by Adam Thielen
“No,” yelled Tsenka over the murmuring of those gathered. “Look.”
She pointed to a long thin object far behind the incoming aircraft. The radar updated, and it had moved forward significantly faster than the other bogeys.
“That’s the rocket,” she said. “It’s much higher up, isn’t it?”
“Uh, yes,” said the manager. “And it’s moving fast.”
“Are you sure that’s a rocket?”
“Wait, what rocket are we talking about?”
The Dracul hushed them and explained the threat. Again the radar updated and it moved closer, gaining on the invading air forces.
“Its signature fits the intel we have,” said the infosec chief.
“Good god, we are under attack,” said a woman, feeling the import of what she was seeing. “How long do we have?”
The manager did some quick figuring. “Twenty minutes, maybe a little longer.”
“We don’t have time!”
“They’ll be waiting for us.”
“It’s over.”
“Silence!” Andrei yelled. Tsenka could feel the tenor of his voice in her chest bone. “Tsenka, I think you see our predicament clearly. What must we do?”
The agent, far from home, and feeling the weight of a thousand lives in her hands, swallowed and stared at the screen. “We—we have to send a call out for anyone mechanically skilled to get the vehicle fleet running. Then everyone loads into them, and everyone goes topside up the exit ramp. From there, they need to gun it east as fast as possible. I believe we can do this, but everyone in this room must spread the word quickly. Someone needs to raise the antenna and relay a message to the New Republic and anyone else willing to help transport us to civilization.”
“What about the fighters?” asked one of the men.
“You have a few aircraft near the bay,” she said. “Get them on the platform and set them to AI defensive support.” She waited while a few of them nodded. “Get to it!” she yelled.
The group bolted from the door and spread out, grabbing others as they ran. All except for the Dracul.
“And what about you?” he asked her.
“A few oversized drones aren’t going to stop that squadron,” she said. “I need you to authorize me to fly the Sylph.”
“That project was never made official,” said Andrei with a crooked smile. “Gimon could fly it and our infosec manager had remote codes, I believe. I have no authority to grant.”
“Then we better hope my password works,” she said. “What are you still doing here?”
“I wish to enjoy a few more moments in the city I created an eternity ago before I depart it forever,” he said. “Good luck, successor.”
He bowed, and Cho ran from the room and straight for the hangar bay next to the vehicle fleet where several of the city’s citizens were already gathering. Tsenka beat them to the door and then held out her hand.
“I am going to open the roof in this room,” she yelled. “Stay clear until it closes again.”
The few that heard her grumbled, but stood in place while she went through the door and closed it behind her. She sprinted to the far end of the hangar where the Sylph waited. It was large as far as fighter jets go, with two high-caliber guns under the nose and three rockets under each wing. A single thruster protruded from the tail, with adjustable turbines for lifting off and hovering. The front and nose were made from thick panes of hardened glass sharpened to a fine point and covered with a steel cap.
From inside the cockpit, she could see everything in front of her through the glass. The cabin did not curve outward but was contained fully within the sharp edges of the craft. Tsenka placed her palm on the control panel, and the machine buzzed in rejection of her identity. She tried twice more and was prompted with a lockout screen and alphanumeric keypad.
Cho typed out the password Desre had given her and held her breath as she hit the green ‘Confirm’ button. For a moment, the jet was still and silent, and then it beeped in approval. Hotboxes submerged into small steam boilers began to spin the turbines and generators.
Tsenka smiled. She delved into the plane’s controls and synced them with her neural interface, then entered the virtual space created by the cameras mounted on all sides of the craft, allowing her to see all around her without obstruction.
After taking a moment to familiarize herself with the weapons and maneuvers the jet was capable of, she turned on the AI assistant.
“Good day, pilot,” it said in a friendly monotone. “What training exercise would you like to run?”
“This is the real thing,” said Tsenka. “An invading force has arrived, and we are about to meet them in battle.”
“Is this a drill?” it asked.
“It is not.”
“Accessing battle tactics; please describe your level of dogfighting experience.”
“I’m a fast learner,” she said. “Just try not to let me do anything stupid, and watch my back.”
“Registering you as an unfamiliar veteran,” the voice informed. “You may address me as Sylph when you have a request.”
“So not Goose?”
“Do you wish to change my designation?”
“Sylph is fine,” she said. “Can you open the roof hatch?”
“Opening hatch.”
From the center of the large room, the metal roof parted and slid to the side. At first, only darkness could be seen, but after they had spread far enough, light shone through cracks in thick sheets of ice. The doors opened wider and giant chunks of frozen water crashed onto the floor.
The pieces continued to fall closer to the plane, and Cho yelled, “Stop door opening!”
“Roger. Doors halted.”
“Think I can get through?”
“Affirmative. Would you like assistance?” the AI offered.
“Yes,” said Cho. “Get us out of here, then close the doors.”
“Roger that.”
The Sylph pointed its turbines at the floor and lifted off. It navigated around the chunks of ice and up into the bright white surface world.
“Engage camouflage,” instructed Cho.
“Already done,” reported Sylph. “Effectiveness at close range may vary.”
“Okay, Sylph, there’s a couple automated copters coming up to join us soon, but other than that, we are on our own. Strategy?”
The AI quietly ran simulations on strategy while Cho waited.
“Can we take down the missile?” said Cho, interrupting Sylph’s thoughts.
“Please specify which missile.”
“There’s an ICBM headed this way,” she said. “You may not be able to detect it yet.”
“I have access to our satellite,” said Sylph. “It may be possible to collide with the rocket, but the likelihood that this vessel would damage it enough to throw it off course is low. We would only have one chance. It is moving too fast to catch after passing. I do not recommend this course of action.”
“Damn.”
“Our odds of defeating seven aircraft with my current payload are also low, but much better comparatively.”
“Well, we have to try,” she said. “Lives are at stake.”
“Then play to our strengths,” said Sylph. “How many Gs can you handle?”
The AI went on to explain the details of the plan of attack, and Cho fully engaged the jet’s thruster. Her face pulled tight against the front of her skull, and she strained to maintain her grasp on the flight and weapons sticks.
A blur of rocky white passed underneath the jet, then turned to blue. The craft’s cameras zoomed in to show the squadron in the distance. Between her speed, the sharp angles of the jet, and the camo plating, the enemy could not see her coming.
Tsenka commanded the two large bullet cannons on the sides of the nose to unlock and ready. A targeting reticle in Cho’s HUD turned from red to green as it indicated she was in range and locked on to the lead jet fighter. She pulled the trigger, firing both guns simultaneously
, then pressed the button on the top of the stick to fire a guided rocket. Tsenka veered to the right and squeezed the trigger on a second enemy fighter as the payload of her first attack was still in transit, this time holding it down as she flew straight at it.
Her first target tried to dive after the initial rounds tore holes in its plating, but the missile anticipated, and detonated on the top of its frame, blowing the plane apart. Her second target moved, but she managed to lead with it and hit one of its wing thrusters. Fire and smoke billowed from the engine. Tsenka flew past the formation at full speed. Two of the jets started to turn to engage, but by the time they faced their attacker, she was well out of range.
“That may give them reason to reconsider their approach,” said Sylph.
“Damn, right,” said Cho.
“It looks like two have given chase, while the rest have accelerated toward the shore,” the AI reported. “Once over Antarctic airspace, protecting the evacuees will require a close-range dogfight.”
Tsenka banked right, turning around to head back at the two following jets, one of which had been previously damaged. As the two sides came into range with each other, both enemy jets opened fire with their own machine guns, then followed with a missile apiece.
“Firing chaff, dive!” shouted Sylph, ejecting bits of foil to confuse the incoming rockets.
Tsenka obeyed and the missiles flew past her, exploding well behind her speedy craft. She thumbed her own launcher, returning a missile to the oncoming jets. They used their own chaff countermeasures. One of the missiles detonated close to the damaged plane, knocking its rear to the side. The pilot slowed to recover as his partner continued ahead. Cho pulled her flight stick back, ascending toward the straggler and lighting it up with another volley. Bullets tore the enemy jet’s wing apart and the pilot ejected.
The remaining jet banked to the left to circle around, but Tsenka pushed the throttle forward, racing back to the rest of the squadron.
“We only have four missiles left,” said Cho. “How can we defeat the chaff?”
“Effective use of the countermeasure requires time to react,” the AI explained. “I will set your missile range finder to a lower value.”
“So… get closer.”
“Roger.”
“Am I going to catch them before they make it to land?”
“Afraid not, pilot,” said Sylph. “When we get in range, I will switch us to maneuver mode. Your survival will depend on how much g-force I am allowed to exert. If you like, I will interface with your neural implant to raise your blood pressure, and contract specific muscle groups to keep the blood from leaving your brain.”
“Uh, gosh Sylph, when you talk like that, I don’t know how I can resist.”
“I require a clear affirmative to proceed.”
“Go for it.”
A thin braided wire extended from the shoulder of the pilot seat and inserted into Cho’s needle port.
“I don’t feel different,” said Tsenka.
“You will.”
“Sure, Sylph, that’s what they all say.”
At top speed, the jet caught up to the enemy craft as they reached the shore, diving low to start their hunt for vehicles and nocturnals attempting to escape.
Tsenka charged at one of the monocopters without slowing. As soon as the missile range alert sounded, she hit the launch button. The copter shot out chaff, but it was too late; the missile was already on top of it. Detecting the countermeasure, the missile blew, knocking the copter sideways, and it began to spin, leaving a spiral of smoke as it crash-landed.
Cho pulled up hard and felt her body involuntarily tighten. “Ungh!”
“Feel it now?” asked the AI.
“Mhmm,” responded Cho.
With the second jet catching up to Cho, a total of three planes and one monocopter remained airborne. Missiles, machine gun fire, and a high-powered laser mounted to the copter swirled around Tsenka as she twisted and turned the Sylph around, weaving her way through the swarm.
“Very impressive,” said the AI.
But even with Sylph’s enthusiastic support, bullets pounded the metal plating and rockets exploded near enough to rattle the craft. The heat from the beam warped its hull, but not enough to pull the plane apart.
The enemy craft began to disperse to take shots at Tsenka without worrying as much about crossfire. The two New Apulon copters joined the fight, distracting them and using their small guns to pepper the enemy saucer.
The jets quickly converged on Cho’s automated allies, firing the remainder of their missiles at the craft. Tsenka could not stop their destruction but avenged it by zipping past one of the jets and firing a rocket at close range. She then dropped thrust, flipped the Sylph upside down, and laid into the monocopter with a hail of bullets that cut through its hull and blew out its central rotary shaft. Gravity took the copter straight to the ground at high velocity. Its frame crumpled as it hit the ice.
The remaining two jets chased after Cho. She steered her plane sidelong to the enemy and engaged thrust, but not before another line of gunfire sliced across the Sylph’s exterior. The jet rumbled and a roar filled the cabin.
“The thruster has been hit,” informed the AI. “It may blow if I do not cut its power. Accept or decline?”
“Shit!” yelled Cho. “Accept.”
“Without thrust, your speed will be hindered. You will not be able to chase or evade.”
“There’s two left,” she said. “How much more can this bucket take?”
“That is a difficult question,” Sylph said.
“Doesn’t matter, gotta end this,” said Cho. “Hover mode.”
“Roger that.”
Sylph ceased its forward motion then turned in place to face an enemy jet. She strafed to the side to avoid its gunfire while firing both of her remaining missiles and her machine guns. The shock wave from the rocket explosions tore off part of the plane’s fuselage as it zipped past the Sylph. Tsenka spun her craft around and blasted the enemy jet with the final rounds of its guns, blowing off its tail. The enemy spun and dove nose-first into icy hills.
The remaining jet flew away from the Sylph and headed east, having spotted a convoy of trucks driving along the ice.
“Flight mode!” yelled Cho.
“Roger that.”
The Sylph lurched forward, but could not accelerate as it had before. Tsenka’s HUD displayed a speed of under three hundred kilometers per hour. It also displayed zeroes for the number of machine gun rounds and missiles. Cho was out of ammo.
“I need more speed,” she barked. “Activate thruster.”
“It’s been an honor serving with you, pilot,” Sylph said. “Thruster active.”
The Sylph zipped across the sky. Temperature alarms rang inside the cabin. The last enemy jet did not stand a chance as it swooped down to take aim at the caravan, oblivious to the oversized rocket barreling at it. The Sylph’s sharp beak tore the hull open. Metal scraped and rolled over metal and the Sylph’s thruster exploded, sending Tsenka’s craft into a sidespin.
The artificial intelligence pulled the craft out of its descent less than fifty meters above the ground. It hovered using its now-sputtering turbines, timid and uncertain. Tsenka stared at the wreckage of a nearby enemy jet, then realized some of the pilots might have ejected.
“Are we okay?” she asked.
“No,” replied Sylph. “Your seat did not eject when I commanded it to. Please locate the manual lever. The rear of the jet is on fire and the generators have stopped turning.”
“Can you scan for enemy soldiers?” asked Cho. “Anyone moving down there, not in a car?”
“Three bodies are moving not far from the first monocopter’s resting spot,” informed the AI. “But I advise you disembark—”
“Take me to it.”
“Roger that,” said Sylph, her tone much less excited. Yet she flew as quickly as the turbines would push the failing craft.
Below her, Tsenka spotted the me
n and zoomed in to examine their weaponry. Two of them had rifles at the ready and had started to aim them at the jet. The third man was a familiar face.
Tsenka dove then grabbed the manual eject handle and yanked. Nothing happened. She bared her teeth and yanked harder. Again, the lever gave with no ejection. On the third try, the cockpit lid flew off and the pilot seat launched into the air as the five-ton machine landed on top of one of the riflemen, crushing him. His blood escaped from between the ice and metal.
The second man pointed his gun up at Tsenka as her chute opened thirty meters above him. Cho folded her legs, allowing the bullets to ricochet off the bottom of her seat. When he paused, she unbuckled her harness and slipped out of the chute, diving feet first with her body rigid. The man resumed firing but hit only air. Cho tucked her body, then kicked at a downward angle. Her feet landed on the man’s shoulders. His body folded as it helped break her fall.
Tsenka landed on the ice and slid backward. She kicked up to her feet and her eyes jumped to the third man, standing less than five meters from her. It was Ajay Pisha, Courtemanche’s driver. He stared back, his hand resting on the butt of his holstered gun.
“Tsenka,” he said.
“Ajay.”
“I told her not to make an enemy of you, and not to mess with your friend either.”
Cho’s eyebrows rose. She had forgotten about Taq and realized the scout message must have been faked. “What have you done to him, you bastard?”
Ajay held out his other hand defensively. “Ey, I did nothing. Anne insisted on capturing him, but some girl broke him out. As far as I know, he’s fine.”
“He’d better be,” she snarled.
“He is, I’m sure,” insisted Pisha, taking a step back. “How about we go our separate ways. I never wanted any of this.” He forced a weak smile onto his face.
“We’re both here,” said Cho, staring into his brown eyes. “Let’s not squander the moment.”
Ajay’s mouth relaxed, and the wind howled as it swept between rocks and over the ice. His weight shifted, causing a thin layer of snow to crunch under his feet.
“Damn you, Tsenka,” he whispered, then drew his pistol lightning-fast and fired.