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Beta Squadron - Violent Order
Hammering A Path Through The Imperial Storm
Commander Neurotictim walked into the briefing room with a stilted gait; injuries from the Ishtari were numerous, and few pilots escaped some sort of scratch or scrape. Bacta patches and healing bruises were
on every pilot, and not just Beta Squadron; the entire Fleet had taken a beating from the frantic battles of Imperial Storm V.
"Congratulations, pilots. We have concluded Operation Imperial Storm and successfully eliminated the threat the Ishtari posed to this sector of space. While we were unsuccessful in liberating their homeworld, we did destroy an estimated 90% of their fighting ability, which should prevent them from continuing to threaten the region. It wasn't easy, and in the end it took the collected efforts of the entire fleet, but now it's time to relax. Everyone here is authorized maximum leave or liberty to rest and recover from your injuries. I know some of us," the Commander gestured to his lower back, "have some interesting new scars that bacta just won't handle, and virtually every ship in the the fleet needs extensive repairs."
The Beta Squadron CO leaned heavily on the lecturn, taking some strain from the wound in his lumbar area. It had been a long month, and he had a mountain of paperwork to catch up on. Some of it was rather pleasant; he needed to recommend a number of awards, which was one of the highlights of the job. Then there was the post-mortem analysis of the operation, a datapad full of information about the last month. It included repair estimates, analysis of tactical decisions, and numbers that would cross the eyes of the most gifted of Imperial accountants. At least he had finished his least favorite part, the monthly evaluations. Some pilots are just more active than others, and for a variety of reasons, but trying to keep everyone involved and accounted for was a real challenge. Neurotictim looked around the room, making eye contact with each pilot.
"I'd like to see more of you in the coming month as we look forward to getting everything repaired and in good working order. Some of you showed up big time, some maybe a little less so. Remobilization is on the horizon, so be aware. For now, take a little time to sort yourselves out. Dismissed."
Squadron News
Beta Squadron has seen some major changes over the last two months, gaining some valuable new additions, saying goodbye to others, and looking forward to some great times in the coming months.
Perhaps most importantly, Captain Wildfire welcomed a tiny new crew member to the Wildfire family
in early February, and reports that all is well with baby and mother, although sleep is still fleeting.
A belated congratulations from all of us to the SQXO & family!
Lieutenant Matthew Steel, who began his EH career here with Beta and hit the ground running, transferred out from Beta on Valentine's Day to take the vacancy in the Executive Officer position with Sigma Squadron on the Warrior. With the promotion of JetMech to Rear Admiral, Matthew went on to step into the CMDR role on March 19th, skipping a whole rank and taking his EH career to a whole new level. Guess we got him off to a good start, and Beta wish him only the best as he continues to climb that ladder.
Farewell and following stars, CM/CMDR Matthew Steel!
Lieutenant Jinso Blackfoot requested a transfer to Sigma Squadron to take a position as Flight Leader in the new home of CMDR Steel, along with new Lieutenant Kad Rakku, who are all friends from outside. Our goal has always been to game with friends, so we wish them well and will be seeing them in the skies!
Beta Squadron has gained an exciting new pilot in Lieutenant Decoy Tango, otherwise known in the Squadrons world as "Evo," a personal friend and valuable addition to the team. He will no doubt be a key player in taking Beta Squadron to new levels of achievement!
Lieutenant Hunter Wilson made a splash upon joining EH and Beta Squadron but found that he had more obligations than time, so by request he has been transferred to the Reserves.
Sub-Lieutenant Ámbar Troop also requested transfer to the Reserves due to ongoing tech issues,
and we wish the best for both him and LT Wilson.
Fleet News
Imperial Storm 5
That's right, the first major event of 2023 is already behind us!
Imperial Storm is a yearly turn-based war/strategy game that utilizes pilot participation to determine damage numbers against enemies of the TIE Corps. Unlike previous Imperial Storms, this year the Emperor's Hammer First Recon Division had to unify to overcome the existential threat posed to the Unknown Region by the insectoid Ishtari! We were directed to liberate this sector of space or die trying, and I had no intention of dying. Battlegroup I, including the Hammer and all of our associated ships, was directed by General Genie, since our BGCOM AD Phoenix was the gamesmaster this year. By all accounts the Hammer outperformed the other two Battlegroups by a fair margin in Phase 1, a real achievement that we should all be proud to have a part in accomplishing. Phase 2 saw us unite as a fleet to take the fight to the Ishtari homeworld, and for the first time in a long time, we had an extraordinary amount of cross-ship participation, another point of pride for the pilots of EHTC FRD.
Note: Check out the banner on the main EHTC page, which will take you to the
Imperial Storm V wiki article, where you can find more information.
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That's right, the Emperor's Hammer TIE Corps now has TWO new games in our "Primary Games" list, which are not only eligible for competitions, but also allow pilots to earn Legions of Skirmish (PvE) & Legions of Conflict (PvP)! Many people were involved in doing the research for feasibility, and due to their outstanding work you may now earn credit within the TIE Corps for playing Elite Dangerous and/or Fortnite! You won't see me in either game, but I want to encourage you all to check them out anyway and see if they're something you want to get involved in. And don't forget, you can start dreaming up competitions involving these games to submit up the chain.
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Other News
AD Phoenix Berkana, the beloved Battlegroup I/Hammer Commodore, has been selected for the brand-new Warfare Officer TIE Corps Command Staff position. This means he will soon vacate the BG1COM position, so make sure to harass him before he leaves!
Spectre Squadron has been activated for pilots who want to be more active than they could be in the Reserves, but with less activity requirements than a "normal" squadron. This is more for those who want to participate in the big Corps-wide events, and not much else. If you have questions about the purpose or scope of Spectre Squadron, feel free to DM me.
The Training Office has reactivated the Medal of Scholarship, a service award for those who contribute significantly to the Imperial University, via course creation or expansion/revision. For more information on the MoS, feel free to DM me or any TOA.
The Airlock Podcast by LC Legion has returned! Episode 19 is available here and you're highly encouraged to follow him for more official content for the new EHTV coming soon!
The Hammer's own Imperial Ithorian, Captain Wolve "Excelsior" Berkana, has been hot on creating new content as well, and I'd like to encourage you all to go and check that out his latest work here, and as with Legion, go ahead and hit that subscribe button while you're at it!
Important Note:
If you believe that anyone in Beta Squadron, Battlegroup I, or the TIE Corps is behaving in an inappropriate manner, please bring it to my attention, or the attention of your direct superior. If the person misbehaving is your direct superior, report it to their immediate superior.
EHTC Leadership, myself included, has a zero tolerance policy for harassment or otherwise inappropriate conduct. This includes but is not limited to DMs, voice channels, email, or any other form of communication. Using your chain of command is the best option for handling matters.
There is virtually always a member of the senior leadership (Rear Admiral and above) online, so if quick action is necessary don't be afraid to "ping" or DM them directly.
If you have ANY questions about the above, please DM me or BGCOM.
Squadron Activity (1st - 31st March)
1-1 CMDR/CM neurotictim/Beta/Wing I/ISDII Hammer/Battlegroup I
MEDALS AWARDED:
* LoS x 182
* LoC x 15
* ORA x 6
* IS-SW x 1
* IS-CW x 2
* IAR x 1
* IS-BW x 1
NEW COOP RATING:
New Combat Rating (MP PvE) rank achieved: Gunner's Mate 1st
FLIGHT CERTIFICATION WINGS:
Flight Certification Wings awarded: 11th Echelon
Nothing to Report
1-3 COL Aticus Jade/Beta 1-3/Wing I/ISDII Hammer/Battlegroup IDiscord Comms
1-4 FM/CPT Xye/Beta 1-4/Wing I/ISDII Hammer/Battlegroup INothing to Report
2-1 SQXO/CPT Wildfire/Beta 2-1/Wing I/ISDII Hammer/Battlegroup IPaternity Leave/Discord Comms
2-2 FM/LT Decoy Tango/Beta 2-2/Wing I/ISDII Hammer/Battlegroup I
MEDALS AWARDED:
* LoC x 21
* LoS x 5
* ISM x 1
* IS-SW x 1
NEW COMBAT RATING:
*New Combat Rating (MP PvP) rank achieved: Marksman 4th
FLIGHT CERTIFICATION WINGS:
*Flight Certification Wings awarded: 3rd Echelon
NEW COOP RATING:
*New Combat Rating (MP PvE) rank achieved: Qualified
COURSE PASSED:
*Course passed: TIE Corps Core [TCCORE] - 87%
Discord Comms
3-1 FL/CPT KEBLAOMEGA/Beta 3-1/Wing I/ISDII Hammer/Battlegroup I
BATTLE COMPLETED:
*Battle completed: XvT-TC 55 (5 missions)
*Battle completed: TIE-TC 200 (6 missions)
MEDALS AWARDED:
* LoC x 10
* LoS x 4
* ISM x 1
* IS-BW x 1
FREE MISSION COMPLETED:
*Free mission completed: XvT-F 72 (1 mission)
*Free mission completed: XWA-F 22 (1 mission)
*Free mission completed: TIE-F 78 (1 mission)
*Free mission completed: TIE-F 27 (1 mission)
MEDALS AWARDED:
* ORA x 4
* IS-BW x 1
* ISM x 1
* IS-CW x 1
Competitions
Make sure to check out the competitions in the Competition Center, the hub for activities in the Emperor's Hammer. You are eligible to participate in any comp for Beta Squadron, Battlegroup I, or TIE Corps.
Don't assume that there's nothing to do simply because we have concluded the big Imperial Storm V event! Plenty of competitions, notably Season Six of TIE Corps in Battle (TCiB), the new long-run SWTOR Conquest and SWTOR: Galactic Seasons being run by MAJ "Pops" Gytheran. There are even a couple of Elite Dangerous comps going on, if that's more your speed or you're looking for the latest primary game.
There are also some non-gaming comps, with jigsaw puzzles, word challenges, and even a scavenger hunt! Check the Competition Center (link above) and find something that piques your interest.
Alternatively, did you know there's a regular Dungeons & Dragons campaign being hosted by the Airlock guru himself, Lieutenant Colonel LegionX? You are welcome and encouraged even to join in on the fun, by DMing him directly for more info.
Interested in creating and running a competition? Talk to me and I'll help walk you through the process!
Closing Comments
As most of you should know, I had back surgery on the 6th of March, and there were some minor complications that made it difficult to be too involved for the first and second week of the month. To be completely honest, it threw basically everything I thought I'd do out the window, including a February edition of this squadron report. In the future I will strive to have squadron reports out the first week of each month.
All in all, my recovery proceeds and I hope to be back to something resembling normal life in the next couple of weeks; I'm back to work full-time and walking 2+ miles daily in my own time, so the real challenge now is not overdoing it. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to check in with me here and there, you're all appreciated!
Some of you may have noticed I've spent a lot of time playing Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) in the last few weeks. This is in part due to being essentially bed-ridden, but as it turns out I also enjoy it quite a bit - my first MMO, and it's every bit as addictive as I feared it would be. I would LOVE to see more Beta pilots in the game, and I'd be happy to help you through the beginning, as I was helped. So if you have any interest in playing, let me know when and I'll be there (if I can, of course). You can also reach out to MAJ Gytheran or LC Solohan50 if I'm not around. Keep in mind, it's a free-to-play game and runs on older computers pretty well, so no reason not to give it a go! If you play for a while and decide you want to subscribe for the benefits, it's super straightforward. Or you can just play it at no cost, either way is fine by me.
Along the same lines, in an effort to bolster the Hammer in our battle with the Ishtari, I caved and finally downloaded Star Conflict, the game famous for quick Legions. I learned how it works, and while it definitely can be a grind, you know what makes it much more fun? Having squadmates fly with you! It's also free to play, and doesn't require a whole lot of brain cells, so if you're looking to up your gaming participation without investing a ton of time, this might be the game for you.
In any case, and whatever the platform, I'm gonna let up on you as far as participation goes for April, as we don't have any major events going on. I'd definitely like to see your names in any of the various competitions going on; ORAs are a nice addition to the awards list and relatively easy to acquire by sincerely participating in just about anything. ReMob will be here before we know it, and it's sure to be a busy month when that arrives, so try to make some room in your busy schedules soon!
If you have any questions/comments/moans/groans or complaints, feel free to DM me or catch me in VC. I look forward to seeing you all getting it done in the coming month!
Respectfully,
CMDR/CM neurotictim/Beta/Wing I/ISDII Hammer
BSx7/PC/MoC-goc-soc-4boc/MUA/IS-2SW-BW-CW-PR-7GR-2SR-6BR-CR/ORA-1C/LoC-IS/LoS-IS/CoB[Marksman2nd][Private 2nd]
{TCCORE-SM/5}
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