((This is the RP thread for the TIE Schutzstaffel, TIE Hurrikane, and TIE Storm.))
The two fighters rounded the last bend and headed for the home stretch. Well, bend was a relative term. During their month leave, a few of the members of the ISF had come up with the idea for an intersquadron competition. Right now, Red and Black Squadrons were competing in a fighter race. The fleet had been spread out, and an intricate racetrack promised to test the pilot's skills to the limit. Red and Black were in the lead now, but Gray wasn't far behind. Green had already dropped out - some sort of engine trouble with the Defender. The other three were tightly packed, and it was anybody's race.
Wesley Vos watched from the bridge of the Tyrant, the ship that had been the final turn. He was pleased with his pilots' performances - their times were extraordinary. But he didn't get to watch the finish. As he stood there, the communicator chimed, indicating an incoming call. Wes turned to answer it as Gray pulled ahead of the other two and crossed the line, beating the other squadrons by a hair.
"Yes?" Wes asked.
The voice that came over the other line was one that he had not heard in some time. "Colonel Vos, this is Director Snead of Sienar Fleet Systems. The prototypes you asked for are ready."
That did please Wes. "Good! Actually, now's the perfect time to test them out." He stared out the viewport at the carrier that was approaching. "Bring a few of the fighters over to the Tyrant. We'll let my boys have a little fun."
The new TIE Schutzstaffels landed in the Tyrant's docking bay beside the recently returned Defenders. The racers - Thrahrn, Selere, Nyang, and Lomax - were the first to notice them. "Kriff!" exclaimed Selere. "What are those?"
Lomax immediately fell in love with them. "Whatever they are, they sure are nice."
Colonel Vos strode up behind them. "They are at that. And they're for you."
The others turned to look at him. "Familiarize yourself with your new fighter, the TIE Schutzstaffel. Then I'm going to send you four out in a mock battle against eight Defenders. I'm betting on you all to win."
The four smiled. This was going to be fun.
Captain Racen Selere locked himself into his fighter. This thing was a beauty. The controls were similar to the Mk. II Phantom, so it didn't take long for him to know how to fly it. The real test would be seeing how it handled in space.
The four Schutzstaffels launched, heading out in the shadow of the Astrus Star Destroyer. A few simple maneuvers later, the four realized that these craft handled just as well as their Defenders, if not better. They were at least as maneuverable, and probably close to the same speed. And their design facilitated much better abilities in space combat.
The comm crackled. It was Thrahrn, chosen as wing leader for this battle by mutual agreement. He had the most flight time of any of the other captains. "Alright, boys. Flat diamond formation. Lomax, you're in the hole. Let's see how these things fight."
Selere quicly glanced over his inventory for battle. Six laser cannons, can be linked fire, one missile tube. Alrighty. Let's go then. The missiles weren't loaded - it was a mock battle, after all - so guns it would be. In this area the Schutzstaffels had a distinct advantage; six guns was a lot better than four.
Two wings of Black Squadron launched their Defenders from the Vos and headed towards the squadron commanders. "Shields forward, at maximum," commanded Thrahrn.
The fighters met with a clash. The Defenders split into two wings and began to turn, as Thrahrn knew they would. "Break!" he commanded.
Lomax, hidden behind the other three, looped his craft and dropped in behind one of the wings, taking out two Defenders before they even knew what had hit them. As they turned to face this new threat, the other three dropped in and took out the other two. Now it was four on four. The rest of the fight didn't last much longer.
The four fighters landed in the Tyrant's bay. The pilots exited, chattering like kids who had just received new toys. Selere approached Wes. "I want two."
Wes laughed. "You'll get them," he said. "However, I want you to accompany me to the bridge now. We've got two more demonstrations to watch.
The carrier had launched a small amount of garbage into space. Each piece was designed to be about the same size as a fighter, and they surrounded a larger piece of trash, something that looked like it had once been part of a frigate. "Alright. Here's a demonstration of our second type of craft, the TIE Hurrikane Fighter/Bomber."
At that moment, the carrier launched the new craft. The six fighters oriented themselves and headed for the frigate in formation. Wes, on the bridge of the Tyrant, spoke to his men. "The Scimitars in our fleet are going to be replaced with this craft. They'll usually accompany the first wave, or come in right behind it. They're not as maneuverable or as fast as the Schutzstaffels, but they can function as fighters if necessary."
As the Hurrikanes got close to the garbage, streams of energy began to fly from the turrets behind the cockpit, destroying many of the garbage pieces within a few seconds. Wes continued his commentary. "That, captains, is a new Sienar weapon, the P-s9.8x Repeating Laser Cannon. Six rotating barrels, and it puts out as much energy as the six guns on the Schutzstaffel by itself. In the same amount of time."
The men watched in awe as the guns ripped apart the garbage easily. "Nothing to it," Wes finished. "Now, for the bombing run."
The Hurrikanes reformed into a line and began their run on the frigate. Two torpedoes arched out from each as they peeled away, contacting with the ruined capital ship and breaking it in two. "So," Wes asked, "what do you think?"
Captain Nyang of Red Squadron spoke first. "I like them. When do we get them?" Wes smiled. Nyang had a strong liking for bombers, especially ones that could defend themselves.
"You don't," Wes answered. "Our fleet will recieve them as soon as they're built."
He turned back to the viewport. "I have one more demonstration for you."
The four captains turned back to the viewport as six other craft were launched from the carrier. More garbage was shot into space, and the four prepared for a repeat of the last. They were in no way prepared for what they saw.
When the larger bombers came in range of the garbage, so much energy filled the space in front of them that it was blinding. "Stang!" said Selere. "What the kriff are they carrying?"
Wes smiled. "Remember that turreted gun on the Hurrikane? The new TIE Storm carries four, two in each wing, plus four single cannons." The captains' mouths dropped in shock.
Thrahrn snorted. "Well, I sure as heck wouldn't want to fly against one of them. You come at them from the front, you're dead. What about maneuverability?"
"Well, that's the problem," Wes replied. "They're vulnerable from most directions, hence, they can only be second-wave bombers. Or have a whole lot of good fighter cover."
Thrahrn pondered that for a moment. "Still, it's a dangerous craft. Shields are good, I assume?"
"Fair," Wes answered. "Good enough to hold for an attack run or two. But these bombers don't need more than that to completely wreck a capital ship. As you'll see in a second."
They turned back to the window as the last of the garbage was decimated by the repeating cannons. The bombers literally lined up and split into two flights of three. The first ship in each flight launched its torpedoes, and the captains were shocked once again. Four torpedoes shot from the bow of each bomber simultaneously, arching towards their targets quickly. The other flight did the same. Wes turned and looked at his commanders' shocked faces.
"Each Storm carries four missile launchers to allow it to unload its payload quickly and retreat to wherever it needs to go, generally back to a carrier. However, they are hyperspace capable - actually, all the new craft are - so the ships won't necessarily be lost if the carrier is destroyed or forced to retreat."
Selere shook his head. "And the entire fleet is going to be outfitted with these?"
"The TIE Bombers currently with the fleet will be replaced with these. Hurrikanes will replace the Scimitars."
Selere chuckled. "Then I feel sorry for the kriffing Coalition," he said, "because now, we will shoot the poor fellows dead."
Wes smiled. "Good to hear you like them. I put in an order to Sienar already - the ships should be completed in a few months. After our next action. Captain Selere, Captain Lomax, this one's for you. We've had reports of unrest on a planet near the Confederation borders. I want you to go and...facilitate the conflict to the Empire's interests. Meet me in my quarters, and I'll give you more detailed instructions." The five officers parted ways.
The two fighters rounded the last bend and headed for the home stretch. Well, bend was a relative term. During their month leave, a few of the members of the ISF had come up with the idea for an intersquadron competition. Right now, Red and Black Squadrons were competing in a fighter race. The fleet had been spread out, and an intricate racetrack promised to test the pilot's skills to the limit. Red and Black were in the lead now, but Gray wasn't far behind. Green had already dropped out - some sort of engine trouble with the Defender. The other three were tightly packed, and it was anybody's race.
Wesley Vos watched from the bridge of the Tyrant, the ship that had been the final turn. He was pleased with his pilots' performances - their times were extraordinary. But he didn't get to watch the finish. As he stood there, the communicator chimed, indicating an incoming call. Wes turned to answer it as Gray pulled ahead of the other two and crossed the line, beating the other squadrons by a hair.
"Yes?" Wes asked.
The voice that came over the other line was one that he had not heard in some time. "Colonel Vos, this is Director Snead of Sienar Fleet Systems. The prototypes you asked for are ready."
That did please Wes. "Good! Actually, now's the perfect time to test them out." He stared out the viewport at the carrier that was approaching. "Bring a few of the fighters over to the Tyrant. We'll let my boys have a little fun."
***
The new TIE Schutzstaffels landed in the Tyrant's docking bay beside the recently returned Defenders. The racers - Thrahrn, Selere, Nyang, and Lomax - were the first to notice them. "Kriff!" exclaimed Selere. "What are those?"
Lomax immediately fell in love with them. "Whatever they are, they sure are nice."
Colonel Vos strode up behind them. "They are at that. And they're for you."
The others turned to look at him. "Familiarize yourself with your new fighter, the TIE Schutzstaffel. Then I'm going to send you four out in a mock battle against eight Defenders. I'm betting on you all to win."
The four smiled. This was going to be fun.
***
Captain Racen Selere locked himself into his fighter. This thing was a beauty. The controls were similar to the Mk. II Phantom, so it didn't take long for him to know how to fly it. The real test would be seeing how it handled in space.
The four Schutzstaffels launched, heading out in the shadow of the Astrus Star Destroyer. A few simple maneuvers later, the four realized that these craft handled just as well as their Defenders, if not better. They were at least as maneuverable, and probably close to the same speed. And their design facilitated much better abilities in space combat.
The comm crackled. It was Thrahrn, chosen as wing leader for this battle by mutual agreement. He had the most flight time of any of the other captains. "Alright, boys. Flat diamond formation. Lomax, you're in the hole. Let's see how these things fight."
Selere quicly glanced over his inventory for battle. Six laser cannons, can be linked fire, one missile tube. Alrighty. Let's go then. The missiles weren't loaded - it was a mock battle, after all - so guns it would be. In this area the Schutzstaffels had a distinct advantage; six guns was a lot better than four.
Two wings of Black Squadron launched their Defenders from the Vos and headed towards the squadron commanders. "Shields forward, at maximum," commanded Thrahrn.
The fighters met with a clash. The Defenders split into two wings and began to turn, as Thrahrn knew they would. "Break!" he commanded.
Lomax, hidden behind the other three, looped his craft and dropped in behind one of the wings, taking out two Defenders before they even knew what had hit them. As they turned to face this new threat, the other three dropped in and took out the other two. Now it was four on four. The rest of the fight didn't last much longer.
***
The four fighters landed in the Tyrant's bay. The pilots exited, chattering like kids who had just received new toys. Selere approached Wes. "I want two."
Wes laughed. "You'll get them," he said. "However, I want you to accompany me to the bridge now. We've got two more demonstrations to watch.
***
The carrier had launched a small amount of garbage into space. Each piece was designed to be about the same size as a fighter, and they surrounded a larger piece of trash, something that looked like it had once been part of a frigate. "Alright. Here's a demonstration of our second type of craft, the TIE Hurrikane Fighter/Bomber."
At that moment, the carrier launched the new craft. The six fighters oriented themselves and headed for the frigate in formation. Wes, on the bridge of the Tyrant, spoke to his men. "The Scimitars in our fleet are going to be replaced with this craft. They'll usually accompany the first wave, or come in right behind it. They're not as maneuverable or as fast as the Schutzstaffels, but they can function as fighters if necessary."
As the Hurrikanes got close to the garbage, streams of energy began to fly from the turrets behind the cockpit, destroying many of the garbage pieces within a few seconds. Wes continued his commentary. "That, captains, is a new Sienar weapon, the P-s9.8x Repeating Laser Cannon. Six rotating barrels, and it puts out as much energy as the six guns on the Schutzstaffel by itself. In the same amount of time."
The men watched in awe as the guns ripped apart the garbage easily. "Nothing to it," Wes finished. "Now, for the bombing run."
The Hurrikanes reformed into a line and began their run on the frigate. Two torpedoes arched out from each as they peeled away, contacting with the ruined capital ship and breaking it in two. "So," Wes asked, "what do you think?"
Captain Nyang of Red Squadron spoke first. "I like them. When do we get them?" Wes smiled. Nyang had a strong liking for bombers, especially ones that could defend themselves.
"You don't," Wes answered. "Our fleet will recieve them as soon as they're built."
He turned back to the viewport. "I have one more demonstration for you."
The four captains turned back to the viewport as six other craft were launched from the carrier. More garbage was shot into space, and the four prepared for a repeat of the last. They were in no way prepared for what they saw.
When the larger bombers came in range of the garbage, so much energy filled the space in front of them that it was blinding. "Stang!" said Selere. "What the kriff are they carrying?"
Wes smiled. "Remember that turreted gun on the Hurrikane? The new TIE Storm carries four, two in each wing, plus four single cannons." The captains' mouths dropped in shock.
Thrahrn snorted. "Well, I sure as heck wouldn't want to fly against one of them. You come at them from the front, you're dead. What about maneuverability?"
"Well, that's the problem," Wes replied. "They're vulnerable from most directions, hence, they can only be second-wave bombers. Or have a whole lot of good fighter cover."
Thrahrn pondered that for a moment. "Still, it's a dangerous craft. Shields are good, I assume?"
"Fair," Wes answered. "Good enough to hold for an attack run or two. But these bombers don't need more than that to completely wreck a capital ship. As you'll see in a second."
They turned back to the window as the last of the garbage was decimated by the repeating cannons. The bombers literally lined up and split into two flights of three. The first ship in each flight launched its torpedoes, and the captains were shocked once again. Four torpedoes shot from the bow of each bomber simultaneously, arching towards their targets quickly. The other flight did the same. Wes turned and looked at his commanders' shocked faces.
"Each Storm carries four missile launchers to allow it to unload its payload quickly and retreat to wherever it needs to go, generally back to a carrier. However, they are hyperspace capable - actually, all the new craft are - so the ships won't necessarily be lost if the carrier is destroyed or forced to retreat."
Selere shook his head. "And the entire fleet is going to be outfitted with these?"
"The TIE Bombers currently with the fleet will be replaced with these. Hurrikanes will replace the Scimitars."
Selere chuckled. "Then I feel sorry for the kriffing Coalition," he said, "because now, we will shoot the poor fellows dead."
Wes smiled. "Good to hear you like them. I put in an order to Sienar already - the ships should be completed in a few months. After our next action. Captain Selere, Captain Lomax, this one's for you. We've had reports of unrest on a planet near the Confederation borders. I want you to go and...facilitate the conflict to the Empire's interests. Meet me in my quarters, and I'll give you more detailed instructions." The five officers parted ways.