Yeesh, when am I gonna stop writing so much Ranma?! ^_^ Yes, this is
loosely based on Wing Commander, what with a battle between humans and
aliens. I am not using the Kilrathi, however. Enough of my drivel, on with
the show!
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Ranma 1/2: WIng Commander
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"ALERT! ALERT! GORATH FIGHTERS APPROACHING! ALL FIGHTER WINGS,
PREPARE FOR IMMEDIATE TAKEOFF! REPEAT, ALL FIGHTER WINGS PREPARE FOR
IMMEDIATE TAKEOFF!"
Lieutenant First Class Ranma Saotome hastily finished his slider,
the term for a hamburger dating back to the U.S. Navy, and raced out of the
E.D.S. Grayson Towler's cafeteria after the other pilots and crewmen. The
thunder of combat boots pounding the metal floors of the Galaxy-Class
Battlecruiser filled the narrow corridors as people rushed to battlestations
as the red alert klaxon blared it's strident signal from every direction.
Ranma hated that noise, but supposed it was necessary. His job was just to
pilot his Hornet into battle against the Gorath.
"Hey, Saotome!" came a voice from behind as he rushed to one of the
twenty hangar bays situated around Grayson Towler's structure. He didn't
turn as Sergeant Second Class Hiroshi Sato pulled up beside him. "Ready to
kick some Gorath ass?"
"Always, Hiro!" Ranma shouted in reply. Hiroshi was a decent pilot,
if not a tad careless. He wasn't in Ranma's league, but was good enough as a
wingman.
"Hey, hear about the new pilot from the Eisenhower?"
"Nah, what's his name?"
"Not a guy, Ranma. It's a chick!"
"So?" Personally, Ranma didn't feel that women belonged in combat,
despite the fact that there were two in his own squadron.
"She's in our squad, man!" Hiroshi exclaimed as they reached the
lift that would take them up to Alpha Deck. The large gunmetal gray doors
slid open without a sound, admitting the two along with several other
pilots. "Came to replace Hibiki." Hiroshi's voice was quieter now, both out
of respect for their fallen comrade and the fact that the noise wasn't as
deafening in the lift.
"Damn fool shouldn't have gone off by himself," Ranma growled. The
loss of Ryoga, his former wingman, was as painful as the loss of a brother.
In a way, the two were closer than brothers, as were many in the Earth
Defense Force. They were comrades in arms, having stared death in the face
without blinking. Ryoga had broken off from the squadron during a routine
patrol in the Grasyon Towler's secure zone to chase after a bogey that had
fired off a few shots. Moments later, several Gorath Portus-clss fighters
appeared from a nearby nebula. He could still hear Ryoga's screams as the
ion bolts tore his Scimitar to shreds.
The lift doors opened to the sight of more officers and enlisted
personnel rushing about the corridors, Ranma and Hiroshi bolting right
toward the hangar. It was time to get a little payback for Ryoga...
=========================================
The cockpit of the EDF Hornet class fighter fit him almost like a
glove as he climbed into it. As the cockpit closed around him, Ranma
hurriedly activated the systems with practiced ease. Panels and monitors
flickered to life all around him as the HUD engaged on the clear interior of
his cockpit view.
He didn't have to look to make sure the other members of the Moko
Takabisha squadron were also hurrying through pre-flight system checks. They
were all well-trained fighters and knew their tasks like the backs of their
hands. Casting a glance at the small picture of he and Ryoga on shore leave
on Beta-3, he locked his oxygen mask in place.
"Hey, you're Ranma, right?" the female voice asked over the commlink.
"Yeah. Who're you?"
"Your new wingman. Name's Ukyo. Sergeant First Class Ukyo Kuonji,"
she replied with cheer and anticipation.
"Well then, Ukyo, glad to have ya."
"Glad to be here, sugar."
"Oh, and it's SIR, not SUGAR!"
"Yes, sir," Ukyo's shamed voice returned.
"Let's go, guys!" Ranma shouted to all his wingmen, "Time to kick
ass an' take names!" The chorous of cheers nearly made his ears bleed as his
hornet blasted forth into the great expanse of space.
====================================
"There they are!" Lieutenant Second Class Tatewaki Kuno shouted over
the commlink. "Let us go and teach these curs the meaning of honor! Once
more unto the breach..."
"Stow the poetry, Kuno," Ranma growled.
"Hast thou no poetry in thy soul!" Kuno demanded.
"No, but I got a big can 'o whupass with the Gorath's name on it!"
"I got bogeys comin' in!" D'Augustino shouted from her own Hornet,
"Twelve o'clock!"
"All right, people," Ranma said, setting his face in a mask of feral
bloodlust, "let's pay them back for Ryoga!" Ranma pulled the stick back,
angling his Hornet upward toward the incoming Gorath with Hiroshi and Ukyo
following suit. His radar showed the other members of Moko Takabisha angling
off with their own wingmen
"Shinra class," Ukyo said as they approached, "thos're short range
fighters."
"Gotta have a carrier nearby," Hiroshi said nervously. "I thought
this part of the Alpha Quadrant was secure!"
"Guess not," Ranma said, "Break formation and engage the enemy!"
"YES, SIR!" they choroused as the other two Hornets angled off from
Ranma's wings. Ranma's HUD locked onto one of the Gorath fighters, a red
square appearing around the approaching ship. He pressed the small button
atop the stick, twin bolts of neon green energy lancing out of the nose
cannons. The twin pulse shots slammed into the Gorath ship, reducing it to
flaming space debris as the Hornet rocketed through the fireball.
"Got one!" More red dots appeared on his HUD, swarming in as more
Goraths joined the party. As far as Ranma was concerned, however, the more
the merrier. Cutting his afterburners, he engaged his turning thrusters to
bring another Gorath ship into view. The small fighter was shaped much like
a teardrop, a single thruster in the aft propelling it forward. Shinra-class
fighters weren't as maneuverable as their Edea-class cousins, but were still
dangerous in a pack. Unfortunately, a pack was just what they were up against.
He re-engaged his afterburners, throttling up to full as he brought
the Gorath into range. The ship turned away, its thruster glowing bright in
the darkness of space as it sped away.
"I don't think so," Ranma growled as he slowly closed in on the
fleeing ship. The Gorath turned abruptly, angling back to the center of the
battle. Ranma easily matched the move, the red rectangle appearing around
the fleeing ship. He held down the trigger button beneath his right
forefinger, activating the laser cannons. The rapid-fire bursts of red
energy burst forth from beneath the nose of the Hornet, ramming against the
hull of the Gorath ship with a hellish barrage. The ship burst into flames
as the volley destroyed its engines. Ranma angled sharply away from the
exploding fighter, the thrill of battle surging through his veins.
He noticed one of the Gorath trying to get a lock on him, moving in
from above to catch him by surprise. Before he could counter the attack,
however, the blip vanished.
"Score one for the Ucchan!" Ukyo shouted oer the commlink."
"I coulda handled that."
"You're welcome," she said sourly as she moved off to handle another
attacking fighter.
"Need some help, here!" Hiroshi shouted, "I got a bogey on my six
and I can't shake him!"
"Hang on, Hiro," Ranma said as he checked Hiroshi's relative
position on the HUD, "I'm comin'!"
"I can't get rid of the... Ahgh! That hurt, shithead!" Ranma came up
from below to see Hiroshi's aft section spewing smoke and flames. His eyes
narrowed as he readied the pule cannons. While slower to fire and requiring
more energy, the blast was enough to turn just about any Gorath fighter
under a Portus-class into dust. He achieved the lock, depressing the fire
button with a vengeance. Two volleys from the pulse cannon smacked into the
Gorath, vaporizing it completely.
"You okay?" Ranma asked.
"I'm in bad shape, sir," Hiro replied. "Rear stabilizers are out,
and engines are at forty percent. This thing acts like it wants to fall
apart on me!"
"Get back to Grayson," Ranma said, "you're useless now."
"Glad to know you care, Saotome," Hiroshi said with a chuckle as he
turned back toward the cruiser.
The view from Ranma's cockpit was streaked with red and green bursts
of energy as the battle raged on. His HUD tracked a hundred Shinra-class
Gorath fighters as they waged war against the forces of EDS Grayson Towler.
A Scimitar-class fighter streaked past his field of vision, it's twin ion
cannons blasting death onto a fleeing Gorath. From the markings, a cartoon
eagle wearing a bandanna and brandishing a machine gun, it had to be from
Beta Squadron.
Suddenly, his HUD tracked another twenty ships coming in from the
Grayson Towler's position, their purple transponder beacons closing in at an
incredible rate.
"The Arwings," he said with envy in his voice.
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That's all I have so far. the idea came ot me just last night, so I
haven't had much time to think it over. Any ideas, comments, questions? Love
to hear 'em!
Jed