SithLore

(OOC: first time forum RPing, so I might be a bit shabby. I'll also be mostly walking blind, so bear with me if i end up doing something wrong or slip up on something

IC: Mindar carefully adjusted the cap he had been given, stepping off the Imperial Transport which had taken him towards Orinda, he kept his head low, primarily key not to attract much attention from the other Cadets, or do quite literally anything to piss off an instructor which may have happened to be outside the building.

The 18 year old had been ecstatic ever since he had been approved for the Imperial Naval Academy on Orinda, he had prepared most of this life for this, and was finally finding a way out of his family's less then fortunate situation on Jaemus, primarily stuck laboring for hours in shipyards for the Empire to get by. Now, after passing the Imperial's Junior Academy on Jaemus, he had been selected and approved for transfer to Orinda for Naval Officer training, where further afterwards he would be assigned to one of the fleets the Imperial Navy currently fielded, likely in some sort of role such as a technician, data analyst, or the job he was aiming for--a gunner.

His thoughts dawned upon what would happen after the Naval Academy, but he decided to focus on the task at hand for the time being, as his class of Cadets was given a short briefing from one of the Head Instructor's at Orinda's Naval Academy, before they were escorted towards their bunks to prepare for the beginning of their lessons the next day.

Mindar spent a time shifting through the few belongings he had brought with him, primarily just a photo of both his parents & his sister, as well as a small journal he used to document his notes and other thoughts he had. After he finished this process, he fixed his Uniform again, making his way out to explore the Academy's interior, get a feel for some of the rooms where classes or exercises would be held, and generally just so he would know how to find his way around.

A young Arlan Mindar would not be kept idling long. A great number of abstract statues leered down at the cadet as he walked the academy’s corridors, the muffled silence between its walls offset only by the muted patter of footsteps as they struck smooth duracrete like rain. The almost-peaceful aura was not to last however, as an alarm klaxon ripped into the filtered air and rang three times. Mindar, having no doubt studied the opening pages of his academy handbook, was sure to recognize the signal for an announcement as it echoed in his ears.

“Attention all students and teaching staff”, a feminine, somewhat warbled voice called out from unseen speakers lodged well out of sight, “The new simulation exhibition will begin shortly. Please gather in the main event hall and be prepared to present code cylinders and other data devices for identification". What was a light rain of boots on pavement quickly turned into a downpour. Arlan was to be part of a wriggling mass of bodies- at least if he didn’t hurry along fast enough.

Upon arriving at the event center, he would quickly notice the four dozen simulation capsules large enough for one or two persons, the exterior of each glistening in the light of industrial lamps hanging far above. With regards to the machines themselves, they were split into two obvious groups and divided by an open aisle for onlookers to walk between them. Machines on the left side were identified as an interceptor simulation, and marked with the title, “Triumph in the Xillkarth Corridor”, while the units on the right touted a ground deployment experience, noted by the grizzly handle of “Apocalypse Endor”.

(OOC: Hello there! My character is from Jaemus! It is truly a delight to have you! I hope I haven’t come on too strongly with the above- just hoping to let you see action asap! Simulated or no!)

Mindar was indeed quick upon hearing the announcement, he had already had the small Code Cylinder neatly attached to his Imperial Cadet uniform in the front. Though, he realized he had forgot the identification card slotted to him before being placed onto the transport for the Academy, quickly dashing back to his bunks, he snatched it from his bag, before booking it to catch up with the wave of Cadets and Instructors splitting off for the Event Hall.

His gaze shifted between both of the simulation areas, gritting his teeth while waiting for further instructions. He had been slightly behind, due to his slight detour, but had only been delayed by about a minute. He now fiddled with the Code Cylinder on his uniform, eventually getting it detached as it sat in his right hand, the Identification Card in his left. Mindar made quiet note of the Ground-Based Simulation, reminiscing on the word 'Endor'. He had learned about the Battle of Endor while attending the Junior Academy on Jaemus, though, remember it being presented as some sort of Twisted Imperial Victory, something he had never come to 100% accept. But, for now, his focus returned to the task at hand, keeping his ears open as he began to listen for further instructions.

(OOC: No worries, your response wasn't too strong, just glad to be getting into some action!

If Cadet Mindar was as late as he felt, no one seemed to take too much interest. Uniformed cadets filtered back and forth between the two columns of simulators while staff were taken to small talk and refreshment around the periphery of the event hall. No one was likely to pick on one idling neophyte, or at least, no one with any institutional power. The same could not be said for other social encounters however.

“You’ll not get any extra credit standing around like that”, a crisp voice announced from behind Arlan, followed by a light tap to the shoulder, “The combined lectures start in an hour so if you want to try both machines you’d best hurry”. A shorter lady cadet suddenly revealed herself and pranced out beside the young Jaeman before offering him a salute in greeting, “Zeela Merron, pleasure to meet you”.

Lifting her head some and scanning over Arlan, Zeela’s eyes alighted on something of interest as she sent a finger jabbing past the cadet’s left shoulder, “See those data terminals in the corner- the top brass as monitoring how well everyone does. My bet is they’ve got cameras in each capsule, haven’t found it yet myself though!”.

Zeela paused and took a moment to look her fellow cadet up and down. She parted her lips to speak once more but got cut off as an acquaintance called her name from afar. “Shoot-”, she hissed quietly, glancing down at her wrist chrono, “I’ve got to hurry- want to run the other sim while there’s still time and then some: anyway, best get a move on!”. The young lady flashed a small, and then she was off, leaving Arlan to weigh his options.

(Apologies for the delay! Will do my best to stay on top of your next response!)

"Arlan Mindar" He said, introducing himself in return. His gaze shifted between keeping track of the conversation and monitoring the data terminals in the corner, scanning for anything that might stick out of place to look particularly look like a camera. When his eyes didn't meet much, he turned his full attention back to her, nodding and giving a slight wave as she headed off.

He then turned his attention to the two sims, eventually heading over towards the Interceptor Simulator in a controlled, paced manner. Mindar filed in with the lines of cadets awaiting, clipping his code cylinder once more to a pocket on his Cadet Uniform, and sliding his Identification Card into the same pocket.

Arlan then took the time he had to study his surroundings again, although known for a more introverted and quieter personality, he was always analytical, which caused his gaze to often wander during certain situations--something that often aided him or got him into more trouble then he was already in. He also took care to glance ahead, watching as the different cadets filed in and out of the simulator. Once he had finished shifting his gaze around the room, the Cadet tipped his cap downwards, slightly shading his eyes as he attempted to dodge much interaction until reaching the front of the line.

The line to the nearest pilot sim waned erratically. Some hopeful cadets left the booth with the smirk of victory lining their faces. Others left more quickly, with obvious dejection, or wearing a look of general indifference. When Arlan’s turn arrived, close to a half-hour had passed in full. In the faux-canopy he would quickly discover a one to one recreation of an interceptor cockpit, with a special visor sitting on the dashboard to supply an extra dose of holo-immersion.

Once properly settled, the young cadet soon found himself quite literally thrust into the heat of battle. Turbolasers fired overhead amidst the firework plume of torpedoes and neutron bombs. Two full wings of Sith fighters barrelled toward the would-be viewport, their wings toggled out like claws as they pelted Arlan’s interceptor with light fire that caused the artificial chassis to rattle him about.

The recorded voice of a flight leader then droned over the din, announcing the arrival of a bomber wing in need of escort. Several green signals lit up on one of Arlan’s miniaturized computer consoles, while a large red triangle slowly crept into view. The scanning mechanism was hardly needed in this case. The imposing hull of a Harrower-Class Dreadnought slowly inched into visual range, the chaotic storms of the Xillkarth region blazing behind it like some fiendish kaleidoscope.

It was a cruiser the young Mindar ought to know well. A staple of the recent Sith-Imperial Wars, its laser batteries meant trouble for any lighter vessel serving the Emperor, while its missile tubes posed a great threat to slower support craft that lacked the interceptor’s speed. Great care would be needed, and if the bomber could not hit their mark, the Imperial picket line was sure to fault. Such was Arlan’s present labor. To defend the herd, and create an opening to sink the rueful foe.

(I appreciate your modesty by waiting in line- but don’t be afraid to take the reins here! This thread is all about you!)

Arlan was quick to jump into action, once he had gotten a grip what was going on, he quickly took care to glance to what would be the system tracking his Hull Integrity within the Cockpit. As soon as he had verified the integrity after being pelted by the Sith Starfighters, he tightly thrusted the Starfighter towards the Bomber Wing, monitoring the numerous consoles and systems that would normally come within a standard Interceptor. While guarding the bomber wing, Arlan moved towards a much more aggressively focused defensive screen, using his vessel's multiple laser cannons to target some of the slower missiles that may have been launched by the Harrower Dreadnought, while keeping his visual scanning up and attempting to drive off fighters nearing the lead and center Bombers.

During all this, he seemed to be keeping a more calm and sternly focused attitude, though deeper inside, he was mildly concerned, his eyes flicking between multiple scanners, visually scanning for fighters, and the Harrower itself.

Once the Bombers had begun to near the Harrower, he reverted from his aggressive moves, strictly remaining near the Lead Bombers and primarily keeping his targeting systems aimed at the Harrower Dreadnought's Missile Pods. He knew how deadly they could be to slower moving vessels, primarily concussion missiles with a burst area of effect, and was also making a clear effort to stray from the Dreadnought's Quad Laser Cannons, weapons he knew could bring his Interceptor down in a matter of seconds if he was not cautious.

(I apologize if i'm coming off as extremely cautious or hesitant, just trying to feel my way around while not messing something up lol

It was a daring thing to disable missiles with direct fire- especially in a standard TIE lacking shields. And yet, all the same, Cadet Mindar made the task look nigh effortless. Plasma bombs and proton warheads burst and sizzled across the Harrower’s hull as the Imperial bombers did their duty in spectacular fashion. Even so many meters away, Arlan’s simulator chassis shook about as the firestream of detonations bloomed beneath him. However, the young Jaeman’s labor was not yet at end.

As the Sith battleship began to pitch and falter, two last-ditch missiles burst free of its smoky backside and began to hurtle toward the rear of Mindar’s would-be interceptor. The bombers were already turning back towards a friendly hangar, but Arlan would be hung up to dry if he didn’t move fast. Already, the lethal twin ping of distress started to bleat forth from his scanner console as the warheads crept closer and closer. He could move to evade them, or turn to face them head on- there would be no time for both, or a second chance to survive the encounter.

(Not at all! Caution makes for a good if not long-lived pilot!)

Mindar's reflexes kicked in, moving a hand toward's the dash panel in the center of the Would-Be Interceptor, Mindar quickly moved forwards to draw the missiles out, before swiftly activating his fighter's boost thrusters and sharply thrusting the controls to the left, deactivating the Engines as he let the vacuum of space carry his fighter around.

As soon as he had the Missiles in visual range, he quickly fired a burst of green energy at them, before reaching to the panel and flicking the small lever which controlled the engines on, blasting forwards and attempting to swerve incase the missiles survived his burst. During this, he silently was hoping for good luck, as his reaction had been primarily out of impulse and reaction--not careful thought, though, it's not like he had much time for that anyways.

As Arlan executed his last-ditch maneuver, the simulated g-forces threatened to tear his lungs from out his throat as the main chassis shook with tremendous force. At the same time, the echo of a fierce explosion hammered into the interceptors hull as the missile detonated point-blank. Cadet Mindar was left in momentary suspense as supernova flash rendered him temporarily blind. Nonetheless, when the space dust had cleared, all sensor readings were more or less nominal- the aspiring pilot had done it!

The stars caught in the nebula’s embrace glinted with hope for some moments, until a large vengeful signal lit up Arlan’s display. It was close- much too close. Using the heat signature and the debris cloud to shrink the gap, an old Firespray craft suddenly burst off Cadet Mindar’s portside bearing. Within seconds, a cruel quartet of laser fire had all but shredded his leeward wing and stabilizer, and the young Imperial found himself spiraling out of control.

Still, the loyal son of the Empire was not to be abandoned lightly. A hardy Quasar carrier ship pointed its squat nose up toward the damaged TIE in the distance. If Arlan could hold on long enough, he might just stick a landing. That would be up to his blossoming skill, brought to bear against the lethal enemy pilot…

(Congratulations on hanging around for ten days and putting up with my poor scheduling! Once you’re safely at the simulation's end we’ll work on formally inducting you into the Empire and the forum as a full member!)