Empyrean Iris Story Collection

G-Lock

"Commande, we have contact with supporting GA ships just appeared form warp, what do you need us to do?"

Commander Vir Spun in his spot eyes flying across the open field of battle. Burg ships were slowly descending from the right headed straight towards the Gromm homeworld, and with the Nexus down, they were sure to cause devastation. He could already see swarms of aircraft dropping form the bellies of their great spiked ships and down towards the surface of the planet.

"We have to get fighter's down there immediately." he determined, "The Gromm are out there like sitting ducks, and after their planet was hit by the disease not more than a year ago, they can't take another hit like this to their population."

"Commander, we have GA on the comms saying they have shields for us, ready to install."

The commander was quiet for a moment staring out towards the unfolding chaos, a chaos that should have been noisy, but was now taking place in absolute silence.

He spun again now to face the lieutenant, "Lieutenant! Can you fly this ship?"

The woman stammered and then after a moment nodded, "yes commander, why."

He ignored the question, "Than take the chair."

"But, Commander."

"I said take the chair, that was not a question it was an order. Make contact with the GA scientists and get those shields up as soon as humanly possible, sooner than humanly possible if we can manage it. Order all reserve pilots down planetside immediately, but reserve me a darkfire and tell the crew I will be down in ten." The lieutenant stifled her protests, and took the chairt. The commander jabbed a finger at the recruits, "McCaster, you're with me."

The recruit looked around in confused disbelief, but was pushed from his seat in confusion.

The commander marched past the control modules, and a hand reached out catching him by the arm. He paused in place looking down at the blue Drev and her piercing golden eyes locking green to gold. There was silence for a quick moment before, "Don't die." She said simply

A rare smile for that day, "I wouldn't dream of it."

She let him go unwilling to hold him up any longer, and with that, the two of them raced from the bridge and down towards the docking bay.

Recruit McCaster was huffing and puffing by the time they reached their destination not entirely sure how the Commander managed to do the same running in heelies.

As they ran in, a crew was waiting for them by the only F-90 darkfire still left on the ship, and with them they carried all the flight gear them might need.

Commander Vir kicked off his shoes without even bothering to untie them.

"You're copiloting with me." The man began, Stropping off his shirt and throwing that after the shoes as well."

McCaster followed suit scrambling to get into the flight uniform right there on the launch deck, with the help of at least five other people.

Commander Vir wriggled into the olive drab flight suit pulling the helmet on with the oxygen mask hanging open.

He could hardly believe what was happening, "But sir."

"Shut up and listen, recruit. The Gromm don't have the population for this right now. Someone needs to get down there and they need to slow down any and all bombing attempts on populated areas. I can't get the ship in that close without landing her, which is the last thing I want to do. I know my lieutenant can pilot the ship now that we have shields, but there is only one person I trust to dogfight, and that's me. So can you copilot with me, or do I have to go solo."