A Dark Dawn (The Great War Book 5) by Ralph Kern

Author:Ralph Kern [Kern, Ralph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Military Science fiction, science fiction, SF, WW2, Space Marine, Galactic Empire
Publisher: Ralph Kern
Published: 2021-10-13T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Lieutenant Reeve

Azure Anchorage—Aquilla System

Reeve quickly climbed down the ladder set against the flank of her Thunderhawk. She winced as she saw how badly her warbird had been peppered with pulse rounds. At least a dozen, and that was just on this side. She stepped back. The expansive flight bay, one of the few to survive, rang with the sound of frantic work and the cries of techs as they sought to get a combat aerospace patrol up.

And, of course, the moans of the injured. Reeve looked at the black plastic body bags lined up along a bulkhead, some leaking blood.

“Lost Earth, you didn’t tell me we’d taken this much fire!” Barrow stood, helmet under her arm. Her face was sweat slicked, and she trembled visibly, even beneath her flight suit and kit, as she looked at the swiss-cheesed flank of the Thunderhawk.

“She can take it.” Reeve slapped the fuselage appreciatively and turned to Barrow. The teenage girl was terrified, and still on an adrenaline high. It was strange to think someone so young, and so vulnerable looking, had taken another life less than an hour ago.

She was a warrior now, whether she looked like one or not.

Reeve walked over to her and gripped her shoulder. “You did good, kid.”

“Was it...was it like this the first time for you? All chaos and explosions?” The kid looked almost meek. “I could barely even make out what was going on through it all.”

Reeve gave a nod, an image of the hell over Port Rorian flashing in her mind. “It was, kid. In the blink of an eye, everything changes. One moment you’re flying through space without a care in the world, and the next there’s pulse fire and ships blowing up everywhere.”

Barrow gave a long exhalation as she tilted her head up, looking to the deckhead of the hangar.

“Look on the bright side, though.” Reeve turned her grip to a pat. A surge of bemused affection coursed through her, bringing a grin to her face.

“What’s that?”

“At least you gave that Raider a hell of a shock.”

Barrow managed an abortive snort of laughter.

“I mean it, kid. You did good.” Reeve grew serious. “Taking that Imp out, and a damn fighter no less. That saved both our bacon. I owe you one.”

“You were doing the flying,” this time the smile on the girl’s face was genuine, “and saved our asses a dozen times. Let’s say we’re even.”

Reeve shrugged and cast her eye to the riddled fuselage. “As soon as they’ve got themselves sorted out here, I’ll get em to paint on our first kill.”

And there was a lot of sorting to do. Debris was strewn across the hangar deck. More than one emergency atmospheric veil shimmered across holes torn in the bulkhead. A line of four Vanguards had taken the brunt of an explosion. A couple looked repairable. Maybe.

The other two were battered wrecks slumped on their undercarriage. They’d be fit for nothing but the boneyard now.

O’Leary paced next to his own battered Thunderhawk,

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