Threat Level Four
09 Feb 2018Viridian
CMDR Acroci's voice filled her canopy, "Hold on. Distress call, threat level four."Several weeks had passed and CMDR Viridian's training had mostly involved stalking nav points and cleaning criminals out of resource sites. She had earned enough credits through her services at multiple nearby stations to obtain her own Cobra MKIII, which was an accomplishment for the young pilot. Her hand shook on the stick as she watched the Federal Corvette turn and she pulled down on the throttle as she banked left.
"What? What do you mean, threat four?" she asked as she pushed her engines as hard as they would go to keep up with the Corvette.
"Just follow, Vi. Someone needs help."
She followed Acroci in the distance, staring the engine trails behind him. Beams as thick as her ship flashed in front of him as the pirate capital ship came into view. Her eyes widened; the breadth of the ship's hull was the size of a small station and its pulse lasers fired in almost every direction. The beams fried the hull of another capital nearby that pulsated the distress call.
"What do we do?" Viridian asked as she stared.
"We fight."
Acroci's ship pivoted as he began firing on the vessel. Despite the ship's size, he positioned himself quickly as he fired, aiming towards the engine's heatsinks first. Viridian angled her ship forward, swaying between the laser fire that seemed to rain in any direction she came.
"Shields offline," her panel echoed to her. Sparks suddenly flew from her navigation panel.
"Shit," she said as she reversed her engines, flipping her ship backwards before holding back on the stick to spin it upwards. "Crow, I can't get in close enough."
"I'm going to take down one of its guns. Vi, I want you to get in between their fire. I've called in for help. Armed will be here in a moment."
ArmedHyde was a pilot she mostly only knew by name. By the time the second Federal Corvette showed up, she had silenced herself on the communications link. Narrowing her brows, she shifted and spun her ship sideways when she pushed the throttle forward. Her pulse lasers rose from their chambers and she watched the panel as she approached.
No matter how many weapons Acroci shot down, it seemed like others took their place. No matter which way she approached, whether it was sideways or upside down, her shields dropped and she had to pull back from the zone.
Her canopy filled with radio noise. "Hang back, Vi. We're getting hammered in here."
"I still can't get in!"
"It's alright," Acroci said, "Stay safe. I don't want to have to pick you up from space."
She added a few more kilometers in her distance and watched the two Corvettes fire upon the pirate capital. It had at least turned its attention away from the other capital ship, giving it time to begin its repair cycles. She watched as both of her wingmates handled the ship in silence, calmly targeting its guns and arrays systematically. She turned her face when the night sky filled with the colossal bloom of fire and debris.
For a moment, she sat in silence, her engines set to zero. The echo of her communications link fizzled before Acroci spoke. "Well, that was... interesting."
"That was the distress call?"
"It was," Acroci said. "And you did well, Vi. I think you would do well in our tactical division."
She smiled. "But I didn't do anything."
"You know what ships you can fight," Acroci said, "and what ships you don't. And you kept your temper in check. I think you're ready for the promotion."
Her mouth opened and close. A smile crept across her face. "Thank you, commander."
"Don't thank. Just learn. Head back to base."
OOC:
This log entry is based on an actual, in-game event that occurred in LTT 779. Only some liberties were taken with the dialog. Thanks to the players who made this an amazing experience for a new player!
This log entry is based on an actual, in-game event that occurred in LTT 779. Only some liberties were taken with the dialog. Thanks to the players who made this an amazing experience for a new player!