The Cairo Saga, Book 2: The Solaris Irregulars
Part 41: Running the Gauntlet
Field Base Charley
Callisto V
Lyran Alliance
Cairo watched as the techs got the two Sulla OmniFighters ready. His attention turned to Scot and Janet, his two former Clan Wolf Aerospace pilots, "Ok, now remember this: Carpenter told the Wobblies everything, but I do not think they will be expecting this. Just get out of the atmosphere and split up. The Spirit Sight should be at the pirate-point as planed, but if she is not, you will have to head back. If that happens, send the coded signal, then bail out: I would rather lose the fighters then have the two of you captured or killed."
He stopped talking as brought out the two prisoners. He smiled at Carpenter, "Give my regards to Loki when you get to Tharkad." He turned back to the two pilots, "If they give you any trouble at all, and I mean anything, you have my permission to kill them. Any questions?" The two pilots shook their heads. Cairo smiled, "Good luck."
Cairo watched as the two OmniFighters rocketed along the old runway and into the air, keeping low to avoid radar. McCoy shook his head, "You sure that this is the best thing to do?"
Cairo shrugged, "No, but I can't interrogate them myself, and if they stay here, I can't guaranty their safety." He chuckled, "I'd probably end up shooting them myself. They have useful information, and from what I've read, Loki is the organization to get it from them. Anyway, what's the point of getting the information out of them if we're the only ones to know?" He shook his head, "It's better that the information they have is learned by the wider universe than just this small base."
The two Clan fighters made their way along a series of valleys before raising their noses for a high-G burn to orbit. Both pilots and unwilling passengers felt themselves being pushed into their seats as the fighters clawed their way up at maximum climb. A passing flight of SHV-O Shiva OmniFighters tried to intercept them, but the faster Clan-built craft soon left them far behind. More fighters tried to stop them, but the genetically engineered Clan pilots where able to easily out-fly the Word of Blake pilots, and soon controlled the skies over Callisto V.
As instructed, the two fighters split-up and made their own way to the waiting Spirit Sight. They docked less than an hour apart, and soon the Clan WarShip was ready to make the jump to Tharkad as ordered. With a blinding flash, the Corvette disappeared into hyperspace, cutting the Irregulars off completely.
To Be Continued…