The Plague Logs

[Marburg]

"The Festival of Blights" (Part III)


Instantly frustrated that he missed the mark, Damien hits his cruise button, resulting in a bloody knukle-print on his console.

His Talon begins to suck in the surrounding energy that quickly explodes into a burst of speed that sinks the already deeply scar-handed Gaian into his seat.

Looking down to the screen on his left, he selects Jacknife's Hawk & taps the formation option... As the klicks between the two flyers begin to shrink, Marburg leans low over the controls, as if to reduce wind resistance.

Getting closer, he starts to see the others.

Jacknife, up ahead, & hot on the heels of two others, commences to wedge his way between them, & fires his tow-cable.

The magnetic end attatches itself to one ship, & he then slams his stick to the left, knocking into the other ship like a brick, while simultainiously releasing the cable, & screeching on his brakes.

The other end of the magnetic cable immedeatley clings to Jack's other quarry & connects the other two nose-to-nose allies... The almost instantanious result, is them both colliding into each other as Jack skids through the middle of an almost perfect circle of firey debris.

He hits the gas again, & prepares to sink into his own seat as the beams emenating from the Hawk's tractor, scoop up the coccoons of his wingmates like an electric hand.

His cockpit shudders & his ears pop as Marburg's engines growl past him like the flash of a blade, & with a sound so low on the register that it's felt more than it's heard.

Hitting the formation button again, the former Plague Dog chases his next "rabbit" who is skimming just ontop of one of the twin suns of Edinburgh.

Running equal alongside the bolting rodent, Dimi pulls to the right, & forces them BOTH into the corona. As Marburg gains the upper hand, he slams the throttle & the Talon's firey thruster envelops the front window of the other ship.

The chemical reaction from just barely within the sunsphere results in the accumulation of a thick layer of opaque soot over the outside of the charred bunny's cockpit.

Burning his own way clear, Dimi again lurches over his console.

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"...And that about wraps it up for Racher!!!..."

Caulobacter Phage looks up at the huge panoramic media wall, with his back to the audience, & takes a moment to witness the newly blinded Gaian exit the corona & shoot out a beacon for pickup.

Phage pauses for another second, then pivots his upper body to the crowd while keeping his feet firmly planted in place. He flashes a sly, mischevious grin outward as he raises the microphone to his mouth, & asks the room with mock sympathy:

"...Doesn't it just suck to be him?..."

"AAAAWWWWWWW!!!!!" replies the crowd.

"Tonight," Caul continues, dramatically shaking his drooping head, "::SIGH:: He drinks for free."

To the left of the stage, Racher's buddies cry out: "Ra-KER!!" in military 'Hu-Ahh" exuberence, as an honorific round of applause begins to echo out from the spectators, and across the gigantic, cavernous chamber.

"...BUT! how abooout that outstANDING RUN OF INTERFERENCE BY MARBRRRRGG!!??" he growls to the crowd like the consumate showman he is.

The room of hundreds again explodes into a frenzy of high decibel excitement.

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Deep in concentration, the roar of the Blighters bounce off the walls of Damien's cockpit as he only now becomes vaguely aware of Caulobacter's running commentary.

"...and then there were six..." said the M.C's voice over the speaker, as his former student continues to race on....

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