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EXCERPT:
A beeping noise caused Baymond to glance down at the instrument panel of his starfighter. Everette’s Tornado was bearing in on his tail, trying to lock on a missile. He grinned and soared upward, curving away from the Tornado before Everette was successful. The g-force pushed him into his seat and he tensed as his anti-gravity flight suit squeezed his legs to prevent a black-out.
“Candle, want to test the Liberator in a dogfight?” Everette said over the radio.
“You’re on, Hunter,” Baymond said into his helmet mike. He shot by Everette’s starfighter, then looped around and headed back. The Tornado was now too far away to see and he relied on his air combat instrumentation to locate it. On the screen, he spotted it over the ocean and flew in that direction.
Approaching rapidly, he tried to get a lock on the Tornado as his helmet sensors pressed against precise points on his head so he could control the weapons by thought. The Tornado shot off so fast, he couldn’t target it. Baymond soared after it, pleased with how quickly the Liberator could accelerate and how it handled at high speeds. The dot on his screen showed that Everette had reduced his speed and was returning to engage.
The mock dogfight continued as the two starfighters tore back and forth across the sky.
Baymond finally succeeded in locking onto Everette’s Tornado. Across the display came MOCK KILL. “Got ya!” he yelled.
“I’m dying!” Everette flew the Tornado into a nosedive. He pulled up at the last minute, climbing back into the air. “I’ve been reborn.”
Baymond chuckled. “Only to die again.” A flashing red light caught his attention. He glanced at his display. The words ENGINE OVERHEATING appeared. His laughter faded. “Hunter, I’m having trouble with my engines.” Baymond switched them off. “I’m going to let them cool off.”
“You’re dropping too fast!” Everette yelled. His ship was directly above Baymond’s. The ocean loomed up quickly in the viewport. Baymond switched on two of the four engines. He skimmed the surface of the ocean and rose into the sky.
The words ENGINE OVERHEATING appeared on the screen again.
Another voice crackled in Baymond’s ear. “Ground control to Candle. Gain altitude and eject.”
“I’m going to try to bring her in.”
“Negative. Eject Immediately. The engines could catch on fire and she could explode.”
Ignoring orders, Baymond switched on the other two engines and switched off the two that were overheating. His heart raced as he soared toward the airstrip. Warning lights flashed. The two remaining engines were dangerously hot.
I can’t die! I can’t do that to Fawn, he thought.
He turned off all the engines, dropped the landing gear, and glided in for a landing. The Liberator hit the concrete and rolled forward. One of the engines burst into flames. Baymond pulled a lever and discharged a fire extinguisher agent on the engine, then threw open the canopy top and leaped out. Adrenaline pumped through him as he sprinted away from the ship.
The wail of sirens pierced the air as two fire trucks sped over to the Liberator.
Author Bio:
Heidi Skarie's life as a writer began when she had a dramatic dream about a futuristic world at war. The vivid dream was like watching an action/adventure movie. Excited about the dream, she recorded it upon awakening. That night the dream continued where it left off. After six nights, Heidi had a hundred-page journal recording the series of dreams. This awakened her interest in writing, which continues to be one of her greatest passions today.
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