A Liberty Story

[Sunset Glow]

Lieutenant Rivers

First accellerated officer training, then accellerated space superiority fighter training.

"I really should have taken the balanced classes at Academy back then..." she mused as she was flying a Guardian fightercraft on a routine patrol. "... but it sure was worth it." she nodded to her herself.

At first it felt very strange to pilot the craft, but seeing she was used to the handling of the upholder, that did not come unexpected. Yet, when she blasted away with the Magma Hammers at her first target, a liberty rogue fighter, it brought her unexpected joy to be able to fight back.

As a bomber pilot, it was a game of chess, strategy and tactics. When to deploy, what to use, how long to stay, when to dive for cover and when to back down. Sure, you can, evade and dodge but against a fighter pilot worth their salt, you can only delay the inevitable. All these considerations were much more important than sheer fighting prowess, Sandra felt.
When flying the Guardian, Sandra noticed that she was much less vulnerable and that she could actually fight back efficiently when under attack. When piloting a bomber, that was often barely possible.

This ability to fight back and be less vulnerable increased her self-confidence a bit But soon she would learn that even when you can fight back that is no guarantee you can actually protect yourself... or others for that matter.

Her promotion had just been posted and from now on it was Lieutenant Rivers. With this promotion she also had earned the priviledge to use prototype weapons, generally referred to as "Codenames". Sandra actually had come across a few of those before her promotion, but she saved them hoping she could put them to good use. And she did ... or rather .. tried to.


It was at Colorado Gate...

A fight had broken out. Xenos, hostile freelancers, a liberty rogue transport and a reaver were present. Sandra was part of a mixed group of Navy and police pilots as she went there - with her new found confidence she entered the fight. In the heat of battle she was targetted by the reaver and the freelancer while the others fought with the Xenos.
One by one, her comrades were shot down until only she and the police light fighter were left. She had done her best but she did not last long and had to vacate the combat area.


"So much for excelling..." she mused to herself as she finished her patrol and activated the auto pilot to land on battleship Missouri. It was today that she was promoted and today she had to leave a fellow pilot from the police at the combat zone while she flew her damaged craft to safety. Had she stayed the Reaver would have gotten her.

"Silver.Reaver: And I am a Reaver. I reave."

And as she remembered these words, she knew she had acted correctly. Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose. At the end, there was one truth...

The navy had no use for dead pilots.