Hunters Elite Chapter 4: Dante Dupree

Hunters Elite
Chapter 4: Dante Dupree
By Mike Tyrell

Big Dog and Jack Reamo prepare for a fierce battle against the Alliances Wolf-Fang Detachment. One Destroyer, currently the destroyer Alois bombards the planet supporting there commandos down below, the Destroyer Chlodwig, Lothar and Lokela in orbit blockading the planet from escaping transport. The easy task handed to Commander Nesta to retrieve two Hunters, has started an all out war against the local underground gangs that run the planet. Fueled and armed Big Dog lays down the plan.
The Past
Commander Dante Dupree a well-known pilot in the Alliance and special combat trainer to the royal family and nobles within the fleet. That day should have been very easy, to lead a wing of pilots from the Inspectrum two a space station not far from earth, headed to the academy on earth. What made that trip special is most of the pilots on board are members of the royal family and among them is the heir to the Alliance Throne the young Prince Arinton. The mission went fine piloting the new class fighter bought from Empire Galactica corporation. They exited to an area near Primus Nine and had to fly a few thousand miles before making the final jump home. Just as they where preparing to jump Python Raiders attacked. Knowing that most of them where rooky pilots Commander Dupree ordered them to escape and finish entering there jump coordinates to go through the hotspot, they where nine fighters, four where shot down, two where captured and one entered wrong jump coordinates. Commander Dupree and Prince Arinton are the only one to make it back. Dante Dupree was striped out of his rank and discharged dishonorably. It was not Dantes fault but someone had to take the fall and he was the perfect scapegoat that time. At a bar not far right outside the Alliance Space Academy Dante Dupree just left the academy and decided to have a drink, or get drunk. He thinks he is lucky that the King would not just kill him for getting most of his distant nephews and others killed but. "Commander Dupree" a voice behind him said "I am no longer a commander just a guy in a bar" the person came and sat next to him, "your always be my commander" he recognized the voice of his best and top student Lieutenant Arinton. He sat next to him and said "I know its not your fault, it was an attempt to kill me and because of you I am still alive" the prince not recognized by any one casually orders a drink and continues "My father is going to step down and will crown me King, and I need someone that I can trust from the outside. Someone I can trust with my life. I want you to be my master and my friend" there was not that noticeable age difference between Dante and Arinton they always had a big brother little brother relationship, they looked out for each other. Arinton thought he had failed him but Dante knew that if Arinton stood against his father for him he might not make it as king, Dupree knew that Arinton would make a better king for everyone then his younger brother.
The Present
Big Dog was good at this, with many years experience he knew every move the Alliance would make and thus gave him and edge and with a talented pilot like Jack on his side would increase the odds to his favor, even if its against a few destroyers. Tracking hunters and attacking civilians Big Dog noticed this strange behavior from the Alliance as if someone else was giving the orders; he wanted some one back home to see this. And the only way was to give them a taste of bitter defeat.
The Future
Jack Reamo slowly opens his eyes looking at the burning red skies of the Solarian planet, he gets up dusting off his space suite, barely holding himself from the frequent mini quakes. He looks around the destroyed planet of Solaria, Lava spewing out of the bottom of the planet; mountains and buildings slowly crumble upwards and downwards as the gravitational pull of the planet is distorted and in some places gone. A few feet away the wreckage of the Dog Pound still burning rests. Jack hears a beep from OBC on his COM unit "Jack incoming message" Jack replies "put it through" Jack is expecting the message to be his reinforcement but he thought wrong "Jack!!" the voice of Big Dog “I am sorry Jack I sold you out to the Kayteens, General Ja’Door only wants you at this point. He granted all the civilians on the planet safe passage in exchange to leave you on the surface. I had to take action because you were blinded by revenge and was afraid that you would kill us all. it was the only way for thousands of innocent people to evacuate the planet. Annie would have wanted it this way. Jack looks up to the sky and sees the Kayteen weapon, the emperors destiny. A massive machine, which fires a burst of concentrated energy causing what ever it touches to explode. It’s the size of several battle start groups put together. It was dragged slowly through space under heavy protection to its location. It Is recharging for its a second blast at the planet. Jack just witnessed the result of the first blast on one side of the planet; a second blast will surely destroy what is left of the planet. It was the end, his final mission, his last objective, and the end of his adventure. He runs to the nearby cave where OBC is carefully hidden, he jumps in takes a deep breath and fires up the engines “Annie” he whispers to him self “wait for me, I am coming”. He blasts out of the cave towards the sky. On the command post of the Kayteen battle group Commander General Ja'Door checks the status of the emperors destiny or nick named the Hell Gun recharge level and notices a fighter heading directly to it. Hell Gun opens its main door as it is around ninety percent and starts spinning its turbines as the beginning of the final stage before preparing to fire and that is when its vulnerable, the General knew that, so he ordered all the fighters to attack to stop Jack any way they can, even ramming him if they have too. It was no use against Jack, he is quicker, faster and stronger then any other pilot in the galaxy, his skills were honed through many battles, his abilities is at its peek, and determination driven by vengeance, he is now the unstoppable. The Commander General ordered two destroyers to physically place themselves between the Hell Gun and Jack, and let Hells Gun shoot through, but they where too late. Commander General then shouts, "All fleet jump now, JUMP NOW". A huge blast was seen just as a few of the Kayteen mother ships managed to jump away leaving Hells Gun and every other thing around including part of the Solarian Planet disintegrate.
The Present
Jack receives instructions from Big Dog on how he should approach and attack the Destroyer over the city, he must hit it hard enough to prevent it from taking off to orbit and hit the other three hard enough to stop them from following them to the next system. Big Dog had a very good understanding of their tactics Jack had no problem it but accomplishing it was the hard part. Jack takes a deep breath as he approaches the destroyer at high speed closely followed by the Dog pound. Jack had to use OBC turbo lasers to target a strip no more then two meters wide half a mile long that spans across the destroyer between the main guns, that strip is the destroyers main antenna if successfully targeted they will be unable to communicate with anyone, they will be virtually blind for just a moment and the dog pound will target there hanger doors stopping them from launching or refueling any more fighters for some time. Jacks approach vector and speed did not give the Alois destroyer enough time to reposition there selves to fire at him, the Alliance fighters did not have chance, they where taken off guard. Upside down at high speed, Jack realign his turbo lasers and accurately hits the antenna in one go, while Big Dog fires a few missiles inside the hanger as planed. The Alois slowly moved away from the battle area to an open area to perform quick maintenance before taking action as per Alliance fleet command manual section one dash forty five of the in battle maintenance guide latest issue.
Looking out a window from a very far transport leaving the planet, Leo watches as one of the orbiting destroyers tilts on its side as the planet gravitational pull over comes it. He looks to the captured arms dealer standing next to him “impossible” the arms dealer looks back at Leo “told you mind not made right, better honor pay, don’t want to be on bad side of hunter Jack Reamo” they are not the only ones amazed with what just happened. News travels quickly through the halls of the Red Sun to the ears of his royal highness. “One measly little dog litter bucket and one fighter disable two well armed state of the art destroyers. How” the annoyed prince asks “three your highness, we lost communication with the third just now” the commander updates the prince. The prince squints his eyes and grinds his teeth in anger and says “Commander this is not acceptable. You go now, impose marshal law, level the planet, torture and kill whoever you need to bring the crew of that litter bucket alive here” the commander of the Wolf-Fang salutes the prince and turns towards the exit. “And Commander” the prince adds to his instructions “Alliance Fleet Command will not know of this”. The aids of his royal highness came closer to him advising him on the situation “You highness” one said “Nesta is one of our finest field officers and lost, it is wise that we stop pursuing hunters and get back to the matter at hand” another advisor said “I agree with my colleague, any delay would jeopardize our plan, if we move faster” the Prince shouts cutting his sentence “ I know, I know. But that fighter came out of one of our factories, we must have it before we can proceed with the …” just before he can continues the door to his champers opens and inters a young boy followed with his entourage “Crown prince of the Alliance, My uncle I come to see you as you requested” quickly the Crown prince changed his frown to a smile to the young boy “Lucian, my favorite nephew, how is the adventure so far” the young prince answers “I sow a battle that I never seen or heard, a pilot with unknown markings fought valiantly to protect us from harm. Is he one of us, is here for me to thank. If not I would like to meet him” Crown prince Agrothes looked around and said to the Lucian, “Im sorry he is not here but I promise you that you will talk to him when we find him soon.” Agrothes now faced another tangle in his scheme, Lucian will tell his father the King of this battle and Agrothes would have to explain him self, but it’s a matter he will think of after he finds the hunters.