ITOD Home > RS Tour 4 (BoP): Return to Subterrel > RS 401b: Gravity Wells on a Strike Cruiser?

Consequences

Mia sat in her crew quarters with her head in her hands and cried. Deep, sobbing cries of utter misery, long held in check, but realised now in a full torrent of emotion which threatened to drown her in self loathing. She knew there were always consequences of fighting on the front line, but until now, she just hadn’t understood just how difficult they could be.

* * * * * *

Three Days Previously….

Mia hated to admit it, but Varik was quite good company. The young Lieutenant from Gold Squadron had recently been called in by the Assault Transport Brier, when Mia’s craft had been destroyed trying to clear some mines, and Varik had not yet let Mia forget it.
‘So, it looks like we’re be out there again soon.’ Varik said, grinning as he took a large gulp of Forvish Ale. The distinct aroma of the beverage hit Mia’s nostrils like a sledgehammer, as she nursed her own poison of choice, a Corellian brandy.
‘Don’t expect to come rushing to my aid again Lieutenant.’ Mia replied, trying hard not to smile back at the young flight officer.
‘Oh, its Lieutenant now is it? You were a lot friendlier when we first got back onto the Windstrom…’ chuckled Varik, his eyes sparkling.
‘All I said is I owed you a drink, which you’re drinking now. So sip up, we’ve got work to do.’ Mia replied, giving in to the temptation to smile quickly back at Varik, who she had to admit, was rather handsome in his own cocksure way.

* * * * * *

Three Hours Previously…

‘Okay pilot’s, let get going to reach the hyperspace point, and we’re regroup when we arrive in system, On my mark, proceed.’ Lieutenant Colonel Ginofev’s voice came over Mia’s comlink. In overall command of a selection of Y-Wings and X-Wings from a number of squadrons apart from his own Gold Squadron, Ginofev’s voice sounded naturally tense, but fully in control. It was easy to forget he was still only in his mid-twenties.
‘Good Luck Dagger Eleven’ Varik’s disembodied voice crackled over the airwaves, and Mia cast a quick salute across at Varik’s Y-Wing cruising next to her X-Wing.
‘Cut the chatter Gold Nine’ Ginofev cut in, and Mia punched the controls to enter hyperspace, following the rest of the squadron.

* * * * * *

Two Hours Previously…

Mia was beginning to understand just how routine much of her duties were, as she tried to stifle a yawn as she patrolled the area around their venerable craft with the rest of the X-Wings yet again. Jumping into the system, everybody had been expecting a fight, but so far, the pirates had not showed, and half an hour had gone by smoothly.
But that soon changed. The first hostiles hyperspaced into the system shortly after Mia’s yawn, and Mia was soon following her flight leader to take them on.
Coming at her flight at high speed, the hostile wing of T-Wings opened up their laser cannons with deadly effect, and Mia was shocked to see just how much of punch they could make as she scrambled to twist her craft away from their barrage of fire.
After the first sweep past however, the young Lieutenant was able to get behind a pair of T-Wings and soon reduced them to flying pieces of twisted metal, their pilots screams cut short in the vacuum of uncaring space.
It was then that the TIE struck. Mia had been so intent on finishing the T-Wings that a lone modified TIE had swept up under her visual scanning and had took out one of her engines as her shields failed completely under its fire.
Careering desperately out of the way, Mia struggled to right her craft as the TIE started to come round for another pass.
‘I’ve got you Dagger 11.’ came Varik’s voice as suddenly the TIE exploded just as it was beginning to start firing at Mia’s crippled X-Wing.
‘Thanks Gold Nine. That’s another drink I owe you!’ Mia began to breathe again, despite still wrestling with her craft’s controls.
‘You sure do Lieutenant. You can’t do much good out here like that now though, best get back to the platform while I finish up here and remember to line up those ales.’ Replied Varik, the amusement sounding clear in his voice as he turned his craft around and headed towards a group of Z-95 Headhunters making a run a nearby Republic Interdictor.

* * * * * *

Twenty Minutes Ago…

Mia dutifully lined up a pint Forvish Ale for Varik in the officers lounge after she had landed with difficulty her damaged X-Wing. She had just heard that the pirates had been beaten back, and with our only light losses to the Republic. Shortly, she felt a hand rest softly on her shoulder, and turning, prepared herself for the first quip from Varik.
But I wasn’t Varvik, but Lieutenant Colonel Ginofev who stood by her. His face was haggard, with the sweat still plastering his blonde hair to his forehead, from where it had been confined in his helmet.
‘At ease, Lieutenant.’ Ginofev spoke quietly, taking a seat next to Mia.
‘Sir?’ Mia enquired.
‘There’s no easy way to tell you this, but Lieutenant Varik didn’t make it. I know you two were friends, and wanted to tell you personally, before you saw the official casualty list come up.’ Ginofev spoke sadly, before telling Mia how shortly after she had left the fray, Varik while stopping a torpedo run by Z-95, had been shot down. These details were lost on Mia however, who deep in shock, could only just mutter her thanks to Ginofev that he had told her personally, before hurriedly excusing herself to go to her cabin.

Light losses they had said. Light.