Relina Zhan
Ducha of Gallinore, "Apollyon the Slayer"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPrxCx47eXI
Location: Transitory Mists, Approaching Roqoo Depot
Time: 1300 hours
It was just a routine patrol. Relina had done this once before with minimal action out there among the vibrant colours of the Transitory Mists, which were visible from all planets within Hapan Space making true night on any such world impossible while providing a strong first line of defense for the Hapan nation. The last time she was pressed into this sort of thing, it had been quiet. Pirate patrol duty was a selective service sort of deal for the Hapan Royal Navy. All pilots and ship crews were required to be subject to a periodic compulsory deployment for this all-important necessity for national security. Pulling strings with Naval Command, she managed to get [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] clearance to fly with her and the Angel Squadron, having a mind to see if he could handle Purgatory. While this put a damper in her plans for a date, made quite some time ago, service to her nation took priority. The inconvenience would be worth it, she reassured herself. Compared to recent conflicts, this would be a milk run.
Two Hapan Type N909 Supernova frigates acted as starfighter carriers and as functional AWACS units apart from their normal duty of 'search and detain/destroy'. The Angel's assigned carrier for this mission was the Firedrake. Relina's comm emitted a soft tone, indicating an incoming transmission from the frigate.
"This is Firedrake, acting AWACS for the Angel and Mobius team. You are clear to begin fighter sweep procedures. If anything suspicious is detected, report it immediately. And take care... this space is a known haunt for pirates." Said a female ensign relaying orders from the Supernova's captain.
"Angel One to all craft, spread out and begin your sweep. Weapons safe for all units until further notice." Relina ordered. Command already knew that she would be putting her Jedi companion through a few paces as a pilot, well aware of the Purgatory screening that was the hallmark of the 7th Division, 77th Tactical Fighter Wing and an almost ritualistic requirement for any pilot who wanted to dance with the Angels.
"Yes, My Lady. Angel Two, detaching from formation." Came the voice of Commander Holland "Lance" Roc, Angel Squadron's number two. He was called Lance due to his more aggressive combat style which, at times, made him seem like he was jousting in flight. Incidentally, the term "Lance" had a number of meanings in this part of the Galaxy. A Lance, in Hapan order of battle, consisted of two 6-marine squads, equivalent to a platoon. It was also a fairly common male's name and it also referred to a polearm weapon class. Commander Roc's callsign referred to the latter. He peeled off from his position on Relina's starboard wing and began his circuit around the looming space station ahead.
The others in the Angel Squadron followed suit in turn, each announcing themselves as they detatched from the formation.
"Angel Three, detaching." The voice of Lieutenant Commander Rafe "Screech" Misra, so named because he squealed with a eardrum-piercing screech on his first Purgatory mission with Relina taking him "for a ride" as she called it. Taking one for a ride was where the flight lead would make veteran fighter-jockey manoeuvres with the astromech droid overriding the ship's controls with orders to make the ship follow the flight lead's movements as exactly as possible. A sufficiently skilled flight lead could wreak havoc on a novice, making it part-training and part-hazing.
"Angel Four, Detaching." The Voice of Lieutenant Taritha "Archer" Schiff. She was known as Archer because of her penchant for hanging to the rear of the formation, aft of Relina, and in combat, using long range concussion missiles with impressive proficiency. Having made more than her share of hail-Hera shots in her time, the name stuck. There were higher expectations of her, anyway, considering her cyborg status.
"Angel Five, Detaching." Major Cynthya "Aurora" Nori chimed in. Her callsign was earned simply because she grew up in a far north region of Gallinore where auroras were a common winter phenomenon. She was one of the first test pilots for Project Switchblade, a Paragon Enterprises R&D project that begat the Type M808 Terminus starfighters the Squadron was flying. Her combat flying skills were nothing to sneeze at, either.
"Angel Six, Detatching" Second Lieutenant Anna "Blackout" DuCroix said. Her callsign came from the fact she blacked out during Purgatory, which almost resulted in Major Zhan failing her. She proved herself notoriously persistent, however, which saved her spot in the formation. Growing from the experience, Second Lieutenant DuCroix remains Angel material and has become a pilot worth her wings, particularly in her penchant for not easily letting go of a target once she selects one.
"Angel Seven, Detaching" Commander Kael "Volcano" Lythos, the newest official member of the team, replied. While his callsign sounded as if he were some hot-shot fighter jockey, it actually came about because he vomited after his first Puragotry mission. Has had yet to live down the origins of the name, but through his skill as a combat pilot, he had been constantly attempting to change its meaning to something much more fearsome. Ambitious to a fault, Volcano was about as aggressive as Lance in combat.
Relina then addressed Josh directly. "Angel Eight, stick close to me...." she said, trailing off. She was indeed plotting something, possibly evident in her subtle change in tone. She then switched to Hapan, giving an order to her droid in her native language. "R9, transmit override sequence to Angel Eight's astromech.... let's take him for a ride."
There were snickers over the comm.
"Complied, My Lady" a feminine, almost Human voice replied. The on board droid translation unit translated R9-Z5's binanry chirps into verbal Hapan.
Location: Transitory Mists, Approaching Roqoo Depot
Time: 1300 hours
It was just a routine patrol. Relina had done this once before with minimal action out there among the vibrant colours of the Transitory Mists, which were visible from all planets within Hapan Space making true night on any such world impossible while providing a strong first line of defense for the Hapan nation. The last time she was pressed into this sort of thing, it had been quiet. Pirate patrol duty was a selective service sort of deal for the Hapan Royal Navy. All pilots and ship crews were required to be subject to a periodic compulsory deployment for this all-important necessity for national security. Pulling strings with Naval Command, she managed to get [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] clearance to fly with her and the Angel Squadron, having a mind to see if he could handle Purgatory. While this put a damper in her plans for a date, made quite some time ago, service to her nation took priority. The inconvenience would be worth it, she reassured herself. Compared to recent conflicts, this would be a milk run.
Two Hapan Type N909 Supernova frigates acted as starfighter carriers and as functional AWACS units apart from their normal duty of 'search and detain/destroy'. The Angel's assigned carrier for this mission was the Firedrake. Relina's comm emitted a soft tone, indicating an incoming transmission from the frigate.
"This is Firedrake, acting AWACS for the Angel and Mobius team. You are clear to begin fighter sweep procedures. If anything suspicious is detected, report it immediately. And take care... this space is a known haunt for pirates." Said a female ensign relaying orders from the Supernova's captain.
"Angel One to all craft, spread out and begin your sweep. Weapons safe for all units until further notice." Relina ordered. Command already knew that she would be putting her Jedi companion through a few paces as a pilot, well aware of the Purgatory screening that was the hallmark of the 7th Division, 77th Tactical Fighter Wing and an almost ritualistic requirement for any pilot who wanted to dance with the Angels.
"Yes, My Lady. Angel Two, detaching from formation." Came the voice of Commander Holland "Lance" Roc, Angel Squadron's number two. He was called Lance due to his more aggressive combat style which, at times, made him seem like he was jousting in flight. Incidentally, the term "Lance" had a number of meanings in this part of the Galaxy. A Lance, in Hapan order of battle, consisted of two 6-marine squads, equivalent to a platoon. It was also a fairly common male's name and it also referred to a polearm weapon class. Commander Roc's callsign referred to the latter. He peeled off from his position on Relina's starboard wing and began his circuit around the looming space station ahead.
The others in the Angel Squadron followed suit in turn, each announcing themselves as they detatched from the formation.
"Angel Three, detaching." The voice of Lieutenant Commander Rafe "Screech" Misra, so named because he squealed with a eardrum-piercing screech on his first Purgatory mission with Relina taking him "for a ride" as she called it. Taking one for a ride was where the flight lead would make veteran fighter-jockey manoeuvres with the astromech droid overriding the ship's controls with orders to make the ship follow the flight lead's movements as exactly as possible. A sufficiently skilled flight lead could wreak havoc on a novice, making it part-training and part-hazing.
"Angel Four, Detaching." The Voice of Lieutenant Taritha "Archer" Schiff. She was known as Archer because of her penchant for hanging to the rear of the formation, aft of Relina, and in combat, using long range concussion missiles with impressive proficiency. Having made more than her share of hail-Hera shots in her time, the name stuck. There were higher expectations of her, anyway, considering her cyborg status.
"Angel Five, Detaching." Major Cynthya "Aurora" Nori chimed in. Her callsign was earned simply because she grew up in a far north region of Gallinore where auroras were a common winter phenomenon. She was one of the first test pilots for Project Switchblade, a Paragon Enterprises R&D project that begat the Type M808 Terminus starfighters the Squadron was flying. Her combat flying skills were nothing to sneeze at, either.
"Angel Six, Detatching" Second Lieutenant Anna "Blackout" DuCroix said. Her callsign came from the fact she blacked out during Purgatory, which almost resulted in Major Zhan failing her. She proved herself notoriously persistent, however, which saved her spot in the formation. Growing from the experience, Second Lieutenant DuCroix remains Angel material and has become a pilot worth her wings, particularly in her penchant for not easily letting go of a target once she selects one.
"Angel Seven, Detaching" Commander Kael "Volcano" Lythos, the newest official member of the team, replied. While his callsign sounded as if he were some hot-shot fighter jockey, it actually came about because he vomited after his first Puragotry mission. Has had yet to live down the origins of the name, but through his skill as a combat pilot, he had been constantly attempting to change its meaning to something much more fearsome. Ambitious to a fault, Volcano was about as aggressive as Lance in combat.
Relina then addressed Josh directly. "Angel Eight, stick close to me...." she said, trailing off. She was indeed plotting something, possibly evident in her subtle change in tone. She then switched to Hapan, giving an order to her droid in her native language. "R9, transmit override sequence to Angel Eight's astromech.... let's take him for a ride."
There were snickers over the comm.
"Complied, My Lady" a feminine, almost Human voice replied. The on board droid translation unit translated R9-Z5's binanry chirps into verbal Hapan.
