It took a grand total of 14 hours, 23 minutes and around 9 seconds for the Chimera’s Executive Officer to find out that one of the very first pilots to touch down on the Fleet’s newest Mega Carrier had had backed a 350 million credit Recon bird into the forward bulkhead hard enough to actually dent the damn wall. On her first on-deck walk through, the TOPGUN Recipient and Ace pilot in her own regard, Halloway looked up after taking approximately a dozen steps into the Bay and saw it. It was in that moment that a half dozen deck crew seriously considered requesting emergency beam outs as the redheaded pilot blew a gasket on the bird in question’s Crew Chief.

“I don’t give a damn what time it is! You tell that hack to get his ass to my office IMMEDIATELY and bring his frackin’ Squadron Skip with him! I only wanna say this once!” For a trim woman, the Commander projected like a Marine and had a near frightening look in her eye as she snapped. “I said now dammit! Now move your ass!” And with that, she was gone… and not a soul said so much as a word as they all quietly went back to their duties.

=A= Um, Captain… Peterson here… XO wants you & Smoke in her office… like now.=A= Staff Sergeant Luke Peterson sighed as he paused and then continued. =A= I just got handed the biggest ass chewin’ of my career… over Smoke backin’ into the damn bulkhead. I’m sorry Ma’am… I didn’t see the witch coming till she was standing there starin’ at the dent. =A= He swallowed hard and added. =A= I will get Smoke on his way but I should warn you… she’s not just a stuff-shirted Fleeter that thinks she knows what she’s talkin’ about. She was sportin’ a Flight Jacket… full of patches… including a TopGun patch on the right chest trimmed in gold. You know what that means, right Captain? She won the Trophy… she might be an ass but she’s no joke… which means she will NOT go easy on either of you. Hope she don’t shake up Smoke too bad. He’s a good kid… just a little over zealous. Good luck ma’am. Sorry again… Peterson out. =A=

When the door hissed open to the Executive Officer’s personal office, the walls were covered in awards, plaques and certificates… and sure enough… directly behind her centered on the wall was the coveted TopGun Trophy just above a rather large wooden plaque featuring a pair of gold Master Aerospace Wings dated four years before. For Eleanor, it would be highly unnerving as the woman looked barely older than she was.

Halloway, XO