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Chapter Three
At 0600 hours sharp the following morning both squadrons met in the briefing room of the Saratoga. Cdr. Ross entered the room, carrying several holodisks with him and after he had told them about the patrol mission, he showed them their assigned OP area on the holoscreen. The squadrons gave a united moan when they saw that their patrol flight would lead them deep into enemy territory. After the briefing had ended, McQueen stepped in front of them, eyeing each pilot closely.
"O.k., listen up! I know that it is always hard to get acquainted with both new jets and wingmen but as attack jet pilots you know that you have to count on your comrades. Animosity and petty fights have to be left onboard here otherwise you and your friends will be dead within the hour!" He shot Urquhart a cold stare.
"So, if you want to behave like little kids remember that your ass and that of your wingman is at stake ..."
After McQueen had left the room, Mullen, Parsons and Firth came over to Chambers.
"Ma'am, do you have any more orders for us?" Firth inquired. The British pilots stood to attention in front of the young Flight Lieutenant and it was clear that from now on they would not doubt their senior officer's command any longer.
"Yes, Lieutenants," Chambers said somewhat bewildered. "Watch your six and good flight!"
Together with the Marines they left for the flight deck where the technicians were busy preparing the jets. After they had reassured themselves that the technicians had checked everything, they made their way to their quarters where they donned on their flight gear.
It always was an impressive sight when the Hammerheads left their lair. But when McQueen watched the departure of the two squadrons, he was enchanted by the sheer beauty of it, as if he saw such a departure for the very first time. Cdr. Ross who had stepped beside him, watched as the thrusters grew smaller and smaller before they vanished into space.
"They seem to form a gung-ho," he commented and McQueen nodded.
"You must be proud of Meg ..."
"Yes," McQueen replied. "And I'm proud of the Wild Cards ... They are the best!"
"Even better than the Angry Angels?" Ross asked, knowing that McQueen was once part of the famous elite squad.
"Yes, better than that!" the Colonel replied.
The two squadrons loosely formed an arrow formation as they headed for the patrol co-ordinates. Shane turned her head slowly after she had checked her HUD. The RAF pilots formed a perfect angle with the Wild Cards, her own and Meg Chambers' jet at the tip of the formation. They had reached the patrol co-ordinates near planet Crom, 650 megastatute-kilometres away from the Saratoga.
For the umpteenth time she wondered about the beauty and stillness of space as she admired the illuminated green side of the planet. Everything looked peaceful from up here and yet she knew from the briefing that the planet was in fact a Chig base. Shane sighed softly and directed her gaze to her HUD again.
"Storm Leader, Queen of Diamonds speaking, check your six, eight and ten. No bogeys so far..." Shane said over the intercom.
"Affirmative, Queen of Diamonds. Six, eight and ten all clear!" Meg replied when she noticed a strange signal on her LIDAR. "Wait a sec, I got some bogey on ten o'clock ..."
"Confirm," Firth replied. "A recon-vehicle... thirty-four degrees south!"
"I can't see him ..." Parsons cried into her com, sounding more excited than afraid. "LIDAR's blank ..."
"Wrong freq, Storm Two," Wang interrupted. "Switch to four-forty on the LIDAR!"
"Queen of Diamonds, Jack'o'Spades," Cooper said over the com. "Got another bandit on eight, seven, six ... they have locked on!"
"Confirmed, Jack of Spades," Shane answered. "Storm Leader, Storm Wing, assume diamond formation. Let's hack!"
She watched as the RAF pilots banked right then went into a full-throttle raise in perfect synchrony. She had to admit that these pilots were good. The young Marine checked her LIDAR again and noticed that fourteen Chig jets were quickly advancing towards them.
Meg watched as her wing followed her and once the NAV system indicated that she had reached the new angle, she cut speed by one quarter and levelled off to probe her HUD. The reason for this manoeuvre was to confuse the Alien crafts, while splitting up the two squadrons seemed an easy prey for the Aliens. Chambers and her wing should ambush the Chigs, trailing above while the Wild Cards baited them.
Meg still had difficulties with the unfamiliar jet but she checked everything double to be on the safe side. She smirked when she noticed that she was looking for the com-button on the wrong side of her displays.
"Queen of Diamonds, Storm Leader speaking, have assumed twelve o'clock high," Chambers said over the intercom. "Don't think the bandits have picked up the ... bait..." the Flight Lieutenant dodged the oncoming attack jet.
"Copy, Storm Leader, YOU have baited them!" Shane announced over the com, her voice having a definite edge to it.
"Wild Cards confirm ... Let's light the pipes we're going in hot!" The Wild Cards made a dive into full-throttle, diving low beneath the Storm wing to the rear of the attacking Aliens.
"Hey, listen up, guys. Two points for every Chiggy," Damphousse announced as her HUD locked onto one of the Alien crafts and she switched on her weaponry.
"That's unfair, 'Phousse," Wang complained. "Then I've to buy Coop his drinks!"
Nathan watched his digital readouts and sighed through the intercom.
"C'mon," he groaned as he waited that the readouts of his weaponry gave him the armed and ready sign.
WEAPON SYSTEM: ARMED.
Cooper switched on the fourth button of his weaponry.
PROXIMITY GUNS: ARMED AND READY.
"I'm going in," he announced over the com and Wang confirmed.
"Right 'ho, Coop, I'm with ya!"
They maxed their thrusters and the Hammerheads rocked them both into their seats.
Suddenly, eager on their prey both squadrons turned around and ten Hammerheads were criss-crossing between the Alien jets.
After Nathan had jinxed and shot down an oncoming Alien jet he watched as Chambers was relentlessly tracking one craft. It seemed as if she was playing with the Chiggy fighter like a cat with a mouse. He shook his head in wonder when she finally locked onto the fighter and gave away to a volley of bursts and the fighter turned into a exploding orb of scorched metal and fire. It seemed as if she was oblivious to the fact that they were in the middle of a battle. Chambers had locked onto yet another Chig fighter when she suddenly heard the warning on her intercom.
"Storm Leader, watch your twelve, bandit's moving in ..." she heard Firth saying. "Can't get a lock on, Chambers, I might hit you!"
"Roger that, Storm Three," Shane said as she shot down an Alien craft. "Storm Leader, try to nose-dive it ..."
"Trying, Queen of Diamonds, but he's jamming my LIDAR;" Chambers replied. "I cannot shake him off ..."
"THERE..." Wang announced as laser fire blazed from his ship and struck one of Chambers tracers. "HOO-RAH!"
"You been taking lessons from Coop?" Vanessa asked as she herself shot down one.
"Pure luck, Wang! I never knew you'd do anything to avoid buying Coop a drink," Nathan cut in and looked for Coop's jet.
Cooper's Hammerhead sliced across the second jet at Chambers tail. He tried to pry him off Chambers but the Alien kept on following her.
Cooper's head jerked around as he tried to follow Meg's jet with his eyes. She made a steep rise to shake the Chiggy off, turning the craft to a full 360 degree circle. With her dare-devil manoeuvre she had jinxed the tracers and she now turned on them. He had seen that kind of manoeuvre before when they had almost been turned in by the gun-nests.
Boy, she's a hell of a pilot, he thought, echoing Wang's words back on Nox. And a hell of a woman, he added. Last night he had been unable to sleep after they had turned in. He had thought that she would yell at him for kissing her but she had remained calm, even telling him that she had enjoyed it. Why was it so difficult to understand the way of humans, he asked himself again for the thousands' time in his short six years of living.
"Wow! Good shot, Chambers!" Nathan was yelling over the com when she had shot down another Chig. "I think Hawkes has found his master at last! He'll probably dare you for a VR-shootout."
"Don't stake a bet on me, West," Chambers said. "I'm a fighter pilot not a Marine. The last time I had sniper training was in HIST!"
"You kiddin'?" Cooper growled over the com when he heard her cry out suddenly. Both, Wild Cards and the Storm Wing watched as Chambers' Hammerhead was hit by a blaze of laser fire.
"Shit, the Chigs got her," Vanessa cried.
"Negative, Ace of Hearts, that was one of us," Susan Parsons announced. "Urquhart's going mad ..."
"Storm One, report!" Shane demanded angrily but the intercom remained silent from Urquhart.
"You stupid son of a bitch," Firth hissed. "You get us all killed!"
"Shut up, Storm Three," Chambers' voice sounded strained over the intercom. "Watch your six!"
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