Hidden Enemy by Nathan B. Dodge

Author:Nathan B. Dodge
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: WordFire Press

27 JASON

Their simulated fighter surged toward the nearest enemy.

Jason concentrated as he never had before. Like Kali said, forget the anger. Concentrate on your cannons. Be the cannons.

Over helmet com, Zeke’s voice resonated. “I am moving to engage enemy ships to starboard at ten o’clock. Gunners, you are cleared to fire.”

The words had barely left Zeke’s mouth when Jason squeezed the controller trigger and simultaneously, Chris opened up as well. Their cabin shook as both cannons spat a stream of death. With disgust, Jason noted that he had been so concentrated on his personal pep talk that he had waited a fraction of a second too late. Two of the enemy ships were caught in his fire and destroyed. Chris had done equally well—or badly, depending on your point of view, destroying three ships but letting another two skate by. Fortunately, an accurate beam weapon burst from Kali had turned half a dozen of the enemy into a cloud of expanding debris and miscellaneous detritus.

The enemy fighters were fictional, not related to any enemy fighters that Shadow Warriors had faced in earlier battles. Unlike most simulations where the ships were straight out of the history books, these ships only looked a little like the old Horde ships. Somewhat bulbous, but definitely longer, although no more heavily armed than any real enemy that the Alliance had ever faced, they were relatively easy meat for a modern Earth Shadow Warrior fighter.

As other groups of fighters turned toward their conflict, Jason could tell that this simulated enemy was, in fact, detecting their weapon signatures, even though their Shadow Warrior fighter remained invisible. Simultaneous with his realization, Zeke banked to starboard and shot directly at a large mass of the enemy that had changed direction toward them.

“Gunners, they’re all yours. Take ’em out.”

Concentrate. No anger. Focus on the enemy. Jason felt his nerves switch into high gear as he aimed, correlated with his implants and the gun controls, and let fly. Again, he waited a tiny fraction of a second too long, missing the first group but finally connecting with the second, taking out maybe four ships, as Kali’s unerring beam fire sliced into the lead ships and obliterated them all. At the same time, Jason registered that Chris had taken a toll on the group to port, so that no more than three or four of the enemy managed to limp away.

Immediately, Zeke pivoted the ship and headed after the stragglers. “We got ’em now, guys. Let’s polish ’em off.”

Concentrate on the guns. Be the guns. He let fly, as did Chris, and this time, Kali had no need to mop up.

She spoke up over helmet com. “Chris, Jason, that last volley was great. Keep it up—just relax and do what comes naturally. You guys are great gunners; just sit back and let ’em have it.”

Zeke’s voice joined in, “Team Thirty-eight to starboard is having problems. Let’s give ’em a hand.”

“Agreed,” Kali affirmed for them all, so far as Jason was concerned. Zeke banked hard and Jason, for the first time, saw that any number of their teams were in trouble.

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