ABS FIESTA REDUX

[Qwepir]

"No sir, didn't see anyone but I know some of the enemy flight ejected and are likely down there,"
Jaakko wants to double over, as if it would stop the nausea, but fights the urge to stand upright before the Captain.

He nods and turns to his aide.
: [Take him around the outside to the drone hangar. And get him some dry clothes.]
: [Yes sir.] Come along now, let's get you inside.

The crewman begins leading you down the conning tower and onto the airship's hull, towards the front of the vessel where a VTOL is parked and idling. There are no handholds, and the surface of the airship is worryingly smooth.

[Ad Bot]

[NoZoner]

: Mjolnir-3, we've overheard communications that imply Djuriskas-3 is deserting, and we see an Ardea-class airship prowling around on our scopes too. Orders from the Sky Marshal are for you to shoot them both down.

Lorens blinks incredulously.

"AWACS, Mjolnir-3, I am unable to complete those orders. I have an in-flight emergency: My number two engine is down and I am Bingo fuel. All other pilots in my flight are down, two chutes were spotted thirty miles North of reference point Sierra. Requesting vector to tanker."

[Mr. Hurricane]

Jaakko follows the crewman, carefully watching his step along the way.

[Tayasaurus]

Tippy sighs a breath of relief and slumps in her chair

[Qwepir]

Lorens blinks incredulously.

"AWACS, Mjolnir-3, I am unable to complete those orders. I have an in-flight emergency: My number two engine is down and I am Bingo fuel. All other pilots in my flight are down, two chutes were spotted thirty miles North of reference point Sierra. Requesting vector to tanker."

: You have your orders, Mjolnir. I can't give you a vector to refuel until they're done.

Jaakko follows the crewman, carefully watching his step along the way.

The VTOL takes off as you approach, likely to search for other downed pilots, and you are escorted inside the drone hangar. Inside, poorly lit by yellow-tinged incandescent lights, you see the drone storage- three in-line racks of four Culex-type drones with their wings folded away. Given a few minutes you could probably deduce how they are able to launch.
: Stay here. I am going to get you some dry fatigues.

[Mr. Hurricane]

Jaakko spends his time shivering and deducing how the drones launch from his place in the hangar.

[Gojira]

Markus checks his long range radar, remaining silent for the rest of the long flight back to the Indomitus.

[NoZoner]

"I'm going to fall out of the loving sky before I can get my crosshairs on target! Does command to want to surrender more pilots to the Imperials? Is there at least CSAR coming for the pilots we have down?"

[Qwepir]

"I'm going to fall out of the loving sky before I can get my crosshairs on target! Does command to want to surrender more pilots to the Imperials? Is there at least CSAR coming for the pilots we have down?"

: CSAR has been notified, you'll be picked up if you fall in the ocean.

[NoZoner]

"Is there any other flight in the area that can come to assist?"

[Qwepir]

"Is there any other flight in the area that can come to assist?"

: Negative.

[NoZoner]

Lorens scowls deeply. He tries to find it in himself to follow his orders, but being asked to complete what is essentially a Self Delete mission under the worst possible conditions is enough to make his blood boil.

"... Give me the vector to the target. You better have those loving VTOLs here by the time I have to ditch this thing in the ocean."

[Qwepir]

Lorens scowls deeply. He tries to find it in himself to follow his orders, but being asked to complete what is essentially a Self Delete mission under the worst possible conditions is enough to make his blood boil.

"... Give me the vector to the target. You better have those loving VTOLs here by the time I have to ditch this thing in the ocean."

: Imperial airsub, vector one eight zero, ten miles. Defecting aircraft, vector one six zero, fifteen miles.

[NoZoner]

"Mjolnir-3, turning to heading one eight zero."

Lorens cants the beleaguered Shiva and pitches into a low-G turn. The airframe moans in protest while the lights on the annunciator panel blink silently in perpetual warning. He eventually rolls out in front of the target and chambers slugs into both Gauss cannons.

[Qwepir]

"Mjolnir-3, turning to heading one eight zero."

Lorens cants the beleaguered Shiva and pitches into a low-G turn. The airframe moans in protest while the lights on the annunciator panel blink silently in perpetual warning. He eventually rolls out in front of the target and chambers slugs into both Gauss cannons.

The Ardea doesn't immediately respond to your about-face, but when it becomes clear what your intentions are, it responds with a SAM launch.