Chapter 10

"So she'll be coming with us? There's not much room in an AWACS as is…" Long Caster was less than amused with the plan, there were now two passengers on his AWACS flight back to Osea. At least they were both military.

Captain Nagase could be excused. A pilot-turned-astronaut he was more than happy to carry on board. The second passenger, this "Brownie", was just some girl who had gotten shot down, and he barely knew who she was.

He shook his head as he went to go meet her.

Seymour led the members of Strider Squadron plus Avril and Brownie to the Erusean hangar. He had them wait outside as the doors were opened dramatically to reveal an Su-30SM. He looked at Trigger.

"Well, sir. This is for you. I got in contact with Mihaly and a base commander and they agreed to let you have it. It's got a bunch of modifications on it, structural reinforcements, extra thrust vectoring angle range, supercruise, you name it."

Trigger walked up to it and touched the nose. "Well, Count. Looks like you have a new ride."

"Alright!" Count said. "Um, who's my co-pilot?"

Trigger mentally slapped himself for not thinking that far ahead. He knew Brownie didn't want to fly in that thing, everyone else had a ride, except…

"Hold that. I'll take this plane. It is for me, right?"

Seymour responded with a nod.

Co-pilot. There was no one in the world Trigger would rather fly with than one person. He looked at her. She immediately knew what he wanted.

"I'd be honored, dumbass. No tricks though. I don't want my leg to die on me."

The group laughed and clapped as the two embraced.

"I guess I should go find Long Caster," Brownie said, giving her old friend and new friends a salute and walking out of the hangar, Seymour in tow.

"Everyone to their crafts!" Trigger ordered, switching from friend mode to squadron commander. The pilots of Strider stood at attention and saluted. Jaeger and Húxiān departed and left Count standing awkwardly in the hangar.

"What am I supposed to fly?" He asked his flight lead.

Trigger motioned towards the plane that had taken down the Ravens. "Not a scratch, Count."

Count's eyes shot open. Trigger was trusting him with his plane? He gave the most serious and meaningful salute he had ever given in his life and took off running towards the Raptor.

"What'll happen to Count's wrecked Eagle?" Avril asked.

"Don't you remember? It'll become a museum piece, according to the Princess."

"Oh, right." She thought back to that day.

"Strider One, you are cleared for takeoff." The control tower operator said. "Thank you for ending the war. I hope you enjoyed your stay in Selatapura."

"Copy that, tower." Trigger began easing the throttle forward.

"Hang on, Trigger, we have a call for the Scrap Queen." Long Caster interrupted.

Trigger cut the engine. Luckily Long Caster had caught him just as the plane had begun to roll.

"I can take it, Long Caster," Avril said it over her cockpit radio.

"Alright, connecting you now."

"Can you hear me?" The familiar voice of Rosa Cossette D'Elise came on Avril's headset.

"I hear you, your highness."

"One day, when I heal, I want to visit you in Osea. Would that be okay?"

Avril smiled "I would be honored, your highness."

"Okay. Have a safe flight. Girls, do you want to say bye to Avril?"

"Will she be back?" Avril heard the voice of Alma, quiet as usual.

"Not for a while," Ionela consoled her sister. "Goodbye, Scrap Queen."

Avril laughed. "Goodbye, Ionela. Take good care of the Princess for me."

"We will, my Queen," Alma said. Avril had to laugh again, and heard the girls on the other end laugh as well.

"I'll miss you guys."

"We'll miss you too."

"You'll see me before long. We'll set up a video call sometime, okay?" Avril offered.

"That sounds wonderful. Tell Three Strikes to fly you home safely." Rosa said.

"I'm sure he will."

"Goodbye!" The three girls on the other end called in unison.

"Au revoir mes chers," Avril responded with the phrase they had taught her.

Their laughter was cut off by the end of the call.

"All done, Trigger." She said with excitement in her chest. "The girls asked you to fly me home safely."

"That's easy. Ready to fly?"

"Ready!"

"Strider One, requesting takeoff clearance." Trigger radioed the tower.

"Copy, Strider One. You are cleared for takeoff. The runway is yours."

Trigger eased the throttle forward as if expecting another call. When none came, he applied more and more thrust and with the gentlest pull, the Su-30SM was off. He eased into a gentle climb before forming up at the head of Strider Squadron.

"AWACS Long Caster to all aircraft. One last fly-over of the city as a goodbye, then to 10,000 meters for cruising altitude. Copy and read back."

"Salamander One, copy."

"Salamander Four, copy."

"Salamander Five, copy. The ocean looks a lot better up here than it does when you're in it, let me tell you."

Laughter briefly came through the coms as the two squadrons laughed at Five's sense of humor.

"Salamander Six, copy."

"Salamander One, copy for flight," the lead craft reported again.

"Cyclops One, copy. Sorry we missed the big fight."

"Cyclops Two, copy."

"Cyclops Three, copy.

"Cyclops Four, copy. Don't know if we could have helped anyway," Lanza laughed.

"Cyclops One, copy for flight."

"Strider One, copy."

A pause.

"Strider Two, do you copy?" Long Caster asked.

"Woo baby, this is a hell of a plane," Count said, leveling himself out from the spin. "Strider Two, copy. Man Trigger, you're gonna have a hell of a time trying to make me give this baby up!"

"Don't push your luck, Count." Trigger laughed over the radar.

Laughter filled the coms for a minute.

"Strider Three, copy. Can't wait to tell my son about this."

"Strider Four, copy. I hope we can all meet him, Jaeger. I don't doubt you'll keep the record straight, but someone's gotta make sure."

"Strider One, copy for flight."

"Roger that. All planes, mark heading Zero- what? Uh sure."

"Um, Brownie here, copy."

Trigger laughed to himself, imagining Brownie forcing her way through the AWACS to get to the radio to make that one joke.

"As I was saying, Zero-One-Five for the fly-over. We will be meeting up- what now?"

The voice of Pilgrim One came over the coms. "Edge, copy."

Laughter again.

Long Caster audibly sighed on the radio. "Anyone else?"

Silence.

"We will be meeting up with a tanker near Nordlands and another near Ratio before heading for home."

Strider One moved his plane into position, the three flights falling in behind him.

As they passed over the city, Avril wondered if Miloš was waving good-bye to them.

After the fly-over, the formation turned to the West and headed out past the Space Elevator. As they climbed, Trigger turned his radio to in-plane and addressed the woman behind him.

"Hey Avril. What color's the sky up here?"

Avril smiled under her mask. "It's the deepest, darkest blue."

Fin