The Close Call
25 Jan 2023Quendel
It was the 22nd of January 3309. War raged in Huangais, the home I have long left behind me. This was the day I almost died.
Well, I’ve had a few close calls with death. But I can’t remember any situation I’ve been in that had me this close to being nothing but roasted, barely recognizable remains on the surface of some rock flying through the endlessness of space, caught in the gravity of Huangais A – the Star I used to look up to as a kid, imagining what it’d look like from a little closer. Now it blasted upon us, unbridled by the negligibly thin atmosphere of Huangais A2.
It’s home sweet home I guess.
Not this rock. Not this settlement. But this system. And the people I grew up with, went to kindergarten and to school with – all dressed up in thick armor, armed to the teeth, probably willing to kill and even die for democracy, fighting against the fascists of Huangais Focus. At least that’s what the recruiters told them. What the recruiters told me, too. But I didn’t stay. I am long gone, I’ve turned my back to Huangais Republic Party, knowing they are just as unscrupulous as anyone when it’s about getting an edge over the other factions, ignoring federal law and ethics altogether. I was not doing this for their leaders and their sick understanding of democracy. I was doing this to prevent bloodshed amongst those I’ve grown up with.
Or should I say MORE bloodshed? Ending this war a few days earlier wouldn’t bring the girl with the ripped dominator suit back alive, lying in the dust next to me. I had to just ignore it. Move out. Just wait for the opportunity and run as fast as I can, find new cover, then push them further back. Force the ones that try to stop me to back off.
The ball of plasma from my Tormentor tore its way through the shields of the unfortunate soldier raising his gun in my direction. I was almost at the Hab-Unit of the settlement which provided much-needed cover.
That's when the missiles started to rain down on us.
A Cobra MkIV boosted in our direction, evading the defense turrets and firing at our positions. The sound was deafening and the blast swept me off my feet. It sent me flying right in the direction of the Hab-Unit’s wall. The low gravity made maneuvering hard. I tried to turn and activate my jetpack to soften the impact but it didn't work as planned. While I was spinning I caught a glimpse of the destruction. Burning debris and bodies everywhere, accompanied by the flash of laser shots and plasma or kinetic projectiles.
The impact came sooner than I’d expected. It pushed all the air out of my lungs. Then my head smacked against the wall and everything turned black.
»Commander! Commander, are you okay? I can’t find your signature anywhere. Commander Quemiumins, please respond!«
I woke up on the ground, ringing ears, dust on my cracked visor.
»Copy, Layan! I read you!«
I barely managed to speak. Barely managed to breathe either. My mouth was cotton dry. A menacing hissing sound almost drowned out the conversation.
»My suit is damaged but I’m fine. Did you identify the attacker?« I asked, trying to think straight. I tried to wipe the dust off my helmet, making the hissing get louder. I had to be more careful. My flickering HUD showed the oxygen reserves to be at 10% and falling.
»Identified and target locked, Commander. Proceeding to intercept.«
I spotted ›Whiskey‹, my Vulture, as a black dot in the sky, firing its pulse lasers at the blue Cobra which immediately performed complicated evasive maneuvers. Its pilot was definitely good. But Layan was good, too. I hired Commander Layan Casey as a simple fighter pilot in 3307. But since then she has become much more than that. A coordinator, a first officer, a fierce and fearless wing woman. But most importantly: a friend. This wasn’t her war, but she wouldn’t be dissuaded from coming along. She spent the whole day racing through the sky, shooting up hostile vessels, and even trying to make it harder for Frontline Solutions’ Vultures to bring in the enemy troops. But this Cobra had appeared out of nowhere. Its shields flickered with every hit, unable to shake off Layan. Then it rapidly turned in my direction.
»They’re trying to hit you again, Commander. Get to cover!«
I tried to get up but fell to my knees. My body seemed to be in one piece but I couldn’t breathe. I coughed. I needed to get inside the building and grab a new helmet. The Cobra approached with high speed, lowering its nose for another attack. It was closely followed by Layan, boosting, making the Vulture scream. She continuously fired her lasers, finally taking down the Cobra’s shields. But it was too late.
»I hope you don't mind dents in your ship, Commander«
Layan’s voice sounded focused and sharp. With one last boost, she moved the ship higher above the ground and turned it upside down. Gracefully, ›Whiskey‹ glided past the Cobra. Layan had turned ›Flight Assist‹ off and kept the nose of the ship in the enemy’s direction. All of the sudden it dawned on me what she had planned.
»Layan! Don’t...« was all I could say. The Vulture roared once more.
It gained speed quickly, racing towards the now helpless enemy. The pilot tried to evade the crash but it was much too late. Like the bird of prey lending its name to the ship, it attacked. In the very last second, Layan pulled the nose upwards, hitting the Cobra with the reinforced lower side. There was a loud bang and a crash that made the soldiers forget about the fighting for a short moment. Everyone either looked up in wonder or tried to evacuate the area where the ships would hit the ground. The Cobra’s canopy was the first part to shatter, then part of its left side came off, rocketing toward the ground. A huge cloud of dust covered the whole site within seconds of the Cobra’s impact on the planet’s surface.
Layan hit the ground too, but in a much more smooth and more controlled way. She managed to fire her thrusters and smash into some temporal barricades which had been erected to make the nearest control point easier to defend. Her shields took most of the damage but it was still one hell of an impact.
I finally managed to get up on my feet and sprinted the last few meters towards the entrance of the HAB-Unit and into the building, holding my breath, ignoring the pain that suddenly shot down my leg. I ripped the helmet off my head and threw it into the corner. The small fires made the air hard to breathe but it was definitely better than the near vacuum outside. After what felt like ages I finally found an emergency locker and grabbed one of the flight suit helmets stored there. My HUD flickered back on. I didn’t wait for the diagnostics.
»Come on, Layan, where are you?« I called into the radio. I didn’t know what to say.
»I found him! Here he is!« There was a voice calling from outside and footsteps closing in on my position. Two soldiers rushed through the doors, accompanied by Commander Layan Casey.
»I’ve been involved in worse crashes, nothing to worry about.« She smiled. In her hand, she held my Manticore Tormentor. »You might need this, Commander. I can’t shoot it anyways«
»I owe you a drink, « I said, holstering the gun.
»You owe me the whole bar! But I’ll take the drink.«
The remaining enemy troops retreated quickly and we could return to Blackwell Station in one piece. I even had time to visit my family! But what really made my day was Layan, waiting at the bar for the promised drink. What started as one drink soon became more than I can remember. All I know is that we sat there all night, watching the ships fly in and out of the Coriolis Starport I grew up in while getting dead drunk until the Bartender threw us out.
It’s been a few days now and I’ve had enough of this System for the next few months. Now I’m sitting in my Orca, stars above me and it’s still a few hours to Zandu. Layan is either in the cockpit or in engineering, busy as a bee.
I am extremely lucky to have her.