"Eighty-Three, what is all of this supposed to mean?"
As soon as possible, all members of the thirteenth squadron had gathered back in their room, ready to hear the findings of Eighty-Three. He had started to read a report that he had somehow managed to get his hands on, but none of his words were understandable by the young pilots. So, their leader came forward, asking for more precision.
"Ah I had to expect it," he sighed. "Do you know what pregnancy is?"
He quickly looked around him, checking if anyone was nodding or something similar. But, as expected, he could only more confusion and dumbfoundedness. He understood that Kokoro and Mitsuru literally had their mind wiped clean, but the others not knowing was just annoying. Only one of them looked different, but he was already aware that she knew.
"All those explanations are going to get even more complicated," he sighed again, shaking his head. "How to explain it simply? Urgh... You know what, I'll be direct and we will go from there. This report means that inside the body of your friend over here, a group of cells had started to form and that would have later become a baby."
"A baby?"
"What?"
"I don't understand..."
Reactions were not getting better as whispers started to go around. It was only after a few second that one got back around to him.
"A baby... Like us, but a long time ago?" asked Ikuno.
"Well... Yes, exactly. We all started off as babies before growing up. None of us really remembers it, but that is normal. And although we are all exceptions to that rule in a lot of ways, life comes from a male and a female doing… things with their reproductive organs. I don't know exactly why or how, but that's not the point."
Again, his explanations were met with whispers from people trying to make sense of all this.
"And how do you know all of this?"
This time, the question came from Miku, a suspicious eyebrow well risen above one of her eyes.
"It's a bit of a long story... There used to be two cats living with us a long time ago. One day we noticed that one was getting fatter over time and changing its behavior. We did not know what was going on until we found all the kittens. Our Officer did not really have a choice but to explain what had happen."
There was not much he could say without opening a parenthesis he was not sure he could close. And whether she was convinced or not was not his problem. The internal debates were still going strong, some arguing that Eighty-Three was spewing non-sense while others took his words as the truth. The only one that were not taking part of the rising hubbub were Kokoro and Mitsuru, too awkward to say anything, Zero Two, calmly observing from the sideline.
But it was very long until Kokoro dared to make her voice heard, a hand on her stomach, cutting the chatter short.
"So you mean I have a baby inside my body?"
"Well, about that." He pulled out another piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. "According to the medical file, after the pregnancy test, you went through what they call Protocol Tango. This is the final report about it."
His tone was lower, and his expression had become much more serious. This was enough for everyone to tell that a twist was coming.
"Eighty… Eighty-Three. What… What is a Protocol Tango?"
Mitsuru faltered a bit as he asked his question. His heart was beating faster and faster in his chest and it was not a feeling that he was enjoying. But he did not get a direct reply. Instead, the pilot started to read.
After injection of ten milligrams of T-class active substances directly into the bloodstream of Code Five Five Six and a rest period of ten hours under artificial sleep, further analyses have been done. The levels of all relevant indicators have returned to normal and remains of destroyed egg cells have been found.
The pregnancy has been successfully terminated.
Code Five Five Six should be monitored for a period of at least two days before undergoing any other medical procedure to ensure the proper elimination of the T-class substances.
Addendum: After fifty hours of monitoring, analyses show complete elimination of all T-class substances within her bloodstream. There are no counter indications for cognitive alteration procedures.
This threw a heavy blanket of silence in the dorm.
And while there were some that stayed silent out of confusion, most were because they had understood. Now, the emotional rollercoaster had reached the stage of shock and sorrow.
"So... Does that mean it's... it's not..."
Kokoro was on the limit of bursting into tears, without herself really knowing why. Inside her head was just a mix of sadness, anger, confusion and disgust. And it was not something she knew how to handle.
"Sadly, yes. It means that if I understood the timeline correctly, you two did something then put on this whole ceremony thing and after that you got raided by assault troops of the Entity that took you away, killed off what was inside of you, washed up your mind before dropping you back with your group, here. Am I correct?" He quickly turned his head towards Zero Two who gave a small nod to confirm his word. "And to be honest, seeing how blurry this whole thing is, there is no doubt that Papa is involved with this in one way or the other. Would not be too much of a stretch to say he ordered the thing directly."
Nobody said anything afterward while Kokoro and Mitsuru fell in each other's arms to comfort themselves. But it was not very long until Ichigo stepped forward, towards Eighty-Three. She was visibly shaken as well, as was everyone else, but it did not seem to affect her leadership.
"Okay... We now have a basic run down of the events of the past week or so. But that's the past. What does it mean for the future? And what does it mean for you?"
He wanted to reply directed, but somebody else started to speak in his stead.
"If people step out from the line," stated Zero Two in a very calm manner with her look straight towards the Squadron Twenty pilot, "the Entity punishes them harshly. We all stepped out of the line, and Kokoro and Mitsuru both payed a heavy price. Now, you know you stepped out of the line. And you now know what you are risking. What remains to be seen is your course of action."
Eighty-Three remained silent for a short time. He was asking this question to himself. He had secured himself a group of allies, but what now?
"Well... For now, I'll say that we should wait and see. Wait and see what the Entity is going to do, wait and see what more info we can find, wait and see what action we can figure out. And it might be preferable to let things die down before going on sneaking around again."
"You should probably spend some time with your Squadron as well," added Zero Two with the same tone. "Your co-pilot might need support in those times. And maybe watch your backs too, we don't know what the Entity could do if they find your results disappointing."
Those word hit too close to home for him not to react. But he knew he should have seen it coming. This whole meeting could have been summed up as him giving sad news to the members of Squadron Thirteen. It was nothing but normal than for them to warm him about things hitting him back.
"Yeah... Yeah you are right. Thanks. I'll get in touch."
He quickly saluted everyone before turning away and leaving the dorm. Now, Squadron Thirteen was alone with itself. Kokoro had wiped off her tears, but there was not much anyone could say in fear of bringing her back down.
There was just Zero Two, turning back towards Hiro who had remained silent during the entire discussion.
"What do you think about all of this, Darling?"
"I don't really know... I just feel like things are going to be happening really fast."
In the Garden, all Officers were issued a small office. It was far from being as spacious and comfortable as what they were used to in their respective Settlements, but it was still a closed workspace where they could work effectively and connect with all the databases they needed. And for Maria, more so than for others, it was extremely useful.
Not only did she have to plan out the training missions for the three able crews under her command, she also had to do all the paperwork and planification for simulators sessions, medical appointments and other special measures for Code Zero Five Zero and Code Zero Eight Three. And with all this, she still had to find time to talk to them directly in head-to-head meetings to discuss things.
Real down times were few and far between for her, and for a while they were not bringing all the results she was wishing for. A lot of Code Zero Five Zero's recovery program was falling behind schedule and she had a lot of question over the mysterious Squadron Thirteen. But now, the first sessions with real a FRANV were on the horizon and the meeting with Hachi had given her most of the answer she wanted.
And it was making her feel free.
As she typed out the last few words of a sortie report on her keyboard, she let out a pleased sigh. Her work was done for the day and she had what felt like all the time in the world just to herself. So, she laid down in her chair before reaching out to a button on her desk, turning on the microphone of the digital assistant.
"Can you play some music please?"
It was a rhetorical question as, a second later, a soft guitar started to play over the small speakers. Maria immediately recognized the riff that threw her back. Way back. It was a song from her youth, even if it was older than her by several decades. In fact, it was mostly a song from her parents' youth. But she did not recall putting this in her playlist.
This thought suddenly brought back memories of her mother and her father. And while, over the course of an entire century, she had forgotten a lot of events she had lived with them, she had not forgotten their characters.
Her father was a police officer in their town. During her childhood, she had always seen him as a man of duty. But as time went on and she entered in the Aerospace Forces, she had slowly realized that some decisions he had to take were morally grey to protect its family.
As for her mother, she alternated small jobs and periods of unemployment. And while her situation was never the best, she was always hopeful that things would get better. What always struck Maria was when she received the letters that said her current contract was not going to be renewed. Her smile accompanied by her saying it was the perfect occasion to try something different.
Teploe mesto, no ulitsy zhdut
Otpechatkov nashikh nog.
Zvezdnaya pyl' - na sapogakh.
Myagkoe kreslo, kletchatyy pled,
Ne nazhatyy vovremya kurok.
Solnechnyy den' - v oslepitel'nykh snakh.
As a surprise to even herself, she started to sing along. The fact that she had not forgotten the lyrics brought a smile on her face. There was something satisfying about saying the same words as the singer at the correct time.
Gruppa krovi - na rukave,
Moy poryadkovyy nomer - na rukave,
Pozhelay mne udachi v boyu, pozhelay mne:
Ne ostat'sya v etoy trave,
Ne ostat'sya v etoy trave.
Pozhelay mne udachi, pozhelay mne udachi!
But the lyrics reminded her of someone else. Herself. Both at the end of her academy training with her new and spotless dress uniform, and now as an officer of the Human Protection Entity. All that time, always with patches on her shoulders, whether it was an identification number, a squadron emblem, or her blood type.
I est' chem platit', no ya ne khochu
Pobedy lyuboy tsenoy.
Ya nikomu ne khochu stavit' nogu na grud'.
Ya khotel by ostat'sya s toboy,
Prosto ostat'sya s toboy,
No vysokaya v nebe zvezda zovet menya v put'.
Joining the Russian Armed Forces then the Entity, fighting on different fronts, leading her own squadron and raising new pilots. All of those were sacrifices that she made during her life to try to come out on top of conflicts. But never did she willingly tried to pay the highest price for a victory. And when it sadly happened on several occasions, it had always changed her in some way to allow her to carry on.
Gruppa krovi - na rukave,
Moy poryadkovyy nomer - na rukave,
Pozhelay mne udachi v boyu, pozhelay mne:
Ne ostat'sya v etoy trave,
Ne ostat'sya v etoy trave.
Pozhelay mne udachi, pozhelay mne udachi!
Was she ready to do this again with the pilots under her orders? She had seen all eight of them grow up, and the recent crash and Code Zero Five Zero's amputation reminded her that they could still go away at any moment, without notice. And she was not sure she was ready or not if that were to happen.
However, she was hopeful. She trusted all the security measures that came along large scale operations. In a way, it was the reason they were there. The entire objective of those kinds of preparation exercises was to reduce the likeliness of possibly deadly errors. But risk never disappears, especially with an enemy that has proven its capability to evolve. And if the Board and the Chairman said the truth, the conflict was already nearing the end. Maybe, just maybe, they will all get some real rest as a reward for their efforts.
But it was not really the time to think about this. For now, they still had a lot of work to do and the Klaxosaurs were still an important threat. They had to keep on fighting, for the sake of all those that have already fallen whether they are remembered by someone or not.
She remained in that position for several long minutes, listening with a grin to songs of her past. But it was interrupted by a ringing sound that immediately burst her bubble open and brought her back into the real world. With a groan, she stood back up and reached again for the button of her personal digital assistant.
"What is it?"
"Someone is requesting permission to enter into your office," stated the cold robotic voice. "Officer Kubawashi, to be precise."
"Naomi?"
Those simple words made her jump out of her seat. She hurried towards the door and quickly pressed one of the buttons on the control panel. The panel quickly slid out of the way, revealing a Naomi that looked somewhat lost.
"Are you alright?"
The shared eye contact made Maria very worry about her friend.
"I… I… I need some advice."
"Am I the only one that noticed something changing with Eighty-Three and Fifty?"
In the calm of the briefing room, the three active crews of Squadron Twenty had been the first to arrive and sit down. They were alone, which created the perfect environment for calm discussion. Twos took the occasion to ask a question that was on his heart for quite a while now. And while nobody answered at first, the overall feeling was that everyone clearly knew what he was talking about.
Finally, it was Nine that said something.
"I have noticed something strange with them as well. I mean I am pretty sure we all have noticed something about them. They have been a bit distant lately, don't you all agree?"
Some nodded, and somehow instinctively turned their heads towards Three-Aught-Five.
"Yes... But they have been through a lot, and they are still going through a lot right now. It is not something that we know anything about."
Her tone was reassuring, or at least trying to reassure her partners about the fate of Twenty Bravo. But it did not seem to be very effective.
"Yeah, but still. Like sometime I feel they are avoiding us as much as they can. I have even seen Eighty-Three hanging out with another squadron."
"For now, it is not our issue."
One-Ten had spoken lowly. He never enjoyed talking things he did not understand, and a look at his face made it clear that he was not enjoying this discussion.
"Yeah… But no. I'll have to disagree with you on that one. I mean, he is literally a member of our squadron. It is our issue. If he… No, if Bravo are not well, then none of us are well. Look at ourselves. What are we doing together away from the training? Nothing! We need to sort things out."
It was rare for Four-Seven to speak in such manner. And in a way it acted like an electroshock to get everyone else to unlock their mouths.
"Maybe that it will get better when they start flying back with us again. We are separated almost all day. It does not help with anything, does it?"
But she was not convinced by this answer.
"And we are not doing anything either."
"Yeah, but when I try to do or say something, nothing happens. And I have talked to Maria about this, but she keeps saying that she is keeping an eye on them. But I am less and less sure about that."
Three-Aught-Five's words were far from helping anyone, but at least there was communication.
"What about Fifty, then? Do we know what she really does when she is not with us?"
"Well it is a bit hard to say. With all the medical examinations she has on top, she does not have a lot of time for herself."
"Sometimes I see her roaming through the hallways. But when I come to her to have a chat, she is always very vague. Says something about being tired and going away somewhere. I doubt it is very true."
They all took turns to say similar things, making them all realize the true scope of what they had all felt internally. And it was worse than what they had all imagined.
From the corridors, several groups of pilots all started to make their way inside, forcing them to lower their voices to avoid any eavesdropping.
"So what do we do now? I mean we can't just go up to them and tell them to stop behaving like that. Any ideas?"
Twos had taken the lead on that case as One-Ten was clearly unwilling to go forward. It was understandable that he did not wish to interfere with something their officer was supposed to handle, but he just could not do anything to prevent the rest from acting.
"Maybe we could flip things around," stated Nine as she held her chin. "Instead of trying to get them involved with what we do, we should be the one getting involved with their tasks. It might show them that we truly stand behind them."
They all took a second to think about the idea.
"But how would that work? They are still working on simulators and Fifty has a lot of personal appointments…" Three-Aught-Five liked the premises of Nine's idea, but still had to ask about the obvious limitations.
"I don't know, I'm just putting down my ideas. Maybe talking about it to Maria, take part in the simulations ourselves or something. There is probably something she can make us do."
They all nodded at the proposition.
"But what about that other squadron Eighty-Three hangs out with? Should we do something about this or not?"
"Do we even know which squadron it is?"
Nine rose up her head slightly over the ones of her squad mates. The room had filled up quite a lot with other squadrons waiting for the upcoming briefing. Her eyes glanced over many heads, recognizing some and not others. She did not really know what she was exactly looking for. Maybe she would recognize a face, but she was not sure of anything.
And then it struck her. Pink hair at the complete opposite of the room from them. It was so obvious that there was no doubt left in her. Quickly, she lowered her head to avoid looking too suspicious.
"So?"
"Other side of the room. Group of six. Around the girl with pink hair. It's them."
"Are you sure?"
Nine nodded.
"Absolutely sure. With that kind of color, there's no way I can be doubting. I don't know which squadron they are supposed to be, though."
Some poked up themselves to see them, but there was not much to see apart from the back of a few heads.
"What are you doing? Get down! You are going to get noticed!"
"Hey we need to see for ourselves."
"Get your heads down! You are going to blow everything!"
But Nines' words were not needed as someone walked on the small stage of the briefing room. All the pilots in the room turned their heads towards him. It was the officer that had given a long speech during the ceremony at the beginning of the exercise. This sight made them all stand up to give him the salute he was entitled to because of his rank.
"Settle down," he said without paying much attention to the crowd standing before him.
In his hand, he had some sort of tablet that he quickly set up on a stand that was waiting for him. With what looked like a small pen, he started interacting with various elements on his screen and, a few seconds later, an image appeared, projected on the wall behind him.
It was a map of a large area of operations. It contained many geographical details such as precise elevation change, hydrography and forests. But much more importantly, there was information related to simulated enemy presence and objectives as well.
And there were a lot of them. It had to be expected, seeing the manpower present for this briefing, but it was still surprising to actually see it.
"Listen up, everyone. This operation will be complex, so you better be paying close attention," he started before turning towards the projected information. "A large concentration of hostile elements has been spotted in the area of operation. Past records show us that the most likely scenario is that of a gathering before an important attack on our positions. This cannot be allowed, and all hostiles must be destroyed. However, their numbers are already so important that a raid by a single squadron will not be effective."
The small stylus he had in his hand suddenly turned into a laser pointer when a red dot started indicating several important elements as he spoke.
"The main target is located in the middle of this valley. It hosts the highest concentration of target and will be attacked by dedicated squadrons carrying only air-to-ground weaponry. Each of them will be escorted by dedicated squadrons. However, the moment the bombing run begins, smaller hostile groups located in a radius of several kilometers will most likely converge in an attempt to support their defenses. It is why several smaller raids will be carried simultaneously to spread their forces as much as possible over the entire AO and make things easier for the main team. The main bomber force will be made of Squadrons Thirteen and Twenty and will be escorted by Squadrons Five, Nine and Sixteen."
Even if they were paying close attention, hearing their numbers was a bit of a surprise. But while some nodded and focused even more on the explanation, others sighed. Those particular types of bombing runs required FRANVs to be loaded with the heaviest of ammunition on all anchor points of the weapon bay, making the relatively nimble machine into a slow brick with barely any agility left. And the worst part was that there was not even the adrenalin rush of being in the heart of combat. Everyone might have been acting like it was an actual operation, but it was just pretend, a rehearsal for something far in the future. Sure, some other squadrons were going to play the role of the flying bad guys, but still, it was a very boring mission in perspective.
"To limit spread during the free fall of the munitions, you will have to arrive at a low altitude to the release point. You will enter the valley by the south and follow it for the ideal launch trajectory. Squadrons Five and Nine will open the way and clear any enemy anti-air elements. Squadron Twenty will follow with Squadron Thirteen behind for a single attack run. Squadron Sixteen will serve as the rear guard."
He then continued, giving more information about other aspects of the operation which did not involve Squadron Twenty. A perfect time to return to whispered discussions.
"Thirteen? Aren't they ones with the super fancy prototype?" asked Twos with a very low voice directly in the ear of his partner.
"Yeah… Are they really trying to bring that thing for a heavy bombing run? With the way it beat us last time, shouldn't it be part of the escort?"
"I don't know, man. I guess they have something else in mind. Maybe they can load something special on it or something…"
But the two immediately stopped when the officer swept his look back towards them. It was clearly not the kind of people that enjoyed hearing people chatting while he was talking. Seeing that all the chatting had stopped, he returned to his explanation.
"All elements must be in the air by thirteen hundred hours and should have reached the area of operations by fourteen hundred hours. An AWACS, callsign Holy Eye, will provide all orders taken by HQ. Any additional details will be transmitted to you by radio if the need ever rises. Understood? Then go to your changing rooms and ready yourself for the start of the mission."
Flight test results
Aircraft n° 13D
Involved personnel: 326 (pilot), 556 (co-pilot)
T 00:00 – FRANV start up
T 03:23 – FRANV on landing pad
T 04:02 – Take off
T 05:27 – Reached cruise speed, heading 045
T 06:59 – Reached airspace of Weapon Test Range
T 07:30 – Targeting system, fatal error, error code 003201
Observation report: The tested crew has not displayed any issues with basic handling and cruising. However, difficulties with weapon systems have led to a failure of the targeting system. They were thus not able to launch standard training weapons towards simple targets.
As of now, Pilot 326 and Co-Pilot 556 are not cleared for combat deployment. This may change at a later date based on eventual improvements during further tests. However, it is important to recall that it is unlikely, based on similar past cases, and that the resources of the Entity are scarce and should not be used beyond reason.
"So... Let's start from the beginning, but slowly."
Maria tried to sound reassuring as she handed a hot cup of tea to her friend.
"Thanks. Sorry if I go too fast over this, I just don't know what kind of situation I'm in."
Naomi still had in her visible remnants of her former national culture of politeness, something that all showed in one subtle way or another.
"Don't worry. Anyway, I understood the part where your two pilots did… things… But you did not know about it until after Settlement Thirteen was raided by the special forces guys. However, after that it all blurred so explain things step by step."
The older officer sat down at her desk, focused on the words she was about to listen.
"Ok... Huh... I was informed of what had happened just as they stormed the living quarters. I was so scared that something even worse was going to happen. Knowing some of my kids, I feared that one of them would get shot by trying to resist. I was relieved when I was finally able to enter the quarters and was told that not a single cartridge was fired. What I was not happy to see, however, was that everyone had been handcuffed and forced to kneel down on the gravel in the front of the house. And by everyone, I mean eight out of the ten pilots. The two that were missing were those that really interested the guy over at Internal Safety that launched this entire thing."
She stopped to take a sip of the cup that was still radiating heat between her hands. And while she did, Maria was nodding. It was rare to interact with the Entity's Internal Safety as they were too busy handling with all the infractions within the civilian population of each Settlement. But, as with almost everything, there were rumors going about within the corps of officers. The moment someone within a squadron did very bad things, they would jump in like vultures to get themselves the most prestigious type of investigation. And it seemed that arresting a pilot would lead to an almost automatic promotion while putting the handcuffs on the wrists of an officer was a free ticket to a position in the most important sedentary installations. In a way, she was glad she never had to really interact with them, and what she was being told seemed to confirm her feelings.
Naomi finally put down her cup before continuing.
"They had taken them away and cuffed everyone else while they searched the building for something. It took them hours, and I don't even know what they found or picked up. Hours of me not being able to do anything. It was painful for everyone until they found what they wanted and left without an additional word. The nine of us barely had the time to sat down and reflect on what had happened that I immediately received the order to move here for training."
But after that, Maria already knew some of the details.
"So you took off, our squadrons had this simulated fight while in transit then we arrived here and we met in the Officers Lounge. Did I get everything right on this one?"
"Yes... At least, this battle made us think about something else."
"But why didn't you tell me anything when we were at the bar? I know I had my own issues back then, but I could have helped with something."
She simply shook her head from side to side.
"Well I just couldn't speak at the time. Things were not going as badly... And on top of that you talked about the new plane, so I was thinking about something altogether. But now I feel like I don't have a choice anymore."
"It's fine, it's fine. Don't apologize for that. Just keep explaining."
Naomi took a second to breathe and reach for her cup to take another sip.
"I… It was at this point that they let Code Five Five Six and Code Three Two Six go and they were reintegrated into the squadron. Or at least they got back into the group, but they still had to be cleared for active duty. And, well… The results were far from being acceptable for active duty, let alone being close to what was expected. And now the higher-ups keep pressuring into somehow making them better… But I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm constantly under scrutiny, that Internal Safety is constantly watching over me, that they suspect I have something to do with all that is happening."
"What do you mean exactly by that? Did they do something to them that destroyed their abilities."
"They did a memory wipe. Wasn't really surprised, I was fully expecting it after what I had been told, but it was heartbreaking to have them in front of me, completely clueless about who I was. And I don't think their cleaning was made with the intention of being precise. Apart from their codes and the basics of piloting… Nothing."
"I see… But have you told your superiors that all those problems are out of your control? That you cannot do anything about it?"
She shook her head.
"Of course I did, but…" She stopped, rubbing her hands on her face.
"Naomi?"
"I… I… I'm scared, Maria. Scared of what might happen to them."
Her voice had suddenly changed tone. Her hands still in front of her face, she started sobbing. Maria stood up from her desk to kneel down next to her friend and, with all the compassion she had, she surrounded her with her arms.
"Everything is going to be fine, Naomi. Don't worry. Things will work out."
"I… I've read reports… Similar situations…" Through the tears, she had trouble with letting the words out of her mouth. "Pilots underperforming after having their minds wiped. Each time, they've been terminated."
Maria sure was confused by her words.
"You… You mean decommissioned, right?"
Older pilots always see a decrease of their performance over time. When they reach a threshold considered as the lowest acceptable, pilots are decommissioned, trained in another field to become mechanics, security guards or pilots of transport crafts. The only thing she was unsure of, however, was if whether or not all pilots underwent a cleaning of their memories beforehand. But that was not relevant to the fact that she had never heard of young pilots being decommissioned, let alone terminated as Naomi had put it.
"No… Terminated. Lethal injection. They are way too young to be put into some kind of other field."
Maria could not really reply to that. She knew Naomi was not lying, but what she was telling was shocking to say the least. She herself had feared that her pilots would die in operation, but she just could not really imagine fearing that the Entity itself would kill her protégés.
"And… Have you talked to your pilots about this? In one way or the other."
"No… What could I even tell them? That if they do not perform better, they will be strapped to a chair and put down like dogs? There is no more hope left. They might get my head too if they find something they think is even remotely suspicious."
Tears had stopped, replaced by a sad frustration. She just wanted to protect her pilots, but what could she really do about it, alone against her hierarchy?
"What about Hachi then? Is he aware of the situation?"
"Oh he is very much aware. I have told him all of it and he has gone through all the files himself... But he just shrugged it off. Said something about how he had no possible say in that decision. I thought time would have changed him when we started cooperating once again, but no… He only cares about himself that bastard."
Frustration that had quickly turned to anger.
"Woah no need to get angry now… Take a breath, and when you have time, go and talk to your pilots. Don't tell them what they risk but try and encourage them about how they can be better or something similar. Putting too much pressure will only make them less efficient."
Naomi remained silent for a bit. Her face slowly returned to a more natural expression. She was still emotionally shaken, but it was better than being furious.
"Yeah… I guess I better try that. Doesn't cost much to try, huh?"
"Now that's the spirit. And I find it very unlikely the Entity would get rid of pilots that are still physically well."
Naomi stood back up, and Maria quickly followed.
"I… Thanks, Maria… I guess I better go now."
"No problems. If you ever need something else, I'm here."
In a very formal way, both saluted each other and Naomi left the small office. Maria was now alone with herself and a new set of thoughts about what her friend had just told her.
"Chort!"
« Twenty, Holy Eye. Stay on course Zero One Zero and enter the valley. »
« Understood. Staying on current course. »
Even if this was just training, nobody was really enjoying the experience. They were too heavy, flying too slowly and flying too low, but that was what they had to do, so they had no real choice. Defending themselves was not a possibility, so they had to rely on their escorts to do the job.
« Nine Alpha, this is Twenty Alpha. Is our way clear? Over. »
« Affirmative, Twenty. All visible targets have been eliminated. You are clear to proceed. Out. »
In his cockpit, One-Ten quickly checked his own instruments as the formation of three FRANVs entered the targeted valley. On each side, mountains were rising tall above them, reducing the space they had to maneuver their heavy aircrafts.
« Alpha to all. Be careful with the turning. Ground is closer than it seems. »
The margin of error was small, and he could not afford to lost anyone to a stupid mistake.
« Yeah, yeah... We know. »
Despite the distortion of the radio, One-Ten perfectly recognized the voice of Two-Seven, albeit with a bit of boredom in it. He was not respecting any of the protocols of communication, but the leader just let it slide for now as it was just on their own network. However, he would surely mention it during debriefing.
As they went deeper and deeper into the valley, the traces left by the escort became apparent. On the ground, small clouds of smoke were rising towards the skies, indicating the impact points of training munition on dummy targets that were supposed to represent enemy anti-air capabilities.
« Well it looks like those guys did the cleaning pretty well. »
Two-Seven had really nothing better to do than comment what he was seeing in an attempt to brush the boredom away.
« You know how it goes, Two-Seven. Suddenly more targets will pop up out of nowhere and we are still going to have to dodge everything anyway. »
« Oh come on, Nine. Can't you let a guy dream for five minutes? »
« I am preventing you from getting unrealistic expectations. »
« I swear… You and your pragmatism… »
Suddenly, in front of him, One-Ten's screen came alive with information interpreted by his copilot. So now he had a good reason to intervene and stop the conversation.
« Charlie, Delta, cut the chatter! We have new hostiles approaching. »
« What did I tell you? »
« Alright I got it... »
« I said cut the chatter. Holy Eye, this is Twenty Alpha. We have new hostiles in the valley. Looks like anti-air. Requesting support. »
« Understood, Twenty. Wait one. »
As the radio communication became silent for a few seconds, One-Ten's heartbeat started to rise. And he could feel it. Almost to the point of being uncomfortable. With enemies inbound, although simulated, and uncertainty from their AWACS, it was not a place he really wanted to be in. But it was not something he could control, he just had to endure it.
« Damn, they are opening fire! »
« Evading! Evading! »
The chatter that appeared as the aircrafts started to maneuver away from the projectiles was almost enough to drown the reply from the AWACS operator.
« Squadron Twenty, you are on your own. Five and Nine have left the AO to resupply and Sixteen is currently engaged with hostiles at the back. Proceed with the mission. »
« Understood. »
While One-Ten's response was professional, the same could not really be said for the pilot of Thirteen Charlie.
« Dammit! That thing is too heavy! »
« Keep focused and stay sharp. We are halfway to the objective. We can do this. »
The planes started to move from side to side, changing their position and their altitude to throw off and avoid the simulated projectiles that were zipping past on their head-up displays. But they were not trying to avoid real damages to their vehicles. Rather, it was more about not going through hours of reprimands and additional training that a mission failure would lead to.
« Do they really expect two squadrons to make through this alive? »
« Less talking and more flying, Two-Seven! »
At this point, he was just barking every word in his radio microphone. He had to focus on so much that taking the time to say more words was a luxury he could not afford.
Within all those things, he also had to check the status of the squadron that was following them through the valley. Them going down was as good as his own aircraft being destroyed. In the middle of this chaos, it was a bit of a relief to see all six points still appearing on his radar. He also had access to some basic information through the data link, but the technicalities were not really important in that situation.
With the constant beeping of the various alerts warning of incoming projectiles, he could not look at it for very long before going back to moving the flight stick in all directions. And sometimes, going in all directions was not even a possibility with the rocks on either side, open like a pair of hands ready to swat a group of annoying flies.
« Come on… Quarter of the way to go! »
« Holy Eye to all units. Be advised, you have a group of five bandits incoming, bearing Three Three Zero. ETA two minutes. »
This time, the reactions were not voiced with words, but rather with very annoyed groans. What more could the officers in charge of this exercise do to make their task objective way too hard. But apart from complaining to themselves, they had no choice but to carry on.
With difficulty, they all changed their course to match the winding path formed by the valley, all the while still evading projectiles. At this point, it was not skill that had allowed them to stay without taking any damage for that long. It was just luck.
But then, One-Ten noticed something wrong. On his radar, one of the points that represented the planes of Squadron Thirteen had left its group. In fact, it was getting closer. Fast.
"What the…"
But he really did not have time to let all the words out of his mouth that a shape jumped out from behind a crest, right in the middle of the Squadron Twenty aircrafts. The very distinct shape of the experimental fighter was immediately recognizable for everyone. With its small size, it had an agility that all of them could only dream of at the moment.
But there was not much room to spare in between the massive hulls of the regular FRANVs as the valley narrowed down. And yet, it did not prevent the slick prototype from dancing in the sky in an elegant yet dangerous way.
And everything was fine enough until, in one of its maneuvers, it got close to Charlie. Inverted, its canopy avoided a collision with the canopy of the larger plane by only a handful of meters which, on the scale of the regular FRANVs, was too short of a distance. Of course, the moment Two-Seven realized what was happening, he moved away as much as he could in an attempt to create a safe buffer.
« What the hell are they doing? They almost crashed into me! »
« Two-Seven, stay focused. We are coming up on the objective. »
But the leader was completely ignored. Instead, it was on the general radio network that his subordinate continued to speak.
« Thirteen X-Ray! Are you trying to kill both of us? »
The only reply he got was silence as the machine continued its acrobatics and took the lead of the procession. At this point, it was clear that its crew just wanted things to end as fast as possible, ignoring all its allies in the process.
« Focused, Two-Seven! We are almost at the objective. »
« Dammit! »
In the background of his communication was a faint sound. He was hitting something, most probably the canopy of his cockpit out of pure frustration and anger.
It was not very long until they all took the final turn, bringing in sight their target. On the ground, there was an extremely large number of simulated enemies, waiting to be destroyed for the purpose of the exercise. On his screen, One-Ten could see the information displayed changed as his co-pilot started to calculate targeting data. With the constant shaking and rumbling of the large engines, he could not hear or feel the doors of the weapon bay opening, but a small flashing light placed on the dashboard was all he needed to see to know that the bombs were now exposed to the wind.
In front, far in the distance, the experimental plane had already pulled up and was orbiting the objective, waiting for its partners that were still way behind in the valley. For now, it was no longer the center of attention.
« Squadron Twenty incoming on target. ETA ten seconds. »
« Copy that, Twenty. You are cleared to engage. Weapons free, weapons free. »
There were several seconds of silence on the radio network before the fateful moment.
« Twenty Alpha, bombs away, bombs away. »
« Twenty Charlie, bombs away, bombs away. »
« Twenty Delta, bombs away, bombs away. »
The instant the bombs unlatched from the hardpoints, the weight of the FRANVs was immediately reduced to just a fraction of what it was only a few seconds earlier. And moments later, the enemy targets disappeared in a theoretical ball of fire.
There was a sudden sensation of happiness as their planes regained the handling they had all been craving for hours, but it was not enough to counterbalance the anger in Two-Seven. But it seemed that he knew there was no use of trying to pursue them to yell in the radio. So, he just put himself in formation with the rest of his squadron, mumbling in his oxygen mask and waiting for further instructions.
Below, the rest of Squadron Thirteen reached the target as well and dropped their own bombs, making the last remaining contacts disappear from radar. When they rejoined with their prototype partner, nothing was left, which prompted the AWACs operator to start speaking.
« Holy Eye to all units. Enemy targets have all been destroyed. Disengage and RTB. »
Hearing this made everyone breathe out a sigh of relief. Their hearts were still beating fast and adrenalin was still pumping through their veins, but they were slowly coming down from their high. Yet none of them said anything over the local radio. They were tired, their bodies ached and their emotions were not the best for a calm discussion. Despite the roar and rumble of the powerful engines, there was a heavy silence floating over them as they changed their course back towards where they had come from. It was better to wait for the debriefing to talk about things.
But they were not aware that they were being watched.
"So? What's your take on them?"
"They are as experienced as they look, that is certain. They know how to fly. But they have some trouble adapting when things go out of the range of what they know."
"Do you think they will be useful to us?"
"I will have to meet them to see for myself."
Welcome and thank you for reading the seventh chapter of Discoveries.
I wonder how many people had understood the "twist" that bridges this chapter with the latest. In a weird way, I always found weird that in the original show, APE goes through the trouble of brainwashing the couple because they had sex, but without taking care of a possible baby. Now I am aware changing that will have very important consequences for the characters, and this has been obvioulsy taken into account for what has been planned next.
As always, I want to remind everyone that I will take the next month or so to work on my GATE story, so don't hesitate to jump over there to see more of my content.
Anyway, thank you all for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter.