Flash Fiction Friday: Scramble!
Stephen Delacroix pushed the sliding door to the mess hall to one side. The techies hadn’t fix it yet. A paper stuck to the other side read:
Please, do not lock door.
Thank you.
The Management.
Typical Stephen thought. Snatches of conversations buzzed past his ear.
“So I told her that I liked a threesome but not with Mary. I mean I thought she was her sister.”
“Really?
He reached the counter. An young and overweight attendant bent over a open fridge, exposing more flesh that Stephen cared to see. The attendant glimpsed at the new comer and yelled at him “Kitchen close!”
“At 20:00 hrs?”
At the sound of the voice the clerk spun around, nearly falling on his ass. “Sorry Boss. Didn’t know it was you. We don’t have much left, but I can whip up something for you” the clerk said scratching the back of his head.
“Just give me a ham and cheese, Jonsey.”
“Errm…we don’t have any cheese, Boss, unless you want goat cheese?”
Stephen made a face which Jonsey interpreted as a no. “Toast with butter, then.”
“What kind of butter, Jonsey?”
“Well, let me see.” Jonsey rummaged through another fridge, “Goat too.”
“Never mind, I’ll have just toast and a coffee–” The sound of klaxons interrupted him.
ALERT CONDITION ONE! ALL PILOTS, SCRAMBLE, SCRAMBLE!
Stephen Delacroix ran down the maze of corridors to the fighter launch bays. Techs helped him with his vac-suit and system checks. By the time the systems had synchronize the Typhoon Mk. VI slid into the designated launch tube. Data streamed into his visor as powerful electromagnets clamped on the fighter’s hull. With a quick thumbs up the ship slid down the tube, crushing Gs pushing Stephen against his seat. He felt another jolt as the fighter blasted out of the station’s artificial gravity well.
“All units, this is Calvary Lead. Target ETA in 5 at 3G. Commence burn on my mark…MARK!” Fighter exhausts glowed white as the ships accelerated toward the target area. A quick look at his instruments showed what looked like a squadron of Aero-Fighters, Vampire Class, attacking an unarmed medium size transport.
Stephen, now Calvary Leader, keyed in his radio, “Bravo 1, do you have any other enemies on sensors?”
“Negative” came the reply.
No carrier in sensor range. Probably hiding on a nearby planetary orbit. But that meant that these pilots had flown a long way to close the distance to their targets. A warning beep in his ear snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Looks like they saw us coming in. Jammers online. Switch decoy dispensers to automatic mode.”
Several enemy fighters broke off from their attacks and launched missiles at Calvary Wing. Well practice maneuvers and several decoy canisters defeated the incoming missiles. Their attackers were not as lucky. The return volley devastated the pirate craft. The others beat a hasty retreat.
Stephen sharp eyesight detected movement near the freighter moments before it engaged it FTL drive. “All units break reverse course!”
The freighter released several large canister which detonated in sudden, blast of light. Several electromagnetic pulses hit the incoming craft. The systems on the Typhoons overloaded. They were sitting ducks until the ships computers re-booted.
When the did….
BRAVO 1 TO CALVARY WING. WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!
Stephen detected three warships on an intercept course with the station. Each ship poured volley after volley of missile fire while receiving devastating punishment in return.
“Calvary Lead to all fighters. Return to base, max burn” Stephen ordered. The Wing made it in time to stop one of the ships. The stations batteries destroyed a second, but the third punched through the defenses and smashed into the outer hull. A second later an explosion obliterated it and the lower half of Bravo 1.
The combined sounds of his breathing and heartbeat filled his helmet. Someone was desperate or callous enough sacrifice several fighters and three missile destroyers to achieve their objective.
Whoever they were….
Stephen keyed in his radio again, “Ground control, this is Calvary Lead, we request permission to land on spaceport.”
After a short pause a female voice responded, “Permission granted Calvary Wing. General Patterson will be waiting for you on the tarmac.”
“Understood.”
As his craft entered orbit Stephen Delacroix reflected on what had just happened.
Over six hundred lives.
This is war.
—–
Well, that is it for this Flash Fiction Friday. Not very imaginative, but good practice none the less. Here is a short video that served as the inspiration for the narrative above. Its from the Macross: Do You Remember Love? PSOne game.
Enjoy!
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Ruins of Empire 
Haha. It was fun to read, though.
Fun or funny?