Prologue
The nickname that the pilots of the Frontier fleet had for the parts of space occupied by dense asteroid fields was "the soup," and rarely had there been a nickname more fitting. Such asteroid fields were the lifeblood of colony ships, a rich source of raw materials that allowed them to maintain their populations and their manufacturing capabilities. They were also a nightmare to fly in, as visibility was short, the chance of a collision was high, and the materials in the asteroids themselves often wreaked havoc on sensor readings. Such asteroid fields were a place where danger could lurk at every turn and come at an unsuspecting victim with hardly any advance warning, yet the critical importance of the resources they contained meant that they could not be ignored.
It was because of the danger and importance of asteroid field reconnaissance missions that they were often assigned to elite fighter squadrons -squadrons like the Third Fighter Wing's Number-Sixty Four Squadron. Known throughout the fleet as the Banshees, the twelve Meltrandi pilots of Number Sixty-Four Squadron were equipped with heavily armed and armoured Queadluun-Rheas that were painted in a distinctive looking black colour scheme. The one exception to this was a single white painted Queadluun that was flown by the leader of the squadron's B Flight. Her unusual machine contrasted starkly with that of her wingman as the two of them skillfully weaved their way through a section of the asteroid field their squadron had been assigned to reconnoitre.
"Banshee Six to Banshee Five. I'm picking up some faint sensor contacts at three o'clock."
Second Lieutenant Talsha Vliriduul, call sign "Banshee Five," glanced at the sensor readings that her wingman's Queadluun was transmitting to her and quickly compared them to the readings from her own unit's sensors. The two didn't match, but that didn't really surprise her. The responses her wingman's sensors were getting were very faint due to the poor conditions, so it was understandable that her own unit's sensors couldn't detect anything at that point. Deciding that the faint readings were significant enough to warrant further investigation, Talsha acknowledged her wingman's transmission, then sent one of her own over the squadron's general frequency.
"Banshee Five to Banshee One. My wingman has picked up unidentified sensor contacts in our search area. Request permission to investigate."
"Roger that, Banshee Five," her squadron leader responded. "Permission to investigate granted, but don't take any chances. Be on your guard."
Talsha acknowledged the order, then sent another transmission to her wingman.
"Will do, Banshee One. Banshee Five to Banshee Six. We're going to investigate those readings. You take the lead, and I'll cover your six."
Her wingman, a young but very promising ensign by the name of Jarnika Kural, acknowledged her order.
"Copy that Five. It's nice to know I'm going to have an angel watching over me out here."
Talsha frowned slightly at the reference to the nickname the other members of the squadron had given her.
"Focus on your flying, Six," she ordered, then positioned her Queadluun to follow Jarnika's as it began to twist and turn through the densely packed asteroids. Both machines picked up sporadic sensor contacts, but neither one could positively identify them. Their pilots had suspicions however. Something about the sensor contacts indicated that they were probably hostile.
All of a sudden a warning alarm sounded in Talsha's cockpit, and a line of red chevrons appeared in the upper left quadrant of her Queadluun's HUD. Noting the direction of the incoming threat, she reacted almost instantly.
"Look out!" she yelled over the communications channel as she spun around and opened fire on the incoming Vajra drone with her Queadluun's rapid fire arm guns. The small-type drone –which was about to try to impale her with its flagellum- was struck point blank by a flurry of shells before exploding in a powerful blast that shook her Queadluun as the shockwave passed by.
Almost instantly Talsha's HUD was alive with activity as it displayed multiple incoming sensor contacts, including one below her and another below Jarnika. Quickly reorienting her Queadluun so that she was looking down on her wingman and the two incoming Vajra drones, Talsha issued an order.
"Jarnika, get that one below you! I've got your back."
Jarnika didn't take the time to acknowledge Talsha's transmission. Instead she opened fire on the drone below her, which dove to try to evade her fire. She followed, and the second drone tried to follow her, only to be destroyed a moment later by a well placed burst from the chest mounted beam guns on Talsha's Queadluun. Talsha smirked a little as she watched the drone explode. A lot of attention was paid to the Queadluun-Rhea's missiles, rapid fire arm guns, and heavy anti-capital ship beam cannon, but the lowly chest mounted beam guns could be very effective when used properly.
Talsha sent out a transmission on the squadron's general frequency as Jarnika dove under an asteroid and she followed the younger Meltran by passing over it.
"Banshee Five to Banshee One. We are currently engaged in combat with a Vajra force of unknown size. Request reinforcements."
Commander Jelka's authoritative voice crackled over the communications channel.
"Roger that Banshee Five. Banshee One to all units: you heard her."
For a squadron as tightly knit as the Banshees, no further orders were necessary. Five pairs of Queadluuns immediately altered course to assist their beleaguered comrades. The rest of Talsha's flight was particularly eager to reinforce their leader.
"We're on our way, Angel!" Banshee Seven –Ensign Mira Soltam- informed Talsha as she and her wingman weaved their way through the asteroids at breakneck speed. "Just keep them off Jarnika until we get there."
Talsha didn't reply as she cleared the asteroid and looked down upon Jarnika, who was currently engaged in combat with two small type Vajra drones. The young ensign fired a burst from one of her arm guns towards the drone that was farther away from her in order to head it off, then engaged the other with her Queadluun's chest guns. Talsha was about to assist her wingman by destroying the drone that had been driven off when she noticed the sinister red form of a large type Vajra drone emerge onto the top of a nearby asteroid.
"Jarnika, you've got a big one behind you at five o'clock! Look out!"
Jarnika opened her throttle in response to Talsha's warning, but was unable to put on much speed before the large type Vajra let loose with a volley of missiles. Talsha swore, then opened up on the missiles with both her arm guns, subjecting the swarm of warheads to a fusillade of high explosive projectiles that thinned their numbers just enough to give Jarnika a fighting chance. In doing this the more experienced Meltran also drew the Vajra's attention off her wingman's Queadluun and onto her own.
Glaring up at Talsha with its glowing red eyes, the large type Vajra took aim with the beam cannon mounted on its back. Pulsating yellow energy flickered along the massive weapon's length, and Talsha dodged to the side just in time for the searing beam of energy it fired to flash by her Queadluun and slam into a nearby asteroid, completely vaporizing a large portion of it and blasting the rest into a cloud of tiny fragments. The powerful shockwave this generated shook Talsha's Queadluun hard, but she paid it little heed as her insectoid opponent leaped off its perch and flew directly at her, ready to rip her Queadluun to pieces with its massive claws.
Realizing that she had to end the fight as quickly as possible and that her enemy was closing in too fast for her to be able to utilize the missiles she was carrying, Talsha activated the anti capital ship beam cannon mounted on her Queadluun's back and swung it into firing position. She barely had time to aim the heavy weapon before firing, but she got lucky: her hastily fired shot struck the Vajra's lightly armoured head and tore right through it into its abdomen. The creature stiffened, then exploded in a massive blast that sent Talsha's Queadluun flying.
The force of that explosion probably saved Talsha's life, as it not only knocked her Queadluun backwards but also knocked it away from the small type Vajra drone that had been preparing to stab her with its flagellum. Reacting quickly, Talsha stunned the drone with a blow from her Queadluun's left arm, sent it flying with a kick, and then promptly finished it off with a volley from her beam guns.
Even as her shots struck home Talsha's eyes were flickering across her HUD, searching for the positions of both her wingman and any nearby Vajra. It appeared that Jarnika was still alive, but the younger pilot was separated from Talsha by an intervening asteroid and it looked like she was about to get swarmed. The transmission Talsha received a moment later only reinforced that impression.
"Five, I could use a little help here!" Jarnika called out. The young ensign's voice sounded noticeably strained, and that said something. Jarnika might be less experienced than the rest of the members of the squadron, but she was still a Banshee, and Banshees didn't panic easily.
By that point Talsha's Queadluun was already racing towards Jarnika's position, passing low over the top of the intervening asteroid as it barrelled in at full throttle.
"Heads up, Jarnika!" she yelled over the communications channel. "Watch for falling missiles!"
As she spoke, Talsha's Queadluun shot over the edge of the asteroid and passed over the location where her wingman was locked in a desperate life and death struggle to repel the Vajra that were threatening to overwhelm her. Seeing just what she had expected to see, Talsha immediately sprang into action. Calling up a targeting program, her eyes darted rapidly back and forth as she placed a target marker on each of the Vajra drones. A series of triangular red indicators appeared on her HUD as her Queadluun's computer locked on, and then it was time to drop the hammer.
Now inputted with the necessary targeting data, dozens of miniature missiles burst forth from the ordinance bays of Talsha's Queadluun and rained down upon their targets like a hail of meteors. Within a few seconds the swarm of munitions had claimed several of the Vajra drones and was hard on the tails of the remainder, viciously twisting and turning as they drew closer and closer to their prey.
Satisfied with the results of her handiwork, Talsha took a moment to drive off a pair of drones that had attempted to come at her from above before dropping in beside her besieged wingman.
"Stick close to me, kid!" she ordered. "Mira and Zaria will be here shortly."
"Yes ma'am!" Jarnika replied. The younger pilot sounded a little breathless, but otherwise seemed to be keeping herself together. That was good, because Talsha's sensors were picking up several new contacts among the nearby asteroids.
"Here they come! Look sharp!"
What followed was approximately sixty seconds of what could best be described as complete and utter madness. With both their targets now grouped together in a single location, the Vajra attacked in force, while Talsha and Jarnika fought back with everything they had. Rotary cannons, beam guns, and missiles were all judiciously employed as the two Meltrans struggled to cover each other and fend off the swarm of attackers that attempted to overwhelm them. Even the heavy beam cannons mounted on the backs of their Queadluun's saw action during the battle as Talsha used hers to destroy asteroids that evading Vajra drones were using as cover and her wingman soon began to follow suit.
At some point during that mad minute a warning alarm sounded in Talsha's cockpit, and she looked up to find a swarm of missiles headed her way, courtesy of the large type Vajra that was leaning over the edge of a nearby asteroid. Cursing, Talsha thrusted away from the incoming barrage and opened fire on it with her Queadluun's arm guns. She managed to destroy a large portion of the warheads, but quickly realised that it wouldn't be enough –there were too many missiles and not enough time. Coming about with a quick spin, she aimed her Queadluun at a gap her fire had created in the centre of the enemy barrage and charged straight at it, hoping she could make it through before the missiles on the edge of the formation could hone in on her. Miraculously she did, and her Queadluun shot through the gap, tore through the middle of a group of small type Vajra, and made straight for the last known position of the drone which had managed to surprise her. Zooming past the asteroid her foe had fired from, she spotted the offending insect hiding on its upper surface and opened fire with every weapon she had.
"Take this!" she snarled as missiles, cannon shells, and high powered energy beams bombarded the large type Vajra. It exploded, and she spun around to meet the swarm of smaller drones that were now chasing after her. As she did so she spotted two new large type drones coming to join the battle and swore.
"Jarnika, I want you to go after those two big ones. I'll keep the little guys off your back!" she ordered as she fired several beam cannon shots towards the incoming large types in order to indicate their position for her wingman and hopefully do a little damage in the process. Jarnika acknowledged her order, and Talsha steeled herself for what she had to do next. She'd hoped to bring both herself and her wingman home from this mission alive, but she was starting to have serious doubts about her ability to accomplish that objective. There were just so many Vajra…
Without warning dozens of cylindrical objects streaked by on either side of Talsha's Queadluun and slammed into the incoming swarm of drones, their long blue exhaust trails coming to an abrupt end in a maelstrom of small explosions. What few drones managed to break the surface of the conflagration were promptly met by a barrage of cannon shells and energy beams that were also fired from above and behind Talsha's position.
"Hi Angel. Mind if we drop in?" Waria quipped as she and Mira's black painted Queadluuns descended from above to join the melee. Rarely had Talsha been more glad to see her subordinates, but her first priority was Jarnika. Finding the younger pilot's position indicator on her HUD, she quickly flew over to check on her charge.
"Banshee Five to Banshee Six. You okay, kid?"
Jarnika's Queadluun turned to face Talsha's as she approached.
"Yeah. I managed to handle those two somehow."
Talsha allowed herself to smirk a little at that. Jarnika was quite modest, a rare quality in a pilot who looked like she might someday rank among the fleet's top aces.
"Good. Banshee Five to Banshee One. Six and I have linked up with Seven and Eight. The Vajra appear to be breaking off their attack."
Commander Jelka's voice came in loud and clear on the squadron frequency.
"Roger that Five. The rest of us will be with you shortly. NUNS Command is sending a Variable Fighter squadron to assist us as well."
"Then I guess we'd better finish this quickly so that our side doesn't suffer any casualties," Waria joked.
"Cut the chatter, Eight," Commander Jelka ordered, although Talsha suspected her commanding officer was secretly amused by her subordinate's remark. As the leader of one of the most elite fighter squadrons in the Frontier Fleet's New UN Spacey contingent she was well aware of how limited the capabilities of many of the fleet's other fighter squadrons were.
As they were waiting for the rest of the squadron to arrive, Talsha received a hail from Jarnika on a private frequency.
"Lieutenant. I just wanted to thank you for saving me earlier," the young ensign told her when she accepted the hail. Talsha shook her head.
"Don't worry about it, kid. We're comrades. We watch each other's backs."
"Yes, but you still saved my life at least twice today," Jarnika noted, "and this is hardly the first time either." When Talsha didn't respond, she continued. "I guess you really are our squadron's guardian angel."
Talsha smiled sadly, but didn't object.
"Yeah," she agreed. She was the Guardian Angel of Number Sixty-Four Squadron. Even if she didn't want to be.