Lt. Benjamin is well known, and for good reason. Not only was her grandfather a respected admiral himself but she's proven herself to be one of the best fighter pilots of her time.
When she entered the Navy she had one rule. No fighter pilots! She...
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"Can we talk?" Tucker asked as her father walked to the hanger.
"No, now is not a good time" he whispered.
"So when's a good time?" Tucker fired back.
"You shouldn't have said what you said" he continued walking, his eyes were straight forward, avoiding his daughter.
"Are you ashamed of me?" Tucker asked appalled by his current behavior.
"Lt. Benjamin, you need to focus on this mission. Not whatever this is" he said in a militant tone. He continued into the Hanger where he greeted admiral Bates.
She walked in taking her typical seat.
Bob and Phoenix came in after her and admiral Bates took the podium.
"Good morning. The uranium enrichment target will be operational earlier than expected. Raw uranium will be delivered to the plant in ten days' times. As a result, your mission has been moved up one week, in order to avoid contaminating the target with radiation" he had explained. No one seemed the slightest bit pleased by the news.
"Sir, no one here has successfully flown a low-level course" Coyote called out.
"Nevertheless, you're being ordered to move on. Captain" Admiral Bates answered. He and Maverick switched spots with one another.
Tucker could sense everyone's fears and worries, and she assumed the same could be said about her.
She was clearly nervous. There was no hiding that. Three weeks had felt like an eternity. Now it was seven days. Seven days was nothing.
"We have one week left to focus on phase two. The most difficult stage of the mission. Pop-up strike with a deep dive requiring nothing but two consecutive miracles. Two pairs of F-18s will fly in a wielded wing formation. Teamwork, precise coordination of these aircrafts will be essential to mission success and your survival. As you know the plants rests between two mountains. On final approach you'll invert directly into a steep dive. This allows you to remain the lowest possible altitude and the only possible attack angle. You're target is an impact point less than three meters wide. The two seat aircraft will paint the target with a laser bullseye. The first pair will breach the reactor by dropping a laser guided bomb on an exposed ventilation hatch. This will create an opening for the second pair. That's miracle number one. The second team will deliver the kill shot. And destroy the target. That's miracle number two. If either team misses the target, the mission is a failure. Egress is a steep high-G climb to avoid hitting this mountain" Maverick explained using visuals for help understanding.
