"I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in."
~George McGovern
___________________________

Chopper

November 1, 2010

The following two weeks after rescuing Mother Goose One had been relatively uneventful. HQ was currently planning a counterattack on Yuktobania, and it appeared they were taking their sweet time in doing so. Because of that, we pilots could essentially sit back and relax until we were called to fight. Thankfully, the Yukes didn't try and attack us again. They were probably still reeling from their awful defeat trying to take over Sand Island by just four planes because, let's face it, the nuggets barely did anything other than draw fire away from us. 

I woke up to a knock on my door, but rather than getting up and answering it, I ignored it, hoping whoever it was would go away. Well, unless it was Blaze. If I didn't answer, she knew she could just come on in. 

When a follow-up knock didn't sound, I assumed whoever it was had simply been looking for me. Content, I closed my eyes again. I thought I heard shuffling from inside my room but figured it was people moving about in the hallway. That is, until, I felt a presence next to my bed. Opening my eyes, I found Blaze kneeling next to me. Her hair looked a little disheveled, and her eyeliner was slightly smudged, but she still looked perfect to me.

She smiled tiredly at me. "Morning, sleepyhead."

"If only I always woke up to your beautiful face." I rolled over and kissed her. She smiled into it, eagerly returning the affection.

"As much as I would love to continue this," she whispered against my lips, "we have a briefing in five minutes."

I groaned. "Damn it."

"I know." Blaze gave me a peck on the lips. "I'll meet you there."

My girlfriend left. I hurriedly put on my flight suit and rushed to the briefing room. My squadron and Genette were waiting for me. I sat next to Blaze, discreetly taking her hand in mine. Out of my peripheral, I saw her bite back a smile. Meanwhile, the lights dimmed as Perrault stepped into the room and cleared his throat. "Our Army is finally ready to conduct a large-scale counterattack against Yuktobania. If we succeed, we'll never have to face the humiliation of those Yukes trampling on our homeland again. The goal of this operation is simple: to invade and occupy the Yuktobanian mainland."

Perrault stepped away, and the lights dimmed. We turned our heads to the computer. Our briefer systematically cleared his throat before beginning. "We're going to conduct a large-scale amphibious assault against Yuktobania on the Bastok Peninsula. This mission will be called 'Operation Footprint.' The landing force will be selected from the 1st and 2nd Osean Army Battalions. They will be divided into four companies- A, B, C, and D- and transported to the area via landing craft. Upon landing, each division will fan out and destroy the enemy bases scattered throughout the area, then rendezvous and reform into a single large force unit to assault the final target, the fortress. The Yuktobanian defense positions along the coast are tightly dug in, and we have concluded that air attacks alone will not be enough to destroy them. Therefore, Operation Footprint will be a synchronized air and ground attack to neutralize these positions. It is critical that you follow the specific targeting instructions of the ground commander to maximize the effects of your attacks. We are expecting poor weather conditions and fierce resistance from the Yuktobanian defense forces. The fortress is protected by pillboxes and a defensive wall. Provide close air support for the ground forces, and get as many soldiers as possible inside."

Operation: Footprint

Location: Bastok Peninsula

Date: 2010/11/01

Time: 1100 Hrs.

"I wish you the best of luck in battle," Perrault said. We got up and headed to Hangar A. Blaze chose F-14B's for us. Despite being a great plane for the mission, I wondered how much of it had to do with Blaze's mild OCD about everyone having the same plane. She hated it when we used different planes because she said it didn't look as intimidating. Blaze firmly believed intimidation played a significant part when it came to winning a battle. I wasn't sure if it was true or not, but Blaze had such strong convictions about it that it was hard not to side with her.

We pulled out onto the runway, leading the charge with a few other squadrons. Having the most experience of anyone, they were all looking to us for guidance. Honestly, I was relieved I didn't have that burden on my shoulders. I couldn't imagine having to lead my squadron and others. It was hard enough keeping track of Blaze, Nagase, and Grimm. Add in any more other planes and lives? No thanks.

It took over four hours to arrive at the combat zone. A wall of green hills bordered the beach, dotted by pillboxes and anti-aircraft artillery. I'd hate to be a soldier on foot right now. It was like a jungle down there—a heavily armed, ready-to-kill-you jungle. The steady downfall of rain didn't help matters. It splattered against my canopy, making visibility poor. Somehow, I managed to see the enemy bunkers through it all, and those were just the ones on the beach's border.

"Terry. Got something I need to tell you..." An Osean Scout informed.

"The enemy's right in front of us, Scott. Save it for later!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Later, then."

For a brief minute, the two of them reminded me of my squadron. The random conversation in the midst of battle, the only difference being my squadron would go along with it rather than ending it.

Blaze sped ahead, leaving us in the dust. I chased after her, and by the time I reached her, she'd already started firing on an enemy battery. Living up to her callsign, she flew at blazing fast speeds.

"The four companies will now land at their designated beachheads. Commence close air support," Thunderhead ordered.

Roger. Commencing close air support," Blaze replied. "Wardog engaging."

"This is Company D. We're almost at the beach."

"Go. Move forward! You're almost there. That's it! Row! Keep rowing!" I shouted in an attempt to get the troops' asses in gear. Maybe it was because I was flying at 600 knots, but the soldiers below appeared to be moving slower than molasses. I needed them to get a move on so we could get out of here sooner rather than later. I didn't understand what we were doing here, why we were fighting. This whole situation had me beyond pissed, and I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "To hell with this war..."

"What caused all this?" Blaze asked, echoing my thoughts. This war, especially its escalation, hardly fit President Harling's peace policy. He'd been all about demilitarizing and building 'projects of peace' with other countries. The Arkbird had been the one with Yuktobania, and there were plans for a space elevator with Erusea. It was supposed to help them rebuild their country and restore the trust with the other Usean countries they'd started a war with. Of course, the other countries weren't so keen on the idea considering Erusea did nearly conquer them all. If it hadn't been for the ribbon fighter- Mobius One- they'd all be under Erusean rule. At least they all knew what they were fighting for. We didn't. Was it for land and/or resources? Did the wife of Yuktobania's Prime Minister cheat on him with President Harling? I just needed a reason why Yuktobania started this, and no one seemed to know.

The ground zipped dangerously close under my plane, and I pulled up to avoid crashing into any trees because that would end this day really fast. I had no intention of leaving Blaze, my squadron, or my family any time soon.

"This is Company A. Landing successful. Deploy the armored vehicles, now!" I watched them as the remaining straggling vehicles struggled to shore.

I decided they needed some more 'encouragement.' "Move, move! Land already! Hit that beach and start running! There's no time to kiss the ground!"

"Are they really storming the beach in this weather?" A Yuke demanded. His voice, a deep baritone, sent shivers down my spine. The man sounded threatening, and I was eternally grateful I was up in the air rather than on the ground.

"This rain is making it hard to- oh shit!" Grimm exclaimed. "There's a plane behind me!"

"I coming!" Nagase said. I saw her fly below me at breakneck speed, heading south. In the distance, Grimm performed every evasive maneuver he could think of to escape the enemy.

"Pretty good! Keep it up!" Company A's Commander complimented.

"Landing confirmed. Continue your support. Fly top cover for the armored vehicles," Thunderhead ordered. God, so many notifications and information passed over the mic that I felt like a waiter at the busiest restaurant in town.

"This is Company B. Our attack's getting held up by fierce fire from the batteries."

"I'm on it!" I said, swerving my plane in their direction. Approaching them, I found the monstrous batteries on top of the hills and noticed an annoying feature: if you attacked them from the wrong angle, you'd have to circle back and then shoot. Not only was it a pain, but it increased your chances of getting shot down.

While I took on the area for Company B, I checked to see where my comrades were. Blaze flew past every once in a while, zipping dangerously close to the hills. She patrolled the coastline, taking out both air and ground targets whenever one crossed her path. Nagase seemingly appeared to almost crash into a battery. I'm not sure if she meant to do it or not, but it looked closer to being accidental from where I was. Grimm took on the enemy fighters, mostly taking out the helicopters because all the jets were chasing after my girlfriend, who kept them a conservative distance away from her.

"Halt the enemy fire with an airstrike. We'll charge in at the same time!" Company B's Commander instructed.

"Hurry to the designated area and provide close air support," Thunderhead said. "Activate your radar map to check location."

"Yes, sir," Blaze answered.

"Is the attack target confirmed, Kid?" I inquired.

"Yes, it is."

"Roger. The trick will be to match our timing with the ground forces."

"The enemy is too spread out. We need to disperse to get maximum results."

"I don't know..."

"Chopper, listen to Blaze. She knows what she's doing," Nagase assured.

"Captain! Enemy plane on your six!" Grimm warned, causing Blaze to swear colorfully. "They're firing!"

I whipped my plane around to track Blaze down, which turned out to be a challenge considering how fast she flew.

"Chopper, help out the ground forces! I'm fine!" Blaze insisted.

"No! I can't lose my captain!"

What I didn't add was that I couldn't bear the idea of losing her. I didn't want to say out loud I loved her, even though I did. Sure, we'd told each other 'I love you' more times than I could count, but it was always as friends, never as significant others. It would change things now...

"The ground forces are advancing! We're doing it!" Grimm said excitedly, almost as if he couldn't believe we were pulling this off. Hell, I couldn't believe we were pulling this off.

"Blaze, break hard left-" Nagase began, but Blaze cut her off with, "Oh, shit!"

She narrowly avoided smashing head-on into another plane.

My heart dropped. "Blaze!"

"I'm fine, I'm okay. That'll teach me to pay attention!" she joked, but her act of nonchalance didn't work on me. I could hear the slight tremble of her voice.

"Bunkers captured. Thanks for the air support!" A scout from Company B chirped.

"So the enemy's finally made it to our mainland, huh?" A Yuke growled.

"Surprised?" Blaze replied. I wasn't sure if they could hear us like we could them. It was really sporadic whenever their transmissions came through, but surely if it happened to us, it did to them?

"Show 'em what we're made of!" A Company A scout encouraged. His cheerfulness didn't last long. "Bunkers opening fire again! Retreat, retreat! We're requesting close air support against the remaining bunkers."

"Grimm, Nagase, go help out the ground forces. Chopper, get this asshole off me. It's like these fighters have a damn grudge against me."

"Now, you're talking, Kid!" I exclaimed. "MIG, your ass is so mine!"

Nagase and Grimm started their attack run on the bunkers. They shot with deadly accuracy. Meanwhile, I managed to get behind the enemy trailing Blaze. Not realizing I was there, I swiftly shot it down.

"Enemy's off your tail, Kid," I told her.

"Thank you, Motormouth."

"Thanks- hey!" I objected.

Blaze laughed.

"Where's our orders? Get the Captain!" A Company C Scout insisted.

"Six bunkers remaining," another one informed.

"How many bunkers do they have?" Nagase complained.

"Too many," Grimm said. Blaze and I voiced our agreement.

"All enemies inside the bunkers cleared away! Position secured!" A Company A scout yelled triumphantly.

"They got us again! They're attacking from the air like last time," A Yuke observed.

"Blaze, air attacks can only silence the bunkers temporarily," Nagase said. "It looks like they can only be destroyed with the aid of the ground forces."

"Looks like. Good thing our ground forces are doing okay. Keep up the good work!"

"This operation is pointless..." I said, unable to hold it in anymore. "These guys are just gonna storm in, head-on, following orders. That's how war is fought. That's why I hate it."

"How else is there to fight it?" Blaze asked; she sounded sympathetic as if she knew what was going on through my head. She probably did.

At first, I couldn't come up with an answer I could verbalize, so I didn't reply. However, my thoughts did lead me to another point. "How could the President authorize an escalation of the war like this? This is insane!"

"It doesn't make any sense," Blaze agreed solemnly. "He reduces the defense budget and then brings us into the war? That's not how it works. Something isn't right."

"We'll get bogged down in this forever. Hey, that Mr. Cargo guy was the President, right?" I realized I probably shouldn't have said that last part, but I was so pissed off, I didn't care. Besides, the people on the ground below were most likely too busy focusing on the bullets flying at them than my words.

"Yeah, it was."

"Man... I thought I could believe in him back then. I had no idea he was such a wuss." I may not have voted for him because of his demilitarization stance, considering it jeopardized my future, but I still understood his reasoning for it. I wasn't expecting a full-blown war with him, and yet here we were.

Nagase suddenly appeared on my left, saying firmly, "No. He's not."

Silence ensued after that for a while. None of us spoke, each of us thinking about the war in different aspects while we fought for our lives. Nagase believed in the President and that if he had escalated the war like this, he had a good reason. Blaze thought something was wrong, that we were missing something vital to the situation. I was missing the whole damn picture. Who the hell knows what Grimm believed.

The thing that bothered me most is that other than saying we were fighting because Yuktobania started it, we didn't know why. If anyone knew, they weren't saying anything. I couldn't be the only one who wanted the truth, but soldiers like us weren't privy to such information. I found it dangerously presumptuous on High Command's part. You can only have soldiers fight for an unknown reason for so long.

"They found us. Fire before they do," A Yuke ordered.

"Damn, it's like they're plowing the ground with bullets!" Terry said grimly.

"Don't get hit, Terry. I still got something I gotta tell you!" Scott reminded.

"I know, I know, messenger boy. You hang in there, too!"

"Be aware of your surroundings, everyone," Company B's Commander said.

"Attention, overhead aircraft, this is the ground forces. Make sure you don't drop any bombs on us!" A scout joked.

"We won't. Have a little faith in us!" I said.

"Roger, we trust you."

"A fortress?" Company C's Commander said. "I didn't learn anything in training about capturing a fortress!"

How is this guy a commander? I thought. To be fair, I don't think any of us were specifically trained to capture fortresses, but still, you'd think the leaders would know if anyone was supposed to.

"They're going for the pillboxes!" A Yuke warned. "Our communication lines are getting severed at all locations."

"We're going to advance further," Company A's Commander said. "We haven't reached the front line yet."

"We can't penetrate the enemy lines any deeper! It's too dangerous!" A Company A Scout replied.

"Requesting immediate close air support! Take out that large bunker from the air!" A Company D scout begged.

There were so many requests for help, I felt I was being pulled in so many directions. I didn't know which way to go. However, God blessed Blaze with the brains and intuition to figure it out.

"Roger, on our way," Blaze responded. "Chopper help me with Company D. Nagase, Grimm, help out Company A. They've come to an impasse with the enemy."

I circled my plane around to Company D's section. Unsurprising, Blaze was already there, playing a harrowing game of cat and mouse with the bunker's gunfire. While they targeted her, I took advantage of the opportunity and sent a barrage of bullets back at them, sending two missiles in the mix as well.

"Just shut up! All of you. Get back in your seats!" A commander shouted. I couldn't tell which company he was from; he certainly didn't sound pleased.

"Someone's getting a little short-tempered," Grimm said.

Blaze let out an amused noise. "I can hear that."

"I can't imagine having a captain like that. Can you?" Nagase asked.

"I can't imagine anyone other than Blaze bossing me around at this point. Nor would I want anyone else to," I declared. Grimm and Nagase voiced their agreement.

"Thank you. I'm glad you have faith in me," Blaze told us.

"You don't have faith in yourself?"

"Not as much as y'all do."

"Well, you should. You've gotten us alive from battle countless times already," I praised. "And you've become the youngest captain in Osean history. You should be proud of that."

"The tables have completely turned," A Yuke said in exasperation, followed by a string of words that, while I couldn't understand them, I'm pretty were some impressive swears.

"Kill the lights!" An Osean shouted. "They'll spot us!"

"Barrage of gunfire coming from the bunkers! Retreat!"

"First Sergeant, are you familiar with the tactics of capturing fortresses?" Company C's Commander inquired.

"I know you're not talking to me, but hell, I don't think any of us do," I said, then jokingly added, "Maybe we should ask Chuck Norris."

"I bet he knows how," Grimm said.

Nagase sighed. "How did Chuck Norris get dragged into all this?"

"Because of the guys and their overactive imaginations. Then again," Blaze said, "I wouldn't put it past Chuck Norris to know how to capture a fortress."

"See! We don't say stuff like that for nothing!" I defended.

"It usually seems that way, though," Nagase replied.

"Chopper, when I get back to base, I'm going to call up Chuck Norris and ask him how he would capture a fortress," Grimm declared.

"I'll join you," I said. "We've got to prove someone knows how."

Nagase laughed. "Blaze and I will film you getting your asses chewed out by him."

"I'll bring the popcorn," Blaze said.

"Are the pilots that sunk the Scinfaxi mixed in there somewhere?" The Yuke's question ended our discussion and put our focus back on the mission. I couldn't decide if I was relieved or disappointed about the Yukes not knowing we were here because it could've caused one of two reactions. It could've dampened their morale, which would make it easier to fight them, or it could've revitalized their efforts to fight us as 'revenge.' 

"Now we're the ones in their crosshairs," Another Yuke said.

I heard my girlfriend mutter something over the radio before saying, "Yes, we're the pilots that sunk the Scinfaxi. Yes, you're in our crosshairs, and I know you didn't ask, but yes, you're getting on my nerves."

I snickered, amused by the thought of the enemy hearing her. I'm not sure they'd be able to handle the mouth on her. They sure as hell couldn't keep up with her plane. I glanced to my right; Blaze was a blur, and no one could catch her or stop her, no matter how hard they tried.

"Requesting air bombardment!" An Osean shouted. I could hear the chaos of the ground fighting in the background of his transmission.

"Go, go! You too, Mark!" Company C's Commander barked.

"They're never going to call us losers again!" Company D's Commander shouted with finality.

A confused noise escaped from Blaze before she asked, "Who the hell is he talking about?"

I shrugged. "He sounds a bit mental if you ask me."

"We can't defend this area any longer!" A Yuke yelled.

"We've lost contact with the Captain. Proceed at your own discretion!" A Company C Scout warned.

"No problem, I wasn't relying on him anyway!" The scout sounded way too happy about that.

"Are we close?" Nagase asked.

"I'm not sure," Grimm answered. "The visibility plus all the chatter isn't helping."

"Commence counterattack! Don't let anyone get by!" A Yuke growled.

"Don't stop! Keep going, keep going!" Company D's Commander barked.

"Does that idiot Captain realize the bullets don't all come from the front?!" A scout from Company D remarked sourly. Judging by some of the comments from these guys, the majority of the commanders were jerks. I couldn't help but notice those guys kept order by constantly yelling and bitching to their team. It was a far cry from Blaze's tactic, who kept order with an eerily calm voice.

"Uh, this is Company D. I have a favor to ask... could you bomb our monster of a Captain for us?"

Did they really just ask that? While my mouth hung open from shock, Blaze found the ability to answer, albeit after a little hesitation. "Uh, sorry, but no."

"Hey, I was just kidding..." the guy said jokingly, although I could hear the undertone of embarrassment. "Psst, Lance! The plan failed! We gotta think of something else!"

"Guys," I said, "your mic is still on. We heard that."

"Shit!"

"Well," I began once the mic went silent, "that's a hell of a request if I've ever heard one."

"Tell me about it. I hope none of you guys feel that way about me!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Of course, we don't!" Grimm assured. "Even if we did, we wouldn't be able to shoot you down anyway."

"Thanks... I think."

"This the Corporal Powers of Company A! Even from above, you can tell we're the best unit, right?!"

"Absolutely," Blaze lied. Corporal Powers didn't seem to pick up on her sarcasm. Why would she be looking at them when she had to worry about enemies from the air and the ground? None of these companies would even be here right now if it weren't for her. Blaze was the one kicking serious ass out here. Nagase, Grimm, and I couldn't even begin to get on her level today.

"Yeah! Keep watching, 'cause we're just getting started! Company A, forward!"

"I speak for Company's C and D. The area's secured. Thanks for the air support!"

"It's kinda nice having friends down below," I admitted. No one responded, which was awkward, but then again, we were in the middle of our most intense battle yet. Kind of made sense that no responded.

"Three bunkers remaining," A B scout informed.

"I'm running low on special weapons," Nagase said grimly.

Grimm responded immediately. "Me too. Captain, Chopper, what about you?"

"I've barely used any," I said.

"I have only half of what I started with," Blaze added. "I'm saving them for the final hit against the fortress."

"We can hold our own against their ground forces, but we're helpless against their air support!" A Yuke claimed. While I didn't like hearing that our ground forces could be held back by the Yukes, a surge of pride coursed through me hearing that we were causing problems for the Yukes, that we were the ones to watch out for. We had so much going against us, despite everything we'd accomplished, that it was good to hear it from the mouth of the enemy themselves that we were problematic. And it made me proud of Blaze. She had so much going against her, and she was absolutely killing it.5

"All right, I'll go first. Follow me!" Company A's Commander barked.

We were almost done.

We had downed another bunker.

There were two more left.

Even from the air, I could see the extensive damage we had caused. I hoped it wasn't all for nothing. The ground was covered in debris, and I hoped it wasn't from our Army being blown to smithereens.

"We're advancing? Through that?" A scout from A company said hesitantly.

"What's happening? Report status!" A Yuke ordered harshly.

"We're beating you; that's what's happening!" Blaze piped up.

"It's the enemy! They're closing in on the bunker!" A Yuke replied.

I shot down an enemy I had been trailing for a little while, and I yawned. I then realized that I had yawned about ten times in the last five minutes. It dawned on me how exhausted I was, and it wasn't a good sign.

"That's a kill!" Thunderhead shouted victoriously and obnoxiously in my ear. Most days, I wouldn't mind the praise, but today, I did. I just wanted to be done with this mission.

"I see them. Claymores!" A Yuke ordered.

"Companies C and D will begin their assault after bomb impact from the airstrike!"

"Did you know? My older brother's down there," Grimm said, his voice tinged with admiration.

"What? You shoulda told me that earlier, you moron! Where is he?" I demanded, then immediately regretted calling him such a name. With the fury I felt towards this war, it was making me short-tempered, but that didn't mean I could take it out on my wingmen. 

Grimm acted unperturbed. "I don't know. They all look the same."

"Fair point. Also, sorry for calling you a moron. I didn't mean it."

"I know you didn't. We'll blame it on this war. If it helps, I can't believe some of the stuff I've said."

"Companies A and B currently engaging enemy bunker."

"What's wrong with our Captain? Does he want to get us killed?! Dammit, dammit! That bastard!" The D scout ranted.

"What's happening down there?" Nagase inquired.

"I don't know!" Grimm admitted, sounding uncharacteristically angry at the prospect.

"Roger. We're moving the tanks through," The B Commander responded.

"Whatever you do, don't shoot them down over our forces," A Yuke admonished.

Almost done. We're almost done. It was a mantra now. I kept repeating it, encouraging myself to continue fighting. One day, I was going to find out why we were fighting this war.

"Can the Captain see the enemy's position?" A B scout questioned seriously.

"Warning! You're being spiked by enemy radar!" Thunderhead shouted.

"Who is?" I demanded.

"Blaze!"

"Well, hell," she muttered, acting too calm about the situation. Meanwhile, a fury burned in my veins. No way was I going to let them get her! Hitting my afterburners, I fell into her six. Blaze flipped out for a moment, thinking I was an enemy plane, but she figured it out soon enough.

"Artillery fire from the bunkers! Move the vehicles back!" An Osean yelled.

"This is the Captain's last campaign before he retires. Let's make it a good one!" A scout from B company encouraged.

"You can count on it!" Grimm assured.

"That's weird, there shouldn't be any enemy forces there," the C commander noted, sounding hesitant; however, I guess that must not have been too much of a problem for his company because a few seconds later he went, "Yes! This is all according to the textbook. We can do it! Good luck!"

"Yeah, thanks. That was encouragement? I think I'm gonna cry..." A C scout retorted.

"He's following the textbooks to a tee. They'll read every move we make!" Another one pointed out angrily.

"That's it. I'm taking over command!" One declared passionately. So, now there was a mutiny going down among one of the companies? Great. If we wanted to take over this land, we couldn't be arguing among ourselves. How stupid could they be?!

"Is this it? You're sure we're on our correct attack route?" The C Company Commander asked dubiously. He really needed to have more faith in his troops.

"Request new orders! No, not from our Captain, from Company B!" A C scout snapped.

"Just do what you are trained to do, and you can win this!" An A Scout urged.

"I'm aware of your situation. I'm sending tanks your way," Company B's Commander assured calmly. God, why couldn't we have more commanders like him?

"Two bunkers remaining," one of our scouts said.

"We still have two bunkers remaining?" Nagase groaned. "Fuck me!" 

Blaze gasped. "Whoa, Nagase knows how to cuss? Has hell frozen over?"

"Shut up!"

"We'll be all right now. Continue the advance!" D's Commander ordered.

"All enemies inside the bunkers cleared away! Position secured for C and D!" A scout informed.

"Amazing... I don't think I'll ever be as good as Blaze," Nagase remarked. 

"What'd I do?" My girlfriend asked curiously, genuinely confused, but I knew exactly what Nagase was referring to. Blaze had shot down the most planes, destroyed the most bunkers, was generally wreaking mass havoc, and was showing no signs of slowing down. She was a blur of destruction, her gray plane a ghost in the storm clouds. I'd never been so grateful to be on her side.

"I'm not that good, trust me," Blaze protested. "If it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't be here,"

"Yeah, you would," I said.

"No, I wouldn't."

"Yes, you would," Grimm confirmed.

"No, I wouldn't!"

"Yes, you would. Captain, you should give up arguing now because it's three against one. We're in a democracy. Majority vote wins. The verdict is that you would be here if you didn't have us."

"You could've been a lawyer, Grimm," Blaze said.

"I actually studied it."

"Really?"

"No. I just watch a lot of Judge Judy." The joke garnered a good laugh from all of us. It felt good to do so after wanting to cuss out both sides of this war-the enemy for starting the war and our side for having idiot commanders, excluding B's Commander; that guy was actually pretty bright and decent.

"One bunker remaining," a scout said.

"What? Break through that line with our current manpower? That's insane!" A scout from Company C exclaimed. "Those are orders? What, you want me to die?"

"Stupid newbie! This isn't some textbook war game!" Another C scout snapped.

"Allied planes, we're moving into position to attack the last bunker," an Osean soldier told us.

"Roger that," Blaze answered, sounding relieved.

"We're requesting close air support against the remaining bunkers. Let's finish this!"

"Enemy amphibious force has begun advancing!" A Yuke barked. "We're getting surrounded! Dammit!"

I flew towards the last bunker and fired two missiles. Both hit, destroying a part of it. I circled around for another attack but focused my attention on the tanks attacking the ground forces.

"We'll go first. Time for 'the usual,'" an A scout said impishly, making me wonder what he was getting up to. I had a feeling I would get along famously with that guy because he sounded like a trouble-maker.

"Yeah, 'the usual.'"

"Blaze, zero missiles left in reserve," Thunderhead informed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Looks like we can flank them from here. Get the Fifth Platoon to go," the B Commander told his soldiers firmly.

"Dammit, they're coming this way!" A Yuke exclaimed bitterly.

"I knew you guys had it in you! Keep it up!" Company D's Commander encouraged.

"Any word from the recon team yet?" An Osean from B Company asked.

I groaned. "I just wanna blow this thing up and go home. This is the worst day ever."

"You said it, Chopper," Blaze agreed tiredly.

I turned my head around to see what was going on behind me. An enemy plane was trailing Grimm, but he was pulling some impressive evasive maneuvers that worked amazingly.

"I'm still okay," Grimm said. "I'll give it another shot."

"Be careful, this might be some kind of trap," A Yuke admonished.

"I'm retiring after this, so you'd better not overwork me," Company B's Commander said, slightly droll.

"I'm not sure about this... Conrad, what do you think?" Company C's Commander questioned.

"Captain, I've shot down an enemy plane!" Grimm announced.

"Good! Keep it up! You'll be an Ace one day if you keep it up like this Grimm," Blaze complimented. That right there was encouragement. Not whatever the ground captains were telling their "subjects."

Blaze, Nagase, Grimm, and I came in from four different directions. We fired missiles at the bunkers simultaneously, blowing it to pieces.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

"Attention all forces. All bunkers silenced. We've captured the entire fortress!" A scout cheered.

"Did you copy that, Air Force? We really appreciate all your support," another one praised.

"All right, things are a bit calmer now. What's on your mind? Hey, Scott!" Terry called out.

"Chill out... Dad! Congratulations!" Scott chirped.

"...What?" Terry sounded dumbfounded.

"You've got a bouncing baby boy at home! Hurry up and give her a call!" Scott said amiably.

"It turns out we didn't need Chuck Norris," I mused.

"I still say we give him a call," Grimm said.

"Let's do it!"

I swear I saw Blaze roll her eyes despite being in different planes. "Oh god..."

After much arguing with Thunderhead on our flight back, we convinced him to let the briefer do an in-flight debriefing. "After intense fighting, the landing force captured and secured the fortress target. Thanks to the success of Operation Footprint, we have secured the southeastern coast of Yuktobania. We've decided to make the fortress our fast forward base on Yuktobania as we expand our combat operations inside the country. After we complete construction of our defensive positions, our ground forces will continue their advance to the final target: the capital city of Cinigrad."

___________________________________

It was only seven in the evening, but we were all exhausted. However, we were forced to stay up to take care of our planes. Pops wasn't around, or else he wouldn't have let us check the aircraft in our condition, considering we could barely walk a straight line. I'm sure we looked like literal walking zombies.

Genette came ducking underneath my plane. "Chopper, I have a question." 

"Yeah?" I yawned, forcing myself to keep my eyes open.

"When I listen to the chatter during the fights, you call Blaze 'Kid' a lot. Why?"

"Two reasons. One, it pisses off High Command that I continue to call her the nickname Bartlett gave her." Then, lowering my voice, I continued, "Two, it's frowned upon for any of us to date, but it's even worse with Blaze being my captain. Damn near everyone on base knows I have a thing for her, but none of them know how much she means to me. When I call her Kid, it's because if I called her Blaze, everyone would know just how much I love her, just how much she means to me, and I don't want them knowing that. We would be at risk of losing our jobs, or worse, being blackmailed; if anyone outside our group knew how much I care for her, I'd be in deep shit. They could use her against me, and I'd do anything to protect her."

Genette studied me curiously. "You really love her, don't you?"

"Yeah... I would die for her," I said quietly. We guiltily peeked around the plane to make sure Blaze wasn't eavesdropping. We didn't have to worry. She was fast asleep in her plane.

"Should we wake her up?" Genette whispered.

"Only when we're done here."

"Someone's tired," Pops's familiar voice came behind us. Genette and I turned around to greet him. He wore a sympathetic smile.

"You just entered the room of the living dead," I joked tiredly.

"I can see that. They should know better than to have you check on your planes when you're this tired. Listen, wake Blaze up, and then go back to your rooms and get some sleep. I'll do the checks on your planes."

"Thanks, Pops. We owe you one," I said.

"I'll go tell Nagase and Grimm," Genette offered, turning around. I walked to Blaze's plane and stepped up the ladder.

"Blaze?" I gently shook her, ready to pull back in case she decided to throw a punch for being woken up. "Blaze, you need to wake up."

"Not waking up?" Pops asked. I shook my head. "Can you carry her?"

"I don't think she would appreciate it that much."

"No, I wouldn't," Blaze mumbled, her eyes fluttering open. "Do I really have to get up?"

"Yeah, but only to go somewhere comfier."

Blinking sleepily, Blaze grudgingly agreed, climbing down the latter. Realizing Pops was there, she waved at him.

"Hello, Blaze. I see it's quite comfy in the plane?" Pops grinned.

Blaze crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "Last thing I remember, I was, uh, checking the controls, and I leaned my head back because I had a headache. I don't even remember falling asleep."

"That's when you know you're exhausted, and with how hard they've been running you, it's no surprise you fell asleep. You all get some sleep. I have a feeling you'll be going on another sortie soon."

Blaze and I nodded, neither of us willing to deny the help. We strolled back to our rooms. I swiftly showered and got ready before slipping over to her room. She was in the process of drying her long hair. I collapsed in her bed and closed my eyes, letting myself relax for the first time in days.

The bed sunk in next to me, and I opened my eyes. Blaze lay down, her head resting on my chest. I kissed her brow, mumbling, "Good night Blazing Star."

My girlfriend raised her head, staring at me with amused confusion. "Blazing Star?"

"Mm-hmm." I nodded, closing my eyes again. "You're as beautiful and as bright as the blazing stars in the heavens."

"That's so cheesy. I love it."

"It'll be our little secret." I felt Blaze kiss my chest before lying her head on it again. I smiled at the contact. The name might've been cheesy, but it was the best description, the best comparison, I could think of. It would be my nickname for her, a name I would use only in private because I know if I called her anything but 'Blaze' and 'Kid' in front of everyone else on base, our relationship would be discovered because unlike my girlfriend, I'd never mastered hiding my emotions. I said what was on my mind. Keeping our relationship a secret was more than challenging, especially when people like Tornado started flirting with her, but I did it for Blaze because I knew she was right. If we were discovered, we'd be split up, and neither of us wanted that. 

For now, we'd have to keep our relationship quiet and amongst only our friends and family. For now, I'd have to keep my emotions in check and make sure I didn't ruin the best thing to ever happen to me.