Free Con-Red: Recourse by Max Feinstein Page A

relevant into the suit’s internal memory before finally calling up the sensor feed from the ADS. 
    The image instantly zoomed towards his location and the sky surrounding them.  It quickly located the two Dragonfires from Avenger flight and through their IFF readings designated them green friendly units.  After a moment the ima ge moved away and focused on a yellow pulsing circle around an empty hole in the sky, however, from this emptiness waves of turbulence were projected in all directions behind it.  The turbulence also told Duntan much about the craft coming towards it, most importantly that it was large, gunship sized at least, moving at very high speed, and was poorly designed for atmospheric flight.  This later assumption came from the amount and type of turbulence coming off the craft as it moved through the atmosphere.
    A tremendous boom range out from the sky and caused Colonel Slaige to glance up as the ground beneath him shook slightly.  He didn’t even have to check the ADS to know that both of the Dragonfire fighters had accelerated past the speed of sound in order to intercept the enemy as far away from the ground team as possible.  Duntan wished them as much luck as he could while at the same time noting the stealth nature of the large ship coming towards them.  If not for the ADS, they would never have detected it until it was already too late.  Dragonfire’s also had nothing like the ADS onboard and so they would have to rely on the relay feed to guide them towards their target.  Without long range sensors to help detect the enemy, the Army Air and Space Command pilots would have to get within visual range in order to launch their weapons.  His role as a commander made him wish for more knowledge about the enemy’s capabilities, but that couldn’t really be helped at the moment.
    Duntan looked back down over his troops and saw the combat engineers getting up to start packing up some of their loose gear quickly.  The relay was just about ready and they all needed to hurry before the hostiles showed up.  With a minute left and nothing else to do Duntan changed the frequency filter on his laser receiver in order to get communications signals, both military and civilian.  He needed more information on what was going on in the large residential zones, most notable Destona. 
    The answers to his request overwhelmed his helmet speakers like water flowing from a destroyed dam.
    “Darling, I’m not sure if you get this message.  I have tried to contact you earlier, but it seems like all communications are down.  Probably another military exercise.  Anyways, I just thought you would enjoy this video of your son taking his first steps.  I do hope it reaches you and that you come home soon, we all miss and love you.”
    “Lani, please contact us soon and let us know what is going on.  Your mother and I are starting to worry.  First the communications get turned off and now the local authorities are telling us to stay indoors until told otherwise.  I sure hope this is another drill.  Please call…hold on, something is happening outside…”
    “…something came out of the sky just past midnight.  Reports suggest multiple impacts in and around the Mironia Spaceport as well as the UPF Balaravi Military Base.  We must restate that as of this moment these are unsubstantiated claims.  FNN has been unable to contact any military representatives for comments of these reports or to discover the origin of communications network failure.”
    “This is the freighter Bright Star on approach to SP Mironia!  Mironia control please respond!  I have multiple onboard system failures and request immediate assistance!...Come on damn you!  Hold together just a little longer!”
    “Colonel Goh to HQ, counterattack against SP Mironia ineffective.  Second battalion sustained heavy casualties and was ordered to conduct a withdrawal.  Major Levnova reports most casualties resulted from intense