Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 I learned long ago that it is the chance encounters, the unplanned meetings, that will forever dominate our lives.\u00a0 We can plan all we want what we will do when the ground is perfectly laid out for us.\u00a0 But what do we do when we can\u2019t plan?\u00a0 What do we do when life hits us upside the head and we don\u2019t have time to think it through?\u00a0 We react.\u00a0 Our life is made of those reactions, those reflexes.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cTen!\u201d the crowd shouted.<\/p>\n
Lights shown down on the crowd, playing every color of the rainbow across the shadows filling the dance hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cNine!\u201d<\/p>\n
The light cans spun to focus on a single point in the air, leaving the crowd in darkness.<\/p>\n
\u201cEight!\u201d<\/p>\n
A ball of pure glittering light appeared where the lights focused, hovering ten meters above the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven!\u201d<\/p>\n
The ball began to lower towards the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cSix!\u201d<\/p>\n
The lights spun back to light the crowd, creating living shadows of every color.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive!\u201d<\/p>\n
The lights cut out, leaving only the falling ball to light the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour!\u201d<\/p>\n
The light began to pulse on and off, causing shadows to appear and disappear between each pulse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree!\u201d<\/p>\n
The light fell below head level and the strobing shadows of people seemed to teleport from place to place between flashes of light.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo!\u201d<\/p>\n
The ball pulsed on and off faster and faster until it was a constant flicker of light almost too fast for the mind to make sense of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne!\u201d<\/p>\n
The light cut out, leaving the room in total darkness.\u00a0 Only the leftover strobe effect of phantom lights remained in the eyes of the crowd.<\/p>\n
\u201cHappy New Year!\u201d the crowd shouted.<\/p>\n
Fireworks exploded into life, shooting through the crowd with trails of flame and sparkling heads.\u00a0 Jack blinked his eyes against the light and a firework shot through him.\u00a0 He spun to see it explode behind him, surrounding Betty and Jasmine in a halo of crackling fire.\u00a0 The light cans came alive again, strobing multicolored beams into the crowd in time with the holographic fireworks and the music that came with it.<\/p>\n
People laughed and cheered and danced all over the floor.\u00a0 People threw their hats and multicolored scarves into the air.\u00a0 Scores of boys and girls enjoyed their first kisses in joyful celebration of the New Year.<\/p>\n
A flash of red caught his eyes and he braced barely in time before a young woman he certainly did not<\/em> know embraced and kissed him with laughing lips.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t really kissing him<\/em>, just the first man she\u2019d run into.\u00a0 Or given her speed, maybe he was the second or third.\u00a0 Well, whatever the case, he certainly couldn\u2019t have people kissing him when they weren\u2019t even kissing him<\/em>.\u00a0 That just wasn\u2019t right.<\/p>\n He placed one hand behind her lower back, cradled her curly red head with his other hand, leaned in, and proceeded to bestow on her a very<\/em> thorough kissing.\u00a0 Bright green eyes shot open in surprise and she struggled, hands turning to fists and moving between their bodies.\u00a0 Her mouth opened in protest and he smiled as the freckles on her pale cheeks flushed bright in a growing expression of outrage.\u00a0 He placed a foot behind her and stepped forward in a dance move he\u2019d learned years ago.\u00a0 He held her in his arms as she fell backwards and her protest turned into a squeak of shock.<\/p>\n He froze, holding her in mid-air, and kissed her again.\u00a0 He felt her heart skip a beat, felt the breath leave her lungs, and felt sparks shoot through both of them.\u00a0 She gasped and really looked<\/em> at him for the first time, struggling to catch her breath.\u00a0 He smiled, kissed her a third time, and stepped back, pulling her onto her feet with gentle hands.<\/p>\n She stood there for a moment, on shaky legs, and studied him.\u00a0 He smiled back with a confident, but not overconfident, posture and pulled his hands a few millimeters away from her body.\u00a0 The next move was up to her and he would give her whatever space she needed.\u00a0 She could step away or she could\u2026<\/p>\n She gave him a sly smile and leaned into him, laying her head against the breast of his Dress Whites.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, happy New Year indeed<\/em>,\u201d she whispered into his neck with a light Scottish accent and warm lips.<\/p>\n A keen awareness of every centimeter of her body filled Jack and he smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, I thought about saying something like that, but then I worried that you might take it the wrong way so I kept my mouth shut.\u201d<\/p>\n She patted his arm.\u00a0 \u201cSmart boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what my momma always called me.\u00a0 I was her smartest little boy she always said.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought<\/em> I detected an only child,\u201d she said in a needling tone.<\/p>\n \u201cOooh,\u201d Jack returned, impressed with her quick wit.\u00a0 \u201cGood one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy pleasure,\u201d he whispered and wrapped his arms around her.\u00a0 He chewed his lower lip as she relaxed into him.\u00a0 \u201cThere aren\u2019t any boyfriends involved here, are there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you worried?\u201d she asked in amused tone.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m allergic to boyfriends,\u201d Jack whispered.\u00a0 \u201cThey get all angry and clingy and bring out shotguns and stuff when you kiss their girl.\u00a0 Kinda like fathers only a bit more unpredictable.\u201d<\/p>\n She laughed in his arms.\u00a0 \u201cNo boyfriend anymore<\/em>,\u201d she finally whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, does he know<\/em> he\u2019s not a boyfriend anymore?\u201d Jack asked, just to make certain the coast was clear.<\/p>\n She laughed harder and patted his arm.\u00a0 \u201cWe broke up a week ago,\u201d she finally explained.<\/p>\n Jack pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow at her.\u00a0 \u201cSo I was a rebound kiss?\u201d<\/p>\n Her cheeks flushed again and she nodded.<\/p>\n He aimed his best charming smile at her.\u00a0 \u201cWanna rebound again?\u201d<\/p>\n Her eyes sparkled with amusement and she reached up, grabbed his head, and pulled him down so she could kiss him again.\u00a0 This time she truly did<\/em> kiss him, and this time he felt his<\/em> heart race as eternity passed them by.<\/p>\n When they came back up for air, Jack opened his eyes to see Betty and Jasmine standing next to them, still wearing their Dress Whites.\u00a0 \u201cHello, Jack,\u201d they said in perfectly harmonized tones.<\/p>\n Jack thought he heard the girl squeak and most certainly felt a shiver run down his spine.\u00a0 \u201cYou know that can be a bit creepy, right?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n They rolled their eyes in perfect synchronation before Betty stepped forward.\u00a0 \u201cJack, we need to go right now,\u201d she said, alone.<\/p>\n Jack coughed and held the young lady a little tighter, his expression turning bullish.\u00a0 \u201cLike Hell.\u201d<\/p>\n Betty gave him a sad look.\u00a0 \u201cThe Shang are here.\u00a0 All leaves are canceled.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrak it,\u201d he swore and shook his head.\u00a0 He looked down at the young woman in his arms.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, girl, but I really do<\/em> gotta go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait,\u201d she said and kissed him again, hugging him so closely that every curve of her body electrified him from head to toe.\u00a0 Every hair on his body stood on end, and he felt his toes climbing up into somewhere that couldn\u2019t have been much short of the stratosphere.<\/p>\n \u201cJack,\u201d Betty said in an insistent tone that broke through the spell.\u00a0 \u201cThe shuttle\u2019s coming.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack pulled away, licked his lips, and let out a very long breath.\u00a0 She was a damn<\/em> good kisser.\u00a0 Maybe even as good as he<\/em> was.<\/p>\n The young woman examined him for a moment, seeming to measure him for something.\u00a0 He forced a confident smile to his lips and spread his hands out in a \u201cthis is it\u201d gesture.\u00a0 She nodded, pulled a scarf from around her shoulders, and hung it around his neck.\u00a0 She ran her electric hands down the scarf until it ended somewhere near his belt.\u00a0 \u201cFor luck.\u00a0 Bring it back tonight,\u201d she ordered and sparked a finger across his nose.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am<\/em>,\u201d Jack answered with gusto.<\/p>\n She smiled, turned her measuring look towards Betty and Jasmine for a moment, and then turned away with a \u201cLater, Jack,\u201d disappearing into the shadowy crowd as quickly as she\u2019d appeared.<\/p>\n \u201cWow,\u201d Jack whispered, still rooted to the spot by that last kiss.\u00a0 \u201cDid you get the name and number of that bus?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I did,\u201d Betty answered with an amused chuckle.<\/p>\n \u201cThank God<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow let\u2019s go<\/em>,\u201d Betty ordered, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him hard.\u00a0 He had no choice but to follow her.\u00a0 The dance club\u2019s special holoprojectors and gravity generators made her hologram as solid as any avatar he\u2019d ever run into, and she cut through the crowd like a shark through a school of fish.\u00a0 The only difference was that she didn\u2019t leave any blood or guts behind her, which he supposed was a good thing.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t nearly as much fun to watch of course, but it was a good thing.<\/p>\n They stepped out of the club, Jasmine bringing up the rear, and Jack\u2019s arm slipped through Betty\u2019s hand.\u00a0 She stopped cold for a moment, looked at her hand, and then met Jack\u2019s eyes with an expression of profound loss.\u00a0 He opened his mouth to say he was sorry but she shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cNot now,\u201d she said and turned to walk out onto the street.\u00a0 The shuttle came down to land in front of her, the ramp lowered, and Jack followed her onto it, Jasmine behind him.\u00a0 As soon as they stepped inside, the ramp pulled up behind them and the shuttle shot away again.<\/p>\n Jack turned to see he wasn\u2019t the first Cowboy picked up today.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Buckaroo,\u201d he said with a smile and an outstretched hand.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Jester,\u201d Ken responded and clasped the hand for a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cYou ready?\u201d Jack asked and took the nearest seat.<\/p>\n \u201cI was born<\/em> ready,\u201d Ken answered with a grim smile of his own.\u00a0 The Free Japanese had settled in California after the fall of Japan.\u00a0 He had a lot of reasons to be ready.<\/p>\n The shuttle slowed to a stop, the ramp dropped, and Jessie walked up the ramp.<\/p>\n \u201cDutchman,\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n \u201cJester,\u201d Jessie answered and the ramp lifted back up to seal them in again.\u00a0 Jessie\u2019s eyes took in the scarf hanging down nearly to his waist.\u00a0 \u201cNew fashion statement?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cA good luck charm, from a very concerned young lady.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see,\u201d Jessie said with a chuckle and sat down next to Jack.\u00a0 Jack saw a small handkerchief sticking out of his pocket that was most definitely not<\/em> uniform standard.\u00a0 It was pink and frilly and Jack could have sworn he smelled perfume wafting from it.<\/p>\n \u201cI see you found one too,\u201d Jack said with a smile.<\/p>\n Jessie shifted his hand to cover the pocket and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cShe was very<\/em> concerned,\u201d he finally said with a wink.<\/p>\n The cabin darkened and Jack turned to see space through the viewports.\u00a0 He turned to where Betty, Jasmine, and the other cybers sat, a confused look on his face.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are the other Cowboys?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn the other shuttles,\u201d Betty answered.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re in a hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d Jack whispered as the shuttle shot into one of the Guardian Light\u2019s<\/em> launch tubes and came to a halt in the bay itself, next to an Avenger\u2019s landing gear.<\/p>\n The hatch opened into Cowboy Country\u2019s launch bay and the pilots ran out.\u00a0 Jack stopped and looked up at the Avenger, then to the small shuttle next to it, and shook his head.\u00a0 He\u2019d forgotten just how huge the Avenger was.\u00a0 It made a shuttle designed to carry ten men look small.\u00a0 Jack let out a long breath and turned to run towards his fighter.<\/p>\n Jack shot up the ramp next to his fighter and dropped into the cockpit.\u00a0 The ramp fell away, merging with the deck, and the canopy closed around him.\u00a0 Betty sat down on the console, her Dress Whites flickering away to be replaced by her comfortable yellow sundress.<\/p>\n \u201cBetter?\u201d Jack asked as he rubbed a hand down the dark scarf with a smile.<\/p>\n \u201cMuch better,\u201d Betty whispered and examined the scarf.\u00a0 \u201cShe seems like a nice girl.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 She does,\u201d he said and felt her lips on his again.<\/p>\n \u201cCowboy One, to all Cowboys,\u201d Charles transmitted and Jack blinked back to the present.\u00a0 \u201cReport your status.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack\u2019s eyes flicked over to the displays that showed the British fleet, a quarter of it shattered and floating away from the Shang fleet that numbered over a hundred warships.\u00a0 Only the massive Dreadnought<\/em> and her escorting battleships held the British fleet together, and even as he watched another battleship exploded under the Shang assault.\u00a0 He looked up at Betty and she nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cCowboy Five is ready,\u201d Jack said in a grim tone.\u00a0 He took several deep breaths, bringing himself totally into the present.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t afford to be lost in the past right now.<\/p>\n \u201cLaunch,\u201d Charles ordered.<\/p>\n Jack held on to the throttle and stick as the world blurred around him.\u00a0 The lights inside the launch tube became long streaks and then disappeared altogether, replaced by a black space filled with stars.\u00a0 He turned to the side to see New Earth below them.\u00a0 He turned the other way to see the Guardian Light<\/em> turning away from the planet.<\/p>\n Jack pulled in a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cBuckaroo and Dutchman, form on me,\u201d he ordered and pulled the Avenger around to follow the Guardian Light<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cOn it, boss,\u201d Ken answered and Jack saw his fighter slip into formation.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m with you,\u201d Jessie transmitted and pulled up to match course as well, bringing Jack\u2019s flight up to three fighters.<\/p>\n He glanced to either side to see the other Cowboy flights moving into formation and syncing into the Guardian Light\u2019s<\/em> defense grid.\u00a0 More fighters flew in from their flank and locked into formation with the Cowboys.\u00a0 Jasmine, back to her blue jeans and white tank top, faded into existence on his console and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cHello, Jack.\u201d<\/p>\n Her fighter waggled her wings at him and Jack chuckled.\u00a0 The Peloran had only had time to build a small number of drones so far.\u00a0 Their fabricators were stretched to the limit already, and still hadn\u2019t repaired all the warships.\u00a0 Still, they\u2019d managed to build a few hundred drone fighters, including some of the Nemesis drones that looked utterly identical to an Avenger in flight.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, Jasmine,\u201d he answered with a smile.\u00a0 Her drone wasn\u2019t really a new build.\u00a0 She was the remains of Cowboy Eight, rebuilt and upgraded to the newest capabilities the Peloran scientists had seen fit to give them all.\u00a0 And now she flew on his wing.\u00a0 \u201cReady to kill some Shang?\u201d Jack asked.\u00a0 He guessed that made her his cyber too, from a certain point of view.\u00a0 He idly wondered what that meant for the future.<\/p>\n \u201cAlways,\u201d she returned with a grim look.<\/p>\n Jack found his hand absent-mindedly running along the scarf and frowned.\u00a0 He pulled it away and focused on Jasmine.\u00a0 \u201cYou be careful,\u201d he ordered.<\/p>\n She gave him a big smile.\u00a0 \u201cBack atcha.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCowboy One to all Cowboys,\u201d Charles transmitted.\u00a0 \u201cWe are approaching engagement zone.\u00a0 Be prepared to enter combat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoger that,\u201d Jack answered and focused on the Peloran Battle Squadron.\u00a0 The Guardian Light<\/em> charged out of New Earth\u2019s gravity well, a single cruiser, two destroyers, and several hundred fighters and drones escorting her.\u00a0 Off to the sides, he saw the French and German squadrons flanking them as well.\u00a0 A final flight of shuttles arrived from the planet, containing the last of the pilots returning from leave, and more fighters continued to spill out of every ship of the three squadrons.<\/p>\n \u201cAneerin has built himself an interesting little fleet,\u201d Jack whispered, a frown on his face as he considered those consequences as well.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, he has,\u201d Betty answered.<\/p>\n \u201cI wonder what he intends to do with us all?\u201d<\/p>\n Betty cocked her head to the side and crossed her legs.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019d think he intends to use us to defeat the Shang.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I know.\u00a0 But what about after that<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think he would say that is a good question to ask,\u201d Betty whispered with a smile.\u00a0 She frowned and kicked her feet together.\u00a0 \u201cDo you trust him?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sucked in a long breath, let it out, and shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose I do.\u201d<\/p>\n The screens came alive with a broadcast from the Shang fleet and the upper body of a Shang appeared.\u00a0 His dark hair and slanted eyes would look at home on any street in China, and Jack thought he recognized the man.\u00a0 He was the commander who told the Peloran to leave or else if he remembered correctly.<\/p>\n \u201cYour name will always be famous, Aneerin ap Taliesin,\u201d the Shang said in his own language with a bow of his head.\u00a0 A translation of the words appeared on the screen beneath his head.\u00a0 \u201cIt is an honor to meet you one last time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe honor is all mine,\u201d Aneerin answered in the Shang language with a calm voice.\u00a0 \u201cI had hoped we would not meet again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs did I,\u201d the Shang commander said.\u00a0 \u201cWe gave you the chance to leave.\u00a0 Instead you attacked and killed our allies.\u00a0 Leave now, and we will forgive your affront.\u201d<\/p>\n Aneerin shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI am very much afraid that you will have to go through us<\/em> to reach New Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n The Shang laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou only have four ships left.\u00a0 You have no chance of stopping us.\u201d<\/p>\n Aneerin returned a calm smile.\u00a0 \u201cI count more than four ships here.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the Shang\u2019s time to shake his head.\u00a0 \u201cThey do not matter and you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n Aneerin sighed and seemed to lean back, though it was hard to tell.\u00a0 \u201cAnd that is where you are wrong.\u00a0 They do<\/em> matter, especially to themselves, and they have a history of destroying those who do not<\/em> care<\/em>.\u00a0 I predict that your people will find this out to your sorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n The Shang\u2019s eyes narrowed.\u00a0 \u201cThey have a history<\/em> of destroying everything<\/em> they touch.\u00a0 We will stop<\/em> them, whatever the cost.\u201d<\/p>\n Aneerin smiled and spread his hands out wide.\u00a0 \u201cAnd that is why I predict your sorrow.\u00a0 If you leave now, if you leave forever, we will not pursue you. \u00a0If you remain, you will die today.\u201d<\/p>\n The Shang\u2019s eyes flashed in anger.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Today you<\/em> will die.\u201d<\/p>\n The comm. signal cut out and the Shang fleet disappeared behind a wall of missiles.\u00a0 The concentrated salvo flew past the battered British fleet and bore down on the Peloran force at maximum acceleration.\u00a0 Jack flexed his hands on the controls and swallowed, but the Guardian Light<\/em> did not change course.\u00a0 Eleven cruisers, eighteen destroyers, and over two thousand fighters moved into point defense formation.<\/p>\n The wave of missiles stormed in, and what must have been tens of thousands of point defense lasers came to life.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t visible to the naked eye, even Jack\u2019s, but their effects were.\u00a0 The missiles turned into a rolling wall of fire and debris well short of the fleet.\u00a0 Space cleared between the fleets and the Peloran charged in.<\/p>\n \u201cActually,\u201d Aneerin transmitted with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cToday is not<\/em> a good day to die.\u00a0 For me.\u00a0 It has been an honor to face you,\u201d he finished with a wave of his hand and his communication cut out.<\/p>\n Every missile tube in the Peloran task force and the British fleet opened fire on the Shang.\u00a0 The Peloran Battle Squadron accelerated away from the French and German squadrons, and Jack flexed his fingers again, swallowing his nerves down. \u00a0They shot through the remains of the British fleet, and the still fighting Dreadnought<\/em> and the last of her battleship escorts flashed by almost faster than Jack could register.\u00a0 The missile salvo erupted on the Shang point defense, filling space with fire, and the Peloran flew through it into the heart of the Shang fleet, gravitic cannons reaching out to tear the Shang apart.\u00a0 A boiling wave of Shang missiles swept back towards them and Jack held on tight to the stick and throttle.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Lord, for what we are about to receive, may we be eternally grateful,\u201d Jack whispered.<\/p>\n Jack saw the turrets on either side of his cockpit come to life, spinning to fire at the incoming missiles in support of the entire squadron\u2019s defense grid, and a wall of exploding missiles rolled towards them.\u00a0 The Peloran deflection grids bent and flickered in and out, as missiles got through, but just barely held.\u00a0 Jack held his breath and flicked the stick and throttle whenever he felt the need.\u00a0 He rolled to the side and a missile coming from above missed them by meters.\u00a0 He pulled up and another missed them by less.\u00a0 He spun them to starboard and one of the four laser turrets shattered another missile.\u00a0 And with that, the Peloran warships and an Avenger-class starfighter piloted by Jack and Betty penetrated the Shang formation.<\/p>\n It was a crazy quilt of chaos, missiles flying back and forth, exploding in deep space or next to a ship.\u00a0 Gravitic cannons ripped ship after ship apart, and kinetic lances flickered between the Peloran and the Shang so fast Jack\u2019s eyes could barely track them.\u00a0 Betty kept their own grav cannons and lasers firing as fast as they could cycle, at targets Jack barely saw before they were gone.\u00a0 And that was just the weapons fire between the Shang and the Peloran.\u00a0 Once the British, French, and Germans opened fire and grav beams and lasers linked them from outside, it added a whole new level of chaos to the situation.\u00a0 Missiles ripped through the point defense networks aimed towards the Peloran like Swiss cheese and a half-dozen Shang warships exploded in an instant.\u00a0 And the pieces of flying ships erupting through the fleet tipped the balance of the battle from chaos to complete and utter insanity.<\/p>\n The universe flashed without warning and the multicolored kaleidoscope of hyperspace filled what part of Jack\u2019s vision wasn\u2019t temporarily light-fried.\u00a0 Jack licked his lips, blinked the stars out of his eyes, looked around, and made certain the entire squadron still existed.\u00a0 Two Nemesis hadn\u2019t made it, but all the Avengers still lived.\u00a0 Another scan showed that one of the Peloran destroyers wasn\u2019t anywhere he could see.<\/p>\n \u201cWow,\u201d Jack whispered.\u00a0 \u201cThat was\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCrazy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIntense.\u201d<\/p>\n The squadron continued to accelerate, cutting through the gravity bands of hyperspace without pity.<\/p>\n \u201cHow about a warning before the next jump?\u201d Jack asked as the squadron began to arc around.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, Jack,\u201d Betty said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cWarning.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack closed his eyes, his eyelids glowed, and he opened them again to see the Shang fleet from a whole new perspective.\u00a0 Flaming atmosphere poured out of a third of the Shang warships, and half of those spun out of formation, power flickering or out altogether.<\/p>\n \u201cHow in Hell?\u201d Jack whispered as the Battle Squadron flew back into the Shang fleet in time with another missile salvo.\u00a0 Gravitic cannons opened fire again, this time focused on a single target.\u00a0 His own fighter thrummed with power as their gravitic cannons joined the assault, and the most powerful warship in the Shang fleet ripped apart.<\/p>\n A swarm of missiles swatted the remaining Peloran destroyer out of formation, spinning out of control.\u00a0 Kinetic lances ripped all the way through three more Shang cruisers and they belched atmosphere and bodies.\u00a0 Shang fighters swarmed them from all directions.\u00a0 The images came faster and faster as the battle devolved, until Jack simply couldn\u2019t track everything fast enough.\u00a0 There were too many ships, too many missiles, too much everything, to even try to keep looking for threats.<\/p>\n He swallowed, took a deep breath, and Jasmine\u2019s Nemesis exploded.\u00a0 \u201cFrak,\u201d he whispered and just stopped trying to see anything.\u00a0 He breathed out, forced himself to remain calm, and focused on absolutely nothing.\u00a0 He saw an attack coming from the starboard and pulled the stick to the left.\u00a0 The fighter screamed around him and their right wing ripped off.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing to worry about, Jack!\u201d Betty shouted.\u00a0 \u201cJust a flesh wound.\u201d<\/p>\n A gravitic cannon exploded in the distance.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t focus on it.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the Guardian Light<\/em>.\u00a0 That was all that mattered to him.\u00a0 Missiles streaked by.\u00a0 Fighters cartwheeled in the distance.\u00a0 An Avenger exploded nearby.\u00a0 A Shang shot in from below and he spun the fighter to rip it apart.\u00a0 A missile swarm came in from above and he dropped the fighter below their arc.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t take time to think.\u00a0 He just moved, and their Avenger flew through the destruction like a wraith.<\/p>\n Finally, after what seemed an eternity but couldn\u2019t have been more than ten seconds, Jack closed his eyes and the world flashed.\u00a0 He opened his eyes onto hyperspace and saw the Guardian Light<\/em> floating alone, atmosphere streaming out of dozens of rents.\u00a0 As he watched an overloaded gravitic cannon exploded, shedding armor plating all over space.\u00a0 The battle was over for them.\u00a0 Jack licked his lips and released the stick and throttle from trembling fingers.<\/p>\n \u201cWhoa,\u201d Jack whispered, let out a long breath, and tried to calm himself.\u00a0 Calm was a long time in coming.\u00a0 When it finally came, he felt a scarf held tight around his neck in the grip of both hands.\u00a0 \u201cFrak,\u201d he whispered as the realization of what that meant sank in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 I learned long ago that it is the chance encounters, the unplanned meetings, that will forever dominate our lives.\u00a0 We can plan all we want what we will do when the ground is perfectly laid[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2304-forge-of-war-1stdraft","uentry","postonpage-1","odd","post-author-jack"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=618"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1838,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618\/revisions\/1838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}