The pilots took their helmets and went through the corridor. Sidearms tucked in on shoulder holsters, they quickly went into the zero-gravity hangar and floated towards their AFUs. Engine checks were skipped. Ammunition was loaded. Fusion reactors were turned on. The entire hangar was scrambling in a hurry. Marines yelled to each other. AFU technicians were trying to be as calm as possible as they adjusted their units.
Sophie and Ryck held hands as they floated to the ceiling, where their AFUs were hung. They stopped mid-air, and held each other. Ryck looked into her eyes. “Goodluck out there.”
“You too, Ryck.”
They embraced, and separated, going to their respective units. They tried their best to not take their sights off each other. Dammit, Rick thought, gotta put my head in the game now. He rushed towards his unit, where Master-Corporal Alan Alnuik, HRMC, was making final adjustments to his AF-24B Dagger.
Ryck swinged himself into the open cockpit. “So what am I going out with?”
“Anti-AFU pack, like everyone else. Tiger Charlie says we’ve detected three enemy ships and a shitton of enemy AFUs.”
Ryck buckled his safety belt. He switched on the engines. A spark, and a low hum. He adjusted the controls, pressing button after button, switching lever after lever. “At least we ain’t surrendering. Get me the missile launcher, and fit it with ASRAAMs.”
“Wilco.”
A few moments followed, as Alan pushed himself down and instructed the crew to set up the missile launchers. These missile launchers were dubbed the Model 57 Armored Fighting Unit Launcher, Missile, and could carry up to sixteen missiles at maximum. He could feel the rocket launcher being fitted on the shoulder of his unit. This is going to be a good one, he thought.
“Sixteen Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles loaded and ready for use. Now wait for the queue, alright, they want you guys out there ASAP.”
“Roger that.”
“And Ryck, mate,” he said, and paused. His tone was a pessimistic one. “Seems like we’re going through a tight one over here. Goodluck out there.”
“We’re going to need all the luck we can get. But shit, we’ve gone through worse. We can do it again.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Just… goodluck.” He said.
The hangar bay opened. Sophie’s AFU detached and landed on the catapult. Her engines heated up.
“Tiger Charlie, this is Reaper 02… launching!”
Ahead of him, Reaper 02’s boosters lit up with a loud whistle and an explosive blast. At the same time, the catapult ejected the AFU into the open. Now it was Ryck’s turn.
“Alan, I’m going.”
“Roger that. Go get ‘em.”
Ryck gave a friendly salute, and closed the cockpit. When the chest piece landed over him the cockpit cameras lit up. Ryck detached himself from the latches, and landed on the catapult. He hit the throttle up to 100%. He could hear the blast from behind him, and feel the boosters’ force push him, albeit standing still.
“Tiger Charlie, this is Reaper 03. Launching. Out.”
“Godspeed, Reaper 03.”
In a sudden move, the catapult pushed him out. There was a rush inside him as his surroundings turned to black, with the stars the only thing illuminating them. They had gone a fair distance from The Graveyard now, as the debris and destroyed colonies were nowhere in sight. To his left, however, was a small moon, colored red. Desert. Behind it there was a larger planet, having a colorful belt around it. Space was as beautiful as much as it was deadly.
“If you’re wondering, that’s Ghalzar IV.” Jensen said through comms. “We were supposed to head there for resupply until these cunts started showing up.”
“Alright.” Ryck said. “So what are we up against, boss?”
“We’ve had readings of three enemy ships moving to our astronomical southwest. It has an escort of about ten AFUs, and our presence seems to have pissed them off.”
They waited until the rest of the squadron launched. Upon regrouping, Jensen ordered them to form a wedge and head for a southwesterly bearing. Not more than ten minutes after being launched, they encountered a grouping of fusion engine trails in the distance, looking like comets coming to them in high speed. There were eight of them.
“I have visual.” Ryck said.
“Reaper 02, take your section to the left when I tell you to break off.” Jensen said.
Sophie replied calmly. “Roger, Reaper 01. You heard him, boys, stay on my six.”
“Lima-charlie, Reaper 02.” Ryck said.
“Solid copy, ma’am.” PO2 Oakley, the other member of Sophie’s section, also said.
From the bridge of Terrentius, Commander Kelly sat and witnessed the two converging forces. Perhaps the bodies of the AFUs themselves could not be seen, but the booster trails – colored a mild blue – could easily see where Jensen’s squadron was going. They travelled at such speed they could’ve been misidentified as comets.
“Christaller, what’s LORDS saying?” Kelly said.
“I count eight enemy AFUs and they’re zooming in fast, sir.”
“What about the three other ships?”
“They’re headed for Ghalzar IV, sir.”
“Dammit. Mr. Harris! Try ringing the Ghalzar flotilla. If you can’t, go straight to Theater Operations. Seems like we caught ourselves something big.”
Harris, standing next to the captain, complied. “Aye-aye, sir!” He quickly headed to the communications post.
Kelly turned to one of the other officers. He was at the gunnery section of the CIC. “Lieutenant Sorensen, are the guns ready to fire?”
“All three guns are good to go, sir.”
“Alright.” He said. “Get a trajectory of those fuck-cunts and fire at will, lieutenant.”
“Aye-aye, skipper!”
***
ns 15.158.61.20da2
