The Scarman Enigma

[|Scarecrow|]

The sound devastated the tranquil peace that lay across the forest. Old Earth Deer analogues scattered from their grazes as the thunderclap of sound boomed above them. The two Typhoon fighters soared nearly one hundred miles overhead, decelerating at a tremendous rate as they entered the atmosphere. Their powerful twin deuterium fueled engines emitted hypersonic blasts as they tore into the atmosphere at a speed way above mach five. Descending quickly, Lucas flew Obsidian four in a steep downward curve, heading for the treetops. They needed to be quick in dropping to the surface, should they be spotted by any potential hostiles. The tremendously loud blasts their engines made upon planetary entry were a necessary sacrifice. After all, any ship could be entering the atmosphere and heading for the Los Angeles Space Port.

Lucas engaged his stealth system as soon as Obsidian four had slowed down to below mach three, cloaking the ship in an array of effective radar jamming shields. He indicated that Manning should do the same as they dropped below the thirty kilometer mark.
Once we get below ten kilometers, initiate a wide band area scan. Lucas voxed the order through to Kurt with an air of professionalism about him, That way we can cover more ground in less time.
Understood, Kurt replied. Anderson watched as his wing schematic showed Obsidian five gearing up for mass sensor deployment.
He lowered the nose of his Typhoon even further; praying that their small wing wasnt seen before hey hit the canopy. Just thirty more seconds, he breathed beneath his breath as he gripped the control stick.

Lucas fought the immense power of the inverse gees as his fighter leveled out at mach one, thundering over the treetops like some bizarre supersonic bird. The foliage below rippled with the incredible wake left behind by the two speeding star-fighters. Lucas began to decelerate to the regular air-speed mark as he tore across the vast green sea before him. At least they had made it down this low, but now their speed was the issue. If they tore over a concealed landing base, they would instantly be identified and shot down. They needed to be flying at regular speeds for their stealth systems to work fully.
The two Typhoons continued to slow down until they were flying at approximately three hundred miles per hour. At that point, Lucas gave the order to initiate the scanning procedure. Slender antennae extended from the noses of each Typhoon like slender, probing aerowave aerials. Feedback from the sensor nodes instantly flooded into the datastreams of the fighters information outlets.

Im not picking anything up immediately, Kurt said over the commlink. Perhaps if we split up
I was thinking the same thing, Lucas agreed, Circle around to the west, but dont go as far as the shoreline, thats out of our target zone. Ill double back around to the north east and make for the foothills of the mountain range. If they are hiding in the forest, they might have chosen a spot nearer the capital, it would be more practical if they had to make the journey via land.
Roger that, Kurt replied. Lucas looked out of his cockpit canopy and watched Obsidian five bank sharply away to the left. He turned his attention back to his scanner readings and turned his own Typhoon towards the mountains.

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| S C A R E C R O W |

"See you space cowboy..."