by Don Foxe
Baker followed with Angel 6, using the same firing sequence. His secondary burst ripped a gaping hole in the top of the cruiser.
Within seconds, Noa brought Demon 2 in from a steep angle. Fox let loose two mini-missiles via the torpedo tubes. Lt. Jim Huard, her com-tac guided the missiles through the hole and into the belly of the ship. Ten-seconds later the two missiles exploded deep within the cruiser, destroying the force field dynamo and several midship decks.
“Forcefield is down,” Storm called out, and all three fighters swarmed the injured vessel, firing tachyon-plasma rounds. The cruiser, dead in space and venting atmosphere from a dozen hits, disintegrated when Demon 2 finished it with three tactical nuclear torpedoes. The reinforced tips breached the hull and exploded inside the vessel. The concussive forces blew outward, burst the bubble. The three fighters outran the shock wave that followed.
“On Rain,” Mags called. “Give her a break and let’s use the same tactic on the other battlecruisers before they have time to figure out what happened. Storm, report on Demon.”
“She’s on the surface. Angel 5 has taken out an enemy shuttle and a low-flying hover craft attempting to reach the LZ. Fitz is looping to make sure no one else is trying to get to her. Resistance team on the way.”
“Self-destruct?” she asked.
“Not yet, but they haven’t had time to get five miles,” Storm replied.
“Rain is making the initial run on the cruiser,” Storm said, bringing Mags’ attention back to the problem at hand.
Angel 7 watched as Angels 4 and 6 opened the door and Demon 2 dropped in two mini-missiles to destroy the force field dynamo. The four ships took little time in finishing the battlecruiser. They had to dodge a barrage of lasers, plasma fire and every missile the cruiser carried as it attempted to save itself. Sabre completed the job with three nuclear fish. The four ships had to clean up by chasing down and eliminating twenty-four Mischene missiles fired in desperation. They were headed for the planet, and needed to be removed before potentially causing collateral damage among the Fell hidden below.
While they were busy shooting the warheads out of space, Demon self-destructed on the planet’s surface. The explosion left nothing bigger than a fist while creating a crater fifty-feet deep and one-hundred feet wide.
It may well have been overly pre-cautious, but Fitz raked the crater and surrounding landscape with laser cannon rounds.
The other four fighters regrouped above the southern pole. Before they could begin the next part of Phase 1, targeting the Primary ships orbiting Fell, a new problem greeted them. Plasma-Noise bursts coming from cannon emplacements on the planet’s surface.
In a concerted move, the four Zenge Primary ships adjusted orbits so they flew together across the same face of the globe. They opened fire on the quad of Angel Wing fighters.
“Evade and avoid,” Mags called. With Loba out of the fight, she had command. “Meet on the other side of the double moons,” she ordered. Angel 7 led the other three spacecraft out of harm’s way to the relative safety of the far side of the two sister moons. The natural satellites currently in an orbit bringing them close to the southern pole of Fell.
Once all four ships were behind the moons, maintaining sufficient speed to keep their force fields up, Mags opened communications. “Com-tacs, please keep an eye out for missiles and smart torpedoes. Even with shields up, those can come around the moons and find us.
“We have four major bogies and the surface defense systems to worry about. So far, other than the upgrade to their plasma cannon with the white noise, the Primaries are the same as we faced in the solar system. They have electro-magnetic generated force fields, they fight in two dimensions, and they are relatively slow. Storm, where are the Primaries?”
“In a broken line from south to north over the western hemisphere. They appear more interested in protecting themselves with over-lapping fire zones than worrying about presenting an offense,” she replied.
“Baker, take Angel 6 and join Angel 5 on the surface. The two of you target surface emplacements, but be careful. We don’t know what other surprises may be on the planet. At the very least, try to get them to think about you and not us. Keep in mind that you do not have a force field within the atmosphere.
“Numbering the Primary ships One to Four, from north to south, Angel 7 has One, Angel 4 on Two, Demon 2 on Three and we save Four for last. We’re going in without wingmen, so com-tacs must stay focused. Use nymphs to open holes, then hit them with rods. Sabre, save missiles and torpedoes in case we need them later, but not at the expense of a kill.”
“Roger that,” Noa replied.
“If anyone gets a kill early, help closest to you. If anyone gets hit hard, don’t play hero, get out of the fight. Play smart and play to win. Deploy in five, Magpie out.”
Five minutes later the four Earth ships came around the sister moons from four different directions. Sam Washington aimed Angel 6 at the surface and headed for the cannon situated in the northern Crown Mountains.
Fitz and Angel 5, having cleared the area for Demon’s crew to escape and waited until they join the resistance team, flew across the continent to engage a cannon emplacement located near the Western coast.
The other four fighters increased speed and engaged the Primaries so fast, the commanders had no time to react. Their ships were peppered with combinations of kinetic rounds, that opened breaches in their force field coverage, and bursts from wing-mounted laser cannons.
Primary One fired a dozen torpedoes at Angel 7 while Mags maneuvered between Primary One and Primary Two. She dove down instead of away, making a tight loop around Primary Two. This way she avoided the enemy fish and the fire being laid down by Jon-Jon and Angel 4.
The missiles attempting to follow in Angel 7’s wake could not recreate the tight circle and impacted Primary Two. The force field protected the big ship, but the multiple torpedoes rocked it hard. The impacts obviously disrupted the firing teams inside the ship because all weapons ceased. Two of the Mischene torpedoes were nuclear and created a large gap in the force field. Angel 4 took advantage when Jon-Jon, in the right seat, placed a half-dozen rods through the gap and the weakened hull.
Primary Two imploded and then exploded as the projectiles created havoc through the ship, finishing by detonating stored munitions. By the time the initial shock wave from the ship’s death began, Angel 4 was off to assist Demon 2 who engaged with Primary Three.
Mags and Angel 7 sailed beneath their target and released a series of four projectiles following four kinetic bursts, allowing the bursts to outrace the projectiles to the flat bottom of the enemy ship. She did not stop, maintaining the flight line and repeating the sequence along the forward nose of the big ship. Mags completing a K turn above the Primary, sending two projectiles back. Seven of the ten rods hit within the short window created by the nymphs. Those seven ripped through the ship from three directions. The two from the top travelled all the way through and exited the bottom of the fatally stricken ship.
Storm called out to Mags, “Get away. They’ve set a short destruct sequence.”
Mags completed a J turn and flew up and away at best speed. The ship behind them blew in a massive explosion that would have engulfed Angel 7 without Storm’s warning.
“Suicide move,” Mags said. “They were trying to take us out and willing to die to do it. Warn the other fighters, Storm, and good catch.”
“Demon crew is with the resistance on the surface,” Storm reported. “They have a Zenge ground force following.”
“Sorry about that,” Fitz said across the open channel. “I finished the surface cannon and I’m returning as fast as I can. They must come in overland in shielded vehicles. There is a pretty dense canopy and the atmosphere is really thick down here. It’s hard to get imaging through the trees.”
“Do our guys need help or can they evade?” Mags asked.
“Sounds like Elie is acting as a rear guard and giving the Zenge reason to go slow,”
Storm reported, “They estimate 1,000 Zenge fighters. There’s only a dozen resistance, Elie, Folly, and Sparks.”
“Rain,” Mags called, “this is your specialty. Fitz, pull out as soon as Rain arrives and gives us a hand up here with Primary Three. Storm, tell Elie to drop Folly’s translator-communicator behind, somewhere the Zenge will have to cross. Make sure it’s on and transmitting.”
“Elie says copy, and why is this Rain’s specialty,” Storm asked. Sky turned in her co-pilot seat, interested in the explanation as well.
“When Rachelle was a pilot for Can-Am she flew a plane that had multiple air-to-ground systems, including 40 mm cannon. Back then if a ground force was being overwhelmed, or they were trying to take a fortified position close to their own lines, they called in air support for a precision attack. It was called bringing the rain. Rachelle had such a rep for hitting the coordinates that one team started putting a transponder in a bucket and placing it on the coordinate spot. After a few times, no buckets and no transponders were ever recovered. So once, this smart ass Captain complained to her about having to replace so many transponders. Next time they called her in, the entire enemy force had been wiped out and the bucket with the transponder hadn’t been touched. I don’t know what her call sign was before that, but ever since she’s been Rain.”
“Elie just called for the strike,” Storm said. After a few minutes, she reported “Sounds like the Zenge ground force and half the forest is gone.”
“Baker reporting the plasma cannon at the northern Crown Mountain range is destroyed,” Storm relayed. Then added, “He is headed south to the peninsula on the super continent to take out the next nearest installation.”
“Fitz, do you have a read on the hull breach Rain made on Primary Three before bugging out?” Mags asked.
“Affirmative,” came the reply. “Forecastle, upper deck in front of the command bridge tower.”
“Sabre, can you keep Primary Three occupied while Fitz and I dance?”
“We’ll play the music,” Noa replied.
“Fitz, come at it from the front and hit the breach with combo nymphs and rods. I’ll sweep in from aft, above your line and see if I can hit it right after you do.”
Demon 2, Ryan ‘Flamer’ Fox on the laser cannons, and Noa ‘Sabre’ Tal flipping the fighter around space like an angry bee, laced the command structure atop the Primary with brilliant bursts of laser fire.
Angel 5 completed a loop from behind, under and around to the front of the vessel designated Primary Two. He avoided most incoming fire, but Angel 5 did take a couple of laser bursts against the sonic force field, rattling those inside. Fitz maintained his loop, and dropped a double combination of projectiles preceded by kinetic rounds. The front of the ship sparked in blues and reds as the dense composite rods penetrated into the forward crew quarters.
Angel 7 arrived from aft, passing less than one-hundred feet below Angel 5 as they sped away from the attack. Sky let loose the same deadly combination of rounds, hitting the same bullseye. As Angel 7 continued into open space, the front of the Zenge ship broke away. The Primary split. One-third forward and two-thirds back. Explosions rocked both sections. Fire, smoke, sparks and debris littered space around the dying space ship.
“All systems down on Primary Three,” Storm called out. “Atmosphere is venting. All weapons off line. Engines all stop. She’s dead and drifting into a decaying orbit.”
“Baker’s in trouble,” came the terse call from Rain in Angel 4. “Angel 6 has multiple enemy bursts heading their way. I’m going to intercept what I can.”
“Storm, what’s happening with Angel 6?” Mags demanded.
“Primary 4 launched plasma-noise bursts and is firing all laser weapons in a spread pattern toward Angel 6,” Storm replied, eyes glued to her holo display. “The plasma cannon on the peninsula is doing the same from surface up. The mothership is also targeting Angel 6 with a mix of plasma, lasers, and torpedoes. They are flying into a net of fire.”
“Angel 4 targeting torpedoes and plasma rounds from the mothership,” came Rain’s worried voice. “Baker, try to flip and lift toward the mothership. Avoid lasers and see if you can outrun the other shit.”
“Thank you, Rain. Angel 6 is . . .” and nothing followed but dead air.
Storm and Rain said at the same time, “Angel 6 is hit.”
Storm continued, “Multiple laser hits from the Primary and the surface. Elie, Angel 6 is breaking apart in the lower atmosphere. No life signs. No cockpit separation. No chutes.”
Seats aboard the fighters automatically deployed chutes if a ship disintegrated within a planet’s atmosphere. In space, the cockpit section could be separated, and act as a short-term life raft.
Rain confirmed visually. “Baker, Raven, and Hart are gone,” she said.
“Rain, bug out now,” Mags ordered. “You’re in the same position. Get into space and activate your shields before they switch targets.”
While Angel 6 faced extreme enemy fire, Demon 2 completed a final run on Primary Three. First firing kinetic rounds to open a portal, followed with a double tap of solid projectiles to blow a breach in the hull. The dense metal rods tumble through the stricken spaceship. Flamer finished with three explosive torpedoes that enter the gaping hole and destroyed all engines and the engineering section of the vessel. As the ship died in space, command initiated a self destruct, hoping to catch Demon 2 too close to avoid the shock wave.
Noa Tal jumped to space-fold to avoid the blast and came out fifteen-seconds later, 140,000 miles away.
“Demon 2 is thirty-minutes away,” came her call. Thirty minutes because she did not want to make another space-jump unless necessary. They could only jump twice before needing to wait hours or suffer space-fold sickness.
“Mags, the mothership is moving lower into the atmosphere, and heading out over the ocean between the two northern hemisphere continents. I think they are trying to get to the dark side of the planet,” Storm informed her captain.
“Fitz, Rain, commence runs on Primary Four. Fitz high, Rain low, and I’ll take the sides,” Mags issued orders like they were second nature. “Keep scans on alert for surface fire and the mothership’s weapons.”
In the thirty-minutes in took for Demon 2 to return to Fell space. The three Earth fighters had engaged and raked the final Primary from stem to stern and across the center beams. The ship made a final attempt to save itself by diving into the atmosphere while firing everything at the three attack ships. In the end the Primary burst into a fiery finish, close enough to the planet for the explosions to be heard on the surface. The pieces were low enough to get caught in the gravitational field and pulled down creating streamers across the horizon.
Mags ordered all fighters to meet behind Travus, whose rotation placed it over the eastern hemisphere of the planet.
“Storm do we have coordinates for Angel 6?” Mags asked.
“We do and I’ve contacted a resistance camp that is nearest,” she replied. “It will take them hours to get to the site, but they promise to collect what they can, and destroy anything else. I monitored and scanned the debris from explosion to surface impact. Nothing of value is left.”
Then she changed the subject. “The mothership stopped and dropped half its bulk into the ocean,” Storm reported. “The location places it between a plasma cannon on the tip of the super continent’s peninsula and another plasma cannon emplacement on the north-western coast of the eastern continent. The sun is below the horizon, so it’s in the dark.”
“That part is dumb,” Noa said. “We use electronics, not light. It can’t hide in the dark.”
“Part of their nature,” Rachelle surmised. “Like the way they fight in overwhelming numbers, and use space like it’s two dimensional. They’re frightened, so they hide in a dark place.”
“Scans indicate four hundred forty-eight warm bodies and 50,925 cold-blooded lifeforms,” Storm interjected. “Dropping into the ocean seems to have a limiting effect on their anti-
scanning systems. The warm bodies are mainly located on what we believe is the bridge and in the engineering section. I’d say data represents a Mischene crew with Zenge troops.”
“The Mischene would know better than to try and hid in the dark,” Sky said. “I think that it just happens to be night. They are looking for a cross-fire position. Submerging half the ship means we have limited access. Weapons would reach them through the water, but they would be less effective.”
“Half of their armaments are of equally limited use to them,” Jon-Jon, Angel 4’s co-pilot added to the discussion.
“I’m picking up chatter on the fm,” Storm said across open channels. “The resistance team that collected Demon’s crew is back in camp with all three. Seems there were about two dozen Zenge left after Rain’s cover fire. The, and I quote, ‘catherea from Earth’ finished them off.”
“Catherea?” Leigh asked.
“It’s a jungle cat on Fell,” Storm replied. “It’s quiet, quick and deadly. I’m sure they mean Elie.”
“Go, Loba,” said Fitz so everyone could hear him.
“More reports from deep scans on the mothership,” Storm said. “They seem to be moving all personnel toward the center and lower sections of the ship. They also appear to be moving operational command from the bridge to engineering.”
“They’re creating buffer space,” Noa said. “If we break through a hull, we just hit empty decks. They don’t have to worry about venting atmosphere, because they aren’t in space. No implosions from depressurization, and explosions just destroy unoccupied areas. Even our projectiles won’t do as much damage since they have to travel through the atmosphere. Friction will slow them down, meaning a lot less force at target.”
