Cadet Elena Lowe | Talon Squadron
Allies: Tren Chaar | @Cordé Kovacs| Cynthia Alucard | @Mylo Thorne| Haon Hafey | Zaka
Enemies: Electra-12 | Marlon Sularen | CETCOM | Rebirth
Elena strained forward, laying over the divider that separated the gunner from the pilot's seat. Her outstretched hand was grasping for the cockpit's manual release.
The gravity had gone out with the power, and the R-wing was drifting in slow circles. The pilot, who Elena had freed from his harness, was floating, his head and torso suspended over the instrument panel whilst Elena reached over the top of his corpse to try and open the cockpit.
Finally, she got hold of the manual release and heaved on it. The cockpit sprang open, and Elena pushed the pilot up and out. As he floated away, Elena caught a glimpse of the hole the debris had punched through his head, and she winced and screwed her eyes shut until she was sure he was out of sight.
With an arm hooked around the seat to keep herself from floating off into the void, Elena grabbed the cockpit and pulled it closed, clambering from her position in the back to the pilot's seat as she did so. She sucked in a couple of deep breaths. She had to stay calm.
First the power. Elena stared down at the instrument panel. It was so much more complicated than the ship's she had trained with at the war college, with many more buttons and dials she simply didn't understand. Still, the systems were fundamentally the same, so after a few minutes of searching Elena found the switches to restart the ion engine, whooping excitedly as the electronics whirred back to life and light filled the cabin once again. With the HUD online, Elena watched diagnostic messages she barely understood come flooding in. The fighter was clearly damaged, Elena only hoped it would run long enough to get her back to her home ship.
Next she had to sort out her life support. Elena fumbled with the twisting cords and wires beneath her seat, eventually pulling free a thick tube with a release on it that she quickly twisted, affixing the end to her flight suit clumsily. She had only practiced the maneuver once or twice in the academy, but she was glad she had paid attention, as the ship’s air supply was now flowing directly to her suit.
With her air secured, Elena breathed out a relieved sigh, sitting back in the chair and breathing deeply until the shaking in her hands subsided. Once she was calm, she set her attention on the instrument panel. A cascade of warnings were still running down the HUD, and she didn’t have time to run the checklists. She took stock of the messages, which included aileron damage, perforation of the hull and a coolant leak. Elena grimaced. She was no starfighter expert, but she knew enough to know that wasn’t good.
With everything restarted and mounting warnings from the fighter’s systems, it was time to get moving. Elena tentatively pulled on the heavy control column, grinning despite herself as the fighter shifted in kind. She keyed the radio, hoping she was still on the right frequency.
<: “Talon 1-1 this is Talon 1-2, how copy?” :> she waited a few moments and continued. <: “I’ve collided with debris, attempting to make return back to ANV Fermata, requesting escort”. :> Hopefully, that would get her some assistance long enough to get back to the ship and perhaps, never get into a starfighter again.
Elena pushed up the throttle, and with a slight groan the starfighter accelerated forwards. Filled with holes and limping, it turned slowly back towards their home ship, and set off.
Summary:
- Elena takes stock of the accident, removing the pilot and taking control of the fighter
- After restoring crucial systems, Elena radios Cynthia Alucard for assistance and turns back for the Fermata