Astrid's War by Alan Householder

Author:Alan Householder [Householder, Alan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-09T22:00:00+00:00

27

Captain, Suggestions?

My Banshee was now about a hundred yards behind the others, and the enemy missiles were about the same distance behind me. I said to Jefferson, “Captain, suggestions?”

Jefferson said, “Yes, Amundsen. Hold her straight and normal.”

Jefferson evidently had power in reserve, and he leaped out even further in front of me and the others.

Then he said, “Lennox! Nash! Excellent work. Get back to the Forge.”

I saw the other two midshipmen veer back around, and I was thankful beyond words that they, at least, had made it through this difficult and dangerous mission.

Now Jefferson was far in front of me. I studied my monitors, wondering how he intended to help me out of this fix.

The Kerleegan missiles continued to gain on me.

Then events unfolded with great rapidity. Jefferson said, “Cutting engines and flipping.” Then he used his RCS thrusters and reversed direction, to aim his ship back in my general direction. Though his Banshee was pointed toward me, his momentum was carrying him in the same direction in which I was moving.

My ship closed in on him quickly, as did the missiles, which were now about forty yards behind me.

Before I knew it, we were almost on top of Jefferson, and he had opened fire with his fifty-millimeter cannons. I knew he was simultaneously targeting both missiles, which was a fairly routine practice.

Every fifth round was a tracer, and it was a sight to see. You might have sworn he was shooting at me, but I knew better. When we were almost in his lap, his cannons had done their job. Both missiles detonated, almost simultaneously, in brief orange explosions.

I zoomed past Jefferson. My ship missed his by the narrowest of margins. My port wing actually passed above his port wing.

He had slanted his Banshee a little to allow that to happen.

My proximity alarm sounded shrilly, but of course I wouldn’t have had a chance to change my course, even if I had wanted to.

It was all over in seconds. I experienced an acute sense of relief.

Since my speed was greater than Jefferson’s, I soon was much farther from the Valley Forge than he was.

Jefferson said, “Back to the Forge, Astrid. You did well! We all did.”

I cut my engine.

Jefferson rotated his ship again, so that it was pointed in the earlier direction, away from the Valley Forge. Then he relit his engines, sped past me, and did a series of amazing maneuvers, some of which I had never before seen executed in a Banshee. Jefferson spun the thing on its axis, like a thrown football, and then he did a barrel roll, which kept him in the same direction, but now at a higher level, and he did a few stunts I had never seen before. And this was all clear to me through my canopy, because his ship was still brightly lit.

Then he said, “Immelmann,” and he undertook a beautiful modified Immelmann, which was basically a wingover, and then he said, “I’m on my way back to the ship.

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