The debriefing room looks no different to any others the pilots had attended before.  It was festooned with the flags of the two fighter squadrons already assigned to the Indefatigable.  The viewing screen at the front was replaying the simulation Grey Squadron had just recently completed.

At the front of the room, Captain Jax and a human male wearing the rank insignia of a Commander were discussing the views on the board whilst consulting datapads.  They made no attempt to acknowledge any of the pilots as they entered the room.

Once they had all filed in the doors were closed and the lights dimmed.

The commander was not a physically imposing man.  Standing aprroximately 175cm in height and looking a little underweight, he wore his uniform like he was born in one.  His hair, raven black was cut to regulation length with the sides and back shaved, which many pilots found more comfortable when wearing helmets for a long time.  He looked like a man born to fly.  His eyes briefly met with each person in the room, as if assessing each one like a ship on his scope.  With a slight nod of his head he took in the next person.

Finally he spoke, his voice having a strong Corellian accent.  To the trained ear he sounded exactly like the Captain of the Deepstar and Green 1 from the simulation.

"Ladies and Gentlemen I am not one for grandiose speeches so I will get to the point.  My name is Commander Mark Sheppard and I am the commanding officer of Black Talon Squadron, a new unit I am creating from scratch to serve as a group of pilot-commandos.  For those of you accepted you will find this unlike other squadrons.  You will likely spend more time on the ground than in the air.  This resistance to the Galactic Empire is in its infancy and the need for covert strikes, raids and intelligence is greater than our need to engage in space combat with a numerically and technologically superior foe."

"Now I have read all your dossiers and I'm sure you've spoken with each other so lets get down to business.  I have reviewed the simulation I set for you so rather than ask you pointless questions I know the answers to, I want your opinions, thoughts and comments.  What did you find?  What was the purpose of this exercise and how would you do it differently next time."

"I want all your thoughts.  I'm looking for creative minds and adaptive people, not fighter jocks.  I can get those anywhere."

Neeva strutted into the room in a standard uniform: tight in all the wrong places, it only managed to accentuate her shapely figure.  She help the commander's eye with a casual smile on her face before he turned his attention to the next pilot.

Neeva took a seat where she'd be able to get the best view of her fellow squadmates.  When Zenna arrived, she waved the pilot over to sit near her.  She mutter something under her breath to Zenna as the other female pilot sat down. 


When the commander concluded his words and asked for suggestions, Neeva's eyes darted about, taking in the reactions of her squadmates.  She seemed more interested in who would reply than in addressing the Commander's questions.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:52, Fri 10 Mar 2006.

Zenna walked into the briefing room. She had changed out of her flight suit and was not dressed in uniform. Instead she was dressed in dark pants and a dark blue long-sleeve shirt. A black 3/4 length sleeve-less jacket was cinched at her waist. Her black hair was cropped short but still managed to touch her shoulder.

The young woman returned the Twi'lek's gesture and took the seat to her right. "I can read you just fine." She replied to Neeva's comment as she looked at her headtails.

Zenna began a silent count right after the Commander asked his question.

Twenty ..., Three, Two, One, ... Zenna looked over her shoulder at the rest of the squadron briefly before she finally spoke up.

Sir. My thought was that this simulation was more like a personality test. You threw ten pilots into a given situation without clear chain of command and you sat back to see what would happen. Personally, I think the actual outcome of the sim was secondary to seeing how the various personalities would react."

She looked to the Captain, before her attention returned to the Commander. "You've read our dossiers, but that doesn't give you a clear impression of our personalities and how we'd react to your test."

"There are a few things that I would have done differently at the beginning of the sim."

"One - Designate a chain of command.
Two - Ordered all fighters to focus on the Tie fighters surrounding our frigates.
Three - As soon as the frigates were clear, I would have split the squadron into two groups. One to assist the Y-Wings and the second to engage the first group of Tie Bombers. It would be at this time that I would have asked" Zenna made sure to stated it as a request, unlike the order she gave for the Deepstar to move to cover the Sarah by directly moving into the path of the torpedos. "the captain of the Deepstar to dock to the Sarah and transfer passengers."

"If we could transfer the passengers safely and quickly, we could have jumped out of the system before the Blood Angel closed into weapons range."

The young woman turned to the others seated in the room. "They did a great job as it is. I wasn't part of it since I got shot out of my fighter. But I would have avoided a direct assault on the Blood Angel, if possible.

Xil sat upright in his chair, with a slight lean to the left.  His eyes look blank, like he is either absent minded or deep in thought...or like he just doesn't care.  When he speaks, he is forceful and to the point.  "We learned that teamwork is important to success.  When we started we had problems, but we started doing better once we started cooperating."

Cyril had been the last to arrive, and on purpose. He had sought out the Commander and the Captain, but managed to only track the latter. It had been a pleasant surprise to see how masterfully the Captain had managed to make herself blend into the crowd at the mess hall, considering her rank. I had the added benefit of hearing most of the exchanges at the Mess Hall for himself.

For a moment, Cyril considered the possibility that Captain Zyra Jax might just be... from the same 'department' as he was. In fact, he wasn't even sure if the Captain simply did not notice him shadowing her, or pretended not to notice, for whatever reasons. He had to admit, very few people had the ability to make him doubt himself and his skills, and the Captain had just become one of those few. There was just one word to describe such people: dangerous.

Entering into the room last gave Cyril a few benefits. One, few of the others would have noticed him at all, if any, as they would be too busy looking at the Commander and the Captain up front. Two, he could sit at the back, alone, and be able to observe, undistracted, what the others would say. Cyril already knew what he wanted to say, but it would be interesting to find out just what the others thought, which may just give him more information to dwell on before actually speaking up.

Cyril merely nodded in slight agreement when Grey 6 and Exilim spoke first. The Commander's tone of voice when he asked for opinions hinted that the thoughts of those two, although relevant, were not the kind of opinions he was looking for.

"Vastly insufficient," is all Cyril could think after hearing them, looking intently at the Commander's face for any reactions.

Christian sat by Zenna quietly, listening to the discussion.  He listened to Zenna with interest.  This is a smart woman he thought.

"You said that we were designed for piloting and a commando team.  Each of us here has our own strengths and weaknesses.  Like Zenna said, This test could have been to test our personality..but I think it was also to test our ability to adapt each of our skills, to see what we can do."

"It was to see what we can do on our toes."

He looks around the table.  "I think this was as much a test for us to find out about each other as it was for you to find out about us."

Zenna leaned forward.  "So what do you think we found Flight Officer Grimm?  How did you react on your toes?  How did you adapt your skills to the situation?  I overheard Flight Officer Bedix's evaluation of your skills.  I'd like to hear yours."

Christian scratched the side of his head, and looked at her.  "I don't know what the others realised about themselves, but I realised that my aerial tactics is not as good as I hoped.  I am a soldier, and used to adapting with certain weapons and suituations on the ground.  I was trained in martial arts, so when we have no blasters, we still have our hands as weapons."

"I admit that transfering such tactics isn't as easy as I thought, and that new tactics for piloting will be needed..a skill I hope to learn to better myself."

Christian let out a little sigh, then continues. "As for today, I am aware now that I was reckless, acting with haste.  I am also aware that one action aided the GREEN wing, and in return, they were open to my suggestions."

"In a combat suituation, on the ground at least, I was taught to never leave a man down..in ships it seems harder.  If this had have been a real excercise, we would have lost team mates..something I try not to do."

Christian looks again at Captain Zyra.  "In short, Captain, this suituation was not my expertiese, and thus I used my judgement..my instincts.  This, i realised, wasn't enough.  I need tactical knowledge on such things.."

He looks at the others.  "..something I think we all do, to ensure our tactics in the future are in sync."

"Grimm," Cyril mentally recited. "At least we have something in common. He's probably the kind of guy I'd want watching my back in a blaster fight. Have to keep that in mind."

Nirro entered the room and looked around, He chose a seat near to Zenna and Neeva and smiled at the women as he sat. Nirro listened to the others' statements and waited for a turn to speak. After Christian spoke Nirro stood up.

Commander, I feel that not giving us a specific chain of command made it much more difficult for us to complete our goal. I also believe that that was your intention, to see how we worked as a team with little or no knowledge of each other or each others skill. As you can see, at first, we were dropping like flies until we started working together and a chain of command began to develop.

I beleive that we did well under the circumstances and the fact that we made it out with roughly 50% of the squad still in their fighters, and only one pilot outright "dead" is due to the tactics that were devised by Grey 8 with help from a few others. I feel if everyone had gone along with the plan we might have gotten rid of the Blood Angel faster. But one pilot went on their own. This pilot also had the only full magazine of missiles.

Now don't get me wrong I am not blaming this pilot for anything he apparently had a plan and maybe it was a good one but If he had fired with the rest of the team the possibility remains that we could have seriously damaged the blood angel with our opening salvo

With his piece said Nirron sat back down.

"I think it was too easy.  Yes, I died...but I should have died long before I did.  Any single TIE pilot whom I trained with would have destroyed at least half our pilots.  At least, it was too easy at first...then it got harder.

"The squadron realized that we needed to work together to win.  No chain of command was given to us; we created one, and divided ourselves into two separate flights.  We ruled the skies, and we were about to win.  Then it got harder again.

"Things went wrong.  Missiles barely scratched the Blood Angel when they should have destroyed it.  Why?  We don't learn from mistakes we don't make.  We would have walked away from the simulator feeling cocky; we would have been blown to space dust in our first real dogfight.  They say it's a curse to win the first battle of a war.  Now we know why.

"We now each have a chance to recognize our personal weaknesses and fix them.  We have a chance to work together and build a perfect team.  Had we completed the simulator with no losses, we wouldn't have this chance; we'd consider ourselves invincible, and we'd all die.

"If anyone will need to count on me to watch their backs in a dogfight, I for one will need to spend less time with my...toys...and more with my squadmates and the simulator."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:53, Fri 10 Mar 2006.

Nirro nodded after Jaime's speech. Never thought of it that way Nirro looks over at Neeva to see what her reaction is. She usually has good opinions about everything.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:35, Fri 10 Mar 2006.

"'I am not blaming you' usually means you are," Cyril recited to himself. "I wonder how many of them remember, or even merely realize, what my intentions were."

With a slight glance towards Grey 6, Cyril thinks, "She never even bothered to respond to my outburst and explanation. Come to think of it, she seems to shrink whenever someone who even sounds like an authority starts talking to her. Hmm..."



"There may just be hope for you yet, Webb. Hopefully you've learned that lesson well, because the next time you die, it won't be in a sim."

Neeva caught Nirro's gaze.  She decided to oblige him.

The Twi'lek spoke up, her tone polite and professional, addressing the commander.  "Commander, we've heard a lot of excellent comments so far.  Zenna is correct in assuming that the SIM was about more than battle tactics.  We learned a lot about each other, and some of us learned a bit about ourselves.  Zenna's proposed tactics are sound."

Neeva turned her gaze to Exilim.  "Exilim's attention to the relationship between our teamwork and our success is dead on the mark."

The Twi'lek then turned to Christian.  "Christian speaks for many of us when he confesses that he has much yet to learn about tactics."

The Twi'lek turned to catch Ashlyn's eyes, although he had yet to speak.  "Back in the mess hall, Ashlyn was saying that we were too cocky, we acted as if Ties were no more than an annoyance.  He was right on the mark as well."

The Twi'lek turned back to Nirro.  "Nirro and the others are right about the inefficiency caused by our lack of a chain of command.  Obviously you did that to us on purpose, because no SIM would be a true SIM without a chain of command down to the last two pilots.  I assume you did that because you are looking for leaders.  A dirty trick, but understandable given your circumstances."

"Nirro is also right about Grey Eight's misguided target priorities.  But to be fair, Grey Eight wasn't the only pilot who failed to grasp the mission objective and correctly prioritize targets.  Our mission objective was clear.  We should have all hit the four Ties on the Sarah until they were gone.  It was a major setback when the Sarah was destroyed.  So, Ashlyn's first call was a bad one; and because we had no chain of command, and many of us were a bit cocky and inexperienced, we followed the first orders given, while others of us began offering equally misguided orders."

Neeva then turned to Jamie.  "Jamie is accurate in his observation that the SIM was too easy at some points and suddenly too hard at other times.  Zees with stock triple blasters are no match for Imperial Tie Fighters, regardless of the training of their pilots.  Many more of us should have been toasted.  Maybe we were lucky, maybe you played with the SIM."

Neeva's gaze returned to the Commander.  "So, putting it all together, here's what we've got.  First, we had too many leaders giving too many ill considered orders.  Second, we failed to prioritize our targets based on the mission objectives.  Specifically, some of us wanted to save the Ys, some of us wanted to take on capital ships.  Few of us wanted to protect the transports and get them home.  Our priorities should have been: protect the Sarah, then stop the bombers, then save the Ys, then transfer passengers and stall the frigate, or something pretty close to that."

"So, I suppose Zenna got it right from the beginning: all I've done is repeat the tactics she laid out."

"But I'll add one more point if I may: I think we should have been prepared to lose.  We should have had an exit strategy: a clear plan of when to leave based on losses, a plan to optimize potential losses and prevent total loss.  My impression is that every pilot was prepared to lose everything rather than risk losing the Sarah, despite our mission objective."

Having concluded, Neeva turned her eyes on Cyril.

The COmmander listened to each persons comments without interruption or response.  Once Neeva finished his long speech he waved the pilots back into their seats.

"Thank you all for your cander.  That is all I need to know.  As of know the Captain and I will be finalising our thoughts and preparing a crew roster.  I should warn you all again that this group is highly experimental and covert.  Joining the Talons could just torpedo your career.  Then again you might be the one who gets close enough to stick a vibroblade in Palpatine's guts."

"All people who wish to remain in the squadron send me a message on the ship's internal mail by 1300 hours sharp.  No comment will be made if you choose not to stay, nor will it affect your permanent records.  For those of you who to choose to stay, we will reconvene this afternoon at 1600 hours."

"Atten. . .shun!  Dismissed."

The Commander leaves the room.




OOC:  Okay guys this is the mission 'end point'.  So the GM will be posting XP as soon as he can (if he can tear himself away from sipping champagne on his cruise!).  Please send a PM to me or the GM signalling your intentions to stay with the game or transfer to another game in the community.  You will receive the same XP either way.  For those who leave, its been a pleasure simming with you.  From now on. . .its real!

Cyril Hyquin merely smiles at the Twilek when she turns to him. She had probably figured out his designation after identifying each person from their conversation in the Mess Hall. In any case, she had forced him to take his turn, and was ready to speak up when the Commander shut them all up. Either the Commander had intentionally stopped Cyril from giving himself away, or it was, again, his good fortune. In either case, he had been saved.

Cyril takes the opportunity to exit the briefing room first, quickly locating one of the many computer terminals that lined the corridors of the frigate. He types up the required form and sends it to the Commander, then decides to take a leisurely tour of the ship after he logs out of the system. He had volunteered for this assignment, so the least he could do was find out everything he can about his new headquarters. Maybe a trip to the hanger was in order, or he could log on to the simulater again for more practice.

"Ah, well," Cyril thought with a grin. "I'll just walk around and see where I end up."

Xil stands and leaves the briefing hall.

Christian stands to attention, and salutes the captain and commander with respect and poise of a seasoned soldier.

Upon their departure, he looks around, wondering who will stay and who will go.  Christian allows himself a small smile as he leaves the room.  This could prove to be interesting

Sometime after changing into more comfortable clothes, Jamie bumped into Cyril in a public corridor.
"Hey!  How's it going?  You never said anything at the debriefing...what were your thoughts on the sim?"
I wonder if he'll be staying...

Cyril was pleasantly surprised to meet Officer Webb along the corridors.

"Ei!" he replied in a cheerful tone. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Well, to be honest, I was going to speak up, but the Commander waved us all out of the room before I could even open my mouth! Besides, it was kind of interesting how some members of the squadron practically pinned the blame on me."

Cyril chuckled a bit before continuing, "In any case, none of you would've probably liked what I was going to say, anyway. You see..."

"Once I stepped into that briefing room and heard the Commander's little introduction, I realized that even if the remaining pilots were successfully able to complete the simulated mission objectives, we'd actually failed to achieve a much bigger purpose - the reason why all of us were brought to this ship."

Cyril grins at Jamie, and tells him, "Try to put these pieces together yourself, and see if you come up with the same conclusion I did:

1) As resistance groups often go, our side has much less resources and personnel compared to the other side.
2) This ship is a Nebulon-B Frigate, like the one in the sim.
3) There are two squadrons already stationed on the ship.
4) We lost a total of four Z's and a Y during our time in the sim.
5) We ordered the Sarah abandoned.
6) By transferring crew and passengers to the Deepstar, the ship was forced to reroute.

That's it. Well?"

Hopefully, the other Flight Officer was willing to take a crack at this little puzzle to pass the time, and that his experience in the sim had given him enough insight to actually solve it.

Nirro stands and salutes before leaving the room. Wow, this is nothing like flying for those Imperial bastards. If this had been an Imperial sim we would all be demoted or dead! Nirro heads back to his room making sure to say his polite goodbyes to his squadmates. doesn't make sense to get too friendly until I'm sure who is gonna be a permanent part of the team. He stops and gives Neeva and Zenna a very warm goodbye. I'm pretty sure you two are staying. Looking forward to flying with you.
He returns to his room and changes his dress uniform. Aftr which he figured he would wander the ship for a while until 1600. He runs into Cyril and Jamie in discussion and decides to stop and find out what they really thought.

Hey guys, still disecting the sim?
This message was last edited by the player at 16:47, Mon 13 Mar 2006.

Jamie leaned against the corridor wall and stroked his chin, thinking hard.
He had just opened his mouth to answer Cyril when Nirro appeared.  He paused as Nirro greeted them.
"If the commander is happy, I've done enough disecting.  I'd rather not lose sleep over it, eh?  So what's your conclusion?"

Neeva offered a weak smile when Nirro expressed his belief that she was staying.  After he exited, she turned to Zenna and spoke quietly.

After the debrief, during which had stayed silent and let the others do the talking(possible because the player was on holiday?:)), Devon decided to explore the ship.  Having seen a Nebulon B in the sim, he figured he'd see what one looked like on the inside; but first, he'd go and get changed.

Sometime later, Devon was ambling down a corridor with no particular goal in mind when he turned a corner and practically walked into Flight Officers Web, Hyquin and Savin.

Devon waited for their brief back and forth about the purpose of the sim to end before speaking.
'Personally, I'm more interested in why the commander selected us - what is it we have that makes us what he wants? Like he said - he can get pilots anywhere, so what sets us apart?'

Jamie smiled as another pilot turned the corner and bowled into him, knocking him over.  "Apparently, something's gonna explode, because, heh, I'm here.  That's what I do," he said with a grin as he stood again, and took a cautious step away from Devon.

To: Cyril/Jaime

Nirro shakes his head. I think it went well for the most part. We didn't do as bad as I thought we would. When I looked at how the sim was set up I didn't think we would make it. Nirro got silent for a second or two I don't mean to pry Cyril but, what exactly was your plan? From what you said on the comm I don't think it was a hotshot flyboy maneuver. I am pretty sure however that some people probably think it was. he runs his hands through his hair Just for curiosity's sake.

When Devon walks up Nirro greets him, he answersI dunno what sets up apart but I'm willing to stick it out and find out. So what about you others? Planning on staying on?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:32, Mon 13 Mar 2006.

Reply to Nirro while inside the Debriefing room
Zenna replied to Nirro with a question, "Where else can I go?"

Quiet discussion with Neeva just outside the Debriefing room but off to the side
The young woman mirrored Neeva's smile. "Experiment? Zenna brought down her voice as she kept an eye on the men down the corridor.

Edit: Included location where Zenna is having conversation
"Men" is a generic term :)
This message was last edited by the player at 20:31, Mon 13 Mar 2006.

Xil notices Webb, Savin and Kern huddled in conversation and walks to the group.  "Is the argument of who did what wrong still going on?  I thought we dropped that?"

Neeva raised a single eyebrow.  Then responded, talking quietly to Zenna.

Cyril Hyquin waves to the others as they arrive.

"Well, yeah, Exilim, judging from the way the others spoke in the briefing room, I'm pretty sure it was all my fault," he states, as if it was all a joke to him. "So yeah, that issue's been resolved."

"Actually, Nirro and Jamie here were just asking what I thought of the sim, and what my plan was, since the Commander let us all out before I got a chance to speak. So, if you all have time to listen, I'll lay it out for you."

Cyril turned to Jamie first, saying in a more serious tone, like a teacher instructing a student, "First, about my conclusions:

In the sim, Grey 2 confirmed that a standard Nebulon-B frigate can hold up to two squadrons. Well, this ship is a Nebulon-B frigate, and the logos emblazoned in the briefing room mean there's already two squadrons on the ship - ours would be the third. Either the resistance diverted a lot of creds to modify this ship way more than the Blood Angel was, or we're expected to share ships with the two other squadrons. In either case, the first conclusion is: we can't afford to lose even one starfighter. Losing Grey 5 and 6 meant we failed that unstated objective.

Next, according to the in-flight breifing given to us by the Captain, the Sarah and the Deepstar were bound for two different systems, on different missions. Yes, the remaining pilots did ensure that the crews and passengers of both ships escaped the system, but in doing so, the resistance failed two missions, and lost the Sarah in the process. Since it has much, much less resources and personnel, the resistance cannot afford to lose any capital ships, and every mission failed by a captial ship can be considered a major setback. Therefore, the second conclusion is: we cannot afford to succeed in our missions at the expense of the resistance. I'm sure you'll agree, we'd failed that one too.

With these two conclusions, we come to a third: our missions will have a zero percent margin of error, and we are expected to do it with maximum efficiency and minimal resources. I'm sure you've heard that before, but there's one major difference - even a 1 percent margin of error means that one of us will be dead."

Cyril let the ominous words sink in before facing Nirro.

"Now, for my plan:

First, you remember that the moment we arrived, Alpha-4 turned tail and started heading for their frigate. It couldn't have been cowardice - he was still undamaged after dealing with a squadron of more rugged Y-Wings - so that meant he was heading to provide escort to the bombers or the frigate itself. Conclusion: the Blood Angel had no fighter screen left. That was proved when I got to the Blood Angel unchallenged.

Second, the first ones to take significant damage in the sim were Grey 5 and I, and Green had already taken too much of a beating. Numbers was the only advantage we had during that dogfighting, and it was important that we retain that. If Grey 5 and Green had left the firefight with me when I asked, we would all be out of danger, and I'd be bringing with me two Z's with a barrel-full of missles, and three Y's with nearly a full payload of torps just itching for some payback on the unprotected Blood Angel. On top of that, we'd still have 8 undamaged interceptors keeping the TIEs busy - a flight of 4 against more maneouverable but less in number T.F.'s and another flight of 4 against the greater number but less maneouverable T.B's.

You saw that maneouver I did, sideslipping and firing off four missles, aiming for the shield generators before I was taken out? Now, imagine if that had been me, Grey 5 and Green Squad with their torpedoes - assuming we all managed to fire four each, and shot at the rear flank, that would be 8 concussion missles and 8 torps on a flank that couldn't shoot back. You do the math."

Cyril paused for a while before concluding, "My plan had three objectives: no losses on our side, the Sarah and the Deepstar would both complete their missions, and the Imperial forces would be crippled or destroyed.

"I know some of you must be thinking, 'but that's impossible'. Well, you all heard the Commander - ever considered that maybe that's why we're here?"

Jamie leaned against the wall again as Cyril explained his conclusions and plans.
He then placed a hand on his forehead and drew it slowly down, considering the plans.
"Well, it certainly seems like a great plan you had there...except for one fine point...no one was put in charge, so everyone did what they thought best.  Perhaps they would've worked with you if you had mentioned your plan instead of giving apparently counterproductive orders."

Devon nods agreement with Webb.  'he's right - all the rest of us saw was an apparant suicide run; and why should we follow instructions that we beleived would simply get us killed? Like Jamie said:  no chain of command means no clear battle plan; we all ended up doing what we thought best.'

Devon shrugged.  '  Personally, I figured our best shot was to gang up on the TIEs, then the bombers and then the frigate in turn - clear out one threat before moving onto the next.'  He grinned disarmingly, 'But then again, I've never flown combat - hell, that was the first time I've ever flown a combat SIM; I used to steal speeders for a living.'

"Shall I remind you, Grey 1, that it was you who said 'The Blood Angel is no immediate threat' the moment I gave those orders, and that you, Grey 5, followed Grey 6 to your death shortly anyway? Besides, to explain my plan to all of you would have taken more time than we had at the moment - and I'd have difficulty explaining it while we were actively engaging TIE Fighters.

Ah, but forget it. I have no illusions of taking command - I just like figuring out puzzles that everyone says are difficult to solve, especially those deemed impossible," Cyril said, with a big smile on his face.

"I wonder how difficult the next puzzles will be, and I wonder just how receptive our squad leader's going to be with my suggestions, whoever it is."

Jamie sighed.
"Anyone would be more receptive to your ideas if you practiced explaining yourself quickly and thoroughly."
Jamie glanced at his wrist-chrono, then backed away, giving the others a slight bow.  "Excuse me please, sirs; I should go prepare for the next meeting."
He left the corridor and changed again into his dress uniform.

"But what would be the fun in that?!" Cyril playfully called out as the Flight Officer left the group.

"You guys seriously need to loosen up. No sense going on a mission with a frown on your face," he shrugs. "Anyone else need to go, or do the rest of you want to keep touring the ship with me?"

Xil turns away from the group and walks toward his quarters.  As he walks away, you can just catch a few spoken words, "...useless squabling..."

Devons eyebrows go up at Nallis and Webbs parting comments - he could see personality conflicts forming already and was sure that wasn't a good thing.



Devon looked round at those still with him - although he was interested in exploring the ship, he didnt want to be seen taking sides - not until he was sure which faction was which.

'Another time, perhaps.  For now I have something to do before 1600.'
Grinning, Devon gave Savin and Hyquin an overly precise salute; pirouetted neatly to face Neeva Simestra and Zenna Kern where they were stood further up the corridor and bowed extravagantly to them, nearly loosing his balance and having to flail limbs for a moments to avoid falling flat on his face.  Still grinning, Devon practically danced round the corner and his voice came echoing back to them.

'Never let it be said that I take life too seriously...'


Come 1600, the others who were staying with the squadron found Devon already in the briefing room as they entered, dressed in the padded flight suit they had seen him in earlier; sprawled bonelessly in one of the seats, scratching the back of his head with a datapad stylus and apparantly deep in thought.

"That's the spirit!" Cyril shot back, admiring Devon's little performance. Turning to Nirro, Cyril tells him, "I kind of want to see the starships, so I'll head to the hanger now. You're welcome to join me."

With that, Cyril Hyquin starts walking to the lifts, intending to tour the hanger deck.

Sure, why not? Nirro replies to Cyril while waving goodbye to the others who were leaviing. He heads to the turbolifts with Cyril.

Unbeknowst to everyone, Cyril had already begun solving the puzzle that was the squadron. The biggest question he wanted to answer was, simply, "What kinds of missions would need such a diverse group of people?" That was considering he still didn't know what the others who hadn't introduced themselves did for a living, though he theorized that Grey 2 was a ship technician, what with her knowledge of the Nebulon-B Frigate's standard configuration. He already knew what the general purpose of the squadron was, and how crucial success was to it. He knew then that his best move was to figure out everyone's profession, so he could get the question out of his mind as soon as he could.

As they ride the lifts to the hanger deck, Cyril asks Nirro, "So, Exilim and Ashlyn are snipers, Christian's a career soldier, Jamie's a demolitions expert, Devon's a speeder theif, and I'm a comm officer. What about you, Nirro? What did you use to do before you were assigned here?"

 Well, I am a slicer. I also used to fight for the empire. I worked on one of their capitol ships as a computer analyst. he sighs But that was before I realised what a raw deal the've been giving the galaxy. Nirro suddenly becomes quiet and says no more.

Ashlyn sat quietly through the meeting with arms folded across his chest.  He listened and nodded when needed but didn't offer up any comments.

Afterwards he up and left with the others, not keen on conversation at the moment.  He listened with only half an ear to some of the banter as he followed along quietly.  When Hyquin and Savin moved to the turbolife he silently joined them as well.

His rapid departure from the sim had left him wanting and a view of the real thing certainly seemed to be in order at the moment.

He turned his head at the mention of his name.

"It's all right, Nirro. We've all had our share of realizations about the Empire," Cyril says solemnly. He remembers the faces of his parents vividly, just before he lost them to Palpatine's iron fist.

"Like countless other people, I lost my family on Coruscant. The resistance was the only place I could go. How about you, Ashlyn? What made you join the resistance?"

Ashlyn cocked his head and studied Cyril for a moment.  He then glanced at Nirro.  "They killed my father."  A simple statement that held all his contempt and hatred for them in those few words.

As the lift stopped on the hanger deck and the doors opened, Cyril commented, "Ah, that explains everything."

Stepping out of the lift, Cyril takes a good view of the hanger bay. Seeing the starships docked makes him smile, and as he takes his first steps into the bay, he asks the others, "So, how much flight experience have either of you had before?"