The transfer to Black Talon Squadron had left its ten new members with more questions than answers.  No sooner had transfer papers been approved then each pilot received transfer instructions.  Each pilot had less than an hour to pack, climb into a Z-95 Headhunter that was waiting for them at each of their unique posts and ordered to take off.

Flight co-ordinates were pre-programmed into each navicomputer and all the pilots had to do was pull the hyperspace lever and then sit back and wait to arrive.

Whilst many veteran pilots had mastered the ability to snooze in hyperspace, none of the new recruits had mastered this skill yet.  This coupled with the uncertainty of their new postings kept them in a constant state of readiness.

Reverting to normal space each Z-95 found itself in a region of space cluttered with asteroids, space debris and one Nebulon-B Frigate that identifed as the Indefagitable.  The name was unfamiliar to any of the pilots.

Each Z-95 had an escort of four Headhunters which accompanied them to the Southern Flight bay.  After shutting down, each new pilot was escorted to private quarters.

An unknown quantity of time passed, though it mercifully allowed for some sleep.  After a period of time each pilot was escorted to the simulator centre.  Each pilot was led into one of the simulators and secured in.

Then the wait. . .
This message was last updated by the GM at 01:32, Fri 23 Dec 2005.

A voice comes over the comms.

"Welcome to your simulator training Black Talons.  I am Squadron Commander Mark Sheppard, your CO.  My XO and intelligence officer Captain Zyra Jax will be giving you your briefing momentarily.

You have been chosen for your pilotting abilities and just as importantly your 'secondary' skills.  We will be starting a unique squadron which will serve not only as a starfighter squadron but will fulfill an intelligence and commando function as well.

For the purpose of these exercises you will be called Grey group.  I have numbered you based on your arrival in the sqaudron.  You will receive official designations when I have evaluated you all.  For now, look to your screens for designations."

Each person's HUD pops up with the following.

Grey 1 & 2 - Webb & Lars
Grey 3 & 4 - Nallis & Bedix
Grey 5 & 6 - Kismet & Kern
Grey 7 & 8 - Simestra & Hyquin
Grey 9 & 10 - Savin & Grimm

"Note that I have only assigned wingpairs.  It will be up to you to determine flight leaders and groups in-mission.  Good luck all."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:19, Thu 10 Nov 2005.

The commander's voice is replaced by that of a female.  The HUD's have also engaged showing the long drawn out lines indicating ship's in hyperspace.

"I am Captain Zyra Jax, intelligence officer.  Grey squadron is enroute to the Devar system, ETA 1 minute.  A Correlian corvette, the Deepstar is fleeing the Diva system with valuable supplies and munitions.  These supplies are needed to set up a Rebel Base in the Typhon sector.  She must be protected.  With her is a Galloway Medium Transport the Sarah transporting Alliance personnel.  Both are escorted by a squadron of Y-wings.  Your job will be to provide additional protection."

"Good luck.  Jax out."

The hyperspace timer quickly counts down to zero and Grey Squadron emerges. . .

Into a scene of utter chaos!!!  The darkness of space is lit up with the glow of laser fire.  Two kilometres ahead the Sarah lies helpless in space, her engines on fire.  Near her, the Deepstar is doing her best to lay down cover fire.  A quartet of TIE fighters effortlessly dodge the fire as the continue to concentrate on the Sarah

Approximately two kilometres behind this, four Y-wings are engaged by six TIE fighters.  The rugged Y-wings are being hammered by the far more nimble enemy craft.

Debris scattered throughout the area shows that the Y-wings have made a good accounting of themselves.  Over a dozen wrecked TIE's are noted for the eight Y-wings.  Clearly the group was jumped by two full squadrons.

In the distance, a good ten kilometres away lies a Nebulon-B frigate.  She reads as the Blood Angel, an Imperial craft.  She is launching more starfighters from her bay.  It looks like a half-squadron of TIE Bombers.  They will need a few minutes to close to torpedo range.


<ooc>
Welcome to the fun!  More detailed information on any of the ships would require a close range scan.  All your Z-95's are fully armed with their dual triple-blasters and 6 concussion missiles
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:17, Thu 10 Nov 2005.

This is no time for introductions. Someone needs to coordinate something quickly. Alright Squad. Five wing pairs, ten ties. I say each of pair goes for a tie fighter and takes them out quickly, then moves on to the next. A simple double team. Grey three and I will go after ties attacking the bombers. We need two more wing pair to come with us.  The rest of you should help stave off the attack on The Sarah. Ashlyn speaks into his headset as he power up his blasters. He then continues flying striaght for the space battle between the ties and bombers.

Edit: I was really confused. Thanks for clearing things up Neeva.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:39, Fri 11 Nov 2005.

'Grey 5 here:  me and 6 will take next nearest.  Lets grease these guys fast and go help the Ys...'

Devon powered up his weapons and checked his sheilds were at full charge, then started trying to get a target lock to fire a concussion missile at his chosen TIE.  A nice fast kill would be a good way for the Greys to enter the fight, he thought.

Privately, Devon fretted about how well he was going to perform.  Although he'd driven and piloted more vehicles than he could easily count over the years, this was the first time he'd gone hurtling into a dogfight in an armed fighter -even if it was only simulated.  He'd heard these simulators carried a medical package to monitor pilot peformance, and hoped his jitters wouldnt show.

Zenna pulled her Z-95 closely next to Grey 5. "Grey 6 here. Grey 5, I'm moving in close to your right wing. Here's the designation of the Tie, I've choosen. Lock your missile and we'll both fire a volley. Grey 5, out."

She flipped a few switches on her console. "Grey 5 to Sarah. This is Grey Squadron. We're here to kick out the party crashers. We're transmitting our designations so don't fire on us."

"Can you and Deepstar get into position to jump out of here? Grey 6, over."

As Zenna waited to hear a response from the Sarah, she aligned her shields to the front arc and powered up her blasters. Come on, come on. Lock on, lock on. Her finger twitched on the trigger that would launch the concussion missile.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:27, Thu 10 Nov 2005.

Xil's senses flaired as he dropped out of hyperspace.  The sight of the swirling melee brought a half smile to his face.  "4 this is 3.  I have your wing.  Let's go get them."
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:36, Thu 10 Nov 2005.

A voice, undoubtedly Mon Calamari echoes through the comm.

"Grey squadron?  Thank the Force you made it.  This is Lieutenant Surrey, comm officer on the Sarah.  We need your help desperately.  Our engines are damaged and our hyperdrive was taken offline when our shields failed.  We need at least twenty minutes to fix the hyperdrive."

An explosion is heard through the comm.  The Lieutenant sounds more panicked.

"Aft shields are down!  The Deepstar gunners aren't hitting a thing.  Our realspace engines are down to 15% effectiveness.  If they destroy them it doesn't matter if our hyperdrive is repaired or not.  We have over a thousand souls aboard.   Destroy our attackers now.  That's an order from the Captain."

"Sarah out."

Cyril smiled as soon as he saw the simulated furball. He'd been accustomed to getting out of dire situations, but this would be the first time he was actually going to get into them, and he relished the thought. His excitement hadn't made him forget about the new incoming squadron though. Good ol' predictable Imperial boys - sending out the bombers only after softening up the fighter escort was the oldest tactic in their book. He immediately formed a plan, powering up his cannons and raising shields to begin.

"Grey 8 to Grey 7. Making a quick pass on one of the enemy fighters now, followed by an intercept course to the bombers. Let's show 'em what 'situational awareness' really means!"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:01, Thu 10 Nov 2005.

Jamie experienced the familiar adrenaline rush upon exiting hyperspace and seeing the battle before them.  He would never understand how the programmers made these simulators so much like the real thing; he could almost believe he was actually getting the chance to blow Imperials to space dust.
"Grey 1, standing by.  I'm going in; cover me, Gray 2."
Jamie attempts to pursue one of the TIEs, humming to himself the theme song of his favorite fictional action hero.
dananana da da danana...
This message was last edited by the player at 22:10, Thu 10 Nov 2005.

I copy that grey three. Locking on with a concussion missile. Cover me. Ashlyn says as he punches the buttons on his targeting computer. The computer blips familiarly as it looks for the lock. Ashlyn waits anxiously, his finger on the missle release.

Christian's comm comes to life for the first time on the flight, and since meeting everyone, the first real thing he has said.  Surprisingly, for his age, his voice is confident and steady.

"Grey 9, this is grey 10.  Circle to the right flank of the fighter farthest to the right.  I'll fly in straight and send her to you.  Lets get this quick"

Neeva listened to all of the chatter over her comm.  She wasn't excited.  She wasn't eager.  She wasn't afraid.  She wasn't worried about her performance.

She was sitting in a simulator and she was feeling... "Errrbp"  Neeva's stomach grumbled.  She was definately feeling hungry.

"Hey Greys, missiles fired at Ties will probably end up in the Sarah."  Despite the transmission distortion, the Twi-lek's voice sounded distinctly casual.

OOC: I'll post her combat action when I get a few clarifications (to questions I posted on the OOC thread).

"Roger that 4.  Do you want me to fire missles or stay with lasers, over"

Stick with lasers 3 and keep those other ties off of me. Once I shoot the first missile, we'll engage the rest with lasers. We aren't in danger of hitting The Sarah. Whatever we do, we'd better kill those ties before the bombers show up. The Sarah is gonna need all the help we can give her if she's gonna fight them off and trying to fight multiple sets of enemies will only divide our attention.

Edit: Once again, I was confused.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:40, Fri 11 Nov 2005.

"Negative on the intercept, Grey 8.  If we take care of these Ties, we'll be back in hyperspace long before the bombers arrive."

"Perhaps, in time for lunch," the Twi-lek said, momentarily flipping off her comm.  Neeva found herself wondering if the Indefagitable had a cook who could do Twi-lek dishes.

Stretching her legs in the simulator, Neeva moved her "Z-95" to establish pursuit on one of the ties savaging the Sarah.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:45, Fri 11 Nov 2005.