Did the "escort" take off between two lines of luminous globes that were
floating in the air but were neither flares or balloons? And was it shaped
like a black arrowhead and did it leave a green boron-fuel trace behind it
in the classic "String of Pearls" design as it streaked out into space at an
impossible rate? And then, some time later, did the globes light up again
and did it come back to Earth to land glowing red from the heat?

I was standing with Marc Ramsey on the runway at Current Ranch Airport in
Nevada talking to a local rancher about just that same kind of odd thing. It
was "just the Aurora", the guy said. Marc left after his first landout of a
two landout day and missed the rest of the story. I have been sworn to
secrecy about those details.

So, rest easy. It was probably just a non-existent hypersonic replacement
for the SR-71 that is hidden somewhere deep in CIA funding and is of no
interest to you.

Please disperse.