When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (24 page)

             
TMF
Haifa
, a missile frigate, unleashed a stream of high explosives toward the enemy carrier. Thirty bombs, each carrying a half-ton of explosives, raced toward the hive-shaped craft. A passing Boxti bomber caught one in the belly, detonating its entire payload. The explosion sent another fighter pinwheeling into a frigat
e’
s shield, which failed under the impact. Bits of hull and glass floated in dense clouds around the battlefield.

             
Fireballs bloomed upon the missiles impact with the alien carrier. Large chunks of hull flew in every direction. Flames raced through the interior, engulfing ships still parked in the hangar. Still the hive drove forward, returning fire with glowing red slugs and barbed projectiles. The enemy frigates, seeing the bigger ship under attack, ceased their assault on Tallus and turned all attention on
Berlin
. Engines flared white hot as the alien craft rushed toward the Terrans.

             
On the far side of the battlefield,
Berlin
pushed forward to form a physical barrier between the Boxti and the escaping civilian craft. Enemy fire peppered her port flank, gouging holes in the thick armor plating. The escort squadron broke off, leaving four fighters to act as a last line of defense while the rest charged in. The
Florence
continued to fire, despite floating dead in the water. On the bridge, the elderly commander barked orders with the energy of an academy cadet while his crew raced to comply. As they began to target a new frigate, a spiny yellow bomb sent by one of the Boxti bombers pierced the stern and obliterated the destroyer.

             
Singed and scarred by narrowly avoided fire, Cameron flew into the sortie. The twin Gauss rifles under his wings sang constantly, barrels rocking hard enough to shake the canopy. An ammunition counter on his HUD showed the rapidly dwindling supply of ammunition head for zero. He figured another few minutes before he was completely spent on rounds and missiles. Granted, he also figured h
e’
d be dead in less than that.

             
An explosion to his five
o’
clock rocked his ship up and to the left. As Cameron steadied his flight path, he saw George appear. The young pilot burst through a field of fiery debris, whooping and cheering in his cockpit.

             
“Tha
t’
s six
,”
George said.

             
“Six what
?”
Cameron performed a quick system check. He had two hundred rounds of tungsten ammo and a single Harpy left.

             
George pulled in closer, firing a quick burst to deter a Boxti fighter
.“
Six beers you owe me
.”
The enemy ship turned away, smoke pouring from holes in its tail.

             
Red bolts shot up between their cockpits and the two Terrans broke formation. Cameron barrel rolled, dodging a blistering volley of fire until he found himself staring at the crimson glow of an alien engine. He let loose his last missile, watching it fly through the exhaust vent and into the enemy craft. It exploded with a clap, bursting the Y-fighter into a red and yellow star. Cameron kicked his afterburner and pushed through the flames.

             
Georg
e’
s Phoenix shook as another bolt tore into his hull. Already the outside of his fighter looked like swiss cheese. It was amazingly lucky that a shot had
n’
t punctured his fuel line. He bounced in his seat, smacking his head against the glass
.“
Fuck
,”
he swore
.“
Cam, I need a little help here
.
”

             
Cameron pulled up behind his frien
d’
s pursuer. This Boxti ship looked different. Though shaped like a Y-fighter, the wings were tipped in red metal, like a thorn dipped in blood.
Must be a squadron marking
, Cameron thought. He squeezed his trigger, firing a short burst into the enemy. Rear shields flared and failed, allowing a few rounds to punch into the hull. Immediately the craft broke pursuit and bolted, leaving a smoking trail in its wake.

             
“Drop it to five beers, George
.
”

             
George laughed
.“I’
m not counting that one. He was falling into my genius trap
.”
He moved his fighter to port, but the engines flared out. The Phoenix shook violently
.“
Cam, I need to land. Stabilizers are fried
.”
He pressed the pitch down, but nothing happened
.“
Starboard jets are out. Electronics are shorted. Shit, Cam. I may have legitimately broken it this time. Do you think I can take it back? Get a refund
?
”

             
Cameron flew up and over his friend, dropping the tow cable down until he heard the metal connect with a thunk
.“
Nah, you do
n’
t have a receipt. And this is way past their return policy.
I’
d put it up for auction and hope you get something back
.”
He laughed, accelerating until the line drew taut and turned toward
Berlin
.“
Berlin
, this is Wolf one
.
”

             
“Wolf one,
Berlin
. Send it
.
”

             
Cameron scanned his radar. Most of the fighting had moved off toward the far side of the planet. The Terrans were
n’
t winning. Far from it. Most of the strike group was being chased by the Boxti toward the enemy carrier, which refused to die despite enormous holes punched straight through its body
.“I’
m towing a downed fighter. Requesting emergency crews on standby in hangar, and refit
.
”

             
They flew past a dozen wrecks, mostly Phoenix fighters and Sparrows. A Seed bomber limped up beside them, half of its hull simply gone. Cameron marveled that it was moving under its own power at all. He waved to the pilot, a cheery-looking blonde who waved back. A broken piece of TFD
Florence
spiraled down toward Tallus, caught in the gravity well.

             
“Wolf one, you are cleared on approach. Be advised, hangar deck is not clear. Watch for crew guidance.
Berlin
out
.
”

             
“Are we in trouble
?”
George asked.

             
Camero
n’
s entire body shook from the fear and adrenaline. He took a few quick breaths to steady his voice
.“
Nah. This is just like we drilled, you know? Self-recovery in the middle of an alien invasion. You should have learned this shit in basic
.
”

             
“Just go faster
.”
George slumped down in his seat, smacking the now useless controls with a growl
.“
Much faster if possible
.
”

             
“You think that was an Ace
?”
Cameron asked.

             
“Maybe
.”
George drummed on his canopy
.“
Makes sense, they give their best pilots the strongest ships
.
”

             
“Then what does that say about us
?”
Cameron increased his speed
.“
Just another minute, George. They have to get the good vodka out of the freezer
.
”

             
“Are you still drinking that shit
?”
George craned his neck, but all he could see was the Phoeni
x’
s belly. He used small bursts from his lateral jets to move his fighter alongside Ca
m’
s.

             
“Are you out of your mind
?”
Cameron asked, incredulous
.“I’
ve got you on a tow line
.”
He fought the sudden pull from the cable, barely avoiding smashing his stabilizer into his frien
d’
s canopy.

             
“Why are you still drinking vodka when
I’
ve taught you scotch is better
?”
George glared into his wingma
n’
s eyes.

             
Cameron shrugged
.“
Old habits die hard
.”
He eased back on the throttle so Georg
e’
s ship floated forward. Once they were even, he resumed thrust
.“
W
e’
re pretty far from the main body. Anyone behind us
?
”

             
George tapped on his monitor, but the screen remained black
.“
Electronics are still out. I must have lost a cell back there. Ask our buddy if hers are still reading
.”
He gestured to the pilot in the bomber. What hull remained bore what appeared to be an eagl
e’
s wing.

             
Turning on the jump frequency, Cameron called out
.“
Wounded bomber, this is Wolf one. Do you read me
?
”

             
The blonde turned and winked
.“
Lima charlie, Wolf
.
”

             
“How do our skies look
?
”

             
A pause while the bomber checked for radar signatures
.“I’
ve got gremlins in my radar. These ghost images keep appearing and disappearing
.
”

             
The Phoenix bucked hard, and Cameron swore. It felt as though they were flying through a thunderstorm
.“
George, are my engines firing
?
”

             
“Ca
n’
t see from here
.
”

             
Cameron looked over at the bomber
.“
Hey, are you feeling this chop
?
”

             
The female pilot glanced over. Before she could say a word, two red bolts shot down from directly overhead, shattering her cockpit and exploding the canopy. The craft pinwheeled to the side before the flames reached the fuel reserves. The tanks erupted, taking the rest of the vessel with them.

             
Cameron looked up, spotting the strange Y-fighter above his position. It was larger than the rest, with more bulk and armor. The red tips on the wings reflected light from the distant sun as the ship dove into them. As the two humans watched, spiny missile flew out from underneath a wing, trailing a line of smoke as it charged toward Camero
n’
s Phoenix.

             
“Cam, look out
!”
George activated his jets, ramming Cameron out of the way of the missile. The projectile slammed down into the pilo
t’
s broken wing, embedding itself halfway through the hull. The tow line snapped and Cameron drifted free, spinning thirty meters away before he could right the craft.

             
“Punch out
!”
Cameron cried out.

             
For a moment nothing happened. George looked across the distance into his frien
d’
s eyes, face calm and resigned. The bomb sparked to life, sending fire and shrapnel drilling through every part of the wounded Phoenix. Bits of the ship flew in all directions. Cameron could
n’
t breathe
.“
George
?”
His voice came out coarse, his throat seemingly full of cotton
.“
George
!”
He screamed, the name echoing in his helmet. He spotted the Y-fighter turning for another pass. Cameron looked down at his HUD. Seventeen rounds remaining. With a sneer, he stomped down on the afterburner and charged.

*              *              *              *              *