Pieces of Hope
Chapter 1: Morning Wings
By Daito Dei Gratia
A young private first class ran inside the hangers holding a box.
On the box it stated:
3455112
G-Unit, Woodland Green, Army
Tall, Medium
On his right sleeve was the patch of the Army's Air Corps.
"Lieutenant O'Deal! Where are you?! Second Lieutenant Felix O' Deal of the Third Fighter Squadron!" The young man yelled.
Felix, a young man of nineteen years, popped out of his fighter like a rabbit out of its hole.
"Yes?" Felix said as he adjusted his ponytail. He was a tall, lightly built pilot in the Army's Air Corps. He had brown eyes and dark brown long hair. He was wearing a regular green working uniform.
On a little black tag on his chest, on the right, was his rank, last name, and unit in golden letters.
The young soldier threw the box up to Felix, "It your new G-Suit sir. Also General Kraden wants to talk with you."
"Very well..." Felix said reading the words on the box.
He walked to the locker room. He was alone as he changed into the new suit and put the uniform he was wearing in his locker. On the door were pictures of friends. A blond boy, red haired boy, and a cinnamon haired girl, who by the way have the same brown eyes as him. They were all around fourteen but for Felix, he seems older than they do. The picture seems to look a bit aged.
Felix sighed and pulled his pistol out of the locker and some ammo.
He walked to General Kraden's office. It was a room full of paperwork and an elderly man in service uniform and small glasses. His hair was pure white.
"Felix my boy!" The general gave a light hug, "Nice to see you."
"You too sir... What is it you want me for?" Felix asked as he paced around a bit.
Kraden pulled out a file and handed it to Felix. Felix read it carefully.
"I want you to go to Champa and meet up with some air forces there, mostly Navy." Kraden said, "That place and around there are major dog-fighting skies - you don't need to go Felix, I'm just asking."
"It okay," Felix said as he walked out.
The general had a reason for asking him if he had second thoughts. He knew Felix and his family, and his friends since most of his long life. The general sighed as he adjusted his glasses and finished some paperwork.
Felix stared at a map of the world and planed out his route.
I will first go to Kalay, south. Then to Champa, east. He thought sitting in his Curtiss P- 40N Warhawk.
He told them he was ready to take off.
They open the hanger's doors and Felix got his plane out in a slow speed. He began to accelerate, till his Warhawk began to stop touching the ground and flew into the baby blue skies. Felix realize it was early in the morning.
Below he saw Vault, how nice it looked for a place as a military base.
It been about an hour. Felix was slightly bored, he never took major noticed at his place.
He remembered the Warhawk was a one-man fighter with one 1,360 hp Allison V-1710-81 12-cylinder liquid-cooled piston engine. Has six 12.7-mm machine guns mounted in wings. Can go 378 mph at 10,500 feet and max range of 240 miles.
Felix kept alert as he flew. Kalay was near.
Felix began to go toward the ground till he saw flashes on the ground. Kalay was under an air attack.
... Dornier Do 335... Felix grinned at the thought as he stared at the much more powerful fighter/bomber. There were two. Able to out speed him and out gun him, Felix only had one piece of hope, he can out skill the enemy pilots. That was all, yet it was hope nevertheless.
Felix accelerate and fired his machine guns at the enemy planes. He was lucky, he was behind them, but they dodged the fire. One did a U-turn and Felix saw it flew up side down over him and the other somersault and fired before declining below Felix.
Felix perform a barrel roll to dodge the 30-mm cannon fire, but soon behind him was the fire of MG 151 15-mm machine-guns. The other Dornier was behind him.
Felix tried to shake the pilot off, but it was all in vain.
Then as like a angel's voice singing, it was a Navy plane that flew in and destroyed the plane behind Felix.
It was a Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I. The plane flew by and Felix got a wave by a blue haired young man that looked around his age. It was Lieutenant Piers Raphael of the Lemurian Navy. Soon all four Browning 7.7-mm machine-guns on the Defiant fired as the last remaining Dornier attacked head on.
Felix barrel rolled his plane to the left and Piers to the right. The Dornier flew by them, Felix took his chance.
His Warhawk somersaulted, giving him a few seconds with a perfect beat on the enemy. He fired.
And like fireworks, he got lucky - no dud and not a dull hit. Right in the engines. It just blew up.
The dogfight was over. That piece of hope was enough for today.
Meanwhile others, some in that picture in Felix's locker, they prepared for war.