Slaying Ravana

The new capital ship that wiped out the Actium and the Lysander has been designated the Ravana. One of the pilots in our squadron, Dakshesh, is a practicing Hindu and he just groaned when he heard the news. I asked him what the bad news was and he answered that Ravana is the name of the rakshasa king in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Without going into a lot of detail, rakshasa are what some of us would call demons. Great. We're going up against a ship named after a demon king, although I suspect that Dakshesh was just getting tired of command reaching for the Hindu epics every time a new ship class is found.

We were assigned to fly the Boanerges fighters which Dakshesh tells me are from what Jesus had given James and John in the Bible as surnames. It's supposed to mean "Sons of Thunder". I had to do a double take when Dakshesh told me that and he just smiled and said that he studied religions on Beta Aquilae before he decided on a career in the GTV. Some of the pilots in the group were thinking of other careers before they decided they wanted to be space jockeys like me, so I guess it shouldn't be too much of a surprise. I thought I wanted to be a farmer at one point, working one of the v-farm silos and earning a quiet living before I space drew me back in.

Anyway, the Boanerges was hardly something that I would call a Son of Thunder. It was packed with the Cyclops ship killer bombs that we would be using against the Ravana, but in battle, it handled like a cinder block with firecrackers for maneuvering thrusters. It was nothing like the Ursa in the simulations that I had practiced on, or the Medusa. Fortunately, the Vasudans had sent a capital ship to help us out and after a pitched battle of beams and flak, we took out the Ravana-class cruiser.

At the debrief, everyone that survived was congratulated on a job well done. Lt. Samsa took me aside afterwards and said that I would be assigned to the 242nd "Suicide Kings", an interceptor squadron aboard the Aquitaine that had a reputation for peforming some of the crazier missions that other pilots wouldn't take. I am to report to Lt. Commander Cordova first thing the next morning.

Wilkins laughed when I told him the good news and said that someone was out to get me. First for my aim by putting me in a bomber squadron, and now they were just out to do the job right by sending me out to chase missiles. Sheryl smiled and said that Cordova was a good officer and that a few of her friends were in the squadron so she'd make sure that I would get a warm welcome. I have a feeling that it wasn't going to involve drinks and a pat on the back.

Studi nodded his head and said that I deserved it and unlike Wilkins, was convinced that it was my skill that recommended me. "Now" he said "-you will need eyes looking both forward and back out there." I guessed that meant that I'd be surrounded all the time since I'd be in the middle of every battle that we were going to be thrown into.

Takeda just kept his mouth full of cheeseburger while we talked. He didn't have anything new to say, other than that the NTF has managed to make several gains on GTVA territory in the past few days. He didn't want to start any rumors (too late for that now), but he was convinced that we would be recalled to Gamma Draconis to rejoin the fleet very soon. I asked him why, and in between chewing his food, he mumbled that it was a hunch.

I hate it when he gets hunches like that. They're usually right.