Sunday Driver

[Valar Dohaeris]

Fighters were the bane of many people's existence when it came to space battles... and that was exactly why Valar had gotten himself a crux fighter for this little engagement and made sure his ally was also in a fighter. Bringing anything else to a dogfight was just asking for trouble!

Unless they could have brought one of those anti-fighter corvettes for the job... that would have been sweet but it was still just a little bit out of his price range.

For now!

He grinned a little bit as he idly flew in a loop, waiting for the damned enemy to actually show up. In the mean time, he spoke to his ally over the coms.

"So you ready for this?" he asked with a toothy grin, "Dogfighting... time for a real scrap, you know?"

He laughed.

"Gods I love my life..."

Sometimes you just had to acknowledge that you loved what you did.

@Nightfall

 

[Sergei Petrov]

ather than flying his usual vessel, Sergei was settled in the cockpit of a Reflex-class Starfighter. With deflector shields at their peak and his engines at maximum acceleration, the naval officer shot through the dark vacuum of space. Not far from him was none other than Valar Dohaeris, the dashing Sith Acolyte he had both come to hate and love.

His skills on Cato Neimoidia proved he was a crucial member of the Empire. At the same time, his incessant attempts to bang alien females agitated and disturbed the Imperial. He was no xenophobe, but Valar’s constant hanky-panky and high jinks were not so gladly received.

Regardless, he respected the man. Somewhat. When he requested support to rid the Mid Rim of a pirate entourage, Sergei couldn’t refuse. It was an opportunity to further prove his worth to the woman who sponsored his rise through the ranks: Empress Lyanna Drast. His involvement could mean another much needed line on his growing list of reasons for promotion.

Plus, he knew Valar could hold his own. For all the Imperial believed, this was a low-stakes mission with a high-stakes reward. In addition, there was another man accompanying them. An unfamiliar face to Sergei but a welcome one. The more, the merrier. And some cannon fodder to feed the pirates when they were warming up for battle. A necessary sacrifice. Then again, there was no telling if the other man could likewise prove just as capable.

“More ready than I’ll ever be.” He answered over the comms. A mix between a grin and a grimace set on his unshaven features. Was he deadpan or excited? It ultimately depended on the situation. Of course, he trusted things would bode well. He had a good feeling about it.

@Nightfall @Nefieslab

 

[Merrick Helmsdottir]

"Oh come on boys, let's have some fun" Merrick followed into the comms, connecting with the other two that flew along with him. The assignment felt for now like a cruisy one, clear the fighters and get it all worked over before others inserted to finish it all off. Nothing out of the ordinary, though it was his first larger unit engagement for some time, the way rotations worked he could never be sure what exactly he was going to be thrown into next. And despite the fun he'd had on Cato Neimodia and the little exploded station, this was a good chance to skill up before he ran into pilots like those at Nar Shaddaa again. That was a karking embarrassment, and one that could have ended a lot worse. He still tended to avoid discussing the details of that one around his friends.

Still, he was holding out for his transfer. Or a commission. Whichever came first and kept him moving around a little more. He got being stuck in the one place too long. Would a promotion tie him down? Well, he wouldn't let it even if he got it.

For now, what mattered was keeping his finger on the trigger, his eyes on the horizon, and closing into combat distance before he and the others blew these guys outta the sky.

Wouldn't that be fun?

@Nefieslab @Deviant

 

[Valar Dohaeris]

Time for some dogfighting.

The enemy squadron numbered 12 but they seemed to have sent 10 of them ahead of the remaining two... well damn, that was going to be a lot of fighting for the three Imperials now wasn't it? He knew enough about Sergei to know that the naval man would likely want to win this, if for no other reason than the fact that he would likely be able to spin this rather well to the higher ups. Fighting against odds like this where it was 4 on 1 and you still won?

That was the stuff medals were made of.

"Ten of them in the first wave huh?" he mused, sounding almost philosophical for a moment before he just laughed, "Let's do them all a favour and explode them into atoms eh? They can't look any uglier."

Laughing, he highlighted two fighters on their synced HUD as his own targets before swooping right on in with his laser cannons blasting away. One of the targeted ships exploded and the other too severe damage to one of it's wings but kept on flying - Valar himself gritted his teeth as the fire he came under in return forced him to move off the attack vector, so as to keep from being blown up himself. If he had just held it a little longer he would have gotten that second fighter but, as it was, the fighter was virtually crippled.

Next attack run.

@Nightfall
@Deviant
DICE

 

[Sergei Petrov]

ow was the time. As the three men in each of their respective starfighters approached the enemy, Sergei pressed a thumb to the trigger. Hands on the yoke, eyes glancing between the controls and through the windshield, out into the darkness of space. His radar clicked. Several alarms warned him of the coming danger. As for the enemy squadron, they had no idea what was about to hit them. Not until it already happened. Not until Valar dived his fighter down, blasted through one ship and severely crippled the other. A solid start.

Trying to follow in the footsteps of the Sith, the naval officer aimed at two enemy fighters and fired. His turret fire raked against the wing of one, spiraling it out of control. A small blaze flickered from the hull of his victim. As they lost stability, speed and critical systems, the enemy pilot fell behind. The last thing Sergei saw as he passed them were the eyes of a stunned man desperate to put out the growing fire in his cockpit. The fighter exploded not long after.

Deadpan and expressionless, the Imperial continued with his actions. The second fighter was still in range, scrambling to regain the advantage when there was none to be found. Before they could make an evasive maneuver, Sergei pressed on his cannon fire and planted a shot right into their unshielded engines. The enemy burst into a flash of light, fire and metal. A body flew by. The Imperial was still unhurt knowing he had taken a life. They were scum, after all. They deserved what was coming.

His radar beeped again. A red speck appeared at a distance behind him. Through his comms, Sergei grunted. “I got an enemy hot on my tail. Can someone lend a hand?” He didn’t expect much. There were at least another five fully capable fighters, aside from the cripple and the one behind him. It was better the other two men focused on them. Meanwhile, Sergei planned what to do next.

@Nightfall (DICE)

 

[Merrick Helmsdottir]

"Oh I think I drop you a line" Merrick couldn't help himself but smirk as his wingmate called over the comm, another man on his tail. The fight was starting hot it seemed, a trio downed both his friends in a spot of trouble. The others had hit the line first, Valar diving in and pulling out as fire raked his cockpit, and Sergie blowing a pair out of the sky as a little friend came up behind his back.

Time to show them how it was done.

Pulling up and over, Merrick shot down vertically into the crowd, cannon fire breaking through the enemy line from above. Few, it seemed, had had the forethought to look anywhere but forward, another pair bursting into flame as they crossed right into his attack vector. Merrick notched up the numbers in his head.

It wasn't a competition, of course. But there was more than enough for them all that a little points scoring wasn't out of the question.

And, he thought, he deserved a little bonus point for his next maneuver. Swooping in behind Sergie, Merrick's cannons lit up again, ripping into the enemies engines as the fighter burst into flames before him,

"Now tell me that doesn't impress ya" he said with a laugh over the comm. Too bad his little stunt had kept his eyes away from the other fighters, one of the four remaining in the wave working its way behind him, cannons at the ready. And Merrick was none the wiser.

@Nefieslab @Deviant

Dice

 

[Valar Dohaeris]

Looked like they were doing better when they were supporting each other - Valar could get behind that. Merrick had done his duty and pulled the fighter off of Sergei by blasting him to pieces but the same man had no idea that their was a boggie on his own tail now thanks to that move.

Time for Valar to be a team player.

"Merrick - you've picked up a friend."

Coming in at an angle, Valar spared a quick burst of laser fire to destroy the crippled fighter from before before speeding towards the enemy tracking Merrick from the side, raking it with fire until it exploded in a lovely little ball of white flames and sparks.

Two remaining.

"Keep it tight - we've got them on the ropes."

@Nightfall
@Deviant
DICE

 

[Sergei Petrov]

hank Andraste that Sergei had competent teammates and allies. His request for assistance was answered and Merrick came swooping in. A knight in shining armor, or at least, in his interceptor. He caught the glint of his cockpit windshield and smiled through. A few shots followed, piercing the enemy ship’s engines and turning it into a ball of fire and smoke and metal. Nothing remained. In the wake of the attack, the Imperial Director was left with pride and gratitude. Another successful hit.

“Well, color me impressed!” He answered over the comms. Perhaps the first time in a very long time. Sergei was hardly ever grateful, but he knew where to give respect when it was due. The Sith Acolyte deserved some appreciation for his work. From other mission reports he read, the man was one of the finest pilots in the Imperial Republica. He was also instrumental in helping take Cato Neimoidia, as was Valar. Both men were vital pieces to the Empire.

Valar managed to blow through the crippled fighter, and then another behind Merrick. Teamwork at its finest. With the last two present fighters, Sergei decided to kick into gear again and maneuvered to flank one. His thumb hovered close above the trigger, hoping the enemy had yet to catch him coming at them from an angle below. Once he was close enough, he fired a quick barrage.

Of course, the shots went far better than he expected, slamming into the engines and blowing the fighter up in an instant. It seemed Merrick was not only skilled pilot on the field, even if Sergei never did believe flying was his forte. “Got them by the neck too.” He quipped, more than satisfied by how the mission was going. None of them received any serious damage and the enemy was down multiple fighters in the span of several minutes.

This was the might of the Imperial Republica.

@Nightfall

DICE

 

[Merrick Helmsdottir]

"Yeehoo!" the hairs on Merrick's neck were standing tall, watching the karking dance in the skies as the fighters dropped like flies to their cannons. Not so often did things go so successfully, every mission had it's changes, every plan it's diversions when it made contact with the enemy. Not today it seemed. That had been the plan, fly in, fight 'em down, get out again. And damn it if they weren't doing that with aplomb,

"Sometimes it's just too easy" he trailed off into a chuckle through his drawl. Always good to fly with a pair who knew what they were doing. Today, well, today was one of those days he guessed, and he was going to enjoy it. The Petrov fella was a mover and a shaker, if the things he'd heard were anything to go by, indeed he was pretty darn sure it was his orders at Neimodia that he'd been following.

Nice to know the ones giving the orders could match up,

"Alrighty ladies and gentleman, I think I see our last few suckers flying over, let's form up and finish 'em off" Merrick chatted into his comm as he pulled up and over, forming up again and bursting across the sky to the new fighters that specked up on the radar. And not a moment too soon.

Swooping in from above, Merrick's laser cannons lit up the sky, chasing across the bow of the right most fighter, tracking it even as it pulled hard to try and escape, but it's chances were long gone as he watched its shields pop and the metal from its hull tear apart, sending smoke and scrap into space as it fell apart in front of him.

Just one more. He almost felt sad about it.

@Nefieslab @Deviant

DICE

 

[Valar Dohaeris]

Valar had to admit that this fight was actually going a lot better than expected but there was still one more fighter and he would be damned if he was going to let it escape. Focusing with the Force, Valar focused his entire being on the fighter that he was currently doggedly tailing.

The pilot bobbed and he weaved and he tried everything that he could to shake Valar off so that he could escape to hyperspace - but it just wasn't enough.

With a manic grin, Valar pulled the trigger, gunning the last remaining fighter down in just one final volley. As the ship disappeared in the resulting explosion, Valar allowed himself the moment to relax. He sat, boneless, in his cockpit for a few seconds and he just reveled in his victory. For a few seconds the pain in his face and the pain in his left arm disappeared and he was just able to bask in the warm glow of a hard-fought battle turning into a deserved victory.

And then it was over, a twinge of pain running across his jawline reminding him that this was real life and the pain was not going to allow him to merely enjoy the time.

"Alright gentlemen... it seems we have accomplished our mission." he grinned a little bit despite the pain, "I shall make sure that your payment is delivered just as soon as the rest of the tasks are completed but, for now?"

He began keying in coordinates for a jump.

"Let's get the hell out of here and find a bar. First round is on me."

He slowly slid the controls forwards, jumping to hyperspace.

/Exit Thread
@Nightfall
@Deviant
DICE

 

[Sergei Petrov]

verything went far better and faster than expected. The Imperial Director at least anticipated a swarm of enemy fighters or to find themselves at a massive disadvantage. Although that was true, and they were outnumbered as only three fighters, pure dumb luck managed to pull them through. In a matter of minutes, the three men successfully shredded the enemy apart, leaving heaps of metal and ash floating through space. A prideful and satisfied grin was plastered over his face. “I’ll be damned. That was the easiest job I think I’ve ever done.”

Expecting Valar to remember their last mission. The attempt to break past a entry guard with multiple failed attacks, or the arrival of a light tank, or the ambush from a dozen men back on Cato Neimoidia. While the operation did end successfully, the mission today was a walk in the park compared to then. Maybe he had underestimated Valar’s skill. And maybe it wouldn’t be the last time the pair, in addition to Merrick, would come together again. After all, there was lots to do in the Empire, and so little time.

“I’m going to hold you to that!” He answered back to the Sith, grinning. Sure, there were lots to do and many more missions ahead of them, some Sergei was hoping to get out of the way, but how could he possibly refuse free drinks? No less after the swift victory. He deserved a little rest and relaxation. They all did for their service to the Imperial Republica.

As he pieced together the same coordinates Valar had, Sergei looked out to the vastness of the galaxy. A million stars, a thousand planets. One day, all of them would defer to the might of the Empire. “Here we go.” He murmured, one last time, before pressing a hand to a single lever on his controls. His interceptor tilted forward. The stars blurred. The Imperial was on the next stepping stone to glory.

@Nightfall