The shockwave sank one of the log tugs and disintegrated the small biplane that had been closing on wing three. It bowled over the spectators who had lined the bank and shook the wooden buildings. A teardrop of burning fuel spread over the water and into the forest.

“Three is gone.” The tailgunner announced.

The pride of the Air Army had been torn apart by obsolete planes. Even with the element of surprise, they shouldn’t have been able to inflict so much damage. Mirl throttled up, he was going to survive this encounter and return to flatten the forest and destroy all the hidden bases. He just had to turn the wing around and head back, the damage wasn’t that extensive.

There was a shape below, on the water or just above, a crude cross decorated in yellows and greens with creatures dancing across its wings. A broken yellow line rose from the front of the cross, then another two from the middle. “Oh no.”

Each hit drew a hollow clang, like hailstones hitting a ferrous roof. Isolated thuds became a drumbeat counter-pointed by shrieks and whistles of broken pressure lines. The oil pressure gauge for engine two dropped to zero. Mirl pulled back the throttle and shut the engine down. “Two is on fire!” his co-pilot announced, flicking the switch for the extinguishers.

They could still make it on five engines. “Someone get a shot at that thing!” Mirl shouted into the remote caller. The oil pressure on engine four began to drop. Mirl cut the fuel supply. There was no response to his order.

The bullets stopped coming, but it was far beyond too late. There was smoke in the cabin and the caller system didn’t work any more. There was still enough of the control system connected for Mirl and his co-pilot to fight with and keep the plane in the air. They were turning, but far too slowly. Every count took them further and further away from their base. If they crashed into the forest they might survive, but that would leave them to dodge the Hidden Army.

The treetops were drawing closer. The ground wasn’t rising, so they must be falling. It was so hard to get any sensation of their general direction over the shaking and churning of the damaged plane. If the wing went into the branches nose down it would cartwheel and break up. Mirl pulled back on the stick and powered down the engines and the plane sank into the green canopy.

Heavensent 6.7
Heavensent 6.5
Heavensent 1.1

Technorati tag: Fiction, Heavensent

Mirl was climbing, but not fast enough. The Mima passed under the wing, circled and lined up for another attack. But the attack never came, with jammed guns or out of ammunition it turned away again.

Despite the head on attack, no shells had entered the cockpit. Various gauges, however, were reading damage to critical systems in the rest of the plane. “All positions report. Usual order.”

“Navigation. No damage.”

“Comms. No obvious damage. Wing two is not responding.”

“Weapons. The hydraulic system for the bomb bays has been damaged.”

There was a pause, an empty space where the next report should have been. “Top gunner? Report.” Mirl signalled. “Someone check on him. Tail gunner?”

“Sir?”

“Do you have anything to report?”

“Sir. Wing two has hit the water. Wing three….. Wing three is on fire. There is a biplane closing on it. My cannon cannot traverse far enough to…..”

The inside of the cockpit lit up. They felt the shockwave from the explosion rather than hearing anything.

Heavensent 6.6
Heavensent 6.4
Heavensent 1.1

Technorati tag: Fiction, Heavensent

Tem had chosen to go high. Now, as his wingman bore down on the lead wing, he was lining up for the best pass on the other two bombers. He let off a short burst at the second bomber, tracer passing slightly ahead of the target.

The wing’s pilot over reacted, pulling the plane into a steep bank, losing what little altitude he had and digging a wingtip into the river. The nose jerked down and smashed into the water and the plane began to cartwheel and disintegrate. Distracted by this, Tem overshot the third wing without firing at it. He banked and came around as tightly as possible for an attack from the rear.

Tem closed until he could make out the rear gunner struggling with his weapon, trying to prime it and bring it to bear. The Mima had a one and a half digit cannon slung in a pod under its centre line. Tem placed the gunsight above the gunner and released a burst from the cannon.

The cupola, gunner and weapon disappeared in a series of small explosions. Tem was congratulating himself when the top turret opened up and stitched a series of holes across the wing and into the fuselage just behind him. Tem fired all the planes guns, at this range few of the shells missed, as the top turret fired again. He didn’t feel the bullets that hit him, and thought only of the glory of his death as the fuel tank was ruptured and Betra turned into a fireball.

Heavensent 6.5
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Technorati tag: Fiction, Heavensent

“Let’s keep this really tight and give them a show.” Mirl transmitted to the other two wings. They tried to put a little variation into each day’s fly past, for themselves and their spectators on the ground.

A few more runs and the flight would be at air show standards. They flew parallel to the waterfront in a staggered line, as slowly as they could manage so the demonstration of power lasted longer.

“What is that?” Mirl’s co-pilot mused. “I see movement.”

“Where?”

Mirl couldn’t make it out at first. Upriver, but approaching fast, two shapes were flying low over the water. He looked away, flicking the switch for the viewer, and one of them had gone when he looked back. The remaining plane was close enough to identify now. “That’s a Mima. I haven’t seen one since…..”

He had been too complacent. The last thing Mirl had expected was to be attacked on this routine bombing run. He knew it was too late when he shouted into the caller, “Break! Break! We are under attack!”

Heavensent 6.4
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Technorati tag: Fiction, Heavensent