Star runners, p.29
Star Runners, page 29
“I know you’ve grown tired of the training,” Nubern said softly, glancing at the line of Trident trainers parked side-by-side. “You are ahead of most of your classmates in terms of skill and talent, but that’s no reason to get cocky.”
He looked away. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I know it’s frustrating. I’ve been there.”
“Really, sir?”
“Yes.” They both climbed down to the deck. “I remember wanting nothing more than to go through a curve on my own or try out the Shroud, but I had to wait until my squadron was ready. It bothered me, but I got a lot of practice because of it.”
“When do we get to practice with the Shroud or distance curves?”
Nubern smiled, pulling off his flight gloves and stretching. “Funny you should ask. How about the end of the week?”
“Really?” He leaned forward, thinking of piloting through an extended curve in Trident. “I’ve only been through a distance curve once, and that was when we arrived at the beginning of the year.”
“Well, curriculum calls for your first distance curve around this time in your flight training. Scorpion and I think it’s time.”
The other trainees walked up with Skylar in front, her face beaming. “Did I hear that right?”
Nubern sighed. “I hadn’t really wanted to announce it this way, but gather ‘round.”
The other Tizona pilots formed a semi-circle around Nubern. Etti stood next to Austin and bumped his shoulder, a playful grin on her pale face. Wisps of curly red hair tumbled down around her ears. Bear moved to Austin’s other side, his face serious.
“As I was telling Rock here,” Nubern said, “you will be going on your largest formation training at the end of the week. We still have to work out some of the details, but the plan is to go in two waves. We will take a distance curve to the closest planetary body, a dull dusty world called Flin Six, about a light year away. There, each wave will fly formation for one orbit, testing the reflecting Shroud technology, and then return to the station. Some of our Star Runners will fly escort to you rookies since Flin Six has been rumored to sport some pirate activity.”
The trainees glanced at one another. Gan nudged Bear and murmured something, their eyes wide with excitement. Etti looked up at Austin, her face revealing a nervous smile. He rested his hand on her shoulder, tapped twice, and stared across the circle at Ryker. She had her hands behind her back, standing at ease. Their eyes locked, her face grim.
“Sir?” Shelbi PowPow Weaver raised her hand. “Will both waves go the same day?”
“Hadn’t been decided, but probably one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Should be a cakewalk. Any other questions? All right, good job today everyone. Real tight flying. You are all dismissed.”
The trainees scurried off in their normal pairings. Gan and Derek jabbering on about this and that, Bear walking in silence with Skylar, and Shauna, Shelbi, and Martin lingering near a fighter talking about tactics. It was the same after every flight, some of the trainees still excited about the idea of flying.
“Are you looking forward to this?” Etti asked, staying close to Austin as they strolled out of the hangar.
“Riding a distance curve? Sure. Aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she said, swallowing hard. “I think it’s great.”
“You ever ride a curve on Pacar?”
She shook her head sharply, the red curls bouncing. “We don’t have curves back home. Our moon is close enough for standard flight.”
“Oh, that’s right.” He sighed. “Anyway, it’s going to be great. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Rock?” Ryker called from behind, Nubern standing next to her. “Do you have a moment?”
“Yes.” He looked at Etti, who frowned. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”
“All right. See you, Austin.”
He jogged back to the Trident. “Yes?”
Ryker nodded toward Etti, who continued looking back at Austin as she walked toward the hangar exit. “Gotta friend there, don’t you?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I guess so.”
“Nothing like a little puppy love,” Nubern grumbled. “Always something like that with our trainees.”
Austin grimaced. “Nothing will come of it, sir.”
Nubern snorted. “You’re not in trouble, Rock. Relax.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Anyway,” Ryker sighed. “We wanted to talk with you about the formation flying.”
Austin felt his chest swell. “Yes?”
“You are the best trainee on the station at the moment,” she said. “We are all proud of what you have been able to accomplish in the past few months, even in the face of our losses. Your growth as a Star Runner and as a junior officer has been extraordinary. You have stepped up in every way possible, have really become a leader to these students. Case in point right there.”
Austin turned around. Etti lingered at the hangar door, staring back at him.
“We are going to have you lead the second wave to Flin Six the day after tomorrow,” Ryker said. “Should be six fighters in the bunch, three trainers with rookies at the stick and three Star Runners flying escort, but you’ll be in charge.”
The muscles in his face quivered. “Me?”
“Yes,” Nubern nodded. “You will be in overall command of the mission. We can go over the specifics later, but you’ll take command once we’ve cleared the station. Understood?
His pulse quickened, his heart pounding in his ears. “Out of curiosity, who will lead the first wave?”
“We’re still working out the details,” she said. “But even though Skylar is ahead in points, we are going to give Bear the reins. He has shown more natural leadership in the past month. Now he’ll get his chance.”
Austin thought of leading a mission and stared at the deck. He had never been in command of anything more than calling pitches during a baseball game, and even then his coach could override him. He wanted to decline, unsure if this was something he truly wanted, but he decided to keep his mouth shut.
“Looking forward to it, sir.”
Nubern and Ryker lingered as if they wanted to say more. She stared at Nubern while he looked at Austin.
The lump in Austin’s stomach moved to his throat. “Something more, sir?”
Nubern exhaled. “Yes, actually. There is a slight danger to leading the second wave that you should be aware of. Should you reconsider leading this wave, nothing more will be said and it will not go down in your file.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, confused at the double talk. What did they want him to do?
“As we stated earlier, there have been rumors of pirate activity on Flin Six. Dax Rodon has apparently been using this as a waypoint for quite some time, but we have no hard evidence this is the case, just rumors.”
“Yes, sir.” Austin didn’t like the sound of this.
“If we conduct one training run in Flin Six’s orbit, nothing will come of it. But a second wave hours later might give Rodon and his pirates the chance to anticipate we’re coming and set up an ambush.”
He swallowed hard. “Very well, sir.”
“You are scheduled to take this run, and if you don’t want to be in command, I understand.” Nubern rested his hand on Austin’s shoulder. “We cannot cancel the training and this is the closest planetary body. Command doesn’t want our training dictated by pirate activity, so we have to go regardless. Given your history with these pirates, I wanted to give you a chance to bow out if you didn’t feel like you were up to it.”
Austin thought of the danger and being so far away from the station, but thought of the other veteran pilots flying escort. A vision of Josh’s freighter burning as pirates pelted it with laser fire flashed in his mind. His face hardened. “I’ll be fine, sir. I’d like to see Rodon try something. What should we do if anything happens?”
“If Rodon or his toadies show up, Command will immediately shift to the highest ranking officer, which will be me or Captain Braddock, if he decides to come,” Nubern said.
“I’ll make you proud, sir,” Austin said.
“You already do, son.”
* * *
Austin adjusted his course, bringing his Trident closer to the formation. The fighters formed a semi-circle like a crescent moon, with two of the escorts, Snake and Bullethead, out in front at the edge of the circle, and Scorpion bringing up the rear as the third escort. Making up the arch of the crescent was Captain Rolling flying with Etti driving on the left, Skylar and Captain Braddock on the right, and Austin with Nubern in the center.
He looked over to his left, saw Skylar staring back only a short distance away. He saluted.
Skylar had been nervous after yesterday’s briefing. Not many Tizona students had flown with Braddock. He was known to be a hard man, and wasn’t usually involved in training. He had been transferred from the departed 27th Lobera to command the “real” Tizona pilots stationed at Tarton’s Junction while Nubern led the students. Some said Braddock had been on twenty-two tours in the hottest systems of the Legion. Others said those stories were the myth Braddock surrounded himself with, but Austin wasn’t going to test his resolve. With Braddock’s cold black eyes and chiseled statue-like features complete with the scar over his eye, Austin had every reason to believe the stories. For some reason, Braddock had wanted to accompany the second wave to Flin Six.
The first wave had come and gone without incident. Austin didn’t get a chance to speak with the returning Star Runners in the hangar, but the excitement on their faces was evident as they punched each other’s shoulders. He wanted to ask them about plotting a distance curve and orbiting another planet, but he figured he would find out soon enough.
The Trident passed the digital red line on the HUD.
“We’ve passed the marker,” he said.
“Good,” Nubern said from the trainer’s seat. “Go ahead and signal back to the nest.”
“Roger.” Austin keyed for the external gamma wave. “Tower, this is Rock, leading Beta Wave. We are ready to open a curve.”
“Reading you loud and clear, Rock,” a female voice responded. “You are clear for a curve.”
Austin warned the Beta Wave by sending a text transmission following the mission directive for radio silence, and fed his coordinates into the curvature drive. A slight vibration buzzed the cockpit as the drive warmed. As it did, the responses from his squadron popped up on the screen.
His mouth dropped open. My squadron.
Don’t think about it. Don’t think about anything but the mission. Who cares if you’re in charge? Just do the job.
He sighed. That’s easier said than done.
The drive shifted from red to yellow and then, after a minute, to green.
He typed a quick message to his squadron and pulled back on the yellow drive lever to the left of his stick. The wings on his Trident glowed a bright white, the space before him wavering like a pond ringed with ripples. The blackness of space and the stars beyond disappeared, replaced by a void with no texture or description. A flurry of lights similar to a lightning storm surrounded the void, but the center remained calm.
He took a deep breath and, knowing the other five fighters proceeded on his move, eased forward on the throttle. Easy does it now. The fighters moved forward toward the curve. Almost there. Three MUs, two point seven five, two, one.
The fighter passed into the curve. His stomach dropped. Space glowed purple and blue, lines of starlight whisked by like a highway photograph exposed too long. After a moment they were through, the curve closing behind them.
He blinked and checked his coordinates. They were exactly on target. The barren landscape of Flin Six rotated ahead of them.
“Well done,” Nubern said in a deep, soft voice. “Check your sensors and send the message.”
“Yes, sir.” He transmitted the information and the other five fighters sounded off. “Beta Wave, proceed to three-oh-two.”
All fighters acknowledged and they moved into Flin Six’s orbit on the dark side of the planet.
“May I ask you something, sir?” Austin asked as the fighters fell into orbit.
“Of course.”
“Have you carried out the Expiration Protocol for Razor?”
Nubern cleared his throat. “This is really not the time, Rock, but yes. Your friend’s family will be made aware of the situation in two days.”
“What will they be told?”
“Lost at sea.”
Austin gazed at the stars. “That sounds good, sir.”
“Back to the mission, Rock. Send a status update, check your formation and do a sensor sweep.”
Austin acknowledged. He sent a long range wave to Tarton’s Junction, signifying they had arrived at Flin Six. The formation looked good, all fighters in position.
And the sensors–
What was that? He tapped the sensor screen and ran another sweep. His rear sensors displayed a flurry of activity, almost like a wash of signals rather than the nothing that was supposed to be out there. To his right, the brown and tan planetary body of Flin Six loomed as the terminator line swept from night to day. To his rear, however, the same wash of signals bled across his sensor, like someone had run a paint brush across the screen.
“Captain, are you reading that on the rear sensors or is something wrong with my display?”
“Checking.” After a moment, Nubern grumbled, “Never seen anything quite like that before. What is it?”
“You’re asking me?”
“No. We might have to break radio silence. Before you do that, send a message to the others and have them report their rear sensor response.”
Austin did as he was instructed. The responses came back quickly.
Something strange.
No signal at all.
What is that?
Nothing but a blur of activity.
Negative on the sensor sweep.
Austin leaned back in his seat. “Captain?”
“We must be getting some kind of interference. I’m breaking radio silence.” He opened a transmission. “Beta Wave, this is Talon. Since we are running a little blind on our six, call it a day.”
“I would be so disappointed if you did that.”
Austin recoiled. The sneering voice invading their gamma waves was deep and confident.
“Who was that, sir?” Austin asked, still on the Trident’s intercom.
“I don’t know.” Nubern stretched to get a view behind them. “Scorpion, check our six.”
“Roger.”
“There is no reason. We have you in our sights,” the menacing voice came back. “Make a move and you will be destroyed.”
Austin swallowed. There was something familiar about that voice. “What should I do?”
Nubern hesitated. “Captain Braddock is the ranking officer. Protocol calls for you to defer to him.”
Austin keyed for the gamma wave. “Tiger, Rock, I am deferring to you.”
“Yes, yes,” the same voice cut through. “Get the child off the radio.”
A moment passed, Austin’s fingers resting lightly on the stick.
“This is Tiger of the Galactic Legion Tizona Squadron. Who is this?”
“Well, Tiger of the Tizona Squadron, welcome to our conversation. My name is Dax Rodon.”
Ice water ran through Austin’s veins. The Tyral Pirate leader here, at Flin Six. The man responsible for Josh’s death.
“I should have you arrested,” Braddock said through what sounded to be a clenched jaw. “What gives you the right to try and detain Legion fighters?”
“This,” Rodon said.
The colorful haze on the rear sensor vanished, replaced by a series of signals. Austin did a quick count: ten fighters to their rear. His breathing quickened.
“Stay focused,” Nubern hissed in his ear on the intercom.
Braddock made a sound like a groan. “What do you want, Rodon?”
“Last month you destroyed three of my fighters. For that, and interest, we will take your six fighters down to Flin Six. You will park and leave your fighters for retrieval by my men. Do this now and without incident, and I will let you and your pilots live. Don’t, and every one of you will die today.” Rodon made a clicking sound with his tongue. “You shouldn’t have sent a second training mission, Tiger, but you knew this, didn’t you? Pay me or you will be sorry. Make your decision.”
The gamma wave crackled in Austin’s ear, but Braddock did not respond. The seconds stretched, each heartbeat dragging. The HUD flashed a message from Braddock:
Rock – prepare a curve immediately.
Austin stared at Braddock’s message for a moment, unsure what to do, frozen with his hands on the stick.
“I’ll do it, Rock,” Nubern said on the intercom.
“Bad idea, Tiger,” Rodon hissed, his tone laced with arrogance and spite.
The sensors flashed and a projectile emerged behind them, moving fast and heading directly for Rolling and Etti.
Without thinking, Austin keyed for the gamma wave. “Evasive! Now!”
It was too late.
The missile smashed into the Trident carrying Rolling and Etti. The fighter burst into a ball of fire. The flames fizzled and burning wreckage twirled into Austin’s wing. Because they had just passed through the curve, all of their shields had been down. Metal smashed against metal, and the wreckage of Rolling and Etti’s fighter crashed into their wing.
“Check for a pod beacon.”
“There’s none,” Nubern snapped. “Evade, now! All Tridents—scramble!”
Austin glanced down at the sensor, saw several more incoming missiles. His sensors wailed in his ears as he yanked back on the stick. As he did so, Nubern barked commands at the other fighters.
The sky flashed with a blue light, and Austin’s head thrust forward as the Trident shot forward in a violent thrust. His helmet smacked the controls hard enough to see spots. He shook his head, but his vision was blurred, a crack running down the right side of his helmet. Their Trident spun away from the others, twirling on its axis toward Flin Six, the stars revolved wildly in front of him.
Dimly, he heard Ryker’s voice on the gamma wave. “This is Scorpion. I’m taking over. Snake, Bullethead, attack!”
