******
Ch. 2
******
Clumsy clumsy, I chide myself.
"Again you return? What is it with you?"
I hate the pain...I hate being male. The two, for me, are synonamous.
"Oh. That."
Yeah, that. Maybe let me be female next time, please?"
"I can't do that. You are scheduled to be male in this incarnation."
Damn it.
"Don't use those words here."
Sorry.
"We'll try something different this time. You seem to like
fighting,"
I hate it, actually.
"Yes, well, if you survive more than five minutes in this one, we can
talk about next time."
Oh. Joy. I'll try.
"Good. Here you go..."
*****
Reality snaps around me like a vise. I'm in a cockpit of some
kind...my hands on the controls. okay, I can handle this. Am I
headded for anything? A big butt-ugly brown asteroid.
I swerve to the right, just on instinct. Swearing ripples through my
headset, even as a lance of purest blue arcs from the 'asteroid'
through where I was flying not two seconds ago.
The swearing stops as soon as it started. "Damn, Captain, I never
even saw it coming!"
I grin, "Just keep flying boys and girls, we'll talk shop after this
milk run."
"Milk run he calls it, no wonder he's the captain!" I focus my
attention on the asteroid, and the display on my front screen. I
flip the 'com' switch to off...then ask, "computer, what is the range
of my current load-out?" A series of numbers flash up on the screen,
settling on a large number. one that the distance to the asteroid
was quickly rolling down to. "Mission paramaters?" words on my
screen. 'close to 3000 kilometers, deploy salvo, destroy enemies
contacted.'
"Light up incoming targets." I say, then switch the com back on.
"Okay boys and girls, we've got incoming. It looks like a target
rich environment out there. Don't get dead." I grin.
"But, captain, I don't see anything..."
"See all those cute little rocks that fell off of that thing?"
"Yeah...?"
"Those are manned craft. Large ones. If I'm not mistaken, none of
you have turned on your targetting computers yet, right?"
Numbers quickly scrolled on my screen, and the lower screen quickly
shows my entire wing...five people including myself, flashing from
red of inactive to the green of online.
"Holy SH!!"
"Watch your language lieutenant. Light up one of those things, each
of you, but save the missiles for the mission."
"R...right!"
I turn the com off again, then query, "computer, how long since that
narrow miss?"
1:28
"Damn, this is going to hurt. Warm up all the pods...but keep the
missiles locked down until 3000" Affirmative. "Keep that timer going.
Light up the closest target, then prepare all the energy salvo we
can put out." the grin on my face widens slightly as the lit
target's range numbers flash down from red...to yellow...to green.
Instantly, I pull the trigger on the handles, feeling the entire
plane slow miniutely from the energy being drained from
everything...but it is worth it. Target one, destroyed. "Next!" I
call out.
"And give me a charge time on my pods, I might need it."
3216
1:45
:12
The grin on my face fades, as the distance to the next target hits
green 3 seconds before the charge is ready. I swerve right, then
left, watching a lance of light arc from the enemy fighter careen
past my cockpit...too close.
2. 1. another rippling salvo of energy and light lances from my
fighter to the enemy...obliterating it.
I look down...two of my wingmen are flashing red lights. "damn" I
whisper. I pull into a barrel roll, watching several other
misses...all of them coming ever so close to hitting me...
3100
2:15
:03
"We aren't going to survive to contact," I whisper. hurriedly, I
flip the com switch on. "Okay, kiddo, it's just you and me.
personally, I don't think we're going to make it to 3K...deploy
missiles now, and let's get the hell out of here." I turn to the
computer, "Flush missile salvo."
Lockdown engaged until 3000 kilometers.
"Well disengage the lockdown!"
Affirmative.
3056
2:30
:00
:00
I lit up the big target in front of me, crossed my fingers, and
pulled the triggers.
twenty missiles tore from the pods attached to my fighter, and the
pods themselves were jettisoned.
fifteen missiles managed to escape from my lone remaining
wingman...before he too was destroyed.
"Gerwalk" I growl. turning to face the killers of my crew, I scream
at them, "Come and DIE!"
The ship I apparently came from...a big blue and silver
monstrosity...starts to split down the middle.
I don't have time for that.
Lasers lance from my ship, the autocannons firing at top speed. four
more enemies fall to my relentless attack.
Lasers arc from the remaining enemies cutting my wings, my fighter's
legs.
Lightning arcs along the entire length of my 'home' ship.
Two more fall to my autocannon, before that too is taken from me.I
float there, watching the remaining timer count up.
4:49
Longer than I expected to last.
One of the enemies puts a gun to my cockpit. I watch it, bemused.
The timer rolls over to 5 minutes...then all goes black.
***
My spirit turns to look at what happened. A huge blast tears from
the home ship...through the group of fighters, including my dead
self. Right into the center of the 'asteroid' I saw at first.
***
"He was a good man."
"They all were."
"Pity none of them survived to come home."
.---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
| Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
| Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
| Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject |
`---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'