| PHD #242: Wargames Chit-Chat |
| Summary: | Hosedown presents her 'Raptorball' wargames idea to the CAG and Knights SL. |
| Date: | 26 Oct 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Raptorball |
| Players: |
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| Flight Simulation - Deck 11 - Battlestar Cerberus |
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| A training room specifically dedicated to honing aerial skills, this area is equipped with several flight simulator pods that allow the pilots to practice maneuvers and tactics without being in a real live plane. The Viper-pods are installed on one side of the room with a little space between them, an attempt to provide a realistic feel for close-range wing training, while a smaller number of Raptor sim-pods are installed on the opposite side of the room from the Vipers. A central computer terminal and overhead display screen sits at the head of the room, where one can input exercises and data to be run in the sims, scroll through score records, and control the training modules. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #242 |
Andrea's mouth is moving silently as she grips the small piece of paper in her hands, for all the world as if she is practicing a speech, and that because she is. Having heard that both the CAG and SL were in the Sims, she decided that this would be as good a time as any to pitch an idea she had been sitting on for months, if a bit gingerly since her rescue. On Aerilon, she'd never thought she'd have the chance to make this happen. Entering the Sims, she looks around to spot her commanding officers.
Cidra is not in the sims presently, but she is en route. She strides in in her flight suit. As she's a proponent of 'realism' in the pretendy training time ships. "Lieutenant Demarcos?" Coming up behind the younger pilot, and not too loudly, it might well seem she just suddenly appeared.
Khloe, too, is arriving to the sims, also dressed in her flight suit. When her path crosses the CAG's, there's a brief hesitation. Trademark scowl deepening and swallowing something down, all she does is greet her with a simple, "Major," and follows her in. Then, "Reporting as requested. What's this about?" That's when she spies Hosedown, and her eyes narrow, glancing at the CAG again. More curiousity and scrutiny, and less disapproving.
Andrea does not jump. She is, after all, a Viper pilot and invincible. She may, however, squeak a little bit. She wasn't expecting to be the ambushed, after all. Spinning around to face the pair, she quickly rips off a salute. "Uh, sir, sirs, apologies, I didn't mean to interrupt anything…" Come on, girl, don't apologize to start off. Taking a deep breath, she forces herself to smile. "I have a proposal for the wing, sirs. A wargame of sorts, that I dreamed up when I was stranded on Aerilon. I'd like the wing to try it out, if you think its a good idea…"
"Captain." Cidra's greeting to Khloe is polite, if perhaps a touch more aloof than usual. Perhaps. The woman can be inscrutable when she wants to be, which apparently she does just now. "Games?" She is curious. "Papa…" Ahem. "That is. Lieutenant Colonel Baer of the Areion is most interested in pursuing more joint exercises with our forces. I am as well. Out with it, then, Lieutenant."
Khloe raises an eyebrow at the discussion of a wargame — it's tough to tell if she's disapproving (likely) or curious (less likely). Still, she moves to the side, leaning against a wall and crossing her arms. She watches the exchange between Cidra and Andrea with interest.
"Yes, sir." Andrea gestures the pair over towards one of the tables in the room. "The idea is simple, sir. It's a game of escort and precious cargo. I call it 'Raptorball'. The idea is that we break a sector of space into ten zones, like this." Flipping the page where she wrote the rules down, she draws out a simple gridiron pattern. "We have a ball… some object about one and a half meters square, that the Raptors can grapple with their tow lines. The object of the team with the ball is to get the ball into the enemies scoring zone, with Vipers flying escort for the Raptor. The opposing team attempts to destroy the Raptor, simulated, of course, before it can do so. If they manage to destroy the Raptor, their own Raptor takes over in that zone, and tries to score the other way."
The main table is at the head of the room, so Cidra proceeds there. "Pyramid in space, yes?" Her tone is dry but not disapproving. Though, as ever, it's hard to tell with her. "Ah. A salvage and retrieval exercise, with Viper cover. I do like the general idea. Good integration of our various forces, opportunities for improvisation. And I would not have us sitting idle while rescue efforts continue over Aerilon." Tilt of her head to Khloe. "Your thoughts, Poppy? If the Vipers do have time for this and you think it valuable, and I coordinate a time with the Areion's forces promptly."
"The two things that spring to mind are collision damage, and grapple claws being torn off," says the pessmistic (or realistic) Poppy, still unmoving from where she leans against the wall. "For the purposes of a training exercise, this shows a potential for high structural damage to our birds. The premise is fine, but… I'm wondering if the risk to equipment and pilot couldn't be reduced somehow."
"Damage to tow cables shouldn't be any worse than any other training exercise, sir. The 'ball' or whatever is actually quite a bit smaller than what is normally towed. I also figured that if more than three Vipers per side are active, it would make sense to limit the number of birds that could attack the Raptor at any one time, and so reduce collision risk to normal. Also…" she points down the page. "Another possibility. If the Raptor sees that it is about to take killing damage, it has the option of making an FTL jump into the scoring zone. We'd disable the nav systems, though, so the ECO would have to make a hip shot guess. If they get out before they're dead, and jump successfully into the target, they get a lesser point reward… say half of what they'd get for towing the ball into the zone."
"We undertook similar exercises during the games at Uram with no great ill effects," Cidra says. "I do not consider chances of collision and issue. At least, no more so than they are in our daily patrols. Our pilots know their business, and Lieutenant Colonel's Baer's seem to know theirs.
"We undertook similar exercises during the games at Uram with no great ill effects," Cidra says. "I do not consider chances of collision and issue. At least, no more so than they are in our daily patrols. Our pilots know their business, and Lieutenant Colonel's Baer's seem to know theirs. Vipers shall keep their training lasers on. As for wear and tear…we are undertaking far more strenuous efforts in salvage with our Raptors on Aerilon. The simulators are all well and good but they only go so far, where training is concerned. Nothing replaces live exercises in the field. I like this. I would like you to have general oversight of the preparation for it, however, Poppy. So your concerns might be mitigated. And you have more experience in refining games like this to the practical. Would that be acceptable to the pair of you?"
Khloe glances towards Cidra, and finally she stands straight up, no longer leaning on the wall. There's a delay, as if she's judging whether or not to agree with the Major. But, she does the predictable, and agrees: "Yes, sir." She then glances at Andrea. "We'll make it work."
Andrea's grin is very nearly glowing. "Excellent! I look forward to it, sirs. I've had this idea in my head for months, ever since Aerilon, and…" she'd said that before. Right. Mimicing the Captain, she stands straight up. "We'll make it work, sir. Aye."
"Very good," Cidra says. "Finalize the details of this amongst yourselves. I shall coordinate a time with Lieutenant Colonel Baer in the coming days. I do thank you for your initiatve, Hosedown."
Khloe nods slightly. "I expect a full, detailed report, Hosedown — you can count on the Knights participating, but only once I am satisfied that we'll take every precaution to avoid extra wear and tear on our birds. Ah," Poppy taps her chin, looking thoughtful. "I wonder if there are statics available on ship to ship collisions… would be worth reading…"
Hosedown salutes. She got what she wanted, now its time to do the footwork. "Already done, sir. I looked at the figures myself a while ago, I'll pull them out for you again. Off the top of my head, chance of impact when multiple Vipers are converging on a single moving target, in the case of the study, a simulated radiological attack on a captial ship, saw a slight increase in collision physics. The incident for Vipers targeting other Vipers should be the dogfighting norm, though I can put in some sim time to examine it more fully if you'd like."
Cidra acknowledges Andrea's salute with a fluid one of her own. "In matters of Vipers, I shall leave you both to it. If you shall excuse me." And, off she goes.
Khloe returns the salute, more crisply than Cidra's. "I'm more concerned with Raptors colliding with Vipers and Raptors colliding with Raptors. Get me the statistics, Hosedown, and your full report." Glancing after the CAG, Poppy's frown returns. "We'll make it happen," she echoes.