• Archive through March 23, 2002 03/23 04:36pm

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• Archive through May 10, 2002 05/10 04:55am

• Archive through May 31, 2002 05/31 06:32pm

• Archive through June 03, 2002 06/03 09:47pm

By Yamada Jiro, 1st Lt. on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 - 04:18 am:

His missiles flared behind him, but Jiro paid them no attention. The Charlie-Foxtrot they were attempting to leave behind them was far from over, and it didn't help that Jiro was flying through debris that used to be one of his own.

He felt jittery and tense, knowing that at any moment, one of those large lumbering rocks could reveal a smaller, faster, and infinitely more lethal one. Jiro's eyes darted left and right, watching every possible vector for what could quite possibly be the last thing he would ever see.

Yuki... His thoughts flashed towards the holo-locket around his neck, the last letter he had received from his sister. It seemed so long ago since he had last sent her a letter. She must be so worried about him. If something happened to him, she would never find out for months. That seemed to release an inner fire within him, driving him to slip past every obstacle that stood in his way. He would reach the Eagle alive. And he bring the rest of his squadron home alive. This he vowed.

By Sirocco on Monday, June 24, 2002 - 07:46 pm:

Heading towards the rest of the Silverhawks, Fazia ducked between boulders whenever she could in the hope that whoever they had seen before had not seen them. Watching Lieutenant Jordan as she knew he was watching her, she wondered about Lieutenant Jones and the almost mute Ivanov and how they were faring. True, she hadn't heard of anyone else leaving this universe recently, but, noting the rocks, this 'Belt was not exactly a dream place to run communications from.

As two boulders impacted with each other, causing a shower of small fragments, she shuddered. It sure wasn't safe either.

By UNS Eagle GM until July 13th (Forgotten) on Saturday, June 29, 2002 - 05:00 am:

The explosion sent a shock wave of debris flying towards the Hawks. Fortunately, they were already on their way out, dodging asteroids at full burn. Their slow, lumbering trek into the asteroid field had taken so much time that it was almost a surprise to the Hawks when, only a minute later, they unexpectedly burst out of the edge of the field. From their vantage point, they could see the a short distance away. Four tiny valkyries buzzed about the Eagle; Mithril Force was still acting as a relay. And the marines had already boarded the shuttle. Things seemed to be running according to the plan, with the exception of the Silverhawks' return from the asteroid field.

Still, the danger was far from over. The Eagle's Communications Officer, Lt. Commander Jenny Clark, sparked to life on their TacNets. "We have confirmation of incoming bogeys from the asteroid field. ETA is 90 seconds to visual. We need fighter support around the Eagle and the Marines. I repeat..." Her message wasn't at all welcome, but at least it relieved the pressure of the unknown that had been eating away at all of the Hawks. Facing your fears was always easier when your targeting computer could track it.

By Maj. Amaris Martin (Vagabond) on Saturday, June 29, 2002 - 12:57 pm:

"You heard the lady. Let's get to it."

Amaris frowned slightly. It was likely that they'd led the enemy back to base, which certainly wasn't going to look good on his record. Still, it was better than being picked off one by one with low maneuverability and no sensors. And who's to say that the enemy wouldn't have found the Eagle anyway? At least this way the ship and the Marines had some cover.

But rationalizations could come later. Amaris scanned the roster, checking everyone's status. "Redtail Hawks, I want you at the Eagle. Give the--" he smirked "--'special operations wing' some backup. The rest of you are with me. We'll cover the Marine withdrawal. Break off now."

OOC: Sorry for the brief post. I'm ill at the moment. For reference, I'm listing the status of the Hawks below.

IRON RAVENS
Maj. Amaris "Vagabond" Martin - active
2nd Lt. Araika "Blaze" Faloise - active

1st Lt. Kai Shinra "Ghostwing" Xero - missed roll call - NPC
2nd Lt. William Martin - deceased

TASMANIAN DEVILS
Capt. Justin "Slash" Keenan - missed roll call - NPC
2nd Lt. Kayin "Zephyr" Soyama - missed roll call - NPC

1st Lt. Devin Durant - deceased
2nd Lt. Harry "Hero" Bowman - NPC

TALIHAWKS
1st Lt. Yamada Jiro - active
2nd Lt. Kit "Phoenix" Malak - NPC

1st Lt. Funaki "Halcyon" Inowi - deceased
2nd Lt. James "Panther" Prather - missed roll call - NPC

REDTAIL HAWKS
1st Lt. Cedua "Maniac" Jones - NPC
2nd Lt. Fazia "Sirocco" Al Hamza - active

1st Lt. Catherine Ivanov - NPC
2nd Lt. Isaac "Gideon" Jordan - active

Those of you who missed the roll call but still want to play will have to resubmit a different character later. I imagine that there will be some recruiting to fill the ranks of the Hawks once all the NPCs and inactive characters are shuffled out. I plan to actively participate in the selection of the new Silverhawks. Missing the roll call is already a strike against you, but it might be possible to work something out in the future.

By Warlock on Saturday, June 29, 2002 - 07:50 pm:

Eagle Control this is MF-FOUR..." Murdoch called over a secure communication line. He was confident that the three remaining members of the team could handle the relay traffic without him. "Requesting permission to assist the 'Hawks, over..."

By UNS Eagle GM until July 13th (Forgotten) on Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 04:17 am:

Jenny's voice and image replied quickly to Murdoch's request. "The Hawks are en route to your location, MF-Four. Please hold your position."

By Yamada Jiro, 1st Lt. on Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 04:24 am:

Seconds out of the asteroid field, and already the bad news was rolling in. Jiro listened to the Major's orders, then rolled off to cover the incoming Marines.

A quick thought occurred to Jiro at that point. He cued his TacNet and sent an encoded transmission to Vagabond. "Major, one or two well timed missiles at that large asteroid over there may create enough debris to hinder the bogeys as they leave the asteroid field. Requesting permission to fire."

By Maj. Amaris Martin (Vagabond) on Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 04:19 pm:

"Permission denied," Amaris responded instantly, as though he'd already thought of that and ruled it out. "Save your ammo. The asteroids are enough of a hindrance, and splitting them up or redirecting the bogeys would only give us a disadvantage, especially if we were to provide them a shield of debris to mask their movements." He toggled the line to the main group; by now they'd arrived at a suitable point to guard the Marines' escape to the Eagle. "Come about and switch to battroid. We'll line up and take them out executioner-style. Missiles first, then gunpod as they close. Be prepared to shoot down a counter missile bombardment. Panther, active scanning. Feed us some targets. Everyone, stay in position as long as possible. We need to keep them in front of us."

The Thunderbolt's nose fell as the battroid's head emerged, green eye flashing. Metal fingers grasped the dorsal gunpod, raising it to position, as the mecha spun gracefully in space, verniers tapping it through a smooth pirouette. Legs descending, wings withdrawing, the VF-11 slid into its robot form as it came about. Then the leg bays swung open, revealing their deadly ordinance. Rows of missiles lay there; the bays were like twin baskets of colorful, deadly Easter eggs. The Thunderbolt stopped, a giant metal sentinel to guard the Marines from whatever emerged from that asteroid field, gunpod raised and missiles ready.

"Choose targets closest to your position, lock on, and prepare to fire on my mark."

By Yamada Jiro, 1st Lt. on Sunday, June 30, 2002 - 09:25 pm:

"Roger." The answer was short and quick, since there was time for little else. Jiro lead his force as they followed the Iron Ravens, then spun about to face the field. With the practiced ease of a veteran, he slipped one hand over the control panel and switched to battroid. Then he looked to his left and right to line up with the other Hawks.

He colored slightly. After all, in space there was no up or down, but it was still a bit embarrassing. He fired his verniers and spun so that he wasn't upside down compared to the others. Once that was finished, Jiro opened his missiles bays, choosing an area of the asteroid field before him to target. "Standing by for your mark, Major."

By Maj. Amaris Martin (Vagabond) on Monday, July 01, 2002 - 07:40 pm:

OOC: LOL ^^

By Warlock on Monday, July 01, 2002 - 10:25 pm:

"Roger Eagle Control..." Murdoch replied as he looked out of his cockpit and saw the mess that was the 'Hawks. A brief wave of concern swept his mind, as he noticed the lack of warmth that Clark's face had conveyed in her last communication. This however was not the time to be distracted and so he kept his mind on the task at hand. "Commander what about the Marines, they're sitting ducks out there. OVER?!"

We don't need backup you arrogant little bastard... Murdoch thought to himself, then looked around and counted the four planes in his group. At least we're still all accounted for, too bad I can't say the same about the 'Hawks. Good job Major...

"Redtail Leader come in, over..." Murdoch called to the approaching fighters.

(OOC: I know I'm actually sitting here by myself, but I can still pretend can't I?)

By Drache on Tuesday, July 02, 2002 - 12:52 am:

OOC: Who said you were alone? The prodigal wingmate returns...

BIC: Kim's HUD was ablaze with contacts, friendly and unknown. Internally, he was logging each one, their position and heading.

It had been too long since that familiar feeling prior to combat had washed over him. It was a strange sense of calm anticipation. He was loose and yet...he was on the edge, poised to soar down into the abyss.

There were only an infinite number of things that could go wrong in combat. Instict and luck were often just as useful as skill and training. There were times when you had to know which to rely on.

"Warlock..." Kim opened a private, laser comm to his wingmate. "You're right, those marines are toast if they run into trouble. With only a dropship and a Nightmare for cover, that transport is done for. That tub can't keep up and couldn't dodge a melting iceberg. I'm sure Emmerich and Davion can handle the relay don't you think?"

The less than subtle suggestion was more to give Murdoch the chance to give input than anything. If they hadn't been courtmartialed by now...

By Blaze on Tuesday, July 02, 2002 - 12:55 am:

With a flick of her wrist, and a flash of gold in a sea of grin, Araika's fighter eased into battle droid mode without much of a reaction from her impassive face. Her fingers gripped her control stick deftly, before she takes up position near the Major. Her target lock flashed red on her screen, watching the small circular blip as it flickered on and off in her HUD as she trained her eyes to the front.

"10-4, Vagabond," she dispatched through the comm, her voice blunt, if not somewhats steely.

A different voice caught her attention, before she blinked.

Wait a minute....that sounded like....what th'ell're THEY doin' here?!

By Sirocco on Tuesday, July 02, 2002 - 08:06 am:

Burning in on the Eagle, Fazia Al Hamza, followed by Issac Jordan headed toward their assignment. She still couldn't see Cedua or Ivanov, but Fazia knew that they would be doing their best to get there ASAP.

If it had been in an atmosphere, the sound of her Thunderbolt approaching would have been a scream. As it was she had to bank to avoid slamming into the ship. She had never been this reckless, and now Fazia understood the driving motivation behind it. She smiled with exhilaration as she radioed the unknown quantities she was to be working with.

"Warlock, this is Sirocco and Gideon. We were seperated from the rest of the unit and had to make our own way back. Please advise, over." Al Hamza'a voice carried a trace of uncertainty. She had no idea who she was working with, but had little doubt that he would at least be able to gain access to her's and Jordan's jackets from CNC aboard the Eagle.

OCC: Sorry I'm late to the party.

By UNS Eagle GM until July 13th (Forgotten) on Wednesday, July 03, 2002 - 04:35 am:

The Hawks formed a line not ten klicks from where MF circled the Eagle. Leg bays opened to reveal missile bays, bristling with deadly ordinance. They waited, but nothing emerged from asteroid field to challenge the Eagle and her crew. The Marines had almost reached the Hawks' position and everything looked clear. It wouldn't take long before they could clear the area and write off the botched mission for good.

That was when the bogeys from the asteroid field made their move. They burst into the open like jackrabbits in flight. The first and fastest were mowed down by the Hawks' readied missiles, but the others burst into the field, laying down fire of their own. Their initial barrage of missiles spent themselves against the Hawks' second salvo, and every missile thereafter kept the valkyries on the field on their toes, jinking hard to avoid a certain doom.

From out of the asteroid field burst four Nightmares and a PT-Boat. Instantly, their IFFs registered the PT-Boat Corsair, and her complement of Avengers. This, then, had been what had caused the bogeys to flee into the waiting arms of the Eagle's guns.

Skillful as they may be, two squadrons of valkyries were no match for the Hawks, the Avengers, a Stealth Frigate and a PT-Boat. Within minutes, the bogey squadrons had been halted and cleaned up. Transmission channels were opened and Communications Officers opened their mouths to speak... only to be interrupted by two small armies folding into the area, each force lead by a massive battle cruiser.

Things weren't looking up.

By Maj. Amaris Martin (Vagabond) on Wednesday, July 03, 2002 - 03:25 pm:

"Hawks, withdraw from cleanup immediately!" Amaris called into the comm. "Tight defensive formation around the Eagle until we receive further orders." He pondered only a few moments the two fighters from Mithril Force who'd joined them in mopping up the enemy fighters. "VF-5000 pilots, you are free to join us." (OOC: That is what they were flying, right?)

Cutting that line, he opened a new channel, a private laser link to the bridge. "Captain, this is Hawk One. Recommend a swift withdrawal. I don't like these odds, especially with the losses and damage we've already taken."

By UNS Eagle Advisor (D) on Wednesday, July 03, 2002 - 05:42 pm:

OOC: Actually they are the VF-19, last minute decision by Craig.

By Warlock on Wednesday, July 03, 2002 - 06:05 pm:

"Looks like the Dropship isn't our only concern, Drache..." Murdoch replied to Malak as he warmed up his weapon systems. He was relieved that Jade was now safe and that he didn't have to worry about her in the coming conflict. Placing his hand on the throttle he slowly moved it forward. "All right KID, lets show these rookies how it's done."

Murdoch headed Ishtar towards an area adjacent to the Silverhawks and waited for the others to form up. This whole situation brough back memories of the Fearless, perhaps this time things would end differently.

"Roger Redtail Wing..." Murdoch called to the approaching valkyries, he recognized the lead from their encounter in the mess hall. "Lieutenant Al Hamza, you and your wingman form up on us. But stand fast, over..."

Tight Defensive Formation, are you crazy?! If that Cruiser opens up it'll cut through the 'Hawks and straight to the Eagle.

"Vagabond..." Murdoch exclaimed as he sent Martin a secure line. "What's on your mind, over..."

(OOC: If I recall right they're actually VF-19's and technically there are four members of MF. Now Drache what rock did you climb out of?)

By Drache on Wednesday, July 03, 2002 - 07:46 pm:

Kim followed suit and angled towards Ishtar's destination.

"Might I suggest that we activate the stealth systems on these things? They surely know we're here and we may be as shiny as a mirror on Broadway but with all the debris in the area we'll be near impossible to target at anything closer than short range."

While waiting for a reply, Kim disengaged the safeties on all his weapons and preset some PPB locations but left it inactive. Preferring the whole squad to go at once, Kim kept his finger poised over the stealth activation switch.

Keeping busy kept his mind from wandering. A conversation he'd had earlier was attempting to replay itself in his head and he knew all too well as to why? And most importantly what the risks the current situation presented. Just in case, Kim made two changes to the blips that were displayed. Instead of the previous colors they showed, one was now green and the other purple.

It was his own coding system but none too hard to decipher. There were just too many variables this time....

By Warlock on Wednesday, July 03, 2002 - 08:20 pm:

"Roger Drache, good call..." Murdoch replied over the line. Deep down he cursed himself, as he allowed himself to be distracted by Jade just enough to pass over the stealth system. Now she seemed safe on board the Eagle, while he prepared to go into combat. His right hand began to shake, until he balled up his rage into a fist. Strange, how everything seemed to be happening again. "On my mark."

Thanks Partner, I wish you knew how much of a difference you've made. Murdoch thought to himself as he allowed himself a quick glance back to the Eagle. Be safe my Dear...

"Now..." Murdoch exclaimed.

(OOC: Please excuse the english, himself is running out of time.)

By Sirocco on Wednesday, July 03, 2002 - 08:59 pm:

Hearing the unspoken authority in his voice, Fazia held her ground in the picket surrounding the Eagle. She wondered who the voice belonged to. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't put a face to it. Glancing down to Lieutenant Jordan's Thunderbolt she let him in on the set-up.

"Okay Gideon. You heard the man. We're to hold the line here." She had no idea where this vernacular was coming from, but she hoped it made her sound more professional than a mere wannabe.

By Drache on Thursday, July 04, 2002 - 12:22 am:

Kim flipped the switch on Murdoch's mark and the Excalibur's active stealth system came online.

"Roger, stealth activated."

Kim half rolled his fighter so his profile was reduced vs. the incoming fleets.

"So ah...what exactly is the next step here? Doesn't seem very smart to let whoever they are get close to the Eagle." Kim comically looked over both shoulders and leaned into the screen. "Then again, if it was my call, I'd go for a tactical withdrawal."

His comments were directed only at MF and was serrious despite the joking tone. The odds were not in their favor and everyone knew it...he hoped.

By Maj. Amaris Martin (Vagabond) on Thursday, July 04, 2002 - 01:44 am: