The Hunter in the skies.
As the golden rays of dawn behind him reflected off the clouds, Kyte winged his way over Hun land towards the West and breakfast.
Although he kept a wary eye open for enemy machines, he knew that none were fast enough to catch him, unless the sausage eaters had partaken of an unusually early breakfast. Drowsiness started to creep over him, partly due to the extreme height, and partly because he had not slept for 18 hours. That fact was mainly due to Professor Henry Walton Jones, and his role as a double agent.
Pulling himself together, and scanning the sky, he spots a gleam of the sunrise reflecting from the windshield of an aircraft to his right and well below him.
Taking a closer look he descries several machines including R.N.A.S. Heart of Oak Camels in a serious Dog fight with a whole gaggle of Fokker DVIIs.
As he draws nearer he spots yet another Fokker dropping in to party. There are evidently more of them in the cloud base above. For a moment he considers going to the aid of his old friend Triggers and his Wingman, but decides that his presence in a Dogfight like this would not only be unwise but only serve to confuse the issue.
Turning his back on the action he spots another very perturbing sight.
Emerging from the clouds to his left is a Fokker Triplane. By the slight twitch in its wings it is obvious that it has also seen him.
It turns toward Kyte cutting off his only remaining route toward the lines.
Kyte takes the only option open to him and turns toward the Fokker which he recognises as his old adversary, the Jasta 11 ace Christophe von Rogerstein.
Hoping to slip past his enemy he is astounded when von Rogerstein opens fire starting Kyte’s engine smoking, which proves to Kyte quite convincingly that his cover is blown, and he returns fire wounding von Rogerstein slightly as bullets crease his rib cage.
Kyte now neatly side slips past the Fokker.
The wound has not incapacitated von Rogerstein, however and he throws his machine over in a tight turn to try and get upon the tail of Kyte, who is making off toward the nearest cloud.
As von Rogerstein completes his turn Kyte vanishes into the cumulus.
Von Rogerstein is now caught napping.
Kyte executes an Immelmann turn concealed by the cloudbank.
As the Hun approaches the spot where Kyte disappeared, he suddenly emerges again head on, and slightly above von Rogerstein, with all guns blazing and wind whistling through his flying wires.
Caught on the hop von Rogerstein takes some damage and starts to smoke, but this extinguishes almost immediately even as he tries ineffectively to return fire as the two aircraft pass.
It is now Kyte’s turn to attempt a tight turn to bring himself behind and above his opponent.
And von Rogerstein’s turn to dive for the clouds.
As Kyte follows the Fokker into the cloud, von Rogerstein banks, and the two aircraft momentarily sight each other as the flash past.
The game of hide and seek continues for a time with more near misses in the blanket of clammy white mist.
Both aircraft eventually emerge, heading away from each other, and Kyte ventures a glance at the dog fight baring his escape. It now seems to have developed into a full blown encounter with aircraft all over the sky. No way out there then.
Whilst thus occupied, von Rogerstein has taken advantage of Kyte’s inattention and half turning his Fokker gets in a long shot which damages Kyte’s fuselage.
As Kyte turns back towards Hun land, von Rogerstein’s turn carries him back into the cloud.
Continuing his turn he emerges just as Kyte completes another Immelmann.
Using his Ace ability as an acrobatic pilot he turns into another frontal attack on the Fokker.
The ensuing fusalade cripples Von Rogerstein’s aircraft and it is only by employing his own Ace skills as a lucky pilot, that he dodges a second and this time fatal wound.
Having sustained as much damage as he can take, Von Rogerstein puts his nose down and heads for home, whilst Kyte uses the cover of the clouds to avoid any stray aircraft still fighting it out, and heads for the lines.
Emerging from the cloudbank over No man’s land, he has to run the gauntlet of Allied Archie fire, which fortunately, on this occasion, is no more accurate than its German counterparts.
No sooner is he over the British lines, than he is joined by Nigel Bouncer Smythe in his “Biff” ready to sheppard Kyte to GHQ, and help him avoid any unwarranted attention from the R.F.C.
As he lands the stolen prototype DVIII, he can see a welcoming committee waiting on the tarmac. It is comprised of Maurice Baring, Professor Jones and two unknown Red tab Officers in greatcoats, with their collars up and their peaked caps well down shadowing their faces.
The Butcher’s Bill.
No charge today save a bit of collateral damage.
Rob.
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Nice report.
Excellent idea
Originally Posted by Nightbomber
Superb 
Thank you very much Sven.
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