{"data":{"id":14436,"title":"Portfolio: Squad 214, Bravo Flight","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/14436-Portfolio-Squad-214-Bravo-Flight","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/14436","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/14436","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Portfolio","images":[{"id":2870,"name":"BC.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/l0jugf8o27rmwr\/source\/BC.jpg","alt":"","size":299202,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2015-01-19T18:43:44+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/2870","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/2870\/similar"},{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"}],"images_count":7,"translations":{"en_EN":"Squadron 214 is a multi-spacecraft equipped unit (technically, a \u201cmulti-level force applicator\u201d) of the United Empire of Earth. The squadron was formally activated in 2675 as part of the military expansion that followed in the wake of Project Far Star. 214 has seen great success in their 270-year service history. The squadron is especially noted for the seven Medal of Imperial Valor winners on its roster, and for their success in short-range bombing missions, being proudly credited with the destruction of a dreadnaught, four battleships, nine \u201cflat tops\u201d and countless lesser fighters in their lengthy history. The 214th has also occasionally been a propaganda darling. \u201cTwelve Went In,\u201d a recruiting holovid, recounted the bombers\u2019 2720 all-out assault on a Harvester Dropship.\n\nThe origin of the squadron\u2019s nom de guerre is shrouded in some confusion. Modern Black Crow pilots and their supporters claim that the name refers to the squadron\u2019s cleverness and penchant for vengeance (Earth crows, now found on over a dozen worlds, are capable of remembering and attacking offending Human faces for years). Historians say that the truth is somewhat less valorous. The squadron was originally known as \u201cBranton\u2019s Braggarts,\u201d a humorous reference to the unit\u2019s overly-vocal pride over achieving the first perfect score in a HARD+ rated simulated bombing run under their first commanding officer, Captain Charlotte Branton. Fed up with the squadron\u2019s braggadocio, ground crews began painting black birds on their spacecraft to show their distaste for 214\u2019s \u2018constant cawing.\u2019 By the time Squadron 214 went into action, they were the Black Crows.\n\nToday, 214 is an exclusively carrier-based squadron assigned two flights of Hornets, one flight of Gladius interceptors and an elite flight of Gladiator light bombers, though it is worth noting that one of the Hornet flights is currently inactive as its flight crews undergo transition training for the upcoming F8 Lightning space superiority fighter. The Black Crow\u2019s bomber flights have flown every single-engine bomber in the UEEN arsenal, from the original Typhoon dive bombers to today\u2019s craft, where 214\u2019s illustrious Bravo Flight are using the Anvil Gladiator to further solidify their hard-earned reputation as one of the best bomber units actively operating.\n\nBravo Flight\nThe recent exploits of Bravo Flight in the Virgil Raid have become so well known that references to the Black Crows now almost exclusively refer to this distinguished bomber unit. The star of Squadron 214\u2019s service record from the very beginning of training, Bravo Flight has been the exclusive designation of the unit\u2019s elite bomber ships since the squadron\u2019s inception. Bravo\u2019s ground crews and flight engineers claim a spotless record, and only confirmed ace pilots and gunners are assigned to the unit.\n\nBravo garnered attention during the Vanduul push after 2681. Battling the encroaching horde from Orion to Tiber, their Gladiators pulled double duty as S&R craft up to the last minutes of the Tiber pullout. Since that time, the \u2018bloodthirsty birds\u2019 have found themselves forward-deployed to counter suspected Vanduul clan movements time and time again.\n\nThe Raid\nDateline: Vega System, just off the heavily guarded Virgil jump point. On the morning of August 9, 2932, a detached UEE Battle Group went to action stations. After a tense twelve hours with guns ready, the force issued an all-clear stand down. Aboard the UEEN Typhon, temporary home of the 214\u2019s Bravo Flight, word quickly spread: Virgil\u2019s aging Early Warning satellite network had relayed a distress signal from somewhere in the system. Admiral Bonds requested permission to jump his force to Virgil to investigate, but was ordered by High Command to abandon any investigation. Remote sensing had identified a 55% probable Vanduul clan in the system\u2019s environs, and Command was not to risk personnel or materials investigating a system that had not been inhabited in a century.\n\nThe mood aboard ship was stricken. Here was a military rescue beacon deep in the heart of the site of one of the Empire\u2019s bloodiest defeats. At best, they reasoned, command was letting a fellow pilot die, and at worst they were ignoring an opportunity to settle a very specific age-old score with the Vanduul. \u201cWe won\u2019t forget,\u201d flight leader Tam Thackston wrote in a delay-send message to his commanding officer as his crews universally agreed to break ranks and risk court martial to come to the aid of those in need.\n\nRunning with low-emission gear, the six Gladiators of Bravo Flight launched with full comm silence (and the suspected collusion of the Typhon\u2019s flight deck officer). Three retained their standard torpedo loadout, while three others were configured with autodocs and other search and rescue equipment. Passing by UEE radar stations and tracking buoys, they were prepared to meet with resistance, but were only met with encouragement and wishes of luck from their fellow starmen. The unit made a low-flash jump to Virgil, and once across, Bravo triangulated the signal and determined it to be coming from the surface of the innermost planet.\n\nThackston opted to use a larger amount of fuel and proceed in a roundabout manner rather than heading directly to the planet and risking giving away the location of the jump point to the Vanduul. Unfortunately, his caution proved costly: the extended flight plan ran Bravo directly into an enemy patrol. A battle broke out, with the Gladiators attempting to eliminate a quartet of Scythe and a command-and-communications ship before they could call for reinforcements. The fight was over quickly, but with heavy losses: Bravo 3 sustained a direct blade collision during the fracas, killing gunner Paul Ransom and leaving his ship dead in space. The surviving pilot conducted a difficult combat EVA and boarded the S&R equipped Bravo 5.\n\nOnce past the Vanduul, the surviving Gladiators approached the planet\u2019s equatorial zone, the apparent location of the now-silent beacon. The flight leader\u2019s ship touched down near the source while the remaining ships provided a makeshift combat air patrol. There, the charred fuselage of a long-lost Wildcat deep space fighter was located in a clearing where its impact had knocked down several of Virgil\u2019s giant trees. Investigating the wreck, Thackston discovered a pair of Human skeletons, one in a tattered flight suit, both wearing Black Crow patches. This ship must have been lost decades earlier in one of Squadron 214\u2019s prior battles with the Vanduul. With some searching, the source of the signal was discovered: the Wildcat\u2019s black box recorder, apparently re-activated in a recent lightning strike.\n\nThackston hurriedly buried the remains, first removing the dog tags so they could be returned to Kilian, and took off to rejoin his flight, the Wildcat\u2019s flight recorder securely stowed aboard his Gladiator. Believing they had permanently shamed their squadron\u2019s honorable history, they returned home fully expecting to be drummed out of the service for their disloyalty, but upon arrival they discovered that public opinion had come down harshly against Navy command once news of the beacon had spread. With the sack of Virgil still a sore point in Human memory, the pilots of Bravo Flight were feted as incredible heroes for having helped put a small part of that dark day in history to rest, along with revealing the incredible fate of their fallen comrades: the Wildcat and her crew had bravely perished when they opted to stay behind and cover the desperate evacuation in Virgil\u2019s final hours. Together, they are just two more reasons that the Black Crows of Squadron 214 deserves to crow.","de_DE":"Die Staffel 214 ist eine mit mehreren Raumfahrzeugen ausgestattete Einheit (technisch gesehen ein \"Multi-Level-Kraft-Applikator\") des Vereinigten K\u00f6nigreichs der Erde. Die Staffel wurde 2675 im Rahmen der milit\u00e4rischen Expansion, die im Zuge des Projekts Far Star folgte, offiziell aktiviert. 214 hat in seiner 270-j\u00e4hrigen Dienstgeschichte gro\u00dfen Erfolg gehabt. Die Staffel ist besonders bekannt f\u00fcr die sieben Medaillengewinner des Imperial Valor auf ihrer Liste und f\u00fcr ihren Erfolg bei Kurzstreckenbombeneins\u00e4tzen, die stolz auf die Zerst\u00f6rung eines Raubzugs, vier Schlachtschiffe, neun \"Flat Tops\" und unz\u00e4hlige kleinere K\u00e4mpfer in ihrer langen Geschichte zur\u00fcckgef\u00fchrt werden. Der 214. war auch gelegentlich ein Propagandadeliebling. \"Twelve Went In\", ein rekrutierender Holovid, erz\u00e4hlte vom 2720-fachen Angriff der Bomber auf ein Harvester Dropship.\n\nDer Ursprung des Nom de Guerre der Staffel ist von einer gewissen Verwirrung umh\u00fcllt. Moderne Black Crow-Piloten und ihre Anh\u00e4nger behaupten, dass sich der Name auf die Klugheit und Vorliebe der Staffel f\u00fcr Rache bezieht (Erdkr\u00e4hen, die heute auf \u00fcber einem Dutzend Welten zu finden sind, sind in der Lage, sich an beleidigende menschliche Gesichter zu erinnern und diese jahrelang anzugreifen). Historiker sagen, dass die Wahrheit etwas weniger mutig ist. Die Staffel war urspr\u00fcnglich als \"Branton's Braggarts\" bekannt, eine humorvolle Anspielung auf den \u00fcbertriebenen Stolz der Einheit, die erste perfekte Punktzahl in einem simulierten Bombenangriff mit HARD+ Bewertung unter ihrer ersten leitenden Offizierin, Captain Charlotte Branton, zu erreichen. Die Bodenmannschaften, die es satt hatten, sich mit dem Prahlereigeschwader der Staffel zu besch\u00e4ftigen, begannen, schwarze V\u00f6gel auf ihrem Raumschiff zu malen, um ihre Abneigung gegen das \"st\u00e4ndige Kr\u00e4chzen\" von 214 zu zeigen. Als Squadron 214 in Aktion trat, waren sie die Schwarzen Kr\u00e4hen.\n\nHeute ist 214 eine ausschlie\u00dflich Carrier-basierte Staffel, der zwei Hornissenfl\u00fcge, ein Flug von Gladius-Abfangj\u00e4gern und ein Eliteflug von Gladiator-Lichtbombern zugewiesen sind, wobei anzumerken ist, dass einer der Hornissenfl\u00fcge derzeit inaktiv ist, da seine Besatzungen eine \u00dcbergangsausbildung f\u00fcr den kommenden F8 Lightning Space Superiority J\u00e4ger durchlaufen. Die Bomberfl\u00fcge der Black Crow haben jeden einmotorigen Bomber im UEEN-Arsenal geflogen, vom urspr\u00fcnglichen Taifunbomber bis zum heutigen Schiff, wo 214s ber\u00fchmter Bravo-Flug den Amboss Gladiator benutzt, um ihren hart erarbeiteten Ruf als eine der besten Bombereinheiten, die aktiv operiert, weiter zu festigen.\n\nBravo-Flug\nDie j\u00fcngsten Erfolge von Bravo Flight in the Virgil Raid sind so bekannt geworden, dass sich die Referenzen an die Schwarzen Kr\u00e4hen nun fast ausschlie\u00dflich auf diese ausgezeichnete Bombereinheit beziehen. Bravo Flight, der Star im Dienst der Staffel 214, war von Anfang an die exklusive Bezeichnung der Elitebomberschiffe der Einheit seit der Gr\u00fcndung der Staffel. Die Bodencrews und Flugingenieure von Bravo behaupten einen makellosen Rekord, und nur best\u00e4tigte Ass-Piloten und Kanoniere sind der Einheit zugeordnet.\n\nBravo erregte Aufmerksamkeit w\u00e4hrend des Vanduul-Push nach 2681. Ihre Gladiatoren k\u00e4mpften gegen die \u00fcberw\u00e4ltigende Horde von Orion bis Tiber und zogen doppelte Pflicht als S&R-Schiffe bis in die letzten Minuten des Tiber-Auszugs. Seitdem sind die \"blutr\u00fcnstigen V\u00f6gel\" vorw\u00e4rts eingesetzt worden, um vermuteten Vanduul-Klanbewegungen immer wieder entgegenzuwirken.\n\nDer \u00dcberfall\nDatumsleiste: Vega System, direkt am schwer bewachten Virgil-Sprungplatz. Am Morgen des 9. August 2932 ging eine abgetrennte UEE Battle Group zu den Aktionsstationen. Nach zw\u00f6lf angespannten Stunden mit bereitgehaltenen Waffen gab die Truppe einen Entwarnung. An Bord des UEEN Typhon, der vor\u00fcbergehenden Heimat des Bravo-Fluges der 214, verbreitete sich die Nachricht schnell: Virgils alterndes Fr\u00fchwarnsatellitennetzwerk hatte ein Notsignal von irgendwo im System weitergeleitet. Admiral Bonds bat um Erlaubnis, seine Truppe zu Virgil zu springen, um zu ermitteln, wurde aber vom Oberkommando angewiesen, jede Untersuchung einzustellen. Die Fernerkundung hatte einen zu 55 % wahrscheinlichen Vanduul-Clan in der Umgebung des Systems identifiziert, und das Kommando sollte kein Personal oder Material gef\u00e4hrden, das ein System untersucht, das seit einem Jahrhundert nicht mehr bewohnt war.\n\nDie Stimmung an Bord des Schiffes war getr\u00fcbt. Hier war ein milit\u00e4risches Rettungszeichen tief im Herzen des Ortes einer der blutigsten Niederlagen des Imperiums. Bestenfalls, so argumentierten sie, lie\u00df das Kommando einen anderen Piloten sterben, und im schlimmsten Fall ignorierten sie die Gelegenheit, eine sehr spezifische uralte Rechnung mit dem Vanduul zu begleichen. \"Wir werden es nicht vergessen\", schrieb Flugleiter Tam Thackston in einer versp\u00e4teten Nachricht an seinen kommandierenden Offizier, als seine Besatzungen allgemein zustimmten, die Reihen zu verlassen und das Kriegsgericht zu riskieren, um den Bed\u00fcrftigen zu helfen.\n\nDie sechs Gladiatoren von Bravo Flight, die mit emissionsarmer Ausr\u00fcstung unterwegs sind, starteten mit absoluter Stille (und der vermuteten Absprache des Typhon-Flugdeck-Offiziers). Drei behielten ihre Standard-Torpedobeladung bei, w\u00e4hrend drei weitere mit Autodocs und anderen Such- und Rettungsger\u00e4ten ausgestattet waren. Vorbei an UEE-Radarstationen und Bojen waren sie bereit, auf Widerstand zu sto\u00dfen, wurden aber nur von ihren Mitstars mit Ermutigung und Gl\u00fcckw\u00fcnschen empfangen. Die Einheit machte einen Low-Flash-Sprung zu Virgil, und als Bravo das Signal einmal durchquerte, triangulierte er das Signal und bestimmte, dass es von der Oberfl\u00e4che des innersten Planeten kommt.\n\nThackston entschied sich, eine gr\u00f6\u00dfere Menge an Treibstoff zu verbrauchen und auf eine umst\u00e4ndliche Art und Weise vorzugehen, anstatt direkt zum Planeten zu fahren und zu riskieren, die Position des Sprungpunktes an die Vanduul weiterzugeben. Leider erwies sich seine Vorsicht als kostspielig: Der erweiterte Flugplan f\u00fchrte Bravo direkt in eine feindliche Patrouille. Eine Schlacht brach aus, bei der die Gladiatoren versuchten, ein Quartett von Scythe und ein Kommando- und Kommunikationsschiff zu eliminieren, bevor sie nach Verst\u00e4rkung rufen konnten. Der Kampf war schnell vorbei, aber mit schweren Verlusten: Bravo 3 erlitt w\u00e4hrend des Aufruhrs eine direkte Klingenkollision, t\u00f6tete den Sch\u00fctzen Paul Ransom und lie\u00df sein Schiff im Weltraum tot zur\u00fcck. Der \u00fcberlebende Pilot f\u00fchrte einen schwierigen Kampf-EVA durch und bestieg den mit S&R ausgestatteten Bravo 5.\n\nNachdem sie die Vanduul passiert hatten, n\u00e4herten sich die \u00fcberlebenden Gladiatoren der \u00e4quatorialen Zone des Planeten, der scheinbaren Position des jetzt leisen Leuchtfeuers. Das Schiff des Flugleiters landete in der N\u00e4he der Quelle, w\u00e4hrend die \u00fcbrigen Schiffe eine provisorische Kampfpatrouille stellten. Dort befand sich der verkohlte Rumpf eines lang verlorenen Wildcat-Weltraumj\u00e4gers auf einer Lichtung, wo sein Einschlag mehrere von Virgils Riesenb\u00e4umen niedergeschlagen hatte. Bei der Untersuchung des Wracks entdeckte Thackston ein Paar menschliche Skelette, eines in einem zerfetzten Fluganzug, beide mit Black Crow-Patches. Dieses Schiff muss Jahrzehnte zuvor in einem der vorherigen K\u00e4mpfe der Staffel 214 mit der Vanduul verloren gegangen sein. Mit etwas Suchen wurde die Quelle des Signals entdeckt: der Blackbox-Rekorder der Wildcat, der anscheinend bei einem k\u00fcrzlichen Blitzeinschlag wieder aktiviert wurde.\n\nThackston begrub die \u00dcberreste eilig und entfernte zuerst die Erkennungsmarken, damit sie an Kilian zur\u00fcckgegeben werden konnten, und hob ab, um wieder an seinem Flug teilzunehmen, der Flugschreiber der Wildcat verstaute sicher an Bord seines Gladiators. Da sie glaubten, die ehrenwerte Geschichte ihrer Staffel dauerhaft besch\u00e4mt zu haben, kehrten sie nach Hause zur\u00fcck und erwarteten voll und ganz, wegen ihrer Untreue aus dem Dienst geholt zu werden, aber bei ihrer Ankunft entdeckten sie, dass die \u00f6ffentliche Meinung hart gegen das Kommando der Marine vorgegangen war, nachdem sich die Nachricht von dem Leuchtfeuer verbreitet hatte. Mit dem Sack von Virgil, der noch immer ein wundersamer Punkt im Ged\u00e4chtnis des Menschen ist, wurden die Piloten von Bravo Flight als unglaubliche Helden gefeiert, weil sie geholfen hatten, einen kleinen Teil dieses dunklen Tages in der Geschichte zur Ruhe zu bringen, und das unglaubliche Schicksal ihrer gefallenen Kameraden enth\u00fcllten: Die Wildkatze und ihre Crew waren tapfer umgekommen, als sie sich entschieden hatten, zur\u00fcckzubleiben und die verzweifelte Evakuierung in Virgils letzten Stunden zu verdecken. Zusammen sind sie nur noch zwei weitere Gr\u00fcnde, warum die Schwarzen Kr\u00e4hen der Staffel 214 es verdienen, zu kr\u00e4hen.","zh_CN":"Squadron 214 is a multi-spacecraft equipped unit (technically, a \u201cmulti-level force applicator\u201d) of the United Empire of Earth. The squadron was formally activated in 2675 as part of the military expansion that followed in the wake of Project Far Star. 214 has seen great success in their 270-year service history. The squadron is especially noted for the seven Medal of Imperial Valor winners on its roster, and for their success in short-range bombing missions, being proudly credited with the destruction of a dreadnaught, four battleships, nine \u201cflat tops\u201d and countless lesser fighters in their lengthy history. The 214th has also occasionally been a propaganda darling. \u201cTwelve Went In,\u201d a recruiting holovid, recounted the bombers\u2019 2720 all-out assault on a Harvester Dropship.\n\nThe origin of the squadron\u2019s nom de guerre is shrouded in some confusion. Modern Black Crow pilots and their supporters claim that the name refers to the squadron\u2019s cleverness and penchant for vengeance (Earth crows, now found on over a dozen worlds, are capable of remembering and attacking offending Human faces for years). Historians say that the truth is somewhat less valorous. The squadron was originally known as \u201cBranton\u2019s Braggarts,\u201d a humorous reference to the unit\u2019s overly-vocal pride over achieving the first perfect score in a HARD+ rated simulated bombing run under their first commanding officer, Captain Charlotte Branton. Fed up with the squadron\u2019s braggadocio, ground crews began painting black birds on their spacecraft to show their distaste for 214\u2019s \u2018constant cawing.\u2019 By the time Squadron 214 went into action, they were the Black Crows.\n\nToday, 214 is an exclusively carrier-based squadron assigned two flights of Hornets, one flight of Gladius interceptors and an elite flight of Gladiator light bombers, though it is worth noting that one of the Hornet flights is currently inactive as its flight crews undergo transition training for the upcoming F8 Lightning space superiority fighter. The Black Crow\u2019s bomber flights have flown every single-engine bomber in the UEEN arsenal, from the original Typhoon dive bombers to today\u2019s craft, where 214\u2019s illustrious Bravo Flight are using the Anvil Gladiator to further solidify their hard-earned reputation as one of the best bomber units actively operating.\n\nBravo Flight\nThe recent exploits of Bravo Flight in the Virgil Raid have become so well known that references to the Black Crows now almost exclusively refer to this distinguished bomber unit. The star of Squadron 214\u2019s service record from the very beginning of training, Bravo Flight has been the exclusive designation of the unit\u2019s elite bomber ships since the squadron\u2019s inception. Bravo\u2019s ground crews and flight engineers claim a spotless record, and only confirmed ace pilots and gunners are assigned to the unit.\n\nBravo garnered attention during the Vanduul push after 2681. Battling the encroaching horde from Orion to Tiber, their Gladiators pulled double duty as S&R craft up to the last minutes of the Tiber pullout. Since that time, the \u2018bloodthirsty birds\u2019 have found themselves forward-deployed to counter suspected Vanduul clan movements time and time again.\n\nThe Raid\nDateline: Vega System, just off the heavily guarded Virgil jump point. On the morning of August 9, 2932, a detached UEE Battle Group went to action stations. After a tense twelve hours with guns ready, the force issued an all-clear stand down. Aboard the UEEN Typhon, temporary home of the 214\u2019s Bravo Flight, word quickly spread: Virgil\u2019s aging Early Warning satellite network had relayed a distress signal from somewhere in the system. Admiral Bonds requested permission to jump his force to Virgil to investigate, but was ordered by High Command to abandon any investigation. Remote sensing had identified a 55% probable Vanduul clan in the system\u2019s environs, and Command was not to risk personnel or materials investigating a system that had not been inhabited in a century.\n\nThe mood aboard ship was stricken. Here was a military rescue beacon deep in the heart of the site of one of the Empire\u2019s bloodiest defeats. At best, they reasoned, command was letting a fellow pilot die, and at worst they were ignoring an opportunity to settle a very specific age-old score with the Vanduul. \u201cWe won\u2019t forget,\u201d flight leader Tam Thackston wrote in a delay-send message to his commanding officer as his crews universally agreed to break ranks and risk court martial to come to the aid of those in need.\n\nRunning with low-emission gear, the six Gladiators of Bravo Flight launched with full comm silence (and the suspected collusion of the Typhon\u2019s flight deck officer). Three retained their standard torpedo loadout, while three others were configured with autodocs and other search and rescue equipment. Passing by UEE radar stations and tracking buoys, they were prepared to meet with resistance, but were only met with encouragement and wishes of luck from their fellow starmen. The unit made a low-flash jump to Virgil, and once across, Bravo triangulated the signal and determined it to be coming from the surface of the innermost planet.\n\nThackston opted to use a larger amount of fuel and proceed in a roundabout manner rather than heading directly to the planet and risking giving away the location of the jump point to the Vanduul. Unfortunately, his caution proved costly: the extended flight plan ran Bravo directly into an enemy patrol. A battle broke out, with the Gladiators attempting to eliminate a quartet of Scythe and a command-and-communications ship before they could call for reinforcements. The fight was over quickly, but with heavy losses: Bravo 3 sustained a direct blade collision during the fracas, killing gunner Paul Ransom and leaving his ship dead in space. The surviving pilot conducted a difficult combat EVA and boarded the S&R equipped Bravo 5.\n\nOnce past the Vanduul, the surviving Gladiators approached the planet\u2019s equatorial zone, the apparent location of the now-silent beacon. The flight leader\u2019s ship touched down near the source while the remaining ships provided a makeshift combat air patrol. There, the charred fuselage of a long-lost Wildcat deep space fighter was located in a clearing where its impact had knocked down several of Virgil\u2019s giant trees. Investigating the wreck, Thackston discovered a pair of Human skeletons, one in a tattered flight suit, both wearing Black Crow patches. This ship must have been lost decades earlier in one of Squadron 214\u2019s prior battles with the Vanduul. With some searching, the source of the signal was discovered: the Wildcat\u2019s black box recorder, apparently re-activated in a recent lightning strike.\n\nThackston hurriedly buried the remains, first removing the dog tags so they could be returned to Kilian, and took off to rejoin his flight, the Wildcat\u2019s flight recorder securely stowed aboard his Gladiator. Believing they had permanently shamed their squadron\u2019s honorable history, they returned home fully expecting to be drummed out of the service for their disloyalty, but upon arrival they discovered that public opinion had come down harshly against Navy command once news of the beacon had spread. With the sack of Virgil still a sore point in Human memory, the pilots of Bravo Flight were feted as incredible heroes for having helped put a small part of that dark day in history to rest, along with revealing the incredible fate of their fallen comrades: the Wildcat and her crew had bravely perished when they opted to stay behind and cover the desperate evacuation in Virgil\u2019s final hours. Together, they are just two more reasons that the Black Crows of Squadron 214 deserves to crow."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":87,"created_at":"2015-02-05T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"11 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-08 02:38:57","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":14434,"next_id":14437}}