"Man oh man! What a day!" The Glepnir's navigator yawns, leaning back in his chair at the helm of the Glepnir.
"You didn't even do anything!" The Glepnir's tactical operator yelled at him, "I swear, you can be so lazy sometimes, Laguna!"
Laguna frowned. "Didn't see you doing anything, Violet!"
"Shut up both of you! The Captain is coming back!" The tactical officer yelled at both of them. The two quarreling crew members promptly quieted down.
"Tactical Officer Hensson." Captain Tetsu called, upon entering the Glepnir's bridge. All of the bridge's crew offered a salute.
"At ease. Have you finished with the Glepnir's maintenance yet?" Tetsu asked.
"Sir!", the tactical officer responded, "Yes Sir!"
"Good." The captain responded. "Have the maintenance crew load the Su-32's into the hangar bay. I think our pilots found the planes we provided them to be a bit out-dated."
"I will do so, sir." Hensson said.
"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to report to Commander Navarro."
Hensson looked down at the ground, sheepishly.
"Er, sir... If I may, what do you think of Navarro?"
The captain stopped, then said, glaring, "It's not my place to think anything of our honored leader. You'd do well to put any second thoughts you have of him out of mind. Understood?"
Hensson saluted nervously, "Y-yes sir! My apologies!"
***
"Be careful with those!" Sun yelled at the mechanics, nonchalantly loading ordinance meant for his custom Su-32 into the Glepnir.
"Damn punks, they're gonna ruin my plane..." He turned to see Stella, his pink haired comrade, heading off. She was dressed casually, sporting big, stylish sunglasses and a light green tank top.
"Where are you off to all jazzed up?" Sun asked, his eyes drifting slowly to rest on the girl's long, slender porcelain legs. Her shorts, torn mid thigh, did little to cover them up.
Stella threw a hard right hook, nailing the boy square on the cheek.
"Watch where you're looking!" She said, walking off. "I'm going off-base for a bit, see ya!"
Sun watched as she went, clutching her purse strap over one shoulder. Her butt rolled cutely as she walked.
"That's the thing with girls with sunglasses..." He said, shrugging as he rubbed his throbbing cheek.
"It makes it harder to get away with looking at them..."
***
The shower head shot small sharp pellets of cold water. The stinging droplets only provided a refreshing purging of the day's troubles to the recipient of the shower; A masochistic, pleasurable stinging sensation, but cleansing nonetheless.
Eun sighed, splashing water on his pale shoulders, which sloped the way the shoulders of demure geisha did.
Relaxation was short lived however, when the image of the flaming ruins of the Aurelian squadron flashed in his mind.
It seems death is my omnipresent companion. He thought, watching the mini torrent of water wash down the drain; his somber auburn eyes under cover of his silky-wet, jet black hair.
He shut his eyes, his mind drifting to the heart-aching place he could never resist revisiting.
The Leasath Civil War, November 25th, 2019. A squadron of F-117 nighthawks fly over a small Leasathian village.
"Alect-4. This Alect-1. We are reaching bombing destination. Commence operation. Over."
Eun looked down at the tiny, barely lit village.
"Alect-4 here. This is the target? But it's just a small village..."
The buzz of the radio.
"Alect-4, this is a confirmed location of Aurelian sympathizers. We, the Alect Squadron, are Leasath's elite ace squadron. We are the angels of the sky that carry out the will of our Revered Leader, Diego Navarro. Destroy the enemy. That is all."
Eun gritted his teeth, his fingers hovering gingerly over the controls to arm the bombs.
"This is Alect-2!" A voice clad in southern drawl boomed on the radio, "Looks like the new blood can't handle the mission! I'll commence bombing!"
The dark abyss that was the sky roared with the sound of planes. A child looking out the window of a house in the unsuspecting village can't figure out the source of the sound.
"Mommy," He says, "The sky is angry..."
Bombs fall from the sky, and the town is instantly drowned in a sea of flame.
***
"I trust that the expo went well?" Captian Tetsu Calibrunus said, pouring a glass of vintage brandy into a foggy glass.
"Indeed it did." The gritty voice of Dictator Diego Navarro sounded from a computer screen.
"A wonderful display you provided to the Aurelian people. Their hope being vaporized like that."
"I'm just glad you're pleased, honored leader." The captain said, bowing his head slightly, and raising his glass.
"Yes, the first component of our plan to realize Leasath's destiny has been revealed to the people. How is our 'second component' coming along?"
Tetsu looked out the window of his office to the skies muddied with purple and blue and orange.
"Our second component is coming along perfectly."
***
"Wooooow so pretty!" Stella beamed, holding up a blue and white striped blouse. "I think I'll take this one too!"
"Of course, please allow me to bag that for you!" The shop clerk said, smiling.
"Thank you!" Stella says, smiling as she looks out the window.
Blue and orange bled together as one, as the sun made its way to retire under the horizon. Over the beautiful sight, planes fly, heading to Terminus Island's air force base.
Yuna Ito's "Ashes like Snow" plays, muffled in Stella's vibrating purse.
"A call?" Stella says, digging out her phone from her chaotic purse by it's dainty cellphone-charm; a hello kitty doll holding a fighter pilot's helmet.
"Hello!" Stella beams.
"Not so loud." Eun says, at the other end of the line, a towel draped over his wet hair and dripping wet shoulders.
"Come back now. The Glepnir is going to Puma Base."
"Okay!" Stella says, cheerfully, and snatches the cluster of bloated shopping bags from the clerk.
"Hmm..." Stella wondered, "What's to do at the Puma Plains? Sounds boring! Oh well. If Eunie says so..."
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