Imperial Ace Anon - [Star Wars]

>Bzzzt! Bzzzzt! Bzzzzt!
>Ugh...
>You open your eyes and look at the clock.
>Glancing at the window shows it's still night.
>Grabbing your datapad you look at your messages to see just who the hell is calling you at this hour.
>Sitting on the side of the bed, the mattress shuffles as your significant other wakes up as well.
>"Anonymous, honey what is it." she asks.
>You look through your unread messages and come across one titled: "CLASSIFIED"
"Just a call wanting me to come in." you reply.
>You change the display before she rolls over and removes her eyemask.
>Your wife looks at the datapad over your shoulder and her eyes narrow.
>She opens her mouth to say something but instead shakes her head back and forth.
>"Oh, but I thought you were on leave now." she sighs, "I guess this is what I should have expected for marrying one of the Empire's top pilots."
>You feel a pair of arms drape over your shoulder as you feel your wife's body pressed against your back.
>Turning to her you smile and give her a deep kiss which she returns gladly.
>You break off the kiss and get off the bed to get ready.
>God you love this woman.
>Before you can leave for the refresher, she takes your hand and gives you an almost scared look.
>"How long will you be gone?"
"I don't know. You know how these things go."
>The answer doesn't reassure her.
>"Promise to come back safe... Please."
>"I promise Rarity. You are the love of my life and I wouldn't ever think about betraying that."
>She smiles, before it suddenly turns mischievous.
>Pulling you down back onto the bed into a loving embrace she whispers into your ear.
>"Then I guess it wouldn't hurt if we went at it once before you go then?"
>You smirk.
"No I guess not."

>You catch a commuter shuttle to the Imperial City Naval Base.
>Sitting down in your seat, you watch the sunrise over the Courscant skyline.
>A few of the other passengers eye you warily and when you face their direction, they try to avoid staring.
>You'll never really get used to that.
>But it's something you've learned to deal with.
>However this time something catches your eye.
>A small boy, couldn't be much older than five or six staring at you in awe. When he notices you he gets a big toothy grin and holds up a small toy of an Imperial TIE Fighter..
>His mother sitting right next to him, chastises him for staring.
>"I'm sorry about that." she says.
>You return a small smile.
"It's no problem ma'am."
>Walking over you kneel down in front of the boy.
"You know, those TIE fighters are good and all but they don't hold a candle to the new TIE Defenders."
>"TIE Defender?"
>You pull out your personal datapad and find a holo-net article on the TIE Defender.
>Holding it up to the boy, he awes at the high-performance starfighter.
"Only the best pilots fly those."
>"Are you a pilot?" he asks.
"One of the best." you reply, tousling his hair and giving him a wink.

>A short flight later and you disembark and walk towards the ICNB courtyard.
>Soon normal pedestrians are replaced by squads of stormtroopers, TIE pilots and other Imperial personnel.
>Approaching the security gate you notice someone.
>A sky blue haired woman in a gray officer's uniform.
"Hello Lt. Pommel."
>"Hmm? Oh Captain! Sir! I didn't see you I apologize."
>The Lieutenant frantically salutes you.
>Returning it, you chuckle.
>You wouldn't say it out loud but she's adorable sometimes.
>Almost reminds you of...
>No. Focus.
>Don't think about *her*.
>Discarding that unpleasant memory, you return your attention to the present.
"At ease, I trust your day is going well?"
>"Very, sir."
>Showing the guard your ID, you step through the scanner and wait for Coco.
>"Um...sir? May I ask you something?" she says when she crosses the checkpoint.
"Yes?"
>"Why are you here? Because if I remember right you're still supposed to be on leave."
"Orders from command. That's all I can really say right now. If it's what I think it is, you'll know soon enough as well."
>"I see..."
>You both enter the primary building of the rather gloomy looking facility.
>The large symbol of the Galactic Empire, lit up as a sign of its power,looms overhead to any who enter.
>There is an awkward silence as you step into the turbolift and head to the upper levels of the building.
>Coco fidgets, teetering on her heels as she tries to not look like she's staring at you.
>Its obvious she wants to ask you something.
>And there's a good feeling you know what she wants.
>"How is Miss Rarity if I may ask?"
"Same old same old. And yes, before you ask, she's taken a look at the designs for your dresses and loves them."
>She squeaks, "How did you know?"
"Please, it's all she would ever talk about for the past week."
>Coco blushes.
>You stop, causing the young woman to bump into you.
"I also took a peek and I must say I'm also impressed."
>"Y-you were?"
"Yes, and I've gotta wonder why is a talented person like this wasting her time in something she's not fond of?"
>Coco looks downward, "Well, the Empire is a stable job and..."
>You place a hand on her shoulder and give her a smile.
"I'll talk to Rarity tonight to see if she can hire you for her business or at least find someone worthy of your talents."
>The young woman looks at you wide eyed, "R-really? You won't be mad?"
"I'm gonna be honest, I will miss my favorite flight handler's sweet voice when going out on missions but I think I'll get over it."
>To be honest, it would be shame.
>You've grown accustomed to her soft voice over the comms relaying you orders or status updates.
>Her replacement would probably be some middle-aged spinster.
>Unless it's a guy.
>The thought of having some middle-aged man barking orders at you through the comm...
>You shiver at the thought.
>The blue haired woman jumps on you and gives you a hug.
>"ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyou!" she happily says.
>That draws the attention of a few other individuals roaming the hall.
>Gently letting her down, she sheepishly brushes off her uniform.
>"Um...sorry sir."
>You give her a small chuckle.
"It's fine Lieutenant, I'll see you later."
>You bid farewell and head towards the hanger.
>Looking back one last time you see her hop on her feet excitedly before jogging to her next destination.
>Like you said, adorable.

-

>Stretching in your seat, you perform one last system check.
>Pulled off of leave straight for a mission that you only find out the details less than a few hours ago?
>Whatever it is, it must be extremely important to warrant pulling your squadron out this far.
>Last you checked, you were too expensive and valuable to "waste" on missions in the outer rim.
>However glancing at a picture of Rarity on your dashboard reminds you of what you're fighting to get back to.
>It's been awhile since you two have gone dancing. When you get home, you'll definitely take her to her favorite restaurant and treat her to a night out.
>"Omega Squadron you are cleared for take-off." Coco's voice comes in over the comms.
>Calm and professional, unlike earlier.
>She really takes a change in demeanor when on duty.
>You wouldn't even realize that voice belongs to a somewhat shy girl you talked to just a couple hours ago if this hadn't already become routine.
"Acknowledged. TIE Defender taking off."
>You flip three switches and brace yourself as you are guided on the TIE gantry and moved into position.
>Your fighter detaches from the TIE gantry and flies out of the Despot's underside hanger.
>Three other Defenders follow and move into formation behind you.
>"Omega Lead the enemy fleet will arrive shortly, please have your wing report in."
"All fighters report."
>"Omega-4 standing by."
>"Omega-2 standing by."
>"Omega-3 standing by."
"TIE Defender group Omega, standing by Lt. Pommel."
>Looking at your sensors the rest of the battlegroup has mobilized, at least three different variants of TIEs accompany your own.
>And one wing in particular catches your attention.
>A flight of the newly rolled out TIE Hunters fly past your ship and head towards the front of the pack.
>"Looks like the Storm Commandos want to lead the charge eh?" Omega-3 says over the comms.
>"Hey Omega Lead, weren't you gonna be one of them?" your second asks.
>"Yeah, but as soon as they realized that he had top scores on the flight sims they stuck him with our sorry bunch."
>Your wingmen laugh.
>"Plus he's married, his wife probably brags all the time about how she's banging one of the top fighter pilots in the Galactic Empire."
>"Isn't she one of those famous fashion designers or something? Reminds me of that pilot in the 181st that's dating that actress chick."
>You facepalm.
"Keep the comms clear." you order, "Next one who decides to chat it up during an op gets to scrub out the radiator panels for all our ships."
>Out of all the TIE Defender pilots, they're the ones who had to have the highest sync rate with you.
>Admittedly, you don't particularly mind the banter. You just wish your wingmates were a bit more serious.
>Still, they've gotten the job done and as long as they do that you'll give them a little leeway.
>But the presence of Storm Commandos must mean something serious.
>They don't normally send in forces to fight with the standard Navy.
>You remember the briefing aboard the Despot.
>From what you were told, for the past couple months the Rebel Alliance has been using this world as a hub for their fleet to bypass major space lanes.
>Unfortunately for them, thanks to the efforts of the Storm Commandos, the Empire hasn't been sitting on its laurels all this time.
>The ground assault has already been well underway for the better part of an hour under the supervision of the ISD-II Argus.
>Communications offworld were cut before the start of the operation, whatever ships arrive won't know there's an Imperial fleet already in orbit and by the time they do it'll be too late.
>The Despot's been tasked with providing covering fire for the Trammel, an Interdictor-class Star Destroyer, with two Victory-II's, four Tartin patrol-cruisers and an Escort Carrier.
>Not to mention an additional compliment of fighters, bombers and interceptors to each Destroyers standard garrison.
>It's definitely a bit overkill for a simple ambush. But you just attribute that to wanting to weed out the enemy in this system with an overwhelming show of force.
>Regardless, the overall objective is to prevent anyone from escaping the system and any Rebel ships that jump in are to be targeted as well. If there is a possibility that any do escape, you are ordered to nail them with an S-thread tracker if possible.
>Standard protocol on taking prisoners is suspended for this operation. While that unnerves you a bit, you're no stranger to hearing that order.
>Though it hasn't gone unnoticed that the protocol suspension is being issued more and more lately among your squadron.
>Hell, there's murmurs going on that the fleet might commence Base Delta Zero ops on the planet below.
>Notions of morality versus duty aside, Omega squadron's task is to prevent any fighters either stupid or brave enough to try and attack the Trammel.
>Which to be honest, isn't the best use of your Defender. This is something more suited for the Interceptor.
>You can only assume that whoever is in charge just wants the best unit to do the job.

>Flying past one of the Victory-IIs you get a clear view of the small green planet in the distance.
>The location is in a contested system in a remote part of the galaxy you've never really heard of before today.
>The green world below provides a nice backdrop to the imminent destruction of the unfortunate Rebels.
>"Trammel to all fighter wings, we are activating the Gravity well projectors. Prepare for incoming enemy forces."
>The Interdictor gravity well momentarily throws your console readings off for a fraction of a second before the issue auto-corrects itself.
>Suddenly, sensor alerts blare inside your cockpit go off as a large group of Rebel frigates, corvettes and starfighters drop out of hyperspace.
>"Sir, my sensors indicate that the opposing fleet's deflector shields are already up." Omega-3 states to you.
>You hear Omega-2 scoff, "What's your point?"
>"Listen again moron. Their shields. Are. Already. Up."
>But they wouldn't be ready to do that unless...
"Omega Squadron, raise deflector shields and zero in on my fighter. Watch for any Rebel's going directly at the Trammel. They knew we were here!"
>"They what?!"
>"How the hell did they know to expect us?"
*BEEEP**BEEEP**BEEEP**BEEEP**BEEEP**BEEEP*
>"Watch it, missile boats letting out a salvo! I'm reading... diamond-boron missiles?"
>"Diamond-boron? Where the hell did they get those?"
"Everyone scatter! Deploy countermeasures and keep outside of a fifty meter range until the missiles are gone."
>Deploying a small barrage of anti-missile missiles and taking evasive action, your squadron veers out of the path of the incoming warheads.
>Half-a-dozen other TIEs aren't as lucky as they're destroyed almost instantly, caught within the large blast radius of the warheads.
>Hell...
>You grumble under your breath as dozens of red dots begin showing up on your sensors.
>"Enemy fighters are being mobilized. Alpha, Gamma and Kappa Squadrons are moving to intercept." Lt. Pommel announces. "All fighters, the Despot is commencing assault."
>"Hmph, they get all the fun." Omega-2 says in the private comm band.
>Various TIE Interceptors, Bombers and standard Fighters increase speed overtaking your squadron as you break off and move towards the Interdictor.
>The Despot's turbolaser batteries begin firing at the nearest Rebel frigate as both factions fighter groups collide.
>A beeping noise from your targeting computer draws you back into the present as a small flight of Rebel X-Wings and Y-Wings break off from the main fight and predictably make a course for the Trammel.
>"Omega Lead a gro-"
"I see them Omega-4, you and O-3 target the Y-Wings, O-2 and I will cover you."
>"I count four Xs and three Ys."
>"Affirmative."
"Watch for friendly fire."
>Increasing speed, your group approaches the attack group.
>Targeting the nearest X-Wing, the computer calculates an effective firing vector as the representation of the Rebel craft moves about on your screen.
>Adjusting a knob on your flight stick a solid tone signals that you have a lock.
>Pressing the triggers your Defender fires a barrage that strike dead center on the enemy's fighter resulting in a kill.
>The other three X-Wings break off as the Y-Wings begin evasive maneuvers.
"All fighters, break!"
>Your group disperses in different directions, each taking on their own assignments.
>Switching to another Rebel fighter, you get behind him in quick order thanks to your own fighters superior speed.
>Another burst from your cannons tears right through his shields and vaporizes him.
>Meanwhile Omega's three and four have already caused havoc in the Y-Wings formation, neither allowing any ship the room to perform a successful run.
>The aged bombers are no match for the advanced firepower and speed of your high-performance starfighters.
>And soon enough, they're all vaporized.
>"All Y-Wings down sir."
>"Omega-2 has the last fighter close in and provi-"
>A rapid beeping interrupts you as the computer detects an enemy missile lock.
>Cutting your speed and pulling up you barely avoid a pair of proton torpedoes.
>Reinforcements?
>Checking your sensors, another pair of X-Wings have dropped in behind you.
>However instead of following you, the enemy fighter uses the opportunity to fall behind Omega-2 as he's tailing his target.
"Omega-2 you have a fighter right behind you. Get out of there."
>"Almost...got a lock..."
>'That idiot!'
>"MOVE NOW!"
>Omega-2's Defender fires a string of lasers at the X-Wing only for the pilot to pull off a spin that causes their deflectors to shrug off most of the damage.
>"What?! How is tha-AUGH!" the pilot cries out before a solid hit to his lower port wing sends a surge of energy into his missile bay.
>The ordinance inside detonates and consumes Omega-2 in a large explosion.
"Omega-2 is down! I repeat, Omega-2 is down! Three and Four, engage the new fighters and stay alert."
>"Roger."
>"Its getting a little crowded in here!"
"Keep focus you two." you state as the other fighter tries to flank you.
>Using your maneuvering jets, you rotate the Defender until its facing the opposing fighter.
>Accelerating at top speed, you head directly towards the enemy.
>Time for a game of Endorian chicken.
>As your fighters head straight into a collision course the other pilot finally panics, pulling out at the last second and allowing you get behind their ship and blast them away.
"Three fighters down."
>"Three left."
>Suddenly you receive a ping from your handler and her voice comes in over the comm.
>"Omega squadron this is the Despot, Shadow squadron is requesting assistance and needs your support."
>'Are you serious?'
>'Right now?!'
>Checking your scanners, you check the general area where Shadow squadron was assigned.
>For some reason you're only detecting a signal from Shadow-3.
>'For the love of...'
"Despot, this is Omega Lead requesting some replacements to reinforce this position over, we're a fighter down with more hostiles on the way."
>"Affirmative Omega Lead, er... Delta wing will break off to provide additional support."
"Omega, Shadow squadron needs help. You two hold the line until Delta can fortify."
>Breaking off, you divert all power to the engines and make your way to Shadow's last known coordinates.
>Well part of you wanted to enter the fray, guess you got your wish.
"For the Empire..." you sarcastically say to yourself.
>Dozens of fighters are still fighting for the upper-hand in the distance while the larger starships begin entering close quarters.
>Casualties on the Rebel side begin to visibly mount. Two frigates are already downed with a third taking heavy damage from the Despot.
>One of the Tartins is listing off to the side as escape pods jettison from the side, while a Victory-II is already emitting smoke off its forward bow.
>From the looks of it though, the battle is going in your sides favor.
>A small debris field of destroyed vessels both Imperial and Rebel in origin begins forming around the battlefield.
>Switching through Imperial frequencies, you open a line with Shadow-3.
"Shadow this is Omega Lead what's your status?"
>Static momentarily fills your comm before clearing up to the frantic cries of your fellow Imperial.
>"Omega Lead, they came out of nowhere both Shadow-1 and 4 were down before we knew what happened!"
>Locking onto Shadow-3's position, you target his fighter and see his Hunter is currently disabled.
>One of wings is gone and his starfighter is leaking coolant.
"How many fighters were there pilot?"
>"One sta-*KSHHHHHH*-ing group"
"Repeat that again pilot you're breaking up."
>Suddenly a warning light goes off signifying incoming hostiles.
>Shadow-3's TIE Hunter explodes as a pair of laser blasts make contact with the crippled ship.
>Quickly giving full power to the engines, you engage in evasive maneuvers as a trio of X-Wing fighters close in on you.
>You have a pretty good idea what took down Shadow now...
>What you notice right off the bat though is that these three fighters have a slightly different profile compared to the standard model.
>The most distinguishing superficial features beyond the livery seem to be the cross-body strakes, an additional pair of cannons mounted on the lower wings, and the engines.
>The last point is even emphasized in the speed they're coming at you. Much faster than the stock version.
>Gotta be careful with this one.
>You quickly begin gauging your options: if you retreat, at the speed the fighters are coming in at right now, even with you at your top speed they'll catch up with your back turned to them.
>But a three-on-one fight isn't ideal even for you.
>Having very little choice, you move to attack speed.
"Omega-3 what's your ETA on arrival, three fighters who I assume to be Aces are trying to ambush me."
>"Sir, Delta hasn't even arrived to relieve us."
>"Not to mention I'm losing power in my reactor."
>Dammit, looks like you're on your own right now.
"Well someone better reinforce me!" you angrily shout. "I really don't plan on dying today."
>Targeting the fighter with the chromatic livery and an additional pair of unusual thrusters you divert power from the engines to the lasers and shields.
>Speed will do you very little in these cramped spaces. Time to rely on your wits.
>Warming up the ion cannons, you carefully adjust the trajectory and lead your shots.
>Blue ion blasts make contact with the enemy fighter as the fusial thrust engines on the craft began shorting out.
>Before suddenly reigniting and continuing to perform as if nothing happened.
>That's... not good.
>Usually a barrage of that sort would have disabled it.
>The electronics must be hardened or have redundant systems to prevent shorting out.
>Your Defender lurches forward suddenly as one of the other two X-Wings manages to get behind you and gets a hit in.
>Thank the stars your shields were boosted or that might have gone through.
>Changing the display to show the rear camera the fighter is just in your blind spot.
>Time to switch tactics...
>You fly towards the heaviest concentration of debris at your current best speed, managing to narrowly avoid obstacles until the fighter calls off his pursuit.
>Going into a dive, you quickly cut your engines and fire your maneuvering jets again to spin your ship 180-degrees to your relative up.
>Watching the targeting computer for the approximate distance the next enemy is from your ship you shift as much power as you can to forward shields and the laser cannons.
>C'mon...
>C'mon.....
>NOW!
>Jamming the triggers your four laser cannons shred everything in their path as the X-Wing following you flies right into your trap.
>Catching them by surprise, a starboard engine explodes as the fighter spins out and starts losing power.
>Normalizing your fighters energy levels, your sensors detect a large explosion coming from the Trammel's coordinates.
"Omega-3 what just happened?!" you yell out into the comms.
>"Sir one of the blockade runners rammed right into the Trammel. She's sustained heavy damage, enough to knock out the gravity well generator."
>NO! That means...
>As if on cue, with the Interdictor generator offline the enemy ships quickly retreat into hyperspace.
>That also includes two of your adversaries that were attacking you.
>"Sir... Omega-4 was caught in the blast..."
>You slam a fist on your control console.
>Those damn Rebels! Is there anything that's salvageable from this mission?!
>Wait!
>Cycling back to your most recent target, you notice its still limping away from the fight.
>Its S-foils begin closing as the pilot begins their jump sequence.
>You check the range of the fighter to your own...
>Damn.
>Too far away to use the tractor beam emitter, and there's way too much debris that will get caught instead.
>Acting as fast as you can, you fire off one of your S-thread trackers.
>You cross your fingers as you watch the little homing beacon fly towards the enemy vessel and latch onto the servo actuator.
>You can't help but let out a sigh of relief when you read a solid lock.
>It's a good thing you had the little bugger as part of this mission loadout.
>If you can follow that pilot, it may lead you back to the rest of the fleet or even where they were headed. But you need to act quickly, on such a small fighter it'll be caught just as fast, especially with an astromech monitoring the systems.
>Worth a shot.
>The X-Wing zooms off into the black void leaving you behind.
>"Omega Lead, this mission is over please return immediately for your um... debriefing with the Captain."
>Coco's trying to downplay whatever order you were actually given.
>The voices coming through as she talks give a hint as to the actual state of the bridge.
"Omega Lead to Despot, I have a lock on one of the enemy pilots requesting permission to pursue."
>A momentary silence occurs, making you wonder if she even heard you.
>"Permission granted Omega Lead and good hunting." Coco finally replies.
>"And please be careful." she also whispers.
>You let out a smirk.
"Will do. Omega Lead out."
>Transmitting your destination coordinates to the Despot, you push the throttle forward.
>The TIE Defender's class two hyperdrive initiates.
>Stars begin stretching out past your view port until you're propelled into the swirling blue vortex of hyperspace.

-

>The nav-computer alerts you to arrival at your destination.
>Pulling the lever slowly, you descend back into real-space in front of some sort of aquatic world.
>Since you're not dead or under fire immediately, it doesn't look like this system is inhabited by anyone particular.
>You quickly check through your ships galaxy map to see where you are.
>It looks like you've arrived somewhere in the Unknown Regions.
>Hmm...
>You're not finding anything specifically mentioned on this particular planet, only that it was the site of some large scale battle around 4,000 years ago.
>Details are scarce but its hospitable.
>Just gotta worry about... Rancors?
>Wonderful.
>Letting out a sigh, you check your sensors for the enemy fighter.
>When nothing shows up, you cycle through the various scopes until you finally pick up a faint signal from the tracker some distance away from your current position.
>Looks like they decided to touch down on the planet to hide and make repairs.
>You divert power to the engines and pursue.

>Closing in on the coordinates of the tracker, once you enter the upper atmosphere dark colored smoke begins trailing off in the distance.
>If it weren't for the task at hand you might be enjoying the view as you fly over islands that dot the ocean below.
>Unfortunately you get a tad too focused to notice the half-submerged wreckage of various starships that have beached themselves.
>Eventually the smoke trail drops suddenly, evidently the ship has lost power at this point.
>It ends at one of the larger islands where you can see a large plume of dust shoot out from beach on the adjacent side.
>No two guesses as what made that...
>The signal from the tracker cuts off. Apparently damaged from the crash.
>Bringing your TIE in close, you make a single flyby to scope the damage.
>The smoking wreck of an X-Wing with a flame-like livery lies half buried nose first in the sand, a large trench dug behind it.
>The canopy however is open with no signs of the pilot.
>*BEEEP**BEEEP**BEEEP**BEEEP**BEEEP**BEEEP*
"What th-?!"
>An explosion hits your rear stabilizers causing your fighter to lose control.
>Dammit!
>You got sloppy!
>The TIE goes into a spin as the twin ion engines scream out in the air.
>You would try activating your ejector seat, but with the spin in atmosphere you have just an equal chance of launching yourself into the ground or getting sliced by the wings.
>Doing your best to increase your drag, you brace yourself for the imp-

-

>"...st kill him now!"
>"need ...formation first. Pl... hi... ali..."
>What happened?
>Where are you?
>Why's everything black?
>You try to remember where you are but a sharp pain in your leg stops that.
>Reaching out to the pain, something prevents you from moving.
>It doesn't take a genius to realize that you've been bound and a sack placed over your head.
>Your legs however aren't tied up and end up kicking something metallic over making a loud clatter.
>"Hear that? Looks like our "friend's" awake." a feminine voice says.
>You stay quiet at the sound of a door opening.
>Footsteps approach followed by a hard tug rips the bag off your head.
>The light shines into your eyes as you begin squinting until they adjust to the sudden change.
>Towering above you, are two women in orange flight suits tied off at their waist, showing off their white tank-tops.
>Both don't look particularly happy to see you.
>They were both human or, at least the blonde one is. The other had her hair dyed a multitude of different colors.
>Said woman's eyes narrow as she crosses her arms.
>"Doesn't look so impressive..." she mutters as she looks away.
>Her blonde haired counterpart chuckles. "Yer just salty he managed to get the drop on you."
>"He did not!"
>"Sugarcube, he nicked your engines, the only reason you aren't floating in space now is cause of those upgrades you got."
>Her expression suddenly turns serious.
>"'Sides, there's a reason they chose him to fly on of them Trips. And it ain't cause the Empire puts anyone in them like the other types."
>'Nicked her engines'?
>Memories still a bit hazy, but these two must be the ones flying those unique fighters.
>A door opening in the other room draws your attention to the two pilots in front of you.
>Both of their eyes widen.
>"Filswik! She's not supposed to be here!" the rainbow haired one says.
>"Applejack? Rainbow? Is anyone here?" another feminine voice calls out. "I just finished salvaging what I could from my ship. Did you find anything from that crashed TIE?"
>A very familiar voice.
"Sunset...?"
>"Oh good you are-" the voice responds turning through the door.
>In the doorway, plain as day, is Sunset Shimmer in a Rebel flight suit.
>She halts mid-step once she realizes who she just acknowledged.
"A-Anon?"

"Sunset!" you shout.
>"What is he doi- He's the pilot I shot down?!" she screams. "No...Nonono this can't be happening!"
>She begins pacing back and forth.
>Her usual behavior whenever something unexpected happens that she didn't account for.
>She begins combing at her hair with her fingers, a character tic that confirms what you really don't want.
>It's definitely Sunset.
>Someone you honestly thought you wouldn't ever see again.
>"Sunset calm dow-" blonde tries to say.
>"I will *NOT* calm down! HE is not supposed to be here!"
>"Well you're the one he followed." mutters chroma-hair.
>"Dash!"
>Ignoring their bickering, you just stare at the floor.
"You really did it..." you mutter, "I never thought you in all the galaxy would make such as idiotic deci-OoF"
>A swift boot to the gut interrupts you.
"Dash!" Sunset shouts.
>"Dash" kneels down and grabs you by your suit's neck.
"Listen bucket-head, don't you dare talk to her that way."
>Peeking to the left, Sunset rubs her arm awkwardly but otherwise doesn't stop her.
"Really now? And why's that traitor?" you ask returning your focus to the person in front of you.
>"Because she's family."
>You begin to laugh.
"HahahahaHAHAHAHAHA!"
>All three women are stunned by your laughing.
>You must look like a madman.
>Finishing, you grin with a somewhat sadistic look to it.
"Be careful she doesn't stab you in the back." you say with venom in your voice. "I hear she doesn't have any qualms about betraying family."
>Both women look at your mutual acquaintance.
>"Sunset, what's he talking about." the one you assume is Applejack asks.
>Sunset turns away and covers her face.
>"Sunset?"
>"...h...my..br...er"
>"What?"
>Turning around, tears are in her eyes.
>"He's my brother..."
>Dash releases your collar as you slump down the wall and begins to exit the room.
>"You can't be serious. You're related to *him*?"
>"Not biologically, but we grew up with each other long enough to consider ourselves family."
>"Then why is he flying for the Imperials?"
"Because Sunset didn't give me the option for anything else." you answer in her stead.
>"Anon... that's not tru-"
"NO! You left me to die! And if it wasn't for pure luck, I *would* have died!"
>Applejack walks up to Dash and leans into her ear.
>"Ah think this might be a private matter..."
>"Yeah..."
>Dash glares at you one last time before walking out of the room.
>Applejack follows, though she looks slightly more apprehensive of doing so despite her comment.
>Now its just you and *her*.
>For a few minutes, neither of you say anything or look towards one another.
>Its strange, you've had years to think of replies for this very moment.
>Yet now that she's standing right there, right in front of you, you've got nothing. No questions, no angry outbursts...
>Only a slight pain in your chest when you remember the event that separated you both until now.
>You stare at the floor, a defeated look forming on your face.
>"Anon... I-"
"Just leave." you interrupt.
>"..."
>She rubs her arm, unsure of what to say.
>Before you can repeat yourself, Sunset replies in an almost whisper-silent voice, "Ok."
>Turning around she exits the room, hesitating slightly when she reaches the exit before walking through and shutting the door behind her.

---
>"Red group you are cleared for launch."
"Affirmative, releasing clamps."
>Flipping the switch on your control console, the magnetic clamps release the boons on your TIE fighter.
>The twin ion engines scream to life as your ship flies out of the hanger bay.
>Speeding away from the Star Destroyer a voice comes in over your comm system.
>"Red Four, report status."
"Reactor online, sensors online, weapons online, all systems nominal."
>"Good, get into formation with the rest of your group."
"Yes sir."
>Looking out your primary viewport you can just barely make out a group of TIE fighters against the blackness of space.
>You fall in line behind your lead in the standard v-pattern.
>Adjusting your maximum speed to a cruising level your squadron slowly enters the asteroid field.
>"All fighters, intelligence indicates there is a potential rebel threat inside the asteroid thicket. You are to do a quick sweep of the area and eliminate any threats."
>"Alright everyone, break formation but keep an eye out on your scanners. The enemy could be anywhere."
>You carefully move away from the rest as you search the battlefield.
>*BEEP**BEEP**BEEP**BEEP**BEEP**BEEP*
>Your console blares out an alert as it locks in on the nearest hostile.
>Five energy signatures appear right behind your group.
>"They're right behind us!" a female voice shouts out over the radio, "Ambush!"
>A group of five RZ-1 A-Wing interceptors rush out of the asteroids behind your fighters in an attempt to catch you off-guard.
>Accelerating to maximum speed, you narrowly avoid the fire from one of the enemy fighters as you take cover behind one of the asteroids.
>Pulling around you manage to get behind one of them.
>The targeting computer does its best to get a lock with the small representation of the enemy fighter moving back and forth across the display.
>Doing your best to tail the ship, a long solid tone verifies a target lock.
>Pressing the triggers, distinct green bolts shoot towards the fighter and rip it to shreds.
>Suddenly you hear Red Two panic on the comms.
---
>"I can't shake them! He's all over my scopes! Augh! I'm hi-!" screams out Red Two before he's cut off by static.
>Before you can comment, you're thrown forward in your cockpit as your TIE takes a glancing blow to one of the wings.
>Dammit!
"I've got one on my tail."
>"Red Four I see him." replies Red Three, "Just hold on."
>Taking evasive maneuvers, you try to shake the hostile to little effect.
>Suddenly the fighter explodes as a pair of green lasers blast right through the main fuselage.
"Thanks Red Three."
>"What's the damage?"
>With the field clear for now, you check how bad a hit you took.
>Red flashes across the main screen as you try to narrow down the problem.
>One of the power lines from the reactor to the engines was taken out of alignment and severing the link between them. Power output is diminishing rapidly and at this rate you'll just be "flying" solely on your own momentum.
"Not great. Losing power to the engines, gonna try diverting power through the cannons."
>"Will that work?"
"Theoretically it could but its only a quick-fix."
>You isolate the damage as best you can from inside the cockpit, locking down components and re-routing the power draw.
>Won't be able to fire your primary weapons like this, but at least you're not dead in the water.
>Yet...
>A system bypass like this will most likely cause the conduits inside the cannons to melt the longer you go on. Sienar didn't design them to maintain a constant flow of energy like this.
>Blinking red damage indicators on the status display turn a solid yellow, a sign that systems are normalized for the moment at least. However the power readout is slowly dropping.
>That being said, you've done everything you can do from your end and re-focus on your scanners and do a quick mental recap.
>Two and Five are vaped, while Red lead is dogfighting with one of the other hostiles.
>"We got two incoming."
>Your targeting computer immediately targets the closest threat.
"I see them." you say calmly.
>"Any plans?"
>Thinking for a moment, an idea comes up.
>"Remember that time we raced down the Crystal Swamps a few years ago?"
>There's a brief moment of silence before you get a reply.
>"You can't be serious." she replies, "I doubt these guys are that stupid."
"Look, I'm not gonna be much use in a dogfight. I either power the guns or the engines."
>"Fine. On your signal."
---
>Eyeing the targeting computer, you keep track of the distance between your two fighters and theirs.
"Now!"
>You both accelerate in two different directions, as both A-Wing fighters split up behind you.
>*BEEP**BEEP**BEEP**BEEP**BEEP**BEEP*
>[ENEMY MISSILE LOCKING]
>Missiles huh?
>Without a sensor jammer equipped, you opt for reducing speed and even tighter turns to prevent the enemy from getting a solid lock on you.
>This causes the pilot to almost overshoot you multiple times and barely avoiding colliding with the floating asteroids.
>Undeterred, the enemy pilot opts to spam laser fire in your general vicinity, probably hoping a lucky shot or some exploding rock shrapnel will take you out.
>Even in your sealed helmet you're sweating bullets as you keep your fighter steadily flying while avoiding any collisions.
>Right now you're really thankful for the TIE Fighter's maneuverability.
>Just got to hold together a little longer.
>Eventually you spot an opening in the thicket between two of the larger rocks, just wide enough that you could squeeze through.
>Increasing power output to the engines, you pray that your engines don't explode.
>Another missile warning shows up onscreen.
>[ENEMY MISSILE LOCKING]
"Almost there..."
>At the end of the corridor Red Three's TIE flies past.
>Suddenly the indicator message changes to a more dreadful set of words and the audible tone to a more rapid one.
>[MISSILE INCOMING]
"C'mon..."
>Looking into the rear camera the bright pink-white glow of a pair of proton torpedoes gets ever closer.
>Putting your focus on what's ahead, you manage to break through and pull up.
>Almost instantaneously, an explosion from the starboard brace blows your wing off and sends your ship into an uncontrollable roll.
"DAMN!"
>On cue, the Rebel A-Wing following Red Three pops up in the path of the incoming torpedoes and explodes in a bright ball of light.
>The A-Wing tailing you flies through the remains of his vaporized fellow pilot before they're hit by a hail of laser fire from Red Three.
"Nice shot. You just need to regroup with Red Lea-"
>[TIME EXPIRED]
>[SIMULATION OVER]
>[FINAL SCORE: BLUE: 3 RED: 4]
>[RED TEAM WINS]
---
>The words stretch across your screen before all the displays shut off.
>You slump back into your seat and small amount of relief overtakes you as you remove your helmet.
>The cool artificial air inside the cockpit hits your face, as you pull a lever overhead to release the canopy.
>Climbing out, you see nine others exiting their simulator pods with varying expressions on their face.
>Mostly anger and frustration from Blue team.
>"Alright pilots, take your lunch and be back here in an hour." a voice orders from the overhead speakers, "We'll discuss your results in the classroom."
>Looking to the pod next to you, Red Three exits her pod and climbs down the ladder.
>Hopping out, you wait as she undoes her helmets restraints and flight cap to let her hair flow out.
>"I hope we didn't do too bad." she says.
"Hey, you got more kills than any of us Sunset." you reply, "That's gotta count for something."
>"Would have counted better if I had some blasted support." a voice comments from down the row of pods.
>Red Leader, helmet already off, has a perturbed look on her face.
"Spitfire, we were just about to go help you."
>"Yeah? Well lotta good that did me, it didn't take me long to get fragged."
>"Ouch..."
>"I really hope you both got a good excuse for leaving me high and dry." she says, emphasizing the point by pushing a finger into your chest.
"Sorry, I took damage and Sunset was providing covering fire."
>Her expression softens and she lets out a sigh.
>"Agh, sorry, sorry." she says scratching her head, "You don't have to apologize. I'm just a bit worked up that I couldn't outfly "Blue Leader" over there. Its like she could predict my every move."
>Removing her own cap, she glances over to the row of pods with blue stripes on them.
>Blue Leader is yelling at her teammates, who all look at the ground ashamed.
>Once she spots you three staring at her, she immediately makes for the doors.
>Spitfire hooks her arm around your neck, "Still, you two managed to wipe out four of them."
---
>Sunset Shimmer nods, "If time didn't run out I could have gotten five for five."
>Walking to the exit, the girls follow.
"Pretty sure it was a team effort?"
>Your sister smirks. "Of course. But it was mostly me. All you did was act as bait."
"Not like I could do much else at the time." you respond.
>"What happened?" Spitfire asks.
"Ended up losing primary and auxiliary power, had to make a workaround by using the cannons as a bypass."
>Pausing, the three of you salute as a superior officer walks by down the hall.
>Returning the gesture, you continue on to the mess hall.
"Last maneuver caused my wing to explode."
>"And you still managed to take out two of their fighters in one go?" she asks disbelievingly.
"Like Sunset said, all I did was play the bait." you say, as Sunset sticks her tongue out at you playfully. "The friendly fire was just a bonus."
>The red-haired pilot holds her head up high while you explain the past event in greater detail to Spitfire.
>"Hell, now I gotta see the full replay on that." she exclaims.
>She gives you a slight punch in the shoulder.
>When Spitfire turns her head you rub your arm.
>Girl's stronger than she looks...
>"I think that can wait till later Spitfire. I'm starving, let's hurry up before all the good stuff is gone."
>Quickening her pace, Sunset power-walks down the hall.
"I still don't understand how you can like the food here." you mutter, chasing after her with Spitfire following suit.
---