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Stealthcraft

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The Stealthcraft was a model of aerial vehicle used by Silver Sable and her elite international mercenary team Wild Pack in their operations. The Pack had several Stealthcraft units[1] (one of them identified as "Stealthcraft Number Four")[2] available at their general base in Castle Sable, Symkaria,[1] and could also launch at least one Stealthcraft from the Symkarian Embassy in New York City, from where their activities on American soil were managed.[3] Sable herself owned at least one Stealthcraft personally, although the others were probably owned by the Wild Pack or from the associated company Silver Sable International,[4] as suggested by the fact that the vehicle sported Silver Sable International's logo on the side.[5]

Since the Stealthcraft had covert capabilities that made it nigh invisible, it is unclear when the Wild Pack began using this vehicle. The first known use was when a platoon of the criminal group Hydra led by Lieutenant Dmitri Petrovich hijacked Cranewood School for Girls in Long Island. Since one of the hostages was Anna Sablinova, a direct relative of Silver Sable, she decided to go to rescue her alone and approached the school in a Stealthcraft, without being detected until after infiltrating. Some members of the Wild Pack, including the superhuman Sandman, the newly recruited Doug Powell, and three other agents, took another Stealthcraft without authorization to go on the same mission and provide support to Sable; this second Stealthcraft was also not detected by Hydra. Although the operation was a success, Sable punished her agents for engaging in an unauthorized mission and spending the Stealthcraft's fuel and their ammunition.[1]

Soon after, Sable assembled an elite team to personally lead on her own missions (Powell, Sandman, prostitute-turned-assassin Amy Chen, sadomasochist bounty hunter the Crippler and tech wiz Raul Quentino).[6] With them, Sable foiled an assassination attempt in New York City planned by the criminal group Watchdogs and the armored assassin Gattling; several Watchdogs were captured[6] and held at the Symkarian Embassy, but their companions and Gattling attacked the Embassy to try and rescue them. The Wild Pack defended the Embassy, and Sable pursued Gattling, both airborne; she called for a Stealthcraft-based backup. The battle continued at Washington Square Park when the Stealthcraft arrived, with Powell officially in command of the operation. On-trial superhuman agent Battlestar jumped from the Stealthcraft to fall on Gattling and thus defeat him; Sable was so impressed by Battlestar's guts that she hired him on the spot.[3]

Sable's elite team accompanied her to Symkaria, and once there Sable went to meet with Doctor Doom in Latveria; but then the Pack got reports of demonic doppelgangers of Earth's heroes and villains attacking the originals, and the Pack, in Symkaria, was unable to contact Sable, so they worried about her. Sandman was reluctant to set her off on a new unauthorized mission, but Sable's uncle and manager Morty authorized it, and Sable's team boarded a Stealthcraft, piloted by Quentino. However, Sandman was knocked out and impersonated by his doppleganger before takeoff.[7] Once on board, the fake Sandman used his powers to attack Quentino, but Battlestar stopped him. Still believing that they were with the real Sandman, Powell reproached him, and then the impostor tried to suffocate Powell with his powers; Chen and the Crippler helped Powell while Battlestar tried to defend Quentino. In the close-quarters fight, however, the impostor launched Battlestar at Quentino, sending the Stealthcraft into an uncontrolled power dive, but Quentino managed to save the vehicle while his companions defeated and destroyed the impostor. When they came within range of Castle Doom, they were attacked from there by turrets manned by Doom's Servo-Guards. Quentino attempted to return fire as he continued to approach, but warned his companions that the shields were damaged and his plan was to openly sacrifice the ship to crashland on the Castle's battlements so as to continue the fight from there. Indeed, the vehicle was in pieces, but the occupants were unscathed when it landed, and they emerged from the wreck to confront Doom's robots and help Sable, who was not angry on this occasion.[8]

After that, Sable was hired to recover the recently missing Statue of Liberty. As Sandman had taken a leave of absence, Sable decided to hire the cyborg Deathlok, recommended by Quentino, as a replacement, and the Pack picked up Deathlok at Coney Island with a winch. Deathlok discovered that the Statue was hidden in Grand Canyon and used his onboard computer to pilot the craft there; however, the computer's piloting style was considered too risky, though efficient, and after nearly crashing into a Canyon wall, Deathlok was reprimanded by the Crippler and Powell.[9] When the Pack recovered the stolen (and miniaturized) loot, they possibly returned using the Stealthcraft.[9]

The Pack agreed to collaborate with Deathlok later on a mission against Deathlok's enemies, former Cybertek scientists who built and sold combat cyborg Cyberwarriors from Paris. Discovering that the terrorist organization ULTIMATUM had purchased Cyberwarriors, Deathlok and the Pack attacked a French ULTIMATUM base, with the Pack initiating a dogfight and airstrike against ULTIMATUM's flying assets. This was successful and allowed Deathlok and the Pack to find about Deathlok's enemies' base.[10] There, Sable discovered that her own enemies from the Genesis Coalition had purchased Cyberwarriors, and decided to end his collaboration with Deathlok to follow the trail of the Coalition. The Pack boarded a Stealthcraft next to Notre Dame de Paris and departed.[5] Following clues from the Coalition, Sable also sought out the smuggler Leviathan in Brooklyn , but came into conflict with the vigilante Punisher, with whom he forged an uneasy alliance against Leviathan to prevent him from escaping. Leviathan fled by ship to Atlantic Ocean, but Sable followed him in a Stealthcraft, with Punisher as a passenger, and they were able to approach Leviathan's boat undetected to obtain information from him.[11] Then, discovering that the Coalition was in a Atlantic Ocean Hydra Mobile Base in the Mediterranean Sea, Sable and the Pack went there in a Stealthcraft; but she planned to sacrifice the vehicle so she could get closer without being detected. Sable correctly deduced that the Coalition's sensors trumped the Stealthcraft' cloaking capabilities, so she allowed her cannons to destroy a Stealthcraft, but not before she and her team evacuated to the Sea, where they were reunited with her ally, oceanographer superhero Stingray, which brought them closer to the enemy base in his own cloaked submarine. Sable and her people arrived at the Coalition's base,[12] and thwarted the Coalition's plan to capture Mount Wundagore in Transia.[13]

The Wild Pack then went to San Francisco tracking down the superhuman Venom,[14]) but then the city was covered in supernatural smog while the Pack was in turn attacked by demons; the smog prevented the Pack from summoning the Stealthcraft to their position. The Pack agreed to ally with Venom against a common enemy, and Quentino established a plan: He theorized that the smog did not reach the highest point of the Golden Gate Bridge and, if they could climb up there, he could remotely summon the Stealthcraft, which they could use to escape. The climb was not without difficulties, but once they were out of the reach of the smog, they were able to call the Stealthcraft and return to New York. The smog disappeared thanks to Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider.[15]

Dmitri Petrovich allowed himself to be captured by Sable to try to manipulate her into attacking the Genesis Coalition's new secret base in a convoluted plan. Sable and the Pack boarded a Stealthcraft with Petrovich as their prisoner, and she ordered her group of superhuman agents led by Sandman, the Intruders (Fin, Lightbright, Man-Eater and Paladin), to follow her to the base; but one of the Intruders, Man-Eater caused a small problem that generated a forty-seven-minute delay. Sable and her group left in advance, and aboard the vehicle she considered severely torturing Petrovich if he had lied to them. After landing, the Pack left the Stealthcraft and entered the Coalition base,[16] but once there, one of the Coalition leaders revealed to be Sable's missing uncle, Fritz Sablinov, and convinced Sable to allow her and the Pack to be captured while he carried out an even more convoluted plan that would supposedly bring about the end of the Coalition and Hydra through a military attack on Bosnia. Sable, keeping several tricks up his sleeve, pretended to accept, but discreetly had Chen send a message to the Intruders, ordering them to go to Bosnia to stop the Coalition and not attempt to rescue Sable and the Pack. Although the Intruders feared that Sable was sacrificing herself, they agreed to turn towards Bosnia, with Fin at the controls. Once in Bosnia, before disembarking, they observed that the eastern sector of the battlefield was under control because law enforcement agency S.H.I.E.L.D. was fighting the enemy forces, so they headed to the western sector, where they exited their vehicle and joined the battle, making an uneasy alliance with Hydra in the process. The Intruders' contribution to the battle was decisive in ruining the plans of Fritz Sablinov, who also died in the battle. Sable and the Pack broke free and helped bring about the end of the Genesis Coalition.[17]

Not long after, Sable decided to retire from active missions after one last solo mission, protecting the high-speed train Fujiyama Emperor at its inauguration, to settle a debt with the Foreigner. Sandman, concerned about Sable's unusual decisions, had Quentino investigate and discovered that she was pregnant, which encouraged Sandman to go as unauthorized reinforcement on the mission without even telling Sable[18] (it was later discovered that Sable's pregnancy had been a wrong diagnosis).[19] Sandman convinced Quentino,[18] who had lost the use of his legs and had been reassigned to the R&D department,[20]) to pilot for him, and Quentino agreed while pretending he had been coerced, to try and avoid Sable's reprimands and punishments. En route, Quentino also told Sandman that it was obvious that Sandman had a crush on Sable, and therefore Sable would surely have realized it too. Once they reached Japan and maintained a position close to the train, Sandman radioed Sable from the Stealthcraft, and Sable appreciated his help, informing him that the criminal Hammerhead planned to blow up the train and had captured Sable, but she had managed to escape without him finding out. Sandman got out of the Stealthcraft to help Sable on the train, and Quentino, from the controls of the Stealthcraft, used the onboard sensors to find the explosives and even jammed the signals so that they could not be activated remotely; but Quentino warned that criminals could still detonate the bombs manually. Sable, Sandman, and an ally they found on the train, Jung Sakamura,[18] prevented this from happening while Quentino kept tabs on the operation from the Stealthcraft. When the train was safe, Sable tracked Hammerhead to Tokyo, and Quentino took Sable and Sandman there aboard the Stealthcraft. Once Sable and Sandman defeated Hammerhead, Quentino took them to Castle Sable in the Stealthcraft.[19]

Sable then notified that she was withdrawing from active missions, but the Pack and the Intruders continued to operate.[19] The Intruders took a Stealthcraft for a mission in Antarctica; Sandman expressed his sadness for personal reasons as they boarded, and Paladin proposed that he lead the group himself rather than leaving it to Sandman. Sandman responded by threatening to tie him to the outside of the craft during the trip.[21]

The Pack, minus Sable, was hired by the CIA, to find and eliminate a group of defecting scientists who had fled with working prototypes of experimental weapons. The operation was coordinated by Ernst Sablinova,[21] but Sable found her new retreat empty and asked Quentino to help her observe how the mission was going. She was able to see how the Stealthcraft carrying the Pack was destroyed over the Pacific Ocean, a sacrifice accepted by Sablinova so that the enemy would believe that the Pack had died. However, Sable concluded that her father's tactics were inadequate, outdated, and unnecessarily endangering the group, so she decided to rejoin the group and resume command from her, traveling there in a new Stealthcraft piloted by Quentino. Sable climbed out of the Stealthcraft and once again participated in the battle while Quentino gave her useful information from the checkpoint.[2]

Sable eventually dismantled the Pack due to their growing incompetence[22] and, without her knowing, a conspiracy related to the terrorist group Sword of Glory.[23] While she had intended to retire,[22] she investigated on her own, and continued using Stealthcrafts as her personal choice of transport.[4]

Capabilities[]

The Stealthcraft was a combat[8] flying vehicle used by Silvija Sablinova and her elite mercenary team Wild Pack. It could be safely piloted by a single crewperson,[1] with an optional co-pilot.[16] While big enough to sit at least five passengers[1][8] plus a pilot[9] and optional co-pilot,[16] the Stealthcraft was so sleek that it could fit between the walls of the Grand Canyon[9] or the buildings of New York City.[3] It had a retractable[19] four-wheel landing gear[7] that was once used to land in the streets of Paris, just in front of Notre Dame Cathedral.[5]

True to its name, the Stealthcraft had stealth capabilities that made the vehicle nigh invisible to the naked eye and sensors[1] (thou, when not cloaked, the logo of Silver Sable International was visible onits side).[5] This allowed two Stealthcrafts to sneak into an operation of Hydra,[1] another Stealthcraft to go near smuggler Leviathan's boat,[11] and one more to fly close to Japanese high-speed train Fujiyama Emperor without attracting attention.[18][19] However, the Stealthcraft was detected by the sensors of Bob Jameson's renegade scientists[2] and by the Genesis Coalition in their stolen Hydra Mobile Base; in both case, the enemy party destroyed the Stealthcraft, yet its occupants managed to leave it safely.[12] The Stealthcraft did not even try to use stealth when approaching Castle Doom in Doomstadt, either because the crew believed that Doctor Doom's sensors would surely trump the Stealthcraft's capabilities, or because they were not sure at that point whether Doom was their enemy.[8]

Other capabilities of the ship included:

  • Cannons.[8]
  • Hyperspeed, the details of which are unrevealed.[2]
  • Radio communication with other Pack agents.[18]
  • The vehicle could be called using a remote.[15]
  • Onboard scanners[2] that could be used to find everything from hidden explosives[18] to combat situations.[17]) Bob Jameson's agents managed to circumvent these scanners.[2]
  • Shields, thou these could be damaged by intense attacks, in which case only the hull protected the occupants.[8]
  • Extreme veering ability.[8]
Like other similar technologies, the Stealthcraft consumed fuel.[1]

Notes

  • Most of the time, the Stealthcraft appeared to have little passenger space, with soldiers sitting on benches opposite each other and looking each other in the eye, not wearing seat belts,[8] or even standing while preparing for an operation.[1] [3] Once, Silver Sable was seen sitting in the stern in a more comfortable chair.[19] However, when the Pack picked up Deathlok at Coney Island, the interior of the craft seemed much more spacious (in a way that allowed Deathlok's large size to be highlighted).[9]

Trivia

  • Although the Stealthcraft had combat capacities,[8] Sable systematically left the vehicle to lead land-based attacks on the enemies, even if the Stealthcraft was still operational;[13] there was a hatch on the ship's belly to drop soldiers even mid-flight.[3]
  • Several members of the Wild Pack were able to pilot the Stealthcraft, including Silver Sable;[1] Battlestar (with Chen as his copilot);[16] and Raul Quentino.[7] Deathlok's computer could also pilot the Stealthcraft.[9]
    • Quentino was proven to be an excellent pilot, performing tricky maneuvers and keeping the ship steady enough for Chen to balance a knife on her finger[8] or for Sandman to sculpt artworks while onboard. after Quentino lost the use of his legs, the Stealthcrafts were adapted so that he could still operate them, thou it took him ten minutes to get on board (Two minutes with help).[18]
      • Quentino sometimes used a google-like device when piloting the Stealthcraft,[7][24] but not always.[8]
    • Fin used a communicator on his ear and a microphone on his mouth when piloting it.[17])
  • There are several Wild Pack and Intruders operations in this timeframe where they probably used a Stealthcraft for transport, but the vehicle is not seen or explictly mentioned. These include:
    • Travelling to South America to deal with the Genesis Coalition's base.[25]) On the other hand, Paladin possibly did not use a Stealthcraft to find the Coalition there, because he was not a member of the team, having been hired as a freelance.[3]
    • The Intruders may have used a Stealthcraft to go to Kentucky in their first mission.[26])
    • The whole operation to deliver supplies in Somalia.[26])[27]) Hydra may have destroyed the Stealthcraft before the Pack could use it to go back home.[27])
    • Travelling to San Francisco to chase Venom.[14])
    • In San Francisco, Quentino arranges for the Stealthcraft to pick them up automatically by sending her a signal, which clearly suggests that the Stealthcraft is not far.[15]
    • Going to Beverly Hills with the Intruders for the organized gang operation, which may have required two Stealthcrafts.[28])
    • Travelling to Mexico to protect the Mayan pyramids.[29])
  • Similarly, there are situations where the use of the Stealthcraft is inferred because it is seen when the Pack went back home but not when they reached the location.
    • For example: In the Paris operation, the Pack is seen attacking ULTIMATUM from some unrevealed airborne position[10] but at the end of the mission, they are seen boarding a Stealthcraft to leave France.[5]
  • Amy Chen forbid the Crippler from smoking onboard the craft.[7]
  • Sable allowed the Punisher to travel in a Stealthcraft at a point when they were uncomfortable allies, suggesting that access to the interior of the vehicle is not restricted to only Pack members.[11]
  • The operation in Latveria to depose the Dreadknight did not include Stealthcrafts: Sable picks up Spider-Man in the United States and goes to Latveria in a different vehicle she calls "Airship", and returns Spider-Man to the States in what looks like a commercial airplane (thou it seems to be piloted by Quentino).

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #1
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #35
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #3
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sable and Fortune #2
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #19
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #10 ; Silver Sable's profile
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #4
  8. ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #5
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #6
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Deathlok (Vol. 2) #18
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #10
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #11
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #12
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #18
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #19
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #24
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #25
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #32
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #33
  20. ↑ Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #22
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #34
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Sable and Fortune #1
  23. ↑ Sable and Fortune #4
  24. ↑ Spider-Man Unlimited #16
  25. ↑ Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #8
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #15
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #16
  28. ↑ Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #21
  29. ↑ Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #29
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