Posted by 1st Lieutenant Emberlee Atkins (Pilot) in Main Sim - Flight Ops Bay / Space

Posted by 1st Lieutenant Ben Park (Pilot) in Main Sim - Flight Ops Bay / Space

Posted by Gamemaster Jack (Gamemaster) in Main Sim - Flight Ops Bay / Space
Posted by… suppressed (36) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The alert siren began wailing through the bay as Firefly’s running steps echoed down the corridor. “Alright, move!” he yelled. “Engineers, lock and out! Flux, Angel, Coffin, Park, Atkins! In your birds! Let’s go, people!”

The CAG arrived at his own fighter as his orders resounded through the bay, now a flurry of activity. “We’ve been ordered to launch an intercept for an unknown vessel coming toward us. Could be Starfleet. Stay in pairs, do not engage unless cleared.”

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

Ben ran right to his fighter as he heard his orders. He briskly rushed up the steps to sit in his cockpit adjusted his straps to secure him in. Tapping his comm badge “This is Lieutenant Park ready to fly on your orders Sir!”“

Park
Pilot

Atkins was only steps behind Park as she headed for her bird. She did a quick once over even though the engineers and flight crew had already done preflight, she was in the cockpit in moments and had her helmet and was closing the cockpit hood as she set up her oxygen mask and as she listened to Park, she touched her own comms unit “Ready for launch.” She said as she flipped a couple of switches and watched as gauges and gadgets lit up the cockpit, she split her view screen and waited for the orders that she knew would be forthcoming. She patted the small stuffed owl that flew all missions with her, it was from her twin sister and served as her mascot and reminder as to why she was doing the job she was doing.

She switched her comms to Park “I’m your battle buddy.” She said as she looked across the bay at the other pilot “We got this.” She said more to calm her own nerves that always popped up at an emergency launch, she turned her focus to the outside of the ship and set her gaze on the lights to indicate that they were a go for launch.

Atkins

“All Cutlasses, you are clear for launch,” Firefly confirmed.

The six fighters shot out of the bay and into the silence of the void, one after another.

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

As the fighters departed the ship, the controls seemed more sluggish than usual, almost as if the local area of space was turbulent.

The Excalibur was 20 minutes away.

GM

Tapping his badge “This is Lieutenant Park, this cutlass is feeling sluggish. Can we get some more details from sensors as to the cause of it?”

Park,
pilot

“Mine’s lagging too,” Firefly agreed. “Compensate accordingly. Don’t take unnecessary risks.” He thumbed the control to switch his comm transmission to the Memorial.

=/\=”Memorial, Firefly. It’s somewhat turbulent out here, can you determine the reason?” =/\=

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

Atkins chimed in =^=Mine’s acting weird as well.=^= She said

. =^= There seems to be some form of quantum flux in the area. =^= He paused for a moment. =^= If we are running on the assumption that we have appeared in another, parallel universe, then it would stand to reason that any means of crossing universes would have left a highly localised distortion of the space-time continuum. =^=

=/\=”Understood. Be aware that fighter reaction performance may be restricted by this distortion,”=/\= Firefly reported, switching his mic channel back to the air wing. “All cutlasses, be advised space may be distorted indefinitely. Science thinks it may be something to do with dimensions. Don’t get too close to anyone or anything without clearance.”

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

Emberlee keyed up=^=Is there a way for us to confirm the quantum flux from our birds?=^= She knew the cutlasses very well and knew that this was not something that they were loaded to do, they were fighters but there might be a back door possibly....

Atkins

“Good thinking, we might be able to,” Firefly agreed. =/\= “Memorial, is the flux able to be detected and isolated by the cutlasses’ sensors?” =/\=

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

Bump!

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

Bumping to keep the thread alive for GM when anything eventually happens.

Emberlee was going through her training forward, backwards and sideways, thinking of ways that they might be able to modify sensors on the fly, =^=Firefly, what if we do a low frequency EM pulse that might disrupt the flux but not our birds. We can modify the forward phasers without having to go back to the ship.=^= She suggested remember back to her flight instructor saying in passing that it was possible, difficult but possible and he had shown them how to make the modification....

Atkins (pilot)
“Try it. But only -” Firefly was cut off when something slammed into the fighters, sending all the systems to static for a moment.

Suddenly, a distortion wave hit the fighters, causing one of them to suddenly vanish.

OOC: We’ll say it’s an NE piloted fighter for now.

GM

The reaction was immediate was soon as systems flashed back to life. “Report!! Form up with your wingman and check your sensor logs.”

As these orders were followed, the one missing craft was quickly apparent - Flux, Lt. Elan Arkis, Firefly’s wingman. The other two pairs (Angel and Coffin, Park and Atkins) were still in one piece.

=/\= “Memorial, Firefly. Something just hit us and took Flux. What can you tell me?” =/\=

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

Ben braced as he was rolled around in the cockpit. “Park here Firefly I’m alright.” “Emberlee I’m on your rear starboard side” Ben adjusted his course to match with Emberlee
Park
Emberlee looked through the cockpit of her Cutlass =^= Got you Park. =^= She quickly modified the forward sensors and began emitting the low frequency EM pulse to see if it could catch anything.

Suddenly the fighter reappeared, although with significant damage along its port side, with plasma venting from the hull. Scanners would show one, faint life sign.

GM

Ben saw the fighter =^=Park to Firefly there’s a fighter here with damage. Its portside hull is venting plasma. I am picking up a faint life sign.=^=

Park

“Computer, emergency override. Authorization Arlen-2-7-Pi-3-4-1-Tau. Access the computer of the fighter piloted by Lt. Arkis and initiate emergency cockpit separation.” He flipped channels as soon as he finished speaking, back to the bridge. =/\= “Memorial, Firefly. I need Lt. Arkis to be beamed back aboard immediately, by shuttle if we’re outside Memorial‘s range. He’s alive but unconscious.” =/\=

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

A few moments later, the fighter exploded.

OOC: Just spotted this was a split thread, so unsplitting it!

GM

=/\= “Memorial, please confirm. Did you beam back Flux safely?” =/\=

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group
=^= Confirmed, the pilot was beamed aboard before the explosion. They are currently being treated in Sickbay,=^= the voice of the CIO replied. Firefly swapped back over channels to talk to the other fighters. “Skim your sensor logs and send anything remotely interesting to be compiled with whatever the ship picked up. Maybe between that and Flux, someone will be able to tell us what’s happening.”

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

Emberlee keyed up =^= Understood Firefly. I am emitting the low level EMF pulses now to see if that might pick up the distortions. =^= She said as she began transmitting data logs back to the Memorial, hoping that their more powerful computers could detect information that could help. After a moment, she keyed up again =^= Firefly and Park, I’m going to circle back to the point that Flux’s bird disappeared and see what the sensors get…maybe, just maybe there might be some sort of trail, signature something.=^= She disliked flying essentially blind, but she also knew that they were needed to protect the ship they could maneuver much more quickly.

Atkins (pilot)

“Belay that,” Firefly snapped as the HUD lit with points of crimson light. “Inbound bogeys. Break to port and come about, back to your wingmen. Do not fire unless fired upon.” He toggled the button to maintain an open channel with the ready room. =/\=”Memorial, Firefly. Launch Bravo squadron. Weapons hot, hold fire until cleared.” =/\=

Lieutenant, Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

=^=Aye Sir breaking to port now=^= Ben briskly typed in the commands to a fast breakaway portside.

Park

Emberlee saw the points lighting up =^=Breaking to port now and returning to wingman.=^= She said coming back up towards Park, weapons ready as she watched through the HUD and scanned out the forward viewer looking for what was showing on the HUD. She slowed her breathing waiting for the next few moments that would either bring them into a fire fight or the bogeys would decide it was not a good day to die.

Atkins

Before the fighters from the Excalibur were in range, sensors on the fighters picked up another distortion, moments before another fighter appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Rolling over, it also pulled upwards and performed half a loop, heading back into the distortion.

Initial scans of the fighter showed it was identical to the one flown by Flux.

GM

“Keep an eye on that area of space,” Firefly ordered, “but until it becomes an active threat, we’ll let the ship deal with whatever’s happening.”

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

Ben nodded and responded =^= Aye Sir=^=

Park. Pilot

Suddenly a point of light shot out of the Excalibur’s torpedo tubes. However, rather than heading towards the Memorial or one of its fighters, it shot passed them and entered one of the space distortions, disappearing from view.

GM

Emberlee craned her neck around the cockpit to try and see what had just happened =^=What was that?=^= She asked as she continued to scan the area with the HUD and her own eyes. This did not make much sense what was going on. But she was going to keep focused and do what she had been trained to do.

Atkins

“Torpedo or probe, too fast to tell without heavier sensors.”

Suddenly the area of space lit up as several piercing beams of light shot from the Excalibur and hit the Memorial, followed by several torpedoes being launched.

At the same time, the Excalibur’s fighter squadrons moved in to intercept the Memorial’s fighters.

GM

“Weapons free, weapons free,” Firefly’s voice overrode all other comm chatter as the light of weapons fire briefly lit the hulls of the fighters. “You are cleared to engage. All bogeys are now considered hostiles. Focus on the fighters, let the ship handle the big weapons.” The Memorial CAG’s speech was calm and clipped as he settled into his seat the slight bit the protective cushioning allowed. He was still the only solo pilot, his own wingman having been Flux.

=/\=”Firefly, George,” came the voice of his Bravo squadron commander, Cpt. Tim ‘George’ Lewis. “We’re spaceborne and en route to engage.” =/\=

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

Ben locked eyes on the nearest target “Emberlee let’s flank them on their portside and draw them away from the Memorial and then fire on them.”

Park, pilot

One of the squadrons took the bait, moving away from the Memorial to pursue the fighters. Ben and Emberlee managed to get a few good shots off, destroying on of the fighters and damaging another.

However, two enemy fighters managed to get behind them, and started firing their phasers.

GM

=^=Park to Firefly we have two bogies on our 6. Taking evasive action Gamma 3=^= =^= Park to Emberlee shut your engines off and nose down and they’ll fly right by us.=^=

Park

Emberlee reacted quickly and shut down her engines and killed the cockpit lights and hoped that Ben was correct in this manuver =^=Park, I hope you’re right about this.=^=. She said as she watched the situation go down. She had her finger on the reignite code so that they could get back in the fight as soon as the bogeys had flown by. She was quickly going through her head the different things that could be tried. For now she waited somewhat impatiently.

Atkins

Fortunately for both Park and Atkins, the manoeuvre worked, and the two fighters flew straight past them, allowing for the computer systems to gain a decent target lock.

GM

Unsurprisingly, Ben flicked on his engines and proceeded behind them. Following their every move. Ben activating his torpedo launcher and fired upon the enemy ship that was closest proximity to his fighter.

Park

Emberlee followed suit and gained the lock on the other fighter and let loose a torpedo =^= Firefly…you good?=^= She asked through their comms link as she continued to scan the area around them for additional bogeys.

Atkins

“Affirmative, Atkins,” the CAG confirmed. “Angel, Coffin, help draw some fire off Park and Atkins. Keep their focus off Memorial. George, take your squadron and make a run for their flight deck. I’ll help screen those torpedoes they keep sending our way.”

=/\=”Roger,” =/\= replied George, and Bravo Squadron began forming into a variant on the flying wedge as they accelerated towards the Excalibur.

Lieutenant Colonel John “Firefly” Arlen
Commander, Air Group

(Also Captain (Marine) Tim “George” Lewis; Commander, Bravo Squadron)