Session 214 – Starfighter Academy Part 12

- GM’s note: This session follows straight on from Session 212 and covers part of the last two weeks of their time at Starfighter Academy. Hop 4 which is detailed in Session 213 will be part of the Session 215 narrative.

- “Chance” wakes up in medbay. It seems like it’s all been a dream – he has a vague memory of chatting up a pretty nurse but thinks that it didn’t go very well. The pain in his back reminds him that he was actually shot. The pretty nurse is nowhere in sight.

- It is not long before “Chance” returns to duty. He is practically pushed out of medbay as soon as he recovers consciousness. They check his bandages, feed him and discharge him as they need the bed for ‘real patients’. “Chance” is a little disappointed that “Deadeye” and “Woody” aren’t back and he joins Academy classes like nothing has happened. There are some raised eyebrows and “Fuzz” asks him where he’s been, but nothing else is said.

- That evening, “Chance” doesn’t feel like a quiet drink. He is sore but feeling a bit cocky. He has a drink with “Ajax” and “Loser” and convinces them to have a game of pool. To “Chance”s surprise, “Loser” beats him. Her mood brightens considerably at this, but “Proton” takes this opportunity to insult “Chance”, pointing out that if he’s been by “Loser”, what does this make him?

- “Chance” bristles and then laughs loudly. He throws it back in “Proton”s face that “Loser” is no loser and he’d take her as his wingman anytime. “Loser” is astonished but then she beams at this. (GM’s note – I got a +4 reaction to this via a FATE Card) “Proton” calls “Chance” an idiot and stalks off. 

- “Chance” does better in the next game but “Ajax” is ultimately successful in being ‘king of the table’ for the evening although “Iceman” tries hard to dislodge him. “Loser” thanks “Chance” for standing up for her. She initially mistakes that “Chance” is making a pass at her but is even more pleased when “Chance” assures her that he was being honest. He suggests that the callsign shouldn’t bother her – whoever gave her the name was clearly just being a D*ck. She shouldn’t feel the need to prove herself. “Loser” smiles at this but says that she’s still got to graduate. “Chance” tells her that she’ll make it. He considers making a real pass at her but decides against it, figuring that it’d ruin whatever encouragement he’s given her. He leaves for the night, heads to the G-Spot with the intention of seeing one of the ladies and then changes his mind at the last minute and heads home.

- The next morning “Deadeye” and “Woody” still aren’t back. “Chance” is sore but he still completes the P.T. comfortably. For simulator training he is paired up with “Proton” and “Fuzz”. That afternoon, “Judge” comes to see “Chance” – she knows what he has done on the Arcosolari Kalamos and can see that he’s made a full recovery. She’s keen to know what he has in mind after graduating from the Academy. “Chance” admits that he’d like a few days off before tackling the next challenge but he’s open to options. He presumed that he would be joining one of the active squadrons, unless the Department of Homeland Security has other ideas. “Judge” offers some constructive suggestions and then “Chance” is dismissed.

- “Chance” heads to the gym that evening. He doesn’t feel like running. “Loser” is also working out and she notes that he is struggling on one side. “Chance” admits that he was recently shot when he was fighting on the Arco. “Loser” asks what happened and “Chance” tells her some of what happened. She asks about “Deadeye” and “Woody” – “Chance” says that he has no idea where they are. The last time he saw “Woody” was on the Arco.

- Returning to his bunk, “Chance” finds another letter from Nicole. She is looking forward to visiting him on the station. “Chance” wonders if he should invite her to the graduation – it would be nice to have someone there even though he doesn’t know her that well. There is also a letter from the Department of Defence, allocating a room in a shared apartment on Draconis Station to him, contingent upon his graduation. It also sets expectations as to what will happen after graduation – that successful graduates will be promoted to Pilot Officer and receive orders for next posting but some shore leave is likely to be granted. 

- The next morning, “Deadeye” and “Woody” have returned. “Deadeye” looks tired. He reads through a similar letter giving him information about what happens after graduation. “Deadeye” can’t easily tell “Chance” or “Woody” what he has been doing, but “Woody” and “Chance” readily catch up and “Deadeye” gets the gist of what has happened. The rest of the day goes as normal, but word quickly gets around that “Woody” and “Chance” have seen action on the Arco. “Woody” openly touts that it was “Chance”s idea that saw a Dominion destroyer captured, and “Chance” admits that he wasn’t just piloting a ‘Pug’ – he was part of the boarding party that took the Merciless.

- In the Spacer’s Bar that evening, “Woody” is continuing to tell her story about the battle of Arcosolari Kalamos from her point of view. The rest of the cadets can hardly believe their ears but her story is compelling. “Chance” admits that he was shot on the bridge of the Merciless, and he ‘got ahead’ of the rest of the boarding party. “Mayhem” seems a bit jealous of all of the attention – he wants to know how ‘this idiot’ (referring to “Chance”) got shot in the back and where was “Deadeye” all of this time. He even suggests that maybe “Deadeye” was the one that shot “Chance” in the back, but “Deadeye” gently deflects and says that he wasn’t there. He had a different assignment. He lets “Woody” and “Chance” have the glory of the moment with the many cadets and members of Tachyon Squadron listening in.

- Eventually “Woody” runs out of story to tell and “Chance” is asked to fill in what happened from his point of view. Meanwhile, “Deadeye” goes for a drink and finds himself shoulder to shoulder with “Loser”. She offers to buy him a drink and he accepts. “Loser” asks “Deadeye” where he has been and he says that he can’t say, but it was on another mission. She then proceeds to chat “Deadeye” up, admitting that she admires him. She is nervous about the upcoming Hop 4. She doesn’t know if she will graduate, but she is doing her best. “Deadeye” reassures her and promises to help her. She brightens at this.

- The next day, the cadets are formally told about the Battle of Arcosolari Kalamos and the role of cadets “Woody” and “Chance” in that battle. They are asked to give an account in front of their fellow cadets and some of the senior instructors so that the battle and the tactics used can be studied. “Woody”s account is first. “Chance”s account leaves them astonished. He refrains from mentioning the use of his Warden of the Stair abilities but the account is nonetheless impressive. The cadets applaud “Woody” and “Chance” at the conclusion of the briefing.

- From that point on, “Woody” and “Chance” become celebrities of a sort within the Draconis Volunteer Group (DVG). Most expect them to be given medals to acknowledge their achievements. Even “Woody”s father is impressed with her story.

- Maki visits “Chance” to check on him. She says that he did well and asks if he’d be prepared to consider careers other than with the DVG. “Chance” plays it casually and says that he’s happy to help but he points out that luck is a fickle thing and that he wouldn’t like to be in too many firefights lest his luck run out. Maki tells him that she’s going to recruit a mercenary group called Broadsword and persuade them to move to 26 Draconis. She asks if “Chance” would like to come with her and he politely points out that he still has to graduate. Shaking her head, Maki indicates to him that the people in charge of the Academy would have him graduate tomorrow if she asked. She asks him how much he remembers of the return flight from the Arco, and he admits that it’s all a jumble. Maki smiles thinly at this and “Chance” is left wondering if he blabbed things that he shouldn’t have said.

- Meanwhile, “Deadeye” spends time with “Loser” trying to coach her. She is a nervous pilot and her confidence is very low. She knows how to fly but clearly, she is a bit beaten down. “Loser” isn’t from a noble family. She is a ‘nobody’ like “Deadeye” who got lucky and has a place in the Starfighter Academy. She is doing her best not to stuff it up but she finds it a bit overwhelming.

- “Deadeye” offers her encouragement and assures her that “we’ll show ‘em”.

- “Deadeye” is pulled out of classes and asked to report to the main hangar bay. Three Goblin fighters arrive, piloted by “Dagger”, “Steel” and “Butcher”. “Dagger” has specifically asked for “Deadeye” to be present along with the senior officers from Tachyon Squadron. “Dagger” introduces “Steel” and “Butcher” and asks “Skipper” (Tachyon Squadron’s C.O.) to take good care of both of them.

- “Steel” is a rigid fellow with a strong jaw. “Butcher” doesn’t look like a typical fighter pilot. He is nerdish in appearance, young and has wire-framed glasses. There is a glint in his eye that suggests that he’s seen combat before. 

- After the introductions, “Dagger” moves to depart but she asks for a moment with “Deadeye”. “Deadeye” notices that Danika Arlen now has a Captain’s rank insignia. She tells him that she’s taking the Dauntless out. She hears that there is trouble in the Beta Atria and the 18th Strike Fleet has been withdrawn to deal with it. She believes that the 18th Strike Fleet has some sort of base beyond the Kripka Cluster in the Kuiper Belt – she aims to find it and asks if “Deadeye” would be prepared to assist. “Deadeye” thinks for a moment and says that he would like to help once he’s graduated. “Dagger” takes his response as an acceptance and she says that she’ll make the appropriate request.

- The next day, “Rabbit” (the C.O. of Starfighter Academy) tells “Deadeye” that he’s been requested to lead an escort flight for the Harmony. The Captain (Marty C) asked personally for him. (GM’s note – the cadets have previously protected the Harmony from raiders and Marty C made a special effort to thank the cadets in person) “Deadeye” agrees and decides to take “Chance”, “Loser” and “Butcher” with him.

- They follow the Harmony in close escort formation. “Chance” is almost certain that Maki is onboard, heading into Republic space to negotiate with Broadsword. Then, in the distance, “Deadeye” picks up enemy contact. With the Dominion supposed to be out of the system, they can only be raiders….

- “Butcher” appears keen to intercept, but “Deadeye” orders them to maintain formation and protect the Harmony. It appears that the raiders are ghosting them, weighing up whether to attack or not. At last, they move in …..

Session 213 – Starfighter Academy Part 11

- GM’s note: We decided to run this Hop (the final official graded Hop) now rather than in its proper place in the narrative flow so that it wouldn’t bog us down when we got to it. Hence Session 214 follows straight on from Session 212. The below happens in the middle of the Session 215 narrative

- Hop 4 is the final graded assessment at Starfighter Academy, only one week before classes finish and the graduation ceremony. The battle is fought in a simulated asteroid field, and it is a knock-down, drag-out street fight where cadets need to use all of the tricks that they have learned to stay alive.

- There are points for shooting down at least half of the opposing fighters, points for each enemy starfighter shot down, points awarded for creating advantage which others can take advantage of, and points for successfully outmanoeuvring opponents. The cadets are armed with missiles.

- “Deadeye”, “Chance” and “Woody” are fired up for this final mission. They know that they are up against instructors, and that probably means going up against “Blank” and “Judge” again – the best of the best. They approach the scenario as a team.

- Weaving through asteroids, the cadets go head to head against “Blank”, “Judge”, “Marlin” and “Panic” with “Books” clearly also out there somewhere (undetected). “Chance” scores an early hit against “Blank” while “Deadeye” quickly gets the better of “Marlin”, blowing him out of the stars. “Woody” finds herself in an awkward position with both “Judge” and “Panic” closing in on her. “Deadeye” gets them off her back (blasting chunks off one of the asteroids to screen her) allowing “Woody” to shake them and go after “Panic”.

- While “Chance” duels “Blank”, “Books” appears on the scene and tries to blindside “Chance”, using the asteroids as cover. “Chance” evades her attack successfully and continues after “Blank”, eliminating him.

 

- “Woody” pulls a Pugachev’s Cobra on “Panic” and eliminates her. “Deadeye” goes after “Judge” and misses. She is too skillful a pilot. 

- Meanwhile, “Chance” is having a grand old-time facing off against “Books”. “Books” can’t seem to get a hit on “Chance”. He then breaks her tail and ‘buzzes’ “Books” as if playing with her. When he does take a shot at her, unfortunately he misses.

- “Deadeye” keeps dogfighting “Judge” and finally manages to score a hit on her. With only “Books” and “Judge” left, “Woody” tries to join “Deadeye” but “Judge” pulls away, making it difficult for her to engage. “Chance” tries to kill “Books” again but misses once more.

- Bingo is called and the scenario ends. “Chance” is fretting that he kept missing “Books” despite out-flying her, and “Deadeye” wonders if he could have out flown “Judge” if he had had more time, or whether he just got lucky that the scenario ended when it did.

- All three cadets have achieved outstanding success in the scenario and feel confident that they will graduate. “Deadeye” is pretty sure that he is at the top of the ladder for the Kalkidan Trophy. After the debriefing and the end of the day, they head to the Spacers’ Bar to see how the others fared and to celebrate their success.

 

Session 212 – Starfighter Academy Part 10

- GM’s note: In this session we have two narratives being run. Grant’s narrative takes him to the Kripka Asteroid Cluster to find a Dominion warship that is seeking to defect. In parallel, Ethan heads to the Arcosolari Kalamos station in order to find a group of loyalists who have been receiving weapons from the Dominion.

Part 1 – Trouble on the Arcosolari Kalamos

- Three heavily armed ‘Pugs’ depart Draconis Station with a fighter escort provided by “Cap”, “Dixie” and “Flint” from Axion Squadron. Onboard the ‘Pugs’ are three squads from Draconis Special Forces, plus some ‘advisors’ from Homeland Security like Maki, and Security Chief Lopez’s team who travelled with “Thermic” onboard the ‘Dark Shadow’.

- “Chance” and “Woody” are there to ‘drive the bus’. Technically they shouldn’t be on another operation so soon after the last as they have had no recovery time between missions. “Woody” is fast asleep, strapped into one of the passenger seats as “Chance” flies the ‘Pug’ with Maki as co-pilot.

- The journey to Arcosolari Kalamos is uneventful, but “Chance” listens in to the conversation between Maki, Security Chief Lopez and the others. The “Dark Shadow” has made multiple trips to the ‘Arco’ so it has to be assumed that there is an armed ‘fifth column’ onboard the station that is waiting to strike. The plan is to rendezvous with the DCS Cougar and then go in ‘quietly’. They want to avoid a shoot-out aboard a space station with five thousand people on it.

- “Chance” and “Woody” are just backup. “Chance” suspects that the two of them are along so that Maki can keep an eye on them and make sure that they don’t interfere with “Deadeye”s mission to the Kripka Cluster.

- Of course, plans sometimes don’t quite work as expected. The Draconis forces land on the station and Chief Lopez briefs the station governor (Emerson Price) as to the situation. The elderly Price seems surprised but gives the Chief the go-ahead to do what needs to be done. Finding out who was on duty on the ‘bridge’ of the Arco is relatively easy. However, it is not clear who has been sending messages to the Dominion, and the individuals who were expected to take possession of the ‘Dark Shadow’s cargo have mysteriously disappeared. Needing more resources to search the station for the missing loyalists, the special forces teams land and start searching the station. “Chance” decides against having a nap in the ‘Pug’ while it is parked in one of the Arco’s hangar bays but is convinced by “Woody” that she will keep an eye on things whilst he sleeps.

- Four hours later, Maki calls upon “Chance”. Leaving “Woody” and one of the commandos to guard the ‘Pug’, “Chance” is asked to assist in finding the traitor. He manages this with ridiculous ease. He is able to quickly clear the Arco’s bridge crew of any wrongdoing (none of them feel like a traitor) and after studying the layout of the Arco, he decides to look at the docking bay controllers given that they have a bird’s eye view of the ships that are coming and going (including the Tachyon Squadron fighters who are leaving on missions). In the docking bay control, “Chance” meets James Hartley who makes little secret of being a Dominion Loyalist, but that doesn’t of itself make him a traitor. However, “Chance” is convinced that this is the man that they are looking for and so he goes to find Hartley’s apartment. It is messy but he quickly finds a false panel in a back cabinet in the kitchen which contains an illegal heavy blaster and a cryptographic unit with radio transmitter.

 

- Hartley is arrested and put in the brig, but this is where things go awry. While “Chance” joins the hunt for the missing loyalists who may have a stockpile of weapons, Emerson Price releases his nephew Hartley from the brig, saying that it has all been a misunderstanding. When Hartley is freed, he joins his fellow loyalists and commences arming them. He also manages to send another transmission from a second undiscovered transmitter. 

- At this point, the situation goes from bad to worse as Hartley and his friends try to take control of the Arco. Despite being outnumbered and outgunned by the Draconis forces, they still make the attempt. Hartley and the other loyalists are not professional soldiers but they do their best to confuse the Draconis forces and take key strategic points on the station. They use the internal communications system to declare that the Arcosolari Kalamos has chosen to rejoin the Dominion and to reject Draconis rule. Even though many of the people on the ‘Arco’ would quite like to be part of the Dominion of Unity again, they are not an army or even a mobilised force. Hartley’s forces remain small but they have some functioning warbots and they are prepared to operate in small groups to harass and sow discord.

- Lopez throws the elderly Station Governor in the brig ‘for his own protection’ and assumes control over the station. She works with Maki and the special forces to plan to retake the station. They also send an update to Draconis Station and request reinforcements.

- During all of this, “Chance” is able to find some of the missing loyalists who are by this time armed and dangerous. He’s involved in some of the early gun battles but the loyalists are better armed than expected. Following orders, “Chance” withdraws but tags along with some of the special forces troops as they secure key points on the station. He and Hercules (one of the Draconis full-conversion borgs) have a shootout against one of Hartley’s warbots – ultimately Hercules is successful in smashing it to pieces with “Chance”s help.

- However, the situation deteriorates even further when the Dominion sends the Destroyer “Merciless” with Goblin escort and a troopship to take the Arco. The DCS Cougar is outgunned and is unable to engage. The Axion squadron forces under the command of “Cap” are forced to withdraw and await reinforcements. Even “Woody” is forced to make a run for it in the ‘Pug’ before the Dominion can capture it. 

- This leaves Lopez’s security forces, a platoon of Draconis commandos, Maki and “Chance” against a company of Dominion assault troops who are equipped with powered armour. 

Part 2 – The Battle of Arcosolari Kalamos

- The Dominion assault troops hit hard and fast, looking to take control of key strategic points aboard the space station. The outnumbered Draconis forces are forced to give ground to avoid being overrun. A series of running battles break out. “Chance” is separated from the rest of his team (Kusu’s squad) and his retreat is cut off by Dominion troops, resulting in a firefight at close range.

- “Chance”s is almost killed in the first encounter with Dominion troops. His standard-issue blaster pistol is inadequate against Dominion armour and he has to run for it. He manages to find Kusu’s squad again (thanks to Wayfinding) and finds that they are having better luck. They have better weapons and know how to fight Dominion assault troops. However, they still being slowly pushed back.

- Given a handgun with better armour-piercing capabilities, “Chance” joins Kusu’s squad and quickly proves his worth, killing two Dominion troops and acquiring a repeating blaster from one of the fallen. Over the next two hours, a series of battles are fought. In one of the lulls “Chance” goes hunting for the weapons that Hartley has been accumulating for the loyalists. He finds one cache which includes a single functioning warbot and a small quantity of TD-19 explosive charges. His “nose” (ie: use of Wayfinding and High Psyche) gives the Draconis forces a significant tactical edge. 

- Nevertheless, battles are fought and soldiers on both sides are wounded or killed. The Draconis commandos only stand and fight when it is to their advantage to do so, or when they are cornered. They know that they will receive reinforcements from Draconis in short order and they need to hang on and stop the Dominion from claiming that the Arco has seceded from Draconis rule. Hence they continue to harass the Dominion troops occupying the station and make periodic attempts to seize control of communications and engineering functions. The three Draconis commando squads split into smaller cells but they remain well coordinated by Major Kardan. “Chance” can tell that Maki is still alive, as is Security Chief Lopez. 

- The firefights that “Chance” faces are quite brutal. He is a crack shot (Ranked Warfare) and a quick study of the situation (Ranked Warfare plus High Psyche), knowing when to withdraw and when to press the advantage. “Chance”s cell of four which includes Sergeant Kusu, Bryant and Stolph are quite effective in harassing and ambushing the Dominion troops, deliberately aiming to wound rather than kill.

- Meanwhile, another Draconis team has disabled the communication systems onboard the Arco, making it harder for Dominion forces from claiming that they are in control of the station. “Chance” knows that any reinforcements from Draconis are at least twelve hours away. As the hours tick by, “Chance” has another idea and he convinces Major Kardan to give it a try. He offers to send a Tech to help rig up a localised jamming device but Maki cuts in and offers to help as she has experience with such things.

- The docking bays are under Dominion control. Nevertheless, elements of Kusu’s squad plus “Chance” and the full conversion borg Hercules seize one of the assault transports which the Dominion arrived on. With the jammer in place, the Dominion are not immediately aware that the transport has been stolen. Their attention is diverted as the Draconis commandos attack both the bridge and the local defence systems.

- Flying casually in the direction of the Dominion Destroyer Merciless is likely to be noticed and questioned. However, “Woody” has joined the mission and docked with the troopship to enable the commandos to transfer over.

- The crew of the Merciless figure out very quickly that the troopship isn’t under Dominion control, and they open fire. “Chance” pushes the engines to maximum and sets a collision course. He isn’t expecting to actually hit the Merciless but is expecting that it will serve enough of a distraction in order to get the “Woody”s ‘Pug’ alongside and attempt a boarding manoeuvre. 

- The plan partially works. The troopship comes under fire from the Merciless but holds together. The Merciless attempts evasive manoeuvres. The troopship shields “Woody”s pug from observation. However, “Woody”s pug is forced to detach before “Chance” and Hercules can transfer across. Hence the plan would have been excellent if they were not on the ship that is being shot apart.

- Hercules stands a reasonable chance of survival and he takes the controls while “Chance” hurriedly dons a spare suit of Dominion assault armour in the hope that it will provide him with some protection. 

- The troopship catches on fire, vents oxygen out into space and depressurises but does not explode or lose piloting control. However, it is very difficult to actually ram a moving ship and the troopship is clearly going to miss. “Chance” decides to bail out and attempt to board the Merciless by ‘jumping for it’ (which is about the most idiotic thing that could be attempted). Despite the short distance between the ships, it is an insanely difficult thing to attempt. 

- Hercules elects to go first, figuring that he’ll likely be picked up if he misses. And he misses the target completely, leaving him hurtling out into the void. With the troopship on fire and falling apart, “Chance” jumps. He judges the vector correctly to land on the ship but underestimates the spin and the relative velocities. He is able to use the thruster pack on the armoured suit to a limited degree but this doesn’t stop him from hitting the outer hull of the Merciless very, very hard. Hard enough to kill someone that was not a Lord of Gossamer. He knows that he is hurt but mercifully, his suit is not ruptured. 

- Meanwhile “Woody” is trying to get close enough to latch onto the Merciless and release her boarders. The crew of the Merciless are not immediately aware of what is being attempted but when they finally are, they focus on Kusu’s team and not on “Chance”.

- Feeling a bit dazed, “Chance” fumbles for the closest way into the Destroyer. A locked airlock is no barrier for a Warden of the Stair. He opens it from the outside, re-pressurises and then opens the inner lock. Gathering his thoughts, he realises that he has landed further astern than expected and that engineering is closest. He heads for engineering. 

- Alarms go off in the ship. They are aware that they have been boarded. He reaches engineering and confuses the engineers who mistake him for being a Dominion soldier (given his uniform). He forces them into a storage room and locks them in, then focuses on opening an outer hatch for Kusu’s team. 

- The counterattack from the Merciless crew comes swiftly. A security detail is sent to reinforce engineering and finds only “Chance” present. They immediately open fire and “Chance” is blasted back. The armour mostly protects him but he can feel that the suit has been ruptured. He’s bleeding on one arm. The security detail is no match for “Chance” in an armoured suit. He guns them down with his sidearm.

- The door shuts and “Chance” realises that they are depressurizing the ship, preparing for combat. Feeling his arm going numb, he looks for a patch for his suit and finds a roll of duct tape. He improvises a patch and decides that he should move to take the bridge as quickly as possible. He knows that a Destroyer only has fifty to sixty crew – it isn’t a large vessel. Many sections would be in lockdown if the ship was depressurized. 

- Just as he is about to leave, “Chance” spots a weapons locker and he rearms, including picking up a handful of grenades. He then opens the door with a wave of his hand (ie: use of Warden of the Stair) and heads out into the corridor.

- “Chance” regains communications with the rest of Kusu’s squad. They have managed to board at last but they had some trouble ‘outside’. They are behind him. “Chance” weighs up whether to wait but he decides to opt for speed and goes ahead. As a result, he makes his way through the ship before the Merciless can organise further reinforcements. He encounters a heavy security door which he is able to open (it closes behind him) and he is able to avoid the next enemy squad which is arming themselves for a counterattack. Finally, he runs into two troopers on guard duty in close proximity to the bridge and makes short work of them. He finds a heavy knife very effective – it cuts through armour, especially when a Lord of Gossamer is wielding it.

- “Chance” reaches the bridge and opens the door with a wave of his hand. Again, the bridge crew are confused by a lone trooper arriving on the bridge and it is only when he levels a repeating blaster at them that they understand that he’s taking the bridge. Unfortunately for “Chance”, someone shoots him from behind on the bridge and the situation disintegrates. A firefight erupts between the two security personnel on the bridge and “Chance”. Emboldened, some of the bridge crew open fire including the X.O. “Chance” guns some of them down, also shooting by mistake one of the junior officers who is attempting to surrender. The battle is over swiftly. “Chance” is the only one left standing, although some of the bridge officers are groaning on the floor. “Chance” is swearing mightily given that he’s been shot in the back and he can’t reach it.

- Radioing into Sergeant Kuzu that he’s secured the bridge but has been shot, he finds that they’ve had some challenges with the crew of the Merciless. It seems that they have a full conversion borg of their own. Groaning, “Chance” reaches for the duct tape once more and tries to patch his back. This is mostly ineffective but he tries. “Chance” considers leaving the bridge to go and help but decides that he’s done his bit and to stay put and trust the others. 

- Instead, he radios into “Woody” and confirms that she’s okay (although the ‘Pug’ got shot at by the Destroyer and took some damage). He also radios in and confirms with Maki that they’ve captured the Destroyer – well, mostly captured – Kusu is following up loose ends.

- Ultimately the Merciless is secured and this provides the turning point in the Battle of Arcosolari Kalamos because the Dominion forces on the Arco are cut off and will receive no further reinforcements. “Chance”s role in the battle finishes on the bridge of the Merciless. The credit for seizing the Destroyer is given to the Draconis Security Forces although “Chance”s role in the capture is noted on his record.

- In the wake of the battle, Maki flies a ‘Pug’ with “Chance” onboard back to Draconis Station. His back has been patched up but he is in pain. Maki administers additional painkillers (who would have known?) which makes “Chance” delirious. He mistakes Maki for a ‘pretty nurse’ and tries to chat her up – which fails utterly of course but she does use the opportunity to try to find out more about him and where he comes from. In the days after, “Chance” remembers talking a lot of nonsense to a very attractive nurse on the ‘Pug’ but has no idea what he actually said.

Part 3 – The Hunt for the Dauntless

- “Deadeye”, “Nok” and “Dagger” travel in a ‘Pug’ heading for the Kripka Cluster. They are escorted by “Pookie”, “Jedi” and “Scuba” from Axion Squadron. On the way out they pass the Draconis Hull Yards and “Deadeye” notes that the DCS Lion, Draconis’ only Destroyer class vessel, has left drydock. He wonders if the retrofit has been finished.

- The journey out is uneventful. “Nok” and “Deadeye” take turns flying the ‘Pug’. They reach the Draconis fleet consisting of the DCS Lion and DCS Leopard, a fighter tender and a number of other smaller patrol vessels and ‘Pugs’. Blackfish from Graviton Squadron fly perimeter sweeps.

- The ‘Pug’ docks with the DCS Leopard and they are escorted to a briefing room by a young lieutenant called Jules. Initially no one is there to greet them. They are offered coffee (never tea in this society) and joined by Commander Marden (the commanding officer of the task force) and “Fossil”, Graviton Squadron’s C.O. Marden seems to be a young but capable commander. “Fossil” is an experienced fighter pilot who is known to be the oldest in the DVG, his rep extending back well before the Great Galactic War.

- After introductions they talk about “Dagger”s ship, the Dauntless. The Draconis task force has been unable to find the Light Cruiser and a considerable amount of time has passed since she was to rendezvous with them. “Dagger” describes the Light Cruiser as being heavily damaged in the last fight against the Dominion. There would normally be 80-90 crew onboard but they had fires onboard and were in urgent need of medical attention, hence the raid for both medical supplies and the capture of two doctors who were lured to Vega-19 under the pretext of there being a medical emergency. “Dagger” doesn’t know the Dauntless’ current condition but says that they would not be in position to fight. 

- “Deadeye” listens to what she has to say. He doesn’t feel that “Dagger” is telling the whole story. He doesn’t feel that she is lying about everything but she is only telling part of the story. He doesn’t feel like he can challenge her in front of the ranking officers but decides to peel her story when he has the chance.

- The conversation shifts to searching for the Dauntless. Graviton squadron has been searching part of the Kripka Cluster for the missing ship but it is exceptionally hard – like looking for a needle in a haystack where all of the pieces of hay are in motion. The asteroids are moving and presumably the Dauntless is too. The ship could surely not possibly stay in one location. Sensors have picked up occasional echoes of another ship but Draconis ships have never managed to close upon it in time. Besides, they know that the Dominion is active in this region and they can’t risk blundering into a hostile force.

- “Dagger” tells them of the rendezvous point “A” and the backup location “B”. The search has already covered “B” but they have not been to “A”. Marden gives instruction for the search to be directed towards point “A” and the briefing resumes.

- Conversation turns to the Dominion fleet which is ‘in system’. “Dagger” knows a lot about the 18th Strike Fleet and she shares her knowledge freely. The flagship is the Inevitability, a Carrier which has multiple fighter squadrons including the Death’s Messengers (whom Draconis forces has already run into), the First’s Blades, and the Reavers. With the Carrier are a number (6-8) of other supporting ships – Cruisers, Destroyers and Frigates. They also have support vessels bringing the fleet up to about twenty ships in all. When asked if the 18th Strike Fleet was sent after her, she makes it clear that they were in the system already. She believes that they’ve been sent to raid, destabilise and to take advantage of any opportunities that may present themselves. If the Dominion could be seen to be ‘rescuing’ Draconis and restoring a loyalist government, they might try it.

- Commander Marden appears shocked by this. They all know that there are loyalist groups in the Draconis system but the idea of the Dominion interceding directly to restore Dominion authority over this independent system is a frightening one. 

- As the conversation continues, “Deadeye” is convinced that ‘Flight Lieutenant’ Danika Arden (callsign “Dagger”) is lying about her rank. She’s a more senior officer who is used to getting her own way. The way she presents the situation suggests that she was a bridge officer with more understanding of the strategic situation rather than an ordinary fighter pilot. “Deadeye” isn’t sure if any of the others have picked this up.

- Marden and “Fossil” leave the briefing room to coordinate the search of point “A” (and then point “B”) leaving “Nok”, “Dagger” and “Deadeye” with Jules. 

- “Nok” asks for more information about the damage to the Dauntless. “Dagger” explains the hits that were taken which resulted in fires, internal damage and many crew losses. She gives the impression that the Dauntless is operational and can fight, but it isn’t in good shape. 

- Meanwhile “Deadeye” studies what is known about Dominion Light Cruisers, looking for holes in “Dagger”s story. He thinks it is possible that she’s telling the truth about the battle damage that the Dauntless has sustained. It would certainly result in the crew deaths and injuries that she has described. Without shipyards, they would have been able to perform limited repairs – they would probably be operational or nearly operational by now but the medbay onboard would be unable to cope with a large number of injured personnel. They could have been overwhelmed. 

- “Deadeye” asks if the Dauntless was operating alone. “Dagger” gives him a peculiar look, which “Deadeye” interprets that he is onto something. He asks about escort ships and “Dagger” shakes her head. He asks more probing questions about the battle damage and becomes convinced that something doesn’t add up. She seems to be genuine about there being a large number of casualties but there seem to be more casualties than what the battle damage should have inflicted. He asks if there were any passengers onboard, or additional personnel. “Dagger” insists that there were not.

- “Nok” picks up on “Deadeye”s cue and they push further. “Deadeye” argues his point that there must have been additional people from somewhere for there to be the number of casualties that “Dagger” is describing. She relents and says that there was another ship with them but it was destroyed in battle with the 18th Strike Fleet. 

- “Deadeye” still feels that “Dagger” is holding back, not telling the whole story but she clams up and tells him that the fact that there was another ship is irrelevant to finding the Dauntless. “Deadeye” knows that it is relevant but he decides not to press further.

- A reconnaissance ‘Pug’ reaches point “A” but finds no ship there. Point “B” is a day away so “Dagger”, “Nok” and “Deadeye” are given bunks to rest. Time passes. “Nok” is inscrutable as usual – she doesn’t say much. “Deadeye” tries to talk further with “Dagger” to understand more why she doesn’t want to tell the whole story. When asked, she says that she has no family members onboard the Dauntless. She identifies the destroyed ship as a Battlecruiser, the Reliant. A Battlecruiser is a much more powerful vessel than a Light Cruiser with a bigger crew complement. “Dagger” says that they were forced to engage the 18th Strike Fleet in the Beta Atria system (which is only one jump from 26 Draconis). They fled to 26 Draconis but were pursued. The Reliant was destroyed just as they reached the Kripka Cluster. “Deadeye” feels that she is telling mostly the truth but there is still something missing.

- “Nok”, “Dagger” and “Deadeye” are recalled to the briefing room. The Draconis fleet has picked up an enemy contact – a Dominion Destroyer. The ship’s name, Merciless, is positively identified and “Dagger” is able to confirm that the vessel is part of the 18th Strike Fleet. A flight from Graviton Squadron is ordered to shadow the vessel but they lose it in the shifting asteroid fields (GM’s note – I drew a FATE Card with -4 on it)

- “Deadeye” decides to ask further about other ships that might be with the Dauntless, even minor vessels. “Dagger” admits that they have three Goblin starfighters and a shuttlecraft. 

- Further time passes. They reach point “B” and the Dauntless is not there either. (GM’s note – it is during this time that the assault on Arcosolari Kalamos is well and truly underway but transmissions from the DCS Cougar fail to reach the Draconis task force in the Kripka Cluster)

- “Nok”, “Dagger” and “Deadeye” spend time in the briefing room pouring over maps of the Kripka Cluster and trying to work out where the Dauntless might be. “Deadeye” tries to use Wayfinding but he still feels that he is missing something. He suggests extrapolating the line between point “A” and “B” and continue along the same trajectory. There is no sign of the ship and no debris.

- More time passes. “Dagger” is very tense. “Deadeye” suggests taking a ‘Pug’ out with “Nok” and “Dagger” to hunt further and this is permitted. “Fossil”, “Biggles” and “Maverick” fly escort. With “Nok” flying the ‘Pug’, “Deadeye” levels with “Dagger” and tells her that he can find the ship but he needs a lot more information. 

- “Deadeye” slowly builds his case, explaining the kind of information that he needs. He explains his deduction that she is not a Flight Lieutenant. He has worked out that she is at least a Commander. Reluctantly, she admits to this. She is currently the C.O. of the Dauntless. It’s her ship. She admits that the Captain was badly wounded in the last attack with the Dominion and she assumed command.

- Gently, “Deadeye” asks her to describe the Captain in detail and any other information about the ship which enable him to find the ship. He explains a little about how Wayfinding works. “Dagger” is a little sceptical but “Deadeye” easily demonstrates how it works. “Dagger” starts to share information more freely.

- Little by little, “Deadeye” is able to get more of a feeling as to where the Dauntless is. “Dagger” reveals that there is a 2nd ship. The Battlecruiser Reliant wasn’t destroyed but it was very badly damaged. The fires that she described were on the Reliant, not the Dauntless. The Reliant had to be abandoned and the surviving crew transferred to the Dauntless. The Dauntless is effectively fully operational but it is carrying many wounded. She doesn’t know if the Reliant is still with the Dauntless or whether they have been separated.

- “Deadeye” senses that “Dagger” is finally telling the truth. She has been trying to protect the people under her command but she did not expect the Draconis security forces to incarcerate her for weeks. She is clearly concerned about the people on the Dauntless and the many wounded. 

- Continuing their search, their escort from Graviton Squadron is swapped out, with “Angel”, “Crunch” and “Joker” taking over. It takes them another nine hours of searching before they can locate the missing ships which have moved along an extrapolation of the rendezvous point “A” to point “B” line. The Dauntless is indeed fully operational. The Reliant is nearby and seems to have basic capability even though the bridge appears to have been destroyed.

* The Dauntless (Light Cruiser) and Reliant (Battle Cruiser), painted by me, miniatures from Brigade Miniatures

- “Nok” sends back an encoded message to confirm that they have located the Dauntless and the Reliant. The trio establish contact with the Dauntless and the ‘Pug’ is permitted to board. The Dominion crew are very pleased to see *Commander* Danika Arlen back onboard. The two missing doctors, Shields and Tan, are still onboard and trying to care for over fifty wounded onboard with the facilities that they have. Many have died since Commander Arlen left to request asylum, including the Captain. She is clearly upset by the news but she holds it together and repeats her request for asylum for her crew. “Nok” relays the message back and asylum is quickly granted.

- What follows is a carefully planned operation to move the Dauntless and the Reliant out of the Kripka Cluster so that the wounded can be quickly taken to medical facilities on Draconis Station (and to the surface, at Prime Landing). The Dauntless and Reliant will be met by the Draconis task force and other ships to provide a heavy escort. “Deadeye” is involved in planning the route back (GM’s note – he uses Warfare and Wayfinding to plot a safe journey back) and as a result, they are not intercepted.

- On the way back to Draconis Station, “Deadeye” hears about the battle of Arcosolari Kalamos. He learns that there has been a pitched battle, that “Chance” effectively ended the battle by capturing the Merciless (the Destroyer that Graviton Squadron had spotted heading through the Kripka Cluster), and unfortunately “Chance” was shot.

Session 211 – Starfighter Academy Part 9

- GM’s note: This session revolves around a pivotal starfighter combat. I wanted a scenario where the PCs were in one ship and a lot of the action was going on around them. The combat could go either way….

- “Thermic” reports the situation back to base via a secure channel and is given new orders. Security Chief Anna Lopez from the Arco is ordered to take half of her security team (she only has a team of eight for all of the Arco’s population of five thousand) and confirm the presence of the contraband as reported. She does so, and the rest of her team are ordered to find those who were going to receive the cargo.

- Meanwhile, the Tachyon Squadron pilots who are currently stationed on Arco as part of a two week rotation (“Gunner”, “Nails” and “Nok”) are ordered to escort the Pug, the “Dark Shadow” and their cadet escort (“Radar”, “Ajax” and “Cobra”) back to Draconis Station. To relieve “Gunner”, “Nails” and “Nok”, three pilots from Graviton Squadron who have been on assignment in the Kripka Cluster (presumably looking for Dominion or pirate raiders) are sent to backfill them: “Apollo”, “Sting” and “Guts”.

- The plan is for the six fighters to escort the Pug and the “Dark Shadow” back to Draconis Station. They will be joined by “Toad”, “Thor” and “Flash” from Axion Squadron who have been sent to reinforce them.

- The team is expecting trouble – there have been numerous Dominion attacks of late and the rumour is that someone on the Arco is ratting them out.  “Thermic”, “Deadeye”, “Chance”, “Woody”, “Radar”, “Ajax” and “Cobra” are all tired – they have been ‘on mission’ for over fourteen hours. “Thermic” leaves the Pug and takes command of the “Dark Shadow”, joining Lopez and her security detail onboard. One of Tachyon’s reserve pilots “Noodle” takes the helm.

- “Radar”, “Ajax” and “Cobra” are allowed to dock with the Arco and get two hours sleep before heading out again. “Deadeye”, “Chance” and “Woody” are directed to take turns piloting the Pug in order to get some rest. “Deadeye” tells “Chance” and “Woody” to get some sleep and he will keep watch. The plan is that if the shooting starts that “Chance” will pilot the Pug, “Deadeye” will man the weapons and “Woody” the tactical systems.

* Image sourced from Google Images (but obviously it is a Raptor from Battlestar Galactica. This is the Phoenix-class shuttle, aka the ‘Pug’

- A little over two hours after impounding the “Dark Shadow”, the ships set a course for Draconis Station. 

- Sure enough, they run into trouble along the way. A heavily armed Dominion strike force comes to intercept them. They are up against the Death Riders, the same group that killed “Birdie”. The attack force consists of twelve Goblins, including “Venom” (a Dominion Ace), plus four Gorgon strike ships and six drone swarms. 

* Image from FATE Tachyon Squadron

- “Gunner”, “Nails” and “Nok” form the outer defence line and they engage the Dominion forces to break them up. They aim to tie up as many as they can, such that the cadets in the inner defences can deal with them. This strategy works reasonably effectively – only two of the Goblins and all of the Gorgons penetrate the outer defences whilst “Gunner”, “Nails” and “Nok” try to keep the remaining ten enemy fighters busy.

- Three against ten is quickly reduced to three against seven as “Gunner”, “Nails” and “Nok” all score kills in the early stages of the combat. 

* Image from FATE Tachyon Squadron

- Ignoring the two Goblins that have slipped through the perimeter, the Draconis fighter pilots in the inner zone target the Gorgons as they are heavily armed and armoured. “Thermic” has found that the “Dark Shadow” is carrying pulse cannons which she turns to good use, lighting up one of the Gorgons whilst “Ajax” hunts down a second. Both “Radar” and “Ajax” come under heavy fire whilst “Cobra” finds herself being hunted by two Goblin fighters.

- In the outer zone, “Nok” comes under serious fire from four Goblins and is badly shot-up. She manages to kill a second Goblin whilst “Nails” eliminates one of the Goblins that was on her tail. “Gunner” blazes away to keep the enemy Ace “Venom” from getting a lock on “Nok”. The ranks of Dominion fighters are slowly thinning.

- Meanwhile, the ‘Pug’ is going to war. “Woody” has shot down one of the Gorgons with a missile strike, and “Deadeye” has pumped out enough fire from the cannons to distract the two Goblins who are going after “Cobra”. “Ajax” takes another heavy hit from one of the Gorgons and “Radar” is similarly pummelled. Nevertheless, “Ajax” persists and kills another of the Gorgons. “Thermic” blazes away with the “Dark Shadow”s cannons and takes out a Goblin that is tailing “Cobra”.

- “Nok” takes another hit from “Venom” who is closing in for the kill. “Nails” comes out of nowhere and blows “Venom” out of the sky, avenging “Birdie”. Meanwhile “Gunner” has her hands full dogfighting three Dominion fighters – she takes some minor damage to shields but her piloting skills keep her alive.

- “Deadeye” lines up the damaged “Gorgon” and drills it. The bastard is tough and it takes sustained bursts from the ‘Pug’s cannons before it comes apart. Despite being badly damaged, “Ajax” hunts down the surviving Gorgon. Judging that “Ajax” has the situation in hand and seeing that “Thermic” has incinerated another of the Goblins, “Chance” steers the ‘Pug’ in the direction of the dogfighting Tachyon Squadron pilots in order to lend a hand.

- Shortly after, “Ajax” kills the last Gorgon and “Cobra” shakes the fighter that was pursuing her. 

- “Nails” kills another Dominion fighter as the ‘Pug’ enters the fray. “Deadeye” kills another Goblin, reducing the Dominion forces to only four remaining Goblins. At this point, they bug out and retreat.

- In the wash-up, “Nok”s Blackfish has taken heavy damage and her life support system has taken a hit. Both “Ajax” and “Radar” have also suffered significant damage to their ships but the Draconis forces have lost no ships. 

- Of the Gorgons, “Ajax” killed 2, “Woody” killed 1 and “Thermic” killed 1.

- Of the Goblins, “Nok” killed 2, “Gunner” killed 1, “Thermic” killed 2, “Nails” killed 2 and “Deadeye” killed 1.

- The rest of the journey is uneventful. They are joined by “Toad”, “Thor” and “Flash” from Axion squadron but are not attacked again.

- They are all whisked away for a debriefing when they arrive at Draconis Station. Present are: “Skipper”, the CO of Tachyon Squadron; “Judge”, Commander of the Aggressor Squadron at Starfighter Academy; James Dubois, Head of Draconis Station Security; “Admiral” Harris, Commander of the Draconis Volunteer Group; “Cap”, the CO of Axion Squadron; Maki from the Department of Homeland Security and Security Chief Anna Lopez, Head of Arcosolari Kalamos security.

- There is quiet praise for the pilots’ performance but concern about the powderkeg that the “Dark Shadow” is carrying. Maki confirms that the “Dark Shadow” has entered 26 Draconis system more than once, each time bound for the Arcosolari Kalamos station. Security Chief Lopez has no good news about those who were going to receive the “Dark Shadow”s consignment but her team is making inquiries.

- At last, the debriefing ends and the pilots are sent for a well-deserved rest. However, this rest period does not last long. “Deadeye” is woken up for an emergency briefing. Dressing quickly, he joins “Judge”, “Nok” and Maki and is given new orders. He and “Nok” are to take a ‘Pug’ at once and join Graviton Squadron in the Kripka Cluster – their orders are to take Flight Lieutenant Danika Arlen, callsigned “Dagger”, with them and find the Dominion ship which is requesting asylum. The higher-ups have figured that there is an increased risk of conflict with the Dominion and they want the renegade ship on their side if that occurs. “Deadeye” is known to have an uncanny ability to ‘find things’ so he’ll be using those skills to find that missing ship. (the Kripka Asteroid Cluster is vast) “Deadeye” asks about “Chance” and “Woody” and is told that both of them have been snooping around in their spare time – they are too close to the situation and will be given another assignment. “Deadeye” correctly concludes that they are going to Arcosolari Kalamos to find the traitors.

- Meanwhile, “Chance” is similarly bailed up. He isn’t even given a briefing – Maki promises to tell him ‘en route’. He sees “Deadeye”, “Nok” and “Dagger” briefly in the restricted hangar boarding a ‘Pug’ and gives them a wave. “Deadeye” gives him a short wave back before they head off. 

- “Chance” and “Woody” are bundled into another ‘Pug’ but this shuttle is heavily armed and loaded with a squad of soldiers. Maki tells “Chance” to pilot the ‘Pug’ and tells “Woody” to get some sleep. “Chance” asks blankly where they are going and Maki tells him to follow the others. Shortly after, three ‘Pugs’ lift off, all heavily armed, and set a course for Arcosolari Kalamos.