Wargames IV-- Test of Virtue

Jim Blackwood's office 08:05 Standard Earth Time (SET) 2197 The time had come again. Once every year, Commander-in-Chief Sean Story called for everyone's favorite simulator game.  In the past, it had been merely called an "excercise."  Since Admiral Story had reinstated it and had been able to inject a bit of fun into it, it had been renamed the only suitable thing. Wargames. At times, wargames was an individual deal, concentrating the efforts on a single ship.  At other times, UNSF forces had been pitted against each other to see who would be the victor.  Early on in the year, a poll was sent out to every member of the UNSF-- hundreds of thousands of men, women, and aliens.  The poll contained one question: "Who would you like to see go head-to-head in the Wargames main event?"  In the past, it had been the Explorer vs the Force, the UNSF flagship; the Stealthlon vs the Explorer; and everyone's favorite the Capture the Flag scenario. According to the message that had been sent to Commander Blackwood, it seemed as if this was the year for fighter pilots. Friendly tension had been building up between Blackwood's squadron, the 431st Skylords and Commander Skip Taylor's squadron, the 177th Stealths.  While the Skylords had proven time and again that they were the best fighter squadron the UNSF boasted, the Stealths were known to be able to come up with extreme innovations when it came to getting out of tight situations.  For years, the Skylords and the Stealths had ribbed and taunted each other until a few years ago when they finally went head to head in a simulator match.  Over the course of ten minutes, the Skylords had decimated the Stealths, quickly taking out their less-effective pilots, leaving their more talented ones to defend themselves against a whole squadron of lethal and efficient pilots.  According to the populus, which didn't get to see that match, a publicized simulations was in order. The Stealths vs the Skylords. In his considerably smaller office, Commander Skip Taylor had recieved the same message as well.  The name of the Stealths had been marred once; he was going to make sure that they didn't have the same outcome this time around. According to the message, the contest was to take place in a week, at Nellis AFB, home of the fighter pilot simulators, a place Taylor and his Stealths were all too familiar with.  The Stealths were currently on a hard-earned leave, whose time was extended to compliment this event.  Making a quick call to Captain Vaughn (who was to be returning to the Stealths for the special occasion), he assigned the Executive Officer with the task of finding the rest of the squadron and having them assembled at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma in three days.  They would use the other four to practice. And they would win.                                                                          *** Captain Darryl Mansel's house 12:13 SET 2197 It was once in a blood moon that Captain Darryl Mansel's leave overlapped with Jim Brungess' own leave.  Currently, they were together at Mansel's house.  "Ya hear the big news, man?" Brungess asked is best friend as Mansel poured two cups of Root Beer, one for himself and one for Brungess. "What big news?" Mansel asked.  "I've been busy out saving the universe lately; I haven't been too up to date on current UNSF events." General Brungess gave his friend a disapproving look, but continued.  "Did you know that the annual Wargames was next week?  Please tell me you did." "That much I knew," replied Mansel after a sip of his Root Beer.  "Since neither the Explorer nor the Stealthlon wasn't in the main event, I kinda lost interest.  Why?  Who is the main event?" Brungess, who had a greater love for UNSF pilots and planes than his seemingly narow-minded counterpart did, answered his question.  "The Stealths and the Skylords are going to be wrasslin' around some." "Oh?" Mansel asked, remembering the outcome of the last confrontation. between the Skylords and the Stealths.  "Nellis?" Brungess nodded.  "As always with fighter pilots." "You'd think they'd hold it on Moon Base," came a sultry voice from behind Mansel.  He turned to see his wife, Lieutenant Ontavia Mansel-Patterson leaning against the door frame to the kitchen, her iced tea in her hand.  "It might give the young trainees something to shoot for." "Being in the Skylords is most definately something to shoot for," Brungess agreed with Patterson-Mansel, raising his glass in her direction in a silent toast to her. "Yeah, being in the Stealth Squadron woudln't be too bad either.  But those are the only two squadrons where each member has to go through Top Gun first before even applying, aren't they?"