Their ship is the oldest.

Their squadron is the most sought-after assignment among young Freespacer officers, whether or not they are pilots.

Their unit patch, featuring the blue St. Andrews cross on a red field and the motto DEUM VINDICE, is an honor few have been granted to wear.

They are, in brief, the upper elite of the CFMF... Rebel Squadron.

MASS-01 REBEL SQUADRON
Tender vessel: CFMF Confederacy (CFF-001), Plymouth-III destroyer
Starfighters (as of 2400): 8 X Incom T-65F Dragonfly
ORDER OF BATTLE:
PILOTS
1 Lt. Cmdr, unit commander/squadron leader
1 Lt., 2nd Flight leader
2 Lt.s j. g., wingleaders
4 Lt.s j. g. or Ens., pilots
SHIP'S CREW
1 Lt., executive officer/airboss
1 Lt., tender helmsman
1 Ens., helmsman's mate
1 Lt., chief engineer/pitboss
1 Ens., engineer's mate
1 Lt. j. g., comm/science officer
1 Ens., comm/sci's mate

1 Lt., ship's gunnery officer
2 enlisted, ship's gunners
4 enlisted, ship's engineers/pitcrew
1 Cpl., Confederate Freespacer Marines
7 PFC, Confederate Freespacer Marines

Establishment strength = 30 (16 officers, 14 enlisted)
Warrant officers may serve in officer slots for non-pilot positions

Rebel Squadron is entirely unlike most other elite units in other forces in that it does not limit the time one of its crewmembers may spend in the assignment. Rebel Squadron members stay with the squadron until they request transfer or resign, or (as often happens) are promoted into their own squadron or ship commands. Rebel Squadron is considered the fast-track to promotion... but once in, its officers and crew become strangely reluctant to depart.

MASS-01 is the CFMF unit traditionally assigned to Home Fleet defense. At first glance, this would seem to be a cushy job, as the Home Fleet is very seldom allowed to be anywhere that might prove dangerous, but this ignores one important fact; CFMF units assigned to Home Fleet form the emergency reserve of the fleets. Thus, MASS-01 is -only- thrown into battle in the most difficult, most dangerous, and most desperate of circumstances. Officers seeking a sinecure need not apply.

Although MASS-01 does do some demonstration flying, it is a fighting unit, not a dedicated show squadron, and thus its displays are tame and simple compared to outfits like the Thunderbirds, Def Leppard Squadron and the like. Its pilots take greater pride in displaying their kill markers, which are always higher per engagement than any other squadron in the CFMF. It is extremely rare that a pilot does not have at least the CFMF Dragon's Wings when he leaves MASS-001; about half of them who leave alive have earned the full Dragon.

In deployment, MASS-01 operates much like other MASS units. Either its commander or executive officer (depending on which one is flight leader- establishment calls for Lt.Cdr. flight leader) leads the eight fighters, which are trained for individual fighting, two-ship wings, four-ship flights, or full squadron maneuvers. The tender ship will, if feasible, set up a base on a nearby planet or space station, and then deploy the actual ship for combat with skeleton crew.

All the crew of any MASS unit, and especially Rebel Squadron, are expected to fulfill dual roles. Pilots assist with maintenance of their fighters, as do the engineers and gunners from the ship. The executive officer guides the squadron in combat from the tender, which he also commands as a fighting unit. Even the Marines, whose primary missions are base security and enemy ship boarding operations, double as technicians for the starfighters.

When an opening is made in MASS-01's establishment, applications come pouring in. Of these, the pilots have it simplest- they must prove the best among their competition, demonstrating their flying and combat skills in a series of challenges. Non-pilot crewmen are subject to written exams on their assignment and reviews of their past service record. Applicants may -not- request demotion or reduction of pay grade to fit the target slot; a person may be promoted or warranted to the slot.

MASS-01 has one other peculiarity which makes it unique among MASS units. Other MASS units' flight leaders have the number one slot in their squadron's call signs, cf. MASS-13 Black Cat Squadron's leader goes by 'Black Cat One' or 'Cat One.' The flight commander of Rebel Squadron is simply 'Rebel Leader.' By long tradition, the callsign 'Rebel One' is reserved for one particular person, whatever fighter he may choose to fly and wherever he happens to be flying it.

-- Redneck

This struck me as interesting, too:

>MASS-01 has one other peculiarity which makes it unique among MASS
>units. Other MASS units' flight leaders have the number one slot in
>their squadron's call signs, cf. MASS-13 Black Cat Squadron's leader
>goes by 'Black Cat One' or 'Cat One.' The flight commander of Rebel
>Squadron is simply 'Rebel Leader.' By long tradition, the callsign
>'Rebel One' is reserved for one particular person, whatever fighter he
>may choose to fly and wherever he happens to be flying it.

PResumably, that's thy own fictional avatar self?

--
Geoff Depew - Darth Mephron
Haberdasher to Androids, Dark Lord of Sith Tech Support.
"I find your lack of clue disturbing."
EPU RCW #1

Druid
druid@bigplanet.com

"You don't need a reason to help people."
Zidane, Final Fantasy IX

since you listed the ship's crew is listed in this document, where's the captain?

Regards,
Jeanne

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