“Another good question, Major,” the General said. “In a few minutes, a massive anti-gravity cargo plane, the NATT, will take off and head toward Far East Russia. That plane, while considerably slower than the one you are in, can carry thousands of tons of cargo. It has the most advanced stealth capabilities in the world and is nearly invisible to both electronic surveillance and the naked eye.”
“While that craft is traveling to your position, you will locate and remove the cargo from the wreckage. The NATT is capable of hovering and vertical takeoff; it will land near the crash site and you will load it up,” Byrd said.
“It seems like a simple plan, but what about the Russians? A large space ship crashed in their territory, won’t they be looking for it?”
“We anticipate that you will arrive minutes before they dispatch their jets for recon. We were expecting this space ship, they were not. They don’t know it is a space ship, much less that it holds valuable cargo. They will be sending high altitude jets to scan the area, not knowing for what to look. Eventually, they will send helicopters and paratroopers, but hopefully you will have removed the cargo by then,” Byrd said.
“General, why paratroopers?” Snap asked.
“You are being dropped in Far East Russia, in January. It is minus 47 degrees outside. All roads to the Magadan district are virtually unpassable. The only way in or out is by plane or helicopter,” Byrd said.
“Roger that, General. If we land minutes before the Russian jets do a flyover, how will they not see a crashed spaceship?” Snap asked, knowing that his FALOS armor would shield his heat signature from the enemy aircraft.
“That brings me to my next point, Major. We have a new piece of technology that is critical to this mission. We have a Projected Invisibility Dome, or PID. This device, about the size of a small truck, is capable of projecting a holographic image over a space the size of three football fields. It combines phased array optics with computational holography to project a three-dimensional image that will camouflage the ship from any direction, including the sky. It can project an image of anything we like, a building, forest, car lot, mall, bowling alley, anything. In this case, the PID will project an image of the surrounding terrain over the crashed ship. The device also acts to hide heat and radiation signatures. You will have to get that PID up within minutes of hitting the ground.”
“None of my men have been trained to use a PID. It is unlikely we can calibrate it with only minutes before the Russian jets arrive,” Snap complained.
“We have the scientist that developed it on site, he will walk you through each step via your HUD. If Russian ground troops arrive before you remove the cargo, you will need to take them out using the squad’s EMP rifle. You can’t risk them letting Russian Command know your location.”
Snap was puzzled by this. “Why would the Russians not know the location of the crash site?”
Radio silence.
“Um. They have several sites to check out. They will not know which site you are at until a recon unit reports back that they spotted the crashed ship.”
“Why are there multiple sites?”
Radio silence.
“That’s classified,” General Byrd answered.
Schematics of the Impegi and information about the Nordic survivors were downloaded into the squad’s HUD units. The briefing was completed and Admiral Byrd closed the communication link.
“Holy shit. We are invading Russia!” Williams said.
“I’m not worried about it; I can fuck up any Russian with my 100-kilowatt DE rifle,” Johnson said.
“These DE rifles can take out a tank or chopper, no problem,” Williams said. “Only good commie is a dead commie. Ha,” Smith said.
“Guys, remember what Ater and the General said. We’re not the only ones with these weapons and tech. Not to mention how the Large Grays have beat us in simulations. And, don’t forget about Bob. He’s an even match against one of us. It is very likely that we will not be up against simple Russian soldiers. We need to keep our eyes open and be prepared for the worst,” Neal said.
“You really think they would put us up against an army of Grays or a battalion of Bobs on our first mission?” Davis asked.
“This mission was not meant for us. Don’t forget that,” Snap said. “We are here because first string was not available.”
“Sounds like second and third strings were unavailable too,” Neal mumbled.
“Major Slade, I did not know there were any five-star General’s in the Air Force?” Williams asked. All of Lightning Squad had noticed the five stars on the General’s lapel.
“Neither did I, neither did I,” Snap replied, shaking his head. “Normally, five-star generals are only seen during war time.”
“Ten minutes to drop zone.” The unseen pilot’s voice was heard in the HUD units.
Snap stood to rally his unit. “Men, a few minutes ago we were in the DFAC. Now, we are about to leap from a plane over enemy territory to recover a priceless cargo from another world. You all heard the General; the stakes could not be higher. Failure could shift the balance of power for a century. The only thing standing against Russia achieving the resources to rule the world is this squad. Everyone, put on your FIGAS units; it’s time to earn those paychecks.”
Lightning Squad stood in the center of the compartment in front of their FIGAS jet wings that were hanging from the ceiling. The FIGAS jet wing easily snapped into place over the fusion reactor built into the back of their suits. Once snapped into place, the FIGAS system was powered by the fusion reactor. The FIGAS strapped on with a harness, like a back pack, and had a quick release lever that would allow the operator to quickly disconnect, if necessary. It also had a built in manual parachute for emergencies.
“Why do we have to fly down in this winged contraption?” Williams asked. “Couldn’t the pilot just land and let us off? This is an antigravity craft, right?”
“The craft has the ability to land vertically, but the longer an American plane stays in Russian airspace, the more likely it will be discovered. After the TR3C drops us off, it will immediately leave Russian airspace to avoid detection, probably through the Russian Air Defense Gap over the Artic,” Snap said.
The craft slowed. The ramp opened, revealing a semi-dark, sunless sky. The lights in the craft dimmed to red as a countdown clock started in each of their HUD units.
Snap placed each arm through a metallic harness that fit snuggly into his battle armor. He heard the clicking sound, like a seat belt, as the FIGAS wing became one with the FALOS suit. The HUD is his helmet lit up and began displaying automatic diagnostic checks. He noticed the countdown clock in the right hand of the display.
“Davis, Williams, push the equipment rover off the ramp,” Snap ordered. The two men pushed the truck-sized mobile unit off the ramp and into the purplish sky. The mobile rover unit had a self-guiding parachute with coordinates pre-programmed. Upon making landfall, it would automatically begin traveling toward the squad, guided by a tracking system that locked onto their location.
As the rover plummeted toward the ground, the squad made their final systems checks. Bob, the quiet giant, leapt from the craft with his special fabric armor and uniquely designed jet-wing. Neal jumped next. Half the men had jumped before it was Snap’s turn. Snap walked to the edge of the ramp; he could feel the wind whipping around him despite his heavy armor. All systems showed green in his HUD, he bent his knees and pushed himself away from the craft. For a moment, he was weightless, falling through space.
The jets on the tips of his eight-foot wingspan automatically engaged, keeping him level, face down toward the Earth. Snap had full mobility of his arms, his laser rifle held in his right hand. The location of the landing zone was programmed into the FALOS suit. Unless an enemy presented himself, Snap would only take control of the flight system moments before landing.