“At ease, gentlemen,” he said, “I just wanted to have a word before you embark. I don’t know what to think of these developments, but I saw a lot of good men go down today. We all lost friends to whoever these people are and frankly I’m sick of it. I don’t doubt your courage, and I don’t doubt that you will do your jobs to the utmost of your abilities, and I pity anyone who stands in your way. I just want you to know that I’m behind you completely and if there is any flak over what you have done to the planes, I’ll take it. If you need to top off fuel and ammo, please stop at the base and you will be given priority.”
“If it will save time and fuel, I can bring them to the base for that,” Walter said, “You saw how fast I got you here.”
“Okay, that would probably work, but why ferry six planes there when we can just bring the fuel and ammo here. That’s a couple trucks instead of six planes. I saw what you did with that airliner, so I know you’re strong enough.”
“Yeah, sometimes I forget what I can do. We could go now while the kid’s still outfitting the planes. How much longer on that?”
“Thirty minutes,” Morrison said, “All the modules are installed, but I just need to get the interfaces in the cockpits and make sure they’re all functional.”
“Okay, Colonel, let’s go fetch the fuel and ammo,” and to Mixon, “you want to give us a hand with one of the trucks?”
“Sure. What else do I have to do right now?”
Ten minutes later, Walter, Mixon, and Colonel Gordon arrived back from the base with a fuel truck and a van full of 30mm ammunition for the Warthogs’ Gatling guns.
“As soon as Morrison’s finished, we can fuel up and get going,” Walter said, “I assume you’d like to monitor things. You can do that from here if you like.”
“I’d like to be back at the base, but if you have a way to keep up on things here, I guess I could do that.”
“We have a computer that can keep up on everything, and we can do the comms from here as well. You can talk to the pilots in real time just like you could from there.”
“Okay then, just show me where.”
“Right here,” Walter said a moment later, showing Gordon the computer, “We have a young lady who has been sitting here, but she’s out at the moment.”
“She picked a fine time to take off.”
“One of ours is in the hospital. She’s staying with him.”
“Okay, just give me some time to get familiar with this setup.”
“It’s pretty simple, really. That headset will patch you into the comms and the monitors are patched into a live feed from each of the areas around the world.”
An hour later, the planes were outfitted and the fuel and ammo were topped off, and it was time to go. The planes were all outside the hangar with engines running and the Colonel was on the computer and monitoring the comms. Due to lack of a runway, Walter had devised a way to launch the fighters. He lifted one into the sky, flew up a thousand feet, and got the plane up to speed, and then went down to get the next one. Before long, all six planes were in formation and heading toward the conflict area, with Walter and Mixon flying nearby.
“Okay boys, there are fifty of them and six of us. I like those odds,” the lead pilot was saying, “Let’s not dogfight them. Short bursts so you don’t waste ammo. If you get hit, check your shield percentage. These things regenerate, so if you drop to 50%, climb out of there and come back when it’s at full strength. Fast runs, every round on target. Take one out and we hit the next. Got it?”
“Roger that,” the pilots replied in turn.
“What do we do?” Mixon asked Walter.
“Well, hopefully the fighters will keep the gunships occupied. We go after the ground troops, but don’t kill them. We think they’re not willing combatants. Just disable the suits they’re wearing. You see that protruding part on the back? We think that’s a power plant. Maybe if we rip it off, they’ll be disabled.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?”
“The first jet is starting it’s run. Let’s go.”
The first two A-10s came zooming in and lined up the first gunship. A short burst from each, every round on target. The other gunships opened fire and scored hits on the two jets.
“I think we hurt it,” the first pilot replied, “but I took a hit. Shields still at 80%. I’m going after the next one.”
“I’m right behind you,” the second pilot said.
As the first two pilots went after the next gunship, two more came behind them and finished off the first one with two sustained bursts from the Gatlings, the 30mm shells ripping through the gunship and turning it into so much minced metal.
Walter tore the power pack off one of the mechanized suits, and the suit simply fell to its knees, immobilized. Mixon followed his lead, and before long they were disabling the ground troops so fast they appeared to be nothing but a blur.
“Stay behind them and they can’t shoot us,” Mixon said.
“Sounds like a plan,” Walter replied.
Above their heads, one of the gunships erupted in a fireball and debris rained down all around them.
“Splash one alien,” a pilot’s voice came over the comms.
“Shields at forty percent,” another pilot said, “I’m pulling out.”
“Roger that, same here,” another said.
“The pilots are pulling out to recharge their shields. Maybe we should join them until they’re back in it. We don’t want to get knocked out again,” Walter said.
It took ten minutes, but the shields recharged and the pilots resumed their attack runs on the
