“Direct us to four hundred meters above the attack origin,” I said to Martina. “That’s close enough to accurately neutralize the attack origin, while giving us time to put up our shields before any counter attacks.”
“Roger, captain, coordinates set.”
Inside the Covert the interior was comfortable and surprisingly stark; two seats in front and two in back. There were vehicle control joysticks available for both pilot and co-pilot. The dash had a screen which defaulted to a radar view of the surrounding area but tapping different corners would activate screens for weaponry, vehicle maintenance or any of the other of the craft's modules. As soon as the two swinging wing doors were shut the windows entered simulation mode. The effect on your senses was immediate; simulations of the surrounding Rocky Mountains were accurate and felt completely real. There was even a gentle bobbing in the air from the controlling stabilizers--just like real hovering. As the vehicle began to "move", it was equally realistic. The sensation was of truly flying. The Covert efficiently moved to the coordinates entered by Martina. In the backseat Doug and Andy each had screens listing all the situational data.
“Nearing target coordinates,” Martina said.
“Prepare to down shields and fire on target.”
“Make sure you’re in the established area before downing the shields,” said Stoneman.
“Use the heat detector to check for activity in the area surrounding the target coordinates,” I said.
Just as she dropped the shields, the Covert rocked violently. The simulator screens went blank and an error message appeared on the front windshield.
“Catastrophic decision taken. The RMD-driven Covert has been destroyed by an attack from above,” said the information system’s automated voice.
I slapped my hand on the panel in front of me.
"Damn, we messed up!"
The two wing doors opened on the Covert; revealing the training facility and my father standing in front of us, his hands at his hips--a severe look on his face. All sensory simulations stopped. The controlling stabilizers stopped moving and we exited the craft onto the training facility podium.
“You have to look at more than the ground. This simulation was based on a true event, which happened four and a half years ago. While the terrorists who're fighting us don't have our 22nd century technology--don't kid yourselves--they still can be dangerous! They have 21st century technology, which can STILL be dangerous if not respected. They have aircraft capable of masking themselves to our on board radar system. You must be sure to check regularly with the ground crews operating the positioning system in the Earth base. They can detect these aircraft, which have no shield system to protect them from our artillery. Over the years, we've shot down dozens of these aircraft; but there might quite possibly be more out there. This was an ambush situation. The terrorists launched from a location only to draw out our hovercraft vehicles to be attacked. They are aware that shields have to be down in order to fire. You can see the results of not properly protecting your crew.”
Stoneman looked at me as we walked towards the theoretical training area. Martina patted me on the back and said, “That’s okay. We’re almost there. It’s another lesson learned.”