"From small beginnings come great things."
~Proverb
______________________________________

Chapter 2: Shore Birds 1

Genette

"Red Alert!" The Command Room shouted ear-splittingly on the radio, making me cringe. A noise like that shouldn't be allowed in a situation like this. The pilots needed to focus, not be deafened by those on the ground. 

I was in the sky, trying to get the training team in my viewfinder from the rear seat of the lead plane. My pilot in the front seat was howling at the earth below. The peaceful blue sky, dotted with white clouds, had been interrupted by the appearance of enemy planes on the horizon. I could hear my sister going 'well shit' in my mind.

"Gimme a break!" Bartlett snapped, evidently annoyed. "I'm babysitting nuggets up here."

"Command Room to Wardog Squadron, we have leakers, aircraft type unknown. Crossing the border at Cape Landers bearing 278 to 302. Captain Bartlett, your flight is the only one close enough to make the intercept."

Bartlett grumbled something that I couldn't quite make out, but it rhymed with "mucking bass bowls." You didn't have to be a genius to figure out what he'd actually said.

With a frustrated sigh, Bartlett flipped his plane over to turn and ordered, "Baker, Svenson, go trail and stay close. The three of us will go high and engage the bandits. All other aircraft stay low and out of the fight."

The world turned upside down, and my stomach turned inside out.
______________________________________

LATER...

"Sorry 'bout this," grunted Captain Bartlett as we walked at a hurried pace to the main building. The captain's apology to me seemed misplaced. One instructor had survived the fight but crashed on landing; the other one was killed in action high up in the clouds. It wasn't his fault that the unidentified aircraft fired on us without warning. Nor was it his fault that the low-altitude area where he sent his trainees was directly in front of the enemy. Eight people died because the Command Room had misplaced some zeroes.

"That pilot in the number seven was amazing! Did you see her fight back?" I asked, doing a quick little jog to fall in stride with Bartlett. I passed out during most of the mission, unused to the intensity of dogfighting on the body. However, from the times I was awake, I remember seeing Number Seven avoiding every missile and all gunfire directed at her.

"I couldn't bear to watch." He turned around and shook his helmet at the pilot, shouting, "Nagase! You keep flying like that, and you'll die real soon!" 

I whirled around in surprise. I knew that name! Nagase was my sister's best friend. Elizabeth told me that Nagase resided on Sand Island, but I hadn't seen her since I arrived this morning. I also had no idea she'd been up there with us the entire time up until now. She'd been so quiet, hadn't even spoken a word. Or maybe she had while I'd been passed out or focusing on not hurling the contents of my stomach during the middle of an air battle.

"I won't die, Sir," Nagase answered, refusing to look at him. The only surviving trainee's voice was almost a whisper.

"Are you sure? You look like you couldn't hurt a fly," Bartlett muttered as he walked off. I turned to look at her. Taking my camera out, I zoomed in on Nagase. Her face was pale, and her short, black hair blew softly in the breeze. I could see the gears in her mind processing what she'd just experienced, but Nagase still managed to smile a bit for the camera when she realized I was taking her photo.

Due to security reasons, I didn't have the memento for very long. The photo, along with my camera, was confiscated by Base Security. It was as if our little undeclared war never happened.

A couple of hours later, I found myself heading to the briefing room. On my way there, I typed out a quick intro paragraph for my next article, knowing my boss would want one by the end of the day: "I came to cover this remote island because I heard that a very unique squadron leader was stationed there. I didn't know he was this unique, though. This bad-mouthed, good-natured, old fire-band could take the greenest of rookies and forge them into a fearsome fighter pilot. Of course, that possibility vanished with today's encounter. The only crew Bartlett had left was Second Lieutenant Nagase and the few pilots that happened to be on the ground that day." 

I shoved my phone back in my pocket, praying my boss wouldn't force me to return back to Oured after my near-death experience. Maybe I would just omit that last part. What he didn't know wouldn't kill him, and I would do anything for a killer story. I needed this after the few mediocre articles I'd had published in the last month.

When I entered the briefing room, I took a seat next to Nagase. My sister sat on her other side. She smiled sadly at me. Elizabeth, or Blaze as she was known as on base, hadn't been up in the sky today. She was supposed to be, but at the last minute, had been switched with another trainee, one that hadn't survived. Blaze hadn't known them well, but it was obvious by her expression that she felt somewhat responsible for her death, even though it hadn't been her decision to switch. 

Captain Bartlett leaned back in a chair in the front of the room, staring up at the ceiling. I wondered what could be on his mind, considering everything that happened today. It had to be incredibly difficult to lose so many people in such a short amount of time, especially when you thought you were sending them to safety. It wasn't Bartlett's fault for the disaster but the Command Room's. Anyone with a brain could realize that. Still, you could see it on Bartlett's face that he blamed himself.

The last few remaining pilots struggled into the room. Once they were seated, Bartlett sighed and sat up. He scanned the room, taking in everyone before him. "I know you don't like this, but we're short on people. Starting tomorrow, all you nuggets are gonna be sittin' alert. If we launch, stay glued to me up there. Nagase?"

"Sir," she replied with a respectful nod.

"You're flying number two on my wing. Gotta keep an eye on you or who knows what you'll get yourself into," he told her. She flushed, but I could see the fury boiling in her eyes. Blaze noticed too, gently nudging Nagase with her shoulder. They shared a quick look, and when Nagase faced the front of the room again, her calm demeanor had once more taken over.

Meanwhile, Bartlett continued, "Chopper, you're going to be flying number three on my wing. I need to have you in my sights so I can keep you in check. Blaze, you're flying on my six. I'm trusting you to watch our backs out there."

Blaze nodded, quietly stunned by the subtle compliment Bartlett had just given her. After today, he wouldn't trust just anyone to be on his six. A surge of pride for my sister welled in my chest. She was only a rookie, a "nugget," but she was quickly making a name for herself on base. Blaze stood out among her colleagues as one of the fiercest and deadliest pilots. The only one who could best her right now was Bartlett. Allegedly, so could Chopper, but I don't know if I believed him or not when he told me that.

"You're all dismissed," Bartlett said. All the pilots shuffled out of the room. I fell into stride with Blaze, Nagase, and Chopper. We strolled in silence to the cafeteria to grab something to eat, our minds unable to stop thinking about what happened only a few hours ago. Even Chopper, the guy who could lighten any situation, seemed at a loss for words. He'd been here the longest out of anyone. He'd flown under Baker and Svenson multiple times. They'd been his mentors almost as much as Bartlett. Losing them hit a little too close to home for Chopper.

"Who do you think it was?" Nagase asked quietly when we sat down. We'd occupied a corner table, far away from everyone else. 

"Could be anyone at this point," Blaze said, slowly twirling pasta onto her fork. "It came from the west, so my first guess is Yuktobania, but we're allies. It wouldn't make sense for them to attack. I'd suspect Belka more than anyone. They're the ones that like to start wars."

"They got decimated in the last one though. Would they risk doing such a thing only fifteen years later?"

Blaze shrugged. "Belkans are prideful people. I would know. I'm part Belkan. The war might've been almost two decades ago, but they haven't forgotten. They'll try to make a comeback one day."

"We better hope we're trained for them when that day comes," Chopper remarked, leaning back in his chair and leaving his food untouched. "Those Belkan fighters are legendary. If we went up against them now, we'd be shot down faster than you could blink."

"Then let's hope they're not behind this," I said. We didn't speak anymore after that, too wrapped up in our thoughts about who had just attacked us. One thing was for certain, though. A truth no one dared to speak yet: a war was coming.

______________________________________

Blaze

"At ease people, but don't get too comfortable! It's a grave situation for all of us right now," Base Commander Perrault barked. He eyed me with distaste as I took a seat next to Chopper, but I ignored him. I was too hyped up and anxious about going on my first real mission since joining Sand Island. Still, I couldn't help staring up at the Base Commander and wondering what it was that made me dislike him so much. Was it the way he waddled everywhere he went? Was it his judgemental stare? Was it his beady eyes which gave away his utter disgust with us? All of the above? I wasn't sure.

"Hey, Blaze," Chopper greeted, uncharacteristically unenthusiastic. He bumped his shoulder into mine. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing I'm allowed to say out loud," I replied, giving him a small, cheeky smirk. His blue eyes sparkled with curiosity, those same blue eyes that made my heart flutter every time they met mine. Chopper, being Genette's best friend, was off-limits, no matter how much I liked him. So we remained friends, and I was content with the setup. I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship, nor his friendship with my brother, by telling Chopper how I truly felt. Still, he made himself hard to resist. Besides being devilishly handsome, one of the things I loved so much about him was his sense of humor. Not even thirty seconds into sitting next to him and he had me laughing so hard my stomach hurt, mostly from me trying but failing to hold my laughter in. Orson Perrault glared daggers at us with contempt etched clearly on his face. I hurriedly shut my mouth, trying to suppress the new round of giggles creeping up my throat.

When Perrault turned away, Chopper whispered, "He's just pissed off he had to leave his precious donuts."

My already weak self-control crumbled, and I snorted into a silent fit of laughter. Bartlett, Nagase, and Genette glanced over at us, wondering what we were getting up to. Finally, I regained my composure, but I couldn't look at Chopper anymore.

"Let's get this briefing started," The Base Commander said unenthusiastically. The lights dimmed, and everyone became quiet. The briefing began.

"Another Aircraft of unknown origin has entered Osean Federation Airspace. We have confirmed the target type as a strategic recon plane flying at very high altitude. Despite our repeated warnings, it continued to penetrate our ADEZ and was fired upon by Osean Coastal Defense Force SAMs. We believe one of our SAMs damaged the unknown plane but did not destroy it. Radar shows that the aircraft is currently losing altitude, and is attempting to egress feet wet towards the ocean. Intercept this target and force it to land for Identification. Do not fire upon this aircraft until further orders are transmitted."

Operation: Lagoon

Location: Cape Landers

Date: 2010/09/24

Time: 0854 Hrs.

The lights flickered back on, momentarily blinding me. I blinked the world back into existence, then followed Chopper, Nagase, and Bartlett to the hangar. Our captain assigned each of us to an F-5E. Bartlett chose his regular plane, an F-4G. It had a red ace of hearts on the side with a sword going through the middle of the heart. I wanted to ask him about it but refrained. I recalled hearing about him having a lady friend over in Yuktobania. She broke his heart during the war fifteen years ago. I wondered if that had something to do with his callsign. The deduction made sense to me, but I knew better than to ask him what it meant. We weren't close enough for that. I doubted we ever would be.

I hopped into my plane and pulled out of the hangar behind Nagase and Chopper. Genette sat in place of my RIO. We didn't usually have RIOs ride along with us, let alone civilians, but since his task was to write about his time here, he'd been given special permission to fly with us. Since this was a simple intercept mission, and the target didn't appear to be armed, Perrault had given his permission for Genette to join us. 

As I waited on the runway, I watched the Captain take off. It was beautifully smooth, and not something you'd expect from a hot-tempered, foul-mouthed man like him. Chopper and Nagase followed in suit. Their take-offs were nearly as good as Bartlett's. When it was my turn, I hesitated. This was my first sortie. What if I made a fool of myself in front of my squadron? What if I got shot down? What if I didn't come back?

"Blaze, what's takin' you so long?" Chopper asked, interrupting my spiraling train of thought.

"Just making sure all systems are functioning. I'm good. Coming up now," I replied, trying to sound confident and not embarrassed at having been caught dilly-dallying. After that last message, I was off full throttle. The ocean and palm trees zipped past me in a blur of blue and green. I lifted my plane smoothly into the air, catching up with my compatriots and falling into standard formation.

"Blaze! Altitude restrictions canceled," Control Tower confirmed. "Return to your mission."

"This is captain of Wardog Squadron, we are approaching the target," Bartlett announced. 

"This is AWACS, callsign Thunderhead. Roger, bring the target to the ground. Do not fire at the target. Repeat, do not fire at the target."

"You got that, nuggets?" Bartlett demanded roughly.

"Wardog Two, roger!" Nagase replied.

"Wardog Three, roger!" Chopper echoed.

There was a pause, and I wondered what was taking Bartlett so long to respond to Nagase and Chopper when he said, "...Wardog Four? Hellooo? Can you hear me, Kid? You better be markin' our tail, girl!"

I felt heat rise in my cheeks. "Yes, sir! I'm right behind you, Captain."

"Looks like you're confident, at least," Bartlett said, sounding less disgruntled than I thought he'd be at my lack of communication. "Don't get separated from me."

I stuck closely to my wingmen, keeping an eye on them and the horizon for the target craft. My gaze, however, drifted to Chopper when inexplicably executed a full spin. While a cool stunt, I wasn't sure about the purpose of it.

"Lieutenant Alvin H. Davenport, stop doing tricks and trying to impress the ladies," Bartlett said, causing me to snicker softly despite my surprise at the statement. Surely that hadn't been the purpose. There was no one here worth impressing. Chopper knew Genette and me, and Nagase couldn't care less what fancy tricks Chopper did. Bartlett was Bartlett. The only person that impressed him was himself.

"I was doing it for fun, sir," Chopper defended.

"Lieutenant, do not insult my intelligence. I wasn't born yesterday," Bartlett told him sarcastically. "Now stop showing off and focus. And Kid, I heard you laughing. Don't egg him on, or I'll kick you off the squadron." 

I gulped, fully aware he meant every word he'd said. It'd been my dream to be on Sand Island, and now that I was here, I would do nothing to jeopardize my position here, as low as it was. We were the first line of defense against any western enemies, and it was an honor to be put on this island at such a young age. Chopper and Nagase understood. They were in the same boat as me. Of course, the difference between them was that Nagase wouldn't rock the boat or make any waves. Chopper, on the other hand, would probably capsize it.

"Man, I'm glad you drew the short straw instead of me!" Chopper remarked.

I rolled my eyes. "At least I'm not the one Bartlett said he had to keep in check."

"No idea. Absolutely none."

"Does that mean you weren't listening to our captain?"

"What? No! Don't twist this and-" Chopper cleared his throat and regathered his composure- "It means that I'm too focused on the mission at hand to remember word for word what our-"

"Second Lieutenant Alvin H. Davenport, zip it!" Bartlett interrupted, sounding mildly exasperated. "You need a nickname, too?" 

"I respectfully ask to be called 'Chopper,' sir. I'm afraid I may not be able to respond to any other moniker."

"Hmm... That does fit you well," Bartlett agreed. "I've got a better name for you, but I'll keep it to myself. Okay?"

"Aw, cut me some slack man!" 

I bit back my laughter, not wanting Bartlett to call me out on it again. I returned my attention back to the horizon, scanning the sky and attempting to find the unidentified aircraft. Although my head was on a constant swivel, I saw nothing suspicious. All I did see were the gray clouds. They looked unforgiving. I prayed it wouldn't rain.

"Tally ho, we've got company, let's go," Bartlett said, garnering my attention. How had he spotted the target? I still couldn't see it! "You're forbidden to fire until I give permission, understand?"

"Yes, sir," I answered immediately, not wanting a repeat earlier.

"Good girl. Alright, where's Motormouth Chopper?"

"Wha...? That's your name for me?" Chopper demanded incredulously.

"You've got a knack for comic dialogue," Bartlett answered without missing a beat. "Would you mind sending the surrender request for me?"

"Oh no, please, age before beauty."

"I'm real shy around strangers you know..." 

Knowing he was cornered and couldn't get out of this, Chopper mumbled something unintelligible before saying, "Sheesh. Testing, testing... Attention, unidentified aircraft. Set your course for our beacon immediately.

"Good!" Bartlett praised.

"Uh... we will direct you to the nearest airfield. Lower your gear if you understand," Chopper ordered, sounding surer of himself. The compliment from Bartlett probably gave him a boost considering how rarely he doled them out.

"Warning!" Thunderhead suddenly exclaimed. "We have four high-speed bogeys inbound."

I heard an exaggerated sigh over the radio, followed by Chopper sarcastically saying, "Oh, great."

"Approaching unknown aircraft bearing two-eight-zero, altitude six-thousand! Hold your fire until further orders!" Thunderhead ordered.

"Crossing the pond to fly cover for their spy plane, huh? Now there's a fighter pilot worth his wings," Bartlett said to no one in particular. "Enemy inbound bearing two-eight-zero! Head on."

"I see them," I said, narrowing my sights on the four planes speeding towards us.

"Me, too," Nagase added.

My heart started pounding. Would the enemy start firing at us? They shouldn't. If they were just flying cover for their spy plane, they would just want to scare us out of the area, wouldn't they? Then again, we had no idea who we were fighting. They could want to start a war with us for all we knew.

"You're not to fire until I say it's okay, got me?" Bartlett said sternly.

"Yes, sir," I answered, gripping my joystick and praying it didn't come to a full-on dogfight. 

"Good girl," Bartlett said. "What about you two, Nagase, Chopper?"

My friends echoed my statement.

I could see the targets getting closer. Despite my nerves, the closer I got to the potential enemies, a bizarre excitement started to settle in. If we did end up fighting them, I wanted to put my skills to use. Showing off against friends in training missions was one thing. Proving them in battle was another. 

All of a sudden, my warning signal went off, followed by Chopper shouting, "Heads up! They're firing on us!" 

"Wardog Squadron, weapons safe!" Thunderhead barked. "Hold your fire until further orders!"

"Oh, come on! Those aren't blanks they're firing out there!" Chopper griped in frustration I understood all too well.

MISSION UPDATE

"Shut your mouth and fire back!" Bartlett snarled.

"Captain Bartlett, this is Thunderhead. You are violating direct orders!"

"Shove it! I'm not gonna watch any more of my pilots die!" 

I silently rooted for Bartlett, grateful to have him sticking up for us. I respected Thunderhead, but he didn't know what was going on; he wasn't the one getting fired at by an unknown enemy. He had no idea what the actual danger was.

"Edge, engaging!"

"Chopper, engaging!" He sounded more than thrilled to be allowed to fire back. 

"We're gonna shoot them all down, Kid!" Bartlett proclaimed as we floored it straight for the enemies.

"Hell yeah!" I agreed. Honestly, it wasn't like I could say 'no.' I don't think that would be the correct answer to give my captain.

As I neared the enemy, a big, fat raindrop splattered onto the glass of my jet. I was right about the clouds looking unforgiving. I didn't mind the rain; in fact, I enjoyed it. Except when I was in a life-and-death situation. Then not so much...

Huffing, I looked around to see where the closest enemy plane was only to have Genette, having seemingly lost the ability to talk, slap me on the shoulder and point behind me. An enemy plane trailed my six!

"Shit!" I jerked my plane upwards, pulling every evasive maneuver I learned in school, but nothing seemed to work. I needed a new plan, and while I racked my brain for such a thing, I instead landed on a scene from Top Gun. At first, I wondered why the hell I was thinking about it in the middle of an air battle. Then I realized there was an escape plan in there. Tom Cruise brought the MiG in closer and right before the MiG was about to fire, he slammed on his brakes, went up, the MiG shot past, and then he went behind the MiG. I didn't know if it would work considering the idea was from a movie, but I was going to give it a shot. I started flying straight forward.

"What the hell are you doing, Blaze?" Chopper demanded, flying towards me.

"I'm bringing it in closer," I stated with finality in my voice.

"You're gonna do what?" Chopper nearly yelped.

"I'll hit the brakes, and he'll fly right by."

"Blaze! He's gonna get a missile lock on you! Get the hell out of there!" Chopper yelled.

"Chopper, I know what I'm doing!" I snapped lightly. That was actually a lie. I really didn't know what I was doing. I was just winging my way through this, not the best idea being a rookie. Still, I needed an insane amount of precision to pull this off, and my wingman's incessant talking wasn't helping matters.

My missile warning blared, and I slammed on the brakes, shooting upwards while the enemy blew past me. I hurried and leveled out, speeding after the MIG. It was now trying to shake me off, but I kept it in my view for a long time. Finally, I was able to get a missile lock. It looked good, so I fired. Direct hit! The projectile hit the left wing, and I could see it falling helplessly towards the ocean. Swerving my plane around sharply, I set my sights on the new enemy plane. I waited for a few seconds to get a missile lock, fired, and hit it without any difficulty. Maybe it was just me, but so far, this mission seemed relatively... easy.

"You're crazy!" Chopper said drolly. "Brilliant, but outta your mind!"

I grinned. "It explains why we're friends."

"Agreed, and you know, most people wouldn't agree to that."

"Blaze isn't like most people," Nagase chimed in.

"I'm hoping you mean that in a good way?" I said.

"Of course I do."

"We wouldn't mean it in any other way," Chopper added.

"Well, I know Nagase wouldn't," I replied.

"Hey! What about me?"

I feigned innocence. "What about you?"

"You know exactly what I mean!"

"Chopper, stop flirting. You have enemies to shoot down," Bartlett snapped. Shockingly, my friend listened. If it had been anyone else, Chopper would've argued with them and won, but this was Bartlett. No one ever beat him. If someone did manage it, I would either like to shake their hand or run away from them very fast. 

I turned my plane around to find where the rest of my teammates were. I found Chopper and Bartlett directly ahead of me. Chopper flew side by side with our captain. He asked, "You mind if I grab this kill? I will, you know."

"Go ahead," Bartlett said.

"Wardog Squadron, weapons safe!" Thunderhead barked furiously. "Hold your fire until further orders!" 

It's a little late for that, dipshit. Did he not see the missiles being fired at us? Or the gunfire? Did he not understand what was happening right now? God, someone must've given him decaf coffee today. Either way, I was losing respect for the man.

Chopper whistled high to low. "Whew! Dogfighting sucks, man!"

"You said it!" Nagase said.

"My senses are all numb. I don't even have time to be afraid."

Chopper's remark, although seemingly a throwaway statement, worried me. I glanced at my radar to see where he was and dread filled my bones when I found him. "Chopper! You have an enemy on your tail!"

He swore colorfully. 

"Hang on, I'm coming!" I promised. I directed my plane behind the enemy trailing my comrade. I kept trying to get a lock on them, but the MIG pulled maneuvers which made it impossible for me to do so. Needless to say, frustration struck me hard.

"Don't let him get away. Aim straight!" Bartlett instructed. I took a deep breath and concentrated on the bandit. It was dangerous to develop tunnel vision in an air battle, but I trusted my wingmen enough to break through to me if need be.

"Hold your fire," Thunderhead commanded in exasperation. None of us listened.

"It's going to suck I've survived this long only to be killed by a stupid unmanned aircraft," Chopper said, sounding unnervingly upset like he thought he might actually not make it out of this situation alive. Over my dead body would I let that happen. "My only regret is not being able to fly with a captain with a sunnier disposition."

"Get used to it, son," Bartlett said gruffly, "because you'll be in my squadron for a long time."

"Wardog, I ordered weapons safe for all aircraft. Follow orders and hold your fire," Thunderhead demanded for a second time. Naturally, none of us listened. Again.

I still couldn't get a missile lock on the enemy, but I was close enough for gunfire. I tried it, letting out a barrage of bullets. To my amazement, they struck the enemy. It didn't take them out, but it was enough to get them to disengage from Chopper.

I only had a moment to celebrate when Chopper frantically said, "Blaze! Watch out! You have another bandit on your tail! He's firing! And don't even think about pulling the same stunt from earlier!

"Damn, I can't shake him off!" I said, sounding more panicked than I cared to admit.

"I'm coming! Hold on!"

I tried to lose them, but the enemy wouldn't leave. I craned my neck around to see where it was, to see if I could figure out what it planned on doing next, but all I saw was a great ball of fire falling towards the dark ocean below. Chopper flew behind me and did a celebratory barrel roll.

"Yahoo! Bandit's off your tail Blaze," Chopper announced cheerfully.

"Thanks, Chopper," I said with a sigh of relief. "I owe you one. How many more planes are there?"

"I'm not sure. Everything is so jumbled..." Nagase confessed.

"We're all in the same sky, but we can never see each other eye to eye," Chopper said, interrupting the serious tone of the battle.

"That was a very profound statement coming from you," I noted.

"I'm not sure if you're complimenting me or insulting my intelligence," Chopper acknowledged.

"Take it as a compliment, even though it was probably a bit of both."

"I knew you were insulting me."

"See? You are smart."

"Shut up," He retorted, but I could hear the humored undertone.

"Do not fire at the target. Repeat, do not fire at the target," Thunderhead said repeated for what had to be the thirtieth time. When was this guy going to figure out we weren't going to 'not fire at the target'? We were getting shot at. I don't think any squadron would let themselves be fired at.

I did a one-eighty degree turn and engaged yet another bandit. How many did they have?! I counted at least three more enemy planes left to shoot down, not including the one I had just engaged. I closed in on my target, made sure the lock was good, and fired, hitting it.

I flipped my plane upside down and around to change directions quickly. It gave me an ominous view of the dark abyss below. It scared me more than the enemies I was fighting. If I bailed out, that's what I would land in, and the waters surrounding Sand Island have been known to have shark infestations. It's not really the place you would like dropping into... just saying.

"You may fire at your own discretion," an unfamiliar voice said. What the hell? Our radio was picking up enemy transmissions?

"Enemy recon plane down!" Thunderhead pronounced.

"Aww, what a shame. Too tired to party?" Bartlett inquired sarcastically.

"Whoa! Those guys are really mad now!" Chopper exclaimed as he rolled to the left to avoid gunfire.

"I could imagine. We are kind of shooting them down like they're flies," I pointed out nonchalantly.

"You have a point there Blaze." 

"I always have a point. It's just that not everyone can figure it out. Myself included."

"Someone get this bandit off my tail!" Nagase interrupted.

"I'm on it!" I told her. I turned my head from side to side, trying to find Nagase. I finally spotted her through the clouds above me. I let them get slightly ahead of me, then shot up through the clouds.

I steadied my plane, which seemed to want to go much, much faster. I wasn't ready to go the speed it wanted to. I wasn't sure I was capable of handling it like that yet. At least not as inexperienced as I was.

"Blaze! Where are you? You shoot it down yet?" Nagase demanded, sounding frenzied.

"Bandit's been shot down by Smokey," I chirped.

"Ahhh! Smokey and the Bandit! I freaking love that movie!" Chopper exclaimed.

"What are you guys talking about?" Nagase questioned innocently. "Wait, do I want to know?"

"You've never seen Smokey and the Bandit?" I asked incredulously.

"No, but I need to check it out before you two kidnap me one day, chain me to a chair, and force me to watch it."

"We would never do that!"

"We would give you popcorn, of course!" Chopper said as if that should've been obvious.

"That really doesn't make me feel any better," she admitted. I was about to say something else, but became distracted when, once more, for some odd reason, an enemy transmission came over our radio saying "Request clearance to engage."

"I'll show 'em who's in command of this outfit. Just leave it to me," Bartlett growled. The determination and fury in his voice once more reinforced how lucky I felt (and relieved) to be on his side and not against him. I wouldn't stand a chance in hell.

"I shot one down!" Chopper announced proudly.

"Looks like we can hold our own out here. You guys fly better than I thought," Bartlett acknowledged. The compliment made me beam. With a renewed sense of confidence, I circled around and tried to find the last enemy plane. The rain splattered onto the glass of my jet, making it incredibly difficult to see. I was certainly looking forward to a nice hot bath and a good night's sleep later.

My daydreaming came to an abrupt end when the last enemy plane shot up in front of me. Dumbfounded by my luck, I set my sights on him, got a missile lock, and fired, sending them to their watery grave.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

"All unknown bogey aircraft destroyed," Thunderhead told us.

"This is your captain. Can you hear my voice?"

"Yes, sir!" We said simultaneously.

"Good. Looks like we can all hear each other. You all alive? All right. Nice work, nuggets. Wardog Four, you still following us?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well to commemorate the fact that we all made it out of that battle alive, I'm gonna let you keep your nickname. From now on, I'm gonna call you 'Kid,' no matter what. Got it? Good." He hadn't even given me a chance to respond, and I chose not to argue with him. One day I'd have to ask him why he wanted to call me 'Kid.' Instinct told me it was important, but it wouldn't tell me why.

"Man, I swear..." Chopper groaned.

"How's Genette?" Bartlett asked. My eyes widened as I suddenly remembered my brother had been in the plane with me the entire time. Other than him slapping me in the beginning, he hadn't moved or breathed a word the entire time. The adrenaline coursing through me must've made me forget about him. Guiltily, I peered over my shoulder. Genette looked wan and slightly green.

"Uh, he's fine," I lied.

"He's about to hurl, isn't he?" Chopper said.

My brother's eyes narrowed as he mustered up the strength to say, "Go fu-"

"Get back to base immediately," Thunderhead ordered, cutting him off. I waited for Genette to continue on with his sentence, but it appeared the rest of his strength had disappeared. He simply leaned back in his seat, angrily trying to get past the horrendous nausea.

We flew back in standard formation, landing one by one. As we did, we all received a message reading:

Emergency transmission from central

1. To all Sand Island Personnel. All information regarding today's hostile encounter is to be classified.

2. Captain Jack Bartlett is ordered to report to Base Headquarters immediately.

Sep. 24 2010

Order E0111207

Osean Air Defense Force Central Command
______________________________________

Later...

Genette

The whole affair with the unidentified aircraft was covered up. There was even a rumor going around that it was actually a UFO! Of course, that was just to entertain everyone. No one actually believed it that I knew of.

Officially the world was still at peace. Having witnessed the battle myself, I wasn't allowed to leave the island.

"Why do they even bother reprimanding me anymore? I know I'm gonna be stuck at captain forever." Bartlett said, shaking his head. He stood next to me with his arms behind his back, staring out over the base, which was eerily and unsettlingly quiet after the earlier chaos. I sat on a worker's bench, thinking about everything that had happened today. One question, in particular, continued to nag me.

"Who do you think is covering up the battle?" I asked hesitantly, unsure if I'd be allowed an answer when all we had right now was speculation.

"Listen, the only thing across that ocean is Murska Air Base. That's Yuktobanian territory," he replied. I was curious about where he was going with this.

I frowned. "But haven't we been allies with the Yukes since the war fifteen years ago?"

"Yeah, that's why we have people workin' their asses off trying to confirm what the hell's going on over there. I bet they've got hotlines ringing off the hook somewhere upstairs. The government doesn't want to get the public riled up about this, you know? But it doesn't matter, soldiers like us are too stupid to think for ourselves. So we just gotta keep our mouths shut when they tell us to." He briefly glanced down at me. "I feel kind of bad for you actually."

I shrugged. "It's alright; I get to be with you guys."

It was the truth; I loved being with them. Being here meant I could spend more time with my sister, hang out with Chopper, and get to know Nagase better because I'd only met her a handful of times. Besides, I didn't have anything or anyone waiting for me back on the mainland. My life revolved around work, so I didn't have much time for anything else, let alone a pet or a relationship. On top of it all, I could see Bartlett and work on my article about him; I could see Pops the mechanic too, who I discovered was always willing to chat when everyone else was either on a sortie, asleep or just plain busy.

"Captain probably hates this more than anybody," said a familiar voice. Speak of the devil, I turned around to see Pops coming over to join us. I'd forgotten he'd been working on the plane in the hangar behind us. He must've overheard our conversation.

Still, I had no idea what he was referring to, so I gave the brilliant response of, "Huh?"

"He used to have a lady friend over in Yuktobania," Pops explained, nodding at Captain Bartlett. 

The firebrand pilot hung his head as if remembering a memory he didn't want to. "Ah, that's nothing but an old war wound now." 

That was all he said about it. I didn't question further.

______________________________________

Chopper

0200 hours

"Blaze?" I whispered, knocking quietly in order to avoid waking up everyone else in the nearby vicinity. The last thing we needed was for a rumor to spread around about the two of us having a late-night rendezvous. Footsteps sounded from her room. A few moments later, the door opened.

"Hey, Chopper." Blaze stared at me curiously. "You okay?"

"Can't sleep. What're you doing?" I asked.

"I tried to fall asleep, but that didn't go so hot. Now I'm reading to see if that will work."

I suddenly felt foolish for coming here so late. What was I expecting to happen? "I can leave if you want. I don't want to-"

"Oh, no, it's okay. Come and sit down. It's not like I'm going to bed anytime soon." She moved aside, allowing me entry to her tidy room. We took residence in the middle of the surprisingly comfortable couch, keeping a conservatively close distance between us.

" So, uh..." I didn't know what to say, a rarity for me. I almost always had a quip or a joke ready at a moment's notice, but not around Blaze. She could knock me speechless just by looking at me. She always had. Over time, I learned to not act so awkward when those times happened, but unfortunately, right now wasn't one of those times I could pull it off. Thankfully, she spoke first.

She yawned. "Is it just me, or does it feel really late?"

"Actually, it is pretty late. It's two in the morning," I answered.

"Ah. My clock isn't working, that's why I was wondering." She peered over my shoulder at the dead radio. "I should really get that fixed, but my phone has a much nicer ringtone to wake up to."

"Fair enough. So-" I leaned forward, a question forming on my lips- "be honest, how do you like working with Captain Bartlett?" I asked.

"I like him, he's a good Captain. He definitely knows his stuff, and I was told if I wanted to learn from the best of the best, it's him. It's also nice to have him standing up for us when we're getting fired at," she replied. "I wanted to deck Thunderhead for telling us to hold our fire."

"I told you. Guy's a dumbass. How he got his position is a mystery."

Blaze snorted. "Maybe he hacked into the system and put himself at the top."

"That would honestly make more sense than him getting promoted. How are you enjoying Sand Island? You've been here, what, three? Four months? Is it everything you thought it'd be?"

"It is," she said, resting her head on the back of the couch. "It's just as grueling and intense as I thought it'd be, but I also have my best friends here, so I can't really complain. How are you doing? Today was-"

"Rough?" I suggested. My mind flashed back to the eight men we'd lost today. Baker and Svenson hurt the most. They'd been great mentors to me. I'd only known some of the nuggets. They were brand new on base, having arrived with Blaze in July. Still, we lost good soldiers. Their missing presence was all too obvious on our tiny base.

"That's one way to put it. I'm doing as good as can be expected. You?"

"Been better. I didn't know them all that well. I mean, when I came here, I practically just hung out with you and Nagase, but I came here with them. Shared the excitement with them. It's... weird. Especially because I should've been up there originally."

"It's not your fault Jameson died," I said gently, resting my hand on her shin. "There was no way you could've known this was going to happen."

"I know... but it still did." Blaze rarely showed any other emotion than calm or happy, so to see the sadness and vulnerability in her eyes in this very moment hurt my heart more than it already did. "Reminds me of the day we lost Kristen Cohen. I was hoping I wouldn't have to relive something so similar, and yet, here we are."

Kristen Cohen had been a trainee with us when we were at Heierlark in Northern Osea. She'd accidentally flown into Blaze's jetwash, which caused her plane to go into a freefall. Kristen ejected but accidentally hit her head on a piece of the airplane on the way. I know this because I saw it. I was in Kristen's plane that day, ejected with her. I remember drifting down to the ground in my parachute, watching helplessly as her limp body plummeted to the ground. Her parachute never even deployed. The medical examiner said the impact killed her instantly, but Kristen's younger sister, Bailey, swore up and down that Blaze had intentionally sabotaged Kristen's plane in order to win the training mission. It was all bullshit, and the military court found Blaze innocent of all charges, but it damn near destroyed her confidence in her flying abilities. It took drastic measures for the base to get her back in fighting form. 

"That wasn't your fault, and neither was today. I will say that as many times as I need to so you believe it."

Blaze blinked sleepily and gave me a small, appreciative smile. "Have I ever said how much I love you?"

"You don't need to. You do, however, need to go to sleep. You look ready to pass out. Will you be okay tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. You?"

"Same as you, I suppose. Come get me if you need anything," I told her, silently praying she'd take me up on the offer. Blaze promised she would, but I knew I wouldn't see her until morning, and I was right.