Chapter 5

"West!" she barked, "Wong! Damphousse! Form a V. Hawkes, fall back with me. The rest of you go in ahead of us. Make a swing on the starboard side. Go after their gun batteries. Maybe if they're busy firing at you it'll give Hawkes and I a couple of seconds longer to make our run. Hawkes, you take the upper row of bombers, I'll take the lower one. Don't fire in a volley. Spread your missiles out. Try to get as many hits as you can. Go in close."
"If we get too close," Hawkes complained, "and the bombers go up, we might be hit by the explosions."
"That is a risk," Vansen agreed. "Use your own discretion."
"Understood!" Hawkes answered. "Question."
"What?" the captain asked.
"What did the colonel mean 'Remember The Eisenhower!'?"
"Oh," the captain answered, "he meant it like a battle cry, like 'Remember Pearl Harbor!' 'Remember The Alamo!' that type of thing. You really ought to read some history, Hawkes."
West called from ahead. "They've got no damned fighters out! They're running without them!"
"I see some launching!" Wong cried.
"It's too late for them!" Damphousse snapped. "They'll never get around in time to meet us. Here we go!"
The three fighters dove in, blasting away at the enemy's defensive batteries. Several positions blew apart but others answered with a hail of fire. Just as Vansen had hoped the gunners continued to track the ships firing at them and didn't lock on her and Hawkes.
Hawkes switched frequencies. "Hey, Chigs!" he cried, "This is for The Eisenhower. This is for the marines we watched you chop to pieces. This is for the colonists that couldn't even fight back!"
One by one he let his missiles go. Time and time again they found a bomber. The last one blew up practically under him, his ship began to spin rapidly, as it shot away. "Wow!" he screamed, firing his maneuvering jets trying to get the spin off.
Vansen got a little singed, herself, but as she got clear she saw an enemy fighter coming at Hawkes. "Hawkes!" she screamed, "Hawkes! Fire forward! Fire forward!"
Still spinning Hawkes obeyed. The fire from his cannon missed several times, it finally hit the Chig fighter head on, blowing it apart. Hawkes finally brought his ship level. "Ewww!" he moaned.
"Regroup!" Vansen screamed. "We'll go back around and hit the port side. Hawkes and I with Wong will draw fire. Damphousse and West will attack."
"No need!" West screamed, "She's blowing! She's blowing apart! She's burning! Is she EVER burning! The bombers are blowing up on her!"
"Then join the attack on the other carriers," Vansen screamed.
"They're going too!" Wong screamed, "They're on fire- BOTH of them!"
"Then we go after the escorts," Vansen answered. "One attack on each of them 'til we're out of missiles. Let's go!"
Three times they hit three escorts, and three times left them burning. Finally, virtually out of fuel they returned to their own ship. They had destroyed the Chig fleet. Only debris floated around them. The few fighters that had managed to launch had been destroyed.
As their cockpits locked and their canopies rose The 58th found their bay packed. People applauded and cheered as they climbed from their cockpits. The commander and Colonel McQueen appeared. "Return to your positions!" the commander screamed. "We are still in hostile territory. There may be other Chig vessels in the area. Move it!"
The gathered personnel quickly scattered. The commander snapped "Vansen! Hawkes!" The two pilots came forward.
"Yes sir!" they snapped.
"I am informing you," the commander continued, "I am recommending you both for the congressional medal of honor. And I am recommending your wing mates for the distinguished service cross."
"With respect sir," Vansen answered, "we only did what had to be done."
"You could have attacked from a safe distance," the commander snapped, "but you chose to get in close and do as much damage as you could. You went far beyond what was expected of you. And it's too late to object. By now the transmission has been sent. It may be my last act as commander of this vessel. But now it's up to the congress of The United States.
I've ordered the cooks to break into special stores. Shower, change, and report for supper."
"Yes, sir!" the pilots snapped.
An officer approached and whispered in the commander's ear.
"Lt. Hawkes," the commander snapped. "We monitored your transmission with The Chigs. Just before the carrier blew up they sent a transmission. It said 'Human pilot, we understand your words. You avenge your fallen comrades. You do so with bravery and honor. We salute you!'"
Hawkes looked bewildered, then nodded. "Dismissed!" the commander snapped.
The pilot hurried after his companions. The commander turned to McQueen and snapped "Let's get underway. The admiral's waiting."

Page 6

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