Part 26 (1/2)

Killam nodded his head.

Admiral Sheridan looked down at the tactical screen and watched as the number of friendly fighters destroyed in the fight began to climb. They may have achieved near total surprise, but that didn't mean the enemy was going to roll over and let them walk all over them.

The pull of gravity soon began to be felt inside the Avenger. It wasn't as sudden of a change as jumping into the atmosphere, but it was still noticeable. Tarina looked down at her terrain guidance display and tried to identify one of the pre-designated landing zones. She bit her lip when she realized that they were a good ten minutes away from the nearest one. Tarina knew she was facing aerial combat with two enemy fighters in a vessel that wasn't designed to fight. The coming fight was going to tax all of her skill as a pilot.

”I think I've got something on my screen,” announced Wendy. Her growing fear came through in her voice.

”What have you got?”

”Uh...looks like only one of them is still after us. It's over three thousand kilometers back, but closing real fast.”

”Hang on,” said Tarina as she put their craft into a nosedive. Plummeting almost straight down, the Avenger shook violently. Never designed to be flown like a fighter, Tarina was pus.h.i.+ng her s.h.i.+p to the limit. Through the clouds, the snow-covered peaks of the mountain range south of the capital came into view.

Wendy called out, ”Do something; it's going to be in missile lock range in less than thirty seconds.”

Tarina leveled out and flew straight towards the mountain peaks. She had used up all of their Avenger's countermeasures in orbit. Tarina knew she had to try and out maneuver her opponent in the mountains if they were going to survive.

A threat indicator came on. ”Warning, incoming enemy missile! I say again, incoming enemy missile!”

”Tell me something I don't already know,” muttered Tarina as she aimed her s.h.i.+p between a couple of jagged icy peaks.

”Five seconds to impact,” said the automated voice.

Ahead Tarina saw a tall mountain. She grinned and headed for the peak. In her headset, she could hear the computer's voice counting down. When it said two seconds, she pulled back on her joystick and applied full power to the engine. Instantly, Tarina and Wendy were pinned to their seats as the Avenger flew straight up into the sky. Behind them, the Kurgan missile didn't have time to correct its flight and exploded on impact with the mountain.

They had little time to celebrate as cannon fire from the pursuing fighter shot past the Avenger, missing the c.o.c.kpit by mere meters. Tarina gritted her teeth. Their opponent was good. She pulled out of the climb and dove back down for the safety of the mountains. In seconds, they were down inside a long valley. Skimming just above the trees, Tarina flew from side to side trying to throw off their pursuer's aim. She could see the valley opening up. Once they burst out into the open, she knew that the more maneuverable Kurgan fighter would be on them in seconds. She had to do something.

”Wendy, how close is the fighter?”

”About two kilometers back.”

”Wendy.”

”Yes?”

”Hang on,” announced Tarina as she instantly decreased their air speed and pulled back on her joystick, raising up the nose of their s.h.i.+p. For a second, the Avenger seemed to hang in straight up in the air. The sudden declaration on the women's chests was like being crushed in a vice.

The Kurgan fighter, not expecting such a radical maneuver, flew straight past them.

Tarina, still grimacing in pain, dropped the nose down, applied power to the engine and flew after the Kurgan s.h.i.+p. It was less than a kilometer away. Tarina didn't hesitate. She lined up her sights on the back of the fighter and pulled back on the trigger on her joystick. Thirty millimeter sh.e.l.ls tore through the sky and struck the enemy craft's port side wing, tearing it off.

Tarina and Wendy both let out a triumphant cry as the Kurgan fighter rolled over and plummeted to the ground. A couple of seconds later, it hit nose first and exploded. Neither woman saw if the enemy pilot had time to eject or not.

Wendy said, ”Where did you learn to do that?”

”It's an old dogfighting trick called the cobra maneuver. I never could pull it off in the simulators. I always stalled the engine and crashed.”

”Thank G.o.d, for once you didn't.”

They flew out of the valley. In the distance was one of the proposed landing sites.

The threat indicator sprang to life. ”Warning, incoming enemy fighter.”

Tarina swore and dove as low to the ground as she could. It was the second fighter they had lost contact with.

”Tarina, how much ammo do we have left?” asked Wendy.

”Not enough,” Tarina replied grimly.

”Warning, enemy fighter has missile lock,” said the computer.

Tarina desperately searched the horizon for cover. It was a vast, frozen plain. There was nothing to see for kilometers.

Wendy turned her head and looked behind. The Kurgan fighter had closed to within a few hundred meters. It was toying with them. It could easily blast them out of the sky. A second later, it shot up right beside their craft. Both women looked over and saw the Kurgan pilot wave to them before ducking in behind them. He was going for the kill.

Tarina was about to order Wendy to eject when unexpectedly the Kurgan fighter exploded in midair. Flaming debris fell from the sky.

In their helmets, the women heard a familiar voice. ”Keep going. We'll be over the first LZ in two minutes.” Today, their guardian angel was Colonel Wright.

They landed their Avengers near an old, abandoned farmhouse nestled next to a frozen lake and climbed down onto the snow-covered ground.

Wright activated his emergency transponder beacon marking their position. Next, he armed the self-destruct devices on both Avengers. If anyone tried to open either c.o.c.kpit without first disarming the explosives, the planes would detonate. He pointed over to the ramshackle looking farmhouse and led them all inside.

”We'll have to hold up in here until the Marines arrive,” said Wright. He looked down at his watch. ”Shouldn't be too long of a wait. The first wave is due in orbit in just under thirty minutes.”

”It's freezing in here,” Wendy gripped. Her teeth chattered.

”My friend is out there somewhere,” Tarina remarked. ”He's been without heat for longer than I care to imagine. This isn't so bad.”

Wendy regretted opening her mouth. ”Sorry, I sometimes don't think before I speak.”

”It's ok, we all do that from time to time,” Tarina said, hugging her friend.

Wright drew his pistol. ”Until the Marines get here, I want everyone to pick a window and keep a sharp lookout. Don't forget, we're in enemy territory. I for one don't intend to end up in some Kurgan POW camp on a planet no one has ever heard of.”

Chapter 43.

”Status report?” asked Admiral Sheridan.

Killam said, ”Sir, both Kurgan carriers along with two of the enemy's three destroyers have been destroyed. Unfortunately, the third destroyer jumped away before it could be finished off.”

Admiral Sheridan nodded his head. ”How many of the enemy's s.h.i.+ps managed to escape?”

”It looks like less than ten percent of the Kurgan fleet got away.”