This Forsaken World

This Forsaken World Chapter 1

This Forsaken World

Chapter 1

Commander Devin Crowe

Glancing out the cockpit of my starfighter I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride at the sight before me. My squadron, the 22nd fighter squadron, the Reapers, were positioned in formation off my starboard wing. My wing-mate was the closest, roughly ten feet away and flying with perfect precision.

The cockpit was dimmed with a coating to protect from the sun to prevent the pilot going blind but written in bold stencils just below the glass was the pilot's name and identification; 'Commander Jewel Anders, AKA Angel'. I smiled to myself as I read the nameplate. I'd only recently joined up with the squadron and so far, they were proving to be amazing pilots and better friends.

The radio crackled in my headset and a feminine voice came through. "Devin, we're in position, let's do this!" I could only imagine the smile and excitement on Jewel's face from the tone of her voice.

Sighing in frustration, I forced myself to reply with a military presence, even though I was just as excited as she was. "Commander Anders, you know you're supposed to call me by my rank, last name or callsign, how many times am I going to have to remind you? Its Commander, Crowe or Wraith." I couldn't help but grin knowing how irritated she was going to be.

There was a short delay before a response came through filled with sarcasm. "Uh roger that, Commander sir, are we ready to begin, sir?" I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. "Right, let's do this. Reaper 2 take lead and begin our descent. Everyone else follow in and prepare for target strike." Four other pilots responded with confirmations and they began to line up behind Angel.

Our orders were to provide escort to a bomber squadron, the 12th Hammer, led by a personal friend of mine Lieutenant Commander Anthony Chambers, also known as 'Sledge' ironically considering his squadron. The bombers were ordered to follow in our wake after we strafed the target zone, they would then follow up with a salvo of missiles and the operation would be complete. The target was just outside the city of New York where a buildup of infected humans had reached dangerous levels.

At the beginning of the year 2051, a strange virus had infected a large portion of the human population and turned them into.... well, zombies. Most of the humans who had not contracted the infection were living in walled-off cities, supposedly safe from the virus. Unfortunately, the infected eventually reached large numbers from trying to enter the cities and airstrikes were required to keep them from breaching the safety of the walls. After the strike was complete, the United Earth Defense Force or U.E.D.F. would go in on foot and clean up the leftover infected.

As I pulled away to the port side of the column of fighters to watch their progress, I was shaken from my thoughts by the arrival of the 12th Hammer Squadron. "Reaper 1, this is Hammer 1, request permission to begin our descent." The voice of Sledge filtered through my headset and I smiled.

"Confirmed Commander Chambers, begin your assault. Good to see you, old friend." I responded, glancing over to see the bulky bombers forming up in a wedge shape, the tip pointed straight at the Earth.

The bombers were two-seaters by nature with a pilot and bombardier. The ships resembled the tip of a trident with the cockpit in the middle, the engines in the rear and both side prongs carrying the explosive payloads.

I could imagine Sledge giving me a two-fingered salute, his classic trademark response. I kicked in my thrusters to accelerate past the bombers in order to catch up with my own squadron. Our fighters, in turn, were shaped like an arrowhead with a single cockpit, large engines, a pair of thin folding wings and only four rockets, two on each side of the craft. A double cannon was linked underneath the cockpit allowing maximum speed and maneuverability both in space and in the atmosphere.