[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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[Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

Post by Straken »

Chapter One: Flight of the Bellicose

In the hangar of the UTR Battle Hymn, Master Sergeant Steven Kerning stood unmoving next to his fighter. With a hardline look on his face, the veteran pilot stared at the exit to the hangar as he anxiously awaited the Hymn’s drop from warp; which would mark the beginning of the day’s combat mission. In recent days Steven found himself looking forward to engaging in dogfights as more than just doing his job, for now he just wanted to shoot down Drathonians.

A few yards away stood Technical Sergeant Fred Haverthorn, who instead of looking at the doors looked at his friend with a sense of worry. Steven had been through a fair amount of stress, some of which the Irishman understood while other parts he could not imagine. After a little while of observation, Fred began to move as he walked towards his CO.

“How’re ya, Steven?” Fred asked, defaulting to his typical lighthearted tone.
“Good,” Steven replied quickly and without much feeling. “Is the rest of the squad almost ready for launch?”
“Well yeah, they’re jus’about finished suitin’ up,” Fred answered back as he looked as though he were swatting an annoying fly away. “But Ah was mostly wonderin’ how ye were doin’?”

Right away Steven gave Fred a look that made it clear that he did not to go over the subject again. “For the last time Fred, I am not upset anymore. It has been over a month for goodness sake,” Steven said as he repeated a point he had made many times before. “I have already talked about it, now I am just settling through the anger phase by blasting lizards.”

“An’ that is why Ah want ya to be careful, getting’ too worked up can be dangerous in our line of work,” the wingman said in a kind and even tone. “So, ya lookin’ forward ta meeting yur li’l lass soon? Gotta be getting’ close ta her arrival, eh?”

With a sigh of surrender, “Yeah, Fred, I am looking forward to it. But, I don’t really want to talk about that, alright. Now please, can we just focus on the next few hours?”

After get a nod of agreement from his second-in-command, Steven focused back on the door in time to see the mission counter light indicating the five minute mark until launch. Plucking his helmet off of his belt, Steven turned and faced the remainder of his squadron. “Alright, Green Squadron! Finish suiting up and fall into line. I am going to go over the specifics real quick before launch,” Green Leader called out as he called his pilots to him.
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Re: [Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

Post by CadetNewb »

After the previous, devastating battle, Johnathan Flandre and some other pilots of this battlegroup were swapped out despite their numbers already being short. The Republic was short in numbers everywhere, including the Academies. He was the perfect man to be an academy instructor too; kind, pleasant and well meaning. And boring. Actually, maybe not - the other instructors were likely to teach him how to be a real DI if that were the case!

Of course, just because the pilots' numbers were being culled, it didn't mean they weren't due for reinforcements.

This pilot was a good one; over two hundred kills, meaning that this one was a double ace. Two years in the military was considered a short time, but, so was the life span of any soldier in this war. This one was tough, gritty and outright mean enough to survive this long, outlasting many other good pilots. Even those considered 'better' - the more brightly a fire burned the more quickly it ran out, and this pilot seemed to have found out just how brightly to burn, maximizing the scorching heat given off to burn the lizards, while balancing out the time spent burning their mongrel hides. As Green Squadron stewed in their melancholy, a pair of boot-steps came closer and closer, stopping just a handful of meters away.

"Freeeeeeeeeed~," a familiar voice called from behind them all. How long had it been? How long since he had seen that face?

Last he saw this face, a certain someone was reminding him that it was her birthday. Right before the first of several major offensives. And then, next he saw it, half of it was burned away along with just as much of her body. Some time had passed - two years since he last saw this face was it? Two years. She looked taller than he remembered, with hair slightly longer than he recalled. And, as his eyes drifted, wandered, he and the other pilots that remembered this face would also admit, perhaps grudgingly, that she was also a little bigger than they recalled. Grown up. More mature.

"Helloooo~? Terra to Fred?" her voice asked as she leaned forward slightly with a smile. "Up here guys," she added, pointing to her face.

Pearl Hultgren's face.
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Straken
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Re: [Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

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Fred, just after he had gotten himself in a more combative mindset, his attention was called away by a voice from the past. With a curious look on his face, the Irishman turned to see, or rather confirm, who was doing the calling. “Pearl!” Fred called out excitedly as he almost instantly recognized the pilot he considered to be a sister.

Then crossing the gap between them in a few bounds, Fred picked the girl up in a big bear hug. “Pearl! Haven’t seen ya in ages!” he said, still quite excited about the arrival, although his face changed a bit as he looked over the now two-year-older Pearl. “Ya’ve, uh, grown. I s’pose tha’s ta be expected after two years though. Steven! Pearl’s back!”

“I know, Fred. I get dossiers on all of my new pilots,” Steven said in an even tone as he gave a wave to greet Pearl.

“Ya knew an’ ye didn’ tell me?!” Fred asked, sounding a little insulted.

“It was a surprise. So, surprise!” the squadron leader said while making unenergetic motions with his hands.

“Bah. Well, anyway, how’ve ya been, Pearl?” Fred then asked as he turned back to his young friend.
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Re: [Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

Post by CadetNewb »

She let out an "Eeep!" of surprise at being so warmly hugged out of the blue and even returned it with a laugh, but the moment Fred and Steven were talking to one another, she cocked an eyebrow at the two. Setting a hand on her hip, the other dangling with helmet in grasp, she spoke up with a hint of annoyance, "I'm not Pearl," the young woman explained.

Her name patch however, did say "Hultgren."
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Straken
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Re: [Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

Post by Straken »

“What…” Fred said, the color draining from his face, which then shifted to a more sullen tone. ”Damn Fred, you are smarter than that, you remember what happened,” he thought to himself as he let go of Pearl’s look-a-like and gave a quick, “Sorry.”
Steven too looked a little stunned as he quickly pulled out his datapad and brought out Hultgren’s dossier. After realizing his mistake, he leaned against his fighter and put a gloved hand over his face.
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Re: [Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

Post by CadetNewb »

"Wow. Just wow! Uh, no worries buddy! I expected to catch you off guard, but not anyone else here too!" she exclaimed to Fred and company. "I'm Beryl Hultgren, Pearl's younger sister," the pilot spoke, placing her fingers upon her chest as she did so. "And don't look like that Fred! She's the one that told me all about you after all - last I saw her in person, she was the one who passed me with flying colors." Beryl smiled at them all. In contrast, her smile was harder, perhaps a little more...thirsty than Pearl's was. "She taught me everything she knew, and I have some tricks of my own too, so no worries." Her gaze settled on Steven with heavy lidded eyes, the smile becoming ever so slightly pleased at the turn of events.

"And I'm guessing you're the leader? Don't tell me my face was such a shock you didn't look at the rest of the profile! Men - hmph!" she huffed, turning her nose away in mock disgust.

A single eye peeked out as she smiled.
Last edited by CadetNewb on Sun Sep 30, 2012 1:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Straken
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Re: [Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

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“Beryl, huh? Well, pleasure ta meet’chya,” Fred said as he got himself to return to his usual spirited demeanor. Now taking a step back he got a better look at Beryl and was in fact able to notice differences amid the striking similarities.

Steven now uncovered his face as he was addressed and looked over at Beryl. “Sorry about that. The way I get my dossiers it shows me first a picture of the face, and then it tells me the rank and the last name,” Steven said as he explained himself while showing a copy of Beryl’s dossier. “It had slipped my mind that Pearl had a sister, so I just jumped to a conclusion. Anyway, you are just in time. Line up for the mission briefing.”
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Re: [Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

Post by CadetNewb »

"Nice to meet you at last too - I gotta talk to you some more later big guy!" she winked at the older pilot. As Steven spoke, her eyes sharply focused on him before Beryl snapped off a crisp salute.

"Sir, yes sir!~"

Like her older sister before her, chances were that Beryl was going to be as much of a handful that Pearl was too.
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Re: [Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

Post by Kai »

Like Johnathan, Emma had also been reassigned- unlike Johnathan, she had been reassigned as a squadron's XO, as opposed to being shoved off to somewhere where she couldn't directly fight. And so, like the man's place, so had hers been filled by someone new. However, this someone new was entirely unfamiliar to everyone. As well, The flight suit that she wore was different as well- Identical in design to the pilot suits everyone else wore, hers was instead white with black piping, designating special status for the woman, as she was not exactly part of the normal Terran military.

The young-looking woman- Early twenties at best- had a shock of long, voluminous, white hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. The helmet clipped at her belt was likewise white, with the visor a glossy black as opposed to the usual reflective golden or silver coat preferred by the Terran pilots. Overall, her appearance under the tight-fitting flight suit was one of a modest yet well-proportioned young woman. Her flight-booted feet tapped over the scraped and scratched surface of the Hymn's hangar deck, before she came to a halt near the others, Saluting momentarily before announcing. "Airman Aurora reporting for duty, Sir. As you may know, I have been sent to this ship by the Principality to provide a less invasive Liaison than the previous Liaison. I hope this appearance is satisfactory?"
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Chapter One] Flight of the Bellicose

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

A new pilot had appeared! And while tempted, she refrained from slapping the new Ottyan liaison on her fine rump lest it devolve into an inter-species conflict. She resigned herself to a simple, "Oh, more than satisfactory, Airman Aurora! That's what we call sexy strange, and you are rocking it." She was smiling and clearly in a playful mood, her ebon hair bouncing with each lighthearted step. None of Green Squadron's core crew needed to read the name tag, "Langdon," to know who it was- her emerald green eyes were more than enough to identify her. Despite having already given herself away, Arcadia was one for procedure. She snapped quickly to attention, shot off a salute, and reported herself present. "The Stygian Retribute is ready for some more lizard-slaying, sirs." She had just completed basic diagnostics and a fresh coat of paint and was ready to roll on the MSgt.'s orders. "What's our current ETA, sir?"
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