StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Feedback please?

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Hey, I'm popular and I demand you to write more!

Boy, Rob sure is a bumbling idiot sometimes. But he's a damn good pilot.

MORE!

Since you asked so nicely, Kelly, (gulp):

TEST PILOT Ch. 6: Malfunction

"Do you think this thing'll really work?" Req asked. Rob looked up from where he sat on his TIE's frame.

"Yeah. No X-wing'll dare drop in behind me now."

"IF it works," Haman reminded him. He chuckled nervously. The two of them had become virtually inseparable over the last week as they worked on Rob's TIE. Several pilots were placing bets on when they'd start dating, but they hadn't gone beyond friendship so far. Rob's inspiration had slowly manifested itself in the form of a rear-facing, topside-mounted laser gun.

"So, this thing'll let you shoot back?"

Rob frowned. "That was the idea at first, but it's really only got enough power to shoot down incoming torpedoes."

"Have you tested it?" Hiss asked.

"Actually, gonna do that in a little bit. Test fired it a couple times, but in-" he checked his chrono "-five minutes, I'm gonna fly out, and give one of the missile launchers some practice." At Hiss' raised eyebrow, he added "with dummies of course."
........

Five minutes later, Rob was suited up and ready to go. "Ready?" Haman asked.

"You bet." To his surprise, she gave him a quick hug.

"Good luck. Hiss, Req, and I'll be watching from the gunnery station." Now there's motivation not to screw up.

Haman ran into the cramped room just as Rob's TIE appeared in the viewing port. "There's your boyfriend," the gunner remarked.

"Why, you! I'm not even looking," she said cuttingly.

"For none of us seeks to live alone, and none of us seeks to die alone," Hiss said.

"Oh, shut up, the lot of you."

"My, feel the camaraderie," said a voice. All four snapped to attention as Colonel Ipord strode in. "I heard about an unofficial test, so I came to see."

"Uh, yessir," the gunner said. He punched a few buttons. "Lieutenant Cloudrunner, are you receiving?"

"I'm receiving, all right. Are we starting or what?"

"One minute." The gunner turned reached up, and inserted a small cable into a ceiling panel. "That tells the missiles not to arm, cause it's an exercise," he explained. "OK, let's rumble!" A missile blasted out, closing with Rob's TIE. "Notice that there's no beeping," the gunner said. They all nodded. As the missile closed, Rob initiated evasive maneuvers. He needed to know if the gun could compensate for sudden turns and breaks.

As the missile continued closing, green bolts started to fly from Rob's fighter. Two of them hit the missile, which detected the hits and shut down.
"It works!" Rob crowed. The gunnery room echoed with a loud "YEAH!"

"All right Rob. I'm setting the computer to launch ten missiles over a span of time. Ready?

"Bring it on." The first missile fired, and Rob started some lazy evasives. The second missile launched just as the first was shot down. "Aw, sithspit."

"What's wrong, Rob?"

"Malfunction in the gun. It won't fire."

"No problem. The missiles'll just bounce off your shield." The third missile fired...and started beeping. "What in Hell?" the gunner shouted. "That missile's active!" All eyes turned to the 'dummy' cord. It was hanging loose!

The gunner hastily reinserted it as Haman gabbed the comm. "Rob, you've got a live one coming in!"

"I know! The lock detector's screaming its head off!" Rob's lazy evasives became swift and desperate.

"This is Colonel Ipord to control, we're going to need a rescue boat out here! Ensign, detonate that missile!"

"I can't! It's not designed to be!" All eyes watched in helpless horror as the missile closed...and went off!" Rob's fighter was thrown across their field of vision by its proximity to the blast.

"No...no!" Haman cried out.

"Rob..." Hiss said softly. A med runner swooped into view and rapidly closed in. After a moment, a white-suited tech leapt out and latched on to Rob's fighter.

"This is medical to Colonel Ipord."

"Ipord here. Do you have him?"

The voice hesitated. "Yes sir."

"What's his condition?"

The next words were almost as crushing as possible. "Colonel, I think we have a situation here."

FEEDBACK PLEASE!

ARUGH!!!

How dare you!! That is just the meanest thing you could ever do! Cliffhangers suck! This story is so enjoyable. I can't wait to see what happened to Rob!

TEST PILOT Ch. 7: The Darkest Day

The silence of the room weighed heavily on all of them. Finally, Ipord managed to whisper. "What do you mean, medical?"

"I mean he's pissed off. He's banging on the cockpit walls like a man possessed."

"Is he injured?"

"Not appreciably." Everyone let out the breath they'd been holding. They watched as the meds pulled Rob out of his fighter and took him aboard the runner, then set up a tow line to bring the TIE in. "Colonel, he's got a major concussion. Not enough to knock him out, but he won't be flying for a while.

"Just as long as he's alive to fly," Hiss said. Haman's breathing was ragged, and everyone noticed the tears running down her cheeks.

"We're bringing him into Bay 3." Haman was out the door before anyone else could even turn around.
.......

Haman burst into the hangar at a full run. Her eyes locked onto Rob's, who was walking with the aid of a medic. She threw her arms around him and pressed her face into his shoulder. He smiled wanly and draped his free arm around her. "I'm okay, Haman. I'm okay."

"I thought we...I thought I was going to lose you."

"Hey." He pulled her shoulders back and looked her in the face. "Don't worry. I'm fine." The other four then ran in and surrounded Rob.

"I'm glad you're all right, Lieutenant," the Colonel stated.

"Colonel Ipord." He managed a weak salute. "Nice to see you again, sir."

"You sure gave us quite a scare, Junior," Req said.

"Yeah. What happened?"

Hiss folded his hands. "We don't-"

"Uh, I can explain, sir," the gunner said. "I know what happened."

"What?" Req said.

"Well-"

"Out with it, Ensign," Ipord said in an authoritive tone. "What happened?"
"I checked the cord before I left," he said softly. "It was worn. It didn't have the friction to stay in the ceiling socket." Silence.

"Whatever, just get me to sickbay." As Rob and the medic started up again, Rob clapped the gunner on the shoulder. It's not your fault, man."
..........

Two days later, Rob was back to working on his fighter, albeit with a bacta patch on his temple. Haman spent even more time with him. One day, Req and Hiss were playing chess in the mess hall when Req saw them together. "Man, when are they just going to start going out?"

"She doesn't want to." Hiss stated it firmly as he moved his Imperial Guard to take one of Req's Stormtroopers.

"How can you tell?" Req asked, moving an AT-AT to challenge the Guard.

"Watch them. Watch her." Hiss took the AT-AT using Darth Vader.

Req did for a while. "Well?" One of his Commandos took up a new location. "Check."

"She keeps tensing up and pulling away. It's cycle: relax, tense, and relax again. She's not sure." A Stormtrooper took the Commando.

"Huh. Did you minor in psychology or something?" The other AT-AT took one of Hiss' Guards.

Hiss smiled. "Human relations." He picked up a Commando, then set it down in another square, facing Req's Emperor. "Checkmate."
........

Two days later was the fateful day. All four were sitting around Rob's fighter when the call came. "All staff, to the main hall. All staff, to the main hall." Instantly, everyone was on his or her feet and running. A few minutes later, they were at the main briefing hall, which rapidly filled up.

"Wow, everyone's here," Rob commented.

"Wonder what's going on," Haman said.

"Something big," Hiss answered. All discussion ended as General Seth stepped up to the podium. Seth was the man in charge of Hades, and Rob had only seen him once or twice.

"My fellow servicemen," he stated. "We have lost a two true heroes to the Rebellion. Yesterday, Grand Moff Tarkin and Regent Lord Bail Organa were assassinated.

No one could contain themselves. Even Haman's hands flew to her mouth. "Sometime yesterday morning, Grand Moff Tarkin was on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan, a mission which involved the recent dissolution of the Imperial Senate. Several hours later, the Rebels showed up with some kind of prototype battle station." Seth hit a control, and the screen behind him displayed a picture of a spherical battle station. It looked menacing. "The Rebels threatened to hold the system hostage with this ship, but neither Tarkin nor Organa would negotiate. They called in the entire sector fleet. The Rebels sent this as a response."

The picture of the station dissolved into the image of Mon Mothma! "We of the Rebellion have always opposed the Empire in a militarily upright manner. But if this is all that can get you to see reason, then so be it!"
The image snapped off. "Our arriving fleet recorded...this." The massive station powered up and...destroyed the helpless planet! There were outbursts all over the room, cries of pain, and rage. The image of Mothma returned. "Now you know the depth of our resolve. We shall not stop until the Emperor had left the throne. With this, the Justice Star, we can and will destroy planets deemed to be worthy of attack."

General Seth sighed. "Our fleet moved into attack position, but the station jumped into hyperspace. Calculating their last known trajectory, the fleet, led by Darth Vader himself, followed it to the Yavin system. There, the combined total of three fleets attacked the so-called Justice Star. Just when hope failed, Lord Vader himself fired a proton torpedo down a thermal exhaust port. The Justice Star was destroyed." Some cheers, but Seth waved them down. "Yes, yes, a victory, but a costly one. Even thrown together, the remaining ships from the battle equal less than half of one sector fleet." The room quieted as people realized the inhuman toll the Empire had paid for the victory.

"We must not forget this!" Seth suddenly cried out. "We must NOT forget the leadership of Grand Moff Tarkin, nor that of Lord Organa! And we must NEVER forget the valiant sacrifices made by those at Yavin! Even when faced with an enemy of unbelievable power, they did not back down! The Empire will not...CAN not be defeated, so long as we have the valor of our armed forces! LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!" Instantly, everyone was on their feet and shouting. The shouts turned into the Imperial Anthem, which as sung five times running. Finally, the manic energy left the room, and people quietly began filing out.

Think of this chapter as an experiment in propaganda. FEEDBACK!

*pounce* How dare you!!! Make me worry like that!!! *beating you nearly sensless*

Ok, propaganda, to the deepest core. That was great. I really think this story is going to be so good!

Kelly Antilles wrote:*pounce* How dare you!!! Make me worry like that!!! *beating you nearly sensless*

OW! OW! OWWWWWW! I'm sorry! I'll never do it again! Maybe.

Ok, propaganda, to the deepest core. That was great. I really think this story is going to be so good!

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Kelly. After reading your fics, I know that's high praise.

Oh golly gee whiz! They aren't *that* good.

Yes, they are. Speaking of fics,

TEST PILOT Ch. 8: Fury's Requiem

"I can't believe it!" Req shouted, pounding his fist on the wall.

"All those people," Hiss agreed.

Haman sighed. "I knew the Rebels were reckless, but this goes far beyond anything I expected."

"It goes beyond anything anyone could've anticipated," Rob said softly. He reached out and wrapped an arm around Haman, who leaned into him.

"Skull Squad to Briefing Room Seven," the dispassionate PA announced.

"Sithspawn!" Req said. "Now what?" The four took off.
............

"Gentlemen," Colonel Ipord began, "less than an hour ago, we received an urgent distress call from the Strike Cruiser Fury.Rob's heart leapt. My old ship?"She's been attacked by the Rebels. They fought them off, but the Fury's reactor has become compromised. She's drifting into an asteroid field, and we're the closest friendlies. In ten minutes, we'll mount a rescue operation. The Carrack cruiser Redeemer will leave Hades, accompanied by Skull Squadron. Your objectives are as follows: one, protect the Fury. Two, protect the Redeemer while she uses her tractor beams to stabilize the Fury. Third and final, if any Rebels are detected, eliminate them with extreme prejudice." The final objective pleased the squadron. After hearing of the mighty battle fought, they were eager to teach the Rebels a lesson.

As the briefing broke up, Commander Delth clapped Rob on the shoulder. "So, you ready, kid?"

"Yes sir!"

"Glad to hear it. You'll be flying as Skull Two, my wingman."

"I'm honored, sir."
..........

As Skull Squadron dropped out of hype, they realized that the Rebels had beat them to the punch. Already, there were fighters dogfighting all around the Fury. "This is One, break and engage by pairs!" Rob and Delth immediately hit their thrusters and dove into the battle. Closing in, they fired almost simultaneously, obliterating an X-wing.

"Hey, the cavalry's here!" someone said. Rob smiled as he recognized the voice.

"Am I pulling your ass out of the fire again, Mike?"

"Rob! Damn good to see you, man!" Even as he spoke, Mike's fire tracked a Y-wing, driving it right towards Rob, who popped it. In the distance, two more Rebels fell under the guns of Skulls Five and Six, Hiss and Haman.

"Looks like that's all," Req said. "Redeemer entering system in three, two, one-" He fell silent as the Carrack struck like a dagger into the system.

"Redeemer, you are free to begin operations as soon as we finish recon," Delth said. The Carrack's Captain acknowledged. "One flight, our sector's clear."

"Two Flight, all clear," Hiss said.

"Three flight says go," Req added. The Carrack began maneuvering to grab the Fury, and Rob realized how beat up his old ship was. The cruiser was just barely hanging on as gouts of fire gushed from various decks and pieces of her steel skeleton poked through holes in the hull. Rob estimated it to be at roughly 39 percent integrity.

"She's beat up bad, Commander."

"I know. They hit her hard, and more than once."

"Right on both counts, sir," Mike's voice said. "This is the third attack we've shaken off." As they watched, the Redeemer grabbed the Fury and pulled her into a more stable orbit.

"This is the Fury, we're stable. Ten minutes until we're hyperspace-capable."

"Roger that, Fury. Redeemer assuming topside guard."

"OK, gentlemen, we're on vanguard. Two Flight, set up fifty klicks out in front."

"Roger that, sir," Hiss said. Rob couldn't help but smile. Hiss' X1 was equipped with a tractor beam. He could just see Hiss in combat, manipulating the small joystick with the skill of a surgeon, to drive an enemy into the ground. Rob shook his head. Only Hiss had that kind of control. He was, by all means, a genius. His mind worked with blistering speed, at all levels, slowly hemming the enemy in.

"Fury here. Five minutes left.

"Rebels in Sector Five! Estimate one squadron X-wings, one squadron Y-wings."

"Everyone engage!" Delth yelled. "Protect the Fury!" Wolf, Strike, and Skull squadrons all rushed into battle. Rob's first kill came from a torpedo hit on a Y-wing. An X-wing launched a torp at him, but his newly refinished gun took care of that. The Rebel pilot was so startled at the sight, he drifted right into Haman's fire. Ahead of Rob, a fighter exploded, and a chunk hit Delth's fighter.

"Are you alright, sir?"

"Yeah, it just grazed me." Suddenly, three Y-wings broke off and headed in at the Fury. "Watch out, they're making a run!" Rob and Delth swooped in from the side. The Y-wings launched their torps. "No! We've gotta stop 'em!" Rob changed course, angling in ahead of the torps. "Rob,
what-"

"Just get the fighters, sir." Rob dropped in ahead of the torps, and his gun did what it did best. Rob flipped over and fired, taking out the one Y-wing that Delth hadn't gotten.

"Smooth flying, Lieutenant." The two men flew over the Fury to the other side or the battle. Here, the Rebs were really getting pounded, thanks to the intuitive flying of Two Flight and its leader.

"Commander, this is the Fury. Only two minutes left, but if we take one more hit to the reactor, we're finished."

"Roger that. We'll keep you safe." Even as the words left Delth's lips, a piercing wail made itself known. "Behind us!" Indeed, the last of the Y-wing had fired a pair of torps. Before Rob could believe it, Delth had broken back, firing wildly, making a beeline for the torps. Firing over and over, Delth released a terrific howl...and slammed into the torpedoes.

"Commander?" Rob said, barely able to believe what he'd just seen. "Commander? Are you there? Commander? Commander!......"

End chapter

(Sorry, Kel. I couldn't resist )

Dropping in to say hi and damn that was good. I LOVE military writing like that, mix in some Star Wars and you have an AWESOME fic so far. Made me want to go dig up my old TIE fighter game...too bad I use Windows XL now, won't run the old DOS games...

OMG! Stravo just complimented my fic! *faints*

Really good, however, you could be a bit more descriptive during the battle sequences. Read Station Leave. I have several battles in there. They aren't the best, but they'll give you an idea.

Battles! What a coincidence!

TEST PILOT: Ch. 9: Farewell, Commander

Hiss' voice. "He's gone, Two."

"No. No, that can't be...that Y-wing...he's DEAD MEAT!" Suddenly full of anger, Rob hit his afterburners and flew through the wreckage of his commander's fighter, targeting the Rebel pilot. There! Now you're a dead man! Rob launched his torps, which hit the Y-wing right in the cockpit. "Rot in Hell." Suddenly, he came back to his senses. "This is Two, I'm taking control of the Skulls." No protests came though as Rob scanned his threat boards. "Two flight, take care of those X-wings. Strike Squadron, Wolf Squadron, disengage and get back on the Fury. You need to jump as soon as possible."

"Skull two, you don't have the authority-"

"NOW! If there's another attack, the Fury won't survive! Get back to your hanger and don't waste time!"

A minute later: "Skull Two, this is the Fury. We've got all our fighters and we're ready to jump. Condolences on your loss. Good luck." The Fury became a streak of light.

"This is Two Flight, we've taken care of the last X-wings."

"Skulls, form up on the Redeemer. Let's go home."
...........

Shock. Pain. No one wanted to look at anyone else. Delth had been a friend, a leader...and now he was gone. Hiss sat in the mess, playing chess against himself and not speaking to anyone. Req drank himself into a stupor. Haman threw herself into working on her fighter, while Rob just sat and thank.

A few days later was the funeral. All of Hades installation turned up. Rob, in full dress uniform, stood beside the casket, which was draped with the Imperial flag. "Commander Delth was a good man, and a good pilot. He was also a good friend. He embodied many, if not all, of the qualities the Academy looks for in a leader. He believed in the Empire, and believed that as long as we held to our principles, we would win."

Rob swallowed, aware that his squadronmates' eyes were on him. He took a deep breath and continued. "Even in his last moments, he held true to his words. He had never served on the Fury, had never met her captain, had never walked her halls, yet he did not hesitate to give his life so that the Fury might escape. All of us should remember this man, and hope that somehow, we could bring ourselves up to his level." He stepped back and nodded to two MPs, who removed the flag and folded it. "Atten-TION!"

Everyone snapped to, their backs ramrod straight. "Present, ARMS!" They all snapped to salute. A tech manipulated a tractor beam, gently pushing the coffin out into space. The coffin slowly accelerated towards the sun, until it seemed to be a streak of light. "Farewell, Commander," Rob said. "To us, you'll always be a shooting star. Atten-TION!" They all dropped their salutes. "Dismissed."

As people slowly filed out, Colonel Ipord approached Rob, who hadn't moved. "How do you feel, Cloudrunner?"

"Don't hand me a blaster, sir."

Ipord tried to smile, failed, and took a breath. "It's never easy to let a friend go."

"And never should be."

You're right." He sighed. "Rob, I'm hereby promoting you to Lieutenant Commander, and putting you in charge of Skull Squadron."

Rob did not react. "Thank you sir." The Colonel tried to discern sorrow, pain, anything in Rob's tone, but couldn't.

Finally, he realized that there was nothing he could do. "Carry on." Rob did not turn as Ipord left.
............

That night, Rob awoke from a terrifying nightmare. It was a replay of the fight of the Fury, but...wrong. The Fury was a living thing, it's structure its bones, and it was crying out as the Rebel wasps stung it over and over. Rob tried to fight them, but there were more, always more. The Commander rammed one, but the Rebel just laughed. He woke up with Fury's screams echoing in his ears.

Sith, have I lost it? I need to talk. To Haman. Right now. He strode down the hall, which was darkened to give the Installation a sense of night and day. He found her in the hanger, working on her fighter. "Hey, Haman!" he called softly. She stiffened, but refused to turn around. "Hey, Haman, it's me!" He reached out to touch her shoulder, and she spun around. Sith! Her face was covered in cuts leaking blood, and her skin was eaten away, to the bone in some places!

"HAAAMAAAAANN!!!"

Whoa....


That was....


...wild.

I hate nightmares. Really good descriptions, IG.

Thanks. BTW, I have read Station Leave, and I think it's great. Like I said before, you write some excellent material.

Want to know something funny? I wrote Rogue Jedi first, Home Sweet Home and Station Leave at the same time... all three several years ago. I haven't improved any in my writing, either.

Kelly, hon, I'm gonna be totally honest...your writing doesn't NEED that much improving.

I needs one specific and very critical thing. Description. I suck at most description.

Now, if I could just figure out just what the GSDAs actually are.... as in what each award is for...

http://www.daltonator.net/fanfics/gsda.html

Go here, then click on the first link. Scroll down to see the awards.

Are they all SW vs. ST??

Yes.

Ok. Please continue your story.

(btw, I need a new sig... any suggestions?)

Working on it.

As for the sig....hmmm...

"Don't worry, my friend. The Force is MY ally." -Adi Gallia
I think that would be appropriate for you. A kind, noble, determined female Jedi.

Well lah tee dah! Surprise!

TEST PILOT Ch. 10: Strength Together

"HAAAMAAAAANN!!!" Rob shrieked as he sat up. He was still in his bunk. He slapped himself. Across the face, on the chest, everywhere. He was awake.

"Rob? Are you OK?" Haman stood in the doorframe, the door opened halfway, a look of concern on her face. Emperor's Black Bones, she looked beautiful! Rob collapsed back onto the bunk.

"Yeah, just a bad dream. You heard me?"

"Mm hmm." She entered, closing the door behind her, then crossed to kneel by his bunk. "I had a nightmare, too." He reached out and took her hands.

"No. Let's not bring those up."

She shuddered. "Good idea." She freed one of her hands and rested it on his forehead. "I can help you put that to rest. Close your eyes." He did so, without questions. He trusted her. Suddenly, he felt much calmer, his mind at peace. Then, his eyes snapped open and he grabbed Haman's arms, pulling her up onto the bunk. She gasped at the sudden movement. "Rob, what-"

"You're a Force user, aren't you, Haman?"

"I have no idea-"

"Don't lie! Answer me!" His eyes were burning.

"Yes," she whispered.

Rob's eyes opened as far as they could go. Suddenly, he released her, stood up, and stalked to the center of the room. "You know, there's a reward for Force-users out there. By all rights I should turn you in."

"No, Rob. You-"

"But I won't. Do you know why?" She shook her head, and his voice softened. "Because I'd have to turn myself in with you." Suddenly, she realized he was levitating! He was four inches off the deck!

"Rob! You know how to use the Force? And all this time, I had no idea!" He smiled as he set himself down, then came over to sit next to her on the edge of the bunk.

"Wanna hear a crazy story?" he asked, putting an arm around her.

She smiled. Her eyes were so honest. "Yes," she said, leaning into him and putting her own arms around him.

"Centuries ago, a group of Jedi decided to leave the Order. It was shortly after the Council decided that Jedi should no longer have family attachments. Well, these Jedi didn't like that idea, so they took their families and struck out for the Outer Rim. They eventually came to a remote, sandswept planet called Tatooine. They befriended the local minors and set up small towns called 'Mos's. Each family decided to take a new name to symbolize their break with the Jedi Order. Eventually, they named themselves after to Force skills that ran in their family. The Darklighter family could accelerate particles and cause themselves to glow. The Stonewallers were skilled at Force Shielding. The Sandskimmers could run and leap at fantastic speed. The Skywalkers and Cloudrunners were adept at levitation. The Fardreamers were precognicient. Thus, each family honored both their heritage and their new beginning."

"That's beautiful," she said softly. Who told you that story?"

"My grandmother. Very few people remember it anymore. The families married with the other people on the planet, and slowly our force skills dwindled. The Skywalkers died out, as far as I know, and when the Emperor purged the Jedi, all the records were lost."

"I'm sorry." She held him closer

He shrugged. "What's done is done. You don't have to apologize." He smiled slightly and leaned down to kiss her. Her lips met his, and for long minutes, they were lost in time. Slowly, her drew her closer, both in body and in the Force. I think I love you, Haman Calle, he said in her mind.

I love you too, Robert Cloudrunner.