Judgement – Training prep
by Chief Executive Officer Wayne Bradshaw & Commander Richard Dunham & Commander Chelsea Dunham
Post Details
On:
Derek walked into the flight deck flanked by his flight leaders from his old squadron. He quickly looked over the assembled fighters and pilots. "Alright boys here is the deal I picked each and every one of you for a special fighter task force. At the moment I do not know any more details then you do that is up to the big boys. What I do know is that we need to train up as a squadron and be ready to launch at a moments notice." Said Derek calmly though he was soft spoken every pilot in the room heard every word he said.
"Alright now are there any questions before we get started?" Asked Derek
Newly qualified Pilot "Blue" Jackman sat next to her former Training Mentor, Ensign Will Highland, and tried to simply follow everything he did so as not to get anything wrong. Her in-experience was a big disadvantage but her enthusiasm and bright mind were the assets she brought, along with a raw, natural talent at the joystick. She was soaking up every word the Viper Commander was saying.
Will's lip curled very slightly in an almost indistinguishable smirk as he slid a sideways glance at her focussed face.
~She'll be okay when she *grows up*~ he thought, wondering a little cynically if she would make it that long. He wasn't hostile to her, in fact he was quite fond of the annoying little pest, although he'd never let her or anyone else know this, but after her last stunt, seeming to take on a Klingon Bird of Prey Captain single-handed, everyone *knew* she wasn't the usual run-of-the-mill Cadet. He assumed *that* and her outstanding grades and progress results, were the reasons she had been picked to be here today.
It was almost inevitable that Will too would be on the list, being one of the best in his own right. He knew that Red Platoon Flight Leader Watts had paired the two of them together for her training period for a reason. These thoughts only took a split second or two to pass through Will's mind and he too was focussing on the briefing as soon as Derek had begun to speak.
Neither Will nor his protégé had any questions yet. Although Blue had a thousand for later, but she wasn't ready to pose any of them now. It would not be appropriate to start badgering about the trivial details when 'the man' had just said he didn't have any more details yet. She had at least learned to wait quietly 'sometimes'.
Derek was not sure if the silance was a good thing or not but it would be interesting none the less. "Alright then let's mount up and run some basic drills. Also I want the Talon crew to stay back for a few minutes. The first thing we will be working on is formation flying. I am not sure what you are used to but there are some moved that the right formation can accomplish." Said Derek calmly he would need to give the people on the talon some special instructions that did not need to be known to everyone.
Everyone else moved out smartly and got themselves into their craft, running through the checks and take off drills in expedient timing and swooping out into the black space outside the station like a swarm of dark insects.
"Alright you guys here is what you are going to do. I want you to link your sensors up with the fighters as the control craft. Your main job will be to vector the fighters into attacking craft. Well that and to stay the heck out of harms way. your sensors are going to be our extended eyes out there and I do not need anything to happen to you." said derek firmly he could not stress it enough how important their job would be to the upcoming operation.
"Alright boss so you want us to basicly be the flight controlers for this little operation. I hope you are going to have some fighters assigned to us to give some cover." said one of the senior pilots
"Yes I am fully intending to to assign two Raptors as your escort. Just in case something happens out there that we do not expect." Said Derek as he walked over to his fighter and climbed in. He powered the engins up and launched the fighter at half impulse power to get back out with the rest of the squadron..
"aAlight Razor pilots pull in tight I want less then a meter seperating our wingtips for the next five minutes of fling time. Talon keep an eye on us. When we are tight enough that we look like a single craft that is what we are going to shoot for. Surprise is the name of this game and we are going to play it for all it's worth." Said Derek firmly he knew what he was expecting of them but he had to know if his team could do what he needed them to do.
Will could do this upside down if need be. His flying hours and combat experience were over average for his age and position and his favourite past-time, hobby, whatever you called it, was his work. When Will was on patrol he would push the close formation flying as a good skill to have and would teach all the new pilots under his care, intake after intake. Troubleshooting new pilots took more skill than any other kind of practice you could get because the youngsters would do unexpected things and often get into trouble so you had to be able to react in a split second to compensate, to help or even to rescue them.
Will's reaction times were legendary. Only a handful of the best: Dunham himself; Watts on a good day; the former CAG, Rianni; and others of that echelon, had beaten Will's results. Perhaps some of these new Viper guys might give him a run for his money, so to speak. He was looking forward to the challenge.
Out in formation, Will lined up his instruments first and then proceeded to ignore them, only needing to use them as a back up for his honed instincts and pure symbiosis with his craft. The pilot and his 'wings' were one sentient entity as they moved in perfect formation, dangerously close to the craft on all sides of them, calmly confident in a familiar and proven situation.
Very briefly, he wondered how 'the Smurf' was doing but the fleeting split second of that thought passed rhetorically without answer nor loss of focus. It was part of his job to know what all the craft around him were doing. This kind of close drilling helped the pilots get to know each other's flight profiles and the weakest link in this highly skilled chain was going to be the least experienced.
Blue was exactly that. The weakest link. But in an awe-inspiring chain nonetheless. Being aware of this served to put pressure on her but also to challenge her to find the best in herself. She didn't want to let Will down but more than that, she knew that if she failed, lives could be at risk. Her concentration was intense but her natural affinity with her craft allowed her to 'punch above her weight'. Her formation was perfect, so far.
From Fighter control on Deep Space Five Dunham observed, with his chief NCO. Part of the fighter element word be flying the new Raptor Class Fighter Space Superiority Fighter.Starfleets latest addition to its fighter wings. Dunham was keen to see how they performed as he had not had the chance to fly one himself yet.
Highland checked in, he was a wing leader in his part of the formation. =^= Gold Leader to Gold Wing. Status? =^= he put out over the internal link and was connected to his section.
=^= Gold One. Status Green =^= They wasted no words. If they had any problems they'd report them according to their codes or established procedures. This was not a time appropriate for their usual chat or banter. One after the other, in the ordered sequence, they reported in, not breaking their concentration. It was all conditioned in and as much a part of their behaviour as any other check or manoeuvre. It was automatic. On hearing them, the tones and minute inflections of their voices told Will more than a whole conversation. He knew them all so well he could hear their state of mind, their heightened reflexes and any signs of imbalance.
=^= Gold Two. Status Green =^= Again, totally automatic even though Will could hear that it was Andy this time and not Frem who was Gold One, still the tone and inflection were so similar that Control would be hard pushed to tell them apart save for their stated numbers. Will could tell much more. He smiled softly to himself and nodded unseen in his cockpit.
=^= Gold Three. Status Green. =^= Roberto was good too. Another unseen nod from Will.
=^= Gold Four. Status Green. =^= The tone was higher because it was a woman's voice. Anais was good too. Or so Control would hear. Will didn't nod this time, his eyebrows lowered slightly behind his visor. ~Dammit, Blue! Get it together!~ he willed her sub-consciously.
No-one but Will had heard the warning. Rob, Frem and Andy all smiled inside their helmets. ~the gremlin's doing alright~ Frem even raised one of his four thumbs towards the side window where she was seemingly almost in his cockpit, she was so tight into his starboard wing.
Will heard the confidence and the enjoyment in her voice, as the others had. He could see on his instruments that she was in as tight as possible, but he sensed more. He could also hear the adrenalin, a slight tremour, so slight it would be hard to discern unless you knew her too well. He watched her formation. She was remarkably good. Closer than anyone.
~Frack, she's trying too damned hard!~ he realised in a split second.
There was an exact distance and she was slightly inside it. It was only a fraction but it was *too* tight, which was bad in itself. Anything outside of *exact* was an error, whichever side of the line it fell.
=^= Gold Four, Adjust. =^= he snapped to everyone's surprise.
~Dammit, you bastard, I'm doing better than ever... I'm closer than.... SHIT... am I too close??~ she wavered and it was enough. Her wing dipped another fraction. She over-reacted and hauled it back, swinging those two tiny fractions back and another one the other way.
Frem's wide grin drained from his face as did all of his green blood. ~WOAH! FFS Blue! Hold it steady kid!~ he thought, struggling with his own instincts to react and clenching his fists into solid balls to stop himself instinctively tilting out of line too. ~It's okay, she'll right herself.~ He told himself as calmly as he could. ~It's only a fraction. Deep breaths~
Frem's faith was tested but it held. Andy stopped breathing but his faith and training held too. Will bit down on his lip hard enough to make it bleed, just stopping himself instantly yelling at her. He knew that would panic her and he needed her to stay calm.
Blue sucked in a tiny breath that shuddered through her nose and throat but didn't seem to get to her lungs which hurt. The sensitivity of the craft caused it to shiver in sympathy with it's pilot's breathing but she knew to keep her hands firm on the joystick while the tiny compensation took effect smoothly. It might even have been indiscernible to an inexperienced eye.
Frem's smile returned, as did his blood, unseen behind his helmet. ~Well held lass!~ he wanted to say out loud but remained obediently silent. Andy sucked in a deep breath of relief too. ~Damn!~ he thought. ~Will is going to have her hide for that.~
Andy was sympathetic. He liked the 'little smurf' as Highland had re-nicknamed her, but they all knew she lacked the essential polish of experience.
~At least now when she makes mistakes, she can put them right in time.~ Roberto thought to himself. He too felt Blue was rapidly becoming very accomplished in theory, but she did lack flying hours. Roberto felt her problem was that it wasn't all second nature to her yet, she was still having to think it all through and that took those vital split seconds which made all the difference. ~She needs to be more in touch with her instincts~ he thought.
The whole Wing all had their own opinions on how Will should handle this little maverick. No two were ever the same. Highland himself was aware that she wasn't the usual rookie but it was still his responsibility to keep her, and all the rest of the wing, alive.
As one, the entire flight banked as instructed by command and by the time they were initiating the turn, Blue had her distances impeccable from every angle. Side to side, above and below, nose to tail. She didn't put one wingtip wrong again the whole session but this wasn't going to save her from Highland's wrath.
All the wings functioned like families. The worked together, played together, flew together and trusted each other with their lives. One mistake, no matter how small, and the perpetrator risked the whole family. Blue knew this only too well. She flew the rest of the exercise in misery, more harsh on herself than Will would or could ever be.
The next time Highland asked for "Status?" he got all four replies in sombre, automated tones, if anything, the last one sounded more like a robot than anyone. This time Will allowed himself four small smiles and four nods.
~About bloody time!~ he thought briefly and then allowed it to leave his own mind as he too returned to an un-distracted, concentrated state.
OFF:
A JP between:
Lieutenant Commander Richard Dunham
CAG Squadron Leader
and
Ensign Will Highland &
Anais *blue* Jackson
NPC'd by jools
and
Squadron Leader
Lieutenant Fredricks
NPC'd by Bradshaw
by Chief Executive Officer Wayne Bradshaw & Commander Richard Dunham & Commander Chelsea Dunham
Post Details
| Title | Training prep | |
| Mission | Judgement | |
| Author(s) | Chief Executive Officer Wayne Bradshaw & Commander Richard Dunham & Commander Chelsea Dunham | |
| Posted | Tue Oct 05, 2010 @ 7:49am | |
| Location | main Hangar bay | |
| Timeline | SD 35 |
Derek walked into the flight deck flanked by his flight leaders from his old squadron. He quickly looked over the assembled fighters and pilots. "Alright boys here is the deal I picked each and every one of you for a special fighter task force. At the moment I do not know any more details then you do that is up to the big boys. What I do know is that we need to train up as a squadron and be ready to launch at a moments notice." Said Derek calmly though he was soft spoken every pilot in the room heard every word he said.
"Alright now are there any questions before we get started?" Asked Derek
Newly qualified Pilot "Blue" Jackman sat next to her former Training Mentor, Ensign Will Highland, and tried to simply follow everything he did so as not to get anything wrong. Her in-experience was a big disadvantage but her enthusiasm and bright mind were the assets she brought, along with a raw, natural talent at the joystick. She was soaking up every word the Viper Commander was saying.
Will's lip curled very slightly in an almost indistinguishable smirk as he slid a sideways glance at her focussed face.
~She'll be okay when she *grows up*~ he thought, wondering a little cynically if she would make it that long. He wasn't hostile to her, in fact he was quite fond of the annoying little pest, although he'd never let her or anyone else know this, but after her last stunt, seeming to take on a Klingon Bird of Prey Captain single-handed, everyone *knew* she wasn't the usual run-of-the-mill Cadet. He assumed *that* and her outstanding grades and progress results, were the reasons she had been picked to be here today.
It was almost inevitable that Will too would be on the list, being one of the best in his own right. He knew that Red Platoon Flight Leader Watts had paired the two of them together for her training period for a reason. These thoughts only took a split second or two to pass through Will's mind and he too was focussing on the briefing as soon as Derek had begun to speak.
Neither Will nor his protégé had any questions yet. Although Blue had a thousand for later, but she wasn't ready to pose any of them now. It would not be appropriate to start badgering about the trivial details when 'the man' had just said he didn't have any more details yet. She had at least learned to wait quietly 'sometimes'.
Derek was not sure if the silance was a good thing or not but it would be interesting none the less. "Alright then let's mount up and run some basic drills. Also I want the Talon crew to stay back for a few minutes. The first thing we will be working on is formation flying. I am not sure what you are used to but there are some moved that the right formation can accomplish." Said Derek calmly he would need to give the people on the talon some special instructions that did not need to be known to everyone.
Everyone else moved out smartly and got themselves into their craft, running through the checks and take off drills in expedient timing and swooping out into the black space outside the station like a swarm of dark insects.
"Alright you guys here is what you are going to do. I want you to link your sensors up with the fighters as the control craft. Your main job will be to vector the fighters into attacking craft. Well that and to stay the heck out of harms way. your sensors are going to be our extended eyes out there and I do not need anything to happen to you." said derek firmly he could not stress it enough how important their job would be to the upcoming operation.
"Alright boss so you want us to basicly be the flight controlers for this little operation. I hope you are going to have some fighters assigned to us to give some cover." said one of the senior pilots
"Yes I am fully intending to to assign two Raptors as your escort. Just in case something happens out there that we do not expect." Said Derek as he walked over to his fighter and climbed in. He powered the engins up and launched the fighter at half impulse power to get back out with the rest of the squadron..
"aAlight Razor pilots pull in tight I want less then a meter seperating our wingtips for the next five minutes of fling time. Talon keep an eye on us. When we are tight enough that we look like a single craft that is what we are going to shoot for. Surprise is the name of this game and we are going to play it for all it's worth." Said Derek firmly he knew what he was expecting of them but he had to know if his team could do what he needed them to do.
Will could do this upside down if need be. His flying hours and combat experience were over average for his age and position and his favourite past-time, hobby, whatever you called it, was his work. When Will was on patrol he would push the close formation flying as a good skill to have and would teach all the new pilots under his care, intake after intake. Troubleshooting new pilots took more skill than any other kind of practice you could get because the youngsters would do unexpected things and often get into trouble so you had to be able to react in a split second to compensate, to help or even to rescue them.
Will's reaction times were legendary. Only a handful of the best: Dunham himself; Watts on a good day; the former CAG, Rianni; and others of that echelon, had beaten Will's results. Perhaps some of these new Viper guys might give him a run for his money, so to speak. He was looking forward to the challenge.
Out in formation, Will lined up his instruments first and then proceeded to ignore them, only needing to use them as a back up for his honed instincts and pure symbiosis with his craft. The pilot and his 'wings' were one sentient entity as they moved in perfect formation, dangerously close to the craft on all sides of them, calmly confident in a familiar and proven situation.
Very briefly, he wondered how 'the Smurf' was doing but the fleeting split second of that thought passed rhetorically without answer nor loss of focus. It was part of his job to know what all the craft around him were doing. This kind of close drilling helped the pilots get to know each other's flight profiles and the weakest link in this highly skilled chain was going to be the least experienced.
Blue was exactly that. The weakest link. But in an awe-inspiring chain nonetheless. Being aware of this served to put pressure on her but also to challenge her to find the best in herself. She didn't want to let Will down but more than that, she knew that if she failed, lives could be at risk. Her concentration was intense but her natural affinity with her craft allowed her to 'punch above her weight'. Her formation was perfect, so far.
From Fighter control on Deep Space Five Dunham observed, with his chief NCO. Part of the fighter element word be flying the new Raptor Class Fighter Space Superiority Fighter.Starfleets latest addition to its fighter wings. Dunham was keen to see how they performed as he had not had the chance to fly one himself yet.
Highland checked in, he was a wing leader in his part of the formation. =^= Gold Leader to Gold Wing. Status? =^= he put out over the internal link and was connected to his section.
=^= Gold One. Status Green =^= They wasted no words. If they had any problems they'd report them according to their codes or established procedures. This was not a time appropriate for their usual chat or banter. One after the other, in the ordered sequence, they reported in, not breaking their concentration. It was all conditioned in and as much a part of their behaviour as any other check or manoeuvre. It was automatic. On hearing them, the tones and minute inflections of their voices told Will more than a whole conversation. He knew them all so well he could hear their state of mind, their heightened reflexes and any signs of imbalance.
=^= Gold Two. Status Green =^= Again, totally automatic even though Will could hear that it was Andy this time and not Frem who was Gold One, still the tone and inflection were so similar that Control would be hard pushed to tell them apart save for their stated numbers. Will could tell much more. He smiled softly to himself and nodded unseen in his cockpit.
=^= Gold Three. Status Green. =^= Roberto was good too. Another unseen nod from Will.
=^= Gold Four. Status Green. =^= The tone was higher because it was a woman's voice. Anais was good too. Or so Control would hear. Will didn't nod this time, his eyebrows lowered slightly behind his visor. ~Dammit, Blue! Get it together!~ he willed her sub-consciously.
No-one but Will had heard the warning. Rob, Frem and Andy all smiled inside their helmets. ~the gremlin's doing alright~ Frem even raised one of his four thumbs towards the side window where she was seemingly almost in his cockpit, she was so tight into his starboard wing.
Will heard the confidence and the enjoyment in her voice, as the others had. He could see on his instruments that she was in as tight as possible, but he sensed more. He could also hear the adrenalin, a slight tremour, so slight it would be hard to discern unless you knew her too well. He watched her formation. She was remarkably good. Closer than anyone.
~Frack, she's trying too damned hard!~ he realised in a split second.
There was an exact distance and she was slightly inside it. It was only a fraction but it was *too* tight, which was bad in itself. Anything outside of *exact* was an error, whichever side of the line it fell.
=^= Gold Four, Adjust. =^= he snapped to everyone's surprise.
~Dammit, you bastard, I'm doing better than ever... I'm closer than.... SHIT... am I too close??~ she wavered and it was enough. Her wing dipped another fraction. She over-reacted and hauled it back, swinging those two tiny fractions back and another one the other way.
Frem's wide grin drained from his face as did all of his green blood. ~WOAH! FFS Blue! Hold it steady kid!~ he thought, struggling with his own instincts to react and clenching his fists into solid balls to stop himself instinctively tilting out of line too. ~It's okay, she'll right herself.~ He told himself as calmly as he could. ~It's only a fraction. Deep breaths~
Frem's faith was tested but it held. Andy stopped breathing but his faith and training held too. Will bit down on his lip hard enough to make it bleed, just stopping himself instantly yelling at her. He knew that would panic her and he needed her to stay calm.
Blue sucked in a tiny breath that shuddered through her nose and throat but didn't seem to get to her lungs which hurt. The sensitivity of the craft caused it to shiver in sympathy with it's pilot's breathing but she knew to keep her hands firm on the joystick while the tiny compensation took effect smoothly. It might even have been indiscernible to an inexperienced eye.
Frem's smile returned, as did his blood, unseen behind his helmet. ~Well held lass!~ he wanted to say out loud but remained obediently silent. Andy sucked in a deep breath of relief too. ~Damn!~ he thought. ~Will is going to have her hide for that.~
Andy was sympathetic. He liked the 'little smurf' as Highland had re-nicknamed her, but they all knew she lacked the essential polish of experience.
~At least now when she makes mistakes, she can put them right in time.~ Roberto thought to himself. He too felt Blue was rapidly becoming very accomplished in theory, but she did lack flying hours. Roberto felt her problem was that it wasn't all second nature to her yet, she was still having to think it all through and that took those vital split seconds which made all the difference. ~She needs to be more in touch with her instincts~ he thought.
The whole Wing all had their own opinions on how Will should handle this little maverick. No two were ever the same. Highland himself was aware that she wasn't the usual rookie but it was still his responsibility to keep her, and all the rest of the wing, alive.
As one, the entire flight banked as instructed by command and by the time they were initiating the turn, Blue had her distances impeccable from every angle. Side to side, above and below, nose to tail. She didn't put one wingtip wrong again the whole session but this wasn't going to save her from Highland's wrath.
All the wings functioned like families. The worked together, played together, flew together and trusted each other with their lives. One mistake, no matter how small, and the perpetrator risked the whole family. Blue knew this only too well. She flew the rest of the exercise in misery, more harsh on herself than Will would or could ever be.
The next time Highland asked for "Status?" he got all four replies in sombre, automated tones, if anything, the last one sounded more like a robot than anyone. This time Will allowed himself four small smiles and four nods.
~About bloody time!~ he thought briefly and then allowed it to leave his own mind as he too returned to an un-distracted, concentrated state.
OFF:
A JP between:
Lieutenant Commander Richard Dunham
CAG Squadron Leader
and
Ensign Will Highland &
Anais *blue* Jackson
NPC'd by jools
and
Squadron Leader
Lieutenant Fredricks
NPC'd by Bradshaw