Wing XIII New Year’s Newsletter

January 7, 2001

 

Aboard the Bridge of the ISD-II Grey Wolf

Wing Commander Chrusos Ichthys stands before the great view port of the bridge of the ISD Grey Wolf and looks down the nose of the Grey Wolf into the starry future.  Ichthys wonders where the Grey Wolf should go next?  He looks to Commodore Cyric, who is sitting comfortably in the command chair and going through various reports.

To chart a course for the future, it helps to know where the Grey Wolf has been.  What was the GW like 365 days ago?  So much has changed.

One year ago, Kessler was Fleet Officer.  Sarok was ASF BGCOM.  Bilbo was Grey Wolf Commodore.  Javelin had recently become Wing Commander XIII, stepping up to replace the recently departed RA FireFox/SSD Avenger.  Vortex CMDR was Slage who had just taken the squad from Kermee; Brakka and Sarn Erec were his able right-hand men and NiksaVel was temporarily chilling as a Vortex FM. Phoenix was commanded by ATX. Crusader was under Satai Dukat who replaced the recently promoted WC Shups of Avenger Wing I.  Shups had led Crusader with Tiger and Smitroc as his capable FLs. Odin fell under Kaji Ryoji’s domain and Death was his second in command.  Tartarus was led by the Buu-miester and freelance death-distributor Seggybop and Klick Sabre led Tartarus on the flying flont.  Coursca led Valkyrie.  Despite the new appointment of WC XIII Javelin and Vortex CMDR Slage, things were about to change – dramaticly.  Please note that at this time, the Grey Wolf numbered about 38-42 pilots.  Dragoon seemed an unattainable FCHG goal.  Only Crusader had squadron citations – and the number of the citations was 2.

For reasons unknown, Bilbo decided to step down from COM GW.  RL difficulties consumed Javelin and he too resigned from TC.  But the seeds of change were in place.  By January 16, 2000, the GW had new leadership.  The former Commander of WingXIV, Cyric became COM/RA GW.  He immediately appointed his best CMDR, Woobee of Asp, to be WC XIII.  Also to be mentioned - Brucmack joined Odin from the Zone shortly before this; Marcin Szydlowski joined Crusader shortly after Cyric and Woobee took the GW helm.  The Grey Wolf lay sleepily in space – like an egg lying quietly in a nest.

In February, the egg began to rock.  Slage and his friend from Asp, LT Darwin Matir set up IRC channels #EH_ASF and #WingXIV and used these channels to run a weekly melee comp “The Vengeance Comp” on Tuesdays in #EH_ASF.  SureFire was a bot Matir made to organize this comp (SureFire’s primary purposes were to be an X substitute, to arrange melee matches and to record melee scores.)  The most frequent participants were Shups, Tiger, Smitroc and a newbie – ShadowHawk - from the SSD Avenger and Brucmack from Odin.  When Satai Dukat was promoted to WC of some Sovereign Wing, Major Woobee appointed the newly promoted LCM Brucmack to be CMDR Crusader (Feb 18).  This created some furor among the long-standing FLs in WingXIII.  Not only had Brucmack never been an FL, but he also had barely been in TC seven weeks.  On an unrelated note, FL Brakka left Vortex to be an FL in Sadhe Wing V to be with his friend and former CMDR.

Another small but significant event happened in February.  A CT joined and graduated Daedalus on February 11.  He was assigned to Wing VI on the Sov.  On February 12, he earned an LoC in OR night.  Nearly a week passed with no communication from his CMDR, despite the 3-4 inquiries the young SL had sent.  He met Klick Sabre on the Zone and soon thereafter transferred to Tartarus.  He sent a flood of IWATS courses and pilot files to his CMDR Seggybop.  He participated in the active Wing Comp and the ASF Comp.  The Vortex CMDR, Slage, openly questioned why a newly transferred-in SL had an LoC (rather, why this LoC-winning SL was still an SL). When BGCOM Sarok noticed that an SL participated in the ASF Comp and immediately responded when e-mailed a query about that comp participation, Sarok promoted the young SL to LT (February 22).  Commander Slage took this new LT under his wing to be his FL 2-1 in Vortex (February 25).

Another event took place in February that shook up the Grey Wolf.  At the end of the month, BGCOM Sarok retired.  On about February 25, Priyum Patel became BGCOM of the ASF.  As the former CMDR of Avenger elite, the ASF waited with bated breath to see what changes he would bring to ASF.  BGCOM Priyum Patel appointed COL NiksaVel/Vortex to be Avenger elite CMDR.

Many events happened in March that also added to the stew brewing aboard the Grey Wolf.  It had long been a myth that ASF CMDR slots were inherited and held for life.  The Ides of March came a little late – but they served to dispel that myth forever.

The Commanders of Phoenix and Odin were staying a bit scarce.  ATX finally told WC Woobee that he was stepping down due to RL constraints.  Also in March, CMDR/CPT Coursca was doing his habitual name-calling of people with foreign vulgarities.  ShadowHawk took Coursca to task.  Coursca replied with various forms of ops abuse, involving kicking and banning.  Logs of these activities were sent to the channel administer (COM Cyric) who immediately took action to get Coursca to cease this oppressive form of behavior.  When Coursca would not, Cyric removed him from Commander.  The two CMDR slots opened at the same time.  While WC Woobee was accepting applications, CMDR Slage became CA:RO VA Slage; Vortex CMDR position was also now open.  Slage posted a note on the Wing Message Board saying his good-byes and nominating LT Ichthys to be the next Vortex CMDR.  Woobee replied with an affirmative, stating directly that he would place Ichthys in charge of Vortex.  A furor broke out in WingXIII among those who had been FLs for some time.  Who would be the next CMDRs?  There were an unprecedented number of open CMDR slots – THREE! Maybe four!  What would happen to the CMDR of Odin, Kaji Ryoji, who had been taking much leave and overextending his reported return times of late?

The day came when WC Woobee announced his decisions for the CMDRs.  He chose LCM Darwin Matir from Asp to lead Valkyrie, an unknown, CPT Fels, from the Sov to lead Phoenix and Ichthys to lead Vortex.  Death and Sarn Erec were incensed and felt unappreciated.  Ryoji finally capitulated and resigned.  Odin opened. Since the Grey Wolf was down to 35 members, Woobee closed Odin. Death left Odin for Avenger squadron.  Sarn Erec left Vortex to be with Brakka and Sickman in Sadhe.  Now the Grey Wolf stood at 33 pilots, including Commodore Cyric.

March ended on a low note for the ISD Grey Wolf.  April didn’t begin much better.  Priyum’s plan to register #EH_ASF came to be on April 8.  X came to roost in #EH_ASF and Priyum set strict guidelines for X access.  As channel creator, CMDR Matir did not appreciate the low access he was given and he became highly upset. </mild under-statement> After narrowly avoiding a field court martial by the HIGH INQ, Matir decided to take a day or three vacation to chill out.  When he came back from vacation, he noticed that Cyric had removed him from CMDR Valkyrie.  Matir immediately went back to Asp where he proceeded to go AWOL.  So ended Matir’s illustrious 13 day career as a Wing XIII CMDR.

But things began to look up for the Grey Wolf.  New pilots were coming in – from Daedalus and from other places.  Pilots began actively competing for CMDR positions – not just applying and waiting.  DaWurm came from the Relentless, SCUD from Daedalus, Raven Arestar while still in Avenger and another very new face, Khadgar in XIV began vying with Klick Sabre for CMDR Valkyrie.  Ultimately Klick Sabre was selected to be CMDR – but it is a tribute to friendship of all these pilots that SCUD and Khadgar transferred to Valkyrie to be the new FLs.

Imperial Storm begun – and in the first conflict, the GW was lost with all hands.  GW pilots fought bravely but the damage inflicted upon the enemy was minimal.  But the excitement generated by that first conflict set in motion the true creation of the Naval Corps.

On April 16, BGCOM Priyum set in motion the first ASF Supremacy Comp.  The Grey Wolf pilots bounded off like wolves hounding after easy prey.  Ichthys noted that free missions were the “Single Player money-making” items of the ASF:SC-I and encouraged the wing to fly as many as possible.  Brucmack discovered that Zone matches counted as participation in an EH comp – and wins would be accorded LoCs.  A new gold mine had been found.  During this ASF Supremacy Comp, Brucmack, who had become the third pilot (after Shups and Havoc) to reach 100 LoCs, now rocketed his way to 400 LoCs.  He became the first possessor of the newly created title “Top Gun”.

Midway through the ASF:SC, Seggybop stepped down from Tartarus.  DaWurm, SCUD, Khadgar and Arestar again competed for the CMDR slot.  SCUD won out but the battle had been much more intense.  Tartarus gained much in the ASF:SC (SCUD was the highest scoring pilot at the ASF:SC half mark), but Valkyrie lost some of its competitiveness.  New pilots like DarkAlpha and ToughPhoenix were too new to really get into flying hard.

Toward the end of the ASF:SC, Fells stepped down from Phoenix CMDR.  RL had been pressing hard on him and he had been unable to contribute much to the Grey Wolf’s strong showing.  Another round of intense competition and Khadgar was selected as CMDR Phoenix.

Although at the beginning of April, the Grey Wolf had a mere 32 pilots – by the end of the Supremacy Comp, the Grey Wolf had grown to 44.  Squadrons, especially Vortex and Crusader, were filling and maintaining 12 pilots. (Vortex began April with 6 pilots; by 1 May it was at 12.  Some were new comers – like Azazel, Achim Schwarick and Raxis Krieger and Raven Lockholme; others were pilots looking for a more active but friendly wing – like Deamon and Brakka)

During May, Cyric initiated two more EH intramural comps to train pilots.  Both of these took place on Wednesdays.  The Greenwich Wolf Comp and the Wednesday ASF Compeach began with the first Wednesday of May.  Participation was good and it was a good source of LoCs for ASF pilots. The Greenwich Wolf comp was set at a timeframe more conducive to Europeans so that they would have opportunity to fly.

The Grey Wolf had handily won the first ASF:SC and it went ranging on for other game.  It challenged its former leaders, FireFox and Shups, to a ship FCHG race between the ISD Grey Wolf and the SSD Avenger.  This month-long race was somewhat intense; but in the end, the Wolf Pack howled in glee over its victory.  Although the Avenger began with twice the FCHG points of the Grey Wolf, the Wolf had narrowed the gap considerably.

In June, the ship continued to grow.  When the Grey Wolf reached 48 pilots, WC Woobee re-opened Odin.  DaWurm was its new Commander.  Raxis Krieger and DarkAlpha went to Odin to help it grow and be active.

Then things changed.  CMDR SCUD or Tartarus decided to go on leave for the summer.  Ghost Rezdar took his place.  CMDR Klick Sabre thought the Naval Corp offered many more exciting possibilities and decided to devote full attention to the Navy.  He became COM of a Naval Craft with its accompanying promotion to RA. Gravin took his place CMDR Brucmack decided to go on leave for the summer.  Ya-qoob stepped up to take his place.  More importantly, WC LC Woobee decided he hadn’t time to run an active wing like XIII was becoming, so he stepped down.  The recently promoted VA Cyric appointed Ichthys to head WingXIII on July 4.

Azazel became Vortex CMDR to place the newly promoted Ichthys.  But somehow the wing had not reach stability.  Gravin decided he hadn’t the time to be CMDR.  Ichthys appointed Brakka to head Valkyrie.  DaWurm also had some RL difficulties and stepped down from CMDR.  Raxis Krieger stepped up to take his place.  Raven Arestar saw the continued activity WingXIII and joined Vortex.

The UPA/EH war commenced.  Many WingXIII pilots participated – but it was obvious that the UPA outclassed EH pilots in skill and piloting ability.  Ichthys saw that more training was needed.  Intramural EH training was not enough.  Another FL – Mind_Ender, Krayt/WingXIV was notable by his presence and high participation.

In August, the LSF/EH War ensued.  Fewer EH pilots participated – but Arestar still won a Bronze Star out of the deal.  Rezdar decided he couldn’t devote the time necessary for good squadron management and stepped down.  Phoenix was appointed the new CMDR of Tartarus.  Azazel had a serious back injury and temporarily stepped down from CMDR.  Achim Schwarick took his place.

During the summer, the ASF tried its hand at its own MP campaign and Operation: Dark Hammer raged on. It began, stalled with the development of an unexpected funeral and then re-started and ran to completion in October.  The element commanded by the Grey Wolf led the entire campaign and then gambled its lead away with a costly final fray.

Also during the summer, Crusader Squadron while led by Ya-qoob was greatly enabled by the activity of Marcin Szydlowski.  “Mike” Szydlowski encouraged Crusader pilots to fly both MP and SP incessantly.  For its great MP and SP flying, Crusader won WC’s Own for August and September.

Considering the humiliating loss to LSF in the LSF/EH war and the other loss to UPA, Ichthys decided it was time to move to the Zone.  He encouraged a number of pilots to fly with him on he Zone.  EH ranked 22 out of the 26 active clubs flying that WoW.

In September, Brucmack returned from leave and relieved CPT Ya-qoob from CMDR Crusader.  Operation: Dark Hammer raged on.  WingXIII challenged WingXV now under the command of MAJ Mind_Ender to a Zone-based contest.  WingXIII did very well in the Zone.  But Mike had acquired a taste for commanding an active squadron and soon Brucmack moved to Tartarus.  Phoenix developed internet connection problems and Raven Arestar stepped up to take Tartarus CMDR.  Azazel recovered from his back problem sufficiently to re-take CMDR of Vortex.  Krieger returned to school and fell in love.  TC no longer captivated his attention – so Raven Lockholme was passed the helm of Odin Command.  Matir returned from his self-imposed leave of absense and idled as FL Valkyrie for about 4 weeks.  The IO noticed Matir’s unusually high ability to idle profusely while making promises and breaking promises and decided to appoint Matir to the grand position of CA:IO.

  October Crusader challenged Odin to a duel and won.  Raven Lockholme stepped down from Odin CMDR and Raxis Krieger returned to duty.  Operation: Dark Hammer concluded with the surprise upset – and it seemed no one cared.  In XvT Brucmack placed second in WoW.

November saw CMDR Azazel step down from Vortex CMDR.  Brucmack decided to try his hand again at CMDR.  In XvT WoW, EH placed 14th out of 29 participating and ranking clubs – the highest it had with so many pilots participating.  The Grey Wolf had 4 pilots place in the EH top 5.  Arestar seemed to have forgotten how to fly MP so CrazyR2 took his place as Tartarus CMDR.

Also in November, the Grey Wolf challenged the ISD Immortal to a fiction/SP/MP comp.  The GW won this initial comp by a narrow margin but then lost disastrously on a WoW based re-match.  A second ASF Supremacy Comp kicked off.  The Grey Wolf won handily.  Tartarus claimed ASF Escort Squadron and Arestar top pilot.  Then Arestar accepted an invitation to Praetorian and moved out of ASF.

Ichthys returned to the present and looked out over the length of the ISD through the view port.  Where do we go from here?  No one seems interested in competing with the Grey Wolf in XvT – in either Multi-Player or Single-player.  Do we continue to press for competion with our left hand of XWA?  TAU wants competion.  Maybe I should organize an ASF vs TAU Zone comp.  It seems the   Or should I press for an XWA ladder comp with some one?  Or do we just continue to exercise our Zone ability and try for a higher placement in the January WoWs?  He turned to look at Commodore Cyric over in the Command chair – but he was preoccupied with other more pressing details.

 

TC, ASF and WingXIII News

• EH celebrates its SIXTH birthday today.  Congrats all.
• TC.ORG now shows Squadron and Wing CR ratings.
• TC.ORG now processes XvT plt files much like it processes TIE and XWA pilot files.  How much longer will CMDRs have BSF duties?
• CMDRs and higher now have a AWOL/Reserve request form.  This form is still experimental.  If you find a problem, please e-mail Kawolski.
• Due to complications from his auto accident, Striker is has stepped down from TAC.  It doesn’t appear that applications are being accepted.
• The XO SA Compton will announce in the next NL whether he will remain on as EH XO.  It seems both Astatine and Kawolski are betting he will not.  Rumor also places Kessler as a dark horse vying for this position.
• BattleCry competitions are a good source of medals.  Check them out! J
• The GW won the ASF Supremacy Comp II.  Wait! That isn’t news.  Tartarus took ASF Escort Squad.  No! That’s not really news either.  CPT Arestar took Top Pilot.  That’s not news either.  Forget this entry.  Skip it!  Don’t ever read this entry again! J
• After examining the ASF:SC-II results and evaluating the reports of the Squadron Commanders sent to me, I have decided to name Crusader as WC’s Own for December of 2000.
• Nice work, all!  You have worked together marvelously – despite your CMDR’s computer problems.
• CMDRS!  Read the ASF Standing Order found on the new ASF Homepage!  I expect the medals rules to be followed!
• Departures, Transfers and Arrivals
• CPT Raven Arestar to Praetorian Squadron
• SL Kriminal to Tartarus 3-2
• SL Ian Jackson to Vortex 2-4
• MAJ Seggybop/FRG Phoenix to Phoenix 2-3 J  Welcome back
• LCM Tron/Crusader AWOLed
• CM SCUD/Tartarus AWOLed
• CPT Vengeance/Tartarus AWOLed
• CM DaWurm/Odin to the Reserves (FRG Phoenix)
• Promotions
• Kriminal/Tartarus to LT
• JamieK/Tartarus to LCM
• Marcin Szydlowki/Crusader to CPT
• Mace/Vortex to LCM
• Ian Jackson/Vortex to LT
• Medals:
• MoIs were awarded to CM Raxis Krieger for recruiting SL Trai Kanossi; and to CPT Arestar for recruiting SL Kriminal.
• A GoE was awarded to CPT Brucmack for being the first to make Templar (and the second… and the third :P), for winning second place in XvT WoW in October and other stuff.
• An MoT-bh was awarded to CPT Marcin Szydlowski for his work with TAC
• Silver Stars were awarded to LT Ian Jackson for his work on the new advanced guard roster and to CPT Raven Arestar for placing first in ASF pilot ranking.
• Bronze Stars were issued to CPT Brucmack/Vortex, LCM Mace/Vortex, CM Khadgar/Valkyrie, LCM JamieK/Tartarus and LCM Wiesio/Crusader
• Palpatine Crescents were issued to CPT Brucmack/Vortex, CPT Marcin Szydlowski/Crusader, LT Derek Dan/Crusader, LT Marcin Kaczynski, Crusader, LCM Wes Janson/Tartarus, CPT Deamon/Phoenix
• Imperial Service Medals were issued to CM Khadgar/Valkyrie, LCM Peh/Vortex, LCM Panaka/Crusader, CPT Con Selar/Phoenix, LCM Diablo/Crusader, CPT Marcin Szydlowski/Crusader, LCM Drako/Crusader, LC Woobee/Odin, LCM Solaris/Odin, LT Chris/Crusader, and LT Ayudanter de la Clars/Crusader
• Commendations of Bravery were issued to LT Tyken Restar/Vortex, LT Marcin Kaczynski/Crusader, LT Ayudanter de la Clars/Crusader and LT Derek Dan/Crusader
• Some how this medals list looks too short L
• IWATS Courses
• CBX was completed by LCM Peh/Vortex, MAJ Brakka/Valkyrie and LCM Brown/Phoenix
• IIC/1 was completed by LCM Peh/Vortex
• M/1 was completed by LT Marcin Kaczynski
• FCHG Promotions
• LT Chris/Crusader to Gallant
• LT Marcin Kaczynski/Crusader to Gallant
• LCM CMR Brown/Phoenix to Cavalier
• LT Ayudanter de la Clars/Crusader to Fusilier (up 2 J)
• LT Kriminal/Tartarus to Grenadier
• LT Ian Jackson/Vortex to Grenadier
• CR Advances
• LC Ichthys to Ace 3^rd
• CPT Marcin Szydlowski/Crusader to Veteran 1^st
• CM CrazyR2/Tartarus to Marksmand 2^nd
• LT Ian Jackson/Vortex to Certified (up 2 J )

 

New Year’s Resolutions

• Personal Goals
• 25 CR points each month
• Rank in both XvT and XWA WoWs each month
• Fly at least one coop mission a week with WingXIII pilots
• Wing Goals
• Make the Grey Wolf better known and with a better reputation throughout EH.  I will do this through:
• Setting up comps with other ships and elite squadrons around TC and with DB houses/clans.
• Expecting high levels of responsible and chivalrous behavior from my CMDRs.
• The following are ideas I want to make into Ship Standing Orders.  Give me your thoughts so I can draft this properly.
• From all CMDRs, I expect:
• Good Communication with their squadrons – through prompt, thorough reports and good online communication through ICQ, IRC or what ever you and your squadron members use.  I don’t like hearing pilots ask to leave their squadrons because their CMDRs will not talk to them online.
• 48 hour turn-around time on BSFs.  Sometimes we all slip past this – but I would like to see all CMDRs do their BSFs with 24 hours of receiving them.  If the CMDR foresees that he can not do the BSFs within 24 hours, the CMDR should forward them to the WC and COM.  The WC will try to get them done within the next 24.  The COM will do BSFs only upon the request of the WC.  But let’s not panic about this.  If the FM notices that his BSF is not done within 24 hours, he should send an inquiry to his CMDR CC the WC asking if the pilot file has been received.
• Internet-based MP flying.  We are ASF.  As Commanders, we set the example for our pilots to follow.  LAN and Direct Dial are fine – but they don’t allow you to fly with all your FMs.
• For CMDR/CMs seeking the rank of CPT, I expect:
• The above notes pertaining all CMDRs.
• Completion of all available XvT battles and free missions.  This includes IW-XvTs, DB-XvTs and TC-XvTs.
• Note: this is a good goal for CMDRs to impose upon their FLs so that the FLs can be ready to assume CMDR.
• Flying in at least 2 MP comps each month for two consecutive months.
• Participation in at least one Wing and/or ASF comp each month.
• For CMDR/CPTs seeking the rank of MAJ, I expect:
• The above notes pertaining to all CMDRs.
• Completion of all newly released XvT missions and battles.
• Flying all battles with which the squadron requires one more pilot file to complete a battle citation for which the CMDR has platforms.
• Organization of at least one squad comp (between two squads [inter-squad] or within your own squad [intra-squad]) each month.
• Flying in 1 MP comp each week that the CMDR is not on leave for two consecutive months.
• Participation of 50% of ASF and Wing Comps
• For CMDR/MAJs seeking the rank of LC, I expect:
• The above notes pertaining to all CMDRs.
• Completion of all newly released XvT missions and battles.
• Flying all battles with which the squadron requires one more pilot file to complete a battle citation for which the CMDR has platforms.
• Organization of at least one squad comp (between two squads [inter-squad] or within your own squad [intra-squad]) each month.
• Flying in 2 MP comps each week that the CMDR is not on leave for four consecutive months.
• Participation in 50% of ASF and Wing Comps
• Assisting the WC with the creation and execution of at least one inter-Wing or intra-Wing Comp
• Participation in at least 50% of the XvT WoWs while as a MAJOR.
• For CMDR/LCs wishing to achieve the rank of COL, I expect:
• The above notes pertaining to all CMDRs.
• Completion of all newly released XvT missions and battles.
• Flying all battles with which the squadron requires one more pilot file to complete a battle citation for which the CMDR has platforms.
• Organization of at least one squad comp (between two squads [inter-squad] or within your own squad [intra-squad]) each month.
• Flying in 4 MP comps each week that the CMDR is not on leave for six consecutive months.
• Participation in 50% of all Wing and ASF Comps
• Assisting the WC with the creation and execution of at least one inter-Wing or intra-Wing Comp
• Ranking (flying at least 10 matches) in at least 50% of the XvT WoWs while as a LC.
• Obviously this schedule is designed to help the CMDR be ready to assume duties as a WC.

 

I’ve rambled long enough.  Let me know what you think.

 

WingXIII: We love to fly – and it shows! J

 

WC/LC Chrusos Ichthys/Wing XIII/ISD Grey Wolf

SSx3/BSx3/PCx6/ISMx10/MoI-BC/MoT-1rh-1gh/LoC-PSx142/DFCx2/CoS/CoL/CoB {IWATS-GFX-IIC/1/2/3-M/1/2-SM/2-XTM-XTT}