Chapter 3: Training

Moving (Hakari)

Sunday, January 25, 2253; 8:00 P.M.

OS Recovery Barracks, 50W, 50S

I lay in my bed, wondering about the men and women fighting on the front lines. Red Star is known for being merciless in its attacks. I prayed that both sides would not suffer many losses.

A woman entered the barracks and jumped on the bed beside me. Sarah is 25, one of the children who were at the orphanage at the same time I was. She loves to help people, and when she was young she had the habit of going up to strangers and complimenting them on what they wore or how they looked. She always smiled, then, and she still smiles all the time even now.

"Whew. Being a medic is tough work! Ah…I feel so tired." She stretched out on her bed. "What about you? Being the only pilot, you must get special training, eh?"

"Humph. Not really. I go through all the basic exercises normal pilots do. Besides, we're all taking crash courses. Orange Star has been really relaxed about its military." I stretched out on my bed as well, preparing for sleep to overcome me.

"You speak English very well now." She chuckled. "At first you understood only Japanese, and you spoke it so well!" She smiled brightly again. "Omoidasu desu ne?"

"Hai. Sukoshi…" I blushed. I had almost forgotten all of my home language. I didn't need to use it here, so it kind of gradually slipped away. "Ah, I feel really tired. G'night."

Sarah giggled, closed her eyes, and responded with a quiet "Oyasuminasai."

Tomorrow the camp would move out to the front lines…

Moving (Andrew)

"What? Tomorrow? I barely got this baby working!" I rolled out from under the F-5F I was repairing. It was the fighter the trainee pilot used. It was the only plane in the camp, so I took special care of it.

"Yeah, tomorrow. Sure you can handle this? After all, you spent a whole day in the hospital." David, the nearby mechanic, sipped a soda and peeked at me from the brim of his hat.

"Heck, I'm tough. No need to worry 'bout me." I tossed a dirty rag his way. He caught it with his free hand. "I'm tough. I can handle it."

"Sure…with a screw loose in your head, I'm sure you can keep yourself together on the battlefield." He suddenly turned serious. "I've seen the way Red Star fights. Merciless, bloodthirsty maniacs. They kill whoever gets in their way."

I shied away from his dark shadow as he said that. David was about 30, five years older than me. He used to live in Red Star, but moved to Orange Star about the same time Recovery was built. He knew Red Star's policies like the back of his hand.

"Hey, you two. Get some rest. Early start tomorrow." Colonel Roberts walked by. He is the head mechanic for our department. Basically he knew every vehicle, plane, and mechanic in the Recovery Camp. Not like there were many planes or mechanics. Just him, David, and me. A lot of people were foot soldiers, a few medics, and one pilot. I wondered who the pilot was. One week of military work had kept me from meeting anybody outside the mechanics department.

I walked over to my makeshift bed in the corner of the hangar. The barracks were full, so I just covered up with a blanket on a cot that David gave me. I'm used to the cold, hard floor. It was where I lived for five years. I hate the past. I didn't have anything to pack for tomorrow anyway. The only thing I needed in life was back at Recovery. Hakari passed through my mind as a beautiful flower, sparkling against the summer sun. I smiled, and drifted off to sleep.

Monday, January 26, 2253; 7:00 A.M.

Recovery Barracks

Everyone was frantically gathering up their gear for the long plane and copter ride to Border City, the defensive position OS troops were firmly entrenched at. The civilians had fled the city at the start of the war 11 days ago. They were packed into the capital or Marina, OS's local port city.

I sat comfortably on the mechanic's chopper, reading about the F-5F. I was placed in charge of the plane by Colonel Roberts. The controls were simplified, and weapons were limited to AA missiles and machine guns. Looked easy to fly as well. I didn't notice the chopper lift off; I was too busy reading. But I noticed the ground had begun to flash by, and I looked out at the green fields that zipped by. I don't remember seeing anything as verdant as those fields. The next time I would see them, they would be covered with craters and mines…

Arrival (Hakari)

Monday, January 26, 2253; 12:00 P.M.

Border City, OS; 80W, 50S

The fighter I flew in was superb. Although having simplified controls, it was very nimble and showed the mechanic took great pride in a simple plane. It shone brightly in the mid-day sun. I wish I could meet the mechanic and tell him "Thank you". It's part of my culture to thank someone for being so considerate.

I touched down at the airfield and was instructed to put my plane in the hangar and report to Captain Emmel Barkley. Mr. Barkley would be the squad leader and my CO during air operations. There was one other pilot with the Captain. First Lieutenant Kira Mitchells was the Captain's trusted wingman. She would stick to the Captain's side on land and air. One rumor even said that they were engaged. I never found out whether or not it was true. At 1:00 P.M., I took to the skies for the first time.

5:00 P.M.

I barely noticed my plane touching down. Inside I was screaming. I dropped out of the cockpit and threw my helmet off. The stench of vomit reached my nose. My vomit. I felt a man's hand on my shoulder. It felt familiar. I turned and saw Andrew's face.

"Mr. Andrew!" He helped me to my feet. Captain Emmel and another mechanic also came close.

"Grave! You gonna be all right?" The mechanic pulled out a flask as the Captain stared intently into my eyes. "I know it's rough, but you have to learn to take it. Roberts has some stuff for ya."

The mechanic, Roberts, handed me the flask. "Drink this. It'll give you some of your strength back." I took a deep sip. Sake. He had given me sake.

"Stuff is potent. A good year for Yellow Comet. Take it; I keep the stuff for rookies like you." Roberts chuckled. "It's good for regaining your mind. Yellow Comet saying."

"Thank you." I handed him back the flask.

"You don't have to give it back; you should keep it, in fact. The characters on the side are for good luck."

I looked on the side of the flask. Running down the 1" long side were two large characters. One was "Luck". The other was "Life".

"Thank you…" I looked up, but Roberts and Emmel had already left. Andrew was examining the plane.

"Hpmh. Didn't expect to see you here, Ms. Hakari. By the way, why did Captain Emmel call you 'Grave'?" He didn't look at me as he said that, but his cheeks were red.

I blushed as well. "My name…'haka' is 'grave' in Japanese." I drew the characters in the dirt. "You could write my name as 'scale', but that's only if you want to insult me." I drew another character, and then erased it with my hand. "Besides…I got the most kills."

"Really?" Andrew turned his head at my little statement. His eyes were a mix of joy and sorrow. He felt joy that I had done so well on my first battle, but he also felt sad for those who died because of my actions. "I…don't know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything. I can see it in your eyes. You give away too much with your eyes." I saw him look away, so I smiled. "Uh…Let's get my plane fixed. Tomorrow's going to be a long day!"

The stench of my vomit had vanished, replaced by the smell of exhaust. At least exhaust didn't come from my own belly.