Hitting up a few reviews before we hop back in...
sscaldwe - Thanks and welcome aboard! I have to admit one my prime writing influences was the late Tom Clancy. Always enjoyed the books (but not much of a fan of the movies beyond Hunt For Red October & Patriot Games, but that's a different story) and always like how it was a big buildup with some twists here and there before the big payoff at the end. This one, well, there's still quite a ways to go here.
Thanks for the kind words regarding the characters as well. I was hoping I would be keeping them in the spirit of the series, but with a few tweaks here and there that make the story work. Also, with regards to Lisa, Rick's starting to put it all together. I always thought Minmei was more of how a high-school crush would go, while Lisa was more of the forever girl.
theGhostflyer - That it does! Just add flour, water, a few renegade Zentraedi, the RDF, and stir constantly. Interesting concept to say the least for Khyron, but the initial reason was thinking her singing was some sort of magical power that caused the defeat. However, I cannot confirm nor deny that this little tidbit of info may come into play at some point in the story. As for the baited trap, the next few chapters will make things a tad more clear on that front.
Also, with the Cats Eye, I really hadn't thought about that one to be honest (honesty department - I had to Google that term). They may have noticed it and paid it no mind seeing that Khyron had pretty much banked on some sort of response from the RDF. Glad you got a kick out of the nicknames in use. There'll be a few more that come out in this. As for a repeat of Mars, well, remains to be seen.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT - Right now, I've got a few more chapters loaded up and just getting their final tweaks before going up, but the output may slacken a bit as I'm crafting some of the aftermath of the raid and the directions things go. Also, there may be some "director's cut" scenes that may not have made the story that may go up at some point as well in a one-shot collection that I've been mulling over. Nothing official on that yet, but it may be coming.
On to the next installment. The hour of decision grows nearer...
Chapter Ten – War Dance
The tarmac and hanger area of Fokker Base was a swarm of activity as both Skull and Rapier Squadrons were in preparation for their role in Operation StarSaver. Pilots, mechanics, and other ground staff were going between the Veritechs, making sure everything was in working order before the large force was given the okay for takeoff.
In the locker area for the Skulls, Rick, Max, and Ben were in the final stages of preparing for the task at hand.
"Seems like we're a little incomplete on this mission," Ben noted.
"Hey, it wasn't my call to have Miriya on the sidelines," Rick shot back. "Docs still haven't cleared her yet." He turned towards Max. "How'd she take the news?"
Max shook his head. "About as well as I thought. Which was, not very happy about it at all. She's not exactly a fan of me going off without her. And I have to be honest, I'm not too fond of it either."
"Believe me, Max, I lobbied to get her back on the line for this one. Too much can go wrong with things like this and I'd feel a little better with another experienced hand out there."
"She appreciated that, Rick. And she told me to thank you for talking to Lisa about your idea."
Max knew that being on the sidelines and not out in the thick of the action was starting to get to Miriya. However, Rick had told him that he had put in a request for her to join the bridge team on this mission, partially to let her feel as if she's part of the action and partially to act as a special advisor to Lisa and the Admiral in to what tricks Khyron may have up his sleeve.
"She's as much a part of this as anyone. Besides, the insights couldn't hurt."
Ben smiled. "True. She's been on both sides, so she'd definitely have an idea of what Khryon could pull on this one."
Rick looked at his two friends and nodded. "Gentlemen, I think it's time to get this party started."
The three officers made their way out of the locker area and headed towards the main hangar for the Skulls. When they arrived, the other pilots of the squadron were all assembled. They circled around Rick for a last second talk.
"Alrighty, kids. It's pretty much go time for this mission. I know for a lot of you, it's your first real taste of a major action. Just keep in mind what you've gone over in the sims and watch your buddy's back out there. And most importantly, don't get cocky out there. Cocky gets you killed and makes me write a letter home."
Rick looked around at the pilots surrounding him. This never gets any easier. I know a few of you guys probably aren't coming back from this one. But I'll do my best to be sure most, if not all, of you do make it back home tonight. Pushing that melancholy thought out of his mind, he thought back to something the squadron hadn't done in quite a long time.
"OK, Skulls. Bring it in." With that, Rick raised his arm skyward.
The pilots huddled close, grasping towards their commander's raised arm.
"Break on three!
The assembled pilots shouted in unison as Rick dropped his arm. What was called "The Rally Cry" had carried over from Roy Fokker's days as commander of the Skulls.
With that, the assembly broke up as the fighter jocks made their way to their awaiting Veritechs. Rick high-fived Max and Ben before heading off. As he walked towards Skull One, Rick couldn't help but notice Ben talking with Amelia and the younger pilot giving him a hug before they went on their separate ways.
I'll have to talk to Ben about that when we get back. Not that I disapprove, but I had no idea.
As Rick reached his distinctive fighter, he made sure to check on the ordinance attached. Seeing that everything was in order, he started to make his way around the strikingly painted fighter for one last check before strapping in. Roy, you'd be proud I've kept The Old Girl as-is. There's something to be said about tradition. The only change that had been made was the addition of the new Skull Squadron emblem. However, in place of the skull, each pilot had a graphic that represented their call-name. As Rick was a fan of comics and older cartoons, it made this a bit easier for the artwork to be modified. On Skull One, the skull was replaced by a familiar visage from a famous comic book, which was one of his favorites. The evil-smiling clown stared back at Rick as he finally started to make his way towards the front of the fighter.
It was there he saw Vince Grant, Skull Squadron's personal ground tech and maintenance guru.
"It's all gassed up for you, boss. Left the keys in the ignition too."
Rick smiled. "I see you did the windshields too. I get the oil change next trip in, right?"
A hearty laugh followed the comment. "Light em up out there, Joker!" Vince responded, using Rick's call-sign.
A fist bump followed and Rick was making his way up the ladder and into the cockpit. As he strapped in and adjusted his helmet, he could only think of one thing. I just want to get back in one piece. Soon, he was flipping levers on the control panel, causing the jets in the rear to start to whine and burn. The fighter began to gracefully taxi towards the runways.
Rick tapped the center console and saw Lisa pop up on screen. Showtime.
"Macross Command, this is Stargazer Flight. Looks like the kids are all in the car and we're gassed up and ready. Requesting clearance for takeoff."
Lisa rolled her eyes. "Acknowledged, Stargazer Flight. You and the kids are cleared for takeoff. Good luck and good hunting out there."
"Roger that. OK, kids, you heard the lady. It's go time!"
The Veritechs from both squadrons began shooting down the runway and gracefully gaining altitude as they headed towards the unknown. Within fifteen minutes, all the Veritechs were airborne and approaching cruising altitude.
"Macross Command, this is Stargazer Flight. All craft are airborne and we're at cruising altitude. Bearing zero two eight towards target."
"Roger that, Stargazer Flight. ETA to target is approximately three hours. Maintain radio silence on main frequencies until at destination. Once there, you know what to do." Lisa added a wink and a smile to the ending comment.
"Yes ma'am. Once there, we follow standard RDF procedure. Arrive. Cause massive property damage. Leave."
Lisa tried her best to not start laughing out loud. "Alright, mister. Time to shut it down for a bit. Be careful out there."
"Gotcha. We'll call in once we're knocking on Khyron's front door. Stargazer Flight out."
The TacNet console went black as the transmission ceased. Rick switched over to another channel. The radio silence was with Macross Command only as it was known the Zentraedi had become adept at tracking the known communications frequencies for the RDF. However, communications between the fighters was not restricted as it would help keep the pilots focused on the task at hand.
Rick, however, did not join in on the chatter between the pilots. He found his mind drifting in a multitude of different directions. Yeah, massive property damage. Let's hope the bill the RDF racks up for new Veritechs is at a minimum. He took a deep sigh. Somehow, I have a feeling that may not be the case on this one. Rick glanced out at the running lights of some of the nearby fighters surrounding him. Funny how if this mission was maybe six months ago, I'd have a much different feeling about this whole mission. Still be dangerous as hell, but I'd be caring less about what happened as long as she was safe. Now? Well, there's a much better reason to make it out of this mess in one piece.
The thoughts about the mission ended quickly as a buzzer began to sound and a red light came on the center console. Proximity scanner is going nuts right now, he thought. A quick check saw some unknown objects approaching the fighter group. A second check confirmed they were approaching quickly.
There was no hesitation on Rick's side as he flipped open a channel to the fighters.
"Heads up, people! Prox alarm is going off. Something's inbound and quick at two two seven!"
Rick checked again and did a double take. What the hell?
He was horrified to find that the flight path already had occupants, namely a large flock of Canadian geese making their way south to warmer climates.
Geese? Someone upstairs has a pretty warped sense of humor...
"Crap! All fighters, take full evasive now!"
Rick banked his fighter hard and dove out of the way of the honking mass. The others in the group followed suit, going in a myriad of directions to avoid their unexpected foe.
However, the maneuvers came too late for some of the aircraft, leading to some colorful chatter on the comm. The collision of the birds and the fighters was causing quite the concern as the birds were being sucked into the jet turbines of the fighters. The mix of turbines with feathers, bone, and other various parts of the birds was presenting a major issue to the affected craft as engines started to smoke and flame out.
Rapier Squadron had the luck of ending up in the thick of the rather large flock that crossed their flight path. Wilcox saw the same thing as Rick had and also had the same reaction, ordering his pilots to evade the best as possible. And much like the Skulls, some of the Veritechs in Rapier Squadron took damage from their honking roadblock.
The most pressing concern was noticed by Wilcox as he saw one of his younger pilots, who went by the call-sign of Flipper, struggling to get away from the flock. He had noticed one of the engines was nearly spent and was leaving a trail of fire in the skies.
"Hey, Flipper. Come point two three eight over to the right. That should get you clear."
"Trying to, sir. My right engine's pretty spent. Turning that way rig...OH SH..!"
The thought from Flipper never finished as a goose smashed through the canopy and struck the unfortunate pilot head on. The sickening crunch was audible over the comm along with alarms from the now crippled and pilotless fighter.
Wilcox winced as he saw the Veritech go into a nose dive, rapidly approaching the ground below. Come on, kid! Pull up! Eject! Oh God...
A fireball below the fighters confirmed the worst fears of everyone in the squadron. Muttered curses and prayers came over the intercom. In his fighter, Wilcox bowed his head and recited a quick prayer before crossing himself.
Wilcox spoke up in a hushed tone. "Did anyone see a chute?"
One of the other members of Rapier Squadron responded. "Negative, boss. Didn't see a chute at all."
Damnit!
Rick looked towards the heavens. Well, this mission is off to a great start already. He took a deep breath before his next command. "Alright. Status report, Skulls."
Baker was one of the first to report back. "Boss, my right engine is giving me fits. Power's at 60 percent and dropping pretty quick. Have a feeling one of the smaller birds had a meeting with the turbine."
Another Skull, Skull 17, a younger pilot nicknamed Stitch, responded quickly. "Lead, I'm down to 50 percent power for my left engine. Right's at 85 percent. Would pretty much guarantee the left turbine ate a bird and the right got a glancing shot off of another."
Rick let out a sigh that masked his frustration. "Acknowledged. Plankton, Stitch, make tracks for home. I'll let 'em know you're heading there. You guys gonna be OK to get there or should I let Wasatch know you're coming?"
"Roger, Joker. I should be good to get back to Homeplate," Baker responded.
"I should be OK too. You can tell the bingo field no thanks."
"Be careful, you two." The two pilots saluted before turning their crippled Veritechs in the opposite direction. Rick continued on his check.
"Everyone else OK?"
Max responded. "Looks that way, Joker."
Ben was the next to add on. "No problems here."
"Thanks, gents. Skull Leader to Rapier Leader. How are your guys holding up, Paladin?"
Wilcox responded with a large dose of frustration. "Joker, it looks like we took the brunt of the flock. I have three other fighters following your two back home, including my XO."
Rick's already bad mood was growing worse. Three more out of the game. What next?
"Oh, and it gets even better, Joker. One of my nuggets bought the farm."
"Say again, Paladin? You're telling me those geese actually scored..."
"Wouldn't have believed it if I didn't witness it. No chute and no beacon ping coming up, so it sounds like he cashed it in down there, although I think he was already gone before the Veritech piled it in. Those damn geese must've been on Big Ugly's payroll or something. Of all the luck..."
We're down six fighters already. Talk about a kick right in the junk. Yeah, that bad omen I had about this mission is growing. Rick sighed again, knowing the next communication he made would not be a very pleasant one.
The bridge of Macross Command was its usual combination of controlled chaos as the tracking of the ground and air forces for Operation Star Saver continued unabated. Different components went about the job of gathering information as the ground forces and extraction team were making their way towards the target.
Lisa was at her usual post at the top of the bridge, keeping an eye on the communications pouring in over TacNet. With Rick's air group under radio silence, the only transmissions coming in were from the ground forces. She noticed a blinking red light in the corner of the console. Tapping a few buttons, she got a readout of the battalion advancing. The 228th is making good progress. They should be in position shortly.
Another figure stood nearby. It was a woman dressed in a light blue RDF uniform with the most striking feature being her solid green hair. She took a look at the readout and assessed what was being reported.
I'd feel a little better if I were up there with Maximillian and the others, Miriya Sterling thought to herself. She still had not been cleared to return to active duty as of yet and still yearned to be back behind the stick of her Veritech. However, when Max had told her that Rick had floated this idea to Lisa and the Admiral and they had approved, she couldn't turn it down. At least I can give them a little warning as to what tricks Khyron likes to pull.
Lisa turned towards Miriya. "Looks like the ground forces are closing in. So far, they're reporting no resistance at all."
"Knowing Khyron, he's waiting for the right time to spring something particularly, how would you say, nasty. I'd advise the Major to keep his guard up."
Lisa nodded. "It's too quiet out there. Emerson agrees as well. The extract team is staying at Wasatch until they get the all clear."
"And the air wing?"
"Still about an hour or so away from the rendezvous with the ground forces. And they're under strict radio silence." Believe me, Miriya, I'd be more than relieved if I could talk to Rick as much as you would be talking to Max.
Just then, another red light started flashing on the console. This one was from the air group. Lisa quickly hit the button and was greeted with an image of Rick with a serious look on his face.
"Command, this is Stargazer Flight. I know we're breaking radio silence, but it's for a very good reason."
"Acknowledged, Stargazer Flight. State the situation."
"About twenty minutes ago, we ran into an anomaly about twenty clicks south and east of New Spokane. The anomaly turned out to be a pretty good sized flock of geese. We avoided the best we could, but we have some damaged planes making their way back."
Lisa shook her head. "Roger that, Stargazer Flight. How many inbound should we be expecting?"
Rick took a deep breath. "Two from Skull and three from Rapier. Five in total. However, that's not the worst of it. Rapier 18 ended up going down."
Lisa felt her stomach drop at the news. "Should we send a med team out?"
Rick shook his head. "Nobody saw a chute deploy before it impacted and his rescue beacon never activated. From what Wilcox told me, a recovery team is probably more suited on this one."
Lisa looked back at Rick on the TacNet. He's putting on a brave show here, but he's definitely rattled. And he's probably thinking the same thing here about me, especially after that bit of information. A silent nod acknowledged the news regarding Rapier 18. She turned to Miriya, who nodded and left the bridge to alert the recovery team as to their next task.
Turning back to the business at hand, Lisa spoke up. "OK, Stargazer Flight. Back to radio silence until you reach the rendezvous point." And try to be careful out there, Rick. If you were to end up like Rapier 18...
"Roger that, Stargazer Flight out." With that, Rick flipped the switch turning off the direct link to Command. He took a deep breath and sighed as he could feel a spike of frustration. Yeah, I definitely have a bad feeling about this mission.
A distance away, Khyron and Azonia were sitting on the bridge of his hidden craft, monitoring the events out near the warehouse.
It was just then a blinking light came up on the console in front of them. Khyron lazily tapped the button.
"What is it?"
"My Lord, Warehouse reporting in," a tinny voice came back. "We have Micronian ground and air forces heading towards our location bearing three one eight. Your instructions?"
"Let them in."
"My lord? Are you sure of this?"
A sneer came across Khyron's face as he felt his temper rising. "Of course I'm sure of this, you idiot! Let them in. And never question my orders again."
"Ye..yes, sir!" With that, Khyron smashed the button cutting off the communications a bit harder than expected.
Azonia looked at Khyron with a bit of surprise. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Our forces there are kind of exposed."
Not you too, he thought darkly. He turned towards her, but instead of an angry look, it was more of a sinister smile that crossed his mouth.
"Xamdar and his men are capable of keeping the Micronians entertained. Besides, I have a few surprises in store for our guests." He opened up a communicator and punched in a well-rehearsed code.
"Xamdar, time to spring our surprises. You know what to do."
On the other end, Xamdar understood what was meant. "Yes, my lord." He closed the communicator and turned to his men. "Chondo, Thoda, come with me. We have a special surprise in mind for the Micronian scum. Go and make sure our guests are secured."
The two saluted quickly and made their way to the prisoners while Xamdar stopped at a storage container nearby. Opening the hatch, he spotted what appeared to be a cylindrical object. Tapping a button, the cylinder came to life with a humming sound. On the top, a small hatch opened up on the cylinder and a small device popped up. Xamdar quickly grabbed it and closed the container. There's one nasty little surprise for you, Micronians. You'll be fixated on the other little gift that you'll probably ignore this one.
Xamdar then re-opened the communicator and tapped in another code.
"Watchtower, everything is in place. Await the signal to begin."
"As you command."
Closing the communicator, he walked over to another of his men, who had volunteered to remain behind. "I cannot thank you enough, Pyoto"
The other Zentraedi nodded. "It was an honor, my friend. Besides, nothing is more glorious than a fitting end. One last battle. A chance at redemption for two years ago."
"Indeed. However, Lord Khyron does not want much deviation from the plan. You are to just harass the ground forces and then initiate the first two phases."
"And the last phase?"
"That is something we'll get to watch from a reasonably safe distance. I can't say the same for the Micronians." Xamdar then handed Pyoto the object that had come from the cylinder off to the side. "Lord Khyron will contact you when it is time. When you get that signal, enter the code three-one-four-nine."
"Understood. And what are your plans?"
"I have a delivery to go make. Chondo and Thoda are going with me. I hear New Macross is nice this time of year." A broad grin crossed Xamdar's face.
Off in the distance, both warriors could hear a rumbling sound.
"From what it sounds like, they'll be here in short order. Get the men ready."
"As you command." Pyoto left the office area and headed towards the main entrance of the building.
With that, Xamdar opened a locked drawer in the desk and pulled out a USB drive. He proceeded to plug the drive into the computer in front of him. After typing in a short code, the screen came up.
Enter code sequence to initiate Operation Rude Awakening:
A buzz on his personal cell phone alerted him that Chondo and Thoda had completed their task. A smile came across his face as he entered the code and tapped a key. The screen changed.
Operation Rude Awakening initiated. Countdown will start upon entry of final authorization code.
A chrono display came up reading 5:00. Everything is all set, Xamdar thought. Time to let Lord Khyron know. He opened the communicator and tapped in a familiar code and then inserted a pre-programmed chip. Once the chip was loaded, he tapped a button on the side. Within a few secons, a chime alerted him that the message was sent. With that, Xamdar left the office and made his way down towards the rendezvous with his colleagues at the van.
Back at Khyron's ship, The Backstabber received a signal on his personal communicator. He flipped it open and saw the message. Operation Rude Awakening Initiated. The Micronians suspect nothing. He started to laugh as he closed the device.
"What's so humorous, Khyron?" Azonia demanded.
"These idiot Micronians are stumbling into a trap. They're fully expecting to find their Sorceress and Mighty Warrior waiting for rescue, but the only thing they'll be finding will be their doom." He pointed to a map of the warehouse's location.
"Behind that little ridge there, I left them a tiny surprise. Namely two full squadrons of pods."
"That's your surprise? A repeat of that disaster on that red planet? I expected more, but then again, boasting was a talent you excelled at."
Khyron gave Azona a wry look. "They're not the full surprise. Far from it. They're only there to keep our friends from getting too far away. What they don't know is that the warehouse has something rather special waiting. Something we managed to dig up."
The aspect of the trap began to dawn on Azonia, remembering a side trip Khyron had taken on the way to New Detroit. "So, in other words, we're drawing them in, and.."
"The RDF is going to get quite a bloody nose. So much so that we would be able to walk in and take what's ours after this."
Azonia smiled. "My only hope is that the traitor Miriya is flying with those worms today. The thought of her getting reduced into atoms pleases me greatly."
"Our intel reported they scrambled her squadron as the lead. This means we can take out their best pilots in one swift stroke. My only regret is that I'm not out there to personally end the lives of Skull One and the Blue Devil." Khyron poured two goblets of his favorite wine and offered one to his colleague.
"To our success and the end of the RDF."
"Everything is set," Xamdar stated as he climbed into the passenger seat of the van.
Chondo was behind the wheel, tapping in their destination into the GPS console in the front. "According to the navigation, we should arrive in about nine hours."
"Perfect. And our shipment?"
"Secured," Thoda declared.
With that, Chondo turned the key in the ignition and the van came to life.
Too bad I won't be here to see it, but this is going to end badly for the Micronians, Xamdar thought. To see the looks on their faces when Lord Khyron goes ahead with this would be priceless.