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Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

[ Lt. JG Callax "Cal" Valin | Squadron Briefing Room | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @SaraKnight @Tae
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It had come as a surprise to the young Ardanan when word reached him that he would be joining the Lone Wolves on a permanent basis. Despite days of doubt, the transfer was now official and Callax could finally begin to process that the Theurgy was going to be home for the foreseeable future. As far as ships went, there were certainly worse options even considering the whole being a renegade Starfleet vessel thing. That was still taking some getting used to.

The surprises did not stop there. Pacing the length of the briefing room, the Ardanan fixed his attention on the PADD in his hand. Fingers tapped on the screen as last minute adjustments were made to the flight plan he had formulated the previous duty shift. Not only would he be joining the Lone Wolves on a permanent basis, he would be doing so as a flight leader with all the responsibility that entailed.

Besides himself, his flight consisted of two officers whose Starfleet records had been made available to him for review. Amissa was an attractive Orion woman, as they tended to be, with whom he had some acquaintance from their stint on Training Center Omega. VanVinter he had only met a few days prior. A newly minted ensign coming from the NCO ranks. They would certainly make an interesting trio.

[ Report to the squadron briefing room at 0900 hours for flight training. ]

He waited for the pair to arrive, having arrived early himself to prepare for the briefing. It was his first as a flight leader and as with most things, he preferred to be over-prepared.

Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #1 –
LtJG Amissa, Callsign “Emerald” | Squadron Briefing Room | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy Attn: @Tae @Eden
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The day had finally come. She’d been patched up. Her exosuit had been patched up. She’d even met a few of her fellow Wolves. And now the time had come for her to begin her training on the Mk III that she was being assigned to.

It was for the best really. The AC-409 Mk III Valkyrie did not require a RIO, which was exactly why she had requested to be assigned to one. There was no way she was ready for someone to step into Diamond’s shoes. However, it also meant that she was going to need additional training since she was going to have to handle all those functions that a RIO handled in the MkII. She had risen early to find the message on her PADD.

[ Report to the squadron briefing room at 0900 hours for flight training. ]

And so she had dressed quickly, preparing for a grueling day of flight simulators and simulated combat drills. In her nervousness, she skipped breakfast even though she could clearly hear Adam’s voice chiding her for not eating. She needed her nutrients.

I need a Sunrise device too, but I don’t have one of those yet either. A bed would be nice, but somehow I doubt that will happen.

She entered the briefing room and spotted Cal there. Callax Valin. She had encountered him recently when her flight had escorted Sapphire Station’s cargo transport to Training Center Omega. That had been a rather interesting visit, but those musings were for another time. She looked at her PADD and noticed that he was slated to be her flight leader. The other person in their flight was that enlisted man turned Ensign she had met in The Den the other day.

“Lieutenant Valin. Amissa. Callsign Emerald. You may remember me from Omega? It appears you’re my new flight leader. It’s good to see you here. How have you been?”

As she had been speaking, she made her way over to a seat near him, though not so close as to be invasive, and gave him her typical charming smile.
Lt. JG Amissa | Fighter Pilot, Callsign "Emerald", USS Theurgy
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Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #2 –
CPO Victor vanVinter  | Squadron Briefing Room | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ATTN: @Eden @SaraKnight

Having received the surprise of receiving orders to report to the Squadron briefing room. The shame of it was that Victor had only glanced at the orders on the PADD, and had wondered why Lieutenant Valin wanted him there. So it was with stained golden coveralls that Victor walked into the briefing room, still wearing the Chief tab on his collar. He hadn't received the promotion yet, though he'd be going through Officer training shortly if he'd been assigned to the Wolves. But Victor was a reasonably quick man, spotting only Valin in the briefing room, and things instantly clicked into place. So it was with a hearty chuckle and smile that Victor made his way to one of the chairs and sat down, still wearing the smile.

"Wow, so the transfer went through. I'm guessing that At some point soon, the Officer training will be coming down the pipe. Uhh, sorry about the Uniform Sir, I uhh, was working on one of the Drones with Chief Arnold out on the deck." Victor gestures to his yellow coveralls stained with a bit of oil and spacecraft lubricants, feeling a bit of a blush coming to his cheeks, and then jerked his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the Fighter Bay in general. Victor gave a polite nod to Amissa when she came in looking a little disheveled like she'd just crawled out of bed and into her Uniform. Victor shakes his head then and then digs around one of the pockets of his coveralls for a bit.

Once finished with that, the Half-Bajoran came up with a partly crushed protein bar and offered the wrapped food-like item to Amissa, and she needed to eat something, even if it was just a protein bar. While Victor was aware that getting caught with his figurative pants down and showing up in his now out-of-date Ops uniform wasn't the best of looks, at least he'd showed up promptly.

"So I suppose that I'll be starting my training with the both of you today then? I look forward to hopping in a Mark three again. It will be wonderful flying with you both, Lieutenants Valin and Amissa, and I look forward to it." There was an edge of excitement in his voice then, and he could barely refrain from smiling even as he sat there in the briefing room chair, clearly attentive and with his eyes and ears open. Victor was more than ready to start working with his new flight-mates. And at least he wasn't paired with fresh Ensigns, so he'd have people with some developed skills to fly alongside. And as suddenly as it came, so did the irony of that thought, the fact that he'd be a fresh Ensign himself at some point in the very near future.

Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #3 –
Lt. JG Callax Valin | Squadron Briefing Room | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @SaraKnight @Tae
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Callax regarded the pair with an appraising gaze as the two entered the briefing room and took their seats. Still slowly pacing the length of the room, he checked the clock on his PADD. Right on schedule. A promising start.

"Lieutenant Valin. Amissa. Callsign Emerald. You may remember me from Omega? It appears you're my new flight leader. It's good to see you here. How have you been?"

“Of course. I never forget the face of a talented pilot,” he said warmly, flashing his pearly white smile. “I am well, thank you. This is some ship, huh? Makes the Oneida look like a Sabre-class in comparison.”

"Wow, so the transfer went through. I'm guessing that At some point soon, the Officer training will be coming down the pipe. Uhh, sorry about the Uniform Sir, I uhh, was working on one of the Drones with Chief Arnold out on the deck.” Callax turned his attention to Victor then. If he was bothered by the man’s uniform--or lack thereof--he did not show it.

“I am certain Chief Arnold was grateful for the assistance. Freshen up before getting into your flight suit though. I do not doubt you know as well as any of us how much of a pain it is to clean those things,” he commented with a knowing look as if talking from experience.

"So I suppose that I'll be starting my training with the both of you today then? I look forward to hopping in a Mark three again. It will be wonderful flying with you both, Lieutenants Valin and Amissa, and I look forward to it,” Victor said as the Ardanan stepped forward to hand each of them a PADD. On the screen was a standard flight plan detailing their objectives for the day.

“They are certainly impressive craft. Let us hope we do not scratch them up too badly,” he said with a chuckle as he stepped over to the podium. “Thank you both for your punctual arrivals. First, the formalities. As you might have gathered, with the squadron reorganization I am your new flight leader. You will find on the PADD your new flight designations. Lieutenant Amissa, you will be Wolf-10. Chief vanVinter, you are Wolf-11. I am Wolf-09.”

Callax tapped on his PADD and the large screen behind him flashed into life to display a map of the Qo’noS system. “Our objective today will be to work on flight cohesion and formation flying. The Klingons were gracious enough to give us permission to use some small asteroids as target practice. We will make several passes of the targets in varying formations and coordinate weapons fire on them. Live fire is authorized for this sortie so be sure to confirm your targets before opening fire. Any questions?”

He allowed some time for the pair to field any questions they might have before continuing. “We each have our callsigns though ‘Troubleshooter’ does not exactly roll off the tongue. Maybe we will come up with something better,” Callax said to Victor, his gaze again resting on the man’s oil-stained uniform, the classic look of a mechanic hard at work. “Besides, you look more like a Fixer to me.” 

Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #4 –
LtJG Amissa, Callsign “Emerald” | Squadron Briefing Room | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy Attn: @Tae @Eden
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"Of course. I never forget the face of a talented pilot," Cal replied with his pearly white smile. "I am well, thank you. This is some ship, huh? Makes the Oneida look like a Sabre-class in comparison."

She returned his gorgeous smile with a pearly white smile of her own. “Indeed it does. It’s definitely quite impressive.”

The other man in the room, whom she had met the other day - Victor, if she recalled correctly - was wearing yellow coveralls that clearly showed his background in maintenance.

"Wow, so the transfer went through. I'm guessing that At some point soon, the Officer training will be coming down the pipe. Uhh, sorry about the Uniform Sir, I uhh, was working on one of the Drones with Chief Arnold out on the deck."

"I am certain Chief Arnold was grateful for the assistance. Freshen up before getting into your flight suit though. I do not doubt you know as well as any of us how much of a pain it is to clean those things."

And that was truth if she ever heard it. Victor dug around in his coveralls and then handed her a protein bar which she took it from him gratefully, another bright smile proffered in his direction. Her stomach growled in anticipation of the meal and she gave a slight giggle at that.

"So I suppose that I'll be starting my training with the both of you today then? I look forward to hopping in a Mark three again. It will be wonderful flying with you both, Lieutenants Valin and Amissa, and I look forward to it."

"They are certainly impressive craft. Let us hope we do not scratch them up too badly. Thank you both for your punctual arrivals. First, the formalities. As you might have gathered, with the squadron reorganization I am your new flight leader. You will find on the PADD your new flight designations. Lieutenant Amissa, you will be Wolf-10. Chief vanVinter, you are Wolf-11. I am Wolf-09."

“Understood. Wolf 10. And I promise not to scratch the paint.” She threw him a playful wink to show she was jesting. Cal tapped in some instructions into a PADD and a large screen light up and displayed a map of the system they were in. It was punctuated by the planet Qo’Nos and several asteroids.

"Our objective today will be to work on flight cohesion and formation flying. The Klingons were gracious enough to give us permission to use some small asteroids as target practice. We will make several passes of the targets in varying formations and coordinate weapons fire on them. Live fire is authorized for this sortie so be sure to confirm your targets before opening fire. Any questions?"

“Sounds simple enough to me.”

"We each have our callsigns though 'Troubleshooter' does not exactly roll off the tongue. Maybe we will come up with something better,"

Troubleshooter? Yeah, that’s not going to work. Besides he looks more like a pirate. What’s that fancy word Humans use? I got it!

"Besides, you look more like a Fixer to me."

“Well, I was thinking Corsair, myself. I mean, look at him, Cal, and tell me he doesn’t look like a Corsair.”

She was trying to be delicate, but with his cybernetic eye and the scars, he definitely looked much like a pirate.
Lt. JG Amissa | Fighter Pilot, Callsign "Emerald", USS Theurgy
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Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #5 –
CPO Victor vanVinter | Squadron Briefing Room | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ATTN: @Eden @SaraKnight

Victor was doing his best not to get all bashful at the comment about his uniform. "No problem at all, Lieutenant. I'll change into the Exo as soon as we're done. Again, I apologize. I thought I was being called in here for...well, anything else." Victor could honestly think of several reasons why maintenance would need to be brought into the briefing room for any one of several reasons relating to mission outfitting for special duties. He took the PADD and paid careful attention to the flight plan. It looked simple enough to him. Out and back, live-fire training on some rocks. Nothing that seemed too unique, aside from the location. In all of his wildest dreams, he'd never have imagined doing this kind of training anywhere near Qo'nos. Though it did bring up one question, several actually.

"The rocks we'll be shooting at, will they be metallic or rocky? And in the case of the former, will we need to vaporize everything once we're done?" Victor rechecked the flight plan and tilted his head. while reading the information on his PADD, paying closer attention this time around.

"Alright, there it is. It looks like we'll be doing this in orbit of that big Gas giant, Qui'Tu. It looks like we should be able to deorbit any debris safely. It looks like the trip is an hour each way following the flight plan we have. Low warp, good, I like that. Will we be sticking to phasers and micro torpedoes for this training exercise, Sir?" Victor kept rereading the flight plan for a bit longer, checking anything he missed. What he couldn't find was weapons loadout. The time spent looking over the flight plan had given him time to mull over the question of the callsign. Not able to stall there any longer, Victor lets out a bit of a chuckle.

"You should meet my friend Enyd. she once called me that back when..." He pauses, and a  bit of blush comes to his cheeks then. He was about to say 'dating,' but that didn't feel right, not with what they'd had with each other. They'd had something so much more than that, and the way he was smiling, it was clear that Victor was entirely unopposed to the idea.

"Thank you, Amissa, and I like it. Corsair it is. I think I'll enjoy having that as a callsign. But in a pinch, chief will work as well." She shrugged a little, not wanting to make a huge deal out of it, but he'd need to tell Enyd about this later. Enyd would undoubtedly be more than a little amused by someone else coming up with such a similar nickname to one that she'd given him so many years ago.

Victor looked to Archon and emerald then, giving the barest of smiles. "Well, I suppose I should get suited up now if there's nothing else?" His tone of voice was polite and curious, not sure if there actually was anything else he needed to do or not. The man seemed attentive and ready, with some obvious excitement coming from his demeanor then.

Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #6 –
Lt. JG Callax Valin | Squadron Briefing Room | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @SaraKnight @Tae
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"Corsair it is though let us keep the piracy to a minimum in the Qo'noS system," Callax said with a wry grin though he did glance in Amissa's direction at the mention of piracy. Orions had a reputation that was not undeserved. "Though, for all we know they might consider it the act of a warrior and offer a commendation. Hard to tell with Klingons." He shrugged and placed the PADD back on the podium.

"To answer your question, Corsair, we'll be shooting at harmless rocks. No risk to the population and Qui'Tu should handle anything larger than a replicator that remains, as you mentioned. Exercise will be phasers only.” He cracked the smallest of grins. “After all, we do not want to accidentally cause a diplomatic incident. Now suit up, we only have a narrow flight window.”

With the briefing concluded, Callax turned to depart. He entered the locker room and entered the access code on the lockers to retrieve his exosuit. Stripping down to his undergarments, he folded his uniform neatly before pulling on the bulky exosuit. Each joint was tested for flexibility and a quick diagnostic run to ensure all features were running smoothly. Content with the condition, he grabbed his helmet and walked out onto the flight deck.

There was something different about the recycled air on a flight deck that Callax found comforting. As he stepped out into the hangar he took in a deep breath of air to further take in the mood. It was addictive and one of the things he loved about flying.

A short walk later and he was at his Valkyrie, climbing into the cockpit. As the electronics blinked on his helmet HUD activated and synced with the fighter. This would be one of his first flights using the updated interface and he took an extra moment to situate himself, mindful of the clock. Once content, the canopy was closed and the engines hummed to life. He waited for the all clear before slowly accelerating out of the hangar bay and into the expanse of space.

[ Wolf-09. Comms check. ]

Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #7 –
LtJG Amissa, Callsign “Emerald” | Squadron Briefing Room | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy Attn: @Tae @Eden
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Amissa listened to the briefing from Callax. They were going to be shooting at rocks located in the system. Target practice. She hoped he was right about the Klingons not interfering. It was their system, after all, and they were known to get trigger happy from time to time. It was almost like it was in their DNA or something.

She followed the others out and went over to the locker to retrieve her exosuit. She quickly divested herself of her uniform and put the exosuit on. Following that, she quickly ran through the diagnostics to make sure it was working properly. Satisfied, she grabbed her helmet and tucked it under her arm as she made her way to Wolf-10. Her new Valkyrie Mk III fighter. It was going to be different flying without a RIO, without Diamond, but she knew there was no way she could handle having someone replace him just now. And the Mk III was a beautiful craft.

She put her helmet on, then climbed into the cockpit and ensured a proper seal. She turned on the fighter’s electronics and synced the helmet’s HUD to the fighter’s computer. That done, she then closed the cockpit and started the engines.

[Wolf-10. Comms check.]

Here we go, Emerald. Back in the cockpit. Stay calm, stay focused. You can do this.
Lt. JG Amissa | Fighter Pilot, Callsign "Emerald", USS Theurgy
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Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #8 –
CPO Victor vanVinter | Space | Qo'NoS system | en route to Qui'Tu | Valkyrie Flight: ATTN: @Eden @SaraKnight

Victor had taken a bit longer to get dressed in his exosuit than Amissa and Callax. The half-Bajoran had only recently received training on the specialized equipment and wasn't quick about it. At the very least, he had gone to see a Doctor about removing his scars. The Disruptor burns on his back were already gone, but the doctors had only slightly reduced the scarring everywhere else. The process of removing old built-up scar tissue wasn't slow. And it was likely that at different points, Callax and Amissa had born witness to the disfiguring scars on his left side where his arm and the side of his chest looked like burned plastic. The result of being caught in two separate plasma fires. The older scars along both thighs where that Vulcan sea monster had sunk its venomous quillions and tentacles into his thighs, the scars there looked like teardrops rent into his flesh.

The result of the scarring was an odd fit to his suit that felt like Victor to pressure that didn't belong to the elegant and militaristic garment. In time the Doctors would remove his body scars. The ones on his face, though, had stayed. The pain of having the skin of his face debrided and regenerated hadn't appealed even to a man accustomed to pain. Those scars rarely had pressure applied to them and had no discomfort aside from in social situations. Victor hadn't forgotten Callax's first reaction to him, though. But Victor didn't hold that against the Ardanan, and Amissa hadn't seemed to care, and they'd even prompted her to give him a  nickname that Enyd had once given him. He'd keep those, if only for how he felt about them.

Walking out onto the deck of the Fighter bay in the Exosuit was so different from every other time. He noticed looks from some of the longer-term Deck Crew, and Victor looked away. While some might have been embarrassed looks of contempt, others would have reveled in the looks of pride he'd gotten from others. The look of pride on Petty officer Phuc and Suvok's faces was almost too much for him. Victor remembered when he'd come aboard and had first met the technicians. Victor had worked closely with them until the departure from Earth and his subsequent nap in hibernation. Victor wasn't doing this to be praised as a hero or win any medals. Victor was doing this to protect the crew of the Theurgy.  With an embarrassed look on his face, Victor raises his helmet and settles it onto the suit's collar with a sharp click, and fully activates his suit while doing a walkaround of his Valkyrie.

His Valkyrie.

As a Chief and part of FBO, he'd 'owned' all of these Valkyries, viewing himself much like Odin, keeping a watchful eye on his flock. Every time one was scheduled to go out, Victor had done a thorough inspection stem to stern, inside and out that the Valkyries were ready to charge into battle, making sure their 'armor' was polished and their 'blades' sharp. Victor had even gone up more than a few times himself, going as far back as 2377. Checking the maintenance forms of his Valkyrie, a wry smile comes to the corner of his face then, and he groans. Victor wasn't sure if he'd pissed someone off or if this was the luck of the draw. The registry number of his Valkyrie. NX-79854: 77-00008, The Eightball. Assigned initially to the Theurgy for trial runs way back when the ship was still in the shipyard. now now it was 'his' to fly and fight in.

Victor knew this Valkyrie inside and out, remembered how it had flown and how the betting pool pegged this Valkyrie as becoming the eventual Hangar Queen, doomed to eternal maintenance until they'd eventually have to strip it for parts. Covington must've worked miracles to prevent her from meeting that fate. The thought of the fallen Chief brought a tear to his eye, and finally, Victor hops into the cockpit and seals the canopy warming everything up.

Victor speaks up, His voice somber and distant, a sense of devotion in his tone that many of the crew hadn't seen. His emotional state firm and concluded, only Reggie and Lillee had encountered this side of him. And even then, only since he'd woken up to find so many of his friends gone. Not noticing that his comms were broadcasting to his flight mates, Victor accidentally shared the words intended to be private with Callax and Amissa."This flight's for you, Papa Bear. By the Prophets and Odin, I will fly well and true. I shall stand by my comrades and guard them with my life. I swear that I'll protect them with Your guidance."

Victor made sure that everything was operating normally, flight controls, weapons systems, engines, life-support, shields, countermeasures, and navigation with a quick check. Victor's board showed green across the board. Knowing that he wouldn't have time to toggle his controls for comms, Victor went to make sure that his Comms were hot-micing only to find they already were. With an embarrassed groan, Victor speaks up in a relaxed, professional tone of voice, so different than the one he'd just been using.

"Wolf-09/10, Wolf 11, Comms check. You two heard all that, didn't you? Ready to proceed to Qui'Tu and training coordinates. Over." With that foot to start on, Victor followed Callax and Amissa, Archon, and Emerald out into the blackness of space. The sounds and feel thrusters smooth to him, all of the vibrations and movements of his Valkyrie felt right even with the low-speed maneuvers of exiting the Fighter Bay. Covington and the others had done an excellent job on the old Eightball. He'd buy the man a drink if he could, as it was a visit to the memorial wall was to thank the man. Now though, Victor had work to do. This wasn't a shakedown or maintenance flight where he had to push things right from launch. This flight was a training mission, and Victor took up position aft and Starboard of Amissa. The experienced pilot maneuvering into the quickly and professionally, his vector precise. There was no wobble on his stick like with most new pilots. Victor knew exactly what it took to handle one of the Valkyries and how to fly one. And soon, Victor would get to show these experienced combat pilots that a knuckle buster knew how to fly, and they wouldn't have to worry about him running into things.

Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #9 –
Lt. JG Callax Valin | Squadron Briefing Room | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @SaraKnight @Tae
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"This flight's for you, Papa Bear. By the Prophets and Odin, I will fly well and true. I shall stand by my comrades and guard them with my life. I swear that I'll protect them with Your guidance. Wolf-09/10, Wolf 11, Comms check. You two heard all that, didn't you? Ready to proceed to Qui'Tu and training coordinates. Over."

[Affirmative, Papa Bear. Comms check complete. Proceed to the first checkpoint.]

The slightest hint of a chuckle made it through before Callax ended his transmission. With a satisfying lurch his Valkyrie accelerated after putting a safe distance between itself and the Theurgy. A second check of the sensors revealed that nothing out of the ordinary awaited them as they streaked through the pitch blackness of space and Cal breathed a sigh of relief. He was expecting an escort, even a clandestine one from afar, to observe their exercise but from his seat there did not appear to be any. Granted, the klingon sensor arrays and satellites would no doubt be tracking them anyways but he was still expecting a show of force. It was surprising then that there was nothing but he would not put it past the klingons to be cloaked.

As the trio approached the first checkpoint he keyed on his comms, the fighter’s sensors beginning to ping the debris that appeared ahead of them. Pieces ranged in size from less than a meter to the size of a small freighter. The density of the objects would be perfect for their purposes just as initial scans of the area from the Theurgy indicated.

[Wolves, I am tagging some targets at random. Some near the edge of the field and some deep within. Pursue and execute. As an added challenge for the warm-up you must remain within 25 meters of an object or wingman at any given time. Two seconds grace time will be given to navigate between objects if none are nearby. Let’s see how we do with close quarters maneuvers. Helpful and unhelpful banter encouraged.]

He grinned as he entered the debris field. Now the fun could begin.

Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #10 –
[ LtJG Amissa, Callsign “Emerald” | Valkyrie Cockpit ] Attn: @Tae @Eden
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While she had run her preflight checks, Amissa had tapped the side of her helmet to make sure the different visual settings in her helmet were fully operational - including the TVD. She punched in the stardate to log the systems analysis she was conducting, running the basic diagnostics on all systems as they lit up now that her engine was on. Amissa went through the analysis, making sure that dampeners and structural integrity fields were online, as well as the sensors and the shields, weapons and navigational systems. The hard point slots - which held her standard set-up - were not armed, of course, but they were brought online along with all other functions in order to ensure they were powering up.

"Take-off procedures completed, all systems online and functioning properly..." she said to herself, off the comms, because she was a bit nervous about the Mk III and how it might behave outside the simulators. Her words were mostly for herself, even if she used to say them to Diamond. Now, she was alone. One of the stand-by deckhands cleared the ladder from the side of the craft and Amissa exchanged a thumbs-up and a smile with the man before she began to taxi out into the middle lane of the bay. Her launch thrusters were at a minimal setting to begin with, but she slowly throttled up once the bay doors had opened for her Flight Leader.

Once Archon cleared the bay, she throttled up in full - the inertial dampeners compensating for most of the extreme g-forces that the cockpit interior would have been subjected to. Once she cleared the launching strip, she raised her landing gears and switched to low impulse. It was always a thrill to head out, despite it just being a training run. It was something she believed never quite abated for Tac CONN pilots.

Following Archon, Amissa soon evened out the course she'd taken, the curve of their trajectory straightening and then went to warp.

It feels so lonely without a RIO, she thought, but perhaps it was just her missing Diamond. Either way, she would get over it.


Once they arrived at the checkpoint, Amissa dropped out of warp and proceeded at one quarter impulse, listening to the instructions given. Seems straight forward enough...

"This is Wolf One-Zero, copy that," she said over comms with a smile, receiving the target data package. Following Valin's lead, she made sure to stay within his perimeter as instructed, and sought the targets with her tactical sensor suite. She armed her pulse phaser cannons and grinned, firing away once she acquired the targets in her path. "So, banter huh? Corshair, mind telling us about your scars? I figure if you've not bothered to have sickbay remove them, you're not too bothered talking about what happened either? They do look damn good on you, either eay."

OOC: I got a message from @Eden informing me about this thread and asking to NPC Amissa, and gladly so. I also noticed the new callsign for Victor, and I'll add it to the crew manifest.  ( good )  :)

Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #11 –
CPO Victor vanVinter | Space | Qo'NoS system | en route to Qui'Tu | Valkyrie Flight: ATTN: @Eden @Auctor Lucan 


Victor nodded at the challenge put to him by Archon. Without a word, Victor upped the resolution on his navigational sensor for short-range flight and slowly accelerated his Valkyrie, giving Archon and Emerald a chance to respond to his actions. With a flick of his thumb, Victor began broadcasting tight-beamed navigational data to Archon and Emerald since in close formation flying. He wouldn't be able to entirely depend on visual cues to determine what his flight was doing.

"Copy that, Archon. I'll lead the way, proceeding to the first checkpoint now." After that, Victor shut up, focusing on flying, the soft thrum of the engines behind him, and the slow creak and rattle present in any craft moving at these speeds. The frame of his Valkyrie sung to him, music to his ears. It had only been a few days, six months, a lifetime ago since Victor had been behind the stick of a 409. And now it sang to him, the power of the craft at his command, and flying with an actual wingman, not just a chaser that would hopefully save him in case of a catastrophic accident. Victor flew well within Archon's orders, knowing precisely how the 409 would respond to his touch, making turns smooth and graceful even through the chaotic terrain of the asteroid and debris field. Emerald's question to him made him smile, though, and it was more than worth it to respond.

"The scars on my thighs, the teardrop ones, they're from a Vulcan sea monster. The two recent scars are from a sniper on Qo'Nos. Everything else, that's what happens when you get exposed to plasma fires twice. And in the Exo-suit, they're a pain in the ass. Get a good look because I'm getting them removed." Victor continued to fly smoothly, keeping an eye on his proximity sensors, taking the lead to bring Emerald through the tight turns and drifts through the asteroid field. Victor proved able to fly smoothly and gracefully following Archon's designated points, often drifting with his ship through the area, making slow rolls to mimic the chaotic tumbling of debris. Frequently only tapped his maneuvering thrusters to initiate rolls and side slips.

"Fly chaotic Emerald. Be the rock, be the shattered hull. I've heard of this happening during the war. A squadron would go in for a recon mission, and the only surveillance gap would be a field like this." Victor's voice was quick and clipped, advising on stuff he'd picked from listening to pilots back on the Thunderchild. While Victor didn't know if these particular methods would work, they seemed sensible. And they resulted in only short bursts of his main thrusters to clear any large gap Archon set for them. It wasn't just the rocks that Victor paid attention to; it was Amissa as well. When needed, he moved closer or further towards her, doing his best to stay within 20 meters at all times. If the boss said 25, Victor would show that he could do better.

"What about you Emerald? What got you flying?" While this chatter wasn't helpful with their mission, it would help him get to know the Orion better. And he'd get to Archon after that. Victor still remembered the visceral reaction the Ardanan had had to his facial scars.

Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #12 –
Lt. JG Callax Valin | Squadron Briefing Room | Deck 16 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Tae
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One thing from the earliest days of his flight training that had stuck with Callax was the importance of trust. Perhaps not trust in one's personal life but certainly trust in your wingmen, the individuals who had your back as you had theirs. The consequences of what might occur when that trust was not present was still all too present in the young Ardanan pilot's mind. The Renao. The 'incident' as he had begun to call it to avoid reciting the name of the place. Scars in his soul as deep and plentiful as Victor's were upon his body. Such an event could not be allowed to occur again and so Callax demanded perfection. Both from himself and from his wingmen. However, that perfection came at a cost. Mentally and physically.

And so he let them banter. Building camaraderie would help them all in the months and weeks to come. Help them survive the stresses and challenges that were yet to come.

"Vulcan sea monster, eh? Thought there were no seas on Vulcan. Something about it being a volcanic wasteland does not seem to fit the coastal beach lifestyle image in my head. What did you do to piss it off?" He asked through the comms as he went inverted to avoid an asteroid that had begun to spin in his direction. He was impressed so far with their maneuvering. It was tight. Tighter than he had expected it to be in their first training flight together. He asked for 25 meters and he got 20. A promising start.

"Right, so we can shoot rocks. I'm sure the Klingons are quivering in their gaudy boots," he communicated after a short while, tone perhaps a measure too serious for the lighthearted comment he had intended. "Let's see how we do with close-quarters maneuvering. Disable impulse engines. RCS thrusters only. We can sprint but can we dance?" Callax allowed himself a slight smile as he deactivated his impulse engine. The Valkyrie began to lose some of its forward momentum as he feathered the thrusters to adjust the angle of attack. The asteroids seemed larger now that they were not zipping past him as high speeds and all the more imposing. Weaving between giant space rocks brought back memories of his days flying amongst the clouds of Ardana when he first began to feel the joy of flying.

"Yes, what got you flying Emerald? I am curious myself," he added to Victor's own question. It was always a curious thing to see an Orion in Starfleet colors.

Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #13 –
[ LtJG Amissa, Callsign “Emerald” | Valkyrie Cockpit ] Attn: @Tae @Eden
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After Corsair had answered their Flight Leader when he asked what he did to piss off the Vulcan sea monster, new instructions came along, as well as a question for what got her into the cockpit. So Amissa answered, while powering down her impulse engines and relying on the inertia and her RCS trhuster assembly to guide her course - a grin pursing her lips.

"I felt most at hime during pilot training in the Academy. Just shuttles to begin with, but it was this sense of freedom - something that hadn't left me yet," she said, and armed her pulse fire phaser cannons. She targeted two rocks in their path in close succession, making sure not to pick ones that would be large enough to hurl chunks into their path. "I didn't think I was qualified for the Valkyries at first, but after I graduated, I was asked to enter Tactical CONN training at the Omega Center in the Iota Eridani system. It was for the Mk II Valk, and I got a lot of close-quarters flight training there. After that, I was assigned to Sapphire Station."

Targeting two more rocks, she elaborated after some further thought. "After hearing about what the Theurgy had gone through, fighting off a Romulan ship at the Black Opal, and the recent reports about Azurite Station... I submitted a report about where I served even if the place was real hush-hush. It was important for the mission, I realised. See, Sapphire Station is another of those classified starbases that have cropped up, and like the Black Opal... Sapphire Station was attacked by the Romulans as well. Starfleet Command claimed it was the Theurgy that gave the coordinates to these top secret facilities to some desperate Romulan faction... but I have now learned it was one of the Infested at Starbase 84 that did it. Captain Ian Hawthorne."

The grin was gone now, replaced with a determined frown. "He was the one responsible for me loosing everyone in the Sapphire Wolves. Even my RIO. That bastard is already dead... but I don't lack any motivation to see this mission to its end, and make sure the Infested won't do something like that again."

For emphasis, she targeted two more rocks, all the while flying snug and close in her formation. She took a deep breath, blinking with her sky blue eyes. "How about you, Archon? How did you end up flying?"

Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #14 –
CPO Victor vanVinter | Space | Qo'NoS system | en route to Qui'Tu | Valkyrie Flight: ATTN: @Eden @Auctor Lucan 

Victor groaned dryly about the mention of 'no seas on Vulcan.' It was a common myth and one that he'd heard often. "Yes, Vulcan has shallow seas. Every M-Class world has large bodies of water of some sort or another. Vulcan is famous for its deserts, but even the Mojave desert on earth has lakes, rivers, and arroyos. And, therefore, has sea monsters. This weird tentacled thing that rarely attacks people."

Victor's tone of voice was dry and efficient as he matched Emerald's flying, getting a better sense of her, and Lieutenant Valin calling for RCS thrusters instead of Impulse meant that Victor could tighten up his flying even more. So the pilot did his best to keep between 15 and 17.5 meters of Emerald, Victor couldn't dance for shit, but he certainly knew how to make a Valkyrie dance like a ballerina. Notably, Victor had kept his weapons cold, since there hadn't yet been an order to open fire on anything, so when Emerald opened up on some rocks with her pulse phasers, that had shocked him slightly enough that he'd drifted out of the twenty-meter range.

After some minor corrections, he brought himself back into formation. He began firing on the indicated rocks, tagging them with cool precision while he listened to Emerald tell about her time in training and what led to her current situation. Victor couldn't relate. His own experiences had been markedly different and while the man was a combat veteran, being coddled deep inside a ship's hull wasn't the same as what Amissa had been through. He couldn't relate and didn't try.

So for a minute, Victor flew silently, targeting, firing, and maneuvering in close synchronicity with his flight mates. They needed more practice flying together, but none were new pilots, just new to each other. They needed to bond, and Victor had an idea how they could manage that.

"Hey Archon, got an idea here, I'm detecting that some of these rocks have large deposits of crystalline structures in them. Lots of these are carbonaceous asteroids, which might mean diamond and other rare gems." Victor's voice was smooth and cheerful then as he spoke up. He'd figured that they could make this fun and profitable for the flight, and the Klingons.

"I've got a girl back on the ship, and I'm sure our Klingon pals wouldn't mind some compensation for shepherding us like this. How about you two Academy kids show an old man how precise your targeting is?"
 

Re: Day 07 [0900 hrs.] Taking Flight

Reply #15 –
Lt. JG Callax Valin | Space | Qo'NoS system ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Tae
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Callax listened as the two pilots spoke, skillfully maneuvering his Valkyrie around the mix of space rocks and debris that provided their challenge for the day. Ever since transferring to the Theurgy, the Ardanan had put in as many flight hours as possible on the new Valkyrie. The Mk II was a fine fighter but the Mk III was in a class of its own as the pilot quickly found out. Superior in many ways, it had initially been a challenge familiarizing himself with the new flight controls and computer systems; but, as he became more comfortable in the cockpit he was able to reduce the amount of assistance provided by the computer. This was the first flight for which he was in total control of the Mk III and it just felt right.

“I suppose the stations are declassified now else we would all be in trouble,” he mused as a focused gaze kept an eye on their formation on one of the HUD panels. “That is rough though. Losing a RIO, I mean. Too many good lives are getting lost to these damn parasites. First night I was on the Theurgy after hearing about the parasites had me thinking whether we might get infected too. Would we even know? Would we be conscious the entire time as our body acted beyond our control? It is quite a terrifying thought. That loss of control…”

He shivered slightly, as if a frigid breeze had suddenly nipped at his spine. There was little in the universe that Callax feared more than losing control. It was partially why he leaped at the opportunity to join the fighter program after graduating from Starfleet Academy. At the helm of a large starship there were too many variables out of his control. Too much that could go wrong outside of his power. In the cockpit he was in total control of his destiny and while he knew that would not always be the case, it was a comforting thought for the present.

“Me? Well I grew up with my head in the clouds–both figuratively and literally. I was raised on Stratos, the capital city for my planet which is suspended fairly high up in the atmosphere. Being up in the clouds there was not much opportunity to explore boating or anything that required much flat space, as you might expect, so most of us took up flying. Was piloting my first glider around the same time most humans might learn to ride a bicycle. I am in agreement with you there on that sense of freedom, Emerald. It was addicting. Is addicting.”

He paused for a moment as he rotated the fighter to go inverted relative to a large asteroid that began to spin in their direction. Keeping in range of the others, he maneuvered around it and glanced up through the canopy as the gray rock floated harmlessly by.

“When I got to the Academy and saw there was an opportunity to fly fighters for Starfleet I leapt at the opportunity. A couple of years later and here I am–flying with what will be the most elite Flight in the Federation,” he said with a slight note of pride. “The rest of the Wolves better be prepared.”

Another asteroid required his immediate attention, providing time for Victor to reply to his earlier comments. When he finished, Callax could not help but crack a grin.

“Well, I never claimed to be a vulcanologist. Pun intended. That does make me wonder… if a vulcanologist is someone who studies volcanoes, what do you call someone who studies Vulcans? A Vulcanist? I am sure there is a joke to be made in there somewhere. Not sure the Vulcans would appreciate it though. Still, I am glad my planet does not have giant tentacle monsters. That would be the thing of nightmares for children on Ardana.”

It was the second part of what Victor had to say that really drew Callax’ attention though. “So we assume all the risk so that the Klingons get rich while we likely get not even a thank you?” He replied. “Sounds fun. Let’s do it… Though you have piqued my interest with this ‘girl back on the ship’ who apparently arranges raw material deals with Klingons. She sounds fun too.”

“Right, let’s show our Klingon allies how to improperly mine for precious metals and then head back to the ship,” the Ardanan said with an unseen grin and hint of a laugh as he opened fire on the nearest asteroid. “And hey, this is one way of finding the diamond in the rough.”

Pun intended.

- FIN
 
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