The Comets

Among the relatively small Airship Navy of the nation of Estrella, The Comets are considered the most elite. The Comets are the combat officers of the Estrellan Navy trained of the in the use of "Comet-Packs". Starting with the base level phoenix packs of most Dragoon Freeblades, "comet packs" are modified with a small retractile glider.
This allows for continual flight at very high speeds. The name of both the pack as well as the military unit found it's origin in black humour. The first test subjects of this experimental technology often died when the glider attached was lit on fire by the extreme heat of the phoenix packs. The appearance of the flaming corpse plummeting towards the earth appeared to some as the streaking tail of a comet falling to earth.
Through the determination of Grand Captain Leofric Stringer the technology was finally perfected. From there, Grand Captain Stringer took a handful of promising officers to train and develop technology for new forms of warfare.
Though derided by many captains and generals, Stringer's Shrikes, as the first unit of this force were to be called proved themselves a fearsome and adaptable fighting force. Known for daring raids on pirate ships, taking the ship without a cannon shot fired, this unit became legendary among many new recruits. Due to this fame, the application rate for the Estrellan Navy exponentially increased. While very few applicants are ever going to be recruited for The Comets. the prestige and visibility of the unit have become the figurehead of the Estrellan Navy.
It was shortly after the influx of applications that the heads of the Navy decided to make this new unit a proper, if small, branch of the Navy. The small unit was incorporated under the command of Grand Captain Shrike. Needing a name for the new unit of the Navy, Shrike took the title of Comets to claim the former insult as a badge of honor.