Chapter 4: Memories

A/N: This story is written for entertainment purposes. All characters belong to their respective owners.

North Atlantic

"You want to run that by me again, sailor?!" Elisa demanded.

"Um…. it is as I said. We lost contact with Reaper flight and they essentially fell off the map," The sailor operating the radar replied nervously. Elisa sighed as she massaged her forehead. It has been half an hour since they last made contact with Reaper 2-1 and 2-3. Their IFF stated they were approaching the storm and the TARP pod on Reaper 2-1 was transmitting a picture but suddenly the screen had gone white and the footage was cut. Since then, they have been trying to reestablish contact with them but nothing was coming up.

"You think they could have been shot down?" Elisa asked the sailor.

"Negative ma'am. We checked and there were no other aircraft in the AO. Even if it could be stealth aircraft, that is also unlikely given how there aren't many nations, let alone rogue units, having them," the sailor replied.

Elisa nodded at this. The only few nations that have stealth aircraft, mainly the U.S and Russia at this point, would not risk sending their aces in the hole to shoot down a couple of fighters out on recon.

"Continue to try and get them. If they were shot down, their beacons may have been damaged so their radios might still work," Elisa ordered.

"Understood ma'am, but it might be a bit difficult since we are approaching the storm soon," The sailor replied back. He then pointed at his radar at the massive bulge coming towards the fleet, signalling the storm.

"We are not going to leave them behind. Keep trying," Elisa ordered. Just then a sailor rushed in.

"Ma'am, there is a fight in the hangar!"

"What now?!" Elisa exclaimed. She then exited the Command Information Center, or CIC and followed the sailor. After going through stairs and duckign her head to avoid being hit by bulkheads, they arrived at the hangar. Inside the hangar, they could see that most of the aircraft of the carrier group were chained down so as not to be damaged from the storm. However, there was one aircraft that was not chained down. That aircraft had a dragon emblem and was painted blue in the same pattern found on JMSDF aircraft. And it was there that there was a crowd around the fighter with some of the pilots holding someone back and another being the mechanics who were tasked with chaining the fighters down.

Elisa knew what this was about and a headache began to form in her head.

Elisa put two fingers in her mouth and blew, creating a loud whistle noise. The commotion stopped and everyone turned to the direction of the sound. Once they saw who it was, they broke apart and stood at attention.

As Elisa got closer, she noticed the two participants of the fight. One was a mechanic that looked like they took the brunt of the fight with a cut on their lip and bruises all over. Meanwhile, the other participant was a pilot and she only had a few scratches and bruises and her hair being undone. Other than that she looked fine. She was wearing a pilot's flight gear and on her right arm had the Rising Sun Flag and on her left was the same dragon emblem on the F-35. She has jet black long hair that is tied into a ponytail and her brown eyes were looking straight at Elisa. However, it was the last name on her flight suit that gave Elisa all the information she needed.

Hinamoto

This was Captain Yuna Hinamoto, the "Blue Swallow" of the JMSDF 18th Naval Fighter Squadron, "The White Dragons" and their current commanding officer at the moment and even though she wore an indifferent expression on her face, Elisa can see a fire in her over the fact that her little brother was missing.

"Would someone like to tell me what the hell is going on here?" Elisa asked.

Silence met Elisa for a few minutes before the mechanic who was beat up spoke.

"Ma'am, we were trying to secure the fighters as you ordered so that they won't be damaged once we pass through the storm. But Captain Hinamoto refused to have her plane chained ma'am. And well…" the mechanic drifted off.

"I see," Elisa said, looking over at Yuna, who straightened herself.

"Ma'am, we still have pilots out there who are in need of rescue. I was just-"

"I understand what you are saying but the storm is getting closer and I won't approve of any more flights in this weather," Elisa said firmly. Yuna was about to say something but Elisa cut her off.

"We don't know the extent of the storm and we don't know if they are still alive so I do not want to send anyone out until we can confirm they are still out there," Elisa continued. She didn't want to sound harsh. Hell, she knew each of those pilots for a while and is a close friend to one of them but she can not let her emotions get to her. She won't risk more lives to chase bodies.

Yuna didn't reply back but her fists were clenched tightly that Elisa could see some blood escape. Elisa nodded to the mechanic and his team and they began to strap the fighter as the rest of the pilots began to exit the hangar.

"Captain Hinamoto, follow me to my office," Elisa said. Hinamoto didn't make eye contact but nodded and the two made their way to Elisa's office.

It took the pair 15 minutes to reach Elisa's office. Elisa went to her desk and turned around to see Yuna still standing.

"Yuna, you can take a seat. This room isn't bugged and I am not going to chew you out," Elisa said, taking a seat. Yuna hesitated but also took a seat. Elisa looked at the young pilot and sighed.

"It's not like I want to leave them out there too but the storm is coming and without anything solid, it will be us chasing false hope. I want to be sure that they are alive before sending anyone out," Elisa stated. She looked at Yuna and her heart went out to the pilot. It was her brother missing after all.

"I can't lose him too. He's all I have left…." Yuna muttered as a few tears fell. Elisa nodded at this. She read their files as well as the files of everyone under her command. She knew all their stories at this point.

"I understand Yuna. Really, I do. But for now, we just have to sit and wait. We are going to find them, I don't remember giving them an order to die out there."


August 11, 1991

Bir Gigafa Air Base, Sinai Peninsula

"You know, the fact that they have nice showers here says something," Yusuke says from his stall. Andrew nodded in agreement as Yusuke, Nicholai, and him are currently taking a shower. After being shown their rooms, they all decided to take a shower to relieve the stress and reflect on how they got here in the first place.

"That captain did say that the kingdom spared no expense in making sure their bases have everything for their soldiers and witches so having showers here isn't that far off," Nicholai replied. After being shown their room, they were given the standard briefs on their conduct and behaviour. Though, they all knew this so the brief went in one ear and out the other.

"Do you think that Captain Khadija doesn't like us?" Yusuke asked.

"She reminds me of those officers that have a bias towards foreigners. We all have met those kinds of officers in the past before. That just means that there are going to be a few people who don't want us here so be on your toes," Andrew replied back. The other two replied in agreement. After Andrew returned to the room where everyone else was in, he explained briefly the situation so they all know they are in some kind of alternative universe so they will have to be careful with what they say. Already, they have gotten a somewhat cold reaction from a few but to them, they are either used to it or just don't care enough to act.

After they finished their shower, they began to put on the clothes that were given to them. Since this was a Britannian base, they were given the BDUs of the Britannian forces. Somehow, they were able to find uniforms that fit them so there were no issues with the uniforms.

Andrew gave himself a look over and said, "Well, color me surprised. Didn't think they would actually find our sizes quickly."

"I'm more surprised that they were able to find a size for Nicholai. With how big he is, I am surprised that someone can match him," Yusuke stated as he rolled his sleeves on his uniform.

"You say that right now but it is you that should be surprised with your uniform. With your height and build, they might have assumed you were a girl," Nicholai quipped back. Since Yusuke was small when compared to Western standards as well as his build is more lean, it was a running joke that Yusuke can pass off as a tomboy girl, which has caused a lot of pranks amongst the pilots and crew.

"Hey, that was one time and you guys forced me to do it too," Yusuke countered, causing Andrew to snicker.

"Well, I didn't hear you complaining. Plus, it also looked like your sister enjoyed it too," Andrew replied, smirking. It was a common joke that his sister "loves" her brother a little too much though if you ever mention that in front of her, you might as well be writing your death sentence.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, let's get going. Don't want to keep Alexa waiting for us too long," Yusuke replied. The two men nodded and exited the locker room. Outside, they saw that Alexa was already waiting for them.

"You know, it is the girl that is usually the one that leaves the changing room last," Alexa pointed out, doing her best to contain her laugh.

"This is one time and we actually took our time to enjoy one of the few hot showers we cold showers we might enjoy," Andrew countered. The group then finally left and headed towards the mess hall. When they were shown their rooms, Elizabeth let them know where the mess hall was as well as the PX if we needed anything, though there really is much that they can do with the currency that they currently had in their wallets.

They approached the mess hall and entered. It was your standard mess hall with one side having tables for everyone while the other side there was a buffet style where you can pick and choose what you like, though the taste of the food is something else entirely.

Andrew looked around and deduced that this may be the officer's mess as there aren't many people inside. The four got in line and got their food which was soup, some bread, potatoes, and chicken that looked like it may have been a bit burnt. There was also some dessert so they just chose what they liked from the assortment of cookies, and other assorted pastries. There was also a fridge to the side where they can pick things like soda, milk and more.

Andrew took a bite and sighed, "Jesus, this is a lot better than what the carrier was serving us."

"To be fair, we are in the officer's mess. I still think the enlisted mess hall has it worse than us," Yusuke noted as he took a bite from his bread.

"This is a lot better than the rations we had during the war," Nicholai deadpinned to which Alexa nodded.

"I….. can not argue against that. Good point," Andrew replied. The four continued to eat in silence after that and once they were about done. Andrew heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Annabelle along with Monica, Elizabeth, Khadija and another girl that Andrew did know the name of.

"It looks like you all seem to be enjoying the food here somehow," Monica commented.

"Try staying in a floating city with not many fresh food options and then you can comment," Nicholai replied.

"Fair point," Monica conceded. The group took their seats with Andrew and his pilots and after a few minutes the unknown witch spoke up.

"Um, I don't think I introduced myself yet. I'm Wendy Maloney, a 1st Lieutenant. It's a pleasure to meet you all," Wendy said, introducing herself.

"The pleasure is all ours. So, you were the one that shot at us," Andrew replied, a smirk forming on his lips. Wendy blushed and looked away.

"Um, I'm sorry about that. I thought you guys were Neuroi so I shot my Sparrows at you," Wendy replied.

"Thank God those Sparrows are not the same ones we use in our time or else we would not have lasted," Yusuke groaned.

"You guys still use Sparrows?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yup, though with better internal wiring and a lot faster than the one you shot at us," Andrew replied.

"It's not that bad. Just deploy chaff at the right time and turn into the missile and you should be good," Nicholai replied with Alexa nodding.

"Plus, if the fighter can't keep up and you leave the firing circle, you would lose the missile," Alexa added.

"It sounds like you guys know a lot about defeating air-to-air missiles," Khadija asked, her eyes looking at the four suspiciously.

'Well, that is because we all fought against each other at some point," Andrew replied. It was then that all the witches stopped what they were doing and looked at the four.

"Um, can you repeat that?" Monica asked.

"Yeah, we all fought against each other during the war in our world. I remember telling you all of this," Andrew replied. While he did not go into detail about the war, he did mention it.

"You just said that you had combat experience and that there was no Neuroi in your world. You never mention this war you are referring to," Monica pointed out.

"Where did you think we got our experience from? Granted before 2024, the world was at a relative peace but after that, hell just broke loose," Andrew replied.

"Plus, the war ravaged most of the world and while we are currently at peace, there are still pockets of stubborn resistance all over the world," Nicholai chimed in.

The witches around them were surprised. For all of them, their whole military career has been fighting just the Neuroi. None of them ever thought that they would ever have to kill another human and these pilots looked like they were unfazed by it.

"Even so, aren't you all a bit disturbed by killing another human?" Elizabeth pointed out. The thought of having to kill another human… it made Elizabeth's skin crawl and her mind numb.

"You guys make it sound like we enjoy killing other people?" Yusuke asked, a bit annoyed by how they are acting.

"Well, to be fair, they have been fighting aliens this whole time. The idea of killing other people will probably throw them off," Alexa pointed out.

"Ok, look," Andrew started as he downed his drink before continuing, "I know that the idea of killing another human being is abhorrent to you all. But also think about it, do we actually like to kill people? No, but in our world, there are no aliens to fight so who is humanity going to fight? Each other and as pilots, we have to follow the orders that are given to us or else people we care about would have gotten hurt."

"People you care about…." Annabelle muttered, lost in thought.

Khadija, however, scoffed, "Still, you have a choice whether or not to kill someone."

"Kind of hard to not do that when they are attacking your home," Yuske countered.

"What do you mean by that?" Wendy asked, curious. The four looked at each other with Andrew giving a look at Yusuke. Yusuke looked down and nodded before getting up and leaving the cafeteria with Alexa following.

"Let them be alone," Andrew said as he saw Annabelle and Wendy get up, "Don't worry. They don't resent you guys for that question but it still hurts talking about it."

"The war?" Monica asked.

"Yeah. In Yusuke's case… he lost his family. As in everyone except for his sister during the Battle of Tokyo," Andrew stated as that day came back to him.


April 25, 2025

"All callsigns, this is Magic. You are entering the AO, happy hunting," Andrew heard their AWACS say over the radio as he and the rest of his squadron, VFA-27 "Royal Maces", entered Tokyo airspace. To be honest, they were supposed to be replacements for the Ronald Regan but after the big fight and defeat at the Sea of Japan, they were regulated to shore duty until the damage that the Regan received was repaired. Then the Chinese did something that many had anticipated but didn't expect to happen: the Chinese invaded Taiwan and Japan. While most of the Seventh Fleet was currently helping the Taiwanese, the Third Fleet had sent the Carl Vinson and the Nimitz along with their escorts to help protect the Japanese Home Islands.

And Andrew's squadron was a part of Carl Vinson's air group.

"All Mace callsigns this is Mace Lead, looks like everything is quiet for now but be on your toes. The Chinese will make another attack soon and we need to buy the JGSDF time to set up defenses," Andrew's squadron leader said over the radio. Their briefing stated that Tokyo has been under constant air attacks since the invasion and with the the bulk of the JASDF currently busy trying to bomb the living hell out of the invasion force, there wasn't much aircraft to defend Tokyo with, though they were told that 3 squadrons of F-15Js from Ibaraki airport were in the AO to assist.

"Did you all hear about that air battle over Komatsu?" Mace 2-1, Lieutenant Carla "Swan" Sanchec asked over the radio. Andrew, his callsign Mace 2-3 and his TAC name "Devil" replied.

"Yeah, they were swarmed with missiles. I heard only a few planes got out in time."

"Yeah, it must have been hell for them. Well, now they at least have us to back them up," Andrew grimaces at this. Their squadron was so busy with providing close air support for the JGSDF that they couldn't spare any fighters to help out with the air battle there.

"All callsigns, heads up. We got bandits incoming. Bearing 315, 200 miles out, Angels 20. Profile matches Juliet One Zeros," then AWACS called out.

J-10s, "Firebirds". So they weren't sending their Flankers in this time.

"Be advised, we are also detecting additional contacts behind the initial group. We confirmed them to be Hotel 6s, Repeat they are Hotel 6s," AWACs reported.

"Great, they are bringing in bombers now," Andrew muttered to himself.

"Magic, can we get a look at how many we are facing out there?" Carla asked.

"Standby Mace 2-1," The AWACS replied and after a few minutes had an answer, " Ok, we are tracking about 15 large targets with 20 smaller targets, likely escorts."

This was a big raid, maybe even a push to take Tokyo. The front wasn't that far off and JGSDF is still trying to form a solid defensive line.

"We got Mace 1-1 and his flight coming up to assist. The JASDF has scrabbled two of their F-15J squadrons to assist as well, callsign "Tiger" and "Ronin". Patriot missile defense units are engaging now. Engage their escorts first and then we will unleash hell on those bombers."

Andrew gulped as he angled his fighter to the appropriate vector of the incoming enemy and ascended to the correct altitude. In the distance, he can see flashes coming from the ground and into the air.

"Those must be the patriot missiles," Mace 2-4, Ensign John "College" Nguyen said over the radio.

"Yeah," Andrew replied. He saw some small flashes in the distance, most likely flares but he also began to see furballs. Andrew gulped as he switched his radar to maximum range and selected his AIM-120 AMRAAMS. He saw that he just got into firing range for his missiles. His threat receiver wasn't registering anything yet so he was still out of weapon range. Then the order finally came in.

"All aircraft this is Saber 100, weapons free! Smoke them!"

"This is Mace 2-3 Fox 3! Fox 3!" Andrew stated over the radio Two missiles released themselves from his fighter and streaked to their target. He heard the others chime in as they too fired their missiles as they all streaked to the enemy. He then heard a beeping sound, looked down and his heart stopped a bit. He was now being tracked and soon, the beeping turned into a long tone.

"Mace 2-3, going defensive!" Andrew stated over the radio as he pumped out flares to confuse the missile and dived. He looked and saw that the missile took the flares and it streaked away. Andrew turned his fighter back towards the incoming fighters. He saw them pump out chaff but one of them got hit and exploded. The other jet was able to defeat the missile but didn't reengage Andrew. He took this opportunity to switch over to his Sidewinders and give chase. As he gave chase, he heard over the radio that the rest of his squadron had arrived and even the JASDF was entering the brawl. But he couldn't focus much on that as he was closing the distance on the Firebird.

The Firebird knew he was being locked on as he made a hard left to try and throw Andrew off. Andrew was able to keep up with the enemy fighter. Soon, he was getting the sound that his missile acquired a lock.

"Mace2-3, Fox Two!" Andrew yelled as he pressed the trigger. The Sidewinder released from the fighter and streaked towards the fighter. The Firebird released some flares to defeat the missile. And to Andrew's annoyance, the missile took it.

"Oh, come fucking on," Andrew groaned as he continued to pursue the fighter. The two fighters continued to play cat and mouse until Andrew eventually got within gun's range. He saw that the gunsight was getting into position. ONce the gunsight was aimed at the tail of the fighter, Andrew pulled the trigger.

The 20mm cannon in the nose of the Super Hornet let out a brief burst but it was enough to damage the Firebird that it started to smoke. Soon, Andrew saw something shoot out of the cockpit, most likely the pilot ejecting.

That was his first kill in this war and all Andrew felt was indifference. Both of them were pilots for their country, they each knew that one day could be their last and Andrew never really ahted Cinese people, just their stupid arogant governent.

Andrew then reoriented himself back to reality. He began to cimb and once he cleared some clouds, he saw that he was in the middle of a furball. The air was filled with streaks from AIM-120s and PL-15s. He saw a J-10 being hit by a missile and soon a Hornet getting hit by cannon fire before breaking off from the fight. He then noticed a F-15J fire a missile at a J-10, the missile missing but then another missle from somewhere hit the fighter.

Andrew then listened on the radio and the channel was filled with missile calls, and calls for support. One of those voices belonged to his wingman.

"Mace 2-3, are you still there?! Need some help here!"

"College, where the hell are you?" Andrew asked, looking around.

"I am popping flares now! Look for that!" Andrew looked and then at 2 o'clock, he saw a Super Hornet being chased by two J-10s deploy flares.

"I see you," Andrew yelled as he went to help his wingman. He switched to his AMRAAMs and selected both targets. He pressed the trigger and both missiles launched. Both of the Chinese fighters saw that they were fired on so they both broke off, releasing chaff in their wake. One of the missiles hit one of the fighters, the fighter breaking apart. The other missile missed and Andrew gave chase.

"College, you are clear. If you are damaged or close to out of fuel, head back," Andrew stated over the radio.

"I still got some more fuel, so I'm still in this fight. Coming back to your six," College reported as Andrew continued to chase the Chinese fighter. He was trying to get a missile lock for his Sidewinder. Once he heard the lock tone, he fired and the missile hit the fighter in the wing, with the fighter spinning out of control to the ground.

"2-4, what is your ammo status?" Andrew asked.

"Got half my load for the 20 mil and 2 AMRAAMs and 1 Sidewinder. How about you?"

Andrew checked his weapons and grimaced, "Got about 100 rounds of 20 mil, out of AMRAAMs and 1 Winder. Best we RTB," Andrew was about to make the call when he heard something on the channel.

"The bastards are bombing the city!" Andrew turned to his right and saw that three bombers made it past the missiles. They were making a bombing run….. But there were no military targets in that area. There were only…..

"They are attacking the civilian centers!" Someone yelled over the radio.

"Why? There is no military target there so why ..." College muttered but Andrew grit his teeth.

"It's revenge. They want revenge for the terror bombings from WW2. Those bastards are just doing this for petty fucking revenge," Andrew growled. He then heard someone yell something in Japanese and then the radio bursted in radio chatter. His Japanese wasn't great but he knew enough that he can understand what was being said.

"MOTHER! FATHER! SUKIIIII!"

"Tiger 4, get back in formation!"

"I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!"

"Tiger 4, get back here dammit!"

"Tiger 4, I can't keep up! I can't catch up!"

"Tiger 4, bogies on your tail! Get out of there you idiot!"

Andrew saw a F-15J making an attack run on the bombers. He used his cannon to shoot one down and damage another bomber. But then he saw that he was being chased by 2 J-11s, who came to rescue their bomber allies.

"Oh hell," Andrew muttered before reacting quickly, "2-4, follow me. You take the one on the right and I will take the one on the left."

'Roger," Came the reply as Andrew banked his fighter and went to help the F-15.

"Tiger 4, this is Mace 2-3. Sit tight, I am going to get those fighters off your tail," Andrew said over the radio. He did not reply, the pilot probably more focused on evading the Flankers. Andrew lined up on the left Flanker and switched to his last Sidewinder. The Flanker detected someone was on him as he broke left as his wingman also broke off. Andrew gave chase but this pilot is good as he could not get a solid lock on them.

"You are not getting away, you communist fucker," Andrew muttered as he made a right turn to follow the Flanker. They have dropped their altitude down to now weaving through the skyscrapers of Tokyo. As they were weaving, Andrew glanced down at his fuel gauge and noticed he was running out of fuel.

"I have to end this and fast," Andrew said to himself as he tried to get another angle to fire. He got a break as below him, a pair of Type 87 SPAAGs were observing the battle but due to the altitude that the fighters were, could not do much to help. But in Andrew's case, they were now able to do something. The lead gun aimed up and with its partner fired, their dual 35mm Oerlikon cannons spitting out shells that were the size of one's arm. The Flanker got a hit in the wing and then broke off, trailing smoke. That bought Andrew the break he needed.

"Fox 2!" Andrew yelled as he pressed the trigger. The missile shot out and even the flares the Flanker released were not enough to deter teh missile. It struck the Flanker above its fuselage and completely destroyed the plane.

"That looks like the last of them," Andrew stated as he looked at his radar and saw that there were no more enemy aircraft in the airspace.

"Looks like the rest of the enemy fighters bugged out. All aircraft, RTB," the AWACS operator said, seemingly out of breath. Andrew and his wingman were turning to head back to base when they heard someone call to them over the radio.

"Hey, Mace 2-3, you and your wingman the one that saved my ass?" Andrew was a bit surprised at the near perfect English but got over it.

"Yeah, you must be Tiger 4," Andrew replied back.

"Yeah…. I just want to say thanks for saving me back there. I guess drinks are on me," Tiger 4 stated. Andrew chuckled on that.

"Well, when this shit storm is over, I will take you up on that… and I'm sorry about your family," Andrew replied.

There was no answer for a few minutes until, 'How did you know that was my family?"

"I understand Japanese really well. You can thank anime for that. I get why you would want revenge but I think they would also not want you to just commit suicide through combat," Andrew reasoned.

There was more silence before a response, "I'll take your word for it. Well, here's hoping we survive long enough to get those drinks."

"Roger, good luck then Tiger 4," Andrew replied. He saw the Eagle wave his wings in a form of a salute and then Broke right to head back to base.

"You think he is going to be ok?," John asked.

"Who knows? If he loses it then they will just remove him, though, that may be a hard decision given what is happening," Andrew replied. He got a roger from John as the two got into formation and then headed back to their base.


The table was silent as Andrew took the last gulp from his drink. The girls didn't really know what to say. They were in shock with what they heard. It was one thing to hear that humans fought each other from this other world, but to attack unarmed civilians was unheard of.

Andrew then pulled out a cigarette pack from his breast pocket, got one out and then pulled out a lighter from his other breast pocket and lit the cigarette and after sucking a bit, blew a puff.

"The report that came after stated that about 80 people were killed and 120 were wounded from the bombing, a majority of them women and children. Of course, this caused quite the uproar as well as a lot of anger on the Japanese side. Reports of executing prisoners and reprisals were rampant, though it was hard to really confirm many of them."

"But….. But that's….." Wendy started but couldn't finish her sentence.

"I don't want to say this but that is just how war is kid. We can't alway control our emotions and that will lead us to do stupid and often dangerous things," Andrew replied.

"You expect me to believe that indiscriminate bombing of civilians is warfare?!" Khadija exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table, catching the attention of people around them. Annabelle, usually the one to rein in Khadija when she says her outbursts, had to agree with the girl. There was no way that killing innocent people, people who couldn't even defend themselves, is how war is conducted. However, she was again surprised by the slight glare Andrew shot Khadija as he inhaled and blew more smoke. What shocked her more was his response.

"There's no mercy in war. It's a collision of powers," Andrew replied, nonchalantly. Nicholai nodded solemnly.

"People die in war, that is to be expected. We do what we can to protect those we can but sometimes that is also not enough and we just have to accept that we can not save everyone." Khadija did not like this as she stood up and was about to say something but Wendy silenced her.

"Khadija, please no more. People are looking this way," Wendy stated. The girls turned to see that mostly everyone was looking at them.

"I'm sorry for putting you girls on the spot with this. I should have watched what I have said," Andrew said as he got up to leave and Nicholai followed suit. As both men left, the cafeteria resumed the usual noise as people got back to what they were doing, but Annabelle didn't feel right. They had forced them to speak about what Andrew went through but she can tell from his pained look, despite his neutral tone, it looked like he was a bit uncomfortable.

Annabelle got up and said, "I will see you 4 later at the debrief." She then took off after the two. She didn't have to look far. She found them all huddled near each other, with Yusuke rubbing his eyes.

Andrew noticed Annabelle walking up to them and had a confused look on his face. Nicholai noticed and turned around himself, as did Alexa and lastly Yusuke.

"Well, this is a surprise. What can I do for you ma'am?" Andrew asked.

"Please, Annabelle is fine. I wanted to apologize for what happened there. You have to understand that we aren't used to fighting anything other than the Neuroi so Khadija was just shocked," Annabella stated. Andrew sighed as he pulled out the cigarette from his mouth.

"I know. I didn't mean to sound like an ass but once you have been fighting for so long, you tend to stop thinking about others feelings but think about what you can do to keep them alive."

"I understand that. I have been in the military for 6 years now. In that time, I have fought against the Neuroi for 3 so I know where you are coming from. I just wanted to let you know since it looked like it was painful for you to tell your story," Andrew gave her a sad smile.

"Yeah well… There is a reason for that but that is for a different time. I appreciate that you came looking for us," Andrew replied.

"I couldn't just not say something. It looked like… you were in pain, like you were relieving a bad dream," Annabella replied and then looked at Yusuke, "I want to give my condolences to your, Lt. Hinamoto. I can not imagine the pain you still feel."

Yusuke wiped his eyes and then sighed, "It was a few years ago and I have mainly controlled it but it still stings when it gets brought up but thank you."

Annabella smiled, this is what she wanted: to build trust with these pilots so that she can see if they can figure out how to help them get back home.

"Well, curfew is in a few hours. The PX will close in an hour so you can get anything from there. Don't worry about payment as I have let them know to let you take anything and we will handle the bill. We have a morning briefing at 0500 tomorrow and then we can let you all get a more detailed look of our situation."

"Understood ma'am," They all replied. She then gave them a salute, which they returned and turned and left.

Andrew watched her walk off and said, "She's a good commander. Wished we had many of those during the war."

"If we didn, I think the war wouldn't have escalated the way it did," Nicholair replied but then grinned, "I think I am going to check out this PX. They may have some alcohol and I think we all need it after what we had to deal with." And with that, Nicholai left.

Alexa sighed and then smiled," I'll make sure he doesn't get too overboard."

``You are a saint Alexa," Andrew replied, causing her to laugh and walk after Nicholai. Leaving Andrew and Yusuke alone.

"Look Yusuke, I….."

"Don't worry about it man. I get it, they needed to know. I know they wouldn't want me to keep getting depressed every time it is mentioned," Yusuke replied.

"All the more reason that you actually try and fix the relationship with your sister. You know she cares and yet you keep your distance or think she doesn't care," Andrew countered.

"...You know what she did after they died."

"And you know she had no choice in the matter." Both men locked stares at each other before Yusuke signed again.

"I guess I can at least sit down and talk to her to clear things up."

"There we go. Once we figure out a way to get back to the boat, I am locking you two in a room and locking the door."

"Do you think we are going to get back to the boat?" Yusuke asked. Andrew then rubbed the back of his head and then realized that he still was holding his cigarette. He placed it back in his mouth and then replied.

"We will. But for now, let's see what we can do to help since now we are stuck in a Gulf War that instead of Iraqis we are fighting fucking aliens that can shoot missiles and lasers."

Hey everyone, finally finished this. Took a while since had to move locations for my job and got hit by writer's block. I do hope you all enjoy this chapter and I did add some references to a certain game that will be seen in later chapters as well. If you have questions or want to send an OC, feel free to PM me. See you all next time!