CMDR/CAPT Krax Tarnisar reporting in for Spear Squadron on July 23, 2001

Sorry this one's a bit late, but I got called away for a weekend of fun in the woods. National Guard, dont'cha know... I'll be adding our new pilot to the SpearSquad mailing list ASAP, as well as approving the slew of battles he flew. Welcome aboard, Colonel!

Fleet News
For those of you who are interested, the Directorate has started the latest version of Conquest. There are also some command openings, both in the Staff and the Line. Also, for those of you who fly XWA, Exercise Imperial Storm II continues to move along. As always, check the TC News page (http://www.tiecorps.org/news.asp) for the latest.

Wing News
The biggest wing news is the closing of Dagger Squadron. Most of Dagger's pilots seem to have migrated to Hammer Squadron, making them the biggest squadron in the wing. In addition to this, the Wing Commander's Own competition began today. The mission being used this time out is Free-TIE 11. You'll find it attached to this report.

Squadron News
LCM Ironfist is back from leave, and returned strong. He's already flown the WCO mission, and is hard at work on others. With the loss of Pirat to AWOL, we are also now the smallest squadron in the wing. This means that we have to be twice as active. There is no longer any room on Spear's roster for deadweight.

The first order of business is the WCO mission, Free-TIE 11. I expect 100% participation this time out, people. This is our top priority. We had a decent showing last time out, thanks mainly to LCM Ironfist's excellent score, but we can do better. It's not that hard of a mission, although getting a high score can be a bit frustrating. LCM Ironfist provided some good hints earlier, and I'd just add that if you want to get the maximum kills, send your wingmen home as soon as you begin the game. That leaves the field more or less clear for you to kill everything you see. One of the frigates tends to take a beating, so keep an eye on them while you're hunting things down. Or you can take out the freighters, ATRs, and B-Wings right away and save the fighters for later. Due to a bug in their orders, the Y-Wings never appear, so you don't have to worry about them. Taking down the Rebel cruiser isn't that big a deal - it never leaves the battlefield, so you can sweep the fighters away and then knock down its shields. Those of you who've taken TIE Tactics from IWATS know the next step - disable the bugger and then blow it to bits.

As mentioned in the last two reports, I'm also looking for new squadron/flight mottoes and banners. I'm happy with Flight I's motto, but a banner would be nice. Those of you who are good with graphics, have a go at it. I'd like to see the banners and mottoes tie in with Spear's name, fighter types, and basic mission. Those are my only requirements. It's though such things that medals are earned. Graphics can also be submitted to the Dark Sentinel, which is good for a Letter of Achievement as well as some fleet-wide recognition.

Activity Reports
CMDR/CAPT Krax Tarnisar: Did commander stuff, including this report - Flew Free-TIE 11 and started TC 130

FM/LT Weasel de Killa: Checked in - created a uniform

FL/LCM Argyle Ironfist: Checked in - flew F-TIE 11 - recruited some folks

FM/LT Owen: Checked in

FM/COL Torres: Flew a ton of missions...;)

Miscellaneous
Remember - don't cheat!

Now that we're down to four members, I'm open to any suggestions regarding squadron recruiting. Be aware, though, that it's against Wing policy to spam ANY members of the Daedalus. I know this is practiced in some other wings, but in Wing IX it's a sure ticket to trouble. If any of you have any ideas, or know of people who'd be interested in joining the Corps and Spear Squadron, let me know. I'd also be open to the idea of one of you acting as our Recruiting Officer. We just need to plan our activities so that we don't violate either the Flight Office recruiting policies or those of Wing IX. If you have any questions about the right way to recruit, let me know.

If you're looking for some easy ways to boost your activity, try taking an IWATS course or two. They're all accessible on-line, and are quite useful. I'd recommend the TIE Tactics course, and for those of you who are interested in a command of your own someday in the Corps Squadron Management/II is a fine choice. The computer basics and IRC courses are also informative.

LCM Ironfist is still looking for items for our website. If you've got some good fiction or a graphic, send them along.

Starting this week, I'm also looking to fill the slot of Executive Officer. If you're interested in being considered for this position, e-mail me and let me know why you'd be a good XO for Spear. What to know what an XO does? Check out my article in Dark Sentinel 75 or e-mail me and I'll send you a copy.

Squadron Roster

SPEAR SQUADRON OF WING IX : Long-Range Support
COMMANDER: CAPT Krax Tarnisar (miner49er@excite.com) - #4626
NICKNAME: The Fearless Spear
BANNER: http://www.tiecorps.org/images/banners/spear.jpg
MOTTO: We do not forget our mortality; we deny it!
HOME PAGE: http://spearsquadron.ehonline.org
MESSAGE BOARD: http://fightingninth.org

FLIGHT I - MISSILE BOAT
Nickname: Halberd
Motto: Strike from afar!
1) CAPT Krax Tarnisar (miner49er@excite.com) - #4626
2) LT Weasel de Killa (docsmoothxxx@aol.com) - #6753
3) TBA
4) TBA

FLIGHT II - MISSILE BOAT
Nickname: Viking
Motto: Harbinger of Terror!
1) LCM Argyle Ironfist (Argyle_Ironfist@hotmail.com) - #4227
2) LT Owen (oamanby@aol.com) - #4218
3) COL Torres (dunnwd@ozemail.com.au)
4) TBA

FLIGHT III - TIE ADVANCED
Nickname: Pilum
Motto: Certain Striker
1) TBA
2) TBA
3) TBA
4) TBA


Total: 5

Respectfully submitted,
CMDR/CAPT Krax Tarnisar/Spear/Wing IX/ISD Relentless