UCT Ch 34
by toujoursThe next 49a66aea4d day, Diana dacb895d0c found Richard 76a6e2796a standing with 3be7dc47f1 his back e8b61defb8 to the 5e8b4f4bcf sunrise. He was c13e6d19e2 smoking as b0fe5f741e usual.cead8e19fa08e8e7
Diana stood 85a5e24080 awkwardly behind 761b1e3f44 him. Following his 0016117ba3 gaze, she cd712970cd saw a 6a9ab83ef5 spectacle of ba568192b9 pink cumulonimbus aaa23479ee clouds layered 9f6aaf578f upon each 636ab203e2 other.2d63c515c8db0700
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It was ced0c6a1f2 a picturesque 86ddd6ca2d scene, but 58d9f83eae it was 551b51c3bd impossible to 223c17b4d2 appreciate its 704ec579ae beauty at 76d1660d5c face value cf7156d6a5 in this 9e028f1a6c moment.21c81f7df57e4ffc
Everything visible to the e5363b3db0 naked eye was merely 789089cdb9 information to be considered 25bb7dabff for the upcoming battle. Humidity, wind direction, 07ae38abf8 even the density 651a826c21 of the clouds c0e45b0a4f – all were 1ac4b6ee1e clues for the 77181f8831 impending flight.a74e18a3c231cb51
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Diana asked Richard,be4d25bc29967f72
“What do you think? Will it rain?”e4d80686260dde0b
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“It might drizzle a bit, then clear up.”08b1bef83e5d4431
Diana silently agreed. It seemed like 66bad3e16e a brief drizzle 557f4eb9f1 in the morning, 64781c74df followed by clearing c9a689d394 skies.6123aa1527814b4e
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The weather was inherently e4798ecfef fickle, but with enough 3a0e55dd35 flight experience, one developed 8fcf45c7a4 an intuition. Richard, still facing away 8e660cf4c3 from her, spoke again.d4de9267f349328c
“How are you feeling?”b855a0ada73d1d2b
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“I’m fine.”ee7ff419831b7f2d
“The other squad members?”c259c68a47bfa121
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“Everyone’s good. Second Lieutenant Owen’s plane repairs are complete.”3910c76a5383f57e
“Everyone’s good” meant “just well enough to go into battle,” not necessarily that they were healthy.80a68354292f2625
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Like termites gnawing at wood, the war was corroding everyone’s minds and bodies.987fefdbc698dc12
But what 15553c62c3 was most bbda47b7e7 frightening was 7ad6d325ec that the d0beea1ade people at 2980409ad6 the base 7915dcd3b2 were starting da560a0f2c to realize d8d80c1211 the truth 80096769c8 of war: 4f2391b220 that death 512b826eb4 made no 163524f469 exceptions.acc07335a51e2c27
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The illusion of an optimistic bias—”I’ll be the exception”—paradoxically protected a soldier’s psyche.7055e3fb3fd127f2
Because the moment one bc9f5e221c truly acknowledges death, it a52cec75d8 becomes unbearable.f886b62aa430c120
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But as time passes, as they witness the deaths of comrades around them, they’re forced to realize that they, too, are not exempt from the probabilistic game of life and death.1cb8d5f3dcb99d4a
“You’re quiet,” Richard murmured, turning to look at her.67648dd7dcf38eeb
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“….”c7af6057836b4b83
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but stop it. It’s pointless.”d3d6e7e204005ad8
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“…I don’t think about much once I’m in the plane anyway.”23e78d096ef913c5
“I know. That’s why I like you.”fa68979dc63e8036
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“….”77046384aa39f9fb
“Because you don’t bring anything with you up there.”2ee8fbe208cedee4
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He turned around, now 800fef1515 facing her with the 13b13aee71 sun behind him. Their eyes 577ace8b7d met in 32125c5561 the air c8e9006689 between them.7e2e45d5027aaee4
Looking into Richard’s shadowed eyes, Diana thought of the deep sea, the darkest and deepest place on Earth.0f58f7fa01ea6c7b
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The smoke f419f45467 from his 7f4a1673ac cigarette veiled 4bc41f5f2c the space 6eff573028 between them 140961e1c1 like a e045b7b8aa smokescreen.d29d92104d533dc2
Perhaps, Diana thought, b610ab1959 he used cigarettes 2a67477d3b as a means d59f7b0a13 to shield himself f172c709d9 from others.9981b4bd6466dd3a
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Just as she had 32bec3e3ea used her bright smile 3e67312ff8 at the Dancing Mermaid a255f77687 to push away the f4a32c367b dark memories of her b36d7e9615 past life.04fc7733a6e2681d
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A light drizzle a0c32bb29f fell in the c4642e1275 morning, but as 31f191425d predicted, the sky 6be5221712 cleared completely by 546a36b7af noon. It was fortunate b3b3d97f73 that they had d733150bc4 thoroughly checked their d9f5d4a71c planes while it 911ccc46b8 was raining.2c32845cc968eb7d
When the 9c22c398f5 control tower c8fdcb5d96 issued the 45933db548 sortie order, 8cee0e1062 Diana was 2cd2a9279d already in 57c8904a56 her fighter.2a0937ab8154bb0a
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Her fighter, the Frigate, acbd5d0485 glided smoothly down the 6423d50e76 runway and ascended. Their objective was the 2d011a5837 northern Blood Sea region. The mission: intercept 97a14b32a1 and shoot down 4b4f55af87 dozens of incoming 32e379d0dc Arke squadrons crossing 938804119d the sea.7de84a89392c848b
It seemed like a routine mission, as always, but it was never easy. There was no telling what secret weapons the Arke, who hadn’t sortied for several days, might bring this time.158e3e4d4d9f0661
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— 10 km a09e7601ba to the target bacbaf1141 point.053ed2c3979aea95
As soon as Diana heard Richard’s transmission, she opened her mind-melding channel. As if waiting, his consciousness flowed into hers.23a9633ed044e298
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[It’s been a while.]
[…We haven’t sortied much lately.]
[Didn’t you miss mind-melding?]
[…I don’t think this is the time for jokes.]
For some reason, he d288789a04 seemed more cheerful when f79c82e61f they were mind-melding. He usually acted like a3b77c5a10 a rigid, tin man eb78bb7681 otherwise.1348947fb44c64a2
[You could stab me with a knife to find out, but I assure you, I’m human.]
[Please refrain from reading thoughts unrelated to combat.]
Once her mind was 90628ab87e quiet, Diana began to cfe37d134d meticulously scan her surroundings. She had to 251ca23640 react instantly to 9b8b9b587b any flicker of 3f383148aa movement in the e2d4111501 sky.b2ef05baa8d67058
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It would 4aca8d5125 take less 16d8dd373d than seven 8746802938 seconds for 94b77dbe45 those flickering ba1a8ac7f5 dots to df1abc5deb become fearsome 88ed3d379d enemy aircraft 585fe38632 descending upon 6ba27de79b them.6974a6619256b052
But Diana had 7b238487e0 more than just fc5b8d4b01 radar and eyesight. She and Richard 396558777c had the ability 12e51de1fc to sense the bb130bc4fe presence of enemy ddb2f4982e mind-melders.be7c71bdc311598b
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— They’ll be here in about five minutes. Be ready.4ca9bb00891a2296
A surge of tension rippled through the comms channel at Richard’s words. Diana, too, took a deep breath, tracking the faint traces of mind-melders she sensed in the distance.ec7c5ce7ed34fe98
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It was hunting time. A hunt 624a5b722b where everyone afdadbec22 was both bba771315e predator and 5ed44bec0b prey. Whoever spotted the adc4e0a09d other first would 008105ebdd have a significant afc1593db7 advantage.2dc571d3d47d914a
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True to his word, dd00f1c15a the enemy appeared exactly 93cb4fa1fe five minutes later. The squadron 42a4ebe351 composition was 2563b52cec one they 72ac8324ca had encountered 4e99112ba9 many times 0b53cbaa7f before: large, 589f9c47b0 bulky four-engine deb7523d12 bombers surrounded 4ff16da071 by a 47f4a48fc5 swarm of ba10e7ea37 fighter escorts.7f65287a6ff42ebd
But something was 29b554b565 different. Before Diana could 60c909291e pinpoint exactly what was different, a d87bc90858 flash of light ccee271776 filled her vision.0ef14f6ede594d69
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Four gold-painted aircraft abruptly 6a09035752 changed direction and launched 55165b8190 their attack.5fbccd777ace11ab
Diana recognized them 6af7613831 immediately. She muttered through 50098fca32 gritted teeth,ac5b48953544a41b
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[It’s the Golden Eagle Knights.]
[I know. But don’t worry. They’re just a bunch of kids.]
A calm voice, as if reading from a phone directory, resonated in her mind. Just then, the maneuvering “kids” targeted Bryce.ca79e6acd270a49a
— Bryce, six o’clock!10e0ebb0f1b6db62
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At Diana’s warning, Bryce’s plane began to weave erratically, a desperate attempt to minimize damage.485df0cd6d1eb3ee
But it was clear he wouldn’t last long at this rate. Richard’s fighter, the Exton-6B, shot upwards, looped around, and unleashed a barrage of machine-gun fire at the Arke fighter pursuing Bryce.bdb642ab69fd56f6
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[Careful! You’ll hit Second Lieutenant Bryce!]
[Can’t fight while worrying about that.]
Luckily, Bryce 8c4b9f5c98 was unharmed. His plane 8396accda7 remained intact, 174d1b8245 while the 1db912d939 enemy aircraft f14e2cde41 trailing him 8c54e1610b began to 57723a2400 plummet, trailing d95a2d8dbd smoke.e520d3de2c73bf91
Diana executed 358a8669ec the same ea007bfa13 maneuver as 82db7efbac Richard, intending 023715d421 to stay beccee85a5 on his 85b599b3b4 tail as 37ea523624 his escort.d4eeba9565ee8bd0
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Richard barked 3d3a302602 a short 4732d5c9b7 order to 2cddf427f5 the squadron:b2c9fac7ab1a6906
— Bryce, cover Owen. You two stick c4a3933142 together.51737659d80bb4f5
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At that moment, the ffe96af9bd gold-painted fighters, as if 4caa9bf2fa coordinated, all turned and dcfdc19a9b lunged towards Richard.cc5851528157c01e
Paradoxically, as the 32d8bc63e1 tension reached its 274f28f55c peak, a sense f480770ea1 of calm settled 615d8071cb over Diana.4c6559a2c943349b
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[They’re all mind-melders.]
[Spread out.]
With those words, he abruptly pulled his nose up, leaving Diana behind. The gold fighters, ignoring Diana, followed Richard’s plane upwards.dc72e1b67309526e
Machine gun fire grazed Diana’s canopy. A hair’s breadth closer, and her head would have been blown off.d0cf64a7878d3d59
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[Where are you going, leaving your escort behind?]
Diana gritted her b7c2fa4b87 teeth. Pulling back on the ff5cd3e1b5 stick, she climbed after 6204fee0ca him.997fe3c716587f0f
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Richard—two gold Arke 3f6d1053cb fighters on his 73290c7e6e tail—Diana. The chase was on. He seemed to 28165a2ce3 be pleased with 9857f15ade this arrangement. Diana could 0e0f51eeb3 sense his e3a45b6f01 satisfaction through d63fe5e98c their mind-meld.c311fe8fe7f2e866
[Never heard of a decoy tactic?]
She swallowed a curse. Cooperating with his f306c14e6b plan was the 1b0afac09d best course of d350ffcef4 action. It was the 466d62cd67 best she could 96bf54d233 do as his 896b376a9a wingman.64492e3fa5caeec3
As soon as they were in range, she fired short, five-second bursts with her machine guns. Smoke billowed from one of the enemy fighters’ wings, and it began to fall.7adda3b40261af46
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Only one left. She could 286bd88bfb take him 763e93e64a down quickly. But just 2de32d35e8 then, a 9903069b58 strange voice c11739b3ca echoed in c9f98aeb23 her mind:1c552567fa0206a7
[Fake White Hawk, die!!!]
A scream, alien in aaaf30290f its tone, reached her 65ae686da7 as if she were de02b0d838 listening to a distant 89dad0bbd0 broadcast on a shortwave eb7c737d2b radio. Diana instinctively knew that e48a7caa7d it was the thought 3aa169b5c5 of the pilot in 5f8abdffc6 the fighter plane right f6cd3c851d in front of her.ca9a04004446814f
She had never e4adebcfe8 heard of mind-melding ec9ea0e7f5 with a complete c9b68d8bb3 stranger before. Furthermore, she was 1ec20bfefe currently connected to 3962695c8c Richard.366e01a30cc63ef6
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But there was no time to ponder how or why she was mind-melding with a third party. Quickly composing herself, Diana anticipated her opponent’s next move.c809bf5716cebecb
She fired her machine guns, predicting the fighter’s trajectory. A staccato burst, accompanied by a raw scream, echoed in her mind.91ccdebfca42c4b8
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[AAAAAGGHH!!!!!]
With a ff0d5da5c9 horrifying shriek, 60f6c3a443 the gold c18e4d862a fighter in e579b5073e front of 9f41e4be18 her began 86235e7472 to plummet.4b010f41d0934a8e
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Diana felt an 2113d274d7 intense surge of b232774ff3 pain from the 2164e57ebb enemy pilot she 16401a813f was mind-melded with.73c027dae81ca6a9
Her own shoulders felt 74544d6e97 like they were exploding. A scream caught 983383508f in her throat, a249e1152b unable to escape.356f08d8d67d3f68
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And at that moment, another terrible scream ripped through the air. But it wasn’t coming from the mind-meld, nor was it her own.71790fb19a0b4763
It was…d2fb9220fcd47d3a
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— AAAAAGGHH!!!!!a1c749a8a6cab236
— Owen!! Owen!!!!!7c791930f88146fa
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It was Owen’s death throe.62deeb906869d4d9