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lowered himself in。
One of the fitters patted his own ears and Darrow nodded； switching on the vox and testing it。
“This is Umbra Leader； let me know you’re ready。”
“Lead； this is Ten； ready。”
“Thank you； Zemmic。 I assumed you were。”
“Leader； this is Umbra Four。 I’m all set；” voxed Viltry。
“Umbra Five； Leader；” called Kaminsky。 “Ready to lift。”
“Umbra Seven； check； Leader；” Scalter said。
173
“This is Umbra Nine； Umbra Lead；” Darrow said。 “Systems clear。 I am ready。”
The deck officers waved them go； and ducked down。
“Flight； go to lift；” Jagdea voxed。
The Thunderbolts’ engine pitch increased sharply as they rose into the air。
“Launch to forward flight；” Jagdea instructed。
The flight rushed up and away out of the hangar mouth and into the sky； lifting their landing
gear。
Jagdea turned them right； across the atolls； and they spent a while practising formation flying
and basic manoeuvres。
Then she started to push them a little harder。 Fast ascents； rolls and power dives。
“Keep looking around you； flight；” Jagdea voxed。 “Get in the habit of checking both auspex and
visual on a regular basis。 And get used to what you can’t see from your canopy as much as what you
can。 Learn how to compensate； how to pitch your plane to get a better view。”
After ninety minutes； she chose a small； uninhabited atoll near the edge of the island chain。
“Line up； flight；” she said。 “I want each one of you to test his weapons。 To feel how they affect
the airframe。 Zemmic and Viltry can sit this one out。”
Scalter went in first： a long； low dive； and raked the rock； both las and then quad。
“Good aim；” said Jagdea。
“Throne； it really shakes the plane；” Scalter observed； banking away。
“You next； Umbra Nine。”
“Copy that； Lead；” Darrow responded。 He switched on his gunsight and armed his weapons with
quick； assured flicks。 Then he pushed the stick and swung down into a dive。 Water and rocky
outcrops flashed by under him。 He set the sight reticule on the rock； closed to range； then fired his
las。 The shots streaked ahead of him and he saw the fluff of impacts。 He toggled to cannons and
chattered off a burst； then brought his bird up。
“Excellent； Nine。 Little high with las； but the cannon was good。 You might want to calibrate
your gunsight down a few points。”
“Copy that； Leader。”
“Umbra Five？ You’re up。”
Kaminsky acknowledged and began his run on the target atoll。 With his left hand； he threw the
arming switch and turned the weapon system on； then returned his grip to the throttle。 The sight was
in。
“Fire！” he said。
The lascannons blasted。
“Select！ Fire！ Fire！”
Now the quads blasted； twitching the machine’s track。 Kaminsky rolled off the target and started
to climb out； disarming his gun system。 “Racklae’s little toy seems to work；” he said。
“Very nice；” Jagdea voxed。
She let all three of them do it again a few times； then pulled the whole flight up to five thousand。
“We’ll swing wide on three…three…two and then turn for home；” she voxed。
They’d been going for ten minutes； and Jagdea was about to call the turn； when Zemmic called。
“Auspex contact；” he reported。
“I’m watching it；” Jagdea said。
In another ten seconds； they could make out the flash and smoke of a dogfight ten or fifteen
kilometres to the north…west； out over the sea。
“Operations； Operations；” Jagdea called。 “This is Umbra training。 What are you showing in our
vicinity？”
174
“Umbra Leader； mass intercept underway on a bomber stream。 Suspected escort cover。 Advise
you push it home and clear the area。”
“Acknowledged； Operations；” said Jagdea。 “Umbra Flight； what you can see has nothing to do
with us today。 We’re turning for home。 Come about； bearing—”
“Break！ Break！” Viltry was shouting。
Jagdea and Zemmic broke at once； Viltry and Kaminsky going the other way。 Scalter and
Darrow were taken by surprise； but began to turn out the moment they saw the formation scatter。
Jagdea looped up in time to see three Razors run clean through the parted formation。 Escort
cover no doubt； taking a pop at them。
She engaged。 “Zemmic； stick with me。 Guns live。 The rest of you； pick up Lucerna beacon and
follow it home now！”
Jagdea and Zemmic burned after the bats； but they were already breaking。 She scanned her
auspex frantically； and saw one of the Razors descending through the light cloud。 She stooped after
it。
It dropped to under a thousand metres； then turned up again sharply。 Jagdea saw passing shots
slip by her wing and realised she’d picked up another of them。
“On him！” Zemmic voxed。
Umbra Ten rolled in on the second bat’s tail and fired three bursts of quad。 The Razor caught
fire and went into a screaming climb that ended three thousand metres above them in an expanding
fireball。
Jagdea was chasing the other bat when she heard Scalter on the vox。
“He just went right over us！ Break！ Break！” The third bat must have found the trainees。
The four Thunderbolts had split； and now Darrow couldn’t see the hostile at all。 The only
aircraft in sight was Viltry’s； three hundred metres down to his right。
Darrow’s skin crawled。 Eads was right。 He wasn’t ready and now； as soon as he’d got into the
air； he was going to be killed。
He saw a flash and looked left。 Scalter’s bird was climbing and trying to evade。 The Razor was
on his tail； firing。
“Break！ Break！” he heard Viltry shouting。
Kaminsky’s Thunderbolt swept in out of the clouds； guns crackling。 His shots went wide； but
they were enough to check the bat and allow Scalter to break and dive out。 The bat went over
Kaminsky； then managed to viff round。 Within seconds； Kaminsky had got the bat on his six。
Two shots crashed into Kaminsky’s wing。
“Dammit！” he cursed； imagining the disappointment on Blansher’s face。
Instinctively； feeling it now； he eased the vector thrust； and to his delight； the bat overshot him
and started to turn。
Darrow saw it。 He’d already turned his gunsight and weapons on。
It was trying to extend； its sport denied by the four pilots。 Darrow opened the throttle and gave
chase； following its attempts to evade。 He let the sights roll through it…
Lock。
He fired。
The bat blew up。 Just like that。 A vivid backdraft of flame and flying scrap。
Jagdea saw an aerial explosion underlight the clouds ahead and screamed in rage。 She let the bat
she was chasing pull out and flee； and raced towards the flash。
“Flight？ Flight？ What was that？” she voxed。
“Hello； Leader；” she heard Viltry respond。 “That was Darrow making his first kill。”
Lucerna AB； 10。20
175
They’d all made a big fuss； which had made Darrow blush。 All of them； that is； except the young
pilot called Marquall； who just looked sick or something。
Darrow stood by his Thunderbolt in the hangar for a long while； just staring at it。
He could do this。 Starting tomorrow； he was going to be flying and killing for Enothis and the
Emperor。
He felt certain that after a day or two； he’d begin to get a real feel for it。
Natrab Echelon Aerie； Theda； 19。10
The Imperial city was burning。
From the deck of the giant carrier which now occupied a headland above the sea； a site that had
once been an enemy air…base； Flight Warrior Khrel Kas Obarkon gazed upon what the forces of the
Anarch had wrought。
The sky had turned black； and the flames from the burning habs were stark and red。 The sea
itself glowed amber with their reflection。
Overhead； the echelons of war machines flew past； gleaming in the firelight。 He listened to the
lusty purr of their engines and smiled。 As much as his woven face would allow him to； anyway。
His litter carriage awaited。 The slaves abased themselves as he stepped into it； then earned him
down into the deck space of the giant aerie。
In their hundreds； the other senior echelon leaders and flight warriors had gathered。 The bronze
horns were sounding and the kettle drums beating。 Obarkon drew back the silk drapes of his litter
and greeted the nearest of his fellows。 Sacolther； his armour engraved like alabaster。 Coruz Shang；
clad in chrome； his fingers sheathed in golden claws。 Nazarike Komesh； echelon ace； impassive
behind his green visor。
The drums and horns fell silent； and there was only the expectant murmur of the company。 In the
centre of the great chamber； the giant hololith projector rippled into life； projecting a translucent
blue image ten metres into the air。 The flight warriors howled in adoration； their augmetic voices
shaking the hangar’s rune…scribed walls。
The image was of a face。 Obarkon thought the face quite beautiful； though it also terrified him。
He knew it was appearing simultaneously on every other mass carrier and command base in the
conquered southlands。 Hundreds of thousands of warriors； echelon chieftains； Blood Pact officerlords
and death…priests were all seeing it； and worshipping it。
But as usual； Obarkon felt it was looking directly and only at him。
The face of Anakwaner Sek； Magister Warlord； great and awesome Anarch； sworn lieutenant of
the mighty Urlock Gaur himself； began to speak。
“Tomorrow；” it boomed。 “The day of days。 Who will find blood in the air？”
“We will！” they howled as one。
“Prepare！ And let the enemy fall in flames！”
176
GOOD FLYING
THE BATTLE OF THE
ZOPHONIAN SEA
Imperial year 773。M41； day 270
177
DAY 270
Lucerna AB； 05。01
“Jagdea？ Jagdea？”
She woke； heavy…headed and slow； and for one fleeting moment； forgot where she was。 Then
she remembered and it was like a lead weight in her stomach。
“Jagdea？” Blansher was standing over her。 The ready room was half…lit。 Jagdea had been
slumbering on the couch； wearing most of her kit。 Aggie Del Ruth was asleep in the armchair。
“Give me a second； Mil；” Jagdea said； sitting up and dropping her feet to the floor。
“I don’t think I can；” he said。
She followed him into the briefing room。 Viltry stood there； arms folded。 The big； glassscreened
auspex； which relayed tracks from the main systems in Operations； lit the room with its
pulsing green light。
There was nothing on the screen； except for a half dozen returns that the system had identified as
Imperial patrols。
“It’s been quiet for three hours；” said Viltry。 “Totally quiet。”
“You’ve been watching it for three hours？” Jagdea yawned。
“I couldn’t sleep；” said Viltry。
“I think it’s a woman；” Blansher smiled。
Viltry laughed； but for some reason Jagdea thought Blansher might have touched a nerve。
“You got me up to see nothing？” she said。
“Since when has it been this quiet？” Viltry asked。 “They’ve been coming thick and fast since the
moment we deployed on this world。 Before that even。 Ask Kaminsky。”
“So？” she shrugged。 “They wanted a night off。 All that murder and destruction can take it out of
you。”
“Bree…” Blansher said； a touch of disapproval in his tone。
“I apologise。 Extreme fatigue makes me flippant。 You think something’s coming？”
“Yes；” said Viltry。
“So do I；” said Blansher。 “I’ve been on to Operations。 They’re jumpy。 They know this is odd。
Every base in the Zophonian is on standby。”
“Get the crews up and prepped；” she said。
Viltry nodded and hurried off。
“Something you said；” Blansher remarked。
“What？”
“That we could fend them off； deny them； unless they sent everything they had at us at once。”
“I must stop talking so much；” said Jagdea。
“Why would they all be down； Bree？ All of them？ Every last machine？ Why would they be
doing that if they weren’t aiming and fuelling and fitting their entire air command？”
A buzzer sounded and Jagdea jumped。 It was the vox intercom。 Blansher lifted the set and
answered。 “Hangar three Umbra。 Yes； sir。 I see。 Show us ready。”
He hung up。 “We’ve just gone to primary standby。 Long range auspex has detected a significant
background temperature rise in the air above the southern coast。”
“Meaning？”
178
He shrugged。 “Maybe an awful lot of engines just started up at the same time。”
The hangar lights came on。 Fitters scrambled to perform last minute pre…flight。 Only the vaguest
hint of dawn fell in through the hangar mouth。 Marquall could smell the cold sea； the air。 He fought
his nerves。 Everyone was tense。 Some because they seemed to know what might be coming。 Others
precisely because they did not。
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