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Star Wars CLOSED The Road to Episode IX: Black Squadron

Discussion in 'Role Playing Forum' started by Sinrebirth , Sep 23, 2020.

Page 1 of 4
  1. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Black Squadron

    Roughly two years ago, Poe Dameron was tasked with a mission; to locate Lor San Tekka and the map to Skywalker. To do so, he assembled four pilots and together they eventually, finally, found the man on Jakku. Absent from the Evacuation of D'Qar and Battle of Crait, the pilots carried on separately without Poe to launch their own missions in the months to come

    But now, nearly a year after the destruction of Hosnian Prime, the squadron is coming back together for one more mission...​

    Ajan Kloss, jungle

    "You're saying it's another weapon," Poe suggested, raising an eyebrow at the planet showing on the small holoprojector.

    [​IMG]

    "Maybe," said Temmin 'Snap' Wexley, who more often than not led Black Squadron in the absence of Poe on whatever high-profile mission that Leia needed him to take the Millennium Falcon on. "All I can tell you is that there was a large lump of kyber diverted from an old mine on Utapau to Kuat."

    [​IMG]

    "And Kuat is a First Order asset," Poe said. Of course Kuat was. Coruscant, Corella, Kuat and other key Core Worlds had been secured by the First Order in the first few days of the invasion, with major shipyards snapped up by Supreme Leader Kylo Ren not long after. "So it follows its or some secret project of sorts."

    [​IMG]

    Temmin nodded along. "Yeah, of course. But it feeds into the analysis that Aftab put forward; that the First Order doesn't have as many assets hidden in the Unknown Regions as we thought, and they need the shipyards they've captured to keep going at all."

    "Or, they have a big 'yard and they may as well use it," Poe quipped.

    "Permission to investigate?"

    "The largest and most heavily fortified shipyard in the galaxy?"

    Simply smiling at the incredulity in the man's tone, a pilot who had taken on Starkiller Base, bluffed a Mandator dreadnought alone, and a thousand other insane things this year, Temmin nodded. "Yup."

    "I think I'll need to let Leia know what we're doing," Poe said wryly.

    "And I'll get together a team."

    ---

    Welcome to Black Squadron.

    This is a four PC game, maximum, covering a suicide mission into the Kuati shipyards. As hot-shot pilots, you have the most dangerous missions, the most magnificent egos, and as many quips as you do have kills. Or so the holovids say. This mission however, is definitely as important and as lethal as any Black Squadron have done before. The First Order may not have secured it's control of the galaxy, but it controls more than enough of it to threaten total collapse of the Free Systems.

    It goes without saying - if the First Order secures a kyber weapon, it may signal the end of the Resistance as we know it. The galaxy may not believe First Order assertions that Starkiller Base could fire any day if they do not surrender, but they will balk if another superweapon emerges from the First Order's shipyards.

    Good luck; May the Force be with you.

    ---

    Character Sheet

    Name:
    Age:
    Species:
    Image/Description:

    Starfighter of Choice:

    Personal Effects:

    Personal Bio:

    ---

    Rules

    1. GM's word is law!
    2. Canon characters are allowed, but TROS characters will need to be discussed.
    3. Force users are not likely to be allowed, but you're welcome to submit a sheet and enquire.
    4. Updates will be bi-weekly, and two missed TAGs without prior GM notification may see your character re-cast or written out.
    5. Fun can be a rule.

    @Kurisan, @HanSolo29, @Jerjerrod-Lennox, @darthbernael
     
    Sinrebirth , Sep 23, 2020
    #1
    Sarge , HanSolo29 , darthbernael and 3 others like this.
  2. Adalia-Durron

    Adalia-Durron WNU/Costume/Props/EUC Mod. star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2003
    Game Master Approved.

    Character Sheet

    Name: Zara Chrischa
    Age: 20 standard years
    Call Sign: Princess (due to her father having Royal Blood)
    Species: Twi'lek
    Image/Description: At 157cm tall, Zara isn't overly tall. Her skin is a mix of a soft lavender and a shimmery blue with keen blue eyes. She speaks Basic with a smattering of Twi'lek, which often confuses people. She's shapely with full lips.

    Starfighter of Choice: T70

    Personal Effects: She carries a blaster - DH 17.

    Personal Bio: Raised on Bakura from the age of 2, Zara is named after one of the women her mother served with during the Rebellion, Zara is adopted. She was raised in wealth but told the truth about the Rebellion and the subsequent situation re the First Order. She is intelligent and clever. Both her parents were Rebels and her mother flew X Wings so she learned to fly at a very young age. Zara was never comfortable staying home and studying like her sister and brothers. Much to her mothers horror, she joined the Resistance and as a pilot met Poe eventually. She's a little cocky, but she is good. She won't give much attitude or smart mouth but she will snipe sarcastically and won't take crap from anyone. Good with her hands, she tweaks her ship often having learned about how they run early.

    [​IMG]
     
    Adalia-Durron , Sep 23, 2020
    #2
    Sarge , HanSolo29 , Jerjerrod-Lennox and 3 others like this.
  3. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager VIP - Game Winner

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    GM Approved CS
    Name:     Tiberionel Ordwgal Callsign Tiber
    Age: 25
    Species: Lexrul Human, slightly longer lifespan
    Image/Description:

    [​IMG]

    Eye Color: Green with black flecks and black bands around the iris
    Hair: Mid length brown hair and long brown lashes
    Skin Color: Olive tan

    Starfighter of Choice: T-70 X-wing

    [​IMG]

    Personal Effects: Survival gear, flight suit and helmet, pair of blasters and a blaster rifle, and the clothes in his rucksack and on his back.

    Personal Bio:

    Tiber, the grandnephew of Feral Ordwgal, grew up on his grandfather’s stories of his uncle. From an early age he heard them as he seemed to have many of the same characteristics as that noteworthy. His flying skills were almost on par with what Feral had demonstrated in his early life.

    When he was 15 he received a mysterious grant to attend the planetary defense force academy. Upon arrival, he found that he’d been placed in the flight program and when he traced back the source of the grant, plain clothed men who reeked of the military and the Republic appeared at his dorm and told him to not question where the money had come from. Understanding the severity immediately he agreed and dove into his studies.

    He graduated near the top of his class and chose star fighters as the path he wished to follow. He immediately fell in love with the T-70 X-wing when he first flew it and the R2 unit that came with his craft he dubbed Bones II after the astromech Feral used. He flew for a pair of years before he became involved with more and more Black Ops missions.

    And that was when he met Poe Dameron. Having assisted the man before, when he was called upon again he immediately set everything else to the side and flew to the rendezvous point to meet the others.
     
    darthbernael , Sep 23, 2020
    #3
    Sarge , HanSolo29 , Jerjerrod-Lennox and 3 others like this.
  4. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    [GM approved - thanks to @Sinrebirth ]

    Black 3 - Jess "Testor"

    [​IMG]

    Name: Jessika “Jess” Pava
    Callsign: Black 3 / “Testor”
    Age: 28
    Species: human female
    Starfighter of Choice: T-70 X-wing
    Personal Effects: miniature advanced toolkit, code cylinder, R0-4L0 “Rolo” astromech droid

    Personal Bio: Jess was born on planet Dandoran, into a time when the New Republic was struggling to restore democracy and freedom to the galaxy after decades of totalitarian Imperial rule. She was captured and enslaved along with her family by pirates in this uncertain period. This led to her fear and hatred of being chained up or confined. When they were freed by Republic forces, Jess dreamed of becoming one of them. She was raised on legends of Luke Skywalker and the old Rebellion, and came to idolize the Jedi Knight.

    Driven by these factors, Jess studied and worked hard to become a pilot and joined the New Republic forces. When the New Republic became paralyzed by indecision in the face of the threat of the First Order, Jess followed her squadron leader – another pilot she had come to admire – Poe Dameron, to join the Resistance and serve under General Organa, sister of the Jedi whom she so idolized.

    She flew as Blue 3 in the mission against Starkiller Base, alongside Poe, Snap and Ello Asty.

    Jess is perhaps less of a “hotshot” pilot than her squadron mates, and is certainly more shy. Her skills come from technical expertise and a deep understanding of the machines they fly and their capabilities – and when and how to push these to the limit. She is often tinkering with her T-70 between missions to increase performance. Her tech skills extend to other uses when on covert planetside operations, such as disabling security systems or quickly breaking into First Order computer terminals.

    She joins the unit as Black 3 - a recon pilot and ground agent tech/infiltration specialist.
     
    Kurisan, Sep 23, 2020
    #4
    Sarge , darthbernael , Adalia-Durron and 3 others like this.
  5. AgentViper007

    AgentViper007 Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2005
    GM Approved

    Name: Devereaux Bombardier
    Age: 36
    Species: Human
    Image/Description:
    [​IMG]
    Starfighter of Choice: BTL-S3 Y wing (pilot)

    Personal Effects: Jumpsuit and helmet, blaster pistol

    Personal Bio: Born on Corellia young Devereaux dreamed of one day travelling the stars and like most Corellians wanted to be the best star pilot in the galaxy. His parents worked for Corellian Engineering Corporation helping to build freighters and weapons systems for use for whomever desired them. His parents had experienced the tyranny of the Empire and hoped that their son would not experience what they had under its iron fist.

    From a young age he was taught to fly, first speeders, then testing him on ships. His parents were impressed by his skills and eventually Devereaux got himself a job as a shuttle pilot ferrying supplies back and forth to the CEC factories. But there were still threats that could endanger Corellia so Devereaux against his parents' wishes decided to join the New Republic. After showing his skills to the recruiters he was inducted into the starfighter corps of the New Republic where he chose the Y wing as his ship of choice due to their combination of speed and firepower.

    He flew in both the one and two seater versions on missions, gaining a reputation for being cocky and sometimes arrogant. He didn't mind having a partner with him in the gunners position so long as he could get on with them and they never told him the odds. Devereaux had a good track record in both single and double seater Y wings with good mission success rates. As the First Order became publicly known, Devereaux vowed to protect others and his homeworld from more tyranny. A Resistance within the New Republic was born and Devereaux joined to continue the fight.

    Black Squadron, the most elite of the starfighter squadrons were looking for a bomber pilot to join their ranks and Devereaux was chosen to fly among the X wings of that unit. He proved himself among the faster X wings as a capable pilot but his arrogance sometimes rubs the others up the wrong way. He joins his latest mission with no gunner; a good friend of his, he sadly died after both he and Devereaux were caught in a TIE fighter ambush.
     
    AgentViper007, Sep 24, 2020
    #5
    Sarge , Adalia-Durron , Kurisan and 3 others like this.
  6. HanSolo29

    HanSolo29 RPF/SWC/Fan Art Manager & Bill Pullman Connoisseur star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2001
    GM Approved

    Name:     Aryan Graul
    Age: Some things are better left unsaid, particularly around such a young group of pilots. However, one is never too old to fly; he can still show these kids a few tricks.
    Species: Human
    Homeworld: Nubia
    Image/Description:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Starfighter of Choice: T-70 X-Wing; it’s the most comparable to the old Z-95 Headhunter

    Personal Effects: Flight suit and helmet, comlink, datapad, a blaster pistol, a concealed vibroblade in his boot, and a handwritten journal that includes several personal holoimages, mostly of his family, stashed within its pages

    Personal Bio: For many, particularly in more recent times, Aryan Graul remains an enigma. Other than a few general notes sprinkled along a timeline that spans back decades, very little is known about his history. His refusal to talk about certain aspects of his past only amplifies this perception. Perhaps he even prefers it this way.

    The first public record begins with his military career in the Republic Navy. Aryan served as a pilot during the Clone Wars, commanding one of the elite, non-clone squadrons assigned to the Mid Rim. His fortitude and determination led to many successful missions, which ultimately convinced him to go career as a commissioned officer. However, his dreams came to a crashing end when a scuffle above Kashyyyk resulted in a serious injury. His wounds were extensive enough that he lost his left leg, forcing him to medically retire from the military.

    While he was in the Navy, Aryan also met his wife, Lyzia Eross. The two decided to get married in 20 BBY, with their only son, Arek, being born two years later. It was Lyz who became Aryan’s lifeline and moral support throughout the intervening months following his injury.

    A few years later, another record picks up to highlight Graul’s achievements in politics, a career shift that blossomed from the ashes of his military service. After a short stint as a Councilman at the local level, the people elected him to serve on the Galactic Senate as the Senator from Nubia during the height of the Galactic Empire. His tenure lasted 9 years, and during that time, his charismatic personality helped him to become an influential force across the vast political stage.

    Many assumed that he would eventually ascend to greatness…

    But then Emperor Palpatine disbanded the Senate in 0 ABY.

    It was at this point in the timeline that Aryan seemingly vanished from the galactic map. Some say he fled the Core to seek refuge in the Outer Rim after the Empire labeled him as a fugitive. Others say he returned home to Nubia to take over his parents’ mining and shipping company, working in isolation and contributing to the war effort in secret. Or perhaps he simply became a recluse. Whatever the case, there is no clear narrative outlining his fate. Only 40 years of rumors and heresy.

    Until recently, when he finally turned up among the Resistance freedom fighters. Again, he provided no explanation for his absence and merely fell in line at Poe Dameron’s request to join Black Squadron. It was an odd move considering his advanced age, though Aryan embraced it without protest. Perhaps he viewed it as one last chance to recapture his youth by experiencing a thrill.

    Or maybe it was something more innate, ingrained in his very soul. Only time would tell.
     
    HanSolo29 , Sep 25, 2020
    #6
    darthbernael , Sarge , Adalia-Durron and 2 others like this.
  7. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    IC: Poe Dameron
    Ajan Kloss, Outer Rim, Cademimu Sector, not far from Phaeda

    It had been a brief conversation with Leia, with Maz and Aftab Ackbar present, and he'd been given permission to send the message to his pilots of choice... not that they had all too many pilots, and even less fighters to go around. Now Poe and Temmin had license to deploy to Kuat, which was not going to be an easy mission. As soon as he started this up, he knew there was no going back.

    Report to Tantive IV briefing room B for immediate mission intel. Black Squadron is reactivated; repeat - Black Squadron is reactivated and you've been assigned to the new team. You have fifteen minutes.

    This was, of course, the equivalent of picking them for Rogue Squadron, or perhaps the Sabers or Twin Suns squadrons. Elites.

    In short order, they would be gathered in the ready room, a small holoprojector filling most of the small table; this wasn't really a ready room - it was the converted VIP quarters and pretty small for it, instead the edges full of boxes of supplies and three chairs rather the bedroom furniture that it should have had. But the hangar was not built for security, and was busy with whatever ship was in the middle of a crisis retrofit. With a smirk, he glanced at them all, perched on a large box of almost-stale rations.

    Temmin 'Snap' Wexley, and the five of them.

    To take a crack at the largest shipyard in the galaxy.

    Not that they knew that yet.

    "You all know who I am, and who we are," Poe said, without aplomb or regard for authority. "

    Of course, you don't know each other, and intend to rectify that now, and hand out some numbers along the way. I'm not giving call-signs - you and your squadmates can haggle out what works best." Of course, what works best was usually whatever worked in the typical rolling banter and joking that happened when hotshot pilot egos were forced to work together.

    They'd definitely need to work together for this one. He pointed,

    "Black One, Tiberionel 'Tiber' Ordwgal," Poe started, indicating the man who was way too pretty to be a pilot. Poe bit his lip at that thought, completely ignoring how attractive almost everyone thought he himself was...

    "Black Two, Zara Chrischa," He indicated the Twi'lek and only immediately obvious nonhuman, notwithstanding that Tiber was in-fact 'near-human', if you cared about those classifications. He knew them both, but not nearly as well as he knew the next pilot.

    "Black Three, Jess," At that, Poe grinned, and Temmin rolled his eyes slightly; they'd discussed prior to this meeting that she would be Three, as that gave her latitude to move with the other wing-pairs as necessary. Poe always liked to make Three into a versatile pilot in these five-man squadrons, so they could go where needed. She was also, in his eyes, the most experienced Resistance pilot of the bunch.

    As opposed to... "Black Four, Aryan Graul," Poe said warily, and Temmin's expression noticeably hardened. "Also an X-wing jockey, but will be assigned a B-wing and a gunner for the duration of this mission, because, well, we don't have enough X-wings to go around, and he's adaptable, right?" Poe was dropping that in on him immediately, because the sooner he did it in an open forum, the sooner he'd be able to gauge whether Aryan thought age meant seniority, as it didn't mean anything like that to Poe.

    "Black Five, Dev Bombardier," Poe said, shortening the mans name just because. "Aptly named as he flies a Y-wing; a bombardier by name and profession. His Y-wing is one of those new modern two-seater variants, but I'll be assigning a new gunner to you as well, Dev." He managed to contain his wince. He hadn't meant to say new gunner, but it had happened, and really he needed to gauge Dev's response to the reminder about his previous gunner.

    Poe finished up. "I'm Black Leader, and Temmin here is the Black Null; our Executive Officer."

    "Which means if you have any issues with supplies or so on, nag me, not Poe, okay?" Temmin said, with a slightly wry expression under his beard.

    "So, go, on, introduce yourselves, get the awkward stuff out of the way now, and we'll take it from there." Poe would normally just throw together a squadron and let them work it out, but this was a sensitive one and their personalities were relevant to the missions success.

    I wish Finn was here, he has a knack for this.

    TAG: @darthbernael, @Adalia-Durron, @Kurisan, @Jerjerrod-Lennox, @HanSolo29 (single posts, please)
     
    Sinrebirth , Sep 25, 2020
    #7
    Adalia-Durron , Jerjerrod-Lennox, darthbernael and 3 others like this.
  8. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager VIP - Game Winner

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    IC Tiber
    Briefing and Introductions

    Tiber had received the summons and was pleased that Poe had remembered him. Wandering the corridors of the ship he’d made his way to the ready room and had found a crate, the contents obscured, to claim as a seat. The others had made their ways to the room as well but he’d kept to himself until Poe and Temmin made their way in as well.

    As the briefing opened he listened as Poe introduced each member of the team to the others. ’Hmmm, ok, aside from Poe and Temmin, we have Zara, Jess, Aryan, and Dev. I’ll have to remember that.’ he thought. And then a sigh as they were asked to introduce themselves.

    He looked around but no one else seemed to be inclined to start so he hopped off the crate. Looking around again, he nodded.

    ”As Poe said, I’m Tiber, a shorter version of my first name, Tiberionel. I’m from Lexrul, a world that if you discount that it’s the homeworld of Director Krennic, it would otherwise be unremarkable. But his crimes did put us, to a degree, in the galactic spotlight.”

    He paused, trying to decide how much to share. The mission hadn’t been fully briefed yet and if it was a suicide mission or one of limited duration, truly giving all about him would be a waste. ”My great uncle has been my inspiration. He was a Republic pilot back in the Clone Wars and later aided the Rebellion. He too is a pilot, still flying, but I don’t know where, something secret I’m guessing, for the New Republic.”

    Glancing at Poe, ”I’ve been flying one thing or another since I was a kid and attended the military academy on Lexrul. When I graduated I found that I loved the T-70 so have been flying them since. I’m not quite the pilot my uncle or Poe is but I can hold my own very well. And I look forward to getting to know the rest of you, to some degree.”

    Looking around once more, he hopped back onto the crate and waited for the next ‘victim’ to introduce themselves.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth, @Adalia-Durron, @Kurisan, @Jerjerrod-Lennox, @HanSolo29
     
    darthbernael , Sep 26, 2020
    #8
    Sinrebirth , Kurisan, Jerjerrod-Lennox and 1 other person like this.
  9. Adalia-Durron

    Adalia-Durron WNU/Costume/Props/EUC Mod. star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2003
    IC Zara Chrischa
    Briefing.


    Having stayed very close to her ship, Zara had spent the better part of the day tinkering with it and observing. She was very good at observing, a skill her father had taught her as she grew up. It's what he did during the Rebellion, or so she was told. Tilting her head to the side she watched the other pilots around her and wondered how good, or bad, they were when her comlink chimed. She was to attend a briefing immediately. Sighing she got up and packed her tools away, she wasn't really doing much other than checking things and using it as cover to be left alone. Only minutes later she was in the Ready Room and finding a corner she leaned in it, moving her lekku over her shoulders to clear her shoulders as she crossed her arms.

    She listened to Poe Dameron speak, she'd admired the man for a while but Zara was not the type to fawn over someone. The way she'd been raised had made her more aware of how the admiration of others can be uncomfortable. She listened as Poe named each person in the room and she had already well noted she was the only non human. When asked them to introduce themselves the assumed it would go in order, as the one called Tiberionel 'Tiber' Ordwgal stood and began to talk. Zara frowned, the name or moreso the surname was ringing a bell with her. She couldn't remember where or when, but she knew it. She listened to him, and as Black One she figured he maybe in her flight, who knew? Once he'd finished she figured it was her turn so she pushed off the wall and stepped forward.

    "Zara.....Princess was my call in my previous unit on account that my father has royal blood. Adopted Father, that is, might have noticed I don't look Bakuran." Her right lekku twitched slightly in discomfort. "Mum was a Rebel pilot, started teaching me from as far back as I can remember. By the time I was 16 I could pull down an X Wing and rebuild it, and fly one blind if needed. Joined the Resistance two years ago.........no formal training other than what mum taught me." She shrugged. "It kept her alive and I'm still alive, and I guess that says a bit..... oh, and I only speak a bit of Ryl, so please don't expect too much from me there." It wasn't entirely a lie, her mother had tried, and even put her in classes, but she never saw the need living on a world that's main language was Basic. She stepped back as her lekku twitched again, it was nerves as she hated public speaking.

    She glanced to the only other female here, it was her turn now.


    TAG @Kurisan @Sinrebirth
     
    Adalia-Durron , Sep 27, 2020
    #9
    Sinrebirth , Sarge , HanSolo29 and 3 others like this.
  10. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    Jess Pava
    Tantive IV – Briefing Room B
    Ajan Kloss, Outer Rim, Cademimu Sector, not far from Phaeda

    [​IMG]

    Jess Pava arrived at the appointed “meeting room” in a hurry. She always hurried when Poe called. She was in her usual “civvies” – a grey tanktop and black leggings; easy to slip a flight suit over the top for a starfighter scramble, easy to squeeze through First Order ventilation shafts when on mission.

    The message had said Black Squadron was reactivated. She buzzed with excitement. It had to be something secret, and important, and dangerous.

    She glanced around the so-called briefing room and grinned. Typical Poe. He was not one for formality or ceremony and any space would do as long as it was secure and practical. But this was a bit cramped. She performed a quick survey of the others present – presumably to be on the new squadron. She did not know any of them.

    A striking Twi’lek woman with purple skin and wearing an attitude stood out immediately. Then, oh… a man about her own age who was very handsome, and looked like he knew it. He reminded her of Poe instantly. There were two older men, both with that easy confidence that was unmistakable in seasoned veterans.

    Snap and Poe were both there. Jess offered a smile to her old friends from Blue Squadron. They seemed intent to get started.

    Poe did the introductions. The pretty boy was Tiber. Black One. Okay… thought Jess. A hotshot too, then.

    The beautiful Twi’lek was called Zara. Beautiful name to match, Jess thought. And likely she was also hot in the T-70, at Black Two.

    Poe made Jess Three again and they exchanged grins. She was comfortable here; able to adapt to either support the aces in fighter-to-fighter dogfights, or provide cover for the bombers. Poe often used her as the “eyes” here, too – able to drop back and find those little technical gaps to innovate solutions.

    Poe introduced Aryan but did not say much about him. Jess was curious. He looked old enough to be her grandfather. Yet, he had been selected. There must be more to this guy. Poe had assigned him a B-wing. A powerful machine indeed, and tricky to fly. Her respect for the man was immediately set high.

    Dev Bombardier had a ready-made call sign right there. Bomber. He would fly one of the rugged workhorse Y-wings. Jess looked forward to getting to know him.

    Poe confirmed he would be leading, and Jess did a little happy dance in her head. Yes, okay, I have a crush, I admit it. It does no harm to admire from afar, right?

    Snap would be XO. She knew the comment about nagging for supplies was aimed at her and smirked.

    Then, suddenly, Poe wanted them to introduce themselves as well. Jess quailed. He knows I hate this! She scowled at him. She tried to think what she could say in front of strangers. Let me just do my talking in the T-70, please?

    Thankfully, Tiber went first and was surprisingly forthcoming. It seemed his family had history of flying, and old heroes had provided inspiration. Jess related to that. She had had posters of Luke Skywalker on her bedroom walls since she was a child.

    Next was Zara. Again, she had been lucky enough to fly since she was a child, but no formal training? That was amazing to Jess. To just pick up the knack naturally, without ever doing the hard work of studying and practicing was something she had always envied.

    The Twi’lek gave Jess a meaningful look. Oh, I have to go next, she realised.

    Jess felt the embarrassed grin spread across her face. She could not help it. Snap had once told her it was cute, but Jess hated it. She took a deep breath and started.

    “Hi, I’m Jess. Jess Pava. I… well… I was born on Dandoran, but have no special family. We were enslaved and sold by pirates for a while, actually. It was horrible… and when the Republic rescued us that sort of made me want to join. I also…”

    She frowned, not sure if she should share. “… I always idolized Luke Skywalker and the Rebellion. So I worked hard, studied hard, and here I am.”

    She shrugged to the others then remembered something else. “Oh, I know we have the astromechs, but the modern diagnostic systems can be twitchy… I can help with technical issues on your ships when we’re away from dock, if you want, and I can get the components.” She shot a look at Snap. “I… err… Well, everyone knows I like to tinker...”

    She glanced at Poe. Was that okay?

    She hoped so, and waited for the next pilot to start.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth @Jerjerrod-Lennox @HanSolo29
     
    Kurisan, Sep 27, 2020
    #10
    Adalia-Durron , Sarge , HanSolo29 and 2 others like this.
  11. AgentViper007

    AgentViper007 Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2005
    IC: Devereaux "Dev" Bombardier
    Location: Tantive IV briefing room, Ajan Kloss

    Back in the saddle again….

    That was Dev's thought as he stood leaning casually against the wall as he listened to Poe Dameron's briefing. Temmin Wexley was with him too, another renowned pilot.

    I would seriously like to one day be considered as good as these two one day. The X wing guys get all the glory and plaudits. It's time for a Y wing pilot to get some plaudits.

    To be actually selected for the elite Black Squadron was a real honour though. And to be called back into the fold again meant that whatever this was, this was BIG.

    Introductions were made. Two females and three males altogether including himself. And they were all good looking, even the older man Aryan had that silver fox look. Dev reckoned that Poe would have never thought that he would gather a squadron as good looking as this.

    Competition is good he thought, keeps me on my toes.

    Aryan who was Black Four was being changed to a B wing. Dev had to wonder why though, a B wing was basically a weapons platform and had more firepower than his Y. It seemed to him like overkill but what did he know? He wasn't a tactics master, but what sort of mission needed both a Y and a B?.

    And then Poe's attention turned to him and he tried not to show anything as he mentioned him getting a new gunner, Dev had been smiling up until this point. And it wasn't just a new gunner, he wondered whether he would be getting a replacement Y wing after his last mission that resulted in the death of said gunner.

    Dev's thoughts turned back to said mission as his heart ached. Alaris Travis. A female gunner, he and her had dubbed themselves the "Dream Team" performing quite a few missions together and hitting every target going. They had become good friends but secretly Dev fancied her and after their last mission he was going to admit his feelings for her.

    Their last mission involved taking out a First Order weapons depot. But it was an ambush, they knew the squadron was coming. First Order TIE's swarmed them, and a shot had hit Alaris dead on killing her instantly. Dev managed to get away but as he exited hyperspace he had to limp back home with one engine, his Y wing nearly in bits and a dead gunner.

    As he landed the Y wing eventually had had enough and caught fire. He managed to jump out and get Alaris's body out in time. But he would carry the scars of failing to protect his gunner and mourn his lost love, a love that never got started. And he vowed to get the First Order back. With interest.

    Dev snapped back to the present. Poe was Black Leader, Temmin was XO. And then it was time for the full introductions.

    Tiber, Black One. An interesting history, with ties back to the Rebellion and even the Old Republic in his family although to be honest there weren't many pilots around who didn't. Trying to perhaps temper down his piloting experience but Dev reckoned with that sort of pedigree he could be one to watch.

    Zara, Black Two. A beautiful looking Twi'lek ( and he was a sucker for purple). Adopted from Bakura, callsign Princess although maybe perhaps that was she said due to her upbringing. Like Tiber there was Rebellion pedigree there and she seemed she was a bit of a mechanic by the sounds of it.

    Jess, Black Three. Very shy she seemed but Dev found that a little cute. Bit of a tinkerer, maybe she could go over his Y wing just to look at something different. Nasty history sith ghe slavery, maybe a bit of a rookie compared to the rest? He wasn't sure.

    He decided to go next, it sounded like they were going in order but he decided to 'push in' as it were. Maybe because he wanted to show himself off to the others.

    Dev stepped forward with a big grin "Devereaux Bombardier, Bombardier by name, Bombardier by nature" he gave a wink to the rest "Call me Dev, i'm usually only called my full name by my parents or formal occasions. Callsign: Bombarder, but am open to other suggestions. Like all Y wing pilots we like to hit the enemy hard and of course it causes some rather pretty explosions".

    He waved a hand "But a little bit about me. Corellian, so naturally have a natural born talent for piloting" he had to puff out his chest a little at that. "Parents work for Corellian Engineering Corporation, they spent most of those days working under the iron fist of the Empire. Like most Corellians I was taught how to fly and eventually became a shuttle pilot for CEC".

    "Corellia of course would always be threatened by the likes of the First Order so against my parents wishes I joined the New Republic. Chose the Y wing for it's combination of speed and firepower, a match made in heaven. Of course not maybe as fancy as you X wing pilots but if you want precise targeting and if you like things that go boom, I'm your man" the wide grin was back.

    He didn't mention anything about losing his gunner as that was a rather sore subject.

    He stepped back again and looked at Aryan, time for the silver fox to strut his stuff.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth , @HanSolo29 , @Kurisan, @darthbernael , @Adalia-Durron
     
    AgentViper007, Sep 27, 2020
    #11
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  12. HanSolo29

    HanSolo29 RPF/SWC/Fan Art Manager & Bill Pullman Connoisseur star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2001
    IC: Aryan Graul
    Briefing Room, Aboard the Tantive IV, Ajan Kloss

    The ‘briefing room’ was nothing more than a small service space, probably a converted crew compartment that was never properly utilized. Supply boxes littered its corners, and it smelled of stale air, which only added to the haphazard nature of the whole operation. It also alluded to a number of underlying issues, including a lack of resources and poor maintenance practices. While that wasn’t entirely uncommon aboard older military vessels, it didn’t evoke much confidence.

    Then again, Aryan Graul wasn’t entirely sure what he had expected under the current conditions. He wasn’t exactly here by choice. The arrangement Poe Dameron had worked out to allow him to participate was more improvised than planned. He simply had to adapt and make the most of a less than ideal situation.

    Unfortunately, Poe himself wasn’t making it an easy transition.

    Despite Aryan’s impressive credentials to pilot the old Z-95 Headhunter – and its distant cousin, the T-70 X-wing – the younger man had denied him the opportunity to demonstrate his worth behind the controls of such a craft. Instead, he reassigned him to the bulkier, slower, and less maneuverable B-wing fighter.

    A slight scowl crossed his features, though it was the only obvious reaction he permitted himself at this juncture. He knew that the decision went beyond a simple equipment shortage or any preventative measures that would typically exist to account for his advanced age. In fact, he suspected that it was a deliberate move to accommodate his unique circumstances – a blatant attempt to undermine him. Some may even call it a slap in the face, but Aryan saw it as yet another challenge to overcome.

    His indignation quickly faded at that thought, his arms crossing casually over his chest as he angled an impish grin at Dameron. He wanted the man to know that he would not be persuaded by petty tactics. He had plenty of experience at this game, after all.

    The moment soon passed, paving the way for the others to make their introductions.

    There was Tiber Ordwgal, a pilot with roots stemming back to the Clone Wars. The young man spoke highly of his great-uncle and touted him as his inspiration for becoming a fighter pilot. While the name didn’t instantly jog his memory, Aryan had to idly wonder if perhaps he had previously crossed paths with the elder Ordwgal. It was something to inquire about, especially since the timing corresponded with his own service dates.

    A pair of beautiful ladies filled the roles of Black Two and Three, a seemingly perfect duo to populate the middle of their line-up. A purple Twi’lek who hailed from a royal background, known as Zara, for the former. And a feisty, dark-haired human named Jess for the latter. As an added bonus, Jess was also well-versed in modern diagnostics and engineering standards. That would certainly come in handy out in the field.

    Their bomber extraordinaire rounded out the group, a young man known as Dev. He was from Corellia, and judging by his speech and mannerisms, he likely had the inflated ego that accompanied most beings from that world. It would likely cause strife, but Aryan would try to remain tolerant. There were no guarantees, though. He chalked it up to another consequence of old age.

    With everyone else accounted for, it was now Aryan's turn to provide some background information about himself. Fortunately, there wasn’t much to share – at least, from his perspective, so it should be a relatively painless endeavor.

    Clearing his throat, he casually leaned back as he shifted his position on the makeshift chair. “Well, I’m Aryan,” he drawled with an awkward shrug. “I know I probably don’t meet the stereotypical image of the ideal, hotshot starfighter pilot – you know the one that you all had ingrained in your minds since your childhood. It’s the same one that’s typically plastered all over the HoloNet in those propaganda campaigns.”

    Pausing here to gauge their reactions, he spread his hands to emphasize his point. “That’s not me anymore, and I freely admit that. I’ve long retired from that life, but don’t discount my skills because I’m getting along in years.” He raised his brow, a hint of a smirk evident on his lips. “I led a notable squadron and flew countless missions during the Clone Wars, served in the Galactic Senate at the height of the Empire’s reign, and managed one of the most successful shipping companies this side of the Hydian Way. You better believe that I can still hold my own inside a cockpit. It's like second-nature to me. Who knows, maybe I can even show you kids a few tricks.”

    TAG: @darthbernael; @Adalia-Durron; @Kurisan; @Jerjerrod-Lennox; @Sinrebirth
     
    HanSolo29 , Oct 13, 2020
    #12
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  13. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    IC: Poe Dameron & Temmin 'Snap' Wexley
    Introductions, elongated

    Tiber, Zara, Jess, Dev, Aryan.

    An interesting group, that had to be said; they would need to gel, if this was going to work, but that was on them, not him.

    "Black Squadron, one and all," he shrugged, and pressed a button on the circular-projector.

    [​IMG]

    "Kuat, site of the Kuat Drive Yards, the largest shipyard in the galaxy, presently, of course, under First Order control," Poe said grimly.

    "Though it's not known if it's Senator was in on the First Order conspiracy, it was a member of the Centrist Party in the New Republic Senate, and has fared about as well as any system which collaborated," Poe shrugged.

    "Badly," Temmin replied, dryly.

    "We've Intel that a massive Kyber crystal is en route to the shipyards, for some hush-hush project," Poe said, casting an unreadable glance at Temmin. "Which means we have to find out what it is, and ideally blow it up, right?"

    "Which means getting into the Kuat Sector..." The map zoomed out, revealing the sector.

    [​IMG]

    "This is all we have," said Temmin. "A lot of it is redacted, as it was lifted by Rose and Chewie a few weeks ago from a raid on Balmorra."

    "We all know getting into the Core Systems is hard work on it's own, but this is what we're looking to do; sneak you and your starfighters through one of the most heavily defended places in the galaxy," Poe said, clearly making one of his patented spark speeches he had been giving since the Battle of Crait nearly ended the war.

    Temmin was more practical. "This is a volunteer only mission, so if you want out, say now, and we won't judge you." He was looking straight at Aryan as he spoke.

    Poe's eyes roved over the others, smiling at Jess and knowing she wouldn't let him down, but regarding Tiber, Zara, and Dev with an open, almost neutral, expression.

    TAG: @ @darthbernael; @Adalia-Durron; @Kurisan; @Jerjerrod-Lennox; @HanSolo29
     
    Sinrebirth , Oct 19, 2020
    #13
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  14. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    Jess Pava
    Tantive IV – Briefing Room B
    Ajan Kloss, Outer Rim, Cademimu Sector, not far from Phaeda

    Jess knew Poe did not need to ask her. Of course he could rely on her. But perhaps this was a time he did need her to speak up first, to encourage the others? She took a deep breath.

    "Commander," she smiled at him and Snap. "Count me in."

    She examined the sector map and cupped her chin. "There's a whole load of space there for five tiny fighters to slip through. And maybe there's something I can do to help with that."

    She gave Poe a mischievous smile. "I was getting some more positive results from the prototype bluffer during my last bit of tinkering..."

    TAG: @darthbernael; @Adalia-Durron; @Jerjerrod-Lennox; @HanSolo29 and thanks to @Sinrebirth for allowing my little device idea!
     
    Kurisan, Oct 19, 2020
    #14
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  15. Adalia-Durron

    Adalia-Durron WNU/Costume/Props/EUC Mod. star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2003
    IC Zara Chrischa


    Zara listened, it was reasonably straight forward and standard for the Resistance. Massive risks, small chance of success, high chance of death. "Count me in, blaze of glory sounds like a good way to go." She said attempting to show more courage than she actually felt. Her mother had told her many times she'd gone into battle scared to death but not allowing anyone to see it. She turned to Jess. "Want help?" She offered.



    TAG @Kurisan
     
    Adalia-Durron , Oct 19, 2020
    #15
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  16. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager VIP - Game Winner

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    IC Tiberionel 'Tiber' Ordwgal
    Briefing, continued

    Tiber paid attention as the others finished introducing themselves. ’An interesting crew, but then again Poe usually does gather such when he has these ideas.’ he thought.

    And then the briefing passed the introductions stage, Poe getting down to the details. Kuat, a snatch and grab, stealing an important item from the First Order. From the sound of it though, star fighters would not be able to take the item back out so yes a destroy in place would be the best chance they had. He studied the orbital approaches and layout as Poe briefed them.

    There were many ways to sneak a ship or ships in, and they would all have to find their ways in, before meeting up, or at least getting back in touch so they knew where everyone was. He wondered absently if there were any bounties active on Kuat, as the T-95 was one of many that bounty hunters used these days and a quick paint job could suffice to hide the republic colors and get him through the security surrounding the planet. Just one idea of many.

    He looked up as he heard Jess speak up, a small smile as she mentioned a ‘prototype bluffer’ which may be even simpler than his idea, and work just as well. When Zara offered to help his smile turned into a grin, they seemed to be on the right track.

    He glanced over at Poe, ”You know I’m in or you wouldn’t have called. So, destroy in place or are we bringing something big enough to get it out, if we recover it?”

    TAG: @Sinrebirth, @Adalia-Durron, @Kurisan, @Jerjerrod-Lennox, @HanSolo29
     
    darthbernael , Oct 21, 2020
    #16
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  17. AgentViper007

    AgentViper007 Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2005
    IC: Devereaux "Dev" Bombardier
    Location: Tantive IV briefing room, Ajan Kloss

    The silver fox, Aryan spoke up and it seemed he was a pilot turned politician and had decided to hop back in the pilot’s saddle again.

    He had the experience it seemed but having a politician on this mission?. Dev had to snort inwardly. If they were in trouble and needed to negotiate their way out he would do swimmingly. He sounded proud of being a pilot too so Dev would have to keep an eye on him, especially since it seemed he was going to have competition on the bombing front….

    Onto the mission specs: find a kyber crystal, blow it up. Simple? Not when you were about to head to Kuat which was under the control of the First Order. And trying to sneak five starfighters in to boot. The X wings that would be no problem but the Y and the B? They practically screamed I'm going to blow something up. Hopefully Poe or one of the others had a plan because Dev had no clue. He was more used to flying in a squadron either with other Y wings or with a mix.

    This is a certifiably bonkers mission Dev thought just the mission that needs a Corellian touch. Daring, possibly suicidal, dodging the First Order….well might as well go out with a bang. Well hopefully not taking my gunner with me….

    Wexley was looking at Aryan as he basically gave an ultimatum….go big or go home. Was Aryan a bit of a coward? Did he maybe have a problem with missions like this? Who knew, but the others one by one gave their assent. Jess seemed to have an idea with a bit of technology. Tiber meanwhile thought they could be recovering it but it seemed Poe and Wexley wanted to blow it up. It would probably be too risky in Dev’s opinion to try and grab it, otherwise what was the point in bringing a bomber and a missile platform along?

    Well might as well give it a go….Alaris would probably tell him not to go, it was suicide, had’nt he lost enough? But hopefully he would provided with a guner that at least keep the First Order fighters off his backside and help out.

    Dev shrugged “What have I got to lose” he said with a smile “I’m in of course. If there is a chance I get to unleash my payload on the First Order and blow something up? I’d love it. You give me the gunner, you’ll have your dream team”.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth @HanSolo29 , @Kurisan , @darthbernael , @Adalia-Durron
     
    AgentViper007, Oct 21, 2020
    #17
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  18. HanSolo29

    HanSolo29 RPF/SWC/Fan Art Manager & Bill Pullman Connoisseur star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2001
    IC: Aryan Graul
    Briefing Room, Aboard the Tantive IV, Ajan Kloss

    Aryan wasn’t surprised to learn that the mission parameters were inherently complicated. Sneaking into a First Order stronghold within the Core was perilous enough, but things became increasingly more difficult when you factored in the main objective – eliminating a high-profile target and getting back out without being detected. It was akin to suicide, the typical case for these sorts of scenarios.

    And yet, the impending danger didn’t really faze him. Maybe he had simply reached a point in life where the risk seemed inconsequential. While he still examined the holo display and listened to the others as they provided their feedback, the old man refrained from contributing to the conversation at this time.

    Instead, Aryan reclined back and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowing with suspicion when Temmin addressed the group. The man had granted him a pardon by emphasizing that this was purely a volunteer assignment. He could leave now without any further repercussions…

    But that went contrary to his ‘arrangement’.

    Were they trying to manipulate him by luring him into a trap? Or perhaps this was a test? He could think of no other reason for Temmin to directly offer him such a proposal. It was an insult to his commitment and determination. He knew what would happen if he declined to participate.

    A slight scoff issued from Aryan’s lips as he canted his head to meet Temmin’s gaze. “You make a tempting offer, but I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for the duration,” he drawled evenly, his words laced with a hint of animosity. “I thought we already established that.”

    TAG: @Sinrebirth; @Jerjerrod-Lennox; @Kurisan; @darthbernael; @Adalia-Durron
     
    HanSolo29 , Nov 10, 2020
    #18
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  19. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    IC: Poe Dameron
    Briefing, Ajan Kloss, Tantive IV, meeting room B

    Positive responses all around; brilliant; sarcastic latter response; less so. Poe noted that Aryan and Snap had beef to deal with, but that was clearly part of what had to be worked through. He nodded to Snap to speak on, who took the hint.

    "Four, with me," Snap said, and lead Aryan from the room. That left the others, and Poe watched them go. "They will be taking care of our extraction plan, and as we may have to put boots on the ground, I don't want any of us to be captured by the First Order and spill our escape plan." He winced slightly. "If Kylo Ren gets a hold of you, there is literally nothing we can do to stop him from forcing you to speak. Trust me, I know."

    He did, having been interrogated to almost death by the man a year ago. If Finn hadn't broken him out... well, things for the galaxy would have turned out much more differently. Or would they? It was Rey who met BB-8, and Rey who flew the Millennium Falcon off Jakku... if not for her, but then again, it was Finn who helped them sabotage Starkiller Base... and it was Poe who had put the final dent in it. The three of them had interlinked and interwoven fates, and Poe, who had see a lot of this galaxy, was inclined to shrug and trust the Force or whatever.

    He looked at Tiber, addressing his question. "We're gonna steal a ship so we can ride it into the Kuat system. That's what I need the Y-wing for," he said, noting Dev. "With the ion torpedoes and ion cannon - the latter manned by yours truly - we can knock one of the ships offline." He tapped a display, showing a Raider mark III corvette.

    [​IMG]

    https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Raider-class_corvette

    "I'll pilot it through the Kuati network, and once we track down the Kyber crystal we can work out what to do about it." He thumbed his chin in thought.

    "We have two torpedoes each, with the X-wings carrying proton, not ion like Five." He eyed Jessa and Zara. "The bluffer is going to be key for us getting close enough to the Raider in the first place, so if you could make sure it's working, Two, Three that'd be great." He strove to keep sarcasm from his voice, but was at pains to use their call numbers for emphasis and memory.

    "Five," he returned his gaze to Dev. "I want BB-8 to come with us, and he's looking to meet you at your Y-wing and check things over."

    He turned back to One. "I need a chat with you separately, as you'll be leading the Squadron when I'm aboard the Raider."

    "We have jobs to do, so, dismissed?"

    —-
    A room over

    Nodding to Aftab Ackbar as they rounded a corridor, Snap led Aryan into a separate room and folded his arms.

    “Alright, out with it. Yes, I know about you from Poe and Leia, and yes, I have opinions on it. In order to reduce squadron drama, and in their infinite wisdom, we’ve been paired together.”

    He regarded the small room, which was basically a utility cupboard about the old Blockade Runner. “So I’m either pilot or gunner; take your pick.”

    TAG: @darthbernael (combo with GM), @HanSolo29 (combo with GM), @Adalia-Durron and @Kurisan (combo with each other if you fancy), @Jerjerrod-Lennox (combo with GM)
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2020
    Sinrebirth , Nov 11, 2020
    #19
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  20. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    Jess Pava
    Tantive IV – Briefing Room B
    Ajan Kloss, Outer Rim, Cademimu Sector, not far from Phaeda

    Jess winced as Poe hinted at what the dread Kylo Ren was capable of. She had heard about his ordeal, and had no wish to live through it herself.

    As more details came out of the mission it started to make sense to her. An old Raider Mark III seemed an odd choice at first - but of course it did not have the up-to-date systems of many First Order ships, making it a more viable target to steal.

    Jess could not miss the atmosphere in the room after Snap had ordered Aryan out for a private "chat". She wondered if the explanation about the need-to-know status of the escape plan was true... or complete. She sighed, more used to dealing with machines than people.

    That reminded her. Poe had made clear the bluffer needed to work - and work well. And Chrischa had offered to help her install them. Uncomfortable with the silence left by Aryan's departure, Jess felt a compulsion to fill it.

    She grinned at the Twi'lek. "That would be great! I have found a slot to install them on the X-wings - in the astromech well. We just need to put a dedicated line and switch to the cockpit to activate/deactivate. I tend to isolate the power supply from other systems. It's quite easy so if you could help slot them in to each ship, that would be a help."

    She bit her lip, and realised she needed to explain the capability of her little invention to the team members still present.

    "This bluffer... it's not a true cloaking device. It absorbs sensor waves, so creates little black spots on a sensor sweep screen, rather than registering a return. A very attentive First Order technician might notice. And if a focused sensor is pointed right at a ship with my bluffer, it would became apparent that something is not quite right there. So, the closer in range we get to those sensors, the higher the risk of detection."

    She took a breath and looked around the remaining pilots to ensure this was all sinking in.

    "Furthermore, it only affects sensors - it does not hide our visual or engine sound. So if we were to use it to approach a planet, for example, we would still need to find a place to land far away from where we might be seen or heard. Approaching a Raider is easier, as long as we don't fly right up to their bridge viewport!"

    One last glance at her fellow pilots.

    "And... I'm afraid it interacts with energy shields, so we can't use it in combat. Once the shields go up, the bluffer has to go down. You should instruct your astromechs to automatically do that in case we get caught hot and forget to do it manually."

    She smiled again. "But apart from that, it's very effective."

    TAG: @Sinrebirth @Adalia-Durron (wanna combo?) @Jerjerrod-Lennox @darthbernael @HanSolo29
     
    Kurisan, Nov 11, 2020
    #20
    Sarge , Sinrebirth and HanSolo29 like this.
  21. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    [OOC: Apologies for double post. Combo with the brilliant @Adalia-Durron to continue above conversation...]

    Jess and Zara
    Tantive IV – Briefing Room B

    Zara listened, tilting her head slightly as she did so, before speaking carefully. "I'm willing to help you and learn. It seems your education outstrips mine."

    She was impressed by the young woman. Sure, her parents had taught her how to pull down and rebuild a ship, but never really touched on modifications. Her mother had told her that she'd had a tech who'd done all her mods.

    Jess nodded. She remembered from Zara's earlier self-introduction that the Twi’lek had no formal training, yet could still strip and rebuild a T-70. That meant she was a very quick learner indeed! And probably had a good pair of hands, too. Jess checked around the meeting room. It seemed Poe had dismissed them.

    "You want to go put them in now? We can test them, too."

    Zara stood. "Sounds like a plan, let me get something on that I can get dirty, and let's get dirty!"

    She grinned, her clean pointed white teeth showing as her lekku twitched excitedly. Zara loved getting dirty, it had been the bane of her parents' existence.

    * * *​

    Less than thirty minutes later, Jess stood beneath the T-70 fuselage in her overalls, and was impressed with how quickly the "Princess" had jumped into her own work clothes. Jess had a feeling that, despite the confident and brash exterior of the beautiful Twi'lek, she may have discovered a kindred spirit when it came to her love of tinkering.

    "Hi! This is Rolo," Jess gestured to the droid beside her.

    Rolo beeped.

    Then Jess turned to a bench with five units of cast plasteel. Each rectangle was the length of a medium blaster, with its own built in power cell.

    "This is them. Not much to look at, I guess. Come on, let's get up the ladder and I'll show you the place I think is best. It's in the astromech well so the droid can repair easily if something goes wrong."

    Zara's coveralls were old and grubby, but so comfortable. She smiled and inclined her head to the droid. The young woman seemed so excited and that was nice to see; passion was important in one’s work, her father had taught her that attention to detail was crucial.

    Zara studied the items on the table. They were somewhat unremarkable. Jess suggested she follow her up the ladder. "Sure."

    She watched as Jess climbed before she did the same.

    "Bit crowded up here," she said as she swung herself sideways and threw a leg over the nearby engine. Pulling herself up she smiled as she now straddled it. "I can see from here."

    Jess reached for a hydrospanner and clasps that she had prepared on her belt, then leant over and into the astromech socket.

    "Right here, between the life-support and flight recorder - most secure place, right?"

    She proceeded to fix the device to the inside of the well with just one clasp for now, to show ideal position.

    "I'd put four in, to make sure it is snug. The projector does not have moving parts, but too much turbulence that overloads the inertial dampeners will jolt the connection. Then it's just a matter of feeding the line into the switch in the cockpit."

    She sat back up and looked at the purple-skinned pilot ace

    Zara nodded, one lekku curled over her shoulder, showing her interest. "Quite simple really, but somehow very eloquent. Nice job."

    Jess said, "Thanks for your help on this. Five ships would have taken a while. I'm thinking the B-wing might need two - with overlapping bubbles..." she hesitated. "So... you said something about Royal blood, but that you are not Bakuran?"

    Jess cringed. She was terrible at making small talk, but was curious about the glamorous woman.

    Zara sighed. "Yeah, on my father’s side, though I'm adopted."

    She flipped her leg over the engine and gracefully dropped to the deck. "Royal family kinda died out, my dad and granddad are the last really. I have no plans of claiming any nutty titles...." She looked up at Jess. "Besides, there are two brothers and a sister ahead of me."

    Zara put her hands on her hips, "And the oldest is the only real heir."

    Jess was impressed. "Well, that's still cool - I've never met a royal before, except General Organa of course - oh, but don't call her that!" She changed the subject quickly. "Do you think you will go back to Ryloth, when all this is over?"

    Zara frowned and tilted her head to the side. "Why? Wasn't even born there." She shrugged, "I'd be an outcast due to my accent anyway, Bakura is my home."

    She looked around. "Which next? I'll give it a go."     She looked up again. "Where are you from?" Zara guessed the woman - no girl - was younger than herself. "And how'd you get stuck here?"

    "Oh..." Jess looked away. "I grew up on Dandoran... Hutt space, but my family were taken by pirate slavers. It was the Resistance that rescued us... I wanted to become one of them."

    She let the memories slide away then looked back to Zara.

    "Why don't you do your own first? I'll do Black One. We can take a look together at the B and Y-wings later, but I don't want to... you know... interrupt whatever the guys are talking about."

    "Sounds good." Zara looked over, "And they're talking 'guy stuff', which is pretty boring, most the time is just ego inflating."

    Zara turned to the table. "There's plenty of time to hear about the size of their egos and the relate that to anything else in their lives... relatively speaking."

    She chuckled. "Let's do this."

    Jess agreed with a nod and they began on their work.

    TAG: @Sinrebirth @HanSolo29 @Jerjerrod-Lennox @darthbernael
     
    Kurisan, Nov 12, 2020
    #21
    Adalia-Durron , Sarge , Sinrebirth and 1 other person like this.
  22. AgentViper007

    AgentViper007 Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2005
    OOC: A combo with @Sinrebirth :)

    IC: Devereaux "Dev" Bombardier, BB-8, Rose Tico, Beaumont Kin
    Location: Ajan Kloss

    So it looked like Dev would be doing the heavy lifting first...with Poe on board as gunner.

    He supposed it was good to have someone who knew what they were doing behind the controls, but the squadron leader? Dev would have to show that he was a good enough flier for this job and not come back this time with a fried Y wing and no gunner.

    It looked like Aryan and Snap were going to work something out, with Jess and Zara doing some work and Tiber talking to Poe. Dev was looking forward to meeting BB 8 and seeing what the little droid had in store for him.

    Dev nodded to the others and left, there was no time to hang around. Attacking a Raider was not going to be easy. At least the X's would help him, although what Aryan and his B wing would be doing was another question.

    As he headed back out into the jungle he eventually found his Y wing, back up and running, painted in the black and orange of Black Squadron. Dev always nicknamed his craft Thunderbolt, as like any bolt it struck fast and hard.

    "Hey there little guy" he said greeting the orange and white droid "I hear you're coming with us. So, what's the latest on my chariot of fire?".

    "It's alright, actually," came a female voice from the other side of the fuselage. "You've kept it in good shape."

    BB-8 tweetled an affirmative, as Rose Tico emerged from the port nacelle. "I was able to boost your engine output by 10%, just need to make sure the starboard one does the same," she added, indicating with her hands, which she was in the midst of cleaning with solvent. "I'm Rose," she said, went to offer him her hand, and realised it was still a mess and stopped.

    "You're Dev, right?"

    A young woman appeared and Dev had to smile. Rose Tico was well known for tinkering with starships and her knowledge of ships. He didn't realise she had been working on his.

    Dev took her hand and shook it "Good to finally meet you Rose. Yes I am Dev Bombardier, bomber extraordinaire" his smile grew at that.

    He turned serious "Well she looks in better shape now then when she did when I returned from the last mission" Alaris's face popped into his mind again "But I think 10% more on the engines should do us, don't want this bird to break up"

    "Any more tweaks you've made with your droid pal here?".

    "Yeah, I heard about Alaris," Rose said, a bit sadly. "That must be hard on you."

    Unsure exactly what to add, she pressed on with the tech analysis instead. "Well we've just gotten started. I hear Poe is riding with you on the mission to -" Rose caught herself before saying it aloud. "Either way, we all know he's a bit of a speed-freak."

    BB tweetled an affirmative.

    "With his X-wing laden up with repairs since the Batuu, he's having to accept a command position." Rose looked a bit distant. "You joined up after Crait, didn't you?"

    The pang of Alaris's loss still hurt him and his expression turned sad "It was. One of those moments where you wished you told that person everything, but it turned out to be too late" he didn't know why he was telling Rose this but he supposed she wouldn't go mouthing off to the others about it.

    But then he brightened up "Yes I did indeed join up with Black Squadron after Crait. I was still a Y wing pilot before that, mostly flying single seaters. Being a Corellian piloting comes naturally" he smirked at that.

    "Why would I fly one of these when they are considered to be old bangers? Because they literally unleash hell, hitting the First Order where it hurts. And that's the main thing here. To show them that even a Resistance can make dents in them".

    He chuckled "Oh and Poe is getting nowhere near the pilot's seat, I've only just got Thunderbolt back. I don't want him flying this thing like an X wing and breaking it" he thought of something "Maybe perhaps one day I could take you out with her, show you how she works".

    Rose gave him a look which said. I know what you're angling for fly-boy, but before she could voice as much, there was another interjection. "Rose, Leia is looking for you?"

    He was a young man, not even strictly speaking a soldier or pilot, but a historian, a prodigy in his field, who had given up everything to join the Resistance. Smiling, he held out a hand to Dev. "I'm Beaumont Kin, one of the General's advisors; nice to meet you, sir."

    Another young man appeared as Rose seemed to reject his offer of a flight. This one definitely didn't look like a pilot or engineer, more like he spent his time looking at datapads.

    Be polite, no swaggering…

    "Devereaux Bombardier, call me Dev" he said taking the man's hand and shaking it "Black Five and pilot of this mighty steed" he said giving the Y wing a pat "I can't interest you in a flight in the Y wing? Sadly I don't think Rose is too keen…."

    He looked at her and smiled "I'm sure BB-8 and me can handle the rest if you need to see the General".

    Rose scoffed. "I just know what will happen." She looked amused. "We'll go in the stars, you'll tell me how beautiful it is, and show your sensitive side to me. Then you'll show me some secluded and similarly beautiful part of Ajan Kloss that you scouted earlier, set us down there, and expect instant romance. Every flyboy does it."

    "Um," Beaumont, for his part, was scarlet with embarrassment. "I think I'll pass, Dev, if that's alright?"

    BB-8 sniggered, suggesting he was happy to go up.

    Dev pointed at BB-8 "See that is one droid that enjoys going up into the black" he smiled "A shame really, maybe i'll just enjoy it by myself…."

    He then placed his hand over his heart "You wound me Rose. Not all flyboys want what you've just described. Besides I never did that with Alaris, we were strictly professional. But over time we started talking personally and do you know what?. We still worked well together. And then one day she's not there anymore. And you wished she still was".

    Dev hadn't meant for that last bit to come out as an emotional outburst but it had.

    Rose looked a little guilty, Beaumont too. He had been wanting to find some empathy and she hadn't seen beyond her preconceptions of pilots. She blamed Poe, personally. He was always making those eyes at someone. Sometimes she caught him pouting at Finn, the next at Rey... guy was all over the place.

    Shaking her head, she put some sympathy into her tone. "Sorry, Dev, I was only joking, but the General does need me, no?" Beaumont nodded as she glanced at him. "So I'll have to pass."

    "I can go up with you if you want?" Beaumont sounded conciliatory. Not pitying, just more understanding.

    BB-8 squealed; as long as he got to come too!

    Dev nodded at Rose. He usually covered his personality with bravado but when it came to Alaris it was different. She had meant a lot to him and getting a new gunner….it would be different.

    He looked at Beaumont his smile returning "The more the merrier. I need to give this girl a spin, see if she's fit enough to fly. And don't worry I won't be doing any acrobatics".

    He looked down at BB-8 "Yes little guy you can come too. I want to see how you and my ship get on, especially if we are about to head off on a important mission"

    Dev tapped the ladder "Climb aboard, will only be a quick flight. I don't want Poe to think we were running off".

    Beaumont cleared his throat and nodded. Rose sketched a quick salute, and off she went.

    The historian slowly climbed in, taking the ladder so placed, and BB-8 hitched himself up with his grabber and rolled to the astromech slot. Beaumont heavily sat in, already slightly red with exertion, and did a thumbs up. "I'm in!" He sounded more confident then he looked. BB-8 tootled that he, too, was ready.

    Dev had to chuckle at the young man's enthusiasm as he climbed in. He popped on his helmet and did a quick comm and systems check before starting her up and closing the canopy.

    It seemed rather weird to be back in the hot seat once again. But he was thrilled in a sense that he was taking his bird up to fly once again. He hoped that Rose and BB-8 hadn't done a massive amount of tinkering.

    "This is Black Five to Control" he said "Just taking my wishbone out for a quick test flight. Won't be long".

    "Hope you're nice and comfy there Beaumont" he said with a smile "You're about to get a rather nice view of Ajan Kloss".

    He lifted her up gently getting the feel of the stick in his hand once again. It was strange not to have Alaris keeping an eye on his rear but he would eventually move on.

    "Alright BB-8 hope you are nice and snug there. Keep an eye on things and give me a heads up if she starts to get temperamental".

    Dev pushed the stick gently forward and took her slowly up and away from his landing spot.

    Beaumont made appreciative noises, pretending to be okay to start, but he slowly but surely calmed and enjoyed the flight. "Is this something you used to do with Alaris a lot? You were... wingmates, yes?" He was being tentative, but he also saw how much she had mattered to him - he was clearly grieving - he couldn't stop mentioning her.

    Dev was about to make a comment about Beaumont poking his nose in but stopped. Maybe it was good to maybe talk about it.

    Corellians were mostly known for being brash arrogant flyboys. Dev himself was certainly like that sometimes but maybe he could just let it out and move on.

    He looked out over the jungles of Ajan Kloss as he brought the Y wing up into the atmosphere and then into space itself. It made you appreciate sometimes how beautiful planets were.

    "We were wingmates, flight partners whatever you want to call it. We called ourselves The Dream Team. We worked well together blasting First Order fighters and hardware and places to pieces. Of course it didn't start that way".

    "We didn't get along very well first of all, she thought I was arrogant and cocky, I thought she was too timid. But we got talking and we worked well professionally and personally after quite a few bumps along the way".

    "Then one mission we get ambushed. Escort nowhere to be seen. TIE fighters swarm us, I try to get us out...bang. Hit hits Alaris. I go into a full feral rage trying to blow them to pieces, my Y wing gets shot up. Make it to hyperspace with my Y wing falling apart. I manage to bring her in, she catches fire as I hit the deck".

    He shook his head "She was too young to die. I had to comm her parents to say sorry. It hurt...badly. I suppose that's why I'm a bit concerned about getting a new gunner. So it doesn't happen again".

    Beaumont was quiet for the moment, making sure Dev had it all out. Even then, putting it into the world, it didn't end the pain. That would take time; a lot of time. It had been a long year for a lot of the Resistance, and for every gain they'd made, they'd lost heavily. Even the Battle of Batuu, though a win, had bled off a lot of the ships they'd collected since Crait.

    A lot of people.

    "You need someone to cover your back though, Dev. It's lonely out here."

    BB-8 tweetled an offended tone.

    "Someone else," Beaumont amended. "The more, the better, right?"

    Dev chuckled at BB-8 "Don't worry little guy you are covering my back this mission. Hey you ever get tired of being Poe's astromech you can be mine, you can cover my back all the time then".

    Dev turned serious as he practiced a few maneuvers, making sure the wishbone wasn't going to shake or rattle anywhere.

    "True" he responded to Beaumont "Poe will be with me for the start of our upcoming mission. After that...well it depends I suppose who is up for it, or if I just get assigned one".

    "It would have to be someone whom maybe is competent enough to handle the gunnery position, keep an eye on things at all times and whom is able to work with me as a team. And maybe whom I can have a chat with on downtime. I just don't want what happened with my last gunner to happen again".

    "And i'll make sure to tell them if it ever does get personal how I feel this time".

    "Yeah, I'm not that competent," Beaumont said, drily. "Leia mainly uses me for researching the Sith and other dark side influences... oh and I'm helping Rey translate the Jedi holy texts."

    "But, you're welcome to chat to me whenever you feel like it, Dev. I'm not a front-line crew, so I'm usually here anyway, or wherever we'll end up next," he said a bit drily. "It's only been a year since the war began, we still have a long way to go, after all."

    "Though, as you say," Beaumont added. "Those unfulfilled feelings will stick with you; wing-mates should be your partners, I gather." He seemed to have a private moment of thought.

    Dev smiled at that as he brought the Y wing around to face Ajan Kloss itself, the planet did look beautiful from up here, hopefully he would be returning to it after Poe had grabbed whatever they needed for their mission to Kuat.

    Well there was always the chance you didn't come back. But Dev was confident he could get there and back in one piece.

    "Hopefully we will get to chat, I usually hang around pilots all day so it would be nice to talk to someone else. Not just about missions, or where Rey and that will be heading off to next. But other stuff. Sadly it won't be over a glass of good old Corellian Ale".

    He turned serious "I suppose you are right about the whole partners thing. But again it's who you get partnered with. You could still do well professionally and in private they could hate your guts. But hopefully that someone and me will be an effective team."

    "You have to take your chances when you get it. I've learnt that now, especially in this war".

    "If we need me to pick up a rifle and head to the front, we’re probably in trouble,” Beaumont said, laughing.

    “But thank you for talking with me about this, Dev. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.”

    BB-8 chirped sympathetically. He also confirmed that the engine Rose had worked on was outperforming the other so they would need to get back to sort that before they left for Kuat.

    “Kuat?” Beaumont said, voice rising slightly in apprehension.

    Dropped the ball on that one little guy.

    "You might not want to tell Beaumont that BB-8" said Dev with a sigh as he took the Y wing back through the planet's atmosphere and headed back to his landing spot "Yes he took a ride but that information might be classified".

    He sighed "Poe wants us to head there, unfortunately that's all I can really say as I don't know if anyone is supposed to know our mission. All I can say is something important is there and yours truly is about to embark on a crazy ride".

    Dev didn't know how Beaumont was going to take that news.

    Beaumont gaped a bit. “Ah, okay. I can’t really tell you to be careful. I mean, I know the mission to Corellia was a near-miss,” he said, referencing a raid which saw the Resistance free a group of New Republic prisoners from a slave auction. “But I’m sure, um, Poe has it in-hand. He’s always good at the plans, after all.”

    The mad plans, basically.

    BB-8 blatted harshly.

    “Leia doesn’t tell me everything,” Beaumont said defensively. “I doubt you know about -“

    The droid shrilled an order.

    “Good point,” he said, chagrined. “I’ll keep quiet, BB-8, promise. Sorry, Dev.”

    Dev brought the Y wing in to land smoothly, once he touched down he shut down all the systems and unbuckled himself before turning slightly to face him.

    "Sorry Beaumont, I wish I could tell you more since we've started basically having a friendly chat. Maybe perhaps when it's all done I can regale you with this tale. And it will probably be one hell of a ride" he smiled."Maybe you can tell me some of the stuff you have been up to".

    He took his helmet off and opened up the canopy "Besides, Poe will be in the gunners seat so hopefully he and BB-8 will keep me protected, plus my flying. I'll be back before you know it"

    Dev pulled himself up and out of the pilot's seat activating the ladder and climbing down it "Oh and I don't mind you telling me to be careful, just don't tell me the odds".

    Beaumont grinned. Everyone knew not to tell a Corellian the odds. Han Solo had made it the official motto of his homeworld. “Never, I promise.”

    He sorted through his feelings, concerned he would never see them ever again; it was Kuat after all. “I can however say this; May the Force be with you.”

    BB-8 did a victory toot. At that, he smiled, and sketched a formal salute.

    Dev grinned and saluted back "And also with you".

    He did feel a little sad about possibly not seeing or talking to Beaumont again. But he had to look after his squadmates for now and hope that they got through the mission. Because that was all that mattered now.

    "Come on little guy, we'd perhaps better go find Rose to finish Thunderbolt off. Then we'd better find Poe as he should have hopefully finished his chat with Tiber…."

    TAG: @Sinrebirth , @HanSolo29 , @Kurisan , @Adalia-Durron , @darthbernael
     
    AgentViper007, Nov 14, 2020
    #22
    Adalia-Durron , Kurisan and darthbernael like this.
  23. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager VIP - Game Winner

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    IC Tiberionel 'Tiber' Ordwgal and @Sinrebirth as Poe
    Briefing and then individual briefing

    Tiber grinned as Poe addressed his question, not truly surprised that, in part, it was going to be by the seat of their pants. Chances were, if they could even get to this crystal that they’d have to blow it, and themselves, in place as the First Order would defend such an asset to the best of their abilities. And attempt to retake it just as zealously.

    As Poe continued to use their Flight signs rather than callsigns it spoke to Tiber even more about how much this was or would be a suicide mission. Yes, once near or around the FO craft, imitating them and their rigid use of flight signs would give them even a few minutes more but by starting now it kept things as impersonal as it was possible to be.

    He listened as Poe continued, giving out assignments, then nodded at the mention of a separate briefing so that he could get final orders before they headed out, for once Poe was aboard the Raider. Hooking his ankles together and swinging them to and fro, he grinned. As Poe dismissed them he spoke, ”Here or elsewhere, boss?”

    "Here," Poe said, pretty firmly. "Right," he pressed a point of the display, and he brought up the Kyber crystal. It was large, and the scale showed it as larger than an X-wing. "Alright," Poe said.

    "The idea of Kyber is that you run a laser through it, and the whole thing is amplified." He gestured a photo up of a lightsaber. "A small crystal is used in a lightsaber, which gives you a pretty accurate idea of how much of a problem what the First Order is doing represents..."

    He flicked back. "The old superweapons were full of these crystals, raided from Jedi holy worlds." He looked at it unhappily. "If the First Order gets a hold of this, there is a risk they will be able to work on another planetkiller. Possibly not to the extent of Starkiller Base, but any superweapon is a super-problem."

    "Following?"

    Tiber whistled softly at the size of the crystal, understanding the need for the Raider even more now. There would be no way that they could steal and depart the system with it in just the fighters.

    ”So it’s a focusing lens of some sort, whether small like in their lightsabers or large, very large in this case. Something that size, used in a weapon could be devastating.” Tiber said softly. ”We cannot let them have it, even as high as the cost could be.”

    "Exactly," Poe said. "Even if they place it in a Dreadnought, it would give them the ability to wreck any planet." He tapped a few points. "The old Empire had a whole series of 'axial superlasers' planned for their ships," the pilot added, bringing up images of Sovereign and Eclipse-class warships. "Seems the First Order has the same plan; to create a weapon that can merely crack the crust of a planet."

    He pulled up a picture of Jedha, which had been hit by only one reactor upon the Death Star.

    [​IMG]

    https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/s...est/scale-to-width-down/500?cb=20171115221112

    "So this is the problem. Do you agree that we need to stop these, no matter what?"

    He was over-egging the point, but there was a reason for that.

    Tiber cocked his head, feeling that Poe was trying, quite hard to emphasize the point.

    ”You’ve made it clear, whether intentionally or not, that this is essentially a suicide mission. Yet we all are still here and all have committed ourselves to the mission. I don’t know how much the others have noticed that but, to me it’s apparent.”

    He gestured at the cracked, broken, hulk of Jedha, ”If the FO can get these crystals and create very mobile platforms of SDs that can do that, the galaxy is screwed, there would be no way to come back from it.” he said, soberly.

    Poe nodded. "Which means we might have to cut our losses and just blow the crystal, right?"

    "And with that energy refraction rate..." He pulled up the image of Kuat again.

    "We'd be causing a lot of collateral damage," Poe sounded unhappy at the thought. "The workers, who are likely enslaved, let alone the population, if any of the shipyard crashes on-world." He looked at Tiber. "I'm only telling you this. You'll have one extra torpedo, that nobody knows about. Everyone else will have just two; got it?"

    "I'll be on the Raider, with BB-8, so you'll be in-charge in space."

    Tiber winced at the thought, but if they had to blow the crystal personal guilt wouldn’t figure into it. He tried to think through the calculations of the energy refraction and that spare torpedo, if he had to use it, would mean that none of them would even notice more than a bright flash before they became component atoms.

    He nodded, ”I’ve got it. We’ve got to do this as well as possible because otherwise we have to destroy a good portion of one of the most populated planets of the galaxy, as well as ourselves, which could also be used by the FO to turn the unaligned planets against us. This just keeps getting more and more complicated.”

    He smiled, not as cheerful as it had been before, but still there, ”We will get this done and I will lead the team when you’re aboard the Raider. And do so, the Force hopes, without destroying Kuat.”

    “Kuat has planetary shields,” Poe said. “If we can get them to put them up, the explosion will only damage the shipyard. But that means breaking cover and simulating a major attack.”

    “We can’t do everything, but you need to keep in mind that if we can’t get the Crystal out, we have to blow it.” Poe didn’t sound happy about it, but it was what it was. “We’ll just have to do what we can.”

    His expression was clouded. “Snap and Graul have the extraction mission sorted, like I say.” Again, his voice sounded concerned by that too.

    Tiber gazed at the display again, ”The KDF is going to notice something no matter what we do, but we do have to get in there and get to the crystal for it all to occur anyway.”

    He heard the concern in Poe’s voice, ”As you said, we cannot plan for everything, but no plan ever fully survives contact with the enemy so we can only plan the best we can and try to make everything occur that way.”

    Poe nodded. "Glad you understand. We need to light the fire... but not at the expense of people. The First Order may not care, but we do," he said, thinking of all the worlds that Kylo Ren had ordered slagged since he became Supreme Leader - Tah'Nuhna, Chandrila, Aeos - and pursed his lips. "We're not going to win this otherwise."

    "So even if you have permission to blow the crystal, it's on us to make sure it's our absolute last resort."

    He switched off the holoproj, picking it up and pocketing it, before he turned and met Tiber's eyes. "Understood?"

    Tiber’s usual grin was absent as he met Poe’s eyes, ”Yes I understand completely. If I can get it out of there by pushing it with my X-Wing I will to avoid that.”

    TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @Adalia-Durron, @Kurisan, @Jerjerrod-Lennox, @HanSolo29
     
    darthbernael , Nov 15, 2020
    #23
    Sinrebirth , Kurisan, Sarge and 2 others like this.
  24. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    IC: Poe Dameron
    Clearing, Ajan Kloss

    They reconvened, Poe not adopting any of the seriousness on his face as he led Tiber back to the rest of the Squadron. He nodded as Dev and Beaumont landed their Y-wing, BB-8 tootling a greeting as the two of them closed. Poe smiled, waving at his droid. Rose had been waiting, and she exchanged a few words before eying Poe.

    He nodded slightly, and Beaumont, less inconspicuous, looked back, clumsily at that, waving and nodding. Poe could have shook the man. So much for checking up on Dev quietly. Dev would likely pick up that Beaumont and Rose had caused an emotional moment to check on his wellbeing, Black Leader smiled warmly at Dev notwithstanding, looking for the others.

    Ah, there they were, Jess and Zara putting the finishing touches to their fighters. "Alright," Poe said, speaking loudly enough that any other pilots and techs working on the other dozen or so starfighters they had left could hear, but he intended to keep it vague. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, we're heading out. If anyone has any last-minute thoughts, now would be the time."

    "I do," came a frail but strong sounding voice, and Leia stepped into the clearing, a bustle of aides behind her, including Kaydel Ko Connix, Maz Kanata and Larma D'Acy. Though Leia stepped forward unaided, Kaydel and Larma almost hovered besides her, and Poe stepped aside to let her take the center of the conversation, hitching up on the Y-wing's nose.

    The woman swept the group with eyes that pierced them each, seeing them in all ways. She was the heart of the Resistance, but everyone could tell that her surviving the attack on the bridge of the Raddus a year ago had cost her badly, not just in the terms of the friends she had lost, including Gial Ackbar, but physically, and the woman seemed a bit pained in her motions, a bit thinner, a bit paler, adding a tragic regality to a woman who already represented that in every atom of her body - as the Princess of the long dead world Alderaan.

    Her eyes took in Jess's enthusiasm, and appreciated it, her eyes twinkling gently in amusement.

    Her eyes took in the seriousness at the heart of Tiber, and accepted it, her eyes hard and both soft in understanding.

    Her eyes took in Zara and her seemingly cavalier exterior, and accepted it, her eyes looking at her hurt and warming it.

    Her eyes took in Dev and his pain, and accepted it, her eyes respectful and grateful for his continued service.

    "Your mission is no less essential than those that we undertook in the Rebellion, though it does not involve holding the line, stopping a superweapon, or chasing back the enemy from the helpless. It is a mission in the shadows, walking through them and risking your heart as well as your body," her voice was a soft timbre, but it forced those around her to quiet, and only the distant noises and bustle of the base were evident as she spoke. "I cannot offer you anymore resources than what you have, and though I am sure Poe will use them creatively..." There was a snort from him at that, "you must understand that nobody else will be coming for you."

    "All I can do is thank you, because you will undoubtedly be unsung heroes today, and hope that I see you again." Her voice caught slightly, and they could tell, notwithstanding the hundreds upon thousands of time she had sent young men and women to their deaths against the Empire and First Order, that she felt and absorbed the gravitas of each mission every single time. "May the Force be with you."

    Into that moment, Poe clapped his hands and hitched himself up to stand on the nose of Dev's Y-wing. "To your fighters, Black Squadron. Your astromechs all have the coordinates we are taking. I'll see you when we get there."

    He slipped into the gunnery seat and keyed his comlink to the others. "Black Leader, set."

    Their astromechs let them know their jump target.

    Horthav, in the Kuat Sector.

    Twenty five minutes distance from the largest and most heavily defended systems in the galaxy.

    TAG: @Adalia-Durron, @Kurisan, @Jerjerrod-Lennox, @darthbernael

    TAG: @HanSolo29 (continue combo)
     
    Sinrebirth , Nov 25, 2020
    #24
    HanSolo29 , Adalia-Durron , Sarge and 3 others like this.
  25. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    IC: Jess Pava
    Clearing, Ajan Kloss

    [​IMG]

    Jess finished her work with Zara, then looked up to see the old Y-wing sweeping in to the camouflaged landing field. She saw Dev in the cockpit, and watched appreciatively as he landed it carefully in place. Those little landings, so routine to some, could tell a trained observer a lot about the quality of the pilot, and Jess was impressed.

    Poe also returned, Tiber trailing behind. They were all smiles now. Jess wondered…

    Poe called the squadron together. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, we're heading out. If anyone has any last-minute thoughts, now would be the time."

    Another voice said, “I do.”

    Jess gasped as General Leia Organa entered the clearing, followed by her aides. The regal woman still held that presence that seized everyone’s attention. Though her physical movements betrayed the toll that harsh battles had taken upon her, the defiance and power of will was still evident. She climbed onto the nose of the Y-wing to see them all.

    The General’s eyes, so wise and kind, took them all in.

    Jess wondered… what had those eyes seen in such an exceptional life? Here she was looking at the sister of the greatest Jedi, Luke Skywalker, destroyer of the Death Star and the pilot she most idolized in the galaxy. And the General herself, so many great things she had accomplished. It was humbling.

    Jess listened raptly as Leia made her speech. Her heart swelled at the words, as she realised this would be a moment she would remember for the rest of her life. She was so proud to be a member of this special group.

    Her smile faltered a little as Leia hinted at the prospect they would not return. Sure, Poe had made effort to make them understand the same thing; this could well be a suicide mission. But Jess could not accept that. Poe always found a way, just like Luke and General Organa, they were kind of immortal in her eyes. And by association, Jess had a pure faith that it would not come to that.

    Poe jumped onto the fighter-bomber next to the General and gave the order for them to scramble. Jess nodded and dashed to her X-wing. Rolo was already in the astromech socket and hooted to her.

    “Yep, here we go again, Rolo!” she smiled at the droid as she clambered into her cockpit and began the lift-off sequence.

    Engines ignited and began cycling toward full power up. Technicians cleared the area. Jess hit switches and watched the “ready” symbols light up on her console. Rolo plugged the hyperspace jump data into the navcom.

    “Black Leader, set.” Poe’s voice came over the comlink in her helmet.

    Jess awaited her turn in the sequence then replied, “Black Three, set!”

    When the squadron had all checked in, she increased the throttle and lifted off far enough above the tree canopy to be safe.

    Then, at the same time as the others, Jess fired the jets. The T-70 arrowed toward space, and the adventure that awaited them…

    TAG: @Adalia-Durron, @Jerjerrod-Lennox, @darthbernael , @HanSolo29 , @Sinrebirth
     
    Last edited: Nov 26, 2020
    Kurisan, Nov 26, 2020
    #25
    Sarge , darthbernael , Jerjerrod-Lennox and 1 other person like this.
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