Fresh Off The Production Line [Omega Pyre]

[Qae Shena]

"I wouldn't like it. I mean Sith are kind of... well, they're one-sided to the point that their real argument is 'How evil should we be to these people today?' and it bugged me. Didn't sit well at all."

Allaina decided to, in order to address Tegaea's questin, push the ship immediately through a loop as fast as it'd go; the g-forces weren't exactly felt thanks to the inertial dampeners all ships were equipped with, but it was still an impressive feat. And, while it wasn't exactly fast, it performed like a freighter would, so it was still a doable thing. The Inimica levelled out and Allaina had to smile.

"It flies well enough. It's not a high-speed interceptor, but it'll do. Can't have everything. What this thing does have, however, is missiles. And heavy rockets. If there's a spare Star Destroyer, I'd show you what this could do. One on one, I can take out a Star Destroyer. Guaranteed." Supreme confidence... or truth?

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

"All depends on whether the shields are down, and how many craft you have," Tegaea said. One bomber, no matter how good, was never going to take out a battleship. Still, it wouldn't hurt for Allaina to have confidence.

"This has got nice acceleration. I congratulate you as always, Allaina."

 

[Qae Shena]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"] @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

"It's simple mathematics. Four heavy rockets are enough to take out a corvette from full shields to nothing. We carry sixteen aboard per vessel, two per tube. A full squadron of Inimica-class ships means we have the ability to drop ninety-six heavy rockets in a single bombing run. A second follow-up run would certainly kill anything that didn't die the first time short of a Super Star Destroyer."

Okay. It wasn't that simple, but it was also true. And not to mention that heavy rocket logic dropped Cloud City, ladies and gentlemen.

"Its acceleration is okay. It's heavy. More sluggish than a line bomber, but the pure tradeoff in armaments makes it worth it. This is more of a flying fortress than it is a starfighter, but I think I prefer this setup anyway."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan, being a ground combatant both by ability and inclination, could not really make any informed comments on the technical specifications of the Inimica-class bomber and felt a bit out of her depth. The most she did during naval combat was man a turbolaser turret or fire missiles, she felt more at home having solid ground under her feet.

She was less sure about it taking on an actual Star Destroyer, but that was just her. Regardless it would certainly raise lots of hell! "Nothing like a flying fortress swooping down from the sky to deliver an overwhelming bombardment, eh? Will sure be of use when we move down south to the real prize targets. Looking forward to seeing it in real action."

Like Sullust, where the big shipyards beckoned. Or Eriadu, homeworld of everyone's favourite planet destroyer.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

"Exactly. Omega is all about heavy, precise strikes. We don't have the resources or inclination for a war of attrition. This bomber is perfect for our methods. The issue is cost and ease of production. I have read the figures on cost, and it's clear we won't be able to use only these." She waved that away, that was a discussion for the Board of Control.
"You've done well, Allaina. Take us back in to land."

 

[Qae Shena]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] @[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

"When we get into a warzone, call me. I'll blow things up for you," Allaina said with a grin. "Starships, people, whatever. It's all free game."

Then, the Inimica heeled around and followed orders just as Tegaea asked, to which she could put on the autopilot, inputting coordinates and instructing the Inimica to follow terrain at two thousand feet. The pilot leaned back and stretched her arms and legs, a convenient feature of a large ship such as this. After all, you couldn't well sit in the same chair all day, right?

"I'm not going to lie. I'm looking forward to spending all this time with you guys. Omega Pyre... looks great. Amazing prospects, great people so far." She meant the two of them, but hey.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Allaina Mare"], @[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

Siobhan chuckled a bit at Allaina's gusto. "Awesome. I can see you and I will get on very well!" For starters, they both liked causing large-scale property damage it seemed. Maybe she could get another drinking partner as well! Unfortunately, Hevana had low alcohol tolerance.

"Likewise. Swell to hear that. Looking forward to spending time with you...and causing explosions," she said to Allaina with a wry grin. "You fit right in with us."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

"Yes, I'll have to find the pair of you something legitimate to blow up before you go knock down by headquarters by accident!"
The bomber came back into land where it had come from and Tegaea examined it critically for a moment.

"Excellent. Now...would you two like to take this out on a real spin? I have just the mission for you."

 

[Qae Shena]

Allaina grinned. Yes. This was definitely good. Omega Pyre was turning out to be the best investment of her time that she'd ever made.

She paused. It was drawn out... longer, and longer, until she had to say something. "Is this the kind of mission you pay me a lot for and I get to make something go critically nova? If so, point me, right after you find us a second gunner."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

"Finding a crew is up to you, girls. I have work to do, and despite how fun it sounds to go on a bombing run, I can't. However, you two I have a mission for. System S1180 is a few parsecs away. There's nothing there, just a dying star and some uninteresting planets. Well...there is one old space station and outpost left over from the Old Republic. A sweep discovered it in some old records. I want you to go there, find if it still exists and then destroy it so it can't be scrapped or infested by pirates. I'll send you all the details. You'll take one of the frigates and some of these bombers and some escorts and clear it out. For this operation Allaina is in command of the ships and Siobhan is in command of the operation as a whole. Any questions?"
Tegaea was in a serious mood, this was not a time for jokes.

 

[Qae Shena]

A simple mission. Siobhan in charge. That worked out really nicely for Allaina, actually, because it meant she could be aircraft commander and Siobhan could handle all that Force mumbo jumbo and keep it all together. Perfect. "None, ma'am," Allaina said crisply. "I think we should get right to this. I'm pretty keen to blow this thing up."

Allaina turned to Siobhan, who she expected to be very happy about this prospect. "So. Got any favours or a good crew we can call in?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan listened to Tegaea's briefing without a word. On paper it sounded simple, but given her tendency to attract trouble like a magnet she figured it would end up being just the opposite. But then beating the odds and the unexpected was what Omega was about, so she was not troubled and refrained from making lame jokes. Besides they had a big stick...a bomber-shaped one!

She responded to Tegaea's query with a shrug. "No problem. We'll get it done. Consider it a pile of debris by dinnertime," she said simply, then turned her attention towards Allaina, flashing a smile at her.

"Sure. We'll take the Avenger, crew's on call. I'm eager to see this bomber in action. I'll make a few calls to get them together, you head the space side then."

Thereafter Siobhan called in at her office and sent out a few communications, mainly to a contingent of mercenaries she knew from the Dahomey operation. Her secretary had been helpful enough to keep the paperwork stored. It took a bit of cajoling, reminding them of their place in things and some shouting, for most Omega mercenaries were veterans and as such quite independent, but soon she had a solid force together, ordered to assemble in hangar bay 17.

A call to Omega Shipyards ensured that they got the frigate called Avenger along with crew. Allaina could then take command organise her bomber force. She was the naval expert after all.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

"Good luck, ladies. I will be waiting for your successful return."
With that Tegaea turned and left them to organise the operation. It would be a good test of both of them....

 

[Qae Shena]

It wasn't easy to scour the ranks, but Allaina had done it in the tried and true fashion - one person from the dev team other than her that could fly to serve as a gunner, then two seedy-as merc pilots and copilots to serve as navigator and the second gunner. That was one bomber. A second bomber wasn't available on such short notice, especially so early in development. That meant the backup ships would be a conventional bomber. Then add four conventional fighters as escort. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. There wasn't much room on the frigate anyway. All of them were drawn from Omega's regular pilot pool. It wasn't a proper fighting force, but when the new girl was involved, she couldn't be picky.

Allaina's impromptu squadron reported to the Avenger, to the bridge, where she could converse with Siobhan.

"Ready to go on my end. How about you?" she asked, totally ready to go blow things up with her new friend.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

While Allaina got her bomber crews ready and staffed the fighter escort, Siobhan had gotten a small force of mercenaries to serve as back-up on the frigate from the Dahomey expedition along with making sure the frigate was prepped and ready to take off. It was not a large force, given that on paper the mission was supposed to be a simple assignment.

Of course, as Siobhan knew from experience, things were seldom that easy, but they'd be able to deal with pirates and the frigate was already cramped anyway. Besides, danger might make it more interesting.

Getting the ship along with fuel and munitions on such short notice had taken a bit, but bludgeoning through bureaucracy could accomplish wonders.

She was on the bridge of the Avenger when Allaina approached her. "All prepped and ready," she responded to her. "Let's get this show on track and wreck some havoc and cause a nice lightshow," she gestured to the crew and they powered up the engines of the frigate, proceeding to take off out of the hangar into the sky and the vastness of space.

It would a trial for both. Truth be told, Siobhan felt a bit uncertain about being in charge, though she wouldn't show it, even with Allaina being there as their naval expert.

 

[Qae Shena]

On the bridge, things were fairly calm, which was a reassuring sign. Allaina could see her nerves, though, which wasn't a bad thing. After all, you had to be nervous sometimes, right? This wasn't an easy mission.

"I take it you've never done anything like this," Allaina said to Siobhan reassuringly. This was her domain. "Relax, take it easy. Your bridge crew feeds off your energy. Show strength and positivity and they will too. That said, when it hits the proverbial fan, keep your calm and rage as hard as you possibly can on the inside. They'll never know." That with a grin. "It's okay. If you need me, I'll be here."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan wanted to brush Allaina's reassurances off, feeling a bit embarrassed at showing her nerves. After all, she liked to think that she wasn't a wet hen anymore!

Nonetheless she was grateful and gave her a short smile. "I'm used to ground combat. Give me a fortress or a trench to storm and I'll attack and attack hard and take it. This is kinda different."

Admittedly her role was still a mainly tactical one. On paper at least. Go out and cause explosions. She was good at attacking what was in front of her and at thinking on her feet, but with less of an idea about how to get there.

"Here for me, huh?" she asked with an amused tone, getting her cocky grin back. Heavy risks, but the prize. "Good thing I got my awesome expert and her super bomber. We get there, blow the station up and any rascals that try and pounce on us."

Then get an intense debriefing!

 

[Qae Shena]

"I am the total opposite. Put my feet on durasteel decking of a warship or sitting in a pilot's seat and I'm absolutely fine. When there's ground under my feet, I'm at a total loss. I can't handle it. I figure it's nothing to worry about, though. Admirals and Generals are separate for a reason after all."

Allaina grinned. Compliments and fun times everywhere. She couldn't possibly argue with that, right? "Right then. I think it's time we kicked it into high gear and killed this sucker before it decides to shoot back. Ready to go?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

"Well then we're a well-balanced team, huh?" Siobhan responded happily, seemingly having gotten her fighting spirit back. "Let's get the show on the road. Make the jump to hyperspace, course on S1180."

Apparently the star system was so deprived that no one had seen fit to give it a proper name. Hopefully, if anyone actually lived on the uninteresting planets within, this fact had not given the poor souls a complex.

The affirmative came from the navigation officer and within moments the blue tunnel of hyperspace beckoned and the frigate passed through. Their target was only a few parsecs away, it would not take long for them to reach it. Surely very little could possibly go wrong on an assignment like this. After all, the system was of little relevance...

 

[Qae Shena]

Straight into hyperspace, where they needed to be. Right towards the nearby system that was their new target. Allaina was understandably excited about the first potential combat deployment that the Inimica was going to get to go on. Destroying pirates wasn't exactly her idea of perfect fun, but it was something. It'd do.

"Right then. I'm going to head down to the hangar and check on my baby. I'll contact you from the cockpit."

With that, Allaina was off, headed down to jump into her bird and get it ready for takeoff. She and the four-man crew, as well as the fighters around her, were prearing for their deployment. Crews checked systems, performed walkaround checks and preflighted systems ready for the attack wing to deploy with. As the redheaded Lieutenant buckled her helmet onto her head, she nodded to herself. Yes. This was her time.