SpaceCorps Stardate: 01.30.2343 The Admiralty was anxious to see the tests of the new fighter and hope that it went well. Being the first fighter of its kind, in truth it was nothing more than a highly modified atmospheric fighter. Time was no longer on their side though. The Debian Empire was slowly and systematically eliminating them from the stars. Ships and colonies were disappearing at an alarming rate. The loss of good people, dedicated officers and crewmates, was creating a hysteria never seen before. Religious zealots were even claiming that leaving the confines Earth brought this wrath and that the end was near. Still, in the midst of all this chaos, amid all this loss came the realization to everyone that we were one people, no longer divided by race, sex, or belief. Sure there were always the extremists, but nations were coming together as never before. Perhaps it was that fact that a common enemy had finally cemented the union that was so tenative before with petty power struggles. Now those things fell away as the image of the enemy became all too clear: The Debian Empire. That's what made this test so important. The Debian Empire had shown that it knew how to battle in space. They were well armored and had weapons with the firepower and range that only science fiction writers could have imagined. Now it was very real. There was no hope to compete in that arena. They knew they lacked the technical ability to produce ships that could withstand that kind of onslaught in any kind of number in time to mount any kind of defense. So, where they were well armored and powerful, they were also slow and unmaneuverable. Where we were small and helpless, we will now become quick and use weapons with precision to produce maximum effectiveness. The SF-22 Star Fighter was critical to this mission. The SB-18 was due for it's next test within the next few weeks, but it needed the SF-22 to be able to protect it while it reached its target. They were two more keys in their plans to finally go on the offensive and to actually give everyone what they desperately needed... Hope. ------ Designed entirely in Strata3D Pro 3.8. Textures are from Photoshop. I still have more work to do and some things to change, but I thought I'd show everyone the work in progress. Once I have the SB-18 done, I'll show that off along with the carrier ship that will be transporting them. Of course, I havet he Debian Empire fleet to do as well before I can put it all together, but its still a labor of love.