acknowledged just as the range-to-target indicator dropped below two klicks. This meant the oncoming enemy was within their weapon range … and that Gold One and Gold Two were within range of the enemy’s targeting.
They could either bug out and suffer long-range potshots of the enemy on their way back to Gold Three and Four, or try to punch their way through, get back a little of their own, and loop back to their comrades, hoping that their attack might leave the enemy in some disarray. The latter course was potentially suicidal. Kell said, “Gold Two, let’s get out of here—”
Gold Two’s reply was a weird, warbling yell. His X-wing headed straight toward the oncoming squadron. Little needles of green Imperial laser fire came lancing in, none too close to him.
“Gold Two, return to formation. Gold Two …” Kell cursed. Had Two’s comm unit malfunctioned? That would be in keeping with the foul-up nature of this mission. “All right, Gold Two, I’m your wing.” He continued in pursuit of Two and prepared to cover him.
Two’s course carried him straight toward the center of the port squadron. The enemy’s laser fire now flashed thick around him, and Kell saw some of it dissipating meters ahead of Two’s fighter, stopped by its shields. Two was performing the most dangerous and most effective sort of fighter maneuver, the head-on approach, but against an entire squadron … and twelve-to-one odds made it likely he’d end up being vaped.
Time to change those odds . Kell lost a little relative altitude so that Gold Two would be less likely to wander across his field of fire, then switched his lasers over to dual-fire, giving him less punch but a much higher rate of fire. He hit the etheric rudder, slewing his bow to port while maintaininghis current course, then traversed his bow back to starboard—and as fast as his targeting brackets panned across the line of TIE fighters and went green to indicate laser lock, he fired, sending streaks of destructive red light toward the enemy. The musical tones of successive laser locks filled his cockpit.
He saw distant light flares indicating he and Two had managed at least to graze some targets. His data screen showed one kill and a graze for Kell, just a graze for Two. He returned more incoming fire and juked as the oncoming TIEs were suddenly on them, then past them—
Time to come around in a tight loop and hit the rear guard if the TIEs had one, fall upon the TIEs from the rear if they didn’t. But, dammit, he wasn’t lead fighter, the erratic Two was. He found Two visually and on the sensors; the pilot was rolling out and coming around in a tight starboard loop. Kell kept with him.
Sensors showed four TIE fighters coming around to engage them; the other fighters were continuing on toward their objective. Closer to the lunar surface, Gold Three and Four were approaching that remaining line of seven TIEs in the weakened squadron. Good; they were obviously going to plow through the weakest link in the attackers’ chain. There were no blips remaining from the four TIE bombers; Three and Four must have finished them.
Two was lining up for another head-on run, but Kell saw the four TIE fighters spreading out in box formation. “Two, break off. They’re setting up for you. Follow me in; I’m lead now.”
Two ignored him, accelerating even faster and replying with another wavering war cry.
Kell gritted his teeth. All right. Let’s see if I can save him in spite of himself . He let Gold Two continue to increase the distance between them. He switched over to proton torpedoes.
The oncoming fighters were arrayed like the corners of a two-dimensional box, and Two was headed straight for the lower-left corner. All four TIE fighters began spraying laser fire at him.
Kell pointed his nose up, caught the upper-left eyeball in his brackets. They immediately went red, indicating torpedo lock, and he fired. At this range, the TIE fighter had plenty of time to
They could either bug out and suffer long-range potshots of the enemy on their way back to Gold Three and Four, or try to punch their way through, get back a little of their own, and loop back to their comrades, hoping that their attack might leave the enemy in some disarray. The latter course was potentially suicidal. Kell said, “Gold Two, let’s get out of here—”
Gold Two’s reply was a weird, warbling yell. His X-wing headed straight toward the oncoming squadron. Little needles of green Imperial laser fire came lancing in, none too close to him.
“Gold Two, return to formation. Gold Two …” Kell cursed. Had Two’s comm unit malfunctioned? That would be in keeping with the foul-up nature of this mission. “All right, Gold Two, I’m your wing.” He continued in pursuit of Two and prepared to cover him.
Two’s course carried him straight toward the center of the port squadron. The enemy’s laser fire now flashed thick around him, and Kell saw some of it dissipating meters ahead of Two’s fighter, stopped by its shields. Two was performing the most dangerous and most effective sort of fighter maneuver, the head-on approach, but against an entire squadron … and twelve-to-one odds made it likely he’d end up being vaped.
Time to change those odds . Kell lost a little relative altitude so that Gold Two would be less likely to wander across his field of fire, then switched his lasers over to dual-fire, giving him less punch but a much higher rate of fire. He hit the etheric rudder, slewing his bow to port while maintaininghis current course, then traversed his bow back to starboard—and as fast as his targeting brackets panned across the line of TIE fighters and went green to indicate laser lock, he fired, sending streaks of destructive red light toward the enemy. The musical tones of successive laser locks filled his cockpit.
He saw distant light flares indicating he and Two had managed at least to graze some targets. His data screen showed one kill and a graze for Kell, just a graze for Two. He returned more incoming fire and juked as the oncoming TIEs were suddenly on them, then past them—
Time to come around in a tight loop and hit the rear guard if the TIEs had one, fall upon the TIEs from the rear if they didn’t. But, dammit, he wasn’t lead fighter, the erratic Two was. He found Two visually and on the sensors; the pilot was rolling out and coming around in a tight starboard loop. Kell kept with him.
Sensors showed four TIE fighters coming around to engage them; the other fighters were continuing on toward their objective. Closer to the lunar surface, Gold Three and Four were approaching that remaining line of seven TIEs in the weakened squadron. Good; they were obviously going to plow through the weakest link in the attackers’ chain. There were no blips remaining from the four TIE bombers; Three and Four must have finished them.
Two was lining up for another head-on run, but Kell saw the four TIE fighters spreading out in box formation. “Two, break off. They’re setting up for you. Follow me in; I’m lead now.”
Two ignored him, accelerating even faster and replying with another wavering war cry.
Kell gritted his teeth. All right. Let’s see if I can save him in spite of himself . He let Gold Two continue to increase the distance between them. He switched over to proton torpedoes.
The oncoming fighters were arrayed like the corners of a two-dimensional box, and Two was headed straight for the lower-left corner. All four TIE fighters began spraying laser fire at him.
Kell pointed his nose up, caught the upper-left eyeball in his brackets. They immediately went red, indicating torpedo lock, and he fired. At this range, the TIE fighter had plenty of time to
Similar Books
