| Not Out of the Woods - Air Wing |
| Summary: | The Cylons break the long quiet of Cerberus' stay over Aerilon. |
| Date: | 14 Nov 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Not Out of the Woods - Ground |
| Players: |
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| Space |
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| The black vacuum above Aerilon. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #261 |
[Harrier-651: Cidra] It's been a long, quiet month and change for the battlegroup. Too quiet, one might say, with a force of Cylons still reportedly lurking around most of the colonies and the Cerberus so long parked over what remains of Aerilon. Too quiet to last.
As first shift's CAP was winding down, without warning, they appeared. Twenty red blips on the DRADIS screens in CIC and on fighter panels across the little Fleet. Jumped in close enough that their signatures were unmistakable. The Cylons have found them. A token force, perhaps, but more cannot be far behind if they're making a run-in at this range.
Alert fighters have been scrambled from both the Cerberus and Areion's flight deck. A blunt message has gone out from Pewter in Cerberus CIC to the camp at Ewe Aerilon to evacuate back to the ship. The skeleton crew over on the civilian freighter, not yet even finished with preparations to make it livable, have been ordered to ready the bucket of bolts to jump as ASAP. The order of the day is to get ready to run, but it'll take some time for everyone to scramble into position. In the meantime, fight until you all can fly away.
[TAC1] "Gravel" Pewter says, "Ewe Aerilon, Cerberus Actual. We got company. DRADIS shows twenty bandits, inbound. Begin evac. Say again, get your asses home, vacation's over."
[BlackKnight-650: Alessandra] Lucky's fighter is launched, sending the craft out into the starry span of dark, something she might have taken time to admire if it was just a CAP she was going out for. But with the appearance of Raiders and the ensuing level of stress she is doing nothing but getting ready to get into formation for combat instead.
[BlackKnight-854: Khloe] It's been a while since she's been scrambled as opposed to flying CAP. Still, Captain Vakos is on her game. Her Viper, amongst the other alert Vipers, launches and turns immediately to burn out to meet the enemy forces.
[TAC1] "Dog Actual" Vandenberg says, "Cerberus Actual, Dog Actual: We copy! We're beginning evac procedures now! All teams, expedite return from patrols!"
[Harrier-670: Trask] Among those who were en route to RTB were Trask and his newest pilot, Cameo, whose performance progress he's been closely monitoring since her days as a nugget. "Showtime, Spotlight," he tells the combat green pilot, easily switching gears from patrol to assault mentality. "We're taking point for the one-four-one."
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade is one of the Alert Vipers that is launched after the report of enemy contacts was given. On a run, he did all the required checkups and there he goes into space again. He tilts his head from side to side and takes a deep breath, pushing on the thrusters after that to meet the pretty Cylons.
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Poppy, take the Knights and cover the battlegroup's fore port flank. Harriers, stick with them. Broadside, with me to starboard. Papa and his spooks are covering are aft. Clear eyes and steady hands."
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] It's been a while since Devlin has had to—-oh, no, wait. That's never. He's never had to scramble before, not for real. But today is his lucky day it seems, and here he is, launching cleaning out of the tubes as soon as pre-flight can be completed. And here he is in space, moving into position on Khloe's wing.
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] Launching with the others, and doing the light rolling movement that he tends to do after clearing the tubes, Malone formes off with the others. Frowning a bit to himself as he does, while checking both the instruments and what he can see out there.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Splash, Drips. On my 6, let's get some of these Cylons."
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "CIC, copy. Decoy, copy. Let's give them the business, Cerberus wing."
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "Drips, Splash. On it. Just don't get too dizzy now…"
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, "Flight, Lucky. Moving into position with Poppy. Let's remind these frakkers that we're not going to lay down like cheap Caprican whores and take it, huh?"
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Heavyraider with KEW - Serious wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Raider1 attacks Cameo with KEW - Moderate wound to Engine.
<COMBAT> Heavyraider attacks Alessandra with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cameo suppresses Raider1 with ECM. <unsuccessful>
<COMBAT> Alessandra attacks Raider2 with KEW - Light wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Wilkerson attacks Heavyraider with KEW - Light wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Raider6 attacks Wilkerson with KEW - Moderate wound to Controls.
<COMBAT> Raider4 attacks Cameo with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider3 attacks Khloe with KEW - Moderate wound to Cockpit.
<COMBAT> Malone attacks Heavyraider with KEW - Serious wound to Cockpit.
<COMBAT> Devlin attacks Raider3 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Heavyraider with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider1 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider2 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider3 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider4 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Raider2 attacks Wilkerson with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider3 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider5 attacks Alessandra with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Raider-0287r has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Heavyraider has been KO'd!
[Harrier-651: Cidra] The Knights may not have seen much action during the lull over Aerilon, but they get their act together promptly enough, converging on the Heavy Raider that's come into the fray with its fellows. Concentrated fire sends it up in KEW-fueled flames. But that's just one among many. And more are on the way. On the fringes of the battlegroup, more contacts register on DRADIS. Up to thirty now, then surpassing forty. Coming right at them. The capital ships move into position to ready the flak, but the civilian ship will have to stay well out of the flak ring. Protected only by the valiant Vipers and Raptors as it gets ready to (hopefully) jump when the evac is complete.
[BlackKnight-854: Khloe] "Frak!" Despite a standard approach, Khloe's Viper takes a hit to the cockpit. Spider fractures appear along the right side, although the safety glass maintains its structure. Her safety roll causes her shot to go wide.
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "Drips, Splash. Good enough so far, I hope? Which one do we take out next?"
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] Devlin's shot is wide and he fails to distract the incoming Raider enough to prevent it from pinging Khloe in the cockpit. He sticks on her wing as she rolls and recovers, silent on the comms for the moment.
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Cerberus flight, Poppy. Make sure that hunk of junk freighter doesn't get tagged, it's got frakall for armor. Go, go, go! Decoy, stay with me!"
[BlackKnight-650: Alessandra] There's the familiar rush of excitement as combat begins, it getting Allie to smile. The exploding heavy enemy craft has her hissing in joy and her own weaponsfire is sent off with a bout of giddy laughter, the latter almost manical in tone. She makes for a second pass, banking her Viper into a tight turn to the left, trying to get another shot off at the same Raider she just took a potshot at.
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Poppy, Decoy. Still on your six."
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Splash, Drips. I'm seeing that Lucky has a few after her, let's give her a hand. Maintain speed unless you are targeted on."
[Harrier-670: Trask] Cameo does as she's told, taking point for the Harriers and a support position for the Black Knights. Much to her chagrin, the Raptor gets hit. Bootstrap's feeling about it arguably is more negative, for he never truly feels comfortable flying with anyone other than Jugs, Bunny, Shortcut, or Toast. "S'alright," he tells the rook, his own suppression attempts succeeding. "Keep covered so we can keep our people covered." That would be when DRADIS starts taunting the BS-132.
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] Firing off the shots at the Heavy Raider, Malone spins a bit to the side, then moves for the same Raider as Wade does, once more aiming for the cockpit area of the enemy fighter. Expression a bit grim for now.
[TAC3] "Bootstrap" Trask says, "Flight, Bootstrap. Lookin' like with have 40-some bandits lookin' to christen the freighter with blood and non-well wishes."
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider1 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider2 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider3 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider4 with ECM. <unsuccessful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider5 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Raider6 attacks Alessandra with KEW - Serious wound to Body (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Raider5 attacks Alessandra with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Alessandra attacks Raider2 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider4 attacks Cameo with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider3 attacks Khloe with KEW - Serious wound to Controls (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Raider1 attacks Alessandra with KEW - Critical wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider3 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cameo passes.
<COMBAT> Wilkerson attacks Raider1 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Raider5 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider2 attacks Alessandra with KEW - Light wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Devlin attacks Raider3 with KEW - Moderate wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Malone attacks Raider5 with KEW - Serious wound to Cockpit.
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Blackknight-854 has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Khloe has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider-6014r has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider5 has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Khloe spends a luck point to keep fighting!
[BlackKnight-650: Alessandra] There is only so much damage metal can take before it can take no more, structurally speaking, such is the case with BlackKnight-650. Starting to come apart in pieces at first, hunks of hull begin to fall away, leaving a trail of sparks and junk behind her. Fortunately for Allie there is no slow-motion like in those movies that are often enjoyed in the rec room, no slowing down of time or flashbacks of what her life was like. No. It's all too fast, the breaking apart soon becoming an explosion when one Raider gets a lucky shot. Bright lights and burning fuel eventually becomes all that's left of the fighter and it's pilot, Allie sped away to find Anton and Lauren on the Fields of Elysium.
[BlackKnight-854: Khloe] Chasing after her Raider, Khloe can't seem to land a bead on him. Just as she's about to close for the kill, there's an explosion nearby that did not come from a Cylon. Lucky's Viper. "Frak! Lucky!!" The lucky Toaster spirals through her debris field, guns still firing, and Khloe's Viper goes spinning too — but only for a brief moment. Fortunately her wingman is there to follow-through.
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade keeps tailing one of the Raiders that is following Lucky, and soon, he realizes that another of them took the final shot and Lucky's Viper is now gone. "Lucky!" shouts the man in his cockpit, which probably will be audible in the comms. He sees one of the Raiders following him now and another on Malone's tail. Wade takes evasive maneuvers and goes for the one after Malone.
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Cerberus, Poppy. Lucky is down, repeat, we lost Lucky."
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] Waiting until the right moment to shoot, Malone fires off shots to reduce the offending Raider to bits and pieces, and looks around quickly as he's passed it. Only then he notices the explosion of Lucky's Viper, and lets out a bit of a howl inside the cockpit. "NOOOOOOO…" Looking around, he notices the Raider going for Wade, and heads in that direction, once more going for the cockpit area. "Game's on, frakker…" he growls.
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] Devlin manages a solid hit to the body of the Raider harrying Khloe, but not before it lights up the squad leader's controls with a nasty hit. The ensign says nothing, maybe because his teeth and grit too tight, jaw clenched too hard for speech to come easily. He is focused, really, really focused, on the task at hand. That explosion, though, that turns his head real quick. Luckily (luckily?) Khloe calls out who they lost quickly. "Frak," Devlin mumbles, but that is it from him for the moment until he flicks on the comms.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Splash, Drips. A Raider is on you, take evasive maneuvers, concentrate fire on said Raider. Do /not/, I repeat, Do /not/ aim at the one me. Let's go one at a time."
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Poppy, Decoy. Still on your six. Looks like you lost that tail and Cameo picked up another instead. Should we go help or what?"
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Decoy, Poppy. New target is designation 1594Y. Over."
[Harrier-670: Trask] Big brown eyes narrow with annoyance when one of the Raiders slips outside of Kal's suppression stream. A peeved little noise starts to form in the back of his throat but anything that might've followed is killed before it reaches his tongue in light of Lucky's luck /finally/ running out. "Guess the Gods finally got around to confiscating her loaded dice," he sardonically notes.
"Ares' explosive spunk!" exclaims Cameo, for no amount of sims time and uneventful CAPs has prepared her for someone honest to Gods going kaBLOOEY right before her eyes.
"Freak out later, rook," Bootstrap drily remarks, "or there won't be any later."
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Raider2 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider1 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider2 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider3 with ECM. <unsuccessful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider4 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider6 with ECM. <unsuccessful>
<COMBAT> Raider4 attacks Cameo with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider1 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cameo passes.
<COMBAT> Wilkerson attacks Raider1 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider3 attacks Wilkerson with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider2 attacks Malone with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Malone attacks Raider6 with KEW - Serious wound to Cockpit.
<COMBAT> Raider1 attacks Cameo with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Devlin attacks Raider1 with KEW - Moderate wound to Weapon.
<COMBAT> Raider6 attacks Wade with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
[Harrier-651: Cidra] As the Cylon forces converge and engage all sides of the battlegroup, Lucky won't be the only casualty this day. There's little time to mourn fallen friends now. The Raiders haven't stopped coming, the ground troops aren't off the surface yet, and the freighter still can't jump away with the evac incomplete and the rest of the Fleet engaged.
[Harrier-670: Trask] Cameo appears to have taken her SL's instruction to heart, for her evasive flying continues to keep the Raptor out of the line of fire. Eying his EW outfit, Trask's mouth takes a downward twist. "Frak. I think that hit we took earlier did some deeper damage. I might need to make some emergency repairs if my jockblocking numbers keeps going down."
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade makes moves his Viper to attack the Raider after Malone, but it seems the son of a frak is a sneaky bastard because what Wade shoots at it, the Raider evades. "Damn it" mutters Wade. He sees that Malone is not following orders and just shakes his head. Still, it's a good thing Malone hit his target.
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Decoy, Poppy. My targeting system is fried. Going to try something funny. Stay with me."
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Poppy, Decoy. It'd be easier to stay with you if you tell me what you're going to do."
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Splash, Drips. You seriously need to start paying attention. Still, nice shooting out there, keep it up. Remain on that target, I'll keep firing on the one tailing you."
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] All that the words from Wade is met with is silence, as Malone still moves in for the enemy on the target. Firing off his shots, he growls, as he sees the Cylon's still not blown up. It's only then that he seems to realize that something was said in his direction, as he turns to take out the same Raider as before, while replying to the comm again.
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Gonna get a little face time with a Toaster is all."
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Poppy, Decoy. That didn't really tell me anything. Could you maybe not be cryptic right now? I haven't really got the time to focus half my brain trying to figure out what you mean."
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "Drips, Splash. Sorry, didn't hear what you said. Must have been some kind of bad transmission there. The frakker's still flying, so I'll finish him off. I'll shake the tail to distract the one following me, so you can take it out."
[TAC3] "Bootstrap" Trask says, "Poppy, Bootstrap. Lemme know if you need to 'finesse' some compliance from your console. Over."
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "If you can do something, Boots, my bird could use a little love."
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] Devlin keeps after the chosen target, scoring a hit on it while keeping in position on Khloe's wing. He keeps his eye on the Raider, not swapping targets as he waits to see what the squad leader is up to.
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Raider4 attacks Cameo with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Malone attacks Raider6 with KEW - Light wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Devlin attacks Raider1 with KEW - Moderate wound to Left Wing.
<COMBAT> Wilkerson attacks Raider1 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider1 with KEW - Moderate wound to Cockpit.
<COMBAT> Cameo passes.
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Raider2 with KEW - NEAR MISS!
<COMBAT> Raider6 attacks Wade with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider3 attacks Wilkerson with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider1 attacks Cameo with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider2 attacks Malone with KEW - Serious wound to Controls (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider1 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider2 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider3 with ECM. <unsuccessful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider4 with ECM. <unsuccessful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider6 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Blackknight-855 has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Malone has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Malone spends a luck point to keep fighting!
[TAC3] "Bootstrap" Trask's voice comes over a bit dry, "Well, I'm the one in the tank, so if you need some deflection while you're doin' what'cha gotta do, we can buy you a bit of time. As it stands, I'm in need of reminding my gear that what I say goes." Everyone is starting to take a bit of a beating.
[Harrier-651: Cidra] The Cylons may have left the Colonials alone for a long, long stretch over Aerilon, but they are returning with a vengeance today. Fighter gunfire rips through space around the Vipers, and Cameo's increasing beaten Raptor. It pays particularly nasty attention to Malone's brave craft, one Raider landing a nasty hit to the pilot's controls on his underside.
[BlackKnight-854: Khloe] :barrels through enemy fire and dodges hulls, getting progressively more aggressive with her attacks. Her bird damaged, she's not nearly as effective as she usually is. Finally, she breaks free, as so Decoy's inexperience with her aggressive piloting doesn't get the both of them killed.
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Poppy, Decoy. I've picked up a bandit of my own at carom one-oh-three-two, taking evasive manuevers."
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Copy, Decoy. I'm pulling the frak out of this mess. Coming to cover you."
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] The Raider Wade is after decided to have some Devlin for lunch and moves out of the current path. And Malon just took a pretty heavy hit so Wade takes a wide turn and makes his way to Malone, moving at top step towards him. Still, Wade has one Raider on him, but right now he has to protect his wingman in case the Cylons change their minds.
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] Spinning around for a little while as he gets hit, Malone mutters to himself as he works on getting control of the Viper back. A few very angry words are being spoken in the cockpit now.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Splash, Drips. Took a heavy hit there, are you alright? You need to /calm/ down. Let's form up, take these frakking toasters out."
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Wilkerson attacks Raider1 with KEW - Moderate wound to Weapon.
<COMBAT> Raider6 attacks Wade with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Trask attempts to treat Harrier-670 but Harrier-670 has no treatable wounds.
<COMBAT> Raider4 attacks Cameo with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Devlin attacks Raider1 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider3 attacks Wilkerson with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider1 attacks Cameo with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Malone passes.
<COMBAT> Cameo passes.
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider2 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider2 attacks Devlin with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Raider6 with KEW - Moderate wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Raider-1594y has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider1 has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider-3519w has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider6 has been KO'd!
<FS3> Trask rolls Repair: Great Success. (OOC: Borked +combat/treat code prompted Repair +roll and Staff-removed damage)
[Harrier-651: Cidra] The Knights find sharper marks with their guns this time, as two of the enemy Raiders spitting fire around them are taken out. At this point that may seem a mere drop in the bucket of the oncoming flood, however. They're still only one small part of the overall battle. The rest of the Fighting Fourteenth on one end, the Areion's Vipers on the other, all just trying to buy time at this point for the increasingly-stalled evacuation from the surface.
[BlackKnight-854: Khloe] "Frakkers got too comfortable planetside," Captain Vakos grumbles to herself as her Viper dodges in and out, tracking behind the Raider stuck on her wingman's tail. She misses, repeatedly, again. "Son of a whore!" Fortunately for Devlin, the Raider seems to have contracted Khloe's luck, and it misses as well.
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade pushes the bird to top speed, moving towards Malone and towards the Raider that is in love with him(Wade). He shoots, the Raider shoots. Wade does a barrel roll to avoid incoming fire and manages to ping the Raider, sending it to the cylon heaven, or wherever it is they go. After that, he moves to another target.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Splash, Drips. It seems we are in the clear now, let's give Wilkerson a hand."
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] Devlin misses his target, but that's hardly surprising as he is mostly focused on weaving away from the Raider targeting him. He manages not to get hit by Khloe's stray shot, at least, and the rest of the wing splashes two other Raiders, so that's something. Evasive manuevers continue, though he flips around to try to take a shot at the Raider following him, too.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Grunt, Drips. We are going to get you, form up with Splash and me, let's build a nice trio here."
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "Drips, Splash. It's stopped spinning, so I'm ready again. Lead the way."
[Harrier-670: Trask] True to his word, Trask breaks out the emergency repair kit and starts showing his Raptor just who is in-charge in this relationship. With all the speed and precision to be expected of an experienced aerospace mechanic, he starts jury-rigging like a badass muthafrakka while Spotlight continues to keep the bird out of Raider crosshairs.
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] As his Viper stops spinning around, Malone nods a bit at what's being said. Taking a few second to get his mind back on track, he follows Wade towards the enemy once more.
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Raider2 attacks Devlin with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Wilkerson attacks Raider3 with KEW - Moderate wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Raider3 with KEW - Light wound to Weapon.
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider2 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider3 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider4 with ECM. <unsuccessful>
<COMBAT> Raider3 attacks Wilkerson with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Devlin attacks Raider2 with KEW - Serious wound to Controls.
<COMBAT> Raider4 attacks Cameo with KEW - Moderate wound to Cabin.
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider2 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cameo passes.
<COMBAT> Malone attacks Raider3 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Raider-0750i has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider2 has been KO'd!
[Harrier-651: Cidra] The field of Raiders around the freighter, at least, is being thinned by the Knights. And one Raptor has launched itself off the surface and is speeding back toward Cerberus like its backside was on fire. Which it may well be. There's still one Raptor left to get itself off Aerilon, however, and time still needs to be bought before the Fleet can attempt its escape.
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade moves to where Grunt is. He opens fire against that Raider attacking Wilkerson and hits one of it's weapons. It's not the greatest hit but hopefully it will cause some trouble to the damn thing, and prevent it from….hitting Devlin now, it seems that all the Raiders fell in love with him.
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] Devlin flips suddenly back to face his attacker, and, miracle of miracles, not only manages to evade the shot headed towards him, but also totally nails his pursuer, enough that the raider actually explodes. Like, for real. He killed one! There is a moment of shock rather than celebration, and then time for neither as DRADIS suddenly alerts him to two more cylons picking up where the last left off.
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Nice shot, Decoy. I… look out! Two more incoming! Break, break, break!"
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Poppy, Decoy, I see them. Evasive manuevers again."
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Decoy, Drips. Nice shooting there. Good job. Be careful now, you have incoming. We'll try to get them off your back."
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] Following Wade's lead, Malone opens fire, frowning as he misses. And switches to a more offensive tactic again.
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade actually switches target and pushes the thrusters, speeding towards another Raider that is targeting Decoy. Gotta share the love, gotta share the love here people.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Poppy, Drips. Moving in to assist."
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Copy, Drips. Get those frakkers."
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider3 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider4 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider4 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Devlin passes.
<COMBAT> Wilkerson attacks Raider3 with KEW - Moderate wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Raider4 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider4 attacks Devlin with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider3 attacks Devlin with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Malone attacks Raider3 with KEW - Moderate wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Cameo passes.
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Raider-6480l has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider3 has been KO'd!
[Harrier-651: Cidra] The Raiders buzzing around the Knights converge on Decoy, perhaps to avenge his kill. Their shots both go wide of the dodging former Nugget, however, and one is stopped altogether by the combined fire power of Malone and Wilkerson. Lucky Devlin. But things aren't close to over yet. Seeing the field thinned there, more Raiders converge on the Knights' position. Still out of firing range, but they're coming.
[TAC1] "Dog Zero-One" Crowe says, "Dog Actual, Dog Zero-One, copy last. Providing covering fire for wounded to fall back."
[TAC3] (from "Bootstrap" Trask) No sooner than another Raider is taken down, Trask chimes in, "Three more bandits lookin' to get lynched."
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Splash, Poppy. How are you holding up? Your bird has as many holes as mine does. Knights, keep after that last Raider, and get ready to receive three more… good eyes, Boots."
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade misses his target "Damn it" mutters the man again, narrowing his eyes at that Raider, keeping his focus on it. Something however, can be spotted past that Raider, and it's….well…more Raiders.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Poppy, Drips. This sneaky bastard won't go out without a fight it seems."
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "Poppy, Splash. Holding up rather well, although the bird handles like a drun… Rather well, except some handling problems, so far. Let's get the rest of these frakkers out of the way and go home?"
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Copy, Slash. Copy, Drips. I want to see this frakker on fire. Make it happen, Knights."
[TAC3] (from "Bootstrap" Trask) Kal quips back to Khloe, "There's more to 'em," his eyes, that is, "than batted lashes." Cheeky ECO is Cheeky. "Five clicks and rapidly advancing. 15 seconds and counting."
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] Devlin continues to dodge, and dodge some more, forgoing attempts to fire on either of his attackers. One is taken down by others in the wing, and then he finally manages to get back in position to assist in his own defense.
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "Aye, Your Majesty."
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] Moving in to be a part of taking out that Viper, Malone switches over to the next one now, expression quite concentrated, although the comments coming over the comm is quite light-hearted.
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Raider8 passes.
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider4 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Raider4 attacks Devlin with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Malone attacks Raider4 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cameo passes.
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Raider4 with KEW - Light wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Raider7 passes.
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider4 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Wilkerson attacks Raider4 with KEW - Moderate wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Raider9 passes.
<COMBAT> Devlin attacks Raider4 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
[BlackKnight-854: Khloe] As the remaining three Raiders approach, Khloe is determined to get this one last one from the first group. "Get… the… frak… off… of… my… wingman!"
[Harrier-651: Cidra] The cavalry has arrived. But probably not the one the Colonial's were hoping for. In come those other three Raiders to assist their still-fighting counterpart. Meanwhile, that first evac Raptor from the surface has landed safely but there's still not RTB order outgoing. The fighters are still in a game of buying time for the battlegroup, and the supply of Cylons hasn't ebbed.
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Knights, break and deal with the new Radiers as they engage. Repeat, I have Decoy's cover. Break and cover your own wings."
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade hits his target but it's not enough to bring it down. Now said target is focusing on Malone, his wingmate. He speaks something on the comm now that Devlin is back in the fight and resumes formation with Grunt and Splash after that. His target hasn't changed, and he increases speed to welcome the new Cylons.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Splash, Drips. Moving to cover you now, let's take them down. Poppy, copy that."
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "Drips, Splash. That new guy heading for me a good target for you?"
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Poppy, Decoy. I've lost my tail, it's on Splash instead. Who're we targeting now?"
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Splash, Drips. I'm targeting the one that was on Decoy, still, you have two on you now. Take evasive actions, let's take them one at a time."
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Decoy, Poppy. Let's help Splash out. Maybe he'll forget about my Triad debt. Take his left, I'll take his right."
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Poppy, Decoy, copy that."
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "Poppy, Splash. Thanks for reminding me about that, boss."
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Flight, Drips. Concentrating fire on another Raider, let's distribute more."
[TAC3] "Bootstrap" Trask says, "Toast, Bootstrap. We have an Eee-Tee-Ay for Arr-Tee-Bee? One bird is back in the barn. What's the status of the second evac vehicle? Over."
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Bootstrap, Toast." Cidra's spent the majority of this sortie engaged with the Mighty Lions and Early Elevens in another grid. "Retreat of last Raptor was being covered last I heard but no word if it's off the ground yet. Hold out a little longer."
[TAC3] "Bootstrap" Trask says, "Copy that, Toast. We have a few more autographs to sign, but, as of yet, no further killer stalkers." Although not for lack of trying. "Bootstrap out."
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] Firing off a shot and missing, Malone switches to a more defensive style, as he sees the incoming ones. Still staying in this fight, although a bit more cautious as he approaches the new enemies.
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Raider9 attacks Wade with KEW - Light wound to Weapon.
<COMBAT> Raider8 attacks Malone with KEW - Moderate wound to Nose (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Raider7 attacks Cameo with KEW - Moderate wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider4 with KEW - Moderate wound to Controls.
<COMBAT> Devlin attacks Raider4 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cameo passes.
<COMBAT> Wilkerson attacks Raider4 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Raider8 with KEW - Light wound to Left Wing.
<COMBAT> Raider4 attacks Malone with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider4 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider7 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider8 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider9 with ECM. <unsuccessful>
<COMBAT> Malone attacks Raider8 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Blackknight-855 has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Malone has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider-8011o has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider4 has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Malone spends a luck point to keep fighting!
[Harrier-651: Cidra] Just a little more time. But seconds seem to last forever in fights like this. Another Raider falls under Khloe's gunfire, but the others aren't deterred. And heavy damage is dealt to Splash's already battered Viper plane. Just a little more time. However much of it they have left.
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] Devlin misses his target but avoids getting hit, though Malone is not so lucky. He leans around briefly to try to get a look at his squad-mate and instead discovers another Raider on his tail. He attempts to evade its fire, but also circles back around to engage.
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Decoy, Poppy. I'm coming around on your six. Keep him interested."
[BlackKnight-854: Khloe] Khloe's Viper blasts through one of the Raiders and doesn't even stop for breath. "Finally," she grumbles, and then her eyes flit to ascertain Devlin's status. She flips ninety degrees and blasts towards her wingman, coming up behind him and the Raider that's dogging him.
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade hits his target again, but again, not enough to bring it down. Still, it's something. He spots the other Raider going after the Raptor and calls out something over the comms before taking a hard left, pushing on his thrusters and moving towards the bus at full speed.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Bootstrap, Spotlight, Drips here. Moving towards you, let's take that Raider off your backs."
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Poppy, Decoy, I see him. Engaging."
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Splash, Drips. From up with Grunt, I'll be right back. Keep up the good work, you are doing great."
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Drips, Decoy, you've got one on your tail."
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] Raising his hands to shield himself from the sparks and other results from the hit, Malone takes some time once more to regain as much control of the ship as he can. Muttering to himself in the process.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Decoy, Drips. I see it, I see it, I'll shake my ass for it for a while."
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "Drips, Splash. Didn't your parents tell you that it's a sin to tell a lie?"
[Harrier-670: Trask] FWAM! There's a bit of a jostle when the Raptor takes a moderate hit to the body. Rolling with the blow, Cameo grits her teeth and brings the big bird back on-course. As for Trask, perhaps being Squadron Leader has made him slightly less insufferable towards the people he's backseating for, because all he wryly remarks is, "Hey, how 'bout you not let that happen again, k? Other than that, awesome job." Perhaps it's a Taurian thing, because the rook just smirks and cracks back, "Thanks for your resounding support."
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Devlin attacks Raider8 with KEW - Moderate wound to Right Wing.
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Raider7 with KEW - Serious wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider7 with ECM. <unsuccessful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider8 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider9 with ECM. <unsuccessful>
<COMBAT> Raider9 attacks Wade with KEW - Moderate wound to Body (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Malone passes.
<COMBAT> Cameo passes.
<COMBAT> Wilkerson tries to attack but has no target!
<COMBAT> Raider8 attacks Devlin with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider7 attacks Cameo with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider8 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Raider-7051t has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider7 has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider-7454w has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider8 has been KO'd!
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Flight, Toast. Last Raptor is outbound from surface in two minutes. Cover their retreat, but standby for order to RTB."
[TAC3] (from "Bootstrap" Trask) Let it not be said that Trask is unappreciative. "Thanks, Drips. I know my jerkass smartass has a sweetass, but I still like it unmolested without my expressed permission." To the rest, "Toast, Bootstrap. Copy."
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "This is Poppy. Copy, Toast. Let's clean it up and get ready to bug, Knights. Everyone provide a window for Drips to get out, and then close in. Over"
[Harrier-651: Cidra] Two more Raiders are sent to whatever God the Cylons believe in under Colonial fire. As if trading for them, two more veer from another space of the battlefield to head toward the Knights. It's going to be a long two minutes.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade snorts at that comment "No love, no love. Glad you guys are alright. Moving out, gotta shake this tin can."
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Poppy, Decoy, copy that. Targeting the bandit after Drips."
[TAC3] "Bootstrap" Trask says, "We'll see about returning the favor, Duncan. Bootstrap out."
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] To protect the Raptor, Wade goes. "Heeeere Cylon" says the man, now aiming his guns at the Raider that has him on sight, but taking things a bit more carefully now.
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] Devlin tags another Raider, still surprised when it explodes after his hit. He doesn't have time to marvel over his good luck now, though, instead keeping his position on Khloe's wing and targeting Wade's admirer.
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] Having regained his control once more, Malone aims for the nearby Raider now.
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Wilkerson attacks Raider9 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider9 with ECM. <unsuccessful>
<COMBAT> Raider9 attacks Wade with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider11 passes.
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider9 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Devlin attacks Raider9 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Raider9 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider10 passes.
<COMBAT> Malone attacks Raider9 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cameo passes.
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
[Harrier-651: Cidra] And in they come. The Cylons' latest volley of Raiders toward the Knights little section of the battlegroup. One veers to join its fellow in targeting Wade. The other heads straight toward the Decoy.
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Drips, Poppy. Watch your back, you've got one of those new contacts on you. Decoy, keep wagging that ass. Knights, mop up Decoy's tail and stay frosty for CIC to call for us back."
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade pulls evasive maneuvers to dodge incoming fire from that Raider. He manages to do that, so he avoids getting hit. However, another Raider decides that he wants a piece of his sweet ass and starts moving to attack as well.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Poppy, Drips. I see them, I'll try to shake them as much as I can. Moving in to help Decoy. Decoy, it seems we are the popular kids now."
[Harrier-670: Trask] All joking aside, the sour expression returns to Trask's face. Despite his earlier on-the-fly repairs, things appear to be back on the fritz, perhaps as a result of the last blast to the body of the Raptor.
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Drips, Poppy, Decoy. We do seem popular, but you've got two on you there, Drips, to my one."
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] Taking his time in getting the aiming done again, Malone moves the old rusty bucket of a Viper carefully, frowning a bit at himself. Muttering something under his breath.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Decoy, Drips. Then I say we take care of the one after your tail and then bash the head of the remaining two."
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Drips, Decoy. You sure? I can retarget but I don't want to leave you totally open."
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Do it."
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Decoy, Drips. I'm sure, let's take it down."
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Decoy, Drips, copy that."
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider9 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider10 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider11 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Raider9 attacks Wade with KEW - Moderate wound to Weapon.
<COMBAT> Raider10 attacks Wade with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Wilkerson attacks Raider9 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Raider11 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider11 attacks Devlin with KEW - Light wound to Body (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Devlin attacks Raider11 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cameo passes.
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider9 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Malone attacks Raider11 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
[Harrier-651: Cidra] One of the Cylons manages to ping Devlin's lucky, lucky Viper for the first time in this little sortie. Though it's a glancing hit, and the least of the problems the Colonials are facing at the moment. KEW fire continues to be traded, and that long, long two minutes continues to drag on.
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade gets hit, one of the cannons on his Vipers received the damage and this shakes the entire cockpit. He mutters some sort of curse and shakes his head, keeping his focus on the Raider. The good thing is that he did dodge fire from the other Raider.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Decoy, Drips. Is everything ok there? I see you got a hit there."
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] Firing and missing again, Malone growls a bit. Still trying to keep his Viper on target…
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] Devlin takes his first hit, just a glancing blow that barely registers except that it's the first hit ever. He checks his systems, and then makes sure he's in position, swinging around to follow his attacker.
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Flight, Toast. Surface Raptor is in the air and inbound to Cerberus. Keep them occupied just a bit further."
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Drips, Decoy. I'm fine, it was barely a scratch."
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Decoy, Drips. Copy that."
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "CIC, Poppy. Copy that. Flight, give 'em one last 'frak you'. Decoy, I've got your six. Help out Drips. Flight, assist Drips as best as possibe."
<COMBAT> Triggering new turn.
<COMBAT> Malone attacks Raider10 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Khloe attacks Raider9 with KEW - Moderate wound to Left Wing.
<COMBAT> Wilkerson attacks Raider9 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider9 attacks Wade with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider11 attacks Devlin with KEW - Moderate wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Devlin attacks Raider10 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Wade attacks Raider11 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider9 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider10 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Trask suppresses Raider11 with ECM. <successful>
<COMBAT> Raider10 attacks Wade with KEW - Light wound to Weapon.
<COMBAT> Cameo passes.
<COMBAT> Cidra has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Blackknight-853 has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Devlin has been KO'd!
[TAC3] "Gravel" Pewter says, "Flight, Cerberus Actual. Raptor's home, Fleet ready to jump. Return to base. Say again. RTB."
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] Devlin takes another hit, again to the body of the Viper, and his systems suddenly freak out. He spends a minute or two attempting to regain control and get the plane to head back to base with the others, but the panels pretty quickly make it clear that ejecting is his only option. So out shoots the canopy and after it, into (hopefully, thankfully) open space, goes Devlin.
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "Knights, Poppy. Back to the barn, I repeat, back to the barn. Boots, SAR on Decoy, if you would. I'd hate to explain to Bubbles why I killed her husband."
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "Flight, Decoy. Not sure what happened, systems are freaking out, I've got to eject. Someone pick me up please."
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade gets another hit, again on his cannons "Frak, at this rate I won't be able to fire" says the man. He presses his lips together and narrows his eyes, firing at the Raider that is tailing Decoy. He misses the mark and sees Decoy getting hit again "Damn it." and then sees the Ensign ejecting. He looks over at the Raptor for the SAR.
[TAC3] "Drips" Wade says, "Poppy, Drips. Copy that, back to the barn. I'll fly next to the Raptor to provide cover fire if needed."
[TAC3] "Bootstrap" Trask drily smirks and remarks to Khloe, "You could just give her some sparkly nail polish and fuzzy slippers that look like cute widdle bunnies." Even so, the Raptor is en route. "Oh, I suppose so, but mainly 'cuz you asked so nicely."
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "You're a gentleman and a scholar, Drips. And hurry up, Boots - I'll make Drips get behind you and push if you don't move that fat bus. Let's move, people!"
[Harrier-670: Trask] "Right, just like we've practiced in the sims," Trask tells Spotlight, "except, yanno, for reals, this time." NO PRESSURE, Cameo. "Ease on by." Pulling next to the ejected rook, the SAR cable is released to reel Decoy into the relative safety of the Raptor.
[TAC3] "Splash" Malone says, "Flight, Splash. Looks like getting this thing landed as safely as I'd love will not be easy. I hope most of it will be intact when landing, though…"
[TAC3] "Decoy" Devlin says, "No pressure, Cameo! Bubbles has only hospitalized someone once that I know of."
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] Whatever the standard procedure is for being SAR'd after ejection, Devlin follows it.
[TAC3] (from "Bootstrap" Trask) Unflapped by Poppy's promise, the Harriers' SL quips, "You want him alive, yeah? No missing pieces? Then you learn to be patient, missy."
[Harrier-651: Cidra] The Colonial birds are headed home with all deliberate speed, to both the Cerberus and Areion's welcoming arms. Trask and Cameo aren't the only Raptors towing an SAR bird, or pilot, back in, so the retreat isn't as quick as lightning. But they're getting there. A few birds, and pilots, less than they were when they scrambled.
[Harrier-670: Trask] Soon enough, Devlin is aboard Harrier-670 and being told by the ECO in a faux flight attendant tone, "Thank you for flying Air Awesome. Please sit your ass down and buckle-up." One… two… three… "And damn fine job out there, kids."
[BlackKnight-662: Wade] Wade keeps his Viper flying next to the Raptor. Sure, he is making sure to reach Cerberus in a bit of a hurry as well. Something is certain, his bird will need it's cannons checked because, it seems the Raiders gave them a lot of love. Luckily, the controls are responding correctly, which means…happy landing.
[BlackKnight-853: Devlin] Devlin makes it into the Raptor, and is more than happy to promptly sit down. "Thanks Boots, thanks Spotlight," he says, buckling up for the quick RTB ahead of them.
[BlackKnight-854: Khloe] Combat landing time. Plenty of sparks and deck-denting skidmarks from Poppy. Creeaaaaakkk, and her Viper comes to a clumsy halt.
[TAC3] "Poppy" Khloe says, "CIC, Poppy, we're in. Repeat, Knights are in."
[BlackKnight-855: Malone] Bringing in the remains of the Viper for a landing, Malone glances around a bit nervously. "Here goes…" The landing itself is a bit rough one, as the fighter craft that's held together until now finally decides to give up. Sliding a bit further than it's supposed to, the front of the craft starts falling apart, with the pilot getting knocked around a bit in the cockpit, getting knocked into a comfortable sense of being unconscious.
[TAC1] "Gravel" Pewter says, "Copy, Poppy. Fleet, Cerberus Actual. All birds aboard who're going aboard. Commence jump."
"Well, I guess this is one way to avoid having to do post-flight checks," Devlin comments as he climbs out of the Raptor. He fumbles with his helmet a little before managing to get it off, scrubbing hands over his head as he takes a deep breath and sets his feet back on the deck.
"For you," smirks Trask, who remains aboard the Raptor with Cameo to go over their post-flight checks. Knowing the ECO, he'll be in there for a while, anal as he is about such things.
Malone hasn't gotten out of his Viper, or whatever sorry remains there's left of it yet. One of the reasons would be that he's currently quite knocked out, in the remains of the cockpit. Is that what's called 'sleeping on the job'?
Khloe is quick to clamber out of her smoking Viper, waving off any deckies who are already grousing at the condition of her bird. Her helmet goes clattering across the deck as she sprints to Malone's wreck. "Someone get a medic!" She calls as she runs.
Wade opens his cockpit as he does post-flight checks. Yep, his weapon system suffered a little bit; nothing that won't be able to be fixed tho. He looks up for a moment at the scene around him and takes a deep breath, looking back at his controls. They lost people today, and that, downright sucks. Looking up, he sees Khloe is taking care of Malone, so that part is covered. He finishes his tests and stands up, moving down the ladder. He rubs his eyes with one hand as he holds the helmet on the other and makes his way to Malone's Viper.
A deckhand dashes to the box and pages, "Now here this: Medical to Port Hangar. W-I-A. Say again: Medical to Port Hangar."