The Sunny Islands of Hakawa [Maverick Saga]

Bella flicked her S-foils into flight mode. The fight was over, they'd all done well. They'd almost won. They didn't, though. She let out a sigh and slumped back into her chair for the flight home. "Well Rusty, we tried." She called out to the Astromech behind her. He woo'd quite sadly, before following up with an upbeat chirp. "Yeah I guess we did our best. But still, we'd all be dead if that was a real mission. That's just not good enough."

She was the last X-Wing to come down, smoothing her way down the runway. She looked out at the other X-Wing pilots walking away from their vessels, the base comms sounded dully through her cockpit. She wasn't sure if Vesil was pleased or annoyed that they'd failed. She was directed to a clear spot, and with a smooth spin angled her X-Wing into it. She dropped gently to the ground, and the cockpit sprung open. "You did good today, Rusty." she said to her Astromech, as she pulled off her helmet and shoved it next to her seat. Giving the Astromech a smile, she added "You deserve a good checkup, fresh oil. All those nice robot things." She waved aside the hanger crew who were bringing along a ladder before hopping out of the cockpit.

Bella pulled her hair out of her bun as she walked along the runway. She ran a hand through her hair and took a moment to close her eyes and take a deep breath. The sun was nice, here. The sea air, good to breath. She'd miss it when she was gone. Before she could even open her eyes, she'd been dragged into an embrace. She opened her eyes suddenly, her arms yanking upwards out of shock. It was Pers. Perseval. A Corellian. This was just wrong. Although, really she couldn't remember the last time she'd been hugged. So it was kind of nice in a detached purely physical kind of way. She lowered a hand around his back, giving him a gentle pat. She didn't think she'd done that well, not as well as he was saying. "Really? I didn't think I did that well, I mean sure I lasted the longest but I kind of lost count when you'd..." She pulled out of the hug, her mouth still open in an unspoken word.

Luckily the rest of Maverick had already wandered off for what happened next.

She poked a finger at his chest, pushing him back a little. "I told you to break off! I said clearly, 'none of those Corellian antics'. Yet what did you do?" She scrunched her face up, as if the word was sour on her tongue. She looked conflicted, and for but a second she almost looked as if she would break and hug him back. But she dropped, her face and arms dropping. "Just if I tell you to break off, it's because I'm probably already dead. This time, your instinct got lucky." She gave him a weak smile, that turned into a grin as she spoke, "I can't handle the backlash of a Corellian dying on a Talusian's watch, the Sector would break out into full on conflict - again." She gave him a pat on his shoulder, and motioned for him to walk with her. "Remember, next time you die in combat, I'll kill you myself."

Erin smirked a little at their reluctance to get close, it was kind of silly to see the kids arguing with each other over their success. Still, they seemed to finally be getting along, as only people from the Corellian sector could. It was pretty obvious as she walked away that the two were going to have an interesting relationship, regardless of whether they remained simply wingmen or not. Still, she didn't have anything to say to them at this point--it could wait for after the debriefing. She left them to their bickering, giggling girlishly on hearing the 'if you die, I'll kill you myself.' Yep, hopefully they would do well. She was nervous for the rookies, but they seemed to be doing well so far.

She would go ahead of the duo and find herself a place to watch the debriefing, standing off to the side of the front, keeping herself amongst the leadership but also trying not to drag attention. She was just there to observe, and while she made eye contact with the commander, she kept her expression as flat as could be until an actual verdict was given. Oh, she was proud of the squadron, but this wasn't her boys, and she had to support their actual 'father,' so to speak. Huh... she really was bad about calling the squadron a family... she needed to watch herself. They weren't flying interceptors, but this was still pretty severe.

The debriefing room was a circular shape with pleasant, curving walls, much like all structures that were built by the Mon Cal. Several rows of white chairs sat a bit to the back, and then at the head of the room there was a holoprojector unit that was currently deactivated. Judging by some of wear and tear on the cosmetics of the room, it was obvious that this had been used by the pilots of the Rebellion, and New Republic, for a long time. Stepping into the room, the pilots felt a sense of history as on the far side of the wall, someone had inscribed the names of various base personnel and pilots who had operated there carved into the wall with the words 'May The Force Be With Them' inscribed. Standing next to the holoprojector was Vesil, who nodded as each pilot entered the room. Only Maverick was here for the debriefing, Maverick, and Erin.

When Erin entered the room ahead of Perseval and Bel, he nodded at her and then gestured for her to join him at the front of the room. When she did, he'd shoot her a quick smile and mutter to her. "Time for class to begin, once Three and Four get here." He wouldn't refer to them by their names too much.

It'd be easier for him that way. 'Won't mind as much when they get blasted by some lucky Imp-' He cut that thought off, mentally scolding himself for even thinking it of his pilots. His eyes scanned the room, freezing on Three and Four. The youngsters were still talking among themselves. Which was good. Three and Four were infamous on the base for being the most dysfunctional wing mates when in simulations..but it appeared as if the war game had done them some good in learning to rely on eachother.

'Let's just hope everyone else learned something..'


"Alright Mavericks, listen up!" His voice cut through the din of conversation as he flicked on the holoprojector. A small mining station appeared on the holoprojector, and Vesil pointed at it. "Alright folks. I had hoped that we'd have more time for this, but we've just received orders. Maverick is getting made operational in two weeks, and this is where we'll be going. Republic Intelligence has picked up a lot of activity in the area from what they believe to be Pirates. The mining facility, happens to be maintained by Bothans. We're being sent in to reassure the populace that the New Republic is there to protect them, and to play public relations-" He paused, eyeing them all. "Make no mistake, this is not a social call. We will be there prepared to fight to protect those people, and anyone whose slacking will be dealt with. Any questions?"

Perseval remained silent as he listened, he had smiled at Bel's previous teasing, and had even slapped her on the back as they sat down. But now he was all business. The idea of going operational so soon...it sobered him up quickly. All the pilots looked sobered up at this point. They had assumed this would be a typical debriefing, and now..well, now they all knew that it was real. This wasn't just a pat on the back for what they had done in the war game, this was to inform them that their summer vacation was almost over. Perseval gave Bel a quick look and a nod, attempting to convey to her that he was prepared if she was. Even if it was two weeks off.

A gloved hand shot up to the air as the first question was asked, "Yeah, I've got one sir." "Yes?" Ea'rl raised a brow.

"For starters, why's she here then?" The young pilot wiped his blonde hair back, jerking his chin at Erin. "She joining us for this operation then?"

"Can't answer that at that time. Any other questions?"

Bell turned to face the holoprojector, and the look on her face was simply a mirror of the rest of the squadron. She always had been serious about things like this, even back on Coruscant. Then again, Coruscant had been a relatively cushy job. Pirates didn't make it anywhere near the system, the Empire hadn't been seen there for just over a dozen years. Smugglers were the only threat, and they'd rather run than put up a fight with a bunch of X-Wings. She'd talked to a bunch of the other pilots, and some of them didn't have any real combat experience out of sims either. So the higher ups throwing them into this situation with so little training as a squad.. Even Bel could see that was a rushed decision.

She looked to Pers, raising an eyebrow to him. He gave her a nod of reassurance, and his face looked deadly serious for a moment. She knew what it meant, that he was ready to be her wingman for this mission. She didn't know why, but she'd bonded enough with him to think he'd actually be able to keep her from getting vaped. All it took was sitting down, a nice cold drink and watching a game of slingball on the beach. Maybe this was why their bosses had taken them to Dac. It was so relaxing, relaxing enough to make a Talusian not want to chuck a Corellian out of the airlock.

She found herself smiling back at him, and gave him a nod in return. She'd be there for him, for now. He needed someone to keep him in check so he didn't embarress the Sector.

Bella hadn't quite noticed that Erin wasn't supposed to really be there, she hadn't seen that much of her around. Then again, she did show up and watch as they landed. What had she shouted out, now? Her accent was a little... Well, Imperial. Plus what with being smothered by Pers at the time she was a little distracted. But the fact remained, she'd been there waiting for them. Maybe her and Pers were- Oh my, she thought. She grinned a little, and gave Pers a sideways glance. That sly Corellian dog. She'd have to grill him on that later.

When Vesil spoke back up again, asking for more questions, Bell's hand shot straight up. She waited for Vesil to notice her, then spoke out her own question. "One question. You mentioned Republic Intelligence has been monitoring the situation on these pirates. Surely we should have more information on numbers, weaponry, ships - Do they work from one of the nearby planets, or.. Maybe a flagship? I just thought the more information, the better equipped we are to fight these guys."

She dropped her hand down to her lap, sat up a little straighter, and got a few agreeable nods from a couple of other pilots.

Bel's question got a smirk out of Erin, who much like Vesil was thinking of the progress that such awareness meant. It made her feel bad that she was unable to answer that thanks to Vesil beating her to the punch... and not wanting to get people too spooked about her being a... well a spook. Still, he told them what they needed to know, and about all that she knew save for the precise details of the attacks, which were about as useful as a Selonian in a maternity ward. She personally suspected that these were either Imperial or republic pirates who had jumped ship, probably the former considering the... lower moral standards of the Imperial fighter Corps. Always baffled her that they didn't just turn mercenary; certainly less risky.

She too noticed the weird look that Perseval was giving Bel when Vesil mentioned warm fuzzy hugs, and in turn noticed the sly smile that the Talusian was giving him. She wasn't born yesterday, she knew sexual tension when she saw it, especially after that feral rage that Bella got after Pers 'went down'. Someone better look up the combat specs on the beast with two backs. she thought to herself with a smirk. Well, all the more power to them, maybe they'll have more motivation to keep each other alive. She didn't want to see that kind of joy get cut short, but it happened all too often--then again those two were wildcats together so at least her hopes were above board.

Those thoughts were beat down and the congratulations began. Not much more to say about the action, it was a damn good show for their first attempt at live combat. She too joined in the clapping, more of a soft golf clap than anything but she at least wanted to show support. And then Vesil offered to give her a chance to speak. She gave the man a look of 'I wish you hadn't done that,' but didn't protest, supposing she might as well just get her own introduction over with. Clearing her throat as she came forward, she calmly put her hands behind her back and did her best to summon the spirit of the old days... minus the accent. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Leftenant Erin Barthet, your Intelligence Liaison. But before you get too worried about bringing a desk jockey into combat with you, I'm also an experienced A-wing pilot of seven years." Good, no sign of her lying... though was 'desk jockey' a common term with the Republic pilots? That was going to bug her. Letting it go she gave them a light smile. "I do want to congratulate you on some top-notch flying, as the Commander said you did a good-looking job." Then, as quick as the smile came, it was gone. "But you must work on your survival and defensive flying. Look at your wingman. As long as you are in the air, you are married to your wingman. Protect them from whatever comes after them and trust them to do the same. A good pair is worth far more than the sum of your parts, and with one gone the whole is lost. So look after each other out there.
"
That's all I had to say... May the Force be with us." With that she finished and stepped back into her place to the side, nodding to Vesil. That felt a little preachy... she needed to talk with the boys, ask them if she was like that back in the day and they just put up with it or if she had another way of handling it. She didn't just want to be their mum.

Vesil just winked at Erin when she shot him that look, and nodded along to her words as her speech began. He allowed his eyes to wander again, taking in the faces of the painfully young, and even more painfully enthusiastic pilots that sat in the briefing room. They were all there, absorbing Erins words with eager eyes. He managed to restrain the urge to wince, not exactly comfortable with the pseudo-hero worship they had been giving him. But there was nothing to be done for it. He was the oldest man in the squadron, the oldest man on the base, not counting Orion. 'And I'm only in my thirties, sithspit!' He mentally shook his head, stepping up as Erin stepped back.

"That's it for now Pilots. Dismissed."

He gave them all a quick salute, and then strode off the stage.


Perseval stood up, poking Bel in the side of the head with a gloved finger before darting off, leading her on a chase if she wanted revenge.

And another day on the the Hakawa Islands ended.

---------------

It was the final day before launch day, and in celebration, the base staff had thrown the pilots of Maverick, Orions crew members, and the pilots of the other numerous squadrons that had been assigned to the base a large beach party. The sun was setting on the horizon, though it was still pleasantly warm and humid outside. Vesil and Orion themselves weren't there of course, though almost everyone else who was alive on the base was there. Pilots and crew members swam in the water, splashing eachother and laughing. At least four slingball games were going on between the pilots of Maverick and the various Y-wing squadrons.

Alone, the pilots of Hunter squadron sat in a circle, quietly chatting amidst themselves. The Hunter pilots flew X-Wings, and had a long standing rivalry with Maverick at this point. Maverick had consistently beaten them in the mock battles that had been fought, and it had certainly soured the relations between the two squadrons.

Elsewhere, a swimming suit competition was being held. A few navy crewmen (and women) and their pilot counterparts were participating, and also judging.

Even Perseval was watching, and grinning, for once not studying up on battle strategies as he watched the contest with a mug of Corellian ale on his table. It was peaceful, it was fun, and it was relaxing. Especially considering the next day they were being sent out with the task of destroying an entire force of pirates. It should be easy, at least that's what Perseval kept telling himself. Hunter Squadron was going with them after all.

Perseval's eyes trailed along the beach, looking for Erin and Bel.

Bel tried to snatch the hand that poked her head, missing by barely an inch. She ran out after Persy, dodging the other members of Maverick as she chased him through the base. She'd have her revenge, even if she'd have to wait until he was sleeping.

She'd have her revenge.

---

"A beach party?" Bell had screamed, excitedly, when she'd been told the news by one of the other pilots.

She loved parties.

She loved beaches.

It seemed right to mix the two together and put alcohol on the top. It was a good way to relax before their launch tomorrow, which had been clouding her mind for a few days now. It'd worried her, to the point that she'd lost her appetite over the last few days. Even if the Quarren Nuggets yesterday were delicious. So the thought of a beach party excited her to no end.

When she'd been told she was going to Dac for training, she'd had the crazy idea to visit a shop and spend some creds on swim wear. Just in case, y'know? If there was one thing Coruscant had it was consumer choice. Consumer choice and good fashion taste.

She was sporting a fancy little number, it was orange and white (she thought it made a good addition, considering her profession) and was fastened with gold rings and string-thin straps. When she heard there was a swimsuit contest, she just had to win it. On principle.

She'd left her hair down and looked like she'd actually scrubbed up a little for the occasion. She wasn't known for her finesse, or her womanly qualities of anything. She didn't even know if she could pull it off, but she'd found some Talusian Whiskey for the added courage.

She wasn't even that bad. She went not longer after Erin, and she took some pointers from her with the wiggle. She even smiled on the pose, throwing her hip out and giving a grin as she rested her fists on her hips. It was a strong pose, for a strong Talusian woman.

She strutted back, and once she'd got out of the makeshift cat-walk, quickly hid in the crowd of contenders.

Force-Sensitive Nerfs that was a weird experience. Where did I leave that bottle?