Flying Blind

[Cassie Granger 0]

Flying Blind

 

Ia Drang Valley, South Vietnam, Earth, 1965. U.S. ground forces were there to “train and allow the NVA to grow” and to “avoid direct conflict at all costs.” They weren’t supposed to be there to fight. Everything was planned down to the minute. It should have been a clockwork in-and-out, just like it was on paper.

 

Two hundred thirty-seven killed, two hundred fifty-eight wounded. They were lucky to get anyone out alive.

 

Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, Earth, 2005. U.S. forces weren’t supposed to be there to fight. Everything was planned down to the minute. It should have been a quick, seek, find, grab-and-go of a Taliban HVT.

 

Twelve U.S. Navy SEALs, eight U.S. Army Nightstalkers, six U.S. Air Force flight crew killed. Only one made it out... barely alive.

 

Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Florida, July, 1969. Starfleet wasn’t supposed to be there. Sixteen Starfleet officers and a starship on the line. Nothing planned, nothing known. Hell, they didn’t even know who the hostiles were or even if there were hostiles; all they had were rumors.

 

Hell in a handbasket?

 

“Could be Ia Drang all over again, Commander. Don’t like the feel of it. Don’t know who or what we’re up against and no broken arrow* to call in.”

 

Cass kept a slow pace next to Commander Morrison, their heads bowed close together, their voices low. Other pairs walked the same way; they had the same look, maybe voicing the same concern. But to air those negatives openly? In the old days they called it a jinx, and in a way it was. Negative talk during a mission easily led to second-guessing and second-guessing led to balks, hesitation, lost focus and....

 

Cass blew out a breath of frustration and shook off the thoughts as best she could. As logistics officer and ground-to-ship liaison, Commander Morrison was their best connection to information, and his expression was as grim as hers.

 

"I don't like this any better than you do," he replied. "Time travel on top of this desert of information is dangerous. For all we know we stop the Apollo 11 launch."

 

It wasn’t anything Cass hadn’t considered. With no hostiles in sight - and even if they were that good, it was hard to hide from Delta’s level of tech, most of which was foreign to all but Starfleet Special Warfare personnel.

 

So... answers? Forty-eight hours later she still didn’t have any, and it didn’t look promising for the future.

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* Broken Arrow: a code phrase that a ground unit is facing imminent destruction from enemy attack and all available air forces within range are to provide air support immediately. Cass’s comment is aimed at her belief that if they had a broken arrow, Challenger was bound to remain silent because of temporal contamination.