“You’re thecommander-in-chief. Your skills are more valuable directing thebattle than dogfighting.”
“We’re getting slaughtered! Ineed to be in the cockpit of a fighter to encourage our pilots.”
“Borko needs you alive andleading them.”
“Borko needs me to defeat theRaptor air fleet. I’ll stay in communication.” Erling left thebridge and went to his cabin. After changing into a flight suit, heheaded to the docking bay. His adrenaline raced. This is where hebelonged. He itched to get on a Winged Warrior and take out someHaklute fighters.
Onolyn and Zac had just flowninto the bay with their squadron to refuel and reload weapons. Medicslifted their wounded squadron leader off his ship and carried him tosickbay on a stretcher. Erling took over command of the squadron,appointing Zac his wingman. He liked the aggressive way Zac fought.They’d been in battle together many times on Alandra. The squadron,which started out as sixteen ships, was now down to twelve.
Erling slipped into the cockpitof the just vacated squadron leader’s Winged Warrior and checkedthe display on the control panel. Everything was working properly,despite the many hits the ship had taken. He started the engines,rolled toward the bay door and flew out. His squadron was rightbehind him, moving in formation. Zac flew in place as wingman, flyingslightly behind and to the right of Erling’s aircraft.
A squadron of Haklute ships sweptin and attacked the Jaiparian command ship. Erling and his squadronengaged them in battle. He flew behind a Haklute ship, locked amissile on it and fired. The Haklute ship’s shield held. Erlingswitched on his oscillator, a device Toemeka developed to destroyshields. His computer screen showed a green line representing theenemy ship’s shield. When it disappeared, he fired another missileand the ship exploded.
Zac flew off chasing anothership. Taking advantage of the opening, a Haklute ship swung ontoErling’s tail. Erling went into a nosedive, attempting to lose theenemy ship. Onolyn attacked the ship trailing him and blew it out ofthe sky.
Zac rolled back into place onErling’s tail.
“Don’t leave formation again,Red! You left Cruiser exposed!” Onolyn yelled over the intershipradio, referring to both men by their call signs.
“It won’t happen again,”Zac said, sounding contrite.
As they continued to fight,Erling felt an increasing sense of pride in his squadron. They foughtferociously beside him. Their courage never faltered, even when heled them into places where the battle was thickest. Anytime an enemyship moved on his tail, it was attacked by several Jaiparian ships.His squadron’s defensive maneuvers puzzled him. They seemed moreconcerned about his life than their own.
As the battle raged, Erling gaveorders to the squadron leaders, directing the fight from his cockpit.From his years of experience, he knew how to outmaneuver hisopponents. Despite having responsibilities of leadership, Erling feltas he always did in battle; just one of the pilots fighting for whathe believed in.
Michio stood next to GeneralDursky, watching the aerial battle from the viewport, wondering whatto do. He could feel Samrat Condor’s dark power and knew thesorcerer was controlling the battle somehow. Focusing inwardly onSamrat Condor’s essence, he began searching the Raptor ships one byone to see where he was located. Soon he discovered Condor wasn’ton any of them and realized the sorcerer was probably safely at hisfortress, controlling the battle through his generals and by usingpsychic powers.
Michio extended his search,farther and farther, until finally he felt Samrat Condor’s essencein the lower astral worlds. A blast of negative energy slammed intohim and he stumbled backward a step. He quickly shifted his attentionoff the sorcerer, realizing he’d unwittingly revealed his locationto Samrat Condor. He didn’t want to fight Condor, yet he wonderedif the Jaiparian air fleet and their allies had any chance againstthe Raptor space fleet if the sorcerer continued to control theaerial battle using psychic powers.
Michio reflected back on the lasttime he was with Master Bakka. The Master said he would somedayconfront Samrat Condor. Wasthis the time? Becauseof his psychic powers, Samrat Condor was Borko’s greatest threat.
In the cave, Michio had tastedthe raw power that could be used if one had the knowledge and abilityto draw on it. That experience made him even more wary about facingSamrat Condor. What if he wasn’t strong enough to fight SamratCondor and was killed, or worse, came under the black magician’scontrol?
Despite the danger, Michiodecided he had to distract Condor long enough for Borko air fleets towin the battle. He turned over command of the fleet to General Durskyand went to his office.
Michio sat on a chair and reachedfor the austra stone that hung on a cord around his neck, thinkingback on the day he found it in the mountains while taking the twelfthtest. The small gem radiated with light and filled the room withvibrant color. It also drew all Michio’s energy to a concentratedpoint in the center of his being. He focused on the chakra at the topof his head and gazed more deeply within. When centered, he openedhis heart to the universal life current and moved out of his body. Ashe floated upward, he put his attention on Samrat Condor.
A rushing movement propelled himthrough space. When he stopped, a dark energy swirled around and aheavy feeling pressed down on him. He realized he was in the lowerastral hells of Avernus. He looked around, peering through thedarkness.
Gradually a scene appeared beforehim. Condor sat at a table in front of a three-dimensional game boardmade of a material that resembled glass, except it was fluid likewater, and kept changing shape. On it were humanoid figurines andother sentient beings: rulers, free men and women, slaves, soldiers,pilots, officers, sorcerers, noblemen. Overhead Michio could see aview of the actual aerial battle taking place above planet Borko.
Samrat Condor turned towardMichio. Revealing the half his face that was hideously scarred. “Haveyou come to join me in the game?”
