Caution: This chapter contains some language.


Words Unheard


Ceres Sea

600 km off the coast of Pobeda Peninsula

OMDF Carrier Kestrel, bridge

December 22, 2010

"What do you mean we are not going back?" Grimm protested.

"Change of plans" Pops informed him, "Andromeda just intercepted Yuktobanian transmission. They are aware about the Prime Minister. Their 4th coastal defense fleet is on course for us"

"I know the Resistance will try to rescue them. But then what? Are we just going to leave them behind?"

"I understand what you are saying, Grimm, but my decision still stands," Anderson said, "This is unlike that time when Captain Nagase was shot down. We won't have ground support from neighboring Osean territories, and I will risk neither this fleet nor the Seahawks."

"Let me fly escort then"

"I need you here to protect us. Nikanor is the key for peace. If we go down, all that we worked for will be for naught. The hope for peace will be lost. I promise you, I will get Edge out. Be patient"

Snow looked on as Grimm tried futilely to push for an immediate search and rescue mission.

"If I may," Snow started, "It seemed to me that Blaze only 'appeared' to be on our side. The two Eagles were between us and him. Since the AIM-9X he fired were heat-seeking, those two planes may well have attracted missiles aimed for us. I'm concerned about Edge. What if she encounters those Grabacr survivors?"

Snow's observation got everyone thinking. Bartlett smiled and scratched his chin in approval. Archer was about to object Snow's words but then realized his true intentions. Though he hated it, he saw that smearing Blaze's integrity might just do the trick.

"Grimm, did you see Blaze eject?" Pop asked.

"He didn't eject. I saw muzzle flashes from inside the cockpit. He broke the canopy and jumped off"

"Captain, "Pop said, "The Grey Men have proven to be experts in deception. If Blaze is not the enemy, then all is well. But if otherwise, both Captain Nagase and the Resistance movement are at risk. I suggest sending at least the Rosenberg. With the proper communications equipments, she will be able to make contact with friendly forces on the ground."

Anderson agreed and ordered the attack submarine off fleet formation.

"It will work out fine. Alright, Grimm?" Bartlett said.


Pobeda Peninsula

East of Krylo Airfield

Yuktobania

December 22, 2010

All was quiet, and dark. It's funny. Though he had accepted his fate, he never thought it would be like this. Logically, he should be surrounded by violent vibrations of his cockpit and the annoying beeping of the consoles. But the lack thereof scared him. He wished for someone, anyone, to reach out and stop him. Then, he heard voices. . . some he couldn't really hear, but one was clear: Hers…

But Blaze's decision to escape was perhaps a disastrous one. Though shrapnel had cracked the canopy and thus enabled him to shoot his way through it, he slammed onto the bent left tail wing during the daring jump from the spiraling plane. His right shoulder was dislocated, and his right forearm broke, an almost open fracture, for he can see bone barely piercing through the skin. The dislocated shoulder could be fixed but that would risk moving the broken bones. The pain was verging on unbearable. And to make matter worse, he failed to secure to his body the survival bag containing emergency supplies such as the first aid-kit, a back-up radio, rations, water packets, flares and spare handgun magazine. The collision with the tail wing made him drop the bag and also the handgun from his right hand.

Only two energy bars, a 100 mL pouch of water and an emergency transponder-radio - which broadcasts on all international frequencies - already in the pockets of his flight suit remained. How pathetic, he thought. He was supposed to be the knight in shining armor rescuing the damsel in distress. But he didn't know where Edge landed and his sorry plight made him the one in need of help. Nevertheless, staying in one place helped no one. He turned on the transponder. That will attract the attention of their, if any, pursuers. Even if this place were to be his last, he must keep moving and hope that the enemy would follow him instead of her.


The sound of Archer's and Swordsman's jet engines had vanished. Edge sighed. She knew that disappearing sound all too well. This was the second time she was downed. Both of those times were over the same country, and within the span of two months. If she were to survive this, she would have broken the world record for shot down pilot survivability rate in the Circum-Pacific War. Of course, her previous experience prevented her from underestimating the gravity of her situation. But unlike that last time where she had to wait for rescue, this time bad weather wouldn't hinder her, and more importantly, Bartlett had told her about a Resistance camp located about 7 clicks northwest of her position. She could also assume that he had informed the Resistance about her, but she was never one to wait. However, there were a couple of problems. First, she must actually get to the camp safely, and second, Blaze bailed out too. She watched him jump off his plane in such a foolish way that she knew he must be injured. If the winds didn't blow him off, he should have landed east of me, she thought while looking at the spare map from the flight suit.

Suddenly, a branch broke behind her. She tensed. The enemy must have seen Blaze's and her parachutes but they couldn't have been so quick in tracking her. Looking back around the tree where she was taking cover behind, she noticed that it was only a deer. Though the mountain range was only sparsely forested, it had somewhat tall grasses as well as shadow cast by the hilltops. She could use both of them as cover.

About a click of trekking later, a nearby gunshot suddenly rang out. A second one followed closely after. Edge dropped into a prone position and looked in the direction of both shots. However, the morning mist and shadow blocked her view. She thought she heard something that sounded like a voice, but the cries of startled birds masked that voice. The rational part of her told her to stay away, but another wanted to check out the source. Why? Because those sounds were made by an M9, a standard issue handgun for OADF pilots - pilots such as Blaze.

After a short crawl, she was sure that she was within sight range of the source because part of the same flock of birds from before was still circling overhead. But there was nothing in sight, at least not above the grass level. She feared the worst. At least two Grabacr pilots bailed out too, and they should also be armed with M9s.

"What if Blaze? . . . No!" she convinced herself, and carried on.

Then, behind the cover of tree trunk, Edge noticed the color of an Osean flight suit. She circled around in an attempt to identify the person before actually moving closer. But before she got a clear view, the grass beside her shifted. She snapped her sidearm towards it and found herself staring at the barrel of another weapon of the same model.

"Wil-" she breathed out at the same time as he said, "Kei-"

"What are you - doing here?" he said, pain evident in his voice as he dropped his aim.

She moved closer. His face bore bruises as if he had been in a fight. There were also droplets of blood in the vicinity. His broken bone had pierced the skin, and the whole arm was mangled in such a way that would make anyone cringe. Worried, she broke cover and moved to a kneeling position to his right.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"No, stay dow-"

A tracer wheezed past above the grass line and struck Edge. She fell backwards, her eyes wide open in shock. This was the first time she was shot.

"No, no. No!" Blaze shouted.

As adrenaline masked the pain of his broken arm, he dragged himself towards her while his good hand unloaded the entire clip of Bernitz's Baretta into the shadows at the direction of the shot.

"Motherfuckers!!!" he cursed when the gun ran dry.

A few seconds of AK-47 retaliation ensued.

"Kei! Kei, can you hear me?" he asked the person underneath him while bullets streaked by above, narrowly missing him.

She blinked, focused on him and gave a nod. When the shots stopped, their assailants began shouting in Yuktobanian, revealing their identities to the two pilots. This search party must have heard the gunshots during Blaze's fight with Bernitz. But the knowledge that they were Yuke soldiers had no use. The pilots were outgunned, outmanned, and surrounded.

"It's a clean wound to your shoulder. Does it hurt?" he whispered.

"Feels . . . hot"

"Run, there's still time. I'll cover you" Blaze said as the Yuke soldiers approached.

She stayed silent as she gave him a smile and wrapped her arms around his body.

"You shouldn't have come, stupid . . ." he softly said.

"I lov-" they both confessed but rifle fire, echoing through the mountain range, drowned their words.