CH. 13: THE VULTURES ARE COMING

-12 Oct. 2010

One day, after returning from a CAP patrol with Grimm, Blaze found that a large press pool had arrived on base. They were getting looked over by the Security Forces to ensure that none of them were enemy agents. 'Okay,' Blaze groaned inwardly. 'I am not going to like this.' Before he could be spotted he had retreated back inside the main complex.

As he walked the halls he discovered that the main classroom had be converted into an interview room. Cameras had been set up, a blue and white background canvas and those lighted umbrellas lined the room. When he entered the crew room he found that Grimm had beaten him there. Chopper, Nagase and Pops were there as well, relaxing.

"Since when have vultures migrated to Sand Island?" Blaze asked out loud to everyone in the room.

"Uh, vultures?" Grimm asked, scratching his head.

"I believe he's talking about the press gang that arrived earlier," Pops said from behind his magazine.

"Bingo," Blaze pointed over in the mechanics direction. He grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down in what became known as his chair.

"Well ever since Genette's article and now in the wake of the destruction of the Scinfaxi the media all want interviews with you," Pops answered.

"Over my rotting corpse," Blaze replied to that.

"What?" Chopper looked over in his direction.

"I'm not going to parade myself in front of those carrion eaters and let them ask nonsense questions," Blaze explained.

"What kind of nonsense questions?"

"Oh the usual: 'How do you feel about the loss of your trainee's?' 'Have you notified their families?' Or my personal favorite, 'How does a person with Belkan ancestry become the leading ace in this war?'"

"They have no business asking those questions," Nagase agreed with him.

"And yet, the bastards will still want to ask them," Blaze grumbled. "If you guys want to you can talk to them; don't let me stop you. But I aint talking to them."

XXXXX

Later that day Chopper was happily going through his interview. Grimm's interview was short and sweet. On the other side of the room Nagase was also being interviewed. She had also been apprehensive about this. And they were indeed asking the questions she hoped they wouldn't. 'How does it feel being the only female pilot in this squadron?' And 'Is it true that you're the first female ace in history?' She detested being viewed as a 'female aviator'. She just wanted to be seen as an ordinary pilot. Unlike Blaze who had avoided the interview altogether, Nagase just danced around those questions. Until, they turned to her Captain.

"Tell us about your commanding officer," the female reporter asked next.

"Blaze?" Nagase quirked an eyebrow.

"Who else?"

"There's not much to say about him," she replied. 'Actually, I could talk all day about him. But I don't think that's what you're interested in.' "He's a strong leader, an excellent pilot and a brave soul."

"And very handsome I hear," the reporter batted her eyes jokingly though Nagase didn't let out one chuckle. "What about his Belkan ancestry? Isn't that a factor in how you view him? Considering the events of the last war?"

'You bitch,' Nagase wanted to strangle the blonde broad who had the audacity to say those things. "Blaze is an Osean." His wingman, Edge, spoke definitively. "And if you want to know his story, ask him."

"He isn't talking to us," the reporter replied. "He has avoided us at every turn and not spoken a word to us."

"I wonder why," Nagase didn't even bother faking confusion.

"Perhaps you can explain it for us?"

"I'll say this: he's not talking to you because he doesn't respect you."

"Respect? What's that got to do with anything? All we wanted to do was ask him a few questions about his background."

"And it's because of that that he doesn't respect you," Nagase clarified. "I'll lay it out for you. You seem think that the fact that he comes from Belkan ancestry has anything to do with his character. He takes that kind of suspicion personally. And I believe that I speak for all of Wardog Squadron when I say that Blaze is our friend and we don't even think of him being a Belkan. So if you ask another distasteful question about Blaze I'll walk away right now." That effectively ended the topic.

That subject indeed sat the same way with Chopper and Grimm. The timid junior pilot of Wardog simply answered the questions with 'no comment' or 'I'm not going to answer that.' Chopper on the other hand just shoved the topic to the side with one sentence: "Why the hell do you care, man?" It didn't take long for whispers of his wingmen's silent defense of him to reach Blaze's ears.

He confronted Nagase about it that night in the lounge. "I heard you jousted with the reporter about me," he said sitting down across from her. "You didn't have to go to that length to defend me, you know."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I just couldn't help myself."

"Well," Blaze mumbled. "I don't think it did much. They're still tailing me like some blood hound." He shot her a glance. "But don't go playing defensive end for me, okay? I can handle a few parasites." Nagase smiled her compliance.

XXXXX

-13 Oct. 2010

The press gang didn't stop trying to get Blaze on camera. They stalked him virtually everywhere always shouting their questions to him. "Is it true your father was a member of the Belkan military?" One shouted as he marched towards the hanger to go over his plane with Pops.

"Have you been met with any suspicion since you've arrived?" Another asked.

"Do you blame yourself for the deaths of your trainees?"

"Is it true your former commander is suspected of being a Yuktobanian agent?"

"Are you the subject of any investigation? Have you ever been a member of the Belkan military?" Blaze just ignored their questions, not even looking in their direction as he left them in his shadow.

"God damn, leeches," Blaze cursed as he strode up to Pops.

"If you sit down with them for just two minutes it might make them go away," Pops offered assistance.

"Or it might make those bloodsuckers thirsty for more." Blaze sighed. "Any idea on when or if we'll get new planes?"

"Central Command has received numerous requests that the Air Force's budget be increased and newer planes be transferred," Pops replied. "It's currently under review and if it passes you'll likely be getting some F-15's."

"That'll be good," Blaze nodded as he kicked the nose wheel. "How are things with you?"

"What are you talking about, Blaze?" The bald man asked the ace.

"Bartlett told me you had some…'family issues'," he said in very low whisper. "Said you were viewed as kind of the black sheep of your family."

"You mean…he told you?" Pops couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"He knew he could trust me to help out if needed."

"Well, thanks. But no, nothings going on with me." 2nd Lt. Beagle shook his head. "But thanks for your concern."

That night, Blaze was in his quarters going over some last minute paper work and intelligence briefs. According to intel Wardog squadron had seriously broken the enemy's back when they devastated their invasion fleet. They lost a good deal of their logistics stores in that battle and as a result, their ability to launch offensive operations was seriously diminished.

As he stretched and reached to turn off his desk light there was a knock on his door. "Come in," a second later Nagase stepped inside. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to tell you that the reporters, with the exception of Genette, will be leaving in the morning."

"That'll be a load off my shoulders," Blaze replied sitting against his desk as Nagase sat in a chair with the back in front of her.

"You don't like them, do you?"

"It's nothing personal," Blake waved his hands. "I like Genette. He's an honest guy and doesn't get annoyingly nosey. But the rest of them…they're little more than vultures. Half their questions were about our lost nuggets!"

"Yeah…same with me. Except they wanted to know if I blamed you or someone else for their deaths." Blaze scoffed at that. "They also wanted to know about our 'relationship'."

"GACK!" Blaze nearly choked on the cookie he was eating. "They what!?"

"I paid no attention to them," Nagase gave a tiny smile.

'Our 'relationship'?' Blaze had no idea what to think of THAT. He had never been in a relationship before. 'This getting more complicated by the day.'