Upon arriving at his post today, Lübeck found everyone busy. It turned out the operations command center had an assignment, though it was a low-level operation and he hadn't been notified.
Lübeck received the briefing: a resource transport convoy had come under attack by Spider BM Charle—a Martian spider species, black and medium-sized, with sharp teeth and scythe-like forelimbs, moving with remarkable agility.
Lübeck sat down, reviewing the battlefield situation while picking up a headset to access the combat channel for real-time updates. Ground armored rescue vehicles had already departed to assist, and the medical rescue squad's 20-minute readiness countdown was halfway complete. He checked the roster and saw Brittany's name listed, feeling a pang of concern for her.
Air cover was returning to base. Lübeck calculated the timing and realized there would be a gap where ground forces would be without aerial protection. The live feed showed the ambushed convoy members adopting a restrained defensive posture to avoid triggering a full-scale spider swarm attack, but casualties had already been incurred.
“We have an air cover gap?” Lübeck asked the operations officer.
“Yes, our base has no more attack aircraft pilots available—they've all been deployed,”
Lübeck checked the base's remaining resources and said,
“Assign me a Hellbringer attack aircraft. Load four MK-77 incendiary bombs, the remainder with unguided rockets. Fuel for 45 minutes of loiter time. Thirty minutes for takeoff prep. Confirm?”
The systems operator stared wide-eyed as Lübeck blindly input the commands. Too young to know Lübeck had flown that type of attack aircraft before, he finished the input and glanced at the operations officer, who gave him an affirmative gesture.
Lübeck saw the relevant commands loaded into the system execution sequence and immediately headed for the base hangar. The base's orbital transit system was convenient, but he first needed to collect his flight suit and activate the command to enter the hangar. Ground crew were refueling, mounting weapons, and loading ammunition.
The Hellbringer attack aircraft was an ugly machine, designed specifically for close-range air support on the Martian surface. Its fuselage lacked streamlining—Mars' thin atmosphere rendered aerodynamics unnecessary. Its stubby wings provided virtually no lift, serving solely as weapon pylons. Flight relied entirely on four liquid oxygen/methane jet engines. Unlike aircraft operating in Earth's atmosphere, its handling resembled a large quadcopter, except lift came from rocket engines instead of rotors. To accommodate two massive spherical fuel tanks, its nose and forward fuselage appear bulky and clumsy. The slender rear fuselage serves only to provide attitude control torque, earning it the nickname “pipe” among pilots.
Lübeck settled into the cockpit, fastened his seatbelt, activated the aircraft's electrical systems, and connected the combat data link. While reviewing the battlefield situation and awaiting equipment self-checks, he waited for fueling to complete.
Ground crew had efficiently completed their tasks ahead of schedule: personnel evacuated, pressure equalized, then the hangar doors opened. The aircraft was rolled onto the base's rooftop launch pad. After cross-checking information with the control tower, all four rocket engines ignited. The deafening roar and shockwave made the cockpit walls tremble. Lübeck piloted his Hellbringer into vertical ascent, then banked toward the pre-programmed flight path.
Soon, Lübeck spotted a column of armored vehicles advancing on the ground. Flying ahead along the road, he caught up with the earlier medical evacuation craft—Brittany should be aboard. Lübeck swiftly overtook them to enter the combat zone, needing to clear a secure landing zone for the medical personnel ahead of time.
From a distance, Lübeck observed the convoy forming a defensive perimeter. Swarms of Martian spiders crawled across the terrain—their reason for mass migration unknown, though their distribution remained relatively sparse. Gunnery teams on the vehicles fired short bursts to deter the advancing large spiders, likely conserving their dwindling ammunition. Bomb craters dotted the landscape near and far, remnants of the first two waves of airstrikes.
After assessing the situation up close, Lübeck made a low-altitude, high-speed pass, dropping two incendiary bombs in succession. He then turned back and dropped two more. The four incendiary bombs formed a perfect V-shape on the ground, pointing toward the spiders' approach. The searing flames shielded the convoy behind them. The aircraft then turned its nose toward the ground convoy, executing a centripetal spin maneuver to clear the final threats with Hydra rockets and M61 Vulcan cannons.
Soon, the medical evacuation craft arrived, picked up the wounded, and began the return journey. Lübeck hovered for a while longer. Seeing the armored escort convoy approaching, he prioritized his targets, emptied his rocket pods, and initiated his own return flight.
Having not flown this model in a long time, Lübeck finally exhaled deeply. Fortunately, Martian flight didn't require extreme g-maneuvers, and his physical condition could still handle it. Soon he caught up with the medical evacuation craft again. With ample fuel, he slowed to escort it at a leisurely pace.
Lübeck positioned himself on the sunlit side of the evacuation craft, allowing him to observe the personnel inside more clearly through the portholes.
As they drew nearer, the scene beyond the windows grew sharper. Behind one porthole, Lübeck spotted that familiar figure. But Brittany wasn't on the combat communication channel. So Lübeck activated his navigation lights and formation lights at maximum brightness. The red lights on the Hellbringer's left wing flashed, illuminating both inside and outside the medical evacuation aircraft. Brittany lifted her head to look out the window. The red strobe light illuminated her face. Her mouth fell open, then her hands gripped the window frame as she stared wide-eyed toward the rescue craft. Finally, she began waving frantically. She was overjoyed to see Lübeck this way.
They returned to base separately, but Brittany couldn't wait for Lübeck to see her. She needed to continue treating the wounded. Lübeck returned to the operations command center. Seeing the situation stabilized, he clocked out on time. After dinner in the mess hall, he brought a portion back for Brittany before retreating to his quarters to await her return.
Waiting always brought a sense of loss. The time he usually spent reviewing files seemed wasted today. Switching off the lights, he gazed out at the starry sky beyond the window. The stars stretched vast and endless, yet felt utterly meaningless. Better to shower first. He turned on the water. The warm flow and dim light stirred memories of Brittany.
Had he truly fallen for her? Or was it merely fleeting pleasure? Lübeck couldn't help but question his own heart. He seemed to be growing increasingly sentimental.
The showerhead's warm spray washed over Lübeck's body, pattering onto the floor. Eyes closed, he savored the comfort in the dim light while listening to the rhythmic drip of water.
Then came the faint sound of a door opening.
“Lübeck? Lübeck, where are you?” " The voice grew louder as it approached.
Lübeck opened his eyes. It was Brittany, the one he had been waiting for. Following the bathroom light, she entered wearing her uniform, wrapped her arms around his neck, and looked up at him.
“Was it you piloting the escort flight today?”
“Yes,” Lübeck smiled. On any other day, he would have said, “Your clothes are soaked,” but today he didn't. He simply held her waist, watching her shoulders darken with water, her damp hair clinging to her temples, the shower stream tracing her cheeks, winding into a thin rivulet that curved down her neck and pooled at her collar.
All he wanted now was to watch Brittany standing before him.
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