Ian Pattinson


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Seeds

Mirl was managing to climb, 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 ammo it turned away again.

Despite the head on attack, no shells had entered the cockpit. Various gauges, however, were suggesting 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 it.


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Seeds

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.


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Just thought I’d try laying out the pic of the day thumbnails a little differently.

Seeds

�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 water front 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!�


Seeds

The angry buzz of pistons pumping at high speed surrounded them. The gorge was three hundred spans wide at river level, growing to five hundred at the top of the thousand span walls. The forest closed over the top as a roof, reflecting and amplifying the sounds. �We set off early to avoid the bombing raid.� Marra�s tone was more annoyed than worried.

�The bombers would never be so low.� Dack commented, �And the noise is coming from that direction.� He pointed back toward the Big Lazy.

Marra put the paddle into reverse, holding their position against the current. They had been picking their way through the minefields, following a map they had promised to burn, when the noise had started.

The noise didn�t get much louder, but changed in character as the planes appeared from upstream. There were two monoplanes and two biplanes. The monoplanes were sleek single engined machines, their flaps lowered to keep from stalling at the low speed of the biplanes. One of the biplanes was a cut down bomber, refitted with gun cupolas on every viable surface. None of them carried a nation�s markings, instead they were decorated with wild colour schemes and stylised woodland demons.

Some of the gunners on the big biplane waved and saluted as they passed overhead. Marra and Morn returned the gestures. Dack made the sign of the Silver Tower and bowed his head in a quick prayer. �I think,� he announced, �that we may be in danger if we follow them out of the mouth of the gorge.�

�We have nowhere else to go.� Marra pointed out.

�Then we shall just sneak out when it is dark. I guess.�