AN : Finally, I'm back with a new chapter. It took me way longer than I expected, and I'm awfully sorry about the long time you've got to wait for this update.
In this chapter, we're definitely back to some action with the Carrier Qualifications. It's the last one before things become more "heated" with the Task Force setting sail for the Falklands, and the operations going on full force for the retaking of the Islands.
Also, in this chapter, our best enemy is finally back. Yes, even if it's a small appearance, Blunt is back, and he'll be definitely more present in the next chapters.
You'll understand also that with a name as "Excalibur", the code names had to be referenced to the King Arthur saga. So comes the Task Force "Camelot", but also operations and fleets will have their own names, as for example "Lancelot", "Galahad", "Gawain", "Perceval", "Merlin", etc...
But enough chit-chat, here we go with the disclaimer : I do not own AR, it's still Anthony Horrowitz's. The plot and the OC's, though, are mine.
PS : Corrected for the little mix-up in styles in the first paragraphs of the chapter... Sorry about that !
Chapter 13 : Task Force Camelot
HMS Independence, 250 miles north of Ascension Island…
They had barely completed their qualifications that the weather decided to close in on them. A storm was coming from the West, and they had no other choice but to face it… Alas, they still had Yellow section's four aircrafts airborne and it was getting more difficult every passing minute to get them back safely. As, on the request of James, Alex was again acting CO of 617th squadron, he was in charge of the exercises and, of course, he recalled them as soon as he had gotten the storm warning. But as Yellow three was landing not to academically – still a number three yet, but he shortened his approach to the maximum – Alex heard a call all navy man hope never to hear…
"Mother Goose, Typhoon Yellow Four, Mayday Mayday ! I've been struck by lightning. All instruments are off, only have minimal attitude and fuel gauge displays.I'm on emergency power, but I don't know how long I'll be able to handle this bird…"
"Good Lord !", uttered the controller in the OPS Room.
"Tell him to hold position", Alex told him, "I'm going up and will bring him back home. Meanwhile, bring back yellow One and Two, and prepare for a barrier landing."
"Aye, Sir !", he answered as he already crossed the doorway, rushing out towards the deck.
As soon as he arrived there, the crew was already preparing his typhoon for an emergency take-off.
"She'll be ready in five minutes, Sir. We're going as fast as we can."
"That's all fine, guys. There's a lad out there whose life depends on us, so let's do it, OK ?"
"Aye, Sir !"
Meanwhile, the two other Typhoons were landing, the last nearly missing his approach as the weather deteriorating more each passing minute. That's when James came by his friend…
"Hey, Spyboy, I called Wideawake. They're QGO(1), the weather there is even worse than here. Either you bring him down or you're in for a long dip…"
"Don't worry, Jim ! I'll bring him back. I've seen worse than that, so that's not a small little storm that'll get me shit scared !"
"May god hear you, old chap !", he concluded… And as Alex was proceeding to my checks and put the radio on, he heard, broadcast by the ship's radio, this old seaman's prayer…
Eternal Father, Strong to save
Whose arm hath boud the restless Wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty Ocean Deep
It's own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear Us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the Seas !
Wideawake RAF Station, Ascension Island
The weather was really bad, with showers and strong winds coming from the West. Sabina, seated in her living room, was awfully worried about Alex who was at sea. "I really hope he's safe", she thought and, out of her childhood, she remembered an old prayer song she then started to softly sing…
"Abide with me, fast falls the event…"
"What are your singing, Sabina ?", called Jack from the kitchen's door…
"An old prayer song I know well…"
"Worried about Alex, are you ?"
"Yeah… Every second…"
"I know, I feel the same about Richard. I really hope they're safe… You want to sing it with me ?"
"Why not", answered Sabina. She then moved to the piano sitting in the corner of the living, and started to play as she sang with Jack.
Abide with me, fast falls the eventide ;
The darkness deepens ; Lord, with me Abide
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless ; Oh, Abide with me !
HMS Independence, entering the stormy weather
"Damn, it's even getting worse", whined James Alexander from his station as CAG(2) on the bridge…
"Oh, that's nothing, you know… Wait till you've battled against a Typhoon in the Pacific and you'll see that it's just a small gust of wind…", answered Rear Admiral Tolland.
"Yeah… Ah, Typhoon One is ready for Take-Off, I see…"
"All right. Helm, bring her headwind, steer right to two eight zero, full speed ahead !"
"Aye, Sir ! Steering headwind to two eight zero, full speed ahead !"
Typhoon One, Catapult n° 2
"Roger that, Deck. Typhoon One going full afterburner !", called Alex, pushing the throttle to full afterburner, the nose of his aircraft lowering a bit…
"OK, Typhoon One. You're clear for take-off."
"Copy. Ready to take-off !", he answered, saluting the rampant before rearing his head on the headrest in anticipation of the sudden acceleration.
"Wilco, Typhoon One. Launch !", called the yellow shirt while turning sideways crouching, his right arm stretched forward, hand on the deck…
At this signal, the Catapult Officer released Cat n°2's steam valve and the fighter was launched in the air, going from idle to 140 mph in a matter of seconds…
"Typhoon One is airborne", called Alex two seconds after his aircraft had left the deck. "Gear Up, climbing to level Ten. Could you give me a vector to Yellow Four ?"
"Aye, Typhoon One. Yellow four is 30 clicks north of your position, bearing 030, level twelve. Head to zero one five, and proceed to level twelve !"
"Roger and Wilco, Mother Goose !"
Three minutes later, he had a visual on the wounded aircraft and called the pilot.
"Yellow Four, this is Typhoon One. I'm closing in on you from your twelve O'clock. As soon as I'll have joined you, just stay in formation. I'll bring you down to the carrier safe, Kid !"
"Aye, Sir… I still have no avionics, only back-up instrumentation. It seems that the storm shorted all the electrical circuits…"
"OK, Kid. I'll make an offset approach to put you on the groove. You'll just have to stick close to me to be right on the slope. You'll just be on your own for the final three miles, as soon as you'll have a visual on the carrier."
"Will do, Sir !"
"OK. I'm goin' ahead, just follow me."
They then entered the clouds, going down south to level one, heading back towards the carrier.
"Typhoon One for Mother Goose, Status ?", called two minutes later the controller in the Ops Room aboard the Independence.
"Got yellow 4 in tow, bringing him home."
"Al, the weather is quite rough down here", then cut Jim Alexander from his station on the bridge, "how long can you stay airborne ?"
"An hour at the maximum, but about Yellow four I'm not sure… perhaps 20 minutes ? He has no electronics nor instruments, total shortage… He must have been hit by lightning…"
"OK. We'll bring you down here. The barrier is already up for him, but it'll take at least twenty to thirty minutes to clean the deck after he's landed…"
"Don't worry about me, Jim, I'll be OK !"
"I really hope so, or both Jack and Sabina will both kill me…"
Meanwhile, on the deck, the crew was ready to receive the fighter. The barrier was up, and the fire-fighters patiently waiting near their equipment, ready to rush to the incoming aircraft should need arise.
"OK", shouted the deck senior officer, "Everybody out of there to the safe areas, we got a blind guy inbound !"
True enough, they soon heard the whining of the jet engines at full power as the two Typhoon flew over the carrier from the north and turned west to start their landing approach…
"Okay, Yellow Four. Now we'll turn slowly to the right. Just stick to me, right ?"
"Aye, Leader !"
They then turned, getting away from the carrier…
"OK", called Alex again, only twenty seconds later, "We'll make it a short approach. We'll turn 180 degrees sharp to the right. You follow, then as I level you just stick to my right wing. I'll get you on the groove. When I'll call "Meatball left", just focus on the deck and on the meatball, you should normally be all right. Understood ?"
"Loud and clear, Leader. I'll be on my own as soon as you call the meatball."
"Perfect. Turning right on my mark… Mark !"
Alex then banked to the right and pulled hard on the stick, turning back to the Independence. He tried to keep his Typhoon a bit on the left of the perfect slope, and as he checked on his right he saw Yellow four sticking on his right wing like glue. Soon, they were 500 yards from the landing deck, and Alex called his 'wingman' before breaking formation.
"Typhoon One, Meatball slight left. You're right on, Yellow Four !"
"Yellow Four, Meatball", then called the young pilot.
Alex then skidded a few yards to the left and levelled his flight as the other Typhoon was closing in fast. His hook non operation, he was to be stopped by the barrier, but still he came in way too fast.
"Yellow Four, drop full flaps and brakes, you're too fast !"
"Flaps down full, but brakes not responding. Damn, Flame Out ! I'm out of fuel !"
"Stay on the slope, kid… Okay, now you're slowing a bit… Green light !", then called the LSO.
And as Alex's aircraft zoomed on the left of the carrier, Yellow four hit the deck hard. His nose wheel, not resisting the hard landing, collapsed as the Typhoon reached the barrier.
"Crash on the flight deck", called the LSO before the call was repeated by Jim who was on his station on the Bridge.
In seconds, the fire crew rushed to the aircraft, hoses at the ready, and started to pour carbonic foam on the wounded fighter. They quickly opened the cockpit and got the quite shocked pilot out on a stretcher, rushing him to the Island and the inboard medical facilities for a thorough check-up.
Above, circling in his Typhoon, Alex had seen the "drama" unfolding itself and hoped the kid was OK. Soon enough, he heard the carrier calling him on the radio.
"Typhoon One, Mother Goose. We expect the deck to be ready for you in twenty minutes !"
"Copy that, Mother Goose. How's the kiddo by the way ?"
"He's OK, just a mild concussion, he's checked out at the infirmary right now."
"roger that. I still have for 35 minutes of fuel left, plus the ten minutes reserve. What's the weather forecast ?"
"Well, still the same, and there's worse coming from the west…"
At the same time in Port Stanley, West Falkland Island…
Blunt was furious, sheer anger boiling in his veins after reading the message he was sent from the heads of Scorpia. He was to find all he could about Rider, and this by all means necessary… and this message, to top it all, was two weeks old ! Someone in the Argentinian HQ had not done his job or, even worse, sabotaged it !
He called both the transmission officer and Coronel Balbo, commanding officer of the Argentinian troops in Stanley to his office, intending to give them a well deserved lecture about security. As soon as they had entered, the door closing on them, he shoved the message under their noses, fuming !
"This message, sent by your services twelve days ago from the mainland, only arrived today on my deck, and by sheer accident… Care to explain me how this could have happened ?"
"Senhor", answered the transmission officer, "I never saw this message in my decoder room… And only myself and two other people have the clearance to decode such message…"
"Then, we have a traitor in our midst. I suggest you to check thoroughly your crew's whereabouts for the last three weeks. If this was extracted of your transmissions, then only god knows what other piece of information is missing, or even worse has been passed to the enemy !"
"I'll proceed to a full check, Senhor Blunt", answered Balbo. "We'll find your spy, be sure of it".
But what none of them knew was that said spy was also in the room…
HMS Independence, 20 minutes later…
"Mother Goose to Typhoon One, deck free. You're clear to land", called the LSO.
"Roger, Mother Goose. Get your guys ready, I'm comin' in hot !"
"Roger that, Spyboy. Look out on final approach, the deck…", started James Alexander, before he was cut by his friend…
"I know, the deck's quite rocky and slippery… Don't worry too much, Old Chap !", answered Alex to his old friend and then, to the LSO, "Typhoon One, Meatball !"
"OK, Typhoon One, On the slope, a bit high though…", answered the LSO.
"Copy. I'll stay like that. I'd rather not risk a face-plant…"
"Roger Typhoon One !"
Alex continued on his flight line, rain pelting continuously and full force on his canopy.
"OK, Mother Goose, four miles, level point five, speed two thirty."
"Roger. You're still a bit too high. Drop a bit the nose and reduce speed."
"Will do, Mother Goose".
The typhoon flew straight on the perfect slope from this point and, at one mile, he had the meatball centred.
"Typhoon One, one mile, Meatball !"
"You're clear to land, Typhoon One. Keep heading and rate of descent, you're on the groove !"
"Aye… Get ready, boys… Here I come !"
The Typhon then emerged from the darkness and his wheels hit the deck hard, the hook grasping the third arresting wire, abruptly stopping the aircraft… Both the LSO and Jim were shocked… but not as much as Alex… Catching the number three in the heat of a storm at the first try is considered the trademark of the best naval pilots… Only a second later, Alex pulled the throttle to idle, retracted the hook and put on the parking brakes before calling again on the radio.
"Typhoon One on the deck. Do I park this bird here or does it goes below deck ?"
"Cut your engines, Typhoon One. We're towing you to the main elevator, and you'll get out in the main hangar. It's quite pouring out here…"
"Thanks, Mother Goose, I was quite afraid of getting a cold shower over here…", he answered, "but hurry still, the only thing missing in those aircrafts are some toilets…"
"Hey, never heard of diapers ?", cut in James from the deck.
"Jiiiiim…", groaned Alex, "If you want some muddy pictures released, just continue on that way."
"Ok, Ok, we'll hurry", he then answered in a wavery voice…
"That's what I thought", cockily concluded Alex…
AN 1 : Notes
(1) : QGO : Expression meaning that said airfield is closed due to the weather conditions (referring to the expression
(2) CAG :Carrier Air Group, by extension name given to the commanding officer of the Carrier Air Group, (pronounced to rhyme with Rag)
For more on the aviation glossary, visit the website of the PAFT (Princeton Airport Flying Tigers). There is a glossary there, and also the funny "quotes" (my favourite being : Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there !)
Songs :
Eternal Father strong to save (Navy Hymn): Text written in 1860 by William Whiting (originally a Poem), music composed in 1861 by John B. Dykes.
Abide with me : Text written in 1847 by Henry Francis Lyte, tune "Eventide" written by William Henry Monk in 1861.
AN 2 : Well, that's it for chapter 13 : Task Force "Camelot". I integrated two songs I like very much, the Navy Hymn and the song "Abide with Me". Also, I tried to describe as correctly how a pilot lands an aircraft on the deck of an aircraft carrier. I've done this lots of times on my combat flight simulators (Jet Fighter 4, F/A 18 Super Hornet, etc.) but still it's nothing compared to the real thing...
Also, I'm closing the Poll about how Alex will meet Blunt again... As three options were chosen equally, I'll opt for one of those three I feel would be best for the story : They face each other during the final stages of the reconquest of the Falklands, as Alex captures him.
Voila. Next chapter will come later next month, as I'm quite busy between work, exhibitions where I'm attending (making demonstrations of modelling techniques) and my researches for Wings of Glory. There will be the first strike back on the Falkland's based Argentinian troops, and also more about our favourite foe, aka Alan Blunt.
So see you next time for chapter 14 : Operation "Excalibur"