Drills

Posted on Friday November 13th, 2020 @ 4:20pm by Captain Tobias Bishop III & Lieutenant Commander Albino "Viper" Jackson

Mission: The Forgotten Outpost
Location: Ready Room
Timeline: Current

Tobias sent a message asking Commander Jackson to report to the ready room.

Alie had just finished checking her fighter's on the flight deck when she got the message from Colonel Bishop to report to him. Taking the nearest lift to the operations center, she got off and walked across the center and up the stairs and into the captain's ready room. "You wanted to see me sir," she asked.

"Ah, yes, come in Commander. I wanted to talk to you about schedule some combat and defensive drills for your wing."

"Drills?" she said surprised, especially after the mess with the gremlins episode. "Sir, my pilots are finally getting back to normal. Drills this soon after what transpired wouldn't be a fair test. Yes they are always ready to defend but they would do better with a little bit of time. I have a standard set of scheduled times for drills both simulated and actual fighter time," Alie offered.

"While I am not here to tell you how to do your job, I respectfully disagree. I think that now would be the perfect time for drills. It would allow them to get back to basics, while still learning to deal with the stress of a real crisis."

"Alrighty then, how soon do you want me to get started? My basics are not your typical basics. I am hard core warfare and don't give quarter if you screw up. There is a difference out here. We are a combat/defensive unit with atmospheric bombing training," Alie stated.

"I was thinking that you could construct a bombing range on the largest nearby moon, and run a set of drills that puts your pilots through the motions of any and everything that they might be called upon to do."

"Good then you're in for a treat. I don't suppose you know the Earth history of WWll and her Air Wars after that are you? Well that is how I teach and train. Sometimes old tricks are new out here and your enemy isn't ready for your moves!" Alie reiterated.

"I took the same history courses as any other officer." Tobias answered. "I'm not interested in the nuts and bolts of your training methods as I am in the results. We need to be ready for anything."

"Captain Tobias, if I didn't know any better, you sound almost like you are bored with our conversation. Doesn't it interest you in how I wound up here? My pilots are the best of the best and they will fly their asses off for you. Out here we are ready for anything. For every fighter tactic the enemy throws at us we have a counter defense. That's just how good we are. You want results, you'll get them. After this you and I are going to have a drink on me" Alie said.

Tobias stood, picked up his mug and turned to the window behind his desk. After a thoughtful moment, he turned back and said,

"I would never disrespect you by being 'bored' with you or our conversation, however, you braggadocios story telling of your greatness, without having any frame of reference for myself to judge said storytelling is wearing a bit thin."

A moment later he continued,

"A famous quote would seem apropos here. 'No plan ever survived contact with the enemy'. You stand here and thump your chest about being 'the best of the best of the best', but we're in uncharted territory, facing possible threats that no one has encountered, or at least no one has encountered them and lived to report back."

He took a sip from his mug, set it down and walked over closer to Viper.

"Maybe you're covering your anxieties, or maybe you really believe you are that untouchable. That is not for me to decide. However, I want you to run the drills I instructed you to run, and I want you to run them often. You may or may not, be the greatest pilot to ever strap in, but until I am confident that your entire wing can think like a hive mind, I am going to withhold judgement."

He clasped his right hand in his left behind his back, and turned back to his desk. "And while we are on the subject, I appreciate your candor, but I would, in the future, expect you to either speak to me in a manner befitting my rank and position or at least do me the courtesy of pretending to ask for permission to speak freely."

Alie was startled, for sure, but she understood exactly what he meant. "My apologies Colonel, noted for future reference. I will run my drills, but please, Sir, understand my people do need their rest and down time as well," she added.

"Rest and down time is pretty much all we have had since we got here. Now, with these intruders getting on the station from Heaven only knows where, it just reminds me that the Universe is filled with bad-actors and we need to be ready for when things inevitably 'pop off' as they say."

"Inevitably they will. Maybe my drills might find out how they are getting on the station too" she said.

"Exactly. I will leave it with you. Dismissed Commander."

::End::

Colonel Tobias Bishop III
Commanding Officer
Deep Space Three

AND

Lieutenant Commander Albino "Viper" Jackson
Wing Commander
Deep Space Three