Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

2 years prior to The Force Awakens...
A persistent and interactive galaxy set shortly before the events of Episode VII

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Mir
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Mir »

“Turn that racket down.”

The headache wasn’t too bad, anymore. But it still paid to be grouchy when it worked for you. The Dug looked at the pilot, who looked at him. The pilot’s expression was first one of annoyance, but when he saw the Dug reach up and massage his forehead while also giving him a rather rude gesture amongst genteel beings, his eyes widened. After all, the Dug was rather high ranking. He turned around and did his best to stabilize the craft.

“Sir, it’s outside magnetic interference with the shields. All the metal. This is an older craft, I don’t think I can do anything about it.”

The Dug grumbled to himself. “Excuses.” He said in his thick accent that sounded like a brogue. “You think because things are old they can not function anymore?” He queried. “Is that what you’re suggesting?” He added, reaching down to his waist for his weapon, but realizing that he didn’t have it. It had been taken from him by the local authorities after he had attempted, while intoxicated, to break into Senator Sepha Scendi’s office. No charges were being filed, but then again, the last thing that Scendi wanted was to file charges against one of Red Dagger Fleet’s most prestigious warrant officers.

There was only so far that you tried to upset Damus. The Dug had called Damus and had asked how large of a bag of fecal matter the admiral had wanted him to leave in Scendi’s office. The Admiral, of course, had declined to answer. Though he had told the Dug not to follow through with the Dug’s stated intention, knowing full well the small alien’s history of disobedience to orders.

Honestly, he was an old curmudgeon, but an old curmudgeon that got results. Especially that one time when a proton torpedo had destroyed part of the engine control room on Damus’ old flagship and the engine crew had tried to abandon the area, only to be turned back by a small Dug wielding a wrench telling them that if any of them got past him, he felt bad for their ability to have children in the future, be they male, female, or possessing of whatever genitalia their creator had given them.

Also, he’d insulted their mothers, suggesting that X-wing’s S-foils couldn’t possibly spread wider than their mothers’ legs constantly did.

The engine room had been stabilized and the day saved, earning the Dug the approval of Damus, even if the Admiral had never been informed of the tirade of insults spewed by the then enlisted engine room chief. It was rare for a Warrant to be made an XO, but unorthodox leadership was right in the Dug and Damus’ wheelhouse. That was how he had found himself assigned to MacQuillen. Over the years, the two men had grown rather fond of each other. Mac trying to figure out what politically correct aspect of the New Republic military the Dug was going to insult, infringe upon, or upset, and the Dug trying to figure out which politically correct aspect of the New Republic military he should insult, infringe upon, or upset next. The Dug maintained his innocence in the one incident that had resulted in To’ran having to personally write letters to crewmembers and their family members.

That had not been his fault.

There was a bump as the tractor beam projector from the Dagger’s Edge took a hold of the craft to guide it in. The Dug ambled up to the cockpit. “Pilot, what’s your name?” He asked.

“Ensign Remo, sir.”

“You’ve been assigned 30 hours of flight simulator.” The Dug said, and started to walk away. “My father could fly better than you and he lost one of his legs.” He added, as he continued to walk.

The Ensign couldn’t help himself, blurting out. “What does not having legs have to do with flight controls?” He asked.

The Dug stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Are you daft or just plain ignorant?” He asked, his voice low. He turned and looked at the pilot, holding up his legs. “I’m a fething Dug, you shite-noggin waste of a uniform.” He said. “My legs are my arms. Your mother dropped you on your head or were you born lacking any cognitive ability?” The Dug asked.

The pilot swallowed and stared.

“I asked you a question.”

“I…I don’t know.”

“You don’t know if she dropped you or if you were just born that way?” The Dug asked. He closed his eyes, reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m going to smack you now. I’m giving you fair warning.”

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

“Did you have to smack him?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

Yes.” The brogue was quite strong.

“Okay.” To’ran said with a shrug. He looked down at his XO, the Dug now in a proper uniform, complete with his trusty weapon at his side, as they walked down the hallway towards where Green Squadron was waiting. “You know, part of Scendi’s conditions on release was that you’re not allowed that.” He said, pointing at the weapon on the Dug’s waist.

“I welcome her to try to enforce that condition. I’d introduce her to my weapon and I’m sure she’d like the effect.” The brogue was getting stronger, somehow.

“There’s not really a way for me to take that other than with some form of perversion on your mind.” To’ran said. “I mean, you eschew a normal side arm for a stun baton, Wosino.”

Wosino nodded. “Take it however it pleases you.”

“Now you’re doing it to me.”

Now who’s being perverted.” Wosino said.

“Touche.”
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Xalsin »

Vaylen's eyes widened slightly at Alek's suggestion as a long, protracted exhale escaped him. "I... Don't think the universe is quite ready to see this lot inebriated. But I agree, downtime can be good. I guess we will have to wait and see what our timetable is, whether we are going to find ourselves garrisoned somewhere else, or if we will be proceeding directly into combat operations."

The Twi'lek nodded to Otsoa as the Urmaellian found his way in. Just a few more. He glanced at the chrono on the wall: 0758.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Pryde »

A faint snoring could be heard from the center of the room for almost a full minute before Nimbus nudged Jessica's leg and startled her awake. Her eyes snapped open and her head came straight up and immediately she glanced around the room wondering if anyone had seen her sleeping. It was then she realized she was literally the only one sitting in the middle of the room.

Most of the other pilots were out near the edges either towards the front or near the back. Jess sat in between everybody like some metaphorical monkey in the middle. Out of reflex she sniffed the air around her wondering if maybe there was something keeping the other pilots away but couldn't detect anything offensive despite not having showered since yesterday afternoon.

Looking around at the other pilots she considered for a brief moment moving to the front to join the others but ultimately stayed where she was despite how awkward it felt. In a way it sort of punctuated how alone she was in this squadron though she supposed a large part of that was her own making. Short of Damien she hadn't really connected with anyone other than Nimbus.

Of course making connections ultimately results in people wanting to know more about her and Jessica very rarely ever mentioned her past. The loss of her home and family had been four years ago though in her mind it was still fresh as though it happened only yesterday. Damien tried asking her about her family once and the hardened look on Jessica's face convinced him to never broach that subject again.

With a sigh she glanced down at Nimbus. I guess it's sort of comforting to know that if I never have friends I could always make friends, she thought wryly to herself. Then the thought of an army of droids all programmed to be her friend immediately made her realize how truly sad that would be.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Nichalus »

Right on the tick of the wardroom's chrono, Fleet Captain To'ran MacQuillen stepped through the doors, followed by a curmudgeonly looking Dug who wore an officer's uniform of the New Republic. Several of the pilots looked ready to burst into laughter, but to their credit, they kept the chuckles carefully hidden behind clearing of throats or a cough.

To'ran looked around the room, knowing full well what the rusted cogs behind those eyes looking at him were thinking. He smirked slightly and stepped up to the podium.

"I want everyone to stop by the Med Bay, which is right by the hanger entrance and get your multi-viral inoculation shots. It sounds like we might have a 'bug' going around." His smirk disappeared as if it was never there, and his tone became serious. "I'm 'not' kidding. I can't have this group getting laid up with a viral illness, and from the sound of things, you're all coming down with something." The corner of his mouth tweaked up a bit in a smile as he looked down at his datapad.

"As you know doubt have noticed, there is a Dug in are midst." To'ran stated rhetorically. "This is Commander Wosino, and he is Red Dagger's XO. We have served together for quite some time with Admiral Damus, and spaced our share of Imperials and a number of other malcontents along the way. His methods are extreme, and a bit unorthodox, but with what were doing, it will be needed. He answers to me, and me alone."

To'ran pauses and looked down at his datapad again. He was up most of the night reading various reports, and messages from the Admiral, and had typed in a list of things to cover with the squad. He abruptly switched off the pad and looked at them all.

"I could bore you with alot of details that I thought they you would all like to know, plus various readings and reports from the areas that your groups will be going to. But I'm not going to do that. I have no intention of micro-managing this group. For one reason or another, you are all here...and...with full knowledge of what you're getting into. Yet, you are all still here. Whether through a sense of loyalty, or just mynock shit crazy, you are here."

To'ran steps down from the podium so he stands on equal ground with them. "We are treading dangerous waters, as the Admiral would say. But the Admiral has placed his faith in us to do the right thing. The New Republic was formed to help defend the defenseless, the right the wrongs of tyranny and oppression. While that worked for some time after Endor, that stain of oppression and corruption is darkening the skies over many worlds. A shadow that is faint at this time, but it 'will' grow darker as it is allowed to slowly eat away at the light of freedom."

"We will seek out the shadow that is beginning to infect our republic. We will cast a light upon it so all can see it for what it is. The Admiral has called upon us to do this. He is expecting us to find it, and he has given us our first mission to expose a piece of the corruption."

Stepping back to the podium. "Fleet CAG Teller will fill you all in on the Operation Parameters, details and assignments." He looks over to Valexia and gives a nod. "Lt. Valexia you will be with me on this op, we're taking a different route." Turning to Jax. "Make the adjustment to your mission roster to reflect Valexia will be with me. I found some anomalous readings in the asteroid belt that I want to check out, and Val has the skills to boost the scanners on my ship."

"Your taking the Bullpen out there?" Jax asks with a smile.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." To'ran smirked back.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Starlight »

Mae glanced at Valexia out of the corner of her eye, a thoughtful expression on her features. It would be interesting, as the others had inferred, how this rag tag group of misfit toys gelled together. 'We'll do just fine - like we always do. And you talking to Valexia yesterday made a good dent in breaking through the ice."

Here's hoping anyway, she responded to the cheerful confidence of her brother and sat back, shifting her focus to the briefing once more. Mae was pleased to hear the command philosophy of trusting in the pilots' abilities. Truly, if this squad ever needed micromanaging then something had gone desperately sideways. Mae certainly had never cared for it. Being a perfectionist as long as she could remember, having someone perched over her shoulder in judgment was a serious insult.

"So long as they keep us together, they can manage me however they need to," Ty broke into her thoughts again.

The commander has, I believe, come to accept that we are stronger together. Mae smiled a bit and leaned back in her seat. The butter-soft leather of her dark green flight jacket made a soft whisper of sound as it stretched across her shoulders. Even if it ends up giving him more gray hair in the end.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Pryde »

Jess had mostly been spacing out before the briefing began. Between that and a lack of sleep it was no wonder she nearly missed it when To'ran entered the room and someone shouted, "Commander on deck!"

Every pilot in attendance quickly snapped to attention and threw him a salute. Jess followed suit about a half a second later when her attention finally caught up with the present. To'ran walked to the podium at the front of the room with a curious little creature following along beside him. Jess could hear a few snickers from some of the other pilots as they all eyed the Dug. To'ran was quick to cut that off after he returned the salute and bid everyone to sit back down.

Jess had never seen a Dug in a Republic uniform before, but she knew how temperamental they could be. She'd come across a Dug or two in various racing circuits. For the most part they seemed to have a very low opinion of humans and that was no different with Jess even after she proved herself on the course. She'd call it a superiority complex but it seemed to plague their whole species so perhaps it was just a cultural thing.

With a sigh she leaned back in her chair as she listened to To'ran speak. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Mae and Ty sitting next to each other. Mae's expression was rather plain but Ty seemed to have a smirk on his face. Jess had always wondered about those two since joining the squadron. She'd see them together often but she'd rarely hear them speak to each other which was weird considering how close they seemed to be. She wouldn't have thought anything strange about that if not for the fact that at times during flight ops or even in conversation it sometimes felt like one knew what the other was thinking, but that was impossible.

A thought crossed her mind then as she watched the two and for a moment she wondered if her relationship with her brotherJacob could have ever evolved into something like that. Of course, thinking of her dead brother brought back all sorts of painful memories and she closed her eyes tightly as she tried in vain to wish them away. She only opened her eyes again after hearing Jakob's voice interrupt her thoughts.

"Flight Officer Sterling, are you in the room with us," he said sternly.

Jess' eyes quickly snapped open. "Uh yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir," she apologized, her cheeks burning slightly in embarrasment upon being called out in front of everyone. She should have known. Being the only one sitting in the center of the room like this sort of made her stick out like a sore thumb.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Mir »

Jess jumped up sharply in her chair, rubbing her thigh. She turned to see that Warrant Officer, Wosino, staring at her, tapping one end of his stun baton in his hand. “You stay awake, you good for nothing filthy mongrel, or Wosino will teach you the meaning of boredom on his planet.”

“Wouldn’t it be the same as anywhere else?” She asked.

His eyes widened. “Never talk back to Wosino, shite waste.” He said, stabbing her again in the thigh.

“I thought the New Republic outlawed corporal punishment.” Otsoa said, lazily. His seinale went into overdrive as Wosino turned and trundled up to him. “Whoa, calm down there, uh, sir, it was a joke.”

“Do not joke about the day part of Wosino died inside.” He said, the strong brogue starting to get almost comical.

Otsoa cocked his head to the side, regarding the Dug with a curious look. “The day…the New Republic….outlawed corporal punishment in the military?”

“The day the New Republic kowtowed to those pansy fething weaklings who would weaken its ranks by putting lazy sacs of blubber in uniforms.” The Dug cried out, looking back at Jess over his shoulder, who self-consciously moved around in her seat. “We must be alert. We must be attentive. We must be prepared. Wosino can teach you. Wosino can prepare you. Wosino’s lessons will save your fething lives.” He said, walking back up to the front. He glared up at Jax. “And you, you shite.”

“And me.” Jakob replied with a grin. “I love ya, little buddy.” He rubbed his shin where Wosino jabbed him with the stun baton. “I was being friendly.” Jakob said.

Wosino shook his head in disgust, his face tendrils flailing in the air. “Do not be friendly with your fething foes on the fething battlefield. That is how you die. Have you learned nothing?”

“Alright, alright, enough. Before you break a record for a sailor cursing, which I think you already hold, let’s let the squadron get their briefing.” To’ran said. “Let’s get a move on, Wosino.”

The Dug straightened, arranging his uniform before he turned to address the squadron. His commander had spoken. He would obey. “The best of luck on your mission, troopers. Be brave. Be bold.”

“Be like Wosino?” Tak asked from where he was seated.

The Dug nodded, the sarcasm going over his head, which, considering his height, wasn’t that difficult to begin with. “Be like Wosino.” He said, and marched out of the room, head held high. To’ran followed, and before the door closed, they heard the yelp of an unsuspecting sailor getting the stun baton.

“In all seriousness, I haven’t met anyone who cares more about the people under their command than Wosino.” Jakob said. “He really does want everyone to be the best that they can be.” He added, walking over to the holoprojector.

“You know he’s crazy right?” Jaclen asked.

“Well, that goes without saying.” Jakob said.

“Has he ever encouraged you to learn what your urine tastes like beforehand so if you ever get shot down and have to survive, you won’t hate the taste?” Tak asked.

Jakob averted his eyes.

“Oh my gods, he has.” Alek said, recoiling slightly in his chair. “What is wrong with him?” He asked.

“Only the crazy survive.” Jakob said.

“That’s deep.” Otsoa said. “We should get that on shirts.” He said, and turned around in his seat to address everyone. “Vote after the meeting about the shirts.” The XO said and the veterans of the squadron nodded with murmured agreement. “Go ahead, boss.”

“That’s Otz.” Jakob replied with a smirk. He pressed a few buttons on the holoprojector, and a starchart appeared. “This is the Tarsh system in the Unknown Regions. A den of thievery and a place where nice people don’t take other nice people for dinner dates. The fuzzy Bothan Admiral has reason to believe that there’s a smuggling operation going on in this system, and we’re going to break it up.” He stated. “Now, the Admiral admires his admirable sources, and those sources have indicated there’s a host of activity going on here. We’ve got three planets and an asteroid field.”

“That’s the start of a bad joke.” Alek said, snapping his fingers. “Oh, I remember this one, I…” He said and trailed off as people looked at him. “What?”

“What kind of a joke starts off with three planets and an asteroid field?” Iris asked, confused.

“A bad one.” Alek said, as if that explained everything.

Jakob turned to Otsoa. “What say you? Guilty of bad humor?”

Otsoa held up a thumbs down sign.

“First round is on Alek when we get back.” Jakob said, and there were some smiles that went around the room. “Well drinks and happy hour specials only.” He said and the smiles died. “Back to the briefing. There are three planets and an asteroid field, and this is no joke people. One has a slaver depot, one has a weapons depot, and one has a spice depot. To’ran has gotten some strange readings from the data on the asteroid field, and he’ll be investigating the asteroid field personally.” He said.

“How are we breaking up into groups?” Vaylen asked.

“Good question. I’m going to have a Flight leader taking charge of each group. But since we have a few newer people to the squadron, I figured we’d mix things up from the roster breakdown I put out a little while ago. Each team will have a total of three people. The only mandatory is that To’ran needs Val with him on the asteroid recon due to her knowledge of scanning equipment.”

“We should vote.” Otsoa said.

“Why do we have to vote on everything?” Jessica asked. “I mean, last mission, we voted on what seemed like everything.

There was an audible scrape as Otsoa’s chair struggled to keep up with how fast he turned. “What’d you just say?” He asked, his seinale fluttering in the air. “I’m not sure I heard you, I have a fish head.”

“I said, how will we conduct the vote, by hand raising or secret ballot?” Jessica said, her eyes wide in fear.

Jakob looked down at the sheet of flimsi in his hands, with the break down that he’d written up. He flipped it over to write down the new order. “We vote, because democracy is a vital and important part of our lives. We defend it, we nurture it, we encour- damn it, I’m starting to sound like the Dug.” He said. “We vote because every person here is responsible for every other person here. That responsibility means that I want everyone’s input to be valued and considered.” He said and then paused, shrugging. “Unless, you know, I tell you to shut up. Moving on, I’ll take the weapons depot, Vaylen will take the slaver depot, and Otsoa will take the spice depot.”

Jess’ hand shot up. “I’m with Vaylen and the slaver depot.” She said, before anyone else could speak, almost as soon as the words had left Jax’s mouth. She went red slightly, realizing that she’d cut almost everyone else off and was also the only one sticking their hand in the air, which she retracted quickly.

“I’ll join up with that too.” Iris said.

Mae and Ty looked at each other, unseen communication shifting between the two of them. “We’ll go with you, Jakob.” Ty said.

“I’ll look into the spice depot with Otsoa.” Jaclen said.

“I don’t mind working the recon group with Val and To’ran.” Tak added.

“I guess that leaves me to join up with Otsoa and Jaclen.” Alek said.

“Democracy. Everyone voted, everyone had a say.” Jakob said. He paused slightly. “Val, I have a favor I need to ask of you.”

She raised an eyebrow and gave him an inquisitive look, but remained silent, as she had been throughout the entire proceedings.

“I wouldn’t ask this if I didn’t need to.” Jakob said, his voice changing in tone and demeanor. Before he had been in a joking mood, but now it was gentler, calmer. Softer. “I know that trusting people has been a bit difficult over the years for you and while that’s hard for me to understand, it’s easy for me to accept. I meant what I said when we were on the shuttle. Everyone here should know that the man or woman fighting on their team will always have their back.” He said, and looked down for a moment, hoping that he could conjure up the right words to address this. “You’re going on your first mission with us, and we definitely don’t want it to be your last. But if anything were to happen to you, we need to know who it is we’re looking for.” He said.

He used the term “we”, even though when he had gotten her dossier from operations, it had included images of her face. The mission reports that he had read had detailed a lot of what had happened to her and had included a medical holo as well of the scarring on her back. The problem was that he couldn’t be the only one to know what she actually looked like.

“What are you asking me to do?” Val asked.

“Please remove the cloak, so we can see your face.” Jakob said.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Shaggy »

Valexia sat there and her eye rolls where becoming more and more. Vote on this, vote on that, idle chatter and posturing and she thought to herself.

"How did I get put with this group?" She just sat back and started to tune everything out when she heard Jakob's voice change.

"“Val, I have a favor I need to ask of you.” The moment he called her "Val" she nearly became indignant. No one called her that unless she had given them permission and that he suddenly felt comfortable enough to call her that...

“You’re going on your first mission with us, and we definitely don’t want it to be your last. But if anything were to happen to you, we need to know who it is we’re looking for.” He said. She suddenly understood what was about to happen but she asked the question anyway.

“What are you asking me to do?” Val asked.

“Please remove the cloak, so we can see your face.” Jakob said.

It wasn't a request, even though it felt like it, but it was an order from her CO. This was the part of her life she dreaded the most. It wasn't just the scars, both internal and external, it would be how everyone would see her from now on. This was usually the time that she would become vulnerable in their eyes with some thinking they can take advantage of her race. Never again would that ever happen.

"Please refer to me as Valexia... sir." Yes that was meant to come across like it sounded but she took another deep breath and stood to her feet.

"I am doing this because you ordered it sir." She brought back the hood of her cloak and her purple hued hair flowed out down to her shoulders and as she unbuttoned the middle of the cloak she tried her hardest to exude a calm meditative state her mother had taught her. The cloak open and feel behind her onto her chair. There was an audible gasp but she was trying not concentrate on it. She took a deep breathe before she spoke.

Her light grey shirt was form fitting and you could see the pinkish tone of her skin under it. Her pants were nothing special but because of her figure, it still hung on her in all the right ways to make an impression. Her violet eyes scanned the rest of the group and she took another deep breath. No one was showing any effects yet but that could change quickly but she could feel the tone of the room change completely.

The more aquatic species tended to not be effected by her pheromones but humans had a hard time controlling themselves. Her under developed empathetic abilities were still working and she could feel a flash of arousal in the room but she couldn't pin who is was comping from. She decided there had been enough silence and spoke. Her voice, melodic as usual, was soft at first but she gained volume as she tried to calm herself.

"If you have never seen a Zeltron before, I am sure you have heard of us. I hope you don't judge me by what you have heard. While the rest of my species are considered the 'play things' of the rich or powerful, I can assure you that I am not. Through genetics and manipulation of those genetics, our species have been called 'the most beautiful in the galaxy' and that title has haunted me my whole life. Our species have two main advantages that we can use, many on our culture are telepathic. Don't worry, I am not, but I do have a certain level of empathy towards people. I can sense moods or strong feelings. The other is our pheromones. Not nearly as powerful or overwhelming as say a Falleens, but we can slightly influence the feelings in a room. Can be useful in negotiations, but I try to keep them contain, which is why I wear the cloak."

Now was a time to come clean since she had already revealed this much. This would be difficult and she would attempt to not break down again. Doing that here would seal her fate in this room. "I have spent that last ten years honing my craft as a fighter, not a play thing. I have been on solo missions and had become very good at 'wet work.' "

She heard someone say under their breath, "Wet work?"

She came back over the top, "It means I killed people, up close and personally. That was my job until they put me in a squadron to take on some slavers. We flew together for a year and we were good, really good. However, we got sloppy, overconfident in our abilities, and we got captured. My squad then turned me over to the slavers in order for them to go free. My friends, my brothers and sisters through battle, left me because of what I am. The slavers are merciless and..." she trained off with her voice becoming very quiet. She saw Mae start to stand and she raised her hand asking her to sit without saying it. She recomposed herself and breathed again. "And now I am here. This is me and this is who I am."

She turned back and put the cloak back on except for her hood. She closed it up and held the front tighter as she put her hand on Nightmare's dome as it made small low tones towards her. She glared at Jakob and said, "Is that all sir?"
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Mir »

“Yes, Valexia. My apologies on how I addressed you. I didn’t realize you preferred your name a certain way.” Jakob said, with a soft smile. “I wouldn’t have asked if we didn’t need, and if we didn’t need, I wouldn’t ask. Respecting people’s privacy is important. That’s why I have to remind Mate on a daily basis.”

Despite the attempt at levity, an awkward silence hung over the briefing room.

“So…” Otsoa said, looking around.

“I think everyone has their mission, we can break down in to the squad level and come up with our respective plans. I’ll pass along S2’s intel to Otsoa and Vaylen. Mae and Ty, we'll link up a bit later and discuss how we should approach our piece.” Jakob said. He looked at Otsoa. “Dismiss them when you’re ready.” He said, turning and heading for the door.

“Commander on deck.” Otsoa said, rising, and all the others did too.

“You know I hate that.” Jakob said, as he stepped out of the briefing room. He walked across the corridor and looked out through one of the viewports. That had been decidedly uncomfortable and like he had said to her, if he hadn’t needed to do it, he wouldn’t have asked. It was very annoying that one of the first times that he needed to ask her to trust him, as a commander, considering the mistreatment that she’d had in the past, was also in front of the entire unit, and required her to extend that trust to the unit as well. Such was the burdens of being the commander. As he’d said to Damus, regardless of how he felt about Damus’ idea, he had an obligation to the people who made up the squadron. Their welfare came before his.

He sighed.

Might as well see if Mate was done driving people crazy with his heavy metal music.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Xalsin »

Vaylen sat still for a long moment, lips pressed in a thin line as he did nothing but listen to his own pulse beating in his ears.

He looked. He couldn't help himself but to look even though a thick disgust simmered inside of him as he did. The intentions were honorable, more or less, but nevertheless, Valexia disrobed in front of the entire squadron at the request of her commander.

She wasn't naked, obviously, but her level of discomfort was so apparent and so high, she might as well have been naked. There she was, singled out in front of all her peers, made to feel uncomfortable, different, and special.

And for what? To make her an object of pity? Of gossip? Of desire?

Vaylen's eyes fell to the floor briefly. He strongly disagreed with what was happening, and almost opened his mouth to speak, but consciously decided against it. His words would have been nothing more than anger and anger would not fix anything. He did not believe the Commander meant any harm, but Vaylen's opinion ran counter to his actions. He did not feel that making Valexia involuntarily surrender feelings of privacy would engender trust, nor would it make the rest of the squad see her as anything but an oddity. Vaylen wondered if it would just drive Valexia further into the lone-wolf ways she seemed to favor.

On the exterior, Vaylen seemed slightly distant and thoughtful. Beneath that calm veneer, an irrational inferno of rage boiled in his stomach like a hidden storm. It took him several repetitions of a Peace Mantra to get his emotions under control.

It was unlikely any but the most observant in the room were aware of the rapid emotional battle Vaylen had just waded through in the last fort five seconds. He finally looked up, just in time for the commander to dismiss the room.

Vaylen stood slowly, drawing a deep breath to help preserve the calm he had just reacquired. He saw Iris and Jess both drifting in his rough direction, and he met them half way. Best to keep his mind busy in other directions at the moment.

"I don't have the details of the mission yet. As soon as I do, we should meet and do some planning. For now, I recommend getting a couple days worth of supplies packed. Once we know more about the target and the objective, we can go over details." Vaylen looked about briefly, and then nodded to the two woman. "I will comm you when I have the mission details." Without further comment to anyone, Vaylen turned and made as hasty an exit as casualness could allow. All he could think about was how he needed to be somewhere quiet, to reflect on his feelings about this matter.

Iris blinked her amber eyes, fur rippling faintly at the Twi'lek's departure before she turned to regard the human, Jess, beside her. "He's an unusual one. I don't think we've met yet. I'm Iresshendae Ulton. Most everyone calls me Iris."

--

For Tak, it was probably the best assignment he could have ever hoped for. A mission with the Captain To'ran and the exotic Valexia. Granted, both of those people were rather intimidating in their own ways, just as they were both very appealing in their own ways, and Tak didn't mind the idea of being noticed by either one of them.

Hopping up on his good foot, he made his way over towards Valexia, who was looking like she was about to bolt from the room as soon as the path was clear.

"Looks like we'll be working together." He spoke to her as he came into conversation range of her. Even though she had donned her cloak again, he could still feel the telltale effects of.. whatever it was. "Any idea where we're going yet?"
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Pryde »

Whatever it was that had just transpired made Jessica uncomfortable. Not as uncomfortable of Valexia, perhaps, but she never liked watching someone make someone else do something they didn't want to do. From her time in the racing circuits she had seen a lot of things, from rampant drug abuse to even slave abuse. She didn't like either, but it was the latter that hit her the hardest. Not because she was a slave herself but because she had empathy for them. Even as a little girl she's always had a knack to intuitively know when someone was suffering. On days when her brother was angry or upset, even if he had tried to hide it, she would know.

She was feeling that right now, but oddly enough that sensation wasn't coming from Valexia. It took her a moment to realize it and in that moment she might have stared a little bit at the Zeltron, but as she began to realize that it was her she started looking elsewhere. Her gaze first centered on Vaylen sitting at the edge of the room. The Twi'lek looked like he was perfectly fine but the lines on his eyes and corners of his mouth told another story. Jessica could tell he was fuming but she wasn't entirely sure why. Was it Valexia's story that set him on edge? Or Jakob singling her out? She might have gone over there to ask were it not for the briefing and the fact she was deathly afraid that he would bite her head off.

After the meeting and Jakob Teller's departure everyone stood from their seats. Jessica cast a glance over at Valexia and debated walking over there to talk to her. Her first impression on the shuttle wasn't that great but given the context and their brief interaction the day before she didn't seem like a bad person. Then there was the pheromones. Jessica has had very little exposure to Zeltrons, that is to say none. She had no idea what was causing her to become so lightheaded the day before but now she knew. If she knows about the pheromones then perhaps she could resist them, but that would require constant exposure and Jess wasn't about to walk over there and ask her to take off her cloak again.

Instead she gravitated towards Vaylen along with the final member of the squad, a female Bothan whose name escaped her. She and Iris managed to make it halfway there before Valyen decided to meet them in the middle. The sudden brush off that came immediately afterward was just as much of a surprise to her as Iris. After he had left the Bothan turned to her and introduced herself. Jessica did likewise.

"Jessica Sterling," she said, holding out her hand, "Or Jess."

The two shook hands and Jess continued, "I might as well tell you this now before you find out from someone else, but um--I'm the awkward one."
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by VagueDurin »

Once Teller had left the room, Lt. Dutari cast his gaze across the motley arrangment of pilots. "Alright Green," he said, "Y'all heard the boss. You know the drill. Get with your team leads, sort out what needs sorted. Oh, and stay out of that Dug's crosshairs, yeah?"

After a short laughter break, during which he lit a new Shento, he glanced back up at the room. "Yeah alright, Dismissed and all that. Team Spicey, next hit time will be in 2 hours, hangar bay." He waited to see an acknowledgment from Alek and Jaclen, then headed for the hatchway, leaving the rest of the squadron to their business.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by TalRaimi »

Team Spicy? And I make bad jokes? Alek sighed and raised a hand to acknowledge Otsoa as the Urmaellian strode from the room trailing Shento smoke in his wake. Jokes aside, after months of monotonous escort duty the squadron finally had a mission that felt worthwhile and yet there was something tempering Alek’s eagerness... He glanced quickly around the room, his eyes lingering on Jess, Jaclen, Iris, Tak and Valexia in particular.

She was, to put it bluntly, quite frankly stunning. Stunning in the same way that the frozen tundra of Hoth was at dawn; and just as cold. He knew he was attracted to her and he resented it. With a Zeltron how could he be sure if it was a natural attraction or simply the affect of her pheromones? In fact he was pretty sure it was the pheromones because so far she had been nothing but distant, cynical, and waspish, hardly the type of women he went for. Better to keep his distance if he could.

Pulling his eyes off her he gathered his thoughts together. It wasn’t just her that made him uneasy, it was all of the newer pilots. He was used to changes within a fighter squadron, but it was usually only one or two new pilots coming in, in the past 6 months almost half of Green Squadron’s line up had changed and they were going into their first mission without truly knowing each other.

Damn it. Now I sound as cynical as Valexia.

Trust has to be built and you can’t do that without getting to know your fellow squad mates he decided. With that firmly in mind he spied Jaclen out and made a beeline for her. “So... Flight Officer Markai,” he greeted her, his formal words contrasting with the relaxed tone of his voice, “Looks like we’re Team Spicy with the Fish. Damn terrible name isn’t it?”
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Jagtai »

Jaclen was conflicted. Not only had she developed an instant dislike for the Dug, Wosino; but she also found that she had lost some respect for Teller after the whole show with Valexia. The Zeltron, however cold, didn't deserve to be put on display like that. Even so, Jaclen said nothing.

She rose with the rest of the squadron when Teller left, and nodded to Otsoa. 2 hours. That gave her just enough time to work on her fighter.

"So... Flight Officer Markai" She turned to see Alex Riven, a fellow flight mate. They hadn't spoken before, and Jaclen was glad that he had taken up the torch on making contact. “Looks like we’re Team Spicy with the Fish. Damn terrible name isn’t it?”

Jaclen looked perplexed for a second. Then she made the connection. "The Fish...You mean Dutari." She smiled. "Yes, terrible name."

It really was.

"So, I guess we're raiding a spice depot?"
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by TalRaimi »

“Sure looks that way,” Alek agreed, “Looks like whoever these smugglers are they’ve a decent sized operation. Spice, Slaves, and Weapons? That’s just greedy.”

Jaclen gave him a small smile, shifting slightly from one foot to the other and Alek got the distinct impression his arrival had prevented her leaving.

“So were on you your way somewhere?”

“The hanger Bay,” she supplied, “I’ve still some work to do on my X-Wing.”

“T-70?” he guessed.

“Actually it’s a T-65,” she corrected him.

“Ah, a classic. The 70’s are newer and faster but they never felt as solid to me. So which Squadron were you assigned to before the Mean Green?”
Last edited by TalRaimi on Fri Jul 22, 2016 3:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Jagtai »

Jaclen shifted uneasily. She hated that question. It always made her feel inadequate.

"I..." She hesitated, "I wasn't. Assigned to a squadron, I mean. I was sent here straight from the Academy."

Anxiously, she tried to gauge Alek's reaction...
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by TalRaimi »

“That’s... impressive,” he decided.

And it was. While Green Squadron might not have the profile of something like Rogue Squadron they were still considered to be one of the New Republic’s elite units. Either Jaclen had impressed someone mightily during training or she had some deep political connections. He would guess the former and was looking forward to seeing her fly.

Never judge a book by their cover. Judge a book by their flying. It was an old Pamarthen saying.

“You must have been one hot hand at the Academy. But I guess this will be your first combat mission?”
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Jagtai »

Jaclen was relieved at Alek's reaction. She nodded.

"My instructors thought so, I guess. I just did my best. But yes, this will be my first combat mission. I just hope to prove myself worthy for my spot in the squadron."

She didn't mention her consistently superior scores in the simulator and in the cockpit during training flights. While they had impressed her instructors and ensured her transfer to Green Squadron, she didn't consider herself better than anyone else.

"And you? How long have you been in the squadron?"
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Xalsin »

Vaylen spent about ten minutes just walking the halls of the large ship at random, making sure that whatever remained of his emotional reaction was gone. He felt calm now, ready to face the next task. His little internal conflict would have been embarrassing and he found himself hoping no one had noticed his reaction.

Eventually, he found himself on an observation deck, offering a stunning, if solemn, view of the scrapyard around them. His comm unit pinged, indicating the arrival of all of the mission intel. He shot a quick text message to Iris and Jess: Meet me at Observation Deck 6-12A so we can go over intel and begin planning.

Next, he got on his comm, making a call. "Ratter, get over to where I am. I'm going to need you for planning."

He twittered in binary his affirmative reply, then Vaylen pulled up his datapad, examining the intel while he awaited the arrival of the others.

*****

Iris smiled at Jess, gripping her hand firmly but briefly. "If we're being honest, I'm starting to feel that this entire group suffers from that particular condition."

The two of them made inconsequential small talk for a handful of minutes before both of their comms chimed in unison. Iris glanced at the unit, noting the message from Vaylen. "Well, I guess he is ready for us. Walk with me there?"
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Pryde »

"Uh, yeah sure," Jess replied. There was a slight hesitation in her voice. Not so much at the prospect of walking and talking with a stranger but rather their ultimate destination. Vaylen seemed pretty peeved at something and Jess could only hope he's had time to cool down.

Iris stepped aside and waved her forward and Jess graciously accepted. "Let's go, Nimbus," she called back over her shoulder towards the little droid that was busily trying to unscrew the legs of her chair.

The BB unit looked at her then back at the chair and grumbled slightly. Then he turned and followed Jess and Iris out of the room. As they walked Iris continued the conversation they were having before, though in all fairness it wasn't much of a conversation. For the most part Iris did the talking while Jess listened, occasionally chiming in with a word or two here and there. Jess was not very good at small talk, in fact she hated it.

Any conversation in which someone was trying to get to know her would invariably turn towards her past. First her time at the academy and then came questions about her life before that. Jess answered whatever inquiries she could but when the conversation took a turn towards her family she quickly changed the subject by asking about Iris' starfighter. Iris blinked twice at the sudden turn but fortunately decided not to press the issue. The two of them spent the next few moments discussing their fighter craft as they entered the observation deck and crossed the room over to Vaylen.

Both pilots snapped a crisp salute which Vaylen returned. "At ease," he said and both Jess and Iris relaxed their postures.

Jess was looking at Vaylen curiously, searching for any signs of his earlier ire and still wondering what it was that had set him off. Vaylen must have noticed her staring at him and he turned to her. "Something wrong," he asked.

"Uh, no, Sir. Sorry, Sir," Jess replied, quickly averting her eyes. He didn't feel like he was still upset, but either way Jess didn't want to chance making him angry again.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by TalRaimi »

“I’ve been here about a year,” Alek answered Jaclen, “It’s been mostly escort missions and long range patrols. It’s not what I expected from an Elite squadron but then I guess that’s peacetime flying for you.”

He paused, chewing over his words. Even to his mind they sounded naive and ill considered, like he hungered for a fight, but that wasn’t it; at least not entirely.

“That came out wrong. I don’t mean to sound like I want a war. I don’t,” he ran a nervous hand through his wavy brown hair. “It’s just I’m a pilot. I need a challenge. Something to push my limits...”
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Jagtai »

Jaclen smiled reassuringly to Alek. Few people besides other pilots would have understood what Alek meant, but she did.

"I know exactly what you mean."

(OOC: Tal, feel free to make a whole conversation between Alek and Jaclen. These one-liners are kinda dull :P)
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Xalsin »

Vaylen gave them both a reassuring smile and waved off Jess's, no trace existing of any of his previous anger. "First off, I may be of slightly higher rank than you, but within Green Squadron we are peers. I am not your superior in your chain of command, so there is really no need to address me as 'sir', and there is no definitely no need to salute me. We will be working closely together, both on this mission and undoubtedly in future missions, so it is simplest if you simply address me as 'Vaylen' rather than getting hung up on any formalities."

The gestured to a table and chairs next to the window. "I always find a place with a view is conducive to thinking. Please, have a seat, and I will show you what I have so far."

As they all sat, he nodded to Ratter, who activated his holoprojector, pulling up a large system map of their target. The entire map was swathed in patches of different colors, with blips, shadows, spots and variety of other variations to make the entire map look like a cluttered mess of colors.

"This is the raw long range sensor data of our target. This is before the computer has even filtered out solar noise and other disturbances, that way you can be sure you're not going to miss anything. Let me explain what we're looking at." He began pointing around the map as he spoke. "The bright points on the map represent energy discharges the scans uncovered. The dark spots mean something inert blocked the scan, so potentially comets, completely powered down ships, or anything else that is not giving off energy. This large bloom is the slave depot itself, a converted orbital station around one of the nearest planets to the star. The long range scans are taken over a period of several hours, so for instance this strange ellipsoid here is most likely a patrolling craft flying following navbouys. These short lines are most likely craft entering or exiting the system from hyperspace. We will need to do a more detailed recon run before we know for sure what all of these readings are, but this raw data should help us do some preliminary planning. Look at the map for a few minutes, and give me your observations on it."
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Pryde »

Jess stared at the map but said nothing. In her mind she ran through several possible scenarios but could only come to one conclusion. Regardless of what they planned to do they would have to enter the station somehow and free the slaves. That meant trying to get there undetected and just by looking at the map she could tell that wasn't going to be easy.

"We could jump in at the edge of the system and gather long range recon data," Iris was saying, "Or sneak in close with a stealth ship, but either way we won't be able to get scans of the inside."

She was thinking the same thing Jess was. Scans of the outside of the station were only good for helping them get in. Moving about the station and getting to the slave pens was another matter entirely. Once inside, though, Nimbus could plug in to a nearby console and download the station schematics, that would help them to move around. Of course that all came back to the question of how to get in.

Iris looked at the map thoughtfully. "We could approach the station in free fall. Power down our systems and let our inertia carry us to the station. We'll look like space debris on their scanners."

"Wouldn't work," Jess said finally and all eyes turned to her. She hesitated a moment and quickly looked away. "I mean, it would fool the sensors but anyone looking...," she left the rest hanging in the air.

"Pose as buyers then," Iris asked.

At this Vaylen spoke up. "An interesting idea, but there's a problem with that."

Iris gave him a confused look and Jessica explained. "He's a Twi'lek and you're a Bothan. Neither of you look like someone who'd be interested in buying slaves," she said, "Um, no offense."

The obvious answer was for Jess to pose as either a buyer or a seller with Vaylen and Iris both pretending to be slaves but she wasn't about to propose that. There were still other options she hadn't explored yet. "I could maybe get us in close," she said after an awkward moment of silence, "If I coast in behind a ship on its way to the station I can hide us inside it's radar shadow until we get close enough to breach an airlock."

"Coast in," Iris asked in surprise, "If the ship changes course you would have to maneuver."

Jess shook her head, "Power fluctuations from both of our craft would set off a red flag. I have to fly in powered down and get it right the first time."

Iris was not convinced. "That's impossible, there are too many variables."

"Not impossible, improbable," Jess replied, "and I'm probably the only one who can do it."
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Starlight »

Once they were dismissed, Mae and Ty decided to visit the mess hall for some caf and conversation. The conversation was on Ty's part, Mae just wanted the welcome shock of caffeine.

He waited until they were seated at a table the size of a thumbdrive, it's scarred surface showing a history of its long service. "You failed to mention several details from your visit with Valexia yesterday."

Mae gave a shrug and took a sip of the hot caf, grimacing as it scalded the tip of her tongue. "They weren't my details to tell, Ty. I told you what you needed to know, what she hadn't asked me to keep to myself." She set the caf down again, slowly turning the mug in a circle to keep her hands busy. "Besides, anything I found out was unintentional - meaning if she'd had choice I would still be in the dark. We all would. But life sucks and the galaxy really doesn't give a womp rat's arse what we prefer."

As she scowled down at her beverage, Ty leaned back, an eyebrow winging up at the scathing tone and feeling the unease and temper roiling like stormclouds behind Mae's eyes.

"Alright, fair enough. You going to explain the rest of it?"

Mae's glance shot up suspiciously. "What rest of it?"

Ty sighed and leaned forward, gently prying Mae's fingers away from the mug and turning them over so their palms touched. "The rest of what happened with Valexia to make you so upset. Something else happened that has you locked tighter than an S-foil. We don't keep things, from each other remember? I let you sit on it last night and this morning, but time to come clean.

Mae held out a moment longer, stubbornness forming a thin line across her forehead before she gave up. She should have told him right away but Mae had harbored a vain hope that it wouldn't be of consequence. Silly. He had a right to know.

"You know how Valexia mentioned that her species harbor some sort of empathic ability?" Ty nodded. "Well, she was strong enough to sense our connection to each other." She changed the grip of their hands, tightened hers against Ty. "No one knows about that. I asked her to keep it that way." Ty didn't have to ask how it made her sister feel. He could feel the vulnerability, the weight of potential consequences nipping at her with sharp little teeth. "So I traded a confidence for a confidence, though I would have given it to her in any case. You asked me to get to know her, Ty. Not to spill secrets."

Ty grimaced. "I know.. I just hate to see someone in pain like that. If I can help, I want to."

Mae smiled quietly, loving her brother even if she didn't understand that deep drive to fix everything and everyone around him. As children, he'd been the ones taking in wounded wildlife or stray animals, making friends at school as easily as breathing.

"I know.. I'll talk to her later, after she's had some time to compose herself. But she's not a wounded bird, Ty. You can't bandage her wing and feed her bread crumbs until she's well enough to fly again. Besides, we have the mission to think of."

"Copy that," Ty replied and shifted his attention, as Mae wanted. "Weapons depot... Should be right up your alley."

That made Mae's smile turn sharp. "Indeed. Let's go bug Jakob for the details."
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Shaggy »

Valexia was about to pull her hood back over her face to try and hide her embarrassment and the second the meeting was called she was looking for a straight line out the door when someone approached her. She felt him coming before she heard his voice. With all the different hues of emotions filling the room, one would figure that she would have a difficult time picking one out specifically but this one shown bright, confident, and when he spoke she confirmed it, he was young.

"Looks like we'll be working together. Any idea where we're going yet?"

Didn't even introduce himself but spoke to her as an equal. This one had guts, but she wouldn't hold it against him. He was a young human, looked like he had not been out of the academy or flight school not all that long. His gait was slightly altered, she guessed a cybernetic mechanical leg. He was built well and she looked him in the eye and extended hand to sit near her.

"You have as much information as I do. I imagine once our plans are finalized, we will get a call into To'ran's office and he will fill us in. Chances are though, you will be piloting our vessel and we will be working on some type if infiltration. Just wondering what my part is to play in this scenario is going to be."
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Mir »

Jax had made a mistake, one that he had made often times before. It was one that he knew he shouldn't keep making, but one that just felt natural to him, when presented with a troubling issue. He needed to talk to someone about what was going on. As usual, there was only one person who not only was always there to list, but would also drop whatever he was doing in order to give Jakob his undivided attention.

So he'd confided in Mate.

This explained why he was now, presently, in the officer's gym of Green Squadron's current home, attempting to concentrate on a simple bench press as Mate blasted what could only be described as some form of electronic music. Long ago, someone had given the droid a non-secure Holonet access port, and Mate had downloaded software that allowed him to become his own synthesizer and drum machine. A powerfully compressed and EQ'd bass kick drum beat out a pulsating four to the floor rhythm as synthesizer pads and strings clashed in a beautiful cacophony of sound. Lead synths cut through in a randomized melody. Above it all, Mate had downloaded every graduation speech ever given by Admiral Damus, and he had ran them all through an auto-tune style plug-in, turning Damus' graduation speech from a few years ago to the Naval ROTC Cadets of the University of Calidna into a rallying battle cry, with musical accompaniment, to always be vigilant in safeguarding democracy and the ideals that one stood for.

Hardly the kind of motivational talk that anyone could argue with.

Jakob racked his weights, as he felt his communications device go off. Accessing it, he saw that it was a message from Mae and Ty asking him where to meet up with him to discuss their piece of the mission. Messaging them back, he told them where to meet up with him and to give him twenty minutes. With Mate in tow, Jakob headed back to his quarters, showering and changing before heading out to the meeting location. It was one of the unused ready rooms that had been vacated by a squadron previously attached to the ship and as a result, the room was now in limbo. By the time he got there, he saw that Mae and Ty were already there.

Best not to dwell on what I did.

"Okay, so obviously, we're the cool gang." Jakob said, pressing a few buttons on the holoprojector. As it warmed up, he looked at the Twins and wondered if he should ask them if he'd done the right thing. No. He knew he'd done the right thing. Maybe the tact he had chosen had been wrong, but operational security was paramount to Jakob. He plugged in the data and watched as the screen lit up.

"I thought everyone is the cool gang." Ty countered.

"Well, we're going to be the cool gang because we're going to get our piece of the puzzle finished first." Jakob said, because that made sense too. "The weapons depot." He said, pointing at the images. "We've got a bunch of bunkers and warehouses in this remote area on the planet. No sign of anti-aircraft guns, but that doesn't mean they're not there. We've got options when it comes to how we take this out, but we need to be able to confirm no survivors. Depending on who's hitting what how, we don't want our compatriots' lives endangered because someone warns the other targets." He said. "Thoughts?"
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Nichalus »

--Pilots Valexia and Tak report to Hangar Bay 1-- Came the message across both pilots comm units.

"Hangar Bay 1?" Tak stated with a questioning look. "That's the Captain's Bay."

"And your point is?" Valexia said a bit too sharply, still stinging from the 'reveal' she had to perform in the Ready Room.

"Well, that is the Captain's private bay, and according to people I've had a chance to speak to around the ship, it's been off limits and High Security Access only. Some sort of Special Project of the Captain."

"Really Pilot Tak?" Val stated with a slight roll of her eyes. "Rumors spread through these ship like Mynocks in a Space Slugs belly. Let's just make our way to the hangar and leave the rumors to the cadets."

Both pilots made their way to the corridor leading to the hangar and were immediately greeted by half a dozen Security Officers. Wall scanners were already activated upon their approach and verified their identities and their authorization to enter.

The blast doors opened and what sat on the bay floor was not what they expected.

The Corellian YT design was obvious, but there were many distinct differences that were immediately observed. Namely the cockpit was seated in the centerline of the ship between the forward jutting arms. As they slowly walked around towards the back of the ship, it looked as if the aft of the ship had been split up to the quad laser turret and then pivoted at the central point to the sides of the craft in want appeared to be cargo compartments. Nestled in between the two half compartments were four CE engines, two on the top and two at the bottom.

Tak whistled quietly as he surveyed the ship, clearly impressed with the design, which was clearly fresh from the Corellian Shipyards, as there didn't even appear to be usual Hyperspace scorching that all ships had. Both pilots immediately noticed the unusually reinforced Power Conduits that ran into both of the large compartments in the back, that then branched off and ran to the octagon shaped sensor dish and surrounding scanning packages, that rested on the starboard side top of the ship. The ship was painted black, and Valexia noticed that there was an odd mesh-like look to the dark film that coated the hull.

"She is a Hawk." Valexia stated.

"A Hawk?"

"She is meant to observe from high above, or from any direction is space at distance. That is a powerful scanning array. That unit there..." pointing at the octagon shaped dish. "..is a one of a kind. I've read reports of its reported capabilities of seeing through virtually anything and at great distances, detecting and decrypting foreign and alien signals with a intelligent Artificial Intelligence system that is second to none."

Again Tak whistles his appreciation at the craft and Val's assessment, not able to find the proper words to express.

To'ran sat at in the command seat of the Bullpen's twin seated fighter-styled cockpit, where the forward, or pilot seat, sat slightly below and forward of the command seat behind it. He had a bemused smile on his face as he looked at the console that nearly surrounded him. Monitors covered one end of the console to the other. One of them was showing feed from the aft section that showed Val and Tak admiring his ship. Again, another gift from the Admiral, who was no doubt getting pressured by person's that want to know where it is.

To'ran reached over and toggled a switch and the Aft Boarding Ramp slowly descended and gave an invitation for his team to come aboard.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Xalsin »

Vaylen pondered quietly what the other two had to say. Being that he had more operational experience than the both of them put together, he knew that it really fell to him to do the brunt of the planning. That being said, it was important to him that he start pushing the more novice members around him to dive in to things, to think and begin disassembling things to see how they work.

"I like your idea of drifting in, Jess. We will have to see if we can incorporate that into our more detailed plan. But before we get too involved in the minutia of our entry, it helps to take a step back and look at our objective." He gestured to Ratter, who warbled, changing the map from a multicolored scan of the sector to an image of a large space station.

"This is the suspected slave depot. It was once an ore repository belonging to the now defunct IceBrand Mineral Corp., but has been converted to meet these slavers' needs. Likely, these four large ore silos have been converted into a series of living quarters for the slaves." He pointed at the oblong cylinders attached to the boxy body of the central station hub. "Depending on how.... humane the quarters are, there could be anywhere from 50-200 slaves in each silo. That is, of course, assuming they are even occupied currently."

Both Iris and Jess subconsciously leaned back at this, contemplating how this changed things.

"The point is, we will not be affecting a widespread rescue on our own. We will require troop support, as well as transports to ferry slaves to safety. In order to get those troops on to the station safely, however, we will need to accomplish several tasks. We will need to enter the station undetected, gather basic recon data regarding troop strength, disable the station scanners and communications, and ideally cause a distraction which will allow a larger force to board the station with little contest. Thoughts?"

Iris gave a small shrug. "I have a little infiltrator experience. If the station wasn't originally designed with security as a key feature, it will more than likely exploitable features."

Vaylen nodded. "A good observation." He looked to Jess. "Any initial thoughts on the subject? Especially on how to make an undetected entrance?"

**************

Tak walked alongside Valexia as they entered the hanger, making their way towards and eventually into the ship. He pondered once or twice trying for small talk beyond the subject of the rather impressive ship in front of them, but decided against it. Valexia seemed... maybe hostile was a bit strong of a word, but certainly not interested in making friends. It was like she was still sulking a bit from taking off her robe in the briefing room.

For Tak's part, he really didn't see the big deal. It wasn't like anyone had asked her to take her clothes off at gun point or something. They were a group that would be in tight quarters, sooner or later, boundaries of privacy would have be broached and probably crossed. Better to do it now when there wasn't the stress of an operation riding on it. Better to be done with it and move on with life.

He risked a glance over her before turning his attention back to the ship they were boarding. Their foot steps echoed hollowly against the boarding ramp as they climbed up, finding themselves inside the rather perfunctory looking living area of the craft, where To'ran was waiting to greet them.

Tak stepped up, came to attention with a salute. "Sir."
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Pryde »

"Undetected," Jess repeated, a bit surprised that Vaylen was asking her. She had zero experience in infiltration, she was just a pilot. This sort of mission was beyond her expertise. Recon of the station, sabotaging communications, that was the job of an elite commando unit not a fighter squadron and where exactly were they going to get troops from? From To'ran's debriefing she got the impression that the fleet was running with a skeleton crew as it is and their resources were extremely limited. It didn't seem very likely they would have the troops necessary to take the station without seeking help from an outside source.

If they had resources like that they wouldn't be sending me on this mission, she thought then she mussed up her hair in frustration. What was she thinking? This wasn't helping. She stared out the viewport at the ship graveyard beyond. Somewhere out in the black a Republic cruiser was being taken apart by a swarm of smaller recovery vessels and as she watched them do their work a thought occurred to her.

"What about a loud entrance," she asked aloud, "Nimbus can flood the sensor suite with false positives making it look like the station's being breached from multiple sides. They'll have to move people around to investigate."
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Shaggy »

Valexia took in her surroundings. She was making mental notes of all of the different lines she was seeing. maybe of these were in test phase last time she saw them and now here they were. She wasn't given super top secret information but she was required to have up to date knowledge on many surveillance technologies. This "Hawk" was one of kind or maybe even the prototype for many to come, either way she was a little bit more excited than she should have been.

She had notice that Tak had glanced her way. She, in a way, regretted how she spoke to him and some others, but this was a place where you could not be coddled or babied. Out here, the slightest hesitation could cost you your life or the lives of your team. She would not allow that to happen. She knew failure when the team allowed their cockiness to go unchecked . She knew abandonment when those she trusted in the most decided to leave her to save their own lives. She did worry that this young man would learn about it sooner rather than later and she hoped he would be ready for it.


They turned a corner and came into a very bland living space, fitting for a ship like this. Comfort was not it's goal but even for the military, this was toned down. Tak snapped to attention as he said "Sir!" Vakexia just pulled her hood down all the way and stood with her hands behind her back.

"Commander To'ran." She said with a slight bow towards him. "Reporting as requested."
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by TalRaimi »

A slightly awkward silence had descended between Alek and Jaclen. She was perhaps shy, uncertain, and he was lost in thought reflecting on his reckless words of earlier. Peacetime flying... Was that really such a bad thing? Boring, stable, safe. It was what most people craved, what most people needed, but not him.

Jaclen had said she knew what he meant. He decided to take her at her word.

“So you mentioned you were heading down to the hanger?” he said finally coming back to himself.

“That’s right.”

“Come on, I’ll walk you down,” he offered as the rest of the squadron began to filter out of the briefing room. “I could do with looking over my fighter again.”

“Sure, lead the way,” she gestured to the door.

Following the others out they headed towards the turbolift that would take them down to the Hanger Bay, falling into step beside each other.

“So what fighter did you end up picking?” Jaclen asked hesitantly, picking up the slack of their small talk.

“Have a guess?” Alek challenged her.

“Erm...T-85?”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, you seem the type. Hot shot fighter for a hot shot pilot,” she gave a small smile.

“Oh really?” Alek kept his tone neutral, “That’s how I come across?”

Jaclen’s smile wavered. “Look, erm that’s not what I meant...”

Alek grinned suddenly. “Relax. No offence taken. In fact I kinda take it as a compliment.”

Jaclen scowled, then relaxed into a smile. “Fool,” she whispered just loud enough for him to hear her. “So, what are you going to be flying?”

“The B Wing,” Alek told her proudly.

“Tricky to fly,” she observed, before adding wryly “Unless you’re a hotshot pilot.”

Reaching the turbolift Alek keyed for the Hanger Bay and the doors swished shut behind them. “Actually, I’ve never flown one before,” he admitted.

“Then why choose it?” Jaclen glanced at him with puzzled eyes before they cleared and she gave a small nod of her head. “Ah, the challenge you were talking about?”

“Yeah, something like that,” he looked away, strangely embarrassed. It was as much a legacy as a challenge to him but he didn’t have the words to explain that.

“Well, good luck.”

“Luck? I’ll take skill over luck any day,” he grinned, regaining his usual bravado.
The turbolift doors opened spilling them out into the hanger bay and forestalling any reply Jaclen might have made.

“Right, I guess I’d better get to work,” Jaclen said.

“So, see you in a couple of hour then,” he nodded, is gaze drifting over to the B-Wing in the centre of the hanger.

“Until then, Flight Officer Riven,” Jaclen bid him farewell, turning and heading for her X-Wing.

Alek watched her go. Although they had only had a short conversation he thought they might get on well and he was intensively curious to see how she flew. Fresh out of flight school and assigned to an Elite Squadron. Yeah, he was definitely curious...

OOC: Vague, feel free to pull us together for the planning when you're ready.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Nichalus »

"At ease you two." To'ran smiled as he turned his chair to face them at they stood a couple steps down through the cockpit entrance. "Welcome to the Bullpen. Needless to say, she is a one of a kind ship, and one that our benefactor is no doubt taking a lot of heat for misplacing her."

"She's one of the advance scouts..or...Hawcs, is she not Sir?" Valexia asked.

"Yes she is. Highly Advanced Warfare Counterintelligence Scout. She is the Republic's most advanced Intel Ship that no one, at least those not in the upper echelons of the Republic Intel and highest levels of the government...meaning about 5 people, has even heard about." To'ran smiled wryly at that.

Tak began to think about the name of the ship, his expressions were comically obvious of him figuring out the acronym of the ship in his head, and as he got closely to figuring it out, his face lit up with delight that he finally got it. he was so busy figuring it out, he failed to notices that the Fleet Captain and Valexia were silent, and both looking at him.

To'ran smiled broadly as Tak finally got it. "Got that all figured out now Pilot?"

"Yes Sir!" Tak boasted proudly, then looked at the exasperated look on Val's face, and his smile faded and he found something interesting to look at on the floor paneling. "Sorry."

"Its ok Tak, I admire your fresh exuberance, that's why your here. Your seat is up front." To'ran threw a thumb over his shoulder indicating the pilot's chair.

Tak's face lit up in both shock and excitement, as he literally leap past the Captain and hopped into the pilot's chair. "Oh my God! This is fantastic!" He gleefully stated as he began to acquaint himself with the controls and various systems.

"Sir...with all due resp..." Val began but was cut off by a look from the Fleet Captain, who then stood from the command seat and gestured with his head to go back into the room below and away from the cockpit area.

In the spartan galley area, To'ran turns on Valexia his emerald eyes devoid of his normal humorous gleam. "Rule number 1 Commander, never question my orders in front of the others, unless I ask for opinions. You want to question my decisions, then you do so in private."

Valexia suddenly straighten to full attention at the dressing down, trying hard to keep her gaze straight ahead, and her emotions in check. But she knew that her pheromones would somewhat become active and escape, and in the enclosed space where they were, even a small amount would be effective. But to her amazement the Captain merely stared at her, his smile slowly returning to his face as he noticed the slight puzzlement in her expressions.

"I spent a year on your homeworld Commander. While I am not immune to your specie's ability, I am highly resistant to it." To'ran's usual smirk reappeared in full. "But those first few months...." To'ran chuckled almost embarrassingly.

"But back on the subject. Tak will do just fine. Most likely our mission will be uneventful, but I need a secondary pilot for this ship, besides myself, and he has promise."

"Understood Sir." Val nodded.

"Your job is the Command and Control seat," he gestured at the chair he had just vacated in the cockpit. "I've read your jacket...all of it." He put special emphasis on the last part on purpose. "Your aptitude with Sensor and Surveillance equipment is exemplary and thus why your here. I don't have any issues with your piloting skills, or even your personal ones, but I want to remind you, we are all a team...we are a family, and in the coming days, I can assure you that we will all be needing each other more than ever."

Before Val could answer or reply, an insistent beeping was coming from the Command console's Comm unit. To'ran merely nodded to Val to answer it.

Val stepped up into the cockpit and sat in the seat. Quickly and expertly he found the system's connect switches and opened the channel.

--Sir! We have incoming multiple hyperspace signatures entering the system. Wasino's gravelly voice came through the speakers. --The signatures appear to be several dozen fighter craft and two support ships, and 1 signature that appears to be an Assault vessel.--

"I expected this sooner...." To'ran stated faintly under his breath. He stood up straight. "Order Red Alert, and launch the Green Machine XO."

The comm snapped closed, and Val looked up at him, while Tak turned in his chair, both of them looking at him expectantly. "Prep the ship you two, we're taking her out."

Meanwhile on the Dagger the klaxon alarms began wailing, while red strobes lit the corridors and hangar bays.

--Attention Red Dagger Crew! Attention Red Dagger Crew! All hands to Action Stations! Green Squadron report to your ships! Green Squadron report to your ships!--
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Xalsin »

Tak spun in his chair to face the wide array of unfamiliar controls. The core of the ship was a Corellian build, and the CEC was pretty good about building their ships with a pretty standard control layout. Of course, this was a heavily modified version, meaning there were a few errant controls about he didn't recognize, but the flight controls were where he expected them to be and that was good enough.

His hands moved with a confident ease, firing up the main generator, starting the main drive warm up cycle and sealing up the hatches. There wasn't time for an extended preflight, but he glanced quickly to verify life support was functioning, the shield circuits were closed and looping correctly and weapon capacitors were beginning to charge. As long as they could breathe, take some hits and shoot back, that should be enough to keep them alive.

There was a lurch as the ship's repulsors activated faster than the artificial gravity could compensate, propelling the ship off of the deck. He made one final check of the instrument panel, mostly to verify that there wasn't any fuel lines or other tethers he was about to rip loose. Seeing nothing, he gave the throttle an aggressive shove, causing the ship to lurch like scolded cat through the hanger and out into space.

Belatedly, he put on his commset as their abrupt launch brought them uncomfortably, if not necessarily dangerously, to another craft that was launching out of the hanger. "Bullpark online." He spoke into the flight channel, letting others know he was present in the fight.


***********

Vaylen considered Jess's statement, nodding slowly. "Misdirection is good. The only problem is that we will likely be outnumbered, and if we cause panic, we will likely bring a lot of enemies down on us before we are ready. Now, if we can take out their communications before we do that, then we could send any defenses on the station itself running in the wrong direction."

He seemed inclined to elaborate on that idea, but was interrupted by the call to arms over the PA system, prompting a frown of him. This was unexpected, and they were a fair distance from the hanger. He looked to Ratter. "Go, get the ship ready, I will be along as fast as I can."

Ratter squealed, and raced from the room in a barely controlled manner, barely avoiding careening into a wall in the process. Vaylen got to his feet quickly even as Iris was slipping out of her rather fancy footwear to help her move faster.

"Let's go, before we are late for the festivities." He turned and led them down the hallway at a brisk jog.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Pryde »

The alarm caught everyone off guard. After all they were still in Republic space, what's the worst that could possibly happen? "Wait, action stations? Are we under attack? Like actually under attack," Jess asked as they ran. She could feel the familiar tension rising up in her body, the same nervousness that nearly caused her to fire on a ship full of Bothan diplomats. In the months she'd been with this squadron this was the first time she'd ever heard the ship captain call for action stations. In that time she had flown several patrols and investigated some strange anomalies but never had she fired at anyone or been fired upon. This would be the first time she'd put her mettle to the test and a part of her wondered if she could actually do it.

She shook her head to clear it. I can't think like that, she told herself, then she glanced down at Nimbus who was speeding along beside her. "Go prep the ship to launch," she said, "You do remember which one it is, right?"

Nimbus whistled something back at her that made Jess' expression shift to one of shock. "Hey, how dare you call me that! Get back here, you rust bucket," she shouted after him but he was already around the corner and gone by the time she got there.
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Jagtai »

Jaclen rolled out from under the fighter, when the klaxons went off. She looked up at Braden, still sitting in the cockpit.

"Action stations? We're under attack?"

Braden couldn't help smile at her expression. "Guess so." He winked. "Buzz and I'll run final diagnostics. You better get prepped."

"Right." Jaclen got up. She grabbed her flightsuit - luckily she kept it close by out of habit, ducked behind a crate, and quickly slipped out of the gray worksuit she wore and put on the flightsuit. She checked her harness, feeling the familiar cold steel of her blaster as her hand brushed against the handle. Then she ducked out from behind the crate, grabbed her helmet and half-walked, half-ran to the fighter.

As she reached it, Braden slid down the removable staircase and stepped aside, allowing her access. She ran up the staircase and slid into the cockpit. As she fired up the engines, Braden secured Buzz in the droid port behind the cockpit.

The engines lit up with a crimson glow. Jaclen looked at Braden. "Good to go." Braden nodded, and pulled the removable staircase out of harms way. Then he snapped a quick salute. Jaclen smiled; she knew it to mean good luck. She nodded and then focused.

As she flipped a switch, the landing gear unlocked and the fighter gently slid upwards as the anti-grav generator kicked in. She activated her comm.

"Green Eight ready and itching for a fight."
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Shaggy »

Valexia's hands expertly flew across the communication board as the ship lurched form it's resting place in the hanger. She bit her lip so she wouldn't berate the young pilot for not going through his checks first. She tightened her crash webbing and continued to search for any anomalies approaching.

As her hands danced across the board, she received a strange message from something called "Caliban" that would block her from a certain pathway in her scanning. She blow a wisp of her violet hair out of the way and continued to work until it happened again. She worked around it yet again the finally the board went red with a flashing message across the main screen.

"---Warning. You are not authorized to access my programming. Any further attempt to access my system will result in the destruction of this vessel and all aboard---"

She pulled her hands away from the keys and yelled "Ummm Commander, you need to come see this. Apparently I have apparently angered something called Caliban and it is threatening to blow us into space."
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Mir »

Jakob and the twins ran into the hangar, looking for their fighters. The commander’s X-wing was prepped and ready to go. He turned as he ran, looking at To’ran’s ship. Through one of the viewports, he saw Val and the two made eye contact. But he didn’t have time for much more than that. They were under attack and needed to move and move quickly. Mate rolled past him, saying something about how he was ready to rage about how this was interrupting his time to get ready to rage. A few moments later, Jakob was in his X-wing, and going through his pre-flight check.

His mind was on autopilot, his body going through motions that had been reinforced through muscle memory. This was not the first time he had been involved in a scramble due to an attack on a ship that he was on. Unfortunately, he’d been in a number of dogfights over the years because of just this kind of situation.

Somehow the enemy had found them, and was disrupting their plans. But all situations could be changed, shifted, with the squeeze of a trigger.

“Greens, let’s get a move on.” Jakob said into his communications device, as he felt the rumble of the thrusters powering up. His ship hovered in the air for a moment, before the red glow of his engines flared up, hurtling him out of the Red Dagger at an incredible speed, inertia dampeners the only thing saving his comparatively frail bones from the sheer power.

He was in space, and his eyes dropped down to his sensors, being fed data from the Red Dagger’s far more powerful and far more detailed sensor array. The twins were behind him, and the three fighters formed an arrow trio as they sliced through the void. His grip on the controls tightened slightly before loosening. A pilot always gambled with their lives whenever they turned on their fighter. The litany of things that could go wrong was long but never boring. The odds went significantly in favor of the pilot dying as soon as lasers started to fly.

It was time to test the odds.

”Green Squadron, fall in.”
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Pryde »

Shortly after Jakob and the twins arrived at the hangar Jessica and her trio of companions also arrived and scrambled for their fighters. Jess was still working the straps on her flight suit as she ran the distance across the hangar to her fighter. After snapping the last strap into place she climbed the ladder into the cockpit of her X-Wing, all the while mumbling to herself.

"Who would be dumb enough to attack us," she asked under her breath.

Nimbus whistled something in response and Jessica made a face. "That was rhetorical, Nimbus, I wasn't expecting an answer."

She strapped herself into her flight seat and began powering up the fighter as words scrawled across the screen in front of her. "Yes, I know what rhetorical means. No, I don't--would you just shut up and do a diagnostic?"

More words scrawled across the screen and Jess rolled her eyes in response but said nothing. After a brief pre-flight check she powered on the engines and lifted her craft from the deck. All across the hangar the other fighters belonging to Green Squadron were taking off and one by one they rocketed into space to join Jakob and the twins. As the squadron fell into formation each pilot began calling off to let the others know they were ready. Jessica waited for a break in chatter then clicked on her radio.

"Green two re--," she began but her voice cracked from nerves. She quickly cleared her throat and tried it again. "Green Two standing by!"

As she disengaged the radio she mentally berated herself for letting her voice crack on the radio. Come on, Jess, this is what I signed up for. Get a hold of yourself...
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Re: Green Squadron: Title to Be Voted On But Maybe Negating Order

Post by Nichalus »

To'ran looked at the confused expression on Val's face with a bemused smile. "Meet CALABAN." He could see Tak's head turn towards them, and the look on his face as he tried to figure out the name. "Don't break your brain Tak, it stands for Cogitative Advanced Logistical And Battle Assessment Network."

"Ahhhh.." Tak nodded sagely and turned back and smoothly lifted the ship off the deck and exited the launch bay doors and out into the darkness of space.

To'ran slightly leaned towards the console in front of Val, while pulling a thin data cable from his wrist console, and plugging it into a data port. "Calaban, recognized voice and neural identification and accept command override."

There is a brief pause. --Command Identification and Override accepted. Proceed.--

To'ran handed Val and wrist console like his own. "Put this on...and...well, you'll find out." He finished with a knowing half smirk on his lips.

Val looked warily from the wrist device and to To'ran, and then affixed the
device to her wrist. She was immediately jolted in her seat as small nano-spikes drove themselves into her skin, and injecting her blood stream with a series of nano-probes that quickly streaked through her bloodstream and attached themselves to her cortical nerves near her brain stem and began sending data back to the Calaban system.

"Son of a Sith!" Val hissed through clenched teeth.

To'ran gave Val an apologetic squeeze on her shoulder. "Sorry about that, but it has to be done for this to work." He turns back to the console. "Calaban recognize and accept new neural interface, and authorize full access and command recognition to the same."

--I accept and recognize the Neural Interface. Valexia Morey, Zeltron, assigned to Green Squadron, current assignment Intelligence Officer attached to Red Dagger Fleet.--

"Tak, take us to the following coordinates, let's get a bird's eye view of the situation." To'ran entered the coordinates on the console that relayed it to the pilot. "Valexia, access Calaban's systems target and identify all hostiles and then send the information to Green Squadron."

"But how do I...." Valexia began, but suddenly cut herself off as the nano-relays had already, technically, heard her thoughts and had activated all the scanners the Bullpen had to bear as they moved to their Overview position. Immediately Calaban had targeted and identified the inbound ships, their current nav courses, and relayed the information directly into her brain.

"4 CIS Assault Shuttles, two full squadrons of Z-Hunter Class fighters, and a Munificent Class Assault Frigate. No IFF signals present or identifiable." She pauses a moment, both amazed and then alarmed by the system's abilities. "This damn thing can't read my personal thought can it?"

--I assure you Commander Morey, that your personal thoughts are insignificant to my primary programming. My programming is superior to your antiquated and primitive thoughts. Any personal thoughts you may have are inconsequential to me.-- Calaban stated bluntly through the speaker in the console.

"He's a peach isn't he?" To'ran chuckled.

"I can think of something else to call it, but I don't appreciate you arbitrarily invading my thoughts without my consent."

"You signed on the invisible dotted line when you joined Commander, and the needs justifies the means at this point in our little endeavor." To'ran stated shortly. "Now, relay all information to Green Squad so they..."

"Sir, they are jamming us." Valexia cut in as Calaban sent the message to her.

"Activate the LOS System Array." To'ran counted and Valexia thought it, and the system came online, quickly finding and accessing the scanning system of all members of Green Squadron, plus a direct feed to the Dagger.

"Wasino...get the fleet spun up and moving." He paused and looked at the current tactical situation. "Head for this possible breakout position they might use to escape. I have a feeling that they didn't expect us to be in our ready condition. The old Bothan called this one."

--Copy Sir, we'll make sure to cut the cowards way out for them.-- Wasino's voice suddenly started yelling obviously at the bridge crew, and his stun baton was heard crackling, along with a yelp from some poor deck officer that didn't move fast enough. --Survivors or clear the field Sir?--"

To'ran looked up and both Tak and Valexia were looking at him expectantly.

"Clear the field XO, let no one out. Concentrate on that Frigate, Green will clean up the flies surrounding it's soon to be carcass." He switched comm signals and opened a direct line to Jakob.

"Captain, get Green concentrated on the fighter cover, and target the Assault Shuttles at your leisure. Dagger is moving on the frigate and put a wedge between it and your people. Target opportunities at your leisure. No one leaves Captain, that is Priority One."

Turning back to Valexia and Tak. "Showtime team. Tak, keep circling our Overwatch position, any threats...deal with them at your decision. Valexia, keep feeding Green and the Fleet tactical positions, and possible targets they will be attacking, Calaban has a extensive algorithm that will give you possible maneuvers and tactics they may use."

To'ran stood up full and placed his hand on the back of Valexia's chair. "Let's make some noise."
:obiwan: The 'Old Man' of the Exodus

EFFL Champion (2013-2016) First Two-Time Exodus Champion
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