DISCLAIMER - I do not own Advance Wars or anything copyrightedly relating
to within, which is copyrighted and owned by Nintendo, although I do happen
to like this piece of work I've written and if I ever discover some random
lamer forging it in their name I will be substantially cheesed off, and
nasty letters from me will commence bombardment on said lamer. So don't
even bother stealing it. However, you MAY place this on your website
without my consent should it have an Advance Wars fanfiction section. If
that happened and I discovered such a thing has occured, I'd actually be
quite flattered. Thank you, and enjoy.
______________
The Fighters - Part II
By RustyD
______________
~----~
~Mission Sixteen: In Echelon We'll Carry On~
~----~
The sweeping of the Fate's Point base proceeded smoothly. Whatever was left of Black Hole forces surrendered to Orange Star troops without hesitation, knowing their fighting for this cause of theirs was finished. Orange Star seized control of numerous weaponry and machinery at that, and this would undoubtedly aid them in the inevitable future battles they would face against their adversaries.
Kailaff Boldigh's squadron was decimated as well. Zodo Gallow had been arrested by troops, as well as anyone else left in the unit. The skies seemed relatively happy at this, as for the first time in weeks, the clouds over the Fate's Point base gave way to just the smallest bit of sunlight. It was a welcome sight to all the Orange Star troops and officials currently sweeping through the destroyed base, despite the carnage that lay all around them.
Nothing was discovered of the Black Cannon's human trigger, however. Lash's remains were nowhere to be found, whether inside the cannon compound or outside. While the Orange Star troops had suspected one of Black Hole's main commanding officers was behind such a monstrous construction as the cannon, they could find no evidence of anyone of importance, besides the innumerable numbers of Black Hole soldiers lying all over the place as though a great battle on-foot had just occured right in the middle of the Fate's Point base.
But this didn't matter to Thunderbolt Squadron. The six orange fighter jets had already landed at the Reagan air force base, the pilots out and on the tarmac, walking along in silence towards the base's command center. There was no giant celebration to greet the pilots, no hero's welcoming, no thanks of any sort to welcome them as they returned from the great battle that had just occured.
The pilots simply walked along quietly, swiftly.
The debriefing was done with soon enough. With Commanding Officer Max by his side, Commander Beauregard issued his personal thanks towards all the pilots who had participated in the attack, and made special commendations towards Thunderbolt Squadron, the unit that had single-handedly taken apart Kailaff Boldigh's elite squadron and destroyed the cannon that plagued them all during the battle. He said more than was probably necessary, but he was truly grateful towards all of the squadrons and their members.
"Today," he said as he stood at the podium, addressing the pilots, "is a day that will go down in history as one of Orange Star's finest days of victory. In the face of death, you all showed honor and valor, fighting for your country, your lives, your families, your friends, and your way of life. While some of us are no longer here to share this day of victory, rest assured, they stand alongside us in the name of freedom and liberty. For your acts today, each and every one of you will recieve the Military Cross. Wear the honorable medal proudly."
It had lasted a little longer, with Beauregard finishing with words of wisdom to the pilots. Glenn Gordon was glad to get the debriefing over with, despite the honorable award he had recieved. He was just too tired, too burnt out to want to do anything except rest at the moment. But he probably wouldn't get much rest for a while, since Tuxedo Ral slapped him on the back harshly as they exited the debriefing room.
"Hey, Gordo'," the arrogant old fool babbled as they walked, "check out this medal. Doesn't it make me look pretty? Doesn't it?"
"Yeah, real cute, Tux," Glenn responded, not showing anything but sarcasm in his voice.
"Me and all the others are gonna head off-based to one of the bars in the nearest town. Are you comin'?"
"No, I don't think so." Glenn just sighed heavily. He was plum exhausted, and besides, he had no desire to see the bizarre Tuxedo Ral when he was drunk. The guy was more than Glenn could put up with sometimes when he was sober already. "I'm just gonna go and sleep for a week or something. You go ahead."
"Your loss," Tux cackled while shrugging his shoulders. "I'm-ah order everything 'til I barf twice. You heard Cap'n Beauregard, today's a day of celebration. Or butt-kicking, whichever one he said."
And the rambunctious, high-flying bigmouth walked off, his arms quickly wrapping around the waistes of two female pilots, letting loose some tall tale they didn't initially seem interested in. Glenn held his head for a moment, wondering to himself if Tux was ever going to press the "off" switch on himself. Still, he was glad to have a good friend like Tuxedo Ral. He was one in a billion, after all, and he'd proved his friendship to Glenn time and time again in the past few months.
He could say the same for all the other Thunderbolt pilots as well. Even on his first mission, taking out that Blue Moon rocket, they had displayed to him their tenacity for comradery in the ranks. It was plainly obvious that the Orange Star air force held tighter bonds amongst themselves than Blue Moon, Green Earth, Yellow Comet, or Black Hole ever would. At that moment, with this realization coming to him, Glenn Gordon felt quite lucky to be here in the midst of all this, despite how overwhelmingly tired he was at the same time.
He began to stride along in the opposite direction in the hallway swiftly, looking to locate the aisle that led towards the pilot's wing so he could get some rest, but Glenn quickly found himself face-to-face with Rainey Banker, who was quickly exiting the debriefing room herself. Glenn nearly bumped into her, startling the female pilot slightly as she exited the room.
"Oh," she uttered quietly, "hey, Glenn. Are you going to the bar in town with that crazy fool Tux and everyone else?"
Glenn shook his head rapidly. No way. "I just want to go rest for a while. All that action wore me out, to be honest. Even after everything that happened at Krasst, I didn't feel as tired as I do right now. I feel like the sandman's just poured a truckload of dust all over my head or something."
"Oh," she repeated. Glenn studied her face. She seemed disappointed about something, but Glenn wasn't quite sure about what just yet.
"Why?" he eventually asked, curious.
She just shrugged casually as she tucked some of her blonde hair behind one of her ears. "Well, he invited me to go with them, but I didn't want to. I can't stand beer. I'm just gonna go to the reception area and get some coffee. I need to think about everything that's happened today."
The Thunderbolt leader nodded, finding that to be a reasonable answer.
Rainey hesitated a bit before asking her next question. Glenn already knew what she was going to ask him before she even said anything, but he didn't let that stop her. "Did you want to come with me?"
Glenn only stood there a few moments, looking her in the eyes. Then he smiled pleasantly, his strength quickly returning. "Definitely."
He took her hand in his and began to walk down the hallway with her towards the reception area. Even now, he could hear the laughter of friendly voices coming from numerous rooms in the base, probably belonging to pilots just like him, or Tux, or Rainey, or anyone else in their squadron. Glenn knew now at this moment that this was his new home - Not Reagan, but amongst people like him. Among the pilots of the Orange Star air force. Among Thunderbolt Squadron. Among Rainey.
And as they walked, hand in hand, Glenn Gordon recalled the final words that Commander George Beauregard had used in his speech to the pilots for their acts of bravery in the fight that had occured at Fate's Point.
"Some of you are the bravest people I have personally ever met or heard of. To take your skills against that of the enemy's, facing such overwhelming odds, is unheard of in such a day and age. Yet while the battle is won, the war is not. Perhaps we will face even greater challenges ahead of us, in scenarios impossible to predict, but that is not something we need worry of.
"For while you serve your country in the finest aircraft in the known world, you are the true fighters. You are your country's finest men and women, the greatest pilots Orange Star has to offer. And rest assured, your participation in this battle for our way of life is not yet completed, but to fight onward is our purpose, our path, our way.
"A fighter fights for liberty, peace, and honor. That is our way - The way of the fighter."
--------
~Fin~
--------
Author Notes:
All good things come to an end. This is by far the shortest chapter in the entire story, but nothing else really needs to be done, to be frank. Glenn Gordon has finally come to terms with the fact that the Orange Star air force is where he truly belongs (and is also finally accepting his relationship with Rainey Banker, though I didn't get to work on that enough in previous chapters, I don't think), the threat of Black Hole has dimished with the destruction of Kailaff Boldigh and his squadron, and Tuxedo Ral is out drinking his butt off. A fairly happy ending, I'd say.
I still don't think I worked on some things enough. For instance, the other members of Thunderbolt Squadron. Bubba Boggs got enough air time, but guys like Tristan Royal and Achmed Yahasatitapen will need more work when or if another story involving Glenn and the Thunderbolt squadron comes about some time. I also didn't quite get enough of Glenn's rivalry with Fel Banon into the picture, which was something I would have liked to write about greatly, but like I said, if another story rolls around involving these characters, that'll be a priority.
But to be frank, if Glenn thinks he had a rivalry this time, against Boldigh or Banon, he doesn't quite know what may be in store for him in the future. Yes, that's a blatant teaser (provided I get writing again sometime soon, despite the obvious fact that I'm going to be going to school full time in around the middle of October for a seven month period).
Right now, I'd like to thank all the folks who read the story, whether you reviewed or not. The fact that you even glanced at this story means very much to me. I'd especially like to give a very large thanks to Dr. Bross, who I could always count on to review every darn chapter that popped up there. When I started this thing, I was worried if I would even get a single review, and it almost has twenty-five now. Thanks much for the support, folks. It means alot to me.
Anyway, I don't want the Author Notes to be longer than the chapter itself, so I'll stop here. Thank you very much for reading "the Fighters: Part II," I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and make sure to keep an eye out for any other fic I may end up producing in the future. Thanks again.
-RustyD
______________
The Fighters - Part II
By RustyD
______________
~----~
~Mission Sixteen: In Echelon We'll Carry On~
~----~
The sweeping of the Fate's Point base proceeded smoothly. Whatever was left of Black Hole forces surrendered to Orange Star troops without hesitation, knowing their fighting for this cause of theirs was finished. Orange Star seized control of numerous weaponry and machinery at that, and this would undoubtedly aid them in the inevitable future battles they would face against their adversaries.
Kailaff Boldigh's squadron was decimated as well. Zodo Gallow had been arrested by troops, as well as anyone else left in the unit. The skies seemed relatively happy at this, as for the first time in weeks, the clouds over the Fate's Point base gave way to just the smallest bit of sunlight. It was a welcome sight to all the Orange Star troops and officials currently sweeping through the destroyed base, despite the carnage that lay all around them.
Nothing was discovered of the Black Cannon's human trigger, however. Lash's remains were nowhere to be found, whether inside the cannon compound or outside. While the Orange Star troops had suspected one of Black Hole's main commanding officers was behind such a monstrous construction as the cannon, they could find no evidence of anyone of importance, besides the innumerable numbers of Black Hole soldiers lying all over the place as though a great battle on-foot had just occured right in the middle of the Fate's Point base.
But this didn't matter to Thunderbolt Squadron. The six orange fighter jets had already landed at the Reagan air force base, the pilots out and on the tarmac, walking along in silence towards the base's command center. There was no giant celebration to greet the pilots, no hero's welcoming, no thanks of any sort to welcome them as they returned from the great battle that had just occured.
The pilots simply walked along quietly, swiftly.
The debriefing was done with soon enough. With Commanding Officer Max by his side, Commander Beauregard issued his personal thanks towards all the pilots who had participated in the attack, and made special commendations towards Thunderbolt Squadron, the unit that had single-handedly taken apart Kailaff Boldigh's elite squadron and destroyed the cannon that plagued them all during the battle. He said more than was probably necessary, but he was truly grateful towards all of the squadrons and their members.
"Today," he said as he stood at the podium, addressing the pilots, "is a day that will go down in history as one of Orange Star's finest days of victory. In the face of death, you all showed honor and valor, fighting for your country, your lives, your families, your friends, and your way of life. While some of us are no longer here to share this day of victory, rest assured, they stand alongside us in the name of freedom and liberty. For your acts today, each and every one of you will recieve the Military Cross. Wear the honorable medal proudly."
It had lasted a little longer, with Beauregard finishing with words of wisdom to the pilots. Glenn Gordon was glad to get the debriefing over with, despite the honorable award he had recieved. He was just too tired, too burnt out to want to do anything except rest at the moment. But he probably wouldn't get much rest for a while, since Tuxedo Ral slapped him on the back harshly as they exited the debriefing room.
"Hey, Gordo'," the arrogant old fool babbled as they walked, "check out this medal. Doesn't it make me look pretty? Doesn't it?"
"Yeah, real cute, Tux," Glenn responded, not showing anything but sarcasm in his voice.
"Me and all the others are gonna head off-based to one of the bars in the nearest town. Are you comin'?"
"No, I don't think so." Glenn just sighed heavily. He was plum exhausted, and besides, he had no desire to see the bizarre Tuxedo Ral when he was drunk. The guy was more than Glenn could put up with sometimes when he was sober already. "I'm just gonna go and sleep for a week or something. You go ahead."
"Your loss," Tux cackled while shrugging his shoulders. "I'm-ah order everything 'til I barf twice. You heard Cap'n Beauregard, today's a day of celebration. Or butt-kicking, whichever one he said."
And the rambunctious, high-flying bigmouth walked off, his arms quickly wrapping around the waistes of two female pilots, letting loose some tall tale they didn't initially seem interested in. Glenn held his head for a moment, wondering to himself if Tux was ever going to press the "off" switch on himself. Still, he was glad to have a good friend like Tuxedo Ral. He was one in a billion, after all, and he'd proved his friendship to Glenn time and time again in the past few months.
He could say the same for all the other Thunderbolt pilots as well. Even on his first mission, taking out that Blue Moon rocket, they had displayed to him their tenacity for comradery in the ranks. It was plainly obvious that the Orange Star air force held tighter bonds amongst themselves than Blue Moon, Green Earth, Yellow Comet, or Black Hole ever would. At that moment, with this realization coming to him, Glenn Gordon felt quite lucky to be here in the midst of all this, despite how overwhelmingly tired he was at the same time.
He began to stride along in the opposite direction in the hallway swiftly, looking to locate the aisle that led towards the pilot's wing so he could get some rest, but Glenn quickly found himself face-to-face with Rainey Banker, who was quickly exiting the debriefing room herself. Glenn nearly bumped into her, startling the female pilot slightly as she exited the room.
"Oh," she uttered quietly, "hey, Glenn. Are you going to the bar in town with that crazy fool Tux and everyone else?"
Glenn shook his head rapidly. No way. "I just want to go rest for a while. All that action wore me out, to be honest. Even after everything that happened at Krasst, I didn't feel as tired as I do right now. I feel like the sandman's just poured a truckload of dust all over my head or something."
"Oh," she repeated. Glenn studied her face. She seemed disappointed about something, but Glenn wasn't quite sure about what just yet.
"Why?" he eventually asked, curious.
She just shrugged casually as she tucked some of her blonde hair behind one of her ears. "Well, he invited me to go with them, but I didn't want to. I can't stand beer. I'm just gonna go to the reception area and get some coffee. I need to think about everything that's happened today."
The Thunderbolt leader nodded, finding that to be a reasonable answer.
Rainey hesitated a bit before asking her next question. Glenn already knew what she was going to ask him before she even said anything, but he didn't let that stop her. "Did you want to come with me?"
Glenn only stood there a few moments, looking her in the eyes. Then he smiled pleasantly, his strength quickly returning. "Definitely."
He took her hand in his and began to walk down the hallway with her towards the reception area. Even now, he could hear the laughter of friendly voices coming from numerous rooms in the base, probably belonging to pilots just like him, or Tux, or Rainey, or anyone else in their squadron. Glenn knew now at this moment that this was his new home - Not Reagan, but amongst people like him. Among the pilots of the Orange Star air force. Among Thunderbolt Squadron. Among Rainey.
And as they walked, hand in hand, Glenn Gordon recalled the final words that Commander George Beauregard had used in his speech to the pilots for their acts of bravery in the fight that had occured at Fate's Point.
"Some of you are the bravest people I have personally ever met or heard of. To take your skills against that of the enemy's, facing such overwhelming odds, is unheard of in such a day and age. Yet while the battle is won, the war is not. Perhaps we will face even greater challenges ahead of us, in scenarios impossible to predict, but that is not something we need worry of.
"For while you serve your country in the finest aircraft in the known world, you are the true fighters. You are your country's finest men and women, the greatest pilots Orange Star has to offer. And rest assured, your participation in this battle for our way of life is not yet completed, but to fight onward is our purpose, our path, our way.
"A fighter fights for liberty, peace, and honor. That is our way - The way of the fighter."
--------
~Fin~
--------
Author Notes:
All good things come to an end. This is by far the shortest chapter in the entire story, but nothing else really needs to be done, to be frank. Glenn Gordon has finally come to terms with the fact that the Orange Star air force is where he truly belongs (and is also finally accepting his relationship with Rainey Banker, though I didn't get to work on that enough in previous chapters, I don't think), the threat of Black Hole has dimished with the destruction of Kailaff Boldigh and his squadron, and Tuxedo Ral is out drinking his butt off. A fairly happy ending, I'd say.
I still don't think I worked on some things enough. For instance, the other members of Thunderbolt Squadron. Bubba Boggs got enough air time, but guys like Tristan Royal and Achmed Yahasatitapen will need more work when or if another story involving Glenn and the Thunderbolt squadron comes about some time. I also didn't quite get enough of Glenn's rivalry with Fel Banon into the picture, which was something I would have liked to write about greatly, but like I said, if another story rolls around involving these characters, that'll be a priority.
But to be frank, if Glenn thinks he had a rivalry this time, against Boldigh or Banon, he doesn't quite know what may be in store for him in the future. Yes, that's a blatant teaser (provided I get writing again sometime soon, despite the obvious fact that I'm going to be going to school full time in around the middle of October for a seven month period).
Right now, I'd like to thank all the folks who read the story, whether you reviewed or not. The fact that you even glanced at this story means very much to me. I'd especially like to give a very large thanks to Dr. Bross, who I could always count on to review every darn chapter that popped up there. When I started this thing, I was worried if I would even get a single review, and it almost has twenty-five now. Thanks much for the support, folks. It means alot to me.
Anyway, I don't want the Author Notes to be longer than the chapter itself, so I'll stop here. Thank you very much for reading "the Fighters: Part II," I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and make sure to keep an eye out for any other fic I may end up producing in the future. Thanks again.
-RustyD