- GM’s note: Continuing the adventures of Grant and Ethan as part of a flashback to their early days on the Stair. In case anyone is interested, we’re using a Google Hangouts video chat with a spare camera pointed at a Manoeuvre Chart from FATE Tachyon Squadron and a bunch of counters when the starfighter combat occurs. That way we can play on a game ‘map’ that both of us can see.
I also have a series of small cards with the character stats on them. Grant and Ethan have FATE stats for the Starfighter skills (Piloting, Gunnery, Tactics and Technology) plus we’ve given them a nominal Discipline rating as even young Lords of Gossamer can suffer psychological damage if they have near-death experiences surrounded by hard vacuum.
- The next morning, Starfighter Academy as usual, with physical training at 0600 hours. Most of the cadets haven’t had much sleep as they have been up celebrating but the instructors don’t cut them any slack. After P.T. there is more starfighter training, preparations for simulated missions and the other unusual routine tasks. However, in the afternoon, the cadets have a hand-to-hand combat lesson from “Marlin”, one of the senior instructors.
- They have received a few lessons so far to teach them basic techniques but this is the first where there is actual sparring. “Deadeye” hasn’t learnt any martial arts before the Academy, but he is highly competent (GM’s note – Grant has Dominant Rank Warfare and Strength). Ethan has the advantage of having done some karate before in high school but it hasn’t been mentioned and Grant has all but forgotten this. “Deadeye” does some sparring against other students and is able to beat even those with good martial arts skills such as “Ajax” and “Cobra”. Ethan similarly shows that he has some good skills, flattening Baker and overpowering “Iceman”. The class ends but “Deadeye” is feeling pretty good about his skills and asks if anyone else would like to spar a little longer. (GM’s note – they have an hour for lunch and hence an hour until the next class) To his surprise, no one leaves. “Proton”, a young Hispanic man and one of the “Birdie”-“Proton”-“Fuzz” training team, gives it his best shot but he is significantly overmatched.
- A few other sparring matches are fought between keen cadets but it is clear that “Deadeye” is the best amongst them. Even though his techniques are limited, his precision and speed exceed the others. “Mayhem” prompts Ethan to challenge “Deadeye” and Ethan steps forward, much to Grant’s surprise.
- Ethan asks if they want to use swords or fists. (There is a rack of bladed weapons). Grant decides that fists would be more appropriate given where they are. The two do battle and Ethan quickly surprises Grant with a blow to the face that knocks him back. They battle again, and the intensity between them increases. They clash and are both knocked back. The fight goes for almost ten minutes before Ethan lands another decent blow and Grant realises that Ethan actually has a decent edge on him based on his previous experience. The bout ends without a clear winner – they need to grab a shower and some lunch before the next class. However, the other cadets see just how strong and tough Grant and Ethan are.
- The next day there are boarding party drills. They will attempt to board an ‘enemy ship’ that is docked with the station, free the hostages and kill the enemy onboard. The enemy party consists of the Instructors, however some of the cadets who have had their own turn will join the enemy party for the next waves of cadets. The aim is to give the cadets the opportunity to learn to fight as a team as they may be required to do so, even out of the cockpit. The cadets are split into random teams of two, breaking up existing teams. Despite the random teams, Grant and Ethan are paired together. (GM’s note – no joke, I actually rolled that)
- While they wait for their turn, “Books” has a private word with the cadets from Training Flight 1 and tells them to attend a briefing at 2000 hours.
- “Deadeye” and Ethan are very effective at boarding the vessel and clearing the enemy. The instructors are pleased.
- “Woody” and “Iceman” do a good job of boarding the vessel and fight hard to clear the enemy but some of the hostages are killed. Most of the other cadets have mixed success, typically killing the enemy but sometimes losing hostages or some of their own number.
- That evening, “Deadeye”, Ethan and “Woody” attend the briefing. All of the pilots from the operational Tachyon Squadron are there too. The CO of Tachyon Squadron “Skipper” gives the briefing.
* Image from FATE Tachyon Squadron
- He explains that a scoutship has traced the raiders which attacked the Neptune Conveyor back to the planet Asami. A major raiding force has been dispatched from the raiders’ base and Tachyon Squadron is being sent to intercept. The Starfighter Academy cadets, “Deadeye”, Ethan and “Woody” along with LT Natasha “Books” Ross are ordered to be ‘the backstop’ in case the pirates try to escape back to their base on Asami. They are designated Juno Flight (the tenth operational flight).
- Asami is a hostile, cold world of ice and snow. Juno Flight takes up position in orbit and waits. They hear Tachyon Squadron’s radio chatter as they engage the large raiding force in a vicious dogfight. Then, they hear “Magnet”, Tachyon Squadron’s XO, telling them they have incoming.
- And boy, do they have incoming. A total of sixteen enemy ships, all Gators, are heading straight for them. They’re outnumbered four to one. However, the enemy is in such a hurry to return to Asami that Juno Flight is able to get the drop on them and “Books” orders them to engage.
- What follows then is a bloody battle that sees both orbital and atmospheric combat, a vicious dogfight with all four members of Juno Flight fighting for their lives and finding it hard to cover one another. Even hunting down one flight of Gators gives the others to chase and get on their tails or run. It is extremely difficult to stop them from escaping.
- Scoring early kills, “Deadeye” and “Books” find themselves surrounded and chasing the Gators that enter the atmosphere. Ethan and “Woody” pursue with fighters on their tails.
- In the end, two fighters out of sixteen escape Juno Flight and are seen reaching a pirate base built into the side of an icy mountain.
- “Deadeye” destroys six enemy Gators but he is hit multiple times. One of the enemy shots hits the cockpit and he is wounded.
- Ethan destroys three enemy Gators. His ship’s shields are destroyed but the hull only takes a single hit.
- “Woody” destroys two enemy Gators. Her ship’s shields are hit many times but not destroyed due to a shield regeneration module onboard. She survives the battle with a single hit to the hull.
- “Books” destroys three enemy Gators but her ship is destroyed in the lower atmosphere. She ejects but is badly hurt.
- In the aftermath of the battle, the cadets of Juno Flight pick up a radio transmission from the pirate base. A frightened man claims to be a passenger from the North Star and he begs for assistance. He says that his captors are rigging the place with explosives. The communication is cut. Noting that the pirate base has at least two turrets and their ships are badly damaged, the cadets elect to land. After recovering “Books”, “Woody” calls back to headquarters to request orders. But “Deadeye” and Ethan refuse to wait.
- “Deadeye” uses the emergency stims on himself to counter the pain of his wounds and they head out into the bleak cold to rescue the hostages, armed only with blaster pistols. Above them is the cavernous landing bay which is built into the mountain side. Using Wayfinding, they find another way in – a service hatch which leads into a vehicle bay. Then, still undetected, they make their way to the landing bay and stop a cargo shuttle from being prepared and loaded. Then they make their way section by section through the complex. Pirates are encountered and quickly eliminated. Hostages are freed. Explosive charges are disabled.
- They find the hostage who tried to use the communications array and called for him. He has been killed.
- In the lower level of the complex, the illegal mining operation has been stripped of most of the valuable equipment, however there are more than twenty hostages here. There are pirates too, and a series of firefights break out as “Deadeye” and Ethan are finally detected. However, the two Lords of Gossamer are at their finest (despite Grant’s injury) and the battle is one-sided, even when the surviving pirates attempt to take hostages and parley.
- At the end of the day, Juno Flight has destroyed fourteen enemy starfighters, rescued thirty-one hostages from the Northern Star and killed thirty-four pirates (twenty in the complex, fourteen in their ships). It’s a massive achievement for a cadet group that wasn’t even supposed to see serious action.
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