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Day 05 [0820 hrs.] Of Ghosts & Foxes

[ Lieutenant JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Holodeck 04 | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Cleric_Kyan 
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Dressed in her exosuit, Rawley donned her helmet and stepped into the holodeck. She did so with an air of determination, which actually had nothing to do with the simulation.

Just when flying a real Valkyrie, sliding her small frame into the simulated cockpit was no trouble for Evelyn Rawley. Hers was just one of two holographic Mk IIIs on the holodeck, which was a standard configuration that allowed two wingmates to engage in simulated engagements and also gauge the level of damage caused to the craft afterwards. As it were, she had been slated to run a simulation with Ravon, but he had to cancel because of some brass stuff - Senior Staff obligations pulling him away. So, with her counselling session with Ejek in mind...

...Rawley had taken Ravon's place, so that Miles Renard would fly with her for the simulation instead.

She was first unto the holodeck, and before she could regret her request, she pulled her canopy closed. With a grim set of her jaw, she entered a few commands into the console before the HUD came alive with stars, gaseous anomalies, and the image of the fighter bay. Even as she did, the hologrid lines of the holodeck were replaced by the fighter assault bay, and the space outside the bay doors. There was a comm signal after a couple of minutes, that indicated that her happenstance wingmate had logged on - likely seated in the second holo-Valkyrie. "Wolf-Zero-Two here, reading you," she said in her faded Scottish accent. "I figured you and I needed to talk."

The computer chirped at her, giving clearance from the fake Flight Ops to launch, and she threw the thruster controls forward, sending her forth at a speed that challenged the inertial dampeners.

[Wolves Zero-Five and Zero-Two, this is Theurgy actual...] began the simulated speech from the Main Bridge.  [...we are detecting multiple unidentified contacts bearing one-two mark seven. Targets presumed to be inbound Dominion long range photon warheads directed towards colony five on planet surface. Divert to heading three-six-two mark eight-one and identify. If confirmed, you are authorised to engage and destroy. Ops out."

Rawley nodded inwardly as set the course. Tapping a couple of commands on her console, she armed her weapon systems, honed in with her sensor array and raised shields. Destroying torpedoes could be as risky as flying into a warp core explosion. The concussion alone could wreck havoc on her shields, and both she and Iron-Fox would be required to destroy several before this mission was made a success.

"So how do we fix this, Commander?" she asked tersely, the unsaid plain. "How can I trust you on my six o'clock again?"

Re: Day 05 [0820 hrs.] Of Ghosts & Foxes

Reply #1 –
[ Lieutenant Cmd Miles Renard, "Iron-Fox" | Holodeck 04 | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

The doors to the holodeck opened with their complementary heavy swoosh sound. Soon Miles' was in the holo-craft, the instant he slipped into the cockpit he swiftly began going through checks while pulling the canopy. Muscles relaxed as the mindset of being in the Valkyrie exerted its influence. Mixed starscape, shifting space mists and decking displayed on the HUD. Suddenly the comms went live, [Wolf-Zero-Two here, reading you.] Rawley's familiar voice reached his ears clearly. [I figured you and I needed to talk.]

At her voice his tail almost bristled or at least that's what it felt like, even within the exosuit. There was clearly a last second change. There was also a part of him wasn't ready for this. After everything thus far, take over, interrogation, god-like forces, even ships from the future. What was most unsettling was damaging the Pack. Fortunately uncertainty could be suppressed thanks in part to the grounding effect of the fighter. The sense of bristle faded, though try as he might the Vulpinian still couldn't force himself to be fully comfortable with what was to come. But that was life and the nature of things.

The simulation continued on cue from the readying of the fighters [Wolves Zero-Five and Zero-Two, this is Theurgy actual...] the real sounding voice from the faux Theurgy Bridge began, then continued. [...we are detecting multiple unidentified contacts bearing one-two mark seven. Targets presumed to be inbound Dominion long range photon warheads directed towards colony five on planet surface. Divert to heading three-six-two mark eight-one and identify. If confirmed, you are authorized to engage and destroy. Ops out.]

Reaching out his gloved hands toggled shields, primed weapons, and calculated the course.  Miles' re-configured the sensors to focus on the projected area with a widening sweep from there. The TVD should warn him of unusual contacts on approach. He doesn't want these missiles to be a distraction for something else, preparation for simulated curve-balls.  “Colony five will just  get a good light show.” The jovial line to Ghost was more a delay for himself.

With but a moment he accelerated out of the bay, the magnetic field gliding around the ship as the thrusters broke into space before accelerating to cruising speeds astride Wolf-Zero-Two. “My first thought would be time.” Miles' began the sensor sweep as he kept his voice level. “Though we need a place to start.” He could still remember the lead-up.

Five remaining of them. No, four. Ranger must have taken out three from her insane attack. But they were still in a tight formation the holographic pilots knew her tactics now, foresaw how she would not break off. All they had to do was close range a tiny bit more and in seconds their combined near-point-blank pulse phasers would literally turn her fighter into a molten coffin around her, if even molten slag remained.

And the fox's hunter instincts kicked in. "Mav, I'm reading 03 has one hard point mount remaining, confirm for scatter bomb." 

“The Reavers had,” his voice wavered from the leveled, professionalism he tried to instill for a moment. “They were learning far too quickly and turned there attention towards you. It opened an opportunity to take advantage of your skill and a-typical tactics.” It was an interpretation of the situation at least. Tactical math wasn't that fun, but it was a grim requirement when it came down to the wire. “Is it that you think I want you as a marker on my Valk, or that it's possible I'm a friendly fire hazard?”

Miles' TVD flashed long ranged information “Possible five bogeys at sensor edge, anti-matter signatures. Can you confirm?”

Re: Day 05 [0820 hrs.] Of Ghosts & Foxes

Reply #2 –
[ Lieutenant JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Holodeck 04 | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Cleric_Kyan 
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"Confirmed," said Rawley over comms while she thought of Renard's question. He made it sound quite simple with only two alternatives, but there were far more factors at play in her regard. "Engaging the torpedo barrage and keeping me eye out of live bogeys."

With multiple targets, she opted to deploy multiple weapon systems. Key was firing ratio when it came to such close margins of targeting, but she could still jam more muzzles into the small window of opportunity they had. She armed both her twin-mount turrets  and the forward and aft phaser emitters on her Valkyrie. The pulse phaser cannons might have had more yield, but it wasn't like the inbound torpedoes were well armed. The beam emitters - if auto-targeting on those heat signatures - were not just multi-directional, but also both more accurate and rapid in response than her pulse canons.

"Systems armed, and I will drop me countermeasures in their mid-trajectory. Estimating an ETA of thirty seconds."

Rawley adjusted her intercept course a wee bit and continued in the small window of time they had before the proverbial light-show, addressing the main issue at hand rather than the simulation. "Bloody hell if I know what you were thinking, and I know you couldn't warn me. As far as I can see it, you saw a chance and you took it, and luckily enough I am still here," she said, keeping her tone civil enough, "but I say you shouldn't have gambled with me life unless you knew exactly how I'd be bloody flying. Like, fuck would you know if I would have changed my tactics to fool them computer-pilots, right? My fault, perhaps, for the radio silence, but you had no way to confirm me trajectory, instead betting on me using the same tactic I've used once or twice before. Had I been in your place, I wouldn't have made that bet. That you did tells me you don't give a shite about your pack, just the hunt."

Their HUDs flared up with the close-range sensor readings of the inbound torpedoes, and Rawley left any immediate reply unsaid as she throttled up her Valkyrie to intercept in time. The five torpedoes proved to be a false reading, the density of the barrage fooling the long range sensors. "Twelve contacts. Repeat: I see twelve contacts. Deploying countermeasures and engaging."

Guided warheads as the torpedoes were, she had no way to simulate a false colony five reading, but she could at least get the small debris-emitters in their way. While silent in the space outside the warp fighter, the reverberations of the deployment was felt through her seat, and so did the rapid staccato cough of her twin-mount turrets. While the auto-targeting systems for her mass drivers were unable to effectively track and hit small agile targets like shuttles - and the torpedoes were even quicker - she wasn't about to forfeit the chance of a lucky hit. The torps were static in their path towards colony five, so she just had to be in the right position.

It proved indeed that her best bet was the phaser emitters, since in the brief window of time where the torpedoes reaching them, her forward phasers picked off two torpedoes, and her aft ones managed to catch one more. Meanwhile, her mass drivers actually managed to pick off another torpedo, which was damaged enough to weer off course. It was hard to confirm, but she believed one last Dominion torpedo had hit the countermeasures. Either that or Iron-Fox had shot it down. She was still checking the sensor readings to see if any torp made it through when her computer chirped angrily at her.

"Three inbound bogeys with Dominion signatures, bearing one-five-three mark two."

It seemed the simulation wasn't so easy after all, just like the situation between her and Renard.

Re: Day 05 [0820 hrs.] Of Ghosts & Foxes

Reply #3 –
[ Lieutenant Cmd Miles Renard |  Holodeck 04 | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

[Engaging the torpedo barrage and keeping me eye out of live bogeys.] With the confirmation Miles thought about interception solutions. The idea of fratricide with a directed Anti-Matter yield, but- no. The on-board torpedoes couldn't do it. Auto-targeting phaser arrays also occurred to him. His TVD highlighted dots of the contacts soon after the confirmation as tiny distance and trajectory text displayed next to the markers.. With Rawley's adjustment he shifted out and wide to widen the scan overlap. The stars blurred for a moment with the turn. “Going wide to increase scan envelopes; covering the opposite angle.” Iron-Fox informed Ghost. “Computer, increase phaser nadion dispersion by 2.3- no, 2.43 percent. Beam array output by  2 percent” If the fox was as crafty as he thought, then the phaser beams would have a small, but noticeable increase in effective damage cone; something to eek out accuracy. However it would drain more energy from the cell, more if he was off. With a few taps he set his other armaments to defensive mode; micro-torpedoes  and pulse  cannons still on manual. A few movements with the exo-suit glove primed the launcher. If he had the chance to pick off a few on approach, so much the better.

The controlled civil voice of Ghost reached his ears. In many ways he wished this was done in person instead of over the comms. If there was any situation where only having 3/4ths the context of a situation wasn't adequate, it was this. If he was in person then may there would be a added context that didn't increase his heart rate. Of course he cared about The Pack, he was SCO, and even now he was still flying, risking death and soul to save what he cared for instead of wondering off like an elder Terran Fox. “Ghost-” His voice froze a second as he realized that articulation would be difficult as his utterance of her callsign held complexity of feeling he wished would be easier conveyed. His next words were more level. “If the hunt was all I cared about, then I'd be a mercenary. Though from your perspective I can see it being out of the blue and hurtful. For that, for that I apologize. Would- hell, I didn't have a way to know for certain what you would do.” A small growl crept into his voice, “The Calamity battle was...” He shook his head, had to focus on the bogeys and Ghost. “Faith in others aside, the Pack is important, but the Den is also. You say you wouldn't of done it, then what would you have done, Ghost?

His Valkyrie slowed slightly to allow Rawley to make her run first. Miles didn't mind playing clean up. They'd have to work together. In that he looked upon her maneuvering as lights dotted the coldness of space. Miles' targeting sensors picking out tracking markers. “Acknowledged, will follow up with a horizontal cross.“A few long ranged pulses of energy at a sure target on his approach confused him. Not that he could make the hit, but that the signature didn't vanish from his screens. The Vulpinian's eyes widened, decoys, advanced jamming? His vessel accelerated, needed proximity and accuracy. The sensors resolved, it was still the Ghost reported contacts now a bit more succinct. While he had to get close wolf-zero-five kept the narrow profile in an horizontal fly-by to allow for array coverage. One was clipped and detonated, as the beams lanced out in their sweeps detonating four more. His moment of pride was cut short as the status display shifted it indicator. The phaser emitters were beginning to accrue a slight cycling error like from his adjustments to the array for a bit of accuracy. “Hrm, three remanin-” Miles' found he was cut of by a warning even as he felt the mild Gs of a hard turn.

[Three inbound bogeys with Dominion signatures, bearing one-five-three mark two.]

It came just after he launched a pair of micro-torpedoes at one of his missed ones. A cyan beam of polarized energy prematurely detonated his attempt. With a quick click and hold the Federation fighter became an outline as Miles quickly glanced around. Oh and he saw it through the warp nacelle, closer than he'd expected in the short time of the warning. “Detecting one dominion fighter. Trying to resolve  other contacts.” This fighter must of skipped ahead of the others.

Re: Day 05 [0820 hrs.] Of Ghosts & Foxes

Reply #4 –
[ Lieutenant JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Holodeck 04 | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Cleric_Kyan 
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Swearing under her breath, Rawley also detected how torpedoes made it through. The score for the simulation was likely to turn out really shitty, and Ravon might even come ask what the hell they were doing. Perhaps he'd sympathise, knowing the history between her and Renard, and she might just say they were working out some old shit while on the holodeck.

"Two more Dominion fighters confirmed," she stated flatly, thinking about his question about what she would have done. Baring her teeth, she reached for the impulse controls and jammed the throttle forward. "Engaging contacts two and three. Attack pattern Beta-2, Beta-3 and Delta-2."

Again, she realised, with her head-on approach towards enemies - daring yet effective as she found it to be. She gave her answer over comms as she approaching the targets. "What I'd done? I'd never put me brothers and sisters in the line of fire. I would pick another bloody tactic that mightn't cause friendly fire and potentially having the life of a packmate on my conscience."

When she was within close enough range, strafing back and forth in her trajectory to keep the Dominion fighters guessing and missing her, she suddenly yanked her stick sideways. Her Valkyrie made a broad arc barrel roll out to starboard of the targets, then dove beneath them to emerge on their port ventral side, firing as she went. Rapid pulse phaser bursts riddled the Dominion shields as she continued to speak, her voice raised over the thrumming inside the cockpit. "Me? I would have had the balls to actually join me sister in her bold attack, rather than unloading cluster bombs on me sister's IFF from a safe bloody distance and hoping she's predictable enough for it to work. That she hadn't planned anything. I wouldn't fucking dare set a fuse or remote detonate them lest I'd know exactly what the fuck she was up to."

Up the port side of her enemies she went, having compensated for their movements in the manouvre. Then she swooped over the targets from port to starboard, then back from starboard to port  - diving underneath the target on the second pass. She didn't let up on her pulse phasers either, merely tapping the micro torps arming sequence mid-attack. Her shields were at 60 % and dropping, but the Dominion fighters were in worse shape, she believed.

"Deploying tetryon cannon," she said through her teeth while she released fifty micro torps in a steady stream towards her own targets. "I have a clear shot on your boogey. I'll shred it's shields for you if you come here and help finish off me two arses here after you're done with it."

Said and done, after her manoeuvre was complete, she set a course towards the third Dominion fighter that Renard was tangling with. She knew her own two would follow her and try to get her in their cross-hairs, but she had a contingency plan for it. Her massive ventral canon folded out like a big white cock, and she already had a target lock. There was time to charge it during her count-down. "Firing in three, two, one."

The bright light of the thick tetryon beam made her squint, but her mind was already on the fighters behind her. Retracting the canon mid-turn, she started evasive manoeuvres to shake off her pursuit and fool them - about to reclaim the initiative.

Re: Day 05 [0820 hrs.] Of Ghosts & Foxes

Reply #5 –
[ Lieutenant Cmd Miles Renard | Holodeck 04 | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

[Two more Dominion fighters confirmed,] The momentary plane voice confirmed such great news. The torpedoes on one end and polaron armed fighters on the other. The Vulpinian shifted the stick, quickly altering the Valkyrie's velocity. The fighter dipped down in a curve incorporating a spin . His sensors noting Ghost's fighter closing in as per Beta-2. “Oh this is great news.” he sarcastically commented to himself. “Acknowledged.” he confirmed. “Evasive Beta-1 into Attack Delta 1.”

Rawley's method was direct, but then that was her, wasn't it. Miles' focus shifted as the stars blurred in the spin, blue energy glancing by against the darkness of space as he flew ventral of the attack craft. Several shots from the phaser array at the Dominion fighter that assaulted him a moment ago. The blasts of energy showing very little effectiveness.

[Me? I would have had the balls to actually join me sister in her bold attack, rather than unloading cluster bombs on me sister's IFF from a safe bloody distance and hoping she's predictable enough for it to work. That she hadn't planned anything. I wouldn't fucking dare set a fuse or remote detonate them lest I'd know exactly what the fuck she was up to.] With the preceding words having acted as a reinforcement of her clear thought on the matter.

But they were still in a tight formation the holographic pilots knew her tactics now, foresaw how she would not break off.  All they had to do was close range a tiny bit more and in seconds their combined near-point-blank pulse phasers would literally turn her fighter into a molten coffin around her, if even molten slag remained.

This, this hit harder than he would of expected only to see a flash on his TVD with a shield status of 53%. Wolf-Zero-Five was in an uncontrolled x-axial spin, a beam must of hit in the moment of memory. The canopy's view took a few tense moments to straighten.  The Dominion fighter reversed its impulse in an upward sweep in an effort to keep Iron-fox's steadily less erratic motion in the core of its firing cone.

Quickly the thrust systems bursted to reorient. The Gs strained the inertial compensater. The engine readings were yellow lining then momentarily shifted to red as the impulse engines kicked in to take his warp-fighter to the edge of the cone. A cyan beam following just behind edging closer, then nothing. The beam cut off as Wolf-Zero-Five left the firing cone. With an extension of his hand, he shifted power from the arrays to the phase cannons. With a frown he noted his on-the-fly modifications of the array damaged the power transfer not permitting the cannons to be a full strength, but not completely ineffectual. The nose shifted downward unleashing a volley of pulse fire into the shields of the Dominion vessel. “Rawley – Ghost, outside of the Picard Maneuver for a short-warp?” With a tilt he turned to keep his relative position. “I was too far. I would of joined your part of the fray if I could!”  More packets of nadion slammed into the Dominion shields causing some shaving of percentages, but not enough.

[I have a clear shot on your boogey. I'll shred it's shields for you if you come here and help finish off me two arses here after you're done with it.] It was a needed message. “Got it and agreed.” With that a brilliant blast slammed into the Dominion Fighter the target status readings were momentarily distorted as the threat sensors had an issues for a few moments; so much energy. When it cleared the enemy fighter was far more vulnerable. Iron-fox slipped in a circular pattern unleashing micro torpedoes. She was still extending trust even with this business between them. Was he wrong? No, not his intentions, to save the Theurgy, to save as much of the pack as possible is the most important. However his method was questionable. “Rawley, I won't be able to apologize for my intentions. To save as many as possible. The reavers were nearly positioned catastrophically for us-the Theurgy; as far as I saw. It came down to a risk combined with faith as I said.” The enemy nacelle began to flash following a barrage of pulse and torpedo fire. “My methods, my methods weren't the best. I knew I might have to pay for it and unfortunately that cost was your trust and that creates a liability within the pack.”

The canopy dimmed as secondary explosions cascaded down the warp nacelle's linking material. Renard accelerated his fighter towards the remaining two as the former enemy craft was swiftly becoming derelict, debris. “I apologize for the method, for putting a fracture in the Wolves. I'm willing to try to rebuild if you are?” The illumination brightened behind as a large detonation slammed into his shields reducing the few percentages of regeneration that were garnered. “I offer you command of the Element.”

Re: Day 05 [0820 hrs.] Of Ghosts & Foxes

Reply #6 –
[ Lieutenant JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Holodeck 04 | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Cleric_Kyan 
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There it was, the apology, and Rawley found herself trying to feel if it made a difference for her. Yet as she'd turned her Valkyrie about to tangle with her pursuers, cursing under her breath as her shields were being torn apart by the Dominion fighters, she was a bit too distracted to truly settle on whether Renard's words meant anything. He'd come about as well, joining her after finishing off the one she'd blasted with her tetryon cannon, and he'd ended his apology by giving her the lead in their little makeshift Element.

"Assuming command," she confirmed, as per routine, and clenched her jaw as she hammered one of the Dominion vessels with her pulse phaser cannons. "You go wide, I go low. We finish off this one first, before we take out the last one."

Better to concentrate their combined fire power on one target to actually take it out of commission, otherwise they'd have one fighter each to worry about and the engagement would draw out to a point where they'd not have any shields left. The downside was that the second fighter would have every opportunity to target either of them. Unless...

"I'm gonna keep me arse towards the second fighter, and set me aft array to auto-targeting. Hopefully it will deter the bloody wanker from going at us too hard while we deal with his chap over here. Transferring power to me aft shields as well. Ready in three, two, one..."

Said and done, Rawley jammed her thumbs down on her pulse phasers and strafed down the ventral side of the one they'd focus on, All the while keeping her arse towards the second fighter. Her phaser emitters flashed orange beams right in his face, while her front cannons hammered the shield bubble around the first. As she did this, she had her answer ready, delivered through her teeth.

"If I didn't want to rebuild the squadron's spirit, we wouldn't be bloody talking," she said to Renard as the firing sequence kept punishing the fighter's shields. "Pay for it? It cost you and the squad quite a lot, that shite idea of yours, you hear?"

The Dominion fighters seemed to be on to the tactic deployed, the one arse-wards trying to overshoot Rawley's position so that he could focus fire on Renard instead. Rawley cursed and traced his movements so that she could still keep her aft emitters firing against him, trying to stay within range and yet keep hammering the first one. "Have you payed enough?" she mused, looking between the two targets as she kept her aim on them both. "Have I? Have the others? I don't fucking know. I have no bloody idea, but I know that we have a damn mission, and we're supposed to protect Thea and her crew throughout it, and I can't bloody well keep an eye on you too!"

Finally, the wanker's shield gave away from the combined fire-power of their Valkyries, and they could switch targets to the last one. The computer said her shields were down to 21%, as if she cared. "You go low, I go high!" she barked in the heat of the moment, and then continued what she'd been saying. "I need to fucking know you'll not target some other brother and sister just because you fancy the greater picture. You never shoot your packmates, Commander! Jaru Rel knew this, and as a bloody Lieutenant and a screw-up, I shouldn't have to tell you this. You need to show your Flight that they can count on you, and if they do, then this squadron might actually keep it together when it counts. Now we switch!"

With a barrel roll, she went high on the last Dominion ship, thinking of their original SCO, who remained in stasis without hope for resuscitation. After the Niga Incident, Renard had been promoted, and of course there would have been issues. It was one of the hardest things to do to assume command over fellow fighter pilots. Rawley could but hope it was the only time it would happen, and that Iron-Fox would fit better in the Flight Leader role.

"I forgive you foxy, but fuck it, don't make me regret it. This squad is all we have..."

Re: Day 05 [0820 hrs.] Of Ghosts & Foxes

Reply #7 –
[ Lieutenant Cmd Miles Renard | Holodeck 04 | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Its time to see how this would go, where this would lead- assuming this holographic space didn't become his deathbed. Hearing her confirmation was an uplift and with a quick word of acknowledgment. Sensors noted his fellow Wolf descending, the untargeted Dominion Fighter shifting its targeting arcs. While it was a concern as he accelerated along the starboard of the primary target, Ghost already had it covered as risky as it was. “Acknowledged, going wide.”

Once again engaging his pulse cannons the volatile light scattered onto the Dominion craft. The flair of its shields glowed as its endurance was taxed. Retaliatory lances of energy marred space around Iron-Fox's Valkyrie. “It did.” He grimly nodded his exo-encased head just before the stars spun clockwise as the craft made and evasive spin. Her words were hard and she was right, more than she likely knew. Even with the numbers, decisions needed to be made and each. Each as his Element leader demonstrated had effects and shapes. After all of his decades he had seen how small and large actions could change things. Is this something he had forgotten?

Explosions rippled across the hull of the opposing craft as even deep in thought, a pair of wolves could decimate a foe such as this. The Nacelles flashed as the craft met its final end. The bark of her order was instantly responded to. With the low shield status of the remaining target noted he vectored low as instructed. Orange cannons paired with small torpedoes detonated against the target's aft trailing down. The fox's mind returned to the place that it was prior, the fates of others and the long game- things he may of forgotten in the other moment in favor of the 'bigger picture' as it was put.

An alarm sounded of a sold enemy lock a tilt to port narrowly avoiding the fire that tore through the black. The momentary break of thought now over as the attack continued; figurative positions underwent a switch. It may have been incorrect for the situation they were in, but a laugh came out. “This- you is just what I needed; cutting to the heart. Things like 'it was for the greater good' and 'it was for the best in the end' said by people too caught up in the long game or the greater picture; of Fleet Command.” A variance of thrust output slowed his craft slightly to allow for more on target fire. “It would behoove me not to cause regrets. The pack is family, friendly fire isn't an option. Renard took in a breath, he needed to say it  “Thank you for being you.”

Re: Day 05 [0820 hrs.] Of Ghosts & Foxes

Reply #8 –
[ Lieutenant JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" | Holodeck 04 | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Cleric_Kyan @TheSithChicken 
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Through the shared simulation, and the strife against Dominion forces, Rawley did feel like she'd reached through to Iron-Fox. He'd begun to listen, to ask for her opinion, and he'd even passed command of the Element to her - presumably to allow himself the time to ponder the perspective she'd offered.

In the end, they did prevail against the Dominion fighters, and while their rating wasn't the best - distracted as they both had been through the dogfight - it still felt like a victory.

Especially so, when Renard went so far as to express his gratitude for the talk they'd finally manage to had. It had only taken weeks longer than it should have, during which she'd been in stasis and fought everything between Klingons and Borg, and he'd been limping along in a Valkyrie that barely held together through a nebula rife with radiation and combustive sirillium clouds. Yet in the end, they had both taken the needle in hand and made that first stitch - closing the wound presiding between the original Lone Wolves.

"Oh, sod it, don't you get sentimental on me," she said with a laugh, but she felt that the silence that lingered from her end afterwards betrayed how the moment had got to her a bit.

"I think you need to set things right with Mave- Icarus too," she said, still having difficulty with Isley's 'new' callsign while she laid in a course towards the fake Theurgy that awaited them. Landing procedures were due, whilst minding damage to their Valkyries. It was a sour topic, in all likelihood, since Renard had clipped Nathan's wings because of the investigation into Carver's death. She didn't blame Renard for that, personally, but she knew Isley likely had a thing or two to say about it.

"He shouldn't have confessed to something he didn't to so that he might get out of the Brig and get his wings clipped," she said with a frown, "but fact remains, it was Doctor Nicander that made it happen. The truth of it is well known. Nicander was - is - one of the Infested, and that bloody wanker used Doctor Maya to screw up Isley's head. Icarus is innocent for all else but a false confession. Perhaps it's time to recognise that, once and for all. He can't be a pariah in the middle of the pack if we're supposed to fly as he used to, right?"

- FIN
 
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