Free Warfare: Rise Of Mankind Book 2 by John Walker Page A

Mick replied as he pulled an evasive maneuver, flipping his ship and gunning the engine. Meagan saw him out of the corner of her eye as he pressed forward. “Taking my first shot.”
                  Meagan saw the weapons light up, brightening her own cockpit even over the sunlight beaming overhead, amplified by the atmosphere. Sparks flew from the drop ship and the shields flickered. A small turret, only visible on scans, picked up the pace on the shooting, firing frantically in an attempt to shake the fighters.
                  “That thing’s on the bottom.” Meagan pulled up. “Get out of its firing arc and we can finish this thing off.”
                  “Panther One,” One of the Tai’Li fighters spoke up. “We have incoming fighters. They seem to be trying to rescue their drop ships.”
                  “Firing missiles.” Meagan locked target and pulled the trigger. Her vessel lurched from the sudden discharge and two projectiles whizzed away. The drop ship lacked maneuverability and when the warheads struck the rear compartment with the shields weakened, it exploded in a fiery ball on impact. “Splash one!”
                  “Panthers One and Two,” Tai’Li again, “continue to engage the drop ships and we will maintain your back.”
                  “Not exactly the saying but I’ll take it,” Meagan replied. “Keep em busy back there. Mick, we have to pick up the pace. I’m going to do a fly by on the next shield, you blow their engines.”
                  “Done.”
                  Meagan jammed the throttle forward, taking the next enemy at an angle. She spun her craft sideways, making minor course corrections to avoid the turret. A quick reading on her scanner said she had good angle but instead of firing immediately, she took an extra second to draw in a second target.
                  Firing three good bursts, she veered away just before colliding with the drop ship, letting her burners scorch its side. Her first two hits took down the shields, the third knocked out the turret. “Wide open for you, Mick!”
                  Mick bombarded the vessel with his pulse blasters, annihilating it’s engines and sending debris flying off into the sky. “Splash two.”
                  “Jesus, we’ve got eight to go. We need to pick up this pace.” Meagan’s shields flared around her. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, Tai’Li, whatchya doin’ back there? I thought you guys had them.”
                  “One slipped by.” An odd beam of purple energy sliced an enemy fighter in half. “We’re clear to assist.”
                  “Let’s make short work of these guys.” They plunged forward, approaching the next set of drop ships. We’ve got approximately ninety seconds before they reach the surface. We’re going to cut it close .
                  “Crap, that turret hit me,” Mick said. His calm tone made Meagan frown.
                  “How bad?”
                  “Shields absorbed it but I’m down to forty percent. That was a solid hit.”
                  “Fall back and let them recharge. The three of us have this one.”
                  One of the Tai’Li fighters raced ahead, saturating the drop ship with more purple energy. Electrical bolts danced off the enemy hull and the engines suddenly shut down. He fried the entire system! It plunged, powerless toward the ground. When it hit, it would be like a missile and cause just as much damage.
                  Meagan pulled a quick scan to see where it would land. Their luck didn’t hold out. The trajectory of the falling vessel took it right into the heart of the alliance troops. Well, shit. She throttled up and fired her pulse blasters, intent to pulverize it into tiny pieces. The first five shots ripped open the