Chapter Four: And Then There Were Three
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Sand Island Air Force Base, Ceres Ocean.
September 27th, 2010.
0830hrs.
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The absence of the base commander was the first thing Kathryn took notice of when she arrived for their briefing, only Bartlett and Thunderhead standing at the front of the room while Cruise sat not far from them. Although everyone else seemed just as nervous as Kathryn was, nobody voiced any of their concerns. In fact, oddly enough, no one said a thing, something that was unusual especially given that Clown and Chopper were seated right beside each other. Even if they had no idea what was happening, they were all still on edge after what had happened a few days ago.
To Kathryn's surprise, Nagase was already there when she arrived, keeping her arms crossed and her gaze straight ahead. She almost seemed distant, not reacting to anything around her. Just a perfect, blank stare ahead. Kathryn chose to leave her be, as did Dogma given that he'd put one chair between him and Nagase. No wonder he was concerned about her, she seemed nothing like how she was before all of this happened. She was always quiet and shy but this felt like more than that.
Remembering her conversations over breakfast, Kathryn took a seat beside Clown and decided not to worry about it just as Alto finally arrived. She quickly made her way over to Chopper, giving Bartlett and Cruise an apologetic smile as they took notice of her, and took a seat without a word. Chopper whispered something to her, likely playfully chastising her for being late considering the fact she lightly shoved his head away from her and told him they had better things to worry about. All things considered, she had a point. But also, Kathryn wondered just how urgent it was given the fact their captain's conversation was still ongoing.
They all kept their eyes on Bartlett as he seemed to be bickering with Thunderhead almost, likely something to do with previous operations or whatever was coming up now, and after a couple of minutes Bartlett threw his hands up in defeat and turned away. Cruise straightened up as soon as she noticed his scowl, and Kathryn and the others tried not to get caught watching the whole exchange. She heard Bartlett say to Cruise, "Forget about it," as he took his seat beside her. Thunderhead shook his head, clearly exasperated, and then took a look around the room to make sure they were all there.
"Alright. About time you were all here. We've got a possible situation on our hands," Thunderhead said to them, turning around and booting up the laptop. The same map from a few days ago was displayed, though it seemed he'd already pinpointed the area around Sand Island to avoid them all catching a glimpse of what Kathryn saw during their last briefing. There wasn't any doubt in her mind that their allies across the ocean were the prime suspects. With a few clicks, the screen centered on Sand Island, circled in light blue, while a set of crosshairs repeatedly centered on it with a set of coordinates as Thunderhead began to explain. "Getting right to it, we detected a ship of unknown origin approaching the Sand Island coastline."
"What kind of ship?" Cruise asked him. Whatever Bartlett had been discussing with Thunderhead clearly wasn't in regards to the mission, or Kathryn had a feeling that Cruise would have at least overheard something about it.
"We're not sure. But we've confirmed that the ship has launched numerous unmanned aerial vehicles, probably used for reconnaissance. They're likely the same force behind previous…er, incidents," Thunderhead said, glancing at the door to make sure it was shut. Alto must have closed it behind her, as it was indeed shut, but he seemed to be playing it safe. He turned, opening a new window on the computer to display the current location of the ship, the UAVs, and the island. It also showed Wardog Squadron and the approach they'd be taking on their intercept. He cleared his throat and went on. "The UAVs will likely return to the launch ship for retrieval after completing their spy operations."
"Chasin' off that bird of theirs wasn't enough, so they just decided to switch up their tactics, huh?" Clown piped up, sounding slightly annoyed and maybe even a little tired. "You'd think they'd've learned."
"Unless us having the balls to shoot back at them caught their attention," Chopper pointed out with a scoff, speaking with a mix of pride and irritation towards their unknown enemy. "But then again, that'd be a good reason to stay away if you ask me. No one's crazy enough to keep coming back for more."
"Seems to me like they're persistent. Whoever it is must really have it out for us," Alto said, her focus entirely on the screen in front of them. By 'us', unlike Chopper, she wasn't referring just to their squadron but to Osea as a whole. She sighed. "So, are we supposed to try and chase them off for good?"
"That's correct," Thunderhead answered with a nod. He turned and pulled up a new screen, now displaying the amount of UAVs they'd be going up against and their positions. "Your orders are to halt this operation by intercepting and destroying these recon drones before they can be recovered by the ship. However, once again you are not to attack the ship until further orders are received. Do I make myself absolutely clear?"
Kathryn could feel herself already frustrated, just from the way he looked over each and every one of them before his gaze landed on the Captain. All of them looked to Bartlett for his reaction, and after a few seconds he got to his feet and stretched out. "Yeah, crystal. Jeez, you worry too much," he said with a huff. "So long as they don't give us any trouble, we won't give them any."
Thunderhead gave a frustrated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose as Bartlett began to walk away. "Captain Bartlett," he said to stop him, a warning clear in his voice. Bartlett hesitated and allowed him to repeat his order. "Do not fire under any circumstances. Need I remind you, your career is not the only thing on the line when you disobey orders."
Bartlett was aware of each and every one of them watching the exchange while Thunderhead stared him down, but if the attention bothered him he didn't let them see. He shook it off, not giving Thunderhead a response either way as he set off for the door. As soon as it opened, the sounds of activity outside the room flooded in and he raised his voice over it to call out, "Let's go, nuggets, we're wastin' time down here."
Kathryn and Cruise were the first to get to their feets and follow him, Nagase right behind them, then one by one their other squadronmates jumped up after them. Thunderhead remained behind, able to operate on the ground given the proximity of the operation to the island. If his issues with Bartlett were anything more than simply annoyance at his disregard for their orders, none of them gave it a second thought at that moment, focused entirely on getting into the air and carrying out their mission.
It seemed straightforward enough, but their last mission had seemed the exact same way. And the first attack was the result of a straightforward intercept. The nagging feeling Kathryn had from earlier was back. Something was wrong, and she didn't want to find out what. At least once she was in the air she could do something about it. Or so she hoped.
Still, it was hard to focus on anything other than her mission. As they walked, Kathryn picked up her pace to fall in step beside the Captain. His stride was longer than hers, so it took some effort to stay by his side. Although hesitant to bring up her concerns, she spoke before she could give herself the chance to back down. At least she thought before she spoke. "Captain? Could I ask you something?"
Bartlett seemed surprised, glancing at her. "Sure. Shoot."
"Does something feel off about this whole thing to you?" Kathryn asked, feeling almost silly for being so worried about it. Up until a few days ago, things had been all fun and games for the most part. She always knew war was a possibility, but she figured it would be more up front. And that they would actually know they were at war. But things had been so quiet and not at all peaceful, then Bartlett was clearly ruffled by all of it even if he tried not to show it. Allowing them to open fire during their previous operation was a clear sign of that. "It's just that none of this feels right."
"War won't ever feel right. I've been through one, so take it from me," Bartlett responded, his answer apparently more harsh than he'd intended. Kathryn didn't take offense to the fact he'd answered so roughly, but he must not have meant to nearly snap at her that time. To her surprise, his tone almost softened and he briefly, playfully placed a hand on the top of her head. An almost fatherly gesture. "C'mon, quit lookin' so down. I'll tell you what I told Nagase. There's nothin' you need to worry about up there. That's my job. So take it easy, alright, Kid?"
"Yes, sir," Kathryn answered, trying to give him peace of mind. He didn't need to worry either, not after all of them had proven they could handle themselves in a dogfight. But if that knowledge didn't even set her mind at ease, she doubted their Captain was going to be able to stop worrying about them. Although uncertain about what they were caught up in, she tried to focus on one thing at a time. For now, that was to get into the air, shoot down the drones, and come back alive.
It'd be a breeze. Or that's what a more optimistic person would have said.
0900hrs.
Wardog Squadron circled around Sand Island and held their formation as they moved to intercept, the drones already showing up on their radar just as soon as they were in the air. Regardless of how anxious she'd been on the ground, Kathryn found herself less concerned by the prospect of facing a robot over an actual human pilot. They were hardly intelligent, being remote-controlled from the ship no doubt rather than acting entirely on its own, and probably less agile. Even so, she would be sure to keep her guard up.
Almost as soon as they got in formation, Thunderhead's voice came through the radio, almost barking the order at them. "Wardog, this is Thunderhead! Unmanned recon drones have turned tail and are returning to the spy vessel," he announced quickly, not bothering to beat around the bush. "Shoot them down before they can return to the ship."
"Yeah, sure thing," Bartlett said, sounding more tired than usual. Kathryn might have been worried about him, but she didn't think it was her place. Captain or not he wouldn't appreciate it, especially not when he had just told her not to worry about things. She chose to leave it alone, given that they had more pressing matters, and Bartlett himself didn't linger on it long. "Alright, then, y'all got that, gang?"
"Wardog 2, roger that," Nagase sounded off first, sounding like she was just barely managing to move through the motions. "Moving to intercept now."
"Wardog 3, roger. Looks like it's gonna be a real piece of cake," Chopper said, but although he tried to remain upbeat it almost sounded like he was being sarcastic.
"I'm begging you not to get too cocky, I'd like to stand a chance against karma," Alto said, half-joking. At least for the most part anyways.
"I'd be more worried about standing a chance against the Captain, personally," Kathryn added, knowing if Chopper slipped up at all both of them would get a nice, loud and long lecture from Bartlett. She moved on to acknowledge Bartlett, not really looking to get into it with anyone before they'd even engaged. "Anyways. Wardog 4, roger that, we're right behind you guys. Just lead the way."
"Good, let's go," Bartlett said, the first to throttle up. The three of them all followed after him, maintaining their heading as they flew out to meet the enemy. They were well out over the ocean before the blips appeared on their radar, not exactly right above Sand Island but way too close for comfort. The ship showed up as well, a bit further out but still within range. It was another second or two before the drone ahead appeared on their HUDs. Kathryn noticed Bartlett didn't ease up on the throttle, so she didn't either. As they closed in, he spoke up once again, refreshing their enemies. "Our orders are to not fire on the ship, you understand?"
Nagase was the first one to answer. "Understood."
"I can kinda guess their reasonin', but…is there a better reason than doin' it just because they told us too?" Clown asked, not sounding too thrilled about the dogfight they were about to be in.
Dogma was the one that answered, surprisingly civil when he did. There was almost no bitterness there at all. "Do you really need a better reason?"
"One reason is that it's cleaner this way," Cruise said before Clown could answer, maybe to avoid any kind of argument. It was less Clown that would take issue with the response and more Kathryn or Chopper that might have something to say, even if they tried their hardest not to. Well, probably not their hardest. Cruise knew them well enough to know all of that by now. "We shoot down their toys and show them we're not playing around without causing some kind of big incident. Like the last time we were up here. It's kind of hard to keep things from escalating when people's lives are involved."
"Exactly, so what are we supposed to do if they fire on us?" Kathryn couldn't help but ask. It's not like she liked the idea of being the reason an all out war was started, but 'what-ifs' were a specialty of hers. "The last time we tried to play nice they expected us to roll over and die. Are we expected to do that today too, if push comes to shove?"
"Jeez, Kid, calm down," Chopper commented, almost sounding exasperated. She knew it probably wasn't helping anyone's anxieties, and normally Kathryn might not have shared it, but some of them were probably thinking it.
To Kathryn's surprise, Nagase almost agreed with her. "Blaze makes a good point, you can't deny that," she said slowly. "At the same time, we'd do better to turn tail and run if that happens. Better than keeping the cycle going, right?"
Without much time on their hands, it was hard to get into a discussion about it. Even Bartlett, who usually had no issue saying what he thought, gave an almost irritated sigh about the whole exchange as he made an attempt to put an end to the whole thing. "You know that you two worry way too much?" he asked, and it was a rhetorical question. "By all means, be prepared, but some bridges oughta be crossed when you come to 'em."
"Right, exactly. So take it easy and stop losing your heads," Chopper added, apparently feeling especially proud that Bartlett more or less agreed that they should 'calm down'. Like he was one to talk given how he could get under pressure. He gave a chuckle, adding in an almost playful tone, "See, Captain? Stuff like this just goes to show you that I'm high-ranking officer material."
"Hard to disagree, I guess…" Bartlett grumbled, not sounding all that happy about the response. He recovered quickly, though, addressing Kathryn and Nagase as he said, "So, you two just gonna take that from him or are you gonna prove me wrong?"
First and foremost I'm gonna kill Chopper. Kathryn almost wanted to say, not that it was in any way a genuine sentiment. It was hard to be mad at him, let alone stay mad at him. Instead, she tried to wipe off her smirk and focus on the task in front of them, forcing a breathy laugh as she answered. "Hell no, I'm not letting him get away with that."
"Good." Bartlett's tone suggested he was planning something, and just a few moments later they found out what it was. They were practically nose to nose with the UAVs now, just out of range to lock on. An issue that their mindless opponents didn't share, as warnings in Kathryn's ear confirmed they were all being tracked on radar. Bartlett abruptly braked and pulled up, causing all three of them to shoot past him, putting them nose to nose with the enemy. Something he wouldn't have done unless he was fully convinced they weren't in danger against these things. Right as he did that, he called out, "Now show me what you've got, Kid!"
A split second later and Kathryn heard the familiar tone of a radar lock, with Clown announcing it immediately after and encouraging her to shoot. Without hesitation, Kathryn and the others fired on their targets simultaneously. Although they should have been smaller and more agile, the UAVs were only as good as who or whatever was controlling them, so they weren't able to react as fast as they probably could. All three missiles struck their targets, wiping out the first enemy group, putting a dent in their numbers right out of the gate. Kathryn couldn't help but let out a quiet cheer to herself, hearing Clown do the same behind her.
Kathryn checked the skies around them, trying to find where the next group of enemies were. She couldn't see anything right away, figuring they were spread out farther than they thought. It seemed Clown had roughly the same idea she did, checking their radar for any sign of their enemy. Once he spotted something, he was quick to inform her as well as the others. "Looks like they're pretty far out. Anyone got eyes on 'em?"
"I can see them on radar," Alto spoke up, assessing what she could of the situation. "Best guess, they're closing in on that ship of theirs. You guys better gun it if you plan on making the intercept in time."
"Already on it," Kathryn called out. She throttled up, banking to her left and heading out towards their target. Right as she began the abrupt turn, she gave Clown a last minute warning she probably could have given sooner. "Hang on, Clown, we're going for a ride!"
As Kathryn headed out to greet the rest of their enemies, the other two were quick to follow suit while Bartlett trailed behind them. He let them take the lead, clearly trusting their skills against the drones, but Kathryn was sure he'd jump in if he really had to. Even if he took up the rear he stayed close by to offer support when and if it was needed, and under the circumstances Kathryn couldn't help but feel like she was back in flight school with an instructor breathing down her neck every step of the way. It made her more nervous than she probably should have been, like she had to do everything perfectly or else her wings were going to get clipped. It was something she should have been used to, so she set the thought aside and tried to keep her focus on the mission.
The three aircraft closed the distance between their targets in no time, almost like they were racing to get there. Just as the targets, a group of four drones this time, appeared on Kathryn's HUD, Dogma announced that they were closing in. "You're gonna be right on top of them any second now," he said. In as playful a tone as anyone could ever get from them, he scoffed and added, "Show them the same hospitality as before, yeah?"
"Switching over to special weaponry. I think we should try and take them out before they have a chance to counter," Nagase said quickly, doing exactly what she said. She throttled up, pulling ahead of Kathryn some and adjusting her angle ever so slightly. She got a lock, which Dogma quickly announced, and she fired an SASM before breaking to the right to make a wide approach on the remaining drones. Her missile struck its target dead on, wiping it out. Matter-of-factly, trying to remain cool-headed and professional, she informed the rest of them of it, speaking mainly to Thunderhead and Bartlett. "This is Edge, scratch one hostile."
After getting the idea from Nagase, Kathryn had also switched over to her own SASMs, intending to get a bit closer even though she was well within range of it. The second she took down her target she wanted to split off the remaining two, and that's exactly what she intended to do. Chopper meanwhile veered off to the left, following Nagase's second strategy to corral the remaining drones. Kathryn reached her target first, firing and immediately breaking to chase the first drone that countered, switching back to her regular missiles. She grunted at the sudden movement even though she knew it was coming, vaguely aware of Clown cursing under his breath behind her and reminding her she should have given him some kind of warning.
The first drone she'd gone after went down, leaving her to tangle with the other she'd gone after while Chopper and Nagase both seemingly competed for the last of the remaining two. The drone Kathryn was tailing pulled up abruptly, forcing her to follow at a lower altitude and sharper angle so she could stay on top of it. She remembered this time she wasn't the only one along for this ride, managing to warn Clown of her movements with enough time for him to brace himself. She grunted at the movement, but the strain wasn't anything she wasn't able to handle. Although not too close for missiles, it wasn't a difficult shot to make, and she said as much to her RIO. "Clown, I'm switching to guns. No point in wasting missiles on this thing."
"Roger that, just take 'im down," Clown said through a huff, sounding more than a little strained but handling it well. For the most part, at least as far as Kathryn could tell.
Lining up the shot, Kathryn's finger immediately tightened around the trigger as she fired, holding it down and adjusting her sights as the drone moved. The bullets landed in sporadic shots and it wasn't long before the wing was completely shredded off, leaving it to fall down to the ocean below. Kathryn let out a breath, pulling around and leveling out just in time to see Chopper wipe out the last drone before Nagase could fire on it. Seeing how easy it was to take them down, she almost felt stupid for being so anxious earlier. But even with the drones gone, she wasn't able to fully shake her uneasiness.
"Well, well, thanks a lot for leaving some enemies for me, Kid," Chopper joked as he leveled out as well, Nagase right on his wing. He clearly wasn't grateful at all given that she'd only left him with one. "I mean, damn. If I knew you two were gonna go at them like that I would have suggested a nice little competition of kill scores. They're just drones after all, not like we'd have a guilty conscience over it, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so. Not like anyone's gonna argue over that," Kathryn said, leaning her head back as best she could. She hadn't expected it to be that simple, now just waiting for the all clear from Thunderhead to return to base. Chopper was right. Taking drones down felt a lot better than going up against real pilots, but it wasn't like they had much of a choice in either with the way things had played out. She swallowed. "Guess we can just go home, now?"
"They'll give us the green light to RTB any minute now, just be patient. Unless they've got more errands for us," Cruise commented, her and Bartlett both having been silent until the latter pulled their aircraft around to regroup with them, all of the drones defeated. She didn't seem at all bothered she hadn't had much work to do, though knowing her she was bound to lecture Bartlett about it later. Probably just to save face. She continued, sounding like she was half joking. "But I seriously doubt it. I don't think they trust us with recon missions anymore."
"Why sound so disappointed?" Bartlett asked her, sounding like he was smirking. She didn't answer him back and that seemed perfectly fine with them. As the four of them continued to circle around, wasting fuel more than anything, he turned the topic back around to the operation. "Anyways, how're you all feelin'? Pretty easy, right?"
"Yes, sir," Nagase replied quietly, sounding like she was starting to zone out again.
"Yeah, it was," Kathryn agreed. She bit down on her tongue, quite literally, wondering if she should bother voicing her thoughts. It's not like it was much. But even so, she wanted to get it off her chest. After a few seconds of debating, her impulsiveness won out and she added, "But did anyone else feel like it was almost too easy?"
"There she goes again…" Dogma muttered with an exasperated sigh. "At this rate we're all gonna be dead because you can't stop mouthing off."
"Not to side with him, but he's got a point," Clown said, forcing a chuckle and trying to keep things light. Kathryn guessed he probably heard her suck in a breath, fully intending to fire off the first retort that came to mind, but Clown's interruption made her forget what she was going to say. Which almost calmed her down. He continued, almost gently. "Quit worryin' so much or you're gonna jinx us."
"I told you to leave that to me, didn't I, Kid?" Bartlett asked her. She didn't answer, hoping he meant it to be rhetorical. He waited only a few seconds, giving her a chance to reply, but she didn't take the opening. So he didn't prompt one, which she was almost grateful for. "Anyways, you did good. Almost made me want to jump in there with you."
"Hey, sir, why didn't you?" Alto asked, almost awkwardly, clearing her throat. Her question was a genuine one, choosing not to join in on the banter.
"Figured I oughta give you nuggets a chance to shine. It's not like they gave you much trouble, right?" Bartlett said, again with the rhetorical questions. It was like it was his own way of controlling the conversation, though whatever his reason for that was Kathryn could only guess. He sounded almost dismissive as we went on. "So, I just hung back and left you guys to play with those toys, and it worked out just fine. Maybe I oughta let y'all loose more often."
"Translation: drones bore me and I can't be bothered to work," Cruise said with a snicker, and Chopper and Clown couldn't hold back their own laughter. Kathryn stifled hers, letting it out in the form of a short snort.
"Yeah, yeah, very funny. You're always complaining about my flying, so how about you cut it out before I turn this thing into a roller-coaster ride," Bartlett said, sounding almost embarrassed with just the hint of a playful warning underneath his words. It sounded like he got called 'asshole' underneath a stifled scoff, but Kathryn couldn't be sure. And he didn't address it, instead radioing Thunderhead. "Hey, Heartbreak One to Thunderhead, you guys gonna let us come home today or what?"
"Standby Wardog Squadron, assessing the situation now," Thunderhead said. And that's where it all went wrong.
There was an alert that sounded in the cockpit, enough to startle Kathryn. She knew what it was, even before Clown announced they were picking up something else on radar. "Hey, Thunderhead, it looks like we've got new contacts on radar. Hard to tell yet, but this ain't lookin' good. Y'all seein' anything up there?"
"We've got eyes on the situation now. Multiple bogeys inbound, closing fast," Thunderhead informed them quickly and clearly, sounding more calm than Kathryn felt. As if this sort of thing was just becoming another day in the office. For him it probably was, but he wasn't down here dogfighting with those guys. "They're unidentified fighters, not recon drones. Likely reinforcements like before."
Bartlett let out an irritated groan, his voice having a hint of suspicion in it as he asked, "Is it the same attack axis as before?"
"280. Same vector as before," Thunderhead confirmed. "It's just further confirmation they're with the same group you intercepted last time."
"Geez, this is getting ridiculous. Just how many planes do they have lined up at the border over there, huh?" Bartlett asked, though his question was rhetorical. He was the first to withdraw, banking and turning back towards the island. "C'mon, I'm not getting us in over our heads again. We've only got four on our side and I'd like to not get outnumbered again. We'd better abort the op."
"The Captain's giving in?" Alto asked, sounding genuinely surprised by it. "That's…new."
"Should we be worried?" Kathryn asked, trying to make it sound like she was joking. But really she wasn't. She didn't know if she wanted a fight or not. The drones had been easy, so it wouldn't be difficult to engage the fighters. But at the same time having no idea who they were fighting just made the whole thing that much more intimidating.
"Relax, just trust me." Bartlett answered almost right away, his tone surprisingly soft. She must have sounded more nervous than she meant to. Either that or he really was perceptive enough to see through anyone's BS. No one else seemed to pick up or acknowledge that fact. Bartlett continued before she could say anything else, not giving her a chance to question him. "Wardog Squadron withdrawing now and returning to base. Think you can manage to stick to my tail this time, Kid?"
Kathryn hesitated for only a moment, able to get a visual on the enemy. They really had closed in fast, faster than she had expected anyways, but they were still just dark specks on the horizon. She swallowed and turned to follow Bartlett, taking up a position off his wing while Nagase followed opposite her. "Yes, sir," Kathryn said, keeping her eye on the throttle while Clown kept his attention glued to the radar and their tail. "Right behind you."
"Good girl," Bartlett said, just like he had the other day, only slightly less smug and mocking. Not by much, though. Surprisingly, Kathryn didn't feel annoyed by it, actually finding it amusing enough this time to let it ease her worries. It shouldn't have been surprising that he knew what he was doing. Quickly, he added, "Oh, hey, and same to you Nagase. I don't need you straying off again. Let's all get home in one piece, yeah?"
"I'm on it, Captain, you don't have to worry about me," Nagase replied, and there was the slightest hint of annoyance in her voice. It reminded Kathryn of the look on her face during that first briefing following the attack, and she started to wonder if being treated like a problem child that had to be reined in was getting to her. Kathryn knew the feeling. And suddenly she felt bad for being worried and trying to pry since their previous operations.
As the three of them began to throttle up and set their course to return, Chopper was slower to pull around and follow. Maybe he'd trailed off further than Kathryn had noticed, she wasn't really sure why he was slower to react than they were. Or maybe the enemy aircraft were just faster than they were, desperate enough to burn out their engines to protect the ship down below. Not that Kathryn was in any position to judge them for that, but being on the receiving end of that kind of determination and not being able to do anything was frustrating. But none of them were really expecting this kind of fight today.
The four interceptors closed in faster than Kathryn had expected, and while she and Nagase were close enough to Bartlett and far enough from the aircraft that it wasn't an issue for them, Chopper wasn't quite so lucky. The blip on radar that identified his position was covered by the enemy interceptors, and Alto was the one that made their predicament known, missile alerts sounding off in the background as she spoke. She raised her voice a bit, understandably shaken. "Missile in the air! C'mon, break or we're toast, Chopper!"
"Aww crap!" Chopper spat with a frustrated groan, and there was a brief silence as he pulled evasive maneuvers. Kathryn craned her neck, hoping she could get sight of him behind her, and she guessed Clown was probably doing the same. Chopper's voice came over the radio again, following a grunt, sounding more strained than before. "Shit! I don't think I can make it, they're running me down!"
"Oh, you're taking the trail position today, Rock 'n Roller? Bet it's not so funny anymore," Bartlett said dryly, almost sounding like he was joking but not quite. Abruptly, he braked and broke off his retreat, turning his nose back around towards where Chopper was struggling to evade the four fighters. "Guess they're not letting us get off that easy today. Hold on, Motormouth, I'll clear your six o' clock for you."
"Dammit, I may as well have drawn the short straw today…" Chopper grumbled, clearly regretting his decision to take up the rear. It might have been funny under better circumstances, but right now there wasn't anything to laugh about.
Kathryn abruptly broke off to follow the Captain, the sudden jerk and half-roll to the side catching Clown off guard. As soon as she'd leveled out the plane and turned her nose around, she throttled up to follow. "Damn, Blaze, would ya take it easy up there?" he asked with a huff, having quickly regained his composure. There wasn't another complaint from him, so she guessed he was already getting to work.
"Captain, what're our orders?" Kathryn asked, but given she was already moving to jump into the fight it wasn't like she had an issue waiting for those orders. Her heart was racing, probably a mix of both fear and excitement but the former was the stronger between the two. And she didn't exactly hate that.
Bartlett didn't answer right away, pausing only a moment to force Chopper's main pursuer off his tail and wipe him out. As soon as Cruise called out his lock he fired a missile and the enemy fighter. The missile struck its target, taking it out in one swift movement. As soon as the fighter went down, all of it taking place in the blink of an eye, Bartlett called out an answer to Kathryn through a growl and gritted teeth. "Everyone else, quit gawkin' and start shootin'!"
"Guess we're doing this," Kathryn said without thinking, reaching the group of fighters and splitting off one of the remaining three as it tried to move to target Bartlett, Chopper already trying to shake off the other two. Once she was sure she could stay on its tail, she quickly added, "Wardog 4 engaging!"
"Well, here we go again…" Clown muttered, but he didn't stay down long. He jumped back into his usual, more upbeat self, offering her some encouragement as he braced himself for the dogfight maneuvers that were sure to follow. "Let's get it done, Kid!"
"Don't worry. Just remember your training, you'll be fine," Bartlett told them, already working to get another fighter off of Chopper's tail.
"Captain Bartlett!" Thunderhead's voice broke through, sounding genuinely appalled that they were moving to engage. Much like their previous operation, he refused to look at it as anything other than an intentional defiance of orders, as if they asked to be fired on. And just like before, the only thing he could do was yell at them as if that was going to change anything. "Stand down, Wardog Squadron, you are not cleared to engage at this time!"
Just like before, they ignored him, following Bartlett's lead over the orders their AWACS controller was shouting at them. They'd be paying for it later, but there wasn't any time for them to worry about that. By now, Nagase had circled back around to engage the fighters, aiding Bartlett in forcing one of the fighters to cease his pursuit of Chopper, making it easier for him to shake the remaining bandit. Nagase pursued her target more aggressively than expected, matching Bartlett and Kathryn's aggression for the sake of the fight. As she swooped in, almost rubbing extra salt into Thunderhead's wound, she said, "Wardog 2, Edge engaging. I've got him in my sights!"
"You've almost got him," Dogma said, almost sounding encouraging. Likely because he didn't have much of a choice in the matter, and not doing his job under those circumstances was probably just as bad as disobeying their orders. "Don't let him slip away, Nagase!"
She didn't, staying glued to her target's tail with Bartlett's help. Kathryn meanwhile had successfully downed one of the fighters, now close enough to tell that it was a group of MiGs that they were up against though it was hard to make out their markings. Whoever they were, their pilots put up quite a fight against them, though Kathryn was able to adapt. Their flying was a lot like that of the pilots from the last operation.
The MiG climbed sharply and Kathryn followed him, getting a lock but waiting for him to try and shake her lock before she moved to follow and ended up wasting a missile. Just as she predicted, the aircraft leveled out and gave her an opening. She rolled to adjust her angle, grunting, and got a lock from down below, firing a missile and immediately breaking away. It hit the mark, taking the aircraft's wing off, and Kathryn and Clown watched the pilot ditch the plane from above them. She banked, steering clear of the wreckage as it spiraled down to the ocean.
Nagase also succeeded in taking down her target, remaining glued to his tail the whole time. She bided her time while Bartlett made sure that the enemy didn't have a chance to shake her off, and within a matter of seconds she was able to gain the upper hand in the fight. She got a lock and took the shot, wiping out the third fighter in the blink of an eye. She let out a sigh and announced the kill, sounding as though she was surprised in herself. "This is Edge, splash one hostile!"
"He's disappeared from radar, that's one confirmed kill for Wardog 2," Dogma announced, sounding unusually confident as well. As the aircraft went down, the pilot had the sense to eject, Nagase was quick to steer clear of what remained of the MiG as it began an out of control dive towards the sea. As they were clear, Dogma got a look at the situation. "Wardog 3 is still in a tight spot. Chopper, Alto, how're things working out for you two over there?"
"This guy's stubborn. Or maybe Chopper's just having an off day…" Alto responded, as though she was speaking through gritted teeth. She sounded nervous, too, and luckily for her Chopper seemed too focused on trying to shake the enemy to make a comeback. To Chopper, she added, "I swear if you get me killed I'm gonna haunt you for the rest of your life. Now move it, would you?! This guy's almost got a radar lock!"
"Y'know, if anything happens to you it ain't like I'm gonna be any better off. Now hang on," Chopper shot back, clearly not taking kindly to her comments. With the fight all happening in the blink of an eye, Kathryn and Nagase were both already moving to offer him support but by the time they reacted he had already found a way to shake off the enemy himself. He pulled up his nose ever so slightly and hit the brakes hard, sending the enemy flying right past him, and putting the MiG right in his sights to fire.
It wasn't an unusual trick, Kathryn and Chopper were among the many pilots that had pulled the stunt all the time back at Heierlark. And then Bartlett often did the exact same thing. If it was what it took to win, they'd seize the opportunity. The only thing unusual about it was the fact that Chopper had waited so long to do it, and the only reasoning Kathryn could find was that he hadn't been confident until he'd run out of other evasive maneuvers to pull. He wasn't ever by the book and he wasn't eager to pick a fight with these guys. It seemed to Kathryn that Alto was right. He really was having an off day.
"Good tone! You've got it, take the shot!" Alto called out as soon as Chopper leveled out, and he quickly did as she said. He fired off a missile, and by the time the enemy MiG realized what was happening it was too late to evade. It struck the engine and just like his three wingmen there was nothing he could do to recover from it. Alto let out a relieved laugh as the plane went down, though Kathryn couldn't see if the pilot got out or not. "Wardog 3 splash one hostile! Jeez you scared the hell out of me…"
Cruise spoke up next, actually sounding as though she was shaken as well. "You need to keep your heads in the game," she told them, almost scolding them. "Don't hesitate any longer than you need to."
"You think too much for too long and you're dead," Bartlett added with a huff, almost sharing in the concern Cruise and Alto shared.
"Yeah, yeah. You all need to relax. I just needed a minute to figure things out, y'know? Get a feel for things. It's fine…we're fine," Chopper said, out of breath. He gave a short laugh that only made him sound more nervous than exasperated, but he was quick to recover and try and keep his cool. "Man, it looks like we really pissed those guys off taking out their drones like we did. They're out a couple several thousand dollars, big deal. It ain't like they lost people…"
Before anyone could respond, Thunderhead's voice sounded once again. It was almost annoying, like he was just yelling at them for the sake of yelling, likely so he wouldn't be dragged into the incident once they returned to base. "You all have no idea the trouble you're putting yourselves in, splashing an enemy squadron like that! Without permission!" he said with a scoff. "What were you thinking, Wardog?!"
"I already told you I'm not gonna watch any more of my pilots die, get that in your head already," Bartlett snapped back, not quite as annoyed as he was when he'd first told Thunderhead off in their last operation but clearly not in the mood for a fight with him at that moment. He got back to business quickly. "Are the skies clear or do we have some more surprises lined up for today?"
Thunderhead hesitated, then gave a frustrated sigh. Much like Dogma, he had the choice of neglecting his duty or allowing those around him to disobey orders. Between the two, he chose the former. "There's another flight of four inbound," he answered, clearing his throat. "Same vector as before."
Bartlett didn't adjust his course right away, choosing to confirm with Cruise before he made a move. "Dagger, what's it look like back there?"
"I've got 'em. Confirmed bandits on radar, same vector as before," Cruise responded without missing a beat as though she'd already verified it ahead of time, predicting Bartlett was going to double check things with her.
"Well, clearly they haven't learned their lesson yet…whew. Alright then, let's go and ask them to join the party," Bartlett said, immediately following up by changing his course, banking and pulling his nose around. "Everyone else, follow my lead."
Nagase was already on his wing, with Kathryn right behind them, leaving Chopper's position open while he caught up. This time Bartlett waited on him before throttling up, which he probably should have done before when they were running from the enemy and not to them. Kathryn took a deep breath. "What's the game plan, Captain?"
"Same as before. If they fire on you, shoot back. And chances are they're gonna be firing on you, so I better not see any of you hesitating," Bartlett said quickly, not sounding bothered at all by the aspect of a fight. If he was worried then he wasn't about to make that known to them, erasing any doubts anyone could have had that he was capable of taking charge. Not that Kathryn had many doubts about that to begin with. He went on. "If that happens, then we're gonna shoot them all down, Kid. Just like before."
Chopper gave a short, dry laugh. "Well, at least it's straightforward enough," he said with a deep breath, taking up his position on Bartlett's right wing. "Not like we've got much of a choice, but it's nice when things are simple, y'know?"
"You'd think, but that doesn't make it much better…" Clown said, blowing out a breath of his own. He sounded tired more than anything, but he didn't show any other signs he was having doubts about the whole thing. "But what's one more fight? Let's take care of it."
The two squadrons closed in on one another in the blink of an eye, faster than the squadron of MiGs that had tangled with them before. Unlike the Fishbeds from before, the second squadron was a group of MiG-29As, and compared to the previous squadron they were a lot quicker to react and start their assault. They broke off into pairs and separated as soon as Wardog Squadron was within range, forcing them to do the same. Kathryn broke off with Chopper, splitting their formation and banking to the right to follow the first pair while Nagase followed Bartlett to the right.
Although quicker than the previous squadron and better equipped for a dogfight than the drones they faced, Kathryn didn't find them any more or less difficult than the fighters they'd faced during their last operation. Their flying was uniform and easy to read, even if their tactics differed slightly. Kathryn and Clown had no problem working with Chopper and Alto to take out their targets, making sure they kept the enemy off the other's tail by never giving them an opportunity to try and circle around them. They didn't even give them an opening to do so, keeping close until the enemy fighter tried to break, then one word from any of them and they went wide to cut them off and keep them in a tight circle.
Kathryn was amazed they'd kept it up but they could only keep it up for so long before they had to get serious about taking them down. Their enemy must have realized the same thing as one of them abruptly pulled up and into the clouds before they could respond, and Kathryn immediately followed, without giving Clown or Chopper any warning as to what she was doing. She heard them both curse out of frustration and surprise but she didn't worry about that, pursuing her enemy higher up. She followed him into the clouds and through them to the other side, both of them leveling out, and by the time she caught up and was within range she'd strayed a bit from Chopper's side.
Patiently, she lined up the shot and waited for the tone and all clear from Clown. She fired one missile, which struck the engine and practically split the aircraft in two. Kathryn broke off before she saw if the pilot ejected while Clown announced the kill. "Wardog 4 has splashed another bandit! Hell yeah!"
"Perfect. Now would you get the hell over here and help us out, Kid?" Chopper called out, apparently not having the same luck she did. He sounded frustrated, maybe even a bit jealous but Kathryn didn't really care to analyze that. She couldn't even think of anything to say to antagonize him.
"We're staying on him but he's slippery. We could use some help keeping him from getting away," Alto called out, sounding far more polite and subtle in her request compared to Chopper's demand.
Bartlett chuckled, he and Nagase in the process of getting ready to move in for the kill. He sounded a bit out of breath when he spoke. "Hey, you two know better than to let them separate you," he told them. "Go and help out Mr. Rock 'n Roll over there before he gets the two of them into trouble."
"Already on it, just hang in there," Kathryn responded, picking Chopper's position out and pulling her nose around before diving. In a matter of seconds she was back on his wing, cutting off his opponent abruptly when he suddenly tried to turn, apparently having been too worried about Chopper being glued to his tail to take notice of where she'd been. Which was the one thing you didn't want to do in a dogfight, however accidental it could be. Kathryn definitely wasn't perfect at keeping her eye on things, and that's why having a backseater wasn't the worst thing in the world.
Caught off guard by Kathryn's entrance and not having the chance to counter when she circled back around to face him head on, she gave Chopper the opening he'd been struggling to get. He probably would have gotten it eventually on his own, but he seemed lazy today. In his defense none of them were expecting much more resistance than those drones and that ship, but at the same time it was hard to be completely surprised. Chopper switched over to his gun, using that instead of missiles to take out the enemy, succeeding in quickly subduing the MiG by shredding its wing clear off.
"Wardog 3, I've got another confirmed kill," he quickly announced, sounding a bit proud of himself. "How're things going over there? You guys need rescuing yet?"
"You're one to talk," Dogma responded flatly. He didn't give Chopper a chance to respond, speaking to Nagase instead. Chances were if Chopper had made a retort it would have been completely ignored. "Nagase, watch this guy. It looks like he's about to dive to try and shake you."
"I've got it, already noticed," Nagase said, sounding completely focused. While Bartlett had quickly finished off the third MiG, Nagase was still working on downing the target she'd chased after. Luckily, in spite of being dead set in her pursuit she hadn't let the enemy lead her far from the rest of her squadron, but she did follow the Fulcrum as it dove towards the ocean. The two aircraft leveled out, the bellies of their planes just barely above the surface of the water, and Nagase seized the perfect opportunity she had and fired before raising her nose.
Being so low to the ocean it was hard for the MiG's pilot to do anything but go up like Nagase had done, but he didn't react in time and there wasn't much time for him to do so considering how close Nagase had been to him. The plane went down, the pilot ejecting to safety while Nagase leveled out not much farther above.
Cruise was the one that announced the final kill. "And then there were none. Nice work, kids," she praised them, continuing without missing a beat. "Everything looks okay down here, at least as far as our radar says. Thunderhead?"
"Picture clear. All hostile aircraft have been destroyed. That's not to say this day is gonna be over that quickly," Thunderhead commented with a sigh, still sounding formal in spite of his exasperation with them. He probably gave in, much like before realizing there wasn't anything he could do. If he was annoyed with them he set it aside to continue what was expected of him, allowing very little reluctance to slip into his voice. "Warning is still in effect, though. Keep your heads on a swivel."
It was then that the radar tracking alert went off, warning all of them there was still activity in the area. As it turned out, the ship below was far from being helpless without their fighters and Nagase had flown right into range of their anti-aircraft weaponry. By the time anyone realized where the source was, the ship had already fired and the missile was twisting through the air, heading straight for Nagase. Bartlett quickly called out but not quick enough. "Dammit, watch it Nagase! They're down below us too!"
"Missile on our tail, move it!" Dogma called out frantically, he and Nagase both grunting as the latter tried to pull what evasive maneuvers she could.
As Nagase made a hard, wide turn, the missile stayed close behind her. She began to pull around into a tight loop and she might have almost succeeded in shaking it but it wasn't a risk Bartlett was willing to take. Kathryn and Chopper had moved to assist, but they were too far to get there in time and there wasn't much they could do without engaging the ship below. Their captain was the only one close enough to do anything, throttling up and having moved to Nagase's position in the blink of an eye.
Bartlett twisted around the missile's contrails and shot past it, weaving through the gap Nagase had managed to put between her plane and the missile, and he immediately flew in the opposite direction and made a dive for the sea. The missile's target changed, allowing Nagase to fly to safety while Bartlett was the one left to evade. The entire thing happened in what felt like seconds, Kathryn hardly having time to think let alone process what had happened by the time Bartlett pulled back up into the air. There wasn't much he could do to shake it, the missile closing in fast.
He banked in one direction, he and Cruise both grunting while Cruise sounded panicked for the first time since Kathryn had flown with her. "Dammit, it's glued to us!" she spat. Doing away with formalities, she slipped up and called out to him by his first name, a clear sign she truly was worried. "Break, Jack, break!"
"Doing the best I can here! Calm down!" Bartlett responded through gritted teeth, following her suggestion and trying to break off in the opposite direction. As he did this he brought his F-4 into a roll for good measure, but the missile struck the tip of the wing in a burst of flame and smoke. He completed the roll, leveling out but flying unsteadily as smoke trailed from the wing, cursing under his breath. "Shit…"
"Captain!" Nagase called out, Kathryn and Chopper having finally closed in on their location and regrouped with their wingman.
Kathryn felt like she was going to puke, having been well aware that things weren't going to be easy that day. She tried to push the thought out of her head, remembering what he'd said about not worrying and trying to reason with her anxiety. He could bail out and everything would be fine. He wasn't dead yet. She took a deep breath, trying not to let her voice give away her nerves while still being aware of the urgency of the situation. Unintentionally, she snapped and blurted out the first thought that came to mind. "Captain! What the hell was that stunt?"
"Hey, watch it! I'm still your superior. Now save the waterworks, alright? We're not dead yet," Bartlett huffed in response, and if he was shaken by the incident he still didn't let them know it. His tone softened right away when none of them protested, at least able to tell Kathryn hadn't been snapping out of disrespect. He continued as if nothing was wrong. "We're gonna bail out here. There's no sense in risking a landing, not with the state of this plane. Besides, these things can always be replaced. It's gettin' the crew back alive that counts, right?"
"Hey, y'all aren't injured are you?" Clown asked quickly, some hesitancy in his voice.
"No. We're fine," Cruise responded, sounding a bit shaken up but otherwise fine. She was quick to collect herself. "We've been through worse than this, but…still. More excitement than I was expecting."
"Ah, you're just a baby," Bartlett teased to ease the tension, but it was more fond and tired than his usual playful teasing. He still kept things together, issuing his last orders quickly. "Make a call to scramble the search and rescue copter and get my spare plane ready, okay? We'll see you all back at the base."
The pit in Kathryn's stomach worsened. She didn't feel alright about this, but there wasn't anything she could do to stop it. So she just had to suck it up. "Yes, sir," she replied reluctantly, unable to think of anything else to say. "Just…be careful."
"Quit worrying so much, Kid," Bartlett said with a breathy laugh. "How many times am I gonna have to tell you that, huh? Hey, and it goes for the rest of you nuggets too!"
The other five all sounded off right before Bartlett and Cruise punched out, the plane crashing into the water as they were both jettisoned when the canopy blew. Two parachutes appeared in the air, drifting slowly and safely to the water below while the request for the rescue was sent in. The only thing Kathryn and the others could do was hold their position and formation nearby, out of range of the enemy ship's anti-air defenses but still roughly above where Bartlett and Cruise went down.
Barely five minutes went by before Thunderhead's voice sounded in their ears, raising his voice and speaking a lot faster than usual, which set them even more on edge. It was a sudden but simple order. "Warning! Wardog Squadron, return to base immediately!"
"But…the rescue helicopter isn't here yet," Alto pointed out hesitantly.
"What's going on?" Dogma asked, also sounding a bit more concerned than he might have under better circumstances. Although he didn't often question orders, this was one of the first times he did and Kathryn had a feeling it wouldn't be the last. "Captain Bartlett and Lieutenant Cruise are still out here."
"Forget about it and leave that to the rescue team! We need you to refuel and rearm at the base, we don't have time to waste waiting around!" Thunderhead barked in response, although there was the slightest shift in his tone at the start that indicated he himself was at least somewhat worried. Even so, he wasn't giving them the choice to argue. "We need you back in the air ASAP. Yuktobania has declared war on us! We're now at war with Yuktobania!"
And just like that, everything went to hell.
1140hrs.
Genette returned, escorted by an MP, to the quarters he was assigned to after being unexpectedly asked to report to Colonel Perrault. In an unexpected turn of events, Genette had his confiscated belongings returned to him that morning but the base commander made it quite clear he was to proceed with caution moving forward. Apparently the man was worried word would get out that they'd roughed up a civilian, though frankly Genette hadn't taken their actions personally. Even so, he couldn't help but let himself feel a bit hopeful.
Unfortunately for him, though, the restrictions on his stay became harsher and saw him confined to his quarters like a prisoner. He may have gotten his equipment back but he wasn't yet given clearance to actually do much with it. The least he could do however was offer some insight into the day to day life on base as he was experiencing it, the one thing he was actually given permission to do. He made a mental note to check with his roommate – Chopper – just to get that out of the way.
As Genette stepped inside his quarters he was greeted by Kirk, the black labrador that Chopper owned, looking curious and happy that someone had come back as if he thought they were there just to see him. The dog was well behaved and mellow, which wasn't what Genette had been expecting but he'd gratefully take that over the especially rambunctious dogs he was used to, and he had no problem giving Kirk a pat on the head as he stepped inside. After realizing that Genette was alone and Chopper had yet to return, Kirk quickly lost interest in him, returning to where he'd been laying by the door.
It was just as well. Genette wanted to get his stuff unpacked and set up as soon as he could, lest he forget to do it later on. Or worse, had it confiscated out of nowhere again. He set his camera bag down before proceeding to unpack everything, quickly making sure that none of it had been damaged when base security had taken it into their possession. Once he'd established everything was in one piece, he took to setting up one of the cameras up in a corner of the room on the wardrobe by the door to overlook the rest of the room. He set it to record as soon as he had it situated, pausing only a moment to make sure it was stable before he backed away to show off the room he was in for the sake of reference.
The crew quarters were nothing special, all containing the same barebones furniture to make the space livable long term with limited decorations put up by its occupants. At least as far as Genette could understand. The room that primarily was Chopper's as well as his for the time being was no exception. A small space with bare, offwhite walls and dull, grayish-blue carpet that was rough and hard enough that they could have gotten away with using linoleum and no one would have noticed the difference. There was a large window dead center in the room to provide natural lighting, but as Genette and Chopper had both left early the blinds were still drawn. That and the overcast weather gave it a rather depressing feel.
On one side of the window, off to a corner of the room was a metal frame bunk bed and across from that in the other corner was a small, rather uncomfortable couch. Positioned between them was a nightstand with a phone sitting on it. The rest of the furniture was of the same matching set, like you'd expect to find in a corporate setting. The table beside the couch was messy, housing a lamp and a haphazard row of books propped against each other, along with a few framed photographs belonging to Chopper. Underneath the table were several stacks of old records and magazines, and beside that table was a cabinet that stored additional records and CDs within it. Atop sat a spare flight helmet, a fan, and a stereo.
Across the room was a desk with various stacks of paper strewn across it with a desktop computer sitting in the center, a half-filled water bottle sitting forgotten on a corner. Other than Genette's camera bag and those papers, there wasn't anything special about it. The walls were what really added life to the place, containing various flashy posters of different musical artists that had been carefully taped to the walls. Were it not for the posters and photographs to spruce up the environment, Genette would have gone so far as to compare the room to a prison cell.
His musing and 'tour' of the room to the camera was cut off by a knock at the door, prompting Kirk to lift his head with a curious whine. Genette wasn't in the position to refuse visitors, mainly because he'd been made to feel as if his mere presence on the base was an imposition, so he called out to the person waiting on the other side of the door. "Come in."
A second later the door opened and he was greeted by Captain Hamilton who gave him a small smile in greeting as he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. He lingered by the door, standing with his hands behind his back and a rigid posture, keeping up formalities. "I'm not interrupting your work am I?"
"Oh. No, not at all," Genette said, giving him a small chuckle. He nodded towards the wardrobe where the camera was, which Hamilton glanced to. "I'm still trying to set things up, collect what I can, y'know? I assume you heard the news."
"That's right, I did. In fact, I actually stopped by just to ensure that your equipment had been returned to you," Hamilton said with a short nod, taking a look around the room. First he looked to the desk where Genette's camera bag sat, then around the rest of the room, taking in the decor with a blank expression. He took a deep breath. "The Base Commander can be difficult, but there's a point when I'm unwilling to tolerate his actions, however justifiable they may be. However, if I'm going to bend the rules, I prefer to do so with subtlety."
Genette blinked, not having a difficult time putting the pieces together. Perrault hadn't suddenly become somewhat reasonable on his own accord, which Genette should have realized sooner after how odd the exchange had been. He decided to hazard a guess. "Did you speak with him about this?"
Hamilton suddenly seemed almost sheepish, giving him a short laugh. He was tense, even when smiling. "Guilty as charged," he replied, the smile fading a bit to a blank expression. "I'm guessing he chose not to make any mention of that when you spoke to him."
"Not a word. He had a whole gruff speech about how he 'took pity' on me, but honestly I was just grateful he wasn't reaming me out," Genette said, feeling a bit guilty he hadn't figured it out sooner. Between the two of them, Hamilton had been far more welcoming than he'd have expected based on his resting blank expression and serious demeanor. But this was an almost friendly gesture. "I suppose I should be thanking you then. I'm not used to having many people sticking up for me in my line of work."
"Don't worry about it, I wasn't expecting credit or anything. I was just trying to give you a hand. Figured it was the least we could do for you after what you had to go through the other day," Hamilton said, being one of the few people other than Bartlett and the other pilots that was willing to acknowledge the incident. He almost looked sympathetic as he continued. "You're lucky to have a job like that and to be so passionate about it, too. Not many would go to the lengths you have. I'd hate to see all of that go to waste."
"It wouldn't be the first time an assignment crashed and burned…er…I probably could have chosen a better choice of words," Genette said nervously, suddenly realizing what he said was a bit insensitive. Though it wasn't a lie. He'd had plenty of stories he chased down only to have them run straight into the ground, so it wasn't anything new to him. He cracked a small smile of his own. "The point is, I appreciate the effort you went through to get my camera back. You didn't have to. I know that I'm stuck here, but is there a way I can repay you?"
"Just consider it a friendly gesture, no strings attached," Hamilton said, appearing genuine as he spoke, the slightest hint of his smile from earlier still on his face. It was hard to tell exactly what he was thinking but Genette figured he'd learn to read him eventually, assuming he was stuck here long enough. Hamilton went on. "Just don't make me regret it. Between you and me, I'd have liked to have a job like yours if I'd had the chance."
The comment piqued Genette's curiosity. Hamilton seemed like a very guarded person compared to the others he'd spoken with, so he didn't want to pry too much but he couldn't help but ask him about it. It was difficult enough to find people that shared his interests, he might as well make the most of it. "Really? What stopped you?"
"Military family on my father's side, mainly my uncle's influence. Hell of a guy. He practically helped raise myself and my sister," Hamilton responded, almost without missing a beat. It seemed like something he was actually a bit proud of, willing to bring it up with just a second to consider his words. He shrugged. "It didn't leave much of a question as to what I wanted to do. Had he not been a soldier I think my life might have turned out differently. Not that either path is necessarily worse than the other, just the way things go."
Genette nodded slowly, debating whether or not he should ask his next question. It was something he'd been wondering for a while now, though he was more or less sure he knew the answer. "And what about your sister? Is she a soldier, too."
Hamilton's expression faltered, the small smile immediately fading into nothing. He seemed suddenly hesitant, but after taking a deep breath he was willing to answer as though he hadn't frozen up for a moment. "She is. And a pilot at that. She can be a real handful, but she's got promise…just needs to grow up a little."
"Am I correct in assuming that Lieutenant Hamilton is related to you, then?" Genette asked. He figured an easier way to distinguish the two of them would be to refer to her by her TAC name but he wasn't sure yet how he felt about that.
The captain hesitated once again, clearing his throat. "That's right, she's my sister."
"Ah. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to turn this into an interview," Genette said, suddenly feeling apologetic as the tone of their conversation changed. He hadn't expected it to be a touchy subject, but he could see why it might not be something he wanted the entire world to know, lest the base ever accuse their superiors of nepotism. "Forget I ever asked, I didn't mean to pry."
"Relax. It's not exactly a secret, I just wasn't expecting the question," Hamilton replied, bouncing back rather quickly. Genette got the feeling it wasn't quite that simple but he didn't want to push any further, and luckily for him there was no need to fill the awkward silence that set in as the phone on the nightstand suddenly let out a low, trilling sound as it rang out. Genette almost jumped, but Hamilton simply glanced at the phone and crossed the room in a few quick strides. He hesitated only a moment out of courtesy. "You don't mind, do you? Things have been busy this morning, so I told them where they could find me if anything came up."
"Oh, no, I don't mind at all. Be my guest," Genette said, stepping aside and gesturing to the phone. Hamilton gave him a grateful nod and quickly answered the phone, Genette backing away and taking a seat on the bed as he quietly watched the captain as he spoke to whoever had called.
A few minutes went by, Hamilton's conversation appearing to be largely one-sided and anything that the other participant might be saying was drowned out by the sound of jet engines outside, so Genette had no idea what was going on. He had a hunch, based on Hamilton's expression throughout the call. His free hand clenched at his side and he kept his head steady, only briefly glancing up and staring at the closed blinds. Eventually, he lowered his gaze and his expression turned to a harsh frown as he bid farewell to whoever was on the other end. "Right. I see. Understood."
He set the receiver back down with a gentle click-clunk sound. Genette watched quietly, unsure if he should say anything and not sure what he would say if he did. Hamilton kept his gaze down, tapping his fingertip on the receiver at a steady pace as if to collect himself. One, two, three. He paused, then tapped once more with more force than before, the light clacking that his nail had made on the plastic more audible than the first three times. He didn't say anything right away, still looking down at the phone with an unreadable expression.
Although he was sure his curiosity wasn't appreciated, the sudden tension was worrying him. "Is everything alright?"
Hamilton turned to face him, the faint smile he always put on appearing in an instant as if in an attempt to set him at ease. "Well…it appears that we no longer have any reason to hold you anymore."
"What do you mean?" Genette asked, getting to his feet, Hamilton watching him as he stood up. Although he could already guess what had happened after all that happened since he arrived, he didn't want to jump to conclusions. He was sure his concern was evident in his voice. "Did something happen?"
"Yuktobania has just declared war on us, not that this comes as a surprise, I'm sure," Hamilton said, his expression fading to match the grim news they were both receiving. They both knew he was referring to the incident that took place a few days before and every operation that had followed. He turned away, adjusting his cap as he set off towards the door at a quick pace. He kept his voice cool and steady in spite of the seriousness of the situation. "Apologies, but I have to go. The news is going to spread like wildfire. Not only have they confirmed the military's suspicions, but they chose to launch an offensive simultaneously, too. Our naval port at St. Hewlett is getting bombed right now."
Genette watched as he abruptly left, trying to process everything that he'd just been told. He recalled his conversation with Bartlett and Cruise about Yuktobania just three days prior, about how they'd been making a logical conclusion based on the evidence they had, and yet it was still a strange thing to learn. He snapped out of his shock in a matter of seconds, coming back to the present as soon as the door to the quarters was quickly shut behind Hamilton as he left, and his attention was drawn to the window as he recalled the aircraft he'd heard earlier.
He took a few steps forward, leaning over the nightstand and parting a gap in the blinds to see outside. Wardog Squadron had taken off earlier that day, and he'd heard them return not long ago, but he'd heard nothing about their operation. The window gave him an almost perfect view of the runway in the distance, between the palm trees as several humvees and other vehicles were moved about while soldiers ran past. The engines he'd heard from before grew from a whine to a steady roar as the squadron took to the skies once again, presumably taking off to the mainland to protect St. Hewlett, and Genette counted them as they lifted into the air one by one.
There were only three of them.
Author's Note: After well over a month the second mission is finally done!
A couple of reasons this one took a hot minute to write...one, the first two missions are very slow and not my favorites in the game. The real excitement kicks off with Narrow Margin imo, so it was a challenge to try and make this one interesting. I'm still unsure how to feel about it. Second, I've been busy with Three Strikes and it remains my priority. Three...time just goes by really fast and there's only so much of it RIP.
Anyways! Not much to say and not a whole lot of expansion has been able to really happen yet. Missions 2-4 happen on the exact same day and there isn't a lot of time in between them, but after the next chapter I have some in-between scenes to expand on the hours between Narrow Margin and First Flight and I'm super excited to write them. There's a lot going on in the background and I can't wait to cover it.
As always, hope y'all enjoyed!