There is But One Penalty!

[Kara Runo]

​

In Character Information​

​

Under direct order from Grand Moff Palpatine and approved by the Empress herself, the Imperial Fleet is hereby ordered to confiscate any and all ships of the former Empire. Our first target is located in above the planet of Anloth. It appears as if a upstart admiral from Crina has taken it upon himself to try and begin his own Empire; declaring himself Emperor and rallying troops to his aid. It appears that most of his forces believe that the Empress was slain at Crina and the leadership with her.

These dogs must be dealt with permanently. At the moment it appears that they have only older Imperial model warships and most of them are still being repaired in orbit; thus are not combat effective. These ships are rightfully ours by inheritance and their acquisition is top priority. As such an Imperial Fighter Wing will be sent in system outfitted to capture these vessels.

The squadrons standing orders are to infiltrate the system and neutralize the operational star destroyers while they are at dock. Once this is completed, the main fleet can jump into the system and safely capture the docked vessels or wipe out the traitors!

It is up to the squadron how they wish to proceed. They may simply disable the operational vessels or destroy them, their numbers are so little that their fate is of no concern to the Empire. As for any enemy fighter in the area, they are traitorous dogs and must be dealt with.

Order 5: There is but one penalty for treason. Death.

Out of Character Information​

Pilots
[member="Kara Runo"]
[member="Alva Calvarona"]

[member="Usa'ar Obath"]
[member="Jared Starchaser"]

Opposition: TIE Fighters, TIE Interceptors, Laser Defense Satellites, Star Destroyer Point Defense

Targets: 1x ISD I; 2x Victory Class;

Intelligence Notes:

• An asteroid base represents the Crinan Admiral's base.
• A basic shipyard built into the asteroid is being used to retrofit these capital ships. The vessels are docked facing away from the asteroid to space. However the ventral hull sections are all exposed.
• There are five defense satellites orbiting the asteroid.

 

[Kara Runo]

Her Majesty's Sleight of Hand - Command Deck

Lt. Commander Kara Runo sat leaning back in a chair staring in boredom at the holoprojector of the command deck.
Her legs propped on the projectors terminal, helmet resting on her lap, hair falling back over the chair.
She was going crazy. One week since dropping out of hyperspace just outside the system. One week of silent approach.
Her gaze had tracked the Rauzana stealth frigates plodding since entering the system.
Anloth was finally in sight and so was the damned self proclaimed Emperor's little base.

It was sad to consider the state of things. The necessity of this mission for example. The loss of Crina. Being on the run.
Back in the some what hey day when we were burgeoning the Imperial News Network would likely have been all over this mission for Public Relations and Propaganda spin.
Now though it was merely an elimination of our shame.

Kara had only one desire right now and that was to get in that cockpit and deliver the justice held inside those bomb bays. Like an executioner cleaving the spineless upstarts head from his body with axe, or better yet a hammer slamming down.
She had recently joined the ranks of TIE Pilots taking on the status of prestige that came with it. Sure her life span may have shortened a little, but what was life without a sense of adventure and thrill?
Besides that her days of piloting shuttles and heavier assault craft weren't over, just on the back burner.

An outward sigh escaped as they were nearing the green light moment. That moment when they would deploy. It couldn't get here sooner.
Probably should be doing last minute checks on the TIE Punisher, but considering how every hour for the last week she had practically been checking the damn thing it didn't feel warranted.
Stir crazy was not something anyone should be subjected too. Maybe the sith, but no one else...

She unclasped her hands and stroked the top of her helmet.
The other pilots were likely just as itching to get this going.
Soon.

 

[Alva Calvarona]

[member="Kara Runo"] [member="Jared Starchaser"] [member="Usa'ar Obath"]

Alva didn't look at this mission as eliminating a shame, it would hurt too much then thinking about it considering how hard the Empire had been as of late. However, they were still strong, regaining their strength every day and getting closer and closer to being ready to reclaim the galaxy once more. This was a sign of them regaining strength, taking back things that were theirs that was. After all, a warlord with Imperial Star Destroyers needed to be liberated of their unearned vessels. It would be up to their squadrons to do the task, which they were all hopefully up for. With the TIEs put together for the fighter wing undertaking the assignment they had the ability to do their mission quickly the crinan woman hoped.

The TIE Seekers, Defenders, and Hunters all bore a heavy ion cannon in additional to being some of the strongest and fastest TIE fighters developed by the Empire over the years. Even then they were not the only ones either, and the Empire had every intention to use every tool and weapon at their disposal. All they needed was a little more time to collect everything, to bring themselves together so that their full might was arrayed and ready to be brought against their enemies. Just like the power of the Empire would be levied against this boastful fool who had the gall to try and claim authority for themselves.

They just needed the all clear to go, but until then Alva was more than content to wait in the hangar for the Stealth Frigate's captain to give the order to deploy. They were going to get as close as they could before fighters launched, so the enemy had as little time as possible to mount a defense against their attack.

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Jared Starchaser was the type of loyalist who had his own things going on. Typically, he was working with a PMC that was doing its best to keep the galaxy clean of the distraction of Force users that relied on a religion. Or the parts of the galaxy that gave people too many useless regulations. He was of the mind that Pellaeon was the one to respect, and Thrawn. They allowed people to be who they were in the Empire, and that was part of the reason he had found himself working on the PMC he was a member of.

The Dawn Treader was an aging vessel, but she was the ship responsible for carrying the Warbird Wing, and they were out on extended trips to represent Imperialism.

Sure, the crew may pay lip service to the true Empire, but they were waiting for proof that this new Empire was different than the Sith Imperialists. He had taken a detachment from Warbird Wing, a flight from his Peregrine Squadron, four TIE Exalts, his chosen ship. He was awaiting orders in the hangar, all ships were green. He had no care for command, he was here to fly.

And test this Empire.

[member="Alva Calvarona"]
[member="Kara Runo"]

 

[Usa'ar Obath]

It felt good to be back in a starfighter again.

Granted, Usa'ar wasn't his own captain, and had to learn the complex control scheme of the TIE fighters, but his recent employment with the Galactic Empire turned out to be a nice, steady job; there was certainly a lot less anxiety about where his next meal would come from in between contracts. He had gotten to brush up on his piloting, learn self defense skills, and never had to worry about food or money. All he had to do was follow orders. Not always his specialty, but he could sacrifice his recklessness for a bigger cause. As long as the cause didn't profit the SIth.

So now Usa'ar sat in his TIE fighter in the hangar, triple-checking every system in the small ship. The mission would prove interesting, and he was sure his commander was capable. He couldn't wait to start.

[member="Jared Starchaser"][member="Alva Calvarona"][member="Kara Runo"]

 

[Kara Runo]

A shadow drifted over Kara. It was the Captain of the Slight of Hand. "Ma'am, we are nearing the green zone. You should get to your TIE."
"Finally, what is the current status?" Kara sat up with joy. She picked the helmet off her lap
"Ma'am the enemy have not detected us. It appears that there are a few active flights of tie fighters and tie interceptors patrolling in a broad picket line. Looks like the moment you deploy they'll know we are here. The Dawn Treader will arrive from Hyperspace here and once that happens I'll be pulling back as we cannot afford to risk this vessel in combat" As the Lieutenant spoke Kara couldn't help but trace the the IFF tags of the opposing force. Each little tag representing a couple of TIE Fighters or Interceptors.
"Yeah, gotcha Lt. Hit the void, cut through the jocks, skim the dust, pop some ion doom on our foes. All while strategically catching them in a pincer" She spoke with enthusiasm coursing in veins suddenly. She stood up from the chair and in a smooth motion donned the black skull like helmet. A smile crept across her face as it clicked shut.
"Right Signal the Dawn Treader once we have launched. Our surprise pincer attack will leave this upstart little warlord inept to respond properly!"
"Yes Ma'am"

Kara left the Command deck and made for the hangar. Kara took a breath to push away any anxiety. It didn't help that her old co-pilot Frank "Delta Two" had died back on Crina. It would be odd to fly without him in the cock pit. She smirked as the thought that now it would be difficult for the big guy to get inside a TIE cockpit let alone pilot one of them with out her.
As she made her way across the hangar deck to her TIE Punisher attention was drawn to the red bloodstripes that marked the wings of several TIE Seekers. The 181st. Led by the war hero and salvager of the remnant, Princess-Captain [member="Alva Calvarona"]. It was a distinct honor to fly alongside her. It was said that she had even gained status as an Imperial Knight.

Kara's gaze soon turned to some of the other craft piloted by some of the new pilots. She knew one of the pilots [member="Usa'ar Obath"] was among them. It would be the new blood that will help rejuvenate the ailing Imperial regime and bring our glory back onto the galactic stage once more. Kara just hoped they were all up for the task.

She climbed up a catwalk that would lead to her stoic craft of death. 'Ignition check, engines check, weapons check, sensors checks, shields check, thrusters... check'
Kara was the odd pilot out as she was the only actual bomber among the fighters. Certainly though the Tie Defender being the heavy fighter it was would be up to the task. The TIE Seekers having proven its design many times. Now the TIE Hunter was the only one Kara had yet to witness perform. "Of course I've only been piloting this weapon for a few weeks now" she muttered. The pilots of the Warbird Wing onboard the Dawn Treader were rumored to be crack pilots who supposedly could make a TIE/LN maneuver like it was a leaf on the wind. Perhaps the hotshot pilot [member="Jared Starchaser"] would prove this rumor or myth to be true today. More rumor of their TIE Exalts being of superb.

"This is Delta One 'Widow Maker' to Flight Control I'm green light for deployment just say the word"
"Right, All flights stand by for deployment"
"Launch in five, four, three, two, one, clear for launch!"

 

[Alva Calvarona]

[member="Kara Runo"] [member="Jared Starchaser"] [member="Usa'ar Obath"]

Was it time to get going already? It felt like things were moving quickly, time flying by just as they say, although Alva wasn't quite certain she was having fun running pre-flight checks on her TIE Seeker and looking over the starfighters in the hangar as she admired the red paintjob marking those of the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing. The elite pilots and supporting technicians for their craft were the best in the Empire, or at least history always claimed them to be, and Alva was determined to keep them that way, and if the false dogs in the One Sith had an equally fake unit then she wanted the real Imperials to be better than them in every way possible.

Starting with their behavior and piloting ability as the call for pilots to climb into their fighter craft came in over the stealth frigate's intercoms. Pulling herself up the ladder to haul herself over the rack her TIE was cradled in, Alva would hop inside the cockpit as she pulled on her flight helmet and sealed her suit. Flicking the private channel open for the Imperial Squadrons on board the crinan woman would address her fellow pilots as she secured herself and ran her hands over the controls to bring her engines online. "All pilots this is Captain Calvarona, remember the objective for this assignment is to disable the capital ships in dock before they have a chance to launch. Make sure your ion cannons are prepped and keep your formations tight. You will all be required to dodge flak and pursuers until our ion blasts overload the star destroyer's systems and prevent them from being able to move. Once everyone's made the run break up your squadrons into your flights and engage the enemy fighters. We need to clear those out if they resist so the fleet can come in and pick up the capital ships this so called warlord had the gall to take for themselves. Check your systems and report in, prepare for launch. For the glory of the Empire!"

Flicking the frequency back to the overarching signal, Alva listened in as everyone ticked off on their flight checks ready for launch. Chiming in herself for Skull Squadron, the crinan woman gripped her controls as she closed her eyes for a moment and released a deep breathe just before the command for deployment was given. "Skulls on me, we're taking the lead." Pushing the accelerator forward, Alva listened as the Ion Engines screamed as her TIE Seeker burst out of the hangar bay of the Rauzana Frigate and rushed into the darkness of space, the asteroid base not far off and the enemy patrols even closer. Clutching her firing controls, Alva prepped the ion cannon to charge while picking up trajectories for her TIE Seeker's concussion missile launchers in case a salvo was needed to shake up the opposition's pilots if they tried anything funny.

 

[Usa'ar Obath]

This was it. Usa'ar let out a deep breath and checked all his flight systems for a fourth and final time. "Skulls on me, we're taking the lead," crackled in his comm system to let him know the mission was now a go. Slowly rising his TIE Seeker, he waited for [member="Alva Calvarona"] and the other pilots in his squadron to launch out of the hangar before he hurtled after them to take his place at the rear of the formation. The scream of the engines felt good in his ears; it was a sign of dominance, of intimidation.

The red blips on his radar indicated the closeness of the enemy patrols. A few groups of basic TIEs; overall, they shouldn't put up much of a fight. However, the main point of the mission was to disable the Star Destroyer. Not chase fighters and destroy them; that would be secondary. Usa'ar nudged his fighter closer to the formation and awaited the initial confrontation.

[member="Alva Calvarona"][member="Kara Runo"][member="Jared Starchaser"]

 

[Jared Starchaser]

The Exalt, why people would fly anything else was beyond him. Sure, his father was flying in a Rassilon these days, but that fighter was another work of art, beautiful and aggressive. Probably the same designer somewhere. But Jared, as much as he was growing into not-your-typical Imperial was here to fight, and fight in a unified TIE centric combat exercise. They were doing exactly what the Warbird Wing-Dawn Treader nomad-warriors were used to, targeting Imperial warlords and eliminating them if they weren’t doing things properly. And the Remnant? They were, for the most part, right up Jared’s alley.

Dawn Treader was in agreement to make an appearance. Bring in another ImpStar to show where the real Empire was, and to provide support. She was a home-ship nowadays and hardly engaged in combat. Should the enemy get close, which meant they had to get through the 174th (Warbirds, Honor and Distinction) that would launch from the ship and eliminate anything that came at them. Jared had Peregrine, well, a flight from Peregrine, to work in to the local teams.

“We’re good to go, ‘Grines.” Jared announced when he heard the clear for launch. It was time to get out there and show what was going to happen. Treader had entered the system and the whole of Peregrine Squadron, the group of Warbirds flying the Exalts, the rest were between Flashpoints and an early model Advanced fighter, launched. Flights two and three would be the escort for the Treader while Jared took flight one to meet up with the rest of the Imperials.

“This is Peregrine One, to Squad, flight one is breaking off, two and three, guard the Roost.” Roost here, for anyone still reading, was the slang for the Treader. She was home, and the pilots were her birds. And sure, the Warbirds had their call signs, but this was a military mission. If Sleight Actual wanted to get at him, Peregrine One would work just fine. Until the Warbirds integrated or accepted that the Imperial Remnant was what they were looking for, they’d keep their callsigns personal. It might not be that big of a deal, but the Warbirds were a … unique bunch of PMCs.

“This is Peregrine One to Skulls and Deltas, bringing in four Exalts for support. Just paint me some targets.” And get out of his way.

[member="Usa'ar Obath"]
[member="Alva Calvarona"]
[member="Kara Runo"]

 

[Kara Runo]

"All pilots this is Captain Calvarona, remember the objective for this assignment is to disable the capital ships in dock before they have a chance to launch. Make sure your ion cannons are prepped and keep your formations tight. You will all be required to dodge flak and pursuers until our ion blasts overload the star destroyer's systems and prevent them from being able to move. Once everyone's made the run break up your squadrons into your flights and engage the enemy fighters. We need to clear those out if they resist so the fleet can come in and pick up the capital ships this so called warlord had the gall to take for themselves. Check your systems and report in, prepare for launch. For the glory of the Empire!"

“This is Peregrine One to Skulls and Deltas, bringing in four Exalts for support. Just paint me some targets.”

The comms came alive as the TIE Punisher roared through the Void.
In space there was no sound, but inside a cockpit was a cacophony of sound. A contrast but one that strangely brought a serene sense of being whole.
"For the Empire!" Kara proudly replied to Captain Calvarona's stirring speech. Peregrine One's deployment was arguably a great sign of things to come. Kara looked forward to see their skills in the fight.

"Delta squadron lets keep it tight, the Skulls are taking the lead and will scatter the enemy in front us. Let the Hunters and Seekers surgically strike while we bring the hammer!"
The three other pilots of Delta 'squadron' keyed back with motivation. Kara had sought these few out, she wanted to make an impact in improving the Starfighter Corp with quality versus quantity. The days of mass pilots being used were behind the Empire, for now at least. A reliance on both well trained and equipped pilots is what would bring the Empire back to power!

'Speaking of quantity'
"ALCON we have two flights of TIE/LNs approaching from my low 11 o'clock about 25 kilometers out we've got TIE/INs approaching from our low 1 o'clock at 110 kilometers, looks like they were hugging that defense platform!"
She relayed while assessing the radar.
The nearest defense station was roughly 125 kilometers away which meant that soon we would be heading into its range of effective fire. Once it put a blanket of flak we would have a difficult obstacle to get around.
Although bulkier than most other TIE classes the Punisher had only a certain degree of agility.
What it lacked in agility it made up in durability versus that of the older TIE/SA bombers.
That fact alone brought a lot of assurance as the enemy loomed closer.
"Delta's shifting priority target to that defense station, if we take it out the Skulls can push through to the primary objective"
She ordered to her flight.
Switching frequencies to speak to Captain Calvarona.
"Skull Leader, Delta squadron will be striking the defense station ahead, we'll clear the way for you"


-Sleight Actual
The Flight Controller established and synchronized its Tactical data flow with that of the Dawn Treader.
A flight of TIE/LNs that appeared to be patrolling further out from the enemy base had begun moving to intercept Peregrine One.
Although little match for the Exalts they potentially would prove a nuisance enough to slow them.

The Tactical Officers quickly concluded that the enemy had kept its TIE Interceptors close to the Star Destroyers acting as a sort of reserve to respond against hostile intrusion. This information would shortly be relayed to all flight leaders.
Likely this mean't that the TIE Fighters were holding the outer picket patrols to entangle any intruders just long enough for them to react appropriately.
This rogue Warlord had a good strategy of defense. However they were outclassed which was why this battle would not last to long.
Unless of course they deployed those Star Destroyers.
Time was a key and the element of surprise only held an advantage for so long.

((made some slight edits)

[member="Jared Starchaser"]
[member="Usa'ar Obath"]
[member="Alva Calvarona"]
[member="SC-4486"]

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

SC-4486 was in the cockpit of his new sleek, and uncomfortable unfamiliar TIE Hunter, The TIE Hunter was a starfighter specifically made for Storm Commandos to pilot but he was having trouble getting used to it, he would have to tweak with it when the mission was over, He had about six other Storm Commandos piloting TIE Hunters with him, and currently, they were all out of formation in the anomaly of hyperspace, They were literally just put on this mission about two hours ago, and had to leave in a hurry to catch up.

"Alright, we should be arriving in about twenty seconds, prepare to exit hyperspace." He stated over the communication channel he had with his squadron, He had aptly named them "Storm Squadron" after the legendary Imperial squadron from Tatooine, He felt tired from all the missions he had been doing lately, "Two invasions in about two weeks" He thought "I need a damn vacation", He returned from his thought and said through the com channel "Exit Hyperspace in 5...4...3...2..1!" He counted down as he pulled a lever back and the blue anomaly that he was in suddenly turned into many streaks of stars, which then became regular stars.

He could see a planet, an astroid, and some Star Destroyers, He was exited about 4 Kilometers from the main fighter force and was closing in, He opened a channel to [member="Kara Runo"] and said "This is Lieutenant Corvax of the Storm Squadron, Requesting orders!"

[member="Kara Runo"]
[member="Alva Calvarona"]
[member="Jared Starchaser"]
[member="Usa'ar Obath"]

 

[Alva Calvarona]

[member="Kara Runo"] [member="Jared Starchaser"] [member="Usa'ar Obath"] [member="SC-4486"]


It didn't take long for the pilots of Skull Squadron to notice the enemy TIEs that had been hiding their signatures behind the mass of a defense platform, quickly being picked up by the sensor suites of the Imperial TIE Seekers moments once they began approach vectors. The Imperial Remnant had had a number of Exalts available to them once they began their migratory period upon leaving Crina, but honestly she couldn't see any reason to use them over the TIE Seeker or even the TIE Hunter or Defender. The Defender had the heaviest shields and most firepower when compared to most of the TIE Series, and the Hunter was essentially the basis for all modern TIEs using shields, hyperdrives, and missile launchers. Heck, the Exalt was a bit of a failure in the Crinan woman's eyes. After all, while its armaments were impressive, it was definitely slower and less maneuverable than the Seeker, and when taking into account the Seeker had chaff deployment measures and an Ion Cannon for versatility there was just no comparison. The Exalt was better off as a bomber compared to the Defender than a lean superiority fighter like the Seeker or even the older Hunter.

With the touch of bias out of the way though, and not a moment too soon considering who was on the comms, Alva listened in as the various reinforcements of additional Imperial Commandos and the Peregine Wing came into the system. Between them and Delta Group, who was already so kindly offering to make a run on the defense platform without having to be asked, they were well on their way to an easy victory. The realization hit Alva that this was likely how the Rebel Alliance had done things back during the Galactic Civil War, the only real threat was the Star Destroyers, so if they disabled those then their starfighters could clear out the rest of the enemy. She had to start wondering if the irony was picked up by the other pilots as well.

Regardless, the Imperial Captain was quick to pick up the comms and keep up with the ever changing flow of battle. "Peregrine One this is Skull Leader, scanners show you have incoming enemy units. Break through them and catch up to Delta Squadron, provide them with an escort on the defense platform if possible. Keep an eye out for the flak. Skull Squadron will keep formation and continue on for the first run on the docked Star Destroyers, Lieutenant Corvax bring Storm Squadron behind us for the second wave and pick up the targets we miss. Keep an eye on the sensors for any surprises and an ear out for allied callouts. Skull Leader out."

The whole point of Peregrine providing cover for Delta wasn't that Alva doubted the expertise or capabilities of the craft or the pilots of them, but the enemy formation did leave the crinan woman worried. Rogue or not, the warlord was a capable officer. Keeping the TIE Interceptors close in while the normal TIE/LNs ran the outer patrol perimeter was wise. Those Interceptors could cross space quick and reinforce the standard TIEs much quicker than if they had been deployed vice versa. Even though unshielded too they were probably some of the fastest craft still out there, and ever since the original days of yore TIE Interceptors were only given to the best who could handle them, she didn't want to risk the bomber group to something far faster and more agile, dogfighting those things would be a pain.

As for the regular TIE/LNs engaging them for now though. "Skulls lock on targets and release a concussion missile on the lead enemy squadron. Break them up and let the laser cannons shred the group behind them. We're breaking through the enemy units for our run. Ignore the defense platform, dodge flak if it comes our way but leave the attack run on it to Delta." With that said, she had to lead by example after all, so with a flick of the control board, Alva toggled the activation sequence for one of her launchers concussion missile payload and let it fly out, the warhead bursting forward to impact the lead fighter of the incoming enemy response squadron, the cockpit bursting into flames as it careened into its wingmate.

Death to traitors of the Empire, and Glory to the True Imperials.

Someday the dogs following the Sith would meet the same fate.

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

"Lieutenant Corvax bring Storm Squadron behind us for the second wave and pick up the targets we miss. Keep an eye on the sensors for any surprises and an ear out for allied callouts. Skull Leader out." SC-4486 heard [member="Alva Calvarona"] say over the comms, He nodded to himself and replied with "Copy, Skull Leader, bringing in Storm Squadron now, He then opened the channel to his squadron and said "Lock S-foils in attack position, accelerate to attack speed and regroup in formation behind Skull Squadron, over", He received a handful of "Roger, Storm Leader"s from his squadron.

SC-4486 pressed the control console and the s-foils of his TIE Hunter opened to create an X-like shape like the the T-65 Starfighters or "X-Wings" that the Rebellion used, This meant that they could fire their weaponry, but they did not go as fast as they would've if their S-foils were closed. His squadron had been outfitted with two ion cannons and a photon torpedo launcher, in addition to the two laser cannons that most TIE fighters usually had, "Storm Squadron, charge your ion cannons and prepare to target those docked Star Destroyers on my order, Take out enemy starfighters that are in our way for now." He said.

They had made a standard V formation behind Skull Squadron, and they began to destroy the TIE/LNs and TIE/INs infront of them, to clear a path through the Star Destroyers, SC-4486 did not need to use his targeting computer most of the time, as his shots almost always hit, the Force was with him, he just didn't know it.

[member="Kara Runo"]
[member="Alva Calvarona"]
[member="Jared Starchaser"]
[member="Usa'ar Obath"]

 

[Jared Starchaser]

The pilots in flight one, they were the same as how Jagged Fel once showed up to see how the galaxy was dealing with the Yuuzhan Vong. Expeditionary, able to make decisions for the home ship based on Jared Starchaser’s assessment. He’d be getting his orders from Sleight of Hand and letting the Dawn Treader monitor the fight from afar. Should they decided to come in, they’d bring the rest of Warbird Wing and the ship herself in, but waging war with the families aboard was a silly move, and one they didn’t take lightly.

There was work to be done and he was awaiting his orders, still, he had a few klicks before he and his flight ended up near the engagement.

The order for the TIE/LNs came in and Jared nodded. “We’ve got their vanguard patrol.” Peregrine was actually just a squadron. Warbird Wing was the wing of three combat fighter squadrons and two support squadrons. Jared was only bringing in Peregrine Flight One. Him, his wingman, and another pair of tried and tested pilots that he trusted. “Will meet with Delta.”

He nodded and reached out to his pilots. A minor Force meld would allow them to work together as a cohesive unit, and it helped that Peregrine Three was also a Force user, albeit minor, very minor. The thought spread from Jared to his team, move to attack speed and knock them out of the sky. Skull Leader spoke a lot.

Jared didn’t.

Warming up his blasters, he pushed the Exalt to combat speed and started marking targets. One and three would be taking the fight and two and four would provide cover. But coming in with the advanced fighters from a long way out? They had gotten the jump on the TIE Fighters. They’d arrive at the enemy fighters soon. And close in, use guns, save warheads for targets who deserved them.

[member="SC-4486"]
[member="Alva Calvarona"]
[member="Kara Runo"]

 

[Kara Runo]

"Ball's in our court boys and girls, lets sunder this rock!" Kara reveled in motivation. Adrenaline slowly began to enter in her system. A few flashes of light cast themselves into her cockpit as Storm Squadron and Skull Squadron initiated a fight with one of the TIE/LN flights. The second flight of TIE/LNs made their presence known as green bolts of dual laser fire cut up from below toward the Deltas.

"break left!" The pilots all pushed up on the throttle and to the right. Rolling hard diagonally the flight moved as one relying heavily on thrusters to keep from breaking up formation the flight returned to on their target path. The TIE/LNs weren't done though as two of the flight broke off to engage the Skulls head on, the other two came after Delta.

Kara's sensors lit up that they had been painted. "Stay on target, our deflectors will hold" The two TIE fighters cut across the flight path after landing a few shots on the flight.
"thump thump" of the deflector shields performing admirably briefly offset Kara's targeting monitor. The shields held at 77%.
She flipped a toggle over a few times, switching which weapon system to be loaded and readied for firing. Both ordnance pods were switch to proton torpedoes. "Fire on my mark" she spoke while getting the targeting reticle centered on the platform.

Defense platform ahead was cylindrical in shape with two large laser cannons on either end were presumably long range and a half dozen smaller cannons around its mid axis.
A fairly basic design. Kara made it a point to target just below the mid axis line. They were just close enough to launch and break when its long range cannons began to fire. Not at the bombers but in the direction of Skull squadron and Storm Squadron. The accuracy was what would be expected of an Imperial trained force, precision shots aimed
"What a foolish decision..." She muttered having forgotten the TIE/INs were approaching into the fire arc of the smaller cannons.
"Fire!" She bellowed and they unleashed a salvo of eight torpedoes at the defense platform.
"Break, Break, Break!" She shouted as the pair of TIE/LNs had caught up on their six.
She and her wingman, Delta Two, banked left and steered into a downward spiral.
The two TIE Fighters split off from each other each chasing a pair of the Delta's
Kara looked up to see their salvo of torpedoes being fired at by the defense station.
The TIE/INs moved to pick off the torpedoes as well.
It was all to no avail though as three beautiful explosions blossomed from the defense platform and sent it into a careening mass of fragmented metal as it was severed in half.
"Yes!" She shouted with glee but her joy evaporated thanks to the TIE fighter shooting at her rear. Their spiral had only gave a little breathing room but even being an outdated fighter the TIE/LN still had the advantage of maneuverability. The "thump thump" and flicker of laser fire around her made for a stressing moment.

[member="Jared Starchaser"]
[member="SC-4486"]
[member="Alva Calvarona"]
[member="Usa'ar Obath"]

 

[Usa'ar Obath]

Usa'ar's heart thumped in his chest as he veered left to avoid a deadly trail of laser fire from the enemy ships. The dogfight was getting a tad bit intense. He didn't have time to mull that over in his head, however, as he targeted a stray fighter and engaged it. This pilot was pretty clever. The enemy ship swerved down and then rolled upwards, successfully dodging Usa'ar's lasers and getting behind a large crater on the asteroid. "Not letting you get away, today, bud..." Usa'ar absent-mindedly said to no one in particular as he accelerated the TIE Seeker after the ship.

From a few glances at the radar, it seemed that the battle near the asteroid was well in the Imperial Remnant's favor. However, they still had the main objective to get to. Focusing on the enemy fighter that he was gaining on, Usa'ar frowned in concentration. He'd have to hit it with a concussion missile, obviously, as the pilot was expertly weaving away from him. Come on. Just a little... bit... closer! The concussion missile shot out and streaked towards the target, successfully detonating the enemy TIE into several hundred small pieces.

[member="Kara Runo"] [member="Jared Starchaser"] [member="SC-4486"] [member="Alva Calvarona"]

 

[Alva Calvarona]

[member="Kara Runo"] [member="Jared Starchaser"] [member="Usa'ar Obath"] [member="SC-4486"]

Now the combat seemed to be beginning in earnest. However, the various fights breaking out were not very encouraging despite the nature of the fact that the Imperial Forces, her's to be precise since the traitors they were combatting likely believed themselves to be in the right for some odd reason as well, were clearly dominating their foes. The mission wasn't to win every dogfight and wipe out the enemy fighter wings. It was to make whatever number of attack runs were necessary to disable the capital ships still housed within the enemy's docks. Which they needed to do before the warlord brightened up to the threat they posed and brought the various warships online. It was a test of time more than it was a typical battle to merely wipe out the opposing force.

Not that there wasn't plenty of that, as Delta Squadron appeared to be quite a good job of eliminating hostile targets as the destruction painted a beautiful view outside her cockpit's viewport. The falling wreckage of what had once been the defense platform brought a grin to Alva's face as she led her squadron onward towards the still berthed star destroyers, though her sensors started to pick up a flurry of activity that the crinan woman didn't much like. The TIE Interceptors that had been holding back were now finally being deployed in response to their success against the enemy's outer patrols, which meant that better units flown by better pilots would be coming at them all next. Something Alva didn't much like considering it was only going to be more trouble.

Especially with a few people currently dog fighting.

"All units enemy Interceptors inbound! Delta, Peregrine, follow up behind us in case we don't succeed in our pass and mop up whatever we don't kill in our run so they don't turn around and hit us from behind. Skull, Storm, stay in formation! I don't care whose engaging you keep focused and remain on target!" She wasn't a fan that some of the pilots had disengaged from the group to pursue the enemy. It was wasting time and risking the rest of the group and she thought at least members of Skull would be better than that. Nonetheless she could rely on most of them and the one or two who had split away should be rejoining the squadron shortly. Just in time for them to pass by the incoming TIE Interceptors their opponents were piloting, green laser fire washing over both the Skulls and their counterparts they were engaging.

Only the Skulls were emerge mostly unscathed, their shields holding under the brief duration of the swing while the enemy's unshielded craft's armor couldn't match the defense needed to survive. Though considering how agile each craft was as well, there was plenty owed to the ability of the Starfighters and their pilots to avoid the devastation as well. Not that Alva intended to continue it, satisfied enough she had clipped one of the opposing fighters and managed to pull her own craft to the side of the returning barrage. "Delta and Peregrine if you could pick those stragglers up for us so we can finish our run it would be much appreciated. Skulls and Storms on me forget the enemy fighters and prep those ion cannons. Watch out for enemy flak, readings show those star destroyers have been warming up. Make your runs quick before their shields are online and they try to leave dock! Aim for the command bridge and main generator housings!"

Powering up the ion cannon on her TIE Seeker's undercarriage, Alva kept an eye on her sensor suite as it showed the rest of her units following suit as well as helping to pick out the housings for her for the capital ship's main generators. The main reactor was too deep in the ship to hit, but they could hit the three bubble like protrusions and the command tower rather easily. So long as they dodged the outgoing fire from the opposition's defense emplacements, which were thankfully rather few on the older vessels. "Skulls on me we hit the pair of ships on the right of the dock, Storms you got the one on the left! Evasive maneuvers now and stick with your wingmates."

 

[Usa'ar Obath]

Man. Talk about being called out. Usa'ar sighed and responded in the comm channel. "I'd rather help our pilots out there then sit around, flying in a straight line, waiting for orders," he retorted. Merde. Talking back to a commanding officer wouldn't help him. Maybe that was why he had never been promoted in his time with the Galactic Empire. Still, he couldn't get used to the whole take-orders-no-question deal. He could see the merits, especially for military cohesion, but there were some moments where things just had to be done, regardless of orders. For the glory of the Empire, and all that, he thought sarcastically to himself.

Like a stubborn dog conceding to its master, Usa'ar's TIE fighter swung back into the formation with the other starfighters.

[member="Alva Calvarona"] [member="Kara Runo"] [member="Jared Starchaser"] [member="SC-4486"]

 

[Graf's Archive Account]

"Roger, Storm Squadron, target the destroyers on the left and prepare to fire, break off from our current formation and prepare for a bombing run" SC-4486 said to his squadron, Storm Squadron broke off from their join formation with Skull Squadron and headed for the Star Destroyers to the left of the dock, He checked his control panel to make sure that his Ion Cannon was charged.

Storm Squadron wasn't really in any formation, they were just continuing with evasive maneuvers as they headed for the dock, dodging laser fire from the fighters and the station defenses. "When we get in range I want Storm Three through Six to continue an unrelenting Ion barrage on that Star Destroyer, target every main system you could reach, Storm One and Two on me, I have an excellent idea." SC-4486 said to his squadron.

And with that, as soon as they got into range, most of the squadron started pelting a Star Destroyer with powerful bursts of Ion energy, attempting to disable the Star Destroyer, meanwhile, Storm Leader, Storm One and Storm Two flew under the Star Destroyer and targeted the inside of the attack hanger underneath the behemoth, attempting to attack it in it's heart.

[member="Kara Runo"]
[member="Alva Calvarona"]
[member="Jared Starchaser"]
[member="Usa'ar Obath"]

 

[Kara Runo]

[member="Usa'ar Obath"]
[member="SC-4486"]
[member="Alva Calvarona"]
[member="Jared Starchaser"]

"Kark, Kark, Kark" Kara swore up and down as the Tie Fighter stayed right on her Six like an insect on a rancors behind. "Delta Two break left in three seconds I'm gonna surprise this fething traitor" She thumbed the weapons to cycle over to a flechette torpedo and set it for 1.5 seconds. Then fired it right as Delta Two veered right. Kara yanked hard on her stick and hit the thrusters into reverse. The Torpedo exploded into a ball of shrapnel pieces and the shieldless TIE flew into the cloud of hot metal. Kara didn't have time to check to see if the bastard had ate star dust as her sensors suite gave another alert of incoming. "Delta Two get back on my wing , Delta Three and Four manuever to point Alpha. These fools think we are the real danger, lets keep them chasing us for a moment until Peregrine Flight gets here. Then we'll break for the Objectives!"
A sharp click and buzz on the comms as acknowledge was all she got as the other two pilots were doing their best to dance away from the lone TIE now harassing them. Kara pushed her Punisher back into acceleration and and shunted a hard right on thrusters to try and get behind this nuisance TIE Fighter. Her shields were fairly drained now sitting at 50%. 'They'll cycle back up soon but grah this is annoying, I should be dropping a payload right onto these traitor star destroyers' No matter Skull and Storm Squadron were going to make the first run at them. Besides playing chicken with these outdated fighters was challenging.