Chapter by Sam
November 13, 1942
U.S.S. Enterprise, Off of Noumea, New Caledonia
Early Morning
First Lieutenant Cody "Pretty Boy" O'Connor's amber eyes stared into the distance, the calm horizon on the South Pacific, the tranquil scene of the rising sun giving a great sense of irony over the chaos that lay beyond. The warm breeze blew through the brown fur on his face, which sported an old scar from his left temple down to his cheek, which was the reason behind the ironic nickname "Pretty Boy."
By Cody's side were the two youngest members of Rogue and Devil Squadron respectively, Daniel "Pipsqueak" O'Connor and Elsie "Squirt" O'Connor, the brother and sister duo of Midway...
and the children of the ever-proud Pretty Boy.
"This is gonna be a hard one," Elsie voiced in a timid whisper, wringing her hands in front of her, her violet eyes cast down on the newly repaired flight-deck.
"It'll be fine Hun," Cody said with chuckle, pulling his youngest child close to his side as Daniel smiled, his blue eyes turning bright with fondness as his father consoled his sister.
Meanwhile, below deck, King was making his way toward the barracks reserved for the Rogues and Devils, his mind on the perilous mission at hand. The importance of it weighing just as heavily, especially given Enterprise's position.
Just a few weeks prior, the Enterprise and her sister, Hornet, were involved in a great naval engagement at the Santa Cruz Islands in the Solomon Seas. The American Fleet was responded to a Japanese attack that the enemy hoped would result in breaking a great stalemate by retaking the American-held Guadalcanal at the Marine installation, Henderson Field.
The Japanese assault failed, and the Japanese fleet was temporarily repelled.
But at great cost to the American Fleet.
During the sea battle...
Hornet was lost...
And Enterprise badly damaged.
But after nearly two weeks of repair at Nouméa, Enterprise was underway again.
But, with Hornet sunk, Enterprise was now a valuable prize in the eyes of the Japanese as the only operational carrier in the Pacific.
And the timing for her to return could not have been more perfect. At around pre-dawn that morning, the American Surface Fleet off the coast of Guadalcanal was ambushed by Japanese destroyers, which quickly came under heavy fire from U.S.S. Atlanta and the other American ships.
From the coast, the marines stationed the island watched as the battle took place for several hours.
"Big Daddy" Stirling would later compare it to a "Bar brawl after the lights had been shot out."
And it was.
From what the squadrons of Enterprise heard, the dawn light revealed a hellish sight...
The waters off of Guadalcanal are stained with oil, debris, and bodily remains, much of it from the Atlanta...
And the U.S.S. Juneau, taking with her the five Sullivan Brothers.
This proved how far the Japanese were willing to go to take back Guadalcanal.
And that was just the morning.
If all did not go well for the Allies, Friday the 13th could be Santa Cruz all over again.
But at this point, King new he should sole be focusing in the mission at hand;
Take Out Japanese Destroyers and Troop-Transports Heading for Guadalcanal.
From What King and his fellow squadron leaders were told int he briefing the previous night, Angel, Rogue and Devil Squadron's would be acting as escorts for the dive bombers of Enterprise. Once the dive-bombers had completed their runs, the fighters of each squadron would drop their own smaller ordinance and give cover-fire by strafing the Japanese ships. Afterwards, the planes would make their way for Henderson Field, as the damage sustained by Enterprise at Santa Cruz damaged her forward deck elevator, rendering landing on the ship a futile effort. Until the elevator was fixed, Henderson would serve as a temporary base for the squadrons.
King was pulled from his thoughts as he felt himself bump into something, or rather someone, if the "OOF!" they gave was any indication.
And when he saw who it was, King actually gave a nervous chuckle as a lite blush bled through his fur.
"Sorry 'bout that Eve," King apologized, his blush deepening when Eve sent him, to his surprise, a flirtatious smile.
"Don't worry about it King," she said with a wink, "accidents happen."
And while King could help but return the smile, said smile slowly fell as he looked through the doorway Eve had come through, which lead tot the barracks reserved for the Angel Squadron, where the older male saw Kate and Lilly sitting on a bunk, all prepped for the mission, laughing at a joke a black-furred female, one of Cain's pilots, Second Lieutenant Delilah Cutter, had made. As Delilah laughed at her own joke, she was pulling a button-up shirt over her bare shoulders, save for a bra, allowing King to see a white strip running down her back, which helped him figure out why she was called "Skunk."
"How are you and the girls holdin' up?" king asked, genuinely curious as to how the trio were recovering from the loss of Eve's husband Winston after he was Killed-in-Action in Europe. The three females were even given two-weeks leave to mourn and have a proper service for him back in their home town in Idaho. The funeral was even attended by all the members of Alpha and Omega Squadron.
Eve's smile fell as well, but she managed to hold a strong demeanor.
"We're," she began hesitantly, her gaze misting up some before finishing her answer, "managing...
But this is war. We all knew the risks when we signed up."
King, upon hearing this, gave a nod and knowing smile. But once again, the smile fell, this time from an idea that posed a serious risk to his and Eve's relationship as colleagues. But, remembering what Eve said, King came to the conclusion that when it comes to war...
Life is short, and sometimes you just have to say,
"What the Hell?"
"You know," he began hesitantly, his nervous demeanor catching Eve's attention, "maybe next time we're on leave, the two of us could get a drink, share stories about Winston and how much he meant to us."
Eve, although shocked by this invitation, allowed a warm smile to grace her lips as she leaned forward.
"I think I'd like that," she said in a sultry whisper, continuing to lean in toward King, both of their eyes slowly closing at the inflection of what was about to happen. But, just as their lips were a breath away from each other, an alarm blared through The ship, followed by a voice over the P.A.
"ATTENTION ALL HANDS, ATTENTION ALL HANDS! ALL PILOTS, MAN YOUR PLANES! MAN YOUR PLANES!"
This could only mean one thing...
Admiral Halsey had brought the "Big E" within two hundred miles of the planned striking distance from Guadalcanal.
The near kiss was now a distant memory as King and Eve and the rest of their squadrons made their way to the flight deck, each manning their Corsairs as bomber crews ran for the dive-bombers and torpedo planes, the latter be lead by a pilot with suitably grim name...
Albert "Al'" Coffin.
Shortly after 11 A.M., each squadron was in the air, traveling three-miles above the sea, making their way toward the sea of Guadalcanal.
And within minutes, the IJN Hiei comes into view, her deck torn apart by fire from the American Destroyer Laffey the night before.
Coffin divides his squadron into two groups, Devil Squadron and half of Angle Squadron following him, and the Rogues and the other half of the Angels following the second group. Both groups will meet the ship head-on, with one attacking from the port side, and the other from starboard.
Hiei had nowhere to go.
Any attempt to maneuver away from the attack, she will get a salvo from American torpedoes.
As the two groups bare down on the damaged vessel, Hiei opens fire with her deck guns, but the gunner crews are divided between the two fighter groups.
Unfortunately, their is little the Imperial sailors can do as Coffin and his squadron drop their torpedoes before running like hell to Henderson, with the angels laying down cover fire.
And within seconds, a collective cheer sounded through the radio as three torpedoes hit home, the Hiei quickly slowing to a crawl as result.
Unfortunately, one of the Japs just had to be a good shot.
"SON OF BITCH!" Eve's voice cried over the radio.
"You okay Mama Bear?" Cain called, concern laced in his voice, only to be rudely answered by Eve.
"NO YOU DUMB BASTARD! A GODDAMN NIP SLUG WENT THROUGH MY THIGH!"
And that was the truth.
Looking down, Eve could see her right trouser leg become saturated with her blood.
"Is it bad?" Lilly's quivering voice sounded over the radio, making Eve realize how scared her youngest daughter must be upon hearing that her only living parent was hit.
"N-no Snowball," Eve replied through clenched teeth as she felt her would, before breathing a mental sigh of relief at what she felt,
"It's just a flesh-wound...
Mama's gonna be okay."
"Good to hear, Mama Bear," Coffin called over the radio, "once we get to Henderson we'll have 'em patch you up."
With that, the two squadrons make their way for Henderson.
Hiei would later be hit by a second round of torpedoes and scuttled.
For the first time in the war...
Enterprise has claimed a Japanese Battleship.
By the end of the day, all planes from the Enterprise land at Henderson.
But the moments her place was moved off, Sweets jumped out of her cockpit, bolting toward the Marine tents that littered the airfield, desperate to find information on a certain someone who had stolen her heart.
For the next hour, all that came out of her mouth was,
"Lieutenant Stirling?...
Dax Stirling?...
Big Daddy?"
Each inquiry was met with shrugs.
That is until, Sweets came face-to-face with the wolf in charge...
Major General Alexander Vandergrift.
"Stirling?" he said, his grey facing scrunching up as his tired eyes stared at the nervous Sweets, who weakly nodded. With a small smile, Vandergrift jerked his thumb to a nearby, burned-up hut, which was all Sweets needed. Quickly saluting the General, receiving a salute in return, Sweets bolted for the hut, her heart thumping at the thought of seeing Dax again.
The reason being, well...
She was head over heels for him.
But the moment she stepped into the hut, her heart sank.
Their, seated on a cot, head hung low, was Dax, his bare torso exposed to the humid air, boots off to the side, leaving his bare feet resting on the scorched wood.
And in his hands, was his Bowie knife, twirled around between his fingers.
And upon closer inspection, Sweets couldn't help but notice how Dax, quite simply...
Looked like Death.
His heterochromic eyes staring at the floor, both peepers and his crestfallen face showing great signs of both physical and mental fatigue.
And his fur, his beautiful, silver fur stained with dirt and grime, as well as traces of blood.
Upon realizing that there was another person in the hut, Dax slowly raised his head to the entrance, only for tears to start rapidly forming in his eyes as he gazed at the woman he loved.
"Sweets" he croaked out, his tears finally having the weight to fall, a sob escaping his throat as the Angel bolted for him, pulling his head into the leather jacket covering her chest. For the next three minutes, the two pilots held each other, both sobbing as they cherished being held in each others arms.
But after another few moments, Sweets pulled away.
Curious as to the loss of contact, Dax looked up, only to see Sweets' tear-filled eyes staring at him with...
Want.
In a matter of seconds, Sweets was straddling Dax's waist as the two enveloped each other in a kiss that could only have been driven by raw passion, tongues exploring the other's mouth as low moans filled the hut. Sweets was even surprised that she actually enjoyed the taste of dirt and sweat on Dax's lips.
But, just as she made a move to remove her jacket, a pained whisper entered the hut.
"You fuckin' bastard."
Pulling out of the kiss, Dax stared wide-eyed at his Captain, who at this point was fighting back his own tears as they filled his hazel eyes.
"Hey Buckeye," Dax rasped out with a quivering smile before walking over to Sam and pulling him into a tight embrace, tears staining the fur on their cheeks as both comrades held each other close.
That night, the Rogues, Angels, and Devils held a private celebration for the return of one of their pilots.
Unfortunately, the celebration would be cut short the next day.
While Hiei was out of the picture, there was still the eleven troop ships making their way for Guadalcanal.
Unfortunately, during the initial bombing run, a squadron of Japanese Zeros tore into the America bombers and fighters...
With one shot given Sam a good flesh-wound in his right abdomen.
"SHIT!" he swore over the radio, clutching his free hand over his wound, pulling it away to see the cream-fur stained with blood.
"Damn Jap got me...AND HE'S STILL ON MY ASS!"
And just as soon as he said that, Sam found himself under fire from the same Zero that scored a hit on him.
"Hang on Buckeye," Hench called over the radio, "I'm on him."
And in a spectacular feat of skill, the Zero went down in a single burst from Hench, who, flying alongside of Sam, sent a playful salute...
Only for the moment to be tragically cut shirt with a direct shot from a Japanese Deck gun hitting Hench's engine. In the end, all Sam could do was watch helplessly as Hench's plane plummeted toward the ocean, his screams heard over the radio, only to be cut short as his lay tore apart upon making contact with the water below. Pressing the button on his radio set with his bloodied hand, Sam called it.
"Rogue Two to Rogue Leader."
...
"Copy Rogue Two."
...
"Rogue Three is Down...
George is gone, King."
In King's cockpit, the shock turned to sorrow as a single tear slid down his cheek.
But, Hench's sacrifice was not in vain.
By the end of the day, four of the Japanese troop ships are left operational.
The squadrons return to Henderson, which is under heavy bombardment.
The next morning, the remaining Japanese Troop Ships slip past the American destroyers.
But they were dead wrong when they thought they were in the clear.
In a matter of minutes, the ships and troops were strafed from above by the combined forces of the Enterprise Squadrons, minus Sam, Eve, and Cain who had been injured when he suffered a crash landing at Henderson.
In the end, Guadalcanal was secure.
And with such a victory, came a reward of shore leave for the Enterprise squadrons...
One which would last from Thanksgiving to the New Year.
On Henderson, a Douglass C-54 revved it's engines, preparing to depart with it's precious cargo of American heroes. Throughout the plane, the pilots of the three renowned squadrons were dressed in their Navy Blues or Army Greens.
But, at the edge of the field, in a burnt hut that the Texan called home for four months, Dax sat on his cot, duffel-bag by his feet, dressed in his greens as he stared at his Bowie knife. After a another moment of staring at the blade in his grasp, Dax stood from his cot, before kneeling before a plank of wood embedded in the dirt of a shredded piece of flooring.
Once on his knees, Dax said a quick prayer for himself and his squad mates.
"Gracious Heavenly Father,
I thank you for keeping us these long months.
Unto thee we commend or bodies, souls, and spirits...
And may those we have lost fly forever in Paradise.
Amen."
With that, Dax laid his Bowie knife in front of the plank of wood, before standing, grabbing his duffel-bag, and leaving the hut...
And the small memorial he left in it.
In Memory of Colonel Abel "Cloud" Adams,
I fly with the Angels, I party with the Devils,
But shall always remain a Rouge Warrior.