X-WING

　The practical jokes began soon after Naeco joined Red Squadron. Little things, like Naeco would come talk to you while you ate, and the next day your pee would glow in the dark! Or you would be strapped into the simulators and absorbed in a dogfight exercise, and a feminine voice would begin talking seductively over the comm. Things like that.
　Naeco was an excellent pilot - a little reckless sometimes, but a superb deflection shooter. We all liked him immediately, but after falling victim to his little jokes, a bunch of us decided to get revenge.
　One day, Jan-lo struck up a conversation with Naeco, sort of showing a little more than ordinary interest. We could all tell that Naeco liked Jan-lo, so she had no trouble getting him to agree to meet her later in a storage area of the Quarren section.
　"It'll be more private," she told him. "Be sure to wear something comfortable."
　Naeco was like a little kid; all excited. After Jan-lo departed, he approached me.
　"Hey, Farlander. You know Jan-lo better than anyone else. Tell me about her. What's she really like!"
　"Jan-lo? She likes a man to be really aggressive," I said, setting him up. "Don't waste time with her, or she'll lose interest."
　I almost felt bad at that point, seeing him this way, but then I figured that he had it coming.
　Later, Naeco went down into the Quarren section, where it's always kind of dark, opened the door to Storage Room V-2117 and walked in. Our little group huddled in a corner observantly.
　"Jan-lo? You here!"
　"Over here," she answered. "Come here and kiss me, Naeco."
　She sounded really seductive. "This is a different Jan-lo," I thought.
　So the poor guy walked up to what he thought was Jan-lo - it was really dark, remember, so he couldn't see very well - and planted this big kiss. Only, of course, that it wasn't on her.
　Just then, Raider turned on the lights and we saw Naeco, lips puckered in the direction of a Quarren who works in the kitchen. Good sport, the Quarren, to go along with our twisted little revenge plot.
　So there's Naeco, wiping his mouth and looking around, blinking in the sudden light. He saw us all, and joker that he is, realized immediately that he had gotten what he deserved. Laughing, and being a remarkably good sport about the whole thing, Naeco went so far as to grab the Quarren again, and plant another kiss, saying; "Sorry Jan-lo. I guess I've been taken."
　We all ended up laughing, even the Quarren, although its laughter sounded like plumbing backing up.
　After that, the practical jokes eased up a bit, though I think we all kept one eye out for Naeco. You never knew.

　OP 7: Protect a Disablsd X-wing

　File Name: max18
　Mission Briefing
　An X-wing carrying vital intelligence data has broken down near the Cron Drift. Assist in the rescue operation by frying cover. You will lead a three-ship flight of A-wings to where the disabled X-wing is stranded. Patrol the area, and keep any Imperial forces at bay until a rescue can be completed. The X-wing is directly in front of you as you drop out of hyperspace.
　Farlander's After-Action Report
　I used the standard mission-start procedure, and then assigned X-W Blue to a memory location in the targeting computer. Just over a minute went by before two groups of three Gunboats came in (Mu and Nu) about three chicks away. I turned to engage the nearest one and ordered my wingmen to attack.
　I had destroyed one of the Gunboats (Mu 1) when an Imperial shuttle arrived less than one click away, headed straight for X-W Blue. I ordered my wingmen to attack. When I checked the map, I saw that Red 3 was getting battered by Nu 1, so I targeted Nu 1 and came to the rescue while Red 2 finished off the shuttle.
　Another shuttle came in, and I ordered my wingmen to engage it. The dogfight was getting pretty furious, with the Gunboats launching missiles constantly. A few of them had hit me, and Red 3 caught one, but Red 2 was doing pretty well.
　As soon as the shuttle was disposed of, another dropped in to take its place. Red 3 finally succumbed to another missile, but Red 2 and I were able to get this last shuttle. No sooner had we done so than the shuttle Rescue arrived, with its escort of three corvettes.
　We turned our attention to the remaining Gunboats: There seemed to be an inexhaustible supply of them. Eventually, X-W Blue was repaired, and jumped to safety. After our shuttle and X-W Blue made it out, we followed them home.
　C.O.'s Analysis
　"It was an adequate mission, but you didn't take advantage of the safety area near the corvettes," Lagrane was saying. "Their extra cannons would have made an excellent killing zone to draw the Imperial fighters into. It would also have made you a much more difficult target to get a missile lock on."
　"I lost another wingman, too," I offered, still a tittle baffled at how that happened.
　"Yes, you did. Mission analysis suggests that Red 3 failed to rebalance shields after that first missile hit him. It wasn't your fault, captain. However, destroying the shuttles quickly is important to your success. You might also have tried killing the shuttles more quickly by hitting them with two salvos of dual-fire missiles. That would leave them weak, and you could finish them off quickly with cannons."
　"Sir!"
　"What is it, captain? something bothering you!"
　"Well..." I began. Losing another wingman was bothering me, but what more could I say?
　"I guess not, sir," I said at last. "Is that all!"
　Lagrane studied me a moment, seemed about to say something, and then just told me; "Nothing more, Farlander. You're dismissed."
　Debriefing (Win Conditions)
　SHU Rescue must dock with and repair X-wing Blue. X-wing Blue must survive.

　The pilot we had rescued in X-wing Blue turned out to be Biggs Darklighter, a veteran of many Alliance battles, and he joined us in the lounge after finishing his debriefing. It was quiet. Most of the other pilots were on scout or escort missions. Just me and Raider and Darklighter, who was doing most of the talking.
　"So when I left Tatooine," he was saying, "I joined the Imperial Academy. I used to dream about flying a starfighter. My friend Luke and I were going to leave together - seek our fortunes in the Imperial Academy - but he had to stay behind and help his uncle on their moisture farm. He'd make a great pilot, Luke would, if he could just get off that dirty little planet."
　Darklighter was a medium-built man with dark, straight hair that fell like a round bowl over his head. He had happy eyes, the kind that laughed a lot, and he sported a mustache.
　"I couldn't wait for Luke. I went off alone and began my training. But I could see almost immediately that the Empire and I weren't going to get along. So, with a couple of friends, I hijacked an Imperial starship and brought it over to the Alliance."
　He smiled and spread his hands. "It was touch and go. They almost blasted us away before we could convince them that we were just three Rebel sympathizers flying this whole ship by ourselves. Since then, I've been flying X-wings for the Alliance."
　Darklighter paused to take a drink, leaning back in his chair and stretching his legs.
　"So what's it like to fly a TIE fighter!" I asked. I had always wondered how the Imperial pilots felt about flying without shields and all.
　"I tell you, captain..."
　"Call me Keyan, please."
　"OK. Anyway, Keyan, I wouldn't climb into one of those death traps again for love or money. You're just waiting for someone to catch you with a laser blast. Let me tell you, most TIE pilots are at least half-scared to death. The others are too stupid to be scared."
　We laughed. It made us feel good to hear how bad the other guys had it. But Darklighter wasn't finished.
　"Don't get me wrong. In the right hands, a TIE fighter has good maneuverability and fair speed. But the Empire doesn't invest all that much in training its pilots. The ones that get good are the ones who survive their first few encounters. Unfortunately for them, a lot of TIE fighter pilots don't."
　"What about the newer Imperial ships, like the TIE Interceptor!" I asked him.
　"Good question. I never flew one," he said thoughtfully, then added with a chuckle; "But I've shot a lot of them."
　"They're faster, and more maneuverable than other TIEs," he continued. "They carry more weaponry, too. I've never had too much trouble with them, though, unless the odds were about ten to one."
　"I always figured ten to one was pretty routine," said Raider.
　Darklighter stared at Raider a moment, and then grinned. "I was just trying to be modest," he said. "Hope I get to fly with you some time, captain."
　"Call me Sam," Raider told him.
　"Hey, Keyan, Sam: Enough shop talk. I'vc got some new holos from Celanon City. Come on. We'll go check them out."