Author Aquilla Note:
In this story, ATLA/TLOK has guns and warfare similar to our own. Some of the events, wars, and battles are reimagined, along with a new continent and bending powers. Throughout the story, we follow a Fire Nation pilot's perspective from 94 AG to the end of 100 years of war. Later chapters will introduce the various characters from the show. Due to the need to write the new lore and make some artwork showing the world of ATLA/TLOK in the alternate timeline, this project may take some inspiration from our world and some time to complete. There is a possibility that this may change in the future.
Due to a time constraint, I apologize for my grammatical errors.
June 8, 400 (110 AG)
My name is Major Okuda Takanori. In the Fire Kingdom's Imperial Air Force, I served as a pilot and an ace during the 100-year war. As a child, my mother owned a flight school because she had a lot of aviators in her family. I did have a chance to learn some flying skills. I remember flying with my mother for the first time since she loved aviation but my father was on the ground. But, she still owns a flight school, not for the military. On my father's side, my grandfather served in the imperial navy as a captain. My grandfather often writes to my grandmother to let her know how he is doing and that everything is fine. The truth is that he always had some letters that he did not send to my grandmother, detailing what it must be like to be in the middle of a battle, stressed out at an all-time high when he ordered the crew, shells flying and hitting a few meters from the ship, and deciding on the right course of action. After doing his duty, he walked away from harm's way and retired a few years later. He let my father see his unsent letters after retiring. Also, my father served in the Imperial Army. I received a letter detailing his experiences, in which he asked how my mother and her family were doing. Before retiring from the military, he held the rank of Colonel. During his deployment, he recalls following orders from his commanding officer, such as guarding towns and being sent to the front lines. According to him, some areas of the city were beautiful before the Siege of Ba Sing Se. Yet, during the urban combat, some parts of the city saw horrendous things. A detailed description of what it was like to be in the trenches and move into the inner city, which was a hellhole with empty or occupied buildings on every street. It was as if he felt death himself was waiting for him within the walls of the city for him to die, but luck was on his side and he was able to escape unharmed.
We were both convinced that we were winning on the front lines every day because of the "News" that we heard from the Imperial Government about the frontlines every day. During Autumn 384 ( 94 AG ) my wife Asaka told me that it would be helpful if I joined the military and she suggested that I join either the Air Force or the Navy. When I told my wife about my decision to join the Air Force, she responded that it was not the easiest way to serve. After seeing some airshows and having a chance to fly with my mother when I was a kid, I decided to enlist in the Air Force at that time. This is because I had always wanted to fly in a plane. After I spoke with my wife, I called one of my father's friends who retired but had some military connections. He inquired as to why I called on him and asked where my father is. I replied that I was interested in joining the Air Force. I informed him that my father is on the frontlines of Ba Sing Se on the Eastern Front commanding several soldiers. He will retire within the next few weeks. During that time, we were unaware of the dire situation of the Imperial force in Ba Sing Se, which was forced to retreat after heavy casualties in the summer of 385 (95 AG). My father was forced into retirement after the siege due to an injury on the frontlines he wrote in his journal. At that time, I was unaware of his condition. During the call, my father's friend told me to go to the air academy to begin training. I told my wife that I would be away for a while for training and military service. When I first came to the academy, a lot of people were joining the branch. This was either because they believed it was easy or because one of their ancestors was an aviator. There were three individuals I met whose names were Yashiro, Ottorino, and Kojima. As I recall, Yashiro had a keen sense of humor as well as being a photographer at heart. As far as flying planes in the sky are concerned, Ottorino is more optimistic. Lastly, Kojima keeps his word and is a man of honor. Our passion for flying and planes bonded us quickly and we became close friends. The selection at that academy would simply be a matter of cherry-picking candidates since it produces the best of the best for the Imperial Air Force. My three other friends and I were accepted, but others were rejected for reasons ranging from height requirements to vision issues. Rejects were sent off to other branches such as the Imperial Navy or Imperial Army. Some preferred to serve in the Navy since propaganda told the public it was easy since you just went to the ocean and waited. It was tedious to do the paperwork for a couple of days after the selection process. I can recall one cadet was tired from filling out the papers and wanted to take a rest, but he insisted on finishing it and passing out.
After the paper works we were officially training as a pilot and all of us thought it was easy before signing up, but we were proven wrong once we learned the basics of flying and writing. Once we had learned the basics, we were able to start flying, but it would take a lot of time because we had to recall how to start the plane. One of the instructors scolded the cadets for not remembering how to start the plane and falling asleep during class, but we all laughed at it since we were all paying attention at the time. Yashiro jokingly said that the sleeping person wasn't going to pass the test and later on, there was a test to remember how to start up the aircraft. I and my buddies passed the test, but some unlucky ones failed and had to retake it. When I had free time during a weekend during my 3-month training, I wrote my wife a letter informing her of my new friends and asking how our son is doing, and explaining why I joined the air force, since none of my ancestors served in the military. During that time, my buddies were surprised that I had a wife, and one of them Ottorino asked why I had a wife, and I explained that we were married months ago and we fell in love during college. After I explained, my buddies recall their college experiences in which we all laughed at the stupid things we did. It was planned that we would all fly the trainer plane with the instructors in the second month, and finally, we would fly solo in the last month of the program. I recall one of the tests in the second month where one cadet was screaming out of his lungs in fear as the instructor performed some aerobatic maneuvers to experience the force of gravity. As a result of the G forces he experienced upon landing, he almost passed out and vomited what he had eaten earlier that morning. In the trainer plane with the instructor, I recall we went up in the sky about 5 thousand feet or 1,5 kilometers high. We did some basic stuff and some basic maneuvers to test the G Force limits in that time I was feeling some kind of tunnel vision pulling approximately 5 - 6 G's during the process; the instructor or pilot simply spoke over me about this being normal during a dogfight. Since we discussed some air battles in the classroom about vital maneuvers and tactics, we will do a few more flights to get used to pulling the G forces and not passing out during the dogfight. The instructor did comment on me not passing out adding some details that normally people would pass out and saw some potential in me for the future of the Air Force branch. During the flight, all of my buddies passed out because they thought it was a walk in the park. As a secret at the time, I didn't tell my wife or my friends that I had read some aviation books and taken some flight lessons before I felt what it was like to fly freely. Despite the war and the political situation in Matsukawa's capital, I was still a teenager pursuing my dreams. Nevertheless, when I was in college, I was forced to "learn" about my country's propagandized history. While I was in elementary school and high school, my teachers or professors fed us propaganda history and taught us the same material when they were young. As we were having free time to chat in the barracks, a loud announcement proclaimed that Ba Sing Se had fallen to the Fire Kingdom, and we cheered, and other cadets commented that the country had managed to crush the Coalition forces. In the meantime, the other cadets began discussing how we would win the war, and my friends laughed about how easy it would be to take Ba Sing Se. The wall, which was a part of the western wall, had been broken by heavy shelling and bombing at that time. The following day, we resumed our regular training. In the second week of the second month, I recall flying solo for the first time. It felt as though I was living my dream when I flew solo for the first time, but I would not graduate from the academy until six weeks after landing the plane. As Yashiro told me, the other two of my buddies enjoyed flying solo, whether they were doing well or poorly. Despite their great experience in the sky, the other two still remembered what they were supposed to do. After the solo flights, we did some combat training with the instructor and we were trained on using the Ikosibishi Ki-84. The aircraft was easy to handle, but I used it to my advantage. Although I had read some books and had an extensive understanding of it, my execution skills were bad, so I practiced a lot when going to combat training until I could perform well. One time during combat training, I managed to outmaneuver my instructor, and later commented on how good I was. I got better and better after doing more practice and understanding the tactics used during a dogfight. My friends did not do well. They panicked and lost the training on the first try. We did get through the academy. I was the first in the class, while my friends did not manage to get into the top ten of the class. As I returned home for a few days, I told my wife I had graduated and that I would be away for a year serving on the airbases near the frontlines for the next year. My three friends informed their parents after graduating from the academy that they would be leaving for the military.
We were all transported by transport planes across the Huiyeong Sea and landed in Kentsukawa. After our training was completed, we were assigned to the 78th fighter squadron in Kentsukawa, which was mostly deactivated and then reactivated. As we waited for orders from the commander, we temporarily stationed our squadron there. We were bored there for a week, playing games such as Pai Sho, or playing instruments such as guitars and trumpets. As we were sent off once again to somewhere else near the frontlines, some of my squadron mates wondered where our temporary air base may be located. We speculated during the flight that it may be in the south. It was in the south, but near the frontlines. We refueled at Shizhuang. After waiting hours, we saw that the city hadn't been damaged and looked like another colony and resembled the cities found in our homeland. In a local bar, we enjoyed a quick drink and listened to the local news and propagandized news. As soon as the squadron had completed the refueling procedure, it took off for its assigned destination. After a long journey, we finally arrived in Zhengking. Due to fighting with the coalition forces, some parts of the city were damaged. The idea of taking a photograph was suggested by one of my friends. Once we arrived, the city was still in the process of repairing itself, and it took some Earth Benders and the residents a month to complete the task. Despite minor damage to the large air base during the battle, most of the damage was to the runways, and if the airfield had been heavily damaged or destroyed, we could use the plains. When we arrived at our barracks, they were a mess and had to be cleaned and reorganized. The bunk beds were on the floor with the mattress, and it took us a whole day to clean them. Afterward, we checked the hangers and found some Bel P-51s that were intact, some that were left behind during the battle, and a few that were empty, with spaces for Ki-84s parked on the runway. In the squadron, there had been speculation that the military might use the P-51s against Coalition pilots, but we all brushed the idea off since it was just some made-up speculation. After a day, the P-51s were taken away for closer "examination." From Kusi in the northeast, another squadron was ordered to come here for operations. Their planes were a bunch of license-built Bf-109G-6 painted in desert camo. It is my understanding that Major Miyazato Takenao, one of the pilots of the 48th Fighter Squadron, was known as the ghost of the Si Wong desert due to a tally mark painted on his tail, as well as his ability to outmaneuver his enemies during difficult dogfights. I remember this time well before I joined the air force. He was a Hero and an Ace. When I first saw him, I was astonished. I can recall when I was in my early years in college one time when I read on the news that he was awarded the highest award in the country, which was the Order Of The Kingdom, for his bravery and the actions he took in assisting the retreating air force against the coalition force that was advancing. In 81 AG, the coalition forces nicknamed him "the ghost of the Si Wong desert" for his skill in scoring victories and victories. He would disappear after the dogfight during the late stages of the Si Wong Offensive. A second group was reactivated by the 85th Fighter Squadron. They were before stationed in Kentsukawa before they were deactivated, and some of them were rookies like ours who had recently graduated from the academy with no experience, and I do recall their planes as Yamagawa Ki-89s. They were brand new at the time, and they looked odd because their engines were placed at the rear instead of at the front, their wings were at the back of the fuselage, and they had a radical design with a nose-mounted canard as well as a rear-mounted canard. The squadmates were either amazed by the 48th Fighter Squadron stationed at the airbase because one of their pilots was a national hero or by the revolutionary Ki-85 that was designed by Maeda Yamagawa. The airbase had three squadrons totaling 72 planes. There were a few empty hangars, and two fighter squadrons arrived and were stationed there. Our plane was the same as theirs, but their color scheme was different from ours. Before, they were stationed at Ranwara as the 89th fighter squadron. We were all impressed by the Keita J2Y jet fighter used by the 150th Fighter Squadron. This was the first jet fighter in service at the time, but it was used for intercepting or shooting down heavy bombers from the coalition. We had five squadrons in the large airbase and the hangers were full of fighter planes we would be designated as the 1st Air Group of the 84th Fighter Air Wing by the high command. We were unaware of our missions on that particular day, so we did some maintenance work and some preparation during the night. During dinner, we had some chit-chatting with other squadrons. Some members of the other squadrons spoke with me about their experiences during the academy and their victories in combat. Although we had a great time that night, we had to be scramble-ready in case there were any enemy fighters over the occupied area. The next morning, the 48th and 85th Fighter Squadrons were tasked with escorting bombers and defending them against any enemy plane that attempted to intercept them. After they took off we were spending our time doing some maintenance as usual and being scramble-ready thereafter the squadrons were tasked to escort the bombers they did not suffer any casualties, nor were any fighters in the sky on that day. Yet, some pilots believed the Coalition forces were retreating that day. Upon being called to the briefing room on the following day, we were informed of our mission for the day. We had been told we would be escorting a dive bomber squadron, and the commander informed us that the squadron planes were licensed Bk-53 and were to assist frontline troops. Some were excited for their first sortie, while others wished to return safely. The commander advised that if there is any enemy plane in the area, it should be intercepted and shot down. I and my friends were selected and dispatched in 12 planes. We would be divided into three flight groups. I would be in charge of the second flight group, and my friends would be in the third group. In the hanger, I overheard the mechanics talking about the plane as we walked out of the briefing room. After seeing my plane with the green paint and the country Fire symbol on the tail, I walked to the ladder where the mechanic was waiting for me. In the plane, I climbed the ladder and sat on it. I put on my plane belt and fastened it securely in case I made an error during the flight. I remembered how to start the plane from muscle memory. The mechanic took the ladder and placed it on the side. The engine was starting and some smoke came out on both sides. I peeked into the left side of the cockpit. I signaled the mechanic to remove the wheel chock and saluted as I left. I increased the throttle to move the plane slowly and saw the other planes and my friends going to the runway, waited for a few minutes and heard the air traffic control allowing the first flight group and I looked to the left side of my cockpit and saw the lead to increase their throttle to move faster and faster until it was ascended into the sky. One by one, the flight group planes took off into the sky and were heading to their destination. ATC granted my request to take off as soon as I approached the runway and my friends were waiting in the back. I pushed the throttle to 100% and the plane was moving faster and faster. I pitched the stick upwards as I took off and decreased the throttle to cruising speed. Over the radio, I heard my friends take off one by one, and finally, the last flight group took off. To avoid interfering with the ATC and encryption, the lead group instructed us to change the frequency.
The flight lead ordered the 3 flight squadrons to spread out 2 kilometers apart in the sky. As we climbed up to 5000 feet, we flew it for half an hour until quarter to 11 AM. We had 24 planes that we were supposed to escort. As we approached the destination and kilometers from the frontline, the dive bombers radioed us in the encrypted frequency as we escorted them and protected them from the enemy fighters. The enemy fighters were not seen in the sky but some of the squadmates reported that they were retreating and had some plans for the coalition forces. Dive bombers dived into the ground and dropped their bombs. Upon dropping their bombs, we escorted them back to their airfields and proceeded to our airfield. We took an hour to reach our airfield and asked the ATC for permission to land. The first group was the squadron leader, followed by us and the third group. We went into the briefing room and we were debriefed about the situation the commander told us that it was a success there was no downed aircraft. The commander also said the army's frontline operations were proceeding as planned, and coalition forces were retreating southward. In the east, some troops were holding off near the mountains and tank divisions were concentrating and cutting them off from reinforcements and supplies, forcing them to retreat to the south which, as the commander added the situation in the east, would become vulnerable. A commander added that we would be escorted and bombed again for escorting and bombing some frontline tanks or lines. One of our squadron mates asked, "Why are we doing this again?". Upon request from the high command, any fighter aircraft that can be equipped with bombs will be able to drop them in Huyangdu, according to the commander. In addition, the person added, "Would the 89th be joining us in the attack?". Someone asked: "If so, sir, why are we to escort and bomb some targets in Huyangdu across the Sea rather than send in the bombers? ". Although the Commander explained that this would be a shock-and-awe attack, he neglected to mention that other squadrons from other air bases near the frontline would also be conducting this operation, and he had briefed the other squadron about it earlier. As we were told to rest for a few hours, we were dismissed. Some of us went straight to the barracks to rest, while others went to their hangers to check their aircraft. Yashiro went to the darkroom after he took a photo of the sky from the mission earlier in the day, and he handed the photo to me and the others. He said I should keep the photo to show my wife whether I had written any letters. Someone turned on the radio and some music was playing, and someone grabbed the guitar and started playing along with the song on the radio. We started singing as I was thinking about the war on the eastern front and how the situation in Ba Sing Se is and how my father is doing on the frontlines. The announcement was made that it was noon, and we should take lunch. The food looked delicious in the cafeteria. People had already occupied some tables and were eating, while I took a tray and waited for the food to arrive. When the food was ready, I looked for my friends and saw them in the middle, so I walked toward the table and joined them. While we discussed the food and agreed it was delicious, we also discussed the mission that we were tasked with. Ottorino and I were optimistic and believed the mission would be straightforward. As Kojima asked if there were any enemy pilots in the skies, Yashiro replied that it would not be a problem, there will not be any enemies. Afterward, we left the cafeteria. There was still some talking and eating carried on in the cafeteria. Then we proceeded to the briefing room as there was an announcement calling our names and those of the other squadron pilots. In the briefing room, we sat and awaited others to enter. After fifteen minutes, there was a lot of chatting taking place and the commander was not present. There was a lot of chatting taking place. Then footsteps came from outside and two people arrived, one of whom was our squadron leader and one of whom was our commander. As our squadron leader began to discuss the frontlines situation, he explained that our mission was intended to shock and awe the ground forces and that the BK-53 squadrons would be responsible for attacking the frontlines and the Ki-84 squadrons would be responsible for attacking the reinforcements near Huyangdu. Both squadrons were selected for this mission, and the commander selected 12 pilots from both squadrons in anticipation of possible anti-aircraft fire or coalition force aircraft. During the recon mission, some anti-air emplacements were found and the intelligence team intercepted audio that indicated aircraft moving around near the town. He added that the mission would be of close air support and combat air patrol nature. Throughout the conversation, he answered questions related to the mission and I asked if we would need to refuel at some airfield following the mission. He answered yes and explained that it was part of the plan. We asked him if he would join the attack, and he responded yes since he led the squadron, and the 2nd squadron was commanded by someone else. Upon dismissal, we proceeded straight to our plane. Typically, the planes are equipped with 200 litter drop tanks. I boarded the plane, climbed the ladder, and started the engine. After a few minutes, we were on the runway and taking off simultaneously. As each squadron took off, the other squadron followed. We Flew over the sea at an altitude of more than 5000 feet and were thousands of kilometers from the target.
I checked my right side of the cockpit window after we dropped the bomb and as we were approaching the frontlines I saw some forces retreating as we were flying on our way home and as we were about to reach the frontlines we dropped the bomb. There was also a report on the radio that it was coming from the flight lead who called out "Bandits! 12 o'clock 3 kilometers away", and the squadron leader told us to separate any flight groups into two aircraft, so my wingman, Yashiro, and I increased the throttle to 100% and climbed to the altitude at which the bandits were operating. I heard someone radio in and they said, "Wait, we are facing older aircraft, aren't we? And why the hell are they sending rookies into the sky in the first place? ", I heard someone say, "It doesn't matter, just take out the threat". Once we got to a height of 3000 feet, other squadrons were ordered to split into two squadrons to deal with the threat. The bandits were either the Earth Kingdom pilots using outdated Bel P-36s, P-47s, or P-40s or the Seskoevenians flying Mizukyo-3s. There were only 16 aircraft on hand for the coalition forces, while our force had 24 fighters. We and the Coalition forces pilots were at the same altitude and I saw a target that was the P-36. As I looked at the plane from 500 meters away in front of me, there was a wingman with him and I pulled the trigger on the flight stick and the machine gun in the nose of my aircraft fired a short burst of 12.7mm or a .50 caliber synchronized tracer from the nose of my aircraft. I managed to land a hit on the left side of the wing and it was destroyed. The aircraft's left wing was ripped apart and the plane itself began spinning uncontrollably. I looked to my left side of the cockpit and observed the pilot bailing out of the aircraft. Others witnessed it, and I got my first aerial victory, but there is no time to celebrate during a battle. Although my wingman Yashiro engaged the P-36's wingman, he struggled to hit the bandit. Meanwhile, I saw the other P-36 chasing him and Yashiro had no idea a bandit was on his tail. My cockpit was filled with intense vibrations and I initiated a hammerhead maneuver, pulling 6 Gs during the maneuver. Despite me getting tunnel vision and nearly blacking out, I managed to align the aircraft with the gunsight of my gunsight, but as I was about to fire my machine guns, the bandit took notice of me and did some maneuvers, but I was glued to his back whenever he moves. He dived and I dived, he turned and I turned, I lost sight of him for a moment until I saw him above me and the pilot thought, for a moment that he had lost the bandit on his tail. As I was climbing at 45 degrees angle, I lost some speed, but I managed to align myself with his tail without him knowing, so I pulled the trigger with the machine gun and the tracers went out and hit on his tail, causing his right-wing to fling off as well. There was a great deal of debris coming from the plane and it was spinning, but the pilot himself was lucky enough to bail out and live another day. About a kilometer from me was a lone Seskoevanian Mizukyo-3 running away from the dogfight. No one was chasing him so I decided to take a chance since he was heading to the south and I was positioned to the east. Upon noticing me around 300 meters away, I joined the circle and it was a game of cat and mouse in the sky. At times I had the advantage to shoot him down, but I missed my shot in the process, and at other times the bandit would get in my tail, but I managed to outman him in the process. It did conclude that I was the victor in the dogfight since I was able to utilize it to my advantage during the G force turn that would likely cause the pilot to pass out during the dogfight. He pushed it to the limit and passed out in the process, while I followed him at a lag pursuit, pulling G forces but not passing out. As I aligned my gun to the aircraft, I aimed higher but compensated for the flying bullets. There was smoke coming from the tail of the aircraft, and I glanced to my side to see that the pilot regained consciousness and began to bail out. The aircraft was about 2000 feet above the ground. Our flight group reformed after the bandits were neutralized. Yashiro reported earlier that he had downed the bandit that he was chasing and everyone around him confirmed his success. We went into the airbase where we were supposed to refuel and return home. We went for some drinks some people bragging about their first aerial victory but others noticed that I managed to score three aerial victories on the 2nd sortie. There was some talk that it was pure luck since the pilots were novices and some that I was gifted to fly this aircraft. We visited the refueling airbase after having a drink and noticed that the planes were equipped with drop tanks. Taking off from the airbase, we arrived around 6 PM, exhausted from our mission on that day, some went straight to bed, sleeping in the process, while others ate and discussed the dogfighting that was occurring in the sky. A squadron leader wanted to meet me and congratulate me personally for downing three aircraft in a single sortie as the first pilot in the squadron to do so. Additionally, I was advised that I was permitted to take some time off and that the other 12 pilots who had not been selected would be assigned to another sortie since the dogfighting was a mess. On that day, the sky was filled with tracers from machine guns and casings falling from the plane. Over the radio, some pilots were yelling for assistance in getting rid of the bandit on their tail. Several pilots were reporting their victories over the radio. Several pilots from the other squadron were unlucky and had to bail out of the aircraft, but returned to the base a few days later. Our squadron did not have any pilots bailing out, but some damaged aircraft were repaired at the refueling station.
A dance with fate remains ahead for pilots.