Star Trek Hunter
Episode 27: The Sword of Destiny
Scene 16: puv
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27.16
puv*
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Tis, Craul and Wast wove a crazy pattern to avoid the disruptor fire. The pursuing klingons now had an overwhelming advantage in numbers. The number of ultralights whipping around back toward the large birds had increased again - 16 ultralights now.

The klingon ultralights had the advantage in speed.

The nikamsitiri had the advantage in maneuverability.

Both flew in nearly complete silence except for the noise of their disruptors.

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In the first few weeks after the Battle of the Goodstead Cliffs, while the 101st United Earth Force Marines had broken into smaller units to carry out clandestine attacks against the klingons, the nikamsitiri had ruled the skies, raining down disruptor fire and grenades on the Imperial Klingon Forces whenever they ventured outside the cities.

That air superiority was short-lived.

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Before the klingon invasion, ultralight aircraft were a rare luxury item on the Colony of Rising Sun, manufactured exclusively at a single workshop in Soda Toer. Planetary Governor Mor'rgoth had conscripted the workshop and the craftsmen - turning them into trainers and the workshop into a mechanized factory for mass production. And klingon warriors fell in love with fighting in the air.

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16 klingon warriors shot wildly at the trio of nikamsitiri they were pursuing - wildly because they had to steer their tiny aircraft with one hand while leaning out of the cockpit to shoot at the birds with disruptor pistols. The nikamsitiri were far more accurate as their romulan-made disruptors were custom mounted to their beaks and operated by mouth movements. And the birds were naturally far better fliers. The klingons attacked simultaneously from four sides and from above.

Tis, Craul and Wast confused their attackers by grouping, then flying apart at the last minute just as the klingons approached. Wast bore down on one ultralight, bringing it down with a single, highly accurate disruptor blast while two more klingons bore down on her from above. She twisted aerobatically, bringing her disruptor to bear on the attackers, bringing them both down with rapid, impressively accurate fire - but one of the klingons managed to catch her in his glide path, crashing into her with his ultralight and hurling her to the ground with him.

There was nowhere for Tis and Craul to escape - no forest, no cliffs, no tall buildings. Both birds dived for the ground, hugging the contours of the land, skimming the hilltops at less than 3 meters. Five of their pursuers tried the same tactic with various success - three of them crashing into the ground at high speed because of the limited mobility of their aircraft. The ultralights simply weren't designed for this kind of flying. But they served their purpose. The remaining klingons were able to attack from above, bringing both birds to the ground, killing one and severely wounding the other.

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*puv (thlingn Hol - flying)

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27.16