Starfighters battle it out above the red dustplains of Hunlah…
Image Credit
RNDE Stock Project (from Pexels.com)
“Starfighters of Hunlah” is the now-deleted first chapter of my fifth novel, Stone Winds. It was cut for pacing issues, but I think it works quite well on its own, as a quasi-prologue to Stone Winds. Enjoy!
—
The D-3 starfighter swerved, its tri-winged frame shuddering as it grated roughly against the planet’s thick atmosphere. Its engines growled. As it spun through the purple emptiness of the dawn sky, two pirate airfighters rose into the air behind it. The brilliant sunrise strafed their crossed-dagger hulls with ribbons of orange-purple light.
Riven glared at them out of the D-3’s rear viewport. I was enjoying the peace and quiet. He glanced at the blocky compound beneath them, sprawled across the desert. Why do these guys get such a kick harassing science geeks? He could understand why the Myzoans would want the Mes’pher’s secrets – but a gang of pirates? That was a little tricker to explain. Maybe they just really need a how-to for making a wormbridge.
Riven gripped his yaw tightly, trying to ignore the sweaty curls of black hair poking from underneath his helmet and drooping over his brows. Blowing a column of air through his bushy, black beard, he felt the tension ease from his shoulders. His eyes flashed below, to the dusty red soils that covered the planet’s surface; they lay dormant and silent as the fighter squadrons whistled across the purple sky.
‘You’re deep in the atmosphere there, Captain – you sure you can take them?’ came the voice of Gawara Hillis, Storm Three. She was frightfully earnest.
‘I’ll be fine, Three,’ he grunted. ‘You just focus on yourself.’
Tugging his yaw, he rolled to starboard. A salvo of screaming lasers chased after him; he ducked and weaved out of the way.
Glancing up at Gawara’s D-3, which was being dogged by a murder of crossed-dagger airfighters, he thumbed on his comm. ‘Bogeys on Three. Storm Squadron, move to support.’
‘Do we have to?’ That was Mybo, Mirror Two. He quickly corrected himself: ‘Moving in, Captain Desso, sir.’ There was a light, mocking formality to his voice that made even Riven smile.
Three other affirmations rang down the comms, and the other four starfighters of Storm Squadron sped to Gawara’s aid, engines wailing. Despite its limited dogfighting capabilities, it was the boxy Greenlock Bomber of Hex Veelos – Storm Six – which came in first on Gawara’s aft. Flanked by two more of Storm Squadron’s D-3 Starfighters, Hex cleared up Gawara’s pursuers with his heavy ironrod cannons, sending the pirate airfighters crashing into the planet’s surface as flashing fireballs, the crossed-daggers of their hulls stabbing deep into the scarlet soils.
‘Thanks, Six,’ Gawara cut in.
Hex offered only a grunt in response.
He flies that Bomber like a starfighter, Riven remarked to himself. Maybe I judged him too harshly.
As the charred remains of the pirate airfighters struck the planet’s surface, kicking up plumes of red soil, an idea sparked in his mind. He glanced quickly through the rear viewport at the two pirate airfighters chasing him. The soil was considerably denser in Hunlah’s southern region than on other planets. Could use that to my advantage.
Keeping a sharp eye on his pursuers, he pulled gently on his reverse thrusters, slowing down just enough to keep the airfighters close – but not enough to give them an easy shot. As lasers spat from the airfighters’ cannons, he twisted and pirouetted on his yaw, juking his starfighter and spinning into a sharp dive towards Hunlah’s surface.
His display trilled. He ignored it. Behind him, his shields blossomed on his starfighter’s aft in a crystalline wall of glittering blue light. The display bleeped louder as the pirates’ lasers whittled down his shields’ integrity. His shields were ticking down faster than he could recharge them.
The starfighter rattled as it plunged through the atmosphere. Warning alarms rang shrilly in his ears, alongside the furious wind as it buffeted his cockpit. The pirate airfighters followed his dive. Their cannons hummed devilishly.
It was all peaceful, then some starburned pirates just had to show up. Riven grimaced. That’s on me for wishing for a quiet patrol this morning…
Hunlah’s red soils loomed in his front viewport. Now. He yanked sharply on his yaw, levelling out bare metres away from the ground. The force of his engines kicked up a great cloud of red soil behind him, directly in the path of the two pirate airfighters, who hurtled straight into it.
They dipped under the weight of the soil. One of them plummeted to the planet’s surface. As Riven watched, it tumbled in an avalanche of cracked metal and red dust, before coming to a smoking stop a hundred metres later. Part of him hoped the pirate was still alive. Part of him hoped the pirate burned in all twelve hells for interrupting his peace and quiet.
The other airfighter was not so easy to eliminate. It dipped slightly under the weight of the soil, but its pilot reacted quickly, pulling the airfighter into a sharp climb over the red cloud. It spun, shaking off its cloak of red soil.
‘Looks like your little trick didn’t work,’ Gawara remarked.
‘Worked well enough,’ Riven snapped back. ‘Now it’s one-on-one.’
Clenching his jaw, he pulled his starfighter into a steep climb, pushing hard on his forward thrusters and accelerating after the airfighter. He adopted a lead pursuit position, aiming his cannons slightly ahead of the airfighter. It bounced in and out of his target reticle. But he had no time to wait for a better shot.
He thumbed his trigger. Lasers spanged from the three ironrod cannons sat on the D-3’s wings. The airfighter inverted and broke sharply to starboard.
Starburn! His shots hit nothing but atmosphere.
The airfighter angled to starboard, beginning a sharp curve that would finish it on Riven’s aft. If that happened, he would be in the same disastrous position he had been in before, with an enemy in pursuit.
He pulled tight on his reverse thrusters and twisted on his yaw to angle the starfighter starboard. His momentum carried his aim onto the curved trajectory of the incoming pirate airfighter.
He licked his lips. A difficult shot – but he had to make it. And fast.
As the pirate airfighter drifted into his target reticle, he fired. Three lasers lanced from the barrels of his ironrod cannons. His display sang that they had struck true.
They cut sharply through the airfighter’s crossed-dagger hull. It exploded. Its sharp-edged wings shot off its body like throwing knives, and it plunged into a steep dive towards Hunlah’s surface.
Riven sighed and shook his head, watching the burning airfighter as it descended through the atmosphere. Fringuard orders. I’m sorry. They’re quite protective of these starburned Mes’pher scientists they’ve got. Apparently, they’re quite clever.
He spied three crossed-dagger airfighters in the distance. They retreated towards the sunrise, using the sun’s bright light to blind the Storm Squadron pilots as they chased in tight pursuit. A sizzle of laserfire scorched the air.
Riven punched the button on his monitor to activate his comm. ‘This is Storm One. That’s enough. Let them go. We’ve sent our message. They’ll think twice about attacking the research station after this. I repeat, let them go.’
The pilots of Storm Squadron confirmed his orders and peeled off from their pursuit, arranging in a cloud around him. Hopefully, the rest of this shift will be peaceful.
‘Let’s hope the Fringuard are satisfied with that,’ Riven muttered.
Mybo complained, ‘I swear to the Great Beyond, if I hear another Fringuard corpsman moaning–’
‘You’ll do nothing and just sit there like a good little boy,’ Riven told him. ‘Do us a favour and try not to start any more diplomatic incidents, Mybo–’
‘One time!’
‘To be fair, Captain,’ Gawara said, ‘it was quite funny seeing him kiss the Doron Queen’s many, many feet.’
‘I couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth for a week,’ Mybo groaned. ‘I thought insectoids were supposed to be clean freaks?’
‘Only the ones that don’t eat excrement for breakfast,’ chimed in Villennessi, Mirror Five. The insectoid’s voice had a faint chittering note to it.
‘I have to sleep with you every night, and I’d hardly call you “clean,” ’ Gi’lln remarked.
‘Technically speaking, you don’t have to sleep with me–’
‘Alright, cut the chatter,’ Riven ordered as his monitor bleeped suddenly.
Incoming transmission from Commander Zarr. Here come the complaints.
He thumbed on the transmission. Zarr’s basal tones resounded through his cockpit. From her tone of voice, she seemed to be in a good mood – a pleasant surprise.
‘Good work, Captain Desso.’
His face twitched. ‘Thanks, Commander. Another all-important research station successfully defended.’
‘I know you think you’re funny, Captain, but give me a break,’ Zarr snapped. ‘New orders just in. Have your squadron return to the Virtuous Might for imminent departure to Bythe. Wormspace travel procedures will begin in approximately one Standard hour.’
He nodded. ‘Copy that.’ The transmission cut off.
Finally, they were leaving this dust bucket. He was fed up with running these protection jobs for the Fringuard; they were demeaning. It didn’t help that the Fringuard had been rather testy about having the Coalition fleet moored on their planet.
Still, Bythe may be better. His chest tightened. Maybe we can finally end the war. Maybe we can finally all go home. He scoffed. They’ve been saying that for years. ‘Storm Squadron, time to get back to the ship,’ Riven said. ‘Our dear old commander is missing us.’
—
If you enjoyed this post, please be sure to like and leave a comment below. All support is gladly appreciated!
Additionally, if you would like to keep up to date with this website and my writing, please subscribe below. Follow me on Wattpad (SecretWriter575) and on Instagram (writer_ec_23).
MORE STORIES
LATEST POSTS
- Starfighters of Hunlah
Starfighters battle it out above the red dustplains of Hunlah… “Starfighters of Hunlah” is the now-deleted first chapter of my fifth novel, Stone Winds. It was cut for pacing issues, but I think it works quite well on its own, as a quasi-prologue to Stone Winds. Enjoy! — The D-3… Read more: Starfighters of Hunlah - Corruption Of Mortality
The End of the World… I will kill you all, rip out your spines and feed them to goats. He bit back a laugh at that thought. The irony of feeding the corpses of gods to goats was not lost on him. But they deserved it – for everything: for… Read more: Corruption Of Mortality - Screams Fade To Silence
A brief flash fiction story… It happens at night – every night – when I am alone. I roll into bed, close my mind. Then cold prickles my back, and murderous thoughts ignite my brain. Invisible weights crush my skull. Lightning flares in my mind – a rolling thunderstorm of… Read more: Screams Fade To Silence - My Story To Five Novels
What led me to writing five novels? What sparked my journey – and what obstacles have stood in my way since I began…? So, to preface this, I am a nineteen-year-old who has written five full-length novels and a feature-length screenplay. I have also written a plethora of short stories,… Read more: My Story To Five Novels - Reavers #16: Powers Of The Ov’l Pt IV
THE “FEAR AND HATE” ARC CONTINUES… George pulled on his orange gown, tying the string firmly around his waist. ‘This time, I will do it.’ Fi nodded and smiled warmly. ‘I hope so, George.’ Dressed in a silver dress, adorned with bushels of dark flowers, she looked as beautiful as… Read more: Reavers #16: Powers Of The Ov’l Pt IV
Typing Galaxies 
Leave a comment