Black Knight Crisis: Standoff

{{Event
 * conflict=Black Knight Crisis
 * date=10,061 ABY

{{quote|You can slaughter our armies and crush our fleets, but their is one thing you will never destroy, and it is the one thing we need to defeat you. That thing my friend, is courage.|High Admiral Oral Seemt, Commander, Sorian Home Fleet

"I don't care who gave the orders, my squad is going out and there is nothing you can do to stop us."

"Command believes that the deployment of a reconassiance squad to an uncontested region of space is a gross misallocation of valuable resources, Lieutenant."

"Misallocation?! Our rearming and refueling stations are going down all over the grid and you think that deploying a team to scout out a new region is a misalloction?!"

Lieutenant Arin Morosa savored the look of utter terror on the messengers face. His heart leaped every time the flunky's eyes drifted to his vividly painted helmet. The coyote styling was nothing compared to some of the other stuff he'd seen over the years, particularaly the wolf styling that the interceptor jockeys were so proud of, but it was still stunning. Even though Morosa had transferred from Coyote Squad to Diamond Squad several months ago, he had kept his helmet as a memento.

"My squad is going out," Morosa said, turning away, "And I ain't going to left some desk flyer stop me." Morosa was pretty sure that the desk jockey said something after that, but by then he had settled the helmet onto his head and the seals had locked down, cutting of outside noise.

Morosa walked over to where his squad was joking around. Diamond Two (He still couldn't get ahold of everybody's name,) saw him coming and announced his presence. The rest of the squd whirled and saluted.

"Come on," Morosa ordered, "We're going."

Within minutes the squad was hurlting towards the objective through hyperspace. They arrived in a matter of seconds and surveyed the scene. Everything was quiet until suddenly...

"Lieutenant! Scanner contact, two klicks out!" That was Diamond Five, better known as Hawkeye.

"Good eye," Morosa replied, "Friend or foe?"

"Can't tell yet sir," the young pilot announced, "Wait, I'm picking up an IFF code."

"Scanner contact!" Diamond Three yelled over the comm.

"Hyerspace rupture detected!" chorused Diamond Four.

"Got a fighter screen," Diamond Two announced, "They're turning to engage."

"Lieutenant," CAme Diamond Five's voice, eerily calm, "Putting up the IFF code on your HUD."

Morosa received the transmission and was stunned at what he saw,

"It can't be," he said, reaching for his long-range comm.

The cruiser broadcasting the code was Arsonist, and it was Black Knight.