Fly Chapter 11

   We walked down into the bunker and immediately heard the command radio calling out to us. Tang Tango Seven repeat! Do you copy? There is an inbound assault force on the Cyclops position! The radio went quiet waiting for a response and across the bunker I could hear a muted bassline thumping from Han’s big earphones. He was laid back in his cot staring at the ceiling. I didn’t have time to address him, so I picked up the comm radio. Tango Tango Seven go ahead. Shade, where the hell have you been? There’s an armored column heading towards position Cyclops. We confirm the column is led by a turtle tank with a minerollers. We are redirecting arty assets, but you need to slow that thing down, try to keep it from crossing the minefield. Copy that, I said, we’re on it.

 I looked back at Hans and he stood ready and alert, as if he’d always been there and was just waiting on us. Kurgan went to the drone storage and started prepping anti-tank munitions. I grabbed an observer drone and ran outside to launch it. The morning stillness now rumbled with the sounds of war in the distance. I reached the bunker entrance and saw Kurgan coming out carrying a drone with a heavy mortar round slung underneath it. I patiently waited at the top of the stairs as he hurried past. He gave me a sarcastic grin and said, why thank you kind sir.

    Hans had his FPV goggles on his head and appeared to be getting ready. Then he stopped and took a long hit from his vape. Bro, we gotta boogie, I said, and pointed my index finger in the air in a spinning motion. He sat at the monitor station next to me, I sent my spotter drone towards the advancing armored column. Oh yeah, look at this thing, I said to him as we started to get a bird’s eye view of the giant metal beast. The turtle tank was a standard tank with a sheet metal shell built around it. Sort of like dropping a cardboard box onto a roomba. The box protected all the typical target areas and metal plates hung down on the sides to protect the track and wheels. This tank was also fitted with a row of heavy metal rollers that stuck out in front of the tank for mine clearing. As the tank cleared mines three other armored vehicles followed behind it.

    Just as I got closer an explosion went off in front of the tank. One of the rollers had set off a mine, but the metal wheel took the abuse and the beast didn’t even slow. I swung behind the tank and zoomed in the camera. I pointed to the monitor screen. Hans, here’s where you need to hit, the rollers block the front of the track so you need to come in low from behind and hit this exposed section of track. All we want right now is a mobility kill. Hit it here and it will blow the track off that side.

    His first attack drone took flight and quickly closed in on the target. My drone watched as Hans circled behind the tank and zoomed towards the left rear track. His feed cut out when the drone exploded and I saw the burst of fire and dirt on my view. The tank trundled along without a scrape. What was that? I asked. He said, I hit it. I said, no you didn’t, you nose dived into the ground right behind it. Something bothered me, it was a small target, but he still could have done better than that.

    Kurgan was outside and launched a second anti-tank drone. Hans flew it out to meet the turtle tank again, which was now halfway across the minefield. Ok, I said, we gotta stop this thing so try  coming in higher. Hans said, it probably has a jammer and that’s what screwed me up. 

I said, that would be true if they had a jammer, but they don’t. You flew into the ground.

I was starting to have doubts, I switched to the command radio. Firebase Bravo Two, this is Tango Tango seven requesting artillery support in quad twenty four oh four. The answer came back, Copy Tango, negative on fire support at this moment, we will let you know when it's available.

Ok Hans, I said, you got this, bring it on in. His FPV dove at the tank track and drilled into the ground again. Dirt harmlessly blew onto the tank. I said, something is not right. Hans lifted his goggles and said, there’s something wrong with these drones. A bad thought came to me, I said, did you adjust the floor limit on your goggles? What? he asked. My heart sunk. Like I asked you to do when we first got here? I told you to raise the floor limit on your goggles, and you said yes. He frowned and said, well, I didn’t know what you meant. 

    My anger flared and I tried not to let too much seep into my words. But you remember me saying that? I told you to put the floor up one hundred and fifty millimeters, it’s in the settings drop down. He stammered and said, how am I supposed to know all this war stuff, you guys have been doing this a lot longer. 

    I mashed my face into my palm. I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself. Then I responded. Motherfucker! That’s not even war stuff! That's basic drone stuff. Haven't you ever installed a camera? His face was a blank stare. If you add a camera and landing legs to a drone you pull up the floor to compensate for stuff hanging off the bottom of the it. So you don’t crash it into the ground! We have sixty mil mortars hanging off these drones!

    Hans was looking at me like I was a frothing werewolf ready to lunge at him. He raised his voice. Hey, I didn’t know what you meant. OK?

    I remembered I still had my spotter drone hovering over an active battle field. I turned my attention back to it quickly. I spun a flat three sixty then pitched it end over end over end looking for any enemy drones that might have found me.

It happened right? My hands were shaking, I was so mad. You remember me saying that?

Yeah, but. He tried to deflect the blame, I held up my palm to him, stifling his excuse.

 So you didn’t ask what I meant? You just pretended you knew. You just wasted two anti-tank rounds.  Do you think this is a video game and you have the cheat code for unlimited ammunition? It’s not, guys could die because of you right now. Setting zero on your goggles isn’t even a military thing, that’s proper drone protocol.

Hans became defensive, I don’t see what the big deal is, I never hit stuff when I'm flying. I said, yeah, that’s the fucking problem right now. He scoffed and said, you know what I mean, how was I supposed to know it was gonna be a issue this one time?  Are you actually defending your actions? I couldn’t believe the audacity of this kid. Hey, I’m not trying to be a dick, but are you looking for a way to spin this where you actually didn’t do anything wrong? Because if you are, we are all going to die. I make mistakes, Kurgan makes mistakes, If you can’t embrace the fact right now that you fucked up, then you are signing our death warrant. We really can’t go forward. I tried to look at him with compassion, I was pleading for him to accept some responsibility.

I watched his expression change, his eyebrows relaxed and his posture eased. He looked like a little boy who had broken a window with his baseball. That was a pretty big mistake, he said, sounding sincere.  I’m sorry about that. Should I try the goggle thing now?

I sighed, the turtle tank had crossed the minefield, it reached the treeline and backed in to heavy brush, pushing over some smaller trees. Three infantry fighting vehicles, each with a dozen fighters inside were following the track cleared by the turtle tank. Kurgan came clomping down the steps into the bunker. Do we need another shot? He asked, unaware of the situation. I tried to think of the next move. I still had my drone in the air observing, I could have Hans take it over and I could fly an FPV with my goggles. We could see if another drone team was available to help, or. The radio crackled to life, Tango Tango Seven clear the position and observe for a HIMARS strike. 

I pulled the headset mic to my mouth, Copy that Firebase, Tango Tango Seven clear for incoming. I pulled my quadcopter to a safe distance but continued to watch the enemy machines bounce steadily across the minefield closer and closer to the position our troops were holding. Ten seconds later HIMARS guided missiles rained out of the sky. The first two missed, then two IFV's were struck and erupted into flames.

As we watched the carnage unfold on the monitor, my drone battery dropped to its last bar. The surviving IFV was stuck behind the others. It started going off the track to get around the burning shells when it hit a mine and blew into a flaming hulk. The three of us quietly cheered.

I asked command if they had any more rockets coming, the reply was negative. A blinking LOW BATTERY message popped onto the screen. Shit! Kurgan said and pointed at the screen, the turtle tank was going back. I handed the controller to Hans and said, bring this thing home. Then I got up and walked to our drone supply with Kurgan. I think we’re in for a busy day, I said. Yeah, he nodded, it’s looking that way.