Unity

Chapter 5

A sense of giddiness filled me as I tested out the handling. I wasn't disappointed. The ship was extremely fast and nimble. The simulation was realistic enough that I had a hard time convincing myself I wasn't really in space. I could feel the different forces pulling me when I accelerated or turned. A warning light went off on my HUD. I could only assume it was warning me of a threat. I turned hard to get away from the unknown adversary when I saw laser fire get close enough to scorch the hull. I continued to bank hard to the right and saw a ship explode in the distance. I heard Drew let off scream of frustration. I'm sure there were other words mixed in, but I couldn't make them out. I did hear a laugh that had to come from Tina. She seemed crazy enough to get that much enjoyment out of this. First blood had been drawn.

I received my first glimpse of the fighters we were piloting. The ship's wings were swept back at a sharp angle. I could see weapons placements on the top and bottom. There was no visible cockpit. The top of the ship was shaped like a rounded wedge. Overall, the ship was very small, making it hard to see and target.

I tried to sneak up behind the ship that fired on me, but they saw me coming and pulled up so they could circle back behind me.

"You're going to have to try harder than that," I heard Jen playfully tease.

I looked around the controls hoping there was something there that would save me. I flipped through different weapons systems on the computer screen while trying not to die. I stopped when I saw a menu labeled rear turret. A quick glance showed that the ship was armed with automated rear cannons. I pulled back on the throttle and enabled the turret. I smiled when I heard Jen curse and attempted to dodge the incoming ordinance.

"Is that better?" I taunted.

I banked hard to try to get the drop on Jen while she was recovering from the incoming fire when I saw an explosion directly ahead.

"Gotcha!" I heard Tina yell.

"Where did you come from?" I heard Thad yell at Tina.

While I was distracted with the spectacle of Thad's demise, I'd forgotten about Jen. She was able to get the drop on me and take me out with a direct hit to the engine. "Great," I muttered. The screen changed so I could view the rest of the fight. Tina flew in and made short work of Jen.

The simulator went to a standby state. The comms activated and Lieutenant Briggs said, "I sure hope the four of you losers didn't have your hearts set on becoming fighter pilots. I've seen five-year-olds with better skills. Let's run it again."

An hour later it was clear that I sucked as a pilot. Each dogfight was in a different environment. Everything from dark empty space to binary star systems. I died every time, as Tina used us all for target practice. We even ganged up on her the last round. It only lasted three minutes.

We waited around while the other groups finished their skirmishes. I tried to stretch my stiff muscles. The strain of the simulator combined with sitting down for a long period of time had taken its toll. Finally, the last of our squadron stumbled out of the simulators. We all were led to a nearby classroom where Lieutenant Briggs displayed a picture of the fighter we had been flying.

"This is the fighter craft most you all have been attempting to fly. There are a few of you that show promise. This is the Unity class fighter. We call them Stingrays. Having flown the real thing, what you experienced in the simulators is as close as you can get to piloting the real thing."

Tina raised her hand and blurted, "But technology like this doesn't exist. There is no way that the Stingray could be that maneuverable." Lieutenant Briggs glared at her and continued his lecture.