Things are back to normal, and I've finally managed to get some WC
time in. I tried to get one of the other missions to trigger by letting a torpedo hit the Midway, but apparently it wasn't enough to change the script. I figure I'll just let things go as they fall.
H'Hrass 1:
I report straight to the briefing room as the Midway jumps into the H'Hrass system. Command wants to move fast in this operation. I've been given the lead role in our efforts to bring the relay station back online, escorting Colonel Dekker and his marines to the station while the rest of the Midway's complement distract the aliens. I almost fall out of my seat when Blair declares that he'll be my wingman for this mission. The CAG obviously has doubts about as whether that's a good idea, but I'm looking forward to matching my skills against his. I score some nice conversational shots before I fill him in on the mission plan but we both know that only shots that count are the ones in the cockpit.
Anderson and Blair return the verbal shots shortly after launching, poking fun at my relative newness to the fight. Things get serious once we arrive at the relay station with the Midway's warning being cut off by the alien jamming. There's only a light guard around the station and Blair and I cut through them with ease. I'm proud to report that I took down 2 fighters to his 1. I continue to patrol as the Marines dock and they eventually call Blair down to check out the situation. He lands and says that the relay station looks like a slaughterhouse, not a good omen for any pilot that gets captured. They manage to restore the stations radar and inform me that they've detected the refuelling vessel Redeemer inbound. The Redeemer figured that we would need a hand after the Midway lose contact.
I refuel and rearm at the Redeemer just in time to get word from Dekker that they'll have the station online in an hour. He also reports that some enemy fighters are inbound, escorting a single bomber cluster. I barrel straight for the cluster and manage to break it apart as Blair heads to the flight deck to join me. His next message sends a chill down my spine, there's something on the landing bay level and it's not one of Dekker's men. Dekker reports the launch of an alien ship with human life signs on board and I instantly know that they've taken him. I break off from my current dogfight to attack the new target, but don't manage to deliver enough damage to force it to break off from the jump. My head full with pictures of what the aliens will do to Blair I turn on the remaining alien fighters. I discover that the Manta fighters are armed with a cannon that can penetrate phase shields, though it does little damage to the armour underneath. I take them out with priority to protect the station before eliminating the rest of the enemy. My fighter's a little dinged up afterwards and I'm almost out of missiles but there's not much else you can do with 9 to 1 odds. I land on the station to catch a break.
H'Hrass 2:
My break is interrupted by a comm message from Dekker. The news isn't good. There are more enemy fighters inbound and we still have no word from the Midway. The aliens are scramblin all channels and the short-range transmitters can't get past it. Worse still, the long-range signal is down and we can't get a warning to confed. I launch in my fighter determined to keep the aliens at bay long enough to get a warning off to Confed. The first wave are three light fighters escorting two bomber clusters. I use IR missiles at long range followed by Dragonflys and guns up close to break them apart before they can release their loads. I move in on the Morays as a message from the Midway comes through, help is on the way. I'm in the middle of a 3-1 dogfight when the Panthers launched by the Midway arrive and help me clear up the mess. Some new alien fighters arrive at well, including one identical to the ship that took Blair. Resolving not to let them take anyone else, I set course straight towards it. The alien pilot seems to have accepted my challenge are heads straight towards me.
The Alien's fighter, what intel are calling a Devil Ray, is more than a match for my Tigershark. It's big gun takes enormous chunks out of my shields to let the lighter guns chew my armour and it's speed and acceleration are too much for me to keep up. Fortunately, the pilot isn't up to the standards of his machines and continuously exposes his rear at close range to me, inviting a HS or two and I oblige. Two solid hits are only enough to down his shields and chip some around away, but it's enough to let me guns cause damage to his core as the enemy pulls away. He tries the same trick again and dies to gunfire and a third HS. With the assistance of Maniac's wing, the remaining fighters are cleared.
Maniac's question about Blair brings some less than pleasant thoughts into my mind and I'm not in a good mood as I land my fighter. The CAG comes down to inform me that I've been promoted and assigned to the elite Black Widow squadron but I know I don't deserve it. If I deserved it, I'd have kept Blair safe. The CAG reminds me that he knew the risks when he went up and that our actions have let us warn Confed, but that doesn't help much. Finally, she orders me to either go to Medical or the pilot's bar. I decide to pick alchohol and friends over sedatives and nurses.
Seeing Maestro in full party mode is enough to break me out of my slump and I give him a hearty hug before heading over to grab a drink. I wonder how Stilletto feels to lose us from her squadron but Maestro doesn't care. It's not long before Rachel shows up unexpectedly and pulls me away. We both have some things to deal with after Blair's abduction and we're talking through it as Maestro says something that makes Maniac spit out his drink. We're seperated by Hawk, who needs Rachel's insight into some spy eye data we've received. The Midway has sent probes into nearby systems to determine what's going on. I offer to help her out but she says that I should spend the night with my friends. As she leaves, she says that she's proud of me.