SODIUM:3 Fusion by Stephen Arseneault Page B
Authors: Stephen Arseneault
Tags: Sci Fi & Fantasy
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elevator rides before emerging in a hangar at Regents Field. The hangar housed the Defenders for the day's mission. There sat our loaf of bread with a big A15 sign sitting on an easel beside it.
The adrenalin began to pump as we approached our ship. The Sodium oxide coating was almost pure white... it was a breathtaking sight. When first told of the coating I wondered why the Defender would not ignite and burst into flames if it came into contact with moist air.
We had quickly learned that an extreme high temperature ionized bonding process allowed the coating to bind with the aluminum shell of the Defender in a way that repelled interaction with water. It was one of the only pieces of technology on the ship that I could grasp. That understanding was the first and only benefit I had ever derived from my chemistry degree.
We boarded the Defender from the rear and made our way to our stations. It still felt strange to me to be sitting at the offensive post. Chad quickly had me buckled in and connected. The handlers exited, the door was closed and the Defender powered up. This was it. We were going into space to battle an enemy that to date had us outclassed and outgunned.
I went through my checklist and reported my station status to the pilot. We had 40,000 rounds of tungsten coil gun pellets and a complement of eight BHD tipped active-skinned nuclear warheads.
One new addition to the warheads had been an improved sensor that would allow better tracking of the alien vessels. The BHD warheads were now essentially fire and forget. The warhead would detonate if it came within 500 meters of its intended target. The advance would make my job much easier if my station was called upon. Pop up a screen, select a target, activate a warhead for delivery and then press a flashing yellow holo-button.
The squadron of eight Defenders lifted from the ground and slowly made their way out of the hangar. Other than the slightest sensation of movement the experience was no different than that of a DSim.
We taxied to a point, tilted straight up and within seconds we were leaving the atmosphere. We quickly reached a rendezvous point 150,000 km from the Earth. Orders were given and the seven Defenders advanced on the alien targets as our ship sat idle.
Once the Defenders were within 40,000 km my combat display lit up. All 56 of the BHD warheads aboard the seven ships were fired at once. The image on my holo-display was insanity.
The BHD nukes had immediately locked onto their targets and were closing in rapidly. The alien fighters began immediate evasive actions. The actions taken were unexpected. The fighters dove straight down into the atmosphere and headed towards the largest undefended city on the ground.
Ground fighters would be scrambled to defend them and they would be no match for the alien craft. As a consequence of their tactic the BHD nukes all activated their fail-safe modes. The nuke would disarm, the sensors would disengage from their intended targets and the BHD drives would take the devices back to Regents field where they would land harmlessly.
Nukes going off over a major city would not bring victory. Before my commander had the chance to stop me I took the initiative to launch two of our BHD nukes. They would sit silently for ten minutes with the active skin shielding their existence.
I was quickly chastised for the move. The ground commander came on asking why I had wasted two of our weapons. I said that I had done it as a precaution in case the alien craft headed our way. Only moments had passed before the announcement was made that they were indeed coming after the seven Defenders that had fired upon them.
I watched in anger as all seven ships turned tail and ran. They had already been given orders to evade and return to base. As the alien fighters shot up through the atmosphere they both made a hard turn and headed in our direction. Their angle of attack prevented us from returning directly to Regents field.
As
The adrenalin began to pump as we approached our ship. The Sodium oxide coating was almost pure white... it was a breathtaking sight. When first told of the coating I wondered why the Defender would not ignite and burst into flames if it came into contact with moist air.
We had quickly learned that an extreme high temperature ionized bonding process allowed the coating to bind with the aluminum shell of the Defender in a way that repelled interaction with water. It was one of the only pieces of technology on the ship that I could grasp. That understanding was the first and only benefit I had ever derived from my chemistry degree.
We boarded the Defender from the rear and made our way to our stations. It still felt strange to me to be sitting at the offensive post. Chad quickly had me buckled in and connected. The handlers exited, the door was closed and the Defender powered up. This was it. We were going into space to battle an enemy that to date had us outclassed and outgunned.
I went through my checklist and reported my station status to the pilot. We had 40,000 rounds of tungsten coil gun pellets and a complement of eight BHD tipped active-skinned nuclear warheads.
One new addition to the warheads had been an improved sensor that would allow better tracking of the alien vessels. The BHD warheads were now essentially fire and forget. The warhead would detonate if it came within 500 meters of its intended target. The advance would make my job much easier if my station was called upon. Pop up a screen, select a target, activate a warhead for delivery and then press a flashing yellow holo-button.
The squadron of eight Defenders lifted from the ground and slowly made their way out of the hangar. Other than the slightest sensation of movement the experience was no different than that of a DSim.
We taxied to a point, tilted straight up and within seconds we were leaving the atmosphere. We quickly reached a rendezvous point 150,000 km from the Earth. Orders were given and the seven Defenders advanced on the alien targets as our ship sat idle.
Once the Defenders were within 40,000 km my combat display lit up. All 56 of the BHD warheads aboard the seven ships were fired at once. The image on my holo-display was insanity.
The BHD nukes had immediately locked onto their targets and were closing in rapidly. The alien fighters began immediate evasive actions. The actions taken were unexpected. The fighters dove straight down into the atmosphere and headed towards the largest undefended city on the ground.
Ground fighters would be scrambled to defend them and they would be no match for the alien craft. As a consequence of their tactic the BHD nukes all activated their fail-safe modes. The nuke would disarm, the sensors would disengage from their intended targets and the BHD drives would take the devices back to Regents field where they would land harmlessly.
Nukes going off over a major city would not bring victory. Before my commander had the chance to stop me I took the initiative to launch two of our BHD nukes. They would sit silently for ten minutes with the active skin shielding their existence.
I was quickly chastised for the move. The ground commander came on asking why I had wasted two of our weapons. I said that I had done it as a precaution in case the alien craft headed our way. Only moments had passed before the announcement was made that they were indeed coming after the seven Defenders that had fired upon them.
I watched in anger as all seven ships turned tail and ran. They had already been given orders to evade and return to base. As the alien fighters shot up through the atmosphere they both made a hard turn and headed in our direction. Their angle of attack prevented us from returning directly to Regents field.
As
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