“Ten minutes out,” Tyler’s Weapons Systems Officer announced.

“Copy,” she said, checking the screen with the position of the target.  She watched as herself, her wingman, and the other two fighters from her wing converged on the target. It was all math with speed alone they should not be able to make this match put with angles and the dimensions of space travel they would be able to make it.

“Still can’t identify what that is beyond a civilian transponder signal,” the WSO said.

“No visible contact,” Tyler added, needlessly. She felt weird maintaining silence between her and her backseat though. “The other two are even further out they won’t join us for a good fifteen minutes once we make contact.”

“The rest of the wing is heading this way also, and there are no other larger ships in the area that can divert back to us. I’ve also notified the outpost,” the WSO added.

“Good, thanks,” Tyler said. She liked her backseat he didn’t need to be told everything, he took initiative, and quite frankly he was very good at his job. She was glad that they had been paired up. “I don’t think that anyone else is going to make it in time to be helpful unless we get this vessel to stop.”

“If they stop we probably won’t need backup,” the WSO mused.

“Fair point,” Tyler said. “But better keep them coming our way anyway…”

“I’m really not counting on this being a civilian vessel, ma’am,” he added.

“Why not?” Tyler asked.

“What are the odds?” he chuckled, and shrugged his shoulders not that his boss could see him.

“Fair point again, Cabbage,” Tyler responded. “Say, how did you get that callsign anyway?”

“Top secret ma’am,” he responded quickly.

“You say that every time and I still don’t believe, also I’m sure we have at the very least the same level of clearance,” she pointed out.

“Not if you haven’t a need to know,” he countered.

Alarms suddenly sounded throughout the fighter, “what’s that?” Tyler asked, looking at something traveling toward them on her screen.

“Some sort of wave… I don’t like it,” he cringed. “I think we should turn around… it’s an energy pulse to be sure but I’m having trouble finding out more. The scanners are a bit perplexed… and I’ve lost contact with the vessel.”

“Tell the others,” Tyler ordered, as the fighter banked and they began to speed back in the direction they were coming from.

Meanwhile Sunshine and his SWO saw the same thing, “whatever that energy wave is it’s heading right toward the boss. Can you get any idea of what it is?”

“No, sir,” the WSO responded. “It’s pretty narrowly directed… It had to come from the target. Whah, it just bugged out… I’ve never seen a target move that fast before. It just hit them head on, I’m calling the outpost for help, and letting the others know to avoid the area. The transponder from LT Bardot’s fighter just went out…”

“Mayday,” Sunshine ordered.