| Time in the Sims |
| Summary: | Viper pilots are scheduled time in the simulators to get used to working together. Turns out Short Stack shoots great when she gets mean enough! But she can't land for crap. Butch joins them. |
| Date: | 03/05/2016 (OOC Date) |
| Related Logs: | Lucky Strikes Briefing |
    |
| Flight Simulators |
| The Air Wing has access to flight simulators to train pilots off the ground in combat maneuvers and situations that are hard to replicate with regular dogfight practicing and this is their home. A rectangular room, the hatch opens up beside the bank of computers that control the simulations and what is seen by the individuals when training sessions are in progress. The sims are actual cockpits cut out of old frames and installed here to function exactly as the real thing, right down to oxygen plugs for suits. In front of each cockpit, complete with armored glass, are LCD screens that cover most of the front view to the front and above. There are two Vipers, two Predators, and one full-cabin Raptor available. |
| Fri Nov 18 20:15:15 2005 |
That time rolls around for schedule simulations for the Lucky Strikes. As usual, some members are on CAP rotation or lent for other duties and are not available. Salazar himself arrives early and sets his helmet aside while he takes a seat to pull up the simulation he's programed for this evening's practice. He takes a few minutes to overview and check that the simulation looks like it'll run fine, then he gets up and walks around slowly checking the various cockpit frames while he awaits the arrival of the others. Hobo's in his own flightsuit though the Lieutenant hasn't zipped it all the way up yet or dogged his seals.
Simulations. You're never too ranked or too old for them. There is always something to learn, just like reviewing your tapes. Dell strolls in just before the appointed time, still reeking of a recent cigarette and shouldering up her flight suit. "Sir." She greets somewhat casually, lacking a salute as they are technically indoors.
Zoe's not far after Alejandro, her flightsuit in tip-top state, her helmet tucked under her arm. She seems bright, bouncy, and eager to run through the sims. When she spots Alejandro she gives him a smile and a wave before she finds herself a place to wait until the others that can and will make it show up.
As it happens, Alejandro smells of cigarettes himself, ducking his head back out of one of the cockpits when the other two show up, "Good, there you are. Raven, go ahead and get yourself settled and strapped in and we'll fire it up." He then looks to Dell, "We haven't really had a chance to talk, Short Stack. I'm your new Squad Leader, Lieutenant Alejandro Salazar, but you can call me Hobo." Sometimes his accent sounds of Scorpia, and sometimes maybe more like Canceron, or a blend of the two. "You did fine on our last sim. Kept your head." A thumb is motioned to the cockpits, "Choose your bird, when you are ready."
"No offense, sir." Dell starts off, offering her hand for the introduction, "If I didn't keel off on Aerilon, some little Sim isn't going to kick my ass. That last skirmish, however is another thing. I need to brush up on my space flight. I'm used to flying low atmo." A pause. "Delphine 'Short Stack' Bran, which I'm sure you know by my transfer file. I'm used to being a rabbit, but however you see fit to utilize me, Sir."
The hand is accepted and his is calloused, especially on the finger tips. Alejandro grins, "I'm glad you didn't keel off. Glad to have you join us." His grip is brief, "I'm sure we'll get plenty of low atmo on Aerlion. That's all I was doing on Picon before the Orion picked me up, but you get used to the stars." Salazar leans a hip against the table, "How we are utilized depends on the given mission. Boming runs, we'll fly Preds, or viper escort to them. We may be doing a lot of that on Arelion. Are you good with a Predator, Stack?"
"I've been known to fly them a time or two." Once the handshake is given, Dell folds her arms over her chest with hands gripping the side seams of her suit. "Sexy beasts, Predators. And I admit I'm better on the stick then I am on the guns. But like I said, I was a rabbit. My job was to draw fire and pull the enemy into the line of our SAM's. There will be an adjustment period that I'm trusting you can pull me through."
Alejandro lift a hand to skim his stubbled jawline, "I'll do my best, Short Stack. Not much call for you rabbiting for us. You'll either be flying someone's wing and following their lead, or someone newer and more raw will be flying yours. In which case, you'll have at least half of your attention on keeping your wingmate from getting killed, and the other half of your attention on your mission objective." There's a glance to Zoe to make sure that Raven is also listening before the Lieutenant continues. "What we'll be practicing is lots of taking off and landings on the Orion, both sims and live. But tonight, I thought we'd chew on some more raiders. Get used to working together. Then we'll work on some bombing runs next time."
Short Stack makes a little sound in the back of her throat, sort of a noncommittal noise. "First time in command, huh?" She remarks with a bit of a smirk and then looks to the machine. "How's the calibration on these things? Tight or loose?"
Dell gets a dark brow raised at her, "Is it that obvious? I've only been on the Orion two months and .. " He skims a hand through his unruly dark hair, "I sure as shit didn't expect to get bumped up to Squad Leader." Salazar glances at the simulators, "Depends on how the simulation is set up. Can go either way. Slight variences depending on which cockpit you sit in."
"You don't have that…saltiness yet. Give it time." Dell's smirk shifts somewhat as her eyes flick up and down Alejandro, "But I'm not a nugget either, sir. Unless you think I switched my deodorant for Ode De Chicken. So. Don't be gentle." With a wink, she's slipping into one of the two available seats for the Vipers, scooping up her helmet and settling it on her head with a twist of the locking collar.
"Saltiness, great." Salazar goes to get his own helmet, "I promise not to be gentle when I have to chew ass, JG." He twists his own mouth wryly and goes to get into one of the other cockpits and power up the simulation to get them going.
Dell plugs herself into the simulated oxygen port, her voice now coming across the comms. "Just remember, Sir, I'm a bit wiry. Don't get any gristle in your teeth." There is a grin in her voice, whether or not it's prudent in a training scenario. She goes through the motion of making her pretend Viper green. "Short Stack nommer 660, green to go."
Zoe's been hanging back, listening for the duration. But eventually she heads towards one of the sims, climbing into it to get herself settled in, her flight helmet tugged down over her head. Anyone paying attention can likely hear her humming under her breath.
Alejandro laughs briefly, "That's OK, I have sharp teeth and a guitar pick." He settles into a simulation cockpit, seals his helmet and taps into the feeds, keying up power and going through checks. Once he's ready he toggles the coms, "Raven, Hobo 537, lemme know when you are green to go, Over."
After settling, checking everything over, and remembering to not hum, Zoe thumbs up the coms, "Hobo, Raven. Everything is green." She does a quick, last minute check, just to make sure that yes. She really is ready, even if it'd be too late if she wasn't.
"Short stack is a go for launch, Alpha." Dell settles down into the worn seat the of the simulator, adjusting the distance between her knees until she's comfortable. "Requesting permission to go weapons hot once cleared of the tubes." Her gloved thumb makes an anticipatory movement, but doesn't toggle just yet.
When Raven gives confirmation she's ready, Alejandro sets the simulation into motion. "Short Stack, Hobo. We never go weapons hot until we have confirmed hostiles on DRADIS and orders to engage." That's ship's policy.
The vipers are shot out of the tubes and G is applied to simulate the force used to kick them out of the Orion once they have clearance to launch. They are on closed circuit so of course it is only simulated. Stars come up in the constellations familiar over Aerilon, looking blue-green and golden brown below much as the plant did in real life on their recent mission. With no threats to attack them, they begin to head down into the edge of atmosphere heading for a presumed target. DRADIS that was clear begins to give warning of incoming blips, raiders coming over the edge of the world.
"Orion Actual, Hobo. We have incoming raiders on DRADIS. Permission to engage, Over?"
There is a pause before the simulation gives that permission. "Flight, Hobo. Weapons hot. Let's go at'm. Keep tabs on DRADIS and watch each other's status, Over."
Zoe braces herself for the simulated launch, then checks DRADIS as soon as they are clear of launch, starting easily on the flight plan until the warning comes of incoming. She then checks positions, banking just a little to one side so that she's able to line herself up with one of the incoming, targeting it.
Dell's bottom row of teeth scrape against her upper lip, "Alpha, Stacks, requesting flight assignments, over." Her thumb toggles weapons hot when the order is given, sticking hard to draw her Viper up along side Raven's but unsure as to whether or not to take the lead or fall back to the other pilot's rear but errs on the side of caution and targets a bogey on Zoe.
"Short Stack, Hobo. Raven will fly your wing, I'll solo." They wouldn't usually be going out in an odd number. Alejandro pushes the throttle on his viper to head in at speed, watching how the raiders are dispersed and forming up. His eyes picked out those that Zoe and Dell are going for before he decides his own, closing in.
<COMBAT> Cylon3 attacks Zoe with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cylon2 attacks Dell with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Alejandro attacks Cylon1 with KEW - Moderate wound to Weapon.
<COMBAT> Zoe attacks Cylon3 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Dell attacks Cylon3 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cylon1 attacks Zoe with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cylon4 attacks Alejandro with KEW but MISSES!
As the action starts, Zoe shoots at the one she's got in her sights, missing. But she also doesn't get hit herself by the two that are targeting her, a bit of quick evasive flying clearing her of the shots. The same one is lined up in her sights, the tip of her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration.
Raiders and vipers close the distance and engage! Two of the raiders target Zoe while the other two are divided among them. Alejandro lands his shot but is missed, pulling hard on the stick to turn his viper the moment he's passed the raider to loop back around. He cranes his head around to check visuals as well as DRADIS to see how the other two are doing and their positions relative to himself and the raiders. They are slightly out numbered. Hobo brings his viper back to get the raider back into alignment for another shot, tailing it and trying to close the distance.
<COMBAT> Zoe attacks Cylon3 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cylon3 attacks Zoe with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Alejandro attacks Cylon1 with KEW - Light wound to Weapon.
<COMBAT> Dell attacks Cylon3 with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cylon4 attacks Alejandro with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cylon2 attacks Dell with KEW but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cylon1 attacks Zoe with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider-6872v has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Cylon1 has been KO'd!
As first one falls off that was shooting her, and a second forms up to target her, Zoe changes her manuvering from outright evasive to something just a little more direct approach. She continues to stay on the one that she's been targeting from the beginning, still concentrating as hard as her little hyperactive brain can.
Alejandro gets another hit on the one he's chasing and the second hit is enough to blow it apart! Debris blossums outwards and he lays the stick over to disengage at once and evade the wreckage, looking for another target. He pays particular attention to what Zoe and Dell are doing and their status, "Flight, Hobo. You don't have to be quite so cautious - go get'm!" They look more concerned with evading than attacking, to his eye. Aerlion is above him as he twists his viper, "Raven, Hobo. Two on your six. I'm on one."
<COMBAT> Dell attacks Cylon3 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Zoe attacks Cylon3 with KEW - Moderate wound to Left Wing.
<COMBAT> Cylon3 attacks Alejandro with KEW - Moderate wound to Cockpit.
<COMBAT> Cylon2 attacks Zoe with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cylon4 attacks Zoe with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Alejandro attacks Cylon4 with KEW - Light wound to Body.
"Hobo, Raven. Copy that." Zoe replies, sticking with the one that is really starting to irritate her. She does leave off being overly evasive for the time being, although not nearly as aggressive as she could be.
A hit again, but not a solid one. Alejandro tries to stay with it but his own instrument panel lights up as /he/ is hit. Alarms go off and he jerks the viper out of alignment and into a roll to come back up and assess who's where. He manages to ditch the raider that was on his tail and it gives him a second to see how bad his damage is before he throttles back into the fight. "Flight, Hobo. I'm hit but I'm good. Stay engaged! Two are back on you, Raven." Dell stays on the one she's been gunning for so Hobo slips over to go for the other.
<COMBAT> Alejandro attacks Cylon2 with KEW - Critical wound to Controls.
<COMBAT> Zoe attacks Cylon3 with KEW - Light wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Dell attacks Cylon3 with KEW - Critical wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Cylon4 attacks Dell with KEW - ARMOR on Controls stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Cylon3 attacks Zoe with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Cylon2 attacks Zoe with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Raider-1872v has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Cylon2 has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Raider-0872v has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Cylon3 has been KO'd!
"Wooo!" Zoe takes a moment for a quick celebration as two of them go down, shifting towards the one final one that is left. She seems to have a lot more confidence this time around when focusing on the last one.
This time things aren't as hot and fast as when the CAG was running the sim, but she also admitted it hadn't gone as she'd planned. Hobo and Short Stack both really nail their shots and Raven hits her raider too. "Flight, Hobo! Good shooting! Let's clean up!" His viper isn't as responsive as he'd like but Alejandro pushes it hard to make it do what he wants even though it's damaged, compensating. He comes around and lines up on the last raider that is going after Raven's viper.
Dell has been unusually quiet this go around in the pseudo-cockpit, her teeth grit as an old dog has to learn some new tricks. Beyond the occasional 'copy' as needed, she's been concentrating over hard on the simulated HUD and the imaginary enemies on the DRADIS. Finally when Alejandro calls for them to less shy about their attacks, Short Stacks takes a deep breath and lays on the heat with her KEW eating up the side of a Raider. "That's what I'm frakking talking about!" She hisses when the display lights up for a brief moment. "Alpha, copy that. Time to wipe our asses with them."
<COMBAT> Zoe attacks Cylon4 with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Dell attacks Cylon4 with KEW - Critical wound to Body.
<COMBAT> CREW HIT! Cylon4 - Critical wound to Chest.
<COMBAT> Cylon4 attacks Zoe with KEW and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Alejandro attacks Cylon4 with KEW - Light wound to Body.
<COMBAT> Cylon4 has been KO'd!
As the last one is shot down, Zoe grins wide at it, not even seeming to be too upset that she didn't manage to hit a single thing….she didn't get hit, which is a bonus.
The raider doesn't have enough sense to know when to make a run for it like it should and all three vipers swoop around to come at it from different directions. But it is Dell who lands the killing blow, hammering the raider and breaking it apart on the edge of atmo. "Flight, Hobo! Great shot, Short Stack!" Alejandro sweeps the sky and checks his DRADIS for further contacts, "Orion Actual, Hobo. We are in the clear. Flight, RTB, over."
There is the sound of a long exhale over the comms, perhaps Dell releasing a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Alpha, Stacks copies. Returning to the barn. Request permission to practice combat landing, over." Because sometimes a win isn't good enough, she needs to push herself.
Alejandro levels his viper out and drops behind the other two in formation so he can have a good look at both pilot's vipers for damage and watch out for anything that might try to come up their tails. "Flight, Hobo. Permission granted." It'll give him a good view and since it's only a simulation, they don't need Orion's permission as they would if it were real.
<FS3> Dell rolls Piloting-1: Failure.
Dell rolls her neck after she's given permission, her bottom lip rolled into her mouth to wet what has suddenly gone dry. "If I'm going to remember how to do this, it might as well be in sims." It's an unofficial transmission as she jerks her stick so her virtual viper starts screaming in hot to the landing bay as if Hades himself is on her tail. At the last minute she pulls back and dethrottles, but she waited half a second too long and the nose of her viper dips down into the deck in a shower of sparks and then bounces back up before her screen goes dark with a litany of warning bells going off. "FRAK."
<FS3> Alejandro rolls Piloting-1: Good Success.
Hobo watches as Dell makes her run in and he grimaces when he catches a glimpse of her going in too rough and hitting the deck. Alarm claxons go off in the simulator and he over rides them, "Flight, Hobo. I'm going in hot. I could use the practice too. THen you come in, Raven. Over." He throttles up the speed on his viper and comes in fast and hard as if he knew that basestar was coming and they need to jump the Orion fast, fast, fast! No leaving him behind, by Hade's balls! Smooth and fast he slides in like sheathing a blade into it's scabbard, landing well and not further damaging his bird. "Raven, I'm in. You're clear."
<FS3> Zoe rolls Piloting-1: Good Success.
"Hobo, Raven. Copy that." Zoe replies, having fallen back when told, then she lines herself up for her own landing. Evidently part lemming she takes the opportunity to come in hot herself. She pushes her speed up to where she would if this was really an emergency situation, flying in fast and smooth. As soon as she's in she starts to shut things down.
Dell's helmet gets tossed out of her simulator bay first. Normally there would be a grease monkey to catch it, instead of it just hitting deck with a clatter. She's unfolding herself from the cockpit of the machine and running her hands back against her hair.
In the simulator cockpit, Salazar breaks his seals, powers down and removes his helmet, "Tomorrow, you two should practice combat landings for an hour or two. You do it every few days, you'll get the knack of it. Better to crash in sims than for real when the Orion needs to make a jump." Ah, but Zoe brings hers in beautifully. Alejandro steps out of his cockpit, "Short Stack! Don't ever throw your helmet!"
Zoe unhooks herself, then climbs out of the sim, tugging her helmet off to set it down very carefully on the floor. Evidently Dell getting admonished for throwing her helmet has her being extra careful. As soon as her hands are free she tugs her hair down, giving her scalp a quick scratch.
Dell digs the heels of her hands into her eye sockets. "Sir, yes sir." She responds as an automatic reflex at being called out. "Just used to a wrench puller there to catch it." She responds lamely, but it's clear she's too busy internalizing her failure at the combat landing to put much behind her excuse.
"What if your Wrench Puller gets hit with your helmet? Or the CAG's waiting there instead? Never throw it. /Hand/ it off or leave it in your cockpit. Treat your equipment, and Deck, with respect." Alejandro glares. Deck will lay into her with far more teeth if she pisses them off, especially those Taurans. Salazar tries to keep his mouth from twisting into a smirk at the thought. He up nods to Zoe, "Raven, good combat landing. I still want you to practice more until you can do it that well, every time."
"The CAG knows how to catch." Dell responds simply, turning her head to give Bennett a brief respectful nod, but her attention returns to her immediate CO. "I'll do better next time. Request for dismissal?"
From afar, Bennett laughs. what did you think she was?
<FS3> Alejandro rolls Reaction: Success.
Bennett looks bemused by something, though damned if she lets on as to what. The cup is lifted to her lips and her gaze comes up just as the viper squadron commander speaks to her. She pauses, swallows, and nods. "Of course, Lieutenant."
Just barely, Salazar catches himself from laughing at Dell's witty quip back. Alejandro doesn't entirely keep a stern look on his face, nope. But he tries to hide the smirk, "Duly noted, JG. Permission granted. You are both dismissed. Keep up the practice!" Dell succeeded in wiping away any annoyance he might have had. He relaxes and looks back to Bennett, "Captain, I'd like permission to have some of your people do sims with us. I need my pilots to practice working with the Gentleman Ghosts, and flying Preds both. When the scheduling is agreeable, Sir."
"You certainly do not require my permission," Bennett replies with an even more bemused smile. "Though I do appreciate the heads up. They can, and they should, as their schedule allows of course. I believe I may have directed a Lieutenant Stavros your way, in fact, for that very purpose." She blows some steam gently from the top of her cup, and sips again.
"Thank you, Captain. I suddenly have a bunch of pilots whom I'm not familiar with and some of them are rather green. I need to see what they know and what they can do, and make sure they are ready." Hobo peels out of his own flight suit down to his waist and takes a seat. "I only came aboard the Orion a couple of months ago myself and never imagined I'd be made Squad Leader. Seems like I was the FNG around here just the other day."
"You were," Bennett agrees with a little laugh. "I am afraid wide eyed and bushy tailed does not last long around here, though; don't worry, they will be blooded soon enough." Her smile has faded by the time she says that. "I would like to give you some advice, if you are willing."
"Blooded with their own blood is what I'm worried about. Keeping them alive." Alejandro pulls off his suit and turns it the rest of the way inside out before he lays it on the table and straigthens out the cuffs of his pants. His dark eyes glance up even as he sits back up to pay attention, "Advice would be quite welcome, actually. I know you've been at this a lot longer than I have."
Bennett's blue, blue eyes rest squarely on Alejandro's, deftly tracking them throughout his fidgeting. "Don't," she advises softly. "Don't.. worry about it. You do your best to teach them what you know, and to make sure they work as a unit. But we all die some day." Her brow furrows ever so briefly, then smoothes, and she flashes him a sunny smile. Maybe that was her 'advice'. Maybe not. Either way, she pushes off the wall with a crackle of neoprene flight suit. "I have a bus to catch, Hobo. Clear skies."
He watches her, not evading her very blue eyes he'd not really noticed before. Heck, hardly spoken to the Captain before. But Salazar doesn't look any less worried about the people he's suddenly responsible for with her 'advice'. He thins his mouth, then nods, "Good flying, Butch." Alejandro draws a slow, deep breath then gets up and collects his flight suit and helmet to head on out himself.