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Er packte sie beim Training am Kragen – bis 390 Soldaten sahen, wie sich eine wahre Legende erhob — Transcript

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0:00Bring it down. I don’t want to see
0:02that ugly old machine in the sky
0:03anymore. Raven 1's voice cut through
0:06the open radio frequency with a
0:08coldness that had nothing to do with a
0:10training maneuver. No hesitation, no
0:14inquiry, no trace of uncertainty, just
0:16an order spoken by a man clearly
0:19convinced that only seconds lay between
0:22his will and another pilot's death.
0:26High above the craggy mountains, two
0:28modern fighter jets broke away from
0:30each other and transitioned almost
0:32simultaneously into attack formation.
0:34Their sensors locked onto the same
0:36target. A single A-10, slow, heavy,
0:39looking almost like it belonged to
0:41another era, without escort and far
0:44from any immediate reinforcements. On
0:47paper, the matter was decided. The two
0:49fighters were faster, higher,
0:51technologically superior, and able to
0:53cover each other. The woman in the old
0:56ground-attack aircraft had none of that
0:57. What the men didn’t know, however,
1:00was who was sitting in that cockpit. A
1:03few hours earlier, Major Lena Hartmann
1:05had stood in the pale light before
1:07sunrise on the tarmac of Redmer Air
1:09Station. The air smelled of kerosene,
1:12cold metal, and the fine dust that the
1:14wind carried from the desert to the
1:16hangars. Before her rested her machine,
1:20angular, heavy, and anything but
1:22elegant. As on every mission day, Lena
1:24placed her right hand on the fuselage.
1:27To outsiders, this gesture might have
1:29seemed like superstition. To her, it
1:31was something else. It was a silent
1:34check, a familiar moment between pilot
1:36and plane before ascending together
1:38into a sky that was rarely as harmless
1:41as it looked from the ground. The
1:44younger mechanics had smiled at it in
1:46the beginning. Those who had worked
1:48with her for longer hadn't done that
1:50for a long time. Master Sergeant Daniel
1:52Brooks approached her with a
1:54maintenance tool under his arm. Black
1:56grease was already smeared on his left
1:58hand, even though the sun hadn't yet
2:00risen above the horizon. "The machine
2:03is mission-ready, Major. Tanks full,
2:06ammunition checked, hydraulics stable.
2:09We ran the systems through twice." Lena
2:12kept her hand on the metal. "Twice
2:14means you didn't like something during
2:17the first run." Brooks remained silent
2:19for a moment. A brief pressure
2:21fluctuation in the left hydraulic
2:22circuit. We checked the line and
2:24replaced the sensor. The second test
2:26was clean, and yet you’re telling me
2:29anyway. Of course. Now Lena took her
2:31hand off the fuselage and looked at him
2:33. That’s why I trust you. She was in
2:36her early 40s, neither particularly
2:38tall nor physically imposing. A narrow
2:41scar ran along her right jaw, about
2:43which many stories circulated on base,
2:45and none of them were entirely accurate
2:47. Fine lines had settled around her
2:50eyes over the past few years, traces of
2:52sun, lack of sleep, and things pilots
2:55rarely spoke about. Beside the massive
2:57machine behind her, she appeared almost
2:59inconspicuous. That was precisely what
3:01led people to make the same mistake
3:02over and over again. They usually
3:04considered Lena Hartmann ordinary as
3:06long as they were only looking at her.
3:08Only when they saw her in action did
3:10they realize how wrong that impression
3:12had been. What does it look like over
3:14the northern training area? Brooks
3:16pulled up the weather data. Thick
3:19layers of clouds over the mountains.
3:21Cloud base around 2,500 meters, with
3:24strong gusts above that. Poor
3:26visibility in some of the canyons. Lena
3:29glanced at the data only briefly. Good.
3:31Brooks raised an eyebrow. Good? For
3:34someone who knows every rock down there
3:36. Yes. With that, she turned away and
3:39headed toward the equipment room. Two
3:41hours later, she was already in the air
3:43. In the briefing room, the mission had
3:46sounded almost boring. A strictly
3:48shielded training scenario over a
3:50mountainous section in northern New
3:52Mexico. A military vehicle convoy was
3:55to drive through a long valley system
3:57to a rally point. Several aircraft
4:00would secure the convoy while pilots
4:02from an aggressor unit simulated enemy
4:05fighters. Lena was to stay at low to
4:08medium altitude with her A-10.
4:10Neutralize threats to the ground troops
4:13and ensure the convoy traversed the
4:15narrow passage. A task she had trained
4:18in similar form countless times. Then,
4:22just before 7 a.m., everything changed.
4:25Multiple voices broke out in confusion
4:27simultaneously on the control frequency
4:29. The sober routine of the exercise
4:31command had vanished. Shadow Lance here
4:33, Exercise Control, unplanned change in
4:35the situation. Two support elements are
4:38out due to technical problems. You
4:41remain the only aircraft over the
4:43corridor. Confirm. Lena guided her
4:46aircraft into a shallow turn and
4:47answered without any visible reaction.
4:50Confirmed. Shadow Lance is alone in the
4:53sector. What is the threat status? It
4:55took a moment before the voice from
4:58headquarters came back. The aggressor
5:01aircraft Raven 1 and Raven 2 are no
5:03longer responding to the designated
5:05control instructions. We have lost
5:07contact with the unit's liaison officer
5:10. Assume their pilots may be acting
5:13outside the agreed-upon scenario. Lena
5:16glanced over her instruments.
5:18Understood. Then the mission
5:20commander's voice lowered. Lieutenant
5:23Colonel Samuel Ortega was not a man who
5:25became nervous easily. Lena had known
5:28him long enough to hear when he meant
5:30something seriously. One more thing.
5:33The convoy is manned by real personnel.
5:35Twelve soldiers are in the vehicles.
5:38They were already underway when the
5:40situation escalated. Until we know what
5:43is really happening up there, those
5:45twelve people are relying on you.
5:48Lena's fingers moved across several
5:50switches. She checked fuel, sensors,
5:53flight altitude, and terrain data.
5:56Understood, Colonel, I will stay with
5:58them. She entered a wide turn and
6:00pointed her nose toward the valley.
6:03Below her, a series of narrow canyons
6:05ran like dark scars through the
6:06mountains. The convoy was several
6:09kilometers away. Tiny vehicles from
6:11this altitude, accompanied by thin
6:13plumes of dust. Lena counted them,
6:16watched their speed, and estimated the
6:18distance to the narrowest passage.
6:21About 11 minutes, maybe a little less
6:23if the lead driver kept up the pace.
6:26Then a strange voice sounded, not over
6:29the designated training channel, but
6:31over an open frequency that many
6:34military aircraft in the region could
6:36hear. That was no coincidence. "Raven 1
6:39" wanted an audience. "The lonely A-10
6:41over the valley," the man said in a
6:44calm, almost bored voice. "I can see
6:46you. Where did your friends go?" Lena
6:49did not answer. Her eyes moved over the
6:52displays, then out into the sky, then
6:54back again. No answer. Fine by me. We
6:58see you anyway. Interesting machine. I
7:01didn't think something like that was
7:02still flying at all. A second voice
7:05laughed. Raven 2. The laughter was
7:07genuine. They weren't just mocking her
7:10to provoke her. They truly found the
7:13situation amusing. Lena finally spotted
7:16two fast contacts east of her position.
7:19High, fast, in a descent. They were
7:21approaching her openly. No attempt to
7:23hide their approach. Men who believed
7:27they held a superior hand rarely hid
7:29their cards. "Raven formation, this is
7:33Shadow Lance," said Lena. "You are in
7:36controlled airspace. Re-establish
7:39contact with training control and
7:40return to your designated area." Raven
7:431 laughed softly. "There she is. Tell
7:46me, pilot, are you afraid?" Lena
7:48watched the flight path. "You should
7:51change your course.""Why should I?"
7:54Because they were entering a situation
7:56they didn't understand. For a brief
7:58moment, there was silence. Then he
8:00spoke again. The amusement was still
8:03there, but underneath lay a barely
8:05perceptible resistance. You're flying
8:07slow. You're alone. There are two of us
8:10. Our machines are superior to yours in
8:13virtually every performance metric, yet
8:15you talk as if you have an advantage.
8:18Lena did not answer. While he spoke,
8:21she calculated his altitude, the
8:23possible intercept angle, the distance
8:25of his wingman, and the time the convoy
8:28would still need. At the same time, she
8:30recalled the terrain map from the
8:32mission briefing. People heard words;
8:35good pilots heard intentions. Raven 1
8:38wanted her to climb into open airspace.
8:41That was where he could exploit his
8:43speed and altitude. So, she would do
8:45exactly the opposite. The first
8:47approach confirmed their assessment.
8:50The two fighters dove from a great
8:51height, crossed above her position and
8:53pulled back up, without really
8:55attacking. A test, an attempt to force
8:59her to evade. Lena stayed on the flight
9:03path. No frantic course change, no
9:06flight, no visible sign of nervousness.
9:09On the ground frequency, Lieutenant
9:11Aaron Blake, the leader of the convoy,
9:13called in. Shadow Lance, this is Alpha
9:161. We see two fast aircraft above us.
9:19Can you assess the situation? Lena
9:21switched channels. Alpha 1: Maintain
9:24speed and route. No stops, no
9:27deviations. Understood. But those
9:30aircraft don't exactly seem like part
9:32of a normal exercise. They aren't. For
9:35a moment, there was silence. How long
9:37until the narrow passage? Barely 11
9:39minutes. Then think only about the road
9:41for the next eleven minutes. I will
9:43take care of the sky. Blake exhaled
9:45audibly. Understood, Major. The two
9:48fighters turned back. Raven 1 went
9:50lower this time. You're still here, he
9:53said. Most pilots would have tried to
9:56gain a better position by now. Perhaps
10:00I am already in the better position
10:01with this aircraft. You talk an awful
10:04lot for someone so sure of themselves.
10:08His wingman's laughter cut off abruptly
10:10. Raven 1 remained silent for a moment.
10:12Lena used the pause. How long have you
10:14been flying? Apparently, he hadn't
10:17expected this question. Only after a
10:19short hesitation did he answer: 11
10:22years. Then there is still hope that
10:24you might learn something today. Now
10:26the frequency remained silent for much
10:27longer. Raven 2 said something on an
10:30internal channel that became partially
10:32audible through an overlap. Lena didn't
10:35catch every word, but she recognized
10:38one, a term that roughly meant ghost or
10:40apparition. Raven 1 picked up on it. My
10:44wingman calls you a ghost. Interesting
10:47name for a pilot in a machine that
10:49every radar operator sees from a great
10:52distance. That is not what I am called.
10:54What are you called then? Lena let
10:56three heartbeats pass. Ask your command
10:59center about Major Lena Hartmann. The
11:01reply did not come immediately, and
11:03this time she knew her silence had
11:05struck a nerve. Not because her name
11:08was magical, but because career
11:10soldiers in certain circles knew names
11:12that rarely appeared in detail in
11:15official reports. For almost a minute,
11:17she heard nothing from the two. No
11:19taunting, no laughter, no attempt to
11:22provoke her. Lena imagined Raven 1
11:25checking on an encrypted channel. She
11:29would never know exactly what he was
11:30told. She didn't know it either. When
11:33he responded, his tone had changed.
11:36Raven 2, break off to the south. New
11:39approach from sector west. No more
11:41jokes. No personal remarks, just short
11:45military commands. Lena smiled almost
11:47imperceptibly. Finally! She muttered.
11:50From this moment on, he took her
11:51seriously. That was exactly what she
11:53had wanted. Arrogant opponents were
11:55easy to read as long as they were
11:57playing. They became more dangerous
11:59when they disciplined themselves. But
12:01wounded pride had its own price. A
12:04pilot who had just learned he had
12:06underestimated his opponent often
12:08wanted to correct this mistake too
12:10quickly. He became more aggressive,
12:13more determined, more personal. And as
12:16soon as a fight became personal,
12:18experienced people began making
12:20decisions they would never defend in a
12:23briefing room. Down in the convoy,
12:25Lieutenant Aaron Blake sat in the lead
12:28vehicle, watching the sky through the
12:30dusty windshield. Next to him sat
12:32Sergeant Miguel Salazar, a soldier for
12:35almost 16 years and deployed abroad
12:37three times. Blake pointed upward. Do
12:40you know Hartmann? Salazar didn't take
12:42his eyes off the sky, just the name.
12:44More than enough to be glad she's the
12:47one up there. Blake waited. Salazar
12:51remained silent at first. Finally he
12:53said, a few years ago there was a
12:55mission that was barely talked about.
12:58An A-10 with her call sign got into
13:00trouble against several enemy aircraft.
13:03And back then, the others also thought
13:05she would be the easy target. Blake
13:07looked at him. What happened? Salazar
13:10kept looking up. Not all of them came
13:13back. The second approach of the
13:15fighters began. Raven 2 broke away far
13:18to the south, while Raven 1 gained
13:20altitude. Lena recognized the pattern
13:22immediately. The wingman was supposed
13:25to force her to react. As soon as she
13:27turned toward him, Raven 1 would come
13:29from above. By the book, neatly planned
13:32, dangerous, and completely useless if
13:34the target disappeared. Lena pushed the
13:37nose of her aircraft down. The A-10
13:39descended into the upper reaches of the
13:41canyon network. Rock walls rose on both
13:44sides. Shadows swallowed the machine.
13:48Radar signals were broken and blocked
13:49by the terrain. The A-10 was never
13:52designed to fly elegant high-speed
13:54maneuvers between mountain walls. It
13:57was built to stay in the worst part of
14:01a battle, take hits, and still keep
14:04working. But Lena had been training in
14:06these very canyons for years. She knew
14:09the shape of the walls, the spots where
14:12crosswinds suddenly fell over a ridge,
14:14the valleys where radio waves grew poor
14:16, and those turns behind which an
14:18aircraft practically vanished from
14:20sensors above the mountains. Raven 2
14:23raced over a mountain ridge. Its
14:26sensors searched where Lena had been
14:28seconds before. Nothing. Over the radio
14:31, she heard his surprised voice. Lost
14:34contact. Then Raven 1, now sharp. Where
14:37is she? She was just there. Find them.
14:41Lena flew low through the canyon. To
14:43the two modern fighters, her speed
14:45would have been ridiculous. To her,
14:47this slowness meant control. While the
14:50men had to fly large arcs above her,
14:52she could change her position with
14:54almost surgical precision. Blake spoke
14:57up: "Shadow Lance, we have lost visual
14:59contact with you." That's the point.
15:02And the hunters are looking for me. We
15:05are still six minutes away from the
15:07passage. Then you have 6 minutes to
15:10keep driving and not look up. "Lena
15:12rounded a rocky outcrop and began to
15:14climb slowly. Not abruptly. No sudden
15:16power spike that would have immediately
15:19betrayed her position. Step by step,
15:21she increased thrust and altitude.
15:24Raven 1 checked in again. Hartmann. No
15:27more callsign, no hint of her aircraft,
15:29just your name. You can't stay between
15:32these rocks forever. Lena said nothing.
15:35Come out, let's finish this. She smiled
15:38. He was talking to her again because
15:40the silence made him nervous, because
15:42he didn't know where she was. Because a
15:45man in a technologically superior
15:47fighter just had to accept that the
15:49pilot of a slower machine was dictating
15:51the rhythm of the engagement. Lena
15:53continued to climb. Ahead of her, the
15:56edge of a mountain ridge was
15:57approaching. Beyond it lay open sky.
15:59Somewhere out there, Raven 1 and Raven
16:012 were waiting. She thought of Brooks
16:04on the apron, of the grease on his hand
16:07, of his words that the machine was
16:09ready. She thought of twelve soldiers
16:12in a valley who had nothing to do with
16:14the power struggle between two pilots
16:16and could still die if she made a
16:17mistake. Then she reached the ridge.
16:21The A-10 pushed over the rocky edge as
16:23if it were emerging directly from the
16:25mountains. Raven 2 spotted her first.
16:28Contact, northwest, low. He immediately
16:33banked toward her. Too fast, too
16:35determined. Lena saw it and knew that
16:38he was no longer acting on orders, but
16:41on emotion. For minutes, she had let
16:43him search. Now he finally wanted to
16:45nail her down. He accelerated. Lena
16:48held her course. The distance shrank.
16:51Any inexperienced observer would have
16:53expected her to turn away. She did the
16:56opposite. She pointed her machine
16:59directly at his approach path. Raven 2
17:01had to recalculate what she was doing
17:04for a split second. That exact tiny
17:07delay was enough. Lena crossed his line
17:10so that he had to swerve hard to
17:12prevent a dangerous close encounter.
17:15His speed carried him far beyond her
17:18ideal angle. The necessary evasive
17:21maneuver brought him behind a mountain
17:23ridge, taking him out of formation with
17:25his wingman for several crucial seconds
17:27. Lena did not follow him. That would
17:31have been the mistake Raven 1 expected.
17:34Instead, she turned back to the center
17:36of the corridor. Alpha 1, distance.
17:40Blake answered immediately. Four more
17:42minutes. Continue. Understood. Raven 1
17:45was coming himself now. He had enough
17:47of having to order his wingman around.
17:50He dove from high altitude and built up
17:53speed. His craft had been designed for
17:56this very moment. Fast entry, energy
17:59advantage, short decision time for the
18:01opponent. Lena could see him. She could
18:04practically feel what he expected—
18:07that she would turn away, try to gain
18:10distance, and give him the room to
18:13convert his speed into a clean attack.
18:16So, she turned back toward him. Not in
18:19a panic, not aggressively, but
18:21precisely. Raven 1 was too fast to have
18:24the same freedom of movement as she did
18:26at close range. His superiority became
18:29his problem. Speed was only an
18:32advantage if there was enough space to
18:34use it. Lena took that space away from
18:37him. He shot past her. Seconds later,
18:40he tried to swing back around. But
18:42exactly where his new trajectory led,
18:44the dark wall of a mountain massif rose
18:47up. A warning tone sounded in his
18:49cockpit. He had to break off the attack
18:52and pull outward. His own momentum
18:54carried him away from the valley. Lena
18:56saw his contact on the display grow
18:59larger and then drift to the side. She
19:01did not chase him. She had no intention
19:04of defeating him. That was not her
19:06mission. Alpha 1 status: 2 minutes to
19:11the exit. We can already see the open
19:13terrain. Then full speed now.
19:16Understood. In the background, Lena
19:19heard Salasa say something. Quietly,
19:21almost in awe. Holy Mother of God. She
19:24ignored it. Her craft moved into a wide
19:27circle above the passage exit. The sun
19:30was higher now, coloring the rock walls
19:32orange and white. Below her, the first
19:35vehicles of the convoy appeared in the
19:37final turn. They were not safe yet.
19:40Raven 2 had regained his position.
19:43Raven 1 was further out, but he would
19:45come back. Men like him did not retreat
19:48as long as they believed they still had
19:51a chance to restore their self-image.
19:53Lena just had to buy time. 3 minutes,
19:57maybe less. 3 minutes could be an
20:00eternity in a battle. The people below
20:03might later remember the sky, the
20:05engine noise, the radio calls, and a
20:07heavy gray machine circling above the
20:10rocks. Lena would only remember the
20:13clock. Every second was a vehicle
20:16getting a few meters further. Every
20:19second brought twelve soldiers closer
20:21to open terrain. That was the mission.
20:24Not Raven 1, not Raven 2, not her own
20:27reputation, not the stories that would
20:29one day be told in a bar about this
20:32morning. The mission was twelve people
20:35in a convoy. Everything else was just
20:37flying. Raven 1 checked back in. His
20:40voice was controlled, but beneath it,
20:42Lena heard something new. No longer
20:44mockery, not even anger. Careful,
20:47Hartmann. They are protecting those
20:49vehicles. Well observed. Then they are
20:52their weakness. Lena looked down. The
20:55first vehicle was only a few hundred
20:57meters from the exit. No, she said
21:00calmly. They are the reason I am still
21:03here. Raven 2 appeared west of the
21:05valley. Raven 1 approached from the
21:08north. This time, they wouldn't try to
21:10lure her out one by one. They wanted to
21:13apply pressure from two directions at
21:15once. Lena saw the geometry and
21:17understood instantly what was coming.
21:20She could evade, she could gain
21:22altitude, she could try to isolate one
21:24of the two, but any of those options
21:27would pull her away from the convoy for
21:29a few moments. So she stayed. Alpha 1.
21:33How much longer? Less than a minute. Do
21:36not hold formation. As soon as you exit
21:39the passage, scatter into the open
21:41terrain. Blake understood, so you don't
21:43provide a collective target. Exactly.
21:46The lead vehicle shot out of the canyon
21:48. Dust erupted from behind its tires. A
21:51second followed, then a third. Raven 1
21:53adjusted his angle. Lena realized he
21:56was serious now. She banked slightly
21:59left, letting him believe she wanted to
22:01block his expected path, and seemingly
22:03gave Raven 2 more room on the other
22:06side. The wingman reacted immediately.
22:08He accelerated into the gap. Lena
22:11waited. Another vehicle came out of the
22:13passage. Then the next. Raven 2
22:16continued his approach. That was
22:18exactly what she had hoped for. She
22:20suddenly banked into a tight turn and
22:22simultaneously dropped below the edge
22:24of the slope. The fighter lost direct
22:27line of sight for a moment. Raven 1
22:30corrected. Both had to reset their
22:32attacks. A few seconds. That was all
22:35she needed. Last vehicle is out,
22:38reported Blake. Lena looked down.
22:41Indeed. The entire convoy was already
22:43scattering across the wider terrain
22:46beyond the canyon. Twelve soldiers had
22:48put the most dangerous section behind
22:50them. Only now did Lena allow herself a
22:53slow breath, but the morning was far
22:55from over. Raven 1 also knew by now
22:59that the vehicles had reached the exit.
23:02His next transmission was completely
23:04devoid of humor. You bought yourself
23:06some time. Lena pulled the A-10 out
23:08from the shadow of the mountainside.
23:10That was the plan. And now the sky
23:13opened up before her. Raven 1 top left,
23:16Raven 2 further back. Both on the move
23:19again. Lena aligned her craft, checked
23:22the displays, and looked into the
23:23bright light above the mountains. Her
23:26voice remained calm." Now, "she said,"
23:29you must decide if you really want to
23:31find out why your people knew my name.
23:34"Blake checked in over the radio again.
23:37There was relief in his voice, but
23:39something else, too—something deeper,
23:41as if he had only just realized what
23:43had actually happened above him. Shadow
23:46Lance, we are fully out. Lena kept her
23:49eyes fixed on the sky. Understood? Keep
23:52moving. For a moment, Blake remained
23:54silent. Then he said," Major, say what
23:57you want to say. "Silence again. This
24:00time longer. When Blake finally spoke,
24:03he sounded like a young officer who had
24:05just seen something he would one day
24:08tell his children about, yet never find
24:10the right words for. Who taught you to
24:14fly like that? Lena looked out into the
24:17bright morning light. Raven 1 and Raven
24:202 were now just tiny dots far out over
24:22the mountains. They were no longer
24:24closing in. There was silence on the
24:26open frequency as well. Lena thought
24:28about the question for a moment. The
24:32same people who taught them to stay
24:33calm, even though they didn't know what
24:35was happening over their heads. Blake
24:38did not respond again. Lena initially
24:41changed her course slightly toward the
24:42base. Behind her, the mountain ridges
24:44stood like dark walls against the
24:46bright sky. What had begun early in the
24:49morning with a mocking voice would
24:51later be told in countless variations.
24:54But the mission was not yet over. Lena
24:56knew this before any sensor could
24:59confirm it here. The two dots on the
25:01horizon weren't really pulling away.
25:04They kept their distance and circled—
25:06not like pilots on their way home, but
25:08like predators that, after unexpected
25:10resistance, hadn't yet decided whether
25:12to leave or strike again. Raven 1 was
25:16not broken. A man like him didn't give
25:18up just because a single attack had
25:20failed. He would analyze his mistakes.
25:23He would turn the shame of being
25:26outmaneuvered by a machine he had
25:29mocked only minutes before into
25:32discipline. And if the discipline
25:34wasn't enough, his pride would take
25:36care of the rest. Lena kept her hands
25:39steady on the controls. She waited. A
25:42few minutes after the convoy broke
25:44through, Raven 1 reported back. This
25:46time, there was nothing left of his
25:48earlier laughter. Hartmann, just her
25:51name, precise and cold. You flew well,
25:54but the ground forces are out of danger
25:56now. You have nothing left to protect.
25:59Lena remained silent." With that, "he
26:01continued," you have no more reason to
26:03stay here, right? We, on the other hand
26:05, have some unfinished business. "Lena
26:07listened less to his words than to what
26:10he wanted to achieve with them. He was
26:12trying to redefine the engagement. As
26:16long as the convoy had been in danger,
26:18she had set the terms. Now he wanted to
26:21turn a protection mission into a direct
26:23comparison between three aircraft. Two
26:25modern fighters against a single A-10.
26:29Under these conditions, any sober
26:31performance analysis would be against
26:33her. Only his conclusion was based on
26:35the same false assumption as in the
26:37beginning." Raven 1, "Lena finally said
26:39," you are still making the same
26:41mistake. "" Which one? "" You still
26:44believe that you decide what this is
26:46about. "Static noise briefly filled the
26:49frequency. Then, for a moment, Raven 2
26:51came through, apparently because he
26:53hadn't closed a channel properly." She
26:56isn't flying away. "After that, the
26:57connection was immediately silent again
26:59. Lena didn't have to answer. Raven 1
27:01had already understood. She wasn't
27:04staying because she was damaged. She
27:06wasn't staying because her fuel was
27:08already critical. She was staying
27:10because two unpredictable fighters were
27:12operating in an airspace where real
27:14soldiers were located and where, at the
27:16moment, no one but her could exert
27:18pressure on their decisions. That was
27:21what her callsign meant. Shadowlance
27:24didn't disappear as long as she still
27:26had influence on the outcome of a
27:27battle. In the lead vehicle of the
27:30convoy, Salazar still held a portable
27:32radio to his ear. Although the vehicles
27:35had long since reached open terrain, he
27:37was listening to every transmission.
27:40Blake watched him in the mirror." We're
27:42through. "" She can go back. "Salazar
27:44slowly shook his head." She's not going
27:47back. "Blake frowned." The mission is
27:50complete. "Salazar looked at him." Have
27:53you ever heard why some people on the
27:56base only whisper her name? "Blake
27:59shook his head." A few years ago, she
28:01was flying support for a small unit in
28:03a mountain valley. "" Seven soldiers. "
28:06" The enemy had them surrounded from
28:08several sides. "" All other aircraft
28:10were withdrawn for a larger operation.
28:14"" Command ordered Hartmann to return.
28:17"Salazar paused." She stayed. "" For
28:20how long? "" Almost 6 hours. "Blake
28:23turned his head toward him." Alone,
28:26over and over, in and out, saving fuel,
28:28managing ammunition, keeping pressure
28:31on the enemy positions until a rescue
28:33unit finally got through. "" And after
28:36that? "" After that, she got in trouble
28:39because she had ignored an order to
28:41return. "Blake stared ahead at the
28:43dusty road and the seven; several of
28:46them are still serving today. One is
28:49now a battalion commander. On his desk,
28:52there is a photo. Only the silhouette
28:54of an A10 against an evening sky. No
28:57name, no explanation. Sala looked back
29:00at the radio. When someone once asked
29:03him what the picture meant, he said it
29:05reminded him that sometimes the person
29:08who should leave is the only one who
29:10stays. Blake was silent for a long time
29:12. Then he asked," Do you think she'll
29:15make it out of there in one piece? "
29:16Sala lifted the radio to his ear again.
29:19I don't know. He didn't say it grimly
29:22or dramatically, just honestly. And
29:24that is precisely why the answer
29:26sounded heavier than any reassurance.
29:28Lena had by now begun the next phase of
29:30the engagement. The convoy was safe.
29:33With that, the geometric conditions had
29:35changed completely. In the open sky,
29:37the technical superiority of the two
29:39fighters would carry more weight. They
29:42were faster, could maintain their
29:44energy better, possessed more powerful
29:46radar systems, and could track her from
29:49distances where she could barely react
29:51meaningfully. A direct engagement over
29:54open terrain would not have been a
29:57challenge for them. It would have been
29:59an invitation to lose. So, there would
30:01be no such engagement. Lena pulled the
30:04A10 into a climbing turn and aimed it
30:06back at the mountains. She had known
30:09this terrain for years. Every rocky
30:11edge, every thermal updraft, every
30:13ravine where a radar signal disappeared
30:16for a few seconds. She was not fleeing
30:18from Raven 1 and Raven 2. She was
30:20choosing the space where the second
30:22part of the engagement would take place
30:24. Raven 1 noticed the course change
30:26immediately. She’s heading back into
30:28the mountains. For the first time,
30:30there was something in his voice that
30:32wavered between frustration and respect
30:34. Raven 2 asked," Are we following? "
30:36The pause before the answer was short,
30:38but clear enough. Lena could almost
30:41hear training and pride working against
30:43each other in Raven 1. We follow, keep
30:47your distance, don't let the rock walls
30:50box you in. It was tactically the right
30:53decision. That is exactly why Lena had
30:55counted on it. If they allowed her to
30:57vanish into the mountains, she could
30:59reset her position again and again. An
31:02experienced pilot like Raven 1 could
31:04hardly accept that, and his pride made
31:07a pursuit even more likely. Lena sank
31:09below the first ridgeline. Immediately,
31:12the behavior of her aircraft changed.
31:15Air currents broke against the rocks,
31:17small turbulences grabbed the wings,
31:19warm air rose from the sun-drenched
31:21slopes. To Lena, it felt familiar. Not
31:25comfortable, but familiar. Behind her,
31:28she heard the engines of the two
31:30fighters entering the canyons. Too fast
31:32, she noted. Raven 1 kept his speed
31:35high. He didn't want to appear cautious
31:38. Raven 2, on the other hand, pulled
31:40back some power. A small decision, but
31:43a smart one. Less wounded pride meant
31:46clearer thinking. Lena changed her
31:48assessment in that moment. Raven 2 was
31:51possibly more dangerous now than his
31:53flight leader. Hartmann. came Raven
31:551’s voice over the radio. His voice
31:57was slightly distorted by the canyon
31:59walls. You can’t do this indefinitely
32:01. Your fuel is finite. These valley
32:05floors have only a limited number of
32:07exits. You are merely delaying the
32:09inevitable. Delaying is a tactic as
32:11well. Delaying just means losing more
32:15slowly. Lena banked the aircraft into a
32:18left turn. How often have you flown
32:20through this canyon area? That doesn't
32:22matter. For the next few minutes,
32:25nothing matters more. Ahead of her lay
32:28a spot that Lena had called the Spiral
32:30for years. Two rock walls stood offset
32:34in such a way that the pilot had to
32:35correct sharply to the left and then
32:37immediately back to the right. At the
32:40same time, a warm crosscurrent from the
32:42eastern wall hit the aircraft, pushing
32:44it imperceptibly upward and outward.
32:46During her first flight, Lena’s
32:48instructor had nearly screamed into the
32:50microphone. After dozens of repetitions
32:52, the movement was saved in her muscle
32:54memory. She flew through without having
32:56to think about it consciously. Seconds
32:59later, Raven 2 hit the same air current
33:01. His engine noise changed abruptly. A
33:05sharp word escaped him over the radio.
33:07His machine lost altitude briefly
33:09before he corrected cleanly. He caught
33:11it well. Lena gave him credit for it
33:14internally, but the correction cost him
33:17speed and position. Raven 2, status?
33:21Asked Raven 1. Stable. His answer
33:23sounded curt. Continue. Lena was
33:26already on her way to the next
33:28bottleneck. The gorge narrowed so much
33:31there that there was barely any lateral
33:33room for a few seconds. Above it lay a
33:36temperature boundary that often acted
33:38like an invisible ceiling. Those who
33:40flew in with too much power while
33:42trying to gain altitude suddenly
33:44encountered turbulent currents on the
33:47wings. Lena knew the exact flight
33:49altitude where the passage was
33:51smoothest. She glided through the
33:53narrow pass and pulled up immediately
33:55afterward. She converted the speed
33:57saved during the exit into altitude. As
34:00she cleared the ridgeline, she suddenly
34:02found herself behind Raven 1. For a
34:05moment, the entire relationship had
34:07reversed. The hunter that had been
34:09pursuing her was now in front of her.
34:12Raven 1 registered the change almost
34:14immediately. Lena heard a sharp intake
34:16of breath, then he broke away hard. His
34:19aircraft went into a maximum-G turn. An
34:21aggressive pilot would have tried to
34:24exploit the advantage immediately and
34:26stay on him. Lena did exactly the
34:28opposite. She let him go. While Raven 1
34:32poured energy and attention into his
34:34evasive turn, she broke off the direct
34:35pursuit and took a position from which
34:37she could observe both fighters at the
34:39same time. This behavior had led to
34:43discussions during debriefings before.
34:46Lena rarely flew with the goal of
34:48destroying an opponent as quickly as
34:50possible. She flew to control the
34:52engagement. She wanted the opponent to
34:55be forced to react. A pilot who was
34:58constantly just reacting lost mental
35:01capacity. Eventually, there was less
35:04room for planning, less room for
35:05foresight, less room for that one small
35:07thought that warned of a mistake. Lena
35:11was waiting for exactly that mistake,
35:13but she had a problem. Fuel. The many
35:17turns, dives, and power changes cost
35:19significantly more than a straight
35:22flight home. Lena did the math in her
35:24head. The supply wasn't critical, but
35:26it wasn't comfortable either. A longer
35:28fight would take the decision out of
35:30her hands. She could perhaps afford one
35:32more complete combat sequence. With
35:34very careful thrust management,
35:36possibly a second. After that, she had
35:38to head back. Raven 1 came around again
35:41, but this time his flying style
35:43changed. He no longer charged head-on
35:45into every opportunity. He patiently
35:48built his angle, used altitude, watched
35:51her speed, and worked with Raven 2.
35:54Lena immediately recognized the real
35:56danger in that. Good pilots learned
35:59during the fight. Very good pilots
36:01didn't need a break on the ground to do
36:02it. Raven 1 was a very good pilot. His
36:05arrogance had only obscured the ability
36:07. Now the mask was gone. Raven 2
36:10shifted his position at the same time.
36:12Suddenly, a much cleaner pattern
36:14emerged. One high and slightly ahead,
36:17the other offset to the side. If Lena
36:20moved against one, she would give the
36:22other an angle. If she stayed straight,
36:25both lines would close in. For the
36:27first time that morning, she felt the
36:29full weight of her disadvantage. Now
36:31the real fight began. Everything before
36:34that had been preparation. On a control
36:36frequency, she heard Ortega in the
36:38background. He wasn't speaking, just
36:40listening. Lena didn't know why, but
36:43his presence alone helped. She checked
36:46what she had available. No speed
36:49advantage, no altitude advantage, no
36:52wingman, less fuel than she would have
36:55liked. Against two coordinated fighters
36:58, she also had few options for a
37:00classic fight. But she had something
37:03else. Below her worked a machine that
37:06had never been built to look elegant.
37:09It had been designed to keep flying
37:12after being hit, to return with damage
37:14that would have forced more sensitive
37:16aircraft to give up, to remain slow and
37:19stable enough for the pilot to make
37:21precise decisions near the ground. And
37:25it possessed an enormous autocannon,
37:27which many fighter pilots considered a
37:30relic in an era of modern long-range
37:32weaponry. At close range, however, it
37:35was anything but a relic. Above all,
37:37Lena had something that wasn't in any
37:39technical datasheet. Years over these
37:42very mountains, years in the same
37:45machine, years full of situations where
37:47she’d had too little fuel, too little
37:50time, too little support, or too many
37:53enemies. Not always at the same time,
37:56but often enough to know how that state
37:59felt. She knew the moment when fear
38:02stopped being useful, the moment when
38:05calculations were compressed until only
38:08one decision remained. She had survived
38:11such moments, time and again. That was
38:14not arrogance, it was experience. Raven
38:171 tightened his approach. Hartmann.
38:20Something in his voice had changed
38:22again. For the first time, she heard
38:25genuine respect—not kindness, not
38:27indulgence, but the respect of an
38:29opponent who had decided the person
38:31before him was dangerous enough that he
38:33shouldn’t waste energy on insults
38:35anymore. You are an extraordinary pilot
38:38. Lena watched his flight path. You too
38:42. She meant it. Then let’s finish
38:44this like extraordinary pilots. No more
38:46games of hide-and-seek, no more rocks.
38:49Come into the open sky and we’ll see
38:51who is better. Lena looked left to the
38:54ridge line, then to Raven 2, then back
38:57to the approach line of Raven 1. Their
39:00formation was nearly perfect. Nearly,
39:03because to avoid getting in each
39:04other's way, they had to keep their
39:06distance. And that distance created a
39:09narrow gap for a few seconds. Not a
39:12safe escape route, but a window that
39:14opened briefly and closed again
39:16immediately. To get through it, Lena
39:20had to fly in the exact direction any
39:22sensible pilot would avoid. Directly
39:25toward Raven 1, head-on at an closing
39:28speed where both pilots would have only
39:31moments to make a decision. The
39:33deciding factor was not technology, it
39:36was psychology. Lena had to trust that
39:40Raven 1, as a professional pilot, would
39:42not risk a collision, that his training
39:45would force him to break away at the
39:47last moment, even if his pride told him
39:49to hold his course. She had to trust it
39:53completely. Lena took one deep breath,
39:56then pushed the throttle forward and
39:58aimed the nose of her A-10 directly at
40:01Raven 1. What happened in the following
40:04seconds would later be reconstructed
40:06multiple times using radar data, flight
40:09logs, and telemetry. Several
40:11experienced pilots would watch the
40:13footage again and again. Some would
40:15claim they would have recognized the
40:17gap as well. Others would openly admit
40:20that they would never have used it. A
40:23later evaluator would explain that
40:25Lena’s calculation had fallen within
40:27a range that one would normally only
40:29expect with additional fire-control
40:31support. But in that moment, there were
40:35no evaluators, no recordings, and no
40:37debriefing. There were only two
40:40aircraft, closing in directly on each
40:42other at enormous relative speed. Raven
40:451 initially held his course. Lena did
40:47too. The distance closed, still no
40:50movement. Lena saw the fighter getting
40:52larger. Her body wanted to react. Every
40:55natural defensive instinct demanded an
40:57evasive maneuver. She forced herself to
41:00remain calm. Then Raven 1 broke. Hard
41:03and completely. His training won out.
41:06The fighter shot out of the direct line
41:08and went into an extreme turn to rule
41:11out any risk of a collision. In doing
41:14so, he destroyed his own formation.
41:16Raven 2 lost the protective angle of
41:18his flight lead. Lena flew through the
41:21gap that opened and pulled her machine
41:23upward. For a few seconds, Raven 2 was
41:25below her, while Raven 1 was still
41:27losing energy in his evasive maneuver.
41:304 seconds, perhaps no more. But 4
41:33seconds were enough at that moment.
41:36Lena did not try to turn it into a long
41:39attack. She lacked the fuel and
41:41altitude for that. Instead, she pressed
41:43the transmit button. Raven formation.
41:45Her voice was just as calm as it had
41:47been during the first radio call that
41:48morning. Your coordinated approach has
41:51collapsed. Raven 1 is out of his
41:54planned position. Raven 2 is beneath me
41:57. I have a viable solution on Raven 2.
42:01She let a brief moment pass. I
42:03recommend you re-establish contact with
42:05exercise control and terminate the
42:07engagement. No response. Lena held the
42:10position as best her energy state
42:12allowed. Raven 2 was already beginning
42:15to break out of the unfavorable
42:16position. Raven 1 could return in a few
42:20moments. She knew her advantage was
42:22only temporary. Nevertheless, she
42:25waited. Still silence. For a fleeting
42:28moment, she wondered if Raven 1 would
42:30actually keep fighting, whether his
42:33pride was stronger than tactical
42:35reality. Then the channel opened. His
42:38voice was quiet, controlled, almost
42:41exhausted. Raven 2, break off
42:43engagement. Lena remained alert. Then
42:46Raven 1 spoke directly to her. Hartmann
42:49, I hear you have the solution. It was
42:52only four words, but in them lay
42:54everything that had happened since the
42:56first sortie that morning. The museum
42:59piece had disappeared. The ridiculous,
43:01slow machine had disappeared. The woman
43:04who was supposed to be afraid had
43:06disappeared. What remained was only the
43:10acknowledgement of one pilot that
43:12another pilot had controlled him in
43:14combat in a way that speed, technology,
43:16and numerical superiority had not been
43:18able to prevent. Lena lowered the nose
43:21of her aircraft slightly. Then report
43:24to exercise control. A few seconds
43:26later, Ortega appeared on the frequency
43:28. Raven formation, this is Control.
43:31Confirm termination and return to the
43:33designated sector. Raven 2 answered
43:36first. Raven 2 confirmed. Then Raven 1.
43:40A longer pause. Raven 1 acknowledged.
43:44Lena slowly let the air escape her
43:46lungs. Only now did she notice how
43:49tense her shoulders were. The two
43:51fighters broke away. Raven 2 went first
43:53. Raven 1 remained in sight for another
43:56moment. He pulled a wide turn, as if to
44:00ensure the situation had truly ended.
44:04Then he checked in one last time on the
44:06open frequency." Hartmann. "Lena
44:09answered. Yes. When we saw your machine
44:13this morning, I thought we had already
44:15won. Lena looked out at the mountains.
44:18That was your first mistake. A short
44:21pause. No, said Raven 1. My first
44:25mistake was looking at the aircraft and
44:27not the pilot. Lena remained silent.
44:30Raven 1 continued his departure.
44:32Moments later, both contacts were just
44:35small symbols on her displays. Then
44:37they disappeared from her immediate
44:39area. Ortega checked in. Shadow Lance,
44:43this is Control, status. Lena checked
44:46her instruments. Airworthy, no damage.
44:49Fuel low, but sufficient for a direct
44:52return. Then come home. On my way. And
44:55Hartmann? Lena waited. Yes, Colonel. No
44:59detours. For the first time that
45:02morning, she truly had to smile.
45:04Understood. She pointed the machine
45:06toward Red Mesa; the return flight was
45:08silent. No mockery on the radio, no
45:11warnings, only the monotonous sound of
45:13the engines and the sunlight shifting
45:15across the cockpit. Only with
45:18increasing distance from the mountains
45:20did her body begin to register how much
45:22tension had built up over the past few
45:24minutes. Her hands remained steady, her
45:27pulse slowly dropped. The landscape
45:29drifted by beneath her. Rock, sand, dry
45:32valleys, scattered roads. Lena did not
45:36think about whether she had won. Such
45:38terms rarely appealed to her. She
45:40thought of the convoy. Twelve people,
45:43all out. That was enough. On the ground
45:47at Red Mesa, however, the news had
45:48already spread faster than she would
45:50have thought possible. Brooks stood in
45:53front of the hangar and watched the sky
45:54. Next to him were several mechanics,
45:57some pilots, and eventually even
45:59officers who would normally never wait
46:01on the apron for a returning A-10. No
46:05one knew the whole story. Everyone had
46:08only heard fragments: open radio
46:10transmissions, reports from exercise
46:13control, a statement from the convoy, a
46:16rumor that two aggressor fighters had
46:18confirmed an abort. The less people
46:21knew, the bigger the stories became.
46:24Brooks believed none of it until he saw
46:26the machine himself. Then a dark dot
46:29appeared on the horizon. It grew larger
46:31. The familiar silhouette of the A-10
46:33came over the base. Lena began her
46:36landing approach. Landing gear down,
46:38speed stable. She set the machine down
46:41cleanly on the runway, let it roll out,
46:43and turned toward the parking area.
46:46Only when the engines spooled down did
46:48Brooks allow himself to breathe
46:49normally again. Lena opened the cockpit
46:52. Warm air hit her. She unbuckled her
46:55straps and disconnected the hoses, then
46:57slowly climbed down. Brooks was waiting
46:59at the bottom. His first question
47:01wasn't about her. How is she? Lena knew
47:04exactly who he meant. She placed her
47:06hand on the fuselage. She did
47:09everything I asked of her. Brooks
47:12stepped closer and inspected the
47:13aircraft. Any hits? None, she looked at
47:17him. None? Not today. For a moment, he
47:21said nothing. Then he shook his head in
47:23disbelief. Half the base is saying two
47:25fighters chased you through the
47:27mountains. Half the base talks too much
47:30, and the other half claims they both
47:32forced them to break off. Lena took off
47:35her helmet. The other half talks too
47:37much, too. Brooks grinned. So it's true
47:40? Lena didn't answer. Behind him,
47:43Ortega approached. His face gave
47:45nothing away. He waited until Lena had
47:48fully descended the ladder. My office.
47:51Brooks 'grin vanished. Lena nodded. A
47:55few minutes later, she was sitting
47:56opposite Ortega. On his desk lay
47:58printouts, several electronic reports,
48:01and a plot of the radar tracks. The
48:04lines on it looked almost absurd. Tight
48:07turns between the mountains, approaches
48:10, course changes, overlaps. Ortega
48:12looked at the data, then at Lena. Care
48:15to explain to me what this is? A flight
48:18path, that’s what I see. He pointed
48:20to a particularly narrow section. Here
48:23it looks as if you decided that
48:25mountains were merely optional
48:27suggestions. Lena looked at the display
48:30. The clearance was sufficient. Ortega
48:33stared at her. Hartmann. Yes, I’ve
48:36seen pilots get nervous with three
48:38times the distance. Then they shouldn't
48:41fly there. Ortega leaned back. For a
48:44few seconds, only the air conditioning
48:46could be heard. The convoy has reported
48:48back in full. No casualties. Lena
48:50nodded once. That was the only
48:53information that visibly changed
48:55anything on her face. Ortega noticed it
48:57. That was more important to you than
48:59anything else. That was the mission.
49:02The original mission ended when the
49:04convoy cleared the passage. The
49:07protection mission ended, and then?
49:10Lena looked at him calmly. Then there
49:13were two unauthorized fighters in our
49:15airspace. Ortega folded his hands. I
49:18gave you discretionary leeway. That
49:21does not mean I expected you to lure
49:24two modern fighters into a canyon area
49:26again. They followed me willingly.
49:29Ortega closed his eyes for a moment. Of
49:32course they did. When he opened them
49:35again, there was a nearly reluctant
49:36amusement in them. Then he became
49:38serious. Do you know who Raven 1 is? No
49:42, though I do now. Lena waited, Colonel
49:45Viktor Malenkov. Several thousand
49:48flight hours, a decade of experience on
49:51fast multi-role fighters, instructor,
49:54aggressor pilot, one of the men you
49:56send when you want to test if other
49:59pilots are as good as their files claim
50:02. Lena looked at the radar tracks again
50:04. He flies well. Ortega raised an
50:08eyebrow. That’s your reaction? Should
50:10I pretend he flies poorly? Just because
50:13we didn't like each other today. You
50:15two nearly flew each other into the
50:17history books. Lena remained silent.
50:19Ortega reached for another report. He
50:22submitted a preliminary statement. That
50:25was quick. Apparently, he had something
50:27to say. Ortega didn't read it verbatim,
50:29but summarized it instead. He confirms
50:32that you controlled the final combat
50:34situation. He confirms that his
50:37formation lost its tactical superiority
50:39. He also confirms that his initial
50:42approach was based on a misjudgment of
50:44your aircraft and of you personally.
50:47Lena nodded. Then he learned something.
50:50Ortega looked at her for a long time.
50:52Do you know what else he wrote? No.
50:55That in the future, he will never again
50:58mistake a slow machine for a slow pilot
51:00. The corner of Lena’s mouth twitched
51:03slightly. Ortega pushed the report
51:05aside. You will write a full debriefing
51:08regardless. Of course. A very complete
51:11one, of course. And if it says anywhere
51:14in there that the distance to the cliff
51:17wall was sufficient, I will return the
51:19report personally. Now Lena actually
51:22smiled. Understood. In the afternoon,
51:24the convoy arrived at the base. Blake
51:27got out of the lead vehicle before the
51:29engine had even fully cut out. Salazar
51:32followed him. Both had dust on their
51:34uniforms and faces. Blake asked the
51:37first mechanic he saw where Lena was. A
51:41few minutes later, he found her at the
51:43edge of the hangar while Brooks went
51:44over a maintenance list with her. Blake
51:47stopped a few paces away. He suddenly
51:50seemed unsure how to greet someone who,
51:53hours earlier, had stood alone between
51:55him and two hostile fighters. Lena
51:59noticed him slowly. Blake stepped
52:02closer. Major Salazar stayed behind him
52:05. Are all the men accounted for? Lena
52:08asked. All twelve. Good. Blake nodded.
52:12Then the same silence followed as
52:13before on the radio. I wanted to thank
52:16you. Lena shook her head slightly. You
52:18don't need to thank me for that. Yes,
52:21you fulfilled your mission. I mean...
52:23Blake exhaled. With all due respect,
52:26Major. From below, that looked like a
52:28bit more than just mission fulfillment.
52:30Lena glanced briefly at Salazar. The
52:33sergeant didn't smile. He just looked
52:35at her with the calm expression of a
52:37man who knew some of the stories." You
52:39told him about the past, "Lena said.
52:42Salazar shrugged, almost imperceptibly.
52:45" Maybe. You talk too much. Brooks says
52:48that about half the base, too. "Lena
52:50cast him a glance. Brooks raised both
52:53hands innocently. Blake gave a short
52:55laugh. The tension finally seemed to
52:57leave him a little. Then he became
52:59serious again. Up there, when they told
53:02me to focus on the road, I thought they
53:05just wanted to keep us from panicking.
53:09I wanted that too, but they really knew
53:11what they were doing the whole time.
53:13Lena looked out at her machine. Nobody
53:16knows what they're doing the whole time
53:18. Blake looked surprised. But they
53:20seemed like it." That's something
53:22different. "She turned back to face him
53:25." In action, the people who depend on
53:27you don't need your fear. They need
53:30your decision. You are allowed to be
53:32afraid. And to have doubts, too. You
53:34just have to prevent both from taking
53:36the wheel. "Blake was silent and nodded
53:39slowly. Salazar looked at Lena. They
53:41should write that down somewhere. Then
53:43someone would print it on a poster.
53:45Probably. Exactly. That’s why I
53:47don’t write it down. At the other end
53:49of the airfield, two foreign fighters
53:52landed late in the afternoon. The news
53:54spread immediately. Raven 1 and Raven 2
53:58had returned. Not in Lena’s squadron
54:01area, but on the separate apron
54:03reserved for aggressor aircraft. Lena
54:06wasn't interested in that at first. She
54:09was busy with the debriefing when
54:11Ortega knocked on the door." Hartmann,
54:14Colonel, you have a visitor. "" Who? "
54:17Ortega looked at her for a moment." You
54:19can probably guess. "A few minutes
54:21later, Lena stood in a stark meeting
54:24room. At the other end, two pilots were
54:26waiting.

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