Duty, 20: Eye for an Eye
11 Dec 2022Meowers
We followed the retreating group of Cyclopes at a significant distance, far beyond our sensor range, for a couple of hours. They were making a run for... something. I had no idea what exactly, but, just in case, told pilots to power down their weapons and secondary systems, to lower our heat signatures. And we were sticking close to the ground, hoping that this hot surface will make us invisible to them. Damn. It's hard to play those games when you don't know what kind of tech your opponent is using.
Mountain ridges were an issue. Approaching them, I've been sending one ship higher to keep a visual, while others were following the terrain. Worked well, until I've heard...
"Oh shit, look at that!"
We climbed higher, and, well, there was a Thargoid pod field. Twenty to thirty kilometres away from us, and those Cyclopes were heading there, in a straight line, at what looked like their top possible speed. And, what happened next... Still, I think it's my mistake.
I requested a report on fuel reserves, we still had enough to grant those bastards a good bashing, four damaged Cyclopes, five of us. We dropped lower to let the ragged terrain cover us for a little more time and powered up our weapons, closing in on target. Jumping out from behind a mountain with our engines roaring on full, we vaporised the first, most damaged Cyclops in a mere seconds, and its debris crushed some of the pods, falling on them from the sky, shattering their shells and squeezing the green stuff out. Remaining Thargoids started fleeing in different directions, and pilots went to chase them.
So things gone shit way. A frame shift anomaly. More of them were coming. Instinctively, I commanded a retreat, left the limping Cyclops alone and boosted, heading to the mountain ridge, quickly looking over my shoulder, trying to measure the depth of shit we were in. At least ten more, and another Medusa with them... No, even if they were all Cyclopes, that was too much for us. Pilots disengaged their targets and followed me, except that one Roberto's guy. Damn poor kid.
He stubbornly chased that Cyclops, firing all his cannons, ripping the beast to pieces, and when the Thargoid finally exploded right in front of him, he realised... That both I, and Roberto, were yelling at him to back off and follow us. You know, all that happens in a split second, and you see that, like, in a slow motion. Thargoids already opened fire at us, but we were out of reach, so, they targeted his Krait. He boosted, turning violently, facing our direction, dropping heatsinks, rolling, evading, though... Damn. The barrage was too intensive for one ship. One burst hit the right side of the Krait, apparently shattering the vertical thruster nozzle, and another burst went like a whip, from top to down, hitting the left engine block. Losing speed, he automatically smacked the boosters, trying to make that final dash to the ridge and over it, and his Krait twitched and started spinning out of control. Just a couple of kilometres away from the mountain. And he couldn't just 'pull up'. Everything was too fast.
Folks were awfully silent all the way back. Shit. He wasn't my wingman, but... Damn. I'm in the lead of all that. I could prevent that. Just had to save the coordinates and return with more force. His mistake was to chase that damn Cyclops. My mistake was to attack that whole group. All the same. I've been the same stubborn kid, going for the kill. Shit. Locals aren't AXDF, they don't have as much training as we have. Their ships aren't that good. Why can't I keep that in mind? Shit.
"Flight Report. Ships lost: 1". It started with me in command... And I guess the stuff isn't going to get much better soon.
When we returned, Mion was waiting for me near the hangars. She grabbed my hand, said she's been worried, and all that... They saw another, second group of signals, they knew we were there, however, with that timing, with Thargoids literally falling down on our heads, there's nothing that could be done with that. And, hell... I was also worried about her, with that her acid-diving escape pod football.
Damn I'm sooo going to fall down on the bed after the dust settles.
But we had to go through debriefing first. That rescued guy from the escape pod... Concussion and a pair of broken ribs, but he'll be fine. However, no helpful information, they were just a bunch of miners trying out random spots here and there. Our discovery was far more important. Thargoids were putting down their roots right under our noses, here, in the same system, so we must strike, and do it quickly. First, Federal installation, then those hard luck miners, and we still enjoy a relative safety, being out of their sight, we should use that advantage while it lasts.
Guess no rest for me then. Refuel, rearm, some quick repairs, and it's time for vengeance. So I'll wrap that up and will go do some check-ups, Matthew will be leading the whole pack this time, but I have to make sure my wing is okay enough to play the part.
And, yeah, Peter approached me and asked for a private talk. Told he had a word with the security about those Thargoid-loving freaks, seems like he have an idea of an investigation of sorts, but he should remain in the town for a few days. And he needs a permission from me. Reluctant to say more, but, well, looks confident, and local security force gave him a green light. Or is that a part of his self-image? Hmph. I'll look into that... Still need him in the formation at least for what we have to do next.
Ow, they're preparing six full wings. Twenty four ships. It's a bad day to be a Thargoid...