Chasing a Lead

Posted on 11 May 2025 @ 11:22pm by Commodore Harvey Geisler & Commander Terry Walsh & Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Carter & Ensign Aurilia Moretti

650 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Bait and Switch
Location: Squadron Command || Space
Timeline: June 30, 2390 || 1715 Hours

Commodore Geisler entered the Flight Deck Control room with a smirk on his face and determination in his steps. In his hands, he held a yellow isolinear chip. It was uncharacteristic of him to enter this room, however, the situation appeared to warrant it. He made his way to the center situational table and inserted the chip. Then, with a tap of a nearby button, he opened a comm channel to the squadron. "Rocco and Jax, this is Actual. Our new arrivals brought us some actionable intel. How would you like to get away from the roost and stretch your wings."

"Roger that," answered Rocco. "Sounds like a plan. Whenever you're ready, we'll receive coordinates." It'd be a good thing, spreading the wings a bit.

"Copy, Actual," Jax responded after Rocco. "Standing by." He looked over at Tango who was his wingperson and in her Valkyrie.

Geisler nodded, using the holographic display to bring some images to life. "I'm sending you the intel from their navigation logs now. Our target appears to be holding a triangular pattern near the middle of the nebula, about four thousand kilometers from our current position. The Black Hawk will go up the middle. And you will flank."

"Roger," said Terry, as he received the coordinates and began making plans.

"Tango, you're with me," Jax said after ordered were issued out and waited for the other assignments to be handed out.

"Copy, Jax," Tango responded as they headed towards the right flank of the Black Hawk, several other fighter pairs following in formation designed for maximum spread and coverage based on the intel they'd been given.

Harvey tapped a button on the table to transmit the images to each fighter. "Here's the map," he offered to them. "Due to the distance, we will lose sensor contact as soon as you clear one kilometer from the ship. Report findings as you come across."

Jax pulled the information up and fed it into his computer as he studied it. "We're going to have to set up repeaters to get that information back quickly once we're out of sensor range. That'll be affected by the nebula, too, but I'll send Tango in on a direct course to you if we get solid actionable proof, Actual."

"Jax," Harvey said with a smirk, "don't return home without a full status on our target. We know she's wounded, but we'll need to know how she's patching those wounds. Even in these conditions, we'll need a tactical advantage."

"Copy that, ,Actual," Jax said. It felt like they'd be flying blind with no backup, but the knowledge that Rocco would be on the other flank and the Black Hawk coming up the middle, they'd have a chance.

"Patching up wounds," he responded. "Can do." Terry and his wingman took to the other flank and began active sensor sweeps, for all the good that would do in the nebula. But at least it was something. The location of their prey, though, and the fact that the enemy sensors were just as fracked as the fighter's were was a plus.

"Report back as soon as possible," Harvey said over the comm. "Actual out."

"Copy," Jax said. "Look alive, Tango. Stay within a kilometer and go hot with your sensors."

"You got it, Jax," Aurilia said as she maneuvered her fighter and started actively searching with her sensors as they went deeper into the nebula.

"Roger that," answered Terry. "Looks like we're diving deep into this one," he told his wingman. "Keep an eye out."

Harvey stood in the command center for a moment and watched the fighters disappear into the nebula. As he did, a smirk appeared on his face. The Commodore pushed himself off of the table and turned for the exit, this time bound for Auxiliary Control.

Finally, he thought. Action at last.

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