"Every end is a new beginning."
~Unknown
________________________________________

Chopper

Three days passed before we were given another mission. I didn't mind. It gave me time to come down off the adrenaline rush from the first dogfight and to quietly grieve over our lost comrades. The only one who knew how hard it hit me was Blaze, and that's only because of our late-night conversation. We hadn't talked much since then, only catching up during meals. Otherwise, we were patrolling the skies on high alert. I tried keeping the mood light and banter going to pass, but Bartlett's grim and snappier-than-usual demeanor even made me quiet. 

I entered the briefing room, scanning around for Blaze. To my dismay, she sat next to Tornado. She was grinning ear to ear as he animatedly (and probably exaggerated) some story of his time during college. Unfortunately, we'd been in the same graduating year. I don't know what it was about him, but the guy irked me. Maybe it had to do with the fact he always went after the girls I acted in interested in, and it was no secret around base that all guys had a thing for Blaze, including me. Well, everyone but Genette knew about that latter part, and I intended on keeping it that way. None of us guys had the balls to act on it though. As friendly as Blaze was, she had this quiet, intimidating characteristic about her; like she knew all your deepest, darkest secrets without you ever telling her. Blaze, with her intense hazel eyes and sharply winged eyeliner, could make you feel like saw the depths of your soul, the parts even you didn't want to think about.

"I can't believe it!" she exclaimed as I sat down next to her. Blaze must've seen me out of her peripheral because she immediately turned around and greeted me with a cheerful hello. Tornado peered around her. Unseen by Blaze, he smiled smugly at me and winked. It took all of my willpower not to reach over and deck him, or at least flip him off.

"Hey," I said nonchalantly, hoping to appear like I couldn't care less that they were talking. It was more because of Tornado than Blaze. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting under my skin. "What tall tales is he telling you?"

"A drunk story of us at university," Tornado answered, leaning back in his chair. "Remember how we lost you for a good hour and found you making out with, what's her face? Uh-" Tornado snapped his fingers a few times, faking forgetfulness at the girl's name- "Danny Benjamin!"

Blaze raised an eyebrow at me. I couldn't tell if she was amused or unimpressed, but regardless, I despised Tornado for bringing it up. The only thing I could do was tell the truth and hope Blaze believed me. "I remember Danny making a move on me and y'all catching me right when she did. You left before you heard me tell her that I wasn't interested in being her secret lover since she was dating a guy off base at the time."

Tornado barked with laughter. "Do you believe him, Blaze?"

"Actually, I do. I've known him long enough to learn that he wouldn't treat a girl like that. If he says Danny Benjamin made the first move and he ended, then I believe him." Blaze glanced over at me, the corners of her lips tugging upwards. "I also know his sister would kill him if she thought he treated any girl badly."

"Melissa always warned me that she may not hit harder, but that she did hit lower," I mused, shuddering at the memory from the last time she'd illustrated her saying. Laughter bubbled from Blaze's lips, and from that point on, I had her full attention. We were only interrupted when she excused herself to greet Genette at the water fountain on the other side of the room. I tried to eavesdrop on the Banks siblings but failed miserably. I did notice their eyes kept flicking over towards Tornado, so I had a pretty good idea what the Banks' conversation was about when Blaze whispered to Genette, "Come to my room tonight, and we'll talk about it."

Tornado must've heard too because he leaned over and whispered, "Looks like I'm making headway."

I scoffed. "Yeah, if that headway is farther up your own ass."

"I have a better chance than you."

"Literally every guy here has a better chance than me, so don't get excited."

Tornado opened his mouth to respond, but Blaze returned with Genette in tow. I pretended as if I heard nothing of their conversation, which was mostly true. Still, her comment nagged me. Was Blaze into Tornado? Did Genette want to talk to her about her getting into a relationship with the other hotshot on base? I knew it wasn't out of the question, the two of them dating. If Tornado had said one truthful thing the entire time I'd been here, it was that he had a better chance of getting with her than I did. I doubted Blaze would go for a playboy like Tornado, but even I had to admit he was charming. Hell, Tornado had given me a run for my money multiple times. Blaze could easily fall for him. 

Before I could continue my thoughts though, the soldier up front cleared his throat, signaling the beginning of the briefing. I focused all my attention on the screen. The room went dark, and he spoke. "A ship of unknown origin has been detected approaching the Sand Island Coastline. We've confirmed that this ship has launched numerous, unmanned aerial vehicles probably used for reconnaissance. The UAVs will likely return to the launch ship for retrieval after completing their spy operation. You are to halt this operation by intercepting and destroying these recon drones before they can be recovered by the ship. However, do not attack the ship until further orders are transmitted."

Operation: Gyre

Location: Sand Island

Date: 2010/09/27

Time: 1030 Hrs.

The lights flickered back on. Bartlett, Genette, Blaze, Nagase and I strode out of the briefing room and towards the hangar. Bartlett,  a creature of habit, kept our planes the same as last time, so we were in the F-5's again. The F-5's were decent- easy to fly and maneuver- but I preferred bigger planes. I liked the aircraft that made people think 'oh shit' just at the sight of it. The F-5s did not have that desired impression. One day, when I was higher up in the military, I'd be flying the planes I wanted.

I lagged behind my crew, deep in thought. Ahead of me, Blaze and Nagase chattered animatedly about something that only made sense to them. I caught the words "Sodapop Curtis" and "Dallas Winston," but blocked out the rest. Whatever they were talking about, it was girl things going straight over my head, and while I understood a lot about girls, I couldn't necessarily comprehend why they argued over fictional characters. Meanwhile, Bartlett and Genette led the march to the hangar, deep in discussion.

Halfway to the hangar, Blaze suddenly appeared on my left. I hadn't even realized she'd fallen back from Nagase.

"Hey," she said, shifting her helmet over to her outside hand. "How are you doing today?"

Not wanting to give away the thoughts racing through my brain, I simply smiled. "Nothing's changed since I talked to you ten minutes ago."

"You sure?" Blaze met my gaze. "Because you're unusually quiet."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, trying to sound as if everything was normal. Based on the gleam in her eyes, it was evident Blaze knew I wasn't telling her everything. She didn't push me, though, which I appreciated. There was really no right time to tell her I had a crush on her, let alone right before a sortie. Maybe one day, far in the future, when we were married to other people, I could tell her I once had feelings for her. We could laugh about it, and maybe I'd discover she'd had one on me too. But that's all that would happen.

Blaze bumped her shoulder into mine. "All right. You know if you need anything, you can tell me."

"I know." I pursed my lips, trying to stop myself from blurting out the question on the tip of my tongue. It came out anyways. "What's going on between you and Tornado?"

Blaze cocked her head. "Nothing. Why?"

I shrugged. "You two seemed like you were hitting it off earlier, that's all. I also overheard you whispering to Genette to come to your room to talk about something later and judging on the way he kept glancing over at Tornado during your conversation, it seemed like a plausible guess."

"Oh, that!" Blaze, to my surprise, chuckled. "God, no. Tornado is entertaining and all, but I trust him about as far as I can throw him. Genette needs a quote from me about Captain Bartlett, which is why he's coming to my room later. We didn't have enough time before the briefing for me to give it to him. As for the reason he kept looking over at Tornado is because I told him we'd been talking. I don't think Genette likes Tornado much, to be honest."

"Why?"

"Hell if I know. Wouldn't tell me."

"Not gonna lie, glad you aren't into him. The idea of you two dating is not a pleasant one. You can do so much better than him."

Blaze laughed. "I'm not looking for a friends with benefits situation. Besides, I have my sights on someone else."

"What? Who?!" I demanded, wondering which lucky guy on base had captured her attention.

"Oh no, I'm not telling you. Bartlett calls you Motormouth for a reason." At the mention of his name, our captain peered over his shoulder at us. Blaze ignored him, continuing to talk. "Besides, there's no point. Nothing's going to come of it."

"What do you mean?"

She waved dismissively. "I just know it'll never happen. Now, are you going to revert back to the Chopper I know and love? Or is there still something on your mind?"

"Nah, I'm good," I replied, throwing my arm around her shoulder. "What do you say we go kick some ass?"

"You read my mind," she replied, leaning into me. We stayed that way until we got closer to the rest of our team, then subtly disengaged from one another. She returned to Nagase's side. I fell in stride with Bartlett and Genette. The latter would be flying with one of us again. Not that I minded. It was fun having your best friend with you.

"Hey, Chopper," Genette said, his expression grim. It made me wonder what was he was thinking about, and why both of us appeared to have troubled minds today.

I looked him up and down. "Who peed in your cereal?"

Genette sighed dramatically, telling me his demeanor from mere moments ago had all been an act. "Bartlett placed me with you."

"I'll try not to scare the shit out of you," I said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Please. Anything after my sister's flying will be mild."

Out of nowhere, a balled-up piece of paper knocked my friend in the head as Blaze yelled, "I heard that!"

"And I meant every word of it!" he retorted before ducking from another barrage of paper balls. "Where are you getting these?!"

Rather than replying, Blaze chucked one more at him. Instead of it hitting Genette, it bounced between my eyes. She sheepishly apologized, adding "I didn't mean to drag you into this!"

"He'd be on my side anyway!" Genette said, hurling a paper ball back at his sister. They would've engaged in a full battle against each other if Bartlett hadn't interrupted it by telling them to shut up and get in the planes. Blaze and Genette glared daggers at each other but ended their bickering.

Genette and I hopped into my plane, and it seemed like an eternity before I was on the runway. We took off one by one, all of us itching to be in the air once more. The sky felt more like home than the ground. Up here, we were free. And now we had something to look forward to rather than just mindless flying on high alert for something that may or may not show up.

"Wardog, this is Thunderhead. Unmanned recon drones returning to spy vessel. Shoot them down before they get back to the ship."

"Sure thing. You got that gang?" Bartlett asked. The three of us confirmed we did. "Alright, let's go." 

We all hit the throttle, speeding to our destination. I peered over my shoulder to see how Genette was doing. He gave me a thumbs up.

"Our orders are to not fire on the ship. Understood?" Bartlett said. 

"Yes, sir!" We replied simultaneously. 

"Good. Aim only for the recon planes. Show me what you've got, Kid!"

"This is where the fun begins!" Blaze chirped. She dipped her plane to a lower altitude and sped off. I wasn't sure if Bartlett meant for her to go off on her own, but he didn't correct her. I watched her pull ahead of us, amazed by her tenaciousness. Her determination and confidence reminded me of Captain Bartlett. Maybe he saw himself in her too, and that's why he called her 'Kid.' I'd have to ask him one day.

I could see the approaching targets on the horizon, Blaze still just a little ahead of us. I saw her fire her guns upon one of them, destroying it effortlessly. I could only focus on her for a brief moment, though, because a UAV flew right in front of me. Taking advantage of my sheer, dumb luck, I got a missile lock on it and fired, nailing it smack dab in the middle.

I learned quickly that finding the UAVs was the easy part; destroying them was another matter. I didn't even know they made UAV's this small! What country could do that? The only ones besides Osea that I could think of were Yuktobania and Belka, but Yuktobania was our ally, and Belka was still recovering from the war in 1995. I mean, Belka had some legendary fighter pilots, and the country itself used to be super powerful, but now? Surely Belka wasn't stupid enough to take on Osea, a country nearly fifteen times larger with a much bigger military. Belka was not that dumb. At least, I didn't think they were.

"How you doing, Kid?" Bartlett inquired, breaking the silence. "Pretty easy, huh?"

"Yes, sir," Blaze said calmly. "Certainly better than the other day."

"Helps when you don't have someone yelling in your ears to hold your fire." Bartlett's voice was tinged with amusement. I wondered if Thunderhead realized we were insulting him, or if he'd fallen asleep. Judging by his silence, I was going to assume the latter. No way would he have let that slide. "Okay, let's hurry up and finish this."

"Guess this is a good time to have a little competition of kill scores," I suggested.

"I'm in," Nagase said, pulling up alongside me. "There are no live people in these things, so I don't feel bad about it."

"Count me in too!" Blaze chimed in.

Seeing her already chasing down a UAV, I said, "Hey, leave some enemies for me, alright, Kid?"

"Don't count on it!" Blaze shot her target down at the same time I spotted another enemy aircraft; incredibly, and mostly by dumb luck, I was already within range. It took no time for me to lock, fire, and hit it with ease. Elated, I scanned my radar to assess the situation. Earlier, I'd counted eight bogeys. Bartlett hadn't taken any out. He was letting us do that as 'practice.' Blaze, Nagase, and I had all shot down two each, meaning there were two left. We were all still in the running for first place in our little competition. I eagerly searched to find the remaining UAVs.

"The targets are small, so aim carefully," Bartlett advised.

"I know what you mean..." Nagase said. "I swear I've seen dogs bigger than these things."

"Same here. Speaking of dogs-" Blaze zipped overhead- "Genette, how are you holding up?"

"He can't speak right now, but he's giving me the middle finger, and I'm assuming that's for you," I replied. Blaze chuckled, and I could imagine the shit-eating grin on her face.

I returned my attention to the remaining enemies. Neither Blaze nor Nagase confirmed they'd shot anymore down, so we were still tied. Somehow, I didn't realize I had one right in front of me until I almost crashed into it. I swore colorfully, swerving sharply to avoid it. I then circled around and leveled out behind it. Aiming carefully, I fired when I got within range, but the missile narrowly missed it much to my chagrin. At the same time, Blaze took it head-on, firing a missile of her own. I pulled up in case she overshot, but she didn't. Now there was only one left.

"That's three for me," Blaze announced, barrel rolling her plane in celebration. "Where's the last one?"

"In front of me," Nagase said, sounding more than a little frustrated. "My missiles won't hit!"

Bartlett huffed. "You better not get sloppy just because they're unmanned drones." 

I swear I heard Nagase begin to say something, but then there was silence. Whatever comment or retort she'd been about to say, she must've thought better of it.  

"I wonder who's controlling them," Blaze said, seemingly talking more to herself than anyone in particular, but it got my mind wandering down the path of all the potential enemies we could be fighting right now. There were a lot of countries and groups who would like to see Osea fall. I'd die before I let that happen, but I didn't plan on dying anytime soon. After all, the object of war wasn't to die for your country, but instead, to make the enemy die for theirs. 

"At least they're unmanned," Nagase said. I noticed she sounded slightly relieved, although I wasn't sure if it was because she didn't want to shoot anyone down, or if it was because she feared her ability to hold her own against a real person. Maybe it was both.

Regardless, I agreed and made it known. "I'm glad there aren't any live people in these things, aren't you?"

"Yeah..." 

The softness of Nagase's voice caused my brain to involuntarily conjure up an image of what it might look like if these weren't unmanned. Needless to say, it wasn't a pretty picture. I'd already seen what a dead soldier looked like, and that was back in university. If I ever saw it again, it'd be too soon. 

To avoid allowing myself to follow the train of thought any longer, I tried to make the topic slightly less somber by saying, "So we can just shoot 'em down and not worry about it."

"Speaking of which, last UAV is destroyed. That's all of them," Blaze confirmed, swerving her plane to get behind Bartlett.

I sighed in mock frustration. "I thought you were going to leave some for me!"

"You were too busy chatting."

"Now you see why I call him Motormouth," Bartlett said, shocking me with his entrance into the conversation.

"Don't encourage her!"

Before Bartl"Are those drones remote-controlled?" Nagase asked.

"It's a little late to ask since the last drone was shot about a minute ago, but yes, I think they were," I said. "We've been saying this the entire time. Did you get hit in the head or something?"

"Well, there's a difference between being remote-controlled and unmanned," Nagase defended. "Unmanned can be operated by someone from a long distance. Remote control has to be in closer proximity. If they're in close proximity, then maybe we could-

She never finished her sentence. Thunderhead frantically came on the mic. "Warning! Multiple bogeys inbound, closing fast."

"Same attack axis as before?" Bartlett wondered aloud, his tone edged with confusion. It was the first time I'd ever heard him like that. It kind of unnerved me. Bartlett always acted like he had an answer for everything, usually because he did. For him to not have one now...

"Two-eight-zero. Same vector as last time," Thunderhead affirmed.

Bartlett sighed, annoyed. "How many planes they got lined up at the border?"

"Too many?" Blaze suggested. I felt inclined to agree with her.

"You're not wrong. We've only got four on our side... we better abort. This way." Bartlett directed his plane back towards Sand Island. "Think you can stick to my tail?"

We all agreed.

I chased after Captain Bartlett, but because of my distance from him, I lagged dangerously far behind than the others, and the enemy planes were fast approaching. Bartlett's plane slowly became larger, but despite going full throttle, I couldn't outrun the enemies. They'd had too much speed already built up. Within moments, one latched onto me. The other three moved forward and stalked Bartlett, Blaze, and Nagase.

Realizing the futility of my situation, I voiced my issue to my comrades. "I can't make it. They're running me down!"

"Oh, you're takin' the trail position today, Rock 'n' roller?" Bartlett asked sarcastically. If panicking over the possibility that my ass might be floating in the ocean below in a few seconds wasn't an issue at the moment, I would've made a snarky comment back. "Hold on, I'll clear you're six o'clock for you."

"Dammit, why'd I have to draw the short straw today?" I groaned. On my radar, I noticed Bartlett and Nagase go in opposite directions while Blaze went up and did a half-circle. Meanwhile, I abandoned my intention to catch up to them and instead, focused my attention on evading the bandit hot on my tail. I went through every evasive maneuver I'd been taught at school, but unfortunately, the bogey stuck to me. I used every trick in the book and every trick in my mind to out-maneuver this plane, but it stuck to me like a leech... a very annoying, very hungry leech.

When I leveled out from an Immelman turn, Genette, although weakly, slapped my shoulder repeatedly. I turned around, and he pointed at the-

"Shit!" I exclaimed, diving down towards the ocean to gain extra speed and get away from the enemy. I had not one, not two, but three enemies trailing me. Were they singling me out or what? I remembered Bartlett saying last mission it was probably because I was the only one they could hear. Now I was wondering if there was some unfortunate truth behind his statement.

MISSION UPDATE

"Everyone else quit gawkin' and start shootin'!" Bartlett commanded. None of us needed any encouragement.

"Yes, sir," Blaze replied, her voice edged with the slightest unease.

Bartlett must've heard it too. Surprisingly gently, he said, "Don't worry. Just remember your training." 

I'd never heard him speak in that manner toward anyone, let alone to nuggets. Who was this Bartlett, and what did he do to the old one? Better yet, what had Blaze done to him? He always seemed a little different around her, treated her a little differently than everyone else. I noticed it back in university, and I realized it continued now, but I couldn't place my finger on how he treated her differently. Until I could, I wouldn't mention it to Bartlett or Blaze, or anyone else for that matter. 

Bartlett surged past me, flipping his plane around to settle behind the enemies. Nearly within the blink of an eye, he shot down the one farthest behind me. The other two of the aircraft bailed on their chase of me and went after Blaze instead. Both were gaining on her rapidly, but she managed to stay out of their clutches by pulling stunts that would make any experienced pilot raise their eyebrows.

"Captain Bartlett!" Thunderhead yelled, sounding more than a little exasperated. He started to ramble on about us not being instructed to engage yet. None of us listened to him, or even acknowledged that we heard him. We only cared what Bartlett had to say. He would protect us anyway if we got in trouble for this dogfight. Still, I wondered when Thunderhead would figure out that Bartlett listens to one person and one person only: himself. If anyone ever managed to tell him what to do and have him listen, I'm not sure if I'd idolize them or be extremely terrified. Probably a bit of both.

"Break right, bandit on the captain's tail. I'm on it," Nagase said.

"All right. Not Bad," Bartlett complimented.

"Enemy fire confirmed, turning to engage," Nagase added. "Edge, engaging."

To my surprise, when I peered over my shoulder to see if anyone else was on my tail, I found Genette began looking around;  his nausea and light-headedness must've passed, or his stomach was getting stronger being in a jet so often. He informed me Nagase was tracking the bandit on the captain's tail, and Blaze and Bartlett were trailing the lead enemy plane. I flipped my plane around to join my team. I witnessed Blaze fire a missile at the plane in front of her and hit it. It went down in a fiery inferno. I zeroed in on the bogey on Bartlett's tail, trying to lock on. Just as I did, Nagase took it out with well-aimed gunfire. 

"Wardog, you are not cleared to engage at this time!" Thunderhead's admonishment fell on deaf ears. We heard him, but none of us obeyed. We were all too far gone in the battle. We weren't going to sit around and run with our tails tucked between our legs when these bastards fired on us first. The idea of it sent a new course of rage in my blood, and a bandit made the ill-fated decision to fly right in front of me at that very moment. Hardly thinking, I got a missile lock and fired. It was good.

"We're gonna shoot them all down, Kid!" Bartlett declared, falling behind Blaze as she circled the area searching for another target.

"Damn straight!" she agreed. 

"Enemy Squadron has commenced counterattack." I didn't recognize the voice, but I heard a slight accent, one I knew for certain wasn't Osean. Who were they? And why the hell was our radio picking up enemy transmissions?

When no one said anything about it, I took matters into my own hands. "Am I hearing things? Or did I just hear the enemy?"

"No, you heard correctly," Blaze answered. "I was just too dumbfounded by it that I didn't say anything."

"And Nagase and I were too busy hunting down these planes," Bartlett said gruffly. "Enemies first, weird transmissions later. Got it? Good. We need to-"

"You splashed an enemy without permission to engage?" Thunderhead interrupted furiously. I swear I heard him bang his fist on something in the background. "What are you thinking, Wardog?" 

This guy did not have an off switch. The persistent bastard kept nagging us about it, probably thinking he'd win out sooner or later. Little did he know that Blaze, Nagase, and I only cared about one person's orders right now, and that was Bartlett's. Our captain chose to illustrate our view on the entire situation by shooting down a bogey. Nagase fired at another one but the missile whistled over the cockpit, barely missing it. 

"Back again, huh? Hope you're ready to fight this time," Bartlett growled.

Back again. His words brought up my earlier question. This time, I voiced it. "Where'd they come from? Are they with that other group we ran into?"

"I'm not sure where they came from," Blaze said hesitantly, almost like she was unsure of her own answer, "but since they're coming from the same attack axis as before, I think it's a strong possibility they are from that other group."

Suddenly, my missile alert went off, making my heart jump. In my slightly frenzied state, I exclaimed, "Dammit, Kid! Get the hell over here and help me out!"

"Hey, Kid, go over and help Mr. Rock 'n' Roll there," Bartlett commanded.

"Already there," she responded, eliminating the enemy behind me with bizarre ease despite the loops and dives we were doing. I heard her let out a relieved sigh. "Last bogey down." 

"Thanks for saving my ass, Blaze," I told her, sheepishly adding, "And sorry for snapping at you." 

"No apology necessary."

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

"Picture Clear," Thunderhead confirmed, surprisingly calm considering his earlier shouting. "All hostile aircraft are destroyed." 

Although relieved the mission was over, I still had a feeling this thing wasn't over. Whether it be today or tomorrow, the enemy had something else planned. Of that, I was positive. Someone wanted war with Osea, and that wouldn't happen without more battles.

"Warning still in effect. Keep your heads on a swivel," Thunderhead warned, eerily supporting my unspoken thoughts. I flew alongside Blaze, the two of ur circling the area. Nagase and Bartlett were a little ways away on their own.

"Watch out, Nagase! They're down below us, too!" Bartlett suddenly exclaimed. I watched as he jerked his plane in her direction. At first, I didn't understand why he was freaking out. Then I realized,  to my horror, that the enemy ship below had fired a missile at Nagase. It latched onto her and while she desperately tried to shake it off, it wouldn't lose her trail. She groaned in anguish, and Bartlett swore. "Kid, distract them so they don't send anymore after us!"

"With pleasure," Blaze said heatedly, going vertical towards the ocean. Trusting her to take care of herself, I raced over to Nagase to help, but before I could, Bartlett got behind her, making the missile lock onto him. I turned around to reassess the situation, just in time to see Blaze fly right past the control tower of the enemy ship at over four-hundred knots. One of the biggest no-nos in the industry, no matter what country, I could imagine them cussing her out right now. The incredible speed would've been loud and disruptive, no matter where you were on the ship.

If I hadn't been so concerned about Bartlett's wellbeing, I would've made a run of my own at the tower, but he was still trying to evade the missile. It wasn't going well. Blaze, Nagase, and I were all speeding towards him. What we were going to do, I had no idea. We couldn't hit the missile without risking hitting Bartlett. But if he was shot down, I didn't want him to go down by himself. I watched him veer to the left, lurch right, and then do a 180-degree turn. This decision proved to be fatal, and the tip of the captain's right wing got hit.

"Captain!" Nagase exclaimed worriedly.

"Hey! Save the waterworks. I'm just gonna bail out here. We can replace these things. It's gettin' the crew back alive that counts," Bartlett said calmly. How he held it together while his plane was trailing smoke and rapidly losing altitude was beyond me. "Make a call to scramble the search and rescue chopper and my reserve plane, okay?" Bartlett requested.

"Y-yes, sir."

The captain nearly skimmed the surface of the ocean, his damaged wing tilted towards the water. Bartlett bailed just before the plane crashed into the dark, unforgiving waters. The three of us, in unspoken agreement, flew circles around the crash site to protect Bartlett until the rescue squadron arrived. Our attempts were short-lived, however.

"Warning! Warning! Wardog Squadron, return to base immediately!" Thunderhead ordered.

"But the rescue helicopter isn't here yet," Nagase protested.

"Leave that to the rescue team. Refuel and rearm at the base, and get back in the air immediately! The enemy has declared war on us!"

"What?" Blaze and I demanded at the same time. Naturally, no one answered us. Typical.

Reluctantly, we headed back. Leaving Bartlett behind left a bitter taste in my mouth, but orders were orders, and while our captain could get away with disobeying, we definitely couldn't.

When we arrived back at base, we were quickly ushered to the briefing room and debriefed on the mission. "The reconnaissance UAV and the unidentified fighter aircraft that bounced us during the mission have been shot down. The country of origin of the ship is still unknown but has ceased operations in our maritime defense zone and has departed the area. Once we sanitize our coastal waters, we will conduct a search and rescue mission for Captain Bartlett, who was shot down. Furthermore, the Union of Yuktobanian Republics has officially declared war on the Osean Federation."

Hardly ten minutes later, our planes were refueled and restocked, and we were sent back up. We constantly asked for updates on Bartlett, but no one would give us an answer. The only time we did receive one was when Perrault told us to shut up and focus on the mission at hand. I turned off my mic for a bit after that so I could cuss out the Base Commander without him hearing me. 

This was going to be a long day. 

_______________________________________

Once I landed from the second flight, I went straight to my room and collapsed onto my bed. I stared at the empty top bunk. There weren't many personnel on base, even fewer than normal after the attack a few days ago, so we all had our own room. I was glad I didn't have a roommate. There were times when I just needed to be alone and away from my fellow soldiers. Being on an island in the middle of the Ceres Ocean, it wasn't like I could waltz away off base and chill somewhere else, so my room sufficed instead.

Everything that'd happened earlier today raced through my mind. We still hadn't received word about Bartlett. Would they find him? Would he be okay? God, I hoped so. I didn't want another captain taking over for him, and the suspense was killing me. Who would take over for him until then? It would probably be me since I had the most experience out of all of us, but I didn't want the responsibility. Not yet. If I had any input in the decision, I'd vote for Blaze. She had the best record on base, and Bartlett had put his faith in her to have her at his six. For him, I learned that was a position of honor. I'd been there a few times, but I was more than happy to pass the mantle onto Blaze. She deserved it. However, knowing the Base Commander, he'd probably call someone from the mainland, one with experience in the field.

Unable to fall asleep despite being utterly exhausted, I left my room and headed to the crew's lounge. I made myself some coffee. Caffeine would have the opposite effect of what I wanted to do, which was sleep, but I didn't care. I plopped down on the couch and switched on the TV. The military channel was still on- it was the only one watched since the other two consisted of an elderly lady selling weird talismans, and the other channel was strictly infomercials. You'd think we'd be able to get more and/or better channels out here, but no. At least the current show was on the Belkan War. I immediately became deeply invested in it. I'd only been eleven when the Belkans dropped the nukes, but I remember the news about it like it was yesterday. For a couple of years, I was terrified they'd drop one on us. That terror then developed into anger, and that's when I vowed to join the military. I wanted to stop anyone from ever doing such a horrific crime against humanity again. 

The documentary showed pictures of the Demon Lord taken by people he had shot down. If there was one thing we knew for sure about the Demon Lord, it was that he was male. No one knew where he went after the war except possibly only the highest military personnel, and I figured the Presidents of Ustio and Osea from the time of the Belkan War. Perhaps he had gone and visited with his family. Or maybe he was traveling the world. Or he might be having some well-deserved relaxation and vacation time.

"Hey, Chopper," Blaze's voice came from behind me. I turned around to find her shuffling over, arms crossed tightly across her chest. She blinked and smiled sleepily.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm so tired, but I can't fall asleep. I just came to make some tea and raid the cookie jar if Perrault hasn't eaten them already." Blaze made her way over to the kettle and started making herself some tea. I got up and leaned against the counter, studying her for a moment.

"Any word on Bartlett?" The question was desperate. Had she heard anything, she would've told me and Nagase immediately, but I had to try.

"No... I hope they find him," she said quietly, staring in consternation at the rising steam. "I know people going out on missions and not coming back in the military is normal. Hell, we've had it happen more than once already. Still, once you get used to Bartlett, you don't want anyone else for your Captain." Blaze looked at me questioningly. I knew exactly what she meant. "I guess if I have to find a silver lining with all this, it's that it's Bartlett. The only way he'll be captured is if he lets himself be captured."

"I know exactly what you mean, on both accounts." I let out a soft laugh but sobered up quickly "Is that why you can't sleep?"

"Yeah. Same with you, I'm guessing?"

"You know me too well."

Blaze finished making her tea, and we went back to the couch. We sat on opposite ends, stretching our legs out, briefly fighting for space. I won, so she rested her legs on top of mine. We turned our attention to the TV, avidly watching the show. I couldn't tear my eyes away despite having watched every show, listened to every podcast, and read every book pertaining to the Demon Lord. The only ones I'd met so far who could best me with knowledge about him were Blaze and Genette.

"So, why are you so interested in the Demon Lord?" I asked, deciding the lack of conversation had become too much for me. Blaze took a deep sigh as if contemplating whether she should say something or not. It prompted me to say, "You don't have to tell me."

"No, it's not that... it's just what I know about them, I'm not supposed to. It's top secret. As in only a handful of people know about this. I could probably list who on one hand," Blaze said seriously. Instantly, my curiosity piqued. I knew almost everything about Blaze and Genette. How had I not figured out they knew the Demon Lord? Unless they were just that good at keeping a secret, but what a hell of a secret!

"I promise on my life not to tell anyone," I assured her. Blaze looked around the room, checking for eavesdroppers.

Finally, she took a deep breath and whispered, "The Demon Lord, I know who they are. I've met them."

I should've known better than to take a sip of my drink as she delivered the ground-breaking news because I nearly spewed it out everywhere. Thankfully, I caught myself before that happened.

"What?" I exclaimed in a hushed voice. "You know them?"

"Not only do I know them, but I'm related to them."

I whistled, impressed. "That explains why you can fly so well. So can I ask how you're related to them?"

"I'd rather not say, but you know a lot about my family. I'm sure you could narrow it down."

"That's hard to do since basically everyone in your family has served in the armed forces. I guess my first guess would be Jason since you're so close to him, and I know he used to be a pilot in the Belkan war. He's so young though to be such a legendary pilot. I'll work on this. When did you find out about them?"

"I remember going over to their house one day to visit, and they told Genette and me that they were the Demon Lord. It wasn't until a few years later that they told us everything... They made us swear not to tell anyone, not even our parents. They trusted us. I don't know why." Blaze finished the sentence with the thought that I guessed had been on her mind for a long time.

"Are they still..." I trailed off, not wanting to ask such a question in case it came off as rude or insensitive.

Blaze understood my train of thought, though. "Alive?" She finished. "Yes, they're still alive. They live far away from Belka. Genette and I stay in touch with them as much as possible."

"I don't blame them. You know, Blaze, you do remind me of the Demon Lord. I bet they told you and Genette because they knew one of you would go into the military."

Blaze furrowed her brow. "How do I remind you of them?"

"Your flying style is very similar to theirs," I said.

She shook her head. "I'll never fly as well as the Demon Lord."

"No, you won't."

"Excuse me?" Blaze looked taken aback, almost angry.

"You're going to be better," I said hastily, hoping the delivery of my compliment wouldn't backfire. "Mark my words. You'll be an ace one day too."

"Thanks, Chopper," Blaze said, smiling. "I don't know about being an ace, but I'll certainly take the compliment."

"If you saw the way you fly in battle, you'd say the same thing. You're scary up there."

She cocked an eyebrow at me. "How exactly am I scary?" 

Blaze seemed perplexed and even slightly amused, but I was dead serious and had my answer ready. "You can adapt to a change in battle in an instant. You can shoot down enemy planes from positions that shouldn't be possible. You're an amazing pilot Blaze. I hope you know that."

Blaze processed what I said for a moment. "I'm good, but so are you and Nagase. I'm nothing special."

"Look, I love boasting about being a badass fighter pilot because I am, and I'll be the first to admit that I'd hate to go up against Nagase because she can actually beat me in a hop. But we're not like you. It's like- it's like there's a switch in your head that automatically changes when the battle does. It's scary but in a good way. Put it this way, I'm glad you're on my side, and I'm sure the Demon Lord would be proud of you if he saw the way you flew."

"I still don't see it-" Blaze yawned and stretched her legs- "but I know better than to argue with you."

"I think that's the only time I've ever heard you say that. On a different note, are you tired now?"

"Yeah, I'm getting there. Might try and get some sleep before we're launched back into the air."

"I'll walk you to your room," I offered, standing up. I extended my hand to help her, and she took it. We walked in a comfortable silence to her room, our arms brushing up against one another the whole way there and making my nerves go haywire.

Reaching her room, Blaze thanked me for escorting her and opened her door, but she hesitated to go in. Blaze met my gaze, and I saw an emotion I couldn't quite place flash in her eyes. Quietly, she said, "Chopper, I don't know why, and I really hope I'm wrong, but I have a feeling we're not going to see Bartlett for a long time. We should've heard something by now."

"I was thinking the same thing," I confessed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Let's hope we're both wrong." 

Sharing sad smiles, we bade each other goodbye. I headed back to my room and once more collapsed onto my bed, thinking about what Blaze had said. She voiced the truth I refused to accept. I don't know how I knew, and I don't know how she did either, but instinct told me we wouldn't see Captain Bartlett for a long time.