After everything was set and done Mike strapped himself in his strapped into the cockpit seat of his Mark Two Viper. The mid-afternoon son beamed into his cockpit as he reached forward for the master-switch. He listened to the information over his headset as while locking it in place over the pressure coupling. Mike felt the seals contract and his ears popped as her suit underwent its pressurization testing. The pressure pushed against the pilot's skin until it tingled, and gradually fell off and beeped letting him know that he had no rips, pinpricks, or tares in his suit.
The automated broadcast looped again.
"CFT ATIS - Automated Broadcast. Local Time 1504 Hours. Sky condition - Clear. Temperature, 82 degrees, Due Point Information - Not available, Main Landing - Runway 18/Right. Visibility twenty-five miles through 10,000 feet. Takeoff and departure, advise BOSS you have Information Tango - CFT ATIS - Automated Broadcast, Local time 1504 Hours -,"
Mike clicked over to the main frequency and spoke into his helmet with his commanding voice. He wasn't ever able to hide the telltale fact he was still a young fighter-jock.
" CFT Libraus Tower . This is Viper 4798 November Alpha, My call sign is 'Hotshot'. Standing by for preemptive flight plan data and I'm returning back to Achellies..Tango; Break."
Mike took a breath and let go of the transmit key on his thruster-stick so they wouldn't hear the gasping for air after that mouth full of protocol. It wasn't long before someone replied.
"Hotshot, Libraus Tower - Taxi to Eighteen-Right and hold short."
"Libraus, Hotshot - Understood. Taxiing to Eighteen- Right to hold short."
Hotshot pulled his cockpit canopy back and looked around his Viper Mark II before taking off. Then he activated the Viper's engines. He felt the cockpit rumble and the pilot pushed the cyclic forward a little. The tarmac got just a little smaller as he lifted off of it taxing to the end of the runway and settled back down again once he made it to his takeoff point. There was a thump as Mike felt his fighter touch the pavement yet again.
"Libraus, Hotshot - Am holding short of Eighteen-Right." He said.
Mike watched as another fighter flew in low and slows for it's landing in front of him, and it pulled off the runway and awaited instructions from another Libraus tower controller. Then, he got his reply.
"Hotshot, Libraus Tower . You are cleared for launch. Climb on your VX to eighteen thousand. Expect V.S. at 10 thousand by Angels Eighteen. Once there, your handoff is Battlestar Achilles. Orbital insertion expected at 212 Statues Miles ASL. You need to achieve 17,980 miles per hour for your Apogee…God speed"
"Libraus, Hotshot. VX 18,000, VS at Ten, Angels Eighteen for handoff to Battlestar Achilles. OI expected at Two-Twelve S.M., at Sea Level achieving Seventeen-Ninety Eight for Apogee, Cleared for Launch, Break." He repeated everything for records and hovered his craft onto the runway.
Mike "Hotshot" Walker 's Viper ascended into the stars quickly, blending in with the military air traffic ascending and descending in the pattern. After reaching his coordinates Mike happen to look out of his left and noticing flashes of light spread across the blackness of space.[i]Franks this isn't good[i] Mike thought quickly at the sometime switching over to the Achilles Command main frequency.
"Achellies, this is Viper Wing Squadron Leader Captain Walker call sign Hotshot from the 101st 'Deathstrike' Viper Battalion. Anyone listening to this we have Battestars inbound for Caprica...I'm not joking or pulling a rountine Fleet Drill I have contacts of Battlestars inbound for Caprica."