Theory to Reality

[Rake Tybar]

Upon a relatively barren planet in the mid-rim, an Imperial facility loomed over the rustic and dated towns below it's dominating silhouette in the morning sunrise. After taking a few knocks from the resurgent Republic and their Jedi allies, the Empire had sought recruits from less authentic sources. Enter Academy 071, an academy designed to attract, develop and provide pilots for the Imperial War machine. After completing basic, recruits were drafted into the different branches, Navy or Army. After that, the Navy divided them into different categories and the ones with the best math scores and fastest reflexes were offered a chance to become a Starfighter pilot. Of course with all the losses they'd taken early in the war to the Alliance's superior Starfighter designs, the bar had been lowered somewhat, allowing a lesser breed of pilot the opportunity, but it had not been without it's reward. Some of the most excellent pilots came from unorthodox origins and wouldn't have been accepted in the previous entry requirements, like Rake Tybar, a young man from the outer rim who dodged work from the syndicate to land in the lap of the Empire, his teacher, employer and saviour. He couldn't understand why such a large rebellion had risen up against his beloved organization, but knew he had to play his part in putting it down.

"Cadet Tybar, a word." Called the instructor.

Rake walked over on command, his black tunic holding the rank of officer cadet with the badges upon his shoulders and cap showing a brilliance in their shine, as if they were brand new and not three years old. The young pilot had sandy-blonde hair with dark blue eyes, his shoulders were hunched over with all the tell-tale signs of poor posture, probably from a tougher, more manual job in his past, but when he walked he carried a sense of pride bordering arrogant, at least to those who didn't like him. To those who did, his friends and colleagues, he was just confident. And why shouldn't he be? He was leading intake 114 for over two years. Once he overtook Mandall Topec on the literacy and numeracy scores, then schooled Yarla Vem in the simulations, he was undisputed top student.

"Yes Sir?" Rake answered him, standing firm to attention before being dismissed to relax.

"No simulator for you today. You're piloting a TIE fighter in escort duty." The Instructor replied.

'Finally!' He thought quietly. A chance to get his hands on the real thing, to feel the cold rush over his jumpsuit and feel the rumbling that a simulator couldn't quite reproduce.

"When is the briefing?"
"This IS the briefing."

The two of them exited, the cadet, following in tow.

"You're not to ask who is aboard the shuttle, just know that we have qualified pilots with more years under their belts than yours, but your scores outrank theirs and the V.I.P cares little for past deeds. All they care about is the now and maximizing the odds."

"I understand sir."

"Good. Your helmet and jumpsuit are in the crew locker-room. There you will meet Captain Dravas, a Chiss and an experienced veteran of this war. He'll be flight commander. You will be his wingman. Understood?"

"Yes sir." Replied Rake before banging out a salute and moving with full haste to the lockers. Once kitted up, he would make his way to Omega Epislon Four, his assigned TIE Fighter for this mission.

[Rhoden Carbine]

Rhoden Carbine eased the hyperdrive lever back and watched as the swirl of hyperspace faded to starlines and then to stars. And a Lambda-class shuttle directly off the bow of his YT-2000 freighter. Rhoden hadn't asked why a single shuttle required an escort, particularly one consisting of a freighter and some local TIE's, he'd been with the Empire during the time when pointless ship shuffling was the mark of the day.

"Either there's some politician hoping to impress sitting somewhere watching his little toys fly around or we're in for a surprise." Jorvan muttered from beside him. "I'd bank on a surprise, and not a pleasant one." Rhoden responded. "Here comes the TIE escort."

[Rake Tybar]

Rake exited the ready room, with a familiar blackened TIE Pilot's helmet beneath his arm. His boots mirrored almost as much as the black plasteel surface below as he marched purposefully to the hanger. Coming up to the entrance, an officer made way for him.

'If he'd noticed I was just a cadet, I would've gotten an earful of abuse for that.'

Instead, he rode the mistake through, returned a quick salute and got inside to see an array of TIE Fighter craft perched upon their launch bannisters. The hanger at the school hung over a precarious drop, so all fighter craft were suspended from clamps over their wing support arms. He clambered up the steps to notice Omega leader already prepping with the twin engines beginning to glow. Rake assumed a quicker pace and opened the hatch to the fighter he'd been ushered towards. Sitting inside the cockpit, he noticed it was slightly more spacious than the simulator, but felt ridiculously cold. The lack of atmosphere reminding him quickly to plug in his apparatus. After doing so, he went through a rushed pre-flight check.

"Main battery... circuit lanes...structural....ignition."

The howl of the twin engines erupted, but arriving almost as an echo, but it signalled his arrival. He twisted the calibrator which brought the seat forward to a more comfortable position. Whoever had flown it last was either way above the required body time or was way too relaxed towards Imperial Fighter doctrines.

"Ahh, my lab assistant arrives." A dry Corulag-esque accent whispered into the comm.

"Yes...Er, sir. I'm Officer Cadet Tybar, reporting as wingman for escort duty." He replied as officially as he could, not certain who was on the other end.
"Good. You were prompt, definitely a good first impression. Your scores are good but that'll mean little today if anything kicks off, so, remember the basics first. No fancy tricks and follow my wing, wingman."
"Yes sir."
"I'm Chissom, by the way. Commander Chissom, Omega One."

He knew who he was, and Chissom knew too.

"Are we expecting anything to kick off, Sir?"
"That's classified."

Both pilots prepped for undocking..

"But, be ready to put power to your weapons."


The clamps unlocked, both TIE's dropped as the white tri-winged shuttle soared past below and the twin TIE's howled a familiar mechanical scream through the air as they caught upto it in no time at all.

Rake's thoughts were running wild, and as such he'd gone to full alert. He maintained his present flightpath, velocity and altitude but couldn't help scanning the horizon for trouble.

"Your mic won't go through to the shuttle, so, you can talk freely." Chissom said plainly.
"Sir. I might be better prepared if you can drop a clue as to where I should be looking for trouble?"

A few moments passed. Rake began to take the hint until his assumption proved hasty.

"Ground level. Insurgents, Seperatists. What do I care, I sit through so many of these briefings these days. Might as well tell you. The passenger is a turncoat, local councillor and protectorate of the Empire. You probably even can guess who it is, but don't say any names over the comm. Which reminds me, you're Omega Two for this mission."

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now.."

An alarm began to sound, not in Rake's cockpit but through the comm channel.

"Escort to shuttle, I have a promixity alert, what's going on?!" Chissom demanded his explanation. A split moment later and a bright light blinded Rake. His eyes struggled to adjust through the lenses of his flightmask but he saw just enough of the tail section of the now exploded shuttle flailing into view.

"DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!" Omega screamed at him.

Dive he did. He slammed the controls down and his eyes were rewarded for their weakness when it clipped his port wing sending a rough shock through the controls up into his shoulders.

"Argh." He cried as he grasped his right shoulder.

"You still there two?" Chissom called in.
"Yes sir, still stable and able." He quickly replied.

"Good - no time for pleasantries, we have a new threat. Insurgent's are embedded in the canyons and cliff pockets with heavy weapons. They'll be aiming for the convoy."

'A convoy? Of course.' He realised now, the flight was a diversion to the real escort, a costly one, sure, but as prepared as the Empire were, so were the insurgents and it was his task today to get his first confirmed.

"Divide and Conquer Two, Scythe into those emplacements, hurry!"

Both TIE's swapped trajectories, Rake went right and Chissom went left. With Chissom out of mind, doing his own attack, Rake prepared his. Power was diverted to weapons rapidly, thanks to Chissom's earlier warning and he now had both thumbs above the triggers, ready to unleash green death upon the terrorist forces. He locked his eyes on one of the emplacements and...

They were gone, obliterated by a creeping barrage unleashed by the TIE fighter. His TIE roared over the smouldering remains at low level, too low for them to get a weapons lock. He soaked up as much information as he could before pulling up, spinning without rudder support and barrelling down upon them again. This time he could see some give up their posts and flee from the predicted strikes, but one fired a rocket, blindly and desperately. It was close, but not accurate enough. At that speed it would've had to have been on point to stop his charge. His hands clenched and green lights lit up the cockpit and the menacing TIE pilot helmet's 'face'. The blasters caused all they touched to explode. Dirt, structure and life.

"Imperial Forces are responding, stay alert for additional forces two. Keep up the slaughter, hapless fools. This! This is what happens when you defy, this is what happens when they try to bite."

Chissom, he sounded like the school commendant, who also parroted off patriotic rants about the Empire and their unquestionable might, but, it wasn't true, was it? Or he'd have never have been allowed to attend Imperial School. He was, like the ones running for their live's below the circling TIE's, beneath them.

He may still have been, if not for his Imperial Commission. He locked on, pressed the trigger, and killed again.

"For the Empire."

He could almost hear Chissom smile.

[Rhoden Carbine]

Rhoden had barely gotten the words out of his mouth when the shuttle abruptly exploded. Rhoden through the freighter to full throttle immediately. "Ground targets, marked. Weapons ready." Jorvan said cooly from beside him. Rhoden was about to fire, but the TIE's had gotten there first. A grim smile spread across his face as the attackers were blown away by the fighters, he made a mental note to check the names of the pilots.

Rhoden continued towards the ground, full throttle. Jorvan stirred in his seat. "You are not--" he began, wincing and tightening the straps securing him to his seat. Rhoden's smile broadened as he brought the frieghter out of the nosedive mere seconds before they would have slammed into it. He slammed the ship down, blocking off a small ravine through which several insurgents had been attempting to escape.

Rhoden smiled again as the boarding ramp could be heard slamming to the ground, the insurgents attempted to flee in the other direction, looks of horror on their faces. None made it more than ten meters, the troopers sprinting out of the freighter saw to that. "Shall we join in the fun?" Rhoden asked, standing and sliding his helmet on. Jorvan gave a smile of his own and slid his own helmet on.

[Rake Tybar]

"This is second, calling it in. North rock face forces have been extinguished. Moving to.." Rake stopped short.

He eyed a transport heading into the canyon, curious at what it's relevance was, he waited for it to pass, banked on a half angle turn and came in behind it. His blaster cannons were hot from constant fire, but they were primed and ready. The TIE floated behind, matching speed to keep the distance, then when she pulled hard into an assault landing. He pulled the controls starboard and upwards, leaving a sickening roar in the ears of the fleeing insurgents.

"That'll teach them, but do not toy with the prey, Two." Chissom chimed in.
"Well at least now they know who rules the skies too." Rake replied.
"Quite true, well said." Chissom said, approving. "That's our part done in this, the ground forces will mop up and we'll see posters of the glorious Imperial Army chasing down the insurgents, maybe we'll get printed in the pictures, if you're lucky. Ha! You can hang it on your dorm wall! But I imagine you won't be there for long." Chissom said.

The two TIE's rejoined and looked to be coming in for an attack run but merely gave a show of force as they gave a boost to the ground forces and acted as a detrimental effect on the fragile morale of the already routing forces.

"What do you mean, sir?" Rake asked.
"You're a combat pilot now. You have confirmed kills. I know - I saw them. Tell me, how does that sit with you? The killing?" Chissom asked curiously, as they angled up high to return to the hanger.
"Well." He thought before answering. "If you're asking if I'm okay with murder - I am not, yet this is not murder, is it? Enemies of the Empire, terrorists, guerrilla fighters, 'rebels'. You can't murder a blight on the galaxy - you cut them out, with force." Replied Rake.

There was a slight pause as the two ships re-docked.

"You're an interesting fellow, two. Definitely not the answer they teach you in the school - but no less true. I will see you in the future, I bet. Report in with the battlespace manager once you're done." Chissom ordered.

"Yes sir. It's been a pleasure, sir." Rake replied.

Rake removed the oxygen pipe from his mask and pulled off the helmet, only for light to creep into the cockpit. He looked up and saw the gloved hand of one of the technicians offering him a hand out of the cockpit. He clambered out with the assistance and headed for debriefing. As he left the hanger, he caught a glimpse of himself in the shiny surfaces of the doors. His hair was messed up, not neat as before, sweat had formed upon his forehead and his eyes were bloodshot. He gave a thought to those on the ground who would end up in worse condition.

[Rhoden Carbine]

The fight was over almost before it began. Rhoden and his reinforcements swept through the canyon, and reports came in from elsewhere. The rebels had all been dealt with. Rhoden and his forces returned to the YT-2000 and continued on to Academy 071. As Rhoden had noted to himself he asked the Academy's flight commander about the escorting TIE's.

"Myself and Cadet Rake Tybar." Commander Chissom responded. Rhoden smiled and inclined his head to the man, "Impressive, if brief, show out there, commander." Rhoden responded. He turned and walked off, pulling up Cadet Tybar's location and heading in his direction, beginning to read the young mans record as he walked.

Rhoden finally arrived outside an office where the cadet was no doubt being debriefed after his first active combat operation. He waited outside silently, rereading the cadet's record very carefully.

[Rake Tybar]

Rake brushed past his superior flight staff as they walked passed him in the hall. Gone was the helmet and so was the guise of a superior ranking officer with it. It was he who now saluted first and he who moved out of the way. He'd snapped back to a sobering reality and he didn't like it. In the TIE, that was it, he was out of the school. Past the classrooms, the instructors and the rival students, many of whom despised his heritage. The flight had been so liberating, freeing and at the same time, made him hungry for more tours.

He knocked on the Flight Commander's door.

"Enter."

Rake paced inside, coming to attention and cracking off a firm salute.

"Sir, Officer Cadet Tybar reporting for debriefing."

The Flight Commander, Jenerson, was his name, looked past him, over his right shoulder. Rake didn't dare turn to see what he was looking at, but heard the footsteps of a stormtrooper. Jenerson nodded and he heard a 'woosh' as the door shut behind him. Jenerson then gestured with an open hand to a pair of seats facing each other directly.

"Take a seat, Cadet Tybar." He spoke with added gravitas not found among the instructors. Probably came from commanding the entire planetary garrison's air power. Rake sat down, keeping his helmet under his arm. The commander didn't sit opposite him, instead he chose to stand behind the chair, leaning on it. Rake noted the fact he wore tight leather gloves. Unusual, but perhaps saying a little bit more about the character before him. Eitherway, he judged this was not a man to get on the wrong side of, regardless of his attire.

"This is and isn't a debriefing. You were assigned to an operation above your paygrade. The truth is, the original pilot fell ill, Salucami flu or some foul ailment, but then we find the next highest scoring pilot on the simulators is infact you, and he had five years on you. You've been here what, four months?"

"Three, sir." Rake replied.

"Doesn't matter, my point is the same either way. It says here that you joined with the hopes of later aspiring to command school. Your aptitude alone will prevent that in usual circumstances, you're too good a pilot. Not to feed your no doubt born ego from that little assault you just conducted. Bravo, by the way, ruthless and efficient. It's what I like to see, especially in our recruits.".

"Thank you, sir."

"But it's caused us a problem hasn't it? You weren't supposed to be involved in such a program. You've been exposed to operations above your pay level and as such, you cannot return to the classroom environment. You're being removed and as such I've completed Imperial Form 1066, expelling you from service in the school."

"But I didn't choose to-"

"I know. As such, your route into prestige has been sabotaged, which will make the families of those students here from more 'Imperial' backgrounds, but the Empire doesn't throw away it's assets. I will let you know when a decision has been made. Until then, feel free to stay around and use the facilities here, but do not socialize with any of the students. You're a fighter pilot with over two dozen deaths under your trigger fingers, they are school children." The commander said as he straightened up and gestured to the door.

"Sir." Rake paused. "Yes sir." Feeling dejected he moved towards the door. He knew his hopes of a career in the Imperial Navy had been hacked out from beneath him, out of jealousy, out of spite. As he reached the door he heard the commander one last time.

"Doors will continue to open for those who prove valuable to the Empire, Rake Tybar. This won't be the last time the Empire's enemies fear you in the sky. Don't disappoint us." The last words scratched down the inside of his chest, a warning, rather than praise.

Rake exited the office and almost walked square into a man outside the doorway.

"What the-" He exclaimed. Swallowing his annoyance, not at the man but at his career being kicked out beneath him, he aimed to brush past.

[Rhoden Carbine]

"Cadet Tybar." Rhoden said as the young man began to move past him, he took a step back and to the side, putting himself once more in his path. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Commander Rhoden Carbine." Rhoden continued, gesturing to his side. "And this is Jorvan, not quite officially an officer of the Empire." which was stretching the truth rather far, all things considered. "I would like to congratulate you on your flying today, most impressive." Rhoden said looking into the boys eyes.

Rhoden's lip twitched in what might have been a smile, "Let me hazard a guess. your little meeting just now was not at all pleasant." Rhoden said. "I've been looking into your background, you have proven yourself more than loyal to this Empire. Furthermore you are far more skilled than your peers here at the Academy, more so than some of the officers and trainers I daresay."

Rhoden pulled himself up, "I am willing to sponsor your immediate promotion to the rank of Ensign along with a posting where your skills will be truly put to use." he said. "Before such an honor is granted, however, you must prove yourself in the field, to a greater extent at any rate." Rhoden continued. "There is a particular mission I am about to undertake, if you accept my offer you will aide me in that mission." Rhoden stepped back from the cadet, watching him carefully.

[Rake Tybar]

Rake stuttered his walk in front of the Commander, the rank, which he noticed upon announcement. His head was so far into his frustration at the cryptic debriefing, that he couldn't see two feet in front of him. He studied the man curiously and noticed, in his possession, a file. He figured that contained the detailed information about him, the information he was now privy to.

He was right of course, he had outscored some of the instructors, surpassed them naturally with reflex but now technique was his too, but that wasn't the kind of thing you said out loud, not if you didn't want 'Jankers' duties on the weekends. Up at the crack of dawn, in and out of a dozen uniform states, running jobs designed to bring you down to Earth again. For example, nothing at all to do with TIE's. Maybe you'd clean the toilets that the TIE fighter pilots that day urinated in, but that's as close as you'd get.

Yet here, despite the upside down chewing he'd received from the flight commander, he'd been teased with some less official way forward. No graduation, no ceremony. No fanfare or recognition. He'd have to do it the old fashioned way of course, through long tours of duty, extended tours on out of the way outposts on the ass end of the Empire, if not beyond that. However, an opportunity presented itself, but he wasn't sure if this is what he was to wait for, because, well, he hadn't waited at all.

"Immediate? Well, if you're choosing me, and, I appreciate it, really I do.." He breathed in and look around his shoulder. There was no one around.

"I just got put into my first live combat, and on top of that I get made a scapegoat for some Op I never even knew the name of and now my time at the academy is tarnished, just to please some snotty families these sweat-wipes of cadets go home to on Empire day." Rake said, in a semi rant.

"But I'm fine now, sir." He paused, realising something new. "If you got my file, you've already been given clearance to recruit me for this, mission of yours. So, yeah alright, I'm in, I'll prove myself to you, aslong as it's not going to end up with me stationed in some backwater Clone War era can, because that's no career."

[Rhoden Carbine]

Rhoden smiled inwardly, he was a native of Coruscant, born and raised during the golden age of the Empire. Yet he had always found the speciest ways of the Empire unreasonable at the best of times, and even more detestable the ridiculous idea of the superiority the core worlds had. He had personally throw out several hotshots who had come into the Navy with overblown opinions of themselves and their importance. He had duly had to push back resistance with his sheer inertia and more than a few disappearances.

"Very good, I had a feeling you wouldn't refuse my offer." Rhoden said, "As for your posting, it would be an unwise waste to have you thrown into some backwater posting. No, you will be needed on ships which are sent out to bring Imperial justice to every corner of the galaxy. Hence our little test of your abilities." Rhoden drew a long breath. "I have recently been provided with information that details the defenses of a Rebellion outpost in this system, located in the local asteroid belt it is relatively heavily defended base." Rhoden explained. "Our objective is to destroy the outpost entirely, prisoners are not required."

Rhoden turned around, "Follow me, the appropriate information will be provided to your former superiors." With that Rhoden began heading back to the YT-2000, tapping his datapad and relaying the orders to load Cadet Tybar's personal effects.