**Unedited

Sanskar spread the wings as far as his Il-76 would permit, burning fuel to its maximum rate.

No sign of water. Yet.

Five minutes left. Landing can't wait longer, water or no water. A minor injury perhaps, but he could brace that. Raichand might be a chit of girl, but his five eleven frame could easily lean on her seasoned shoulders.

His lips curved into a smile. Not for her though. There lied Ubangi, the other woman, inviting his Candid in her glimmering blue fluidic robe.

The air conditioning had been turned off. The wind was strong, about 20 knots or so. He let ilyushin fly leisurely, wheels retracted to smoothen the landing. Deceleration continued, wings lost their lift.

That was one tricky play of balance, both wings at same level. One lower by chance and he would hit hard in water, breaking the aircraft into pieces.

Two minutes .

Sanskar looked at the fuel gauge. Bingo.*

Nose settled in 12 degrees, loftier than runway landing. Tail low lying than usual, Sanskar went for a sluggish disembarkment. At the last minute nose went down. Aircraft skidded over the water like a pebble tossed away.

Empty fuel tank served well to buoyancy. Sanskar sighed. His beloved aircraft was now floating over the water. Like a boat.

An arrayal of landing on water, flawless per textbook. His job was done for now.

*********************************

Hidden behind the sodden thickets, few creatures in dark robes were leaning on the grass. Glazing chestnut skin concealed by large black pieces of fabrics, save those eyes like burning coals, rancor unfurled all the way.

They were disciples of Joseph Kony, a pack of chased off Sudanese guerillas. Formerly termed as Holy Spirit Movement Army, Alice Makwena, the founder priestess led them to fight for the interests of Acholi clan. Once there had been Kony's forced takeover it gained a new name, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

In turn LRA militias bereaved themselves of definite ideology and conscience. Across the borders, in a foreign land they abducted children and young adults, rebranded them as their slave soldiers. To them girls were commodities.Rape, flesh trade or as a tool of bribery ; many of them were captured to be treated in most abominable ways.

Probably this was the end or amplified agony for several youths, seasoned to brutal harshness of life. Yet, knowingly or unknowingly Swara had choices to make.

As for a warrior even the right ones would not come without terrifying nightmares.

Her mirage was flying dangerously low, at more than 1000 knots speed. She lowered that below five hundred whenever her visual aid caught any movement, panned cannons and opened fire.

Rudder and ailerons on balance. Swish and curve.Roll, pitch and yaw.

Mirage of hers bade farewell to remnants of charred artillery; those ugly, oldie Dushkas.

Elusive and fiery, whizzing through the forest.

Last turn on the right, final two pieces of ground defense, she gained altitude and fired.

Her radio came into life again.

"Raptor, ditched safe. On the bug, now! Roger so far."

"Loud and clear. Extending. Over."

She squinted, three dots on her visuals were closing in. Shit!

"Bring that bloody plane down!" Someone yelled at his flunkies, inaudible to their single visible foe in air. Those few words in Luo acted as good as whiplash, soon streams of pellets sprung at that agile fleeting aircraft.

Swara muttered quite a handful of curses, not so ladylike for sure. Too close for a pop up. No pull up nor a nosedive attack.

There! Insured accuracy went for a toss.

Engines groaned louder. She sped up, height dropped to 500 ft. In a minute a Magic II missile, a humble sized ordnance, was released, aided by a floating drogue chute.

She pulled the rudder. It was time, she had to leave. In a minute or so a little part of the forest would bear the brunt of humankind.

And mother nature never acquitted her offender, however noble was his or her motive.

According to her law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

******************************

Sanskar swam across the water for the third time. His upper body was wet and bare. He jerked his head as he craned his neck upwards.

Where's that sassy idiot? He was almost positive she was uselessly engaged in her little crazy stunts on air. Panting, exhausted he cursed at his pathetic luck with ladies. Whatever role they played in his life always caused him trouble.

Nope. No more would he let this annoying specimen trot all over his head.

Detention decided. Swara Raichand was going to be his porter for a day. Her big fat ego desperately needed some slimming session. And what could be better than some rigorous weight training with both of their rucksacks?

***********************************

Sweat trickled down her throat as her fists clenched on the rudder. Control wheel pivoted anticlockwise for a leftward roll. Turning back.

Bad move.

Clusters of bolting bullets clanked hard against the metal.

On the next moment wing on her right caught fire. Leaving thick trail of smoke behind.

The aircraft was going down in a left arc. Swara pushed the brake pedal frantically, sensing that damned aileron was not working. She pulled the throttle, raised the elevator. Hold your horse, dear engines!

Her mirage was losing balance.

She laughed. Finally Swara Harold Raichand! You're going to die.

Karan yelled, terrified to the core. "Hold on, Vini! I'm coming." One missed step of his on the rock, Vinita slipped from his shoulder. The flag in her hand went for a glide.

Just before being snatched by Swara.

Her attention turned above her head. A twig aligned almost horizontally from the steep mountainside cracked into halves, almost.

Vini was stepping on it. After that skin slitting rough slide, her life solely banked on that light piece of timber.

Without any second thought she grabbed below the breakpoint with one hand and yelled."Hey Tumbler,move your lazy bum to the top and drop a rope."

"You won't risk yourself, Swara." Karan was not a guy to leave two girls behind, "Fault is mine, I should come down."

"Shut up, I'm not up for playing pillow passing now." She gave a furtive look below. Thousand feet above the ground level and their trainers had put most of the flags there to raise the bar.

"I'm the man here. Vini is MY girlfriend." Karan was as stubborn as a boar.

"And your rank sucks, man, admit it." She spat. "In any situation I have better shot than you." She watched him to oblige, face red in humiliation. Good for him though, he had a family awaiting his return and a girl who would share her life with him.

For Swara? There was none..

No regrets. Ditching herself was not going to be that bad after all. She did burn herself a lot already. Her head felt... lighter.

The aircraft took a crazy swerve, stalled like a loose piece of cloth falling down from height, floating. Twirling.

What's that noise? To his horror Sanskar watched an IAF fighter jet crashing over the trees.

Wood crackled into soots. Leafy shades trembled, passing flames.Fuming clouds looming over, all ready to conceal the fallen giant bird.

"Get out from there." He cried out, darting past the hurdle of thorny hedges. "Damn you girl! Answer me!"

Nearer he got, combustion left his lungs burning. He spotted her, collapsed and still. He grabbed a rugged giant boulder, smashed the only glass at the front of the jet. Undoing seatbelt he picked up her limp body and jumped.

"Don't jeopardize your life." Swara murmured, gestured to leave her. "You are way too important, Sir. Better let me die and..."

"Just shut up, Raichand!" Sanskar snapped at the girl, seething. His well defined jawline never looked more rigid, nostrils flaring.

He was a fire on run, behind him scowled forest fire.

WHAMMM!

Sudden explosion rocked the territory. Revenge accomplished.

*******************************

Vulnerable. Feminine. Almost lovable.

Currently devoid of her heavy flight headgear and consciousness, that's how Swara looked beneath him. Several hair pins on her head undone, few strands came loose, sticking over her sweating face.

Disturbing.

Sanskar tucked those dark silky locks behind her ears. No, she was not epitome of perfection. Her nose was small, patches of tan flawed her otherwise smooth skin. Her brows were not on point, sign of irregular maintenance.

Too raw. Too primitive. With her sharp tongue off duty, she was blazing red sign. Sinfully divine.

And you are pervert. Sanskar was hell annoyed at himself. He was actually ogling and coveting his passed out sub! That too when she called for attention otherwise. Reluctantly he tore himself from her enchanting limbo.

All fault goes to his puritanical approach. Thirty one springs of celibacy had done that to him. Few intimate encounters with an unique child woman, he was going insane. Your testosterone likes her, Sanskar. Not you. No need to freak out.

He was never this attracted to Meera, his ex fiance. An eye candy she was, but too superficial to share anything but sincere cordiality. He would've never held a grudge against her had she been open about Ankur. But they chose to damage his self esteem forever.

He would never consider himself worthy, nor would he trust another woman.

He scooped her into his arms, laid her on the shore. Fresh air filled her nostrils, greedy lungs devoured.

Sprinkles of water disturbed her peaceful slumber. She frowned, eyes still closed. "I expected hell to be hotter than this."

Something snapped inside him.His hands fisted on collar of her flight suit. "Like many others I offered my youth to Air Force. This profession is my sanctuary. How dare you insult this?" He jerked and hauled, ignoring her gender or wellbeing."How dare you use this uniform for your elaborate suicide plan?"

She hadn't tried to die, just accepted it as her ultimate penance for being ever ominous she was.

Had she never been weak! Had she endured pain that night and never cried!

Douglas Harold had carried little Swara piggy back. "Let's go. Today Grandpa will buy everything for his Baby pigeon."

"Choco? Ait-cleam?"

"Everything for you, buttercup." Catherine had kissed her cheek.

The return had been merrier. The dark alley on their way back was ringing with her childish giggles.

And then they came. Their bodies were shivering in unknown need.Hollow cheeks, eyes red as monsters, as thin as rakes. They snatched, yelled frustrated.

In front of her eyes they stabbed her world. Not a body part was spared from their maniac rage. A part of her died too. And dead her never shed tears.

"Answer me, Raichand! Rao lying dead over there. Is it a joke?"

How could she forget about him?

"Why don't you die, Rao?" She had snarled at Arvind. She and her cursed tongue.

"I got panicked for a moment, inhaling all that smoke." Swara lied, evading his overbearing gaze. "It won't happen again. I'm sorry, Sir. I truly am."

Pale. Lost. A close look at her face and Sanskar's eyes softened. Perhaps she had a hard time up there. Tumbled, head down, blood rushing to head, a near death experience after aerial battle tend to do that, even to the sturdiest ones of the lot.

"Were you?" His hands left her collars right away. Yet she shrieked.

Because his hands were hovering all over her, pressing every inch of her body. His eyes fixed on her face, too intent on finding something.

Shock gave way to horror, horror replaced by outrage. "What the hell are you doing?" She swatted his arms but in vain. She winced as inquisitive them went on, squeezed her waist.

Boy, that hurt.

"Something that I should have done before." He shrugged. "Checking you out."

His hands were traveling further above, towards the restricted area."Stop! Dare you touch there and I'll chop off your hands." Swara shoved him pretty roughly, getting back on her feet.

Crap! Bratty treacherous body of hers rebelled midway, swooning right into Pervert Shergill's lap.

Could it be more embarrassing?

"Gosh Raichand, I was checking for fractures." Sanskar was incredulous. "What do you think of me? A molester?"

"No, I don't think. I'm sure!" She sneered, though she believed otherwise. "Are those your hands or X-ray machine?"

"You prove me right every now and then. Manner wise, you're a black mark on the academy." he helped her to get up. "Let's move. It's not safe here."

"Give me some pain med." Swara regretted to be a burden. "I need to buck up or we'll both go down."

Sanskar grinned. His Rocking Raichand is back at last. "Surely, you need to do that." He paused for a moment. "Never, ever consider giving up again. Death can be reckless, but life... is heroic."

*************************************
*Bingo: low fuel status

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