Mr. Cargo
It was another couple of days before the Colonel called us in for a briefing.
"First of all, I guess I should congratulate you all, exception being Captain Irving, on being promoted to First Lieutenant. Command has decided that your bravery and leadership were instrumental in keeping this base safe and therefore feel it right to promote you. That said, since we thwarted their invasion, we haven't seen any major offensive operation by the enemy for weeks. Almost like we are at peace again eh people? Anyway, let's start the briefing." He pressed the button on his podium and the room darkened as the projector hummed to life.
"Yuktobanian combat operations have been dormant since their failed large scale invasion and the loss of their underwater carrier Scinfaxi. However, there is still concern of a possible infiltration by small scale forces from the ground and the air. You will split into flights of two and carry out patrols in the area from Akerson Hill to the northern coast line. The airspace above the grain fields extending around the Akerson hill area is covered by our Osean AA system. The system automatically fires missiles at any hostile aircraft it detects. Patrol the northern coast line of Akerson Hill which is out of our AA system's range." The briefing had concluded and we were dismissed to head off to get ready for the mission, which for me, meant a shower.
We were suited up for the mission and in the air heading towards Akerson by 1100. Once we were in the area of operations at 1150, I spoke to the flight.
"Alright Wardog, lets split up into our elements. Chopper, you and Archer go south and patrol over Crevalle for a while. Kei and I will cover the shore line."
"You got it, Kid." His F-16 and Grimm's peeled off to the right as Kei and I continued to head north. We had been patrolling for a while when Chopper came back over the radio, no doubt in an effort to get a conversation going to break the silence that had prevailed for most of the mission.
"That stupid geezer Base Commander just won't give us a break, will he?" Chopper's words were pretty bold with an opening statement like that.
"He's relying on us, First Lieutenant Chopper. Hey, congratulations on your promotion, by the way," Grimm said to him. That was right; I hadn't even said anything to anyone in our flight about being promoted. I'd have to ask Kei how she felt when we got back.
"That's weird," Chopper started. My heart rate elevated slightly thinking he had spotted an enemy formation or something else along those lines. "I don't feel any better..." he finished making me want to punch something non-critical in my cockpit.
"Hey, you two. What's your current position?" Kei asked them with a slight laugh in her voice. At least she was finding this somewhat amusing.
"300 miles south of you," Chopper informed her.
"Roger," She responded. We were quiet for a while longer when my radio suddenly picked up a weak transmission.
"... damaged, but the damage is light." I fiddled with my radio and cleaned up the signal. Apparently Kei had heard it to and addressed the speaker.
"Transmitting aircraft, state your assignment and current status."
"Oh, finally, a response..." a relieved voice said. "This is the Osean Air Force transport plane Mother Goose One." I froze for a moment. Usually, transports had very long and complicated alpha-numerical designations for their flights. The only time something was designated with a one was when- "We're flying to the neutral country of North Point. We have the transmitter set to minimum power. Please come in closer so we can hear." I glanced out of my canopy to Kei who was only a couple of yards away from my plane. She looked at me from across the sky and nodded. We pushed towards the large C-5 Galaxy and waited for the pilot to speak again.
"Ah, I think this is you on our radar. Can you see us?" I found the question a little silly but responded none the less.
"Yes. This is the 108th Tactical Fighter Squadron Wardog. I'm the flight lead, call-sign Blaze. What can we do for you Mother Goose One?"
"We'd like you to guide us to a safe passage corridor through the AA defenses. We're on a top secret mission and I'm not transmitting a valid friendly ID signal to the ground-based automatic defense systems. As a result, a friendly surface-to-air missile was mistakenly fired at us. We narrowly avoided a direct hit, but our radar system was destroyed, and we can't fly a safe path through the AA system."
"This is AWACS Thunderhead. I've checked out the story, these guys are the real deal. Lead them to safety Blaze."
"Copy that," I responded. I began to pull up in front of the transport. I hope this guy had a sharp eye; this Falcon was puny compared to the Galaxy.
"... Uhh, the air defense command just received multiple radar hits on an enemy formation closing on your position," Chopper informed us. "First bad guys we've seen crossing the pond for a while. Warning alarms are going off like mad, but we're the only ones near enough to intercept 'em in time."
"Understood. You two come and join us as quickly as you can. We will need your support if we have to guide this transport as well," I said. There were a few moments of silence as we all began to get ready for the developing situation. Suddenly, new voices came over my radio.
"Okay, I've got him on my radar."
"Just like the intelligence said."
"The radio's picking up the enemy's voice!" Grimm said. When I had adjusted it to hear the transport, it must've changed to a frequency the enemy fighters were using as well.
"These guys sound as beautiful as Thunderhead. Sweet as a rose, I tell ya." Chopper said. I could hear the roar of his planes engine in the background of his transmission. He was hauling to get here as quickly as he could. The enemy began speaking again.
"Don't let up just because it's a transport plane."
"If we take out this guy, they won't just give us a medal... they'll build a statue in our honor."
"This cargo's certainly worth that much."
"What are these guys talking about?" Kei asked between the enemy's chatter. The Captain of the cargo plane came back over the radio.
"Don't worry about that. We need your escort. We're completely defenseless," the pilot of the transport said. This was starting to get out of hand.
"Wardog, listen up," I told my squad. "We protect the transport no matter what, understood?"
"Yes Sir," all three pilots answered at once. I began to maneuver around the AA radar coverage, being sure to make my turns as wide as possible for the transport. We were just breaking through the coverage when my radar finally picked up the enemies twenty miles out.
"This is Mother Goose One. We've successfully navigated through the AA system. Thank you. However, I'd like to ask for your continued escort."
"You've got it," I told the captain.
"Enemy spotted on radar. Coming head-on." Kei announced. After a brief pause she spoke up again. "Chopper team has arrived."
"Hey, Kid. We're under your command now," Chopper said as he and grim formed up with me and Kei.
"Mother Goose One, we'll take care of the enemy fighters. Please separate at maximum speed," Kei said to the pilot of the transport.
"Please, I'm counting on you," the pilot said. We throttled towards the approaching aircraft, determined not to let them have a shot at the transport. Kei suddenly spoke up again.
"Mother Goose One, please keep your current vector." I checked my radar and noticed the plane was changing course as well.
"Roger... Roger! Agh, dammit!" Alarms were going off in the background of his transmission.
"Your speed's decreasing. What's the matter?" Kei asked.
"Mechanical trouble. I'm losing thrust on engine one," he replied. The enemy spoke up again.
"Hey, I see escort fighters."
"I thought there weren't going to be any escorts!" another shouted. This was starting to get hectic fast.
"Hey, hey, get back in your seat. Don't approach the... hey! Hey, what're you doing?!" Suddenly there was a gunshot over the radio followed by a moan right after.
"Hey!" Chopper yelled. "The transport! It's rolling!" Yet another new voice came over the radio. One that was familiar yet foreign.
"Uh, this is transport plane... uh... Mother Goose One. The Captain's been shot."
"What?" Chopper asked franticly. We were at engaging distance of the enemy fighters now. They were a couple of high speed MiG-25's. They broke off course once we began to pursue them, switching directions as quickly as their lumbering planes would allow. The man on the transport began speaking again.
"There was a spy in the crew. Uh-oh, two of the engines have shut down." Chopper grunted as he pulled a high-G turn.
"Hey!" he yelled once he had leveled out. "What kinda cargo you got in there? Is it something dangerous?" There was silence as we continued to dogfight with the enemy aircraft. I got behind one of the planes and was amazed by the two large engines I was staring at. I opened fire with my gun but the pilot was too quick with the stick for me to get a good line. I pulled back a little and waited for a good missile tone. The enemy realized what I was doing too late and ejected even before I could fire off the missile. I engaged a different bandit as the plane fell towards the ground. "Hey! You there?" Chopper asked again.
"The Captain's dead and the Co-pilot was wounded by a stray bullet. Tommy's holding the stick now. But he's just a secretary... he's never piloted a plane before." I was turning with another enemy aircraft. To his credit, he was pulling some impressive moves in the dated aircraft he was using but when it came down to it, he was in a plane that wasn't meant for turning. I pointed my nose at the center of his airplane and opened fire, pelting the aluminum with metal slugs that tore through the plane like soft cheese. The plane blew up in a fireball that sent shrapnel everywhere. Some pieces struck my plane, scratching the canopy and one piece even made a small hole in my left wing.
"Who are you then?" Chopper asked as he managed to fire a missile off at an enemy plane that promptly blew to pieces. There were only three more enemy fighters left now.
"I... I guess you would call me... the cargo on this plane. Could you tell me how to control this thing? I'll relay everything to Tommy."
"Lower your altitude," Kei spoke firmly. "Prepare for an emergency landing. Put your flaps down. That'll lower your airspeed. Can you find your flap lever?" She asked. She sounded like she could have been a flight instructor. I saw one of the remaining planes pull out of a turn and adjust their course towards Kei who was beginning to fly back towards the transport. I applied full after-burner to catch up to the ridiculously fast plane and got into position for a missile shot. Once I had tone, I let the sidewinder fly off the rail on my right wing. The missile was already half-way to its target before the enemy noticed and by then, it was too late, the plane disintegrated into pieces as the front erupted in flames from the crew ejecting.
"Thanks, Blaze," Kei said when she noticed the fireball behind her.
"No problem," I said as I turned back towards Grimm and Chopper.
"Flap lever... is that it? No, that one, Tommy. Pull that one," the man who called himself cargo said.
The remaining two planes began to head in an opposite direction.
"We can't go on!" one announced.
"Let's pull out," the other one said dejectedly.
"Are you still there, Ma'am? With the lovely voice? Uh, Miss..." the man on the radio called out. Up until this point, I had held the man with relatively high regard. He had managed to take control of a desperate situation and was starting to turn it around. But once he had said the Kei had a lovely voice, my opinion of him dropped thirty points. While it was undeniable that Kei had a very pleasing voice, to say so during circumstances such as these was... uncalled for. My face began to burn with just a hint of... something.
"First Lieutenant Kei Nagase... Sir," she responded in a somewhat bashful voice.
"Ahh, and a lovely name as well." The nerve! He was flirting during a dangerous mission! I checked my life support systems to see if the AC in my cockpit was still working. It was getting awfully hot in my plane.
"And I'm Chopper!" That's right Chopper. You tell the world. Put a stop to this man's blatant misuse of a dire situation to impress a woman.
"That's a good name, too." You bet it is, pig.
"I like you, man." Okay Chopper. Let's not jump to hasty statements such as those. The man's voice returned to a more professional demeanor as he updated us on what was going on.
"Tommy's going to try and land now. He's doing his best, but he's never done this before. I... I don't know if we'll make it, so I just want to thank you before we go." I would have to have... Words with this man if I ever got to meet him. Many... Words. Wait. What was wrong with me? This was most likely the president. Why was I getting like this? He was just trying to lighten the mood, right? That's all it was. I was letting my emotions get in the way of what was important. But, what exactly were my emotions?
"You'll be okay!" Grimm told the man on the radio. I realized I had been completely quiet to the man.
"Yes, you'll do fine," I added. We circled the aircraft as it slowly descended on to the ground. I held my breath as the plane touched the ground sending a huge cloud of dirt into the wake behind it. It slowly came to a stop at which point Kei came back over the radio.
"Mother Goose One, landing confirmed. Are you all right, Mr. Cargo?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess. That was a pretty smooth ride, actually." I brought my plane closer to the ground to see how the plane had held up structurally. It seemed to be okay. Kei spoke up again.
"Mr. Cargo, I've got a question I'd like to ask you."
"What is it?" the man replied. There was a temporary pause and a large draw of breath before Kei continued.
"The bird of peace... did you really have to use that beautiful white bird for this war? Do you understand what I'm saying?" She was referring to the Arkbird. I knew that for her, the spacecraft meant a lot more than just the weapons platform it was being used as now. I wondered if it had been her beacon of hope that something like what had happened in Belka would never happen again.
"Yeah," The man replied distantly.
"I wanted to see your... your bridge of peace span into outer space," Kei finished.
"It's still possible. Thanks to the bird, we're on even terms now. I'm trying to get to North Point because I believe we have a chance," the man continued.
"To hold talks in neutral territory," Kei said for him.
"Right. Communication is vital."
"So, I can still believe in you then? I don't want to see any more young men or women lose their lives."
"Me neither," the man said. Chopper suddenly came over the radio ruining the moment somewhat.
"Uh-oh, I'm out of fuel." Another new voice came over the radio.
"This is the Osean Air Force 8492nd Squadron. We observed the emergency landing on our radar. Can you see us?" I checked my radar and sure enough, a flight of about seven aircraft were on the edge of my scope. "You can leave the rest to us. We'll provide support until the transport plane's crew is rescued."
"Roger, 8492nd. Take care of them for us," Kei said as she and I pulled up to a higher altitude.
"Sure thing," the leader replied. Our flight flew off to the nearby city of Reton to land and refuel before we got back to Sand Island. Once we had landed, we received an update on our planes computer monitors.
'We received a sit-rep from Central Command. The crew on board the transport plane you encountered during your patrol has been rescued by the 8492nd squadron. That is currently all the information we have.'
I glanced over at Kei's plane, she had the information too. She turned over towards my plane and nodded her head. We both began to feel like the end of this war was in sight now that the president would try and have some kind of peace talk. When I was back at base, Pop's gave me a stink eye when he saw my craft with the shrapnel wounds it had received.
"Blaze, what happened to your plane?" he asked calmly, yet in a slightly threatening manner.
"Pop's," I began, "I knew that if you didn't have any work to do, you would go crazy with all your free-time. Consider it a gift." He just chuckled a little and began to walk towards some of the other mechanics who were standing around. Just then I felt an exhausting wave come over me. Kei glanced over at me as she leaped down from her plane.
"You doing okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, just tired," I replied, stifling a yawn.
"Are you tired of anything in particular," she asked as we walked out of the hanger. I shook my head but after another moment of walking, I came up with a better answer.
"I'm tired of this war. I'm tired of having to be a part in it." Kei just nodded her head as we kept walking along to the entrance to the base. We joined Chopper and Grim in the Mess Hall and we all had a late afternoon lunch. There wasn't too much talk between our spoonfuls of soup, but that was just fine with us. We all enjoyed just being around each other and not having to be in our planes to do it.
We were all waiting around for the next few days to see if any word would come on the news about an agreement that had been reached between the two counties to end the hostilities between us and Yuktobania. But after three days and no word about any such talks, we began to wonder what had happened. And then we saw a different kind of news.
"The Arkbird..." Kei whispered one day while we were all in the lounge around the TV. I was reading another article Genette had written on a previous assignment when I looked up at the picture on the large display. What I saw glued me to the spot. The large spacecraft was on the television with a wake of derbies behind it. I reached for the remote on the table to turn up the volume, as Kei still hadn't moved since the image had come on screen.
"- government has called this act a devastating loss in tactical advantage. Again for those of you just joining us, we have some troubling news. The Arkbird has been sabotaged. As of right now, the only details we have are that the power generator for the recently installed laser cannon have been destroyed and that any military application the spacecraft had before is now lost. We now turn to our Oured correspondent-"
"This isn't good," Kei muttered at last. I looked at her slightly confused.
"I thought you were against arming the Arkbird," I said. She pulled her eyes from the TV and faced me before she continued her thoughts.
"That spacecraft was the only thing the president could use if the Yuktobanian's wouldn't play nice. Now they hold all the power again. Why would they come to peace talks now? They weren't interested in it before the war and now that we just lost the only thing that was holding them back, why would they be interested in it now?" I thought about the situation we were in now. Kei was right. This war had just taken a turn for the longer duration. I didn't feel like doing much of anything for the rest of the day and just walked around the halls absently. I didn't even make it to dinner. I just stumbled into my room at 2100 and fell asleep as the weariness of the day struck me down.
When I woke up the next day, I decided I would go for a walk around the base. As I approached the hangars where I knew I would find Pop's, I heard a lot more noise than usual coming from the enclosed shelters. When I stepped inside, I found out it was because of the ground crew tuning two A-10's. As I progressed further into the room, Pop's took notice of my presence and walked over to me.
"We just got them today," he began.
"Why," I asked. "I was starting to get used to the falcons." Pops gave me a nod of understanding. As much as a new plane was cool and, well new, it took a while to get used to it and understand how to maneuver it in the most effective way.
"High command is getting ready in invade Yuktobania. The Colonel's going to brief you today, but it'll be a ground support mission. These Warthogs will do nicely against any ground threats the enemy will throw at you." I nodded in understanding. The A-10 Warthog had an impressive record of survivability and durability. Mr. Elsworth had once talked about a time when his company had received air support from an A-10 and when it had flown into the area, half of the enemies they were fighting surrendered without the plane having to fire even a shot. The fear factor of the plane was not without reason. The gigantic gun sticking out of the front accounted for 16% of the total weight of the aircraft.
"Are the other two planes being worked on as well?" I asked. Pops gave me a sheepish grin. "What?"
"Only you and Chopper are going to be flying the A-10s. Kei and Grimm..." he trailed off. "How about I show you?" he said as he put an arm over my shoulder and steered me off towards the other hangars. As we walked across the tarmac to the other enclosure, I realized just how hungry I was when my stomach growled. "Sounds like someone's a little hungry," Pop's said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, just a bit," I said as we entered the building. Inside were two aircraft that made me envious of my two squad mates. The two F-18C's had an orange tint in the morning's light that made them looked primed and ready for combat. Pop's spoke up again.
"These two planes will provide top cover for you and Chopper. Hope they are sufficient enough for you."
"I'm not the one who's flying them," I said as I turned back towards Pops. Part of me wanted to visually inspect every square inch of the plane but another part of me was desperate for some food. As I began walking towards the exit of hangar, Pop's put his hand on my shoulder.
"You're doing great, Kid," he said somberly. I nodded but I didn't understand where this was coming from. Picking up on my confusion Pop's continued. "You've got the trust of your squadron and you've got the skill to keep them alive. Bartlett would be proud of that. Don't forget that." He gave my shoulder a couple 'get going' pats and I continued on my way to the mess hall for some chow with deep thought coursing through my head. As I walked into the building, I recognized a pilot walking out. He was the only rookie pilot that had managed to stay alive during the attack on Sand Island when we had destroyed the Scinfaxi.
"Hey, where you going?" I asked as he continued on out the doors. He stopped when he heard me call out to him and stood there for a moment before he answered.
"Got transferred out of here. Heading back to Heierlark. There are people there who I," he paused for a moment with a face of thought. I remembered back to the woman who had told us to be careful with the young pilots. I also recalled the conversation with Kei about the reasons for her distress. When we both came out of our contemplation, we just nodded at each other.
"Have a safe trip," I said as I began walking off towards the mess.
"Captain Irving," the man said as I began my strides. I turned around to face him again. "Good luck, sir. With the war and everything." With that, he walked out to a transport that was beginning to pull out of one of the hangar's far down the runway. I was just about to get in line for the morning breakfast line when Chopper came around a corner and spotted me.
"There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you!" he exclaimed as he garbed my wrist and pulled me away from the delicious smell of breakfast burritos and towards the briefing area.
"But-"
"No time for it Kid! The Base Commander is already starting to go off on tangents about how you've gone rouge. We have to get you in there now so he can start the briefing." I sighed as I looked on last time at the mess hall before falling in stride with Chopper. When we reached the room I took my seat while the Base Commander looked at me like he was trying to melt me with laser vision.
"Well, I suppose now we can start this briefing," he said before resuming a more professional demeanor with some prompting from Hamilton. "Our army is finally ready to conduct a large scale counter attack against Yuktobania. If we succeed, we'll never have to face the humiliation of those Yukes trampling on our homeland again. The goal of this operation is simple. We invade and occupy the Yuktobanian mainland." He glanced out over the room before he pressed the button on the podium to initiate the real briefing.
"We are going to conduct a large scale amphibious assault against Yuktobania on the Bastoc Peninsula. This mission will be called 'Operation Footprint.' The landing force will be selected from the 1st and 2nd Osean army battalions. They will be divided into four companies, A, B, C, and D and transported to the area by our landing craft. Upon landing, each division will fan out and destroy the enemy bases scattered throughout the area, then rendezvous and reform into a single large force unit to assault the final target the fortress. The Yuktobanian defense positions along the coast are tightly dug in and we have concluded that air attacks alone will not be enough to destroy them. Therefore, 'Operation Footprint' will be a synchronized air and ground attack to neutralize these positions. It is critical that you follow the specific targeting instructions of the ground commander to maximize the effects of your attacks. We are expecting poor weather conditions and fierce resistance from the Yuktobanian defense forces. The fortress is protected by pillboxes and a defensive wall. Provide close air support for the ground forces and get as many soldiers as possible inside." The projector whirled down and the Colonel retook his position in front of the screen.
"I wish you the best of luck in battle," he said before we all stood at attention as he left the room. We had to be on site by 1630 in order to be synchronized with the ground invasion team. I took the extra time I had and transformed it into a long hot shower. I got suited up shortly after and walked towards the hangars with the A-10's with Chopper.
"How do you think this mission is going to go?" Chopper asked as we reached the half-way point to the aircraft that were being prepped by the ground crew.
"It'll go well if I have anything to say about it," I said to Chopper glancing up at the slightly taller man.
"Hey, Blaze," Kei called out behind us. I turned around to face her as Chopper continued to the hangar.
"What's up?" I asked Kei as she came running towards me with something shinny in each hand.
"I heard from Chopper you didn't get breakfast. Neither did I, so I picked up two burritos for us. Just make sure Pop's doesn't see you with it when you get into the plane," she said with a smile, holding out one of the aluminum wrapped burritos. I reached out and took the burrito and just stood there for a moment. Kei's eyes were on fire with the glow of the early morning sun illuminating them in an orange light, the light breeze making her hair dance around her face. I found myself forgetting to breath or even think on any sort of level and had to pull myself out of my stupor.
"Thanks," I said finally, causing Kei's smile to flourish even more. She nodded her head and walked past me to the hangar where her F-18 was waiting. I blinked a couple of times after her and then remembered we had a mission to do. I got into my A-10 and began to taxi for takeoff.
"I tell you kid," Copper started as we began to line up on the run way. "The way you lead this squadron, it's like Bartlett never even left." I glowed inside at Choppers comment, but I would never tell him that.
"Wardog," the tower called in. "You're cleared for takeoff." Chopper and I began to apply full thrust on the engines of the Warthogs. Once we were up in the air, we began to circle for Kei and Grimm to join us up in the air. Once we were all up in the air, we began our trip oversees. I opened my burrito wrap and began eating the still warm food item. I would have to find some way to repay Kei for her thoughtfulness. We were just outside of the AO when we began picking up the radio chatter from the ground forces.
"Terry. Got something I need to tell you..." The beginning of the conversation reminded me of when Kei had been trying to talk to me.
"The enemy's right in front of us, Scott. Save it for later!"
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Later, then."
"Wardog, this is Thunderhead. The four companies will now land at their designated beach heads. Commence close air support."
"This is Company D. We're almost at the beach." Chopper and I were at a lower altitude and flying just above the amphibious landing force. Chopper suddenly spoke up.
"The hell with this war..." Couldn't have said it better Chopper. Couldn't have said it better.