Red alert!

Posted on Wed Aug 28th, 2019 @ 10:29pm by Lieutenant Jack Carver

Mission: Getting To Know You
Location: Fighter bay

As the red alert sounded, the fighter bay exploded into a hive of activity. it was a sudden red alert, no warning sign, no briefing, no klaxon even - but still, a red alert was a red alert.

As such the ground crew poured over the assembled fighters like a well oiled machine, performing a shortened pre-flight check list, checking fuel levels, ammunition levels, flight controls, even as the pilots and weapons officers started pouring in as well.

Jack was one of the first to arrive, still in the process of pulling on his jacket, making his way into the pilot ready room to get his flight helmet from the rack. He looked around at the other assembled flight crew.

"Boss, what's up? Why the red alert?" asked a pilot.

"I don't know either. Just get flight ready, I'm sure they'll let us know if they need us out there." he answered, his voice harried.

Briar had scrambled from his bunk as soon as he was alerted to his presence being needed in the hanger bay. He had nearly knocked off a rather hapless young enlisted man as he sprinted through the corridors towards the hanger bay. Arriving, he found it a hub of activity with technicians pouring over every fighter. He jogged towards the ready room.

Lucy jogged into the hangar, having only recently headed to bed. She’d been stood down about an hour ago having finished her shift. She continued through the hangar towards the ready room and moved through the door as it slid open. “Morning all.” She said, heading over to where her flight suit was stored and putting it on.

"Let's hustle, ladies! We need to get that response time down!" Jack called out, giving Briar and Lucy a nod as they jogged into the ready room, heading to the lockers. "We have no idea what's happening, we need to be ready!"

“I’m hustling boss! Can’t blame me for trying to get a few hours kip.” She answered, finishing pulling on her flight suit and equipment, before heading back out onto the flight check to check on her craft. She looked across to Petty Officer Mackerbie. “How’s she looking? She good to go?” She asked climbing into the cockpit.

Briar followed his fellow pilots out the door and towards his own fighter.

"Everything topped up, systems green, ready to go, luv!" Mackerbie called out to Lucy, giving her a wink as he stepped back and greenlit her craft.

The other ground crew also greenlit the various craft, letting the pilots and gunners in the case of the Gryphons take them.

"Ships, sound in. Mic clicks please." Jack called out after climbing into his own craft, 'No Mercy'. He counted eleven clicks on his comms - exactly as many as there were fighters under his command; his own made twelve.

And then the waiting game started. They were on standby for the duration of the red alert.