Trial by Fire: The Coy Method pt VII

Posted on Tue Sep 9th, 2025 @ 3:18pm by Commander Rosa Coy
Edited on on Wed Sep 10th, 2025 @ 12:05pm

443 words; about a 2 minute read

Mission: Character Development
Location: Above Bajor

Sira’s fighter spun dangerously low, Jeraddo's rocky surface looming like a predator ready to swallow her whole. Rosa’s Peregrine cut in, engines screaming, executing a tight Immelmann to intercept the rogue drone.

“Eagle Seven! Adjust throttle thirty percent, flare at sixty!” Rosa barked, her voice slicing through the crackle of comms.

Sira obeyed, barely pulling her nose up as the plasma stream from the drone scorched past her tail. Sparks of simulated impact rippled across her aft hull.

"Close enough to make you sweat, kid," Coy purred. "Heart racing, skin tingling… delicious fear."

Rosa ignored the commentary, scanning the other cadets. Threx’s blue-and-white wings wavered ahead, her antennae vibrating with irritation. Arven had pulled up too far in a panic, and the pair’s spacing threatened a mid-flight collision.

Rosa’s tone sharpened. “Eagle Three! Cut throttle. Stop improvising — now!”

Threx’s stubborn streak flared. “I’ve got this, Commander! I can take that drone myself!”

“You can take nothing on your own! You endanger every wingman within twenty meters of you!” Rosa snapped, her voice small but lethal. Her Peregrine swooped close enough to reflect her expression in Threx’s viewport.

Coy chuckled, low and sly. "Oh, yes… challenge her, and she’ll flare. You love it, don’t lie. Show her the teeth, or your tongue, either way suits me."

Rosa forced herself to breathe through it. “Wingman’s safety trumps heroics. You obey, or you return to the bay to watch the exercise from the deck.”

The Andorian huffed but fell in line, correcting her trajectory, engines flaring to match Arven’s. Rosa gave Sira a final visual nod — subtle but affirming — before turning back to manage the formation.

The rogue drone, momentarily distracted by the coordinated maneuvers, passed harmlessly by Sira. Rosa executed a split-S, leading the fighter around a jagged asteroid spire to shield her from another potential lock-on. The cadets followed with varying degrees of precision, adrenaline and fear sharpening their reflexes.

By the time they exited the immediate danger zone, the formation was ragged, breaths labored, antennas vibrating, but intact. Rosa’s voice cut over comms once more: “Good work surviving that pass. Everyone still alive? Then consider that your first lesson: discipline, communication, and trust matter more than reflexes or ego.”

Coy whispered, still amused. "And that little Andorian? I’ll remember the flare in her eyes. Reckless little thing… but fire makes diamonds, Rosa. Fire makes diamonds."

Rosa’s lips pressed into a thin line. "Focus, Coy," she thought. "Debrief comes later. You’re not in charge yet."

TBC

 

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