Novaya Kiev System - Series 4 - Mission 2
| Novaya Kiev System - Series 4 - Mission 2 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Fighter | A-17 Broadsword |
| Wingmen | Etienne Montclair |
| Previous | Novaya Kiev System - Series 4 - Mission 1 |
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The Memoirs of Lieutenant Colonel Carl T. LaFong
I was as nervous as a mouse stuck in the corner of a litter box. Doomsday and I were headed out on a search and rescue mission in Broadswords. Stingray had bailed out and we had to get to him before the Kilrathi pilots did. I was nervous because I'd never before used the tractor beam to rescue a pilot and I remembered hearing of a gunner who had forgotten to switch the rear turret from neutron to tractor beam and killed one of his best friends.
Four Jalkehi raced toward us when we were still 82,418 kilo-meters from where the pilot had last been seen. I tried a new tactic, turning away and letting them get a position on my tail, and then hitting them with the neutrons from the rear and side turrets. That brought down two for me, and Doomsday managed a kill himself. I'd forgotten to engage the Improved Target Tracking System (ITTS) on my first mission in the Broadsword, but it worked like a charm against the last Jalkehi and almost every shot scored.
"Hey, this targeting system is great," I said to myself and then received a message from the Concordia. A wing of Drakhri and two Kamekh were dosing on the pilot and they ordered me to return. "It's too risky," the operator said.
"Sorry, can't hear you," I replied. "Your signal is breaking up."
With the ITTS, we took down the Drakhri, then used our torpedoes to each take out a Kamekh.
We found Stingray tumbling through space, very close to his last known position. I headed straight for him, then lifted the Broadsword's nose and let him pass under the ship. As soon as the pilot was below me, I hit backspace to brake hard. When the yellow blip showed behind me, the rear gunner switched to tractor beam, centered the crosshairs on the pilot, and hit the fire button to drag him in.
I knew I would catch a lot of grief from Tolwyn for disobeying orders, but the knowledge that I'd saved a life was worth the abuse.
