• Pilot of the Month: Lieutenant Darknyte of Nu Squadron, ISD Colossus
  
• Commander of the Month: Commander Tarnisar of Spear Squadron, ISD Relentless
  
• Squadron of the Month: Eta Squadron of the ISD Colossus

COL Manitsas sat at the table in the Colonel's Club. COL Torres and COL Jack were at the bar, where the newly promoted CM Myn Nebers was picking up the glasses. COL Callista and COL Mairin Astoris walked in together and sat down with COL Manitsas. "Hi Manny, how's it going?"

Manitsas set down his drink. "Just fine, Calli." He looked over at Mai, "Welcome to our Colonel's Club, Mai. You did well covering for Hicks."

Mairin beamed. "Thanks. I had a lot of fun. Speaking of CoHo, how long is it going to be before we let him into this corner of the Challenge?"

Manitsas smiled and lifted his drink back up. "Not to worry, it should be soon." Setting it back down again, he leaned forward. "Mai, Calli, there is something else that I need your help with..." Torres perked up at the hushed sounds coming from the table, and he and Jack slid off their barstools to listen in.

Later than evening, down in pilot country. CM Corran Halcyon of Cyclone was snoring away like a bantha in his private quarters. Down the hall, CM Locke of Tempest and CM Daisuke Airyu of Typhoon were just as wiped after a long evening of paperwork in sickbay. They slept like logs. Then the general quarters alarm blared.

"Wha? Who? Huh?," yelped Halcohol as he jumped out of bed. He reached for his pants which he had hung over the back of his chair, but they weren't there. "Lights!," he called out and he looked down at himself, where his pajamas USED to be... "Holy Ronin! Where are my clothes!?" He ran to his dresser and pulled the drawers open. They were empty. He slammed his palm against the closet door switch and it hissed open. He swallowed hard when he saw what was hanging there... a pair of lacy panties.

He stared at them like a deer blinded by headlights, until he was shocked awake again by COL Manitsas' voice blaring over the speakers, "General quarters! All pilots to your ships!"

Halcohol spun around looking for a towel to wrap around his middle. The pilot flightsuits were in the locker room next to the launch racks three decks below. He spotted what looked like a white towel in the corner of the floor, and ran to it. He lifted up the silk see-through teddy, and tossed it back down. "I'd rather run in the panties!"

The cool air of the Star Destoyer hallway did not chill Halcohol's skin as much as the pure adrenaline pumping through his veins. He skided around the first bend and ran into CM Locke, who had fashioned a pink nightie into a makeshift loincloth. They both fell backward, stunned. "This had better be for the goddamned Medal of Honor!," Locke stammered. They both scrambled to their feet and ran headlong down the corridor toward the emergency lift, where they saw CM Daisuke Airyu hoping on the cold deck from one foot to the other, fully decked out in a teal teddy with garters.

Locke and Halcyon skidded to a stop as the door to the lift opened. Daisuke looked quizzically at their stunned expressions and simply asked, "What?"

The 4 second trip down 3 decks was strangely quiet as the three Squadron Commanders watched the control panel lights with a strange interest. Airyu glanced back at Locke and Halcohol, and irritably asked, "What?" The door hissed open, and the klaxons immediately were silenced. COL Manitsas and VA Corran Force, flanked by a set of four smiling Colonels, motioned them out of the lift. As they stepped out, they could see every last pilot of Wing X smiling at them. LC Hicks and Captains Calvin Nunb and Beef took each of them by the arm and escorted them to stand in front of COL Manitsas.

COL Manitsas smiled as he addressed them. "Gentlemen ... and I use the term, well, ... loosely, you are out of uniform." The Colonel looked out at all the grinning pilots of Wing X and continued, "I'm afraid I have little choice but to end your service as Commanders, and promote all of you to the rank of Captain. I hear that it's ladies night at the Cantina, and drinks are on me. Congratulations!

CM Corran Halcyon, CM Daisuke Airyu, and CM Locke are hereby promoted to CPT.

39,642 - LC Hicks
2,473 - COL Mairin Astoris

Tornado total score: 42,115 (2/4 pilots)
Average of participants: 21,057
Average of squadron: 10,529

17,082 - MAJ Ted

Sword total score: 17,082 (1/5 pilots)
Average of participants: 17,082
Average of squadron: 3,416