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| Arcona Starfighter Corps
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Established 34 ABY
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Arcona
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Air Force
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Reconnaissance of surrounding orbital areas, small and large-scale Squadron combat and the defence of the Navy and spacestations within the Arcona Order of Battle
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Red and Black
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The Arcona Starfighter Corps is the portion of the Arcona military dedicated to Starfighter pilots. The pilots in the Arcona Corps are among the proudest in the galaxy, many having served with distinction in other starfighter corps, while others are fresh recruits.
Training
Initial Training
The training given to the pilots is currently conducted both by the Corps’ own training officer, Major Brank Treij, and Sith Battlelord Andrelious J. Inahj. Inahj insisted on a role in the training of the Corps on his return to Arcona; he is an ex-Emperor’s Hammer pilot and received the finest training from the instructors there. It is currently believed that only one in five pilots complete the training on their first attempt, as numbers are limited pilots are given two more chances to graduate.
Training consists of being assessed in the various craft available in an old Imperial training program provided by Inahj. Once this course has been completed to an acceptable standard in at least one craft, the pilot’s times are compared and the training is extended only into the craft they excelled in. There are three divisions:
- Fighter Squadrons
- Bomber Squadrons
- Interception Squadrons
Once a division has been assigned, further training is given using a historical scenario simulator set up for the chosen division’s assignment. The first stages are solo training, but later on the training is done in pairs, then in groups of four, and then as part of a squadron. Another two in five pilots end up having to do parts of all of the training again, but nine out of ten manage to pass it on their second attempt. Pilots that fail at this stage are placed in the Flight Corps reserve, or are sent to train in another part of the military.
Refresher Courses
Refresher courses are available for the more experienced pilots within the corps, and many often take part in such programs every so often. There is no requirement to take part in them generally, but a pilot who is performing below expectation is sometimes sent to take part. These are also run by Major Treij, this time on his own, as Inahj is too busy with his work as a member of Qel-Droma to take part in anything other than the basic training. These courses consist of a similar format to the simulator training, though more specialised and a pilot usually selects from a list of missions, rather than having to fly a series.
Squadron Roles
Squadrons fall into three basic divisions, as alluded to above. Each one has its own part to play in the various missions undertaken.
Fighter Squadrons
Fighter Squadrons are used mostly for fighter suppression and escort duty. During a pitched battle they will be the first to launch, as soon as enemy fighters are detected. They also fly combat patrols throughout the Dajorra system, and some of these squadrons perform recon missions. The starfighters used are the TIE Avenger, TIE Interceptor and TIE Phantom.
Bomber Squadrons
Carrying heavy warheads, the role of the bomber squadrons is to attack heavy targets such as freighters and capital ships. They are always supported by fighter squadrons, who will often have cleared the way for the bombers to attack with little to no disruption from enemy starfighters. Bomber squadrons also join in bombardment, should the Arcona fleet be performing such an action. The starfighters used are the K-Wing and Scimitar Assault Bomber.
Interceptor Squadrons
Whilst on the face of it, the role of interceptors are similar to that of fighters, they are in fact different at a tactical level. Interceptors target enemy bombers, and other craft that pose a threat to the fleet. They are also occasionally used to chase down anything that is attempting to escape Arcona space. The starfighters used are the TIE Avenger, TIE Interceptor and A-9 Vigilance Interceptor.
History
Arcona has had its own starfighter corps since the Exodus. Previous to the Exodus, the few ships that Arcona then owned were staffed with Imperial Navy pilots from the Emperor’s Hammer, although many were clones and academy dropouts, as the units were not considered elite. They were supported by the two Sith squadrons of House Oriens Obscurum, Pandragon Squadron and Apocalypse Squadron. These were staffed solely by Sith pilots, but as many were also TIE Corps pilots the squadrons were part time at best.
After the Exodus, many of the Imperial pilots left, leaving the Arcona fleet, at the time a small collection of cruisers and corvettes, virtually defenceless. The fighter corps was quietly developed by a defecting Squadron Commander, Captain Harin Sleejat, who was promoted to command of the unit. Sleejat formed the initial roles for the squadrons, which were for now supported by the now full time but depleted Pandragon Squadron; Apocalypse was closed due to lack of members.
The fortunes of the starfighter corps were very poor at first, as the fledgling Arcona fleet struggled to establish itself. Only a few squadrons of TIE Interceptors were owned by Arcona at the time, a situation which persisted over several years. It was not until several ships were granted to Arcona by the Dark Council, most notably the ship now known as Eye of the Abyss II. that things improved. Squadrons of new fighters had been acquired over time, including a large number of TIE Avengers. These squadrons were assigned to the various starfighter carriers by the Arcona summit, with the best pilots assigned to the Eye of the Abyss II.
Ranks
As with all of the other areas of the Arcona Military also, Military rank is designated by the Shadesworn Rank of any given individual. The ranks above outline the ranks that are possible to attain by a Shadesworn member of Arcona, however, below, the ranking will outline which ranks will be open to individuals when they reach a certain Shadesworn rank.
There is a whole host of ranks available. Starting from the bottom rank, the ranks are:
Some of the ranks are open only to the Dark Jedi of Arcona, for example Tan is only open to Shadow Lords. The ranks are based on other Starfighter Corps, most notably those of the Imperial Navy. Tan is a special rank that was originally granted by Palpatine to only two pilots. One was the future Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker, and the second was Maarek Stele, an exceptional Imperial pilot during the Galactic Civil War. The Tan is in overall command of the Starfighter Corps. An Arconan Dark Jedi’s Shadesworn rank determines what rank they will hold within the Corps, should they decide to enlist on a semi or full time basis. Any loyalty, however, is still to Arcona and the Iron Throne, rather than to the squadron and ship they are assigned.