A TIE Defender screamed across the sky. Following it at a much slower speed the Gamma Assault Shuttles Stellar Warrior and Diablo were escorted by three other TIE Defenders.

Brand smiled, whoever had invented this fighter was a genius. Perfect maneouverability, speed, defence and firepower to match a B-Wing. Glancing at his sensors he noticed that his wingmate Crimson 2 had slowed considerably.

"Two this is One, what's wrong?" Brand asked.

"My port engine's overheating a bit sir. It's in the caution zone." Two said.

"Alright radio ahead and tell Lieutenant Trawney to suit up. Then get yourself a new fighter and pair up with his wingmate." Brand said.

"Yes Sir."

Brand glanced at his sensors and saw Crimson Two peel away from the group leaving them with just 3 fighters.

"Five, fall back and take up Two's position. Wait unill Three comes. Lieutenant Pierce, we're going to be short a fighter for a few minutes." Brand said.

"Yes Sir." Said Petothel.

"Fine sir." Said Pierce.

Captain Brand slowed his fighter and maneouvered it so that his Defender was at a stand-still over the forest he was going to torch.

"Launch Torpedoes in 5 seconds.......2........1. Crimson Lead two away." he said.

"Crimson 3 two away."

"Crimson 5 two away."

"Crimson 6 two away."

Eight Torpedoes burned in on the forest. A second before impact they all exploded sending a highly flammable concotion from the Directorate of Science and Technology over the jungle. Brand's comm crackled.

"Sir, it looks like we have complete coverage. We should feel free to strafe the area." Said Flight Officer Lara Petothel.

"Thank you 5. 1-1 and 2-1 are your men clear?" Brand asked.

"Team 1 is clear."

"Team 2 is clear."

"Alright Crimson Squad let's light this forest up." Said Brand.

Brand heeled his starfighter over into a dive. Setting his lasers to single fire he began to spray fire over the trees. From 3 other points around the forest the rest of his squad did the same. Suddenly there was a burst and the whole forest exploded into a boilling inferno. Brand pulled back on his stick hard sending his fighter up into a near ninety degree climb.

"Alright Crimson Squad good work. Three, you stay here and orbit, the rest of you form up. We're going to pay a visit to Primary Location 2."

"Yes Sir." Three said.

Brand pulled his fighter into a hard turn right untill he was facing due south. Just over that set of hills Wraith Engineers escorted by Team 3 would be setting up his new home.

Major Brightling slowly crawled forward. Ahead of him the Opposing Force or OpFor for this exercise were thought to have entrenched heavy weapons emplacements.

"Fire Team 2 move into Sector Three."

A double tap came over his comm telling him that the message had been received.

"This is 2-1 Sector Three is clear."

Suddenly there was an explosion in the supposedly secure sector three.

"2-1 is hit. 2-1 is hit."

That was the last call received from team 2.

"Fire Team 3 get to sector 4. Team 4 go to sector 2."

A rustle in the bushed on his left and right told Brightling that the men had left there old positions and moved forward with their T-21 Repeating Rifles.

"Team 3 and 4 sector takedown after I throw my grenade."

Brightling reached to his equipment belt and grabbed a practise grenade. Normally it would kill anything within 20 meter's of it's explosion. Now it just painted anything. Cocking his arm back he threw the small metal cylinder.

Then the distinctive phat-phat-phat of a light repeating blaster started up as Teams 3 and 4 stunned anything in site.

"This is 3-1 we've secured the sector. Zero casualties. We've taken out one squad."

"Stang." Brightling swore. The enemy emplacement wasn't there. He still had to find and destroy the main complement of enemy infantry and he already had a number of losses.

"All teams this is 1-1 any movement?"

"None that we can see and Infa-red isn't doing us any good in this dammed jungle."

"Alright. Communications whistle up an Air Strike. Sectors 5, 7 and 9."

Captain Brand elevated the nose of his TIE Defender. With him was his wingmate Crimson 2. For this exercise Crimsons 3 through six were all on the Red Team or Opposing Force.

"Tighten it up Two. Split sensors between ground targetting and long range scanning. The OpFor may have Anti-Aircraft guns so be alert." Brand ordered.

In close formation the two crimson painted fighters zoomed across the landscape. Over a hill and down into a valley they sped always keeping the same height above the trees.

"Sir, my life-form sensors are picking up humanoid sized life-forms down there. At least two squads." Two said.

"What sector?" Brand asked.

"Sector 8 sir." Two asked.

"1-1 this is Crimson 1 we've detected what appears to be a couple squads of troops in Sector Eight. Is that clear of friendlies?" Brand asked.

"Sector Five through 15 are enemy territory One. Permission to engage." Came the reply.

"Copy that," Brand said.

"Two, we are weapons free untill we cross the 5-4 border. Target the infantry, 1 torpedo."

"Yes sir." Two said. "Crimson Two, One away."

The blue painted practice torpedo streaked away on an Air-Powered engine. Seconds after leaving Two's torpedo bay it exploded in the upper foliage spraying a huge area with paint.

"One, I think the enemy's gone." Two said.

"Alright continue sweep. Let's go to Sector 9 next." Brand said.

"Copy that." Two said.

Brand's TIE Defender heeled into a hard right turn. Ahead the tree-tops spread out for kilometers. Suddenly his sensors beeped, 4 TIE Defenders were 200 kilometers to the East at the outer-edge of his sensor's range. They appeared to be heading towards Sector 4 where Brand knew that there were friendly forces.

"2 Bandits at 2 o'clock." Brand said. "1-1 you have an Air strike comming. They're around 500 kilometers. I suggest you get any of your AA weapons ready. We're going to try and splash them before they get to you though. Crimson Squad out."

Brand switched over to his private Blue Air Channel that gave him private communications with Crimson 2.

"Switch all weapons over to Anti-Fighter. We're going to attack them from the sides. Fire one torpedo at the leading fighters the second you get in range. Then destroy them at your own discrection. I'm going to take the trailing one."

The two TIE Defenders came about in a sharp right turn putting them on a vector slightly in front of the Red Team TIE Defenders. Brand switched on his targeting computer but didn't attempt a missile lock because he kneew that the fighters had target-lock warning equipment. Instead he watched as the numbers on the range finder rapidly scrolled down to zero which would maximum missile range. The range finder reached zero, immeadiatly Captain Brand activated his targeting computer watching as a yellow then red box appeared around the fighter. A tone sounded signaling a targeting lock and Brand gently squeezed the trigger. A blue practice torpedo zoomed out of the missile launcher and went on to explode against the Defender destroying it's simulated shields. Suddenly a Torpedo Launch warning came. A torpedo was targeted on him and it had been launched from....behind him?

Brand sent his fighter into a dizzying spiralling dive juking the fighter first right, then left, then up, then down. But he knew it wouldn't be enough. The torpedo exploded destroying his simulated shields.

"Two Status!" He yelled into the comm as he sent his fighter in a climb away from where the torpedo had hit him.

"I dodged a torpedo. It looks like the rest of the Red Force fighters have found us." Two said.

"Alright, don't bother conserving missiles. Paint your first target then take the second set."

While he had been talking Brand brought his fighter up behind his target. Quickly "destroying" it with a paint missile. Then he brought his fighter around looking for the second set of fighters. They found him first diving down on him with lasers firing. He dodged the first volley and attempted to get out of the fighter's line of fire. But it wasn't going to happen. One of the OpFor fighters came in from above finally getting a good hit on him, and putting him out of the fight. Brand sighed and slowed his fighter down and brought it around on a heading towards the base following the path of the fighter he'd "killed".



Major Brightling sighed as he wearily set his helmet down in his quarters. After the lost of his fighters the remaining Blue Fighters had come in and destroyed a large portion of his men. When the Opposing Force infantry came all they had to do was mop up the few remaining men. Even though he'd lost the battle he was happy. Black Hand know had a new practice planet. A larger version of the Kill House used Special Forces teams. A whole planet to practice on. A Kill Planet.