From the Desk of Fleet Admiral Kessler

From the Desk of Fleet Admiral Kessler

Another month draws to a close, another issue of Battlecry hits the newsstands. I think I can safely say that February has been the most successful month of my service as TIE Corps Commander and Flight Officer. I can't take credit for any of it myself, however. It's your hard work, not only in recruiting, but in welcoming your new pilots and making them want to stay, that has pushed TIE Corps membership over 1000 again. And it's the hard work and dedication of the ISD Colossus, from the Battlegroup Commander, all the way down to each and every Flight Member of Wing VIII, that has seen them rise from the status of the laughing stock of the TIE Corps - to what is right now arguably the best ship in the Fleet.

You don't agree? Find it hard to believe? Take a look at these figures before you comment...

Only two months ago, the ISD Colossus and Wing VIII had the lowest morale and membership figures in the TIE Corps. Two short months later, after some major effort by everyone involved, they submitted 150 Battle Submission Forms in one month alone! That's an average of 4 BSFs per pilot, per month. No-one else even comes close to matching this level of flying activity.

Now I accept that this level of flying is going to be hard to maintain, and I wouldn't be remotely surprised if they started to slip next month, but that's not the point. Two months ago, they were in real danger of being closed and having their pilots split up around the rest of the Fleet. Today they're the most active Wing and Ship I can remember seeing in a long time. That's no mean achievement, and it's something that isn't going to go unrewarded.

In honour of the crew of the ISD Colossus, I hereby institute a new Award, and an Award that I intend to give every month to the Wing or ship that I consider to have proven themselves to be the best in the TIE Corps in the previous month...

The ISD Colossus is hereby declared the winner of the TIE Corps Commander's Citation for February 2000. My warmest congratulations to all onboard her!

On a slightly different topic, the Flight Office is accepting applications from anyone in the TIE Corps who owns X-Wing Alliance and wishes to participate in Exercise Imperial Storm as a pilot. If there's actually anyone in the Corps who doesn't know what ImpStorm is yet, check out the Exercise Operations Website at http://www.xtc56.dial.pipex.com/ImpStorm.htm. All applications should contain your full ID Line. Pilots who are accepted will be expected to download and install the two required game patches from the website.

Until next month, watch your six,

Kessler's Rules of Starfighter Combat # 8

"If you want to survive, work as a team. It gives the enemy something else to shoot at."

Fleet Admiral Kyle Kessler
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TCCOM-FO/FA Kyle Kessler/CS-4/SSSD Sovereign
GoE/GSx2/SSx4/BSx7/PCx2/ISMx9/MoI-DC/ISx3/LoC-PS x31/OV-2E[CAVL]
[IWATS][SM][M2][TT][XTT][IIC/3][XA-A][ASF:TDA]