Tarvitz piloted the Stormbird as it threatened to fall apart, its hull shuddering violently under his control.
Black smoke still billowed from the wound left by the missile strike on its left wing. Most of the indicator lights on the dashboard had gone dark, with only a handful of screens stubbornly flickering with faint light.
An ominous metallic grinding mingled with the roar of the engines, warning that some critical component was beginning to fail.
The bombardment began just as he plunged into Olympia's atmosphere.
Through the cockpit's cracked windshield, Tarvitz saw an apocalyptic scene.
Countless Lance beams rained down from orbit like divine punishment, tearing the earth apart and staining the sky red.
Explosions flashed across the ground in succession. Even from several thousand meters above, he could feel their devastating shock waves rippling through the air.
"Damn it..."
Tarvitz gritted his teeth, gripping the control stick tightly with both hands as he fought with all his strength to pull the Stormbird's nose up.
He had to make an emergency landing on the nearest stretch of level ground, or he would strike the earth like a meteor, leaving not even an intact corpse behind.
His arm muscles bulged, veins standing out beneath his skin. Sweat ran down his forehead and dripped onto the dashboard with a hiss.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Shrill alarms blared incessantly in Tarvitz's ears. Red warning lights flashed wildly, bathing the entire cockpit in a harsh crimson glare.
The altimeter reading plummeted, the engines had exceeded their safe operating speed, and the entire Stormbird groaned beneath the strain.
Tarvitz clenched his teeth and pulled back on the control stick with all his strength—
Snap.
A sharp crack rang out.
Tarvitz stared at the broken half of the control stick in his hand, frozen in place.