Trial by Fire: The Coy Method pt VI
Posted on Mon Sep 8th, 2025 @ 1:50pm by Commander Rosa Coy
500 words; about a 3 minute read
Mission:
Character Development
Location: Above Bajor
The void of space outside Bajor shimmered with reflected light from the nearby moon, casting pale gold across the sleek hulls of the Peregrine fighters. Rosa’s eyes scanned the formation, noting the widening gaps, hesitations, and misalignments. The drones were no longer simply testing; they were hunting.
“Eagle Two and Three,” she barked, “Immelmann climb and roll. Cut inside the asteroid belt for your exit vector. Now.”
Arven and Threx’s fighters climbed sharply, noses tilting up, thrusters screaming. The pair executed the maneuver, the V-formation rippling as they corrected mid-loop.
"Oh, that loop," Coy murmured in Rosa’s ear, low and teasing. "Tight, sweet… like a pair of tender breasts pressed to leather. Delicious, tight control… and they don’t even know what’s coming next."
Rosa’s teeth pressed into her lip, almost biting back a laugh. She refocused.
“Eagle Four and Five, split-S on my mark. Drop low, gain momentum, and cover each other’s six. Do not let the drones dictate your tempo. Control it.”
Jeyna and Dalkor plunged in, rolling inverted, thrusters flaring. Dalkor’s first pass narrowly avoided a glancing collision with a trailing drone. Rosa’s voice cut sharp: “Anticipate! Predict its vector before it moves!”
Veylin and Sira executed the maneuver with smooth efficiency, Sira’s timing finally matching Veylin’s. Rosa allowed herself a flicker of approval, the tiniest nod behind her visor.
"Finally, the faithful pair learning the rhythm," Coy purred. "Like hands sliding together in sync. Ah… I’ll remember this sensation when they’re all too tired to notice."
Then Rosa executed her own barrel roll around a spinning asteroid, banking hard, giving the cadets a live demonstration. She cut across comms, crisp and commanding: “Formation tighten! Watch the apex of the loop, anticipate not just your movement, but your wingman’s! Eagle Two, cover your tail!”
Arven screamed a sharp acknowledgment over comms, barely holding formation. Threx’s antennae vibrated in frustration, forcing the human back into line.
Suddenly, a drone swooped in from an unexpected angle — its approach vector masked by the shadow of Bajor’s terminator line. It clipped Veylin’s fighter, triggering a cascade of evasive actions. Sira overcompensated, spinning near the surface of a crater.
“Hold it!” Rosa barked. She dove into the fray herself, screaming a sharp manuever to cut behind the drone, narrowly avoiding Veylin’s wake. “Eagle Five, report!”
Veylin’s voice cracked. “We… we’re… stable. For now…”
"Stable for now?" Coy hissed with a grin. "Oh, this is going to hurt. That little Bajoran’s heart is in her throat… and mine’s racing just watching."
Another drone, faster than any programmed pattern, streaked from below the asteroid belt. Its targeting system locked in on Sira, now dangerously low, twisting to compensate for the last drone’s near collision. Rosa’s hand shot to the comms: "Eagle Seven! Break right — NO, left — steady! NOW!”
TBC
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