Word in the bar was that another Kilrathi ace had been sighted in the system. Bakhtosh Redclaw was supposed to be a Kiralthi nobleman: a high born Son of Kilrah too good for the common folk, who viewed humans as nothing more than slightly more verbal apes. Of course he flew a Jalthi.
The next morning’s squadron briefing confirmed the gossip. Knight and I were assigned to intercept a few incoming transports, but it seemed almost inevitable that the two of us would end up head to head with Redclaw. What had Angel said about the chances of a Raptor going up against a Jalthi? Thirty percent?
Sure enough, there he was, flying escort on the pair of Dorkir troop transports at Nav 2. Redclaw might have been a crack shot, but none of that matters when you can’t crank the nose around fast enough to line up a target. The tailpipes of a Jalthi look like a pair of fat bullseyes up close.