Alpha Wing (Enyo System)

The Memoirs of Lieutenant Colonel Carl T. LaFong

The briefing room was buzzing until Colonel Halcyon entered and outlined the mission and assignments for the Killer Bee Squadron. I was thankful that all new pilots would be flying as wingleaders, with veterans protecting our wings. Spirit and I were Alpha Wing, flying Hornets on a patrol to check three jump points. Asteroid fields were expected near Nav 2 and 3.

The launch was a good one. I called up the Nav guidance syste4m from the keyboard and locked in on Nav1 before engaging autopilot. As we raced through space, I ran diagnostics on the weapons, guidance, armor, and shield systems. Spirit tracked activity on radar.

I was checking the readouts when Spirit’s voice echoed through the headset. “Excuse me, Commander, I have noticed enemy ships,” she said. I wasn’t sure why she was being so polite, but I suddenly felt sick with fear. “Get a grip,” I thought.

I kicked the throttles up to full, swung left, and used my right VDU to target the enemy. It was a wing of three Dralthi! They were almost as fast as our Hornets and carried more armor in their fore and aft shields, but I thought we could handle them. “Break and attack,” I radioed to Spirit and watched her roll to the left.

I followed quickly, but took a path to the right that would keep Spirit and me well separated and hopefully split the Dralthi attack. I was so nervous that I started firing my laser can-non while still out of range. Luckily, I caught myself and allowed my blaster power to regenerate before kicking in the afterburners and sweeping in on the lead Dralthi.

The nimble fighter darted up and away while I struggled to follow. I thought some condensation must have formed on the inside of the cockpit’s viewscreen, because my vision was suddenly obscured. Then I noticed it was sweat dripping into my eyes. That’s when I made the second mistake of the day.

I selected a Javelin heat-seeking missile and waited for the tell-tale ping that signaled a lock on my target’s exhaust. I hit the afterburners to stay on the Dralthi’s tail and then launched as soon as I had a lock. In my nervous state, I continued to fire my laser cannon and blew my own missile right out of the sky. “This isn’t going according to the books.” I winced and took a hit from a second Dralthi that had gained position while I jockeyed around with the first. Luckily, the shields held.

I hit the afterburners again and broke down and right to go after the attacked. This time I kept my wits. I stayed on him and blasted away with the laser. I saw some debris fall and knew that he was almost finished. As he looped up to make an escape, two quick shots finished him off in a shower of sparks. Spirit finished off her target with some laser fire against the weaker shields on the left side of the medium fighter, and I took out the third with a Javelin that I gave time to reach the target. “The simulator was pretty good,” I thought, “but nothing prepares you for a real dogfight.”

We scanned our radar for more enemies and, once sure that the area was clear, continued on autopilot to Nav 1. The jump point was clear, but about 17,000 kilometers from Nav 2 we hit our first asteroid field. I throttled back to 250 KPS and threaded the needle until we reached Nav 2. One glancing blow rocked the Hornet, but my shields and armor held easily.

The two Salthi appeared before we reached Nav 3 and I ordered Spirit to attack my target. Those nimble fighters can really fly, but their weak aft and side shields were no match fo our fighters, especially when they tried to change direction and seemed to hang suspended in space for a few seconds—just long enough for a few quick hits from the laser.

I was starting to feel cocky as we returned to the Claw, but another asteroid field brought me back to earth. I struggled to concentrate on this seemingly benign enemy. I knew complacency had ended the careers of many fine pilots in the asteroid fields. The Claw was a welcome sight and I circled around to approach from the bow after asking permission to land.

Our Hornets had survived with minimal damage, but I wasn’t sure I was as fortunate. My legs were rubbery, my pulse was pounding, and my brain was fogged. After Halcyon’s debriefing and congratulations, I headed for the bar.