Galactic Alliance: Green to Red Machinehead (Pilots!)

[Coren Starchaser]

The call had gone out. The pilots reported to the Audacious. A rag tag bunch of pilots from various units in and allied to the Galactic Allianc . But as galactic history has shown, this is one of the most efficient and should-be-feared layouts in the galaxy. Pilots were called to the ready room for briefing.

It was simple. The ship was a Strike Corvette converted to a pocket carrier. The Hope , the Galactic Alliance's flagship was under fire, the Final Order picked up on her location. And that was why this ship was being deployed. The first operation here was easy.

Launch from the carrier, intercept the unknown number of Final Order fighters, ane protect the Hope until she can jump out. The lead pilot, that CAG, ended the briefing with Stay Alive, and Good Hunting and dismissed the pilots.

Even Coren Starchaser was aboard, in one of the X-Wings, which was odd as the former Imperial spent years hunting these fighters down.

He felt the ship pull to real space and the launch order was given.

This should be interesting.

Alexandra Russo
Chloe Blake
@Coren Starchaser
Kaia Starchaser
Damon Riggs
@Jamie El-Elson
Judah Dashiell
Roth Tillian
Tadel Perris

 

[Jsc]

Jay Squad
w [member="Coren Starchaser"]

Jay Squadron had launched from the Audacious in an echelon four formation. A quick staggered line of four Xw-R casual fighters. Jimmy was up front followed by Kass, Sam, and Percy. All new recruits out of New Prosperity. All Corellian Mutts. Now, being the leader of this little school field trip, Jimmy tapped his com for a shout out,

"Okay Jay Squad. Listen up. We do this in pairs. Kass you're with me. Percy, stick with Sam. Just like the book says people. The front man goes hunting while the wingmate keeps their tail clear. These ain't stealth fighters so feel free to give your front man a shout out if they need it. And remember, your scope's a lot bigger than it was in training. So don't panic when the little red dots pass the halfway mark. Adjust your monitor if you have to but don't sweat the new electronics too much. Got it?"

"Got it Jimmy."

"We got it Jimmy. No probs."

"...Okay then. Com check. This is Jay Leader standing by."

"Jay Two. Standing by."

"Jay Three. Standing by."

"And this is Percyman. Flying high and ready to kick some tail. Ooo-yeah."

"Haha."

"Haha."

"Okay people cut the chatter. Jay Four, stay on target. This one's for real this time."

"Aye aye Captain. Smooth sailing from here on in. Sexy."

"Jay Three. Sam, he's all yours."

"Roger that Jay Leader. He's all mine."

...

Right. All mine. Sam smiled at that thought. She and Percy would make a good pair for this skirmish. Bad habits or not. They were both feeling the beginner's rush from a chance at a real engagement. She could feel it. This wasn't dusting crops or pot-shooting dead satellites. This was the real deal. She looked back at her R9 Unit and smiled. Ooo. It was enough excitement to give a girl the shivers. Brrr.

First mission with the GA. Here we come.

 

[Roth Tillian]

Time to fly again. Classic old E-Wing this time though and not with the Wild Knights, as odd as that was to consider at this point. Mission was simple enough. Engage and destroy Imperial remnant starfighters and protect the Hope. That was absolutely something he could do and not one that required a commando team. But at heart, he was a dog-fighter pilot, so he'd been called in for this one. The game would get tricky when they went to eliminate the Star Destroyer, but that would be later.

"All systems are green," He reported, looking up through the cockpit at the other fighters, especially J squadron deployed. He was a little uneasy about them being here, being their first mission and all, but they had to learn sometime. Better here than a massive space battle above Sullust.

"You are cleared for launch."

"Roger that, command. Launching now." Roth leaned over and adjusted his shields. Time to get to work. The ship lifted up off the hangar and slid through the hangar towards the deployment, and then he was out in space his flight falling in behind him. He studied the scanners, looking for the Imp fighters and capital ship. He'd need a good approach angle to be most effective. Something to split them up and away from the flagship.


[member="Coren Starchaser"] [member="Samantha Roberts"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Coren checked his scanners, his astromech was sitting behind him in the X-Wing. This was a bit of a change. He knew a few different pilots that were out here, but most importantly, he knew the enemy was there. The trick with this mission was it was more a rescue mission, assembled out of the pieces of volunteers who didn’t want to take leave and wanted to get the galaxy cleared of the Final Order, Sith, whoever. That was Coren’s stint anyway.

He was wanting to get back into an Exalt, but he’d probably find himself flying an Alliance E-Wing, working on it, and making it his mount, his steed into battle. Right now, though, he was part of Cresh Flight, and he was in the third position. Coren wasn’t in charge of a squad with the Alliance yet as he was a Commander, he was an advisor, a supporter, a leader. But he wasn’t stuck to just one unit. It was something he was working on. He had Rook and Spark Finn in his fireteam, but for a flight? He’d need more than that.

As soon as real space was hit, the flights were jumping out of the Audacious and heading towards the enemy. At least one Imperial-style Star Destroyer was in the area, and an Interdictor for support. “Cresh four, watch my tail, drop your throttle.” The pure joy of accelerating to attack speeds, there was just something about that. The trick with being a former Imperial? He knew how they worked.

“Letting them fly past?” Cresh Four asked, the Gand Findsman who found his way into Coren’s bubble. The Force, probably.

“Roger that, pick up the spares.”

[member="Roth Tillian"]
[member="Samantha Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

Enemy Incoming
w [member="Coren Starchaser"] [member="Roth Tillian"]

Star Destroyer and Interdiction Cruiser on the scope. Wait for it... There. Eyeballs incoming. Multiple classes. Swarm flight. Here we go.

"Weapons free people. Here they come!"

Wat wat wat. Pew pew pew. The Tie Fighters smashed head long into the GA forces as red bolts of fire took to the sky. Jay Squad banked and rolled and sprayed the enemies faces with glorious laser fire.

"Percy. Go wide. I'll draw and you finish."

"How far back?"

"As tight as you can. If it gets hot we'll circle. Now go."

"Aye aye Three."

Roberts cut across the middle and picked up three boogies. She ducked and rolled and kept the speed hot. Percy cut in and dusted the first eyeball with his cannons. Then he switched over to the next one. The first TIE broke off and started to duck back around. Sam saw the break and began to curl underneath him. Giving Percy more time to take the shot on her tail.

"Number three is coming around on you Percy."

"I know, I know. Let me get this guy first."

"Interference right. Percy!."

"I see it."

Another wing of TIEs broke into the party and Jay Squad had to pull off. Sam's tail got hot and she needed to redirect. Another roll dodged the fire but he was still back there.

"Percy. Sitrep!"

"Two my tail. Went wide. I'm... Krak. I don't know."

"R9 give me intercept!"

~/ Woot woot !

"Sam I can't shake em'!"

"I'm coming up on your twelve Percy. We'll clean each other's tails. Go high! Go high!"

"I see you! I'm rolling."

"High Percy, high!"

"Arghh... Cutting it tight Sam!"

His roll went beautifully and their guns trimmed the fat. Sam went low and Percy swept across high. They met each other's tails head on and burned them out. The second on Percy broke off and got picked up by a friendly. The TIE burned up and brought the score board up to four. Sam smiled as poor Percy wiped his brow.

It was a messy start to a long day.

...

 

[Audrey Starchaser]

Other than that embarrassing incident (read: crash) over Xagobah, flying lessons with Uncle Coren had gone well for Audrey. As well as can be expected for the worst pilot in the Starchaser family. So this mission to protect the Hope was a triumph for her, if not a miracle, even. Audrey was currently flying a beat-up, vintage X-wing, a gift from Coren. The single-pilot starfighter came with a cheerful little R2 astromech, which she had promptly modified to her specifications when no one was looking.

She heard Uncle Coren's voice over her comms, telling Cresh Four to drop his throttle. With a rumble as her wings expanded, she accelerated to an attack speed along with the rest of the squad. Wait, was she in the correct formation? She supposed Uncle Coren would smack her wrist if she wasn't.

"You ok back there, handsome?" she asked her R2 in her usual sing-song voice. The droid bleeped a chipper affirmative. The little astromech had become quite attached to Audrey over the last few weeks, and she discovered that he performed better if she used terms of endearment.

Right now her scope was negative, but she knew that soon, she'd be engaging with the enemy.

[member="Samantha Roberts"] [member="Coren Starchaser"] [member="Roth Tillian"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The TIEs were flying in. And the Hope was turning, firing their flak cannons at the incoming fighters. So many issues coming up, and the Audacious was there to assist the flagship. Alliance fighters were given hyperdrives and that was why they’d be jumping out of here solo. TIEs came past and he opened up his laser cannons. Rolling the X-Wing, he grinned, the S-foils locking in and the order going to the rest of the squadron.

Weapons were free and he knew that [member="Samantha Roberts"] and her squad were firing. Now it was time for Coren to get some kills back, and reclaim the top kick position. Hornet, the callsign he had used for so many years, would be coming back. He wasn’t a Starbuck, but he was pretty close. Lasers melted through two plyons, first and third fighter in the diamond formation that was flying at him, solar panels falling onto the cockpit and lighting the fighters up.

“Fighters, we’ve got the Hope nearby, opening flak cannons, keep out of our local area and good hunting.” Came the call from Audacious actual. It wasn’t a battlestar, yet.

Coren nodded and double tapped the mic, signaling a ‘message received.’ He rolled the X-Wing again, making it dance to dodge the incoming blasts. “Get hunting, birds.”

[member="Audrey Starchaser"]
[member="Roth Tillian"]

 

[Damien Mercer]

The distinct jolt of a modified hyperdrive pulling back to real space made Damien smile inside. Not outside, no, he wasn't that crazy yet. Lind Tumb, his Sullustan co-pilot, could almost see the smile, but that came from years of flying together. The little creature squeeled with excitement, exclaiming a few accompanying words in his native tongue. Damien replied with a laugh, understanding the general idea of what crude name his friend had called the Final Order. "Right Lind, let's do this. Find the ship in charge and get them to patch us through, we should probably let these guys know we're friendly." A tight bank of the custom YT series freighter shifted their point of gravity slightly, before leveling out straight towards the battle. The flashes of cannon fire were clear in the distance, making Damien all the more eager to get into the action.

A tap from his co-pilot signalled comms with the Hope were open. "This is Damien Mercer of the Old Mynock," Lind quelled a laugh from the name that Damien had insisted on. "We're a YT series freighter coming up on your Port Side, mark us as a friendly, we're here to help with your Final Order problem." A smirk grew on Damien's face as he thought of what he was going to say next, and Lind merely shook his head. "Also, the callsign Pink Leader would suit us superbly." His head twisted to the side as he grinned widely, amused by the dismay of his co-pilot and the hopeful confusion of the Hope's communication crew.

"Time to get serious Lind, accelerating to attack speed." A sharp thrust came from the engines, pushing the ship forward into the fray.
This was where the fun began...

[member="Coren Starchaser"]
[member="Audrey Starchaser"]
[member="Samantha Roberts"]
[member="Roth Tillian"]

 

[Jsc]

Pink Escort
w [member="Damien Mercer"]

Sam pulled up hard and hit her com,

"Percy. See that freighter there. Let's play a little cat and mouse with him as our bait."

"Roger that. Coming to you now Sam."

Sam and Percy ducked high and came around on Damien's rear. Well far behind him. This way, any time Mercer picked up a boogie on his six? Sam and Percy could clear them out. Leaving "Pink Leader" open to smash forward into the mess.

~/ "Pink Leader this is Jay Three. We've got your tail. You're clean and fresh and ready to rock n' roll. We'll be back here making it stick. Good hunting Pinky."

Jay Leader came over Party Chat with Sam in mind,

~/ "Good idea Three. Me and Two will chase the break aways from your attack. Stay with him and let them put the pressure on the enemy formation. We'll pick up the strays."

~/ "Roger that Lead. We'll be here."

Damien was now free to do some crazy stunts. Anything that picked his tail would get a warm welcome from not two, but four X-wing fighters. Leaving the YT ready and able to push the tempo. Though, it should be noted that the X-wings did not slow down to run a formation with Pink Leader. Instead using deep wide circles to keep their speed at maximum while hugging the ion trails of the bulky freighter. After all. First rule of dogfighting,

Never slow down.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Bank.

Pulling hard on the stick, lifting the X-Wing in a more traditional maneuver, assisted by attitude jets but not just rolling on the axis of its wings, the zero-g bank was fast and a bit more sharp than what the fighter could do if he was in the confines of atmosphere. And Coren was launching himself headlong into the fray. It was where he belonged, out here in space.

“Roger that, Mynock--- err… Pink Leader? Update your tactical screen with the incoming data. Reds are Order folk.” The call went out to @Damian Mercer as he entered the screen and the package also updated to the various astromechs flying for the Alliance.

“This is Commander Starchaser. Pleasure to have you with us, Mynock.” Coren was a bit more business. He would be using his callsign here, with only a few, but mostly he was Red Leader. Taking the time to line up targets, Coren tapped the screen and spoke directly to his droid. “Alright, Sixer, mark the first TIE and then grab any that are going for the Hope.”

The droid beeped a confirmation as the wave of TIEs came flying towards the Alliance teams. Powering up weapons and front deflectors at full, the S-foils opened up and Coren grinned.

Time to go to work.

[member="Roth Tillian"]
[member="Samantha Roberts"]
[member="Damien Mercer"]
[member="Audrey Starchaser"]