Daedalus Combat: SWIC Combat Drop from Low Earth Orbit

by Robert G. Williscroft

A U.S. senator—likely next president—has been seized by pirates and held for $100 million ransom. Derek “Tiger” Baily and his SEALS Winged Insertion Command (SWIC) get the a rescue operation with soldiers zooming in from the sky, the 6-man squad’s first real combat operation. Hurtling around the world in the new Gryphon-10 MK 4 hardshell wingsuit, Tiger and his team must literally improvise on the fly when everything goes wrong and they have everything to lose. Go into battle with Tiger and the SWIC on a mission of life or death in Robert G. Williscroft’s fourth and final installment following Daedalus, Daedalus LEO, and Daedalus Squad.

61 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2019

About the author

Dr. Robert G. Williscroft is a retired submarine officer, deep-sea and saturation diver, scientist, author, and a lifelong adventurer. He spent twenty-two months underwater, a year in the equatorial Pacific, three years in the Arctic ice pack, and a year at the Geographic South Pole. He holds degrees in Marine Physics and Meteorology and a doctorate for developing a system to protect scuba divers in contaminated water. A prolific author of both non-fiction, submarine technothrillers, and hard science fiction, he lives in Centennial, Colorado.

Dr. Williscroft is a member of Colorado Author’s League, Independent Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Authors, Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association, Libertarian Futurist Society, Los Angeles Adventurers’ Club, Mensa, Military Officer’s Association, U.S. Sub Vets, American Legion, and the NRA, and now spends most of his time writing his next book, speaking to various regional groups, and hanging out with the girl of his dreams, Jill, and her two cats.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daedalus Combat in the next short installment in Mr. Williscroft’s Daedalus series, which is based on the concept of a “slingshot” space launch system and the Navy SEALs who staff the project. I’m a fan of the series and recommend the full-length novel, “Slingshot.” Mr. Williscroft has another short story set in the Daedalus world, titled “Daedalus: SWIC Basejump from Fred Noonan Skyport.” The latest story, SWIC Combat Drop from Low Earth Orbit, is not as gripping as the earlier story and is more of a practical application example of how the LEO launch platform could be capable of tactical intervention anywhere in the world. As a pitch to the Department of Defense about the value of the program, it’s fine, but as a short story, it’s a bit flat.

The plot of the story is quite interesting and has a lot of potential. A cruise ship is hijacked by pirates off the coast of Madagascar. On board is a U.S. Senator with aspirations of being President, along with his family. Cue the SEALs of the Daedalus unit, who launch into immediate action to hurl themselves from the LEO platform in their fixed wing flight suits. They can soar halfway around the globe and drop into the scene, landing on the hijacked ship on a rescue mission to free the Senator and the other hostages and return the ship to safety. As you see, has the potential for some exciting narrative – from the details of the space drop to the battle on the ship against the pirates, to the rescue of the Senator, to the thrilling escape from the Pirates’ home port.

Unfortunately, the execution here is lacking. The characters go through the motions of the mission, but there is no suspense, very little action, and no sense of peril or risk of failure. The mission elements move from point A to point B to point C with minimal description and no twists or glitches that would have been interesting to read about. It’s a flawless mission and the short story reads much like an after-the-fact mission summary from the officers. Quite a mission, but without much drama or interesting narrative. There is also an oddly illogical and unnecessary surprise near the end that doesn't help. It’s interesting, but not gripping, and it should be, and could be, gripping. The same story line could have been much more interesting to read. Instead, you reach the end of the story and the reaction is, “that’s it?” There is then a long excerpt from “Slingshot,” which is worth reading, but better to just go buy that book and enjoy it.

[John Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clandestine military operations depend on the element of surprise; Navy SEALS fast roping from a helicopter, or exiting a submarine in the middle of the night. But the ultimate surprise would be dropping a combat team on an unsuspecting enemy from low earth orbit (LEO). Not LEO of a spaceship, or spaceplane, but of actual combatants, living, breathing human beings, armed to the teeth, crossing oceans in minutes, and pouncing as a team of flying, fire-breathing dragons.
Who would have thought?
Well, that’s exactly the point. No one would…except Navy SEAL “Tiger” Bailey, Commanding Officer of SEAL Winged Insertion Command Three.
Robert Williscroft places you inside the action, inside the incredible space launches, the orbital rendezvous, the almost flaming reentry, the on-the-fly change of plans, attack under hellacious conditions, and egress from the combat scene.
Like any combat operation, there are risks at every step of the way, and Williscroft brings you, the reader, along for the ride of a lifetime.
At the end of this short read you’ll breathe a sigh of relief, let out a little cheer for our unsung heroes, and then wonder—could this really happen?
Don’t ask this reviewer. I’m sworn to secrecy.