Jack was perhaps being a little overoptimistic. As it turned out, there were some tracks on the grass above the armory that Sam was sure indicated the presence of three ultralight aircraft. Colonel Rao had a thing or two to say to the soliders who had carried out the initial search for tracks having not reported them, but even he had to admit that he wouldnt have expected them to indicate the presence of an aircraft.
Unfortunately, Sam also calculated that the space necessary for such an aircraft, laden with two men and the missing equipment, could be quite a bit shorter than had been assumed, increasing the short list of areas to be checked up past a hundred sites.
The most likely places are those in this area, Jack decided, indicating the mountains near the centre of the island. If theyre travelling by air then they would probably want a refuge thats hard to reach on the ground, to make it less likely for someone to blunder over them. Daniel, youve got the map we brought?
Daniel looked at him for a moment. Yes, wait a moment. He opened up one of his backpacks side-pockets and produced the photo-recon map.
Thats not much of a map, von Pinn observed, looking at it and then back to the detailed maps that they had been working off.
Jack smirked. But, he pointed out, If they have a map then this is probably about as good as it gets for them. Now look. He tapped his finger on the area hed pointed at. On your map I can see at least a dozen areas that they could use, but from this one theres two no, three place they could be. Here, here and here. So those would be the best places to start.
Those are going to be difficult to get to, von Pinn noted. Ive seen that plateau, he added, tapping one of the sites, and Im not sure I could get up there without climbing gear.
We will require aircraft in any event, Rao declared. Finding them is of no use unless we can pursue them should they flee. He picked up a handset from inside the cavalry vehicle. This is Rao, he declared. I require the use of a gunship squadron. My priority is Immediate-Actual.
.oOo.
The gunships were roughly equivalent to a Russian Hind, Jack decided, although since the Angrezi apparently prefered vectored-thrust to rotors the profile was completely different. However the essentials were the same: each was heavily armed and could carry an infantry fire team (or SG-1 plus von Pinn) in the rear. He wondered if this was another subtle sales pitch by Nekhrun, a theory that he was only slightly distracted from by von Pinns slightly pale face.
Dont you like flying, Lieutenant? he asked.
Im very happy in Confederate assault shuttles, the infantry officer replied a touch irritably. But with all respect to the Angrezis engineering, these crates dont have quite the same safety record. His grip on a stanchion noticeably tightened as the gunship banked and outside the window Jack could see a pine-covered hillside flying past them.
Do you think the pilot heard you? enquired Jack and von Pinn responded by using the index finger of his free hand to move the corner of his eye up and down a couple of times, which Jack guessed was probably some sort of rude gesture.
Do you want to be armed or not? he asked, indicating the small box that he had brought aboard.
Tealc reached down and pulled the box onto his lap before opening it to reveal four sidearms of the same kind that Jack had seen the Angrezi using before. Once again he was reminded of revolutionary era pistols long barrelled with short, rounded grips.
Okay, you see those levers on the top? von Pinn asked. Those are the selector switches currently theyre all up, which means that they are safe. Normally, taking it down one notch sets it as lethal but these are training weapons so it doesnt make any difference still safe. The bottom notch is the stun setting which is the same as hitting someone with a Zakniktel once. There is a grip safety so it wont fire unless youre holding it, but its quite sensitive so you dont have to be holding it very firmly for it to fire.
Sam took one of the guns out of the box and held it in firing postion, aiming at the rear door. The grip seems a bit awkward, she complained with a grimace.
Von Pinn glanced over, seemingly glad for a distraction as the gunship banked around another bend in the ridgeline. Youre holding it too low, he said. You ah, I was wondering why your guns had such large butts -
Jack stifled a snigger.
- you use your index fingers to work the triggers. You should lay your finger along the stunners barrel and hold the trigger with your middle finger. Its a better way to aim just point the index finger and the whole gun follows.
Sam complied found that he was correct. Right. That wouldnt work with our sidearms though the slid would take my thumb off if I tried.
That elicited a shudder from von Pinn. Remind me to never try using one of your Tauri firearms, he muttered. They sound more dangerous to the user than the target.
Remember not to try using Taure firearms, Tealc reminded him, helpfully.
thanks. Ill remember that.
There was a chime from above and then the pilots voice came back over the speaker mounted on the ceiling. Were one minute out from the first site. Were coming straight down on it, disembark on the bounce cause Im not hanging around in the dirt a second more than I have to.
The rest of SG-1 took their weapons and von Pinn hit a control, lowering the ramp that formed the rear (and only) hatch to the passenger compartment. Trees were still moving fast underneath them and two more gunships were visible trailing their ride. I suggest you brace yourselves, he advised. Angrezi jump infantry like to get very macho about the bounce of a hard landing and our friend up front sound like hes going to uphold their honour in front of the foreign visitors.
There was a laugh from the loudspeaker and all of a sudden the gunship plunged downwards, almost shaking a startled Daniel free of his own handgrips, almost in a freefall towards the ground below.
If anyone has any prayers that might help the altimeters work better von Pinn suggested, looking almost cheerful now that the gunship was unquestionaly headed for the floor.
There was a howl from above as the turbines came back to full power and then a crunch that rattled Jacks teeth as the gunship hit the forest floor and quite literally bounced briefly back into the air. Von Pinn flung himself out the back before it hit ground again, so suddenly that for a moment Jack thought he had simply fallen, and then instinct from his own parajump days took over and he hurled himself after the lieutenant with the rest of SG-1 following, Daniel half-dragged by Tealc. There was a roar and then the gunship was in the air again along with its comrades, leaving clusters of soldiers scattered around the forest. If it wasnt for the turbans that were under the helmets and the unfamiliar weapons, they could have been any of Earths elite infantry units as they fanned out through the trees.
Anything? Jack asked quietly as von Pinn listened to the chatter on the headset he was wearing. Colonel Rao had been quite firm about not sharing access to the tactical net with the experts.
The soldier shook his head. No ones been sighted, he confirmed. Once the Colonels sure were not about to be attacked, hell start looking for tracks. It shouldnt take long.
The immediate area is clear, Rao told them, ghosting out of the trees on silent feet that would have shocked Jack if he wasnt already familiar with Tealcs easy fieldcraft. No one has sighted any tracks so far but the men have only been able to make a cursory examination while securing the area. They shall check more thoroughly now while the gunships search for infra-red sources. Without waiting for a response, he moved on through the trees.
Abrupt, isnt he? Daniel observed.
Hes a proud man, von Pinn advised. The Fourth Cavalry are an elite unit among the Padishahs soldiers but they havent had a real enemy since before he was born and the rough handling they got yesterday must sting. He grimaced. In fairness, I really didnt expect to have as much difficulty with them as I did.
Are you experienced in fighting the Goauld? Tealc asked.
Not a Goauld, admitted von Pinn. But Ive fought Jaffa a couple of times. Not in open field operations though.
.oOo.
The site proved to be a disappointment and Rao summoned the gunships to collect the infantry before moving on to the next location. This time the craft swooped in more gracefully and landed without more than the lightest bumps.
They arent bad, Jack admitted. You dont use these? he asked von Pinn.
We have assault shuttles, he replied as they went up the ramp of their gunship. Same job, more or less, but larger and they can handle surface-to-orbit and vice-versa. Actually, one of the things that weve been working with the Angrezi on is an update of this so that well have something more economical for moving small groups around on planets - so I suppose Id better get used to this.
I feel so honoured, the pilot retorted across the intercom and Sam chuckled, then had to grab a stanchion as the gunship lifted off before the ramp was fully raised. The next site isnt far, he added.
Do you have similar aircraft, von Pinn asked. You seem quite comfortable with the general tactics.
Yes, Jack admitted. We dont use vectored thrust, well not for this sort of aircraft, but we use external rotors for vertical-take-off-and-landing aircraft.
External rotors wouldnt they be quite vulnerable to combat damage? asked von Pinn in concern.
To an extent, agreed Jack. but theyre difficult to target so not as much as you might think.
And do you fly them?
Jack shook his head. I mostly flew fixed wing before I went into the special operations line of work, he replied. What about you? You said that you started out on an assault transport?
Oh yes, the good ship Iskander, von Pinn agreed with a grin. Assault transports are assault shuttles writ large designed to get down through an atmosphere and deploy a division as fast as possible. Theyre an absolute nightmare for logistics and generally pretty bad for keeping troops up to speed in their field skills. So naturally, as a green ensign fresh out of the academy, I fell in with bad company almost immediately. I mean, of course, my platoon, who were only too pleased to have an officer who had a lower than average chance of noticing them slacking off.
Let me guess, Jack said. You did notice them slacking off.
Worse than that, von Pinn said with a wince. Admiral he was Captain then Ayodhya noticed. The first I knew was when he turned up outside my quarters, dragged me off of one of the assault shuttles the very one where hed spotted my first sergeant running an impromptu casino, I later found out and very firmly explained to me that I wasnt doing my job and that if I didnt get my act together then I could expect a transfer to the general service division to count beans for the rest of the mandatory service that Id agreed to when I was commissioned.
As you can imagine, I
Incoming fire! the pilot shrieked and hurled the gunship sideways towards the side of the valley. There was a sudden impact as something smashed into the left wing
And then a crash as the right wing hit a tree and the gunship went spinning
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
Unfortunately, Sam also calculated that the space necessary for such an aircraft, laden with two men and the missing equipment, could be quite a bit shorter than had been assumed, increasing the short list of areas to be checked up past a hundred sites.
The most likely places are those in this area, Jack decided, indicating the mountains near the centre of the island. If theyre travelling by air then they would probably want a refuge thats hard to reach on the ground, to make it less likely for someone to blunder over them. Daniel, youve got the map we brought?
Daniel looked at him for a moment. Yes, wait a moment. He opened up one of his backpacks side-pockets and produced the photo-recon map.
Thats not much of a map, von Pinn observed, looking at it and then back to the detailed maps that they had been working off.
Jack smirked. But, he pointed out, If they have a map then this is probably about as good as it gets for them. Now look. He tapped his finger on the area hed pointed at. On your map I can see at least a dozen areas that they could use, but from this one theres two no, three place they could be. Here, here and here. So those would be the best places to start.
Those are going to be difficult to get to, von Pinn noted. Ive seen that plateau, he added, tapping one of the sites, and Im not sure I could get up there without climbing gear.
We will require aircraft in any event, Rao declared. Finding them is of no use unless we can pursue them should they flee. He picked up a handset from inside the cavalry vehicle. This is Rao, he declared. I require the use of a gunship squadron. My priority is Immediate-Actual.
.oOo.
The gunships were roughly equivalent to a Russian Hind, Jack decided, although since the Angrezi apparently prefered vectored-thrust to rotors the profile was completely different. However the essentials were the same: each was heavily armed and could carry an infantry fire team (or SG-1 plus von Pinn) in the rear. He wondered if this was another subtle sales pitch by Nekhrun, a theory that he was only slightly distracted from by von Pinns slightly pale face.
Dont you like flying, Lieutenant? he asked.
Im very happy in Confederate assault shuttles, the infantry officer replied a touch irritably. But with all respect to the Angrezis engineering, these crates dont have quite the same safety record. His grip on a stanchion noticeably tightened as the gunship banked and outside the window Jack could see a pine-covered hillside flying past them.
Do you think the pilot heard you? enquired Jack and von Pinn responded by using the index finger of his free hand to move the corner of his eye up and down a couple of times, which Jack guessed was probably some sort of rude gesture.
Do you want to be armed or not? he asked, indicating the small box that he had brought aboard.
Tealc reached down and pulled the box onto his lap before opening it to reveal four sidearms of the same kind that Jack had seen the Angrezi using before. Once again he was reminded of revolutionary era pistols long barrelled with short, rounded grips.
Okay, you see those levers on the top? von Pinn asked. Those are the selector switches currently theyre all up, which means that they are safe. Normally, taking it down one notch sets it as lethal but these are training weapons so it doesnt make any difference still safe. The bottom notch is the stun setting which is the same as hitting someone with a Zakniktel once. There is a grip safety so it wont fire unless youre holding it, but its quite sensitive so you dont have to be holding it very firmly for it to fire.
Sam took one of the guns out of the box and held it in firing postion, aiming at the rear door. The grip seems a bit awkward, she complained with a grimace.
Von Pinn glanced over, seemingly glad for a distraction as the gunship banked around another bend in the ridgeline. Youre holding it too low, he said. You ah, I was wondering why your guns had such large butts -
Jack stifled a snigger.
- you use your index fingers to work the triggers. You should lay your finger along the stunners barrel and hold the trigger with your middle finger. Its a better way to aim just point the index finger and the whole gun follows.
Sam complied found that he was correct. Right. That wouldnt work with our sidearms though the slid would take my thumb off if I tried.
That elicited a shudder from von Pinn. Remind me to never try using one of your Tauri firearms, he muttered. They sound more dangerous to the user than the target.
Remember not to try using Taure firearms, Tealc reminded him, helpfully.
thanks. Ill remember that.
There was a chime from above and then the pilots voice came back over the speaker mounted on the ceiling. Were one minute out from the first site. Were coming straight down on it, disembark on the bounce cause Im not hanging around in the dirt a second more than I have to.
The rest of SG-1 took their weapons and von Pinn hit a control, lowering the ramp that formed the rear (and only) hatch to the passenger compartment. Trees were still moving fast underneath them and two more gunships were visible trailing their ride. I suggest you brace yourselves, he advised. Angrezi jump infantry like to get very macho about the bounce of a hard landing and our friend up front sound like hes going to uphold their honour in front of the foreign visitors.
There was a laugh from the loudspeaker and all of a sudden the gunship plunged downwards, almost shaking a startled Daniel free of his own handgrips, almost in a freefall towards the ground below.
If anyone has any prayers that might help the altimeters work better von Pinn suggested, looking almost cheerful now that the gunship was unquestionaly headed for the floor.
There was a howl from above as the turbines came back to full power and then a crunch that rattled Jacks teeth as the gunship hit the forest floor and quite literally bounced briefly back into the air. Von Pinn flung himself out the back before it hit ground again, so suddenly that for a moment Jack thought he had simply fallen, and then instinct from his own parajump days took over and he hurled himself after the lieutenant with the rest of SG-1 following, Daniel half-dragged by Tealc. There was a roar and then the gunship was in the air again along with its comrades, leaving clusters of soldiers scattered around the forest. If it wasnt for the turbans that were under the helmets and the unfamiliar weapons, they could have been any of Earths elite infantry units as they fanned out through the trees.
Anything? Jack asked quietly as von Pinn listened to the chatter on the headset he was wearing. Colonel Rao had been quite firm about not sharing access to the tactical net with the experts.
The soldier shook his head. No ones been sighted, he confirmed. Once the Colonels sure were not about to be attacked, hell start looking for tracks. It shouldnt take long.
The immediate area is clear, Rao told them, ghosting out of the trees on silent feet that would have shocked Jack if he wasnt already familiar with Tealcs easy fieldcraft. No one has sighted any tracks so far but the men have only been able to make a cursory examination while securing the area. They shall check more thoroughly now while the gunships search for infra-red sources. Without waiting for a response, he moved on through the trees.
Abrupt, isnt he? Daniel observed.
Hes a proud man, von Pinn advised. The Fourth Cavalry are an elite unit among the Padishahs soldiers but they havent had a real enemy since before he was born and the rough handling they got yesterday must sting. He grimaced. In fairness, I really didnt expect to have as much difficulty with them as I did.
Are you experienced in fighting the Goauld? Tealc asked.
Not a Goauld, admitted von Pinn. But Ive fought Jaffa a couple of times. Not in open field operations though.
.oOo.
The site proved to be a disappointment and Rao summoned the gunships to collect the infantry before moving on to the next location. This time the craft swooped in more gracefully and landed without more than the lightest bumps.
They arent bad, Jack admitted. You dont use these? he asked von Pinn.
We have assault shuttles, he replied as they went up the ramp of their gunship. Same job, more or less, but larger and they can handle surface-to-orbit and vice-versa. Actually, one of the things that weve been working with the Angrezi on is an update of this so that well have something more economical for moving small groups around on planets - so I suppose Id better get used to this.
I feel so honoured, the pilot retorted across the intercom and Sam chuckled, then had to grab a stanchion as the gunship lifted off before the ramp was fully raised. The next site isnt far, he added.
Do you have similar aircraft, von Pinn asked. You seem quite comfortable with the general tactics.
Yes, Jack admitted. We dont use vectored thrust, well not for this sort of aircraft, but we use external rotors for vertical-take-off-and-landing aircraft.
External rotors wouldnt they be quite vulnerable to combat damage? asked von Pinn in concern.
To an extent, agreed Jack. but theyre difficult to target so not as much as you might think.
And do you fly them?
Jack shook his head. I mostly flew fixed wing before I went into the special operations line of work, he replied. What about you? You said that you started out on an assault transport?
Oh yes, the good ship Iskander, von Pinn agreed with a grin. Assault transports are assault shuttles writ large designed to get down through an atmosphere and deploy a division as fast as possible. Theyre an absolute nightmare for logistics and generally pretty bad for keeping troops up to speed in their field skills. So naturally, as a green ensign fresh out of the academy, I fell in with bad company almost immediately. I mean, of course, my platoon, who were only too pleased to have an officer who had a lower than average chance of noticing them slacking off.
Let me guess, Jack said. You did notice them slacking off.
Worse than that, von Pinn said with a wince. Admiral he was Captain then Ayodhya noticed. The first I knew was when he turned up outside my quarters, dragged me off of one of the assault shuttles the very one where hed spotted my first sergeant running an impromptu casino, I later found out and very firmly explained to me that I wasnt doing my job and that if I didnt get my act together then I could expect a transfer to the general service division to count beans for the rest of the mandatory service that Id agreed to when I was commissioned.
As you can imagine, I
Incoming fire! the pilot shrieked and hurled the gunship sideways towards the side of the valley. There was a sudden impact as something smashed into the left wing
And then a crash as the right wing hit a tree and the gunship went spinning
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.