In modern parlance, the phrase 'forlorn hope' refers to the a faint hope, a chance which is highly unlikely to come through, but which is the only hope which remains. In the historic military parlance of Earth's "Western" culture, however, it refers to skirmishing forces, a small and scattered group of men who probe away from the main body of an army and into the no-man's-land between opposing forces. The history of starfighter forces has merged these two meanings time and again, and the starfighter pilots of the CFMF are no exception.

In any fleet action, starfighter forces take the highest percentage of casualties. Their ships ride the ragged edge of the least armor and shields which can resist enemy fire and the weakest weapons with a chance of injuring the enemy. A few direct hits from a battleship's main armament will leave even the most robust one-man craft a spray of hydrogen and shrapnel. It is rare that a combat will not result in at least 10% casualties, and not infrequent for a squadron to lose half of its fighters in the course of a battle. Compared to the stately exchanges of warship broadsides, the swarm of fighter against fighter and fighter against ship is chaotic in the extreme.

Despite this high attrition rate, the starfighter arm of the service remains vital in almost all space navies. Starfighters act as a force multiplier for the fleet so economical as to tempt the unwise to base their force entirely upon fighters. Forces as small as four squadrons have successfully destroyed the largest battleships in space, at a comparative cost in men and machines of next to nothing. Also, it has been demonstrated time and again that the best defense against starfighter attack is a screen of one's own starfighter forces around one's fleet. Although not impressive in individual comparisons, in bulk starfighters are a potent threat and a useful tool. . .

In the first days of the CFMF, the fleet had very little operating capital and even fewer trained officers and crew. The solution to this problem was the Mobile Air Support Squadron, or the Mobile Attack and Support Squadron, according to the era. A MASS unit exists to be deployed in any star system at a moment's notice, providing additional starfighter presence in areas where a regular base or carrier may not exist. They can also be deployed in fleet engagements as additional fighter forces, as well as a number of other mission profiles. Today roughly two-fifths of all the CFMF's fighter pilots are deployed to MASS units, often on the fringes of galactic settlement.

Although the MASS unit has not been duplicated by any other major space force, it has demonstrated the flexibility of starfighters and the importance of fighter patrols to defense and intelligence. Most other fleets have adopted more conventional analogues, such as the pocket carrier or the prefabricated planetary garrison. The unique flexibility and rapid deployment of the MASS unit therefore remains a unique feature of the CFMF's strategic and tactical toolbox, a feature which has proven its value time and again. . .

The CFMF has a very large component of officers and men who have either flown or served with starfighter forces. As a result they are very conscious of the fragility of life in those tiny 'rocket-powered coffins', and take every step to reduce the risk to pilots and recover splashed pilots after combat. The CFMF has pushed for better technology in damage control, flight suits, and beacon systems to make the destruction of a fighter ship survivable. With great effort cartels for the recovery and exchange of opposing forces' pilots have been established with most major and minor galactic powers. Above all, the CFMF keeps its pilots learning and drilling, never letting them lose the edge which keeps them alive.

As a result (if you discount the numbers from the battle at Wilderness Station) the CFMF has one of the highest pilot-recovery rates in the galaxy, with between 40% and 50% of all downed pilots returning to the cockpit, and fewer than 30% fatalities on the average. Even those permanently disabled by wounds suffered in combat may return to the service as a non-pilot officer.

This high survival rating has affected the Freespacer mindset profoundly, although its influence is significantly less after Wilderness Station. Former fighter jocks love to take chances and sieze the initiative in any confrontation. They coax the last ounce of thrust from starship engines and put them through tight and punishing maneuvers in search of the ideal firing arc. They think in offensive, and not defensive, terms, and as such they encourage the Freespacer tradition of fast-hitting engagements. . .

Redneck

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