The battle for Gateway
Chapter 5: Ghosts of the navigators
Disclaimer: I don't fucking own anything.
Authors note: Thanks to those that have reviewed.
All the pilots were on standby seeing as the fleet were passing through one of the first battlefields of the war with the wreckages of ships and fighters from both sides, Ranma sat in his fighter with his flight helmet on and the visor up and strapped in and the rest of his squadron were the same "it's been a while since we've been through here." Ranma said. "Sure is." Jonesy replied as they waited for the order to launch, on the bridge Ranko sat at her station "sir, I just picked up unknown energy spike… trying to match it to known ships." Ranko said as she quickly checked before looking at the captain "it's the Razorback." Ranko finished as the captain stood up "launch all squadrons and rely the message to all other ships in the fleet." The captain said before Ranko goes back to her station and relays the message to the other ships in the fleet before giving the order to launch. "This is it boys and girls." Ranma said as he closed the cockpit and waited for clearance, when the order is given all the squadrons take off as the gunners on the Sulaco run to their guns when they get into their positions they close the hatches behind them. "Prepare for combat."
"Look at the ghosts of the navigators." Jonesy said as he flies in formation with the rest of the squadron "what?" Nabiki asked curiously "there's an old story about his place, apparently the ghosts of the navigators haunt this place along with the ghosts of the crews and pilots." Ranma replied.
"We just got confirmation of our target."
"What is it?" McQuade asked.
"It's the Razorback." Someone replied "oh shit." Came one reply as the more experienced pilots began to curse like no tomorrow, "what's the Razorback." One of the less experienced pilots asked. "The Razorback is the pride of the enemy fleet." Ranma replied "stand by for attack." He finished before arming missiles and the rest of his squadron do the same before they spot the Razorback, a huge nasty looking carrier heavily armed and ready to fuck anything in it's path.
"I hope you've all done your wills."
Some pray to god and others tell stories of their encounters with the Razorback "Jonesy, if I don't make it back you can have my hentai collection." McQuade said as he prepared for combat with the Sulaco covering the rear ready to fight when the Razorbacks lascannons opened fire "BREAK FORMATION AND TRY TO TAKE THOSE LASCANNONS OUT!" Ranma said as everyone broke their formation and the Sulaco heads towards the Razorback and the forward lascannons opened fire as Ranma and the other squadrons of the Sulaco and the fleet head to the Razorback, on the Sulaco Ranko was praying silently when her station explodes sending her flying out of her chair "get her to the infirmary." The captain said and two of the bridge bunnies help Ranko up and carry her to the infirmary. Meanwhile the squadrons where buzzing the Razorback and taking care of the smaller guns firing at them with the cannons on their wings and the ones housed in the nose whilst Rogue squadron were taking care of the major gun turrets whilst avoiding lascannon fire "we're going into a hotspot now, lets see if we can take a few out." Ranma said before his squadron flew between two turrets and the turrets took each other out before the Sulaco came up alongside the Razorback and opened fire taking out a few of the guns on the Razorback whilst the squadrons tried taking out the main gun turrets before Enemy fighters were launched.
"Let's see if we can take some of these fighters out."
"Get them to follow." Ranma said as a few enemy fighters followed his squadron as they flew through a hotspot zone taking out the smaller turrets whilst avoiding enemy fire before they fly in between two of the bigger turrets that take out the enemy fighters before they buzz the bridge then double back to help the other squadrons that are in trouble whilst avoiding enemy fire "hey Nabs, you still in one piece?"
"Yeah."
"Stick with us and you'll see through this." Ranma replied as he opened fire on an enemy fighter destroying it before moving on and helping out various squadrons when the fighters of Alpha squadron flank Rogue squadron "hey, we got a concentration of gun turrets ahead of us."
"I see them, lets get this over and done with." Ranma replied as they headed towards the concentration of gun turrets before firing their missiles and pulling up and both Rogue and Alpha squadron help out other squadrons before Ranma peels off from his squadron and goes to find Nabiki helping out various AEF pilots in trouble on the way he spots Nabiki's fighter and flies alongside Nabiki.
"Well at least your still in one piece."
"Yeah." Nabiki replied as they flew side by side whilst taking care of the smaller guns as they gather survivors of AEF pilots whilst taking care of the enemy fighters and the turrets "let's go home." Ranma said before banking his fighter and bringing it round and the others do the same and they head back to their various carriers and land before they get out and head off to the showers before heading to their rooms.
Later
All the crewmembers of the Sulaco stand in one of the emergency hangers holding a funeral service, some of the wounded officers and crewmembers had bandages and slings as the captain goes threw a list of names of the pilots and crewmembers that had lost their lives.
"Those that lost their lives today will not be forgotten, we will be docking at a station to do some repairs and you will all get some R&R." the captain said as the crewmembers and pilots look tired before they are dismissed and head their separate ways whilst Ranma heads to the infirmary to talk to Ranko.
"Hey, I heard what happened."
"How many dead?" Ranko asked as she sat up on the bed "twenty seven confirmed." Ranma replied.
"How's Nabiki?"
"Well, she survived at the loss of the rest of her squadron." Ranma replied as he goes to leave the infirmary "you like her don't you?" Ranko asked making Ranma stop, as he was about to leave "I don't know." Ranma replied as he left the infirmary and heads to his quarters and beds down for the night.
Next day
Ranma wakes up and looks at the clock on the table opposite his bed looking at the time before he gets up and grabs his flight jacket and puts it on before heading to the mess hall on the way he sees the damage control lot checking the damages done by the Razorback before he walks into the mess hall and gets something to eat before the morning rush before sitting at a table as the first lot of people started to walk in and get some food and sit at the tables and eat their food before they start to talk as the rest of Ranma's squadron walk in and spot Ranma before they walk over to him and sit down at the table.
"So what's the plane whilst the repairs are being done?"
"What about the bar run?" Whistler asked, as the others except Ranma nod "I'm not doing another bar run again." Ranma replied as he stood up "you can do what you want, I'll probably be staying here to help with the repairs." Ranma said before leaving and heads to the reccy room and finds it empty and sits on one of the chairs and leans back against it staring at the ceiling "twenty seven confirmed dead, Christ I'd thought I'd be amongst that lot."
"What lot?"
"The dead, we've fought against the Razorback before." Ranma replied as Nabiki walked in and sat beside Ranma and put her hand on his shoulder "up for a game of pool Saotome?"
"You racking?" Ranma asked as he walks over to the pool table and grabbed two pool cues as Nabiki racked the balls up before Ranma handed her one of the cues "you break?" Ranma asked before Nabiki breaks before Ranma takes his turn and so on until the game is over and they leave the reccy room and head to the hanger where their fighters are and find some techs standing beside her fighter "we got some of the techs to redo the paint job on your fighter." Ranma said as the techs unveiled the newly repainted fighter and the kills that she has made during the battles that she has fought in.
"What do you think?"
"I love it." Nabiki replied before she hugged Ranma as the techs leave and Nabiki goes over to her fighter and looks at the dedication written on the nose "dedicated to the pilots of fresh meat squadron, those that never made it back."
Authors note; This chapter was written whilst I was listening to Iron Maiden's Brave New World album over and over again… R&R