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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400">Mission: Prelude</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400">Day: 1</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400">Stardate: 2446.03.23</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400">(Mars Perimeter - Fighters – Pilots Lt. Arthur ‘Snoopy’ Corday, Ensign Victor ‘Raid’ Montero, and Ensign Alexander
Dyson – 0949)</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400">Raid spoke “Ah, even odds then. Two on six.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400">=^=Two =^= replied Arthur’s voice. =^= thanks for the vote of confidence Raid. I count three of us. =^=</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400">Raid clicked his selecter to speak to just Arthur “Yea, you and me. Hotshot over there may fly shuttles, but
he knows nothing of fighter tactics and is going to be a liability. He’s going to be in the way.” </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400">Corday frowned, “Belay that. It’s our job to make sure he can make a difference and keep him alive. It’s his
first live dog fight. Remember yours?”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400">Arthur certainly remembered his. And it hadn’t been pretty. It was the real deal and his ship took a beating.
He almost bought the farm twice, but two other fighters had his 6. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400">=^=</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">Heads
up, Knight 1 you have the lead.=^= </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Copy that Knight 3,” he replied.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Mars is down,” he said. “Knight 2, form on on my high left, Knight 3 high right. On
my mark, we’re going old school with a Thach Weave. You two dive for Mars below the opfor, I’ll drive up. As you cross their plane, let go a pair of torpedoes. I don’t care if you hit anything, just to scatter them from their flight. We have more manoeuvrability
than they do, so use that to your advantage. Knight 3, keep an eye on Knight 2.” </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Roger that,” Snoopy said. His eyes narrowed and he was no longer Arthur Corday. Now
he was Snoopy, the youngest ace in the fleet. “Knight 2, time to earn your call sign.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">Arthur remembered when he earned his. He had gone four on one with some Orion pirates
after both his wingmen had been inoperative. He had splashed three of them and the fourth bugged out. The squad said that he fought like Snoopy in his Sopwith Camel. And he had been dubbed Snoopy. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“On the mark, Knight 2, dive at a forty-five degree angle and then loop back up. Keep
up or we’ll leave Raid hanging. On your mark Knight 1.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Acknowledged.” Alex said. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">~Time to get to work.~ And it would be a steep learning curve. Alex had heard about
Bravo Squadron. ~They are good.~ He looked at the AI display and considered turning the system on, but decided against it. If he was going to earn his call sign, he would have to do it cold. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Acknowledged,” he replied to the responses.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Mandy, how long to mark. “</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">=^= Three seconds, two seconds Mark, =^= his AI replied. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Execute, execute, execute,” he called over the radio, and actived is RCS thrusters
to point his fighter up before starting his speed run. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">Alex did as Snoopy had ordered him to do, pushing the throttle open as far as he could.
~Remember, not an aeroplane.~ Which meant he didn’t have to worry about his engine stalling. He hit his mark and his target appeared ahead of him. So he pulled the trigger, launching a pair of torpedoes as ordered. One missed and one hit. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Blast ! Missed one !”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“You also got a hit,” Snoopy encouraged. “Check on the damage to their shields.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">He had completed his move and fired two missiles. Both struck a different ship.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Acknowledged.” Alex said, while keying an order into his communications panel. ~Time
to see if that genius idea will actually work.~ The display came to life as the computer began searching for Bravo’s frequency. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">[Their shields dropped to 87% Snoopy,] Lucy informed him. [Analysing the data of their
shield fluctuations. A hit to their direct rear, or central dorsal.]</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Relay that information to the others,” Snoopy ordered.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">[Unable to comply.]</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“What? Explain,” Snoopy said.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">[Knight 2 has turned off his AI.]</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Turned off?!! Any sign of malfunction?” he asked.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">[Negative. It was turned off at the source. I already checked.]</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">The communications console beeped, meaning that the computer had found the frequency
that Bravo squadron was using. Of course, the communications between the fighters were encoded, so he could not hear what they were saying. ~Gotcha.~ </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">It was at this point that Snoopy yelled at him for having his AI turned off. “You kept
telling me how I was not ready for AI. Besides, I find them annoying.” ~You asked.~ Alex was not a fan of AI and since he couldn’t use the neural interface yet, he didn’t see any benefit in turning the thing on. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">Irritated at the Ensign’s lack of attention he said “I told you not to use the neural
interface. The AI is essential. It learns from your manoeuvres and anticipates your decisions, do when you ask for the ship to respond it does so faster. It is an edge that you will need in this fight.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he turned the AI on. ~Piece of unnecessary junk.~ The
computer asked him to pick the gender of the AI. Alex picked the female option. Then she asked for a name and he named it Vicky. Victoria Sanders had been a girl at the orphanage. She had been an annoying know-it-all </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">[AI Knight Two on-line]</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“You don’t need to interact with the AI, just let it do its job,” Corday said. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">The AI display showed data on several of the enemy fighters. “Orders ?”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“I have an idea to identify which fighter the lead pilot is in,” Alex began. “But
it’s far outside of the box. Anybody up for some unconventional tactics ?”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Belay that Knight 2. This isn’t a shuttle craft.” Montero said over his com. Assessing
the current situation. “Use your maneuverabilty, and loop behind them. Stay on Knight 3’s wing.” </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">Switching to Knight 3s frequence, “I’m going to do some razzle dazzle in front of
them, try to keep them focused on me. You two pick them off from the rear. The safeword is sickbay.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">Switching back to general frequence, Montero called “Knight flight, Execute. Execute.
Execute.” </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">Flipping on his RCS and thrusters, he shot ahead of the Opfor to line up facing them.
He started straffing their line with his phaser cannons before flipping the fighter around and shooting up, away from Mars. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">~You should have asked for forgiveness, not permission.~ Alex thought as he stuck close
to Snoopy and executed the manoeuvre Raid had ordered. This time he fired the phasers and unleashed a salvo of eight bolts. This time, only two shots missed. The remaining six all hit the same target, which was the same fighter that Snoopy had knocked down
to 87 percent before. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“Got him.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">[Tango’s shield down to 2 percent. One hit will kill tango.] Vicky announced as she
shared the data with the other fighters.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“That’d some good shooting kid,” Corday said. “:Don’t get cocky.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">~Turns out I’m better with the phasers then the fish.~ The Bravo fighter turned on its
axis and unleashed a salvo of fire, which Alex managed to dodge by the skin of his teeth. It was clear that Bravo Squadron had earned its reputation fair and square. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">[Shields down to ninety-five percent]</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">~Oh, to Hades with it.~ He kept moving and shooting, while giving Vicky an instruction.
He still didn’t like the AI one bit, but he had to admit that it would come in useful here. Alex set his radio to Bravo’s frequency and did his thing.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“La Donna è Mobile ! Qual…”</span></p>
<br>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">~Ugh!~ Snoopy thought, can I tell you how much I hate opera.~</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">~Come on, bite !~ Alex was trying to get under Bravo’s skin. And he got what he wanted
when a voice came over the radio, yelling at him. The yeller demanded that he identify himself and explain what he was doing on a Starfleet channel. Vicky locked in on the source of the transmission, which was the order he had given it before.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">[Fighter Three is Bravo Actual] Vicky said as she transmissed her finding to Snoopy
and Raid.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">“This is Knight Two, demonstrating that strategy is manoeuvres AND psychology. Anger
is the shortest route to a mistake. And for those of you thinking that this is a dirty trick…” He barely dodged another shot from Bravo. “...remember that we are practising for war. In the real thing, the enemy won’t give a hoot about Starfleet’s rules or
the Codes of Conduct. Knight Two out.”</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">He switched back their own channel. </span></p>
<br>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">(TBC)</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial;color:#201f1e;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:400">(Posted by Al, Ruben and Tim)</span></p>
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