| Raspberries |
| Summary: | Evan takes the wing out for a game night… IN SPACE. |
| Date: | 2.22.41 |
| Related Logs: | War Games |
| Players: |
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Laskaris has had time for a shower since getting off patrol earlier. Now, he sits in his usual seat(near the back, on the aisle), freshly cleaned and mostly pressed, as he waits for the latest wargame briefing to begin.
Cidra is already here. In her flight suit and standing up front. Though she is not actually at the podium. That space she leaves for another occupant. She stands still as can be, eyes sweeping aft and fore as she waits for the pilots to enter.
Marko hustles into the ready room and finds a spot somewhere in the middle, notebook and pen ready.
Alessandra slips in and steals a seat by Las, her flightsuit half-on, the sleeves tied about her waist which allows her to keep all cool and comfy.
Daphne is in the front row and center, sitting ramrod straight, as usual. Her clipboard is arranges with alarming perfection, every last sheet of paper perfectly aligned with the one below it. She has not one, but three pens laying against the clipboard, parallel to the side as if it truly matters. Someone tell the Ensign that this really doesn't make her a better officer. Please.
Sitka filters in a little late to the briefing, though by no means punishably late. He's just slapping on his last pressure seal or two, helmet cocked under his left arm as he takes up a position at one wall.
Quinn steps into the room from the hatch, just exactly on time, but she leaves the hatch open behind her, apparently being trailed by a lost puppy dog. Or Bootstrap. Same difference. She's in her flight suit and ready to work, her hair freshly washed and tightly braided so none of those red curls are frizzy or escaping. She's looking as spit shine as the befreckled red head possibly can as she moves for the front row of chairs. "Be good." She mutters to Trask behind her.
Trask is used to being behind Quinn, in several respects. At this moment, it is in a literal sense. Puff-puff-puffing as he trails behind, a trail of smoke trails him. Going as far as he really is permitted with his cancer stick, one final drag results in a savored inhale and languid exhale, and the butt rubbed out just outside the Ready Room door, only to be properly disposed. "I'm always good," he protests with a mixture of mock indignation and faux innocence. "And when I'm bad, I'm even better."
Still stony-faced as usual, Laskaris murmurs a greeting to Alessandra beside him as he twirls a pen in his fingers. One end looks as though it's been chewed pretty thoroughly. Looks like the unfortunate writing utensil is his ready room cigarette replacement. As he's looking around, an eye first falls on Daphne and her OCD-worthy clipboard arrangement. Then, a flinty gaze catches Trask, and Lasher's eyes roll in sardonic amusement.
Marko looks around for Temperance, suddenly realizing that the redhead is nowhere to be seen. "C'mon, Sully, where are you?" he asks himself, turning around to peer at the hatch as if that's going to do any good.
"Lasher," Allie greets in a similarly murmured voice. "Still got to see your moves on the pyramid court. Or are you too scared I'll kick your ass?" There's a playfulness to that, her jab nothing serious in the least, it only said to poke Anton into some kind of reaction.
Sitka examines some dirt under his fingernails while he awaits the start of the briefing. He's otherwise silent, and abstains from idle chatter with the other pilots assembling into the room.
Evandreus is sitting up front getting a laptop plugged into the projector system, trying to get it to go so that he can start up the briefing. The projector takes a long while to stop flashing a blue computer corporaion logo at the wall before there pops up a graphic that looks like a three-dimensional venn diagram, four spherical bubbles of different colors overlapping each other and creating a sliver of darkness in the middle of the four of them. He pops up, then, to the podium: "Hey, guys," he starts, then looks aside at the Major, then back to the group, "Thanks for coming out tonight, and thanks especially to Major Cidra for giving me a spot on the war games docket for my little experiment," he grins a self-deprecating sort of grin, and leans onto the podium with both elbows. "So, okay, our original plan was going to look something like this," he gestures to the projection up on the screen, "But due to the late addition of this event to the schedule, we're only running three Raptors, so… use your imaginations just a little and get rid of one of those bubbles up there, yah?" he chuckles. "You can see the basic premise. I've mapped out up to twenty percent efficiency ECM in a bubble around each Raptor position. Raspberry Flight will include," he looks down at his list, then up at the crowd, "Jugs, with Bootstrap in her backseat, Toast, with Scaurus in her backseat, and Deep Freeze, you'll be with me," he gives out assignments. We'll get into a triangulation for joint ECM suites on the battlefield. Team Blue, our targets for the evening, will be Lucky, with Kolettis and Money Shot on her wing," he makes eye contact with the both of them. "You're going to want to stay as close to the center of the triangulation as possible for the best ECM coverage. You can evade, but you can't fire back," he instructs them. "Red team? Shiv, with Lasher on his wing," he looks to those, as well, "Your job is going to be to cut through this ECM field and get Blue Team tagged out. This is a time trial, so we're gonna go 'til Blue Team's down. Any questions?"
Cidra observes Evandreus work with the computer. Just watching. "I look forward to it, Lieutenant Doe," she says simply. And, with that, takes her seat with the rest of the class. A look behind her at Marko, to catch his eye briefly, as she settles in. You're flying with the CAG, boyo.
Daphne swallows audibly as flight assignments are given out. Clearly she's not a proud and willing member of Blue Team, and her ability to hide this fact is not nearly as great as her ability to shine her shoes, line her pins up perfectly, or maintain her clipboard. You know… the important things.
Marko jots down a few quick ideas for frequencies and settings on his notepad, then settles back, frowning thoughtfully for a few moments, before sitting up to jot down a few other ideas. "Okay..that oughta do it." he nods, looking satisfied. "Wait…okay…that one's not gonna fly." he says, crossing off one of the columns. "Let's try..this..Now..that'll do it."
Alessandra looks at Lasher and then up to Evan, her expression a bit baffled mingled in with a minute tinge of bemusement on her face. "Wow," she whispers to herself before falling silent once more, her mind working over-time now. No shooting. That's going to take a lot of effort on her part.
Lasher. No surprise. He's practically becoming Shiv's perma-wingmate, insofar as the war games are concerned. Chewing absently on the inside of his cheek, Sitka keeps his eyes focused forward, ingesting everything Evandreus has to say. When he's done, the Captain's hand goes up. Or, well, his helmet really.
Sorry, Allie, Lasher's not that easily riled. He snorts, shaking his head. His retort is short, vulgar, and blissfully too quiet to be heard by anyone else. Then Evan begins the briefing, and eyes go front. Eyes narrow as the team assignments given out; from the vulpine smile slowly spreading across his face, he seems pleased to be one of the hunters.
Quinn doesn't bother to quite take ntoes, she's gone over all of this multiple times in her head already. She just gives a curt nod of acknowledgement to Bunny, the plan clear, she's ready to go.
"Shiv," Evan calls out, hands on the edges of the podium.
"Will both viper teams be permitted to maneuver around the jamming field?" Sitka wants to know. "Or is this a static exercise? Also, will manual targeting be permitted, or is that going to defeat the purpose of the drill?"
"Wow," mutters Tisiphone to Daphne, sotto voce. "Lucky's gotta be grinding her teeth to dust about now. Us against Lasher and the Captain again, too. What the frak are they testing?"
"Bladder control." mutters Daphne back to Tisiphone.
Cidra takes a few notes on her clipboard throughout Evandreus spiel. Quiet and attentive, though there's a weighing quality in her blue eyes when they ever so often look up at the Raptor LTJG. She has no questions.
Bootstrap remains quiet, content to just sit, listen, and idly drum callused fingertips on his left thigh. The helmet rests atop his desk, his eyes are lazily directed towards the podium area, and an aura of nicotine and tobacco surrounds him. Enough so that Lasher surely got a whiff when the ECO had passed by.
Marko's eyes go wide as spots the back of Cidra's head and suddenly realizes who Toast is…Great…Flying with the CAG..no pressure here, Ensign. None whatsoever…Go ahead, son, give us your best shot. Wordlessly,he pulls his steel bead chain with the little blue plastic whistle on it out and gives the whistle a kiss. "This is gonna be a fun day, Cap." he tells it before strapping it around his neck.
"Yep," Evan answers, to the first, "Blue Team can evade as they like, Red Team can try to shoot from outside jamming range, but I'd think that'd be pretty far out of targetting range, too?" There's an inflection of a question, there. "In any case, it's a free field. If there are holes in the game, go on and exploit them. The better to learn from, right? I honestly don't know what the results of this game are going to be like. But if we can get a baseline tonight, maybe down the line we can refine the process and get an idea of a good setup for a decently functioning ECM shield for toothless vessel escort," he shrugs up one shoulder.
You say, "Any other questions?"
"Roger that," the Reservist's Captain concedes, affably enough. That seems to be it for him, question wise. He tugs up the zipper on his flight suit to where it hooks with the hardseal around his neck, and awaits dismissal.
Alessandra takes a deep breath and then, with a wry grin, she whispers softly to Lasher, "We should make some kind of bet. You know. Something given by me if you manage to take me out and something given by you if I manage to avoid your weapons fire." Her right hand curls down some and the tips of her fingers are tapped against her knee, the Viper-ette quiet now, no questions from her.
You say, "Seeing none… Let's get out there."
You say, "Good luck, folk."
Lasher turns that wolfish smirk on Allie as Evan answeres Shiv's question. As for other questions, no, he has none. "Make the wager, 'Lucky'," he mumbles over towards Alessandra. Yes, he pronounces the quotes, as much as one can. "See how lucky you feel when I get through with you."
Sitka's blue eyes find Laskaris across the room, ever so briefly, and he flashes him a quick smile. Then, helmet hoisted up under his arm again, he turns and troops on out.
[Harrier-303: Trask] Helmet strapped on, Trask then straps himself in. Tappity-tappity-tap. ECM suite is launched, DRADIS is fired-up, and pre-flight is concluded. "We're sittin' pretty, Breadbasket," he informs Quinn.
[BlackKnight-308: Alessandra] After pre-flight and all the other required protocol, Lucky launches from the Cerberus once cleared, her Viper streaking out from the landing pod and into the black. Just another day of fun and games, boys and squirrels, just another day of fun.
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Cerberus, Toast. Commencing exercise Raspberry Flight as noted in the updated war games docket. Pre-flight checks completed and we are a-go."
[Harrier-303: Quinn] Like Trask, Quinn snaps herself into her helmet and starts going through her own bits of pre-flight, but she trusts the man at her back to really go through it all. For all the bitchiness between them, the pair work like an oiled machine when in a Raptor together. "Looks good to me. Hold on tight, I'm not holding back tonight." Which means lots of sharp turns and tight moves — Quinn likes to pretend her Raptor's a viper, or so their old squadron used to joke.
[Harrier-307: Marko] The young ensign wastes no time getting his ECM suite online and giving the immediate area a quick once over with the DRADIS. "Okay, sir, ECM's set, all systems are nominal and nobody's around but us Aviators." Marko reports. "We're looking good."
[Harrier-307: Cidra] Cidra eases into the pilot's seat and completes her pre-flight check with smooth, practiced precision. There's that faint smile on her lips as she goes through it. The CAG has obviously been looking forward to the chance to go out and play. "Excellent," she notes to Marko, without taking her eyes on the road as she eases them out into space and in formation with the other Raptors. "Where did you do your training, Ensign Scaurus? They did you poor form not to force you to leave with a callsign."
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] Lasher goes through preflight almost on autopilot. It seems barely a blink of an eye before his ship is prepped, shoved into a launch tube, and catapulted into space. Once he's clear, he turns the Viper, making a sharp angle away from the Cerberus. "One more simulated kill and I'm a bloody simulated ace," he proclaims drolly over an open comm channel. "Who's it going t' be?"
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Bunny, Toast. As this is your operation, you take lead in Raptor coordination. I look forward to this."
[BlackKnight-308: Alessandra] "Oh Lasher," Lucky's voice murmurs over the coms, "You are too big for your britches there, son. Am I going to have to put you in your place?" She's flying slow and easy right now, more than easy enough for her wingman to keep up.
[SnowPetrel-201: Sitka] Often the last to launch, due to a pre-flight hitch or three, Shiv's red and white fighter eventually makes egress from the launch tubes and rolls smoothly to port. He lines up with his wingman's larger bird, weapons flipped to their training setting as he does so.
[BlackKnight-310: Tisiphone] « Is there a simulated award for killing the same person twice in a row, Sir? » Tisiphone's voice, /meticulously/ polite, over the same open comm channel. « You could always try for me again. This time, I can't fire back. »
[BlackKnight-309: Daphne] Viper 309 shoots out from the launch bays good and fast with her front thrusters engaging while it turns… trying to bleed off some of that speed while her pilot steers the craft to fall in line with Lucky, ending up just behind her and to the starboard.
[Harrier-307: Marko] "Fleet Base Athenos on Virgon, sir." Marko replies. "Left for here the day we marched for graduation." he explains. "Don't think there was time. What about you, sir? Or should it be, Toast in the air?" he asks, sounding a bit bashful in that cute, green, ignorant as a stick Ensigny kind of way.
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Toast, Bunny, acknowledged! Raspberry Flight, Bunny, I'm sending out the coordinates for our triangulation. I'll be at Alpha, Toast, go to Beta, Jugs, to Gamma."
[TAC3] Daphne says, "Lucky, Kolettis. As the ranking adult on this flight, do you have any words of wisdom to impart?"
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Sounds good, Bunny."
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, "Just keep yourself aware, Kolettis. Might be a simulation but it's always a good idea to treat even war games as if they're real combat situations. Other than that, stay close by unless I give the order to split off. And Bunny, that's a roger."
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] "I hope your flying's up t' the task, Lucky," Lasher replies, his accented voice as droll as ever. "Since you've had your teeth pulled for this'n." He too flicks his weapons to training settings "As for you, Money Shot… it's a new day." He takes the throttle down, falling just behind and to the side of Sitka's craft.
[TAC3] "Bootstrap" Trask starts singing, "C'mon, li'l Gamma Ray, standin' in a hurricane…"
[TAC3] "Money Shot" Tisiphone says, "Lucky, this is-" A pause, as she steels herself. "-Money Shot. If they can't shoot the Raptors, we could just try to keep the Raptors between us and them."
[Harrier-303: Trask] With his brief little ditty concluded, Trask has set a course for Gamma. "Hold on t'what?" he then asks his pilot. "Your hips aren't that wide that I can reach 'em from here."
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Alright. Raspberry Flight, start up your jamming suites. Get that field going strong. Blue Flight, keep in the shadows!"
[Harrier-307: Cidra] "Ah." Cidra's ah'ing is muted by her helmet, which adds to the inscrutable reaction she has to Marko's answer. "I didn't get my name until my first proper assignment, either. Do not worry. We shall see to you. And it is Toast here. You are my ECO, my right arm for this endeavor. Let us see what we can make of this."
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, "Money Shot, Lucky. That might work for a little while but I think they're going to focus on driving us out of jamming-range so let's wait and see what they're planning before we decide. Play it by ear."
[BlackKnight-308: Alessandra] The Viper Lucky's flying is brought closer to where the Raptor's are, flying to catch up with the ships and their people that will keep Blue team's proverbial simulated-bacon safe.
[TAC3] "Money Shot" Tisiphone says, "Lucky, this is Money Shot. Roger that. Staying on your portside wing."
[BlackKnight-309: Daphne] Daphne's viper follows over with Money Shot and Lucky's, maintaining a proper victor formation as they roll towards the mama birds.
[Harrier-305: Evandreus] Once the ECM suites are all being emitted into the dark and humming along nicely, Harrier-305 flashes a bright green signalling beacon over to Red Team to let them know that the Game is Go.
[Harrier-307: Marko] "Toast it is." Marko nods,and takes a deep breath. "Commencing ECM jamming now, now, now…" And with that, the Raptor's ECM suite goes from Standby to Active.
[Harrier-303: Quinn] Swinging into gear, Jugs flies out towards the gamma coordinates that Bunny has provided her, taking things fast already, ready for action any moment. She smirks towards Trask for a heartbeat, though. "You touch my hips and you'll be jamming with your toes 'cause all your fingers will be broken."
[SnowPetrel-201: Sitka] Shiv peels away from his wingman briefly, swooping out to do a short scout around the immediate area while the other pilots get setup. It doesn't take long at all before he's forming up again, eyes flicking to the array of equipment in his cockpit as the jamming field's initiated.
[BlackKnight-310: Tisiphone] Tisiphone's Viper follows after Lucky's, as well, sweeping out to her leader's port side. Not her smoothest sailing — there are the slight hiccups that suggest the pilot within is restlessly scanning for Trouble.
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "All points, Bunny. I've given the signal. Red Team should be en route."
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] While Sitka does his loop, Laskaris stays on course. He notes the sudden static playing across his displays as the jamming field is established, yet he doesn't waver as the pair of attacking Vipers bears down on their first target.
[BlackKnight-308: Alessandra] With the flashing light Lucky can't help but to wince for just a moment, the knowledge that things are a go a momentary discomfort. She's not exactly expecting this to result in a favorable outcome for her team but she's going to make sure they make the other team work for their win.
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Toast, Bunny. We are in position and ready on the jammers."
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, "Alright, girls. Looks like we're on. Put on your pretty face and give Red team a bit of a run for their money."
[TAC3] Daphne says, "Confirmed fast movers inbound."
[TAC3] "Deep Freeze" Juno remarks wryly, "I love it when you talk dirty, Bootsie." She silences quickly though as she watches her DRADIS.
[Harrier-303: Quinn] Even as they dive into the fight, Maggie beginning the smooth evasive maneuvers she knows like the back of her hand, she has time to bandy conversation with the ECO behind her. "In your dreams, Bootsy. And I'm not joking. I will. Break. Them." She states dead pan, doing her best to keep this off the com system.
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] Waves of electronic jamming hammer his targeting systems, disrupting Lasher's lock on Allie's fighter. His first salvo goes wide, and Lasher winces. RCS thrusters fire as his ship twists around for another pass.
[SnowPetrel-201: Sitka] Sneaky little bugger that he is, Shiv guns his engines the second he sees the raptors' interference manifolds light up, and comes in swinging at the lead bird, with Lasher hopefully hot on his heels. He manages to slip in a few shots across her canopy before his systems take the full brunt of the jamming, and veers away again with a peppering of tracers into the black of space.
[BlackKnight-308: Alessandra] The first round of fire has her nose lit up on her screen, causing her to peel up and away, hopefully a maneuver the others will be able to pick up on and follow without difficulty. "Well, frakkers," she grumbles under her breath while her coms are off, the little bout of cursing for her ears alone.
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Counting one minute and three Blue still standing. Jugs, Bunny. Keep on Gamma Point. Remember, they're not shooting at us, this time. Let's keep our field overlap stable for the Blue Team."
[TAC3] "Money Shot" Tisiphone says, "Lucky, this is Money Shot." She sounds more tense, now, concentration and anticipation tangled up together. "Visual confirmation on enemy Vipers. Looks like they're all coming to give you a hug. Waiting to mop us up last, again.""
[BlackKnight-309: Daphne] Daphne banks and pulls back on the stick, peeling off of Alessandra and heading perpendicular from Lucky's original flight path. Nothing's shooting at her, which gives the rookie pilot time to look around and take stock of the situation.
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, "Looks like they're going to be trying to take me out first. Not surprising. Money Shot. Kolettis. Keep an eye out for those bastards, see if you can find their positions. Raspberry, we're counting on you, guys. Make with that ECM-fu that you do so well."
[Harrier-307: Cidra] Harrier-307 does little fancy flying, but Cidra holds up her end of the ECM shield without wavering. "Clear eyes, strong hands, Scaurus." That's the only advice she gives. She does not interrupt an ECO at his jamming work overmuch.
[TAC3] Daphne exhales, "Lucky, Kolettis. C-Copy that. Lasher is…" There's a pause, "Bearing zero niner four carom zero six six. He's coming around for another pass."
[Harrier-303: Trask] Oh, look. Red team just got burned. "That dream is a reality, dumplin'." Yes, he is aware she was not referring to ECM QWNG.
[Harrier-305: Evandreus] Bunny, for his part, keeps Harrier-305 firmly affixed to Alpha point, resisting the urge, for once, to run.
[Harrier-305: Juno] Deep Freeze pushes buttons and flicks switches and does the things that ECOs are supposed to do. Under her breath there's some continues soft muttering, but nothing that should interrupt chan chatter.
[Harrier-307: Marko] "Copy that, Toast." Marko replies, sounding a bit distracted as he peers at his console, giving his field modulation a few tiny adjustments to try and keep Lasher and Shiv's targeting systems agreeably blind.
[BlackKnight-308: Alessandra] With it appearing that Lucky's the target-de-jur for now, Allie moves to get a good look, trying to position her ship above where the others are and then flips her bird 'upsidedown', wanting to put some space between her wingmen and herself, trying to draw Shiv and Lasher away from the rookies for a moment.
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Marking two minutes and three Blue still standing."
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, "Blue, Lucky. I'm going to see if I can't draw them away from the rooks. Money Shot, Kolettis, Lucky. I am going to neet you two to cover each other's asses for a bit. Treat it as if I've been taken out of the fight."
[SnowPetrel-201: Sitka] And a whole lot of nothing happens, as the pair of aggressor vipers strafe out of the jamming field for a little regrouping. Turning nearly in unison, the Mark II and Mark VII fighters swoop back in again; Shiv pulls low, while his wingman pulls high, and unloads his training lasers on Lucky's flank once more.
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] Lasher holds his fire for the moment, eschewing a snap shot as he and Sitka approach Lucky from an oblique angle, giving him extra time to line up the shot. Finally, he's satisfied, and a squeeze of the trigger sends another burst of laser fire at Alessandra's fighter.
[BlackKnight-310: Tisiphone] Daphne peels off one way, and Tisiphone twists in the other — the two of them manage to look like they know what they're doing, when they're flying together. The ridiculous number of sim hours logged together has nothing to do with it. Of course. With a (relatively) graceful swoop, Tisiphone's viper curves back to her original line.
[BlackKnight-308: Alessandra] Lucky smiles slightly as she watches the read-out, that being upon seeing that the shooting Raptors have followed her. She tries to dive down to fucker up the aim Sitka and Laskaris has taken great pains to make, her Viper tipping down nose-first.
[Harrier-307: Cidra] Cidra's gaze flits out her viewport at the Vipers doing more acrobatic work in the space field around the Raptors. She pays Laskaris and Sitka particular heed. Watching them both warily - 'opponents' that they are at the moment - and curiously as the Mark VII and II fly together. "This was an intriguing idea on Doe's part. I am interested to see how long they can hold out."
[TAC4] "Lasher" Laskaris says, "One down, two to go. The clock is ticking."
[SnowPetrel-201: Sitka] Unfortunately, Alessandra happens to drop low— right into the Mark II's line of fire. He scores a solid hit to her weapons array, which is followed up a moment later by his wingman's 'money shot', so to speak. Rather than give the typical touchdown wing waggle, he simply veers off and crosses beneath Lasher's viper as the pair line up their next target.
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Sure is. Kolettis next. Same drill."
[Harrier-303: Trask] There goes Lucky, bad luck and all. "Okay, you see that there? That's you," he tells Quinn. "That's all you. Your disbelief has caused that. That. Right there. I bet you killed a few fairies, too."
[Harrier-305: Evandreus] Evan himself is watching the action on the backup DRADIS up front, so that Jujubee can focus on sending out suites, keeping his eye on the training signals from the Blue birds, and at the clock.
[Harrier-307: Marko] "Dammit…" Marko grumbles. "That's it for Lucky. Our jamming field's got their targeting systems pretty well frakked, but they can still…_see_…" he says. "They're compensating with the old Mark One Eyeball…" he sighs, then suddenly sits bolt upright. "Toast….do we have any signal flares aboard?" he asks
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Marking three minutes with two Blue still standing."
[Harrier-303: Quinn] Quinn flies like it's as easy as breathing, her fingertips flying over the controls completely naturally. She keeps them steadily on course, letting her ECO do the work, until he speaks behind her. She smirks, mock gasping. "Me? You're so wrong. You're the one that can't juggle the balls. I didn't do a damn thing but my job. Pick up the pace back there, hot shot. Or I'll get out the whip."
[BlackKnight-308: Alessandra] With the second round of shots hitting true, Lucky is taken out as Shiv and Lasher both finish her off. "Frak. Well," she mutters over the coms for everyone to hear. "Looks like I'm out, gang. Good shooting, Red. Lasher, guess you won our bet." Shaking her head, Allie smiles good naturedly as she pulls up and back, giving a wing-waggle of a salute for the rest of her team and to the others as a whole before peeling off.
[BlackKnight-309: Daphne] Daphne and Tisiphone weave around one another, the two indeed quite accustomed to each other's flying styles. Daph looks around the cockpit with concerned, narrowed eyes behind her helmet. When the reds swoop in on Alessandra with such precision, it's all the rook can do but suck in her breath between her teeth and mutter, "Frak." She starts towards the Raptors, now.
[TAC3] "Lucky" Alessandra says, "Raspberry, Blue. Lucky. I'll be seeing you all at home. Good flying. And Blue…don't let those frakkers rattle you."
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] Lasher can't help but smirk as twin bursts of fire take Alessandra out of the game. As ordered, Laskaris swings around, still on Sitka's wing as they make for their next target. "Hope you like doing laundry, Lucky. Me? I hate it." As anyone who's smelled his locker a week or two after his last laundry trip can tell." Unlike Sitka, he gives his wings a healthy waggle as he lines up on Kolettis' fighter.
[TAC3] Daphne says, "Money, head for the Raptors. Raspberry Flight, Kolettis. Please move to intercept. Keep them between us, please. You're t-the most dangerous cover we've got. I mean.. if that's legal."
[TAC3] "Money Shot" Tisiphone says, "Kolettis, this is Money Shot. They're disqualified if they nail a Raptor instead of us, aren't they?" There's a brief peal of mean-spirited laughter. "On your portside wing and following."
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Lucky, Toast. Clear flying. We'll see you back at the barn. Let us try to keep this going a bit longer."
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Lucky, Bunny, thanks for coming out to play! Sorry to send you home so soon."
[BlackKnight-310: Tisiphone] Tisiphone's Viper loops back over itself as Lucky peels off for home, then reattached itself to Daphne's portside wing. It's been a safe place so far.
[TAC3] Daphne says, "Well can we do that, then?"
[Harrier-303: Trask] "Oh, so the Pixie Pogrom is somehow my fault, even though /I/ am not the non-believer. Well, pardon me for being unable to clap my hands to bring Lucky an' Tink an' all her glittery friends back to life 'cuz I'm too busy fondling with my knob." Not so busy to not slip in that innuendo, it would seem. Quinn just had to mention a whip, though, which means Trask just has to comment. "If we lose, I am gonna spin the greatest sob story evah about how you led me astray an' caused a dereliction of duty because you bribed me with a flogging."
[Harrier-307: Cidra] "Suppression dampens, Ensign. Unfortunately, it does not block," Cidra says simply. Unperturbed, though she goes wince sympathetically at the simulated 'damage' the Viper Jocks do to Lucky's ship. "And Uram plays nasty tricks with the systems. Just keep to it." A pause at his question and seh replies, "We do, yes. Have something in mind?"
[Harrier-307: Marko] "Well, I was just remembering what they taught us in Basic during hand to hand. 'If you can't stand, you can't fight. If you can't breathe, you can't fight. If you can't _see_…You can't fight. Every bird drops out a few signal fiares, it might throw off their night vision. Throw a little sand in there eyes."
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Marking four minutes with two Blue still standing."
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "We are just that frakking hot, really."
[Harrier-307: Cidra] "The trick would be not blinding our own Vipers as well, Ensign. But. It is worth pursuing," Cidra says simply. And she gets on the horn.
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Break on my mark, Lasher. Your instruments'll say you've got the shot when you don't, so keep it steady and use your eyes."
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Bunny, Toast. Ensign Scaurus has an idea. Explain to your lead, Ensign. This shall require coordination with all of us if it is to be effective."
[Harrier-305: Juno] "The trick is not to mind it." Juno interjects. "Or to keep it timed and know when to turn our peepers away on mark. It's a risk."
[TAC4] "Lasher" Laskaris says, "Understood. Eyeballin' it. Awaiting your command."
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Scaurus, Bunny. Go on ahead, what's the plan?"
[TAC3] Marko says, "Bunny, Scaurus. If we can flip out a few signal flares just as they're coming to make their gun runs, we might be able to stuff up their night vision. We'd have to get our Vipers ready for it somehow, tell them to shut their eyes or something. It's just a hunch, Bunny, but it might work."
[SnowPetrel-201: Sitka] Shiv rolls out of his turn, and immediately seeks a firing solution on Kolettis as she fleets past him. He goes for her unprotected flank in a burst of rapid laserfire. Again, and again. It's pretty much a hail mary at this point, with the electronic interference doing its job so well, but that timer's ticking away.
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Mark."
[BlackKnight-309: Daphne] Kolettis is staying alert. Her eyes focus hard, looking all aroudn her cockpit as the two vipers close in on her. She blasts to one side and then gives the throttle a push, preparing to try dodging these guys as they come zooming past her.
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] At Sitka's command, Lasher breaks abruptly to one side, then cuts back in. Classic bracketing maneuver. Frowning as he quickly lines up the shot, he squeezes of a burst of fire at Daphne's other flank.
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Scaurus, Bunny, sounds like a plan. We'll have to do it from up front so you guys can keep the field up. Toast, Jugs, can you be ready to face the Red Team on their next approach and pop a beacon flash at the right moment?"
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Marking five minutes with two Blue still standing."
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Bunny, Toast. I can be ready to come about on your mark. Prepping beacon. Lasher and Shiv shall still have their system targeting even if we cloud their eyes. But, even a small distraction throws the enemy off balance."
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Will do, Bunny."
[TAC3] "Money Shot" Tisiphone says, "Kolettis, this is- Money Shot. You think they're getting pissed yet?" Sounds like she's grinning. "Keep dancing. Staying on your portside wing."
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Good shots there, Lasher. Not sure if they registered, but you've got the right idea."
[BlackKnight-309: Daphne] With a viper to her port and a viper to her starboard, Daphne flips over and pulls back on the yoke, opting to head neither left nor right, but straight down. She jinks hard to oen side, then to the other, actually banking her wings to avoid laser fire as it stalks closer to her craft. She pulls away with a burst of overthrusters. She sticks her tongue out as far as it will go in her flight helmet and adds, "Bleeeeeegh! Neeeegggh!" though she keeps it off comms.
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Toast, Jugs; Bunny— awesome. Daphne, Money Shot, are you hearing this? On my mark we'll be pooping glitter. Be ready, okay?"
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "How's your fuel looking, by the way?"
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] Laskaris' lasers do make contact with the frantically evading Daphne, but it's a glancing blow, and the sim computer rules that no damage was inflicting. Cursing floridly under his breath at his useless scanners, he brings his ship around on Shiv's wing to prepare for the next attack run.
[TAC4] "Lasher" Laskaris snorts in disgust. "No joy, Shiv. Just a peckin' on the surface. — Fuel? Fine, why?
[TAC3] Daphne says, "They're not so tough. I cn do this! Yes, sir. I'm inbound on you. P-Path locked in. Heading over. Bogey bearing one eight one carom one seven five, Bogey two bearing one eight niner carom one niner deuce."
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Just checking. My gauge isn't reading right, and I'm sure we're burning a fair bit at this rate."
[Harrier-307: Marko] "Oh…I am probably gonna get my ass kicked for this." Marko sighs, chuckling softly as he keeps making tiny little adjustments to the ECM emitters to avoid any of the 'hostiles' from getting a lock.
[BlackKnight-309: Daphne] Daphne sweeps towards the raptors, making as much of a beeline for them as she can manage without being a completely easy target.
[Harrier-303: Trask] When Bunny talks about pooping glitter, Bootstrap remarks to Jugs, "Oh, so that's why you've been slaughtering sprites."
[Harrier-303: Quinn] Quinn groans, it momentarily echoing over the comms…"That is the last mental image I need from you OR Bunny. You all get to cuddle alone tonight. Enjoy your glitter."
[BlackKnight-310: Tisiphone] Tisiphone's Viper continues to play tag with Daphne's, sweeping wide this way and that to keep from ever catching up. She may be trying to bait the enemy into switching targets, but if so, she's failing utterly.
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Bunny, Toast." Her tone is dry as dust. And, perhaps, just a touch amused. Perhaps. "Ready on the word."
[Harrier-303: Trask] "As long as I'm with myself, I am never alone, sugar muffin," Kal quips.
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Money Shot's practically waving a flag out there. If we're no joy on this run, let's merge on Apostolos next."
[TAC4] (from "Lasher" Laskaris) There's a certain relish in Lasher's voice as he responds. "Copy that."
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Marking six minutes with two Blue still standing."
[SnowPetrel-201: Sitka] Another minute ticks past, while Sitka's red and white fighter strafes just out of the jamming field so he can reset his onboard equipment. Of course, it'll all start to spin uselessly again once he and Lasher renew their attack run, so he's mostly eyeballing his shots at this point.
[Harrier-307: Cidra] "We shall see, Ensign," is all Cidra says mildly to Marko. She can hear him chattering back there. Her gloved hands move deftly over the Raptor controls, readying her glitter. Or beacon, rather.
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Toast, Jugs; Bunny. They're coming in. Drop the beacons in three… two… mark."
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Beacons dropped, Bunny."
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Toast. Flares away."
[Harrier-305: Evandreus] Harrier-305 turns on its axes to face the onslaught of the Red Team, 304 and 307 following suit, bright beacons dropping into the night to distract the Red pilots visually. Or try to.
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Marking seven minutes with two Blue still standing."
[SnowPetrel-201: Sitka] Shiv's gun turrets flash with simulated fire as he empties his arsenal into the fleeing Daphne. He manages to score a solid hit across her nose, the first of a one-two punch hammered down by his wingman which.. doesn't quite manage to box out the more fleet-footed fighter. Dragging his lower lip between his teeth, the Captain checks his timer and corkscrews in for a second attempt immediately. This time, there's no pull back to reset his instruments. He goes purely by sight.
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Keep the pressure on her. She's hurting, let's take a gamble and see if we can finish her off."
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] Focused on Daphne, Lasher almost doesn't notice as the Raptors all suddenly start spinning and disgorging flares. The sudden bright light doesn't seem to affect the targeting of either member of Red Team; Laskaris' shot, in particular, causes heavy simulated damage as the lasers cut across Daphne's fuselage. He seems to have the same realization as Sitka as he again moves off, positioning himself to bracket Kolettis' fighter again.
[Harrier-303: Quinn] Quinn flies rather fancy, getting almost exactly into the position she needs to in order to set off that flash beacon. At least it's something to keep her busy. She winces, just a bit, at the scene going down in front of her.
[TAC4] "Lasher" Laskaris says, "Got it."
[TAC3] "Money Shot" Tisiphone says, "Ah, crap." Not the outcome she, or anyone, wanted. "Kolettis, this is Money Shot. What's your status?"
[BlackKnight-309: Daphne] Daphne does everything right except evade incoming fire. She's right on the money, banking away from the flares at precisely the right moment. Unfortunately for her, she hasn't got a monopoly on reactions and her tails follow along just as well as her wingmate. She twists in the air and flies right through the trio of raptors, hoping to put some distance between herself and the more senior viper pilots. Laser shots strike her ship in several places, the shots well placed. One cannot dance forever, apparently. She looks in something akin to disbelief as her craft doesn't flash red, but continues to fly even as damage statistics stream down the HUD and the console itself.
[Harrier-307: Cidra] Harrier 307 comes about on the mark and Cidra flashes her flare into the black. To questionable avail, as Daphne still gets plugged. She shows little displeasure, however. "Our Lasher and Shiv are not so easily distracted."
[Harrier-307: Marko] "Ah, Frak." Marko sighs as he reads Lasher and Shiv start to cut Kolettis apart like a slab of coffee cake. "Looks like they didn't fall for it, Toast." he reports. "So much for my bright ideas." he adds, giving the ECM suite another nudge to keep the field going.
[TAC3] Daphne says, "I'm hit. Damage to airframe… Controls feel sluggish. It's fighting me. Can you hang on for two minutes? We got you this far, but there's no way I'm surviving another run."
[TAC3] (from "Bootstrap" Trask) "Y'know," Trask quips, "maybe if we lobbed packs of cigarettes at 'em, that'd work."
[TAC3] Marko says, "Or bottles of ambrosia….They've got to be thirsty by now."
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Heh. Be nice, Bootiekins, it might well have worked as not."
[Harrier-307: Cidra] Cidra clicks her tongue softly as she edges her Raptor back, returning its prior position in their attempted ECM shield. "The Vipers have electronic targeting too, Ensign. And they clearly know how to keep their eyes upon it. It was worth a try, however. One must not be afraid to try a few tricks now and then."
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Cigarettes are too valuable to waste. You can donate some to your local SL instead of tossing them off into space!"
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Marking eight minutes with one Blue still standing."
[TAC3] "Bootstrap" Trask says, "What? With those two, smokes would work better than sparkles. And note that I didn't say I was volunteering. It was merely an observation."
[TAC3] "Money Shot" Tisiphone says, "Shit on a stick, Daphne, how am I supposed to top that? Uh." Several beats of silence, before she resumes, more formally. "Um. Raspberry Flight, this is Money Shot. Commencing evasive maneuvers.""
[SnowPetrel-201: Sitka] One of the flares goes off right in front of Shiv's nose, and he has to bank his Mark II sharply at the last minute in a nailbiting close call that very nearly nullifies his attack run. Somehow, he manages to sneak in a snapshot on the fleeing Daphne as he comes out of his pursuit curve, no longer making visual checks on his wingmate— he trusts the other pilot will clean up what's left. With one fighter left, and his timer reading eight minutes, the Petrels' squad leader strafes out to gain a better angle on the remaining fighter.
[Harrier-305: Juno] "Frakking stubborn, aren't they?" Juno remarks to her pilot as she continues to adjust the jamming frequencies in accordance to their needs. "Ahh, good to the last drop." she remarks, noting the 'kil'.
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Money Shot, Bunny, I hear you. Hang in there. We're two minutes out on our target time."
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Damned nice work, Lasher. Careful, now. Hit one of the raptors, and it might be a disqualifying mark against us."
[TAC4] "Lasher" Laskaris says, "The kill shot was yours, Shiv. And don't you worry, as much as I might like to after that little trick with the bloody flares… I've eyes only for Apostolos."
[BlackKnight-309: Daphne] Daphne does the best she can, but with her viper pretending to be missing all sorts of important parts and a pair of hungry sharks circling her, it's their game to lose, and they don't. The rookie tries for speed when all else fails, just burning up her fuel to get as fast as she can, hoping the lackluster control she has will get amplified to make her a harder target. In spite of this strategy, her hud flashes red, and that's that. She clears the damage and begins to circle wide around the combat with a craft that's suddenly undamaged. She's out.
[TAC3] Daphne says, "Make pretend they want to hug you, Money Shot!"
[BlackKnight-310: Tisiphone] Tisiphone's Viper doubles back hard on itself as Daphne is removed from the fight. She starts looping her ship somewhat wildly around her protective Raptors, twisting and ducking over and around. In theory, this makes her a tougher target. In practice, it may just veer her out of the most advantageous ECM coverage.
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] Again, Lasher scores only an ineffective glancing blow, but his wingman's fire puts Daphne down for the count at last. He purses his lips as the pair angles towards the last remaining member of Blue Flight - Tisiphone. The ECM is still melting his targeting solutions to slag, but he goes for a shot at the flailing Viper nonetheless.
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Marking nine minutes with one Blue still standing."
[TAC4] "Lasher" Laskaris says, "Let's clean it up, Shiv. Should have time for one more good run."
[Harrier-303: Quinn] Quinn keeps steady on her course, the entire matter not really too difficult for her at all, even with the large craft she's flying. She's been doing it over half her life, the thing flies like a kite for her. "Wow, Boots… You almost look like you know what you're doing tonight. I'm impressed." She flashes him a warm smile over her shoulder, the comment actually meant as high praise.
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "You bet. Steady as she goes, now."
[TAC3] "Money Shot" Tisiphone says, "Raspberry Flight, this is Money Shot. It's not looking so good. I've got…" The sound of switches being clicked. "No, wait. Primary damage to weapon systems. Continuing evasive maneuvers."
[Harrier-307: Cidra] "You are making them work for it," Cidra notes simply to Marko. Eyes following the movements to Tisiphone's Viper outside. Her fingers would be crossed, were they not occupied with piloting.
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Money Shot, Bunny: who needs weapons, anyhow?"
[Into the Wireless] Evandreus says, "Money Shot, Bunny: who needs weapons, anyhow?"
[TAC3] "Bootstrap" Trask says, "Money Shot, Bootstrap. You're box office gold. Keep it up, kid."
[TAC3] Daphne says, "We've got this, Money Shot. We've totally got this. Just hold on a little longer!"
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] Lasher's salvo is a little off the mark, but it still makes contact, and the sim computer registers light damage on Tisiphone's erratically evading fighter. Blanching as he sees less than a minute left on the clock, he mutters under his breath, too quietly for the comm to pick it up. "Hermes Argeiphontes, guide my strike and see it true." Then, he opens fire.
[SnowPetrel-201: Sitka] His shooting may not be without peer, but Shiv's possibly learned a thing or two about how to actually fly one of those antique fighters. As their target ducks and weaves, he fires both port thrusters and kills his starboards, to drag his ship in a slipstream strafe. The instant she dips out of the interference zone, he plugs her with a few shots. With one minute left on the clock, he keeps the pressure on rather than pull out for another pass.
[TAC3] Marko says, "Money Shot, Scaurus, You've got one minute remaining on the clock, how's that for a pep talk?"
[Harrier-303: Trask] Positive reinforcement thus given to the rook, Bootstrap is back to quipping with Quinn. "Actually, I'm just a phenomenal faker."
[BlackKnight-310: Tisiphone] If Tisiphone's Viper could shriek, 'ohgodOhGodOHGOD-' as it twisted and looped around the Raptors, it would be. Then again, that's probably what the pilot is doing, anyway. She has the unpredictability of newness on her side, but her playbook is full of the same moves the Lieutenant and Captain have been practicing for years.
[Harrier-303: Quinn] Maggie smirks briefly to Trask, "I heard that from your last girlfriend."
[TAC3] Evandreus says, "Marking ten minutes! One Blue still standing!"
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Way to go, guys!"
[Harrier-303: Trask] "Better me fakin' than someone else." As if someone would fake with Trask. Pshaw. That's like expecting him to not twist what his pilot says. "Anyway, I know you're lyin' 'cuz I've never had a girlfriend. They, like, expect time an' attention an' gifts an' to talk about feelings an' crap. Hookers are cheaper, both in the short-term an' the long-run."
[TAC3] "Deep Freeze" Juno says, "C'mon flyboys, put this one in the hole."
[Harrier-307: Cidra] "One still standing." Cidra notes it more to herself than to Marko. And certainly not anywhere near the comm. More as if she's ticking it off in her head than anything else.
[TAC3] "Money Shot" Tisiphone says, "Raspberry Flight, this is Money Shot. Control systems showing red, continuing… frak. Uh. Attempting evasive maneuvers."
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] "Frak." The clock strikes 10, and Lasher curses. It's not screamed, but he packs a lot of venom into the word nonetheless as a gloved fist pounds the edge of the console. He glares at the skittish Viper that's so far evaded death at their hands as he goes for another ECM muddled shot.
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Almost had her there, Lasher. Good shooting, we gave them a run for their money. Let's try to punch through this interference and finish this off."
[TAC3] (from "Bootstrap" Trask) "A hole, huh?" Bootstrap cheekily starts in, "One 6-feet deep, no doubt. Seriously, Deep Freeze, keep your kink outta combat, k?"
[TAC4] "Lasher" Laskaris grumbles. "'Almost' is small consolation, Shiv."
[SnowPetrel-201: Sitka] There's no cursing, no apparent frustration at all coming from Shiv's side of the 'aggressor' force. Though it's possible he's lighting his 'burners with a little more alacrity as the pair streak in swiftly to try to bracket their opponent again.
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "I'm the only innocent mind in my entire squadron. Dear Gods."
[TAC3] Daphne laughs out loud, offering no useful information. Of course, she's 'dead'.
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Just stay focused. You've got this."
[BlackKnight-310: Tisiphone] This is not the Captain-Lieutenant sandwich Tisiphone's flight instructors warned her about. Not that her scalded-cat maneuvers were smooth to begin with, but now they're showing obvious signs of control systems damage. She loops around, agonizingly slow, and lurches toward the Raptors.
[TAC3] (from "Bunny" Evandreus) "We're still covering you, Money Shot," Evan tells the remaining pilot over comms. "Don't flip out. Remember it's only a game. No one's dying today."
[TAC4] "Lasher" Laskaris says, "What the frak is that girl made of?"
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Marking -eleven- minutes with one Blue still standing."
[Harrier-307: Cidra] Cidra remains apart from the banter on the comms, for her part. She is still half-observing the Vipers outside with a studying eye, as well as a tactical one. A wince to those hits Tisiphone takes. And she doesn't bother to hide her surprise when the Rooks ship doesn't blip 'dead'. "Another go, it seems, Scaurus."
[Harrier-307: Marko] "Frak…..they're getting better at this, Toast." Marko notes, readjusting the ECM field to compensate for the gap. "Money Shot's still got 'em working for it." he adds, nodding approvingly. "How she's keeping that thing in the air with that much damage is kind of a puzzlement to me."
[TAC4] (from "Shiv" Sitka) There's a chuckle, mingled with a short spat of static from Shiv's comms. "I don't know, but I'd like to have some of it."
[TAC3] Daphne continues to laugh, but manages to work in, "Hey Apostolos, do you have any systems still on, or has the entire thing shut off? Think of the fuel economy you're getting now!"
[TAC3] "Money Shot" Tisiphone says, "Raspberry Flight, this is Money Shot?" Wonderingly. Perhaps she's gone to the Elysian Sim Fields. It would make more sense than the fact she's still flying. "I- oh, frak me." There's a peal of sudden, loopy laughter. "Raspberry Flight, I am bearing zero one five carom zero zero zero for the forseeable future. Stick's dead.""
[TAC3] (from "Bootstrap" Trask) The grin in Trask's voice is audible. "Whad'I tell ya. Box office gold, Money Shot. Box office gold. Can't wait for the sequel."
[SnowPetrel-201: Sitka] Tisiphone's greeted by a solid hit or three from Sitka— which, by themselves, should have been enough to take her down. When his wingman's follow-up still doesn't seal the deal, the Captain chops his throttles and loops back in, determined to keep the pressure on.
[BlackKnight-312: Laskaris] Tisiphone's fighter gets a stare of cold fury(get it? haw) as it continues to… not die, even after both Red vipers score palpable hits. Lasher gives a guttural sigh as he too continues to dog the last remaining Blue fighter, the lieutenant close on Sitka's heels.
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Money Shot, Bunny, I hear you. Raspberry Flight, Bunny: Get on bearing zero one five carom zero zero zero. Stay in formation. If you can't being Hephaestus to the ECM bubble, take the ECM bubble to Hephaestus, yo."
[Into the Wireless] Evandreus says, "Money Shot, Bunny, I hear you. Raspberry Flight, Bunny: Get on bearing zero one five carom zero zero zero. Stay in formation. If you can't being Hephaestus to the ECM bubble, take the ECM bubble to Hephaestus, yo."
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Hell, Bootstrap, I think you have a crush. And I can't blame you… Looking damn good out there, Money Shot."
[BlackKnight-310: Tisiphone] Tisiphone's Viper shudders like a giant metal dog about to shake itself after a bath under the continuing and ceaseless attack, then suddenly stops maneuvering altogether. It drifts gently onward in a straight line.
[TAC3] (from "Bootstrap" Trask) Not missing a beat, Kal retorts, "Hey, she's legal." Then adds, "Copy, Bunny. En route."
[Harrier-303: Trask] Trask sets a bearing for Zero One Five carom Zero Zero Zero.
[Harrier-307: Cidra] "It speaks well of the suppression she has lasted so long against such experienced pilots," Cidra notes to Marko. "An intriguing exercise, this game of Bunny's. Not the usual stick waving. I am quite enjoying it."
[Harrier-305: Evandreus] Evan sets a similar bearing, and, perhaps unexpectedly, the triangular configuration of Raptors begins to float at the same speed and heading as the drifting Money Shot. Not abandoning her to the cold of space, evidently, even as wounded as she is.
[TAC3] "Money Shot" Tisiphone says, "Raspberry Flight, this is Money Shot. Port landing gear light finally blinked out." She's chuckling, deeply bemused, as she speaks. "I'm done."
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Last Blue Flight down at eleven minutes and thirty seven seconds."
[TAC4] "Lasher" Laskaris says, "Bugger."
[TAC3] "Toast" Cidra says, "Bunny. Toast. And over the ten-mark at that. An intriguing little game."
[TAC3] Daphne finally manages to stop laughing, though it comes in fits and starts… she keeps squeezing the broadcast button to talk, and finds she can't stop laughing, so she lets it go again. "Oh gods."
[TAC3] "CerbTac" Tillman says, "Cerberus, Blue Flight. Nice flying. Out."
[TAC4] "Shiv" Sitka says, "Copy, Bunny. And good work, Lasher. No shame in eleven point five. Let's head back to the barn."
[TAC3] "Lasher" Laskaris says, "Copy that, Shiv."
[TAC3] "Bunny" Evandreus says, "Good job, everyone. Let's get back in line and back to the barn. See you all on deck."
[TAC3] "Jugs" Quinn says, "Seriously, boys and girls. We all looked damn good out there. Best flying I've seen from squadrons in a long time. I look forward to working with you all more."