There was still an energy in the air of the cockpit after the Denver’s transporter had beamed the Doctor and Aoife directly to sickbay. The comms unit crackled to life, slicing through the hum of engines with the captain’s voice. “Denver to Knight Actual.” Rebecca’s voice, usually calm and controlled, now carried an unmistakable edge of tension, each word taut with the weight of unspoken urgency.

“Knight actual…Go ahead Denver,” Ming replied as he proceeded en route to the Denver with Knight 5 (Knight 2 riding shotgun as it were).

“With one fighter already shot down I need you to escort the shuttles down to the triage center. This planet is turning into a powder keg and we’re sitting on top of it and I don’t know who has a match,” Rebecca ordered.

Marcus winced.  While the Valkyries were definitely a favorable addition to the Starfleet arsenal this was war.  He’d trade the loss of a fighter for the life of a pilot anytime.  He aimed to keep that the norm if there were to be any losses.   

“Understood, Denver.  Knight 5, who’s flying with Knight 2, is going to be landing in the landing bay momentarily.  We’ll be reactivating my and the former Ranger 5’s old Peregrines to make up for the lost Valkyrie.   The extra air cover should help even the odds at least a little bit out there,” Ming replied.  

“Be safe Knights.  We’ll track incoming hostile, but sensors are limited in the atmosphere due to interference.  We cannot promise adequate warning.” The Denver’s flight coordinator replied.

“Understood Denver.  Thanks for the heads up,” Ming replied before putting the channel on standby.  

The two Valkyries landed in the Denver landing bay.  The canopies for Valkyrie Actual and Five lifted.  Ming was the first one out.  

“Murphy, Andrews, Kincaid, Xellath….Front and center!  XO, Knight 5….With me” Ming barked in true style.  

Órlaith looked up at the calling of her name. Glancing at one of the junior crew chiefs she handed him the spanner she was using and fell in line with the rest of the assembly of the summoned flight crew.

Abara sauntered up joining Knight’s Actual and two.  He was curious as to what his old friend and commander of his wing (for the second time) was up to. The crew chief, ordinance chief, and technician showed up a scant few seconds later with curious looks on their faces as well.

“We need to press the two Peregrines back into service. Mr. Xellath, are they ready to go,” Ming asked.

The Tellarite nodded and said, “Sound in all respects, Mr. Ming.  Perfect working order and ready to go.”

Ming glanced at Mikela and asked, “Chief Andrews…Are both ships armed?”

“Of course L.T.  Standard ordinance and ready to fight and do damage as needed,” Andrews said in her lilt. 

“Very good.  Órlaith…Think you’re ready to take flight,” Ming said as his eyes focused on the blonde lady he’d accepted as his protégé.

With eyes as wide as saucers she started at Ming for a long moment dumbfounded not sure she was hearing correctly. “Sir,” Órlaith asked.

“Cadet,” Sh’iv started, “You joined us to be a pilot didn’t you?”

Órlaith swallowed, took a deep breath, and nodded her head with more confidence than she felt. “Yes, ma’am I’m ready.”

Marcus nodded and said, “Very well.  Órlaith…You’ll take my old fighter.  I am assigning Chief Andrews as your gunner.  You’ll have command of the fighter but Mikela will be assisting with fire control as an added edge.”

He paused and looked at Sh’iv, “You’ve got Abara’s old fighter.  I’m having Specialist Kincade join you as well. These two are rated as gunners and highly qualified.  Doesn’t matter how good we all are.  An edge is an edge and we need that.  Unfortunately, these two are the ONLY two qualified gunners on the ship who aren’t already pilots otherwise I’d be assigning others to me and Kincade. The Peregrines are more heavily armed and slower than the Valkyries so that’s where the added gunners are best placed.  The added crew is not a negative statement about either of your flying abilities.  I want to make that abundantly clear.”  

Knight Actual gave a pointed look to each woman in turn indicating a response was expected.  He waited for both to respond.

Both women shrugged at Ming’s explanation, their reactions almost synchronized. Sh’iv, having flown with the flight leader for years, immediately understood the rationale behind his decisions. She knew Knight Actual’s strategic choices were never arbitrary or personal. Experience had taught her that his actions were always calculated to maximize their operational effectiveness and ensure mission success.

As for Órlaith, she was glad of the extra help.  She had logged nearly 500 hours of simulator time, and of course, before joining the Denver she had another thousand hours or so of shuttle experience flying shuttles and other small craft for her psychotic parents. But this was an entirely new experience.  She had never actually flown a fighter, and of course never in combat.  She was glad Andrews was there so all she had to focus on was flying.

Ming SOMEHOW managed not to smile at the look on his protégés face. He’d seen similar looks on many faces before. In all honesty, he wore that look a few times too. He took a small step closer and said, “You’ve many
hours in the training sims in addition to your prior experiences. Use that to your advantage, trust your instincts, and keep on Knight 2’s wing. Makes sense to keep the Peregrine fighters paired up after all.”

The Knight’s CO took a step back and addressed the flight crews as a whole, “Ok, folks…  the atmospheric interference is still a major factor. Going atmospheric and leaving the atmosphere will stay a blind approach it
looks like so keep on as we have been. Knight 6, and Knight 2 will talk you through it the first time. It’s been an education so far, that’s for sure.”

Marcus paused a moment then continued, “The dynamics are going to change a bit with Knight 6 being brought in. Knights 2 and 6 will be flying together. Otherwise, Knights 3 and 4 will be a team with me and Knight
5 adding to the mayhem… Ming tossed a grin at his wingman adding to the impish tone at the end. More seriously he added, “We launch when everyone’s preflight is complete As we have been keeping the communication going. We’ve got three pairs but we’re all one team Knights. Mount up, let’s knock out the checklists and when we launch it’ll be fangs & claws out.”

Knight 2…

Sh’iv broke through the clouds and frowned.  Her fingers danced over the controls while she kept a side eye on the group of shuttles they were escorting.  Her antenna twitched in frustration as her fingers entered commands and the computer returned with an annoying buzz of failure.  “Knight 2 to Knight Actual,  are you having problems with your sensors too?  I can’t get a resolution beyond a few kilometers.”

Knights 1 and 5

Ming checked his sensors and rechecked them after a few deft keystrokes to tune them.  He radioed, “Knight Actual to Knight 2 — Confirmed.  The sensors are being interfered with worse than before.  Keep an eye out and be ready as rouble is likely on the way.  Fangs and claws out Knights.  As usual respond to threats with extreme predjudice.”   

Knight 6…

Órlaith’s alarms blared in the cockpit, and out of instinct, she slammed the throttle open rolling hard to starboard and pulling back on the controls into a split-s causing alarms to protest. As she came out of the maneuver a missile sailed past and exploded in a brilliant antimatter explosion that shook the whole fighter. Órlaith’s heart pounded in her ears and she could feel the sweat beading on her forehead as she worked the controls of the fighter.

“Jesus!” Andrews muttered her eyes wide and a death grip on the side of her console.  “Was that?” she asked her voice flat and tense. 

“Yeah,” Órlaith said flatly, “They have antimatter weapons now. Bogies Twelve o’clock low.”

“I see them,” Andrews replied as her fingers danced over the controls. “Sensors are detecting nearly fifty fighters”.

Órlaith glanced outside and the flight XO was in formation next to her. Órlaith pushed the nose of her fighter down. Absently she selected micro torpedoes not knowing if the Lupherians had managed to reverse-engineer the Cardassian shield technology either.  

“Targets locked,” Andrews announced.

“Fire when you have a solution,” Órlaith ordered.

A split second later a full spread of mico-photon torpedoes shot from the fighter. Órlaith closed the throttle and deployed the reverse thrusters to pull out the attack. As she climbed away from the flight of enemy fighters, she stole a glance at the sensor screen. Two icons representing the enemy faded from the screen.

Knight Actual…

Ming and Abara stayed in tight formation.  Things just got more real than he liked.  He and Abara split formation to avoid enemy fire.  Once clear the two regained their formation and opened up on the threats with alacrity.  One of the bogies fired and missed Knight Actual by bare inches.  It was a close enough miss to singe the paint on his port wing.  The interference caused a few more misses than he was comfortable with however the Knights were doing some real damage.  

He got on the squadron circuit and said, “Knight Actual to all Knights:  Knight 3 and 4 — Continue to shephard our sheep.  Knight’s 2 and 6 – Keep workng on keeping the bogies off of our shuttles along with Knight 5 and myself. We should be clear momentarily so hang on for just a bit longer.”

McPhearson’s voice came across the coms, “Knight 3 to Knight Actual.  All shuttles should be clear in 90 seconds….two minutes tops. Keep em off us for just a bit longer.”

Marcus replied, “Knight Actual copies.  Knight Actual to Knight 2:  Confirm reciept of Kngith 3’s report.”

“Understood,” Sh’iv responded.  “There’s fifty of them and two of us.  You want to come down here and help even the odds sir?

“I think that Knight 5 and I can join the dance for a couple minutes.  After that the Knights got other places to be.  ETA less than 10 secs,” Marcus replied.  

Knight actual waggled his wings a couple times to get Knight 5’s attention before doing a peeling dive toward the frey.  Abara was not far behind him and offset to the left wing of the Knight’s commanding fighter.  

The two Valkyries cleared a pair of enemy fighters off the Peregrine’s flown by his XO and protege.  The engagement seemed to go on for much more than two minutes.  There was a near torpedo strike that caused an exposion very near to Ming’s fighter.  There was no damage to the fighter though the Knight’s CO got rattled around worse than normal inside the cockpit.  The fight went on.

Knight 6…

Órlaith watched in awe struggling to keep up with Knight 2. Sh’iv ducked and dived and already taken six of the enemy fighters out of action.  The Knight’s XO was locked on a seventh when a fighter slipped in on their six o’clock position sending warning alarms all through the cockpit as enemy weapons locked on Órlaith’s fighter. 

“Laith…” Andrews announced tension in her voice.

“I know!” Órlaith snapped as she fired the reverse trusters throwing her and Andrews forward with a whine of the inertial dampers and a scream of the hull. One of the Lupherian antimatter missiles flew harmlessly overhead.

The enemy fighter shot past unable to match the manuver.  The pilot was performing a turning escape as Andrews opened up with a blast of phasers shearing off a wing and damaging the engine causing it to stream thick black smoke.  The pilot ejected just before the craft rolled into  death spiral his puffy white parachute catching the wind.

Knight Actual…

Ming remained rattled from the near torpedo hit but he was otherwise unphased and continued to fight.  Ming looked at the countdown timer.  Time was up.  The shuttles along with Knight’s 3 and 4 would be clear by now.  

“Knight Actual to Knight’s 2, 5 and 6 — That’s time!  Let’s bug the hell out and make best speed to Denver!  Break and head for home,” Ming declaired over the Knight’s frequancy.  

“Acknowledged,” Sh’iv replied over the intercom.

‘Knight’s 2 and 6 – Take the lead.  Maximum in-atmospheric for home.  Knight Actual and 5 will be right behind you,” Ming ordered over the radio.

Ming and Abara did a double helix move dropping some countermeasures as they followed the two peregrine’s up to shake some weak attempts at weapons fire.  That was the last of it.  The four remaining Knights went home to the USS Denver.  Ming couldn’t speak for anyone else but a shower, bite to eat and a good sleep sounded amazing once they landed.