Rocket Babe_Reflection

by Stephen R. DeArman

“Just look them in the eyes, Lieutenant, and squeeze the trigger. Get ready, they’re about to charge.”

  Suddenly dozens of Emim soldiers broke into the open, and as expected, they were huge, easily twice the size of those standing before them. With great speed and precision, they moved across the field in front of their human counter parts and quickly formed a broad line just as Starr had predicted. Once the line was set they began walking toward the tiny group, buzzing as they came, daring the DSSF officers to come to meet them.

  Randall leaned over to Verna and halfway laughed. “Now I know how John Wayne felt at the Alamo.”

  Verna rolled her eyes and shook her head. “He wasn’t at the Alamo.”

  “Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five…”

  “Sela stop counting them. Just wait for my order. Stay down and get ready… fire!”

  All at once lead and lasers filled the air as both sides opened up on the other. Shots rang out all the way down the tree and as she fired, to her right Penelope could hear rapid single shots, bam, bam, bam, and see as many soldiers fall while Sela calmly dropped those closest to her. Penelope tried to focus on the ones directly in front of her position, and while she hit several in the chest and shoulders the effects were momentary. They merely stumbled back a step or two before resuming their march.

  During the first minute of battle things seemed to be going their way, as more than a dozen Emim soldiers fell before them, but as their wounded retreated Randall could see a fresh line forming.

  Multiple laser bolts hit within inches of their heads, igniting the old tree in several places. The heat of the lasers was tremendous and in only a few seconds the old dry oak was totally engulfed in flames. It seemed to be burning much hotter than normal for wood, with the intense heat forcing the humans back from the spontaneous bonfire.

  Randall grabbed the collar of Twain’s jacket and signaled the others to fall back as he dragged him away from the heat. Starr expected the Emim to rush them from either end of the roaring flames, but to her surprise two soldiers hurtled over the great flaming log, landing right in front of Addison and Penelope.

  The lieutenants quickly aimed and fired, striking the giants foreheads, and as the soldiers fell dead at their feet they both turned to look for Randall with a smile on their faces.

  Randall pumped his fist in the air. “That’s my girls! Keep firing!”

  Finally, the first wave was eliminated, but there were many more soldiers to come. Twain had been drifting in and out of consciousness as the battle progressed, but occasionally he caught a glimpse of Verna as she stood next to, or over him. She knelt to take his pulse and the warm touch of her hand on his cold bare neck caused the young captain to briefly open his eyes. From his point of view a beautiful, shimmering angel was hovering over him, but everything seemed to be moving in slow motion including the angel. He tried to speak to her, but nothing would come out. Verna could see his lips moving, but there was far too much noise to hear him even if he had been able to speak.

  Smiling down at him she tried to be reassuring. “Stay still, it’s going to be ok. We’ll get you home.”

  As the laser fire intensified, Randall looked up into a clear blue sky and screamed, “Where’s that ship?”

  Verna pulled a small satellite phone from her inside jacket pocket and opened a frequency. “Four minutes… reload!”

  As the second wave began to move forward, Randall peeked out from his end of the white-hot stump to see at least thirty soldiers moving in on them.

  “Let’s fall back ten yards and form a semi-circle around Twain.”

  “Agreed!”

  The Emim were more cautious on the second wave, and when they realized the humans had ceased fire they became confused. Slowly they approached them until their line split with half going to either end of the tree. When the first soldier tried to look around the root ball, Randall dropped him on the first shot with the same thing happening on Sela’s end; one Emim, one shot.

  All at once they could hear the sound of turbines spinning over their heads, and as Randall looked up he gave a sigh of relief. “Finally!”

  Verna again opened her phone to call her fighter. “CVERS; Starr authorization code 715-20-00, identify DSSF signal location.”

  “White hats, identified.”

  “Eliminate all life signs beyond ten feet of transmission origin to a distance of five hundred yards, gats only. FIRE!”

  No sooner said than done, 100’s guns opened up on every heat signature more than ten feet away from Starr’s signal. In less than a minute and 6,000 rounds later, every Emim within a quarter mile lay dead.

  “CVERS, vertical landing protocol, Starr alpha 2.”

  “Acknowledged, initiating Starr alpha 2.”

  Those who remained watched as 100 dropped straight down on them and made a soft landing, dead center of the clearing.

  As the landing gears locked into place, Randall just shook his head. “Now that’s impressive!”

  Verna however, was more focused. “Everyone, get aboard quickly and strap in. I’ll get Twain.” When she got to Twain he was flat on his back with his eyes open, but he appeared to be only half conscious.

  “Captain, I don’t know if you can hear or understand me but it’s over. We’re taking you home. Just relax and try to rest.”

  Twain was in bad shape and in immediate need of a hospital, but even in his dazed state he could indeed hear and understand her sweet reassuring voice. More importantly to him, he could finally see clearly the smiling angelic face of the one who had saved him.

  Five hours later in the base hospital at Incirlik, Randall was the last of the crew to be released from the emergency room. Everyone except for Captain Twain had been attended to and cleared to return home.

  Sela tried hard not to laugh when she saw Randall come limping into the waiting room with a large bandage around his head. “Look! It’s Sheik Randall Ali-baba! Did they give you a cane, Granddaddy?”

  Randall faked a smile as he replied. “You are so funny… Private Sela.”

  All three lieutenants rushed to wrap their arms around him and just in time for Verna to arrive to a now familiar sight.

  “If you can tear yourselves away I have your medical updates. I just spoke with the doctor and here’s what he had to say. Addison and Penelope are good to go, only mild dehydration with a few scrapes and bruises. Sela, doc says the same for you, except for eight stitches to the back of your thigh. Why didn’t you tell me you were injured?”

  “It’s just a scrape, ma’am. The doc cleaned it, stitched me up and gave me a tetanus shot. I’m fine and good to go.”

  “Do you have the antibiotic meds he prescribed?” Sela held up the bottle of pills the doctor had given her a few minutes before.

  “Good. See that you take it all and if you need help changing the bandage let me know.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Commander Randall, the doctor says your concussion is not severe but substantial enough to place you on medical leave for three weeks. The doc here will fax your file to Doctor McDonald at HQ shortly and he will determine when you can return to duty.”

  “That’s a crock! I’m fine.”

  “He said three weeks! Do you want me to make it four?” Randall looked a bit steamed but held his tongue.

  “Since we’re finished here it’s time to go home. I want everyone strapped in and ready to go in ten minutes. Addison, preflight and be ready for takeoff when I get there.”

  Addison’s head dropped slightly. “Aye Captain.”

  “Is there something wrong, Lieutenant?”

  “Well, I had hoped to check in on Captain Twain before we left.”

  Verna smiled. “I see. Be brief, then preflight.”

  “Yes, ma’am!” Addison flashed a bright smile as she took off down the hall.

  Randall looked at his wife and shook his head. “If you don’t mind, I thought I’d take a minute to look in on Twain before we go.”

  “That’
s a good idea. We’ll both go. His room is just down the hall. You go ahead, and I’ll follow you and the lieutenant in just a moment.”

  “Ok, see you there.”

  As Randall stepped through the door of Twain’s room, Addison was handing him a cup of ice water and smiling from ear to ear. She had the head of his bed elevated with him propped up on several pillows.

  “I enjoyed talking to you in the ER, Lieutenant, and thank you for helping with the bed and pillows. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you next month when I come to DSSF HQ for a couple of weeks. Would you like to have dinner one night while I’m there?”

  Commander Randall had never seen Addison’s eyes so big or smile so bright. Almost shouting she instantly answered, “YESSS! I mean yes, you know, if you want to.”

  “How will I find you?”

  “That’s easy. Our quarters are right next to the flight line, or just ask anyone to point you to Commander Randall’s office. He always knows where I am.”

  “Great! Then it’s a date.”

  “Great!”

  “Great!”

  “Ok, now that you have that settled, Lieutenant, shouldn’t you be seeing to preflight?”

  Addison’s wide smile quickly became a look of pain. “Yes, sir, on my way. Good bye, Mark, I mean, Captain.”

  “Good bye, Addison. I’ll see you soon.”

  “She seems very nice, Commander.”

  “She is… and she has a lot of male friends who would be very upset if someone were to be less than a gentleman with her.”

  Twain smiled. “I’m sure you’d be at the head of the line.”

  “The very first one. But you wouldn’t want to be on the opposite end of that butt-kicking contest. It would be a very long line.”

  Twain chuckled. “Pardon me for saying this, Commander, but aren’t you a little old to be looking for hand to hand?”

  “Old? I’m only a year or two older than you. You know, I made a stupid statement like that once to my dad. He was career USAF and fought in two wars. When I was a teenager I used to make fun of his age until one day he set me straight, and I’m going to give you the same advice he gave to me back then. ‘Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young.’”

  Twain laughed again. “Message received, loud and clear!”

  Randall nodded then changed the subject.

  “How are you feeling, Captain?”

  “Not too bad, now. They’ve patched me up pretty good and given me some really wonderful stuff for pain. In fact, I haven’t felt this good in a long time, but it looks like I’ll be here for about thirty days. My vision is almost back to normal and they say my ears will stop ringing soon, but my memory is a little spotty. When I try to remember the last few days there’s not much there, it’s all in bits and pieces. I don’t really know what was real, or just my imagination.”

  “I wouldn’t waste a lot of time worrying about it. My guess would be there’s probably not much you would want to remember.”

  “Perhaps, but there is one thing I would like to know, and if you don’t mind, Commander, I’d like to describe what I do recall and have you tell me what, if anything, was real.”

  “I’ll do what I can. What do you remember?”

  “I think at one point I must have been near death, because I saw a beautiful angel and she was trying to save me.”

  “An angel? Really?”

  “Yes, didn’t you see her? She was gorgeous!”

  “You mean with wings, wearing a long white robe and flying around with a trumpet?”

  “No, not like that. She wasn’t wearing a robe. It was more like a shiny black flight suit and at one point she was fighting giants!”

  “You must have really whacked your head. Start from when you were shot down.”

  “Ok, after I ejected I came down in an overgrown pasture near an old farm house, so I decided to seek help. But when I got there, it was obvious the place had been abandoned long ago. Because it was cold I spent the first night in the house. Early the next morning as I stepped outside, in the distance I could see what appeared to be many soldiers coming directly for the house, and man were they big!

  “I got out of there as fast as I could, and for about forty-eight hours I tried to evade them, but no matter how well I covered my tracks they eventually circled back, and I would take off again. Every four hours I would activate my recovery beacon, but I had to keep moving to stay ahead of those… things. Then, not long after nightfall of the third day, I was hiding near the mouth of a small cave and praying. That’s when I suddenly heard the sweetest, softest voice calling to me. At first, I couldn’t see anyone, so I thought I was beginning to hallucinate. After all, I had been more than three days without food or sleep and more than a day without water.

  “At that point I was almost convinced I was losing my mind, until she stepped out into the open and told me to come with her. She was there to take me home. It was so dark all I could make out was the shapely silhouette of a woman, and while I couldn’t see her very well, I could tell she was beautiful and her voice was so soothing. The only other thing that I remember about her appearance is that she had short hair.”

  “You mean like a forest pixie?”

  “Yes, exactly, but I know she was an angel!”

  “I had been running for days and was completely exhausted. She handed me a canteen, and after I finished it all she told me not to speak again until we were safe. Then the angel took my hand and began to lead me through the darkness. We went along for a while, but at some point, I stumbled and fell. The next thing I knew it was daytime and my sinuses were on fire. That’s when I saw you.”

  Randall had a huge smile as he listened to Twain’s miraculous escape story. “Your tale is fascinating, please continue!”

  “Then you, me and three beautiful women made our way through a dense forest to a clearing where I passed out. After that I was in and out of consciousness, but there were flashes of a fire fight. When I opened my eyes, I could see her in broad open daylight. That sweet angelic face and heavenly body, fighting hard to get me home! I’ve never felt so special in my life.

  “When it was all over, she bent down and told me we were going home. And now, here I am, but the angel is gone. Now tell me Commander, how much of that is true?”

  “Well, Captain, I can only confirm from the part where you first saw me and my crew, before that I couldn’t say. As for a beautiful angel…”

  “Come on, Commander, you’re just messing with me. You had to have seen her. When she wasn’t standing over me she was right there next to you. Wait. Was there a fire fight? And a huge fire. I know I remember that! I could feel the heat but couldn’t move. I’m not sure now. Maybe I was dreaming.”

  Randall could not contain himself any longer and decided to finally let Twain off the hook. “Ok, Captain, here it is. There was a bit of a dust up with some rather large aliens and there was a very big fire, but you met the lieutenants, Sela, Addison and Penelope when you met me.”

  “Yes, of course, I remember them. All three, beautiful blondes with braided hair and the whitest teeth, but the angel, she was perfect and had short, dark brown hair and the fullest lips.”

  “You mean dark brown with red highlights, and kind of like a pixie.”

  “That’s right! Then you did see her! I knew you were pulling my leg! Her smile was radiant, and that sweet soft voice was so calming. I knew she had to be an angel. I never really believed in that kind of thing before, but now I do.”

  Randall was struggling to keep a straight face as he listened to the captain attempt to piece together the events of the last 24 hours with his new-found faith. While Randall had been talking, Twain had noticed a lot of people moving past his door, but with little interest. That is, until he caught a glimpse of his angel in a shimmering black flight suit. Verna had stopped at the room across the hall in her search for them. When she realized it was unoccupied she turned to check the next room, Twain’s.

  Ve
rna came through the door, and as she fully faced the captain he became very excited. His eyes grew wide and suddenly he had the strength of ten men as he grabbed the bed rail to pull himself over the side.

  “Look! It’s her! It’s the angel! Isn’t she gorgeous?”

  Randall turned to see Verna smiling as she entered the room. “There you two are, I’ve been looking all over.”

  As she approached the bed, Verna put out her hand expecting to shake hands, but that’s not what she got. “Captain Twain, how are you feeling?”

  As she spoke, Twain took her hand and lovingly kissed it, and after a long while he finally answered. “Sweet, beautiful angel, I am more than healed, now that you’re here. Thank you for saving my life! Now that I see you clearly, you are even more beautiful than before.”

  Verna slowly retracted her hand as she looked at Randall with a strange questioning smile. It was difficult for him not to go into hysterics, but somehow, he managed to do the introductions.

  “Captain Twain, I’d like for you to meet Captain Verna Starr, my wife.”

  For a moment Twain had a huge smile, but the last part of the intro nearly caused a seizure.

  “Your um… your… wi… wife?”

  “Yes, my wife.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  “Nooo!”

  “Yep.”

  Stunned by the revelation, Twain began to shake his head side to side, then slowly sank back into the pillows. The truth was almost more than he could take, but after a few moments he gathered himself enough to speak.

  “This is so… embarrassing. I’m afraid I’ve made a terrible mistake. Please allow me to start over. It’s nice to meet you, Captain Starr. I thought… well, it doesn’t matter now. Again, thank you for all you have done for me. I would have died by now if you had not come to my aid.”

  “We were all very glad to help and from what I hear you have gained an admirer.”

  “An admirer?”

  “Lieutenant Addison. She took care of you and stayed by your side all the way back.”

  “Oh yes, we spent some time together in the ER getting to know each other. We have a dinner date when I come to HQ next month.”