Jaguar ~ Top Gun Maverick

Chapter 5

Jaguar's P.O.V

Once we were finished with the football game i went over to talk to Phoenix. "Hey." She turned and looked at me. "You did good out there." "Thanks." "Do you mind me asking where you got those scars?" She asked pointing to three large gashes in my back.  "I decided to take an F-13 for a joyride and it was an old one. Turned out to be broken. I got... caught in a situation. It was very... familiar. I freaked and sort of stopped doing anything. We had to eject. The engine was going to blow. So we ejected. The canopy went off and once i ejected my back smashed into it. It ripped my parachute and i ended up scraping my back on the wing." "Oh..." "Yeah. It was a weird day." "So i was wondering... when this is all over maybe you and I could hang out?" I asked. She looked up at me. "Like a date?" She asked "Well... sort of?" I said rubbing the back of my neck. "Sure. When we get back from the mission you owe me a date." She said before walking away. I grinned. Rookie tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped in shock. "Jesus!" I yelled at him. "So you got her?" "Nah..." I replied. Rookie looked sympathetic. "Oh. Sorry dude better luc-" I cut him off. "More like she got me." He laughed and we headed back to the hanger.

"Morning... The uranium enrichment plant that is your target will be operational earlier than expected.Raw uranium will be delivered to the plant in ten days time." Warlock addresses the class. Maverick is off to one side. "Your mission has been moved up one week to avoid contaminating the target valley with radiation." I was shocked. 'Even if i get picked. It's impossible.' I told myself.  "Sir, no one here has successfully flown the low level course." Coyote implied. "Nevertheless, you have been ordered to move on. Captain." As the class absorbs this, Warlock nods to Maverick. "We have one week left to focus on phase two - the most difficult stage of the mission: a pop-up strike with a steep dive requiring nothing less than two consecutive miracles.
"Two pairs of F-18s will fly in a welded wing formation. Teamwork - the precise coordination of these aircraft - is essential to both the mission's success, and your survival." The main screen, a simulation of the mission plays out in slow, deliberate motion as Maverick speaks."As you know, the plant rests between two mountains. To maintain the lowest possible altitude,you'll invert directly into a steep dive. Your target is an impact point less than three meters wide." The aircraft in the simulation climbs a mountain and rolls onto their backs at the peak before diving, upside down. They roll upright and dive steeply. "The two-seat aircraft will paint the target with a laser bullseye. The lead single seat will breach the reactor by dropping a laser guided bomb through an exposed ventilation shaft on the surface. That's miracle number one." In the simulation, the first team's bomb hits and the planes pull out. Maverick continues "Second team delivers the kill shot." The second teams' bomb hits and the target is destroyed. "Miracle number two." On the screen, the animated planes arc upward an out of the deep valley as Maverick continues to explain. "Egress is a steep, high G climb out. And this is where you'll be at your most vulnerable" In the simulation behind Maverick, an animated pair of aircraft fly into the valley and fail to make the climb. They fly smack into the side of a mountain. "This... is coffin corner. The class share looks." 'This is bad'. "Should you manage to avoid this mountain, you'll climb straight up,into enemy radar, losing all your airspeed. Within seconds, you'll be fired upon by enemy S.A.M's.Animated planes climb into a hailstorm of SAMs. They take evasive action and dive immediately. "How fast you can dive back down into the canyon, will mean the difference between life and death." Hangman stops Maverick mid-brief. "A climb like that, at that speed, we'll be pulling at least eight Gs." "Nine. Minimum." He replied. "The stress limit of the F18s air-frame is 7.5 Gs." I said. I stare at Maverick. Neither man blinks. "That's the accepted limit. To survive this mission you'll have to pull beyond that, even if it means bending your air frame." He points to the animation of lethal looking S.A.M's firing on climbing F-18s on the screen. "Climbing out of that canyon, you'll be a sitting duck, with S.A.M's coming at you from all directions. You'll weigh close to two thousand pounds, fighting with everything you have just to keep from blacking out, your lungs imploding like an elephant is sitting on your chest -your skull crushing your spine." I felt like i couldn't breathe for a second. 'What if i get called on the mission. 'What if i don't come home...' It suddenly hit me. 'He wouldn't choose me. I'm not good enough. Hangman or Rooster maybe. I hope...'. Maverick points to the canyon map on the screen. "Your only chance of survival will be to get what's left of your aircraft below radar again. Then follow this canyon back to the carrier. Kinda like your ass depended on it. That's if you strike the target on time. If you don't, you may have an even bigger problem to contend with." Maverick clicks a remote. On the screen, the enemy's vaunted fifth generation fighter appears. "You'll be flying in a damaged F18 against one of the most lethal fighter planes ever produced." After an ugly silence. "Sir... is this even achievable?" Phoenix asked. In the end, the answer to your question will come down to the pilot in the box. And Maverick looks to me, which in turn takes us to.