War Fleet: Resistance

than we thought.”

“How far?”

“Still an hour, but we’ve detected other bodies heading out from it. Five Arstan shuttle-modules heading to Frega’s residence. It looks like they know we’re coming, sir.”

“Dammit,” Olsen said as he stood and motioned for Novak to follow him back into the bridge. He entered a code on his wristwatch to open a channel to the Extractor. “Redrock, you’ve got five enemy ships incoming, get in and out as quickly as you can.”

Though Redrock had flown many runs through space, he thought those over a planet’s surface were the best of them all. It wasn’t the beauty he missed — although admittedly Kandora was stunning, with its perfect, shallow turquoise seas wrapped around brilliant golden coastlines — but rather the sensation of pure gravity. And that wasn’t due to the exhilaration of falling, which was physically similar to being in zero-g. Rather, it was a sense of safety and familiarity, being able to feel the floor of the cockpit beneath his feet and a force that told him there was ground beneath him to which he could eventually return.

He could only liken it to skydiving, which he’d done many times back on Earth. Though there was a certain thrill to plummeting into the clouds and twirling and somersaulting through the air, the best part for Redrock was when the parachute opened. Then he could simply float, feeling the tug of the ropes that connected him to the tarp above. And soon enough he would land there, and once again be safe.

Thus, as the thin clouds floated beneath him and the island came closer and closer in view, a sense of nostalgia rose in him. A reminder of an Earth that he had pledged to one day return to. To settle down, have kids, once he and Kota had earned their way. But this nostalgia was short-lived when Captain Olsen’s voice came over the comms.

“Redrock, you’ve got five enemy ships incoming, get in and out as quickly as you can.”

Redrock turned to Kota, who was strapped into the co-pilot’s seat next to him. She turned back and raised an eyebrow.

“Shit,” Redrock said. “How close? And do they have a lock on our position?”

“We don’t know,” Olsen replied. “We don’t even have visuals on them, but they’ve shown up behind the planet on the en-scans. I wish I could tell you more.”

“Affirmative. I’ll be careful.” Redrock no longer felt that sense of security. Instead, he started scanning the horizon for enemy fighters.

Redrock turned up the dial on his dashboard to take up the intensity of the magnetic floor on the cargo bay. Admittedly, he hadn’t practiced too many landings in the last several years, but he couldn’t mess this one up — Olsen had commanded him to get in and out, after all. If he went too fast, he’d end up crashing. But if he went too slowly, then he could find himself vastly outnumbered by enemy fighters, and he and Kota would be toast.

“Babes, check the map and give me some ideas on the best place to lay down,” he said to Kota next to him. He’d taken her out on some pleasure flights and given her an overview of the navigation controls. Now she was the best he could afford, given the Tapper didn’t have the staff to supply Redrock with an on-shuttle navigator.

“Kota,” she corrected. Of course, they were still on comms. “We need cover, right?” Her tone was dry, and clearly she was a little pissed at him.

“Yeah,” Redrock replied. He imagined for a second that he could see some fighters emerging over the horizon. But on second glance, they were just clouds.

“There’s a clearing in the woods, next to a small lake. Can you land there?” She touched the screen, and a rectangle appeared on Redrock’s helmet display, outlining her suggested location.

Redrock laughed. “Do lemons grow on trees?”

“Just remember, I’ve got to look after my squad here.” Redrock knew Kota wouldn’t be so apprehensive if she were the one out in the field. She hated ceding control. But now, the Marines’ entire fates were in Redrock’s hands.

“Everyone brace,” he called back to the rest of the Marines. “We’re going down fast.” Then he pushed the Extractor into a dive. Blood rushed to his face, and he set the shuttle’s course away from the brick-roofed structure and towards the wood that lay east of it. The canopy beneath approached fast, and Redrock couldn’t yet see where the branches of the trees were. But the ship contained sensors, and he’d trained to read the frequencies of beeping in his head that told him when he was getting too close to something he might crash into.

He veered the ship to the left slightly so he didn’t hit a trunk, and then plunged through the leaf cover. The trees were closer together than he’d expected, and he had to turn the ship sideways slightly so he wouldn’t hit the one right in front of him. Then he saw another one straight ahead, and he banked the ship to the right again before the clearing came into view.

But the shuttle was still plummeting fast, and Redrock couldn’t land it on its side. He focused on a swath of sandy beach beside the lake. It wouldn’t be the most concealed, but it would have to do. He pulled up the nose, so the back of the ship wouldn’t scuff the ground as he turned sharply. One of the Marines in back swore, but he ignored them. The Extractor rocked as he pushed the nose back down to try and land on the beach as smoothly as possible. It bounced once, then skidded along, creating a terrible grinding sound.

And then it came to a halt. Redrock turned to Kota, who had her eyes scrunched shut. She turned to him, opened her eyes, and he smiled, to which she responded with a grunt.