Flight Of Prometheus

Chapter 14 - To War

Willam had just left his home to go tend to the sheep when he heard a loud screaming noise emenating from the canyon near the south side of his families farm. He begins to run over to see what the commotion is when 10 huge flying objects come shooting out the canyon, fly over his field and sheep. Then they are gone over the horizon just as fast as they had appeared.

"Sir, were those sheep?" asks Lieutenant Franks, the 2nd fighter of 1st squadron.

"I think so. Im just laughing at that guys face as we came out of the canyon," Replies Lange.

"Alright First Squadron you are about 20 miles from target, sweep to your port side and form into a bombing pattern," says Commander Higgins. From his position on the Prometheus' bridge the satellite feed shows his fighter bombers flying in tight formation.

"Yes Sir, you heard him boys, break formation and line up on me." As his green light indicator kicks on, each aircraft does a loopty loop and falls in order directly behind him, making their radar signal look like a giant flying snake. The landscape sliding under them and the zoom along doing near mock speeds.

"Your target is 5 minutes out, no sign that they are aware of you. But with with that in mind don't screw around these are some if the best troops the Royal Guard has. Best of luck, begin radio scilence." With that all ships cut their mics and no longer transmit their locations.

Before the formation a wall of rock forms up as a plateau, according to their infor the Royal Marines have built their base of operations into the far side. As the steel snake flys along all weapons bomb bays and missle pods door's open in anticipation for the hell they are about to release. Lange being the only one equipped with a bunker buster has the most dangerous job of staying by the base and giving it one last hoora before heading back.

As the base approaches, their squadron is suddenly surrounded by flak explosions.
"EVADE, EVADE, EVADE" Lange yells as he assumes a zig zag flight plan. Most of his squadron manages to escape the suprise barrage except 1-10 and 1-8 who explode while still in formation, 1-9 takes up the space of where his predecessor was. Once the squadron is 1 mile out the flak stops, Lange manages to see a very large hanger door built right into the plateau roof. This door is huge, big enough for the entire squadron to park and still have some room. "What the hell is that for?" he asks himself. "First Squadron, drop your load and head on home, I'll be with you in a minute."

Lange pulls up on his controls and puts his bird on a straight vertical course as everything below him is turned to ash. The world around him begins to darken as he reaches the boundry of space, right before his boosters kick in he flips the nose completly over and rockets back to the planet. Accelerating to mock 7 as fast as he can get his ship to go his radar picks up what was hidden under that door.

A fully operational Juggernaut has emerged and has all its pin head precice weapons trained on him. "Well shit," is all he manages to utter before the land locked leviathan fires its primary laser banks and turns his ship into a molten glowing hunk of steel...

"This is Lieutenant Brandy, Captain Lange is K.I.A., I am taking command of first squadron. Return to base and re-arm for ground combat. Brandy to Prometheus."

"I copy your last, what hit him? Our telemetry is completly out." replies Commander Higgins.

"Sir, it looked like a Juggernaut, but made from scraps. Part of its armor was missing. I think they hooked up one of the spacestation railguns to its back."

"Very well, return to base and get your squad some rest while we evaluate the situation. Prometheus out." The flight back to base was deafeningly quiet for what was left of first squadron.