Operation: Stray Sheep

I was worried about Nagase. Luckily, we where now going on a rescue mission for her. I scarcely paid attention to the briefing, I was thinking about Nagase. Was she all right? Did she already get captured by the Yukes? If those bastards had done anything to her- what was this? I felt… Something. Not the usual bond between two people who often fly together, nor was it the bond two people feel towards to each other after they owe one another their lives. No, this was something different.

Was I in love with Nagase?

I already had a girlfriend, her name was Julie Karnes. During my days in War Collage, I'd run amok, well, SORT OF amok. I'd met Julie in a navel warfare course that I had to take, and I'd fallen for her hard. Hell, I'd even proposed! What's worse, she'd accepted! When the opportunity came for me to do a little actual flying in a battle, I'd accepted, and she'd started with this touchy-feely crap about being afraid of commitment…

Anyways…

I got into my new aircraft, a Saab Gripen, and took off, with Chopper in a MiG-29, and Archer in an F-20. We flew towards the target area, and I started to follow the distress signal.

"Captain, this is Archer, should we split up to cover more ground?"

"Yeah, I think we should. Chopper, break off." I said.

"This is Archer, roger that. Adjusting position."

An oddly erotic –and wholly inappropriate- memory of Julie popped into my mind at that word. Position… ah, the things we tried…

I shoved the memory away, and tried to concentrate on following that distress beacon.

I followed it for a while, and then I got with in Nagase's distress beacons range.

"This is Kei Nagase of Wardog Squadron calling Mayday! Mayday!"

"Nagase! Can you hear me? This is Blaze!" I yelled.

"Blaze? What are you doing here!"

"Looking after you, babe, listen, just stay down until the rescue helo is here."

"Christ! Blaze, get out of here! They have ZU-23s down here!"

I didn't really listen to that; I was more concerned as to where the signal was taking me.

When I was almost at Nagase's location, an E-767 appeared, and started to jam the single, my radar, and almost everything else. I selected a sidewinder, and fired.

The Signal came back, and I started following it again.

Then, my aircraft's fire-control radar picked up the radar lock. DAMN! A Gundish paint! Looks like they really DID have ZUs… I turned the Gripen flat to avoid the string of tracers that where now emanating from the ground.

"BLAZE! DOWN HERE!" Nagase yelled, as I passed over her.

"This is Sea Goblin, Wardog, have you found her?"

"Sea Goblin, Blaze, that's more or less a roger. Over."

"Roger, good job you have good eyes. Please protect us until we reach her."

"Roger that, hey what the-? Whoa! Whoa! There are still enemies on the ground!"

I went in for a strafing run on those SAMS and AA guns that where targeting the helo, while I ordered Chopper and Archer to escort the helo.

Eventually, we got Nagase onboard the helo, and airlifted her out. Apparently, Nagase had –in an ironic display- captured some soldiers, and got a little information from them. She had even managed to find and treat the crew of the gunship that crashed during yesterday's rescue mission.

I tried to identify the feeling I was experiencing at that point. Fear? No, Nagase was safe now. Worry? No, not that either… could it be?