RPlog:35 ISY Competition: Vapor vs Banger

  It hadn't been very long since the Admiral had been in a fighter; however it had been a while since she flew one in combat. Try as she might, between the duties of the Star Destroyer she commanded, the needs of the Admiralty and the responsibilities to Lord Korolov, Dana had little time to play. She worked had at keeping her skills sharp, but she was no more a line pilot and there were some that questioned if she still had the edge. Of course, they questioned her in quiet. And if the scuttle ever got back to her, she didn't show it. Let the pilots talk, it was good for them. A Commander that held the reigns too tight might strangle the moral. However, she wouldn't let it get out of hand.

She had drawn the first lot and it was Banger. Nothing like challenging one of the best out there to shake off the rust that was settling in her senses, and skills. Jal'Dana had raises shields, and had her fire linked, she was running hot and using a small moon to hide the tiny ship. The 'enemy' TIE had popped up on her HUD as soon as it reached the same space, and she was sure he knew she was out there, lurking. Nothing fancy, and as Krieg's Mark II zipped by she rolled the Stick over and arched towards his six. Normally she'd have tried to make the opponent over fly, and scatter into her fire, but there wasn't going to be much luck at that with him. Her hope was to hit him hard and fast, he was younger and maybe better at this point. Be never doubt experience. This was going to be a fight for sure. Squeezing the trigger she let off her first blast, the lasers reaching for his aft.

'' Jal'Dana rolls a 23 for her STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. An Excellent roll!  '' '' Jal'Dana rolls a 10 with 3D. A Poor roll!  '' '' Krieg rolls a 34 for his STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. A Heroic roll!  '' '' Krieg rolls a 13 with 3D+2. An Average roll!  ''

  At the controls of the simulator Krieg always felt different at first, it was never the same as actually being in the actual fighter. There were only so many things a simulator could do and no matter how anyone programmed the controls it wouldn't be the real thing. However, this sense quickly fades as he falls into the zone, his adversary bolting around and at him, full force. Thoughts race through his head as he sees the oncoming attacker, but the one that prevails is the sense to dodge and get a firing solution after the first run. Kicking the throttle to full and snapping the fighter to roll inverted in relation to the other craft he races full on, tapping the stick back and forth to dive in-between blaster bolts.

Instinctively he dives out of the way, making a quick check of his own systems as he kicks the fighter over and into her flight path. A lot had been going on lately, and the first run was enough to send the adrenaline rushing through him after a few weeks with the high command. As much as he loved to plot the downfall of his enemies, it was here where the big talk actually hit the metal. His HUD was the only thing that brightly lit the simulator, as he relied heavily upon the visual cues at such close ranges. The computer was giving good tone as he lined up the return fire from above, the trigger feeling the way it always did right before a good hit.

'' Krieg rolls a 20 for his STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. A Good roll!  '' '' Krieg rolls a 12 with 3D. An Average roll!  '' '' Jal'Dana rolls a 24 for her STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. An Excellent roll!  '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 16 with 3D+2. A Good roll! <Verified> ''

<VAPOR>  The shots had gone far wide, and already she had lost the advantage of surprise. "Well that was a waste" Jal'Dana muttered under her breath. All that planning and nothing to show for it. It was going to be her luck, nothing but bad. The woman was falling into her old rhythms, controlling her breathing, focusing on the fight. This was a bit different; one on one fighting wasn't something often experienced in the heat of battle. No wingman, no watching your six, just you verse him. Sure it was a 'mock' fight, but the Admiral never treated any fight like training. It had been drilled into her head, "You battle like you play"

The systems were programmed to respond like a real fighter, with a real environment. It was why the Imperial pilots were as good as they were, training in realistic environments. Projecting herself into the 'emotion' of the moment, Dana could feel what 'Banger' would do, it was what she would do, and as his ship reversed and fired she reacted as one would expect. Krieg's shots when wide of her own TIE and she immediately reversed the arc. Had it been read space they would have looked like a pair of needles weaving a stitch as the spun around each other. In fact, that was what they did look like on the monitors for the viewing crowds. As their paths crossed again, Jal'Dana fired, she never even waited for the HUD to tone. She knew.

''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 28 for her STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 5 with 3D. A Very Poor roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 24 for his STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 11 with 3D+2. An Average roll! <Verified> ''

<BANGER>  It became brutally apparent to Krieg of the opponent he faced, and quickly scolded himself for forgetting that it was Vapor he faced. The pattern she pulled was familiar to him, but still in combat there were many tricks that even knowing them you could not defend against. They were locked in a dogfight now, neither of them held any advantage as their crafts were identical in every way, the simulator made sure of that fact. It was all Krieg could do to manage the lead and lag pursuit to get a good firing solution for their next pass that he barely was able to scrape by her quad blasts. Breaking free of the pass he moves into a very dangerous position, hoping to get the first hit of the engagement.

For Krieg, his battlerythm was almost like a trance, he focused in with his craft, the lights, bells, whistles, everything. There was no time to mutter to yourself or become upset if you get hit. No, that led to losing the fight altogether. Collecting his thoughts into one focused machine to predict her next movement he opens fire again, testing the tension between them.

''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 14 for his STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. An Average roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 5 with 3D. A Very Poor roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 24 for her STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 13 with 3D+2. An Average roll! <Verified> ''

<VAPOR>  Maybe she should have waited, as again she missed. Stepping on her peddles and forcing the flight stick down, Dana rolled her 'fighter' over to defend against the return fire she knew was coming. She had flown /with/ the Marshal enough to know he was aggressive, and she could expect every thing she did to be answered under fire. Indeed, the green lasers lanced by her port side. Jal'Dana smiled beneath her helmeted head, a stark contrast to the frowning visage the helmet gave. This time she slowed her craft in an attempt to make Krieg over shoot, to use his aggressive style against him; he had raced forward to beat her to the arch, and missed she was going to attempt to make him pay for it.

''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 22 for her STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 15 with 3D. An Average roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 26 for his STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 14 with 3D+2. An Average roll! <Verified> ''

<BANGER>  This was a battle that many probably would watch and realize that these were no ordinary pilots. Indeed, both Banger and Vapor were the Empire's finest weapons of war, but that was no consolation for Krieg. There could only be one 'best' pilot, and this was quickly turning into a battle of patience - it would only be a matter of time before one gave way, but that was a long way in the working. Seeing her next move Krieg rolls the opposite direction, and pulls the counter-intuitive direction into her fire and through the bolts, only to come up on the other side of her path untouched once more. Green arcs lanced out once more, this time from behind and Krieg realizes all too late his mistake, but pulls out in time before her blasts hit their mark. She was good, and had anticipated his push in combat. He keeps the speed, this time to bear directly down on her craft in the next pass, keeping the power all the way in to pull it on the snap roll after spraying the anticipated area of his foe.

''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 34 for his STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. A Heroic roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 8 with 3D. A Poor roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 30 for her STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 20 with 3D+2. A Good roll! <Verified> ''

<VAPOR>  The small woman always laughs as her shots again missed their mark, even in battle Jal'Dana kept her humor about her, at least in fighter combat. On the Bridge of a Destroyer it was a bit different; however a fighter always seemed freer. Checking her sensors, she knew this was going to be a battle of attrition. The Marshal was younger, and most likely in better flight shape. In fact he got the drop on her, and his fire was well placed. It was by sheer luck she pushed her TIE right and not left, had she guessed wrong, her craft would be hurting. Not loosing her cool, she unlinked her fire and lanced her craft to over top the man, and as her fighter drew past his left solar panel, she fired in a trailing pattern, 1,4,2,3 and the shots just seconds apart.

''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 30 for her STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 10 with 3D. A Poor roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 29 for his STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 13 with 3D+2. An Average roll! <Verified> ''

<BANGER>  Again, she had predicted her move and Krieg was starting to think that they were more evenly matched than previously thought. True, it had been a while and he had been in many engagements with what some could consider a superior craft (x-wings), but this was a true test of one's flight ability. The only thing giving him an edge was the planned power pull on the roll out giving a very tight arcing roll back around. Vapor was quickly seeing his move and echoing the next tactic, the multiple laser fire beginning to catch up to him. Kicking the power in fully he snap rolls out of her fire arc, to pull hard (the simulator always had difficulty with this move, but he was willing to try anything now) and put the craft in a spiral dive to get the angle on her craft, snapping off two single shots followed by a quad then a couple of single shots. It appeared to him that the admiral had been practicing while she was away...

''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 33 for his STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. A Heroic roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 13 with 3D. An Average roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 36 for her STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. A Heroic roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 15 with 3D+2. An Average roll! <Verified> ''

<VAPOR>  Different tactic, same result as even on single fire Jal'Dana misses on all her shots. Sweat had already started to be absorbed into the first layer of her flight suit and the woman shifted around in her shock couch. It was a good thing that this was being recorded as the Marshal was putting on a clinic in flying. This was Banger at his best, so much so the Admiral was thinking or giving him a newer call sign. She always did like banger however, and would have to consider that later as the move he was pulling was in no text book. "Inventive little bugger" Dana thought out loud, and the 'enemy' fire buzzed by her cockpit on all sides. She swore she could feel the energy, of course that was pilot sense not fact and twisting her craft down and rolling over she again tried to gain Krieg's six. The tips of her Solar panels were just rising enough to give her a solid tone on his engines; it was all Dana could do to keep the wing tips level as she fired off in pairs.

''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 38 for her STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. A Heroic roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 7 with 3D. A Poor roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 33 for his STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. A Heroic roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 22 with 3D+2. An Excellent roll! <Verified> ''

<BANGER>  It would seem that both of them had fallen into a rhythm of each other's battle tactics, and every move was anticipated. Krieg's palms were starting to sweat as well, and thanks to the flightsuit's absorbency that it didn't affect performance. However, every move he made she had a counter and this was a side to her flying that he never fully saw before, and he was pulling the craft in every direction as if it were his actual life on the line. He was becoming aware that she had pulled out the stops and knew that any mistake now could mean his downfall. Pushing the envelope of the fighter's performance he throttles in once more, this time luring her in with a fire arc of single shots, but quickly snap rolling over to place a quad blast in where he was figuring she'd turn, based off his previous runs. The tension was starting to manifest itself in his back ever so slightly, but nothing severe enough to impede his capabilities.

''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 18 for his STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. A Good roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 22 with 3D. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 25 for her STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 16 with 3D+2. A Good roll! <Verified> ''

<VAPOR>  The shots missed low, and Dana was forced to break off that attack as Krieg's fighter had the advantage of the inside line and the Admiral could not get inside to score a shot. It would have been very easy to get frustrated and make a mistake. Her muscles were starting to ache, not sharp and painful, but the dull feeling of the strain. Inverting her craft meant nothing in the zero Gs of space, but the move had spared her the brunt of Krieg's leading shots. It reminded her of a time with a StromTrooper. She had asked him how he could shoot people knowing there were women and children. His response was telling 'I don't lead them as much' The Admiral couldn't help but feel Krieg was leading her less. Snaking her craft into a wide sweep she peppered the crossing line of where he should be. It was her turn to lead him, or at least try and box him in with fire.

''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 35 for her STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. A Heroic roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 12 with 3D. An Average roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 26 for his STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 9 with 3D+2. A Poor roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 20 with 6D. A Good roll! <Verified> ''

<BANGER>  Knowing it was only a matter of time before one of them would be hit; Krieg takes the first blow to his shields as he slams his fighter to a full stop, snapping his craft around to return fire at a completely different attack speed. For the longest time neither of them had hit, but now he was starting to feel perspiration forming on the inside of his helmet as he presses in for another rounds of fire. The last hit and the simulator 'vibration' settled his nerved and back, pressing him into the fight once more. Realizing that any first hit could prove to be an advantage he presses in, varying his throttle speeds as he arcs out with another round of fire.

''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 14 for his STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. An Average roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 15 with 3D. An Average roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 12 for her STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. An Average roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 9 with 3D+2. A Poor roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 9 with 6D. A Poor roll! <Verified> ''

<VAPOR>  First blood goes to the Admiral as Dana scores her first hit. There was no time to celebrate it however as all it did was serve to make Krieg more aware of her moves. He was only going to get better now, where a rookie might become shaken and wild, the Marshal was going to settle down and in and now he was going to push her. In fact the light lurch in her 'ship' is exactly that as Krieg scores right away. He had sacrificed into her fire to score his won. "Very aggressive" Dana noted to no one in particular. It was one of the personality traits she liked in Banger; of course it was also giving her fits. As the 'enemy' TIE streaked past her own, Jal'Dana made a tight turn and fired on her opponent's shrinking form.

''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 20 for her STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. A Good roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 14 with 3D. An Average roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 17 for his STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. A Good roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 13 with 3D+2. An Average roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 16 with 6D. A Good roll! <Verified> ''

<BANGER>  Perhaps it was the tension and fraction of a moment that left him lacking in the way of being able to return fire and bring it to bear, but this time he was rewarded with a light hit. It was a classic version of being able to hit the enemy, but not getting out of the return fire arc. However, the small victory was nothing to celebrate and could be almost as bad as getting hit again. He knew the admiral had it all on the line and that the entire task force, if not Imperial high command in its entirety, was watching. Kicking in the power and flipping the craft upside down, reversing the direction of flight he takes on a new combat stance, varying from overly aggressive to conservative (some still might consider this overly aggressive) in split seconds. This time, he as he pulls his power to push him closer he knows that she was going to hit him, but this time he hopes for that same type of shot to be returned, if not with a heavier cost.

''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 23 for his STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 14 with 3D. An Average roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 31 for her STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. A Heroic roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 17 with 3D+2. A Good roll! <Verified> ''

<VAPOR>  Again she scored a hit, and with a trickle of light Krieg's shields winked out. Now he was flying nude so to speak, but the TIE had a lot of armor and a pro at the controls. This wasn't getting easier. The TIEs screamed at each other and green lasers lance out between the closing distances. Krieg's shot's fly in between the tips of Dana's Solar panels and just over her cockpit, all she saw was green. The HUD was the only then she could see to fly by, and with the positive tone she pulled the trigger before breaking the line and diving down. She would have to let her sensors tell her if she hit. Dana wasn't looking to 'pull a Lynae" and crash head first into the other craft, sims or not.

''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 36 for her STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. A Heroic roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 9 with 3D. A Poor roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 21 for his STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 14 with 3D+2. An Average roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 13 with 6D. An Average roll! <Verified> ''

<BANGER>  The tactic was a failure in the sense that he didn't hit her, but it possibly could be what saves him from another blow. Losing his shields was one thing, but there was still plenty of fight left in him. He knew that she wasn't overconfident and wouldn't forget that he still had teeth, but even so the flicker of his shields going out would be a signal to her that she was winning. No matter the experience level there always was that sense of victory that could ruin the other person's day. Betting on this tactic as he knew it was still a game of endurance he presses forward once more, keeping close to her craft but agile enough to dip in and out of her fire arc, but again taking heat from her craft. He was sweating, but now his battle focus from every other fight he has been in comes back. Keeping cool and letting the hits roll off he moves in again, almost as if to crash into her fighter in a tight spiral, rotating laser fire from one to the next as he predicts her move, opening a path for her to attack again but hoping to shut her down this time.

''<SKILL> Krieg rolls a 22 for his STARSHIP GUNNERY skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Krieg rolls a 6 with 3D. A Poor roll! <Verified> '' ''<SKILL> Jal'Dana rolls a 27 for her STARFIGHTER PILOTING skill. An Excellent roll! <Verified> '' ''<ROLL> Jal'Dana rolls a 10 with 3D+2. A Poor roll! <Verified> ''