AlphaMikeFoxtrot

by KnighteWolfe

A one-shot crossing over Area 88 with a series to be named later. Readers can attempt to guess what series I'm crossing Area 88 with. I hope the fans do enjoy this story.

A new Area 88 Crossover production from Knightewolfe Literary Creations !!

Yep yep y''all!, The good ole KW has done it again! Another Area 88 crossover story. This time with a catch: I ain't telling' youse mugs what I'm crossing Area 88 over with.

Ya gots ta figure it out by the end of the story!

And now without further ado, K.L.C. brings you:

Alpha…..Mike….Foxtrot.

The First Area 88/???? crossover.

The sun was starting to rise as a figure opened the sliding glass doors and stepped out onto the patio of the house he and his wife shared with their two children. Reaching into the pocket of the sweatpants he'd slept in, the figure extracted a pack of cigarettes and his lighter.

Thirty-eight year old Saki Vashtarl lit his cigarette with his old A88 Zippo and sat down at the patio table and took his first drag of the morning. Exhaling the smoke, the former Asranian prince, Asranian Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, and commanding officer of the Asranian Foreign Legion Air Base Area 88, thought about how after the downfall of the loyalist faction in his native country he and the five who survived to see this day.

Knocking the ash off of his cigarette, Saki heard the clacking of his wife's high heeled uniform shoes as she got their two children ready for another day at school. Smiling to himself, Saki remembered the secret ceremony where he and his cousin, the former Baroness Kitori Palvanev were married by his uncle the deposed and exiled King Zak four years after they first went on the run. Dodging the numerous assassins and bounty hunters dispatched by the new government of Asran to either kill the former loyalist prince and his associates or capture them and return them to Asran for a military tribunal that would've ended in executions for their part in the fighting against the rebel forces led by his father.

Saki took another drag on his cigarette as he remembered the final air battle where his remaining forces fought astronomical odds. Saki had led the ragtag remnants of his mercenaries into a dogfight where death was assured. Flying his Kfir like a man possessed. Saki went mano a mano with over fifty enemy fighters. Beside him in this last charge were people he considered closer than family. Mickey Simon and his brutish Tomcat; the friendly Dane, Greg Gates and his battle-scarred Warthog; his beautiful and deadly cousin Kitori 'The Dark Baroness of the Skies' Palvanev and her Mirage F-1, and the teenager Kim Aba and his AV-8B Harrier. There were many others but those five were his core, his vanguard, and his elite: The best of Area 88.

Of course, with odds so large, it had almost been a massacre. Through their numerous passes through the cloud of enemies, the men and women who he considered the best pilots in the world had continuously shot down fighter after fighter, slowly reducing the odds. There had been many deaths and Saki wiped the tears starting to form in his eyes away as he remembered.

Nguyen, the Tiger of South Vietnam, out of ammo and punching out only to be murdered in his ejection seat as his beloved tiger-striped F-105 Thunderchief exploded beneath him. The pilot with the prosthetic arm whose name Saki could never remember getting his hook tangled up in his controls only to die as his aircraft collected several rounds from a Russian made 23mm cannon. The others who had no chance as they flew through the enemy missile barrage only to get caught as they reversed to take on the enemy.

Saki cried silently as he remembered other pilots who'd died before their time. Bucky, the cocky Phantom driver, killed on a milk run with Rocky the photographer in his backseat. Smiling' Charlie, with his 'Prince Valiant' haircut returning to the stench of gun smoke, death, and blood after completing his contract twice before. Dying in the cockpit of his Fighting Falcon as he chased another Area 88 ace he was hired to kill. Boris, the Crusader 'God of Death' who didn't allow many to get close to him during his tenure there. Hit by anti-aircraft fire as he flew a mission, dropping his load on target only to die as he told his wingman to split the money. A smoking hole in the desert.

Yeah, Saki remembered those times. He remembered that near the end of that last battle when he was out of ammo and trying to push his fatally wounded aircraft towards the ocean so when his Kfir finally gave up the ghost, he could light his last smoke and ride it in. There was no way in hell he was going to allow himself to be captured by his father's forces and kept alive for a show trial and a quick execution.

Stubbing out his cigarette, Saki thought again to the one pilot who'd given him and the others a fighting chance. Screaming in at over Mach 2 (Saki didn't know how the hell Shin Kazama could get his Tigershark that fast), the dreaded 'Flaming Unicorn' of Zero-Zero Section launching missiles and spitting cannon fire had savaged the remaining enemy to the point where they had started to turn tail and run. Saki remembered yelling at the pilot for returning to a place he'd tried so hard to leave. The smartass had ignored his orders and gave him and the rest of the five the heading to a safe bailout point. Saki had grudgingly complied and followed the others with Kazama covering them like a pit bull.

First to eject had been Kim Aba. His Harrier had been so damaged that for the last mile or so, the engine had been cutting in and out. When it cut out for the last time, the teenager had waggled his wings and yanked the yellow and black striped handle. Next to step out at twenty-thousand feet had been the tough old A-10 driver, Greg Gates. Gates was followed by Kitori as her F-1 caught fire and spit her out. It had been a heartbreakingly long time before Saki had seen her chute billowing out behind her. After Kitori had ejected, the big bad Tomcat driver Mickey Simon had pulled up on Saki's wing and gave him a cocky salute before gaining separation and riding the rocket chair to safety. When he was sure that Mickey was safely out and drifting towards the gentle waves, Saki had sighed and cleaned up his 'office' before looking at his remaining wingman and giving him a pointed look that promised they would speak about his actions later. Tucking his head back into the headrest, Saki had pulled the lanyard that jettisoned his canopy before reaching over his head for the primary ejection handle and giving it a hefty yank. All it took was seconds. One second, the Prince of Asran had been in a dying aircraft and resigned to his fate, the next he was floating down to the surface of the gulf on gentle air currents.

As the last person to punch out, Saki watched in a rage as the now regrouped enemy came charging in to finish him off only to die as the twin M39 Cannons in the nose of the Tigershark sliced them to pieces. In one of the luckiest shots of the war, a rebel pilot in a damaged Fishbed had taken out the vaunted Shin Kazama with a burst to the area behind Shin's cockpit. Saki had yelled as the Tigershark broke in half and blew up. Hanging his head as he drifted towards the ocean, Saki raged at the heavens for allowing such an experienced pilot to be killed by a lucky shot. He raged for a full five minutes before he heard a noise above him. Swinging his parachute around to spot the anomaly, Saki rejoiced as he spotted the descending form of Shin Kazama and thought that the Japanese man must've punched out in the microseconds before his plane split.

"He was the luckiest pilot there that day.", mused Saki as he rose from his seat and headed inside to take a shower and don his new uniform.

Half an hour later, Saki closed and locked the front door to the small three bedroom base house and started down the street to the bus stop. He had a meeting with the six foot six wing commander about receiving some more pilots to fill out his new squadron. Boarding the bus to the base, Saki settled in to his chosen seat and placed his briefcase on his lap and looked out the window. As the bus passed the flightline and Saki could see the fighters sitting there, he smiled. After all that he had gone through, he was thankful that he would soon be able to strap into a fighter again and continue doing what he loved.

While her husband was enjoying his bus ride to work, thirty-six year old Kitori Palvanoff-Vashtarl, settled down to enjoy her breakfast in the galley after dropping off her son and daughter at school. Taking a sip from her mug of coffee, Kitori thought back to their arrival in Paris after that dogfight. Her father, the exiled King Zak, had personally welcomed them home when the bedraggled six had staggered off the transport airplane that had brought them to France. The king had informed them that his older brother had placed substantial bounties on their heads after the governmental transition had put him on the Asranian Throne.

After an initial debrief and medical check-ups, Kitori and the others had decided to settle in Paris until the uproar had died down and they were able to make it to wherever they wanted. Shin had spent most of his time with his fiancée Ryouko Sugumo and soon moved back to Japan to live. Mickey chose to move back to America and invited Greg to come with. Greg had agreed since he was still a wanted man in his homeland. Kim Aba had chosen to immigrate to England and finish his schooling.

For her part, Kitori had told her father that her place was by the deposed prince's side wherever he moved to. At first the king had been adamantly against it but in the end he'd capitulated and allowed the two to marry and move to another country. They'd moved to Canada and had lived a happy life together as flight instructors and lecturers. It had taken the assassination of her father at the start of what would become a new world war to bring the six friends back together for his funeral. A funeral interrupted when several assassins had crashed the gathering in attempt to kill them all for actions during that civil war.

In the decade long war that followed, Kitori and her husband found themselves becoming aerial mercenaries again. Sometimes they flew with their old friends, sometimes they flew against them. The last year of that war, as they were flying with a third rate mercenary force, the six veterans met a young man who was a distant nephew of Roundell and had become his unofficial guardian angels when the old one-eyed former fighter pilot had found out about his nephews' occupation as a mercenary fighter pilot in this war.

Kitori took a bite of her eggs and gazed out the large window of the officer's mess and remembered the event that had brought about the end of that war. Returning to her food, the former baroness saw the green and yellow uniform of one of the bridge officers. The younger woman and Kitori had become fast friends after Kitori had moved here to undergo flight training for a new aircraft. Waving a hand in acknowledgement of the woman's grin, Kitori finished her meal and got up to put her dishes and tray away.

She had a meeting with some of her fellow female flight officers about assignments for the important ceremony taking place in three days.

Mickey Simon, former Yankee Station veteran and former Area 88 Mercenary jogged around the track at the base gym. With him was one of his Area 88 friends Greg Gates. The two rarely spoke as they worked out, preferring to save their reminiscing about earlier times for when they were off duty quaffing a few at one of the local bars catering to members of this new military force. Mickey exhaled as he completed another lap and slowed down to walk for a bit.

After what was his third war, Mickey was at a loss about what to do. All he knew was how to take a fighter into combat and survive. Fearing that his occupation was becoming obsolete, Mickey had jumped at the offer that Roundel's' nephew had given them one night in a dark hole-in-the-wall bar he and the others frequented. It had taken the others a little bit longer to accept the offer but in the end Mickey believed it was worth it. This time, he and the Asran Six were flying for peace.

Turning to the huffing and puffing man now pulling up beside him, Mickey chuckled. No matter what one said about Greg's experience as a fighter pilot, there was no way he was going to be mistaken for an athlete.

"Hey Greg, are we due on the flight line today?"

"No, I think Shin and Kim are there. The two of them were scheduled to see how our new squadron members would do in flight. With the launch ceremony two days away and our training complete, we have nothing to do but get the nuggets up to speed on their aircraft and flying as a part of our squadron.", replied Greg as he bent down to regain his breath.

"Yeah, I wish some of our old buddies were here. I believe they would enjoy this new aircraft and all it brings to the table.", mused Mickey as he grabbed his towel and wiped some of the sweat from his brow.

Greg just nodded and guzzled some of that life-giving water.

The two old friends headed towards the locker room to take a shower and change into their uniforms. They had to report to the commander and finish up some squadron paperwork before the end of their day.

Shin Kazama climbed down from the cockpit of his fighter and took off his helmet. For the umpteenth time since he'd begun training for this new fighter, he looked at the amalgam of sensors and stuff built in to the lining. It amazed him that aviation technology had advanced to this point. He was still uptight about being wired up like he was but if it helped him control his aircraft, he'd deal with it. Hearing his name called, Shin turned around and grinned at the young man now approaching.

"Hey Kim, how is it going? Everything alright? How did the new guys handle their fighters?"

"Hiyas Shin, those new guys are good and can handle their planes but they don't hold a candle to our friends from the desert. Though, I've been flying this fighter for several years now, I'm still getting used to it. It handles like a dream and some of the maneuvers I can pull off in this couldn't be duplicated in my old Harrier. ", answered the young man as he replaced his turban on his head.

"I know what you mean. This aircraft puts every fighter I've flown up till now to shame. She's fast as hell, can turn on a dime, and is heavily armed. I wish we could've had some of these back in our Area 88 days. The war woulda been over much quicker.", agreed Shin as he turned towards the hanger and started walking.

Kim nodded and fell into step right beside his old flight lead. As they passed the rest of their squadron's aircraft on the flightline, the former teenage Harrier driver couldn't hide his envy as they passed the aircraft assigned to Commander Vashtarl.

The twin vertical stabilizers that canted out at an angle reminiscent of the F/A-18 Hornet with the stylized A88 at the top, the Tomcat style variable geometry wings that enhanced the maneuverability and speed of these aircraft, the single cockpit with its advanced avionics, and the all-around beauty of the aircraft in general. It was an aircraft he lusted to fly in the future. The relaxed sigh he heard beside him told Kim that Shin was thinking the same thing.

For the rest of the walk, neither of them talked. They just basked in the beauty of the new airplanes.

As they entered the squadron locker room, Kim glanced at some of the other pilots gathered around in various stages of dress. Over to his right, he saw the two female pilots assigned as members of Kitori's fire team prepping to head out to get some extra training in. On the other side were a group of the newly assigned graduates from flight training that gazed in awe and trepidation at the manuals they'd have to study to keep proficient.

Stopping by his locker, Kim turned to his team leader and asked him a question.

"Oh, Ryouko will be arriving tomorrow. I'll meet her at the airport and drive her to meet the supply officer so she can get the contracts for her father's new company signed. Afterwards we're gonna spend the day together before showing up at that Chinese Restaurant Saki chose for our pre-launch ceremony get together. The day of the launch ceremony, I'm on escort duty for the top brass with Greg and Mickey. What about you?"

"I gotta go up to the bridge and get confirmation from the first officer about the demonstration area for the Angelbirds. I think Kitori will be at the recruiting table with Commander Chase and 3rd Lieutenant Randall, trying to sign as many women up for the force as possible. I think the skipper will be on the flight line giving aircraft tours to civilians."

"I see. Well, I hope the squadron nuggets can keep out of trouble while all of us cadre members are busy. I

think the wing commander convinced his number two to keep the new guys occupied. Oh well, we'll see."

It was approaching eight o'clock in the evening the night before launch day when Saki and Kitori Vashtarl entered the Chinese restaurant that had become the unofficial hangout for a majority of the military personnel on the island. The couple nodded at the tall and elegantly dressed lady directing guests to one of the tables scattered around the restaurant. Saki squeezed Kitori's hand as he indicated the reserved table where the other five members of their party sat chatting. In the specially dimmed lighting, the couple could make out the glinting highlights in the pink hair of Ryouko Sugumo as she laughed at something Mickey was saying about her fiancée.

"Let's go Kitori, it looks like they're waiting for us before ordering.", murmured Saki into Kitori's ear as he gently led her towards the table.

"Okay, dear. I hope that Mickey and Greg aren't saying too many bad things about Shin during his time at Area 88. You know how they get sometimes.", replied Kitori as she smoothed the child-induced wrinkles out of her uniform skirt.

Saki chuckled as he wrapped his arm around his wife and approached the table. Letting go, the former prince pulled Kitori's chair out for her and waited for her to take a seat before pressing a kiss to the back of her neck and gently pushing her chair in before taking the empty seat next to her.

The couple acknowledged the greetings from their friends and joined the conversation as the young waitress showed up and delivered their menus. After ordering their drinks, the Vashtarls perused the menu and asked their friends what they recommended before making a decision and giving the teenage girl their orders. Within minutes after the waitress had floated away with a smile on her face, she was back with their drink orders and placed their glasses in front of the couple.

An hour later, the conversation around the table had settled down after the food had arrived. Saki took a bite of his pepper steak and sat back to listen as Kitori and Ryouko chatted about things they liked. They'd already set a day aside after the launch to go shopping for more necessities for the house she and Shin would be moving into. Earlier during the meal, Kim had complimented Ryouko's dress much to her delight. The older woman had kissed the young man on the cheek while thanking him for his observations.

"Hey boss, I thought you were gonna try and get reservations at that other restaurant on the other side of town.", asked Mickey.

"I thought about it but ultimately decided that here would be better because this place has a better, more relaxed atmosphere.", replied Saki as he took another bite.

"Not to mention that the top brass and all the senior officers had made reservations there. I even heard that the captain had a reservation there.", added Shin as he leaned back in his seat and draped an arm on his fiancée's chair.

The group laughed as they remembered their meeting with the gruff captain of the new ship and his attitude about such things. The older man had lit his pipe and grumbled about meeting another politician. The ship's captain seemed to Saki like a pretty nice guy and he enjoyed sharing his experiences during the Asranian Civil War.

"Hey, I saw the wing commander strolling around town with his fiancée earlier tonight. She's pretty attractive although compared to him, she's short.", commented Greg as he replaced his glass on the table and dug into his meal with a gusto.

"Well, what do you expect; he's six foot six and she's five foot eleven. Has a punch like a mule too."

"Ohhh, and how did you find that out, Mickey?", asked Kitori with a glint in her eyes.

"It wasn't my fault. I just happened to be in the area when one of the deck crewmen made an unwelcome comment and didn't know she was standing there. The lieutenant decked him for saying what he said and she decked me for not cutting him off and changing the topic of the discussion when it came up. She apologized later though. I wasn't mad. She was right; I should've stopped the conversation. Oh yeah, would you believe I flew with her fiancée's old man during Vietnam. He was pushing Phantoms with the Jolly Rogers while I was doing the same with the Sundowners. His old man was one helluva pilot. He and his wingman saved my ass once. I was devastated to hear that he'd gotten nailed by a SAM near the end of this tour of duty."

Saki and the others nodded as they remembered other pilots who'd been killed the same way. There was a moment of silence as they thought back to what they'd seen in their lives.

A little while later, the gathering was winding down and it was getting close to the time he and Kitori had to pick up their children from the babysitter they'd hired for the evening when Saki took up a wineglass and proposed a toast.

"My friends, it's getting late and unlike the rest of you, my beloved wife and I have to retrieve our two little hellions from the babysitter so I'd like to propose a toast."

Every one nodded and hoisted their glasses. Saki gazed at those he considered closer than brothers and nodded appreciatively.

"To those we knew, loved, and lost during the darkest times in our lives at Area 88. And for those we lost afterwards. Alpha…Mike…Foxtrot.", Saki said quietly.

"Alpha…Mike…Foxtrot", returned everyone amidst the chiming of the crystal bulbs of wine.

As he watched his companions, Saki could feel the sadness permeating the table. He felt it when Kitori buried her face in to his neck where he could feel her tears after sipping from her glass. Mickey and Greg looked morose as they quickly drained their glasses. The youngest member of the group covered his face with a hand as his shoulders shook in sadness. Shin and Ryouko talked quietly among themselves as Ryouko used Shin's handkerchief to blot the tears from her beloved's face.

Finishing his glass, Saki placed it on the table and pushed his seat back before rising to his feet and coming over to pull Kitori's chair out for her. As his wife stood up, Saki retrieved his wallet and handed the waitress his credit card to pay for the meal. Once she returned with the receipt for him to sign, Saki took Kitori's hand and offered their goodnights to their friends. He knew that Mickey and Greg were probably going to head over to a bar to reminisce some more while Kim was headed for his quarters to get some sleep.

"Ryouko and I are probably going to go for a walk around the city before returning home and retiring for the night. She has another meeting in the morning and I have to be there for escort duty.", stated Shin as he rose from his seat as well.

Saki nodded and after wishing the other goodnight and reminding Greg and Mickey to not overdue it, he and Kitori headed out into the warm night.

It was the all important launch day and Saki Vashtarl sat in his bedroom gazing at his wife as she slept. Attired in his white flight suit with its dark orange center, the former prince was ready for his day to start. Sipping from his mug of hot coffee, Saki chuckled quietly as Kitori smelled the Asranian Dark Roast and slowly started to wake up so she could find out the source of the heavenly scent from their homeland. First, the former baroness turned exiled princess wriggled her nose in the cute way that drove him crazy. Next an eyelid raised and exposed the heavy with sleep violet eyes Saki often times found himself lost in during their few tender moments together. Then, her perfectly shaped lips offered up a sleepy smile as the swan-like neck he'd ravished with possessive kisses out on their back patio under the moonlight last night after they'd tucked their children in and rendezvoused for a scotch nightcap.

Saki had gasped as Kitori had exited the house wearing the new form-fitting flightsuit that hugged her many luscious curves while carrying the bottle and two glasses out to the table. With Kitori in his lap, Saki had sat back in his chair and watched the moon while sipping an aged to perfection single-malt scotch. During those tender moments, Saki had gently massaged Kitori's back and felt her tremble with a familiar anticipation. Once their drinks were finished, his wife had stood up and, with an elegance all her own, loosened the top of the suit and let the sleeves slide down to reveal her bountiful chest. Saki had grasped her extended hand and quietly followed her into the house.

Now as he sat and watched his beautiful wife stretch and sit up, Saki locked the memory of their wanton actions away for recall at another time.

"Baby, it's a quarter till six in the morning and you had to go and wake me up with the luscious scent of dark roast. After the music we made last night, I need all the rest I can get so I don't have rubbery legs while talking to future female enlistees at the recruiting table. Commander Chase and Lieutenant Randall will figure out what we did last night and will more than likely surmise how long we did it for before drifting off to sleep. My reputation would take a hit"., whined Kitori as the sheets slipped down from her chest to reveal her charms in all their morning glory.

"Sorry love but I couldn't resist sitting here and watching you sleep. I made the coffee as an afterthought. I know you will have a busy day today and just wanted to take a mental picture of you as you slept to get me through the day.", replied Saki as he readjusted his position in the chair to hide his growing reaction.

Kitori saw the problem her husband was having and glanced at the clock. Double checking to see how long they had together before he left, she pulled back the sheets and held her open arms out to him in a 'come hither' gesture. Seeing the regretful look in his eyes, Kitori just smiled.

"Come back to bed for a little while. I want to send you off with more than mental pictures of me just sleeping. We have enough time to make some more memories, besides I don't think the wing commander is going to begrudge you being a few minutes late because you were making passionate love to your wife in anticipation of our temporary separation. Besides with what Mickey said last night at dinner, I know that the lieutenant's going to be late to work her shift on the bridge today. I just hope the first officer doesn't take it the wrong way. Now come here my knight of the sky. We have time."

Not one to fault his wife's reasoning, Saki placed his still steaming mug on the nightstand and followed the new rudder orders he'd just been given. If he was the commander, then his wife was the admiral.

And good little commanders always follow their admiral's orders.

With the tradewinds blowing out of the East and keeping the warm temperatures tolerable, a uniformed Shin Kazama stood at attention as another beribboned and medaled flag officer started to climb the stairs of the speakers' dais. Casting a quick glance at his freshly shaved friend Greg Gates as he escorted a female lieutenant general to her seat in the last of the three rows of seats carefully positioned on the platform by a meticulously anal major who had a penchant for screeching his displeasure whenever one of his carefully written and stapled reports was completely ignored by any of the junior officers in his department.

Awaiting his next escort assignment, Shin looked around to see if he could see where Mickey had escaped to only to stifle a chuckle when he spotted the blonde American weathering a quiet verbal blast from the vice admiral he'd accidentally tripped a few minutes earlier. Though he was a good distance from the scene Shin could see that his friend was mentally unapologetic even though he was apologizing profusely for his misstep.

Sighing quietly, Shin let his mind drift off as he remembered how Ryouko looked a bit worried this morning as he left to come to work. Wearing one of his robes and wrapped up in the comforter from his couch, the former heir of Yamato Airlines nibbled on her lip as he walked out the door after giving her a warm smile. Shin knew that Ryouko had several meetings with some of the top brass from the transport department and would probably miss joining him for a late lunch after this boring ceremony he had to suffer through.

"Hey. Hey! Hey you, First Lieutenant Kazama!! Wake the hell up flyboy! You got to escort Field Marshal Green to his seat. Dammit, Kazama are you even awake here?", came the irate voice of a staff officer dragooned into playing traffic cop for the escort officers.

"Yes sir, I wasn't sleep sir.", answered Shin with a slightly embarrassed tinge to his cheeks.

"Sure looked like it to me, genius. Now cage your eyeballs and go apologize to the field marshal for not being there when he arrived on the platform. Once that is done, get the field marshal to his seat then you're released for the day.", griped the staff officer as Shin saluted and strode over to the field marshal in question with a precise thirty inch parade ground step.

After saluting the senior officer and apologizing to the marshal-who must've realized what his young escort had been thinking about since he gave Shin a sly smile and waved off his apology with a quick movement of his hand before returning to his conversation with one of his hangers-on. Shin mentally sighed and proceeded to carry out his duties before returning to the staff officer and being told that his duties were done for the day. Saluting the lieutenant commander after his dismissal, Shin fell in behind an orderly gaggle of his fellow junior officers and made his way towards the steps they were ordered to use when debarking the platform.

On his way down, Shin caught up with Greg and Mickey as they climbed down. Hanging back since at the moment he was considered a 'Marginally Effective Junior Officer' to the group of lieutenant commanders and full commanders walking with the burly Dane and his slender American friend.

"I wonder what those jackholes would think of Mickey, Greg, and I if they knew right now that between the three of us we have more combat experience on one hand than anyone else in the force. Not even the Wing commander himself can top our war experience. A hundred and eight kills, in ten years of fighting, pah! I had more than twice that in my first three months at Area 88!!", griped Shin as he continued on his way down the stairs.

Looking at his friends, Shin could see in their eyes that both Greg and Mickey knew exactly what he was thinking and were thinking along similar lines. At the bottom of the steps, the other officers went to the left while Mickey guided the three of them to the right.

"Come on guys, let's go grab a refreshing cool beverage before we head to our squadron area.", Shin heard Mickey say as they passed another group of mid-grade officers like themselves.

"Yes sir, commander.", Shin replied as Greg nodded his own acknowledgment.

After a short walk, Shin entered the mobile officers' mess behind Mickey and Greg and followed them as they made a beeline for the soda fountain. Within a few minutes, the three had their Cokes and were situating themselves at one of the tables in front of the window. By mutual agreement, the three took deep draughts of their drinks before starting any conversation.

Commander Kitori Palvanev-Vashtarl sighed in relief as her stint in the recruiting booth was finished. It was hot, those damned uniform heels hurt her feet, and her fellow recruiters, Lieutenant Commander Chase and 3rd Lieutenant Randal has immediately known what Kitori had done before coming to work. The two younger women hadn't been able to keep the smug looks off of their faces when Kitori had entered the booth with her husband right behind her.

"Geez don't those two have sex lives of their own? The entire first third of my shift was filled with the subtle double entendres from the peanut gallery. And to top it all off, I just had to be the one in the flight suit. For that first shift, I believe more men than women showed up to enlist.", griped Kitori as she waited by the booth for the next shuttle to the airfield.

Reaching down and slipping first her right foot then her left out of the damnable heels for a quick massage, Kitori gave a shudder of delight as her mind once again flashed back to this morning before work. She hoped that Saki didn't get in too much trouble with the wing commander for being twenty minutes late for his assigned duties giving tours to civilians and senior officials.

The shuttle arrived and, due to her rank and seniority, Kitori was the last officer to board and immediately sat down in the seat reserved for the senior officer aboard.

Kitori couldn't wait to make it to the hanger. She might be able to catch a moment or two of alone time with her husband.

Kim Aba was frustrated. Here he was a First Lieutenant in the force and with more combat experience than the wing commander and yet he'd had to deal with a seriously aggravated First Officer, a smirking Bridge officer, and three giggling bridge junior officers. Kim had already had to dodge a wayward hand from the cute glasses wearing bridge combat information officer sitting in front of the large screen to the right of the second officer's console.

"All I had gone up there to do was confirm the demonstration area for the Angelbirds and to make sure the First Officer diverted all air traffic from the closed airspace and to the correct landing pattern and I get caught up in a slight argument between the first officer and second officer. That was just great!", fumed the junior first lieutenant as he tore into his meal.

First Lieutenant Kim Aba had finished his main duties and had been seconded to other duties until his shift was over and he could report back to his squadron. At the present time, Kim and a few other junior officers had met up and had chosen to stay out of the way of the senior officers by deciding to go grab a bite to eat and to see how long they could stay under the radar of the imperious staff officers and their ubiquitous frowns and tendency to stack extra duty on top of extra duty on the junior officers.

"At least the line officers aren't bothering us with make work duties just to keep us busy, right Aba?.", commented one second lieutenant assigned to the gunnery teams and to the ground forces contingent.

"Yeah, you could say that. If the line officers were being that way, we wouldn't have been able to get away to grab lunch.", replied Kim as he finished the last of his meal.

Kim hung around for a few more minutes to finish his cup of iced tea before his internal 'staff officer' radar went off and keyed him to the fact that there was a staff officer nearby looking for a junior officer to load up with some extra work. Rising to his feet and heading in the opposite direction of the approaching staff officer so he could turn in his tray and dishes to the kitchen crew, Kim gave a casual wave to the gathered group of his fellow junior officers who were just now realizing why he was making himself scarce.

By the time Kim reached the exit door and looked back at the table, all of the other JO's had caught on to the approaching danger and disappeared in that way that junior officers had when they didn't want to be assigned to other duties. Chuckling to himself, Kim left the galley and made his way towards one of the lifts. He'd faithfully and officially discharged the duties assigned to him. Now he was reporting to his squadron so he could be ready when his team leader finished up his duties.

Commander Saki Vashtarl finished his conversation and hung up the phone. He'd been catching up with Roundell's nephew who was presently stationed aboard the aircraft carrier sitting at anchor in the harbor. The young man had come ashore last night with some of his squadronmates for one last night of revelry and fun before everything became serious once again.

Saki had told the young third lieutenant about the gaudy little red stunt plane that had basically crashed the performance of the Angelbirds. However, Saki did give the unknown pilot credit. He sure as hell knew how to fly.

After the incident, Saki had wanted to catch up with the wing commander but had decided to pass on it when he saw the familiar purple and mauve flight suit dash by as the wing commander ran after the stunt pilot. From the grumbling Saki heard from the thirty year old lieutenant commander, Saki figured out that the wing commander knew the civilian pilot and had arranged an invitation for him to visit and see the launch ceremony.

Taking a swig from his bottle of water, Saki watched the rest of the crowd pass by. He'd been giving tours and talking so much for the past several hours that his throat was starting to get scratchy. Saki had called over one of the other squadron commanders who flew the same variation of plane he did and had him continue the public relations work.

Now looking disinterestedly out at the dwindling crowd, Saki saw that things were going alright. A little while ago, the fighter pilot had passed by the viewing platform and noticed a junior officer whispering in the captains' ear while one of the boring politicians was speaking. It had come as a surprise when the captain had risen from his seat and had followed the junior officer from the speakers stand. Curious at the interplay, Saki planned to find a couple of junior officers who could tell him what had happened but decided not to since it was nearing time for him to finish up his present duty.

A little while later, Saki entered the hanger where his new squadron had been assigned until they transferred to the ship. Waving off the call to attention by an alert junior officer, Saki headed for his office to finish up some inconsequential paperwork and relax for a minute before the squadron meeting he'd scheduled. Taking a seat in his desk chair, Saki propped his boots up on a drawer he'd opened and looked out the window. Listening to his pilots as they chatted and got to know each other, the thirty-eight year old commander heard the voices of his wife and friends as they moved through the crowd of newly assigned pilots introducing themselves and talking.

When it was time for the meeting, Saki exited his office and headed for the rostrum where he was going to give the usual canned welcome speech and start the process of squadron bonding. Just as he started to speak, Saki heard an unusual noise coming from the direction of the ship. Frowning at the interruption, Saki waited for the noise to die down before finishing his speech. He was soon interrupted again as the sound of running feet could be heard thundering down the hallway outside.

"Lieutenant Aba step outside and find out what in the hell is going on. Tell whomever you see that if they don't want to see me angry they better cut that shit out.", snapped Saki as he glared at the doorway.

"Aye Aye sir. I'll get right on it.", replied the teenager as he pushed himself off of the wall and headed in the direction of the noise.

Saki observed as the young man stepped towards the door. He had his hand on the knob when all of a sudden the door burst open and an excited looking lieutenant (jg) came to a sliding stop on the linoleum of the squadron area.

"Commander Vashtarl, I'm sorry for rushing in here like this but the battle fortresses main gun has activated and blew a gawdawfully big hole in the hills just beyond the ship's bow. Radar reports that the beam lanced out across the ocean before arcing up into the sky! We're getting reports that it took out two large unidentified objects out in space. The bridge crew is scrambling for answers and the skipper has ordered all flight crew to go to first stage alert!", panted the young officer.

To underscore the lieutenant's words, the air raid alert started to sing its mournful song calling all personnel to battle stations. Widening his eyes, Saki started to speak when the P.A. system came on and the First officer's voice could be heard telling all pilots to man their planes to repel an attack.

"Shit! This better not be another damn drill!", Saki heard Mickey snap.

"BELAY THAT LIEUTENANT COMMANDER SIMON!!', roared Kitori from her place next to her husband.

Saki glanced around at his pilots and saw their faces. In the back of his mind, he thought back to Area 88 and wondered if he was ever going to see peace in his lifetime. Gazing at the gathered pilots, young and old, rookie and veteran, Saki thought that if this was a real attack, how many of his pilots were going to return from the imminent combat. These people looked up to him to provide guidance and leadership. Steeling himself in preparation to issue the next words out of his mouth, words he knew by heart, Saki gave the order.

"All right people, you heard the lieutenant and you hear the orders coming from the bridge. Grab your gear and man your planes. All pilots, Scramble, scramble!"

Saki sighed to himself and watched as the pilots jumped up from their seats and ran out towards the flight line. Those who hadn't put on their flightsuits stampeded into the locker room (thankfully there were only a few of those) to get properly attired. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Saki turned and saw that his wife had a worried look on her face and he knew what she was thinking about.

"I know love. You're worried about the kids. Go ahead and call their school to see if they're alright and tell them to follow the instructions given by their teachers. Tell them that if they have to go to a shelter, to call you and let you know which one they're in. I'll take the members of your fire team and get them airborne so don't worry."

"Okay dear. I'll let you know when I get topside. Be careful up there and come back to us. Alpha, Mike, Foxtrot, highness."

"Alpha, Mike, Foxtrot, my love."

Saki watched as Kitori headed off for her office to make her phone call. Hoping that their children alright, Saki turned to his remaining friends and became the column of steel they remembered from Area 88.

"Alright you chuckleheads, let's get out there and keep the nuggets from getting killed. Mickey, Greg, Shin, Kim; you four man your planes and get everyone organized. Tell the other members of Fire Team One that I'll be leading them and get everyone moving towards the runway. I don't want anyone to be caught here on the ground. Get moving!", ordered the former Prince of Asran.

"Yes Sir!!", chorused the quartet before they headed out of the room at a steady pace.

Turning back to where his wife had disappeared in to her office, Saki offered up a prayer to whatever deities were watching and headed for his wife. Entering the office and spotting Kitori on the phone, Saki made his way in her direction. Gazing at those violet eyes that rambled through his dreams at night, Saki leaned down and gave her a kiss that expressed everything he couldn't say. Then with a wink and his usual smile, Saki ran out of the room and headed for the fighter he'd nicknamed the 'Thief of Asran'.

The flightline was in chaos as Saki made his way to his fighter. In the distance he could see the smoke and flames from where the laser bolts of the unidentified enemy had landed. Scrambling up the boarding ladder, he nimbly swung himself over the edge of the cockpit and settled into the Martin-Baker Zero-Zero ejection seat. Taking a second to let his ground crew help him strap in, Saki started flipping switches and bringing his steed to life.

Once the engines were humming at idle power and he was completely secured in his cockpit, Saki lifted his head up and watched as his crew chief slid down the ladder and unhooked it from his aircraft. Seeing that everyone was clear from his cockpit, Saki flipped the switch that closed his canopy. Once it was down and locked, Saki looked ahead and saw the ground crew signaling him to move his jet. Giving a thumbs up, Saki activated his communications screen (something that was new to him. He chalked it up to the advances in technology that was his fighter). Contacting the bridge, Saki gave his squadron callsign and requested orders.

"Gunsite One this is Monarch Leader. Requesting permission to taxi for immediate take-off from the active runway.", stated Saki as he lifted his feet off of the brakes and felt his fighter start to move.

"Monarch Leader, permission granted. Taxi your squadron to runway 17 for immediate take-off. Once airborne join up with Viper Squadron in Area Delta Eight.", came the frazzled voice of the first officer.

"Copy that Gunsite One. Taxi to Runway 17 for immediate take-off and join up with Viper Squadron in area Delta 8. Monarch Leader out. Monarch Leader to Monarch Squadron, you heard the lady. Let's do this right and I want to see everyone return. Alpha…Mike…Foxtrot", replied Saki as he engaged the nose-wheel steering system and headed for their assigned runway.

"Monarch Leader; Monarch Three copies instructions. Alpha….Mike….Foxtrot…. boss!" – Lieutenant Commander Mickey Simon.

"Monarch Four copies; Alpha….Mike….Foxtrot….commander!" -- 1st Lieutenant Shin Kazama.

"Monarch Five copies; Alpha….Mike….Foxtrot…!" -- Lieutenant Commander Greg Gates.

Monarch Six copies instructions; Alpha…Mike….Foxtrot… sir." -- 1st Lieutenant Kim Aba.

Saki smiled, his friends were there for him. Turning his fighter on to the assigned runway, Saki looked out his cockpit and saw the other planes of his squadron. A feeling of pride ran through him. Pushing his throttles to the max; 'The Thief of Asran', thundered down the runway on two rivers of fire. He was followed by the thirteen fighters of his squadron.

As his fighter clawed for altitude to meet the unknown enemy attacking his new home, a voice came over the communications system. Activating his screen, Saki's heart soared to heights unparalleled as the visage of his wife and eternal wingman came on screen.

"Monarch Two to Monarch Leader. The children are fine. They've gone to the shelters with their teachers and schoolmates. I'll be joining up with Monarch Squadron shortly. Alpha….Mike….Foxtrot….. my love.". -- Commander Kitori Palvanev-Vashtarl.

"Alpha….Mike….Foxtrot… my darling. Monarch Squadron, LET'S TAKE IT TO EM'!!! ALL FIGHTERS ATTACK!!!!".

And with that order, the veterans of Area 88 flew into battle once again.

And thus I bring to a close the first part of my new Area 88 crossover story. Be on the look out for the second part thought once the first chapter is finished it will not be posted in the Area 88 section. The plot of this story came around a 'what-if' conversation I had with F-14 Tomcat Lover about crossing Area 88 over with another of our favorite series.

I know that I've probably agitated readers by keeping them in the dark about the other series I crossed Area 88 over with for this story. I want to apologize for that. Nonetheless, I'm keeping the series I crossed Area 88 over with close to the vest. If you know me and know the stories I like, you'll probably figure out the other series-no telling the other readers about what I crossed this over with Tomcat Lover. I want the fans to figure it out on their own. If you think you have figured it out, PM me with your answer and I will either confirm or deny the answer to their questions.

I do hope you enjoyed this story and I want to thank F-14 Tomcat Lover as well as Jeebers from the other site I frequent in helping me clean this up. Of course Tomcat Lover and I are going to disagree on several points but hey, what is fandom for anyway.

In the coming future if nobody guesses the correct series, I'll reveal the name of the second part of this crossover (and by proxy the name of the series I crossed Area 88 over with).

I hope y'all come back now ya hear!!!

Knightewolfe

Knightewolfe's Lair

7/09