“Very well,” she replied, then drained the rest of her coffee. “The Master Chief and I will be on the bridge to watch the fireworks. Please let me know as soon as you spot the test aircraft entering the airspace.”
It was really a matter of “if” and not “when” they spotted the F-35C, but she ran a tight ship and expected her crew to deliver sometimes miraculous results. The newer versions of the AN/SPY-1 radar had increased capability against targets with smaller radar cross sections, like cruise missiles, but her ship was fitted with the first generation, albeit with several modifications that reduced weight and increased power output. It still performed well against steep-diving missiles and was more than capable against most air threats, but the Joint Strike Fighter was another animal altogether.
“Aye, ma’am,” Martin replied with a slight grimace.
Beth stood and strode for the door, hanging her empty coffee mug on a hook above the coffeepot. She was one of the few on the ship who had her own mug in almost every space aboard the ship, and she relished the opportunity to practice her religion with the crew. Master Chief Ivy followed in her wake as she led him to the bridge.
“It’s going to be hit or miss if they can spot the test aircraft,” he said, hoping to temper her expectations.
“Oh, I know that,” she replied over her shoulder. “But it never hurts to motivate the crew a little. Honestly, I’ll be a little disappointed if we spot the stealth fighter, especially since he’s supposed to be jamming against threat radars for the duration of the test.”
“Do they know that?” he asked.
She stopped mid-stride and turned to look up into his placid face. As always, he challenged her when he thought she needed a subtle course-correction. It was a fine line between demanding excellence from her crew and safeguarding their morale. Beth had always believed that the crews with the highest morale were the ones who performed at the highest levels. But she appreciated Ben’s counterpoint.
“Tell you what,” she said. “Let’s make a bet. Just between you and me.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What’s the wager?”
“I’ll bet they can spot the inbound aircraft and alert me before he launches his missiles at the target ship. If they can’t, I will personally praise the crew for their efforts to do so.”
“And if they can?”
She grinned. “Then you can tell them you didn’t think they could do it.”
Ben opened his mouth to answer but stopped short when the radio clipped to her belt squawked with, “Captain to the bridge. Captain to the bridge.”
Chen leaned back against the sloping terrain to ground herself in the reality surrounding her. The view through her virtual reality goggles was breathtaking, and it would be easy to get lost in the virtual environment. Feeling the warm dirt at her back, she pivoted and tilted her head in every direction while marveling at the interface the professor had constructed.
“This thing is incredible,” she whispered to herself, though nobody was around to hear.
Initiating the hack had been surprisingly easy, but she wasn’t ready to declare victory yet. After all, Xi Jian had achieved as much before the jet’s electronic defenses repelled his attack. Manipulating the odd-looking controllers in her hands, she swiped at the air while searching for the display showing what ordnance had been loaded on the fighter. When she saw two radar-guided AIM-120D air-to-air missiles and two Joint Strike Missiles, she grinned.
“Just as Mantis expected,” she said.
A notification suddenly appeared like a floating box in the lower left corner of her VR goggles’ field of view. She turned her attention from the infrared video she was monitoring and focused on it briefly, noting that the target aircraft was nearing the next waypoint. She rotated her right hand as if manipulating the jet’s side stick and grinned when the fighter turned in response. After rolling out, she pulled up the display and studied the pre-planned route.
“One hundred miles to the target,” she said, reminding herself to remain on the route until the last possible moment. Eventually, she would break off and turn south for the real target, but she didn’t want to risk tipping her hand too early. Even if it
The box disappeared when she dismissed the notification, then she noted the distance until the next turn while continuing to swipe at the air in front of her. She drilled deeper into the Joint Strike Fighter’s menus, becoming more familiar with the virtual reality interface’s capabilities. As long as Wu Tian eliminated the threat and gave her the space to operate, she knew nothing would keep her from reaching her destiny.
Then she heard what sounded like a chainsaw, tearing the night’s tranquility asunder.
