Advance Scorpia Scouting - Raptor Recon
Advance Scorpia Scouting - Raptor Recon
Summary: Part of the Advance Scorpia Scouting plot. The Raptors go take a look on their own.
Date: PHD 155 (9/20/09)
Related Logs: Related Logs Advance Scoripa Scouting - Red Squadron and Advance Scorpia Scouting - CIC
Players:
Praxis..Matto..Kitty..Legacy..Komnenos..

[STC] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Kharon CIC, Black Cat. Ready for launch on your mark. Foxbat-4 and Foxbat-8 prepared to go out."

[STC] "Knight" Praxis says, "Foxbats Four and Eight, this is Kharon. You may depart from the escort carrier. Good hunting from all of us, over."

Thea does the pre-flight, as she always does, then settles into the pilot's seat. "Glad you're back seating for me tonight, Thorn. I'm going to need you to be on the ball. I wanted you in my bird tonight." What she doesn't say is that she wanted his skill.

[STC] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Black Cat copies, Knight. Keep the coffee warm for us. Foxbat-4 taking off."

[STC] "Madman" Matto says, "CIC, Madman, confirming Foxbat-8 green front and back for launch. Thank you, CIC, Foxbat-8 taking off."

Thorn quickly finishes running through his usual pre-flight checklist as Legacy speaks. "I won't disappoint, Black Cat." He inclines his head in acknowledgement before making one last check. "All systems check out green. Ready t' launch back here."

[Foxbat-4: Legacy] Foxbat-4 lifts off the deck cleanly on the launch go-ahead, gliding out into the blackness of space pre-jump.

[Foxbat-8: Matto] Kisseus eases Foxbat-8 from the deck, keeping in alignment with ship's carom until clearing the proximity, then adjusting to keep in formation with Foxbat-4.

[TAC3] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Black Cat, Madman. Prepare to jump to Scorpian orbit on three. Thorn, Crybaby, I want your asses glued to the DRADIS and cameras rolling like you're going to sell the footage to Caprican TV for millions of cubits. We've got good people down there. Countdown to Jump…1…2…JUMP."

[Foxbat-4: Legacy] Foxbat-4 spools up properly and then simply flashes through the darkness, headed toward Scorpia and an uncertain fate.

[TAC3] "Madman" Matto says, "Black Cat, Madman, we hear you. Jump coordinates confirmed, jumping on your mark."

[Foxbat-4: Nike] The sight that greets the raptors' crews is not an unfamiliar one. The quantity of debris and wreckage in the blue-green planet's orbit is sufficient to create a halo'd ring around it— and to make piloting the raptors non trivial. The ships blip into existence almost in tandem; Black Cat's appears in the shadow of a ruined battlestar, lettering along its flank proclaiming it to be the 'Theseus'. Madman's craft cuts a swath through a swamp of raider bits, hunks of the enemy craft pinging and thunking off the raptor's windscreen. The remnants of an orbital defense platform are visible toward the planet's equator, shreds of silver slicing through the black. Below, nothing can be picked up yet from the planet, through the thick soup of clouds. DRADIS shows no contacts save each others' Colonial signatures.

[TAC3] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Madman, Black Cat. I want you to run parallel to me on this one. Make sure your ECO is getting as many pictures as possible. I even want to get some pictures of this debris, lest there's something our folks can use for salvage."

[Foxbat-4: Legacy] Thea's Raptor slides into the shadows - all cats are black in the dark, right? There's just a bit of light from the inside, and a somewhat intent look on her face. There's something almost sylph-like about the way the bird eases through the sky.

Legacy is quiet for a bit, then says quietly, "I know I don't need to tell you to keep your eyes open, but I want pictures of everything. You doing ok back there?"

[TAC3] "Madman" Matto says, "Black Cat, Madman, I hear you; permission to run four carom south of parallel to get out of the worst of this debris feild? It's navigable, but barely."

[TAC3] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Madman, Black Cat. As long as it's clear, permission granted. I want you running safe."

"On it," Thorn replies briskly from the back. He gives a low whistle as images of the ruined Theseus flash across his screen. "I'm a hell of a lot better than that battlestar, at least," he says wryly. "Scopes are clear, for th' moment. Looks like just th' two of us out here."

[TAC3] "Madman" Matto says, "Black Cat, Madman, adjusting course. Yeah, this is much better. Crybaby's reporting no company; most of this debris looks like it's from Raiders, just by eyeballing."

[Foxbat-4: Nike] Nothing, and more nothing. The planet's almost peaceful from up here. Never mind the cluttered pieces of ruined vessels spinning slowly past, like some kind of macabre dance. The raptors are too far up to hear any kind of comms chatter at the moment; from here, it's mostly garbage, more garbage, and the colony's hazy halo beneath it all. So far, so good.

[TAC3] "Thorn" Komnenos says, "Crybaby, Thorn. Ten cubits t' the first one t' spot a live Raider, what?"

[TAC3] "Crybaby" Kitty says, "Thorn, Crybaby. You're on."

Thea grins and starts singing, a little off-key, "Just the two of us, we can make it if we try, just the two of us, you and I." Ok, so she's a lot off-key. It helps cover the tension.

Who's tense? Thorn's back there making bets with the other ECO as they fly through this macabre starship graveyard. Well, maybe there is some; Thorn's expression is drawn tight as he continues to snap pictures of the surrounding wrecks with the onboard camera. He's got the good humor enough, at least, to snort in amusement at Legacy's attempt at singing from the front seat.

[TAC3] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Damnit. Madman? Did you see the station? Let's mark coordinates so we can come back at some point to see if there's -any- hope. Madman, let's take 'em down. We're going to go in high atmo to get our pictures. Thorn, Crybaby, give me the good stuff. Let's make this clean and fast so we can get our boys on the ground."

[TAC3] "Thorn" Komnenos says, "I'm not always clean, Black Cat, but I can do fast. Going t' make a nice vacation portfolio with all these bloody pictures when we get back home."

[TAC3] "Crybaby" Kitty says, "Roger, Black Cat. Pretty impressive isn't it? Co-ords are recorded for later. Hehe. Thorn, better save some film for is we find a beach, buddy. Got the urge to have a party."

[Foxbat-4: Legacy] Foxbat-4 slides out of the shadows and starts to descend toward Scorpia. Time goes by, darkness slips past the exterior as the planet is approached with the same caution one might use when approaching a gorgeous redhead at a party.

[TAC3] "Madman" Matto says, "Black Cat, Madman, I saw it. We could plot a high atmo northern hemisphere orbit to pass under the coordinates at which we marked the station on the way. Two birds with one stone, yah?"

[Foxbat-8: Matto] Foxbat-8 remains easily fixed in place in relation to Four, following the Captain's lead, rising to parallel carom again once the debris field isn't threatening to bump the Foxbat on the head.

"What, don't you like my singing," Thea calls over her shoulder. "I'd dance, but that's frowned upon when flying." Yes, there's a hint of laughter there.

[Foxbat-4: Nike] The grey ghosts of space junk begin to dissolve into a filmy, grainy haze as the raptors begin their descent toward the planet. The crafts' transponders flicker to inactive, and almost in tandem, the other blip on each raptor's DRADIS.. vanishes. In, and in they go. Debris becomes the upper layers of thin, chilly atmosphere. Striated cloud cover. The northern continent can now be barely made out beneath them, half blanketed in night as daylight creeps over the eastern hemisphere. No lights, no signals, no sign of the vast city of Mycenae or the barges on the once-bustling Herodic cove.

"No offense, sir, but y' carry a tone about as well as my cousin. She, however, at least had th' excuse of being deaf." Thorn's reply is dryly teasing. "And dance if y' like, but keep in mind I still haven't had a chance t' renew my flight certification yet before y' make that decision." There's a twinkle in his eye as he speaks.

[Foxbat-4: Legacy] Foxbat-4 slides through the wreckage like a cat through a junkyard. There's a lot less jumping involved, though. A little twisting, a touch of gliding, maybe a slight jerk or two when needed. Down through the clouds the Foxbat goes, closing in on the necessary coordinates.

[TAC3] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Alright folks, let's keep it fairly quiet unless there's an emergency. Standard pattern, Madman. You know the drill, you know where we're going. I'll ping if something's seen or if there's an emergency. You do the same."

[TAC3] "Madman" Matto says, "Black Cat, Madman, acknowledged."

"Hey, Black Cat," Thorn pipes up a moment later, his tone all business as he squints at the DRADIS screen. "Got some activity here. Looks like a SAM battery about six klicks out…" he trails off, leaning forward with a scowl. "…Positive identification on the raider production facility. About three klicks past th' SAMs."

"Damn," she says quietly. "Ok, get pictures of it if you can," she tells him, lips thinning. "Let's get the coordinates marked so our Vipers can go in and take care of business."

[TAC3] "Crybaby" Kitty says, "Black Cat, Madman, this is Crybaby. I am picking up readings several miles out. Looks like that's our SAM site."

[TAC3] "Thorn" Komnenos says, "Crybaby, Thorn. Confirmed… just spotted it here, too."

"Got it," Thorn replies, doing some quick work with the camera controls. He looks forward at Thea with a raised eyebrow. "We have t' leave the fun t' th' Vipers?"

[Foxbat-4: Nike] Aside from the lurking death below, and the wasteland that the once-beautiful countryside's become, it's just another quiet — and somewhat mild — evening on Scorpia. Silence. More silence. And then a blip on DRADIS; an angry little red dot that the pilots might miss, but the ECOs with their eyes trained on their screens, sure as hell don't. It's coming from the direction of the Glenhaven production facility.

"Well," Thea says slowly. "No. How are your aiming skills? When we come back with the Vipers, we'll have them provide cover for us."

"Haven't played with th' missles much since training," Thorn replies slowly. "Not too many chances t', really. But I should be able t'…" Thorn trails off again as he notices something new. "DRADIS contact! Single blip, coming from th' factory."

Thea's voice is quiet. "See if you can get an ID on it. We just need to make one more pass to get all the readings. Colonial or toaster?"

[TAC3] "Thorn" Komnenos says, "Madman, Crybaby, Thorn. I have a new DRADIS contact, looks like a Cylon signature, inbound from th' facility."

[TAC3] "Crybaby" Kitty says, "This is Crybaby. We got something…coming from the facility!"

[TAC3] "Madman" Matto says, "Thorn, Madman, we see it."

[TAC3] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Madman, try to hold on for one more pass. Crybaby, Thorn, I need you two on your toes. We're going in for more readings and anything we missed. One pass, then back out again."

[Foxbat-4: Legacy] Thea's Raptor remains on course, despite the single blip. She apparently meant what she said about the one more pass.

[TAC3] "Madman" Matto says, "Black Cat, Madman, I'm with you."

[Foxbat-8: Matto] And so he is. With her, that is. One more pass.

[TAC3] "Thorn" Komnenos says, "All ships, Thorn… scratch that. New contact is vectoring off t' the east. Looks like he's headed for the airbase."

[TAC3] "Crybaby" Kitty says, "Confirmed. It's definitely moving to the east. Hopefully it'll keep heading that way."

[TAC3] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Ok, people. Let's get this pass complete. Mark where it was headed and prepare to haul ass out of dodge. I want to get us back to Kharon so we can get the ground recon done."

[Foxbat-4: Nike] It looks like the two raptors aren't sufficient enough of a distraction for the raider. Yet. If the pilots strain, they can likely catch a glimpse of it moving swiftly beneath the cloud cover, twin contrails left in its wake as it heads away from the seaboard and toward the east. The ships' consoles continue to scroll through data: vegetation, radiological scans, temperature, cloud cover, atmospheric composition. The crater where Ambrose air base once stood, is visible from here. The once-highest point in the Icarus mountains, pulverised to dust, along with the lakeside village nestled in the valley. Little silver blips become visible far below: cylon base camps and outposts littered between Glenhaven, Paros, Tinos and Marionville.

[TAC3] "Thorn" Komnenos says, "Marked an' logged, Black Cat."

[TAC3] "Crybaby" Kitty says, "Got the information, Black Cat."

[TAC3] "Thorn" Komnenos says, "That's definitely a Raider. I'll be having my ten cubits when we get back t' th' ship, Crybaby."

[TAC3] "Madman" Matto says, "Black Cat, Madman, acknowledging prepped as hell to scramble mad acts of ass-haulage on your mark."

[TAC3] "Crybaby" Kitty says, "Just because you called it first doesn't mean you neccesarily -saw- it first, Thorn."

[TAC3] "Thorn" Komnenos says, "Don't play semantics with me, Crybaby. Consider this incentive t' pipe up a little faster next time."

[TAC3] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Children? If I have to remind you what radio silence means, there WILL be double PT for two weeks. Madman, on my mark, head back out."

[Foxbat-4: Legacy] The nose of Foxbat-4 pulls up and starts back out the way it came. Clearly Thea's not hanging around.

[TAC3] "Crybaby" Kitty says, "Alright, alright. Get with me once we get back, Thorn."

[TAC3] "Madman" Matto says, "Black Cat, Madman, ready for your mark."

"That looks like everything, Black Cat," Thorn announces from the back seat just as the Raptor's nose begins to pitch up abruptly. "Got pictures of everything y' wanted taken."

[TAC3] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Madman, take her out."

[STC] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Kharon, Black Cat. Two Foxbats coming home, no strays. Prepare to scramble Vipers for the return trip."

[STC] "Knight" Praxis says, "Black Cat, Kharon. Good to see you back - expedite the landing sequence as we're already spooled up and prepared to get underway."

[STC] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Coming in to land then head back out again. Dropping off copies of recon while we're at it. Please have deck crews ready to receive."

[STC] "Knight" Praxis says, "Consider it done, Black Cat. Kharon out."

[TAC3] "Black Cat" Legacy says, "Madman, get your bird in fast and drop her. Prepare to expedite information transfer. Deck standing by."

[TAC3] "Madman" Matto says, "Black Cat, Madman, Crybaby's expediting that information as I speak. Landing presently; landed."

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