Tyra scrambled to her feet and dashed over to where her Shilonewaited in the launch bay. She hauled herself up into the cockpit, pulled on her neurohelmet, and snapped the cable coming from it into a socket by her left shoulder. As she struggled to pull on her safety straps and fasten them across her chest, the sounds of a mission debriefing already underway came over her helmet .speakers.

"We have four, repeat, four invader JumpShips already insystem. One is the size of their planetbusters. The other three are smaller ships. The big one must be their flagship. That is priority target for the fleet ..."

Great, just great. We don't get to fight them on Rasalhague when we're all in top shape. We wait to engage the enemy until two months of hiding in space has frazzled everyone.Even as Tyra's anger began to flare, she struggled to curb and channel it. No, this is not the time to get so mad you can't see. You've got your wingmate and your flight to worry about, and you've got some damage to do to that flagship. Act now and complain later.

She punched a button on her console and flash-started the engine. The cockpit canopy slid down into place. At her right hand, a number pad's keys lit up. Because a flash-start did not allow for the computer to cycle through the full series of recognition signs and countersigns to ensure that the pilot was assigned to this particular craft, Tyra had to type in an eight-digit number code she herself had chosen to safeguard her machine. Zero-four, two-eight, three-zero threesix; the day my father lost the use of his legs. It's a date I'll never forget, yet no one else would ever expect me to use it as my code.

In response to the numbers, the engines throttled up to full power and the weapons computer came on line. It filled the cockpit with a holographic display of the battlefield outside and painted the targeting sight over her right eye on the faceplate of her helmet. The trigger handles rotated up and locked in position, and her auxiliary monitor reported all weapons loaded, armed, and ready,

Tyra opened a frequency to launch control. "Valkyrie One ready for launch. Request go!"

"Go granted."

She punched both feet down on the thruster pedals. The Shilonelunged forward, then sped down the launch alley. The metallic walls became a solid silver blur as the square black hole at the end of the runway grew like a mouth intending to swallow her ship. As her velocity indicator climbed past 700 kph, her ship shot free of the Raven.

The sight of so many JumpShips, DropShips, and AeroSpace Fighters in one place threatened to overwhelm Tyra's senses. This is the Gbtterdammerung! So many people, so many war machines, so much death. I've waited a long time for this, for a chance to avenge Phelan and prove myself to my father. Beware, invaders, you are mine now.

Tyra suddenly realized that the enemy had not launched their fighters. Only the largest ship seemed to have launch bays, though their presence could not be utterly discounted on the other ships. Fighters are going to be most vulnerable as they leave the launch bays. If I can get in close, I can do some serious damage.

Before she could put her thoughts into action, Anika Janssen's Shiloneappeared on Tyra's starboard wing. "The biggest target is bound to be the easiest to hit, eh, boss?"

"Right, Nik. Stay close. If either of us is hit, we break off, right?"

"Roger."

Tyra spiraled her Shilonedown away from the Ravenand kicked it into a long dive toward the invaders' flagship. Without gravity to aid it, the fighter picked up no speed as it streaked toward the massive JumpShip, and because of the battlefield's proximity to the orange-yellow star at the center of the solar system, Tyra had to increase power to maintain her speed. Anika's ship lagged behind by a few hundred meters, but slowly caught up to reach Tyra's side when they engaged the first flight of fighters from the flagship.

"Nik, fire once, then punch it. We'll burst by them, drop an SRM volley, and leave them to the others." Tyra flipped her radio to a broader tactical channel. "Valkyrie One, here. We need some assist in sector Alpha Xray Two Four. Enemy fighters, two by two."

"Roger, Valkyrie One. Fenir Three and Four on our way."

"And Aesir One and Two as well, Valkyrie One. Save us something."

"Roger." Tyra launched a full volley of long-range missiles, then brought the Shilone'snose up to carry the ship above the LRM's line of attack. The missiles shot down at the nearest of the invader aerofighters, spattering the boxy craft over its nose and right wing. Tyra stared at the icon representing that fighter on her holographic display, then tightened her fingers on the trigger buttons. The large laser shot from the Shilone'snose and burned a furrow through the armor on the invader's aft turret while the ruby beams from the wing-mounted medium lasers did more damage to the craft's nose and right wing.

The invader's return fire shot wide and low, leaving Tyra's ship intact. She sensed that her enemy was an inexperienced pilot and an easy kill, but she stayed with her original plan. All the fighter kills I get will mean nothing if we can't take out that big ship.She stomped on the foot pedals and cranked the Shilone'sspeed up to 1800 kph. Depressing the thumb button on the left joystick dropped a flight of SRMs to discourage pursuit as she dove hard on the flagship.

All around her, DropShips that had detached themselves from their JumpShips likewise shot toward the invaders' fleet. Outside the grip of planetary gravity and free of a buffeting atmosphere, those ungainly, bulbous craft became lethal weapons-platforms. Bristling with missile launchers and laser muzzles, the DropShips rode argent ion flames down toward the invaders' fleet. In more than one case, the ship's captain had opened the 'Mech bay doors, allowing BattleMechs to stand in the opening to add their token firepower to the ship's weapons rather than remain helpless inside their cocoons.

As her Shiloneswept in on the largest invader ship, Tyra realized why it had been described as a planetbuster. Dozens of DropShips studded the wasplike ship like metallic warts rising from its glossy black flesh. They had docked with their jets pointing toward the interior of the ship, which meant all of their weaponry could be brought to bear on the attackers. In addition, the JumpShip itself boasted numerous gunnery turrets and missile launchers. From various ports on the DropShips and the JumpShip, Clan BattleMechs crawled out and clung to the hull, hoping for a shot at a fighter that strayed too close.

Tyra angled thrust deflectors to take her in a long loop toward the JumpShip's bow. With Anika on her tail, she stood the Shiloneon its right wing and dove down toward the hull. She launched a volley of LRMs that spattered themselves against the bridge's closed blast shields, then hugged the artificial landscape and began a long strafing run down the ship's spine.

Almost instantly, she recognized a flaw in the ship's design. A narrow valley ran down between the two parts of the hull that had been built up for DropShip docking. By taking her aerofighter to the deck, she flew low enough that the DropShips could not target her craft for fear of doing damage to the JumpShip itself. The valley, while not wide on a planetary scale, provided her just enough room for maneuvers that made hitting her ship very difficult. In her first run, Tyra knocked out two PPC turrets, and toward the end, she bobbed up out of the valley to pepper the hull of a DropShip with a flight of LRMs.

Her ship sped past the JumpShip. Dammit, no solar sail to waste. That would keep them here for a long time.She checked her display and saw Anika had likewise survived the trip down the JumpShip's back. "Split-S, Nik, and we make another run."