Pilot Officer

COMMAND
Pilot Officer	Difficulty: Easy Supervisors: Command staff Rank: Not defined Duties: Pilot and protect the dropships Guides: N/A Unlock Requirements: Not available. Detailed Description: |__________| Not defined |__________|

"We're in the pipe, five by five." ― Cpl. Ferro, Aliens

So you decided to be a Pilot Officer eh? You glorious bastard. You've just enlisted yourself in one of the most boring and dangerous jobs.

The Pilot Officer, as the name indicates, pilots the ships of Sulaco. It's your duty to defend the dropships from any invasion and piloting between the Sulaco and the groundside.

Introduction

Congratulations Ensign. You'll start at the Bridge. To the south is your personal locker, it's conveniently labeled, Pilot Officer's locker. Take a look at the stuff in it. You probably won't be using it anyway. The most important of all the objects is your extra helmet. Your stylish helmet is not only amazing, unique and helps prevent two face hugger attempts before breaking. It's useful. In addition to the extra helmet, is some standard issue marine armor which you may choose to put on, it has the protection of a standard marine armor.

You have two ships: The Rasputin, which is your dropship, and the Vindicator, the small drop pod. You should be aware that command can activate autopilot in the bridge for both ships, however, you have the special ability to cut the time of flight by half.

Preparations

Moving on when you've taken a look or have already taken a look. Go to the RO line. You're basically a standard marine for all intents and purposes although you have an Officer rank which allows you to boss around marines. Get yourself some attachments from the RO line, you're allowed two. For this guide we recommend a barrel charger, if available and a shotgun stock. Once that's done, go to marine prep to get kitted out. Kit out normally how you would play a marine. For this guide, it's recommend a shotgun because there are people who are going to want to get up close and personal to your face.The shotgun should be loaded with buckshots, nothing says "get the fuck off my ship" to a xenomorph better than a face full of buckshot.

• The Flak Jacket will keep you standing when entering transit.
• The PO helmet protects against three facehuggers

Piloting the ship

After you're all dolled up and kitted out, you'll want to head to briefing like a normal marine except you're not a normal marine. Instead of sitting in any of the chairs in each squad, you want to sit in one of the chairs at the front or stand facing the marines during briefing. Once briefing is done, join the stampede to the hanger. You want to get to your cockpit, which is basically your second home, as soon as possible and announce in the Command channel that you're ready to depart. Give the marines some time to make it to the Rasputin and organize themselves but after a couple minutes when all the seats are filled then you should depart.

After that, its endless repetition of hitting that button and keeping your ship an extremely prejudice and racist, xenos-free zone.

Tips

• Try to wait a bit for the marines to load up the wounded and late comings to load up in the shuttle before making a trip. Announce on the Common frequency when you've just arrived and are about to depart. You want to be efficient with your trips as much as possible.
• Keep your shotgun, always loaded and ready to go whenever those pesky xenos decide to go full koolaid man on a window or a door. Don't expect wounded marines to help you. Its great when they do help and manage not to friendly fire you with their highly inaccurate assault rifles but don't count on it. Depend on yourself for the protection of your ship.
• A special benefit to being a pilot officer is that you're allowed to boss around marines while they're on your shuttle. Don't tolerate rowdy and loud marines but be ready if they fight back. Follow proper escalation procedures. Remember, you out rank them and its your ship (and the USCM's ship and thus the Commander's ship).
• Leaving the Rasp is not recommended unless you have just landed. Try not to stray too far from your craft. Retrieving marines is okay but if it leaves without you then you are in deep shit. You have a high chance of being 1. killed, 2. maimed, 3. captured, 4. killed again, 5. wounded. Although competent command staff will ask for you in the radio before manually piloting your craft.
• If there is damage to your craft. Be sure to request for a Maint Tech or the Chief Engineer to come repair it, the next time you're on the Sulaco.