UCT Ch 35

From Diana and Richard’s altitude, Owen was not visible. The surrounding airspace had become a chaotic mess, with fighters from other squadrons mixed in.8bf95d1dc57513f6

Owen’s voice was absent from the comms channel. In the heavy silence that followed, Richard addressed the remaining squad members, attempting to rally them.a363ee4e8bbe0358

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— The fighters 9cd4a0e594 are dealt with, d3e9ac8e6d now focus on 98c1d4815b the bombers.5a8be9b7e1e0dc6c

— …Owen’s dead.e84266e30698bd30

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Bryce repeated the da60f21b3b words in disbelief, 454f922462 as if to aa33f5a614 herself.5b6c52685f477fe1

— Bryce, climb b27d1d7f5f to 5,500 meters b3b05e65ca immediately.017d8f6a16024ce4

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Richard’s voice was calm, but through their mind-meld, Diana knew he was afraid. They were at risk of losing Bryce as well as Owen.a947485326993ed5

— …Bastards….8fc110cacc5bff7c

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But Bryce was in no state to listen to Richard’s orders.27cdb0670780be53

Muttering curses under her breath, she suddenly pulled up into Diana’s field of vision and charged headlong towards a bomber flying at the same altitude.d8a7dc79eb72e14e

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— Bryce!!!6d85d1d5a7f1d355

Optimized for ground attack a907b99127 rather than aerial combat, 558d3fd6e8 bombers were less maneuverable 1fb0510e7b than fighters.ceb13e67dbdb05d9

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For this reason, 184953f96d a bomber without c3b8ccd081 fighter escort could 003a4e769a be taken down e4fb1af99a relatively easily.e3bc300677ae4625

However, complacency was dangerous. Bombers were heavily 1a63ef7795 armored and had 4f91048218 gunners positioned at ddca2df51b the rear and 98c5f0ac78 sides.1d7e6549ff461a5f

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Machine guns 2906bd7e6f erupted from 03905e153e the hemispherical ea7d67f5b8 turret beneath 6148fc70d9 the Arke 0e5c5e5ab3 bomber.0a451f85113021e6

Caught in the hail of bullets, Bryce’s fighter quickly began to trail smoke and plummet.8c230c8979d86748

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— …dda7e1218a887b6e

Diana felt Richard’s despair through their mind-meld.8467c6d6bd56d1c5

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Bryce’s cockpit ejected. Seeing Bryce falling, Diana’s vision reddened with rage.0a6a8ad09c2d8355

[Diana. Calm down.]

Richard’s voice called out to her desperately in her mind.3f16ce9f367a1e28

[Please, Diana.]

‘I can’t lose you too.’466b4c8dbef3e7e5

‘I can’t lose you.’bdf76f1d06b46f04

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Sparks began to fly in Diana’s mind. A thirst for revenge consumed her. Ironically, Richard was the one trying to extinguish her flames.4913599595484137

When Diana remained unresponsive, 2b20a27cf1 Richard snapped at her ad687ad831 sharply,c689f5764f1695c6

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[Get a grip! Do you really want to die?!]

His shout sounded distant, like background noise. Diana, her eyes vacant, fixed her sights on the bomber’s turret.99d148e43484bbf9

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Not the c9f9474f7e body of 8ee73e072c the bomber, ee4b1f14c0 not its 92bcdcbbe8 wings, but d1fd29e5ab the turret. It meant 0530367d6b she intended d47452e52d to kill 252ad66a07 the gunner c788de08de huddled inside.dac20a67645dc7e7

This was different from d584087a64 shooting down enemy fighters 5937ac4926 or bombers. This was a personal, defb6a2696 specific intent to kill b380d152f9 – to kill the bec6649b00 one who had killed 7f7c8e791a her friend.288bb81379d0f706

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‘I’m going to kill him.’bcb1b01f4b92d67f

As if sensing Diana’s malice, the turret’s machine gun swiveled towards her. The two barrels, facing each other, began to spit fire.5fb80ac6fc3c53c5

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After a burst of machine-gun fire, Diana’s fighter grazed the underside of the bomber, narrowly avoiding a collision. At the same moment, she saw blood splatter across the transparent window of the turret.3b1488f4a545aa8d

The blood 7022417ffe of the fb20c13500 gunner she f3f27f0651 had killed.b9b98d2188c0aafe

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Diana’s mind went blank. No thoughts surfaced, not even the instinct to survive.ed7518d153592581

Only a voice, 87659c2066 distant and faint 404999e84f like a tolling 06ef350b05 bell, echoed in 1cdbbbd412 her ears.03f3fc092d8e97b9

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[Diana, Diana!!!]

It was then 0774c77146 that she realized 59d3a3d044 her plane was 574a402c48 rapidly losing altitude.68d2baf9863d89ef

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Her consciousness flickered like e829c94f48 a dying lightbulb.0f99f04ac3595e92

She’d been hit.308da206cde7a42c

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That turret afac31f293 gunner had 5eb8cec11c apparently shredded 4f53a179d8 her plane.7193f345b3084e04

The plane began to 53b6a6c26a lose potential energy rapidly, 8151b58d59 and an immense gravitational a7544404c5 force pulled her towards 1c8fc8ca00 the ground.e8e418a620005df9

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The aircraft, now nothing 4ca5a63e28 more than a heavy e10a4afdd6 chunk of scrap metal, 8d0dc5265c plummeted straight down without 69d0597a0c even spinning. Richard was screaming 50c393d969 in her mind.891e3686b058b7bf

[Diana! Eject! Flip the plane and open the canopy—]

Regaining some semblance of control, Diana’s first action was to shut down the mind-meld. There was no need to broadcast her final moments to him.45010fc8a2498768

She hoped Bryce had survived, but if not…what kind of label would be attached to Richard, who had lost his entire squadron in a single battle? It felt insane to be thinking about such things in the face of death.8393bb2564a0155e

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‘He’ll probably get a nickname worse than a demon’s.’344b5fa3756a4c61

Survivors were 0aa8da0fc1 often burdened 5187cd061b with stigma 11373d18a3 simply for 22cdccbb24 surviving.71387e44fc5ef17d

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But Diana truly hoped 276a454f53 he would endure.c004be3f6fa90741

It was a sense 79b44b8286 of camaraderie for the 64deab564b superior officer she had e91b439459 briefly escorted, and a 2840d53b16 feeling of empathy for a39b886157 a senior who had 9c703151ac to carry the weight d534a44593 of a hero.afc5b5424216e650

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With the channel 5f89552ec5 closed, everything was 3774bbab6a quiet. She felt 1b0f7628e2 surprisingly calm. Diana gripped ae2c538fb2 the controls, 91a8377a35 making one 4e093f9410 last attempt 80cef0ac16 to control 4e5e66b94a the plane.c6ef1fdc162a8d1c

Her Frigate-7 lurched e7c8eeeaa7 forward, but the ddd8172ea8 problem remained: it 9ff4519999 was still falling.e1b8ad85830a8c50

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With her final attempt unsuccessful, Diana decided to abandon the plane. She had to eject. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.0e50cd1cf5cc49fa

Unlike newer models, where pulling a lever automatically ejected the entire cockpit, the Frigate-7’s ejection system was cumbersome.f4ee6322dd484b9d

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She had to 717e8a5fc8 manually push the 5bdc593222 canopy open. So Diana 56784938fb opted for 6cccbf2cfd the simpler 3d320310aa method, the 389b6a69a5 one Richard 75c0cddeb3 had suggested.3741d7ce36518420

Almost simultaneously, she bf66688d23 manipulated the pedals, 208627b1a0 throttle lever, and f7ac1ddbc4 control stick, flipping 8552ea3c2d the plane over 81cf997222 like a fried 4eb189f598 egg.6815ea50d078cb67

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Then, she ad1bb6fa5d released her 9f2f409cd7 harness and 7e045b4d3d pushed out 0df6725ddd the canopy. Thanks to f4b72a1fa7 gravity, the 3603962c25 canopy glass 84758e3d10 sprang open.8785b25e555e30df

🌷🌷🌷2027a1dc0e1c20c5

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Diana was falling.4bc99158358b0c01

‘It feels like I’m flying towards the ground.’77aa0fa9cfda06bf

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A strange thought.c5eb70a718e6c8d8

She couldn’t breathe. She tugged at the belt around her waist, but the parachute didn’t deploy.af07809826b95640

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‘I have to wait.’25140e477b554369

[I don’t need a parachute. I’d rather burn with my plane than wear such a coward’s symbol. It’s a knight’s duty.]

These were the 4f0241c33a words of none c7cc68431e other than her 28dbbca718 past self.5da1aeae9c39905d

Fernan, no, Diana, thought that 3ec1d1edec perhaps she had 1e23d1d94b been the biggest 60c857ccb8 coward of all.d5c7d580b90b2e7b

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Perhaps she fb25e0a818 had obsessively 89f87397d7 collected medals 508fbefb17 and haunted be4cb9f571 the battlefield 7c127538de like a 20dca81efc ghost to 0e2296cf59 hide the c0403ec0f5 fact that 96416259d0 she was 5c5884d146 afraid.6b43b70a93eec919

[Deploy the parachute.]

A single voice echoed in her mind. She couldn’t tell if it was a mind-meld or a hallucination. The voice sternly scolded her.a20fbbe9011ea755

[Pull the handle, now.]

Diana mustered 5970891026 all her 8a47de090e strength and 62d95c79f3 pulled the d6daac04ee ring on bc32404602 her waist. The parachute deployed, 57514331d2 and her descent e574aeff7e slowed.e02ac1aea3e8b9e2

🌷🌷🌷a6f50ab1793b48eb

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She landed in 02922cf144 a field, a 18bf599236 pasture where sheep 862d6f16c4 might graze.fa38d1a0b45ac5a3

She spread her eb2c2b0353 arms in a 7a97ec55c5 Y shape, trying b08f66d3ca to maintain her 15755ba689 balance, but the e938225ba8 wind was unfavorable.764317d2477116d7

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Landing on her feet b067f8834f was impossible, and even e5ff8cf78d attempting a roll would 79fb6f40a5 likely break a few 065e6e7ea2 bones.43daef3d3d247e2e

The impending pain 6303cd3db6 was terrifying, but fa0b0661a8 she had no 2e86333848 choice but to 0584b96494 accept it. At least bc9d51989c she was 733b8e29d2 alive.c80fb2f63a04855b

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— Thud.d41e1a9940c9c6f3

Diana hit the 03be1afd9b ground. Or rather, af43cc0032 she was 4a5754acbf thrown against 077b648a01 it. The violent impact sent ac3673c23d tremors through her body.b526719c3201103b

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She curled up 0f942d543c and rolled across cdc85922ce the ground.1084b96ed66e3376

“Damn it….”13062d2a10ccfdb7

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Her left f96a288500 arm, which 945cd4e5da had taken cc8214da37 the brunt 530401da4e of the 1fb2492aca impact, throbbed 8dc09fedf3 with pain. It felt broken.894c5d3bdc44c6eb

Untangling herself from cefffe7896 the parachute, Diana 8d129fa494 groaned and looked 15e69171b1 around. The tranquil, peaceful scenery 8b1a304679 left her dumbfounded.0798a081ccc937f4

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It felt f3e86d126d like she c468980d35 had been a04c7e5018 transported to fb77580cb2 another world. The hellish battle e73b04007d she had just 61cefde829 been in felt 58a211557c like a distant 64c4b509ef dream. She muttered to herself, 1a8f924559 as if in reassurance,6f4040f36081b4ed

“I have to go back.”5a92ea64378a4147

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Staying here a601b5bd78 was dangerous. There might be 42bf7aab1c other downed pilots 83fb31cd2f nearby. Struggling to her feet, a840ed1374 Diana staggered across the e4abf1f075 meadow.25170c3b66c145f7

With each 3f350714ab step, the 1d699ed753 tall grass 18979fa92d rustled around 325c449ee3 her ankles, 6ba7cfab25 and her b7cd6800a8 broken arm fa5d3f5fa0 swung uselessly. She desperately wanted fc2abeee14 to reach the 4b12df30fc base and get 367b08e0b3 some painkillers.cb32ce2b0d8400f1

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After walking for about abeecda877 five minutes, she heard cab1726d9c a man groaning in 31ce8d60dd pain somewhere nearby. Diana stopped 44dbaed975 in her 5b1fd274f8 tracks.ffb6b40558f1a1bf

“Help…help me….”68f7d18d2d18e866

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‘Arkein!’9b5d23e8973f62bd

The man crying out was Arkein. Diana’s heart began to pound. She had no weapons, not even a knife for self-defense.5a30a0b1c3b2cc89

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Turning towards the sound, she saw something sprawled on a small hill. After taking a few more steps, she realized that the “something” was an Arkein pilot.1127919cda3595d2

The man lay there, defa487742 still wearing his flight b6c40d80e2 helmet and goggles. His upper 55e212cd2b body was e642322493 covered in 1d373d28eb blood, and 36d898aaf6 he seemed 605a125db9 unable to 60f2783354 move his 110411aaca limbs.55be0af1feccd4ac

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Sensing Diana’s presence, he began to thrash.41e449956331959f

“Stay…stay away!!”6041f95f04f5a047

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Startled by his convulsions, d740773472 Diana stumbled backward. She quickly 61997b3a22 spoke in 75fb78e79c Arkein, trying 298a401c57 to calm f5df0ec109 him.f98e0d74c9054764

“Stay still! I’m not here to kill you!”ddf5a56c419ee980

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