by John Walker
Maybe we should hurry and take them on down there.
They still held a major advantage against the lumbering shuttle. Their ordinance alone made them a major threat.
“Breaking atmosphere now.” Another one of the fighters exploded, caught by the turrets.
Four’s better than five I guess.
The shuttle began bucking as air pockets buffeted the hull. Some of the younger marines really started to bellyache about it. Jenks knew how they felt. He’d seen it too many times and even separated from their misery by years, he sympathized quietly. Turbulence sucked, there was no way around it.
And being chased by a bunch of fighters sure as hell doesn’t make it easier to weather.
“Bogies are still with us,” the pilot drawled again, still sounding like he ordered tea and hadn’t received it yet. “They’re opening fire. Evasive maneuvers. Hang on.”
The shuttle banked hard, but Jenks couldn’t tell the direction. His entire body tensed up to the action. He felt like his back might break when suddenly they leveled out and continued their descent. The sound around him felt oppressive, from the silence of space to the constant barrage of white noise of engines and wind.
Their turrets barked now, their sound having a venue to be heard from. An explosion made Jenks wince but he let out a sigh when he realized it must’ve been an enemy. That moment of relaxation made his surprise all the more shocking. A blow struck the shuttle, shearing the back off as surely as if a torch sliced right through.
It nearly took the legs from the men in back with it.
“Mayday, mayday,” the pilot still sounded relaxed! Does that dude even have emotions? “We are going down. Thrusters are out. Deploying payload. Have a nice trip down, gentlemen. See you on planet side.”
Shit! Here we go!
Jenks saw out of his peripheral vision as the marines were launched from the ship, ejected to avoid whatever fate was in store for their doomed transport. They went out in twos, going down the row toward him, Walsh and Hoffner. When his time came, weightlessness caught him and he turned in place so he faced downward into a bank of clouds.
His HUD showed he was still over thirty-thousand feet up. Christ, I’ve got to survive for ninety seconds up here? This is fabulous…if they can detect us, we’re done. He turned off his electronics, killing everything but the altimeter. The less signature he gave off, the better and he passed the hint on to the rest of his men before going dark.
Now it’s up to fate, I guess. The shuttle plunged into the clouds, a fiery metal projectile heading for the surface at a much faster rate of speed than them. It would impact and cause a lot of trauma long before the marines touched down. I hope the pilot got out of there. We haven’t even truly started the mission. This doesn’t bode well….
Chapter 10
Meagan received the order to stand down but she didn’t let her squadron leave the hangar. They lingered near their ships, waiting for the fight outside to end or a chance to get out there. Each one wore their helmets to listen to the pilot’s action report being sent to Giant Command, the marine line.
As the shuttle made for atmosphere, Meagan got an idea. She turned to Mick. “When they leave space, they’re advantage won’t mean shit.”
Mick smirked. “You’re right. We should get ready.”
“Everyone to your ships,” Meagan called out and brought Revente up on her com. “Group Commander, we need immediate permission to launch.”
“The captain told you guys to stand down,” Revente replied. “I think you remember why.”
“Yes, they have an advantage. In space.”
Revente hesitated to respond. “Ah…yes, I see your point.”
“Give us clearance, sir. We can keep those assholes off the marines when they start their descent. The shuttle needs every chance it can get.”
“And you get your chance at a little payback, huh?”
This time, Meagan hesitated. “A fringe benefit.”
“You’re cleared,” Revente said. “I’ll talk to the captain and let him know what’s going on.”
“Thank you.”
Meagan climbed into the cockpit and fired her up. “Alright, Panther, we haven’t fought in atmo for a while. I trust you all remember the differences. Be careful about too crazy of maneuvers and take down as many of those bastards as you can. We’ve got a shuttle to protect.”
She led the way, launching first and banking hard toward the planet. The shuttle already broke atmosphere, the trail of smoke from entry made it easy to see where they were going. The others joined her, forming up as they accelerated to full speed. Catching up wouldn’t be a problem but they had to catch the angle just right or even their shields wouldn’t protect them.
This is like before the attack when we were still fighting each other at home. Let’s see how often these pricks have dealt with turbulence…or a load of pissed off pilots out for their blood.
***
Adam didn’t even try to argue with Revente when he got the news. He turned to Gray and let him know what was going on. Privately, he didn’t blame the pilots for wanting in on the action and their reasoning was more than sound. The odds would even out of space, providing they could all get there.
“I guess we trust them then,” Gray replied. “Monitor the situation. We shouldn’t risk any other pilots. Are they even at full strength?”
“No, they only launched five ships and one of them’s borrowed.”
Gray shook his head. “Can’t argue with their determination.” The ship shook from a heavy blow. “Report!”
Olly waved his hand over his head. “It’s okay, sir. That wasn’t a shield breach just a particularly heavy hit from one of their turrets.”
Durant spoke up, “I’m monitoring their power output. The kinetic force is solid but our shields can hold. We just need to find a way to breach their shields…I can tell you this, only a few alliance ships in service could withstand an attack like this. We’ve got a lot of work to do if there are more of these guys out there.”
“Let’s hope not,” Leonard muttered.
“Transfer the guns back to me,” Redding said. “We’ve escorted the shuttle and are ready to devote all our attention to the enemy vessel.”
“Very good.” Adam watched the screen as they altered course, directing themselves straight for the enemy.
“Their relay cannon seems to only be able to activate for a set period of time,” Durant said. “That could be an advantage if they’re draining power from all the generators but whoever was clever enough to build such a weapon probably gave the thing its own power station. That way, defenses wouldn’t be compromised.”
“But if they wanted to recharge faster,” Gray said, “wouldn’t they want it tapped into the main drive?”
“Safety protocol would defy such a thing,” Durant replied. “But then again, these guys don’t scream safe is something they care about. Let’s hope they did it. Because when it turns off next time, we should give them all we’ve got.”
“Missiles too?” Adam asked. He hoped to use them and wanted to see how much damage they might cause. If they could even weaken the shields, the turrets could do the rest.
“They might help.” Durant hummed. “I’ll run a quick simulation.”
“Oh good,” Adam muttered. “We’ve got plenty of time for that.”
“Keep at them,” Gray said. “Don’t let up, even as we formulate a plan. I want them to be on their toes the entire time we’re out here.”
***
Meagan hit the atmosphere at the proposed entry point but even with an optimal angle, her ship bucked wildly. Oh yeah, I don’t miss this kind of thing one bit. She began rattling around even as the shields brightened in front of her, absorbing the brunt of the heat of entry. The entire process would take less than twenty seconds before the air’s turbulence would be the only thing to worry about.
At least I’ll avoid being incinerated before having the chance to fire a shot. I might’ve overest
imated my skills down here. To say I’m rusty might be an understatement.
Compensating for the wind and working with it were two different things. Meagan used to be good at the latter but may have to rest on the former. Breaking through the first layer of cloud coverage, she saw the thrusters of the enemy ships up ahead. She accelerated, trying to close some distance when the enemy opened fire.
The shuttle tried to dodge aside, pulling off an impressive evasive maneuver but the blast tore off the backside, ruining the thrusters in the process. God damn it! Meagan scowled, willing the fighter to move faster. Men ejected from the vessel, each one becoming a mostly helpless target.
Their guns won’t help them against the enemy’s shields so we’ve got to cover them on the way down. Thank God we came out here.
“We’re nearly there, Panther,” Meagan said. “Don’t let up on any of these guys. We have to keep up the pressure until they’re dead or our guys are safe. Can’t speak for all of you but I’d rather not go back to the Behemoth without ensuring we take down every single ship down here. I’m moving to engage.”
Meagan focused on the nearest ship, one that dove toward the marines descending toward the surface. She fired a warning shot, grazing the shields. It didn’t cause any damage but the blow forced the pilot to change course and go evasive. As she hoped, the bastard was not particularly skilled nor used to flying in atmosphere.
His maneuver almost looked as if he were flying in slow motion. Meagan spun, dropping nearly a hundred feet in altitude to get behind him. Without hesitating, she depressed the trigger. The cockpit warmed up and her weapons let off a series of high pitch barks as they fired, a wholly unfamiliar sound considering their space operations.
The first three hits missed but she compensated, scoring a direct blow to the fuselage. Shields flared…he attempted to pull up but the last two shots got through, connecting with his engines. The ship exploded and wreckage blasted off in every direction as a massive fireball lit up the sky.
“Splash one,” Meagan called over the radio. A flash of light caught her attention and she risked a glance, noting two of the Panther fighters took out another ship. They worked in tandem, leading the enemy to pull up into a hail of gunfire that ripped through the shields enough for the second pilot to score a hit all along the side, igniting ordinance.
“That would be two,” Lieutenant Paris Tullefsan, the man who took over Leslie’s spot as Panther Five, made the announcement. He had it out for the enemy perhaps more than anyone considering. An elevation in number due to death left everyone feeling uncomfortable. They hadn’t made it official, and wouldn’t until they found another pilot.
Meagan’s scanner warned her of an impending collision and she climbed, gunning the throttle. The suddenness of the action pressed her into her seat and she leveled off a moment later when the threat passed her by, a missile dumb fired. They wanted me to move…but why? What’s the point?
The answer to her question came a moment later as the other two ships came at her from the side. She spun, going into a full dive into the cloud coverage. Her altimeter became a blur as she raced toward the ground. White mist surrounded her and all at once broke away to reveal a rocky, mountainous landscape some miles below.
“I’ve got both of them on me,” Meagan called out. “Anyone see this?”
“Relax,” Mick said. “We’re on it. Just don’t get shot.”
Meagan sighed. Great advice. More shots passed her by, blasts which would eventually make it to the surface and chew up the rocks. She banked hard to the left and tried to shake them off but at least one of them remained all over her. What I wouldn’t give for the ability to spin in place right now.
She performed evasive maneuvers, keeping out of easy targeting. Other blips appeared on her scanner, something she saw out of her peripheral vision. The rest of Panther wing moved in for the kill, flying in a wide formation to blanket the area with the most firepower they could muster.
“You might want to get ready to dive,” Mick said. “We’re about to unleash on these guys.”
“On your mark,” Meagan replied. “The last thing I’m in the mood for is finding out how unfriendly friendly fire can be.”
“Sync up,” Mick called out. “And on three…one…two…three.”
Meagan dove as soon as he said the number, just as countless shots lit up the sky. One of the enemy pilots couldn’t react quickly enough and got caught in a few blasts. His wings were torn off and fire erupted from his fuselage. He ejected just as his ship began to go down, a parachute opening a moment later.
The other one followed Meagan, staying hot on her tail. He matched her speed and course, even as she went straight for the nearest mountain. Tapping her computer, she brought up a three dimensional, topographical display of the area. A canyon led through the space and if she couldn’t shake him, maybe she could outfly him.
Or crash into an alien rock formation, whichever comes first.
“Let’s see what you’ve got, buddy.” Meagan plunged toward the ground and leveled out less than fifteen hundred feet from the ground, roughly the midpoint of the canyon. As she entered, the rocks on both sides became ominous and oppressive, making her feel boxed in. The map on her HUD showed when to make turns but having never done it, it might’ve been more dangerous than all the fights she’d been in combined.
Hitting a wall would not afford time for a proper ejection after all.
Meagan banked softly to the left, following the route and her opponent kept after her, matching her maneuver. He’s pretty good. She thought. I’m impressed so far. Let’s see if you can handle this though. She noted a taller outcropping of rocks coming up and targeted the base, firing a missile.
As the projectile streaked off, she gunned her acceleration, racing to get past the trap she tried to spring. An explosion resounded through the area and the stones began to crumble. Meagan blurred by as they collapsed, falling behind her. The enemy climbed and cleared the hazard before chasing after her again however, she gained some distance.
“You’re insane,” Mick said. “We’re just about to you. I’d recommend getting out of that rock formation before you become a permanent resident.”
“As soon as you have a lock and can take this guy out.”
The enemy fired, riddling the walls around her with blasts. Chunks of rock flew everywhere, forcing Meagan to climb again to avoid even the smaller obstacles. Her shields might burn through them but she didn’t feel like taking a chance. When she cleared the canyon and approached open air again, her nemesis closed again.
Just as he was getting too close for comfort again, a series of shots lit up the sky again, this time from Mick’s fighter. He caught the enemy on the nose, making him tumble. The sudden change in momentum, the flipping itself caused his wings to tear off and he hit the ground at nearly three hundred knots.
The fusion core went up a moment later, sending a shockwave that felt like turbulence as Meagan fought to compensate for the force. The other pilots joined her, falling into a formation. She realized she was covered in sweat, her pulse racing. It probably started the moment she plunged toward the ground and only just now began to subside.
“Got any more aerial show tricks you want to show us?” Flight Lieutenant David Benning, Panther Three, asked. “Cause that one was pretty amazing.”
“Thanks, I’ll be sticking to the safer side of combat flying if you don’t mind.” Meagan contacted Revente to let him know what happened. He probably already received a report about the ground team but she included what they saw and let them know they were on their way back. No casualties this time.
Thank God, I’m done losing pilots or ships.
“Stay down there,” Revente said. “If the enemy shuttle takes off, we’ll need you there to bring it down. It cannot reach their capital ship, understand?”
“We’ve got it,” Meagan said. “Okay, we’re on standby until the bad guys are dealt with. Keep an eye out for their shuttle. We might have some
more work to do today after all.”
***
Jenks leveled out as he fell, throwing his arms out to the side and parting his legs. His altimeter suggested he had a while before he’d want to open his chute, especially with the enemy pilots flying around like maniacs. He felt some relief when he saw their own ships chase them off. Most of their fight could be seen from his vantage point, blasts and crazy aerial maneuvers…all cut off when he plunged into the clouds.
Turning to his altimeter, he watched it carefully. His scanner suggested he was at least heading toward dry ground, which helped a great deal. The last thing he wanted was to fall into some alien sea. If it happened to only be water, whatever lived in it might need a snack. Being eaten on an alien world was not on the recruitment brochure.
“Report in,” Hoffner’s voice filled his helmet. “Where is everyone?”
“Still on descent,” Jenks replied. “Looks like I’m more than half way down.”
Others gave similar reports but a few were already down and had linked up. They were prepared to approach the monastery. Coordinates were transmitted to his scanner and he tried to aim in that direction. The parachute would make it easier to get close but they had to hurry. If the enemy got what they wanted and got to their ship, it would be up to the pilots again.
I really don’t want to give them the glory on this one.
Jenks pulled his chute, grabbing the handles to maneuver toward the rendezvous point. His scanner turned up no enemy activity. Friendly blips filled the HUD but they were scattered about the area, each converging on the point. They needed to rally quickly if they wanted to accomplish their mission but the terrain looked treacherous enough to delay them all.
The rocky surface came up quickly and he pulled his legs up, preparing to land on the most even ground he could find. Touching down, he detached the parachute and dropped in a single motion, rolling forward to a crouching position. With his rifle out, he cleared the area then hustled toward the rendezvous.