Break On Through (Thuraman, Nate, Ashar)

[Jericho Tiberius]

Four of the twelve Interceptor's reserved for Saber Squadron were set out, being prepared for the day's training exercise. Each brandished the crimson strip along their solar panels of the Corellian Blood Stripe. Jericho, being as informal as he was, didn't take the time to explain things on the ground. The three pilots requested had their time and location, and it was up to them to make it and join him in the air. Finishing his climb up the ladder, he swung a leg over the cockpit's roof canopy and climbed down within.

He nestled down into the seat, shifting his frame left and right to adjust his position. A brief glance was shot up to his facilitating mechanic, reaching up to receive his helmet. "You move my seat? You know I hate when people move my seat." He was of course kidding, throwing a smirk up and giving a brief tap of his fist to the man before he was left alone. All he could hear was the click of boots on the rungs of the ladder as she began to pull on and situate the helmet.

As the engines warmed up, he checked the pressure sensitivity of his flight suit, as well as the seals and ventilation of his personal life support. Where they were going, little of it would be needed, but it was always best to be prepared. "Mic check. Test test. Shall I sing a song?" He keyed over comm's to the other fighters. His fingers danced across switches, and tapped gauges, ensuring green's across the board.

"Saber 1, prepped for launch." He waited for each fighter to check in, provided the 1-4 temporary designation they had been assigned. When the last person checked in, his engines built in volume as he began to lift the ship off. "So who want's to guess what we're up to today? There may be a prize involved for the winner." Their new Chiss pilot would learn quick how laid back her CO could be, bringing a casual banter to the training exercise.

[Ashar Kleor]

Being accepted in the Imperial Navy had lifted a significant weight off of her shoulders. Things were falling into place and she had hope for the first time in a long while. She didn't want to lose focus though and had read a lot about the Tie Interceptors she would be flying, now she had been assigned to Saber Squadron. She had spent hours in the sims and had also gone to the hangars to get acquainted with the ships in a closer manner.

She showed up on time to the training exercise. Dressed in her black uniform, her helmet under her arm, her crimson eyes drifted to the others. She didn't really know who would be flying today, save for the squadron leader, Jericho Tiberius. The man's laid back attitude confused her. Years spent in both of the Ascendancy Fleet had made her used to clear cut orders and impeccable manners. This new atmosphere and way of doing things would take some time for her to get used to.

She headed for the ship she had been assigned on this day. Having caught sight of one of the four starfighters already taking off, she guessed - hopefully well - that she should just leave the hangar as well. Once all was confirmed as good to go on her ship, she climbed up in the cockpit, adjusted her helmet and gloves, before getting ready to lift.

Saber 4, prepped for launch. She replied when it was time. After Tiberius had taken off, she followed suite with the others. The Tie Interceptor was nervous, proving that her hours spent at the sim were important.

The question that came up made her a little uncomfortable. She was tempted to remain silent, and let the others answer; but she mentally scolded herself. She had chosen to come here, so she had to adjust to the new life. So, she decided to speak up, her Chiss accent audible in her voice.

Team work training, I suppose. Her tone was rather stiff, but it was just how she was. Unless, you are all planning to gang up on me, to see whether I can survive, but then you'd prefer keeping the element of surprise instead of asking this question, sir. One of her former CO when she had started in the Ascendancy fleet had a very rough way to ensure the new recruits were up to speed.

[Nate Alcine]

"Three, prepped," was Nate's simple response.

Within his own cockpit, Nathaniel rolled his eyes at the fem Chiss' prompt response. Could she say that with any more words? Maybe present a whole monologue?

"Target practice, perhaps?" he offered, only because Lead had posed a question to them and he thought he ought to respond. The ex-pirate had already had issues in the TIE Bomber Squadron he'd flown in; Nate didn't want to get off on the wrong foot with Tiberius.

[Mitth’urama’nuruodo]

The past several months had seen Thuraman based more in the engineering and mechanical side of the Imperial Navy. The assignment had come from command after a particularly savage campaign that had seen an extended operation in Chiss space which had resulted in his expertise being used as an advisory roll.
He had enjoyed it, the Lieutenant being forced out of his comfort zone and into new styles of service. Yet through it all he had always wanted to return to this, his first love. The 181st.
“Training exercise.” The message had stated, a response to command re-assigning the Chiss to the elite squadron. “We need a substitute for one of the newer pilots.”
Now here he was, the familiar black jump suit already zipped up, the Corellian blood-stripe, earned through service matching the marking on the interceptor he had stood next too.
Clambering into the cockpit allowed Thuraman to feel the tightness of the interceptor, a familiar and comforting sensation that made most feel claustrophobic.
The engines began to hum, the initial roar of the TIE creating a small lurch of anticipation in the Lieutenant’s belly.
His helmet was lowered onto his head and the seal began to create a lock around his neck. It was mildly uncomfortable at first but as soon as the artificial and slightly stale air began to pump into the helmet from his suit’s life support he felt completely at ease.
“Saber two.” As short as ever. Thuraman’s accented reply complimented the others as his TIE-Interceptor finished all it’s initial checks and the Chiss pilot bought up his display showing the locations of the other three pilots.
Jericho offered out a question that was quickly answered by the other two pilots, one seemed too eager to speak, the other unsure of his answer. While he was about to respond to keep chatter minimal he realised he had to give them a slight bit of release, they were new and probably getting used to the way the unit worked.
Jericho was the CO, he was the skill and the brains but his comfortable attitude often created a false sense of protocol amongst the other pilots. Thuraman, as the next ranked officer was no different really. Yes he was slightly more serious at first, often given the title as the protocol man. However the truth was that he was really just as easy on the command as his CO
“Training excerise eight three.” Was Thuraman’s response. His own form of humour which would be caught by no one but Jericho. There was no training excerise eight three, in fact it was Saber code for ‘let’s chase the newbies around until they cry.

[Jericho Tiberius]

The other three TIE Interceptor's joined him in the atmosphere of Bastion, and he kept a steady course with medium speed for the time being, not wanting to get too far away from the goal. "Negatory across the board, at least for the primary goal. Target Practice may be in the eventual plans, and a modification to your answer might be in the cards as well, 2. So, since no one got our primary objective, I get the prize. Each of you owes me a drink at the Hard Heart."

He'd never stipulated the consequences, but he had every intention of unwinding with the others and establishing a deeper comraderie. It was one thing to train together, but training together never revealed the faces of ones comrades. He wanted them to see each other face to face. To know more than the voice, but to know the person. A face was much harder to create a disconnect from.

"Everyone here has flown in space, and at least at once time passed through a planet's atmosphere to space." He leaned his stick to the left, curling his craft into a wide turn to head him back the direction they came from. If they were paying attention, they'd be right there with him. "Space is easy. You can turn easier in space, you can build speed easier, and their are no weather effects to contend with. Not every mission will have the luxury of being carried out in space though, so we're going to practice atmospheric maneuvering."

"Loose formation, keep the same direction but fly as you need." If someone wanted to create snaking patterns, left and right, so be it. Up and down? No problem. "Who checked the weather today and is familiar with the east heading wind we have going?" With that said, he turned his craft westward. It fought to make a tight turn and was forced wider. It also fought to kick it's speed back up following the turn, heading into the wind. It wasn't just the wind though, it was the sheer density of the atmosphere. Every maneuver had SOME resistance.

"Who can tell me which of the ships we fly, is the worst to use intra atmosphere and why?" It wasn't just experience flying, but facts. Better done in the cockpit, then in a classroom.

[Ashar Kleor]

Due to her experience, she was on her guard, for being chased down to be tested wouldn't be a far fetched decision from the rest of the imperial pilots, who all outranked her for what she had gathered. Having worked as a flight instructor during the recent years prior to her move to imperial territory, she could have pulled that on a new recruit herself.

The whole chitchat aspect of the exchange between pilots still made her a bit dumbfounded. Being given straightforward orders were what she was used to, but all of this was a learning experience and she had to adjust, even when she felt awkward.

Noted. She replied to Tiberius's answer about what was up and how they all owed him a drink. The thought of socializing with other pilots so quickly left her a bit wary, but she would do that, if it was mandatory. She wasn't the type to shy away from duty, even when it took unusual shapes.

She followed emerging flying patterns and when they got to the crux of the matter, she felt a little bit of excitement tug at her. Atmospheric flying was challenging and something she hadn't done in a few months, but she used to be damn good at that. Of course, the Tie Interceptor wasn't the same kind of ship and she was still getting used to it, but she welcomed the opportunity.

The way everything was tougher and more challenging as the craft met the atmosphere kept her on her toes. She knew that her previous experience only got her so far as she needed to learn the Tie better. She held her ground and was able to follow at least.

To the next question posed, she didn't have an answer. Going through the different ships used in the Imperial squadrons in her head, her only suggestion would be that the A-9 Vigilance Interceptor was likely the least useful for such flying, due to its lesser reliability. She chose to remain silent for the time being though.

[Nate Alcine]

"Bombers are unwieldy even in space," Nathaniel replied.

He didn't know if that was what Tiberius was going for, but that was his professional experience. He'd had enough missions in the twin cockpit lately - in and out of atmosphere - to have that opinion.

Nathaniel cut off his comm so he could sigh. There was always an itch on his scalp, which was unreachable thanks to the TIE's lacking life support.

[Mitth’urama’nuruodo]

Inter-atmospheric flying.
Oh how Thuraman hated Jericho right now.
Switching the interceptor west and into the wind flow was hard enough, but with the interceptors design the resistance against the Ion-engines was enough to make sure that the Lieutenant kept his hand firmly held agains the controls while his other continuously switched around thrust capacity and energy output.
“I already bought you drinks last night Saber-One.” Thuraman said simply, “You said it was your shout tonight.”
The existing 181st pilots were a special case in the Imperial War machine. They were legends in their own minds and considered the elite by their peers. Actually gifted with the ability to not be just another number in Imperial commands heads meant that the squadron held a respected place in the systems of the Empire a respect that allowed them to be slightly less…
Imperial.
It was really the only way he could put it. Try and find another squadron that spoke as openly and easily as this.
Jericho requested his question and Thuraman listened to the answers, or at least the answer. The other Chiss pilot had seemingly ceased her talking completely. Hopefully she was still alive in there.
“A Bomber is designed to complete the majority of its missions in atmosphere. While bulky the ship contains a four thruster system that allows for greater handling in atmospheric conditions.” Thuraman replied, not trying to sound like he was putting down the answer but more like an encouraging correction. “The TIE/INT struggles outside of space situations due to its more dedicated systems. While blisteringly fast in orbit we loose handling and speed when resistance in added. The same can be said for the TIE/LN but the issues mostly evolve from having wings twice as big as your hull.”

[Jericho Tiberius]

"Our standard TIE Fighter." That was the answer he sought, and Thuraman had caught it, though aimed to use the more technical name for the craft. "Our flying dictionary has it. No reward though." He teased, often associating nicknames, even termporarily, with others. His throttle slowed a bit as they approached the city, wishing to get out his statement before he had to focus on his flight more. "It is the wing span. It's resistance proves the most difficult to manage in atmosphere. The dagger like wings of our current craft at least aid with aerodynamics better."

"Throttle up, and don't break anything." That was the last thing he planned to say for the moment. He throttled his own craft up right as they reached the city limits. Being one of the Empire's fastest fighters, that was saying a lot. The quartet of Interceptor's entered the city's airspace, and he brought them in towards the high rises. They'd had the freedom of a lax formation, which meant they didn't need to follow him between every building, only maintain a specific direction.

His craft banked left and downward, passing under a walkway that connected two highrise buildings, approximately thirty stories up. The glass panes of the buildings he passed between vibrated, but were reinforced enough to withstand the pressure and prevent shattering. He immediately drew back on the stick, kicking his craft into a climb, far more difficult given the atmosphere and speed at which he flew. A leftward draw back of his flight stick had his craft taking a wide upward spiral around of one of Bastion's largest skyscrapers.

[Ashar Kleor]

She listened to the given answers and then their leader's clarification. She stored the information in her mind, knowing she still had much reading and practice to do. Though her previous career and accomplishments helped her learn quickly, she wasn't so bold at thinking that she didn't need to expand her knowledge. She liked the challenges flying with the Sabers presented and it was only more motivation for her to prove her worth and earn her stripes with the Empire.

As they reached the city's airspace, she felt some kind of excitement, something she wasn't the kind to share in an extrovert manner at all, especially given her upbringing. She still loved to fly and how challenging this session was.

She followed the general direction Tiberius was giving them, but she was mostly careful into keeping speed without crashing into anything. Her movements weren't always the most fluid, but she didn't get into anyone's way and bit by bit, she was pushing herself and her craft more.

[Nate Alcine]

Nathaniel made no comment about the little pop quiz.

Instead, he focused on following Tiberius' maneuver expertly. He kept a close eye on the proximity of his wingmates, never having flown with any of these Chiss before.

Chiss! Why are there so many Chiss here?!

[Mitth’urama’nuruodo]

Thuraman was used to following Jericho’s lead.
The craft keeping up with Sabre One yet also maintaining enough room for the two newer recruits to be between him and the lead TIE as it was essentially their training.

The High rises shifted past them, racing like giant teeth with no body. He gracefully moved the TIE between a pair of them, under and over a walkway and them up in a near vertical climb that got his heart racing as they circled one of Bastion largest buildings, part of which was military housing if he remembered correctly.

The systems in the TIE continued to blare out information at him, most of it being warnings at flying like he was, but they were Sabre pilots…this was easy.

[Jericho Tiberius]

His breathing accelerated through the climb, the G Forces weighing on him but his flight suit and helmet doing well to mitigate them. It kept him from blacking out, particularly as he let his throttle subside and jerked the control stick to the right. His craft rolled over, the forked tips of his craft pitching downwards as the ship quickly gathered speed on it’s descent. “Don’t break my ships, or our city.” He reminded them, giving them permission to pull up when they needed.

His breathing continued to pick up pace, vitals spiking as adrenaline challenged him to push harder but also to pull out of his dive. He waited until the last possible moment he was comfortable with pulling up, and then waited another moment before actually doing so. He kicked his repulsor’s on with an adjustment of his controls, forcing the tips of his wings up and kicking him out of his dive to give that extra bit of help in recovering. “Risky maneuvers, but don’t forget even your landing tools. Everything his ship has as it’s disposal, can be used. Your Repulsor’s, for example, can give you that extra force against the ground to pull out of a dive or skim a super structure you might get too near to.”

He grew in altitude, guiding the ship away from the city and towards a less civilized area of Bastion. “A novice pilot playing chase with you will likely pull out of the dive sooner, and your delayed dive might put you behind them.” He continued to instruct, showing general application of such a maneuver. “Canyon up ahead. We’ll make runs through it, one at a time.” There were many paths through the canyon, all with there own markers to target. It would be up to each pilot which path they took.

[Ashar Kleor]

She still missed her clawcraft if she had to be really honest. The TIE were exciting in maneuveribility though and learning new things was also why she had enlisted in the Imperial Army. Being able to train outside of the sims and in real environments was always something different. Both served their purposes, but real life training was always her favorite.

She was still getting used to the information overload and how her craft reacted. Even with years under her belt in the Chiss Fleet, this wasn't the same and she had to go back to start in certain regards.

When she went for a descent in between buildings, she got scared but kept it to herself. Getting scared in a cockpit was of no use if it overwhelmed you. She forced herself to keep control, even when her breathing was accelerating and she felt her nerves taking a toll on her.

Gripping the controls she managed to pull up earlier than she might have with a clawcraft, but still decently enough. Catching her breath and feeling her heart pounding like crazy, the Chiss followed the leader again, as they were headed towards some canyons.

What he explained about how using everything the ship had made a lot of sense even though she didn't say a word about it. She simply followed towards the canyon and then flew in standby, waiting to be given the go.

[Nate Alcine]

Having followed him through the urban maneuvers with relative ease, the only thing that made him nervous was trusting the other pilots. While he was weirded out that they were all Chiss, it was just that he didn't know them and had to blindly trust.

Urban canyon, rural canyon, Nathaniel thought.

The ex-pirate gave his comm a double click to indicate he'd heard Lead's orders.