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03.02.916.M38
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The first day I ever saw a T'au Barracuda, I shot it down—along with forty-six more,- Terran Dominion fighter ace
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POV Lieutenant of the Terran Dominion
"Even as we speak, our forces are already engaging T'au defenses across the entire frontier. We don't have much room to maneuver. Intelligence indicates the T'au outnumber us significantly, so these worlds must fall fast—even if that means taking casualties," the commander said, marking several key points on the map with his command baton.
"But you… you are the very best of the Dominion's air arm. If you're here, it's because you belong to the elite. The Emperor knows it. The Lord Regent does as well. Your mission is simple: neutralize the planetary anti-air systems to open the way for insertion pods. T'au shields project domes over the most fortified sectors, rendering conventional bombardment useless. That's why we'll conduct direct insertions to eliminate those defenses."
"That's where you come in. You'll execute a warp jump within shield range. We considered sending a battlecruiser, but with the concentration of fire in that zone, losing even one—or a Gorgon—wouldn't be surprising. Your task is to strike, destroy the anti-air, and get out. Refit, go back in, and repeat. Every critical target must fall."
The commander swept over the markers one last time.
"This isn't a contest to see who downs the most enemies. It's an operation. Treat it as such. Any questions?" the commander asked.
"Yes… will the Archangel be part of the operation?" I asked, raising my hand.
"Negative. The Archangel has been held in reserve. We don't want the T'au seeing all our cards from the outset," the commander replied.
I clicked my tongue, disappointed. Piloting that machine was always a privilege.
"Don't be arrogant, Lieutenant," he added dryly. "The T'au may be filthy xenos, but they're dangerous. Don't underestimate them."
"Yeah… I'm well aware," I replied without much interest.
The commander sighed heavily. "Get to your Sky Furies," he said, gesturing toward the exit.
There was nothing more to say. I stood and headed straight for the hangar. There they were—aligned, pristine, ready. Our ships.
"Good morning, tech," I said with a grin, resting a hand on the fuselage. "How's the most beautiful princess in this star system?"
She blushed faintly and looked at me before answering. "Oh… I'm fine," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"I mean her," I added, giving the craft a gentle tap, "the real princess of the system. Only surpassed in beauty by the queen… the Archangel."
"Idiot," she replied with a tired smile. "But she's in optimal condition, Lieutenant. Ammo topped off, missiles loaded, fission generator at full output. Phoenix Protocol active. Drones and repair nanobots ready. Everything's prepared for the mission," she said, reviewing the data on her tablet with a bitter tone.
"Good… this should be entertaining. Fighting the T'au will be fun—as long as they put up a decent fight," I murmured.
I donned the sealed suit, activated the comms, and climbed into the fighter. I secured the multipoint harness, locking myself into the seat.
"Ready and standing by," I reported over the radio.
"Confirmed, Lieutenant. Await High Command authorization to commence the attack," came the reply.
I drummed my fingers on the console, setting an unconscious rhythm. With the helmet's audio dampening engaged, all I felt was the vibration through my gloves.
We waited several minutes. My chronometer ticked over to 09:00 exactly.
"Green light, green light. Clear immediately. Jump to transmitted coordinates—by Arcturus," the commander ordered over the net.
I engaged the afterburners and my princess woke instantly. I input the coordinates and engaged the warp engine. The jump lasted only seconds. When we emerged, we were already inside the war zone. Sensors flared to life, tagging multiple defensive systems locking onto me.
"All right, boys. Disperse and go nap-of-the-earth. Dump missiles and return to carrier," I ordered the squadron.
"Copy," came back across multiple channels.
I put the Sky Fury into a dive. Fire of every caliber tried to track me and failed. I accelerated to fifty percent of maximum velocity, weaving through projectiles and punching through explosions without difficulty.
Up to seventy percent. The computer confirmed the target: heavy anti-air towers, concentrating fire.
I executed evasive maneuvers, snapping into a hard turn and sliding right. No hits. A few kilometers from the objective, I released Lancer torpedoes—ordnance designed to breach a cruiser's hull, wasted on these defenses.
I fired four. The towers detonated just as I roared overhead.
"How're those games going, kids? This xeno scum can't even aim," I said over the radio as they kept firing.
"Confirmed. Their systems don't traverse fast enough to track us," one of the pilots replied.
"I've got five towers destroyed. How many you got?" another chimed in.
"A competition?" I answered with a slight smile. "Fine… then let's do this properly."
I dropped back to nap-of-the-earth. Fire everywhere. I climbed sharply and then dropped into a straight plunge toward another fortification, descending at supersonic speed while rolling the fuselage. Missiles missed by centimeters as I released another salvo. More defenses shattered under the impact.
"Twelve confirmed. VTOL engaged," I announced as I initiated the transformation system, converting the fighter into a combat walker.
At low altitude, I activated the system. Pressure washed over my body as the craft shifted shape, transitioning from fighter to combat walker. I slammed straight into a group of T'au; the Sky Fury's mass crushed them without resistance as its feet hit the ground.
I brought the Gatling cannons online immediately.
There was a heavy concentration of T'au around the anti-air towers. Some were hauling ammunition, others trying to put out the fires we'd started in nearby defenses. I squeezed the trigger and began dumping belts without haste, without deliberate aim. There was no need. The heavy rounds tore them apart on contact.
''Valhalla, I'm coming!''
I focused fire on a hovering armored vehicle anchored to the fortification. It was large, well-shielded, with a heavy weapon mounted on top. Emptying the Gatlings wasn't enough, so I fired a shoulder-mounted missile. The impact erased it completely.
The computer reported multiple hits on the fuselage. Minimal damage.
I reactivated VTOL and launched myself over the fortification. On the final pass, I pushed to maximum thrust, weaving through fire on the climb, and unloaded everything left in reserve. Several more towers detonated under the strike.
"Out of ammo. Returning to carrier," I reported over comms. "Eighteen towers confirmed… and one armored unit."
I engaged the warp engine and reappeared near the battlecruiser in orbit. One by one, the rest of the squadron returned. We were all back.
"Easy," I commented.
"And it's about to get even easier. We disabled close to a tenth of their anti-air defenses," someone said while checking mission status.
"Not bad for seven minutes of work," added one of the female pilots.
"Hey… seven minutes is a marathon," I replied, holding back a laugh.
"Seven minutes is nothing," another female pilot shot back.
"Careful—want me to have a heart attack? Seven minutes is too long," someone else laughed.
"Silence on the channel," the commander cut in. "Drop the jokes and reload."
I returned to the cruiser's hangar and the crews immediately began rearming. I watched as magazines were swapped and the Gatlings fed, while the biosteel along the fuselage started to seal and regenerate under the repair systems.
Five minutes later, the ships were ready. We adjusted the jump coordinates slightly and ran the route again.
The difference was obvious. Several anti-air emplacements were already gone. I had more room to maneuver and no longer had to dodge constant fire. Dozens of missiles struck almost simultaneously, blowing apart more towers.
"I've got company on my six," someone warned over the radio. "Three behind me," he added.
"Copy. Alpha-4, I'm inbound. Try to shake them," I replied.
"Roger, Alpha-1. Evasive maneuvers," came the answer.
I pushed the craft close to its theoretical output and closed the distance in seconds. The radar picked up the pursuers. I tried to analyze their signatures, but the data didn't match anything in the Dominion's archives.
"All right… fighting blind," I murmured. "Now this gets interesting...Fortune favors the Bold!..."
I caught them and settled onto their six.
"I'm behind them. Firing missiles," I informed Alpha-4.
I waited for lock—nothing. The system couldn't hold them.
"They've got a system that disrupts their magnetic spectrum," I reported.
The T'au reacted as soon as they realized I was on them.
"Alpha-4, continue mission. These are mine," I said with a grin, breaking after the one that peeled right.
"No… no…," I muttered sarcastically. "Your ship isn't more agile. And it's not faster."
I fired a missile using thermal guidance only. It was about to hit when it dumped countermeasures—flares and something else, a magnetic field that scrambled the track.
"They thought of everything," I said, still smiling.
"Alpha-1, you've got—!" someone tried to warn me.
"I know. Four on my tail… and missiles," I replied, watching the alerts flare.
I banked slightly right and rolled through a full turn, letting the missile overshoot. I repeated the maneuver on the second; it grazed my left wing without touching me.
"Good… time to teach them," I said, cracking my neck.
I punched the throttle and caught one of them in seconds. I was so close I could make out hull details. I feathered the Gatling. A short burst was enough—the thrusters blew apart and the craft started to fall.
"Let's see how you like that."
I climbed hard, the other four chasing.
"Looks like nobody taught them how to fire in close combat," I transmitted. "Use that—keep hitting them. They're afraid of hitting their own."
I dove at full speed. I killed conventional guidance systems and, when I slipped back onto their six, launched the missile. I broke away without looking back. The explosion said everything.
I regained altitude. More missiles lit up the radar. Now I had eight behind me.
"Did you leave me alone?" I asked.
"Reloading," most of them replied.
"Perfect," I murmured. "More glory for me."
My pulse hammered in my chest. I flew straight, dropped, then climbed again in seconds. When the T'au tried to mirror the move, I switched to VTOL and cut thrust dead. they overtook me. I re-engaged VTOL and chased.
"Bring DAT ass here," I said, squeezing the trigger.
Three ships detonated under a single burst. Several more were crippled. Over the next minutes I downed four more with Gatlings and missiles until I was dry.
"That one's not getting away."
The last ship had been trying to shake me for a while. I accelerated until I was flying alongside it—so close that,If the T'au have a wider canopy, I could've waved.
"Test the Dominion's adamantium."
I dipped the wing and used it like a blade. It worked better than expected. The craft lost control, spun wildly, and smashed into the ground. But no explosion.
Anti-air fire came back online. I activated VTOL, dropped near the crash site, and saw a T'au crawling out of the wreck. It looked up as I landed beside it. I didn't waste time. I stepped forward and crushed it under the Sky Fury's foot.
I engaged VTOL again, climbed at speed, and ignited the warp engine.
I reappeared in space and slid into the hangar.
I opened the canopy and exhaled. "Nine kills confirmed… damn...I am the best pilot in the 73 worlds of the Dominion," I said, flexing my arms.
"Yeah, yeah, very impressive. Now reload your damned ship and get back out there—I've got reports of more T'au craft incoming," the commander snapped.
"Understood," I replied, energized, as I waited for the crews to reload my fighter.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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I would like to inform you that new chapters of this story will be posted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This is Friday's chapter, and I can tell you that on Wednesdays I will offer a second chapter in exchange for comments.