Reconquest: Mother Earth

Chapter XXXIII

Chapter XXXIII

The salenko loomed in front of them like a monstrous deity of a bygone era. It was three times the size of Merelda's ship. Its metallic skin was dark blue and served as body armor, shielding it from gunfire and the elements. It had dark, narrow eyes that looked like slits and bat-like wings that retracted into its body. The edges of its wings were so sharp, they could impale an aircraft. From its mouth, it could shoot enormous gusts of wind that created a hurricane effect. From its wide nostrils, it could shoot pulses of energy. It was the ultimate fighting machine in the air. 

Deborah stared at the screen. "What are you waiting for? Shoot it." 

Merelda shook her head. "Not a good idea. It will elude our missiles and destroy us." 

"Then what are we going to do?" Deborah asked.  

"Pray to your God that it will ignore us." 

The Salenko flew at them. Mitch was certain the Minister had sent it as his backup plan.  

Merelda's eyes grew wide. Her skin turned yellow, the color of fear. "Turn around, Mitch. We must find a way to elude it." 

Mitch was a step ahead of her and had already begun turning the vessel. A kilometer behind, the salenko was closing quickly.  

Mitch flew south away from the densely populated area, zooming through clear blue skies and flying overhead of wreckage from the alien invasion. Outside of the occupied areas, the aliens hadn't bothered cleaning the mess they had made when they took over the planet.  

Mitch tried a few zigzag maneuvers, but the salenko continued to close the distance. Mitch still hadn't used the rear thrusters because he wanted to save them for a crucial moment since they could only be used briefly before requiring recharging. He flew close to the surface. The salenko glided behind, following Mitch's path.  

"Merelda, do you want to take over?" Mitch asked.  

"No. You are doing an admirable job." 

Mitch frowned. He was hoping she would say yes.  

Bolts of laser energy shot from the salenko. Mitch saw it on the viewfinder and dipped right, avoiding the beams. The salenko shot more beams, so Mitch soared higher.  

"It's getting closer," Merelda said.  

"I realize that, but what can I do?" 

"Can't you fire missiles at it?" Deborah's face was a mask of worry. Mitch could tell she wanted a more active role in the fight.  

"It would be ineffective. It would evade incoming missiles from this position. We must wait for an opportunity." 

Mitch dodged more strikes. At the bottom of the panoramic screen, he spotted massive craters where the beams had hit the earth. The salenko was marking its target and zoning in on Mitch's flight pattern. To vary things, Mitch shot up in the air, then faded on a descending arc.  

They flew for a few minutes without any more strikes from the salenko. Mitch kept anticipating more incoming blasts.  

Without warning, his vessel flailed in the air and sunk toward the ground.  

"What the hell's going on?" Mitch asked.  

"It is altering the air by gusting wind," Merelda said.  

The rear of the ship lifted, and for a moment they were vertical. Mitch couldn't straighten the vessel. They went side to side, and Mitch was certain they would crash. Just before they hit the surface, he shifted to an upward trajectory. He had avoided crashing, but now they were on a path to collide with the salenko.