[Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

The first lines of attack and defense in space, Fighters are essential to the safety of a fleet of starships, acting as both a shield and sword, Fighter squadrons can win or lose a battle for their much larger motherships.
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Straken
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Re: [Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

Post by Straken »

Upon receiving confirmation that he had won his arbitrary battle of words with Arcadia, Fred dipped his head a bit in acknowledgement. While he and Arcadia had never really gotten along very well, the Irishman did derive enjoyment from the banter the two of them had. “Many thanks, Miz Aurora,” Fred said to his new squadmate while playfully exaggerating his syllables. “An’ no hard feelin’s, Arcadia. Ah was bound ta win one of our tiffs sooner or later. Although, Ah am expectin’ ya ta pay for the first round’a drinks.”

Meanwhile, Steven sat patiently in his own fighter as he watched the timer count down. Less than ten seconds were left until the Hymn entered the target system. “Alright pilots, T minus ten before the operation begins, so let’s discuss bar tabs later,” the squadron leader interjected as he began to count down the last few seconds on his right hand. “Three, two, one, and boom.”

Precisely on time, the crew on board the Hymn could feel as the mighty starship dropped out of FTL, and almost immediately thereafter the hangar doors flew open. Outside the massive opening the pilots could make out the scene where this new battle would take place. Surrounding the Hymn fleet and the Gate was a moderately sized Drathonian blockade. It wasn’t the largest fleet the Hymn had faced, but it looked to be ready for an assault as the many squadrons aboard the Hymn funneled out into the vacuum.

***
On the bridge of the Hymn, Admiral Sean Kerning was also ready for his fleet to engage the enemy. Standing attentively upon his dais the aged officer waited patiently for the operation to begin.
“Admiral Kerning, T minus thirty seconds until we drop from FTL,” reported one of the communication officers.

“Alright, double check to make sure the weapon systems are primed and ready to lock the moment we have dropped, otherwise you all know what the drill,” Sean stated in a simple, flat tone.

After that, the only sounds to be heard on the bridge were fingers moving across consoles. With great anticipation the crew waited for the moment when they would get a look at what was waiting for them on the other side. Off to the side, the navigations officer in charge of the FTL controls was moving his lips without speaking as he did his own countdown. “Three…two…one.” Then his hands firmly grasped the control levers and slid them down.
From here, the female officer manning the external monitors reported in, “Sir, Class Three Drathonian blockade fleet, fleet pattern Upsilon within moderate deviation, holding at just over one light second away from the gate. Fleet looks to be comprised of several refugee ships from other broken fleets judging by variation in hull IDs. We can likely expect poor cohesion.”
At the same time the officers at the weapon stations swiftly adjusted to the new information as they began the first volley against the enemy lines.
All the while Evelyn, the Hymn’s resident AI specialist, monitored each system and adjusted everything for maximum efficiency.

With a feeling of pride that was not reflected in his stone lined face, Admiral Kerning observed as his crew went about their duties flawlessly. Then, stepping back into his own role, he brought his tactical map to bear in front of him as it was updated with the, now accurate, information.
“Fleet, cut that distance in half at seventy-five percent speed, then adjust heading fifty degrees starboard at sixty percent speed,” Sean ordered as he began to signal fleet commands on the tactical map. “Hymn, focus main batteries on target Alpha, secondary and tertiary batteries focus on target Bravo.”

***
“Alright Green Squadron, burners on. We hit vacuum in less than twenty seconds,” Steven announced over the squadron’s comm channel as Green’s turn in line was rapidly approaching. “Remember, we are working payload today, so our job is two-fold. One, we are flying point for the shamshirs, and two, we are supplementing any further need of ordinance if their stock doesn’t cut it. Our primary objective is to take out the Raptor class destroyer that is acting as the command ship.” As it got closer and closer to Green Squadron’s turn to launch Steven gave a fresh run down of the goals set for them as he received his own updated information.

At last Green Squadron’s turn in the lineup arrived, cuing Steven to push forward on his controls as he led his pilots out into their next battle, or for some their first battle with Green Squadron. “Alright Green Squadron, fan out on my six, we are going to go knock on a few doors and make some deliveries,” he said as he gave his orders. “Also joining us on our comms today will be Ares Squadron.”

“Howdy,” chimed an unfamiliar female voice on the comms. “This is Ares Lead, ready to drop of some packages, pilots?”
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

Arcadia had no response for Fred but silence. She remained silent until the Hymn arrived at its destination and Green Squadron launched at Steven's mark. She answered her orders in her typical business tone, "Roger roger." It would be mere seconds, she knew, before the the black ocean would erupt with explosions and lasers and all other manner of destructive displays. Until someone was trying to kill someone, it was all still preparation in her mind. Quiet, despite the many sounds of her ship in flight; eery, despite her intimate firsthand knowledge of the enemy before her; and lonesome, despite her squadmates and fellow pilots in Ares so near. It was a strange blend of emotions, but as soon as that first projectile flew her way, it would vanish like it always had.
CadetNewb
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Re: [Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

Post by CadetNewb »

Sniff. Sniff, sniff...Sniff, sniff, sniff!

"Hmmmm?! What's that strange smell in the air?" Beryl asked curiously, shattering the silence. The peppy manner the pilot asked made it obvious that she well intended to answer it herself. "It seems to be coming from, ah! What's this? Fred? Acadia?" she went on, making it sound as though there was genuine surprise present. "If I didn't know better, it's almost like there's a little something right between you two," the youngest pilot remarked, looking at her HUD. It was interesting to say the least that their objective was a Raptor Class - those were smaller, more nimble craft. "Maybe it's...OH! Could it be LOVE!?!" Beryl suddenly exclaimed. "B-but what about me Fred? I feel so cheated...but I'm sure we can work out something for all three of us! Together!~"

Silence. Awkward, awkward silence, finally broken yet again by a laugh.

"Naaaah! You know I'm kidding!" she smiled over the comms. "Seriously though, what's up with the Raptor being a command ship? The Draths usually try to overcompensate and grab the biggest ship around, don't they?" Beryl asked, snapping into a more serious thread. "I got a feeling this is going to be a cakewalk."
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