how hard things were, how difficult the Navy was, or how much weight was on his shoulders. His once pessimistic attitude had deteriorated, dissolved into some sort of positive outlook on life. For once, Phineus had been looking forward to his new role.

I imagine this is what’s known as optimism, never thought I’d see the day.

Once his shower ended, Phineus freshened up; brushed his teeth, trimmed his beard, and through on a worn, blue Imperial Navy shirt with a Tracker utility vest on over it. He threw his shoes on, and left his quarters feelings as refreshed as ever, with his TK droid in tow.

As Phineus entered the training area once again, he entered a set of commands into the computer with an evil smirk on his face.
Oh, this should be easy.

The other three members of his flight entered into the training area, stood at attention as Phineus issued his commands.

“Alright, men,” his voice demanded respect, yet in a calm, friendly manner, “Welcome to our first training mission. You are all amazing pilots, and for the first time in your careers, that will have a negative impact.”

The others bore a look of confusion.

“That’s right. As the VR mission kicks off, we’ll be fighting against the common X-wing, starting with one per each of us, easy right? Well, it kicks increasingly difficult from there. At randomly chosen intervals, the enemies will double, triple, become more fierce. Eventually, Star Destroyers will enter the battle, things will not stop there. Surprises will soon follow. Let’s get into our individual VR cockpits, and get to work.”

The four saluted to each other, and entered into their respective cockpits. Inside the mock cockpit, it appeared eerily similar to that of a TIE fighter. The Navy went to vast lengths to make sure their pilots practiced as close to realistic nature as possible, and tended to succeed quite a bit. The only thing Phineus could notice differently was the lack of his personal items- his personal blaster and vibro knife, among other small items- strapped tightly to the back of his seat. Other than that small difference, Phineus felt almost at home as he did in his TIE Fighter.

“Patching mission objectives through now,” Phineus said.

Ryno sounded a bit surprised, “Woah, that this was a stay-alive-at-all-costs mission.”

“Bah,” Phineus cackled, “nothing like a little vicissitude, eh? Plus, can’t make this too easy on you guys, my job is to prepare you, not baby you.”

Fulfiller let out a sarcastic sentence, “As if this won’t be difficult enough for us, right Chief?”

The VR terminals ignited with light, stars came into place, moons as well. Within seconds the entire view lit up, so realistically that Phineus could even take in the beauty of the surrounding sky. The mission objectives rippled down across the ‘pits view ports.

VR Training Mission: Societas
Operator: CPO Phineus Gage
Mission Objectives:
•    [Main] Defeat all enemies
•    [Main] Find and destroy the Nebulous-class Torture
•    [Secondary] Discover and translate encrypted data aboard the CR-90-class Hilikus

As the pilots took control of their craft, fully engrossed in the virtual reality, Phineus chimed through the comm., “Alright men, let’s take it to them.”

Four X-wing star fighters approached behind the TIE Fighters, “Break off with your wingmen, on me Blue.”

Blue-Leader flew to Phineus’ lower left quadrant, as Ryno did to Fulfiller.

“Let the fun begin,” Phineus said with a smile.

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Words- 877

OOC:

Alright guys, here it begins. Each of you post about fighting your respective X-wings. It'll be one-on-one dogfights, and should go down with little difficulty. This will be the last chance to have an easy interaction, once the three of you post, things will begin to get difficult. Worry not about posting about the objectives, they'll come soon enough.

As HK-61 got into his cockpit, his droid mind began to race.  So little time to kill things and yet, he was here training to make sure that something bad didn't happen like on Typhus. 

"Query: Blue, I understand you don't like droids?  How does it feel to know a droid will have your back during this Training Flight?" teased the Droid, still getting used to humor. 

The Droid did Barrel Rolls when it was unnecessary, he liked the feel of inertia against his metal body.  Blue's voice chipped into his com.

"You can do maneuvers I can't right?" asked Blue, his voice seeming to be a little squeamish.

"Statement: That is true Blue.  Query: Why do you ask?" chirped HK-61, dodging the poor aim of the X-Wings that were fighting him.  The Droid couldn't wait for more, harder, enemies. 

"Just making sure I don't try to out maneuver you." said Blue, who was at the moment being swarmed by two X-Wings.  "Little help would be great here HK." said Blue. 

The Droid quickly swooped in, aiming at the two X-Wings.  He decided to only take one out, leave the other for Blue.  The Droid accelerated right up to the Ship, leaving barely any room between the two vessels.  He shot once, nicking one of the X-Wing's wing, causing it to lose speed, making the Droid have to slow down. 

"Statement: I like toying with other pilots." chirped the Droid.

"You do know these are fake pilots right?" said Blue, trying to burst HK's bubble. 

"Threatening Statement: And you realize I can break your neck with one hand right?" said the Droid as he clipped another wing off of the X-Wing.

"Just take it down...don't play with it!" said Blue. 

The Droid complied, taking down the X-Wing quickly, watching an explosion of colors in front of him as he broke off from Blue, following two more X-Wings that seemed to appear on his radar.  They seemed to do more maneuvers then the previous one, and it seemed strange, but they were moving faster then the other one too. 

"We got more company...can you handle them?" asked Blue.

"Statement: It'll be easier then a Twi'lekian pros..." said HK as he was interrupted by Blue. 

"That's a yes."

The X-Wings began to accelerate, their gray paint seeming to reflect the shining stars.  One broke off from the other, leaving HK-61 to follow it.  He sped up right next to the X-Wing, so he was neck and neck with it, treating it as a race.  The Droid began to press multiple buttons, eventually unleashing a missile in front of his craft, causing him to stop abruptly.  The X-Wing kept flying, faster and faster, trying to escape the Heat Seeking missile that the Droid had unleashed. 

"Query: How many have you taken down Blue?" asked the Droid.

"2, and this isn't a contest.  This is so we can train." reported Blue. 

"Statement: Touchy Subject apparently. Query: Did I strike a nerve?" asked the Droid as he began to laugh, indicating he was only kidding. 

"Singing Query: Where oh where, oh where is Shadow...Where oh where oh where is Shadow..." sang HK-61, trying to find the X-Wing.  As he sang, he heard blips on his radar.  "Statement: Time to die Shadow."

He accelerated, catching up to the X-Wing, shooting at it rapidly. One after another, the X-Wing dodged the barrage of blaster bolts.  The Droid quickly tried to do a reverse Immelman, this time landing in front of the X-Wing instead of behind him.  If it worked, he'd be able to launch a missile right in front of the X-Wing, adding a scare tactic to the battle. 

As the Droid gained speed, he began to change his pitch, rising into the empty void of space, twisting his ship 360 degrees, landing in front of the X-Wing as planned.  The Droid's fingers began to quickly punch in the buttons to achieve a lock on the X-Wing, shooting his missile right for the Cockpit of the X-Wing. 

"Statement: Direct Hit." said HK-61, doing a barrel roll away from the wreckage. 

"I still can't believe you sang a song while trying to find the X-Wing." said Blue.

OOC:

733 Words.