40 Minutes flight time from Mareimar ADFB
background music
"Break right! Break right!"
"Selene Three, you've got one on your tail! Jink left, I'll clear him off!"
"Stardust Six, fox two!"
Combat, as always, was hellfire and chaos at their purest. Aircraft darted this way and that, desperately trying to keep the enemy interceptors away from the two big transports as they screamed toward the airfield, the safety of Mareimar's extensive air defense systems and the armored hangars that would provide shelter for Princess Luna and the 368th during their temporary stay in Mareimar. Those hangars were a long way off, though; no matter how close the navigators said they were. The transports were fitted with special electronic countermeasures and they were operating at full power, filling the air with radar jamming waves so powerful they could almost physically knock missiles out of the air. Unicorn mages on both transports had shielding magic up, but there was only so much they could do against the fusillade of incoming missiles and the sheer volume of cannon fire.
For her own part, Princess Luna was calm, leaving her private state room and joining her subjects in the main passenger compartment, calming them with a soft, steady voice, filled with courage and belief in the pilots dueling in the air around her. A particular blonde-and-grey pegasus was trying to focus on those words as she watched out the window, looking for a glance of her friends flashing by, just to know they were still there, just to know he was still okay...
Flare and Zephyr were doing their training credit. The dodges and sudden turns were more than enough to keep them clear of enemy missiles and gun fire, so with barely a word of communication, they swung out wide from the intense dog fights surrounding the transport, allowing them to dive back into the fray from out of the sun, getting locks on enemy fighters that hadn't yet been engaged. Flare clicked his COM line to his wingmare as they got ready to launch.
"Selene Eleven, Twelve here. This is it for our missiles, so let's make these shots count!"
"Like there was ever any doubt, Twelve."
The tones of confirmed radar locks burned hot in their ears as the heads up displays in their flight helmets started flashing green. In one almost unified action, the two remaining missiles had leapt off their rails in to the blue skies, hunting down the selected enemy fighters like wolves chasing down deer.
"Selene Twelve, fox one!"
“Selene Eleven, fox one!"
Twin balls of flame lit up separate parts of the sky as debris rained down from the enemy fighters that had just been destroyed by their missile fire. They started looking in to re-engage the enemy; they still had a couple cannon rounds apiece that they could donate in the Princess's name but found the skies to be clear of enemy forces for now.
"Tower to all incoming fighters for Dark Crown ferry flight, break off and land. Proceed to ready line 2-7 for immediate refueling and rearm. Repeat; break off immediately. Falcon Squadron and Talon Squadron are engaging the bandits in your location to provide terminal cover."
The Major was fuming in his cockpit, but he knew a command like that was coming from the colonel of the base and he had the full strategic picture in view.
"All planes, this is Nightguard One. Comply with instructions from tower as fast as possible, ponies! I want us back in there, over these transports, yesterday!"
The transition between the 368th and the incoming local squadrons was smooth and the 368th raced towards the ground and the awaiting fuel and munitions. Flare and Zephyr were last in the stack to land when Stormwatch broke in.
"All airborne strikers in Mareimar airspace, the incoming transports have lost their fighter escort! Repeat, Falcon and Talon squadrons are gone, any unengaged fighters should move to cover Dark Crown with all possible speed.”
Flare's eyes snapped wide and he opened a private COM channel to Zephyr.
"We're probably the closest to the transports. We have to go and we have to go now!"
"The bravado is all well and good, Flare, but we're in the pattern, low on fuel and down to a couple hundred cannon rounds a piece."
"The Major authorized special weapons. We can use the Storm Cannons; all we have to do is buy the rest of the squadron some time and hold them off long enough for the rest of the unit to get back to the transports."
"...You're seriously trying to get us killed, I swear."
"So you're in?"
"Yeah I'm in, but we're in the approach pattern. Call a wave off and let's do this."
Flare switched up to the tower's frequency.
"Tower, Selene Twelve. Wave off, wave off, wave off. Runway remains clear, leaving the pattern."
"Selene Twelve, state your intentions."
"Responding to emergency support request from the transports."
The air traffic control operator's voice remained remarkably calm.
"You realize you're violating a direct order to land, refuel and rearm, correct?"
Flare began to mess with some of the COM settings, letting interference and static creep across the channel.
"Tower... having some communications... issues..."
Flare cut the channel and switched back to his channel with Zeph.
"Twelve, do you really have to be such a ham all the time?"
"It's a gift, Eleven. Now let's get to those transports."
Meanwhile aboard the transports
Clanky hated flying when she wasn't on her own wings. Turns out she also really hated flying on airplanes while said airplane was getting shot at. Her window seat provided her a ringside view as the last of the remaining escort strikers got blown out of the sky. The only good news was that of the remaining bandits, there seemed to be the only one left. She took in the design of the aircraft as it flashed past, obviously coming about for a run. It was a mean looking thing, all sharp angles and edges, like a predatory bird. Its air intake cowling was even painted to resemble claws. A single thought went through Clanky's mind as she watched the fighter pull in on the left, coming in slow, taunting and toying with it's prey.
'Screw this!'
The blonde mare got out of her seat and headed to the rear of the aircraft, aware of all the eyes on her. She wasn't just going to sit around and wait for a missile up the tailpipe. She kicked open a weapons locker in the cargo bay and grabbed a medium machinegun. Working quickly, she loaded it and slung the weapon over her shoulder. Afterwards, she punched the intercom panel.
"Attention please, this is your stewardess. The aircraft commander has turned on the fasten seat belt sign. To better facilitate your safety, we will be utilizing small arms fire from the left rear paratrooper door to attempt to drive off any rude strangers that try to interfere with the remaining portion of our flight. Please remain calm and secure all loose items in your immediate vicinity. Everything is under control. Emergency depressurization in five, four, three, two, one-"
And with that, Clanky smacked the open panel for the paratrooper door and braced herself, and her machinegun, in the now-open doorframe of the aircraft. Leveling the large, belt-fed weapon, she sighted in on the enemy fighter, still lazily moving in for a kill shot with its guns on the transport aircraft’s engines, and began peppering it with rounds. Clanky was a mechanic - an expert in her field - and much like a doctor is the deadliest pony you'll ever meet because of his or her knowledge of the body, so too was Clanky when it came to destroying the aircraft threatening the transport. With quick bursts letting her aim her fire with tracer rounds, Clanky adjusted fire until she was pumping rounds straight into the claw-painted air intakes she had noticed earlier. Jet engines, despite their size and power, are delicate systems and anything penetrating that system that shouldn't be there can cause spectacular damage, very quickly. The engine enemy fighter proved to be no exception to this rule. The force of the cavitation literally ripped the plane apart, gouts of flame ripped through the aircraft's skin and shredded the mainstay of the fuselage. As the burning wreckage rained down from the sky, a hoof tapped Clanky's shoulder. Three Royal Marines were behind her, struggling to set up tripod and remove a weapons system from a crate nearby.
"Miss, begging your pardon but this might make your next kill a little bit easier."
The Marines finished their work and started to move the .50 caliber heavy machinegun to the door, tying it in to the plane with some heavy ropes. Clanky rubbed her hooves together a little.
"I don't suppose you mind if I borrow that, do you?"
The first Marine laughed and stuck her hoof out to shake.
"Miss, you just saved all our hides. It'd be an honor. I’m Staff Sergeant Reckless and these clowns are one of my machinegun teams."
Clanky gave the mare's hoof a firm shake and settled in behind the heavy belt-fed weapon.
"Senior Airpony Doo. Staff Sergeant, Gentlecolts, let's buck some flank."
Flare and Zephyr's Strikers
"Twelve, Eleven, here's the plan. We're still receiving telemetry from Stormwatch. We can see another squadron breaking off to come at the transports; we'll hit them high and out of the sun. You're fitted with the “Thunderhead” storm cannon, right?"
"Affirmative. Clanky checked it out back at base and it's functioning perfectly."
"Perfect. I have a "Snow Lancer" ice cannon. You go in first, do a full power wide dispersion shot. You'll only get one at the power levels we're operating at. Try to take down or scramble as many as you can, then go to full throttle and play bait. I'll drop in behind you and nail the remnants with the ice cannon."
Flare wasn't exactly wild about this plan, that's for sure. Diving, practically unarmed, into a squadron of enemy fighters was not his idea of a good time. He complied, though, after all, Zephyr was the tactical genius. He brought his Storm Cannon online and set it up for a single, wide dispersion shot, basically generating a brief lighting storm. He leveled out with Zephyr and waited for her to give the signal.
"Selene Twelve, break and dive!"
"Copy. Tally ho!"
Flare broke and dove hard. Speed and surprise was what this type of attack had been about since the start of air combat, especially when it was one aircraft attacking a twelve aircraft formation – or a suicide mission as it was more commonly called. Flare focused on his positioning. He aimed right for the center of the formation and increased the angle of his dive, going near vertical. A yellow warning flashed on his HUD announced that the enemy fighters were in range for his Storm Cannon system. He started to engage the system.
"Selene Twelve, fox five!"
The sky in front of his fighter erupted in a lightning storm reminiscent of the wrath of an ancient god. The rippling tendrils of electricity smashed the majority of the enemy formation out of the sky, leaving only three enemy machines that had been on the edges of the formation. He cut to afterburner, ripping through their formation like a thunderbolt himself, jinking and dodging as the three aircraft gave chase, determined to avenge themselves on their new foe.
"Selene Eleven, fox five!"
Zephyr used her own Storm Cannon like a surgeon. Giant, icy spears pierced the cockpits of two of the aircraft pursuing Flare. She flashed by herself, unable to break the momentum of her dive as nimbly with the power drain from using her Storm Cannon twice in rapid succession.
"Twelve, Eleven. One more on your tail, going to try to come around for another pass."
"Copy Eleven, I'm going to bring him up on the left side of the transports. Come in over the top."
Flare was sweating in his cockpit. Whoever was behind him, he was good, very good. He was matching Flare pace for pace and move for move. If Zeph couldn't catch him when he brought him up, he had a very good chance of being a very dead pony. Seeing his mental mark in his HUD, he yanked back hard on his stick, leading the bandit up past the transport. The aircraft behind him exploded in a cascade of fire.
"Eleven, was that you?"
"Not me, Twelve... I- I think it was the transport!"
"Eleven... correct me if I'm crazy, but those transports are unarmed, aren't they?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Twelve."
The radios crackled for a second and Stormwatch broke in.
"Stormwatch to all aircraft. Remaining enemy aircraft are in full retreat. Battlespace is clear of hostiles. Turn over to Mareimar tower for landing and recovery instructions. CSAR assets have been launched for recovery."
Mareimar AFB
Secure Hangar 2
God, it felt good it be on solid ground! Flare felt the exhaustion and stress of the past day of flying hit his body all at once after completing his shut down procedure and dropping out of the striker. He moved over to Zephyr, who had just finished pulling herself out of her own striker and were starting to do a damage inspection when they spotted an enraged looking Major Windsheer stalking towards them with Clanky in tow. Princess Luna, however, got to them first, walking up behind them and catching their attention with a soft clearing of her throat. Flare and Zeph jumped about foot in their air, spun, and saluted. Luna smiled warmly.
"Hello again Flight Officers. It seems I have you to thank for my safety today. I'm glad to know I made such a good choice when selecting fliers for my squadron."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Flare and Zeph slightly open jawed and flathoofed but not before shooting a little wink and smile to Major Windsheer as if to say 'don't go too hard on them'. The Major didn't seem quite capable of taking that advice at the moment, however. If looks could kill the Major's glare would qualify as a weapon of mass destruction. In a lethal whisper, the Major finally spoke after a few minutes of tense silence.
"As soon as I find out where the hell my office is, you three’d better be in it!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Legends of the Corps #1: Staff Sergeant Reckless, USMC. Now I don't have to tell you all I sneak references to all sorts of things in to my writing all the time, but occasionally those references are parts of Marine Corps lore and history. In this case the reference is very direct, but the history it references is extremely obscure. SSgt Reckless was a female Marine who served in the brutal combat of the Korean war, Her Military Decorations included two Purple Hearts, Good Conduct Medal, Presidential Unit Citation with star, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, and Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. Reckless also happened to be a horse. During the battle of Outpost Vegas, Reckless walked on her own through 35 miles of hell between the ammunition supply point and the guns and mortars she was supporting under constant enemy fire. In one day she hauled close to five tons of ammunition. During the same battle she used (She mind, the Marines didn't force her she did this on her own) herself as a living shield to let trapped Marines return safely to the front line. In my personal opinion she is one of the most under decorated Marines in the history of the Corps. She had three foals, Dauntless, Fearless and Chesty and finally reported to her final duty station, passing away 13 May, 1968. SSgt Reckless was buried with full military honors aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California.