//------------------------------// // Chapter 26 // Story: Until Fairer Skies Beckon // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// Rainbow had forgotten about the SA-6’s. When she saw the rising smoke trail in the distance, it didn’t immediately register in her mind what it was. Soarin’s hand flew towards the Cessna’s windshield.  “SAM!  Dive!” High-wing recreational propeller planes were not meant to perform Split-S’s.  Faced with a choice between that or dying in a missile explosion, Rainbow gave it all she had. They didn’t hit the ground, but it was a close thing.  Rainbow kept the plane skimming the grass as the missile went wild overhead, trying to stay below the system’s radar horizon.  She popped the flaps and throttled back, slowing down and making it easier to not crash into anything. “They weren’t expecting us,” Soarin’ muttered.  He glanced at her.  “It’s the little things you don’t think about that screw you the hardest.” “Oh, I know,” Rainbow replied.  She grabbed the radio and dialed up the usual frequency.  “This is Patriot, don’t shoot at us!  We’re inbound from Manatada with the old Cessna from the hangar.  My MiG was trashed, but we decided to fly this back.” A couple of sentences were probably not enough to fully explain the situation.  A voice - it sounded like the base controller - said, “If you are who you say you are, come back to cruising altitude.” “Don’t you recognize my voice?” Rainbow grumbled, slowly pulling back the yoke to gain altitude. “Patriot flight is inbound to visually identify you.” It only a few minutes, they were intercepted.  The timing must have been pretty good to catch the rest of the flight while they were on the way back. Rainbow relaxed the flaps and throttled up.  Even still, the L-39 was the only jet capable of flying slow enough to hang off their wing. Rainbow’s hair wasn’t quite as bright as it had been when she’d had regular access to a shower, but it was good enough for Striker to call, “It’s her, all right.” “The mechanic’s with me,” said Rainbow.  She added, “The others are driving back.” It didn’t mean anything to the rest of the flight because they hadn’t been involved in sending the repair truck, but it helped establish the story early. Rainbow and Soarin’ were the last to arrive at Katange airport, owing to their slow maximum speed.  The way the SA-6 launchers turned to cover the approaching Cessna nearly made Rainbow lose her focus. Even still, she set down on the runway, the easiest landing she’d made in weeks.  The only hangar available was where Wind Rider’s Mirage had found its home.  It looked like it would be getting company. Wind Rider and Connor Clash came over as Rainbow pulled up and shut the engine off.  The plane’s momentum rolled it the rest of the way into the hangar. “They’re suspicious,” Soarin’ said quietly.  He opened the door. “Where are the others?” Clash asked as the two of them got out of the plane. “They’re coming,” Rainbow replied.  “It took them, I don’t know, forty five minutes to get to Manatada?  It’ll probably be another twenty or so for them to get back.” “Why didn’t one of them ride with you?” Wind Rider asked. Rainbow couldn’t come up with a lie fast enough.  She looked at Soarin’.  “Did you talk to them?” “Your guys aren’t exactly the brightest bunch,” he said bluntly to Clash.  “I think with all this so-called magic flying around, they didn’t want to take a risk on anything.” “Or maybe khat makes you airsick,” Rainbow added. It was hard to tell if they bought it. “Did you bring anything back?” Wind Rider said. “Besides the plane?” said Soarin’ quickly.  “There wasn’t any room.” What if they searched the plane?  That seemed pretty likely.  It wouldn’t take much effort to find the AK-47’s hidden inside.  Rainbow’s eyes cast around for a distraction. The rest of the pilots came over, evidently curious about what had happened.  Rainbow had a sudden idea, and prayed they trusted her. “What did you do to my plane!?” she shouted, stalking forward past Wind Rider and Clash.  Rainbow raised her hand and pointed at Pug. He stopped, blinking.  “W-what?” “Who else would have?  We were in the same hangar and you must have taken something off my MiG for yours!”  Wind Rider and Clash now at her back, Rainbow winked obviously.  She hoped he interpreted it correctly. “That’s ridiculous,” said Pug, though without much conviction, still confused. “You thought you could mess with me and my plane!?”  Rainbow gestured at her black eye and raised her fists.  She took a swing at him. It was hard to tell if Pug was with the program and trusted her not to hurt him, or if he was still processing.  Either way, Rainbow connected with his cheek.  It was enough force to make a sound, but she didn’t follow through. Pug did try to duck, which made it seem like he was rolling with the punch more than he really was.  He took a step back and raised his own fists. Kiel tried to slide between them, but Rainbow pushed on his shoulder and sidestepped.  Her arm went out and she caught a handful of Pug’s sleeve, pulling it towards her and throwing a roundhouse that she telegraphed for miles.  Pug ducked and stepped inside her swing. Now that they were at grappling distance, Rainbow swept his leg and used her own body weight to pull him down.  She felt hands grasping at her shoulders but shrugged out of them to end up straddling Pug. He pushed up, throwing her off.  Rainbow got her feet under her and landed well, coiling to spring at him.  This time, it was Striker who tried to step in.  Rainbow feinted, and then dove between his legs to get at Pug again.  He met her head on and the two of them rose up, bleeding off momentum.  She had a hold of his collar and he had a hold of hers, both of them winding up for a punch, when there was a gunshot. That got their attention.  Wind Rider stood with his pistol out, pointed at the sky.  “Both of you have a job to do, even if one of you is short a plane.  I would have thought the first fight was enough.”  He indicated Rainbow’s eye. “But-!” Rainbow tried. She didn’t know what she was going to say, so it was good that Wind Rider interrupted her by squeezing off another shot.  “Enough!” Rainbow saw Soarin’ emerge from the depths of the hangar.  His gaze flicked to her, and then away, keeping a neutral expression.. She let go of Pug.  Their eyes met.  She still wasn’t sure he fully understood. “You don’t have a plane, so it doesn’t really matter where you sleep, right?” said Wind Rider, holstering his pistol.  “Well, I’ve got an idea.”