Entry 007: The fleet isn't what it used to be...
Things certainly changed after we arrived back in Lothal Sector. I had new people, a new command, new landing procedures, new ship, new quarters, and a new mission. Don't get me wrong, it was better than nothing, and far better than the base on Dantooine, but it was still a little disorienting.
My second in command of Cresh is a Flight Officer named Olivar Alde. He was a former pilot in the Alderaanian Defense Force who "defected" to the Rebellion, which I learned was more of a lateral transfer when it came to Alderaanians. He is tall, blonde, handsome, and knows it; a real ladies man. We hadn't even arrived at our final destination when he found a cute technician on the ship to steal away with in one of the escape pods, I think her name is Korra.
Phoenix Eleven is a Corellian Flight Officer who goes by Tensinal. He flies better than I have ever seen, especially for someone whose file states he was only a smuggler before joining the Rebellion. Unlike most Corellian smugglers, he adamantly refuses to talk about his past, and when he does talk he has a very un-Corellian accent. All I could get from his service record is that he had to be set up with a new identicard when he joined, but the rest of the file was marked classified. I've heard of redacted, but everything past this pilot's name and basic attributes was just a glowing blob of light on the datareader. I'm one of the few people to notice that he always has his blaster on his hip and a concealed vibroknife in his boot.
Phoenix Twelve is a farmgirl from Dantooine who signed up just before we shipped out. Thaema's a Pilot Officer, basically a recruit, and has to prove to me that she's qualified to become a Flight Officer (the only promotion I can make without higher command authorization). She's good on the stick, but definitely comes from the armpit of the galaxy. I'm pretty sure she was raised by Gundarks. Her language is enough to offend an Imperial Taskmaster and if I had any goal in life it is to get her to chew with her mouth closed and not talk while in that process. The silver lining is that she showers more than regularly, which I understand was a rare luxury where she grew up.
The four of us make up the new Cresh Group. It is my first command and made me realize something: I hate datawork. I have to fill out my flight logs, which I am used to. However, I also have to read the flight logs of the rest of the group and sign off on them. I have to make sure everyone does their maintenance reports, authorize requisitions from the technical head (who thankfully is Serim), and try to keep my pilots out of trouble. The last part is problematic, at best thanks to being stationed on Commander Sato's corvette (he is a stickler for the rules).
Landing procedures are also a pain. We have to rotate between the landing points every day. It isn't just to keep things fresh and new, but because one fighter needs to be maintained in the ventral landing bay. What should be daily maintenance on every fighter is taking place every four days. Serim had a full crew now, being promoted to Chief Technician of our group, but it's still a sore spot for her.
The Liberator is a Corellian Engineering Corporation CR90 Corvette. It has a total crew complement of 60, with 38 primary crew, 8 officers, Commander Sato, 8 gunners, 12 flight operation technicians, and the four pilots of Cresh Group. However, it has a troop berth that can hold a hundred more. It's armed with dorsal and ventral dual-turbolaser turrets and four single turbolaser turrets on the upper hull. It's not quite 127 meters long and four decks deep. Finally, it has eight 12-person escape pods and four auxiliary pods that can hold 24.
The top deck is primarily troop berthing and supply, but it also includes the auxiliary sensor deck amidships and the dorsal turbolaser control room. Deck 2 is the primary operations deck and includes all of the operations stations and whatnot, but is also where the port and starboard airlocks are located along with the four other turbolaser controls rooms. Deck 3 is home sweet home for the crew, not to mention the Group. Deck 4 is the fighter bay in the central cargo bay with a simulator room built one of the forward cargo bays, the ventral gun control room, and the lower airlock.
Our quarters are far different than I was used to on Phoenix Home. The group is split between two rooms that share a common refresher. Each room is smaller than the one on the Pelta-class cruiser, but it still has a bit more room since it is only filled with two bodies. The junior officer billets contain two bunks, two lockers, and a single desk with terminal. On the plus side, we're right next to the lift up and an access ladder down; we can get to our fighters and into space in about thirty seconds.
Being in a command position, I also know what our actual mission is. We are to scout the sector, keep Alliance High Command informed of Imperial numbers and what was happening in the systems, and strike where we can. It isn't just random cargo strikes, but much more. On top of that, we are to assist Rebel cells within the sector when we can and generally be a strike thorn in the Empire's side. It's hard to believe that our one squadron ia responsible for the entire sector, though.
Commander Sato decided that the scouting missions to low-priority systems would be done solo. Major systems would have a two-ship flight to scout it. Missions would be determined as needed. However, Group leaders can override the decisions and boost numbers if we think it is necessary.
There's not much else to report. However, I am requiring all members of the squadron to use the feedback exercisers we have on board at least one hour each day and raising their protein ration by a half to make sure they don't get soft. Now, it's time to try and teach Thaema how to play Sabaac.
