Around the World: An Unexpected Journey

Chapter 9: Day 22: Moscow, Russia: Steel Carnage Part 2

(We come upon a convoy of cars, SUVs, buses, and trucks as they roll through the streets of Moscow. We then close in on one car that is in the middle of the group, and see Tanner Foust driving, along with Justin and Kei in the back.)

Kei: So where are we going?

Tanner: A specially prepared facility that used to be an aircraft storage facility, we lined all the Hangers with some brand new simulators. And we managed convert the largest of them into a theater for spectators.

Justin: And I'm guessing you held the first day at Denmark so they can be fully prepare here.

Tanner: Right. But since you won the first day, what will you choose?

Justin: Let me see what you have, and then I'll make my choice.

(The convoy takes a turn and everyone sees that facility that the competition was going to be held at for the next two days. Everyone steps out and looks around.)

Leonard: And to think this used to be an aircraft storage area, this competition has an odd sense of irony.

(Everyone enters the theater. Tanner, Adam, and Rutledge take the stage.)

Rutledge: I am beat. I thought driving in a convoy was going to be fun, can you imagine listening to a whole bunch of people talking about different things?

Adam: You work at NASCAR, you're used to this.

Rutledge: Not while in a car full of people.

Tanner: Anyway, let's get on with the competition. (opens a letter) "In 1977, Star Wars popularized the concept of the starfighter, a small, usually one man fighter that was similar to real world fighter planes. Today the starfighter has taken many forms, from the classics such as the X-wing and the Colonial Viper, to new school craft such as Star Fox's Arwings and the F-41 Broadsword from Halo. Now, on the second day of Steel Carnage, you'll be taking these craft and pushing to limits as you go against each other in two parts. The first will be one on one duels, with four groups trying to determine the winner, who lead the group. The second part will be two dogfights between two teams. The winner and runner up of both dogfights in the second challenge will be the team leaders as the four teams combine into two for the final day." I guess that only means one thing.

Adam: Let's get selecting.

Rutledge: And since Justin Durante won the first day, He gets to come up and choose what he wants. Justin Durante, step forward please.

(Justin walks up to the stage.)

Tanner: How does it feel to be the winner of the first day?

Justin: It's great; I never thought I would pull it off.

Adam: Well choose your fighter, and choose wisely, some are better than others.

(Justin cycles through the selection of fighters, some he likes, and some that make him go 'not a chance'. He was about to choose a Saber-class fighter from Halo when he cycles to the last entry and sees what it is, and is stunned by it)

Justin: They put this in this competition; this is one of my favorites! (presses the button) This one.

(The screen presents his choice, showing a Type-1 Valkyrie Class from Star Trek: Invasion.)

Adam: I see that like Rutledge, you have a taste for the less well known types.

Justin: This is one is one of my favorites. I had to choose.

Tanner: You might have made an excellent choice, despite it being only seen in one game. It does have some popularity among certain Star Trek fans. This thing is a little bigger than a standard shuttle craft, but it not a big as a runabout.

Rutledge: So exactly how big is it?

Justin (looking at the computer): Around the same size as F-22 Raptor, armed with two forward facing pulse phaser cannons and two micro-torpedo tubes. She's got shields, armor, and a warp drive. She is not only fast but also very maneuverable

Adam: So this thing is essentially Star Trek's answer to the F-22.

Rutledge: And it says here that the updated CGI model was created by the very guys who created the CGI Vipers from the Re-Imaged Battlestar Galactica series. And one last thing, this model is the latest, created for the 25th Century, right around the events of Star Trek Online.

Justin: Since I'm still here, can I push the buttons to select the next contestant's fighter.

Adam: Why not?

(Justin presses both buttons and the screen cycles through the two sets of pictures, the first picture stops on Kei's face, and the second stops on a fighter that Justin recognizes, but Kei knows by heart. She is unable to speak, overwhelmed by happiness, joy, and amazement. She then gives squeal of pure joy before racing up to the stage and giving Justin a bear hug.)

Kei: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Justin (surprised by Kei's reaction but keeping his composure): I'm guessing you like what you have been given.

Kei: Are you kidding, I watched Macross ever since I was a little girl, and the VF-25 Messiah is my favorite. I learned everything about it, studied it's abilities and specifications.

Justin: So you are a big Macross fan?

Kei: Oh yes.

Justin: Glad I could make you happy.

Tanner: Let's get back to giving everyone some fighters.

(Everyone gets back to getting a fighter chosen for each of them. Sheldon got an Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor, more specifically a later model that had shields and armor, but didn't sacrifice performance. Leonard got a T-65 X-wing. Howard and Brenadette each get an F-302 fighter, while Raj and Lucy get SA-23E Starfuries. Penny and Stuart got Colonial Vipers from the Original Battlestar Galactica series, while Amy got an ARC-170. Then everyone is randomly assigned a team, and for the first time, Justin and Kei are on opposing teams.)

Kei: Looks like we're going head to head this time.

Justin: And I guessing you're not going to hold anything back.

Kei: This may be a game, but I give everything my all.

Justin: Then let's get started.

Adam: One other thing, we've called in some favors in the costume making world, and we managed to make the uniforms used by the pilots who flew these fighters, we even called in a favor from the United States Air Force to provide spare flight suits for the people who fly in the human ships from the Stargate universe.

Justin: Then it looks like we better suit up.

(Everyone suits up. A few minutes later, we see Kei and several other contestants waiting for someone.)

Contestant (in a UNSC pilot suit): Man, where the hell is he?!

Female Contestant (looking at the spectator theater, where the spectators are starting to get impatient, she's wearing an Imperial TIE fighter Pilot suit): Those guys are going to start eating each other.

Kei (in an EX-Gear Suit, modified to have a checklist card on her left leg): Give him time, this his first time getting into a flight suit.

(A door opens and out steps Justin. He is wearing what first looks like a Colonial Flight Suit from the Re-Imaged Battlestar Galactica series, but on closer look, we can see that while it looks like one, it was a Starfleet flight suit. Whoever made the suit clearly knew how to make it fit in Starfleet uniform code, using the Alternate Reality Flight Suit used in Star Trek: Into Darkness as a guide to help, but also make sure that people knew where they got the idea from, especially with the utility belt. It had division colors on the neck in two yoke style patches, and it's helmet was based on the thruster suit helmet from Star Trek: Into Darkness.)

Justin: Sorry I took so long. These things are hard to get into.

Kei: It's just your first time, you'll get used to it.

(Tanner walks in)

Tanner: These are some great suits, and I'm glad to see that everyone is finally suited up.

Justin: So which simulators do we use?

Tanner: It took some time to make each simulator look like the cockpit of each craft use, but each of you has a card, and said card will tell you which simulator you have been given.

Contestant: About time, let's go.

(The contestants quickly head to their simulators, but Justin and Kei stay behind for a minute.)

Kei: I look forward to seeing what you can do in the cockpit of a fighter.

Justin: Same here.

(The two tap their helmets together and part ways. Kei reaches her simulator, and is amazed by the detail)

Kei: Wow, they made exactly like the cockpit of a VF-25, right down to the displays.

(Kei hops in and straps herself into the seat. Once the cockpit closes, Kei takes a moment to take in the controls, then lets her military training kick in, running a preflight systems check. That is when she gets one last surprise when she finds out the exact model she has.)

Kei: A VF-25S! This is essentially the top of the line model. This is going to be fun. (Realizes one system stands out as not being part of the regular configuration) Missile launchers, looks like the Macross producers decided to give the Messiah that little upgrade I sent as part of that contest I won.

(We then cut to Justin, who has just entered his simulator, which is designed to simulate a Valkryie Class fighter cockpit. It was a fusion of the Class 2 Shuttlecraft cockpit from Star Trek Voyager and Mk VII Viper cockpit from Battlestar Galactica. During the trip to Moscow, Kei managed to drill the preflight checklist for a fighter into Justin, who goes over the steps to prep the simulated Valkyrie. It did help that he had a checklist card in a windowed pocket on his left leg. Soon everyone was ready. We cut to Justin, who has just put his helmet on, which engages a heads-up display. The primary display then switches to display the starting show. We then cut to the spectator theater, where Tanner, Adam, and Rutledge are greeting the audience.)

Adam: Hello everyone, and welcome to day two of Steel Carnage.

(The audience cheers)

Rutledge: Did you guys see the battles of day one? Man, I thought movie producers have all the fun.

Tanner: We went big for the first day, now we're going for Top Gun in the second day as we have starfighters go against each other, first in one on one duels to determine who will lead the four teams, and finally a team challenge where two teams will go against each other to determine who will lead the combined two teams for the third day.

Adam: And for our first match, it's a fighter that you have seen in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. It's Mr. Alan Calvin and the Delta-7B Aethersprite-Class Light Interceptor!

(Star Wars music is played as a picture of a Delta 7B is displayed, as well the image of a young man in a Star Wars flight suit)

Calvin: Hello, everyone!

Rutledge: And facing him is the winner of day one, flying a relatively obscure starfighter from Star Trek. Please welcome back Justin Durante, and the Type 1 Valkyrie Class Starfighter!

(Star Trek music is played as a picture of a Type 1 Valkyrie Class and Justin's image is displayed)

Justin: Glad to be back.

Tanner: These two will face each other in a one on one duel. And the location is…

(The screen cycles between pictures before stopping on a planet Star Wars fans recognized instantly)

Tanner: It's Geonosis!

Rutledge: We're going to duplicate the fight between the Delta 7 and the Slave 1!

(The audience cheers)

Adam: Then let's get day two started, Justin Durante and Alan Calvin; begin!

(We cut to the simulation as Justin's Valkyrie warps in first, and makes its way to the asteroids. Deciding to play the role of an exploring Starfleet pilot, he starts scanning asteroids, and finds one that gets an unusual reading. Upon further scanning, he finds a hidden sensor array, which contains a hidden database and starts downloading, mostly created by the simulator to give the upcoming battle some reason. A moment later, Calvin's Delta-7B drops from hyperspeed, detaches from its hyperdrive ring and gives pursuit. Thanks to the Valkyrie's advance sensors, Justin quickly spots Calvin. We cut to Kei, who is watching via display screen)

Kei: Justin's spotted the bandit, now he has to indentify if it's friend or foe.

(We cut to Justin, who is looking at the Valkyrie's scans of the Delta-7B)

Justin: Even though this is going to be a fight anyway, might as well go through the steps Kei taught me. (opens a comlink to Calvin) Unidentified vessel, I'm here on scouting and exploratory reasons, state your intentions.

(We cut to Calvin, who was taken by surprised by Justin's actions, but ultimately decides to play along)

Calvin: So he wants to add a little theatricality and reason to a confrontation such as this, guess I'll play his game. (speaks) This is a Republic occupied planet; I'm going to ask you power down your engines.

(We cut to Justin)

Justin: I'm sorry, I thought this was uncontested space, I was looking for planets to report back to Starfleet Command to send ships in order explore in greater detail.

Calvin: I'm going to ask you again, power down and prepare to be boarded.

Justin: I'm not causing trouble, just scanning this odd sensor array.

(Suddenly, an alarm crackles to life, Justin looks and realizes that the Delta-7B had just powered up weapons and shields)

Calvin: Stand down and prepare to be boarded! You have Separatist schematics downloaded on your computer!

Justin: Whoa big guy! You don't understand, I just found data on an improved sensor system and thought the Federation could take a look at it.

Calvin: Power down or I'll disable your ship!

Justin: Fire on me and I'll defend my ship with everything I have.

Calvin: This is your final warning! Stand down, or be destroyed!

Justin: We can talk this out! There is no need to… (a laser blast races past his port wing) WHOA!

(Justin realizes that pilot of the Delta-7B is serious. With the press of a button, his ship immediately goes to red alert, the lights dim, shields and weapons come online and red lights flash. Both the HUD of the Valkyrie cockpit and the Helmet display new images, such as weapon sights, shield and hull integrity and target position.)

Justin: I wanted to see what I could get before the shooting starts, but now the fight is on, time to take action.

(Justin pulls a 270 degree flip before punching the throttle to try and outrun Calvin's ship, but the Delta-7B easily keeps up. Calvin starts firing, but since he was unprepared for the rocking simulator, which was specifically design to simulate a fighter as accurately as possible, which included 360 movements on all axis and vibrations caused by combat, his aim is off. Justin breaks left to dodge the burst, then right to dodge a missile. Calvin adjusts to the simulator and manages to get a blast on Justin, but the Valkyrie's shields handle the hit. All the while, Tanner, Adam, Rutledge, and other commentators are providing commentary)

Tanner: I never thought something the size of an F-22 Raptor can move like that.

Adam: The F-22 Raptor is a super-maneuverable fighter; of course it can pull off those moves.

Rutledge: But Calvin is hot on Justin's heels. And that Delta-7B's weapons can do serious damage if Calvin can keep on target.

(Kei is also watching the battle)

Kei: Justin, take the fight to him; be aggressive. I've taught you with those flight simulator controls back in Denmark and in Moscow when we got here, now use that training.

(We cut back to Justin, who shakes from another hit. That is when the flight training Kei gave him starts to click into place)

Justin: You play soft, I'll play soft. Want to play hard, I'll play hard!

(Justin pulls a Kulbit and is suddenly on the Delta-7B's tail. Justin immediately fires the phaser cannons, but his shots miss. Kei sees this)

Kei: Remember, controlled bursts, don't spray and pray.

(Justin begins to concentrate, remembering Kei's words and finds his senses sharpening. Adjusting his aim, he fires a burst, this time scoring hits. Kei sees this and starts to smile)

Kei: That's it. You can do this.

(Justin, filled with new found determination, lets his mind focus, keeping focused on the Delta-7B but watching for any additional threats. He continues to fire burst after burst, pound the shields with withering fire. Calvin's Delta-7B was fast and agile, but the Valkyrie's powerful impulse engines and RCS thrusters allow the larger fighter to match the smaller interceptor move for move. Calvin does a Cobra maneuver to get back on Justin's tail. The Delta-7B's four laser cannons pound on the Valkyrie, but the Valkyrie's regenerative shields withstand the shots that do hit, allowing Justin to regain the offence by suddenly slowing down, forcing Calvin to overshoot. Justin proves to be a natural fighter pilot, keeping the Delta-7B in his crosshairs, and firing controlled bursts which mostly hit the smaller interceptor. Despite having only two cannons, the Valkyrie's two phaser cannons are more powerful than Delta-7B's four laser cannons. Calvin struggles to shake of the larger Valkyrie.)

Calvin: Now I know why Obi-Wan hates flying!

(Finally a phaser bolt collapses the shields and slams into the hull, mere inches from astromech, who screams at the close shot. Everyone sees this.)

Tanner: Calvin's shields are gone! Calvin has no shields!

(We cut to Kei)

Kei: Finish him with a torpedo!

(We cut to Justin, who has just locked on Calvin's Delta-7B.)

Justin: Eat this!

(Justin fires a single quantum torpedo, which homes in Calvin. But Calvin, a Star Wars fan, ejects the spare parts; fooling the torpedo and making it slam into the parts. Calvin thinks he's got Justin fooled, but then sees the Valkyrie fly though the blast. He then hears Justin's voice on the comm.)

Justin: I've seen that trick before.

(Justin fires another torpedo, this time finding its mark, slamming into the Delta-7B and destroying it. Kei sees this)

Kei: Yeah! Great job, Justin!

(We cut to Justin)

Justin: Whoo! (The adrenalin starting to wear off) That was intense! I didn't do anything like that in my entire life.

(We cut back to the spectator theater)

Tanner: I think we just saw that Starfleet puts as much effort into its starfighters as it does in its starships.

Adam: How was that, people? Are you entertained?

(The audience cheers)

Adam: Good, for we're just getting started, for we are going right to the second match.

Rutledge: Then let's great next two challengers, starting with one of the contestants who made the top five, flying a powerful fighter form Halo. I'm please to introduce Ms. Sarah Linda and the Type-31 Exoatmospheric Multirole Fighter, also known the Seraph-class starfighter.

(A picture of a Covenant Seraph fighter and the image of a young woman with blonde hair appear on the screen.)

Sarah: Hi everyone, glad to be here.

Tanner: And facing her is the last place finisher of day one, flying a fighter that all you Japanese boys and girls might recognize. Please welcome Ms. Hoshi Sato and the VF-25S Messiah from Macross Frontier!

(A picture of a VF-25S and the image of Kei appear on the screen.)

Tanner: You ready to try and make up for the lost you suffered in day one, Sato?

Kei: Sure am.

Adam: Then let's see where you two are going to fight. (Looks at the screen and see that it stops, then looks down for the name) The Hoth Asteroid Field!

Tanner: Not to sound like that I'm no fun, but the last match was a little long, so can we not do any of these situations and focus on the battle at hand?

(Justin's voice is heard)

Justin: Sorry about that, just wanted to shake things up a little.

Rutledge: Anyway, let's get on with the match.

(We cut to the simulation, which shows Sarah's Seraph jumping out of slipspace, and immediately enters the asteroid field. Justin is watching from his cockpit.)

Justin: You would have done a good job command a battleship; now let's see what you can do in a fighter cockpit.

(We then see Kei's VF-25S flying though the asteroid field. Kei is flying a search pattern looking for the Seraph. After a few moments of searching, Kei is about look elsewhere when suddenly, plasma bolts fly pass her from an 8'o Clock position and above. It was Sarah, trying to dive in for a quick kill. But Kei expertly breaks into the attack, throwing off Sarah's aim. Sarah then does a split-s to get back on Kei's six, and fires burst after burst of fire, but Kei easily maneuvers the Messiah into a beautiful set of acrobatics, whirling, rolling, diving, jinking, with none the Seraph's shots even touching her. It was if Kei had become one with the VF-25S, the Messiah was extension of herself. Justin is amazed by the display.)

Justin: Incredible!

(We cut back to the main spectator theater, where everyone is watching the display.)

Adam: Sure, acrobatics are fun, but this is a dogfight, not an air show!

(Meanwhile, while still dodging plasma bolts, Kei decides that she played around long enough)

Kei: Now to see what this thing can really do.

(Kei quickly pulls a barrel roll, fluidly getting behind Sarah's Seraph. Kei activates the weapons systems, and realizes that the addition of the two missile bays was not the only thing changed.)

Kei: They replace the wing cannons with two more powerful and advance canons, and have the other weapons on standby if I need them. All the other systems have also been upgraded. Well it's time to test the upgrades.

(Kei lines up the Seraph and fires a burst. Plasma bolts race out of the two cannons, which were located on the engine intakes, and slam into the Seraph's shields. We cut to Sarah, who is shaken by the impact.)

Sarah: I got to lose that thing and fast.

(Sarah throws the Seraph into a violent series of maneuvers, dodging asteroids and hoping to lose Kei. But Kei, being a natural and proven ace pilot, keeps locked on Sarah, and continues to pound the Seraph with the Messiah's cannons, soon piercing the shields. Kei seamlessly switches to missiles, and fires a pair after getting a good lock. The two missiles fly straight and true, and slam into the Seraph, destroying it. Everyone cheers)

Justin: Wow!

Tanner: Now that's what I call flying.

Adam: Let's see some more carnage!

(Throughout the day, the contestants fly against each other, trying to win the four team leader positions. Kei, who had prove she was a skilled competitor despite the setback she suffered in day one, easily earns the first team leader position. Justin fights hard, proving to be a skilled pilot and earning leadership of the second team. Sheldon and Leonard earn leadership of both the third and fourth teams. Then came the team matches, with teams three and four going first. The ensuing dogfight was spectacular and intense, but ultimately, Leonard barely manages to beat Sheldon, earning leadership of the two combined teams, now known as Team Prime, courtesy of Leonard. Now it was time for teams One and Two to fight. They were given the location of the Battle of Yavin. Justin assigns a Viper Mk. III pilot as his wingman, while Kei chooses an F-41 Broadsword pilot as her wingman.)

Rutledge: This is it, the final battle of Day Two of Steel Canrage.

Adam: Then let's hear it… (the rest of the people counting) 3…2…1…FIGHT!

(We cut to simulation, which shows Justin's team flying over the surface of the Death Star, looking for Team Two.)

Contestant #3 (flying a V-wing): Where are they?

Justin: Just keep looking. They're out there.

Justin's Wingman (looks up and at 10'o clock): Bandits, coming in at 10'o clock high!

(Justin looks in said location and indeed, Team Two is flying in on an intercept course.)

Justin: Copy that, turn to engage.

(Team One turns to face Team Two)

Contestant #4 (flying a Death Glider from Stargate): They're turning for us.

Kei: Fire on my mark. (Waits for Team One to get close) Fire!

(The two teams fire one each other and split into two man formations, but often have to go one on one due to the intensity of the dogfight. Even Justin and Kei get separated from their wingmen. Justin then notices one of his teammates, flying a RF-42 Centaur from Andromeda, callsign Skyfall #6, is in trouble with a Wolfen from Star Fox tight on him.)

Justin: Skyfall #6, you picked up one, watch it!

Skyfall #6: I can't see him!

(The two fighters engage in a series of turns and rolling scissors, but the Woflen pilot manages to stay behind the Centaur)

Skyfall #6: He's on me tight, I can't see him!

(The Wolfen starts firing)

Justin: I'll be right there!

(Justin rolls in behind the Wolfen and after several minutes of maneuvering, manages to destroy it with a long burst of phaser fire.)

Skyfall #6: Thanks for the save; I'll form up on your wing.

Justin: Now let's get back to the furball.

(The two rejoin the dogfight, and for several minutes, both sides tear at each, losing fighters until it was apparently Justin and Skyfall #6 against a lone F-41 Broadsword, Kei's wingman. Both the Valkyrie and the Centaur pour fire on the Broadsword, but it's Skyfall #6 who manages to destroy the UNSC fighter with his anti-proton cannons.)

Justin: Hell of shot, Skyfall #6.

Skyfall #6 (Smiles, but then looks up): LOOK OUT!

(Skyfall #6 rolls over Justin, taking a missile intended for him. Justin whirls his fighter around to face the general direction of the shot and fires a torpedo. The shot misses, but it allows Justin to see what fired on him. Then he realizes who it is.)

Justin: A VF-25S Messiah, Kei.

(Kei's face appears on the main display)

Kei: So it comes down this, the two of us face to face.

Justin: Looks like it.

Kei: You know only one of us will win this.

Justin: No hard feelings?

Kei: None at all.

Justin: Then let's do this.

(The two make a head on pass before turning to get on the tail of each other, pulling tighter and tighter, but Kei manages to close the gap and get her guns on Justin. When he sees plasma bolts fly past him, Justin breaks right and dives away, with Kei following. Justin then throws a Kulbit, getting behind Kei's tail. Kei immediately pulls her VF-25S Messiah into a series of maneuvers, trying to throw off Justin, but the Valkyrie proves to be an equal to the VF-25, as Justin manages to stay with Kei, even managing to score hits.)

Kei: He's good, now to see how good he really is.

(Kei throws a barrel roll to get behind Justin, but Justin counters with his own barrel roll, causing both to go into the rolling scissors, trying to get behind the other, but both fighters prove to be equally maneuverable, neither one gaining the advantage. Justin however, is forced break when they head straight for a turbolaser tower, allowing Kei to get behind Justin. The two continue to dogfight for ten minutes, with neither one having a clear advantage, both proving to be each other's equal. Both fighters are damaged severely over the course the fight, with Kei down to her Gun Pod and a single missile launcher and Justin being in the same predicament)

Kei: This has end someway, but how? (Then realizes that they are in space) Maybe if…

(Kei's thinking is cut off as Justin pulls a Cobra to get behind Kei, who cuts the engines and throws the stick back, causing her to flip over in place, giving her a clear shot and Justin's underside. She fires one missile, but one was all she needed, for it hits squarely in the center, tearing the Valkyrie apart. Everyone cheers, including Justin, despite losing.)

Justin: I may have lost, but this is one of the best days in my life.

(We cut back to the spectator theater, where everyone is cheering)

Tanner: Talk about rebound, Hoshi went from last place to the winner of Day Two.

Adam: That's all we have for today, please come back again when we do the final day, where the two teams will go head to head in the final battle!

(Justin climbs out of his simulator and finds Kei walking up to him)

Justin: Looks like you beat me fair and square.

Kei: I did have the experience, but you proved to be my equal in the cockpit. We can be each other's wingman anytime.

(The two shake hands then hug.)

Justin: You do know we have to pick a name for our new team.

Kei: I think I've got one.

Justin: Care to tell?

(Kei leans in and puts her mouth right to Justin's ear, and whispers something that causes Justin to smile)

Justin: I like the sound of that.

Kei: Glad that you like the name.

(The two head out to join the others, ready to turn in for the night, for they know that they are about to have a big day in the next two days.)