help friends under siege, the two are acting temporarily as wingmen to temporary wingleaders. The buddy system is still intact. Obviously, the important thing here is to maintain the buddy ststem. We live by that system. Without it, we die. Mission Objectives Mission objectives vary with the different flight mission types. On Tiger's Claw, 98% of our flight missions fall into these five categories: Defend: You are assigned to guard a stationary position - a capital ship, base, or jump point. Orbit that position at a distance of 2,500 meters. Do not, repeat, do not break to engage oncoming enemies until they reach a distance of 5,000 meters from the position you're protecting. That's not 5,000 meters from you. Escort: You are assigned to guard larger ships on rendezvous assignments. Fly parrallel to the ship you're escorting at a maximum distance of 2,500 meters, and keep your eyes open. In the face of oncoming hostiles, don't --------- 25 Years Ago --------- Exploration and colonization ships of the Terran Confederation increase their penetration into Vega Sector. On 2629.105 (3/15/2629 Terran reckoning), the exploration ship Iason encounters a spacecraft of unknown origin. Iason commander Jedora Andropolos beams the standard wideband non-verbal greeting designed by the Committee for Interaction with Alien Intelligences. Captain Andropolos keeps Iason motionless for twenty-two minutes standard while the alien vessel waits. Finally, the alien vessel opens up with all guns, utterly destroying Iason and all hands. break and engage too soon: The best time to break formation is when the hostiles have penetrated within 5,000 meters of the ship you're protecting. Intercept: You are assigned to seek out and engage enemy vessels in a particular area - an anticipated Kilrathi jump point, or a halfway point between oncoming enemies and the ship you're protecting. No particular tactics are called for, except the standard tactics for keeping yourself and your wingmate alive. Patrol: You are assigned to a flight pattern through unsecured territory. You can decide whether to engage the enemy or to head on in to base. This is where a lot of novice (and some experienced) pilots make lethal errors: Nobody likes to back down. Well, tough. Nobody wants to talk to your widow or widower, either. Consider the situation carefully before engaging the enemy. Strike: You are assigned to destroy an enemy target, usually a capital ship. Obviously, the idea is to get in quick, launch missiles, blow the thing up, and get out quicker. Unfortunately, the enemy usually decides to defend any target worth destroying. This is where the wingleader / wingman relationship becomes especially critical: The wingleader must get his missiles placed, and the wingman must keep him alive so he can do it. This means that, at the cost of his own personal objectives, the wingman must stick to his wingleader like glue, take out oncoming fighters before they can take out his wingleader, and only drop his own missiles if he has a clear opportunity.