"Aww shit..." The veritech pilot swore to himself as the radar on his VF-1A picked up a trio of inbound contacts. The veritech's onboard computer identified the contacts as alien Tri-Thruster space fighters vectoring in to intercept his VF-1A and the RC-4B Rabbit Rescue Shuttle he was escorting.

The only good piece of news is that they were not firing missiles. Still the three alien space fighters would intercept the two craft long before they could rendezvous with the UES Macross, which was now speeding out and away from Saturn after making a slingshot maneuver around the gas giant.

The veritech pilot knew what he had to do in order to give the Rabbit, which was carrying a few downed pilots who had been recovered a chance to make the rendezvous, but it would mean he wouldn't make the rendezvous himself.

"Thumper Two-One, I'm going to try and slow down our three inbounds." The veritech pilot didn't wait for a response, Thumper Two-One was unable to transmit.

Flipping his VF-1A around and switching to guardian mode, the veritech pilot quickly attained a weapons lock for his last two Firebird missiles and launched them. It took a minute for the missiles to intercept. One missile hit, destroying one of the alien Tri-Thrusters. The second missile was evaded. The veritech pilot looked at his remaining cannon ammo, seventy 55mm shells in his GU-11, and one hundred 20mm rounds for his twin M39A4's. The single head mounted nose laser was the equivlant to a peashooter and would be useless...

Staying in guardian mode, the veritech pilot increased his VF-1A's velocity to attain a max burn and lined himself up for a head on pass on one of the Tri-Thrusters, and allow him to fire on the other with his GU-11

He fired two bursts from his nose cannons, at the target to his immediate front and a pair of bursts from his GU-11 at the other target, hoping to either hit one or both Tri-Thrusters in the nose or alternatively to get them to break off.

He swore again as one of the two nose cannons jammed, and the first Tri-Thruster to his direct front broke off, venting something from its side as it was hit by 20mm shells. A burst from his GU-11 hit the second Tri-Thruster as he jinked out of the way of several particle beam blasts.

The veritech pilot quickly maneuvered to get behind the second Tri-Thruster, acutely aware that the first Tri-Thruster would be trying to get on his tail. Once behind the second Tri-Thruster he fired a combined burst from his GU-11 and still functioning nose cannon into the alien crafts massive three engines. The shells must've hit something important as the Tri-Thruster exploded into a cloud of debris. The veritech pilot flew through the loud of debris and heard/felt the vibrations as a number of pieces hit the VF-1A.

Turning his head to look behind him the veritech pilot saw the first Tri-Thruster as it opened up with its particle cannons. Jinking in an attempt to avoid the particle beam blasts the veritch pilot heard several warning alarms go off indicating he had been hit as he spun his VF-1A around and fire his GU-11. The burst went wide, but the veritch pilot managed to line himself up and expended the last of his nose cannon ammo into the side of the Tri-Thruster.

Lining up behind the Tri-Thruster, the veritech pilot then put a burst from his GU-11 into the Tri-Thruster, causing one of the three engines to cease functioning. With only a few shells left in his GU-11, the veritech pilot made sure he was lined up for a shot before firing. As the last of his 55mm ammo hit the Tri-Thruster and caused the last two engines to cease functioning the veritech pilot screamed to no one in particular: "Got you mother fucker!"

As the Tri-Thruster speed off on its heading into deep space, the veritech pilot got his bearings. Off in the distance he could see the UES Macross leaving the Saturn system.

It would be close but the veritech pilot had just enough reaction mass to make the necessary course and braking maneuvers to reach one of nearby moons that had a base on it.....

OOC: I always wanted to do a 'cold open' before a big battle, I hope you like it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:32, Thu 31 Dec 2020.

40 hours earlier...UES Macross
July 29th, 2009

The thirty seats in Hävittäjälentolaivue 11's (Fighter Squadron 11) briefing room were quickly filling up. At the front of the room MajorAksa Tikkanen and Senior Master Sergeant Rokka Vatanen waited for all the seats to fill, knowing that there was going to be a total of 31 pilots and air crew present at the briefing and with her delivering the brief she and her NCOIC would be the only two standing.

The first two rows of seats had notes taped to them with the name of a pilot from Hävittäjälentolaivue 11's (Fighter Squadron 11) on it.

OOC: Please post sitting down (anywhere in the 1st two rows) and settling in. Free free to make small talk with the other player characters.

[Private to Executive Officer:
I'll let you know when Rokka can tell everyone to stop chatting.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:51, Thu 31 Dec 2020.

Archer sat down in the front row, far left seat and waited for the briefing to begin.

Entering the room in a good mood, greet those along the way to his seat where he spot the other Jack.

"Another day at work huh? All good?"

In reply to Jack O'Neil (msg # 4):

Pak entered in full flight gear, for once, with no yo yo. He looked around for Jenssen, and failing to see him, copped a seat beside O'Neil. "Living the dream..."

Jack turn to Pak with a raised eyebrow.

"Woke up on the bad side?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:24, Sat 02 Jan 2021.

Archer looks over at O'Neil and with a hint of knowing whats to come replies "It's gonna be a long two days."

Understanding Archers words Jack face harden.
"Gotcha, better mentality preparer myself then"

In reply to Jack O'Neil (msg # 8):

"When expecting rain, bring an umbrella. Sounds like vacation is over anyway." Pak looked around the room for other Reindeer and waited for the show to begin.

"The calm before the storm right? It have been too quiet for a long time" Jack reply to Pak with a shrug. "Still, it would have been better if they just left us alone"

In reply to Jack O'Neil (msg # 10):

"You should see some of the replacements. Some kid had long blue hair, and a couple of coke bottles over his eyes... If that's the best we got, it's a FUBAR."

The whole thing's been a real cluster fuck since aliens showed up on our doorstep, Jennsen says as he comes in and takes a seat, his clipboard and tablet in hand.  We all know that we are just hanging by a thread, out here in the black.  And we are doing the best we can to keep it from unravelling.

Jennsen's and Pak's observations are quite evident in the age of the Stargoose shuttle pilots who are either over 50 or younger then 20. Still these individuals did volunteer to join the military on the UES Macross of their own free will. Things would probably only get worse once members of the civilian population of Macross City are drafted/conscripted to join the military.

As Aksa waits at the front of the room she can see that only two seats are left empty. From the patches on the flight suits of the support pilots present it looks like just the Cat's Eye crew had not yet arrived yet.

A few minutes later a pair of pilots wearing bright orange space/flight suits enter the briefing room. They are followed by six U.S. Marines who just like on the hanger deck are fully kitted out. One of the Marines points to the last two empty seats in the back row.

OOC: If you want your AUL pilot to be the EWO on the Cat's Eye PM me. I already know who the pilot is.

[Private to Aksa Tikkanen:
Aksa did not know that a pair of Penal pilots would be the Cat's Eye crew assigned to your squadron.]

[Private to Adar Bhagat:
If Aksa asks yes you can explain you've been assigned to fly a Cat's Eye and was brought here.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:31, Sat 09 Jan 2021.

In reply to Darkside Trooper (msg # 13):

One of the prisoners entered wearing the orange flight suit and an unadorned helmet. His only insignia were an Iranian flag on his left shoulder to denote his nationality and a two-name tab across his chest, one in beautiful Persian script, and the other in English reading Bhagat. He had no aviation wings on his name tab or rank insignia as he was last in the IRIAF. He resigned his commission to join the AUL and seemed to disdain all around him, including his marine warders. With exaggerated gratitude, he took a seat.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:47, Mon 11 Jan 2021.

In reply to Adar Bhagat (msg # 14):

Pak whispered, "I call Coke Bottles as my wingman. You get the Iron Sheik."

Rokka glances over at his CO for a heartsbredth to see her neutral expression as she waits for the new arrivals to settle. He glances at the Tuomitut Lentäjät then locks eye's with the guard details ranking member.

"Papers." He asks in his gruff manner, extending a hand.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:03, Mon 11 Jan 2021.

Rokka isn’t given ‘papers’ but a tablet which had the names of the two prisoners being attached to FAF 11as a ES-11 Cats Eye crew. It identifies Adar Bhagat as the pilot and the other prisoner as the EWO.

OOC: I still do not have a name for the EWO in case someone wants this to be thier AUL PILOT.