The 42nd Special Fighter Squadron (Squadron 42) is an active unit of the United Empire of Earth (UEE) Navy. The squadron's mascot is the mythical phoenix and their motto is "Valor Rises So Others May Live." Currently assigned to the 2nd Fleet, 65th Battle Group, Squadron 42 is most often deployed for missions that require a high level of skill.
Originally established as a disciplinary unit for soldiers who failed to follow orders, it came to fame in SEY 2610 during the Battle of Centauri at the end of the Second Tevarin War. Their newly assigned commander Captain Alexandra Dunlevy noted the individual talents of the pilots during missions and began to give them leeway to make their own calls.
This strategy led to a series of successes that eventually put the 42nd in the path of Warlord Corath'Thal. Under their own direction, the 42nd ambushed the fleet as it was funneling through a jump point to the Elysium system and disabled their shields, thus opening the way for the UEE Navy's carrier ships to move in and decimate the Tevarin armada. This brought an end to the long war and marked the beginning of the 42nd's history of prestige.