Late Summer 1973
67th Fighter Weapons Squadron
USAF Fighter Weapons School
Nellis AFB, Nevada
Having gotten to the O club nearly 45 minutes early, Audrey waited nervously. Once again, she chose the white long sleeved blouse and the knee length green skirt. She went all out with the jewelry, putting on her diamond pendant necklace, her diamond earrings, and the diamond and gold fox brooch that she had gotten from her father, on the left side of her blouse. She styled her hair differently, plaiting it into a long braid on the left side of her head and tossing it over her left shoulder. Her makeup was done by the beautician at the Base Exchange, and she wondered it it was too dramatic. Finally she sprayed on her Shalimar and then wondered if it was too heavy. She wanted to bowl Will over, to be beautiful for him, but she was nervous, hoping she hadn't overdone it.
When she talked with Will this morning, he sounded so normal. But there had been so much that had gone on between them, that things couldn't be normal. They had to really talk, clear the air, and be honest about any kind of misunderstandings, and hopefully come back together as a couple. One way or another, things had to change, they couldn't stay the way they are now.
Audrey thought about getting a drink to calm her nerves, but then a vision of her and Misty in the hallway of the BOQ that night flashed through her mind. It quickly killed that idea. Audrey clutched her purse tighter and tried not to fidget, as butterflies in her stomach started fluttering. She remembered the last date she and Will had, and her cheeks burned red. She had yelled and lectured Will for something like an hour, as she overrode anything he had to say, drenching him in a storm of anger, scorn and sharply pointed sarcasm. She planned to apologize for that, and hope that he would forgive her for being so mean, and forget it ever happened.
At precisely 1725. Will strode into the O Club lounge. Even though he was wearing civilian clothing, his bearing was strictly military. His face was an unreadable mask. Just looking at how formidable he appeared, Audrey's nervousness increased. The butterflies in her stomach turned into CH-47 Chinook helos.
"Will!" Audrey called out in a bright cheery tone, pasting on what she hoped was her brightest smile.
"Good evening, Audrey" Wii said, in a quiet, steady voice that betrayed nothing about his thoughts.
Those helos churning Audrey's stomach started doing aerobatics now. She hid a grimace with another bright and what she hoped was an inviting smile. She saw he had a corsage in a plastic box, and her heart lurched a little. Maybe things would be okay. She thought. She stepped closer to Will, to let him pin it on the right side of her blouse. To her shock and disappointment, Will took the corsage out of the box and carefully strapped it to her right wrist. Gesturing to the dining room, he let Audrey lead the way.
The waitress came to greet them, and before she could say anything, Will stepped in.
"We all would like a quiet table for two tonight." he said in that neutral steady voice.
"This way please" said the waitress, as she led them to the far corner of the dining room.
Both Will and Audrey sat, as the waitress set out service for two, two glasses of water, and handed each of them a menu.
"Tonight is Steak Night. We have specials on the Porterhouse and Rib-eye, as well as Prime Rib. If you want to look over the menu, I'll be back to take your order in a couple of minutes" she announced and departed at Will's nod.
Will flipped open his menu and started studying it intently. Audrey put hers aside, already knowing what she wanted. The silence was driving her crazy. She reached out and touched Will's hand, but he moved his hand away and continued studying his menu. Finally she had enough of this.
"Will, we need talk" she said, an edge of impatience in her voice.
Will carefully closed his menu and set it down just as carefully. He took a drink of water and then fixed Audrey with a carefully neutral expression that was not quite a glare.
"Are we all really gonna to talk or are y'all gonna to talk and Ah have to listen?" he asked, in a flat expressionless voice.
Ouch! Audrey visibly winced. He definitely hasn't forgotten. Will he forgive me if I apologize? She wondered.
"I want to apologize for that. I said a lot of hurtful things, and I'm sorry. Yes, WE will talk. You have as much right to be heard as I do." Audrey said in a sad tone, lowering her head.
"Okay, Ah'll believe you this time." Will said, even as he slowly arched a skeptical eyebrow.
At that moment, the waitress reappeared with her order pad in hand.
"So, have you decided what you'd like to order?" she asked in bright cheery voice.
At Will's nod, Audrey spoke up.
"I'll have the large rib eye, medium rare, with sauteed mushrooms, garlic mashed and green beans. I'd also like the shrimp cocktail. I'd like coffee to drink."
Will said, "I'd like the medium Porterhouse, medium rare, with the fried onion strings, baked potato with everything but chives, and corn. I'd like the house salad with Italian dressing, no cucumbers and I'd also like coffee."
The waitress hurried away, and both Will and Audrey turned to look at each other.
"I'll start. What was your "secret" mission? You said you were finally cleared to talk about it. Did it have anything to do with your trip to the Pentagon? What happened there? And why were you so consumed with it for weeks? Why did your attitude change so much?" Audrey asked, shooting questions in a rapid fire manner, like an attorney questioning a witness.
"It's kinda complicated. Ah wasn't the only one called to the Pentagon. General Jackson called in all the Ravens, the Mistys, the Stormys, the Wolves, the Night Owls, the Candlesticks, the Blind Bats, the Whiplashes, and the Laredos. In fact, anyone who flew FAC missions in Nam, that were still in the Air Force, was there." Will replied in a neutral 'giving an after action report' tone.
"There were over 400 of us gathered in one of the Pentagon's assembly halls. General Jackson came out, and thanked us for doing a good job in Nam. Then he tells us to forget everything we learned over there. He said that the next war against the Neuroi will be totally different, that we won't have the same luxury of ruling the skies like we did or the time to adjust in a low intensity environment. It's going to be high intensity and fast paced in ways we haven't seen before. To meet that threat, we are going to have to use our intelligence, our organization, our ingenuity, and our strength of mind and will. We are going to have to change the way we fight." Will continued.
"That's when he unveiled a new doctrine he called AirLand Battle 2000. What it means, is that we develop new ways of detecting, identifying and tracking Neuroi, integrate command and control at lower levels, not to micromanage, but to coordinate responses to the tactical situation to further operational objectives and much closer cooperation between air and land forces." Will stated.
"On the tactical level, he's talking about new aircraft and Strikers, armed with new weapons, that he called PGW, or precision guided weapons. The idea being, as he called it, 'one shot, one kill". He also mentioned new organizational elements to fully integrate land and air assets into a 'strike package', with the flexibility to adapt to almost any tactical situation." Will answered, as if he was delivering an oral after action report. Will wound it up, as he took a drink of water.
"Okay, that sounds like a whole lot, but it doesn't sound like something that's going to be kept secret." Audrey pointed out.
"Well, after that meeting, 5 of us get called up to General Martin's office" Will explained.
Audrey was surprised. General David "Buster" Martin was the Air Force Chief of Staff, and was serving as Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In other words, he was the highest ranking officer in Liberion's Air Force, and the second-highest ranking officer in all of Liberion's military. What did he want with Will and four other officers?
"General Martin said that the Air Force had historically forgotten the lessons of the last war, and had to relearn the lessons of CAS over again with each new war. He wanted us to form teams of fellow officers who flew CAS and FAC missions in Nam. He wanted all of us to perform a summary of all the after action reports from all the CAS missions, broken down by years.. Naturally, I drew the busiest of years, 1967-1968. He said he was well aware of General Jackson's perspective, and that we had to keep this on a need to know basis, to avoid any appearance of undermining General Jackson's command authority." Will said, with an acid edge to his voice.
"So, I got "Easy" Erickson, "Thumper" Thomas, and "Grumpy" Henderson as part of my team. Colonels Raymond and Washington were informed that we were working on a 'special project' for General Martin, and we were exempted from the instructional cycle. They shipped us copies of all the after-action reports for 1967-68, and we went to work, reading, summarizing and writing. And that's what we've been doing for the past few months. We sent off our summary last week, and received clearance to talk about it a couple of days ago." Will stated.
"But why did your attitude change so abruptly while working on this? For the longest time, you seemed angry, frustrated and cynical. What happened?" Audrey asked, genuine concern in her voice.
Will hesitated and looked down at the table for a couple of moments before he looked up at Audrey.
"Going through the after action reports, some things that stood out to us. Number one the total lack of organization and overall coherent strategy in CAS operations. It was like each and every mission was a result of an ad-hoc response to a situation. The second was the sheer amount of waste, of time, aircraft and Strikers, pilots and Witches, and ordnance. It was like the only reaction was to throw more resources and ordnance at the Neuroi, as if that would solve the problem. It frustrated and angered us that no one in the senior leadership would take control, set out the strategy, the doctrine and the procedures to do the job with what was on hand and rein in all these knee-jerk reactions to the tactical situation. Ah'm certain you saw it too." Will stated passionately.
Audrey sat back, stunned. There were times during her last tour, that she wondered what the overall strategy was behind what she had been tasked with. She carried out her missions to the best of her ability, trusting higher command knew what they were doing. To find there was no overall strategy or organization to speak of, confirmed some of her worst fears. However, the announcement from General Jackson, as TAC Chief, made it seem like he was aware of the problem, and was taking steps to fix it.
"My turn. There's no doubt that y'all are sweet and charming. It kinda sticks out all over y'all. And Ah have no problem bein' charmed by y'all. But when y'all try to charm me into doin' something for y'all, or charmin' me into given y'all somthin', it kinda makes me uncomfortable." Will said quietly with a smile, as his drawl got thicker.
Audrey blushed. Caught in the act! She thought. It had been normal for her to turn on the charm to get what she wanted or needed, ever since she was a child. It worked flawlessly with her father and a number of men she had worked with. It wasn't as effective on other women, but most appreciated being charmed, even if they didn't always give her what she wanted. I keep on forgetting how intelligent, observant and perceptive he is! She thought ruefully.
"So what you propose as a solution? It seems like you've been thinking about this for a while" Audrey retorted rather sharply.
"Well, how about this? Y'all tell me what y'all want, and then state y'all's case for it as logically and objectively as y'all can? Then, Ah can tell y'all 'yes' or 'no', and tell y'all why. How's that sound?" Will asked, looking Audrey steadily in the eye.
Audrey considered it. Setting aside using her charm to get others to give her stuff or do things for her, seemed like voluntarily disarming herself. On the other hand, doing so, with just Will, would garner a lot of good feelings from him. This has apparently been on his mind for a while, and he would be watching her carefully, to see if she tried it again. Besides, doing it his way, appealed to her logical and objective side. She'd give his way a sincere try. She smiled to herself, thinking he didn't say I couldn't use my charm for other purposes!
"All right, we'll do itlike that. I'll do my best to be more direct about what I want and need, and more logical about why. Deal?" Audrey said, with a brightness she really didn't feel.
Will's expressionless face broke into a warm smile and Audrey's heart flipped over.
"Deal!" he said, with a warmth that wasn't there before. Audrey quietly sighed in relief. Maybe they were on their way back to being a couple.
The waitress arrived with their dinners, and both of them dug in, hungrily. It wasn't the best dinner in Las Vegas, but it was close and the price couldn't be beat. Both of their appetizers arrived at the same time, so there was more than enough food to plow through. For a time, there was quiet, as both Audrey and Will enjoyed their dinners.
Sipping their coffee, Audrey restarted their discussion.
"My turn, Will. There have been times where you have clammed up, and been as talkative and as easy to read as a blank stone wall. It frustrates me to no end, because I never know what you're thinking or feeling. You asked me to be direct with you, and I've agreed. I would like to ask the same of you, that you be as direct with me on what you're thinking and feeling." Audrey stated, with a firm confidence.
Will didn't say anything for a few moments. He seemed to concentrate on his steak and baked potato with a single minded focus. Head down, he chewed slowly, looking like he was having an intense internal debate. After a few minutes, he swallowed, and looked Audrey in the eye, with a conflicted expression.
"Audrey, this here's all complicated and Ah need time to explain it properly, so if y'all can hold any comments or questions until Ah'm finished, Ah'd appreciate it." Will intoned in a quiet serious voice.
Audrey nodded, with a puzzled expression. What could be so complicated about telling someone what you're thinking and feeling? It seems like it should be so natural and straightforward for everyone, as it was for her.
Will took a long drink of his coffee, and settled back. His gaze turned distant, as if he was seeing a memory from long ago. His expression became a mixture of nostalgia, pain, sadness, anger and bitterness. It frightened Audrey, because she never had seen this side of Will before.
"When Ah was younger, Ah learned first hand, that there were bad people in this world. People who took joy inflicting pain and misery on all those around them, just because they could. They would use their strength, will and whatever power they had to forcefully bend others to their will. They'd all use anything at hand to inflict physical pain, belts, straps or even just their hands. But their weapon of choice was words. Why? Because y'all can inflict serious pain on someone with words, and there wouldn't be any visible scars or bruises. And y'all could keep on doin' it for as often and as many times as y'all like. Words delivered in the right way can cut deeper than any blade, inflicting wounds deeper than a sword. And since y'all are bleeding on the inside, no one can tell how badly y'all are hurting. So y'all carry your pain inside, and only time can heal it. Sometimes it takes months, sometimes years,
And there are those wounds that are so deep and painful, it seems like they'll never heal." Will kept on talking, as if Audrey wasn't there.
"Of course, they'll try passing those words off as a joke. Somethin' that's supposed to be funny. Even worse, they'll tell you it's for y'all's own good, to 'toughen y'all up'. Y'all learn to guard y'alls words and expressions, not giving them a reason to react and take delight in beating you down and acknowledging that they all hold this power over y'all." Will continued quietly.
"If y'all ask me what Ah'm thinking or feeling, Ah might not answer right away. It's gonna take me some time to process or sort out what Ah'm actually feeling or thinking. Also, it's probably going to take some time to get over guarding mah thoughts and feelings, and let someone know that. Finally, it may take some more time for me to say it in a way that isn't hurtful or insensitive. Ah've been on the receiving end of too many hurtful things said, and Ah never want to hurt anyone like that, if Ah can help it." Will said, looking steadily at Audrey.
Audrey sat there, stunned by what she heard. One part of her was thrilled to have Will open up to her. For so long, he seemed to be the living embodiment of the fighter pilot ethos; bottomless self confidence, dynamic smart aggressive action, unyielding determination, and unflinching courage. She was pleased to see that there was much more to him than just that. Her heart went out to the young boy who endured such unrelenting pain and abuse, marveling how he kept his identity and sense of self from being crushed by it all, and seeing him grow into the intelligent, strong, perceptive, steadfast man before her.
Then Audrey's eyes widened in horror, and she turned away, hiding her face in her hands. What have I done to him? I've heaped the same kind of abuse on him that he's fought through all his life! Will he be able to forgive me? She thought. She started sobbing, feeling so small and mean, not able to look Will in the eye.
"Audrey, look at me" Will stated quietly in a stern commanding tone. He paused for a second, and in a gentler, softer voice, he said, "Audrey, I need you to look at me, please".
Audrey dropped her hands from her face, and turned to face Will, looking him in the eye. She didn't want to, not after all the things she had said to him. But there was something in his voice that compelled her to obey. She wiped away her tears, and looked at him, trembling, waiting fearfully for his reaction, steeling herself to endure whatever anger and outrage that he would heap on her.
Will gazed at her steadily for a moment. Then he broke into a warm gentle smile. He reached out and gently touched her hand.
"Audrey, Intent means a lot to me. Y'all didn't say what y'all said out of meanness or spite. Y'all were concerned, and frustrated that there didn't seem to be anything y'all could do to make it better. Tell y'all what, if Ah need help, y'all be the first one Ah ask. If Ah don't, can y'all trust me to know what Ah'm doing and that Ah'll handle it the best way Ah know how?" Will asked quietly.
Audrey sat silently for a moment. She nodded, the sense of relief washing over her, made her feel light headed.
"You're forgiving me?" she asked, tentatively.
"Well, y'all could call it forgiveness. Let's just say that it's in the past, let's leave it there and move forward." Will drawled, with a slow smile.
"Agreed!" Audrey declared with a great deal of feeling, flashing her brightest smile. Maybe things can get back to the way they were before, she thought.
"Hold on, Audrey. Ah've got one more thing to bring up" Will drawled, holding up a hand, with a smile.
"Ah know how y'all like to weigh every decision, debatin' the pros and cons. Ah also know y'all like to think out loud, Ah've got no problem with that. Ah also appreciate y'all wanting' my opinion, and Ah've got no problem givin' it. Here's the favor Ah'd like to ask from y'all. Can y'all keep the debate to under an hour? Ah kinda lose concentration beyond that. It also seems counterproductive goin' back over the same points again and again. It kinda makes y'all look indecisive and wishy-washy" Will said, keeping that smile of his.
"'Sides, there's gonna be times where y'all can't have all the facts, or time to consider everything. Y'all are gonna have to make the best decision y'all can on the spot. That's one of the things a commander has to do." He continued.
At Audrey's shocked expression, Will smiled and said "Y'all heard me right, Ah think y'all be a commander, probably sooner than y'all think."
Audrey sat there, thinking. She was a Strike Witch, not a paper pusher. But if she was going to stay in the Air Force, there wasn't any of avoiding it. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. She'd be the one to lead and guide the newly commissioned girls and mold them into effective Strike Witches. It would be almost like being an instructor, but with more authority to run things the way she wanted. And she could still fly, if she chose to.
Audrey shook her head. Got to concentrate on the here and now. She thought.
"All right, I'll do my best to keep my decision making more concise. But, if new facts come up, any decision should be reopened for debate and consideration." Audrey stated firmly.
"Fair enough, but are y'all sure y'all didn't miss y'alls calling in being a lawyer or JAG officer?" Will said, teasingly with a smile.
Audrey blushed. The debating and arguing came naturally to her. It was her way of coming to a fair and equitable decision. How could you do that if you couldn't argue the merits of each factor that went into the decision? And the last thing she wanted to be, was unfair.
"One last thing, some of my fellow instructors think you're something I dreamed up. I was wondering if we could have a small dinner, and I can introduce you as my boyfriend and kill off those rumors" Audrey asked
"Sure, shouldn't be a problem for a few, say five of them?" Will replied, with a slow smile.
"Great! I'll arrange everything. Just show up and be your charming self!" Audrey exclaimed.
"Is there anything else y'all want to discuss?" Will asked.
"Now can we have some dessert?" Audrey whined and pouted.
"Sure we can!" Will replied enthusiastically.
They shared a hot fudge sundae, as they made plans to start working out together again, running in the morning and weight training in the afternoon.
The rest of the week was kind of a blur. Audrey was surprised how much she missed working out with Will, who was impressed how now she could do 20 reps of bench press with 10 pounds over her body weight. She was surprised how out of shape Will was, being only able to run 5 miles and weight train for only a half hour. He vowed to get back into shape as quickly as he could. In spite of that, normalcy seemed to return to Audrey's life.
The dinner, which Audrey footed the bill at the O club, was a resounding success. Audrey had invited JJ, Squeaky, Gunner, AC, a new instructor, and Danno. There were gasps of astonishment when Will came up to the table. Apparently no one figured he would be Audrey's boyfriend.
JJ pressed for details on how they met. Will and Audrey told the story of how they first met as Strike Witch and FAC, and how they seemed to be paired together on a number of CAS missions over northern and central Laos.
Everyone, including Danno, pressed Will further about his two tours as a Raven FAC, and Will obliged them by regaling them with a number of stories filled with humor, courage, heroism and tragedy. At the end of his last story, Will stood up, raised his glass and asked them all to join him in a toast "to fallen comrades and the courageous ones who never left Vietnam". Everyone raised their glasses, echoing his toast and downing their drinks.
To lighten the mood, JJ started asking about the wedding and honeymoon, causing Audrey to blush. She'd been thinking along the same lines, but never voiced it to Will, not wanting to hurry or pressure him into a decision. Will laughed, and said that such talk was way early, and he just wanted time to be with Audrey and enjoy special moments to come.
Everyone got more than a little drunk, except Will and Danno, and the night got louder and rowdier. Everyone but Danno, started flirting outrageously with Will, especially JJ.
Audrey grabbed Will, draping herself all over him, as she gave him a big passionate kiss. She turned to JJ and proclaimed.
"Eat your heart out, JJ! This one's MINE! Go find your own!" and then she burst out in giggles.
The dinner broke up soon after that, with Will driving Audrey back to the BOQ, and Danno making sure everyone else got home safely.
During the week, Audrey was in her office, going over new material in preparation for the new class cycle that was coming up. Master Sergeant Alvarez stuck her head in and announced,
"Captain, Colonel says she wants to see you in her office now."
Wondering why she sent the Master Sergeant to fetch her personally, instead of calling, Audrey arrived at Danno's office, to find the inner door open. Danno looked up from her paperwork, and motioned Audrey in.
"Come on in, Boings, close the door and have a seat" Danno said in her typical brisk tone.
"What can I do for you, ma'am?" Audrey asked, still puzzled on what was going
Danno smiled warmly at Audrey, and some of the tension in her gut relaxed.
"First of all, I want to congratulate you and Will. I think you'll make a splendid couple. Second, we've got an assignment from the Commandant's office. In fact, all of Fighter Weapons is in on this, both conventional and Strike Witches. We've been tasked to take part in an instructional video for members of Congress to explain our mission and show off our skill and expertise. As I said, all of Fighter Weapons is involved. We are going to show what a Strike Witch can do. I've selected you to be the Witch, mainly because you have the most recent combat experience. Major Thomas will brief you on the details, but you'll fly a simulated CAS mission, at the direction of a ground FAC. It will be tape recorded, and made part of the whole video to be played for new members of the Senate and House Armed Service Committee, to give them an understanding of who we are, what we are teaching, and how it enhances readiness. Depending on the production and its reception, there is talk of the Chief of Staff ordering it made public through the PIO."
"Wow, thanks, ma'am. I'm not sure I'm worthy of such an honor" Audrey managed to get out, while being totally shocked by this new mission.
"It also helped that the Commandant 'suggested' you would be the ideal Witch for this mission.
Think about it, Boings. You're gonna be a TV star!" Danno laughed.
"When is this supposed to take place, ma'am?" Audrey asked.
"They're talking about sooner, rather than later, so it could happen tomorrow or Friday. You'd better get with Thumper and get everything squared away." Danno replied.
"Is there anything else, ma'am?" Audrey asked, as she stood.
"Nothing else from my end. You're dismissed." Danno answered briskly.
Getting to the Squadron Ops office, she found Major Jennifer "Thumper" Thomas in her inner office, going through a stack of papers. The Major looked up at Audrey and motioned her into her office.
"Glad to see you here, Boings! We're trying to get this pulled together for tomorrow morning. Sorry about the rush, but the 'powers that be' have had this in the works for a few months and just want it done and finished, ASAP" Thumper said.
"Can you give me any mission details? The Colonel was kinda vague and said you'd fill in the blanks." Audrey replied, trying not to let her anxiety show in her voice. It all seemed like a thrown together improvisation to her, and very few of those had ever gone well.
Thumper handed Audrey the sheaf of papers he had been working on, which Audrey started reading with interest.
"This should help. You'll be flying Striker 451, which should be ready to go tomorrow. You'll be carrying a max load of Mk77s and Mk 84 Snakes. We'll be conducting operations on Range 74. Should give us enough room to maneuver and show off some stuff. You'll be at the direction of a ground FAC, and there'll be 3 targets, one for the Snakes, one for the Mk77s, and one for strafing. After you're done, just RTB, debrief and you'll be done. We're looking to be wheels-up no later than 0830, so takeoffs won't be so challenging. We'll have final briefing at 0745 tomorrow. Any questions?" Thumper announced.
Audrey shook her head. "No, I think that covers it for now. Any other questions I have will probably be answered during the final briefing." she answered.
"Dismissed, Boings. See you tomorrow morning!" Thumper said, as she waved Audrey out of her office.
As Audrey left the Ops office, her mind started going over the mission and what she needed to do. There seemed a lot left unsaid, and she hoped the pre-mission briefing would at least address those issues. She was still preoccupied with the upcoming mission, so she didn't notice how Will was smiling in a knowing manner, and not asking what was bothering her while they went through the weight training circuit. She didn't work out as hard as she normally did, just enough to keep limber and flexible. She was so focused on tomorrow, she barely acknowledged the kiss Will brushed her cheek with. She ate a light dinner and went to bed early.
Like most Strike Witches, Audrey followed a well-defined routine before any mission. She was awake 2 ½ hours before the final pre-mission meeting started. She took a quick shower and then got dressed. First she put on a pair of regulation OD green bikini shorts. Next came the sports bra. She pulled on a long sleeved padded Nomex undershirt. She checked her OD green fatigue shirt, making sure the name and service tags looked okay, that her subdued cloth rank insignia were on the lapels, her Strike Witch Wings were placed properly, and that the proper squadron insignia patches were on the shoulders of the sleeves. The 67th squadron patch was on her left sleeve, signifying her current assignment. The 112th squadron patch was on her right sleeve, signifying her last combat assignment. Finally, there was the Fighter Weapons Instructor patch on the left chest pocket. She pulled on her flight jacket, after making sure all its insignia and patches were properly place as well. Satisfied that it was all in order, she put it on.
Audrey then turned to the mirror, and set to gathering her hair into a tight bun on the back of her head. After pinning it tightly and making sure it was secure, she put on her chronometer and dog tags. Next, she reached for a tube of moisturizing sunscreen and put some on her face, neck, throat and legs. She then put a coat of Chapstik on her lips. She slipped into a pair of light sandals, threw her keys and wallet into her flight bag, grabbed it and headed out.
Audrey had her usual pre-mission breakfast of scrambled eggs, wheat toast, hash browns, coffee and orange juice. Checking her chronometer, she saw she had an hour and 45 minutes before the briefing. Time to go and do her pre-flight walk around and confer with the senior armaments NCO about the mission load out.
Audrey walked into the squadron hanger, remembering 451's cradle was at the far left hand corner of the hanger. Walking up to 451's cradle, she saw floodlights illuminating it, with a figure in maintenance overalls bent over the Striker
"Hello?" Audrey called out to the figure.
The figure straightened to attention, and a deep, rumbling bass voice answered, "Ma'am!"
"Oh, it's you, Chief Master Sergeant. Carry on." Audrey said, relieved.
Chief Master Sergeant John Dalton was the senior crew chief of the 67th. Nominally, he was the crew chief of Danno's Striker, but he was moved around to different duties, because of his knowledge, skill, experience and expertise. He was one of the first Striker maintenance and repair technicians during the early part of the Second Neuroi War, and had soon earned a reputation of for repairing seemingly written off wrecks. On more than one occasion, he managed to produce mission capable Strikers from a stripped chassis and pile of discarded parts. Nellis was his last posting before retirement, and getting him assigned to the 67th was one of Colonel Washington's coups.
The Chief Master Sergeant carefully replaced an access panel on the Striker. He picked up 4 bolts off the tool cart beside him, and used them to secure the access panel. He picked up a torque wrench, and tightened the bolts to the prescribed torque. Putting down the torque wrench, he picked up a notebook, pulled a black pen out of his pocket, and began writing on several of the pages.
"What's up, Chief Master Sergeant?" Audrey asked.
"Just finishing up 451's 500 hour check, ma'am" the Chief Master Sergeant rumbled, as he signed and dated the last page, handing the notebook to Audrey.
Audrey was surprised. A 500 hour maintenance check normally took up to a month, because it involved stripping the Striker of major component assemblies, visually inspecting them, testing them individually, reinstalling them, and then testing them again as a system. It was the closest thing to rebuilding a Striker in the field the Air Force could manage. Audrey began to feel a little better about the upcoming mission, if they were taking this kind of care and it appeared that the planning for it had been in the works for awhile.
Audrey took the notebook, opened it and began reading, slowly turning the pages. She stopped at one page.
"You replaced the magic flow regulators, Chief Master Sergeant? I thought they only needed replacement every 350 hours." Audrey asked.
"They looked a little worn, and had trouble holding a nominal adjustment. Figured it'd be easier to replace them now, since we were in there anyway, ma'am" the Chief Master Sergeant explained, with a shrug.
"So, how's she look, Chief Master Sergeant?" Audrey asked, as she handed the notebook back to him.
The Chief Master Sergeant's dark face split into a big smile, his teeth a brilliant white against his complexion.
"She's ready to dance, Ma'am" He said with a laugh.
Audrey breathed a silent sigh of relief. If Chief Master Sergeant Dalton said a Striker was "ready to dance", it meant it was as right as he could make it and that any problems it might have, wouldn't be because of any thing he could touch.
"Thank you, Chief Master Sergeant. I appreciate all your hard work. Can you give me a few minutes with 451?" Audrey asked.
"Sure thing, Ma'am. Have a good flight." he replied, as he put all of his tools and instruments on the cart and wheeled it towards the tool crib.
Like most Witches, Audrey talked to her Striker before a mission while doing her pre-flight walk around. She always made time to spend a few minutes talking, often about the mission, sometimes about just about things that were on her mind. She knew a few Witches who didn't, which seemed kind of disrespectful to her. It took both of then working in unison to accomplish a mission and make it back safely, and she felt she owed it the Striker to at least talk to her about it, silly as it seemed.
"Hey there, how you doing? Chief Master Sergeant Dalton said you're ready to dance. I see you just got repainted as well. The new desert camo looks good on you. Yeah, they say you're gonna be carrying a capacity load out, so let's not do anything too crazy before we release it, okay? They say we'll be on TV for select members of Congress, and maybe for the public. Ready to put on a good show? Let's go out there and show them what a Strike Witch and Striker can do!" Audrey said quietly, as she lightly ran her hand over the Striker.
A discreet cough caught Audrey's attention, and she turned to see Senior Master Sergeant Milt Freeman, the senior NCO of the maintenance squadron's armaments section, waiting for her. The Senior Master Sergeant got his start loading bombs, rockets, napalm and bullets at the beginning of the Kita Conflict, in the snow, ice and subfreezing temperatures during the desperate attempts to slow the Neuroi during the battle of Chosin. Like Chief Master Sergeant Dalton, Nellis was to be his last posting before retirement. Most of the other Strike Witches found him to be like an accountant; meticulous, precise and more than a little fussy. But considering that he dealt with so many things that could level the whole hanger area on a daily basis, this was regarded as a perk.
"Ma'am, I got the warning order, and I wanted to discuss the load out with you. We've refitted the Mk 84s with the high drag fins and tested them out. They'll have to go on the ventral hard points because they're too bulky and heavy otherwise. I remember you saying that you didn't like anything loaded on the inboard lateral hard points, right ma'am?" the Senior Master Sergeant said, in a dry factual tone.
Audrey nodded. Any ordnance on the inboard lateral hard points meant she had to fly with her legs spread apart, until she released it. That was just too tiring and painful for her.
"Okay, ma'am. I was going to suggest the Mk77s go on the outboard lateral hard points anyway. Oh, and for your M60, your whole ammo load will be tracer. There'll be a green one every 50 rounds, so it's going to look pretty for the cameras. Also I want to warn you, that even though it's got the heavy barrel, you'll need to limit your bursts to keep the barrel from overheating. It's air cooled, so it may take a few minutes for it to cool enough between bursts not to burn you. That should do it. Is there anything else I can help with, ma'am?" the Senior Master Sergeant intoned, as he made notes on the clipboard he held.
Audrey shook her head. "That seems to cover it, Senior Master Sergeant. Thank you for all your hard work." she said.
"Then I'll get my guys to load up 451. She should be ready to go by the time you come out of your briefing, ma'am." the Senior Master Sergeant said, as he turned and went towards the base ordnance facility.
Audrey went to her locker to finish getting ready. She liked to do that before the briefing. Opening the locker, the first thing she pulled out was her SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) pack. She checked the survival supplies, making sure they were all present, accounted for and currently dated. Then she checked the pair of walking shoes and the two pairs of socks. As she did, the scar on the arch of her left foot throbbed briefly, reminding her of why she needed them. She fastened the pack around her waist. Audrey then pulled out her voice activated throat mike, checked the battery charge and then fastened it around her neck. She put her radio earpiece in her left ear and connected it to the throat mike. She took out her shoulder holster, put over her left arm and fastened the buckles around her chest. She took down her helmet, closed and locked her locker and headed to the squadron armory.
At the armory, Audrey drew her. .45 Automatic pistol and three clips. The clips got stowed in the pouches on the shoulder holster, and the pistol was put in the holster and secured by a strap. Audrey didn't like keeping a loaded pistol in her holster. She figured there'd be time to load it, if she got shot down or forced to eject.
She remembered the Marines who had rescued her in Vietnam, laughing at her .38 snub nosed revolver. The senior sergeant explained that all a .38 Special would do, would be to annoy a Neuori by waking it up. He suggested a .45 Automatic had enough firepower to knock down a two legged walker unit and, if she was lucky, crack open its armor and possibly destroy its core. The first time she fired one, it almost jumped out of her hand as it tried to tear her arm off. The range master showed and taught her the two handed firing stance, which gave her the needed strength and control. She practiced weekly for a year, finally mastering the two handed firing stance well enough to put her shots in a three inch group at 25 yards.
Arriving at the squadron ready room 15 minutes early, Audrey got another cup of coffee, sat down and started sipping it, while waiting for the briefing to begin. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and called to her familiar, as her fox ears and tail emerged.
Kitana, are you there? Audrey called mentally.
Of course I am, you silly girl. As if I would leave you! And how are you this fine morning! Ah, you said we had a mission briefing soon. Well if we have to fly today, at least it isn't raining! And how many times have I told you to call me Kit or Kitty! Her familiar's voice voice answered.
When Audrey first met Kitana, she was coming into her magic at a young age. She was frightened and confused by the powerful, erratic surges of magic swirling around her. Her father was helpless and frustrated that he couldn't do anything in helping Audrey deal with forces he didn't understand. Her mother had consulted with doctors and other witches, who all had differing opinions on what to do. But the consensus was clear; Audrey needed to find a familiar, preferably a powerful one, who could guide her and teach her the ways of magic. And that's when Audrey and Kitana met on that hot muggy summer day, deep in the Olympic National Forest.
When Audrey first met Kitana, she was in awe of her. She seemed to be so powerful, strong, wise, intelligent, insightful and perceptive. Her voice was warm and gentle, reminding Audrey of her grandmother Karen. It took some time for Audrey to get used to living with another consciousness in her mind, but with Kitana's gentle guidance and help from her Aunt Emily and her mother, it turned out to be kind of fun. Kitana was also a great help to Audrey navigating through the storms of adolescence, and the ensuing physical, mental, emotional and magical turbulence.
It wasn't until Advanced Flight School that Audrey discovered other aspects of Kitana's personality. She was still powerful, strong, intelligent, wise, perceptive and insightful, But Audrey discovered her mischievous, teasing sense of humor for one. It shocked her when Kitana repeated one of Matt's dirty jokes that she had forgotten. Then Kitana told her three others, each one raunchier than the last. She remembered Kitana laughing for almost 5 minutes at Audrey's surprise, shock and befuddlement.
Us familiars aren't just old stick-in-the muds, dear! Kitana managed to gasp out amid he giggles.
Other aspects of Kitana emerged as well. One was her tendency to prattle on absentmindedly, especially on long missions. Audrey often had to bring her attention back to focus on matters at hand. Another aspect was how she (and Audrey, if she was honest) were easily distracted by bright shiny things, like jewelry.
That dinner a few night ago looked like fun. I know JJ was flirting outrageously with Will, but there was nothing behind it. Will seems like such a nice young man. Be alert, though, he's a whole lot sharper than even you suspect. It'll be good for you Keep you on your toes and from being bored. OOOHHH, is he going to give you a big shiny diamond engagement ring soon? I bet he's going to pick something spectacular! Kitana prattled on.
HUSH! The briefing's going to begin, and I need you to pay attention! Audrey scolded.
Thumper walked in, followed by three other witches. Two took seats with Audrey, while the other stood with Thumper
"Good morning, Boings! I want to introduce Lt. Col. Caruthers, Captain Willis, and Lieutenant Barnes. They'll be handling the recording of the mission. Captain Willis and Lieutenant Barnes will be flying with you, and recording your mission. You'll also have a video camera mounted on your helmet to record a Witch's view perspective. Lt. Colonel Caruthers will be the director. She won't have any input to the mission, but she will be moving Captain Willis and Lieutenant Barnes around to get different perspectives. She will work with the ground controller to prevent any mission interference." Thumper announced.
"Mission is as follows." Thumper announced briskly, as a map of Range 74 lit up the projector screen.
The other two witches connected to their familiars. One was a black cat, the other a Yorkshire terrier.
One of the things discovered by Witches during the First Neuroi War, was that their familiars had photographic memories. They could see a map and recall it in detail, like a built in navigation system for the Witch, with minimal magic used.
During Primary Flight School. Audrey had once tried to navigate by herself, without help from Kitana. But she was unable to remember and recognize the way points, terrain and landmarks, so she got totally lost. Kitana gently corrected her (after a heartfelt I-told-you-so) and guided safely her to the destination. When Audrey arrived late, her instructor chewed her out for not having the faith to trust her familiar.
"For this mission, Boings, you designation is Tortie 1" Thumper said, drawing laughs from all the Witches in the room.
Just after the First Neuroi War, a newspaper columnist wrote a series of columns on the nature of Witches and magic, from his perspective as the husband and father of Witches. In one of his columns, he wrote of the affinity of Witches and magic seemed similar to the affinity of calico and tortoiseshell cats and their distinctive tri-colored coats. Within a few weeks, this particular column had gone around the world, translated in over 60 different languages, earning him the Pulitzer prize for that year. It was so well received by the Witch community, that Witches would often refer to themselves as "Callies" or "Torties"
"You'll be guided by Range Control to Way point Sierra. You'll be contacted by your ground controller there. You'll be under their direction, until you accomplish the mission or other circumstances intervene. Your first target will be here, near Way point Tango. Your GC will mark the target and suggest the best approach Same thing will happen for your next two targets near Way point Uniform and Way point Whiskey. Once done, you'll be guided to Way point X-ray, where you'll be turned over to Range Control and guided back to base. Any Questions?" Thumper asked.
Got all that, Kitana? Audrey thought
Of course! It's going to be fun, and remember to look pretty for the camera! Kitana replied brightly.
"No questions, Thumper." Audrey replied.
"Then let's go out there, do the job, and be safe." Thumper announced, ending the briefing.
We'll talk more once we take off Audrey thought at Kitana, as her fox ears and tail disappeard.
"Captain Gains, can I see your helmet for a minute? I just want to attach the camera and battery pack properly" Captain Willis asked, as they walked out to the hanger.
"Sure, here it is" Audrey replied, handing her helmet to the other Witch.
"What are these?" Captain Will asked, pointing to two chrome things clipped to the sides of the helmet.
"Oh, those are my 'check-six' mirrors." Audrey responded brightly.
"Check-six mirrors?" Captain Willis asked, a puzzled look on her face.
"Instead of using magic, I have these mirrors to 'check-six'without magic, just like in driving a car" Audrey replied.
"Cool! I never thought of that! Where did you get them? Are they expensive?" Captain Willis asked excitedly.
"I got these at a bicycle shop in North Las Vegas, but I think you can find them in any bike shop. These only cost me $25.00 for the pair." Audrey said, proud of her ingenuity."
"Here you go" Captain Wills said, handing Audrey her helmet.
"I've clipped the camera lens assembly to your visor, so we'll see everything you'll see. The battery pack on the back of your helmet is good for up to 8 hours, and the transmitter attached to it has a range of 3 miles, so Lieutenant Barnes and I will manage the recording remotely. All you need to do is fly the mission." Captain Willis continued.
Audrey took her helmet back and walked up to 451's cradle. She kicked off her sandals and ran lightly up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, she took one big step and leaped up. As she came down, her legs slid smoothly into the Striker units. She and Kitana connected, as her fox ears and tail appeared, and the surge of magic flowed through her to the Strikers. She then put on her helmet, taking care not to crimp her ears too much and then fastened her chin strap. The weapon housing on her right opened, and the cradle holding her M60 extended. She picked it up, looping the sling over her head and shoulder, checked to make sure the safety was on and then clipped the machine gun securely to her side.
Audrey looked up and saw Chief Master Sergeant Dalton standing in front of her, wearing red hearing protectors and yellow safety glasses. He raised his left fist, and Audrey nodded. He then raised a finger of his right hand, and spun it in a circle several times. Audrey poured more magic into the magic turbine engine, which started making a noise like a big fan. As she poured more magic into the engine, it started, and a thunderous whining roar filled the hanger. Nodding, Chief Master Sergeant Dalton moved away, giving Audrey a thumbs up.
Audrey slapped the cradle release with her left hand. The Striker lurched forward, as the magic circle appeared under her. It took a few moments for her to find her balance, especially with the capacity load attached to the Striker. A Striker handler in front of her, motioned her forward with his lighted amber batons. Audrey moved forward, and turned left at the handler's direction. Another handler motioned her forward, towards the center of the hanger, directing her to turn right at the center of the open door. The senior Striker handler motioned her forward to the open hanger door. As she approached the open door, the handler saluted, then turned, dropped to one knee and pointed out the hanger door.
Audrey returned the salute, turned on her radio, and set the channel selector to the first position. As she emerged from the hanger, she pulled down her visor, and watched, as the readouts for her airspeed indicator, compass and altimeter came alive across the top of the visor. She then contacted the tower.
"Nellis Tower, this is Tortie 1, radio check over" Audrey called.
"Tortie 1, the is Nellis Tower, we read you five by five. Temperature is 69 degrees, barometric pressure is 30.46 inches and steady. Wind is out of the southwest at 11 miles an hour. Visibility is 12 miles. Ceiling is 22,000 feet with broken cumulonimbus. Over" a calm male voice answered.
"Nellis Tower, Tortie 1, requesting taxi instructions, over" Audrey said.
"Tortie 1, Nellis Tower, take taxiway Zulu to junction Delta, turn right, and turn left to runway 1-4 West. Over" the tower answered.
"Acknowledged Nellis tower. Taxiway Zulu to junction Delta, turn right, and turn left to runway 1-4 West. Out" Audrey replied.
Audrey smiled to herself. Air Traffic Control wasn't taking any chances that she'd run out of runway taking off. The West runways were over 20,000 feet in length and normally used by the B-52s when then came in for training. A fully loaded B-52 needed every foot of those runways on hot days when taking off with a full load.
Aligning with the beginning of runway 1-4 West, Audrey called the tower
"Nellis Tower, Tortie 1 requests permission for full military power takeoff. Over."
Full military power takeoffs were seldom used, because of noise problems and its extravagant use of fuel and magic. The only exceptions were for emergency combat takeoffs or when carrying a heavy bomb load.
"Tortie 1, you are cleared for full military power takeoff, over" Nellis Tower responded.
"Nellis Tower, acknowledged Out" Audrey said.
Let's get airborne! Kitana exulted.
Both Audrey and Kitana pored more magic into the Strikers. They started moving slowly forward and rapidly picked up speed, in spite of the weight of the bomb load they were carrying. A quarter of the way down the runway, Audrey mentally urged the Striker up. Slowly, they rose into the air. This was Audrey's favorite moment, escaping the grasp of gravity to dance in the sky, if only for a little while.
"Nellis tower, Tortie 1 is airborne, Over." Audrey sang out.
"Acknowledged, Tortie 1. Climb to Angels 5, turn to course 330. Contact Range Control on preset channel 4. Over." Nellis Tower responded.
"Acknowledged, Nellis Tower, Out" Audrey replied.
"Acknowledged, Tortie1. Have a good mission and remember to smile pretty for the cameras. Out"
Nellis Tower called out, with a chuckle.
Audrey rotated the channel selector to the fourth position and called out to Range Control.
"Range Control, this is Tortie 1. Request vector to Way Point Sierra, over"
"Tortie 1, this is Range Control. Continue on current heading. You should be there in approximately 10 minutes. Contact your FAC on preset channel 7. Over" Range Control replied.
"Range Control, what is the FAC's designation? Over" Audrey inquired. This was one of the questions that the briefing left unanswered, and it troubled her.
"Tortie1, We were told that you would recognize it when you heard it. Out" Range Control answered cryptically.
What did they mean I'd recognize it when I heard it? Audrey thought
Just be patient. We'll find out soon enough Kitana replied,
When Audrey arrived at Way Point Sierra, she changed to Channel 7 and called the FAC.
"Unknown station, this is Tortie 1, Identify, Over:
"Tortie 1, this here is Raven 1-6, Over" replied a distinctive baritone voice in a slow unhurried drawl.
Oh Gosh, It's Will! Audrey thought
Oh this going to be fun! Kitana chuckled.
Let's stick to business! Audrey thought furiously.
"Raven 1-6, request vector to Way point Tango. Over" Audrey called out in a businesslike tone.
"Roger that, Tortie 1. You are Weapons Free. Turn to course 040. Target will be marked by blue smoke. Recommend ingress from the southwest, a sharp left after weapon release and egress to the northeast behind the hills. Over" Will replied,
"Acknowledged, Raven 1-6. Weapons Free. Turning to course 040. I see blue smoke. Dropping to 1,000 feet. Rolling in hot. Over" Audrey said, as she focused on the target.
Let me look and I'll spot the IP for you Kitana thought, mentioning the IP, the initialization point, where the Witch would "squeeze the pickle" to release her bomb load.
Okay, let's do this Audrey thought.
At that moment, Audrey's vision cleared and sharpened. Everything stood out in sharp relief and she was easily able to pick out the target, even through the cloud of blue smoke. This was her intrinsic magic gift, having Kitana's vision added to her own.
There we go, I've marked the IP for you Kitana announced
Did you take into account that the fins aren't going to give as much drag as the Mk 81s? Audrey asked.
Of course I did! It's not like we haven't done this dozens of times before! Kitana replied indignatly.
Audrey dropped down to 750 feet, and slowed to 400 knots.
A bright square stood out on the ground some 300 yards in front of the target. Kitana had correctly marked the IP. Dropping down further to 500 feet, Audrey accelerated to 475 knots, lining up on the IP. As the IP approached quickly, Kitana mentally yelled at Audrey.
We've at the IP!
"Breakaway, breakaway, breakaway!" Audrey yelled into her mic.
Mentally, Audrey 'squeezed the pickle', and the Striker lurched up and forward as all of the Mk84s released cleanly. She fought to control the Striker, keeping low and pouring all the magic she could muster into the engine. She wanted to be as far away from the impact area as possible. She saw the last hill and banked hard left to get behind it.
At that moment, all of the Mk 84s exploded. The sun was blotted out by the huge cloud of smoke, dust and debris. The thunderous roar of the explosion deafened her, as the air turned into a solid hammer, battering her Striker. She fought to control the Striker and the pressure lessened as she put the hill between her and the impact area. She turned northeast, and strove for altitude. She coughed a couple of times, then called Will.
"Raven 1-6, Tortie 1 is egressing. Request vector to Way point Uniform, Over"
"Tortie 1, turn to course 224. Target is a ridge line running northeast to southwest. Friendly units dug in on southeast side of ridge. Target marked with red smoke. Danger close. Over" Will called out.
"Raven 1-6, Tortie 1 Acknowledges danger close, out" Audrey replied.
'Danger close' meant that there were friendly units in close proximity of the target. Normally, the ground units would take cover when a plane, Striker, or artillery targeted the area. A lot of care would be taken to keep ordnance close but not too close to the friendly unit.
Since the Mk77s have no blast or shrapnel, we can drop them fairly close! Kitana mentioned.
Not too close, nobody likes being splattered by burning jellied gasoline that sticks to everything it touches! Audrey snapped back.
After a few minutes, Audrey saw the red smoke and ridge line. Kitana set the IP further away from the top of the ridge line, because the Mk77s were low drag, and would carry the Striker's speed better. That meant they would travel farther after release and spread their payload farther on impact.
Audrey dropped to 500 feet, lining up on the indicated IP. In her mind's eye, she could see Neuroi walkers working their way up the northwest side of the ridge, ready to crest it and descend on the defenders in the trenches on the reverse slope.
About 500 yards from the IP, the radio crackled to life, and Will's voice called out.
"Broken Arrow, Broken Arrow, Broken Arrow!"
Dammit! Audrey cussed, as the anger and adrenaline surged through her.
"Tortie 1 Acknowledges Broken Arrow. Rolling in hot." Audrey growled
Originally the phrase meant an accident involving a nuclear weapon or one of its components. During Vietnam, it took on an entirely different meaning.
Friendly unit being overrun. Any available air support, target my position with any available ordnance.
Adjusting IP Kitana stated calmly. Sensing Audrey's agitation and anger, she barked at Audrey..
Get a grip! You've got a job to do, and you know what you have to do! They wouldn't be calling for this if they thought there was another way! This is their last chance, so let's give to theme! IP set!
We have to go in lower and faster. We don't want any unnecessary casualties because one of the Mk77s went astray. Audrey snarled back.
Dropping down to 250 feet, Audrey accelerated to 500 knots. The adjusted IP came up shockingly fast, and as she passed it, she mentally released the Mk77s and called to Will.
"Breakaway, Breakaway, Breakaway!"
All of the Mk77s hit the ground in a few seconds, still traveling almost 500 knots. They ignited on impact as their contents were spread the length of the trench still moving at the speed of impact. A wall of flame, heat and smoke almost instantly appeared. Audrey felt the blast of heat as the smoke blotted out the sky. The smoke and the overwhelming odor of raw gasoline caused her to cough several time.
Audrey climbed and banked around to the southwest end of the trench, which was filled with flame and smoke. As she did, she unclipped the M60 and pulled back the bolt. As she put the machine gun to her shoulder, she flicked off the safety and with the help of Kitana's vision, lined up the trench through the iron sights. She slowed to 350 knots and staying at 250 feet, she squeezed the trigger.
The roar of the machine gun and the recoil bucking against Audrey's shoulder consumed her senses, which were still permeated by the heat, smoke and stench of raw gasoline. The red streaks of the tracers cut through the smoke and flame as Audrey flew down the length of the trench. She released the trigger once she saw the green tracer and climbed away. She circled around to the northeast end of the trench and lined up her sights. She squeezed the trigger and saw the stream of red tracers march its way down the length of the trench. Again the heat, smoke and smell of gasoline filled her senses as she flew through it.
Audrey banked away from the ridgeline, still coughing from the smoke and the gasoline odor. She held the machine gun away from her as the heat radiating from the barrel merged with the heat from the burning incendiaries. Climbing into cooler and cleaner air, she called to Will, doing her best to keep her fury out of her voice, hoarse from the choking fumes of the gasoline.
"Raven 1-6, Tortie 1 is egressing. Request vector to Way Point Whiskey, over"
"Tortie 1, turn to course 166, Target is marked by orange smoke" Will replied.
The last target turned out to be a cluster of buildings marked with the orange smoke. Audrey came in at about 1,000 feet and slowed to 300 knots. Kitana marked an IP some 200 yards from the buildings. Audrey raised the M60 to her shoulder, and she squeezed the reigger as she passed the IP, lining up her sights on the buildings with Kitana's help.
The stream of red tracers chewed through the building and started in on the next, as the green tracer shot forward. Audrey released the trigger, banked away and gained altitude. She came in from a different direction and repeated the opening run. Once again, seeing the green tracer, she banked away again and came in for another run from yet another direction. As she saw the green tracer fly to the target, the machine gun's bolt locked open, signifying that she was out of ammunition.
"Raven 1-6, Tortie 1 is Winchester, Request vector to Way point X-Ray. Over" Audrey called.
"Tortie 1, turn to course 150, climb to Angels 6, Way point X-Ray is marked by purple ." Will replied.
After a few minutes, Audrey saw the purple smoke and called out to Will again.
"Raven 1-6, Tortie 1 is at Way point X-Ray. Over.""
"Tortie 1, switch to preset channel 4 and contact Range Control. You are Weapons Hold. Over" Will said.
"Tortie 1 acknowledges Weapons Hold. Changing to preset channel 4. Out." Audrey snapped.
Audrey contacted Range Control and got guided back to Way point Sierra, where she contacted Nellis Tower. The odor of raw gasoline clung to her like a cloud, tracking her movements. It was one of the things she hated about incendiaries.
I'll probably have to wash this uniform at least twice to get the smell out. It's probably on my skin and in my hair, as well. I'll have to spend some time in the steam bath and shampoo my hair twice to get rid of all this! And I need to talk to Will about this Broken Arrow thing Audrey thought sourly.
Now, now. I understand why you're so angry at Will. There was no reason for a Broken Arrow call in the middle of a demo like this. I also think a good steam bath would be good to de-stress. We'll have to talk to Will and set him straight on this as well. Kitana replied soothingly.
Damn right I'm gonna set him straight! Audrey replied, angrily.
Audrey was guided by the tower to contact Ground Control Approach. Getting clearance to land, she landed on of the East runways, as the magic circle appeared beneather her Striker. At the end of the runway, was a jeep with yellow flashing lights, and a big sign on the back with FOLLOW ME in big reflective letters. She taxied around and followed the jeep as it led her back to the 67th Squadron hangers. The jeep turned away, as the senior Striker handler came out to guide her in.
Following the handler's instructions, Audrey was guided back to 451's cradle. Two handlers appeared on either side of Audrey, and physically moved the Striker back to the cradle. The cradle arms locked on to the Striker. The weapon housing opened, extending the weapon cradle. Audrey unslung the machine gun from around her neck, and dropped into the cradle. She withdrew her magic from the Striker, and the turbine wound down and stopped. She unbuckled her chinstrap and took off her helmet.
I'll talk to you later. I'm going to have some words with Will Audrey thought
Okay, we'll talk soon, and don't be too hard on Will. He may not have had a choice. Kitana replied.
Audrey crawled out of the Striker, as her tail and ears disappeared. She stood unsteadily on the platform for a moment, before descending and finding her sandals. First thing she did was to check the Striker. The new paint job was scorched and smoke stained, so she talked to the handlers about scrubbing it and touching up the paint. As Audrey made her way to the armory, Captain Willis came up to greet her.
"Here, let me get the camera and transmitter off your helmet." Captain Wills said.
Audrey silently handed Captain Willis her helmet, and the Captain deftly detached the transmitter, the camera and the lens assembly, and handed it back to Audrey.
"That was fantastic! We got some great footage, especially of the second target! We'll get right to work on editing the footage and splicing in all the radio traffic as well. Hopefully, it should only take a few days." Captain Willis gushed to Audrey.
"You must be tired, we'll talk more later" Captain Willis said quietly, seeing Audrey's lack of response.
Audrey turned away and headed to the armory. She cleared and checked in her .45 Auto and the three clips of unused ammunition. As she headed back out to the hanger, she bumped into Will. Thai brought her out of the seeming daze, as her anger surged and re-energized her. She straightened up, her eyes flashed dangerously, while her face flushed as it contorted in a grim mask.
"Y'all alright, Audrey? How about some dinner after you get cleaned up?"Will asked, seemingly not picking up on her current mood.
"Captain Robinson, we need to talk. Alone" Audrey growled through clenched teeth.
Will's happy smile vanished, replaced by a worried look as he just nodded. Audrey turned around and walked stiff-backed in quick, angry steps to a far corner of the hanger. Once there, she turned around, pointed to a crate in the corner to Will. As he sat down, she let slip the control she had on the surge of anger filling her.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, CALLING BROKEN ARROW IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DEMONSTRATION! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS TO US! THERE WASN'T ANY REASON FOR IT!" as Audrey's stentorian bellow shook the hanger.
"Audrey, Ah'm sorry. But I was ordered to do it. Ah didn't have a choice" Will quietly replied, trying his best to placate Audrey.
"YOU WERE ORDERED TO? WHO WAS THE IDIOTIC MORON WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA? DIDN'T THEY KNOW WHAT "BROKEN ARROW' MEANS TO US WHO FLY CLOSE AIR SUPPORT?" Audrey's outrage and anger grew exponentially, on discovering that someone else was responsible for this.
"That 'idiotic moron' would be me, Captain Gains" said a cold soprano voice behind Audrey.
Audrey whirled around to see General Jablonski rolling up in her wheelchair. Both she and Will snapped to attention, saluted, and said "Ma'am" in unison. General Jablonski locked her wheelchair, pushed herself up on her one leg, returned the salute, and sat back down. She looked at Will.
"Captain Robinson, you're dismissed. I need to have a conversation with Captain Gains" the General addressed Will in the same cold voice.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Will said, as he saluted and got away as fast as he could.
General Jablonski turned back to Audrey, still standing at attention, and gave her a cold appraising glare. For Audrey's part, even standing in front of the General, the anger still boiled inside her. She struggled to keep her face and posture strictly military, as she waited for the General to speak.
"Captain Gains, I realize that this last mission was stressful, but when I give an order, I expect it to be carried out to the best of your ability. YOU WILL NOT QUESTION ANY ORDERS I GIVE YOU PUBLICLY AGAIN! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, CAPTAIN?" the General thundered in a stern commanding tone.
"Yes, Ma'am, perfectly clear." Audrey said in a quavering voice.
"Come by my office when you get cleaned up and changed. I'll see you in an hour. You're dismissed, Boings" General Jablonski said in a much quieter tone, as she turned her wheelchair around and rolled towards the hanger door.
Audrey walked slowly to her locker. She opened it, put her helmet inside. Then she took off her throat mike, took her earpiece out and put those in the locker. Finally, she took off her shoulder holster and SERE pack, closing and locking her locker once she placed them inside. She drove back to the BOQ, and once inside her room, she stripped down and undid her hair. Wrinkling her nose, she tossed her clothes into the hamper, including her flight jacket and went to take a shower. After scrubbing herself vigorously, she shampooed her hair twice just as vigorously. After getting out, Audrey dried off, and blow dried her hair. Opening her wall locker, she looked thorough her uniforms. Deciding to go with her fatigues, she pulled on a pair of OD green bikini shorts. She slipped into a bra, pulled on a T-shirt, and an OD green fatigue shirt. She slipped on a pair of golf socks and her black pumps. She turned to the mirror on the wall, hastily braiding and coiling her hair, then she secured it tightly. She put on her chronometer and dog tags, noting she had only 10 minutes to get to the Commandant's office. She grabbed her purse, wallet and keys, and then left.
Arriving at the Commandant's office with a few minutes to spare, Audrey saw that no one was in the outer office and that the door to the inner office was open. General Jablonski was sitting at her desk, looking up to see Audrey come in. The General motioned for her to come in and gestured her to a chair in front of the desk. Audrey sat down, waiting nervously. The General closed the folder on her desk and took off her glasses. She sternly looked at Audrey.
"Let me emphasize this again, to make myself clear. You may disagree privately with whatever orders I give, but you will carry them out to the best of your ability and you not publicly question them. Do you understand?" The General stated in a clear soprano voice that brooked no argument.
"I understand, ma'am. It won't happen again." Audrey stated emphatically, looking the General steadily in the eye.
"Good. I'm glad we got that cleared up." General Jablonski replied, as she sat back in her chair.
The General rubbed her forehead and the bridge of her nose, as if to relieve a headache. The normally stern expression slipped off her face, and she seemed to age before Audrey's eyes, as the lines of fatigue and stress carved themselves deeply into her face. The General looked up at Audrey with a speculative expression. She sat up straighter, as if she had come to some decision, a milder expression coming over her face.
"Okay, Boings. I'll tell you why I called for a Broken Arrow in the middle of the demonstration. However, this stays between us and does not leave this office. Do you understand?" General Jablonski said, in a milder but stern tone.
"I understand, Ma'am. It stays between us and in this office." Audrey said, sitting up straighter.
"There has been talk in Congress of barring all women, Witches included from any combat role. To that end, all services would disband any Striker unit, and discharge the women who were part of that unit." General Jablonski said, through clenched teeth.
"But why? Air and ground Striker units have been the most effective units in opposing the Neuroi! And that's been proven in all conflicts with the Neuroi! I don't understand!" Audrey exclaimed, a seriously confused expression on her face.
General Jablonski's face settled into a stern mask, her gray eyes glittering with her anger.
"This has nothing to do with the effectiveness of air and ground Striker units in combat. Some members of Congress are 'horrified' that we are sending girls and young women into combat and that some are killed or wounded as a result, even though it's been like that for more than three generations. Some feel that the new AirLand Battle 2000 doctrine and the coming new generation of aircraft and precision guided weapons render Striker units unnecessary. Others oppose employing Striker units in combat for philosophical reasons. Some are still uncomfortable with the whole concept of magic, and that the overwhelming number of magic users are Witches. Others feel that women in general, and Witches in particular, are the 'weaker vessel'. They think that the girls and young women sent into combat as Strike Witches are too 'soft', too 'squeamish' to withstand the horrors and brutal reality of combat. They think that we Strike Witches lack the discipline and professionalism to carry out difficult, but necessary orders in the heat of battle." General Jablonski stated, in a sarcastically angry but tightly controlled tone.
"So that's why I ordered a Broken Arrow call in the middle of this demonstration. I know all too well what that means to any pilot and Witch that flies close air support missions. I know it was going to put you under a great deal of stress, and was as real as we could make it at the time. I must say, that I was proud of how you took the call and carried it out. This may prove to be the most critical part of the demonstration, and I want to thank you for your discipline and professionalism" General Jablonski said quietly, a broad smile on her face.
Leaning forward, General Jablonski gave Audrey a clear keen look.
"Boings, I see a great deal of potential in you to make a greater impact with the Air Force. You are destined to be more than just an instructor. There will be new challenges coming your way, and I hope you will reach out, embrace them and grow from them. You're dismissed." General Jablonski said in an earnest, encouraging tone.
As Audrey rose and saluted, the General said one last thing to her.
"One last thing, Boings! Take Captain Robinson to the O club for dinner tonight. It's on me. Order anything you like." the General said, as she returned Audrey's salute
"Yes, Ma'am!" Audrey said brightly.
Getting back to her quarters, she called Will and apologized for yelling at him, and relayed the General's offer for dinner. Meeting at the O club, they both enjoyed themselves, and Audrey relayed the General's cryptic message about other opportunities. Will was enthusiastic, encouraging her to take whatever came up. They celebrated with a shared chocolate decadence cake, promising each other to work out extra hard the next week.
The next week started out with Audrey getting prepared for the upcoming instructional cycle. On Tuesday, Danno called an all-hands meeting at the end of the day in the squadron hanger. A big screen TV was set up, and Colonel Caruthers showed the fully edited version of the demonstration video. There were lots of cheers, applause and whistles for Audrey, and everyone gathered around her to offer their congratulations on a job well done, much to her embarrassment.
On Friday, Audrey was called to Danno's office first thing in the morning. Wondering what was going on, she found herself seated in front of Danno's desk before reveille. Danno was looking at a paper in her hand, as Audrey waited for her to speak. Finally, Danno put down the paper and looked at Audrey.
"Well. Boings. You must have made some kind of impression on the brass with the demonstration mission. You're off the instructional cycle until further notice. I've just received authorization and orders to send you to flight conversion training." Danno said in a slightly incredulous voice.
Flight conversion training taught Witches to fly conventional aircraft in their specific career qualification. So Audrey would be trained to be qualified flying an A-7D, just like any other non-magic Close Air Support pilot. It got around the prohibitions of training women for combat, by being classified as "cross-training.", that Witches were already in combat units. This program was considered to be for special Witches that the Air Force wanted to retain and had the potential for higher rank and greater responsibility.
Audrey sat there, stunned. She had hoped for the chance to fly conventional aircraft, but she never thought the chance would come so soon or suddenly. Then she remembered General Jablonski's advice to embrace new opportunities, and it all made sense. This was Jabby's way of giving her career a boost.
Danno smirked at Audrey's befuddlement.
"You'll be sent to Sheppard AFB for 4 months TDY. After that, you'll do 2 months with the 66th as a student, before you come back to us. Since you won't report there for 3 weeks, I urge you to get in all the simulator time in that you can. General Selfridge has authorized you up to 80 hours, and I suggest you use them all. Get going, they'll be expecting to see you this afternoon. Good luck, and all I can say, is that I wish I was going." Danno stated, unable to keep the raw envy out of her voice.