Into the Inferno (Rise of the Republic Book 11) by James Rosone & Miranda Watson

Author:James Rosone & Miranda Watson [Rosone, James & Watson, Miranda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Front Line Publishing Inc.
Published: 2024-10-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

RNS Vega

Task Force 28

Pfeinstgard System

Coop’s brow furrowed as he swiped through the data on his pad. “Looks like Nomad pulled off some impressive maneuvers in the asteroid field simulation,” he said.

“Barely scraped by, if you ask me,” Riggs grunted. “His vector control was sloppy at best.”

“Come on, Riggs. He navigated that debris field like a pro,” Coop insisted.

“A ‘pro’ wouldn’t have clipped that chunk of space rock at the 2:13 mark. In real combat, that’s the difference between coming home and being space dust.”

“It was either that or finding himself splattered across the asteroid,” said Coop. “He made a split-second decision, and it was correct.”

Riggs only nodded. “Maybe I need to see the vid again.”

Thing was, Coop knew that Riggs had a point, as usual. Normally, Nomad would have slipped through that narrow a margin without a scrape to the expensive starfighter he piloted. He’d need to keep an eye on Nomad these next few training sessions. Sometimes, Coop needed was a good night’s sleep, and his reflexes returned to normal—he hoped the same would be true for Nomad.

Coop moved on to the next report. “Badger’s kill ratio in the dogfight sim is off the charts.”

“Nothing new there,” Riggs insisted. “His fuel management could use work. He’s burning too hot on his attack runs.”

“Still grounding him when we go into combat. I don’t think he understands the concept of, let alone the word, ‘wingman.’”

“You should keep him on the ground,” Riggs said. “Kill counts won’t mean much if he flames out midbattle.”

They continued through the sim reports, Coop finding positives where he could, while Riggs’s ability to uncover every flaw kept a good balance between the two.

As they neared the end, Coop exhaled. “Lance and Boomer have really stepped up their game. They’ll be ready for Gravaxia.”

Riggs raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that, Coop? Their formation flying still needs work. Saw some dangerous gaps in their last patrol sim.”

“True, but their reaction times have improved drastically. They’re anticipating each other better now. Still, we’ll run them through more tight-quarters drills. Get that muscle memory locked in.”

“Roger that,” Riggs said. “And make sure they’re prepped for long-range engagement scenarios.”

“This invasion… we’re going to lose good people, Riggs. Just like Alfheim.”

Riggs’s eyes darkened at the mention of that bloody engagement. “Hell of a fight, that one. Lost what, half our squadron? We had a good commander, though.”

“Seventeen pilots dead,” Coop said, the number etched into his memory. “We gave as good as we got, though. Took out two of those damned Tikiona-class supercarriers.”

“Damn straight we did.” Riggs nodded. “Watched Kiwi and her wingman fly straight into that carrier’s bow, missiles blazing. Never seen anything like it.”

Coop’s throat tightened at the memory. “They knew what they were signing up for. Took out that wormhole tech and cut off the Orbots’ reinforcements.”

“Between you and me, I think that move saved the whole system,” Riggs agreed, a rare note of admiration in his voice. “But the cost…”

A heavy silence fell between them. Coop

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