Special Forces Cruiser UNS Phoenix

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Thornton? What the...?

It was time to take off; why was she sending him questions like this? Amaris bit his lip in frustration, but started to toggle a response anyway. Then he noticed Thornton's status, blinking in italics beneath her name: clear for flight duty. Apparently someone had decided to give him his pilot back without informing either of them of the decision.

There was no time for text messaging. "Lieutenant Thornton," he spoke into the PDA's microphone, "grab a flightsuit and get into a Vampire. You're listed for flight duty. I don't know where the mixup happened, but there's no time to find out. Hurry. We're launching."

He simultaneously hit 'send' and began marching his battroid towards the wide hatchway that was seemingly open to the space beyond, and indeed would be if not for the invisible force field in place there. Then he pulled up the roster; he'd have to make some swift adjustments to slip Thornton in. Well, that was no problem, he'd just...

Amaris blinked. There were two people needing slots. Apparently when he'd worked out the roster earlier he'd neglected to find a position for Second Lieutenant John Trimes. Amaris sighed and could taste the bile on his breath. He frowned, sighed again, and hurriedly began shifting personnel around. He didn't have much time, and so he wasn't sure he'd made the right team decisions in the end, but they would just have to make do.

Typically, Amaris refused to show weakness or fallibility; such was political suicide in nearly all but the most convoluted of negotiations. But now, today, when everything that could go wrong had and probably still would, he didn't care about saving face. Amaris opened the comm to the rest of the Hawks, and his face was tired and unhappy on their screens.

"Good news and bad news," he said without preamble. "Good news: we have two more people coming with us. Bad news: I had to shift the roster around again. This has got to be the most unorganized operation I've ever seen." That statement was rather silly, seeing as he'd only been on one operation before this...but then again, those who'd been with him on that mission would know just how unorganized it had ended up being, and so perhaps the statement would make his point well. Amaris grimaced regardless.

"Sending the data now. Sorry about all this. Let's just all do what we can. Lieutenant Thornton, welcome back to the fold; glad to have you. Lieutenant Trimes, sorry for leaving you out. I'm not quite sure what happened there." He paused for a moment to give everyone a chance to skim the new roster. Hopefully this would be the last revision until the end of the mission. Amaris couldn't stop his cheek from twitching.

WING ASSIGNMENTS

• MAJ Martin (Command Team)
  • CPT Rupert (Squadron A)
    • 1LT Malak (Team A1)
      • 2LT von Eisenberg
      • 2LT Lee
      • 2LT Dunne
  • CPT Gospel (Squadron B)
    • 1LT Murdoch (Team B1)
      • 2LT Weber
      • 2LT Malak
    • 1LT Thornton (Team B2)
      • 2LT Stolt
      • 2LT Trimes

The response was quick and Krystal was surprised. Flight duty? But I was on medical for today... But evidently orders had changed again, as they so often did in this squadron. Maybe the brass just liked testing the 'hawks for readiness, but in any case, she would fly.

She ran to her locker, throwing medical coat inside and pulling out a flightsuit. Not caring if anyone was watching, she quickly pulled her skirt off, and climbed into the jumpsuit, pausing momentarily to rub the scar on her thigh...Zipping the suit up, she checked it quickly, threw life support gear on and grabbed her helmet.

"Where's the leftover Vampire?" she asked the nearest technician, securing the last few parts of her flightsuit.

"Over there..." barely had th tech pointed before she was running again, the scar on her leg, now itching. After all, this was her first return to combat flying since...since that incident...

She shut the painful thoughts out of mind and scaled the ladder, trusting that the technicians had things handled as far as the mecha's stability went. The hatch closed and then the mecha was on and ready, Major Martin addressing the squadron. She smiled.

"I'm glad to be back sir."

The roster showed her to be in command of a team, Stolt and Trimes being her teammates. She took note of that and tested the system. It all looked good. And now, the launch.

"Roger that. Doc is taking flight." The mecha began to walk forward and then stepped into space, following her leader into the inky blackness.

Running towards his Valk, John remembered that he had no time to check her personnaly, and that thaught left him with a bad feeling. Not that the chief here was a bad mech, but he liked verifying his "steel bird" by himself...But this time, he had to rely on the work his peer had done. No way to do anything about that.

Stepping inside his cockpit, he thaught :

Damned, this time it's for real. And no VF-11 any more, I'm right into a Vampire.

Running through all checks, he felt a little relief as all seemed "green". The engines started to make their particular noise, a noise he would have to get used to.

---

quote:

Roger that. Doc is taking flight.

---

OOC: That's a good question :) Some women prefer being called "Sir", while others like "Ma'am". It really just depends on the person.

DAMN! Third shft in a row this morning! I have a BAD feeling about this! Anna Thought as she positioned her VF right on its new place in the line. Now I'll be flying with a nugget who could only give a "I hope we'll be a good team" as his smartest line in a moment like this...

"Just let me do my work and I'll leave you alone Trimes" Yeah, just fly your bird and stay out of my sight!. She was quite unconfortable with this last minute shifting, not only because she was getting used to the previous lineup, but because she was the one left aside with the new strangers... and if there was something that was hard for her, it surely was to TRUST someone like she needed to trust her new team.

Not to mention the fact that I'm now right under a woman that came out of nowhere to become my team leader... She took a deep breath ant letted it out slowly... She felt that she needed to be cold again... her bad temper was not a good advisor at that time and she knew that. This tells me a LOT of how desperate this mission is... and how nervous our CAG is about it... You'll have to focus on surviving Anna... just that

"Control, this is Freya" She said through the TacNet "Launching in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

There was no zero on the count... jusst the sound of Anna's VF jumping into the vast darkness of space...

OOC: Trimes, you'll address any superior female officer as "Ma'am" (Madam) unless she preferes to be addressed by rank or callsing.

Doc smiled as Trimes opened a line. "Glad to hear it." Once in space, she pulled a switch, the shape of the Vampire shifting into it's Fighter mode. Short bursts of thruster fire maneuvered it into a holding position until the rest of the squadron was out and ready.

"Hawk Leader, Team B2 is cleared and ready. Holding positions, over."

OOC: Krystal's pretty easygoing: as long as you say "Lieutenant", "Sir", "Ma'am" or "Doc", you'll get on just fine ^^

Kit froze her image transmission so she could roll her eyes at the situation.

Just when I was getting somewhere.

A deep sigh was followed by the groaning and rumbling of her Vampire coming to life.

"Phoenix rising." Was Kit's emphatic response to Major Martin's call and her Valkyrie responded in kind, leaving it's steel cocoon behind.

As she manuevered her VF down the launch corridor, Kit opened her comm once more.

"So I take it no one is going to own up to being the abominable pastry pilot from this morning?"

There was nothing worse than starting a mission all tense and besides, she really wanted to know the story.

She had just started down the line when she realized Murdoch and Weber

---

quote:

Just let me do my work and I'll leave you alone Trimes.

---

Bill turned to answer Zack's questions, but was smart enough not to step on Capt. Gospel's comments.

"Well, it's Bill. Junior 2nd Lieutenants need mutual protection, not formality. Shangri-La was like stories out of Earth's old west. A bit lawless, a bit of adventure. Definitely a place where you needed to keep an eye on everything going on around you."

At Zack's further prompting about the situation and the team, "I only know Captain Gospel. He was the CO for a time in Shangri-La. He's good. Kept me alive, anyways. The only other person I who might have been assigned here was Fazia, but she's not with the squadron anymore."

Just then, 1LT Malak was onscreen. Bill's initial impression didn't really jive with the person on the screen and he was somewhat confused now. Better just go with it. Now is not the right time for confusion.

"Boss, Lt. Lee. I'm flight ready. Last requests? What about dates? We've decided that we don't really know anyone on the Phoenix and we'll need dates."

After all that waiting it was no go time. Truth be told, Zack was relieved...the waiting had started to get to him. He snorted his laughter at Malak's question.

"Gee sir...I don't know. Near impossible mission, in an unfamilar bird with teammates I just met this morning? Golly what more could a pilot want?" Zack gave his best 'simple farm boy' grin, then winked quickly.

"Unless your sister happens to be single, in which case..." Zack let it hang there with a smile and a small laugh. Moving smoothly he brought his Vamp over to the launch window. When his turn came he 'jumped' into the inky blackness with a silent "yea-haw!", then in acalmer voice repoted in.

"This is Mustang, I'm away and in the clear." Switching back to his squad channel, Zack reported in for orders from his flight leader. "Okay Lt. where do you wnat me?"

"Sorry boys..." Kim said as he pulled his visor down over his face. "...I'm new to the Phoenix myself however...I happen to know Lt. Faloise is single at the moment. Just watch your appendages." Just enough sarcasm entered his voice to imply that his words were merely a statement of fact and not an actual suggestion.

Seconds later Kim's VF was free of the Phoenix and streaking towards the planet below. Before he had a chance to call out the formation he had in mind, Mustang jumped in with that very question.

"Let's make it simple. Diamond formation with a 100 meter spread. Machwave right, Mustang left, Eisenberg on point and I'll bring up the rear. Watch your long range sensors, passive only, and keep an eye out for orbital debris."

Kim, practicing what he preached, brought up his sensor screens, checking for anything and everything that wasn't the Phoenix, Wolfpack or a Silverhawk.

OOC: Pardon the fluff, but this is the closest I'll get to a graduation post (did Kilo even bother with a graduation thread?) and versions of this scene have been bouncing through my head for ages...

He could almost feel his mother's alarm when he explained he'd been posted aboard a special forces cruiser. She held her composure, but seemed determined to make as much of a fuss over him as possible. It was almost a mercy that his shuttle was due to leave shortly; much as he loved her, Astrid von Eisenberg's attention could be a formidable force when focused.

None too soon, and yet all too quickly, the time was at hand. The announcement echoed over the PA, summoning Matthias and the rest to the launch pad. With several parting hugs, repeated admonitions to be careful and promises to write or call as often as possible, Matthias gradually eased his way out of the group and away to the waiting shuttle.

"Just a minute, boy." The gruff, serious voice seemed to carry clearly over the noise of the nearby shuttlecraft, though the speaker scarcely raised it. Matthias turned as his father approached, meeting the latter's glacial eyes in anticipation of a few parting shots in the battle that had been ongoing since Matthias' enlistment. They'd hardly spoken after the ceremony, save to exchange perfunctory greetings. Perhaps this was his bid for the last word.

The elder von Eisenberg paused for a moment, gathering himself. He seemed unsure of himself, a strange state for a man usually under such rigid self-control his workers (those out of earshot, anyway) had dubbed him the Iron Man. When he did speak, his voice was oddly subdued, the usual crisp efficiency giving way to a marginally gentler tone. "You mind yourself out there, boy. Remember who you are -- and who you represent."

Matthias bristled and started to retort, but his father's manner gave him pause. He sighed in quiet frustration, replying with more resignation than rancor, "I won't embarrass you, Father. You can be certain of that." He smirked and extended his hand. "Who knows? Perhaps someday I may even make you proud."

Karl accepted the handshake with a powerful grip, clapping his son's shouder firmly. "You already have, son." A tiny hint of a smile cracked the wooden visage at the young pilot's surprised expression. "I suppose I always knew there was nothing I could have said to dissuade you, but I was determined to try. I'm still half-certain you're a damn young fool for doing this...yet I see now your heart is behind it. And for that, you will do it better than any other." He glanced over Matthias's shoulder at the waiting shuttle, and the proto-smile vanished, betrayed only by the hint of warmth in his eyes. "Now, on your way, son. And be certain you write as soon as you can; you know how your mother will worry."

"I will, sir. And...say goodbye to Marlene for me." Matthias shouldered his bag again and nodded a last farewell. Without another word spoken, the two men turned to follow their separate ways.

Kim smiled to himself, marking off an item on his internal list when Eisenberg checked in. At the least, everyone seemed in good humor and that was more than he could ask for considering their pending predicament.

"Guess you're lucky you already picked up a callsign at the Academy."

Kim shot Baran a two fingered salute and then once he pulled up to the front, Kim slid into position at the rear of the formation, completing the diamond. He kept his Vampire on a slightly higher plane than the other three so as to avoid picking up the exhaust from Baron's VF and thus making his VF a bright and shining beacon for anyone watching.

"Drache here." Kim announced to the whole squadron. "When you have time, check your inventories. Those of us in 14s are packing a little more punch than we're probably used to. The IRMs we have loaded are armor-piercing plasma warheads. Those of you who haven't seen these in action before trust me, you don't want to be anywhere near them when they detonate."

Kim had seen, close up and in a total vacuum, a plasma warhead eat through the hull of a carrier, spead and then nearly destroy the entire ship. It wasn't a pleasant thought but a lesson learned nonetheless.

"That's just a suggestion though." A miscievious Malak grin followed the last part but it wasn't too hard to tell that his warning was a serious one.

---

quote:

Those of you who haven't seen these in action before trust me, you don't want to be anywhere near them when they detonate.

---

---

quote:

That's just a suggestion though.

---

OOC: Please don't use the \quote{} command to quote other characters in an in-character post. There are text formatting standards on this page; please follow those so that all the posts will be easy to read. Thanks!

OOC : Yes ma'am ;)

OOC: All Silverhawks please translocate, or whatever verb you like, over to the new thread.

Thank you, drive thru.