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| - As the dark shadow of a support tow gets clearance and flies over the airfield, Raxis' heart sinks into his stomach. There's nothing like a large shadow over an airfield to get everyone's attention. With the hissing of servomotors and hoverfields, what's left of Ghost 3 is softly set onto the repulsorsled waiting for it next to the vehicle repair bay. Having taken blaster scoring damage to its wings and a solid, painful looking gash that appears to have partially melted his engine's power supply, the X-wing doesn't appear to be in good shape. A technician rushes up to the charred X-wing and connects a ladder to the canopy as the cockpit opens, and Raxis L'ygr begins to descend the ladder looking none-too-pleased. Ridge Archilles is already in the starport when the X-wing lands. His brow furrows at the sight of the damage all over the fighter and leaves off watching over his own squad of fighters to hurry to the damaged X-wing. The Lt. Colonel arrives at the Ghost a few seconds later and waits for the pilot to completely descend from the ladder. Seeing no one else properly suited for the job, he commands Raxis, "Give me a report, pilot." Gene is off duty, currently, but pretty much sticks around the base, sitting off to the side in his Civvies playing some dice game with another military member. He also looks up, when the shadow looms overhead. The damage bringing back some memories... he sighs and looks to the cockpit. "Well, he's in trouble." Yanking off his helmet in frustration, Raxis sighs and waves a flight recorder. "Sir, Flight Officer Corbet has been captured, sir." Ridge's face seems to get tighter after Raxis speaks. He blinks once in silence, then nods. "Walk with me, L'ygr. Continue your report." He turns and begins to walk towards one of the many buildings around the military starport. Gene's to his feet now, when he hears this... he sighs and just shakes his head. This being all too familiar to him, but he doesn't follow. He's no longer a pilot, though it's Military buisness, it's no longer his.. the Marine takes his seat again, but is unable to finish his game. Helmet in hand, Raxis walks alongside with the flight recorder and talks to the Lt. Colonel, visibly upset. "Everything was going fine on the patrol, Sir. We were screened on the flight plan by a large rock, like a displaced asteroid. So there was a sensor void. We rounded up and saw a Tie. It didn't respond to hails and came at us." Raxis pauses, turning to Ridge. "Lance was disabled, really quickly nomatter how I covered him." The Lt. Colonel nods to the Lieutenant. "I understand, L'ygr. It could have happened to any of us." He continues walking, now almost to the building. "Make an official report, and we'll do what we can to get Corbet back in our hands. Where were you two patrolling?" "F-Sector near quadrant 33." Raxis replies, shaking his head. Turning to see people watching and assembled pit crew, he flattens his lips and turns back to Ridge. "Sir...I didn't want to leave him sir, but my sublights were shutting down, all I had was hyper and the intel..." Gene nods, just a bit. "To anyone.." he murrmers, and then looking to the person he was playing against. "Here, keep it, I am notable to finish now, I need to go take a walk." Pushing over the wad of cash he was gambeling with. Rising, and heading away from the compound. Nodding, Ridge absorbs the information. "It was just a lone TIE, you say?" Now at the building, the StarOps HQ, the Lt. Colonel waits for the door to slide open, then enters. Pulling a stack of papers from a side table, Ridge sets them on a small desk in front of Raxis. "Sit down and fill these out." Sitting down across from him, he continues to ask questions. "Did you see any signs of a larger Imperial ship nearby?" Immediately sitting to file the paperwork, Raxis stretches a sore shoulder and then begins to slowly move his inkpen over the papers. Still in his flight suit with a grease-stain on his cheek and sweat-stained hair, he rubs and eye and looks up to Ridge. "I was looking for it. Since those big space rocks are hell on sensor sweeps, and we were both on the same side of a rock and no sight of a carrier, I gave ok to engage when it didn't comply to hailings..." Raxis says and then stops, sighs, and returns to the forms. "It could have been on the other side of the rock, there were a few of them there and we were just clearing the first one. This TIE, it was just suddenly there. All by itself..." "That's odd behavior for a TIE fighter," Ridge states. "They usually work in numbers. If it was alone, there must have been more nearby." He pauses, thinking. "In fact... TIEs aren't equipped with hyperdrive systems. There would have had to be a carrier of some sort nearby. But which one?" This last question is asked mostly to himself, but a second later his eyes snap to Raxis and he asks, "Did you notice any markings on the hull? Anything that could tell us what squadron it was in?" Shaking his head softly, Raxis motions to the flight recorder. "I couldn't see. It was just too fast. I tell you, sir it either knew we were coming, or there was a carrier nearby..." Ridge nods to the Lieutenant. "I understand. I know your sensors were mostly blocked off, but did you happen to get a transponder on the TIE? I'm only asking because we need some kind of guess on what ship it came from. We can't get him back if we don't know where to go." "Flyby scans showed it as a 'Beta One'..." Raxis replies, closing his eyes for a moment to think about it. "I...wait." He sits up, plugging the flight recorder into his datapad. "I've got a recording of the pilot saying 'Glory to the Empire.." "It's a start, both of those," Ridge says, stroking his chin. "Play the recording on your datapad if you can." As he waits for Raxis, he racks his brains, trying to remember a TIE called "Beta One." "I've got all that, plus whatever the nose cam, Vee-Ten's recorder and anything else picked up as flight data..." Raxis finishes as he presses the play button. Ridge listens to the recording as Raxis presses the play button. After it's through the first time, he reaches over and presses the button again, replaying the recording. His brow furrows. The voice sounded familiar. The recording plays a few more times, and all the sudden the Lt. Colonel's face brightens, then immediately darkens, the man's brows furrowing. He nods to himself as the recording plays once more. There is a small moment of silence afterwards, and then the Falcon pilot grunts a single word. "Wolf." "Wolf...I haven't read a dossier on that name," Raxis begins, looking up. "Is he one of Krieg's pilots?" Ridge gives a single nod to Raxis' question. "Yeah, he's one of Krieg's. I've talked to him in person before." He shakes his head grimly, then sighs. "But at least we have an idea of where to find him." Raxis grits his teeth for a moment and shakes his head for a moment, squeezing the bundled pair of gloves in his left hand as he looks down at his writing. With nothing to say, or nothing he wants to say, he continues the paperwork. After a long moment, he looks to the Lt. Colonel again. "Sir...I...is there anything I can do to ensure that I'm a part of that rescue mission?" The Lt. Colonel looks over at Raxis, thinking for a moment before answering. "Major Sh'vani, for whatever reason, may decide you cannot go." He pauses again, then continues. "Since she is your CO and Wing Commander, it is your duty to follow her orders." He pauses again, predicting when he will see a downcast look on the other pilot's face. When it comes, he continues, "However, one of the pilots in my flight has been feeling rather sick lately. I really shouldn't let him fly." He looks at Raxis and winks. "What Major Sh'vani doesn't know can't hurt her, eh? Or at least, won't come back to bite us in the asses before we get Corbet back, safe and sound." "Thanks but no thanks sir," Raxis says, finishing the paperwork and standing. "I want to go, but I want to go with my CO's graces if I do. I did everything I could, and I'm still upset about making the decision to hyper out with the intel. Believe me...I'm praying that the intel's worth it because today we got knocked in the dirt." Raxis pauses, waiting to be dismissed. Ridge smirks and stands. "So be it, Lieutenant. Go report to Major Sh'vani. Dismissed." Nodding, Raxis salutes the Lt. Colonel and exits the room at a hurried pace. The strain of the restraint he's showing slowly begins to fray his nerves as he hustles down the hall.
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