Death Glider Testing

Posted on Tue Dec 2nd, 2025 @ 10:43am by Major Yaeblos 'Garlic' Nhan & Captain Three of Five & Senior Aerospace Specialist Mindo 'Riot' & Captain Shrath 'Smurf' & Captain Hadrian 'Sunshine' Palamas & 1st Lieutenant Kardyn
Edited on on Tue Dec 2nd, 2025 @ 10:45am

1,233 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Shoreleave [3-4]
Location: 'Pride of Hera' launch bay
Timeline: Early Shoreleave

Nhan and the squadron leaders beamed into the Death Glider launch bay, arriving on the railed gangway where the fighters were positioned. A moment later their operators appeared further down the gangway. Below there was only forcefield between them and hard vacuum. Ladders led down to the open cockpits of each of the craft.

“Welcome everyone to the Pride of Hera, what I’m told is a fine example of a Ha’tak class mothership. She’s scheduled for scrapping so we can see what makes her tick, but don’t be sad, we have two more of them. Over here you’ll see our quarry, the so-called ‘Death Glider’.” Nhan explained, slightly awed by the scale of the room.

“Now it dawns on me some of you might be meeting for the first time. I believe our newest newcomers are Captain Three of Five, and First Lieutenant Kardyn, our first transfer officer from the Hirogen… people.” Nhan explained, realising he didn’t know what the Hirogen called their civilisation, if indeed they had a name for it as a factional entity.

“I am Kardyn. The hunt is my life. I have heard you are supposed to be the best pilots in this fleet. I have read your reports, and I am yet to be impressed.” Kardyn said to the group, arms folded. He was a massive creature, and his uniform looked to only just fit him.

"You can’t read talent off a padd, friend. That only shows up in the black." Palamas jerked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the vacuum beyond the hangar doors. He flashed a lazy grin. "Pleasure to meet you both, though. I’ve reviewed the specs, sir. I take it you want us to wring every ounce of performance out of these gliders?"

Captain Three had not expected to see Species 478 here, despite the system's proximity to their ancient relay network. She would need to recalibrate her data on the subject during her next regeneration cycle.

"Udajeet. Udajeet. U-da-jeet." Mindo said quietly to herself, sounding it out. She kept forgetting the original name for them.

"Alright then, if there are no further questions, let's get on board. Pilot first, operator second." Nhan instructed, and waited for confirmation from all of them. Once he had it, he made his way into his assigned death glider, with his gunner following closely behind. Each felt a certain trepidation as they climbed down the ladder, with only the glider and a forcefield between them and the vacuum. They had been assured earlier that the forcefield would catch them if they happened to miss their glider.

Everyone made it in.

"Udajeet wing, this is Garlic. Sound off. Ahead of launch." The Major asked over his communicator. Their chest badges were better quality technology than was found in the gliders.

"Sunshine reporting in." Palamas announced.

"Three of Five confirms." The ex-Borg Captain responded soon after.

"Smurf reporting in." Shrath followed.

"This is Kardyn. I am prepared." The Hirogen newcomer announced.

"Alright, launch in 3, 2, 1... now." Nhan announced, and all the gliders were released from their moorings, repelled suddenly by the directed antigravity system. The wings extended, and engines automatically kicked in. "Alright, free formation. Move apart, get a feel for it. Nhan instructed, finding the controls both buttery smooth and weirdly uncoordinated.

The sensation of flight in a Death Glider was entirely unlike a Starfleet shuttle or a Federation fighter. There was no hum of a warp core, only a guttural, physical vibration that traveled up through the seat and into the base of Nhan’s spine. The view was terrifyingly open; the canopy offered nearly three-hundred-and-sixty degrees of visibility, making Nhan feel less like he was in a cockpit and more like he was strapped to the tip of a spear.

"Stabilizers are... loose," Shrath commented, his voice tight over the comms. "I barely touch the stick and she wants to roll."

"It is not a machine designed for comfort, Smurf," Kardyn’s voice rumbled, calm and detached. "It is designed for the kill. You must stop fighting the drift. Let it carry you."

"Easy for you to say, big guy," Palamas cut in. "But let's see what these antiques can actually do. Sunshine is breaking formation. Catch me if you can."

Before Nhan could countermand the order, Palamas fired his thrusters. The crescent-shaped fighter snapped into a vertical climb relative to the mothership, engines flaring gold against the black backdrop of space. It was a reckless, high-G burn that would have triggered inertial dampener warnings in a standard runabout.

"Target acquired," Kardyn stated simply.

The Hirogen’s glider didn't bank; it pivoted. Kardyn utilized the inertia-less drive of the Goa'uld craft to spin on his axis while maintaining his forward momentum, tracking Palamas’s ascent instantly. It was a predator’s move, efficient, ugly, and lethal.

"Three, watch your spacing," Nhan barked, wrestling with his own controls to keep the squadron leader's vantage point. "This isn't a playground."

"I am merely gathering telemetry, Major," Three of Five replied, her tone devoid of adrenaline. Her glider moved with terrifying mechanical precision, slotting perfectly between Nhan and Shrath. "The propulsion systems are crude, but the power-to-weight ratio exceeds Starfleet specifications by 14 percent. I have compensated for the drift."

"Show off," Palamas grunted, straining under G-forces as he pulled the glider into a tight loop, coming back around toward the Pride of Hera. "Alright, Kardyn. I’m painting you. Bang, bang."

"You are painting a shadow," Kardyn retorted.

As Palamas leveled out for his simulated strafing run, Kardyn’s glider dropped from above, falling like a stone in a gravity well. He slotted perfectly onto Palamas’s six o'clock, his movements syncing with the human pilot’s evasive maneuvers as if they were physically tethered.

"He is locked onto you, Sunshine," Mindo noted from her gunner seat behind Shrath, sounding surprised. "The targeting computer isn't even on. He's doing it manually."

Palamas jinked left, then hard right, spinning the glider through the gap between the mothership's massive pyramid structure and its outer scaffolding. It was a move that required insanity or brilliance. Kardyn followed without hesitating, matching the roll degree for degree.

"Impressive," Palamas breathed over the comms, a hint of genuine respect breaking through the bravado. He cut his throttle, letting the glider drift, signaling the end of the engagement.

Nhan watched the telemetry on his wrist-mounted display. His heart rate was up, but the squadron was intact. They were raw, they were from completely different worlds, but they could fly.

"Alright, that’s enough cowboy stuff," Nhan ordered, his voice stern but relieved. "Form up on my wing. We have basic navigation drills to run before we even think about live fire exercises. And Palamas?"

"Sir?"

"Kardyn was right," Nhan said, looking out at the vast, golden hull of the alien capital ship. "The reports didn't say you were that good. But they didn't say you were that reckless, either. Let's try to keep the paint on the hull, gentlemen."

"Understood, Major," Palamas replied, though Nhan could practically hear the smirk.

"Acknowledged," Kardyn added. "This hunt... has potential."

Nhan sighed, tapping his thrusters to bring his glider around. "Udajeet Wing, set course for navigation marker Alpha. Best speed. Execute."

The five crescent ships banked in unison, invisible engines screeching as they sped away from the Pride of Hera, disappearing into the dark.

RSS Feed