Flight planning

Posted on Mon Jun 22nd, 2020 @ 11:03am by Lieutenant Commander William Rogers & Warrant Officer Koh Ottasu & Warrant Officer Callisi Veera

Mission: Into The Delta Triangle
Location: Flight Control Office

"Don't look at me like that." Buck groused at his reflection in the visor of his EVA suit. "You're thinking the exact same thing I am."

For it's part the spacesuit did and said nothing. It remained in the pose he had set it in done time after the shore leave party - giving two thumbs up in the direction of the flight control chief's desk. While he waited for the two fighter pilots to join him, Buck circled around, back to the wall mounted monitor that displayed a map of the refinery colony on Kessik III. Lines and popup tabs crisscrossed the map; each highlighted a different feature of potential interested.

Stepping in as requested, the two pilots of Blink Squad entered Buck's company. Koh and Callisi, or Ghost and Dead Eye as their call signs would report them. They wore the sleek black uniforms of the Blink Fighter flight suit, adorned with the rank pips and comm badge of the Federation. They took up a position by the desk, and snapped to.

"Blink Squadron, reporting as requested."

Buck turned from the monitor when he heard the doors open. "At ease." he said after saluting. "Thank you for coming. Have you already been given your assignments for the upcoming mission?"

"Shuttlecraft duty." Koh said, as the pair relaxed somewhat. "That's the short of it anyway, sir. Smooth drop in, probably expecting a rough run out." Callisi relaxed along with Koh, but she was silent in the matter. Koh didn't leave out anything she felt the need to add.

Buck nodded along as Koh relaid the details. "That's the short of it. Covert away team insertions onto the mining colony on Kessik IV and the refinery colony on Kessik III." He gestured towards the map on the wall with a wry smile. "Ideally it'll be quiet in and quiet out, but, we all know how usually that happens."

The pair gave a nod, "I've flown sorties like this before." Callisi commented, finding her voice. "Deep drops behind lines. Don't know how deep, but quiet troop insertions are a specialty." she shook her head, "And I know all about the odds of a quiet, textbook run."

"Dead Eye has more experience with shuttle drops than I do, so I'll be handling the sensors and maintaining as low a sensor profile as I can manage. If things go ears down, she flies and I handle weapons and shields." Koh added in. Seemed the pair had most of it figured out. Who flies, who shoots.

"I'll get the bad news out of the way first: You'll have to fly these trips solo. It's a question of timing and orbital mechanics." Buck hated to break up a team, and there were traces of that in his voice, but the needs of the mission required it. "Dead Eye, you'll be going to Kessik III, Ghost you've got IV."

It didn't seem like either of them enjoyed hearing that, but if there were objections, neither of them voiced them. "Understood. Figured there'd be a curve." Koh started first, and Callisi gave a nod, "No plan survives first contact. Acknowledged."

Koh was the next to speak, "You got the bad news out. So then there's good news?"

"The good news." Buck nodded, wondering if Callisi was referring to him as the enemy. "Intel has left determination of the DZ for the away teams up to us. The last sitrep indicates there's little in the way of defences on either colony. Traffic in system is limited to supply transport to and from the mine to the refinery."

Callisi gave a nod, "That's actually much better. We'll need maps and scans to plot initial and auxiliary approaches but, that's actually great news." and Koh agreed with a nod. "We can work out the timing for the insertions, and then we'll know where everyone is in the event of an emergency."

"Good thinking." Buck crossed to his desk and retrieved two PADDs, which he offered to the Blink pilots. "Maps of the colony, local topography, latest available scans and projections for colony sensor coverage for both planets and the space between them and the Astraea's projecting hiding spot."

The pair started to look over the offered PaDDs. Though they'd be on separate craft, they seemed to know the capacity of one another rather well. A few minutes later, after some discussion between the three, and the beginning of a plan was worked out.

"If my shuttle drops in here..." Koh started, "And I drop off around here..." Callisi continued. "We should have a good approach, and can double back to here in the event of an emergency."

"We won't have comms to Astraea while they're keeping their warp signature hidden." Buck noted. He was impressed, and slightly perturbed by how well the two Blink pilots complimented each other in their ideas. "If you stand off here" A point in space between Kessik III and the Astraea appeared on the maps, followed by a second between the ship and Kessik IV. "and here you'll be able to act as emergency evac if needed."

The two examined the noted points on the report, with Koh being the one to speak up, "Excellent, let's hope we don't have to use it, but good to have in the plans."

Callisi motioned to a spot a little further out, "We could drop a sensor buoy here, and use it to relay comms back to the Astraea while it's in hiding. If we need to call in for support or keep Astraea Actual appraised of any situation that comes up."

A moment of silence, and then Koh spoke up again. He couldn't read the man's mind, but he could read a senior officer's body language. "Something about this bothers you too, sir?" he wasn't sure if it was the squad, or the mission, or something, but Koh knew something was up.

"If you're worried about splitting us up, don't. We both earned our Red back in the Empire, and we flew in separate squads. Koh's the lead element so that's all I need to know. Me, I ... I know what I've got to overcome, and I know where I stand." Callisi spoke up after.

"It's not you, although the finishing each other sentences thing is a little creepy." Buck explained with a light chuckle, leaning back in his chair. "This mission is too bare bones for my liking, is all. Feels like we're being used to shake the tree so Intel can see what falls out."

Koh and Callisi looked at each other, then shared a bit of a laugh. Koh recovered first, "Side effect of being Reds. Oh, umm, squadron leaders. You plan enough of these drops and retrievals that they all start to sound alike. So then you know exactly what to plan for next. Drop points, insertion methods, local terrain, sensor ceilings, after a while you can almost just sleep through the briefings."

Callisi gave a nod in agreement. "Though I do agree with you about the feel of the mission. This seems less like an op, and more like we're the bait."

Buck first addressed Koh. "Wondered what you meant by that. Thought it might be a mission mile stone thing or maybe a number of kills thing." He then turned to Callisi. "If it's not for the war criminal they have us chasing down I dunno who we're bait for. Guess we'll all need to keep our wits about us."

Koh gave a shake of his head, "We don't really count kills, officially that is. Between ourselves, sure. But merit and survival and skill earn you your red. I was part of Ransa squad. When I became the wing commander, I was Aka Ransa."

"Aka Shikyo, which I think is Red Bishop or Cleric.. I'm not entirely sure." Callisi commented, then took a breath and continued, "I guess what I'm worried about is, why did said war criminal come here?" she asked. "Refuge, Isolation, Reconnecting with a Criminal Network?" she rattled off. "He wasn't chased here. He came here. Has anyone figured out why."

Buck nodded along through Koh's explanation. It was interesting and something worth talking about at another time. "No-one's even sure that he is here." He explained. "Intel have no evidence he is on either Kessik III or IV just that he 'may have been there recently'."

Koh gave a nod, "So we hope for smooth and easy, but we plan for the worst." and then he turned towards Callisi, "Check the charge on your bolter before we leave." Callisi just shook her head, "You're never letting me live that down, are you?"

Before either of them could interject, Callisi turned to Buck, "Happened during an op. I was in Koldaran territory, doing a deep drop. Did hundreds like them, feels like. Lucky sentry spots the craft, and the place goes hot. Dropship's grounded, I pull out my bolter, and take a shot. Dead click. Turns out the battery was dead. So, I do the next best thing." she paused, "I disabled a Koldaran and took their weapon, and we held the position until evac arrived." though, through it all, she had a slight smirk, "I'll check the packs."

Koh gave a smirk, "Sounds like we have the best beginning of a plan here, sir."

"Sure does." Buck agreed. "We could set an extraction point, but given mission parameters I'm inclined to say we leave it up to the away team COs."

"So we wait for a panicked call from the away team to come pick them up while under heavy fire." Callisi commented with a smirk. "Old hat. Is... Is that the right term?"

"Sure is." Buck laughed lightly, amused by the universality of the military piloting experience. "At least you can just beam everyone up without having to sit there taking fire while they drag themselves ever so slowly aboard." He sighed. "Still, Ops'll flip if I don't supply them with evac co-ords. Guess I'd better come up with something."

"Then let them flip." Callisi said, plainly. "They want evac coordinates for a mission that hasn't started, with parameters they're guessing at and will be guessing at even during the mission, and they'll flip if we're not clairvoyant?"

Koh raised a hand up to try to calm her down, but she either didn't see it or wasn't having it. "They want evac coordinates? You tell them that the evac coordinates are three feet above the deck of the Astraea. How we get them there is on us." there was a long pause..... "Sir."

"I will take that under advisement Warrant Officer Veera." Buck replied, shifting away from his usual mien to a more militaristic one. He didn't raise his voice, trying instead to let his bearing convey his authority.
"If we do not include one, one will be imposed. For now we'll use the same coordinates as the ones for transporterless insertion." He looked between the two pilots inviting them to comment with his silence.

His posture, his tone, his words.. there was a look on Callisi's face at this moment that every officer knew: Shame. She had spoken drastically out of turn, she had said thing that need not be said. And she did so without dignity.

Koh was silent for a moment longer than necessary. Perhaps long enough to let her mistake sit in but not so long as to force her to stew in it. "A course of action we all would agree on, Commander." Koh's tone was level, diplomatic, and didn't force any further undue attention on Callisi's faux pas. Covering for her, without actively covering. "I'm certain the last things we need are any parameters coming in that we have no control over, rather then those we have some control of."

Callisi gave a nod of agreement and consent. She had spoken out of turn enough this briefing.

Buck relaxed slightly. He could see from Callisi's reaction that she'd gotten the point and there was no need to push things further. He gave the pilots a slight smile and a nod. "I think we've got a good plan here. I'll get on and finish it up for submission."

The pair gave a nod each. It was Koh that spoke, since as element leader it was him that was expected to, "Sir."

"Good work both of you." Buck said. Despite Callisi's outburst he meant it and wanted to end things on a positive. "Dismissed."