A/N: Recently I really came to appreciate that there have been some folks reviewing that have been doing so as long as I've written stories here. I'm certain there are plenty more who have been reading and following what I post just as long. Just wanted to say thank you for that!
Chp. 43: Snaring Serpents
December 7, 2049
OFS Icarus (CVN-62)
Jed had never seen the flight deck this busy. It was filled to capacity, albeit with enough room to use all four catapults. Anything that could carry Sidewinders, AMRAAMs or Marlins was being readied and they'd already launched the aircraft on alert. The group's supply ship, ONS Hart County, was following close behind the carrier, ready to replenish her stocks. He put on his helmet the second he stepped foot into open air and hurried across the space, weaving through any safe passage he could find. Deck crew waved him and other aviators through the maze, past the dangers of intakes and sharp edges. The heat from warming engines was already washing across the asphalt-covered steel. Jed met Wolfe at Skull 210; the enlisted man had nothing to say other than the plane was ready. As much as it went against his instincts, Jed hurried up the boarding steps and into the cockpit. He locked gazes with Annie for a second as she mounted her jet. The woman mouthed something to him, but he wasn't able to fully understand it. Instead he nodded and settled into his ejection seat. Cyborg's voice greeted him as soon as he started up the aircraft.
"All Skull aircraft, all Skull aircraft, organize into four ships near the Plane Guard ship. Repeat, rendezvous is the Plane Guard ship. OFS Lake Providence is the rendezvous; maintain Angels 17."
Jed punched in the coordinates of the ship with one hand and secured his oxygen mask with the other. By the time the canopy was lowering, one of the Plane Directors was beckoning him forward. He lowered his visor against the late afternoon sun and fell in behind Annie as they inched towards the waist catapults. Jed
"Skull 210, radio check." He said quickly between Cyborg's commands.
"Copy Skull 210, switch to Button 3 once you're airborne." She replied.
Jed acknowledged as he was directed to the Number Four Catapult. He gave Annie the lead for this one as he went through the familiar motions of readying for launch. If this had been any other situation, he would've been vibrating with excitement at seeing the wing launching this much stuff. He chased off the thought as he checked his shoulder straps. The Cat Officer raised a thumbs up, and Jed gave the salute. His mind worked through the launch automatically. He was more concerned about being ready to fight the moment he was airborne. He hit the gas as soon as the gear was up and fell in on Annie's wing. She looked back his way and signaled the frequency change
"Skulls 1-3 and 1-4 are airborne, moving to rendezvous at this time." She reported.
"Skulls 1 and 2, hold position while we get Arrow and Riffer on CAP stations. Standby for instructions from Penthouse."
Jed and Annie fell in with Conman and Brick. Every F-24 the squadron had was up and waiting while the Pelicans and the carrier tended to the battlegroup's perimeter first. Jed started trying to figure out what was going on. They weren't being raided, he wagered, or else the AWACS would've had them racing to the edge of the group. The answers came before he could get too deep into his head.
"Skull Lead this is Penthouse, the Prince of Newfield has been hit bad and is trying to reach Kharmata. She's got two of her escorts left and most of her aircraft up. A strike from the Andersen ran across the fight, but they need to be relieved. Turn to Heading 140 with Owls 1 and 2, Ace 1 and Hellion 2 and move to relieve them. Extra tankers and a pair of Lancers are being readied from Kharmata to assist. Expect the Eruseans and Sotoans to launch a follow-up attack once they realize the carrier is still afloat. Skull 1-1, you're the lead on this."
All in all, that was 26 aircraft armed for bear. Cyborg didn't waste a second.
"Copy that Penthouse. Owl, chop half your flight to me. Ace I'll need two of you with us. Everyone else fall in around Hellion; Hellion 2, what've you got?"
"They've got us loaded with four AMRAAMs each, Skull."
"Understood. Penthouse, what's the overall plan here?"
"I've been told they're organizing a rescue effort, but details are scarce right now. Will let you know when there's more info."
"Copy."...
The Captain of the Prince of Newfield grew more and more tense as he watched the helmsman going over his instruments. Everyone on the bridge could feel the carrier losing speed, but no one seemed to want to really acknowledge it. The answer came as the light next to the Captain's handset began to blink.
"Bridge." He answered the second it was to his ear.
"Captain this is Engineering, we're losing power to both of the engines. Looks like that second missile did more damage to them than we first estimated." A Commander several decks below replied.
"Can we maintain any kind of speed?"
"We're working on that, sir. We'll be down to a crawl, and for how long I have no idea."
"A crawl is better than nothing. Let me know when the situation changes.."
"We'll maintain it as long as we can, sir."
The Captain hung up his handset and leaned forward to look down onto the deck. Dozens of wounded sailors and marines huddled together, waiting for the next helicopter to arrive and take them off the ship. He looked back at the wake of the carrier, which was now visibly less prominent.
"Navigator, how far from Kharmata's territorial waters are we?" He yelled over his shoulder.
"Approximately 400 Kilometers to her northwestern boundary, sir." The woman replied tensely.
"How long will it take us at minimal power?"
"Close to a full day, sir."
The Captain nodded and grabbed his handset again, this time to call the radio room.
"Comms, this is the Bridge. We're losing power and may be dead in the water soon. Start putting out a new SOS signal."...
"All aircraft be advised that the Newfield is now without power. She'll coast for a while, but she's not going much further."
Jed looked in the direction of a long, misshapen trail of smoke. His face remained passive as he kept his thoughts optimistic. For now, he just kept circling with Annie while the Lenish F-35s got much-needed gas from a pair of Voyager KC.3s.
"Skull copies all, will maintain station. What's the ETA of the Howell and her group?" Cyborg replied.
"Howell's last position has her about two hours out from launching her helos."
"Copy."...
Jed lifted up his visor for a second and rubbed his eyes. It seemed to be the only respite he got, save for lifting a bottle of water to his lips.
"Skull 1-1, relay from Icarus. A Global Hawk picked up what appears to be that follow-up strike less than five minutes ago. Last position is being datalinked at this time; looks like they're trying to use a storm system for cover." Penthouse reported.
"Understood Penthouse, request permission to send a small force to intercept." Cyborg replied.
"Granted; protect the Newfield at all costs."
"Skull this is Razor Lead, we can accompany a few of your guys to hit that strike force. Thin 'em out." The lead Lancer suggested.
"Copy that, break, Skull 1 will move with Razor, Owl 1, and Ace to meet that strike force. Skull 2, Owl 2, and Hellion will remain on station. Neptune, suggest you do the same until that amphib gets in range. They might be able to arm you up, but don't quote me on it."
"They fookin' better. You yanks ain takin all the glory." One of the Lenish aviators replied in one of the heaviest accents Jed had ever heard. Annie seemed to decipher it instantly.
"Typical response from you lot in 502 NAS. Unlike you, we over in 714 NAS have a great deal of respect for our Osean counterparts!" She chided in jest.
"Clear the freq, Skull 1-5." Cyborg reminded her.
"Understood, Skull Lead. Couldn't help the need to defend our honor, though."
Cyborg clicked her mic twice and once again distributed her force. Annie and Jed moved to cover the B-1s as they turned northeast and nosed up. Bombers they were, the Bones had long been upgraded to employ the same radar and engines as the F-35. All three bomb bays in each aircraft were filled with AMRAAMs, 24 in all. Another six were mounted on external pylons near the wing roots. Their purpose could best be described as similar to the destroyers below: to defeat the enemy with fire superiority. Jed bristled at the thought of the sheer volume of missiles they could put out.
"Penthouse is moving to a new station to try and spot that strike force. We'll let you know the minute we see them, Skull." The E-12 radioed.
Jed rested a digit near the sitch to activate his radar as the new formation turned to Heading 023 and started north. It brought them over the carrier, which was still partly wrapped in a blanket of black smoke. On Cyborg's commands, Jed and Annie broke to the left and dove for the waves. They leveled out long enough to drop their external tanks before going into supercruise.
"Skull, Penthouse has spotted the forward edge of that strike. Heading 017, 150 Miles out, Angels 22 and 11. Contacts are a bit shaky right now, probably picking up their external stores…okay, looks like they've got a Fafnir up. Heading 006, 180 Miles at Angels 27."
"Three, Four, that's your target. Wait until Razor and Owl engage." Cyborg commanded.
"On 'em, Lead." Yuki replied.
Owl stayed with the B-1s to provide a nice, juicy target while the F-24s closed to complete the trap. The Lancers and the Lightnings pooled their data to give a better picture. In the back of each bomber, the Offensive Systems Operators assigned targets to the first batch of missiles. Once their radars were activated to guide the salvos, the Eruseans began to split up. Several of the Basilisks providing escort turned towards the sources while the ones further back dipped left and descended. They started deploying chaff as they began a series of intricate maneuvers to keep the Oseans from locking on. Jed and Annie used that to their advantage and moved ever closer to the formation. Jed made sure his Marlins were selected and just waited for the Lancers to engage.
"Razor 1-1, Fox 3 Dash-6."
"Razor 1-2, Fox 3 Dash-6."
Annie took that as the signal. She looked back to Jed and signaled for him to push out another mile or two. They activated their radars just as Yuki and Glue launched a Marlin each at the E-04. Four of the Basilisks responded immediately by activating their radars. Then two more that were at the tail of the formation.
"Tsun-Tsun, request permission to break off and push." Jed spoke up.
"Granted. Take those two bandits to the north. Curry, are you able to move in and assist us?"
"Already on it, Tsun-Tsun!" Yuki replied enthusiastically.
The four Hellcats angled themselves to keep the F-03s from ganging up on any one of them. The Lancers' AMRAAMs had reached the formation; the Lightnings' shots weren't far behind. Jed got a lock-on first and let his Marlin lead the way.
"Skull 210, Fox 3." He drawled.
Almost immediately, Jed picked one of the F-03s ahead of him to close with and destroy. He decided on the one he'd fired on and pushed into afterburner. He nosed up and went into a barrel roll; the F-03 was moving to the left and he wanted to get the advantage as soon as possible. The Basilisk turned towards him, thinking it might get off a shot, only for the Marlin to explode above it. The warhead punched dozens of pieces of white-hot shrapnel into the jet's spine as it started to grow from a dot on the horizon. Beyond his vision, no fewer than eight AMRAAMs found their marks. Just like that, the Erusean formation had taken a debilitating blow. Watching so many targets disappear from the scope almost simultaneously had an oddly relieving feeling. Jed tilted back towards his girlfriend's opponents and switched to his own AMRAAMs.
"Good shot, Bronco. Fall back in with me, we've got a few bandits trying to slip past." Annie spoke up.
"Gotcha Tsun-Tsun." He replied.
Annie moved to the right to free up some sky as one of the F-03s tried to keep her from diving on two of the jets going for the waves. She found herself in the frustrating position of needing to go both fast and slow. The Basilisk engaging her would have a good lock any second now, and she needed to get momentum before he fired.
"Bronco, take those bandits down low." She decided.
Jed again acknowledged and swept below her. He slowed and came around hard right, which the Erusean took as an opportunity to shoot at multiple targets. Jed set his chaff to automatic and descended as fast as he could towards the other F-03s. One of the Basilisks broke to the left and ditched the two KR-190s under its wings. Jed broke away as the Basilisk trying to cover them fired three AP-13s, with two bound for Annie. She rolled towards them and nosed over as fast as she could, dumping strips of chaff. She baited the missiles to go up, and then down where she pushed towards them again and increased her speed. The two missiles turned to follow before she yanked the stick back and put her nose on the offending Basilisk. The shots passed by into the distance, far from her plane.
"Bronco, are you okay to stay on those other bandits?" She asked as she uncaged a Sidewinder.
"Good to go, Tsun-Tsun!" He replied enthusiastically.
The Erusean accepted the challenge and raced towards her, snaking back and forth. She moved opposite him, widening her turns to dip in and out of the acquisition range of the AP-11s on the F-03's wingtips. The Erusean stopped his weaving to move in tune with her; she took that as the chance to fire.
"Skull 208, Fox 2." She declared.
The Basilisk looked like it was going to shoot back, but instead its pilot pulled away and deployed countermeasures. Annie checked her surroundings and noted that one of the other Basilisks was moving fast and low to the north. She looked back as she tilted her plane on its side and caught a glimpse of Jed, still flying strong. She followed her missile and the bandit it was after before passing behind the F-03. The two jets moved towards Jed and his opponent, then back towards the central furball. The Sidewinder exploded behind the Basilisk, dotting its engine exhausts and ailerons with shrapnel. The jet hobbled, then lost a few large chunks of itself. The Erusean pilot punched out seconds after. Annie snapped to the right while Jed finally got the second Basilisk to ditch its anti-ship missiles. The three aircraft ended up at the edge of the rest of Skull's engagement; it seemed to be where the Eruseans hoped to make a stand.
The first F-03 that had ditched its payload was waiting. Annie spotted the jet emerging from the sun. It screamed past her, more interested in Jed.
"Bronco, bandit approaching from your nine o'clock high." She warned.
"Skull 210, Fox 2." He announced.
"Jed, second bandit is coming your way!" She repeated, thinking that he might not have heard her.
"Copy!" He replied.
Jed broke left while the F-03 went in the same direction. Annie settled into position behind the other Basilisk and fired her second Sidewinder.
"Skull 208, Fox 2." She growled.
Jed stayed high and fast, avoiding the Basilisk aimed at him just before it fired a burst from its 30mm cannon. As soon as he was clear of the engagement, he rolled towards the other bandit to reengage it. The other Basilisk was rolling down, still trying to shake loose from the AIM-9 pursuing it. Jed kept up his roll and switched to his cannon, which he used to "herd" the Basilisk so the missile would make contact. It was a brash, sloppy move, but the threat of being peppered with 25mm rounds. Between a rock and a hard place, the Basilisk's pilot ejected an instant after the missile blew a huge chunk out of the right wing. Jed swung back towards Annie and the other Basilisk.
"Coming back yer way, Tsun-Tsun." He breathed.
They moved deeper into the furball, passing over Curry and Glue as they kept an F-03 trapped between them. Jed kept Annie covered as she followed the Basilisk towards the waves. She switched to her AMRAAMs as the smaller jet was slowly gaining distance. Another Basilisk came in from above with its radar searching for a target.
"Tsun-Tsun, bandit above!" Jed called.
Jed pulled back on the stick as fast as he could to meet the threat head-on. The Basilisk ducked to his left to try and keep on Annie, so Jed dumped speed and swung in the direction of the offending Erusean. Don't y'all dare ignore me! He thought. The F-03 took what few seconds he had to launch an AP-11 at Annie, who broke into the F-03's path. The two Erusean jets extended from the fight in the ensuing chaos, with Jed having to weave through one of the bandits and Annie. He pushed the throttles forward and grabbed some breathing room. Annie passed by beneath him with the AP-11 arcing towards the water.
"Where are they?" She gasped, recovering from the surge of Gs.
"They're moving north, moving north at full tilt." Jed replied.
"Skull, be advised that Razor is moving to a higher altitude to try and get off another volley. Maintain your distance from any bandits exiting the fight." Razor 1-1 urged.
"All aircraft, do not pursue. Repeat, do not pursue; return to your stations around the Newfield. Razor, take your shots and bug out southwest. Aircraft from Kharmata will take up pursuit if necessary." The E-12 insisted.
The two Oseans weren't particularly keen to give up their kills, though. The two formed up side-by-side as Curry and Yuki chased another Basilisk into the distance. Annie got a lock-on first this time.
"Skull 208, Fox 3 Fox 3." She declared.
"Skull 210, Fox 3 Fox 3." Jed added.
At the same time, the two B-1s launched another barrage of AMRAAMs. The F-24s stayed on their course to shield the Lancers until they turned towards the crippled carrier. The fighters would circle around every few seconds to keep the Eruseans in check as the missile barrage closed faster and faster. The AWACS drew them south again to refuel and reorient themselves.
"Skull 1 to all aircraft, report losses." Cyborg asked, trying to break the adrenaline-fueled tension.
"Owls 1-2 and 1-5 are down. Owl 1-1 is losing hydraulic fluid fast; Owl 1-3 has the lead." One of the F-35s radioed.
"Understood…Skull 2, anything on your end?"
"Negative Skipper; looks like that was the only raid." Showtime commented.
Jed lifted up his visor again and sucked in a mouthful of oxygen. He looked at Annie as she did the same and flashed a thumbs up. The senior pilot returned the gesture and checked her radar as they circled again. Whatever was left of the Erusean strike was streaming north as fast as it could. She guessed maybe four aircraft had survived the attack; she felt a bit of second-hand embarrassment, for a lack of a better term.
"All aircraft, Penthouse can confirm that the Eruseans are bugging out. Skull 1, give me a collective fuel and ammo state. Owl 1, rendezvous with Longhorns 5-1 and 5-2 before heading back towards the boat. Razor, what's your status?"
"Good on fuel, got about a dozen and a half AMRAAMs each left. Should have at least another hour or two."
"Skull?"
"Skull 1 copies all, break, okay everyone give me a round count and fuel state."
Jed looked down and read off his situation when it was his turn. He estimated that if he could get some fuel, then he'd be up to keep on station. He felt a new sense of connection to the Lenish carrier and those aboard it. They were the same as him, and had been shaped and trained in a very similar way. He could imagine that Annie also had a very personal investment in the matter. It was all she could think about now, actually. She just needed fuel, too, and she could stay on station until she was out of weapons. She looked back at Jed as they reached the area they'd been on station and pulled her visor back down.
"Bronco, reestablish the pattern. We'll hold here for another 30 minutes before we start working out refueling. Unless Penthouse has something to say." She explained in a motivated tone.
"Copy that, Tsun-Tsun." He replied.
"Skull, no objections on my end. We're gonna cycle Skull 2-3 and 2-4 into your AO to distribute ammo a bit."
Annie checked her watch as she clicked her mic. Less than half an hour had passed since the last update on the Howell and her group. Even then, the Prince of Newfield still had a long ways to go. She hoped someone had considered the idea of towing the crippled ship.