Chapter 8 Part 3

Roundhouse climbed into the fighter and strapped himself into the prone acceleration couch. The forward tilting couch molded itself to his body automatically. Roundhouse slipped his feet into the steering stirrups and checked the feedback from the various motions. By rocking his feet forward or backward either together or oppositely, the fighter would respond by accelerating, decelerating or rolling. By raising both knees and pulling the stirrups forward, he could initiate a dive or by pressing the stirrups backward, he could climb. His support crewman outside the canopy verified the systems' functionality and then saluted Roundhouse. The pilot returned the gesture and signaled his readiness to launch.

Roundhouse keyed his com receiver and contacted his flight. "Daytona Flight this is Daytona Lead, stand by for launch. Sing out with exceptions." No reply came from any of the ten fighters in his flight. They were ready.

"Daytona Lead to Victory Lane," Roundhouse addressed the fighter control deck of the Andromeda. "We are go for launch."

"Stand by Daytona Flight," a voice returned. A few seconds later he received his orders.

"Daytona, close formation with Darlington, Atlanta, Rockingham and Talladega Flights. You will assume command of Speedway Taskforce."

Roundhouse signaled his deck crew. They cleared the fireway and the hydraulic ram gently loaded his egg shaped fighter into the magnetic acceleration launcher. He felt the telltale clicks as the fighter's undercarriage engaged in the hundred yard long tracks. The status light for launch changed from the amber transit light to ready green.

"Gentlemen, start your engines." With that, Roundhouse touched the trigger which activated the linear accelerator. His Adder shot down the tube and into the vastness of space like a bullet from a rifle.

All around him the sky began to fill with the flat egg shaped Adders as the launch order was relayed by the fighter control deck. The fighters themselves were not pretty, but the compact shapes allowed for maximum performance with minimum size and mass. Roundhouse keyed his IFF and his flight began to take positions in formation about him. Like wise, the other four flights were forming up as well.

When all of the fighters were ready, Roundhouse ordered them towards their targets at half speed. A few moments later, two blazing fusion driven engines flashed past the fighters and drove hard for the distant bright spots which represented sunlight reflecting off metal.

Roundhouse moved his feet to line his fighter up behind the VRAD which had just passed and then ordered the rest of the squadron to fall in behind the drones as well. "Darlington, Rockingham and Talladega," he ordered, "fall in behind Ghost Lead. Daytona and Atlanta fall in with Ghost Two."

Roundhouse lined his fighter up behind the Wildcard as did his sister flight. The other three flights fell in behind the Wraith. "Ghost Squadron, this is Speedway Squadron, you have the lead."

"Speedway, this is Ghost," Specter's reply came quickly and calmly, "hang on back there and stay close. We are picking up their outer defenses. We will be engaging in twelve minutes."