Shootdown

2351 Hours, August 24th, 2555

Above New Belgrade, Gilgamesh Free State

Gilgamesh, Alpha Chandra System "Yellow 1, this is New Belgrade Tower, over."

"Yellow 1 here, go ahead New Belgrade Tower, over."

"We've got an unidentified contact on our scopes within New Belgrade restricted airspace, heading 210, without clearance. Yellow 1, Yellow 2, move to intercept, over."

"Roger that New Belgrade Tower, moving to intercept, over."

Switching out his COM to communicate with his wingman, Captain Alex Vens keyed his mic. "You heard the man Leonov, follow me in, moving to intercept" he said, banking his aircraft onto a new heading that would intersect the unidentified bandit's. Consulting his aircraft's panoramic display, he looked on his radar screen. Sure enough, there was one yellow square chugging along on the screen on a 210 heading. Tapping it, he locked on, and looked as a green square around a dot in the distance began moving across his field of vision.

"Got him." Vens said, keying his mic.

"Got him as well Yellow 1. Lead the way, over."

"Roger that, standard intercept pattern" Vens said, pushing the throttle forward and climbing to slightly above the bandit's altitude. Changing his own heading to be slightly ahead of its flight path, he flipped the master arm switch on the console to the 'ARMED' position, and tapped several times on the screen until a circle with a dot in the center appeared on his HUD.

As he approached the craft, from its running lights, the distinct shape of a Pelican became obvious. Slowly drawing back his throttle, Vens felt the rumble of the afterburners fade away as the dropship became larger in his windscreen. Aiming slightly above the ship's cockpit, one moment it was massive in his canopy, so close he could touch it, and the next it was gone, replaced by the night sky and lights of New Belgrade. Drawing back his engine power, Vens exhaled short, choppy breaths as he turned his aircraft around, and felt the G suit around his lower body constricting.