Chapter 6: Fauna Draws Blood
It was June 1, 1994 and Fauna squadron was born. We sat around a small table in the ready room at Luthe. We sat on opposite sides of the table far apart from each other. It was like a scene from a movie. It had been a long day of paperwork, briefings, and coffee.
"So...what do we call ourselves? I mean, look at the Round Table. Schwarze, Gelb, Rot, Schnee, Geist, Flamme...what are we?" I said.
"All right, bear with me. When I'm up there in battle, I feel like an animal. We're hunting down the enemy with all the instinct of wild beasts...So we'll be Fauna. Yes! Fauna." said Max.
"Beast? Now's that's a good idea. I like it! Fauna. Sounds deceiving." said Sienna.
"Fauna it is. Now, squadron colors...I did a design back in the academy for how I would have liked to paint my airplane. I applied it to the planes we're flying...look at this." I said.
I passed it to Max who gave it approving looks. Sienna looked a bit disappointed and Santiago gave me a thumbs up. It was a picture of a jet black Mig-29 with yellow stripes along the top and a red winged monster on the tails. The tips of tail fins were red.
"I like this. This is incredible work old buddy."
"Looks kinda tacky...but it could be worse."
"Awesome. I can live with this. Johannes, you're a genius."
"Well, I have to go inform the wing commander of our decision. We're adjourned."
We all left out positions and shook hands and congratulated each other. However, I had other arrangements to make first. I walked along the long white halls to my stateroom. The meeting with the Wing Commander could wait. When I entered, I saw Aki. She was dressed in her regular nightgown. To the others, I was "damn lucky" to be coming home to a woman every night. Hartmann even got a crack in. Of course, such arrangements were not unusual. It was in this case, considering the lesser number of people at the base.
"I heard about what happened. I'm so proud of you! I've never thought this would happened to us. I mean...this place has been amazing. You've shown me so much in two months than I've seen in my entire life. I mean if it wasn't for you I wouldn't know what radar was or all the other things you've told me."
"Thanks. I didn't realize all that meant so much to you."
"Well, it does. You've done so much
for me and surely little me didn't deserve it. I mean, you earned all
this."
"You did too. I mean, you stuck it out with me
through thick and thin. I dragged you all over Versua just for little
old me. You waited everyday when was out there and could have died
out there. You have no idea how much you mean to me." I
said.
"I know. But you cannot fathom in your wildest dreams how much you mean to me. Here, us women are property of the man. I've heard bad things about Belka, but it's obvious they can't all be bad. You're the sweetest person ever."
She came towards me and kissed me.
"I...love you Jo."
Jo. My name tended to wear itself out quickly. So I let her call me Jo.
Then suddenly, she undid her gown...and there was nothing underneath it. My immediate thought was...could life be any better right now? What happened that night was something anyone with an decent imagination can easily use to ascertain the events.
Hartmann's Secrets
The next day I was, not surprisingly, in very good mood. I was on my way to meet with the wing commander. Suddenly, I heard a voice ring out.
"Look at you. You're in a good mood. I guess you're ready to take up your elite status."
I stopped and looked to my right at the very smug Hartmann sitting on the ground with a cigarette in her hand.
"I don't smoke that much. I didn't start until last year...and my nerves are still gone." she said while laughing.
I stood there and looked at her; I was incredulous at this woman. Yet she still impressed me.
"You know, you're the only officer I've ever met who actually made me laugh."
"I've done a lot of things."
I stood there for a few seconds while she looked at me...almost anticipating my question.
"You want to know don't you?"
"What?"
"The rumors."
"What
rumors?"
"Don't play dumb. I know you Dietrich. I know you talked to Elezir about me a few weeks ago. I know you were looking for my son. I even know you got lucky last night. I know you. I've been tracking you since your first day here. So now it's your turn to learn my secrets."
"Fine." I said defeated and surprised.
"Besides. It doesn't matter. I'm done after this war is over."
"What?"
"He probably told you I was retiring. Wrong. I'm getting kicked out."
"Really! They're kicking you out?"
"Well, just out of the squadron. Von Luck's had it with me. So when the war's over I'm out. I guess I'll stuck with a training unit. But I actually volunteered for this for my last job with the fifteenth."
"Because of your..."
"No. They'll say it was for conduct unbecoming of an officer. But that has nothing to do with it. Von Luck's playing favorites and the wing commander's a homophobe...and a bit of a bigot too. Just because I came here from Osea. So I lied and said I was born here instead of the truth that I fled here when I was fifteen. Is that really so bad! So many people like me, including you; you like this foolish old washed-up me. I'm getting kicked out because I'm different! I'd already had enough of the bullshit anyway. But this is my life...the air force. It's all I've got."
I was shocked.
"I can see that puzzled look on your face. Fine. I'll start from the beginning..."
"Now, what I am about to say does not leave this...area. The truth is...well, let me ask you a question. How old do you think I am?" she said.
"Umm...why-" I responded nervously.
"Just answer the goddamned question!" she yelled.
"Forty...thirty-nine. I say that since you look about the same age as my own mom."
"Not as close as I thought. I'm thirty-four actually. People say I look older than I am. Perhaps this is a consequence of my sad life." she said while laughing.
I walked over to her and sat down with back to the hangar wall. She tossed the cigarette she had in her hand.
"Sad life?" I asked.
"Yeah. I'm getting personal with you since I only trust three people in the world and you're the only one that's here."
"You...actually trust me?"
"I don't know why. I was born in the slums of Detroit in 1961. My family was Belkan of course. My father was arrested when I was ten; it was a testament to his dark life in the streets. The days of his skull-duggery and drug-dealing caught up with him. After a few years my mother died; I don't remember exactly why. I think it was drugs but...anyway. So I ended up going from house to house and I finally ended up living on the street for about a year. Gangs, slums, the bottom of society; this was where I lived. One day, I was forced into a car by a pair of men. I was taken out and beaten. They had their way with me. I'll never forget it. I got away after I stabbed one of them with a small knife I had. I ran and ran until I ended up across the border. I was sick, hungry, and unknowing of the fact I was carrying that sick bastard's child. So I got to the border and I just collapsed. I thought I was dead for awhile. I was fourteen years old. Osea...land of opportunity." she said, the last lines being said with every bit of sarcasm she could muster.
"So that's why you hate Osea?"
"That's not the whole reason. I didn't start for years. So I ended up at this couple's house. I don't remember how I got there or what happened next. I remember having the kid months later and I let the couple take it. However, the man was in the air force. He told me all about his experiences. I was hooked. I told him that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. He responded, 'Ask and the Luffwaffe shall provide.' So I went through the same hard military school life when I was 17. I came out stronger than ever. My survival instincts served me well. 1981. I bet you were what...ten years old then...nine?"
"Nine and a half actually."
"I had made it through to the good life. I was flying planes and shooting ammunition. I wished it could never end. But...I realized something. I was so obsessed with the chaos I was in. I loved it. I reveled in the glory of war. I wanted to stay in it. So I tried everything I could to keep myself in it. By 1985, I'd become a first Lieutenant. It took me four years to go up one rank! My skill was so much that they put in charge of a special Night Fighter unit."
"Schwarze." I said fully understanding.
"Yes. Schwarze. Back then the unit was at
the bottom of the pecking order. So we figured out how to get the
most out of our Mig-31s. Three years I ran it. I spent so much time
away from my foster family that I basically forgot them. The
Luftwaffe was my family now. That's where I met
her."
"Who?"
Hartmann pulled out a picture. In it were her and two other individuals. One was a tall man with long blond hair. The other was a black-haired woman that was shorter than Hartmann and the other man.
"Freya Lanne. The pianist. She used to be my third wingman in the old Schwarze unit before that prick Dominic Zubov took my job. After every mission she'd play these incredible songs on the piano to celebrate. We were the best of friends. Then one night, we had a few Brandies..."
"Okay, you can leave out the details. So you loved her? So what? What's the problem?" I said wanting to avoid too much information.
"Schwarze was re-staffed and most of us ended up in this wing. I was always too much of an individual for Von Luck, who was by-the-book. He intentionally kept me out of the command staff, instead he promoted officers that fit his 'mold'. Arrogant, pretentious and loyal to the new party. My opinion of Von Luck changed when Lanne was shot down during a mission and he wouldn't let me stay to ensure she was alright. We had orders to fall back. I wasn't going to leave her there. But we were in Anea, the snow was coming down...but I didn't care. So I stayed out there as long as I could. Finally, I left. However, no one organized a mission to get her out. It was almost as if she was expendable. I was pissed. Luckily, some ground troops found her...but frostbite had claimed her right leg. Funny...this country can afford massive weapons...but the price for a prosthetic leg is completely asinine. This was three years ago. She's been spending the last three years on crutches. Then they found out about our 'union'...that was it for me essentially. My son hates me. He's all into the new party. When I would visit him, he was very hostile. He wanted nothing to do with me. It's as much as I deserve. I wish I could have done better. I tried. But...they turned him against me, the people I stayed with. Maybe it was because of my...'relationship preferences'. So now I sit here and wait; a ruined, child-less, lesbian maverick waiting for my time to end." she said. I saw her shed a single tear. She wiped it and her forehead in an attempt to hide it from me.
I paused. They were throwing her out for something so stupid. I was boiling in anger. She wasn't an officer at all...she was just a true fighter pilot hanging on to what little she had left. All of it taken away through no fault of her own.
"The whole thing's stupid if you ask me. I mean, this is your life! Who cares what you do in private? I'm surprised that they would give us so much power so quickly, then turn around and throw you out for doing what you thought was right!" I responded.
"And that's exactly why I told you. You'd understand. Von Luck would have turned the other cheek. Even though he was by the book, he understood. But...rules were rules. Now, go have your meeting with Deadbolt. I'll be sitting here waiting out the end of my time."
"No...no...they
can't do this! You're the best goddamned pilot I've seen
Captain."
"Welcome to the reality of the Luftwaffe. They
promote who they think is the best...not who is actually
the best. If they didn't, you'd be down and out too. Don't worry
about me. Enjoy your career. You've certainly earned it."
"By the way," I said, "who was the guy in that photo?"
"Oh him? That's Major Jaques Dora. He's the new leader of Geist Squadron. He thinks he's so cool in that Raptor he flies. He won't admit it, but he was a mere nugget when he was in Schwarze. He's so damn pretentious. Oh well. I'd say his overconfidence is going to get him killed one day."
She got up and walked away. But as she did, she said, "And by the way, this meeting never happened."
Suddenly, I was no longer happy. I was filled with nothing but indignation. I wanted Hartmann to stay. It was then I realized that it wasn't about me anymore. It was about all of us. I had to find away to keep her in the squadron. Suddenly...I had an idea. It was brilliant. But first, I had to face down "Deadbolt": Major General Blaskovitz.
I never really had a chance with this guy. He was the wing commander...Major General Blaskovitz. They called him "Deadbolt" because he was very, very strict and hard-hearted. He was definitely a seasoned veteran. The medals, badges and ribbons were seemingly endless.
"Alright. I'll keep this short. I called you here because I needed to hear your final decisions and everything you'll need. From what I see here...seems reasonable. But I say that with haste because your...skills are needed right away. I have a simple job for you group son. There's this enemy ace, we're calling him "Z". He's been tear-assing around the north shoulder of this godforsaken country. We've been trying to wrap up this war for the last few days. This guy though...he's got skills we've never even seen in the enemy. Unfortunately, all the elite units are tied up at the moment. Tommorrow we're launching a major raid into that area. We need you to do a recon flight over the battlezone and shoot him down. Understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. The area is coridinates 330, sector Alpha Sigma. It's a long narrow canyon. You shouldn't have too much trouble with that place. Can you handle it?"
"Yes sir."
"Good."
As he went on, I could only think about how nervous I was. Lieutenants really didn't have a prayer against someone with so much rank.
Better Luck Next Time
It was about an
hour since I had left. I returned with all the details. Though I was
angry at myself for not standing up to Deadbolt about Sayla.
"How was the meeting with Deadbolt?" Max asked me later.
"Man that was an intimidating guy to be around. But he gave me the rest of the details. Now listen up. This ace is called "Z" and he is believed to be with Yukes. He flies in a posse of Hornets….Osean made planes. It's just like back at the Scar. Only this time the guy has some real skills."
"So what do we do?"
"We lay an ambush for him. He's always in this area so we wait for him to show up." said Sienna.
"No. He always shows up after the action. Also if we just sit there, the others are going to think were prima donnas waiting for the real action to begin. We have to make a statement. We're putting out foot in the door and its not going anywhere."
And that was that. We didn't have time to finish the complete paint jobs, so we simply left the black paint on and prepared for the mission. It was actually a simple mission, in theory. We knew that "Z" had red-colored planes. No one in the air force had planes in that color. The problem was that no one told us the attack would be jumping off early. It was our first scramble as a division…on our first day of combat as a division. The flight there was relatively uneventful. We decided to stay to the outside and station-keep, taking out any stragglers on the outside of the battle zone. Santiago tested one of his radar missiles in anger against an enemy target and scored a hit. It was his sixth kill. All the while the battle hung in the balance. The chaotic radio chatter told it all.
"Look out! He's right above you!"
"I can't get a lock on him!"
"Bussard Eight is down!"
"Drossel Four, Fox Three! Look out Nova Three! Get out of there!"
"Turn! Turn!"
"He's trying to drag down, force him up high!"
We waited for ten minutes. However, Sienna's eyesight came through for us once again.
"Fauna
Two here, I've got several targets on the horizon. I cannot make it
out too good…but they're out there." she said.
"I've
picked up bandits too Boss. Is it them?"
"Diomedes One," the local AWACS called, "Our radio intercept team just picked this up. 'Multiple targets inbound. Zenit 17, take your group right into the left pocket. Everyone else, follow me.' Copy that?"
"Roger. It's him."
"Fauna Three to Fauna One," Max began as he pulled his fighter up to mine, "Those are definitely Yuke callsigns."
The radio chatter became panicked. It was him, I knew it.
We accelerated towards the fight. As we got closer to the battle, the more insane things got.
"This is Meteor One…who the hell? Unidentified aircraft, identify yourself!"
"This is Fauna One…wait…Major? Is that you?" I said.
It was Vanderbeek. I was surprised to see him out here.
"Dietrich! So they gave you your own unit now…ugh…anyway, we could use some help here."
Suddenly…they appeared. It felt like my life was in slow motion for a few seconds. I saw those red Hornets. They were diving on us and all four fired at the same time.
"Break! Break!" I yelled out.
We broke in different directions as the missiles narrowly avoided us, thanks to our flares. They climbed sharply and we followed to engage. They actually had the decency to fly out of the furball. It was going to be a Wild West shootout. They turned as one, just like we would. I was impressed. However, just as the fight began…it ended. Several missiles screamed past us.
"Damn! Break!"
I thought it was the enemy firing on us. However, it was not. I turned back toward the fight only to see our targets going down in flames.
"What the hell?" said Sienna, shocked at the scene.
Our first mission had literally gone up in smoke. Suddenly, a shady voice came over the radio.
"So sorry to interrupt." he said.
"Who is
this? How did you get on this channel?"
Suddenly, three black
F/A-22s screamed past us. They were the same planes I saw buzzing
Aki's town.
"This is Geist(ghost) One. Looks like we saved the day." he said.
It wasn't the fact he took our kills that enraged me…it was his taunting. Sayla was right about him. But it was only the first of many altercations between us and Geist.
"Too bad Fauna or whatever the hell your name is. This is our turf and I'll be damned if some young upstarts are going to step on our toes. Better luck next time!" he said in the midst of seeming maniacal laugher.
"Son of a…." I said to myself.
I quickly realized that we were the small fry in the ace pool. It wasn't so much a deflating of ego; it was a wake-up call. We were going to have to compete with our own ace squadrons and the enemy!
A Long Day and A Longer Night
I rounded the corner upon the exit from my plane to my quarters. I entered and slammed my jacket on the floor. Aki ran up to me asking me if I was okay. I was not. I was infuriated at the audacity of Geist to interfere with our mission. It wasn't about the kills. It was to prove ourselves and now we would have to wait again. The war was coming to an end, and we needed that chance soon. Luckily for us, that chance rolled around on June 11.
The last few days had been a dry gulch for air to air combat. So we went for the next thing, air to ground combat. I sent Max on a recon mission to gather intelligence on enemy movements. Meanwhile, I poured over the military code books, looking for some loophole to exploit to keep Sayla in the Luftwaffe. My original idea was defrocked due a rather obscure old rule about re-enlistments. I had a radio with a direct link to Max so I could be ready to deploy at a moments notice. I even went so far as to sleep with my helmet on; Aki was rather confused about this. At 1230 hrs on June 11, I got a message from Max.
"I have several enemy columns. What's the deal? Where is all the air at?"
"Hold that thought Three. I'll get Sienna and we'll roll in hot."
"Well I may be wrong. I'll check back with you in a few."
I ran out of the room to Sienna's quarters and knocked on the door.
"Hey! Get ready, we might have some action soon."
However, I kept
hearing strange noises on the other side of the door. I knocked
again. Suddenly, Sienna came to the door. She was somewhat
disheveled, her hair was a mess, and she was laughing.
"What
is it?"
"I need you to be ready to scramble when I tell you too. I'll inform the control tower. You just be ready to go...Do you have someone else in the room?"
"Uh, no!"
I just stared at her. It was obvious what was going on. Suddenly a man opened the door all the way. A man I remembered...
"What's the problem...Johannes?"
"Mallo? What the heck are you doing here?"
Mallo Hartz. He was an old academy roommate of mine. I had completely lost track of him. Hartz was a small man; he was only 5'3". His hair was a short blonde and he had a rather baby-like face. And here he was having a good time with Sienna. He was the "mystery boyfriend."
"Man I knew you were here, but I thought you were gone on a mission or something."
"You still flying those Growlers?" I asked.
"Yep." he said.
Hartz was a man who was straight and to the point. Lengthy explainations were not in his character. He was a electronic warfare pilot who flew EA-18G Growlers.
"Well, I don't have time to play catch up right now. Sienna get straightend out and get ready to move...Wait. What is it?" I said, Max had come back with his report.
"You're not gonna believe this. We got a whole enemy convoy moving north unopposed. Trucks, tanks, APCs, the whole shabang. I was going to let the Wing Command know..."
"No! Don't tell them anything. Geist might screw it up again. We'll be there in a few minutes."
"We have plenty of bombs and whatnot."
"Have you confirmed they're the enemy?"
"Yes. Checked in with JSTARS. You better hurry up for the other guys get here."
"Good. Sienna let's go!"
But I looked behind me and saw the two of them
kissing. I just shook my head.
"Can we get a move on!" I
said forcefully.
"Oh sorry!" she said, tearing away from the romantic scene.
When before we arrived Sienna said something rather beneficial.
"You're trying to keep the Captain in aren't you?"
"How did you know?"
She explained she was behind the wall of the hangar listening to every word we said. She told me something rather interesting. It was ingenious. Not only could she stay in the squadron...she could fly with us.
We began with the back section of the convoy. We pounded it with everything. We had rockets, bombs, and air to ground missiles. We knocked out tank after tank, truck after truck. More strike planes showed up and hit it with a variety of munitions including cluster bombs, incendiary bombs, rockets, bomblets, the whole arsenal. We were at it all day. We were bombing things we'd already hit. Even bridges were no exception.
"I got a bridge 12:00 low. I'm targeting the center, Fauna Three, Fauna Four..you take the left and the right."
"Missile away!"
All three of our missiles hit simultaneously at their respective points causing the bridge to collapse in one fell swoop.
"Bloody good show! You knocked out the entire thing!" Sienna said. "Now it's my turn!"
Sienna led her plane to five hundred feet. There was a paved road underneath her and she pelted the center with four five hundred pound bombs. I followed closely behind; she dropped the bombs so accurately, she hit every white line on her flight path. It was like they came off a truck or something. We left a trail of destruction behind and I was proud of all that we had wrought. I returned that night, adrenaline coursing through my veins.
"You seem happy! What's going on? You're usually dead tired after a...oof!" she said.
I just swept her in to my arms. I have
no idea if it was the rush of the destruction or the fact we'd
finally done something significant. I just couldn't hold back.
Neither of us could. All I remember from that night was Aki saying,
"Okay, you really are in a good mood!" It did not matter that we
had completely annihilated a retreating enemy in a unscrupulous and
brutal matter. That night, we had each other. That was all that
mattered to me.
Tomorrow was going to be important though. Three
separate incidents would occur that would change lives forever.
The next morning I was approached by Sienna. It was time to see if Sayla would accept my plan. I told Max about it as well.
"You actually want that burned out woman to stay? Why?"
"She's just like us man. This is all she wanted. Frankly, the reasons she's being kicked out have no relevance. It's stupid. People always try to attach to a solution to a problem and that solution has nothing to do with the problem!" I said.
"It could work the other way you know!" Max replied.
"There's no sense in letting someone who obviously loves this job go. Why? My father once told me that the best people at their jobs are the people that love their jobs. These officers...a lot of them only care about their own egos. Wake up man! How many GOOD officers have we had? Three? Two?" I said.
"She's the worst officer ever!" Max exclaimed.
"Oh really. I bet my life that a lot of people would have lived through until now if she'd been in charge in the beginning instead of Jessonseck. But she doesn't even care about leading anymore, because the other leaders won't take her individualistic style of leading. That's the only bad thing about this. You have to fit this "mold" and if you don't fit the mold you're useless. That...not..right! People working their tails off at this job and everyone around them is tricky, picky, sneaky, and egotistical. Take Geist for example. You have to be a robot to advance here. But if you're a robot in battle you can't handle extremely weird situations on the battlefield. You can't fix what isn't right if you're a robot. We are not robots, neither is she."
"Well I will admit one thing. She is a damn cool person. But there's nothing you can do. I've tried helping people...but it only makes things worse."
"Not quite. Tell him Sienna."
"Well, there is a weird clause in the procedures and standards section of the Belkan Military Code. It says that any officer can resign their commission at any time. However, should that person wish to re-enlist to perform the same job he or she is qualified for, they can come back as an enlisted officer equal in concept rank to the previous officer rank, provided that they are allowed to do that task. However, pilots are an exception. NCOs can fly aircraft too, but are technically still subject to all NCO/Officer differences." she said.
"So she resigns...comes back as a Sergeant...she can still fly." Max considered.
"Then we go and tell Deadbolt that she's joining us. We only have to get the approval of four officers to do so if and only if they are enlisted. We have four; well...five that can sign off on it. That's Article Six, Section 30.5A ." she finished with a wide smile on her face.
"That's brilliant. That is brilliant. Words cannot express the brilliance in this."
"Well, it's time to give a well deserving person a second chance."
Hours later, Sayla gave me the most dumbfounded look I've ever seen.
"You mean...I can stay?" she said confused.
"Provided you resign your commission before your contract expires." I responded.
"That's it?" she replied, filled with doubt.
"Well, we do have some clout with our status. We can get the others to sign off on it, and I can tell the General that you're coming with us. You'd be under my command. That means you don't have to worry about all the red tape you had deal with. You don't have a mold to fit. You'd be able to retire a pilot and not have to deal with the shame of being dishonorably discharged. And besides...someone's gotta fill the ranks when this mess is over." I told her.
Sayla looked at me with a set of sad, understanding eyes.
"You'd do that for me? Pathetic, unruly me? One who was told all my life I'd amount to nothing?"
"Yes. Because I've always believed in giving the right people a second chance."
"Thanks. You have no idea how much this means to me. Now I can get Freya that damn expensive prosthetic leg. I've been scrapping every dime I could find for a year. I think I might be able to get it now...so she can come back too."
"Wha..."
"She had some training in weapons systems. I bet I can get my old Foxhound and she can ride backseat. Sure as hell doesn't ground pounding though. But old times man...old times."
"How about a Tornado? I bet I can get you one of those if you want."
"Well, it's a nice gesture. But I'll stick with what I've got."
"Well, let's get all the paperwork done." I said.
"I can't believe it...I'm back! Oh I'm getting chills..."
I could only laugh. It was strange. There was no other service in the world that had such dedicated people than the Luftwaffe. Years ago, pilots flew for years since there was no method to relieve them from combat. They flew until the war ended or they died. But they came back. Missing arms, missing legs...somehow they did it. It was this intrepid spirit I saw in her that inspired me to keep her here. It was this intrepid spirit that all of us had.
Next Chapter: The Return to Obersalzburg
