Chapter X
Explosions from the missiles and flares sent up by both sides, Howe's and ours, reddened the storm-blackened, lightning-choked skies of the Pacific Northwest. Six hours after Barton gave the evacuation order, three quarters of the base had been evacuated. This had been accomplished faster that we'd thought, due to Barton's Third and Fifth Corps being detached to New Portland. This brought us down to only 6,000 infantry to evacuate, of which there were only 100 remaining to lift out.
In addition, all of his mecha had been demolished, so the few scraps we could salvage were easier to handle than whole mechs. Miriya and Max had taken a Destroid unit out in front of the base to establish a firing position, drawing fire away from the transports. I, however, was up in the skies with the remnants of three VT squadrons trying to fight back the onslaught of the air assault and defend the escaping infantry.
Heavy bombers were called in for air strikes, and we in the air had to dance around 3,000 lb bombs in between Nature's artillery. Every corner of the base was reduced to rubble, and the heavy weaponry emplacements were demolished. The power generator had been annihilated in the second whirlwind of artillery fire. But all of that was secondary to me, because I had three bogeys on my tail.
"Skull leader, you've got rude guests knockin'," Jannsen radioed in.
"Thanks, dude. Let's show them some hospitality." I switched to Gerwalk mode and let the chin turret loose on my pursuit pals. Two lasers converged on the lead enemy, and hit the pilot squarely amidships, nailing his engine and sending him into an uncontrollable spin towards the ground. "Splash one," I grinned, then aimed at the other two, who overshot me as they were dodging my fire.
I allowed the extra half-second to use the targeting computer, and then fired a wide-angle burst. Each plane took a hit to their aft section, blowing out one thruster each. My charge card at the Bank of Luck wasn't overdue yet, as I turned around and performed a strafing run at the incoming ground forces. Crockett at the Alamo, I thought.
My missiles hit a full regiment as they charged across the open ground, and a huge fireball took the place of the charging enemy. It was nowhere what we needed to win, but short of nuke weapons, it would have to do. "Colonel Barton, we've got most of the skies cleared, how is the evacuation going?"
"Two last choppers, Rick, then we head outta here."
"Good. Keep them hopping, guys. Max, Miriya, pull back. We're almost done."
"Roger that, Rick, but we've taken heavy casualties, and Miriya's section is out of touch and separated from me."
"Break a hole in their line and get her and her people to safety. We need to pull back."
Meanwhile, Jannsen, Byrd and I led the six other fighters in loops and barrel rolls to avoid the incoming fire. Rookies, I thought. Looks like they fell asleep when they took "Dogfighting for Dummies".
The three pilots that happened to fall behind their squadrons were fair game for the XO's and myself. We opened up with a full barrage of laser fire. Six lasers lit up their backsides, and we pressed our advantage with a missile volley. The rookies never stood a chance against us. They all went down in flames, engines and weapons exploding as they fell.
Another flight came in, and headed straight for the command center. "Colonel Barton, get out of there, now! There's a squad of dive bombers heading your way, loaded for bear!"
"Copy, Skull leader."
I switched to Battloid mode and opened up with my rifle. The left rear bomber took a critical hit from my first barrage, setting off the fusion engine. As explosions gutted the bomber, he continued his descent towards the command bunker. "Barton, scramble, NOW!"
"We can't make it in time, Rick, it's gonna…"
His voice ended in a sickening and all-consuming fireball. I called on the radio, "All units, this is Captain Hunter. Colonel Barton is dead, so I am assuming full responsibility for this situation. All hands, prepare for evacuation. Break off engagement and make an orderly withdrawal towards the transports."
Max and Miriya's Destroids boarded the last cargo plane on the runway. Max got out and ran towards his VT, and took off to fly cover on the convoy. "Janssen, Byrd, escort these birds to New Portland. Max and I have some business to take care of."
"No problem, boss. We'll meet you back at the barn when you're finished."
I scanned the airwaves, looking for the radio frequency for the UN Combined Fleet. "ESS Enterprise, this is Captain Rick Hunter of the SDF-1. If you can read me, please respond."
It took a few minutes of trying, but then I heard them reply. "Skull Leader, we are receiving, please proceed."
"Rusty, is that you," I groaned.
"Yes, it is, Rick. What can I do ya for?"
"You'll have two VT's inbound on your lead carrier in about a half hour. Don't shoot, it's me and a fellow pilot. We need to land and refuel."
"What happened to Seattle?"
"A little matter of an infantry assault. I'll explain when I land."
"We'll look out for you, Skull Leader. Enterprise out."
******
AN: Angst, angst, angst. Don't you just love it? J I always write to music, and the songs I used for this chapter were: 'Hard to Starboard' from Titanic, The Battle of Hoth and the Battle of Endor from the Star Wars trilogy, and The Fall of Saigon, from, of course, Miss Saigon. I tried to capture the anguish of a combat evacuation, and I don't know if I succeeded. Read and review, as always.