Dave folded up the messages and tucked them into his shoulder pack, the same one he started off with years ago and kept maintained. He walked over to the captain of the Valhalla and opened his mouth to speak.
"Message, admiral!" a voice came from behind him.
Dave turned and accepted the message. He nodded silently in agreement as he read. At least the politicians knew that their careers were over if they abandoned Gabrielle and Edun. They had rejected the Malakin offer in record time. Dave said, "Captain, the Malakins have offered to end the war. Congress and the President have both rejected the offer. Now it's up to us to add emphasis to their reply. Give 'em hell!"
The captain nodded and then spoke into the intercom, "Man your battle stations, stand by for action!"
Immediately, short range line of sight lightbeam radio messages went out to the rest of the squadron with the same instructions. Admiral Oden went to take a seat where he could see and hear what was happening and react to it by issuing orders.
***
Susan stepped into her fighter, closed the hatch behind her, and took her place. The engines were powered up and hummed along perfectly as they should. Within seconds, her fighter raced out of the carrier first as she yelled, "Yeeeeeee-haaaawwww!"
In front of her, her crew echoed her sentiments as they put the fighter into a short circle while the rest of the command launched and formed up on her position.
The rest of the squadron changed its formation so that the transports could form up directly behind her fighters. Once they were ready, they would punch their way through the enemy blanket and then reach down to the surface to do battle with the second part of the Malakin forces.
In less than five minutes, Susan saw the transports in position behind her assembled fighter command and said, "Charge!"
The fighters swarmed alongside of hers. They formed a shield with their own fighters for the transports that were moving at their top speed. The fighters charged headlong at the enemy warships surrounding Leuion. At the same time, Susan glanced out her port. She could see the fighters from the carrier Mars performing a similar maneuver as they charged at another concentration of enemy warships. Hopefully, the enemy wouldn't be able to pick up the transports hidden behind her screen of fighters and not know that hers was the more important initial attack of the two.
Susan turned her attention back to the oncoming planet and blanket of warships in front of her fighter. She picked up her communications and spoke briefly, "Shawn, the rest of the fighter command is all yours once we hit them. Don't wait for any further word from me on the subject." She knew that Shawn could handle the task. If, by chance, his fighter was hit and he was out of action, the next wing commander would pick up the reins and continue the fight with barely a hiccup discernible to the enemy.
Now she wondered if she was diving at elite or robot units. Robot units probably wouldn't attempt to follow them down. Elite units might. Susan watched as the range closed. She then fired her Mark VI gun from just out of range to see if she could get a reaction. Several of the enemy ships returned fire. Susan knew then that they were most likely elite units. Robots wouldn't have reacted, knowing that they were fully out of each other's range and sticking to their programmed instructions.
Then the range was right. Susan aimed at the enemy ships and fired. Streams of bolts from the twenty-nine other fighters leapt out alongside of hers in a glorious display of raw firepower. The bolts flicked from one target to another as they pinpointed the elite units and concentrated on them first.
Susan hollered out, "Yeeee-haaww!" as she saw the concentrated barrage from her fighters disable one elite Malakin ship from just within effective range. She was already concentrating her fire on another ship that her pilot was putting her onto. All the while, her pilot was jigging the tiny fighter about to make them less of a target for an enemy gun to lock onto.
Then a second Malakin ship was destroyed as it ruptured into space. Again, Susan hollered. She fired on another target that her pilot placed her on. The hole needed for the transports began to appear. The enemy, seeing the concentrated firepower being used against them, was desperately trying to maneuver within the limitations posed by their defensive positions. In doing so, they were making it easier for the hole in the blanket to appear.
Then the hole appeared just as the fighters reached the enemy. Four wings split off to do individual battle with enemy ships. Two wings continued on down into the atmosphere with the transports hot on their heels.
***
"Ship is in atmosphere!" rang through the intercom and radios of the transports as they hit the atmosphere and took up new positions in front of the two fighter wings accompanying them. It was no longer necessary to maintain radio silence. The last tests were quickly performed while each artytank checked its radios and reported in. Likewise, Emily was able to speak with Lieutenant Allalm for the first time in several days as she reported her status.
She could also listen in. She learned that the others were fully ready and that they would shortly split up to present multiple targets instead of one big juicy target. She overheard the signal to "break" a few moments later. Then she felt some of the effects of the planet's gravity and atmosphere come through to her inside the artytank as her transport shifted its course and broke away from the other transports.
***
Susan watched her fighter fall into position on the rear of one transport as her pilot then kept pace with the big guy instead of the other way around. Just behind and to the side, Allen's fighter was tailing her fighter. A few moments later, she overheard the "break" command. Her pilot was ready as the transport suddenly changed course radically and took off for its destination. All the while, they descended lower and lower in the atmosphere. Susan looked back and checked to see if any Malakin units were trying to intercept. Her backside was clear, but she spotted a Malakin warship closing in on one of the others.
"Flaming Moth, you have company coming in. Watch your tail."
"Roger, Attack Butterfly II, I see them. Killer Butterfly, break off and take a chunk out of his tail."
"Roger, we'll get on him."
One of Fritz's fighters suddenly banked and swooped under the following Malakin warship. Then it looped back up into position on the Malakin's tail. Then it was firing as the other two fighters prevented the Malakin warship from getting a lock or a clear shot on the transport.
Susan glanced over occasionally as she kept a sharp lookout for any Malakin warships that might threaten her transport. Did the enemy think that the transport with more fighters was more important? She was beginning to believe so. Over her radio, she heard calls among the other wing's fighters as they fought off another Malakin warship trying to get the transport being guarded by three fighters. Then she spotted the Malakin warship dropping down into the atmosphere ahead of her transport as the transport suddenly changed course as part of its evasive action. She called out, "Stay with him, Allen. We'll intercept the warship!"
Her pilot overheard her instructions and changed course back to the approaching Malakin warship. Susan aimed and fired as soon as she saw the ship in her sights. If nothing else, she had even more maneuverability in the atmosphere than the Malakin had because of the sizes of the two ships. She fired as long as the enemy was in her sights. Then she felt her stomach do a loop as her pilot kept them from crashing headlong into the Malakin and dove away before rolling into another firing position for Susan to shoot from.
The Malakin didn't stand a chance when Susan finally hit something vital. The Malakin warship exploded, dispersing smoking pieces of itself to float down to the surface. The immediate threat neutralized, Susan's pilot instinctively turned back to catch up with the transport that was resuming its course for its designated landing zone.
***
Emily felt her stomach heave for a moment as her transport took evasive maneuvers and the fighters outside took up the defense. Was this what I got myself into? It was something else to see that you were m
aking a sudden series of sharp evasive turns, but to not see and then feel them hit you was an altogether different experience for her. For a second time, she wished she had let the Navy put her in a fighter. Then there was a reverberating sound through the hull of the transport. Emily wondered if they had been hit. The transport straightened out its course from the series of evasive turns. For another moment, Emily was afraid that they would have to attempt to launch the hover artytanks from too high up. But the ship didn't lose any altitude. She reasoned that the sound must have been an enemy ship being destroyed. A moment later, she heard confirmation over her radio.
"They just got the Malakin who came down after us. That was him exploding a few moments ago," she said quickly to her crew, unsure if they knew and wanting to keep them informed.
There were a few comments voiced and general good spirit displayed as they heard her. Emily tried to relax back in her command chair and wait for the transport to either notify them to exit or brace for a possible hard landing.
***
Dave heard the reports coming in from the fighters as they first punched the needed hole for the transports and then as all of the transports got through the hole safely. He formed a mental note to visit each pilot and compliment him or her on fine piloting skills. More reports came in as the fighters swarmed in all directions to tackle the large warships. The ones Dave wanted to hear about for the moment were whether the marines were on the surface yet. When they were, then he could commit his forces the way he wanted to. Until then, he had to be patient in case the transports were forced, through perhaps some overlooked detail, to return with their marines on board.
Then one report came in of a successful landing and deployment. Before all the artytanks were out, a second transport was landing. The third landed in its sector. More marines were sent out to fight against the Malakin ground forces. That was better than Dave had hoped for. He envisioned fifty percent losses getting them down. Already seventy-five percent were safely on the ground where they could seek out the enemy and do their part.
***
"Above you, Tiger!"
Allen turned his head as his pilot went into action to evade any enemy fire. Although he couldn't see her for the moment, Susan's fighter was already peeling off and going after the oncoming Malakin warship. As her gun lined up on the Malakin warship, she could see that the Malakins made a big mistake in sending down a cruiser. It would have even less maneuverability than the Malakin destroyer she had already taken out. But it did have one advantage, it had lots of guns. Almost all of them were firing at her, Allen, and the transport.
***
The radios roared into life just after the huge vibration shook the transport. "High level exit! High level exit! Exit now! Good luck to you all!"
Emily's artytank roared to life as the hatches opened while the countryside flashed by below in the distance. Then a few seconds later, her vehicle was in the atmosphere while the gunners deployed their outrigger drones. Behind and to the sides, other artytanks were also exiting the damaged transport. She had heard the hit and immediately knew that it was different from the earlier sound when a Malakin warship exploded. This sound had been closer and more personal. She hoped that the transport crew was able to reach the surface without further casualties. The transport was armored, but evidently not enough to keep from being damaged to the point that the transport captain ordered them to launch in the atmosphere. She knew, as she was sure that he did, that launching the artytanks would give them all better chances for survival.
"Ma'am, can we shoot at the warship?"
Emily came out of her thoughts abruptly. She replied, "Uh, yes, fire!"
Her gunners went on the offensive against a Malakin warship with their outrigger drones. They added their firepower to that of the fighters which were both engaging the warship, now that the artytanks were deployed. Her driver, meanwhile, was taking them down closer to the surface where they properly belonged before something tipped them and sent them crashing down. She could tell that he was very good and had nerves of steel. Emily knew that she could do it, but it wasn't recommended for anyone who tended to worry about things instead of keeping his mind concentrated on just one thing--getting down safely in one piece.
A small red light flickered to green, letting her know that they were now within a safe altitude. The majority of the danger was over. If they did somehow tip over, the artytank could take the punishment without a problem unless they happened to fall into an active volcano. There weren't any of those around.
There was a sudden rumbling sound. A shock wave pushed the artytank about wildly before the driver stabilized it. Emily turned in time to see the Malakin warship falling to the ground in pieces as big as houses. Flames and smoke were everywhere about it.
"Damn, one of the fighters got him!" one gunner said.
Emily let the remark slide by as mere competitive spirit and nothing more. She knew her people fairly well by now. She knew that they were extremely competitive with each other. So, why shouldn't they want to compete with the Navy?
Already, the outrigger drones were moving into new positions as the artytank hovered just above the ground and moved about its main business of hunting down Malakin robots.
***
Dave heard the reports that the fourth transport was hit and then that they were still deploying their marines while flying. He marvelled at the nerve of those marines in bailing out of a fast transport in their small vehicles at high altitude. With the reports came the first news of casualties in the battle. Crew members on board the transport had been wounded or killed. He listened in to learn how the transport did after getting its marines deployed. Dave was somewhat relieved to hear them report a few minutes later that they were on the ground and leaving their ship. Dave silently wished them luck.
***
"You took damage, Allen," Susan radioed. "Turn to your left and look back. You should be able to see it."
Allen replied, "Roger, I see it. My pilot says he feels it in the controls. Thanks."
"How bad are the controls?" Susan had to wait a few moments before the answer finally came.
Allen called back, "We're going to land and abandon the Tiger."
Susan replied, "Roger. We'll cover you and make sure you get down safely and get clear."
Her pilot said, "I got you covered, Lieutenant. Keep him safe and clear of the enemy. Do you want to try to pick them up?"
"Let's see where they land first. It might not be ideal for us to attempt a pickup," Susan replied, even though she desperately wanted to say yes.
The Attack Butterfly II followed the Tiger Butterfly down as it sought a place to land. Susan kept a close watch on the surrounding skies for signs of any other Malakin warships, but there were none in sight. Her fighter suddenly swooped down. Susan turned her attention forward. In her sights was a Malakin robot. She fired instinctively. Her second shot tore through the robot and severed it in half.
"Yeeee-haaww!" the pilot shouted. "Mighty fine shootin' thar, ma'am."
***
"Hey! No fair! Now they're shooting our targets!" the same artytank gunner exclaimed.
Emily noticed the fighter that swooped overhead. She tried to see who it was, but they were going too fast. Then she saw the second fighter trailing smoke and understood why the first fighter had taken out a ground target. One of its buddies was going down. It was just paving the way for it. Emily said, "It's all right, Sam. They've got a damaged fighter landing and couldn't afford to wait for us to arrive."
Sam replied, "Yes, ma'am. I don't mean anything by it. Just anxious to show the Blues what we can do."
The damaged fighter passed overhead and went on beyond looking for a place to land.
***
"Scratch one robot," Susan called in and reported.
Already her craft was circling as Allen's fighter went lower and lower until it landed. Susan's craft continued to circle until she saw four naked people run away from the fighter.
&nb
sp; "Gail, record an image of them as we fly over," remarked Susan with a devious idea in her head.
"Yes ma'am," Gail replied and then a few moments later, "Got 'em!"
"Lieutenant, I can land on this and get us back up," the pilot remarked.
Susan thought for a moment about the added risk of having two crews in a single fighter. It could be done, but if her fighter was hit trying to leave the planet, then there would be two dead crews instead of just one. Her instincts still wanted her to pick up the others and take them back to the carrier. Fighting off her impulse, Susan replied, "No, return to the fighting. Either the marines or Blues will have to take care of them. If we pick them up, we'll have to return to the carrier instead of fighting. We're needed in the fight."
"Yes ma'am."
Susan glanced back down at the four fighter crew members as they ran, naked, for cover until they could reach safety aboard an artytank. Then Susan saw an artytank pass underneath going towards the downed fighter. She felt certain that the artytank would get to them and take them aboard. Allen and the others would be safe. That was a relief to know. She pushed her microphone into position to speak.
"To the artytank commander going after the downed fighter crew, thank you. We appreciate this. I will gladly buy a round of drinks for you later. This is Lieutenant Thompson from the Attack Butterfly II making the offer."
Emily heard the message and called back even though it wasn't expected. "Ensign Tall acknowledging. You owe twelve drinks."
Susan knew she could rely on Emily to follow through with the rescue. Emily and her crew would be lucky if they could later walk straight after Susan and the four rescued crew members finished buying them drinks. Her fighter circled once more before it regained altitude. Susan felt sure she could see four tiny naked figures running from hiding to get inside an artytank. Then again, maybe she was just imagining it. Then her fighter was gaining altitude again as it prepared to leap back into space.
***
Attack Butterfly (Rust Bucket Universe) Page 14
