copyright 1993, by Alex Mickschl
Struggling to keep the Imperial interceptors occupied and away from the main thrust against the Palace, Scarlet Squadrons fighters have discovered the exact location of the Imperial air base while Cerulean Squadron mop up the few surviving Imperial pilots from the first attack wave. The Renegade Rabbits greatest advantage at this point is that only a small reactionary force was sent to intercept, meaning most of the Coyotes were still on the ground, scrambling to get airborne.
"Scarlet 7, 8, 9 and 10, full throttle it to the air strip and take out as many as you can before they take off! Switch to alternate comm-frequency, so they don't know what you're doing. The rest of us will support Cerulean Squadron and keep the Coyotes off your tails" crackles Scarlet Leader over the comm net.
"Thought you'd never let us go!" whoops Scarlet 9, "I'd LOVE to nail them to the ground!"
"Doesn't seem fair, but I'm sure I'll get over it," Scarlet 10 pledges himself with a big grin.
"Just hurry! They know how big our surprise party is and will be eager to crash it with everything they got!" Scarlet Leader grunts, his body straining from a 7-g turn to avoid an incoming missile. "Scarlet 3, where are you!? Why is there a Coyote shooting at me before you blow him out of the atmosphere!?"
"Scarlet 10 this is 7, confirm arrival at Imperial Air Base in 2 mikes?"
"Aye-firmative, Scarlet 7, my scanner also shows a HUGE fuel dump half a klick southwest of the control tower."
"Scarlet 7, this is 9, I picked up the fuel dump too. Looks like several hangars, as well. Khai, there must be a swarm of them just waiting to become black smears on the runway!"
The Renegade fighters streak towards the objective, each pilot coaxing every last droplet of thrust from their engines before melting. "Hey, fellas, I am not reading any targets on the runway nor inside the hangars!" reports Scarlet 10.
"This is 8, confirmed! I can't get a lock on anything but structures!"
"Awright, lads, keep your eyes in the skies. Maybe they were all able to get off the ground before...."
"Well they sure as hell aren't down there! I have a visual on the flight line and they're all gone!" shouts Scarlet 9. As if they all shared the same heart, they felt it drop like a lead weight, filling their senses with chilling dread.
"Oh, Frack!" wavers Scarlet 7, "We need to get out of here, now! Turn tail, Scarlet, they knew we were coming."
"But how...?" Scarlet 9 is cut short by a rapid electric pulse filling his ears indicating enemy craft has locked on to him. A horde of Coyotes lay in wait, circling low behind a heavily wooded plateau. The seething mass of aircraft rise slowly, a cloud of hornets ticked off and ready to defend their Empresses. "Fighters! Coming in at one six five degrees! Must be a hundred of 'em! They got me locked!"
Afterburners roar to life, slinging Scarlet 9 through the atmosphere. Plasma flares spill from behind the small craft, attempting to divert the course of the incoming missiles aimed at it. The piloting acrobatics of Scarlet 9, twisting and banking seemingly in every axis, sucessfully evade the deadly missiles as they sail confused through the plasma flares. Two missiles detonate on impast with the flares but the three others pass unharmed through the countermeasures and the retreating Scarlet 7 is the first thing the targeting sensors pick up. Scarlet 7 ruptures in a white-hot flash before he can hear the alarm in his helmet.
Shrapnel from the explosion peppers the port side of Scarlet 10 penetrating the cockpit. A mist of crimson fluid sprays across the canopy. "Aaaaaah, piss. I'm hit, fellas, don't know how bad, but it really hurts a lot," understates the wounded pilot as calmly as his discipline allows.
"Hang in there, 10!" shouts Scarlet 8, "stay low and hug the ground,"
"How could they have known we were coming...?" chokes Scarlet 9, the thought of being betrayed grips at her throat.
The crippled Scarlet 10 drops quickly to treetop level trying to foul enemy missile radar. Feeling dizzy from loss of blood, he knows complicated evasive maneuvers would be suicidal at this altitude. Low and fast is Scarlet 10's only hope to escape the pack of hungry Coyotes on his tail.
"Scarlet Leader, this is Scarlet 8! The Imperials were expecting us, lost Scarlet 7 and 10 is badly wounded..."
"I am not. Feel fine!" interrupts Scarlet 10, his pride being wounded just then.
"...They're right on our tails, the whole bloody Imperial Air Force," Scarlet 8 waits a moment for a response, "Scarlet Leader do you read me?" forboding silence fills the airwaves. "Scarlet Squadron report in! What's going on there?" Scarlet 8 quickly deduces their fate from the the collection of unidentifed signals on his radar directly ahead at the Imperial Palace. An icy shiver trembles through her body, setting her fur on end. Dread tightens its foul grasp within her chest.
A broken and distorted vioce crackles over Scarlet 8's comm full of agony and despair, "All gone.... ev'ry 'Angel destrhurrrr! Frack! Scar... ambushed from... Arrrgh! Ground troo... screwed," A burst of static ends the report.
"This is Scarlet 2! Help me please! There are five Coyotes on my tail, I can't lose them! They're all over the place!" Scarlet 8 pulls through the clouds to get a viual on the Palace and the plummeting fiery comet that was Scarlet 2.
"Anybunny in Cerulean Squadron, this is Scarlet 8, please respond?" fear slowly twists itself into terror at the sight of a sky teeming with hundreds of Coyotes viciously ganging up on the handful remaining Renegade aircraft. A whole squadron bears down on a solitary 'Angel, riddled with wounds, still defending it's annihilated litter. Cerulean 5, spinning wildly, with no where to escape finds peace impacting with a palace tower.
"Tears flow freely from Scarlet 8 as terror transmutes to anger, "Nnnno...No. No," her voice wavers with emotion. "My Goddess, what went wrong?"
"Scarlet 6, this is 10, I can't keep up with you two. They got me locked. I'm banging out. I'm sorry."
Scarlet 8 turns her head to see the canopy release and the light of the ejection rockets followed by an opening parachute. Scarlet 10's fighter drops quickly, clips a redwood and is struck with three missiles from the persuing Coyotes before it hits the ground.
"Well, my scarlet sister, this is not good," wearies Scarlet 9, "I have to admit, I'm at a real loss about what to do right now."
"Attention Renegade Pilots, you have invaded secure Imperial airspace and are hopelessly outnumbered by a superior force. Surrender now. Enable your landing lights, slow to one-zero-zero and you will not be fired upon. I repeat, surrender now or you will be shot down."
"Scarlet 9, did you hear that?"
"I did. Pretty sure of themselves aren't they?"
"I'm serious. This may be our only choice."
"Surrender is not in my vocabulary, scarlet sister. I just had a brainstorm. Follow me, full afterburners, be ready to bail. Okay?"
"What? Are you crazy? They'll have ten missiles on us before we get a klik away."
"That's what I'm counting on, sister. Trust me. Hard right on 3...2...1...Go!"
The two fighters bank towards the Imperial Palace and race full speed towards its main gate. Imperial Coyotes break formation and pursue the fleeing craft. In moments several missiles blaze to life and singlemindedly focus on the Renegade fighters.
"They got us locked! I got six missiles after us!" "Frack! I was hoping for a few more, actually."
"Khai, I hope this is a good idea." mutters Scarlet 8. Distance to the main gate rapidly closes as do the missiles.
"Bang out! Bang out!" yells Scarlet 9. She reaches above her head and pulls the ejection handles down over her facemask. Her ears pop from repressurization then fill with a deafening roar as the canopy peels away and the rockets beneath her seat ignite and launch her away from the doomed fightercraft. Noise and heat seem to pound over her in tremendous waves. She feels the rough shock of the parachute opening and quickly scans her surroundings in time to see the gaping hole in the front gate made from her sacrificed fighter. Then Scarlet 8's fighter ungracefully forces through the breach followed by six missiles all of which impact within the palace and cause the mountain itself to tremble in pain.
"Take THAT, your Highnesses! Hoo, hooo!!" cheers Scarlet 9 as she gently ocillates in the wind. She soon hears a roar from below her and realizes it is the cheers of Hareborne Troopers advancing through the open doors of the Palace that had them pinned down and trapped for what seemed an eternity. Scarlet 9 spots her comrade floating just above her then abruptly and unceremoniously lands with a rough thud on a winding road leading towards the Imperial Palace. Scarlet 8's limp form slumps to the ground, motionless upon landing. Scarlet 9 struggles violently with the tangle of suspension lines and harness in order to free herself and aid her scarlet sister.
"Ma'am, are you injured?" came the deep disembodied voice and the shredding sound of fabric. She looked up to see a Hareborne medic squating next to her, cutting away the webbing of her parachute harness.
"I'm fine, soldier. See to that pilot over there, hurry," she urged pointing towards Scarlet 8.
"Ok, but you need to get inside the Palace, it's not safe out here."
"Really? Do ya think?" mocked Scarlet 9.
"That's not what I mean, Ma'am. Do you have your weapon?"
"I know, and yes I still have it. Sorry, I've just had a bad day that's all."
"Really? You too?" counter-mocked the medic with a grin. "I'll see to your pilot right away, Ma'am."
"Ok, I deserved that one." Scarlet 9 admits and sloughs off the last of the harness and draws her pistol. She scans her immediate area and sees the carnage left from a bloody stand-off here at the front gate. Blackened pits from high explosives pock the ground. Blood soaks the rocky formations here at the mountains top. Many of her bretheren lie scattered and still. A small squad of troops rush frantically through the rocks towards the gates. Then she realizes why.
From the base of the mountain, hordes of Imperial Infantry, hidden in tunnels beneath the mountain, now make their way up in a hunt to clear out the last of the now surrounded Renegade Troopers.
