Chapter 23

0530 January 30 Jackson

We cancelled our morning PT to have a good breakfast, as lunch would more likely be a box lunch for those participating in the DRCS with The Flying Vampire System. I was to be the Chief Capture Drone Pilot. I found Three other experience Drone pilots and Four military aircraft pilots who had Drone experience as well as piloting aircraft we could press into duty.

After Currahee Nations announced the evaluation Moria, her team, and a host of others worked through Sunday and informed Mrs. Pierce, we will have Two complete systems available by 1000 so you would need more drone pilots. They all had orders from me, to meet us at the Longhouse at 0545 for breakfast.

As I came down at 0530 all Seven were standing waiting for me outside the breakfast area. I motioned them to follow me into the breakfast room and instructed them to get breakfast and join me. As I sat down the rest of the shadows and the girls came in. I introduced our capture drone pilots.

DRCS team, meet our associate pilots. Mr. Joseph Milinski, former Global Hawk Pilot, currently a level IV Power Plant Technician in the Aircraft Maintenance Division. Mrs. Shella Washington, also a former Global Hawk Pilot, currently a level IV Liberian in the Air School Publications, Bulletin, and Notices Department. Miss Augustine Romeu is a former Atomics MQ-1 Predator Drones Pilot, currently a Level III-Senior Aviation Maintenance Technician and Inspector in the Overhaul Division. Mrs. Lavenia DeMarce, a former E-6B Prowler and F-18G Pilot who has Twelve Hours of Drone Flight Control, currently a Level IV-Instructor Pilot Entry Students Cessna 172S Skyhawk. MR. Jay Cooper, a Former F-35C Test Pilot who has Forty Operational Test Hours on the Atomics MQ-1 Predator Drones Pilot, currently a Level III-Assistant Senior Instructor Pilot Advanced Pilots Beechcraft King Air 350ER at the Flight School. Mr. Ellington Farnsworth, a Level IV-ERJ 145 Chief Pilot in Charter Operations, a former E-3 Sentry AWACS/ Boing 707 Pilot, a Drone Hobbyist with over One Hundred Drone Flight Hours. Mr. “Pops” Peter Overton a former A-10 Pilot and has experimented with Drones for use in Agriculture Aviation, currently a Level-IV Senior Pilot in the Aviation Agriculture Operations.

Pilots our Design and Operations Team Members: OIC Colonel Dr. Kariwase Pierce USAF, Lieutenants Martinez Sanchez Davis USN and Morris Abraham Hamilton USCG, Captains Jefferson Alexander Davis USMC, Alexander Boone Davis USAF, Marcus Alton Night USA Janice Lincolnshire USMCR, Lillian Oaks USAR, and Lester Miller USAR. First Lieutenants Roseland Forest USMCR, Johanna Warren USMCR, Eloise Quayman USMCR, Christine Shepard USMCR, Cassidy Sherman USMCR, Maybell Starks USAR, Lela Downs USAR, Herald Tiller USAR, and Shenna Wright USAR. Second Lieutenants Jennifer May Silver Fox USAF, Wynette Lee Silver Fox USAF, Aleshia Jasmin Pierce USAF, Sandra Lee Pierce USAF, Elizabeth Anne Pierce USAF, and April Joy Pierce USAF.

Yes, the girls are not Eighteen, for that matter not yet Fourteen, but all have letters from RPI certifying that they have Engineering BS Degrees. They are the designers and Code writers for The Flying Vampire System that is the heart of the DRCS. If you cannot take orders from them, you need to leave now. By you, all remaining seating I will take it that you do agree to take orders from them. Now let us finish breakfast and move to the hangar.

Colonel Kariwase, these people I have requested security add to the security access list. You know how people sometimes lose things in the last-minute shuffles. Could you accompany us to the hangar to ensure I can get them in? She said no need and picked up her phone and dialed Mrs. Ruth and explained my concerns. After a minute Col K hung up and said Mrs. Ruth replied I have cleared them. Tell anyone who disagrees to call her and give them her number. Our new pilots understood as they had heard how she brought down the Government of the State of New York and no one wanted to get oh her bad side. That arranged we left for the hangar.

We arrived at the hangar just as Moria and her band of warriors finished connecting the last of the installed wiring harnesses. She said to Mrs. K that the Two new ones were ready for testing.

At 0900 there will be a briefing on the Evaluation Exercise and us working bees will not attend. We will be perfecting our techniques. At 0930 we will land our target Drones and move our DRCS vehicles to prepared sights around Wolverine Field to protect it from attack.

The operating parts limited camouflage to the body of the vehicle leaving the Radar, Targeting Lazer, and Receiving Dish clear to operate. But do camouflage as much as possible to help keep the opposition from easily locating us. Each vehicle has Three prepared positions, do not be afraid to move if you believe you have been located.

All participants will receive a Ten Percent bonus of the value of the Aircraft capture. We will split equally among all team members. Even if not actively working a target, work done early will influence what operators do later so all will share. Now let us start this operation.

Kariwase

Here is our plan, it is now 0645. At 650 we will launch both Predator Drones with a preprogrammed random flight path profile selected by a computer and unknown to anyone operating our system. The girls will do the challenging work capturing the Drones, You Pilots must safely land each one to complete the mission. You will each get a landing opportunity before MGen Pierce arrives to review our progress.

Moria informed me that the Second DRCS pair was ready for uploading The Flying Vampire and then testing. I turned to Wynette and told her to upload The Flying Vampire into both vehicles. I turned to Jackson and told him to get Two pilots in the first Two DRCS and have Two standby the Second Two.

Jackson, get Two Drone Pilots into DRCS vehicles #1 and #2 and have Two pilots standing by DRCS vehicles #3 and #4. Selecting the pilots, I said People get into your vehicles and get comfortable in your seats. The Rotation Pilot will man station Six. The Drone pilot station Five.

Currahee Nations

As Tim, Art, and I arrived at the evaluation operation sight, I saw DRCS’s capturing and landing Drones. Jack had told me he had hijacked people from various parts of our Flight Operations to have more Drone Pilots available. Kariwase was a Vehicle Team Commander So that left me as Mission Commander. Each teams needed another member to free up the driver and a person to free up Kariwase so she could be the unit commander, but we would handle those matters later.

I walked from DRCS to DRCS and saw all the people working as a team and I saw the Commanders of each team allowing there people to do their job. Jack as Senior Drone Operator was observing all the Operators as well as taking his shift. Marcus had been handed the job of Operations and Convoy Commander and as they practiced a move, he directed the vehicles to a position that allowed for the optimum operations I was to learn. I decided that the Six of them should be Majors or the waters fighters equivalent, Lieutenant Commander. I will address the issue to the Service Chiefs during their visit but Brevet them now before the evaluation begins. I will also put Morris in charge of K’s team to allow her to be the Commander of the DRCS Unit.

I called Tim over and said Get me Six sets of Oak Leaf’s now and when you return bring Sergeants Greagory Falter, and Karen Watts the Ultra-Light training instructor. Have 1st Lt. bars on them. Capt. Bars on James Many Speak Willow, Greagory will take Morris’s place and Morris will take K’s place as Commander of Team Four. James will take Marcus’s place and Marcus will be the Vehicle Deployment Commander, the S-3. Karen will replace Jack as a rotation Drone Pilot. K will be the Commander and get Lt. Col. Alfred Harvey here as the XO. Find a CSM and Company Gunny for them also.

With that done I stood back and observed some more. Tim returned in Twenty Minutes and had everyone I requested with him; I saw it was 0800. I called for a halt in operations. I signaled for all to gather around.

First K you are relieved by Capt. Morris. Capt. Morris you are relieved by 1st Lt. Greagory Falter. Col. Kariwase Twin Lakes Tall Elk Pierce you are the unit, Commander. Lt. Col. Alfred Harvey is your XO. Team leaders DRCS #1 Lt. Com. Martinez Sanchez Davis USN, DRCS #2 Major Alexander Boone Davis USAF, DRCS #3 Major Jefferson Alexander Davis USMC, DRCS #4 Lt. Com. Morris Abraham Hamilton USCG, Vehicle Deployment Commander, and the S-3 Operations Major Marcus Alton Night USA, and Commander Drone Pilot Major Jackson Andrew Davis USMC. 1st Lt. Karen Watts will replace Jack as a rotation Drone Pilot. I pointed to Kelly Gabrial who said his name, replied retired USA CSM and added Craig McDonald USMC retired Gunnery Sargent. I answered now unretired Kelly First Sargent, Creg the Company Gunny of this illustrious outfit that plans on and will embarrass all who face them today.