Crash and Burn
By Darath
Crash and Burn
Summary: They were thrust straight into the war upon graduating from the Flight Academy. Thrust straight into an intense conflict between Sky Pirates and Aeropans. They've already killed hundreds... women and men, grandparents and children... they spare no-one, to spare a person would be to sign your own death wish in war such as this. In war, people die. In conflict, people die. This isn't war. This is slaughter.
Crash and Burn
"For Aeropa!"
"Fighter A-010, target sighted!"
"Northstar A-061 here, target annhilated."
"Yeehaw! Come on partner, let's tag-team these filthy rats!"
Tavian sighed and fiddled with the control dial on the side of his headset, cutting off the comments from his fellow pilots and tuning his settings in with his own partners. They had long ago forgone proper formation, because, as Instructor Kincaid had said, this wasn't training, this was war. The pilots had been thrown into the Air Battles seven months ago, only days after graduating from the Academy. Already they had lost over twenty pilots, several had been friends, and all had been comrades.
"Raz, you read me?" Tavian spoke into his headset once he was pretty positive that he was on his friends setting.
"You're... stat... ca... ar yo..." Raz's voice came back over the line, sounding distant and foggy. Tavian frowned and adjusted the dial a little more.
"How's that?"
The relief was evident in his friends voice when he came back through. "Much better, bro. You were all static a moment ago."
"I was listening to everyone elses conversations, Landers." Tavian replied dryly, "We're running a little behind since we had to refeul at the 'pit. It's a good thing Aeropa took over Island Reida from those damned Pirates or we would be stuck."
"Joy." Raz's voice was sarcastically amused. "So, what are we headed into?"
"From the sounds of it, intense warfare."
Raz whistles lowly, "Damn, I was hoping we were through with that... You gonna be ok with the Jaguar? I know she handles a bit touchy, Tav. Don't lie to me. I don't see why you insisted on taking another Jag out after you were tag-teamed four months ago..." He complained over the headsets, remembering the crash his 'brother' had been forced to make. Lucky for Tavian he'd crash-landed in water and got out nearly unharmed.
"I'll be fine. The Jag handles good 'nuff. The visibility's fine, too. I'm more used to her than I am your Jette. Come on, turbo it. We've got about half an hours flight left until we get to the battle, but we can make it in fifteen minutes if we rush. They need all the help they can get."
"Roger, EFC McCorvy." Raz says jokingly, and Tavian rolled his eyes slightly knowing that his 'bro' also probably just saluted him. Raz had been playing like that ever since Tavian was ranked up to an 'Elite First Captain' status four months ago, after he was discharged from the hospital. He'd been ranked up after being forced to crash-land... it had been debated over by their old instructors for over a week before the others gave in to Instructor Kincaid's demands that 'anyone who could pull that controlled of a crash-landing maneuver off in those conditions in a Jag deserved to be ranked up, regardless of their age or name'.
Tavian narrowed his eyes as the sun hit the windshield of his Jaguar and made an abrupt turn to the left, heading towards where his men were fighting miles ahead. "Shaddup an' fly, Raz... Shaddup an' fly."