"Whoops, sorry guys! Must've forgotten my manners."
The unidentified fighter eliminated its prey and pulled back for a moment.
"Name's Tessarey Leah, but that's kind of a mouthful. Most people just stick with Rey. But then some of you are Academy kids, so you might be familiar with 'Seabird.'"
She gave an unseen shrug and hastily avoided a bout of laser fire.
"Yikes! Anyway, things are looking pretty rough here, so I'll keep it short. A few of us back at the Academy were hot on your heels when you guys took off, but..."
She sighed and gave herself a little time, in which she managed to score a few hits on her assailant.
"Well, we found ourselves in a heap of trouble before we even went airborn. We fought them off in the end...."
Another silence in which, with a final strike, the enemy fighter at last met its fate.
"Eh, lets just say the Academy grounds aren't exactly as pretty as they used to be." Her forceful tone softened at that statement, but quickly resolved itself once more.
"There's still one heck of a fight left out here, though, so as soon as we secured the area I jumped back in the cockpit. Time waits for no one, right? I figured someone out here might need a hand, and darned if I was gonna leave 'em hanging."