The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

Eyes Wide Open

It didn't take long for the determined hunters to board their craft. Then, as the big ShadowEagles continued to drop into the hangar to offload their legionnaire passengers, the Nighthawks were lifting off the deck and angling towards the entrance they had used to arrive at Hunters' Fjord.

"Understood, Lord Commander," Hunter replied as Lash guided Nighthawk Three through the slot entrance and into the airspace above the fjord. "Colonel Kassidy has command of the base until your return. Good hunting, my lord."

"Thank you, Hunter. Lash out."

With a deft hand on the steering yoke, the big vampire dropped the gunship down on the deck, a mere ten meters above the fjord's watery surface. Not to stay out of sight, although that was certainly part of it. But to give the remaining ShadowEagles coming down the center of the winding fjord enough space to pass by without putting them in danger.

A slight gesture over a touch pad control on the yoke itself and a HUD appeared in between the pilot and co-pilot seats.

"Van Tallert is in Halle, in Flanders," Truk, who was co-piloting Three, said, Lash keeping his tried and true comrade with him on the mostly-lilith-filled gunship. "Or just outside. I suggest angling in from the east instead of the southeast, to put Halle between you and the estate so your approach isn't out in the open."

"Narcist?"

"100 percent agree," Lash's tech expert said from her electronic officer's position just behind the pilot. "If Anna has taken over the estate, she'll be scanning logical approaches to the weaker spots in her defenses. An approach from the Halle side right at her thickest walls will be the least expected, and hard to pick up electronically with the noise from the city."

A quick dance of finger tips over an interface and Lash was sitting back into his pilot's seat.

"Parabolic course to the northeast corner of Halle plotted and locked in," the big vampire announced. "Nighthawk Two, Nighthawk Three."

"This is Two, go Three," Ballan replied.

"Option Two is a go. I repeat, the approach over Halle is a go. Set your course to initiate as soon as we leave the fjord, full stealth."

"Roger that, Three. Plotting and laying in a parabolic to Halle, going full stealth out of the box."

"Nighthawk One, Nighthawk Three."

"Three, One, go," Fordricht answered.

"Go on Option Two. I repeat, the approach over Halle is a go. Set your course to initiate as soon as we clear the fjord, full stealth."

"Roger option two. Plotted and laid in. Will initiate as soon as we clear," the North African confirmed.

Nodding in satisfaction, Lash killed the comms connection and focused on his flying. As Qos Viran, he had been trained in the handling of every possible vehicle they had, or might need in the course of an operation. Thankfully that included the Drakule Industries vehicles which, if truth were told, were getting their day in the sun only now since Lash, as Lord Commander of the vampiric Special Forces, decided to tap into long dormant resources to facilitate the hunt for Anna van Tallert.

Still, he hadn't logged that many hours on the Nighthawk simulator as he would've liked. Truk, Ballan, and Fordricht, having more recently flown van Tallert aircraft, at least picked up the controls quickly enough to be immediately effective. Lash needed to focus. Or he knew he'd put a fan in the water, which would significantly delay the operation.

So it was silence in the cockpit as Lash carefully weaved his way down the winding fjord towards its narrow entrance. And it was with a sigh of relief when he finally cleared the fjord mouth.