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- "Mors Ex Tenebris: Death from the darkness"
- ―Void Squadron Motto
Void Squadron is a battleteam attached to House Qel-Droma serving Clan Arcona. Founded in 36 ABY and initially lead by Solus Gar, the squadron was created in order to address perceived shortcomings on the part of Arcona’s starfighter units exposed during the Dark Brotherhood's invasion of New Tython. The unit is stationed aboard Arcona’s Cardan-class battlestation and usually operates from the Nebula-class star destroyer Invicta during combined fleet operations.
Role
Void Squadron is officially a Dark Jedi focused TIE Inteceptor squadron operating fighters equipped with both hyperdrive and shield systems. However, this is merely to cover the true nature of the squadron as an elite group operating the StealthX starfighter. The first operational unit within the Brotherhood to deploy the StealthX, Void Squadron is one of the primer squadrons of the Arcona Starfighter Corps. Few outside the squadron itself, the summit of Clan Arcona, or the clan’s military leadership know the true status of Void, with the deception of it’s Interceptor based identity maintained as a cover. This identity is strengthened by the assignment to the squadron of elite pilots chosen from other squadrons in Arcona’s military to pilot the group’s interceptors, effectively making Void two semi-autonomous units.
Operationally, the squadron is trained to carry out a variety of missions from reconnaissance to deep strikes. Unlike most other units in the Arconan military, the squadron most often operates independently without support. In some instances, however, the StealthX unit is accompanied by the TIE Interceptors piloted by their non-Jedi counterparts. In these operations the Interceptors will make an attack as a feint to draw away defenders while the StealthX squadron then enters the area from another direction and destroys the exposed target. During combined fleet operations, both parts of Void are based aboard the Invicta with the Interceptors operating from the main hangar bay and the StealthXs assigned to a small auxiliary landing bay. This allows for Void to officially be seen during these missions as the Interceptor squadron while still operating with the fleet as a StealthX unit.
When not in combat, the unit focuses on training and the development of starfighter tactics. Often, the Dark Jedi pilots will fly the squadron’s Interceptors with and against their fellows or their non-Force using counterparts. In addition, Void Squadron will engage in joint training operations using their Interceptors with other units of the Arcona Starfighter Corps.
History
Origins
Void Squadron could trace its creation directly back to the battle against the starfighter forces of the Ge'tal Gaan in 35 ABY. For many years the Arconan starfighter forces had grown complacent without having faced serious opposition. In the five years following the resolution of the Yuuzhan Vong crisis and the Reclamation of Antei there had been little to test the Arconan Navy and starfighter forces. The invasion of Salas V and battles on Antei that followed placed a greater emphasis on ground combat at the expense of aerospace operations, further degrading starfighter readiness. The Dark Jedi of Arcona found it easy to eschew space combat in favor of more traditional martial roles, the desire to personally strike down an enemy with one’s own hand was far more tempting then starfighter drills and space combat training. In addition, Clan Arcona itself had found itself awash in members of the Obelisk Order, their preference for more hands on approaches to combat serving to further direct the attention of the clan towards ground and saber combat.
During the Brotherhood’s assualt on New Tython, nearly every single Dark Jedi made planetfall along with elements of the Arcona Army Corps. The few that remained behind in space were stationed aboard the various capital warships of the Clan’s fleet. Every starfighter unit deployed in the battle was made up of regular pilots lacking training with the Force. During the planning stages of the assault this did not seem to be an issue as the Jedi defending New Tython possessed negligible space based defenses. During the operation, however, this would change.
As the Arconan ships began to deploy their troops and Jedi to the planet below, space forces of the Mandalorian Ge'tal Gaan mercenary unit exited hyperspace nearly on top the Brotherhood fleet. The TIE Interceptors of Sin Squadron were among the very first to fall victim to the newcomers, but they would not be the last. While the combined Brotherhood forces would eventually rout the Mandalorian mercenaries, Arcona’s starfighter forces ended up taking far higher proportional losses when compared to the starfighter squadrons of the other clans and the Navy of the Iron Throne.
Creation
Upon ascending to the leadership of Arcona following the war and the death of Zandro Savric Erinos, newly appointed Consul Wuntila Entar Arconae began to examine any shortcomings to be found in the clan’s admittedly impressive performance during the battle. The loss ratios amongst the starfighter corps were a glaring stain on an all together excellent campaign, and Wuntila set about correcting it. The acquisition of a full squadron of StealthX fighters gave him the tools with which to do so, and so he formed Void Squadron around them. The StealthX’s requirements for Force trained pilots also enabled him to ensure that the vanguard of the Arcona Starfighter Corps would once again be Dark Jedi. His choice to lead the new squadron was the Sith Solus Gar, one of the few experienced and accomplished pilots within the Clan.
The squadron was to recruit only the best, or those that had it within them to be the best, in order to become in space what Soulfire Strike Team was on the ground. The training within the squadron would be second to none in the whole of the Brotherhood for the pilots assigned to it, but also for those throughout the rest of the Arcona Starfighter Corps. The clan leadership felt it was not merely enough to have one elite squadron, they instead decreed that Void would be the exemplar for the other squadrons. In addition to their own training and operational responsibilities, Void was tasked with developing new and innovative starfighter tactics for use by all of the Clan squadrons as well as direct training with and against their fellow pilots.
Tactics
Void Squadron operates using three finger four formations, also known as the four-finger formation. They consists of a flight of four aircraft, composed of a "lead element" and a "second element", each of two aircraft. When viewing the formation from above, the positions of the starfighters resemble the tips of the four fingers of a human right hand (without the thumb), giving the formation its name.
The lead element is made up of the flight leader at the very front of the formation and one wingman to his rear left. The second element is made up of an additional two planes, the element leader and his wingman. The element leader is to the right and rear of the flight leader, followed by the element wingman to his right and rear.
Both the flight leader and element leader have offensive roles, in that they are the ones to open fire on enemy craft while the flight remains intact. Their wingmen have a defensive role — the flight wingman covers the rear of the second element and the element wingman covers the rear of the lead element. three of these flights assemble to form a squadron formation which consists of one staggered line of fighters in a line echelon arrangement.
Void Squadron operates with slightly more flexibility in their formations, and the starfighters in each flight have greater vertical and horizontal separation than the standard formations used by Arconan forces. This leaves them free to scan in all directions for enemy craft rather than focusing on maintaining a close formation. As a result the pilots are able to maintain greater situational awareness and reduce the chance of being spotted by the enemy due to the looser formation, since even a StealthX is not one hundred percent invisible. The two flight elements can split up at any time and attack on their own. The pair leader would attack enemy craft, leaving his wingman to scan for threats and protect him while he engaged the enemy. However, greater flexibility is afforded to Void Squadron by allowing the pilot who spotted the enemy to become the leader of the pair or even the whole flight for the duration of the attack as that pilot would have the best situational awareness at that moment in time. Such is the trust put in the Qel-Dromans by their Squadron leader Solus Gar.
Equipment
Void Squadron is assigned twenty-four starfighters, twelve StealthXs and twelve TIE/In Interceptors. The StealthX fighters are only operated by the Dark Jedi assigned to the unit while the Interceptors are assigned to regular pilots forming the second part of the squadron.
StealthX
The StealthX was smaller than the XJ-series X-wing. It featured equipment that hid the craft both visually and tactically, though the craft's position was given away if proton torpedoes were used or if the pilot broadcasted over the comlink. The StealthX was used exclusively by Jedi, as the restrictions on comm usage made it nearly impossible for anyone other than a Jedi to coordinate with other forces.
A modification of the already formidable T-65XJ3 X-wing starfighter, the StealthX had a star-flecked body of irregular, matte-black fiberplast that rendered it almost invisible against a background of stars. The third torpedo launcher had been replaced by a gravitic modulator designed to defeat mass-detectors, and its shields had been downgraded to make room for a suite of sensor negators. Even its fusial engines had been retooled to burn a special tibanna isotope, designated TibannaX, whose efflux turned dark a millisecond after fusion. The viewports utilized blast-tinting technology.
Void Squadron usually replaces the standard proton torpedoes with custom-made Jedi shadow bombs. In addition, their StealthXs can also carry glop bombs, which released a quick-hardening foam upon detonation, and two-stage armor-piercing bunker-buster bombs. Advanced R9-series astromech droids are assigned to assist the pilots with the special requirements of this unique craft.
TIE/In Interceptor
Like most TIEs, the TIE Interceptor shared nearly identical cockpits, drive pods, and wing brace design with the TIE Fighter. The solar collector panels were lengthened and angled, and the forward center section was removed. This new solar array design gave the Interceptor its unmistakable dagger-like appearance, while providing the pilot with increased visibility and shrinking its profile making targeting more frustrating for enemy gunners. This wing design gave the craft a more menacing visage, continuing the Empire's reputation of ruling through fear.
The original production model came standard with four L-s9.3 laser cannos installed on each wingtip. New targeting software was among other advancements installed in the TIE Interceptor; the SFS T-s9a targeting computer offered greater accuracy during complex flight maneuvers. The TIE Interceptor fielded P-s5.6 twin ion engines. These new engines included an advanced ion-stream projector, thus allowing pilots access to more sophisticated combat maneuvers. Twin-port deflectors supported this feat by allowing the pilot individual manipulation of the deflectors, thus providing finer flight control. These advancements in engine technology made the TIE Interceptor a superior platform in space combat, achieving speeds beyond all other Alliance starfighters short of the A-wing.
The TIE Interceptor's primary role was as its title suggested. Like its predecessors the Interceptor lacked heavier armor, deflector shields, a hyperdrive, and life support systems. Interceptor pilots were forced to rely on speed, maneuverability, superior numbers, and advanced weapon systems to prevail in its primary role of space superiority. With no hyperdrive, the TIE Interceptor was reliant on a capital ship for an operations base. Star Destroyers and prominent shipyards such as Kuat and Fondor were common place for Interceptor squadrons; however, smaller vessels and more remote locations had to rely on aging TIE/ln fighters.
TIE Interceptors have powerful solar ionization reactors, which is the exact same model used in the TIE Avenger, that can handle the special equipment mounted in them including deflector shields, beam weapons like special beam jammers, decoy beams, hyperdrives and extra missile racks for increased warhead payload.
Squadron Organization
The squadron is organized into three flights, each named after the first three letters in the Common Sith alphabet.
Aleph Flight
- Lead Element
- Flight Leader: Solus Gar (Callsign: Lancer)
- Wingman:
- Second Element
Bet Flight
- Lead Element
- Second Element
Kaph Flight
- Lead Element
- Second Element