I was called out of the barracks on a scramble of sorts; I'd heard offhand that a Bretonian ambassador was arriving and was in need of escort. What I hadn't heard was that the vessel carrying that ambassador had already arrived, but was being pestered by the nefarious Joker. So after strapping into my Wraith and receiving the green light for launch, one of the first things through the system comm channels was his cackling.
A bit unnerved, but nevertheless determined to ram his ship into a star if I ever saw it, I requested a situation report from the units currently afield. Frau Leutnant Schneider was acting as our host and was on station with her Wraith, while two Bretonian Intelligence Service pilots were serving escort for the diplomatic vessel, named the HMS Albion. They had gathered in Neu Berlin orbit alongside the RNC Alberich, all the while being pestered by the Joker. But instead of a band of cronies, as it turned out, a Unioner bomber pilot was with him, and was making jabs at our military and our government all the same.
Frau Schneider ordered myself and a nearby "Able's Aces" pilot to start scanning around to find them; perhaps she was a bit too motivated by his personal insults, but I digress: I followed my orders. A quick sweep of the outskirts of the Ruhrfeld and Saarfeld gleaned nothing on the scanners, but the Joker felt like proclaiming his location after Frau Schneider demonstrated her.. desire to fight.
We found them, only the two, by the Stuttgart Jump Gate. The Joker was not one for pleasantries and quickly got to pulling triggers, while the traitorous Unioner followed suit; it was simply amazing that this individual could stoop so low as to even assist such a vile terrorist. Clearly morals are no longer a factor in their "righteous" campaign.
In any case, we did battle nearly half-way across the system. Even with all reserve fighter pilots called in, the Joker's ship proved a tough target; since we were ignoring his Unioner freund (who decided to make a habit of shooting me in the back), that snake fed the Joker more recharges, prolonging the fight. Eventually the fight began to reach a critical spot: Leutnant Schneider was warning us of her ship's status whilst a second Unioner and a Corsair appeared on the scene. The second Unioner belted out some ideological phrase or another, and the Corsair sat back and waited while the Joker attempted to bribe him, but oddly enough the Unioner escaped from the fight before it had even concluded, and the Corsair simply sat idle. A gunboat, the RNC Rommel, appeared very late in the fight to offer assistance, but it was called off.
Eventually not even the infamous Joker and his Tridente could withstand the full weight of some four fighters, with their combined tachyon, pulse, and missile payloads. As for his Unioner freund, he got his reward shortly after: bereft of recharges he was a nice target, and I personally was just a few seconds shy of punching a pair of missiles through his cockpit before the bomber exploded. The two observers bolted without a word.
We returned to the planet where the ambassador's ship was waiting, safe and sound. After a bit of socializing, I politely declined to join the festivities aboard the Albion and returned to the ship in order to chalk those two kills on the board and write this report. A brief "patrol", ja, but eventful enough I'd say.